Chapter 2 - Romavivaraṇā-varṇana

Romavivaraṇāvarṇanaṃ Dvitīyaṃ Prakaraṇam
(Chapter Two named Romavivaraṇāvarṇanam )

Sarvanīvaraṇaviṣkambhin, it is like this: A trillion Gandharvas dwell in a pore named Suvarṇa. They do not experience the sufferings of Saṃsāra and are satisfied by perfect happiness. They perceive divine objects but are free from attachment. They have no aversion, they do not become angry, and they never have malice. They all dwell on the noble eightfold path and always aspire to the dharma. Sarvanīvaraṇaviṣkambhin, it is like this: In this pore named Suvarṇa there is a wish-fulfilling jewel named Avabhāsa. Whenever the Gandharvas wish for something, their wishes are fulfilled. Beyond the pore named Suvarṇa, there is a pore named Kṛṣṇa, within which a trillion rishis dwell. Some have one clairvoyance; some have two clairvoyances; some have three clairvoyances; some have four clairvoyances; some have five clairvoyances; and some have the six clairvoyances. Within that pore the ground is silver and the mountains are gold with silver peaks adorned by rubies. There are seventy-seven such mountains, and on each of those mountains live eighty thousand rishis. Those rishis have leaf huts where there are wish-fulfilling trees with red trunks and gold and silver leaves that shine like jewels. There are four pools near each wish-fulfilling tree. Some are filled with water that has the eight qualities, and some are completely filled with divine flowers. The area around them is completely adorned by wishfulfilling trees that are divine coral trees hung with divine adornments; hung with diadems and earrings; hung with one hundred and eight-string necklaces and sixty-four-string necklaces; and hung with bracelets; and their leaves are made of jewels and gold.In each of those wish-fulfilling trees there live a hundred Gandharvas. When they play music, deer, birds, and so on contemplate deeply. They see the suffering and happiness of beings in saṃsāra and the way in which suffering is experienced in Jambudvīpa. They see birth, aging, and death. They see separation from the desired and beloved, and encounters with the disliked. They see human beings undergoing many kinds of suffering. The deer and birds contemplate deeply in that way. When they remember the name the precious king of the Mahāyāna Sūtras, the Sūtra of the Kāraṇḍavyūha Sūtra, food with supreme divine flavors appears; divine aromatic substances appear; and divine clothing appears. Whenever they wish for something, their wishes are fulfilled. Bodhisattva Sarvanīvaraṇaviṣkambhin said to the Bhagavat, ‘Bhagavat, I am utterly astonished.’

The Bhagavat said, ‘Noble son, why are you astonished?’ Then Bodhisattva Sarvanīvaraṇa-viṣkambhin said to the Bhagavat, ‘Bhagavat, if those kinds of things appear just because someone thinks of the name of the precious king of the Mahāyāna Sūtras, the Sūtra of the Kāraṇḍavyūha Sūtra, then those who listen to, cause to be written out, possess, recite, study, and have their minds completely focused on the precious king of the Mahāyāna Sūtras, the Sūtra of the Kāraṇḍavyūha Sūtra, will have happiness. Those who write a single letter from the precious king of the Mahāyāna Sūtras, the Sūtra of the Kāraṇḍavyūha Sūtra, will have happiness and will not see these sufferings of saṃsāra. They will not be reborn as an untouchable (caṇḍāla) or of mixed caste (Kukura);the will not be reborn as someone with defective senses; they will not be reborn as lame, hunchbacked, with a deformed nose, a goiter, or a cleft lip, nor with leprosy. Their bodies will not be afflicted by illness. They will have health, great strength, and clear faculties. The Bhagavat gave his approval, saying, ‘That is excellent, Sarvanīvaraṇaviṣkambhin. Your eloquence and your teaching of this kind of dharma to a gathering of Devas, Nāgas, Yakṣas, Gandharvas, Asuras, Garuḍas, Kiṃnaras, mahoragas, humans, non-humans, upāsakas, and upāsikās is excellent! Excellent!’

Then Bodhisattva Sarvanīvaraṇaviṣkambhin said to the Bhagavat, ‘Bhagavat, when you teach what I request, the Devas gain unwavering faith.’ The Bhagavat gave his approval, saying, ‘Excellent, noble son. That you repeatedly make these requests is excellent, excellent. Sarvanīvaraṇaviṣkambhin, it is like this: Beyond the Kṛṣṇa pore there is a pore named Ratnakuṇḍala. Many trillions of female Gandharvas live within it. Those female Gandharvas have excellent figures; are beautiful and attractive;have magnificent, fair complexions; their bodies are adorned with divine jewellery; and they rival the Apsaras. Even though they have this beauty, they are not afflicted by the suffering of desire, they are not afflicted by the suffering of anger, and they are not afflicted by the suffering of stupidity. Their bodies do not experience the sufferings that humans do. Those Gandharva maidens remember the name of Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara. Whenever in the three periods they remember it, all valuable things appear for them.’

Then Sarvanīvaraṇaviṣkambhin said to the Bhagavat, ‘Bhagavat, I will go to those pores because I want to see them.’ The Bhagavat said, ‘Noble son, those pores cannot be perceived, just as the element of space cannot be perceived. Noble son, those pores cannot be perceived, and they cannot be touched. Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Samantabhadra spent twelve years wandering in search of those pores, but he never saw them. He did not even see the hundred Buddhas who live in each of those pores, let alone any Bodhisattvas.’

Then Sarvanīvaraṇaviṣkambhī asked the Bhagavat, ‘Bhagavat, if Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Samantabhadra did not see them in twelve years of wandering, if he did not see those pores and did not even see the hundred Buddhas who are in each of those pores, why should I go?’ The Bhagavat said, ‘Noble son, I also searched and looked for one of his pores but did not see one.’

Sarvanīvaraṇaviṣkambhin, noble son, this Bodhisattva is taught to be illusory, unattainable, and subtle. This Bodhisattva is described as unstained; with form, a vast form, a hundred thousand arms, a trillion eyes, and eleven heads; as a great yogin, a sublime yogin; as residing on the level of nirvāṇa; as having an excellent mind; as having great wisdom; as liberated from existence; as from the good family; as imperceptible; and as wise; and therefore casts no shadow in the midst of all phenomena. Thus, noble son, no one can see or hear Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara. No Tathāgata can see the body of his true nature, let alone Samantabhadra or other Bodhisattvas.

‘Noble son, this Bodhisattva Mahāsattva is inconceivable. He manifests inconceivable miracles. He has completely ripened many trillions of beings. He has led those beings onto the path to enlightenment. Having entered that path, they have gone to the realm of Sukhāvatī where they hear the Dharma from Tathāgata Amitābha.’

Then Sarvanīvaraṇaviṣkambhī asked the Bhagavat, ‘Bhagavat, how can I see Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara?’ The Bhagavat said, ‘Noble son, you will see him if he comes here, to the Sahā universe, to look at me, bow down to me, and honour me.’ Then Sarvanīvaraṇ-aviṣkambhī asked the Bhagavat, ‘I request it, Bhagavat, that Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara come.’ The Bhagavat answered, ‘Noble son, Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara first comes when a being is ripened.’

Then Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Sarvanīvaraṇaviṣkambhī rested his cheek on his hand and said, ‘What point is there in my having a long life that is devoted to bad actions, deprived of the sight of Avalokiteśvara, blind, and following a path of darkness?’ Then Sarvanīvaraṇaviṣkambhī asked the Bhagavat, ‘Bhagavat, when is Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara coming?’ Then Bhagavat laughed and said, ‘Noble son, it is not yet time for Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara to come. ‘Noble son, it is like this: Beyond that pore, there is a pore named Amṛtabindu. In that pore a million trillion Devas live. Some are on the first bhūmi; some are on the second bhūmi; some are on the third bhūmi; some are on the fourth bhūmi; some are on the fifth bhūmi; some are on the sixth bhūmi; some are on the seventh bhūmi; some are on the eighth bhūmi; some are on the ninth bhūmi; and some are on the tenth Bodhisattva bhūmi. Sarvanīvaraṇaviṣkambhin, it is like this: Within that pore named Amṛtabindu there are sixty mountains of gold and silver. Each one is sixty thousand yojanas high, and each one has ninety thousand peaks adorned by gold. Bodhisattvas that have developed onepointed minds dwell on their slopes. On those kings of mountains, there dwell many millions of trillions of Gandharvas, who are continuously playing music. Sarvanīvaraṇaviṣkambhin, it is like this: Within that pore named Amṛtabindu there are many millions of trillions of extremely beautiful celestial palaces completely adorned with divine jewels, having many kinds of visual delights, and adorned by a hundred thousand strings of pearls. Bodhisattvas relax in those celestial palaces and discuss the dharma. Then they leave the celestial palaces and go each to their own walkways, each of which has seventy bathing pools. Some are filled with water that has the eight qualities, some are completely filled with flowers, and some are completely filled with blue lotuses, red lotuses, night lotuses, white lotuses, fragrant water lilies, tiger claw flowers, and great tiger claw flowers. Along these walkways there are beautiful wish-fulfilling trees that have red trunks and leaves made of silver and gold, are adorned with divine adornments, are hung with diadems, earrings, garlands, one hundred and eight-string and sixty-fourstring necklaces, and are perfectly hung with armlets and a variety of other adornments. The Bodhisattvas walk each evening along these walkways while thinking about various aspects of the Mahāyāna. They think of nirvāṇa, they contemplate all the sufferings of saṃsāra, and after contemplating suffering they meditate on love.

Sarvanīvaraṇaviṣkambhin, there are Bodhisattvas within that pore in this way. Beyond that pore there is a pore named Vajramukha. Within it live many hundreds of thousands of Kiṃnaras beautified by necklaces, earrings, garlands, various jewellery, and ointments.

They have continuous faith in the Buddha, dharma, and Saṅgha. They are focused one-pointedly on the Dharma, remain in loving kindness, meditate on patience, contemplate nirvāṇa, and are saddened for humans. Noble son, those are the kind of Kiṃnaras that live there. There are many hundreds of mountains within that pore. Some are made of diamonds, some of silver, some of gold, some of crystal, some of rubies, some of sapphires, and some of the seven jewels. Noble son, those signs are seen within that pore. ‘Noble son, within that pore there are many wish-fulfilling trees, coral trees, sandalwood trees, and aromatic trees. There are many hundreds of thousands of bathing pools. There are extremely beautiful and delightful divine celestial palaces of crystal and silver. These are the kinds of celestial palaces that appear there. The Kiṃnaras relax in those celestial palaces and discuss the Dharma. Seated, they talk about the dharma. They talk about the perfection of generosity, they talk about the perfection of conduct, they talk about the perfection of patience, they talk about the perfection of diligence, they talk about the perfection of meditation, and they talk about the perfection of wisdom. When they have talked about the six perfections, they leave the celestial palaces and they each go to walk in their own walkways. Some of the walkways are made of gold. Some of the walkways are made of silver. All around the walkways there are wish-fulfilling trees that have red trunks and leaves made of silver and gold; and that are hung with divine ornaments, hung with diadems, earrings, and garlands, hung with armlets, hung with anklets, hung with one hundred and eight-string and sixty-four-string necklaces, and hung with strings of jewels. These wish-fulfilling trees around the walkways are like many storied mansions. The Kiṃnaras take walks along these walkways. While they are walking, they contemplate with sadness the sufferings of saṃsāra: ‘Oh, the suffering! Oh, the suffering! Death is suffering! Oh, the suffering! Poverty is also suffering! Oh, the suffering! Separation from the desired and beloved and encountering the undesired and the disliked is extremely unendurable suffering! There are those who are born in Kālasūtra, born in Raurava, born in the great hell of Hāhava, born in Agnighaṭa, born in Vajraśaila, and born in the city of the Pretas. Those beings have the greatest suffering.’ The Kiṃnaras contemplate in that way, and following that contemplation they contemplate the essence of nirvāṇa. ‘Noble son, the Kiṃnaras who rejoice in the Dharma in that way continually remember the name of Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara. Remembering his name, they receive all kinds of things. Thus, noble son, it is difficult to find Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara, who is the father and mother of all beings, who brings freedom from fear to all beings, who reveals the path to all beings, who is a kalyāṇamitra for all beings. Noble son, this is what Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara is like. ‘Noble son, it is difficult to obtain his name. Those who remember the name that is the sixsyllable vidyāmantra will be reborn in those pores. They will no longer continue to be in saṃsāra. They will go from one pore to another, living within those pores until they reach the level of nirvāṇa.’

End of the Chapter Two named Romavivaraṇāvarṇanam.