“Maudgalyāyana, when I was training in the practices of a bodhisattva in the past, I created numerous different roots of virtue in order to understand absorption. I did this by pondering how I could use the equanimity of concentration against my senses being distracted by objects. Long ago in the limitless cycle of existence, Maudgalyāyana, long before even the distant past there was a former king, now a sage, named King Birth Seeker. He had given up royal affairs to ordain. Yet despite having ordained, his senses were distracted by objects. He thought to himself, ‘Oh, how sad! Having forsaken all objects and ordained, it is unfit and improper that my senses are yet distracted. With my deluded senses so caught in the cage of objects, I must apply concentration that is like space, and thereby develop the great strength to defeat all opponents. If I am to do this, though, what is the equipoise of bodhisattva great beings that is like space?’ Then King Birth Seeker reflected, ‘All these phenomena are like space. In the sense that there is nothing obstructing space, all objects are similar to space. Non-conceptuality is unobstructed; non-conceptuality is liberation. Conceptuality is a fetter, while non-conceptuality is what cuts that fetter. So I will give up conceptuality.’

“He then set himself to the task of severing all attachments. Achieving the absorption that is like space, he attained acceptance that phenomena are unborn. At that point he was able to develop the power over the realm of phenomena, and so he levitated to the height of seven palm trees. There in midair, he uttered these verses:

“ ‘Whoever realizes the principle of non-obstruction Has understood the domain of all buddhas, Penetrated the domain of the past buddhas, And comprehended the doctrine of the Dharma kings.

“ ‘All these phenomena are like space; There is no nature of things to comprehend. Realizing that in the nature of things there is no nature, All these phenomena are unchanging and non-dual.

“ ‘Never has there been a multiplicity of things. Just like there is nothing covering space, The victors teach no Dharma to nirvāṇa; The victors have not even taught there is a Dharma.

“ ‘All victors teach the doctrine of non-duality, While the unwise practicing their variety of doctrines Lie bound in the ropes of Māra.

“ ‘Realizing the nature of things, there are no things— No confusion about things, and no wisdom about things. Whoever understands the doctrine of the nature of the self, Attains the nature of things within that non-duality.

“ ‘When the unwise practice their variety of doctrines, They are engaging in the domain of Māra, While those non-dualists who expound a doctrine of non-duality Are children of the buddhas—the paternal guides.

“ ‘There is nothing to see and nothing to hear. Those who practice a variety of doctrines Fail to realize the awakening of the Victor. Thus the Victor did not teach two paths.

“ ‘People who do not engage in a duality of things, Who realize the Dharma in a single manner, Do not veer off onto wrong paths but practice Where the buddhas dwell in their awakening.’

“What do you think, Maudgalyāyana? In case you may think that at that time the sage King Birth Seeker—who achieved acceptance that phenomena are unborn without learning it from another—was anyone else, do not think so. In those days I was the sage King Birth Seeker. Due to those roots of virtue, I was reborn in a buddha realm for eight hundred million years, where the notion ‘the Thus-Gone One is’ did not occur. Therefore, Maudgalyāyana, those noble sons or daughters who want to fully awaken to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood should train to gain understanding and realization of the profound Dharma whether buddhas appear and they meet them or not.

“Furthermore, Maudgalyāyana, I created numerous roots of virtue in order to understand the origin as related to knowledge of absorption. Long ago in the limitless cycle of existence, Maudgalyāyana, long before even the distant past there appeared in the world a thus-gone, worthy, perfect buddha named Proclaimer of Fame; he was learned and venerable, a well-gone one, a knower of the world, a steersman who guided beings, unexcelled, a teacher of gods and humans, a buddha, a blessed one. Maudgalyāyana, the thus-gone Proclaimer of Fame had a twofold following of hearers. One of his assemblies of hearers consisted of a gathering of seventy-seven quintillion hearers. The second gathering consisted of one hundred sextillion hearers. All were worthy ones whose defilements were exhausted, who were free of afflictions, controlled, and who had obtained supreme perfection in mastering all mental states.

“There was in that buddha realm then a fruitless tree. He was a monk named Thinker of Every Object who lived there in the buddha realm and who genuinely abided by the Great Vehicle. He had formed roots of virtue with countless quadrillions of buddhas, though for some time his mind had not penetrated unsurpassed and perfect awakening. He abided genuinely by the unexcelled Great Vehicle and aimed to purify a truly inexpressible amount of buddha realms. Aside from that single monk, born among the long-living gods, there were no sentient beings who had failed to produce the seeds of awakening. As the thus-gone Proclaimer of Fame was carrying out his awakened activity, he wondered, ‘Other than that single being, is there anyone else in my entire buddha realm whom I cannot benefit?’ He saw that the monk’s roots of virtue enabled him to be a worthy vessel for unsurpassed and perfect awakening, and yet he had ended up unfree. Thus he lacked the fortune to produce the roots of virtue for unsurpassed and perfect awakening. After the monk died, he descended to the Hell of Incessant Pain, where he remained for eons. There as well he did not have the fortune to form the roots of virtue needed for unsurpassed and perfect awakening. When he eventually died there, he was born as a human, though as a gesticulating, blind, and mute fool incapable of comprehending the Dharma. Then emanations of the Thus-Gone One finally brought him to maturity. When the Thus-Gone One’s emanations finally brought him to maturity, the Thus-Gone One had been feeling sorrow for sixty quadrillion lifetimes.

“Maudgalyāyana, consider the extent of the Thus-Gone One’s great compassion in feeling sorrow while acting for a single being. The Thus-Gone One could not bring that being to maturity and bring him to non-regression. Maudgalyāyana, consider how the Thus-Gone One remained sorrowful for as long as any being was acting unvirtuously. Therefore, Maudgalyāyana, bodhisattvas who wish to please the thus-gone ones should make themselves worthy vessels. They should not sadden the Thus-Gone One, but make themselves worthy vessels. Those noble sons and daughters who abide by the Great Vehicle should make themselves worthy vessels under the safeguarding of the Thus-Gone One.

“What do you think, Maudgalyāyana? In case you may think that at that time that single bodhisattva who was not a vessel for the Dharma and who had taken rebirth among the long-living gods was anyone else, do not think so. In those days the unworthy bodhisattva was the thus-gone Amṛtaprabha. He had disparaged the Dharma and thus fell astray. What do you think, Maudgalyāyana? In case you may think that at that time the thus-gone one who brought that being to maturity was anyone else, do not think so. It was the thus-gone Sarvārthasiddhi. In order to bring that being to maturity he remained for innumerable eons and even then could not mature him. Therefore, Maudgalyāyana, those noble sons or daughters who genuinely abide by the vehicle of the bodhisattvas should make themselves suitable vessels in order to please the thus-gone ones; they should not sadden the thus-gone ones.

“Furthermore, Maudgalyāyana, when I was training in the practices of a bodhisattva in the past, I created a boundless amount of numerous and vast roots of virtue in order to understand cessation as related to knowledge of absorption. I did this, long before even the distant past, by wondering how I could fully awaken to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood and then teach sentient beings.

“Long ago in the limitless cycle of existence, Maudgalyāyana, long before even the distant past there was a king named Pure Intellect. He possessed limitless roots of virtue. He had practiced the pure conduct of countless thus-gone ones while serving as their attendants on numerous occasions. Having attended to those thus-gone ones with the awakening mind of all the thus-gone ones, he eventually had the thought, ‘I should not try to please the Thus-Gone One with conceptual service. I should not serve the Thus-Gone One with a mundane materialistic attitude. Instead, since what I desire is omniscience, I should try to serve the thus-gone ones without any sense of pleasing them or displeasing them. By serving the thus-gone ones in this way, may I achieve omniscient wisdom. Forming such a resolve, just as I fully awaken to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood, I will also fully awaken all sentient beings to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood through the easy path of the swift superknowledges. Thus, as I carry out the training of a bodhisattva, all those beings will subsequently achieve unsurpassed and perfect awakening through the easy path of the swift superknowledges. In that field where I fully awaken to unsurpassed and perfect awakening, may buddhas be plentiful; may there never be a scarcity of buddhas!’ With that in mind, I served all the thus-gone ones.

“Due to those roots of virtue, here in my excellent eon, nine hundred and ninety-six thus-gone ones, worthy ones, perfect buddhas have appeared. I worshiped all these thus-gone ones who led bodhisattvas to create roots of virtue. Forming roots of virtue with all those thus-gone ones, I served all of them with immaculate physical actions, praised them with immaculate speech, and reached certainty with immaculate mental conduct. Due to these roots of virtue, my forms have proliferated. Acting in the service of all those thus-gone ones, I achieved the supreme attainment and utmost renown. I immersed myself in intense contemplation of all the thus-gone ones’ teachings. By these roots of virtue, my buddha realm is so vast that its limits cannot be measured.

“Therefore, Maudgalyāyana, bodhisattvas who seek the supreme attainment, utmost renown, and who also seek teachings, should attend upon the thus-gone ones and calm their minds. Bodhisattvas who seek a vast buddha realm should begin by seeing stainless wisdom and then engage in training. They should be insatiable in forming roots of virtue in order to realize omniscient wisdom.

“Maudgalyāyana, I created numerous different roots of virtue in order to understand the path leading to cessation as related to knowledge of absorption. I did this by reflecting, ‘In the pursuit of unsurpassed and perfect awakening, how might I fully awaken to unsurpassed and perfect awakening, and then go on to genuinely teach beings the path that leads to cessation as related to knowledge of absorption? May I become inexhaustible in teaching the Dharma!’

“Long ago in the limitless cycle of existence, Maudgalyāyana, long before even the distant past there appeared in the world a thus-gone one named Voice of All Sounds; he was learned and venerable, a well-gone one, a knower of the world, a steersman who guided beings, unexcelled, a teacher of gods and humans, a buddha, a blessed one. The thus-gone Voice of All Sounds had a following of hearers and a following of bodhisattvas that was beyond measure. With each Dharma teaching, countless hundreds of millions of hearers achieved emancipation, while countless hundreds of millions of bodhisattvas were established in non-regression. At the same time the Thus-Gone One had a bodhisattva named Ambrosial Voice, who surpassed the entire assembly of bodhisattvas in terms of his qualities and wisdom. Once, the bodhisattva Ambrosial Voice thought to himself, ‘Just as the thus-gone Voice of All Sounds embodies unsurpassed and perfect awakening, so will I embody it.’ In the presence of the thus-gone Voice of All Sounds and the great assembly of bodhisattvas, he asked in the form of a song:

“ ‘O Guide, bull among men, you possess the ten powers— There is no one like you in heaven or on earth. Supreme, glorious Victor, aid to gods and men, I ask you for the sake of beings:

“ ‘What practice might I train in to become like you, A guide of beings with sublime intelligence? Helper of beings, please quickly explain this And address the doubts of myself and others.

“ ‘Please explain for beings how the wise Develop compassion and help others, Knowing that beings are tainted with stains and impurities, With their hundreds of sorrows.

“ ‘Please explain the ten powers and teach to beings— Afflicted as they are by hundreds of sorrows, And separate from hundreds of joys, who do not know happiness— How to swiftly end their existence and have unequaled, supreme joy.

“ ‘Please teach beings how upon hearing your great words They can be utterly delighted. How can beings comprehend your words, And, with knowledge of your words, give up suffering,

“ ‘Achieve the end of suffering, dispel darkness, Become free of murkiness, and attain the victors’ sunrays? Please tell me how beings become fearless With your speech possessed of ten powers.

“ ‘Gaining the victors’ speech, who will speak and vanquish deceitful words? Whose speech will lead to joy and happiness? Well-Gone One, you possess that speech. Wise, free of faults and stains, with your immaculate mind,

“ ‘With such attainment, you have forsaken the states of existence And dwell in the supreme state, the supreme victor. O Victor, Sage, Guide, helper of beings, Please answer me with your pleasant words.’

“The Teacher, the Thus-Gone One and helper of the world, Was aware of his thoughts, and so replied, ‘In training on the path of nirvāṇa seen by the Victor, Which brings an end to such sorrows,

“ ‘Those who wish to help the world of the past, Who wish to help the world of the future, And who wish to help the beings of the present Should perceive this foremost of paths.

“ ‘The children of the Victor pursuing awakening Should persevere and train in this. They will vanquish powers such as the forces of Māra And swiftly possess the powers of buddhahood.’

“When the son heard that, he readily Gained a grounding in the Well-Gone One’s endurance, And took refuge in his heart In the foremost of humans, the buddha Voice of All Sounds.

“What do you think, Maudgalyāyana? In case you may think that at that time the bodhisattva Ambrosial Voice was anyone else, do not think so. In those days I was the bodhisattva Ambrosial Voice. At that time I gained liberation from the sorrows of the realm of beings. Still now I am teaching the Dharma in order to bring an end to beings’ suffering.”