Volume 5

Sutra:

Thirteenth: with perfect penetration of the six sense organs, the light and what is illumined are not two. Encompassing the ten directions, a great perfect mirror stands in the empty treasury of the Thus Come One. I inherit the secret dharma-doors of as many Thus Come Ones as there are fine motes of dust throughout the ten directions. Receiving them without loss, I am able to make it so that childless living beings throughout the dharma-realm who seek daughters are blessed with lovely daughters who are upright, virtuous, and compliant and whom everyone cherishes and respects.

Commentary:

Thirteenth: with perfect penetration of the six sense-organs, the light and what is illumined are not two. Encompassing the ten directions, a great perfect mirror stands in the empty treasury of the Thus Come One. The eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind are unobstructed and perfectly interpenetrated. Everything comes together to one. The six organs function interchangeably.

It is as if a huge mirror were set up and the treasury of the Thus Come One is empty. I inherit the secret dharma-doors of as many Thus Come Ones as there are fine motes of dust throughout the ten directions. Receiving them without loss, I am able to make it so that childless living beings throughout the dharma-realm who seek daughters are blessed with lovely daughters who are upright, virtuous, and compliant and whom everyone cherishes and respects. If someone wants a daughter, they will have a daughter who is proper, has virtue, and is easy to get along with. Everyone who sees this girl will be fond of her and respect her. She will be a lovely girl with perfect features.

Q4 Fearlessness in those who hold the name.

Sutra:

Fourteenth: in this three-thousand-great-thousand world system with its billions of suns and moons, as many dharma princes as there are grains of sand in sixty-two Ganges Rivers appear in the world and cultivate the dharma. They act as models in order to teach and transform living beings. They comply with living beings by means of expedients and wisdom, in different ways for each.

Commentary:

The fourteenth kind of fearlessness: this three-thousandgreat- thousand world system with its billions of suns and moons, as many Dharma princes as there are grains of sand in sixty-two Ganges Rivers appear in the world, they are living in the world right now, and cultivate the dharma. They act as models in order to teach and transform living beings. They comply with the wishes of living beings by means of expedients and wisdom. They use skill-in-means and provisional wisdom in different ways for each kind of living being that is ready to be taught, since each being is different.

Sutra:

However, because I have obtained the perfect penetration of the sense-organ and have discovered the wonder of the ear entrance, after which my body and mind subtly and miraculously included all of the dharma-realm, I am able to make it so that living beings who uphold my name obtain as much merit and virtue as would be obtained by a person who upheld the names of all those Dharma princes who are as many as the grains of sand in sixty-two Ganges Rivers.

Commentary:

However, because I have obtained the perfect penetration of the sense-organ and have discovered the wonder of the earentrance. I, Guan Shi Yin Bodhisattva, obtained perfect penetration through the organ of the ear and realized the subtleties of the ear, after which my body and mind subtly and miraculously included all of the dharma-realm. This subtle state pervaded everything throughout the dharma-realm. Therefore, I am able to make it so that living beings who uphold my name, who recite the name of Guan Shi Yin Bodhisattva, obtain as much merit and virtue as would be obtained by a person who upheld the names of all those dharma princes who are as many as the grains of sand in sixty-two Ganges Rivers. One person recites only the name of Guan Shi Yin Bodhisattva, and another person recites the names of as many Bodhisattvas as there are sands in sixty-two Ganges Rivers. The reward of blessings each person obtains will be identical. This shows how magnificent the merit and virtue of Guan Shi Yin Bodhisattva are.

Sutra:

World Honored One, there is no difference between the merit of my one name and the merit of those many other names, because from my cultivation I obtained true and perfect penetration.

Commentary:

World Honored One, there is no difference between the merit of my one name, the name, Guan Shi Yin Bodhisattva, and the merit of those many other names, that is, the Bodhisattvas who are as many as the grains of sand in sixty-two Ganges Rivers. How can this be? How can the merit of one name be the same as that of so many? It is because from my cultivation I obtained true and perfect penetration.

P3 Concludes with the name and shows the benefits.

Sutra:

These are called the fourteen powers of bestowing fearlessness; with them I bless living beings.

Commentary:

These are called the fourteen powers of bestowing fearlessness; with them I bless living beings. I come to their aid. Whenever someone seeks something, I will respond.

O3 Four inconceivables.
P1 He bases himself on the comfort and power of perfect penetration.
P2 The inconceivable identical embodiment of mantras.

Sutra:

Moreover, World Honored One, because I obtained perfect penetration and cultivated to certification of the unsurpassed path, I also became endowed with four inconceivable and effortless wonderful virtues.

First: as soon as I obtained the miraculous wonder of hearing the mind, the mind became essential and the hearing was forgotten, therefore, there was no distinction between seeing, hearing, sensation, and knowing. I achieved a single, perfect fusion, pure and precious enlightenment. For this reason, I am able to manifest many wonderful appearances and can proclaim boundless secret spiritual mantras.

Commentary:

Moreover, World Honored One, because I obtained perfect penetration and cultivated to certification of the unsurpassed path, I also became endowed with four inconceivable and effortless wonderful virtues. What are these four inconceivable virtues? First: as soon as I obtained the miraculous wonder of hearing the mind, the mind became essential and the hearing was forgotten. When I first acquired the skill of returning the hearing to hear the self-nature, that wonder of wonders, my mind became essential and the hearing was forgotten. The true mind manifests, and one reaches an essential and wonderful place. Once the hearing disappeared, there was no distinction between seeing, hearing, sensation, and knowing. The other sensations were interfused and could not be divided. I achieved a single, perfect fusion, pure and precious enlightenment. This means he accomplished a oneness without any distinctions between self and others. For this reason, I am able to manifest many wonderful appearances and can proclaim boundless secret spiritual mantras.

Sutra:

For example, I may make appear one head, three heads, five heads, seven heads, nine heads, eleven heads, and so forth, until there may be a hundred and eight heads, a thousand heads, ten thousand heads, or eighty-four thousand vajra heads.

Commentary:

Not only does Guan Yin Bodhisattva have a thousand hands and a thousand eyes, but also myriad heads, as many as eighty-four thousand of them. The appearances which Guan Yin Bodhisattva makes include, he says, one head, three heads, the three-faced Guan Yin, five heads, the five-faced Guan Yin, seven heads, the seven-faced Guan Yin, or nine heads, eleven heads, and so forth, until there may be a hundred and eight heads, a thousand heads, ten thousand heads, or eighty-four thousand vajra heads. "Vajra" means strong and firm.

Sutra:

Two arms, four arms, six arms, eight arms, ten arms, twelve arms, fourteen, sixteen, eighteen arms, or twenty arms, twenty-four arms, and so forth until there may be a hundred and eight arms, a thousand arms, ten thousand arms, or eighty-four thousand mudra arms.

Commentary:

Guan Yin Bodhisattva can also manifest two arms, four arms, six arms, eight arms, ten arms, twelve arms, fourteen, sixteen, eighteen arms, or twenty arms, twenty-four arms. Or perhaps he manifests a hundred and eight arms, a thousand arms, ten thousand arms as many as eighty-four thousand mudra arms. "Mudra" is a Sanskrit word that means "seal-hand." On one's hand there is a seal-imprint.

Sutra:

Two eyes, three eyes, four eyes, nine eyes, and so forth until there may be a hundred and eight eyes, a thousand eyes, ten thousand eyes, or eighty-four thousand pure and precious eyes, sometimes compassionate, sometimes awesome, sometimes in samadhi, sometimes displaying wisdom to rescue and protect living beings so that they may attain great self-mastery.

Commentary:

The dharma body of Guan Yin Bodhisattva can manifest two eyes, three eyes, four eyes, nine eyes, and so forth until there may be a hundred and eight eyes, a thousand eyes, ten thousand eyes, or eighty-four thousand pure and precious eyes. How can Guan Shi Yin Bodhisattva manifest so many transformations and appearances? It is because he cultivated the Great Compassion Mantra and the Forty-two Hands and Eyes on the cause-ground, so that, on the ground of fruition, when his cultivation was perfected, he had endless transformations.

Sometimes compassionate, sometimes awesome, sometimes in samadhi, sometimes displaying wisdom. His eyes are perhaps compassionate, or maybe their light is awesome. Perhaps his eyes display the light of samadhi or of wisdom. He appears this way in order to rescue and protect living beings so that they may attain great self-mastery.

P3 The inconceivable embodiment of different mantras.

Sutra:

Second: because of hearing and consideration, I escaped the six defiling objects, just as a sound leaps over a wall without hindrance. And so I have the wonderful ability to manifest shape after shape and to recite mantra upon mantra. These shapes and these mantras dispel the fears of living beings. Therefore, throughout the ten directions, in as many lands as there are fine motes of dust, I am known as one who bestows fearlessness.

Commentary:

The second effortless, wonderful virtue: Because of hearing and consideration, I escaped the six defiling objects. I cultivated the wisdom of hearing and the wisdom of consideration and got out of forms, smells, tastes, objects of touch, and dharmas. I was not attached to them. It was just as a sound leaps over a wall without hindrance. And so I have the wonderful ability to manifest shape after shape and to recite mantra upon mantra. These shapes I appear in and these mantras I recite dispel the fears of living beings. They have the power of bestowing fearlessness. Therefore, throughout the ten directions, in as many lands as there are fine motes of dust, I am known as one who bestows fearlessness.

P4 The inconceivable destruction of greed in response to those who seek.

Sutra:

Third: because I cultivated fundamental, wonderful, perfect penetration and purified the sense-organ, everywhere I go in any world I can make it so that living beings renounce their physical and material valuables to seek my sympathy.

Commentary:

Third: because I cultivated fundamental, wonderful, perfect penetration and purified the sense-organ. He is referring to the fundamental purity of the ear-organ, the hearing nature. Everywhere I go in any world I can make it so that living beings renounce their physical and material valuables to seek my sympathy. They will give up their very bodies and lives and their valuable possessions in search of my aid.

P5 The inconceivable offerings to Buddhas and aid to living beings.

Sutra:

Fourth: I obtained the Buddhas' mind and was certified as having attained the ultimate end, and so I can make offerings of rare treasures to the Thus Come Ones of the ten directions and to living beings in the six paths throughout the dharma-realm.

Commentary:

The fourth inconceivable and effortless, wonderful virtue: I obtained the Buddhas' mind and was certified as having attained the ultimate end. I obtained the true mind of the treasury of the Thus Come One. "Ultimate end" means the final fruition of Buddhahood. And so I can make offerings of rare treasures to the Thus Come Ones of the ten directions and to living beings in the six paths throughout the dharma-realm. Whatever they want, I will fulfill their wishes.

Sutra:

If they seek a spouse, they obtain a spouse. If they seek children, they can have children. Seeking samadhi, they obtain samadhi; seeking long life, they obtain long life, and so forth to the extent that if they seek the great nirvana, they obtain great nirvana.

Commentary:

Whatever living beings in the six paths wish will be granted them. Guan Yin Bodhisattva realizes that everyone wants a good spouse, so if they seek a spouse, they obtain a spouse. If they want a good wife, they will find a beautiful one. That's the foremost wish of living beings. Once they have a spouse, they hope for good children. So the second thing Guan Yin Bodhisattva does is grant children. If they seek children, they can have children. If they want sons, they get sons. If they wish for daughters, they will have daughters. Third, he says, seeking samadhi, they obtain samadhi; seeking long life, they obtain long life. If one has a wife and children and still feels that there is no meaning to human life and so brings forth a resolve to transcend the world and seek samadhi, then one can attain samadhi. Some are seeking long life, and so they obtain long life. They want to become immortal and never die, and they are able to do so. And so forth to the extent that if they seek the great nirvana, they obtain great nirvana. If beings seek to become a Buddha, they can attain the fruition of Buddhahood.

M4 He concludes his answer about accomplishing perfect penetration.

Sutra:

The Buddha asks about perfect penetration. From the gateway of the ear, I obtained a perfect and illumining samadhi. The conditioned mind was at ease, and therefore I entered the appearance of the flow, and obtaining samadhi, I accomplished Bodhi. This is the foremost method.

Commentary:

The Buddha asks about perfect penetration. The Buddha asks all his disciples how they first obtained the expedient of perfect penetration. From the gateway of the ear, I obtained a perfect and illumining samadhi. I cultivated the nature of hearing and accomplished samadhi-power. The conditioned mind was at ease, and therefore I entered the appearance of the flow, and obtaining samadhi, I accomplished Bodhi. This is the foremost method. The mind that climbs on conditions was gone, and I attained self-mastery. I returned the hearing to hear the self-nature, and the nature accomplished the Unsurpassed Way. This is the best method.

Sutra:

World Honored One, that Buddha, the Thus Come One, praised me as having obtained well the dharma-door of perfect penetration. In the great assembly he bestowed a prediction upon me and the name, Guan Shi Yin.

Commentary:

World Honored One, that Buddha, the Thus Come One, praised me as having obtained well the dharma-door of perfect penetration. "That Buddha" refers to the Guan Shi Yin Thus Come One of old. He praised the ease with which I obtained perfect penetration. In the great assembly he bestowed a prediction upon me and the name, Guan Shi Yin. He named me "Contemplator of the Worlds" Sounds," the same name he had himself.

Sutra:

Because my contemplation and listening is perfectly clear throughout the ten directions, the name Guan Shi Yin pervades all the realms of the ten directions.

Commentary:

Because my contemplation and listening is perfectly clear throughout the ten direction, that is, because every place throughout the ten directions, to the bounds of the dharma-realm, came together, and I experienced a perfect clarity, therefore, the name Guan Shi Yin pervades all the realms of the ten directions. In every Buddhaland throughout the ten directions the name Guan Shi Yin is known.

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