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The Buddha emits light from his feet. All the Manjushri Bodhisattvas speak verses describing the World Honored One’s inconceivable states.
Countless Manjushri Bodhisattvas appear in all Wayplaces, expounding verses in unison. All the Manjushri Bodhisattvas, accompanied by innumerable Bodhisattvas from different directions, come to draw near to the Buddha.
Annotation
Manjushri Bodhisattva is known as Wen Shu Shr Li Pu’sa in Chinese. He is foremost in Wisdom. His name means ‘Wonderfully Auspicious.’ Ten auspicious signs manifested when he was born. A verse in praise says,
An ancient Buddha, riding past vows, came to save the Saha World. Manjushri, the Greatly Wise, proclaims the Mahayana.
On FivePeaks, he guides beings in number like the Ganges’ sands.
At Nine Flowers, he teaches multitudes as numerous as grains and sesame seeds.
Through over a hundred cities traveled the Youth Good Wealth.
A thousand auspicious clouds gathered when the Dragon Girl became a Buddha.
Wonderful Virtue universally manifests his lion’s roar.
In the Flower Adornment Assembly, he constantly speaks the ineffable.
How did the Buddha practiced the Way in the past in order to realize the inconceivable, ineffable, perfect, and unsurpassed state of the Thus Come One? The Tripitaka Master Hsuan Hua says,
For three asamkhyeyas,
the Buddha cultivated blessings and wisdom.
For a hundred great kalpas
he walked the Bodhisattva Way,
benefiting himself and others,
enlightening himself and enlightening others,
and crossing over himself and crossing over others.
For the sake of the Dharma
he forgot about himself.
In his seeking for the Buddhadharma
he gave his body, mind, nature, and life.
The Buddha
wouldn’t do the smallest bit of evil,
and he did every good deed
that there was to do,
no matter how small it was.
Because he didn’t neglect
to do small good deeds,
they accumulated into great good deeds.
And because
he wouldn’t do the smallest evil thing,
his evil karma is empty.
Therefore, the Buddha’s merit and virtue
is limitless and boundless.‘
© 2000 Soo Hoong Liung. All Rights Reserved.
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