Meghashri
Then Sudhana proceeded by stages to the country of Ramavaranta. Having
reached Ramavaranta, reflecting on and tasting the mentally pleasing enjoyments based on higher action born of past roots of goodness, he went to
Mount Sugriva, climbed the mountain, and looked in every direction for the
monk Meghashri. Finally, after seven days, he saw the monk walking on the
plateau of another peak. He went to Meghashri, paid his respects, and said,
“0 noble one, I have determined to seek supreme enlightenment, but I do
not know how an enlightening being should learn the conduct of enlightening
beings, or how one should accomplish it, or how to begin the practice
of enlightening beings, how to carry it out, fulfill it, purify it, comprehend
it, realize it, follow it, keep to it, and expand it, or how an enlightening
being is to fulfill the sphere of universally good action. I hear that you give
instruction for enlightening beings, so please tell me how enlightening
beings proceed to supreme perfect enlightenment.”
The imagery of Sudhana ascending Mount Sugriva (The Mountain of Marvelous Peaks) is reminiscent of our last series, Ascending the Noble Mountain of Primordial Perfection. Sudhana’s “ascent” is a spiritual one, one that rises above mundane concerns and focuses exclusively upon embracing the Bodhisattvic quest for higher Self-Realization. Yet, after making the ascent for “seven-days” (a mystical number indicating an entering into a cycle of rebirth—away from the samsaric plane and stepping unto the supernal-plane of a stream-enterer; as the Buddha at his birth took seven-steps, thus initiating the entrance into the Dharmadhātu) he discovers that his expected rendezvous with the Monk Meghashri (Glorious Clouds) is somewhat prohibited, as the monk is standing way-off yonder on a different peak altogether. The Monk’s-peak is unobtainable presently for Sudhana, as it’s a Momentous Quietude—quite “still” like a mountain-peak. Yet, Sudhana eventually reaches him and inquiries about attaining the proper-conduct of a Bodhi-Being.
The monk Meghashri replied to Sudhana, “It is good that you ask about
the practice of enlightening beings, having set your mind on supreme perfect
enlightenment. It is difficult, most difficult, to seek the practice of
enlightening beings, to seek the sphere of enlightening beings, to seek the
purification of emancipation of enlightening beings, to seek the purification
of the path of enlightening beings, to seek the far-ranging purification of
the conduct of enlightening beings, to seek the purification of the accomplishment of mystic knowledge of enlightening beings, to show the
liberation of enlightening beings, to show enlightening beings’ exercise of
compassion for the world, to oblige people according to their mentalities in
the manner of enlightening beings, to show enlightening beings’ mundane
and transcendental faces, to seek the thought and action of enlightening
beings undefiled by the ills and fears of the created and the uncreated. Son,
by virtue of mastery of the power of devotion, purity of the eye of perceptive
faith, illumination of the light of knowledge without aversion, purity of the
universal eye looking in all directions with unobstructed universal perspective and unobstructed vision skillfully observing, skillfulness in obeisance, bowing in all directions in a state of physical purity, and the power of memory command perfectly holding the masses of teachings of all buddhas, I see the buddhas in all the lands of the ten directions. That is, in the east I see one buddha, two buddhas, three buddhas, a hundred buddhas, a thousand buddhas, a hundred thousand buddhas, a million buddhas, a hundred million buddhas, a billion buddhas, a hundred billion buddhas, a quintillion buddhas—I see incalculable, immeasurable, uncountable, inconceivable, incomparable, incomprehensible, unlimited, ungraspable, inestimable, unutterable numbers of buddhas. I see as many buddhas as atoms in this continent; I see as many buddhas as atoms in the land masses of the four continents; I see as many buddhas as atoms in thousand-world, millionworld, and billion-world buddha-lands; I see as many buddhas as atoms in ten buddha-lands; I see as many buddhas as atoms in a hundred buddhalands; I see as many buddhas as atoms in a thousand buddha-lands; I see as many buddhas as atoms in a hundred thousand buddha-lands; I see as many buddhas as atoms in a million buddha-lands; I see as many buddhas as atoms in a hundred million buddha-lands; I see as many buddhas as atoms in a billion buddha-lands; I see as many buddhas as atoms in a hundred billion
buddha-lands; I see as many buddhas as atoms in a quintillion buddha-lands;
I see as many buddhas as atoms in untold numbers of buddha-lands. As in the
east, in the same way I see untold buddhas in all the other directions as well;
looking in each direction, I see buddhas with various appearances, I see buddhas with various forms, various transfigurations, various exercises of
power, various congregations, radiating light in networks of rays of many
colors, with various arrays of states of purity in their buddha-lands, various
life spans, showing magical projections of various ways of purification of
enlightenment to beings according to their mentalities, roaring the mighty
lion roar of buddhas.
One soon learns that it will not be Meghashri’s task to grant Sudhana’s request for achieving the proper conduct of a Bodhisattva. Rather, he extrapolates upon the realization that it is a most strenuous undertaking. Meghashri’s response is one of the mystic-seer: he lets Sudhana know in no uncertain terms that he (Meghashri) has attained the proper Samadhi of Buddhagnosis, as HE sees directly into the Dhamadhātu and is graced with the supernal-vision of countless Buddha-lands, or the “Recollection of the Realm of Buddhas.” In other words, Meghashri is the gate-keeper, the Dharma-paryaya (the Dharma-gate), the gate that enters into the Realm of Truth.
“Son, from this universal light in which is concentrated the information
of all sense objects, I have attained mindfulness of the buddhas: but how can
I know the practice, or tell of the virtues, of the enlightening beings who
have purified the sphere of endless knowledge, who have attained the means
of mindfulness of buddhas in the sphere of universal illumination, by seeing
right before their eyes the pure arrays of abodes in all buddha-lands in the
spheres of all buddhas; who have attained the means of mindfulness of buddhas in which the ten powers are developed, by following the infinite ten
powers of the enlightened; who have attained the means of mindfulness of
buddhas in which the truth is displayed, by observation of the clouds of bodies of all buddhas as sources from which the truth is heard; who have
attained the means of mindfulness of buddhas which is the seed of illumination of all realms, by plunging into the undivided ocean of buddhas in all oceans of realms; who have attained the means of mindfulness of buddhas
throughout the ten directions, by comprehending the majesty of projections
of all buddhas in all microcosms; who have attained the means of
mindfulness of buddhas in all ages, by communication of the inseparable
vision of Buddha in all ages; who have attained the means of mindfulness of
buddhas in all times, by seeing buddhas according to the time in all times
and living with them inseparably; who have attained the means of
mindfulness of buddhas in all fields, by communication of the vision of the
transcendent, unsurpassed body of buddhas in all buddha-fields; who have
attained the means of mindfulness of buddhas in all sense objects, by communication of vision of successive emergence of buddhas in all objects; who have attained the means of mindfulness of buddhas by which peace is developed, through revelation of the ultimate extinction of all buddhas in all
worlds in a single instant; who have attained the means of mindfulness of
buddhas by which detachment is developed, by revelation of all buddhas
going forth from all abodes in one day; who have attained the means of
mindfulness of buddhas in the past, by revelation of the bodies of buddhas,
each buddha sitting cross-legged filling the cosmos; who have attained the
means of mindfulness of buddhas in the minute, by entering into the service
of untold buddhas appearing in a single point; who have attained the means
of mindfulness of buddhas in supernal manifestations, by communication of
visions of mystical displays of attainment of enlightenment in all worlds in
one instant; who have attained the means of mindfulness of buddhas in religious actions, by attainment of the illumination of knowledge of the miracle of all buddhas coming forth and teaching; who have attained the means of projected mindfulness of buddhas, by apprehending appearances of all buddhas seen as they wish; who have attained the means of mindfulness of
buddhas in deeds, by showing reflected images according to the deeds that
all beings have done; who have attained the means of mindfulness of buddhas
in mystic projections, by means of the ubiquitous manifestation of
visions of tremendous projections of buddhas on lotus blossoms blooming in
all phenomenal and noumenal realms; who have attained the means of
mindfulness of buddhas in space, by vision of the space of the cosmos
adorned by clouds of images of buddhas?
Meghashri has put on the Bodhi-mind, the Mind of the Buddha. Yet, he cannot speak for others who have also attained the mindfulness of Buddhas. He will not procure this mindfulness for Sudhana, as Sudhana as to earn it on his own—after more proper procurement of Buddhagnosis from other ensuing Bodhisattvas he will encounter along the way.
“Go, son—south of here is a place called Sagaramukha, where there lives
a monk named Sagaramegha. Go to him and ask him how an enlightening
being is to learn and accomplish the conduct of enlightening beings. He will
reveal to you a spiritual benefactor; he will introduce you into the cause of
accumulation of roots of goodness; he will get you to develop the vast
ground of provisions for enlightenment; he will tell you of the immense,
intense power of roots of goodness; he will inform you of the great cause of
preparation of the determination for enlightenment; he will establish in you
the great cause of the illumination of the vehicle of universal salvation; he
will cause you to develop the great power of the set of transcendent ways; he
will get you to purify extensive means of entry into the ocean of religious
practice; he will get you to purify the vast sphere of vows; he will get you to
develop extensive systems of all-sided emancipation; he will get you to
develop the immense power of compassion.”
Then Sudhana paid his respects to the monk Meghashri and left.
Meghashri points Sudhana in the direction of his next transcendent-encounter, where he will discover the next bit of information on the high-road to Noble Self-Realization.