Saradhvaja
Sudhana’s next Transcendent Exposure is with the monk named Saradhvaja.
He saw Saradhvaja by the side of a place for walking at a retreat, sitting in
concentration, following his breath, not stirring, not thinking, his body
straight, his mindfulness on the immediate present, by the inconceivable
power of concentration producing to the left, right, and above an inconceivable infinite body in each successive mental moment manifesting an infinite variety of bodies. Sudhana saw an inconceivable miraculous display of the liberation of enlightening beings coming forth from every pore of the
ecstatic body of Saradhvaja, who had attained such profound tranquility,
silence, and objectlessness. With this miraculous display of the medium of
liberation, Saradhvaja filled the cosmos moment to moment with endless
varieties of mystic projections, to perfect all beings, to honor all buddhas, to
purify all buddha-fields, to do away with the mass of suffering of all sentient
beings, to cut off the courses of all bad conditions, to open the door to good
conditions for all beings, to extinguish the burning of afflictions of all
beings, to dissolve all beings’ obstructions to knowledge, and to introduce
all beings into omniscience.
Saradhvaja is unique in that when he enters into Deep Samadhis, he becomes a “medium” of transferring miraculous displays of healing liberation upon sentient beings. His astounding displays also honors all Buddhas in the ten-directions and conjoins with a vast array of Cosmic Beings conferring beneficial actions. Sudhana experiences this as Light literally exploding from every pore of Saradhvaja’s body—Light that manifests in myriad forms:
Sudhana saw as many demigods and supernatural beings as atoms in
countless buddha-fields emerging from Saradhvaja’s shoulders and pervading the cosmos…
Sudhana saw as many centaur chiefs as atoms in countless buddha-fields
surrounded by countless hundreds of thousands of centaur princesses, and as
many celestial musician kings as atoms in countless buddha-fields surrounded by countless hundreds of thousands of celestial musician princesses emerge from Saradhvaja’s abdomen and pervade the cosmos…
Sudhana saw as many emperors as atoms in countless buddha-fields,
each surrounded by seven treasures and four armies, emerge from
Saradhvaja’s face, pervading the cosmos…
Sudhana saw as many hundreds of thousands of suns as atoms in countless
buddha-fields emanate from Saradhvaja’s eyes, lighting up all the great
hells, dispersing the great darkness in the world, removing the darkness of
sentient beings’ delusions…
From the circle of hair between Saradhvaja’s eyebrows Sudhana saw as
many moons as atoms in countless buddha-fields emerge, outshining all
the celestial chiefs, turning all worldlings away from lust to enjoyment of
the vision of Buddha, pervading the cosmos engaged in the guidance of
infinite beings…
From Saradhvaja’s head Sudhana saw emerge as many enlightening
beings as atoms in countless buddha-fields…
He also saw as many enlightening beings as atoms in countless buddhafields
emerge praising transcendent morality, manifesting from every pore
oceans of past efforts of all buddhas involved in transcendent morality, turning all beings away from the spheres of all mundane states and turning them toward the sphere of the enlightened…
From Saradhvaja’s topknot of flesh Sudhana saw emerge as many embodiments of buddhas as atoms in countless buddha-fields, adorned with the finest characteristics and embellishments, appearing like mountains of gold, with immeasurable auras of blazing light illumining everything in the ten directions and voices pervading the cosmos…
Saradhvaja’s body represents the Enlightened-Truth of the Real Body of Reality (Dharmakāya), and Sudhana is graced with seeing Its fullest manifestation.
Then, observing the monk Saradhvaja thus concentrated in meditation,
mindful of that sphere of concentration and liberation, contemplating the
inconceivable power of concentration of enlightening beings, entering into
that inconceivable ocean of ways of benefiting sentient beings, remembering
that inconceivable medium of the performance of supernal manifestations
confronting all the senses, strongly focusing his attention on it,
entering that door of knowledge of purity of arrangement of the cosmos,
aspiring to that enlightened power, expanding in knowledge, recognizing
that controlling power of enlightening beings, stabilizing the power of
vows of enlightening beings, extending the power of practice of enlightening
beings, Sudhana stood before Saradhavja for a day and a night, for two
days and nights, seven days and nights, a fortnight, a month, six months, and
then six more days and nights…
Upon emerging from the Deep Samadhis, Sudhana enquires the name of this superlative concentration:
Saradhvaja said, “There is a perfection of wisdom called equanimity of the
universal eye, and this concentration is its light, called manifestation of universal purification. By the perfect accomplishment of the concentration of
manifestation of universal purification, which springs from the light of the
perfection of wisdom of equanimity of the universal eye, countless tens of
hundreds of thousands of complete concentrations, beginning with the
manifestation of universal purification, are born.”
Sudhana said, “Is this the greatest range of this concentration?”
Saradhvaja said, “One who has fully accomplished this concentration has
the power to discern worlds, to enter worlds, to travel freely in worlds, to
adorn worlds, to purify worlds, to beautify worlds, to see buddhas, to
observe the grandeur of buddhas, to know the emanations of buddhas, to
enter the powers of buddhas, to plunge into the ocean of virtues of buddhas,
to receive the teachings of buddhas, to follow the knowledge of the unity of
all buddhas’ teachings, to enter the ocean of congregations of buddhas, to go
anywhere in the ten directions, to observe the teaching activity of the buddhas, to see the realms of the buddhas, to embrace all with great compassion, to pervade everywhere with love, to plunge tirelessly into the vision of buddhas everywhere, to enter into the ocean of all beings, to know the ocean of faculties of all beings, to know the distinction of faculties of all beings…”
We have just witnessed the full-flowering of the “Manifestation of Universal Purification.” This is the grandeur of Buddhaic Reality. All the Buddha-fields in the ten directions are incessantly being distilled by the grace of these emanations. In the best sense, these distillations are essential in cleansing all defiled-garbha and re-manifesting it as the equanimous Universal Eye so dictates. The ardent student of this sutra also has their own consciousness emblazoned and illumined by the Light of these principles that are “pursuant to purifications.” Thus ALL is returned to the equanimity of the Dharmadhātu.