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The
Lion's Roar Discourse of Queen Srimala
(Srimala-devi-simhanada-sutra;
Shengman furen hui; Shoman-gyo)
edited
and translated by Ven. Anzan Hoshin roshi
[published as "The Matrix of Suchness", Great Matter, 1995]
Chapter
Four: Embracing the Complete Teachings
Then Queen Srimala said, "Generous One, empowered by the Thus Come, may I be
eloquent in teaching the range of the great aspirations. Please grant me such
eloquence."
The Generous One said, "Srimala, speak as you wish."
Srimala said, "All the vows of opening to Openness, as numberless as the sands of the
river Ganges, are contained within embracing the Thus Come's complete Teachings of
Reality. Thus, embracing the complete Teachings of Reality is truly of vast scope."
The Generous One said, "Good, Srimala, excellent. Through your long practice of the
Teachings of Reality, your insight and skillful means are subtle and profound. In teaching
this to others you will find that few will understand; anyone who can understand your
words will have established roots of virtue under many Buddhas. You speak of embracing the
complete Teachings of Reality and this is what the Thus Come Ones of the past, present,
and future have taught, are teaching, and will teach. Through my own unfolding of complete
and utter Awakening, I too, teach the embrace of the complete Teachings of Reality in
various ways. While I teach embracing the complete Teachings of Reality in various ways,
the merits of embracing the complete Teachings are limitless, just as the insight and
eloquence of the Thus Come are limitless. Why? Because the merits of embracing the
complete Teachings of Reality are vast in extent and great in benefit."
Queen Srimala then said, "Generous One, empowered by the Thus Come, may I be eloquent
in teaching of this vast extent. Please grant me such eloquence."
The Generous One said, "Srimala, speak as you wish".
Srimala said, "Embracing the complete Teachings of Reality is the perfection of all
the infinite facets of Awakened Awareness. Embracing the complete Teachings of Reality
includes the eighty-four thousand practices.
"At the beginning of an eon, a cloud unfolds clouds of infinite hue which then shower
forth myriad crystals; just like this, embracing the complete Teachings of Reality unfolds
the ripening of numberless merits and showers forth myriad jewels of understanding.
"As a further illustration, at the beginning of an eon a great flooding contains the
cause of the emergence of a billion-world universe, from which numberless sets of four
masses of various shapes and colours congeal together with innumerable land masses. In the
same way, embracing the complete Teachings of Reality are the matrix which contains the
Vast Path from which issue the liberating activities of those opening to Openness, the
various entries into the Luminosity of Reality, and the perfection of both mundane and
transcendent joy never before experienced by shining beings or humans.
"Generous one, as a further illustration, the great earth bears up four burdens. What
are these four? The oceans; the mountain ranges; the grasses, herbs, shrubs, trees, and
cultivated plants; and the vast swarm of moving beings. In the same way, the sons and
daughters of the noble Lineage who embrace the complete Teachings of Reality bear up four
burdens heavier than those borne by the earth. What are these four?
(1) "Beings who have had no teachers cannot hear the Teachings and so have no
understanding. Sons and daughters of the noble Lineage who bring such beings to the
establishment of roots of virtue which perfect the aims of shining beings and humans bear
up a great burden greater than the earths.
(2) "Sons and daughters of the noble Lineage who teach the Narrow Path of
renunciation for those whose aspirations are narrow bear up a great burden greater than
the earths.
(3) "Sons and daughters of the noble Lineage who teach the Path of Realization in
Isolation to those who seek to solitary realization bear up a great burden greater than
the earths.
(4) "Sons and daughters of the noble Lineage who teach the Vast Path to those who
seek the Vast Path bear up a great burden greater than the earths.
"These are the four burdens borne by the sons and daughters of the noble Lineage who
embrace the complete Teachings of Reality.
"Generous One, the sons and daughters of the noble Lineage who embrace the complete
Teachings of Reality extend themselves like the great earth to bear up these four heavy
burdens. They are the friends of all sentient beings spontaneously. They are the mothers
of Dharma in the world, and benefit sentient beings with compassion and mercy.
"To illustrate further, the great earth is the source of the four kinds of jewels.
What are these four? There are priceless jewels, those of high value, those of medium
value, and those of low value. Just as the great earth is the source of these four kinds
of jewels, in the same way, sons and daughters of the noble Lineage who embrace the
complete Teachings of Reality can cause the sentient beings who meet them to obtain the
four treasures, which are superior to any jewel. What are these four? When sentient beings
encounter such sons and daughters of the noble Lineage as their teachers, they will gain
the treasure of merit which perfects the aims of shining beings and humans. Or they will
gain the roots of virtue leading to the Narrow Path. Or they will gain the roots of virtue
leading to the Isolated Path of solitary realization. Or they will gain the roots of
virtue leading to the Vast Path of complete and utter Awakening. Sentient beings who rely
upon such sons and daughters of the noble Lineage who embrace the complete Teachings of
Reality obtain these four treasures, which are superior to any jewel. Generous One,
embracing the complete Teachings of Reality is the source of infinite treasures."
"Generous One, regarding embracing the complete Teachings of Reality, I do not mean
that the complete Teachings and the embracing of the complete Teachings are different. The
complete Teaching is embracing the complete Teachings of Reality.
"Generous One, embracing the complete Teachings of Reality is no other than the
perfections, and the perfections are no other than embracing the complete Teachings of
Reality. How so?
"For those sentient beings who can best be matured through generosity, sons and
daughters of the Lineage who embrace the complete Teachings of Reality practise giving
even to the extent of their own lives and limbs. In this way, they mature those sentient
beings in accordance with their inclinations and establish them firmly in the complete
Teachings of Reality. This is called the perfection of giving.
"Those sentient beings who can best be matured by discipline and integrity are
taught, by example, to protect their six senses and clarify the activities of body,
speech, and mind and to deport themselves with dignity. In this way, they bring those
beings to maturity in accordance with their inclinations, and establish them firmly in the
complete Teachings of Reality. This is called the perfection of discipline.
"Towards those sentient beings who can best be matured by flexibility, they are free
of ill will and seek only to bring benefit. They bear the rebukes, scolding, insults,
rage, slander, libel, annoyance of these beings with patience, without their faces even
changing colour in the slightest. In this way, they bring those sentient beings to
maturity in accordance with their inclinations, to establish them firmly in the complete
Teachings of Reality. This is called the perfection of flexibility.
"For those sentient beings who can best be matured by exertion, they are not torpid
or lax, but manifest deep aspiration and exertion, whether walking, standing, sitting, or
lying down. In this way, they bring those sentient beings to maturity in accordance with
their inclinations, and establish them firmly in the complete Teachings of Reality. This
is called the perfection of exertion.
"For those sentient beings who can best be matured by practice, they are undistracted
and in activities do not stray but carry through with mindfulness and remembrance. In this
way, they bring those sentient beings to maturity in accordance with their inclinations,
and establish them firmly in the complete Teachings of Reality. This is called the
perfection of practice.
"For those sentient beings who can best be matured by perfect knowing, they respond
clearly to their questions about the Teachings and all doctrines, all sciences, and all
techniques, until those sentient beings fully comprehend what is ultimate. In this way,
they bring those sentient beings to maturity in accordance with their inclinations, and
establish them firmly in the complete Teachings of Reality. This is called the perfection
of perfect knowing.
"Thus, Generous One, the embracing of the complete Teachings of Reality is not
different from the perfections; embracing the complete Teachings of Reality is the
perfections."
Queen Srimala then said, "Generous One, empowered by the Thus Come, may I be eloquent
in teaching of the great meaning. Please grant me such eloquence."
The Generous One said, "Srimala, speak as you wish".
"Generous One, in speaking of those who embrace the complete Teachings of Reality, I
do not mean that they are something other than the embracing of the complete Teachings of
Reality. The sons and daughters of the noble Lineage who embrace the complete Teachings of
Reality are the embracing of the complete Teachings of Reality. How so?
"Those sons and daughters of the noble Lineage who embrace the complete Teachings of
Reality release their bodies, lives and possessions for the sake of the complete Teachings
of Reality.
"Generous One, through releasing their bodies, these sons and daughters of the
Lineage will realize the body of Awakened Awareness and move past the furthest edge of the
circuit of conditioned experience, free from old age, sickness, and death; they will
realize the Body of Reality of Those Who Come Thus which is indestructible, always so,
changeless, ultimately tranquil, and of inconceivable merit. Through releasing their
lives, they will realize that which moves past the furthest edge of the circuit of
conditioned experience and, abiding in all the wondrous activity of the Way of Awake
Awareness, will be forever released from death and be always so, of inconceivable merits.
By releasing their possessions, they will realize that which moves past the furthest edge
of the circuit of conditioned experience, and will go far beyond the realm of other
sentient beings, beyond reference points. Inexhaustible, undiminishing, perfect merits
will emerge, and they will be honored by sentient beings.
"Generous One, sons and daughters of the noble Lineage who release their bodies,
lives, and possessions in embracing the complete Teachings of Reality will receive the
Thus Come One's declaration (of their own unfolding as Buddhas).
"Generous One, when the complete Teachings of Reality are on the edge of extinction
monks, nuns, laymen, and laywomen will gather into factions and argue with one another. At
that time, sons and daughters of the Lineage who cherish the complete Teachings of Reality
must gather those who can open to Openness in order to maintain the complete Teaching so
that it can remain undistorted. Such sons and daughters of the Lineage will receive
declarations from all the Buddhas (of their own unfolding as Buddhas).
"Generous One, I see embracing the complete Teachings of Reality as vast exertion.
The Generous One regards this as the eye, the knowledge, the root of all of the
Teachings."
Then the Generous One, having joyfully heard Queen Srimala present embracing the complete
Teachings of Reality as vast exertion, said, "So it is, Srimala. It is just as you
say. The embrace of the complete Teachings of Reality is vast exertion.
"Srimala, a person will feel great pain if a vulnerable area is struck even lightly
by a strong man. In the same way, the demon of distortion is pierced and howls when
someone embraces the complete Teachings of Reality even slightly. Srimala, I know of
nothing that can bother such demons as much as embracing the complete Teachings of
Reality, even slightly.
"Srimala, the greatest bull is greater in height, breadth, and lustre than other
cattle. Just so, one who practises the Vast Path and embraces only slightly the complete
Teachings of Reality is superior to those who only hear what they have heard or who
self-fabricate their own version of enlightenment, with all of their virtues, because of
its vast extent.
"Srimala, Mount Sumeru, the sovereign of mountains, towers over all other mountains
in its height, breadth, and beauty. Just so, one of the Vast Path who embraces the
complete Teachings of Reality without holding onto body or life and has this mind of
richness is greater than those just beginning the Vast Path who still cling to their
bodies and lives. How much more so then is she greater than those of the other Two Paths
of the hearers and solitary realizers?
"Srimala, as this is so, you should establish beings in the embrace of the complete
Teachings of Reality through revealing it, demonstrating it, rejoicing in it, and teaching
it.
"Srimala, to embrace the complete Teachings of Reality yields great benefit, meaning,
and fruition. Although I have proclaimed the merits of embracing the complete Teachings of
Reality for numberless, incalculable eons, I have not approached the end of them.
Therefore, Srimala, to embrace the complete Teachings of Reality brings about infinite
merits."
 
©
1999-2004 White Wind Zen Community. All rights reserved.
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