English
he could see even thirty world-systems, he could see even forty world-systems, he could see even fifty world-systems, he could see even a hundred world-systems, he could see even a thousand minor world-systems, even two thousand medium He might see a world-system, He might see a three-thousand world-system, He might see a great-thousand world-system, Or as much as he wishes, so much he might see. Thus pure is the Blessed One's divine eye. Thus the Blessed One is endowed with the divine eye. How is the Blessed One also endowed with the eye of wisdom? The Blessed One is greatly wise, widely wise, swiftly wise, joyfully wise, sharply wise, penetratingly wise, skilled in the analysis of wisdom, with knowledge differentiated, attained to the analytical knowledges, attained to the four intrepidities, possessor of the ten powers, the chief of men, the lion of men, the elephant of men, the thoroughbred of men, the leader of men, with infinite knowledge, with infinite splendor, with infinite glory, rich, greatly wealthy, possessor of wealth, a guide, a trainer, a persuader, an instructor, an examiner, a beholder, a gladdener. Indeed, that Blessed One is the producer of the unproduced path, the generator of the ungenerated path, the announcer of the unannounced path. He is the knower of the path, the understander of the path, the expert of the path. And his disciples now dwell following the path, having come after him. Indeed, that Blessed One, knowing, knows; seeing, sees. He is the eye-become, the knowledge-become, the Dhamma-become, the Brahma-become. He is the speaker, the proclaimer, the conveyor of meaning, the giver of the Deathless, the master of the Dhamma, the Tathāgata. There is nothing for that Blessed One unknown, unseen, unperceived, unrealized, untouched by wisdom. All phenomena, past, future, and present, come into the range of the Blessed Buddha's knowledge in every aspect. Whatever is to be known, whether it be one's own welfare, or the welfare of others, or the welfare of both, or welfare in this life, or welfare in the next life, or a shallow meaning, or a deep meaning, or a hidden meaning, or a concealed meaning, or a meaning to be known, or a meaning that has been led, or a blameless meaning, or a stainless meaning, or a purified meaning. Whether meaning or ultimate meaning, all that revolves within the Buddha's knowledge. All bodily action follows the knowledge of the Buddha, the Blessed One. All verbal action follows knowledge. All mental action follows knowledge. In the past, the Buddha's knowledge is unobstructed. In the future, (his) knowledge is unobstructed. In the present, (his) knowledge is unobstructed. As far as the knowable, so far is knowledge. As far as knowledge, so far is the knowable. Knowledge has the knowable as its limit. The knowable has knowledge as its limit. Knowledge does not proceed beyond the knowable. There is no path of the knowable beyond knowledge. Those phenomena stand mutually limited. Just as when two lids of a box are properly fitted, the lower lid does not go beyond the upper, the upper lid does not go beyond the lower, they stand mutually limited; even so, the knowable and knowledge of the Buddha, the Blessed One, stand mutually limited. As far as the knowable, so far is knowledge. As far as knowledge, so far is the knowable. Knowledge has the knowable as its limit. The knowable has knowledge as its limit. Knowledge does not proceed beyond the knowable. There is no path of the knowable beyond knowledge. Those phenomena stand mutually limited. In all phenomena, the knowledge of the Buddha, the Blessed One, operates. All phenomena are bound by the Buddha's attention, bound by his aspiration, bound by his consideration, bound by his thought-arising. In all beings, the knowledge of the Buddha, the Blessed One, operates. And of all beings, the Blessed One knows their dispositions, knows their latent tendencies, knows their conduct, knows their inclinations, those with little dust and those with much dust, those with sharp faculties and those with dull faculties, those of good disposition and those of bad disposition, those easy to instruct and those difficult to instruct, those capable and those incapable among beings, he knows. The world with its devas, with its Māras, with its Brahmās, the generation of ascetics and brahmins, with its devas and humans, all revolve within the Buddha's knowledge. Just as whatever fish and turtles, even down to the 'timitimi' (sea monster)... (Even great sea creatures like) the Timiṅgala revolve within the great ocean, just so the world with its devas, the world with its Māras, the world with its Brahmās, the populace with its ascetics and brahmins, with its devas and humans, revolves within the Buddha's knowledge. Just as whatever birds, even including the Garuḷa, son of Vinatā, revolve in the region of the sky, just so even those who are like Sāriputta, endowed with wisdom, they too revolve in the region of the Buddha's knowledge; the Buddha's knowledge pervades and overcomes the wisdom of devas and humans, and stands supreme. Even those Khattiya scholars, Brahmin scholars, householder scholars, ascetic scholars, who are subtle, who have refuted others' doctrines, who are like hair-splitters, who move about, as it were, breaking through views with their wisdom, they, having formulated questions again and again, having approached the Tathāgata, ask hidden and concealed questions. Those questions, spoken and answered by the Blessed One, become with reasons pointed out. And they become for the Blessed One like things easily dealt with. Then indeed the Blessed One alone shines forth there, that is, in wisdom. Thus the Blessed One is endowed with sight, even with the eye of wisdom. How is the Blessed One endowed with sight, even with the Buddha-eye? The Blessed One, surveying the world with the Buddha-eye, saw beings with little dust, with much dust, with keen faculties, with dull faculties, with good dispositions, with bad dispositions, easy to teach, difficult to teach, some dwelling, seeing fear in faults of the other world. Just as in a lotus pond, or a water-lily pond, or a white lotus pond, some lotuses, or water-lilies, or white lotuses, born in the water, grown in the water, not yet risen above the water, nourished submerged within the water; some lotuses, or water-lilies, or white lotuses, born in the water, grown in the water, standing even with the water; some lotuses, or water-lilies, or white lotuses, born in the water, grown in the water, having risen above the water they stand unsoiled by the water; even so, the Blessed One, with the Buddha-eye, surveying the world, saw beings with little dust, with much dust, with keen faculties, with dull faculties, of good disposition, of bad disposition, easy to teach, difficult to teach, some dwelling seeing the danger of blameworthy acts in the next world. The Blessed One knows: “This person is of a greedy nature, this one of a hateful nature, this one of a deluded nature, this one of a speculative nature, this one of a faithful nature, this one of a wise nature.” To the person of a greedy nature, the Blessed One speaks of impurity. To the person of a hateful nature, the Blessed One teaches the development of loving-kindness. To the person of a deluded nature, the Blessed One establishes him in asking questions, in timely listening to the Dhamma, in timely discussion of the Dhamma, in association with teachers. To the person of a speculative nature, the Blessed One teaches mindfulness of breathing. To the person of a faithful nature, the Blessed One teaches a pleasing sign: the perfect enlightenment of the Buddha, the perfect Dhamma, the perfect practice of the Saṅgha, and the precepts. To the person of his own wise nature, the Blessed One teaches the sign of insight: the aspect of impermanence, the aspect of suffering, the aspect of non-self. “As one standing on a mountain peak, would see the people all around; So too, O wise one, ascend the palace of the Dhamma, O all-seeing one; Free from sorrow, look upon the people immersed in sorrow, overcome by birth and old age.” Thus, the Blessed One is indeed endowed with sight by the Buddha-eye. How is the Blessed One also endowed with sight by the all-seeing eye? The all-seeing eye is called omniscience. The Blessed One is endowed, fully endowed, possessed, fully possessed, accomplished, fully accomplished, and endowed with omniscience. “Nothing here is unseen by him, nor unknown, nor unknowable; All that is knowable, he has fully known, therefore the Tathāgata is all-seeing.” Thus, the Blessed One is indeed endowed with sight by the all-seeing eye – he did not declare me to be endowed with sight. And for the third time, O god The seer, he answers, so I have heard. Up to the third time, the Buddha, questioned on a Dhamma matter, answers, he does not cause confusion. Thus have I grasped it, thus have I borne it in mind, thus have I observed it. Divine Seer means the Blessed One is both a god and a seer – a Divine Seer. Just as kings who have gone forth are called royal seers, Brahmins who have gone forth are called Brahmin seers, even so the Blessed One is both a god and a seer – a Divine Seer. Or, the Blessed One, having gone forth, is also a seer. He sought, searched, and investigated the great aggregate of virtue, therefore he is a seer. He sought, searched, and investigated the great aggregate of concentration, therefore he is a seer. He sought, searched, and investigated the great aggregate of wisdom, therefore he is a seer. He sought, searched, and investigated the great aggregate of liberation, therefore he is a seer. He sought, searched, and investigated the great aggregate of knowledge and vision of liberation, therefore he is a seer. He sought, searched, and investigated the breaking apart of the great mass of darkness, therefore he is a seer.