The Changeless Nature

expansion of the exampleBuddha Activity 127If all the earth were rid of fearful places and became flawlesslapis lazuli, lustrous and beautiful with all that jewel's qualities -free from impurity, magnificent and of smooth, even surface, therewould appear, on account of its purity, the various divine abodesand the form of the king of gods. Later however by such a ground'squalities gradually disappearing, these things would once againbecome non-apparent.In order to obtain such a state, many men and women wouldturn to the 'precepts of close observance' 6 — true generosity and so on,scatter flowers as offerings and do other like deeds, their mind full ofaspiration.the meaning of thisIn a similar way, in order to become this 'mighty victor king', whohad appeared in their mind, comparable to pure lapis-lazuli, thevictors' sons develop their 'mind set on enlightenment' 7 perfectly,their spirit being filled with great joy.summary; how these appearances are not entitiesJust as the reflection of the form of the king of gods appears inthe clear lapis-lazuli ground, so also does the reflection of the king ofmighty sages' form appear in the clear ground which is beings' minds.For beings, the appearance and disappearance of these reflectionsoccur because of their mind's either unpolluted or polluted condition.As with the manifestation of Indra's form in the worlds, these buddhaforms should not be taken as entities 'existent' or 'extinct'.3B2. THE DIVINE DRUM- The Example of Buddha-Speechthe exampleThrough the power of the gods' former virtue, the dharma drum inthe divine realms, without effort, location, mental form or concept,exhorts all the uncaring gods over and over again with its throbs of'impermanence', 'suffering', 'no-self and 'peace'.