Toh 165The Noble Great Vehicle Sūtra “The Question of Kṣemaṅkara”

Summary

The Question of Kṣemaṅkara contains a teaching
given by Buddha Śākyamuni to the Śākya youth Kṣemaṅkara, in response to a
question he poses about the qualities of bodhisattvas and how to develop such
qualities. The Buddha teaches him about bodhisattvas’ qualities, first in
prose and later reiterated in verse, and then equates the teaching of
this sūtra with the perfection of insight, stating that even if one practices
the first five perfections for many eons, one will not make much progress
without knowing what is taught in this sūtra.

Acknowledgements

Translated by the Dharmachakra Translation Committee under the
supervision of Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche. Ani Jinpa Palmo produced the translation
and wrote the introduction. Andreas Doctor checked the translation against the
Tibetan and edited the text.

The translation was completed under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.

Introduction

The setting of this short sūtra, The Question
of Kṣemaṅkara, is Nyagrodha Park near Kapilavastu, the city
in the ancient Śākya kingdom that contained the family home where Prince
Siddhārtha grew up. Kapilavastu is assumed to be some ten kilometers to the west of
his birthplace, Lumbini, which is in present-day Nepal, but it is not certain which
of two possible sites today might be its exact location.

The sūtra describes a conversation between Buddha Śākyamuni
and the Śākya youth Kṣemaṅkara, who asks the Buddha a lengthy question about
the qualities good bodhisattvas should have and how to develop such qualities.
The Buddha’s response unfolds as a teaching on how to practice the
bodhisattva path—an uncomplicated instruction given to a layperson. The
teaching is without the specialized vocabulary of Buddhist philosophy and
does not place strong emphasis on monastic discipline, although it does
admonish against involvement with women. For the modern reader it should be
kept in mind that such comments regarding women are primarily meant for men
as advice in support of celibacy.

In this teaching the Buddha offers Kṣemaṅkara a set of ethical
instructions, such as not retaliating when attacked, combined with teachings aimed
at liberation, such as how to realize emptiness in order to successfully
complete the bodhisattva path. Delighted by the Buddha’s response,
Kṣemaṅkara makes an offering of his jewelry. The Buddha transforms the
jewelry into a multitude of magically created beings, who in turn become the
basis for a further teaching on the illusory character of phenomena. Unlike many longer sūtras,
The Question of Kṣemaṅkara does not
develop an elaborate storyline, nor are we given much information regarding
the setting or the characters. Instead, this is a brief teaching that
responds to a simple question. The only other participant in the
conversation is Ānanda, in his usual role as witness to the Buddha’s
teaching.

Near the end of the sūtra, the evil Māra also makes an appearance
and inquires about the benefit of the Buddha’s discourse. The Buddha then
equates the teaching of this sūtra with the perfection of insight, stating
that no matter how long one practices the first five perfections, unless one
knows this teaching, one will be unable to make much progress on the
bodhisattva path.

Unfortunately, no Sanskrit version of this sūtra remains extant, but
the text was translated into both Chinese and Tibetan. The Chinese
translation (T 533) was produced by the prolific translator Chih-ch’ien
(third century ce) sometime between 223–53 ce. As such, this sūtra can be dated to the
formative period of India’s Mahāyāna scriptural tradition.

In producing this translation, we have based our work on the Degé
xylograph while consulting the Comparative Edition (dpe bsdur ma), as well as the Stok Palace manuscript. The
colophon of the sūtra states that it was translated from Sanskrit by the
Indian preceptor Prajñāvarman and the prolific Tibetan translator Yeshé Dé.
So, we can date the Tibetan translation to the late eighth to the early ninth
century, a dating that is also attested by the text’s inclusion in the
early ninth century Denkarma (ldan dkar ma)
catalog.

The Translation

The Noble Great Vehicle Sūtra

The Question of Kṣemaṅkara

Homage to all buddhas and bodhisattvas!

Thus did I hear at one time. The Blessed One was staying in the
Nyagrodha Park of the Śākyas, near Kapilavastu in the Śākya country,
together with a great saṅgha of five hundred monks. At that time a Śākya
youth named Kṣemaṅkara set out from the city of Kapilavastu
for Nyagrodha Park, where the Blessed One was staying. As soon as he
arrived there, he touched his head to the feet of the Blessed One and sat
down to one side.

With folded palms the Śākya youth Kṣemaṅkara bowed down to
the Blessed One and asked him, “Blessed One, what attributes should
bodhisattvas possess in order to progress irreversibly toward unsurpassed and perfect
awakening, so that even with just a little effort they will obtain the
thirty-two marks of a great being, proceed from buddha realm to buddha
realm, pass away free from delusion, possess the five types of
superknowledge as soon as they are born, discard all unfree states, obtain
leisure and advantages, gain retention, possess unobstructed
eloquence, possess the quality of not regressing, gain interest in
emptiness, always delight in going forth, and always delight in pure
conduct, even when staying in a household?”

In answer to this question, the Blessed One replied to the
young Śākya Kṣemaṅkara, “Noble son, you have asked the Thus-Gone
One about this topic for the sake of benefiting and bringing happiness to a
multitude of beings, out of love for the world, for the welfare of numerous
people, and in order to benefit and bring happiness to gods and humans.
Excellent, excellent! Therefore, noble son, listen carefully and keep the
following in mind, as I shall now explain.

“Bodhisattvas who possess four
attributes will attain the qualities you have described. What are those four attributes? Noble
son, they are as follows: bodhisattvas who possess the strength of patience and practice patience
(1) do not retaliate though others revile them, (2) do not strike back
though others beat them, (3) do not quarrel though others quarrel with them,
and (4) do not get angry though others are hostile to them. Noble son,
bodhisattvas who possess those four attributes will progress irreversibly toward
unsurpassed and perfect awakening and will obtain the perfect qualities you
have described.”

When the Well-Gone One had said this, the Teacher also spoke these
words:

“Although blamed, do not reciprocate.

Having been harmed, do not harm others.

Even if it means giving up their human bodies,

Bodhisattvas will attain these qualities.

“Always guard against evil words,

And do not be controlled by a negative mind.

Eliminate misdeeds, and you will gain such results

And quickly achieve supreme wisdom.

“Some people take pleasure in striking others,

And have a ruthless and malicious attitude.

Having forsaken the wisdom of the buddhas,

Such unwise people will be burdened with unbearable suffering.

“Therefore, do not beat others,

And abstain from striking anything, animate or inanimate.

Benefiting all beings with love and affection,

You will quickly attain supreme wisdom.

“Deluded beings overwhelmed by anger

Are far from the teaching of those who are wise in this world.

Because of wrong views, they are bent on negative ways.

Therefore, wise people should not disturb them.

“Bodhisattvas should not get angry,

But guard the truth without harming others.

Perfecting these rare actions,

They will possess all the exquisite thirty-two marks.

“The unwise always have a destructive and hostile attitude;

They do not even respect their own parents.

They are enmeshed in the roots of
affliction,

Which are the flaws of the lowest type of person.

“Therefore, always rely wholly on patience,

Attend to monks who teach the Dharma,

And never forsake spiritual friends.

Then supreme awakening will be easy.

“Noble son, bodhisattvas who possess four additional attributes will
progress irreversibly toward unsurpassed and perfect awakening, and they will achieve
the perfect qualities you have described. What are those four attributes? Noble son, they are
(1) pursuing the Dharma, yearning for the Dharma, and rejoicing, delighting
in, and being inspired by the Dharma, as well as holding the Dharma and teaching the Dharma;
(2) renouncing women and not indulging in women; (3) rejoicing in
benefactors, in their giving nature, and in their giving, as well as renouncing dullness and
sleep; and (4) feeling inspired by emptiness and
abiding in emptiness. Noble son, bodhisattvas who possess those four
attributes will progress irreversibly toward unsurpassed and perfect awakening and they
will achieve the qualities you have described.”

When the Well-Gone One had said this, the Teacher also spoke these
words:

“Beings who yearn for the Dharma

And generate effort for the sake of the Dharma are rare.

Anyone who makes the wheel of Dharma turn

Will attain supreme wisdom.

“Hearing it from others they will genuinely retain it,

And then teach the Dharma to others who are interested.

Such wise ones will not lose courage in a gathering.

They will reach unsurpassed and supreme awakening.

“Rejecting women, the cause of downfalls,

A son of the victors will always practice pure conduct.

Stable in the practice of pure conduct,

He will turn the unsurpassed, sacred wheel.

“Those who delight in the features of women

Will become miserable, poor, and feeble.

Indulging in them will not bring peace,

So forsake them and engage in bodhisattva conduct.”

Upon hearing these teachings, the Śākya youth Kṣemaṅkara felt
satisfied, delighted, and thrilled. Feeling joyful and happy, he unfastened
the ornaments on his body and scattered them before the Blessed One. Through
the Blessed One’s power these ornaments now transformed into a mansion made
of precious substances, hovering directly above the Blessed One’s crown.
From that mansion emanated five hundred people decorated with all manner of
ornaments, who scattered their own ornaments in the direction of the Blessed
One. In addition, they aroused the mind set on unsurpassed and perfect
awakening and said, “Blessed One, we are sharing our roots of virtue with
all beings, and we dedicate them toward unsurpassed and perfect awakening.”

The Śākya youth Kṣemaṅkara also perceived these emanated people.
Seeing them, the hairs on his body stood on end, so he asked the Blessed
One, “Blessed One, where are these people from? Are they from the east, from
the south, from the west, from the north, from below, or from above? From which cardinal or intermediate direction did they
come?”

“Noble son,” replied the Blessed One, “these people are from neither
the east, south, west, or north; nor from below or above; nor are they from
any cardinal or intermediate direction. They are not gods, they are not
nāgas, they are not yakṣas, they are not gandharvas, they are not demigods,
they are not garuḍas, they are not kinnaras, they are not mahoragas, they
are not humans, and they are not non-humans—they do not abide in the earth
element, they do not abide in the water element, they do not abide in the
fire element, they do not abide in the wind element, and they do not abide
in the space element. They have no form, no feeling, no perception, no
formation, no thinking, no mind, no consciousness, no karma, no ripening of
karma, no present world, no other world, no coming, no going, no dwelling,
no death, and no birth. However, noble son, they are known as magical
emanations. They are called groundless, they are called
lifeless, they are called
beingless, they are called
personless, they are called
characteristicless, they are called
void, they are called empty,
and they are called essenceless.

“Kṣemaṅkara, those noble sons and daughters who hold all phenomena
to be like magical creations—who accept, understand, and have faith and
confidence in them as such, and who are not led astray by others—such noble
sons and daughters, Kṣemaṅkara, are called my children. They are known as my
descendants, they are known to possess illumination, they are known to be
illuminating, they are known to clear away darkness, they are known to
abandon afflictions. They are known as teachers, they
are known as fields of merit, they are known as
worthy of veneration,
they are known as mendicants, they are known as
brahmins, they are known as
learned, they are known as
elephants, they are known as those who
accept that phenomena are unborn, they
are known as bodhisattvas, they are known as
great beings, they are known as having
the quality of non-regressing, they are known as
having the qualities of bodhisattvas, and they are
known as having been prophesied.

At this point the evil Māra, feeling frustrated and unhappy, went to
the location where the Blessed One was staying and asked, “Blessed One, by
delivering this Dharma teaching, how many beings’ welfare are you
accomplishing?”

“Evil one,” replied the Blessed One, “through the delivery of this Dharma
teaching, eighty-four thousand deities in the realms of desire and form will
attain the acceptance that phenomena are unborn. The minds of five hundred
monks will become free of defilements with no further appropriation.
Seventy-five nuns will also attain the acceptance that phenomena are unborn.
The bodhisattva Kṣemaṅkara and five hundred other laymen will also attain
the acceptance that phenomena are unborn. Twenty-five female lay
practitioners will purify the eye of Dharma, making it free from dust and
dirt with regard to all phenomena, and all of them will attain the
acceptance that phenomena are unborn. When passing
away, all of them will be reborn in Sukhāvatī, the buddha realm of the
thus-gone, worthy, perfect buddha Amitābha. Once born there, they will all
jointly uphold the awakening of the buddhahood of infinite
blessed buddhas. They will express it, teach it, and authentically expound
it. In the future, after as many eons as there are grains of sand in the
Ganges River, during the so-called Good Eon of this trichiliocosm, they will
fully awaken to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood.”

The evil Māra felt frustrated and unhappy. With regret, he began to
weep. As he was leaving, he said, “Blessed One, please do not deliver this
Dharma teaching again!”

“Evil one, you should not speak like that!” replied the Blessed One.
“And why not? Because the turning of the Dharma wheel of all the blessed buddhas
is unimpeded.”

Then venerable Ānanda asked the Blessed One, “Blessed One, what is
this Dharma teaching called, and how should it be identified?”

The Blessed One responded, “Ānanda, you may call this Dharma
discourse The Bodhisattva’s Renunciation, or
you should call it The Question of Kṣemaṅkara.
Ānanda, I entrust you with this Dharma discourse. I entrust it to you in
order that you retain it, read it aloud, explain it, and accurately teach it
to others in great detail. Why? Ānanda, noble sons and noble daughters who
have genuinely entered the Great Vehicle might
practice the five perfections without the perfection of insight for ten
eons. Yet those noble sons and noble daughters who retain this Dharma
discourse, hold it, read it aloud, understand it, accurately teach it to
others in detail, or even make it into a book and carry it, will create much
more merit.”

Then the Blessed One spoke these verses:

“Whoever practices generosity for ten eons

Without having heard about this way of so doing

Will not be praised

As having unsurpassed generosity.

“Those who observe mundane discipline

Even for tens of eons

Will continue to dwell on observations—

Such discipline will not be pure.

“Those who retain this profound discourse,

Which is praised by the buddhas,

Will have unsurpassed discipline

And will themselves be praised by all the buddhas.

“Though people may advocate patience for tens of eons,

And practice patience toward all who revile them,

That patience will not be praiseworthy

Unless they have heard about this way of doing it.

“Those who retain this discourse,

And correctly teach it to others,

Will have unsurpassed patience

And be praised by all the buddhas.

“Those who have not heard about this way of so doing

May never transgress the rules,

Even for tens of eons,

Yet such effort will not be praiseworthy.

“For those who retain this profound discourse,

Explained by the Buddha,

Their effort will be unsurpassed

And they will be praised by all the buddhas.

“Those who practice concentration

For tens of eons

May abide in the taste of concentration,

But will not be known as adepts at concentration.

“Yet those who do not conceive —whether
inwardly or outwardly—

Of any phenomena at all

Have unsurpassed concentration,

And are called adepts at concentration.

“In this way, through the sameness

Of generosity, discipline, patience, diligence,

Concentration, and insight,

Awakening will be quickly attained.”

When the Blessed One had spoken, venerable Ānanda, the Śākya
youth Kṣemaṅkara, the entire retinue, and the world including its gods,
humans, demigods, and gandharvas rejoiced and praised what the Blessed One
had said.

This concludes the noble Great Vehicle sūtra “The Question of Kṣemaṅkara.”

Colophon

This was translated, edited, and finalized by the Indian preceptor
Prajñāvarman, and the translator and chief editor Bandé Yeshé Dé, and
others.

Notes

Bibliography