Toh 64The Noble Mahāyāna Sūtra “Vidyutprāpta’s Questions”

Summary

Vidyutprāpta’s Questions is
a Mahāyāna sūtra in which the bodhisattva Vidyutprāpta
(“Lightning Attainment”) asks the Buddha how someone can
help other beings attain enlightenment while remaining aware
of the emptiness of all phenomena. The Buddha responds by
explaining five “treasures” that enable a bodhisattva to
teach the Dharma without being attached to the world. The
first four include understanding sentient beings of various
temperaments and the attitude necessary to teach them. The
fifth, the treasure of the Dharma, is knowledge of the true
nature of dharmas and skill in explaining this to ordinary
beings.

Acknowledgements

This text was translated by Robert Kritzer, who also
wrote the introduction.

The translation was completed under the patronage and
supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.
Rory Lindsay edited the translation and the introduction,
and Ven. Konchog Norbu copyedited the text. Martina Cotter
was in charge of the digital publication process.

The generosity of the anonymous sponsor who helped make
the work on this translation possible is gratefully
acknowledged.

Introduction

Vidyutprāpta’s
Questions is a Mahāyāna sūtra in which the
bodhisattva Vidyutprāpta (“Lightning Attainment”)
asks the Buddha how someone can help other beings
attain enlightenment while remaining aware of the
emptiness of all phenomena. The Buddha responds by
explaining five “treasures” that enable bodhisattvas
to teach the Dharma without being attached to the
world. The first four include understanding sentient
beings of various temperaments and the attitude
necessary to teach them. The fifth, the treasure of
the Dharma, is knowledge of the true nature of
dharmas and skill in explaining this to ordinary
beings.

The description of the first treasure, for the
lustful, is quite long. Bodhisattvas understand that
different sentient beings have different desires and
that even the most lustful can be brought to
maturity, that is to say, to the completion of the
Buddhist path and the verge of liberation, by the
bodhisattva’s skillful means. The Buddha emphasizes
that bodhisattvas can teach spontaneously, without
effort or attachment, and he gives several analogies
to illustrate the nondualistic action to which the
bodhisattva must aspire.

The treasures for the angry and for the deluded
are described following a similar pattern, but more
briefly and with only one analogy. In the case of
the angry, the Buddha tells bodhisattvas to be
patient and compassionate to free beings from their
anger. For the deluded, bodhisattvas must use their
vast knowledge of doctrine to remove various false
views, like a doctor who uses the appropriate
medicine to cure a specific disease.

The description of the treasure for those who
are afflicted equally by lust, anger, and delusion
is longer and more elaborate. More analogies are
given, as well as two extended parables, which show
how important it is for bodhisattvas to understand
the individual temperaments and abilities of
sentient beings yet remain impartial and
detached.

The fifth treasure, the treasure of the Dharma,
enables bodhisattvas to teach sentient beings who
are attached to the objects of consciousness, i.e.,
the objects of sight up to mental objects. The sūtra
does not relate this treasure specifically to one of
the four temperaments, and it seems to be intended
for all sentient beings. The treasure of the Dharma
consists of analytical knowledge of meaning,
dharmas, language, and eloquence, and it is the
basis of the bodhisattva’s teaching of the
undifferentiated nature of dharmas.

Sources

Vidyutprāpta’s
Questions is no longer extant in Sanskrit.
It has come down to us as the twentieth chapter or
“assembly” of the Ratnakūṭa, a collection of forty-nine
sūtras. The title of the Tibetan translation, glog thob kyis zhus pa,
corresponds to the Sanskrit title, while the Chinese translation is
called The Assembly on the
Inexhaustible Treasures.

The Tibetan translation was not made from the
Sanskrit. Rather, it is one of the nine sūtras in
the Tibetan Ratnakūṭa that were translated from
Bodhiruci’s Chinese translation, perhaps by Chödrup
(chos grub, ca. 745–849).
The sūtra appears in the Denkarma (Tib. ldan dkar ma), a
ninth-century catalog of translations made during
Tibet’s imperial period, which confirms its early
ninth-century origins. However, in the Denkarma, it
appears under the alternative title ’phags pa glog sbyin gyis zhus
pa, which translates into English as
The Noble Questions of
Vidyuddatta, Vidyuddatta being an attested
Sanskrit equivalent to glog sbyin, meaning “Lightning Gift.”
Interestingly, this sūtra also appears under yet
another title in the Phangthangma imperial-period
catalog, namely, ’phags pa
klog gi dbyig gis zhus pa’i mdo, which
translates as The Noble Sūtra
of the Questions of Jewel of Recitations,
the name klog gi
dbyig lacking any attested Sanskrit
equivalent.

The Inexhaustible Treasures in

Mahāyāna Literature

Inexhaustible treasures are described more
extensively in the Buddhāvataṃsakasūtra. An entire chapter of this sūtra is devoted
to ten treasures of faith, ethics, shame,
conscience, learning, giving, wisdom, recollection,
preservation, and elocution. The chapter on the ten treasures,
which is chapter 22 in Śikṣānanda’s Chinese version
(the version translated by Cleary) and chapter 27 in
the Tibetan version, explains in general the special
features and activities of the bodhisattva. Although
there is no clear relationship between the Buddhāvataṃsakasūtra
chapter and Vidyutprāpta’s
Questions, certain topics are found in
both, such as the importance of the bodhisattva’s
knowledge of conditioned arising and the ability to
teach individuals according to their differing
faculties and desires.

Finally, the entry on Vidyutprāpta’s Questions in the Japanese
dictionary of Buddhist literature, Bussho kaisetsu dai
jiten, suggests that the sūtra contains a
forerunner of the theory of buddha nature and that
there is a connection between the sūtra and the
theories of mind nature in The
Principles of the Perfection of Wisdom in One
Hundred and Fifty Lines (Prajñāpāramitānayaśatapañcaśatikā, Toh
17) and dharma nature in the Buddhāvataṃsakasūtra.

A Note on the Bodhisattva

Vidyutprāpta

Vidyutprāpta is not a very well-known
bodhisattva in Mahāyāna literature. The Sanskrit
name is found only in Tibetan transliteration of the
title of the sūtra. The name in the Tibetan
translation, Lokthob (glog thob), corresponds to the Sanskrit
Vidyutprāpta but does not appear anywhere else in
the Kangyur. The name Diande 電得 in the Chinese translation appears
in several places in the Taishō Tripiṭaka: in the
Aṅgulimālīyasūtra (Yangjuemolu jing
央掘魔羅), where it is the name of a
buddha, not a bodhisattva; in The Sūtra on the Names of the Buddha
(Foming jing
佛名經), in a list of names of
bodhisattvas, about whom nothing is said
individually; and in Sengzhao’s commentary on The Teaching of Vimalakīrti,
the Zhu weimojie
jing
注維摩詰經, giving
Kumārajīva’s explanation of the name Diande.

The following table illustrates the various
permutations of the bodhisattva’s name:

Vidyuddeva (Lightning God)

glog gi
lha (Lightning God)

With this in mind, we can understand the
apparent occurrence of the name Vidyutprāpta
(“Lightning Attainment,” Diande 電得) in the Zhu weimojie jing. Since
de
德,
“virtue,” and de
得,
“attainment,” were pronounced identically in Old
Chinese and Middle Chinese, it is very likely that it was a scribal
error in the transmission of Sengzhao’s commentary
that resulted in 德 becoming 得. Therefore, we can rule
out any connection between the Diande in the Zhu weimojie jing and
the Diande in the Vidyutprāptaparipṛcchā.

The Present Work

The Translation

The Noble Mahāyāna Sūtra

Vidyutprāpta’s Questions

Homage to all the
buddhas and bodhisattvas.

Thus did I hear at one time. The Bhagavān was
staying on Gṛdhrakūṭa Mountain in Rājagṛha together
with a great assembly of one thousand monks, all of
whom had especially exalted qualities and proclaimed
the lion’s roar. Also in attendance were five
hundred bodhisattva mahāsattvas. They all had
acquired dhāraṇīs, were unobstructed in eloquence,
had realized patient acceptance of the nonarising of
dharmas, were established in irreversibility, were
endowed with samādhis, displayed superior powers in
manifold ways, and were completely aware of the way
that sentient beings behave mentally.

The bodhisattva Sūryadhvaja, the bodhisattva
Candradhvaja, the bodhisattva Samantaprabha, the
bodhisattva Moon King, the bodhisattva Illuminating
Heights, the bodhisattva Vairocana, the bodhisattva
Siṃhamati, the bodhisattva Precious Light of Virtue,
the bodhisattva Sarvārthasiddha, the bodhisattva
Possessing Previous Conditions, the bodhisattva
Excellent Vows and Conduct, the bodhisattva Wisdom
of Emptiness, the bodhisattva Even-Minded, the
bodhisattva Joyous Yearning, the bodhisattva Fond of
the Multitudes, the bodhisattva Yuddhajaya, the
bodhisattva Practice of Wisdom, the bodhisattva
Vidyutprāpta, the bodhisattva Victorious Eloquence,
the bodhisattva Siṃhanāda, the bodhisattva Most
Melodious, the bodhisattva Arousing, the bodhisattva
Skilled in Changing Action, and the bodhisattva
Practice of Perfect Tranquility—bodhisattva
mahāsattvas such as these were at the head.
Furthermore, Śakra, king of the gods, the Four Great
Kings, King Brahmā, lord of the Sahā world, and
unlimited retinues of gods possessing great power,
nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas,
kinnaras, and mahoragas, and others, stayed together
with the Bhagavān.

The bodhisattva Vidyutprāpta saw that the great
assembly was gathered, purified, and completely at
peace. He then got up from his seat, uncovered one
shoulder, knelt on his right knee, joined his palms
toward the Bhagavān and said to the Bhagavān,
“Bhagavān, I am a bit uncertain. Now, let me ask you
a question. May the Tathāgata, listening with
compassion, give his consent.”

The Bhagavān said to the bodhisattva
Vidyutprāpta, “The Tathāgata, Arhat, Samyaksaṃbuddha
grants your request. Ask what you wish. It shall be
explained fully.”

The bodhisattva Vidyutprāpta then asked the
Bhagavān, “Bhagavān, what attribute do bodhisattvas
have that lets them fulfill the desires of all
sentient beings while not being sullied by flaws;
that lets them lead sentient beings with their skill
in means according to those beings’ faculties and
their own natures, without their falling into the
miserable existences after their bodies are
destroyed; that lets them definitely realize
equality and, like a lotus, be unsullied by flaws
even though they dwell in the world; that lets them
not move from the dharmadhātu but wander in the
buddha fields, never separated from the sight of the
Tathāgata’s form body; that lets them abide in the
three liberations and not enter samāpatti; and that
lets them, after purifying the array of the buddha
fields according to the inclinations of sentient
beings, quickly in a single moment be perfectly
enlightened in the highest enlightenment?”

Then the bodhisattva mahāsattva Vidyutprāpta, in
the presence of the Bhagavān, spoke his request in
verse:

“Unsurpassed lord of humans,

Whose wisdom and vision are unlimited,

You are established in the unadulterated
Dharma

And you benefit worldly ones.

You observe all sentient beings equally.

You are the refuge of the world.

“Having shown the wrong and the right path,

You establish sentient beings in the ultimate
happiness.

You have accumulated superior qualities,

Like a heap of various jewels.

You, the sun of wisdom in the world,

Are the worthy lord of the three realms.

By explaining the Mahāyāna,

You have perfected the path of
enlightenment.

“The shape of your face is like the full
moon.

You have completed the calming meditations.

By proclaiming the teaching of tranquility,

You have pacified the afflictions.

Please explain the practice of the
bodhisattva

And benefit sentient beings.

“His buddha field and lifespan,

His form body and assembly,

His three actions and dharmas,

All are pure.

“Bhagavān, please explain

The pure practice of the bodhisattvas.

How do they subdue Māra? How do they teach the
Dharma?

How is their mindfulness not impaired?

Please explain in your words.

“As for heroes,

Although they are thoroughly engaged in
saṃsāra,

How are they established in the oneness of
characteristics,

Never wavering with respect to things?

“How do they follow the buddhas

And make offerings,

And always, even when contemplating the Buddha’s
body,

Ultimately reject marks?

“Although they always realize the three
liberations,

And are like birds flying in the sky,

Their merits are still incomplete,

And they never enter nirvāṇa.

But they know others’ faculties and natures,

And, following them without fear,

And without clinging,

They make those sentient beings mature.

“At first, they bestow worldly pleasure;

Later, they produce pure minds.

Since they are endowed with excellent wisdom,

They will attain the highest enlightenment.

May the Tathāgata explain such a deep and
excellent matter.”

The Bhagavān replied to the bodhisattva
mahāsattva Vidyutprāpta, “It is good, it is good,
that you, son of good family, ask the Tathāgata this
sort of thing in order to benefit innumerable
sentient beings and make them happy, and to help the
beings of the present world, including the gods, and
the bodhisattvas of the future. Therefore,
Vidyutprāpta, listen very carefully and keep this in
mind. It will be fully explained to you.”

“Bhagavān, I wish to listen in this way,”
replied the bodhisattva Vidyutprāpta.

“Vidyutprāpta,” said the Bhagavān, “the
bodhisattva mahāsattvas have five treasures, which
are great treasures, inexhaustible treasures,
totally inexhaustible treasures, and limitless
treasures. When bodhisattvas are completely endowed
with such treasures, they are completely free from
misfortune, they completely perfect especially
superior virtues of the sort mentioned above, and
quickly obtain with little difficulty superior,
perfect enlightenment. What are the five? They are
the treasure for those with a lustful temperament,
the treasure for those with an angry temperament,
the treasure for those with a deluded temperament,
the treasure for those with an equally proportioned
temperament, and the treasure of all dharmas.

“Vidyutprāpta, what is the bodhisattva
mahāsattvas’ treasure for those with a lustful
temperament? Sentient beings who belong to the group
of those with a lustful temperament are bound by
false views and falsely impute various things,
according to their natures, to objects such as
forms, sounds, smells, tastes, objects of touch, and
mental objects, cling to them steadfastly, and are
intoxicated in their attachment to pleasure. The
bodhisattva mahāsattvas, by knowing in accordance
with truth the mental temperament of those beings, understand
what they believe and desire, what objects they
cultivate and are attached to, how powerful they are
and what sort of faith they are endowed with, what
sorts of virtuous roots they have produced, to what
vehicle they should devote themselves, and when
their virtuous roots will mature. The bodhisattva
mahāsattvas, for the sake of eliminating all the
desires of those sentient beings, and for the sake
of making sure that their minds are always
uninterruptedly virtuous, evaluate them very
carefully and nourish them completely.

“Vidyutprāpta, it should be understood that the
differences in the faculties and temperaments of
sentient beings are very difficult to know. Śrāvakas
and pratyekabuddhas cannot understand them, let
alone ordinary people or heretics. Vidyutprāpta,
some sentient beings, even though they are attached
to objects of desire, mature in unsurpassable,
perfect enlightenment. Some sentient beings, just by
having contact with a desired object or just by
speaking with a lustful mind, mature in
unsurpassable, perfect enlightenment. Some sentient
beings look at a beautiful form and, although a
lustful thought arises, understand, just by seeing
that form deteriorating and being destroyed, that
the form is impermanent, and the torment of their
desire is calmed. Just by means of the utmost
contemplation of impermanence, they mature in
unsurpassable, perfect enlightenment.

“Therefore, Vidyutprāpta, although the
bodhisattvas know, with their skillful means, those
various illnesses of desire and the various remedies
for desire, they lack signs of grasping at dualism
in the dharmadhātu, and they produce great
compassion even for those beings who are confused
regarding the dharmadhātu. Vidyutprāpta, since not
even the slightest thing called
love,
hatred,
delusion, or
wisdom regarding the
dharmadhātu can be apprehended, the bodhisattva
thinks, ‘If it is as I see it, sentient beings
produce desire, hatred, and delusion toward these
compounded things that are collections established
as mere designations, without marks, empty of
inherent existence, and void. After analyzing these
things as they really are, dwelling in great
compassion for those sentient beings who are
bewildered by desire, I will fulfill my former vows.
Without wavering from the dharmadhātu, I will make
them mature by means of my effortless wisdom.’

“If a man mistakenly believes that women are
pure, and if this gives rise to deep desire, the
bodhisattva will turn himself into a very beautiful,
elegant woman, whose physical characteristics are
especially outstanding, and who, like apsaras,
possesses precious ornaments and garlands, never
before seen, and is well adorned with various
ornaments. With that sentient
being having shown how lustful,
passionate, and very obsessed he is, the
bodhisattva, with a method adjusted to the ability
of that sentient being, in order to remove the
poison arrow of lust, by means of his unimpeded
power, having previously changed into the shape of a
woman, then appears again before him. Having
made that sentient being understand the dharmadhātu
by his teaching of the Dharma, the bodhisattva will
disappear. If a woman gives rise to a desirous
thought about men, the bodhisattva appears in the
body of a man. In order to remove the poison arrow
of lust, he makes her understand the dharmadhātu by
teaching the Dharma, and he disappears.

“Vidyutprāpta, there are twenty-one thousand
lustful actions and, with the addition of those
other actions, there are eighty-four
thousand actions in total. The bodhisattvas, with
their effortless wisdom, produce countless thousands
of open Dharma doors. The minds of sentient beings
having been penetrated, they all become liberated,
even though the bodhisattvas do not have the
thought, ‘I teach this sort of Dharma to sentient
beings,’ and they do not imagine that beings are
liberated.

“Vidyutprāpta, to give an analogy, the nāga king
of Lake Manasarovar, due to the force of karma,
releases four great rivers from inside his palace
and cools the summer heat. With the moisture, he
makes the flowers and the fruits grow and the grains
increase and greatly pleases many sentient beings.
The nāga king himself releases these rivers, but he
does not think, ‘I shall release the rivers.’
Nevertheless, the four great rivers flow
continuously and benefit sentient beings.
Bodhisattvas, similarly, since they have fulfilled
their former vows, teach the four truths of the
noble ones by means of their effortless wisdom. They
dispel all the torments of saṃsāra and bestow the
happiness of noble liberation. But the
bodhisattvas do not think, ‘I have taught the
Dharma,’ or ‘I shall teach it.’ Nevertheless, they
spontaneously dwell in their own thought of great
compassion, and, having analyzed sentient beings,
they teach them the Dharma in whatever way is
suitable.

“Vidyutprāpta, to give another analogy, Śakra,
king of the gods, has twelve billion apsaras. By
means of Śakra’s autonomous power, he displays many
bodies, and the apsaras all enjoy sexual pleasure
with him. Individually they think, ‘Only I am
frolicking with the king of the gods,’ while, in
fact, the king of the gods has no attachment
whatsoever. In the same way, the bodhisattvas, too,
in accordance with the wishes of whichever sentient
beings are worthy of completely passing beyond,
mature them, while the bodhisattvas have no
attachment.

“Vidyutprāpta, to give another analogy, when the
orb of the sun appears at the top of a mountain, its
light illuminates Jambudvīpa, and whatever place it
illuminates, it reveals various colors—blue, yellow,
red, white—while the orb of the sun itself is a
single color. The unity of the light has no
differences in quality. Similarly, the bodhisattvas
also, with the orb of the sun of wisdom, illuminate
the dharmadhātu. They appear at the mountaintops of
sentient beings’ attachments as a single objective
image, and they teach them the Dharma according to
their desires, even though the dharmadhātu has no
dualistic nature.

“Vidyutprāpta, this is the bodhisattva
mahāsattvas’ treasure for those with a lustful
temperament. When bodhisattva mahāsattvas obtain
this treasure, for a kalpa or more than a kalpa,
they can display
infinite bodies according to the various desires of
sentient beings, even though the dharmadhātu has no
dualistic nature.

“Furthermore, Vidyutprāpta, to give another
analogy, pure gold is made, due to the skill of a
metalworker and according to his will, into various
types of ornaments. Although the attributes change,
the nature of gold does not change. In the same way,
the bodhisattva mahāsattvas also analyze the
dharmadhātu very carefully, display infinite bodies
to sentient beings according to their various
wishes, and teach the Dharma in various words, even
though the dharmadhātu has no dualistic nature.
Since they are constantly immersed in the
dharmadhātu, this is called being
integrated in the nature of the
dharmadhātu. When
bodhisattvas obtain this sort of treasure, since
they teach the Dharma in various ways for the sake
of sentient beings, they, due to hearing the Dharma,
come to possess sovereignty over the marvelous
wealth of the noble ones and abandon forever the
troubles of saṃsāra.

“Furthermore, Vidyutprāpta, what is the
bodhisattva mahāsattvas’ treasure for those with an
angry temperament? Sentient beings have pride,
conceive of ‘me’ and ‘mine,’ and do not practice
compassion or patience since they have dwelt for a
long time in characteristics of ‘me’ and
‘mine.’
Their own minds are destroyed by the torment of
anger; they do not remember the Buddha, the Dharma,
and the Saṅgha; and they are covered with the poison
of anger and are deluded about reality. But the
bodhisattvas never produce malice or hostility
toward sentient beings who have much anger. They
just think, ‘Alas, these sentient beings, since they
are bewildered by ignorance, have increased their
hatred and incorrect anger since they possess false
notions regarding the true nature of dharmas, which are, from the
beginning, quiescent, untainted
and unsullied, peaceful and uncontentious, and
completely void.’ After thinking in that way and
abiding in great compassion, they always show their
pity. Even if there are some who cut off their limbs
and smaller body parts, because they desire to tame
those sentient beings who have angry temperaments,
they abide in patience. If those uncountable
sentient beings who have angry temperaments turn
their backs on one another, due to having completed
actions of anger and hatred, and fall into a body
within a bad birth, such as a poisonous snake, the
bodhisattvas, abiding in patience, tame those beings
by means of their loving kindness and the force of
their mindfulness, and they do not receive the
retribution of a bad birth in the future. Whatever
their undoubted realization of equality is, this is
called the bodhisattvas’ complete elimination, by
their skillful means, of sentient beings’ angry
temperaments.

“Furthermore, Vidyutprāpta, if the bodhisattvas
see angry sentient beings, they think, ‘As all
dharmas are pure in their own nature, alas, these
sentient beings are incorrect due to following their
anger, and they develop wrong views. Since they
produce a thought of anger with respect to the
nature of dharmas as equal and uncontentious, these
sentient beings do not understand the dharmadhātu
itself. If these sentient beings saw the nature of
dharmas, they would not produce harmful thoughts
toward others. Due to the fact that they do not
understand the essence of the dharmadhātu, anger
arises.’ The bodhisattvas, having produced even more
compassion toward those sentient beings who have
much anger, dwell in great compassion. Again fulfilling
their former vow, they correctly teach various
Dharma doors for the sake of destroying, with their
effortless wisdom, the angry actions of sentient
beings without thinking, ‘I am teaching the Dharma
for the purpose of removing sentient beings’ anger.’
Why is that? It is because the bodhisattvas
understand very well the nature of the dharmadhātu.
As for this, it should be known that, since the
bodhisattvas dwell in the undifferentiated nature of
the dharmadhātu, they eradicate defiled actions.

“Vidyutprāpta, to give an analogy, after
darkness is removed, light is obtained, but darkness
is not destroyed. Thus, the essence of darkness and
light is undifferentiated, like space. In the same
way, the bodhisattvas, relying on their
undifferentiated knowledge of the dharmadhātu, teach
the Dharma with skillful means. Taming various
sentient beings with angry temperaments, they pacify
them, but there are no distinctions in the
dharmadhātu.

“Vidyutprāpta, to give an analogy, just as
everywhere that the light from the rising wheel of
the sun shines is all encompassed by the rising
wheel of the sun, similarly, everything said by the
bodhisattvas for the sake of taming and eradicating
angry actions is all the wheel of Dharma, and there
are no distinctions in the dharmadhātu. Thus, as for
those twenty-one thousand angry actions and actions
belonging to the other categories of temperaments,
amounting to eighty-four thousand in total, the
bodhisattvas, since they have perfected effortless
wisdom, teach the Dharma that is appropriate for
sentient beings’ various types of anger, without
thinking, ‘I have taught, I teach, and I shall teach
the Dharma.’ This should be known as the treasure
for those of angry temperaments. When bodhisattvas
obtain this
treasure, for a kalpa or more than a kalpa,
according to the various inclinations of sentient
beings, they teach the Dharma with skill in means
through various words, letters, and expressions.
Furthermore, although angry actions are endless, the
bodhisattvas’ wisdom and courage also cannot be
exhausted. As for this, it should be understood as
the bodhisattvas’ treasure for those of angry
temperaments, which they have obtained by explaining
well the undifferentiated nature of the
dharmadhātu.

“Furthermore, Vidyutprāpta, what is the
bodhisattva mahāsattvas’ treasure for those with a
deluded temperament? Vidyutprāpta, this sort of
practice of the bodhisattvas is very difficult. Such
sentient beings chase affliction, harm others, are
wrapped in an eggshell of ignorance, have no way of
understanding the dharmadhātu since they are bound
up in themselves like silkworms, do not properly
contemplate what they should do, are attached to a
belief in the self, enter a wrong path, persist in
foolish actions, and have difficulty renouncing
saṃsāra.

“The bodhisattvas, having previously penetrated
the dharmadhātu, abide in great compassion by means
of their effortless wisdom. After they understand
that those sentient beings are confused regarding
the dharmadhātu, having taught them Dharma according
to their power and ability, they train them
completely, without thinking, ‘I taught, I teach,
and I shall teach the Dharma.’ However, by the power
of their former vow, having thoroughly contemplated
conditioned origination, they
spontaneously reveal many hundreds of thousands of
Dharma doors and remove those sentient beings’
ignorance-based karmic activity and make them attain
liberation.

“Vidyutprāpta, to give an analogy, it is like
this. A good physician is skilled in curing many
illnesses. He has previously become familiar with
medical treatments, and as soon as he sees the
symptoms of a disease, since he knows all the
mantras and medical treatments, he cures it; there
is nothing that he cannot cure. In the same way, the
bodhisattvas, since they know the dharmadhātu very
well, show, by means of their effortless knowledge,
many hundreds of thousands of Dharma doors according
to the faculties and natures of these beings, who
have accumulated foolish actions, and make them
understand everything clearly.

“Vidyutprāpta, this is the bodhisattva
mahāsattvas’ treasure for those with a deluded
temperament. When bodhisattvas obtain this treasure,
having correctly contemplated conditioned
origination, for the sake of those sentient beings
with a deluded temperament, for a kalpa or more than
a kalpa, according to their natures and wishes, they
teach the Dharma with skill in means through various
words, letters, and expressions. Furthermore,
although deluded actions are endless, the
bodhisattvas’ wisdom and courage also cannot be
exhausted. As for this, it should be understood as
the bodhisattvas’ treasure for those of deluded
temperament, which they have obtained by explaining
well the undifferentiated nature of all dharmas.
Thus, as for those twenty-one thousand deluded
actions and actions belonging to the other
categories of temperaments, making a total of
eighty-four thousand, the bodhisattvas, for the sake
of eliminating them, having distinguished many
hundreds and thousands of Dharma doors, teach them
correctly. This is called the bodhisattvas’ treasure
for those with a deluded temperament.

“Furthermore, Vidyutprāpta, what is the
bodhisattva mahāsattvas’ treasure for those with an
equally proportioned temperament? To give an
analogy, it is like this. When a very clean,
completely clear, spotless round mirror is placed at
a crossroads, although reflections appear there
without increase or diminishment, the round mirror
does not think, ‘I made these various types of
reflections.’ Nevertheless, if that round mirror is
wiped well, all the reflections will spontaneously
appear. In the same way, the bodhisattvas, by wiping
well the round mirror of the dharmadhātu,
established in effortless samādhi, open many
hundreds of thousands of Dharma doors and teach
according to the differences in sentient beings’
mental actions. All those sentient beings,
understanding completely, obtain liberation. But
they do not produce a concept of dharmas or a
concept of sentient beings. Why is that? The
bodhisattvas, because they understand very well the
nature of the dharmadhātu, and since they
contemplate those sentient beings of the four
temperaments as they really are, teach Dharma
according to their faculties and natures. However,
since they contemplate the dharmadhātu and the
realms of sentient beings as they are, they also do
not have a conception of duality, because they see
clearly that those categories of the dharmadhātu and
the realms of sentient beings have no duality and no
differences.

“Vidyutprāpta, to give an analogy, it is like
this. In space, there is no characteristic of
various differences, and there is no
differentiation. In the same way, the bodhisattvas,
since they contemplate the dharmadhātu very well,
recognize that all dharmas enter into a single
characteristic. By the power of their former vows,
they teach Dharma in various ways according to the
temperaments of sentient beings, even though in the
dharmadhātu there are no differences.

“Furthermore, Vidyutprāpta, the bodhisattvas,
since they have perfected that sort of wisdom, are
totally aware, with their skill in means, of
sentient beings’ faculties, conduct, and
aspirations. If they see sentient beings who have
much desire, in order to tame them and treat their
disease, they appear like an ordinary person,
enjoying objects of desire, provided with children,
a wife, and the comforts of a home. However, like a
lotus, they are not contaminated or attached.
Sentient beings who are deluded and lack
intelligence, because they do not know the
bodhisattvas’ skill in means, think, ‘What
intelligent person would be attached to objects of
desire just like an ordinary person? Therefore, this
person has no enlightenment.’ Those kinds of
sentient beings, because their minds are completely
impure, give rise to great hatred, and since they
are not reverent, when due to their
karma their bodies fail, they fall into the great
hell after their death. However, because the
bodhisattvas very secretly instruct them, their
various faults are completely eliminated, and they
are all fully established in the attainment of
equanimity.

“To give an analogy, it is like this. When a
strongly blazing fire meets grass and trees, they
all burn fiercely and are transformed into the mass
of the fire itself. Similarly, for the bodhisattvas,
when they kindle the fire of wisdom, sentient
beings’ desire, hatred, and confusion, their good
and their evil, whatever they are, meet the
bodhisattva, and all burn up and are transformed
into wisdom. This is called the extraordinary
quality of the bodhisattva.

“Furthermore, to give another analogy, the
extraordinary quality of the king of mountains,
Sumeru, is that it is formed from four types of
jewels. Sentient beings, too, have qualities of
various sorts—blue, yellow, red, and white—that
correspond to those jewels. If they go to the lapis
lazuli side of Sumeru, they all become the single
color of lapis lazuli. If they go to the
gold-colored side, they all become gold-colored. In
the same way, they become silver-colored or
crystal-colored. In just that way, since the
bodhisattvas, too, have obtained extraordinary
qualities, whatever the desire, hatred, confusion,
good, or evil of sentient beings, when they go into
the presence of the bodhisattvas and associate with
them, they all enter into the wisdom of the
bodhisattva. However, when their minds are impure,
and due to their own sinful karma, they fall into
the birth destiny of hell beings or animals or the
world of the dead, in this case, by the power of the
bodhisattvas’ extraordinary
qualities and vow, after their sinful karmic
consequences are exhausted, they are definitely set
to obtain unsurpassed, perfect enlightenment in the
future.

“At that time, sentient beings’ desire, hatred,
and confusion were great. Since they were
overwhelmed by afflictions, fathers and mothers,
older and younger brothers, and friends disagreed,
and they did not follow their teachers and masters.
They did not acknowledge kind deeds. They were
always full of malicious thoughts, and they had
tricky and thieving minds. They hurt each other.
They behaved improperly. They did not have respect
for the Buddha, Dharma, and Saṅgha. Only beings like
these, who, because they were overcome with
stinginess, practiced the custom of pretas, lived in
that buddha field, and they were very difficult to
discipline.

“At that time, a monk named Stainless was endowed with eloquence.
Because he was skilled at teaching the Dharma, a
great assembly was eager to hear him. He never tired
of bringing sentient beings to maturity. He taught
the Dharma without expectation and spoke sincerely
with a shining complexion. He was endowed with a
good appearance and strength, and his face was kind
and handsome. Sentient beings longed to see him. He
was served and respected, revered and praised.
Beginning monks also frequently followed Stainless
and appeared in the king’s palace, entering freely,
and they showed their respect with various garments,
food, drink, bedding, and medicines.

“Many monks from that great assembly did not
know how to practice bodily restraint or wisdom of
the mind. They did not have respect for the Buddha,
Dharma, or Saṅgha. They had false views of
permanence, nihilism, self, and so forth. They
rejected the Buddha’s teaching. They were very
agitated and hard to discipline. Their senses were
unrestrained. They abided in wickedness. Without
having the conduct of śramaṇas, they claimed to be
śramaṇas. Their actions of body, speech, and mind
were all entirely based in depravity.

“That bhagavān entered nirvāṇa after the rainy
season, and King Extensively Giving cremated the
bhagavān’s body in a fire of red sandalwood. He made
offerings and built eighty million reliquary stūpas
surrounded on four sides by red sandalwood railings,
with golden lotuses.

“The monk Stainless had been given a prophecy by
that bhagavān that he would be the most learned and
would transmit the
true doctrine widely after that tathāgata entered
nirvāṇa. Whatever village, city, or marketplace he
went to, he would convert innumerable hundreds of
thousands of sentient beings and establish them in
unsurpassed, perfect enlightenment.

“Many evil monks then did not understand the
practice of yoga. They were always jealous. Confused
by Māra, they went to the king and said, ‘The monk
Stainless, who is respected by the king, goes in and
out of the palace freely. This monk is not yet free
from desire. He asks for food at the wrong time. He
adorns his body with perfume and garlands, and since
he is not truly chaste, it is not right for him to
make offerings. For this reason, we have come here
to explain this to the king. Do not have regrets
later. Please do not disbelieve the true teachings
of the Buddha.’

“At that time, there was a māra named Wicked. He
changed himself into the shape of a monk, and he
went to the king and spoke in the same way as above.

“Then the māra’s retinue showed half their
bodies and spoke in verse to the king:

“ ‘King, study the practical arts.

Be skillful about the right moments.

If the king does not know these things,

He does not have the marks of a king of
humans.

“ ‘The Buddha’s arhat disciples

Are endowed with great wisdom, but

They do not rely on the words of Stainless.

Why? Because they are nihilistic.

“ ‘Monks, in order to help,

Tell you the truth.

Nihilistic men who go to bad destinies

Are not truly chaste.

“ ‘That one, in the king’s palace,

Enjoys himself with your consorts.

The king and his retinue

Should investigate carefully and dispel
doubt.’

“When the king heard about this matter,

He suffered in his mind from fear.

Together with his retinue,

He proceeded quickly to his palace.

“At that time, Stainless, in the palace,

Taught the highest truth

That dharmas are empty by nature.

“The king, together with his army,

Were all deceived by the māra.

They saw the consorts in the palace

Surround the monk.

“The king’s hatred was like that of a great
intoxicated elephant,

And he ordered the executioners,

‘The monk has deceived my consorts.

Condemn him to a painful punishment.’

“The ministers, together with their retinues,

All under the control of the māra,

Thought the innocent monk

Must be harmed.

“An executioner came, holding weapons,

And Stainless, in compassion, shed tears.

The king said, ‘You are unrighteous.

Why are you crying?’

“Stainless said to the king,

‘This situation is difficult to believe.

Let them stop for a minute.’

“When the king heard what the monk said,

He ordered the executioners to stop.

‘What is the true situation?

You had better speak quickly!’

“Becoming very sincere, Stainless said,

‘Since compassion benefits the world,

I join my palms and ten fingers

And speak the truth.

“ ‘Let the great king know:

If I am really innocent,

May the earth shake six times,

And may flowers rain from the sky.’

“As soon as he said this,

The great earth shook six times,

Heavenly flowers fell from the sky,

And the māra’s army experienced misery.

“Then the king became calm.

He bowed at Stainless’s feet and begged
forgiveness:

‘If I fall to hell,

Unprotected, I beg you to save me.

“ ‘Alas, since I met bad friends,

I had a bad state of mind.

Because I followed bad friends,

I have no one to protect or save me.

“ ‘Except for the great teacher,

In the ten directions I have no protection.

I give up my royalty,

And now I take refuge for the rest of my
life.’

“That monk, after he recognized the intention of
the king

And his servants and retinue,

Set forth the highest truth.

The king, hearing it, obtained sincere faith.

“At that time, in the king’s palace,

The eighty thousand ladies with their retinues,

When they heard the highest truth,

Abided in irreversibility.

“The king, in accordance with what the Buddha
taught,

For twenty-four years, constantly, day and
night,

Apologized for his bad actions.

Nevertheless, his bad actions were not
extinguished.

“A crowd of a hundred koṭis

Confronted the Dharma teacher with evil
intentions.

As a result of this, after death,

They fell to Avīci hell.

“They suffered for many millions of years.

When their bad actions were extinguished, they
met with the Tathāgata.

But because they were afraid in the past,

Their residual karmic retribution was always
inferior.

“They practiced yoga gradually,

And after they worshiped thousands of millions of
buddhas,

Each in a different country,

They all became perfectly enlightened.

“And they all had the same name.

They were called Virtuous Glory.

Then King Extensively Giving,

In the place where the compassionate and tolerant
ascetic was,

“Because he produced a poisonous thought,

And since, for many millions of years,

His former bad actions were manifest,

He fell to Loud Howling hell.

“And when that karmic result was extinguished,

He again obtained a human body.

He met the Tathāgata All-Seeing

And always respected and worshiped him.

“Furthermore, he served

Eighty million buddhas.

The one enlightened after that

Is I.

“The monk who wished to harm

The innocent Dharma teacher

In the future will be the

Truly enlightened bodhisattva, Maitreya.

“The eighty thousand retinues of ladies

In the king’s palace at that time

Produced roots of good because they were very
pure

And worshiped innumerable buddhas.

“Since they did such deeds,

And vowed to benefit sentient beings,

After they venerate millions of buddhas,

They each will become enlightened.

“I now instruct you:

Do not produce any harmful thoughts.

Whoever practices kindness and praises the
Buddha

Will quickly obtain great enlightenment.

“Therefore, Vidyutprāpta, those who do not
understand well the faculties, nature, and
aspirations of sentient beings should not produce
harmful thoughts. Vidyutprāpta, to give an analogy,
just as Sumeru is the greatest among mountains,
similarly, the wisdom of the Tathāgata is the
greatest and most excellent and unsurpassable of
wisdoms. To give another analogy, just as the ocean
is the greatest among all waters, similarly, the
wisdom of the Tathāgata is the most excellent and
deepest and broadest of all wisdoms. To give another
analogy, just as the cakravartin is the greatest and
most excellent and unsurpassable, the wisdom of the
Tathāgata is unsurpassed among wisdoms.

“Vidyutprāpta, the Tathāgata is endowed with
omniscience. To give an analogy, a clear-sighted
person, seeing clearly without effort a myrobalan
fruit in the palm of his hand, has no doubt what it
is. In the same way, the Tathāgata knows the mental
actions of all sentient beings and
correctly explains various teachings in the midst of
a great assembly.

“I understand and see, in the limitless,
countless buddha field world systems, sentient
beings associated with the lustful temperament who
are completely tormented by lust and, fixing their
minds on desires night and day, pass their time
meaninglessly. I know and see the various actions of
body, speech, and mind that are generated due to
torment by lust.

“I understand sentient beings who are
associated with the deluded temperament who, since
they are stupefied by the darkness of ignorance, are
attached to confusion and desire to follow false
views.

“I understand capable ones, incapable ones,
ones with increasing effort, ones who regress and
fail, ones who produce roots of good in the vehicle
of the tathāgata, ones who produce roots of good in
the vehicle of the pratyekabuddha, and ones who
produce roots of good in the vehicle of the
śrāvaka.

“Since the Tathāgata has this sort of wisdom,
he understands the variety of temperaments of
sentient beings living in his great retinue. If he
knows that the time is not ripe, he does not teach
anything, and, staying even-minded, he reflects on
the fact that these sentient beings are confused
about the Dharma and will not understand.

“As for the Tathāgata, I am endowed with
especially superior faculties and power, and because
I know the moment, I know who is suitable for
discipline, who is the most resolute, who is able to be
patient, and who can listen well to my words. Once I
know this, I help and benefit those sentient
beings.

“Therefore, Vidyutprāpta, beginner bodhisattvas
who have not entered the state of certainty and do
not know the special intentions of sentient beings,
whether householders or monks, should not blame or
produce malice toward anyone or do harm to
themselves for a long time. From the time that the
bodhisattvas first produce the thought of
enlightenment, they should produce the notion of the
Buddha in connection with all those who are
established in the Mahāyāna. Even if they see other
beings performing sinful, unvirtuous actions, they
should not produce a malicious thought. Why? The
Tathāgata always says that any sentient being, if
they harm even a little of the virtuous, totally
pure teaching, is called one who will never enter
nirvāṇa.

“If bodhisattvas see a sentient being whose
temperament is lustful, they think, ‘These sentient
beings are burned by torment due to desire, but this
is my fault.’ And if they see those who are burned
by torment due to anger and confusion, they think,
‘This is all my fault.’ Why? ‘If I see all sentient
beings having the suffering of illness, it is proper
to find medicine and heal them with my skillful
means. Since I formerly vowed to eliminate the
illnesses of sentient beings and now abandon them,
this is my fault.’ The bodhisattvas, since they have
this kind of thought, look at their own faults and
produce a thought of kindness with regard to
sentient beings. If they are killed or have their limbs
and smaller body parts cut off, they do not think,
‘I should take revenge on those enemies who harm
me.’

“Vidyutprāpta, limitless, countless kalpas in
the past, much earlier than the Tathāgata Dīpaṅkara,
a tathāgata, an arhat, a perfectly enlightened one,
one endowed with knowledge and conduct, a sugata, a
knower of the world, a supreme one, a charioteer who
tames people, a teacher of gods and humans, a buddha
bhagavān named Born Supreme appeared in the world.
That world system was called Radiant, and he lived
in a grove in the royal city, Absolute Peace.

“At that time, there was a butcher named
Dreadful, who was very vicious and enjoyed killing,
who had no tolerance or kindness. His hands were
smeared with blood, and all who saw him feared him.
Once the butcher tied up an ox in his house and
wanted to kill it. But the ox
saw him and, very afraid, it broke the rope and went
to the grove where the Tathāgata Born Supreme was
staying. The butcher, wielding a knife, chased after
the ox. Since the ox was frightened, it fell into a
deep pit, and, suffering in pain almost to the point
of death, it bellowed. When the butcher saw the ox,
he became even more angry. He jumped into the pit
wielding the knife and wanted to kill the ox, but
before the knife struck, the Tathāgata Born Supreme,
surrounded by a great retinue of limitless hundreds
of thousands in that grove, analyzing in detail,
taught this Dharma discourse on conditioned arising:
‘Karmic forces
arise on the basis of ignorance; consciousness
arises on the basis of karmic forces; name and form
arise on the basis of consciousness; the six senses
arise on the basis of name and form; contact arises
on the basis of the six senses; feeling arises on
the basis of contact; desire arise on the basis of
feeling; appropriation arises on the basis of
desire; karmic existence arises on the basis of
appropriation; birth arises on the basis of karmic
existence; old age and death, sorrow, lamentation,
misery, suffering, unhappiness, and troubles arise
on the basis of birth. Thus, all these things
arising conditionally are nothing but a great heap
of suffering.

“Vidyutprāpta, he continued, ‘In this
conditioned arising, ignorance does not think about
or reflect upon karmic forces, and karmic forces do
not think about or reflect upon ignorance.
Similarly, old age and death do not think about or
reflect upon birth, and birth does not think about
or reflect upon old age and death. Thus, all
dharmas, since their nature is that they cannot be
apprehended, are unproduced by intentional action.
They are without consciousness, without “me” and
“mine,” pure by nature, and mutually unaware of one
another. Because ordinary people have not heard this
kind of teaching, they insist that matter is the
self, that the self has matter, that matter belongs
to the self. The same is true for feelings,
concepts, conditioning forces, and
consciousness.

“ ‘Due to attachment to “me” and “mine,” they
give rise to four perverted views: apprehending the
impermanent as permanent, suffering as pleasure, the
pure as impure, and no-self as self.

“Vidyutprāpta, at that time, the butcher was
frightened. When, from a distance, he heard the
Tathāgata teaching the Dharma, he understood, and
his thought of killing was pacified. He set his
weapon aside, came out of the pit, and went to the
Bhagavān. He touched the Bhagavān’s feet with his
head, bowed, sat to one side, and said to the
Bhagavān, ‘Bhagavān, I now wish to become a monk
following the teaching of the Tathāgata and practice
the path.’

“The Tathāgata Born Supreme knew in his heart
the former butcher’s sincerity. It was gradually
maturing. When Dreadful heard the detailed and
correct teaching of the bodhisattva’s conduct, he
obtained the patient acceptance of the nonarising of
dharmas, and because of the Buddha’s teaching, he
obtained irreversibility.

“Vidyutprāpta, the temperaments of beings thus
are very deep and difficult to know, and they are
difficult to understand. Therefore, Vidyutprāpta,
any bodhisattvas who wish to acquire thoroughly
unsurpassed, true, perfect
enlightenment should become very knowledgeable about
the faculties and actions of sentient beings, should
be well established in an impartial and unobstructed
mind toward all sentient beings, and should not be
attached to any dharma.

“They should abandon everything and achieve
pure morality. They should be established in
patience. They should develop effort. They should
remain absorbed in meditation. They should examine
in detail the nature of all dharmas as they really
are.

“Vidyutprāpta, if bodhisattvas complete these
six things, they will quickly become perfectly and
completely enlightened in unsurpassed, true, perfect
enlightenment. How can they completely perfect it?
Like this: by relying on omniscient, exalted wisdom
and fully accomplishing it.

“Vidyutprāpta, what is the bodhisattvas’
treasure of the Dharma? Bodhisattvas are those who
are totally aware of all matter as it really is and
see that, from the very beginning, it is not
produced and is pure by nature. Because the
bodhisattvas have acquired skill regarding matter,
they possess four analytical knowledges. What are
the four? They are the analytical knowledge of
meaning, the analytical knowledge of dharmas, the
analytical knowledge of language, and the analytical
knowledge of eloquence.

“Vidyutprāpta, this is what is called the
bodhisattva mahāsattvas’ treasure of the Dharma.
Bodhisattvas, if they obtain this treasure, because
they wish to train those sorts of beings who are
confused regarding objects, teach them the Dharma
individually with their skill in various types of
verbal expression for a kalpa or more than a kalpa.
Although the confusion of sentient beings is
endless, the bodhisattvas’ wisdom is unimpaired, not
in conflict with the dharmadhātu, and follows the
nondual and the undifferentiated. This is called the
treasure of the Dharma, which is obtained through
the bodhisattvas’ teaching, by their skillful means,
of the undifferentiated nature of all dharmas.

“By means of this treasure of the Dharma, they correctly
teach the Dharma to sentient beings, and they become
endowed with the inexhaustible Dharma treasure and
abandon the misfortunes of saṃsāra forever.

After this Dharma discourse that teaches the
treasure of the Dharma, the bodhisattva Vidyutprāpta
obtained dhāraṇī. Five hundred bodhisattvas obtained
the lightning luster samādhi.
Thirty-six thousand devaputras produced the thought
of unsurpassed, true, perfect enlightenment.

The Bhagavān replied, “What bodhisattvas, since
they are in agreement in body and mind regarding
good dharmas, do when they focus on something, is
called with effort. If there
are bodhisattvas who, after subduing their body and
mind, are without thought, are nonabiding, and are
free of the marks of practice, and who, since they
have perfected their former vows and knowledge,
appear in various forms in many hundreds of millions
of buddha fields yet are immovable from the
dharmadhātu, who always teach the Dharma even though
even the slightest real characteristic of dharmas
does not exist, who make sentient beings thoroughly
mature with four means of conversion even though
there are no beings to be liberated, who purify all
buddha fields even though they do not really observe
purified buddha fields,
who always are mindful of the buddhas even when not
observing their external manifestation, who wander
in buddha fields even though they are not separated
from the dharmadhātu, this is called the
effortless wisdom of the bodhisattva.
Bodhisattvas, because they possess this sort of
wisdom, fulfill the desires of all sentient beings,
but they have no attachment to what they have
done.”

At that time, when the Bhagavān explained
effortless wisdom, this three-thousandfold universe
shook in six ways. Indra, lord of the gods, together
with the gods of the Heaven of the Thirty-Three,
released a rain of coral tree flowers, blue lotus
flowers, red lotus flowers, padma lotus flowers,
white lotus flowers, and sandalwood powder and
scattered it over the Bhagavān. Heavenly drums also
sounded. Amazing and wondrous lights illuminated
everything, and the body of any sentient being who
encountered this was completely soothed.

The Bhagavān then said to the bodhisattva
Vidyutprāpta, “Vidyutprāpta, the tathāgatas, arhats,
perfectly enlightened ones of the past also spoke
this kind of Dharma discourse in this place. Future
tathāgatas, when they arise, will also speak this
kind of Dharma discourse in this place. The
tathāgatas now living in unlimited, innumerable
world systems, in order to perform this Dharma
discourse without interruption, give off a great
light.”

After the Bhagavān said this, the bodhisattva
Vidyutprāpta, the venerable Ānanda, the four
assemblies, and all the worlds, including the gods,
humans, asuras, and gandharvas, were delighted by
what the Bhagavān had said and praised it greatly.

Notes

Abbreviations

C
Choné Kangyur

F
Phukdrak MS

J
Lithang

Y
Yongle

Bibliography

Tibetan Sources

Sanskrit and Pali

Sources

Chinese Sources

Miscellaneous

Secondary Sources

treasure of
all dharmas

Lightning
Attainment