Mahāyāna — Northern Canon · Kangyur — General Sūtras

Toh 69The Noble Mahāyāna Sūtra “Inspiring Determination”

Pāli / Sanskrit:Adhyāśayasaṃcodana

📖14,664 words · ~59 min read

Summary

Summary Inspiring Determination is directed at reforming the conduct of sixty bodhisattvas who have lost their sense of purpose and confidence in their ability to practice the Dharma. The bodhisattva Maitreya leads them to seek counsel from the Buddha, who explains the causes these bodhisattvas created in former lives that resulted in their current circumstance. They make a commitment to change their ways, which pleases the Buddha, and this leads him to engage in a dialog with the bodhisattva Maitreya on how bodhisattvas, including those in the future age of final degeneration, the final half-millennium, should avoid faults and uphold conduct that accords with the Dharma.

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Full translation (English)

Summary

Inspiring Determination is directed at
reforming the conduct of sixty bodhisattvas who have lost their sense of purpose
and confidence in their ability to practice the Dharma. The bodhisattva Maitreya
leads them to seek counsel from the Buddha, who explains the causes these
bodhisattvas created in former lives that resulted in their current
circumstance. They make a commitment to change their ways, which pleases the
Buddha, and this leads him to engage in a dialog with the bodhisattva Maitreya
on how bodhisattvas, including those in the future age of final degeneration,
the final half-millennium, should avoid faults and uphold conduct that accords
with the Dharma.

Acknowledgements

This translation was completed by the Blazing Wisdom Translation Group,
Tulku Sherdor and Virginia Blum, under the guidance of Khenpo Sonam Tobgyal,
with editorial assistance from Hans Schmidt, research of Chinese canonical
indices by Geok Hui Loo, and final editing and review by the 84000 editorial
team.

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

Introduction

Inspiring Determination appears in the
Heap of Jewels (Skt. Ratnakūṭa; Tib. dkon
brtsegs) section of the Kangyur. The sūtra opens with the
bodhisattva Maitreya observing a group of sixty among the five hundred
bodhisattvas who have gathered around the Buddha in the Deer Park on the
outskirts of Vārāṇasī. These sixty bodhisattvas have strayed from the
bodhisattva path. Rather than studying and practicing in solitude, they have
become distracted by worldly concerns and have stopped applying themselves
to the Dharma. Seeking to help them restore their commitments, Maitreya
invites them to approach the Buddha, confess their faults, and request his
guidance. The bodhisattvas then reveal and confess to the Buddha their
failings and their doubts about being able to live up to the bodhisattva
ideal.

The Buddha explains the causes and conditions they created in a
former lifetime that have led to their current predicament. Specifically,
during the previous period of the Buddha Krakucchanda, these bodhisattvas
denigrated and slandered two monks, creating schisms and doubts in the
Saṅgha and the wider community. Many lifetimes of painful ripening of this
negative karma ensued.

The Buddha further prophesies, however, that although the
bodhisattvas’ negative karma will continue to ripen in subsequent lives,
once it is finally exhausted, during a period in which the Dharma is
declining, they will attain rebirth in the realm of the Buddha Amitābha.
Hearing this, the bodhisattvas are newly inspired and resolve not to repeat
their mistakes. Maitreya asks the Buddha whether they will abide by their
renewed commitment, and he confirms that they will.

This is followed by a lengthy series of enumerations by the Buddha,
in response to inquiries by Maitreya, concerning the negative consequences
of each fault of conduct in which the sixty bodhisattvas had engaged, as
well as the advantages of refraining from each one. In several instances,
these lists are presented first in prose form and then repeated in verse as
an aide-memoire. Maitreya’s
questions also prompt the Buddha to caution about the future degeneration of
the Dharma, when it will be corrupted by the materialistic interests of
teachers. He describes the pitfalls of teaching the Dharma without ridding
oneself of attachment to personal gain and honor.

The Buddha’s countervailing instruction is to refrain from judging
the veracity or quality of a Dharma teaching by the character or motivation
of the teacher who offers it. Śāntideva (late seventh to mid-eighth century)
emphasizes this point in his Śikṣāsamuccaya
, citing this
sūtra at length to assert that a
genuine follower of the Buddha must refrain from judging the conduct of
fellow practitioners of the Bodhisattva Vehicle; instead, one must focus on
detecting and correcting one’s own faults. The Buddha later advises Maitreya
that what marks someone as a follower of his teachings, and as an ordained
member of his community, is not the formality of vows or the semblance of
piety, but rather one’s cultivation of the qualities of the path, including
renunciation, concentration, restrained speech, and the pursuit of
wisdom.

An important corollary teaching imparted by the Buddha in this sūtra
is how to determine whether a teaching qualifies as authentic Dharma. His
rule, also quoted and discussed by Śāntideva, is that everything that is
well spoken is the speech of the Buddha, no matter what it is or by whom it
is offered. Moreover, to
qualify as well spoken, an instruction must be meaningful, consistent with
the Dharma, and designed to reduce mental defilements, and it must laud the
qualities of nirvāṇa as opposed to saṃsāra. This sūtra appears to be the
locus classicus for this
doctrine in the Mahāyāna tradition.

The sūtra concludes on a positive note, with the Buddha outlining
the ten positive attitudes that lead to rebirth in the realm of the Buddha
Amitāyus, which is another name for the Buddha Amitābha. This serves as a
valediction to his earlier prophecy of the future rebirth in Amitāyus’ realm
of the sixty bodhisattvas whose confessions and renewed commitments prompted
this teaching. In this way, Inspiring
Determination fulfills its intention and serves as a set of
guidelines and an exhortation for aspiring bodhisattvas to follow suit.

Many sūtras in the Kangyur mention the obstacles and difficulties
practitioners may encounter, often in the context of the degenerate future
times when the Dharma will be in decline. Few, however, relate in such
detail the lapsed conduct of bodhisattvas or explain so precisely its
consequences and cures. One sūtra on a similar theme that does share these
features is Not Forsaking the Buddha (Buddhākṣepaṇa, Toh 276).

While there is no known extant version of this sūtra in Sanskrit,
as noted earlier, a number of lengthy quotations from and other references
to it are found in the surviving Sanskrit version of Śāntideva’s
eighth-century work, the Śikṣāsamuccaya. Two separate
classical Chinese versions of this sūtra are found in the Taishō Tripitaka.
One version is included in Bodhiruci’s translation from
Sanskrit of the Heap of Jewels section, completed during the early part of
the eighth century ce (Tang Dynasty). The
other is an earlier work translated by Jñānagupta
during the sixth century ce (Sui Dynasty).

In producing this translation, we have based our work on the Degé
xylograph, while consulting the Comparative Edition (Tib. dpe bsdur ma) and the Stok
Palace manuscript. We also have made occasional use of Bodhiruci’s Chinese
translation for issues of terminology. The colophon of the sūtra states that
it was translated by the Indian preceptors Jinamitra and Surendrabodhi,
together with the translator and editor Bandé Yeshé Dé. Consequently, we can
date the Tibetan translation to the late eighth to early ninth century, a
date further evidenced by the text’s inclusion in the early ninth-century
Denkarma (Tib. ldan dkar
ma) catalog.

The Translation

The Noble Mahāyāna Sūtra

Inspiring Determination

Homage to all buddhas and bodhisattvas!

Thus did I hear at one time. The Blessed One was residing at
Vārāṇasī, in the Deer Park by the Hill of Fallen Sages, accompanied by a
great congregation of one thousand monks and five hundred bodhisattvas, most
of whom had ripened their roots of virtue and cleared away their
obscurations of karma.

At that time, some of the bodhisattvas there continued to enjoy
social diversions, liked to sleep, liked to work, liked to talk, and liked
deceit;
they were soiled with stains, improper, indolent, and lazy. They had poor
diligence and had stopped applying themselves. The bodhisattva great being
Maitreya noticed those bodhisattvas conducting themselves in these
unvirtuous ways.

The bodhisattva great being Maitreya then thought to himself, “Alas,
these bodhisattvas have slackened in their efforts to perfect the branches
of awakening. Therefore, I must rouse these bodhisattvas; I must remind
them—that is for certain!”

Accordingly, in the afternoon, the bodhisattva great being Maitreya
arose from his inner absorption and proceeded to where those bodhisattvas
were staying. When he arrived, the bodhisattva great being exchanged
greetings with them with sincere joy and delight, and then asked those
bodhisattvas, “Tell me, children of noble lineage, are you improving
yourselves through the practice of virtue, or have you perhaps been
negligent?”

They answered, “Venerable Maitreya, we have neglected and not
increased our practice of virtue. Our minds are ensnared by doubt, as we
wonder whether we can become thus-gone ones. Our minds are further ensnared
by regret, as we worry that we might fall into lower realms; and so, we have
no enthusiasm left for virtuous practice.”

The bodhisattva great being Maitreya then said to those
bodhisattvas, “Children of noble lineage, come this way. Let us proceed to where the
blessed, thus-gone, worthy, and perfect Buddha Śākyamuni is residing. Why?
Because the Blessed One is omniscient and all-seeing, possesses unobscured
wisdom, and is wise in the ways of all beings; and so, he will teach you the
Dharma in a way that is well suited to your level of experience.”

Then those sixty bodhisattvas, together with the bodhisattva great
being Maitreya, went to where the Blessed One was residing. They assembled
before him and offered homage with their heads at his feet. They cried and
offered homage to the Blessed One with their four limbs and heads, over and
over again, with tears streaming down their faces, and without raising their
heads. The bodhisattva great being Maitreya, too, prostrated with his head
at the feet of the Blessed One, circumambulated him three times, and then
sat off to one side.

The Blessed One then told the bodhisattvas, “Children of noble
lineage, stop crying and moaning, and stand up! Without regard for the
ripening of karma, you joyfully harmed and abused others, taking delight and
pleasure in doing so. Through creating obscurations of karma in that way,
you are now obscured and hampered. Being overcome and ensnared, you are
unable to exert yourselves.”

Then those sixty bodhisattvas, hanging their shawls over one
shoulder, knelt with their right knees on the ground, joined their palms
together respectfully toward the Blessed One, and petitioned him with these
words: “Learning this, our minds reverse course; and so, we beg of the
Blessed One to explain well to us our obscurations of karma, so that we can
refrain from further compounding them hereafter.”

In response to this request, the Blessed One said the following to
those sixty individuals of the Bodhisattva Vehicle: “Children of noble
lineage, long ago, in the distant past, during the doctrinal period of the
Thus-Gone One Krakucchanda, you took ordination. Thus established, you
became intoxicated with conceit about your discipline, drunk with vanity
about your learning, and strongly attached to your ascetic practices and
your lack of possessions. Consequently, you became jealous and resentful of
two monks who were preaching the Dharma, due to the offerings and respect
they received, the households of their
friends and relatives, and the households of their patrons, and so you
directed accusations of lewd conduct at them. This created a schism dividing
those two Dharma-teaching monks from the households of their friends and
relatives and the households of their patrons, who became skeptical and lost
their faith
in the two monks. By leveling these and many further insults at those two
Dharma-teaching monks, you obscured and cut off at the root the virtues of
those other beings.

“Due to that nonvirtuous obscuration of karma, you were reborn in
the major hell Incessant Torment for sixty thousand years. For forty
thousand years, you were reborn in the major hell Reviving. For twenty
thousand years, you were reborn in the major hell Black Lines. For eight
thousand years, you were reborn in the major hell of Heat. Afterward, once
you died and passed from that realm, you managed to obtain human rebirths,
but for five hundred consecutive lifetimes you had no eyes, and so were
blind. Through the shrouding effect of your obscurations of karma, no matter
where you were reborn, in all those lifetimes you were dimwitted and
absent-minded. You were shrouded by your obscurations rooted in unvirtuous
acts and were entirely hapless. You were oppressed by ugly flaws and
frequently reviled, cursed, and ridiculed. You were reborn in bad lands, bad
regions, and bad countries, into bad and impoverished families; you had
meager means and little respect, and you were ostracized and unsupported.

“When you have died and passed from this life, during the final
half-millennium, at the time when the sacred Dharma is fading, you will be
reborn solely in bad lands, into low-caste families and poverty. You will be
reviled and feeble-minded, and you will abandon the roots of virtue. Even
when you apply yourselves, obstacles will arise; and although moments of
clarity will dawn, they will subsequently fade away.

“During the final half-millennium, all your obscurations of karma
will finally be exhausted. With their exhaustion, next you will be reborn in
Sukhāvatī, the buddha realm of the Thus-Gone One Amitābha. The Thus-Gone One
Amitābha also will prophesy your unsurpassed and perfect awakening.”

The sad and distraught minds of those sixty children of noble
lineage who belonged to the Bodhisattva Vehicle then turned perfectly
joyous. Wiping the tears from their faces, and with their bodily hairs
standing on end, they petitioned the Blessed One as follows:

“Blessed One, we confess the fault of generating a hostile attitude
toward individuals who belong to the Bodhisattva Vehicle, and we also
confess any other obscurations of karma we have amassed.

“Blessed One, from today onward, we make the following promises in
the presence of the Thus-Gone One:

“Blessed One, from today onward, if we should speak of the failings,
no matter whether they are many or few, of individuals
belonging to the Bodhisattva Vehicle, then we will have betrayed the
thus-gone, worthy, and perfect Buddha.

“Blessed One, from today onward, if we should insult individuals who belong to the
Bodhisattva Vehicle or speak rudely to them, then we will have betrayed the
thus-gone, worthy, and perfect Buddha.

“Blessed One, from today onward, if we see individuals who belong to
the Bodhisattva Vehicle, whether they are lay or ordained, amusing
themselves with and enjoying the five sense pleasures, and this makes us
lose faith, such that we become disrespectful or unable to perceive them as
teachers, then we will have betrayed the Thus-Gone One.

“Blessed One, from today onward, if we physically or mentally harm
individuals belonging to the Bodhisattva Vehicle on account of the
households of their friends and relatives or the households of their
patrons,
then we will have betrayed the Thus-Gone One.

“Blessed One, from today onward, if even a single unpleasant word
slips from our mouths upon seeing an individual belonging to the Bodhisattva
Vehicle, then we will have betrayed the Thus-Gone One.

“Blessed One, from today onward, if we fail to pay homage to
individuals belonging to the Bodhisattva Vehicle three times during the day
and three times at night, then we will have betrayed the Thus-Gone One.

“Blessed One, from today onward, if we are unwilling to sacrifice a
kingdom or a fortune, or to risk life and limb, for the sake of this
disciplined conduct to which we have committed, then we will have betrayed
the Thus-Gone One.

“Blessed One, from today onward, if we demean individuals belonging
to the Hearer or Solitary Buddha Vehicles, thinking, ‘We most assuredly are
not like them!’ then we will have betrayed the Thus-Gone One.

“Blessed One, from today onward, if we do not maintain an attitude
of humility, as if we were outcasts or dogs, then we will have betrayed the
Thus-Gone One.

“Blessed One, from today onward, if we praise ourselves or criticize
others, then we will have betrayed the Thus-Gone One.

“Blessed One, from today onward, if we are at risk of becoming
involved in conflict and dispute and we do not immediately distance
ourselves from it by a mile or a hundred
miles, then we will have betrayed the Thus-Gone One.

“Blessed One, from today onward, if we claim to have good
discipline, or refer to ourselves as well educated or well trained, or as
having any good qualities at all, then we will have betrayed the Thus-Gone
One.

“Blessed One, from today onward, if we do not refrain from boasting
of our virtues and concealing our faults, then we will have betrayed the
thus-gone, worthy, and perfect Buddha.”

Then the Blessed One congratulated those individuals belonging to
the Bodhisattva Vehicle, saying, “Well said! Well said, children of noble
lineage! Well said! You have spoken well! This commitment is well made. If
you abide by this commitment, your obscurations of karma will be purified,
and you likewise will acquire pure roots of virtue.”

At that point the Blessed One addressed the bodhisattva great being
Maitreya: “Maitreya, sons or daughters of noble lineage who wish to purify
their obscurations of karma should make just the type of commitment these
children of noble lineage have made.”

Then the bodhisattva great being Maitreya asked the Blessed One,
“Blessed One, will these children of noble lineage fulfill this commitment,
or will they abandon it? Please tell me.”

“Maitreya, these children of noble lineage will never abandon their
commitment, even at the cost of life and limb.”

Then the bodhisattva great being Maitreya asked the Blessed One,
“Blessed One, during the final half-millennium, when the sacred Dharma is
perishing, if an individual who belongs to the Bodhisattva Vehicle possesses
certain qualities, will that person then be spared harm and injury, and readily attain liberation?”

The Blessed One responded to the question posed by the bodhisattva
great being Maitreya in this way: “Maitreya, if an individual who belongs to
the Bodhisattva Vehicle possesses four qualities, then
during the final half-millennium, when the sacred Dharma is perishing, that
person will be spared harm and injury, and will be liberated without
difficulty. What are the four? ⁽¹⁾ Recognizing one’s own mistakes, ⁽²⁾ not
discussing the faults of others who belong to the Bodhisattva Vehicle, ⁽³⁾
paying no attention to the households of friends and relatives and the
households of patrons, and ⁽⁴⁾ abandoning unpleasant speech. Maitreya, if an individual who
belongs to the Bodhisattva Vehicle possesses those four qualities, then
during the final half-millennium, when the sacred Dharma is perishing, that
person will be spared harm and injury, and will be liberated without
difficulty.

“Moreover, Maitreya, if someone who belongs to the Bodhisattva
Vehicle possesses another four qualities, then during the final
half-millennium, when the sacred Dharma is perishing, that person will be
spared harm and injury, and will be liberated without difficulty. What are
these other four? ⁽¹⁾ Avoiding beings who are of little learning, ⁽²⁾ not
collecting followers, ⁽³⁾ taking shelter in sparsely inhabited places, and
⁽⁴⁾ diligently training oneself to be disciplined and peaceful and to remain
tranquil.

“Maitreya, if someone who belongs to the Bodhisattva Vehicle
possesses these other four qualities, then during the final half-millennium,
when the sacred Dharma is perishing, that person will be spared harm and
injury, and will be liberated without difficulty.

“Maitreya, because sons or daughters of noble lineage who belong to
the Bodhisattva Vehicle will want to be spared harm and injury, be liberated
without difficulty, and exhaust entirely their obscurations of karma during
the final half-millennium when the sacred Dharma is perishing, they should
⁽¹⁾ dislike social diversions, ⁽²⁾ stay in the wilderness, in forests, and
in sparsely inhabited places, ⁽³⁾ avoid beings who lack noble lineage or
diligence, ⁽⁴⁾ reflect on their own mistakes and not look for mistakes in
others, ⁽⁵⁾ enjoy silence, and, ⁽⁶⁾ through the perfection of insight, enjoy
being at rest.

“If the wish to converse with others ever arises within them, then
they should offer them the gift of Dharma while remaining free of
materialistic interest.

“Maitreya, giving the gift of Dharma without materialistic interest,
without the desire for offerings or respect, confers twenty benefits. These
twenty are as follows:

“One will ⁽¹⁾ have mindfulness, ⁽²⁾ have intelligence, ⁽³⁾ be
judicious, ⁽⁴⁾ gain stability, ⁽⁵⁾ possess insight, ⁽⁶⁾ realize supermundane
insight, ⁽⁷⁾ have less desire, ⁽⁸⁾ have less anger, ⁽⁹⁾ have less delusion,
⁽¹⁰⁾ become invulnerable to māras, ⁽¹¹⁾ come to the attention of the blessed
buddhas, ⁽¹²⁾ be guarded by nonhuman spirits, ⁽¹³⁾ be favored with splendor
by the gods, ⁽¹⁴⁾ become invincible to enemies, and ⁽¹⁵⁾ not be separated
from friends and relatives; ⁽¹⁶⁾ one’s word will be sacrosanct; ⁽¹⁷⁾ one
will become fearless; ⁽¹⁸⁾ one’s mind will grow happier; ⁽¹⁹⁾ one will be
honored by the wise; and ⁽²⁰⁾ one’s offerings of the Dharma will become
worthy of commemoration as well.

“And so, Maitreya, these twenty are the benefits that accrue when
one offers the Dharma free of materialistic interest, having rejected all
interest in gain or respect, and without hoping to get food or clothing,
simply motivated by an altruistic intent to offer the gift of Dharma
continually and repeatedly.

“Maitreya, offering the Dharma with an attitude that is free of
materialistic interest has another twenty benefits. What are these
twenty?

“⁽¹⁾ Intellectual prowess will be born in one formerly without it;
⁽²⁾ that
prowess, once born, will not be lost; ⁽³⁾ one will possess the integrity
necessary to gain the power of retention; ⁽⁴⁾ one will accomplish the aims
of many beings with little difficulty; ⁽⁵⁾ one will become respectfully
venerated by beings with little difficulty; ⁽⁶⁾ one will achieve physical
restraint; ⁽⁷⁾ one will achieve verbal restraint; ⁽⁸⁾ one will achieve
mental restraint; ⁽⁹⁾ one will pass beyond the fear of inferior rebirth;
⁽¹⁰⁾ one will make death an occasion for great joy; ⁽¹¹⁾ one will defeat all
challengers in a manner consistent with the Dharma; ⁽¹²⁾ even beings of high
status will be overwhelmed by one’s majesty, let alone common folk; ⁽¹³⁾
one’s faculties will become unassailable; ⁽¹⁴⁾ one will adhere to the
highest and finest intentions; ⁽¹⁵⁾ one will gain tranquility and special
insight; ⁽¹⁶⁾ one will bring rigorous training to perfection; ⁽¹⁷⁾ one’s
diligence will become unrelenting; ⁽¹⁸⁾ one will protect the sacred Dharma
at all times; ⁽¹⁹⁾ one will quickly arrive at the level of a non-returner;
and ⁽²⁰⁾ one will be in harmony with all the conduct of bodhisattvas.

“Maitreya, these twenty are additional benefits that derive from
offering the Dharma with an attitude free of materialistic interest.

“Maitreya, in the future, Dharma offered with materialistic interest
by those who belong to the Bodhisattva Vehicle will be highly appreciated,
whereas Dharma offered without materialistic interest will not. Those with
faulty discernment will rely on such teachers!

“For their part, those teachers will depend upon the households of
friends and relatives and the households of patrons and will offer them the
gift of Dharma in a manner that is calculated to elicit their trust and
respect. Dispensing with offering the Dharma while free of materialistic
interest, they will teach the Dharma to others for the sake of clothing,
food, bedding, cushions, curative medicines, and other useful items.

“Maitreya, it is like this. If, for instance, some person had hunks
of putrid, rotting flesh hung around his neck, whether from the corpse of a
dog, a human, or a monkey, he would wish to clean himself. And so, with
embarrassment and revulsion, he would seek to rid himself of them. In the
same way, those future teachers will be embarrassed and appalled by the
prospect of offering the Dharma without obtaining material benefit. Once
they realize there is nothing to be gained, they will be
disappointed, refuse to teach, and leave.

“Wondering, ‘Why are they not giving us any food or clothing?’ and
saying, ‘There is no reason for us to offer the Dharma; we really would
rather not be stuck here for no reason,’ they will proceed to gather
students for the sake of further adorning themselves, and not for the sake
of attracting more and more beings to the Dharma. They will claim, ‘We
gather followers only out of love, and so we have no need at all for them to
serve and respect us. Because of our altruistic principles, in order to
bring beings to maturity, we spend all our time visiting villages, towns,
cities, states, and royal palaces’; and so they will promote themselves to
many people. What they have in mind, however, is to go searching for food
and clothing.

“Maitreya, now, I would not speak of a desirous mind
bringing beings to maturity. Why not? Because, if
one has not even matured oneself—a state that is not so easy to attain—then
bringing other beings to maturity is out of the question.

“Maitreya, I would not call preoccupation with being served, and
contamination from the pleasures of being physically served,
helpfulness. Why not? Because, if one gathers
followers in order to be made physically comfortable by their service, one
is not concerned with whether they are practicing earnestly.

“Maitreya, I would not call such a hypocrite someone
dwelling in isolation. I would not call having little merit
having few needs. I would not call longing for fine
food collecting alms.

“I would not call longing for beautiful clothes wearing
robes made of discarded rags. I would not say that one who
mixes lay with monastic life lacks
entanglement. I would not call a charlatan the
manifestation of a buddha. I would not say that
looking for faults in others is being diligent in one’s
practice.

“I would not say that continually losing your temper is
compiling pure discipline. I would not call a
prideful person learned. I would not call someone who
holds a bias an upholder of the Vinaya. I would not
call an intemperate person a Dharma teacher. I would
not call socializing with laypeople discharging one’s
administrative duties purely.

“I would not call selecting patrons being free from
material needs. I would not call hoping for reciprocal
benefit a method of attraction. I would not call desire
for reward and respect pure motivation.

“I would not call having more and more doubt taking
ordination. I would not say that being a contrarian is
pursuing one’s training.

“I would not call showing disrespect offering the
Dharma. I would not call being obsessed with worldly spells
delighting in the Dharma. I would not call applying
no effort toward realizing emptiness, emancipation.

“I would not say that failing to practice is performing
one’s duties. Nor would I say that one who does not practice
is perfecting the branches of awakening.

“I would not call a conceptual point of reference true
realization. I would not call powerlessness the
perfection of patience. I would not say that those
who never have been tested wear the armor of the power of
patience.

“I would not call having a naturally low libido the
asceticism of maintaining pure conduct. I would not
call failing to get anything done doing what one has committed to
do.

“Conversely, I would not say that one with pure motivation is
falling into the lower realms. I would not call
acting with insight reckless conduct. I would not call
someone who possesses skill a fraud.

“I would not call someone who lacks desire for gain or respect an
inveterate liar. I would not call maintaining
neutrality rejecting the Dharma. I would not call
wanting to protect the sacred Dharma at all costs attachment to
life and limb. I would not call being timid having
no pride.

“Maitreya, such deceitful expressions, in the final half-millennium,
will turn bodhisattvas barbarous; therefore, they must properly comprehend
them and, having comprehended, must reject
them.”

Then the bodhisattva great being Maitreya asked the Blessed One,
“Blessed One, will these sixty bodhisattvas
be obscured by short-lived obscurations of karma, or will they be obscured
in some other fashion?”

The Blessed One responded to the bodhisattva Maitreya, “Maitreya, in
the final half-millennium, most bodhisattvas will be obscured by
obscurations of karma. Some of those bodhisattvas will exhaust their
obscurations of karma. Some will increase them.

“Maitreya, furthermore, among these particular sixty bodhisattvas,
there are twenty bodhisattvas who have only minor obscurations of karma, or
slight obscurations of karma, and these will take rebirth during the final
half-millennium in different villages and towns and in a variety of castes,
where they will be learned, circumspect, upright, wise, and skillful. They
will be broad-minded, richly beneficial to others, very compassionate, and
handsome and lovely to behold. They will not put their virtues on display,
will hide their qualities, and will be stable in their conduct. Taking
ordination out of these various castes, they will train toward unsurpassed
and perfect awakening over uncountable eons, and they will preserve and
uphold this ordination, even risking life and limb, as they dwell in
wildernesses, jungles, and sparsely populated places, without interest in
gain or respect. They will always be diligent, superbly diligent, skillful
in relating to the ways of beings, expert in secret mantra and scholarly
treatises, very quick learners, expert in special insight, and of flawless
acumen.

“Having acquired unfailing retention, through the power and
blessings of the buddhas they will teach the Dharma to the four retinues and
will be well versed in all the classes of teaching by the Thus-Gone One,
namely, sūtras, verse narrations, prophecies, poetic verses,
aphorisms, ethical narrations, narrative discourses, parables, past-life
stories, extensive sayings, marvels, and resolutions.

“At that time, those twenty highly skilled bodhisattvas will be
authorized masters and authorized scholars of the Dharma, such that when
they assert, ‘I have absorbed this Dharma discourse from the master
So-and-So and from the scholar So-and-So,’ those holy persons will never
have cause to be troubled.

“At that time, there also will appear certain unskillful
bodhisattvas who will be conceited about their own virtues and, being
complacent and haughty, will
have no regard for those twenty. They will seek to promote themselves, and
so will not uphold the sacred Dharma.

“They will even castigate them, saying, ‘The Dharma you have taught
is the product of your own cleverness, not what the Thus-Gone One taught.
This Dharma is just your own spurious creation. Since the Dharma that you
teach is merely fabricated on your own authority, your teaching should be
neither respected nor revered.’ This will cause many beings to reject their
Dharma discourses, and because of such remarks, many will lose interest in
the Dharma.

“They will go even further, saying, ‘Those monks are engaged in the
material pursuit of donations, rather than in teaching the Dharma found in
the sūtras and the vinaya. This is not the proper Dharma, so do not show
reverence toward it!’

“Those with poor discernment simply will not understand that
whatever qualifies as a well-spoken statement—no matter what it is—is the
word of the Buddha.
Because they are under the spell of Māra, they will reject the Dharma of
those Dharma-holding monks, and so will accumulate the karma of abandoning
the Dharma. Through accumulating the karma of abandoning the Dharma, they
will fall into lower realms.

“Maitreya, in light of that, bodhisattvas who wish to safeguard the
sacred Dharma must become skilled in method. No matter what, they must be
very careful not to provoke feelings of hostility in those who have
differing dispositions.”

The bodhisattva great being Maitreya then said to the Blessed One,
“Blessed One, in that way, during the final half-millennium, when the sacred
Dharma is perishing, such bodhisattvas with weak sensibility will come to
the fore. Though ostensibly pursuing virtuosity, at the same time they will
take no interest in those who actually possess it; and while they seek as
well the power of retention, they will nonetheless denigrate the Dharma of
monks who do retain the Dharma. Incredible, isn’t it?

“Blessed One, to offer an analogy, it is as though a person goes
out searching for water from a spring, a well, or a lake, and when he gets
there, he defecates in it, after which he thinks to draw the water out.

“When the foul odor of the water reaches his nose, it doesn’t occur
to him that the smell is his own fault, as he exclaims, ‘Oh my, this water
stinks!’ Instead, he blames the water for being bad.

“Blessed One, in this analogy, where, through the power of the
Buddha, there are Dharma-teaching monks who have confident command over the
system of Dharma teachings, they are like the spring, the well, or the lake.
Blessed One, those bodhisattvas who will come to the fore in the final
half-millennium are just like people of childish nature who defecate into
the springs, wells, or lakes, and then when they seek to draw water out,
find fault with that water; similarly, having faulty discernment, they will
discredit those who teach the Dharma and discredit even the Dharma itself.
And although they are the ones who have discredited it, they will still
believe that they are seeking the taste of the Dharma. And without
comprehending their own error, with a faulty sense of hearing, they will
criticize and show contempt for those Dharma-holding monks, saying, ‘Look at
how these monks teaching the Dharma are betrayed by their many faults!’ They
will revile the taste of the Dharma conveyed by those Dharma-teaching monks
and look for its mistakes, dismiss it with distaste, and turn their backs on
it.”

The Blessed One then commended the bodhisattva great being
Maitreya, saying, “Splendid! Wonderful, Maitreya! This example you have
explained expresses very well how not to search for mistakes, and how to be
free of any faults.

“Maitreya, in addition, one should understand that any discourse
that satisfies four conditions is what the Buddha spoke.
What are the
four? Maitreya, they are ⁽¹⁾ when the discourse is meaningful instead of
meaningless, ⁽²⁾ when it contains the Dharma as opposed to not containing
the Dharma, ⁽³⁾ when it makes defilements decrease and does not make
defilements increase, and ⁽⁴⁾ when it teaches the qualities and benefits of
nirvāṇa and does not increase the defects of saṃsāra. Maitreya, one should
know that any discourse is what the Buddha spoke when it possesses these
four factors.

“Maitreya, no matter whether a discourse endowed with these four
factors is offered, or to be offered, by a monk, a nun, or a male or female
lay precept-holder, faithful sons or daughters of noble lineage should
perceive that person to be the Buddha; perceiving them as the Teacher, they
should listen to the sacred Dharma. If you wonder why that is so, Maitreya,
it is because everything that is well spoken—no matter what it is—is what
the Buddha taught.

“Maitreya, when someone says, ‘This is not what the Buddha taught,’
because they feel hostility toward the speaker, then that person has
rejected those four conditions and caused them to be disrespected. That
person has thereby rejected all discourses that are the teaching of the
Buddha. Having rejected the Dharma, that person accumulates the karma of
abandoning the Dharma, and so is destined for the lower realms. Maitreya,
since this is the case, faithful sons or daughters of noble family who want
to avoid the karma of rejecting the Dharma should never feel hostility
toward the Dharma out of hostility for an individual.

“Maitreya, the following four types of discourse are rejected by
the buddhas. Maitreya, what are the four? They are ⁽¹⁾ when a discourse is
meaningless rather than meaningful, ⁽²⁾ when it does not contain the Dharma
as opposed to containing the Dharma, ⁽³⁾ when it makes defilements increase
rather than decrease, and ⁽⁴⁾ when it increases the defects of saṃsāra
rather than teaching the qualities and benefits of nirvāṇa. Maitreya, these
four types of discourse have been rejected and are not sanctioned by the
buddhas.”

Then the bodhisattva great being Maitreya asked the Blessed One,
“Blessed One, if it is the case that the buddhas have not approved of
discourse that causes saṃsāra to increase, how is it that the Blessed One
taught that defilements are good for bodhisattvas, in order for them to
perfect the branches of awakening? And how is it that he recommended that
they embrace saṃsāra as well? Or else, Blessed One, are such teachings not
those of the Buddha after all?”

In response, the Blessed One asked, “Maitreya, what do you think
about this? Is there meaning, or is there no meaning, in my teaching that
defilements are helpful for bodhisattvas, to aid them in perfecting the
branches of awakening, and in my teaching recommending that they embrace
saṃsāra?”

He answered, “Since the Blessed One speaks perfectly, if he says
that bodhisattvas should appreciate defilements, so that they might perfect
the branches of awakening, then it certainly is meaningful, and it certainly
contains the Dharma. Consequently, it is undoubtedly the speech of he who
speaks perfectly.”

The Blessed One replied, “Maitreya, since that is so, as is the
case with the teaching that defilements support bodhisattvas in perfecting
the branches of awakening, and the express injunction to embrace saṃsāra,
one must
recognize that whatever is well spoken is what the Buddha spoke. Why is
that? Maitreya, those matters that are the exclusive province of
bodhisattvas with masterful command over the Dharma do not apply to hearers
and solitary buddhas. As bodhisattvas will not experience them as
defilements, defilements will not harm them.

“Maitreya, although that is so, defilements are not beneficial for
others. For them they do not serve the purpose of perfecting the factors of
awakening, have no value, and produce not even the slightest trace of
virtue. Others must not succumb to the power of those very defilements for
which bodhisattvas will risk even life and limb. And why is that? Because,
Maitreya, teachings on defilements for bodhisattvas who have attained the
power of wisdom are one thing, while teachings for those on levels at which
the powers of bodhisattvas have not yet developed are a different
matter.”

The bodhisattva great being Maitreya then said to the Blessed One,
“As I understand the meaning of what the Blessed One has stated,
bodhisattvas who seek not to create further obscurations of karma, who
strive to purify their obscurations of karma, and who seek to be liberated
easily, without harm or injury, will therefore have to take interest in all
bodhisattva conduct in the final half-millennium, and practice it more and
more, without reservation. They must not look for faults in others, must
embrace all that is beneficial, and must focus on what is most
essential.”

The Blessed One replied, “Maitreya, it is just so. Bodhisattvas
will have to increase the scope of their bodhisattva conduct, without any
reservations. Why is that? Maitreya, it is because the experience of bodhisattvas who
enjoy superior discernment is entirely at odds with the rest of the
world.

“As an analogy, Maitreya, while the conduct of stream enterers may resemble
that of ordinary beings, they are not stained by the faults of ordinary,
immature beings. You see, whereas desire, anger, and obliviousness cause
childish, ordinary beings to fall into the lower realms, desire, anger, and
obliviousness do not cause stream enterers to fall into the lower realms,
since they have realized the nature of the transitory assemblage.

“Similarly, Maitreya, since they have not yet eliminated habitual
tendencies, bodhisattvas who enjoy superior discernment may yet be caught
unaware by desire and aversion, but their situation is quite different from
that of childish, ordinary beings. Why is that? Latent tendencies do not
thoroughly ensnare or occupy their minds; and so, their situation is not at
all comparable to that of ordinary, immature beings, or bodhisattvas who
have dim faculties and are not sharp in their renunciation.

“Maitreya, even though some among the faults of bodhisattva great
beings who exercise fine discernment may be quite serious, through the power
of insight they pulverize them, and so those faults never cause them to fall
into lower realms.

“Maitreya, as an analogy, if you add a large bundle of sticks to a
raging bonfire, the more you add, the longer and greater the blaze will
grow; but they will not extinguish the fire. In just that way, Maitreya, the
more fuel of defilements you add to the blazing insight of bodhisattvas who
exercise insight, the more the fire of insight will blaze, without ever
being extinguished or exhausted.

“Maitreya, since that is the case, from this description it should
also be clear to you how the experience of bodhisattvas who enjoy superior
discernment is entirely at odds with the rest of the world.”

The bodhisattva great being Maitreya then asked the Blessed One,
“Blessed One, since they leave their homes behind seeking to develop their
power of insight, which traits should fledgling bodhisattvas reject? Upon
which traits should they rely? By respectively rejecting and relying upon
which traits will they generate the power of insight—generate it where it
hasn’t been generated before, and further increase the power of insight and
prevent it from weakening where it already has been generated?”

The Blessed One replied to this question posed by the bodhisattva
great being Maitreya as follows: “Maitreya, fledgling bodhisattvas who leave
their homes behind and are developing their powers of insight should reject
gain and honor and see the fault in gain and honor. They should give up
their enjoyment of social diversions and see the fault in enjoying social
diversions.

“They should give up their enjoyment of conversation and see the
faults in enjoying conversation. They should no longer like to sleep and see
the fault in liking to sleep. They should stop liking activity and see the
fault in liking activity. They should stop enjoying excess and see the harm
in enjoying excess.

“Giving up gain, honor, and praise, they should meditate on having
fewer needs. Through giving up social diversions, they should rely on liking
solitude. Through giving up their enjoyment of
conversation, they should continually devote themselves to reflecting on
what matters.

“By abandoning their penchant for sleep, they should count on not
lying down to rest in either the earlier or the later part of the night.
Giving
up their desire for activity, they should devote themselves to loving all
beings.

“Maitreya, fledgling bodhisattvas who leave their homes behind and
who wish to acquire the power of insight should therefore completely reject
those traits that are to be abandoned. They should devote themselves to
those qualities upon which they must rely. Why is this so? Maitreya, just as
ignorance depends upon conditions, so wisdom depends upon conditions, too.
And so, without gathering those conditions, wisdom is not at all easy to
acquire.”

Then the bodhisattva great being Maitreya posed the following
question to the Blessed One: “Blessed One, how can a bodhisattva see the
drawbacks of gain and honor? What are the notable faults of gain and honor?
What are the things bodhisattvas should examine so that they will happily
have fewer needs and not feel any yearning?”

He answered, “Maitreya, bodhisattva great beings should examine how
gain and honor produce desire. They should examine how gain and honor
destroy recollection. They should examine gain and honor to see how one
feels haughty or deflated by gaining or failing to gain. They should examine
how gain and honor produce delusion.

“They should examine how gain and honor, since they are for one’s
personal welfare, make one hoard and become attached to one’s belongings.
They should examine how gain and honor produce deceit. They should examine
how gain and honor make one shameless and brazen, since one has completely
abandoned the four ways of nobility.

“They should examine how none of the buddhas endorsed gain and
honor. They
should examine how gain and honor generate pride, arrogance, and vanity.
They should examine how gain and honor cause one to disregard one’s gurus.
They should examine how gain and honor are on the side of Māra. They should
examine how gain and honor are the very roots of carelessness. They should
examine how gain and honor rob one of the roots of virtue.

“They should examine how gain and honor are like flashes of
lightning, weapon wheels, and lightning strikes. They should examine how
gain and honor soil one with many stains. They should examine how, for the
sake of gain and honor, one focuses attention on the households of friends
and relatives and the households of patrons. They should examine how gain
and honor fill one’s mind with discontent. They should examine how gain and
honor make one’s thoughts confused.

“They should examine gain and honor to see that, to create
something of transient beauty, one generates misery. They should examine how
gain and honor cause one to forget the four applications of
mindfulness. They should examine how gain and
honor weaken positive qualities. They should examine how gain and honor
cause the four correct exertions to deteriorate.

“They should examine how gain and honor create obstacles for the
faith of others. They should examine how gain and honor impair miraculous
powers and super-sensory cognition. They should examine gain and honor to
see that, while there is respect early on, there is no respect later on.
They should examine how gain and honor make one keep disagreeable company.
They should examine how gain and honor make one abandon friends.

“They should observe that, since one entices others for gain and
honor, one is just like a prostitute. They should examine how one abandons
the concentrations and the immeasurables for gain and honor. They should
examine how gain and honor catapult beings down into the animal and hell
realms,
and into the clutches of the Lord of Death. They should examine how gain and
honor are suited to the rituals of Devadatta and Rudraka.

“Maitreya, these are the ways in which bodhisattvas should examine
the shortcomings of gain and honor. Having so examined, moreover, they will
find it no great deprivation to reduce their needs. Why is that? Maitreya,
it is because bodhisattvas with few needs lack these kinds of faults, which
therefore pose no obstacles to their buddha qualities and cause no disgrace
to laypeople or monastics.

“Because they are present to bring joy to gods and humans, they are
worthy of the latter’s protection. They lack any fear of falling into lower
realms. Because they are not intimidated, they cannot be bested. Because
they have been freed from the hegemony of Māra, they are indomitable. They
do not undergo suffering. They are highly appealing to gods and humans.

“Since they sustain deep familiarization with concentration, they
are lucid. Since they have rid themselves of deceit and pretense and regard
the five sense pleasures as faulty, they are conscientious. Since they
belong to the class of noble ones, their words and deeds have integrity.
They are accepted by the wise and by those of pure conduct.

“Maitreya, understanding the value of benefits like these, wise
bodhisattva great beings entirely reject gain and honor; and so, in order to
be rid of all gain and honor, they live with few needs and the highest
intentions, and they always rely on needing little.”

Thus spoke the Blessed One; and in response, the bodhisattva great
being Maitreya asked him, “Blessed One, how should bodhisattvas identify the
faults of liking social diversions? What are the faults of liking social
diversions? What are the things that bodhisattvas should examine, so that
they will enjoy the pleasures of solitude, and not become despondent?”

The Blessed One answered, “Maitreya, there are twenty shortcomings
to social diversions. They are as follows: ⁽¹⁾ You are physically out of
control, ⁽²⁾ you are verbally out of control, ⁽³⁾ you are mentally out of
control, ⁽⁴⁾ desires get stronger, ⁽⁵⁾ anger gets stronger, ⁽⁶⁾ delusion
gets stronger, ⁽⁷⁾ you are soiled by the talk of this world, ⁽⁸⁾ you no
longer talk about matters beyond this world, ⁽⁹⁾ you consort with those who
disrespect the Dharma, ⁽¹⁰⁾ you abandon the Dharma, ⁽¹¹⁾ this puts you at
the mercy of Māra, ⁽¹²⁾ you keep company with the careless, ⁽¹³⁾ you
yourself become careless, ⁽¹⁴⁾ you become suspicious and cynical, ⁽¹⁵⁾ your
studies go to waste, ⁽¹⁶⁾ you do not achieve tranquility or special insight,
⁽¹⁷⁾ your pure conduct is promptly lost, ⁽¹⁸⁾ you lose appreciation for the
Buddha, ⁽¹⁹⁾ you lose appreciation for the Dharma, and ⁽²⁰⁾ you lose
appreciation for the Saṅgha.

“Maitreya, you should know these twenty to be the shortcomings of
liking social diversions. If bodhisattvas examine them, they will enjoy the
pleasures of solitude, and not become despondent either.”

The Blessed One, at that point, spoke the following verses:

“Rid of desire and having rejected anger,

Yogins stay uninvolved in social diversions.

To those faults they lead, and there they end up;

Therefore, take no pleasure in them.

“Agitation, anxiety, and rampant thoughts, too—

All these result from social diversions.

Whoever partakes of pointless social diversions

Behaves erratically and loses all control.

“Childish people enjoy worldly chatter;

Those children have forsaken refined discourse.

They spread anger and stimulate thoughts, too.

Because of those flaws, do not be attracted to them.

“By taking an interest in improper talk,

Monks will not advance in their studies.

Since that is the case, abandon unsuitable talk,

And have abiding affection for the Dharma.

“Out of intense yearning for awakening,

I gave away my limbs a thousand times over.

If hearing the Dharma made me insatiable,

Hearing the Dharma should make monks contrite.

“If for the sake of four-line verses

I took no joy in wife and child

And abandoned my kingdom and possessions,

How can the wise not study the Dharma?

“Fully and always abandon

Improper and profane speech.

Take delight in that which is most precious

Across hundreds of eons—the sacred Dharma.

“Since you wish for freedom and pursue good qualities,

Never seek out worldly affairs.

One whose wishes are limited to food and clothing

Does not glorify the supreme and the foremost.

“Anyone who is curious, and you monks, kindly come,

Spread your cushions over here, and take your seats.

Come and find the rarest, the finest, of all human discoveries.

Share the Dharma among yourselves, too.

“Through scriptural recitation and concentration,

Won’t you increase your positive aspects?

And, if you wish, you may pose questions.

I too, on occasion, shall put questions to you.

“After the Thus-Gone One has transcended misery,

When the time comes for his teachings to be destroyed,

Monks will be extremely wild and arrogant,

Flee the wilderness, and enjoy social diversions.

“For gain and likewise for sustenance,

They will talk day and night, to anyone at all;

And even when those callow monks fall asleep,

Their dreams will be filled with growing crops.

“All those juveniles with badly impaired faculties

Are headed downward to the three lower realms.

And so, with delight and dedication,

Like the rhinoceros, always remain in the forest.

“Those who wish for good qualities, by staying in the forest,

Will not examine the faults of others.

Never permit yourselves to think,

‘I am the best; I am exceptional.’

“Such conceit is the root of all carelessness,

So do not have contempt for even the least among monks.

You won’t attain liberation in a single eon.

This teaching, you see, is gradual, in stages.

“In light of that, monks desiring good qualities,

You heroes, dispense with improper talk,

And with joy and appreciation, utmost joy,

Just like the rhinoceros, remain in the wilderness!”

The bodhisattva great being Maitreya then said to the Blessed One,
“Blessed One, they lead, in this way, to the abandonment of positive
qualities—social diversions generate many deplorable faults, have no
redeeming qualities, and are so harmful. In fact, it is rather astounding
how much social diversions increase defilements, and what unwholesome
activities they are. Blessed One, what wise bodhisattvas in search of virtue
would not be thrilled to enjoy solitude?

“Blessed One, how should bodhisattvas examine the drawbacks of
liking to talk? What must bodhisattvas realize to happily stay on course and
recall their true purpose, so that they never become despondent?”

The Blessed One replied to the bodhisattva great being Maitreya in
the following way: “To address your question, Maitreya, there are twenty
faults of liking to talk, which bodhisattvas should examine. What are the
twenty?

“Maitreya, monks who like to talk ⁽¹⁾ become disrespectful because
of conceit and arrogance about their scholarship, ⁽²⁾ become strongly
prejudiced to one point of view because of their dedication to debate, ⁽³⁾ forget to
be mindful because they are not engaged with proper introspection, ⁽⁴⁾
conduct themselves inattentively because their minds and bodies have not
been well trained, ⁽⁵⁾ become conceited or deflated because their tolerance
for changing circumstance has become weak, ⁽⁶⁾ have volatile mindstreams
because they have abandoned tranquility and special insight, ⁽⁷⁾ speak out
of turn because they have been contaminated by the faults of speaking, ⁽⁸⁾
become uncontrolled because they have not obtained nobility of mind, ⁽⁹⁾ are
not served by gods and nāgas, ⁽¹⁰⁾ are rebuked by those who have acquired
proper understanding, ⁽¹¹⁾ are chastised by those who have manifest
spiritual attainment, ⁽¹²⁾ feel a sense of loss because they have not
sustained their practice, ⁽¹³⁾ become increasingly unstable because they
have not rid themselves of doubt, ⁽¹⁴⁾ let their studies and discrimination
deteriorate because of their fascination with terminology, ⁽¹⁵⁾ are attached
to sense pleasures because their experience is confined to the realm of
ordinary consciousness, ⁽¹⁶⁾ do not reflect on what is finally true and real
and thus soon abandon the Dharma, ⁽¹⁷⁾ are inconsistent and unreliable
because they jump from one thing to another, ⁽¹⁸⁾ become completely
irreverent because they have not tamed their minds at all, ⁽¹⁹⁾ must rely on
what others say because they have not resolved the nature of phenomena for
themselves, and ⁽²⁰⁾ fall under the power of defilements because they have
not fully understood their own sense powers.

“Maitreya, those are the twenty negative consequences for
bodhisattvas who, because they like to talk and are fascinated with
semantics, fail to reflect on the meaning.”

At that point, the Blessed One spoke the following verses:

“Full of their own learning, they become disrespectful

And attracted to contentious argument.

They grow forgetful and inattentive.

These are the faults of liking to talk.

“They will lose sight of the mind within,

And their bodies and minds will not be well trained.

They will swing often between deflation and inflation.

These are the faults of liking to talk.

“The childish cease to contemplate the sacred Dharma;

Their minds become inflexible and callous.

They are far removed from tranquility and special insight.

These are the faults of liking to talk.

“They continually disrespect their gurus,

And take delight in vulgar conversation.

They dwell on inessentials and let insight falter.

These are the faults of liking to talk.

“The gods will not serve them,

Or even produce what they wish for,

And their powers of discrimination will fade away.

These are the faults of liking to talk.

“The wise who possess manifest spiritual attainment

Will chastise them.

Their lives will lose any purpose.

These are the faults of liking to talk.

“ ‘My practice has faltered; now what shall I do?’

At the time of death, they will wail like infants.

Having lost all footing, they will suffer intensely.

These are the faults of liking to talk.

“Shaky and wobbly, like trembling grass,

That is how doubts will surely assail them.

At no time will they ever feel certain.

These are the faults of liking to talk.

“Like someone in a crowd watching a play,

Extolling the valor of other heroes

While their own ardor flags,

These are the faults of liking to talk.

“Their minds are seduced by the ear consciousness,

And their obsession with words impairs insight.

They are wrong-headed and headed toward the lower realms.

These are the faults of liking to talk.

“Such people are deceitful and divisive,

Which in turn sets off quarrels.

They are extremely far from the noble ones’ sacred Dharma.

These are the faults of liking to talk.

“Perfunctory courtesies bring them delight;

They know no better and are fickle and mercurial.

Like monkeys, their minds are capricious.

These are the faults of liking to talk.

“Since their own intellects are weak in understanding,

Those dullards are exploitable by others

And are drawn in by those who are defiled.

These are the faults of liking to talk.

“Their eyes will be fooled, and their ears, too, will be just as
fooled.

Their noses will be fooled, and their tongues, too, will be just as
fooled.

Their bodies will be fooled, and their minds, too, will be just as
fooled.

These are the faults of liking to talk.

“For as long as they have enjoyed talking,

It has never brought them joy.

Though they have compiled endless lists of favorite terms,

To have contemplated a single one would have been far better.

“Sugarcane husk has no sap at all;

The flavor we enjoy is found within it.

No one who eats only the husk

Can discover in it the taste of molasses.

“What is true of the husk is also true of talking.

The flavor, here, is keeping the meaning in mind.

In light of that, abandon your taste for talking,

Be continually vigilant, and keep the meaning in mind.

“Considering these faults of talking,

And understanding the superior merits of the meaning,

Those of you here who are skilled bodhisattvas,

Take delight in contemplating the meaning!”

The bodhisattva great being Maitreya then remarked to the Blessed
One, “Blessed One, the way in which the Thus-Gone One has expressed the
faults of liking to talk and the qualities of reflecting on the meaning is
truly extraordinary! Blessed One, bodhisattvas searching for the crucial
point will reflect upon the meaning, and they will be utterly incapable of
taking delight in talking about things that are not essential.

“Blessed One, how should bodhisattva great beings examine the
faults of enjoying the pleasures of sleep? What kind of examination is
required for bodhisattvas to observe the drawbacks of lethargy and sleep,
exercise
diligence, and never become despondent?”

The Blessed One replied, “Maitreya, to answer you, liking to sleep
has twenty distinct shortcomings that must be examined. If bodhisattvas were
to examine these, they would happily begin to exercise diligence and never
become despondent. What are the twenty?

“Maitreya, to answer this, bodhisattvas who sleep a great deal ⁽¹⁾
are overcome with lethargy and sleep, and so become extremely lazy and ⁽²⁾
become corpulent and develop pallid complexions. ⁽³⁾ The four types of
disease oppress their major elements, ⁽⁴⁾ their heat constituent is
dampened, ⁽⁵⁾ they do not digest food well, ⁽⁶⁾ lesions and ulcers break out
on their bodies, ⁽⁷⁾ they become listless, ⁽⁸⁾ the web of their delusion
spreads wider, ⁽⁹⁾ their insight becomes feeble, ⁽¹⁰⁾ they lose their
appetite for tasty foods, ⁽¹¹⁾ they are held in the dark clutches of
ignorance, ⁽¹²⁾ nonhuman creatures do not serve them, ⁽¹³⁾ their minds
become dull, ⁽¹⁴⁾ they find it harder and harder to get up, ⁽¹⁵⁾ their
latent tendencies besiege and occupy their minds, ⁽¹⁶⁾ they lose any
interest in virtuous activities, ⁽¹⁷⁾ they cease practicing virtuous
activities, ⁽¹⁸⁾ their own conduct becomes feeble, ⁽¹⁹⁾ they disparage the
efforts of those who exercise diligence, and ⁽²⁰⁾ they are greeted with
contempt when out among their peers.

“Maitreya, those twenty are the shortcomings of bodhisattvas who
like to sleep, are indolent, and are lethargic. And so, if bodhisattvas
consider them, they will delight in exercising diligence and never become
discouraged.”

At that point, the Blessed One uttered these verses: