Toh 79The Noble Mahāyāna Sūtra “The Teaching on the Inconceivable Scope of a Buddha”

Summary

During an assembly in Śrāvastī, the Buddha requests the
bodhisattva Mañjuśrī to give a teaching on the scope of a
buddha, which refers to the perceptual range of the awakened
state. Mañjuśrī obliges by stating that in the awakened
state ordinary perception and cognition are transcended, so
the scope of buddha is beyond conception. A discourse ensues
in which the Buddha and Mañjuśrī converse about the
“sameness of all phenomena,” and how the scope of a buddha,
or the true nature of all phenomena, may be found in the
afflictions themselves. The disciple Subhūti then engages
Mañjuśrī on the subject of how a bodhisattva can both
cultivate this awakening and still remain involved in the
world. The god Śrībhadra then joins the discussion and
invites Mañjuśrī to visit the Heaven of Joy. Instead of
going, Mañjuśrī magically manifests the Heaven of Joy there
and then. All are amazed and the Buddha praises his power to
create miraculous manifestations.

In the second half of the sūtra, Māra, who is present in
that assembly in disguise, asks for further proof of
Mañjuśrī’s powers to create manifestations. Overawed by
Mañjuśrī’s further miraculous displays, Māra reveals a
formula that offers protection from the disturbances caused
by his kind. Mañjuśrī then agrees to go to the Heaven of
Joy. There, he teaches the gods about the bodhisattva path,
and gives a full account of all thirty-seven factors that
lead to awakening. When Śrībhadra asks Mañjuśrī about a
distant world called Light of All Good Qualities,
Mañjuśrī miraculously illuminates this distant buddhafield
and its buddha, Samantabhadra, to the great delight of all
the bodhisattvas in both worlds.

Acknowledgements

This text was translated by Jed Forman and Erdene Baatar
Erdene-Ochir of the UCSB Buddhist Studies Translation
Group.

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

The translation of this text has been made possible
through the generous sponsorship of Áron Csöndes.

Introduction

The first part is largely a philosophical
discourse between the Buddha, the bodhisattva
Mañjuśrī, and the elder Subhūti on the subject of
“the scope of a buddha” (Skt. buddhaviṣaya, Tib. sangs rgyas kyi
yul). As becomes clear, the scope of a
buddha here refers to the perceptual range of the
awakened state, which transcends the duality of
ordinary perception, and is therefore beyond the
capacity of the ordinary mind to conceive. When the
Buddha asks Mañjuśrī where this scope of a buddha
may be found, he replies, “In the afflictions of all
sentient beings.” He continues, “The nature of the
scope of a buddha is also the nature of all
afflictions.”

Mañjuśrī’s answer reflects a recurrent theme in
Mahāyāna literature, namely the inseparability of
saṃsāra—the suffering world that all who are not
awakened inhabit—and nirvāṇa—the state that
transcends this suffering world. In the ensuing
discussion, Mañjuśrī invokes a series of paradoxical
responses that culminate in the statement that
neither is he besotted with nor free of the three
poisons—attachment, hatred, and delusion—since he
has realized the “sameness of all phenomena in the
expanse of reality.” The śrāvaka disciple Subhūti, a
figure often present during philosophical discourses
of this nature, then joins the discussion, and
Mañjuśrī explains to him how bodhisattvas manage to
cultivate the ultimate view while still remaining
involved in the affairs of the world so as to lead
others from saṃsāra.

The sūtra then transitions to an exploration of
a different type of inconceivability. In attendance
is a god, Śrībhadra, who, delighted by Mañjuśrī’s
teaching, invites him to come to his own home world,
the Heaven of Joy, to teach the Dharma to the gods
there. Without answering, Mañjuśrī decides to do
Śrībhadra one better. Instead of traveling to the
Heaven of Joy, he miraculously manifests the entire
heaven—along with all its beautiful gardens, ornate
architectural features, and vivacious attending
goddesses—there and then. All who witness this are
awestruck, and the Buddha extols Mañjuśrī’s ability
to conjure “inconceivable miraculous
manifestations.”

In the second part of the sūtra, Māra Pāpīyān
(lit. “Wicked Māra”), who is also present at that
assembly in the guise of a monk, asks for proof of
the extravagant claims that the Buddha has made
about Mañjuśrī’s magical powers. This request seems
somewhat discontinuous with what immediately
precedes it, since Mañjuśrī has just concluded his
inconceivable manifestation of the Heaven of Joy for
Śrībhadra, which Māra seems to have missed. In any event, in response to
Māra’s request, Mañjuśrī again produces
inconceivable manifestations. Witnessing these
miraculous powers, faith is kindled in the awestruck
Māra, who promises that he will henceforth never
seek to harm anyone devoted to this sūtra, and he
also reveals a dhāraṇī, or magical formula,
that will provide protection against any
obstructions caused by his kind.

Following this interlude with Māra, Mañjuśrī
then returns to the god Śrībhadra’s initial request
and agrees to travel to the Heaven of Joy to teach
its divine inhabitants. Mañjuśrī’s teaching in the
Heaven of Joy takes up the remainder of the sūtra.
This teaching has a rather different tenor from that
which preceded it in the first half. Here Mañjuśrī
offers a detailed survey of how to cultivate the
bodhisattva path. Several sets of eight outline how
to purify moral discipline, learning, meditative
concentration, wisdom, higher perceptions, gnosis,
certainty, and heedfulness. Mañjuśrī also provides
elaborations on how to correctly cultivate each of
the six perfections in turn, and then gives a full
account of all thirty-seven factors that lead to
awakening, from the four applications of mindfulness
and the four correct exertions through to the seven
branches of awakening.

The closing act of the sūtra involves another
instance of miraculous display. Śrībhadra asks
Mañjuśrī about a distant world called Light of
All Good Qualities. Mañjuśrī confirms he knows this
world, which is an unfathomable distance above them,
where another buddha, Samantabhadra, is teaching. He
sends light rays from his body, which are seen by
the inhabitants of that world. When Samantabhadra is
asked where these light rays came from, he answers
in mirror form: from an unfathomable distance below,
in a world called Sahā where the Buddha Śākyamuni
resides and teaches. Samantabhadra then sends light
back to Mañjuśrī’s assembly in the Heaven of Joy,
revealing the gods and bodhisattvas there to those
in Light of All Good Qualities.

One bodhisattva named Holding the Lamp of Gnosis
is inspired to visit Mañjuśrī in order to hear his
Dharma, and arrives in the Heaven of Joy
instantaneously with his own retinue of millions.
Mañjuśrī then stays in the Heaven of Joy for some
time, teaching the now inconceivably massive retinue
comprising both the gods of the Heaven of Joy and
their guests from the distant buddhafield.
Eventually both the gods and their guests decide to
pay the Buddha Śākyamuni a visit. They arrive in a
flash and the guests from the distant buddhafield
convey Samantabhadra’s greetings to the Buddha
Śākyamuni. The sūtra ends on this note, with all
those in attendance returning to their respective
celestial homelands.

Although the titular theme of the sūtra—the
inconceivable scope of a buddha—is found throughout
Buddhist texts, this sūtra itself does not appear to
be widely cited in other works and no Sanskrit versions appear to be extant
today. There is, however, a Chinese translation of
the sūtra, made by Bodhiruci in the late seventh
century ce, which is
included twice in the Taishō canon as Taishō 310-35
and Taishō 340.

The version of The Teaching
on the Inconceivable Scope of a Buddha
found in the Tibetan Kangyur was translated and
edited under imperial Tibetan patronage in the early
ninth century by the Indian preceptors Jinamitra,
Dānaśīla, and Munivarman, along with the great
editor-translator Bandé Yeshé Dé, a team that also
worked together on other texts in the Heap of Jewels
(Ratnakūṭa)
collection. The colophon also states
that the translation was finalized according to the
revised translation terminology established by
imperial decree in the early ninth century. This
dating is confirmed by the text’s inclusion in the
Denkarma imperial catalog. It is
not, however, included in the Phangthangma
catalog.

This translation was made from the version found
in the Degé Kangyur, in consultation with the
variants listed in the Comparative Edition (dpe bsdur ma) and the
Stok Palace Kangyur. This is to our knowledge the
first full translation of the sūtra into
English.

The Translation

The Noble Mahāyāna Sūtra

“The Teaching on the Inconceivable

Scope of a Buddha”

Homage to all
buddhas and bodhisattvas.

Thus, did I hear at one time. The Bhagavān was
staying at Prince Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍada’s park
near Śrāvastī, with a great saṅgha of a thousand
monks and ten thousand bodhisattvas. Gods of the
desire realm, the form realm, and the pure abodes
were also in attendance. With an entourage of
hundreds of thousands surrounding and venerating
him, the Bhagavān was teaching the Dharma. Mañjuśrī
Kumārabhūta was also present at that time, seated
amid those who had gathered there in that assembly.
The god Śrībhadra was also present, seated amid
those who had gathered there in that assembly.

“Bhagavān, I am ready to speak,” replied
Mañjuśrī, “but where should I begin?”

“Bhagavān,” said Mañjuśrī, “the scope of a
buddha is not the scope of the eyes, and it is not
the scope of form. It is not the scope of the ears,
and it is not the scope of sound. It is not the
scope of the nose, and it is not the scope of smell.
It is not the scope of the tongue, and it is not the
scope of taste. It is not the scope of the body, and
it is not the scope of touch. It is not the scope of
the mind, and it is not in the scope of phenomena.
This is what is called the scope of a buddha.

“Bhagavān, the scope bereft of distinctions is
the scope of a buddha. Bhagavān, a son or daughter
of the lineage who seeks to comprehend the scope of
a buddha, comprehends the scope of a buddha by not
comprehending it. Bhagavān, what is the scope of the
Tathāgata’s awakening?”

The Bhagavān replied, “Since all views are
equal, Mañjuśrī, emptiness is the scope of my
awakening. Because all signs are equal, signlessness
is the scope. Because the three realms are equal,
wishlessness is the scope. Because formations are equal,
absence of formations is the scope. Because
conditioned phenomena are equal, absence of arising,
origination, and formation is the scope.”

“Bhagavān, what is the unconditioned scope?”

“Absence of mind, Mañjuśrī, is the unconditioned
scope.”

“Bhagavān, since absence of mind is the scope of
a buddha, nothing may be said about it. If nothing
may be said, nothing may be taught. If nothing may
be taught, nothing may be discussed. So, Bhagavān,
the scope of a buddha is a scope that is beyond
discussion.”

“Where, Mañjuśrī, should one seek the scope of a
buddha?”

“Bhagavān, one must seek the scope of a buddha
in the afflictions of all sentient beings. Why?
Bhagavān, since completely understanding the
afflictions of all sentient beings is beyond the
scope of śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas; completely
understanding the afflictions of all sentient beings
is the scope of a buddha.”

“Bhagavān, the scope of a buddha is neither
engagement nor turning away.”

“Mañjuśrī, if the scope of a buddha is neither
engagement nor turning away, then how can the scope
of a buddha be known from the afflictions of all
sentient beings?”

“Bhagavān, just as the scope of a buddha is
neither engagement nor turning away, so whatever the
nature of an affliction may be, one neither engages
with nor rejects it.”

“Mañjuśrī, what is the nature of the afflictions
like?”

“Bhagavān, the nature of the scope of a buddha
is also the nature of all afflictions. Bhagavān, if
the nature of the afflictions were something else,
something other than the nature of the scope of a
buddha, then the Tathāgata would not teach, ‘I have
completely awakened to the sameness of all
phenomena.’ So, Bhagavān, that which is the nature
of all afflictions is also the nature of the scope
of a buddha. That is why the Tathāgata teaches, ‘I
have completely awakened to the sameness of all
phenomena.’ ”

“Mañjuśrī, do you know how the Tathāgata abides
in sameness?”

“Yes, Bhagavān, I do.”

“Mañjuśrī, how does the Tathāgata abide in
sameness?”

“Bhagavān, the Tathāgata abides in that very
sameness in which childish, ordinary people abide,
from which attachment, hatred, and delusion arise.”

“Mañjuśrī, is there attachment, hatred, and
delusion in emptiness?”

“Bhagavān, in whatever way words, speech, sound,
and expressions exist, so too does emptiness exist.
In whatever way words, speech, sound, and
expressions exist, so too do attachment, hatred, and
delusion exist. As the Bhagavān has taught:

“Similarly, Bhagavān, if there were no
emptiness, then nothing would be imputed as
originating from the afflictions of attachment,
hatred, and delusion. Therefore, Bhagavān, it is
because there is emptiness that things are imputed
as originating from the afflictions of attachment,
hatred, and delusion.”

The Bhagavān said, “Mañjuśrī, if what you are
teaching is true, then whatever is in a state of
emptiness would also be in a state of attachment,
hatred, and delusion.”

“Bhagavān, whatever the emptiness of attachment,
hatred, and delusion is, I am just the same. Whoever
has realized such sameness neither has attachment
nor is free of attachment. They neither have hatred
nor are they free of hatred. They neither have
delusion nor are they free of delusion. Bhagavān,
those śramaṇas or brahmins who actually think that
they are free of attachment, hatred, and delusion,
and who think their opponents have attachment,
hatred, and delusion, are attached to the two views.
What are these two? Nihilism and eternalism. Why?
Those who think themselves to be free of attachment,
hatred, and delusion hold the view of nihilism.
Those who think their opponents have attachment,
hatred, and delusion hold the view of eternalism.
Bhagavān, monks who have set out on the path do not
disparage others or consider themselves superior to
others.”

“Mañjuśrī, how do those who have set out on the
path begin?” asked the Bhagavān.

“Bhagavān, those who have set out on the path do
not begin at all.”

“Mañjuśrī, those who have set out on the path do
not set out on the path?”

“Bhagavān, whoever sets out on the path engages
with conditioned phenomena. And it is impossible for
those who engage with conditioned phenomena to reach
sameness. Why? Because, Bhagavān, where there are
conditioned phenomena, there is arising, ceasing,
and abiding.”

“Mañjuśrī, is there any way to categorize the
unconditioned?”

“Well, has the Bhagavān not taught that all
phenomena are like emanations?”

“Indeed they are, Mañjuśrī.”

“What then are you endowed with, Mañjuśrī?”

“Bhagavān, I am endowed with that which does not
contradict sameness, the scope of a buddha.”

“Mañjuśrī, have you found the scope of a
buddha?”

“Bhagavān, if the Bhagavān has found it, I too
have found it.”

Mañjuśrī replied, “What śrāvaka’s scope does an
elder find?”

“If that is the case, then ask the elders! But
you will have to be patient in getting your answer.
Reverend Subhūti, what do you think? If a skillful
doctor is overly protective of his patients and does
not give them bitter, sour, or spicy medicines,
would he cure those patients of their illnesses and
make them healthy?”

“No, Mañjuśrī, he would not.”

“Likewise, Reverend Subhūti, if a Dharma
preacher, being overly protective of beginners,
conceals the profound teachings and instead gives
various other teachings, then they will not liberate
them from experiencing death over and over again,
and will not bring them to the ultimate happiness of
nirvāṇa. But when this teaching is given, then five
hundred monks will free their minds of defilement,
and will no longer take up the causes for another
life. Eight hundred gods will become pure, gaining
the dustless dharma eye, without stain. And seven
hundred gods, finding Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta’s
confidence, will cultivate the mind set on
unsurpassable, completely perfect awakening with the
noblest intention.”

Once again, Venerable Subhūti addressed Mañjuśrī
Kumārabhūta: “Mañjuśrī, “If you
submit to the Śrāvaka Vehicle, are you liberated by
the Śrāvaka Vehicle?”

“Mañjuśrī, are you a śrāvaka, a pratyekabuddha,
or a completely perfect buddha?”

“Mañjuśrī, how are you a śrāvaka?”

“Mañjuśrī, how are you a pratyekabuddha?”

“Mañjuśrī, how are you a completely perfect
buddha?”

“Because of the sameness of all phenomena in the
expanse of reality, I have realized sameness. Thus,
I am a completely perfect buddha.”

“Reverend Subhūti, consider it certain that I
have attained all those levels.”

“Mañjuśrī, is it then also certain that you have
attained the level of an ordinary person?”

“Indeed, Reverend Subhūti, that is the case.
Why? Because, Reverend Subhūti, all phenomena may be
determined with certainty to be reality itself. All
sentient beings may also be determined as such. And
I too may be determined as such. Thus,
I may be determined with certainty as having
attained the level of an ordinary person.”

“Mañjuśrī, if all phenomena may be determined
as reality itself, then this applies to the level of
an ordinary person, to the level of śrāvaka, to the
level of a pratyekabuddha, to the level of a
bodhisattva, and to the level of a buddha, so how
does one distinguish between them?”

“Reverend Subhūti, take space and the ten
directions as an analogy. Although we say ‘this is
east; this is south; this is west; this is north;
this is southeast; this is southwest; this is
northwest; this is northeast; this is below; and
this is above,’ and although as directions these are
distinct, in terms of space itself, there is no such
distinction. Reverend Subhūti, likewise, all
phenomena may be determined as reality itself. The
Tathāgata, being skilled in means, may say ‘this is
the level of an ordinary person; this is the level
of a śrāvaka; this is the level of a pratyekabuddha;
this is the level of a bodhisattva; and this is the
level of a buddha,’ and although as levels these are
distinct, when determined as reality itself, there
is no distinction between them.”

“Mañjuśrī, do you engage that which is
determined as reality itself?”

“I both engage and withdraw.”

“Mañjuśrī, how is it that you both engage and
withdraw?”

“Reverend Subhūti, for this, one must look at
the method, wisdom, and gnosis of bodhisattvas,”
replied Mañjuśrī. “Reverend Subhūti, the meaning of
what a wise person has explained is understood
through analogies. So I will give you an analogy,
Reverend Subhūti, like this: A great master archer
has a dear, beautiful, attractive, and handsome only
son. But he also has an unpleasant and unattractive
adversary. When from a great distance he sees his
only son, who has taken a wrong turn on the road, he
thinks it is his adversary. So he
shoots an arrow, intending to kill him. As soon as
he does so, he realizes that it is his son. Using
his previously developed ability to run incredibly
fast, he catches the arrow with his hand just as it
is about to strike the body of his only son. This is
just an analogy for understanding the meaning. How
does it relate to the meaning? Reverend Subhūti, the
master archer represents a bodhisattva. Reverend
Subhūti, the only son represents how a bodhisattva
holds all beings dear, thinking of them as their
only son. The adversary to be killed represents all
afflictions. Reverend Subhūti, the arrow represents
the power of the wisdom of the noble ones. Reverend
Subhūti, it is like this: By running incredibly fast
the master archer catches the arrow so that the
arrow he has shot does not strike the body of his
only son. In the same way, Reverend Subhūti, by
developing the power of the perfection of wisdom, a
bodhisattva discerns that each and every formation
is unborn. But having looked at and determined
reality itself, a bodhisattva also develops the
power of great compassion and skillful means, and
this makes the extent of reality manifest. In this
way, one does not remain at the level of a śrāvaka
or a pratyekabuddha, one stays at the level of a
bodhisattva. And one also leads others to the level
of a buddha.”

“Mañjuśrī, this is the scope of what kind of
bodhisattva?”

Mañjuśrī replied, “Reverend Subhūti, it is the
scope of those bodhisattvas who conduct themselves
in the world without becoming entangled in worldly
concerns, and who appear in the world although they
behold all phenomena as being without appearances.
Reverend Subhūti, although such bodhisattvas may
appear at any level, they do not remain at the lower
levels. Reverend Subhūti, though such bodhisattvas
strive to eliminate the afflictions of all sentient
beings, their view of the expanse of reality is not
depleted in any way. Reverend Subhūti, though such
bodhisattvas have passed beyond the conditioned,
they are not fully immersed in the unconditioned.
Reverend Subhūti,
though such bodhisattvas may perceive saṃsāra as a
pleasure grove or as a celestial palace, still they
strive for
nirvāṇa and resist complacency. Reverend Subhūti,
though such bodhisattvas have achieved acceptance
regarding the absence of self, still they strive to
bring sentient beings to full ripening. Reverend
Subhūti, though such bodhisattvas know that the
nature of all phenomena is the nature of space,
still they strive to create completely pure
buddhafields. Reverend Subhūti, though such
bodhisattvas see all buddhas as the same as the
expanse of reality, they never relent in their
efforts to honor the Buddha’s body, speech, and
mind. It is the scope of bodhisattvas such as
these.”

“Mañjuśrī, surely such bodhisattva conduct is
not suitable for all worldly matters.”

“Reverend Subhūti, what we call ‘the world’ is
but the five aggregates. What are the five? The
aggregates of form, feeling, perception, formation,
and consciousness. Form is like foam. Feeling is
like a bubble in water. Perception is like a mirage.
All formations are like a plantain tree.
Consciousness is like an illusion. Whatever foam,
water bubbles, mirages, plantain trees, and
illusions there may be, there is no world or
anything to be designated as a world. There are no
aggregates or anything to be designated as
aggregates. Whoever is intent on the nature of the
aggregates has set out on the path. Whoever has set
out on the path is unaffected by worldly concerns.
Whoever is
unaffected by worldly concerns has transcended
worldly concerns.

“Reverend Subhūti, furthermore, the five
aggregates are empty of intrinsic nature. To be
empty of intrinsic nature is to be nondual. To be
nondual is to be without grasping on to ‘I’ and
‘mine.’ To be without grasping on to ‘I’ and ‘mine’
is to be free of attachment. To be free of
attachment is to transcend the world. Furthermore,
Reverend Subhūti, the five aggregates depend on
conditions. That which depends on conditions is
without a self. That which is without a self
is without the notion of possession. That which is
without the notion of possession is without
grasping. That which is without grasping is without
conflict. That which is without conflict is
indisputable. The indisputable are the indisputable
qualities of spiritual practice. The indisputable
qualities of spiritual practice are [unobstructed],
like a hand [moving] in space. To understand that all
phenomena are like a hand in space is to truly
transcend the world.

“Furthermore, Reverend Subhūti, the five
aggregates are the same as the expanse of reality.
But the expanse of reality has no expanse. To be
without expanse is
to be without constituents of the eye, constituents
of form, and constituents of visual consciousness.
It is to be without constituents of the ear,
constituents of sound, and constituents of aural
consciousness. It is to be without constituents of
the nose, constituents of smell, and constituents of
olfactory consciousness. It is to be without
constituents of the tongue, constituents of taste,
and constituents of gustatory consciousness. It is
to be without constituents of the body, constituents
of touch, and constituents of tactile consciousness.
It is to be without constituents of the mind,
constituents of mental phenomena, and constituents
of mental consciousness. That which is without
constituents is without the element of earth, the
element of water, the element of fire, the element
of wind, the element of space, and the element of
consciousness. There are no
desire, form, or formless realms. There are no
constituents of conditioned or unconditioned
phenomena. That which is without constituents is
without self, without sentience, without life,
without living, without personhood, without
identity, and without humanity. Whoever realizes
these as sameness by means of nondiscrimination transcends the
world.”

When he gave this teaching, the minds of twelve
hundred monks among that assembly were freed from
defilements, no longer to take up the causes for
another life. With their minds freed, they each
draped their upper robes over Mañjuśrī
Kumārabhūta and said, “Sentient beings
who have no faith in this profound Dharma teaching
will not succeed. They will have no realization.”

The monks replied, “Reverend Subhūti, śramaṇas
have no achievement. They have no realization. Why?
Because so-called ‘achievement’ is fleeting, and
so-called ‘realization’ is a self-regarding conceit.
That which is fleeting and a self-regarding conceit
is the work of Māra. Those with excessive pride say,
‘I am accomplished, I am realized.’ They harbor such
notions.”

“Do venerable ones recognize those who have
excessive pride?” asked Subhūti.

The monks answered, “The Bhagavān knows them
through his wisdom. As for us, we think that those
who say ‘I know suffering’ without knowing its
defining characteristic should be considered those
with excessive pride, and those who say ‘I cultivate
the path’ without knowing the source of suffering,
its cessation, and the path to achieve its cessation
should be considered those with excessive pride.
Why? Because whatever is the defining characteristic
of suffering, of its source, of its cessation, and of the path to
its cessation is also the defining characteristic of
the unborn. And the defining characteristic of the
unborn is being without characteristic, and being
without characteristic is the liberation of the
noble ones. As such, all phenomena are the
characteristic of liberation. So to call someone
‘one who understands suffering,’ ‘one who abandons
its source,’ ‘one who actualizes its cessation,’ or
‘one who cultivates the path’ has no referent. Thus,
those who become fearful upon hearing that all
phenomena are the same should be understood as
having excessive pride.”

The Bhagavān then gave the monks his approval.
“Good!” he said, and then he addressed the elder
Subhūti: “Subhūti, what these monks have said is
true. Subhūti, they have heard this profound Dharma
teaching found in the discourses of the Tathāgata
Kāśyapa, from Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta. Because they
have received this profound Dharma, they have
quickly attained the higher perceptions. They are in
harmony with this profound Dharma teaching; they are
not in conflict with it. Subhūti, reckoning thus, it
should be understood that—apart from those who have
already set out on the Great Vehicle—all those who
have listened to this profound Dharma teaching found
in my discourses and who, having heard it, remain
intent on it, will be counted among the three
audiences at the discourses of the Tathāgata
Maitreya. Anyone who sets out on the Great Vehicle
will reach acceptance suitable to their
disposition.”

Then the god Śrībhadra beseeched Mañjuśrī
Kumārabhūta, “Mañjuśrī, are you going to continue to
teach the Dharma just in Jambudvīpa? Mañjuśrī,
please come to the Heaven of Joy. Teach the Dharma
to the gods there, who have served previous victors
and have cultivated roots of virtue. Because they
live in a perfect realm, they have no sense of
urgency and have not come to listen to the Dharma
taught by the Bhagavān and you. If they do not
listen to the Dharma, they will become degenerate.
But once they hear
the Dharma from you, great roots of virtue will
grow.”

Thereupon Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta manifested a
magical emanation, which the god Śrībhadra and the
entire assembly recognized as the Heaven of Joy.
There were delightful gardens, groves, ponds, and
parks, and mansions that were seven, eight, ten, and
twenty stories high, all with balconies, terraces,
arches, and windows. There were goddesses with
smooth and graceful arms and legs, radiant like
golden lattices, with fine eyebrows, good
foreheads, and lovely
faces. Smiling with large, flawless, beautiful eyes
like eight-petaled blue lotuses, they aroused desire
and brought joy like the night of a full moon.
Playing music on various kinds of lutes and harps,
sitars, metal bells, cymbals, round drums, clay
drums, melodious drums, and flutes, they sang in
harmonies, played and danced, laughing and
seductive, flirtatious and teasing, joyful, playful,
and rapturous. Such was the transformation he
blessed into being.

Venerable Subhūti then said to the god
Śrībhadra, “Divine being, you have not moved from
this assembly, nor have you gone to the Heaven of
Joy. However, divine
being, the entire assembly is now convinced that
they are in the Heaven of Joy. Indeed, divine being,
we are all convinced that we are in the Heaven of
Joy. This is the magical power of Mañjuśrī
Kumārabhūta to create miraculous manifestations, and
the transformative power of his meditative
absorption.”

“Divine being,” replied the Bhagavān, “what
could you know of the extent of what I know of
Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta’s miraculous manifestations?
Divine being, if Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta so wished, he
could show you an array of the good qualities of
buddhafields as numerous as the grains of sand along
the banks of the Ganges, all within a single field.
He could string as many buddhafields as there are
grains of sand along the banks of the Ganges along
the hair of his top-knot and hold them there in the
space above his head. He could pour all the waters
of the great oceans in those buddhafields into a
single hair pore, without harming any of the beings
that live in those waters, and all the beings would
be convinced that they were still in their own great
oceans. With his blessing he could condense all the Mount Sumerus, the kings of mountains, in all the buddhafields into one
mountain, and could place them all inside a single
mustard seed, and the gods living on each of those Mount Sumerus, those kings of mountains, would be unharmed, and each would be
convinced that they were still settled in their own
abodes. He could place all the sentient beings born
as the five types of beings in those buddhafields in
the palm of his right hand and could make them as
happy as sentient beings in worlds adorned with
every single pleasure. He
could transform all the fires burning in as many
buddhafields as there are grains of sand along the
banks of the Ganges into the flame of single
oil-lamp wick. Whatever could be done, he can do. He
could outshine all the light of the suns and moons
of buddhafields as numerous as the grains of sand
along the banks of the Ganges with the light rays
emitting from just one of his pores. Divine being,
on the topic of Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta’s magical
powers to create miraculous manifestations, I could
teach the Dharma for an eon, or even more than an
eon. Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta is endowed with such
inconceivable miraculous manifestations and powerful
blessings.”

Then Māra Pāpīyān, who had come to be seated in
that assembly, transformed himself into the form of
a monk, and said to the Bhagavān, “Bhagavān, let me
witness Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta’s magical power to
create miraculous manifestations. Bhagavān, what
benefit is there in mere words? Let me see it
directly!”

The Bhagavān, knowing that this was Māra
Pāpīyān, said to Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta, so as to
increase the roots of virtue for limitless sentient
beings, “Mañjuśrī, I beseech you, show the assembly
your power to create miraculous manifestations and
your power of transformation, so that the roots of
virtue of limitless sentient beings will increase.”

Thereupon Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta, understanding
the Bhagavān’s request, entered the absorption
called manifestation of the power to
control all phenomena with the mind. As
soon as Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta entered this absorption
called manifestation of the power to
control all phenomena with the mind, at
that very moment, the entire assembly witnessed his
magical power to create miraculous manifestations,
precisely as the Bhagavān had described, without
anything left out, without anything extra added on,
and without any excess embellishment. When they had
seen those miraculous manifestations, the entire
assembly was amazed and with sincere devotion they
uttered these words: “That the Buddha has appeared
is excellent, it is excellent! The
Buddha’s appearance brings great benefit to beings.
Because he has appeared, holy beings such as this
also appear in the world. And inconceivable miracles
such as these appear in the world.”

When Māra Pāpīyān saw this magical power he was
awestruck. With his palms joined, he paid homage to
Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta and said, “Mañjuśrī
Kumārabhūta’s magical power to create miraculous
manifestations is inconceivable. It is amazing. I
think any sentient being who hears about these
miracles will have faith and be amazed. Bhagavān,
even if there were as many wicked māras as there are
grains of sand along the banks of the Ganges, they
would still be unable to obstruct sentient beings
with such faith.

“Bhagāvan, I, Māra Pāpīyān, always and
constantly seek every opportunity to harm the
Tathāgata. I hang around with the intention of
hurting sentient beings and severing the roots of
virtue of those who strive. So, Bhagavān, from this
day hence, I vow not to go within a radius of a
hundred yojanas of those who practice this Dharma
discourse, nor will I try to disturb them whether
they are in villages, towns, cities, provinces,
countries, or palaces. I will be as respectful
toward those who uphold, explain, teach, analyze,
and practice this Dharma as I am toward the Teacher.
Nevertheless, Bhagavān, there are some in my retinue
who will try to obstruct the teachings of the
Tathāgata and hang around to distract people from
their efforts. So, in order to annihilate and kill
them, sons and daughters of the lineage should
remember these secret mantra words:

“Bhagavān, preachers of the Dharma will be
thoroughly protected by these words, and gods of the
māra realm who would hinder them will have no
opportune time or place. And before departing, they
will make donations of robes, alms, bedding,
medicine for sickness, and assembled useful
provisions to them. They will delight them and will
delight in inspiring them. Bhagavān, sons and
daughters of the lineage who utter this mantra will
have undistracted minds both day and night, and will
be protected by the gods. They will be protected by
nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas,
kiṃnaras, and mahoragas, as well as humans and
nonhumans alike. Henceforth any opponents and
enemies who try to harm them will be unable to do
so.”

The Bhagavān then gave Māra Pāpīyān his
approval: “This is excellent, Pāpīyān, just
excellent! Your presentation of this mantra here has
shaken the realms of the world, as numerous as the
grains of sand along the banks of the Ganges, in six
ways. All of your eloquence should be considered a
blessing of Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta. While Mañjuśrī
Kumārabhūta’s magical power to create miracles and
his blessings were being revealed, and while the
power of Māra’s secret mantra and the power of his
vidyā mantra were being taught, twenty thousand
beings developed the mind set on unsurpassable,
completely perfect awakening.”

Then Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta, gathering in his
miraculous manifestations, said to the god
Śrībhadra, “Divine being, return to the Heaven of
Joy! Assemble the gods of the Heaven of Joy and I
will come there.” After listening to Mañjuśrī
Kumārabhūta, the god Śrībhadra
circumambulated the Bhagavān, Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta,
and the entire saṅgha of bodhisattvas and śrāvakas,
then disappeared from the assembly, departing for
the Heaven of Joy.

In order to make offerings to Mañjuśrī
Kumārabhūta, the god Śrībhadra prepared an assembly
space enclosed by water in the center of the Heaven
of Joy. It was made from all kinds of precious
jewels sprung from the minds of the gods, and it
extended thirty-two thousand yojanas from east to
west and sixteen thousand yojanas from north to
south. In it he set out various lion thrones,
beautiful to behold, adorned with many hundreds and
thousands of heavenly fabrics, and many thousands of
seating mats. Having arranged the assembly space in
this fashion and prepared the lion thrones, the god
Śrībhadra joined his palms and said to Mañjuśrī
Kumārabhūta, “Mañjuśrī, the assembly space and the
lion thrones are ready. If you deem the time
opportune, please approach.”

At that moment, Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta,
accompanied by twelve thousand bodhisattvas and five
hundred excellent śrāvakas, and surrounded and
escorted by thousands of gods, nāgas, yakṣas, and
gandharvas, bowed his head to the Bhagavān’s feet,
circumambulated the Bhagavān three times, then
disappeared from the Bhagavān’s presence and arrived
at that very instant in the Heaven of Joy.

Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta then took his seat upon
the throne that had been set out for him in the
midst of that assembly space made from precious
jewels. The bodhisattvas and the great śrāvakas,
and all the members
of the accompanying retinue, also took their
appropriate seats. The gods from the Heaven of the
Four Great Kings, the Heaven of the Thirty-Three,
the Heaven Free from Strife, the Heaven of
Delighting in Emanations, the Heaven of Making Use
of Others’ Emanations, and the Abode of Māras, and
the gods of the form realm from the Brahmā Heavens
up to the Highest Heaven, heard this news from one
another. The news spread: “Lo, Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta
will give a great and eloquent discourse in the
Heaven of Joy. We should definitely go there
ourselves to hear it! To see holy beings such as
these is a great opportunity. To hear the Dharma
from them is a great opportunity.”

Upon hearing this, innumerable, countless gods
of the desire and form realms disappeared from their
abodes and arrived instantly in the Heaven of Joy.
And even though the gods were innumerable, through
the blessings of Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta, each had
ample room to sit in that assembly space made from
precious jewels. Then the god Śrībhadra said to
Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta, “Mañjuśrī, this great assembly
of gods has gathered. So, I beseech you, inspire us
with a sermon on the Dharma.”

“Friends, one engages in moral discipline
through eight modes of purification. How does one engage
these eight modes of purification? Like this: one
engages in moral discipline with ⁽¹⁾ pure body, ⁽²⁾
pure speech, ⁽³⁾ pure mind, ⁽⁴⁾ pure thoughts, and
⁽⁵⁾ pure livelihood; ⁽⁶⁾ pure spiritual practice and
strict abstinence; ⁽⁷⁾ abandoning all forms of
hypocrisy, flattery, hustling, and hankering after
others’ property; and ⁽⁸⁾ not forgetting the mind
set on awakening. Friends, through these eight modes
of purification, one engages in moral
discipline.

“Friends, one purifies learning through eight
modes. What are these eight? They are these: one
purifies learning by ⁽¹⁾ respecting the guru, ⁽²⁾
destroying pride, ⁽³⁾ perfecting perseverance and
meditative concentration, ⁽⁴⁾ not letting
mindfulness waver, ⁽⁵⁾ teaching and explaining the
Dharma, ⁽⁶⁾ not praising oneself or disparaging
others, ⁽⁷⁾ appropriate analysis, and ⁽⁸⁾ behaving
with qualities as instructed. Friends, through these
eight modes, one purifies learning.

“Friends, one purifies meditative concentration
through eight modes. What are these eight? They are
these: one purifies concentration by ⁽¹⁾ staying in
remote places and delighting in isolation, ⁽²⁾ giving up worldly concerns,
⁽³⁾ not getting distracted by sense objects, ⁽⁴⁾
being pliant in body and mind, ⁽⁵⁾ subsisting on
limited food, ⁽⁶⁾ placing one’s mind on an object,
⁽⁷⁾ eliminating the use of words and signs, and ⁽⁸⁾
completely comprehending each of the noble truths
dispassionately. Friends, through these eight modes,
one purifies meditative concentration.

“Friends, one purifies wisdom
through eight modes. What are these eight? They are
these: one purifies wisdom through being learned
about ⁽¹⁾ the aggregates, ⁽²⁾ the constituents, ⁽³⁾
the sense fields, ⁽⁴⁾ dependent origination, ⁽⁵⁾ the
truths, ⁽⁶⁾ the sense faculties, ⁽⁷⁾
the three doors of liberation, and ⁽⁸⁾ how to
destroy predispositions, fetters, and all views.
Friends, through these eight modes, one purifies
wisdom.

“Friends, one purifies the higher perceptions
through eight modes. What are these eight? They are
these: one purifies ⁽¹⁾ the divine eye by seeing all
forms without hindrance; ⁽²⁾ the divine ear by
hearing all sounds without hindrance; ⁽³⁾ knowledge
of others’ minds by observing the mental activity of
all sentient beings; ⁽⁴⁾ knowledge of past lives by
recalling the beginning of the world without
hindrance or attachment; ⁽⁵⁾ miraculous
manifestation by traveling to limitless
buddhafields; ⁽⁶⁾ the ability to eliminate
all afflictions by knowing how to do so, and by
abandoning all that is inopportune; ⁽⁷⁾ higher
perceptions through one’s roots of virtue that give
respite from all deception and vanity; and ⁽⁸⁾
teaching one’s knowledge by instigating in others
the experience one has formerly had oneself.
Friends, through these eight modes, one purifies the
higher perceptions.

“Friends, one purifies gnosis through eight
modes. What are these eight? They are these: one
purifies ⁽¹⁾ knowledge of suffering by completely
knowing the five aggregates;

⁽²⁾ knowledge of
the source of suffering by thoroughly ridding
oneself of craving; ⁽³⁾ knowledge of the cessation
of suffering by analyzing that which is produced
dependently as unborn; ⁽⁴⁾ knowledge of the path to
the cessation of suffering by
engaging with conditioned and unconditioned
phenomena as the same; ⁽⁵⁾ knowledge of causes
through not contradicting the law of karma and
action; ⁽⁶⁾ knowledge of conditions through there
being no self, no sentient beings, no life force,
and no living beings; ⁽⁷⁾ knowledge of the three
times by completely severing the three spheres; and
⁽⁸⁾ one perfects omniscient gnosis by engaging all
the gnoses that are the perfection of wisdom.
Friends, through these eight modes, one purifies
gnosis.

“Friends, one purifies certainty through eight
modes. What are the eight? They are these: one
purifies certainty through ⁽¹⁾ inner peace, ⁽²⁾ not
ruminating about external things, ⁽³⁾ not dwelling
on the three realms, ⁽⁴⁾ behaving in keeping with
dependent origination, ⁽⁵⁾ recognizing the unborn
and unarisen, ⁽⁶⁾ contemplating the absence of
formation, ⁽⁷⁾ contemplating the absence of self in
all phenomena, and ⁽⁸⁾ being thoroughly undisturbed
by afflictions. Friends, through these eight modes,
one purifies certainty.

“Friends, one purifies heedfulness through
eight modes. What are the eight? They are as these:
one purifies heedfulness ⁽¹⁾ by not clinging to
moral discipline as supreme, ⁽²⁾ by cultivating
learning, ⁽³⁾ by not being attached to meditative
concentration, ⁽⁴⁾ through wisdom and scriptural
knowledge, ⁽⁵⁾ through flawless higher perceptions,
⁽⁶⁾ by being without conceptual thinking through
gnosis, ⁽⁷⁾ through being certain beyond dispute,
and ⁽⁸⁾ by not letting virtuous qualities go to
waste. Friends, through
these eight modes one purifies heedfulness.

“Therefore, friends, be heedful. Bodhisattvas
who rely on heedfulness do not fall from the three
joys. What are these three? They are the joy of the
gods, the joy of meditative absorption, and the joy
of nirvāṇa. They will be free from the three painful
rebirths. What are these three? They are being
reborn as hell beings, as animals, and in the world
of the Lord of Death. They will not be pillaged by
the three sufferings. What are these three? They are
the suffering of birth, the suffering of old age,
and the suffering of death. They will completely
transcend the three fears. What are these three? The
fear of having no livelihood, the fear of not being
praised, and the fear of anxieties in
saṃsāra. They will completely transcend the three
realms of existence: existence in the desire realm,
the form realm, and the formless realm. They clear
away the three impurities: the impurities of
attachment, hatred, and delusion. They accomplish
the three trainings: superior moral discipline,
superior intention, and superior wisdom. They gain
three purities: the purity of body, purity of
speech, and purity of mind. They perfect the three
things that arise from meritorious action: that
which comes from giving, that which comes from moral
discipline, and that which comes from meditation.
They meditate on the three doors of liberation:
emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness. They do
not sever the three lineages: those of the Buddha,
of the Dharma, and of the Saṅgha.

“Each of the perfections has three bases that
support it. What are the three each? They are these:
The perfection of giving is supported by giving away
all of one’s possessions, not harboring hopes about
the ripening of one’s actions, and dedicating one’s
merit to awakening. Moral discipline is supported by
genuinely adopting moral discipline, not clinging to
moral discipline as supreme, and dedicating one’s
merit to awakening. Patience is supported by
acceptance and gentleness, by protecting oneself and
others, and dedicating one’s merit to awakening.
Effort is supported by not giving up, neither accepting nor
rejecting, and dedicating one’s merit to awakening.
Concentration is supported by taking up meditation,
meditating without attachment, and dedicating one’s
merit toward awakening. Wisdom is supported by the
light of wisdom, the absence of elaborations,
and dedicating one’s merit toward awakening.
Friends, bodhisattvas who are heedful support their
practice of the perfections with these sets of three
for each. So, friends, be heedful! For it is through
heedfulness that that the awakening of buddha
bhagavāns, and the virtues and qualities oriented
toward awakening, are achieved.

“Friends, heedful bodhisattvas perfect
cultivation of the four applications of mindfulness
with little trouble. What is it to meditatively
cultivate the four applications of mindfulness? ⁽¹⁾
A person’s body has no location; ⁽²⁾ feelings have
no location; ⁽³⁾ the mind has no location, and ⁽⁴⁾
phenomena have no location. The lack of location or
basis for all phenomena is called meditation on the
four applications of mindfulness.

“With little trouble they perfect cultivation
of the four correct exertions. What is it to
cultivate the four exertions? ⁽¹⁾ Though one
analyzes all phenomena as being like space— primordially
unborn, unarisen, unemergent, and
nonexistent—nevertheless, so as to prevent wrong and
unvirtuous states of mind that have not yet arisen
from arising in ordinary perception, one maintains
an attitude that is fully attentive, with resolve,
exertion, and perseverance.

“⁽²⁾ Though one analyzes all phenomena as being
without karmic results, nevertheless, so as to avoid
all the unvirtuous qualities of other beings and
other persons that have not yet appeared in one’s
ordinary perception, one maintains an attitude that
is fully attentive, with resolve, exertion, and
perseverance. And so as to rid oneself of all wrong
and unvirtuous phenomena that have already arisen,
one maintains an attitude that is fully attentive,
with resolve, exertion, and perseverance.

“⁽³⁾ Though one has conviction that all
phenomena are empty, nevertheless, so as to give
rise to virtuous phenomena that have not yet arisen,
one maintains an attitude that is fully attentive,
with resolve, exertion, and perseverance.

“⁽⁴⁾ Though one believes that all phenomena are
liberated, nevertheless, so as to ensure that those
virtuous qualities that have already arisen will
remain and not diminish, but grow, one maintains an
attitude that is fully attentive, with resolve,
exertion, and perseverance. And seeing that all
phenomena neither begin nor end, one realizes that
in the sameness of all phenomena there is neither
arising nor ceasing. This is cultivation of the
exertions.

“They perfect cultivation of the four bases of
magical power. What is it to meditatively cultivate
the bases of magical power? One first develops
mental and physical pliancy. With mental pliancy,
one does not give up the resolve toward virtuous
qualities, one strives to abandon desire, and one
makes an effort to bring sentient beings to full
ripening. Though on analysis all phenomena are
without referents, in order to fully and completely
awaken all the qualities of a buddha, one does not
give up the mind of awakening, while recognizing
that the mind is like an illusion. Analyzing things in
accordance with the Dharma as it has been heard, one
does not settle on or cling to phenomena.

“They perfect cultivation of the five
faculties, they do not rely on the six senses, and
they relinquish even knowledge for the sake of
bringing the faculties of sentient beings to full
ripening. ⁽¹⁾ They achieve one-pointed
concentration and live without putting faith in
others. ⁽²⁾ They achieve everything without either
accepting or rejecting. ⁽³⁾ They know without
confusion the paths that lead to all states, without
needing to recollect or think of them. ⁽⁴⁾ They
observe all phenomena, and by maintaining equanimity
toward them, enter meditative equipoise in the
sameness of all phenomena. ⁽⁵⁾ They reach the light
of undarkened gnosis, and completely sever
elaborations and views. In this way they perfect
meditation on the faculties.

“They perfect cultivation of the five powers:
⁽¹⁾ With the power of faith, they are unassailable
by all opponents. ⁽²⁾ With the power of effort, they
are inaccessible to all māras. ⁽³⁾ With the power of
mindfulness, they are not captivated by śrāvakas or
pratyekabuddhas. ⁽⁴⁾ With the power of meditative
absorption, they are not weighed down by
impediments. ⁽⁵⁾ With the power of wisdom, they have
no attachment to views. In this way they perfect
cultivation of the five powers.

“They perfect cultivation of the seven branches
of awakening. What is it to meditatively cultivate
the branches of awakening? It is like this: ⁽¹⁾ So
as not to forget all virtuous phenomena, they
cultivate the branch of awakening that perfects
mindfulness. ⁽²⁾ So as to behave in accordance with
dependent origination, they cultivate the branch of
awakening that perfects discrimination. ⁽³⁾ So as to
never turn back from the path to awakening, they
cultivate the branch of awakening that perfects
effort. ⁽⁴⁾ So as to experience the joy of
unadulterated phenomena, they cultivate the branch
of awakening that perfects joy. ⁽⁵⁾ So
as to quell mental and physical agitation, they
cultivate the branch of awakening that perfects
pliancy. ⁽⁶⁾ So as to actualize emptiness,
signlessness, and wishlessness, they cultivate the
branch of awakening that perfects meditative
absorption. And ⁽⁷⁾ so as to be without highs and
lows, they cultivate the branch of awakening that
perfects equanimity. This is what is called
cultivating the branches of awakening.

“Friends, heedful bodhisattvas perfect
cultivation of the noble eightfold path with little
difficulty. What is it to cultivate the path? They
cultivate ⁽¹⁾ the right view, free from eternalism
and nihilism; ⁽²⁾ right intention, free from notions
of desire, ill will, and hostility; ⁽³⁾ right
speech, which is neither harmful to oneself nor
others; ⁽⁴⁾ right livelihood, free of pretense,
flattery, hustling, and covetous evaluation; ⁽⁵⁾
right action, free of timidity of body and mind; ⁽⁶⁾
right effort, free of praising oneself and
criticizing others; ⁽⁷⁾ right mindfulness, free of
delusion and stupidity, and ⁽⁸⁾ right meditative
absorption, free of all notions and concepts. This
is what is called cultivating the noble eightfold
path.

“This is why it is said that the awakening of
buddha bhagavāns and all associated virtues will be
achieved by those who are heedful in pursuing the
thirty-seven factors for awakening. So, friends,
this is how heedful bodhisattvas engage in the
thirty-seven factors for awakening. By engaging in
them, they pass beyond the mire of all karmic
formations. Although they have crossed over, they
look upon the world. But when they look, they do not
see. They are not ignited. Completely at peace, they
make no errors. What is it to be completely at
peace? That which has not been achieved has not been
done. That which has not been done has not been
experienced. That which has not been experienced is
without designation. And that which is without
designation is completely at peace.”

Mañjuśrī replied, “Divine being, bodhisattvas
do not abandon saṃsāra, nor are they sullied by the
shortcomings of saṃsāra. Though they do not fall
into the unconditioned, they still experience the
good qualities of the unconditioned. Though they
cultivate the path of the six perfections, the
perceptual scopes of śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas
still appear.

“Divine being, the bodhisattva path is
perfected by emptiness, so although they are expert
in views, they have no attachment to views. The path
is perfected by signlessness, so although they are
expert in signs, they have no attachment to signs.
The path is perfected by wishlessness, so although
they are expert in the three realms, they have no
attachment to the three realms. The path is
perfected by birthlessness and nonarising, so
although they are expert in arising and cessation,
they have no attachment to arising and cessation.

“Why is this? Because bodhisattvas with
certainty of mind engage the view that considers all
beings and all phenomena as empty. In order to
dispense with views that create latent propensities
and perpetuate views, they teach the Dharma, while
seeing all views as empty. In the same way,
bodhisattvas with certainty of mind abandon
conformity to the framework of arising and cessation
with regard to all phenomena—such that they are
signless, wishless, devoid of karmic formations,
unborn, and unarisen—as well as the view of arising
and cessation that creates the propensity for the
notion of arising and cessation. In order to do so,
they teach the Dharma even though they see arising
and cessation as devoid of arising and cessation.
This is called cultivating the path of
bodhisattvas.

The god Śrībhadra said, “Mañjuśrī, let me see
that world called Light of All Good Qualities and
the tathāgata, arhat, completely perfect Buddha
Samantabhadra!” whereupon Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta
entered the meditative absorption known as
stainless light. As soon as
Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta was absorbed in that
meditation, light, as befits that absorption, shone
from his body, and that light illuminated
buddhafields as numerous as the grains of sand along
the banks of twelve Ganges Rivers. That great light
even reached the world Light of All Good Qualities.

“Bhagavān,” they said, “let us see this Sahā
world, and the bhagavān
tathāgata Śākyamuni, and Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta!” So
the bhagavān tathāgata Samantabhadra sent out a
thousand rays of light from the thousand spokes of
the wheel on the sole of one of his feet. Those great rays
crossed buddhafields as numerous as the grains of
sand along the banks of twelve Ganges Rivers and
illuminated the Sahā world, and the bodhisattvas saw
the Sahā world, and the bhagavān, tathāgata, arhat,
truly perfect Buddha Śākyamuni, and Mañjuśrī
Kumārabhūta, and the entire assembly of
bodhisattvas. The bodhisattvas there likewise saw
the world Light of All Good Qualities, along with
the bhagavān, tathāgata, arhat, truly perfect Buddha
Samantabhadra, and all the bodhisattvas there.

Then the bhagavān tathāgata Samantabhadra asked
the bodhisattvas, “Heirs of the lineage, if another
great Dharma discourse such as this were to take
place there, who among you would like to go to the
Sahā world?”

The bodhisattva called Holding the Lamp of
Gnosis, who was seated among those gathered there,
said to the bhagavān, “Bhagavān, I would like to go
to the Sahā world.”

The bhagavān replied, “Heir of the lineage, go
there when you know the time is opportune.”

Then the bodhisattva great being Holding the
Lamp of Gnosis, surrounded and accompanied by a
hundred million bodhisattvas, bowed his head to the
bhagavān’s feet, circumambulated the bhagavān seven
times, and disappeared from that buddhafield. In an
instant, as long as it takes for an able-bodied
person to stretch out and then draw back their arm,
he arrived in a
hall with an upper chamber situated in the space
above and in front of Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta, there in
the Heaven of Joy of the Sahā world. His servants
and entourage also arrived in that well-built hall
with an upper chamber. Each of them rose from their
seats, joined their hands, and prostrated to
Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta, saying these words: “Mañjuśrī,
we have been sent here by the bhagavān, tathāgata,
arhat, truly perfect Buddha Samantabhadra to see
you, to pay our homage and respect, and to listen to
your Dharma. The light you emanated has reached even
our world.”

The gods of the desire and form realms were
amazed to see these bodhisattvas, and spoke these
words of praise: “Lo! How quickly has this light
reached that world! How quickly have these
bodhisattvas arrived in this Sahā world! The magical
power of these holy beings’ higher perceptions and
the transformative power of their meditative
absorption is just inconceivable!”

Then Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta taught the Dharma to
that great assembly of gods gathered there, such
that seventy-two hundred billion gods, with sincere
resolution, gave rise to the mind set on unsurpassed
and perfect awakening. Once he had done everything
he could possibly do to help the gods in the Heaven
of Joy, Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta—along with those
hundred million bodhisattvas, and together with
Śakra, Brahmā, and the world-protecting gods—then
disappeared from the Heaven of Joy.

In an instant, as long as it takes for a
flicker of thought, they arrived back in the
presence of the Bhagavān. They bowed their heads to
the Bhagavān’s feet, circumambulated the Bhagavān
seven times, and with the Bhagavān’s consent, they
took their seats to one side. Then the hundred
million bodhisattvas who had arrived with the
bodhisattva called Holding the Lamp of Gnosis bowed
their heads to the Bhagavān’s feet, circumambulated
him seven times, and, joining their palms before the
Bhagavān, said, “The bhagavān tathāgata
Samantabhadra sends the Bhagavān his greetings. He
inquires after the Bhagavān’s health, whether he has
any minor ailments, discomforts, or disturbances,
and if he remains strong and well.”

The Bhagavān then delighted those bodhisattvas
and the entire assembly there with a Dharma
discourse, making them understand, inspiring them,
and bringing them great joy. Having delighted them
and made them understand, having inspired them and
brought them joy, the Bhagavān said to the entire
assembly, “Friends, behold the mighty higher
perceptions and the transformative power of these
holy beings—of Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta, and of Holding
the Lamp of Gnosis—how they gather sentient beings
and bring them to full ripening, and their methods,
reasonings, gnosis, discriminating
wisdom, and eloquence! Friends, for countless eons
these bodhisattvas stay close to sentient beings
performing a buddha’s deeds. Any sentient being that
beholds these holy beings through the six senses
will never again abide in the land of māras.”

Thus did he speak. Thereupon, those
bodhisattvas who had come to the Sahā world with the
bodhisattva Holding the Lamp of Gnosis, having heard
the Dharma from the Bhagavān Śākyamuni, gained
forbearance toward phenomena as unborn. Then those
hundred million bodhisattvas who had arrived with
the bodhisattva Holding the Lamp of Gnosis bowed
their heads to the feet of the Bhagavān and
circumambulated him seven times. When they did this,
this world of the great trichiliocosm shook and
trembled. They then disappeared from before the
Bhagavān, and in the merest instant returned to
their world.

The Bhagavān then instructed Venerable Ānanda,
“Ānanda, memorize this Dharma discourse! Keep it
safe, recite it, and study it. Teach it widely to
others.”

Ānanda replied, “Bhagavān, when I memorize this
Dharma discourse, what should I call it?”

When the Bhagavān said this, the god Śrībhadra,
Venerable Ānanda, the entire assembly, and the whole
world with its gods, humans, asuras, and gandharvas
rejoiced, praising what the Bhagavān had said.

Colophon

Translated and edited by the Indian preceptors
Jinamitra, Dānaśīla, and Munivarman, and the great
editor-translator Bandé Yeshé Dé, and corrected and
finalized according to the revised terminology.

Notes

Abbreviations

C
Choné Kangyur

H
Lhasa Kangyur

Bibliography

Source Text

Chinese Translations

Other Canonical

Sources

Other Sources

eloquence

karmic
formations

conditioned
phenomena

unconditioned
phenomena

equal

perseverance
diligence

concentration

heedful

four
exertions

thirty-seven
factors that lead to awakening