大般若波羅蜜多經

02

At that time, the Venerable Subhuti again addressed the Buddha:

“World-Honored One! The great bodhisattvas are truly rare. While practicing profound prajnaparamita and contemplating the two kinds of emptiness, although they know that all dharmas are like dreams, echoes, shadows, reflections, mirages, illusions, and magical transformations, that none truly exist, that non-nature is their nature, and that their own characteristics are all empty, they are nevertheless able to establish the various wholesome and unwholesome dharmas without ever confusing them.

The Buddha told Subhuti:

“So it is! So it is! It is just as you have said. The great bodhisattvas are truly rare. While practicing profound prajnaparamita and contemplating the two kinds of emptiness, although they know that all dharmas are like dreams, that none truly exist, that non-nature is their nature, and that their own characteristics are all empty, they are nevertheless able to establish the various wholesome and unwholesome dharmas without ever confusing them.

“You should know that the rare and wondrous qualities possessed by great bodhisattvas while practicing profound prajnaparamita are qualities that shravakas and pratyekabuddhas neither accomplish nor can fathom. All of you shravakas and pratyekabuddhas are unable even to respond to the eloquence of the great bodhisattvas; how much less could other sentient beings respond to it?”

The Venerable Subhuti again addressed the Buddha:

“What are the rare and wondrous qualities possessed by great bodhisattvas while practicing prajnaparamita, qualities that shravakas and pratyekabuddhas neither accomplish nor can fathom?”

The Buddha told Subhuti:

“Listen carefully! Listen carefully! Bear this well in mind, and I shall explain and distinguish for you the rare and wondrous qualities possessed by great bodhisattvas while practicing profound prajnaparamita.

“Subhuti! While practicing profound prajnaparamita, great bodhisattvas abide in the fruits of the perfection of giving through the perfection of wisdom; or in the five superknowledges; or in the thirty-seven factors conducive to awakening; or in dharanis; or in samadhis; or in the gateways to liberation of emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness; or in the four dhyanas, the four immeasurables, and the four formless absorptions; or in the eight liberations, the eight spheres of mastery, the nine successive attainments, and the ten total spheres; or in immeasurable and boundless other Buddha-dharmas.

If sentient beings throughout the worlds of the ten directions need to be protected by the perfection of giving through the perfection of wisdom, the bodhisattva immediately protects them by the perfection of giving through the perfection of wisdom. Those who need to be protected by the first dhyana through the absorption of neither perception nor non-perception are immediately protected by the first dhyana through the absorption of neither perception nor non-perception.

Those who need to be protected by loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity are immediately protected by loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity. Those who need to be protected by the four foundations of mindfulness through the Noble Eightfold Path are immediately protected by the four foundations of mindfulness through the Noble Eightfold Path. Those who need to be protected by the samadhis of emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness are immediately protected by the samadhis of emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness.

Those who need to be protected by other wholesome dharmas are immediately protected by those other wholesome dharmas.”

The Venerable Subhuti again addressed the Buddha:

“While practicing profound prajnaparamita, how do great bodhisattvas abide in the fruits of immeasurable meritorious qualities, such as the perfections, the five superknowledges, and so forth, in order to give to and protect sentient beings?”

The Buddha told Subhuti:

“While practicing profound prajnaparamita, great bodhisattvas give sentient beings whatever they require. That is, to those who need food and drink, they give food and drink; to those who need clothing, they give clothing; to those who need vehicles, they give vehicles; to those who need flowers and incense, they give flowers and incense; to those who need bedding, they give bedding; to those who need houses, they give houses; to those who need lamps, they give lamps; to those who need medicine, they give medicine; and to those who need other articles, they give them all so that nothing is lacking.

They may also make offerings to shravakas, pratyekabuddhas, bodhisattvas, and the Buddhas, the World-Honored Ones, of various kinds of clothing, food and drink, bedding, medicine, houses, furnishings, exquisite flowers and incense, precious banners and canopies, music, lamps, and such other articles as cream, oil, and so forth. When making such offerings and gifts, bodhisattvas maintain an impartial mind and practice giving without any conception of difference.

They give equally to those who violate the precepts and those who observe them; equally to human and nonhuman beings; equally to followers of the inner path and followers of external paths; equally to noble ones and ordinary beings; and equally to the eminent and the lowly. From the Buddhas above down to animals below, they give equally, without discrimination, and do not consider the relative superiority or inferiority of the various fields of merit.

Why? Because great bodhisattvas fully comprehend that the own characteristics of all dharmas are empty. Within emptiness there is absolutely no distinction of high or low; therefore, when practicing giving, they entertain no conception of difference and make no discrimination.

“Because they entertain no conception of difference and make no discrimination when practicing giving, these great bodhisattvas will attain dharmas free from difference and discrimination; that is, they will perfect the Buddhas’ knowledge of all aspects and their immeasurable other meritorious qualities.

“Subhuti, you should know that if a great bodhisattva sees animals and other beings asking for something and thinks, ‘If this supplicant were a Tathagata, Arhat, Perfectly and Completely Awakened One—a true field of merit—I should make offerings to him. But since this is not a Tathagata, Arhat, Perfectly and Completely Awakened One, but an animal and not a field of merit, I should not give it the things it needs,’ then any great bodhisattva who thinks in this way transgresses the bodhisattva Dharma.

Why? Because a great bodhisattva must first have a pure mind, and only then will the field of merit be pure. On seeing a supplicant, one should not think, ‘When a sentient being of this kind asks for something, I should give it, but when a sentient being of that kind asks for something, I should not give it.’ A bodhisattva who thinks in this way contradicts the vast resolve for awakening previously generated.

Bodhisattvas generate the resolve for awakening in this way: ‘For the sake of sentient beings, I shall become a refuge, an island, a dwelling, and a place of rescue.’ On seeing a supplicant approaching, a bodhisattva should think, ‘This sentient being is now poor, destitute, and alone. I must embrace and protect them through giving. Because of this, they will refrain from stealing the possessions of others, have few desires, know contentment, and be able in turn to give to others.

Thus, they will be able to abandon the taking of life and, extensively speaking, even abandon harsh speech; they will also be able to subdue greed, anger, and wrong views. After death, supported by the meritorious karma of their previous life, they will be born into great families, such as those of kshatriyas, brahmins, elders, householders, or other wealthy and eminent families. Endowed with abundant possessions, they will cultivate wholesome karma.

Or, because they have been sustained and protected by giving, they will rely upon the Three Vehicles and gradually proceed to perfect quiescence; that is, they will be enabled to attain the realms of parinirvana of the shravaka, the pratyekabuddha, and the unsurpassed vehicle.’”

Furthermore, Subhuti, when enemies or other sentient beings come to harm a great bodhisattva, or when impoverished and needy people come to ask for parts of his body or various kinds of wealth, that great bodhisattva should not give rise to discriminatory thoughts such as, “I should give this object, but I should not give that one.” He should give rise only to a mind of equanimity and give them whatever body parts or wealth they request.

Why? Because this great bodhisattva seeks to attain unsurpassed, complete, perfect enlightenment for the benefit of sentient beings, not for the benefit and happiness of his own body and life. Whoever gives rise to discriminatory thoughts such as, “I should give this object, but I should not give that one,” will be reproached in unison by the Tathagatas, Worthy Ones, Completely and Perfectly Enlightened Ones, by bodhisattvas, pratyekabuddhas, shravakas, worldly beings, devas, humans, asuras, and all sages and noble ones: “Who invited you to arouse the aspiration for enlightenment and vow to benefit and bring happiness to all classes of sentient beings, to be a refuge for those without refuge, a home for those without a home, an island for those without an island,

to rescue those who have no one to rescue them, and to bring happiness to those without happiness, when you now discriminate, giving this object but refusing to give that one?”

Furthermore, Subhuti, when a great bodhisattva practices the profound prajnaparamita, if a human or nonhuman being comes to ask for his limbs, marrow, or brain, that great bodhisattva should not give rise to the two discriminating thoughts of giving and not giving. He should think only: “Whatever that person requests, I shall give it all.” Why? Because this great bodhisattva always thinks: “For the benefit of sentient beings, I have assumed this body. If anyone comes to request it, I must certainly give it and must not refuse.” Upon seeing someone come to ask, the bodhisattva immediately thinks: “I originally assumed this body for the sake of others. Even if that person did not come to take it, I would still have to offer it myself; how much more should I give it when he comes to ask?”

Having reflected thus, he is filled with immense joy and cuts off his own hands and feet to give them to that person. Rejoicing, he further says: “Today I have gained a great benefit: I have relinquished an impure body and obtained a pure body.”

Subhuti, great bodhisattvas who practice prajnaparamita should train in this way.

Furthermore, Subhuti, when a great bodhisattva sees someone asking for alms, he immediately thinks: “Here, who is the giver? Who is the recipient? What is the gift? By what means is it given? For whose sake is it given? Why is it given? The intrinsic nature of all dharmas is entirely unfindable.” Why? Because dharmas such as these are utterly empty. Within emptiness, there are no such acts as giving, taking possession, bestowing, or receiving.

Subhuti, when practicing the profound prajnaparamita, great bodhisattvas should train in the emptiness of all dharmas in this way: they are empty through inner emptiness, and so forth, up to being empty through the emptiness of the intrinsic nature of nonexistence.

Abiding in emptiness, this great bodhisattva practices giving and continually, without interruption, brings the paramita of giving to perfection.

Because this paramita of giving is perfected, when others cut, sever, or seize all his inner and outer possessions, his mind is entirely free of discrimination and anger. He thinks only: “Sentient beings and dharmas are all empty. Who cuts and severs me? Who robs me? Who receives? Who observes?”

Furthermore, Subhuti, with the Buddha-eye I survey throughout worlds as numerous as the sands of the Ganges in the ten directions and see great bodhisattvas who, wishing to benefit and bring happiness to all classes of sentient beings, vow to enter the great hells. There they see sentient beings undergoing excruciating suffering. Having seen this, they employ three kinds of instruction. What are the three? First, instruction through miraculous transformations; second, instruction through revealing what is in others’ minds; and third, instruction through admonition.

These great bodhisattvas instruct through miraculous transformations by eliminating the various instruments of suffering in the hells, such as boiling water, fire, and knives. They instruct through revealing what is in others’ minds by discerning the thoughts of those sentient beings and teaching them the Dharma accordingly. They instruct through admonition by giving rise toward them to loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity, and then teaching them the Dharma, causing those sentient beings in the hells to develop right faith in the bodhisattvas.

Through these causes and conditions, after leaving the hells, they are reborn among the devas or as human beings. In due course, relying upon the three vehicles, they completely exhaust the bounds of suffering and realize the utterly blissful realm of nirvana.

Furthermore, Subhuti, with the Buddha-eye I survey throughout worlds as numerous as the sands of the Ganges in the ten directions and see great bodhisattvas attending upon and making offerings to the Buddhas, the Blessed Ones. While attending upon and making offerings to the Buddhas, the Blessed Ones, these great bodhisattvas are filled with joy, delight, and reverence; never are they without joy, delight, and reverence. They respectfully listen to, retain, and recite the true Dharma taught by the Tathagatas, Worthy Ones, Completely and Perfectly Enlightened Ones, and never forget it until they attain unsurpassed, complete, perfect enlightenment. They correctly expound the Dharma they have heard, enabling sentient beings to attain happiness and supreme benefit.

Furthermore, Subhuti, with the Buddha-eye I survey throughout worlds as numerous as the sands of the Ganges in the ten directions and see great bodhisattvas who relinquish their own bodies and lives in order to benefit sentient beings in the animal realm. Seeing animals tormented by the fire of hunger and wishing to kill one another, these great bodhisattvas give rise to compassion, cut flesh from their own bodies, break apart their bones, and scatter them throughout the ten directions so that the animals may freely eat and devour them.

All the animals that eat flesh from the bodies of these bodhisattvas develop great reverence, affection, and a sense of shame toward them. Through these causes and conditions, they escape the animal realm and are reborn among the devas or as human beings. They encounter Tathagatas, Worthy Ones, Completely and Perfectly Enlightened Ones, hear the true Dharma taught, and practice correctly.

In due course, relying upon the three vehicles, they reach complete cessation: that is, they attain the unsurpassed Great Vehicle, the pratyekabuddha vehicle, or the shravaka vehicle and enter the realm of nirvana.

Therefore, Subhuti, great bodhisattvas can perform difficult deeds for the world and bring about abundant benefit so as to benefit and bring happiness to sentient beings. They themselves arouse the aspiration for unsurpassed, complete, perfect enlightenment and also cause others to arouse that aspiration. They themselves practice all kinds of true and proper conduct in accordance with reality and also cause others to practice them.

Furthermore, Subhuti, with the Buddha-eye I survey throughout worlds as numerous as the sands of the Ganges in the ten directions and see great bodhisattvas who, wishing to benefit sentient beings in the realm of hungry ghosts, vow to go to that realm and devise ways to eliminate the suffering of hunger and thirst. They cause the hungry ghosts’ sufferings to cease entirely and cause them to develop reverence, affection, and a sense of shame toward these bodhisattvas.

The bodhisattvas further expound to them the essential Dharma of abandoning miserliness. After hearing it, they give rise to a mind of generosity. Through these wholesome roots, they escape the realm of hungry ghosts and are reborn among devas or humans.

They encounter Tathagatas, Worthy Ones, Completely and Perfectly Enlightened Ones, make offerings to them, revere them, and hear them expound the true Dharma. In due course, they cultivate the proper practices belonging to the three vehicles until they attain the unsurpassed Great Vehicle, the pratyekabuddha vehicle, or the shravaka vehicle and enter the realm of nirvana.

Therefore, Subhuti, great bodhisattvas abide in great compassion toward sentient beings and employ innumerable skillful means to help them attain the nirvana of the three vehicles.

Furthermore, Subhuti! With the Buddha-eye, I universally observe worlds as numerous as the sands of the Ganges throughout the ten directions, where great bodhisattvas employ skillful means to expound the true Dharma to the devas of the Heaven of the Four Great Kings, up to and including the devas of the Heaven of Freely Enjoying Manifestations by Others. After hearing the bodhisattvas expound the true Dharma, those devas gradually rely upon the three vehicles, diligently cultivate right practice, and enter the realm of nirvana.

Subhuti, you should know! Among those heavenly assemblies are devas who are attached to the five kinds of exquisite heavenly sensual pleasures and to the jeweled palaces in which they dwell. These great bodhisattvas manifest flames that burn their palaces, causing them to become disenchanted and afraid.

The bodhisattvas then take this occasion to expound the Dharma to them: “Devas, carefully contemplate all conditioned phenomena as impermanent, suffering, empty, without self, and untrustworthy. The wise harbor no attachment to such things.” Hearing these words of Dharma, the devas become deeply disenchanted with and fearful of the five sensual pleasures. They contemplate their own bodies and lives as false and impermanent, like the trunk of a plantain tree, a flash of lightning, or a mirage, and contemplate their palaces as prisons.

Having contemplated in this way, they gradually rely upon the three vehicles, diligently cultivate right practice, and attain perfect quiescence—that is, they gradually enter the nirvana belonging to the three vehicles.

Furthermore, Subhuti! With the Buddha-eye, I universally observe worlds as numerous as the sands of the Ganges throughout the ten directions, where great bodhisattvas, seeing Brahma devas attached to the realms of various views, employ skillful means to teach them to become disenchanted and relinquish those attachments. The bodhisattvas teach: “Since all conditioned phenomena are empty, signless, false, and unreal, why do you devas give rise to such pernicious attachments to views? Quickly relinquish them and faithfully accept the true Dharma, so that you may obtain lasting peace, benefit, and happiness.”

Therefore, Subhuti! Great bodhisattvas, abiding in great compassion, expound the essentials of the Dharma for sentient beings. Subhuti! Such is the rare and marvelous quality possessed by great bodhisattvas.

Furthermore, Subhuti! With the pure and unobstructed Buddha-eye, I universally observe worlds as numerous as the sands of the Ganges throughout the ten directions and see great bodhisattvas employing the four means of gathering to aid sentient beings. What are the four? The first is giving, the second is loving speech, the third is beneficial conduct, and the fourth is cooperation.

Subhuti! How do great bodhisattvas employ giving to aid sentient beings?

Subhuti! Great bodhisattvas employ two kinds of giving to aid sentient beings. These two are the giving of material wealth and the giving of Dharma.

Subhuti! How do great bodhisattvas employ the giving of material wealth to aid sentient beings?

Subhuti! When practicing profound prajnaparamita, great bodhisattvas are able to give sentient beings various kinds of food, drink, clothing, dwellings, bedding, vehicles, lamps, music, incense, flowers, jeweled banners and canopies, necklaces, and so forth; or they give sentient beings gold, silver, precious pearls, sphatika gems, beryl, conch shells, jade, genuine pearls, indranila gems, mahanila gems, mani jewels, stone treasury gems, pestle treasury gems, red lotuses, and so forth; or they give sentient beings their wives, sons, daughters, servants of every rank, attendants, elephants, horses, cattle, sheep, and medicines; or they give sentient beings various precious possessions, treasuries, cities, towns, villages, and royal thrones;

or they give sentient beings parts of their own bodies, such as their hands, feet, bones, heads, eyes, marrow, and brains.

These great bodhisattvas place all kinds of possessions at crossroads, ascend a high platform, and proclaim: “Let all sentient beings who need anything come and take it without hesitation. Take these things as though taking your own possessions, and do not think that you are taking what belongs to another. Even my body—my hands, feet, bones, head, eyes, marrow, and brain—may be taken freely by anyone who needs them. Toward you all, I harbor no miserliness.”

After giving sentient beings the things they require, these great bodhisattvas further encourage them to take refuge in the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha; or encourage them to undertake and uphold the five precepts of lay followers; or encourage them to undertake and uphold the eight precepts of purification; or encourage them to undertake and uphold the ten wholesome courses of karma; or encourage them to cultivate and train in the first dhyana through the fourth dhyana; or encourage them to cultivate and train in the immeasurable loving-kindness through the immeasurable equanimity; or encourage them to cultivate and train in the concentration of the sphere of infinite space through the concentration of the sphere of neither perception nor non-perception;

or encourage them to cultivate and train in mindfulness of the Buddha through mindfulness of the devas; or encourage them to cultivate and train in the contemplation of impurity and mindfulness of breathing; or encourage them to cultivate and train in the perception of impermanence through the perception of cessation; or encourage them to cultivate and train in the four foundations of mindfulness through the Noble Eightfold Path; or encourage them to cultivate and train in the three gates of liberation—emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness; or encourage them to cultivate and train in the eight liberations through the ten totalities; or encourage them to cultivate and train in the perfection of giving through prajnaparamita;

or encourage them to abide in the emptiness of internal phenomena through the emptiness of the absence of intrinsic nature; or encourage them to abide in suchness through the inconceivable realm; or encourage them to abide in the Noble Truths of suffering, its origin, its cessation, and the path; or encourage them to cultivate and train in all dharani gateways and samadhi gateways; or encourage them to cultivate and train in the Ground of Pure Contemplation through the Ground of the Tathagata; or encourage them to cultivate and train in the Ground of Utmost Joy through the Ground of the Dharma Cloud; or encourage them to cultivate and train in the five kinds of eyes and the six superknowledges;

or encourage them to cultivate and train in the ten powers of the Tathagata through the eighteen distinctive qualities of a Buddha; or encourage them to cultivate and train in the thirty-two excellent marks and the eighty beautiful characteristics of a Great Being; or encourage them to cultivate and train in the Dharma of never losing mindfulness and the nature of constant equanimity; or encourage them to cultivate and train in the knowledge of all things, the knowledge of the aspects of the path, and the knowledge of all aspects; or encourage them to cultivate and train for the fruit of stream-entry through the bodhi of a pratyekabuddha; or encourage them to cultivate and train in all the practices of great bodhisattvas;

or encourage them to cultivate and train for the fruit of the unsurpassed, complete and perfect enlightenment of the Buddhas.

Therefore, Subhuti! Having practiced the skillful means of profound prajnaparamita and given material wealth to sentient beings, great bodhisattvas also skillfully establish all kinds of sentient beings, enabling them to abide in the unsurpassed and secure Dharma, until they attain the knowledge of all-knowing wisdom.

Subhuti! Such is the rare and marvelous quality possessed by great bodhisattvas when practicing profound prajnaparamita.

Subhuti! When practicing profound prajnaparamita, how do great bodhisattvas employ the giving of Dharma to aid sentient beings?

Subhuti! The giving of Dharma is of two kinds: the worldly giving of Dharma and the supramundane giving of Dharma. What is the worldly giving of Dharma? When practicing profound prajnaparamita, great bodhisattvas expound, reveal, and clearly explain to sentient beings the exquisite teachings of the world, such as the contemplation of impurity, counting the breaths, the four dhyanas, the four immeasurables, the four formless concentrations, the five superknowledges, and other worldly teachings belonging to ordinary beings. This is called the worldly giving of Dharma.

Subhuti! Why is this Dharma called worldly? Because those who train in this Dharma are not yet able to depart completely from the world, it is called worldly.

Subhuti! After practicing the exquisite teachings of the world, these great bodhisattvas further seek every possible means to instruct sentient beings and enable them to leave worldly phenomena behind. Employing every skillful means, they instruct sentient beings and enable them to abide in the noble Dharma and in the fruits of the noble Dharma.

Subhuti! What are the noble Dharma and the fruits of the noble Dharma? Subhuti! The noble Dharma consists of the thirty-seven factors of enlightenment and the three gateways to liberation. The fruits of the noble Dharma are the fruit of stream-entry through to pratyekabuddha enlightenment.

Subhuti! Why are these dharmas called supramundane? Because by training in these dharmas one can completely transcend the world, they are called supramundane.

Furthermore, Subhuti! The noble Dharma of great bodhisattvas consists of the six paramitas; the eight liberations; the eight spheres of mastery; the nine successive absorptions; the ten totalities; dharani gateways; bodhisattva samadhi gateways; the five kinds of eyes; the six superknowledges; the ten powers of a Tathagata; the four fearlessnesses; the four unobstructed understandings; great loving-kindness, great compassion, great sympathetic joy, and great equanimity; the eighteen unique qualities of a Buddha; the quality of never losing mindfulness; the nature of perpetual equanimity; the knowledge of all things, the knowledge of the aspects of the path, the knowledge of all aspects; and other uncontaminated dharmas.

The fruits of the noble Dharma are the realm of great nirvana and the fruit of a Buddha's unsurpassed, complete, perfect enlightenment.

Furthermore, Subhuti! The noble Dharma of great bodhisattvas consists of knowledge of the fruit of stream-entry; knowledge of the fruit of once-returning; knowledge of the fruit of non-returning; knowledge of the fruit of arhatship; knowledge of pratyekabuddha enlightenment; knowledge of the fruit of the unsurpassed, complete, perfect enlightenment of the Buddhas; knowledge of the four foundations of mindfulness through to the Noble Eightfold Path; knowledge of the gateways to liberation of emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness; knowledge of the four dhyanas, the four immeasurables, and the four formless absorptions; knowledge of the eight liberations, the eight spheres of mastery, the nine successive absorptions, and the ten totalities;

knowledge of the paramita of generosity through to the prajnaparamita; knowledge of all dharani gateways and samadhi gateways; knowledge of the Noble Truths of suffering, its origin, its cessation, and the path; knowledge of inner emptiness through to the emptiness of the absence of intrinsic nature; knowledge of suchness through to the inconceivable realm; knowledge of the Ground of Great Joy through to the Dharma Cloud Ground; knowledge of the five kinds of eyes and the six superknowledges; knowledge of the Ground of Pure Contemplation through to the Ground of the Tathagata; knowledge of the ten powers of a Tathagata through to the eighteen unique qualities of a Buddha; knowledge of the thirty-two excellent marks and the eighty minor characteristics of a Great Being;

knowledge of the quality of never losing mindfulness and the nature of perpetual equanimity; knowledge of the knowledge of all things, the knowledge of the aspects of the path, and the knowledge of all aspects; knowledge of wholesome and unwholesome dharmas; knowledge of determinate and indeterminate dharmas; knowledge of contaminated and uncontaminated dharmas; knowledge of mundane and supramundane dharmas; and knowledge of conditioned and unconditioned dharmas.

These constitute the noble Dharma.

The fruit of the noble Dharma is the permanent severance of the continuity of all habitual tendencies of the afflictions.

The Venerable Subhuti again addressed the Buddha:

“Blessed One! Can great bodhisattvas also attain the knowledge of all aspects?”

The Buddha said to Subhuti:

“Indeed! Indeed! Great bodhisattvas can also attain the knowledge of all aspects.”

The Venerable Subhuti again addressed the Buddha:

“If great bodhisattvas can also attain the knowledge of all aspects, how do they differ from the Buddha?”

The Buddha said to Subhuti:

“Great bodhisattvas attain the knowledge of all aspects only in part. The Buddhas, the Blessed Ones, have attained the knowledge of all aspects in its entirety. Why is this?

It is not that bodhisattvas and the Buddhas, the Blessed Ones, differ intrinsically. Rather, both bodhisattvas and the Buddhas, the Blessed Ones, abide in the undifferentiated nature of all dharmas. One who seeks complete and perfect knowledge of all dharmas is called a bodhisattva; one who has reached the ultimate culmination is called a Buddha, a Blessed One.

Yet the Buddha, the Blessed One, illuminates the individual characteristics and common characteristics of all dharmas without obscurity and with complete purity. While at the causal stage, one is called a bodhisattva; upon reaching the resultant stage, one is called a Buddha, a Blessed One. For this reason, although bodhisattvas and Buddhas, the Blessed Ones, both attain the knowledge of all aspects, there is a difference between them.

“Subhuti! This is called the mundane gift of Dharma made by a great bodhisattva. Based upon this mundane gift of Dharma, great bodhisattvas can further practice the supramundane gift of Dharma. That is, when cultivating the profound prajnaparamita, great bodhisattvas first employ skillful means to bestow mundane wholesome dharmas upon sentient beings. They then cause those beings to become disenchanted with mundane wholesome dharmas and establish them in the uncontaminated, supramundane noble Dharma, ultimately enabling them to attain the knowledge of all things.

“Subhuti! What is called the supramundane noble Dharma? When great bodhisattvas explain, reveal, and clearly distinguish it for sentient beings, this is called the gift of Dharma.

“Subhuti! All wholesome dharmas that are not shared with ordinary beings and that, when correctly cultivated, enable sentient beings to transcend the world entirely and dwell in peace are these: the thirty-seven factors of enlightenment; the three gateways to liberation; the eight liberations; the eight spheres of mastery; the nine successive absorptions; the ten totalities; knowledge of the Four Noble Truths; knowledge of the paramitas and knowledge of the various kinds of emptiness; the ten bodhisattva grounds; the five kinds of eyes; the six superknowledges; the ten powers of a Tathagata; the four fearlessnesses; the four unobstructed understandings; great loving-kindness, great compassion, great sympathetic joy, and great equanimity; the eighteen unique qualities of a Buddha;

great loving-kindness, great compassion, great sympathetic joy, and great equanimity; the thirty-two excellent marks and the eighty minor characteristics of a Great Being; and all dharani gateways and samadhi gateways.

All such wholesome, uncontaminated dharmas are called the supramundane noble Dharma. Any great bodhisattva who explains, reveals, and clearly distinguishes such dharmas for sentient beings is said to make the bodhisattva's supramundane gift of Dharma.

“Subhuti! What, herein, are called the thirty-seven factors of enlightenment? They are the four foundations of mindfulness, the four right efforts, the four bases of supernormal power, the five faculties, the five powers, the seven factors of enlightenment, and the Noble Eightfold Path.

“Subhuti! These are the thirty-seven factors of enlightenment.

“Subhuti! The four foundations of mindfulness are as follows: With regard to the body internally, the body externally, and the body both internally and externally, a great bodhisattva contemplates the body, fully endowed with right diligence, right comprehension, and right mindfulness, having removed craving and sorrow concerning the world. The bodhisattva contemplates the arising of the body and contemplates the dissolution of the body.

Because that person contemplates the body, contemplates the arising of the body, and contemplates the dissolution of the body, one sees that there is nothing upon which to rely and therefore grasps at nothing in any world. This is the first foundation of mindfulness. The same applies to feelings, mind, and dharmas.

These are called the four foundations of mindfulness.

“Subhuti! The four right efforts are as follows: Wishing to ensure that unwholesome dharmas not yet arisen will never arise; wishing to ensure that unwholesome dharmas already arisen will be permanently eliminated; wishing to cause wholesome dharmas not yet arisen to arise; and wishing to ensure that wholesome dharmas already arisen will long endure without being lost, increasing their cultivation so as to attain vast knowledge, a great bodhisattva arouses the aspiration to strive diligently and disciplines the mind. These are called the four right efforts.

“Subhuti! The four bases of supernormal power are as follows: A great bodhisattva cultivates the basis of supernormal power endowed with the activity of abandonment through the samadhi of aspiration; cultivates the basis of supernormal power endowed with the activity of abandonment through the samadhi of diligence; cultivates the basis of supernormal power endowed with the activity of abandonment through the samadhi of mind; and cultivates the basis of supernormal power endowed with the activity of abandonment through the samadhi of contemplation—relying upon disenchantment, relying upon dispassion, relying upon cessation, and directing them toward relinquishment. These are the four bases of supernormal power.

“The five faculties are a great bodhisattva's faculty of faith, faculty of diligence, faculty of mindfulness, faculty of concentration, and faculty of wisdom. These are the five faculties.

“Subhuti! The five powers are a great bodhisattva's power of faith, power of diligence, power of mindfulness, power of concentration, and power of wisdom. These are the five powers.”

Subhuti! The seven factors of enlightenment are: the bodhisattva’s enlightenment factor of mindfulness, enlightenment factor of investigation of dharmas, enlightenment factor of energy, enlightenment factor of joy, enlightenment factor of tranquility, enlightenment factor of concentration, and enlightenment factor of equanimity. These are the seven factors of enlightenment.

Subhuti! The eight factors of the noble path are: the bodhisattva’s right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration. These are the eight factors of the noble path.

Subhuti! The three gates of liberation are the bodhisattva’s Dharma gates of emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness. What is the Dharma gate of liberation through emptiness?

It is when a bodhisattva collects the mind into one course by contemplating the emptiness of non-self. This is called the gate of liberation through emptiness. What is the Dharma gate of liberation through signlessness?

It is when a bodhisattva collects the mind into one course by contemplating quiescence and cessation. This is called the Dharma gate of liberation through signlessness. What is called the Dharma gate of liberation through wishlessness?

It is when a bodhisattva collects the mind into one course by contemplating suffering and impermanence. This is called the Dharma gate of liberation through wishlessness.

Subhuti! The eight liberations are as follows: A bodhisattva possessing internal form contemplates external forms. This is the first liberation.

With the perception of internal formlessness, one contemplates external forms. This is the second liberation. One personally realizes purity within the body.

This is the third liberation. Transcending all perceptions of form, eliminating perceptions of resistance, and not attending to perceptions of diversity, one enters the concentration of the sphere of infinite space, thinking, “Space is infinite,” and fully abides therein. This is the fourth liberation.

Transcending the entire sphere of infinite space, one enters the concentration of the sphere of infinite consciousness, thinking, “Consciousness is infinite,” and fully abides therein. This is the fifth liberation. Transcending the entire sphere of infinite consciousness, one enters the concentration of the sphere of nothingness, thinking, “There is nothing whatsoever,” and fully abides therein.

This is the sixth liberation. Transcending the entire sphere of nothingness, one enters the concentration of the sphere of neither perception nor non-perception and fully abides therein. This is the seventh liberation.

Transcending the entire sphere of neither perception nor non-perception, one enters the concentration of the cessation of perception and feeling and fully abides therein. This is the eighth liberation.

Subhuti! The nine successive concentrations are as follows: A bodhisattva, having withdrawn from sensual desires and unwholesome states, with initial and sustained application of thought, enters the first dhyana, which is born of seclusion and accompanied by joy and bliss, and fully abides therein. This is the first stage of concentration.

With the subsiding of initial and sustained application of thought, inwardly tranquil and unified in mind, free from initial and sustained application of thought, one enters the second dhyana, which is born of concentration and accompanied by joy and bliss, and fully abides therein. This is the second stage of concentration. With the fading of joy, one abides in equanimity, with right mindfulness and right comprehension, personally experiencing the bliss of which the noble ones teach, “One who has equanimity and mindfulness abides in bliss”; one enters the third dhyana and fully abides therein.

This is the third stage of concentration. Having abandoned pleasure and abandoned pain, with the previous disappearance of joy and sorrow, one enters the fourth dhyana, which is neither painful nor pleasant and in which mindfulness is purified by equanimity, and abides therein. This is the fourth stage of concentration.

Transcending all perceptions of form, eliminating perceptions of resistance, and not attending to perceptions of diversity, one enters the concentration of the sphere of infinite space, thinking, “Space is infinite,” and fully abides therein. This is the fifth stage of concentration. Thus, continuing up to transcending the entire sphere of neither perception nor non-perception, one enters the concentration of the cessation of perception and feeling and fully abides therein.

This is the ninth stage of concentration.

Subhuti! The knowledges of the four noble truths are: the bodhisattva’s knowledge of suffering, knowledge of its origin, knowledge of its cessation, and knowledge of the path.

Subhuti! The paramitas are the bodhisattva’s paramitas of generosity, pure morality, patient acceptance, energy, dhyana, prajnaparamita, skillful means, sublime aspiration, power, and knowledge. These are the paramitas.

Subhuti! Knowledge of the emptinesses of all dharmas is the bodhisattva’s knowledge and understanding of internal emptiness through to the emptiness of the nonexistence of intrinsic nature, and knowledge and understanding of true suchness through to the inconceivable realm. This is knowledge of the emptinesses of all dharmas.

Subhuti! The ten bodhisattva grounds are: the Ground of Utmost Joy, the Stainless Ground, the Luminous Ground, the Ground of Blazing Wisdom, the Ground Difficult to Conquer, the Ground of Manifest Presence, the Far-Going Ground, the Immovable Ground, the Ground of Excellent Wisdom, and the Dharma-Cloud Ground. These are the bodhisattva’s ten grounds.

Subhuti! The five kinds of eyes sought by a bodhisattva are: the physical eye, the divine eye, the eye of noble wisdom, the Dharma eye, and the Buddha eye.

Subhuti! The six superknowledges cultivated and studied by a bodhisattva are: the direct knowledge of psychic powers, the direct knowledge of the divine eye, the direct knowledge of the divine ear, the direct knowledge of others’ minds, the direct knowledge of recollecting former abodes, and the direct knowledge of the exhaustion of the defilements. These are the six superknowledges.

Subhuti! The ten powers of a Tathagata are as follows: The Tathagatas, Worthy Ones, Perfectly and Completely Awakened Ones, know according to reality what is possible as possible and what is impossible as impossible. This is the first power. The Tathagatas, Worthy Ones, Perfectly and Completely Awakened Ones, know according to reality the past, present, and future karma of sentient beings, as well as the causes of maturation and the circumstances in which dharmas are experienced. This is the second power. The Tathagatas, Worthy Ones, Perfectly and Completely Awakened Ones, know according to reality the various and diverse realms of sentient beings. This is the third power.

The Tathagatas, Worthy Ones, Perfectly and Completely Awakened Ones, know according to reality the various kinds of understanding and the various modes of initial and sustained application of thought. This is the fourth power. The Tathagatas, Worthy Ones, Perfectly and Completely Awakened Ones, know according to reality the superior and inferior faculties of sentient beings.

This is the fifth power. The Tathagatas, Worthy Ones, Perfectly and Completely Awakened Ones, know according to reality the courses of conduct leading to the various realms. This is the sixth power.

The Tathagatas, Worthy Ones, Perfectly and Completely Awakened Ones, know according to reality the differing establishments of all dhyanas, liberations, samadhis, and attainments, together with their defilement and purification. This is the seventh power.

With the divine eye, purified and surpassing that of humans, the Tathagatas, Worthy Ones, Perfectly and Completely Awakened Ones, see the good and evil circumstances of sentient beings at death and rebirth. Because of evil karma of body, speech, and mind, because of wrong views, and because of reviling noble and virtuous ones, these sentient beings fall into evil destinies. Through sublime conduct of body, speech, and mind, through right views, and through praising noble and virtuous ones, these sentient beings are born in good destinies.

Again, with the divine eye, purified and surpassing that of humans, they see sentient beings of beautiful and ugly appearance dying and being reborn in good and evil destinies. They know according to reality that sentient beings are born in good or evil destinies in accordance with the force of their karma. This is the eighth power.

The Tathagatas, Worthy Ones, Perfectly and Completely Awakened Ones, know according to reality innumerable events in the past lives of sentient beings. They clearly know their deeds, words, and appearances in one life, ten lives, a hundred lives, a thousand lives, or immeasurable lives; or during one kalpa, ten kalpas, a hundred kalpas, a thousand kalpas, or immeasurable kalpas. This is the ninth power.

The Tathagatas, Worthy Ones, Perfectly and Completely Awakened Ones, know according to reality the exhaustion of the defilements, the undefiled liberation of mind, and the undefiled liberation through wisdom. Having directly realized true liberation, utterly ended the afflictions, and fully abided therein, they know according to reality: “Birth has been exhausted; craving is no more; what had to be done has been done; there will be no further samsaric existence.” This is the tenth power. These are the ten powers of a Tathagata.

Subhuti! The four fearlessnesses are as follows: The Tathagatas, Arhats, Perfectly and Completely Awakened Ones, declare of themselves: “I am a Perfectly and Completely Awakened One.” Suppose a shramana or brahmin, Mara or Brahma, or anyone else in the world, were to challenge this in accordance with the Dharma, or seek to make it be thought or remembered that, with respect to some dharma, the Buddha is not Perfectly and Completely Awakened.

I clearly perceive that such a challenge has no basis. Because I clearly perceive that challenge to be baseless, I dwell secure and fearless, declaring that I occupy the position of the Buddha, the World-Honored One. In the midst of the great assembly, I roar the lion’s roar and turn the great Brahma wheel, which no shramana, brahmin, Mara, Brahma, or anyone else in the world can possibly turn in accordance with the Dharma.

This is the first fearlessness.

Or the Tathagatas, Arhats, Perfectly and Completely Awakened Ones, declare of themselves: “I have forever extinguished all afflictions.” Suppose a shramana, brahmin, Mara, Brahma, or anyone in any other world were to challenge this in accordance with the Dharma, seeking to make it be thought that the Buddha has not yet forever eliminated these afflictions. I clearly perceive that such a challenge has no basis. Because I clearly perceive that challenge to be baseless, I dwell secure and fearless, declaring that I occupy the position of the Buddha, the World-Honored One.

In the midst of the great assembly, I roar the lion’s roar and turn the great Brahma wheel, which no shramana, brahmin, Mara, Brahma, or anyone in any other world can possibly turn in accordance with the Dharma. This is the second fearlessness.

Or the Tathagatas, Arhats, Perfectly and Completely Awakened Ones, declare of themselves: “I teach my disciples the dharmas that can obstruct defilement.” Suppose a shramana or brahmin, Mara, Brahma, or anyone else in the world were to challenge this in accordance with the Dharma, or seek to make it be thought that there is a defilement these dharmas cannot obstruct. I clearly perceive that such a challenge has no basis.

Because I clearly perceive that challenge to be baseless, I dwell secure and fearless, declaring that I occupy the position of the Buddha, the World-Honored One. In the midst of the great assembly, I roar the lion’s roar and turn the great Brahma wheel, which no shramana, brahmin, Mara, Brahma, or anyone else in the world can possibly turn in accordance with the Dharma. This is the third fearlessness.

Or the Tathagatas, Arhats, Perfectly and Completely Awakened Ones, declare of themselves: “I teach my disciples the path of emancipation which, when cultivated by the noble ones, assuredly brings emancipation, certain penetration, and the complete ending of all suffering to its furthest limit.” Suppose a shramana or brahmin, Mara, Brahma, or anyone else in the world were to challenge this in accordance with the Dharma, or seek to make it be thought that someone cultivating this path does not attain right emancipation, does not attain right penetration, does not completely end suffering, and cannot wholly transcend suffering.

I clearly perceive that such a challenge has no basis. Because I clearly perceive that challenge to be baseless, I dwell secure and fearless, declaring that I occupy the position of the Buddha, the World-Honored One. In the midst of the great assembly, I roar the lion’s roar and turn the great Brahma wheel, which no shramana, brahmin, Mara, Brahma, or anyone else in the world can possibly turn in accordance with the Dharma.

This is the fourth fearlessness. These are the four fearlessnesses.

Subhuti! The four unobstructed understandings are: unobstructed understanding of meaning, unobstructed understanding of Dharma, unobstructed understanding of language, and unobstructed understanding of eloquence.

Subhuti! What is unobstructed understanding of meaning? It is the wisdom that clearly comprehends meanings and principles without impediment. What is unobstructed understanding of Dharma? It is wisdom unobstructed with respect to the teachings. What is unobstructed understanding of language? It is wisdom that thoroughly comprehends words and expressions. What is unobstructed understanding of eloquence? It is the wisdom of exposition and speech that proceeds without impediment.

Subhuti! The eighteen distinctive qualities of a Buddha are these: The Tathagatas, Arhats, Perfectly and Completely Awakened Ones, are always free from error; they do not speak harshly; their mindfulness never fails; their minds always abide in supreme meditative concentration; they have no undiscerning perceptions; they always exercise discerning equanimity; their aspiration to perform wholesome deeds never diminishes; their diligence never diminishes; their mindfulness never regresses; their wisdom never regresses; their liberation never regresses; their knowledge and vision of liberation never regress; their wisdom and knowledge of the past are without attachment or obstruction; their wisdom and knowledge of the present are without attachment or obstruction;

their wisdom and knowledge of the future are without attachment or obstruction; all their bodily actions are guided by wisdom and proceed in accordance with wisdom; all their verbal actions are guided by wisdom and proceed in accordance with wisdom; and all their mental actions are guided by wisdom and proceed in accordance with wisdom.

These are the eighteen distinctive qualities of a Buddha.

Furthermore, Subhuti! The thirty-two excellent marks of a Great Being are:

1. The soles of his feet are level and full, like the base of a casket. Although the ground may be uneven, wherever he steps, the entire sole immediately makes even contact with the ground, with no part failing to touch it. This is the first mark.

2. Beneath the Tathagata’s feet are designs of thousand-spoked wheels, whose rims, hubs, and other features are all perfectly rounded. This is the second mark.

3. The Tathagata’s hands and feet are soft and delicate, surpassing even dola cotton in softness. This is the third mark.

4. Like the king of geese, between the Tathagata’s fingers and toes are webbed membranes with patterns of pure gold interwoven like an embroidered picture. This is the fourth mark.

5. The Tathagata’s fingers and toes are rounded, slender, long, and exceedingly lovely. This is the fifth mark.

6. The Tathagata’s heels are broad, long, and full, proportionate to the insteps, surpassing those of all other sentient beings. This is the sixth mark.

7. The Tathagata’s insteps are long, high, full, soft, and beautiful, proportionate to his heels. This is the seventh mark.

8. The Tathagata’s calves taper gradually and are well rounded, like those of the king of Eṇeya deer. This is the eighth mark.

9. The Tathagata’s arms are rounded, long, and straight like the trunk of an elephant king; when he stands upright, his hands reach his knees. This is the ninth mark.

10. The Tathagata’s male organ is concealed, like that of a noble horse or an elephant king. This is the tenth mark.

11. From every pore of the Tathagata grows a single soft, blue-black hair curling toward the right. This is the eleventh mark.

12. The Tathagata’s body hairs grow straight and upward, curling toward the right; they are soft and blue-black, beautifully adorning his golden body. This is the twelfth mark.

13. The skin of the Tathagata’s body is fine, thin, smooth, and lustrous; dust, soil, water, and the like cannot adhere to it. This is the thirteenth mark.

14. The skin of the Tathagata’s body is entirely the color of pure gold, bright, immaculate, and radiant, like a beautiful golden dais adorned with precious objects and admired by all. This is the fourteenth mark.

15. Seven places—the soles of the Tathagata’s two feet, the palms of his two hands, his neck, and his two shoulders—are all full and rounded. This is the fifteenth mark.

16. The Tathagata’s shoulders and nape are rounded and beautiful. This is the sixteenth mark.

17. The Tathagata’s upper arms and armpits are full. This is the seventeenth mark.

18. The Tathagata’s bearing is tall, upright, and straight. This is the eighteenth mark.

19. The Tathagata’s bodily form is tall, majestic, and dignified. This is the nineteenth mark.

20. The Tathagata’s bodily proportions are broad, lofty, and perfectly rounded like a nyagrodha tree. This is the twentieth mark.

21. The Tathagata’s chin, chest, and upper body are imposing and broad like those of a lion king. This is the twenty-first mark.

22. Around the Tathagata's body, light constantly radiates to a distance of one fathom. This is the twenty-second mark.

23. The Tathagata has forty teeth, even, level, closely set, clean, and deeply rooted, whiter than snow-white kha-jewel. This is the twenty-third mark.

24. The Tathagata's four incisors are beautifully white and sharp. This is the twenty-fourth mark.

25. Whatever the Tathagata eats is transformed into the finest of all flavors. This is the twenty-fifth mark.

26. The Tathagata's tongue is thin, clean, long, and broad, capable of covering his entire face as far as his ears and hairline. This is the twenty-sixth mark.

27. The Tathagata's Brahma voice possesses words and intonations that are resonant and elegant; whether the assembly is large or small, all can hear its reverberating sound, like the sound of a celestial drum, while his utterance is melodious like the song of the kalavinka bird. This is the twenty-seventh mark.

28. The Tathagata's eyelashes resemble those of a royal blue-green ox, straight and not intermingled. This is the twenty-eighth mark.

29. The pupils of the Tathagata's eyes are blue-green, with clear whites, adorned all around by reddish circles, lustrous and distinct. This is the twenty-ninth mark.

30. The Tathagata's face resembles the full moon, and his eyebrows are bright and pure, like the bow of the king of the gods. This is the thirtieth mark.

31. Between the Tathagata's eyebrows is a mark of soft white hair, curling to the right like a tu-la blossom, pure, radiant, and whiter than snow-white kha-jewel. This is the thirty-first mark.

32. The fleshly protuberance upon the crown of the Tathagata's head rises high and rounded, like a celestial canopy. This is the thirty-second mark.

These are the thirty-two excellent marks of a Great Being.

Fascicle 469

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