金剛般若波羅蜜經論

The sutra states: “The Buddha said: Venerable Subhuti! Suppose there were as many Ganges Rivers as there are grains of sand in the Ganges River. What do you think? Would the number of grains of sand in all those Ganges Rivers be great?” Subhuti replied: “It would be exceedingly great, World-Honored One! The Ganges Rivers alone would already be innumerably many, how much more so their grains of sand.”

The Buddha said: “Subhuti! The Tathagata now speaks truthfully to you: If good men and good women were to fill innumerable worlds, as numerous as the grains of sand in all those Ganges Rivers just mentioned, with the seven kinds of precious treasures and offer them in charity to the Buddhas, the Tathagatas, what do you think? Would those good men and good women acquire much merit?” Subhuti replied: “Very much, World-Honored One! Those good men and good women would acquire exceedingly great merit.”

The Buddha said: “If, moreover, good men and good women were, with regard to this Dharma teaching, to receive and uphold even as little as a four-line verse and explain it to others, the merit acquired by these good men and good women would exceed the former merit by immeasurable asamkhyeyas.”

– The treatise states: Previously, a simile illustrating great merit was given. Why is it presented again here? The verse says:

Speaking of much, with distinct meanings,

Also by comparison, superiority is established;

The latter merit surpasses the former,

Therefore, a greater simile is given again.

What does this mean?

Previously, the simile of the trichiliocosm was used to demonstrate great merit. Now, immeasurable trichiliocosms are spoken of. Why was such a simile not given earlier? Because sentient beings are guided gradually, causing them to give rise to faith in the most sublime meaning. Furthermore, it had not previously been revealed through which surpassing virtues great bodhi could be attained. This simile establishes those virtues. Therefore, a simile greater than the former one is given again.

– The sutra states: “Furthermore, Subhuti! Wherever this Dharma teaching is proclaimed, even if only a four-line verse is taught, you should know that all devas, humans, and asuras in the world should make offerings at that place as though it were a stupa or shrine of the Buddha. How much more so if someone is able to receive, uphold, read, and recite this sutra in its entirety. Subhuti! You should know that such a person has accomplished the foremost, supreme, and rarest Dharma. Wherever this scripture is present, the Buddha is present, and it should therefore be revered as the Buddha.

At that time, Venerable Subhuti addressed the Buddha: “World-Honored One! What is this Dharma teaching called, and how should we uphold it?”

The Buddha said: “Subhuti! This Dharma teaching is called the Vajra Prajnaparamita. You should uphold it according to this name. Why? Subhuti! The Prajnaparamita spoken of by the Tathagata is not Prajnaparamita; therefore, it is called Prajnaparamita.

Subhuti! What do you think? Has the Tathagata taught any Dharma?” Subhuti replied: “World-Honored One! The Tathagata has not taught any Dharma.”

“Subhuti! What do you think? Are the minute particles of dust in the trichiliocosm numerous?” Subhuti replied: “World-Honored One! Those minute particles of dust are exceedingly numerous.”

“Subhuti! Those minute particles of dust are said by the Tathagata to be not minute particles of dust; therefore, they are called minute particles of dust. The world spoken of by the Tathagata is not a world; therefore, it is called a world.”

The Buddha said: “Subhuti! What do you think? Can the Tathagata be seen by means of the thirty-two marks of a Great Man?” Subhuti replied: “No, World-Honored One! Why? Because the thirty-two marks of a Great Man spoken of by the Tathagata are not marks; therefore, they are called the thirty-two marks of a Great Man.”

– The treatise states: How is it established that this merit is surpassing? The verse says:

Reverence in two places;

The cause accumulated realizes the great essence.

That cause accumulates afflictions;

This merit subdues defilement.

What does this mean?

Reverence in two places. The two places are:

1. The place where the teaching is proclaimed: Wherever this sutra is proclaimed, it causes people to conceive a wondrous and reverent regard for that place.

2. The person able to proclaim it: Whoever is able to receive, uphold, and expound it.

Because the sutra and treatise are revered, the seven kinds of precious treasures cannot compare with them, regardless of the place where those treasures are relinquished or the person able to relinquish them. Thus, reverence arises. This Dharma teaching serves as the supreme cause of the Dharma realized by all Buddhas, the Tathagatas. As the sutra states: “Subhuti replied: The Tathagata has not taught any Dharma.”

What does this mean here? There is no Dharma taught solely by one particular Tathagata that is not taught by the other Buddhas.

The merit acquired by giving precious treasures is a cause of defiling afflictions because it can give rise to matters involving affliction. This cause, however, reveals the abandonment of the causes of affliction. Therefore, the simile of minute particles of earth is given. As the sutra states: “Subhuti! Those minute particles of dust are said by the Tathagata to be not minute particles of dust; therefore, they are called minute particles of dust. The world spoken of by the Tathagata is not a world; therefore, it is called a world.”

Why is this said? Those minute particles are not the substance of afflictions such as greed and so forth. In this sense, they are called minute particles of earth.

That world is not the objective realm of the causes of defiling afflictions; therefore, it is called a world. What meaning does this clarify? The former merit is a cause of the defiling dust of afflictions; therefore, no external object of dust is apprehended.

That merit is close to the roots of goodness; how much more so is this merit, which can accomplish the Buddha’s bodhi and the marks of a Great Man and is thus supreme among merits. Therefore, receiving, upholding, and expounding this Dharma teaching can accomplish the Buddha’s bodhi and far surpasses that former merit. Why?

Because those marks are no marks with respect to the Buddha’s bodhi, and because that body is not the Dharma-body; hence they are called the marks of a Great Man. By virtue of those marks, the merit acquired from receiving, upholding, and expounding this Dharma teaching can accomplish the Buddha’s bodhi. Therefore, it is said that the former merit is not superior.

Furthermore, this merit can subdue the merit arising from precious treasures, how much more so that which this merit is inherently capable of subduing. Therefore, this merit is supreme. Thus, among merits such as that arising from giving and so forth, this merit is the most excellent; this has now been established.

– The sutra states: “The Buddha said: Subhuti! If good men and good women were to give away as many lives and bodies as there are grains of sand in the Ganges River, and if, moreover, someone were, within this Dharma teaching, to receive and uphold even as little as a four-line verse and explain it to others, the merit thereby acquired would be immeasurably and innumerably greater than in the former case.

At that time, Venerable Subhuti, having heard the Buddha expound the profound import of this sutra and having comprehended its deep meaning, was so moved that he shed tears. Wiping away his tears, he addressed the Buddha: “How rare, World-Honored One! How rare, Well-Gone One! The Buddha has expounded such a profound Dharma teaching. Although I have long since attained the wisdom-eye, I have never before heard such a Dharma teaching. Why? Because the Prajnaparamita spoken of by the Buddha is not Prajnaparamita. World-Honored One! If someone hears this sutra and gives rise to a pure mind of faith, then true form arises. One should know that such a person has accomplished the foremost and rarest merit.

World-Honored One! That true form is not true form; therefore, the Tathagata calls it true form, true form.”

World-Honored One! That I am now able to hear such a Dharma gate, believe, understand, accept, and uphold it is not sufficiently difficult. If, in a future age, there are beings who hear this Dharma gate and believe, understand, accept, and uphold it, such persons will indeed be supremely rare. Why? Because such persons have no notion of self, no notion of person, no notion of sentient being, and no notion of a living being. For the notion of self is itself no notion. The notions of person, sentient being, and living being are likewise no notions. Because those who are free from all notions are called Buddhas.

The Buddha told the Venerable Subhuti: “So it is! So it is! If someone hears this sutra and is neither startled, frightened, nor terrified, you should know that such a person is exceedingly rare. Why? Subhuti! What the Tathagata calls the foremost paramita is not the foremost paramita. The Tathagata expounds the foremost paramita, and immeasurable Buddhas also expound the foremost paramita; therefore, it is called the foremost paramita.”

– The Treatise states: From this point onward, the sutra once again makes clear that, among those merits, this merit is still more excellent.

What is the meaning of this? The verse says:

The suffering of the body surpasses that there;

Its rare significance accords with the above.

That wisdom and its farther shore are difficult to fathom,

And it is unlike other dharmas.

Firmly understanding the profound, true meaning,

It far surpasses other sutras.

Its cause is great, and it is pure;

Its merit excels among merits.

What is expressed by these two verses? Relinquishing one’s life is weightier than relinquishing wealth and jewels. Those good men and good women relinquished immeasurable lives in this way, yet in terms of the merit of the resulting recompense, this merit far surpasses that merit.

Why? Because when good men and good women relinquish their lives, they cause body and mind to suffer. How much more so when they relinquish them for the sake of the Dharma, continually contemplating that bodily suffering.

The Venerable Subhuti, whose life was wisdom, revered the Dharma and therefore sorrowfully shed tears. As the sutra says: At that time, the Venerable Subhuti heard the Buddha expound the profound and wondrous purport of that sutra. Having comprehended its deep meaning and principle, he was moved to tears.

Thus, this Dharma gate is rare. Why? Although the Venerable Subhuti already possessed the eye of wisdom, he had never before heard it; therefore, it is rare, as the sutra clearly states.

Furthermore, this Dharma gate is foremost because it expounds the prajnaparamita. How is the foregoing meaning established here? As the sutra says: “Why? Subhuti! What the Buddha calls the prajnaparamita is not the prajnaparamita.”

Why is this said? Because that wisdom is the wisdom of the paramita, no one can fathom it; therefore, it is said to be no paramita. Furthermore, this Dharma gate is unequaled. Why? Because herein is the true mark, whereas other things are not the true mark. Apart from the Buddha-Dharma, all other domains are unreal. Since this had never existed in those domains, faith in it had never arisen. Because of this meaning, the sutra says: “World-Honored One! If someone hears this sutra and gives rise to a mind of pure faith, the true mark will arise; one should know that such a person has accomplished supremely rare merit.”

Furthermore, this Dharma gate is profound, wondrous, firm, and true. Why? Because one who accepts and upholds this sutra, contemplates it, and cultivates it no longer gives rise to notions of self and so forth.

Furthermore, not giving rise to notions of self and so forth indicates the ability to apprehend the non-inverted characteristic of an object of cognition.

The notions of self and so forth are themselves no notions: this indicates that the apprehending subject can retain the non-inverted characteristic of the object of cognition. These two kinds of wisdom of non-self elucidate the emptiness of self and the emptiness of dharmas. The sequence is thus, as the sutra says: “Why? Because such a person has no notion of self, no notion of person, no notion of sentient being, and no notion of a living being. Why? Because the notion of self is itself no notion. The notions of person, sentient being, and living being are likewise no notions. Because those who are free from all such notions are called Buddhas.”

The Tathagata expounded such a meaning for the Venerable Subhuti.

+ Startled: This means that in an improper place, fear arises; therefore, it is called being startled, because there is cause for reproach, as when one travels on the wrong road.

+ Frightened: This is the essence of a fearful mind, arising because the mind is unable to eliminate doubt.

+ Terrified: This is utter fear, when the mind falls entirely into dread and therefore withdraws far from that place. As the sutra states: “Neither startled, frightened, nor terrified.”

Furthermore, this Dharma gate far surpasses other sutras. As the sutra says: “Why? Subhuti! What the Tathagata calls the foremost paramita is not the foremost paramita.”

Furthermore, this Dharma gate is called a great cause. As the sutra says: “The Tathagata speaks of the foremost paramita.”

Furthermore, this Dharma gate is called pure because immeasurable Buddhas have expounded it. As the sutra says: “Immeasurable Buddhas also expound the paramita. Therefore, it is called the foremost paramita.”

The giving of jewels does not possess such merits; therefore, compared with that merit, this merit is superior. Thus has this been established.

From this point onward, the text of the sutra again aims to eliminate a doubt. What is the doubt? It was just said that when one relinquishes one’s life as an act of giving, the merit obtained is inferior. Accordingly, in reliance upon this Dharma gate, accepting, upholding, and expounding it may be compared with the ascetic practices of bodhisattvas, yet such ascetic practices also produce a painful result. Why, then, does this Dharma gate not produce a painful result? To eliminate this doubt, the sutra presents the following.

– The sutra says: “Subhuti! What the Tathagata calls the paramita of patience is not the paramita of patience. Why? Subhuti! Long ago, when King Kali cut apart my body, at that time I had no notions of self, person, sentient being, or living being; I was without notions, yet not without notions. Why? Subhuti! When the limbs of my body were thus cut apart, had I given rise to notions of self, person, sentient being, or living being, I would have given rise to anger.

“Subhuti! I further recall that in the past, for five hundred lifetimes, I was an ascetic cultivating patience, and throughout all those lifetimes I had none of the foregoing notions. Therefore, Subhuti, a bodhisattva should relinquish all notions and generate the bodhi mind that seeks to attain unsurpassed, complete awakening.

Why? Because if the mind abides anywhere, it does not truly abide. One should not generate a mind that abides in form.

One should not generate a mind that abides in sound, scent, taste, touch, or dharmas. One should generate the mind without abiding anywhere. Therefore, the Buddha says that a bodhisattva should practice giving with a mind that does not abide in form.

Subhuti! For the sake of benefiting all sentient beings, a bodhisattva should practice giving in this way.” Subhuti said: “World-Honored One! The characteristics of all sentient beings are themselves no characteristics.

Why? Because what the Tathagata calls all sentient beings are not sentient beings.”

– The Treatise states: What meaning does this reveal? The verse says:

Able to endure amid ascetic practices,

Because goodness is present within such practices,

That merit cannot be measured;

Such is its supremely excellent meaning.

Free from notions of self and anger,

In truth, there is no affliction in suffering.

With loving-kindness and compassion, one shares in others’ joy;

Such is the fruit of ascetic practice.

What is expressed by these two verses?

Although that ascetic practice likewise entails a painful result, this ascetic practice brings no weariness because the paramita of patience is called foremost.

The farther shore of liberation has two meanings:

1. The essence of the paramita is a pure root of goodness.

2. The merit of the farther shore of liberation is immeasurable. As the sutra says: “It is not a paramita.”

“Not a paramita” means that no one can comprehend the merit of the farther shore of liberation; therefore, it is said to be no paramita. Thus, because it realizes the foremost Dharma, this ascetic practice far surpasses relinquishing one’s life, all the more so because it is free from the notions of self and anger.

Moreover, this practice is not suffering; not only is it free from suffering, it is also joyful, because it is accompanied by compassion. As the sutra says: “At that time, I had no perception of a self,” up to: “No perception is itself also not a perception.” This clarifies that the mind is conjoined with compassion; therefore, it is stated in this way.

If a bodhisattva does not relinquish the perception of a self, that bodhisattva perceives suffering, practices with suffering, and may also wish to abandon the aspiration for bodhi. Therefore, the sutra says: “For this reason, Subhuti, a bodhisattva should relinquish all perceptions,” and so forth. What meaning does this clarify? Before the supreme aspiration for bodhi has arisen, such a fault exists. To prevent this fault, the verse states:

So that the arisen aspiration is not abandoned,

Practice must also be steadfast;

Through the perfection of patience,

The mind practices and learns well.

What does this mean? With what thoughts and modes of conduct should one cultivate? What thoughts do not relinquish perceptions? The verse says:

Through the perfection of patience,

The mind practices and learns well.

Furthermore, the mind of ultimate truth is that which, having entered the first bhumi, has attained the perfection of patience. This is called the non-abiding mind. Therefore, the sutra says: “For this reason, Subhuti, a bodhisattva should relinquish all perceptions and give rise to the aspiration for bodhi, seeking to attain unsurpassed perfect awakening.” Why? To reveal the meaning of giving rise to a non-abiding mind. If the mind abides in dharmas such as form and so forth, that mind does not abide in the Buddha’s bodhi. This clarifies the practice of giving while the mind does not abide. This passage of the sutra speaks of the non-abiding mind giving rise to skillful practice, because the perfection of giving encompasses all six perfections.

How can one cultivate and benefit sentient beings without this being called abiding in the affairs of sentient beings? To eliminate this doubt, the sutra says: “Subhuti, because a bodhisattva benefits all sentient beings, he should practice giving in this way.” What meaning does this clarify? The verse states:

Practice benefits sentient beings;

Thus, its cause should be understood.

Sentient beings and the perceptions of their affairs

Should also be understood as things to relinquish.

What does this mean? Benefiting others is the essence of the cause; therefore, a bodhisattva cultivates the practice of benefiting sentient beings but does not grasp the perceptions of the affairs of sentient beings. What are the affairs of sentient beings? The verse states:

Provisional designation and the affairs of the skandhas—

The Tathagata is free from these perceptions.

All Buddhas are without duality,

Because they clearly perceive true Dharma.

What meaning does this express? “Sentient being” refers to the perception of a sentient being and to the affairs of those skandhas. How does a bodhisattva cultivate the relinquishment of the perceptions of the affairs of sentient beings?

What is called a perception by a bodhisattva is not a perception, because such things have no real substance. For this reason, a sentient being is not a sentient being. Through what dharmas is this so?

The five skandhas are designated as a sentient being, yet those five skandhas are not the essence of a sentient being, because they are not real. This reveals the selflessness of dharmas and the selflessness of persons. Why?

Because all Buddhas and Tathagatas are free from every perception. This statement explains that those two perceptions are not real. The verse says:

The Tathagata is free from these perceptions.

All Buddhas are without duality,

Because they clearly perceive true Dharma.

What meaning does this express? If those two things truly existed, the Buddhas and Tathagatas should possess those two perceptions. Why? Because the Buddhas and Tathagatas perceive reality.

– The sutra says: “Subhuti, the Tathagata is one who speaks truthfully, speaks truly, speaks in accordance with suchness, and speaks without contradiction. Subhuti, the Dharma attained by the Tathagata and the Dharma taught by the Tathagata are neither real nor false speech.”

– The treatise states: Here a doubt arises: Since there is no path in the attainment of the fruit, how can a bodhisattva create a cause for the fruit? To eliminate this doubt, the sutra says: “Subhuti, the Tathagata is one who speaks truthfully, speaks truly, speaks in accordance with suchness, and speaks without contradiction.”

What meanings do these four statements reveal? The verse says:

Although the fruit does not abide in the path,

The path can nevertheless serve as its cause.

Because the Buddhas speak truly,

Their wisdom is of four kinds.

What does this mean? There are four kinds of objects of cognition; therefore, the Tathagata has four kinds of speech in accordance with reality. What are the four? The verse states:

True wisdom and the Lesser Vehicle,

The teaching of the Mahayana Dharma,

And all predictions of awakening—

His words concerning these are not false.

What meaning does this clarify? Because the Tathagata possesses true wisdom and does not speak falsely, his statements concerning the Buddha’s bodhi, the Lesser Vehicle, the Great Vehicle, and predictions of awakening are all free from falsehood. Corresponding to these four objects, the four kinds of speech are stated in sequence. As the sutra says: “Subhuti, the Tathagata is one who speaks truthfully, speaks truly, speaks in accordance with suchness, and speaks without contradiction.”

+ He does not speak falsely concerning the Lesser Vehicle: The truths of suffering and so forth taught in the Lesser Vehicle are indeed truths.

+ He does not speak falsely concerning the Great Vehicle: He teaches the selflessness of dharmas and true suchness. True suchness is precisely true suchness.

+ He does not speak falsely concerning predictions of awakening: He gives predictions concerning all things past, present, and future, teaching in accordance with their meaning and without distortion.

The sutra further says: “Subhuti, the Dharma attained by the Tathagata and the Dharma taught by the Tathagata are neither real nor false speech.”

Why is this said? The verse states:

In conformity with that true wisdom,

It is said to be neither real nor false.

To counteract taking heard sounds

As realization, it is stated in this way.

What does this mean? The Dharma taught by the Buddhas cannot itself enable one to obtain the very Dharma realized by the Buddhas; it merely accords with its meaning. Through the Dharma that is taught, the Dharma realized by them cannot be grasped. If one takes the sounds heard as though they were that meaning, they are therefore not real. Yet because this Dharma that is taught accords with the Dharma realized by them, it is therefore not false speech.

If so, why is it said that the Tathagata attains Dharma and teaches Dharma? It is said in reliance upon letters and phrases. Why, then, did the Tathagata first say that the Tathagata speaks truthfully and so forth, and afterward say that the Dharma taught is neither real nor false speech? The verse states:

To counteract taking heard sounds

As realization, it is stated in this way.

– The sutra says: “Subhuti, suppose a person enters darkness and sees nothing at all. If a bodhisattva abides in things with his mind while practicing giving, it is likewise so. Subhuti, suppose a person with eyes sees, when the darkness of night has ended and the sunlight shines brightly, a multitude of forms. If a bodhisattva practices giving without abiding in things, it is likewise so.”

– The treatise states: Another doubt arises: If noble beings are called noble because of the unconditioned Dharma of true suchness, and that true suchness exists at all times and in all places, why should the mind not abide? To attain the Buddha’s bodhi, it cannot be that one does not abide. If true suchness truly exists at all times and in all places, why are some able to attain it while others are not?

To eliminate this doubt, the analogies of entering darkness and so forth are given. The verse says:

It truly exists at all times and in all places,

Yet true suchness is not attained.

Those without wisdom fail because they abide in dharmas;

Others, possessing wisdom, attain it.

What does this mean?

+ All times: Past, present, and future.

+ All places: The three periods of time.

Sentient beings all truly possess the Dharma of true suchness; why, then, do they not attain it? The verse states:

Those without wisdom fail because they abide in dharmas.

Those persons lack wisdom because their minds abide in dharmas. What further meaning does this have? It means that they are not purified. Those possessing wisdom do not let their minds abide in dharmas and therefore can attain it. For this reason, the Buddhas and Tathagatas are said to possess purified true suchness. Thus, when the mind abides, the Buddha’s bodhi cannot be attained.

Furthermore, what meaning does this analogy reveal? The verse states:

Darkness and light: the deluded lack wisdom;

Light is like possessing wisdom.

The counteragent and what it opposes—

In this way, the opposed dharma is extinguished.

What does this mean? The analogy of light and darkness concerns corresponding dharmas. Darkness indicates the absence of wisdom. The illuminating sunlight indicates the presence of wisdom. What meaning does the person with eyes clarify? The verse states:

The counteragent of the opposing dharma—

In this way, that dharma is extinguished.

Is this the sequence?

Furthermore, the person with eyes is like the agent capable of obtaining the counteracting Dharma.

The darkness has ended: This means that the dark dharma, the object to be counteracted, has ceased.

The sunlight shines brightly: This is like the dharma that serves as the counteragent becoming present. As the sutra says: “Subhuti! Suppose a person enters a dark place and sees nothing at all,” and so forth.

– The sutra states: “Furthermore, Subhuti! If a good man or good woman is able to accept and retain, read and recite, and cultivate this Dharma gate, the Tathagata, through the Buddha’s wisdom, fully knows that person, fully sees that person, and fully comprehends that person, who has thereby accomplished immeasurable and boundless accumulations of merit. Subhuti! If good men or good women, in the first part of the day, were to give away bodies and lives as numerous as the sands of the Ganges; and in the middle and latter parts of the day were likewise to practice giving in this manner—thus relinquishing immeasurable bodies and lives in a single day—and were to continue giving their bodies in this manner throughout hundreds of thousands of myriads of kotis of nayutas of kalpas; yet if another person, upon hearing this Dharma gate expounded, had a mind of faith and did not disparage it, the merit thereby obtained would surpass that of the former case by immeasurable asamkhyeyas. How much more so for one who copies, accepts and retains, reads and recites, cultivates it, and extensively explains it to others.”

– The treatise states: What meaning is further explained from this point onward? The verse says:

In what dharma does one cultivate?

What merits does one obtain?

And what meaning does one accomplish?

Thus is cultivation explained.

+ In what dharma does one cultivate?: This reveals the practice.

How is it revealed? The verse says:

The written words comprise three dharmas:

Accepting and retaining, hearing, and explaining extensively.

Cultivation comes from others and within;

What is heard becomes cultivated wisdom.

What does this mean? With regard to the written words, one accomplishes wisdom derived from hearing. This has three kinds:

1. Accepting.

2. Retaining.

3. Reading and reciting.

How is this known? The verse says:

Accepting and retaining, hearing, and explaining extensively.

Accepting, retaining, and cultivating rely upon the dharma of comprehensive retention. Reading, reciting, and cultivating rely upon the expansiveness of wisdom derived from hearing. Reading and extensively studying many teachings is also called wisdom derived from hearing. These are the three kinds of cultivation with regard to the written words. As the sutra says: “Furthermore, Subhuti! If a good man or good woman is able to accept and retain, read and recite this Dharma gate.”

What does that practitioner attain through cultivation? The verse states:

Cultivation comes from others and within;

What is heard becomes cultivated wisdom.

What does this mean? It means cultivating and attaining the characteristic through others and within oneself.

What is meant by “through others and within oneself”? It means hearing and cultivating, in that sequence. One hears the Dharma from another and inwardly reflects upon it oneself; this is how cultivation is attained.

The written words and the cultivation arising from them have now been explained. This pertains to oneself. The verse states:

This brings oneself to complete maturity;

The remainder is transforming sentient beings.

Through the greatness of the deed and the time,

Among merits, this merit is superior.

What does this mean? Those written words constitute wisdom derived from hearing. Cultivation brings oneself to complete maturity. The remainder is transforming sentient beings by extensively explaining the Dharma. What merits does one obtain?: This reveals the superiority established through a comparison of merits. The verse says:

Through the greatness of the deed and the time,

Among merits, this merit is superior.

Here, the merit arising from relinquishing one’s body and life is greater than the previously mentioned merit that also arose from relinquishing one’s body and life. Why is it greater? Because the deed is greater and the duration is vast: throughout a single day, one relinquishes many bodies and lives, and then continues for a very long time.

As the sutra says: “Subhuti! If a good man or good woman, in the first part of the day, were to give away bodies and lives as numerous as the sands of the Ganges,” continuing through: “Yet if another person, upon hearing this Dharma gate expounded, had a mind of faith and did not disparage it, the merit thereby obtained would surpass that of the former case by immeasurable asamkhyeyas. How much more so for one who copies, accepts and retains, reads and recites, cultivates it, and extensively explains it to others.”

– The sutra states: “Subhuti! To state it briefly, this sutra possesses boundless, inconceivable, and inexpressible merit. The Tathagata expounds this Dharma gate for those who have set forth in the Great Vehicle and for those who have set forth in the Supreme Vehicle. If a person is able to accept and retain, read and recite, and cultivate this sutra, and extensively expound it to others, the Tathagata fully knows and clearly sees that person, who has accomplished immeasurable, boundless, inconceivable, and incalculable accumulations of merit. Such people thereby undertake and accomplish the Tathagata’s fruit of unsurpassed, complete, perfect enlightenment. Why is this? Subhuti! Those who delight in the Lesser Vehicle cannot accept and retain, read and recite, cultivate, or explain this sutra to others. If a person holds views of a self, a person, a sentient being, or a living being, it is impossible for that person to accept and retain, read and recite, cultivate, or explain this Dharma gate to others. Subhuti! Wherever this sutra is present, all devas, humans, and asuras in the world should make offerings. Know that such a place is a stupa shrine. All should reverently bow before it, circumambulate it, and scatter various kinds of incense and flowers over that place.

“Furthermore, Subhuti! If good men or good women who accept and retain, read and recite this sutra are treated with contempt by others, this is because those good men and good women committed sinful karma in previous lives for which they should have fallen into the lower realms. Yet because in this life they accept and retain, read and recite this sutra, they merely suffer the contempt of others; the sinful karma from their previous lives is thereby extinguished, and they will attain unsurpassed enlightenment.

Subhuti! The Tathagata recalls that in the distant past, immeasurable asamkhyeyas of asamkhyeya kalpas ago, before the time of Dipankara Buddha, I encountered eight hundred and forty million nayutas of hundreds of thousands of myriads of Buddhas. The Tathagata attended upon and made offerings to them all, without ever failing to do so.

Subhuti! The Tathagata attended upon and made offerings to all those immeasurable Buddhas, without ever failing to do so. Yet if another person, in a future age, is able to accept and retain, read and recite, and cultivate this sutra, the merit thereby obtained, when compared with the merit the Tathagata obtained by making offerings to those Buddhas, is such that the Tathagata’s merit does not equal one hundredth, one thousandth, one ten-thousandth, or one hundred-millionth part of it.

Indeed, neither calculation nor analogy can fully express the measure of that person’s merit.

“Subhuti! If good men or good women, in a future age, are able to accept and retain, read and recite, and cultivate this sutra, and if the Tathagata were to describe their merit in full, some who heard it might become mentally deranged, doubtful, and unbelieving. Subhuti! Know that this Dharma gate is inconceivable and that its resulting recompense is also inconceivable.”

– The treatise states: What practices and karma are further accomplished through cultivation? The practices and karma of that cultivation will now be revealed. The verse says:

It is not the sphere of others;

It rests solely upon what the Great Person teaches.

Those of little learning who nevertheless believe this Dharma

Fulfill the unsurpassed realm.

Accepting and retaining the true and wondrous Dharma,

One gains merit by honoring it with one’s body,

And by leaving all hindrances far behind,

One can also swiftly realize the Dharma.

Accomplishing innumerable mighty powers,

One obtains a great and wondrous recompense.

Such is the supreme karma

Known through cultivating the Dharma.

What meanings do these three verses express?

+ It is inconceivable: This indicates the inconceivable sphere.

+ It is inexpressible: This pertains exclusively to Great Persons and is not shared with shravakas, because those who abide in the foremost Great Vehicle expound it for sentient beings. This indicates reliance upon the Great Person.

Furthermore, the term Great Vehicle means the most sublime Great Vehicle and its supreme cultivation.

Because those who believe in the Lesser Vehicle cannot comprehend this Dharma, this indicates that even those of little learning may nevertheless believe the Dharma. As the sutra states: “To state it briefly, this sutra possesses boundless, inconceivable, and inexpressible merit. The Tathagata expounds it for those who have set forth in the Great Vehicle and for those who have set forth in the Supreme Vehicle.”

+ Hearing little: This refers to inconceivable phrases and passages, and so forth. Attaining inconceivable merit, and so forth, reveals the completeness of the nature, through the fullness of merit and wholesome roots.

This indicates that the phrases and passages are inconceivable, as the sutra says: They all accomplish immeasurable, boundless, inconceivable, and inexpressible accumulations of merit. Such a person is able to undertake and accomplish the Tathagata's fruition of unsurpassed perfect enlightenment, and so forth. This reveals the acceptance and preservation of the true and wondrous Dharma.

+ Accepting and preserving the Dharma means taking up the burden of great bodhi. As the sutra says: Such a person is able to undertake it, and so forth.

Concerning the places where offerings are made: It should be known that such a person will certainly accomplish immeasurable merit. As the sutra says: Wherever this sutra is present, all devas, humans, and asuras in the world should make offerings to it, and so forth.

+ One who accepts, preserves, reads, and recites this sutra yet is despised by others: This indicates that all obstacles should be abandoned.

Why does being despised by others lead to freedom from obstacles? It is because one possesses great merit. As the sutra says: The sinful karma created by this person in previous lives will thereby be extinguished, and so forth.

+ Before the time of Buddha Dipankara, merit was gained by making offerings to immeasurable Buddhas. Yet the merit gained by accepting, preserving, reading, reciting, and cultivating this Dharma gateway in a future age is greater than that former merit: This reveals the swift realization of the Dharma of bodhi. Because one possesses abundant adornments of merit, one swiftly brings them to fulfillment. As the sutra says: If, moreover, in a future age there is a person who can accept, preserve, read, recite, and cultivate this sutra, and so forth.

+ It should be known that this Dharma gateway is inconceivable, and its resultant retribution is likewise inconceivable: What meaning does this clarify? The verse says:

Accomplishing innumerable mighty powers,

One attains a great and wondrous result.

This means embracing the Four Heavenly Kings, Shakra-devanam-indra, Brahma kings, and so forth; this is the accomplishment of mighty power.

+ If, upon hearing this matter, one's mind becomes confused: This is because that resultant retribution is inconceivable and supremely wondrous, indicating that it is not an object within the domain of discriminating and calculating thought. A bodhisattva who abides therein and cultivates will accomplish such merits. Therefore, the practices cultivated by a bodhisattva should be understood as the sutra says: One should know that this Dharma gateway is inconceivable, and its resultant retribution is likewise inconceivable.

– The Sutra states: “At that time, Venerable Subhuti addressed the Buddha: World-Honored One! How should a bodhisattva who gives rise to the mind of bodhi and seeks to attain unsurpassed enlightenment abide? How should he cultivate? How should he subdue his mind?

The Buddha told Venerable Subhuti: A bodhisattva who gives rise to the mind of bodhi should produce this thought: I should liberate all sentient beings, causing them to attain liberation and all to enter the realm of nirvana without remainder. Yet after liberating all sentient beings and causing them all to attain liberation in this way, not a single sentient being has actually attained liberation. Why is this? Subhuti! If a bodhisattva has the notion of a sentient being, the notion of a person, or the notion of one who lives a life, then he is not a bodhisattva. Why is this? Subhuti! In truth, there is no dharma called a bodhisattva giving rise to the mind of bodhi and seeking to attain unsurpassed enlightenment.”

– The Treatise states: Why were the three kinds of cultivation explained previously and now explained again? What is superior here? The verse says:

In cultivating within the mind,

One considers oneself a bodhisattva;

This itself obstructs the mind

And contradicts the path of non-abiding.

What does this mean? If, regarding the three kinds of cultivation within himself, a bodhisattva produces this thought: I abide in the bodhisattvas' Great Vehicle. I cultivate in this way. I subdue my mind in this manner. When a bodhisattva gives rise to such discrimination, it obstructs the practice of bodhi. The verse states:

In cultivating within the mind,

One considers oneself a bodhisattva.

This itself is an obstruction within the mind. What does it obstruct in the mind? The verse states:

It contradicts the path of non-abiding.

As the sutra states: Why is this? Subhuti! In truth, there is no dharma called a bodhisattva giving rise to the mind of bodhi and seeking to attain unsurpassed enlightenment.

– The Sutra states: “Subhuti! What do you think? When the Tathagata was at the dwelling place of Buddha Dipankara, was there any dharma by which he attained unsurpassed bodhi?” Subhuti replied: “There was none, World-Honored One! As I understand the meaning of what the Buddha has taught, when the Tathagata was at the dwelling place of Buddha Dipankara, there was no dharma by which he attained unsurpassed bodhi.”

The Buddha said: “So it is! So it is! Subhuti!

In truth, there was no dharma by which the Tathagata attained unsurpassed bodhi at the dwelling place of Buddha Dipankara. If there had been a dharma by which the Tathagata attained unsurpassed bodhi, Buddha Dipankara would not have conferred a prediction upon the Tathagata, saying: ‘In a future age, you will attain Buddhahood with the name Shakyamuni.’ Because in truth there was no dharma by which unsurpassed perfect enlightenment could be attained, Buddha Dipankara therefore conferred a prediction upon me, saying: ‘Good man!

In a future age, you will attain Buddhahood with the name Shakyamuni.’ Why is this? Subhuti! Because Tathagata means true suchness itself.

Subhuti! If anyone says: ‘The Tathagata attained unsurpassed perfect enlightenment,’ that person speaks falsely. In truth, there is no dharma by which the Buddha attained unsurpassed bodhi.

Subhuti! In the Tathagata's realization of unsurpassed enlightenment, there is neither reality nor false speech. Therefore, the Tathagata says that all dharmas are Buddha-Dharma.

Subhuti! What are called all dharmas are not all dharmas; therefore, they are called all dharmas.”

– The Treatise states: Here a doubt arises: If there is no bodhisattva, why did the Tathagata Shakyamuni practice the bodhisattva conduct at the dwelling place of Buddha Dipankara? To eliminate this doubt, the sutra says: Subhuti! What do you think? When the Tathagata was at the dwelling place of Buddha Dipankara, was there any dharma by which he attained unsurpassed bodhi? There was none, World-Honored One! And so forth. What meaning does this clarify? The verse says:

Because the prediction came at a later time,

The practice before Dipankara was not supreme;

The bodhi that is practiced and upheld

As a conditioned characteristic is not real.

What does this mean? At the time he was at the dwelling place of Buddha Dipankara, his bodhisattva practice was not yet foremost. Why? Because at that time, although I cultivated the practices, there was not a single dharma by which unsurpassed bodhi could be attained. If I had attained bodhi at the dwelling place of that Buddha, then at a later time the Buddhas would not have conferred a prediction upon me. Therefore, at that time, my practice had not yet culminated in Buddhahood. The verse says:

Because the prediction came at a later time,

The practice before Dipankara was not supreme.

If there is no bodhi, then there are no Buddhas or Tathagatas. Such is the disparagement that holds there are absolutely no Buddhas or Tathagatas.

To eliminate this doubt, the sutra states: Why is this? Subhuti! Because Tathagata means true suchness itself.

+ True means not inverted.

+ Suchness means unchanging and without alteration.

Subhuti! If anyone says: “The Tathagata realized unsurpassed bodhi”: What meaning does this indicate? The verse says:

The bodhi that is practiced and upheld.

That is, regarding the practice upheld by that bodhisattva, if someone says it truly exists, this is false. Likewise, regarding the Tathagata's attainment of unsurpassed enlightenment, if someone says that it was attained, this too is false.

It is said: The bodhi that is practiced and upheld, as a conditioned characteristic, is not real. If this is so, someone might disparage it by claiming that the Tathagata did not realize unsurpassed perfect enlightenment. To eliminate this doubt, the sutra says: Subhuti! In the Tathagata's realization of unsurpassed enlightenment, that dharma is neither real nor false speech.

What does this mean? Because the Tathagata attained the fruition of bodhi, the verse states:

The characteristics of conditioned phenomena are not real.

+ The characteristics of conditioned phenomena: These are the characteristics of the five skandhas.

That Dharma of bodhi has no characteristics such as form, and so forth. How is this so? The verse states:

Those characteristics are precisely non-characteristics,

Because they are said to be free from falsity.

That Dharma, the Dharma of all Buddhas,

Is the intrinsic nature of all characteristics.

What does this mean? With respect to form and so forth, they are non-characteristics; with respect to non-form and so forth, they are characteristics. These are precisely the characteristics of bodhi. Therefore, the verse states:

Those characteristics are precisely non-characteristics,

Because they are said to be free from falsity.

Therefore, the Tathagata says that all dharmas are the Buddha-Dharma, and so forth. What does this mean? It is because the Tathagata has realized such a Dharma. The verse states:

That Dharma, the Dharma of all Buddhas,

Is the intrinsic nature of all characteristics.

+ Intrinsic nature: It is the intrinsic nature of non-nature. What does this elucidate? The nature of all dharmas is suchness. The Tathagata has realized that Dharma; therefore, it is said that all dharmas are the Buddha-Dharma. Because the characteristics of the abiding place of form do not abide, all dharmas, such as form and so forth, are not dharmas. Thus, dharmas and non-dharmas are precisely dharmas. Since dharmas do not possess the characteristics of those dharmas, they never abide in or cling to the characteristics of those dharmas.

– The Sutra states: “Subhuti! Suppose there were a person whose bodily form was wondrous and great.” Subhuti said: “World-Honored One! The Tathagata has said that a person’s wondrous and great body is not a great body; therefore, the Tathagata calls it a great body.”

– The Treatise states: What meaning does the analogy of the great body reveal? The verse says:

In reliance upon that Buddha’s Dharma-body,

The analogy of a great body is therefore spoken.

The body is free from all obstructions

And manifests throughout every sphere.

Its merit and its essence are great;

Therefore, it is called a great body.

The non-body is precisely the body;

Therefore, it is called the non-body.

What do these two verses elucidate?

Having ultimately transcended the two obstructions of afflictions and knowledge, the Dharma-body is wholly complete and perfect. How is this so? There are two meanings:

1. It manifests throughout all places.

2. Its merit is great.

Therefore, it is called a great body. The verse states:

Its merit and its essence are great.

+ It manifests throughout all places: This means that suchness is undifferentiated within all dharmas. The verse states:

The non-body is precisely the body;

Therefore, it is called the non-body.

As the Sutra states: “World-Honored One! The Tathagata has said that a person’s wondrous and great body is not a great body; therefore, the Tathagata calls it a great body.”

What meaning does this elucidate?

+ Non-body: It is devoid of all characteristics. Therefore, it is called the non-body.

+ Great: Its essence is suchness.

Thus, it is called the wondrous and great body. As the Sutra says: “It is called the wondrous and great body.”

– The Sutra states: “The Buddha said: Subhuti! A bodhisattva is likewise. If he says, ‘I shall liberate immeasurable sentient beings and cause them to attain liberation,’ he is not a bodhisattva.

Subhuti! What do you think? Is there any real dharma called a bodhisattva?” Subhuti replied: “No, World-Honored One! There truly is no dharma called a bodhisattva. Therefore, the Buddha says that all dharmas are without self, without person, without sentient being, and without one who lives.

Subhuti! If a bodhisattva says, ‘I shall adorn a Buddha-land,’ he is not called a bodhisattva. Why? Because the Tathagata has said that adorning a Buddha-land is not adornment; therefore, it is called adorning a Buddha-land. Subhuti! If a bodhisattva comprehends the absence of self in dharmas that are without self, the Tathagata says that he is truly a bodhisattva, a bodhisattva.”

– The Treatise states: Here a doubt arises:

If there are no bodhisattvas, then the Buddhas also do not accomplish great bodhi, sentient beings also do not enter great nirvana, and there are likewise no pure Buddha-lands.

What does this mean? Great bodhisattvas arouse the aspiration to cause sentient beings to enter nirvana, and they generate the resolve to cultivate and purify Buddha-lands. From this point onward, the passage of the Sutra is intended to dispel that doubt. How is the doubt dispelled? The verse states:

Not realizing the true Dharma-realm,

One arouses the resolve to liberate sentient beings

And to purify the lands;

To generate such a thought is itself delusion.

What does this mean?

If one arouses such a thought, it is deluded, and one is not a bodhisattva. What kind of thoughts must one arouse to be called a bodhisattva? As the Sutra says: “Subhuti! If a bodhisattva comprehends the absence of self in dharmas that are without self, the Tathagata calls him truly a bodhisattva, a bodhisattva.” The verse states:

Sentient beings and bodhisattvas

Know that all dharmas are without self.

Those who are not noble ones believe through their own understanding;

Noble ones do so through possessing wisdom.

What does this elucidate?

+ Knowing the absence of self in dharmas that are without self: This refers to sentient beings and bodhisattvas. Who are sentient beings? Who are bodhisattvas? With respect to those dharmas, those who can believe through their own understanding—whether through worldly wisdom or supramundane wisdom—are respectively called ordinary beings and noble ones; such persons are called bodhisattvas. This statement encompasses both bodhisattvas according to conventional truth and bodhisattvas according to supramundane truth. Therefore, it says twice, “bodhisattva, bodhisattva.” As the Sutra states: “The Tathagata says that he is truly a bodhisattva, a bodhisattva.”

END OF VOLUME 2