佛說未曾有正法經

At that time, at midnight, Bodhisattva Wonderful Auspiciousness again expounded the Dharma gateway of the Bodhisattva Treasury ⁽¹⁾ to the assembly of bodhisattvas, saying to them:

– Great Beings! You should clearly understand the Dharma gateway of the Bodhisattva Treasury. There is not a single thing that is not contained within the Bodhisattva Treasury. All mundane and supramundane dharmas, conditioned and unconditioned, wholesome and unwholesome, with characteristics and without characteristics, contaminated dharmas ⁽²⁾, and uncontaminated dharmas are all the Bodhisattva Treasury. Good men! It is like the great trichiliocosm ⁽³⁾, within which are ten billion sets of four great continents ⁽⁴⁾, ten billion suns and moons, ten billion Mount Sumerus ⁽⁵⁾, and ten billion great oceans, none of which lies outside the compass of the great trichiliocosm. The Dharma of the Bodhisattva Treasury is likewise. All dharmas of ordinary beings ⁽⁶⁾, of shravakas, of pratyekabuddhas, and even of all Buddhas are never apart from the Bodhisattva Treasury. Why is this? Because the Shravaka Vehicle, the Pratyekabuddha Vehicle, and the vehicle of the Buddhas all share a single source. It is like the trunk, boughs, branches, and leaves of a great tree, whether sparse or dense and luxuriant, all sharing one root. The Bodhisattva Treasury is the root from which the Dharma of the Three Vehicles ⁽⁷⁾ arises, without difference or distinction. Its vast measure cannot be calculated; it is like the great ocean, immense and boundless. Suppose the asura kings ⁽⁸⁾, yakshas, and so forth, even those possessing immense strength, wished to fathom that ocean: they could never know its depth. If assemblies of shravakas and pratyekabuddhas, all devas, humans, and others wished to comprehend the Dharma of the Bodhisattva Treasury, they could never exhaust it. Even wise persons wishing to know the Dharma realm, samadhi, and wisdom of bodhisattvas could not know them. Only one who enters the Bodhisattva Treasury can personally know them clearly.

– Furthermore, good men! It is like the great ocean, the dwelling place of all aquatic creatures. They drink only the waters of the ocean and do not know the flavors of rivers and streams. Those who practice the Bodhisattva Vehicle know only the Dharma of the Bodhisattva Treasury and take no delight in the paths of shravakas and pratyekabuddhas.

– Good men! Within the Bodhisattva Treasury, three are provisionally designated, with shravakas and pratyekabuddhas distinguished from it. Shravakas hear only the principles of the Four Noble Truths and seek to realize nirvana. This is called the Shravaka Treasury. Those who delight only in the principle of dependent origination ⁽¹⁰⁾ and thereby seek to realize nirvana belong to what is called the Pratyekabuddha Treasury. Those who practice the Bodhisattva Treasury will realize the Buddha's omniscience. Furthermore, good men! You should know that the Shravaka Treasury, the Pratyekabuddha Treasury, and the Bodhisattva Treasury are equal and without difference. Because the minds of sentient beings have differing inclinations, there is the “study of the Three Vehicles.” Therefore, those who study in pursuit of shravakahood possess narrow wisdom with little capacity. Fearing the suffering of samsara, they greatly delight in the Dharma of the Four Noble Truths and seek to realize nirvana so as to attain peace and security.

– Those who delight in seeking the attainment of pratyekabuddhahood have restricted and obstructed minds. They cannot act universally for sentient beings, lack great compassion, and cannot practice conduct benefiting others. They regard their realization of nirvana as the ultimate end.

Great bodhisattvas who study the Bodhisattva Treasury possess vast and expansive minds, beyond the reckoning of shravakas and pratyekabuddhas. Only bodhisattvas who cultivate and study that Dharma can clearly understand it. Furthermore, good men!

Shravakas and pratyekabuddhas delight only in their own vehicles, cultivating roots of virtue to seek the fruits of the Two Vehicles, and they do not understand the Bodhisattva Dharma. When bodhisattvas contemplate the Shravaka Dharma, they can realize and understand all the teachings of the Four Truths and skillfully distinguish them, yet they never delight in realizing that fruit. When they contemplate the Pratyekabuddha Dharma, they can realize and understand all Twelve Links of Dependent Origination and skillfully distinguish them, yet they do not proceed toward the realization of that fruit.

Bodhisattvas perfect all practices and penetrate all wholesome dharmas. It is like a pure and precious vessel made of beryl: whatever objects are placed within it all assume the same bright, pure color without difference. When the Dharmas of pratyekabuddhas and shravakas enter the Bodhisattva Treasury, they are fundamentally without difference.

Therefore, after great bodhisattvas enter the Bodhisattva Treasury, they see all dharmas as equal and without difference. There is no characteristic of the Dharma of the Buddhas, no characteristic of the Bodhisattva Dharma, and no characteristic of the Dharma of the Two Vehicles. With regard to all dharmas, there is no calculation or conceptual thought.

They are apart from language and written words and cannot be indicated or demonstrated. Why is this? Because they have no characteristics, they cannot be observed; because they transcend meaning and principle, they cannot be conceived.

To study in this way encompasses all wisdom. Good men! This is called the Bodhisattva Treasury.

To penetrate it in this way is to attain sovereign freedom without obstruction.

At cockcrow before dawn, Bodhisattva Wonderful Auspiciousness again proclaimed to the great bodhisattvas the Vajra Statement concerning the irreversible turning of the Dharma wheel, saying to them:

– Good men! If great bodhisattvas skillfully proclaim the true Dharma and, upon hearing it, awaken and understand, then both speakers and listeners will attain the Dharma of irreversibility ⁽¹²⁾. They will neither waver nor disintegrate. Good men! The Dharma of irreversibility—whether the vehicle, the realm of the vehicle, the Buddha, the Dharma, or the Sangha—is entirely the irreversible wheel. Why is this? Because irreversibility is itself the Dharma realm. Since it never departs from its place of arising within the Dharma realm, that wheel has no characteristic of turning. This is called turning the Dharma wheel. Nondual and undifferentiated, it is the intrinsic nature of the Dharma realm itself.

– Good men! Therefore, those who practice bodhisattva conduct should understand it in this way, and they will attain liberation through the irreversible wheel. Great bodhisattvas who understand and are liberated in this way will realize the fruit of the Tathagata and be universally able to bring benefit and happiness to all sentient beings. Within the gateway of liberation there are not two dharmas. The Tathagata's characteristic of liberation and the characteristic of liberation of all dharmas are without difference. All dharmas lack any characteristic of liberation and also lack any dual characteristic. Why? Because the body is not liberated and the mind is not liberated; the intrinsic nature of these two dharmas is itself the characteristic of liberation. All things are likewise. Bodhisattvas understand them in this way. This itself is the irreversible wheel.

– Good men! You should know that the irreversible wheel has nowhere to turn. Why is this? Form and the intrinsic nature of form fundamentally have nowhere to turn. Feeling, perception, formations, and consciousness are likewise; the intrinsic nature of consciousness also has nowhere to turn. The intrinsic nature of all dharmas has nowhere to turn. This itself is the irreversible wheel. From the very beginning, that wheel has never been cut off or destroyed. Its absence of characteristics is the characteristic that is neither “attainment” nor “non-attainment,” neither speech nor non-speech. It has no designation and no attachment or abiding!

– Furthermore, the characteristics of the gateways of liberation—“emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness”—are dharmas that cannot be discriminated. From where could they arise? All their characteristics are like empty space, with nowhere to depend. The intrinsic nature of all dharmas neither depends nor abides. This is called the Vajra Statement ⁽¹³⁾ of the irreversible wheel. Good men! The defining nature of all dharmas is emptiness and cannot be destroyed. That Vajra Statement is far removed from all views and attachments; one should thus abide in the gateway of liberation through emptiness. That Vajra Statement is far removed from all discriminations; one should thus abide in the gateway of liberation through signlessness. That Vajra Statement is free from all doubts; one should thus abide in the gateway of liberation through wishlessness. That Vajra Statement is free from all attachments; one should thus abide in the Dharma realm. That Vajra Statement is free from all things: there is no self, no action, no greed, and no attachment. It abides peacefully in intrinsic nature, in pure nirvana. This is called the Vajra Statement.

Thus, throughout the night—during the first watch, at midnight, and at cockcrow—Bodhisattva Wonderful Auspiciousness taught the essential Dharmas to the bodhisattvas. Those bodhisattvas all attained the radiant and wondrous Dharma gateway of great samadhi. From every pore of each bodhisattva's entire body shone hundreds of thousands of rays of light. Within every ray appeared hundreds of thousands of Buddhas, and each Buddha went throughout the worlds of the ten directions, extensively performing Buddha deeds for sentient beings.

At that time, after the king of Magadha had prepared all foods and beverages, dawn appeared. He went to Bodhisattva Wonderful Auspiciousness and said:

– The time has now come. I invite the Bodhisattva to accept my offerings.

The Bodhisattva accepted the king's invitation and then proceeded to the royal palace. At that time, as the mealtime approached, Venerable Mahakashyapa donned his robe, took up his alms bowl, and, together with five hundred bhikshus, set out to enter the great city of Rajagriha ⁽¹⁴⁾ to beg for alms in sequence. Halfway there, he thought, “We should not now enter this city. We should go to Bodhisattva Wonderful Auspiciousness to hear and receive the true Dharma.” Having thought thus, he and the assembly of bhikshus went together to Bodhisattva Wonderful Auspiciousness. Upon arriving, they joyfully exchanged respectful greetings, paid homage, and stood to one side. At that auspicious moment, Bodhisattva Wonderful Auspiciousness said to Venerable Mahakashyapa:

– Venerable Kashyapa, why have you come here carrying your alms bowl at mealtime?

Kashyapa replied:

– We intended to enter the great city of Rajagriha to beg for alms, but first we came here.

Bodhisattva Wonderful Auspiciousness said:

– We shall offer food and drink to the Venerable and the bhikshus.

Kashyapa replied:

– Bodhisattva, it is not so. Today we have come here to hear the true Dharma, not to seek food or drink.

Wonderful Auspiciousness said:

– Venerable One, you should know that those who seek the Way are sustained in two ways: first, by food and drink; second, by hearing the wondrous Dharma.

Kashyapa replied:

– It is so, Great Being. If sentient beings in the world are separated from solid food ⁽¹⁵⁾, their constituents cannot cohere and their physical bodies cannot be nourished. How, then, could they hear and receive the wondrous Dharma?

Bodhisattva Wonderful Auspiciousness said:

– Venerable One, you should accept the food and drink that I shall offer. Such an offering does not lead beyond samsara, does not realize nirvana, cannot transcend the dharmas of ordinary beings ⁽¹⁶⁾, and does not abide in the Dharma of the noble path. Why is this? The offering, the object given, and the giver neither increase nor decrease. There is no dharma that can arise, nor any dharma that can cease. There is no dharma that can be learned, nor is there anything to be attained. Therefore, I shall offer food and drink to all of you.

Kashyapa said to Bodhisattva Wonderful Auspiciousness:

– How excellent! The Bodhisattva is a great donor. Giving in this way is called true generosity.

At that time, Bodhisattva Wonderful Auspiciousness thought:

– I shall now enter the great city of Rajagriha and perform a great Buddha deed for the king of Magadha.

Having thought thus, he immediately entered a great samadhi encompassing all spiritual powers, knowledge, and transformations. While in that great samadhi, he emitted a brilliant radiance that universally illuminated the Saha world. He saw the great trichiliocosm as clearly as one sees the palm of one's hand.

Wherever there were hell beings, animals, or other sentient beings, all were freed from suffering through the illumination of that light. Not a single sentient being gave rise to the three poisonous states of mind ⁽¹⁷⁾, nor did any conceive jealousy, resentment, or enmity. They loved one another as children love their mothers and mothers their children.

Throughout the great trichiliocosm, there occurred the six kinds of trembling. At that time, the divine sons and others from the desire realm and form realm all came to make offerings to Bodhisattva Wonderful Auspiciousness. They played hundreds of thousands of kinds of music and rained down beautiful celestial flowers, scattering them along the roads and adorning them magnificently.

Through his spiritual power, Bodhisattva Wonderful Auspiciousness made those roads perfectly level, like the surface of a table. He adorned them with innumerable precious jewels and scattered fresh flowers as large as cartwheels—utpala flowers ⁽¹⁸⁾, kumuda flowers ⁽¹⁹⁾, pundarika flowers ⁽²⁰⁾, and others. Above, he spread jeweled nets and filled the sky with banners, streamers, and precious canopies.

He also manifested lotus terraces made of the seven treasures and many kinds of precious trees. Upon those precious trees, beryl jewels formed flowers and fruits. Jeweled cords formed railings.

Every precious tree emitted a wondrous fragrance extending throughout one yojana. Near the trees were precious ponds whose bottoms were strewn entirely with golden sand. They were filled to overflowing with water of eight virtues ⁽²¹⁾, nourishing wondrous flowers such as utpala, padma, kumuda, and pundarika blossoms.

There were also many kinds of birds—mandarin ducks, phoenixes, white cranes, and others—flying all around. The precious trees and terraces all emitted exquisite fragrances, and whoever smelled them became joyful. Beneath every tree stood twenty-five celestial maidens holding sandalwood incense ⁽²²⁾, which they presented as offerings.

After Bodhisattva Wonderful Auspiciousness had manifested these extraordinary and excellent wonders while in meditative concentration, he emerged from samadhi and said to Venerable Mahakashyapa:

– I shall now go together with the Venerable to the great city of Rajagriha, to the palace of the king of Magadha, to accept offerings of food and drink. Virtuous elder, you should go ahead, and I shall follow behind.

Kashyapa replied:

– That cannot be, Bodhisattva! The Great Being is endowed with wisdom, immeasurable spiritual powers, vast learning, and eloquence, and skillfully expounds all dharmas. The Blessed One constantly praises you thus. All sentient beings who see the Great Being give rise to bodhicitta and practice the bodhisattva vows and conduct. Although I am called a senior among the assembly of shravakas, I do not possess the Great Being's capabilities. How could I dare walk or sit before you? I ask to follow behind the Bodhisattva. Why is this? Those sentient beings who give rise to bodhicitta are difficult for shravakas and pratyekabuddhas to equal, how much less those who have long practiced the bodhisattva path. It is like a lion cub: although newly born, it possesses great strength, courage, majesty, and fearlessness. Its body emits a fragrance that the wind carries everywhere, and when other animals smell it, they all become afraid. Even a great elephant, though immensely strong and unconquerable by anything in the world, becomes fearful upon smelling the scent of a newborn lion. If sentient beings give rise to courageous and steadfast bodhicitta, all maras and sentient beings become afraid, and shravakas and pratyekabuddhas cannot equal them! When great bodhisattvas hear the Buddha teach the Mahayana Dharma, their minds remain unmoved and they give rise to great joy. They constantly utter the lion's roar to subdue demonic obstacles. Therefore, within the true Dharma ⁽²³⁾, there are no Three Vehicles ⁽²⁴⁾; bodhicitta alone is honored as foremost, for all wholesome dharmas arise from bodhicitta. The Bodhisattva's going ahead today is likewise, for immeasurable wholesome dharmas arise from bodhicitta.

At that time, Bodhisattva Wonderful Auspiciousness joyfully went ahead, surrounded on his left and right by the great bodhisattvas. The assembly of shravakas followed behind. Leaving their former place of residence, they entered Rajagriha. Celestial precious flowers then rained down, and hundreds of thousands of kinds of celestial music sounded in midair. Brilliant rays universally illuminated the great assembly, and lotus blossoms rained from within the light. When all the people of Rajagriha saw the Bodhisattva, they became joyful and brought incense and flowers as offerings.

At that time, the king of Magadha heard that Bodhisattva Wonderful Auspiciousness, together with eighty thousand great bodhisattvas and five hundred shravakas, was coming to attend the gathering. He then thought, “I have prepared food and drink for only five hundred people. Now the bodhisattvas are far more numerous than that. How can I offer enough to them all? Furthermore, where can they all be accommodated?”

As soon as he had this thought, Bodhisattva Wonderful Auspiciousness knew the king's mind and spoke to the heavenly kings and to Kumbhira, the great yaksha lord. In an instant, Kumbhira transformed himself into a youth, appeared before the royal throne, and said to the king:

– Great King, do not worry. Bodhisattva Wonderful Auspiciousness possesses great skillful means, merit, and inconceivable wisdom. With a single meal he can universally sustain all sentient beings throughout the great trichiliocosm, satisfying them completely without ever exhausting the food. These eighty thousand bodhisattvas and five hundred shravakas are not very numerous. Why should you worry? Why is this? Because the merit and wisdom of Bodhisattva Wonderful Auspiciousness are fundamentally inexhaustible, the food is likewise inexhaustible.

When the king of Magadha heard these words, great joy, delight, and happiness arose in his mind. He immediately went to Bodhisattva Wonderful Auspiciousness, gave rise to reverence, honored him, and regarded the occasion as exceedingly rare. Together with the members of his palace, he carried many kinds of incense, flowers, powdered incense, and fragrant ointments, and had music played as he went to welcome the Bodhisattva. Upon meeting him, the king bowed, respectfully inquired after him, scattered fragrant flowers, and walked ahead to guide the Bodhisattva into the royal palace. When Bodhisattva Wonderful Auspiciousness reached the palace, he said to Bodhisattva Universal Illumination:

– Good man! You should adorn the place of enlightenment. Now is the proper time.

Bodhisattva Universal Illumination accepted the commission and used his spiritual power to cause the king's palace suddenly to become spacious, magnificent, and pure, with nothing obstructing any of its adornments. Fragrant flowers, banners, streamers, and jeweled necklaces were hung everywhere, adorning it supremely and transforming it into a magnificent place of enlightenment. Wonderful Auspiciousness then said to Bodhisattva Supreme Dharma:

– Good man! You should spread the finest sitting mats for the great assembly to sit upon.

Bodhisattva Supreme Dharma snapped his fingers to summon them. In an instant, eighty-three thousand supreme Dharma seats appeared at the place of enlightenment, adorned with many kinds of precious jewels. The Dharma seats completely filled the place of enlightenment in orderly array without obstructing one another. Bodhisattva Wonderful Auspiciousness then ascended his seat and had the assemblies of bodhisattvas and shravakas each sit upon a Dharma seat. The king of Magadha approached Bodhisattva Wonderful Auspiciousness and said:

– I earnestly beseech the Bodhisattva and the great assembly to have compassion upon us and accept our offerings of food and drink, together with our humble ceremonies.

At that time, the Four Great Heavenly Kings and their retinues came together to the place of enlightenment, reverently paid homage, and made offerings to Bodhisattva Wonderful Auspiciousness and the great assembly. Lord Shakra also came with his retinue and the kindred of the asuras and others. Each brought sandalwood powder and went to the place of enlightenment to make offerings to the great assembly.

The Great Brahma Heavenly King, lord of the Saha world, transformed himself into a youth and came with the assembly of Brahma devas. His attendants on either side all carried precious fly-whisks ⁽²⁵⁾. Upon reaching the place of enlightenment, they bowed reverently to Bodhisattva Wonderful Auspiciousness and stood to one side.

The Brahma devas also held fly-whisks and stood on the right together with the bodhisattvas and the assembly of shravakas. The Dragon King Anavatapta came toward the place of enlightenment and remained suspended in midair without revealing his body. He carried jeweled necklaces, from which flowed water of eight virtues ⁽²⁶⁾.

The entire great assembly used that water without exhausting it.

The king of Magadha then thought, “These bodhisattvas have no alms bowls. What will they use to eat?” Bodhisattva Wonderful Auspiciousness knew the king's thought and said to him:

– Great King, do not concern yourself. Although these bodhisattvas have brought no alms bowls, whenever they need them, bowls will naturally come from their respective Buddha lands.

The Great King rejoiced and said to Bodhisattva Wonderful Auspiciousness:

– In which Buddha land do these bodhisattvas dwell? From where have they come? I wish to know clearly the name of their land and their names.

Wonderful Auspiciousness replied:

– Great King, you should know! In the east is a land called Ever Pure, whose Buddha is named Tathagata Auspicious Purity, Worthy of Offerings, Perfectly and Completely Awakened One, who is presently teaching the Dharma. These bodhisattvas have come from that Buddha land to accept the offerings of the royal palace. This is a rare event that the Great King is enabled to witness. At the appropriate time, eighty-three thousand fine alms bowls were kept in the Ever Pure world. Through the majestic spiritual power of that Buddha and the power of the vows and practices of the bodhisattvas, those bowls traveled through the sky to this Saha world ⁽²⁷⁾ and arrived at Lake Anavatapta ⁽²⁸⁾. Immediately, eighty-three thousand dragon maidens washed the bowls clean with water of eight virtues, and each brought a bowl before a bodhisattva.

When the king of Magadha saw this, he praised it as unprecedented and inconceivable, and his mind was filled with joy. Bodhisattva Wonderful Auspiciousness then said to the king:

– Now that the bodhisattvas have alms bowls, the king should distribute food and drink as offerings to the entire assembly.

The Great King immediately distributed all the foods equally into the bowls and presented them to the bodhisattvas and the great Sangha. Everyone in the assembly at the place of enlightenment gratefully received a complete share of the offerings, and no one lacked anything. Yet when they looked, the food and drink still had not been exhausted. The king said to Bodhisattva Wonderful Auspiciousness:

– Great Being! This is truly rare. I used only a small quantity of provisions to make offerings to the great assembly, yet food still remains.

The Bodhisattva said:

– Great King, because true Dharma is inexhaustible, the provisions offered by the Great King are likewise inexhaustible.

When the bodhisattvas and the great assembly had finished their midday meal, they released their alms bowls, which remained suspended in midair without moving. The Great King asked the Bodhisattva:

– Where do those bowls abide?

The Bodhisattva replied:

– Great King! Does true Dharma abide anywhere?

The king answered:

– True Dharma abides nowhere.

The Bodhisattva said:

– Great King, you should know that true Dharma has nowhere to abide. These bowls likewise have nowhere to abide. If the bowls have nowhere to abide, all dharmas are also thus. Great King, you should know that the Dharma nature is fundamentally empty; one should abide in this way.

After the king of Magadha had made offerings to Bodhisattva Wonderful Auspiciousness and the great assembly, he stood before the Bodhisattva, gave rise to deep yearning, and wished to hear the true Dharma. He then said to Bodhisattva Wonderful Auspiciousness:

– Bodhisattva, open your heart of great loving-kindness and expound the rare teaching for me and for sentient beings.

The Bodhisattva said:

– Great King! Even if, throughout as many kalpas as there are grains of sand in the Ganges, the Buddha Tathagatas, Worthy Ones, Perfectly and Completely Awakened Ones, were to speak for hundreds of thousands of lifetimes, they could not exhaust the rare teaching.

Upon hearing this, the Great King became frightened, confused, and unhappy. Venerable Mahakashyapa then said to the Great King:

– Do not think that, because Buddhas as numerous as the sands of the Ganges cannot fully proclaim the rare teaching, Bodhisattva Wonderful Auspiciousness is likewise unable to explain it completely. It is only because the Buddha's teaching is inexhaustible and cannot be expressed in words. Great King, simply state which teaching you delight in and wish to hear.

The question of Bodhisattva Wonderful Auspiciousness was only a preliminary indication, for this Great Being possesses immeasurable powers of skillful means ⁽²⁹⁾ and can certainly expound the rare Dharma for the king. Hearing these words, the king's mind immediately awakened, and he said to the Venerable:

– When I first heard the Bodhisattva speak, doubt arose in my mind. But through the Venerable's detailed explanation, I have awakened.

He then approached Bodhisattva Wonderful Auspiciousness and said:

– Bodhisattva, how is it that even Buddhas as numerous as the sands of the Ganges cannot proclaim the rare Dharma? When I heard those words, my mind became confused. I beseech the Bodhisattva to resolve my doubt.

Bodhisattva Wonderful Auspiciousness said:

– Great King! Buddhas as numerous as the sands of the Ganges can all proclaim the rare Dharma. The Dharma that cannot be spoken is the rare Dharma. Great King! With regard to all dharmas, the mind should never abide in attachment. That Dharma cannot be spoken. Even the Buddha Tathagatas cannot speak it. Great King! Can the characteristics of the Buddha Bhagavats be seen?

– No, they cannot, the king replied.

The Bodhisattva further asked:

– Can conditioned dharmas ⁽³⁰⁾, unconditioned dharmas ⁽³¹⁾, true dharmas, and false dharmas all be seen?

The king replied:

– None can be seen.

The Bodhisattva said:

– Can any characteristic be perceived in any dharma? Is there anything at all that can be spoken regarding all dharmas?

The king replied:

– There is not.

Wonderful Auspiciousness said:

– Great King! It was for this reason that I said even Buddhas as numerous as the sands of the Ganges cannot fully proclaim the rare Dharma.

Furthermore, Great King! Empty space has neither shape nor characteristic and does not move. Smoke, clouds, dust, and mist cannot adhere to it. The intrinsic nature of empty space is pure: no dharma can defile it, and no dharma can purify it. The Buddha Tathagatas clearly know that all dharmas are equal to empty space. For this reason, even Buddhas as numerous as the sands of the Ganges cannot exhaust them in speech.

Furthermore, Great King! Within the characteristic of non-abiding, the Buddha Tathagatas remain utterly still and unmoving. Though they function, they are perpetually quiescent.

Why is this? Because dharmas cannot be displaced; they are apart from place yet not apart from place. Dharmas cannot be attained because they are free from attachment to characteristics.

Great King, you should know! All dharmas neither arise nor fail to arise; they are neither large nor small, neither true nor untrue, neither with perception nor without perception. They are neither created nor uncreated, neither wise nor ignorant, neither attached to characteristics nor unattached to characteristics.

They neither gather nor disperse, neither come nor go, are neither inverted nor apart from inversion, neither identical with afflictions nor separate from afflictions, and arise neither spontaneously nor through another. Great King! All dharmas are like empty space because they do not move.

All dharmas are incomparable because they are apart from companions. All dharmas lack dual characteristics because they are without distinction. All dharmas have no boundaries because they cannot be seen.

All dharmas are immeasurable because they are neither large nor small. All dharmas are inexhaustible because they are continually turning. All dharmas are vast because they have neither inside, outside, nor middle.

All dharmas are without discrimination because they are far removed from deluded thinking. All dharmas are permanent because they do not change. All dharmas are bliss because they are without suffering.

All dharmas are sovereign because they are free from deluded attachment. All dharmas are pure because they are undefiled. All dharmas are quiescent because they are eternally still.

All dharmas are unattainable because they are free from the characteristic of self ⁽³²⁾. All dharmas are not to be delighted in because their characteristic is liberation. All dharmas are without self and other because they are free from grasping at self ⁽³³⁾.

All dharmas are indestructible because they are free from every kind of attachment to characteristics. All dharmas have one flavor because they share the nature of liberation. All dharmas have one characteristic because they are far removed from other characteristics.

All dharmas are empty because they are free from all views and attachments. All dharmas are signless because their characteristics are pure. All dharmas are wishless because they are far removed from the three times.

All dharmas are not contained within the three times, because past, present, and future cannot be attained. Samsara and nirvana are fundamentally equal; all dharmas are entirely equal. Great King!

Since all dharmas are thus, can afflictions and doubts arise?

– They cannot, the king replied. Since all dharmas are empty, how could afflictions and doubts exist?

Bodhisattva Wonderful Auspiciousness said:

– Afflictions do not arise, and Dharma is not spoken. The nature of afflictions is empty, and all dharmas are equal. Samsara and nirvana are fundamentally equal; afflictions and bodhi are likewise equal.

Notes:

1. Bodhisattva Treasury: Bodhisattvayana, the treasury of bodhisattvas. The Bodhisattva Treasury fully contains the threefold cultivation of the pure precepts: the precepts that encompass moral discipline, the precepts that encompass wholesome dharmas, and the precepts that encompass the benefiting of sentient beings.

2. Contaminated and uncontaminated: “Contamination” means affliction and deluded desire. When the six faculties encounter the six sense objects, there is still leakage, outflow, contact, and circulation; hence this is called contamination. Contaminated means still revolving within affliction, greed, anger, and delusion and remaining entangled in the three realms and six paths. Uncontaminated is the opposite.

3. Great trichiliocosm: A great world-system such as the Saha world. One thousand small worlds combine to form one small chiliocosm; one thousand of these form one medium chiliocosm; and one thousand medium chiliocosms form one great chiliocosm (1,000 = small chiliocosm; 1,000,000 = medium chiliocosm; 1,000,000,000 = great chiliocosm). Thus, one three-thousandfold great-thousand world-system, or one great chiliocosm, contains one billion worlds (1,000,000,000).

4. Four great continents: The four great continents are:

1) Jambudvipa, the Southern Continent

2) Purvavideha, the Eastern Continent

3) Aparagodaniya, the Western Continent

4) Uttarakuru, the Northern Continent

These are the four continental realms situated in the four directions around Mount Sumeru.

5. Mount Sumeru: Sumeru, the greatest mountain at the center of the universe. It is the mountain of sages and saints, around which the celestial bodies revolve each day.

6. Dharmas of ordinary beings: Prthagjana; ordinary dharmas, dharmas lacking virtue and inclined toward ridicule, in contrast to the dharmas of noble beings.

7. Dharma of the Three Vehicles: The teachings of the shravakas, the teachings of the pratyekabuddhas, and the teachings of the bodhisattvas.

8. Asura king: A king who delights in performing meritorious deeds but is prone to anger. There are many kinds of asura kings: asura kings in the heavenly realm, in the human realm, in the realm of ghosts, in the animal realm, and so forth.

9. Yaksha: Yakshas, also transliterated as Yasha, are one class among the eight classes of beings (see the eightfold assembly). They are a class of spirits that often harms humans and animals.

10. Principle of dependent origination: Dharmas arise through causes and conditions. This is the contemplative practice of the Pratyekabuddha Vehicle: contemplating falling leaves, contemplating the arising and cessation of dharmas, and realizing the truth of dependent origination.

11. Dharma characteristic: The characteristics and appearances of dharmas. All dharmas—that is, all things—share one nature but differ in their characteristics. Their characteristics are all distinct from one another. The Dharma characteristics of the Buddhas are inconceivable.

12. Irreversibility: Avaivartika; not turning back. Altogether it is called non-retrogression. In cultivating merit, roots of virtue, and wisdom, one advances day by day without falling back or losing attainment.

13. Vajra Statement: A statement praising the ten epithets—the ten names of the Buddha. It also refers to verses, songs of praise, and chants extolling the Buddha's virtues. It is also called a Vajra phrase.

14. Great city of Rajagriha: Sanskrit Rajagriha; Pali Rajagaha. The capital of Magadha, ruled by King Bimbisara when the Buddha appeared in the world. After attaining awakening, the Buddha frequently taught the Dharma in this city to guide the king and the royal family.

15. Solid food: One of the four kinds of food. “Solid food” means forming a morsel of food into a ball and placing it in the mouth. It is also called segmented food, food cut into portions. Solid food is the ordinary manner in which worldly people eat.

16. Dharmas of ordinary beings: That is, dharmas of sentient beings. Prthagjana are beings distinct from ordinary animals.

17. Three poisonous states of mind: The mind of greed, the mind of anger, and the mind of delusion.

18. Utpala flower: Udambara, translated as “Flower of Auspicious Portent.” This sacred tree blooms only once in several thousand years. When it blossoms, a wheel-turning monarch appears in the world, or a Buddha is born.

19. Kumuda flower: Kusuma, a wonderfully beautiful flower whose far-reaching fragrance and color are both complete.

20. Pundarika flower: Pundarika, the white lotus.

21. Water of eight virtues: Water possessing eight excellent qualities or virtues: it is settled and pure, clear, cool, sweet and delicious, light and gentle, moist and smooth, and peaceful and harmonious. When drunk, it dispels hunger, thirst, innumerable faults, anxieties, and worries, and strengthens the physical and mental faculties.

22. Sandalwood incense: The fragrance of the sandalwood tree. People use this fragrance to make offerings to the Buddha and, at the same time, to dispel impurities.

23. True Dharma: That is, truth and the authentic teaching.

24. Three Vehicles: Triyana, three conveyances used for transportation: the Shravaka Vehicle, the Pratyekabuddha Vehicle, and the Bodhisattva Vehicle.

25. Fly-whisk: An implement made of fibers, thorns, or similar materials attached to a handle. Practitioners often hold it as a symbol of sweeping away the dust of affliction so that body and mind attain sovereign freedom.

26. Water of eight virtues: Water possessing eight excellent qualities or virtues: it is settled and pure, clear and cool, sweet and delicious, light and gentle, moist and smooth, and peaceful and harmonious. When drunk, it dispels hunger, thirst, innumerable faults, anxieties, and worries, and strengthens the physical and mental faculties.

27. Saha world: Saha, the realm of endurance. It is the great trichiliocosm in which Shakyamuni Buddha is the guiding teacher. “Saha world” means “land of endurance.” Practitioners there must endure and practice patience because this realm is filled with turbid evils that sentient beings must bear. The Saha world is also called the world of great endurance because cultivation and study are extremely difficult there, and those who succeed in practicing there acquire greater merit than those in a Pure Land.

28. Anavatapta: Manasarovara. This is the lake without heat or affliction. It is an exceedingly clear, cool, peaceful, and joyful lake, where there is sovereign freedom and all things accord with one's wishes.

29. Skillful means: Upaya; skillfulness in the use of means. It means acting through skillful methods, adapting to circumstances to benefit sentient beings materially or spiritually. Also called expedient means, it is a great virtue of bodhisattvas when they appear in the world to liberate beings.

30. Conditioned dharmas: Things that are made or intentionally created rather than simply following the natural course. They are the opposite of unconditioned dharmas. Whatever possesses form belongs to the conditioned. The conditioned is unstable and impermanent. Conditioned dharmas are contaminated, still involving afflictions and attachment.

31. Unconditioned dharmas: The opposite of conditioned dharmas.

32. Characteristic of self: The characteristic of an “I.” Sentient beings consist of the five skandhas temporarily united, yet they mistakenly reckon that there is a personal body, a real self that they possess. This is called the characteristic of self.

33. Grasping at self: Defending and clinging to the self, firmly holding that one's body truly exists and permanently endures, and tenaciously preserving the characteristic of self.