大寶積經

THE DHARMA ASSEMBLY ON THE MAJESTY OF DONNING ARMOR

SEVENTH

(Chinese Collection, from Fascicle 21 through Fascicle 25)

Thus have I heard. At one time, the Buddha was dwelling in the city of Rajagriha, at the Karanda Bamboo Grove, together with an assembly of great bhiksus and great bodhisattvas. All these bodhisattvas had come from the abodes of various Buddhas to gather there.

At that time, the Blessed One was surrounded by immeasurable hundreds of thousands in the great assembly, who reverently made offerings to him.

In the assembly was a great bodhisattva named Boundless Wisdom. Rising from his seat, he bared his right shoulder, placed his right knee upon the ground, bowed his head in reverence, joined his palms toward the Buddha, and said: “Blessed One, I have a few doubts that I wish to ask the Tathagata about. I pray that the Tathagata will grant me permission.”

The Bodhisattva Boundless Wisdom then spoke these verses:

“Great Hero, Supreme Man,

None in the world is your equal.

I have a few doubts and wish to ask,

While you remain upon the lion throne.

You manifest bodies throughout the ten directions;

Amid all divergent doctrines,

No one can ever shake you.

Your treasury of wisdom is boundless,

And your powers of wisdom are immeasurable.

Each of the Blessed One’s powers

Can universally deliver the world.

You abide in omniscience

And dwell well established in the ten powers,

A great and fearless lion,

The supreme and unsurpassed one.

The Tathagata is endowed

With the eighteen unique qualities,

Illuminating all worlds

And subduing the non-Buddhist paths.

You clearly know all dharmas;

Therefore, none is above you.

Perfect Great Guide,

I have a doubt and wish to ask.

Your stainless wisdom is boundless;

Your ocean of wisdom is unmoving;

The sphere of your wisdom is unobstructed.

I have a doubt and wish to ask.

The Blessed One has cultivated well

And is no longer mistaken regarding the path.

Great Guide who dwells in peace,

I have a doubt and wish to ask.

You have crossed beyond the violent torrent,

Severed every bondage,

And extracted all poisoned arrows.

I have a doubt and wish to ask.

You have shattered the shell of ignorance,

Extinguished the fever of afflictions,

And can dwell in peaceful coolness.

I have a doubt and wish to ask.

Your fearless wisdom is unsurpassed;

Your wisdom is unobstructed and unattached.

The Dharma ocean of omniscience

Has been realized by the Tathagata.

The Buddha’s immeasurable merits

And realized wisdom are wholly perfected.

You have ended every affliction

And shattered every attachment to views.

The Blessed One has accumulated

Immeasurable, vast merit.

Inconceivable Dharma King,

I have a doubt and wish to ask.

The Buddha’s wisdom is sublime,

Illuminating all worlds

And widely spreading the light of Dharma;

Your ocean of merit is boundless.

The Guide’s light of Dharma

Illuminates all worlds;

Therefore, within the world,

The radiance of the Buddhadharma appears.

Your Dharma ocean of omniscience

And eloquence have nothing above them.

Your vigor is inconceivable;

You are pure and free from attachment to views.

As the Buddha-eye is boundless,

So too is the sphere of wisdom boundless.

Peerless One in the world,

I have a doubt and wish to ask.

Great Muni, King of Dharma,

You can dispel the doubts of sentient beings.

I say to the Buddha that I shall ask,

Hoping permission will be granted.

I have looked throughout all realms,

Among devas and human beings,

And none is equal to the Tathagata,

The One whose light shines everywhere.

Replete with every virtue,

Adorned as a Great Man,

The inconceivable Dharma King

Shines brilliantly among the noble ones.

Like the great Snow Mountain,

Majestically adorned with precious things,

The Blessed One seated upon the Dharma throne

Is likewise majestic and adorned.

With wondrous voice and great vigor,

You can proclaim words that delight the heart.

If sentient beings are able to hear them,

Their roots of goodness are all purified.

The Buddha, supreme among humans,

Constantly radiates the light of Dharma.

Through this, sentient beings

Immediately awaken according to their aspirations.

You know the proper time and know the assembly;

The Guide knows each person.

You reveal and spread the light of Dharma,

Employing wisdom at the proper time.

Vigorous One with the voice of Brahma,

Please bestow your words of purity.

As rain from the heavens moistens the earth,

May the true Dharma universally refresh and nurture.

When the Blessed One, amid the assembly,

Has universally sent down the rain of Dharma,

May sentient beings thereby

Become fully endowed with this Dharma.

You abide above all,

Like a king upon Mount Sumeru.

Bestow the Dharma upon sentient beings

And cause the great assembly to rejoice.

Great Hero, Honored One among Two-Legged Beings,

Your sphere is inconceivable;

None among all sentient beings

Is able to comprehend it.

Immeasurable great beings

Have assembled here in harmony.

Relying upon the Great Muni,

They resolve to seek the Buddha’s sphere.

Aspiring toward the Buddha’s sphere,

I too have come to this assembly.

Guide of unobstructed wisdom,

How may one swiftly awaken?

Following the aspiration of my own heart,

I gaze up at you and wish to inquire.

May the Blessed One reveal and instruct,

So that all doubts may be ended.

If I hear the unsurpassed Dharma,

My heart will be filled with joy;

Delight will pervade my entire body,

And every net of doubt will be severed.

Dharma King, Unsurpassed Honored One,

Fearless in omniscience,

One who sees and knows all things,

I have a doubt and ask permission to inquire.

Regarding all dharmas,

The Buddha has not the slightest doubt.

Great Guide of perfect purity,

I have a doubt and ask permission to inquire.

Unsurpassed Dispeller of Doubts,

You have no uncertainty concerning the Dharma.

Your ocean of merit is boundless.

I have a doubt and ask permission to inquire.

Your great radiance is boundless;

Your great merit is boundless;

Your pure wisdom is boundless.

I have a doubt and ask permission to inquire.

Your vigorous wisdom is boundless;

The sphere of your wisdom is boundless;

The benefits of your wisdom are boundless.

I have a doubt and ask permission to inquire.

The Blessed One’s wisdom is boundless,

Transcending both limitation and boundlessness.

You can dispel every doubt.

I have a doubt and ask permission to inquire.

Inconceivable Dharma King,

Compassionately hear my questions.

Permit me now to ask,

And may the Buddha proclaim the teaching.

I wish to ask the Omniscient One,

The Buddha Sakyamuni:

If, out of compassion, you permit me,

Please resolve the matters I doubt.”

The Blessed One said to the great Bodhisattva Boundless Wisdom: “Boundless Wisdom, you now look to me with earnest yearning and wish to ask the Tathagata about many matters. Whatever you wish to ask, I shall answer for you.”

The Blessed One then spoke these verses:

“Boundless Wisdom,

Whatever matters you wish to ask,

You should ask them all;

The Tathagata shall answer.

Rejoicing in what is asked,

You should inquire into each matter.

Ask whatever you wish,

And the Buddha will swiftly bring you awakening.

I shall explain them for you,

So that no doubt remains at all.

In accordance with your earnest aspiration,

My answers shall accord with your questions.

Now you address your questions to the Buddha

At the proper time and with proper meaning.

Because you inquire at the proper time,

I shall certainly speak.

According to whatever you wish,

Ask the questions that should be asked.

The Tathagata will accord with them all

And expound them for your sake.

Now you ask at the proper time,

And I too shall speak at the proper time.

I shall end your doubts,

And you will become free from uncertainty.

The Tathagata is the Dharma King,

Thoroughly comprehending the ultimate meaning.

Regarding all dharmas,

He has become entirely free from doubt.

Concerning all dharmas,

My true awakening is difficult to fathom.

According to the intentions of sentient beings,

I shall answer the questions they bring.

Regarding all dharmas,

The Buddha has become entirely free from doubt.

Ask at the proper time,

And the Buddha will swiftly expound.

Having no doubts remaining,

I constantly teach others.

According to whatever they desire,

I explain the matters they doubt.

The Tathagata always clearly knows

The proper time and the assembly,

As well as all kinds of sentient beings,

Whose inclinations are not the same.

The Buddha also constantly observes

The minds of all sentient beings.

Whether they have aspiration or lack aspiration,

He clearly sees them all.

If there are those who possess wisdom

And can cultivate well,

I always choose the proper time

To awaken them through the true Dharma.

If they are without wisdom,

Foolish, deluded, and confused,

They lack the radiance of wisdom

And do not honor the true Dharma.

If they do not honor the Dharma

And do not aspire to seek the true Dharma,

Even if they hear this Dharma,

They will not gain the great radiance of wisdom.

Those who are skilled in the Dharma

And aspire to seek the Dharma,

If they are able to hear this Dharma,

Will gain the great radiance of wisdom.

Those who delight in the Mahayana Dharma

And make entreaty of the Blessed One,

After hearing this Dharma,

Will gain the great radiance of wisdom.

The Buddha is the one of unsurpassed wisdom;

The Buddha’s wisdom is inconceivable.

Therefore, those who earnestly aspire

Will be fully satisfied upon hearing it.

Those who delight in unobstructed wisdom

And seek the Supremely Honored One,

Upon hearing this Dharma,

Will gain immense benefit.

If those endowed with the nature of wisdom

Seek the Inconceivable One,

Upon hearing this Dharma,

They will attain unsurpassed wisdom.

If there are sentient beings

Who seek to attain the path to Buddhahood

And turn the unsurpassed Dharma wheel,

They will all rejoice upon hearing this Dharma.”

Those who delight in diligence

And honor the true Dharma,

On hearing the stainless Dharma,

Rejoice with ever greater joy.

If there are sentient beings

Who delight in cultivating wholesome Dharma,

I use the light of Dharma

To teach them the unsurpassed Dharma.

They shoulder heavy burdens

And advance in boundless cultivation;

Having heard this Dharma,

They are filled with joy.

If there are those who seek

Wholesome Dharma for contemplation,

Out of compassion for them,

I reveal the unsurpassed Dharma.

I have always cherished you;

Ask whatever questions you wish,

And I shall be able to resolve them

And dispel your doubts.

For many thousands of kotis of years,

I have cultivated well,

Utterly eliminated doubt and delusion,

And clearly know your aspirations.

If you have any doubts,

I permit you to ask;

I shall answer you

And dispel all your uncertainties.

If you have any doubts,

I permit you to ask;

Whatever accords with your wishes,

I shall expound for you.

If you have any doubts,

I permit you to ask;

The Buddha abides in the true Dharma,

Never wavering.”

At that time, the great bodhisattva Boundless Wisdom addressed the Buddha, saying: “Blessed One, I have certain doubts concerning the Bodhisattva Vehicle and shall now ask about them.

“Blessed One, how does a true person, having departed far from fear, single-mindedly maintain right mindfulness and don the great armor for the sake of sentient beings? How does he adorn himself with that great armor, arouse great delight in it, and honor it? How does he, through heedfulness, mount the Great Vehicle and travel upon the great, pure, level road, free from mounds, rubble, thorns, filth, and the tangled groves of views?

That road is also free from poisonous thorns, pits, suffering, and anguish, as well as bondage, fear, and hardship. It is level, in accord with principle, straight, and not crooked. It is an unobstructed road upon which the tangled forests are entirely cleared away, all nets are torn asunder, darkness is left far behind, and attachment and craving are eliminated.

By relinquishing conjunction, one proceeds toward unsurpassed bodhi.

“Blessed One, it is concerning this meaning that I ask: What is a good and true person? What is the great armor? Having donned that armor and mounted the Great Vehicle, how does one proceed along that great road toward unsurpassed bodhi?

“The Blessed One should expound how great bodhisattvas adorn themselves with armor, abide upon the path, and abide in skillfulness concerning the principles and purports of all dharmas. Because they abide skillfully in the principles and purports of the Dharma, they can bring forth the skillful light of those principles and purports. Because they possess the light of Dharma, they do not discard their armor but remain mounted upon the Great Vehicle.

Through the power of irreversible diligence, the foundation of freedom from false mindfulness, and the continuous power of wisdom, they can swiftly attain complete skillfulness in the principles and purports of the dharmadhatu, proceed to sit at the seat of enlightenment, turn the wheel of the true Dharma, and expound the true Dharma for sentient beings, enabling all sentient beings to be liberated from birth and death in accordance with their aspirations and the destinations toward which they are proceeding.

“Blessed One, wishing to bring benefit and happiness to sentient beings, I ask about the meaning of this Great Vehicle.

“Blessed One, the Tathagata knows all and sees all. Please teach which dharmas enable great bodhisattvas to attain the samadhi of the ocean-seal of all dharmas, through which they become irreversible from unsurpassed bodhi.

“Blessed One, the Tathagata completely knows and sees all unprecedented dharmas and is skilled in the remedies that give rise to wisdom in sentient beings. Therefore, I ask this question.”

The great bodhisattva Boundless Wisdom then spoke these verses:

“For the sake of great bodhisattvas,

I ask the Blessed One,

The One of Omniscient Knowledge and Vision,

About the profound meaning of the Buddha-Dharma.

By what samadhi may one reach

The practice of the Great Vehicle?

I now ask all these questions

For the benefit of sentient beings.

How does a good and true person

Don the boundless Dharma?

Having donned such armor,

How shall one then proceed?

How does one arouse aspiration?

How does one cherish that Dharma?

What is great diligence?

What is heedfulness?

How do bodhisattvas

Mount this Great Vehicle?

Having mounted it, what then should they do?

I pray that this matter be explained.

How does one mount the Great Vehicle

And proceed toward the bodhisattva path?

I beseech the Guiding Teacher

To proclaim this swiftly for me.

What is the level road

Upon which one proceeds with equanimity,

Always cutting down without weariness

The dusty forest of views?

Amid all spheres of experience,

How does one transcend them?

How does one, through equanimity,

Tear apart the net of craving?

How does one dispel darkness

And attain the light of great wisdom?

How shall these great bodhisattvas

Proceed upon their course?

How do they contemplate well

And leave all bonds far behind?

How do bodhisattvas,

Freed from bonds, abide well?

How do bodhisattvas

Pass beyond great fear,

Become skilled in the meanings of all dharmas,

And proceed toward the unsurpassed?

What do bodhisattvas don

As their boundless great armor?

Having donned that armor,

They mount this Great Vehicle.

How do bodhisattvas

Proceed upon the level road?

I now reverently ask;

May the Blessed One answer.

How do bodhisattvas attain

The adornment of the great armor?

May the Blessed One expound

How they abide upon this path,

How they adorn that path,

And become skilled in the meaning of all dharmas.

May the Blessed One expound

How one can clearly know

The principles and purports of the dharmadhatu

And the skillful light of Dharma.

May the Blessed One expound

How bodhisattvas

Attain that light of Dharma

And bring all dharmas to consummation.

May the Blessed One expound

How bodhisattvas,

Having attained the light of Dharma,

Do not abandon the great armor

And thereby proceed onward.

How do bodhisattvas

Mount this Great Vehicle

With irreversible diligence

And thereby proceed onward?

How do bodhisattvas

Keep their resolve and mindfulness ever firm,

And through the power of great wisdom

Become skilled in taming beings?

How do they attain skillfulness

In the meaning, principles, and purports of the dharmadhatu?

O inconceivable Dharma King,

May the Blessed One proclaim this.

How do they swiftly reach

The bodhi seat of enlightenment

And turn the pure Dharma wheel

That the world cannot turn?

How, without moving their hands,

Do they expound all dharmas

For the sake of every sentient being,

In accordance with their ancient vows?

Through expounding all dharmas,

How do they utterly liberate beings from birth and death?

How do they enable sentient beings

Ultimately to attain peace and happiness?

For the benefit of sentient beings,

I ask the Blessed One,

The One Who Knows and Sees All;

Please expound this for me.

Which dharmas should be employed

To enable bodhisattvas

To attain the great ocean-seal samadhi

Of all dharmas?

Those who earnestly seek the Buddha-Dharma

And thirst for great bodhi,

If they hear this Dharma,

Will rejoice throughout their entire bodies.”

The Buddha declared: “Excellent, excellent! Boundless Wisdom, great bodhisattva! In the past, you made offerings to immeasurable Buddhas, planted roots of goodness, and accumulated incalculable merit. You earnestly seek and thirst for this most profound Dharma. Wishing through your great vows to bring sentient beings to attainment, you have aroused great compassion and addressed this question to the Buddha.

“You should listen attentively and reflect well. I shall now explain to you how great bodhisattvas, through the attainment of merit, proceed toward unsurpassed bodhi.”

The great bodhisattva Boundless Wisdom replied: “Blessed One, I shall be delighted to listen.”

The Buddha said: “Boundless Wisdom! Great bodhisattvas put on armor for unsurpassed bodhi; they put on great armor because they wish to gather in sentient beings; they put on great armor to practice pure giving for sentient beings; for the sake of sentient beings, they put on great armor to observe the precepts purely; for the sake of sentient beings, they put on armor to cultivate pure patience; for the sake of sentient beings, they put on great armor to cultivate pure diligence; for the sake of sentient beings, they put on great armor to cultivate pure meditative concentration; for the sake of sentient beings, they put on great armor to cultivate pure wisdom; they put on great armor to bring peace and happiness to sentient beings;

they put on great armor to arouse the resolve to benefit sentient beings; they put on great armor to provide antidotes to the greed, anger, and delusion of sentient beings; they put on great armor as a means to attain great merit; they put on great armor to perfect unsurpassed wisdom; they put on great armor to rescue sentient beings from the fears of birth and death; they put on great armor because they wish to manifest the perfection of peerless, incomparable wisdom; and they put on great armor to wage battle against the maras, the retinues of mara, and the works of mara, as well as against all adherents of non-Buddhist paths—those who travel the perilous ways through the dense forest of views within this great trichiliocosm.

Boundless Wisdom! Having put on such great armor, great bodhisattvas never cast it aside but arouse great diligence. They are able to enter among every class of sentient beings and abide in the practice of patience.

Free from fear, neither alarmed nor afraid, neither shaken nor disturbed, they further put on boundless armor: the armor that rescues all sentient beings; the armor that cuts through every dense forest of views; the armor that destroys the armies of mara; the armor that can transmit wisdom; the armor that forms boundless bridges and ferries; the armor that frees beings from their burdens; the armor that increases pure faith; the armor that abides firmly in the precepts; the armor that completely purifies karmic hindrances; the armor that purifies all powers of wisdom; the armor of the power of skillful means; the armor that can end all attachments; and the armor of wisdom that neither retreats nor regrets.

Boundless Wisdom! Having put on such great armor, great bodhisattvas never cast it aside until they attain the boundless, steadfast power of diligence, which is never shaken, and advance toward unsurpassed bodhi.”

The Blessed One then spoke these verses:

“Bodhisattvas put on armor

To gather in sentient beings;

Because sentient beings are boundless,

Their armor too is boundless.

For the purity of giving,

To fill everyone with joy,

And to benefit sentient beings,

They put on this armor.

For the purity of observing precepts,

To benefit the world,

And to benefit sentient beings,

They put on this armor.

For the purity of patience,

Courageous and well established,

And to benefit sentient beings,

They put on this armor.

For the purity of diligence,

To attain non-retrogression,

And to benefit sentient beings,

They put on this armor.

For the purity of meditative concentration,

And likewise its field of practice,

And to benefit sentient beings,

They put on this armor.

For the purity of wisdom,

Undefiled and unsurpassed,

And to benefit sentient beings,

They put on this armor.

Whatever all sentient beings

Desire, they shall provide in full;

Skillfully understanding this principle,

They put on this armor.

Bodhisattvas, among sentient beings,

Are able to accomplish beneficial deeds;

Through the purity of the four means of gathering,

They bestow benefits throughout all realms.

If they act as healers,

They cure the diseases of greed, anger, and delusion;

They give medicine to sentient beings,

And all their illnesses are dispelled.

Therefore, all bodhisattvas

Skillfully put on armor;

In the provisions of merit,

They acquire boundless means.

Sentient beings suffer in birth and death,

Oppressed and without peace;

I shall always rescue and protect them,

Putting on boundless armor.

From the boundless suffering of birth and death,

I shall bring about their liberation;

The binding nets of craving and views

Shall all be severed.

This net of afflictions

I shall cut through completely;

With steadfast power of diligence,

I courageously put on armor.

I shall establish all sentient beings

Upon the path of peace and happiness,

By which they reach nirvana,

Peaceful and unsurpassed.

Through the power of great diligence,

I put on this armor;

I shall battle all maras

And never grow weary.

For those adherents of non-Buddhist paths

Who cling tightly to their views

And travel through perilous, dense forests,

I put on armor to benefit them.

And for immeasurable other beings

Who travel upon false paths,

I shall benefit them all;

Therefore, I put on boundless armor.

Having put on that armor,

They never cast it aside;

They arouse the power of great diligence

And put on steadfast armor.

Entering the realms of sentient beings,

They find peace through patience;

Accomplishing steadfast patience,

They put on unsurpassed armor.

They leave all fears far behind

And are neither alarmed nor afraid;

They put on boundless armor

And diligently cultivate all practices.

Skillfully clad in great armor,

They can always awaken correctly;

Quiescent and never shaken,

Neither disturbed nor regressing.

Having put on armor in this way,

The wise should further put on

The armor that rescues sentient beings,

The armor that destroys the armies of mara,

And the armor of boundless bridges and ferries;

They should put on every kind of armor.

The courageous and wise

Abide in peace by putting on armor;

To lay down the exceedingly heavy burden,

They put on unsurpassed armor.

They ferry all sentient beings across

And cause them all to escape the burden of suffering;

They increase pure faith

And skillfully restrain all six faculties.

In accord with pure precepts,

They put on unsurpassed armor;

Having attained courageous wisdom,

Bodhisattvas are able to abide

In conduct conforming to the precepts,

Their armor remaining unshaken.

In the past, among the assembly of noble ones,

They cultivated pure practices;

Therefore, clad in armor,

They are never timid or weak.

With wisdom, they cherish sentient beings

And benefit all worlds;

Having mastered every skillful means,

Clad in armor, they abide well.

In wisdom and skillful means,

Bodhisattvas attain mastery;

Having put on armor in this way,

They eliminate all timidity and bondage.

Free from every attachment,

Their right faith never goes astray;

The wise put on armor

And advance toward the unsurpassed path.

Bodhisattvas can resolutely accomplish

Their own benefit and the benefit of others;

Through the power of great diligence,

They remain steadfast and never regress.”

The Buddha continued: “Furthermore, Boundless Wisdom! Throughout immeasurable kalpas, great bodhisattvas carry heavy burdens and put on great armor. Such armor cannot be seen by maras, the retinues of mara, the messengers of mara, or those sentient beings who travel through the dark, evil, perilous dense forests of wrong views. Why is this? Because that armor has no manifest form or color, no characteristic and no opposition; it relinquishes characteristics and transcends characteristics, and it has no name.

Boundless Wisdom! Suppose there were arrows as numerous as Mount Sumeru, all sharp and shot toward them; none could strike them. Suppose all sentient beings throughout the great trichiliocosm became maras, and each of those mara beings had just as many retinues constituting armies of mara. Even if they all simultaneously discharged arrows as numerous as Mount Sumeru, they still could not damage the armor of the great bodhisattvas, not even by as much as a hair’s breadth.

They could not cause these great bodhisattvas even to form a different thought, much less affect their bodies.

If these great bodhisattvas were to conceive even a single thought of subduing them, they could cause those armies of mara to be shattered and annihilated.”

Having thus firmly established themselves in this armor without wavering, no being can destroy them. Why is this? Because it is signless, and because it lies beyond the range of beings’ movement and perception.

No beings are able to see or know the great bodhisattvas, yet bodhisattvas are able to comprehend all dharmas clearly. Because they see and know reality correctly, they don the great armor to rescue and protect all beings. They have no attachment to any dharma, for they wish to benefit all beings.

They also attain nothing whatsoever in regard to any dharma; therefore, beings cannot see or know such armor, for this armor has no form, no manifestation, and no verbal expression. This armor does not correspond with form, feeling, perception, formations, or consciousness; it does not correspond with the internal, the external, or what lies between, nor does it correspond with what is neither internal, external, nor intermediate.

It does not correspond with the twelve ayatanas or the eighteen dhatus; it does not correspond with the great elements of earth, water, fire, wind, and space; it does not correspond with the Desire Realm, the Form Realm, or the Formless Realm. It does not correspond with the conditioned, the unconditioned, both the conditioned and unconditioned, or neither the conditioned nor unconditioned. It does not correspond with the stage of the shravakas, the stage of the pratyekabuddhas, or the stage of the Buddhas.

It does not correspond with the course of language; it does not correspond with the defilement of form or the characteristics of form; it does not correspond with feeling, perception, formations, consciousness, or with the causes and characteristics of feeling, perception, formations, and consciousness. It does not correspond with characteristics or non-characteristics. With respect to all dharmas, it neither corresponds nor fails to correspond.

It has no bondage and no liberation, and it cannot be known through calculation or analogy, because all dharmas transcend every enumeration.

In such armor, no view concerning any dharma can be apprehended. A view of form cannot be apprehended; a view of feeling cannot be apprehended, and so forth through a view of consciousness, which cannot be apprehended. Indeed, not even the slightest view of any dharma can be apprehended.

Such armor does not correspond with any dharma, nor does it fail to correspond. It does not correspond with form, feeling, perception, formations, or consciousness, nor does it fail to correspond. It is far removed from both correspondence and non-correspondence with any dharma.

Such armor involves no fabrication, because there is no fabricator. It has no characteristic, because it is not a characteristic. It has no characteristic of location, no characteristic of combination, no discrimination, no movement, no object of engagement, and no nature that can be perceived.

The person who dons the armor also cannot be apprehended.

Donning such armor likewise cannot be perceived. Why is this? When great bodhisattvas don the armor, they do not perceive anyone as a person donning armor; they do not perceive where the armor is donned or from where it is donned. They do not perceive, “I am able to don the armor,” nor do they perceive armor being donned by themselves. They also do not perceive armor being donned here or armor being donned there, nor do they perceive any donning of armor at all.

Because all beings have no sphere of activity and no sphere of perception in regard to any dharma, the great bodhisattvas don such armor. It is also the armor donned by the Tathagata. The body cannot be apprehended, the mind cannot be apprehended, and thought cannot be apprehended. Because they cannot be apprehended, discrimination is left far behind.

If bodhisattvas still possessed even the slightest dharma, or attained even the slightest dharma, and thus donned the armor in the present or would don it in the future, they should not be said to don the great armor. Only when the bodhisattva’s mind transcends all dharmas is this called donning the inconceivable great armor.

Great bodhisattvas do not don the great armor for only a small number of beings, nor do they don the great armor for beings of a single kalpa. They do not don the great armor merely for beings of a hundred kalpas, a thousand kalpas, or even a hundred thousand nayutas of kotis of kalpas. Rather, great bodhisattvas don the great armor precisely for beings throughout immeasurable and innumerable kalpas. Therefore, it is called the immeasurable great armor.

When donning the great armor, great bodhisattvas don the armor without giving rise to the perception of beings; they don the armor without giving rise to the perception of a self; they don the armor while abandoning the perception that beings exist; they don the armor while extinguishing the perception that a self exists; they don the armor while clearly knowing the nature of beings; they don the armor while clearly knowing the nature of self; they don the armor while transcending feeling and perception;

they don the armor while clearly knowing that all dharmas have no characteristic of fabrication, that they bear the characteristic of emptiness, the characteristic of signlessness, the characteristic of wishlessness, the characteristic of non-arising, and the characteristic of non-cessation.

They don the armor while clearly knowing the differentiated natures and characteristics of all dharmas and the undifferentiated natures and characteristics of all dharmas. They don the armor while clearly knowing the characteristics of phenomena in all dharmas and the absence of phenomenal characteristics in all dharmas.

O Boundless Wisdom! If one dons armor while still abiding in phenomenal characteristics, this can never be called donning the great armor, because great bodhisattvas do not seek great wisdom within phenomenal characteristics; therefore, it is called donning the great armor.”

The Blessed One then spoke these verses:

“Throughout immeasurable kalpas,

They don the boundless great armor,

Wishing to enable all beings

To be liberated from every suffering.

Such is this great armor:

Neither Mara nor Mara’s emissaries,

Nor those who perform the deeds of Mara,

Can behold it with their eyes.

And those beings

Who wander through the forest of attachment to views

Likewise cannot behold

This inconceivable armor.

This armor has no form,

No shape, and no opposition.

The inconceivable armor

Cannot be seen by ordinary eyes.

It has neither name nor characteristic

And is far removed from every characteristic.

This armor is boundless;

Thus, no characteristic of it can be seen.

Suppose arrows as massive as mountains

Were all aimed and fired at it;

Before the inconceivable armor,

Those arrows would shatter by themselves.

All the Maras in the world

Might also bear arrows as massive as mountains,

Aim them directly at the great armor,

And fire them all at once.

Yet this great armor

Would not be damaged by even a hair’s breadth.

The inconceivable armor

Cannot be destroyed by anything.

Therefore, the bodhisattva’s

Body and mind remain unchanged.

The inconceivable armor—

Who could cause it to waver?

The inconceivable bodhisattva,

If with but a single thought

He wishes to subdue all Maras,

The armies of Mara immediately retreat and disperse.

Such great armor

Has never moved or wavered.

None among all beings

Is able to behold it.

None among all beings

Knows the characteristics of this armor;

Therefore, beings

Cannot behold it with their eyes.

The bodhisattva, a refuge,

Is able to know all dharmas.

Like the most excellent vajra—

Such a one dons it well.

Not accepting any dharma,

He rescues and protects all beings.

Conforming to the Dharma of the Buddhas—

Such a one dons it well.

The armor has nowhere to be grasped

And accords with all dharmas.

The inconceivable armor—

Such a one dons it well.

The armor cannot be manifested;

It purifies all dharmas.

All dharmas transcend verbal expression;

No one can manifest them.

It does not correspond with form,

Nor with feeling, perception, formations, or consciousness.

With any of these it does not correspond,

Nor does it combine with any of them.

It does not correspond with the internal;

It does not correspond with the external;

It does not correspond with the internal and external,

Nor does it combine with any of them.

It does not correspond with the ayatanas;

It does not correspond with the dhatus.

Whether within the ayatanas or within the dhatus,

It does not combine with any of them.

It does not correspond with earth;

It does not correspond with water or fire;

So too with wind and space:

It neither corresponds nor combines with them.

It does not correspond with the Desire Realm,

The Form Realm, or the Formless Realm.

It does not correspond with any of them,

Nor does it combine with any of them.

In all things there is nothing attained.

It neither corresponds nor combines

With any conditioned dharma

Or any unconditioned dharma.

The inconceivable armor

Neither abides nor combines.

It is without bondage and without liberation,

And it is not non-corresponding.

The armor has no boundary or limit.

It neither corresponds nor combines

With the stage of the shravakas

Or the stage of the pratyekabuddhas.

Even with the stages of the Buddhas

And with all dharmas,

It does not correspond with any of them,

Nor does it combine with any of them.”

All paths of language

Can never reach it;

Because this armor is boundless,

It is inconceivable and difficult to fathom.

Therefore, with all things

It neither corresponds nor fails to correspond.

This inconceivable armor

Transcends all enumeration.

This armor is unsurpassed,

Neither bound nor unbound.

Nor does it possess the characteristic of form,

Or the characteristics of feeling, perception, formations, and consciousness.

With those characteristics it neither

Corresponds nor combines.

With the characteristics of all dharmas

It neither corresponds nor fails to correspond;

Nor with the absence of characteristics

Does it correspond or combine.

This armor is unsurpassed,

Neither bound nor liberated.

Among all dharmas,

It enters no single dharma.

Among all dharmas,

This armor cannot be apprehended.

Therefore it is unsurpassed

And is called inconceivable.

This armor has no form,

No feeling and no perception,

No formations and no consciousness;

It is not included among the skandhas.

Such courageous beings

Don this great armor;

Body and mind cannot be apprehended,

And not the slightest dharma is seen.

Because they transcend thought,

Their minds abide in purity,

And they are never timid or weak;

This is called inconceivable.

Donning the firm armor,

Their minds remain unmoved.

It cannot be reckoned in kalpas;

This is called inconceivable.

The armor is immeasurable;

It grasps neither dharma nor non-dharma.

Because it has no measure of time,

It is called immeasurable.

They do not give rise to the perception of sentient beings,

Nor do they entertain a perception of self.

Because they understand these perceptions,

No perceptions whatsoever arise.

They also know that all dharmas

Are entirely without characteristics.

Donning armor such as this

Is called inconceivable.”

The Buddha continued: “Furthermore, Boundless Wisdom, this great armor is called the adornment of the wondrous Dharma’s magnificent accoutrements. It is also called the supreme and indestructible, and it is also called the non-differentiation of all dharmas, because it makes not the slightest distinction among dharmas.

“Great bodhisattvas who don this armor, sustained by the power of great wisdom, ride in the Mahayana—the Supreme Vehicle, the Unequaled Vehicle, the Great Vehicle of Embrace, the Boundless Vehicle of Embrace.

“When all sentient beings ride in this vehicle, it accommodates them all, yet the vehicle itself neither increases nor diminishes. It can enable sentient beings to dwell in peace and happiness, and it can also enable them to depart in peace and happiness.

“If any sentient being rides in this vehicle of certain peace and happiness, that being’s body and mind will know neither weariness nor hardship.

“Boundless Wisdom, this Mahayana outshines and eclipses all vehicles of the worlds of devas, humans, asuras, shravakas, pratyekabuddhas, and all other vehicles, and by it one shall attain liberation.

“This Mahayana neither comes nor goes nor abides; it is neither seen nor known. Its beginning cannot be apprehended, its end cannot be apprehended, and its middle cannot be apprehended. The three times are equal, like empty space, unstained by dust or defilement. It admits no resistance, has no obstruction, and is free from attachment. Through this vehicle one shall attain liberation.

“This Mahayana is immeasurable, because it cannot be measured.

“This Mahayana is originally devoid of the characteristic of obstruction, because it does not abide in characteristics.

“This Mahayana is supreme and foremost. Those who ride in this vehicle have no timid or feeble mind, but proceed toward unsurpassed perfect enlightenment.

“Boundless Wisdom, this vehicle is like a lamp, like the sun and moon, shedding great light upon sentient beings.

“So too is this Mahayana. Its light shines throughout the great trichiliocosm, and nothing can conceal or obstruct it. By means of the great ocean of boundless merit, it can proceed toward unsurpassed bodhi.

“Boundless Wisdom, this Mahayana is without darkness and can dispel the illnesses of all worlds. It transcends all worldly dharmas and embraces great beings. Inferior sentient beings cannot ride in it, except those capable of donning the great armor—those who, as I have said, have rescued and protected sentient beings throughout immeasurable kalpas, made offerings to the Buddhas, planted roots of virtue, and purified their provisions. Such people are able to ride in it. Shravakas, pratyekabuddhas, and other inferior persons who are bound to the world and correspond with the world, as well as the arrogantly conceited and unbelieving adherents of non-Buddhist paths, do not even wish to hear the name of this Mahayana, much less are they able to ride in it.

“If any sentient being journeys within the inconceivable realm and rides in this Mahayana, that being will proceed toward unsurpassed bodhi in accordance with their own supreme vow.

“Boundless Wisdom, this Mahayana has no temporal boundary. Its beginning, middle, and end cannot be clearly known. The termination of this Mahayana’s limits cannot be apprehended. Its limit is boundless; its limit is immeasurable.

“Boundless Wisdom, this vehicle has a boundless limit. Nor does it have a middle limit, and there is not even the slightest limit that can be severed.

“To speak of severing a limit: because there is not the slightest limit, it is said that the limit is severed; because no limit is discriminated, it is said that the limit is severed. This is called the severance of the limit of this Mahayana.

“The limit of innumerable existences is spoken of as the middle limit; the limit of nonexistence is spoken of as the boundary limit; and that which has no existence is described by means of a limit. Within that limit, no limit can be apprehended. Because it cannot be apprehended, the boundary limit and the middle limit have neither limit nor severance, and one enters the gateway of limits. Because one enters the gateway of limits, this vehicle transcends that place. Yet this transcendence, too, cannot be apprehended.

“Boundless Wisdom, what are limits? They are the limits of annihilationism and eternalism. Because they enter into language, a limit is therefore not a limit. Those limits of annihilationism and eternalism have no boundary, because the characteristic of those limits is the characteristic of boundlessness.

“It is said that limits are without discrimination. Because discrimination has ceased, one transcends limits and becomes free from annihilationism and eternalism.

“Boundless Wisdom, those who hold the view of a self in the body have something upon which they rely at the gateway of limits. Those without the view of a self in the body have no attachment at the gateway of limits. Because they have no attachment, they can transcend the limits of annihilationism and eternalism.

“Boundless Wisdom, those limits of annihilationism and eternalism have no reality; they are merely deceptive words. Within the three realms, discrimination establishes the two limits of annihilationism and eternalism. Regarding these two limits, only when one neither grasps them nor corresponds with them can one transcend attachment to the views of annihilationism and eternalism, remaining unattached at the gateway of the two limits.

“Boundless Wisdom, if a great bodhisattva has not yet become free from the view of a self in the body, that bodhisattva cannot be said to have donned the armor and mounted the Mahayana, for there is still attachment to that gateway of limits. Even though wishing to sever the limits, the bodhisattva again gives rise to the notion of severing limits and once more discriminates a former limit and a later limit.

“If a great bodhisattva has become free from the view of a self in the body, that bodhisattva is said to have donned the great armor and mounted the Mahayana. Having no attachment to that gateway of limits and having transcended the two limits, the bodhisattva proceeds toward unsurpassed bodhi by means of the vehicle of peace and happiness.

“Boundless Wisdom, through the power of great wisdom, great bodhisattvas can abide at the limits of all dharmas without severing or destroying them. With skillful means they embrace shamatha and vipashyana and cultivate the absence of characteristics. When they realize the absence of characteristics, the Buddhas bestow upon them the light of Dharma.

Through the light of Dharma, all limits are severed. Yet regarding that severance of limits, they grasp nothing. At that gateway there is not the slightest limit that either corresponds or fails to correspond, that is either remembered or not remembered.

With regard to all dharmas, they skillfully abide in shamatha and vipashyana and thereby attain the boundless light of the great Dharma. Because of the light of the great Dharma, they leave far behind the darkness of fear, raise the great banner of Dharma, utter the great Brahma voice, and roar the great lion’s roar, proclaiming to sentient beings: ‘All of you, come quickly to this Mahayana, this vehicle of great peace and happiness, this great vehicle of discipline, this great vehicle of setting forth, and proceed toward unsurpassed bodhi.’ Great bodhisattvas expound the light of Dharma for the sake of sentient beings.

Through the light of Dharma, they can enable sentient beings to don the great armor and ride in this Mahayana.”

O Boundless Wisdom! Great bodhisattvas should harbor no stinginess concerning this Great Vehicle or this great armor. They should vow that sentient beings will arouse the aspiration for bodhi, don this armor, and ride this Great Vehicle.

Those sentient beings likewise should harbor no stinginess concerning this Great Vehicle and great armor, but should in turn exhort other sentient beings. They too should vow that all sentient beings will don this armor and ride this Great Vehicle so as to attain liberation.

When great bodhisattvas abide in such vows and practices, they embrace Buddha lands, purify Buddha lands, and gather in shravakas and bodhisattvas so as to perfect their merit. Through this boundless ocean of great merit, they proceed toward unsurpassed bodhi.

O Boundless Wisdom! This Great Vehicle is identical with the dharmadhatu. Neither this shore nor the other shore can be apprehended, yet it can convey all sentient beings from here into the dharmadhatu, in accord with the dharmadhatu and in accord with the armor that accords with no particular place.

Those who diligently cultivate this Great Vehicle, which is identical with the dharmadhatu, proceed toward unsurpassed bodhi.

O Boundless Wisdom! Just as the dharmadhatu is undefiled by sensory dust, cannot be destroyed by anyone, and cannot be tainted by anything, so too this Great Vehicle cannot be destroyed or defiled. Because it is indestructible and undefiled, it leads to knowledge of all modes. Therefore, this vehicle is called the Great Vehicle. This vehicle is unobstructed; no deva, human, or asura in the world can cause one to turn back from it.

Because this vehicle is free from attachment, it leads to knowledge of all modes. Therefore, this vehicle is called the Great Vehicle.

The term “Great Vehicle” means great adornment. All adornments are contained within this Great Vehicle.”

Bodhisattva Boundless Wisdom addressed the Buddha: “World-Honored One! Are there then conditioned adornments within this Great Vehicle?”

The Buddha said: “O Boundless Wisdom! It is so. In conformity with worldly convention, I also speak of all conditioned adornments within this Great Vehicle.

“O Boundless Wisdom! Wheel-Turning Monarchs, Shakra, and Brahma Kings all arise from this Great Vehicle—whether they have already arisen or will arise in the future. Although they occupy exalted positions, they are not tainted or attached by the faults of samsara and the afflictions, and they can exercise moderation in each of the five sensual pleasures.

“Having exercised moderation, they become disenchanted with and relinquish them, and can clearly understand the path of liberation.

“If great bodhisattvas ride this Great Vehicle, although they undergo birth and death, wherever they may be, they are never defiled. They perceive its faults and understand liberation. Even if I have not taught certain dharmas and adornments here, through the characteristics of this vehicle those great bodhisattvas can understand those dharmas and adornments and proceed toward unsurpassed bodhi.”

The World-Honored One then spoke these verses:

“The Great Vehicle, the unsurpassed vehicle,

This vehicle is inconceivable.

Whoever rides upon this vehicle

Will attain liberation.

This vehicle is inconceivable,

Immeasurable and boundless;

It is the great refuge,

And thus is called the Great Vehicle.

Though all sentient beings

Ride upon this Great Vehicle,

This vehicle does not diminish,

Nor does it increase.

When all sentient beings

Ride upon this Great Vehicle,

They joyfully proceed onward,

And within it there is no suffering.

If great bodhisattvas

Proceed by means of this vehicle,

They advance directly without deviation,

Their bodies and minds never weary.

Illuminating the entire world,

Devas, humans, and asuras

Will travel in this Great Vehicle

And proceed toward the unsurpassed.

Outshining all pratyekabuddhas

And all shravaka vehicles,

They travel in this Great Vehicle

And proceed toward the unsurpassed.

There is no coming and no going,

No abiding and no beginning;

No end and no middle,

Nothing attained and nowhere seen.

The three times are all equal,

Just like empty space;

This vehicle is also thus,

Far removed from all afflictions.

This vehicle has no counterpart,

No obstruction and no hindrance;

It can rescue every kind of being,

And is unattached to its destination.

This vehicle is immeasurable

And devoid of all characteristics;

Its intrinsic nature cannot be apprehended—

Fearless and inconceivable.

Whoever rides this vehicle

Attains fearlessness;

Amid all the Buddha-Dharma,

They meet no obstruction or hindrance.

Proceeding by means of this vehicle,

They illuminate the entire world,

Like the great, radiant sun,

Which never fails to shine.

This vehicle cannot be destroyed,

Nor can anything obscure its brilliance;

With immeasurable provisions of merit,

It proceeds toward the unsurpassed.

This vehicle transcends the world

And wholly escapes the three realms;

Far removed from every darkness,

It goes directly to the undefiled fruition.

This vehicle embraces only

All the bodhisattvas;

As for other sentient beings,

They cannot be admitted within it.

Only one endowed with wisdom,

Who for immeasurable thousands of kalpas

Has diligently cultivated skillful means,

Can come to ride this vehicle.

Shravakas and pratyekabuddhas,

All non-Buddhist practitioners,

Those of little wisdom and wrong views,

Cannot ride this vehicle.

If there are sentient beings

Who proceed upon a false path,

Such people, deficient in merit,

Are unfit to hear of this vehicle.

If there are sentient beings

Who, regarding inconceivable dharmas,

Skillfully engage in playful realization,

They can ride this Great Vehicle.

In accordance with the supreme vows

That they have established,

Upon this right path

They proceed toward the unsurpassed.

This vehicle has no outer limit,

Nor does it have a midpoint;

Its limits and its midpoint

Are all utterly inapprehensible.

Because limits cannot be apprehended,

This vehicle is without limits;

Since every limit has been severed,

One joyfully proceeds onward.

This vehicle has no boundary;

The boundless is this vehicle’s boundary.

This vehicle has no measurable limit;

The immeasurable is this vehicle.

This vehicle has no severance of limits;

The limitless is the severance of limits.

One does not discriminate concerning limits,

And severance too cannot be apprehended.

The vehicle’s limit has no outer limit,

Nor does it have a midpoint;

There is neither limit nor absence of limit,

For the nature of limits has no existence.

Within limits there is no mark of a limit,

Nor is a limit established as a characteristic;

Among all such limits,

The mark of a limit has no existence.

This vehicle has transcended

The gateway expressed as ‘not a limit’;

In that which surpasses all measure,

No correspondence can be apprehended.

I speak of the limits of annihilation and permanence,

The limits of finitude and infinitude;

All limits such as these—

Those limits are not truly limits.

Every limit is boundless;

The mark of a limit has no existence.

The intrinsic nature of every limit

Is not discriminated within it.

Among all limits such as these,

Because discrimination has ceased,

Both boundedness and boundlessness

Are entirely brought to an end.

If the view of a self still remains,

One speaks of gateways of limits;

Those who cling to such limits

Are people without refuge.

If one is free from the view of a self

And does not cling to gateways of limits,

One is a being of great wisdom

Who, with respect to every limit,

Can transcend them all.

Through this, within the Buddha-Dharma,

One joyfully proceeds onward.

Bodhisattvas skillfully contemplate

And, through the power of wisdom,

Do not apprehend even the slightest dharma

That can be ended or eliminated.

They constantly employ skillful means

And skillfully embrace shamatha and vipashyana;

By clearly knowing the single characteristic,

They clearly know all characteristics.

Abiding in the true Dharma,

They attain the radiance of the great Dharma;

Through this radiance of Dharma,

They resolve all those limits.

They do not perceive the slightest limit

As either a limit or not a limit;

Whatever correspondence may be attained,

They remain unattached to everything.

If they see sentient beings suffering,

They exhort them, saying:

‘Come unto this vehicle

And joyfully attain liberation.’

Wherever they take birth,

They can become a light of Dharma;

Donning the armor and riding the Great Vehicle,

They also reveal this to others.

Concerning this vehicle and this armor,

Harbor no stinginess;

Cause all sentient beings as well

To don the armor and ride the Great Vehicle.

Riding this vehicle of joyful ease,

They proceed toward the unsurpassed.

Bodhisattvas such as these,

Abiding here and cultivating,

Can within the Buddha-Dharma

Swiftly proceed toward the unsurpassed.

They purify all Buddha lands,

Embrace all shravakas

And the assemblies of bodhisattvas—

This is the adornment of merit.”