大寶積經

The Buddha continued: “Infinite Wisdom, I recall that in the past, when I was practicing the bodhisattva path, I donned such armor and mounted such a Great Vehicle. I passed beyond all limits, dispelled darkness, and removed fear. In the presence of immeasurable hundreds of thousands of kotis of nayutas of Buddhas, through the power of great diligence I heard of this armor and these adornments of the armor and the Great Vehicle of great bodhisattvas, and I rejoiced with great delight.

When I contemplated that Dharma, I revered and honored the Buddha, the Blessed One, yet did not conceive the thoughts: ‘I wear such armor; I possess such armor; I have attained such a Dharma; I possess such a Dharma; I possess such kinds of Dharma.’ At that time I held no conception of a self. I remained far removed from the view of a personal self and from self-conceit; my mind knew neither superiority nor inferiority and made no distinctions.

In order to gather in all sentient beings, preserve the treasury of Dharma of the Buddhas, the Tathagatas, and bring immeasurable hundreds of thousands of kotis of nayutas of sentient beings to maturity, I never entertained a single thought of weariness.

“At that time I did not discard the armor, but mounted the boundless vehicle. Over the course of many lives, I was able to vanquish the armies of Mara. All Mara’s retinues retreated and perished, and all his messengers fled in terror.

I subdued all adherents of non-Buddhist paths and all schools associated with heterodox teachings, establishing them in security. I refuted every heterodox doctrine, and all non-Buddhist practitioners submitted to me. I enabled sentient beings inclined toward erroneous paths to plant roots of goodness in this vehicle.

For sentient beings I revealed the armor and its adornments. For sentient beings I also expounded the various peaceful and blissful teachings of the Great Vehicle. Those who abide in this vehicle obtain every provision for happiness: the conditioned provisions for the happiness of a Wheel-Turning King, Shakra, and Brahma, as well as the unconditioned provisions for happiness.

“When I taught this Dharma to sentient beings, I caused them to enter it, develop the lineage of the noble ones, raise the great banner of Dharma, roar the lion’s roar, and advance toward unsurpassed bodhi.

“Infinite Wisdom, great bodhisattvas should don this great armor and then examine and discern in accordance with principle.

“Toward what Dharma should great bodhisattvas advance? Great bodhisattvas are able to see and fully understand all dharmas without discrimination. Why is this?

Great bodhisattvas abide on the right path because they know in accordance with principle. Great bodhisattvas advance along the right path because they see in accordance with principle. Purity in accordance with principle is neither discrimination nor nondiscrimination; within discrimination and nondiscrimination, they see and know with equality.

If they still perceive some dharma to be sought or found, there is no equality, and they do not abide in pure seeing and knowing in accordance with principle. Because there is neither discrimination nor nondiscrimination, they do not grasp discrimination or nondiscrimination. Because they do not grasp, they remain far removed from both discrimination and nondiscrimination.

“On this path there is no affection, no fabrication, no augmentation, and neither acceptance nor rejection. Standing on the level and upright path, they make no distinction concerning the past, present, or future. They can completely understand all the accumulated seeds of discrimination and abide in equality with regard to all dharmas, without inverted meaning. Only this is called abiding on this path.

“Infinite Wisdom, what are the path and the purity of the path?

“They are the eight factors of the noble path: right view, right thought, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right diligence, right mindfulness, and right concentration.

“Right view eliminates the view of a personal self and transcends the domains of all views and attachments to views. It becomes pure in every respect and can clearly understand every discrimination. Whether superior discrimination or pervasive discrimination, it is without discrimination, superior discrimination, or pervasive discrimination. It does not abide in erroneous thought and eliminates wrong thinking. It sees right livelihood, sees the perception of right livelihood, sees the purity of livelihood, and abides in purity of livelihood. In accordance with principle, it sees the purity of bodily, verbal, and mental karma and abides in right action.

“Right view sees verbal karma and can see and know every aspect of verbal karma. Abiding in right speech, it can apply the pure antidote.

“Right view regarding diligence skillfully gathers in diligent views and abides in right diligence.

“Right view regarding recollection is without recollection, mental application, or anything grasped; through pure mindfulness, it abides in right mindfulness.

“Right view regarding samadhi has no basis within samadhi, yet can purify the knowledge and vision of samadhi and abide in right concentration.

“Infinite Wisdom, when great bodhisattvas see in this way, they attain pure right view in every respect and abide on the pure path.

“This pure path is practiced by good persons, honored by the wise, pleasing to the noble ones, and praised by the Buddhas. It is not traversed by any Mara, Mara’s subjects, Mara’s messengers, or the devas of Mara. Nor is it traversed by adherents of non-Buddhist paths, by those who depend upon disputation and wander through the dense forest of views toward a false path, or by any who are attached to nirvana. Why is this? Those who abide in the unconditioned still discriminate nirvana. If they discriminate nirvana, they discriminate conditioned phenomena. Why? Within the dhatu of nirvana, all movements of thought and discrimination are transcended. There is not even the unconditioned, much less the conditioned.

“This path can completely purify every discrimination. Since not even the slightest discrimination of the unconditioned exists, how could any discrimination of conditioned things exist? If one discriminates on the noble path, one is not said to abide on the noble path. If one eliminates every movement of thought and discrimination, one is said to abide on the noble path, the path of fearlessness, the path of security, and the path of peace and bliss.

“This path can reach the place where there is no aging, sickness, death, sorrow, or suffering. It can reach the place without intrinsic nature, beyond all natures. It can reach the place apart from every nature and non-nature. It can reach the place where neither the characteristic of form nor that of non-form is displayed. Pervading all places like space, this path can reach the unsurpassed great palace. Those who travel thus and never again retreat attain immeasurable security and happiness.

“That great palace cannot be displayed. It is devoid of all phenomenal characteristics, without the slightest conditioned or unconditioned thing. The conditioned has been extinguished and the unconditioned relinquished. It does not establish sentient beings in conditioned or unconditioned happiness.

“Infinite Wisdom, those who delight in a conditioned nirvana do not even seek conditioned happiness; how much less could they seek that great palace?

“In that great palace there are no conceptual designations. Because it is cool, peaceful, and tranquil, it is called nirvana. Because greed, hatred, and delusion are extinguished; accumulated seeds are eliminated; the net of craving and views is torn apart; the stream of ignorance is dried up; the poisoned arrows are extracted; and unwholesome dharmas are exhausted, it is called nirvana.

Because it is far removed from all pride, illness, suffering, oppression, and affliction, it is called nirvana. Because it is not an object traversed by mind, mentation, consciousness, or mental factors, it is called nirvana. Because all disputes and fetters, up to and including perceptions of dharmas, are entirely eliminated, it is called nirvana.

Because every mental preference and every object sought by mental preference has ceased, and because neither discrimination nor anything discriminated exists, it is also called nirvana.

“Infinite Wisdom, this is the essential nature of great parinirvana.

“Nirvana is boundless and cannot be expressed. If there is anywhere to advance toward, it is not this path. The path itself is also without words and cannot be expressed.

“When great bodhisattvas use this path to advance toward the great palace of great nirvana, they also establish immeasurable hundreds of thousands of sentient beings on this path.

“Infinite Wisdom, while advancing along this path, great bodhisattvas feel neither weariness nor sorrow. They seek according to their vows and adorn according to their vows. Whatever can be adorned, they adorn completely. They teach the Dharma to those sentient beings who are to be gathered in and liberated, causing them all to rejoice.

“Why is this? Because this path is unequaled, can thoroughly purify, and is the ultimate destination. The Buddhas, the Blessed Ones, together with shravakas and pratyekabuddhas, all advance along this path and never turn against it. Until they have reached that stage and fulfilled their aspirations, they never abandon this path.

“What is that stage? It is the stage of great nirvana, the stage of the great palace.

“Space has nothing by which it can be illustrated except space itself. Its vastness, openness, emptiness, and stillness are called space.

“The palace of nirvana is likewise vast, open, empty, and still, without a ruler and without anything belonging to a self. Although all sentient beings may enter it, no one can appropriate even as much as the tip of a hair. Because it is vast, empty, and tranquil, and because it is vast and immeasurable, it is called great nirvana and the great palace.

“Infinite Wisdom, this is the supreme path of great bodhisattvas; it cannot be attained by shravakas or pratyekabuddhas.

“While abiding on this path, great bodhisattvas may become Wheel-Turning Kings, yet without the least attachment. Possessing great majestic virtue and miraculous transformations, they clearly understand what is worldly and what is world-transcending.

“They may become Shakra or Great Brahma Kings, yet without craving or attachment. Far removed from pride, they delight in seeing the Buddhas and hearing the true Dharma, and they bring immeasurable hundreds of thousands of devas to maturity and direct them toward unsurpassed bodhi.”

The Blessed One then spoke in verse:

Only those who abide upon this path
Are speakers of truth.”

The Buddha continued: “Infinite Wisdom, while advancing along this path, great bodhisattvas cultivate one dharma in order to gather in the Noble Eightfold Path: they commit no unwholesome deeds.

“They also cultivate two dharmas: first, inwardly following wholesome dharmas, they reflect in accordance with principle; second, outwardly following wholesome dharmas, they inquire in accordance with principle.

“They also cultivate two dharmas: first, they clearly understand dharmas according to their actual condition; second, they clearly understand that there is no thing, no abiding, and no discrimination.

“They also cultivate two dharmas: first, inwardly they accord with wisdom; second, outwardly they grasp nothing.

“They also cultivate two dharmas: first, they have self-confidence without discrimination; second, if sentient beings have not yet developed faith, they establish them upon this path.

“They also cultivate two dharmas: first, they can see and know things already done as they truly are; second, they do not cling to the things that are to be done.

“They also cultivate three dharmas: first, regarding the suffering aggregates of grasping, they understand each aggregate individually; second, they diligently seek and greatly delight in aggregates of grasping that are without suffering; third, regarding compounded dharmas, they devote themselves to cultivating detachment.

“They also cultivate three dharmas: first, they proclaim the supreme Dharma in words free from error, and as they explain the meaning of Dharma their minds entertain no thought of dispute; second, they do not cling to any written words; third, they gather in all dharmas.

“They also cultivate four dharmas: first, they employ right skillful means regarding meaning; second, through right skillful means they act in correspondence with the meaning; third, through right skillful means they contemplate in accordance with the Dharma; fourth, through right skillful means they give rise to no attachment whatsoever.

“They also cultivate four dharmas: first, they can preserve themselves through firm vows and practice in accordance with their words; second, they can skillfully direct the six faculties toward the path; third, they can purify their aspirations; fourth, they can abide in the practice of heedfulness. Great bodhisattvas cultivate such dharmas in order to gather in the Noble Eightfold Path.

“Infinite Wisdom, only when great bodhisattvas gather in the right path through this Dharma practice are they called those who accord with the path. This is because they contemplate the nature of all dharmas as empty; because they are nameless, signless, wishless, unborn, and uncreated; and because of disenchantment, detachment, tranquility, and release. When the light of Dharma contemplation arises and birth is completely eliminated, they do not form a perception of birth with regard to the unborn.

At that very time they transcend birth, emerge from what is contrary to Dharma, and attain the pure path and patience regarding the unborn. Because the path is pure, they transcend every thought and perception. They no longer possess perceptions of non-perception; they extinguish perceptions of the path, abandon perceptions of dharmas, escape the net of ignorance, and cultivate through illumination.

They can attain every dharma that ought to be attained.

“What dharmas do they attain by cultivating through illumination? By cultivating through illumination, they attain the cessation of perception and feeling, decisive skill regarding all dharmas, and accordance with the secret profundity of Dharma-nature.

“While practicing this path, great bodhisattvas do not abide in any place and are not harmed by characteristics. They know all dharmas to be identical with space: their arising is like the arising of space and their nature is like the nature of space, without the slightest characteristic to obstruct them.

“This path is pure and knows no fear of calamity.

“Donning the great armor, they cannot be captured or bound.

“Mounted upon the Great Vehicle, they are nowhere deluded.

“Free from every obstruction and adversity, they are like space.

“Upon this path, great bodhisattvas advance toward unsurpassed bodhi and become a great light for sentient beings.

“Infinite Wisdom, this is the supreme path of great bodhisattvas. It is not a course traversed by shravakas or pratyekabuddhas.”

The Blessed One then spoke in verse:

Unbound bodhisattvas
Always know the suffering aggregates of grasping
And seek aggregates of grasping without suffering;
That practice gathers in the path.

The Buddha continued: “Infinite Wisdom, while advancing in this way, great bodhisattvas can, through skillful means, rightly and clearly understand immeasurable foundations of mindfulness, right efforts, faculties, powers, factors of awakening, liberations, samadhis, meditative attainments, bases of miraculous power, calm abiding and insight, and the adornments of immeasurable supreme qualities.

“To subdue the worlds, great bodhisattvas don the armor. To transcend the three realms, they mount the Great Vehicle. To gather in devas, humans, and asuras, they abide on this path and advance toward unsurpassed bodhi.

“Infinite Wisdom, when great bodhisattvas don the great armor, mount the Great Vehicle, and abide upon this path, if they do not illuminate all sentient beings with loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity, and do not cherish sentient beings as themselves, the great earth cannot bear that armor, Great Vehicle, and great path, nor can sentient beings draw near to them.

“If great bodhisattvas benefit sentient beings through loving-kindness and compassion while donning the great armor, mounting the Great Vehicle, and abiding upon this path, then the worldly devas, humans, and asuras cannot perform what is accomplished by that armor, Great Vehicle, and great path. Nor can ordinary fools who crave the world, remain perpetually within it, and cling to it ever perceive them.

“Out of compassion for all sentient beings, great bodhisattvas don the great armor. Through that armor they can sustain the earth dhatu and the dhatus of water, fire, and wind, causing this earth dhatu neither to overturn nor collapse, so that sentient beings are freed from fear. They can also cause the water, fire, and wind dhatus to exercise their functions as appropriate.

“From the time of their initial resolve toward the armor, great bodhisattvas don that great armor, mount that Great Vehicle, and advance by means of the pure path until they reach the station of one birth remaining.

“When a great bodhisattva reaches the Bodhi tree and sits at the seat of awakening, that place within this great trichiliocosm, firm and made of vajra, would certainly quake, tilt, and collapse if it were not sustained. Although made of solid vajra, it could not bear that great armor, Great Vehicle, and great path.

“In the past, great bodhisattvas made vows and aroused loving-kindness and compassion toward sentient beings, and the Buddhas and great bodhisattvas of the ten directions praised them together. Therefore, even Mount Vajra, Mount Sumeru, the jeweled mountains, and the greatest mountains could not bear that great armor, Great Vehicle, and great path if they were not sustained.

“Furthermore, through the power of the original vows of great bodhisattvas and the original vows of the Buddhas, they do not trouble, harm, injure, resent, oppose, oppress, or afflict any sentient being. Wishing sentient beings to attain peace and happiness, they don the great armor, mount the Great Vehicle, abide upon this path, and advance toward unsurpassed bodhi.

“Infinite Wisdom, when great bodhisattvas don the armor, they don the armor of wisdom, grasp the sword and staff of wisdom, dedicate themselves to great wisdom, mount the vehicle of dedication, advance toward the light of wisdom, and abide on the luminous path. With the bright eye of wisdom they contemplate all dharmas and advance toward knowledge of all modes. To gather in knowledge of all modes, they practice for the sake of all sentient beings the prajnaparamita, the perfection of generosity, the perfection of ethical discipline, the perfection of patience, the perfection of diligence, and the perfection of meditation.

“They all take wisdom as their guide, cultivate through wisdom, gather and preserve through wisdom, and dedicate everything to unsurpassed bodhi.”

Infinite Wisdom said: “Blessed One, how immense is the wisdom of great bodhisattvas, which can universally gather and preserve everything and accomplish the immeasurable qualities of the Buddhas!”

The Buddha said: “So it is, Infinite Wisdom. It is exactly as you have said. However immense the wisdom possessed by great bodhisattvas may be, in every place it gathers in all dharmas. Donning the great armor, mounting the Great Vehicle, and abiding on that great path, they advance in every instance with wisdom as their guide.

“Infinite Wisdom, although one may possess wisdom, without taking wisdom as one’s guide one cannot advance upon that path. If one possesses wisdom and takes wisdom as one’s guide, then wherever one goes and whatever one does, one uses wisdom to gather and preserve and uses wisdom to guard and protect. Only then is one said to don the great armor, mount the Great Vehicle, and abide upon that great path. Benefiting the world through the Dharma of security, one can open the eye of wisdom and contemplate with the eye of wisdom. With the body of wisdom shining and radiating great light, one advances toward unsurpassed bodhi.

“Infinite Wisdom, this is how great bodhisattvas don the armor and adorn the armor, mount the Great Vehicle and adorn the Great Vehicle, practice the great path and adorn the great path, and advance toward unsurpassed bodhi.

“Infinite Wisdom, if I were to explain fully the adornment of the armor, the adornment of the Great Vehicle, the adornment of the great path, and all the various adornments of merit of great bodhisattvas, I could not finish even in immeasurable kalpas.

“Now, to enable you to understand clearly, and also for the sake of future bodhisattvas, I have briefly taught a small portion of the adornment of the armor, the adornment of the Great Vehicle, the adornment of the great path, and the adornment of the provisions of immeasurable merit.

“If those bodhisattvas hear my Dharma, they too should don the great armor, mount the Great Vehicle, abide on that great path, and advance toward unsurpassed bodhi adorned with merit.”

The Blessed One then spoke in verse: