大寶積經

– Furthermore, Shariputra! In the future, when the Dharma is about to perish, there will again be great bodhisattvas who cultivate the Mahayana and practice virya paramita. Seeing those evil beings slander and destroy this true Dharma, they must all the more arouse the power of right diligence and great, courageous vigor. They must attentively listen to, uphold, transcribe, read, and recite this sublime Dharma gateway of the Great Bodhisattva Treasury, and expound it widely for others. At that time, the great bodhisattvas must give rise to four reflections. What are these four reflections?

– Shariputra! That great bodhisattva should reflect: “My precious father will soon pass away. For this reason, the Buddha, the Blessed One, Shakyamuni Tathagata, Arhat, Perfectly Enlightened One, diligently cultivated difficult practices throughout hundreds of thousands of kotis of nayutas of innumerable great kalpas before attaining this precious treasury of the true Dharma. Therefore, I must arouse vigor, reverently uphold it, and propagate it widely, so that this Dharma treasure may long endure and not perish.”

– Shariputra! Suppose a man had only one son and therefore cherished him deeply. That son possessed all the marks of merit and virtue, and his father never tired of gazing upon him. Later, when some business required the man to lead his son through a perilous place, fearing that his son might fall, he grasped and held him, carefully protecting him and thinking: “I must not let my son fall into this dangerous place.”

– Shariputra! That great bodhisattva is likewise. He deeply reveres and faithfully serves the Buddha, never abandons this unsurpassed Dharma treasure, and always aspires to pure nirvana. Even in an evil age, he is able to preserve the supreme true Dharma.

– Shariputra! The Buddha now entrusts to that great bodhisattva this unsurpassed true Dharma, the cause and condition of bodhi.

– Shariputra! Suppose that, when great armies wage battle in the world, few will stand at the battlefront to protect the troops, except for heroic, courageous men who command the valiant forces, stand at the front to resist the enemy, and protect their own army.

– Shariputra! So it will also be in the future, when the true Dharma is perishing and those who destroy it appear. Some people will arouse a profound aspiration, delight in nirvana, and be able to uphold even a small portion of the essential meaning of this unsurpassed Dharma treasure. Know that such a person has donned the armor of steadfast right diligence, aroused the power of great, courageous vigor, and shattered the battle formation of Mara’s army.

– Shariputra! If anyone upholds even a single four-line verse from this scripture, rejoices in it, and praises it, saying, “This scripture was truly spoken by the Buddha,” and expounds it widely to many people, know that this person thereby rejoices in and praises the true Dharma of all Buddhas of the past, future, and present.

– Shariputra! The Tathagata does not say that such a person obtains merely a small measure of meritorious reward. Rather, the Tathagata says that this person can accomplish a great accumulation of merit equal in measure to empty space. The Tathagata calls this person a virtuous person. Such virtuous people are extremely rare. They know gratitude and repay kindness. One who knows gratitude and repays kindness in this way is a treasure among humankind.

– Shariputra! In the future, when the true Dharma is perishing and evil Mara displays his might, if any being has reverent faith in the Buddha, does not forsake this scripture, and continually receives and upholds it, the Buddha calls that person the foremost hero, a virtuous hero, a supreme hero, a valiant hero, and a great hero. Know that this person is a good Dharma friend of the Tathagata, not a deceitful member of an evil faction. Know that this person practices genuine conduct.

– Shariputra! A great bodhisattva must cultivate steadfast right conduct and never abandon it even momentarily, until death. He must diligently safeguard the Buddha and never abandon this even momentarily, until death. He must diligently embrace the true Dharma and never abandon it even momentarily, until death. He must diligently believe in and understand the profound Dharma of emptiness and never abandon it even momentarily, until death.

These are the four dharmas that a great bodhisattva arouses in the evil age to come.

In the future, when the Dharma is about to perish, when the true Dharma is slandered, when the true Dharma is destroyed, when factions of precept-breakers grow powerful, when people compete in pursuing the evil spells and arts of materialist heretics, when the defilement of the kalpa is turbulent, when the defilement of views is turbulent, when the defilement of afflictions arises, when the defilement of beings arises, and when the defilement of lifespan is turbulent, a great bodhisattva must rely upon three places. Namely, he must dwell in an aranya, dwell where disputes have ceased, and dwell in the bodhi of the Buddha. In the evil age to come, a great bodhisattva must rely upon these three places in order to perfect virya paramita.

The Blessed One, wishing to restate this meaning, spoke these verses:

“Never depart from the supreme Dharma

That ends the sufferings of birth, aging, sickness, and death.

Constantly strive without deluded mindfulness;

Quickly accomplish benefit for self and others.

If anyone, regarding this true Dharma,

Having heard it, upholds it and rightly contemplates it,

Know that the Buddha is their teacher,

And they are true children of the Buddha.

If one does not listen to this true Dharma,

Or, though hearing it, does not abide in right contemplation,

That person will go to the evil destinies,

As all streams flow toward the sea.

Throughout hundreds of thousands of kotis of nayutas of kalpas,

The appearance of Buddhas is exceedingly difficult to encounter.

Even if one meets a Buddha briefly but has no faithful reverence,

One will follow evil Mara and commit evil deeds.”

– Furthermore, Shariputra! Ninety-one kalpas ago, a Buddha appeared in the world named Victorious Contemplation Tathagata, Arhat, Perfectly and Completely Enlightened One, Perfect in Knowledge and Conduct, Well-Gone One, Knower of the World, Unsurpassed One, Tamer of Men, Teacher of Devas and Humans, Buddha, Blessed One.

Within the Dharma assembly of the Buddha Victorious Contemplation were six bhikshus who formed a faction and constantly engaged in evil conduct. These six bhikshus were named Good Vision, Good Delight, Joy, Well-Tamed, Suyujia, and Fire-Deva-Gift. These bhikshus constantly taught what was contrary to the Dharma: that there is a self, there is a person, there is permanence, and there is disorder.

They went to a secluded place and plotted together: “Each of us should go separately and entice people, enlisting one hundred households as followers. We shall then have those hundred households inform their relatives, and those relatives inform their kin. In this way, we may reach five thousand households.” After making this plan, they divided up and went forth to teach in villages and marketplaces, some going to royal capitals and others to neighboring kingdoms.

They visited every household, but did not teach the true Dharma; instead, they first slandered the Buddha.

How did those six evil bhikshus slander him? They told everyone: “All worldly dharmas are certainly possessed of a self, a person, a being, and a lifespan. If it were definitely true that the world has neither self nor dharmas, then who goes and who comes? Who sits and who lies down? Who speaks and who remains silent? Who gives and who receives? Who makes use of things? Who experiences suffering and pleasure? Who experiences neither suffering nor pleasure? If anyone says that the world definitely has no self, person, being, or lifespan, know that such a person is everyone’s enemy and not a good friend.”

Those evil bhikshus further enticed men and women, boys and girls, saying: “If anyone says that dharmas have no self, person, being, or lifespan, know that such a person is unwholesome, violent and wicked, and an evil friend.”

They also told everyone: “You are very intelligent and can clearly understand the meaning of what we teach. From now on, if any evil friends come and say that the world definitely has no self, person, being, or lifespan, you must not associate with, visit, or make offerings to them.”

Those evil bhikshus went about enticing people for half a month, and each succeeded in bringing a full five hundred households into adherence to their wrong views.

At that time, there were bhikshus who were arhats, who had forever abandoned all afflictions and impurities, and who were true disciples of Victorious Contemplation Tathagata. While going on alms rounds, they came to the households that had been influenced by the evil bhikshus, whereupon the householders reviled, drove away, and humiliated them. They spoke verses to the arhat bhikshus, saying:

You do not understand the true Dharma.

You have lost the path of the noble way.

You have forsaken the place of the pure Dharma.

You will all fall into hell.

After reciting these verses, they again reviled the arhat bhikshus. They also used all manner of words to abuse the Buddha. Before the Buddha, they spoke these verses:

The Dharma taught by the Buddha is wholly false:

That all conditioned phenomena are impermanent,

And further, that all dharmas are without self,

And that nothing is eternal or unchanging.

All conditioned phenomena lack solidity and truth;

They are all deceptive and false phenomena that cause forgetfulness.

The Buddha speaks of flowers in the sky, which exist nowhere,

And can deceive only ignorant fools.

Those people grew even more enraged at the Buddha and again spoke these verses before him:

The dharmas taught by the Tathagata

Declare decisively that there is no self and no being,

No life span and no sentient being,

No agent and no experiencer.

Yet now we plainly see in the worlds

Those who give and those who receive,

And the many kinds of people who experience

Pain, pleasure, and what is neither pleasure nor pain.

Therefore, know that those who assert there is certainly no self

Will all fall into the evil destinies.

“O Shariputra! When those unwholesome people spoke such non-Dharmic words in unison, sixty-eight kotis of men and women who had been led by those evil bhikshus to commit evil karma, after death, were all born together in the great Avici Hell. They received enormous bodies with the bodies of fish and the heads of human beings. Their long, broad tongues spread across the ground, and iron nails were driven throughout their tongues like a field planted with ginger. Many iron plows constantly plowed over their tongues. Upon each of their bodies were one hundred extremely venomous worms that bit and sucked them. From the sky, great masses of red-hot iron continually rained down upon their bodies. Because of their evil karma, those offenders had to endure many kinds of suffering such as these.”

The Blessed One, wishing to restate this meaning, spoke these verses:

“Red-hot iron masses, like lightning spread across the sky,

In immeasurable hundreds of thousands of terrifying forms,

Rain down directly upon their bodies;

Constantly they must endure manifold suffering.

Moreover, everywhere upon their bodies

Blazing flames arise, impossible to approach.

The flames tower one hundred yojanas high,

And fire pours from every pore of their bodies.

Upon each person’s long and broad tongue,

Immeasurable plows continually pass.

Everywhere their tongues are torn and mangled;

Such agony continues without cease.

Because they associated closely with evil friends,

They experience such immense fruits of suffering.

And because they distanced themselves from good friends,

They quickly fell into the evil destinies.

“O Shariputra! Because the six evil and lawless bhikshus of that time gave such corrupt instruction, after death they all fell into the great Avici Hell. Each of their bodies measured thirty yojanas in both length and breadth and had one thousand mouths.

Each mouth had two tongues, and every tongue measured four yojanas in both length and breadth. Upon each tongue were five hundred iron plows drawn by iron oxen. Although those offenders suffered exceedingly, they were unable to utter cries of anguish.

Upon each of their heads were ten thousand hell wardens holding knives, saws, spears, and lances, continually hacking, sawing, piercing, and smashing their heads. They dwelt in that great hell for tens of thousands of kotis of years. Continuing to revolve in this way, they were thereafter born in other great hells and endured every kind of immense suffering.

This was the consequence of the offense of angrily undermining the Buddha’s noble teaching.

“O Shariputra! At that time there was an immensely wealthy great householder named Peaceful Security. His household possessed the seven treasures and precious jewels in abundance, and his grain, rice, storehouses, servants, and attendants were plentiful.

Because he too had been instructed by the evil bhikshus, he adopted the annihilationist view. His wife, named Blazing Wisdom, was beautiful in appearance and beloved and esteemed by others. She gave birth to a son whose bodily features were upright and exquisite, so delightful that one never tired of beholding him.

That son possessed the foremost, perfectly complete purity of countenance and complexion. In the presence of immeasurable hundreds of thousands of nayutas of kotis of Buddhas in the past, he had planted roots of goodness. As soon as he was born, he smiled three times and said, ‘How extraordinary that I have now been born into this household of annihilationist views!’ His mother was so terrified that her whole body broke out in gooseflesh.

Leaving the child behind, she led her maidservants away in flight.

“At that time, the maidservants wished to examine the matter clearly, so they returned to the former place to see what kind of being that newborn child was. Was he a deva, a naga, or a yaksha? Was he a gandharva, an asura, a garuda, a kinnara, a mahoraga, a kumbhanda, a pishacha, or a human or nonhuman being?

“Seeing those women, the newborn child again spoke, saying, ‘Elder sisters, although you fled in fear, I am entirely peaceful and joyful.’ For those women, the child then spoke these verses:

“You should delight in what is meaningful and beneficial;

Do not be afraid of what is meaningful and beneficial.

I shall now save and deliver you,

Causing you to escape from false paths.

You shall be peaceful and secure; do not fear,

But you should fear and flee your former evil friends.

I shall now save and deliver you,

Causing you to escape from false paths.

“Hearing the child speak in this way, his parents and everyone else came to his side.

“The child then spoke these verses for his parents:

“In this household there are

Vast stores of money and grain.

Quickly bring them to me

To make offerings to the Buddha and Sangha.

Those great shravakas,

Together with Tathagata Supreme Contemplation,

Throughout all the three realms,

Have none who can equal them.

Those great shravakas,

Together with the Blessed One Supreme Contemplation,

Widely proclaim the wondrous Dharma,

Bringing benefit to sentient beings.

Those great shravakas,

Together with the Teacher Supreme Contemplation,

Possess bodies fully adorned with the thirty-two

Marks of a great being.

That Buddha and those shravakas

Are like the udumbara flower;

Even in more than a koti of kotis of kalpas,

It is difficult to hear their names.

“After hearing the child speak, his parents immediately took twenty kotis’ worth of the finest treasures from their household, brought them to their son, and said, ‘These treasures are given to you by your parents. You may offer them wherever your faith and reverence incline.’

“For their son, the child’s parents spoke these verses:

“These treasures

Were acquired by your parents.

Wherever your faith and reverence incline,

Take them and make offerings.

Gold and precious treasures alike

Are stored in great abundance in our household.

Wherever your faith and reverence incline,

Quickly take them and make offerings.

Clothing, seats, and beds,

Garlands and fragrant ointments—

Wherever your faith and reverence incline,

Joyfully give them as offerings.

To the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha,

Those unsurpassed fields of merit

Who bring benefit to multitudes of beings,

You should present offerings.

“After hearing these verses, the child again spoke these verses for his parents:

“I shall now go to Supreme Contemplation,

The refuge of the world,

And arrange a great offering

To benefit multitudes of beings.

All who wish to seek

The merit and happiness of humans and devas

Should come together with me

To the presence of Tathagata Supreme Contemplation.

“Everyone who heard the child speak these words was astonished that this newborn child could converse and discuss matters with others and was also able to walk and stand.

“Upon hearing of this extraordinary event, eighty-four thousand people assembled to see what kind of being the child was. Was he a deva or a spirit?”

– Śāriputra! At that time, the youth, surrounded before and behind by eighty-four thousand people, went together with them to the place of the Buddha Victorious Contemplation. As that youth traveled along the road to the Buddha, through the power of his merit, ten thousand jeweled parasols naturally appeared in the sky to shield him from the sun. Above the entire road, golden nets were also spread, beautiful flowers and fine fragrant powder—more fragrant than those ordinarily scattered by the devas—rained down, and cool breezes gently blew, carrying the celestial fragrance ceaselessly throughout every place. Along the road, the devas sprinkled various kinds of scented water and covered it with precious silken fabrics and golden nets. The devas also rained down celestial flowers of brilliant colors, covering the entire road to a depth reaching the knees. On both sides of the road, innumerable hundreds of thousands of ponds and lakes naturally appeared, filled with cool water possessing the eight qualities. Many beautiful flowers grew in those ponds and lakes, such as blue lotuses, yellow lotuses, red lotuses, and white lotuses. Many species of beautiful and rare birds swam upon their surfaces, such as doves, wild geese, and mandarin ducks. Along the roadside were railings made of the seven precious substances and rows of jeweled trees serving as adornments. In the middle of the great road, a pathway paved with flowers appeared before the youth, awaiting his passage. As soon as he set down his foot, a flower sprang up to support it; as soon as he lifted his foot, the flower vanished. After walking upon this pathway of flowers for a short while, the youth turned to look at the assembly and spoke this verse:

You people, do not walk where reason does not abide;

All paths apart from this one of mine are without reason.

I always tread this path of right reason,

Going to the place of the Supremely Victorious, where reason abides.

Only after passing through immeasurable nayutas of kalpas

Does one, through a single merit, obtain a human body;

Only then does one encounter a Buddha appearing in the world;

Only then can one diligently cultivate pure faith and wisdom.

As soon as the youth finished speaking these verses to the assembly, eighty-four thousand great sons of devas in the sky exclaimed in unison, “Excellent! Excellent!” They then praised the youth in verse:

Excellent, excellent, one of great wisdom!

The words you have just spoken accord with right reason.

You have placed what is without reason behind;

One who possesses right reason should go before.

The youth replied to the devas in verse:

Devas, you have just instructed me

Concerning right speech, what accords with reason, and what does not.

I ask you now; please explain

The true meaning of what accords with reason and what does not.

The devas replied to the youth in verse:

Those who delight in dwelling among precious possessions,

And do not wish to leave the sphere of their activities,

Are ordinary beings and are without reason;

They stand at the head of the road leading into hell.

Those who delight in leaving home to go forth

Must abandon sensual pleasures and precious possessions.

Such people possess right reason in this present life,

And before long will open the gate of liberation.

The youth again replied to the devas in verse:

What you have just said about reason and unreason

Shows that none of you yet understands them clearly.

The meaning of reason and unreason in this matter

I have rightly awakened to in profound depth.

Having spoken this verse, the youth proceeded directly to the great assembly of the Tathagata Victorious Contemplation, the Perfectly Enlightened One. Upon arriving, he bowed at the Buddha’s feet, circumambulated him clockwise three times, and stood to one side. With wholehearted reverence, he gazed up at the Tathagata Victorious Contemplation and praised him in verse:

The Tathagata Victorious Contemplation bestows ambrosia,

Ever bringing benefit to all worlds.

Like a great naga-elephant, like a mighty lion,

For this reason I now always bow in homage.

The Light of the World is exceedingly difficult to encounter,

Like the udumbara flower.

He is the world’s refuge and its illumination;

His form is wondrous and perfectly complete.

The world is oppressed by manifold sufferings

And cannot clearly know the true noble path.

People leap away from the right road and flee,

Like those born blind into the world.

May I in this very life attain Buddhahood,

Like the Victorious Contemplation Buddha, the World-Honored One.

I shall rescue sentient beings from every suffering

And save those scorched by the three fires.

These boundless hundreds of thousands of people

Have all followed me into the Buddha’s presence.

I beseech you to expound the wondrous Dharma

So that they may abide in unsurpassed enlightenment.

Having spoken these verses, the youth said, “I vow that in a future life, in this world, I shall attain Buddhahood and proclaim the wondrous Dharma for sentient beings, just as the Tathagata Victorious Contemplation now proclaims the wondrous Dharma for the great assembly.”

At that time, eighty-four thousand people in that Dharma assembly said to the Buddha Victorious Contemplation, “We too vow to attain Buddhahood in future lives and proclaim the wondrous Dharma for sentient beings, just as the Tathagata Victorious Contemplation now proclaims the wondrous Dharma for the great assembly.”

The Buddha Victorious Contemplation clearly knew the exalted aspirations of those eighty-four thousand people, and he smiled.

– Śāriputra! Whenever Buddhas smile, in accordance with the nature of things, rays of blue, yellow, red, white, rose, and crystal-colored light naturally shine forth from their ears, eyes, nose, and mouth, illuminating immeasurable and boundless Buddha-worlds and reaching as high as the Brahma heavens, eclipsing the light of every sun and moon. Having performed the work of a Buddha, those rays of light turned back, circumambulated the Buddha Victorious Contemplation clockwise hundreds of thousands of times, and then entered the uṣṇīṣa at the crown of that Buddha’s head.

At that time, an attendant of the Buddha Victorious Contemplation saw this miraculous transformation. He immediately rose, bared his right shoulder, knelt upon his right knee, joined his palms toward the Buddha Victorious Contemplation, bowed his body in reverence, and then asked the Buddha in verse:

I now ask the Buddha Victorious Contemplation,

So dignified and rare, inspiring joy in all:

For what reason does the Sugata

Smile and emit rays of light?

The Honored One Among Two-Footed Beings has smiled;

It cannot be without cause that he reveals this sign.

Please tell us the reason for this smile;

Out of compassion for the world, please explain.

Now hundreds of thousands of koṭis in the assembly

Are gathered before the World-Honored One.

They incline their ears, concentrate, and delight in listening;

May the Buddha compassionately speak for them.

The Buddha is the eye of all beings,

Their home, their savior, and their refuge;

He can end the doubts of sentient beings,

The Compassionate One who benefits the world.

The Buddha clearly knows the past,

And also clearly knows the future;

He clearly knows the Buddha-lands of the present

And has no remaining doubt concerning any dharma.

The Dharma King knows all doctrines and is sovereign;

The wondrous Tathagata transforms the three times.

I now reverently ask the World-Honored One:

For what cause and condition has he smiled?

The Buddha can forever sever beings’ nets of doubt,

While he himself has no doubt concerning any dharma.

With his Brahma voice he proclaims the wondrous Dharma

And can draw out the poisoned arrows of sentient beings.

The joy within my heart is difficult to express;

With palms joined, my heart filled with reverence,

I venture to ask the Dharma King, the Great and Holy Honored One:

For what cause and condition has he smiled?

– Śāriputra! The Tathagata Victorious Contemplation said to his attendant:

– Bhikṣu! Do you see that youth standing before the Buddha?

The attendant replied:

“World-Honored One! I see him.”

The Tathagata Victorious Contemplation declared:

“In the past, that youth made offerings, paid homage, honored, and praised sixty-four koṭis of nayutas of hundreds of thousands of Buddhas. Having offered those Buddhas clothing, food and drink, bedding, medicines, and other necessities, and wishing to proceed toward unsurpassed bodhi, that youth further cultivated the pure conduct in the presence of ten nayutas of Buddhas of the past and dedicated it to unsurpassed bodhi.

Attendant! The eighty-four thousand people who have now followed that youth here were all his fathers and mothers in past lives. Long ago, that youth made this vow: ‘Wherever I may be born, life after life, may I cause all my fathers and mothers to abide in bodhi.

May I also cause all my mothers never again to receive a woman’s body in a second life.’ Because of that vow, they have now all followed the youth into the Buddha’s presence, trained and learned together with him, and aroused the aspiration for unsurpassed bodhi.”

The Tathagata Victorious Contemplation then spoke this verse for his attendant:

Bhikṣu, you should contemplate that youth

Together with his retinue of eighty-four thousand.

On that occasion they rejoiced and uttered these truthful words:

“May I in a future life become like the Dharma King.”

You should know that in past lives,

In the presence of the Buddhas whose number was stated above

Reverently making offerings to the Guiding Teacher,

Who benefits devas and humans throughout the world.

In the presence of ten nayutas of Buddhas,

He followed the Buddhas into monastic life and upheld the true Dharma,

Practicing the deeds of the Tathagatas,

For the sake of seeking unsurpassed bodhi.

Behold these eighty-four thousand people,

Who now all stand before the Tathagata.

Throughout lives in the past,

They all were the parents of that child.

Long ago, that child once made a vow:

However many parents he had through his many lives,

He would cause them all to abide in Supreme Awakening,

And never again assume the body of a woman.

They all followed the example of that child

And made the bodhi vow before the Buddha.

The Buddha will now bestow predictions upon them all:

In future lives they shall all become Buddhas.

Because of these causes and conditions, the Buddha smiled;

The Buddha knew all their supreme practices

And knew all their deeds in future lives:

They shall realize and enter Supreme Awakening.

Devas, nagas, spirits, and human multitudes,

Measureless hundreds of thousands of nayutas,

Having heard the Buddha bestow these predictions,

All greatly rejoiced and revered the Buddha Supreme Contemplation.

After hearing the Buddha Supreme Contemplation bestow these predictions,

The child rejoiced beyond measure and hurried to his parents, speaking this verse:

Those eighty-four thousand people,

My parents in former lives,

All abide in bodhi;

Where are your hearts inclined?

His parents replied to the child in verse:

Wherever your aspiration is directed,

Our hearts are directed likewise.

We shall attain omniscience;

This is certain, beyond all doubt.

Since you have been born into our family,

We ask that you not forsake us hereafter.

You should always remember us

And cause us swiftly to realize bodhi.

The child again replied to his parents in verse:

May those whom I guide and transform

Attain Buddhahood before me.

I shall be the last to attain it,

Becoming the World-Illuminating Tamer and Teacher.

“Shariputra! The child in the Dharma assembly of the Tathagata Supreme Contemplation in that past age was none other than this Maheshvara Devaputra. From now onward, for a further koti nayutas of kalpas, he shall never regress from unsurpassed bodhi.

After this number of kalpas has passed, he shall be born into the lineage of a Wheel-Turning Sage King. His royal father shall be named Renown, like my father, the great King Shuddhodana. His royal mother shall be called Free from Darkness, like my present mother, Lady Mahamaya.

His son shall be named Sorrowless, like my son Rahula. After leaving the household life, he shall awaken to bodhi and become a Buddha called the Tathagata Great Compassion, endowed with the ten epithets. His lifespan shall be measureless hundreds of thousands of kotis of years.

The natural radiance of the Buddha Great Compassion shall universally illuminate ten yojanas, and the great assembly where the Buddha Great Compassion teaches the Dharma shall completely fill one hundred yojanas. While the Tathagata Great Compassion abides in the world, teaching and delivering shravakas, he shall teach the Dharma at three assemblies. At the first assembly, there shall be one hundred kotis of bhikshu disciples.

At the second assembly, he shall deliver nayuta kotis of bhikshus of the Sangha. At the third assembly, the number of bhikshu disciples he delivers shall reach hundreds of thousands of nayuta kotis. Among those disciples shall be one koti of great arhats whose outflows have been exhausted and who have no remaining afflictions, who have attained mastery of wisdom, are endowed with the eight liberations, and have accomplished samadhi and the six superknowledges.

The assembly of bodhisattvas in the Dharma assembly of the Tathagata Great Compassion shall equal in number the assembly of shravaka disciples; they shall all have been that Buddha’s parents in past lives. After proclaiming the wondrous Dharma and delivering countless sentient beings, the Tathagata Great Compassion shall enter nirvana. His true Dharma shall abide in the world for one koti of years, and his relics shall be widely distributed, receiving offerings and benefiting sentient beings just as they will after my passing into nirvana.

“Shariputra! The great bodhisattva who abides in right effort is likewise. When practicing virya paramita, because he seeks unsurpassed bodhi, that great bodhisattva is able to practice the true Dharma in this sutra, becoming ever more vigorous and arousing the power of great, courageous diligence to deliver measureless sentient beings. The Buddha calls such a person a good and worthy man who reflects and contemplates without weariness or retreat, courageously diligent and always clear-minded.

“What is the great bodhisattva’s diligence free from weariness?

“Shariputra! When a great bodhisattva seeks unsurpassed bodhi for the sake of sentient beings, he should not set any numerical limit upon his quest. The great bodhisattva does not think, ‘For how many kalpas shall I wander in samsara, and for how many kalpas shall I not wander in samsara?’ Rather, the great bodhisattva always dons the inconceivable armor while dwelling in birth and death, reflecting, ‘Even if I must undergo suffering in the future for a duration far longer than in the past, nevertheless, because I seek unsurpassed bodhi, I shall never become indolent or abandon my resolve midway.’

“Shariputra! When a great bodhisattva is fully endowed with such a vast vow, this is called the accomplishment of diligence free from weariness.

“What is the great bodhisattva’s courageous diligence?

“Shariputra! Suppose the entire trichiliocosm were filled with fiercely blazing fire. Wishing to go and see that Buddha, the great bodhisattva, courageous and diligent, would pass directly through those flames without fear.

Seeking to hear the wondrous Dharma gateway of the Great Bodhisattva Treasury, the great bodhisattva, through the power of courageous diligence, would still pass directly through them without fear or retreat. Wishing to proclaim the wondrous Dharma gateway of the Bodhisattva Treasury, even upon encountering such a blazing fire, the great bodhisattva, through the power of courageous diligence, would still pass directly through it without fear or retreat.

Wishing to give rise to the causes and conditions of roots of goodness, the great bodhisattva, through the power of courageous diligence, would still pass directly through those flames without fear or retreat. Wishing to benefit sentient beings and cause others to attain parinirvana, the great bodhisattva, through the power of courageous diligence, would pass directly through that region of fire without fear or retreat.

“This is called the characteristic of courageous diligence of a great bodhisattva who practices virya paramita.

“Furthermore, Shariputra! When a great bodhisattva practices virya paramita, he arouses courageous diligence free from weariness. Because his roots of goodness are firm, irreversible, and courageously aroused, and because he is perfumed by unsurpassed great compassion, he constantly arouses the power of great, courageous diligence and always performs the work of teaching, transforming, instructing, and guiding sentient beings.

“Shariputra! The bodhisattva who arouses diligence free from weariness never abandons or departs from the mind of bodhi at any time, whether raising or lowering his foot. He constantly reveres the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha and keeps them mindfully within his heart. He continually observes all sentient beings in order to benefit them and does not wish them to be oppressed or overpowered by the force of the afflictions. Moreover, he dedicates all the wondrous roots of goodness he possesses entirely to unsurpassed bodhi, causing those roots of goodness ultimately to become inexhaustible. It is like pouring a little water into the great ocean, where it can never be depleted.

“Furthermore, Shariputra! The great bodhisattva who is diligent and free from weariness accumulates roots of goodness through the practice of equality; for sentient beings, he arouses and accumulates roots of goodness in equality; in order to bring forth the wisdom of omniscience, he accumulates roots of goodness; and in order to benefit sentient beings, he accumulates roots of goodness. All these measureless, great roots of goodness are accumulated and brought forth through the great bodhisattva’s courageous diligence free from weariness.

“Furthermore, Shariputra! That great bodhisattva who is courageously diligent and free from weariness should constantly cultivate and study such a Dharma, thereby obtaining a measureless and boundless accumulation of merit, as follows:

“Shariputra! The Buddha observes that all sentient beings possess measureless accumulations of merit, and that all those beyond training and those still in training, as well as all pratyekabuddhas, possess accumulations of merit that are measurelessly greater and inconceivable. Suppose all the aforementioned accumulations of merit were placed into a single pore of one sentient being, and every pore on that sentient being’s body were filled with just such a measureless, boundless, and inconceivable accumulation of merit.

Suppose, furthermore, that every pore on every body of all sentient beings were completely filled with the accumulations of merit described above, and that all these accumulations of merit were gathered together within one great shrine of the Dharma that had neither doors nor locks.

– O Śāriputra! A hundred times the accumulation of merit contained in that Dharma shrine brings forth one of the marks of a great man on the Tathagata’s body. Each and every mark of a great man is brought forth by such an accumulation of merit. All the accumulations of merit that bring forth all those marks of a great man, when combined, bring forth the white ūrṇā mark between the eyebrows. A hundred thousand accumulations of merit that bring forth the white ūrṇā mark, when combined, bring forth the Tathagata’s mark of the invisible crown. A hundred thousand koṭis of accumulations of merit that bring forth the invisible crown, when combined, bring forth the Tathagata’s mark of the great Dharma conch.

– O Śāriputra! Because the Tathagata’s mark of the great Dharma conch is formed from immeasurable kinds of merit and virtue, whenever the Tathagata wishes, he can utter a great voice that universally proclaims throughout all the immeasurable and boundless worlds, expounding the wondrous Dharma for sentient beings. In accordance with their faculties and dispositions, upon hearing the Dharma they immediately believe, understand, and rejoice. All this is due to the power of courageous and vigorous cultivation, pursued without weariness.

– O Śāriputra! A great bodhisattva should contemplate thus: “Although unsurpassed bodhi is exceedingly difficult to attain, I shall not cast aside the armor of diligence. I shall summon great courage and resolve swiftly to awaken to unsurpassed bodhi, regarding nothing as difficult. After attaining Buddhahood, whenever I wish, I shall utter a great voice from the mark of the Dharma conch, universally proclaiming throughout all the immeasurable and boundless worlds and expounding the wondrous Dharma for sentient beings. In accordance with their faculties and dispositions, upon hearing the Dharma they shall all believe, understand, and rejoice.”

This is called the mark of a great bodhisattva’s courageous and tireless diligence.

– Moreover, O Śāriputra! A great bodhisattva who courageously and tirelessly cultivates the vīrya pāramitā should always cultivate and train diligently in this way. Through such cultivation and training, the bodhisattva fully perfects all wisdom.

– O Śāriputra! Suppose all the sentient beings in the trichiliocosm were to attain the wisdom of followers through faith. If all that wisdom of followers through faith were compared with the wisdom of a single follower of the Dharma, it would not equal one hundredth, one thousandth, or one hundred-thousand-myriadth part of it; nor would it equal any calculable fraction, numerical fraction, analogous fraction, or even one upaniṣad fraction of it.

– Moreover, O Śāriputra! Suppose all the sentient beings in the trichiliocosm were to attain the wisdom of followers of the Dharma. If it were compared with a single wisdom of the eighth patience, it would not equal one hundredth of it, and so forth, up to not even one upaniṣad fraction of it.

– Moreover, O Śāriputra! Suppose all the sentient beings in the trichiliocosm were to attain the wisdom of the eighth patience. If it were compared with a single wisdom of the fruit of stream-entry, it would not equal one hundredth of it, and so forth, up to not even one upaniṣad fraction of it.

– Moreover, O Śāriputra! Suppose all the sentient beings in the trichiliocosm were to attain the wisdom of the fruit of stream-entry, and this were compared with the wisdom of one proceeding toward the fruit of once-returning. Likewise, if all the wisdom of those proceeding toward once-returning were compared with the wisdom of a single once-returner; if all the wisdom of once-returners were compared with the wisdom of one proceeding toward the fruit of non-returning; if all the wisdom of those proceeding toward non-returning were compared with the wisdom of a single non-returner; if all the wisdom of non-returners were compared with the wisdom of one proceeding toward the fruit of arhatship; if all the wisdom of those proceeding toward the unborn state were compared with the wisdom of a single arhat; if all the wisdom of arhats were compared with the wisdom of a single pratyekabuddha; if all the wisdom of pratyekabuddhas were compared with the wisdom of a single bodhisattva who had cultivated for more than one hundred kalpas; if all the wisdom of bodhisattvas who had cultivated for more than one hundred kalpas were compared with the wisdom of a single non-retrogressing bodhisattva; or if all the wisdom of non-retrogressing bodhisattvas were compared with the wisdom of a single bodhisattva bound to only one more birth, it would not equal one hundredth of it, and so forth, up to not even one upaniṣad fraction of it.

– O Śāriputra! Suppose all the sentient beings throughout the worlds of the ten directions were to attain the wisdom of bodhisattvas bound to only one more birth. If this were compared with a single instance of the Tathagata’s wisdom of what is possible and what is impossible, it would not equal one hundredth, one thousandth, or even one upaniṣad fraction of it.

– O Śāriputra! Because that great bodhisattva practices the vīrya pāramitā, when hearing of such extremely profound wisdom of the Tathagata, the bodhisattva’s mind is neither startled nor afraid. Aspiring to that wisdom, the bodhisattva arouses right effort and never abandons it, contemplating thus: “I now cultivate with courageous diligence. Even if all the blood, flesh, skin, sinews, bones, marrow, and brain in my body were to dry up, as long as I have not attained that wisdom of what is possible and what is impossible, I shall remain courageous, diligent, and steadfast, and shall never abandon my effort halfway.”

This is called the characteristic of a great bodhisattva’s courageous, steadfast, and tireless vīrya pāramitā. One should train in this way.

– Moreover, O Śāriputra! To practice the vīrya pāramitā, a great bodhisattva arouses courageous and tireless diligence and should always cultivate and train in this way. Through such cultivation and training, the bodhisattva can extinguish the flames of sentient beings’ afflictions.

– O Śāriputra! Suppose all the past thoughts of all sentient beings were brought together and made to operate within the mind of a single sentient being. Thus, each and every mind of every sentient being would contain that full number of thoughts, so entangled and complex as to be difficult to comprehend. Each of those thoughts would further contain immeasurable, profound, and intricately entangled afflictions of greed, hatred, and delusion. Let all the afflictions of all sentient beings be brought together and made to operate

within the mind of a single sentient being. Suppose all sentient beings were each endowed with such immeasurable, intricately entangled afflictions, difficult to comprehend. The great bodhisattva reflects: “I must strive to arouse courageous diligence and seek the provisions of wisdom. Through whatever power of right effort I arouse, I must completely extinguish, without remainder, the fires of greed, hatred, and delusion and all other torments. I must reduce them all to nothing, like scattered ashes, and swiftly establish sentient beings upon the path to nirvana.” This is called a great bodhisattva’s courageous and tireless vīrya pāramitā. One should train in this way.

– Moreover, O Śāriputra! Because a great bodhisattva cultivates the vīrya pāramitā, the bodhisattva abides in tireless diligence and should always cultivate and train diligently in this way. Through such cultivation and training, all wholesome karma of body, speech, and mind is never abandoned. Indeed, all diligence serves as a skillful means for urging onward the bodhisattva’s body, speech, and mind.

– O Śāriputra! In the world, only the characteristics of the bodhisattva’s two kinds of karma—bodily and verbal—are spoken of as foremost diligence, while the characteristics of the bodhisattva’s mental diligence are not discussed. The characteristics of the bodhisattva’s mental diligence are immeasurable and boundless; the Buddha will now explain them briefly.

In cultivating right effort, the bodhisattva’s mind either advances or rests. What are advancement and rest in right effort?

– Śāriputra! A bodhisattva who cultivates great vigor diligently applies vigor for unsurpassed bodhi. To speak of vigor is, toward sentient beings, to arouse great compassion. To speak of stillness is the wisdom of non-self. To speak of vigor is to gather in sentient beings. To speak of stillness is not to grasp at dharmas. To speak of vigor is to be tireless in samsara. To speak of stillness is not to perceive the three realms. To speak of vigor is to relinquish everything. To speak of stillness is to give without weariness. To speak of vigor is to embrace pure moral discipline. To speak of stillness is never to weary of śīla. To speak of vigor is willingly to endure every suffering. To speak of stillness is to have no thought of causing harm. To speak of vigor is to arouse wholesome dharmas. To speak of stillness is for the mind always to remain detached. To speak of vigor is to embrace meditative concentration. To speak of stillness is for the mind always to abide in quiescence. To speak of vigor is to hear the Dharma without weariness. To speak of stillness is to be skilled in accordance with principle. To speak of vigor is never to weary of hearing teachings. To speak of stillness is to be free from conceptual proliferation concerning dharmas. To speak of vigor is to seek the provisions of wisdom. To speak of stillness is to end all conceptual proliferation. To speak of vigor is to increase pure faith. To speak of stillness is the equanimity practiced through true wisdom. To speak of vigor is to possess the five superknowledges. To speak of stillness is fully to know the exhaustion of the outflows. To speak of vigor is to cultivate the foundations of mindfulness. To speak of stillness is effortless mindfulness. To speak of vigor is the skillful means of right effort. To speak of stillness is to relinquish both good and evil. To speak of vigor is to bring forth the bases of spiritual power. To speak of stillness is spontaneous functioning. To speak of vigor is skillful mastery of the five faculties. To speak of stillness is to contemplate that which is not the nature of a faculty. To speak of vigor is to embrace the five powers. To speak of stillness is unconquerable wisdom. To speak of vigor is to engender the factors of awakening. To speak of stillness is the wisdom that discriminates dharmas. To speak of vigor is to seek the provisions of the right path. To speak of stillness is the emptiness of coming and going. To speak of vigor is to seek śamatha. To speak of stillness is for the mind to abide securely in tranquil cessation. To speak of vigor is to cultivate the supports of superior insight. To speak of stillness is to examine the Dharma-nature. To speak of vigor is to proceed accordingly in examining all causes. To speak of stillness is fully to know all causes. To speak of vigor is to hear utterances from others. To speak of stillness is to practice in accordance with the Dharma. To speak of vigor is the adornment of the body. To speak of stillness is the body of the Dharma-nature. To speak of vigor is the adornment of speech. To speak of stillness is the nature of noble silence. To speak of vigor is to have faith in the gateways to liberation. To speak of stillness is the absence of arising. To speak of vigor is to distance oneself from the four māras. To speak of stillness is to abandon the residual tendencies of the afflictions. To speak of vigor is skillful means. To speak of stillness is the contemplation of profound wisdom. To speak of vigor is to contemplate conditioned objects. To speak of stillness is effortless contemplation. To speak of nature is to contemplate provisional names. To speak of stillness is to penetrate the true meaning.

– Śāriputra! All these characteristics of vigor and stillness are called a great bodhisattva’s wholehearted vigor.

When a great bodhisattva hears of such characteristics of wholehearted vigor, that bodhisattva should arouse complete, valiant, and tireless vigor.

This is called the great bodhisattva’s cultivation of the perfection of vigor, accomplishing the aggregate of characteristics of valiant and tireless vigor.