大寶積經

The Buddha continued speaking to King Suddhodana: “Great King! In the distant past there was a king named Earth-Heaven, who ruled in accordance with the Dharma and possessed the seven treasures: the wheel-treasure, elephant-treasure, horse-treasure, jewel-treasure, woman-treasure, householder-treasure, and general-treasure.

King Earth-Heaven’s father was named Earth-Born. After Earth-Born died, Earth-Heaven, being the eldest son, was anointed on the crown of his head by the assisting ministers with water from the four seas and enthroned as king. Thus he became an anointed ksatriya king.

After ascending the throne, on the full-moon observance day, King Earth-Heaven bathed, washed his hair, shaved his beard and hair, trimmed his fingernails and toenails, put on fresh, clean garments, adorned himself with flower garlands, strings of jewels, a crown, and bracelets, and sat atop a high pavilion surrounded by palace women. Then, from the east, there appeared a golden wheel-treasure complete with a thousand spokes and a fully fitted hub and rim. It shone brilliantly, measured seven cubits across in every direction, and was made entirely of pure gold.

Seeing the golden wheel-treasure appear, King Earth-Heaven thought: I have heard the ancients say that if, when an anointed ksatriya king ascends the throne, a golden wheel-treasure appears in response, he will become a holy wheel-turning king. Might I now be a wheel-turning king? I should put this to the test.

King Earth-Heaven immediately stood, bared his right shoulder, joined his palms before the wheel-treasure, and invoked it, saying: ‘Wheel-treasure, descend here.’ When the king had finished his invocation, the wheel-treasure descended and stopped before him.

King Earth-Heaven anointed his hands with fragrant unguent, put on beautiful robes and crown, received the wheel-treasure in his right hand and placed it upon his left, then stroked it with his right hand and invoked it, saying: ‘Now you should subdue the eastern quarter.’

The golden wheel immediately rose into the sky, revolved to either side, and then stopped in the east upon the road traveled by wheel-turning kings of old. That road was level and strewn with lovely flowers. Wherever the golden wheel passed, the ground became completely even, without high or low places. Through the merit of King Earth-Heaven, all dried-up ponds, springs, wells, and lakes became filled with water possessing the eight excellent qualities, and all trees grew luxuriant and verdant, heavily laden with flowers and fruit.

King Earth-Heaven then followed the wheel-treasure with the four divisions of his army. Whenever the wheel-treasure stopped, the king and his forces also stopped. In every land the king reached, its ruler and subjects came forth together bearing gifts to welcome him, offering their entire realm for him to govern.

King Earth-Heaven, the wheel-turning king, then told them: ‘I do not need this realm. Continue governing it as before, but you must abstain from killing living beings and from stealing. You must not engage in sexual misconduct, false speech, divisive speech, harsh speech, or frivolous speech.

Harbor neither covetousness, anger, nor wrong views. You must yourselves cultivate the ten wholesome courses of karma and encourage others to cultivate them as well. I now recognize that you submit to me and obey my commands, and I regard you as my own younger brothers and children.

You must be filial and upright, supporting your parents, teachers, elders, and religious practitioners. Do not commit unlawful, evil, or unwholesome deeds, and encourage others to practice good and avoid evil. Only if you do so will this realm and its people truly have submitted to me.’

In this manner, King Earth-Heaven followed the wheel-treasure and successively subdued the eastern continent of Purvavideha and the three continents to the south, west, and north. He then returned to Jambudvipa and his former palace city. The golden wheel-treasure remained motionless in the sky above the king’s residence. At that time, through the power of King Earth-Heaven’s merit, all four continents beneath heaven became adorned with the seven treasures: gold, silver, vaidurya, crystal, mother-of-pearl, red pearl, and agate. The beings in the three evil destinies were also delivered and reborn in wholesome destinies. No evil sound remained anywhere in the realm, nor was there anyone who committed evil karma.

Why was this so? It was through the power of King Earth-Heaven’s past vows. Moreover, wherever the golden wheel-treasure rolled, throughout the four continents grain grew naturally without planting, free of husks and bran. Fine jeweled garments were naturally produced everywhere from celestial trees. All illnesses throughout the lands naturally vanished, except for three things: desire for sensual pleasure, eating and swallowing, and decline through aging. All the people lived for tens of millions of years, and every affliction naturally disappeared. Thus, after King Earth-Heaven followed the wheel-treasure and came to govern all four continents, immeasurable, rare, and inconceivable wonders appeared in the world.

A long time afterward, King Earth-Heaven thought one day: Here I enjoy pleasures, but I do not know whether there is any place superior to this. The king then remembered hearing about the Heaven of the Thirty-Three upon the summit of Mount Sumeru and wondered what its delights and splendor were like.

Because attachment and desire still weighed heavily upon his heart, King Earth-Heaven became dissatisfied with human enjoyments and longed for the delights and splendor of the heavens. He therefore flew with the four divisions of his army to the palace of the Heaven of the Thirty-Three.

Seeing King Earth-Heaven arrive, Sakra joyfully welcomed him and shared his sovereignty with him.

After ruling the heaven jointly with Sakra for immeasurable hundreds of thousands of years, King Earth-Heaven suddenly conceived the thought of deposing Sakra and taking complete power for himself. As soon as he formed that thought, King Earth-Heaven and the four divisions of his army fell from the palace of the Heaven of the Thirty-Three into the City of Peace in Jambudvipa.

King Earth-Heaven had long consumed the supremely exquisite foods of the heavens. Now that he had suddenly returned to the human world, he could not endure its coarse and inferior food. His body and mind collapsed, just as clarified butter poured upon hot sand immediately sinks and disappears.

Utterly exhausted and debilitated in body and mind, King Earth-Heaven spoke these verses:

“Great King, do not think that the King Earth-Heaven of that former time was someone else. He was none other than I, the Buddha, in a previous life.

“In the past, King Earth-Heaven was wealthy, powerful, and sovereign, yet because he sought insatiably, he finally died. Why? Because the faculties are never satiated, objects can never satisfy them. The faculties are like mirrors, and objects are like reflected images. The faculties are like illusions, and their spheres are like dreams.

“Great King, you should set your mind upon this Dharma and examine it deeply and carefully for yourself; do not follow anything else. This Dharma is the unsurpassed bodhi of the Buddhas of the three times.

“Great King, you should abandon all wealth and power, exhaust every sensual craving, overthrow the mountain of pride, depart from all decline and calamity, and remain equal toward all dharmas. This is not a station of ordinary beings, nor a path traveled by sravakas, nor a sphere of pratyekabuddhas. It is precisely the course of all bodhisattvas and the realization of all perfectly enlightened Buddhas.

“Great King, you should concentrate your mind and not allow it to become distracted. You should think: In all the worlds of the future, how may I become a bright lamp, a great torch, an illumination, a boat and raft, a guide, a caravan leader, a leader of the path, and a foremost one? How may I ferry myself across and ferry others across, free myself and free others, bring peace to myself and bring peace to others, attain nirvana myself and cause others also to attain nirvana?

“Great King, do not contemplate the wealth, power, and sovereignty you formerly possessed. Know that the faculties are like illusions: they are never satiated, and nothing can satisfy them. Their spheres are like dreams and cannot provide satisfaction.”

The Buddha again said to King Suddhodana: “In the past there was a king named Crown-Born. That king possessed great majestic virtue, great supernormal powers, and great authority. He was born from the crown of his father, King Uposatha. Having long accumulated many roots of goodness, he had seen innumerable Buddhas and cultivated roots of goodness, reverently made offerings to the Buddhas, and amassed wholesome foundations. He attained immense wealth, power, and sovereignty throughout the four continents. Seven days after he was anointed and enthroned, all seven treasures appeared, and he became a holy wheel-turning king.

“What were the seven treasures of a holy wheel-turning king?

“First was the golden wheel-treasure, made entirely of pure gold, complete with a thousand spokes and fully fitted hub and rim, measuring seven cubits across in every direction. It appeared naturally before the king.

“Second was the white elephant-treasure, possessing six tusks and seven limbs that touched the ground, white as the Snow Mountains. It appeared naturally in response.

“Third was the horse-treasure. Both the elephant-treasure and horse-treasure could, between early morning and mealtime, travel throughout the eight directions and the four continents beneath heaven, reach the shores of every sea, and return to their original place.

“Fourth was the luminous jewel-treasure, as large as a person’s thigh and made entirely of blue vaidurya, whose light shone for one yojana in every direction.

“Fifth was the householder-treasure, who possessed immeasurable wealth and could provide in full whatever the king desired.

“Sixth was the woman-treasure, whose upright bearing and beauty were incomparable. Her whole body emitted the fragrance of sandalwood, and her breath was pure and fragrant like a blue lotus. Her broad tongue, when extended, could cover her entire face. Her complexion was smooth and delicate like a red-copper leaf. Her whole body was soft and supple, as though boneless; she was warm in winter and cool in summer. Compassionate at heart, she always spoke gently, and when her hand touched the king, she immediately understood his intention.

“Seventh was the general-treasure, who appeared naturally. He was valiant and foremost in strategy and military skill, knew the king’s thoughts seven days in advance, and excelled in commanding troops and waging battle.

“That king also had a thousand handsome and valiant sons who could subdue hostile enemies.

“At that time King Crown-Born governed the four continents, teaching and transforming them according to the Dharma. He caused the four continents to become prosperous, joyful, and peaceful, with a dense population and cities, towns, and villages situated close together. Throughout the entire realm there were no stones, gravel, or thorns, while jewels abounded in immeasurable quantities, and its gardens, forests, ponds, and springs were delightful and lovely. Such excellent manifestations arose because King Crown-Born abided in the power of the Dharma. In that age, both humans and devas enjoyed the finest sensual pleasures.

“The capital in which King Crown-Born resided was named Ayodhya. It measured twelve yojanas from east to west and seven yojanas from north to south. Every kind of adornment inside and outside the city resembled those of King Infinite Hero’s Jewel-Adorned City described above, and also Sakra’s Hall of Victory in the Heaven of the Thirty-Three.

“King Crown-Born built three jeweled palaces. The first was the Moonrise Palace, where he stayed during summer. The second was the Vaidurya Palace, where he stayed during spring. The third was the Palace of the Sun’s Majestic Radiance, where he stayed during the cold winter. When the king entered the Moonrise Palace with the woman-treasure and palace women, his body became cool as though anointed with ox-head sandalwood. When the king entered the Vaidurya Palace with his retinue, his body became refreshed as though anointed with tamala-leaf fragrance. When the king entered the Sun’s Majestic Radiance Palace with his retinue, his body became warm as though anointed with aloeswood fragrance.

“King Crown-Born obtained everything he wished with complete freedom. His palaces produced agreeable sensations suited to each season: wind arose at his wish, rain fell at his wish, various kinds of music came at his wish, and all necessities appeared according to his wish.

“At that time, throughout the seven days King Crown-Born remained in his palace, gold and silver rained from the sky. After seven days, the king thought: This is exceedingly rare and inconceivable. Pure karmic causes bring about such results, and everything appears fully according to my wishes. Merit produces such effects without error. Who, upon seeing such results, would cease cultivating merit?

“King Crown-Born ruled Jambudvipa for hundreds of thousands of years. He then thought: My Jambudvipa is now peaceful, prosperous, and joyful. Its people are numerous and all submit to me, and gold and silver have rained in my palace for seven full days. I should now travel to the western continent of Aparagodaniya.

“Having formed this thought, King Crown-Born and his retinue, accompanied by the four divisions of the army, rose into the sky and flew directly to the western continent of Aparagodaniya. After arriving, the king governed the western continent for hundreds of thousands of years. He likewise caused gold and silver to rain and made all its people peaceful, prosperous, and joyful.

He later took the four divisions of his army to govern the eastern continent of Purvavideha for hundreds of thousands of years, likewise making that entire continent prosperous, joyful, and peaceful. King Crown-Born then crossed over and governed the northern continent of Uttarakuru for immeasurable thousands of years, where he enjoyed jeweled garments superior to those of humans but still inferior to those of devas.

“King Crown-Born later thought: I have heard that the Heaven of the Thirty-Three is situated atop Mount Sumeru. I should go there and observe what it is like.

“King Crown-Born immediately took the four divisions of his army, rose into the sky, and flew directly to the summit of Mount Sumeru.

“At that time Sakra, Lord of the Devas, and the thirty-three deva kings were assembled in the Hall of Excellent Dharma, discussing the affairs of devas and humans.

“Seeing King Crown-Born arrive, Sakra welcomed him and shared his throne with him.

“When King Crown-Born had ascended the throne and seated himself beside Sakra, he immediately displayed ten superior qualities that outshone those of the devas: his lifespan surpassed that of the devas; his appearance surpassed that of the devas; his fame surpassed that of the devas; his enjoyment of pleasure surpassed that of the devas; his sovereign dominion surpassed that of the devas; his bodily form surpassed that of the devas; his voice surpassed that of the devas; his fragrance surpassed that of the devas; the flavors he tasted surpassed those of the devas; and the softness and delicacy of his tactile sensations surpassed those of the devas.

“King Crown-Born and Sakra were identical in form, appearance, conduct, and dignified bearing, without any difference. Their food, drink, garments, and articles of use were likewise identical. They differed only in their blinking.

“Nevertheless, the devas could clearly distinguish between the deva king and the human king.

“How extraordinary and rare it was that Sakra and King Crown-Born, though one was a deva and the other a human, were identical in form and appearance. Such was the power created by merit. Who, then, would fail to delight in merit?

“King Crown-Born remained in the Heaven of the Thirty-Three for immeasurable thousands of years, exercising supreme sovereignty. Yet, because he did not know contentment, he later thought: Now I should become the sole deva king. What need is there for Sakra? I shall depose him. As soon as he formed this thought, King Crown-Born, his entire retinue, and the four divisions of his army fell into a garden outside the city of Ayodhya in Jambudvipa.

“As King Crown-Born fell, his majestic radiance illuminated every place and eclipsed the light of the sun. Just as the rising sun eclipses the moon, so did the falling King Crown-Born eclipse the sun.

“A man who had left the city saw this and hurried back to announce to everyone within it: ‘A divine prince and the four divisions of his army have fallen from the sky into the garden outside the city.’

“Upon receiving this news, the king and his subjects arranged ceremonial honors and went out of the city bearing flowers, incense, and music to welcome King Crown-Born in that garden.

“When King Crown-Born fell, the entire earth shook in six ways.

“Because King Crown-Born had grown accustomed to enjoying the sensual pleasures of the heavens, he could not endure the odors and articles of the human world. He collapsed unconscious upon the ground, just as cream and clarified butter poured upon extremely hot sand immediately melt away.

“Seeing King Crown-Born lying unconscious upon the ground, the king and his subjects called out and asked: ‘Who are you?’

“He asked them in return: ‘Have you ever heard of a king named Crown-Born who lived in ancient times?’

“The king and his subjects replied: ‘We have heard elders relate that there was once a King Crown-Born who, without relinquishing his human body, took his retinue and the four divisions of his army and flew up to heaven.’

“He said: ‘That King Crown-Born of ancient times is none other than I. I and the four divisions of my army have fallen from heaven.’

“The king and his subjects asked him in verse:

What rare event has occurred
That may be transmitted to later generations?

“King Crown-Born, suffering after falling from heaven, replied in verse:

With wisdom they contemplate all kinds of existence;
With insight they see aging, illness, and death.
They sever every thirst of craving
And abandon all destinies without desire for them.

“After King Crown-Born had answered everyone in verse, he died.

“Great King! The King Crown-Born of that former time was none other than I, the Buddha, in a previous life. Formerly I was Crown-Born, the wheel-turning king, ruling devas and humans with majestic power and sovereignty. Yet because my sensual craving was insatiable, I died. For this reason, one must relinquish wealth, honor, pride, and power and abide in heedfulness. If one can abide in the practice of heedfulness, one can cultivate roots of goodness.

“Great King! Through heedfulness one can also enter the equality of the dharmadhatu. Whoever abandons heedlessness accomplishes benefit.

“Great King! The realms of the conditioned and unconditioned are neither male nor female and are neither past, future, nor present. Great King, you should establish your own mind in this Dharma and not follow other teachings. This Dharma is the unsurpassed bodhi of the Buddhas of the three times.

“Great King, you should abandon every rank of wealth and nobility, drain the entire ocean of desire, topple the mountain of pride, depart from all decline and downfall, and remain equal toward all. This is not the station of ordinary beings, nor can sravakas accomplish it, nor is it the sphere of pratyekabuddhas. It is the practice of all bodhisattvas and the realization of all perfectly enlightened Buddhas.

“Great King, you must gather in your mind and not allow it to become distracted. You should think: In future ages, among all humans and devas in the worlds, how may I become a bright lamp, a torch, an illumination, a boat, a guide, a teacher, a caravan leader, a leader of the path, and a supreme one? How may I ferry myself across and ferry others across, free myself and free others, bring peace to myself and establish others in peace, attain nirvana myself and cause others to attain it?

“Great King, do not contemplate the wealth, honor, and sovereignty you possessed in the past. Know that the faculties are like illusions, never satiated, and nothing can make them full. Their spheres are like dreams and cannot provide satisfaction.

“Great King! In the past there was a king named Nimi, who thoroughly understood all dharmas. He ruled according to Dharma and was never heedless; whenever he acted, he remained apart from heedlessness.

“King Nimi constantly contemplated the equality of the three times and further contemplated that all dharmas were equal in the same way as the three times. He contemplated that all past dharmas were devoid of intrinsic nature, that all future dharmas were devoid of intrinsic nature, and that all present dharmas were likewise devoid of intrinsic nature. Having contemplated the equality of all dharmas, he did not grasp or cling to any dharma.

He saw that the entire world was overturned by four inversions: regarding the impure as pure, suffering as pleasure, the impermanent as permanent, and the non-self as self. Having contemplated the world, the king thought: The world is ruined—greatly ruined. Sentient beings do not understand that the intrinsic nature of all dharmas is empty and quiescent.

I should gather in these sentient beings by means of the four methods of attraction. Once they follow me, they will certainly accept my instruction.

“After King Nimi had gathered in sentient beings through the four methods of attraction, he taught them the Dharma of equality.

“‘Great assembly! All dharmas are devoid of intrinsic nature. If all dharmas are devoid of intrinsic nature, they are neither past, future, nor present. Why? Because the intrinsic nature of these dharmas is not real. Since dharmas are devoid of intrinsic nature, they cannot be called past, future, or present.’

“After King Nimi had taught sentient beings the equality of the three times, eighty thousand kotis of nayutas of immeasurable hundreds of thousands of sentient beings attained the patient acceptance of the non-arising of dharmas.

“At that time in the palace of the Heaven of the Thirty-Three, divine princes assembled and discussed the matter, saying: ‘Excellent, excellent! The people of Jambudvipa have gained great benefit. King Nimi understands all dharmas, rules according to Dharma, and is fully endowed with skillful means. For sentient beings subject to inversion, he skillfully teaches the Dharma free from inversion.’

“At that time Sakra, Lord of the Devas, was some distance from the Hall of Excellent Dharma. With his far-reaching divine ear, he heard the divine princes’ discussion. He immediately went to the Hall of Excellent Dharma, ascended the Dharma seat, and said to the divine princes: ‘That King Nimi has fully accomplished inconceivable skillful means. Here in the Heaven of the Thirty-Three, would you like to see King Nimi?’

“The divine princes all replied that they wished to see him.

“The Lord of Devas then commanded his charioteer Matali: ‘You should prepare a thousand jeweled celestial chariots and go to the kingdom of Videha in Jambudvipa. Say to King Nimi: “These thousand jeweled celestial chariots have been sent to welcome the king. Please do not be afraid. All the devas of the Heaven of the Thirty-Three wish to see you. Please mount this jeweled chariot.”

“‘When you see that King Nimi has mounted the chariot, ask him: “Great King! By which road should I now convey you to the Heaven of the Thirty-Three? Shall we travel by the road of sentient beings who abide in inversion, or by the road of sentient beings who do not abide in inversion?”’

“The divine charioteer Matali accepted the command of Sakra, Lord of the Devas, prepared the thousand jeweled chariots, mounted one himself, and descended from the Heaven of the Thirty-Three to the kingdom of Videha in Jambudvipa. He said to King Nimi: ‘The devas of the Heaven of the Thirty-Three have brought a thousand jeweled chariots to welcome you. Please have neither doubt nor fear. All the devas above wish to see you.’

“King Nimi felt no fear and stepped onto a jeweled chariot. After he had mounted it, the divine charioteer Matali asked: ‘By which road should I now convey the king? Shall we travel by the road of sentient beings who abide in inversion, or by the road of sentient beings who do not abide in inversion?’

“King Nimi told the divine charioteer: ‘You may take me along the middle between those two roads.’

“Matali then conveyed the king between those two roads.

“King Nimi told the divine charioteer: ‘Please stop the chariot briefly. I wish to contemplate sentient beings subject to inversion.’

“The divine charioteer obeyed and stopped the chariot. In that brief interval, King Nimi caused eighty thousand kotis of sentient beings to abide in the samadhi of true vision. Why was he able to do so? Because he had long skillfully cultivated the practice of heedfulness. Having caused those sentient beings to enter the samadhi of true vision, he ensured that they would all later attain the patient acceptance of the non-arising of dharmas.

“Matali was entirely unaware of what King Nimi had done and continued conveying him to the summit of Mount Sumeru. From afar, the king saw a verdant, dense forest and told the divine charioteer: ‘That forest must certainly be the dwelling place of sentient beings free from inversion.’

“The divine charioteer Matali replied: ‘That place is the Hall of Excellent Dharma. The devas of the Heaven of the Thirty-Three are waiting to see you. Please ascend without fear.’

“King Nimi, his heart free from fear, then ascended the Hall of Excellent Dharma. Sakra, Lord of the Devas, welcomed the king and gave him half of his jeweled throne so that they might sit together.

“After the two kings were seated, Sakra spoke gently to King Nimi: ‘Great King, you have accomplished great benefit and can cause the Buddha-Dharma to flourish and increase.’

“Sakra then told the devas of the Heaven of the Thirty-Three: ‘This King Nimi has fully accomplished inconceivable skillful means. In a brief interval, he caused eighty thousand kotis of sentient beings to abide in the Buddha-Dharma, yet Matali was entirely unaware of it.’

“At that time King Nimi extensively expounded the subtle and wondrous Buddha-Dharma for the devas of the Heaven of the Thirty-Three. After benefiting them, the king said to Sakra: ‘I wish to return to Jambudvipa. Why? Because I wish to protect and uphold the Buddha’s true Dharma in Jambudvipa.’

“Sakra immediately ordered Matali to prepare the thousand chariots and escort King Nimi home.

“After returning to Jambudvipa, King Nimi perfected the skillful means of great loving-kindness and guided immeasurable sentient beings to abide in the Buddha-Dharma.

“Great King! The King Nimi of that former time was none other than I, the Buddha, in a previous life.

“Great King, you should contemplate the inconceivable power of the practice of heedfulness. Though King Nimi ascended and sat upon the throne of Sakra, Lord of the Devas, he still did not become attached to it. Therefore, Great King, within the Buddha-Dharma you must diligently and energetically cultivate the practices of heedfulness.

“Great King! What is called the Buddha-Dharma?

“Great King! All dharmas are the Buddha-Dharma.”

Upon hearing this teaching, King Suddhodana said: “World-Honored One! If all dharmas are the Buddha-Dharma, then all sentient beings should also be Buddhas.”

The Buddha replied: “To see sentient beings without inversion is itself Buddhahood.

“Great King! What is called ‘Buddha’ is to see sentient beings in accordance with reality. To see sentient beings in accordance with reality is to see the limit of reality. The limit of reality is the dharmadhatu.

“Great King! That limit of reality cannot be revealed. It is merely a designation, merely conventional, merely included among conventions, existing only in verbal expression and provisionally established. You should discern it in this way.

“Great King! The non-arising of all dharmas is the dharani gateway. Why is it called the dharani gateway? Here all dharmas neither move nor waver, and there is neither taking nor rejecting. This is called the dharani gateway.

“Great King! The non-ceasing of all dharmas is the dharani gateway. Why is non-ceasing the dharani gateway?

Within it, all dharmas neither move nor waver, and there is neither taking nor rejecting. This dharani gateway has no characteristic, no intrinsic nature, and cannot be established. It is neither acted nor created, neither coming nor going, without self or person, without sentient being or life span, without one who nurtures, and not an antidote.

It has neither form nor shape, neither bondage nor release, neither defilement nor purity, neither affection nor hatred, neither fettering nor liberation, neither emergence nor retreat, neither attainment nor abiding, neither concentration nor distraction, neither knowing nor not-knowing, neither seeing nor not-seeing, neither morality nor transgression, neither remorse nor absence of remorse, neither joy nor absence of joy, neither suffering nor pleasure, neither concentration nor non-concentration, neither truth nor inversion, neither nirvana nor non-nirvana, neither craving and views nor freedom from craving and views, neither liberation nor non-liberation, neither wisdom nor non-wisdom, neither observation nor non-observation, neither karma nor non-karma, and neither path nor non-path.

“Great King! One should enter all dharmas through sixty-seven Dharma gateways.

“Great King, the essential nature of dharmas has never existed, will never exist, and does not presently exist. Just as an image in a mirror is neither existent nor nonexistent, so too is the essential nature of form: it has not existed, will not exist, and does not presently exist. Feeling, perception, formations, and consciousness are likewise.

“Great King! Just as an echo has not existed, will not exist, and does not presently exist, so too are form, feeling, perception, formations, and consciousness: their essential nature has not existed, will not exist, and does not presently exist.

“Great King! Just as a mirage has not existed, will not exist, and does not presently exist, so too are form, feeling, perception, formations, and consciousness: their essential nature has not existed, will not exist, and does not presently exist.

“Great King! Just as a mass of foam lacks solidity and has not existed, will not exist, and does not presently exist, so too are form, feeling, perception, formations, and consciousness: their essential nature has not existed, will not exist, and does not presently exist.

“Great King! It is like seeing a beautiful woman in a dream: what is seen in the dream has not existed, will not exist, and does not presently exist. The essential nature of form, feeling, perception, formations, and consciousness is likewise: it has not existed, will not exist, and does not presently exist.

“Great King! It is like a barren woman dreaming that she gives birth to a son: what is seen in that dream has not existed, will not exist, and does not presently exist. The essential nature of feeling, perception, formations, and consciousness is likewise: it has not existed, will not exist, and does not presently exist.

“Great King! Form has neither arising nor ceasing. Feeling, perception, formations, and consciousness likewise have neither arising nor ceasing, just as the realm of nirvana has neither arising nor ceasing.

“Just as the dharmadhatu neither arises nor ceases, so too do form, feeling, perception, formations, and consciousness neither arise nor cease.

“Great King! All dharmas are the sphere of the Tathagata. The inconceivable is also the sphere of the Tathagata. The unique qualities are also the sphere of the Tathagata, because they are not shared with the spheres of ordinary beings, nor are they shared with the spheres of sravakas and pratyekabuddhas.

“All these dharmas are neither disparaged nor praised, neither gained nor lost, neither awakened to nor not awakened to, neither wisdom nor non-wisdom, neither consciousness nor non-consciousness, neither relinquished nor not relinquished, neither cultivated nor not cultivated, neither spoken nor not spoken, neither realized nor not realized, neither revealed nor not revealed, and neither capable of being heard nor incapable of being heard.

“Why is this so?

“Because in this Dharma there is no dharma that can be raised up or cast down.

“Why is this so?

“Because all dharmas are devoid of intrinsic nature.

“Great King, you should now settle your mind within this Dharma and contemplate it deeply; do not place your trust elsewhere.”

King Suddhodana then thought: Within all dharmas there is no dharma that can be attained. There is no dharma that realizes another dharma and is thereby called a Buddha. Dharmas truly cannot be attained. It is only for the sake of sentient beings that the Buddha provisionally employs verbal teachings.

When the Buddha taught this Dharma, King Suddhodana and seventy thousand members of the Sakya clan attained the patient acceptance of the non-arising of dharmas.

Knowing that the Sakyas had acquired profound faith, the Buddha smiled.

The Venerable Bhiksu Asvajit asked the Buddha in verse:

The World-Honored One answered Bhiksu Asvajit in verse:

The World-Honored One then said to the Venerable Sariputra: “Sariputra! This is the Bodhisattva Samadhi of Seeing Reality. You should teach it in turn to bodhisattvas who have attained non-retrogression. Why? Sariputra, this samadhi cannot be expressed. Within this samadhi, the Tathagata attains no dharma. If nothing is attained, it cannot be awakened to. If it cannot be awakened to, it cannot be expressed. If it cannot be expressed, it cannot be known. That which cannot be known is precisely the Dharma of the Buddhas of the three times.

“Sariputra! I now entrust this to you. You should receive and uphold, read and recite this Bodhisattva Samadhi of Seeing Reality, and extensively explain it to others.

“Sariputra! Suppose a good man or good woman established in the Mahayana cultivates the five paramitas for ten kalpas while remaining apart from the prajnaparamita. If another person hears this Bodhisattva Samadhi of Seeing Reality, that person’s merit will be greater. If someone hears this Bodhisattva Samadhi of Seeing Reality even briefly, and another, after hearing it, teaches it to everyone, the latter person’s merit will be greater still.

“If someone hears this teaching and teaches it to everyone throughout ten kalpas, while another cultivates the Bodhisattva Samadhi of Seeing Reality for even a single ksana, the latter person’s merit will be greater still.

“Therefore, Sariputra, you should expound this Sutra of the Bodhisattva Samadhi of Seeing Reality to the bodhisattvas, instructing them in its cultivation.

“Sariputra! Those who cultivate according to this samadhi will attain the patient acceptance of the non-arising of dharmas.

“Sariputra! All bodhisattvas in this Dharma assembly to whom I have given a prediction of the unsurpassed path will attain abiding in the Bodhisattva Samadhi of Seeing Reality.”

At that time all the bodhisattvas, sravakas, devas, humans, asuras, gandharvas, human and nonhuman beings, and the entire great assembly heard the Buddha’s teaching, rejoiced, and respectfully practiced it.