大寶積經

XIX. THE NINETEENTH ASSEMBLY: THE HOUSEHOLDER UGRA

Thus have I heard. At one time, the Buddha was dwelling in the country of Shravasti, at Anathapindika’s monastery in Prince Jeta’s Grove, together with an assembly of one thousand two hundred and fifty bhikshus and five thousand bodhisattvas. Bodhisattva Maitreya, Bodhisattva Manjushri, Bodhisattva Severing the Wrong Path, Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, Bodhisattva Mahasthamaprapta, and other such great bodhisattvas were foremost among them.

At that time, the Blessed One, reverently surrounded by immeasurable hundreds of thousands in the great assembly, expounded the Dharma.

Householder Ugra, together with five hundred members of his retinue, departed from the city of Shravasti and went to the Jetavana Monastery. They bowed at the Buddha’s feet, circumambulated him three times, and then sat to one side.

There were also Householder Loving Reverence, Householder Renown, Householder Well-Governed, Householder Gayadatta, Householder Sudhana, Householder Loving Conduct, Householder Anathapindika, Householder Dragon Virtue, and Householder True Joy. Each of these householders, accompanied by five hundred other householders, departed from the city of Shravasti and went to the Jetavana Monastery. They bowed at the Buddha’s feet, circumambulated him three times, and then sat to one side.

All these householders and their retinues had set their course toward the Mahayana, had deeply planted roots of virtue, and were certain to attain the unsurpassed true path.

At that time, Householder Ugra, knowing that all the householders had assembled, through the Buddha’s spiritual power faced the Buddha, joined his palms, and said: “Blessed One, I now wish to ask a question. May you compassionately permit me to do so.”

The Buddha said: “Householder, the Tathagata will listen. You have permission to ask. The Buddha will explain matters according to your question, so that your doubts may be completely dispelled and you may rejoice.”

Householder Ugra said: “Blessed One, suppose good men and good women give rise to the aspiration for unsurpassed bodhi, understand the Mahayana, have faith in the Mahayana, wish to gather the Mahayana teachings, wish to mount the Mahayana, understand that the Mahayana protects, reassures, and consoles all sentient beings, wish to bring happiness and firm adornment to all sentient beings, wish to ferry across those who have not yet crossed, liberate those who have not yet been liberated, reassure those who have not yet found reassurance, and lead to nirvana those who have not yet attained nirvana.

They wish to become a great bridge and ferry bearing all beings across. Hearing that the Buddha’s wisdom is immeasurable, they wish to cultivate the Buddha’s wisdom and undertake the great adornment. Knowing that samsara contains immeasurable suffering and affliction, they do not become distressed throughout immeasurable and incalculable kalpas; though they wander through birth and death for immeasurable kalpas, they never become weary.

Among them are good men and good women who abide in the Bodhisattva Vehicle, whether monastics cultivating the practices of the Dharma or laypeople cultivating the practices of the Dharma.

“Excellent, Blessed One! Out of compassion for devas, humans, and asuras, the Blessed One safeguards the Mahayana, prevents the lineage of the Three Jewels from being severed, and remains long in the world for the sake of omniscience.

“May the Blessed One expound the moral virtues and practices to be cultivated by lay bodhisattvas.

“How should lay bodhisattvas, while remaining in the household life, follow the Tathagata’s instructions in their practice, neither impairing the factors conducive to bodhisattvahood nor allowing karma to bind or obscure them in this present life, so that they may attain increasingly excellent practices?

“Blessed One, how should monastic bodhisattvas, who have abandoned treasures and loving attachments to enter the homeless life, be instructed to practice the Dharma? How should they cultivate virtue? In what should they abide, and in what should they not abide?”

The Buddha said: “Excellent, excellent, Householder Ugra! What you have asked is indeed what you ought to ask. Listen attentively and reflect well upon it. I shall now explain to you the practices in which lay bodhisattvas and monastic bodhisattvas should abide and train in order to attain excellent merit.

“Householder, a lay bodhisattva should take refuge in the Buddha, take refuge in the Dharma, and take refuge in the Sangha. The merit of taking refuge in the Three Jewels should be dedicated to the unsurpassed, true, and perfect path.

“How does a lay bodhisattva take refuge in the Buddha?

“He thinks: ‘I wish to attain the Buddha’s body, adorned with the thirty-two marks. I shall embrace these roots of virtue and gather the causes of the thirty-two marks of a great being. To gather them, I shall diligently practice with vigor.’ This is called taking refuge in the Buddha.

“How does a lay bodhisattva take refuge in the Dharma?

“This bodhisattva reveres the Dharma and those who expound the Dharma. For the sake of the Dharma, he seeks the Dharma, delights in the Dharma, and takes the greatest joy in supporting the Dharma. He abides in the Dharma, upholds the Dharma, protects the Dharma, stands firmly in the Dharma, praises the Dharma, abides in the practices of the Dharma, causes the Dharma to increase, seeks to attain the Dharma, takes the Dharma as his strength, takes the Dharma as his weapon, and makes the Dharma alone his undertaking. He thinks: ‘After attaining unsurpassed bodhi, I shall impart the true and impartial Dharma to all sentient beings—devas, humans, and asuras.’ This is called taking refuge in the Dharma.

“How does a lay bodhisattva take refuge in the Sangha?

“When this bodhisattva sees stream-enterers, once-returners, non-returners, arhats, or even ordinary beings, and when he sees followers of the Shravaka Vehicle, he respects and accommodates them all, promptly welcomes them, speaks kindly and pleasantly to them, circumambulates them, and treats them with reverence. He should think: ‘When we attain the unsurpassed, true, and perfect path, we shall expound the Dharma so that beings may accomplish the virtues of shravakas.’ Although he respects followers of the Shravaka Vehicle, his mind does not settle or abide in that vehicle. This is called taking refuge in the Sangha.

“Householder, a lay bodhisattva who fulfills four qualities takes refuge in the Buddha. These are: never abandoning the aspiration for bodhi; never ceasing to encourage others to give rise to the aspiration for bodhi; never abandoning great compassion; and never giving rise to a mind that seeks any other vehicle.

“A lay bodhisattva who fulfills four qualities takes refuge in the Dharma. These are: drawing near to and relying upon Dharma teachers; reflecting well after hearing the Dharma; repeating to others the Dharma he has heard; and dedicating the merit of expounding the Dharma to the unsurpassed, true, and perfect path.

“A lay bodhisattva who fulfills four qualities takes refuge in the Sangha. These are: if anyone has not yet become irrevocably committed to the Shravaka Vehicle, encouraging that person to aspire to the unsurpassed path; gathering people either through material gifts or through the true Dharma; relying upon the Sangha of irreversible bodhisattvas rather than the Sangha of shravakas; and seeking the virtues of shravakas without allowing his mind to settle or abide in them.

“Furthermore, Householder, when a lay bodhisattva sees the Tathagata and then cultivates mindfulness of the Buddha, this is called taking refuge in the Buddha. After hearing the true Dharma, when he cultivates the true Dharma, this is called taking refuge in the Dharma. After seeing the Sangha of shravakas, the Buddha’s disciples, when he does not forget or lose the aspiration for bodhi, this is called taking refuge in the Sangha.

“Furthermore, Householder, when a lay bodhisattva always wishes to assemble together with the Buddha and therefore practices giving, this is called taking refuge in the Buddha. When he practices giving while safeguarding the true Dharma, this is called taking refuge in the Dharma. When he dedicates the virtue of that giving to the unsurpassed path, this is called taking refuge in the Sangha.

“Furthermore, Householder, a lay bodhisattva undertakes the work of a virtuous person and does not undertake the work of an unvirtuous person.

“What is called the work of a virtuous person and not the work of an unvirtuous person?

“Householder, a lay bodhisattva accumulates money, property, land, and houses in accordance with the Dharma. He seeks them honestly and at a fair value, never through cruel means or by oppressing others. Having acquired his livelihood in accordance with the Dharma, he contemplates impermanence and entertains no thought of stinginess. He delights in generosity and relinquishment. With wealth acquired in accordance with the Dharma, he supports his parents and provides for his wife, children, relatives, and servants; only afterward does he use it to practice giving in accordance with the true Dharma.”

– Furthermore, householder! A lay bodhisattva bears a heavy burden and arouses great diligence. This is the burden of the five skandhas of all sentient beings. He relinquishes the burdens of the sravakas and pratyekabuddhas, and teaches and transforms sentient beings without weariness. He forsakes his own happiness for the sake of sentient beings. The eight worldly conditions—gain and loss, disgrace and honor, praise and blame, suffering and pleasure—cannot sway him. Though possessing immeasurable wealth, he transcends worldly ways and is neither arrogant nor heedless; when he loses gain, fame, or praise, he does not grieve. He skillfully observes karmic conduct and preserves right conduct. Seeing those who violate the precepts, he does not become angry. Wherever he goes, he abides skillfully in mindfulness and examination, casts off frivolity and impetuousness, and is endowed with wisdom. He helps accomplish the affairs of others while setting aside his own, without hoping for anything in return. Whatever task he undertakes, he never abandons it midway. He recognizes and remembers kindness, performs deeds skillfully and well, and bestows gifts upon the poor. With those who possess power, he subdues great arrogance; those without power, he encourages and guides. He removes the sharp arrows of sorrow from others. He patiently bears with those of inferior character, abandons pride and overweening pride, and reverently honors and draws near to the learned. He seeks instruction from those of luminous wisdom. His views are upright, and his deeds are unconditioned and free of deception. He bears no defiling attachment toward sentient beings, never tires of cultivating goodness, and never wearies of learning and inquiry. His actions are steadfast and accord with those of the sages and noble ones. Toward those who are not noble ones, he gives rise to great compassion. He is unwavering in friendship, regards enemies and friends equally, and maintains an impartial mind toward all sentient beings. He is neither greedy nor miserly regarding any dharma. He explains according to what he has learned and contemplates what he has heard and studied. He regards all sensual pleasures as impermanent and does not cherish or cling to the body. He regards life as a drop of dew, wealth and possessions as clouds and illusions, children as a prison, relatives and dependents as a realm of suffering, fields and houses as corpses, and the pursuit of riches as the destruction of wholesome roots. He regards his home as bondage and his relatives as prison guards. He regards night and day as no different. Regarding the impermanent body, he resolves to give toward that which is enduring—namely, assisting those in need. Regarding impermanent life, he resolves to give toward that which is enduring—namely, not losing his original goodness and increasing his present wholesome roots. Regarding impermanent wealth, he resolves to give toward that which is enduring—namely, subduing greed and miserliness and practicing giving!

– Householder Ugra! This is called the lay bodhisattva’s cultivation of the practices of a virtuous man. Before the Tathagatas, he is entirely free from fault. His speech is called concordant speech and Dharma speech, and he proceeds toward the unsurpassed path without any divergent thought.

– Furthermore, householder! A lay bodhisattva should undertake the wholesome precepts, namely, the five precepts. This bodhisattva always refrains from killing living beings, lays aside knives and clubs, possesses shame and steadfast resolve, and does not kill or harm any sentient being. He does not trouble or afflict any sentient being, and toward all sentient beings his mind is always impartial, loving, and compassionate. This bodhisattva always refrains from stealing. He is content with his own possessions and covets none of the possessions of others. Abandoning greed, he does not give rise to delusion and does not crave the emoluments of others. Even a leaf that has not been given, he does not take. This bodhisattva abandons sexual misconduct. Content with his own wife, he does not desire the wife of another. He does not look upon other women with a defiled mind. His mind always regards such desire with revulsion and fear, seeing it as suffering and affliction, and therefore he continually turns away from it. If sensual defilement arises toward his own wife, he should contemplate impurity and become apprehensive, thinking: “It is the power of the fetters that produces this desire; it is not something I should do.” He should contemplate impermanence, suffering, non-self, and impurity. He should reflect: “I should not even entertain a lustful thought, much less join two bodies together and engage in caressing.” This bodhisattva should abandon false speech. He should speak with certainty, speak truthfully, and speak in accordance with his deeds. He does not deceive others, perfects a wholesome mind, reflects before acting, and speaks truthfully according to what he has seen and heard. He preserves the true Dharma and would rather relinquish his own life than ever speak falsely. This bodhisattva should abstain from drinking intoxicants. He does not become intoxicated or confused, does not speak falsely, and neither behaves frivolously nor jokes, intimidates, or threatens. He should abide in right mindfulness and only then examine and understand. When he wishes to give away material goods, he gives food to those who need food and drink to those who need drink. When giving, he should think: “Now, as I practice this dana paramita, whatever anyone desires, I shall give it to them so that they may be fully satisfied.” If he gives wine to someone, he must establish that person in right mindfulness and not allow them to become crazed with intoxication. Why is this? Because fully satisfying the wishes of others is the dana paramita. Therefore, when a bodhisattva gives wine to another, he incurs no fault before the Buddha.

– Householder! If a lay bodhisattva dedicates the merit from undertaking and observing these five precepts to unsurpassed bodhi, he should skillfully preserve the five precepts and, in addition, abandon divisive speech. If there is a dispute, he should reconcile the parties. He should abandon harsh speech, utter gentle and harmonious words, and be the first to offer greetings. He does not insult others but speaks words that benefit them: Dharma speech, timely speech, truthful speech, frank speech, disciplining speech, speech free from jesting, and speech consistent with his actions. He does not give rise to greed or delusion. He always brings happiness to all and has no intention to harm. He constantly cultivates the strength of patience as his own adornment. He should always maintain right view, abandon wrong views, refrain from worshiping other heavenly deities, and cause offerings to be made to the Buddha.

– Furthermore, Householder Ugra! When a lay bodhisattva is among the assemblies in cities, towns, districts, and villages, he should always expound the Dharma for everyone. Sentient beings who are unfilial and fail to recognize their parents, teachers and elders, sramanas, and brahmins; who do not distinguish elders from juniors; who do not follow instruction and admonition; and who know neither restraint nor reverence—he should exhort and teach to become filial and compliant. Sentient beings who lack learning, he should enable to learn. Those who are greedy and miserly, he should teach to give. Those who violate the precepts, he should exhort to observe them. Those who are angry, he should exhort to practice patience. Those who are indolent, he should exhort to practice diligence. Those whose minds are distracted, he should exhort to cultivate mindfulness and samadhi. Those without wisdom, he should exhort to cultivate wisdom. To the poor, he should provide wealth; to the sick, medicine. Those without help, he should assist. For those without refuge, he should become a refuge; for those without support, he should become a support. This lay bodhisattva should benefit sentient beings according to what is appropriate and must not allow even one person to fall into an evil realm.

– Householder! This lay bodhisattva should guide and exhort everyone in this way as many as seven times, causing them to abide in virtuous conduct. If he is still unable to establish them therein, he should give rise to great compassion for those sentient beings and bring forth the adornment of omniscient wisdom, declaring: “If I do not tame these evil sentient beings, I shall certainly not attain unsurpassed, right, and perfect enlightenment.” Why is this? Because for this very reason I have aroused this solemn vow as my adornment. It is without flattery or deceit and is no matter of jest. Fully endowed with the conduct of moral virtue, I bring forth this great adornment. I must diligently arouse such vigor so that my deeds will not be fruitless and sentient beings, upon seeing me, will immediately have faith and reverence.

– Householder! If a lay bodhisattva dwells in villages, towns, or cities but does not teach and transform sentient beings, thereby allowing them to fall into evil realms, he will be reproached by the Buddhas. Therefore, a bodhisattva should adorn himself with this great adornment, resolving: “I must now cultivate and practice these deeds so that, within the cities, towns, and villages, I shall not allow even one person to fall into an evil realm.”

– Householder! Suppose there is a skilled physician in a city or town, yet he allows even one person to die of a virulent illness; the community will reproach him. In the same way, wherever this bodhisattva may be, if he does not teach and transform sentient beings and thereby allows them to fall into evil realms, he will be reproached by the Buddhas.

– Furthermore, householder! A lay bodhisattva skillfully studies and cultivates wholesome conduct.

What is the household? It is that which kills wholesome roots, prevents faults from being abandoned, and harms karma that supports goodness; therefore, it is called the household.

What is meant by dwelling amid all the fetters? Because one dwells within them, it is called dwelling therein. Furthermore, because one dwells in unwholesome observation, dwells in lack of discipline, and dwells in shamelessness, and because foolish, petty ordinary beings dwell amid unwholesome deeds, evils, and transgressions, it is called the household.

Furthermore, in household life all suffering and affliction manifest therein, destroying previously cultivated roots of goodness; therefore it is called the household.

Furthermore, while dwelling in that household, there is no evil one will not commit. Therein one does not reverently obey or treat one's parents, teachers, and elders well; therefore it is called the household.

Furthermore, that household causes branches and leaves to proliferate; sorrow, lamentation, suffering, and affliction all arise therein. It gathers together killing, injury, binding, beating, anger, and abuse, and gives rise to harsh speech; therefore it is called the household.

Furthermore, in that place, roots of goodness not yet cultivated are neglected and left uncultivated, while roots of goodness already cultivated are abandoned and ruined. It is reproached by the wise—the wise being the Buddhas and shravakas. If one dwells therein, one falls into the lower realms; if one dwells therein, one falls into greed, hatred, and delusion. For these reasons it is called the household.

Furthermore, if one dwells therein, the aggregates of moral discipline, concentration, wisdom, liberation, and the knowledge and vision of liberation are obstructed and forsaken; therefore it is called the household.

Furthermore, if one dwells therein, one is bound by craving and attachment to parents, wife, children, brothers, sisters, relatives, friends, and retinues. One lovingly thinks about wealth, and one's craving is never satisfied, just as the ocean swallows and contains a hundred rivers yet is never full; therefore it is called the household.

To dwell in household life is like fire consuming firewood; one's concerns are unsettled, like the wind that never ceases. Dwelling in household life consumes the body, like drinking poison; all suffering and affliction converge upon it. Therefore one should abandon it as one would keep far away from a hostile enemy.

If one dwells in household life, the noble Dharma is obstructed, many causes for contention arise, and people constantly oppose one another.

In household life, wholesome and unwholesome conditions are intermingled, and affairs are numerous.

Household life is impermanent and does not endure for long; it is a phenomenon that never remains even momentarily.

Household life is exceedingly painful, for seeking and guarding possessions brings much sorrow; it is a place of enemies and kin alike.

Household life is without self, yet one mistakenly clings to it as belonging to the self.

Household life is deceptive: it has no true reality, yet appears to be real.

Household life entails separation, for it is a place where many people dwell.

Household life is like an illusion, an accumulation of many gatherings in which there is no real sentient being.

Household life is like a dream, for prosperity and decline alternate with one another.

Household life is like a drop of dew, for it swiftly dissolves and vanishes.

Household life is like a drop of honey, for its sweetness lasts only a moment.

Household life is like a net of sharp thorns, because of craving and delight in forms, sounds, fragrances, tastes, and tangible objects.

Household life is like an insect whose mouth is sharp as a needle, because food and drink are not wisely discerned.

Household life is like a venomous snake, for people harm one another.

Household life is filled with many hopes, making the heart restless and anxious.

Household life is filled with many fears, for it is subject to seizure by kings, thieves, fire, and flood. Household life is filled with much disputation, for it contains many wrongs.

– Householder! A householder bodhisattva is said to understand household life well in this way.

– Furthermore, Householder Ugra! A bodhisattva dwelling in household life should skillfully discipline himself in giving, discerning it with gentleness. He should contemplate thus: “Whatever wealth I have given to others is mine; whatever remains in the house is not mine. What has been given is secure; what has not been given is insecure. What has been given brings happiness in the future; what has not been given brings happiness only in the present. What has been given need not be guarded; what remains must be guarded. What has been given is free from the bonds of craving and attachment; what remains increases craving and attachment. What has been given does not burden the mind; what remains burdens the mind. What has been given causes no fear; what remains must be feared for. What has been given is a pillar of the right path; what remains is a pillar of Mara. What has been given is inexhaustible; what remains is exhaustible. What has been given brings happiness; what remains causes suffering because it must be guarded. What has been given frees one from binding knots; what remains increases binding knots. What has been given is true gain; what remains is not true gain. What has been given is the work of a great person; what remains is not the work of a great person. What has been given is praised by the Buddhas; what remains is praised by ordinary beings.” Therefore, the bodhisattva should be steadfast in giving.

– Furthermore, Householder! When a householder bodhisattva sees a petitioner, he should form three perceptions: first, the perception of a spiritual friend; second, the perception of wealth in a future life; and third, the perception of bodhi. He should also form three perceptions: first, compliance with the Buddha's teaching; second, fruition in the realm of desire; and third, the subjugation of Mara. He should also form three perceptions: toward the petitioner, the perception of a relative; toward the four means of attraction, the perception of gathering beings in; and toward boundless births, the perception of emancipation. He should also form three perceptions: eliminating greed, eliminating hatred, and eliminating delusion.

– Householder! In this way, the greed, hatred, and delusion of the householder bodhisattva all become attenuated. When giving wealth, his mind is free from greedy attachment, and thus his greed becomes attenuated. He feels compassion for the petitioner, and thus his hatred becomes attenuated. After giving, he dedicates the merit to the unsurpassed, right, and true path, and thus his delusion becomes attenuated.

– Furthermore, Householder! When a householder bodhisattva sees a petitioner, he should form the perception that he is cultivating the six paramitas to completion. Toward all that he owns, this bodhisattva has a mind of relinquishment and gives it away; this is called cultivating dana-paramita to completion. Giving while relying upon the mind of bodhi is called cultivating shila-paramita to completion. Giving in this way is called cultivating shila-paramita to completion. Not becoming angry with or reproaching the petitioner is cultivating kshanti-paramita to completion. While giving, not thinking that one will become destitute is cultivating virya-paramita to completion. After giving, having no regret or miserliness in one's heart but becoming even more joyful is called cultivating dhyana-paramita to completion. After giving, seeing no dharma that is attained and expecting no karmic reward is called cultivating prajnaparamita to completion.

– Furthermore, Householder! A householder bodhisattva should relinquish the eight worldly dharmas. Regarding houses, wealth, wife, and children, he should neither sorrow nor rejoice. Even if they are lost or destroyed, he should not harbor grief or anxiety. That bodhisattva should contemplate conditioned phenomena as illusions, bearing the characteristics of delusive conception. Parents, wife, children, and relatives do not belong to me. For their sake, I shall not create unwholesome karma. They are companions in this present life, not companions in another life; companions in times of happiness, not companions in times of suffering. I shall not anxiously guard them. What I shall guard is wisdom, giving, self-discipline, the training of others, diligence, heedfulness, the factors supporting bodhi, all roots of goodness, and so forth. These belong to me and always follow closely beside me. Parents, wife, children, and relatives cannot save me. They are not my refuge, not my dwelling, not my firm ground, not my sheltering shade, and are neither self nor possessions of self. Even this body of the five skandhas is neither self nor possessions of self; how much less could parents, wife, children, and relatives belong to me? Parents, wife, and children arise from their own karmic causes. I shall experience the results of my own good and evil karma. They too shall experience the good and evil results of their own karma.”

Whether walking, standing, sitting, or lying down, a householder bodhisattva should constantly contemplate in this way and, for the sake of parents, wife, children, or relatives, should never create any evil or unwholesome karma, even one as minute as a strand of hair.

Regarding his wife, a householder bodhisattva should entertain three perceptions: impermanence, change, and decay. He should further entertain three perceptions: she is a companion in amusement but not a companion into another life; a companion in eating and drinking but not a companion in karmic retribution; a companion in times of joy but not in times of suffering. He should further entertain three perceptions: an enemy, one who cuts and carves, and one who assumes a false guise.

He should further entertain three perceptions: a rakshasa, a pishacha, and a malevolent spirit. He should further entertain three perceptions: she is not his possession, is not something to be appropriated, and is one who makes demands. He should further entertain three perceptions: guarding against evil bodily conduct, guarding against evil verbal conduct, and guarding against evil mental conduct.

He should further entertain three perceptions: thoughts of sensual desire, thoughts of anger, and thoughts of harming. He should further entertain three perceptions: darkness, defiled morality, and the fetters of wisdom. He should further entertain three perceptions: an obstruction to morality, an obstruction to concentration, and an obstruction to wisdom.

He should further entertain three perceptions: flattery, an ensnaring net, and a cat lying in wait. He should further entertain three perceptions: calamity, affliction, and illness. He should further entertain three perceptions: bewitchment, decline, and frost.

He should further entertain three perceptions: old age, sickness, and death. He should further entertain three perceptions: Mara, the daughters of Mara, and something fearsome. He should further entertain three perceptions: anxiety, lamentation, and suffering.

He should further entertain three perceptions: a great she-wolf, a makara fish, and a great she-cat. He should further entertain three perceptions: a black venomous snake, a shishou fish, and a demon that steals vital essence. He should further entertain three perceptions: no rescue, no refuge, and no protection.

He should further entertain three perceptions: a mother, an elder sister, and a younger sister. He should further entertain three perceptions: a bandit, an executioner, and a prison guard. He should further entertain three perceptions: a powerful current, rolling waves, and a whirlpool.

He should further entertain three perceptions: mire, sinking mud, and turbid water. He should further entertain three perceptions: blindness, chains, and shackles. He should further entertain three perceptions: a pit of fire, a pit of knives, and a torch of burning grass.

He should further entertain three perceptions: sharpness, piercing, and poison. He should further entertain three perceptions: imprisonment, punishment, and swords. He should further entertain three perceptions: quarrels, lawsuits, and fettering imprisonment.

He should further entertain three perceptions: meeting with those one hates, separation from those one loves, and sickness. In brief, extending to all perceptions of contention, all perceptions of the dregs of desire, and all perceptions that are roots of unwholesomeness. A householder bodhisattva should regard his wife with perceptions and contemplations such as these.

– Furthermore, Householder, a householder bodhisattva should not be excessively attached to his own children. If he is excessively attached to his own children but does not love the children of others, he brings ruin upon himself. He should admonish himself by means of three principles: first, the path to bodhi is the mind of equality, not a mind of inequality; second, the path to bodhi is attained through right conduct, not through wrong conduct; third, the path to bodhi is attained through undifferentiated conduct, not through mixed conduct. Having admonished himself, he should perceive his own children as enemies and evil spiritual friends who oppose the Buddha’s virtue of loving-kindness, equality, and wisdom, and who harm his roots of goodness. A householder bodhisattva should discipline his mind according to the circumstances: as he loves his own children, so should he love all sentient beings; as he loves his own body, so should he love all beings.

A householder bodhisattva should contemplate: “I have come from one place, and my children have come from another.” Why is this? Because all sentient beings have previously been my children, and I too have previously been the child of every sentient being. He should never think, “This is my child; that is not my child.” Why is this?

Because throughout the six realms, those who were enemies become children, and those who were children become enemies. I must regard intimates and strangers equally. For what reason should I lovingly provide for those close to me, yet provide nothing at all for strangers?

If I harbor love for those close to me but no love for strangers and provide them with nothing, I shall be unable to attain the Dharma. Why is this? Unequal conduct leads to an unequal state, while equal conduct leads to a state of equality.

I should not engage in such unequal conduct. I shall train in a mind of equality toward all sentient beings and swiftly attain omniscience.

– Householder, a householder bodhisattva should not regard wealth as belonging to a self or as something to be guarded and possessed. He should not be preoccupied with wealth, dwell upon it, cherish it, or give rise to fetters because of it.

– Furthermore, Householder, if someone comes to a householder bodhisattva seeking alms, when giving his possessions to that person, the bodhisattva should remember wholeheartedly: “Any wealth not given away will ultimately be scattered and lost. Even if I do not fulfill others’ wishes, I must still die. If I do not relinquish my wealth, that wealth will nevertheless abandon me. I should now give it away in charity, thereby making it a secure treasure, and then die. Having given away this wealth, at the time of death I shall be joyful and free from regret.” If he is unable to give, he should state four things to the supplicant: “At present my strength is feeble, and my roots of goodness have not yet matured. I am a beginner in the Mahayana, and my mind is not yet capable of giving freely. I am one who clings to appearances and is attached to self and what belongs to self. Good and noble sir, I now confess this to you; please do not resent me. I shall diligently cultivate vigor so that I may fulfill the wishes of all sentient beings.”

– Furthermore, Householder, a householder bodhisattva should heed what the Buddhas of the past taught: if one has not encountered a Buddha or the noble Sangha, one should reverently bow to the Buddhas of the ten directions and rejoice in the original practices of the Buddhas, extending to their attainment of the Way. Three times each day and three times each night, one should purify body, speech, and mind; maintain a loving and wholesome heart; perfect a sense of shame and moral dread; and put on clean garments. With a mind directed toward bodhi, one should rejoice in all the roots of goodness one has accumulated, cultivate with gentleness and reverence, and put an end to self-conceit. Three times one should recite the scriptures, and three times perform the prescribed rites. One should single-mindedly repent of unwholesome karma and create no new evil. One should rejoice in every meritorious deed, accumulate in full the marks and excellent characteristics, exhort the Buddhas to turn the Dharma wheel, accept and uphold all the teachings spoken by the Buddhas, entreat the Buddhas to remain long in the world, increase one’s roots of goodness, and cause one’s own land also to become thus.

– Furthermore, Householder, when a householder bodhisattva accepts and observes the eight precepts of the one-day retreat and cultivates the practices of a shramana, he should draw near to shramanas and brahmins who are virtuous, pure, and observant of the precepts. He should rely upon them, provide for them, and attend upon them, without looking for his teacher’s faults. If he sees a shramana transgressing the moral discipline, he should not therefore cease to show him reverence. Moreover, the kashaya robe has been perfumed by the morality, concentration, wisdom, liberation, and knowledge and vision of liberation of the Buddhas, the Tathagatas, Worthy Ones, Perfectly Enlightened Ones. It is free from turbidity and has cast off all defiling fetters; it is the banner of noble sages. Therefore, it should be revered all the more. Toward a bhikshu who transgresses the moral discipline, he should feel compassion and think: “He should not commit such evil conduct. The Buddhas, the Blessed Ones, are serene and disciplined, seeing and knowing all things. Yet this person wears the emblem of the noble banner while remaining undisciplined and unpeaceful, neither seeing nor knowing, and commits such unlawful acts. As the Blessed One once taught, one should not despise those who have not yet trained. This is not his fault, but is due to the fetters. Because of the fetters, he now commits evil offenses. Within the Buddha-Dharma there is a means of escape, and he is capable of attaining escape. If he unties those knots and cultivates right contemplation, attaining the first fruit, he will assuredly proceed directly toward the unsurpassed, true, and right Way. Why is this? Because contemplative wisdom can destroy the fetters.” Moreover, the Blessed One also taught: “One should not rashly despise, assess, or judge another person. If one rashly despises another, one thereby harms and injures oneself. Only the Tathagata knows clearly; I do not possess such knowledge.” Therefore, one should not become angry with, despise, or harm that person.

– Moreover, Elder! When a householder bodhisattva enters a Sangha monastery, he should pause at the gateway, bow reverently, and only then enter. He should contemplate: “This is a place where emptiness is practiced, where signlessness is practiced, where wishlessness is practiced, where the four brahma-abodes of loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity are practiced, and where right conduct and right abiding are established. When shall I leave behind this defiled household? When shall I abide in this place of right conduct?” He should thus aspire to renounce the household life. No one dwelling in the household life has cultivated and attained unsurpassed, true, and perfect enlightenment. All have renounced the household life, gone into secluded forests, cultivated the path, and attained Buddhahood. Household life abounds in defilements; renunciation is excellent. Household life is filled with bonds; renunciation is unobstructed. Household life abounds in impurity; renunciation is relinquishment and detachment. Household life is governed by evil; renunciation is governed by goodness. Household life is deeply mired in the mud of sensual desire; renunciation is far removed from sensual desire. Household life keeps company with ordinary passions; renunciation keeps company with wisdom. Household life is wrong livelihood; renunciation is right livelihood. Household life is greatly stained; renunciation is unstained. Household life declines and perishes; renunciation does not perish. Household life brings sorrow and anxiety; renunciation brings joy. Household life is a stairway to evil deeds; renunciation leaves them far behind. Household life is bondage; renunciation is liberation. Household life is fearful; renunciation is fearless. Household life incurs reproach and punishment; renunciation incurs neither. Household life abounds in calamities; renunciation is free from calamity. Household life is afflicted by feverish vexation; renunciation is free from feverish vexation. Household life brings suffering because of its many desires; renunciation brings happiness because it is free from desires. Household life is agitated; renunciation is unmoving. Household life suffers from poverty; renunciation does not suffer from poverty. Household life is timid and weak; renunciation is not timid. Household life is lowly; renunciation is honorable. Household life is troubled and busy; renunciation is peaceful and tranquil. Household life benefits others; renunciation benefits oneself. A householder does not nourish vital energy; one who has renounced the household life nourishes it. Household life delights in fetters; renunciation delights in quiescent cessation. Household life multiplies thorns; renunciation is without thorns. Household life accomplishes lesser Dharma; renunciation accomplishes great Dharma. Household life is undisciplined; renunciation is disciplined. Household life is far removed from the precepts; renunciation safeguards the precepts. Household life enlarges the ocean of tears, pus, and blood; renunciation dries up the ocean of tears, pus, and blood. Household life is reproached by the Buddhas, shravakas, and pratyekabuddhas; renunciation is praised by the Buddhas, shravakas, and pratyekabuddhas. Household life is never content; renunciation knows contentment. Household life gladdens Mara; renunciation grieves Mara. Household life is unconquered; renunciation conquers. Household life is servitude; renunciation is mastery. Household life abides on the shore of samsara; renunciation abides on the shore of nirvana. Household life falls into degradation; renunciation escapes degradation. Household life is darkness; renunciation is illumination. A householder’s six sense faculties are not under control; one who has renounced the household life has mastery over the six sense faculties. Household life is wild and heedless; renunciation is vigilant. Household life is not in accord with the Dharma; renunciation accords with it. Household life looks downward; renunciation looks upward. Household life has many undertakings; renunciation has few undertakings. Household life has little strength; renunciation has great strength. Household life is flattering and crooked; renunciation is upright and honest. Household life has many worries; renunciation has none. Household life keeps company with sharp arrows; renunciation has no arrows. Household life is sickness; renunciation is free from sickness. Household life is old age; renunciation is youth. Household life is lived heedlessly; renunciation cultivates the life of wisdom. Household life is deceitful; renunciation is without deceit. Household life abounds in treachery; renunciation is without treachery. Household life is a vessel of poison; renunciation is a vessel of ambrosia. Household life is calamity; renunciation is free from calamity. Household life does not relinquish; renunciation relinquishes. A householder gathers poisonous fruit; one who has renounced the household life gathers fruit free from poison. Household life accords with what is undesirable; renunciation does not accord with what is undesirable. Household life is burdened by ignorance; renunciation is lightened by wisdom. Household life loses skillful means; the skillful means of renunciation are pure. Household life loses right intention; the right intention of renunciation is pure. Household life loses resolute aspiration; the resolute aspiration of renunciation is pure. A householder cannot become a refuge; one who has renounced the household life can become a refuge. Household life creates what is base and inferior; renunciation does not create what is base and inferior. Household life is not a dwelling place; renunciation is a dwelling place. Household life is not a refuge; renunciation is a refuge. Household life is filled with anger; renunciation is filled with kindness. Household life bears a burden; renunciation lays down the burden. Household life never ends disputes and litigation; renunciation is free from disputes. Household life has faults; renunciation is faultless. Household life is encumbered by work; renunciation is free from such work. Household life is consumed by feverish affliction; renunciation leaves feverish affliction behind. Household life has many enemies; renunciation has none.

Household life accumulates possessions; renunciation accumulates nothing. In household life, wealth is regarded as secure; in renunciation, virtuous conduct is secure. Household life keeps company with sorrow; renunciation is without sorrow.

Household life incurs loss; renunciation increases benefit. Household life is easily attained; renunciation is difficult to attain even in a hundred million kalpas. Household life is easy to practice; renunciation is difficult to practice.

Household life follows the current; renunciation goes against the current. Household life remains amid the current; renunciation boards the boat and raft. Household life remains in the river of fetters; renunciation crosses beyond the river.

Household life is on this shore; renunciation is on the other shore. Household life is entanglement and bondage; renunciation is unbound. Household life harbors resentment; renunciation is without resentment.

Household life follows the king’s law; renunciation follows the Buddha’s Dharma. Household life is defiled by craving; renunciation is free from defilement. Household life gives rise to suffering; renunciation gives rise to happiness.

Household life is shallow and shortsighted; renunciation is profound and far-reaching. In household life, companionship is easily found; in renunciation, companionship is difficult to find. In household life, one’s wife is one’s companion; in renunciation, one’s mind is one’s companion.

Household life has many affairs; renunciation leaves affairs behind. Household life brings suffering by oppressing others; renunciation brings happiness by benefiting others. Household life practices the giving of wealth; renunciation practices the giving of Dharma.

Household life holds Mara’s banner; renunciation holds the Buddha’s banner. Household life is a den; renunciation leaves the den behind. Household life is a wrong path; renunciation leaves the wrong path behind.

Household life is a dense forest; renunciation leaves the dense forest behind.

– Elder! A householder bodhisattva should contemplate successively in this manner and further think: “Even if I were to arrange offerings as numerous as the sands of the Ganges and give them all to sentient beings in a single day, to skillfully tame them through the true Dharma and inspire them to resolve upon renouncing the household life would indeed bring the perfection of generosity to complete fulfillment. I must now firmly cultivate the conduct of the precepts and listen to and study the true Dharma.”

When that bodhisattva enters the Sangha monastery and bows before the Buddha’s stupa, he should form three thoughts: “I too shall receive offerings such as these. Out of compassion for all sentient beings, I too shall leave relics behind. I shall study in this way, act in this way, and practice diligently in this way, swiftly realizing unsurpassed bodhi. After completing all the works of a Buddha, I shall enter nirvana just as the Buddhas, the Blessed Ones, have done.”

When that bodhisattva enters the Sangha monastery, he should observe all the virtues of the bhikshus: who is learned in many teachings, who expounds the Dharma, who upholds the Vinaya, who preserves the Agamas, who preserves the Bodhisattva-pitaka, who is peaceful and tranquil, who has few desires, lives on alms, wears robes made from discarded rags, dwells alone, and is detached from sensual desire, who diligently cultivates the path, who practices seated meditation, who performs communal duties, and who is the monastery’s steward. Having observed all the practices of the bhikshus, he should accord with what each of them wishes and entertain no thought of criticism.

If that bodhisattva is staying at a monastery or shrine, or passing through a village, whenever he speaks he must carefully guard his verbal karma. If any bhiksu lacks robes, an alms bowl, medicine, or other necessities, he should provide whatever is appropriate and not allow that bhiksu to become distressed. Why is this?

Because devas and human beings are afflicted by jealousy and envy, he must be doubly careful in protecting them. The minds of ordinary beings are not those of arhats. Ordinary beings commit faults; arhats do not.

That bodhisattva draws near to the learned in order to cultivate and study; he associates with those who expound the Dharma in order to cultivate decisive understanding; he draws near to those who uphold the Vinaya in order to subdue the fetters and avoid falling into transgression; he associates with those who preserve the Bodhisattva Treasury in order to study and practice the six paramitas and skillful means; he draws near to those who dwell in tranquility in order to learn to live in solitude; and he associates with practitioners in order to learn to sit upright in meditation.

If there is a bhiksu whose spiritual standing is not yet established, and that bodhisattva sees that he needs a robe, he gives him a robe; if he needs an alms bowl, he gives him an alms bowl. He encourages that bhiksu to arouse the aspiration for the unsurpassed path. Why is this? Because by embracing that bhiksu through material gifts and the Dharma, he directs him toward the supreme attainment.

– Householder, in this way a lay bodhisattva thoroughly understands the conduct of a sramana. If sramanas quarrel or bring disputes against one another, he reconciles them, even at the cost of relinquishing his own body and life, in order to protect the true Dharma.

– Householder, when a lay bodhisattva sees a sick bhiksu, he tends him until he recovers, even if he must give the blood and flesh of his own body.

– Householder, before a lay bodhisattva has opened his mind to generosity, he does not first invite people to receive gifts, only to regret it after giving. In all roots of goodness, he takes the mind of bodhi as foremost.

– Householder, while a lay bodhisattva remains in the household life, he practices precisely according to the Buddha’s teaching. He neither forgets nor loses the factors that aid bodhi; he remains undefiled by present phenomena and increasingly develops supreme qualities.”

At that time, Householder Ugra and the other householders praised the teaching in unison and joyfully said: “Rare indeed, O Blessed One! You have skillfully explained the faults and perils of household life, but we still do not understand the precepts and conduct of the renunciant life or the merit of going forth.

“O Blessed One! We too perceive that household life has many faults and that going forth possesses great virtue. May the Blessed One have compassion upon us; we wish to go forth.”

The Buddha said: “Householders, going forth is exceedingly difficult; one must be wholly pure in conduct.”

The householders replied: “It is truly as the Buddha has taught. May the Blessed One permit us to go forth. We shall practice precisely according to the Buddha’s teaching.”

The Blessed One then permitted them to go forth and said to Bodhisattva Maitreya: “Good man, together with all the pure bodhisattvas, enable these householders to go forth.”

Bodhisattva Maitreya and the other bodhisattvas then enabled nine thousand householders to go forth and receive the precepts of renunciation.

A further thousand householders aroused the aspiration for unsurpassed bodhi.

Householder Ugra said to the Buddha: “O Blessed One! The Blessed One has already explained the faults and merits of household life. Excellent, O Blessed One! Please explain the virtuous conduct, moral discipline, and learning of a bodhisattva who has gone forth. Within the wondrous Dharma, how should a disciplined renunciant bodhisattva bow, sit, stand, approach, and depart?”

The Buddha said: “Householder, reflect well upon this and remember it. I shall explain to you how a bodhisattva who has gone forth should train, stand, and walk.”

“O Blessed One! We shall listen with reverence.

– Householder, a bodhisattva who has gone forth should train himself thus: ‘For what reason have I abandoned my occupation and gone forth? I have done so to cultivate wisdom; therefore, I shall strive diligently as though extinguishing a fire upon my head.’

“He should further reflect: ‘I must now abide in the four noble traditions and delight in practicing the dhutanga austerities.’

“How does a bodhisattva who has gone forth cultivate the four noble traditions?

“A bodhisattva who has gone forth should be content with whatever robes he has obtained and praise contentment. He must not speak falsely for the sake of robes. If he does not obtain robes, he neither imagines them, dwells upon them, nor grieves. Even if he obtains robes, his mind does not become attached to them. Though he wears robes, his mind is neither bound to them nor covetous or enamored of them. He understands their faults and knows the way of deliverance from them. While abiding in such contentment, he neither praises himself nor disparages others.

“A bodhisattva who has gone forth should likewise be content with whatever food and drink he receives on alms round, whatever medicines he obtains for illness, and even whatever sitting mats, beds, or lodging he receives, and he should praise contentment. He must not speak falsely for the sake of sitting mats or lodging. If he does not obtain them, he neither imagines them, dwells upon them, nor grieves.

If he obtains them, he does not become defiled or attached, nor does he hoard them with a defiled mind. He is neither covetous nor enamored of them. He understands their faults and knows the practice of deliverance from them.

While abiding in such contentment, he neither praises himself nor disparages others. He delights in cessation, delights in renunciation, and delights in cultivation. Yet even regarding this delight in cessation, renunciation, and cultivation, he neither praises himself nor disparages others.

“This is called a bodhisattva who has gone forth abiding in the four noble traditions.

– Furthermore, Householder, a bodhisattva who has gone forth keeps and wears robes upon his body for ten meritorious reasons: from a sense of shame and moral dread; to cover his body; for protection from mosquitoes and gnats; for protection from fierce winds; not for softness or comfort; not for adornment; because they display the marks of a sramana’s discipline, and these discolored robes cause devas, humans, asuras, and others to conceive reverence and honor toward one who wears them; because he dyes them a muted color for the sake of liberation, not out of desire; for the tranquility of nirvana, not for the fetters of samsara; and because, while wearing them, he does not give rise to evil but cultivates all wholesome qualities. He does not wear such robes for beauty or finery. Having understood the noble path, he acts accordingly and does not allow the afflictions to defile him for even a single thought. These are called the ten meritorious reasons for which a bodhisattva who has gone forth keeps and wears robes upon his body.

– Furthermore, Householder, because he perceives ten considerations, a bodhisattva who has gone forth never abandons the practice of seeking alms throughout his life:

“‘I now sustain my own life and do not live in dependence upon another. If anyone gives me food, I must first establish that person in the Three Refuges, and only then partake of the food. Toward those who do not give me food, I arouse great compassion.

For the sake of those beings, I cultivate diligent effort so that, only after bringing their endeavors to accomplishment, shall I partake of the food they give. Furthermore, I do not contravene the instructions of the Buddha. I do this in order to fully plant the fundamental causes and roots; to rely upon the subjugation of self-conceit and accumulate the causes and conditions for the mark of the invisible crown; to avoid becoming involved with women, men, girls, or boys; to seek alms impartially and arouse a mind of equality toward all beings; and to gather the causes and conditions that adorn omniscience.’ Seeing these ten benefits, a bodhisattva who has gone forth never abandons the practice of seeking alms throughout his life.

“If someone comes with wholehearted reverence and faith to invite him, he should go. If the person extending the invitation is not wholehearted, but he observes that there are causes and conditions benefiting both himself and that person, he should go.

– Furthermore, Householder, seeing ten benefits, a bodhisattva who has gone forth never abandons dwelling in a tranquil place:

“Because it enables him freely to relinquish things; because it preserves the realization of non-self; because it enables him to abandon attachment to bedding; because tranquility is free from defiled attachment; because in such a dwelling there is nothing for which gain should be sought; because he relinquishes body and life in a tranquil place; because he remains apart from noisy crowds; because he carries out the work of the Tathagata’s Dharma; because tranquil concentration brings ease to the mind; and because he can remain single-mindedly mindful without being surrounded by hindrances. Perceiving these ten meritorious benefits, a bodhisattva who has gone forth never abandons or departs from dwelling in a tranquil place.”

– Householder! If a bodhisattva dwelling in a secluded place must enter a village because he wishes to hear the Dharma, because of some matter concerning his preceptor or acarya, or to visit the sick, he should think: “Tonight I shall return.” If he remains in a dwelling to read and recite, he should contemplate: “I originally dwell in a secluded place. Seclusion accords with the true Dharma; toward all things, there is no thought of contention, and toward all dharmas, there is no thought of obstruction. I shall constantly gather wholesome dharmas without ever growing weary.”

– Householder! A renunciant bodhisattva dwelling in a secluded place should contemplate: “For what reason do I dwell in seclusion? Merely living in a deserted place does not make one a sramana. Here there are also beings that are undisciplined, unpeaceful, unstable, and unsuitable as companions—deer, monkeys and apes, birds and beasts, lions, tigers and wolves, and robbers. They possess none of the virtues of a sramana. Therefore, I must fully possess the qualities of one who truly dwells in seclusion and practice the beneficial conduct of a sramana: collecting the mind so that it is not distracted; attaining dharanis; cultivating great loving-kindness and great compassion; freely exercising the five superknowledges; perfecting the six paramitas; never abandoning the aspiration for omniscience; cultivating skillful means; constantly gathering all sentient beings through the gift of Dharma; teaching and transforming all sentient beings without abandoning the means of gathering them; cultivating the six right recollections; diligently studying, reflecting, and practicing right conduct without using wisdom to realize the fruit; preserving the true Dharma; and believing in karmic recompense—this is called right view. Ending all deluded conceptual discrimination is called right intention. Explaining to others the true Dharma as one has understood it is called right speech. Eliminating all contaminated karma is called right action. Eradicating the fetters and afflictions is called right livelihood. Diligently proceeding directly toward right concentration is called right effort. Not forgetting any dharma is called right mindfulness. Attaining omniscience is called right concentration. Understanding emptiness without alarm, signlessness without fear, and wishlessness without trepidation; not clinging in mind to existence; relying on meaning rather than words; relying on wisdom rather than consciousness; relying on the Dharma rather than persons; and relying on sutras of definitive meaning rather than sutras of provisional meaning.

“This is called a bodhisattva abiding in the Dharma of a sramana.”

– Furthermore, Householder! A renunciant bodhisattva should not associate closely with large crowds. He should think: “I must keep apart from them. I cultivate roots of goodness precisely so that I may never abandon any sentient being.”

There are four kinds of association for a renunciant bodhisattva that the Tathagata has permitted: associating in order to hear the true Dharma; associating in order to bring all sentient beings to maturity; associating in order to make offerings to the Tathagata; and associating without abandoning the aspiration for omniscience. A bodhisattva should associate in these ways and not in others.

– Furthermore, Householder! A renunciant bodhisattva dwelling in a secluded place should contemplate: “Why have I come to this place? What do I fear, and whom do I fear? I fear noisy crowds; I fear entangling associations; I fear greed, anger, and delusion; I fear arrogance and conceit; I fear torment; I fear stinginess and craving; I fear forms, sounds, fragrances, flavors, and tangible objects; I fear the mara of the skandhas, the mara of the afflictions, the mara of death, and the heavenly mara; I fear regarding the impermanent as permanent, clinging to a self where there is no self, finding pleasure in suffering, and seeing purity in what is impure; I fear mind, mentation, and consciousness; I fear being beaten and assaulted in the present; I fear the view of self; I fear attachment to self and what belongs to self; I fear unwholesome spiritual friends; I fear gain and support; I fear sleeping at improper times; I fear claiming to have seen what I have not seen, to have heard what I have not heard, to remember what I do not remember, and to know what I do not know; I fear the defilements of a sramana; I fear the three realms of Desire, Form, and Formlessness; I fear every mode of birth and death; and I fear the hells, animals, and hungry ghosts. Because I fear all these fearful things, I have come to dwell in this secluded place rather than among the noisy community of householders. If I do not practice and do not cultivate the foundations of mindfulness, then my coming here to escape these fearful things would be incongruous.”

In the past, innumerable great bodhisattvas all dwelt in secluded places, escaped fear, and attained the fearlessness of unsurpassed bodhi. Future bodhisattvas will likewise dwell in secluded places, escape fear, and attain the fearlessness of unsurpassed bodhi. Present bodhisattvas also dwell in secluded places, escape all fear, cultivate fearlessness, and attain unsurpassed bodhi. Therefore, wishing now to attain fearlessness and escape all fear, I dwell in this secluded place.

– Furthermore, Householder! A renunciant bodhisattva dwelling in a secluded place, without fright or fear, should train thus: “Whenever anyone is fearful, it is because of clinging to self. All fear arises from attachment to self. The self is its origin. It all comes from cherishing the self, asserting the self, seeing the self, conceiving the self, maintaining the self, entertaining deluded thoughts about the self, and guarding the self. If one dwells in seclusion but does not relinquish attachment to self, one loses its wholesome benefit.”

– Householder! If one dwells in a secluded place without the conception of self, one truly dwells in seclusion. If one has no view of or attachment to self, one truly dwells in seclusion. If one does not abide in self or what belongs to self, one truly dwells in seclusion.

– Householder! “A secluded place” means not relying upon or clinging to any dharma; not abiding in any dharma; being unobstructed with respect to all dharmas; not abiding in dependence upon forms, sounds, fragrances, flavors, or tangible objects; abiding in the stainless equality of all dharmas; abiding with a well-disciplined mind; abandoning all fear and abiding in fearlessness; abiding in freedom from all the great rivers of fetters; abiding in the lineage of the noble ones; abiding in few desires; abiding in contentment; being easily satisfied and easily supported; abiding in the fullness of wisdom; abiding in practice according to what one has learned; abiding in liberation through contemplation of the gateways of emptiness, signlessness, and non-action; abiding in the knowledge and vision of liberation through severing all bonds; abiding at the ultimate limit through accord with causes and conditions; and abiding in the completion of what had to be done through ultimate purity.

– Householder! Just as forests, trees, grasses, and medicinal plants in an empty place experience neither alarm nor fear, so a renunciant bodhisattva dwelling in a secluded place should give rise to the thought of regarding himself as grass and trees, as walls and partitions, and as an illusion. Who is there within these to be alarmed, and who is there to be afraid? He should contemplate his own body with fearlessness: “This body is without self and without anything belonging to self; it is without sentient being, life span, person, man, or youth. What is called ‘alarm and fear’ is merely an empty designation without any real thing. I should not now give rise to alarm and fear on account of something unreal.” Just as the forests, trees, grasses, and medicinal plants in that empty place have no abiding and no protection or support, I must understand that all dharmas are likewise; only then shall I dwell well in seclusion. Why? Because anxiety and contention have ceased, it is called seclusion; because there is neither production nor protection, it is called seclusion.

– Furthermore, Householder! A renunciant bodhisattva dwelling in a secluded place should train thus: first conform to the aggregate of morality; next cultivate the aggregate of concentration; gather the aggregate of wisdom; cultivate liberation; give rise to the knowledge and vision of liberation; reveal the factors conducive to bodhi; and diligently practice the twelve ascetic virtues. One dwells in a secluded place in order to know skillful means with certainty; to understand the five skandhas well; to accord with the dharma-dhatu; to subdue and eliminate the ayatanas; not to forget the bodhi-mind; to contemplate emptiness without fear; not to lose any root of goodness; because it is a place praised by Buddhas, bodhisattvas, and noble ones; and because it is a refuge for those who seek liberation. Those who seek omniscience must abide in a secluded place.”

– Moreover, Householder! A bodhisattva who has gone forth and dwells in a secluded place can, through only a few practices, perfect the six paramitas. Why is this? Such a bodhisattva, dwelling in seclusion, does not begrudge body or life; this is called the complete cultivation of dana-paramita. This bodhisattva observes the dhutanga practices and guards body, speech, and mind; this is called the complete cultivation of sila-paramita. Toward sentient beings, this bodhisattva harbors no anger and patiently accepts the wisdom of omniscience; this is called the complete cultivation of ksanti-paramita. This bodhisattva thinks, “Here I must attain the patient acceptance of the non-arising of dharmas”; this is called the complete cultivation of virya-paramita. This bodhisattva relinquishes meditative concentration in order to teach and transform sentient beings and cultivate roots of virtue; this is called the complete cultivation of dhyana-paramita. This bodhisattva constantly contemplates: “Just as this body of mine is, so too is space. Just as this body of mine is, so too is bodhi. Suchness is free from deluded conceptualization, and space is free from deluded conceptualization.” This is called the complete cultivation of prajnaparamita.

– Moreover, Householder! When a bodhisattva who has gone forth perfects four dharmas, he knows how to dwell in a secluded place. They are pure morality, extensive learning, appropriate reflection, and practice in accordance with the Dharma.

– Moreover, Householder! If the fetters of a bodhisattva who has gone forth have become predominant, he should not frequent secluded places but should first subdue those fetters.

– Moreover, Householder! A bodhisattva who has gone forth and dwells in a secluded place should cultivate the five superknowledges in order to teach and transform devas, nagas, yaksas, and gandharvas.

– Moreover, Householder! A bodhisattva who has gone forth should dwell in a secluded place in accordance with the Buddha’s teaching, thinking, “I must perfect all pure and wholesome qualities. After becoming permeated with wholesome dharmas, I shall go to towns and villages to teach the Dharma.”

This is called a bodhisattva who has gone forth dwelling in a secluded place endowed with these four dharmas.

– Moreover, Householder! When a bodhisattva who has gone forth rises from a secluded place, receives and studies the Dharma, reads and recites it, and approaches his preceptor and acarya, as well as senior, middle-ranking, and junior monastics, he should contemplate: “These are my fields of merit. I must not be indolent. This is my proper work. I shall not compete with others; I must serve them. The Tathagata, Worthy One, Perfectly Enlightened One, is the field of offerings for all devas, humans, Maras, Brahmas, sramanas, and brahmins and is the father of all sentient beings, yet the Buddha never gives rise to a thought of seeking attendants. Now that I wish to train, I shall not seek others to serve me; rather, I shall become a servant to all sentient beings.” Why is this? Householder, if a bhiksu places importance on being served, he loses the merits of the Dharma. If he wins someone over with material possessions, that person will say, “He has gained me with wealth because he wishes to command me, not for the sake of the Dharma.” Consequently, the bhiksu loses that person’s trust. Gaining attendants through material possessions does not yield greatly beneficial results. If he clearly understands what his preceptor and acarya wish, he should act accordingly and not allow his preceptor and acarya to distrust him or cease to respect and cherish him. For the sake of extolling the Dharma, he should relinquish even his body and life; for the sake of praising the Dharma, he should give up offerings and material support, thereby pleasing others and gaining the benefit of merit.

– Householder! If a bodhisattva who has gone forth receives from another person, retains, reads, and recites even a single four-line verse consonant with generosity, morality, patience, vigor, concentration, wisdom, the aids to the path, and bodhi, and retains its letters, phrases, passages, and verses, then for the sake of the Dharma he should revere that person as a preceptor and acarya, serve that person for innumerable kalpas, and make every offering without giving rise to deceit or flattery. Even in this way he could not repay that person’s kindness; how much more, then, should he honor the Dharma!

– Householder! If, through another, he gains faith and gives rise to wholesome recollections—the recollection of the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha; the recollection of the unconditioned; and the recollection of quiescence and discipline—then even by serving and making offerings to his preceptor for innumerable kalpas, he still could not fully repay his kindness. He should contemplate: “Having heard the Dharma, I gain immeasurable blessed rewards and immeasurable wisdom. I must make offerings to my preceptor for immeasurable kalpas.”

– Moreover, Householder! A bodhisattva who has gone forth should abide in accordance with the Dharma of going forth. What does it mean to abide in accordance with the Dharma of going forth? After hearing about pure morality, that bodhisattva who has gone forth should train in four aspects of pure morality: abiding in the noble lineage, delighting in the dhutanga practices, not becoming intimate with householders or monastics, and dwelling without deceit or flattery in a secluded place.

– Moreover, Householder! After hearing about pure morality, a bodhisattva who has gone forth should train in these four aspects of pure morality: maintaining pure bodily conduct without apprehending a body, maintaining pure verbal conduct without apprehending speech, abandoning the view of a self in the body, and generating the aspiration for omniscience.

– Moreover, Householder! After hearing about pure morality, a bodhisattva who has gone forth should train in these four aspects of pure morality: abandoning the conception of self, relinquishing what belongs to the self, leaving far behind the view of permanence, and understanding dharmas of causes and conditions.

– Moreover, Householder! After hearing about pure morality, a bodhisattva who has gone forth should train in these four aspects of pure morality: the skandhas have no existence, the dhatus are identical with the Dharma realm, the ayatanas are like space, and one does not abide in conventional designations.

– Moreover, Householder! After hearing about pure morality, a bodhisattva who has gone forth should train in these four aspects of pure morality: knowing that the self cannot be apprehended, awakening others and causing their minds to become pure, not delighting in abiding in any dharma, and remaining unmoved.

– Moreover, Householder! After hearing about pure morality, a bodhisattva who has gone forth should train in these four aspects of pure morality: understanding emptiness, not fearing signlessness or wishlessness, giving rise to great compassion for all sentient beings, and entering selflessness.

– Moreover, Householder! After hearing about pure samadhi, a bodhisattva who has gone forth should train in pure samadhi as follows: all dharmas are utterly nonexistent; the mind is free from duality; the mind’s activity is right; the mind is one-pointed; the mind is unmoving; the mind is free from conceptual proliferation; the mind is free from disturbance; the mind is without reliance; the mind is sovereign; the mind neither grasps nor disperses; one does not abide in the realm of mind; one sees the mind as an illusion; and one regards all dharmas as identical with the Dharma realm—neither acting nor abiding nor arising, and not apprehensible internally, externally, or in between. Samadhi is sameness and equality. Abiding in dharmas in this way is called samadhi. This is called a bodhisattva who has gone forth contemplating concentration and cultivating purity.

– Moreover, Householder! After hearing about the pure accumulation of wisdom, a bodhisattva who has gone forth should examine what is called the pure accumulation of wisdom. That bodhisattva should train as follows: clearly knowing dharmas of causes and conditions; knowledge of distinctions; knowledge of eloquence; swift knowledge; knowledge of sentient beings; and knowledge that gathers in and subdues sentient beings outside the community.

– Householder! A bodhisattva who has gone forth should further train as follows: the pure accumulation of wisdom is also called freedom from bondage because there is no body and nothing grasped or maintained; it neither moves nor remains, has neither form nor characteristic, neither arises nor acts, and is like space. One who contemplates in this way is called a bodhisattva abiding in the state of going forth.”

When the Buddha taught the Dharma above, eight thousand sentient beings generated the aspiration for unsurpassed bodhi; the householders attained the patient acceptance of the non-arising of dharmas; and thirty-two thousand sentient beings, freed from dust and defilement, attained the pure Dharma eye.

Householder Ugra, joyful and elated, presented the Buddha with a robe worth a hundred thousand and said: “May the roots of virtue from this offering be dedicated universally to all sentient beings, enabling lay bodhisattvas fully to perfect the moral precepts taught by the Buddha. May bodhisattvas who have gone forth likewise perfect all the dharmas taught by the Buddha.

Blessed One! How may lay bodhisattvas, while remaining at home, train in the precepts of those who have gone forth?”

The Buddha said: “Householder! When lay bodhisattvas are endowed with five dharmas, they may remain at home while training in the precepts of those who have gone forth.

A bodhisattva living at home does not begrudge any of his possessions, accords with the mind of omniscience, and does not seek karmic recompense.

A bodhisattva living at home fully maintains pure brahmacarya, without even a thought of sexual desire, much less engaging in sexual union.

A lay bodhisattva goes to a secluded place and cultivates the four dhyanas, yet through the power of skillful means does not enter the fixed stage.

A lay bodhisattva living at home should exert himself to the utmost in cultivating wisdom and kindness toward sentient beings.

A bodhisattva living at home preserves the true Dharma and also exhorts everyone else to do so.

The foregoing are the five practices through which a bodhisattva living at home trains in the precepts of renunciation.”

The householder Ugra addressed the Buddha, saying, “Blessed One! While living at home, I shall uphold these teachings exactly as the Buddha has instructed and further expand the Buddha’s path. I must also train in the precepts of renunciation.”

The Blessed One then smiled. As is always the case when Buddhas smile, many rays of blue, yellow, red, and white light streamed forth from the gateway of his radiance, illuminating immeasurable and boundless worlds. They reached upward as far as the Brahma World, eclipsing the light of the sun and moon, then returned, circled the Buddha’s body three times, and entered the crown of his head.

Seeing this, Venerable Ananda rose from his seat, adjusted his robes, bared his right shoulder, knelt with his right knee upon the ground, and addressed the Buddha, saying, “For what reason has the Blessed One smiled? Buddhas, Blessed Ones, never smile without cause.”

The Buddha said, “Ananda! Do you see the householder Ugra making offerings to the Tathagata, resolving to practice the teachings, and uttering a lion’s roar?”

“Blessed One! I have seen it.”

“Ananda! Remaining here throughout this Fortunate Kalpa, whenever Buddhas, Tathagatas, appear in the world, the householder Ugra will always live at home, make offerings to them, honor them, and protect the true Dharma. Though living at home, he will abide by the precepts of renunciation and extensively study the unsurpassed bodhi of the Buddhas, the Tathagatas.”

The great Venerable Ananda said to the householder Ugra, “What benefit do you perceive that makes you delight in living at home? Do you possess noble wisdom?”

The householder Ugra replied, “Venerable Ananda! One who has not perfected great compassion should not claim, ‘I dwell in happiness.’ Great Venerable Ananda! A great bodhisattva patiently endures every suffering and never abandons sentient beings.”

The Buddha declared, “Ananda! While living at home, this householder Ugra will guide and liberate many sentient beings throughout the Fortunate Kalpa—something that bodhisattvas who have renounced the household life could not accomplish in a hundred kalpas or even a hundred thousand kalpas. Why is this? Ananda! The merit of a hundred thousand renunciant bodhisattvas does not equal the merit of the householder Ugra.”

Venerable Ananda addressed the Buddha, saying, “Blessed One! What is the name of this sutra, and how should we receive and uphold it?”

The Buddha said, “Ananda! This sutra is called The Questions of the Householder Ugra. It is also called The Sutra on the Bodhisattva Precepts for Householders and Renunciants. It is also called The Chapter on Deeply Honoring and Attending upon Teachers and Elders.

“Ananda! If a bodhisattva hears this sutra, that is great diligence, not inferior diligence. Abiding in brahmacarya for hundreds of thousands of myriads of lives cannot compare with it. Those who wish to abide in diligence themselves, encourage others to abide in diligence, abide in all merits themselves, and encourage others to abide in all merits should hear this sutra, receive and uphold it, read and recite it, extensively expound it to others, and practice in accordance with its words.

“Ananda! I entrust this Dharma sutra to you so that you may receive, uphold, read, and recite it. Why is this? Because this Dharma fully encompasses all merits. If a bodhisattva accords with this Dharma, he never departs from accord with the Tathagata. If a bodhisattva abandons this Dharma, he abandons the Buddha. If a bodhisattva abandons this Dharma—failing to receive, uphold, read, recite, extensively practice, and act in accordance with its words—he abandons all Buddhas. Why is this? Because the renunciation practiced by the Buddhas is fully revealed in this sutra.

“Ananda! Even if a great fire were to consume the entire trichiliocosm, for the sake of perfect awakening one should pass through it to hear this sutra, receive and uphold it, read and recite it, and practice in accordance with its words.

“Ananda! Suppose one built stupas of the seven treasures for the Buddhas of the past and used every kind of offering to honor those precious teachings; made offerings of every kind throughout one’s entire life to the Buddhas of the present and the Sangha of shravakas; and served as a slave and disciple to all future Buddhas and bodhisattvas in order to make offerings to them. If one does not hear this sutra, does not receive and uphold it, does not read and recite it, does not expound it, and does not practice it, but instead departs from this Dharma sutra, one cannot be said to have made offerings to the Buddhas, the Tathagatas.

If a bodhisattva hears this sutra, receives and upholds it, reads and recites it, expounds it, and practices in accordance with its words, that bodhisattva has already made offerings to the Buddhas of the three times. Why is this? Because practicing in accordance with its words is precisely the Dharma of discipline taught by the Buddhas, the Tathagatas.”

When the Buddha had spoken this sutra, the great Venerable Ananda, the householder Ugra, devas, humans, asuras, gandharvas, and all beings throughout the world heard the Buddha’s teaching, rejoiced greatly, accepted it with faith, and reverently practiced it.

The Dharma Assembly of the Elder Ugra—The Nineteenth

THE END