大方等大集經賢護分

Chapter Thirteen: The Practice Free from Contention

The Blessed One again addressed Bodhisattva Bhadrapāla:

“Bhadrapāla! If a bhikshu wishes to cultivate this samadhi, he must first practice contemplation. Having contemplated and examined, he thereby does not give rise to self-conceit, eliminates arrogance, makes his mind gentle, and remains apart from all characteristics. Only then may he explain the samadhi to others, without giving rise to afflictions. Here, ‘afflictions’ means deluded conceptions that rely upon emptiness; these are called afflictions.

“Bhadrapāla! Therefore, through freedom from contention—that is, by not giving rise to the afflictions of greed, anger, and delusion—bhikshus are able to study this samadhi and teach it to others.

“Bhadrapāla! Good men and good women who wish to study this samadhi and explain it to others must fully accomplish ten dharmas before they may do so. First, they must subdue self-conceit and give rise to reverence.

Second, they must remember kindnesses received, never forget them, and constantly seek ways to repay them. Third, their minds must be neither dependent nor jealous. Fourth, they must eliminate doubts and all obstructions.

Fifth, their faith must be profound and difficult to destroy, and they must gather their thoughts in inward contemplation. Sixth, they must diligently and single-mindedly practice walking meditation without weariness. Seventh, they must always live by alms and never accept private invitations.

Eighth, they must have few desires, know contentment, and restrain the six faculties. Ninth, they must have right faith in the profound patience concerning the non-arising of dharmas. Tenth, they must constantly aspire to attain this samadhi and regard a teacher who has attained it as they would the Buddhas, following that teacher in cultivating this samadhi.

“Bhadrapāla! Having perfected these ten dharmas, such good men and good women should cultivate this samadhi and encourage others to accept, uphold, read, and recite it. These practitioners will obtain eight qualities: first, perfect purity because they do not violate the precepts; second, purity of knowledge and vision, harmonizing with wisdom and incomparable to anything else; third, purity of wisdom because no residue of affliction remains; fourth, purity of generosity because they seek no reward; fifth, purity of great learning because, after hearing the Dharma, they never forget it; sixth, purity of diligence because they constantly seek the Buddha’s bodhi; seventh, purity in the practice of seclusion because they are unattached to fame and gain;

and eighth, purity in the practice of non-retrogression, whereby they will attain unsurpassed awakening because their original resolve remains unshaken.

These are the eight qualities obtained by such good men and good women.”

At that time, wishing to restate this teaching, the Buddha spoke these verses:

The wise do not conceive of conditioned marks;
They also cast off arrogance and the notion of self.
Within the subsequent patience they grasp at nothing;
Such persons are able to explain this samadhi.

In primordial emptiness, afflictions are extinguished;
Nirvana is signless, the great quiescent peace.
They bear no resentment toward the Buddha and slander not the Dharma;
Such persons are worthy to teach this samadhi.

The wise do not give rise to jealousy;
They remember the kindness and virtue of Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha.
Descending into birth, they subdue all without being changed by the world;
With a unified and even mind, they uphold this samadhi.

They have neither jealousy nor doubt;
They contemplate the profound Dharma and truly believe.
Diligent and never indolent, they abandon desire;
Whoever is thus will attain this samadhi.

They constantly practice the bhikshu’s way of seeking alms,
Renouncing private invitations, much more wealth.
Eliminating defilement, they realize suchness;
Whoever is thus will attain this samadhi.

Their observance of precepts is pure and boundless;
Samadhi, bodhi, and supreme vision—
These they accomplish throughout all states of existence,
Abiding at last in wondrous merit.

Their wisdom is pure, and afflictions are exhausted;
They give without thought and enter the unconditioned.
They attain great learning and never forget;
This is the treasury of virtue possessed by the wise.

Chapter Fourteen: The Distinctive Dharmas

The Blessed One again addressed Bodhisattva Bhadrapāla:

“Bhadrapāla! A great bodhisattva further accomplishes the eighteen distinctive dharmas. What are these distinctive dharmas? From the moment a Tathagata first attains awakening until entering nirvana, the Tathagata’s three kinds of action are guided by wisdom: first, every bodily action proceeds in accordance with wisdom; second, every verbal action proceeds in accordance with wisdom; and third, every mental action proceeds in accordance with wisdom.

“Furthermore, the Tathagatas: first, know and see the past without obstruction; second, know and see the present without obstruction; and third, know and see the future without obstruction.

“Furthermore: first, the Tathagata’s actions are without error; second, his speech is without fault; third, he has no lapse of mindfulness; fourth, he has no discriminative conception; fifth, he constantly abides in samadhi; sixth, the Buddha completely comprehends all dharmas before relinquishing them, and there is no dharma that he knows but does not relinquish; seventh, his aspiration to liberate sentient beings never grows weary; eighth, his diligence never diminishes; ninth, his meditative concentration never diminishes; tenth, his wisdom never diminishes; eleventh, his liberation never diminishes; and twelfth, his knowledge and vision of liberation never diminish. These are the Tathagata’s eighteen distinctive dharmas, which great bodhisattvas should cultivate to perfection.

“Furthermore, Bhadrapāla! A great bodhisattva who has attained the power to preserve the profound and difficult-to-perceive true Dharma and wishes to proclaim this samadhi must acquire ten dharmas. These ten dharmas are precisely the Tathagata’s ten powers of wisdom. What are the ten powers?

“Bhadrapāla! The first is the Tathagata’s power of knowing what is possible and what is impossible. Regarding all matters, whether proper or improper, the Tathagata knows them as they truly are through right wisdom. Having attained this power, the Tathagata stands amid the great assembly, utters the lion’s roar, and turns the lofty and magnificent Dharma wheel that has never before been turned, and which no shramana, brahmin, deva, Brahmā, māra, human, or anyone else in any world can turn. Bhadrapāla, this is the Tathagata’s first power of wisdom, which great bodhisattvas should study and perfect.

“Bhadrapāla! The second power of wisdom is the Tathagata’s power of knowing all destinations. Through right wisdom, the Tathagata knows as they truly are all paths and causes that lead to their respective results. Because the Tathagata possesses this power, he knows reality.

“Bhadrapāla! The third power of wisdom is the Tathagata’s power of knowing the various and distinct realms of sentient beings in the world. Through right wisdom, he knows them all as they truly are. Because the Tathagata possesses this power, he knows reality.

“The fourth power of wisdom is the Tathagata’s power of knowing all mental activities. Through right wisdom, the Tathagata knows as they truly are the immeasurably diverse activities within the minds of sentient beings.

“The fifth power of wisdom is the Tathagata’s power of knowing the differing faculties of sentient beings. Through right wisdom, the Tathagata knows as they truly are the different faculties of sentient beings, whether exceptional or inferior.

“The sixth power of wisdom is the Tathagata’s power of knowing meditative concentration. Through right wisdom, the Tathagata knows as they truly are all samadhis, meditative concentrations, and liberations, as well as the causes through which afflictions arise and the means by which they are eliminated.

“The seventh power of wisdom is the Tathagata’s power of knowing karmic retribution. Through right wisdom, the Tathagata knows and sees as they truly are all the immeasurable distinctions among karma and their corresponding future results.

“The eighth power of wisdom is the Tathagata’s power of knowledge through the divine eye. With the pure divine eye surpassing the physical eye, the Tathagata sees far into the future how sentient beings die here and are born elsewhere. He sees whether the bodies they receive are fine or ugly, whether their circumstances are wholesome or unwholesome, whether the material things they enjoy are beautiful or ugly, refined or coarse, and whether they are born in favorable realms or fall into evil destinies.

He also sees whether sentient beings create wholesome or unwholesome karma. Some sentient beings abound in evil bodily, verbal, and mental karma; they revile noble ones, slander the true Dharma, and disrupt the harmony of the Sangha. Having committed such evil karma, after death they must fall into evil destinies.

He likewise sees sentient beings who perform wholesome karma and, after death, are born among devas or humans. He knows all such matters as they truly are.

“The ninth power of wisdom is the power of knowing past lives. Through knowledge of past lives, the Tathagata knows the events of former existences. He knows how sentient beings died in one place and were born in another, taking birth in a certain place once, twice, three times, five or ten times, hundreds or thousands of times, and even immeasurable hundreds of thousands of times; thus through immeasurable cycles of eons, immeasurable settled eons, and immeasurable turning and non-turning eons, the Tathagata knows all as it truly was.

Furthermore, he knows the places where they were born, their homes, lineages, names, appearances, livelihoods, food and clothing, conduct, good and evil deeds, joys and sorrows, suffering and happiness, and even the length of their lives. Furthermore, after sentient beings relinquished their bodies in one realm and were born elsewhere, he knows what their bodily forms were like, how they spoke and what they experienced, and the strength and duration of their lives.

The Tathagata knows and sees all such past events as they truly were.

“The tenth power of wisdom is the power of undefiled knowledge. The Tathagata possesses undefiled wisdom. Having completely exhausted all afflictions and being free from outflows, liberated in mind and wisdom, and having personally awakened to all dharmas, the Tathagata declares: ‘This life is my last; the holy life has been established; what had to be done has been done; no affliction remains to bring about further birth.’ Bhadrapāla! Because the Tathagata has exhausted all outflows, is liberated in mind and wisdom, and has personally awakened to all dharmas, he speaks in this way.

“Bhadrapāla! Because the Tathagata fully possesses these ten powers of wisdom, he stands amid the great assembly, utters the lion’s roar, and turns the lofty and magnificent Dharma wheel that no shramana, brahmin, deva, Brahmā, māra, human, or anyone else in any world can turn. Bodhisattvas should study and perfect these ten powers of wisdom.

“Bhadrapāla! If great bodhisattvas accept, uphold, read, recite, ponder, contemplate, and cultivate this samadhi, they will certainly acquire the Tathagata’s ten powers of wisdom.”

The Blessed One then spoke these verses to restate and clarify this meaning:

The eighteen unmoving dharmas of awakening,
And the ten powers of wisdom shared by every Buddha—
Bodhisattvas who cultivate this wondrous meditation
Will naturally accomplish both.

Chapter Fifteen: The Merit of Sympathetic Joy

At that time, the Blessed One again addressed Bodhisattva Bhadrapāla:

“Bhadrapāla! Any great bodhisattva who fully accomplishes the four approaches to sympathetic joy will attain this Pratyutpanna Samadhi and swiftly perfect unsurpassed awakening. What are the four approaches to sympathetic joy?

“A great bodhisattva should think: ‘All Tathagatas, Arhats, Perfectly Awakened Ones of the past, when formerly practicing the bodhisattva path, attained samadhi by means of sympathetic joy. By attaining samadhi, they acquired great learning; through great learning, they swiftly accomplished unsurpassed awakening. I should now follow them. By means of sympathetic joy, I shall attain samadhi and thereby acquire great learning, through which I shall swiftly accomplish unsurpassed awakening.’ This is the bodhisattva’s first accumulation of merit through sympathetic joy.

“Bhadrapāla! A great bodhisattva should further think: ‘All future Tathagatas, Arhats, Perfectly Awakened Ones, while practicing the bodhisattva path, will attain samadhi by means of sympathetic joy. By attaining samadhi, they will acquire great learning; through great learning, they will swiftly accomplish unsurpassed awakening. I should now practice in the same way. By means of this sympathetic joy, I shall attain samadhi and acquire great learning, through which I shall swiftly accomplish unsurpassed bodhi.’ This is the great bodhisattva’s second accumulation of merit through sympathetic joy.

“Bhadrapāla! A great bodhisattva should think: ‘At present, throughout immeasurable, boundless, innumerable worlds, all Tathagatas, Arhats, Perfectly Awakened Ones, when formerly practicing the bodhisattva path, also attained samadhi through sympathetic joy. By attaining samadhi, they acquired great learning; through great learning, they have now all accomplished unsurpassed bodhi. Today, I likewise should practice sympathetic joy in order swiftly to realize bodhi.’ This is the great bodhisattva’s third accumulation of merit through sympathetic joy.

“Bhadrapāla! A great bodhisattva should think: ‘I have reverently followed and learned from all Tathagatas of the three times. Long ago, while practicing the bodhisattva path, they all attained samadhi by means of sympathetic joy, acquired great learning by means of samadhi, and attained Buddhahood by means of great learning. I now dedicate the merit of this sympathetic joy so that all sentient beings may likewise give rise to sympathetic joy, likewise attain samadhi, likewise acquire great learning, and likewise attain perfect awakening.’ This is the great bodhisattva’s fourth accumulation of merit through sympathetic joy.

“Bhadrapāla! Furthermore, after a bodhisattva has in this way accomplished sympathetic joy, samadhi, and great learning, and swiftly attained perfect awakening, he bestows all this merit upon sentient beings and dedicates it together with them toward unsurpassed bodhi. Such merit is truly difficult to measure. I will now explain a small portion of it to you. Listen carefully and remember it well.

“Bhadrapāla! Suppose a person thought that he could live for one hundred years. His body was light, his strength was great, and he traveled swiftly like a bird in flight. This person was capable of traversing an entire world. First he traveled throughout the east, then the south, west, and north, the four intermediate directions, above and below, exhausting all ten directions without omitting any place. Bhadrapāla! What do you think? Suppose an extremely intelligent person, skilled in calculation, appeared in the world. Could he calculate the distances, whether far or near, long or short, across the lands and roads that this traveler had passed?”

“No, he could not!”

“Could they be compared?”

“No!”

“Could they be surveyed?”

“No!”

“Could they be conceived?”

“No!”

“If this is so when he has only just begun traveling, what if this person spent a full hundred years swiftly journeying back and forth throughout the endless worlds of the ten directions? Could an intelligent person calculate the distance by means of numbers?”

“Blessed One! Again, he could not. If the distances, long and short, traversed within even one world cannot be calculated, how could anyone calculate that person’s utmost journey throughout the innumerable worlds of the ten directions? Perhaps only the Blessed One himself, the great disciple Shariputra, and great non-retrogressing bodhisattvas could know the number of yojanas traversed upon those roads.”

“Exactly so! Exactly so! Today I tell you: If a good man or good woman with reverent faith filled all the worlds traversed by that person with precious wealth and offered it to the Buddhas of the ten directions, would the merit obtained be great or small?”

“Exceedingly great.”

“Yet it would not equal even a small portion of the merit of sympathetic joy in this samadhi. Why? Bhadrapāla! It is because a great bodhisattva cultivating this samadhi fulfills the four approaches to sympathetic joy described above and dedicates the merit toward unsurpassed awakening solely so that, through great learning, all may attain perfect awakening. For this reason, the immense merit of that generosity, compared with the merit of sympathetic joy described above, would not equal one hundredth, one thousandth, one part in hundreds of thousands of myriads, or one part in hundreds of millions of billions. No calculation or analogy could express it.

“Bhadrapāla! I recall that immeasurable, boundless, innumerable eons ago, a Buddha named Lion’s Resolve Tathagata appeared in the world. He was an Arhat, One of Perfect and Universal Knowledge, Perfect in Wisdom and Conduct, Well-Gone One, Knower of the World, Unsurpassed One, Tamer of Persons, Teacher of Devas and Humans, Buddha, Blessed One.

“Bhadrapāla! At that time, this world of Jambudvipa was densely populated, prosperous, joyful, peaceful, and delightful. Jambudvipa extended eighteen thousand yojanas, and within it were eighteen thousand cities, towns, and villages, all made of the seven precious substances. Each city measured twelve yojanas in both length and breadth, and within each city were nine billion dwellings. The great city was named Virtuous Creation. Its population was six billion, and it was the birthplace of Lion’s Resolve Tathagata.

“At the first Dharma assembly, Lion’s Resolve Tathagata taught the Dharma and led nine billion people to attain arhatship. Nine days later, he convened a second Dharma assembly and led another nine billion people to attain arhatship. Following the completion of the second assembly, he convened a third and again led nine billion people to attain arhatship. After these three Dharma assemblies, another nine billion people came from other regions and gathered there; all of them were pure bodhisattvas. From then onward, that Buddha always had immeasurable, innumerable assemblies of shravakas.

“Bhadrapāla! At that time, all the people practiced the ten wholesome actions, just as sentient beings in the future will accomplish the ten wholesome actions when Buddha Maitreya descends into the world to liberate them. The people then all lived for eighty-four thousand years, just as people will during the time of Buddha Maitreya.

“In the great city there was a wheel-turning sage-king named Supreme Journey, who governed the people according to the Dharma. He possessed the seven treasures: the precious golden wheel, precious elephant, precious horse, mani jewel, precious woman, precious steward, and precious general. He had one thousand sons, all dignified in appearance, majestic, courageous, and capable of subduing adversaries. The king ruled the entire world without weapons, coercion, or taxation, and goods naturally existed in abundant supply.

“When King Supreme Journey came before Lion’s Resolve Tathagata, Arhat, Perfectly Awakened One, he bowed his head at the Buddha’s feet and withdrew to sit at one side. Knowing that King Supreme Journey thirsted for and revered the true Dharma, Lion’s Resolve Buddha immediately gave an extensive teaching on the Pratyutpanna Samadhi. Upon hearing this samadhi, the king rejoiced exceedingly, gave rise to sympathetic joy, and reverently offered a handful of precious jewels to the Buddha.

“Through the causes and conditions of these wholesome roots of sympathetic joy, after the king died, he was reborn in this same realm of Jambudvipa as a prince named Brahma Virtue. He succeeded to the throne and governed according to the true Dharma. After the Buddha entered nirvana, during the age of the true Dharma, there was a bhikshu named Jewel. He was intelligent and diligent and constantly taught such scriptures to his own assembly. King Brahma Virtue heard of this samadhi from that bhikshu, acquired profound faith, gave rise to sympathetic joy, and draped over the bhikshu an extremely precious robe worth hundreds of thousands.

“Bhadrapāla! Furthermore, when King Brahma Virtue heard the bhikshu teach the samadhi, he immediately resolved upon unsurpassed bodhi. Because of his great love for the true Dharma, he left home, shaved off his hair and beard, donned the kāṣāya robe, and became a renunciant. At that time, one hundred thousand people of firm faith followed the king, donned Dharma robes, and went forth, solely for the sake of this samadhi scripture.

“Bhikshu Brahma Virtue and the assembly of one hundred thousand bhikshus served Bhikshu Jewel without ever growing weary. Yet they never attained this samadhi, but heard it only once. Having heard it, they rejoiced in it, perfected all four merits of sympathetic joy, and then dedicated them toward unsurpassed bodhi, extensively practicing in accordance with their initial joyful resolve.

“Through the merits and wholesome roots thus acquired, Bhikshu Brahma Virtue and the assembly of one hundred thousand bhikshus encountered more than sixty-eight thousand Buddhas. Wherever they were born, through the power they had acquired they taught this samadhi to sentient beings. Through these same wholesome roots, Bhikshu Brahma Virtue subsequently encountered another sixty-eight thousand Buddhas.

Before each in succession, he cultivated wholesome roots, attained this samadhi, perfected all dharmas assisting the path to bodhi, and then attained perfect awakening under the name Tathagata Firm and Courageous, Arhat, One of Perfect and Universal Knowledge, Perfect in Wisdom and Conduct, Well-Gone One, Knower of the World, Unsurpassed One, Tamer of Persons, Teacher of Devas and Humans, Buddha, Blessed One.

“The one hundred thousand bhikshus likewise attained this samadhi, accomplished the dharmas assisting the path, and afterward realized bodhi, each bearing the name Tathagata Firmly Courageous, Arhat, Perfectly Awakened One. They also established immeasurable hundreds of thousands of sentient beings in unsurpassed bodhi.

“Bhadrapāla! If merely hearing it produces such merit, how much more will bodhisattvas who hear and accept this samadhi, read and recite it, remember and uphold it, teach it to others, and diligently contemplate and practice it attain its fruit? Bhadrapāla! For this reason, when bodhisattvas hear this samadhi, none fail to rejoice in it, read and recite it, accept and uphold it, cultivate it, and expound it. Why? Because bodhisattvas who hear this samadhi mature the dharmas assisting the path and swiftly realize perfect awakening.

“Bhadrapāla! For this reason, I tell you: Whoever possesses true faith and a pure mind and seeks unsurpassed awakening must first single-mindedly seek this samadhi. If a bodhisattva hears that this profound samadhi scripture is available within one hundred yojanas, he should immediately compose himself and personally travel there to hear it. Having heard it, he must promptly read, recite, accept, uphold, cultivate, and contemplate it, and teach it to others.

“Bhadrapāla! A bodhisattva should not travel to hear it only when it is within one hundred yojanas. If he hears that this samadhi scripture is available within two hundred, three hundred, four hundred, five hundred, or even one thousand yojanas, whether in a city, town, or village, he should immediately and reverently go there to hear it and, after hearing it, cultivate, accept, and uphold it.

Why? Bhadrapāla! It is because this bodhisattva has pure faith and seeks to accomplish unsurpassed bodhi.

Therefore, a bodhisattva should not give rise to indolence, dependency, or distraction, but should arouse an ardent and earnest resolve for this samadhi and swiftly hasten even one thousand yojanas merely to hear it, how much more to read, recite, accept, uphold, contemplate, and explain it. Why? Bhadrapāla!

It is because this samadhi can encompass all dharmas assisting the path.

“Furthermore, Bhadrapāla! Suppose a bodhisattva of utterly pure mind, solely for the sake of bodhi, travels one thousand yojanas to hear the Dharma of this samadhi. That bodhisattva should attend upon and make offerings to the Dharma teacher who proclaims it, provide all necessary articles, and constantly follow that Dharma teacher and study with him for one year, two years, ten years, twenty years, one hundred years, or even his entire life without leaving him, merely in the hope of hearing this samadhi, how much more to read, recite, accept, uphold, contemplate its meaning, and teach it to others.

“When following the Dharma teacher, the bodhisattva should abandon his own designs and act only in accordance with the teacher’s wishes. He should carefully attend upon him, never disobey his words, and give rise to reverence and esteem, even regarding him as a Buddha.

“Furthermore, Bhadrapāla! If that bodhisattva must leave the Dharma teacher, while apart he should constantly remember the teacher’s kindness and always consider how to repay it. Why? Bhadrapāla! It is because, through that Dharma teacher’s proclamation, the scripture remains in the world for a long time without being lost.

“Bhadrapāla! If a bodhisattva earnest in seeking this samadhi should travel one thousand yojanas to hear it, how could he fail to attend, accept, uphold, read, recite, contemplate its meaning, and teach it to others when an assembly expounding the samadhi is held within a city, town, village, secluded place, mountain, or forest?

“Furthermore, Bhadrapāla! I now tell you: Suppose a bodhisattva, seeking this samadhi, immediately travels one hundred yojanas but unfortunately is unable to hear it. Nevertheless, because his heart earnestly seeks bodhi, he remains diligent and vigorous in relation to this Dharma and is not indolent. Bhadrapāla! You should know that such a person will certainly attain non-retrogression from unsurpassed bodhi, how much more one who hears, accepts, upholds, reads, recites, contemplates, cultivates, and teaches it to others.

“Bhadrapāla! You should observe that bodhisattvas who hear this samadhi and are able to accept, uphold, contemplate, and practice it obtain the immense merit described above. Even those who seek it but are unable to hear it fully acquire immense wholesome roots. Whether they hear it or do not hear it, they already abide at the stage of non-retrogression and will ultimately accomplish unsurpassed bodhi. How much more is this true of those who hear, read, recite, accept, uphold, contemplate, cultivate, and teach it to others, and who cause others, after hearing it, to read, recite, accept, uphold, contemplate, and widely propagate it.”

At that time, wishing to restate this teaching, the Blessed One spoke these verses:

I recall that in the past there was a Tathagata
Named Lion’s Resolve, Teacher of devas and humans.
At that time there was a king who ruled the people
And personally approached the Buddha to seek the samadhi.

Having heard it, the intelligent king
Was filled throughout his body with indescribable joy.
With both hands he offered jewels to the Buddha,
Reverently presenting them to Lion’s Resolve.

After the king had created this wholesome karma,
He relinquished his body and was reborn in that palace.
He encountered a bhikshu named Jewel,
A great virtuous one renowned throughout the ten directions.

When he heard the bhikshu skillfully teach the Dharma,
Joy arose in his mind beyond description.
He immediately took an extremely precious robe
And draped it over the bhikshu for the sake of bodhi.

Then, together with one hundred thousand people, he went forth,
Making offerings to and attending upon that bhikshu.
For a full eight thousand years,
They sought this samadhi.

The teacher spoke it once and did not repeat it;
They heard and received it, profound as the ocean.
At that time their minds never grew weary,
As they sought the supreme, quiescent meditation in accordance with truth.

In subsequent lives they made offerings and rendered service
To another sixty-eight thousand Buddhas.
Hearing the profound concentration, they all rejoiced.
Through the Tathagata Lion’s Resolve,

That king fully accomplished his practice
And finally became the Buddha named Firmly Courageous.
He taught and transformed immeasurable sentient beings;
Though dwelling within samsara, they became free from defilement.

The hundred thousand who followed the king into renunciation
Likewise all became Buddhas named Firmly Courageous.
Their virtuous renown spread throughout the ten directions;
Hearing the name of the samadhi, they realized perfect awakening.

If this samadhi is found a hundred miles away,
Those who seek bodhi should travel there to hear it.
Do not grow weary of the verbal teaching;
The merit of those who hear it cannot be described.

Chapter Sixteen: Attending Upon the Dharma Teacher

The Blessed One again addressed Bhadrapāla:

“Bhadrapāla! I recall that immeasurable, innumerable eons ago, a Buddha named Tisyana Nama Tathagata appeared in the world. He was an Arhat, One of Perfect and Universal Knowledge, and possessed all ten epithets.

At that time there was a bhikshu named Harmonious Wheel who, after the Buddha’s passing into nirvana, praised and expounded this samadhi scripture. I was then the king of a great nation and wholeheartedly sought the wondrous Dharma. In a dream I heard a voice say, ‘This is the place of the samadhi.’ I immediately awoke and personally followed the indicated route until I reached Bhikshu Harmonious Wheel and requested the samadhi scripture from him.

Thereupon, I asked the Dharma teacher to shave my head and allow me to renounce the household life. Because my heart earnestly desired to hear this samadhi, I personally served Dharma Teacher Harmonious Wheel for thirty-six thousand years. Yet because the obstructions of the heavenly māras concealed it, I was still unable to hear it.”

At that very moment, the Buddha addressed the bhikshus, bhikshunis, male lay devotees, and female lay devotees:

“I now speak to you again. You should swiftly hear and accept this king of samadhis. Do not delay and do not allow it to be forgotten. Attend skillfully upon the Dharma teacher and do not lose the opportunity to seek and hear this samadhi. Whether for one eon or even hundreds of thousands of eons, never become indolent; then there is no possibility that you will fail to attain this samadhi.

“Bhadrapāla! If anyone wholeheartedly seeks this samadhi, he should constantly follow the Dharma teacher and never leave him. Such offerings as medicines, food and drink, clothing, beds and bedding, and other necessities—even all gold, silver, jewels, and whatever else is required—should be wholeheartedly offered to the Dharma teacher without attachment. If one does not possess them, one should beg for them in order to present them to him. For the sake of attaining the samadhi, one should never give rise to weariness.

“Bhadrapāla! The foregoing concerns only offerings of ordinary necessities. When seeking the Dharma, if the teacher requires anything—even if one must cut flesh from one’s own body and offer it according to the teacher’s request—one should not begrudge it. How then could one fail to provide external possessions?

“Bhadrapāla! In attending upon the Dharma teacher, one should perfectly maintain obedience in the manner described above. Furthermore, one should serve the Dharma teacher as a servant obeys his master or an official serves his king. Such a person will swiftly attain this samadhi. Having attained it, he should diligently remember and preserve it, constantly recollect the teacher’s kindness, and always consider how to repay it.

“Bhadrapāla! This precious samadhi is not easily heard. Even if a person spent more than hundreds of thousands of eons merely seeking to hear its name, he might still fail to hear it. How much more difficult would it be to hear it, transcribe it, read, recite, accept, and uphold it, and then analyze and explain it so that others might understand.

“Bhadrapāla! Suppose one filled Buddha worlds as numerous as the sands of the Ganges with wealth and practiced generosity. That person’s merit would be exceedingly great, yet it would not equal the merit gained by merely hearing the name of this scripture.”

The Blessed One then spoke these verses to restate the meaning:

I recall immeasurable past lives
When I constantly followed a Dharma teacher and never left him.
Throughout sixty thousand years,
At first I did not even hear the samadhi’s name.

At that time there was a Buddha named Perfect Sincerity,
And a bhikshu who followed him named Harmonious Wheel.
After the Blessed One entered nirvana,
Bhikshu Harmonious Wheel expounded the samadhi.

At that time I was king of the realm;
In a dream I heard where the samadhi could be found.
Bhikshu Harmonious Wheel constantly expounded it;
Hearing this, the king accepted this precious scripture.

A bhikshu need not request such offerings;
One should not begrudge even one’s body or life.
How then could one cling to external possessions?
One who seeks in this way will attain samadhi.

Remembering kindness, always seek to repay it;
Having heard, the wise should spread the teaching.
Through koṭis of nayutas of eons they sought it unceasingly;
Only now do they hear this wondrous samadhi.

Suppose worlds as numerous as the sands of the Ganges
Were filled with wealth and given in generosity;
The merit of one who teaches but a single verse of this scripture
Would surpass that of the former person.

One who can teach a single stanza
Surpasses merit accumulated through nayutas of eons.
How much more one who, having heard it, propagates it—
Such a person’s merit cannot be described.

Whoever delights in practicing the path to bodhi
Should seek this Dharma for sentient beings.
Having heard it, abide within the samadhi;
You will surely attain perfect awakening on the unsurpassed path.

Chapter Seventeen: Entrustment

The Blessed One again addressed Bodhisattva Bhadrapāla:

“Bhadrapāla! Therefore, good men and good women of pure faith should diligently and single-mindedly hear this samadhi. Having heard it, they should accept, read, and recite it, contemplate its meaning, analyze and explain it for the entire world, carefully transcribe it, and preserve it in a treasury. Why? Bhadrapāla! After my passing into nirvana, in the future age there will be great bodhisattvas of pure faith who, for the sake of sentient beings, seek extensive learning and great hearing. Because of this aspiration, they will travel everywhere to hear and receive the true Dharma.

“Bhadrapāla! Therefore, good men and good women should expound it to those who delight in it, those endowed with faith, those who preserve the true Dharma, those who cherish the true Dharma, and those who retain the scriptures completely. Relying upon the Tathagata’s spiritual power, they should transcribe this Mahayana scripture, seal it with the Tathagata’s seal, place it in a case, and store it in a treasury.

“Bhadrapāla! What is the Tathagata’s seal? It is this: all conditioned phenomena are uncreated, signless, free from conception, unsupported, uncontained, ungrasped, and non-abiding. All conditioned phenomena are exhausted; the causes of suffering are exhausted; existence is exhausted; all afflictions are exhausted. There is no arising, no cessation, no path, and no fruit of the path. None of the noble ones ever conceals this; the wise praise it, and the discerning are able to receive it.

“When the Tathagata taught this scripture, immeasurable sentient beings planted wholesome roots toward unsurpassed bodhi. Immeasurable, innumerable great bodhisattvas from Buddha worlds as numerous as the sands of the Ganges came from their own worlds in order to hear this samadhi scripture, and they attained non-retrogression from unsurpassed bodhi.

“The earth throughout the three-thousand-great-thousand world-system trembled in six ways: it moved, moved greatly, and moved universally; surged, surged greatly, and surged universally; rose, rose greatly, and rose universally; shook, shook greatly, and shook universally; roared, roared greatly, and roared universally; awakened, awakened greatly, and awakened universally. It even leapt up on one side and then on the other; the entire world trembled in this way.

“At that time, the Blessed One addressed Venerable Mahakashyapa, Venerable Shariputra, Venerable Maudgalyayana, Venerable Ananda, Bodhisattva Bhadrapāla, the Licchavi leader Jewel Virtue, the wealthy householder Great Goodness, the householder’s son Constellation Virtue, the wealthy householder Vimala Manava, the wealthy householder Narcissus, and so forth—five hundred persons in all—as well as devas, humans, the fourfold assembly, and others, saying:

“‘Kashyapa! I now entrust to you the Dharma through which, after three great incalculable eons of cultivation, I attained unsurpassed perfect awakening. The world is incapable of believing and accepting such meanings. Why? Because the scriptures spoken by the Tathagata are exceedingly wondrous and profound, foremost in the world, and in the future will bring sentient beings to unsurpassed bodhi. Therefore, I earnestly entrust them to you. You should hear and accept them, read and recite them, contemplate and practice them, propagate, expound, explain, and widely disseminate them, and never allow them to be lost.

“‘Furthermore, Ananda! If any good man or good woman wishes to cultivate this samadhi scripture; wishes to read, recite, accept, uphold, contemplate, reveal, and expound it; and further causes others to give rise to true faith and resolve to read, recite, accept, uphold, contemplate, reveal, and expound it, I now establish such persons in the Mahayana. Good men and good women who have received this revelation should train in this way and constantly remember that I have given this instruction.’”

When the Blessed One had finished teaching this scripture, Venerable Mahakashyapa, Shariputra, Great Maudgalyayana, Ananda, all the other great shravakas, Bhadrapāla, Jewel Virtue, the wealthy householders Constellation Virtue, Vimala Virtue, Narcissus, and the other five hundred male lay devotees, the great bodhisattvas who had come from Buddha worlds throughout the ten directions, and all devas, dragons, ghosts, spirits, humans, nonhumans, and others heard the Tathagata’s teaching. They all rejoiced exceedingly and practiced in accordance with it.