大乘本生心地觀經

X. THE CONTEMPLATION OF THE MIND CHAPTER

At that time, the great bodhisattva Manjusri rose from his seat, adjusted his robes, bared his right shoulder, placed his right knee upon the ground, bowed, joined his palms, and addressed the Buddha, saying: “World-Honored One! As the Buddha said to Elder Wonderful Virtue and his company of five hundred: ‘For your sake, I shall expound the wondrous Dharma gate of the mind-ground.’ Now the immeasurable and boundless assembly of humans and devas in this Dharma assembly have all given rise to yearning and reverence.

On behalf of all of them, I ask the Tathagata: What is ‘mind’? What is ‘ground’? I respectfully implore the World-Honored One, with the great loving-kindness of the unconditioned mind and great unobstructed compassion, to distinguish and expound this for sentient beings, so that those not yet freed from suffering may be freed from suffering, those not yet at peace and joyful may attain peace and joy, those who have not yet aroused the aspiration may arouse it, and those who have not yet realized the fruit may realize it, so that all may attain nirvana together through the One Path.” ^[1]

Then the World-Honored One, with the pure and definitive seal of supreme truth of great wondrous wisdom—which he had attained through cultivating merit and wisdom for immeasurable kalpas—gave his affirmation to Bodhisattva Manjusri and said: “Excellent, excellent! You are indeed the mother of the Buddhas of the three times! When all the Tathagatas were cultivating the path, you guided them when they first gave rise to the mind of faith.

For this reason, all those who attain perfect enlightenment throughout the lands of the ten directions take Manjusri as their mother. Yet now, through the power of your past vows, you manifest the form of a bodhisattva and ask the Tathagata about this lofty and inconceivable Dharma. Listen carefully, listen carefully, and bear it well in mind!

For the sake of all beings everywhere, I shall distinguish and explain this matter.” Bodhisattva Manjusri replied: “Yes, World-Honored One! We rejoice to hear it!” ^[3]

At that time, the World-Honored One had perfectly accomplished the “supreme sustaining wisdom of equality” of all Tathagatas, together with every wondrous and exceedingly rare virtue. He had thoroughly attained the “wisdom-seal of the definitive, supreme Dharma of the Mahayana” of all Buddhas. He had perfectly realized the “adamantine, secret, extraordinary, and wondrous wisdom” of all Tathagatas. He abided well in “great unobstructed compassion,” spontaneously rescuing and embracing sentient beings throughout the ten directions. He had completely perfected the “wisdom of wondrous observation,” observing without observation and speaking without speech. ^[4]

Then the World-Honored One addressed the stainless great sage, the great bodhisattva Manjusri, compassionate mother of all Buddhas, saying: “Great good man! This Dharma is the ‘supreme and most secret Dharma gate of the mind-ground’ ^[5] of the Tathagatas of the ten directions. This Dharma is the Dharma gate of ‘sudden awakening’ ^[6] by which all ordinary beings enter the ground of the Tathagata.

This Dharma is the ‘true and right path’ by which all bodhisattvas proceed toward great bodhi. This Dharma is the ‘wondrous jeweled palace’ in which the Buddhas of the three times themselves enjoy the bliss of the Dharma. This Dharma is the ‘inexhaustible treasury’ of all benefits bestowed upon sentient beings.

This Dharma can lead the assemblies of bodhisattvas to the ‘sovereign wisdom of the ultimate realm of form.’ ^[7] This Dharma is a true guide, able to lead bodhisattvas in their final existence ^[8] to the Bodhi tree. This Dharma is like a mani jewel, producing worldly and supramundane riches so that the wishes of sentient beings may be fulfilled. This Dharma gives rise to the source of the merits of all Buddhas throughout the ten directions and the three times.

This Dharma can extinguish the evil karmic consequences of all sentient beings. This Dharma can grant all sentient beings confirmation that their aspirations will be fulfilled. This Dharma can deliver all sentient beings from the perils of birth and death.

This Dharma can still the surging waves of the sea of suffering for all sentient beings. This Dharma can rescue sentient beings from suffering and distress amid every urgent danger. This Dharma can dry up the sea of aging, sickness, and death for all sentient beings.

This Dharma can bring forth the causes, conditions, and seeds of the Buddhas. This Dharma is a great torch of wisdom illuminating sentient beings throughout the long night of birth and death. This Dharma is armor that can shatter the armies of the four maras.

This Dharma is the banner of victory of the valiant army. This Dharma is the unsurpassed Dharma vehicle of all Buddhas. This Dharma is the supreme banner of the Dharma.

This Dharma is the beating of the great Dharma drum. This Dharma is the blowing of the great Dharma conch. This Dharma is the great lion king.

This Dharma is the great lion’s roar. This Dharma is also like a great sage-king who governs a nation well and righteously: those who accord with his transforming rule attain great peace and happiness, while those who oppose it are destroyed. ^[9]

Good man! In the three realms, the ‘mind’ is sovereign. One who can contemplate the mind attains ultimate liberation; one who cannot contemplate the mind forever remains bound.

Just as all things arise from the earth, the Dharma of mind gives rise to good and evil, the five destinies—devas, humans, hell beings, hungry ghosts, and animals—the trainees, those beyond training, pratyekabuddhas, bodhisattvas, and Tathagatas, both worldly and supramundane. For this reason, the three realms are mind-only, and the ‘mind’ is the ‘ground.’ All ordinary beings who draw near to good spiritual friends, hear the Dharma of the mind-ground, contemplate it in accordance with principle, practice according to the teaching, put it into practice themselves, teach it to others, praise and encourage it, and welcome and comfort others—such people will eliminate the two obstructions, swiftly perfect the myriad practices, and quickly attain unsurpassed, complete,

and perfect enlightenment. ^[10]

Thereupon, the great sage Bodhisattva Manjusri addressed the Buddha, saying: “World-Honored One! As the Buddha has said, the Dharma of mind alone is sovereign over the three realms, and the fundamental source of the Dharma of mind is unstained by defilement. Why, then, does the Dharma of mind become tainted by greed, anger, and ignorance?

Among the dharmas of the three times, what may be called mind? The mind of the past has already ceased, the mind of the future has not yet arrived, and the mind of the present does not abide. The inner nature of dharmas cannot be found; the external characteristics of dharmas cannot be found; and the interval between dharmas likewise cannot be found.

The Dharma of mind originally has no form or characteristic; the Dharma of mind originally has no abiding place. Even all the Tathagatas do not see the mind, so how could others see the Dharma of mind? All dharmas arise from deluded thought.

For what reason, then, does the World-Honored One now teach the great assembly that ‘the three realms are mind-only’? I therefore implore the Buddha, out of compassion, to explain this truthfully!” ^[11]

The Buddha then told Bodhisattva Manjusri: “So it is, so it is! Good man! You have asked me about the fundamentally empty and quiescent nature of the mind and its associated mental factors. I shall now offer analogies to demonstrate this meaning.”

Good man! The mind is like an illusory phenomenon, arising from conceptual imputation; therefore, all manner of perceptions and experiences of pleasure and pain arise within the mind. The mind is like flowing water, arising and ceasing thought after thought, never pausing between what came before and what follows after.

The mind is like a great wind, passing through every direction and place within a single instant. The mind is like the flame of a lamp, arising through the conjunction of various conditions. The mind is like a flash of lightning, lasting only a brief moment and not remaining long.

The mind is like empty space, yet it is obscured by the adventitious defilements ^[12]. The mind is like a monkey or an ape, leaping about without pause upon the tree of the five desires. The mind is like a painter, depicting all the forms and colors of the world.

The mind is like a servant, driven about by the afflictions. The mind is like a solitary traveler, without a second companion. The mind is like a king, initiating all affairs and exercising sovereignty.

The mind is like an enemy, causing one’s own body to undergo extreme suffering. The mind is like dust, clinging to and soiling one’s own body, giving rise to impurity. The mind is like a reflected image, grasping what is impermanent as permanent.

The mind is like an illusory dream, grasping the characteristics of self and dharmas as ‘I.’ The mind is like a yaksha, devouring all meritorious qualities. The mind is like a bluebottle fly, delighting in foul and evil things. The mind is like a murderer, capable of destroying bodily life.

The mind is like an adversary, constantly watching for faults. The mind is like a bandit, stealing away merit. The mind is like a great war drum, inciting conflict.

The mind is like a moth, attracted to the brightness of a lamp. The mind is like a wild deer, pursuing deceptive sounds. The mind is like a herd of pigs, delighting in assorted filth.

The mind is like a swarm of bees, gathering the fragrance of sweet honey. The mind is like an intoxicated elephant, infatuated with sporting among female elephants. ^[13]

Good man! Thus, when speaking of the mind and mental factors, they are neither within, nor without, nor in between. Sought among all dharmas, they cannot be found; nor can they be found in the past, future, or present. They transcend the three times and are neither existent nor nonexistent. Sentient beings continually harbor attachment, and attachment manifests from delusive conditions; conditions have no intrinsic nature, because the nature of mind is empty. Thus, this empty nature neither arises nor ceases, neither comes nor goes, is neither one nor different, neither annihilated nor eternal. It originally has no place of arising and likewise no place of cessation; it is neither separated nor not separated. ^[14]

Such minds are not different from the unconditioned, and the essence of the unconditioned is not different from those minds. Since the essence of the dharma of mind is originally inexpressible, what is not the dharma of mind is likewise inexpressible. Why is this?

If the unconditioned were the mind, that would be the view of annihilation; if it were apart from the dharma of mind, that would be the view of eternalism. Completely transcending these two characteristics and clinging to neither extreme, one who awakens in this way realizes what is called the “ultimate truth,” and one who realizes this ultimate truth is a noble sage. The nature of all noble sages is originally empty and quiescent.

Within the unconditioned Dharma, there is neither observance nor transgression of the precepts, neither great nor small, neither mind-king nor mental factors, and neither suffering nor pleasure. Thus, the intrinsic nature of the undefiled Dharma-realm has no distinctions of superior, middling, or inferior. Why is this?

It is because the unconditioned Dharma-nature is equal, just as the waters of all rivers flowing into the ocean become of one taste, without any distinguishing characteristic. This undefiled nature is neither real nor unreal. This undefiled nature is the ultimate meaning, for it bears no characteristic of exhaustion or extinction, and its essence is originally unborn.

This undefiled nature abides eternally without change, for it is the pure selfhood of the most supreme nirvana. This undefiled nature is wholly transcendent, for although there are equality and inequality, its essence remains undifferentiated.

If any good man or good woman wishes to seek unsurpassed, complete, perfect enlightenment, that person should single-mindedly cultivate this contemplation of the mind-ground Dharma! ^[15]

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

Wonderful Auspicious One, mother of awakening throughout the three times,

Asked the Tathagata about the “Dharma of the mind-ground”;

I shall now, within this great assembly,

Expound the gate of contemplative practice through which Buddhahood is attained.

This Dharma is harder to encounter than the udumbara flower;

All the worlds should thirst for and aspire to it.

The Buddhas of the ten directions who realize great awakening

All cultivate through this Dharma.

I am the unsurpassed guiding teacher,

Turning the wheel of the true Dharma throughout the worlds;

I transform and liberate immeasurable sentient beings—

Know that this is through awakening to contemplation of the mind-ground.

All sentient beings who hear this Dharma

Joyfully reach bodhi and receive predictions of enlightenment;

Those with the requisite affinities who receive such predictions

Will attain Buddhahood by cultivating this gate of contemplation.

The Buddhas themselves enjoy the bliss of the great Dharma

Within the wondrous jeweled palace of mind-ground contemplation;

Bodhisattvas receiving consecration awaken to non-arising

And contemplate the gate of the mind-ground throughout the Dharma-realm.

Bodhisattvas in their final existence sit beneath the tree of awakening,

Enter this contemplative practice, and realize bodhi.

This Dharma can rain down the “seven noble treasures,”

And, like a mani jewel, fulfill the wishes of sentient beings.

This Dharma is called the ancient Mother of Buddhas,

Giving birth to the three bodies of the Buddhas of the three times.

This Dharma is called the vajra armor,

Which withstands the four hosts of Mara’s armies.

This Dharma can serve as a great ship and raft,

Carrying beings across the midst of the current to the jeweled destination.

This Dharma is the most supreme Dharma drum;

This Dharma is the Dharma banner raised on high.

This Dharma is the vajra Dharma conch;

This Dharma is the Dharma torch illuminating the world.

This Dharma is also like a great sage-king,

Rewarding merit and punishing wrongdoing in accord with people’s minds.

This Dharma is also like water permeating fields,

Producing and nurturing growth according to the seasons.

Through many analogies I reveal the meaning of “emptiness,”

Thereby showing that the three realms are mind-only.

The mind possesses great power, and worlds arise;

Sovereign and free, it masters transformations.

Evil thoughts and wholesome intentions create and accumulate anew,

Becoming throughout past, present, and future the causes of birth and death.

Dependent upon delusive karma, the world exists,

And pleasing and displeasing fruits perpetually continue. ^[16]

The mind is like flowing water, never pausing;

The mind is like the wind sweeping across lands and kingdoms.

It is also like monkeys and apes clinging to trees at play,

And like illusory things formed in dependence upon illusion;

Like empty space, through which birds fly unobstructed,

And like an empty village through which people run and leap.

The dharma of mind is originally nonexistent,

Yet ordinary beings, deluded by attachment, regard it as existent;

If one can contemplate that “the essence and nature of mind are empty,”

Delusive obstructions will not arise, and liberation will be attained. ^[17]

At that time, the Tathagata aroused great compassion for all sentient beings, just as parents cherish and remember their only child. Wishing to extinguish the powerful wrong views of the world and bring benefit, peace, and happiness to all sentient beings, he proclaimed the contemplation-of-mind mantra: “Úm, thất tha, ba-la-để, phệ đạn, ca lư nhị.”

After speaking this true word, the Tathagata told the great bodhisattva Manjushri: “This mantra possesses great awesome power. When any good man or good woman upholds this mantra, that person should raise their purified hands, interlace the ten fingers of the left and right hands, place the left hand over the right, and clasp them tightly together in the form of a binding cord. This is called the ‘Vajra-Binding Mudra’ ^[18]. After forming this mudra, to recite and practice the preceding true word ^[19] completely once surpasses the recitation and practice of the twelve divisions of the scriptures ^[20]. One will acquire immeasurable merit and will not retreat from the mind of bodhi. ^[21]

Notes:

^[1] In the preceding passage, from “At that time” through “nirvana,” the bodhisattva Manjushri, on behalf of the great assembly, asks the Buddha about the meaning of the term “mind-ground,” hoping that sentient beings may be freed from suffering, attain peace and happiness, arouse the aspiration, realize the fruit, and together enter the Path of the One Reality (the One Path) to attain perfect quiescence.

^[2] Great Wondrous Wisdom Seal: This is the Buddha’s exceedingly vast, subtle, inconceivable, and ineffable wisdom, attained through cultivation over three incalculable eons, when the causal practices are perfected and their fruit is fulfilled.

^[3] The passage above, from “At that time” to the word “hear,” records the Buddha’s affirmation of Bodhisattva Manjusri’s request. The Buddha further praised Bodhisattva Manjusri as the Mother of Buddhas throughout the three times, because Bodhisattva Manjusri embodies wisdom and guides those who have newly aroused the aspiration.

^[4] The passage above, from “At that time” to the word “said,” reveals five subtle and supreme virtues of the Buddha: 1/ It reveals the most excellent wisdom within the principle of equality, manifesting the Supreme Response Body and the Other-Enjoyment Body to teach and transform bodhisattvas at the Stage of Preparatory Practice and bodhisattvas of the First Bhumi. 2/ It reveals the non-discriminating wisdom of the Mahayana, confirming that all dharmas are neither born nor extinguished and are definitively “dharmas of ultimate truth.” 3/ It reveals the steadfast, sublime,

and subtle wisdom that only Buddhas together with Buddhas can realize ultimately. 4/ It reveals vast compassion that delivers all sentient beings without the slightest discrimination or obstruction. 5/ It reveals perfectly integrated wisdom, spontaneously free and sovereign, which thoroughly comprehends the capacities of sentient beings and employs the perfect voice to expound the Dharma and bring about their liberation.

^[5] This states that the Dharma gate of the mind-ground is a supremely transcendent Dharma gate that followers of the Three Vehicles cannot comprehend; it can be thoroughly understood only upon the perfect realization of Buddhahood.

^[6] Sudden enlightenment: One of the two modes of realization. Sudden enlightenment occurs when sentient beings arouse the great aspiration as bodhisattvas, hear the Mahayana, practice the great Dharma, and immediately realize the sublime fruition. Its opposite is gradual enlightenment. Gradual enlightenment means that sentient beings must cultivate progressively from lower to higher stages and only after a very long time attain realization.

^[7] Sovereign wisdom of the ultimate realm of form: Wisdom as sublime and sovereign as the Akanistha Heaven, the highest realm of the Form Realm. It also refers to the time when a bodhisattva is about to become a Buddha, abides in the station of the Akanistha Heaven, transcends the three realms, and attains the bodhi-fruit of Buddhahood.

^[8] Bodhisattvas of later times: This refers to bodhisattvas who will appear afterward, namely after the Buddha has entered nirvana.

^[9] In the passage above, from “At that time, the Blessed One said to Stainless One…” to “pervading cessation,” the Buddha explains that the “Dharma gate of the mind-ground,” by means of twenty-five things, brings many blessings and benefits to practitioners and sentient beings.

^[10] In the passage above, from “Good man” to “perfect enlightenment,” the Buddha clearly explains that mind is the master and that mind is like the earth. Whoever cultivates the mind will swiftly attain unsurpassed enlightenment.

^[11] In the passage above, from “At this point” to “Please explain it!”, Bodhisattva Manjusri questions the Buddha closely concerning how the mind in relation to the past, present, and future can be perceived.

^[12] Afflictions of adventitious dust: This is an image for afflictions that arise delusively. Afflictions are not intrinsic to the nature of mind; they arise only because the truth is misunderstood. They resemble travelers who lodge briefly at an inn to rest and are not its permanent masters, and therefore they are called “adventitious.” Although afflictions are guests, they nevertheless defile the nature of mind and are therefore called “dust.”

^[13] In the passage above, from “Good man” to “female elephant,” the Buddha uses twenty-six things as analogies for the “mind.” Those things arise solely through calculation, comparison, deluded attachment, and clinging; how could they be the true mind!

^[14] In the passage above, from “Good man” to “far removed,” the nature of emptiness is disclosed. Mind and mental factors have no fixed abode; therefore, they possess no characteristics of being within, without, or in between. Neither within the three times nor beyond the three times can their actual essence be found. Since the essence of mind is true emptiness, or suchness, the intrinsic nature of all dharmas is likewise so.

^[15] In the passage above, from “Such minds” to “thus,” the Buddha directly indicates that the essence of mind is the unconditioned, that is, the Dharma-realm itself. Yet “unconditioned” is merely a provisional term; in truth, it is ineffable. The Dharma-nature of the unconditioned is devoid of activity, differentiation, defilement, purity, and so forth; it is far removed from everything. To awaken to this is to understand the true meaning of truth and to become a noble sage. Children of the Buddha should cultivate this contemplation of the mind-ground and will attain unsurpassed enlightenment.

^[16] The four lines from “Evil thoughts” to “continuously” mean in essence that the dharma of mind is the place where all good and evil are created and accumulated. Because of such creation and accumulation, it becomes the cause of birth and death throughout the three times, and results are experienced according to karmic causes. Causes of craving (evil) bring about the retribution of craving (evil), while causes free from craving (that is, good) bring about results free from craving (good), continuing endlessly in succession.

^[17] Throughout the verses above, the Buddha merely reiterates sentient beings’ deluded apprehension of mind and reveals the truly empty essence of mind.

^[18] Vajra-binding mudra: It signifies that everything abides within the indestructible essence of suchness.

^[19] Mantra: Subtle and wondrous speech that inwardly accords with the essence of suchness.

^[20] The twelve divisions of scripture: The Buddhist scriptures are divided into twelve categories of teaching: 1/ Sutra: discourses, prose texts that accord with the truth. 2/ Geya: repeated verses, verses that restate the meaning of the prose. 3/ Gatha: independent chants, four-line verses that stand alone and are not connected to prose. 4/ Nidana: causes and conditions. 5/ Itivrttaka: accounts of past events. 6/ Jataka: birth stories in which the Buddha himself recounts the causes and conditions of his past lives. 7/ Adbhuta-dharma: marvelous events,

accounts of rare and unprecedented deeds. 8/ Avadana: parables and illustrative narratives. 9/ Upadesa: doctrinal expositions. 10/ Udana: spontaneous declarations spoken by the Buddha without waiting for anyone to ask. 11/ Vaipulya: extensive teachings, texts that expound the upright and vast truth, namely the Mahayana teachings. 12/ Vyakarana: predictions of attainment.

^[21] In the passage above, from “At that time” to “retrogression,” out of his exceedingly great compassion for sentient beings and his wish that they quickly abandon wrong views and swiftly awaken to the true mind, the Buddha immediately expounded a dharani and taught them to form a mudra as supporting conditions for practitioners of this contemplation of mind.

XI. THE CHAPTER ON AROUSING THE BODHI-MIND ^[1]

At that time, the Blessed One had received the “jeweled crown of consecration” from all Tathagatas and had transcended the three realms; he had perfectly attained mastery of dharani and perfectly realized mastery of samadhi; he had consummately developed the Wisdom of All Wisdom and the Wisdom of All Modes, and was able to accomplish every differentiated activity for sentient beings. ^[2]

After the Blessed One had expounded the wondrous gate of “Contemplation of Mind” for sentient beings, he said to the great bodhisattva Manjusri: “Great good man! I have already taught sentient beings concerning the ‘mind-ground.’ I shall now further teach the ‘Great Dharani for Arousing the Bodhi-Mind,’ so that sentient beings may arouse the aspiration for unsurpassed, complete, and perfect enlightenment and swiftly perfect the sublime fruition.” ^[3]

At that time, Bodhisattva Manjusri addressed the Buddha, saying: “Blessed One! As the Buddha has said, ‘The past has ceased, the future has not yet arrived, the present does not abide, and the intrinsic nature of all mental dharmas within the three times is empty.’ That being so, with respect to what is that bodhi-mind said to be ‘aroused’? Excellent, Blessed One! I beseech you to explain this for all beings, so that they may cast away every net of doubt and reach bodhi!”

The Buddha said to Bodhisattva Manjusri: “Good man! From the various phenomena of mind arise all erroneous views. In order to eliminate the sixty-two views, together with all other kinds of erroneous views, I teach that mind and mental factors are ‘empty’; thus, those ‘views’ no longer have any basis upon which to depend. It is like a flourishing, densely overgrown forest in which lions, white elephants, tigers, leopards, fierce beasts, and others hide, emitting venom and harming people, so that all traces of travelers disappear. At that time, a wise person sets fire to the forest; because the forest has been cleared away, none of the fierce beasts remain. When ‘mind’ is empty, ‘views’ are extinguished in the same way!” ^[4]

Again, good man! For what causes and conditions is this meaning of ‘emptiness’ established? It is taught as ‘emptiness’ in order to extinguish the afflictions arising from the deluded mind.

Good man! If one clings to the ‘principle of emptiness’ as an ultimately existent thing, then even the nature of emptiness is absent; clinging to emptiness becomes a sickness and must also be eliminated! Why is this?

If one clings to the meaning of ‘emptiness’ as ultimate, holding that all dharmas have neither causes nor effects, how would this differ from the Lokayata non-Buddhists? Good man! Just as the medicine Agada, the medicine of immortality, cures every illness—if a sick person takes that medicine, the illness will surely be cured; once the illness has been cured, the medicine is also discarded along with the illness, and if one who is not ill takes the medicine, the medicine in turn becomes an illness.

Good man! The medicine of ‘emptiness’ was first established to eliminate the sickness of ‘existence’; if clinging to ‘existence’ becomes a sickness, clinging to ‘emptiness’ is likewise. What wise person would take medicine in order to become ill?

Good man! To give rise to the ‘view of existence’ is still better than giving rise to the ‘view of emptiness’; there is the medicine of ‘emptiness’ to cure the sickness of ‘existence,’ but there is no medicine that can cure the sickness of ‘emptiness.’ ^[5]

Good man! For this reason, after taking the medicine of ‘emptiness’ and eliminating erroneous views, the mind awakens by itself and brings forth bodhi. That awakened mind is itself the bodhi mind; they do not possess two distinct characteristics.

Good man! The mind’s self-awakening has four meanings. What are the four?

Ordinary beings have two kinds of mind, and Buddhas and bodhisattvas have two kinds of mind. Good man! What are the modes of activity of the two minds of ordinary beings?

First, from eye-consciousness through mind-consciousness, the causes and conditions of each consciousness’s own objects constitute the ‘self-awakened mind.’ Second, apart from the mind and mental factors associated with the five faculties, the harmonious conjunction of conditions and objects constitutes the ‘self-awakened mind.’ Good man! These two minds are able to bring forth bodhi! Good man!

What are the modes of activity of the two minds of the noble ones? First is the wisdom that contemplates the true principle. Second is the wisdom that contemplates all objects.

Good man! These four meanings constitute the ‘self-awakened mind.’ ^[6]

At that time, Bodhisattva Manjusri addressed the Buddha, saying: “World-Honored One! The mind has neither form nor appearance, nor does it have any dwelling place. When an ordinary person engaged in cultivation first brings forth the aspiration, upon what places should that person rely, and what characteristics should that person contemplate?”

The Buddha said: “Good man! When an ordinary person contemplates the characteristics of the bodhi mind, that person should contemplate it as a perfectly full, pure, radiant moon-disc resting motionless upon the chest. If one wishes swiftly to attain ‘non-retrogression,’ while dwelling in an aranya or an empty and secluded dwelling, one should hold the body upright, maintain right mindfulness, form the Tathagata’s Vajra-Binding Mudra with the hands as explained before, close the eyes, contemplate the luminous moon at the center of the chest, and reflect: ‘This perfectly full moon-disc is fifty yojanas in size.

It is radiant and pure, limpid and transparent both within and without, entirely free from the slightest defilement, and supremely cool.’ The moon is precisely the mind, and the mind is precisely the moon. When it is unstained by the traces of sensory objects, deluded thoughts do not arise, causing the bodies and minds of sentient beings to become pure and their great bodhi minds to remain steadfast and never regress. Forming this hand mudra and mindfully reciting and contemplating the wondrous phrase of the great bodhi mind—the spiritual formula that is the ‘Purification Mantra’ of all bodhisattvas when they first bring forth the aspiration—one recites: ‘Úm, bồ-địa, thất đa, mưu chí ba, đà gia, nhị.’ This dharani possesses great majestic power and virtue,

causing practitioners never to regress.

All bodhisattvas of the past, future, and present, when first bringing forth the aspiration upon the causal ground, single-mindedly upheld and recited this mantra, thereby entering the stage of non-retrogression and swiftly perfecting complete awakening. ^[7]

Good man! When that practitioner makes the mind upright and maintains right mindfulness, without the slightest movement, but directs the mind solely toward the moon-disc and contemplates it until the contemplation has matured, this is called the ‘Samadhi in Which a Bodhisattva Contemplates the Bodhi Mind and Becomes a Buddha.’ If an ordinary person can cultivate this contemplation, then the five heinous offenses, the four grave offenses (killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, and false speech), the ten unwholesome deeds, unbelief, and all other offenses committed in the past will be entirely extinguished, and that person will immediately attain five kinds of gateways to samadhi.

What are the five? First, the Momentary Samadhi. Second, the Fine-Dust Samadhi.

Third, the White-Thread Samadhi. Fourth, the Rising-and-Falling Samadhi. Fifth, the Abiding Samadhi.

What is called the Momentary Samadhi? It means merely resting one’s thought and contemplation upon the perfectly full moon for a brief time. It is like a monkey whose body has been tethered: it cannot go far, yet it cannot remain still nearby; only when it becomes extremely hungry and thirsty does it rest for a brief moment.

An ordinary person’s contemplation of the mind is likewise: one attains samadhi, right concentration, only for a brief and momentary interval; therefore, it is called ‘momentary.’ What is called the Fine-Dust Samadhi? It means having attained a small measure of accord with samadhi. It is like a person who has always eaten bitter food and has never once tasted anything sweet.

At a certain time, a little honey touches that person’s tongue; becoming exceedingly delighted, that person grows ever more eager and longs to obtain more honey. That practitioner has tasted bitter flavors throughout many kalpas but now has obtained the sweet and delicious flavor of samadhi, right concentration. Because the practitioner has attained a small measure of accord with it, it is called ‘fine dust.’ What is called the White-Thread Samadhi?

It means that an ordinary person, from beginningless time until the end of the future, now attains this concentration. It is like dyeing cloth black and, amid the many black strands, seeing a single white thread. That practitioner, amid the many dark nights of birth and death, now for the first time attains the pure white samadhi, right concentration; therefore, it is called ‘white thread.’ What is called the Rising-and-Falling Samadhi?

It means that a practitioner’s contemplation of the mind has not yet matured. At times it is well established, and at other times it is not well established; because this samadhi, right concentration, still rises high and sinks low, it is called ‘rising and falling.’ What is called the Abiding Samadhi? It means that, through cultivating the preceding four concentrations, the mind comes to abide securely and can be well guarded, without becoming defiled by sensory objects.

It is like a person traveling in summer across a distant desert, enduring every kind of peril and affliction. The person’s thirst and deprivation become so extreme as to be nearly unbearable, when suddenly the person encounters a stream of sweet water flowing from the Snow Mountains, like the heavenly sudha ^[8]. The torment of heat is swiftly dispelled, and body and mind become at ease; therefore, this concentration is called ‘abiding.’ After entering this concentration, one leaves the obstructions of delusion far behind, causes the sprout of unsurpassed bodhi to emerge, and swiftly ascends to the meritorious virtues of the bodhisattva’s Ten Grounds.

At that time, in the Dharma assembly, immeasurable humans and heavenly beings heard this profound, vast, and inconceivable Great Dharani, the mother who gives birth to bodhisattvas. Then ninety-eight thousand bodhisattvas realized the Ground of Joy, and immeasurable sentient beings brought forth the aspiration for unsurpassed, complete, perfect awakening. ^[9]

Notes:

^[1] Bringing forth the bodhi mind: ‘Bodhi’ means the ‘path of awakening,’ the unsurpassed path of true and right awakening. One who brings forth the aspiration to seek that unsurpassed path of true and right awakening is said to be ‘bringing forth the bodhi mind.’

^[2] The passage above, from “At that time” to “sentient beings,” speaks of the Buddha manifesting the Buddha-body and teaching the bodhisattvas of the Ten Grounds: 1/ The bodhisattvas of the Ten Grounds have advanced far in their cultivation and will soon realize the fruit of Buddhahood. The Buddha wears the precious crown of consecration, signifying that the bodhisattvas will attain unsurpassed awakening and acquire a body adorned with excellent marks, just as a crown prince undergoes the consecration ceremony upon ascending the royal throne.

After realization, they abide in a pure and magnificent realm beyond the three realms. 2/ Through their progress in cultivation, the bodhisattvas of the Ten Grounds will fully acquire the merits of the dharani gateways, samadhi gateways, and so forth, thereby eliminating subtle obstructions of ignorance and accomplishing the vast work of benefiting both themselves and others. 3/ The Buddha-body is replete with merit and wisdom.

Its wisdom completely encompasses both fundamental wisdom and subsequently attained wisdom—omniscient wisdom and wisdom of all modes—illuminating everything, thoroughly understanding the karmic nature of sentient beings, and benefiting them according to their capacities. The bodhisattvas of the Ten Grounds who realize Buddha-wisdom are likewise.

^[3] In the passage above, from “When” to “fruit,” the Buddha tells Bodhisattva Manjusri that he will teach about “arousing the bodhi-mind.”

^[4] In the passage above, from “At that time” to “in this way,” Bodhisattva Manjusri questions the Buddha: if the mind no longer exists, what is there with which to arouse it? The Buddha teaches that the mind and its phenomena are said to be empty in order to eliminate views and attachments, just as when a forest is emptied, wild beasts will no longer remain there.

^[5] In the passage above, from “Furthermore” to “at all,” the Buddha refutes “attachment to emptiness,” for attachment to emptiness is still an attachment; moreover, “attachment to emptiness” is even more severe than “attachment to existence,” because no medicine can cure the disease of “emptiness.”

^[6] The passage above, from “Good man” to “self-awakened mind,” says that relinquishing attachment to emptiness, eliminating wrong views, and realizing the meaning of “not empty” constitute the self-awakened mind, which is “arousing bodhi” and is itself the “bodhi-mind.” The self-awakened mind is divided into two classes: ordinary beings and sages. A.—Ordinary beings: 1/ When the eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mental consciousness come into contact with their respective presently manifest objects, yet remain originally pure, without discrimination or attachment, this is the self-awakened mind. 2/ While entering concentration, when the mental consciousness is separated from all five faculties and their objects and attends exclusively to the object presently manifest within concentration,

this is the self-awakened mind.

B.—The virtuous and noble ones: “Virtuous” refers to bodhisattvas of the Ten Abodes, Ten Practices, Ten Dedications, and Preparatory Practices. “Noble” refers to bodhisattvas of the Ten Grounds. The self-awakened mind of the virtuous and noble ones arises through: 1/ Using wisdom to contemplate true principle, that is, contemplating “wisdom in accordance with principle” (wisdom of reality), meaning the use of true wisdom to penetrate the true nature of all dharmas. 2/ Using wisdom to contemplate the wisdom that knows all objects, that is, contemplating “wisdom in accordance with measure,” meaning the use of conventional wisdom to penetrate the phenomenal aspects of all dharmas.

^[7] In the passage above, from “At that time” to “perfect awakening,” Bodhisattva Manjusri asks the Buddha what those who have newly aroused the mind to practice should rely upon and what they should contemplate. The Buddha teaches that they should form the Vajra-Bond Mudra, recite the Purification Mantra, and contemplate the moon at the center of the chest. This is because the moon is the mind. The bodhisattvas of the three times all contemplate in this manner.

^[8] Sudha: A delicious food of extraordinary flavor. The Forest of Pearls in the Dharma Garden states: “The devas of the Yama Heaven regularly drink wine from jeweled cups and eat sudha; its color, texture, fragrance, and flavor are all perfect.”

^[9] In the passage above, from “Good man! When the practitioner” to “perfect awakening,” the Buddha explains that one who contemplates the mind in this manner will attain five kinds of concentration, eliminate the obstructions of delusion, and cause the seedling of bodhi to sprout. At this point, when the great assembly heard the Buddha teach this Dharma gateway, they all received a share of its benefits.

XII.—THE CHAPTER ON ATTAINING BUDDHAHOOD ^[1]

At that time, the Blessed One abided in the pure dharmadhatu, wherein the three times are equal, with neither before nor after; unmoving and quiescent, eternally uninterrupted and inexhaustible. The light of great wisdom illuminated all worlds. Through skillful means, he manifested spiritual powers and transformed and guided the lands of the ten directions, pervading everywhere without exception. ^[2]

Then the Blessed One said to the great bodhisattva Manjusri: “After a practitioner of Yoga ^[3] has contemplated the lunar disc, he should contemplate the three great secret dharmas. What are these three? The first is the secret of mind.

The second is the secret of speech. The third is the secret of body. What is called the secret Dharma of mind?

A practitioner of Yoga contemplates a golden five-pronged vajra ^[4] arising within the full lunar disc, shining brilliantly like molten gold and emitting innumerable rays of great white light. Contemplating in this manner is called the ‘secret of mind.’ What is called the secret of speech? ‘Om, địa thất-đa bà nhĩ-la.’ This dharani possesses great power and is the true mantra through which all bodhisattvas attain Buddhahood; therefore, it is called the ‘secret of speech.’ What is called the ‘secret Dharma of body’?

Within the place of awakening, one sits upright with right mindfulness, forms with one’s hands the ‘foremost mudra that guides one toward unsurpassed bodhi,’ ^[5] and places it at the lunar disc of the mind within the chest.

“Good man! I shall explain to you the form of this mudra. First, place the thumbs of both the left and right hands inside their respective palms.

With the index, middle, and fourth fingers—the ring fingers—of both the left and right hands, firmly grasp the thumbs to form fists. This is the ‘Firm Vajra-Fist Mudra.’ Then, without altering the fists, extend only the index finger of the left hand straight upward into space and place that left fist over the heart. With the little finger of the right fist, firmly grasp one joint of the index finger of the left fist.

Then point the tip of the index finger of the right fist toward one joint of the thumb of the right fist. Place this also before the heart. This is called the ‘Foremost Wisdom Mudra That Guides One toward Unsurpassed Bodhi.’ It is also called the ‘Mudra of Great Light Capable of Destroying the Dark Gloom of Ignorance.’ ^[6] Because forming this mudra invokes the power of empowerment, the Buddhas of the ten directions stroke the crown of the practitioner’s head and bestow upon him the ‘supreme and certain prediction of great bodhi.’ This is the ‘Great Wondrous Wisdom Mudra of the Infinite Accumulation of Merit of Tathagata Mahavairocana.’ ^[7]

“After the practitioner has formed this mudra, he should immediately make the following contemplation: ‘May all sentient beings together form this mudra and mindfully uphold the true mantra, so that throughout the worlds of the ten directions they will not undergo the painful results of the three evil destinies and the eight difficulties, but will all enjoy the foremost pure bliss of the Dharma. Upon my head there is now a great jeweled crown.

Within this celestial crown, five Buddha-Tathagatas sit in the full lotus posture. I am Tathagata Vairocana, perfectly endowed with the thirty-two marks and the eighty excellent characteristics, emitting rays of great light that illuminate the ten directions and bring benefit, peace, and happiness to all sentient beings.’ Contemplating in this manner is called ‘Entering the Supreme Samadhi of Tathagata Vairocana.’ ^[8]

It is like a person who realizes the subtle and wondrous “Kāru” contemplation gate and performs this contemplation: “My body is precisely the body of the foremost golden-winged garuḍa bird; my mind, intention, and speech are likewise. Through the power of this contemplation, poisons are dissolved, and no harmful poison whatsoever can cause injury.” The practice of ordinary beings is likewise. Sitting in the posture of subjugation, with the body unmoving, the hands forming the wisdom mudrā, secretly reciting the true words, and the mind entering this contemplation, they can extinguish the three poisons, eliminate karmic hindrances, and increase merit and wisdom.

Their worldly and supramundane vows will swiftly be fulfilled; the eighty-four thousand afflictive hindrances will be unable to arise, and extremely grave hindrances to knowledge, as numerous as the sands of the Ganges, will gradually be extinguished. The undefiled great wisdom—the “diamond-cutting prajnaparamita”—will become perfectly and immediately manifest, and they will swiftly attain unsurpassed, complete, perfect enlightenment. ^[9]

At that time, Bodhisattva Mañjuśrī addressed the Buddha, saying: “Rare indeed is the World-Honored One! Rare indeed is the Sugata! The appearance of the Tathagata in the world is rarer even than the udumbara flower, and even when he appears in the world, it is difficult for him to teach this Dharma. These three unsurpassed secret Dharma wheels of the mind-ground truly bring benefit and happiness to all sentient beings and constitute the true, correct path of entry into the ground of the Tathagata and the ground of the bodhisattva. If any sentient being, not cherishing body or life, practices this Dharma, that being will swiftly realize bodhi.” ^[10]

The Buddha then told Bodhisattva Mañjuśrī: “If any good man or good woman wishes to cultivate the three wondrous secret gates for attaining Buddhahood and quickly obtain the Tathagata’s body of merit and virtue, that person should don the thirty-two kinds of great diamond armor of a bodhisattva and cultivate this wondrous contemplation. That person will then certainly realize the pure Dharma body of the Tathagata.

“What are these thirty-two kinds of armor? First, donning the great armor of enduring suffering: throughout immeasurable kalpas, one endures suffering for sentient beings without growing weary of samsara. Second, donning the great armor of never abandoning: one vows to deliver immeasurable sentient beings, never abandoning even worms or ants.

Third, donning the great armor of secrecy: one awakens sentient beings from the long dream of samsara and establishes them in the three secret Dharmas. Fourth, donning the great armor of protecting the Dharma: one safeguards the Buddha-Dharma at all times, just as an echo responds to a sound. Fifth, donning the great diamond armor: one forever extinguishes the arising of the two views of existence and nonexistence and all afflictions.

Sixth, donning the great armor of relinquishment: if others ask for one’s head, eyes, marrow, brain, wife, children, precious jewels, and so forth, one relinquishes them all. Seventh, donning the great armor of generosity: one resolutely remains unattached to all pleasurable things enjoyed in the household and gives them all away. Eighth, donning the great armor of moral discipline: one is able to uphold the bodhisattva’s threefold pure precepts and never abandons the dhūta practices.

Ninth, donning the great armor of patience: clothed in the armor of patience, one encounters adverse conditions such as abuse and beatings yet never retaliates. Tenth, donning the great armor of turning minds: one teaches and transforms pratyekabuddhas and śrāvakas, causing them to turn their minds toward the One Vehicle. Eleventh, donning the great armor of diligence: one diligently delivers sentient beings, like a powerful wind that never ceases by day or night.

Twelfth, donning the great armor of cultivating the samādhi of liberation: body and mind are tranquil, and the mouth commits no offense. Thirteenth, donning the great armor of equality: while benefiting sentient beings, one regards samsara and nirvana without the two biased views. Fourteenth, donning the great armor of bestowing happiness: with great unconditional loving-kindness, one benefits every kind of being and never grows weary or abandons them.

Fifteenth, donning the great armor of removing suffering: with great unobstructed compassion, one rescues and embraces all beings without limit. Sixteenth, donning the great armor of great joy: bearing no enmity or resentment toward any sentient being, one constantly performs beneficial deeds. Seventeenth, donning the great armor of great equanimity: though undertaking arduous practices, one does not fear fatigue and never retreats.

Eighteenth, donning the great armor of tirelessness: when suffering sentient beings come to a bodhisattva, the bodhisattva endures their suffering in their stead without weariness. Nineteenth, donning the great armor of liberation from the perceiving faculty: one’s vision is lucid, like seeing an āmalaka fruit in the palm of one’s hand; in this way, one is liberated from the perceiving faculty. Twentieth, donning the great armor of nonattachment: one sees the body of the five skandhas as a band of caṇḍālas—slaughterers who injure wholesome deeds.

Twenty-first, donning the great armor of revulsion and relinquishment: one sees the twelve ayatanas—the six faculties and six objects—as an empty village and constantly harbors vigilance and fear. Twenty-second, donning the great armor of great wisdom: one sees the eighteen dhatus—the six faculties, six objects, and six consciousnesses—as illusory transformations, devoid of reality. Twenty-third, donning the great armor of realizing suchness: one sees all dharmas as equal within the dharma realm and perceives no differentiated characteristics among them.

Twenty-fourth, donning the great supramundane armor: one conceals the faults of others, does not conceal one’s own faults, and grows disenchanted with and relinquishes the three realms. Twenty-fifth, donning the great armor of teaching and delivering: like a great king of physicians who prescribes medicine according to the illness, the bodhisattva teaches and transforms beings as appropriate. Twenty-sixth, donning the great armor of returning to the One: one sees that the true essence of the Three Vehicles is originally without difference and that, ultimately, all minds return together to the One—the single dharma realm of true suchness, or the Buddha-fruit of the One Vehicle.

Twenty-seventh, donning the great armor of delivering others: one perpetuates the lineage of the Three Jewels so that it is never severed and turns the wheel of the wondrous Dharma to deliver others. Twenty-eighth, donning the great armor of cultivating the path: because the Buddha has shown great kindness and virtue toward sentient beings, one must cultivate the Buddha-path in order to repay the Buddha’s kindness. Twenty-ninth, donning the great armor of stainlessness: one contemplates the intrinsic nature of all dharmas as empty and quiescent, neither arising nor ceasing, and stainless.

Thirtieth, donning the great armor of unobstructedness: one realizes the patience of non-arising, attains dharani, and obtains unobstructed eloquence in joyful exposition. Thirty-first, donning the great armor: one extensively teaches sentient beings, enabling them to sit beneath the bodhi tree and realize the single-flavored Buddha-fruit. Thirty-second, donning the great armor: in a single instant of thought, one’s mind accords with prajna—the Buddha’s wisdom—and one realizes the great Dharma without remainder throughout the three times.

These are called the thirty-two kinds of great diamond armor of a great bodhisattva.

“Mañjuśrī Bodhisattva! If any good man or good woman clothes the body in such diamond armor, that person should diligently cultivate the three secret Dharmas. In this present life, that person will possess great merit and wisdom and swiftly realize unsurpassed, complete, perfect bodhi.” ^[12]

At that time, the great sage Mañjuśrī Bodhisattva Mahāsattva and the great assembly heard the Buddha teach the wondrous Dharma of the three secret gates of the mind-ground and the thirty-two kinds of diamond armor. All the bodhisattvas on the ground of further training removed their necklaces and priceless jeweled robes and offered them to Vairocana Tathagata and the World-Honored Ones throughout the ten directions. They praised the Buddha, saying: “Excellent, excellent!

The World-Honored One has expounded the boundless practices and vows of bodhisattvas, bringing benefit, peace, and happiness to all sentient beings, enabling them to cast off the body of an ordinary being and realize entry into the ground of Buddhahood. Now, within this ocean-like great assembly, to repay the Buddha’s kindness, we shall not cherish our bodies or lives. For the sake of all sentient beings, we ask to enter universally into all lands, discerningly expound this subtle and wondrous Dharma, receive and uphold it, read and recite it, copy and disseminate it, and ensure that this wondrous Dharma is never severed.

We reverently beseech the Tathagata to extend his compassionate protection and mindfulness to us from afar!”

The great assembly, having heard this wondrous Dharma, gained great benefit. Countless bodhisattvas, beyond all reckoning, attained realization of the Stage of Non-retrogression, and all humans and devas gained supreme benefit. Even all sentient beings within the five destinies cast off their grave obstructions, obtained immeasurable peace and happiness, and would all attain unsurpassed, perfect enlightenment.^[13]

Notes:

^[1] Attaining Buddhahood: When a bodhisattva at the causal stage cultivates the myriad practices and ultimately accomplishes the fruit of unsurpassed, perfect enlightenment, this is called “attaining Buddhahood.” There are four levels of attaining Buddhahood: 1/ Attaining Buddhahood through the fulfillment of faith: Relying upon certainty regarding the innate spiritual lineage, one believes that all dharmas neither arise nor cease, are pure and equal, and cannot be sought through aspiration;

this is “attaining Buddhahood through the fulfillment of faith.” 2/ Attaining Buddhahood through the fulfillment of understanding: Relying upon understanding and practice, one deeply understands that the Dharma-nature is unconditioned, gives rise neither to the perception of birth and death nor to the perception of nirvana, and is neither fearful nor delighted; this is “attaining Buddhahood through the fulfillment of understanding.” 3/ Attaining Buddhahood through the fulfillment of practice: Relying upon the ultimate stage of the bodhisattva, one eliminates all Dharma-obstructions and ignorance, and fully perfects the vows and practices of bodhi;

this is “attaining Buddhahood through the fulfillment of practice.” 4/ Attaining Buddhahood through the fulfillment of realization: Relying upon the purified mind, one obtains the quiescent, non-discriminating wisdom of the Dharma and inconceivable, sublime qualities that cannot be conceived or discussed; this is “attaining Buddhahood through the fulfillment of realization.”

^[2] The preceding passage, from “At that time” through “universally pervasive,” explains the three bodies of the Buddha. From “abiding” through “entirely,” it discusses the essence and function of the Buddha’s Dharma-body. The Buddha’s Dharma-body takes the nature of the Dharma-realm as its body; the nature of the Dharma-realm is pure, eternal, and free from discrimination.

The sentence beginning “The light…” explains the essence and function of the Buddha’s Body of Personal Enjoyment. The light of wisdom is attained through cultivating immeasurable merit; once perfected, it illuminates everything. This is the Buddha’s perfectly fulfilled Reward-body.

The sentence beginning “Skillful means…” explains the function of the Body of Enjoyment for Others and the Transformation-body. To teach bodhisattvas of the Ten Grounds, the Buddha manifests the Body of Enjoyment; to deliver other noble beings and universally liberate sentient beings, he manifests the Transformation-body.

^[3] Yoga: This means “correspondence” or “union”: the practitioner who meditates and the object or method of meditation correspond with one another. Correspondence has five meanings: 1/ Correspondence with objects: not contradicting the intrinsic nature of dharmas, or phenomena. 2/ Correspondence of practice: the practices of concentration, wisdom, and so forth correspond with one another. 3/ Correspondence with principle: conforming to the two truths, whether established or non-established. 4/ Correspondence with the fruit: realizing the fruit of unsurpassed bodhi. 5/ Correspondence with capacities: after attaining the perfect fruit, one benefits beings and rescues creatures, administering medicine in accordance with the capacities of sentient beings.

In terms of cultivation, the Consciousness-Only school commonly employs “correspondence with principle,” while the Esoteric school employs “correspondence of practice.” The word “Yoga” in this scripture also pertains to “correspondence of practice.” Correspondence of practice takes the three mysteries—the mysteries of body, speech, and mind—as its guiding principle.

^[4] Five-pronged vajra: Also called the “vajra of the five wisdoms,” meaning a vajra implement fully endowed with the wondrous power of the five wisdoms, which become the Five Buddhas: 1/ The wisdom of the essential nature of the Dharma-realm becomes Mahavairocana Tathagata. 2/ The great mirror wisdom becomes Akshobhya Tathagata. 3/ The wisdom of equality becomes Ratnasambhava Tathagata. 4/ The wisdom of wondrous discernment becomes Amitayus Tathagata. 5/ The wisdom of accomplishment becomes Amoghasiddhi Tathagata. Here, “prong” means a branch or kind. Thus, the “five-pronged vajra” refers to the five kinds, or five wisdoms, of vajra described above.

^[5] Guiding…: This signifies the method of guiding bodhisattvas toward the attainment of Buddhahood.

^[6] Capable of destroying…: This means guiding bodhisattvas toward bodhi, that is, toward the attainment of perfectly luminous wisdom, through which the darkness of ignorance is utterly destroyed.

^[7] In the preceding passage, from “At that time” through “wisdom seal,” the Buddha teaches practitioners that they must practice the three mysteries: the mystery of mind, the mystery of speech, and the mystery of body. Through the mystery of mind one visualizes; through the mystery of speech one recites mantras; and through the mystery of body one forms mudras. Those who practice in this way receive the assurance of the Buddhas of the ten directions that they will certainly attain Buddhahood. To attain Buddhahood is to become fully endowed with merit and wisdom, penetrating and illuminating all things like Vairocana Buddha. Vairocana means “universally pervasive.”

^[8] In the preceding passage, from “When the practitioner” through “samadhi,” one contemplates one’s own body as the Buddha and thereby brings benefit to sentient beings.

^[9] The preceding passage, from “It is like” through “perfect enlightenment,” provides an analogy for the sublime and supreme Dharma. Just as the worldly Garuda contemplation dispels poison, this wondrous contemplation is like the vajra sword of wisdom, which severs and destroys all karmic offenses, obstructions, and afflictions, leading to unsurpassed enlightenment.

^[10] In the preceding passage, from “At that time” through “bodhi,” Bodhisattva Manjushri praises the Dharma-gate taught by the Buddha and exhorts sentient beings to practice it.

^[11] Amala: The name of a type of Indian fruit, translated into Chinese as “stainless purity.”

^[12] In the preceding passage, from “At that time” through “bodhi,” the Buddha teaches that practitioners who wish swiftly to bring mind, speech, and body to accomplishment must practice thirty-two dharmas. These thirty-two dharmas are regarded as thirty-two suits of vajra armor, with which they resolutely sacrifice themselves and battle all afflictions, so that they and all sentient beings may swiftly attain realization of the ultimate, unsurpassed wisdom of the Buddhas of the three times.

^[13] In the preceding passage, from “At that time” through “perfect enlightenment,” after the great assembly heard the Buddha teach this Dharma-gate, they all rejoiced and offered precious treasures to the Buddhas of the ten directions. They praised it and made the vow: “We shall manifest emanation bodies to propagate this Dharma-gate.” Those within the great assembly gained many great benefits.

XIII. CHAPTER ON ENTRUSTMENT ^[1]

At that time, Shakyamuni Tathagata addressed Bodhisattva Manjushri and the countless members of the ocean-like assembly, saying: “Throughout immeasurable hundreds of thousands of millions of great kalpas, I did not begrudge my body or life, my head, eyes, hands, feet, blood, flesh, bones, marrow, wife, children, lands, cities, fortresses, or any precious jewel. Whenever anyone asked these of me, I gave them all in generosity.

I cultivated hundreds of thousands of difficult ascetic practices and thereby realized this Mahayana Dharma-gate of Contemplating the Mind-ground. I now entrust this Dharma to you. You should know that this extremely profound and extensive sutra is proclaimed by all those throughout the ten directions and the three times who possess the unsurpassed Ten Powers.^[2] Such an exceedingly wondrous and precious sutra enables sentient beings to obtain every benefit and joy.

Throughout the trichiliocosm and the Buddha lands of the ten directions, there are boundlessly many kinds of sentient beings. Through the majestic spiritual power and supreme merit of this Mahayana Sutra of Contemplating the Mind-ground, beings among animals, hungry ghosts, and hell beings are freed from suffering and distress and come to enjoy peace and happiness. So inconceivable are the power and merit of this sutra that they cause the land wherever it abides to be joyful and prosperous, without hostile enemies.

It is like a person who obtains a wish-fulfilling jewel and keeps it within his home: it can produce every wondrous and extraordinary object of enjoyment. This wondrous and precious sutra is likewise able to bring inexhaustible peace and happiness to a realm. It is also like the mani drum in the Heaven of the Thirty-three, which can produce hundreds of thousands of sounds and cause the heavenly hosts dwelling there to enjoy every delight.

The Dharma drum of this sutra is likewise able to bring the most excellent peace and happiness to a realm. For this reason, all of you in the great assembly should abide in the great power of patience and circulate this sutra!”^[3]

At that time, Bodhisattva Manjusri addressed the Buddha, saying: “World-Honored One! Rare indeed is the Tathagata! Rare indeed is the Sugata! Thus have You expounded this profound, vast, and wondrous Mahayana Sutra of Contemplation of the Mind-Ground, bringing immense benefit to practitioners of the Mahayana. Indeed, World-Honored One, this sutra is truly profound and wondrous! If good men or good women receive and uphold this sutra, even so little as a single four-line verse, how much merit will they obtain?”

The World-Honored One told Bodhisattva Manjusri: “Suppose good men or good women filled as many trichiliocosms as there are grains of sand in the Ganges with the seven treasures and used them to make offerings to all the Buddhas of the ten directions. For each Buddha, they established a monastery adorned with the seven treasures and furnished it with articles for making offerings to the Buddhas and bodhisattvas for as many kalpas as there are grains of sand in the Ganges.

Those Tathagatas also had immeasurable sravaka disciples, and they likewise offered all necessities to those disciples, no differently from their offerings to the Buddhas. After those Buddhas and sravakas entered nirvana, they further built great jeweled stupas and made offerings to their relics. Yet if good men or good women were, for but a moment, to hear, believe, and understand a single four-line verse from this Mind-Ground Sutra; arouse the mind of bodhi; receive, uphold, read, recite, explain, and transcribe it; or, at the very least, expound it to even one person, then, when the merit of all those offerings is compared with the merit gained from expounding this sutra, the former would not equal even one-sixteenth of the latter.

No calculation or analogy could measure up to it. How much more immeasurable, then, would be the blessings gained by one who receives, upholds, reads, and studies the entire sutra and extensively expounds it to others!

“If a woman arouses the mind of bodhi and receives, upholds, studies, transcribes, and explains this Mind-Ground Sutra, this will be the last time she assumes a female body. Thereafter, she will no longer assume a female body, nor will she fall into the evil destinies or encounter the eight difficulties. In this very life, she will obtain ten supreme blessings and benefits: First, her lifespan will increase.

Second, all illness and affliction will be removed. Third, karmic hindrances will be extinguished. Fourth, her merit and wisdom will multiply.

Fifth, she will not lack wealth. Sixth, her complexion will be smooth and radiant. Seventh, she will be loved and respected by others.

Eighth, she will have filial children who care for her. Ninth, her family and retinue will live in harmony. Tenth, her wholesome resolve will remain steadfast. ^[4]

“Manjusri! Wherever this sutra is read and studied, chanted, explained, or transcribed, the place where this scripture is kept is itself a stupa of the Buddha. All devas, humans, nonhumans, and others should make offerings there of the most precious treasures found among humans and in the heavens. Why is this so? Because wherever this scripture is kept, the Buddhas, bodhisattvas, pratyekabuddhas, and sravakas are present. Why? Because all Tathagatas cultivated this sutra, relinquished the body of an ordinary being, and attained unsurpassed, complete, perfect enlightenment; and all sages and noble ones likewise attained liberation through this sutra. ^[5]

“Manjusri! Five hundred years after I enter nirvana, when the true Dharma is about to perish, if a Dharma master ^[6] receives, upholds, reads, studies, explains, and transcribes this Mind-Ground Sutra, foremost among all sutras, that Dharma master will be no different from Me. If good men or good women make offerings to and honor that Dharma master, they thereby make offerings to all the Buddhas of the ten directions throughout the three periods of time, and the merit and blessings they enjoy will be equally identical, without any difference.

This is called ‘the true Dharma offering to the Tathagata,’ and it is also called ‘the offering of right practice.’ Why is this so? Because, in an age without a Buddha, that Dharma master expounds this most profound and vast King of Sutras of the Mind-Ground for beings holding wrong views in an evil and defiled age, enabling them to abandon evil views and proceed toward the path of bodhi. That master widely proclaims and disseminates it, causing this teaching to abide in the world for a long time.

Such a master is called ‘a Buddha without the excellent physical marks,’ and all humans and devas should make offerings to that master. If good men or good women join their palms and respectfully venerate that Dharma master, I confer upon them the prediction of unsurpassed great bodhi, and they will attain unsurpassed, complete, perfect enlightenment. ^[7]

“If people who hear this Mind-Ground Sutra, wishing to repay the four kinds of kindness, arouse the mind of bodhi and either transcribe it themselves, ask others to transcribe it, or read and recite it fluently, then even if the wisdom-power of a Buddha were employed to calculate whether the merit obtained by such people was great or small, its utmost limits could not be known. Those people are the true children of all Buddhas.

All devas, Brahma kings, Sakra, the Four Great Heavenly Kings, Hariti together with her five hundred attendants, ^[8] the great ghost-spirit king Nilavata—the Great Yaksa Spirit—dragons, spirits, and the eight classes of beings, ^[9] as well as all ghosts and spirits who hear the Dharma, will never leave them by day or night and will constantly protect them. Such Buddha-children will increase in right mindfulness, wisdom, and unhindered eloquence, and will constantly teach and transform sentient beings, enabling them to plant the causes of Buddhahood. ^[10]

“Manjusri! When such good men or good women are about to die, they will directly behold the Buddhas of the ten directions, and their three kinds of karma—body, speech, and mind—will remain undisturbed. First, they will obtain ten kinds of pure bodily karma. What are the ten? First, the body will not undergo suffering. Second, the eyes will not protrude. Third, the hands will not twitch. Fourth, the legs will neither contract nor extend. Fifth, urine and excrement will not leak out. Sixth, the body will not break out in sweat. Seventh, they will not grope about. Eighth, their clenched hands will open. Ninth, their facial expression will not change. Tenth, they will turn onto their side with ease. Through the power of this sutra, such signs will appear!

“Next, they will obtain ten kinds of pure verbal karma. What are the ten? First, they will utter wondrous words. Second, they will utter gentle words. Third, they will utter auspicious words. Fourth, they will utter pleasing words. Fifth, they will utter accommodating words. Sixth, they will utter beneficial words. Seventh, they will utter words of majestic virtue. Eighth, they will utter no words contrary to their kin. Ninth, they will utter words cherished and respected by humans and devas. Tenth, they will utter words praising the teachings spoken by the Buddha. Such wholesome speech is obtained entirely through this sutra!

“Furthermore, they will obtain ten kinds of pure mental karma. What are the ten? First, they will not give rise to anger. Second, they will harbor no enduring resentment. Third, they will not give rise to stinginess. Fourth, they will not give rise to jealousy. Fifth, they will not speak of others’ faults and evils. Sixth, they will not give rise to hostility. Seventh, they will not give rise to deluded and inverted thoughts. Eighth, they will not covet any object. Ninth, they will remain far removed from the seven kinds of arrogance. Tenth, they will aspire to realize all Buddha-Dharmas and perfect samadhi. ^[11]

“Manjusri! Such merit and virtues all arise from the inconceivable power of receiving and upholding, reading and studying until fluent, explaining, and transcribing this profound and wondrous scripture. In immeasurable places and throughout immeasurable periods of time, there are sentient beings who never have the opportunity even to hear this Mind-Ground Sutra, much less see it and cultivate it completely. All of you in this great assembly should single-mindedly reverently uphold it; you will swiftly relinquish the body of an ordinary being and accomplish the Buddha path.”

At that time, Mañjuśrī, the Dharma Prince, immeasurable great bodhisattvas, Bodhisattva Wisdom-Light, many newly resolved bodhisattvas, Ājñāta Kauṇḍinya together with many great śrāvakas, devas, nāgas, the eight classes of beings, humans, nonhumans, and the entire assembly all single-mindedly received and upheld the Buddha’s words. They all rejoiced, faithfully accepted them, and reverently practiced them.
Notes:

^[1] Entrustment: This means entrusting the work being carried out to those who come afterward, so that they may undertake, maintain, and develop it; such work requires those entrusted with it to devote their attention and labor to it.

^[2] The ten powers… The ten powers of the Tathagata: 1/ The power of wisdom that understands what accords with principle and what does not accord with principle in all things. 2/ The power of wisdom that knows the karmic causes, effects, and retributions of sentient beings throughout the three times. 3/ The power of wisdom that knows the various gates of meditative concentration, liberation,

and samādhi. 4/ The power of wisdom that knows the superior and inferior faculties of sentient beings. 5/ The power of wisdom that knows all the understandings of sentient beings. 6/ The power of wisdom that knows all the realms of sentient beings. 7/ The power of wisdom that knows the destinations to which all paths lead. 8/ The power of wisdom that knows how to employ the unobstructed divine eye. 9/ The power of wisdom that knows past lives without outflows. 10/ The power of wisdom that knows the complete eradication of habitual tendencies.

This refers to the knowledge of all Buddhas throughout the ten directions and the three times.

^[3] In the passage above, from “At that time” through “this sutra,” the Buddha explains that only after cultivating for many kalpas did he attain this contemplative gateway of the Mind-Ground. He now entrusts it to the great assembly, who should therefore patiently persevere in propagating this sutra to everyone, everywhere, and never allow it to be lost, because wherever this sutra is present, it brings abundant peace and happiness to that place.

^[4] In the passage above, from “Then” through “steadfast,” Bodhisattva Mañjuśrī asks the Buddha about the merit of preserving this sutra. The Buddha teaches: “Preserving this sutra brings benefits surpassing those gained by making offerings to the Buddhas, bodhisattvas, and śrāvakas. Moreover, any woman who preserves it will additionally obtain ten supreme benefits.”

^[5] In the passage above, from “In this place” through “liberation,” the Buddha states that wherever this sutra is kept, it is as though a stupa of the Buddha were present there; therefore, offerings should be made to it.

^[6] Dharma master: An honorific title for those thoroughly versed in the Buddhadharma who are capable of serving as exemplars for others.

^[7] In the passage above, from “After” through “perfect enlightenment,” the Buddha states that the merit of a Dharma master who preserves this sutra is exceedingly great; therefore, such a master should be revered and presented with offerings just as one would revere and make offerings to the Buddha.

^[8] Mother Hārītī: Hārītī is translated into Chinese as “Joyful.” Mother Hārītī means the mother of demon children. Fascicle 31 of the Vinaya Miscellany states: “Long ago, when a pratyekabuddha appeared in the city of Rājagṛha, a great assembly was convened. On the day of the assembly, five hundred people heard about it and went together to attend.

Along the road, they encountered a pregnant cowherd woman carrying a vessel of curds, and they invited her to attend the assembly. The woman accompanied them. Upon arriving and seeing the festivities, she began to dance to add to the merriment, but unexpectedly suffered a miscarriage.

Seeing what had happened, the others departed, leaving her there alone in pain and grief. She then sought to sell her vessel of curds and used the proceeds to purchase five hundred āmalaka fruits. Just then, the pratyekabuddha came to visit and console her.

She immediately bowed her head at his feet, offered him the fruits, and made this vow: ‘I vow that in a future life I shall be born in this city of Rājagṛha and devour all the children of its inhabitants.’ Because of this evil vow, she was later born in Rājagṛha as the eldest daughter of the yakṣa Sāla. She married the yakṣa Pañcika, the eldest son of the yakṣa Pañcāla of Gandhāra, and gave birth to five hundred children.

Every day she seized the boys and girls of Rājagṛha and devoured them. One day, the Buddha employed skillful means and hid one of the demoness’s children. Grief-stricken and filled with sorrow, the demoness went searching for the child.

Learning that the child was with the Buddha, she came and implored him to return it. The Buddha said: ‘You have five hundred children, yet you cherish even one of them. How much more must other people, who have only one or two children, cherish theirs?’ Thereupon, the Buddha exhorted the demoness not to take life and transmitted the Five Precepts to her, whereupon she became an upāsikā.

After receiving the precepts, the demoness addressed the Buddha: ‘From now on, if I have no children to eat, I shall starve to death!’ The Buddha replied: ‘Do not worry. From this day forward, wherever my śrāvaka disciples dwell, whenever they eat, they shall invoke the names of you and your children, and you and your children shall be fully satisfied. In return, you and your children must wholeheartedly protect the monasteries and the monks and nuns within my teaching!’ The demoness and her children all rejoiced.”

^[9] The eight classes: 1/ Devas. 2/ Nāgas. 3/ Yakṣas. 4/ Gandharvas. 5/ Asuras. 6/ Garuḍas. 7/ Kiṃnaras. 8/ Mahoragas.

^[10] In the passage above, from “If a person” through “the Buddha as cause,” the Buddha explains the merit gained from preserving and propagating this sutra as a means of repaying the four kinds of kindness.

^[11] In the passage above, from “You, Mañjuśrī…” through “samādhi,” the Buddha explains the benefits of preserving and propagating this sutra: when one is about to die, one will behold the Buddhas and attain ten kinds of purity concerning the karma of body, speech, and mind.

^[12] In the passage above, from “Such merits” through “reverently practiced them,” the Buddha concludes by exhorting the great assembly to cultivate and uphold this sutra single-mindedly. The entire assembly rejoiced single-mindedly and reverently upheld it.

Here ends Fascicle Eight.