大乘理趣六波羅蜜多經

Chapter 3: GIVING RISE TO THE BODHI-MIND

When the World-Honored One had uttered these words like the roar of a Lion (2), revealing the Secret Dhāraṇī-gate (Universal-Retention Gate) (3), straightway the Great Bodhisattva Maitreya (the Compassionate One) rose from his seat, bared his right shoulder, knelt with his right knee upon the ground, with single-minded devotion joined his palms together, faced the Buddha, and addressed Him, saying: "How excellent it is, how excellent it is!

Great and Holy World-Honored One, who ever with a mind of great compassion praises and proclaims such a 'Secret Sweet-Dew Supreme Dhāraṇī' (4) for the safeguarding of the realms of the world. I respectfully beseech the World-Honored One, out of pity for sentient beings, to expound the Dharma of Supreme Bodhi, so that those sentient beings (living beings) who have not yet given rise to the mind may give rise to it. Once sentient beings have given rise to the mind, how are they to cultivate practice?

And by what causes and conditions are they made not to retrogress from the Mahāyāna-mind?" (5)

At that time, the World-Honored One said to the Great Bodhisattva Maitreya: "If there be a good son or a good woman who, for the sake of sentient beings, wishes to cultivate the practice of the Mahāyāna and wishes to ferry sentient beings across to the great Nirvāṇa, that one must first give rise to five supreme minds. What are these five supreme minds? — First, toward all sentient beings, to give rise to a mind of great loving-kindness and compassion, equal and all-pervading.

Second, toward the All-Knowledge-of-Modes (6), a mind that does not retrogress. Third, toward all sentient beings, to conceive the thought of them as dear friends, and amid every peril and calamity to vow to rescue and protect them. Fourth, toward sentient beings, ever to conceive the thought that one is indebted to them.

Fifth, ever to bear a heart of shame and abashment, pondering: at what time shall I have fully repaid my debt to them? Whoever can give rise to such five minds shall surely and swiftly realize the fruit of Supreme, Perfect Enlightenment." (7)

Furthermore, Great Bodhisattva Maitreya! How is it that, within the Mahāyāna, one cultivates practice single-mindedly and attains non-retrogression? — As in a time long past, there was a merchant, intelligent and clear-sighted, who ever performed deeds of benevolence and filial obedience. Seeing his parents and kinsfolk poor and suffering, he was again and again grieved and afflicted in body and mind, [pondering] by what skillful means he might supply and assist them.

That merchant reflected thus: "There is nothing better than to enter the sea and gather the Wish-Fulfilling Jewel (8), bringing it back to provide for them, that alone can free them from poverty and suffering!" For this cause, that merchant gave rise to a valiant mind, not sparing his own body and life. Straightway he set out from his home, and by every skillful means he sought out provisions (food-stores and equipment), and likewise sought good companions, a ship, and a helmsman (ship's pilot).

While that merchant was journeying along midway, he met a stranger returning from the sea. That stranger asked the merchant, saying: "Where do you wish to go, and what do you seek, that you hasten so?" The merchant gave a full account of the causes and conditions as above: that, wishing to rescue and aid those who were destitute, he now wished to enter the sea, seek the Wish-Fulfilling Jewel, and bring it back to provide for them.

That stranger said: "Formerly I too left my home and set out just so, wishing to rescue and aid my kinsfolk afflicted by the sufferings of destitution. After I gave rise to the resolve, left home, and set out, along the way I met with many perils and hardships: passing through vast plains, crossing boundless tracts of sand and gravel (deserts) without the least drop of water nor a single plant, and abounding in wild elephants, tigers, leopards, jackals, venomous serpents, and lions; or encountering bandits and robbers, great mountains and great rivers, hunger and thirst, cold and heat, terror and dread.

Having passed through that place, the helmsman and I came at last into the great sea, where again we met with mighty winds, great fish, evil dragons, thunder and lightning, hail, dashing waves, whirlpools — many were the perils, more than can be told. Yet though I endured such sufferings and calamities, still I did not find the Wish-Fulfilling Jewel; I obtained only things to sustain the body, barely enough to provide for myself, and was not yet able to rescue my kinsfolk from their poverty and want.

Now I counsel you, Sir, you should not force yourself to bear such hardship, which only wearies you in vain! I wish that you and I should arrange some other undertaking in some other place. Why is this?

Because within that great sea there are many calamities, and not one calamity alone: black gales, black mountains, Yakṣas, Rākṣasas, great whales, savage dragons; and as for the Wish-Fulfilling Jewel, one has only ever heard its name. In truth, of the thousands and tens of thousands who go to seek the jewel, it is not certain that even one or two have obtained that precious gem. For this cause, I counsel you, Sir: you had best turn back early!"

Then, when that merchant-chief had heard these words, all the more did he advance and press forward, giving rise to three supreme minds, resolved to enter the sea and seek the jewel without retreating. What are these three supreme minds? — First, he thought: "My parents, brothers, and kinsfolk are poor and suffering thus; how could I bear to return empty-handed, unable to rescue and aid one another in anything?" Second, he thought: "My kinsfolk, who in former times were wealthy and did me the kindness of providing me food to eat and clothing to wear, and pitied me greatly — today they are stricken by destitution and cannot even preserve their bodies and lives.

How could I bear to abandon them thus and wish to retreat and return?" Third, he thought: "When I was at home, overseeing the household affairs, I ordered about the servants both great and small, and moreover rebuked them in every matter. How could I bear, now that they are poor and suffering, not to have pity and aid them, that they might find joy, but instead wish to retreat and return?" For this cause, mindful of repaying their kindness and virtue, that merchant gave rise to a mind of great valor, firmly resolved to press onward, set on entering the sea to seek the Wish-Fulfilling Jewel; and having obtained it, to return home and bring it to aid his kinsfolk, that they might spend freely and forever be free from hardship and utmost distress." (9)

The Great Bodhisattva is likewise: the Great Bodhisattva gives rise to the Bodhi-mind and contemplates that the six destinies and four kinds of birth (10) throughout the ten directions are all my parents of former lives, who, out of pity for me, committed all manner of evil karma and so fell into the hells, the realm of hungry ghosts, and the realm of animals, undergoing every kind of suffering and affliction. For this cause, I reflect thus: "By what skillful means may I rescue and aid those who suffer such calamities?" Having given rise to this thought, he sees that only by entering into the great sea of the Dharma — the Six Pāramitās — and seeking the Buddha's Knowledge-of-Modes can one rescue sentient beings from the suffering of birth-and-death!

Having reflected thus, the Bodhisattva gives rise to a mind of great valor, unbending and unretreating, vigorously and earnestly seeking, without sloth or weariness, and by every skillful means seeks out provisions, and seeks good companions in Enlightenment (Bodhi), together with the Dharma (the True Dharma) and the Dharma-master.

When the Bodhisattva had journeyed along midway, he met a Māra-king commanding his host of followers. Sometimes it manifested in the bodily form of a being of the heavenly realm, sometimes it manifested in the form of a man, sometimes in the bodily form of a Brāhmaṇa, sometimes in the form of a caravan-chief merchant, sometimes in the bodily form of a Bhikṣu or a Bhikṣuṇī, sometimes in the bodily form of other kinds of beings.

That Māra-king then asked the Bodhisattva who had given rise to the mind, saying: "Where now do you wish to go, that you hasten so?" The Bodhisattva replied: "For the sake of all sentient beings afflicted by suffering, I now wish to enter the great sea of the Six Perfections to seek the Wish-Fulfilling Jewel of the Buddha's Knowledge-of-Modes, in order to rescue and aid all sentient beings afflicted by poverty and want." The Māra-king said again: "When I first gave rise to the mind, it was just so: wishing to ferry all sentient beings afflicted by suffering out of the house of birth-and-death, I passed through plains and deserts of great drifting (endlessly adrift and tumbling about), enduring every hunger and thirst, robbers and bandits, terror,

and every calamity — and not one calamity alone — before I could come into the great sea of the Dharma of the Six Perfections.

Sometimes I met one who begged for my head, or one who begged for my eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, hands, feet, joints, heart, lungs, intestines, stomach, liver, gall, spleen, kidneys; even to water, fortress-city, wife, children, manservants, maidservants, and attendants — all such things as these, whatever anyone begged, I gave that very thing, without giving rise to any stinginess or grudging, seeking only the treasure of wisdom (the jewel of wisdom, that is, the Buddha's Wisdom).

Throughout immeasurable kalpas of birth-and-death, drifting through the sea of suffering, though I endured every suffering and calamity, still I did not attain Supreme Bodhi, but turned back to seek only the fruit of Arhatship, whereby alone I escaped the three realms and attained the quiescent extinction of Nirvāṇa. Now I counsel you: you should not force yourself to bear such toil and hardship, but should cultivate and maintain yourself; I wish that you and I should together ascend to the rank of that fruit.

Why is this? Because I consider that in the three evil destinies one ever endures the suffering of hunger; though the mind longs for food and drink and one lifts one's face to the empty void, is there anyone who would put into one's mouth even a single full meal? Every suffering and calamity presses upon body and mind; a person's life is impermanent, swifter than water rushing down a mountain.

A wise and good friend (a good companion) is hard to meet with; if you do not believe and accept [this counsel], later your remorse will come too late! Within the sea of birth-and-death, drifting without fixity, the mind is like the moon at the bottom of the water — what reality is there in it! An evil-wise friend (a bad companion) is easily seen and easily met, ever counseling people to practice the path of the Bodhisattva, to forsake their wealth and forsake their body and life, hoping to reach the path of Bodhi.

Moreover, the Buddhas appear in the world only once in how vast a stretch of time; of the thousands and tens of thousands who seek the path of Bodhi, it is not certain that even one or two attain it. Therefore I counsel you, Sir: you should not undergo such toil and hardship, but should seek liberation and realize Nirvāṇa for yourself. Again, throughout three incalculable kalpas one endures every toil and suffering before realizing the Buddha-fruit of Bodhi; whereas here, in this very life, or in but three lifetimes, one shall realize the fruit of Arhatship, becoming one Beyond Learning — why undergo such suffering!

The foolish and witless, whose minds long to seek the Buddha-fruit, pass through immeasurable kalpas, enduring every hardship and suffering, yet it has not been heard that they realize even the fruit of Arhatship — how much less that they realize the supreme path-fruit of Bodhi! It is like a man who has caught a small bird, and then catches sight of a Golden-Winged Bird. That man straightway releases the bird he has caught, which he holds in his hand, and presses forward to chase and seize that Golden-Winged Bird; but the great bird beats its wings and soars high, and the small bird too flies away.

The fool who seeks the Buddha-fruit is likewise: forsaking this fruit of Arhatship and seeking that Buddha-fruit, he loses both fruits alike. Knowing this now, I hope you will soon turn your mind, and in this very life you will surely realize the fruit of Arhatship!"

Then, when the Bodhisattva had heard these words, all the more valiant did he become, giving rise to three minds. What are these three minds? — First, he thought: "All sentient beings, from the beginningless cycle of birth-and-death until now, are all my kinsfolk or my companions, who presently undergo suffering and affliction and have not yet been able to escape it; how could I bear to retreat and return?" Second, he thought: "All sentient beings, from beginningless time until now, have provided me food to eat and clothing to wear, and have pitied me deeply and earnestly;

now they must endure many sufferings and calamities within the round of rebirth, and I have not yet been able to repay them — how could I bear to give rise again to a mind of retrogression?" Third, he thought: "All sentient beings, from beginningless time until now, are all my kin, whom I have ordered about and at times even rebuked, and I have not yet repaid even the least of their kindness!

For this cause, I should not retreat or shrink, but should be all the more valiant in seeking to realize the path-fruit of Bodhi. If I realize the Bodhi of the All-Knowledge-Treasure, using it to rescue and aid sentient beings afflicted by the suffering of birth-and-death — this is called a Great Bodhisattva who, within the Mahāyāna, cultivates practice single-mindedly and attains non-retrogression." (11)

Furthermore, Bodhisattva Maitreya! You should know that this is the Great Bodhisattva who, cultivating the practice of the Mahāyāna, gives rise to five minds. Among these five minds, the first is, toward all sentient beings, to arouse a mind of great compassion; the second is, for the sake of all sentient beings, to seek the All-Knowledge with a mind that does not retrogress — these two minds, with respect to the Dharma of the Mahāyāna, the Bodhisattva must vigorously cultivate.

The third mind is that all sentient beings are my dear friends; the fourth mind is that all sentient beings are those who have shown me kindness, toward whom I have not yet made the least repayment; the fifth mind is that all sentient beings are all my kin, toward whom I have at times given rise to unwholesome karma — rebuking, reviling, and chastising them unreasonably — so that my inmost heart is ashamed and abashed: at what time shall I have repaid them in full!

These three minds cause the Bodhisattvas to be valiant and unretreating, until they realize the path-fruit of Supreme, Perfect Enlightenment." (12)

Notes:

(1) This sūtra is scroll number 261 in the Great Canon (Mahāpiṭaka). The title of this sūtra has already been explained in detail in the volume "Taking Refuge in the Three Jewels." This sūtra has 10 chapters: the chapter on Taking Refuge in the Three Jewels is the first, the chapter on the Dhāraṇī is the second, and this chapter on Giving Rise to the Bodhi-Mind is the third. The Bodhi-mind is of three classes: the Bodhi-mind of the Śrāvaka, the Bodhi-mind of the Pratyekabuddha, and the Bodhi-mind of the Buddha.

This speaks of the Supreme Bodhi-mind, that is, the Bodhi-mind of the Buddha. Bodhi (Bodhi): formerly rendered "the Way," now rendered "Enlightenment." To give rise to the Bodhi-mind: that is, to arouse the mind that seeks the True Way, or to arouse the mind that seeks Perfect Enlightenment.

(2) The Lion's roar: The lion is the foremost of the beasts; at a single roar of its voice, all other beasts are struck with terror. As for the Buddha, possessed of full majestic virtue, whatever words He utters amid the great assembly are of decisive import and free from fear; and conversely, when the assembly hears them, their afflictions are dissolved and the Māra-kings are terrified — hence the Buddha's words are likened to the Lion's roar.

(3) The Universal-Retention Gate: that is, the Dhāraṇī-gate. Dhāraṇī (Dhāraṇī), rendered in China as "Universal Retention," means to retain the good so that it is not lost, and to hold back evil so that it does not arise. Taking mindfulness, concentration, and wisdom as its essence, the Bodhisattva who cultivates mindfulness, concentration, and wisdom fully attains this merit. "Gate" here means "Dharma-gate." The Dharma-gate of Universal Retention properly comprises four kinds: Dharma, meaning, mantra, and forbearance; but it is commonly used to designate the mantra-gate of the Esoteric Teaching, called the Universal-Retention Gate.

(4) This Dhāraṇī-gate is most secret, subtle and wondrous, supreme and excellent, and bears the savor of the sweet-dew of liberation.

(5) This is the occasioning circumstance: the Bodhisattva Maitreya praises the merit of the Buddha's revealing of the secret Universal-Retention Gate, and at the same time the Bodhisattva Maitreya asks the Buddha: how may sentient beings be brought to give rise to the Supreme Bodhi-mind; once they have given rise to the mind, how are they to cultivate practice; and how are they to attain non-retrogression?

(6) The All-Knowledge-of-Modes: that is, the Buddha's Wisdom. It means that, by the single all-illumining wisdom of the Buddha, one knows all the Dharma-ways of all the Buddhas and knows all the causes and conditions of sentient beings.

(7) In the above, the Buddha answers the Bodhisattva Maitreya's question, [explaining that] sentient beings who wish to cultivate the practice of the Mahāyāna and reach Nirvāṇa must give rise to five supreme minds. One who can give rise to these five minds will not retrogress and will swiftly realize the supreme path-fruit of Bodhi.

(8) The Wish-Fulfilling Jewel (Cintāmaṇi): also called the Maṇi-pearl, meaning that from this jewel there issues forth everything in accordance with the wishes and longings that sentient beings seek. The Wish-Fulfilling Jewel here is a simile for the Buddha's Wisdom, that is, the All-Knowledge-of-Modes.

(9) In the passage above, the Buddha speaks of the merchant who, possessing an intelligent wisdom, was able to observe thoroughly, knew how to pity his parents and kinsfolk, and resolutely made the vow to enter the sea, seek the Wish-Fulfilling Jewel, and bring it back to rescue and aid all — who, though midway there were those who dissuaded him and he met with many perils and calamities, was still not discouraged or disheartened, but reached the goal of his aspiration. This serves as a simile [to show] that the Bodhisattva who gives rise to the mind to cultivate the practice of the Mahāyāna must likewise be so.

(10) The six destinies: gods, humans, asuras, the hells, hungry ghosts, and animals. The four kinds of birth: beings born from eggs, beings born from a womb, beings born from moisture, and beings born by transformation.

(11) The above speaks of how the Bodhisattva who gives rise to the mind to cultivate the practice of the Mahāyāna and to reach Supreme Bodhi must above all be single-minded and vigorous, even though he meets with many obstacles and the temptations of the Māra-king.

(12) The passage above forms the conclusion concerning the five supreme minds.