大乘理趣六波羅蜜多經

Chapter 1: Taking Refuge in the Three Jewels

Thus have I heard: At one time, the Blessed One was dwelling at the Karanda Bamboo Grove Monastery (Karanda-venùvana) in the great city of Rajagriha.

At that time, he was accompanied by a great multitude of great bodhisattvas who dwelt at the stage of non-retrogression ⁽²⁾, had realized the Ten Bhūmis ⁽³⁾, and had perfected the ten paramitas ⁽⁴⁾. There was also a great multitude of bhikshus, all of whom were arhats: all their outflows and karmic defilements ⁽⁵⁾ had been exhausted, they were free of afflictions, they had accomplished their own benefit ⁽⁶⁾, and were well liberated in mind ⁽⁷⁾ and well liberated through wisdom ⁽⁸⁾. There were also innumerable sentient beings, all of whom had generated the aspiration for unsurpassed, complete, perfect enlightenment.

At that time, the great bodhisattva Maitreya was also present in this Dharma assembly. He then conceived this thought: “The sentient beings in this Dharma assembly are poor, destitute, and alone ⁽⁹⁾, with nowhere to rely upon. They revolve in the ocean of birth and death and sink beneath the river of craving. Wishing to reach the shore of nirvana, they need to hear the Dharma, hope to behold the Blessed One, and seek omniscience ⁽¹⁰⁾, yet they lack the power to do so!”

Then Bodhisattva Maitreya wished to ask the Blessed One about a profound meaning: How can all sentient beings generate bodhicitta, seek the certainty of buddhahood, and remain free from discouragement and weariness throughout three incalculable eons? The Buddha, the Blessed One, has now realized merit and virtue whose purport is difficult to comprehend, profound and vast; his words and phrases are subtle and wondrous, wholly perfect, and distinctly reveal the differing causes and effects of sentient beings, so that they may aspire quickly to attain the fruit of unsurpassed bodhi ⁽¹¹⁾.

Having formed this resolve, the great bodhisattva Maitreya rose from his seat, arranged his robes, and brought his six faculties ⁽¹²⁾ under perfect discipline; his bodily, verbal, and mental actions all became utterly tranquil. The bodhisattva’s six faculties were the source from which a hundred blessings arose, and the eighty excellent marks adorned him with subtle splendor. Throughout three incalculable eons he had perfected ultimate great wisdom—Mahaprajnaparamita.

The light adorning his body resembled the radiance of hundreds, thousands, and tens of thousands of suns. All sentient beings gazed upon him without ever tiring, for he was near the “unequaled, peerless bodhi of buddhahood.” ⁽¹³⁾

With such a body, Bodhisattva Maitreya approached the Buddha, prostrated with his five limbs ⁽¹⁴⁾ touching the ground, and bowed at the Buddha’s feet. Then, joining his hands—adorned with immeasurable merit and virtue and resembling a newly opened lotus—in reverence, he addressed the Buddha: “O Blessed One! The Tathagata, the Blessed One, can in a single thought know the past, future, and present minds of all sentient beings!

Some sentient beings attain purity of mind by asking questions; some, upon receiving a prediction, attain the fruit of stream-entry, up to and including the fruit of arhatship or the fruit of a pratyekabuddha; and some receive a prediction of unsurpassed, complete, perfect enlightenment. For the sake of this profound meaning, I respectfully question the Tathagata and humbly beseech the Blessed One to distinguish and explain it!

The Blessed One is now the lord and refuge of sentient beings throughout the three times! Some sentient beings practice the Mahayana, and their minds are gentle and harmonious. I respectfully beseech the Blessed One compassionately to remember them.

Having attained the ambrosial savor of the Dharma, the Blessed One should not partake of it alone, but should allow sentient beings to share in that Dharma savor!” ⁽¹⁵⁾

• How may all sentient beings hasten along the safe and true path to great nirvana?
• What should those sentient beings do so as to attain non-retrogression from omniscience?
• How may they perfect the paramita of generosity through the prajnaparamita?
• Furthermore, how should they cultivate so as to perfect the prajnaparamita, which gives birth to the preceding five paramitas?
• Furthermore, how may that great vow be revealed and brought forth?
• And how should sentient beings cultivate so as to reach the other shore of nirvana?

I respectfully beseech the Blessed One to distinguish and explain these matters, so that all sentient beings may gain benefit and peace and be brought to joy!”

At that time, the Blessed One praised the great bodhisattva Maitreya, saying: “Excellent, excellent! Good man! You are now able to bring benefit and peace to all sentient beings.

Therefore, you ask about this profound meaning, exhorting sentient beings to cultivate wholesome karma and constantly encouraging them to practice diligently. With single-minded and expansive concern for all sentient beings, you seek the teachings so that their fetters and afflictions may swiftly and forever be severed. Through this mind of great loving-kindness and compassion, you have perfected the six paramitas within the ocean of the great Dharma over three incalculable eons.

You are now near the bodhi seat and the shore of nirvana, just as when the morning star has risen and the dawn is about to shine. So too are you now about to become the sun of buddhahood ⁽¹⁶⁾. Listen carefully now, and remember and reflect well.

I shall fully distinguish and explain this profound meaning for you!

“A wise person can clearly contemplate and examine the perilous path of birth and death, yet nothing can be more dire than having nowhere to rely upon. It is like a boat drifting upon the great ocean without a merchant captain. The many sentient beings aboard are beset by calamities: they are swept away and drowned, battered by waves and contrary currents, their vessel shattered and sunk.

Constantly anxious, they pray for good fortune and seek an unsurpassed navigator upon whom they may rely. Likewise, sentient beings in the ocean of birth and death are constantly filled with fear. They therefore seek a powerful person upon whom they can depend, so that hostile bandits cannot harm them.

Even if those hostile bandits possess great and violent strength, when that person takes refuge in a king, they certainly cannot injure him. Furthermore, when the hostile bandits behold the king’s power, they entirely abandon their hostility and submit to righteous instruction.

“All sentient beings are likewise. They each conceive this thought: ‘Who can serve as my refuge, deliver me from decline and calamity, and bring me peace and happiness?’ Searching throughout the three realms and five destinies ⁽¹⁷⁾ among such beings as devas, nagas, yakshas, asuras, garudas, gandharvas, kinnaras, mahoragas, humans, and nonhumans, they find no one capable of serving as their refuge. Why is this? Those devas and other beings cannot even free themselves from the fetters of birth and death or the bonds of affliction. They revolve through the three realms, torn by immeasurable and boundless sufferings and fears, and remain ensnared in the net of sensual desire. How, then, could they serve as a refuge for us?

“Furthermore, the devas and others constantly don armor and engage in battle, their minds continually fearful of the asuras, to say nothing of humans and the other destinies. Therefore, when one examines the three realms and six destinies, there is no one capable of rescuing and delivering us. For this reason, one should take refuge in the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha. Apart from the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha, no one can save and protect us. If all sentient beings seek the bliss of nirvana upon the path to unsurpassed, complete, perfect enlightenment, they should take refuge in the Jewels of the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha. For this reason, all sentient beings should be led to take refuge in the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha.”

At that time, the great bodhisattva Maitreya addressed the Buddha: “O Blessed One! What are called the Jewels of the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha? What is taking refuge?”

The Buddha told Bodhisattva Maitreya: “Regarding the Buddha Jewel, there are two aspects: the first is the Buddha-body, and the second is the Buddha’s virtues.”

The Buddha-body is the Tathagata, the Worthy One, the Perfectly and Completely Awakened One, the One Perfect in Knowledge and Conduct, the Well-Gone One, the Knower of the World, the Unsurpassed One, the Tamer of Men, the Teacher of Devas and Humans, the Buddha, the Blessed One ⁽¹⁸⁾. Throughout immeasurable, boundless, and incalculable kalpas in the past, he spared neither body nor life, diligently cultivated the six perfections, and perfectly fulfilled the myriad practices. Beneath the Bodhi tree, seated upon the Vajra Seat, he subdued the hosts of Mara, utterly destroyed all the enemies of the fetters and defilements, attained omniscience, and realized perfect, complete awakening. To possess such subtle and wondrous qualities in their fullness is called “Buddha.”

The qualities of a Buddha consist in the complete possession of the ten powers, the four fearlessnesses, the eighteen unique qualities ⁽¹⁹⁾, great loving-kindness, great compassion, great sympathetic joy, great equanimity, the three gates of liberation ⁽²⁰⁾, the three modes of guidance ⁽²¹⁾, the six superknowledges ⁽²²⁾, samadhi responsive to the mind ⁽²³⁾, the four wisdoms ⁽²⁴⁾, and the two wisdoms ⁽²⁵⁾ within the Buddha-body.

It is free from cognition and its objects ⁽²⁶⁾, has eliminated the afflictive obstruction ⁽²⁷⁾ and the cognitive obstruction ⁽²⁸⁾, is free from every habitual tendency ⁽²⁹⁾, follows the path of effortless activity ⁽³⁰⁾, and gives rise to transformations in accordance with suchness ⁽³¹⁾. Whether far or near, in movement or at rest, it acts freely and without obstruction. Within a single mustard seed, it can contain immeasurable Mounts Sumeru ⁽³²⁾.

All Buddhas, the Tathagatas, are fully endowed with such immeasurable and boundless qualities. Moreover, from one kalpa to immeasurable kalpas, they have mastery over the duration of their lives, which cannot be diminished. Within the sphere of supernormal powers, they move about and manifest transformations freely, without obstruction and in accordance with their will.

Before the Buddhas, the Blessed Ones, walk through cities, towns, and villages ⁽³³⁾, they emit subtle and wondrous rays of golden light that illuminate those places. When the beings dwelling there encounter that light, all illnesses of body and mind are completely cured; the fires within their minds are extinguished, and their bodies become cool and refreshed. The hunched straighten their backs; the lame can walk; the blind can see; the deaf can hear; the mute can speak; and those whose minds are agitated regain their former calm.

Those driven mad by spirits or seized by demons are all released. The naked obtain clothing; the arrogant become humble; the sorrowful find peace of mind; those who have strayed onto wrong paths encounter the true path; the hungry and thirsty obtain food and drink; prisoners are set free; and the frightened attain fearlessness. Mounds and uneven ground, mountains, ravines, and winding paths all become level and smooth like the palm of a hand.

Small and cramped houses naturally become tall and spacious; narrow and poor roads all become broad and level. Marketplaces and neighborhoods naturally become open and expansive. Every foul and impure thing immediately becomes fragrant and clean.

Thorns and poisonous spikes, tiles, gravel, sand, and stones all disappear. The sunlight shines brightly without being scorching or harmful; fragrant breezes blow gently everywhere, without the least speck of dust. Birds of every kind—white cranes, peacocks, parrots, sharikas, kalavinkas, kokilas, kunalas, jivajivakas, and others ⁽³⁴⁾—sing in beautiful, gentle, harmonious, and elegant voices.

Elephants, horses, cattle, goats, water buffaloes, hairy cattle, wind cattle, and bamboo cattle all utter their own subtle and wondrous calls. Musical instruments—harps, flutes, pipes, zithers, lutes, drums, and horns—sound naturally without being played. Many other subtle, wondrous, skillful, rare, and extraordinary manifestations of supernormal power also appear.

Such rare occurrences differ from day to day, becoming ever more sublime; all arise through the majestic spiritual power of the Tathagata. ⁽³⁵⁾

If any beings wonder whether the Buddha, the Blessed One—the Buddha-body—and the Buddha’s qualities are one or different, it should be said to them: “The Buddha and his qualities are neither one nor different. It is like a burning lamp: the oil, the wick, and the light are neither one nor different. If the oil and wick are removed, the lamp alone cannot produce light. If it were said that a lamp could shine without oil or wick, then both the light and the place where it shone would necessarily burn with heat. The Buddha-body and the Buddha’s qualities are likewise.” ⁽³⁶⁾

That subtle and wondrous body is the Buddha’s uncontaminated Dharma-body of merit and qualities, the equal basis upon which the bodies of personal enjoyment and enjoyment for others depend ⁽³⁷⁾. Yet that Buddha-body is not an entity; nevertheless, apart from this entity, there is no separate Dharma-body ⁽³⁸⁾. If that body were an entity, it would resemble external objects and possess the characteristics of the four great elements ⁽³⁹⁾.

One should therefore understand that it is neither characterized by form nor entirely without characteristics. If it were entirely without characteristics, it would resemble empty space; and if it resembled empty space, its nature would be “permanent,” without any fault affecting skillful means. Its intrinsic nature is pure, undefiled, unattached, profound, and immeasurable.

It undergoes no change, is difficult to understand and difficult to know, is subtle, wondrous, quiescent, and fully endowed with boundless qualities of true permanence. It puts an end to every conceptual elaboration. It is realized and known only by Buddhas; no other being can equal it, nor can any analogy serve to measure or compare it.

Bodhisattva Maitreya, you should know: “Such a body is precisely the characteristic of the Dharma-body of the Buddhas, the Blessed Ones, as numerous as the sands of the Ganges throughout the past, future, and present.” ⁽⁴⁰⁾

The Buddha’s reward-body arises from the immeasurable stores of merit and wisdom cultivated by the Tathagatas throughout three incalculable kalpas. It brings forth boundless and genuine qualities, abides forever without change, and possesses every excellent faculty and mark and luminous wisdom pervading the entire dharmadhatu. All these arise from uncontaminated, supramundane roots of virtue. It is inconceivable and ineffable because it transcends worldly wisdom. For the sake of bringing sentient beings to maturity, it manifests this form, expounds the Dharma without end, and bestows boundless benefit and happiness. Bodhisattva Maitreya, you should know: “This is precisely the Tathagata’s perfectly complete reward-body.” ⁽⁴¹⁾

The transformation body: for the sake of those sentient beings, according to the place and circumstances in which they are to be transformed, the Buddha manifests immeasurable and innumerable transformation bodies. Through the transformation bodies of the Buddhas, he may manifest such a body in the hells to deliver the sentient beings there, enabling them to leave all suffering and affliction behind; he guides them by means of the true Dharma, causes them to arouse the supreme aspiration, and brings them to birth in the human or heavenly realms, where they enjoy sublime happiness, gain profound faith in the Buddha-Dharma, obtain a share in the Buddha-Dharma, and attain the fruit of the noble path.

Or he may be born among hungry ghosts and teach the sentient beings there, enabling them to escape the various torments of hunger, thirst, and oppression; he instructs them through the true Dharma, causes them to arouse the supreme aspiration, and brings them to birth in the human or heavenly realms, where they enjoy happiness, enter deeply into the Buddha-Dharma, and attain the fruit of the noble path. Or he may transform himself into an animal and dwell within that realm;

he may transform himself into the body of a garuda, or into the various bodies of dragons, lions, elephants, horses, bears, tigers, leopards, jackals, wolves, foxes, weasels, rabbits, pythons, snakes, scorpions, fish, crabs, soft-shelled turtles, crocodiles, white cranes, peacocks, phoenixes, mandarin ducks, parrots, sharis, and so forth.

He enables those sentient beings to cease harming one another, to turn together toward loving-kindness, and to become free from all fear; he instructs them through the true Dharma, causing them to possess profound faith, take refuge in the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha, be born in the human or heavenly realms, obtain every happiness and a share in the Buddha-Dharma, and realize the fruit of the noble path. Or he exhorts and guides sentient beings within various other lands; or he becomes the light of the sun and moon, illuminating every place without exception.

In all places where the Buddha-Dharma does not exist, he establishes the true Dharma, causing all sentient beings to take refuge in the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha, shave off their hair and beard, receive the Buddha’s precepts, and become bhikshus or bhikshunis, or upasakas (virtuous laymen) or upasikas (faithful laywomen). They construct dwellings for the Sangha and uphold the true Dharma. He establishes immeasurable and innumerable sentient beings in the human and heavenly realms and in the liberation of nirvana, enabling them to attain realization.

Or he is born in a heavenly realm and teaches the sentient beings there, enabling them to leave the five sensual desires ⁽⁴²⁾, keep their minds free from attachment and defilement, be guided by the true Dharma, arouse the aspiration for bodhi, take refuge in the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha, enter deeply into the true Dharma, and reach the realization of liberation in nirvana.

Or he is born in the human realm, manifests in a royal palace, and is born into the Shakya clan. Through skillful means he teaches all sentient beings and eliminates the afflictions and tribulations of birth, aging, sickness, and death within the three realms. Thus he manifests birth, crosses beyond the city walls to renounce the household life, spreads auspicious grass ⁽⁴³⁾, and beneath the Bodhi tree sits in the place of enlightenment upon the Vajra Seat, subdues the armies of Mara, and attains perfect and complete enlightenment.

To teach and deliver sentient beings, he turns the wheel of the true Dharma and emits great rays of light that pervade everywhere, illuminating the world; benefit for himself and benefit for others are both brought to perfection. Or he manifests quiescence and enters great nirvana. This is the Buddha’s transformation body.

All such immeasurable and boundless skillful means are the Tathagata’s sovereign spiritual power; they are precisely the “essence” of the three bodies—the Dharma body, reward body, and transformation body—which bear no mutually differing characteristics. ⁽⁴⁴⁾

At that time, the Blessed One said to the great bodhisattva Maitreya: “Good man, what do you think? If good men or good women take refuge in the Buddha, they should take refuge in the pure Dharma body of all Buddhas. If they wish to seek the Buddha’s Dharma body, they should make this great vow: ‘May I and all those sentient beings obtain the merit of such a Dharma body!’ Why should they be caused to make such a vow?

Because the Buddha’s response body (reward body) changes from moment to moment, and the Buddha’s transformation body swiftly enters nirvana, whereas the meritorious Dharma body remains tranquil and everlasting. Therefore, one should take refuge in the pure Dharma body. To take refuge in the Dharma body is to take refuge in the Buddhas of the past, future, and present.

If I abandon sentient beings and realize nirvana, that would be the same as enduring the sufferings and afflictions of the hells; if I attain liberation together with sentient beings, then even while dwelling in hell, it would be no different from dwelling in nirvana. For this reason, all sentient beings are caused to take refuge in the Buddha’s Dharma body, realize the blissful realm of nirvana, and ultimately attain the essence of suchness, the Dharma-nature, which neither increases nor decreases.

Such a Dharma body is true peace and bliss; therefore, sentient beings are caused to take refuge solely in the Buddha’s Dharma body. ⁽⁴⁵⁾

“Furthermore, bodhisattva Maitreya, what is called the pure Dharma treasure? The Dharma treasure is also said to have three levels. What are these three levels? The foremost Dharma treasure is nirvana, the ambrosia of liberation, whose essential nature is permanence, bliss, self, and purity ⁽⁴⁶⁾, and which can extinguish all birth, aging, sickness, death, sorrow, lamentation, suffering, and affliction.

“What is the suffering of birth? When father and mother unite, the impure seed enters the mother’s womb and is sustained by the power of the wind of karma. For nine months it remains within the dark womb of gestation and maturation, where there is no light, a filthy and impure place inhabited by eighty thousand kinds of parasites.

Its exhalations and inhalations follow the mother’s movements; its mouth cannot speak and its eyes cannot see. Hunger, thirst, cold, heat, and every kind of suffering oppress its body and mind. Such sufferings are immeasurable and boundless, depriving all sentient beings of freedom; hence this is called the ‘suffering of birth.’ Although one undergoes these sufferings, there is one benefit: no hostile enemy—anyone intent on causing harm—can see one, nor can anyone speak of one’s faults, whether right or wrong.

In the Dharma of the incomparable peace and bliss of nirvana ⁽⁴⁷⁾, no such sufferings exist!

“What is the suffering of aging? As sentient beings pass from youth into old age and the seasons of life change, all that was once full and complete declines. Physical strength grows feeble; whether walking or remaining still, one trembles.

The hair turns white, the face becomes wrinkled, the eyes and ears grow dim and deaf, the teeth and fangs become sparse and broken, the countenance becomes ugly, and the body stoops and hunches over, so that everyone despises and detests it. When instructions are given, one forgets them as soon as they have been spoken, and regards this body as a heavy burden. It is like a burning lamp whose oil has been exhausted and which will soon go out.

Aging is likewise: the vital oils of youth and vigor have been exhausted, and death will soon follow. It is also like placing a mask over a person’s head and face and gathering a crowd: whoever sees it immediately begins to jest. The mask of old age is likewise.

From one city or town to another, all sentient beings wear the mask of decrepitude and aging, causing everyone who sees them to jest. For this reason, aging is a great suffering; unless death arrives, there is no medicine that can cure it. Although people undergo the affliction of aging in this way, they still do not wish to become disenchanted with it or relinquish it, but instead pray to spirits and constantly hope for longevity.

In the Dharma of the incomparable peace and bliss of nirvana, there is no suffering of aging.

“What is the suffering of sickness? The elements of earth, water, wind, and fire fall into disorder and harm one another, gathering every suffering into this body. All sentient beings, whether old or young, are subject to it alike.

When sickness arises, one must relinquish all the sublime pleasures of the five sensual desires that delight the body, as well as gold, silver, precious treasures, family, and relatives. Whatever instructions one gives, one’s sons, daughters, and relatives do not comply, while all one’s enemies draw near and offer hypocritical assistance. The suffering of sickness is such that nothing at all is desirable.

Therefore, one should know that sickness is a great suffering. In the pure and quiescent Dharma of the incomparable peace and bliss of nirvana, there is no such suffering of sickness.”

Furthermore, Bodhisattva Maitreya! What is the suffering of death? It is when a being’s vital breath ceases, consciousness is extinguished, and there is no awareness whatsoever.

Among all sufferings, none equals the suffering at the time of death. The sufferings of birth, aging, and illness may exist in some of the five destinies and not in others, and are therefore not certain; but this suffering of death exists in every destiny. Just as the suffering of poverty and deprivation robs one of prosperity and glory, and the suffering caused by enemies and hatred robs one of those dear and beloved, so, when the suffering of death arrives, it makes no distinction between old and young, foolish and wise, noble and lowly, but takes everything away.

Having abandoned this body, one enters darkness; clothing, bedding, and every precious possession are then of no use. One departs naked and without companions; even if one were to offer wealth as ransom, one could not escape, and there is nowhere to bring an appeal for judgment. Alas, impermanence!

It ever brings such calamity, being most vile and cruel, making no distinction between enemy and kin. Of the beings within the three realms, none can evade it; all are cut down by death—who can save them? Even those possessing the power of a wheel-turning king or Brahma king are all seized by it.

Know, therefore, that the suffering of death is immeasurable and boundless. By contemplating in this way, one sees death to be a great suffering. In the incomparable Dharma of liberation—the quiescent and blissful nirvana—there is no such suffering of death.

Suppose a person is swept away and submerged by the swift current of a river, but succeeds in climbing onto a high mountain and is freed from fear. Beings are likewise: constantly swept away and submerged by all the swift-flowing currents of birth and death, they ascend the mountain of nirvana and escape the fear of samsara. It is also like rain from the heavens, which removes the hindrances of poisonous heat, dust, and defilement; the people become peaceful and joyful, their bodies and minds cool and refreshed, and the myriad trees flourish and bring their fruits to maturity.

The rain of the Tathagata’s Dharma is likewise: it removes all the poisonous heat of the afflictions, bringing beings peace, joy, liberation, and cool refreshment; it causes all pure and wholesome seeds to grow, ⁽⁴⁸⁾ brings their fruits to maturity, and enables beings to realize nirvana. For this reason, all Buddhas, the Blessed Ones, relinquish their impermanent bodies and realize the blissful realm of nirvana.

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

The Tathagata’s wondrous essence is the Dharma-body,

Purity, liberation, and ultimate truth; ⁽⁴⁹⁾

As the sun and its radiance never part,

The Tathagata’s virtues are nirvana.

The true self and the Buddha do not differ;

It is the ultimate refuge of sentient beings.

Samsara and nirvana are not two;

That nature is indestructible and uncreated.

In the nature of suchness, defilement and purity do not differ;

The Buddha, the Blessed One, alone can know it.

All beings possess the Tathagata-garbha; ⁽⁵⁰⁾

Because of it, the Three Jewels appear in the world.

All sentient beings enter the Buddha’s wisdom,

For their pure nature is without distinction.

The nature of Buddhas and beings is the same;

Ordinary beings see difference, while sages see none.

All beings are originally pure;

The Tathagatas of the three times all teach thus.

That nature, whether defiled or pure, is still nondual;

Beings and Buddhas do not differ.

Space throughout the ten directions admits no distinction;

The nature of mind is equal in just this way.

Just as all realms of beings

Throughout space undergo birth and cessation,

So too do all the faculties arise and cease,

Yet remain within the unconditioned realm.

Just as fire cannot burn empty space,

Samsara cannot destroy the unconditioned nature.

The wheels of earth, water, and wind turn in dependence upon one another,

But space bears no characteristic of dependence. ⁽⁵¹⁾

The skandhas, ayatanas, and dhatus ⁽⁵²⁾ are likewise three divisions;

The seeds of karma and the nature of afflictions persist.

Where do that karma and those afflictions abide?

They constantly depend upon deluded thought, rooted in ignorance.

Where does that deluded mind abide?

Within the unconditioned, the pure nature of mind.

Those skandhas, ayatanas, and dhatus are provisionally established;

The nature of all dharmas is originally non-abiding.

Karma and afflictions sustain one another like earth and water;

The movement of deluded thought may be regarded as wind.

The nature of mind is originally pure, like empty space;

Deluded thought depends upon emptiness and has no abode.

Afflictions, karma, and suffering arise from delusion;

Karma and suffering in turn become causes of affliction.

Afflictions and karma revolve in a cycle without fixed order;

Without causes and conditions, they do not assemble.

Neither arising nor ceasing, their nature is empty and quiescent;

Their original essence is luminous, pure wisdom. ⁽⁵³⁾

The intrinsic nature is unborn and unchanging,

But is obscured by afflictions and ignorance.

As impaired eyes behold two moons,

So beings cling to self and dharmas.

Afflictions are like swarms of honeybees,

And their honey illustrates the Tathagata-garbha.

Although that honey is entirely surrounded by bees,

The wise protect themselves and continually gather it.

Through the six signless paramitas as skillful means,

They thereby realize that Dharma-body. ⁽⁵⁴⁾

Just as grain whose husks have not been completely removed

Cannot provide a delicious meal for others,

So, while bodhisattvas have not removed the husks of affliction,

They cannot offer others the ambrosial meal.

A practitioner drops a jewel into filth;

Though ten thousand years pass, it remains soiled.

One possessing the divine eye sees where the jewel fell,

Retrieves, wraps, and washes it, then uses it as desired.

The Buddha sees that the nature of beings is nondual,

And, wishing to cleanse away the defilements of affliction,

Uses the ambrosia of the Mahayana as cleansing water;

When the dust of affliction is washed away, Buddha-nature appears.

It is like a rice sprout that has only just emerged:

Whether it will yield grain remains uncertain.

Buddha-nature is not apart from ‘existence and nonexistence’;

Only a Buddha’s direct realization can clearly comprehend it. ⁽⁵⁵⁾

The intrinsic nature of the Dharma Jewel is eternally pure;

All Buddhas, the Blessed Ones, teach thus.

The adventitious dust of afflictions obscures it,

As clouds obscure the radiant sun.

The stainless Dharma Jewel is complete in every virtue;

Permanence, bliss, self, and purity are all perfected.

How can the pure Dharma-nature be found?

It is realized through non-discriminating wisdom.

Like the pure water of a pond, free from defilement,

Within which the lotus flowers remain unstained;

Like brightness returning after a lunar eclipse,

Like the sun emerging from dense clouds.

Stainless virtues adorn it everywhere;

When afflictions are cleansed away, its radiance appears. ⁽⁵⁶⁾

The Buddha said: “Bodhisattva Maitreya! You should know that the foremost Dharma Jewel is precisely Great Prajnaparamita, liberation, and the Dharma-body. ⁽⁵⁷⁾

“Furthermore, Bodhisattva Maitreya! You should know that the second Dharma Jewel consists of morality, meditative concentration, wisdom, and such wondrous virtues as the thirty-seven factors of awakening: the four establishments of mindfulness, the four right efforts, the four bases of spiritual power, the five faculties, the five powers, the seven factors of awakening, and the Noble Eightfold Path. These are the thirty-seven dharmas. ⁽⁵⁸⁾ Together with the aforementioned pure Dharma Jewel, they serve as skillful means. In what way are they skillful means? Through cultivating these dharmas, one realizes that pure Dharma-body. You should know that this is the second Dharma Jewel.

“Furthermore, Bodhisattva Maitreya! What is the third Dharma Jewel? It is the true Dharma expounded by all Buddhas, the Blessed Ones, throughout immeasurable past ages as numerous as the sands of the Ganges, and which I now likewise expound.

It comprises the eighty-four thousand wondrous collections of Dharma, ⁽⁵⁹⁾ which tame mature beings possessing the proper affinities. They enabled Ananda and the great disciples, upon hearing them once, to remember and retain them all, and to compile them into the five divisions of the canon: first, the Sutra-pitaka; second, the Vinaya-pitaka; third, the Abhidharma-pitaka; fourth, the Prajnaparamita-pitaka; and fifth, the Dharani-gateway-pitaka.

These five divisions of the canon teach and transform sentient beings; according to whomsoever should be liberated, the Dharma is explained so that they may understand.”

If those sentient beings delight in dwelling in mountains and forests, constantly abiding in secluded places and cultivating dhyana, the Sutra Pitaka should be taught to them. If those sentient beings delight in cultivating dignified conduct, upholding the true Dharma, and dwelling harmoniously in the one flavor of liberation, thereby enabling the Buddhadharma to endure for a long time, the Vinaya Pitaka should be taught to them.

If those sentient beings delight in expounding the true Dharma, distinguishing its nature and characteristics, and investigating them successively to their profound and ultimate point, the Abhidharma Pitaka should be taught to them. If those sentient beings delight in cultivating the true wisdom of the Mahayana and freeing themselves from discriminative attachment to self and attachment to dharmas, the Mahayana Prajnaparamita Pitaka should be taught to them.

If those sentient beings are unable to receive and uphold the Sutras, Vinaya, Abhidharma, or Prajnaparamita teachings, or if some sentient beings have committed various evil deeds and grave offenses ⁽⁶⁰⁾, such as the four grave offenses, the eight grave offenses, the five uninterrupted offenses, slandering the Vaipulya sutras, disbelief, and so forth, then, so that these offenses may be eradicated and they may swiftly attain liberation and sudden realization of nirvana, the Dharani Pitaka should be taught to them.

These five Dharma Pitakas are like milk, curds, raw ghee, clarified ghee, and the wondrous cream of ghee. The Sutras are like milk; the Vinaya is like curds; the Abhidharma teachings are like raw ghee; the Mahayana Prajnaparamita is like clarified ghee; and the gateway of complete retention, the Dharanis, is like the cream of ghee. Among the flavors of milk, curds, raw ghee, and clarified ghee, the cream of ghee is foremost and most wondrous.

It can cure all illnesses and bring peace and happiness to the bodies and minds of sentient beings. The gateway of complete retention, the Dharanis, is foremost and supreme among the Pitakas, such as the Sutras and the others, because it can eradicate grave offenses, free all beings from birth and death, and enable them swiftly to realize nirvana, bliss, and the Dharma-body. ⁽⁶¹⁾

Furthermore, Bodhisattva Maitreya! After my parinirvana, Ananda will receive, uphold, and expound the Sutra Pitaka; Upali will receive, uphold, and expound the Vinaya Pitaka; Katyayana will receive, uphold, and expound the Abhidharma Pitaka; Bodhisattva Manjusri will receive, uphold, and expound the Mahayana Prajnaparamita Pitaka; and Bodhisattva Vajrasattva will receive, uphold, and expound the profound and wondrous gateways of complete retention, the Dharani Pitaka.

Such gateways of teaching can dispel the age-old darkness of the afflictions of birth and death in sentient beings, enabling them swiftly to escape and realize the fruit of liberation. They are like a bright lamp that completely dispels darkness and reveals the path. The Buddha is likewise: he lights the torch of wisdom, illuminating the ten dark and unwholesome courses of action—that is, the ten evil deeds—and enabling beings to see the wholesome path.

For example, if those sentient beings are miserly with their wealth, after hearing this Dharma they should practice generosity toward all who are poor. If beings burdened with evil karma hear this Dharma, they will abandon evil and cultivate good. If angry persons hear this Dharma, they will immediately become patient.

When indolent sentient beings hear this Dharma, they become diligent. When distracted beings hear this Dharma, their minds become tranquil. When deluded sentient beings hear this Dharma, wisdom immediately arises; having attained wisdom, they all turn their minds toward cultivating wholesome deeds.

Furthermore, after sentient beings hear this Dharma, the gates to the evil destinies are closed, the path to nirvana is opened, they savor the taste of amrita, and they realize the fruit of liberation. You should know that this is the third Dharma Jewel.

Among all dharmas, the most honored and supreme, beyond which there is no higher dharma, is the unconditioned Dharma. Why is this? Because this Dharma is the vessel that carries beings across the vast ocean of suffering in birth and death, and it is the amrita, the healing medicine for sentient beings.

Moreover, it is the fruit realized through the six paramitas and the myriad practices cultivated over three incalculable kalpas by Buddhas and bodhisattvas as numerous as the sands of the Ganges. Because the merits of this wondrous Dharma are thus perfect and complete, one should take refuge in the unconditioned Dharma Jewel. If beings receive and uphold this sutra, they should make this vow: “I vow to take refuge in this Dharma Jewel.

Having taken refuge in this Dharma Jewel, may all beings throughout the six destinies also make this vow. As I now take refuge, may I also enable sentient beings to abide in the meritorious qualities of this Dharma and lead them to the true precious sanctuary of nirvana.”

Bodhisattva Maitreya! You should know that this is precisely the third Dharma Jewel!

Furthermore, Bodhisattva Maitreya! What is called the true Sangha Jewel?

The Sangha Jewel is also of three kinds:

– The Sangha of Ultimate Meaning: This refers to the Buddhas and the noble Sangha, who abide in accordance with Dharma, cannot be seen, cannot be grasped, cannot be destroyed, cannot be burned or harmed, and are beyond thought and discussion; they are an excellent field of merit for all beings. Although they are a field of merit, there is no one who receives or appropriates anything, and their meritorious qualities and dharmas never change. This is called the Sangha of Ultimate Meaning.

– The second, the Noble Sangha: Those progressing toward the fruit of stream-entry and those who have attained the fruit of stream-entry; those progressing toward the fruit of once-returning and those who have attained the fruit of once-returning; those progressing toward the fruit of non-returning and those who have attained the fruit of non-returning; those progressing toward arhatship and those who have attained the fruit of arhatship; those progressing toward the fruit of a pratyekabuddha and those who have attained the fruit of a pratyekabuddha; the Eight Awakenings of Great Beings, the Three Worthies, and the Ten Noble Ones. This is called the second Sangha Jewel.

– The third, the Sangha as a Field of Merit: This refers to bhiksus, bhiksunis, and others who receive and uphold the precepts, possess wisdom, and are learned; like the heavenly wish-fulfilling tree ⁽⁶³⁾, they constantly shelter sentient beings. They are also like abundant, sweet rain suddenly pouring down upon travelers parched with thirst while crossing a vast wilderness of sand and gravel, immediately satisfying all their needs. They are also like the great ocean, from which all precious things arise. The Sangha Jewel as a field of merit is likewise, constantly bringing peace and happiness to sentient beings. Moreover, this Sangha Jewel is pure and undefiled and constantly extinguishes the greed, anger, and delusion of beings. It is like the bright full moon on the fifteenth night, which all sentient beings behold with reverence. It is also like a mani jewel, constantly fulfilling all the wholesome vows of sentient beings. This is called the third Sangha Jewel.

How should all sentient beings take refuge in these three kinds of Sangha Jewel? It should be said: “One should cause sentient beings to take refuge in the unconditioned Sangha Jewel of the truth of ultimate meaning. Why?

Because it is the eternally abiding, unconditioned Sangha. This Sangha Jewel has itself realized the uncontaminated, unconditioned Dharma, which neither changes nor differs. By taking refuge in this uncontaminated Sangha Jewel, all the sufferings of sentient beings can be extinguished.

May sentient beings also attain such uncontaminated merits. Having attained this Dharma, may they expound the Dharma of the Three Vehicles and liberate sentient beings. I take refuge in the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha Jewels, not because I fear suffering in the three evil destinies, nor because I desire birth in the human or heavenly realms, but solely because I vow to rescue sentient beings from the suffering of birth and death.” This is called taking refuge in the Sangha Jewel.

Furthermore, Bodhisattva Maitreya! If sentient beings take refuge in the Three Jewels, they should give rise to this thought: “Now that I have been born in the human realm and have escaped the eight difficult circumstances ⁽⁶⁴⁾, I have attained what is difficult to attain, and I shall employ skillful means to cultivate all supreme and wondrous dharmas. If I betray such a lofty vow and fail to seek wholesome dharmas, I will have deceived myself, like a person who sails across the sea, reaches an island of treasures, yet returns empty-handed.”

Taking refuge in the Buddha and Sangha Jewels in this way is the skillful means for escaping suffering. If one does not take refuge, how can regret afterward be of any avail!

Having understood this, one should strive diligently and cultivate with vigor, aspiring to attain accomplishment swiftly. Once wholesome dharmas have been perfected, one should repent of past transgressions so that they may all be eliminated. One should further say:

“Since beginningless time, throughout birth and death, through the karma of body, speech, and mind, I have committed immeasurable and boundless transgressions, all arising from a deluded and inverted mind. I have committed every kind of offense against my parents, preceptors, teachers, and elders, and against the revered objects of the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha Jewels; I now repent of them all.

“Furthermore, for the sake of two things, I have created all manner of extremely grave evil karma, as massive as Mount Sumeru. What are these two? The first is attachment to those dear to me; the second is resentment toward those I hate. If, amid the urgent perils of birth and death, those two kinds of sentient beings—enemies and loved ones—bring no benefit to me, I shall contemplate extensively in this way: ‘Those sentient beings and my own body alike are all headed toward dissolution; why should I commit offenses for their sake?’ ⁽⁶⁵⁾

“Moreover, I rejoice in all wholesome karma performed by all sentient beings throughout the worlds of the ten directions, as well as by those who are still in training and those beyond training, pratyekabuddhas, shravakas, Buddhas and disciples of the Buddhas, and all sages and saints. ⁽⁶⁶⁾

“Furthermore, throughout the beginningless cycle of birth and death, while assuming bodily forms within the five destinies, none among my innumerable enemies and loved ones has ever brought me even the slightest benefit; neither in the present nor in the future will they bring me anything. Yet since beginningless time, for the sake of those enemies and loved ones, I have committed all manner of offenses. I vow to bear their consequences myself and swear never to disturb any other sentient being. ⁽⁶⁷⁾

“When I am gravely ill, I may seek a loving relative who compassionately watches over me, supports my body, massages and bathes me, provides food and drink, and supplies all kinds of medicine and necessities during my illness. Although such deeds are exceedingly precious, that person cannot endure in my stead the painful illness within my body, much less save me in the next life from the immense suffering of birth and death.

Even in this present life, this body of mine has nothing upon which it can rely or depend; how much less so in the life to come! As it is with my body, so it is with the bodies of sentient beings. Since neither I nor others can provide a true refuge, we must therefore take refuge in the genuine Three Jewels.

Why? Because the Three Jewels abide eternally. It is like a wise person who, when facing danger, seeks someone powerful to rescue and protect him.

Sentient beings are likewise: amid the perils of birth and death, they take refuge in the Three Jewels as their sovereign refuge, and only then can they cross the great ocean of birth and death. If I attain deliverance, I shall likewise become a refuge, shelter, and protector for all sentient beings afflicted by suffering and peril.” ⁽⁶⁸⁾

One who makes such a great vow acquires great faith. In the presence of the Buddha, one kneels upright with palms joined, bares the right shoulder, and proclaims: “I take refuge in the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha Jewel.” It is like an impoverished and lowly person in the world whom all sentient beings who see him despise, order about, drive away, revile, and humiliate. Because he is thus treated with contempt, he seeks a noble and powerful person to become his protector, and thereby escapes every kind of humiliation.

Sentient beings are likewise. Whether born in the evil destinies or in the human realm, they are constantly afflicted by every kind of suffering. Wishing to escape, they take refuge in the Three Jewels, and are thereby liberated from such sufferings.

Having taken refuge in the Three Jewels, they further make this vow: “I vow to rescue and protect all sentient beings, ferrying them across the ocean of birth and death to the shore of nirvana.” Just as a great caravan leader guides merchants across a dangerous, gravel-strewn road in the wilderness to a place free from fear, so too do the Three Jewels, the Guides, lead sentient beings across the age-old wilderness of birth and death to Great Nirvana, where they attain fearlessness. ⁽⁶⁹⁾

Bodhisattva Maitreya! You should know that those who arouse the aspiration to cultivate the practices of the Mahayana should give rise to the thought of taking refuge in the Three Jewels in this way!

Notes:

⁽¹⁾ This Sutra of the Mahayana Principle and Purport of the Six Paramitas is scripture number 261 in the Chinese Buddhist Canon. It contains ten chapters divided into ten fascicles. This chapter, “Taking Refuge in the Three Jewels,” is the first chapter.

This sutra belongs to the Mahayana and teaches the ultimate purport of truth—the principle of suchness—of all dharmas; that is, it teaches the “true mark” of phenomena, and is therefore called “Principle and Purport.” On the basis of the Prajnaparamita, this principle and purport gives rise to the other five paramita practices: Dana Paramita (Dānapāramitā), the perfection of generosity; Shila Paramita (Śīlapāramitā), the perfection of moral discipline; Kshanti Paramita (Kṣāntipāramitā), the perfection of patience; Virya Paramita (Vīryapāramitā), the perfection of vigor; and Dhyana Paramita (Dhyānapāramitā), the perfection of meditative concentration.

These are called the Six Paramitas, or the “six means of crossing over,” comprising six dharmas: generosity, moral discipline, patience, vigor, meditative concentration, and wisdom. Paramita (Pāramitā) is translated as “Ultimate Perfection” (reaching the utmost point in the bodhisattva’s own practice and instruction of others); “Reaching the Other Shore” (fulfilling the great vow to cross the ocean of birth and death and arrive at the shore of nirvana); and “Unbounded Crossing” (the bodhisattva’s practices and vows traversing the vast expanse of all dharmas).

It is abbreviated as “crossing,” meaning “ferrying across to liberation.”

Taking Refuge in the Three Jewels: “Taking refuge” means returning to and relying upon. Seeing that the human body and the world are impermanent, suffering, non-self, and impure, and that the original true nature is ever thus, beings who have wandered through birth and death because of delusion and false thought return to and rely upon the eternally abiding true nature—the Three Jewels of Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha—in order to awaken, extinguish suffering, and attain everlasting bliss in the liberation of nirvana. This is taking refuge in the Three Jewels. In some traditions the Three Jewels are classified into four or six levels, but in summary they may be arranged into the following three levels:

1. The Three Jewels of One Essence: a) The Buddha Jewel: Buddhas and sentient beings share the same essential principle of awakening and illumination. b) The Dharma Jewel: Buddhas and sentient beings share the same perfect, eternally abiding, and equal Dharma-nature. c) The Sangha Jewel: Buddhas and sentient beings share the same harmonious and pure essential nature.

2. The Three Jewels of Distinct Essence (also called the Transcendent Three Jewels): a) The Buddha Jewel: the Dharma-body, reward-body, and transformation-body of the Buddhas, such as Shakyamuni Buddha, Amitabha Buddha, and so forth. b) The Dharma Jewel: the Buddha’s true Dharma, such as the Three Trainings, the Four Noble Truths, the Six Paramitas, the thirty-seven factors conducive to awakening, and so forth. c) The Sangha Jewel: the noble Sangha and bodhisattva Sangha, such as those of the Four Fruits and Four Approaches, pratyekabuddhas, the Three Worthies, and the Ten Sages.

3. The Three Jewels That Abide and Sustain the Dharma: a) The Buddha Jewel: paintings and statues of Buddhas. b) The Dharma Jewel: the five divisions of the sacred teachings—the Sutras, Vinaya, Abhidharma, Prajnaparamita, and Dharani collections. c) The Sangha Jewel: Buddhist monastics.

⁽²⁾ Non-Retrogression: In Sanskrit this is called Avaivartika (Avaivarti). It means that the merit and wholesome roots cultivated by a practitioner continually increase and advance, without retreating, being lost, or turning back. There are many kinds of non-retrogression: among the Ten Faiths, the sixth faith is “Non-Retrogression in Faith”; among the Ten Abodes, the initial arousal of the aspiration is “Non-Retrogression of the Aspiration”; the seventh abode is “Non-Retrogression in Practice”; among the Ten Bhūmis, the first bhūmi is “Non-Retrogression in Realization”; and the eighth bhūmi, where the path is effortless, is “Non-Retrogression in Mindfulness.”

⁽³⁾ The Ten Bhūmis: 1. The Bhūmi of Joy. 2. The Bhūmi of Freedom from Defilement. 3. The Luminous Bhūmi. 4. The Bhūmi of Blazing Wisdom. 5. The Bhūmi Difficult to Conquer. 6. The Bhūmi of Manifest Presence. 7. The Far-Traveling Bhūmi. 8. The Immovable Bhūmi. 9. The Bhūmi of Excellent Wisdom. 10. The Bhūmi of the Dharma Cloud. “Bhūmi” means that which gathers conditioned and unconditioned merits as its essential nature and serves as the firmest basis for cultivation, enabling those merits to grow.

⁽⁴⁾ The Ten Paramitas: the six paramitas mentioned above, together with 7/ the Paramita of Skillful Means (Upāyapāramitā); 8/ the Paramita of Vows (Praṇidhānapāramitā); 9/ the Paramita of Power (Balapāramitā); and 10/ the Paramita of Knowledge (Jñānapāramitā).

⁽⁵⁾ All Outflow-Producing Karma: namely, the outflow of sensual desire, the outflow of existence, and the outflow of ignorance. “Outflow” means affliction. Deluded actions cause the true path to leak away and be lost, cause wholesome merit to escape, and cause beings to fall within birth and death; therefore, they are called “outflow-producing karma.”

⁽⁶⁾ One’s own benefit has been attained: This means that an arhat has personally realized and understood birth and death.

⁽⁷⁾ The mind is well liberated: An arhat who realizes the unborn has attained the consummation of meditative concentration.

⁽⁸⁾ Wisdom is well liberated: An arhat who has completely severed the afflictions attains the Knowledge of Exhaustion and the Knowledge of Non-Arising.

⁽⁹⁾ Poor and solitary: This refers to sentient beings who are not yet endowed with the merit and Dharma-wealth of the noble ones, have not yet realized the Dharma-body, are not yet true children of the Buddha, and still wander through birth and death.

⁽¹⁰⁾ Omniscience: This is the Buddha’s wisdom, meaning the complete knowledge of all dharmas.

⁽¹¹⁾ Above, Bodhisattva Maitreya, observing the great assembly, gave rise to compassion and wished to turn toward the Buddha and seek awakening. The Buddha is the Awakened One, the embodiment of the most supreme virtues, replete with profound, vast, and difficult-to-understand purport that only Buddhas can fully comprehend. Therefore, the Buddha’s teachings—their words and phrases—are extraordinarily subtle and wondrous: one word encompasses all words, and one meaning contains immeasurable meanings. For this reason as well, the Buddha can remember and thoroughly understand the distinct causes and effects of sentient beings. To take refuge in the Buddha is to seek the Buddha’s state of self-awakening and to attain complete awakening as a Buddha.

⁽¹²⁾ The six faculties: the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind.

⁽¹³⁾ Above is described the reverential conduct of Bodhisattva Maitreya toward the Buddha. At the same time, it praises Bodhisattva Maitreya’s perfect adornment with merit, for he is a bodhisattva bound to only one more birth who will attain the supreme and unsurpassed fruit of awakening, equaled only by the Buddhas themselves—the unequaled, peerless bodhi of Buddhahood.

⁽¹⁴⁾ The five limbs: the two knees, the two hands, and the head.

⁽¹⁵⁾ Here Bodhisattva Maitreya begins his request to question the Blessed One. Before asking, the bodhisattva praises the Buddha’s extraordinary virtues: within a single thought, the Buddha fully comprehends the mental nature of sentient beings; sentient beings who see or hear him gain benefit and attain realization. When sentient beings single-mindedly turn for refuge to the Buddha, the Buddha should expound for them the supremely blissful Dharma of nirvana, which neither arises nor ceases, so that they may escape suffering and share in bliss; he should not enjoy it alone.

⁽¹⁶⁾ The Buddha-sun: Because the Buddha can dispel the darkness of ignorance for sentient beings, the sun is used as a metaphor.

⁽¹⁷⁾ The five paths: gods, asuras, hell beings, hungry ghosts, and animals. The three realms: the Desire Realm, the Form Realm, and the Formless Realm.

⁽¹⁸⁾ See the explanation in the Sutra of the Prophecy Bestowed upon Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara.

⁽¹⁹⁾ See the explanation in the Sutra of the Ten Wholesome Actions.

⁽²⁰⁾ The Three Gates of Liberation: 1/ Emptiness: contemplating all dharmas as empty. 2/ Signlessness: clearly understanding that all dharmas ultimately possess no characteristics. 3/ Wishlessness: not seeking to acquire a body in a future life.

⁽²¹⁾ The Three Ways of Guidance: three means of revealing the teaching and guiding sentient beings: 1/ Bodily transformation. 2/ Verbal instruction and admonition. 3/ Mental observation of capacities and circumstances.

⁽²²⁾ See the explanation in the Sutra on Filial Children.

⁽²³⁾ Samadhi in Accordance with the Mind: Samadhi means “concentration.” The Buddha’s body constantly abides in concentration; there is never a time when it is not concentrated, for thought after thought is in accord with concentration.

⁽²⁴⁾ The Four Wisdoms: 1/ the Wisdom of Accomplishing Activities; 2/ the Wisdom of Wondrous Observation; 3/ the Wisdom of the Nature of Equality; and 4/ the Great Perfect Mirror Wisdom.

⁽²⁵⁾ The Two Wisdoms: fundamental wisdom and subsequently attained wisdom.

⁽²⁶⁾ Transcending the Knower and the Known: This means abandoning attachment to wisdom as the apprehending subject and attachment to objects as the apprehended, thereby realizing suchness, the Dharma-nature.

⁽²⁷⁾ The Afflictive Obstructions: the fundamental afflictions and secondary afflictions disturb the bodies and minds of sentient beings and obstruct the path to nirvana.

⁽²⁸⁾ The Cognitive Obstructions: Because of foolishness and benighted delusion, one does not clearly understand the phenomenal characteristics and true nature of all dharmas; that is, there are obstructions regarding objects of knowledge.

⁽²⁹⁾ Habitual Tendencies: These are residual influences or traces left by repeated conditioning. In the Mahayana, deluded defilements are divided into three kinds: active manifestations, seeds, and habitual tendencies. Even after active manifestations have been subdued and their seeds severed, some residual trace of deluded defilement remains and may still manifest the appearance of such defilement; this is called a habitual tendency.

⁽³⁰⁾ The Path of Effortlessness: This means that the virtues of the Buddha function spontaneously, without any further need for deliberate effort.

⁽³¹⁾ Manifesting Transformations in Accordance with Suchness: Buddhahood does not depend upon deliberate effort; it operates freely and spontaneously, without the slightest obstruction.

⁽³²⁾ This describes the Buddha’s great, unobstructed activity: with regard to Mount Sumeru and a mustard seed, he perceives neither as large or small.

⁽³³⁾ Settlement: a village or inhabited hamlet.

⁽³⁴⁾ Various Birds: The peacock is called Mayūra in Sanskrit; the parrot is called Śuka in Sanskrit (this bird speaks like a human); the śāri is called the autumn-dew bird in Chinese; the kalaviṅka, a bird with a beautiful and harmonious voice, is called the harmonious-voiced bird in Chinese; the kokila is called the fine-voiced bird in Chinese because of its beautiful song; the kuṇāla is called the beautiful-eyed bird in Chinese; and the jīvajīva is a bird with one body and two heads.

⁽³⁵⁾ The foregoing reveals the Buddha’s unobstructed spiritual power.

⁽³⁶⁾ The foregoing discusses how the Buddha’s body and the Buddha’s virtues are neither identical nor different.

⁽³⁷⁾ The foregoing begins the discussion of the Buddha’s three bodies: the Dharma-body, the enjoyment body, and the transformation body. The body of enjoyment for oneself and others belongs to the enjoyment body. Through the causal cultivation of immeasurable merit, a form body is attained, within which one personally experiences vast and wondrous Dharma-bliss; this is the “body of self-enjoyment.” Through the Wisdom of Equality, the Buddhas manifest pure and wondrous form bodies endowed with every virtue; for bodhisattvas of the Ten Grounds, they turn the Dharma wheel, enabling those bodhisattvas to experience the Dharma-bliss of the Mahayana.

⁽³⁸⁾ This describes the perfect interpenetration within the Buddha’s Dharma-body.

⁽³⁹⁾ The four great elements: earth, water, wind, and fire.

⁽⁴⁰⁾ The foregoing describes the Buddha’s unconditioned and undefiled Dharma-body. This Dharma-body is the basis upon which the enjoyment body depends. It is neither characterized nor uncharacterized; its nature abides eternally and is not produced through causes, conditions, or skillful means. Its intrinsic nature is pure, wondrous, and equal, being neither one nor different.

⁽⁴¹⁾ The foregoing describes the Buddha’s enjoyment body, namely, the body attained as the result of cultivating undefiled roots of goodness throughout immeasurable kalpas.

⁽⁴²⁾ The five desires: wealth, beauty, fame, food and drink, and sleep.

⁽⁴³⁾ Auspicious Grass: In Sanskrit it is called kuśa. When the Buddha was about to attain awakening, King Sakra transformed himself into an ordinary man holding a bundle of fresh, clean grass. The Buddha asked, “What is that?” The man replied, “This is auspicious grass.” The Buddha joyfully thought, “I shall overcome the inauspicious and attain the auspicious.” Having thought this, he requested the grass, spread it out, sat upon it, and attained awakening.

⁽⁴⁴⁾ The preceding passage speaks of manifesting bodily forms in accordance with what benefits sentient beings in order to transform and liberate them. Such manifested bodies may be divided into three kinds: 1/ Superior response bodies: manifesting the bodies of Buddhas, bodhisattvas, pratyekabuddhas, and shravakas. 2/ Inferior response bodies: manifesting the bodies of humans, devas, and so forth within the Desire Realm. 3/ Bodies according with each kind: wherever sentient beings are seen to require liberation, an appropriate body is manifested to liberate them.

⁽⁴⁵⁾ The foregoing explains that taking refuge in the Buddha’s Dharma-body is supreme.

⁽⁴⁶⁾ True permanence, true bliss, true self, and true purity are the four virtues of liberating nirvana.

⁽⁴⁷⁾ Incomparable Nirvana: This is ultimate nirvana, with which nothing can compare.

⁽⁴⁸⁾ This refers to the seeds of undefiled merit, with which all sentient beings are originally fully endowed.

⁽⁴⁹⁾ The principle of reality as it truly is means suchness, the Dharma-nature.

⁽⁵⁰⁾ Tathagatagarbha: This means that both defiled and purified dharmas are contained and sustained within the nature of the Tathagata. Alternatively, suchness amid the afflictions is called the “Tathagatagarbha.”

⁽⁵¹⁾ The preceding passage says: The truly pure Dharma-body, the wondrous essence of the Tathagata, is the ultimate Dharma-body of the nirvana of suchness. It is the non-discriminating suchness and Dharma-nature, liberated from the two obstructions of samsara and purity. This true nature is like the sun and its radiance, which are never separate.

This true nature is unconditioned and uncreated; it neither increases nor decreases and is neither defiled nor pure. Buddhas and sentient beings are equal and without difference because all sentient beings possess the nature of the Tathagatagarbha. Deluded sentient beings fail to recognize this true nature clearly and regard it as differentiated; only the Buddha clearly knows that this true nature is equal, like space pervading all ten directions without discrimination.

Sentient beings within space undergo arising and cessation; therefore, all the faculties of sentient beings likewise arise and cease, and it is the same within the unconditioned realm. Space remains space, and the unconditioned nature remains the unconditioned nature. It cannot be burned or destroyed, for it has no characteristic that could be burned or destroyed.

Only that which still has a basis of dependence remains within the cycle of arising and cessation.

⁽⁵²⁾ Skandhas, Ayatanas, and Dhatus: These are the Five Skandhas—form, feeling, perception, formations, and consciousness; the Twelve Ayatanas—the six faculties (eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind) and the six objects (forms, sounds, odors, tastes, tangible objects, and dharmas); and the Eighteen Dhatus—the six faculties, the six objects, and the six consciousnesses (eye-consciousness, ear-consciousness, nose-consciousness, tongue-consciousness, body-consciousness, and mind-consciousness).

⁽⁵³⁾ This says: The five skandhas, twelve ayatanas, and eighteen dhatus all depend upon karma; karma depends upon afflictions; afflictions depend upon deluded thought; deluded thought depends upon ignorance; and ignorance depends upon the unconditioned. The pure nature of mind and the painful fruits of suffering, together with karma and delusion, sustain one another like earth and water. The pure mind is like space, while deluded thought is like the blowing wind.

Delusion and karma, and the painful fruits they produce, revolve without stability. If they are examined through contemplation of emptiness, they are empty in their very essence. Once emptiness is revealed, there is neither arising nor cessation; all is originally empty and quiescent.

To penetrate this nature of emptiness is to attain the pure light of prajna wisdom.

⁽⁵⁴⁾ This says that the nature of suchness neither arises nor ceases and undergoes no change. Yet because ignorance and afflictions obscure the true nature, attachment to self and attachment to dharmas arise, giving rise to the deluded perception of arising and cessation. It is like a person with diseased eyes who looks at the moon and sees two moons.

The afflictions are like bees, while the Tathagatagarbha is like honey. Honey is always surrounded by bees. A wise person who wishes to obtain the honey protects himself from being stung by the bees and thereby obtains it.

Likewise, without allowing oneself to be swept away by the afflictions, one employs the six paramitas as skillful means to protect oneself and practice the path, thereby revealing the pure nature of the Tathagata and realizing the pure Dharma-body.

⁽⁵⁵⁾ Sentient beings are fully endowed with wisdom, virtues, and characteristics like those of a Buddha, but because they are obscured by ignorance and deluded afflictions, they cannot realize them. It is like unhusked grain: unless its husk has been completely removed, how could there be fine rice with which to cook a meal and entertain guests? Unless the afflictions have been entirely eliminated, how could one become a refuge for sentient beings?

Although Buddha-nature is obscured by ignorance and afflictions, it is never destroyed. It is like a jewel that has fallen into a filthy place: if no one knows to pick it up and wash it, it will remain hidden forever; but once it is retrieved and cleansed, it is as precious as before. Buddha-nature is likewise.

If the wisdom of prajna and the ambrosial water of the Mahayana are used to cleanse away the afflictions, Buddha-nature becomes manifest. Buddha-nature is separate from neither “existence” nor “nonexistence.” It is like a rice sprout that has just emerged: one cannot say either that rice is within it or that it is not rice. This can be clearly known only through a Buddha’s own realization.

⁽⁵⁶⁾ This speaks of the true nature and pure merit of the Dharma Treasure. Although obscured by the adventitious defilements of affliction, when cleansed by the non-discriminating wisdom of great prajna, it will be realized and its light will appear, just as a lotus grows in mud or as the moon reappears after an eclipse. Adventitious Defilements of Affliction: Afflictions are not inherent in the nature of mind; because they arise through delusion concerning the principle, they are called “adventitious,” and because they defile the nature of mind, they are called “defilements.”

⁽⁵⁷⁾ This speaks of three virtues: 1/ The Buddha’s body of intrinsic nature—the permanently abiding and indestructible Dharma-nature—is the virtue of the Dharma-body. 2/ Clearly understanding the original true nature and characteristics of all dharmas is the virtue of prajna. 3/ Completely eliminating all afflictions, delusions, obstructions, and samsara, and attaining mastery, is the virtue of liberation.

⁽⁵⁸⁾ The Thirty-Seven Factors of Awakening: See the explanation in the Sutra of the Ten Wholesome Actions.

⁽⁵⁹⁾ Wondrous Dharma Skandha: The wondrous Dharma-gates contained within the Five Treasuries, taught by the Buddha to transform and liberate beings according to their capacities.

⁽⁶⁰⁾ Grave Offenses: The four grave and eight grave offenses found in the precepts for bhikshus and bhikshunis; the five uninterrupted offenses, namely, the five heinous offenses, which bring five kinds of evil karmic retribution and painful fruits in the Uninterrupted Hell: 1/ Creating karma and undergoing its results without interruption. 2/ Undergoing suffering without interruption. 3/ Time continuing without interruption. 4/ Life and body continuing without interruption. 5/ Bodies densely filling the place without any gap—hence “uninterrupted.” Slandering the Vaipulya Sutras means disparaging the Mahayana scriptures.

⁽⁶¹⁾ This speaks of the Five Treasuries within the present Dharma Treasure, taught by the Buddhas in accordance with conditions in order to transform and liberate beings.

⁽⁶²⁾ The Eight Awakenings of Great Beings: The eight matters awakened to by great beings (see the Sutra of the Eight Awakenings of Great Beings). The Three Stages of the Worthy are the Ten Abodes, the Ten Practices, and the Ten Dedications of Merit; the Ten Stages of the Noble are the Ten Bhumis.

⁽⁶³⁾ The Wish-Fulfilling Tree of the Devas: A kind of tree in the heavenly realms that grants whatever one wishes for.

⁽⁶⁴⁾ The Eight Difficulties: Eight states that obstruct seeing a Buddha and hearing the Dharma: 1/ Hell. 2/ The realm of hungry ghosts. 3/ The animal realm. 4/ Uttarakuru, the Northern Continent. 5/ The heaven of long-lived devas. 6/ Being deaf, blind, mute, or unable to speak clearly. 7/ Possessing worldly intelligence and eloquence—that is, being clever and skilled in worldly knowledge and debate. 8/ Being born during the interval after the preceding Buddha has entered nirvana and before the succeeding Buddha has appeared in the world.

⁽⁶⁵⁾ The foregoing concerns repentance: disclosing one’s former offenses and, from this time onward, sincerely regretting them and not daring to commit them again.

⁽⁶⁶⁾ The preceding passage says that whenever anyone performs meritorious deeds, one should single-mindedly rejoice, praise them, and have faith in them.

⁽⁶⁷⁾ Willingly accepting karmic retribution.

⁽⁶⁸⁾ The preceding passage concerns personally awakening to the principle of impermanence through one’s own body. This body does not abide permanently, for it undergoes birth, aging, sickness, and death, and therefore cannot be relied upon. Even one’s relatives cannot take one’s place or serve as a true refuge. Only the Three Jewels permanently abide; therefore, one takes refuge in them. Having taken refuge to the ultimate extent, one further vows to rescue and protect sentient beings. This is self-awakening and the making of vows.

⁽⁶⁹⁾ This is the rite of taking refuge, the benefits of taking refuge, and the aspiration to protect living beings.