大乘理趣六波羅蜜多經

Chapter Ten: Prajnaparamita (continued)

The Buddha said to Maitreya:

“Mahabodhisattvas have seven means by which they attain the inconceivable and inexhaustible Dharma gate. They are:

1. Inexhaustible causes

2. Inexhaustible sentient beings

3. Inexhaustible realms

4. Inexhaustible great compassion

5. Inexhaustible wondrous functions

6. Inexhaustible Dharma gates

7. Because they destroy the demon of birth and death, their wisdom is inexhaustible.

“Thus, prajnaparamita is without activity, without characteristics, unborn, and unceasing. Bodhisattvas should know that all dharmas are likewise.”

When the Buddha expounded this profound prajnaparamita, a non-Buddhist practitioner in the assembly named Vimatideva rose from his seat and addressed the Buddha:

“Blessed One! You have said that all dharmas have from the beginning been unborn and are pure in their intrinsic nature. Ishvara is eternal and is the father and mother of all things, giving birth to all dharmas and having the power to create and arrange the world. It is also said that the spiritual self can give rise to all dharmas, yet this self abides within the heart and is as large as a thumb. You have said that all dharmas arise through conjunction; why do you now say that they are unborn?”

The Blessed One said to Vimatideva:

“I shall answer these questions in accordance with your own ideas so as to dispel your doubts. Listen carefully. As you have said, Ishvara is eternal and capable of giving birth.

If so, all the myriad things brought forth by him should share the same eternal nature. Yet if they have been produced, they undergo change from one moment to the next and do not abide eternally. This is contrary to reason.

Why? Because function is not separate from essence: if the essence abides eternally, then, since essence is not separate from function, its function cannot be eternal. If Ishvara is eternal and capable of giving birth, he should give birth constantly.

Why, then, does he give birth at some times and not at others? Since he does not give birth constantly, how can he be called eternal? Therefore, because he is the same in nature as the things he produces, he is certainly impermanent.

Moreover, since the things produced are many, he cannot be one. If he were one, there would be no differences; yet the myriad kinds of beings are each distinct. How, then, can he be called one?

“Furthermore, Ishvara is said to give birth to everything, yet he has no loving-kindness or compassion. If he possessed loving-kindness and compassion, he should cause all sentient beings to be born in the realms of devas and humans, where they could enjoy happiness. Why, then, does he cause sentient beings to undergo the eight sufferings, be born in the three evil destinies, and endure every kind of pain?

If he has loving-kindness and compassion, why does he himself create, arrange, and harm sentient beings? If Ishvara is one and eternal, then everything born from him should be immutable. Why, then, are the various kinds of beings subject to impermanent birth and death and separately undergo impurity within the five destinies?

Just as one sees a fruit and thereby immediately knows its cause, so you should know that Ishvara is neither eternal nor one. If what is beautiful and good comes from Ishvara, while what is coarse, evil, and unwholesome is made by the Pisaca demons, such a claim is contrary to reason. If good comes from Ishvara and evil from the Pisaca demons, good and evil oppose one another; how, then, can he be called sovereign?

“Furthermore, sentient beings who commit evil are many, while those who cultivate goodness are few. The Pisaca demons would therefore be more numerous than Ishvara. The good deeds performed by sentient beings are said to belong to Ishvara, while their evil deeds are said to be prompted by the Pisaca demons.

Your disciples constantly say: ‘Those who do good are born in heaven, while those who do evil fall into hell.’ If birth in heaven and descent into hell both result from the performance of good and evil, how can you say that they are brought about by Ishvara? It is like a king issuing a command that offices and wealth be bestowed: one says only that the king bestowed them, not that the herald who proclaimed the command did so.

Likewise, when a king orders someone to be killed, one says only that the king killed him, not the executioner. If good deeds are attributed to Ishvara while evil deeds are attributed to the Pisaca demons, why, then, do sentient beings undergo suffering and happiness? From this you should know that Ishvara certainly cannot have created everything.

“If you say that he is one, why do sentient beings give rise to immeasurable wholesome and unwholesome thoughts? Therefore, you should know that he is not one.

“If you say that everything comes from Ishvara, all things should be entirely good; why, then, is there evil? Suppose a person sometimes commits many evil deeds in a crowded place; that person is called evil. If sentient beings commit evil because of Ishvara, then everyone in the world should call him a sinner destined for hell, for he himself creates evil karma. Why do you alone praise Ishvara? If a person who reviles another for committing evil incurs countless offenses, then you, in reviling Ishvara, incur offenses in the same way.

“Vimatideva! Ishvara incurs the offenses described above, but the faults of the spiritual self are many times greater. If the self is eternal and capable of action, this body should be free in walking and standing and no one should be able to harm it. Why, then, does one weep and fear death? If the self is eternal, it should remember the karma it created in the past and know that it must now undergo painful retribution; it would therefore no longer create evil karma in this life. If the self is eternal, it should be sovereign, never aging or becoming feeble but always remaining strong and healthy, like taking off old clothes and putting on new ones. Why, then, are there aging, sickness, and death? From this you should know that the self cannot act as an agent.

“Vimatideva! When I contemplate all dharmas, I see that they are not produced through the conjunction of causes and conditions either, because a cause is unborn. If a cause were produced, it would not need to await conditions.

The nature of conditions is likewise unborn. To say that the self is formed through the conjunction of causes and conditions is also incorrect. It is like two blind people who, when standing apart, cannot see colors; even if they stand together in one place, they still cannot see them.

You should therefore know that the conjunction of causes and conditions cannot give birth to a spiritual self. If it could give birth to one, that self would be impermanent because it would have a function. Thus, whatever is produced is certainly impermanent.

You should therefore know that apart from what is produced, there is no separate producer. Some say that the extremely subtle particles of the five great elements are eternal and can produce all dharmas, but this is incorrect. It is like water combined with rice to make wine, which causes intoxication when drunk.

The power to intoxicate does not come from outside, nor does it arise from within the water, nor does it arise from the rice; rather, through the combination of water and rice, they are transformed into wine. Likewise, all dharmas have no creator, nor is there a self that serves as their cause or condition. Why?

Because the great earth, space, water, fire, and wind dhatus are likewise so. How could insentient things give birth to sentient beings? All dharmas exist conventionally but do not exist ultimately.

They are not produced by Ishvara, by a spiritual self, by the conjunction of causes and conditions, or by the five great elements. Therefore, you should know that the intrinsic nature of all dharmas is unborn. They exist only through transformation in dependence upon conditions; they neither come nor go, are neither annihilated nor eternal, and remain naturally pure.

This is true equality.”

At that time, the Blessed One spoke these verses:

“All conditioned dharmas

Are like a city of gandharvas.

The minds of sentient beings falsely grasp them;

Though grasped, they do not truly exist.

Dharmas are not born from causes,

Nor are they without causes.

Their existence comes from false conception;

Therefore, they are said to be mind-only.

Through ignorance, false appearances are seen,

Giving rise to the characteristics of form.

The storehouse consciousness serves as their basis

And manifests every form according to conditions.

Like a person whose eyes are afflicted,

Who sees flowers in empty space,

Habitual tendencies disturb and cloud the mind,

Manifesting throughout the three realms.

The eye consciousness, relying upon the alaya,

Manifests all manner of forms.

Like reflections within a mirror,

Discrimination exists nowhere outside.

All seeing and knowing arise from the mind,

Neither eternal nor annihilated.

Through transformations of the alaya consciousness,

They manifest within the world.

The Dharma-nature is entirely equal,

The basis upon which all dharmas rest.

The storehouse consciousness continues without interruption,

And manas grasps it as the self.

That which accumulates and arises is called mind;

That whose nature is deliberation is called mentation;

That which discerns objects is called consciousness.

Therefore, it is said that all is mind-only.

All objects outside the mind

Are falsely seen like flowers in the sky.

Though grasped as real, they are all empty.”

All are transformations of mind-consciousness.

Form and the functions of form

All depend upon the alaya-consciousness.

Ordinary beings falsely discriminate

And regard them as truly existent.

Sleep and torpor,

Walking, standing, sitting, and lying down,

The creation of karma and its retribution—

All arise from the storehouse consciousness.

Sentient and insentient things

Are not born from Ishvara,

Nor created by a divine self,

Nor produced from the nature of subtle particles.

Like the nature of fire within wood:

Though present, it does not burn;

Only through drilling does fire appear,

And thereby dispels the darkness.

Conditions serve successively as causes,

While the alaya is their support;

The various consciousnesses arise accordingly,

Giving rise to the contaminated and uncontaminated.

Just as the ocean, encountering the condition of wind,

Raises fierce waves,

Which continually surge and change before one,

Never ceasing for an instant,

So too is the ocean of storehouse consciousness:

Stirred by the winds of the objects of cognition,

It continually raises waves of consciousness,

Never ceasing for an instant.

Just as unchurned cream

Yields no butter that anyone can see;

Only through unremitting effort

Can the finest clarified essence be obtained.

The alaya, perfumed by delusion,

Obscures the Tathagata-garbha;

When cultivation has fully matured,

Right wisdom at last shines forth.

The consciousnesses change in accordance with conditions,

And the mind of original awakening is not seen;

When wisdom of self-awakening manifests,

The true and right remains forever unmoving.

It is like gold within the ore:

Adhering to stone, it cannot be used;

Once smelted and refined into pure gold,

It can be fashioned into ornaments.

The nature of the alaya is pure,

But it is perfumed by deluded consciousness;

When it accords with the wisdom of the perfect mirror,

It is like the sun emerging from the clouds.

Whoever cultivates emptiness

Yet clings to emptiness on account of emptiness,

Contemplating emptiness as different from form,

Is not called one who truly contemplates.

To contemplate form itself as emptiness,

With form and emptiness not different—

This is emptiness in the ultimate sense;

Such a person is truly liberated.

Adventitious defilements have no intrinsic nature;

Ignorance falsely discriminates.

The true characteristic is neither existent nor nonexistent,

But sentient beings perceive it delusively.

Like the radiance of the sun and moon,

Which shines throughout every place,

The Tathagata’s pure treasury

Is replete with every virtue.

Truth and delusion intermingle,

Like two elephants locked in combat;

The weaker one then withdraws forever—

When delusion ends, it never arises again.

The nature of the lotus is undefiled;

It emerges from water, free of filthy mud.

When the lotus finally blooms,

All who see it delight in it.

The Tathagata’s stainless treasury

Is far removed from all habitual tendencies;

Its pure wisdom is perfect and radiant,

The refuge to which sages and noble ones return.

Like the most excellent precious jewel,

Without the slightest flaw,

Which the wheel-turning king sets in his jeweled crown

And always wears upon his head,

The Tathagata’s pure treasury

Is free of all discrimination;

Its essence possesses virtues as numerous as the sands of the Ganges—

It is the Dharma-body of all Buddhas.

It abides in the uncontaminated realm,

The pure, liberated body;

Quiescent like empty space,

The nature of Dharma neither comes nor goes.

Though the Buddha appears within the three realms,

He is neither born nor extinguished;

In this realm and in other directions,

He remains ever unmoving.

In the equal and true Dharma-realm,

Buddhas and sentient beings are suchness;

It is neither annihilationist nor eternalist,

And its great compassion is inexhaustible.

The Dharma-nature body of all Buddhas,

The natural wisdom of original awakening,

Is precisely the truth of the ultimate meaning,

Which only Buddhas realize and know.

Its intrinsic essence is unborn;

The Muni is originally quiescent.

Amid transmigration through the three realms,

It is the ultimate refuge.

Dharma has no characteristic of coming or going;

Throughout the three times, it is ever quiescent.

Abiding in true samadhi,

One beholds that body of the Dharma-realm,

Pure and inconceivable,

Replete with virtues as numerous as the sands of the Ganges.

This is the uncontaminated realm,

The support upon which all Buddhas rely.

All Buddhas possess the three bodies;

Their essence, characteristics, and functions are equal.

Their nature is profound and vast;

In the ultimate meaning, there is no difference.

Uncontaminated and unchanging,

Far removed from every characteristic,

The afflictive and cognitive obscurations

Are originally and naturally always pure.

Stainless and free from attachment,

He is the true Teacher who disciplines beings.

The pure nature is nirvana,

And is also the Buddha’s Dharma-body;

Its essence possesses virtues as numerous as the sands of the Ganges,

Stainless and inconceivable.

Always perfecting the six paramitas,

This is omniscient wisdom,

Vast and without limit,

In which all conceptual thoughts remain no more.

Having severed habitual tendencies and realized bodhi,

It possesses virtues as numerous as the sands of the Ganges,

And mastery over all dharmas,

Manifesting universally as every form and image.

The pure fruit of great compassion

Brings benefit to sentient beings;

Uncontaminated and free from discrimination,

Its power of vows is entirely fulfilled.

It is like a mani jewel,

Which appears in accordance with various colors;

It is like a painter

Who paints every kind of image.

All the realms that appear

Are transformations of mind-consciousness.

Sentient beings have many different dispositions and desires;

The Tathagata clearly knows them all.

The Dharma-body is always unmoving,

Yet through the power of vows it manifests according to conditions:

He manifests in Tusita Heaven,

And by spiritual power rides a white elephant;

He is born in a royal palace,

Renounces the household life and practices austerities,

Proceeds to the foot of the Bodhi tree,

Defeats the armies of Mara,

Attains Buddhahood and turns the Dharma-wheel,

Or manifests the appearance of nirvana.

Though he displays birth and cessation,

His true body never moves.

For those of dull faculties who delight in lesser teachings,

He expediently teaches nirvana;

Yet within the Dharma-realm of true suchness,

There is no characteristic of nirvana.

Great compassion delights in benefiting beings

And guides sentient beings along the path,

Like the leader of a merchant caravan

Who guides the ignorant.

The bodhisattva’s mind is vast,

Causing beings to enter nirvana.

When he had heard the Buddha’s teaching, Vimalamati experienced immeasurable joy in body and mind. He immediately rose from his seat, adjusted his robes, knelt, joined his palms respectfully, and spoke verses in praise of the Buddha:

—Fallen into the river of birth and death,

Bound by wrong views,

Kapila and Vyasa,

And the non-Buddhist sage Kana—

Ordinary beings are plunged into delusion,

And therefore give rise to wrong views.

The Sugata, endowed with the ten powers,

Radiates the brilliant light of Buddha-wisdom.

Some hear the teachings of Narayana,

Ishvara, and others;

Their craving and desire increase ever more,

Driving their minds into madness.

Right view dispels the darkness;

It is precisely the Tathagata’s teaching.

I now listen with a concentrated mind

And take refuge in the Great Sage.

Great Brahma has four faces

And four hands filled with lotuses;

He expounds the four Vedas,

Causing wrong views to increase.

Only the Buddha, the World-Honored One,

The Great Sage, the sun of wisdom,

Has dispelled my doubts

And is the true refuge.

After praising the Buddha, Vimalamati addressed him:

—Great Sage, World-Honored One! Today I have gained complete benefit. Through the light of your true wisdom, all the doubts and wrong views in my mind have been dispelled. I take refuge in the Great Sage, the World-Honored One. World-Honored One, I was called Vimalamati because, in seeking a path contrary to the Dharma, my mind was always filled with doubt. Now, before the Buddha, I have attained the eye of right Dharma and eradicated my doubting mind; therefore, I am now called Sumati. Please permit me to become your disciple and to take refuge in the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha, so that I may cultivate the Mahayana. I vow never to regress until I attain its excellent benefit, and I shall dedicate this merit so that all sentient beings may attain the Buddha path.

When the World-Honored One taught the Dharma to Vimalamati, immeasurable sentient beings in the assembly aroused the aspiration for unsurpassed bodhi, and sixty-two nayutas of great bodhisattvas attained the patient acceptance of the non-arising of dharmas.

The Buddha said:

—Maitreya! A great bodhisattva cultivating the prajnaparamita should cultivate eight dharmas:

1. Skillfulness regarding the skandhas.

2. Skillfulness regarding the ayatanas.

3. Skillfulness regarding the dhatus.

4. Skillfulness regarding the truths.

5. Skillfulness regarding dependent origination.

6. Skillfulness regarding the three times.

7. Skillfulness regarding all vehicles.

8. Skillfulness regarding all dharmas.

– What is skillfulness regarding the skandhas? It means contemplating the form skandha as being like foam upon water. When an ignorant person sees it and takes it to be a white blanket, he enters the water to retrieve it, but the foam on the water disperses and cannot possibly be grasped. With right wisdom, a great bodhisattva perceives the ultimate truth and clearly understands that the nature of form is empty, like foam upon water. This is called right view.

One contemplates the feeling skandha as being like a bubble upon water: as soon as it arises, it vanishes; arising and ceasing in every instant, it never remains still. With right wisdom, a great bodhisattva perceives the ultimate truth and clearly understands that the nature of feeling is empty, like a bubble upon water. This is therefore called right view.

Contemplate the perception skandha as a mirage. Suppose that in scorching heat, a thirsty person sees a mirage from afar, takes it to be water, and immediately runs toward it in search of water; yet upon drawing near, there is nothing there. A great bodhisattva, employing right wisdom to perceive the ultimate truth, clearly understands that the nature of perception is empty. Therefore, this is called Right View.

Contemplate the formations skandha as being like a plantain tree, which has no core within. If its trunk is peeled away layer after layer, in the end nothing remains. A great bodhisattva, employing right wisdom to perceive the ultimate truth, clearly knows that the nature of formations is empty. Therefore, this is called Right View.

Contemplate the consciousness skandha as an illusion. It is like a magician conjuring gold, silver, precious treasures, pearls, and jeweled necklaces: when one seeks their true substance, absolutely nothing can be found. A great bodhisattva, employing right wisdom to perceive the ultimate truth, clearly knows that the nature of consciousness is empty, like an illusion. Therefore, this is called Right View.

Having contemplated in this way, one brings forth the mind of great compassion to rescue all sentient beings. Contemplation in this way is called skillfulness concerning the skandhas.

Furthermore, contemplate the five skandhas as illusions and magical transformations. They all arise from the mind’s deluded and inverted conceptualizations. There is no self, no person, no sentient being, and no living being. There is neither the mark of a self, the mark of a person, the mark of a sentient being, nor the mark of a living being; there is no agent and no recipient. Through skillful means, one clearly understands that the nature of the skandhas is empty, like a dream, and utterly unobtainable. This is called a great bodhisattva’s skillful wisdom concerning the skandhas.

A great bodhisattva contemplates the skandhas as echoes, with no self and no person, up to and including no agent and no recipient. Thus, the nature of the skandhas is like an echo in an empty valley. It depends upon causes and conditions; when known as it truly is, it is seen to be without dual characteristics. This is called a great bodhisattva’s skillful wisdom concerning the skandhas.

A great bodhisattva contemplates the skandhas as shadows, appearing in accordance with karmic conditions, with no self and no person, up to and including no recipient. Thus, one clearly understands that the nature of the skandhas is like a shadow, unobtainable and without dual characteristics. This is called a great bodhisattva’s skillful wisdom concerning the skandhas.

A great bodhisattva contemplates the skandhas as reflections in a mirror, with no self and no person, up to and including no recipient. The reflection in the mirror is neither within nor without. One clearly understands that it is unobtainable and without dual characteristics. This is called a great bodhisattva’s skillful wisdom concerning the skandhas.

A great bodhisattva contemplates that the skandhas exist through conditions and are therefore like illusions and magical transformations, with no self and no person, up to and including no recipient. Employing skillful wisdom to know them as they truly are, one sees that they have no dual characteristics. This is called a great bodhisattva’s skillful wisdom concerning the skandhas.

A great bodhisattva contemplates the skandhas as bearing the characteristic of change and decay, as impermanent, suffering, empty, without self, and impure. Their nature is originally empty and quiescent, neither destructible nor indestructible. Because one knows them as they truly are, this is called a great bodhisattva’s skillful wisdom concerning the skandhas.

– What is called skillfulness concerning the ayatanas? — It means that the internal ayatanas—the eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind—are all empty. One contemplates that the external ayatanas—forms, sounds, odors, flavors, tangible objects, and dharmas—are also empty. Employing right wisdom to contemplate the ultimate truth, one sees that there is neither within nor without; therefore, this is called Right View. This is skillful wisdom concerning the ayatanas.

There is also skillful wisdom concerning the ayatanas, meaning that one clearly understands that the ayatanas—the eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind—are all empty, and that there are likewise no characteristics of seeing, hearing, sensing, or knowing. This is called skillful wisdom concerning the dharma ayatanas.

There is also wisdom concerning the dharma ayatanas, meaning that one knows the intrinsic nature of the ayatanas—forms, sounds, odors, flavors, tangible objects, and dharmas—to be empty and quiescent, and that there are no objects belonging to the ayatanas of the eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, or mind. This is called skillful wisdom concerning the dharma ayatanas.

There is also skillful wisdom concerning the ayatanas, meaning that the nature of the ayatanas—the eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind—is empty and quiescent, without self or anything belonging to a self. The nature of forms, sounds, odors, flavors, tangible objects, and dharmas is entirely empty, without self or anything belonging to a self; it is neither associated nor unassociated, neither wholesome nor unwholesome, neither increasing nor decreasing, and without dual characteristics. From the beginning, it has been quiescent. This is called a great bodhisattva’s skillful wisdom concerning the ayatanas.

There is also skillful wisdom concerning the ayatanas, meaning that the eye ayatana and the form ayatana have always been pure, undefiled, and unattached. The eye ayatana is quiescent and eternally abiding. Likewise, the ear and sound ayatanas; the nose and odor ayatanas; the tongue and flavor ayatanas; the body and tangible-object ayatanas; and the mind and dharma ayatanas are by nature originally pure, undefiled, and unattached. Even the faculty of mind is firm, quiescent, eternally abiding, and unchanging. This is called a great bodhisattva’s skillful wisdom concerning the ayatanas.

What is called skillfulness concerning the ayatanas? — The sphere of noble beings, and not the sphere of ordinary beings, can give rise to the Noble Path; this is called a proper sphere. The wrong views of ordinary beings give rise to evil destinies; this is called an improper sphere. A great bodhisattva abides in the Noble Eightfold Path and brings forth the mind of great compassion to lead sentient beings into the group established in right concentration. This is skillful wisdom concerning the ayatanas.

– What is a great bodhisattva’s skillful wisdom concerning the dhatus? — It means contemplating that the eye dhatu, form dhatu, and eye-consciousness dhatu have no self and nothing belonging to a self; nor do the eye dhatu, form dhatu, and eye-consciousness dhatu arise through conditions. Likewise, the mind dhatu and dharma dhatu have no self and nothing belonging to a self. Even the mind-consciousness dhatu has no self, nor does the mind-consciousness dhatu arise through conditions. Thus, employing right wisdom to contemplate the ultimate truth, a bodhisattva clearly knows that the nature of the eighteen dhatus is empty, without self or person, and that the dharma-dhatu is equal, pure, and unmoving. This is called a great bodhisattva’s skillful wisdom concerning the dhatus.

There is also skillfulness concerning the dhatus, meaning the wisdom that clearly understands the dharma-dhatu and knows that the nature of the earth, water, fire, and wind dhatus is empty. Hardness, moisture, heat, motion, and so forth are all unobtainable and are equal to the nature of the true reality of dharmas. This is called a great bodhisattva’s skillful wisdom concerning the dharma-dhatu.

There is also skillful wisdom concerning the dharma-dhatu, meaning that one clearly understands the nature of the eye dhatu through the mind dhatu to be empty; the nature of the form dhatu through the dharma dhatu to be empty; and the nature of the eye-consciousness dhatu through the mind-consciousness dhatu to be empty, without the differentiating characteristics of seeing, hearing, sensing, or knowing. This is called skillful wisdom concerning the dharma-dhatu.

– What is skillfulness concerning the truths? — It means the Four Truths: suffering, the origin of suffering, the cessation of suffering, and the path. To contemplate these five skandhas as suffering—the suffering inherent in conditioned formations and the suffering of decay—is called wisdom concerning the Noble Truth of Suffering. Clearly knowing that ignorance causes the five skandhas to increase is called wisdom concerning the Truth of Origin. Not giving rise to craving and completely extinguishing all suffering is called wisdom concerning the Truth of Cessation. Cultivating the Noble Eightfold Path for the sake of this cessation is called wisdom concerning the Truth of the Path. This is called a great bodhisattva’s skillful wisdom concerning the truths.

There is also skillful wisdom concerning the truths, meaning that knowing suffering and therefore not giving rise to it is called wisdom concerning the Truth of Suffering. Knowing its origin and therefore not allowing it to arise is called wisdom concerning the Truth of Origin. Clearly knowing that originally there was no arising and that now there is no cessation is called wisdom concerning the Truth of Cessation. Being without dual characteristics and cultivating the Middle Way is called wisdom concerning the Truth of the Path. This is called skillful wisdom concerning the truths.

Furthermore, the great bodhisattva clearly knows that the painful feeling is empty and has no intrinsic nature, and that the right wisdom capable of contemplating it is also empty. This is called wisdom concerning suffering within suffering. He contemplates that arising has causes and conditions, and that what exists in dependence upon conditions is illusory; the right wisdom capable of contemplating it is also entirely empty.

This is called wisdom concerning the origin within the origin. He knows that craving should be extinguished, that its original nature is fundamentally empty, and that the right wisdom manifest before him is pure and impartial. This is called wisdom concerning cessation within cessation.

He clearly knows that the path of deliverance from suffering cannot be apprehended, and with right wisdom contemplates that its intrinsic nature is entirely empty. This is called wisdom concerning the path within the path. Through such right wisdom, he remains far removed from all discriminations.

This is called the great bodhisattva’s skillful wisdom concerning the Truths.

Furthermore, he knows that the arising of suffering is, in its essence, non-arising. This is called true wisdom within suffering. He knows the arising of the origin, yet the origination of the origin involves no conjunction. This is called true wisdom within the origin. He knows that where there is no arising, there is no cessation. This is called true wisdom within cessation. He knows that the path of deliverance from suffering is free from both existence and nonexistence. This is called true wisdom within the path. When a great bodhisattva understands these things in accordance with reality, this is called skillfulness concerning the Truths.

There is also skillfulness concerning the Truths, namely, the three truths: the conventional truth, the ultimate truth, and the truth of the true characteristic:

The conventional truth consists of all the language and written words, together with the seeing, hearing, and knowing, of the world.

The ultimate truth is the complete cessation of the mind’s activities, where no written words remain and one is far removed from all seeing, hearing, and knowing.

The truth of the true characteristic is that all characteristics are without characteristic. Thus, the absence of characteristics is the true characteristic.

Amid conventional phenomena, the great bodhisattva remains undefiled and contemplates them truly as unmoving, impartial, and of a single characteristic. This is called the great bodhisattva’s skillful wisdom concerning the Truths.

There are also two truths: the worldly truth and the true truth. The worldly truth is to see and know in accordance with reality all dharmas, such as form and mind. The true truth is the principle of the twofold emptiness, serenely pure and utterly quiescent; one teaches and transforms beings without weariness, clearly knowing yet grasping nothing, with no dharma whatsoever that can be apprehended. This is called the great bodhisattva’s skillful wisdom concerning the Truths.

There is also one truth: the pure true suchness of the dharmadhatu, which neither arises nor ceases, is neither annihilated nor eternal, is far removed from the two extremes, and is ultimately blissful. With respect to arising and non-arising, the mind holds no dual characteristics. This is called the great bodhisattva’s skillful wisdom concerning the Truths.

What is skillfulness concerning dependent origination? It means that a great bodhisattva contemplates the uninterrupted flow of dependent origination: conditioned by ignorance are formations; conditioned by formations is consciousness; conditioned by consciousness are name-and-form; conditioned by name-and-form are the six ayatanas; conditioned by the six ayatanas is contact; conditioned by contact is feeling; conditioned by feeling is craving; conditioned by craving is clinging; conditioned by clinging is becoming; conditioned by becoming is birth; and conditioned by birth are aging, illness, death, sorrow, grief, suffering, and anguish.

With right wisdom, the bodhisattva understands in accordance with reality that dependent origination has no intrinsic nature, neither arises nor ceases, and that the nature of dharmas manifest before him has no mind, performs no action, has no master, and is dependent on nothing. This is called the great bodhisattva’s skillful wisdom concerning dependent origination.

There are also wholesome causes, unwholesome causes, moving causes, unmoving causes, causes of samsara, and causes of nirvana. All such causes are known in accordance with reality. Whether the faculties of all sentient beings are keen or dull, their dispositions, their causes, their conditions, their resulting retributions, and their beginnings and ends are all known in accordance with reality. Through those causes and conditions, wholesome cultivation arises; when these are gathered together, nothing is lost. This is called the great bodhisattva’s skillful wisdom concerning dependent origination.

Furthermore, when deluded thought ceases, ignorance ceases; when ignorance ceases, formations cease; when formations cease, consciousness ceases; when consciousness ceases, name-and-form cease; when name-and-form cease, the six ayatanas cease; when the six ayatanas cease, contact ceases; when contact ceases, feeling ceases; when feeling ceases, craving ceases; when craving ceases, clinging ceases; when clinging ceases, becoming ceases; when becoming ceases, birth ceases; when birth ceases, aging and death, sorrow, suffering, grief, and lamentation cease.

With right wisdom, the great bodhisattva clearly knows that dependent origination neither arises nor ceases, has no master, and is dependent on nothing. Therefore, this is called the great bodhisattva’s skillful wisdom concerning dependent origination.

Maitreya! Although all causes and conditions come together in harmony, they have no intrinsic nature and do not arise or develop through a self, a person, a sentient being, or a life principle. For the sake of sentient beings, he expounds immeasurable, boundless, and inexhaustible Dharma such as this. Understanding it in accordance with reality is called the great bodhisattva’s skillful wisdom concerning dependent origination.

The great bodhisattva understands that all dharmas born of conditions neither arise nor cease and bear the characteristic of inexhaustibility. This characteristic of inexhaustibility is itself the characteristic of bodhi. This is called the great bodhisattva’s skillful wisdom concerning dependent origination.

What is called skillfulness concerning the three times? It means recollecting and knowing all wholesome dharmas that were truly practiced in the past, while always remaining far removed from unwholesome dharmas. Having known them in accordance with reality, he dedicates them to all sentient beings. This is called the great bodhisattva’s skillful wisdom concerning the past.

Furthermore, he recollects and knows that all thoughts and roots of goodness pertaining to bodhi in the future are dedicated to the wisdom of omniscience. This is called the great bodhisattva’s skillful wisdom concerning the future.

All right mindfulness accords with wholesome dharmas, and no wrong mindfulness arises in association with unwholesome dharmas. This is called the great bodhisattva’s skillful wisdom concerning the present.

Furthermore, everything in the past is empty, and the present and future are likewise empty. The three times are equal and abide in the highest meaning, which is true liberation.

Furthermore, he contemplates the merit and wisdom of all Buddhas throughout the three times—the past, present, and future—and gives rise to a mind of sympathetic joy. This is called the great bodhisattva’s skillful wisdom concerning the three times.

He contemplates that the past has ceased, the future has not yet arisen, and the present does not abide. He dedicates the supreme practices of cultivating and learning wholesome dharmas throughout the three times to unsurpassed bodhi. Although wholesome dharmas in the present do not abide for even a single instant, he continually arouses the mind of bodhi. This is called the great bodhisattva’s skillful wisdom concerning the three times.

The past has ceased, the future has not yet arisen, and the present does not abide. Thought after thought, arising and cessation continue without pause, and he remains constantly awakened to this. This is called the great bodhisattva’s skillful wisdom concerning the three times.

The bodhisattva possesses inconceivable mastery of supernormal powers and can recollect and know all roots of goodness planted in the past, all wholesome dharmas cultivated in the present, and the vows that the mind of awakening in the future will be perfected. He vows to dedicate them all to unsurpassed bodhi. This is called the great bodhisattva’s skillful wisdom concerning the three times.

Wishing to bring sentient beings to maturity, he recollects all the roots of goodness that sentient beings cultivated in past lives and, in accordance with the capacity of each sentient being, enables them to attain accomplishment according to their vows. All sentient beings who make offerings to the Buddhas of the future will likewise attain accomplishment in accordance with their individual capacities. As for all sentient beings in the present, he employs supernormal powers, expounds the Dharma, and teaches and transforms them in every way, enabling each to attain accomplishment in accordance with their individual capacities.

Thus benefiting both himself and others throughout the three times, he fully perfects sublime and excellent bodhi. This is called the great bodhisattva’s skillful wisdom concerning the three times.

What is called skillfulness concerning the three vehicles? It means relying upon the three vehicles to seek the Dharma of liberation.

What is the great bodhisattva’s skillful wisdom concerning the Vehicle of the Hearers? It means that when a Buddha appears in the world, one hears the Dharma of the Four Noble Truths and, through hearing it, awakens to the principle and gives rise to right view; therefore, one is called a Hearer. By maintaining pure precepts, one perfects the body of morality; by attaining meditative concentration, one perfects the body of concentration.

By seeing the principle of the Four Noble Truths, one attains the bodies of wisdom and liberation, together with the knowledge and vision of liberation. This is called the great bodhisattva’s skillful wisdom concerning the Vehicle of the Hearers. Skillfulness concerning the Vehicle of the Hearers means giving rise to a perception of disenchantment toward the three realms, carefully contemplating conditioned dharmas as impermanent, seeing that all dharmas are without self, and joyfully cherishing the peace of nirvana.

One further contemplates the five skandhas as hostile bandits, the dhatus as venomous snakes, and the twelve ayatanas as an abandoned village. One constantly seeks the Dharma of emancipation, delights in nirvana, and continually directs one’s thoughts toward nirvana. This is called the great bodhisattva’s skillful wisdom concerning the Vehicle of the Hearers.

What is called the great bodhisattva’s skillful wisdom concerning the Vehicle of the Solitary Awakened Ones? It means becoming disenchanted with the conditioned, delighting in the Dharma of emancipation, having few desires and knowing contentment, remaining far removed from frivolous and pernicious disputation, delighting in secluded places, spontaneously awakening to causes and conditions, and seeing all dharmas as impermanent, thereby attaining liberation. This is called the great bodhisattva’s skillful wisdom concerning the Vehicle of the Solitary Awakened Ones.

What is the great bodhisattva’s skillful wisdom concerning the Dharma of the Great Vehicle? It means that the merits and virtues of the Great Vehicle are immeasurable and boundless, enabling sentient beings to awaken to and enter the Supreme Vehicle without obstruction. It is neither arising nor ceasing; it attains great wisdom, accumulates all merit and roots of goodness, enables sentient beings to receive and employ them, perfects the paramitas, completely disciplines all activities of mind, and increases unsurpassed great bodhi.

Possessing great spiritual power, one goes to the seat of enlightenment and sits beneath the bodhi tree. With great compassion, one contemplates the capacities of sentient beings, neither abandoning them nor being hindered, and regards all impartially with loving concern, as though each were one’s only child. One can pass beyond every fear associated with evil destinies, make the Buddha-Dharma manifest, vanquish hostile maras and followers of non-Buddhist paths, raise the victorious banner of bodhi, sever all fetters, attain the unobstructed wisdom of the Tathagata Buddha, and increase the precious benefits of the Buddha-Dharma.

One benefits beings according to their capacities without error. One nurtures sentient beings with vast great compassion and fully possesses the ten powers, the four fearlessnesses, the eighteen distinctive qualities, the excellent marks, and the adornments of merit and virtue, without fault or error. All such skillfulness is called the great bodhisattva’s skillful wisdom concerning the Great Vehicle.

Furthermore, the One Vehicle of all Buddhas fully possesses seven Buddha-dharmas, causing the Great Vehicle to be like a wheel-turning king fully endowed with the seven treasures:

1. Great observation

2. Great accordance

3. Great wisdom

4. Great diligence

5. Great awakening

6. Great skillful means

7. Great accomplishment.

Great observation means that a great bodhisattva draws near to good spiritual friends, listens to the true Dharma, and in a single instant clearly awakens to the true characteristics of all dharmas.

Great accordance means that a great bodhisattva perfects great wisdom, great concentration, and great compassion, benefiting both oneself and others.

Great wisdom means that a great bodhisattva sees the true characteristics and knows that both self and dharmas are empty.

Great diligence means that throughout immeasurable asamkhya kalpas, a great bodhisattva constantly perfects great compassion and the myriad practices.

Great skillful means means that a great bodhisattva attains the patience of equality, neither abiding in samsara nor realizing nirvana.

Great awakening means that a great bodhisattva realizes the ten powers, the four fearlessnesses, and the eighteen distinctive qualities, thereby attaining immeasurable and boundless merits and virtues.

Great accomplishment means that while within samsara, a great bodhisattva realizes great bodhi and perfectly accomplishes as many works of a Buddha as there are hundreds of millions of grains of sand in the Ganges.

By fully possessing these seven supreme dharmas, one becomes a Dharma King. This is called the great bodhisattva’s skillful wisdom concerning the Great Vehicle.

What is the great bodhisattva’s skillfulness concerning all dharmas of the Great Vehicle? It means attaining ultimate mastery of both conditioned and unconditioned dharmas, performing wholesome deeds through body, speech, and mind, increasing purity, and dedicating them to unsurpassed bodhi. This is called skillful wisdom concerning the conditioned.

The bodhisattva creates no karma of body, speech, or mind, fully possesses the purity and equality of the threefold non-action, and dedicates this to unsurpassed bodhi. This is called skillful wisdom concerning the unconditioned.

There is further the skillfulness whereby, in generosity, moral discipline, and so forth through meditative concentration, a great bodhisattva practices vigorously and dedicates these practices to unsurpassed bodhi. This is called the great bodhisattva’s skillful wisdom concerning the conditioned.

Furthermore, by means of the prajnaparamita that is free from all characteristics, one cultivates the paramitas and dedicates them to unsurpassed bodhi. This is called the great bodhisattva’s skillful wisdom concerning the unconditioned.

There is further the skillfulness whereby wisdom of skillful means is used to practice the four means of embracing beings in order to teach and transform sentient beings. This is called the great bodhisattva’s skillful wisdom concerning the conditioned.

There is further the skillfulness of abiding in ultimate truth: although one benefits sentient beings, one does not grasp at anything, and one dedicates this to unsurpassed bodhi. This is called the great bodhisattva’s skillful wisdom concerning the unconditioned.

There is further the skillfulness of fully understanding that afflictions cause samsara to increase, and fully understanding that the dharmas conducive to bodhi bring samsara to an end. This is called the great bodhisattva’s skillful wisdom concerning the conditioned.

Furthermore, one knows emptiness, signlessness, wishlessness, and the three gates of liberation; one has firm faith in unsurpassed bodhi, realizing equality without duality or difference, and never regresses. This is called the great bodhisattva’s skillful wisdom concerning the unconditioned.

There is further skillfulness concerning the conditioned: it means functioning within the three realms without becoming attached to them. This is called the great bodhisattva’s skillful wisdom concerning the conditioned. Fully understanding that the nature of the three realms is empty, like an illusion or magical transformation, one grasps at nothing. This is called the great bodhisattva’s skillful wisdom concerning the unconditioned.

Thus, fully understanding that the nature of all dharmas is pure, without characteristics or names, and fully possessing omniscience is called true wisdom. In order to rescue and protect all sentient beings, one provisionally employs names and skillful means. Such discernment is called expedient wisdom.

With regard to these eight dharmas, the great bodhisattva freely employs the two kinds of wisdom; this is called prajnaparamita. Furthermore, fully understanding the nature of all dharmas is called wisdom. Contemplating all wholesome and unwholesome dharmas is skillful means; conforming to liberation, remaining far removed from all discriminations, and making noble wisdom manifest is called prajnaparamita.

Furthermore, skillfully discerning various views and fetters and using insight and tranquility to eradicate them all is called skillful means, while perfecting the great unsurpassed vow is called wisdom.

Eliminating the afflictions in order to attain light and easeful liberation is skillful means; being able to resolve the afflictions because their nature cannot be apprehended is wisdom.

Ending the suffering of body and mind and attaining lightness, ease, and joy is skillful means; roaming in the garden of the Dharma, attaining the mindfulness of dharani, and making principle and wisdom manifest is wisdom.

Serving as a refuge for sentient beings is skillful means; neither abiding in nor grasping at that which relies and that upon which it relies is wisdom.

Attaining the thirty-seven dharmas conducive to bodhi is skillful means; constantly remaining free from conceptual thought and realizing the great bliss of Dharma is wisdom.

Being able to increase the other five paramitas is skillful means; according with whichever vehicle beings delight in, while leading them all alike into the Buddha’s wisdom whose intrinsic nature is luminous, is wisdom.

Being able to rescue all sentient beings from the raging torrent of samsara is skillful means; knowing that in truth no sentient being whatsoever attains cessation is wisdom.

Establishing right practice is skillful means; seeing that intrinsic nature is empty is wisdom.

Removing adventitious afflictions is skillful means; complete awakening to the undefiled nature of wisdom is wisdom.

To act without perceiving any act is skillful means; to awaken to the emptiness of all dharmas is wisdom.

Non-attachment to the three realms is skillful means; enabling bodhisattvas to understand clearly the ultimate truth is wisdom.

Teaching sentient beings to cultivate wholesome deeds is skillful means; knowing that all noble ones and sages share the one Dharma-realm is wisdom.

Eliminating false discriminations according to the faculties and dispositions of sentient beings is skillful means; seeing that the original nature is pure, quiescent, and unborn is wisdom.

Constantly employing every method to extinguish the darkness of ignorance is skillful means; entering deeply into meditative concentration without abiding in meditative concentration is wisdom.

Teaching and guiding those of the Two Vehicles is skillful means; eliminating attachment to dharmas and entering the Buddha’s knowledge and vision is wisdom.

Bringing sentient beings to certainty according to their faculties and dispositions is skillful means; clearly understanding that all faculties and dispositions are empty is wisdom.

Transcending the realm of delusion is skillful means; revealing the truth of ultimate meaning is wisdom.

Expounding the Four Truths with skillful expedients is skillful means; clearly knowing that all cultivated practices are unobtainable is wisdom.

Diligently seeking merit with earnest and inexhaustible vows is skillful means; clearly knowing right and wrong, neither coming nor going, and the equality of the Dharma-realm is wisdom.

Teaching and guiding sentient beings according to conditions is skillful means; clearly understanding that the original nature of the afflictions is liberation is wisdom.

Knowing that the fetters arise from false discrimination is skillful means; clearly knowing that the minds of sentient beings have always been quiescent and pure is wisdom.

Diligently cultivating to eliminate the habitual tendencies of latent afflictions is skillful means; knowing that the mental activities of all sentient beings are diverse and that the eighty-four thousand gateways of defilement are the Buddha’s wisdom is wisdom.

For shravakas and pratyekabuddhas to cultivate diligently and skillfully enter the Buddha-path is skillful means; for bodhisattvas to cultivate the Perfection of Wisdom and swiftly realize unsurpassed bodhi is called the Perfection of Wisdom.

When the Buddha taught this Perfection of Wisdom, thirty-two kotis of great bodhisattvas in the assembly attained acceptance of the non-arising of dharmas, and seventy-eight thousand sentient beings aroused the aspiration for unsurpassed bodhi. The great assembly offered to the Perfection of Wisdom all kinds of rare and exquisite fragrant flowers, canopies, banners, and ornaments replete with the fragrance of champaka flowers, and scattered them over the Tathagata, the great bodhisattva Maitreya, and the other bodhisattvas. In the sky, the devas played celestial music, chanting praises and extolling the Tathagata, who over immeasurable kalpas had accomplished bodhi and attained boundless merit.

At that time, the Buddha addressed the great bodhisattva Maitreya and the great assembly:

“Your inquiry into this profound Perfection of Wisdom reveals the inexhaustible merit of the Mahayana and this inconceivable Dharma-gate. Upon hearing this sutra, those in the assembly shall also be endowed with such merit. Those who hear this sutra, give rise to faith and understanding, accept and uphold it, read and recite it, copy it, and explain it shall obtain immeasurable and inconceivable benefits that cannot be illustrated by analogy or reckoned by calculation.”

The Blessed One then removed his robe, presented it to Maitreya, and said:

“Excellent! Excellent! Good man, by asking about this profound Perfection of Wisdom, you have enabled all sentient beings throughout the ten directions to rejoice in accord.”

Having received the Buddha’s robe, the bodhisattva Maitreya placed it upon his head and respectfully said:

“Blessed One, this robe is a true stupa of the Tathagata. All devas, nagas, humans, and nonhuman beings should bow before it, circumambulate it to the right, and respectfully make offerings.”

As soon as the bodhisattva Maitreya had spoken, the great assembly suddenly saw all kinds of flowers, jeweled garlands, banners, and canopies arriving from the ten directions and hovering in the sky directly above the Buddha’s head. In an instant, they covered the entire great assembly. From these articles of offering—canopies, parasols, banners, and the like—voices issued forth in praise:

“Excellent! Excellent! The bodhisattva Maitreya has asked about such a meaning. We should rejoice in accord and make offerings.”

At that time, Shariputra said to the Buddha:

“Blessed One, from where do these voices of praise and rejoicing issue forth from all these canopies, parasols, garlands, banners, and other objects?”

The Buddha said:

“Good man, in past lives the bodhisattva Maitreya cultivated the bodhisattva conduct and delivered immeasurable hundreds of thousands of myriads of kotis of sentient beings. Thus he now abides on the bodhisattva stage of non-retrogression. Whether they are shravakas, pratyekabuddhas, devas, or humans, because of causes and conditions from previous lives, beings throughout the worlds of the ten directions now offer all kinds of flowers, garlands, canopies, parasols, and banners to the Prajnaparamita Sutra and the Buddha Tathagata, and praise Maitreya’s merit. Therefore, these voices are heard.”

When the Buddha had finished teaching this sutra, the entire assembly turned toward the bodhisattva Maitreya and respectfully said:

“Today we have obtained great benefit. We have been able to draw near and make offerings to him, and in the presence of the Blessed One we have heard this Prajnaparamita Sutra.”

Shariputra said to the Buddha:

“Blessed One, merely hearing the names of the Buddha and the bodhisattva Maitreya brings these sentient beings immeasurable and boundless merit. How much more so when they draw near before the Buddha, hear this sutra, and accept it with faith and understanding!”

The Blessed One said to Shariputra:

“Suppose good men or good women, throughout an entire kalpa, give away gold, silver, vaidurya, coral, amber, pearls, mani jewels, their heads, eyes, marrow, brains, and so forth without regret, while observing the precepts, practicing patience and diligence, and cultivating meditative concentration. If another person hears even a single four-line verse of this sutra, the merit through which that person accomplishes the Mahayana Prajnaparamita surpasses all the merit described above. Apart from this Dharma, the paramitas cannot be accomplished.

“Shariputra, therefore, if good men or good women hear this sutra, accept it with faith and understanding, uphold it, contemplate it, and cultivate accordingly, I declare that they shall swiftly attain unsurpassed bodhi. Know that such persons have received the bodhi Dharma-seal of the Buddhas, the Tathagatas.

“Shariputra! When this sutra is taught, a bodhisattva may make this vow: ‘From now on, I shall recite this sutra and expound it to others.’ If that person constantly maintains such a thought, this is the perfection of generosity, for among all forms of giving, the gift of Dharma is supreme. To uphold this sutra and guard and protect the Dharma-body is the perfection of ethical discipline. Conforming with acceptance of the non-arising of dharmas is called the perfection of patience. Practicing in accordance with principle without indolence is the perfection of diligence. Abiding in quiescent cessation is the perfection of meditative concentration. Naturally attaining wisdom without relying upon another for awakening is called the Perfection of Wisdom.

“Shariputra! If someone accepts and upholds even a single four-line verse of this sutra, that person shall swiftly perfect unsurpassed bodhi. If bodhisattvas accept and uphold this sutra, read and recite it, copy it, or preserve it, then wherever they are born, they shall encounter a Buddha. Know that such persons have obtained the entire treasury of the Tathagata’s Dharma. Although those who accept and uphold this sutra may differ in outward appearance, their bodhi-mind has no dual aspect. This is because this sutra is the Dharma-seal of the true characteristic and of non-retrogression from bodhi. Therefore, know that bodhisattvas who conform with this sutra attain non-retrogression from unsurpassed bodhi. Bodhisattvas who conform with this sutra conform with all the Buddha-Dharma.”

At that time, the Four Heavenly Kings, protectors of the world, together with their retinues, respectfully joined their palms, single-mindedly maintained right mindfulness, and said:

“Blessed One! We, the Four Heavenly Kings, shall now preserve and protect the Tathagata’s true Dharma. If any good man or good woman upholds this sutra, that person is a Dharma teacher, and we shall honor, revere, and make offerings to that person just as we would to the Buddhas, without distinction. This is because all Buddhas and the Mahayana Dharma arise from this sutra.”

The god Indra addressed the Buddha:

“Blessed One! Although I have heard the Buddha teach many sutras, I have never before heard such a profound sutra as this. Together with the hosts of gods, I shall protect this sutra.

Wherever this sutra is present—in a city, town, village, forest, mountain, beneath a tree, or in a secluded place—if anyone receives and upholds, reads and recites, copies, explains, or teaches it, we hosts of gods shall become members of the assembly listening to the Dharma. Through the power of this sutra, the sovereign, queen, royal consorts, and retinue of that place shall grow ever more radiant and strong and shall be free from every sorrow.

We shall constantly provide for and support the ministers, officials, generals, all the people, and the Dharma teacher, causing them to be free from anxiety. We shall cause the seasons throughout those realms to be favorable, proceeding in due order without disruption. No enemy shall be able to invade or inflict harm; the crops shall yield abundant harvests, and the people shall dwell in peace and happiness.

We shall increase the Dharma teacher’s radiance and strength and grant them unhindered eloquence. We shall also enable the Dharma teacher to possess great fearlessness before the assembly, like a lion king proclaiming the Dharma to all.”

At that time, the Blessed One said to the Lord of Gods:

“Excellent! Excellent, Kausika! You shall protect this sutra and keep the Dharma teacher free from danger and calamity. You should know that whoever protects a Dharma teacher is a protector of the Dharma. One who protects the Dharma thereby protects the nation and its people.”

Then the great Brahma kings of the Saha world addressed the Buddha:

“Blessed One! The hosts of Brahma gods and I shall relinquish the bliss of meditative concentration and gladly follow this scripture and its Dharma teacher wherever they may be. We shall go there and manifest four signs so that the Dharma teacher will know that we have arrived:

1. A great light will be seen.

2. An extraordinary fragrance will be perceived.

3. That Dharma teacher will attain unhindered eloquence.

4. The listening assembly will become single-minded and established in right mindfulness.

“Through these four signs, it will be known that we are present within the assembly, acting as protectors of the Dharma and listening to the true Dharma.”

At that time, the Māra king Pāpīyān said:

“Blessed One! When you teach this sutra, my palace loses its color and radiance, trembles, and becomes unsettled, while my power and influence decline.”

The Buddha said:

“When great bodhisattvas hear this sutra, wherever this sutra may be, if a good man or good woman receives and upholds even a single four-line verse, and upon hearing it gives rise to faith, understands it, and upholds it, you should know that this person has already received a prediction of unsurpassed bodhi and shall inherit the station of Buddhahood.”

The Māra king Pāpīyān said:

“Blessed One! Because those good men and good women receive and uphold this sutra, the majestic power and influence of my retinue are extinguished. Nevertheless, if anyone receives and upholds, reads and recites, copies, explains, or teaches this sutra, wherever that person may be, we vow always to protect them and never to entertain even a single thought of creating an obstacle.”

The Blessed One instructed Sariputra:

“In future ages, you should receive and uphold, read and recite, and widely disseminate this sutra so that the true Dharma may long endure.”

Sariputra replied:

“Yes, Blessed One. I shall receive and uphold it.”

The Buddha instructed Ananda:

“You should receive and uphold, read and recite, and widely disseminate this sutra.”

Ananda replied:

“Yes, Blessed One! I shall receive and uphold it. Although we shall always reverently practice it, we cannot equal the bodhisattvas in disseminating it far and wide.”

The Buddha said to Ananda:

“Do not fear that this sutra will not be disseminated, for the innumerable great bodhisattvas in this great assembly have all vowed to propagate it.”

Within the assembly were six hundred million great bodhisattvas who, wishing to protect and preserve this scripture, immediately rose and said:

“Great Sage, Blessed One! We vow to disseminate this sutra throughout all worlds in the ten directions. In the Saha world, Maitreya shall proclaim this sutra without interruption. Five hundred years after the Buddha’s nirvana, if any being hears this sutra for the first time and it merely enters their ears, know that this person has received a prediction from the Buddha. Whoever receives and upholds this sutra, even a single four-line verse, should be known to have been established in this practice through the majestic spiritual power of the great bodhisattva Maitreya.”

The Blessed One said to the assembly of bodhisattvas:

“Excellent! Excellent, good men! Since you have protected this sutra in my presence, you should know that you shall likewise protect this sutra in the presence of Buddhas as numerous as the sands of the Ganges.”

At that time, the great bodhisattva Maitreya knelt, joined his palms, and said:

“Great Sage, Blessed One! By questioning you about this sutra, I have offended the Tathagata. Now, before the Buddha, I sincerely repent. I humbly beseech you to extend your compassionate mercy, take pity upon me, and forgive my fault. May all the bodhisattvas likewise repent and acknowledge their faults as I have done.”

The Buddha said:

“Maitreya! You have attained the perfection of wisdom and comprehended its profound meaning and principles. You harbor no doubts concerning the Mahayana Dharma, and your body, speech, and mind are free from error. All Buddhas have given you their seal of approval. The Dharma you teach is no different from the Dharma I have taught.”

Ananda addressed the Buddha:

“Blessed One! What is the name of this sutra, and how should we reverently uphold it?”

The Buddha replied:

“This sutra is called The Mahayana Principle of the Great Bodhisattva-Mahasattvas of the Past, Present, and Future. It is also the eye of all sentient beings and the mother of all Buddhas. Therefore, this sutra is called The Sutra of the Immeasurable, Boundless, and Inexhaustible Meanings of the Six Paramitas of the Mahayana Bodhisattva Principle. You should receive and uphold it under these names.”

After hearing the Buddha’s teaching, the Venerable Ananda, all the great sravakas, the great bodhisattva Maitreya and all the other great bodhisattvas, all beings throughout the worlds—gods, dragons, yakshas, asuras, gandharvas, garudas, kinnaras, mahoragas, humans, and nonhumans—as well as the great bodhisattva Inexhaustible Treasury from the world of Never-Blinking, rejoiced greatly, accepted the teaching with faith, and reverently practiced it.