佛語經

Thus have I heard. At one time the World-Honored One was dwelling at Vaiśālī, in the Storied Pavilion of the Great Forest, together with a great assembly of eight thousand Great Bhikṣus gathered there, with eighty-four thousand Great Bodhisattvas, and there were also immeasurable multitudes of beings, both those still in training and those beyond training, surrounding the Buddha to listen to the Dharma.

At that time there was in the assembly a Bodhisattva named Awesome-Virtue Supreme King, who rose from his seat, arranged his robes, bared his right shoulder, placed his right knee upon the ground, joined his palms toward the Buddha, and addressed him, saying: "World-Honored One, the Tathāgata has previously expounded the Buddha-word in the Sūtra scriptures, yet has also said that there is that which is not the Buddha-word.

World-Honored One, what is the meaning of this? How is it to be received and upheld?" At that time the Buddha said to the Bodhisattva Nāga Awesome-Virtue Supreme King: "Good son, as you have asked, among the scriptures it is said that there is the Buddha-word and that which is not the Buddha-word. Good son, this means that what is non-word is precisely the Buddha-word.

Good son, you should reflect well upon this, for today I wish to set it forth for your sake." At that time the Bodhisattva Nāga Awesome-Virtue Supreme King again addressed the Buddha, saying: "Excellent, World-Honored One, I wish to hear it." The Buddha said: "Good son, to say that non-word is precisely the Buddha-word—good son, this is because the Buddha-word is called the most weighty bodily action. What I speak does not lie outside bodily action, verbal action, and mental action; and yet it is not speech, and so cannot be spoken—it is also called the wordless.

Good son, if there be the word of form, this is not the Buddha-word. Nāga Awesome-Virtue Supreme King, form is not word, and is not the Buddha-word. Feeling, perception, formations, and consciousness are not word, and are likewise not the Buddha-word.

Good son, if there be no word of form, and no word of feeling, perception, formations, or consciousness, then this is called the Buddha-word.

"Good son, if there be the verbal action of body, mouth, and mind, this is not the Buddha-word. Good son, if there be no verbal action of body, mouth, and mind, then this is called the Buddha-word. Good son, if there be such words as Earth, Water, Fire, Wind, and the realm of Space, this is not the Buddha-word.

Good son, if there be no word of Earth, Water, Wind, Fire, and the realm of Space, then this is called the Buddha-word. Good son, if there be the word of greed, hatred, and delusion, this is not called the Buddha-word. Good son, if there be no word of greed, hatred, and delusion, then this is called the Buddha-word.

Good son, if there be the word of the contaminated and the word of the uncontaminated, this is not called the Buddha-word. Good son, if it be neither contaminated nor uncontaminated word, then this is called the Buddha-word. Good son, if there be words of fear, such as these are not the Buddha-word.

Good son, if there be the word of the conditioned and the unconditioned, this is not the Buddha-word. Good son, if there be that which is unconditioned yet not the word of the unconditioned, then this is called the Buddha-word. Good son, if, regarding the supreme Dharma of self-nature's purity, one says that it is attained and realized, this is not the Buddha-word.

Good son, if it be neither self-nature nor other-nature, then this is called the Buddha-word. Good son, if there be true word and untrue word, this is not called the Buddha-word. Good son, if there be no true word and no untrue word, then this is called the Buddha-word.

Good son, if there be this word—that which is the speech of the ordinary worldling and that which is the speech of the noble sage—this is not called the Buddha-word. Good son, if there be no word of the ordinary worldling or of the noble sage, then this is called the Buddha-word. Good son, if there be inner word, outer word, and inner-outer word, this is not called the Buddha-word.

Good son, if there be no inner word, outer word, or inner-outer word, then this is called the Buddha-word. If, regarding all dharmas, speech has a basis to rely upon in form, a basis to rely upon in feeling, perception, formations, and consciousness, this is not called the Buddha-word. Good son, if, regarding all dharmas, there be no form upon which to rely, and no feeling, perception, formations, or consciousness upon which to rely, then such word is called the Buddha-word.

Good son, if there be the word of faculties, objects, and consciousness, this is the word of Māra the King, the word of Māra's people, and is not the Buddha-word. Good son, if there be no word of all those domains, then this is called the Buddha-word. Good son, if there be speech with discrimination of the awareness of form, and speech with discrimination of the awareness of feeling, perception, formations, and consciousness, this is not called the Buddha-word.

Good son, if there be no speech with discrimination of the awareness of form, and no speech with discrimination of the awareness of feeling, perception, formations, and consciousness, then this is called the Buddha-word; and in this meaning, Māra and Māra's people cannot reach thus far. Furthermore, good son, a Bodhisattva is one who sees form as without self, and also does not discriminate it as not-self's possession; thus too feeling, perception, formations, and consciousness as without self, and also does not discriminate them as not-self's possession—this is called a Bodhisattva." At that time the Bodhisattva Nāga Awesome-Virtue Supreme King addressed the Buddha before him, saying: "World-Honored One, by what meaning is there verbal expression?

What is called verbal expression?" The Buddha said: "Good son, this is the place of attachment of Māra Pāpīyas. Furthermore, good son, if a Bodhisattva, seeing form, does not give rise to the thought, 'I am thus,' and with feeling, perception, formations, and consciousness likewise does not give rise to the thought, 'I am thus,' then in all places that Bodhisattva is without word. Nāga Awesome-Virtue Supreme King, for good sons the supreme matter is to cut off all word, to cut off all hindrances, to extinguish all conceit, to cut off all bonds, to depart from the views of duality, and to depart from all perceptions, for these are wordless.

Why is it that even when there is speech, it cannot be spoken? Because non-word is called the Buddha-word. Good son, therefore, regarding this meaning, you should know that what is thus is precisely the Buddha-word.

"Good son, if it be not body and not bodily action; not mouth and not verbal action; not mind and not mental action; neither action nor non-action; neither slander nor non-slander; without arising, without perception, without locus, without abiding, without perishing; neither stilled nor manifestly active; speech unmoving yet also not unmoving, and also not abiding, naturally unarisen yet also not unarisen—this is the Buddha-word, for it employs language that has no such capacity; this is called the Buddha-word.

Good son, when a Bodhisattva is able to give rise to such contemplation, then this is called Learning the Supreme-of-the-Supreme Wisdom-Radiance Buddha-word, the Pure and Cool Buddha-word, which fills the bodies of all sentient beings with joy, awakens the minds of all sentient beings, turns them toward Buddha-wisdom, causes them to receive and uphold its principle, brings universal delight to all the assemblies of Bodhisattvas, makes clear all confusions and is able to enter the Dharma-realm.

It is the skillful resolution that turns toward the Dharma-wheel, turns the wheel of Dharma, beats the great Dharma-drum, subdues the realm of Māra and brings the alien foe into submission, subdues all sentient beings of the non-Buddhist paths, is able to rescue and protect those in the evil destinies, and is able to adorn all the Buddha-lands; thereupon one sits at the place of enlightenment—this is what all the Buddhas praise.

Thus has the Bodhisattva sat at the place of enlightenment; thus has the Bodhisattva attained the Bodhisattva dhāraṇī." When the Buddha had expounded these Dharma-gates of the Buddha-word, the worthy Bodhisattva, the holy Nāga Awesome-Virtue Supreme King, having fulfilled completely the factors of the Dharma of enlightenment, right then attained the Forbearance of the Non-Arising of Dharmas; twenty-six thousand Bodhisattvas attained dhāraṇīs and samādhis; eight thousand Bhikṣus attained the uncontaminated Dharma; and there were also sentient beings who all gave rise to the mind of unsurpassed enlightenment, and thereupon, by their spiritual power, rained down all manner of flowers as an offering to the World-Honored One.

When the Tathāgata had spoken this Dharma-gate, the worthy Bodhisattva Nāga Awesome-Virtue Supreme King and the great assemblies of devas, nāgas, asuras, garuḍas, kiṃnaras, mahoragas, and so forth—all the great assembly, having heard what the Buddha said, were greatly delighted, and faithfully received it and reverently practiced it.