優婆塞戒經

Chapter Eighteen

The Six Paramitas

Sudatta addressed the Buddha: “Venerable Blessed One! The Buddha has just said that the six directions are the six paramitas, and that whoever makes offerings to the six directions will enjoy an increase in wealth and longevity. What characteristics do such people possess?”

The Buddha said: “Good man! Suppose a person is able to be unstinting with all possessions, constantly benefits others, always thinks of giving, delights in giving, and, whenever anything is acquired, gives it to others without regard to whether it is much or little. When giving, that person does not begrudge body, life, or possessions and makes no distinction between those who observe the precepts and those who violate them.

That person constantly praises generosity. Seeing others give, that person’s mind becomes joyful and delighted, without the slightest jealousy. When someone comes to ask for something, that person is pleased, immediately rises to greet them, and brings forward a chair to invite them to sit.

Whether or not the visitor asks any questions, that person immediately praises the karmic rewards of giving. Seeing someone in fear, that person is able to rescue and protect them. In times of famine, that person always delights in giving food and drink.

Although practicing generosity, that person seeks no reward and does not hope for gratitude in return. That person does not deceive sentient beings and constantly praises the merits of the Three Jewels. When conducting business, that person never uses deficient weights or adulterates goods with inferior substances to deceive others.

That person does not delight in drinking alcohol, gambling, or sexual pursuits, but constantly cultivates a sense of shame, remorse, and repentance. Although wealthy, that person’s mind is not self-indulgent; constantly practicing generosity, that person does not become arrogant.

Good man! Whoever possesses such characteristics should be known as one who is able to make offerings to the Paramita of Generosity.

Good man! Suppose a person is able to purify actions, speech, and thoughts, constantly cultivates a gentle and harmonious mind, and does no wrong. If that person does commit a wrong, a sense of shame and remorse always arises, together with faith that such evil karma will bring painful retribution.

That person rejoices in the wholesome deeds already cultivated. Even regarding a minor offense, that person guards against committing it as carefully as against a very grave offense. If an offense is inadvertently committed, that person feels inward fear, sorrow, and remorse.

That person never angrily beats, harms, or causes suffering to sentient beings. Whoever is encountered, that person first addresses them with gentle words of greeting. Upon seeing sentient beings, loving concern and solicitude immediately arise.

That person is always grateful and seeks ways to repay kindness. The mind is not miserly, and that person does not deceive sentient beings. Wealth is earned in accordance with the Dharma.

That person delights in performing meritorious deeds and constantly teaches others to cultivate the merits that person has practiced. Seeing the poor and afflicted, that person would offer their own body to bear suffering in their stead and constantly cultivates loving-kindness and compassion, showing mercy to all. Seeing someone commit evil, that person is able to restrain and protect them.

Seeing someone perform good deeds, that person not only praises their merit and karmic reward but also offers personal assistance. Seeing those deprived of freedom, that person helps them obtain freedom. That person constantly practices abandoning anger; if anger should occasionally arise, that person immediately reproaches themselves and repents.

That person always speaks truthful and gentle words and does not engage in divisive or meaningless speech.

Good man! Whoever possesses such characteristics should be known as one who is able to make offerings to the Paramita of Moral Discipline.

Good man! Suppose a person is able to purify the three karmic activities of body, speech, and mind. Even if harmed by an evil person, not a single thought of anger arises, and that person is firmly resolved never to retaliate.

If the offender comes to repent and apologize, that person forgives them immediately. When seeing sentient beings, that person’s mind is always joyful; seeing someone commit evil, compassion arises. That person praises the karmic rewards of patience, censures anger, and explains the painful retribution resulting from anger.

When practicing generosity and patience, that person always gives priority to enemies. That person constantly contemplates that the five skandhas arise solely through the conjunction of causes and conditions; since they are formed merely through such conjunction, why should anger arise? That person constantly and deeply contemplates that anger is a cause and condition for undergoing immeasurable suffering in the three evil realms in future lives.

If anger arises even momentarily, that person immediately feels shame, fear, and repentance. Seeing that another person’s practice of patience surpasses their own, that person does not become jealous.

Good man! Whoever possesses such characteristics should be known as one who is able to make offerings to the Paramita of Patience.

Good man! Suppose a person is not indolent and does not indulge in or crave the pleasurable sensations of reclining and sitting. When undertaking minor tasks, that person’s mind is as concentrated as when accomplishing great meritorious deeds.

Whatever that person undertakes is carried through to completion. While working, that person pays no heed to hunger or thirst, heat or cold, or whether the time is suitable or unsuitable. That person never disparages themselves.

If a great undertaking remains unfinished, that person never gives rise to regret; upon completing a task, that person rejoices in having finished it. That person praises the karmic rewards of diligence, earns wealth in accordance with the Dharma, and spends it appropriately. Seeing those who are habitually heedless, that person regularly explains to them the unwholesome consequences.

That person skillfully instructs sentient beings, causing them to practice diligently. An undertaking that is not yet complete is never abandoned midway. While cultivating wholesome dharmas, that person is not swayed by others.

Good man! Whoever possesses such characteristics should be known as one who is able to make offerings to the Paramita of Diligence.

Good man! Suppose a person is able to purify the three karmic activities of body, speech, and mind; delights in secluded places, whether caves, mountains, forests, or empty dwellings; dislikes noise; is not attached to beds or seats; does not enjoy speaking about or listening to miscellaneous worldly affairs; and does not delight in craving, anger, or delusion. That person always speaks first, using gentle words; constantly delights in renunciation and in teaching and transforming sentient beings.

All that person’s afflictions diminish, and they abandon idle fantasies. Upon seeing an enemy, that person cultivates loving-kindness and constantly delights in explaining the karmic rewards of meditative concentration. If the mind becomes heedless, distracted, or scattered, that person always feels fear and remorse.

Seeing those who practice wrong concentration, that person guides them to discern their error clearly and skillfully instructs them in the cultivation of right concentration.

Good man! Whoever possesses such characteristics should be known as one who is able to make offerings to the Paramita of Meditative Concentration.

Good man! Suppose a person is able to purify the three karmic activities of body, speech, and mind and studies every field of worldly learning. That person constantly abandons greed, anger, and delusion and is neither deranged nor confused.

That person constantly makes offerings to parents, teachers, preceptors, elders in age and virtue, and those who practice heedfulness. That person always speaks first in greeting, speaks gently, and does not deceive sentient beings. That person is able to distinguish and explain the right path and the wrong path, as well as the karmic rewards of good and evil.

That person constantly delights in secluded places and in leaving the household life to cultivate the path and is able to teach sentient beings worldly knowledge. Seeing someone more capable than themselves, that person never becomes jealous; seeing that they surpass others, that person never becomes arrogant. When undergoing suffering and affliction, that person’s mind does not grieve; when experiencing happiness, the mind does not become elated.

Good man! Whoever possesses such characteristics should be known as one who is able to make offerings to the Paramita of Prajnaparamita.

Good man! Each of these aspects has four characteristics. The aspect of giving has four: first, taming sentient beings; second, abandoning faults; third, benefiting oneself; and fourth, benefiting others.

If, at all times, a person is never miserly with wealth and makes no distinction between relatives and enemies, that person can tame sentient beings. Because one is not miserly with wealth, one is able to give; thereby one abandons the evil trait of stinginess. This is called abandoning faults.

When intending to give, while giving, and after having given, one’s mind remains joyful and gives rise to no regret. Because of this, in the future one will enjoy the happiness of humans and devas, even the unsurpassed happiness. This is called benefiting oneself.

One can cause others no longer to suffer any of the afflictions of hunger and thirst. This is called benefiting others.

The aspect of observing the precepts has four: first, adorning unsurpassed bodhi; second, abandoning faults; third, benefiting oneself; and fourth, benefiting others. Adorning unsurpassed bodhi means that the upasaka precepts, up to and including the bodhisattva precepts, can all serve as the foundation for anuttara-samyak-sambodhi. Therefore, this is called adorning.

After receiving the precepts, one abandons evil precepts and the state of being “without precepts.” This is called abandoning faults. By observing the precepts, one attains the happiness of devas and humans, even the unsurpassed happiness. This is called benefiting oneself.

After receiving the precepts, one bestows fearlessness upon sentient beings, enabling all to leave suffering and attain happiness. This is called benefiting others.

The aspect of patience has four: first, adorning unsurpassed bodhi; second, abandoning faults; third, benefiting oneself; and fourth, benefiting others. Adorning unsurpassed bodhi means that through patience one can cultivate wholesome dharmas, and through cultivating wholesome dharmas one can realize the first bhumi, up to and including unsurpassed bodhi. This is called adorning. After cultivating patience, one can abandon malicious anger. This is called abandoning faults. Because of patience, one attains the happiness of the deva realms, even the unsurpassed happiness. This is called benefiting oneself. Teaching sentient beings to cultivate wholesome dharmas and enabling them to abandon unwholesome dharmas is called benefiting others.

The aspect of meditative concentration has four: first, adorning bodhi; second, abandoning faults; third, benefiting oneself; and fourth, benefiting others. Adorning bodhi means that, through the power of cultivating meditative concentration, one attains the first bhumi, up to and including anuttara-samyak-sambodhi. This is called adorning.

Through meditative concentration, one cultivates immeasurable wholesome dharmas and leaves behind confused and wandering thoughts. This is called abandoning faults. Through the causes and conditions of cultivating shamatha and delighting in tranquility, one attains the happiness of the deva realms, even the unsurpassed happiness.

This is called benefiting oneself. Destroying the minds of greed, anger, and delusion in sentient beings is called benefiting others.

The aspect of wisdom has four: first, adorning bodhi; second, abandoning faults; third, benefiting oneself; and fourth, benefiting others. Adorning bodhi means that, because of wisdom, one attains the first bhumi, up to and including anuttara-samyak-sambodhi. This is called adorning. By cultivating wisdom, one leaves ignorance far behind and prevents the afflictions from running rampant. This is called abandoning faults. Eliminating the afflictive obstructions and the cognitive obstructions is called benefiting oneself. Teaching sentient beings and enabling them to be tamed is called benefiting others.

Good man! Some may say: “Apart from the precepts, there is no patience; apart from wisdom, there is no concentration. Therefore, it is said that there are only four paramitas.

If one can patiently endure and refrain from retaliating, this is called observing the precepts. If one cultivates meditative concentration and the mind is not heedless, this itself is wisdom. Therefore, the precepts are patience, and wisdom is concentration.

Apart from wisdom, there is no concentration; apart from concentration, there is no wisdom. Therefore, wisdom is concentration, and concentration is wisdom. Apart from the precepts, there is no vigor; apart from vigor, there are no precepts.

Therefore, the precepts are vigor, and vigor is the precepts. Apart from giving, there is no vigor; apart from vigor, there is no giving. Therefore, the precepts are vigor, and vigor is the precepts.

Thus, there are not six paramitas.” This is incorrect! Why? Wisdom is the cause, and giving is the result.

Vigor is the cause, and observing the precepts is the result. Samadhi is the cause, and patience is the result. Yet cause and result cannot be one and the same; therefore, there must be six paramitas.

If someone says, “The precepts are patience, and patience is the precepts,” this assertion is incorrect. Why? The precepts must be received from another, whereas patience is not so.

Some people have not received the precepts, yet they can patiently endure malicious acts; for the sake of sentient beings, they endure countless sufferings and, throughout immeasurable lifetimes, undergo boundless suffering in place of sentient beings, while their minds never regret or retreat. Therefore, patience still exists apart from the precepts.

Good man! Samadhi is shamatha, whereas wisdom is vipashyana. Shamatha is single-minded concentration upon one object, whereas vipashyana is discerning contemplation.

In the twelve divisions of the teachings, I have said that concentration is distinct from wisdom. Therefore, one should know that there must be six paramitas. The Tathagata first taught the Giving Paramita in order to tame sentient beings.

Wishing sentient beings to be free of miserliness while giving, he next taught the Precepts Paramita. Wishing sentient beings to be able to endure the loss of their possessions while giving, he next taught the Patience Paramita. Wishing sentient beings to delight in practicing giving at every moment, he next taught the Vigor Paramita.

Wishing sentient beings to remain single-minded while giving, without distracted thoughts, he next taught the Meditative Concentration Paramita. Wishing sentient beings not to seek happiness within samsara while giving, he next taught the Wisdom Paramita.

Good man! What is called a paramita? When giving, one seeks no karmic reward, whether internal or external; one does not distinguish between a field of merit and what is not a field of merit; one gives away all one’s possessions without miserliness and without choosing an auspicious day or time.

Therefore, this is called the Giving Paramita. Even with regard to a minor offense, one would not violate the precepts, even at the cost of one’s life. Therefore, this is called the Precepts Paramita.

Even if an evil person comes and violates one’s body, one can patiently endure it without anger. Therefore, this is called the Patience Paramita. For three months, one uses a single verse to praise the Buddha without ever resting.

Therefore, this is called the Vigor Paramita. Fully attaining the Vajra Samadhi is called the Meditative Concentration Paramita.

Good man! When one attains anuttara-samyak-sambodhi, one fully possesses all six paramitas. Therefore, this is called the Wisdom Paramita.

Good man! There are two kinds of bodhisattvas: first, householders; and second, monastics. It is not difficult for monastic bodhisattvas to purify the six paramitas. It is truly difficult for householder bodhisattvas to purify the six paramitas. Why? Because householders are bound by many adverse conditions.

Chapter Nineteen

The Giving Paramita

Sudatta said to the Buddha: “Venerable Blessed One! After bodhisattvas have cultivated the six paramitas, what can they do for sentient beings?”

– Good man! Those bodhisattvas can rescue sentient beings who are sinking in the ocean of suffering.

Good man! If anyone gives rise to a miserly mind regarding wealth, the Buddhadharma, or food, you should know that throughout immeasurable lifetimes that person will undergo the karmic retribution of poverty and hardship. Therefore, when a bodhisattva cultivates the perfection of giving, he must benefit both himself and others.

Good man! If a person delights in giving, regards enemies as kin, helps those who lack freedom attain freedom, and has faith in the karmic results of giving and upholding the precepts, that person will accomplish the karmic fruits of giving.

Good man! Some people maintain, “Giving is merely a mental intention. Why?

Because intention is the root of giving.” This meaning is incorrect! Why? Because giving involves the five skandhas.

Why is this so? Giving is accomplished through the three karmic activities of body, speech, and mind. If giving benefits oneself, benefits others, and benefits both parties, it must involve all five skandhas.

Giving in this manner can adorn the path to bodhi. The primary karmic fruits of giving are freedom from afflictions and abundant wealth; its secondary karmic fruits are longevity, beauty, strength, happiness, and eloquence. The karmic fruits of giving are of three kinds: first, because the gift is excellent, it brings an excellent karmic fruit; second, because the field of merit is excellent, it brings an excellent karmic fruit; third, because the giver is excellent, it brings an excellent karmic fruit.

Excellent fields of merit include those progressing toward stream-entry, up to and including bodhisattvas in their final existence; giving to such persons brings an excellent karmic fruit. If the gift is replete with color, fragrance, flavor, and exquisite tangible qualities, it is called an excellent gift; giving such things brings an excellent karmic fruit. If the giver possesses profound and sincere faith and also fully cultivates the practices of giving, upholding the precepts, extensive learning, and wisdom, that person is called an excellent giver and will receive an excellent karmic fruit.

Good man! A wise person practices five kinds of giving: first, giving wholeheartedly; second, giving with one’s own hands; third, giving with faith; fourth, giving at the proper time; and fifth, giving possessions acquired in accordance with the Dharma.

Good man! What karmic fruits will wholehearted giving bring? If people give wholeheartedly, they will obtain abundant wealth: gold, silver, lapis lazuli, crystal, pearls, elephants, horses, cattle, goats, fields, gardens, houses, servants, and numerous relatives and dependents.

Those who give wholeheartedly will obtain karmic fruits such as these! What karmic fruits will giving with one’s own hands bring? Those who give with their own hands will likewise obtain the karmic fruits just mentioned and will personally be able to enjoy and use them.

Those who give with their own hands will obtain karmic fruits such as these! What karmic fruits will those who give with faith obtain? Those who give with faith will obtain the karmic fruits just mentioned and, moreover, will always be loved by their parents, siblings, relatives, and all sentient beings.

Those who give with faith will obtain karmic fruits such as these! What karmic fruits will giving at the proper time bring? Those who give at the proper time will obtain the karmic fruits just mentioned and, moreover, all that they seek will be fulfilled according to their wishes.

Those who give at the proper time will obtain karmic fruits such as these! What karmic fruits will giving possessions in accordance with the Dharma bring? Those who give in accordance with the Dharma will obtain the karmic fruits just mentioned and, moreover, their wealth will not be lost through seizure by rulers, robbery by thieves, floods, fires, and so forth.

If people give things of splendid color, they will receive the karmic fruit of a beautiful countenance. If they give fragrant things, they will receive the karmic fruit of renowned fame. If they give fine and delicious food, they will receive the karmic fruit of others delighting in drawing near to them and, after drawing near, giving rise to love and respect. If they give soft things, they will receive the karmic fruit of the most exquisite tangible sensations. After a supplicant has accepted the gift, the giver will receive such karmic fruits as longevity, beauty, strength, happiness, and eloquence.

Good man! Some people maintain, “Giving to stupas and images will not bring such karmic fruits as longevity, beauty, strength, eloquence, and so forth, because there is no recipient.” This is incorrect! Why? Because the giver possesses faith. Since the giver performs the act of giving with faith, that person must receive these five karmic fruits.

Good man! It is like a bhiksu who cultivates loving-kindness and compassion. Although in reality there is no one who receives that bhiksu’s loving-kindness and compassion, the bhiksu nevertheless receives immeasurable karmic fruits. The five karmic fruits obtained by giving to stupas and images are likewise so.

Good man! Just as a person who plants rice will certainly not produce melons, giving to stupas and images is likewise so. Because they are fields of merit, one receives karmic fruits such as these. Therefore, I say, “Karmic fruit is obtained through three causes and conditions: the field of merit, the possessions given, and the giver.”

Good man! Giving is of two kinds: first, the giving of Dharma; second, the giving of material possessions. Giving the True Dharma brings two kinds of karmic fruit: precious wealth and the True Dharma; whereas giving material possessions brings only the karmic fruit of precious wealth. A bodhisattva cultivates these two kinds of giving for two purposes: first, to enable sentient beings to leave suffering and distress behind; second, to bring the minds of sentient beings under discipline.

Good man! Giving is further of three kinds: first, giving the True Dharma; second, giving fearlessness; third, giving material possessions. Giving the True Dharma means instructing others to receive the precepts, enter the monastic life, cultivate the path, carry out the formal act of a motion followed by three proclamations, expound the True Dharma to destroy wrong views, distinguish and explain what is true and what is untrue, and explain the four inversions and heedfulness.

This is called giving the True Dharma. If a bodhisattva sees someone terrified by rulers, lions, tigers, wolves, dangerous places afflicted by flood or fire, thieves, and so forth, and is able to rescue that person, this is called giving fearlessness. Regarding one’s own possessions—whether fine or inferior, numerous or few—one does not give rise to greed or reluctance.

Such possessions as cattle, goats, elephants, horses, houses, beds, chairs, trees, ponds, wells, slaves, servants, oxen, camels, carts, palanquins, jars, basins, pots, pans, beds, mats, sitting mats, copper utensils, iron implements, earthenware, clothing, ornaments, lamps, incense, flowers, fans, parasols, hats, sandals, stools, staffs, ropes, plows, harrows, hammers, axes, grass, wood, water, stones, and so forth are all given according to the preferences and needs of those who ask.

This is called giving material possessions. Furthermore, one should build monasteries or secluded dwellings and give them to monastics, with the sole exception of giving elephants and horses.

Good man! There are four obstacles to giving: ⁽¹⁾ a greedy and miserly mind, ⁽²⁾ failing to cultivate giving, ⁽³⁾ regarding small gifts with contempt, and ⁽⁴⁾ seeking worldly karmic rewards. Two teachings can eliminate these four obstacles: ⁽¹⁾ cultivating selflessness, and ⁽²⁾ cultivating impermanence.

Good man! If one wishes to delight in giving, one must eliminate five things: ⁽¹⁾ an angry mind, ⁽²⁾ a miserly and greedy mind, ⁽³⁾ a jealous mind, ⁽⁴⁾ attachment to one’s body and life, and ⁽⁵⁾ disbelief in cause and effect. When these five things have been eliminated, one will delight in giving. One who delights in giving will obtain five benefits: ⁽¹⁾ one will never be separated from the noble ones, ⁽²⁾ all sentient beings will delight in seeing and hearing one, ⁽³⁾ one will enter an assembly without fear, ⁽⁴⁾ one will gain a good reputation, and ⁽⁵⁾ one will adorn the fruit of bodhi.

Good man! A bodhisattva is also called “one who gives everything.” One who always gives with a pure mind is called one who gives everything; one who, though possessing little wealth, is still able to give is called one who gives everything; one who can overcome miserliness and give away something one cherishes is called one who gives everything; one who gives without seeking recompense is called one who gives everything; one who, when giving, makes no distinction between a field of merit and one that is not a field of merit is called one who gives everything; one who gives equally to friends and enemies is called one who gives everything.

There are two kinds of recipients of a bodhisattva’s giving: the first is sentient beings, and the second is non-sentient beings. When a bodhisattva gives to these two kinds, sparing not even his own body, this is called giving everything. When a bodhisattva gives out of compassion, this is called giving everything.

When he first resolves to give, while he is giving, and after he has given, he feels no regret; this is called giving everything. At no time, whether acting on his own or being compelled by others, does he give unsuitable things such as intoxicants, poison, knives, clubs, shackles, and so forth, even though this might please the recipient. He does not give impure food or medicine to the sick.

He does not steal or rob another person of anything, even a single coin, in order to give it away. When giving, although a bodhisattva may possess authority, he never beats or scolds his servants, causing them to become resentful, distressed, or afflicted. He gives wealth acquired in accordance with the Dharma without seeking recompense in this life or a future life.

After giving, he constantly contemplates the faults of the afflictions and deeply contemplates the subtle and wondrous merits of nirvana, seeking nothing other than unsurpassed bodhi.

When giving to the poor, he arouses compassion; when giving to a field of merit, he gives rise to reverence; when giving to relatives and friends, he does not regard the gift as something merely cast away. If he sees someone coming to ask, he understands that person’s need and provides according to what is sought, without waiting for that person to voice a plea. Why is this? Giving without waiting for others to ask brings immeasurable merit and reward.

Good man! Those who give are of three grades: inferior, middling, and superior. The inferior giver does not believe in karmic retribution, is miserly by nature, and fears that his wealth will be exhausted; when he sees someone coming to ask, he becomes resentful and angrily drives that person away.

The middling giver, though believing in karmic retribution, is still miserly and fears that his wealth will be exhausted; nevertheless, when he sees someone coming to ask, he still gives. The superior giver has profound faith in karmic retribution, is free of miserliness, and contemplates wealth as impermanent; when he sees someone coming to ask, if he still has wealth to give, he feels joyful, but if he no longer has wealth to give, he becomes deeply sorrowful and remorseful, and exchanges his own body for material goods to give to that person.

Furthermore, the inferior giver, upon seeing someone come to ask, turns his face away and ignores that person, and even curses and humiliates them. The middling giver, though he gives, despises and belittles the person who has come to ask. The superior giver gives even before being asked and does so respectfully.

Furthermore, the inferior giver gives because he desires recompense in the present life; the middling giver gives because he desires recompense in a future life; and the superior giver gives out of compassion. Furthermore, the inferior giver gives in order to repay a kindness; the middling giver gives in order to create wholesome karma; and the superior giver gives in order to increase the treasury of the true Dharma. Furthermore, the inferior giver gives out of a desire to surpass others; the middling giver gives because he wishes the person who has come to ask to become like himself; and the superior giver makes no distinction between friends and enemies.

Furthermore, the inferior giver possesses something but says that he has nothing; the middling giver possesses much but says that he has little; and the superior giver, when asked for little, gives much. Those who have no wealth to give are also of three grades. The inferior person, upon seeing someone come to ask, becomes angry and rebukes them; the middling person, upon seeing someone come to ask, frankly says that he has nothing; and the superior person, upon seeing someone come to ask, is ashamed that he has nothing to give and becomes sorrowful and distressed.

Furthermore, the inferior person is frequently reproached by sages and noble ones; the middling person is frequently regarded with compassion by sages and noble ones; and when sages and noble ones see the superior person, they immediately become joyful.

Good man! A wise person practices giving because he wishes to benefit both himself and others; because he knows that material possessions are all impermanent; because he wishes to bring joy to sentient beings; because he has compassion for sentient beings; and because he wishes to eradicate miserliness. He does not do so because he seeks recompense in a future life, but solely because he wishes to adorn the path of bodhi.

Therefore, after a bodhisattva has given everything away, he feels no regret, does not worry that his wealth has been exhausted, does not disparage material possessions, does not disparage his own body, does not select an auspicious day or time, and does not discriminate among those who ask. He constantly thinks of those who ask, just as a hungry person thinks of food. He draws near to good spiritual friends, inquires of them, and receives and upholds the true Dharma.

When he sees someone coming to ask, he becomes joyful, like a person who has carried his wealth out of a burning house. He joyfully praises the merits of giving and constantly speaks of the faults of attachment to material possessions. After giving, he becomes joyful, as though entrusting his wealth to a good person.

He also says to the one who has come to ask: “You truly are the cause of my merit. The reason I have been able to relinquish my miserly and greedy mind today is the condition created by your coming to ask.” He immediately regards the person who has come to ask with loving affection. After giving, he further instructs the recipient to safeguard the gift in accordance with the Dharma and diligently make offerings to the treasures of the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha.

If a bodhisattva delights in giving in this way, he can free himself from heedlessness. Even if he gives away parts of his own body, he will never give rise to a single evil thought. Through this, he increases loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity.

He does not despise the person who asks, nor does he become arrogant. His own mind rejoices because he is able to give something that accords with the recipient’s wishes. His faith increases, and he no longer doubts karmic retribution.

Good man! Only one who can thus contemplate the impermanent nature of wealth and regard sentient beings as one’s only child is truly able to practice giving.

Good man! Such a person is no longer shaken by a miserly mind, just as Mount Sumeru is not shaken by the wind. A person such as this can serve as a refuge for sentient beings. That person can perfect the paramita of giving.

Good man! A wise person delights in practicing giving for four reasons: ⁽¹⁾ through giving, one can destroy the afflictions; ⁽²⁾ through giving, one can make many vows; ⁽³⁾ through giving, one attains peace and happiness; and ⁽⁴⁾ through giving, one attains wealth.

Good man! A mind free from greed is called giving. What is freedom from greed?

Giving itself is the karmic action, while material wealth is that which is acted upon. When giving fully possesses these two factors—the karmic action and that which is acted upon—it is called freedom from greed. To eliminate afflictions through giving means that giving can eliminate stinginess, miserliness, anger, and delusion.

What does it mean to make many vows on account of giving? Through giving, one can make many vows, whether wholesome or unwholesome. In accordance with these wholesome or unwholesome vows, one reaps wholesome or unwholesome results.

Why is this? It is because the power of these vows brings such results about. What does it mean to attain happiness through giving?

Through giving, one obtains the happy rewards of the heavenly and human realms, up to and including unsurpassed bliss. What does it mean to attain wealth through giving? Through giving, all that one seeks—gold, silver, and even livestock—is obtained according to one’s wishes.

Good man! If a person delights in giving, that person will eliminate five unwholesome qualities: ⁽¹⁾ wrong views, ⁽²⁾ lack of faith, ⁽³⁾ heedlessness, ⁽⁴⁾ stinginess, and ⁽⁵⁾ anger and delusion. After abandoning these unwholesome qualities, joy arises in the mind, and through that joy one gradually attains true liberation. In the present life, that person receives four rewards: ⁽¹⁾ everyone, even enemies, delights in seeing that person’s face; ⁽²⁾ that person’s good reputation spreads everywhere; ⁽³⁾ that person stands before a crowd without fear; and ⁽⁴⁾ all good people come to seek refuge with that person.

Good man! A person who, after cultivating giving, feels no regret may fall into hell because of adventitious afflictions; yet even in that evil realm, that person will not suffer hunger or thirst. For this reason, that person will not undergo two kinds of suffering: ⁽¹⁾ the suffering of eating red-hot iron pellets and ⁽²⁾ the suffering of drinking molten iron.

If reborn as an animal, food will be easy to find and there will be no deprivation. If reborn as a hungry ghost, that person will not suffer hunger or thirst but will always be satiated. If born in a human body, that person will surpass others in lifespan, beauty, strength, happiness, eloquence, faith, moral discipline, generosity, learning, and wisdom.

Though living in an evil age, that person will not commit evil; though encountering calamities, that person will escape them; and though dwelling in dangerous places, that person will not become afraid. If born as a deva, that person will obtain ten kinds of excellence.

Good man! A wise person gives for two reasons: ⁽¹⁾ to discipline one’s own mind and ⁽²⁾ to destroy resentment. Through these very means, the Tathagata also came to be called the Unsurpassed Honored One.

Good man! After giving, a wise person does not seek to be remembered by the recipient, nor does that person seek fame, freedom from fear, the refuge of good people, or the rewards of the heavenly and human realms. Instead, that person constantly contemplates two matters: ⁽¹⁾ exchanging impermanent wealth for enduring wealth,^[21] and ⁽²⁾ never yielding to stinginess. Why is this? If I lose those possessions, they will not accompany me; therefore, I should personally give them away. I should not grieve over losing possessions but should rejoice in giving.

Good man! A giver should first test and train the mind by giving away possessions. After the mind has been disciplined, that person should then give the body. Through these two kinds of giving, that person attains two qualities: ⁽¹⁾ permanent freedom from the three realms and ⁽²⁾ true liberation.

Good man! It is like a person traveling far away, painfully burdened by heavy baggage, who becomes joyful upon being able to cast it aside. A person cultivating the practice of giving is likewise joyful upon seeing a supplicant and relinquishing possessions in charity.

Good man! A wise person constantly reflects: “If I wish to carry this possession with me into the next life, there is nothing better than giving it away.” One should also contemplate the suffering of poverty and the happiness of wealth; therefore, one should constantly reflect upon and delight in giving.

Good man! If a wealthy person sees a supplicant approach yet says that there is nothing to give, you should know that this person is speaking of their own poverty and lack of merit in a future life. Such a person is called heedless.

Good man! A person without possessions may think that they have nothing to give. This is not so. Why? All water and grass in the fields are the common property of everyone. Although one may be a king, one may not necessarily be able to give; although one may be poor, one is not necessarily unable to give. Why? Even a poor person has a portion of food. After eating and washing the bowl, the water that would otherwise be discarded can be given to other creatures, thereby generating merit. If one gives even a little flour to ants, one also gains immeasurable merit. Even the poorest person in the world surely possesses a little flour. Would anyone’s life be endangered by eating only three portions of rice in a day? Therefore, everyone should give half of their food to a supplicant.

Good man! Who is so poor that they are naked and have no clothing to wear? If one has clothing, could one not give a small piece of cloth for another person to bind a wound, or a strip of cloth no wider than a finger to serve as a lampwick?

Good man! Who in the world is so poor as not to possess a body? If one has a body, upon seeing others perform meritorious deeds, one should go and assist them joyfully and wholeheartedly. Such a person is also called a giver and also gains merit. The merit resulting from such assistance may be less than, equal to, or sometimes even greater than that of the person who initiated the deed. For this reason, when I partook of the food offered by King Prasenajit, I dedicated merit with the prayer that the merit of the king’s giving and that of the poor be equal and without difference.

Good man! It is like a person who purchases four kinds of incense: liquid perfume, unguent perfume, powdered incense, and burning incense. Whether one touches, purchases, or weighs these four kinds of incense, one smells their fragrance, yet the fragrance of the incense is never diminished. The merit of cultivating giving is likewise. Whether the gift is little or much, great or small, if one arouses a mind of sympathetic joy, assists with physical effort, or, though far away, hears of another’s good deed and rejoices, in these three cases,^[22] because the minds are alike, the resulting rewards are also equal and without difference.

Good man! If a person has no possessions and, upon seeing others give, does not rejoice or have faith but instead doubts those who are fields of merit, that person is called poor. If a person possesses abundant wealth, authority, and power, and even encounters genuine fields of merit, yet has neither faith nor willingness to give, that person is also called poor.

Therefore, whether possessing little or much, a wise person should give to the utmost of their ability. Apart from this Dharma of giving, there is no other Dharma that can enable a practitioner to attain the happy rewards of devas and humans, up to and including unsurpassed bliss. Therefore, a sutra states: “A wise person contemplates thus: Suppose there is a single handful of rice.

If I eat it, I will live; if I give it to another, I will die of hunger. Even in such a case, I should still give it away—how much more so when I possess abundant wealth?”

Good man! A wise person should contemplate that wealth is impermanent. Because it is impermanent, throughout immeasurable lifetimes, although one may have suffered the loss and destruction of countless possessions, one has nevertheless gained no benefit from them.

Conversely, although wealth is impermanent, if it can be given away, one will obtain immeasurable benefit. If this is so, why should one still remain miserly and refuse to give? A wise person further contemplates that in the world there are those who observe the precepts, are widely learned, and have heard much.

Through the power of the causes and conditions of observing the precepts and hearing much, they attain the fruition of arhatship. Yet even after attaining such a fruition, they still cannot prevent or eliminate the painful retribution of hunger and thirst. If arhats lack such necessities as dwellings, clothing, food and drink, bedding, and medicine, this is entirely due to their refusal to practice giving in previous lives.

Those who break the precepts, however, if they delight in practicing giving, may fall among hungry ghosts or animals, yet they will still always have sufficient food and drink and will not suffer deprivation.

Good man! Apart from the Dharma of giving, there is no other Dharma that brings two kinds of fruition: the first is freedom, and the second is liberation. A person who observes the precepts may be reborn in heaven, but because that person has not cultivated giving, they will not obtain exquisite and superior foods or the finest adornments.

A wise person should contemplate that samsara has no shore or limit, and that the joy of giving is likewise vast and boundless. Therefore, one should practice giving in order to sever samsara, not in order to seek the pleasurable rewards of gods and humans. One should further contemplate in this way: “Even if I were wealthy, possessed lands extending throughout the four continents under heaven, and enjoyed immeasurable pleasures, I would still not be satisfied.

Therefore, I should practice giving for the sake of unsurpassed bliss, and not for the pleasurable rewards of gods and humans. Why? Because the pleasures of gods and humans are impermanent and limited.”

Good man! Suppose someone maintains: “The giver, the recipient, and the one who experiences the fruition of giving are all the five skandhas, yet the five skandhas are impermanent dharmas. Thus, when the five-skandha body that performs this giving is relinquished, who experiences the fruition of that giving?

Although there is no one who experiences the fruition of giving, its wholesome fruition nevertheless is not destroyed. From this, it is known that there is no giver and no one who experiences the fruition of giving.” One should question that person in return: “Is there a giver and a recipient or not?” If they answer, “Giving is simply the act of giving, while the recipient is the self,” one should say to them: “My position is likewise so: giving is simply the act of giving, while the self is the five skandhas.”

If they ask, “After the five skandhas of the giver here undergo transformation and perish, who experiences the fruition of giving there?” one should reply: “Listen attentively, and I shall explain it to you. Is a seed permanent or impermanent? If you say it is permanent, why is the seed destroyed when the sprout emerges?” If the opponent sees that their argument is untenable and therefore maintains that the seed is impermanent, one should ask them: “If the seed is impermanent, how can it sprout when it receives sunlight, fertilizer, water, and so forth?” If they maintain, “Although the seed is impermanent, through tending it sprouts and bears fruit,” one should reply: “The five skandhas are likewise so.” If they further maintain, “The sprout already existed beforehand within the seed,

while tending, fertilizing, watering, and so forth are merely revealing causes,” this is incorrect.

Why? Because a revealing cause does not cause a thing to increase or decrease. Yet tending and fertilizing now cause the seed to sprout and bear fruit; therefore, one should know that what formerly did not exist now comes into being.

If they say, “Revealing causes are of two kinds: abundant and scant. When abundant, what is seen is great; when scant, what is seen is small. It is like lighting lamps: a large lamp produces great light, while a small lamp produces little light,” this is erroneous.

Why? No matter how much fertilizer or water is given to a seed, it cannot grow in a single day to the height of a person or taller. If they further maintain, “Although revealing causes are of two kinds, they must act at the proper time to produce their effects.

A principal revealing cause produces a great effect, while an auxiliary revealing cause produces a small effect. Therefore, I maintain that a revealing cause does not add anything,” this is incorrect. Why?

Because they cling to the view that all dharmas are permanent. Consequently, such an argument cannot be established.

Good man! A seed is not a sprout. Although they are different, there is nevertheless continuity between them. The five skandhas are likewise so.

Good man! Through the dynamic potency of the seed, the sprout arises; through the dynamic potency of the sprout, the branch arises; through the dynamic potency of the branch, the leaf arises; through the dynamic potency of the leaf, the flower arises; and through the dynamic potency of the flower, the fruit arises. The transformation of the five-skandha body of one realm into the five-skandha bodies of the five realms is likewise so.

If one maintains, “The person who creates karma is different from the person who experiences its fruition,” this is the doctrine of non-Buddhist schools, not mine. Why? In the teachings of the non-Buddhist schools, the self is the one that creates karma, while the body in the present life is the one that experiences its fruition; yet they do not say that the one who creates karma is different from the one who experiences its fruition.

The one who observes the precept against killing is the self, and through the causes and conditions of observing this precept, one obtains a body adorned with excellent marks. If this is so, then the one who experiences the fruition has no cause, while the one who creates karma has no result. The foregoing doctrine of the non-Buddhist schools contains such errors.

If they maintain, “If the self creates karma while the body experiences its fruition, this is analogous to one person creating karma and another person experiencing its fruition,” one should ask them: “The body is different from the self. The body partakes of food, clothing, and adornments. If it consumes nourishing food, it becomes ruddy and healthy; if it consumes food lacking nourishment, it becomes weak and pale.

If the body’s ruddiness or pallor is a dharma arising from causes and conditions, what does the self obtain?” If they say, “The self experiences happiness or sorrow,” then why would this not be one person creating karma and another experiencing its fruition? Suppose a person consumes ghee and milk to increase their strength and, after some time, becomes ruddy and healthy through consuming ghee and milk. A weak person sees them and immediately gives rise to delight.

Tell me, does that weak person become ruddy and healthy as a result of that delight? If they answer, “No,” then the self is likewise so. If the body creates karma, how can the self obtain its fruition?

Why? Because the body and the self are different. The Buddha-Dharma is not like the views of the non-Buddhist schools.

The five skandhas experience the fruition of the karma they themselves have created.

Good man! Suppose someone says: “The five skandhas are impermanent; therefore, the five skandhas of this realm do not pass into another realm, yet karmic retribution is still received.” This is incorrect. Why?

In the Buddha’s Dharma, it is sometimes said: “The one who creates karma is the very one who receives its retribution”; sometimes: “The one who creates karma is different from the one who receives its retribution”; and sometimes: “There is neither one who creates karma nor one who receives its retribution.” To say, “The one who creates karma is the very one who receives its retribution,” means that the five skandhas receive the results brought about by their own creation of karma.

To say, “The one who creates karma is different from the one who receives its retribution,” means that one creates karma while possessing a human body and receives the result by being born with the body of a deva and enjoying celestial pleasures. To say, “There is neither one who creates karma nor one who receives its retribution,” means that all things arise through the conjunction of causes and conditions and are originally devoid of self-nature; how, then, could there be one who creates karma or one who receives its retribution?

Suppose they say: “If the one who creates karma is different from the one who receives its retribution, why speak of an uninterrupted continuity between the one who creates karma and the one who receives its retribution?” This is incorrect. Why? It is like putting poison into milk and subsequently refining that milk into ghee: the ghee can still kill a person.

Although milk is different from ghee, because there is an uninterrupted continuity of development from the earlier stage to the later stage, from the stage of milk to the stage of ghee, the ghee can kill a person. The five skandhas are likewise. Although they differ, because there is an uninterrupted continuity of development from the earlier stage to the later stage, it may be said either that the one who creates karma is different from the one who receives its retribution, that the one who creates karma is the one who receives its retribution, or that there is neither one who creates karma nor one who receives its retribution.

Apart from the five skandhas, there is neither a self nor anything belonging to a self. Because the minds of all sentient beings are obscured by delusion, some say that form itself is the self, and so on, up to saying that consciousness itself is the self. Others say: “Apart from the five skandhas, there is a separate self.” This is unreasonable. Why? In the Buddha’s teaching, the skandha of form is not the self. Why is this so? Because material phenomena are impermanent, do not act independently, and are not sovereign; therefore, the other four skandhas are not possessions of the self. The same applies, and so on, up to the skandha of consciousness.

Through the conjunction of causes and conditions, another phenomenon arises, and this is designated as the existence of an agent; yet in reality, there is no agent. Furthermore, through the conjunction of causes and conditions, another phenomenon arises, and this is designated as the existence of one who receives retribution; yet in reality, there is no one who receives retribution. Therefore, it is said that there is neither one who creates karma nor one who receives its retribution.

Suppose they say: “If the one who creates karma is different from the one who receives its retribution, then the two persons are different, although both consist of the five skandhas. Why, then, when one person creates karma does the other not receive its retribution?” This is incorrect. Difference is of two kinds: first, difference in body; and second, difference in name.

For example, there may be two persons, one named Buddha-datta and the other named Deva-datta. Because these two persons differ both in body and in name, their bodily and verbal actions also differ. Because their bodily and verbal actions differ, the karma they create also differs.

Because the karma they create differs, their lifespans, appearances, strength, happiness, and eloquence all differ. Therefore, it is impossible for the person named Buddha-datta to create karma while the person named Deva-datta receives its retribution.

Although both are composites of the five skandhas, only name and form are alike, while the other three components—feeling, perception, and formations—differ. Why? For example, while the person named Buddha-datta is experiencing pleasure, the person named Deva-datta may be enduring suffering; or while Buddha-datta is giving rise to a mind of greed, Deva-datta may be giving rise to a mind of anger. Therefore, it cannot be said that the two persons are the same. Although the names and forms of the two persons are alike, in reality they differ; Buddha-datta, for example, may be fair-skinned, while Deva-datta is dark-skinned.

If it were held that whenever names are alike they must bear the same meaning, then when one person is born, all other persons would also be born, and when one person dies, all other persons would die as well! If they do not accept this, they must agree with the following view: “The one who creates karma is not different from the one who receives its retribution.”

Suppose they say: “You say that the one who creates karma is different from the one who receives its retribution, and we say the same: the one who creates karma is different from the one who receives its retribution. If both sides maintain that the one who creates karma is different from the one who receives its retribution, then you have fallen into the same error as we have. Why do you fail to see your own error and instead reproach us?” This is incorrect.

Why? The differences discussed in the Buddha’s Dharma are of two kinds: first, that which arises in one moment and perishes in that very moment; and second, that which arises in one moment but does not perish in that very moment. Because their arising differs, their cessation also differs.

Therefore, the Buddha’s Dharma teaches: “The one who creates karma is different from the one who receives its retribution,” or: “The one who creates karma is the very one who receives its retribution.” This is not the same as their error.

For example, suppose a person wishing to burn down a village throws a firebrand into some dry grass. Because that firebrand serves as the cause and condition for the fire to spread, the blaze may extend for one hundred miles or more. When the village headman seizes the person who set fire to the village, he asks him: “You wicked man!

Why did you burn down this village?” The man replies: “I certainly did not burn it down. Why? The firebrand I threw was extinguished long ago, and all it burned was a single handful of grass.

I shall now compensate you with two handfuls of grass. As for the other places, I need not compensate you for them.” The village headman then says to him: “Fool! Because your small firebrand spread, it burned an entire region extending from one hundred to two hundred miles.

All of this was your fault. How could you not provide compensation?” Although it is understood that the initial fire was different from the subsequent fire, because the flames continued in an unbroken succession, the man who set fire to the village must bear the penalty.

The good and evil deeds created by the five skandhas are likewise! Although the five skandhas that experience retribution are not the five skandhas that created the karma, because their growth continues in unbroken succession, they undergo retribution. Suppose a man wagers with another that he can carry a torch for more than one hundred li without its flame going out.

If the torch goes out before he has traveled one hundred li, he must pay the other man; if he travels beyond one hundred li, the other man must pay him. After carrying the torch beyond one hundred li, he demands payment from the other man. The other man then says, “The flame with which you set out was extinguished long ago.

It is different from the final flame that passed beyond one hundred li. How, then, can you demand payment?” The torchbearer replies, “Although the original flame was extinguished, from there to here it has continued to arise in unbroken succession.” Both men have reason on their side. Why?

The two propositions, “The person who creates karma is the very person who experiences its retribution,” and “The person who creates karma is different from the person who experiences its retribution,” are both correct. Therefore, neither is at fault. Thus, if someone says, “The five skandhas are likewise: the person who creates karma is the very person who experiences its retribution, and the person who creates karma is different from the person who experiences its retribution,” neither statement is erroneous.

Consider the Ganges River. Its two banks, together with the current flowing between them, are all called the Ganges. In summer the two banks are very far apart because the river rises; by autumn the two banks are much closer together.

Although the river’s form is not fixed, its waters sometimes high and sometimes low, everyone still calls it a river. If someone says, “This is not the river,” the wise should answer, “It is the river, and it is also not the river.” The wise regard the five skandhas in the same way: “The person who creates karma is the very person who experiences its retribution, and the person who creates karma is different from the person who experiences its retribution.” If they claim, “The two riverbanks are earth, the current is water, and the river spirit itself is the river,” this is incorrect.

Why? If the river spirit were the river, why would one speak of a clear river or a turbid river, of this bank and the opposite bank, of deep and shallow places in midstream, of its flowing into the great ocean, or of its being fordable or unfordable? For example, where there are trees, spirits dwell; if there were no trees, where would those spirits dwell?

The river and the river spirit are likewise. Therefore, the two banks and the current between them, continuing successively without interruption, are all called the river. Accordingly, one may say that the five skandhas are likewise both the same and different.

Suppose someone reviles a powerful person and, because of his abusive speech, his feet are placed in shackles. His feet did not actually commit the offense of abusive speech, yet they are shackled. From this, one may indeed say that the person who creates karma is different from the person who experiences its retribution, or that the person who creates karma is the very person who experiences its retribution.

Only the wise can say, “The person who receives the karma is the very person who experiences its retribution, and the person who creates karma is different from the person who experiences its retribution.” Consider how all the requisite conditions—such as a lampstand, oil, flame, and human effort—must come together before it is called lamplight. If you say that the lamplight is dim and bright, this is incorrect. Why?

Being dim, it is not bright; being bright, it is not dim. Because these states arise and cease in succession, the lamp is said to be dim and bright. If you say that the lamplight is impermanent whereas the oil is permanent—the lamp being bright when there is much oil and dim when there is little—this is incorrect.

Why? The oil is also impermanent: at times it is exhausted, and at times it is consumed by fire. If the oil were permanent, it would remain unchanged through two successive moments; and if so, how could it be consumed and exhausted?

Therefore, the wise may say that the lamplight is the oil and that the lamplight is different from the oil. The five skandhas are likewise. The lamplight represents the six ayatanas, while the oil represents karma.

Because of karmic causes and conditions, the five skandhas increase and decrease and exist here and there. Again, suppose someone utters the sound A-de-da. The sound A-de-da uttered at the beginning has long since dissolved into the past and no longer exists in the present.

Yet because people in the world teach it to one another, transmitting it from generation to generation without interruption, it is still called the sound A-de-da. The wise may say that it is the sound A-de-da, or that it is not the sound A-de-da. Whether one says that it is or that it is not, both statements have reason.

The five skandhas are likewise: one may say that the person who creates karma is the very person who experiences its retribution, or that the person who creates karma is different from the person who experiences its retribution. Again, suppose there is an exceedingly wealthy man with no heir to his estate. When he dies, his property is confiscated by the authorities.

A man comes forward and says, “That property belongs to me.” The officials ask, “How can that man’s property belong to you?” He replies, “I am a descendant of the deceased in the seventh generation, the succession having continued without interruption. Why, then, should the property not belong to me?” The officials then say, “It is as you have said; this property belongs to you.” The wise say, “The five skandhas are likewise.

The person who creates karma is the very person who experiences its retribution, or the person who creates karma is different from the person who experiences its retribution.”

You may say, “The five skandhas create karma. Once the action is completed, that karma has become past, yet the body still remains. The karma just created has no place on which to depend.

If karma has no support, then there is no karma. If so, why must one experience retribution after losing this body?” This is incorrect! Why?

All past karma must await the time when a body is assumed and the proper temporal causes and conditions are present. It is like a mandarin tree producing mandarins that are sour at first and sweet later. Wishing to obtain mandarins, people plant mandarin seeds.

Neither the mandarin seed, trunk, branches, leaves, flowers, nor newly formed fruit are sour; only when the mandarin ripens does the sour flavor emerge. This sourness is neither something that previously did not exist but now exists, nor something without causes and conditions; rather, it arises from the preceding causes and conditions of the mandarin. Karma created by body, speech, and mind is likewise.

If it is asked where that karma abides, one should know that it abides in the past, awaiting the proper temporal causes and conditions and the assumption of a body, whereupon it gives rise to karmic retribution. It is like a person taking medicine. After some time, although the medicine has been digested, at the proper moment it still produces such effects as strength and vigor.

Karma created by body, speech, and mind is likewise. Once set in motion, it passes into the past; nevertheless, when its causes and conditions mature, its retribution will be experienced. Again, it is like a child learning the first things in life.

While the child is learning, each successive moment becomes past; yet even after one hundred years, the things learned are not forgotten. Past karma is likewise. Although it has no support, when its temporal causes and conditions mature, its retribution will be experienced.

Therefore, it is said that the person who creates karma is not the person who experiences its retribution, yet is also not different from the person who experiences its retribution. Whoever penetrates this principle will attain the unsurpassed fruition.

Notes:
^[21] This means exchanging conditioned dharmas (worldly possessions) for unconditioned dharmas (the Dharma-body).

^[22] Rejoicing in, assisting with, and taking delight in another’s merit.