大寶積經

The Buddha continued: “Boundless Wisdom, I recall that in the past, when I practiced the bodhisattva conduct, I donned such armor and mounted such a Great Vehicle. I passed beyond all limits, dispelled darkness, and eliminated fear. In the presence of countless hundreds of thousands of kotis of nayutas of Buddhas, through the power of great diligence, I heard of this adornment of armor and adornment of the Great Vehicle of great bodhisattvas, and I rejoiced with exultation.

“When I contemplated that Dharma, I revered and honored the Buddha, the Blessed One, yet I did not entertain such thoughts as: ‘I don such armor; I possess such armor; I have attained such a Dharma; I possess such a Dharma; I possess such kinds of Dharma.’ At that time I held no conception of a self. I was far removed from the view of a body and from self-conceit. My mind admitted neither superiority nor inferiority and made no discriminations.

“Wishing to gather in all sentient beings, preserve the Dharma treasury of the Buddhas, the Tathagatas, and bring countless hundreds of thousands of kotis of nayutas of beings to maturity, I never gave rise to a single thought of weariness. At that time I did not cast off the armor but mounted the boundless vehicle. Over many lifetimes I was able to rout the armies of Mara. All Mara’s retinues retreated and vanished, and all his messengers fled in terror. I subdued all adherents of non-Buddhist paths and all schools associated with heterodox teachings, establishing them in security. I refuted all heterodox doctrines, and all non-Buddhist practitioners submitted to me. I caused beings inclined toward wrong paths to plant roots of virtue in this vehicle.

“For the sake of sentient beings, I revealed the armor and the adornment of armor. For their sake I also expounded the various peaceful and blissful Dharmas of the Great Vehicle. By dwelling in this vehicle, one obtains every provision of happiness: the conditioned provisions of happiness enjoyed by wheel-turning kings, Shakra, and Brahma kings, as well as the unconditioned provisions of happiness.

“When I taught this Dharma to sentient beings, I caused them to enter it, engender the lineage of the noble ones, raise the great banner of Dharma, utter the lion’s roar, and advance toward unsurpassed bodhi.

“Boundless Wisdom, great bodhisattvas should don such great armor and then contemplate and discern in accordance with principle.

“Toward what Dharma should great bodhisattvas advance? Great bodhisattvas can see and know all dharmas clearly and completely, without discrimination. Why is this?

Great bodhisattvas abide upon the right path because they know in accordance with principle. They advance along the right path because they see in accordance with principle. Purity in accordance with principle is neither discrimination nor nondiscrimination; rather, within discrimination and nondiscrimination they see and know both with equality.

If one still sees a dharma that may be sought or found, there is no equality, and one does not abide in pure seeing and knowing in accordance with principle. Because there is neither discrimination nor nondiscrimination, one does not grasp at either discrimination or nondiscrimination. Through nongrasping, one becomes far removed from both discrimination and nondiscrimination.

“On this path there is no fond attachment, no fabrication, and no augmentation; neither is there acceptance or rejection. One stands upon the level and upright path and does not discriminate among past, present, and future. One can fully comprehend the accumulated seeds of every discrimination and abide in equality toward all dharmas. Only when there is no inverted meaning is this called abiding on this path.

“Boundless Wisdom, what are the path and the purity of the path?

“They are the eight branches of the noble path: right view, right thought, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration.

“Right view eliminates the view of a body and passes beyond the sphere of activity of every view and attachment to views. It is purified in every respect and clearly knows every discrimination, whether superior discrimination or pervasive discrimination, as neither discrimination, superior discrimination, nor pervasive discrimination. It does not abide in wrong thought and eliminates wrong thinking. It sees right livelihood, sees the perception of right livelihood, sees the purity of livelihood, and abides in pure livelihood. In accordance with principle, it sees the purity of bodily action, verbal action, and mental action and abides in right action.

“Right view regarding verbal action sees and knows verbal action in its entirety. Abiding in right speech, it can apply purifying antidotes.

“Right view regarding diligence properly gathers in diligent views and abides in right effort.

“Right view regarding recollection is without recollection, mental application, or anything grasped. Through pure mindfulness, it abides in right mindfulness.

“Right view regarding samadhi has no basis of reliance within samadhi, yet can purify the knowledge and vision of samadhi and abide in right concentration.

“Boundless Wisdom, when great bodhisattvas see in this way, they attain pure right view in every respect and abide on the pure path.

“That pure path is practiced by good persons, honored by the wise, pleasing to the noble ones, and praised by the Buddhas. It is not the course of Mara, Mara’s subjects, Mara’s messengers, or the deities of Mara. Nor is it the course of non-Buddhist practitioners or those who rely upon contentious debate, wander through the dense forest of views, and head toward a false path. Nor is it the course of any who cling fondly to nirvana. Why is this? Those who abide in the unconditioned make discriminations concerning nirvana. If they discriminate nirvana, they discriminate conditioned phenomena. Why? Within the realm of nirvana, all stirring thoughts and discriminations are transcended. There is not even the unconditioned, much less the conditioned.

“This path can cleanse away every discrimination. Since there is not even the slightest discrimination concerning the unconditioned, how could there be any discrimination concerning the conditioned? If there is discrimination upon the noble path, this is not called abiding upon the noble path. If all stirring thoughts and discriminations are eliminated, this is called abiding upon the noble path, abiding upon the fearless path, abiding upon the secure path, and abiding upon the path of peace and bliss.

“This path can lead to the place where there is no aging, illness, death, sorrow, or suffering. This path can lead to the place devoid of intrinsic nature, beyond all natures. This path can lead to the place far removed from every nature and nonnature. This path can lead to the place where neither the characteristic of form nor the characteristic of the formless is manifested. Like space, this path pervades everywhere and can lead into the unsurpassed great palace. Those who proceed in this way never again retreat and attain immeasurable security and bliss.

“That great palace cannot be manifested. It has no phenomenal characteristics, not the slightest conditioned thing, and not the slightest unconditioned thing. The conditioned has been extinguished and the unconditioned relinquished. It does not establish sentient beings in conditioned peace and bliss or in unconditioned peace and bliss.

“Boundless Wisdom, those who delight in conditioned nirvana do not even seek conditioned peace and bliss, much less can they seek that great palace.

“In that great palace there are no conceptual designations. Because it is cool, quiescent, and peaceful, it is called nirvana. Because greed, anger, and delusion are extinguished; accumulated seeds are eliminated; the net of craving and views is torn apart; the current of ignorance is dried up; the poisoned arrows are extracted; and unwholesome dharmas are exhausted, it is called nirvana.

Because it is far removed from every form of pride, illness, suffering, affliction, and torment, it is called nirvana. Because it is not within the sphere of activity of mind, thought, consciousness, or mental factors, it is called nirvana. Because it ends all disputes and all fetters, even the perception of dharmas, it is called nirvana.

Because every inclination of the mind and every object sought by such inclination is cut off, and because there is neither discrimination nor anything discriminated, it is also called nirvana.

“Boundless Wisdom, this is the essential nature of great parinirvana.

“Nirvana is boundless and cannot be expressed. If there is somewhere to which one advances, it is not this path. The path itself is beyond words and cannot be expressed.

“When great bodhisattvas use this path to advance toward the great palace of great nirvana, they also establish countless hundreds of thousands of sentient beings upon this path.

“Boundless Wisdom, while advancing along this path, great bodhisattvas know no weariness or sorrow. They seek according to their vows and adorn according to their vows. Whatever is to be adorned, they adorn completely. They teach the Dharma to all sentient beings whom they gather in and liberate, causing them all to rejoice.

“Why is this? Because this path is unequaled, can cleanse thoroughly, and is ultimately consummate. The Buddhas, the Blessed Ones, together with shravakas and pratyekabuddhas, all advance along this path and never turn against it. Until they reach that ground and fulfill their aspirations, they never abandon this path.

“What is that ground? It is the ground of great nirvana, the ground of the great palace.

“Space has nothing to which it can be compared; only space can be used as an analogy for space. Because it is vast, empty, and quiescent, it is called space.

“The palace of nirvana is likewise vast, empty, and quiescent, without a sovereign and without anything belonging to a self. Even if all sentient beings were to enter it, no one could appropriate so much as the tip of a hair. Because it is vast and empty, vast and immeasurable, it is called great nirvana and the great palace.

“Boundless Wisdom, this is the supreme path of great bodhisattvas; it cannot be attained by shravakas or pratyekabuddhas.

“While abiding on this path, great bodhisattvas may become wheel-turning kings without the least attachment. They possess great majestic virtue and miraculous transformations and clearly understand both the mundane and the supramundane.

“They may become Shakra or a Great Brahma King without clinging to those stations. Far removed from pride, they delight in seeing the Buddhas and hearing the true Dharma, and they bring countless hundreds of thousands of devas to maturity and direct them toward unsurpassed bodhi.”

The Blessed One then spoke these verses:

The Buddha continued: “Boundless Wisdom, while advancing along this path, great bodhisattvas cultivate one dharma in order to gather in the Noble Eightfold Path: they commit no unwholesome deeds.

“They also cultivate two dharmas: first, inwardly following wholesome dharmas, they contemplate in accordance with principle; second, outwardly following wholesome dharmas, they inquire in accordance with principle.

“They also cultivate two dharmas: first, clearly understanding dharmas according to actuality; second, clearly understanding that there is no actuality, no abiding, and no discrimination.

“They also cultivate two dharmas: first, inwardly following wisdom; second, outwardly being without attachment.

“They also cultivate two dharmas: first, having self-confidence without discrimination; second, if sentient beings lack faith, causing them to abide upon this path.

“They also cultivate two dharmas: first, seeing and knowing deeds already performed in accordance with truth; second, not clinging to what is to be done.

“They also cultivate three dharmas: first, clearly understanding each of the suffering aggregates of clinging; second, diligently seeking and deeply delighting in aggregates of clinging free from suffering; third, diligently cultivating detachment from all compounded combinations.

“They also cultivate three dharmas: first, proclaiming the supreme Dharma without speaking falsely and, while explaining the meaning of the Dharma, never entertaining contentious thoughts; second, not clinging to any written words; third, gathering in all dharmas.

“They also cultivate four dharmas: first, applying right skillful means to meaning; second, using right skillful means to act in accordance and correspondence with meaning; third, using right skillful means to contemplate in conformity with the Dharma; fourth, using right skillful means without giving rise to any attachment.

“They also cultivate four dharmas: first, upholding themselves with firm vows and practicing according to their words; second, skillfully directing the six sense faculties toward the path; third, purifying their aspirations; fourth, abiding in the practice of heedfulness.

“To gather in the Noble Eightfold Path, great bodhisattvas cultivate such dharmas.

“Boundless Wisdom, only when great bodhisattvas use this Dharma practice to gather in the right path are they called those who accord with the path. This is because they contemplate the empty nature of all dharmas; because they are nameless, signless, wishless, unborn, and uncreated; and because of disenchantment, detachment, quiescence, and liberation.

“When the light of Dharma arises and they contemplate the cessation of arising, they do not give rise to a perception of birth regarding the unborn. At that very moment, they rise beyond birth, emerge from what is contrary to Dharma, and attain the pure path and the acceptance of the unborn nature of dharmas. Because the path is pure, they transcend all perceptions and thoughts. There is no further nonperception; the perception of the path is extinguished; the perception of dharmas is left behind; and they escape the net of ignorance and cultivate by means of illumination. Every Dharma that should be attained can then be attained.

“What dharmas are attained by cultivating illumination? By cultivating illumination, they attain the cessation of perception and feeling, attain definite skill in all dharmas, and attain conformity with the hidden meaning that accords with the nature of dharmas.

“While practicing this path, great bodhisattvas abide nowhere and are not harmed by characteristics. They know that all dharmas are equal to space, arise as space arises, and have a nature like the nature of space, without the slightest characteristic obstructing them.

“This path is pure and fears no calamity.

“Donning the great armor, they cannot be bound or captured.

“Mounted upon the Great Vehicle, they have no delusion.

“Far removed from all obstacles and adversities, they are like space.

“Upon this path, great bodhisattvas advance toward unsurpassed bodhi and become a great light for sentient beings.

“Boundless Wisdom, this is the supreme path of great bodhisattvas. It is not the sphere of practice of shravakas or pratyekabuddhas.”

The Blessed One then spoke these verses:

Bodhisattvas who are unbound
Always know the suffering aggregates of clinging
And seek aggregates of clinging free from suffering;
This practice gathers in the path.

The Buddha continued: “Boundless Wisdom, while advancing in this way, great bodhisattvas use skillful means to comprehend correctly immeasurable foundations of mindfulness, right efforts, faculties, powers, factors of awakening, liberations, concentrations, meditative attainments, bases of spiritual power, serenity, insight, and the adornments of immeasurable supreme qualities.

“To subdue the worlds, great bodhisattvas don armor. To transcend the three realms, they mount the Great Vehicle. To gather in devas, humans, and asuras, they abide upon that path and advance toward unsurpassed bodhi.

“Boundless Wisdom, when great bodhisattvas don the great armor, mount the Great Vehicle, and abide upon that path, if they do not illuminate sentient beings universally with loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity, and do not cherish sentient beings as themselves, the great earth cannot bear that armor, Great Vehicle, and great path, nor can sentient beings draw near to them.

“If great bodhisattvas benefit sentient beings through loving-kindness and compassion while donning the great armor, mounting the Great Vehicle, and abiding upon that path, then the armor, Great Vehicle, and great path they possess cannot be accomplished by any devas, humans, or asuras throughout the worlds. Nor can ordinary fools who covet the world and forever remain within it perceive them.

“Out of compassion for all sentient beings, great bodhisattvas don the great armor. By the empowering force of that armor, they sustain the elements of earth, water, fire, and wind, preventing the earth element from overturning and freeing all sentient beings from terror. They can also cause the elements of water, fire, and wind to exercise their functions as appropriate.

“From the first arousal of the aspiration toward armor, great bodhisattvas don that great armor, mount that Great Vehicle, and advance along the pure path until reaching the stage of one more birth.

“When a great bodhisattva reaches the bodhi tree and sits at the place of awakening, that place within this great trichiliocosm is firm and made of vajra. Yet, without empowerment, it would certainly shake and overturn. Though made of solid vajra, it could not bear that great armor, Great Vehicle, and great path.

“In the past, great bodhisattvas made vows and aroused loving-kindness and compassion toward sentient beings, and the Buddhas and great bodhisattvas throughout the ten directions praised them together. Therefore, even the Vajra Mountains, Mount Sumeru, the jeweled mountains, and all the greatest mountains, unless empowered, could not bear that great armor, Great Vehicle, and great path.

“Moreover, through the power of the original vows of great bodhisattvas and the original vows of the Buddhas, they do not afflict, harm, injure, resent, hate, oppress, or distress any sentient being. Wishing to bring sentient beings peace and bliss, they don the great armor, mount the Great Vehicle, abide upon that path, and advance toward unsurpassed bodhi.

“Boundless Wisdom, when great bodhisattvas don armor, they don the armor of wisdom, wield the blade and staff of wisdom, dedicate themselves to great wisdom, mount the vehicle of dedication, proceed toward the light of wisdom, and abide upon the luminous path. With the lucid eye of wisdom they contemplate all dharmas and advance toward omniscience. To gather in omniscience, they cultivate for all sentient beings the prajnaparamita, the perfection of giving, the perfection of moral discipline, the perfection of patience, the perfection of diligence, and the perfection of meditation.

“In all these, they take wisdom as their guide, cultivate by means of wisdom, gather and preserve them by means of wisdom, and dedicate them to unsurpassed bodhi.”

Boundless Wisdom said: “Blessed One, how immense is the wisdom of great bodhisattvas, which can gather and preserve everything everywhere and accomplish the immeasurable qualities of the Buddhas!”

The Buddha said: “It is so, Boundless Wisdom. It is just as you have said. Whatever wisdom great bodhisattvas possess gathers in all dharmas everywhere. Donning the great armor, mounting the Great Vehicle, and abiding upon that great path, they advance in every instance with wisdom as their guide.

“Boundless Wisdom, even if they possess knowledge, if they do not take wisdom as their guide, they cannot advance upon that path. If they possess wisdom and take wisdom as their guide, then wherever they go and whatever they do, they use wisdom to gather and preserve and wisdom to guard and defend. Only then are they said to don the great armor, mount the Great Vehicle, and abide upon that great path. They benefit the world with the Dharma of security, open the wisdom eye, contemplate with the wisdom eye, and illuminate with the body of wisdom, emitting great light as they advance toward unsurpassed bodhi.

“Boundless Wisdom, this is how great bodhisattvas, when donning armor, are adorned with armor; when mounting the Great Vehicle, are adorned with the Great Vehicle; and when practicing the great path, are adorned with the great path as they advance toward unsurpassed bodhi.

“Boundless Wisdom, if I were to explain fully all the many adornments of merit constituting the adornment of armor, the adornment of the Great Vehicle, and the adornment of the great path of great bodhisattvas, I could not finish even in immeasurable kalpas.

“Now, to enable you to understand clearly, and also for the sake of future bodhisattvas, I have briefly explained a small portion of the adornment of armor, the adornment of the Great Vehicle, the adornment of the great path, and the adornment of immeasurable provisions of merit.

“If those bodhisattvas hear this Dharma of mine, they too should don the great armor, mount the Great Vehicle, abide upon that great path, and advance toward unsurpassed bodhi adorned with merit.”

The Blessed One then spoke these verses:

Donning the armor of wisdom,
They mount the vehicle of dedication through wisdom.
Their armor remains indestructible
As they dedicate themselves to the unsurpassed path.