大寶積經

– Moreover, Shariputra! In the future, when the Dharma is about to perish, there will again be great bodhisattvas who cultivate the Mahayana and practice virya paramita. When they see those evil beings slandering and destroying this true Dharma, they must all the more arouse the power of right effort and great, courageous diligence. They must attentively listen to, receive, uphold, transcribe, read, and recite this wondrous Dharma-gate of the Great Bodhisattva Treasury, and expound it widely for others. At that time, the great bodhisattvas must give rise to four reflections. What are these four reflections?

– Shariputra! That great bodhisattva reflects: “Before long, my precious father will pass away. For this reason, the Buddha, the Blessed One Shakyamuni, the Tathagata, the Worthy One, the Perfectly Enlightened One, diligently cultivated difficult practices throughout hundreds of thousands of kotis of nayutas of innumerable great kalpas before attaining this precious treasury of the true Dharma. Therefore, I must arouse diligence, reverently uphold it, and propagate it widely, so that this Dharma treasure may long endure and not perish.”

– Shariputra! Suppose a man had only one son and therefore loved him dearly. That son possessed all the marks of merit and virtue, and his father never tired of looking upon him. Later, when some business required the man to take his son through a dangerous place, fearing that the child might fall, he held him tightly and guarded him with the utmost care, thinking: “I must not let my son fall into this perilous place.”

– Shariputra! The great bodhisattva is likewise. He deeply reveres and has faith in the Buddha, does not abandon this unsurpassed Dharma treasure, and always aspires to pure nirvana. Although dwelling in an evil age, he is able to preserve the supreme true Dharma.

– Shariputra! The Buddha now entrusts to that great bodhisattva this unsurpassed true Dharma, the cause and condition of bodhi.

– Shariputra! Suppose that, when great armies meet in battle, few would stand at the front of the battle formation to protect the troops. Only a heroic, courageous man, commanding valiant soldiers, would stand at the front to resist the enemy and protect his own army.

– Shariputra! So it will be in the future, when the true Dharma is perishing and those who destroy the true Dharma appear. Some people, giving rise to a profound resolve and delighting in nirvana, will be able to receive and uphold even a small portion of the essential meaning of this unsurpassed Dharma treasure. Know that such a person has donned the armor of steadfast right effort, aroused the power of great, courageous diligence, and shattered the battle formation of Mara’s army.

– Shariputra! If anyone receives and upholds even a single four-line verse from this scripture, rejoices in it, praises it, saying, “This scripture was truly spoken by the Buddha,” and expounds it widely to many people, know that this person thereby rejoices in, praises, and proclaims the true Dharma of all Buddhas of the past, future, and present.

– Shariputra! The Tathagata does not say that such a person receives only a small measure of meritorious reward. Rather, the Tathagata says that this person can accomplish a vast accumulation of merit equal in measure to space. The Tathagata calls this person a good person. Such good persons are extremely rare. They recognize kindness and repay kindness. Those who thus recognize and repay kindness are treasures among humankind.

– Shariputra! In the future, when the true Dharma is perishing and evil Mara manifests his might, if any being has reverent faith in the Buddha, does not forsake this scripture, and continually receives and upholds it, the Buddha calls that person the foremost noble person, a good noble person, an excellent noble person, a valiant noble person, and a great noble person. Know that this person is a good Dharma companion of the Tathagata, not a deceiver who merely pretends to be one. Know that this person practices genuine deeds.

– Shariputra! A great bodhisattva must cultivate steadfast right conduct and never abandon it, even momentarily, until death. He must attentively safeguard the Buddha and never abandon this, even momentarily, until death. He must attentively embrace and uphold the true Dharma and never abandon it, even momentarily, until death. He must attentively believe in and understand the profound Dharma and never abandon this, even momentarily, until death.

These are the four dharmas that a great bodhisattva must arouse in the evil age to come.

In the future, when the Dharma is about to perish, when the true Dharma is slandered, when the true Dharma is destroyed, when factions of precept-breakers grow powerful, when people compete in pursuing the evil spells of the Lokayata heretics, when the turbidity of the kalpa prevails, when the turbidity of views prevails, when the turbidity of afflictions prevails, when the turbidity of beings prevails, and when the turbidity of lifespan prevails, a great bodhisattva must rely upon three places. He must dwell in an aranya, dwell where disputes have ceased, and dwell in the bodhi of the Buddha. In the evil age to come, a great bodhisattva must rely upon these three places in order to perfect virya paramita.

The Blessed One, wishing to restate this meaning, spoke these verses:

“Never depart from the supreme Dharma,

Which ends the sufferings of birth, aging, sickness, and death.

Constantly strive with diligence, free from deluded thought;

Quickly accomplish benefit for oneself and others.

If anyone, regarding this true Dharma,

Hears it, then upholds it and rightly contemplates it,

Know that the Buddha is that person’s teacher,

And that person is a true child of the Buddha.

If one does not listen to this true Dharma,

Or, having heard it, does not abide in right contemplation,

That person will go to the evil destinies,

As all streams flow toward the sea.

Throughout hundreds of thousands of kotis of nayutas of kalpas,

The appearance of Buddhas is exceedingly difficult to encounter.

Though one may briefly encounter a Buddha, if one has no faith or reverence,

One will follow evil Mara and commit evil deeds.”

– Moreover, Shariputra! Ninety-one kalpas ago, a Buddha appeared in the world named Victorious Contemplation Tathagata, the Worthy One, the Perfectly Enlightened One, Perfect in Knowledge and Conduct, the Well-Gone One, Knower of the World, the Unsurpassed One, the Tamer of Persons, Teacher of Devas and Humans, the Buddha, the Blessed One.

In the Dharma assembly of the Buddha Victorious Contemplation were six bhikshus who formed a faction and constantly engaged in evil conduct. Those six bhikshus were named Good Vision, Good Delight, Joy, Well-Disciplined, Suyujia, and Huotianshou. Those bhikshus constantly proclaimed what was contrary to the Dharma: “There is a self, there is a person, there is permanence, and there is disorder.” They went to a secluded place and conspired together, saying: “Each of us should go separately and entice people, recruiting one hundred households as followers.

We shall then have those hundred households spread the message among their relatives, and those relatives spread it among their kin. In this way, we may reach five thousand households.” Having completed their plot, they separated and went forth to teach throughout villages and marketplaces, some going to royal capitals and others to neighboring countries. They visited every household, but instead of teaching the true Dharma, they first slandered the Buddha.

How did those six evil bhikshus slander him? They told everyone: “All worldly dharmas certainly possess a self, a person, a being, and a lifespan. If it were definitively true that the world had neither self nor dharmas, then who would go or come? Who would sit or lie down? Who would speak or remain silent? Who would give alms or receive them? Who would make use of things? Who would experience suffering or happiness? Who would experience what is neither suffering nor happiness? If anyone says that the world definitively has no self, person, being, or lifespan, know that such a person is everyone’s enemy and not a good friend.”

Those evil bhikshus further enticed men, women, boys, and girls, saying: “If anyone says that dharmas have no self, person, being, or lifespan, know that this person is unwholesome, violent, wicked, and an evil friend.”

They further told everyone: “You are all very intelligent and capable of clearly understanding the meaning of what we teach. From this day onward, if evil friends come and say that the world definitively has no self, person, being, or lifespan, do not associate with them, visit them, or make offerings to them.”

After going about enticing people for half a month, each of those evil bhikshus had induced a full five hundred households to follow their wrong views.

At that time, there were arhat bhikshus who had forever abandoned all defilements and afflictions and who were true disciples of the Tathagata Victorious Contemplation. While going on almsround, they came to the households that had been influenced by the evil bhikshus and were immediately reviled, driven away, and humiliated by the householders. The householders addressed the arhat bhikshus in verse, saying:

You do not understand the true Dharma.

You have lost the path of the noble way.

You have abandoned the pure Dharma.

You shall all fall into hell.

Having spoken these verses, they again reviled the arhat bhikshus. They also used all manner of words to abuse the Buddha. In the Buddha’s presence, they spoke these verses:

The Dharma taught by the Buddha is wholly false:

That all conditioned phenomena are impermanent,

And further, that all dharmas are without self,

Neither eternal nor unchanging.

All conditioned phenomena lack any solid reality;

They are all deceptive and false doctrines of oblivion.

The Buddha speaks of a sky-flower that exists nowhere,

Able only to deceive the ignorant and foolish.

Those people grew still more enraged with the Buddha and again spoke these verses in his presence:

The dharmas taught by the Tathagata

Decisively deny self and sentient beings,

Deny life, longevity, and living beings,

And also deny an agent and one who experiences.

Yet now we plainly see throughout the worlds

Those who give and those who receive,

And the many kinds of people who experience

Suffering, pleasure, neither pleasure nor suffering.

Therefore, know that those who insist there is no self

Will all fall into the evil realms.

“O Shariputra! When those unwholesome people spoke such unlawful words in unison, there were sixty-eight kotis of men and women who, having been led astray by those evil bhikshus, committed evil karma. After death, they were all born together in the great Avici Hell.

They received enormous bodies with the bodies of fish and the heads of humans. Their tongues were long and broad, spreading over the ground, and iron nails were driven throughout their tongues like a field planted with ginger. Many iron plows continually plowed over their tongues.

Upon each of their bodies were one hundred exceedingly venomous worms that bit and sucked them. From the sky, great masses of red-hot iron constantly rained down upon their bodies. Because of their evil karma, those offenders had to endure many kinds of suffering such as these.”

Wishing to proclaim this meaning again, the Blessed One spoke these verses:

“Red-hot iron masses, flashing like lightning,

In countless hundreds of thousands of terrifying forms,

Rain directly down upon their bodies;

Constantly they must endure manifold suffering.

Moreover, everywhere upon their bodies,

Flames blaze so fiercely that none can approach.

The flames rise a hundred yojanas high,

And fire pours forth from every pore of their bodies.

Upon each person’s long and broad tongue,

Countless plows continually pass.

Every part of their tongues is torn apart;

Such agony continues without cease.

Because they associated and grew familiar with evil friends,

They experience such immense fruits of suffering;

And because they kept far away from good friends,

They quickly fell into the evil realms.

“O Shariputra! Because those six evil and lawless bhikshus gave such corrupt instruction, after death they all fell into the great Avici Hell. Each of their bodies was thirty yojanas in both length and breadth and had a thousand mouths.

Each mouth had two tongues, and each tongue was four yojanas in length and breadth. Upon each tongue were five hundred iron plows drawn by iron oxen. Although those offenders suffered beyond measure, they were unable even to cry out or groan.

Upon each of their heads were ten thousand hell wardens, holding knives, saws, spears, and lances, continually hacking, sawing, and piercing their heads to pieces. They dwelt in that great hell for tens of thousands of kotis of years, and thereafter, passing successively in this way, they were born again in other great hells, where they endured every kind of immense suffering. This was due to the offense of angrily maligning and destroying the Buddha’s noble teaching.

“O Shariputra! At that time, there was an exceedingly wealthy great householder named Peaceful. His household possessed an abundance of the seven treasures, jewels, grain, rice, storehouses, and servants.

Because he too had been instructed by evil bhikshus, he embraced the view of annihilation. His wife, named Blazing Wisdom, was beautiful in appearance and loved and respected by others. She gave birth to a son whose bodily marks were dignified and so pleasing that one never tired of beholding him.

That son possessed supremely pure and perfectly complete beauty. In the presence of countless hundreds of thousands of nayutas of kotis of Buddhas in the past, he had planted roots of goodness. Immediately after his birth, the boy smiled three times and said, ‘How extraordinary that I have now been born into this household that holds the view of annihilation!’ His mother was so terrified that her whole body broke out in gooseflesh.

Leaving the child behind, she led her maidservants away in flight.

“At that time, the maidservants wished to investigate clearly, so they returned to the former place to see what kind of being the newborn child was. Was he a deva, a naga, or a yaksha? Was he a gandharva, an asura, a garuda, a kinnara, a mahoraga, a kumbhanda, a pishacha, or a human or nonhuman being?

“Seeing those women, the newborn child again spoke, saying, ‘Although you elder sisters fled in fear, I am entirely at ease.’ Then, for the women, the child spoke these verses:

“You should delight in what is meaningful and beneficial;

Do not be afraid of what is meaningful and beneficial.

I shall now deliver all of you

And enable you to escape from the false path.

You shall be peaceful and secure; do not be afraid,

But first you must fear and flee from evil friends.

I shall now deliver all of you

And enable you to escape from the false path.

“When they heard the child speak in this way, his parents and everyone else came to his side.

“The child then spoke these verses for his parents:

“Within this household there are

Vast quantities of money and grain.

Quickly bring them to me,

So that I may make offerings to the Buddha and Sangha.

Those great shravakas,

Together with the Tathagata Supreme Vision,

Throughout all the three realms

Have none who can equal them.

Those great shravakas,

Together with the Blessed One Supreme Vision,

Widely proclaim the wondrous Dharma

For the benefit of sentient beings.

Those great shravakas,

Together with the Guide Supreme Vision,

Possess bodies endowed with the thirty-two

Auspicious marks of a great man.

That Buddha and those shravakas

Are like the udumbara flower;

Even in more than a hundred million kotis of kalpas,

It is difficult to hear their names.

“After hearing the child speak, his parents immediately took twenty kotis of supremely wondrous treasures from their household, brought them to their son, and said, ‘These treasures are given to you by your parents. You may offer them wherever you have faith and reverence.’

“The child’s parents then spoke these verses for their son:

“These treasures

Were amassed by your parents.

Wherever you have faith and reverence,

Take them and make offerings and gifts.

Gold and precious treasures alike

Are stored in abundance in our household.

Wherever you have faith and reverence,

Quickly take them and make offerings.

Clothing, seats, and beds,

Garlands and fragrant ointments—

Wherever you have faith and reverence,

Joyfully offer them as gifts.

To the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha,

Those unsurpassed fields of merit

Who benefit all living beings,

You should present offerings.

“After hearing these verses, the child again spoke these verses for his parents:

“I shall now go to Supreme Vision,

The refuge of the world,

And arrange a great offering

For the benefit of all living beings.

Whoever wishes to seek

The meritorious happiness of humans and devas

Should come together with me

To the presence of the Tathagata Supreme Vision.

“When everyone heard the child speak these words, they were all astonished, wondering how this newborn child could converse and discourse with people and was also able to walk and stand.

“Upon hearing of this extraordinary event, eighty-four thousand people gathered to see what kind of being the child was. Was he a deva or a spirit?”

“Śāriputra, at that time, the youth, surrounded before and behind by eighty-four thousand people, proceeded together with them to the place of the Buddha Victorious Contemplation. As the youth traveled along the road to the Buddha, through the power of his merit, ten thousand precious parasols naturally appeared in the sky to shelter him from the sun. Throughout that road, golden nets were spread overhead, beautiful flowers and fine fragrant powder—more exquisite than the fragrances ordinarily scattered by the devas—rained down, and cool breezes blew gently, carrying the celestial fragrance everywhere without cease.

Along the road, the devas sprinkled many kinds of scented water and covered it with precious silken fabrics and golden nets. The devas also rained down celestial flowers of brilliant colors, covering the entire road knee-deep. On both sides of the road there naturally appeared countless hundreds of thousands of ponds filled with cool water possessing the eight excellent qualities.

Within those ponds grew many beautiful flowers, such as blue, yellow, red, and white lotuses. Many kinds of rare and beautiful birds swam upon the waters, including doves, geese, and mandarin ducks. Along the roadside were railings made of the seven treasures and rows of precious trees, all magnificently adorning it.

In the middle of the great road, a path paved with flowers appeared before the youth, awaiting his steps. Whenever he set down his foot, a flower sprang up to support it; whenever he lifted his foot, the flower vanished. After walking upon this flower-strewn path for a short while, the youth looked back at the assembly and spoke these verses:

Do not travel upon irrational paths;

All paths apart from this one of mine are irrational.

I always travel upon this path of right principle,

To the place of the Supreme One, where true principle abides.

Only after passing through immeasurable nayutas of kalpas

Does one, through a single merit, obtain a human body;

Only then does one encounter a Buddha appearing in the world;

Only then, through diligent cultivation, does one gain pure faith and wisdom.

When the youth had finished speaking these verses to the assembly, eighty-four thousand great devaputras in the sky praised him in unison, saying, ‘Excellent! Excellent!’ They then spoke these verses in praise of the youth:

Excellent, excellent, O greatly wise one!

The words you have just spoken accord with right principle.

You regard what lies behind as irrational;

One who possesses right principle should walk in front.

The youth replied to the devas in verse:

Devas, you have just given instruction

Concerning right speech, true principle, and irrationality.

I now ask you; please explain

The true meaning of rationality and irrationality.

The devas replied to the youth in verse:

Those who delight in dwelling among precious possessions

And do not wish to leave the sphere of their activities

Are ordinary beings and are irrational;

They stand at the head of the road leading into hell.

Those who delight in leaving home to go forth

Must relinquish sensual pleasures and precious possessions.

Such people possess right principle in this very life

And before long will open the gate of liberation.

The youth again replied to the devas in verse:

What you have just said of rationality and irrationality

Shows that none of you yet understands them clearly.

The meaning of rationality and irrationality such as these

I have already rightly penetrated and deeply awakened to.

After speaking these verses, the youth went directly to the great assembly of the Tathagata Victorious Contemplation, the Perfectly Enlightened One. Upon arriving, he bowed his head at the Buddha’s feet, circumambulated him three times to the right, and then stood to one side. Gazing up wholeheartedly and reverently at the Tathagata Victorious Contemplation, he spoke these verses of praise:

The Tathagata Victorious Contemplation bestows ambrosia

And always benefits all the worlds.

Like a mighty nāga-elephant or a great lion,

For this reason I now constantly bow in reverence.

The One who illuminates the world is exceedingly difficult to encounter,

Like an udumbara flower.

He is the refuge and light of the world,

His wondrous form being perfectly complete.

The world is oppressed by manifold sufferings

And does not clearly know the true noble path.

People forsake the right road and flee from it,

Like those born blind into the world.

May I in this very life attain Buddhahood,

Like the Buddha, the World-Honored Victorious Contemplation.

I shall rescue sentient beings from all suffering

And save those scorched by the three fires.

These boundless hundreds of thousands of people

Have all followed me into the Buddha’s presence.

I beseech you to expound the wondrous Dharma

And establish them in unsurpassed enlightenment.

After speaking these verses, the youth addressed the Buddha, saying, ‘I vow that in a future life, in this world, I shall attain Buddhahood and proclaim the wondrous Dharma for sentient beings, just as the Tathagata Victorious Contemplation now proclaims the wondrous Dharma for the great assembly.’

At that time, eighty-four thousand people in the Dharma assembly addressed the Buddha Victorious Contemplation, saying, ‘We too vow that in a future life we shall attain Buddhahood and proclaim the wondrous Dharma for sentient beings, just as the Tathagata Victorious Contemplation now proclaims the wondrous Dharma for the great assembly.’

The Buddha Victorious Contemplation clearly knew the extraordinary aspirations of those eighty-four thousand people, and he immediately smiled.

“Śāriputra, whenever Buddhas smile, it is the natural law that rays of blue, yellow, red, white, rose, and crystal-colored light naturally issue from their ears, eyes, nose, and mouth. They illuminate immeasurable and boundless Buddha-worlds, ascending as high as the Brahmā heavens and outshining all the light of the suns and moons. After performing the work of a Buddha, those rays of light returned, circumambulated the Buddha Victorious Contemplation hundreds of thousands of times to the right, and then entered the crown of the uṣṇīṣa upon that Buddha’s head.

At that time, an attendant of the Buddha Victorious Contemplation saw this miraculous transformation. He immediately rose, bared his right shoulder, knelt upon his right knee, joined his palms toward the Buddha Victorious Contemplation, bowed in reverence, and then spoke these verses before the Buddha to inquire:

I now ask the Buddha Victorious Contemplation,

So dignified and rare, bringing joy to all:

For what reason has the Sugata

Revealed a smile and emitted rays of light?

The Honored One Among Bipeds has revealed a smile;

It is not without cause that he manifests this sign.

Please explain the reason for revealing this smile;

Out of compassion for the world, pray elucidate it.

Now hundreds of thousands of koṭis of beings

Are gathered before the World-Honored One.

Their ears attentive, they concentrate and delight in listening;

May the Buddha compassionately speak for them.

The Buddha is the eye of all beings,

Their home, their savior, and their refuge;

He can dispel the doubts of sentient beings,

The Compassionate One who benefits the world.

The Buddha clearly knows the past

And also clearly knows the future;

He clearly knows the Buddha-lands of the present

And has no doubts regarding any dharma.

The Dharma King knows all doctrines and is sovereign;

The wondrous Tathagata transforms the three times.

I now reverently ask the World-Honored One:

For what cause and condition has he revealed a smile?

The Buddha can forever sever beings’ nets of doubt,

While he himself has no doubts regarding any dharma.

With his Brahmā voice he proclaims the wondrous Dharma

And can draw out the poisoned arrows of sentient beings.

The joy in my heart is difficult to express;

With both palms joined, my heart filled with reverence,

I venture to ask the Dharma King, the Great and Noble Honored One:

For what cause and condition has he revealed a smile?

“Śāriputra, the Tathagata Victorious Contemplation told his attendant:

‘Bhikṣu, do you see the youth standing before the Buddha?’

The attendant replied:

‘World-Honored One, I see him.’

The Tathagata Victorious Contemplation declared:

‘In the past, this youth made offerings, paid homage, showed reverence, and offered praise in the presence of sixty-four koṭis of nayutas of hundreds of thousands of Buddhas. After offering those Buddhas clothing, food and drink, bedding, medicines, and other necessities, he aspired toward unsurpassed bodhi. He further cultivated the pure conduct in the presence of ten nayutas of Buddhas of the past and dedicated it to unsurpassed bodhi.

Attendant, these eighty-four thousand people who have followed the youth here were all his fathers and mothers in past lives. Long ago, the youth once made this vow: “In whatever land I may be born, life after life, may I establish all my fathers and mothers in bodhi. Moreover, may all my mothers never again take birth in a female body in their next life.” Because of this vow, they have now followed the youth into the Buddha’s presence, cultivated and trained together with him, and generated the aspiration for unsurpassed bodhi.’

The Tathagata Victorious Contemplation then spoke these verses for his attendant:

Bhikṣu, you should behold this youth

Together with his retinue of eighty-four thousand.

On that occasion, they joyfully proclaimed these true words:

‘May I in a future life become like the Dharma King.’

You should know that, in lives past,

In the presence of the Buddhas whose number was stated above

Reverently making offerings to the Guiding Teacher,

Who benefits devas and humans throughout the world,

In the presence of ten nayutas of Buddhas,

He followed the Buddhas into monastic life and upheld the true Dharma,

Practicing the deeds of the Tathagatas,

For the sake of seeking unsurpassed bodhi.

Behold these eighty-four thousand people,

Who now all stand before the Tathagata.

Throughout their former lives in the past,

They were all the parents of that child.

In former times, that child once made a vow:

However many parents he had through his many lives,

He would cause them all to abide in unsurpassed awakening,

Never again to assume the body of a woman.

They all followed that child’s example,

And before the Buddha made vows for bodhi.

The Buddha will now bestow predictions upon them all:

In future lives, they will all become Buddhas.

Because of these causes and conditions, the Buddha smiled;

The Buddha knew all their supreme practices,

And knew as well their practices in future lives:

They would realize and enter unsurpassed awakening.

Devas, nagas, spirits, and human multitudes,

Numbering countless hundreds of thousands of nayutas,

On hearing the Buddha bestow these predictions,

All greatly rejoiced and revered the Buddha Victorious Contemplation.

After hearing the Buddha Victorious Contemplation bestow these predictions,

The child rejoiced immeasurably, hurried to his parents, and spoke this verse:

Those eighty-four thousand people,

My parents in former lives,

All abide in bodhi;

Where are your hearts inclined?

His parents replied to the child in verse:

Wherever your aspiration leads,

Our hearts are likewise inclined.

We shall attain omniscience;

This is certain, without doubt.

Since you were born into our family,

Please do not abandon us hereafter.

You must always remember us

And cause us swiftly to realize bodhi.

The child again replied to his parents in verse:

May those whom I guide and transform

Attain Buddhahood before me.

Only at the very end shall I become

The World-Illuminating Tamer and Teacher.

“Shariputra! The child in the Dharma assembly of the Tathagata Victorious Contemplation in that past age was none other than this Son of the Devas, Maheshvara. From now onward, for another koti of nayutas of kalpas, he will never regress from unsurpassed bodhi.

After that number of kalpas has passed, he will be born into the lineage of a wheel-turning sage king. His royal father will be named Renown, like the great King Shuddhodana, my present father. His royal mother will be called Free from Darkness, like my present mother, Lady Mahamaya.

His son will be named Sorrowless, like my present son Rahula. After leaving the household life, he will awaken to bodhi and become a Buddha named the Tathagata Great Compassion, complete with the ten epithets. His lifespan will be countless hundreds of thousands of kotis of years.

The constant radiance of the Buddha Great Compassion will shine everywhere throughout ten yojanas, and the great assembly where the Buddha Great Compassion teaches the Dharma will completely fill an area of one hundred yojanas. While the Tathagata Great Compassion abides in the world, teaching and transforming beings, he will deliver shravakas through three Dharma assemblies. At the first assembly, there will be one hundred kotis of bhikshu disciples.

At the second assembly, he will deliver nayutas of kotis of members of the Bhikshu Sangha. At the third assembly, he will deliver bhikshu disciples numbering hundreds of thousands of nayutas of kotis. Among those disciples will be one koti of great arhats whose outflows have been exhausted, who are free of afflictions, who have attained mastery of wisdom and possess the eight liberations, and who have accomplished samadhi and the six superknowledges.

The assembly of bodhisattvas in the Dharma assemblies of the Tathagata Great Compassion will equal in number the assembly of shravaka disciples; they will all have been that Buddha’s parents in former lives. After proclaiming the wondrous Dharma and delivering innumerable sentient beings, the Tathagata Great Compassion will enter nirvana. His true Dharma will remain in the world for one koti of years, and his relics will be distributed and venerated, benefiting sentient beings just as they will after my parinirvana.

“Shariputra! A great bodhisattva who abides in right effort is likewise. When practicing virya-paramita, because he seeks unsurpassed bodhi, that great bodhisattva can practice the true Dharma according to this sutra, become ever more inspired, and arouse the power of great, courageous diligence to liberate countless sentient beings. The Buddha calls such a person a good man who reflects and contemplates without weariness or retreat, who is courageous and diligent, and whose mind is always lucid.

“What is the great bodhisattva’s tireless diligence?

“Shariputra! When a great bodhisattva seeks unsurpassed bodhi for the sake of sentient beings, he should not set a numerical limit upon his quest. The great bodhisattva does not think, ‘For this many kalpas shall I wander in samsara, and after this many kalpas shall I wander no longer.’ Rather, the great bodhisattva always dons the inconceivable armor while remaining within samsara, contemplating: ‘Even if, throughout the farthest future, I must endure suffering more intense and prolonged than throughout the past, nevertheless, because I seek unsurpassed bodhi, I shall never become indolent or cease my resolve midway.’

“Shariputra! When a great bodhisattva fully possesses such a vast vow, he is said to have accomplished tireless diligence.

“What is the great bodhisattva’s courageous diligence?

“Shariputra! Suppose the entire trichiliocosm were filled with fiercely blazing fire. Wishing to go and behold a certain Buddha, the great bodhisattva, courageous and diligent, would pass directly through the midst of those flames without ever becoming frightened.

To seek and hear the subtle Dharma gateway of the Great Bodhisattva Treasury, the great bodhisattva, through the power of courageous diligence, would still pass directly through the midst of the flames without ever becoming frightened or turning back. Wishing to proclaim the subtle Dharma gateway of the Bodhisattva Treasury, even when encountering such a conflagration, the great bodhisattva, through the power of courageous diligence, would still pass directly through its midst without ever becoming frightened or turning back.

Wishing to give rise to causes and conditions for roots of goodness, the great bodhisattva, through the power of courageous diligence, would still pass directly through the midst of those flames without ever becoming frightened or turning back. Wishing to benefit sentient beings and cause others to attain parinirvana, the great bodhisattva, through the power of courageous diligence, would pass directly through that region of fire without ever becoming frightened or turning back.

“This is called the characteristic of courageous diligence displayed by a great bodhisattva practicing virya-paramita.

“Moreover, Shariputra! When a great bodhisattva practices virya-paramita, he arouses courageous, tireless diligence. Because he is imbued with firm and irreversible roots of goodness, courageously aroused, and with unsurpassed great compassion, he constantly brings forth the power of courageous, great diligence and always performs the work of teaching, transforming, instructing, and guiding sentient beings.

“Shariputra! The bodhisattva who arouses tireless diligence never abandons the mind of bodhi at any time, whether raising or lowering his foot. He constantly reveres the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha and keeps them mindfully gathered within his heart. He continually observes all sentient beings in order always to benefit them, not wishing them to be oppressed and overcome by the power of the afflictions. Furthermore, he dedicates all the subtle and wondrous roots of goodness that he possesses entirely toward unsurpassed bodhi, causing those roots of goodness to become ultimately inexhaustible. It is like pouring a small amount of water into the great ocean, where it will never be exhausted or lost.

“Moreover, Shariputra! The tirelessly diligent great bodhisattva accumulates roots of goodness through the practice of equality. Toward sentient beings, he gives rise to equality and accumulates roots of goodness. To bring forth the wisdom of omniscience, he accumulates roots of goodness. To benefit all sentient beings, he accumulates roots of goodness. All these countless great roots of goodness are accumulated and brought forth through the great bodhisattva’s courageous and tireless diligence.

“Moreover, Shariputra! That courageous and tirelessly diligent great bodhisattva should always cultivate and study such a Dharma, thereby attaining an immeasurable and boundless accumulation of merit, as follows:

“Shariputra! The Buddha observes that all sentient beings possess immeasurable accumulations of merit. This extends to all those beyond training and those still in training, and to all pratyekabuddhas, whose accumulations of merit are immeasurably greater and inconceivable. Suppose all the aforementioned accumulations of merit were placed within a single pore of a sentient being, and every pore on the bodies of sentient beings were filled with such immeasurable, boundless, and inconceivable accumulations of merit. Suppose further that every pore on every body of all sentient beings were filled with the accumulations of merit described above, and all those accumulations of merit were then gathered and placed within a single great shrine of the Dharma that had no door or lock.”

– Śāriputra! The accumulation of merit contained in that shrine of the Dharma, multiplied a hundredfold, produces one of the marks of a great man upon the Tathagata’s body. Each and every mark of a great man is produced by such an accumulation of merit. All the accumulations of merit that produce all those marks of a great man, combined together, produce the white ūrṇā mark between the eyebrows. A hundred thousand accumulations of merit producing the white ūrṇā mark, combined together, produce the Tathagata’s mark of the invisible crown. A hundred thousand koṭis of accumulations of merit producing the mark of the invisible crown, combined together, produce the Tathagata’s mark of the great Dharma conch.

– Śāriputra! Because the Tathagata’s mark of the great Dharma conch is formed from immeasurable kinds of merit and virtue, whenever the Tathagata wishes, he emits a mighty voice that universally proclaims throughout all immeasurable and boundless worlds. He expounds the wondrous Dharma for sentient beings in accordance with their faculties and dispositions; upon hearing the Dharma, they immediately believe, understand, and rejoice. All this results from the power of courageous, diligent cultivation and tireless training.

– Śāriputra! A great bodhisattva should contemplate thus: “Although unsurpassed bodhi is exceedingly difficult to attain, I shall not cast aside the armor of diligence. Arousing great courage, I am resolved swiftly to awaken to unsurpassed bodhi and shall regard nothing as difficult. After attaining Buddhahood, whenever I wish, I shall emit a mighty voice from the mark of the Dharma conch, universally proclaiming throughout all immeasurable and boundless worlds. I shall expound the subtle and wondrous Dharma for sentient beings in accordance with their faculties and dispositions, so that upon hearing the Dharma they will all believe, understand, and rejoice.”

This is called the mark of a great bodhisattva’s courageous and tireless diligence.

– Furthermore, Śāriputra! A great bodhisattva who courageously and tirelessly cultivates the vīrya-pāramitā should always diligently train in this way. Through such training, the bodhisattva fully perfects all wisdom.

– Śāriputra! Suppose that all sentient beings throughout the trichiliocosm perfected the wisdom of those who follow through faith. If all their wisdom of following through faith were compared with the wisdom of a single person who follows the Dharma, it would not equal one hundredth, one thousandth, or one hundred-thousand-myriadth part of it; nor could it equal any calculable part, numerical part, analogous part, or even one upaniṣad part of it.

– Furthermore, Śāriputra! Suppose that all sentient beings throughout the trichiliocosm perfected the wisdom of those who follow the Dharma. If their wisdom were compared with the wisdom of a single person possessing the eighth patience, it would not equal one hundredth part of it, and so forth, up to not equaling even one upaniṣad part of it.

– Furthermore, Śāriputra! Suppose that all sentient beings throughout the trichiliocosm perfected the wisdom of the eighth patience. If their wisdom were compared with the wisdom of a single person who had attained the fruit of stream-entry, it would not equal one hundredth part of it, and so forth, up to not equaling even one upaniṣad part of it.

– Furthermore, Śāriputra! Suppose that all sentient beings throughout the trichiliocosm perfected the wisdom of the fruit of stream-entry and wished to compare it with the wisdom of a single person proceeding toward once-returning. In the same way, if all the wisdom of those proceeding toward once-returning were compared with the wisdom of a single once-returner; all the wisdom of once-returners with the wisdom of a single person proceeding toward non-returning; all the wisdom of those proceeding toward non-returning with the wisdom of a single non-returner; all the wisdom of non-returners with the wisdom of a single person proceeding toward arhatship; all the wisdom of those proceeding toward the unborn state with the wisdom of a single arhat; all the wisdom of arhats with the wisdom of a single pratyekabuddha; all the wisdom of pratyekabuddhas with the wisdom of a single bodhisattva who had cultivated for more than a hundred kalpas; all the wisdom of bodhisattvas who had cultivated for more than a hundred kalpas with the wisdom of a single non-retrogressing bodhisattva; or all the wisdom of non-retrogressing bodhisattvas with the wisdom of a single bodhisattva in the position of one remaining birth, it would not equal one hundredth part of it, and so forth, up to not equaling even one upaniṣad part of it.

– Śāriputra! Suppose that all sentient beings throughout the worlds of the ten directions perfected the wisdom of bodhisattvas in the position of one remaining birth. If their wisdom were compared with a single instance of the Tathagata’s knowledge of what is possible and what is impossible, it would not equal one hundredth or one thousandth part of it, and so forth, up to not equaling even one upaniṣad part of it.

– Śāriputra! Because that great bodhisattva practices the vīrya-pāramitā, when hearing of such exceedingly profound wisdom of the Tathagata, the bodhisattva’s heart is neither startled nor afraid. Aspiring to that wisdom, the bodhisattva arouses right effort without ever relinquishing it and contemplates thus: “I now cultivate with courageous diligence. Even if all the blood, skin, flesh, sinews, bones, marrow, and brains of my body should dry up, so long as I have not attained this knowledge of what is possible and what is impossible, I shall remain courageous, diligent, steadfast, and resolute, and shall never abandon my endeavor halfway.”

This is called the characteristic of a great bodhisattva’s courageous, steadfast, and tireless perfection of diligence. One should train in this way.

– Furthermore, Śāriputra! To practice the vīrya-pāramitā, a great bodhisattva arouses courageous and tireless diligence and should always train in this way. Through such training, the bodhisattva is able to extinguish the fires of sentient beings’ afflictions.

– Śāriputra! Suppose that all the past thoughts of all sentient beings were introduced into and arose within the mind of a single sentient being, and likewise, each and every thought of every sentient being contained that same number of thoughts, so complex and confused that they would be difficult to comprehend. Each of these thoughts would, moreover, contain immeasurable, profound, and intricately entangled afflictions of greed, anger, and delusion. Suppose all the afflictions of all sentient beings were introduced into and arose within the mind of one sentient being.

Suppose that all sentient beings possessed immeasurable afflictions so intricate and confused that they would be difficult to comprehend. The great bodhisattva reflects thus: “I must strive to arouse courageous diligence and seek the provisions of wisdom. In accordance with the power of right effort that I arouse, I must completely extinguish the fires of greed, anger, and delusion, together with all other torments, leaving nothing behind. I must utterly reduce them to ashes and swiftly establish sentient beings upon the path to nirvana.” This is called the great bodhisattva’s courageous and tireless perfection of diligence. One should train in this way.

– Furthermore, Śāriputra! Because a great bodhisattva cultivates the vīrya-pāramitā, the bodhisattva abides in tireless diligence and should always train diligently in this way. Through such training, the bodhisattva never abandons any wholesome karma of body, speech, or mind. Indeed, all diligence serves as a skillful means for spurring on the bodhisattva’s body, speech, and mind.

– Śāriputra! In the world, only the characteristics of the bodhisattva’s two kinds of karma—bodily and verbal—are described as foremost diligence, while the characteristic of the bodhisattva’s mental diligence is not discussed. The characteristics of the bodhisattva’s mental diligence are immeasurable and boundless; the Buddha will now explain them briefly.

In cultivating right effort, the bodhisattva’s mind either advances or rests. What are advancing and resting in right effort?

– Śāriputra! A bodhisattva who cultivates great diligence diligently applies himself for the sake of unsurpassed bodhi. “Diligence” means arousing great compassion toward sentient beings. “Stillness” means wisdom concerning non-self. “Diligence” means gathering in sentient beings. “Stillness” means not grasping any dharma. “Diligence” means remaining unwearied in samsara. “Stillness” means not perceiving the three realms as existent. “Diligence” means relinquishing everything. “Stillness” means never wearying of giving. “Diligence” means embracing pure moral discipline. “Stillness” means never becoming disenchanted with śīla. “Diligence” means willingly enduring all suffering. “Stillness” means having no thought of causing harm. “Diligence” means bringing forth wholesome dharmas. “Stillness” means the mind constantly abides in detachment. “Diligence” means embracing meditative concentration. “Stillness” means the mind constantly abides in quiescence. “Diligence” means never tiring of hearing the Dharma. “Stillness” means being skillful in accordance with principle. “Diligence” means never wearying of listening to teachings. “Stillness” means not engaging in conceptual proliferation concerning dharmas. “Diligence” means seeking the provisions of wisdom. “Stillness” means ending all conceptual proliferation. “Diligence” means increasing pure faith. “Stillness” means practicing equanimity through true wisdom. “Diligence” means perfecting the five superknowledges. “Stillness” means fully knowing the exhaustion of the outflows. “Diligence” means cultivating the foundations of mindfulness. “Stillness” means mindfulness free from deliberate effort. “Diligence” means skillful means in the right efforts. “Stillness” means relinquishing both good and evil. “Diligence” means developing the bases of spiritual power. “Stillness” means functioning spontaneously. “Diligence” means skillful means in relation to the five faculties. “Stillness” means contemplating that there is no intrinsic nature of a faculty. “Diligence” means embracing the five powers. “Stillness” means wisdom that cannot be subdued. “Diligence” means bringing forth the factors of awakening. “Stillness” means the wisdom that discerns dharmas. “Diligence” means seeking the provisions of the right path. “Stillness” means the emptiness of coming and going. “Diligence” means seeking śamatha. “Stillness” means the mind securely abiding in calm cessation. “Diligence” means cultivating the supports for superior insight. “Stillness” means examining the nature of dharmas. “Diligence” means successively examining all causes. “Stillness” means fully knowing all causes. “Diligence” means hearing spoken teachings from others. “Stillness” means practicing in accordance with the Dharma. “Diligence” means adorning the body. “Stillness” means the body of Dharma-nature. “Diligence” means adorning speech. “Stillness” means the nature of noble silence. “Diligence” means having faith in the gateways to liberation. “Stillness” means that nothing arises. “Diligence” means distancing oneself from the four māras. “Stillness” means abandoning afflictions and habitual tendencies. “Diligence” means skillful means. “Stillness” means contemplation with profound wisdom. “Diligence” means observing conditioned objects. “Stillness” means contemplation free from deliberate effort. “Nature” means contemplating provisional designations. “Stillness” means penetrating the ultimate meaning.

– Śāriputra! All these characteristics of diligence and stillness are called the Great Bodhisattva’s diligence of mind-only.

When Great Bodhisattvas hear of such characteristics of mental diligence, they should arouse complete, courageous, and untiring diligence.

This is called the Great Bodhisattva’s cultivation of the perfection of diligence, accomplishing the aggregate of characteristics of courageous and untiring diligence.