最勝問菩薩十住除垢斷結經

Chapter 24: WISDOM OF THE PATH

At that time, the tens of billions of beings seated upon their seats, the bodhisattvas, the people in the great assembly, together with devas, nagas, Shakra, Brahma, the Four Heavenly Kings, and the devas of the Tushita, Yama, Enjoying Transformations, Making Use of Others’ Transformations heavens, up to the devas of the Ultimate Consummation Heaven, each harbored doubts: “We wish to hear an exposition of the profound and essential Dharma of the subtle Path of Ultimate Truth. Yet because this path is without characteristics, it cannot be seen. Why, then, does the Tathagata say that there is a path?” At that time, the Blessed One knew the thoughts of those in the assembly and said to the bodhisattva Supreme Victory:

“Do you wish to hear the Tathagata expound the profound and essential Dharma of the subtle Path of Ultimate Truth?”

Supreme Victory replied:

“Indeed we do. Blessed One, we joyfully wish to hear it.”

The Buddha said to Supreme Victory, the great bodhisattvas, and the devas, nagas, ghosts, spirits, asuras, chandalas, mahoragas, humans, and nonhumans:

“You should clearly realize that the path leaves no trace, is quiescent, and has no name. Supreme Victory, if the path had an abiding place, great bodhisattvas could not attain unsurpassed perfect awakening within the Dharma of equality. Because they know that this fruition has no abiding place, great bodhisattvas attain perfect awakening.

“Supreme Victory, the bodhisattva’s meditative concentration of wisdom of the path comprises ten dharmas. What are these ten? They neither create bodily actions nor become attached to them.

They neither create verbal actions nor become attached to them. They neither create mental actions nor become attached to them. Upon reaching the realm of the Buddha, they do not give rise to the conception of a Buddha.

In teaching and transforming sentient beings, they attain unobstructed wisdom. They enable all deluded sentient beings to understand the path and the absence of a path. They further guide sentient beings to attain unsurpassed perfect awakening.

They emit great light that shines everywhere; within each ray are immeasurable transformation Buddhas, and each transformation Buddha expounds the exceedingly profound six paramitas. They continually turn the Dharma wheel and awaken the bodhicitta. They clearly realize self and nonself, and that there is no lifespan.

Only when body and mind are naturally so is it called the path. This naturalness is the realization that the path has neither cognition nor wisdom. Neither awakening nor the dharma in which there is nothing to be awakened perceives any awakening.

If ‘I’ is said to be the path, no ‘I’ is seen. If ‘self’ is said to be the path, no self is seen. The same is true of person and lifespan.

Nor do any sentient beings possess an image or form.”

The bodhisattva Supreme Victory then addressed the Buddha:

“If it is said that the path has no form or characteristic and therefore cannot be seen, why is the Dharma wheel now turned and the Dharma expounded concerning the attainment of the four fruits of the path—stream-enterer, once-returner, non-returner, and arhat—as well as the Dharma of pratyekabuddhas, bodhisattvas, and the fruit of Buddhahood? Why is the Dharma of the five skandhas taught, and then the four foundations of mindfulness, the four right efforts, the four bases of spiritual power, the five faculties, the five powers, the seven factors of awakening, and the Noble Eightfold Path?

Why is the purification of Buddha lands and the teaching and transformation of sentient beings taught, and why, in passing from one Buddha land to another, does wisdom distinguish the six consciousnesses and contact? Why are the four immeasurable states of mind, the six paramitas, and the true suchness of dharma-nature also taught, when all these dharmas bear the name ‘path’?”

The Blessed One then said to Supreme Victory:

“In accordance with your question, great bodhisattvas clearly realize the wisdom of the Buddha, the fivefold Dharmakaya, and the many skillful means, yet see no movement or turning in any of them. To perceive movement or turning is not the meaning of the path. They remain far removed from reliance upon or abiding in any dharma; when they seek the Dharma realm, even the Dharma realm cannot be found.

Because dharmas are originally pure, they skillfully turn the Dharma wheel. Because they clearly realize all dharmas without attachment, Supreme Victory, great bodhisattvas have no attachment whatsoever to any dharma; they see neither arising nor cessation. Because the Buddha land is pure, sentient beings are also pure.

Because they reveal the immeasurable radiance of wisdom, great bodhisattvas establish practices corresponding to the Dharma of dharani; their minds do not regress, and they ascend to the bodhisattva stages. They may enter meditative concentration and right absorption, teach and transform sentient beings, and purify Buddha lands. Because with one-pointed minds they cultivate patience and there are not innumerable paths, the Dharma of wisdom is not spoken of; it is only provisionally called wisdom.

Bodhisattva mahasattvas must remain mindful, cultivate the path, and transform those who have not yet awakened, yet without any perceptions or conceptions. Supreme Victory, this is called entering one-pointed meditative concentration, purifying the wisdom of the path, and having all wisdom free of defilements. They tame those not yet tamed without discriminating between suffering and happiness, permanence and impermanence, good and bad.

Those whose wisdom is undisturbed entertain no conception of attachment or aspiration to fully possess the treasury of the Buddhas of the ten directions. The Four Fearlessnesses, the four analytical wisdoms, great loving-kindness, great compassion, and the true suchness of dharma-nature are all without possession, all empty dharmas, and all quiescent dharmas. Because bodhisattvas discern karmic recompense and their wisdom of the path is utterly sincere, they do not give rise to the conception of cessation; thus it is called emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness.

Nor is there any dharma that arises. Supreme Victory, therefore, regarding the profound and essential Dharma of the great bodhisattvas’ Path of Ultimate Truth, if the path is discussed, it is precisely the realm of empty space. Thus, the path is emptiness, and emptiness is the path.

They are one, not two, nor are they manifold.”

At that time, the bodhisattva Supreme Victory addressed the Buddha:

“Excellent! Excellent! What joy it is to hear the Dharma expounded by the Blessed One.”

The devas, nagas, ghosts, spirits, gandharvas, asuras, garudas, chandalas, mahoragas, humans, and nonhumans in the assembly then thought to themselves: “Today the Tathagata has expounded for the assembly the incomparable Dharma of the Wisdom of the Path. Although sentient beings cultivate according to their individual aspirations, they all attain the fulfillment of their wishes. When will this bodhisattva Supreme Victory attain the path of unsurpassed perfect awakening?” The Buddha knew the thoughts of the devas, nagas, spirits, and others and said to the fourfold assembly:

“After an incalculable three hundred and thirty asamkhyeya kalpas, this bodhisattva Supreme Victory will attain Buddhahood, with the name Radiant Wisdom, One of Ultimate Truth, Tathagata, Perfectly Awakened One. His world will be called Immeasurable, and the kalpa will be called Purity. The disciples who follow that Buddha, the Tathagata, will number nine hundred ninety-nine billion two hundred million, and their lifespans will be one hundred and twenty minor kalpas.”

When the assembly heard the Buddha bestow this prediction upon the bodhisattva Supreme Victory, each person made a vow and aspired to be born in that Buddha’s world. The Buddha then said:

“In accordance with your aspirations, you will certainly be born in that realm, without doubt.”

The Buddha further said to Supreme Victory:

“Most of those in this assembly are devas of the Trayastrimsha Heaven, who constantly wage war against the asuras. At times the devas are victorious and the asuras are defeated; at other times the asuras are victorious and the devas are defeated. As the two sides contend with one another, each is bound by resentment, and each harbors poisonous anger that it cannot relinquish.”

Supreme Victory replied:

“I reverently beseech the Honored One among Devas to employ skillful means and expound for them the Dharma of the empty wisdom of the path, so that the devas and the asuras may each live in harmony and give rise to minds of loving-kindness and compassion.”

At that time, the Blessed One said to those in the assembly:

– The Way is formless and therefore cannot be seen. The three fundamental poisons have forever neither beginning nor end. In cultivating the Way in this world, only faith possesses great strength. Those who cultivate loving-kindness are protected by benevolent spirits and praised by all Buddhas of the ten directions. In this life and the next, they accumulate immeasurable merit. All kinds of sentient beings with form—whether crawling, flying, moving, or stirring—in this Jambudvipa must ultimately return to the Dharma of cessation. Life is like a flash of lightning, like a mirage, an image in a mirror, or a cluster of bubbles upon the water. Where there is meeting, there will be separation; where there is birth, there must certainly be death. Since you have assumed bodily form, you cannot escape that calamity. Even though you may receive the life and body of a heavenly being, you still remain within the three evil destinies; therefore, you must be vigilant and seek to depart from those paths. Listen attentively and receive My teaching!

At that time, the fourfold assembly remained silent and joyful. Each gave rise to a reverent mind, wishing to hear the Tathagata teach the Dharma of the Way. The Blessed One then addressed the fourfold assembly:

– Listen well! Reflect carefully! A great bodhisattva should recollect and contemplate eight gateways to liberation. What are these eight gateways? Good men and good women honor and uphold the precepts without deficiency, guarding body, speech, and mind; they practice the four impartial minds—loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity; they constantly remember to associate closely with good spiritual friends; they reverently place their faith in the Three Jewels; their resolve is always directed toward seeking the unsurpassed Way; they expound to others the True Dharma they have heard; in teaching the doctrine of the Way, they do not teach the Dharma of the Lesser Vehicle, but encourage sentient beings to advance diligently in cultivating the Great Way. At times, a bodhisattva expounds the impartial and nondual Dharma of the Great Vehicle without perceiving anyone who receives the teaching. Just as empty space has no form or image, the teachings transmitted by the Buddhas are inconceivable, encompassing the myriad practices without omitting a single dharma. The bodhisattva may teach the practice of non-quiescence and the absence of false and empty unreality, or may teach the fivefold Dharma-body. It is as though a person in a great assembly possessed a wish-fulfilling mani jewel and, according to his wishes, used the jewel’s majestic power to transform it into the various colors blue, yellow, red, and white, also causing the people in the assembly to assume those same colors. A great bodhisattva is likewise: in accordance with the thoughts and reflections in the minds of all people, the bodhisattva immediately expounds the limitless Dharma of the wisdom of the Way, causing each person to rejoice and aspire to revere the Buddha Way. Only at the end does the bodhisattva clearly reveal the Dharma-gateway of wisdom, benefiting sentient beings and causing them to arouse the mind of the Great Vehicle’s Way. Having aroused such a vast vow, the bodhisattva delivers sentient beings without perceiving anyone who is delivered. Just as empty space allows passage without obstruction, so too does the bodhisattva arouse the resolve to deliver beings without perceiving any sentient being who is delivered.

The Buddha addressed Most Victorious:

– After you enter parinirvana, throughout twelve intermediate kalpas all sentient beings will come to venerate and make offerings to your relics. Those without causal affinities will create causal affinities; those who have not been rescued will be rescued; those who have no refuge will receive refuge. At that time, the people will all make offerings of incense and flowers, perform music, bow their heads, and take refuge with their very lives. Every relic will emit light and display transformations of spiritual power, causing those who behold them to rejoice. All this will come about through the arousal of vast vows, by which you will attain sublime majestic powers of transformation like those of a Buddha. That light will be lofty and far-reaching, illuminating every place and revealing the light of immeasurable wisdom, thereby becoming a cause and condition for arousing the mind of the unsurpassed Way. Among those sentient beings, some whose aspirations are mistaken will attain the Dharma of the shravakas or pratyekabuddhas, while others will be born in the heavens or obtain human bodies. The relics will be distributed throughout the eight directions and the two directions above and below. Devas, nagas, gandharvas, asuras, garudas, chandalas, mahoragas, humans, nonhumans, and all beings possessing form that crawl, walk, or breathe will make offerings with five kinds of joyful music.

The Buddha addressed Most Victorious:

– When you attain Buddhahood, the earth will be golden in color and replete with the seven treasures: gold, silver, mother-of-pearl, agate, coral, amber, crystal, and vaidurya. If any sentient being wishes to make offerings to a full-body relic, that wish will immediately be fulfilled. Thousands, tens of thousands, and hundreds of millions of full-body relics will appear throughout the world. The scriptures and Dharma will circulate everywhere for seventeen intermediate kalpas.

At that time, seated in the assembly was a bodhisattva named Immeasurable Awakened Wisdom, who thought to himself: “The Bodhisattva Most Victorious will leave behind bodily relics distributed throughout the world, causing sentient beings to arouse the mind of the Way. How many people will he deliver? How many will hear and follow him?” The Buddha knew the thought in that bodhisattva’s mind and said to him:

– Stop! Worthy One, do not speak those words. Do not use your own limited wisdom to measure the Tathagata’s unobstructed wisdom, samadhi, and meditative mind. The sentient beings received and delivered by the light of the relics cannot be measured by the mind or discerned by thought. The Tathagata’s wisdom of the Way and spiritual power are sovereign and unhindered. Furthermore, the skillful means and manifested transformations of the Buddhas are not dharmas attainable by shravakas or pratyekabuddhas. Great bodhisattvas who attain the Samadhi of Quiescent Concentration do not entertain conceptions of near or far, nor do they cling to the meditative mind. Everywhere throughout the lands of the ten directions—in counties and settlements, in the palaces of devas, the palaces of naga kings, the palaces of venerable spirits, amid armies, in wildernesses, in the heavens, and throughout the comings and goings of the five destinies—they each manifest full-body relics. Every relic-body emits the light of the incomparable liberation of the six paramitas; the Dharma of emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness; great loving-kindness and great compassion; the Dharma of the four debts of gratitude; the Dharma of luminous wisdom that discerns empty quiescence; the elucidation of the concentrated mind; the offering made to relics; the impartial and nondual Dharma; and the steadfast mind of generosity that neither increases nor diminishes. This is called a great bodhisattva’s entry into the Samadhi of the Concentrated Mind of Quiescent Intent, by which the bodhisattva can distinguish the six sense faculties internally and externally. Why are they called the six sense faculties? Regarding these six faculties: if the eye sees forms but does not give rise to the perception of form, it awakens to the fact that form is an external object. If visual consciousness arises, then seventy-four afflictions of sensory defilement will arise. What are those seventy-four dharmas? Fifteen dharmas belong to desire-consciousness, fifteen to form-consciousness, fifteen to the consciousness of neither perception nor non-perception, fifteen to the skandhas at birth, and fourteen to the intermediate skandhas.

The Buddha addressed the great bodhisattva:

– When those sensory defilements arise within visual consciousness, visual consciousness arises. Furthermore, great bodhisattva, if sons and daughters of good family hear sounds with their ears but do not give rise to the afflictions of the ear, they awaken to the fact that sound is an external object. If auditory consciousness arises, then seventy-four afflictions of sensory defilement will arise: fifteen dharmas belong to auditory consciousness of the Desire Realm, fifteen to auditory consciousness of the Form Realm, ten to the consciousness of perception and non-consciousness, and thirty-nine to the intermediate skandhas and the skandhas that assume form.

The Buddha again addressed the great bodhisattva:

– When those sensory defilements arise within auditory consciousness, auditory consciousness arises. Furthermore, great bodhisattva, if the nose smells fragrances without giving rise to olfactory consciousness, it awakens to the fact that fragrance is an external object. If olfactory consciousness arises, then seventy-four afflictions of sensory defilement will initially arise: fifteen dharmas belong to olfactory consciousness of the Desire Realm, fifteen belong to the Form Realm, and forty-four belong to neither perception nor non-perception and the four formless concentrations.

The Buddha again addressed the great bodhisattva:

– If a man or woman of good family gives rise to tongue-consciousness, knows flavors, and thereby gives rise to the afflictions of the tongue, discerning that within them all is without a master, all belongs to the Desire Realm, and all is within consciousness, then seventy-four dharmas of the afflictions of defilement may arise. What are those seventy-four dharmas? Fifteen dharmas belong to the Desire Realm, fifteen dharmas belong to the Form Realm, and forty-four dharmas belong to the realm of perception and non-perception… up to the intermediate existence. The great bodhisattva must further contemplate the arising and cessation of dharmas. The coarse and subtle dharmas of defilement arise when the body comes into contact with external dharmas and thereby produces sensations. If one discerns that each dharma has no inherent existence, yet gives rise to body-consciousness within those sensations, this is precisely the arising of seventy-four dharmas of the afflictions of defilement. What are those seventy-four dharmas? Those seventy-four dharmas are the fifteen dharmas belonging to the Desire Realm, the fifteen dharmas belonging to the Form Realm, and the forty-four dharmas belonging to the realm of perception and non-perception… up to the intermediate existence. The great bodhisattva must further contemplate the activity of the mind and its dharmas. When a dharma arises, it arises; when a dharma ceases, it ceases—yet one sees neither arising nor cessation. If deluded, ignorant people give rise to the perception of mind-consciousness therein, seventy-four dharmas of the afflictions of defilement arise. What are those seventy-four dharmas of the afflictions of defilement? They are the fifteen dharmas belonging to the Desire Realm, the fifteen dharmas belonging to the Form Realm, and the forty-four dharmas belonging to the realm of perception and non-perception and the intermediate existence.

The Buddha told the great bodhisattva:

– What is knowledge of the Path? Through a bodhisattva’s knowledge of the Path, fifteen dharmas of the Desire Realm are clearly seen. Those fifteen dharmas comprise:

The contemplation of seven kinds found in the world: First, slandering the Path. Second, trusting the teachings. Third, receiving the Dharma teachings. Fourth, allowing one’s resolve regarding the truth to regress. Fifth, becoming doubtful when receiving karmic recompense. Sixth, being diligent in mind but obstructed in body. Seventh, seeing with the eyes while the mind does not rely upon the dharmas seen.

The Buddha’s profound Dharma treasury has eight matters. What are those eight matters? First, the Buddha-Dharma has no form, yet one provisionally establishes that dharmas abide.

Second, the present does not abide, yet one recollects and clings to it as permanently existing. Third, the past has forever ceased, yet one does not perceive the vows once made. Fourth, the future has not yet arrived, yet the verbal teachings neither arise nor cease.

Fifth, suffering caused by conditions brings calamity, and one personally undergoes the objects brought forth by those conditions. Sixth, one cultivates and practices skillful means; although cessation has not been completely realized, one claims that it has been completely realized. Seventh, after seeing the Path, one abandons the Path, though from the beginning one had always been diligent and single-minded.

Eighth, the Buddha-Dharma is nondual, yet the mental inclination toward meditative absorption makes distinctions.

This is called the great bodhisattva’s knowledge of the Path, by which the fifteen practices of defilement in the Desire Realm are clearly contemplated. What are the fifteen practices of defilement belonging to the Form Realm? Those fifteen dharmas are: First, favor that permeates and nourishes.

Second, a mind that does not waver. Third, attachment to the pleasures of the heavenly realm. Fourth, forgetting transgression and merit.

Fifth, clinging to them as eternal. Sixth, freedom from illness and pain. Seventh, dwelling in a right place.

Eighth, practicing equality. Ninth, the patience in which nothing arises. Tenth, the unchanging Path.

Eleventh, complete perception. Twelfth, attachment to form. Thirteenth, mastery.

Fourteenth, illuminating afar. Fifteenth, karma. These are the fifteen practices of defilement that a great bodhisattva must remain mindful of and avoid when reaching the heavens belonging to the Form Realm.

How does a great bodhisattva abandon the forty-four practices of defilement in the realm of perception and non-perception and in the intermediate existence? At that time, the bodhisattva enters the samadhi of formless meditative concentration through supernormal powers, comes and goes therein, and discerns the forty-four practices of defilement. What are those forty-four practices?

At that time, the bodhisattva expounds and distinguishes these practices: First, clinging to consciousness and self as having no origin. Second, clinging to the formless and abandoning material form. Third, clinging to the suffering involved in receiving karmic retribution.

Fourth, holding perceptions that are not steadfast. Fifth, abandoning and not practicing either the root or the branches. Sixth, lacking wisdom and relying upon emptiness.

Seventh, halting and abandoning the mind of tranquil concentration. Eighth, lacking the perception and knowledge of cessation. Ninth, clinging to present consciousness as undisturbed.

Tenth, having a deluded mind and an incorrect intention. Eleventh, the mind also does not abide in the present. Twelfth, consciousness does not abide in the Path.

Thirteenth, the mind also does not abide in worldly dharmas. Fourteenth, clinging to the nature of emptiness as being thus. Fifteenth, hearing only sounds without seeing forms.

Sixteenth, conceiving the Path to be inexhaustible. Seventeenth, clinging to all dharmas as empty and holding that no other dharma exists. Eighteenth, clinging to the purity of nirvana.

Nineteenth, clinging to the belief that one has completely awakened to the Path leading to quiescence. Twentieth, the deluded mind’s attachment to favor that permeates and nourishes. Twenty-first, clinging to the continued existence of a body in the intermediate state.

Twenty-second, perceiving the reception of a body in the intermediate state. Twenty-third, clinging to the coming and going of the body in the intermediate state. Twenty-fourth, clinging to the belief that one knows whence the body in the intermediate state has come.

Twenty-fifth, clinging to the perception that sentient beings have bodies in the intermediate state that come and go. Twenty-sixth, clinging to the perception that the body in the intermediate state arises and ceases. Twenty-seventh, clinging to the belief that one personally sees the body experiencing the realm of hell.

Twenty-eighth, clinging to the view that the body undergoes transgression or that the body does not undergo transgression. Twenty-ninth, perceiving the assumption of the heavenly aggregate-body, with some experiencing merit and others not experiencing merit. Thirtieth, perceiving the assumption of the human aggregate-body, with some experiencing merit and others not experiencing merit.

Thirty-first, perceiving the assumption of an intermediate aggregate-body among hungry ghosts, with some beings high and others low. Thirty-second, perceiving the assumption of an animal aggregate-body, with some beings burdened heavily and others lightly. Thirty-third, some sentient beings pass from a heavenly aggregate-body into another heavenly aggregate-body because their consciousness is not disturbed at death.

Thirty-fourth, some sentient beings pass from a heavenly aggregate-body into a human aggregate-body because, although their consciousness is vigorous, they lack wisdom. Thirty-fifth, some sentient beings pass from a heavenly aggregate-body into an animal aggregate-body because their consciousness is weak and their minds give rise to confused perceptions. Thirty-sixth, some sentient beings pass from a heavenly body into the aggregate-body of a hungry ghost because their minds are greedy and insatiable at death.

Thirty-seventh, some sentient beings pass from a heavenly body into a hell aggregate-body because their consciousness harbors the intention and vow to slander the noble sages. Thirty-eighth, some sentient beings pass from a human aggregate-body into a heavenly aggregate-body because they cultivated the Dharma of pure precepts. Thirty-ninth, some sentient beings pass from a human body into an animal aggregate-body because they cultivated without single-minded resolve.

Fortieth, some sentient beings pass from a human aggregate-body into the aggregate-body of a hungry ghost because they cling to the belief that it is good to practice virtue for themselves alone and refuse to share it widely with others. Forty-first, some people pass from a human aggregate-body into a hell aggregate-body, first receiving blessings and afterward undergoing calamity. Forty-second, some pass from an animal aggregate-body into the aggregate-body of a heavenly or human being because, although they had previously created merit, they did not continue to create new merit.

Forty-third, some pass from an animal body into the aggregate-body of a hungry ghost or a hell aggregate-body because the eight unremitting offenses cannot be remedied. Forty-fourth, clinging to the existence of an aggregate-body, to an aggregate-body that undergoes experience, and to the body and consciousness as being undisturbed. These are the forty-four afflictions of defilement belonging to the realm of perception and non-perception and to the intermediate existence that concern the great bodhisattva.

The Buddha told Bodhisattva Supreme Victory:

– The great bodhisattva must further contemplate the intermediate-state consciousness in empty space: from the consciousness of emptiness may arise the consciousness-skandha; from the consciousness-skandha one may assume the skandha of the Sphere of Non-Application; from the skandha of the Sphere of Non-Application one may assume the skandha of the Formless Heaven; from the skandha of the Formless Heaven one may assume the skandha of the Six Heavens, up to the Ultimate Heaven. From the Ultimate Heaven one may again assume the skandha of the heavens of form or formlessness. One who assumes the skandha-body of a heavenly being has a body one and a half fathoms tall and searches for a destination, without abiding in that body. One who assumes the skandha-body of a human being has a body three and a half cubits tall and remains for no longer than seven days, or six, five, four, three, two, or one day. One who assumes the skandha-body of an animal remains for no longer than three and a half days, or two days, or one and a half days. One who assumes the skandha-body of a hungry ghost remains for no longer than half the duration of a meal, or the instant of a fingernail snap. One who assumes the skandha-body of a hell being has a body three and a half fathoms tall; some, having been born and not yet completed seven days, immediately die and are born into that body. The great bodhisattva teaches and transforms each according to the person, expounding the wondrous Dharma for their sake. Those whose minds awaken swiftly do not assume any intermediate bodies but attain the Way.

When an animal assumes the skandha-body of a human being, its body is two and a half cubits tall, and it remains for no longer than four days, or three, two, or one day. When an animal assumes the skandha-body of a heavenly being, its body is three and a half fathoms tall, and it remains for no longer than one and a half days, one day, half a day, or the instant of a fingernail snap. When an animal assumes the skandha-body of a hungry ghost, its body is seven fathoms tall.

Some are born after no longer than five days, or four, three, two, or one day. When an animal assumes the skandha-body of a hell being, its body is one and a half fathoms tall, and it remains for no longer than half the duration of a meal, or the instant of a fingernail snap. When a hungry ghost assumes the skandha-body of a heavenly being, its body is half a fathom tall, and it remains for no longer than one day, half a day, the duration of one meal, or the instant of a fingernail snap.

When a hungry ghost assumes the skandha-body of a human being, its body is two and a half cubits tall, and it remains for no longer than four and a half days, or three, two, or one day. When a hungry ghost assumes the skandha-body of an animal, its body is four and a half fathoms tall, and it remains for no longer than fifteen days, fourteen, thirteen, twelve, eleven, ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, or one day.

When a hungry ghost assumes the skandha-body of a hell being, its body is five and a half fathoms tall, and it remains for no longer than ninety days; some kinds are likewise born within eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, or one day.

Furthermore, the great bodhisattva must contemplate as follows: when a hell being assumes the skandha-body of a heavenly being, its body is four and a half fathoms tall, and it remains for no longer than five months, or four, three, two, or one month. If one bearing the skandha-body of a hell being assumes an intermediate-state body in the human realm, the body is two and a half cubits tall, and it remains for no longer than three months, or two or one month.

When a hell being assumes the skandha-body of an animal, its body is eight and a half cubits tall, and it remains for no longer than three and a half months; two or one month is likewise possible. When a hell being assumes the skandha-body of a hungry ghost, its body is nine fathoms tall, and it remains for no longer than three days. Sometimes one bearing the skandha-body of a heavenly being is to assume the skandha-body of a human being, but before reaching the destination midway, one returns to assume the skandha-body of a heavenly being; beings of this kind possess keen faculties and do not undergo suffering.

Sometimes one bearing the skandha-body of a heavenly being is to assume the skandha-body of an animal, but suddenly is instead born into an intermediate-state body in the human realm; beings of this kind have not violated the perfection of moral discipline. Sometimes one bearing the skandha-body of a heavenly being is to assume the skandha-body of a hungry ghost, but suddenly is instead born into the skandha-body of an animal; beings of this kind have faithfully cultivated the Dharma of the Summit and Patience.

Sometimes one bearing the skandha-body of a heavenly being is to assume the skandha-body of a hell being, but suddenly instead abides in the skandha-body of a hungry ghost; when the karmic retribution of beings of this kind has ripened, they will be born in the human realm. Or one bearing the skandha-body of a human being may be destined for birth into the skandha-body of a hungry ghost, yet suddenly instead abide in the skandha-body of a heavenly being.

Such a body occurs because the mind is concentrated and undisturbed. Or some beings who are to assume a skandha-body in the three evil destinies suddenly instead assume a skandha-body in the human or heavenly realm. Such beings possess penetrating wisdom because their minds have cultivated extensively.

Or some beings who are to assume an intermediate-state body in the Heaven of Ultimate Consummation suddenly instead manifest an intermediate-state body in the Heaven of Radiant Sound. This kind of body results from the mind and intention being single-pointed. Or some beings who are to assume an intermediate-state body in the Heaven of Universal Purity suddenly instead manifest an intermediate-state body in the realm of Neither Perception nor Non-Perception.

This kind of body results from possessing wisdom that has not attained complete penetration.

The Buddha told Most Victorious:

– Seated beneath the tree of enlightenment, the great bodhisattva uses the unobstructed cognition of omniscience, the cognition of equality, the cognition that commands the six superknowledges, the wisdom of eloquence, the cognition that comprehends sounds and echoes, and the cognition of non-retrogression to contemplate throughout the three-thousand-great-thousand world system: who assumes a form and who does not assume a form; who assumes an intermediate-state body and who does not assume an intermediate-state body; how many sentient beings are in the human realm; and how many sentient beings are within intermediate-state bodies in the human realm. The bodhisattva further contemplates the human skandha-bodies of sentient beings who assume skandha-bodies composed of the four great elements and knows their entire number without exception.

The Buddha told Most Victorious:

– The great bodhisattva contemplates heavenly beings within intermediate-state bodies in the heavenly realm, and further contemplates how many heavenly beings are proceeding toward the four destinies, knowing them all without exception. At times the great bodhisattva uses the six superknowledges and the cognition of non-retrogression to contemplate sentient beings who assume animal bodies. The bodhisattva knows without exception how many sentient beings assume intermediate-state bodies among animals and then proceed to assume intermediate-state bodies in the four destinies. The bodhisattva further contemplates sentient beings who assume the bodies of hungry ghosts. The bodhisattva knows without exception how many sentient beings in the intermediate-state bodies of hungry ghosts are to assume bodies in the four destinies. At times the great bodhisattva contemplates sentient beings who assume the bodies of hell beings. The bodhisattva knows without exception how many sentient beings assume intermediate-state bodies in hell and are proceeding toward birth in the four destinies.

The Buddha told Most Victorious:

– The great bodhisattva, using the wisdom of non-retrogression, universally contemplates the intermediate-existence bodies of beings in the five realms, whether they assume a bodily form or do not assume a bodily form. There may be an intermediate-existence body abiding in the human realm that suddenly manifests and is born as an intermediate-existence body in the heavenly realm, and within that heavenly intermediate existence immediately attains extinction, ultimately assuming neither a heavenly body nor a human body. There may be an intermediate-existence body abiding in the heavenly realm that suddenly manifests and is born as a human intermediate-existence body, and then attains extinction, assuming neither a heavenly body nor a human body. There may be an intermediate-existence body abiding in the animal realm that suddenly manifests and is born as an intermediate-existence body in the human realm, and within that human intermediate existence immediately attains extinction, assuming neither a human nor an animal body. There may be an intermediate-existence body abiding in the animal realm that suddenly manifests and is born as an intermediate-existence body in the heavenly realm, and within that heavenly intermediate existence then attains extinction, assuming neither a heavenly nor an animal body. There may be an intermediate-existence body abiding in the realm of hungry ghosts that suddenly manifests and is born as an intermediate-existence body in the human realm, and within that human intermediate existence then attains extinction, assuming neither the body of a hungry ghost nor a human body. There may be an intermediate-existence body abiding in the realm of hungry ghosts that suddenly manifests and is born as an intermediate-existence body in the heavenly realm, and within that heavenly intermediate existence then attains extinction, assuming neither the body of a hungry ghost nor a heavenly body. There may be an intermediate-existence body abiding in the hell realm that suddenly manifests and is born as an intermediate-existence body in the human realm, and within that human intermediate existence then attains extinction, assuming neither a body in hell nor a human body. There may be an intermediate-existence body abiding in hell that suddenly manifests and is born as an intermediate-existence body in the heavenly realm, and within that heavenly intermediate existence then attains extinction, assuming no bodily form in hell. This is called the great bodhisattva's use of the wisdom of non-retrogression to contemplate universally throughout the trichiliocosm all sentient beings who assume bodily form and those who do not, those burdened with offenses and those endowed with merit, knowing them all completely.

At that time, the Bodhisattva Supreme Victory, together with eighteen thousand people and one hundred thousand devas, humans, dragons, ghosts, spirits, gandharvas, asuras, garudas, kinnaras, and mahoragas, rose from their seats, knelt upright, joined their palms, and addressed the Buddha:

– How wondrous is this teaching of the Dharma! How joyful is this unprecedented Dharma! Excellent! Excellent! The Blessed One has joyfully expounded the Dharma concerning the formless, immeasurable, and inconceivable intermediate-existence body—a Dharma unattainable by arhats or pratyekabuddhas. We earnestly wish to behold the form and substance of the intermediate-existence body. Blessed One, we beseech you to have compassion for inferior sentient beings, so that, receiving your gracious blessing, they may forever cleanse the defilements from their minds.

The Blessed One then told those in the assembly:

– Excellent! Excellent is the meaning of the question you have just asked. I shall now manifest spiritual powers for you, enabling the eight classes of beings to behold the form and substance of the intermediate-existence body.

The Blessed One then entered the Samadhi of Contemplating the Formless and universally perceived the intermediate-existence bodies of sentient beings in the five realms, whether they assumed bodily form or did not assume bodily form, whether burdened with offenses or endowed with merit, knowing them all completely. At that very moment, the assembly seated there also beheld the form and substance of the intermediate-existence bodies within those five realms and heard the Tathagata expounding the teachings of the Way to those intermediate-existence beings.

At that moment, they completely cast off all sensory impurities and attained the purity of the Dharma eye. Some intermediate-existence beings aroused the mind of the Mahayana, while others declared their most deeply hidden resolve and practice. The intermediate-existence beings were taught according to their respective kinds, yet none became tainted or attached.

The assembly further saw those intermediate-existence beings of the five realms progressing from the First Stage of Abiding to the Tenth Stage of Abiding. They saw intermediate-existence beings attain the state of being bound to one more birth, sit beneath the Bodhi tree, and subdue countless hundreds of thousands of millions of ghosts. Their bodies were golden in color and fully endowed with all the marks.

They also saw Sakra, Brahma, and the Four Heavenly Kings come to request the bodhisattvas to expound the Dharma of the skandhas, their voices resounding throughout the trichiliocosm. They further saw Buddha-Blessed Ones in other lands bestowing predictions upon bodhisattvas and clearly declaring their names, whether their lands were distant or near, and their pure practices. Some saw bodhisattvas before the Blessed One praising the Dharma of the Tathagata's ten epithets.

Some bodhisattvas before the Blessed One praised the Dharma of the Tathagata's ten epithets. Some bodhisattvas caused the teaching to flourish and came to make offerings, while others praised the Tathagata's virtues with miscellaneous verses. Those in the assembly contemplated and saw the sentient beings of those realms, while in their intermediate-existence bodies, manifesting all manner of inconceivable spiritual transformations.

They also saw the Tathagata emit light from the mark of his tongue; within each ray of light was a transformation Buddha, surrounded before and behind by the eight classes of beings, expounding the Dharma of fearlessness, the wisdom of non-retrogression, and the full treasury of profound teachings. Some separately transmitted predictions to disciples of the pratyekabuddha vehicle: “In a future age, you shall become a Buddha with such-and-such a name….”

At that time, the eighteen thousand people and hundreds of thousands of devas seated there all aroused the aspiration for the unsurpassed, right, and true Way. The Blessed One then withdrew his spiritual powers and resumed his seat as before, saying to the fourfold assembly:

– No one can fully comprehend the Tathagata's spiritual virtue. Moreover, there are four inconceivable dharmas. What are these four? First, the Tathagata's most deeply hidden resolve is inconceivable. Second, the faculties and dispositions of sentient beings are inconceivable. Third, the Tathagata's wisdom of the Way is inconceivable. Fourth, the Tathagata's universally contemplative mind is inconceivable. Furthermore, Supreme Victory, there are another four inconceivable matters. What are these four? First, the Tathagata's deportment and rules of conduct are inconceivable. Second, the Tathagata's Dharma seat is inconceivable. Third, the Tathagata's instructions and precepts are inconceivable. Fourth, his vajra-like concentrated mind is inconceivable. There are also four inconceivable matters. What are these four? Beneath the Bodhi tree, his mind being like empty space is inconceivable. Seeing neither right nor wrong is inconceivable. Making the small great and the great small is inconceivable. When expounding the Dharma, sentient beings are assuredly delivered, yet no deliverance is perceived; this is inconceivable. There are also four matters concordant with the practice of the Dharma in which no attachment can be grasped: although a self and an ego are spoken of, neither arising nor cessation is perceived; there is neither creation nor adherence to annihilation; and the faculties and dispositions of all sentient beings are entirely pure. Supreme Victory, this is called the concordant Dharma through which a great bodhisattva, when practicing the Dharma, remains free from attachment. What do you think, Supreme Victory? Is the Blessed One limited?

Supreme Victory replied:

– He is not limited.

The Blessed One again asked Supreme Victory:

– The true dharmas presently existing, born from the dharmadhatu and originally without limit—do they give rise to existent dharmas? Or is it that they are not nonexistent?

Supreme Victory replied:

– Blessed One, they do not exist by virtue of existence, nor are they absent by virtue of nonexistence.

The Buddha asked:

– What do you think, Supreme Victory? If all limitless dharmas do not exist by virtue of existence and are not absent by virtue of nonexistence, how could there be the attainment of Perfect, Complete Enlightenment?

Supreme Victory replied:

– Blessed One, there is no attainment of Perfect Enlightenment.

The Buddha said to Supreme Victory:

– The Tathagata, seated beneath the tree of enlightenment, contemplated the boundless Dharma. The teachings that are unborn and undying are all empty and quiescent; naturally, there is neither knowing nor wisdom. If there is no wisdom, then who is there that knows? Therefore, O Most Victorious, the doctrines of a self and a person are merely provisional designations, devoid of reality; nor is there any seeing of the Path. In the Path, there is no dharma by which the Path may be seen. There is no seeing, no hearing, no wisdom, no attachment to views or interpretations; and the dharmadhatu is likewise. Not seeing arising or cessation is the dharma that establishes abiding. One who receives the teaching likewise sees neither written characters nor passages and phrases. O Most Victorious, such is the clear realization that all dharmas are like empty space and without form. If there were an ignorant person devoid of wisdom, would that person abide in empty space?

The Venerable Most Victorious replied:

– No, it would not be so.

The Blessed One taught:

– The Dharma-nature of all dharmas is Thusness; the True Limit and the Primordial Nonbeing are entirely without anything possessed. Although one now speaks of the Path of great loving-kindness and great compassion, the four foundations of mindfulness, the four right efforts, the four bases of spiritual power, the five faculties, the five powers, the seven factors of enlightenment, the Noble Eightfold Path, emptiness, signlessness, wishlessness, the six transcendent qualities, and the eighteen unique qualities, it is not through these dharmas that enlightenment is attained. The Path is formless and cannot be seen; because it is the solitary, formless Dharma, it is called the Path. The Path neither comes nor goes. O Most Victorious, this alone is truly the Path. If the Tathagata were born from the dharmadhatu and were extinguished within the dharmadhatu, that would itself be the defiled and attached activity of birth and death. Because there is neither birth nor cessation, it is called the Path.

The Buddha told the Venerable Most Victorious:

– A great bodhisattva enters the samadhi of contemplating empty space and cultivates within the various realms without becoming attached to or tainted by dhyana. Through that Dharma of meditative concentration, the bodhisattva attains an unobstructed mind that is free from confusion. There is neither body nor mind, and neither equality nor inequality among dharmas. Contemplating the concentration of Emptiness, the bodhisattva sees neither hardness nor softness; the aspiration remains ever tranquil and detached and does not correspond with any noncorresponding dharma. O Most Victorious, this is called the bodhisattva’s immeasurable and inconceivable concentration of Emptiness, a Dharma unattainable by arhats or pratyekabuddhas. O Most Victorious, it is like a fire burning a copper mountain, forests, trees, grasses, and plants. The fire is not the forest, and the forest is not the fire. Fire is not fire, yet neither is it apart from fire. You should know that the bodhisattva’s fetters are likewise. The fetters are not the Path, and the Path is not the fetters; yet the fetters are not far removed from the Path. The clear realization of the concentration of Emptiness and the samadhi of Formlessness is also like this. All dharmas, primordially nonexistent, are pure and equal. One may contemplate the ultimate limit of dharmas through right concentration and thereby attain an impartial and undefiled mind. The mind is neither within nor without. The mind does not abide in form; nor does one see any dharma abiding, and thus one transcends all inversions. Because formless Dharma is provisionally taught, it is called the Path. Or, through the five superknowledges and the wondrous wisdom of the three penetrations, one may travel everywhere, wishing to teach and transform sentient beings. The Dharma of transformation manifests the work of transformation by itself, yet no transformation is seen. This is called the Path that transcends the dharmas of the five superknowledges. Or, one may depart from the minds of shravakas and pratyekabuddhas that contemplate Emptiness, while the mind does not manifest the contemplation of Emptiness practiced by pratyekabuddhas possessing the five superknowledges; this is called the Path. The bodhisattva further uses the samadhi of rightly receiving concentrated thought to contemplate the origin of dharmas: From where do dharmas arise? Where do dharmas cease? Only when neither arising nor cessation is seen is it called the Path. Regarding the conditioned dharmas of the world and the unconditioned Dharma of the Path, only when neither the world nor the Path is seen is it called the Path. Outflows are defiling passions, while freedom from outflows is purity; yet one sees neither outflows nor any dharma of outflows. Regarding the ten wholesome courses of action and the ten fundamentally evil courses, one sees neither good nor evil. Amid gain, loss, disgrace, honor, praise, ridicule, suffering, and pleasure, one sees neither suffering nor happiness. One sees neither the attainment of the Path nor abiding in worldly convention, and one does not see the exposition of the quiescent silence of the Noble Ones. O Most Victorious, only when a great bodhisattva enters the concentration of Emptiness is this called the Path.

Furthermore, O Most Victorious, a great bodhisattva must also contemplate the Treasury of Empty Space Samadhi. Only when one does not see the liberation with remainder that abides in life for many kalpas, and does not see the changeless liberation without remainder, is it called the Path. This is called a great bodhisattva’s cultivation and accomplishment of the wisdom of Emptiness.

Through skillful means, the bodhisattva travels from one Buddha-land to another to make offerings to the Buddhas, attend upon the Buddhas, the Blessed Ones, teach and transform sentient beings, and purify Buddha-lands. The bodhisattva does not see the characteristics of form as the power of presently manifest characteristics. The same is true of consciousness relating to sound, fragrance, taste, and tangible objects.

The bodhisattva does not see any crossing over or attainment of nirvana, nor does the bodhisattva see any dharma revolving within birth and death. If a good man or good woman recites, reads, receives, upholds, and continually remembers this without forgetting it, that person will presently attain eight meritorious qualities. What are these eight dharmas?

Contemplating all dharmas as empty, one possesses faith without doubt. Attaining the Buddha’s profound Dharma treasury, one’s mind is without fear. One’s mind is pure, without impurity or defilement; it is like vajra and cannot be destroyed.

One’s conduct is entirely upright, and one does not follow the realm of Mara. One purifies Buddha-lands and delivers those not yet delivered. One’s Mahayana mind is vast, and one takes no delight in narrow and inferior wisdom.

One draws near to good spiritual friends and does not follow non-Buddhist paths. Mindfully contemplating and seeking the true Dharma, one entertains no conception of self or person. These are called the eight meritorious qualities attained by a great bodhisattva.

Clearly realizing that worldly dharmas have neither self, person, nor lifespan, and abiding in the Dharma of Primordial Nonbeing, the mind then accords with right concentration. The bodhisattva constantly uses meditative concentration to reach cessation, teaching and transforming sentient beings without ever growing weary. This is seeing the Dharma, and only then does one accord with the Path.

This is because one sees all dharmas as quiescent, formless, inactive, and without any location. O Most Victorious, this is called a great bodhisattva’s clear realization that Emptiness is not existence, and that Emptiness itself is not a dharma of Emptiness. Because Emptiness is not a dharma of Emptiness, it is quiescent and nameless.

At times, the bodhisattva contemplates all dharmas without relying upon the three places and without attachment to the three realms of existence. In the worldly realms of gods and humans, the bodhisattva brings forth the mind of a vast vow to deliver deluded sentient beings in this way, yet does not see any sentient being who is delivered. This is called a great bodhisattva’s cultivation and accomplishment of the wisdom of Emptiness, forever free from an attached mind.

O Most Victorious, you should know that the Dharma of concentrated thought on Formlessness entered by the Tathagata is not a Dharma that those of the Two Vehicles can perceive; only a Buddha sees it clearly. The Buddha’s wisdom is unobstructed and unattached, neither defiled nor tainted by attachment to any realm. If one attains the profound Dharma, one does not take delight in it and does not cling to the eight worldly conditions that afford no leisure.

One possesses the four kinds of unobstructed eloquence. There is no cessation and no burning away of the afflictions, yet neither is there no burning away of the afflictions; there is no arising and no birth, yet neither is there an absence of birth. The past is forever extinguished, yet there is no past.

The present does not abide, nor is there any abiding dharma. The future has not yet arisen, and no arising dharma is seen. This is called a great bodhisattva who is unattached and unobstructed, who does not cling to the three places and is not defiled by the three realms of existence.

At that time, ninety thousand sentient beings, eleven nayutas of gods and humans, together with gods, dragons, ghosts, and spirits, rose from their seats, drew aside their robes to bare their right shoulders, knelt upright, joined their palms, and addressed the Buddha:

– We, being of inferior faculties and dispositions, have obtained this pure Dharma and are now able to expound the formless Dharma, the Dharma without names or characteristics. World-Honored One, we humbly beseech the World-Honored One to enable the intermediate-existence bodies of devas and humans born in future lives to dwell within the realm of a Buddha-land and, on the same day, at the same time, and in the same land, receive and realize the unconditioned Dharma.

At that time, the World-Honored One smiled, and from his mouth issued five-colored rays of light that illuminated the entire three-thousand-great-thousand world. The light circled his body three times and then reentered the Buddha’s mouth. Ananda knelt upright, joined his palms, and addressed the Buddha:

– I reflect that I have attended upon the Buddha for more than thirty years, yet I have never seen light such as this. World-Honored One, I humbly beseech you to expound this matter so that sentient beings of the future may forever be free from delusion and lack of understanding.

The World-Honored One then said to Ananda:

– Do you now see those ninety thousand sentient beings and eleven nayutas of devas and humans? When their lives end here, their intermediate-existence bodies will all be born in the world called Fine Dust. Once their intermediate-existence bodies have been born there, each of them will, in due order, attain Buddhahood, all bearing the same name: Formless Tathagata, Worthy One, Perfectly and Fully Awakened One, Accomplished in Knowledge and Conduct, Well-Gone One, Knower of the World, Unsurpassed One, Tamer of Those to Be Tamed, Teacher of Devas and Humans, Buddha, World-Honored One. Their assemblies will consist entirely of bodhisattvas. Their intermediate-existence bodies will abide in that world for a lifespan of one kalpa. After they enter parinirvana, the Dharma they leave behind will be transmitted for one kalpa. Thereafter, another Buddha will appear in the world, and this succession will continue without interruption.

When the Buddha expounded this Dharma, the bodhisattvas in the Heaven of Universal Purity and innumerable sentient beings regretted having assumed human and heavenly bodies. Seated upon their seats, they wept uncontrollably. Although the Buddha knew the reason, he nevertheless asked:

– Good men, why are you weeping with such profound sorrow?

Those from the Heaven of Universal Purity replied:

– We too wish to be born in that land, but because we have no share in it, we grieve and weep.

The Buddha said to the devas of Universal Purity:

– Cease! Do not speak such words! In the past, you formed other vast vows. Why do you now wish to be born in that land? During the Worthy Kalpa, there will be a kalpa called Extinction. You will successively attain Buddhahood, each bearing the name Universally Pure Tathagata, Worthy One, Perfectly and Fully Awakened One, endowed with all ten epithets.

Chapter 25: BODY, SPEECH, AND MIND

At that time, the bodhisattva Most Victorious addressed the Buddha:

– All dharmas are like illusions and conjurations. Within these illusory and conjured dharmas, how does one teach and transform sentient beings and purify Buddha-lands? How does one completely eliminate the three conceptions of self, person, and life span? How does one travel from one Buddha-land to another to attend upon and make offerings to all the Buddhas, the World-Honored Ones?

The Buddha said to Most Victorious:

– Excellent! Excellent! You alone are able to utter the lion’s roar before the Tathagata. Listen closely! Listen closely! Carefully reflect upon and remember this. I shall now explain its meaning for you. Most Victorious, you should know that a great bodhisattva constantly remembers to cultivate and practice the Dharma of body, speech, and mind, clearly contemplating all dharmas as illusions and conjurations, without relying upon or clinging to the past, present, or future.

At that time, a bodhisattva in the assembly named Joy addressed the Buddha:

– World-Honored One, if sentient beings delight in the profound fundamental Dharma and also make offerings to it, while their body, speech, and mind are pure and their faculties mature, this is called the wisdom of a bodhisattva.

The bodhisattva Impartial Loving-Kindness said:

– One who practices loving-kindness and has compassion for all sentient beings, who fully comprehends written words yet is not attached to written words, who does not perceive dharmas enacted by body or speech, and who attains the pure Dharma therein—this is called the wisdom of a bodhisattva.

The Youthful Mañjusri said:

– To expound all the fundamental dharmas while perceiving neither an expounder nor any conception of dharmas, and therein to purify body, speech, and mind—this is called the wisdom of a bodhisattva.

The bodhisattva Blazing Light said:

– The Buddha-Dharma is nondual, and one does not perceive even duality. One brings all fetters to rest and ends them, without arising or cessation, and therein purifies body, speech, and mind—this is called the wisdom of a bodhisattva.

The bodhisattva Lotus Bond said:

– To be able to travel everywhere, reaching the lands of the ten directions, seeing pure lands and giving rise to the perception of purity, and therein purifying body, speech, and mind—this is called the wisdom of a bodhisattva.

The bodhisattva Radiance said:

– All dharmas return to that which has no return. Regarding body, speech, and mind, one also gives rise to no perception of cessation, and therein purifies body, speech, and mind—this is called the wisdom of a bodhisattva.

The bodhisattva Dharma Purity said:

– All dharmas return to emptiness. One enters right samadhi, gathers and restrains the mind so that it is undistracted, and therein purifies body, speech, and mind—this is called the wisdom of a bodhisattva.

The bodhisattva Lotus Practice said:

– Within the Dharma of original nonbeing, one practices the inexhaustible Dharma; within the inexhaustible Dharma, one purifies body, speech, and mind. This is called the wisdom of a bodhisattva.

The bodhisattva Right Equality said:

– To know suffering and to know happiness, while knowing that neither suffering nor happiness exists, and therein to purify body, speech, and mind—this is called the wisdom of a bodhisattva.

The bodhisattva Treasury That Dispels Anger said:

– Because one fully comprehends all dharmas, one does not give rise to anger. Within the Dharma in which anger does not arise, one purifies body, speech, and mind. This is called the wisdom of a bodhisattva.

The Youthful bodhisattva Lion said:

– Regarding the three fundamental dharmas of lust, anger, and delusion, one is free from them and does not perceive form as arising or ceasing. Therein, one purifies body, speech, and mind. This is called the wisdom of a bodhisattva.

The bodhisattva Bestower of Treasures said:

– The self, person, and life span appear to arise and cease, yet one fully comprehends that all dharmas neither arise nor cease. Therein, one purifies body, speech, and mind. This is called the wisdom of a bodhisattva.

The bodhisattva Courageous Wisdom said:

– In the Dharma gateway of dharani, one does not perceive any destination toward which dharmas proceed. Within the Dharma that has no destination, this is called the wisdom of a bodhisattva.

The bodhisattva Worthy Protector said:

– Names and designations are false and should not be grasped or preserved. Ignorant ordinary beings regard them as real. Therein, one purifies body, speech, and mind. This is called the wisdom of a bodhisattva.

The bodhisattva Moonlight said:

– Within the suchness of dharmas, true suchness, and the original limit, one cultivates pure brahmacarya without perceiving the suchness of true suchness. Therein, one purifies body, speech, and mind. This is called the wisdom of a bodhisattva.

The bodhisattva Well-Come said:

– One perfumes the entire three-thousand-great-thousand world with the fragrance of the virtue of moral discipline. The fragrance is carried everywhere by the wind, yet one perceives neither fragrance nor wind. Therein, one purifies body, speech, and mind. This is called the wisdom of a bodhisattva.

The bodhisattva Inconceivable said:

– The unconditioned is not separate from the conditioned, and the conditioned is not separate from the unconditioned. One fully comprehends that both the conditioned and the unconditioned are without anything that can be possessed. Therein, one purifies body, speech, and mind. This is called the wisdom of a bodhisattva.

The bodhisattva Immaculate Purity said:

– Those born in the Pure Abodes do not perceive the pure meritorious practices of the heavenly realm. Therein, one purifies body, speech, and mind. This is called the wisdom of a bodhisattva.

The bodhisattva Utmost Sincerity said:

– One does not perceive that a sincere mind will transgress the four dharmas, nor does one perceive that a deceitful mind will receive future retribution. Therein, one purifies body, speech, and mind. This is called the wisdom of a bodhisattva.

The bodhisattva Skillful Contemplation said:

– One fully comprehends that all perceptions of form are perceptions of formlessness. Therein, one purifies body, speech, and mind. This is called the wisdom of a bodhisattva.

The bodhisattva Precious Blossom said:

– Within samsara, one contemplates and sees that sentient beings experience suffering and happiness, and further contemplates that one’s own body likewise experiences suffering and happiness as they do. Therein, one purifies body, speech, and mind. This is called the wisdom of a bodhisattva.

The bodhisattva Unimpaired Faculties said:

– Regarding the fetters, clearly knowing that they are originally pure, and therein purifying body, speech, and mind, is called the wisdom of a bodhisattva.

Bodhisattva Ever-Smiling said:

– Regarding the fundamental nature of all dharmas, one sees neither self nor ego, nor does one see any dharma that creates self or ego. Therein purifying body, speech, and mind is called the wisdom of a bodhisattva.

Bodhisattva Ever-Compassionate said:

– One practices the four impartial minds of loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity throughout the Buddha realms, yet does not see those four impartial minds as saving sentient beings. Therein purifying body, speech, and mind is called the wisdom of a bodhisattva.

Bodhisattva Brahma-Mind said:

– One delivers sentient beings from wrong views and establishes them in right view, yet within the Dharma of right view sees neither right nor wrong. Therein purifying body, speech, and mind is called the wisdom of a bodhisattva.

Bodhisattva Expounding Everywhere said:

– One's mind of vast vows is steadfast and does not incline toward the path of the Lesser Vehicle. Therein purifying body, speech, and mind is called the wisdom of a bodhisattva.

Bodhisattva Valiant One said:

– One saves and delivers sentient beings without being defiled by the three realms of existence. Therein purifying body, speech, and mind is called the wisdom of a bodhisattva.

Bodhisattva Victorious Mind said:

– One cultivates and perfects the wisdom of patient acceptance, always practicing diligently. Therein purifying body, speech, and mind is called the wisdom of a bodhisattva.

Bodhisattva Thunderous Voice said:

– Regarding the roots of all wholesome dharmas, one contemplates that the Dharma realm neither increases nor decreases and sees no abiding place for any dharma. Therein purifying body, speech, and mind is called the wisdom of a bodhisattva.

Bodhisattva Never Weary of Affliction said:

– Taking as many kalpas as the sands of the Ganges to be one day, fifteen days to be half a month, thirty days to be one month, and twelve months to be one year, only after hundreds of thousands of millions of kalpas does a Buddha appear to illuminate the world. Through skillful means, one makes offerings to as many Tathagatas as the sands of the Ganges and cultivates pure brahmacarya before finally receiving a prediction of Buddhahood. While cultivating the bodhisattva path, one is never weary of the suffering and afflictions of birth and death. Therein purifying body, speech, and mind is called the wisdom of a bodhisattva.

Bodhisattva Abiding in Longevity said:

– One constantly uses supernormal powers to transform those holding the sixty-two views. Amid the sixty-two views, purifying body, speech, and mind is called the wisdom of a bodhisattva.

Bodhisattva Exhaustive Intent said:

– One contemplates that the source of all dharmas is emptiness and that nothing is possessed. Arising dharmas arise of themselves, and ceasing dharmas cease of themselves; dharmas arise in mutual dependence, and dharmas cease in mutual dependence. Arising does not know arising; cessation does not know cessation. Therein purifying body, speech, and mind is called the wisdom of a bodhisattva.

Bodhisattva Vast Mind said:

– One mindfully attends to each inhalation and exhalation, clearly discerning every breath without losing their sequence, yet sees neither exhalation nor inhalation. Therein purifying body, speech, and mind is called the wisdom of a bodhisattva.

Bodhisattva Excellent Victory said:

– One discerns whence the three periods of time arise and where they cease, yet sees neither arising nor cessation. Therein purifying body, speech, and mind is called the wisdom of a bodhisattva.

Bodhisattva Upholder of the Precepts said:

– One sees neither observing nor violating the precepts; one does not see that violating the precepts leads to hell, nor that observing the precepts brings the blessed reward of heaven. Therein purifying body, speech, and mind is called the wisdom of a bodhisattva.

Bodhisattva Fearless said:

– One cultivates the four bases of supernormal power and harbors no timid or feeble mind regarding the four foundations of mindfulness. The mind is originally without a source, and one does not see the source of mind. Within that Dharma, purifying body, speech, and mind is called the wisdom of a bodhisattva.

Bodhisattva Immeasurable Wisdom said:

– If one brings forth a mind of loving-kindness and compassion for all sentient beings, journeys to immeasurable worlds in other directions wishing to deliver sentient beings, and never considers it wearisome, while seeing neither a Dharma of deliverance nor anyone who delivers, then within that Dharma, purifying body, speech, and mind is called the wisdom of a bodhisattva.

Bodhisattva Bestower of Treasures said:

– One fosters the four benefactions, draws near to the Three Jewels, and with a benevolent and loving heart practices generosity for the benefit of everyone, yet does not see oneself receiving the meritorious rewards of the four benefactions. Within that Dharma, purifying body, speech, and mind is called the wisdom of a bodhisattva.

Bodhisattva Destroyer of the Roots said:

– One regards all sentient beings as one's own children. Just as one wishes to protect one's own body, one must protect others, bringing sentient beings securely to the shore of liberation, yet without seeing anyone who attains nirvana or reaches the shore of liberation. Within that Dharma, purifying body, speech, and mind is called the wisdom of a bodhisattva.

Bodhisattva Tranquil Resolve said:

– The Buddha is the Inconceivable One, whose meritorious rewards are unfathomable and whose faculties are tranquil and concentrated. Having such faith, one does not give rise to greed or jealousy. Within that Dharma, purifying body, speech, and mind is called the wisdom of a bodhisattva.

Bodhisattva Protector of the Body said:

– Upon attaining the Buddha path, one's body possesses the excellent marks. After entering nirvana, one's relics are distributed everywhere, filling the four cardinal directions, the eight directions, above, and below. Devas, nagas, ghosts, and spirits all honor and venerate them, yet one does not see anyone being transformed through the relics. Within that Dharma, purifying body, speech, and mind is called the wisdom of a bodhisattva.

Bodhisattva Fragrant Crown said:

– Each pore emits immeasurable fragrances. Each fragrance gives forth immeasurable teachings that endlessly save sentient beings. The lofty and immeasurable awe-inspiring power of one's supernormal abilities causes immeasurable numbers of sentient beings to bring forth the aspiration for the path. Among those sentient beings, some do not accord with the true and right path; some attain the path of a sravaka or pratyekabuddha; and some are born in the heavens and afterward are reborn in human form. One's mind bears no resentment toward the noble Mahayana path, nor does one feel ashamed to deliver those of the Lesser Vehicle. Within that Dharma, purifying body, speech, and mind is called the wisdom of a bodhisattva.

Bodhisattva Vast Vows said:

– Dwelling amid defilement, one is not defiled; regarding the eight worldly dharmas, one gives rise to no conception of attachment. Within that Dharma, purifying body, speech, and mind is called the wisdom of a bodhisattva.

Bodhisattva Compassionate Savior said:

– The path is two; the absence of the path is one. One sees neither one nor two. Within that Dharma, purifying body, speech, and mind is called the wisdom of a bodhisattva.

Bodhisattva Unsurpassed said:

– Where there are Buddha and Dharma, the path of enlightenment is not attained. Only where there are neither Buddha nor Dharma is the path of enlightenment attained; yet one sees neither attainment nor non-attainment. Within that Dharma, purifying body, speech, and mind is called the wisdom of a bodhisattva.

Bodhisattva Upholder of Virtue said:

– Existing sentient beings establish for themselves the designations male, female, self, person, and living being. Clearly realizing that in their original nature there is neither male nor female, one also does not see anyone being born from here into there or from there into here. One should know that dharmas assembled through conditions are false and not real. Within that Dharma, purifying body, speech, and mind is called the wisdom of a bodhisattva.

Bodhisattva Seeing with the Eyes said:

– Regarding all existing forms, one clearly realizes that there is no form. Form, self, and consciousness, both inwardly and outwardly, are all without shape or image. One clearly realizes that the nature of form is emptiness and is entirely without arising or cessation. Within that Dharma, purifying body, speech, and mind is called the wisdom of a bodhisattva.

Bodhisattva Wondrous Brocade said:

– The source of self and ego and the intrinsic nature of a living being are without a sovereign, just as when a person hears an external sound with the ear and cognizes it through the ear, then contemplates that the sound is by nature formless. Within that Dharma, purifying body, speech, and mind is called the wisdom of a bodhisattva.

Bodhisattva Ever-Abiding said:

– If one clearly distinguishes each of the seven dharmas, without relation to the three spheres and without seeking the five fruits, and purifies body, speech, and mind within those dharmas, this is called the wisdom of a bodhisattva.

Bodhisattva Huyền Thông said:

– Quiescence and non-quiescence are both defilements. Observance of the precepts and non-observance of the precepts are both defilements. Patience and non-patience are both defilements. One sees neither patience nor non-patience. One clearly realizes that patience is neither quiescence nor non-quiescence. If one purifies body, speech, and mind within those dharmas, this is called the wisdom of a bodhisattva.

Bodhisattva Hương Huân said:

– One does not perceive the hindrances of the skandhas, the affliction of sloth and torpor, stinginess and greed, flattering and deceptive speech, a disturbed mind, or transgression of the precepts. If one purifies body, speech, and mind within those dharmas, this is called the wisdom of a bodhisattva.

At that time, Bodhisattva Tối Thắng rose from his seat, knelt upright, joined his palms, and addressed the Buddha:

– Excellent! Excellent! Blessed One, I too wish to speak of the wisdom of a bodhisattva who purifies body, speech, and mind. It manifests universally throughout all things, without past, present, or future; such purity abides in non-abiding. Illusory dharmas cannot be traced, just as moonlight illuminates the moon's reflection in water. The Buddhas, the Blessed Ones, are likewise: they neither arise nor cease, nor do they grasp nirvana. If one purifies body, speech, and mind within those dharmas, this is called the wisdom of a bodhisattva.

The Buddha said to Tối Thắng:

– Son of noble family, what meaning have you contemplated that you speak before the Tathagata of abiding in non-abiding?

Tối Thắng replied:

– The Dharma in which the Tathagata abides is suchness. Abiding in the Dharma of suchness is like abiding among sentient beings.

The Buddha asked:

– How is the Dharma in which the Tathagata abides suchness, and how is abiding in the Dharma of suchness like abiding among sentient beings?

Tối Thắng replied:

– Abiding among sentient beings is like abiding in conditioned dharmas, and is like having no dharma in which to abide.

The Buddha asked:

– How is abiding among sentient beings like abiding in conditioned dharmas, and like having no dharma in which to abide?

Tối Thắng replied:

– The Dharma in which the Tathagata abides is an abiding in which there is no dharma wherein one abides.

The Buddha asked:

– Is this abiding derived from emptiness in the ultimate sense?

Tối Thắng replied:

– Blessed One, it is not.

The Buddha asked:

– Son of noble family, is the Dharma in which the Tathagata abides like the abiding of ordinary beings?

Tối Thắng replied:

– Blessed One, it is not.

The Buddha asked:

– If one abides neither in the Dharma of the Tathagata nor in the dharmas of ordinary beings, how can perfect awakening be attained from within those dharmas?

Tối Thắng replied:

– Perfect awakening is not attained from the Dharma of the Tathagata or from the dharmas of ordinary beings.

The Buddha asked:

– Son of noble family, is there any difference between the Dharma of genuine suchness and the dharmas of the stage of ordinary beings?

Tối Thắng replied:

– Blessed One, that would be like wishing to create distinctions within empty space.

The Buddha said to Tối Thắng:

– All dharmas are empty, quiescent, and without distinction.

Tối Thắng addressed the Buddha:

– Because those dharmas cannot be preserved, their characteristic is the absence of characteristics. Abiding in the Dharma of suchness is like having no dharma in which to abide.

Then Bodhisattva Tối Thắng asked Nhu Thủ Đồng Chơn:

– What kind of abiding is truly abiding? What kind of non-abiding is truly non-abiding?

Nhu Thủ replied:

– What is called abiding is precisely abiding in the Dharma of suchness; it is abiding in non-abiding. Clearly realizing the four impartial states of mind, one abides without any dharma in which to abide. Therefore, it is called abiding—that is, abiding in non-abiding.

Tối Thắng asked:

– The abiding in Dharma about which I ask is not the four impartial states of mind, nor is it a dharma of that kind. Whether one dwells in a secluded place, in a village, in a cemetery, or beneath a tree, can that be called abiding?

Nhu Thủ replied:

– The abiding in Dharma that I call the four impartial states of mind means that the mind attains right meditative stillness. Because the mind is restrained so that unwholesome thoughts do not arise, it is called abiding.

Tối Thắng asked:

– What does it mean for the mind to attain right meditative stillness?

Nhu Thủ replied:

– Wisdom is regarded as the root; therefore, it is called right meditative stillness.

Tối Thắng asked again:

– Wisdom is without a root and is also not ultimate. Can right meditative stillness be accomplished through knowledge and vision?

Nhu Thủ replied:

– So it is! So it is! It is exactly as you say. First one contemplates the self, and only afterward purifies wisdom.

Tối Thắng asked again:

– Venerable Nhu Thủ, what does it mean first to contemplate the self?

Nhu Thủ replied:

– All dharmas are without self, extending even to the Dharma of suchness. The essential nature of the self is non-self, neither arising nor not arising. This is called the self contemplating the self.

Tối Thắng asked again:

– Venerable Nhu Thủ, whether realization is attained by following the meaning or without following the meaning, if contemplating the self means contemplating an image of the Buddha, then, supposing there were a self, would there also be a Buddha? If the essential nature of the self is non-self, how could there be a Buddha? If words do not manifest, and words are also without self, how can one contemplate an image of the Buddha?

Nhu Thủ said:

– In all statements that speak of “contemplating the self,” that self is precisely non-self. This is called contemplating the self. Why is this so? To contemplate the self is to contemplate all dharmas; to contemplate all dharmas is to contemplate the Buddha. The Buddha is formless and therefore cannot be seen.

Tối Thắng asked:

– Is it through such skillful means that one causes dharmas not to be established and thereby reaches right view?

Nhu Thủ replied:

– Through such skillful means, one causes conditioned objects not to be established and establishes right view.

Tối Thắng asked again:

– Venerable Nhu Thủ, are such right skillful means themselves right view?

Nhu Thủ replied:

– Because there is neither final realization nor karmic result, and because one does not grasp at karmic results, it is called right view.

Tối Thắng asked again:

– How does one see?

Nhu Thủ replied:

– One does not use the eye of wisdom to see dharmas, yet neither does one not use the eye of wisdom to see dharmas. One sees dharmas neither by means of the conditioned nor by means of the unconditioned. Why is this so? The eye of wisdom sees neither conditioned objects nor unconditioned objects. There is no conditioned eye that sees conditioned objects or unconditioned objects.

Tối Thắng asked again:

– Venerable Nhu Thủ, is it through some skillful means that, from this impartial seeing, the fruits of realization of a bhiksu are attained?

Nhu Thủ replied:

– Those fruits of realization are not attained from impartial seeing, nor are they attained apart from impartial seeing. Tối Thắng, you should know that all are attained through the desire to seek the five defilements. Only by clearly realizing this meaning are the fruits of realization attained.

Tối Thắng asked again:

– How are they attained through the desire to seek the five defilements?

Nhu Thủ replied:

– Defilement is the root of the mind, and the mind is the root of the Path. The Path is formless and cannot be seen. Therefore, the fruits of realization are attained.

Tối Thắng asked again:

– If the Path is formless and cannot be seen, how can the fruits of realization be attained?

Nhu Thủ replied:

– The Path that I realized was realized by means of those fruits of realization, yet the attainment of the fruits of realization is not the Path. Ignorant ordinary beings take the fruits of realization to be the Path. One should not think in this way. Why? The Path is not the fruits of realization. The fruits of realization are not the Path, yet neither are they apart from the Path, nor is the Path apart from the fruits of realization.

Tối Thắng asked again:

– Is there no distinction between the Path and the fruits of realization?

Nhu Thủ replied:

– The Path is unconditioned and therefore cannot be seen. The conditioned fruits of realization also cannot be seen. This is called the distinction.

Venerable Tối Thắng again asked Venerable Nhu Thủ:

– According to what you have said, is it that one passes from the limit of existence to the limitless?

Venerable Nhu Thủ replied:

– Dharmas that have not yet arisen are not seen to arise, yet this does not mean that there is no arising; arising itself is non-arising. What has arisen is not seen, yet this does not mean that there is nothing that has arisen. Whatever has arisen is itself not truly arisen. Dharmas are not presently arising, yet this does not mean that there is no present arising. To awaken clearly to the fact that all present arising is devoid of anything whatsoever—that is called passing from the limit of existence to the limitless.

Venerable Tối Thắng again asked:

– Does one not attain the limitless from existent arising?

Venerable Nhu Thủ replied:

– From existent arising, one attains the limitless.

Venerable Tối Thắng again asked:

– Does one attain the limitless from non-arising?

Venerable Nhu Thủ replied:

– Indeed! From non-arising, one attains the limitless.

Venerable Tối Thắng asked:

– How is it, Venerable Nhu Thủ? What distinction is there between attaining the limitless from existent arising and attaining the limitless from non-arising?

Venerable Nhu Thủ replied:

– Arising itself is non-arising, and non-arising itself is also non-arising. That is called the distinction.

Venerable Tối Thắng again asked:

– Arising has form and characteristics, whereas non-arising has no name. How are they distinct?

At that time, Venerable Nhu Thủ said to Venerable Tối Thắng:

– I shall give you an analogy. A person with eyes can understand for himself through an analogy. What do you think, Venerable Tối Thắng? Does empty space possess form and characteristics?

Venerable Tối Thắng replied:

– It does not.

Venerable Nhu Thủ asked:

– Does empty space possess right view?

Venerable Tối Thắng replied:

– It does not.

Venerable Nhu Thủ again asked:

– What, then, is empty space?

Venerable Tối Thắng replied:

– Empty space is empty.

Venerable Nhu Thủ again asked:

– What does it mean that empty space is empty?

Venerable Tối Thắng replied:

– All dharmas, like empty space, are empty.

Venerable Nhu Thủ asked:

– What does it mean that all dharmas, like empty space, are empty?

Venerable Tối Thắng replied:

– All dharmas neither speak nor expound; they are empty like empty space.

Venerable Nhu Thủ asked:

– Since all dharmas neither speak nor expound, why are they empty like empty space?

Venerable Tối Thắng then remained silent and did not reply. At that time, the Blessed One said to Venerable Tối Thắng:

– Excellent! Excellent! Son of good family, when one rightly awakens to nonexistence, there is no path to nirvana. The path is formless and cannot be seen; it neither speaks nor teaches, and there is no one who receives it.

When the Blessed One taught this Dharma of formlessness, all the beings rejoiced as never before. Nine thousand bhiksus liberated their minds from the outflows, and twenty-seven thousand devas brought all defilements to an end and attained the pure Dharma-eye. Moreover, one thousand two hundred devas and humans of the world aroused the aspiration for unsurpassed, right, and perfect enlightenment. Five thousand bodhisattvas, while still seated, attained the patient acceptance of non-arising. At that time, among the assembly was a ghost king named Vô Úy, who personally led his host of ghosts before the Buddha and said:

– Deluded and ignorant, we have long remained in a place of darkness. Only today have we heard this teaching of formlessness. If any good man or good woman preserves and recites this scripture, we shall constantly protect them until they ultimately attain Buddhahood, so that no calamity may befall them.

The Ghost King then recited a mantra:

– Na la già la a tỳ ha ha. I shall protect the good men and good women who uphold and recite this mantra, enabling them to recite this scripture and remember it forever in their hearts.

At that time, the Brahma King rose from his seat and led his attendants before the Buddha, saying:

– I shall protect any good man or good woman who preserves and recites this scripture. Throughout an area of one hundred yojanas or one thousand yojanas, I shall not allow adherents of false teachings or non-Buddhist paths to harm that good man or good woman.

The Brahma King then spoke a mantra before the Buddha:

– Y la tỷ châu na tỳ gia xà lê da. I shall protect that good man or good woman until they ultimately attain Buddhahood, and I shall not allow any calamity to befall them.

At that time, Śakra, Lord of the Devas, also led his attendants before the Buddha and said:

– If any good man or good woman preserves and recites this scripture, we shall protect them until they ultimately attain Buddhahood, and we shall not allow any calamity to befall them.

He spoke a mantra:

– Lưu già da ma na na tăng cầu thời na tả. I shall protect the good men and good women who uphold and recite this mantra until they ultimately attain Buddhahood, and I shall not allow any calamity to befall them.

At that time, the Heavenly King Đề Đầu Lại Tra of the East also rose from his seat together with his retinue, went before the Buddha, and said:

– We shall protect any good man or good woman who recites and expounds this scripture, and we shall constantly protect them until they ultimately attain Buddhahood.

He recited a mantra:

– Đế na tứ na đế na tứ. I shall protect the good men and good women who uphold and recite this mantra until they ultimately attain Buddhahood, and I shall not allow any calamity to befall them.

At that time, the Heavenly King Tỳ Lâu Lặc Già of the South came before the Buddha together with his retinue and said:

– If any good man or good woman preserves and recites this scripture, we shall protect them until they ultimately attain Buddhahood, and we shall not allow any calamity to befall them.

He recited a mantra:

– Ma ha tứ đà na tứ. I shall protect the good men and good women who recite this mantra until they ultimately attain Buddhahood, and I shall not allow any calamity to befall them.

The Heavenly King Tỳ Lâu Ba Xoa of the West led his retinue before the Buddha and said:

– If any good man or good woman preserves and recites this scripture, I shall protect them until they ultimately attain Buddhahood, and I shall not allow any calamity to befall them.

He recited a mantra:

– Y nật di nật xà di. I shall protect the good men and good women who uphold and recite this mantra until they ultimately attain Buddhahood, and I shall not allow any calamity to befall them.

At that time, the Heavenly King Câu Tỳ La of the North came before the Buddha together with his retinue and said:

– If any good man or good woman preserves and recites this scripture, I shall protect them until they ultimately attain Buddhahood, and I shall not allow any calamity to befall them.

He recited a mantra:

– Đà thí đà la thí. I shall protect the good men and good women who uphold and recite this mantra until they ultimately attain Buddhahood, and I shall not allow any calamity to befall them.

After the Ghost King Vô Úy, the Brahma King, Śakra, Lord of the Devas, and the Four Heavenly Kings had each recited their mantras, they circumambulated the Buddha three times, bowed with their heads and faces at the Buddha’s feet, and then each returned to his seat.