最勝問菩薩十住除垢斷結經

Chapter 26: ATTAINING THE WAY IN A DREAM

At that time, Bodhisattva Dharanidhara rose from his seat, knelt with his right knee upon the ground, joined his palms, and addressed the Buddha:

“World-Honored One, this is truly rare! Truly extraordinary! Today I have heard Bodhisattva Roushou and the Venerable Zuisheng discuss the formless Dharma and the Way beyond verbal teachings. This is a Dharma that I have never before heard or seen. It perpetuates the seed of Buddhahood so that it will not be cut off, and it also accomplishes the Buddha’s work. This Dharma is inconceivable.”

The Buddha told Dharanidhara:

“So it is! So it is! It is exactly as you have said. Throughout hundreds of thousands of millions of kalpas, they have accumulated merit and caused the work of the Buddha to flourish, never diminishing it in the slightest. Only when a Buddha appears in the world does the Dharma come to be widely disseminated.”

Then Roushou addressed the Buddha:

“When Buddhas appear in the world and the Dharma comes to be widely disseminated, do dharmas possess characteristics and appearances? Are they propagated by means of words?”

The Buddha said:

“No.”

Roushou again addressed the Buddha:

“When the Tathagata appears, he delivers all sentient beings, causing them all to enter cessation. Yet I now hear that the Tathagata intends to save a limited number of sentient beings. If the sentient beings saved are limited in number, then they do not enter cessation.”

The Buddha told Roushou:

“Have you ever heard me teach that there are sentient beings where there are no sentient beings?”

Roushou replied:

“No.”

The Buddha asked:

“Does desire cause sentient beings either to exist or not to exist?”

Roushou replied:

“No.”

The Buddha asked:

“Does desire cause the Tathagata to arise and cease, or to have an abiding place?”

Roushou replied:

“No.”

The Buddha said:

“If the Tathagata has no abiding place, why do you say that the Tathagata delivers sentient beings and causes them all to enter cessation?”

Roushou addressed the Buddha:

“What I have now said distinguishes the four propositions. By clearly awakening to all dharmas, one attains dharani and contemplates the original nature of all dharmas as neither arising nor ceasing. One sees neither birth and death nor nirvana. Therefore, there is no limited number of sentient beings who will attain nirvana.”

The Buddha told Roushou:

“Whether exhausted or inexhaustible, the dharmadhatu is originally and perpetually pure. Because one clearly sees the meaning and principle, this is called nonattachment. By understanding written words while entertaining no conceptual intention, no perception, and no discriminating consciousness or attachment, could one then, through consciousness, perception, discrimination, and the various modes of wisdom, clearly see the purity of sentient beings? The original nature of human beings cannot be known to its limits. I shall now distinguish this supreme meaning for you. Listen attentively! Listen attentively! Carefully reflect upon and remember this Dharma. It is the inconceivable Mahayana Dharma of bodhisattvas, beyond the reach of arhats and pratyekabuddhas.”

Roushou replied:

“I shall listen attentively to your teaching and would be delighted to hear it.”

The Buddha told Roushou:

– Consciousness in its solitary form does not clearly know consciousness; it has no conscious thought or conceptualization, and consciousness perceives illusory objects as though in a dream. By this means, immeasurable sentient beings are delivered and gathered in. In some Buddha lands, written characters are used to teach and transform beings, awakening them to the quiescent nature of written characters. Seventy-six hundred million asamkhyeya lands upward from here is a Buddha land called Peaceful Quiescence. The Buddha there is called Wondrous Consciousness Tathagata, Worthy One, Perfectly Enlightened One, Perfect in Knowledge and Conduct, Well-Gone One, fully endowed with the ten epithets. The faculties of the sentient beings in that land are complete, and in their contemplation and cultivation of their original vows, nothing is ever lacking. Only when they are asleep do those sentient beings receive the teaching and attain awakening. The Tathagata alone enters a state of meditative quiescence and, in accordance with the capacities and natures of sentient beings, manifests the skillful means of appearing to sleep. When the Buddha wishes to teach the Dharma, he lies upon his right side with his right side touching the ground and his legs resting one upon the other. Seeing this, all the sentient beings imitate the Tathagata, lying upon their right sides with their right sides touching the ground and their legs resting one upon the other. Each of them then falls deeply asleep. At that time, while they are asleep, the Buddha teaches the Dharma to the spiritual consciousnesses of those sentient beings. He may teach the Dharma of generosity, completely eliminating the three conceptions; or teach the Dharma of observing the precepts, so that the fragrance of virtuous conduct spreads afar; or teach the Dharma of patience, subduing the mind so that anger does not arise; or teach the Dharma of diligence, casting off indolence; or teach the Dharma of meditative concentration, so that consciousness does not wander; or proclaim the Dharma of wisdom, dispelling the darkness of ignorance. The Tathagata employs skillful means in accordance with each kind of being, without attachment. Thoroughly comprehending the four gateways of Dharma, he expounds without obstruction, explaining these teachings according to the higher or lower level of each consciousness. According to their faculties and consciousness, he teaches either the Great Vehicle or the Lesser Vehicle, thereby transmitting the True Dharma. At that time, after the Tathagata had also expounded to sentient beings the four teachings of impermanence, suffering, emptiness, and non-self, he gradually taught the thirty-seven factors of the Path: 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. He clearly explained the samadhis of emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness. Then, while dreaming, those consciousnesses received the teaching and, in accordance with the Dharma, attained the fruit of entering the stream, the Path of Stream-entry (srotapanna). Likewise, those consciousnesses attained in dreams the fruits of Once-returning (sakrdagamin), Non-returning (anagamin), and even Non-attachment (arhatship). The Buddhas also attain awakening in dreams; their consciousnesses dwell in open space, and without a teacher they awaken by themselves. While asleep, their bodies are golden in hue and naturally adorned with all the marks; they rise into the air and manifest the eighteen transformations. Again, in dreams they emit fire from the upper part of the body and pour forth water from the lower part; they lie or sit in the air without obstruction. When they wish to enter the liberated realm of nirvana, they also sit cross-legged in dreams, abide in the nirvana without remainder, and attain parinirvana, their bodies like wood or stone, entirely without awareness. After beings of every kind have awakened, each remains silent and, without thought or attachment, immediately gathers the relics of the consciousness in the dream and reverently makes offerings to them. Bodhisattvas who have received a prediction of their imminent Buddhahood all do so in dreams: seated beneath the canopy of the king of trees upon golden ground, they subdue the hostile maras and are endowed with immeasurable merit. Their bodies possess the thirty-two excellent marks and eighty secondary characteristics, and their purple-golden radiance shines afar. When bodhisattvas awaken in this way from their dreams, their bodies are golden in hue and endowed with all the marks, and their manifestations through spiritual powers are unobstructed. There is no coming or going of verbal instruction or sound. Whenever they wish to deliver sentient beings, they do so entirely within dreams. Without relying upon an externally assumed illusory body, there are nevertheless sentient beings who attain deliverance. Gentle Chief, you should know that because the capacities and natures of sentient beings differ in what they can receive, the Buddhas use wisdom to manifest innumerable skillful means of teaching and transformation. Some Buddha lands are formed from the earth element, and the sentient beings within the realm of earth are beyond reckoning. The Tathagata enters therein to teach and transform them, until all those sentient beings abide in the nirvana without remainder and attain parinirvana. Some Buddha lands are formed from the water element, and the sentient beings within the realm of water are beyond reckoning. The Tathagata enters therein to teach and transform them, until all those sentient beings abide in the nirvana without remainder and attain parinirvana. Some Buddha lands are formed from the fire element, and the sentient beings within the realm of fire are beyond reckoning. The Tathagata enters therein to teach and transform them, causing all those sentient beings to abide in the nirvana without remainder and attain parinirvana. Some Buddha lands are formed from the wind element, and the sentient beings within the realm of wind are beyond reckoning. The Tathagata enters therein to teach and transform them, causing all those sentient beings to abide in the nirvana without remainder and attain parinirvana. Some Buddha lands are formed from the space element, and the sentient beings within the realm of wind are beyond reckoning. The Tathagata enters therein to teach and transform them, causing all those sentient beings to abide in the nirvana without remainder and attain parinirvana. Some Buddha lands are formed from the consciousness element; they are called the Peaceful Quiescence Buddha Land of the Wondrous Consciousness Tathagata. There, spiritual consciousnesses attain penetrating comprehension, receive the teachings in dreams, and enter extinction.

The Buddha told Gentle Chief:

– Seventy hundred million Ganges-sands of Buddha lands north of here is a Buddha land called Profound Essential. The Buddha there is called Brahma Wisdom Tathagata, Worthy One, Perfectly Enlightened One, fully endowed with the ten epithets. The sentient beings in that land were born there only after making vows, and all bear the same designation, Consciousness Receivers. Gentle Chief, you should know that all the sentient beings of that land possess spiritual powers, and their bodily forms follow their thoughts without obstruction. They are called Consciousness Receivers because they have aroused the mind of the great vow. If a spiritual consciousness accords with a realm of rebirth, it assumes a body within a womb. If it so wishes, it uses spiritual powers to roam back and forth through the air; the receiving consciousness continues to abide, transforms itself, and enters extinction without assuming a body composed of the four great elements. They are now the eight Bhadrapala Bodhisattvas seated upon that seat.

One hundred and forty Ganges-sands of lands southeast of here is a Buddha land called Brahma Sound. The Buddha there is called True Womb Tathagata, Worthy One, Perfectly Enlightened One, fully endowed with the ten epithets. The sentient beings in that land are all proficient in the six superknowledges, and their bodies share a single appearance and hue.

They were born in that land only through their vows. They are called True Womb precisely because they have aroused the mind of the great vow. If a spiritual consciousness is within a mother's womb, it is because it wishes to use spiritual powers to enter the womb and teach and transform beings.

That spiritual consciousness causes the mother to remain unaware that it is within her womb; then, while still in the womb, it eliminates the afflictions, attains liberation, and reaches nirvana. These are now the youth Ratnakuta and the Bodhisattva Holder of the Earth seated upon that seat.

The Tathagata's skillful means of teaching and transformation comprise innumerable miraculous transformations. He may take hundreds of thousands of millions of Buddha lands, place them securely in the palm of his hand, and then return them to their original places without anyone becoming aware of it. The Dharma realm and empty space are inconceivable.

Gentle Chief, this is called the path of practice that great bodhisattvas must cultivate. It is not a Dharma attainable by arhats or pratyekabuddhas. They discern subtle consciousnesses and teach and transform sentient beings, enabling every one of them to attain deliverance.

They may teach that dharmas are empty, void, and nonexistent; that there is no self, no person, no living being, and no lifespan; and that dharmas neither arise nor cease. What do you think, Gentle Chief? If a good man or good woman aroused the mind of the great vow and caused the worlds throughout the ten directions to be filled with arhats and pratyekabuddhas, each of whom attained the Path with a mind that never regressed, would that person's merit be great or not?

Gentle Chief replied:

– World-Honored One, God Among Gods, it would be exceedingly great! Exceedingly great!

The Buddha said:

– If a bodhisattva employs the formless Dharma to expound the teaching to consciousness—that is, to sentient beings—or speaks of impermanence, suffering, emptiness, non-self, signlessness, and wishlessness, clearly distinguishing each formless and signless dharma that cannot be grasped, then the merit gained from transforming and guiding those consciousnesses is truly immeasurable. Why is this so? The conditioned four great elements must undergo aging, ca-việt-la. The unconditioned four great elements are forever quiescent and do not arise. This is called the Dharma expounded by all Buddhas, who use such skillful means to bring subtle consciousness to quiescence. The Dharma-nature is without verbal teaching, and it cannot be reckoned as conditioned and possessing characteristics, or as unconditioned and without characteristics. Why? Because it is not apart from the conditioned and not apart from the unconditioned. Nor can it be said that cultivation consists in abandoning that formless Dharma of transformation and instruction, or that no such Dharma of transformation and instruction exists; that it is the Dharma of ordinary beings or the Dharma of sages; that it is the Dharma of those in training or not the Dharma of those in training; that it is the Dharma of śrāvakas, the Dharma of pratyekabuddhas, the Dharma of bodhisattvas, or the Dharma of Buddhas.

The Buddha said to Venerable Nhu Thủ:

– When the Tathagata expounds the Dharma to consciousness, he sees no dharmas and has no conception of dharmas. Formless space likewise cannot be seen. Suppose ignorant and deluded ordinary beings used many beautiful colors to paint upon space, wishing to create images of devas, nāgas, spirits, and the other beings of the eight classes as gifts for others. Could that possibly be accomplished?

Venerable Nhu Thủ replied:

– Most difficult! Most difficult! O God Among Gods, such a thing has never been possible.

The Buddha taught:

– So it is! So it is! It is exactly as you have said. Dharmas are innumerable, and the dharmas manifested through the transformations of the Tathagata are likewise innumerable. Formless dharmas are free from the duality of opposing dharmas. Nhu Thủ, what do you think? Does the formless Dharma have any location?

Venerable Nhu Thủ replied:

– No, World-Honored One.

The Buddha said to Venerable Nhu Thủ:

– Therefore, you should know that the Buddha-Dharma is innumerable, beyond speech and instruction, and consists entirely of dharmas without inherent existence.

At that time, Venerable Nhu Thủ addressed the Buddha, saying:

– I have just heard the World-Honored One teach that all dharmas have neither characteristics nor material form. The Tathagata has compassion for all and beholds everything without exception. Why, then, does he speak of enlightening sentient beings and purifying Buddha-fields? Is that a contaminated dharma or an uncontaminated dharma? Is it a dharma of the present, or a dharma of the past or future? Furthermore, is the Dharma spoken by the Buddha a world-transcending dharma or not a world-transcending dharma? Is it attached or unattached? Does it possess a designation or have no designation? Is it numerable or innumerable? Is it a dharma of birth and death, or is it the Dharma of nirvana? Why does the World-Honored One say that all dharmas have neither characteristics nor material form?

The Buddha said to Venerable Nhu Thủ:

– So it is! So it is! Regarding your question: the dharmas of the Three Vehicles, the three periods of time, the six perfections that transcend worldly birth and death, the conditioned and the unconditioned, neither conditioned nor unconditioned, attached and unattached, possessing designations and lacking designations, numerable and innumerable, contaminated and uncontaminated, the thirty-seven factors of enlightenment, emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness—from conditioned dharmas through unconditioned dharmas—all belong to the conventional enumeration of worldly dharmas and are not the ultimate truth. The formless Dharma has neither form nor sound and therefore cannot be seen. Generosity, moral discipline, patience, diligence, single-minded concentration, wisdom, and skillful means are all conventional dharmas and not the ultimate truth. The Dharma of nirvana is complete cessation, eternally quiescent, peaceful, and blissful.

The Buddha said to Venerable Nhu Thủ:

– A bodhisattva should contemplate and investigate that original nature, and then expound: Does it bear a corresponding result? Does the soundless voice that teaches the Dharma for escaping the eight difficulties bear a corresponding result? Does tracing sentient beings back to their ultimate origin bear a corresponding result? Does following the scriptures and completely eliminating the fetters bear a corresponding result? If the Tathagata is undefiled by the three periods of time, and the Right Dharma that enlightens and transforms has never diminished, does this bear a corresponding result? If dharmas have resulting recompense, can it be exhausted? Can mature mind-consciousness, entering and leaving without obstruction, be exhausted? Can wisdom and skillful means that accord with desires be exhausted? Can conduct that conforms to the rules of deportment and ritual without transgression be exhausted? Can teaching and transforming beings through the Three Vehicles, bringing each to fulfillment, be exhausted? Can contemplating the fundamental Dharma without abandoning the Dharma of dharani be exhausted? Can clearly awakening to the purity of the passages and phrases of all dharmas, clearly awakening to the distinct passages and phrases of the subtle Dharma, contemplating the Dharma of the four foundations of mindfulness, and the concentrated resolve of all Buddhas be exhausted? Can clearly distinguishing the Dharma of the right exertions without ever abandoning it, and expounding the inexhaustible Dharma without regarding it as difficult, be exhausted? Can unobstructed supernormal powers that pass freely through mountains, rivers, cliffs, and rocks without hindrance be exhausted? Can clearly distinguishing the Dharma of the five faculties and the sacred canon, which are not heterodox teachings that false doctrines can destroy, be exhausted? Can carefully contemplating the Tathagata’s spiritual power; expounding the Right Dharma without giving rise to thoughts of doubt, right, or wrong; adorning oneself with the flowers of the seven factors of enlightenment as though wearing a jeweled necklace; remaining fearless in the great assembly; turning the wheel of the thirty-seven paths of the sages; and forever abandoning heterodox and false teachings be exhausted? Can expounding the Dharma of right concentration and samadhi in both forward and reverse order, and further distinguishing name-bodies, phrases, and meanings, be exhausted? Can Suffering, its Origin, its Cessation, and the Path, up to and including the thirty-two marks—the seal and emblem of the Path—each of which possesses meritorious recompense, ever be exhausted?

Venerable Nhu Thủ said to the Buddha:

– World-Honored One, because the formless teaching cannot be exhausted, it is inexhaustible. All conditioned dharmas are subject to decline. Only the unconditioned Dharma of nirvana cannot be exhausted.

At that time, Venerable Tối Thắng said to the Buddha:

– Nirvana, and one who enters nirvana—what is nirvana?

The Buddha said to Venerable Tối Thắng:

– What is called nirvana is cessation and rest.

Venerable Tối Thắng again asked:

– What is cessation and rest?

The Buddha said:

– It is unconditioned tranquility.

He again asked:

– What is the unconditioned? What is tranquility?

The Buddha said:

– The cessation of perception is tranquility. The stilling of consciousness is the unconditioned.

He again asked:

– Is it not emptiness?

The Buddha said:

– Non-emptiness is empty.

He again asked:

– If non-emptiness is empty, how can consciousness be stilled?

The Buddha said:

– Non-emptiness is empty.

At that time, Bodhisattva Tối Thắng became even more perplexed and immediately said to the Buddha:

– World-Honored One, why have I asked about two matters, yet the World-Honored One has answered them both in the same way?

The Buddha said to Venerable Tối Thắng:

– Stop! Stop! Son of noble family, do not suppose that the meaning of emptiness in the Tathagata’s two replies is the same. It is only because the mind of the son of noble family has not yet clearly awakened to it. I shall now ask you about the meaning of “non-emptiness is empty” and about consciousness becoming quiescent, peaceful, and still. According to the power of your eloquence, answer me clearly, phrase by phrase. Son of noble family, what is the meaning of non-emptiness?

Venerable Tối Thắng replied:

– All dharmas are innumerable; it does not mean that they are without enumeration.

The Buddha said:

– Son of noble family, that is not so.

The Buddha again asked:

– What does it mean for consciousness to become quiescent, peaceful, and still?

Venerable Tối Thắng said to the Buddha:

– All returns to non-arising; it does not mean that arising does not exist.

The Buddha said:

– Son of noble family, that is not so.

Thereupon, Venerable Tối Thắng immediately rose from his seat, prostrated himself with all five limbs touching the ground, bowed his head at the Buddha’s feet, withdrew for a short while, and then said to the Buddha:

– I reflect that I have erred regarding the Tathagata’s teaching. I beseech the World-Honored One, in his compassion, to forgive this error. May the World-Honored One expound the teaching so that I may forever eliminate my ignorant doubts.

The Buddha said to Venerable Tối Thắng:

– The Dharma is not manifold; clear realization alone is fundamental. On the summit of Mount Gandhamadana stands a tree, each of whose branches extends ten thousand li. Only when they bend backward and penetrate deep into the earth does its fruit ripen. The fruit must be high above, yet the branches, turning in the opposite direction, bore ever deeper into the ground. What you now perceive is likewise. I ask you about emptiness, yet you answer in terms of existence; how is this different from that fruit and those branches? I shall distinguish this clearly for you. Reflect well and remember it!

Most Victorious said:

– Yes, indeed, World-Honored One!

The Buddha told Most Victorious:

– “Non-” means “non-emptiness.” All dharmas bear the designation “non-.” “Non-” is the name of dharmas. A dharma that has a name is therefore “non-empty.” Because one clearly realizes that “non-” returns to emptiness, it is called non-emptiness. The dharma called consciousness is neither existent nor nonexistent. How is consciousness neither existent nor nonexistent? When it is undefiled in the world, it is called neither existent. When it abides quiescent and tranquil within the Dharma of emptiness, it is called neither nonexistent. When consciousness leaves this and accords with that, it is called neither existent. When, on the shore of birth and death, it has compassion for sentient beings, it is called neither nonexistent. When one can fill the realms of the ten directions with transformation bodies, each transformation body being empty and quiescent, it is called neither existent. When each transformation body expounds the Dharma and transforms a consciousness, it is called neither nonexistent. When the Tathagata enters samadhi and body and mind remain quiescent for hundreds of millions of thousands of nayutas of kalpas, as numerous as the sands of the Ganges, without giving rise to the perception of cessation, it is called neither existent. When he again rises from samadhi, receives and guides sentient beings, and leads them to liberation, it is called neither nonexistent. What do you think, Most Victorious? Now that I have clearly distinguished for you what is neither existent nor nonexistent, is this the meaning of true emptiness and nirvana?

Most Victorious said:

– Emptiness is truly emptiness. Nirvana is truly nirvana.

The Buddha told Most Victorious:

– Stop! Stop! O son of good family, that which is non-empty is also non-nirvana. Why is this so? Because these are all provisionally called neither existent nor nonexistent merely through falsely transmitted expedient words and conventional designations. The ultimate realm of the Dharma-nature has no beginning or clue and no name or word; how could there be either neither existence or neither nonexistence? Completely remove high and low, without any mind of right or wrong; know whether the mind has desire and anger or is without desire and anger; clearly realize whether the mind has ignorance or is without ignorance. Regarding the bonds of the five hindrances, clearly understand them as one, yet do not perceive even that one: this is called emptiness; this is called nirvana.

At that time, Most Victorious said before the Buddha:

– Excellent! Excellent! The World-Honored One’s teaching on the emptiness of the Dharma-nature and on the realm of nirvana as neither existent nor nonexistent is truly incomparable.

When the World-Honored One taught this Dharma, sixty thousand bhiksus who had originally vowed to follow the Sravaka path turned their minds and redirected their resolve toward the Mahayana, and they all attained non-retrogression. Eleven nayutas of devas and human beings all attained the practice of perfect faith. Moreover, eighty thousand bodhisattvas from other directions all attained the Dharma-patience of non-arising.

The Buddha taught:

– O son of good family, a bodhisattva who clearly realizes the nature of emptiness has ten practices that lead to the attainment of cessation. What are these ten? First, the Buddhas, the World-Honored Ones, always abide in the Dharma-realm and never relinquish the wisdom of the path. Second, the Buddhas, the World-Honored Ones, lovingly pity all sentient beings and never relinquish the mind of great compassion. Third, their deeds accord with their vows and never deviate from them. Fourth, they liberate sentient beings whose faculties have matured. Fifth, the Buddhas, the World-Honored Ones, clearly contemplate all dharmas as empty and without anything possessed. Sixth, the Buddhas, the World-Honored Ones, discern that wisdom, the three poisons, and an equal mixture of them are also without anything possessed. Seventh, regarding all Dharma-realms, the Buddhas, the World-Honored Ones, do not give rise to thoughts of increase or decrease. Eighth, they arouse the resolve to train in equality and nonduality. Ninth, they clearly realize the Dharma-nature of true suchness and do not relinquish the original limit. Tenth, the Buddhas, the World-Honored Ones, practice all Dharmas of the path as having the single characteristic of no characteristic. O son of good family, this is called a great bodhisattva’s clear realization of the emptiness of the Dharma-nature. By cultivating these ten dharmas, one is led to the attainment of nirvana.

Furthermore, a great bodhisattva who practices the six superknowledges and reaches the empty Dharma-realm has ten matters to cultivate. What are these ten? First, one contemplates and completely understands the past without losing luminous wisdom.

Second, one contemplates and completely understands the future without losing luminous wisdom. Second, one contemplates and completely understands the future without losing luminous wisdom. Third, one contemplates and completely understands the present without losing luminous wisdom.

Fourth, one contemplates sentient beings in the five destinies and completely knows their root faculties without losing luminous wisdom. Fifth, one contemplates the arising and cessation of all dharmas throughout all worlds without losing luminous wisdom. Sixth, one contemplates all sentient beings who arise from existence and cease through existence without losing luminous wisdom.

Seventh, one contemplates all sentient beings who arise from nonexistence and cease through nonexistence without losing luminous wisdom. Ninth, one has no discriminating thought as to who can be liberated and who cannot be liberated, without losing luminous wisdom. Tenth, one clearly realizes that the gateways of the faculties and the Dharma-realm are without deficiency, without losing luminous wisdom.

O son of good family, this is called a great bodhisattva’s cultivation of the six superknowledges and attainment of the empty Dharma-realm.

The Buddha taught:

– O son of good family, a great bodhisattva who reaches the empty Dharma-realm must cultivate ten matters. What are these ten? First, one contemplates however many kinds of minds and however many kinds of practices sentient beings possess, and clearly knows them all. This is called the wisdom of a bodhisattva. Second, one contemplates however many kinds of minds and however many kinds of karmic results all sentient beings possess, and clearly knows them all. Third, silent and wordless like Crown Prince Vu Phach, one completely knows the thoughts within the minds of sentient beings. Fourth, one knows the differing minds and differing practices of sentient beings and uses the wisdom of the Buddhas, sages, and saints to teach and instruct them. Fifth, having cultivated the Dharma-nature since the distant past, one does not abandon the mind that recognizes wrongdoing. Sixth, one causes sentient beings to abide where the Buddha-Dharma abides. Seventh, using the wisdom of the Buddhas, sages, and saints, one completely knows the minds, mental activities, consciousnesses, and thoughts of beings in the five destinies. Eighth, when instructing and expounding, one does not relinquish the Mahayana Dharma. Ninth, one attains the Buddha’s settled and tranquil consciousness and an undistracted mind. Tenth, one attains an immeasurable mind, neither abiding in the Dharma of liberation nor perceiving sentient beings who are liberated. O son of good family, this is called a great bodhisattva who reaches the empty Dharma-realm and cultivates ten kinds of immeasurable wisdom.

Chapter 27: THE REALIZATION OF BODHISATTVAS

The Buddha further taught:

– Son of noble family, a great bodhisattva relies upon the six superknowledges to journey to innumerable Buddha-lands throughout the ten directions, attending upon and making offerings to all Buddhas, the World-Honored Ones. Traveling from one Buddha-land to another, he teaches and transforms sentient beings without any timidity, praises the meritorious deeds and virtuous conduct of the Buddhas, and causes the voices of the Buddhas to be heard throughout the ten directions. Most Excellent, there is no deed performed by a bodhisattva that does not bring deliverance to sentient beings. Whether employing supernormal powers or giving instruction and admonition, he cultivates a pure field of merit in which there are no evil destinies and forever renounces heterodox paths. With a mind of compassion and pity, he cherishes those not yet delivered. Having transcended all calculating thoughts, he abides in the Buddha’s immeasurable mind and creates merit for those who abide in liberation. Cultivating pure brahmacarya for hundreds of thousands of kalpas does not equal cultivating a single-minded heart of loving-kindness amid the defilements of the five destinies. The merit of anyone possessing loving-kindness is indeed beyond calculation. Many people in the world commit the ten evil deeds through the three modes of action: three of body, four of speech, and three fundamental deeds of mind. They must therefore proceed toward the three evil destinies and undergo their corresponding retribution. If anyone can single-mindedly recite and study this scripture, then in this present life that person will put an end to the source of such suffering. If bodhisattvas weary of and become disenchanted with samsara but encounter this scripture, they will never regress and will no longer be born within a mother’s womb. Their consciousness will remain lucid and discerning, never falling into error. Whoever wishes to be liberated from bondage and purify all fetters must preserve the Buddha-Dharma and cause the radiant wisdom to flourish. Even if one were to uphold and practice the True Dharma in other regions for hundreds of thousands of myriads of kalpas, expounding the principles of the True Dharma, this would not equal reciting a single verse in this land for the duration of a finger snap and discerning its supremely wondrous and excellent meaning. I behold the wondrous bliss of the Buddha-land called Luminous Peace, and I also behold immeasurable Buddha-lands of eternal quiescence. There, no calamities of sorrow, suffering, or affliction exist, yet neither is there any opportunity to perform meritorious deeds. If one can put an end to the binding fetters here, one thereby obtains the excellent condition for birth in that land. Why is this so? During the age of the five turbidities, when afflictions arise in myriad forms, a Buddha appears only once in hundreds of millions upon thousands of myriads of kalpas. Sentient beings commit evil deeds yet hope to encounter sages and noble ones. They may be born in borderlands, among the eight unfavorable circumstances in which there is no leisure for practice, or they may be born before or after the time of a Buddha and thus fail to hear the True Dharma. Even if a Buddha is present, they may neither see nor hear him. To cause the Buddha-Dharma to flourish amid such circumstances is an excellence beyond all comparison. Although I am now the Honored One throughout the three realms, because of my meritorious vows and practices I never grow weary, but through loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity uproot the source of suffering. Sentient beings have long been steeped in false teachings and are difficult to transform. When they suddenly hear the true teaching, their doubts become even greater. Only today have they been able to encounter the essential collection of the Tathagata’s Dharma. Innumerable great bodhisattva-mahasattvas beyond reckoning hear the Dharma without weariness, just as the great ocean receives all rivers, and they must expound the true path of the Buddha. Shakra, Brahma, the Four Heavenly Kings, dragons, ghosts, spirits, asuras, chandalas, mahoragas, humans and nonhumans, as well as the various kinds of maras, including heavenly maras, have assembled from the ten directions. Now, upon hearing the Dharma, they suddenly attain great awakening, all because of the meritorious karma they created in previous lives. Even if, for hundreds of thousands of myriads of kalpas, I were to proclaim the profound and wondrous meaning of a single sentence, I could not exhaustively explain that fundamental Dharma of wisdom. Therefore, Most Excellent, although great bodhisattva-mahasattvas cultivate innumerable austere practices, they do not regard them as difficult. Suppose that the three-thousand-great-thousand world system were simultaneously engulfed in flames reaching as high as the Brahma Heaven. If ordinary sentient beings who had not yet realized the fruit of stream-entry heard this scripture in another Buddha-land and personally entered that fiery calamity, they would still pass safely through it and suffer no harm. At another time, the fires of the three-thousand-great-thousand world system might be extinguished and waters might rise as high as the Brahma Heaven. If such persons personally entered that watery calamity, they would still pass safely through it and would not be submerged at all. Most Excellent, you should know that at another time the waters of the three-thousand-great-thousand world system might dry up and winds might arise, blowing as high as the Brahma Heaven. If such persons again personally entered that wind calamity, they would still pass safely through it and would not be swept away. Why is this so? It is because they are protected by the awesome spiritual power of all Buddhas. If bhikshus, bhikshunis, upasakas, or upasikas preserve, read, and recite this scripture, they will be protected by deities in this present life and will encounter no suffering or distress. If they can diligently cultivate brahmacarya, they will realize liberation in this very life. Among those presently seated here are hundreds of thousands of kotis of nayutas of bodhisattvas possessing supernormal powers, all of whom attained realization through cultivating this scripture. I now earnestly proclaim this scripture. Those who hear it will be delivered and will not fall into the evil destinies. In accordance with their former aspirations, their wisdom will awaken clearly, and they will proceed toward the Buddha Vehicle with vast and boundless resolve. Moreover, they will take pity upon sentient beings and will not act for their own benefit; until they attain Buddhahood, they will never regress in the slightest. Those who follow the Pratyekabuddha Dharma will fulfill the causes and conditions of their vows and then attain the path, rising into the sky and freely manifesting transformations. Those who aspire to cultivate the Shravaka Dharma will seek teachers and inquire of them, receive the teachings without obstruction, sever the bonds of all afflictions, extinguish the outflows, and attain the path. Bodhisattvas also contemplate the inclinations of sentient beings’ minds. Some may have aroused the aspiration and be about to attain the fruit of entering the stream of the path, the fruit of stream-entry. Through wisdom and skillful means, bodhisattvas encourage them to enter another path and gradually guide them until they attain arhatship. Some sentient beings may be about to attain the fruit of once-returning. Through wisdom and skillful means, bodhisattvas guide them in proper sequence until they attain arhatship. Some sentient beings may be about to attain the fruit of non-returning. Through wisdom and skillful means, bodhisattvas again instruct and transform them, leading them into the Dharma of cultivation and causing them to attain arhatship. Some sentient beings, without following the proper sequence, may already have attained the third fruit. Through wisdom and skillful means, bodhisattvas cause practitioners of the path to understand clearly that minor particulars are not ultimately true, and then encourage them to practice diligently and attain the fruit of stream-entry. Some sentient beings may already have attained the second stage of the path. Through wisdom and skillful means, bodhisattvas again guide them to attain the fruit of once-returning. Some sentient beings may have bypassed the proper sequence and directly realized the fruit of the Worthy One. Through wisdom and skillful means, bodhisattvas observe that they have attained the fruits of stream-entry, once-returning, non-returning, and arhatship, and then encourage them to practice the Pratyekabuddha path diligently.

At that time, the Tathagata addressed the fourfold assembly and all those gathered there:

– Sentient beings are innumerable, and Buddha-lands are not all alike. Do you suppose that Tathagatas who attain awakening through dependent origination, namely Pratyekabuddhas, have no lands of their own? Do not think this way. Why is this so? A wheel-turning sage-king perfects the ten wholesome deeds, perpetuates the royal lineage, and does not lose his royal position or title. Those who attain awakening by themselves through dependent origination are likewise. After a Buddha enters nirvana and the Buddha-Dharma subsequently disappears, whether after one kalpa or after hundreds of thousands of kalpas, Pratyekabuddhas and Worthy Ones perform the work of a Buddha. Buddha after Buddha continues the succession, and the work of the Buddhas never diminishes in the slightest. Therefore, great bodhisattvas always employ wisdom and skillful means to instruct, transform, and guide sentient beings away from the calamities of the three times, establishing them in eternal quiescence.

At that time, the bodhisattva Most Excellent immediately rose from his seat and addressed the Buddha:

– How wondrous! How extraordinary! This is not a Dharma attainable by those of the Two Vehicles. I earnestly wish to hear the method by which realization of the Way is verified.

The Buddha told Most Victorious:

– If you wish to hear it, I shall now explain it for you. Listen well! Listen well! Reflect upon and remember this Dharma. In the past, while seeking the Way throughout an immeasurable time, from the moment I first aroused the aspiration and practiced giving and meritorious deeds until I attained Buddhahood, could the bodily remains I left scattered everywhere during that interval ever be counted? Long ago, I verified the mind of the great vow I had made: if any sentient being possessed faculties inclined toward the Way, or personally devoted himself wholeheartedly and took refuge in the Three Honored Ones, I would manifest spiritual powers as verification and tell him: “It is not only I who have held this vow since ancient times. The vows of all Buddhas, the World-Honored Ones, are alike.” If any sentient beings cultivate the four approaches and four fruits, I also clearly perceive the true Dharma of their cultivation. If anyone attains the fruit of a pratyekabuddha, I also verify the causes and conditions of his self-awakening. If a sentient being sits beneath the canopy of the king of trees, within fifty yojanas in every direction, no kind of mara, including the celestial maras, can see him. Such is my Dharma of verification.

The Buddha further said:

– Son of a noble family, a great bodhisattva is likewise like me today: in his present body he undertakes this verification and extensively delivers sentient beings, without perceiving a self or ego. His mind-consciousness is penetrating and luminous; he discerns the destinations of beings, practices giving, performs the work of a Buddha, and recollects having come and gone through hundreds of thousands of innumerable Buddha lands, cultivating and studying the Dharma of the ultimate Way. I always stand before him, verifying that those lands are real. Long ago, I went to the Buddha land called Fearless. At that time, the bodhisattvas there were too numerous to count. Some followed the aspiration of the Lesser Vehicle and became arhats; some remained at the stage of pratyekabuddhas; and some, of surpassing resolve, concentrated upon cultivating the Buddha Way. I then single-mindedly entered samadhi and manifested verification in order to encourage all sentient beings. Furthermore, if a great bodhisattva personally cultivates the approach to stream-entry and attains the fruit of stream-entry; cultivates the approach to once-returning and attains the fruit of once-returning; cultivates the approach to non-returning and attains the fruit of non-returning; or cultivates the approach to arhatship and attains the fruit of arhatship, I am always there to verify the fruition of his attainment, never abandoning the root of the Dharma-nature.

The Buddha taught:

– Son of a noble family, when a great bodhisattva goes throughout the trichiliocosm, there are sentient beings who have faith and those who lack faith, those who accept the teaching and those who do not accept it. Some sentient beings abide on the Stage of Complete Faith, others abide on the Stage of Upholding the Dharma, and still others cultivate the eight practices of pure, undefiled liberation. I always go there, manifesting bodily to verify their practice and enable them to attain the Way.

The Buddha further taught:

– Son of a noble family, the body and consciousness of a great bodhisattva are pure and cannot be defiled. If sentient beings set their minds upon unwholesome practices, I also go there to verify that these are false arts that cannot long endure. If some make sacrifices to earth, water, wind, and fire, I also go and explain to them that these are not true Dharmas. If others adhere to heterodox teachings that advocate rebirth in the Brahma heaven, I again go and exhort them, saying that when their merit there is exhausted, they must return to human embodiment. If some wish to be born in the Formless Realm and remain there for a lifespan of one kalpa, their minds continually abiding in one-pointed concentration without interruption, I then enter the meditative concentration called Right Consciousness and explain to them that form has no form and that form has no intrinsic existence. My form and another’s form—both self and other are devoid of marks. Since form is formless, how could there be a self? Consciousness is not the consciousness of a self, so how could there be a self? Feeling, perception, formations, and dharmas are likewise so.

At that time, the bodhisattva Most Victorious said before the Buddha:

– Excellent! Excellent! World-Honored One, the Dharma of manifest verification taught by the World-Honored One is truly inconceivable and is not a Dharma attainable by arhats or pratyekabuddhas.

Most Victorious then again addressed the Buddha:

– In accordance with the Buddha’s teaching, may I ask what the formless is? What is meant by formlessness? World-Honored One, I beseech you in your compassion to explain it, so that future students may forever be free of doubt.

The Buddha told Most Victorious:

– Excellent! Son of a noble family, listen well! Listen well! Reflect upon and remember this Dharma. I shall explain to you the concentration of the formless. What is called formless is precisely the absence of form. The four great elements produce form, and therefore it is called form. A dharma that has no form is properly called formless. Form is constituted through five dharmas, and thus the four great elements are established. Because there is only intangible form, it is called formless. The form of feeling, the form of perception, the form of formations, and the form of consciousness are not dharmas that ordinary persons possessing the five superknowledges can perceive. Only the Tathagata and bodhisattvas who are one birth away from Buddhahood can perceive such form.

The Buddha taught:

– Son of a noble family, a non-retrogressing bodhisattva, through skillful means, enters meditative concentration and the samadhi of serene right absorption, ascending as far as the Heaven of Neither Perception nor Non-Perception. For those subtle consciousnesses there, he teaches the wondrous Dharma of emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness. The six bodily faculties receive the Dharma in which there is no activity of arising and cessation; then, gradually, he teaches them the wondrous Dharma of emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness. The six bodily faculties receive the Dharma in which there is no formation of arising and cessation; then, gradually, he teaches them the dharmas of birth, aging, illness, and death.

What is called birth means dwelling in the mother’s womb, with the organ of generation below and the organ of digestion above. Once the four great elements are complete, one must leave the mother’s womb. If one’s past karma contains wholesome conduct, it is like swimming in a pond while gazing upon the flowers and scenery of a rear garden. If one’s past karma has accumulated evil conduct, it is like climbing a mountain riddled with perilous caverns and lying upon sharp thorns.

The bodhisattva further explains to them the course of activity of the spiritual consciousness: self, person, and lifespan cannot be preserved for long. Therein he delivers the spiritual consciousness and enables it to awaken, abiding only in the Alankalan consciousness. Dharmas such as these are too numerous to count.

Hundreds of thousands of kotis of nayutas of Buddhas appear before it, each revealing an exceedingly profound and sublime Dharma. Yet that consciousness, deluded and confused like a jar with a broken bottom, does not receive the teachings of the true factors of the Way. One kalpa wanes, followed by a kalpa of conflagration, and thus pass hundreds of thousands of kotis of nayutas of kalpas.

Among those kalpas of conflagration, in one kalpa a single Buddha may appear in the world; in another kalpa two Buddhas may appear in the world; or in one kalpa a hundred Buddhas, a thousand Buddhas, or hundreds of thousands of kotis of Buddhas may appear in the world. Only afterward does that consciousness accept the true teaching.

The bodhisattva then explains to those consciousnesses the Dharma of aging and decline. What is called aging and decline means that the faculties have fully matured, the facial skin has become wrinkled, and one is sorrowful and distressed, groaning and weary of the affliction of the four great elements, no longer possessing the youthful heart that delights in glory. This condition of aging and decline cannot be preserved for long.

Next, the bodhisattva explains to those consciousnesses the common nature of emptiness in the four great elements—earth, water, fire, and wind. Earth overcomes the nature of water, water overcomes the nature of fire, and fire overcomes the nature of wind. When they mutually increase or decrease, they become illnesses of the body: painful sores may arise, one may be tormented by myriad diseases, and blood and pus may flow forth so that no one dares to look.

The bodhisattva then uses this occasion to continue explaining the Dharma of impermanence and change, like a cluster of foam upon the water that arises there and perishes there. Arising arises by itself, and cessation ceases by itself. Arising does not arise by itself, and cessation does not cease by itself. When the spiritual consciousness is free from conceptual thought, it abides there; according to the course of its cultivation, each consciousness attains the fruit of realization and enters parinirvana in nirvana without remainder.

The bodhisattva Most Victorious addressed the Buddha:

– Blessed One, I have just heard the Tathagata expound upon the differing natures of the four great elements, upon which consciousness depends for its abiding. When the earth element increases and the water element decreases, bodily illness arises. When the water element increases and the fire element decreases, bodily illness arises. When the fire element increases and the wind element decreases, bodily illness arises. I have also heard the Tathagata say that when wind increases, fire decreases; when fire increases, water decreases; and when water increases, earth decreases. Consciousness is not the four great elements, and the four great elements are not consciousness. Now I hear the Buddha say that when one great element increases, the other three great elements become diseased, and when three great elements increase, the remaining great element becomes diseased. When the four great elements are complete and balanced, consciousness is at ease. Weakness is caused by the four great elements and does not arise from consciousness. Why, then, does the Blessed One say that illness is caused by the four great elements and also arises from consciousness?

The Buddha told Most Excellent:

– Consciousness is not the four great elements, and the four great elements are not consciousness. Consciousness is not separate from the four great elements, and the four great elements are not separate from consciousness. Therefore, when one great element increases, the other elements become diseased; and when the other elements increase, one great element becomes diseased. Consciousness consequently declines.

Most Excellent again asked:

– Is it the four great elements that are diseased, or is it consciousness that is diseased?

The Buddha taught:

– Consciousness becomes diseased because of the great elements, and the great elements become diseased because of consciousness.

Most Excellent again asked:

– It is by means of the four great elements that consciousness can exercise its functions and direct the body. When the body that has been assumed is cast aside and each of the four great elements separates from the others, how can the consciousness of that body remain undiminished?

The Buddha said:

– Son of good family, excellent! Excellent! You alone are able to ask the Tathagata about this Dharma. I shall clearly distinguish and explain it for you. Consciousness is formless and therefore cannot be seen. Consciousness does not exist independently as consciousness; it is through the great elements that consciousness exists. When all four great elements increase, consciousness becomes diseased. Illness is not caused by the four great elements but arises from consciousness. The increase and decrease of the myriad illnesses all arise from consciousness. From the initial arousal of the aspiration for enlightenment until the attainment of Buddhahood, consciousness is undefiled and is likewise not produced by the four great elements.

Chapter 28: UNDERSTANDING WISDOM

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

– Blessed One, how does a great bodhisattva maintain an intention so steadfast that it cannot be destroyed? How does a bodhisattva maintain a sincere intention that is never false or deceptive? How does a bodhisattva single-mindedly follow the path to Buddhahood without giving rise to an aspiration for the two vehicles? How does a bodhisattva preserve proper deportment without transgressing ritual propriety? How does a bodhisattva guard the mind, remain in meditation, and never relinquish right absorption? How does a bodhisattva abide in the Dharma of all Buddhas without regressing? How does a bodhisattva travel everywhere to spread the teachings and guide beings to liberation, ensuring that the lineage of the Buddhas is never severed?

The Blessed One then told Most Excellent:

– Excellent! Excellent! You alone are able to ask the Tathagata about this meaning. I shall now explain it clearly and distinguish it for you. Consider it well and remember it.

Most Excellent said:

– Blessed One, I rejoice and wish to hear it.

The Buddha told Most Excellent:

– When a great bodhisattva cultivates four dharmas, the mind and intention become steadfast and indestructible. What are these four? First, with a loving-kindness heart, cherishing sentient beings as a mother cherishes her child. Second, increasing diligent effort without indolence. Third, liberating sentient beings while regarding them as illusions and conjurations. Fourth, thoroughly comprehending every teaching within the treasury of the Dharma of all Buddhas. This is called a great bodhisattva practicing these four dharmas, swiftly attaining the Buddha path, and never regressing. A bodhisattva should further cultivate four dharmas in order to enter the quiescent samadhi of the sages and noble ones. What are these four? First, clearly realizing that sentient beings are devoid of the perception of sentient beings. Second, contemplating all worldly realms without entertaining the perception of delight in them. Third, praising the Great Vehicle and forever departing from the paths of the Two Vehicles. Fourth, amid circumstances of suffering and happiness, not allowing the mind to be drawn by the pursuit of glory and distinction. There are also four dharmas. What are these four? First, moral discipline; second, learning; third, generosity; fourth, essential deliverance. There are also four dharmas that lead to attainment of the Buddha path, freedom from doubt, and preservation of dignified conduct. What are these four? First, not being concerned with gain and support. Second, not being concerned with loss and decline. Third, not being concerned with disparagement. Fourth, not being concerned with praise. There are also four dharmas that increase wholesome roots. What are these four? First, instructing sentient beings to abide on the ground of faith. Second, giving to others with a benevolent heart, without hoping for karmic reward. Third, expounding the Dharma without forming a conception of Dharma. Fourth, the designations of a bodhisattva are beyond enumeration. There are also four dharmas that a bodhisattva cultivates from the First Ground through the Tenth Ground. What are these four? First, enlarging wholesome roots. Second, dispelling ignorance and darkness and not following heterodox paths. Third, teaching and transforming others through innumerable appropriate skillful means. Fourth, maintaining a courageous mind and ever-increasing diligence. There are also four dharmas of skillful expedient means that lead to the Buddha path. What are these four? First, diligently causing followers of heterodox paths to abide in the right path. Second, teaching and liberating those who have not awakened, causing them to turn toward wholesome ways. Third, expounding the Dharma without discriminating whether listeners are superior or inferior. Fourth, using the wisdom of Buddhas, sages, and noble ones to liberate those not yet liberated. There are also four dharmas that perfect dignified conduct. What are these four? First, remaining undefiled by the three realms of existence and knowing them to be suffering. Second, reflecting that oneself and others alike share suffering and happiness. Third, always practicing patience without giving rise to an evil mind. Fourth, when occupying an exalted position, having no arrogance, and when occupying a humble position, having no sense of shame. There are also four dharmas by which one does not abandon the mind of the path. What are these four? First, recollecting the roots of the Buddha’s merit. Second, causing sentient beings to abide firmly in the mind of the path. Third, associating closely with spiritual friends and remaining undefiled by wrong views. Fourth, cultivating the upward path in accordance with the Dharma of the Great Vehicle and not cultivating deluded views. There are also four dharmas by which one delights in tranquil seclusion and does not dwell amid commotion. What are these four? First, leading those whose minds incline toward the Lesser Vehicle to the Dharma of the Great Vehicle. Second, causing those who have attained the fruit of a pratyekabuddha to cultivate diligently and attain the Buddha path. Third, listening to the Dharma without weariness and without severing the mind of the path. Fourth, not begrudging the Dharma one has heard. There are also four dharmas that a bodhisattva should cultivate. What are these four? First, patience regarding the non-arising of dharmas, through which one clearly knows all sentient beings. Second, inexhaustible patience regarding dharmas, which also transcends all measure. Third, patience regarding causes and conditions, which eliminates the mindset of the pratyekabuddha. Fourth, patience regarding non-abiding, through which one clearly knows all sentient beings while the mind relies upon and clings to nothing. There are also four dharmas for eliminating the fetters. What are these four? First, single-mindedly contemplating the evil destinies. Second, having forever eliminated and extinguished the fetters, no longer creating new fetters. Third, clearly understanding all dharmas and not abiding in delusion and darkness. Fourth, always entering and mastering hundreds of thousands of Dharma samadhis. There are also four dharmas for journeying among the fourfold assembly. What are these four? First, always personally acting for the sake of the Dharma without reckoning in terms of self or ego. Second, giving rise to reverence and keeping the mind free from heedlessness. Third, cultivating so that all wholesome roots of merit increasingly grow. Fourth, abandoning the Lesser Vehicle and giving guidance by means of the Dharma of the Great Vehicle. There are also four dharmas by which the giving of material wealth and the giving of Dharma reach the unconditioned. What are these four? First, receiving the Dharma without error. Second, not following a divergent mind. Third, not begrudging one’s body or life. Fourth, maintaining an intention that never regresses. There are also four dharmas of giving without entertaining thoughts of karmic reward. What are these four? First, fully knowing that oneself and others are alike without form or characteristic and are all empty. Second, conducting oneself correctly and cultivating the unsurpassed path. Third, clearly realizing non-self and knowing that the self arises from delusion and craving. Fourth, knowing that the nature of the path has no boundary and practicing in accord with ultimate reality. There are also four dharmas for liberating immeasurable people. What are these four? First, clearly realizing that lust, anger, and delusion neither arise nor cease. Second, cultivating a mind of loving-kindness to liberate sentient beings far and wide, without a wrathful mind. Third, clearly realizing all afflictive dharmas. Fourth, though dwelling in the age of the five defilements, never abandoning the mind of the path. There are also four dharmas that lead to the perfection of the faculty of the path. What are these four? First, giving with a benevolent heart and clearly knowing that this stands foremost on the path. Second, exhorting others to be diligent and to eliminate stinginess and greed. Third, cultivating conduct in accord with the Dharma of emptiness, without assertions of self. Fourth, not giving rise to doubt concerning the profound Dharma. There are also four dharmas by which meditative concentration does not diminish. What are these four? First, not reckoning sentient beings as numerable or innumerable. Second, not perceiving Buddha lands as pure or impure. Third, suffusing the worlds with loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity. Fourth, perfecting the wisdom of a Buddha without abandoning one’s original vow. There are also four dharmas that lead to the Buddha’s place of awakening. What are these four? First, speaking before smiling, without any intention to harm others. Second, practicing correctly in accordance with the Dharma that has been spoken. Third, clearly realizing both the path and the absence of a path, while not abiding in or clinging to any dharma. Fourth, knowing that whether there is a mind of seeking or no mind of seeking, all alike return to emptiness. This is called a great bodhisattva cultivating in accordance with emptiness and cultivating the unsurpassed path within the Dharma of all Buddhas.

When the Buddha expounded this Dharma, twenty-two thousand devas and people all generated the mind of unsurpassed true and perfect enlightenment. Another twelve thousand people attained patience regarding the non-arising of dharmas upon their seats. Innumerable devas from the ten directions scattered flowers as offerings until they rose as high as the knees.

Chapter 29: THE THREE POISONS

At that time, the Youthful Mañjuśrī addressed the Buddha:

– World-Honored One, I have now heard the Tathagata expound the four Dharma gateways of wisdom and have attained the power to establish the faculties and dispositions. This teaching is truly profound and subtle; it is a Dharma cultivated by bodhisattvas, which arhats and pratyekabuddhas cannot equal. I now wish to ask the Tathagata: when cultivating the first dhyana in the intermediate preparatory stage of concentration and contemplating impure, unwholesome phenomena, does one contemplate the impurity of one’s own body or the impurity of another’s body?

The Buddha said to the Youthful Mañjuśrī:

– If a bodhisattva has not yet attained the stage of a bodhisattva, and he contemplates his own body as an evil and impure phenomenon, he will acquire the power to establish the faculties and dispositions. Or, having contemplated his own body, he contemplates the bodies of others, and further employs wisdom and skillful means to contemplate the body as filthy and putrid, with blood and pus flowing forth. Through this Dharma, he awakens countless beings, enabling them to abandon the mind that clings to purity, and they all know that the body is not truly real. Furthermore, Nhu Thủ, some bodhisattvas cultivate from the preliminary concentration toward the intermediate concentration, yet have not clearly awakened to the first dhyana. Other bodhisattvas, having left the preliminary concentration, abide with their minds in the intermediate concentration and then employ expedient wisdom to cultivate toward the first dhyana. Some bodhisattvas, having transcended the preliminary and intermediate concentrations and purified their minds, next cultivate the first dhyana, mindfully retain the fundamental basis of the five practices, and then cultivate upward until they attain the Dharma of the second dhyana. Some bodhisattvas relinquish the preliminary and intermediate concentrations associated with the four higher levels of dhyana, cultivate the first and second dhyanas, and then proceed upward to cultivate the fundamental Dharma of the third dhyana, sustaining within themselves a mind of joy and ease. Other bodhisattvas, having left the third dhyana, relinquish the four practices and cultivate the fourth dhyana; then, within the fourth dhyana, they reflect upon and contemplate evil and impure phenomena. Other bodhisattvas attain the concentration of cessation directly, without passing through the seven levels of concentration. Some bodhisattvas have entered right concentration, eternally quiescent, and contemplate throughout the world that there are no beings, self, person, or lifespan; all phenomena of arising and cessation are without anything that can be possessed. Some bodhisattvas abide on the first bhumi and receive the status of a bodhisattva. They discern the three poisons of lust, anger, and delusion, and employ expedient wisdom to teach and liberate beings in accordance with the contemplation of their minds. Whether beings have a mind of ignorance or lack a mind of ignorance, whether they have a mind of craving or lack a mind of craving, and whether they have a mind of anger or lack a mind of anger—the bodhisattva clearly knows them all. Tối Thắng, you should know that a great bodhisattva contemplates all phenomena universally and sees no phenomenon arising and no phenomenon ceasing. Moreover, with regard to all phenomena, he sees neither complete cessation nor incomplete cessation. Questions such as these are pure. Furthermore, Tối Thắng, a great bodhisattva contemplates thoughts bound by attachment and seeks purity within them, asking whatever must be asked. That Dharma is eternally quiescent and peaceful; it is not a phenomenon that changes into something else. Seeing samsara as pure and seeing no defilement—this is called the great bodhisattva’s discourse on non-arising. Transcending samsara without seeing any transcendence is called the principle of non-arising. Nirvana is formless, quiescent, and unconditioned; only this is called accordance with the principle of non-arising. Tối Thắng, if one knows that all bonds and attachments ultimately return to emptiness, one sees neither samsara nor anyone who attains realization; one sees neither a place of birth nor a place where cessation arises, neither an appearance in the world nor nirvana. This is called the bodhisattva’s principle of non-arising. Furthermore, Tối Thắng, the gathering and dispersing of causes and conditions are evil and impure phenomena; this is called the bodhisattva’s principle of non-arising. Drawing near, attaining fulfillment, realizing the fruit of non-retrogression, possessing unobstructed knowledge of severance, and knowing complete non-arising—this is called the bodhisattva’s principle of non-arising. Furthermore, Tối Thắng, a great bodhisattva clearly awakens to the separation and conjunction of causes and conditions, realizes the mind of non-retrogression, possesses unobstructed knowledge of severance, and forever escapes the three realms of existence. This is called the great bodhisattva’s principle of non-arising. It means that, regarding all phenomena, one does not cut off the roots of goodness and knows what is wholesome and what is unwholesome; what is a mundane Dharma and what is a world-transcending Dharma; what is an obstructed Dharma and what is an unobstructed Dharma; what is a conditioned Dharma and what is an unconditioned Dharma; what is a Dharma with outflows and what is a Dharma without outflows. This is called the great bodhisattva’s principle of non-arising. Furthermore, Tối Thắng, a bodhisattva reflects upon and distinguishes the formless bodily characteristics of a Buddha; further distinguishes the many Dharma-natures; reflects upon the immeasurable merit of the noble Sangha; reflects that beings are not identical; and further distinguishes that lands are not alike and that the inclinations of minds are difficult to know completely. This is called the great bodhisattva’s principle of non-arising. Furthermore, Tối Thắng, all phenomena are pure, and all phenomena are impure. This is called the bodhisattva’s principle of non-arising.

The Venerable Tối Thắng said to the Buddha:

– Why is the purity of all phenomena the principle of non-arising? Why is the impurity of all phenomena the principle of non-arising?

The Buddha told the Venerable Tối Thắng:

– Phenomena have neither consciousness nor karmic retribution arising from volitional activity. The consciousnesses and perceptions that appear exist together with their corresponding phenomena. This is called purity and impurity. All phenomena have countless kinds of characteristics. In the case of some phenomena, when one has not yet become free from thought, one seeks skillful means to increase and benefit merit. When merit has been increased and benefited, all wholesome qualities become complete. When all wholesome qualities are complete, one cultivates the incoming and outgoing breath. When contemplation through counting the breaths has brought the mind to concentration, this is called purity and impurity.

The Venerable Tối Thắng asked again:

– How should one contemplate phenomena as concentrated or unconcentrated?

The Buddha replied:

– One personally abides in the realm of eternal liberation, free from desire, and with respect to hundreds of millions of phenomena, one knows the meaning of concentration and non-concentration.

The Venerable Tối Thắng asked again:

– Concentration is neither purity nor the absence of purity. If there is no concentration, there is no purity that can be called concentration or non-concentration—is that so?

The Buddha taught:

– Very few people possessing wisdom can clearly understand the meaning of concentration and non-concentration.

The Venerable Tối Thắng asked:

– Blessed One, what does it mean to be eternally liberated and free from desire, and to know concentration and non-concentration with respect to hundreds of millions of phenomena; that concentration is the Path, while non-concentration is not the Path?

The Buddha taught:

– So it is! So it is! It is exactly as you have asked. If a well-born man or woman does not know, with respect to the various dhatus of phenomena, what has been determined, what will be determined, and what has not been determined, then with respect to all phenomena, that person does not know what has not yet been penetrated, what has already been penetrated, and what will be penetrated. Why is this so? As stated in the Hương Lạc Sutra: “With regard to phenomena that have been determined, if, upon hearing them, one does not give rise to doubt, one can diligently cultivate upward without the mind regressing. If one constantly cultivates in accordance with the Dharma one has heard and never abandons it, this is called the meaning of concentration and non-concentration.” If beings give rise to doubt regarding concentration and non-concentration, they cannot cultivate from this bhumi to another bhumi. Because they do not transcend the successive levels of the bhumis, they cannot escape samsara and abide in the Dharma of nirvana. Why is this so? If the Buddhas, the Blessed Ones, do not bring the fundamental basis of samsara to an end, they do not enter nirvana.

The Buddha told the Venerable Tối Thắng:

– Do the Buddhas, the Blessed Ones, not always expound transcending samsara and abiding in nirvana?

The Venerable Tối Thắng replied:

– Yes, that is so.

The Buddha asked again:

– Have you always heard the Blessed One expound phenomena by saying, “This is samsara; this is nirvana”?

The Venerable Tối Thắng replied:

– No.

The Buddha taught:

– Therefore, well-born son, the Buddhas, the Blessed Ones, do not speak of samsara as inferior, nor do they speak of nirvana as superior. Well-born son, the Blessed Ones merely speak of samsara and nirvana. If, through the discriminations of consciousness, one holds them to be two phenomena, one cannot escape samsara and reach the shore of nirvana.

The Buddha again told the Venerable Tối Thắng:

– A great bodhisattva, contemplating back and forth through the Dharma of emptiness, sees neither beings nor the perception of beings; sees neither nirvana nor the perception of nirvana. Why is this so? Because he does not see any place within samsara where transmigration occurs, nor does he see anyone in nirvana who attains cessation and liberation.

At that time, the Bodhisattva Tối Thắng immediately rose from his seat, adjusted his robe to bare his right shoulder, knelt upright, joined his palms, and said to the Buddha:

“World-Honored One, excellent! Excellent! The Tathagata has taught that neither beings nor nirvana possess any characteristics. In expounding the Dharma and its true meaning, he accords with quiescence and sees neither samsara nor nirvana.”

At that moment, two thousand seven hundred bhiksus seated in the assembly attained liberation of mind from the outflows and realized the patience of the non-arising of dharmas. Why was this? They had clearly realized that beings undergo no samsara and that nirvana is devoid of nirvana. Nor could it be said that beings were delivered, or that nirvana was eternally quiescent. Realizing that the nature of dharmas is emptiness, they understood that there is neither samsara nor nirvana.

At that time, seven hundred bhiksus seated in the Dharma assembly silently rose from their seats, gathered their robes and alms bowls, and departed without explanation. Each lowered his head and said to the others, “Why should we remain immersed in this disagreeable realm of suffering? Day and night we diligently cultivate the pure conduct, always being told that nirvana exists. Yet nirvana does not lead to the realization of cessation and deliverance; nor is there any path, much less anyone who could attain the path.”

Chapter 30: QUESTIONS CONCERNING NIRVANA

At that time, Bodhisattva Most Victorious addressed the Buddha:

“World-Honored One, if beings wish to cause dharmas to arise, there is no path by which they can attain Complete and Perfect Enlightenment. How much less could they wish to attain the path through the Dharma of nirvana! Such a thing cannot be. Nirvana has neither inherent nature nor designation; why would one seek emptiness within emptiness? Nirvana is not even one; how much less should one seek a multiplicity of dharmas!

“World-Honored One, those seven hundred bhiksus had their beards and hair shaved by the Tathagata, donned the three Dharma robes, carried alms bowls in their hands, and cultivated the pure conduct. Yet they have now given rise to a regressive mind, returned to the state of ordinary beings, and wish to seek nirvana as something with an abiding place. It is like sesame oil and the finest curds and clarified butter: oil spreads everywhere, while butter congeals.

Samsara and nirvana are likewise. Ultimate nirvana is devoid of all characteristics of dharmas. The great path of nirvana likewise has neither bottom nor boundary nor wall.

The deluded mistakenly cling to it as everlasting and enduring; they all maintain that nirvana undergoes arising and cessation and that there is first an annihilation. Only those who cultivate right view do not see dharmas as arising or ceasing, nor do they see dharmas as being accepted or relinquished.”

Bodhisattva Most Victorious then said before the Buddha:

“World-Honored One, those seven hundred bhiksus have just heard the teaching, yet each departed in confusion. How much longer must they pass through before attaining deliverance, forever escaping samsara and becoming free from wrong views?”

The Buddha told Most Victorious:

“If you wish to know this, listen, listen attentively! Reflect well upon this Dharma. I shall completely dispel your doubts.”

Most Victorious replied:

“Yes, World-Honored One.”

The Buddha taught:

“Only after kalpas exceeding the sands of the Ganges does a Buddha appear. Even after passing through seventy-two kotis of such Ganges-sands kalpas, they will still not attain deliverance. Why is this? Only after hundreds of millions of thousands of myriad kalpas does a Buddha appear in the world. Encountering a Buddha is exceedingly difficult, and hearing the teachings of the sutras is difficult. Today, in the midst of the great assembly, the Tathagata, the Most True, the Completely and Perfectly Enlightened One, expounds the Dharma of the path and teaches that nirvana neither arises nor ceases. Yet within the True Dharma they have given rise to wrong views; their minds continually follow wrong views and do not follow the right path.

“They are like a valiant man of immense strength who knows every technical method. There is no skill in which he has not trained to mastery, and he possesses all the implements of the six arts. He is thoroughly proficient in observing astronomy, geography, and the stars to predict calamities. Yet this strong man is constantly afraid of empty space. He thinks and plans to race throughout the four directions, seeking refuge in a place where there is no empty space. Nevertheless, wherever he goes, he always encounters empty space.

“Those bhiksus are likewise. Even if, for hundreds of thousands of myriad kalpas, they wished to establish the designation ‘nirvana’ within the Dharma of emptiness, it could never be done. If they aspire toward nirvana without realizing the nature of emptiness, their minds may seek the path, but they will never attain its fruit.

“Furthermore, if someone seeks the Dharma of emptiness, constantly contemplating emptiness wherever he may be with mindfulness immediately present, he does not say that this emptiness or that emptiness possesses any number of characteristics. Nor does he perceive that, through contemplating the Dharma of emptiness, all thoughts accomplish or attain anything. This indeed is the clear realization of the essential Dharma of nirvana.

“Those bhiksus cultivated erroneous practices in past lives; therefore, they are not awakened now, though they wish to seek the great path of liberation and nirvana. They cannot even distinguish its names and designations, so how could they distinguish the path of nirvana? Throughout their lives they circle about seeking cessation and deliverance, merely wasting their efforts without being able to attain it. Why is this? The provisional designation ‘nirvana’ is like an illusion or magical transformation. It is empty and has no existence. Because it is a provisional name, it is empty—a false designation arbitrarily established and transmitted by foolish people, not a Dharma praised in the Dharma and discipline of the sages.”

At that time, more than seven hundred other bhiksus, established in the practice while still seated, utterly eliminated all dust and defilements and attained the purified Dharma eye. They acquired the three knowledges and six superknowledges without obstruction. They clearly realized that the Buddha is unborn and neither arises nor ceases, and they did not seek nirvana among the dharmas of the past.

They regarded the teachings, wisdom, and eloquence proclaimed by innumerable Buddhas of the past, as numerous as the sands of the Ganges, as not many. From ordinary beings up to those beyond training, they expounded the teaching of the path without error or contradiction. They did not see beings drifting through samsara, nor did they see nirvana as something that would arise or cease.

Why was this? All dharmas are empty like empty space, and no place can be found where the Buddhas appear.

At that time, six hundred upasakas and three hundred upasikas seated in the assembly all attained the practice culminating in faith. Innumerable devas and humans generated the aspiration for unsurpassed, true, and perfect enlightenment. Then the Elder Sariputra said to five hundred bhiksus:

“Each of you has attained penetrating wisdom. Surely this accords with your original vows?”

The bhiksus replied:

“Venerable Sariputra, the vows we made long ago have today been fulfilled. What had to be done has been done, and we shall undergo no further existence.”

Sariputra said:

“Regarding the wholesome dharmas about which you were questioned above, do you now clearly understand the direction of cultivation?”

The bhiksus replied:

“We have ended all fetters and bonds. We no longer cling to or become defiled by our present bodies, do not delight in samsara, and do not attach ourselves to nirvana. To cultivate the Dharma of the liberation of nirvana in accord with the nature of emptiness, utterly eliminating all fetters and bonds while perceiving no elimination—this is called nirvana.”

Sariputra then praised those bhiksus:

“Excellent! Excellent! Sons of good family, you have clearly realized the true and profound meaning of the nature of emptiness. How many sages now abide in the field of merit?”

The bhiksus replied:

“Venerable Sariputra is indeed the field of merit spoken of by the Tathagata. Through practicing generosity and performing the work of a Buddha, his merit has never diminished. We have not attained even one-sixteenth of it.”

Sariputra said:

“All five hundred of you have liberated your minds from distinctions between this and that, and you too are fields of merit.”

The bhiksus replied:

“The Tathagata’s noble wisdom is intrinsically pure and remains unattached and undefiled amid all dhatu.”

At that time, Bodhisattva Most Victorious said before the Buddha:

“How many sages in the world are certain to repay the kindness of almsgiving?”

The Buddha told Most Victorious:

“Those who do not cling to worldly dharmas can repay the kindness of almsgiving.”

Most Victorious asked:

“How many sages, moreover, are pure in giving?”

The Buddha replied:

– Not accepting any dharma is called purity.

Venerable Tối Thắng asked:

– What is the meritorious field of giving?

The Buddha replied:

– Forgetting the Dharma of the Buddha’s path is called a field of merit.

Venerable Tối Thắng asked:

– Again, how many worthy ones, together with the various kinds of sentient beings, serve as good spiritual friends, transmitting teachings and pointing out good and evil?

The Buddha replied:

– Not abandoning any kind of sentient being is called being a good spiritual friend.

Venerable Tối Thắng asked:

– How many worthy ones in the world are able to repay the Buddha’s kindness?

The Buddha replied:

– Those who attain the four fearlessnesses and do not sever the seed of Buddhahood.

Venerable Tối Thắng asked:

– How many worthy ones in the world are able to make offerings to the Tathagata?

The Buddha replied:

– Cultivating for hundreds of millions of kalpas without delusion is called making offerings.

Venerable Tối Thắng asked:

– How many worthy ones in the world are able to attain the treasury of the Buddha?

The Buddha replied:

– Even when their own bodily lives come to an end, they do not violate the Buddha’s precepts.

Venerable Tối Thắng asked:

– Again, how many worthy ones are able to bring forth a reverent mind?

The Buddha replied:

– Those who guard the sense faculties and are able to close off the six sense faculties.

Venerable Tối Thắng asked:

– What dharma does the world call a great and precious treasure?

The Buddha replied:

– It is the attainment of the seven treasures.

Venerable Tối Thắng asked:

– What does it mean to clearly understand former conduct?

The Buddha replied:

– To cultivate the foremost, unsurpassed meaning of wisdom.

Venerable Tối Thắng asked:

– What does it mean to have few desires in the world?

The Buddha replied:

– Not seeking anything in the world.

Venerable Tối Thắng asked:

– What does it mean to clearly understand the world without attachment?

The Buddha replied:

– To eliminate all fetters and bonds and also be free from the five hindrances.

Venerable Tối Thắng asked:

– Who in the world enjoys happiness and is free from all suffering?

The Buddha replied:

– Because there is no bondage, it is called happiness.

Venerable Tối Thắng asked:

– What does it mean not to be bound?

The Buddha replied:

– To clearly understand that the five skandhas and the eighteen dhatus are empty, quiescent, and unconditioned.

Venerable Tối Thắng asked:

– Who has that difficulty?

The Buddha replied:

– Outwardly relinquishing the six sense objects and inwardly relinquishing the six sense faculties.

Venerable Tối Thắng asked:

– Who crosses from this shore and reaches the other shore?

The Buddha replied:

– One who establishes the faculties and attains the powers is a person who accomplishes the path.

Venerable Tối Thắng asked:

– What is the bodhisattva’s uninterrupted mind of giving?

The Buddha replied:

– To eliminate the three perceptions and not give rise to the defilements.

Venerable Tối Thắng asked:

– How should one practice the mind of patience so that, when encountering an object, no fearful or apprehensive mind arises?

The Buddha replied:

– Clearly understand that the mind is empty and quiescent, and do not give rise to thoughts of anger.

Venerable Tối Thắng asked:

– What does it mean for a bodhisattva to cultivate diligence?

The Buddha replied:

– Thoughts arise from the mind without any point of origin.

Venerable Tối Thắng asked:

– What is the mind of meditative concentration that neither lacks nor diminishes?

The Buddha replied:

– The concentrated mind is forever quiescent and does not receive external sense objects.

Venerable Tối Thắng asked:

– What is the activity of wisdom that expounds all dharmas?

The Buddha replied:

– To discern meanings and principles without abandoning the mind of the path.

Venerable Tối Thắng asked:

– How does a bodhisattva cultivate loving-kindness without abandoning the root of the path?

The Buddha replied:

– By not abandoning sentient beings and seeing that there are beings who can be delivered.

Venerable Tối Thắng asked:

– How does a bodhisattva practice compassion?

The Buddha replied:

– By contemplating all dharmas while the mind does not retreat.

Venerable Tối Thắng asked:

– How does a bodhisattva maintain uninterrupted sympathetic joy and reach cessation and deliverance?

The Buddha replied:

– By not giving rise to the perception of self or clinging to the existence of an ego-self.

Venerable Tối Thắng asked:

– How does a bodhisattva maintain uninterrupted equanimity?

The Buddha replied:

– By protecting and preserving the root of the path until Buddhahood is attained. Throughout that time, no other perception arises.

Venerable Tối Thắng asked:

– How does a bodhisattva establish the faculty of faith?

The Buddha replied:

– By surpassing the teachings of non-Buddhist paths and having no association with heterodox schools.

Venerable Tối Thắng asked:

– What does it mean to clearly understand emptiness without hesitation?

The Buddha replied:

– Clearly understand the path and what is not the path; the path has no origin. This is called the Dharma activity that a great bodhisattva must practice.

Chapter 31: THE FOUR BRAHMA HALLS

At that time, the youthful Nhu Thủ thought to himself: “How does a great bodhisattva cultivate pure brahma conduct of body, speech, and mind, extending throughout the four streams to deliver sentient beings, going from one Buddha-land to another without ever abandoning sentient beings? How does a bodhisattva diligently accomplish the Buddha path without losing the concentrated mind while cultivating and practicing?” Knowing this thought, the Buddha immediately said to Nhu Thủ:

– So it is! So it is! It is just as you have thought. The various fundamental dharmas cultivated by bodhisattvas are not all the same. I shall now explain their meaning to you. Listen! Listen! Carefully reflect upon and remember this Dharma.

Nhu Thủ said:

– Yes, Blessed One.

The Buddha said to Nhu Thủ:

– Bodily conduct is pure, and one commits no evil deeds. The mouth speaks words of utmost sincerity and does not lose the Dharma-nature. The mind remains unmoved and settles all fearful thoughts. This is called the root of a bodhisattva’s penetrating wisdom. One has loving-kindness toward sentient beings and is not bound by craving and desire; one constantly cultivates contemplation of the impurity of evil dharmas, keeps one’s mind firm, and entertains no thoughts of deluded darkness. This is called the root of a bodhisattva’s penetrating wisdom. While among an assembly, one remains as though in an open wilderness, never losing dignified deportment; whether walking, standing, coming, or going, one’s bearing is always orderly, and one never transgresses or compromises the Tathagata’s prohibitive precepts. This is called the root of a bodhisattva’s penetrating wisdom. With regard to all the Buddha’s dharmas, one is entirely liberated; desirelessness and liberation are inconceivable. The Dharma cultivated by the assembly of noble ones is forever free of the three vehicles. This is called the root of a bodhisattva’s penetrating wisdom. Regarding liberation from desire, one clearly sees it as formless; one liberates the mind from anger, and likewise with the nature of delusion. One cultivates meditative awakening through the nine successive concentrations, remaining unmoved. This is called the penetrating wisdom of a bodhisattva. One is not bound within the desire realm by seeking the station of a wheel-turning monarch, does not hope within the form realm to attain meritorious rewards, and does not contemplate the path of the formless realm. This is called the root of a bodhisattva’s penetrating wisdom. Furthermore, within emptiness there is no wishlessness; signlessness is likewise not the failure to end conditioned, outflowing activity. One clearly understands that all dharmas are like illusions and conjurations. This is called the root of a bodhisattva’s penetrating wisdom. When among sentient beings, one never loses one’s mental resolve; from one dwelling place to another, one remains impartial toward both affection and aversion. This is called the root of a bodhisattva’s penetrating wisdom. One does not oppose the root of the dharmas of the past; it is likewise so with the present and future. With regard to either defilement or non-defilement, one sees no attachment to defilement. This is called the root of a bodhisattva’s penetrating wisdom.

Chapter 32: BRAHMA DEVA REQUESTS INSTRUCTION

At that time, the great bodhisattva Tối Thắng addressed the Buddha:

– Blessed One, bodily conduct is pure and commits no evil karma; the teachings proclaimed in speech are never false; thoughts are pure, transcending the root of the Path. The Blessed One now expounds the Brahma path of the Four Immeasurables—the four immeasurable minds of loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity—to deliver sentient beings. So long as even one person has not yet been delivered, one never abandons or neglects that person. Through loving-kindness, one eliminates thoughts of lust; through contemplation of impurity, one eliminates the notion that things are permanent and pure, and contemplates their formless character. This is called the bodhisattva’s root of penetrating wisdom. Regarding all fundamental dharmas, one attains liberation; regarding the three encompassing teachings, one attains liberation from the conditioned and the unconditioned, from the contaminated and the uncontaminated. This is called the bodhisattva’s root of penetrating wisdom. Having known freedom from desire, one knows that sentient beings are likewise without desire. One knows that anger has no root and is empty. This is called the bodhisattva’s root of penetrating wisdom. One practices loving-kindness without interruption and is attached neither to the Desire Realm, the Form Realm, nor the Formless Realm. The mind abides in the dharmas of the four dhyanas, utterly eliminating all defilements and giving rise to no conceptualization. This is called the bodhisattva’s root of penetrating wisdom. A great bodhisattva constantly enters emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness, without seeking the characteristics of any dharma. Some bodhisattvas may arouse this vast vow: “If I attain Buddhahood, within my land and among its sentient beings there shall not even be the name of the paths of the Three Vehicles. With such sincerity today, I resolve to attain the Buddha’s Perfect and Supreme Enlightenment, extensively transforming and delivering sentient beings without ever becoming weary.”

At that time, eighty thousand devas and humans were established on the ground of faith. The Mara king and his retinue returned to their own realm.

Chapter 33: ENTRUSTMENT TO BRAHMA

The Buddha addressed the deva king Fearless and the great assembly of bodhisattvas:

– Throughout innumerable asamkhya kalpas, I accumulated merit and personally attained the fruition of Buddhahood, undefiled by the three worldly dharmas. All kinds of sentient beings—those that crawl, fly, move, or stir—remain constantly attached to the five skandhas and do not relinquish them. Because noble sages are undefiled by the eight worldly dharmas, they clearly comprehend that the five skandhas and the eighteen fundamental dhatus are empty and possess nothing; therefore, they transcend the eight worldly concerns: gain and loss, disgrace and honor, praise and blame, suffering and pleasure.

The Buddha addressed Brahma:

– If a good man or good woman recites, reads, accepts, and upholds this scripture, beings such as celestial maras will be unable to harm them. Why is this? Because that person is protected by the awesome spiritual power of all Buddhas, the Blessed Ones. If a good man or good woman seeks the unsurpassed, true, and perfect enlightenment, it is through this scripture that they will realize the Path.

The Buddha addressed Brahma:

– Even if, from now, throughout one kalpa or even a hundred thousand kalpas, all sentient beings together were to praise this scripture, they still could not exhaustively describe it. Why is this? Because this scripture is called the “Inexhaustible Treasury”; it is not a Dharma attainable by arhats or pratyekabuddhas. It also has another title: “The Questions Asked by the Bodhisattva Supreme Victory.” I now entrust this scripture to you. Do not allow even a single character to be omitted or lost; preserve all its groupings of words and phrases in their entirety. Just as I have now accomplished the Buddha Path, possessing the thirty-two marks and eighty excellent characteristics, with a body the color of gold and an aureole extending seven feet around me, illuminating the entire great trichiliocosm, so too, if any good man or good woman sincerely seeks the Buddha Path, making offerings to a Tathagata, the Worthy One, the Perfectly Enlightened One, does not equal reciting and reading this scripture for the brief instant of a finger snap. Why is this? It is through this scripture that Tathagatas, Worthy Ones, Perfectly Enlightened Ones all accomplish the Buddha Path. Stream-enterers, once-returners, non-returners, arhats, and pratyekabuddhas likewise attain accomplishment through this scripture.

At that time, Brahma Fearless said before the Buddha:

– Blessed One, if a good man or good woman sincerely seeks Buddhahood, recites and reads this scripture, and remembers it without forgetting, we shall protect that good man or good woman, ensuring that within a radius of one hundred yojanas, beings such as celestial maras will be unable to achieve their aims.

The Buddha addressed Brahma:

– So it is! So it is! It is exactly as you say. All Buddhas of the past, present, and future recite and read this scripture; therefore, they assuredly attain a steadfast, irreversible mind. If a good man or good woman cultivates 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, and wishlessness, it is through this scripture that they attain accomplishment in the world, where the fourfold Buddhist assembly is fully present: bhiksus, bhiksunis, upasakas, and upasikas.

Then the Youthful Manjusri, the Bodhisattva Supreme Victory, the Venerable Sariputra, devas, nagas, ghosts, spirits, gandharvas, asuras, garudas, candalas, and mahoragas, having heard the Buddha’s teaching, paid homage and withdrew.