Toh 247The Noble Great Vehicle Sūtra “Distinguishing Phenomena and What Is Meaningful”

Summary

There are two main themes in Distinguishing Phenomena and What Is
Meaningful. One is in the narrative structure: The Buddha Śākyamuni tells how, countless
eons ago, in a world called Flower Origin, a buddha named Arisen from Flowers
gave instructions to a royal family, and prophesied the awakening of the prince
Ratnākara. Arisen from Flowers, the Buddha Śākyamuni then relates, has since become the buddha
Amitābha, and the prince Ratnākara the bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara. The other theme
is doctrinal, and lies in the content of the teaching given by Arisen from Flowers: it
explains the four mistakes made by ordinary beings in the way they perceive the
five aggregates, and how bodhisattvas teach them how to clear away these misconceptions,
so that they may be free of the sufferings that result.

Acknowledgements

Translated by the Dharmachakra Translation Committee under the guidance
of Chökyi Nyima Rinpoche. The translation was produced by Anna Zilman and
Timothy Hinkle. Andreas Doctor compared the translation with the Tibetan and
edited the text.

The translation was completed under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.

Introduction

Distinguishing Phenomena and What Is Meaningful is
a scripture that in the Degé Kangyur belongs to the General Sūtra section.
The sūtra is set in Anāthapiṇḍada’s park at Śrāvastī, where the Buddha Śākyamuni
is residing with a gathering of monks and bodhisattvas. In delivering his
teaching, Śākyamuni describes an ancient world known as Flower
Origin, in which lived a buddha called Arisen from
Flowers. That world was governed by a
king known as Attainment of Victory, under whose rule everyone practiced
the Great Vehicle. Prompted by the prince Ratnākara, the royal family goes
to meet Arisen from Flowers. That buddha then teaches the audience about the
insubstantial and unsatisfactory nature of the aggregates, and describes
beings’ tendency to perceive the aggregates in a flawed manner: while the
aggregates are actually impermanent, repulsive, unclean, and unreal,
sentient beings conceive of them as lasting, beautiful, pure, and true.
The Buddha Śākyamuni further explains how beings are themselves a product of their
actions, and that the five aggregates (the components that together
constitute a sentient being) are not purposely created by anyone.

The sūtra thus presents a version of the well–known “four errors”
(catvāro viparyāsāḥ,
phyin ci log pa bzhi),
often described in Buddhist canonical literature as the main
underpinnings of sentient beings’ mistaken view of the world:
erroneously perceiving (1) the impermanent to be permanent, (2) the painful to be
pleasant, (3) the dirty to be clean, and (4) what has no self to have
a self. The four errors are
discussed extensively not only in the Abhidharma, but also in
the Catuḥśataka of Āryadeva
(fl. third century), where each is treated in a separate chapter
(chapters 6–9).
The present sūtra invokes the four errors, but instead of presenting the
illusion that the painful is pleasant, it speaks of the illusion that the
repulsive (mi sdug pa) is
beautiful (sdug pa). Aside
from this minor twist, the context remains that of the usual four errors.

Once the Buddha Arisen from Flowers has taught the audience, the
king, queen, prince, and the entire retinue all take ordination. The
thus-gone one then prophesies Prince Ratnākara’s awakening, revealing his
future name, world, lifespan, and the nature of his teachings. Toward the
end of the sūtra, the Buddha Śākyamuni reveals the current identity of the main
characters of his narrative. Arisen from Flowers has now become the buddha
Amitābha, and Ratnākara has become the bodhisattva known as Avalokiteśvara. In the
remainder of the sūtra, Śākyamuni reveals that anyone who faithfully
receives this Dharma teaching will be reborn in Sukhāvatī (the buddha realm
of Amitābha) and that all women who touch or read this sūtra will be able to
exchange their female bodies for male forms and never again take rebirth in
a female body.

The title of the sūtra could be interpreted in a number of different ways, some of which would require translations other than the one we have chosen. Chos (dharma) could refer to qualities, factors, practices, states, phenomena, or the teachings, while don (artha), too, has a wide range of meanings including object, referent, goal, purpose, worth, use, meaning, and cause. We have inevitably had to narrow the possibilities down to produce a rendering in English.

There is no extant Sanskrit version of this scripture, and the sūtra
does not appear to have been translated into Chinese. In producing
this translation, we have based our work on the Degé xylograph Kangyur while
consulting the Comparative Edition (dpe bsdur
ma), as well as the Stok Palace manuscript Kangyur. The colophon of the
sūtra states that it was translated by the Indian preceptors Jinamitra and
Dānaśīla, as well as the prolific Tibetan translator Yeshé Dé. We can
therefore date the Tibetan translation to the late eighth or early ninth
century, and this is confirmed by the text’s inclusion in the early
ninth century Denkarma (ldan dkar ma)
and Phangthangma (’phang thang ma)
catalogues.

The Translation

The Noble Great Vehicle Sūtra

Distinguishing Phenomena and What Is Meaningful

Homage to all buddhas and bodhisattvas!

Thus did I hear at one time. The Blessed One was staying in the Jeta
Grove, Anāthapiṇḍada’s park in Śrāvastī. He was there together with a great
saṅgha of monks, as well as a great saṅgha of bodhisattvas.

At that time, the Blessed One recounted the following to the bodhisattva great being
Delighted by Victory:

“Noble son, at a past time countless, limitless, immeasurably many eons
ago, there was a world called Flower
Origin. It was abundantly prosperous and happy, had good crops, and was delightful.
It was filled with many people, and was as even as the palm of a
hand. Noble son, in the world Flower Origin dwelled the thus-gone, worthy,
perfect buddha Arisen from Flowers. He still abides there, alive and well,
teaching the Dharma to the fourfold assembly, as well as to gods, nāgas,
yakṣas, gandharvas, demigods, garuḍas, kinnaras, mahoragas, humans, and
non-humans.

“Noble son, in the world Flower Origin lived the ruler Attainment of
Victory. He was a universal emperor, who had as his dominion the entire
trichiliocosm. Noble son, under the king’s rule beings had found happiness and well-being, followed the path of the
ten virtuous deeds, and were satisfied with their spouses. Everyone there had
entered but a single vehicle: they had entered the Great Vehicle. They had
entered the supreme vehicle. They had entered the main vehicle. They had
entered the true vehicle. They had entered the foremost vehicle—the best,
the finest, and the highest vehicle. The vehicle they had entered was higher
than the highest: the unsurpassed vehicle. They had entered the unequaled
vehicle. They had entered the matchless vehicle. They had entered the
inconceivable vehicle. They had entered the unfathomable vehicle.
Noble son, under the rule of that king Attainment of Victory, vehicles other
than the Great Vehicle were unheard of.

“Noble son, in his retinue of queens King Attainment of Victory
had ninety-nine thousand wives, none of whom had entered any other vehicle.
They all belonged solely to the Great Vehicle, longed for the Dharma day and
night, and took delight in the Dharma. Noble son, that king’s primary wife
Ratnaśrī, who was a beloved
bodhisattva, followed the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Saṅgha. She belonged to the Great
Vehicle, longed for the Dharma at all times, and found delight only in the
joy of the Dharma.

“Noble son, once, while Ratnaśrī was seated upon a splendid lion
throne, her son Ratnākara got down from her lap where he had been sitting in
the cross-legged posture. He was adorned with divine ornaments, attired with
divine fabrics, and his body was adorned with the excellent major and minor
marks. As soon as he got down, the child asked his mother, ‘Mother, is the
thus-gone Arisen from Flowers still alive?’

“The queen Ratnaśrī answered the
young child:

“ ‘My only son, the omniscient one,

The protector of the world,

The unsurpassed one who delights all—

He is alive in the world of gods and humans.’

“The prince Ratnākara then said to his parents, ‘Father and
Mother, come here! We must go to the thus-gone, worthy, perfect buddha
Arisen from Flowers in order to behold him, to pay homage and make
offerings, to serve him, and to receive Dharma teachings from him. If you
wonder why we need to do so, Father and Mother, it is because the Thus-Gone One
performs hardships in the world of gods and humans.

“ ‘He is a protector liberating those who have not been liberated.

He grants eyesight to the blind.

He is heroic and courageous with regard to the Dharma.

He is as unwavering as a great mountain.’

“King Attainment of Victory and Queen Ratnaśrī then brought their
son and the retinue of queens and servants and went before that blessed one.
They circumambulated that blessed one seven times and offered him extremely
valuable pearl necklaces, after which they all sat down among the assembly.
Noble son, the prince then rose up into the sky to the height of seven palm
trees by means of his miraculous ability, and showered upon the
blessed Arisen from Flowers a rain of jewels, flowers, and incense. He then proclaimed to
that blessed one:

“ ‘O Teacher, you have crossed

The great river of suffering,

And ferry beings across it.

I have come here to see you, Omniscient One.

“ ‘As the unsurpassed protector of the world,

There is no one who has ever matched you,

Or displayed such qualities as yours,

In the world of gods and humans.

“ ‘You establish in the Lesser Vehicle

Beings who have strayed onto negative paths,

Those who are under the sway of desire and anger,

And then you teach the Great Vehicle.

“ ‘You are skilled in means and courageous,

A master of great compassion.

The Dharma is meaningful and you are sated by the Dharma;

You set forth the Dharma and are a source of all qualities.

“ ‘Also, knowing phenomena to be unborn

And without substance,

You know their true nature.

That is how you perform hardships.’

“The young prince praised that blessed one in this manner, then
circumambulated him and sat before him.

“The Blessed One looked in all
directions with his broad eyes, which resembled the petals of a lotus
flower. Knowing the minds and mental states of the fourfold assembly, he
said to King Attainment of Victory:

“ ‘Great King, although the five
aggregates are insubstantial, childish ordinary beings think of them as
being substantial. Great King, the aggregates look awful;
they smell terrible; they ooze pus and blood; they are like wood, clods of dirt, or roads;
and they are insubstantial, inert, and interlinked with joy and sorrow. They are linked to
each other by chains of craving, are full of affliction, and are vile.
Still, ordinary beings think that such insubstantial things are substantial;
they think that impermanent things are permanent, repulsive things are
beautiful, unclean things are clean, and unreal things are real. Great King,
the five aggregates are “painted” by one’s own karma. As
an analogy, O Great King, there is no painter who paints the peacock’s
five-colored tail, and neither is there any paint involved. Rather, it is
painted by the peacock’s own karma. Great King, in the same way, childish
ordinary beings arise from reciprocal conditions, painted by their own
karma.’

“At this point the bodhisattva great being Invincible Lord stood up among
the assembly, circumambulated the Blessed One, draped his shawl over one
shoulder, knelt down on his right knee, and bowed with joined palms.

“He said to the Blessed One, ‘Blessed One, these aggregates do look awful and
smell terrible; they ooze blood and pus; they are like wood, clods of dirt,
walls, or roads; they are insubstantial and inert. Childish ordinary
beings think that these things have substance, but these beings are like the
mistaken, the blind, and the confused. They have fallen into bewilderment.
They are completely enveloped in darkness, obscurity, and veils. They are
lost in the dense thicket of all their wrong views. Blessed One, these four
collections of the Dharma are all profound; they are like space.
Blessed One, will any beings ever come to understand
correctly the statements that are spoken in discourses such as this?’

“The blessed Arisen from Flowers answered that bodhisattva great
being, ‘Noble son, whenever bodhisattva great beings manifest, it will be in
order to purify beings. They teach them the Dharma in accordance with their
inclinations. They cut through the cravings of those who are tormented by
craving. They clear away the suffering of those tormented by pain. Knowing
all phenomena to be insubstantial and knowing them to be like space, they
direct sentient beings to the nature of phenomena. Bodhisattvas are then
known as purifiers of beings.’

“When that blessed, thus-gone, worthy, perfect buddha Arisen from
Flowers had delivered this teaching concerning sentient beings, King
Attainment of Victory cut off his hair and beard. His son, as well as Queen
Ratnaśrī and the retinue of queens and servants, likewise all cut off their
hair and they all took ordination with the Blessed One.

“The Blessed One now spoke to the assembly: ‘Noble children, look at
the young prince. Noble children, this sublime being has produced roots of
virtue in the company of ninety-nine trillion buddhas. On all of these
occasions he has become a Dharma preacher. And this person here has always
been the father of that sublime being. This sublime being has always ripened
beings to unsurpassed and perfect awakening. Noble children, as soon as I
pass into parinirvāṇa, the young prince Ratnākara will become a buddha. He
will be seated in front of the tree of awakening, which will be bedecked
with various precious stones. When he attains awakening, he will become a
thus-gone, worthy, perfect buddha. He will be someone learned and
virtuous, a well-gone one, a knower of the world, a charioteer who guides
beings, an unsurpassed being, a teacher of gods and humans, a blessed
buddha known as Splendorous King of Shining Light. His world will be known
as Painted with Many Jewels. He will have an immeasurable saṅgha of hearers.
He will have a lifespan of ninety-six trillion eons. The appearance of his
sacred Dharma will remain for seven million five hundred thousand
years.’

“Noble son, at that time, when the prophecy concerning that
bodhisattva great being was made, eighty-four thousand beings gained
acceptance that phenomena are unborn. Noble son, should you wonder,
question, or have doubts regarding the identity of the thus-gone one of that
time, there is no need. Why so? Noble son, it is the thus-gone, worthy, perfect
buddha Amitābha who was known at that time as the thus-gone Arisen from Flowers
and who taught the Dharma in that world. Noble son, should you wonder,
question, or have doubts regarding the identity of the prince known as
Ratnākara at that time, there is no need. Why so? Noble son, it is the bodhisattva
Avalokiteśvara who was at that time the son of King Attainment of Victory. That
thus-gone one prophesied, ‘He will gain awakening from me.’ ”

The bodhisattva great being Delighted by Victory, who was among the
retinue, now joined his palms and asked the Blessed One, “Blessed One,
will beings who have not produced roots of virtue ever even hear this
Dharma teaching, let alone commit it to
writing, commission it to be written, retain it, recite it, or
offer flowers, incense, and incense powder to it?”

The Blessed One replied to the bodhisattva great being Delighted by
Victory, “Noble son, only those who have served as many buddhas as there are
grains of sand in the Ganges River will come across this discourse. Noble
son, those sentient beings who hear this Dharma teaching and do not doubt it
will be reborn in the realm of Sukhāvatī after they die and pass from this
world. Noble son, any place where this discourse is kept will become worthy
of homage. Noble son, later, in the future, any woman who holds or reads
aloud this Dharma teaching will exchange her female body and be reborn in
the realm of Sukhāvatī. That will be her last birth as a female. She will,
moreover, behold the thus-gone Amitābha at the moment of death.”

Once the Blessed One had spoken, the bodhisattva great being
Delighted by Victory, the other bodhisattvas, the monks, and the rest of the
assembly, along with the world with its gods, humans, demigods, and
gandharvas, all rejoiced and praised what the Blessed One had said.

This concludes the noble Great Vehicle sūtra
“Distinguishing Phenomena and What Is Meaningful.”

Colophon

Translated, edited, and finalized by the Indian preceptors
Jinamitra and Dānaśila, and by the chief editor and translator Bandé
Yeshé Dé.

Notes

Bibliography

anutpattikadharmakṣānti
The realization that all phenomena are beyond birth.

caturo viparyāsā
Taking what is impermanent to be permanent, what is painful to be
delightful, what is unclean to be clean, and what is no self to be a self.

nāga
A semidivine class of beings who live in subterranean aquatic
environments and who are known to hoard wealth and esoteric teachings. They are associated
with snakes and serpents.

Anāthapiṇḍada
An important benefactor of the Buddha Śākyamuni.

The bodhisattva to whom this sūtra is spoken.

A former buddha who is presently the Buddha Amitābha.

The ruler of the world Flower Origin.

Ratnaśrī
The queen of King Attainment of Victory.

A bodhisattva in the assembly of the buddha Arisen from
Flowers.

The name of Prince Ratnākara once he attains awakening.

Amitābha
The buddha residing in the western buddha realm Sukhāvatī.

Jinamitra
An Indian Kashmiri paṇḍita who was resident in Tibet during the late
eighth and early ninth centuries. He worked with several Tibetan translators on the
translation of a number of sūtras.

Śākyamuni
The buddha of this age; the historical buddha.

Jetavana
The park donated to the Buddha by Anāthapiṇḍada.

The buddha realm in which Prince Ratnākara will attain
awakening.

The buddha realm of the Buddha Arisen from Flowers.