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See Bongard-Levin (1997) and Karashima (2004) for transliterations of the Sanskrit fragments. The fragments correspond to the following passages in the Degé Kangyur: 23.b.6–25.a.2 (Karashima 2004) and 36.a.7–37.a.3 (Bongard-Levin 1997).
This is further corroborated by the fact that the Phukdrak and Gondhla Kangyur versions contain individual Tibetan translator colophons for each of the five sūtras, thus reflecting their status as separate texts in Tibet too, not just in China (Tauscher 2015: p. 380).
Taishō 220 (16). In the Degé Kangyur, this sūtra is placed separately from the other five, in the Prajñāpāramitā section (Toh 14). See also Bongard-Levin 1997: pp. 93–94.
The Denkarma catalog is dated to c. 812
Tib. byang chub sems dpa’ sems dpa’ chen po phal cher gzhon nur gyur pa; Skt. probably bodhisattvā mahāsattvā bhūyas tena sarve kumārabhūtāḥ, see Mahāvyutpatti 883. Among standard descriptions of bodhisattvas in the introductory openings of sūtras, this is less frequent than some others. It may be directly or indirectly related to “the category of bodhisattvas who are still youths” (gzhon nur gyur pa’i byang chub sems dpa’ rnam par gzhag pa), the eighth of the ten categories of bodhisattva (byang chub sems dpa’ rnam par gzhag pa bcu), successive stages described in the tenth chapter of the Avataṃsaka and also in the Ratnolkādhāraṇī (Toh 145); see Jackson, D. (tr.), The Dhāraṇī of the Jewel Torch (2020), 1.78–1.79.
Literally “pain,” “torment,” or “affliction.” In Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit it literally means “impurity” or “depravity.” In its technical use in Buddhism it means any negative quality in the mind that causes continued existence in saṃsāra. There are said to be 84,000 of these negative mental qualities for which the 84,000 categories of the Buddha’s teachings serve as the antidote. These mental disturbances can be subsumed into the three or five poisons of attachment, anger, and ignorance plus arrogance and jealousy. Also translated here as “disturbing emotions.”
See “affliction.”
Five collections of similar phenomena, under which all compounded dharmas may be included: form, feeling, perception, formation, and consciousness. On the individual level the five aggregates refer to the basis upon which the mistaken idea of a self is projected.
A major śrāvaka disciple and personal attendant of the Buddha Śākyamuni during the last twenty-five years of his life. He was a cousin of the Buddha (according to the Mahāvastu, he was a son of Śuklodana, one of the brothers of King Śuddhodana, which means he was a brother of Devadatta; other sources say he was a son of Amṛtodana, another brother of King Śuddhodana, which means he would have been a brother of Aniruddha).
Ānanda, having always been in the Buddha’s presence, is said to have memorized all the teachings he heard and is celebrated for having recited all the Buddha’s teachings by memory at the first council of the Buddhist saṅgha, thus preserving the teachings after the Buddha’s parinirvāṇa. The phrase “Thus did I hear at one time,” found at the beginning of the sūtras, usually stands for his recitation of the teachings. He became a patriarch after the passing of Mahākāśyapa.
A type of nonhuman being whose precise status is subject to different views, but is included as one of the six classes of beings in the sixfold classification of realms of rebirth. In the Buddhist context, asuras are powerful beings said to be dominated by envy, ambition, and hostility. They are also known in the pre-Buddhist and pre-Vedic mythologies of India and Iran, and feature prominently in Vedic and post-Vedic Brahmanical mythology, as well as in the Buddhist tradition. In these traditions, asuras are often described as being engaged in interminable conflict with the devas (gods).
A technical term referring to a meditative state attained through the practice of concentration. (The word “attainment” is also used here to translate non-technical words that have the sense of “obtain” or “acquire.”)
In Buddhist literature, this is an epithet applied to buddhas, most often to Śākyamuni. The Sanskrit term generally means “possessing fortune,” but in specifically Buddhist contexts it implies that a buddha is in possession of six auspicious qualities (bhaga) associated with complete awakening. The Tibetan term—where bcom is said to refer to “subduing” the four māras, ldan to “possessing” the great qualities of buddhahood, and ’das to “going beyond” saṃsāra and nirvāṇa—possibly reflects the commentarial tradition where the Sanskrit bhagavat is interpreted, in addition, as “one who destroys the four māras.” This is achieved either by reading bhagavat as bhagnavat (“one who broke”), or by tracing the word bhaga to the root √bhañj (“to break”).
A high-ranking deity presiding over a divine world; he is also considered to be the lord of the Sahā world (our universe). Though not considered a creator god in Buddhism, Brahmā occupies an important place as one of two gods (the other being Indra/Śakra) said to have first exhorted the Buddha Śākyamuni to teach the Dharma. The particular heavens found in the form realm over which Brahmā rules are often some of the most sought-after realms of higher rebirth in Buddhist literature. Since there are many universes or world systems, there are also multiple Brahmās presiding over them. His most frequent epithets are “Lord of the Sahā World” (sahāṃpati) and Great Brahmā (mahābrahman).
Literally, “to flow” or “to ooze.” Mental defilements or contaminations that “flow out” toward the objects of cyclic existence, binding us to them. Vasubandhu offers two alternative explanations of this term: “They cause beings to remain (āsayanti) within saṃsāra” and “They flow from the Summit of Existence down to the Avīci hell, out of the six wounds that are the sense fields” (Abhidharmakośabhāṣya 5.40; Pradhan 1967, p. 308). The Summit of Existence (bhavāgra, srid pa’i rtse mo) is the highest point within saṃsāra, while the hell called Avīci (mnar med) is the lowest; the six sense fields (āyatana, skye mched) here refer to the five sense faculties plus the mind, i.e., the six internal sense fields.
The relative nature of phenomena, which arises in dependence upon causes and conditions. Together with the four truths of the noble ones, this was one of the first teachings given by the Buddha.
Literally “pain,” “torment,” or “affliction.” In Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit it literally means “impurity” or “depravity.” In its technical use in Buddhism it means any negative quality in the mind that causes continued existence in saṃsāra. There are said to be 84,000 of these negative mental qualities for which the 84,000 categories of the Buddha’s teachings serve as the antidote. These mental disturbances can be subsumed into the three or five poisons of attachment, anger, and ignorance plus arrogance and jealousy. Also translated here as “disturbing emotions.”
See “affliction.”
A series of progressively more subtle states of meditative realization or attainment. There are several presentations of these found in the canonical literature. One of the most common is as follows: (1) One observes form while the mind dwells at the level of the form realm. (2) One observes forms externally while discerning formlessness internally. (3) One dwells in the direct experience of the body’s pleasant aspect. (4) One dwells in the realization of the sphere of infinite space by transcending all conceptions of matter, resistance, and diversity. (5) Transcending the sphere of infinite space, one dwells in the realization of the sphere of infinite consciousness. (6) Transcending the sphere of infinite consciousness, one dwells in the realization of the sphere of nothingness. (7) Transcending the sphere of nothingness, one dwells in the realization of the sphere of neither perception nor nonperception. (8) Transcending the sphere of neither perception and nonperception, one dwells in the realization of the cessation of conception and feeling.
Eighteen special features of a buddha’s behavior, realization, activity, and wisdom that are not shared by other beings. They are generally listed as: (1) he never makes a mistake, (2) he is never boisterous, (3) he never forgets, (4) his concentration never falters, (5) he has no notion of distinctness, (6) his equanimity is not due to lack of consideration, (7) his motivation never falters, (8) his endeavor never fails, (9) his mindfulness never falters, (10) he never abandons his concentration, (11) his insight (prajñā) never decreases, (12) his liberation never fails, (13) all his physical actions are preceded and followed by wisdom (jñāna), (14) all his verbal actions are preceded and followed by wisdom, (15) all his mental actions are preceded and followed by wisdom, (16) his wisdom and vision perceive the past without attachment or hindrance, (17) his wisdom and vision perceive the future without attachment or hindrance, and (18) his wisdom and vision perceive the present without attachment or hindrance.
A person who is eight steps away in the arc of their development from becoming an arhat (Tib. dgra bcom pa). Specifically, this term refers to one who is on the cusp of becoming a stream-enterer (Skt. srotaāpanna; Tib. rgyun du zhugs pa), and is the first and lowest stage in a list of eight stages or classes of a noble person (Skt. āryapudgala). The person at this lowest stage in the sequence is still on the path of seeing (Skt. darśanamārga; Tib. mthong lam), and then enters the path of cultivation (Skt. bhāvanāmārga; Tib. sgoms lam) upon attaining the next stage, that of a stream-enterer (stage 7). From there they progress through the remaining stages of the śrāvaka path, becoming in turn a once-returner (stages six and five), a non-returner (stages four and three), and an arhat (stages two and one). This same “eighth stage” also appears in set of ten stages (Skt. daśabhūmi; Tib. sa bcu) found in Mahāyāna sources, where it is the third step out of the ten. Not to be confused with the ten stages of the bodhisattva’s path, these ten stages mark the progress of one who sequentially follows the paths of a śrāvaka, pratyekabuddha, and then bodhisattva on their way to complete buddhahood. In this set of ten stages a person “on the eighth stage” is similarly one who is on the cusp of becoming a stream-enterer.
A senior student of the Buddha.
One way of describing experience and the world in terms of eighteen elements (eye, form, and eye consciousness; ear, sound, and ear consciousness; nose, odor, and nose consciousness; tongue, taste, and tongue consciousness; body, touch, and body consciousness; mind, mental objects, and mind consciousness).
Emptiness denotes the ultimate nature of reality, the total absence of inherent existence and self-identity with respect to all phenomena. According to this view, all things and events are devoid of any independent, intrinsic reality that constitutes their essence. Nothing can be said to exist independent of the complex network of factors that gives rise to its origination, nor are phenomena independent of the cognitive processes and mental constructs that make up the conventional framework within which their identity and existence are posited. When all levels of conceptualization dissolve and when all forms of dichotomizing tendencies are quelled through deliberate meditative deconstruction of conceptual elaborations, the ultimate nature of reality will finally become manifest. It is the first of the three gateways to liberation.
According to the Mahāyāna, one of the seven types of noble beings (āryapudgala), and also one of the twenty types of members of the saṅgha (viṃśatiprabhedasaṃgha).
Name of the second of the four formless realms and of the second formless meditative absorption, so termed because in its preparatory phase limitless consciousness is the object of meditation.
Name of the first of the four formless realms and of the first formless meditative absorption, so termed because in its preparatory phase limitless space is the object of meditation.
Name of the fourth of the four formless realms and of the fourth formless meditative absorption, so termed because conceptions are weak in it, but not entirely absent.
Name of the third of the four formless realms and of the third formless meditative absorption, so termed because in its preparatory phase absolute nothingness is the object of meditation.
Five extraordinary abilities that result from meditative concentration: divine sight, divine hearing, knowing others’ minds, recollecting past lives, and the ability to perform miracles. See also “six superknowledges.”
According to the Mahāyāna, one of the seven types of noble beings (āryapudgala), and also one of the twenty types of members of the saṅgha (viṃśatiprabhedasaṃgha).
Mental factors that perpetuate karmic activity.
A basic precept observed as the foundation for one’s spiritual life. Here it refers to the five precepts of abstaining from killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, lying, and using intoxicants.
The assemblies of monks (Skt. bhikṣu) and nuns (Skt. bhikṣuṇī), along with laymen (Skt. upāsaka) and laywomen (Skt. upāsikā).
These are typically listed as follows: (1) the attainment of the sense field of limitless space, (2) the attainment of the sense field of limitless consciousness, (3) the attainment of the sense field of nothing whatsoever, and (4) the attainment of the sense field of neither perception nor non-perception.
The four progressive levels of concentration of the form realm that culminate in pure one-pointedness of mind, and are a requirement for cultivation of the five or six superknowledges, and so on. These are part of the nine gradual attainments.
Fearlessness in declaring that one has (1) awakened, (2) ceased all defilements, (3) taught the obstacles to awakening, and (4) shown the way to liberation.
A class of generally benevolent nonhuman beings who inhabit the skies, sometimes said to inhabit fantastic cities in the clouds, and more specifically to dwell on the eastern slopes of Mount Meru, where they are ruled by the Great King Dhṛtarāṣṭra. They are most renowned as celestial musicians who serve the gods. In the Abhidharma, the term is also used to refer to the mental body assumed by sentient beings during the intermediate state between death and rebirth. Gandharvas are said to live on fragrances (gandha) in the desire realm, hence the Tibetan translation dri za, meaning “scent eater.”
In Indian mythology, the garuḍa is an eagle-like bird that is regarded as the king of all birds, normally depicted with a sharp, owl-like beak, often holding a snake, and with large and powerful wings. They are traditionally enemies of the nāgas. In the Vedas, they are said to have brought nectar from the heavens to earth. Garuḍa can also be used as a proper name for a king of such creatures.
The Sanskrit pravrajyā literally means “going forth,” with the sense of leaving the life of a householder and embracing the life of a renunciant. When the term is applied more technically, it refers to the act of becoming a male novice (śrāmaṇera; dge tshul) or female novice (śrāmaṇerikā; dge tshul ma), this being a first stage leading to full ordination.
A buddha in the world known as Illusory.
An epithet of advanced bodhisattvas, often defined as having attained at least the seventh bhūmi and the path of vision. These bodhisattvas have several special qualities that bodhisattvas on the lower bhūmis do not have.
The name of one of the hearers in the world known as Torch.
A person who practices according to the vehicle of the hearers, or the vehicle focusing on individual liberation from cyclic existence through attaining the state of a worthy one the monastic lifestyle and one’s own liberation from cyclic existence.
Tuṣita (or sometimes Saṃtuṣita), literally “Joyous” or “Contented,” is one of the six heavens of the desire realm (kāmadhātu). In standard classifications, such as the one in the Abhidharmakośa, it is ranked as the fourth of the six counting from below. This god realm is where all future buddhas are said to dwell before taking on their final rebirth prior to awakening. There, the Buddha Śākyamuni lived his preceding life as the bodhisattva Śvetaketu. When departing to take birth in this world, he appointed the bodhisattva Maitreya, who will be the next buddha of this eon, as his Dharma regent in Tuṣita. For an account of the Buddha’s previous life in Tuṣita, see The Play in Full (Toh 95), 2.12, and for an account of Maitreya’s birth in Tuṣita and a description of this realm, see The Sūtra on Maitreya’s Birth in the Heaven of Joy, (Toh 199).
A buddha realm to the east.
A mythical, divine river.
The name of the southern continent in Buddhist cosmology, which can signify either the known human world, or more specifically the Indian subcontinent, literally “the jambu island/continent.” Jambu is the name used for a range of plum-like fruits from trees belonging to the genus Szygium, particularly Szygium jambos and Szygium cumini, and it has commonly been rendered “rose apple,” although “black plum” may be a less misleading term. Among various explanations given for the continent being so named, one (in the Abhidharmakośa) is that a jambu tree grows in its northern mountains beside Lake Anavatapta, mythically considered the source of the four great rivers of India, and that the continent is therefore named from the tree or the fruit. Jambudvīpa has the Vajrāsana at its center and is the only continent upon which buddhas attain awakening.
One of the first Buddhist monasteries, located in a park outside Śrāvastī, the capital of the ancient kingdom of Kośala in northern India. This park was originally owned by Prince Jeta, hence the name Jetavana, meaning Jeta’s grove. The wealthy merchant Anāthapiṇḍada, wishing to offer it to the Buddha, sought to buy it from him, but the prince, not wishing to sell, said he would only do so if Anāthapiṇḍada covered the entire property with gold coins. Anāthapiṇḍada agreed, and managed to cover all of the park except the entrance, hence the name Anāthapiṇḍadasyārāmaḥ, meaning Anāthapiṇḍada’s park. The place is usually referred to in the sūtras as “Jetavana, Anāthapiṇḍada’s park,” and according to the Saṃghabhedavastu the Buddha used Prince Jeta’s name in first place because that was Prince Jeta’s own unspoken wish while Anāthapiṇḍada was offering the park. Inspired by the occasion and the Buddha’s use of his name, Prince Jeta then offered the rest of the property and had an entrance gate built. The Buddha specifically instructed those who recite the sūtras to use Prince Jeta’s name in first place to commemorate the mutual effort of both benefactors.
Anāthapiṇḍada built residences for the monks, to house them during the monsoon season, thus creating the first Buddhist monastery. It was one of the Buddha’s main residences, where he spent around nineteen rainy season retreats, and it was therefore the setting for many of the Buddha’s discourses and events. According to the travel accounts of Chinese monks, it was still in use as a Buddhist monastery in the early fifth century ᴄᴇ, but by the sixth century it had been reduced to ruins.
A 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 several sūtras. He is also the author of the Nyāyabindupiṇḍārtha (Degé no. 4233), which is contained in the Tengyur (bstan ’gyur).
A class of nonhuman beings that resemble humans to the degree that their very name—which means “is that human?”—suggests some confusion as to their divine status. Kinnaras are mythological beings found in both Buddhist and Brahmanical literature, where they are portrayed as creatures half human, half animal. They are often depicted as highly skilled celestial musicians.
This term has several meanings, depending on the context: (1) the dividing line between saṃsāra and nirvāṇa, (2) the inferior realization of the hearers and solitary buddhas, (3) the nature of phenomena (emptiness), and (4) full realization of the ultimate truth. In this text it is the second meaning that should be understood.
One of the closest disciples of the Buddha, known for his miraculous abilities.
Literally “great serpents,” mahoragas are supernatural beings depicted as large, subterranean beings with human torsos and heads and the lower bodies of serpents. Their movements are said to cause earthquakes, and they make up a class of subterranean geomantic spirits whose movement through the seasons and months of the year is deemed significant for construction projects.
A demonic being often bearing the epithet of the “Evil One” (pāpīyān, sdig can), sometimes said to be the principal deity in the Heaven of Making Use of Others’ Emanations, the highest paradise in the desire realm; also one of the names of the god of desire, Kāma in the Vedic tradition. He is portrayed as attempting to prevent the Buddha’s awakening.
The thirty-two primary physical characteristics of a “great being,” mahāpuruṣa, which every buddha and cakravartin possesses.
According to ancient Buddhist cosmology, this is the great mountain forming the axis of the universe. At its summit is Sudarśana, home of Śakra and his thirty-two gods, and on its flanks live the asuras. The mount has four sides facing the cardinal directions, each of which is made of a different precious stone. Surrounding it are several mountain ranges and the great ocean where the four principal island continents lie: in the south, Jambudvīpa (our world); in the west, Godānīya; in the north, Uttarakuru; and in the east, Pūrvavideha. Above it are the abodes of the desire realm gods. It is variously referred to as Meru, Mount Meru, Sumeru, and Mount Sumeru.
The follower of the Mīmāṃsā non-Buddhist philosophical school in ancient India. The term mīmāṃsā means “thoroughgoing analysis or investigation.” The school is commonly divided into two groups, the first of which (pūrvamīmāṃsā, karmamīmāṃsa) focuses on the correct interpretation of the Vedic hymns and rituals, and the second of which (uttaramīmāṃsā, brahmamīmāṃsā, etc.) focuses on the nature of universal reality.
pha rol tu phyin pa lnga bstan pa (Pañcapāramitānirdeśa). Toh 181, Degé Kangyur vol. 61 (mdo sde, tsa), folios 1.b–76.b.
pha rol tu phyin pa lnga bstan pa. bka’ ’gyur (dpe bsdur ma) [Comparative Edition of the Kangyur], krung go’i bod rig pa zhib ’jug ste gnas kyi bka’ bstan dpe sdur khang (The Tibetan Tripitaka Collation Bureau of the China Tibetology Research Center). 108 volumes. Beijing: krung go’i bod rig pa dpe skrun khang (China Tibetology Publishing House), 2006–9, vol. 61, pp. 3–184.
Denkarma (pho brang stod thang ldan [/ lhan] dkar gyi chos ’gyur ro cog gi dkar chag). Degé Tengyur, vol. 206 (sna tshogs, jo), folios 294.b–310.a.
Bongard-Levin, G., Moscow Watanabe, and Shōgo Watanabe. “A Fragment of the Sanskrit Text of the Śīlapāramitā.” Wiener Zeitschrift Für Die Kunde Südasiens/Vienna Journal of South Asian Studies 41 (1997): 93–98.
Herrmann-Pfandt, Adelheid. Die lHan kar ma: ein früher Katalog der ins Tibetische übersetzten buddhistischen Texte. Vienna: Verlag der österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, 2008.
Karashima, Seishi. “Sanskrit fragments of the Kāśyapaparivarta and the Pañcapāramitānirdeśa in the Mannerheim collection.” Annual Report of The International Research Institute for Advanced Buddhology at Soka University 7 (2004): 105–18.
Tauscher, Helmut. “Manuscripts en Route.” In Cultural Flows across the Western Himalaya, edited by Patrick McAllister et al., 365–92. Vienna: Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, 2015.
Teaching the Five Perfections is a compilation of five short sūtras that each present the practice of one of the five perfections in which bodhisattvas train on the path of the Great Vehicle: generosity, discipline, patience, diligence, and concentration. These five perfections embody the skillful methods of the bodhisattva path, and, as these sūtras show, they should always be combined with an understanding of the state of omniscience, the sixth perfection of insight that is supposed to permeate the practice of the first five perfections. The teachings are delivered by the Buddha as well as two of his close disciples, Śāradvatīputra and Pūrṇa Maitrāyaṇīputra, who both teach the five perfections inspired by the Buddha’s blessing.
Translated by the Dharmachakra Translation Committee under the guidance of Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche. The translation was produced by Andreas Doctor and Zachary Beer with assistance from Lama Tenzin Zangpo and Karma Oser.
The translation was completed under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.
The generous sponsorship of Liu Fan and family, which helped make the work on this translation possible, is most gratefully acknowledged.
Teaching the Five Perfections is a compilation of five individual sūtras that each present the practice of one of the five perfections (pāramitā) in which bodhisattvas train on the path of the Great Vehicle: generosity, discipline, patience, diligence, and concentration. These five perfections embody the skillful methods of the bodhisattva path, and, as these sūtras emphasize, they should always be practiced in conjunction with an understanding of the state of omniscience, the sixth perfection of insight that is supposed to permeate the practice of the first five perfections. Throughout this sūtra, the perfection of insight is taught as the practice of turning one’s mind to the omniscient state while transcending conceptual reference points. Only by integrating the perfection of insight into the practice of the other five trainings do they become genuine perfections.
Teaching the Five Perfections unfolds as a conversation between the Buddha and two of his close students, Śāradvatīputra, who is praised in the canonical literature as the foremost of the Buddha’s disciples in terms of wisdom, and Pūrṇa Maitrāyaṇīputra, who is lauded as the foremost preacher of the Dharma. As for these two outstanding disciples, we are told that they deliver their teachings on the perfections in a conversation inspired and guided by the Buddha’s blessing. As is often the case in sūtra literature, this is one of the ways in which bona fide “words of the Buddha” (buddhavacana) can be expressed. A wide range of topics is addressed throughout the text, including the practice of nonconceptuality, the defining characteristics of bodhisattvas, the importance of dedicating merit toward omniscience, the distinction between bodhisattvas and hearers, and, of course, the distinctive practices of the five perfections themselves.
Over the course of discussing these topics, the Buddha and his two disciples address several challenging issues, such as defending the efficacy and legitimacy of meritorious actions once the lack of self has been realized, and repudiating objections that bodhisattvas do not voluntarily embrace saṃsāra but are simply unable to obtain the cessation of the hearers and thus forced to remain in existence. In treating these and many other philosophical themes in detail, Teaching the Five Perfections thus provides a wealth of insight into the thought and practice of the Great Vehicle. The text presents the five central “methods” of the Great Vehicle in a manner that stands out from the highly codified presentations of the perfections that one finds in the commentarial literature. In this way the sūtra provides not only a wealth of doctrinal teachings but also a host of imaginative and humorous analogies that give us a rare glimpse of the cultural and social milieu in India during the time of its composition. As such, the text should be of interest to a contemporary readership concerned not only with the development of the Buddhist tradition and its scriptures, but also with classical Indian culture in general.
Today only two short manuscript fragments of Teaching the Five Perfections have survived in Sanskrit. A complete Chinese translation by Xuanzang (ca. 602–64) does, however, exist. Interestingly, the Chinese canon treats each of these five sūtras as individual scriptures, indicating that the texts most likely originally existed as distinct teachings that only later were compiled and united under a single title by the editors of the Tibetan Kangyur. Moreover, unlike the Tibetans, the Chinese tradition combines these five sūtras with the Suvikrāntavikrāmiparipṛcchā from the Prajñāpāramitā section of the Kangyur, which then is said to represent the teaching of the sixth perfection of insight. Since this English translation is based on the version found in the Degé Kangyur, we have here presented the five sūtras under the single title employed in that collection. As for the Tibetan translation, the translators for this particular text are listed in the colophon as the Indian preceptor Jinamitra and the Tibetan translator Yeshé Dé, who both flourished during the late eighth and early ninth centuries. As such, the Tibetan translation, which we have rendered into English here, would have been completed during the early translation period, a dating that is also attested by the text’s inclusion in the early ninth century Denkarma (ldan dkar ma) inventory of translations into Tibetan. This English translation from the Tibetan has been produced based on the Degé block print with reference to the Comparative Edition (Tib. dpe bsdur ma).
Homage to all buddhas and bodhisattvas!
Thus did I hear at one time. The Blessed One was staying in Śrāvastī, in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍada’s Park, attended by a great saṅgha of 1,250 monks, all of whom were worthy ones who had exhausted their defilements, were without afflictions, self-controlled, their minds liberated, and their insight liberated; were of noble birth, great elephants who had accomplished their tasks, completed their work, laid down their burden, reached their goal, and had destroyed the bonds of existence; and, due to their perfect knowledge, had liberated their minds and obtained supreme perfection in mastering all mental states. He was also attended by bodhisattva great beings, most of whom were youthful, and had only a single birth remaining; in keeping with the wishes of beings they had freed themselves from existence, yet accepted to be born within existence; and all of them were progressing irreversibly toward unsurpassed and perfect awakening.
Along with gods, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kinnaras, and mahoragas, all present were venerating, respecting, honoring, and paying homage to the Blessed One. As they did so, the well-gone one, the knower of the world, the unsurpassed charioteer who tames beings, the teacher of gods and humans, the blessed Buddha, taught the Dharma to all four assemblies, beginning with the six perfections themselves.
The Blessed One said to Venerable Śāradvatīputra, “Śāradvatīputra, when bodhisattva great beings practice the perfection of generosity, that generosity must be practiced without any formative factors.”
Venerable Śāradvatīputra said to the Blessed One, “Blessed One, you are the source of the entire Dharma. You are the chief of the entire Dharma. You are the teacher of the entire Dharma. For this reason, Blessed One, please explain to the monks what they should retain when they hear it from the Blessed One.”
The Blessed One at first did not reply. But when he had been requested a second time he said, “Śāradvatīputra, I have appointed you, so be inspired to speak confidently, beginning with the perfection of generosity of bodhisattva great beings.”
Having been given the opportunity by the Blessed One, and due to the Blessed One’s power, Venerable Śāradvatīputra then began to explain and teach about the bodhisattva great beings’ perfection of generosity as follows.
“Blessed One, when bodhisattva great beings practice the perfection of generosity, they should first turn their focus to the omniscient state, and then practice generosity. If bodhisattva great beings practice generosity while focusing on the omniscient state, those bodhisattva great beings will be upholding the perfection of generosity. Bodhisattvas do not dedicate their generosity toward the level of the hearers or the level of the solitary buddhas, who have fallen into conceptual views and who do not practice dedicating merit. And why is that? Because they know they ought to be afraid of those states.”
Venerable Pūrṇa Maitrāyaṇīputra said to Venerable Śāradvatīputra, “Venerable One, why is it said that bodhisattva great beings are afraid of those states?”
Venerable Śāradvatīputra replied, “They are afraid of them because they fear arriving at the same result as the hearers.”
Venerable Pūrṇa Maitrāyaṇīputra said to Venerable Śāradvatīputra, “Venerable Śāradvatīputra, what is the difference between the practice of generosity of the bodhisattvas and the practice of generosity of the hearers, who practice generosity because they seek to actualize the state of a worthy one? How can they be differentiated?”
Venerable Śāradvatīputra replied, “Venerable Pūrṇa, they can be distinguished, since one group dedicates their merit to reach omniscience, while the other dedicates it in order to reach the level of the hearers. Venerable One, to understand this, consider this analogy: One person may practice generosity out of the wish to be king, thinking, ‘How wonderful if I could be king!’ And yet another person may practice generosity out of a wish to become a servant, thinking, ‘How wonderful if I could be a subject in the country of that king!’ Now, when the latter person dedicates his merit in that way, would that person ever come to attain the same royal level that the former person aimed for?
“Venerable Pūrṇa, in the same way, bodhisattva great beings practice generosity and dedicate the merit with an eye to the state of omniscience, while the followers of the vehicle of the hearers practice generosity and dedicate the merit toward becoming a worthy one on the level of the hearers. In this way, one may wish to become a follower of either the noble hearers or the bodhisattvas. As such, individuals may have the power and strength to dedicate the practice of generosity toward the state of omniscience, or, Venerable Pūrṇa, they may have no interest in dedicating their generosity toward omniscience because they entertain a different interest, and in that case dedicate it toward attaining the state of a hearer. This is how beings are distinguished between those within the vehicle of the bodhisattvas and those who remain on the level of a worthy one within the vehicle of the hearers. Venerable Pūrṇa, the generosity of those within the vehicle of the hearers should be viewed as being similar to someone who thinks, ‘May this merit cause me to become a merchant, a householder, or Brahmā!’ ”
Venerable Pūrṇa Maitrāyaṇīputra said to Venerable Śāradvatīputra, “Venerable One, this is amazing! Śāradvatīputra, you have explained it so well! Venerable Śāradvatīputra, imagine a person who brings one hundred thousand coins to a wealthy householder and says, ‘I am offering you these one hundred thousand coins. I will also remain by your side and assist you with all your activities and engagements.’ Similarly, Venerable One, those who follow the vehicle of the hearers practice generosity and promise to become servants of the Thus-Gone One. The bodhisattva great beings, however, do not practice generosity like that. That is the difference between the bodhisattvas’ practice of generosity and the hearers’ practice of generosity. Venerable Śāradvatīputra, imagine if a woman in the royal harem were to carry off one hundred thousand pieces of gold and bring them to a merchant, or an officer, saying, ‘I am offering you these one hundred thousand pieces of gold. I will also be your servant, rising early in the morning and going to bed late at night. I will do whatever makes you happy.’ Venerable One, similarly, the followers of the Hearers’ Vehicle practice generosity and declare themselves to be hearers of the Thus-Gone One.”
Venerable Śāradvatīputra said to Venerable Pūrṇa Maitrāyaṇīputra, “Venerable One, it is amazing how very similar acts of generosity can lead one person to the level of a hearer and another one to the state of omniscience. Venerable One, you have explained it well. Venerable Pūrṇa, you should understand that the bodhisattvas are rich in skillful means.”
Venerable Śāradvatīputra continued addressing Venerable Maitrāyaṇīputra, saying, “Moreover, Venerable Pūrṇa, if bodhisattvas wish to practice generosity and wish to awaken to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood, they should begin their practice of generosity with the wish, ‘May the merit and virtue that is created hereby cause all bodhisattvas who have newly entered this vehicle in all the limitless and endless worlds to reach the state of nonregression! And may all those who have reached the state of nonregression swiftly perfect the state of omniscience!’ In this way, not only will they be included within this group, their roots of virtue will also sustain those bodhisattvas. The more roots of virtue there are sustaining and protecting bodhisattvas, the closer they will be to the state of omniscience. The more they dedicate their roots of virtue, the closer they will be to unsurpassed and perfect awakening.
“Venerable Pūrṇa, moreover, when bodhisattva great beings practice generosity, they dedicate the roots of virtue of their generosity, saying, ‘By the roots of virtue that come from this gift—a gift of sustenance that feeds, in whole or in part, all beings whether they are visible or not—may all bodhisattva great beings in all the limitless and endless worlds who have newly entered this vehicle reach the state of nonregression, and may all those who have reached the state of nonregression swiftly perfect the state of omniscience.’ The more bodhisattvas are able to dedicate the roots of virtue, the more they will master the perfections and that much closer will they be to the state of omniscience. They should recognize that whenever a small act of generosity is made boundless in this manner, it is due to the skillful means of the bodhisattva great beings. Why is that? Because the state of omniscience itself is boundless.
“Venerable Pūrṇa, moreover, when bodhisattva great beings practice generosity, they should develop the mind set upon awakening, saying, ‘May this gift of mine not ripen in any other way except for unsurpassed and perfect awakening!’ It is only when generosity is dedicated in this way that it can be reckoned to be the perfection of generosity. However, an act of generosity may still be reckoned to be the perfection of generosity even if it is dedicated long after it was done, provided that it is dedicated to the state of omniscience.
“Venerable Pūrṇa, moreover, even when a bodhisattva’s act of generosity is insignificant, it should still be recognized as abundant. That is because it is dedicated toward the state of omniscience. Similarly, a great act of generosity should also be recognized as insignificant. That is because it is not dedicated toward the state of omniscience. Venerable One, furthermore, even if an act of generosity is dedicated long after it was done, it is still called the perfection of generosity, even though it may no longer be called an act of generosity.
“Venerable Pūrṇa, bodhisattva great beings who circle in saṃsāra without beginning may practice generosity, and yet fail to utter the word ‘omniscience.’ If they nonetheless employ skillful means to dedicate their generosity toward the perfections, and focus on the state of omniscience, their generosity should indeed be recognized as the perfection of generosity of the bodhisattvas.”
Venerable Pūrṇa Maitrāyaṇīputra asked Venerable Śāradvatīputra, “Venerable One, please tell me, are you this eloquent on your own accord or is it due to the blessing of the Blessed One?”
Śāradvatīputra replied, “Whatever eloquence I may possess, Venerable One, it is due to the blessing of the Thus-Gone One. Venerable Pūrṇa, say that all beings living in the boundless, countless, and limitless worlds, wishing for the result of a worthy one, were to practice generosity toward ordinary beings, hearers, and solitary buddhas for as many eons as there are grains of sand in the Ganges. Bodhisattvas would reflect on that and declare, ‘I rejoice in this generosity!’ When bodhisattvas rejoice in those who give in this manner, it creates a mass of merit. After rejoicing, they would then dedicate the merit in this manner: ‘By means of these roots of virtue from having rejoiced, may all bodhisattva great beings in all the limitless and endless worlds who have newly entered this vehicle reach the state of nonregression, and may all those who have reached the state of nonregression swiftly perfect the state of omniscience.’ The bodhisattvas who in this manner dedicated the roots of virtue created by rejoicing would swiftly perfect the state of omniscience. Comparatively, the roots of virtue that were created by the merit of those beings who at first performed the generosity would not constitute even one percent of the roots of virtue created by the bodhisattvas’ thought to rejoice. Nor would they measure a thousandth, a hundred thousandth, a millionth, or a trillionth of that. In fact, no number, fraction, enumeration, analogy, or comparison would suffice. And why? Because the mindset of the bodhisattvas who rejoice in that manner surpasses anything else. Venerable Pūrṇa, in this regard the blessed Buddha is the lord of skillful means.
“Venerable Pūrṇa, moreover, imagine if all those beings lived for as many eons as there are grains of sand in the Ganges and practiced generosity toward the Buddha and the community of monks, thereby creating merit. Now, a bodhisattva might rejoice in that generosity, thinking, ‘Oh my, how generous! What excellent acts of generosity! They are engaged in generosity with such veneration and respect! What faultless acts of giving! I rejoice in this generosity!’ Comparatively, the merit of those who at first performed the generosity would not constitute even one percent of that created by the bodhisattva’s thought to rejoice. Nor would it measure a thousandth, a hundred thousandth, a millionth, or a trillionth of that. In fact, no number, fraction, enumeration, analogy, or comparison would suffice. And why? Because the bodhisattva’s thought to rejoice in that manner surpasses anything else.
“Venerable Pūrṇa, when the full moon rises, all the many stars lose their luster. And, Venerable Pūrṇa, when the sun’s disc rises, it outshines all the fireflies in the world and makes them lose their luster. Venerable Pūrṇa, you may have a hundred, or a thousand, or ten million, or a billion semiprecious stones. However, if you placed a single beryl among them, the color and shine of that single beryl gem would surpass all the semiprecious stones and their luster would fade and disappear. Venerable Pūrṇa, in the same way, the mass of merit that arose from the generosity of all those beings, who practiced generosity for as many limitless eons as there are grains of sand in the Ganges, would not constitute even one percent of the merit created by the bodhisattva’s thought to rejoice. Nor would it measure a thousandth, a hundred thousandth, a millionth, or a trillionth of that. In fact, no number, fraction, enumeration, analogy, or comparison would suffice.
“Venerable Pūrṇa, if you placed the precious horse among a thousand common horses, none of those horses would seem special or stunning. They would not show any of the wild moods of a horse either, because the precious horse would surpass all of them. Venerable Pūrṇa, in the same way, the mass of merit that arose from the generosity of all those beings, who practiced generosity for as many eons as there are grains of sand in the Ganges, would not constitute even one percent of the merit created by the bodhisattva’s thought to rejoice. Nor would it measure a thousandth, a hundred thousandth, a millionth, or a trillionth of that. In fact, no number, fraction, enumeration, analogy, or comparison would suffice. The bodhisattva’s thought to rejoice would surpass it all.
“Venerable Pūrṇa, moreover, that bodhisattva great being would dedicate the merit, saying, ‘By the mass of merit that has been created through rejoicing, may all bodhisattva great beings in all the limitless and countless worlds who have newly entered this vehicle reach the state of nonregression, and may all those who have reached the state of nonregression swiftly perfect the state of omniscience.’
“The more bodhisattvas are able to give away their roots of virtue, the more they will manifest, and the closer they will be to the state of omniscience. The more they can avoid becoming possessive of their roots of virtue and wish that their roots of virtue may lead to all beings’ happiness, the more those roots of virtue will enable them to excel. The more they excel by means of their roots of virtue, the closer they will be to the state of omniscience. The more they avoid thinking of the roots of virtue as their own, the more boundless will be the roots of virtue they possess. Why is that? Because the state of omniscience is boundless. Venerable Pūrṇa, likewise, bodhisattva great beings who rejoice are skilled in means, so when they dedicate the merit, the dedication is directed toward benefiting and looking after those bodhisattvas who have newly entered this vehicle and ensuring that the nonregressing bodhisattvas quickly obtain higher knowledge. In this way they are assisted while the bodhisattvas themselves attain the state of omniscience.
“Venerable Pūrṇa, you should understand that this is what is meant by bodhisattvas being skilled in means. And why? Because they dedicate to the state of omniscience in this manner and because they benefit themselves and other bodhisattva great beings immensely.”
This concludes the first chapter from “The Perfection of Generosity” entitled “Rejoicing.”
“Venerable Pūrṇa, moreover, imagine the merit that would be created if all beings were to perform acts of generosity toward the Buddha and the assembly of monks for as many eons as there are grains of sand in the Ganges. If you compare that with the merit that comes from a bodhisattva great being offering the Buddha and the assembly of monks a single meal, the merit of the former would not constitute even one percent of the merit of offering the meal. Nor would it measure a thousandth, a hundred thousandth, a millionth, or a trillionth of that. In fact, no number, fraction, enumeration, analogy, or comparison would suffice. And why? Because of the dedication of merit.
“Venerable Pūrṇa, the recipient of the generosity of that bodhisattva and of those beings is the same here. Yet, although the recipient is no different, the generosity of beings lacks a dedication and therefore it does not constitute even one percent of the merit of the bodhisattva. Nor would it measure a thousandth, a hundred thousandth, a millionth, or a trillionth of that. In fact, no number, fraction, enumeration, analogy, or comparison would suffice.
“Venerable Pūrṇa, moreover, when bodhisattva great beings practice generosity, they should make the aspiration, ‘Now that I have given this gift in this manner, may the virtue that has been created—the merit and the goodness that have been created—be the cause of all beings in hell being freed from their hellish states; may all those beings who have been born as animals be freed from the animal realm; may all beings living in the realm of the Lord of Death be freed from it; may all bodhisattva great beings in all the limitless and endless worlds who have newly entered this vehicle reach the state of nonregression; and may all nonregressing bodhisattvas quickly perfect the state of omniscience!’ The more bodhisattvas create roots of virtue, the more they will master the perfection of generosity and increase the roots of virtue limitlessly, and that much closer will they be to the state of omniscience. You should understand that such is the bodhisattvas’ skill in means. The more they avoid thinking of the roots of virtue as their own, the more they increase the merit limitlessly. And why? Because the state of omniscience is limitless.
“Venerable Pūrṇa, this is how bodhisattva great beings give away all of their possessions. Since they give away their roots of virtue, which are immaterial, what need is there to mention material things? Therefore, bodhisattva great beings give away everything, both material and immaterial. And since they give away everything, they achieve omniscience. Such bodhisattvas proclaim, ‘I do not see anything, whether internal or external, whether material or immaterial, that I will not relinquish, give away, or make an offering of. I do not see any such thing.’ With this lion’s roar they cause joy.
“Venerable Pūrṇa, once bodhisattva great beings awaken to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood, they perceive by means of the wisdom of omniscience. At that point they let out a lion’s roar, proclaiming, ‘I do not see anything, whether internal or external, whether material or immaterial, that I have not relinquished, given away, or offered. Because I do not see any such thing, I have awakened to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood and now I do not see anything that I have not awakened to or that I do not understand. Just as I do not see any such thing, so have I awakened to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood and obtained the sacred perfection of all phenomena. Now there is nothing whatsoever that I have not awakened to or that I do not understand. Just as there is nothing whatsoever that I have not relinquished or given away, so also do I not see anything that I have not awakened to or that I do not understand.’
“Venerable Pūrṇa, since bodhisattva great beings relinquish all inner and outer things in this way, they see that, among all inner and outer phenomena, there is nothing whatsoever that they do not awaken to or that they do not understand. Venerable Pūrṇa, this is how bodhisattva great beings should train in the perfection of generosity. When bodhisattvas train in this manner, they receive the name ‘bodhisattva’ and become inseparable from the mind of omniscience. Whenever bodhisattva great beings become inseparable from the mind of omniscience, the evil Māra will have no opportunity to cause harm, let alone the yakṣas and piśācas—it would be impossible for them to cause any harm.
“Venerable Pūrṇa, anywhere bodhisattvas go while bringing to mind the properties of omniscience, no human or nonhuman being will find an opportunity to cause them harm. And why? Because such considerations possess that much power. Thus, bringing omniscience to mind in this way has such inconceivable and vast benefits. Venerable Pūrṇa, the actions performed by bodhisattva great beings for the sake of awakening benefit beings in this way and take care of them.
“Venerable Pūrṇa, in this way, bodhisattva great beings surpass all childish and ordinary beings as well as all the hearers and solitary buddhas. Awakening to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood, they benefit and take care of these beings. In order to eradicate the disturbing emotions of beings, they also teach the Dharma. They also bring to nirvāṇa limitless beings within the three groups of beings.
“Venerable Pūrṇa, that is how bodhisattva great beings awaken to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood. Then, compared to all childish and ordinary beings as well as all the hearers and solitary buddhas, they are known as ‘the supreme, foremost, superior, preeminent, sublime, unsurpassed, and unexcelled beings.’ Even after they pass into nirvāṇa, they continue to benefit beings and take care of them. Whoever venerates, respects, honors, and pays homage to the stūpa of a thus-gone one by offering incense, flowers, garlands, ointments, powders, garments, parasols, flags, and banners to it produces roots of virtue that make them destined for nirvāṇa. Whoever offers a single flower to the stūpa of a thus-gone one without any feelings of attachment has been prophesied by the Blessed One to be destined for nirvāṇa.
“Venerable Pūrṇa, this is how bodhisattva great beings benefit and take care of others while they are present. Likewise, even as they awaken to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood and pass into nirvāṇa, they benefit and take care of beings. There is, in fact, no time at all when bodhisattva great beings do not take care of others. Apart from a thus-gone one, there is no other being that can be seen to possess the qualities of a bodhisattva. It would be impossible for anyone else to have such qualities.
“Venerable Pūrṇa, think of gold. Whether it is heated or not, it can still provide for beings’ livelihood. Whether it is melted or not, or beaten or not, it can still provide for beings’ livelihood. Venerable Pūrṇa, the actions of bodhisattva great beings for the sake of awakening can provide for beings’ livelihood in the same way. Moreover, as they awaken to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood and pass into nirvāṇa, they continue to provide for beings.
“Venerable Pūrṇa, think of the moon and the sun and how they sustain the four continents, and how because of them the beings on all four continents can carry out their activities. Whenever the moon and the sun are out, they shine brightly and beings are able to distinguish night and day, the fortnights, the seasons, and the years. Venerable Pūrṇa, in the same way, bodhisattva great beings take care of beings when they are present. Moreover, as they awaken to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood and pass into nirvāṇa, they continue to take care of beings. Venerable Pūrṇa, since bodhisattva great beings possess such vast qualities, there is no time at all when they do not take care of beings.
“Venerable Pūrṇa, if a merchant were to make a profit worth hundreds of thousands of gold coins, he would secure the well-being of a limitless number of beings, who could then enjoy his amassed wealth. Venerable Pūrṇa, likewise, if bodhisattva great beings secure the well-being of numerous beings even when they remain seated or stationary, then clearly they also secure the hearers’ well-being by the power of awakening to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood and passing into nirvāṇa. Therefore, Venerable Pūrṇa, whether they act, awaken, or pass into nirvāṇa, there is no time at all when bodhisattva great beings do not take care of others. The characteristic of a holy being is to be well oneself while ensuring the well-being of others.
“Venerable Pūrṇa, consider the analogy of a king from the ruling class who has been anointed. Such a king ensures the well-being of all brahmins and householders when he is alive. Even after he passes away, by means of his past magnificence, his realm remains free from harm by robbers and bandits. Venerable Pūrṇa, likewise, when bodhisattva great beings are present, they ensure the well-being of others. Even when they awaken and pass into nirvāṇa, they continue to ensure the well-being of limitless others. They ensure the well-being of anyone who recollects their discipline and recollects their absorption, insight, liberation, and vision of liberated wisdom. No terror by any human or nonhuman being will frighten such beings.”
Then the Blessed One said to Venerable Śāradvatīputra, “Śāradvatīputra, excellent, excellent! Śāradvatīputra, that is how it is. Such beings will not be frightened by any kind of terror. Whoever recollects the discipline, absorption, insight, liberation, and vision of liberated wisdom of the Thus-Gone One will not be frightened by any terror whatsoever.”
Venerable Śāradvatīputra said to the Blessed One, “Blessed One, it is wonderful that the Blessed Buddha possesses such vast qualities!
The Blessed One said, “Śāradvatīputra, the bodhisattvas should also be seen to possess vast qualities.”
Śāradvatīputra said, “Blessed One, what are the vast qualities that the bodhisattva great beings possess?”
The Blessed One said, “Śāradvatīputra, arousing the mind set upon unsurpassed and perfect awakening—that is vast. And why? Because the state of a thus-gone one—the state of a buddha—is a vast state.”
This concludes the second chapter from “The Perfection of Generosity” entitled “The Skillful Means of Generosity.”
Venerable Śāradvatīputra then said to Venerable Pūrṇa Maitrāyaṇīputra, “Venerable Pūrṇa, in this regard, here is how bodhisattva great beings should arouse the mind of awakening. If approached by a beggar, they should never think, ‘I will give later,’ or, ‘I don’t have enough to give.’ They should also never feel, ‘I cannot bear to give that away.’ If others are generous, they should rejoice, encourage them, and be happy. Venerable Pūrṇa, bodhisattva great beings should dedicate the merit that comes from rejoicing toward the state of omniscience. When bodhisattvas rejoice by thinking of how these beings have practiced generosity and created merit, they dedicate the merit of their virtuous mind state toward the state of omniscience. By doing so their attitude surpasses the attitude of those who actually gave. Comparatively, the merit and roots of virtue created by those who initially were generous would not constitute even one percent of those created by the mind that rejoices and dedicates toward the state of omniscience. Nor would they measure a thousandth, a hundred thousandth, a millionth, or a trillionth of that. In fact, no number, fraction, enumeration, analogy, or comparison would suffice. They would be surpassed by a single moment of the mind of bodhisattvas who rejoice, because they have dedicated the merit toward unsurpassed and perfect awakening.
“Venerable Pūrṇa, moreover, when bodhisattva great beings practice the perfection of generosity, they should be skillful and dedicate any form of generosity toward the state of omniscience. Venerable Pūrṇa, in this way bodhisattva great beings should be skilled in means. Even if bodhisattvas who are not skillful practice generosity for as many eons as there are grains of sand in the Ganges, they will not be upholding the perfection of generosity if they fail to dedicate the merit toward the state of omniscience.
“Venerable Pūrṇa, moreover, even if it should happen that they were approached by beings holding a vessel as large as the entire world and requesting that it be filled with gifts, bodhisattva great beings should definitely give, and never think, ‘I can’t!’ They should also not think, ‘This vessel is just too big!’ Nor should they think, ‘How could I ever fill this vessel!’ You may then wonder how they should react. Well, they should think, ‘I can do that. I am happy to fill this vessel! I will strive and try my best to fill this vessel!’ If bodhisattva great beings strive and try their best in this way, being diligent and generous, they uphold the perfection of generosity. Venerable Pūrṇa, this is how bodhisattva great beings should train in the perfection of generosity.
“Venerable Pūrṇa, moreover, bodhisattva great beings should practice generosity toward beings with feelings of love. They should be filled with love and compassion while practicing generosity toward others. When they practice generosity, they should do it with the thought, ‘May the merit and virtue created hereby cause all bodhisattvas who have newly entered this vehicle in all the limitless and endless worlds to become nonregressing! And may all nonregressing bodhisattvas swiftly perfect the state of omniscience!’ The more bodhisattva great beings are able to give away their roots of virtue, the more they will progress toward the state of omniscience.
“Venerable Pūrṇa, think of gold: the more it is heated, smelted, melted, and refined, the more it shines. Venerable Pūrṇa, in the same way, the more bodhisattva great beings dedicate the merit and virtue that they have created toward the state of omniscience, the more their roots of virtue will enable them to excel. The more they excel by means of their roots of virtue, the more worthy they will become as recipients of others’ service, and that much more will their splendor increase in terms of their luster, shine, and charisma.
“Venerable Pūrṇa, when a woman polishes a mirror, the more she does so, the clearer the mirror becomes. And the clearer it becomes, the clearer its reflections are. Venerable Pūrṇa, likewise, the more bodhisattva great beings dedicate the mass of merit created through generosity toward the state of omniscience and practice generosity by offering it to other bodhisattvas—saying, ‘May it cause those bodhisattvas who have newly entered this vehicle to reach the state of nonregression and may all those who have reached the state of nonregression swiftly perfect the state of omniscience!’—the more their roots of virtue will increase. The more their roots of virtue increase, the closer they will be to the state of omniscience. You should understand that when bodhisattvas dedicate in this manner, they are being skilled in means.
“It is said that ‘when bodhisattva great beings make a small gift, the merit produced is great,’ meaning that if generosity is dedicated toward the state of omniscience, even a small gift given by bodhisattvas yields great merit. On the other hand, if the gift is not dedicated toward the state of omniscience, they may give extensively and yet the resulting merit would be insignificant. Therefore, if bodhisattvas were to live for as many eons as there are grains of sand in the Ganges, all the while giving away a multitude of desirable objects and dedicating their generosity toward the state of omniscience, not only would the bodhisattva great beings’ gifts be extensive, they would also in turn yield great merit. As such, when bodhisattva great beings practice generosity, they should always keep their focus on the state of omniscience. Any bodhisattva great beings who keep their focus on the state of omniscience are bodhisattvas who are close to awakening; soon they will awaken to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood. Why is that? Because when bodhisattva great beings keep their focus on the state of omniscience, they are being skilled in means.
“Moreover, Venerable Pūrṇa, bodhisattva great beings should train in the perfection of generosity right from the start. Why is that? Because, Venerable Pūrṇa, they have been accustomed to miserliness since time without beginning in saṃsāra. When they practice generosity, they distance themselves from miserliness and instead approach the state of omniscience. The closer they come to the state of omniscience, the more they turn away from the levels of the hearers and the solitary buddhas. The more they turn away from the levels of the hearers and the solitary buddhas, the closer they will be to the state of omniscience.
“Venerable Pūrṇa, as an analogy, if you place a jar outside in the rain, it will gradually be filled as the raindrops fall. The very first raindrop does not fill the jar, nor does the very last. Rather, it is the raindrops that fall steadily from beginning to end that gradually fill the jar. Venerable Pūrṇa, likewise, bodhisattva great beings do not attain the state of omniscience as soon as they first arouse the mind of awakening, nor do they attain this state as they take their place at the seat of awakening. Rather, they do so by means of all the individual mind states that are directed toward the state of omniscience, beginning with their first arousal of the mind of awakening and continuing until they finally take their place at the seat of awakening. It is through the accumulation of all of those beneficial mind states that they gradually produce the result of unsurpassed and perfect awakening. Venerable Pūrṇa, in this way, bodhisattva great beings should aim for the state of omniscience by means of a focused state of mind.”
Venerable Pūrṇa Maitrāyaṇīputra said to Venerable Śāradvatīputra, “Venerable Śāradvatīputra, how is that state of mind of the bodhisattvas focused?”
Venerable Śāradvatīputra replied, “Venerable Pūrṇa, even when improper thoughts occur to bodhisattvas, they should perceive those thoughts as advantageous for the state of omniscience, thinking, ‘Since such improper thoughts have created my body, they have indeed been helpful for my practice of the perfections.’ That is what is called a focused state of mind.
“Venerable Pūrṇa, moreover, anyone, regardless of whether they help or harm bodhisattva great beings, should be perceived as a cause for omniscience. In this way, Venerable Pūrṇa, bodhisattva great beings should keep their minds focused. Venerable Pūrṇa, as an analogy, when a man who is sentenced to death is being led to the place of execution, he only has the thought of his death in mind. Just like this analogy, bodhisattva great beings are only concerned with the state of omniscience. Venerable Pūrṇa, you should understand that such is the focused state of mind of bodhisattva great beings.
“Venerable Pūrṇa, as an analogy, if those who are traveling with precious objects are forced to stay in a terrifying place or a desolate wilderness, they will constantly keep that terrifying place or desolate wilderness in mind. They will continuously think, ‘When will I get away from this desolate wilderness? When will I reach the end of this terrifying place?’ Venerable Pūrṇa, in the same way, bodhisattva great beings do not entertain any other thought besides attention to the state of omniscience. Such is the focused state of mind of bodhisattva great beings.
“Venerable Pūrṇa, as an analogy, when a thief who wants to steal something goes to the marketplace and picks people’s pockets, he is only concerned with how to avoid being caught as he steals and picks people’s pockets. Apart from that, he has no other thought. Venerable Pūrṇa, in the same way, bodhisattva great beings do not entertain any other thought than the wish to awaken to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood. Venerable Pūrṇa, you should understand that such is the focused state of mind of bodhisattva great beings.
“Venerable Pūrṇa, as an analogy, think of a goldsmith who has been entrusted with gold that belongs to the king and given the order, ‘Listen, make a piece of jewelry out of this gold! And make sure that you complete a whole year’s work in just one month! If it is not completed when one month has passed, you will pay with your head!’ In that case, the one who receives the order will have no other thought but to get the gold heated and smelted and fashioned into an ornament. All he will be able to think about is finishing the ornament. Even during mealtimes, he will be unable to focus on his food, since he will be preoccupied by thoughts concerning the gold and the state of the jewelry. All his thoughts and concerns will center around that. Why is that? Because of how much he values his life. Finally, he can offer the ornaments to the king, saying, ‘Your Majesty, here is your jewelry.’ Delighted and thrilled, the king will exclaim, ‘You have indeed completed twelve months’ work, so you deserve a grand reward!’
“Venerable Pūrṇa, in the same way, bodhisattva great beings should maintain a focused state of mind from the first time they arouse the mind of awakening until the very last time they do so. Just like the goldsmith who produces the jewelry with a focused state of mind because of how much he values his life, just so, Venerable Pūrṇa, bodhisattva great beings should maintain their focus on the state of omniscience without entertaining any other thoughts. If they are strongly dedicated to the omniscient state, they will also have a focused state of mind. Other bodhisattvas awaken to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood after countless eons, yet these bodhisattva great beings do so within less than one hundred eons. And why? Because they do not entertain any other thought besides this attainment. That is why bodhisattva great beings maintain a focused state of mind and perfect their awakening within less than one hundred eons. Venerable Pūrṇa, this is how bodhisattva great beings should practice with a focused state of mind. In this way they will benefit both themselves and others. In this way they will arrive at the meaning of the unsurpassed wisdom of awakening.”
This concludes the third chapter from “The Perfection of Generosity” entitled “Analogies.”
Venerable Pūrṇa Maitrāyaṇīputra now asked Venerable Śāradvatīputra, “Venerable One, if this state of mind should happen to become distracted what would its essence be and what would it entail?”
Venerable Śāradvatīputra replied, “Venerable Pūrṇa, whenever bodhisattvas think in ways that are related to the level of the hearers or the level of the solitary buddhas, it should be understood that the bodhisattvas’ mind has become contaminated; these are incorrect ways of thinking for bodhisattva great beings. Why is that? Because awakening has no essence. If bodhisattva great beings’ thoughts become desirous, or angry, or deluded, such thoughts should not be viewed as contaminating the bodhisattvas’ mind. Why is that? Because such thoughts are helpful insofar as they create the impetus for the bodhisattvas’ further existence. They also bring about their transition into the omniscient state. Moreover, it is due to such thoughts that bodhisattvas take on a body. Lastly, due to their skill in means, just as they can dedicate the merit created by the six perfections, so bodhisattva great beings can make use of disturbing emotions to awaken to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood.
“Venerable Pūrṇa, any thought that poses an obstacle to the state of omniscience should be understood as contaminating a bodhisattva great being’s state of mind. What does that mean? It refers to the states of mind associated with the levels of the hearers and the solitary buddhas. They should be regarded as contaminating the mind. The occurrences of other states of mind that accord with existence do not, however, contaminate bodhisattva great beings’ minds. If you wonder why such thoughts are desirable, it is because bodhisattva great beings must wear the armor of never tiring of cyclic existence. As such thoughts manifest, they come to take on new modes of rebirth. As they take on such modes of rebirth, bodhisattvas are able to practice the perfection of generosity. Likewise, they become able to engage in the perfection of discipline, the perfection of patience, the perfection of diligence, and the perfection of concentration. They are also able to train in the perfection of insight. Therefore, those thoughts that perpetuate existence are desirable for bodhisattva great beings until they finally sit at the seat of awakening.
“Venerable Pūrṇa, bodhisattva great beings should therefore never be discouraged by disturbing emotions. If you wonder why disturbing emotions are desirable for bodhisattvas, it is because bodhisattvas benefit from them. If disturbing emotions had physical form, I would venerate them with great respect. Why is that? Because they possess such helpful qualities. If skillfulness had a form, I would venerate it as respectfully as if it were the Thus-Gone One. Why is that? Because skillfulness prevents one from cutting the ties to existence. It also increases the six perfections, refines them, and accomplishes the state of omniscience. The more one’s skillfulness increases the six perfections, refines them, and accomplishes the state of omniscience, the more the ties to existence are diminished, exhausted, and weakened.
“Venerable Pūrṇa, as an analogy, when a chariot is fully loaded, its central axle gets increasingly worn out the farther it travels. The load weighs heavily on the central axle so that it becomes worn out and weakened under the weight. Then, when the chariot finally enters the city, it may break down, now that the journey is over. Venerable Pūrṇa, likewise, any ties that cause bodhisattva great beings to have further existences only cause them to embrace such further existence. The more bodhisattvas manifest rebirth, the more they are able to refine the six perfections. The more they are able to refine the six perfections, the more the ties to existence are weakened. The more the ties to existence are weakened, the closer they are to the omniscient state. Then, when eventually bodhisattva great beings attain omniscient wisdom at the seat of awakening, those ties to existence no longer have a function, just as the central axle on the chariot no longer is needed once it arrives in the city. Just as the axle no longer functions once it breaks in the city, the bodhisattvas’ ties to existence no longer function once the bodhisattva great beings attain the omniscient state. Why is that? Because the bodhisattvas have completed their task.
“Whenever bodhisattva great beings are being scolded and rebuked by others, those bodhisattva great beings should say, ‘I deserved that!’ They will then be generous toward the ones who scolded them and in this way these people will have benefited the bodhisattva great beings. With that attitude they will also arouse the mind set upon the omniscient state. You should understand that this whole mental process is beneficial for attaining the omniscient state. Venerable Pūrṇa, you must understand that any state of mind, apart from those entertained by the hearers and solitary buddhas, is helpful for the bodhisattva great beings.”
Venerable Pūrṇa Maitrāyaṇīputra said to Venerable Śāradvatīputra, “Venerable Śāradvatīputra, it should be understood that even the hearers and the solitary buddhas are helpful in this regard. The hearers are instructed and taught by means of the six perfections and so, since they are also brought to apply the perfections, they become recipients of the bodhisattva great beings’ generosity. Therefore, they also assist with regard to the omniscient state. Because the solitary buddhas are likewise recipients of the bodhisattvas’ generosity in this regard, they also benefit them.”
Venerable Śāradvatīputra said to Venerable Pūrṇa Maitrāyaṇīputra, “Venerable Pūrṇa, that is correct. Anyone who is taught and instructed by means of the perfections is also an object of the bodhisattvas’ generosity. In this way even the hearers benefit the bodhisattvas. Since the solitary buddhas are also recipients of such generosity, they also benefit the bodhisattvas’ attainment of omniscience. For that matter, when the bodhisattvas practice generosity and dedicate it toward the state of omniscience, no matter who is the object, it will help bodhisattvas to attain that state.
“However, Venerable Pūrṇa, bodhisattvas should not entertain any mind state of the hearers or wish for their level. Why is that? Because bodhisattvas should turn away from such a level. Likewise, neither should they entertain any mind state of the solitary buddhas or wish for their level. Why is that? Because they should turn away from such a level. However, Venerable Pūrṇa, the hearers and the solitary buddhas themselves do benefit and so, Venerable Pūrṇa, there is no phenomenon that does not benefit a skillful bodhisattva toward reaching the state of omniscience.
“The attitude and consciousness of the worthy ones benefit bodhisattvas because without them there would be nothing from which bodhisattvas turn away. In this way, bodhisattvas must avoid engendering the attitude of the worthy ones; their states of consciousness are not equal. They should abandon such an attitude, and instead arouse the attitude set upon attaining the state of omniscience. In the same way, the attitude and consciousness of the solitary buddhas also help the bodhisattvas to reach the state of omniscience. For without the attitudes and consciousnesses of the worthy ones and the solitary buddhas, the bodhisattvas could not be benefited. Why is that? Because a bodhisattva great being’s state of mind is unique among all defiled and undefiled mind states. Compared to any other mind state—excluding the mind of a thus-gone one—the mind of a bodhisattva is supreme, foremost, superior, preeminent, sublime, unsurpassed, and unexcelled. Therefore, Venerable Pūrṇa, these two levels can be beneficial to the bodhisattva great beings for reaching the omniscient state. In fact, there is no observable phenomenon that is not beneficial to skillful bodhisattvas for reaching the state of omniscience. [B2]
“Moreover, Venerable Pūrṇa, when bodhisattva great beings practice the perfection of generosity, they should not conceive of the object that is offered in a conceptual manner. Instead, bodhisattvas should give free of any concepts and then dedicate the merit toward the state of omniscience. When giving in this manner, it will be of benefit. Without abandoning conceptuality in this way, they will never attain perfect awakening.
“Attaining omniscience is a great attainment. In comparison, securing a profit of millions of gold coins, or hoarding millions of gemstones, should not be considered a great achievement. Moreover, to give objects away in a manner that is beyond conceptuality and thereby awaken to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood is the most exalted attainment of all. Even if one were to attain the kingdom of a universal monarch of the four continents, but not abandon conceptuality, it would not be a great achievement. And even if one were to rule the desire realm, yet did not abandon conceptuality, it would not be a great achievement. On the other hand, if one abandons concepts and attains the result of a stream enterer, a once-returner, a non-returner, a worthy one, or a solitary buddha, that should be recognized as a much greater achievement. Still, abandoning conceptuality and attaining unsurpassed and perfect awakening is the greatest attainment of all. Such an attainment is much greater than any of those other achievements. This attainment by the bodhisattva great beings is unequaled; it is the attainment of the state of a thus-gone one. One should not be concerned with any objects that are apprehended conceptually, such as clothes, food, bedding, seats, medicines, or other implements. Why is that? Because they belong to the realm of concepts. Anyone who gives away their clothes, food, bedding, seats, medicines, and other implements while skillfully dedicating the merit will attain omniscience. Therefore, one should recognize that the attainment of a bodhisattva great being is supreme. One should address such bodhisattvas with these words, ‘You are bound to become omniscient. Why is that? Because all inner and outer entities are devoid of an essence, and thus you scarcely apprehend any objects conceptually. This is why you will attain omniscience. Anyone who ever attained this mind state, as well as all those who attain it now, and those who ever will attain this state, are certain to attain omniscience.’ ”
Venerable Śāradvatīputra said to Venerable Pūrṇa Maitrāyaṇīputra, “Venerable One, which classification of the bodhisattvas does this refer to? This relates to the category of the bodhisattvas’ skillfulness. Why is that? Because if these beings understood how to attain omniscience, all beings would attain omniscience. Nevertheless, none of them are interested in omniscience; none of them arouse that attitude. Therefore, as they do not engender the mind set upon omniscience, neither do any of them attain that state. It is those who are devoted to the state of omniscience and set their mind upon it who attain that state. After they set their mind upon omniscience, they also come to understand that any object that they give away does not truly exist. So they tell themselves, ‘These entities that I perceive are an illusion. They are not actually the way that I perceive them conceptually.’ In this way they further develop their charitable attitude and generosity and do not cling to things. However, even though the object is illusory, other beings do not understand that and so they continue to cling so intensely to things and are unable to give them away. Being unable to give anything away, they are gripped by miserliness. And due to miserliness they take birth in the lower realms where they end up destitute. In this way, if one is unable to give away or make use of an object, that object can become the cause of miserliness and birth in the lower realms. Whenever skillful bodhisattva great beings understand this, they will tell themselves, ‘This object is illusory and the act of giving it away is also illusory. That which is illusory does not really belong to me, nor can it truly be given away. Why is that? Because it is illusory. Nonetheless, I will now make an extensive gift of it!’
“By being generous in this manner, those bodhisattvas will begin to emulate the blessed buddhas. They are amazed by the statement of the blessed buddhas—who only explain well and free from any error—that the mark of giving away illusory objects is full awakening to perfect buddhahood. In this regard, as bodhisattva great beings then begin to emulate the blessed buddhas, they will not develop any clinging to these objects but will be inclined to offer them to others in a similar way. They should also appreciate the hardship their teachers underwent to show bodhisattva great beings that the objects and circumstances they encounter are without characteristics. Venerable Pūrṇa, you should think, ‘This is how bodhisattva great beings seek to awaken to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood, thereby attaining the state of omniscience.’ Venerable Pūrṇa, in case you should think, ‘This teaching is due to Śāradvatīputra’s eloquence,’ that is not the case, since I have delivered this teaching due to the blessings of the Thus-Gone One.”
Then the Blessed One spoke to Venerable Ānanda, “Ānanda, please pay attention to the discourse of the elder Śāradvatīputra. You should remember it, retain it, recite it, and master it.”
This concludes the fourth chapter from “The Perfection of Generosity” entitled “Nonconceptuality.”
Venerable Pūrṇa Maitrāyaṇīputra asked the Blessed One, “Blessed One, when bodhisattva great beings give in this manner, what sort of giving is that?”
The Blessed One replied, “Pūrṇa, when bodhisattva great beings give in this manner, it is not actually giving. Just as there is no act of giving, so there is also nothing to attain.” The Blessed One continued, “Pūrṇa, just as bodhisattva great beings do not give any real objects away, so there is nothing to attain even by awakening to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood.
“Pūrṇa, the dwelling place of a bodhisattva great being is just like a Dharma treasury. If a bodhisattva great being were to give away any truly existing objects, that bodhisattva would also attain a real result of awakening to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood. However, Pūrṇa, since there are no real phenomena that the bodhisattva great being can give away, there is also not any truly existent object that the bodhisattva great being could attain when awakening to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood.
“Pūrṇa, consider this analogy. If a magician, or the apprentice of a magician, sells an illusory sweet to another magician, that magician can also conjure up a coin and pay for the sweet. Pūrṇa, in that case both the payment and the sweet would be the same. Similarly, the gift offered by a bodhisattva great being and his full awakening to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood are identical. Pūrṇa, what is laid out is just the same as what is amassed. And similarly, the value of the bodhisattva’s gift would be just the same as that which is to be gained.
“Pūrṇa, consider this analogy. A magician might conjure up a tree with one hundred thousand animals living at its foot. As the animals then eat the fruits of the tree, Pūrṇa, both the fruits and those who eat them are the same. In the same way, the gifts of a bodhisattva great being are just like revenues being collected. Pūrṇa, in this way, when bodhisattva great beings give away their belongings, the wealth given away is identical to the gain made and the gain made is identical to the wealth that is given away.
“Pūrṇa, think of this analogy. A magician, or the skilled apprentice of a magician, might conjure up a woman at a large intersection where everyone could see her. He might then create the illusion that the woman was pregnant and that she gave birth to a son. Once the son was born, the magician might create the illusion that the son died. Pūrṇa, tell me, when the son died, would that woman think that her son had passed away?”
Pūrṇa replied, “No, Blessed One, she would not.”
The Blessed One said, “Pūrṇa, in that case the mother and the son are alike. In the same way, the generosity of a bodhisattva great being and the state of omniscience are exactly alike. Pūrṇa, therefore, in this case the Dharma treasury is nondual. Pūrṇa, tell me, do you see me as having desire for any phenomena?”
Pūrṇa replied, “No, Blessed One, I do not. Why is that? Blessed One, because the Thus-Gone One has realized that phenomena are empty.”
The Blessed One said, “Pūrṇa, likewise, just as the Thus-Gone One now does not feel any desire for phenomena, I had no problem giving away everything when I was a bodhisattva. Therefore, the blessed buddhas do not entertain any form of desire or anger. Why is that? Because the blessed buddhas have given up all desire and anger.”
Pūrṇa said, “Blessed One, it is wonderful how bodhisattva great beings are able to give away any object, seeing them to be essentially empty, hollow, without substance, and unreal. As I understand the meaning of the teaching spoken by the Blessed One, even if a bodhisattva were to fill as many worlds as there are grains of sand in the Ganges with gold and riches and give it all to a beggar, that bodhisattva must still be skillful when giving. Otherwise, it would only be a limited gift, rather than the perfection of generosity. When bodhisattva great beings give, they do so thinking, ‘I will give up all my possessions.’ ”
Then the Blessed One said to Venerable Śāradvatīputra, “You should have the courage to explain the meaning of this teaching. Even though this is the time for me to speak, I would like you to explain this.”
So Venerable Śāradvatīputra said to Venerable Pūrṇa Maitrāyaṇīputra, “Venerable Pūrṇa, in this regard, bodhisattva great beings wishing to awaken to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood should consider all phenomena to be empty and practice generosity. While keeping their focus on the state of omniscience, they should give away all their belongings. They should definitely give up any form of not relinquishing, not giving, and not offering any object, whether in their own possession or not. Venerable Pūrṇa, in this way bodhisattva great beings should give with a mind set upon omniscience.”
Teaching the Five Perfections is a compilation of five short sūtras that each present the practice of one of the five perfections in which bodhisattvas train on the path of the Great Vehicle: generosity, discipline, patience, diligence, and concentration. These five perfections embody the skillful methods of the bodhisattva path, and, as these sūtras show, they should always be combined with an understanding of the state of omniscience, the sixth perfection of insight that is supposed to permeate the practice of the first five perfections. The teachings are delivered by the Buddha as well as two of his close disciples, Śāradvatīputra and Pūrṇa Maitrāyaṇīputra, who both teach the five perfections inspired by the Buddha’s blessing.
Translated by the Dharmachakra Translation Committee under the guidance of Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche. The translation was produced by Andreas Doctor and Zachary Beer with assistance from Lama Tenzin Zangpo and Karma Oser.
The translation was completed under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.
The generous sponsorship of Liu Fan and family, which helped make the work on this translation possible, is most gratefully acknowledged.
Teaching the Five Perfections is a compilation of five individual sūtras that each present the practice of one of the five perfections (pāramitā) in which bodhisattvas train on the path of the Great Vehicle: generosity, discipline, patience, diligence, and concentration. These five perfections embody the skillful methods of the bodhisattva path, and, as these sūtras emphasize, they should always be practiced in conjunction with an understanding of the state of omniscience, the sixth perfection of insight that is supposed to permeate the practice of the first five perfections. Throughout this sūtra, the perfection of insight is taught as the practice of turning one’s mind to the omniscient state while transcending conceptual reference points. Only by integrating the perfection of insight into the practice of the other five trainings do they become genuine perfections.
Teaching the Five Perfections unfolds as a conversation between the Buddha and two of his close students, Śāradvatīputra, who is praised in the canonical literature as the foremost of the Buddha’s disciples in terms of wisdom, and Pūrṇa Maitrāyaṇīputra, who is lauded as the foremost preacher of the Dharma. As for these two outstanding disciples, we are told that they deliver their teachings on the perfections in a conversation inspired and guided by the Buddha’s blessing. As is often the case in sūtra literature, this is one of the ways in which bona fide “words of the Buddha” (buddhavacana) can be expressed. A wide range of topics is addressed throughout the text, including the practice of nonconceptuality, the defining characteristics of bodhisattvas, the importance of dedicating merit toward omniscience, the distinction between bodhisattvas and hearers, and, of course, the distinctive practices of the five perfections themselves.
Over the course of discussing these topics, the Buddha and his two disciples address several challenging issues, such as defending the efficacy and legitimacy of meritorious actions once the lack of self has been realized, and repudiating objections that bodhisattvas do not voluntarily embrace saṃsāra but are simply unable to obtain the cessation of the hearers and thus forced to remain in existence. In treating these and many other philosophical themes in detail, Teaching the Five Perfections thus provides a wealth of insight into the thought and practice of the Great Vehicle. The text presents the five central “methods” of the Great Vehicle in a manner that stands out from the highly codified presentations of the perfections that one finds in the commentarial literature. In this way the sūtra provides not only a wealth of doctrinal teachings but also a host of imaginative and humorous analogies that give us a rare glimpse of the cultural and social milieu in India during the time of its composition. As such, the text should be of interest to a contemporary readership concerned not only with the development of the Buddhist tradition and its scriptures, but also with classical Indian culture in general.
Today only two short manuscript fragments of Teaching the Five Perfections have survived in Sanskrit. A complete Chinese translation by Xuanzang (ca. 602–64) does, however, exist. Interestingly, the Chinese canon treats each of these five sūtras as individual scriptures, indicating that the texts most likely originally existed as distinct teachings that only later were compiled and united under a single title by the editors of the Tibetan Kangyur. Moreover, unlike the Tibetans, the Chinese tradition combines these five sūtras with the Suvikrāntavikrāmiparipṛcchā from the Prajñāpāramitā section of the Kangyur, which then is said to represent the teaching of the sixth perfection of insight. Since this English translation is based on the version found in the Degé Kangyur, we have here presented the five sūtras under the single title employed in that collection. As for the Tibetan translation, the translators for this particular text are listed in the colophon as the Indian preceptor Jinamitra and the Tibetan translator Yeshé Dé, who both flourished during the late eighth and early ninth centuries. As such, the Tibetan translation, which we have rendered into English here, would have been completed during the early translation period, a dating that is also attested by the text’s inclusion in the early ninth century Denkarma (ldan dkar ma) inventory of translations into Tibetan. This English translation from the Tibetan has been produced based on the Degé block print with reference to the Comparative Edition (Tib. dpe bsdur ma).
Homage to all buddhas and bodhisattvas!
Thus did I hear at one time. The Blessed One was staying in Śrāvastī, in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍada’s Park, attended by a great saṅgha of 1,250 monks, all of whom were worthy ones who had exhausted their defilements, were without afflictions, self-controlled, their minds liberated, and their insight liberated; were of noble birth, great elephants who had accomplished their tasks, completed their work, laid down their burden, reached their goal, and had destroyed the bonds of existence; and, due to their perfect knowledge, had liberated their minds and obtained supreme perfection in mastering all mental states. He was also attended by bodhisattva great beings, most of whom were youthful, and had only a single birth remaining; in keeping with the wishes of beings they had freed themselves from existence, yet accepted to be born within existence; and all of them were progressing irreversibly toward unsurpassed and perfect awakening.
Along with gods, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kinnaras, and mahoragas, all present were venerating, respecting, honoring, and paying homage to the Blessed One. As they did so, the well-gone one, the knower of the world, the unsurpassed charioteer who tames beings, the teacher of gods and humans, the blessed Buddha, taught the Dharma to all four assemblies, beginning with the six perfections themselves.
The Blessed One said to Venerable Śāradvatīputra, “Śāradvatīputra, when bodhisattva great beings practice the perfection of generosity, that generosity must be practiced without any formative factors.”
Venerable Śāradvatīputra said to the Blessed One, “Blessed One, you are the source of the entire Dharma. You are the chief of the entire Dharma. You are the teacher of the entire Dharma. For this reason, Blessed One, please explain to the monks what they should retain when they hear it from the Blessed One.”
The Blessed One at first did not reply. But when he had been requested a second time he said, “Śāradvatīputra, I have appointed you, so be inspired to speak confidently, beginning with the perfection of generosity of bodhisattva great beings.”
Having been given the opportunity by the Blessed One, and due to the Blessed One’s power, Venerable Śāradvatīputra then began to explain and teach about the bodhisattva great beings’ perfection of generosity as follows.
“Blessed One, when bodhisattva great beings practice the perfection of generosity, they should first turn their focus to the omniscient state, and then practice generosity. If bodhisattva great beings practice generosity while focusing on the omniscient state, those bodhisattva great beings will be upholding the perfection of generosity. Bodhisattvas do not dedicate their generosity toward the level of the hearers or the level of the solitary buddhas, who have fallen into conceptual views and who do not practice dedicating merit. And why is that? Because they know they ought to be afraid of those states.”
Venerable Pūrṇa Maitrāyaṇīputra said to Venerable Śāradvatīputra, “Venerable One, why is it said that bodhisattva great beings are afraid of those states?”
Venerable Śāradvatīputra replied, “They are afraid of them because they fear arriving at the same result as the hearers.”
Venerable Pūrṇa Maitrāyaṇīputra said to Venerable Śāradvatīputra, “Venerable Śāradvatīputra, what is the difference between the practice of generosity of the bodhisattvas and the practice of generosity of the hearers, who practice generosity because they seek to actualize the state of a worthy one? How can they be differentiated?”
Venerable Śāradvatīputra replied, “Venerable Pūrṇa, they can be distinguished, since one group dedicates their merit to reach omniscience, while the other dedicates it in order to reach the level of the hearers. Venerable One, to understand this, consider this analogy: One person may practice generosity out of the wish to be king, thinking, ‘How wonderful if I could be king!’ And yet another person may practice generosity out of a wish to become a servant, thinking, ‘How wonderful if I could be a subject in the country of that king!’ Now, when the latter person dedicates his merit in that way, would that person ever come to attain the same royal level that the former person aimed for?
“Venerable Pūrṇa, in the same way, bodhisattva great beings practice generosity and dedicate the merit with an eye to the state of omniscience, while the followers of the vehicle of the hearers practice generosity and dedicate the merit toward becoming a worthy one on the level of the hearers. In this way, one may wish to become a follower of either the noble hearers or the bodhisattvas. As such, individuals may have the power and strength to dedicate the practice of generosity toward the state of omniscience, or, Venerable Pūrṇa, they may have no interest in dedicating their generosity toward omniscience because they entertain a different interest, and in that case dedicate it toward attaining the state of a hearer. This is how beings are distinguished between those within the vehicle of the bodhisattvas and those who remain on the level of a worthy one within the vehicle of the hearers. Venerable Pūrṇa, the generosity of those within the vehicle of the hearers should be viewed as being similar to someone who thinks, ‘May this merit cause me to become a merchant, a householder, or Brahmā!’ ”
Venerable Pūrṇa Maitrāyaṇīputra said to Venerable Śāradvatīputra, “Venerable One, this is amazing! Śāradvatīputra, you have explained it so well! Venerable Śāradvatīputra, imagine a person who brings one hundred thousand coins to a wealthy householder and says, ‘I am offering you these one hundred thousand coins. I will also remain by your side and assist you with all your activities and engagements.’ Similarly, Venerable One, those who follow the vehicle of the hearers practice generosity and promise to become servants of the Thus-Gone One. The bodhisattva great beings, however, do not practice generosity like that. That is the difference between the bodhisattvas’ practice of generosity and the hearers’ practice of generosity. Venerable Śāradvatīputra, imagine if a woman in the royal harem were to carry off one hundred thousand pieces of gold and bring them to a merchant, or an officer, saying, ‘I am offering you these one hundred thousand pieces of gold. I will also be your servant, rising early in the morning and going to bed late at night. I will do whatever makes you happy.’ Venerable One, similarly, the followers of the Hearers’ Vehicle practice generosity and declare themselves to be hearers of the Thus-Gone One.”
Venerable Śāradvatīputra said to Venerable Pūrṇa Maitrāyaṇīputra, “Venerable One, it is amazing how very similar acts of generosity can lead one person to the level of a hearer and another one to the state of omniscience. Venerable One, you have explained it well. Venerable Pūrṇa, you should understand that the bodhisattvas are rich in skillful means.”
Venerable Śāradvatīputra continued addressing Venerable Maitrāyaṇīputra, saying, “Moreover, Venerable Pūrṇa, if bodhisattvas wish to practice generosity and wish to awaken to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood, they should begin their practice of generosity with the wish, ‘May the merit and virtue that is created hereby cause all bodhisattvas who have newly entered this vehicle in all the limitless and endless worlds to reach the state of nonregression! And may all those who have reached the state of nonregression swiftly perfect the state of omniscience!’ In this way, not only will they be included within this group, their roots of virtue will also sustain those bodhisattvas. The more roots of virtue there are sustaining and protecting bodhisattvas, the closer they will be to the state of omniscience. The more they dedicate their roots of virtue, the closer they will be to unsurpassed and perfect awakening.
“Venerable Pūrṇa, moreover, when bodhisattva great beings practice generosity, they dedicate the roots of virtue of their generosity, saying, ‘By the roots of virtue that come from this gift—a gift of sustenance that feeds, in whole or in part, all beings whether they are visible or not—may all bodhisattva great beings in all the limitless and endless worlds who have newly entered this vehicle reach the state of nonregression, and may all those who have reached the state of nonregression swiftly perfect the state of omniscience.’ The more bodhisattvas are able to dedicate the roots of virtue, the more they will master the perfections and that much closer will they be to the state of omniscience. They should recognize that whenever a small act of generosity is made boundless in this manner, it is due to the skillful means of the bodhisattva great beings. Why is that? Because the state of omniscience itself is boundless.
“Venerable Pūrṇa, moreover, when bodhisattva great beings practice generosity, they should develop the mind set upon awakening, saying, ‘May this gift of mine not ripen in any other way except for unsurpassed and perfect awakening!’ It is only when generosity is dedicated in this way that it can be reckoned to be the perfection of generosity. However, an act of generosity may still be reckoned to be the perfection of generosity even if it is dedicated long after it was done, provided that it is dedicated to the state of omniscience.
“Venerable Pūrṇa, moreover, even when a bodhisattva’s act of generosity is insignificant, it should still be recognized as abundant. That is because it is dedicated toward the state of omniscience. Similarly, a great act of generosity should also be recognized as insignificant. That is because it is not dedicated toward the state of omniscience. Venerable One, furthermore, even if an act of generosity is dedicated long after it was done, it is still called the perfection of generosity, even though it may no longer be called an act of generosity.
“Venerable Pūrṇa, bodhisattva great beings who circle in saṃsāra without beginning may practice generosity, and yet fail to utter the word ‘omniscience.’ If they nonetheless employ skillful means to dedicate their generosity toward the perfections, and focus on the state of omniscience, their generosity should indeed be recognized as the perfection of generosity of the bodhisattvas.”
Venerable Pūrṇa Maitrāyaṇīputra asked Venerable Śāradvatīputra, “Venerable One, please tell me, are you this eloquent on your own accord or is it due to the blessing of the Blessed One?”
Śāradvatīputra replied, “Whatever eloquence I may possess, Venerable One, it is due to the blessing of the Thus-Gone One. Venerable Pūrṇa, say that all beings living in the boundless, countless, and limitless worlds, wishing for the result of a worthy one, were to practice generosity toward ordinary beings, hearers, and solitary buddhas for as many eons as there are grains of sand in the Ganges. Bodhisattvas would reflect on that and declare, ‘I rejoice in this generosity!’ When bodhisattvas rejoice in those who give in this manner, it creates a mass of merit. After rejoicing, they would then dedicate the merit in this manner: ‘By means of these roots of virtue from having rejoiced, may all bodhisattva great beings in all the limitless and endless worlds who have newly entered this vehicle reach the state of nonregression, and may all those who have reached the state of nonregression swiftly perfect the state of omniscience.’ The bodhisattvas who in this manner dedicated the roots of virtue created by rejoicing would swiftly perfect the state of omniscience. Comparatively, the roots of virtue that were created by the merit of those beings who at first performed the generosity would not constitute even one percent of the roots of virtue created by the bodhisattvas’ thought to rejoice. Nor would they measure a thousandth, a hundred thousandth, a millionth, or a trillionth of that. In fact, no number, fraction, enumeration, analogy, or comparison would suffice. And why? Because the mindset of the bodhisattvas who rejoice in that manner surpasses anything else. Venerable Pūrṇa, in this regard the blessed Buddha is the lord of skillful means.
“Venerable Pūrṇa, moreover, imagine if all those beings lived for as many eons as there are grains of sand in the Ganges and practiced generosity toward the Buddha and the community of monks, thereby creating merit. Now, a bodhisattva might rejoice in that generosity, thinking, ‘Oh my, how generous! What excellent acts of generosity! They are engaged in generosity with such veneration and respect! What faultless acts of giving! I rejoice in this generosity!’ Comparatively, the merit of those who at first performed the generosity would not constitute even one percent of that created by the bodhisattva’s thought to rejoice. Nor would it measure a thousandth, a hundred thousandth, a millionth, or a trillionth of that. In fact, no number, fraction, enumeration, analogy, or comparison would suffice. And why? Because the bodhisattva’s thought to rejoice in that manner surpasses anything else.
“Venerable Pūrṇa, when the full moon rises, all the many stars lose their luster. And, Venerable Pūrṇa, when the sun’s disc rises, it outshines all the fireflies in the world and makes them lose their luster. Venerable Pūrṇa, you may have a hundred, or a thousand, or ten million, or a billion semiprecious stones. However, if you placed a single beryl among them, the color and shine of that single beryl gem would surpass all the semiprecious stones and their luster would fade and disappear. Venerable Pūrṇa, in the same way, the mass of merit that arose from the generosity of all those beings, who practiced generosity for as many limitless eons as there are grains of sand in the Ganges, would not constitute even one percent of the merit created by the bodhisattva’s thought to rejoice. Nor would it measure a thousandth, a hundred thousandth, a millionth, or a trillionth of that. In fact, no number, fraction, enumeration, analogy, or comparison would suffice.
“Venerable Pūrṇa, if you placed the precious horse among a thousand common horses, none of those horses would seem special or stunning. They would not show any of the wild moods of a horse either, because the precious horse would surpass all of them. Venerable Pūrṇa, in the same way, the mass of merit that arose from the generosity of all those beings, who practiced generosity for as many eons as there are grains of sand in the Ganges, would not constitute even one percent of the merit created by the bodhisattva’s thought to rejoice. Nor would it measure a thousandth, a hundred thousandth, a millionth, or a trillionth of that. In fact, no number, fraction, enumeration, analogy, or comparison would suffice. The bodhisattva’s thought to rejoice would surpass it all.
“Venerable Pūrṇa, moreover, that bodhisattva great being would dedicate the merit, saying, ‘By the mass of merit that has been created through rejoicing, may all bodhisattva great beings in all the limitless and countless worlds who have newly entered this vehicle reach the state of nonregression, and may all those who have reached the state of nonregression swiftly perfect the state of omniscience.’
“The more bodhisattvas are able to give away their roots of virtue, the more they will manifest, and the closer they will be to the state of omniscience. The more they can avoid becoming possessive of their roots of virtue and wish that their roots of virtue may lead to all beings’ happiness, the more those roots of virtue will enable them to excel. The more they excel by means of their roots of virtue, the closer they will be to the state of omniscience. The more they avoid thinking of the roots of virtue as their own, the more boundless will be the roots of virtue they possess. Why is that? Because the state of omniscience is boundless. Venerable Pūrṇa, likewise, bodhisattva great beings who rejoice are skilled in means, so when they dedicate the merit, the dedication is directed toward benefiting and looking after those bodhisattvas who have newly entered this vehicle and ensuring that the nonregressing bodhisattvas quickly obtain higher knowledge. In this way they are assisted while the bodhisattvas themselves attain the state of omniscience.
“Venerable Pūrṇa, you should understand that this is what is meant by bodhisattvas being skilled in means. And why? Because they dedicate to the state of omniscience in this manner and because they benefit themselves and other bodhisattva great beings immensely.”
This concludes the first chapter from “The Perfection of Generosity” entitled “Rejoicing.”
“Venerable Pūrṇa, moreover, imagine the merit that would be created if all beings were to perform acts of generosity toward the Buddha and the assembly of monks for as many eons as there are grains of sand in the Ganges. If you compare that with the merit that comes from a bodhisattva great being offering the Buddha and the assembly of monks a single meal, the merit of the former would not constitute even one percent of the merit of offering the meal. Nor would it measure a thousandth, a hundred thousandth, a millionth, or a trillionth of that. In fact, no number, fraction, enumeration, analogy, or comparison would suffice. And why? Because of the dedication of merit.
“Venerable Pūrṇa, the recipient of the generosity of that bodhisattva and of those beings is the same here. Yet, although the recipient is no different, the generosity of beings lacks a dedication and therefore it does not constitute even one percent of the merit of the bodhisattva. Nor would it measure a thousandth, a hundred thousandth, a millionth, or a trillionth of that. In fact, no number, fraction, enumeration, analogy, or comparison would suffice.
“Venerable Pūrṇa, moreover, when bodhisattva great beings practice generosity, they should make the aspiration, ‘Now that I have given this gift in this manner, may the virtue that has been created—the merit and the goodness that have been created—be the cause of all beings in hell being freed from their hellish states; may all those beings who have been born as animals be freed from the animal realm; may all beings living in the realm of the Lord of Death be freed from it; may all bodhisattva great beings in all the limitless and endless worlds who have newly entered this vehicle reach the state of nonregression; and may all nonregressing bodhisattvas quickly perfect the state of omniscience!’ The more bodhisattvas create roots of virtue, the more they will master the perfection of generosity and increase the roots of virtue limitlessly, and that much closer will they be to the state of omniscience. You should understand that such is the bodhisattvas’ skill in means. The more they avoid thinking of the roots of virtue as their own, the more they increase the merit limitlessly. And why? Because the state of omniscience is limitless.
“Venerable Pūrṇa, this is how bodhisattva great beings give away all of their possessions. Since they give away their roots of virtue, which are immaterial, what need is there to mention material things? Therefore, bodhisattva great beings give away everything, both material and immaterial. And since they give away everything, they achieve omniscience. Such bodhisattvas proclaim, ‘I do not see anything, whether internal or external, whether material or immaterial, that I will not relinquish, give away, or make an offering of. I do not see any such thing.’ With this lion’s roar they cause joy.
“Venerable Pūrṇa, once bodhisattva great beings awaken to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood, they perceive by means of the wisdom of omniscience. At that point they let out a lion’s roar, proclaiming, ‘I do not see anything, whether internal or external, whether material or immaterial, that I have not relinquished, given away, or offered. Because I do not see any such thing, I have awakened to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood and now I do not see anything that I have not awakened to or that I do not understand. Just as I do not see any such thing, so have I awakened to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood and obtained the sacred perfection of all phenomena. Now there is nothing whatsoever that I have not awakened to or that I do not understand. Just as there is nothing whatsoever that I have not relinquished or given away, so also do I not see anything that I have not awakened to or that I do not understand.’
“Venerable Pūrṇa, since bodhisattva great beings relinquish all inner and outer things in this way, they see that, among all inner and outer phenomena, there is nothing whatsoever that they do not awaken to or that they do not understand. Venerable Pūrṇa, this is how bodhisattva great beings should train in the perfection of generosity. When bodhisattvas train in this manner, they receive the name ‘bodhisattva’ and become inseparable from the mind of omniscience. Whenever bodhisattva great beings become inseparable from the mind of omniscience, the evil Māra will have no opportunity to cause harm, let alone the yakṣas and piśācas—it would be impossible for them to cause any harm.
“Venerable Pūrṇa, anywhere bodhisattvas go while bringing to mind the properties of omniscience, no human or nonhuman being will find an opportunity to cause them harm. And why? Because such considerations possess that much power. Thus, bringing omniscience to mind in this way has such inconceivable and vast benefits. Venerable Pūrṇa, the actions performed by bodhisattva great beings for the sake of awakening benefit beings in this way and take care of them.
“Venerable Pūrṇa, in this way, bodhisattva great beings surpass all childish and ordinary beings as well as all the hearers and solitary buddhas. Awakening to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood, they benefit and take care of these beings. In order to eradicate the disturbing emotions of beings, they also teach the Dharma. They also bring to nirvāṇa limitless beings within the three groups of beings.
“Venerable Pūrṇa, that is how bodhisattva great beings awaken to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood. Then, compared to all childish and ordinary beings as well as all the hearers and solitary buddhas, they are known as ‘the supreme, foremost, superior, preeminent, sublime, unsurpassed, and unexcelled beings.’ Even after they pass into nirvāṇa, they continue to benefit beings and take care of them. Whoever venerates, respects, honors, and pays homage to the stūpa of a thus-gone one by offering incense, flowers, garlands, ointments, powders, garments, parasols, flags, and banners to it produces roots of virtue that make them destined for nirvāṇa. Whoever offers a single flower to the stūpa of a thus-gone one without any feelings of attachment has been prophesied by the Blessed One to be destined for nirvāṇa.
“Venerable Pūrṇa, this is how bodhisattva great beings benefit and take care of others while they are present. Likewise, even as they awaken to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood and pass into nirvāṇa, they benefit and take care of beings. There is, in fact, no time at all when bodhisattva great beings do not take care of others. Apart from a thus-gone one, there is no other being that can be seen to possess the qualities of a bodhisattva. It would be impossible for anyone else to have such qualities.
“Venerable Pūrṇa, think of gold. Whether it is heated or not, it can still provide for beings’ livelihood. Whether it is melted or not, or beaten or not, it can still provide for beings’ livelihood. Venerable Pūrṇa, the actions of bodhisattva great beings for the sake of awakening can provide for beings’ livelihood in the same way. Moreover, as they awaken to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood and pass into nirvāṇa, they continue to provide for beings.
“Venerable Pūrṇa, think of the moon and the sun and how they sustain the four continents, and how because of them the beings on all four continents can carry out their activities. Whenever the moon and the sun are out, they shine brightly and beings are able to distinguish night and day, the fortnights, the seasons, and the years. Venerable Pūrṇa, in the same way, bodhisattva great beings take care of beings when they are present. Moreover, as they awaken to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood and pass into nirvāṇa, they continue to take care of beings. Venerable Pūrṇa, since bodhisattva great beings possess such vast qualities, there is no time at all when they do not take care of beings.
“Venerable Pūrṇa, if a merchant were to make a profit worth hundreds of thousands of gold coins, he would secure the well-being of a limitless number of beings, who could then enjoy his amassed wealth. Venerable Pūrṇa, likewise, if bodhisattva great beings secure the well-being of numerous beings even when they remain seated or stationary, then clearly they also secure the hearers’ well-being by the power of awakening to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood and passing into nirvāṇa. Therefore, Venerable Pūrṇa, whether they act, awaken, or pass into nirvāṇa, there is no time at all when bodhisattva great beings do not take care of others. The characteristic of a holy being is to be well oneself while ensuring the well-being of others.
“Venerable Pūrṇa, consider the analogy of a king from the ruling class who has been anointed. Such a king ensures the well-being of all brahmins and householders when he is alive. Even after he passes away, by means of his past magnificence, his realm remains free from harm by robbers and bandits. Venerable Pūrṇa, likewise, when bodhisattva great beings are present, they ensure the well-being of others. Even when they awaken and pass into nirvāṇa, they continue to ensure the well-being of limitless others. They ensure the well-being of anyone who recollects their discipline and recollects their absorption, insight, liberation, and vision of liberated wisdom. No terror by any human or nonhuman being will frighten such beings.”
Then the Blessed One said to Venerable Śāradvatīputra, “Śāradvatīputra, excellent, excellent! Śāradvatīputra, that is how it is. Such beings will not be frightened by any kind of terror. Whoever recollects the discipline, absorption, insight, liberation, and vision of liberated wisdom of the Thus-Gone One will not be frightened by any terror whatsoever.”
Venerable Śāradvatīputra said to the Blessed One, “Blessed One, it is wonderful that the Blessed Buddha possesses such vast qualities!
The Blessed One said, “Śāradvatīputra, the bodhisattvas should also be seen to possess vast qualities.”
Śāradvatīputra said, “Blessed One, what are the vast qualities that the bodhisattva great beings possess?”
The Blessed One said, “Śāradvatīputra, arousing the mind set upon unsurpassed and perfect awakening—that is vast. And why? Because the state of a thus-gone one—the state of a buddha—is a vast state.”
This concludes the second chapter from “The Perfection of Generosity” entitled “The Skillful Means of Generosity.”
Venerable Śāradvatīputra then said to Venerable Pūrṇa Maitrāyaṇīputra, “Venerable Pūrṇa, in this regard, here is how bodhisattva great beings should arouse the mind of awakening. If approached by a beggar, they should never think, ‘I will give later,’ or, ‘I don’t have enough to give.’ They should also never feel, ‘I cannot bear to give that away.’ If others are generous, they should rejoice, encourage them, and be happy. Venerable Pūrṇa, bodhisattva great beings should dedicate the merit that comes from rejoicing toward the state of omniscience. When bodhisattvas rejoice by thinking of how these beings have practiced generosity and created merit, they dedicate the merit of their virtuous mind state toward the state of omniscience. By doing so their attitude surpasses the attitude of those who actually gave. Comparatively, the merit and roots of virtue created by those who initially were generous would not constitute even one percent of those created by the mind that rejoices and dedicates toward the state of omniscience. Nor would they measure a thousandth, a hundred thousandth, a millionth, or a trillionth of that. In fact, no number, fraction, enumeration, analogy, or comparison would suffice. They would be surpassed by a single moment of the mind of bodhisattvas who rejoice, because they have dedicated the merit toward unsurpassed and perfect awakening.
“Venerable Pūrṇa, moreover, when bodhisattva great beings practice the perfection of generosity, they should be skillful and dedicate any form of generosity toward the state of omniscience. Venerable Pūrṇa, in this way bodhisattva great beings should be skilled in means. Even if bodhisattvas who are not skillful practice generosity for as many eons as there are grains of sand in the Ganges, they will not be upholding the perfection of generosity if they fail to dedicate the merit toward the state of omniscience.
“Venerable Pūrṇa, moreover, even if it should happen that they were approached by beings holding a vessel as large as the entire world and requesting that it be filled with gifts, bodhisattva great beings should definitely give, and never think, ‘I can’t!’ They should also not think, ‘This vessel is just too big!’ Nor should they think, ‘How could I ever fill this vessel!’ You may then wonder how they should react. Well, they should think, ‘I can do that. I am happy to fill this vessel! I will strive and try my best to fill this vessel!’ If bodhisattva great beings strive and try their best in this way, being diligent and generous, they uphold the perfection of generosity. Venerable Pūrṇa, this is how bodhisattva great beings should train in the perfection of generosity.
“Venerable Pūrṇa, moreover, bodhisattva great beings should practice generosity toward beings with feelings of love. They should be filled with love and compassion while practicing generosity toward others. When they practice generosity, they should do it with the thought, ‘May the merit and virtue created hereby cause all bodhisattvas who have newly entered this vehicle in all the limitless and endless worlds to become nonregressing! And may all nonregressing bodhisattvas swiftly perfect the state of omniscience!’ The more bodhisattva great beings are able to give away their roots of virtue, the more they will progress toward the state of omniscience.
“Venerable Pūrṇa, think of gold: the more it is heated, smelted, melted, and refined, the more it shines. Venerable Pūrṇa, in the same way, the more bodhisattva great beings dedicate the merit and virtue that they have created toward the state of omniscience, the more their roots of virtue will enable them to excel. The more they excel by means of their roots of virtue, the more worthy they will become as recipients of others’ service, and that much more will their splendor increase in terms of their luster, shine, and charisma.
“Venerable Pūrṇa, when a woman polishes a mirror, the more she does so, the clearer the mirror becomes. And the clearer it becomes, the clearer its reflections are. Venerable Pūrṇa, likewise, the more bodhisattva great beings dedicate the mass of merit created through generosity toward the state of omniscience and practice generosity by offering it to other bodhisattvas—saying, ‘May it cause those bodhisattvas who have newly entered this vehicle to reach the state of nonregression and may all those who have reached the state of nonregression swiftly perfect the state of omniscience!’—the more their roots of virtue will increase. The more their roots of virtue increase, the closer they will be to the state of omniscience. You should understand that when bodhisattvas dedicate in this manner, they are being skilled in means.
“It is said that ‘when bodhisattva great beings make a small gift, the merit produced is great,’ meaning that if generosity is dedicated toward the state of omniscience, even a small gift given by bodhisattvas yields great merit. On the other hand, if the gift is not dedicated toward the state of omniscience, they may give extensively and yet the resulting merit would be insignificant. Therefore, if bodhisattvas were to live for as many eons as there are grains of sand in the Ganges, all the while giving away a multitude of desirable objects and dedicating their generosity toward the state of omniscience, not only would the bodhisattva great beings’ gifts be extensive, they would also in turn yield great merit. As such, when bodhisattva great beings practice generosity, they should always keep their focus on the state of omniscience. Any bodhisattva great beings who keep their focus on the state of omniscience are bodhisattvas who are close to awakening; soon they will awaken to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood. Why is that? Because when bodhisattva great beings keep their focus on the state of omniscience, they are being skilled in means.
“Moreover, Venerable Pūrṇa, bodhisattva great beings should train in the perfection of generosity right from the start. Why is that? Because, Venerable Pūrṇa, they have been accustomed to miserliness since time without beginning in saṃsāra. When they practice generosity, they distance themselves from miserliness and instead approach the state of omniscience. The closer they come to the state of omniscience, the more they turn away from the levels of the hearers and the solitary buddhas. The more they turn away from the levels of the hearers and the solitary buddhas, the closer they will be to the state of omniscience.
“Venerable Pūrṇa, as an analogy, if you place a jar outside in the rain, it will gradually be filled as the raindrops fall. The very first raindrop does not fill the jar, nor does the very last. Rather, it is the raindrops that fall steadily from beginning to end that gradually fill the jar. Venerable Pūrṇa, likewise, bodhisattva great beings do not attain the state of omniscience as soon as they first arouse the mind of awakening, nor do they attain this state as they take their place at the seat of awakening. Rather, they do so by means of all the individual mind states that are directed toward the state of omniscience, beginning with their first arousal of the mind of awakening and continuing until they finally take their place at the seat of awakening. It is through the accumulation of all of those beneficial mind states that they gradually produce the result of unsurpassed and perfect awakening. Venerable Pūrṇa, in this way, bodhisattva great beings should aim for the state of omniscience by means of a focused state of mind.”
Venerable Pūrṇa Maitrāyaṇīputra said to Venerable Śāradvatīputra, “Venerable Śāradvatīputra, how is that state of mind of the bodhisattvas focused?”
Venerable Śāradvatīputra replied, “Venerable Pūrṇa, even when improper thoughts occur to bodhisattvas, they should perceive those thoughts as advantageous for the state of omniscience, thinking, ‘Since such improper thoughts have created my body, they have indeed been helpful for my practice of the perfections.’ That is what is called a focused state of mind.
“Venerable Pūrṇa, moreover, anyone, regardless of whether they help or harm bodhisattva great beings, should be perceived as a cause for omniscience. In this way, Venerable Pūrṇa, bodhisattva great beings should keep their minds focused. Venerable Pūrṇa, as an analogy, when a man who is sentenced to death is being led to the place of execution, he only has the thought of his death in mind. Just like this analogy, bodhisattva great beings are only concerned with the state of omniscience. Venerable Pūrṇa, you should understand that such is the focused state of mind of bodhisattva great beings.
“Venerable Pūrṇa, as an analogy, if those who are traveling with precious objects are forced to stay in a terrifying place or a desolate wilderness, they will constantly keep that terrifying place or desolate wilderness in mind. They will continuously think, ‘When will I get away from this desolate wilderness? When will I reach the end of this terrifying place?’ Venerable Pūrṇa, in the same way, bodhisattva great beings do not entertain any other thought besides attention to the state of omniscience. Such is the focused state of mind of bodhisattva great beings.
“Venerable Pūrṇa, as an analogy, when a thief who wants to steal something goes to the marketplace and picks people’s pockets, he is only concerned with how to avoid being caught as he steals and picks people’s pockets. Apart from that, he has no other thought. Venerable Pūrṇa, in the same way, bodhisattva great beings do not entertain any other thought than the wish to awaken to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood. Venerable Pūrṇa, you should understand that such is the focused state of mind of bodhisattva great beings.
“Venerable Pūrṇa, as an analogy, think of a goldsmith who has been entrusted with gold that belongs to the king and given the order, ‘Listen, make a piece of jewelry out of this gold! And make sure that you complete a whole year’s work in just one month! If it is not completed when one month has passed, you will pay with your head!’ In that case, the one who receives the order will have no other thought but to get the gold heated and smelted and fashioned into an ornament. All he will be able to think about is finishing the ornament. Even during mealtimes, he will be unable to focus on his food, since he will be preoccupied by thoughts concerning the gold and the state of the jewelry. All his thoughts and concerns will center around that. Why is that? Because of how much he values his life. Finally, he can offer the ornaments to the king, saying, ‘Your Majesty, here is your jewelry.’ Delighted and thrilled, the king will exclaim, ‘You have indeed completed twelve months’ work, so you deserve a grand reward!’
“Venerable Pūrṇa, in the same way, bodhisattva great beings should maintain a focused state of mind from the first time they arouse the mind of awakening until the very last time they do so. Just like the goldsmith who produces the jewelry with a focused state of mind because of how much he values his life, just so, Venerable Pūrṇa, bodhisattva great beings should maintain their focus on the state of omniscience without entertaining any other thoughts. If they are strongly dedicated to the omniscient state, they will also have a focused state of mind. Other bodhisattvas awaken to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood after countless eons, yet these bodhisattva great beings do so within less than one hundred eons. And why? Because they do not entertain any other thought besides this attainment. That is why bodhisattva great beings maintain a focused state of mind and perfect their awakening within less than one hundred eons. Venerable Pūrṇa, this is how bodhisattva great beings should practice with a focused state of mind. In this way they will benefit both themselves and others. In this way they will arrive at the meaning of the unsurpassed wisdom of awakening.”
This concludes the third chapter from “The Perfection of Generosity” entitled “Analogies.”
Venerable Pūrṇa Maitrāyaṇīputra now asked Venerable Śāradvatīputra, “Venerable One, if this state of mind should happen to become distracted what would its essence be and what would it entail?”
Venerable Śāradvatīputra replied, “Venerable Pūrṇa, whenever bodhisattvas think in ways that are related to the level of the hearers or the level of the solitary buddhas, it should be understood that the bodhisattvas’ mind has become contaminated; these are incorrect ways of thinking for bodhisattva great beings. Why is that? Because awakening has no essence. If bodhisattva great beings’ thoughts become desirous, or angry, or deluded, such thoughts should not be viewed as contaminating the bodhisattvas’ mind. Why is that? Because such thoughts are helpful insofar as they create the impetus for the bodhisattvas’ further existence. They also bring about their transition into the omniscient state. Moreover, it is due to such thoughts that bodhisattvas take on a body. Lastly, due to their skill in means, just as they can dedicate the merit created by the six perfections, so bodhisattva great beings can make use of disturbing emotions to awaken to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood.
“Venerable Pūrṇa, any thought that poses an obstacle to the state of omniscience should be understood as contaminating a bodhisattva great being’s state of mind. What does that mean? It refers to the states of mind associated with the levels of the hearers and the solitary buddhas. They should be regarded as contaminating the mind. The occurrences of other states of mind that accord with existence do not, however, contaminate bodhisattva great beings’ minds. If you wonder why such thoughts are desirable, it is because bodhisattva great beings must wear the armor of never tiring of cyclic existence. As such thoughts manifest, they come to take on new modes of rebirth. As they take on such modes of rebirth, bodhisattvas are able to practice the perfection of generosity. Likewise, they become able to engage in the perfection of discipline, the perfection of patience, the perfection of diligence, and the perfection of concentration. They are also able to train in the perfection of insight. Therefore, those thoughts that perpetuate existence are desirable for bodhisattva great beings until they finally sit at the seat of awakening.
“Venerable Pūrṇa, bodhisattva great beings should therefore never be discouraged by disturbing emotions. If you wonder why disturbing emotions are desirable for bodhisattvas, it is because bodhisattvas benefit from them. If disturbing emotions had physical form, I would venerate them with great respect. Why is that? Because they possess such helpful qualities. If skillfulness had a form, I would venerate it as respectfully as if it were the Thus-Gone One. Why is that? Because skillfulness prevents one from cutting the ties to existence. It also increases the six perfections, refines them, and accomplishes the state of omniscience. The more one’s skillfulness increases the six perfections, refines them, and accomplishes the state of omniscience, the more the ties to existence are diminished, exhausted, and weakened.
“Venerable Pūrṇa, as an analogy, when a chariot is fully loaded, its central axle gets increasingly worn out the farther it travels. The load weighs heavily on the central axle so that it becomes worn out and weakened under the weight. Then, when the chariot finally enters the city, it may break down, now that the journey is over. Venerable Pūrṇa, likewise, any ties that cause bodhisattva great beings to have further existences only cause them to embrace such further existence. The more bodhisattvas manifest rebirth, the more they are able to refine the six perfections. The more they are able to refine the six perfections, the more the ties to existence are weakened. The more the ties to existence are weakened, the closer they are to the omniscient state. Then, when eventually bodhisattva great beings attain omniscient wisdom at the seat of awakening, those ties to existence no longer have a function, just as the central axle on the chariot no longer is needed once it arrives in the city. Just as the axle no longer functions once it breaks in the city, the bodhisattvas’ ties to existence no longer function once the bodhisattva great beings attain the omniscient state. Why is that? Because the bodhisattvas have completed their task.
“Whenever bodhisattva great beings are being scolded and rebuked by others, those bodhisattva great beings should say, ‘I deserved that!’ They will then be generous toward the ones who scolded them and in this way these people will have benefited the bodhisattva great beings. With that attitude they will also arouse the mind set upon the omniscient state. You should understand that this whole mental process is beneficial for attaining the omniscient state. Venerable Pūrṇa, you must understand that any state of mind, apart from those entertained by the hearers and solitary buddhas, is helpful for the bodhisattva great beings.”
Venerable Pūrṇa Maitrāyaṇīputra said to Venerable Śāradvatīputra, “Venerable Śāradvatīputra, it should be understood that even the hearers and the solitary buddhas are helpful in this regard. The hearers are instructed and taught by means of the six perfections and so, since they are also brought to apply the perfections, they become recipients of the bodhisattva great beings’ generosity. Therefore, they also assist with regard to the omniscient state. Because the solitary buddhas are likewise recipients of the bodhisattvas’ generosity in this regard, they also benefit them.”
Venerable Śāradvatīputra said to Venerable Pūrṇa Maitrāyaṇīputra, “Venerable Pūrṇa, that is correct. Anyone who is taught and instructed by means of the perfections is also an object of the bodhisattvas’ generosity. In this way even the hearers benefit the bodhisattvas. Since the solitary buddhas are also recipients of such generosity, they also benefit the bodhisattvas’ attainment of omniscience. For that matter, when the bodhisattvas practice generosity and dedicate it toward the state of omniscience, no matter who is the object, it will help bodhisattvas to attain that state.
“However, Venerable Pūrṇa, bodhisattvas should not entertain any mind state of the hearers or wish for their level. Why is that? Because bodhisattvas should turn away from such a level. Likewise, neither should they entertain any mind state of the solitary buddhas or wish for their level. Why is that? Because they should turn away from such a level. However, Venerable Pūrṇa, the hearers and the solitary buddhas themselves do benefit and so, Venerable Pūrṇa, there is no phenomenon that does not benefit a skillful bodhisattva toward reaching the state of omniscience.
“The attitude and consciousness of the worthy ones benefit bodhisattvas because without them there would be nothing from which bodhisattvas turn away. In this way, bodhisattvas must avoid engendering the attitude of the worthy ones; their states of consciousness are not equal. They should abandon such an attitude, and instead arouse the attitude set upon attaining the state of omniscience. In the same way, the attitude and consciousness of the solitary buddhas also help the bodhisattvas to reach the state of omniscience. For without the attitudes and consciousnesses of the worthy ones and the solitary buddhas, the bodhisattvas could not be benefited. Why is that? Because a bodhisattva great being’s state of mind is unique among all defiled and undefiled mind states. Compared to any other mind state—excluding the mind of a thus-gone one—the mind of a bodhisattva is supreme, foremost, superior, preeminent, sublime, unsurpassed, and unexcelled. Therefore, Venerable Pūrṇa, these two levels can be beneficial to the bodhisattva great beings for reaching the omniscient state. In fact, there is no observable phenomenon that is not beneficial to skillful bodhisattvas for reaching the state of omniscience. [B2]
“Moreover, Venerable Pūrṇa, when bodhisattva great beings practice the perfection of generosity, they should not conceive of the object that is offered in a conceptual manner. Instead, bodhisattvas should give free of any concepts and then dedicate the merit toward the state of omniscience. When giving in this manner, it will be of benefit. Without abandoning conceptuality in this way, they will never attain perfect awakening.
“Attaining omniscience is a great attainment. In comparison, securing a profit of millions of gold coins, or hoarding millions of gemstones, should not be considered a great achievement. Moreover, to give objects away in a manner that is beyond conceptuality and thereby awaken to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood is the most exalted attainment of all. Even if one were to attain the kingdom of a universal monarch of the four continents, but not abandon conceptuality, it would not be a great achievement. And even if one were to rule the desire realm, yet did not abandon conceptuality, it would not be a great achievement. On the other hand, if one abandons concepts and attains the result of a stream enterer, a once-returner, a non-returner, a worthy one, or a solitary buddha, that should be recognized as a much greater achievement. Still, abandoning conceptuality and attaining unsurpassed and perfect awakening is the greatest attainment of all. Such an attainment is much greater than any of those other achievements. This attainment by the bodhisattva great beings is unequaled; it is the attainment of the state of a thus-gone one. One should not be concerned with any objects that are apprehended conceptually, such as clothes, food, bedding, seats, medicines, or other implements. Why is that? Because they belong to the realm of concepts. Anyone who gives away their clothes, food, bedding, seats, medicines, and other implements while skillfully dedicating the merit will attain omniscience. Therefore, one should recognize that the attainment of a bodhisattva great being is supreme. One should address such bodhisattvas with these words, ‘You are bound to become omniscient. Why is that? Because all inner and outer entities are devoid of an essence, and thus you scarcely apprehend any objects conceptually. This is why you will attain omniscience. Anyone who ever attained this mind state, as well as all those who attain it now, and those who ever will attain this state, are certain to attain omniscience.’ ”
Venerable Śāradvatīputra said to Venerable Pūrṇa Maitrāyaṇīputra, “Venerable One, which classification of the bodhisattvas does this refer to? This relates to the category of the bodhisattvas’ skillfulness. Why is that? Because if these beings understood how to attain omniscience, all beings would attain omniscience. Nevertheless, none of them are interested in omniscience; none of them arouse that attitude. Therefore, as they do not engender the mind set upon omniscience, neither do any of them attain that state. It is those who are devoted to the state of omniscience and set their mind upon it who attain that state. After they set their mind upon omniscience, they also come to understand that any object that they give away does not truly exist. So they tell themselves, ‘These entities that I perceive are an illusion. They are not actually the way that I perceive them conceptually.’ In this way they further develop their charitable attitude and generosity and do not cling to things. However, even though the object is illusory, other beings do not understand that and so they continue to cling so intensely to things and are unable to give them away. Being unable to give anything away, they are gripped by miserliness. And due to miserliness they take birth in the lower realms where they end up destitute. In this way, if one is unable to give away or make use of an object, that object can become the cause of miserliness and birth in the lower realms. Whenever skillful bodhisattva great beings understand this, they will tell themselves, ‘This object is illusory and the act of giving it away is also illusory. That which is illusory does not really belong to me, nor can it truly be given away. Why is that? Because it is illusory. Nonetheless, I will now make an extensive gift of it!’
“By being generous in this manner, those bodhisattvas will begin to emulate the blessed buddhas. They are amazed by the statement of the blessed buddhas—who only explain well and free from any error—that the mark of giving away illusory objects is full awakening to perfect buddhahood. In this regard, as bodhisattva great beings then begin to emulate the blessed buddhas, they will not develop any clinging to these objects but will be inclined to offer them to others in a similar way. They should also appreciate the hardship their teachers underwent to show bodhisattva great beings that the objects and circumstances they encounter are without characteristics. Venerable Pūrṇa, you should think, ‘This is how bodhisattva great beings seek to awaken to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood, thereby attaining the state of omniscience.’ Venerable Pūrṇa, in case you should think, ‘This teaching is due to Śāradvatīputra’s eloquence,’ that is not the case, since I have delivered this teaching due to the blessings of the Thus-Gone One.”
Then the Blessed One spoke to Venerable Ānanda, “Ānanda, please pay attention to the discourse of the elder Śāradvatīputra. You should remember it, retain it, recite it, and master it.”
This concludes the fourth chapter from “The Perfection of Generosity” entitled “Nonconceptuality.”
Venerable Pūrṇa Maitrāyaṇīputra asked the Blessed One, “Blessed One, when bodhisattva great beings give in this manner, what sort of giving is that?”
The Blessed One replied, “Pūrṇa, when bodhisattva great beings give in this manner, it is not actually giving. Just as there is no act of giving, so there is also nothing to attain.” The Blessed One continued, “Pūrṇa, just as bodhisattva great beings do not give any real objects away, so there is nothing to attain even by awakening to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood.
“Pūrṇa, the dwelling place of a bodhisattva great being is just like a Dharma treasury. If a bodhisattva great being were to give away any truly existing objects, that bodhisattva would also attain a real result of awakening to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood. However, Pūrṇa, since there are no real phenomena that the bodhisattva great being can give away, there is also not any truly existent object that the bodhisattva great being could attain when awakening to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood.
“Pūrṇa, consider this analogy. If a magician, or the apprentice of a magician, sells an illusory sweet to another magician, that magician can also conjure up a coin and pay for the sweet. Pūrṇa, in that case both the payment and the sweet would be the same. Similarly, the gift offered by a bodhisattva great being and his full awakening to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood are identical. Pūrṇa, what is laid out is just the same as what is amassed. And similarly, the value of the bodhisattva’s gift would be just the same as that which is to be gained.
“Pūrṇa, consider this analogy. A magician might conjure up a tree with one hundred thousand animals living at its foot. As the animals then eat the fruits of the tree, Pūrṇa, both the fruits and those who eat them are the same. In the same way, the gifts of a bodhisattva great being are just like revenues being collected. Pūrṇa, in this way, when bodhisattva great beings give away their belongings, the wealth given away is identical to the gain made and the gain made is identical to the wealth that is given away.
“Pūrṇa, think of this analogy. A magician, or the skilled apprentice of a magician, might conjure up a woman at a large intersection where everyone could see her. He might then create the illusion that the woman was pregnant and that she gave birth to a son. Once the son was born, the magician might create the illusion that the son died. Pūrṇa, tell me, when the son died, would that woman think that her son had passed away?”
Pūrṇa replied, “No, Blessed One, she would not.”
The Blessed One said, “Pūrṇa, in that case the mother and the son are alike. In the same way, the generosity of a bodhisattva great being and the state of omniscience are exactly alike. Pūrṇa, therefore, in this case the Dharma treasury is nondual. Pūrṇa, tell me, do you see me as having desire for any phenomena?”
Pūrṇa replied, “No, Blessed One, I do not. Why is that? Blessed One, because the Thus-Gone One has realized that phenomena are empty.”
The Blessed One said, “Pūrṇa, likewise, just as the Thus-Gone One now does not feel any desire for phenomena, I had no problem giving away everything when I was a bodhisattva. Therefore, the blessed buddhas do not entertain any form of desire or anger. Why is that? Because the blessed buddhas have given up all desire and anger.”
Pūrṇa said, “Blessed One, it is wonderful how bodhisattva great beings are able to give away any object, seeing them to be essentially empty, hollow, without substance, and unreal. As I understand the meaning of the teaching spoken by the Blessed One, even if a bodhisattva were to fill as many worlds as there are grains of sand in the Ganges with gold and riches and give it all to a beggar, that bodhisattva must still be skillful when giving. Otherwise, it would only be a limited gift, rather than the perfection of generosity. When bodhisattva great beings give, they do so thinking, ‘I will give up all my possessions.’ ”
Then the Blessed One said to Venerable Śāradvatīputra, “You should have the courage to explain the meaning of this teaching. Even though this is the time for me to speak, I would like you to explain this.”
So Venerable Śāradvatīputra said to Venerable Pūrṇa Maitrāyaṇīputra, “Venerable Pūrṇa, in this regard, bodhisattva great beings wishing to awaken to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood should consider all phenomena to be empty and practice generosity. While keeping their focus on the state of omniscience, they should give away all their belongings. They should definitely give up any form of not relinquishing, not giving, and not offering any object, whether in their own possession or not. Venerable Pūrṇa, in this way bodhisattva great beings should give with a mind set upon omniscience.”