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Harrison and Hartmann (1998, p. 68) describe this text as “Perhaps the most sophisticated and evolved of the Mahāyāna sūtras translated into Chinese by the Indo-Scythian master [Lokakṣema].”
Harrison and Hartmann (1998, 2000, and 2002) have published several brief articles on the Sanskrit fragments contained in the Schøyen collection. More recently, Miyazaki has published two brief articles in English on this sūtra (2008 and 2013). Most significantly, for those who read Japanese, Miyazaki has published his doctoral thesis on this sūtra (2012) as well as several Japanese translations of individual parts of this text.
An English translation of Lokakṣema's Chinese translation has been self-published by Shaku Shingan (2022).
According to Harrison and Hartmann (2000, p. 168) this translation “is best regarded as a free adaptation of the text, rather than a straight translation of an Indic original.”
For more on the possibility that the Tibetan was translated from a Chinese source, see Silk 2020, p. 240.
Translation tentative. Degé: bgyis shing mchod par ’tshal te. Stok: bgyis shing mchod pas ’tshal te.
The bodhisattvas and hearers were served in order of seniority, with the young ones being served last.
Here and below “immediacy” translates the same term as “immediate results” (mtshams med pa). The same term with these two meanings is used in a play on words.
Tib. mi g.yo ba. The attested Sanskrit reads ākhyātāvī, which is an odd and otherwise unattested Sanskrit term that does not align with the Tibetan translation. As noted by Harrison and Hartmann (2000, p. 209 note 113), the Chinese terms used in Taishō 626 and 627 are also not equivalent to ākhyātāvī. The Chinese of Taishō 627 agrees with the Tibetan mi g.yo ba.
One of twenty-five bodhisattvas in Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta’s retinue at the outset of this sūtra.
One of the three gateways of liberation, along with emptiness and absence of wishes.
One of the three gateways of liberation, along with emptiness and absence of marks.
In a general sense, samādhi can describe a number of different meditative states. In the Mahāyāna literature, in particular in the Prajñāpāramitā sūtras, we find extensive lists of different samādhis, numbering over one hundred.
In a more restricted sense, and when understood as a mental state, samādhi is defined as the one-pointedness of the mind (cittaikāgratā), the ability to remain on the same object over long periods of time. The Drajor Bamponyipa (sgra sbyor bam po gnyis pa) commentary on the Mahāvyutpatti explains the term samādhi as referring to the instrument through which mind and mental states “get collected,” i.e., it is by the force of samādhi that the continuum of mind and mental states becomes collected on a single point of reference without getting distracted.
See “five acts with immediate results.”
The process of karma, afflictions of the mind, and suffering.
King of Magadha and son of king Bimbisāra. He reigned during the last ten years of the Buddha’s life and about twenty years after. He overthrew his father and through invasion expanded the kingdom of Magadha. After his father’s death, he became tormented with guilt and regret, converted to Buddhism, and supported the Buddha and his community.
A nāga king; a member of the Buddha’s retinue.
Lit. “Unobstructed.” One of the ten great śrāvaka disciples, famed for his meditative prowess and superknowledges. He was the Buddha's cousin—a son of Amṛtodana, one of the brothers of King Śuddhodana—and is often mentioned along with his two brothers Bhadrika and Mahānāma. Some sources also include Ānanda among his brothers.
An optional set of practices that monastics can adopt in order to cultivate greater detachment. The list of practices varies in different sources. When thirteen practices are listed, they consist of (1) wearing patched robes made from discarded cloth rather than from cloth donated by laypeople, (2) wearing only three robes, (3) going for alms, (4) not omitting any house while on the alms round rather than begging only at those houses known to provide good food, (5) eating only what can be eaten in one sitting, (6) eating only food received in the alms bowl rather than more elaborate meals presented to the Saṅgha, (7) refusing more food after indicating one has eaten enough, (8) dwelling in the forest, (9) dwelling at the root of a tree, (10) dwelling in the open air using only a tent made from one’s robes as shelter, (11) dwelling in a charnel ground, (12) being satisfied with whatever dwelling one has, and (13) sleeping in a sitting position without ever lying down.
One of twenty-five bodhisattvas in Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta’s retinue at the outset of this sūtra.
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).
One of twenty-five bodhisattvas in Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta’s retinue at the outset of this sūtra.
One of twenty-five bodhisattvas in Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta’s retinue at the outset of this sūtra.
One of twenty-five bodhisattvas in Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta’s retinue at the outset of this sūtra.
A householder in the Buddha Dīpaṅkara’s time.
The world in the distant past inhabited by the Buddha Invincible Banner of Victory.
In this text, the bodhisattva collection refers to the realization of all phenomena as well as the qualities of ordinary beings, learning, that which is beyond learning, hearers, solitary buddhas, bodhisattvas, and buddhas.
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).
A collective name for the first three heavens of the form realm, which correspond to the first concentration (dhyāna): Brahmakāyika, Brahmapurohita, and Mahābrahmā (also called Brahmapārṣadya). These are ruled over by the god Brahmā. According to some sources, it can also be a general reference to all the heavens in the form realm and formless realm. (Provisional 84000 definition. New definition forthcoming.)
One of the physical marks of a buddha, a hair that is coiled up between the eyebrows.
A god from the Heaven of Joy.
The hell into which King Ajātaśatru will be briefly reborn. Also called White Lotus.
The arising of beings explained as a chain of causation involving twelve interdependent links or stages.
One of twenty-five bodhisattvas in Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta’s retinue at the outset of this sūtra.
The term dhāraṇī is in some sūtras both a mnemonic formula and the ability of realized beings to retain (√dhṛ) any teachings in their transmundane memory. In its most general use it is as understood in the context of the Dhāraṇī genre and Mahāyāna Buddhism, where it refers to divinely revealed prayer formulas dedicated to a particular deity and typically including homage, praise, supplication, exhortation to act, and, most importantly, mantras of the deity. There is also the specific sense of “retention” inasmuch as dhāraṇīs, once obtained, are never lost but stay with the person who obtained them. They function as doors (dhāraṇīdvāra) or access points (dhāraṇīmukha) to infinite qualities of buddhahood. When they are regarded to function in this way, even shorter mantras can be designated as dhāraṇī.
A bodhisattva in Mañjuśrī’s retinue.
The buddha who preceded Śākyamuni and gave him the prophecy of his buddhahood.
One of twenty-five bodhisattvas in Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta’s retinue at the outset of this sūtra.
The emancipation of form observing form, the emancipation of the formless observing form, the emancipation of observing beauty, the emancipation of infinite space, the emancipation of infinite consciousness, the emancipation of nothing whatsoever, the emancipation of neither the presence nor the absence of perception, and the emancipation of cessation.
Hoping for happiness, fame, praise, and gain and fearing suffering, insignificance, blame, and loss.
In the context of Buddhist philosophy, one way to describe experience in terms of eighteen elements (eye, form, and eye consciousness; ear, sound, and ear consciousness; nose, smell, and nose consciousness; tongue, taste, and tongue consciousness; body, touch, and body consciousness; and mind, mental phenomena, and mind consciousness).
This also refers to the elements of the world, which can be enumerated as four, five, or six. The four elements are earth, water, fire, and air. A fifth, space, is often added, and the sixth is consciousness.
A bodhisattva in Mañjuśrī’s retinue.
One of twenty-five bodhisattvas in Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta’s retinue at the outset of this sūtra.
One of twenty-five bodhisattvas in Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta’s retinue at the outset of this sūtra.
A buddha realm to the east, of the Buddha Resounding Glory.
The monk in the distant past who was the greatest in terms of insight under the Buddha called He Who Outshines All.
A buddha in a past eon.
The name of the householder Immersed in Joy when he becomes a buddha in the future.
The set of practices that lead to awakening, traditionally listed as thirty-seven.
A royal palace in the distant past.
Acts for which one will be reborn in hell immediately after death, without any intervening stages; the five are murdering one’s father, murdering one’s mother, killing a worthy one, shedding the blood of a buddha, and creating a schism in the saṅgha.
Divine sight, divine hearing, the ability to know past and future lives, the ability to know the minds of others, and the ability to produce miracles.
A merchant during the time of the Buddha Invincible Banner of Victory.
Love, compassion, joy, and equanimity.
Four gods who live on the lower slopes (fourth level) of Mount Meru in the eponymous Heaven of the Four Great Kings (Cāturmahārājika, rgyal chen bzhi’i ris) and guard the four cardinal directions. Each is the leader of a nonhuman class of beings living in his realm. They are Dhṛtarāṣṭra, ruling the gandharvas in the east; Virūḍhaka, ruling over the kumbhāṇḍas in the south; Virūpākṣa, ruling the nāgas in the west; and Vaiśravaṇa (also known as Kubera) ruling the yakṣas in the north. Also referred to as Guardians of the World or World Protectors (lokapāla, ’jig rten skyong ba).
Generosity, kind talk, meaningful actions, and practicing what one preaches.
The four truths that the Buddha transmitted in his first teaching: (1) suffering, (2) the origin of suffering, (3) the cessation of suffering, and (4) the path to the cessation of suffering.
A bodhisattva in Mañjuśrī’s retinue.
ma skyes dgra’i ’gyod pa bsal ba (Ajātaśatrukaukṛtyavinodana). Toh 231, Degé Kangyur vol. 62 (mdo sde, tsha), folios 211.b–268.b.
ma skyes dgra’i ’gyod pa bsal ba. 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. 62, pp. 3–313.
ma skyes dgra’i ’gyod pa bsal ba. Stok Palace Kangyur vol. 73 (mdo sde, za), folios 266.b–351.a.
dkar chag ’phang thang ma. Beijing: mi rigs dpe skrun khang, 2003.
Harrison, Paul, and Jens-Uwe Hartmann (1998). “A Sanskrit Fragment of the Ajātaśatru-kaukṛtya-vinodanā-sūtra.” In Sūryacandrāya: Essays in Honour of Akira Yuyama, edited by Paul Harrison and Gregory Schopen, 67–86. Swisttal-Odendorf: Indica et Tibetica Verlag, 1998.
Harrison, Paul, and Jens-Uwe Hartmann (2000). “Ajātaśatrukaukṛtyavinodanāsūtra.” In Buddhist Manuscripts Volume I, edited by Jens Braarvig et al., 167–216. Manuscripts in the Schøyen Collection Oslo: Hermes, 2000.
Harrison, Paul, and Jens-Uwe Hartmann (2002). “Another Fragment of the Ajātaśatrukaukṛtyavinodanāsūtra.” In Buddhist Manuscripts Volume II, edited by Jens Braarvig et al., 45–50. Manuscripts in the Schøyen Collection. Oslo: Hermes, 2002.
Herrmann-Pfandt, Adelheid. Die lHan kar ma: ein früher Katalog der ins Tibetische übersetzten buddhistischen Texte. Vienna: Verlag der österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, 2008.
Miyazaki, Tensho (2008). “Background to the Compilation of Chapter 4 of the Ajātaśatrukaukṛtyavinodanasūtra: Was Chapter 4 Originally a Separate Text?” Journal of Indian and Buddhist Studies 56, no. 3 (2008): 1110–13.
Miyazaki, Tensho (2012). Ajase ō kyō no kenkyū: Sono hensan katei no kaimei wo chūshin toshite [A Study of the Ajātaśatrukaukṛtyavinodana: Focusing on the Compilation Process]. Bibliotheca Indologica et Buddhologica 15. Tokyo: Sankibo Press, 2012.
Miyazaki, Tensho (2013). “Future Lives of King Ajātaśatru in Chapter XI of the Ajātaśatrukaukṛtyavinodana: With Special Attention to Its Similarities with the Account of the Prophecy That King Ajātaśatru Will Become a Pratyekabuddha in Other Buddhist Texts.” Acta Tibetica et Buddhica 6 (2013): 1–19.
Silk, Jonathan. “Chinese Sūtras in Tibetan Translation: A Preliminary Survey.” Annual Report of The International Research Institute for Advanced Buddhology 21 (2020): 227–46.
Shingan, Shaku. The King Ajātaśatru Sūtra: A Translation of the Ajātaśatrukaukṛtyavinodana Sūtra from the Chinese of Lokakṣema Together with Three Short Sūtras on Ajātaśatru. Kamakura, 2022.
Eliminating Ajātaśatru’s Remorse narrates how the teachings of the bodhisattva Mañjuśrī help King Ajātaśatru overcome the severe negative action of having killed his father, King Bimbisāra. Through instruction, pointed questioning, and a display of miracles, Mañjuśrī and his retinue of bodhisattvas show King Ajātaśatru that the remorse he feels for his crime is in fact unreal, just as all phenomena are unreal. The sūtra thus demonstrates Mañjuśrī’s superiority in wisdom and the profound purification that comes from realizing emptiness.
Translated by the Dharmachakra Translation Committee under the supervision of Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche. The translation was produced by Timothy Hinkle. Andreas Doctor compared the translation with the original Tibetan and edited the text.
The translation was completed under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.
The generous sponsorship of 苏享国阖家、曲尼俄萨、苏慧、姚雨含、马鑫、刘弈汐、林媛媛和黄璎珞, which helped make the work on this translation possible, is most gratefully acknowledged.
Eliminating Ajātaśatru’s Remorse narrates how King Ajātaśatru, ruler of the ancient Indian kingdom of Magadha, is relieved of his remorse for having ruthlessly killed his father, King Bimbisāra. King Ajātaśatru and his relationship to the Buddha are frequently described in canonical Buddhist sources, where Ajātaśatru is often portrayed worshiping the Buddha and piously attending his teachings. Ajātaśatru indeed had a special reason for diligently participating in the religious life—due to his desire to assume the throne in Magadha, he had his father imprisoned and then starved him to death. Later, as he realized the impending negative consequences of his acts in terms of his future rebirths, King Ajātaśatru is portrayed as a man, overcome with remorse, who sought the healing counsel of the Buddha to remedy the unhappy destiny that otherwise surely awaited him.
The sūtra begins with Mañjuśrī and a group of bodhisattvas and gods discussing the nature of omniscience. The bodhisattvas and gods articulate their own understandings of omniscience before Mañjuśrī offers a definitive explanation on the topic. Following this, he emanates a thus-gone one in the exact likeness of the Buddha Śākyamuni, who discusses the conduct of bodhisattvas and the emptiness of all phenomena. The sūtra then relays a story demonstrating the superiority of the bodhisattva path. Śākyamuni throws an alms bowl into the earth, down through innumerable buddha realms, and he asks some of his chief disciples, including Śāriputra and Maudgalyāyana, to find it, but they are unable to do so. Only the bodhisattva Mañjuśrī succeeds in reaching the alms bowl, which he does by means of a miraculous display. He is then acknowledged as having contributed to the awakening of various thus-gone ones, including Śākyamuni.
Having established Mañjuśrī’s greatness, the sūtra provides a detailed account of Ajātaśatru’s struggle to rectify his previous misdeeds, illustrating the profound benefits of obtaining insight into the nature of phenomena—an insight that can purify even the five so-called “acts with immediate results” (patricide being one of them), which virtually guarantee rebirth in the hells immediately upon death. The task of teaching King Ajātaśatru is delegated by the Buddha to Mañjuśrī, who uses his superior insight into emptiness and his miraculous abilities to induce in King Ajātaśatru a degree of insight that can almost entirely purify the effects of his heinous deeds. Thus, the sūtra ends happily, despite the grave theme on which it is built.
Eliminating Ajātaśatru’s Remorse is significant in several ways. Most importantly, from a Buddhist perspective, it provides an impressive account of how to eliminate the force of former negative actions, delivered through profound teachings that point out the nature of reality from the perspective of the Great Vehicle. From a historical point of view, the fact that its composition can be determined (through its first translation into Chinese) to date no later than the late second century
Unfortunately, a complete Sanskrit version of this text is no longer extant. Nevertheless, the recent discovery in the Schøyen Collection of a number of fragments recovered from Afghanistan provides an important resource for the study of this sūtra. Regardless of their brevity, these fragments provide testimony to the Sanskrit terminology and names employed in the sūtra, something that in turn can shed light on deeper philosophical and linguistic features, not only pertaining to this scripture but also having wider implications. The sūtra is also cited and mentioned in a number of Indian works (most of which are extant only in Tibetan translation) attributed to such authors as Nāgārjuna (second century
The sūtra was translated no less than four times into Chinese (Taishō 626, 627, 628, and 629) between the second and tenth centuries, attesting to its living presence in the Chinese Buddhist tradition over many centuries. Of these, Lokakṣema’s translation (Taishō 626, A she shi wang jing 阿闍世王經) is significant in that it provides a very early terminus ante quem for the composition of this sūtra that places it no later than the late second century—and most likely some time before that. The second translation (Taishō 627, Wen shu zhi li pu chao san mei jing 文殊支利普超三昧經) was produced in 287 by the prolific Buddhist translator Dharmarakṣa (c. 233–310). The third Chinese translation (Taishō 628, Wei ceng you zheng fa jing 未曾有正法經) was produced many years later, in the tenth century, by the Indian translator Fatian. Lastly, the fourth Chinese translation (Taishō 629, Fang bo jing 放鉢經) is undated, and no translator is mentioned. This text contains only an excerpt of the larger sūtra, which was translated by Lokakṣema and Dharmarakṣa, and Harrison and Hartmann suggest that this might therefore represent an early independent text that was subsequently incorporated into the larger sūtra.
As for the Tibetan translation, we know that it was produced, perhaps from the Sanskrit, no later than the early ninth century, since the text is included in the early ninth-century Denkarma (ldan dkar ma) catalog. Interestingly, in this catalog, Eliminating Ajātaśatru’s Remorse is included among the “Great Vehicle sūtras translated from Chinese” (theg pa chen po’i mdo sde rgya las bsgyur ba). Herrmann-Pfandt argues, however, that the Tibetan translation may very well have been produced from the Sanskrit regardless, as Mañjuśrīgarbha and Ratnarakṣita are both known to have worked with Indian texts rather than Chinese sources. Whether that is the case, or if perhaps the translation was indeed produced from the Chinese but subsequently edited to conform to the terminology employed in the later linguistic revisions that centered on Indic source texts, is unclear to us. At present, we can simply note that none of the Tibetan Kangyur collections specify who first translated the texts into Tibetan. Instead, they merely note that the translation was edited by the Indian scholar Mañjuśrīgarbha and the Tibetan translator Ratnarakṣita, both of whom flourished in the early ninth century. Apart from the Denkarma classification, the text itself bears no obvious marks of having been translated from the Chinese, but future research into this matter may determine the text’s pedigree with more certainty. In producing this English translation from the Tibetan, we have based our work on the Degé xylograph while consulting the Comparative Edition (dpe bsdur ma) as well as the Stok Palace manuscript.
[B1] Homage to all buddhas and bodhisattvas.
Thus did I hear at one time. The Blessed One was dwelling in Rājagṛha at Vulture Peak Mountain with a great saṅgha of one thousand two hundred fifty monks as well as eighty-four thousand bodhisattvas who had arrived from various other buddha realms. These bodhisattva great beings had extraordinary abilities. They had attained dhāraṇī, had unimpeded eloquence, had gained the acceptance that phenomena are nonarising, were knowledgeable and skilled in the practice of absorption and dhāraṇī, and could teach the Dharma in accordance with the inclinations of all beings. Also in attendance were the Four Great Kings, Śakra, who is the lord of the gods, Brahmā, who is the lord of the Sahā world, and hundreds of other gods, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kinnaras, and mahoragas.
At that time, Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta was staying on a mountain terrace with twenty-five sublime beings, namely, the bodhisattva great beings Nāgaśrī, Nāgadatta, Śrīsambhava, Śrīgarbha, Most Glorious Lotus, Emerging Lotus Glory, Beings’ Supporter, Earth Supporter, Bearer of the Jewel, Bearer of the Jeweled Seal, Siṃhamati, Leonine Proclaimer, Gaganagañja, He Who Turned the Wheel of Dharma Immediately upon Developing the Mind of Awakening, Eloquence Regarding All Distinct Terminology, Mass of Eloquence, Sāgaramati, Mahāmeru, Priyadarśa, Joyful King, Infinite Vision, Abiding in Limitless Observations, Destroyer of the Views of Māra, Aśokadatta, and Sarvārthasiddha. These were the twenty-five bodhisattva great beings, the sublime beings, who accompanied him. Four gods from the Heaven of Joy were also following Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta in order to hear the Dharma. They were the gods Samantakusuma, Luminous Flower, Māndārava Scent, and Constantly Striving to Abide by the Dharma. Many other gods were also following Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta in order to hear the Dharma.
A discussion was held among these sublime beings and gods: “Listen, friends! The wisdom of the buddhas is vast, unfathomable, limitless, inconceivable, unequaled, immeasurable, incomprehensible, unrivaled, and unsurpassed. Given that one could never comprehend it with armor that is not sublime, the question follows: what sort of armor should one don in order that one will be able to comprehend the great wisdom, the wisdom of omniscience?”
The bodhisattva Nāgaśrī said, “One can comprehend such great wisdom by donning the armor that is situated in and does not forget the roots of virtue that are insatiable in accumulating roots of virtue and dedicating them.”
The bodhisattva Nāgadatta said, “It is by donning armor that consists in a firm and sincere commitment toward the wisdom of omniscience due to having an even, gentle, soft, honest, pliant, and noble attitude that one is able to comprehend the great wisdom, the wisdom of omniscience.”
The bodhisattva Śrīsambhava said, “Listen, friends! Such great wisdom cannot be comprehended through the enumeration of eons. However, it can be comprehended by donning armor for unfathomable eons.”
The bodhisattva Śrīgarbha said, “Noble sons, bodhisattvas who are attached to and concerned with their own happiness will not be able to comprehend such great wisdom. However, they could comprehend the wisdom of omniscience by not being attached to their own happiness. When such people apply themselves to the happiness and well-being of all beings with a wish to supply all beings with happiness without expecting any material offerings in return, they will be able to comprehend the wisdom of omniscience.”
The bodhisattva Most Glorious Lotus said, “Those who are wild, reckless, and unrefined have no opportunity to tame or pacify others who are wild, reckless, and unrefined, whereas those who are very tame, guarded, and refined will have the opportunity to tame or pacify others who are wild, reckless, and unrefined. The Blessed One has said as much. Therefore, by being tame oneself and engaging in the practice of tranquility, and through skillfully taming others and bringing them tranquility, one will be able to comprehend great wisdom.”
The bodhisattva Emerging Lotus Glory said, “Listen, friends! One cannot transcend the world when mixed up with worldly concerns, whereas one who is not mixed up with worldly concerns will transcend the world. Therefore, a bodhisattva who cannot be influenced by gain, loss, fame, insignificance, praise, blame, happiness, and suffering—a bodhisattva great being who is neither arrogant nor obsequious—can easily comprehend great wisdom.”
The bodhisattva Beings’ Supporter said, “Listen, friends! One who seeks disputes with others will not be able to comprehend the great wisdom of omniscience. However, bodhisattvas may create roots of virtue by saying, ‘I, for the sake of all beings, will singlehandedly and without any assistance don great armor, and thus whatever is to be achieved for all beings, that I will achieve!’ Then, in order to ripen all beings, they develop the mind of awakening that embraces all beings, and they do not relinquish their diligence for even a moment. Bodhisattvas who remain diligent in this way will be able to comprehend great wisdom.”
The bodhisattva Earth Supporter said, “Listen, friends! To draw an analogy, the earth is the location of all grasses, bushes, herbs, and forests. This is where they exist and where the seeds of all grasses, bushes, herbs, and forests sprout up. Still, the earth bears no expectation of reward. Also, while the earth nourishes all beings, this does not tire the earth. Noble sons, likewise, because bodhisattvas are free from attitudes of attachment and aggression, and because they nourish all beings without expecting any reward, they are like the earth. If they develop the mind of awakening, they will be able to comprehend great wisdom.”
The bodhisattva Bearer of the Jewel said, “Listen, friends! You must understand this point about the great armor. One who is inclined toward what is base cannot realize great wisdom. However, there are some who do not let their minds enter the two other vehicles, even in their dreams, while they are sleeping. Instead, they work to make others desire the precious mind—the mind of omniscience. They do this without any attitude of stinginess with regard to that precious mind. Thus they cause all beings to don the armor of the Great Vehicle. They do not see that the unequaled mind increases or decreases. In this way, with a mind free from stinginess they will be able to comprehend great wisdom.”
The bodhisattva Bearer of the Jeweled Seal said, “Ah! Since beings fall into the six types of existence, one must generate great compassion for them. I shall therefore give all beings the application of the seal of Dharma—the three jeweled seals. I will assist beings with little study in gaining education; I will assist stingy beings in giving; I will assist poorly behaved beings in discipline; I will assist beings with ill will in patience; I will assist lazy beings to become diligent; I will assist beings who lack mindfulness in the achievement of concentration; I will assist beings with faulty understanding in gaining knowledge. I will assist beings in the perfection of any virtuous qualities they may be lacking. The performance of a bodhisattva’s roots of virtue shall be applied with the three jeweled seals. What are the three? They are to apply the jeweled seal of dedication toward all beings perfecting the wisdom of buddhahood, to apply the jeweled seal of the accomplishment of one’s own roots of virtue, and to apply the seal of all beings’ nature, which is space. Noble sons, by following these points, one will be able to comprehend the great wisdom of omniscience.”
The bodhisattva Siṃhamati said, “Ah! Friends, this is the fearless armor. This is the unfrightened armor. This is the undaunted armor. This the armor that knows no laziness. Listen, friends! It is therefore easy to comprehend the wisdom of omniscience when one is fearless, unfrightened, undaunted, and not lazy; when one is free from what makes one frightened or anxious; when one does not generate the flaws of saṃsāra; when one sees the beneficial qualities of nirvāṇa; when one equalizes the phenomena of happiness and suffering; and when one abides in nonduality.”
The bodhisattva Leonine Proclaimer said, “Listen, friends! This is not the way of evil beings. Rather, this is the way of sublime beings. Why is this? Because sublime beings are free from evil views, they are engaged in what is genuine. Because sublime beings always have an honest character, they are not deceptive. Because sublime beings are respectful to their spiritual masters, they defeat pride. Because sublime beings teach in harmonious ways, their language is excellent. Because sublime beings have a correct livelihood, their accomplishments are renowned. Because sublime beings are undiscouraged, they are free from attachment. Because sublime beings are without anger, they are free from aggression. Because sublime beings are peaceful, fully peaceful, and deeply peaceful, they are free from obscuring darkness. Because sublime beings are compassionate toward the suffering and the poor, they are gentle. Because sublime beings’ physical, verbal, and mental accomplishments are pure, they are cautious. Because sublime beings engage genuinely in proper actions, they practice what they preach. Because sublime beings are steadfast in their discipline, they are altruistic. Because sublime beings are without mistaken doctrines, they are grounded in the truth. Because sublime beings are pleased and delighted by the joy of the Dharma, they yearn for the Dharma. Because sublime beings are generous with their body and life, they uphold the sublime Dharma. Because sublime beings are connected with all beings, they do not give up on them. Because sublime beings follow ultimate truth, they behold faults. Because sublime beings spurn nonvirtuous qualities, they are immersed in virtuous qualities. Sublime beings are a treasure for the poor. Sublime beings are medicine for the sick. Sublime beings are protectors for the fearful. Sublime beings are a refuge for the friendless. Sublime beings are an island for those lost in the ocean of saṃsāra. Sublime beings are a support for the unsupported. Sublime beings are illumination for those lost in darkness. Sublime beings are guides for those who have set out on bad paths. Sublime beings are guides for those who preach the Dharma. Because sublime beings practice patience and discipline, they are free of the faults of anger and the torments of malice, hiding shame, and rage. Therefore, because sublime beings live by such principles, they are able to comprehend great wisdom.”
The bodhisattva Gaganagañja said, “One can realize omniscience through the practice of cultivating love that is like boundless space and through unbroken abiding in great compassion, constantly joyful and delighted faculties, and relinquishing all sense pleasures in an equanimous manner, as well as through space-like generosity, space-like discipline, space-like patience, space-like diligence, space-like concentration, and space-like insight.”
The bodhisattva He Who Turned the Wheel of Dharma Immediately upon Developing the Mind of Awakening said, “Bodhisattvas should not develop attitudes that will give the evil Māra an opportunity, displease the thus-gone ones, bring the gods displeasure, and cause their own virtuous qualities to diminish. Instead, bodhisattvas should develop attitudes that give the evil Māra no opportunity, please the thus-gone ones, bring the gods pleasure, and prevent their own virtuous qualities from diminishing. If one proceeds in this way, one will turn the wheel of Dharma immediately upon developing the mind of awakening. Why is this? Because immediately upon developing the mind of awakening, the bodhisattvas see that causes and observed conditions are unborn. Thus, they gain realization that all phenomena are nonoccurring and that the awakening of the Thus-Gone One is also unborn. They understand the turning of the wheel of Dharma according to their awakening. They are able to comprehend omniscience through the armor of their thoughts.”
The bodhisattva Eloquence Regarding All Distinct Terminology said, “Sublime beings, awakening is found in everything. It is found in affliction, purification, the conditioned, the unconditioned, the defiled, the undefiled, what is transgressive, what is not transgressive, roots of virtue, roots of nonvirtue, worldly phenomena, transcendent phenomena, saṃsāra, nirvāṇa, both disruption and permanence, the aggregates, the elements, and the sense sources. Sublime beings, awakening is found in earth, water, fire, wind, and space. Why is this? All phenomena have a nature like this: the nature of emptiness. Anyone who discusses these different aspects is discussing the emptiness of everything. To draw an analogy, just as space is found in everything, so is awakening found in everything. Sublime beings, bodhisattvas who are devoted to such wisdom will arouse eloquence regarding all observations. In this they will gain all knowledge of distinct terminology. Those who understand the single principle will comprehend omniscience.”
The bodhisattva Mass of Eloquence said, “Listen, friends! All utterances are unutterable, and all sounds are unproduced. Bodhisattvas devoted to such wisdom abide in unmoving minds such that they are neither pleased nor dismayed by pleasant or unpleasant speech. Likewise, when wind reaches the imposing mass of a mountain, it turns back without moving or shaking that imposing mountain. Likewise, Noble sons, by realizing such wisdom, a bodhisattva will accept sounds and utterances from all sources without moving or shaking. They are not drawn to the utterances of non-Buddhists. They see the words of the Thus-Gone One and non-Buddhists to be sameness. In this sameness there is no contradiction. They see the eloquence of the non-Buddhists as limited, and limited phenomena could not prompt them to arrogance about phenomena. So, sublime beings, bodhisattvas who aspire to such wisdom shall swiftly gain omniscience.”
The bodhisattva Sāgaramati said, “Sublime beings, bodhisattvas must comprehend how to plunge the mind into the ocean of intelligence since they retain all they hear. They must be devoted to the quality of a single taste since reality does not vary. They must investigate reality since it does not contradict dependent origination. They must not attempt to increase or diminish any phenomena, since phenomena are primordially nonoccurring. They must grow the roots of virtue that nourish all beings, since their merit is inexhaustible. They must comprehend the two extremes since they are disengaged from discontinuity and permanence. They must investigate all phenomena since the mind’s capacity to be cultivated is limitless. They must develop the strength of their mindfulness and apply it so as not to forget any phenomena. They must complete the elimination of any arrogance since they are to teach the Dharma to all beings equally. In order to assiduously pursue the unique qualities of buddhahood, they must not associate with any nonvirtuous qualities. Sublime beings, through the armor of mindful wisdom, one will be able to comprehend omniscience.”
The bodhisattva Mahāmeru said, “This wisdom of the buddhas is wisdom that rises above the entire world. One cannot comprehend it via any kind of limited action. Therefore, one will be able to comprehend omniscience with thought that rises above the entire world, hearing that rises above the universe, faith that rises above the entire world, and generosity that rises above the entire world, and likewise with discipline, patience, diligence, concentration, and insight that rise above the entire world as well as merit like the massive Mount Meru that rises above the entire world.”
The bodhisattva Priyadarśa said, “Sublime beings, when bodhisattvas purify their consciousness of form, unpleasant appearances of form will not appear to their eyes. When they purify their ear consciousness, unpleasant sounds will not be heard by their ears. The same holds for scent, taste, and touch. When they purify the domain of their minds, unpleasant mental objects will no longer appear to their minds. When they purify their minds, their minds will no longer be bound by like and dislike, and they will not see any being as an unsuitable vessel for the qualities of buddhahood, for they will see even those with mistaken convictions as suitable vessels for the qualities of buddhahood. Anything that they really enjoy, they will joyfully renounce and give away without regret. Bodhisattvas who act like this will be able to comprehend omniscience.”
The bodhisattva Joyful King said, “When criticized, scolded, blamed, bullied, beaten, or defeated, bodhisattvas should be joyful and regard the person who does so as a spiritual friend. Practicing patience and showing the power of patience, they will be joyful. They investigate reality by asking themselves, ‘Who is this person that criticizes, and what is being criticized?’ Being confident in inner emptiness and trusting of outer emptiness, they are patient and refrain from developing the view of self. Thus they can give away their arms and legs. They can give away their eyes and head. They can give away their wives, sons, and daughters. They can give away their kingdom and be joyful about it. They can give up their body and life and be happy about it. For while they would not be happy about gaining the dominion of a universal monarch, they are joyful in hearing a single well-spoken verse. Gaining the status of Śakra would not make them happy, yet they are joyful when explaining the Dharma to others. Gaining the status of Brahmā would not make them happy, yet they are joyful when they are able to establish even a single being in unsurpassed and perfect awakening. The trichiliocosm filled with precious substances would not make them happy, but they are joyful when they behold the Thus-Gone One. They are happy, as their faculties never decline. Anyone who accomplishes such conduct and who is happy and joyful about the factors of awakening is able to comprehend omniscience.”
The bodhisattva Infinite Vision said, “Friends, while indeed a bodhisattva sees all phenomena, they do not fall into the view of self. While indeed they understand all the qualities of buddhahood, they do not indulge in concepts. While indeed they see all the buddhas, they do not generate the notion that they are observing form. While indeed they see all beings, they do not generate notions about beings. Their physical eyes are clear because they have purified the ripening of action. They possess the divine eye because they have gained extraordinary abilities. They have realized the eye of insight by ridding themselves of all afflictions. They are oriented toward the eye of buddhahood by accomplishing the unique qualities of buddhahood. They gain the insight of the Dharma eye by perfecting the ten strengths. Noble sons, through the perfection of such wisdom vision, one will be able to comprehend omniscience.”
The bodhisattva Abiding in Limitless Observations said, “In awakening everything is observed, and the wisdom of omniscience is accomplished. Why is this? Because bodhisattvas investigate the fact that no observations exist internally, externally, or in the middle. A bodhisattva who does not abide in observation will not be harmed by the observation of afflictions, action, or Māra. A bodhisattva who transcends the observation of afflictions, action, and Māra comprehends omniscience.”
The bodhisattva Destroyer of the Views of Māra said, “Noble sons, the view of self arises and occurs from the view of self. The actions of Māra arise and occur from this view. If one understands the view of self, one will not cause such views to occur. If one understands such views, one will not cause the aggregates to occur. If one understands the aggregates, one will not see Māra. One will reach unobscured freedom because one has transcended the domain of Māra. If bodhisattvas achieve unobscured freedom, they will comprehend omniscience.”
The bodhisattva Aśokadatta said, “Performing faulty actions will later cause one to be remorseful, whereas good actions will not cause one any anguish later. Therefore, bodhisattvas must engage in good actions, irreproachable actions, actions that will not cause remorse, and actions that are not evil. They will preach the Dharma in order to quell the misery and end the anguish of suffering beings. Bodhisattvas who act like this will comprehend omniscience.”
The bodhisattva Sarvārthasiddha said, “Noble sons, people who have a disciplined mind will accomplish their aims and aspirations. The factors of awakening rest upon the foundation of carefulness, and omniscience rests upon the foundation of the factors of awakening. Therefore, a bodhisattva who depends upon carefulness and the factors of awakening will comprehend omniscience.”
The god Samantakusuma said, “Noble sons, to draw an analogy, a tree adorned by flowers will nourish many beings. Likewise, noble sons, bodhisattva great beings who open the flower of the Dharma of liberation will nourish many beings. Noble sons, to draw an analogy, when the flowers on the divine pāriyātrakakovidāra tree bloom, it attracts the gods of the Heaven of the Thirty-Three. Likewise, noble sons, a bodhisattva great being who opens the flower of the Dharma of liberation will attract the world and its gods. Noble sons, to draw an analogy, the precious gem of the gods is free of all imperfections and has all positive attributes. Likewise, Noble sons, a bodhisattva with pure thought who is free from all imperfections and has all positive qualities will comprehend omniscience.”
The god Luminous Flower said, “Noble sons, to draw an analogy, when the sun shines its light, it eliminates darkness and illuminates all the aspects of form. Likewise, Noble sons, when bodhisattvas endowed with the light of insight shine the light of Dharma, they profoundly illuminate those beings who are obscured by the darkness of delusion and stupidity, and they reveal the nature of phenomena. No darkness can overwhelm this light, and this light brings comprehension of the path. Therefore, bodhisattvas abiding on the path can show the correct path to beings who travel bad paths. When bodhisattvas abide on the path, they will comprehend omniscience.”
The god Māndārava Scent said, “Noble sons, to draw an analogy, the scent of a māndārava flower pervades the environment for an entire league, yet the scent does not form any concepts. Similarly, Noble sons, a bodhisattva grounded in generosity, discipline, hearing, absorption, and insight fills the trichiliocosm with the scent of the Dharma. This scent eliminates all the illnesses of affliction. Therefore, if a bodhisattva is endowed with the scent of the Dharma, they will comprehend omniscience.”
The god Constantly Striving to Abide by the Dharma said, “Listen, friends! Bodhisattvas will awaken through exertion, whereas they will not do so without it. Therefore, bodhisattvas should constantly exert themselves and never be complacent regarding their roots of virtue. They must exert themselves in eight practices. What are the eight? They are (1) exertion in the practice of the six perfections; (2) the wisdom that accomplishes the four abodes of Brahmā and knows, realizes, and understands the five extraordinary abilities; (3) ripening beings with the four means of attracting disciples, which are generosity, kind talk, meaningful actions, and practicing what one preaches; (4) gaining acceptance of the three gateways of liberation; (5) establishing others in the qualities of buddhahood; (6) never giving up the mind of awakening; (7) making dedications with skillful means; and (8) being respectful and upholding the sublime Dharma. Bodhisattvas who exert themselves in these eight practices will comprehend omniscience.”
Then Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta addressed these sublime beings and gods, “Listen, friends! Bodhisattvas who do not associate or exert themselves will comprehend omniscience. Why is this? That with which they are not associated is the three realms. That in which they do not exert themselves is any thought, concept, or idea. That with which they do not associate is the inner. That in which they do not exert themselves is the outer. That with which they do not associate is the level of hearers. That in which they do not exert themselves is the level of solitary buddhas. Those with which they are not associated are the afflictions and subsidiary afflictions experienced in saṃsāra. Those in which they do not exert themselves are all the phenomena of ordinary childish beings. That with which they are not associated is name. That in which they do not exert themselves is form. That with which they are not associated is cause. That in which they do not exert themselves is effect. That with which they are not associated is views. That in which they do not exert themselves is the absence of views. That with which they are not associated is passion. That in which they do not exert themselves is anger. That with which they are not associated is clinging to I. That in which they do not exert themselves is clinging to mine. That with which they are not associated is stinginess. That in which they do not exert themselves is arrogance about generosity. That with which they are not associated is bad character. That in which they do not exert themselves is arrogance about discipline. That with which they are not associated is malice. That in which they do not exert themselves is arrogance about patience. That with which they are not associated is laziness. That in which they do not exert themselves is arrogance about diligence. That with which they are not associated is spoiled mindfulness. That in which they do not exert themselves is arrogance about concentration. That with which they are not associated is mistaken insight. That in which they do not exert themselves is arrogance about insight. That with which they are not associated is nonvirtue. That in which they do not exert themselves is boasting about virtue. That with which they are not associated is worldly concerns. That in which they do not exert themselves is attachment to manifesting transcendent qualities. That with which they are not associated is conditioned phenomena. That in which they do not exert themselves is conceptualizing unconditioned phenomena. Those with which they are not associated are misdeeds. That in which they do not exert themselves is boasting about their proper deeds. That with which they are not associated is defilement. That in which they do not exert themselves is arrogance about their undefiled phenomena of exhaustion.
“Listen, friends! In this way, bodhisattva great beings who are free from the views of association and disassociation do indeed comprehend omniscience. Yet listen, friends! Omniscience cannot be comprehended. Why is this? Omniscience cannot be comprehended through an action. Why is this? The absence of action is omniscience, and within omniscience there is no conceptual activity. Omniscience cannot be comprehended by form, by feeling, by perception, by formations, or by consciousness. Omniscience cannot be comprehended by phenomena or nonphenomena. Omniscience cannot be comprehended by generosity. Why is this? Generosity in and of itself is omniscience. Omniscience cannot be comprehended by discipline, patience, diligence, concentration, or insight. Why is this? Insight in and of itself is omniscience.
“Listen, friends! Furthermore, omniscience is neither past, present, nor future. Why is this? Listen friends! It is because omniscience is beyond the three times.
“Listen, friends! Omniscience also is not cognizable by the eye consciousness. Listen, friends! Omniscience is not cognizable by the ear, nose, tongue, body, or mind consciousness. Why is this? Listen, friends! Omniscience is beyond all objects.
“Listen, friends! Those who wish to comprehend omniscience will be in agreement with how omniscience is.”
“How is omniscience?”
“Omniscience is that which does not dwell on any phenomena. Sameness regarding all phenomena is omniscience, for the sameness of the level of ordinary beings, the sameness of the qualities of buddhahood, and likewise the sameness of all phenomena are omniscience.
“Bodhisattvas should not seek omniscience separate from their very bodies, which arise from the four great elements. Why is this? The body is insubstantial. The body is naturally present in virtuous and nonvirtuous phenomena. The body is not self, and it is devoid of self. The body is unarisen; it is truly unarisen and without imputation. Anything imputed upon it is also unarisen. Whatever is seen is also unarisen. That which is unarisen is truly unarisen. That which is truly unarisen is unknowable and incomprehensible. That which is unknowable and incomprehensible is omniscience.”
When this teaching was given, two thousand gods gained the acceptance that phenomena are nonarising, and twelve thousand gods developed the mind directed toward unsurpassed and perfect awakening.
Then the bodhisattva great being Mass of Eloquence said to Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta, “Mañjuśrī, please come. Come into the presence of the Thus-Gone One to ask the Thus-Gone One directly how bodhisattvas should act.”
Then, in that very place, Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta emanated a thus-gone one in the exact likeness, shape, and proportions of the blessed Śākyamuni. Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta then said to the bodhisattva great being Mass of Eloquence, “Noble son, ask this thus-gone one directly how bodhisattvas should act.”
The bodhisattva great being Mass of Eloquence then asked the emanated thus-gone one, “Blessed One, how should bodhisattvas act?”
He answered, “Bodhisattvas should act exactly as I do.”
“Well then, how does the Blessed One act?”
He answered, “Do not engage in generosity. Do not engage in discipline. Do not engage in patience. Do not engage in diligence. Do not engage in concentration. Do not engage in insight. Do not engage in the desire realm. Do not engage in the form realm. Do not engage in the formless realm. Do not engage with the body. Do not engage with speech. Do not engage with the mind. Do not engage or act in any way at all. Tell me, noble son, do emanations engage?”
“No, Blessed One, emanations do not engage.”
“Noble son, bodhisattvas should act likewise.”
Then the bodhisattva great being Mass of Eloquence asked Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta, “Mañjuśrī, is this thus-gone one considered to not be an emanation?”
Mañjuśrī answered, “Noble son, know that all phenomena have the nature of emanations. They do not diverge from the characteristics of illusion.”
“Mañjuśrī, thus it is. All phenomena have the nature of emanations. They do not diverge from the characteristics of illusion.”
“If all phenomena have the nature of emanations, why would you think that this thus-gone one is considered to not be an emanation?”
“Who emanated?”
“I emanated through the pure ripening of action. However, by nature there is no self, being, life principle, or person that exists here, whether as a buddha or an ordinary being.”
Then the bodhisattva great being Mass of Eloquence asked the form of the Thus-Gone One, “How did the Blessed One train to gain awakening?”
“Noble son, not training is a bodhisattva’s training. Not restraining is a bodhisattva’s training. Not fearing is a bodhisattva’s training. Not conceptualizing is a bodhisattva’s training. Not analyzing is a bodhisattva’s training.
“Noble son, not abiding, not thinking, not elaborating, not taking, not giving, not moving, not using words, not arising, not ceasing, not coming, not going, not having a basis, the absence of marks, the absence of substance, not apprehending, and not perceiving in any way is the training of bodhisattva great beings.
“Those who train in this manner train correctly. Those who train in this manner have no aggression toward anyone. Those who train in this manner are free of attachment toward anything. Those who train in this manner are free of clinging to anything at all. They are not liberated from anything. Those who train in this manner are free of desire for anything. They do not separate from desire. They have no aggression. They have no delusion. Training in this manner is called yearning to train. Those who yearn to train do not proceed to, or arrive at, any existence. Therefore, bodhisattva great beings who yearn to fully awaken to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood should be just like me—they should have neither saṃsāra nor nirvāṇa, they should neither give nor take, they should have neither discipline nor inappropriate comportment, they should have neither patience nor malice, they should have neither diligence nor laziness, they should have neither concentration nor distraction, they should have neither insight nor misunderstanding, they should have neither training nor nontraining, and they should have neither engagement nor nonengagement. Just like me, they should be without attainment, nonattainment, manifestation, awakening, buddha qualities, perception of a self, perception of a being, perception of a life principle, perception of personhood, and perception of phenomena. They should be without perception and nonperception. Why is this?
“Noble son, all phenomena are unchanging because they are undifferentiated from the nature of the characteristics of illusion. Noble son, all phenomena are nondual because they are not individually differentiated. Noble son, all phenomena do not appear to be seen because they are beyond the domain of vision. Noble son, all phenomena are the same because they are without difference. Noble son, all phenomena are inactive because they are without movement or action. They are without imputation, and unimputed phenomena are utterly unarisen. Whoever trusts this will not conceptualize liberation, engagement, or awakening. Therefore, noble son, when such training and engagement is described, bodhisattva great beings do not become frightened, anxious, or scared. That is a bodhisattva.
“To draw an analogy, noble son, the expanse of the sky is not frightened by fire, wind, rain, drought, dust, smoke, clouds, or lightning. Why is this? The expanse of the sky cannot be apprehended. In the same way, noble son, bodhisattvas should not be frightened by any phenomena. They should not think about any happiness or suffering, for the minds of bodhisattvas are like the sky. That is why they can defeat the hordes of Māra. They can fully awaken to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood. They can ensure the benefit of beings.”
Having said this, the emanated Thus-Gone One immediately disappeared.
The bodhisattva great being Mass of Eloquence then asked Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta, “Mañjuśrī, where has the Thus-Gone One gone to?”
“To where he came from.”
“Well then, from where did he come?”
“From where he is going.”
“Mañjuśrī, emanations are free from both coming and going.”
“Noble son, just as the emanation is free from coming and going, so is the mode of all phenomena. All beings have that mode as well.”
“Mañjuśrī, what is the mode of all phenomena?”
“It is the natural mode.”
“Also, what is the mode of all beings?”
“Their mode accords with the ripening of action.”
“Well then, Mañjuśrī, are not all phenomena devoid of the ripening of action?”
“Noble son, there is no ripening of action in reality. Why is this? Because all phenomena accord with reality.”
“Well then, how does the ripening of action have that mode?”
“Just as the action, so is the ripening. Its existence is likewise.”
“Mañjuśrī, what is action like? What is ripening like? What is existence like?”
“Action is just like suchness. So is ripening. So is existence.”
“Mañjuśrī, in suchness there is no action, no ripening, and no existence.”
“Noble son, just as in suchness there is no action, no ripening, and no existence, so you must understand the existence of the ripening of action. The existence of the ripening of action has no coming and no going—it does not transcend the mode of suchness.”
When this teaching was given, through the power of the Buddha, venerable Śāriputra, venerable Nanda, and the other great hearers heard this teaching in the presence of the blessed Śākyamuni. [B2]
Venerable Śāriputra then said to the Blessed One, “Blessed One, if reality is indeed wholly singular, it is remarkable that these great and sublime beings can make diverse statements without contradicting reality. Blessed One, who could not develop the mind directed toward unsurpassed and perfect awakening?”
The Blessed One responded, “Śāriputra, in this way, bodhisattvas train in unobstructed trainings and teach in an unobstructed manner. Śāriputra, just as the fruit accords with the seed, so the bodhisattvas’ wisdom accords with their training. This is also the case with their teachings. Śāriputra, your wisdom will also accord with your training. The eloquence you gain will also accord with this.”
The bodhisattva Prabhāvyūha asked, “Blessed One, can you please describe the training of the hearers? Can you please describe the training of the bodhisattvas?”
The Blessed One answered, “Noble son, the training of the hearers is limited, whereas the training of the bodhisattvas is limitless. Noble son, to the degree to which one is engaged in the limited and restricted training of the hearers, so will one’s wisdom be limited and restricted. Noble son, to the degree to which one is engaged in the limitless and unobstructed trainings of the bodhisattvas, so will one’s wisdom be limitless and unobstructed.”
The bodhisattva great being Prabhāvyūha then asked the Blessed One, “Blessed One, no one in this assembly will give up listening to the Dharma, so please give those sublime beings a sign to come here. Why do I ask this? Since Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta is devoted to the profound, the Dharma he teaches is also profound.”
The Blessed One then gave the sign for Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta to come. Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta arrived before the Blessed One accompanied by the twenty-five sublime beings and the assembly of gods. They bowed their heads at the feet of the Blessed One and stood to one side.
The bodhisattva great being Prabhāvyūha then asked Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta, “Mañjuśrī, why have you left the Blessed One’s assembly to teach the Dharma in another place?”
“Noble son, the blessed buddhas are difficult to please. Not all talk pleases them.”
“Mañjuśrī, what kind of talk pleases the Thus-Gone One?”
“Though of course the Blessed One knows this in his wisdom, I shall explain it according to my degree of eloquence. Noble son, the Thus-Gone One is pleased by a talk that does not contradict the realm of phenomena, that does not contradict reality, and that does not contradict the limit of reality. The Thus-Gone One is pleased by a talk that is free of strife, free of debate, free of composition, free of dispute, free of imputation, and the like. The Thus-Gone One is pleased by a talk that does not make imputations in terms of a self, imputations in terms of others, imputations in terms of phenomena, imputations in terms of nonphenomena, imputations in terms of saṃsāra, imputations in terms of nirvāṇa, and the like.”
Then the Blessed One expressed his approval to Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta, “Excellent, excellent! Mañjuśrī, you have spoken well. Such a talk does indeed please the Thus-Gone One. However, Mañjuśrī, the Thus-Gone One is pleased by a talk that transcends all elaboration, that is neither too fine nor too coarse, and that is free of marks—a talk that does not take one out of absorption but instead teaches how to continuously place the mind in equipoise and that does not cause one to perceive any phenomena as increasing or decreasing.”
When this teaching was given, eight thousand bodhisattvas gained the acceptance that phenomena are nonarising. However, two hundred gods in the assembly who had given up the mind of awakening because of past conduct thought, “If the qualities of buddhahood are that limitless, if the trainings of the bodhisattvas are that difficult to undertake, and if unsurpassed and perfect awakening is that difficult to attain, then we cannot undertake this training. We should therefore reach nirvāṇa via the vehicles of the hearers and solitary buddhas.”
Knowing their thoughts, the Blessed One thought, “Oh, these gods have the fortune to fully awaken to unsurpassed and perfect awakening.” In order to guide them, he emanated a householder outside the retinue bearing in his right hand an alms bowl full of delicious food. The householder approached the Blessed One, bowed his head at the Blessed One’s feet, offered the alms bowl full of food to the Blessed One, and said, “Blessed One, out of your care for me, please accept this food.” The Blessed One then accepted the alms bowl filled with food.
Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta now rose from his seat, draped his shawl over one shoulder, and with palms joined said to the Blessed One, “Blessed One, if you were to eat this food without sharing it with me, Blessed One, you would not be showing gratitude.”
At that moment, venerable Śāriputra thought, “Oh, how did Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta benefit the Blessed One in the past such that now he criticizes the Blessed One for not being grateful?”
Knowing venerable Śāriputra’s thoughts, the Blessed One said to him, “Śāriputra, the Thus-Gone One knows that it is time to instruct you, so stay seated.”
The Blessed One then dropped the alms bowl into the earth. As soon as he released the alms bowl, it appeared before all the perfect buddhas living in the buddha realms in which blessed buddhas reside in the direction below. The alms bowl passed through buddha realms as numerous as the grains of sand in the Ganges until it reached the world called Luminous—the buddha realm of thus-gone, worthy, perfect Buddha Raśmirāja. There, it hovered in midair without anyone holding it. The servants of each of these blessed buddhas asked them, “Blessed One, where has this alms bowl come from?”
The blessed buddhas explained, “It came from above, from the Sahā world. The blessed, thus-gone, worthy, perfect Buddha Śākyamuni has sent it in order to guide other bodhisattvas.”
The Blessed One then told venerable Śāriputra, “Śāriputra, follow the alms bowl—find out where it is, where it lies.”
Venerable Śāriputra now entered ten thousand states of absorption, and through the strength of his insight and the power of the Buddha, he visited ten thousand buddha realms without seeing the place or location of the alms bowl. He subsequently returned to the Blessed One. Seated there, he reported to the Blessed One, “Blessed One, I have not seen the place or location of the alms bowl.”
The Blessed One then told venerable Maudgalyāyana, “Maudgalyāyana, please search for the alms bowl.”
Venerable Maudgalyāyana then entered ten thousand states of absorption, and through the power of the Buddha and the strength of his own miraculous power, he visited ten thousand buddha realms below without seeing the place or location of the alms bowl. He subsequently returned to the Blessed One. Seated there, he reported to the Blessed One, “Blessed One, I have not seen the place or location of the alms bowl.”
The Blessed One then told venerable Subhūti, “Subhūti, please search for the alms bowl.”
Venerable Subhūti then entered twelve thousand states of absorption, and through the power of the Buddha and the strength of his own miraculous power, he visited twelve thousand buddha realms below without seeing the alms bowl. He subsequently returned to the Blessed One. Seated there, he told the Blessed One, “Blessed One, I have not seen the place or location of the alms bowl.”
Continuing in this way, five hundred great hearers sought the alms bowl through the strength of their own miraculous power and the divine eye, but they could not find it.
Venerable Subhūti then said to the bodhisattva Maitreya, “Maitreya, since you have been prophesied by the Blessed One to be only one life away from awakening to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood, please search for the location and the site of the alms bowl.”
The bodhisattva great being Maitreya responded to venerable Subhūti, “Respected Subhūti, while indeed I have been prophesied by the Thus-Gone One to be within one life of awakening to unsurpassed and perfect awakening, I do not so much as know the names of those states of absorption. Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta on the other hand has actually entered and exited those states of absorption. Furthermore, respected Subhūti, when I gain awakening, there will come a time and occasion when, being unable to comprehend even how the Thus-Gone One takes a single step, such bodhisattva great beings will ask Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta, ‘How does the Thus-Gone One lift up his foot and place it down?’ Therefore, respected Subhūti, ask this of Mañjuśrī himself. He will be able to find and extract that alms bowl.”
The elder Subhūti then asked the Blessed One, “Blessed One, can you please instruct Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta to extract the alms bowl by any means and offer it before the Blessed One?”
The Blessed One said to Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta, “Mañjuśrī, please extract the alms bowl. Please declare where the alms bowl is and where it lies.”
Then Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta thought, “I must extract the alms bowl without rising from my seat or disappearing from this assembly.”
So he settled into the absorption called in agreement with all and extended his right hand toward the earth below him. Using his hand, Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta then went on to pay homage to those buddhas who were present in all the buddha realms below. From his hand a sound emerged, asking those blessed ones, “The blessed, thus-gone, worthy, perfect Buddha Śākyamuni is inquiring whether you are free from illness, whether you are tired, whether you are healthy, whether you are comfortable, whether you are strong, and whether you are well.”
Then, from every pore on his hand billions of light rays sprang forth. From each ray of light emerged thousands of lotus flowers, and in the heart of each lotus flower appeared the form of a thus-gone one seated, each singing the praises of the blessed thus-gone Śākyamuni. The hand shook in six ways each buddha realm to which it went. Each of the buddha realms was bathed in a bright light. Each realm was adorned with parasols, flags, and banners.
Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta’s right hand then passed by buddha realms as numerous as seventy-two times the number of grains of sand in the Ganges, prostrating at the feet of every blessed buddha present there and inquiring into their health. It finally reached the world called Luminous of the blessed thus-gone Raśmirāja. The hand prostrated at the feet of the blessed thus-gone Raśmirāja and asked, “The blessed, thus-gone, worthy, perfect Buddha Śākyamuni is inquiring whether you are free from illness, whether you are tired, whether you are healthy, whether you are comfortable, whether you are strong, and whether you are well.”
From the hand sprang thousands of rays of light and thousands of lotus flowers. These rays of light, however, remained distinct from the Thus-Gone One’s own light rays. Then a bodhisattva great being named Prabhāśrī who served the thus-gone Raśmirāja asked him, “Blessed One, billions of light rays and hundreds of thousands of lotus flowers spring from this hand. On each of the lotus flowers are forms of thus-gone ones singing the praises of the blessed Śākyamuni. To whom does that hand, which is so beautiful and delightful to behold, belong?”
The Blessed One answered the bodhisattva Prabhāśrī, “Prabhāśrī, above here, past buddha realms as numerous as seventy-two times the number of grains of sand in the Ganges, there is a world called Sahā, where the thus-gone, worthy, perfect Buddha Śākyamuni lives, thrives, and is well. In that world there is a bodhisattva great being named Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta, who wears the unfathomable armor and has attained all extraordinary abilities, strengths, and perfections. Without rising from his seat, Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta has extended his hand to this place in order to pick up this alms bowl.”
The bodhisattvas in the thus-gone Raśmirāja’s buddha realm became curious and announced, “Blessed One, we would like to see the Sahā world, the thus-gone Śākyamuni, and Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta.”
Light then shot forth from the circle of hair between the eyebrows of the thus-gone Raśmirāja. This light penetrated all the buddha realms totaling seventy-two times the number of grains of sand in the Ganges, illuminating all these worlds with a bright light. Anyone whose body was touched by this light gained the happiness of a universal monarch. Every spiritual practitioner whose body was touched by this light attained fruition. Every student whose body was touched by this light became a worthy one concentrated on the eight emancipations. Every bodhisattva whose body was touched by this light attained the absorption called the sun-like lamp. It also enabled all the bodhisattvas in the buddha realm of the thus-gone Raśmirāja to behold the Sahā world, the blessed Śākyamuni, Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta, and the entire saṅgha of hearers.
When the bodhisattva great being Prabhāśrī beheld the Sahā world, he began to cry and weep. He said, “Blessed One, seeing these bodhisattva great beings who have been born into the Sahā world is like seeing a priceless beryl gem thrown into the mud.”
The thus-gone Raśmirāja responded, “Noble son, do not say such things. Why is this? Spending one morning in the Sahā world generating love for all beings brings far more merit than resting in and practicing concentration for ten eons in our world. Why is this? Noble son, bodhisattva great beings who tend to the Dharma in the Sahā world will purify all karmic obscurations and afflictions.”
Then all the bodhisattvas in the Sahā world whose bodies were touched by the light asked the Blessed One, “Blessed One, whose light is it that brings such joy and delight and removes all the afflictions?”
The Blessed One answered the bodhisattvas, “Noble sons, below here, past buddha realms as numerous as seventy-two times the number of grains of sand in the Ganges, is a buddha realm called Luminous. There the thus-gone, worthy, perfect Buddha Raśmirāja lives, thrives, and is well. From the circle of hair between his eyebrows, that thus-gone one has projected light that has now illuminated our Sahā world.
The bodhisattvas then announced to the Blessed One, “Blessed One, we would like to see the world called Luminous and the thus-gone Raśmirāja.”
Eliminating Ajātaśatru’s Remorse narrates how the teachings of the bodhisattva Mañjuśrī help King Ajātaśatru overcome the severe negative action of having killed his father, King Bimbisāra. Through instruction, pointed questioning, and a display of miracles, Mañjuśrī and his retinue of bodhisattvas show King Ajātaśatru that the remorse he feels for his crime is in fact unreal, just as all phenomena are unreal. The sūtra thus demonstrates Mañjuśrī’s superiority in wisdom and the profound purification that comes from realizing emptiness.
Translated by the Dharmachakra Translation Committee under the supervision of Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche. The translation was produced by Timothy Hinkle. Andreas Doctor compared the translation with the original Tibetan and edited the text.
The translation was completed under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.
The generous sponsorship of 苏享国阖家、曲尼俄萨、苏慧、姚雨含、马鑫、刘弈汐、林媛媛和黄璎珞, which helped make the work on this translation possible, is most gratefully acknowledged.
Eliminating Ajātaśatru’s Remorse narrates how King Ajātaśatru, ruler of the ancient Indian kingdom of Magadha, is relieved of his remorse for having ruthlessly killed his father, King Bimbisāra. King Ajātaśatru and his relationship to the Buddha are frequently described in canonical Buddhist sources, where Ajātaśatru is often portrayed worshiping the Buddha and piously attending his teachings. Ajātaśatru indeed had a special reason for diligently participating in the religious life—due to his desire to assume the throne in Magadha, he had his father imprisoned and then starved him to death. Later, as he realized the impending negative consequences of his acts in terms of his future rebirths, King Ajātaśatru is portrayed as a man, overcome with remorse, who sought the healing counsel of the Buddha to remedy the unhappy destiny that otherwise surely awaited him.
The sūtra begins with Mañjuśrī and a group of bodhisattvas and gods discussing the nature of omniscience. The bodhisattvas and gods articulate their own understandings of omniscience before Mañjuśrī offers a definitive explanation on the topic. Following this, he emanates a thus-gone one in the exact likeness of the Buddha Śākyamuni, who discusses the conduct of bodhisattvas and the emptiness of all phenomena. The sūtra then relays a story demonstrating the superiority of the bodhisattva path. Śākyamuni throws an alms bowl into the earth, down through innumerable buddha realms, and he asks some of his chief disciples, including Śāriputra and Maudgalyāyana, to find it, but they are unable to do so. Only the bodhisattva Mañjuśrī succeeds in reaching the alms bowl, which he does by means of a miraculous display. He is then acknowledged as having contributed to the awakening of various thus-gone ones, including Śākyamuni.
Having established Mañjuśrī’s greatness, the sūtra provides a detailed account of Ajātaśatru’s struggle to rectify his previous misdeeds, illustrating the profound benefits of obtaining insight into the nature of phenomena—an insight that can purify even the five so-called “acts with immediate results” (patricide being one of them), which virtually guarantee rebirth in the hells immediately upon death. The task of teaching King Ajātaśatru is delegated by the Buddha to Mañjuśrī, who uses his superior insight into emptiness and his miraculous abilities to induce in King Ajātaśatru a degree of insight that can almost entirely purify the effects of his heinous deeds. Thus, the sūtra ends happily, despite the grave theme on which it is built.
Eliminating Ajātaśatru’s Remorse is significant in several ways. Most importantly, from a Buddhist perspective, it provides an impressive account of how to eliminate the force of former negative actions, delivered through profound teachings that point out the nature of reality from the perspective of the Great Vehicle. From a historical point of view, the fact that its composition can be determined (through its first translation into Chinese) to date no later than the late second century
Unfortunately, a complete Sanskrit version of this text is no longer extant. Nevertheless, the recent discovery in the Schøyen Collection of a number of fragments recovered from Afghanistan provides an important resource for the study of this sūtra. Regardless of their brevity, these fragments provide testimony to the Sanskrit terminology and names employed in the sūtra, something that in turn can shed light on deeper philosophical and linguistic features, not only pertaining to this scripture but also having wider implications. The sūtra is also cited and mentioned in a number of Indian works (most of which are extant only in Tibetan translation) attributed to such authors as Nāgārjuna (second century
The sūtra was translated no less than four times into Chinese (Taishō 626, 627, 628, and 629) between the second and tenth centuries, attesting to its living presence in the Chinese Buddhist tradition over many centuries. Of these, Lokakṣema’s translation (Taishō 626, A she shi wang jing 阿闍世王經) is significant in that it provides a very early terminus ante quem for the composition of this sūtra that places it no later than the late second century—and most likely some time before that. The second translation (Taishō 627, Wen shu zhi li pu chao san mei jing 文殊支利普超三昧經) was produced in 287 by the prolific Buddhist translator Dharmarakṣa (c. 233–310). The third Chinese translation (Taishō 628, Wei ceng you zheng fa jing 未曾有正法經) was produced many years later, in the tenth century, by the Indian translator Fatian. Lastly, the fourth Chinese translation (Taishō 629, Fang bo jing 放鉢經) is undated, and no translator is mentioned. This text contains only an excerpt of the larger sūtra, which was translated by Lokakṣema and Dharmarakṣa, and Harrison and Hartmann suggest that this might therefore represent an early independent text that was subsequently incorporated into the larger sūtra.
As for the Tibetan translation, we know that it was produced, perhaps from the Sanskrit, no later than the early ninth century, since the text is included in the early ninth-century Denkarma (ldan dkar ma) catalog. Interestingly, in this catalog, Eliminating Ajātaśatru’s Remorse is included among the “Great Vehicle sūtras translated from Chinese” (theg pa chen po’i mdo sde rgya las bsgyur ba). Herrmann-Pfandt argues, however, that the Tibetan translation may very well have been produced from the Sanskrit regardless, as Mañjuśrīgarbha and Ratnarakṣita are both known to have worked with Indian texts rather than Chinese sources. Whether that is the case, or if perhaps the translation was indeed produced from the Chinese but subsequently edited to conform to the terminology employed in the later linguistic revisions that centered on Indic source texts, is unclear to us. At present, we can simply note that none of the Tibetan Kangyur collections specify who first translated the texts into Tibetan. Instead, they merely note that the translation was edited by the Indian scholar Mañjuśrīgarbha and the Tibetan translator Ratnarakṣita, both of whom flourished in the early ninth century. Apart from the Denkarma classification, the text itself bears no obvious marks of having been translated from the Chinese, but future research into this matter may determine the text’s pedigree with more certainty. In producing this English translation from the Tibetan, we have based our work on the Degé xylograph while consulting the Comparative Edition (dpe bsdur ma) as well as the Stok Palace manuscript.
[B1] Homage to all buddhas and bodhisattvas.
Thus did I hear at one time. The Blessed One was dwelling in Rājagṛha at Vulture Peak Mountain with a great saṅgha of one thousand two hundred fifty monks as well as eighty-four thousand bodhisattvas who had arrived from various other buddha realms. These bodhisattva great beings had extraordinary abilities. They had attained dhāraṇī, had unimpeded eloquence, had gained the acceptance that phenomena are nonarising, were knowledgeable and skilled in the practice of absorption and dhāraṇī, and could teach the Dharma in accordance with the inclinations of all beings. Also in attendance were the Four Great Kings, Śakra, who is the lord of the gods, Brahmā, who is the lord of the Sahā world, and hundreds of other gods, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kinnaras, and mahoragas.
At that time, Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta was staying on a mountain terrace with twenty-five sublime beings, namely, the bodhisattva great beings Nāgaśrī, Nāgadatta, Śrīsambhava, Śrīgarbha, Most Glorious Lotus, Emerging Lotus Glory, Beings’ Supporter, Earth Supporter, Bearer of the Jewel, Bearer of the Jeweled Seal, Siṃhamati, Leonine Proclaimer, Gaganagañja, He Who Turned the Wheel of Dharma Immediately upon Developing the Mind of Awakening, Eloquence Regarding All Distinct Terminology, Mass of Eloquence, Sāgaramati, Mahāmeru, Priyadarśa, Joyful King, Infinite Vision, Abiding in Limitless Observations, Destroyer of the Views of Māra, Aśokadatta, and Sarvārthasiddha. These were the twenty-five bodhisattva great beings, the sublime beings, who accompanied him. Four gods from the Heaven of Joy were also following Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta in order to hear the Dharma. They were the gods Samantakusuma, Luminous Flower, Māndārava Scent, and Constantly Striving to Abide by the Dharma. Many other gods were also following Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta in order to hear the Dharma.
A discussion was held among these sublime beings and gods: “Listen, friends! The wisdom of the buddhas is vast, unfathomable, limitless, inconceivable, unequaled, immeasurable, incomprehensible, unrivaled, and unsurpassed. Given that one could never comprehend it with armor that is not sublime, the question follows: what sort of armor should one don in order that one will be able to comprehend the great wisdom, the wisdom of omniscience?”
The bodhisattva Nāgaśrī said, “One can comprehend such great wisdom by donning the armor that is situated in and does not forget the roots of virtue that are insatiable in accumulating roots of virtue and dedicating them.”
The bodhisattva Nāgadatta said, “It is by donning armor that consists in a firm and sincere commitment toward the wisdom of omniscience due to having an even, gentle, soft, honest, pliant, and noble attitude that one is able to comprehend the great wisdom, the wisdom of omniscience.”
The bodhisattva Śrīsambhava said, “Listen, friends! Such great wisdom cannot be comprehended through the enumeration of eons. However, it can be comprehended by donning armor for unfathomable eons.”
The bodhisattva Śrīgarbha said, “Noble sons, bodhisattvas who are attached to and concerned with their own happiness will not be able to comprehend such great wisdom. However, they could comprehend the wisdom of omniscience by not being attached to their own happiness. When such people apply themselves to the happiness and well-being of all beings with a wish to supply all beings with happiness without expecting any material offerings in return, they will be able to comprehend the wisdom of omniscience.”
The bodhisattva Most Glorious Lotus said, “Those who are wild, reckless, and unrefined have no opportunity to tame or pacify others who are wild, reckless, and unrefined, whereas those who are very tame, guarded, and refined will have the opportunity to tame or pacify others who are wild, reckless, and unrefined. The Blessed One has said as much. Therefore, by being tame oneself and engaging in the practice of tranquility, and through skillfully taming others and bringing them tranquility, one will be able to comprehend great wisdom.”
The bodhisattva Emerging Lotus Glory said, “Listen, friends! One cannot transcend the world when mixed up with worldly concerns, whereas one who is not mixed up with worldly concerns will transcend the world. Therefore, a bodhisattva who cannot be influenced by gain, loss, fame, insignificance, praise, blame, happiness, and suffering—a bodhisattva great being who is neither arrogant nor obsequious—can easily comprehend great wisdom.”
The bodhisattva Beings’ Supporter said, “Listen, friends! One who seeks disputes with others will not be able to comprehend the great wisdom of omniscience. However, bodhisattvas may create roots of virtue by saying, ‘I, for the sake of all beings, will singlehandedly and without any assistance don great armor, and thus whatever is to be achieved for all beings, that I will achieve!’ Then, in order to ripen all beings, they develop the mind of awakening that embraces all beings, and they do not relinquish their diligence for even a moment. Bodhisattvas who remain diligent in this way will be able to comprehend great wisdom.”
The bodhisattva Earth Supporter said, “Listen, friends! To draw an analogy, the earth is the location of all grasses, bushes, herbs, and forests. This is where they exist and where the seeds of all grasses, bushes, herbs, and forests sprout up. Still, the earth bears no expectation of reward. Also, while the earth nourishes all beings, this does not tire the earth. Noble sons, likewise, because bodhisattvas are free from attitudes of attachment and aggression, and because they nourish all beings without expecting any reward, they are like the earth. If they develop the mind of awakening, they will be able to comprehend great wisdom.”
The bodhisattva Bearer of the Jewel said, “Listen, friends! You must understand this point about the great armor. One who is inclined toward what is base cannot realize great wisdom. However, there are some who do not let their minds enter the two other vehicles, even in their dreams, while they are sleeping. Instead, they work to make others desire the precious mind—the mind of omniscience. They do this without any attitude of stinginess with regard to that precious mind. Thus they cause all beings to don the armor of the Great Vehicle. They do not see that the unequaled mind increases or decreases. In this way, with a mind free from stinginess they will be able to comprehend great wisdom.”
The bodhisattva Bearer of the Jeweled Seal said, “Ah! Since beings fall into the six types of existence, one must generate great compassion for them. I shall therefore give all beings the application of the seal of Dharma—the three jeweled seals. I will assist beings with little study in gaining education; I will assist stingy beings in giving; I will assist poorly behaved beings in discipline; I will assist beings with ill will in patience; I will assist lazy beings to become diligent; I will assist beings who lack mindfulness in the achievement of concentration; I will assist beings with faulty understanding in gaining knowledge. I will assist beings in the perfection of any virtuous qualities they may be lacking. The performance of a bodhisattva’s roots of virtue shall be applied with the three jeweled seals. What are the three? They are to apply the jeweled seal of dedication toward all beings perfecting the wisdom of buddhahood, to apply the jeweled seal of the accomplishment of one’s own roots of virtue, and to apply the seal of all beings’ nature, which is space. Noble sons, by following these points, one will be able to comprehend the great wisdom of omniscience.”
The bodhisattva Siṃhamati said, “Ah! Friends, this is the fearless armor. This is the unfrightened armor. This is the undaunted armor. This the armor that knows no laziness. Listen, friends! It is therefore easy to comprehend the wisdom of omniscience when one is fearless, unfrightened, undaunted, and not lazy; when one is free from what makes one frightened or anxious; when one does not generate the flaws of saṃsāra; when one sees the beneficial qualities of nirvāṇa; when one equalizes the phenomena of happiness and suffering; and when one abides in nonduality.”
The bodhisattva Leonine Proclaimer said, “Listen, friends! This is not the way of evil beings. Rather, this is the way of sublime beings. Why is this? Because sublime beings are free from evil views, they are engaged in what is genuine. Because sublime beings always have an honest character, they are not deceptive. Because sublime beings are respectful to their spiritual masters, they defeat pride. Because sublime beings teach in harmonious ways, their language is excellent. Because sublime beings have a correct livelihood, their accomplishments are renowned. Because sublime beings are undiscouraged, they are free from attachment. Because sublime beings are without anger, they are free from aggression. Because sublime beings are peaceful, fully peaceful, and deeply peaceful, they are free from obscuring darkness. Because sublime beings are compassionate toward the suffering and the poor, they are gentle. Because sublime beings’ physical, verbal, and mental accomplishments are pure, they are cautious. Because sublime beings engage genuinely in proper actions, they practice what they preach. Because sublime beings are steadfast in their discipline, they are altruistic. Because sublime beings are without mistaken doctrines, they are grounded in the truth. Because sublime beings are pleased and delighted by the joy of the Dharma, they yearn for the Dharma. Because sublime beings are generous with their body and life, they uphold the sublime Dharma. Because sublime beings are connected with all beings, they do not give up on them. Because sublime beings follow ultimate truth, they behold faults. Because sublime beings spurn nonvirtuous qualities, they are immersed in virtuous qualities. Sublime beings are a treasure for the poor. Sublime beings are medicine for the sick. Sublime beings are protectors for the fearful. Sublime beings are a refuge for the friendless. Sublime beings are an island for those lost in the ocean of saṃsāra. Sublime beings are a support for the unsupported. Sublime beings are illumination for those lost in darkness. Sublime beings are guides for those who have set out on bad paths. Sublime beings are guides for those who preach the Dharma. Because sublime beings practice patience and discipline, they are free of the faults of anger and the torments of malice, hiding shame, and rage. Therefore, because sublime beings live by such principles, they are able to comprehend great wisdom.”
The bodhisattva Gaganagañja said, “One can realize omniscience through the practice of cultivating love that is like boundless space and through unbroken abiding in great compassion, constantly joyful and delighted faculties, and relinquishing all sense pleasures in an equanimous manner, as well as through space-like generosity, space-like discipline, space-like patience, space-like diligence, space-like concentration, and space-like insight.”
The bodhisattva He Who Turned the Wheel of Dharma Immediately upon Developing the Mind of Awakening said, “Bodhisattvas should not develop attitudes that will give the evil Māra an opportunity, displease the thus-gone ones, bring the gods displeasure, and cause their own virtuous qualities to diminish. Instead, bodhisattvas should develop attitudes that give the evil Māra no opportunity, please the thus-gone ones, bring the gods pleasure, and prevent their own virtuous qualities from diminishing. If one proceeds in this way, one will turn the wheel of Dharma immediately upon developing the mind of awakening. Why is this? Because immediately upon developing the mind of awakening, the bodhisattvas see that causes and observed conditions are unborn. Thus, they gain realization that all phenomena are nonoccurring and that the awakening of the Thus-Gone One is also unborn. They understand the turning of the wheel of Dharma according to their awakening. They are able to comprehend omniscience through the armor of their thoughts.”
The bodhisattva Eloquence Regarding All Distinct Terminology said, “Sublime beings, awakening is found in everything. It is found in affliction, purification, the conditioned, the unconditioned, the defiled, the undefiled, what is transgressive, what is not transgressive, roots of virtue, roots of nonvirtue, worldly phenomena, transcendent phenomena, saṃsāra, nirvāṇa, both disruption and permanence, the aggregates, the elements, and the sense sources. Sublime beings, awakening is found in earth, water, fire, wind, and space. Why is this? All phenomena have a nature like this: the nature of emptiness. Anyone who discusses these different aspects is discussing the emptiness of everything. To draw an analogy, just as space is found in everything, so is awakening found in everything. Sublime beings, bodhisattvas who are devoted to such wisdom will arouse eloquence regarding all observations. In this they will gain all knowledge of distinct terminology. Those who understand the single principle will comprehend omniscience.”
The bodhisattva Mass of Eloquence said, “Listen, friends! All utterances are unutterable, and all sounds are unproduced. Bodhisattvas devoted to such wisdom abide in unmoving minds such that they are neither pleased nor dismayed by pleasant or unpleasant speech. Likewise, when wind reaches the imposing mass of a mountain, it turns back without moving or shaking that imposing mountain. Likewise, Noble sons, by realizing such wisdom, a bodhisattva will accept sounds and utterances from all sources without moving or shaking. They are not drawn to the utterances of non-Buddhists. They see the words of the Thus-Gone One and non-Buddhists to be sameness. In this sameness there is no contradiction. They see the eloquence of the non-Buddhists as limited, and limited phenomena could not prompt them to arrogance about phenomena. So, sublime beings, bodhisattvas who aspire to such wisdom shall swiftly gain omniscience.”
The bodhisattva Sāgaramati said, “Sublime beings, bodhisattvas must comprehend how to plunge the mind into the ocean of intelligence since they retain all they hear. They must be devoted to the quality of a single taste since reality does not vary. They must investigate reality since it does not contradict dependent origination. They must not attempt to increase or diminish any phenomena, since phenomena are primordially nonoccurring. They must grow the roots of virtue that nourish all beings, since their merit is inexhaustible. They must comprehend the two extremes since they are disengaged from discontinuity and permanence. They must investigate all phenomena since the mind’s capacity to be cultivated is limitless. They must develop the strength of their mindfulness and apply it so as not to forget any phenomena. They must complete the elimination of any arrogance since they are to teach the Dharma to all beings equally. In order to assiduously pursue the unique qualities of buddhahood, they must not associate with any nonvirtuous qualities. Sublime beings, through the armor of mindful wisdom, one will be able to comprehend omniscience.”
The bodhisattva Mahāmeru said, “This wisdom of the buddhas is wisdom that rises above the entire world. One cannot comprehend it via any kind of limited action. Therefore, one will be able to comprehend omniscience with thought that rises above the entire world, hearing that rises above the universe, faith that rises above the entire world, and generosity that rises above the entire world, and likewise with discipline, patience, diligence, concentration, and insight that rise above the entire world as well as merit like the massive Mount Meru that rises above the entire world.”
The bodhisattva Priyadarśa said, “Sublime beings, when bodhisattvas purify their consciousness of form, unpleasant appearances of form will not appear to their eyes. When they purify their ear consciousness, unpleasant sounds will not be heard by their ears. The same holds for scent, taste, and touch. When they purify the domain of their minds, unpleasant mental objects will no longer appear to their minds. When they purify their minds, their minds will no longer be bound by like and dislike, and they will not see any being as an unsuitable vessel for the qualities of buddhahood, for they will see even those with mistaken convictions as suitable vessels for the qualities of buddhahood. Anything that they really enjoy, they will joyfully renounce and give away without regret. Bodhisattvas who act like this will be able to comprehend omniscience.”
The bodhisattva Joyful King said, “When criticized, scolded, blamed, bullied, beaten, or defeated, bodhisattvas should be joyful and regard the person who does so as a spiritual friend. Practicing patience and showing the power of patience, they will be joyful. They investigate reality by asking themselves, ‘Who is this person that criticizes, and what is being criticized?’ Being confident in inner emptiness and trusting of outer emptiness, they are patient and refrain from developing the view of self. Thus they can give away their arms and legs. They can give away their eyes and head. They can give away their wives, sons, and daughters. They can give away their kingdom and be joyful about it. They can give up their body and life and be happy about it. For while they would not be happy about gaining the dominion of a universal monarch, they are joyful in hearing a single well-spoken verse. Gaining the status of Śakra would not make them happy, yet they are joyful when explaining the Dharma to others. Gaining the status of Brahmā would not make them happy, yet they are joyful when they are able to establish even a single being in unsurpassed and perfect awakening. The trichiliocosm filled with precious substances would not make them happy, but they are joyful when they behold the Thus-Gone One. They are happy, as their faculties never decline. Anyone who accomplishes such conduct and who is happy and joyful about the factors of awakening is able to comprehend omniscience.”
The bodhisattva Infinite Vision said, “Friends, while indeed a bodhisattva sees all phenomena, they do not fall into the view of self. While indeed they understand all the qualities of buddhahood, they do not indulge in concepts. While indeed they see all the buddhas, they do not generate the notion that they are observing form. While indeed they see all beings, they do not generate notions about beings. Their physical eyes are clear because they have purified the ripening of action. They possess the divine eye because they have gained extraordinary abilities. They have realized the eye of insight by ridding themselves of all afflictions. They are oriented toward the eye of buddhahood by accomplishing the unique qualities of buddhahood. They gain the insight of the Dharma eye by perfecting the ten strengths. Noble sons, through the perfection of such wisdom vision, one will be able to comprehend omniscience.”
The bodhisattva Abiding in Limitless Observations said, “In awakening everything is observed, and the wisdom of omniscience is accomplished. Why is this? Because bodhisattvas investigate the fact that no observations exist internally, externally, or in the middle. A bodhisattva who does not abide in observation will not be harmed by the observation of afflictions, action, or Māra. A bodhisattva who transcends the observation of afflictions, action, and Māra comprehends omniscience.”
The bodhisattva Destroyer of the Views of Māra said, “Noble sons, the view of self arises and occurs from the view of self. The actions of Māra arise and occur from this view. If one understands the view of self, one will not cause such views to occur. If one understands such views, one will not cause the aggregates to occur. If one understands the aggregates, one will not see Māra. One will reach unobscured freedom because one has transcended the domain of Māra. If bodhisattvas achieve unobscured freedom, they will comprehend omniscience.”
The bodhisattva Aśokadatta said, “Performing faulty actions will later cause one to be remorseful, whereas good actions will not cause one any anguish later. Therefore, bodhisattvas must engage in good actions, irreproachable actions, actions that will not cause remorse, and actions that are not evil. They will preach the Dharma in order to quell the misery and end the anguish of suffering beings. Bodhisattvas who act like this will comprehend omniscience.”
The bodhisattva Sarvārthasiddha said, “Noble sons, people who have a disciplined mind will accomplish their aims and aspirations. The factors of awakening rest upon the foundation of carefulness, and omniscience rests upon the foundation of the factors of awakening. Therefore, a bodhisattva who depends upon carefulness and the factors of awakening will comprehend omniscience.”
The god Samantakusuma said, “Noble sons, to draw an analogy, a tree adorned by flowers will nourish many beings. Likewise, noble sons, bodhisattva great beings who open the flower of the Dharma of liberation will nourish many beings. Noble sons, to draw an analogy, when the flowers on the divine pāriyātrakakovidāra tree bloom, it attracts the gods of the Heaven of the Thirty-Three. Likewise, noble sons, a bodhisattva great being who opens the flower of the Dharma of liberation will attract the world and its gods. Noble sons, to draw an analogy, the precious gem of the gods is free of all imperfections and has all positive attributes. Likewise, Noble sons, a bodhisattva with pure thought who is free from all imperfections and has all positive qualities will comprehend omniscience.”
The god Luminous Flower said, “Noble sons, to draw an analogy, when the sun shines its light, it eliminates darkness and illuminates all the aspects of form. Likewise, Noble sons, when bodhisattvas endowed with the light of insight shine the light of Dharma, they profoundly illuminate those beings who are obscured by the darkness of delusion and stupidity, and they reveal the nature of phenomena. No darkness can overwhelm this light, and this light brings comprehension of the path. Therefore, bodhisattvas abiding on the path can show the correct path to beings who travel bad paths. When bodhisattvas abide on the path, they will comprehend omniscience.”
The god Māndārava Scent said, “Noble sons, to draw an analogy, the scent of a māndārava flower pervades the environment for an entire league, yet the scent does not form any concepts. Similarly, Noble sons, a bodhisattva grounded in generosity, discipline, hearing, absorption, and insight fills the trichiliocosm with the scent of the Dharma. This scent eliminates all the illnesses of affliction. Therefore, if a bodhisattva is endowed with the scent of the Dharma, they will comprehend omniscience.”
The god Constantly Striving to Abide by the Dharma said, “Listen, friends! Bodhisattvas will awaken through exertion, whereas they will not do so without it. Therefore, bodhisattvas should constantly exert themselves and never be complacent regarding their roots of virtue. They must exert themselves in eight practices. What are the eight? They are (1) exertion in the practice of the six perfections; (2) the wisdom that accomplishes the four abodes of Brahmā and knows, realizes, and understands the five extraordinary abilities; (3) ripening beings with the four means of attracting disciples, which are generosity, kind talk, meaningful actions, and practicing what one preaches; (4) gaining acceptance of the three gateways of liberation; (5) establishing others in the qualities of buddhahood; (6) never giving up the mind of awakening; (7) making dedications with skillful means; and (8) being respectful and upholding the sublime Dharma. Bodhisattvas who exert themselves in these eight practices will comprehend omniscience.”
Then Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta addressed these sublime beings and gods, “Listen, friends! Bodhisattvas who do not associate or exert themselves will comprehend omniscience. Why is this? That with which they are not associated is the three realms. That in which they do not exert themselves is any thought, concept, or idea. That with which they do not associate is the inner. That in which they do not exert themselves is the outer. That with which they do not associate is the level of hearers. That in which they do not exert themselves is the level of solitary buddhas. Those with which they are not associated are the afflictions and subsidiary afflictions experienced in saṃsāra. Those in which they do not exert themselves are all the phenomena of ordinary childish beings. That with which they are not associated is name. That in which they do not exert themselves is form. That with which they are not associated is cause. That in which they do not exert themselves is effect. That with which they are not associated is views. That in which they do not exert themselves is the absence of views. That with which they are not associated is passion. That in which they do not exert themselves is anger. That with which they are not associated is clinging to I. That in which they do not exert themselves is clinging to mine. That with which they are not associated is stinginess. That in which they do not exert themselves is arrogance about generosity. That with which they are not associated is bad character. That in which they do not exert themselves is arrogance about discipline. That with which they are not associated is malice. That in which they do not exert themselves is arrogance about patience. That with which they are not associated is laziness. That in which they do not exert themselves is arrogance about diligence. That with which they are not associated is spoiled mindfulness. That in which they do not exert themselves is arrogance about concentration. That with which they are not associated is mistaken insight. That in which they do not exert themselves is arrogance about insight. That with which they are not associated is nonvirtue. That in which they do not exert themselves is boasting about virtue. That with which they are not associated is worldly concerns. That in which they do not exert themselves is attachment to manifesting transcendent qualities. That with which they are not associated is conditioned phenomena. That in which they do not exert themselves is conceptualizing unconditioned phenomena. Those with which they are not associated are misdeeds. That in which they do not exert themselves is boasting about their proper deeds. That with which they are not associated is defilement. That in which they do not exert themselves is arrogance about their undefiled phenomena of exhaustion.
“Listen, friends! In this way, bodhisattva great beings who are free from the views of association and disassociation do indeed comprehend omniscience. Yet listen, friends! Omniscience cannot be comprehended. Why is this? Omniscience cannot be comprehended through an action. Why is this? The absence of action is omniscience, and within omniscience there is no conceptual activity. Omniscience cannot be comprehended by form, by feeling, by perception, by formations, or by consciousness. Omniscience cannot be comprehended by phenomena or nonphenomena. Omniscience cannot be comprehended by generosity. Why is this? Generosity in and of itself is omniscience. Omniscience cannot be comprehended by discipline, patience, diligence, concentration, or insight. Why is this? Insight in and of itself is omniscience.
“Listen, friends! Furthermore, omniscience is neither past, present, nor future. Why is this? Listen friends! It is because omniscience is beyond the three times.
“Listen, friends! Omniscience also is not cognizable by the eye consciousness. Listen, friends! Omniscience is not cognizable by the ear, nose, tongue, body, or mind consciousness. Why is this? Listen, friends! Omniscience is beyond all objects.
“Listen, friends! Those who wish to comprehend omniscience will be in agreement with how omniscience is.”
“How is omniscience?”
“Omniscience is that which does not dwell on any phenomena. Sameness regarding all phenomena is omniscience, for the sameness of the level of ordinary beings, the sameness of the qualities of buddhahood, and likewise the sameness of all phenomena are omniscience.
“Bodhisattvas should not seek omniscience separate from their very bodies, which arise from the four great elements. Why is this? The body is insubstantial. The body is naturally present in virtuous and nonvirtuous phenomena. The body is not self, and it is devoid of self. The body is unarisen; it is truly unarisen and without imputation. Anything imputed upon it is also unarisen. Whatever is seen is also unarisen. That which is unarisen is truly unarisen. That which is truly unarisen is unknowable and incomprehensible. That which is unknowable and incomprehensible is omniscience.”
When this teaching was given, two thousand gods gained the acceptance that phenomena are nonarising, and twelve thousand gods developed the mind directed toward unsurpassed and perfect awakening.
Then the bodhisattva great being Mass of Eloquence said to Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta, “Mañjuśrī, please come. Come into the presence of the Thus-Gone One to ask the Thus-Gone One directly how bodhisattvas should act.”
Then, in that very place, Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta emanated a thus-gone one in the exact likeness, shape, and proportions of the blessed Śākyamuni. Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta then said to the bodhisattva great being Mass of Eloquence, “Noble son, ask this thus-gone one directly how bodhisattvas should act.”
The bodhisattva great being Mass of Eloquence then asked the emanated thus-gone one, “Blessed One, how should bodhisattvas act?”
He answered, “Bodhisattvas should act exactly as I do.”
“Well then, how does the Blessed One act?”
He answered, “Do not engage in generosity. Do not engage in discipline. Do not engage in patience. Do not engage in diligence. Do not engage in concentration. Do not engage in insight. Do not engage in the desire realm. Do not engage in the form realm. Do not engage in the formless realm. Do not engage with the body. Do not engage with speech. Do not engage with the mind. Do not engage or act in any way at all. Tell me, noble son, do emanations engage?”
“No, Blessed One, emanations do not engage.”
“Noble son, bodhisattvas should act likewise.”
Then the bodhisattva great being Mass of Eloquence asked Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta, “Mañjuśrī, is this thus-gone one considered to not be an emanation?”
Mañjuśrī answered, “Noble son, know that all phenomena have the nature of emanations. They do not diverge from the characteristics of illusion.”
“Mañjuśrī, thus it is. All phenomena have the nature of emanations. They do not diverge from the characteristics of illusion.”
“If all phenomena have the nature of emanations, why would you think that this thus-gone one is considered to not be an emanation?”
“Who emanated?”
“I emanated through the pure ripening of action. However, by nature there is no self, being, life principle, or person that exists here, whether as a buddha or an ordinary being.”
Then the bodhisattva great being Mass of Eloquence asked the form of the Thus-Gone One, “How did the Blessed One train to gain awakening?”
“Noble son, not training is a bodhisattva’s training. Not restraining is a bodhisattva’s training. Not fearing is a bodhisattva’s training. Not conceptualizing is a bodhisattva’s training. Not analyzing is a bodhisattva’s training.
“Noble son, not abiding, not thinking, not elaborating, not taking, not giving, not moving, not using words, not arising, not ceasing, not coming, not going, not having a basis, the absence of marks, the absence of substance, not apprehending, and not perceiving in any way is the training of bodhisattva great beings.
“Those who train in this manner train correctly. Those who train in this manner have no aggression toward anyone. Those who train in this manner are free of attachment toward anything. Those who train in this manner are free of clinging to anything at all. They are not liberated from anything. Those who train in this manner are free of desire for anything. They do not separate from desire. They have no aggression. They have no delusion. Training in this manner is called yearning to train. Those who yearn to train do not proceed to, or arrive at, any existence. Therefore, bodhisattva great beings who yearn to fully awaken to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood should be just like me—they should have neither saṃsāra nor nirvāṇa, they should neither give nor take, they should have neither discipline nor inappropriate comportment, they should have neither patience nor malice, they should have neither diligence nor laziness, they should have neither concentration nor distraction, they should have neither insight nor misunderstanding, they should have neither training nor nontraining, and they should have neither engagement nor nonengagement. Just like me, they should be without attainment, nonattainment, manifestation, awakening, buddha qualities, perception of a self, perception of a being, perception of a life principle, perception of personhood, and perception of phenomena. They should be without perception and nonperception. Why is this?
“Noble son, all phenomena are unchanging because they are undifferentiated from the nature of the characteristics of illusion. Noble son, all phenomena are nondual because they are not individually differentiated. Noble son, all phenomena do not appear to be seen because they are beyond the domain of vision. Noble son, all phenomena are the same because they are without difference. Noble son, all phenomena are inactive because they are without movement or action. They are without imputation, and unimputed phenomena are utterly unarisen. Whoever trusts this will not conceptualize liberation, engagement, or awakening. Therefore, noble son, when such training and engagement is described, bodhisattva great beings do not become frightened, anxious, or scared. That is a bodhisattva.
“To draw an analogy, noble son, the expanse of the sky is not frightened by fire, wind, rain, drought, dust, smoke, clouds, or lightning. Why is this? The expanse of the sky cannot be apprehended. In the same way, noble son, bodhisattvas should not be frightened by any phenomena. They should not think about any happiness or suffering, for the minds of bodhisattvas are like the sky. That is why they can defeat the hordes of Māra. They can fully awaken to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood. They can ensure the benefit of beings.”
Having said this, the emanated Thus-Gone One immediately disappeared.
The bodhisattva great being Mass of Eloquence then asked Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta, “Mañjuśrī, where has the Thus-Gone One gone to?”
“To where he came from.”
“Well then, from where did he come?”
“From where he is going.”
“Mañjuśrī, emanations are free from both coming and going.”
“Noble son, just as the emanation is free from coming and going, so is the mode of all phenomena. All beings have that mode as well.”
“Mañjuśrī, what is the mode of all phenomena?”
“It is the natural mode.”
“Also, what is the mode of all beings?”
“Their mode accords with the ripening of action.”
“Well then, Mañjuśrī, are not all phenomena devoid of the ripening of action?”
“Noble son, there is no ripening of action in reality. Why is this? Because all phenomena accord with reality.”
“Well then, how does the ripening of action have that mode?”
“Just as the action, so is the ripening. Its existence is likewise.”
“Mañjuśrī, what is action like? What is ripening like? What is existence like?”
“Action is just like suchness. So is ripening. So is existence.”
“Mañjuśrī, in suchness there is no action, no ripening, and no existence.”
“Noble son, just as in suchness there is no action, no ripening, and no existence, so you must understand the existence of the ripening of action. The existence of the ripening of action has no coming and no going—it does not transcend the mode of suchness.”
When this teaching was given, through the power of the Buddha, venerable Śāriputra, venerable Nanda, and the other great hearers heard this teaching in the presence of the blessed Śākyamuni. [B2]
Venerable Śāriputra then said to the Blessed One, “Blessed One, if reality is indeed wholly singular, it is remarkable that these great and sublime beings can make diverse statements without contradicting reality. Blessed One, who could not develop the mind directed toward unsurpassed and perfect awakening?”
The Blessed One responded, “Śāriputra, in this way, bodhisattvas train in unobstructed trainings and teach in an unobstructed manner. Śāriputra, just as the fruit accords with the seed, so the bodhisattvas’ wisdom accords with their training. This is also the case with their teachings. Śāriputra, your wisdom will also accord with your training. The eloquence you gain will also accord with this.”
The bodhisattva Prabhāvyūha asked, “Blessed One, can you please describe the training of the hearers? Can you please describe the training of the bodhisattvas?”
The Blessed One answered, “Noble son, the training of the hearers is limited, whereas the training of the bodhisattvas is limitless. Noble son, to the degree to which one is engaged in the limited and restricted training of the hearers, so will one’s wisdom be limited and restricted. Noble son, to the degree to which one is engaged in the limitless and unobstructed trainings of the bodhisattvas, so will one’s wisdom be limitless and unobstructed.”
The bodhisattva great being Prabhāvyūha then asked the Blessed One, “Blessed One, no one in this assembly will give up listening to the Dharma, so please give those sublime beings a sign to come here. Why do I ask this? Since Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta is devoted to the profound, the Dharma he teaches is also profound.”
The Blessed One then gave the sign for Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta to come. Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta arrived before the Blessed One accompanied by the twenty-five sublime beings and the assembly of gods. They bowed their heads at the feet of the Blessed One and stood to one side.
The bodhisattva great being Prabhāvyūha then asked Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta, “Mañjuśrī, why have you left the Blessed One’s assembly to teach the Dharma in another place?”
“Noble son, the blessed buddhas are difficult to please. Not all talk pleases them.”
“Mañjuśrī, what kind of talk pleases the Thus-Gone One?”
“Though of course the Blessed One knows this in his wisdom, I shall explain it according to my degree of eloquence. Noble son, the Thus-Gone One is pleased by a talk that does not contradict the realm of phenomena, that does not contradict reality, and that does not contradict the limit of reality. The Thus-Gone One is pleased by a talk that is free of strife, free of debate, free of composition, free of dispute, free of imputation, and the like. The Thus-Gone One is pleased by a talk that does not make imputations in terms of a self, imputations in terms of others, imputations in terms of phenomena, imputations in terms of nonphenomena, imputations in terms of saṃsāra, imputations in terms of nirvāṇa, and the like.”
Then the Blessed One expressed his approval to Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta, “Excellent, excellent! Mañjuśrī, you have spoken well. Such a talk does indeed please the Thus-Gone One. However, Mañjuśrī, the Thus-Gone One is pleased by a talk that transcends all elaboration, that is neither too fine nor too coarse, and that is free of marks—a talk that does not take one out of absorption but instead teaches how to continuously place the mind in equipoise and that does not cause one to perceive any phenomena as increasing or decreasing.”
When this teaching was given, eight thousand bodhisattvas gained the acceptance that phenomena are nonarising. However, two hundred gods in the assembly who had given up the mind of awakening because of past conduct thought, “If the qualities of buddhahood are that limitless, if the trainings of the bodhisattvas are that difficult to undertake, and if unsurpassed and perfect awakening is that difficult to attain, then we cannot undertake this training. We should therefore reach nirvāṇa via the vehicles of the hearers and solitary buddhas.”
Knowing their thoughts, the Blessed One thought, “Oh, these gods have the fortune to fully awaken to unsurpassed and perfect awakening.” In order to guide them, he emanated a householder outside the retinue bearing in his right hand an alms bowl full of delicious food. The householder approached the Blessed One, bowed his head at the Blessed One’s feet, offered the alms bowl full of food to the Blessed One, and said, “Blessed One, out of your care for me, please accept this food.” The Blessed One then accepted the alms bowl filled with food.
Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta now rose from his seat, draped his shawl over one shoulder, and with palms joined said to the Blessed One, “Blessed One, if you were to eat this food without sharing it with me, Blessed One, you would not be showing gratitude.”
At that moment, venerable Śāriputra thought, “Oh, how did Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta benefit the Blessed One in the past such that now he criticizes the Blessed One for not being grateful?”
Knowing venerable Śāriputra’s thoughts, the Blessed One said to him, “Śāriputra, the Thus-Gone One knows that it is time to instruct you, so stay seated.”
The Blessed One then dropped the alms bowl into the earth. As soon as he released the alms bowl, it appeared before all the perfect buddhas living in the buddha realms in which blessed buddhas reside in the direction below. The alms bowl passed through buddha realms as numerous as the grains of sand in the Ganges until it reached the world called Luminous—the buddha realm of thus-gone, worthy, perfect Buddha Raśmirāja. There, it hovered in midair without anyone holding it. The servants of each of these blessed buddhas asked them, “Blessed One, where has this alms bowl come from?”
The blessed buddhas explained, “It came from above, from the Sahā world. The blessed, thus-gone, worthy, perfect Buddha Śākyamuni has sent it in order to guide other bodhisattvas.”
The Blessed One then told venerable Śāriputra, “Śāriputra, follow the alms bowl—find out where it is, where it lies.”
Venerable Śāriputra now entered ten thousand states of absorption, and through the strength of his insight and the power of the Buddha, he visited ten thousand buddha realms without seeing the place or location of the alms bowl. He subsequently returned to the Blessed One. Seated there, he reported to the Blessed One, “Blessed One, I have not seen the place or location of the alms bowl.”
The Blessed One then told venerable Maudgalyāyana, “Maudgalyāyana, please search for the alms bowl.”
Venerable Maudgalyāyana then entered ten thousand states of absorption, and through the power of the Buddha and the strength of his own miraculous power, he visited ten thousand buddha realms below without seeing the place or location of the alms bowl. He subsequently returned to the Blessed One. Seated there, he reported to the Blessed One, “Blessed One, I have not seen the place or location of the alms bowl.”
The Blessed One then told venerable Subhūti, “Subhūti, please search for the alms bowl.”
Venerable Subhūti then entered twelve thousand states of absorption, and through the power of the Buddha and the strength of his own miraculous power, he visited twelve thousand buddha realms below without seeing the alms bowl. He subsequently returned to the Blessed One. Seated there, he told the Blessed One, “Blessed One, I have not seen the place or location of the alms bowl.”
Continuing in this way, five hundred great hearers sought the alms bowl through the strength of their own miraculous power and the divine eye, but they could not find it.
Venerable Subhūti then said to the bodhisattva Maitreya, “Maitreya, since you have been prophesied by the Blessed One to be only one life away from awakening to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood, please search for the location and the site of the alms bowl.”
The bodhisattva great being Maitreya responded to venerable Subhūti, “Respected Subhūti, while indeed I have been prophesied by the Thus-Gone One to be within one life of awakening to unsurpassed and perfect awakening, I do not so much as know the names of those states of absorption. Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta on the other hand has actually entered and exited those states of absorption. Furthermore, respected Subhūti, when I gain awakening, there will come a time and occasion when, being unable to comprehend even how the Thus-Gone One takes a single step, such bodhisattva great beings will ask Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta, ‘How does the Thus-Gone One lift up his foot and place it down?’ Therefore, respected Subhūti, ask this of Mañjuśrī himself. He will be able to find and extract that alms bowl.”
The elder Subhūti then asked the Blessed One, “Blessed One, can you please instruct Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta to extract the alms bowl by any means and offer it before the Blessed One?”
The Blessed One said to Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta, “Mañjuśrī, please extract the alms bowl. Please declare where the alms bowl is and where it lies.”
Then Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta thought, “I must extract the alms bowl without rising from my seat or disappearing from this assembly.”
So he settled into the absorption called in agreement with all and extended his right hand toward the earth below him. Using his hand, Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta then went on to pay homage to those buddhas who were present in all the buddha realms below. From his hand a sound emerged, asking those blessed ones, “The blessed, thus-gone, worthy, perfect Buddha Śākyamuni is inquiring whether you are free from illness, whether you are tired, whether you are healthy, whether you are comfortable, whether you are strong, and whether you are well.”
Then, from every pore on his hand billions of light rays sprang forth. From each ray of light emerged thousands of lotus flowers, and in the heart of each lotus flower appeared the form of a thus-gone one seated, each singing the praises of the blessed thus-gone Śākyamuni. The hand shook in six ways each buddha realm to which it went. Each of the buddha realms was bathed in a bright light. Each realm was adorned with parasols, flags, and banners.
Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta’s right hand then passed by buddha realms as numerous as seventy-two times the number of grains of sand in the Ganges, prostrating at the feet of every blessed buddha present there and inquiring into their health. It finally reached the world called Luminous of the blessed thus-gone Raśmirāja. The hand prostrated at the feet of the blessed thus-gone Raśmirāja and asked, “The blessed, thus-gone, worthy, perfect Buddha Śākyamuni is inquiring whether you are free from illness, whether you are tired, whether you are healthy, whether you are comfortable, whether you are strong, and whether you are well.”
From the hand sprang thousands of rays of light and thousands of lotus flowers. These rays of light, however, remained distinct from the Thus-Gone One’s own light rays. Then a bodhisattva great being named Prabhāśrī who served the thus-gone Raśmirāja asked him, “Blessed One, billions of light rays and hundreds of thousands of lotus flowers spring from this hand. On each of the lotus flowers are forms of thus-gone ones singing the praises of the blessed Śākyamuni. To whom does that hand, which is so beautiful and delightful to behold, belong?”
The Blessed One answered the bodhisattva Prabhāśrī, “Prabhāśrī, above here, past buddha realms as numerous as seventy-two times the number of grains of sand in the Ganges, there is a world called Sahā, where the thus-gone, worthy, perfect Buddha Śākyamuni lives, thrives, and is well. In that world there is a bodhisattva great being named Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta, who wears the unfathomable armor and has attained all extraordinary abilities, strengths, and perfections. Without rising from his seat, Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta has extended his hand to this place in order to pick up this alms bowl.”
The bodhisattvas in the thus-gone Raśmirāja’s buddha realm became curious and announced, “Blessed One, we would like to see the Sahā world, the thus-gone Śākyamuni, and Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta.”
Light then shot forth from the circle of hair between the eyebrows of the thus-gone Raśmirāja. This light penetrated all the buddha realms totaling seventy-two times the number of grains of sand in the Ganges, illuminating all these worlds with a bright light. Anyone whose body was touched by this light gained the happiness of a universal monarch. Every spiritual practitioner whose body was touched by this light attained fruition. Every student whose body was touched by this light became a worthy one concentrated on the eight emancipations. Every bodhisattva whose body was touched by this light attained the absorption called the sun-like lamp. It also enabled all the bodhisattvas in the buddha realm of the thus-gone Raśmirāja to behold the Sahā world, the blessed Śākyamuni, Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta, and the entire saṅgha of hearers.
When the bodhisattva great being Prabhāśrī beheld the Sahā world, he began to cry and weep. He said, “Blessed One, seeing these bodhisattva great beings who have been born into the Sahā world is like seeing a priceless beryl gem thrown into the mud.”
The thus-gone Raśmirāja responded, “Noble son, do not say such things. Why is this? Spending one morning in the Sahā world generating love for all beings brings far more merit than resting in and practicing concentration for ten eons in our world. Why is this? Noble son, bodhisattva great beings who tend to the Dharma in the Sahā world will purify all karmic obscurations and afflictions.”
Then all the bodhisattvas in the Sahā world whose bodies were touched by the light asked the Blessed One, “Blessed One, whose light is it that brings such joy and delight and removes all the afflictions?”
The Blessed One answered the bodhisattvas, “Noble sons, below here, past buddha realms as numerous as seventy-two times the number of grains of sand in the Ganges, is a buddha realm called Luminous. There the thus-gone, worthy, perfect Buddha Raśmirāja lives, thrives, and is well. From the circle of hair between his eyebrows, that thus-gone one has projected light that has now illuminated our Sahā world.
The bodhisattvas then announced to the Blessed One, “Blessed One, we would like to see the world called Luminous and the thus-gone Raśmirāja.”