The Translation

The Long Explanation of the Noble Perfection of Wisdom in One Hundred Thousand, Twenty-Five Thousand, and Eighteen Thousand Lines

Introduction

[B1] We prostrate to Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta.

Introduction common to all sūtras

• Having reverently bowed to the Mother of Victors,
• The foremost perfection in the form of wisdom,
• I want to make a Path where the Thorns Have Been Trodden Down
• Because the tradition of the gurus has been of benefit to me.

Thus did I hear

and so on. Because he has been charged with protecting the form body and the true collection of teachings, the great noble bodhisattva Vajrapāṇi, asked in the assembly, says to noble Maitreya that this is the explanation of the perfection of wisdom that he has heard, with “Thus did I hear.”

Why does he not say, “Thus has the Lord said”?

It is because the Lord’s tremendous teaching is not within his own range. The Lord teaches with a single knowledge and in a single instant, simultaneously explaining to trainees of various statuses, intentions, behaviors, beliefs, and faculties, brought together from various world systems, the particulars of the impermanent, suffering, empty, selfless, unproduced, and unceasing, in a state of primordial calm, and naturally in nirvāṇa and so on; the particulars of aggregates, constituents, sense fields, dependent originations, and noble truths and so on; the particulars of the applications of mindfulness, right efforts, legs of miraculous power, and faculties and so on; and the particulars of the ten powers, four fearlessnesses, and eighteen distinct attributes of a buddha and so on‍—in various languages, and with various headings, various words, various miraculous powers, various appearances, and various attainments of results. As it says:

Śāntamati, the earth element is not as big as the amount of beings known by a buddha’s knowledge, beings in infinite, innumerable world systems in the ten directions all gathered together‍—a huge amount. Śāntamati, if all those beings were to gain a human form all at once, and all those beings were to become endowed with the wisdom and knowledge of the elder Śāriputra, and all that Śāriputra-like wisdom and knowledge of all those beings were to be in a single being‍—if all beings were to become endowed with the wisdom and knowledge as in that analogy, and if, Śāntamati, all those beings were to entertain, judge, and ferret out questions and doubts for an eon, or more than an eon, and all the doubts one person had were not to be the doubts of a second, and, Śāntamati, were they, having in mind all the different doubts of all the beings as in that analogy, to go before the Lord and voice in a finger snap those doubts and questions, the Lord would, with one thought, become mindful of them all, and grasping all the doubts would, by uttering one statement, remove all the doubts and questions. They would all know their own different doubts and questions, and they would all be overjoyed at the Lord’s answers to all their questions.

Given that such a sequence of teachings to trainees by a tathāgata is not totally within the range of bodhisattvas, those who recite the Dharma are not able, with their branch sequence, to teach the full range. So those who recite the Dharma expound whatever Dharma is within their range, and based on that say “thus did I hear” to reveal the sequence that came into their hearing, concluding the discourse with “the Lord said this.” They do not say, “Thus has the Lord said.”

Ultimately the perfection of wisdom is inexpressible, so the lord buddhas do not teach dharmas to others with collections of names, phrases, and speech sounds. The tathāgatas are without thought construction, are spontaneous, are always absorbed in meditative equipoise. Nevertheless, one knows that through the force of earlier prayers, and based on the karma of beings, there are Dharma teachings in this way or that way given to trainees in their own languages. As it says:

Śāntamati, on the night the Tathāgata fully awakens to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening, and up until the night he enters into nirvāṇa, he has not spoken and will not speak even a single syllable. And why? Because, Śāntamati, the Tathāgata is always absorbed in meditative equipoise. The Tathāgata does not breathe in and does not breathe out; he does not have applied thought and does not have sustained thought. Without applied and sustained thought there is no speech. The Tathāgata does not think discursively and does not sustain thought, does not make representations, does not make projections, and does not speak, utter, or make pronouncements, but still beings think, “The Tathāgata is speaking.” Again, the Tathāgata is totally absorbed in meditative equipoise and does not represent anything in verbal projections in any way, but still beings think about the spontaneous words, “The Tathāgata is teaching us the Dharma.” When the sounds of the Tathāgata’s statements come from space, beings think, “This sound has come from the mouth of the Tathāgata,”

and so on. It originates from the dharma body. Therefore, in conclusion, when it comes in that way to a definite end, it says “that is what [the Lord] said” as an act of reverence for the good Dharma.

At one time

means “at one time, whenever that might be.”

Why does it not say an exact time?

Because there is no need to do so. About this, there is no need at all to say words to the effect that it was on this day, on this date, in this month, at this time; and if it is unnecessary it is not right to say it. As for revealing the place, which is a place of worship, it is right to reveal the place in order that beings will increase their merit accumulation by being able to go there, and because there are no disputes about it.

Alternatively, it is so there will be no disputes. Thus, the Tathāgata, appearing in various forms, during just the time span of a single instant, discourses on Dharma in various world systems, in various places, to a variety of trainees‍—bodhisattvas or others. But given that the wanderers to be trained‍—bodhisattvas or others‍—are all gathered as one, if you say “at that time the Tathāgata in world system X, in region X…,” this could lead to arguments or uncertainty that “he was in our place Y,” or “he was in our place Z.” Since they were worried about that happening, those who recite the Dharma did not state an exact time.

Alternatively, taking it as saying one time when he was in Rājagṛha, given that he was in Rājagṛha many times, construe it as saying “one time.”

The Lord (bhagavat)

is one who has destroyed (bhagnavat) the four Māras. Or [he is a blessed one] who “has” (vat) an “endowment” (bhaga). Take the endowment as these six: sovereignty, wisdom, fame, glory, merit, and perseverance. Insofar as only a tathāgata ultimately has them all, that one is called “the Lord” or “Blessed One.”

Dwelt at Rājagṛha‍—

there are four dwellings: the dwellings of behavior, teaching, absorption, and retreat.

Any work, whatever it is, counted as physical is all the dwelling of the Lord’s behavior.

Any verbal work is the dwelling of the Lord’s teaching.

And any mental work is the other two dwellings: he is always absorbed in meditative equipoise because of being fully absorbed in the meditative stabilizations and the four absorptions, and he is in retreat when he views the world with great compassion, and when the gods and so on arrive.

He dwelt at Rājagṛha

on Gṛdhrakūṭa Hill.

It says two places because both the lay and religious wings were gathered there, or to teach that the form body and the collection of teachings assist the teaching.

To demonstrate that the retainers are complete, it says

with a great community of monks,

and so on. The retainers are the monks and the bodhisattvas and so on. Both are indeed very worthy of donations, but it announces the monks first because they are honored in the world, because the Lord does not separate from them, and because they are common to all the world. It makes the prior general statement, “a great community of monks.” After that it specifies

numbering five thousand monks,

because there is a good connection when you teach the general and then the specific.

Having taught that he had many retainers, to teach their greatness it says about their perfect qualities that they were

all worthy ones… with outflows dried up,

and so on.

It says all of them were worthy ones since they were all “worthy ones,” that is to say, it is teaching that there were no trainees or ordinary persons. They are “worthy ones” because they have destroyed [from han, “to destroy”] the foe (ari); or [from rah, “to leave”: arahat, “one who has left”] because they will not take rebirth in saṃsāra; or they have completed their own purpose (svārtha); or because they are worthy [from arh, “to be worthy”] or capable of being a teacher for others, worthy of being in the Saṅgha Jewel, worthy of many kinds of worship by those foremost in the three realms, and because they uninterruptedly worship and reverence the Tathāgata by offering their practice. Hence, they were all worthy ones.

With outflows dried up‍—

they are “outflows” because as four phenomena they seep onto the unwholesome roots or soak you with filthy afflictions. The four are the five objects, form and so on, that are sense object outflows; the three causes of existence that are outflows that cause existence; innate and acquired ignorance that are ignorance outflows; and the sixty-two wrong views that are view outflows. Sense object outflows are dried up by the aggregates of nontrainee morality and meditative stabilization; view outflows are dried up by the aggregate of nontrainee wisdom. The aggregate of nontrainee liberation dries up outflows that cause existence. The aggregate of nontrainee knowledge and seeing of liberation dries up ignorance outflows. Alternatively, right view at the path of seeing level, when morality is complete, dries up view outflows; right meditative stabilization at the non-returner path level, when meditative stabilization is complete, dries up sense object outflows; right knowledge and liberation at the worthy one path level, when wisdom is complete, dry up ignorance outflows; and knowledge that they are extinct and will not arise again at the level when liberation is complete dries up outflows that cause existence.

Another alternative is that on the worthy one path, sense object outflows dry up because of comprehending the cause of desire for sense objects; ignorance outflows dry up because of comprehending the cause of volitional factors, because it is said “ignorance is the condition for volitional factors”; view outflows dry up because of comprehending the cause of afflictions; and outflows that cause existence dry up because of comprehending the causes of the aggregates.

Another alternative is that comprehending the truth of suffering dries up view outflows because all views arise with the five aggregates for appropriation as the objective support; the elimination of the truth of origination dries up sense object outflows; realization of the truth of cessation dries up outflows that cause existence; and the development of the true path dries up ignorance outflows.

Eliminating sense object outflows vanquishes Māra as a god; eliminating outflows that cause existence vanquishes Māra as death; eliminating ignorance outflows vanquishes Māra as afflictions; and eliminating view outflows vanquishes Māra as aggregates. They have conquered the four Māras, so their “outflows are dried up.”

Without afflictions

means without defilement. The defilement of action is an affliction because it causes affliction; the defilement of afflictive emotion is because it afflicts; the defilement of aggregates that have come about from karmic maturation is an affliction in the sense of the afflictions to come; and the defilement of birth is because with that as a cause the afflictions come about.

Of these, when ignorance stops, volitional factors stop is the absence of the defilement of action; when volitional factors stop, consciousness, name and form, the six sense fields, contact, and feeling stop is the absence of the defilement of karmic maturation; and when existence stops, birth, old age, and death stop is the nonexistence of the defilement of birth. Therefore, this teaches that they have eliminated what makes suffering, that on account of which there is suffering, that which is suffering, and what are the causes of suffering.

Furthermore, by eliminating the defilement of action they reach the happiness of full awakening; by eliminating the defilement of afflictive emotion they reach the happiness free from immorality; by eliminating the defilement of karmic maturation they reach the happiness of tranquility; and by eliminating the defilement of birth they reach the happiness without aggregates‍—that is, they reach what makes happiness, that on account of which there is happiness, that which is happiness, and what is the cause of happiness. Thus, they are “without afflictions.”

“Worthy ones” teaches their quality of being objects worthy of donations; “with outflows dried up” their quality of purity; and “without afflictions” the absence of suffering. These are the differences among these three.

Fully controlled‍—

they are “fully controlled” because the world has come under their control; or because they themselves are shown deference by the world because they are a delight; or because they have taken control of their minds; or they have gained the controls. The controls are four: control over miraculous powers, control over their faculties, control over meditative stabilization, and control over wisdom. Their control over miraculous powers gives them control over the world of beings, and over the world that is their container. Their control over their faculties calms their conduct and produces the world’s delight; their control over meditative stabilization brings their mind under control; and their control over wisdom cuts afflictions, action, and maturation, freeing them from bonds so that, in control of themselves, they gain control. Because they control their faculties, they gain the dwelling of the level of conduct; because they control meditative stabilization, they gain the dwelling of the gods and the dwelling of Brahmā; because they control miraculous powers, they gain the dwelling with the play of clairvoyance; and because they control wisdom, they gain the dwelling of noble beings. Because they control their faculties, they have a complete attainment of the aggregate of morality; because they control miraculous powers, they have a complete attainment of the aggregate of meditative stabilization; because they control meditative stabilization, they have a complete attainment of the aggregate of wisdom; and because they control wisdom they have a complete attainment of the aggregate of liberation. Morality emancipates from the bonds of bad conduct; meditative stabilization emancipates from the bonds of craving; wisdom emancipates from the bonds of bad views; and liberation emancipates from the bonds of what causes existence. So, because they are emancipated from bonds they have self-control; and because they have self-control they gain autonomy, hence they are “fully controlled.”

They are

with their minds well freed

teaches that they are without any defilement on the side of craving;

and their wisdom well freed

teaches that they are without any defilement on the side of ignorance. Thus, they are “with their minds well freed and their wisdom well freed.” Because they are free from attachment they have mental freedom and hence “their minds are well freed”; because they are free from ignorance they have the freedom of wisdom and hence “their wisdom is well freed.” Mental freedom is the meditative stabilizations and absorptions gained from eliminating primary and secondary afflictions on the side of craving; the freedom of wisdom is the path of the worthy one gained from eliminating all afflictions on the side of ignorance. There, when they gain mental freedom they are freed from obstructions to absorption; when they gain the freedom of wisdom they are freed from obstructions that are afflictions. Those free in both ways are “with their minds well freed and their wisdom well freed.”

They are

thoroughbreds

on account of being fearless. Because of their fearlessnesses, a sūtra says “there are five thoroughbreds: a dominant bull in a herd, free from the anxiety caused by terror of lightning strikes and so on; an elephant and a thoroughbred horse that do not fear battle; a thoroughbred lion that does not fear another’s attack; and a thoroughbred worthy one without fear of death. In short, there are four terrors: being in terror of suffering, in terror of the fearsome, in terror of worldly dharmas, and in terror of ignorance. Those in whom those terrors are absent gain ease, gain a state without terrors, gain fearlessness, and gain relief,” respectively. Because they have no pain, lamentation, suffering, mental anguish, and so on, they have no pain and hence are not in terror of suffering. Because they have no fear of self-criticism, criticism from another, bad rebirth, penury, chastisement, no epitaph, or death, they are not in terror of the fearsome. Because they are not tainted with attaining and not attaining, fame and infamy, praise and blame, pleasure and pain they are not in terror of fearsome worldly dharmas. Because they are not blocked by ignorance, doubt, and wrong understanding they are not in terror of ignorance. Hence they are without terror and therefore “thoroughbreds.”

They are

great bull elephants,

that is, they have a magnificent bearing. Some have the three knowledges, some have gained detailed and thorough knowledge, some have gained the six clairvoyances, some have a prediction of knowledge, and some have a single focus‍—that is, they have obtained an attribute through which they have gained a special state and hence are “great bull elephants.”

With their work done, their task accomplished

teaches the state of full completion. What they definitely have to do is their “work”; ancillary work is their “task.” Their main work is freedom from all suffering, by fully completing morality, meditative stabilization, and wisdom. They are those “with their work done” when those are fully completed. The work of fully completing the different ways of gaining a livelihood‍—the livelihood of those desiring little, the livelihood of those with contentment, the livelihood of those doing the ascetic practices, the livelihood of those who cause perfect delight and so on‍—is the “task,” in the sense that it is connected with what one personally wants to do. They are those with “their task accomplished” when those are fully completed. Thus “with their work done, their task accomplished” teaches the state of full completion of all that has to be accomplished.

They are those

with their burden laid down.

There are four “burdens”: the burden of the aggregates, the burden of afflictions, the burden of an avowed aim, and the burden of practice. They are burdens because they have to be laid down, eliminated, carried out, and completed, respectively. They lay down the burden of the aggregates by understanding suffering; they lay down the burden of afflictions by removing origination; they lay down the burden of an avowed aim by having meditated on the path; and they lay down the burden of practice by actualizing cessation. There, they gain the happiness where there are no aggregates by forsaking the burden of the aggregates; they gain the happiness of liberation by forsaking the burden of afflictions; they gain the happiness of full awakening by perfectly completing the burden of an avowed aim; and they gain the happiness of tranquility by fully completing the burden of practice. Hence “with their burden laid down” teaches the attainment of happiness when the burdens have been laid down.

They are those

with their own goal accomplished.

There are two “goals” of “their own” that are “accomplished”: eliminating harm and reaching the goal. The elimination of all the defiling obscurations that comes about from eliminating ignorance is eliminating harm; the nirvāṇa that is gained from the production of all knowledge is gaining the goal.

They are those

with the fetters that bound them to existence broken.

The fetters that cause birth in existence are “cause-of-existence fetters.” They fetter or bind one to existence and to being human. From the nine of them, correct view without outflows eliminates three (the fetters of wrong view, grasping-as-absolute, and doubt); attainment of absorption into the meditative stabilization without outflows eliminates three (the fetters of envy, jealousy, and anger), and, of the attachment that fetters to existence, the single side included in the desire realm; and the knowledge of the worthy one’s path eliminates three (the fetters of pride, ignorance, and attachment to existence). Therefore, it says “with the fetters that bound them to existence broken.”

They are those

with their hearts well freed by perfect understanding.

Knowing is fully understanding and realizing, which is to say, they are those “with their heart well freed by perfect realization.” Alternatively, construe “freed” as belief in the teaching of the doctrine of the three vehicles, in the four truths, in the dharmas on the side of awakening and so on, or, alternatively, their minds are well freed by the eight deliverances.

Those

in perfect control of their whole mind

are those who have perfect mastery over all the absorptions. Alternatively, those with perfect mastery over the nine successive absorption stations are “in perfect control of their whole mind,” being “in” a state of mastery over becoming absorbed in, abiding in, emerging from, and remaining dispassionate in cessation and meditative stabilization, by becoming absorbed and so on where they want, into what they want, and for as long as they want; becoming absorbed in and emerging in conforming order and nonconforming order, direct and reverse order, going and returning; bringing together the factors of concentration, having the objects of absorption, and having the factors and objects; uniting factors, uniting objects, and uniting factors and objects; and combining one, combining two, not combining two, and so on, respectively.

Construe the stated qualities as follows:

They are all worthy ones. Why? Because their outflows are dried up. Their outflows are dried up because they are without afflictions. They are without afflictions because they are fully controlled. They are fully controlled because their minds are well freed. Their minds are well freed because their wisdom is well freed. Their wisdom is well freed because they are thoroughbreds. They are thoroughbreds because they are great bull elephants. They are great bull elephants because their work is done. Their work is done because their task is accomplished. Their task is accomplished because their burden is laid down. Their burden is laid down because their own goal is accomplished. Their own goal is accomplished because they are those with the fetters that bound them to existence broken. They are those with the fetters that bound them to existence broken because their hearts are well freed by perfect understanding. And their hearts are well freed by perfect understanding because they are in perfect control of their whole mind.

Having thus taught about the monk retainers,

with nuns numbering five hundred

and so on teaches about the retinue of nuns, laymen, and laywomen,…

with a vision of the Dharma,

that is, they have witnessed the state beyond suffering. This indicates that the laymen and laywomen are trainees.

Now, revealing the bodhisattva retinue, it says

and with an unbounded, infinite number of bodhisattva great beings

It does not limit bodhisattvas to a specific number because those in all other world systems are included as well.

The teaching about their good qualities is

all of whom had acquired the dhāraṇīs

and so on. There are five types of bodhisattvas: those with a surpassing intention, those who stand in signlessness with effort, those who effortlessly stand in signlessness, those who have entered into the certain course of conduct, and those obstructed by just a single birth. They are all included in these. Those with a surpassing intention are on the first bodhisattva level; those who stand in signlessness with effort are up to the seventh level; those who effortlessly stand in signlessness are on the eighth level; those who have entered into the certain course of conduct are up to the tenth level; and from then on they are obstructed by just a single birth. They are all included in these.

They have

acquired the dhāraṇīs.

It is a dhāraṇī because it causes them to bear the meaning in mind. There are four dhāraṇīs: a dhāraṇī that causes bodhisattvas to obtain forbearance, secret mantra dhāraṇī, word or doctrine dhāraṇī, and meaning dhāraṇī.

What is a dhāraṇī that acts as a cause for bodhisattvas to obtain forbearance?

Bodhisattvas who have earlier completed the causes on the devoted course of conduct level by always leading a life of isolation, eating in moderation, restraining their senses, not starting up a conversation with just anybody, and trying not to fall off to sleep in order to produce a bodhisattva’s forbearance bear in mind those secret mantra base letters, or words‍—tadyathā | i ṭi mi ṭi | ki ṭi vi kṣānti | pā da ni svā hā and so on‍—that they say. They wonder, “What do these secret mantra bases mean? What are the actual meanings of the expression and what’s expressed?” After thus contemplating for a long time they see no meaning in what is being expressed. Seeing no meaning, they ascertain perfectly, “There is no meaning at all being expressed in those secret mantra bases. It is certain that just the absence of an expressed meaning is the meaning of those secret mantra bases. The intrinsic absence of an expressed meaning is their meaning.” They meditate on those secret mantra bases as free from an essential expression and what is expressed. Having meditated well on those secret mantra bases free from expression and what is expressed, they perfectly ascertain that in the same fashion all dharmas are free from an essential expression and what is expressed. They think, “Just as these secret mantra bases are free from an essential expression and what is expressed, all dharmas are similarly inexpressible, so their basic nature is inexpressible.” Thus, they determine that all dharmas, in their basic nature free from an essential expression and what is expressed, are by nature inexpressible. When they have determined that, they see that all dharmas are empty of a falsely imagined nature. When they see that, they realize the essential inexpressible nature of all dharmas, on account of which a great joy arises. Because of that, they are then those who have “acquired the dhāraṇis.” Then just because of acquiring the dhāraṇīs, with that as the cause, there immediately comes into being for the bodhisattva a great forbearance in harmony with the production of the first Pramuditā level, a forbearance so called because it is able to bear the ultimate. Such a forbearance, when it arises, is dhāraṇī knowledge. Not long after they have produced that dhāraṇī forbearance they reach the Pramuditā level of those with surpassing aspiration. Therefore, you should know that this dhāraṇī forbearance is included in the devoted course of conduct level.

What is the secret mantra dhāraṇī of bodhisattvas?

The mastery of meditative stabilization capable of exerting controlling power is secret mantra dhāraṇī. Thus, bodhisattvas have to accumulate knowledge during the first incalculable eon. After the passing of that incalculable eon they reach the first level. On that level they engage in the purification for knowledge, and gain mastery over the attainment of practiced meditative stabilizations and absorptions. The force produced by the meditative stabilization faculty and the force produced by earlier prayers exert controlling power over the secret mantra bases, so the force of the meditative stabilization, concentrating on “may these secret mantra bases stop all the plagues, problems, diseases, and strife of beings,” stops plagues and problems. That is the way those secret mantra bases exerting controlling power are accomplished, becoming supreme and solidly efficacious. Similarly, bodhisattva great beings stationed on the higher levels fully accomplish for the sake of this or that need of beings the secret mantra words exerting controlling power in whatever way necessary. Since this is the case, they are “secret mantra dhāraṇīs,” because with such mastery of the meditative stabilization they bear the secret mantras in mind. The secret mantra bases that are objects of those dhāraṇī faculties are also “dhāraṇīs” because they are the objects of those dhāraṇīs.

Among them, what is doctrine dhāraṇī?

Doctrine dhāraṇī is the recollection and wisdom that bear in mind and do not forget, even after a long time, the infinite, incalculable, immeasurable doctrines included in the collection of words, the collection of phrases, and the collection of speech sounds that bodhisattvas never understood or heard before, when they have reached the levels and are listening to the doctrines of the buddhas and bodhisattvas.

Among them, what is meaning dhāraṇī?

Meaning dhāraṇī is recollection and wisdom, taken as one, that bear in mind and do not forget the infinite, incalculable, immeasurable meanings of the doctrines those bodhisattvas have borne in mind like that for an immeasurable time.

Among them, the aforementioned dhāraṇī in the form of forbearance is of those who have earlier completed the causes, so they gain it on the devoted course of conduct level. They gain the remaining three on the first level and so on, having passed beyond the first countless eon. About them a sūtra says, “Bodhisattva great beings who possess four dharmas are perfect in dhāraṇī.” Those who have “acquired the dhāraṇīs” have the four dharmas. The four dharmas are “disdain for sense objects, absence of envy, giving up everything, and joy in the Dharma in the Bodhisattvapiṭaka and so on, which stop the four on the side opposing the equality of self and others‍—excessive attachment to sense objects, envy, miserliness, and lack of enthusiasm for the joy of the Dharma.” According to the sequence set forth in another sūtra, on the first level they have acquired the superior location dhāraṇī because through its force they have become a location for all holy, special qualities; on the second, the stainless, because through its force they have pure morality; on the third, the extremely stable, because through its force the perfect power of patience free from all mental disturbances is stabilized; on the fourth, the hard to conquer, because through its force one is unconquerable by all Māras and opponents; on the fifth, the good quality mind ornament dhāraṇī; on the sixth, the lamp for the knowledge maṇḍala; on the seventh, the becoming distinguished; on the eighth, the nonconceptual; on the ninth, the infinitely-doored; and on the tenth, the inexhaustible basket dhāraṇī. Hence, they have “acquired the dhāraṇīs” because on each of those different levels they gain a myriad of infinite, incalculable, immeasurable dhāraṇīs. Therefore, because such good qualities as these are shared in common with the devoted course of conduct level, it speaks of them like this.

Alternatively, when they have become familiar with all the syllables in this perfection of wisdom, they become causes for the realization of all dharmas. Thus, a is the first letter in anutpannatva, “nonproduction,” in “all dharmas are unproduced.” When, having superimposed the meaning of nonproduction on the a, bodhisattvas consider that it means nonproduction, and through the practice of calm abiding and special insight their meditation becomes perfect, then just the single letter a appears, through the force of habituation, in the form of the nonproduction of all dharmas. In this manner a is the cause of the realization of all dharmas. Thus, when they meditate on just this a based on its meaning of nonproduction, nonorigination, the intrinsic nature of a nonexistent thing, noncessation, and so on, it is the cause of the analytic realization of each dharma. Thus it says,

What are the dhāraṇī doors? The sameness of all letters and syllables, the sameness of all spoken words, the syllable-doors, the syllable-entrances. What then are the syllable-doors, the syllable-entrances? The syllable a is the door to all dharmas being unproduced from the very beginning (ādy-anutpannatvād); ra is a door to the insight that all dharmas are without dirt (rajas),

and so on.

Thus, based on those syllables, wisdom and recollection arise that realize all dharmas. Because they bear the meaning of those in mind they are “dhāraṇīs.” The forbearance that takes the ultimate as its objective support is produced from those dhāraṇīs as its cause. Both that recollection and wisdom are called the forbearance dhāraṇī.

Again, when bodhisattvas become very familiar with all the combinations of just those syllables strung together, they become the causes for perfectly bearing in mind the streams of Dharma expounded swiftly and continuously by buddhas and bodhisattvas, and their meanings. When they have become extremely familiar with those collections of words, collections of phrases, and collections of speech sounds, that recollection and wisdom is called doctrine dhāraṇī and meaning dhāraṇī.

Furthermore, when bodhisattvas have perfectly meditated on just those syllables, they bestow everything like a wish-fulfilling gem. Thus, when the force of meditative stabilization and the force of earlier prayers exert sustaining power over those syllables, they become the means to do everything that has to be done‍—the necessary stopping of all problems and purifying of all wrongs and so on. At that time, just that knowledge that exerts sustaining power over the syllables is called secret mantra dhāraṇī. Because they are those dhāraṇīs’ necessary objective supports, the syllables are also called dhāraṇīs.

The explanation of the man [in mantra] is “knowledge” [from the root man], and the tra is “protect” [from the root trai], so knowledge and compassion are mantra. The syllables are also mantra because they are in harmony with just them as their cause.

Again, because they eliminate ignorance (avidyā) and produce knowledge, just those are also called knowledge (vidyā).

They are bases [ādhāraṇī] for the stage of the knowledge of all aspects, hence they are bases. And so they get the names dhāraṇī secret mantra bases [mantrādhāraṇī] and vidyā secret mantra bases [vidyādhāraṇī].

Among those, bodhisattvas obtain the aforementioned forbearance dhāraṇī through the force of effort when the devoted course of conduct level is completed. The remaining three dhāraṇīs are produced through the power of prayer. On the first level, even though small they are still stable. From then on, all those dhāraṇīs are produced at a greater and greater level of excellence. Hence they have “acquired the dhāraṇīs.”

Those bodhisattvas who have acquired the dhāraṇīs, having meditated well on the noble truths and the dependent originations, gradually, on the first and second level and so on as explained in the noble sūtra The Ten Bhūmis, with that as the cause, become

dwellers in emptiness

of a person and in the emptiness of dharmas. When they have thus grasped and meditated on that emptiness marked as omnipresent and so on, the emptiness gateway to liberation opens. When they have mastered emptiness, the earlier things such as water, wind, fire, moon, sun, mountains, oceans, lakes, woods, regions, districts, and so on that each appeared separately as a causal sign of a phenomenon, whatever they are, do not appear separately‍—they appear in the form of signlessness. At that point the signlessness gateway to liberation opens.

For those who thus dwell in the gateway of signlessness free from all causal signs there is no appearance of all three realms as three realms, and they do not desire anything there. Free from any desire for these, they do not wish for them in their minds, at which point the wishlessness gateway to liberation opens for them. When they have thus taken up in meditation the emptiness door to liberation, they dwell in the emptiness meditative stabilization. When they have thus taken up in meditation the signlessness gateway to liberation, they are free from any other experiential domain, so their range is the signless. When they see the three realms as do those who have no wishes, they do not fashion the three realms as worth wishing for. Thus, they are

dwellers in emptiness, their range the signless, and who had not fashioned any wishes.

Those who thus dwell well in the meditative stabilizations that are the gateways to liberation calm all elaborations, so for them four types of forbearance for sameness come about. They have no conception of self and other, so they have forbearance for self and others being the same; they have no attachment or aversion, so they have forbearance for compounded phenomena being the same; because they are nothing more than suchness, they have forbearance for all phenomena being the same; and because they think nirvāṇa and saṃsāra are the same, they have forbearance for nonabiding sameness.

From having thus produced and become habituated to the four forbearances for sameness, ten further samenesses gradually, as explained in The Ten Bhūmis, occur: signless sameness; markless sameness; unproduced sameness; unoriginated sameness; isolated sameness; calm-from-the-beginning sameness; unelaborated sameness; no forsaking or appropriating sameness; sameness as an illusion, a dream, an apparition, an echo, the reflection of the moon in water, a reflection in a mirror, or a magical creation; and existent and nonexistent sameness.

The unelaborated dharma-constituent free from imaginary aspects is not within the range of any consciousness with causal signs or conceptualization; it is within the range of nonconceptual knowledge. Hence all dharmas are said to be signless. Therefore, because all phenomena have the thoroughly established for their nature, there is signless sameness.

Imaginary phenomena in the form of language and subject matter, the subject as the one who grasps and the object that is grasped are totally nonexistent so the imaginary mark is no mark, hence all are the same insofar as they have no mark.

The ultimate thoroughly established nature is not produced from itself and is not produced from causes and conditions, hence there is an unproduced sameness, and an unoriginated sameness.

The nature of suchness is free from afflictions and defilements, and free from the defilement of birth, therefore all phenomena are essentially isolated, hence there is an isolated sameness.

The nature of suchness is not produced earlier and does not cease at the end, so all phenomena are unproduced and unceasing, hence there is a calm-from-the-beginning sameness.

The subject of that ultimate nature is unelaborated perfect knowledge because it has that as its object. All phenomena are unelaborated, hence there is an unelaborated sameness.

That ultimate nature is unmade. Ultimately there is no forsaking of one form of life and one set of aggregates and appropriating another set of aggregates. So, because there is no forsaking or appropriating, there is a no forsaking or appropriating sameness.

Those imaginaries do not have an intrinsic nature that is dual in nature, so they are similar to an illusion and so on, hence there is a sameness as an illusion and so on.

The thoroughly established nature does not exist as a falsely imagined existent nature and is not something nonexistent like a rabbit’s horns and so on either. Therefore, it is neither, hence there is an existent and nonexistent sameness.

Because they thus realize the ten marks of sameness, they

had acquired forbearance for the sameness of all dharmas.

Those dwelling in the three meditative stabilizations that are gateways to liberation, endowed with a realization of the tenfold sameness, behold beings without a protector and feel great compassion for them. Thus, those learned in the ultimate are yet seized by compassion and confront cyclic existence when they are inclined toward nirvāṇa. And so those who avoid cyclic existence and mentally confront nirvāṇa with the practice of wisdom, and avoid nirvāṇa and confront cyclic existence with the practice of compassion, gradually, as explained in The Ten Bhūmis, come to have a proper way of paying attention. This naturally weak and unowned compounded aggregate comes about because of possessing afflictions, and conditions being complete, but it cannot come about when there is no possession of afflictions and when conditions are not complete. Hence they think, “I have to make possession of the afflictions and completion of the conditions nonexistent; but beings who have no protector would then come to be ignored, so, in order to be of benefit to beings, I should not completely and totally put an end to the compounded aggregate.” In regard to those endowed with such wisdom and compassion dwelling in this attention, they actualize by way of appearance “standing unattached in the perfection of wisdom.” This knowledge is “forbearance conforming to the practice.” Thus standing in the perfection of wisdom, an appearance marked by standing without attachment, standing completely in this dhāraṇī knowledge, they even rule as wheel-turning emperors for the sake of beings, even as they pursue life without attachment. They demonstrate many types of enjoyment of sense pleasures, again doing so without attachment to them. They accumulate a wealth of worldly belongings for the sake of beings, without attachment to them. They cultivate the thirty-seven dharmas on the side of awakening, cultivating them without attachment to nirvāṇa. They meditate on uncompounded suchness, again meditating without attachment to it. Because they have thus acquired the special knowledge of dhāraṇī that makes such skillful means paramount, they are those who

had acquired the dhāraṇī of nonattachment.

When they thus stand by standing without attachment, thinking that both cyclic existence and nirvāṇa are the same, exerting themselves totally for the sake of beings alone, they enter into the concentrations, deliverances, meditative stabilizations, and absorptions in order to help beings, but they do not take birth through their force. They transform those concentrations, deliverances, meditative stabilizations, and absorptions into just what will be of help to beings. Having thus transformed them for the sake of beings they produce the six clairvoyances: knowledge of the performance of miraculous powers, the divine eye, the divine ear, knowledge of the ways of thinking, knowledge that recollects previous existences, and knowledge that makes directly known the extinction of outflows.

Among these, knowledge of the performance of miraculous powers is of two types: transformative and magically creative. Among these, the transformative is causing the act of [the earth] moving, the act of [fire] burning, the act of the rain raining, and the act of [space] being pervasive; the act of changing one thing into something else; going, coming [through walls, etc.], shrinking or expanding; swallowing any physical object; appearing before anyone suitable, the act of appearing, the act of disappearing, or the act of controlling; eclipsing an opponent’s miraculous powers; and giving confidence, giving recollection, giving happiness, giving light, and anything else like those. The bodhisattvas do whatever beings require.

As for the magically creative, they are of three types: magically created bodies, magically created speech, and magically created objects.

Among them, magically created bodies are any of the many types of magical creations that bodhisattvas demonstrate for the sake of beings: the appearances of gods, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kinnaras, mahoragas, humans, animals, ghosts, and hell beings, and of śrāvakas, pratyekabuddhas, bodhisattvas, and buddhas. They succeed in magically creating these different appearances for the sake of an infinite, incalculable number of beings instantaneously and simultaneously in an infinite, incalculable number of worlds in the ten directions.

What is magically created speech? Here bodhisattvas make magically created sounds that are heard by gods, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kinnaras, mahoragas, śrāvakas, and bodhisattvas assembled and arrayed as a retinue within the encircling girdle of mountains, up to as far away as the first thousandfold world system, the millionfold and the billionfold world systems, and an infinite, incalculable number of worlds in the ten directions. With those sounds they teach the Dharma to all beings in many ways. With other magical creations they set them to work, cause the sky to emit the sound of Dharma teachings, and exhort those who incline toward various objects.

What are magically created objects? For the sake of poverty-stricken beings, bodhisattvas magically create food, drink, transportation, clothes, jewels, pearls, vaiḍūrya, and so on. To the extent they are needed, to that extent they come about, lasting as long as the power sustaining their truth is exerted. Thus, through their knowledge of miraculous powers they help beings. Having motivated them with miraculous wonder-working powers, they introduce them to Buddhist doctrine. And they also help suffering beings in many other ways.

[B2]

With knowledge that recollects previous existences they recollect the earlier behavior of beings, know what agrees with them, and teach them Buddhist doctrine. Alternatively, they recollect the supreme, marvelous behavior of bodhisattvas and demonstrate it perfectly, to perfectly engender faith in beings. They demonstrate to proponents of eternalism and nihilism what happened previously and destroy their views. With that knowledge they recollect their own previous existences; they also recollect the previous suffering existences of others, and they also cause others to recollect their previous suffering existences.

With their divine ear they hear the pitiful sounds of suffering beings in hell, among the animals, the ghosts, and humans, and work to relieve their pains; or they hear different Dharma teachings in various buddhafields, or right here; or they hear many different sounds urging them on.

With their divine eye bodhisattvas see the variety of wholesome and unwholesome behaviors of beings in the ten directions and do what is appropriate. They also behold many teachings of Dharma in many retinues of tathāgatas in the many different buddhafields.

With knowledge of others’ thoughts they know others’ greed, hatred, and so on accompanying their thoughts and do what is appropriate. They know the different faculties, behaviors, dispositions, propensities, and so on of beings and teach the Dharma appropriately.

With knowledge of the extinction of outflows bodhisattvas know perfectly and properly that their own and others’ afflictions are extinguished, and they know perfectly and properly whether or not they have attained the extinction of their own afflictions, and whether or not others have attained the extinction of their afflictions. They also know perfectly what is and is not the means to extinguish their own and others’ afflictions and outflows. They know perfectly whether others’ attainment of the extinction of outflows is an unfounded conceit or is true. Perfectly knowing all that, bodhisattvas themselves realize the extinction of outflows. Bodhisattvas know perfectly things with and without outflows, and with just the knowledge of the extinction of outflows they stay together with all the afflicted dharmas with outflows, without themselves becoming defiled.

Bodhisattvas have these six clairvoyances in lifetime after lifetime. Even when they are reborn as animals they do not lose them, so they are

with imperishable clairvoyant knowledges.

Bodhisattvas who have these six clairvoyances make an effort to help beings, and those beings they have helped experience a simultaneously arising pleasure, so they listen to the bodhisattva’s speech. Even at the cost of their life they do not go against the advice and instruction. Furthermore, they skillfully get Māra’s minions or tīrthikas and so on who bear ill will toward them to take their advice and instructions to heart. They even get those who are unwilling to listen to what they have to say by threatening them with splitting headaches and so on. Bodhisattvas always see when it is the right time and it is not the right time and so on. Among the classes of beings there are none who are offended by the speech of the bodhisattvas. This is the very nature of the power of the dedication of the merit from the four ways of gathering a retinue and the merit of the perfections. Hence they are

with speech worth listening to.

To teach that bodhisattvas with these good qualities have a pure practice it says they are

not hypocrites

and so on.

It is impossible that those who have earlier entered onto a bodhisattva level would pursue wrong livelihoods, and this is particularly more so the case on the Vimalā level and so on. So why teach here that on the seventh level there is no pursuit of wrong livelihoods?

There is no fault. Even though on lower levels they have already eliminated them, behavior that is pursued with effort is perfected here, so it has to be taught at the end. You should not take bodhisattvas standing on the seventh level as “with afflictions” and you should not take them as “without afflictions” either, because right there they absolutely eliminate afflictive behavior. Thus, the purity of their surpassing aspiration informs their physical actions, verbal actions, and mental actions. This total nonarising of all the physical, verbal, and mental actions that the tathāgatas criticize is a quality of the seventh level. Hence, to demonstrate that they do not engage in the physical actions of wrong livelihood it says they are “not hypocrites.” Because of wanting to gain something, the demonstration of a physical action that is a way of impressing another is called hypocrisy.

To demonstrate that they have no impure verbal actions it says they are

not fawners.

Acts of speech connected with gaining something, speaking to gain something you really want, is fawning.

To demonstrate that they have no impure mental actions it says they are

without thoughts of reputation and gain.

Praise, citation, renown, and “reputation” are synonymous. They are so called because they are without thoughts of gain or respect.

Having taught that they have no impure practices, to teach that they have purified practices it says they are

Dharma teachers without thought of compensation.

This is said of those stirred by compassion and endowed with a thinking mind honed by wisdom who teach Dharma to help beings.

Thus, having taught in these ways the qualities of those from the seventh level on down who practice signlessness with effort, now it says they are

with perfect forbearance for the deep dharmas

and so on, to teach the quality of standing effortlessly in signlessness. Thus, from the eighth level on up bodhisattvas cut the continuum of all effort and pass beyond all causal signs and conceptualization. They do so in a carefree way, without any effort at all. But even though they are totally at peace and expend no energy, they live a life for the sake of others because of the force of their previous prayers, and they realize the practices on the side of awakening.

To teach that on the eighth level they have gained forbearance for the nonproduction of dharmas, it says they are those “with perfect forbearance for the deep dharmas.” Thus,

completely free from the conceptual discriminations of mind, thinking mind, and consciousness, unhindered like space, with the comprehension of the wide-open nature they have gained forbearance for the nonproduction of dharmas. O bodhisattvas! The moment bodhisattvas with such a forbearance for that have reached the Acalā level, they gain the bodhisattva’s deep stations that are hard to understand, undifferentiated, free from all causal signs,