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Although a text with the title “Teaching on the Miracles at Śrāvasti” (Tib. mnyan yod du cho ’phrul bstan pa) is listed by Butön in his History (Butön, fol. 75a), the Mahāprātihāryasūtra does not appear to have found its way into into later Tibetan Kangyur editions as a discrete sūtra. Nevertheless the narrative is found incorporated into the Vinayakṣudrakavastu of the Mulasarvāstivadin Vinaya which is included in the Kangyur (Toh 6). An English translation from that source is found in Fiordalis (2014).
Fragments of the Mahāprātihāryasūtra are also found among the Gilgit Buddhist Manuscripts and have been the subject of a careful doctoral study by Sirisawad (2019). Another iteration is found in the Divyāvadāna, a collection of Buddhist stories extant in Sanskrit but not part of the Tibetan canon. The Mahāprātihāryasūtra also exists in Chinese translations. The Śrāvasti miracles are featured in a great range of Buddhist artwork from all regions of the early Buddhist world. For references, see Fiordalis (2014) and Brown (1984).
Such as walking in the air and producing multiple simultaneous manifestations of himself. The traditional list of the Buddha’s miraculous powers, as also found in the Pali canon, is also incorporated into this text at fol.37.b.
The Teaching on the Extraordinary Transformation That Is the Miracle of Attaining the Buddha’s Powers (Buddhabalādhānaprātihāryavikurvāṇanirdeśa, Toh 186).
What follows, up to “brahma realms,” is an iteration of a standard list of a tathāgata’s ṛddhi powers, found in many iterations in the Kangyur and also in the Pali Canon. For an example translated from the Pali Canon see Thanissaro Bhikkhu’s translation of the Samaññaphala Sutta, in the section on Supranormal Powers: https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/dn/dn.02.0.than.html
Tib. sa la yang steng du ’byung ba dang byi’u zul byed de dper na chu la bya ba bzhin no. The Tibetan translation appears to translate the Sanskrit unmajjanimajja, “emerge and submerge” as steng du ’byung ba dang byi’u zul byed, presenting the image of a little bird (byi’u) which is not explicit in the iterations of the formula found in Pali or Sanskrit. In his translation of the Samaññaphala Sutta, for example, Thanissaro Bhikkhu translates “he dives in and out of the earth as if it were water.”
Fire and water coming from the body are not part of the standard list of powers in the Pali suttas. However, it is a common description of what is sometimes called the “twin miracle,” as found in accounts of the Śrāvasti Miracles. See Strong (2009), p.42.
From Pali and Sanskrit iterations this is generally interpretated as the power to physically travel as far as the brahmā realms. The Tibetan rendering of the formula suggests mastery (Tib. dbang bsgyur) in some iterations “over all beings,” up to and including the brahmā realms.
This and the following miraculous powers are not typically included in standard lists of a tathāgata’s ṛddhi powers, either in Pali, Sanskrit or Tibetan.
“Qualities” here translates chos (i.e. dharmas), here referring to the full list of qualities or features of the inexpressible Dharma already enumerated.
The term translated here as “human” is shed las skyes, likely translating Skt. manuja, lit. “born from Manu.” It is thus a synonym with shed bu “child of Manu” used in the next line.
Tib. sems bsags pa ma mchis pa. Likely refers to the conceptual accumulation of moments of mind, giving an impression of continuity of the mind in time, which is absent in a state of concentration.
Translation tentative. Tib. chos thams cad ni rnam par bral ba ma mchis pa lags na de dag rnam par bral bar bshad pa ni cho ’phrul lags so.
The multivalence of the term dharma (Tib. chos) resists translation, but here the point seems to be about how virtuous qualities can have effects from one lifetime to the next..
The term translated as “perfection” (Tib. pha rol tu phyin pa) literally translate as “reached the far shore.” So the deconstruction here is of the term used for perfection itself.
Although the text suggests that “they” (de dag gis) spoke these verses of praise together, it becomes clear toward the end of the praise that it is actually King Śubhavyūha who is speaking.
The translation of this verse is tentative. Tib. dog sa [Y, K: dogs pa] thams cad rdol ’gyur zhing// rgya mtsho’ang bas par ’gyur gda’ yi [N: yin H: ba bzhin]// rdzogs sangs rgyas la bskrun [Y: srun] pa’i yi [N: yin]// sa bon nam yang [Y, K: rnams kyang S: nams kyang] chab mi ’tshal//
Reading dpang with Y and S. This is the abbreviated form of dpang po, a noun which among other things, means “witness.” D reads dbang “power,” while J,K, C read dpung “strength.”
Reading bzhag pa with S, which has the sense of “establishing” or “affirming.” D reads brtag pa, which has the sense of “projecting.”
The list that follows, starting with “ignorance” and ending in “aging and death,” is an iteration of the twelve links of dependent origination.
Tib. btang snyoms ma yin pa. The Sanskrit term upekṣā (Tib. btang snyoms) can have negative meanings, such as neglect and indifference, as well as positive ones as equanimity. The idea here is similar to “indulging in the taste of meditation,” in that the bodhisattva must avoid avoiding getting caught up in complacency that can delay progress to complete awakening.
The three fundamental points refer to the teachings just given by Mañjuśrī, in response to Śaradvatīputra’s comment, on the subjects of 1. pure conduct, 2. revering and serving tathāgatas, and 3. generating roots of virtue.
The primary meaning of “dharma” here appears to be Dharma teachings and practices, but the many other valences of the term (as “qualities” or as “phenomena”) may also be relevant.
Tib. ji ltar na byang chub sems dpa’ dpa’ ba yin. In the absence of a Sanskrit witness it is hard to discern what Sanskrit the Tibetan term dpa’ ba “heroic” translates here. It could be śūraḥ. It is also appears there is a play on terminology. In the terms bodhisattva and mahāsattva, the element sattva or “being” was rendered in Tibetan as sems dpa’ literally “mind hero” or “courageous mind.” This tracks how the Sanskrit term sattva, aside from meaning “being,” also has a connotation of “courage” and “goodness.” Here, it seems, the god is questioning Mañjuśrī about this heroic (dpa’) connotation of the term for “being’ (sems dpa’).
This exchange is based on the valences of the term chags pa med pa, which has here been translated as “without affection.” It is more often translated with a positive sense in a Buddhist context as “without attachment,” or “without desire.”
There appears to be a nonsequitur here, perhaps indicating some missing text, hence the translation of this passage is tentative.
In this exchange the terms “scope” is used to translate the Tibetan yul, which in turn translates the Sanskrit viṣaya, which relates to the objects of experience or the perceptual field. The term buddhaviṣaya, translated here as “scope of a buddha” relates to the experiential range of the awakened state, as beyond dualistic perception.
Here and passim, there is a play on words based on the opposition between the Sanksrit sama (Tib. mnyam pa) which can mean “same” but also “even” and “good,” and its opposite, the Sanskrit viṣama (Tib. mi mnyam pa) which can mean “not the same” but also “uneven”, “rough” and “difficult.”
The context suggests here that “gathering” (sdud pa) refers to gathering wholesome actions as a bodhisattva’s practice of skillful methods (thabs), while “cutting through” (yongs su gcod pa) refers to the practice of cutting through ignorance as the insight (shes rab) side of bodhisattva conduct.
A bodhisattva’s attainment of forbearance toward all phenomena as being nonarising or unborn (
The essentially pure nature of mind is obscured and afflicted by various psychological defilements, which destroy the mind’s peace and composure and lead to unwholesome deeds of body, speech, and mind, acting as causes for continued existence in saṃsāra. Included among them are the primary afflictions of desire (rāga), anger (dveṣa), and ignorance (moha). It is said that there are eighty-four thousand of these negative mental qualities, for which the eighty-four thousand categories of the Buddha’s teachings serve as the antidote.
Kleśa is also commonly translated as “negative emotions,” “disturbing emotions,” and so on. The Pāli kilesa, Middle Indic kileśa, and Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit kleśa all primarily mean “stain” or “defilement.” The translation “affliction” is a secondary development that derives from the more general (non-Buddhist) classical understanding of √kliś (“to harm,“ “to afflict”). Both meanings are noted by Buddhist commentators.
Lit. a “heap” or “pile.” The five aggregates of form, feeling, perception, karmic formation, and consciousness. On the individual level the five aggregates refer to the basis upon which the mistaken idea of a self is projected.
A term, gesture, appellation, or symbol through which meaning is conveyed.
A major śrāvaka disciple and personal attendant of the Buddha Śākyamuni during the last twenty-five years of his life. He was a cousin of the Buddha (according to the Mahāvastu, he was a son of Śuklodana, one of the brothers of King Śuddhodana, which means he was a brother of Devadatta; other sources say he was a son of Amṛtodana, another brother of King Śuddhodana, which means he would have been a brother of Aniruddha).
Ānanda, having always been in the Buddha’s presence, is said to have memorized all the teachings he heard and is celebrated for having recited all the Buddha’s teachings by memory at the first council of the Buddhist saṅgha, thus preserving the teachings after the Buddha’s parinirvāṇa. The phrase “Thus did I hear at one time,” found at the beginning of the sūtras, usually stands for his recitation of the teachings. He became a patriarch after the passing of Mahākāśyapa.
This was an important early site for the Buddha’s growing community. Anāthapiṇḍada, a wealthy patron of the Buddha, purchased the park, located outside Śrāvastī, at great cost, purportedly covering the ground with gold, and donated it to the saṅgha. It was there that the Buddha spent several rainy seasons and gave discourses that were later recorded as sūtras. It was also the site for one of the first Buddhist monasteries. (Provisional 84000 definition. New definition forthcoming.)
Practices of mindfulness, often classified as four, namely mindfulness pertaining to body, sensation, mind, and phenomena.
The Theravadin tradition lists thirteen such practices as evidenced in Visuddhimagga by Buddhagosha while in Mahāyāna tradition there are generally only twelve. Though not part of Vinaya rules, it is common for monks to strive to practice at least one of the ascetic practices such as by dwelling in the wilderness.
A declaration of one’s aspirations and vows, and/or an invocation and request of the buddhas, bodhisattvas, etc.
A stable attitude of mind that regards all beings equally, without hostility or favor.
“One Who Sees.” Here the name of a god present in the assembly of Buddha Śākyamuni when he gives the Teaching on the Great Miracle. He is prophesied to become a universal monarch by the name of Sudarśana after the full awakening of the tathāgatha Guṇarājbaprabha, and then to become a fully awakened tathāgatha himself, with the name Samantaprabha.
Yeshé Dé (late eighth to early ninth century) was the most prolific translator of sūtras into Tibetan. Altogether he is credited with the translation of more than one hundred sixty sūtra translations and more than one hundred additional translations, mostly on tantric topics. In spite of Yeshé Dé’s great importance for the propagation of Buddhism in Tibet during the imperial era, only a few biographical details about this figure are known. Later sources describe him as a student of the Indian teacher Padmasambhava, and he is also credited with teaching both sūtra and tantra widely to students of his own. He was also known as Nanam Yeshé Dé, from the Nanam (sna nam) clan.
The four qualities of samādhi that eliminate negative factors and are the supports for supernatural powers: aspiration, diligence, contemplation, and analysis.
The ultimate nature of phenomena as unproduced and nonarising, because birth and production can occur only on the relative, or superficial, level. The eleventh link of release from dependent origination.
In Buddhist literature, this is an epithet applied to buddhas, most often to Śākyamuni. The Sanskrit term generally means “possessing fortune,” but in specifically Buddhist contexts it implies that a buddha is in possession of six auspicious qualities (bhaga) associated with complete awakening. The Tibetan term—where bcom is said to refer to “subduing” the four māras, ldan to “possessing” the great qualities of buddhahood, and ’das to “going beyond” saṃsāra and nirvāṇa—possibly reflects the commentarial tradition where the Sanskrit bhagavat is interpreted, in addition, as “one who destroys the four māras.” This is achieved either by reading bhagavat as bhagnavat (“one who broke”), or by tracing the word bhaga to the root √bhañj (“to break”).
The name of the past world system and buddhafield of the tathāgata Sumerukalpa.
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).
The exalted heavens of the form realm, where the brahmā deities reside.
The attitudes, usually listed as four (sometimes also referred to as the “four immeasurable states”) in which brahmā deities dwell. Namely immeasurable goodwill or loving kindness (Pali:
There are seven branches of awakening: mindfulness, discrimination, diligence, joy, pliancy, absorption, and equanimity.
Refers to the meditative practice of calming the mind to rest free from the disturbances of thought. One of the two basic forms of Buddhist meditation, the other being special insight.
In Buddhist usage, a general term for non-Buddhist religious mendicants, often occurring together with parivrājakas and nirgranthas in stock lists of followers of non-Buddhist movements.
Dhyāna is defined as one-pointed abiding in an undistracted state of mind, free from afflicted mental states. Four states of dhyāna are identified as being conducive to birth within the form realm. In the context of the Mahāyāna, it is the fifth of the six perfections. It is commonly translated as “concentration,” “meditative concentration,” and so on.
A bodhisattva’s attainment of forbearance toward phenomena in accordance with the true nature of phenomena as taught by the Dharma. Sometimes listed as an attainment on the eighth bodhisattva level. For a fuller account of this level of acceptance, see the eight verses at
Consciousness is the fifth of the five aggregates. Generally classified into the five sensory consciousnesses and the mental consciousness.
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.
Literally, “to flow” or “to ooze.” Mental defilements or contaminations that “flow out” toward the objects of cyclic existence, binding us to them. Vasubandhu offers two alternative explanations of this term: “They cause beings to remain (āsayanti) within saṃsāra” and “They flow from the Summit of Existence down to the Avīci hell, out of the six wounds that are the sense fields” (Abhidharmakośabhāṣya 5.40; Pradhan 1967, p. 308). The Summit of Existence (bhavāgra, srid pa’i rtse mo) is the highest point within saṃsāra, while the hell called Avīci (mnar med) is the lowest; the six sense fields (āyatana, skye mched) here refer to the five sense faculties plus the mind, i.e., the six internal sense fields.
Usually listed as four: Relinquishing negative acts in the present and the future, and enhancing positive acts in the present and the future.
The relative nature of phenomena, which arise in dependence on causes and conditions.
In Buddhist cosmology, this is our own realm, the lowest and most coarse of the three realms of saṃsāra. It is called this because beings here are characterized by their strong longing for and attachment to the pleasures of the senses. The desire realm includes hell beings, hungry ghosts, animals, humans, asuras, and the lowest six heavens of the gods—from the Heaven of the Four Great Kings (cāturmahārājika) up to the Heaven of Making Use of Others’ Emanations (paranirmitavaśavartin). Located above the desire realm is the form realm (rūpadhātu) and the formless realm (ārūpyadhātu).
See “dhāraṇī.”
Sentences or phrases that are said to hold the essence of a teaching or its meaning. According to context, the term can variously mean an exceptional power of mental retention or a healing spell. The term is also rendered in this translation as “power of retention.”
Speaker or oral reciter of the Dharma. In early Buddhism, before the teachings were written down, a section of the saṅgha were
A
The fourth of the six perfections, it is a state of mind characterized by joyful perseverance when engaging in virtuous activity. Diligence becomes a perfection practice when it is accompanied by the view of emptiness.
A former buddha who prophesized the awakening of Śākyamuni.
Clairaudience, one of the six “superknowledges.” The sublime ability to understand all languages and listen to them whether they are nearby or far away.
Clairvoyance, one of the six “superknowledges” as well as one of the “five eyes.” The supernormal ability to see to an unlimited distance, observe events in other worlds, see through mountains, etc. The five eyes consist of five different faculties of vision: the physical eye (
A set of circumstances that do not provide the freedom to practice the Buddhist path: being born in the realms of (1) the hells, (2) hungry ghosts (pretas), (3) animals, or (4) long-lived gods, or in the human realm among (5) barbarians or (6) extremists, (7) in places where the Buddhist teachings do not exist, or (8) without adequate faculties to understand the teachings where they do exist.
These consist of the exact opposites of the eight branches of the eightfold noble path, namely, wrong view, wrong intention, wrong speech, wrong actions, wrong livelihood, wrong effort, wrong mindfulness, and wrong samādhi.
The eight-branched purification vow, which may be taken as a temporary or as a lifelong commitment, consists first of the five precepts—refraining from (1) killing, (2) stealing, (3) sexual misconduct, (4) lying, and (5) consuming intoxicants—plus three further, namely refraining from (6) resting on a high or luxurious bed, (7) wearing ornaments, makeup or perfume, and (8) eating at improper times (after midday).
The element or constituent of phenomena is one of the eighteen constituents, referring to mental phenomena.
The term literally means to be killed or slain. It also means enemy, which is the most appropriate choice here.
Mvy 6503. This means entering with certainty. A technical term for a stage of spiritual development.
One of the four immeasurables (the others being loving kindness, compassion, and sympathetic joy). The antidote to attachment and aversion; a mental state free from bias toward sentient beings and experiences. Counted among the thirty-seven factors for awakening.
Literally, “where cattle (Skt.
Thirty-seven practices that lead the practitioner to the awakened state: the four applications of mindfulness, the four correct exertions, the four bases of supernatural power, the five masteries, the five powers, the eightfold path, and the seven branches of awakening.
May refer to the sense faculties (sight, smell, touch, hearing, taste, and the mental faculty). May also refer to the “five faculties” that are cultivated on the first two stages of the bodhisattva path, namely faith, diligence, mindfulness, absorption, and knowledge. When developed further these become the “five strengths.”
False conceptualization pertaining to the state of liberation that is nonconceptual in nature.
Refers to transgressions of moral conduct as prescribed by Buddhist precepts and vows.
Refers to the four fearlessnesses in (1) declaring that one has reached awakening, (2) declaring that all illusions have ceased, (3) teaching the obstacles to awakening, and (4) showing the way to liberation.
’phags pa cho ’phrul chen po bstan pa zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo (Āryamahāprātihāryanirdeśanāmamahāyānasūtra). Toh 66, Degé Kangyur vol. 43 (dkon brtsegs, ca), folios 36.a–67.b.
’phags pa cho ’phrul chen po bstan pa zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo. 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 Tripiṭaka 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. 43, pp. 101–78.
’phags pa cho ’phrul chen po bstan pa zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo. Stok Palace Kangyur vol. 39 (dkon brtsegs, ca), folios 100.b–148.b.
Butön Rinchen Drup (bu ston rin chen grub). chos ’byung (bde bar gshegs pa’i bstan pa’i gsal byed chos kyi ’byung gnas gsung rab rin po che’i gter mdzod). In The Collected Works of Bu-Ston, vol. 24 (ya), folios 1.b–212.a (pp. 633–1055). New Delhi: International Academy of Indian Culture, 1965–71. BDRC W22106.
Brown, Robert L. “The Śrāvastī Miracles in the Art of India and Dvāravatī.” Archives of Asian Art 37 (1984): 79–95.
Fiordalis, David V. “Miracles and Superhuman Powers in South Asian Buddhist Literature. PhD Dissertation, University of Michigan, 2008.
Fiordalis, David V. “Miracles in Indian Buddhist Narratives and Doctrine.” Journal of the International Association of Buddhist Studies 33.1–2 (2011): 381–408.
Fiordalis, David V. “The Buddha‟s Great Miracle at Śrāvastī: a Translation from the Tibetan Mūlasarvāstivāda-vinaya”. Asian Literature and Translation 2.3 (2014): 1–33. https://digitalcommons.linfield.edu/relsfac_pubs/2.
Mitsukawa, Toyoki 光川豊芸. 1985. “Hōshakukyō Daijinpen’e no kenkyū: Sanshu jinben to bosatsu no gyō ni tsuite” 宝積経『大神変会』の研究－三種神変と菩薩の行について. Ryūkoku kiyō 龍谷紀要 7, no. 1: 163–179.
Sirisawad, Natchapol. “The Mahāprātihāryasūtra in the Gilgit manuscripts.” PhD Dissertation, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, 2019.
Strong, John. The Buddha: A Beginner’s Guide. Oxford: Oneworld, 2009.
Thanissaro Bhikkhu (trans.) Samaññaphala Sutta: The Fruits of the Contemplative Life. Translated from the Dīgha Nikāya. Online Publication, 1997. https://www.dhammatalks.org/suttas/DN/DN02.html
Vira, Raghu and Lokesh Chandra, eds. Gilgit Buddhist Manuscripts (Facsimile Edition), 10 parts. New Delhi: International Academy of Indian Culture. Śata-Piṭaka Series 10, 1959–74.
C Choné (co ne) Kangyur
D Degé (sde dge) Kangyur
H Lhasa (zhol) Kangyur
J Lithang (li thang) Kangyur
K Peking (pe cin) or “Kangxi” Kangyur 1692
N Narthang (snar thang) Kangyur
S Stok Palace (stog pho brang bris ma) Kangyur
Y Yongle (g.yung lo) Kangyur 1410
In response to an inquiry posed by the deity Sārthavāha concerning the many miracles performed by the Buddha, the Buddha explains that tathāgatas perform three types of miracles, namely miracles of pronouncement, miracles of teaching, and miracles of supernatural power. In this sūtra, the bodhisattva Mañjuśrī explains why the miracle of teaching—the very ability to express by means of words and conventional language the inexpressible Dharma and the ineffable truth of emptiness—constitutes the greatest of the three. When the god Sārthavāha demonstrates that he has achieved a clear understanding of the teachings imparted by Mañjuśrī, the Buddha then narrates one of this god’s former lives. Many eons ago he had been a Dharma king who renounced his kingdom to go forth after hearing teachings on emptiness given by a dharmabhāṇaka monk who was none other than Mañjuśrī himself in a past life, echoing the exchange that has just taken place.
After this narrative interlude, the discussion on the miracle of teaching resumes at Jetavana, with Śaradvatīputra and the god Sārthavāha questioning Mañjuśrī further. The outcome is an extensive exploration, rich in paradox, of Buddhist teachings on emptiness, including explanations of many key Mahāyāna terms. Delighted by Mañjuśrī’s inspired eloquence, the Buddha then smiles. When Ānanda asks the reason for his smile, the Buddha predicts the future complete awakening of the god Sārthavāha.
Tenzin Bhuchung undertook the translation of the text. He gratefully acknowledges the guidance and inspiration of Professor John Dunne during his Postdoctoral Fellowship sponsored by 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha and hosted by the Center for Healthy Minds at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.
The translation was completed under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha. George FitzHerbert edited the translation and the introduction, and Dawn Collins copyedited the text. Martina Cotter was in charge of the digital publication process.
The translation of this text has been made possible through the generous sponsorship of Kelvin Lee, Doris Lim, Chang Chen Hsien, Gephel Lim, and all sentient beings.
The Teaching on the Great Miracle, which is the twenty-second text in The Great Heap of Jewels collection, is devoted to the theme of miracles (Skt. prātihārya, Tib. cho ’phrul). Though it is similarly titled, this Mahāyāna sūtra is not to be confused with the Mūlasarvāstavādin text known as the Mahāprātihāryasūtra (“Great Miracle Sūtra”), which recounts perhaps the most famous of the Buddha’s miraculous displays—the so-called Śrāvasti Miracles performed by the Buddha in order to tame a group of tīrthika masters. Those Śrāvasti Miracles are widely celebrated in Buddhist art, are narrated in a variety of textual iterations across all the major languages of Buddhism, and have received significant scholarly attention.
By contrast, the main focus of the present text, The Teaching on the Great Miracle, which also takes place in Śrāvastī, is not supernatural power. Although the Buddha’s supernatural feats are outlined briefly as the method he uses to tame haughty and arrogant beings, the great miracles that are celebrated above all others in this discourse are instead the “miracles of teaching”—the ability to convey by means of words and conventional language the inexpressible Dharma. As such, it is the Dharma as a whole that is described here as the Buddha’s Great Miracle. This idea that the miracle of teaching is the greatest of the Buddha’s miracles is also found in the Kevaddhasutta (“Discourse with Kevaddha”) of the Pali Dīgha Nikāya, and in Vasubandhu’s discussion of miracles in chapter seven of the Commentary on the Treasury of Abhidharma (Abhidharmakośabhāṣya).
The main protagonist in The Teaching on the Great Miracle is a god named Sārthavāha, who during a gathering within the tranquil confines of Jetavana monastery in Śrāvastī, asks the Buddha about the various miracles he uses to tame beings. The Buddha responds by stating that the miracles of a tathāgata fall into three categories, namely miracles of pronouncement in which he reads the minds of other beings, sees where they have been reborn, and makes pronouncements about their future lives and attainments; miracles of teaching in which he conveys the inexpressible truth of Dharma by means of conventional terms and language; and miracles of supernatural power in which he displays supernatural feats of many kinds.
When the god Sārthavāha requests further elaboration on this subject, the Buddha requests the bodhisattva Mañjuśrī to speak. Thus prompted, Mañjuśrī explains that the Tathāgata is able to perform all kinds of supernatural feats. He not only enumerates the traditional list of ṛddhi powers, powers that are exemplified in the aforementioned Śrāvasti Miracles, but also gives further examples such as holding all the water in all the world systems of the trichiliocosm in the palm of his hand, or drawing all the worlds of the trichiliocosm into his mouth and exhaling them again, in both cases without harming a single sentient being. However, as Mañjuśrī explains, the truly “great miracle” that surpasses all others, is the ability to convey in words and language the truth of Dharma that is beyond conceptualization and verbal expression of any kind. It is also this miracle that is the hardest for worldly beings to accept, because people, being enmeshed in worldly concerns and attachments, cannot see beyond the five aggregates. As a result, they are threatened and frightened by teachings that explain the emptiness of the aggregates and the emptiness of all phenomena.
When the god Sārthavāha demonstrates his fearlessness, even in the face of these profound and potentially unsettling teachings on emptiness, the Buddha proceeds to narrate a past life story which mirrors the present discourse. In a joyous buddhafield many eons ago, there was a universal monarch who along with his many wives and his thousand sons venerated and served a tathāgata. In the entourage of this king was a dharmabhāṇaka monk who imparted teachings on the truth of all phenomena being beyond perceptual categories of any kind. In response to these profound teachings, the king decided to go forth as a renunciant. His thousand sons wished to follow suit, but the king insisted that one of them must remain a layman in order to look after the kingdom and its subjects. One of the princes, motivated by compassion for beings, agreed to do so, although he too pledged to conduct himself with the asceticism of a renunciant henceforth. The Buddha then explains that the universal monarch in this story was none other than the god Sārthavāha in a previous life, that the dharmabhāṇaka monk was none other than Mañjuśrī, and that the compassionate prince was none other than himself.
The discussion then resumes at Jetavana with Śāriputra questioning Mañjuśrī further on his attainments. Mañjuśrī’s replies are enigmatic, as he deconstructs Śāriputra’s questions and challenges him with paradoxes to illustrate the limitations of conceptualization and categories, even aspects of the path, in light of the ultimate truth of emptiness. In this way, The Teaching on the Great Miracle becomes a disquisition by Mañjuśrī on the doctrine of emptiness, rich in paradox, that explores many of the key terms found in Mahāyāna discourses. These include the six perfections, bodhisattva conduct, acceptance of the unborn nature of phenomena, the sameness of all phenomena, and others.
On hearing Mañjuśrī’s eloquent replies—which are themselves illustrations of the miracle of teaching—the Buddha gives one of his cosmically radiant smiles. When asked by Ānanda to explain his smile, he prophecies the future awakening of the god Sārthavāha as the tathāgatha Guṇarājaprabha. Furthermore, he prophesies that another deity present in the assembly, named Avalokiteśvara, will also appear in Guṇarājaprabha’s buddhafield as a universal monarch and, upon his passing, will also reach awakening, intimating further mirroring with the story previously told.
Among texts in the Kangyur focused on the theme of miracles beside this one, one may mention the sūtra that immediately precedes it in The Heap of Jewels collection, The Prophecy for Bhadra the Illusionist (Toh 65) and the short text Teaching on the Extraordinary Transformation That Is the Miracle of Attaining the Buddha’s Powers (Toh 186). For a fuller list of Kangyur texts in which miracles, supernatural powers, and extraordinary transformation play a prominent role, see the introduction to the latter.
Like most texts in The Heap of Jewels collection, The Teaching on the Great Miracle is not extant in Sanskrit and survives only in Tibetan and Chinese translations. The Chinese translation (Taishō 310–22) is attributed to the south Indian Buddhist master Bodhiruci, who is said to have arrived in China in 659
The colophon to the Tibetan translation attributes it to the Indian scholars Jinamitra, Surendrabodhi, and Prajñāvarman together with the prolific Tibetan translator and editor Bandé Yeshé Dé. This indicates a translation made from Sanskrit during the late eight or early ninth century. The text is absent from the Phangthangma but it is listed as an individual text in the Denkarma imperial catalog of translated texts. According to the Open Philology website, there are two relevant fragmentary Dunhuang witnesses.
In light of his prominent role in the discourse, the sūtra is sometimes glossed in Tibetan sources, such as Butön’s History (1322), as “The Questions of the God Sārthavāha” (lha’i bu ded dpon gyis zhus pa).
No commentaries on the text by either Indian or Tibetan scholars have been identified and, aside from a single research article in Japanese, it does not appear to have been the subject of modern scholarly attention.
To our knowledge, this is the first English translation to be published. The translation was made from Tibetan, based primarily on the Degé Kangyur edition, in consultation with the variant readings listed in the Comparative Edition (dpe bsdur ma) and the Stok Palace manuscript, which records an alternative Sanskrit title of the text, Mahāprātihāryopadeśasūtra.
[B1] Homage to all buddhas and bodhisattvas.
Thus did I hear at one time. The Blessed One was residing at Jetavana, Anāthapiṇḍada’s Park at Śrāvastī, together with a great congregation of two hundred and fifty monks and eight thousand bodhisattvas. A god named Sārthavāha had joined that assembly and was present there. Youthful Mañjuśrī had also joined that assembly and was present there.
Then the god Sārthavāha inquired of the Blessed One, “Blessed One, with how many miracles does the Tathāgata tame sentient beings?”
The Blessed One replied, “The miracles, O god, with which I tame sentient beings are threefold. What are the three? They are miracles of pronouncement, miracles of teaching, and miracles of supernatural power.
“What then is a tathāgatha’s miracle of pronouncement? A tathāgata’s miracle of pronouncement involves seeing that which is in a future time by means of unimpeded wisdom; seeing and knowing the mental activities of all sentient beings; instilling faith in those who lack faith in the Three Jewels; and understanding the operation of karma and its fruition.
“A tathāgata makes a pronouncement when he tells an individual that on the basis of present wrongdoing there will be lower rebirth in any of the lower destinies and that this will unfold accordingly without any deviation. It is when a tathāgata knows that an individual, as result of formerly acquired roots of virtue, will be liberated from the lower realms, be reborn as a god or a human, and will reach final deliverance through whichever vehicle—whether through the Śrāvakayāna, the Pratyekabuddhayāna, or the Mahāyāna. It is when he knows the happiness and sufferings that an individual will experience, the number of eons required for them to reach final deliverance, and through what actions they will come to behold and delight however many blessed buddhas. When he knows all this, and he indicates that it will unfold accordingly without any deviation, that is an act of pronouncement. It is when a tathāgata knows whether any individual, as a result of the roots of virtue they have acquired, will be reborn in the desire realm or whether they will be reborn with the sense fields of the form and formless realms, by which vehicle they will reach final deliverance, how many eons it will take for them to reach final deliverance, and through what actions they will come to behold and delight however many blessed buddhas. When he knows all this and he pronounces it to be so, that is an act of pronouncement. There is not even a single instance of any minds’ intention that is beyond his knowledge, be it wholesome, unwholesome, inferior, middling, or superior. This is a tathāgata’s miracle of pronouncement.
“What then is a tathāgata’s miracle of teaching? It pertains to teachings imparted with the purpose of safeguarding precepts. For example, ‘This is to be done,’ ‘This is not to be done,’ ‘This is to be relied upon,’ ‘This is not to be relied upon,’ ‘This is the right practice,’ ‘This is the wrong practice,’ ‘These qualities contribute to affliction,’ and ‘These qualities contribute to purification.’ As such, it pertains to all teachings on how one properly upholds good qualities, how one abandons unwholesome deeds, and how one embraces all features of the wholesome path. Indeed, it pertains to all teachings on the path to perfecting the Śrāvakayāna, the path to perfecting the Pratyekabuddhayāna, and the path to perfecting the Mahāyāna. When such teachings are practiced just as they have been taught, then it is impossible that whatever state of attainment has been indicated will not be realized. It is indeed impossible and untenable.
“‘When such-and-such an action is undertaken, it leads beings to the hell realms.’ ‘When such-and-such an action is undertaken, it leads beings to the animal realms.’ ‘When such-and-such an action is undertaken, it leads beings to the Yama realms.’ ‘When such-and-such an action is undertaken, it leads beings to the god realms.’ ‘When such-and-such an action is undertaken, it leads beings to the human realms.’ All teachings such as these—concerning how those who abandon the unwholesome, embrace the wholesome, and enter the noble path will take rebirth in the realms of gods and humans, and will by stages become those who attain nirvāṇa—that are taught flawlessly and without confusion, are a tathāgata’s miracle of teaching.
“What then is the Tathāgata’s miracle of supernatural power? For sentient beings overwhelmed by pride, arrogance, and conceit, who are tamed through displays of supernatural power, a tathāgata demonstrates miracles of supernatural power in the following ways: He transforms from one into many and, having become many, transforms back into one. He appears and disappears. He passes straight through walls. He passes straight through enclosures. He passes straight through mountains without any obstruction. He dips in and out of the earth like a little bird does in water. He walks on water without sinking, as if it were solid ground. He travels through the sky like a winged bird. He makes fire blaze from the upper part of his body while he makes water stream from the lower part of his body. He makes fire blaze from the lower part while he makes water stream from the upper part. Though both the sun and the moon are great in supernatural power, great in magical power, and great in splendor, he can take them in his hands and caress them. With his body, he has mastery right up to the brahmā realms. He can display the world systems of the great trichiliocosm engulfed in flames. In order to bring sentient beings to maturity, he can manifest whatever particular manifestation of supernatural power is required to subdue them. These are a tathāgata’s miracles of supernatural power.
“O god, these are the three kinds of miracles with which I tame sentient beings.”
The god Sārthavāha then inquired of the Blessed One, “Blessed One, are there other exalted miracles, besides these miracles, over which you have mastery?”
The Blessed One replied, “There are, O god.”
The Blessed One then instructed Youthful Mañjuśrī, “Mañjuśrī, use your inspired eloquence to teach the dharma discourse The Teaching on Miracles, for when they hear the dharma discourse called The Teaching on Miracles, bodhisattva mahāsattvas whose conduct is orientated toward the profound will gain acceptance, the faction of Māra will be annihilated, and the awakening of the tathāgatas will endure for a long time.”
Youthful Mañjuśrī then addressed the Blessed One, “If the blessed Tathāgata so wishes, he could hold all the water contained in every vast ocean in all the worlds of the great trichiliocosm in the palm of his hand, and could do so without harming a single sentient being living in that water. The blessed Tathāgata could perform this miracle, and this indeed would be an exalted miracle. However, the great miracle of the Tathāgata is that after attaining manifestly perfect buddhahood, he is able to explain and make known to others the Dharma—the Dharma that is inexpressible, beyond words, beyond explanation, unborn, nonarising, nameless, signless, soundless, voiceless, beyond the medium of words, beyond reason, beyond characteristics, beyond conduct, without movement, without origination, beyond consciousness, uncompounded, devoid of mind, thought, and consciousness, that has put an end to all conventional concepts, that is tranquil, pure, subtle, difficult to perceive, unexaminable, and beyond the scope of argumentation—through the medium of words, linguistic interpretation, allusions, and conventional terms. This is the great miracle. This profundity—which the world and its gods cannot fathom, which every ascetic and brahmin fears as they cling to their objects of perception, signs, and concepts, and cannot engage with—is the great miracle of the Tathāgata.
“Furthermore, Blessed One, if the Tathāgata so wishes, he could draw the worlds of the great trichiliocosm into his mouth, without diminishing in any way the sentient beings of the four great continents, the moons and suns, the surrounding mountains, the grasses, shrubs, medicinal plants, and forests. And emitting them again, placing them back just where they were, those sentient beings would not ask ‘where are we? What land is this?’ or ‘from what land have we arrived?’ This, Blessed One, would indeed be a great miracle of the Tathāgata. But the greatest miracle of all is that the Tathāgatha, after attaining manifestly perfect buddhahood, is able to teach the Dharma—the Dharma that is inexpressible, beyond language, beyond explanation, unborn, nonarising, nameless, signless, and likewise all the aforementioned qualities up to being devoid of mind, thought, and consciousness, that has put an end to all conventional concepts, that is tranquil, pure, subtle, difficult to perceive, unexaminable, and beyond the scope of argumentation—through the medium of words, linguistic interpretation, allusions, and conventional terms. That is the great miracle of the Tathāgata.
“Furthermore, Blessed One, all miracles involving the Tathāgata’s physical body are performed in order to guide sentient beings who cling to signs as indications of substance. But there is another greater miracle of the Tathāgata: That although the self does not exist, the conventional term ‘self’ is used. That although the sentient being does not exist, the conventional term ‘sentient being’ is used. That although the life force does not exist, the conventional term ‘life force’ is used. That although the sustained being does not exist, the conventional term ‘sustained being’ is used. That although the person does not exist, the conventional term ‘person’ is used. That although the human does not exist, the conventional term ‘human’ is used. That although the child of Manu does not exist, the conventional term ‘child of Manu’ is used. Likewise, though the name does not exist, the conventional term ‘name’ is still used. Though form does not exist, the conventional term ‘form’ is still used. Though feeling does not exist, the conventional term ‘feeling’ is still used. Though perception does not exist, the conventional term ‘perception’ is still used. Though karmic formation does not exist, the conventional term ‘karmic formation’ is still used. Though consciousness does not exist, the conventional term ‘consciousness’ is still used. Though the aggregates do not exist, the conventional term ‘aggregates’ is still used. Though constituents do not exist, the conventional term ‘constituents’ is still used. Though sense fields do not exist, the conventional term ‘sense fields’ is still used.
“Although it may be designated using conventional terms that ‘the eye is empty,’ the eye does not think ‘I am empty.’ Though it may be designated using conventional terms that ‘form is empty,’ form does not think ‘I am empty.’ Though it may be designated using conventional terms that ‘the eye consciousness is empty,’ the eye consciousness does not think ‘I am empty.’ Similarly, it may be designated using conventional terms that the ear, sound, and auditory consciousness, the nose, smell, and olfactory consciousness, the tongue, taste, and gustatory consciousness, the body, touch, and tactile consciousness, and the mind are all empty. But the mind does not think ‘I am empty.’ Though it may be conventionally stated that ‘all phenomena are empty,’ all phenomena do not think ‘I am empty.’ Though it may be conventionally stated that ‘the mental consciousness is empty,’ the mental consciousness does not think ‘I am empty.’
Making other sentient beings and other individuals understand in this way that phenomena are devoid of matter, devoid of mind, devoid of substance, devoid of name, and signless, is the great miracle of the Tathāgata.
“This miracle does not relate to the eyes, to form, or to visual consciousness. It does not relate to the ears, to sound, or to auditory consciousness. It does not relate to the nose, to smell, or to olfactory consciousness. It does not relate to the tongue, to taste, or to gustatory consciousness. It does not relate to the body, to touch, or to tactile consciousness. It does not relate to the mind, to mental phenomena, or to mental consciousness. Instead, this miracle is a miracle without sensory objects. It is a miracle devoid of objects. It is a miracle that does not relate to having a physical body, that does not relate to having a mind, thought, or consciousness.
“For this reason, this miracle is distrusted by worldly beings. Why? Because the ‘world’ refers to the five aggregates. Immature beings cling excessively to the five aggregates because they consider the five aggregates to be permanent. For this reason, this miracle is distrusted by all worldly beings. Worldly beings believe that the five aggregates are permanent, so when it is explained that they are impermanent, they are distrustful. Worldly beings believe that happiness is constituted by the five aggregates, so when it is explained that the five aggregates are suffering, worldly beings are distrustful. Worldly beings believe that a self is constituted by the five aggregates, so when it is explained that there is no self, the worldly are distrustful. Worldly beings believe that the five aggregates are agreeable, so when it is explained that they are disagreeable, the worldly are distrustful. Worldly beings believe that the five aggregates are ‘mine,’ so when it is explained that they have no owner, the worldly are distrustful. Worldly beings believe that the five aggregates are real, so when it is explained that they are unreal, the worldly do not believe it.
“As a consequence, the worldly by and large do not trust this miracle of the Tathāgata. This miracle does not delight their hearts. This miracle cannot be accounted for by the eyes nor reckoned in terms of form, for this miracle is beyond both the eyes and the scope of form. This miracle cannot be accounted for by the ears nor reckoned in terms of sound, for this miracle is beyond both the ears and the scope of sound. And so on in the same way for the rest. This miracle cannot be accounted for by the mind nor reckoned in terms of experienced phenomena, for this miracle is beyond both the mind and the scope of phenomena. This miracle does not fall within the experiential scope of knowledge. It is not an object of delight. It is not something that is understood.
“Since emptiness is inexpressible, the act of expressing emptiness is a miracle. Since signlessness is inexpressible, the act of expressing signlessness is a miracle. Since wishlessness is inexpressible, the act of expressing wishlessness is a miracle. Since non karmic formation is inexpressible, the act of expressing non karmic formation is a miracle. Since birthlessness is inexpressible, the act of expressing birthlessness is a miracle. Since nonorigination is inexpressible, the act of expressing nonorigination is a miracle. Since nonbeing is inexpressible, the act of expressing nonbeing is a miracle. Since the absence of characteristics is inexpressible, the act of expressing the absence of characteristics is a miracle. Since noncessation is inexpressible, the act of expressing noncessation is a miracle. Since nirvāṇa is inexpressible, the act of expressing nirvāṇa is a miracle.
“It is like this: true generosity, with the three aspects of there being no focus on the self, no sentient being, and no conceit related to the state of awakening, is a miracle. It is like this: true moral discipline, with the three aspects of there being no moving body, no verbal expression, and no mental movement, is a miracle. It is like this: true patient acceptance, with the three aspects of there being no reification of attachment, the mind deconstructed as momentary, and no conceptualization of body or mind, is a miracle. It is like this: true diligence, with the three aspects of there being no taking up, no renouncing, and no maintaining, is a miracle. It is like this: true concentration, with the three aspects of being internally at peace, externally devoid of movement [to sense objects], and no mental accumulation, is a miracle. It is like this: true insight, with the three aspects of grasping at ‘I’ abandoned, grasping at ‘mine’ discarded, and no views, is a miracle.
“When all phenomena are not without aspect, to explain them as being without aspect is a miracle. When all phenomena are not entities, to explain them as being without self-nature is a miracle. When all phenomena are indivisible, to describe and distinguish them individually with words is a miracle. When all phenomena are without coming and going, to describe their comings and goings is a miracle. When all phenomena are nonarising, to describe their arising is a miracle. When all phenomena are a single realization, to describe a variety of realizations is a miracle. When all dharmas are of a single taste, to describe and designate three distinct vehicles is a miracle. When all dharmas are indivisible in the realm of phenomena, to describe and designate them in distinct categories is a miracle. When all buddhas are one buddha, to describe them as limitless is a miracle. When all realms are one realm, to describe their variety is a miracle. When all sentient beings are one sentient being, to describe the levels of sentient beings is a miracle. When all dharmas are one dharma, to describe them as ultimate, excellent, or middling is a miracle. When all dharmas are not established, to describe them as established is a miracle. When all dharmas are beyond knowledge, to describe knowledge of them to others is a miracle.”
The god Sārthavāha then spoke to Youthful Mañjuśrī, “Mañjuśrī, if I have understood the meaning of what you have explained, any and every phenomenon that is spoken of constitutes a miracle.”
Mañjuśrī replied, “Indeed, O god, it is so. It is as you have said. Since all dharmas are inexpressible, the act of expressing any phenomenon constitutes a great miracle.”
When this teaching was given, twelve thousand gods generated the mind set on unsurpassed, truly perfect awakening, and five hundred bodhisattvas gained acceptance of the unborn nature of phenomena.
Then Venerable Śaradvatīputra asked the god Sārthavāha, “When you hear this teaching on miracles, O god, do you not experience any anxiety?”
The god replied, “Honorable Śaradvatīputra, since I myself am also a miracle, what is there for me to fear?”
Śaradvatīputra replied, “O god, what thoughts lead you to say that?”
The god replied, “Honorable Śaradvatīputra, since all dharmas are beyond transmigration, how virtuous and nonvirtuous dharmas are transferred is a great miracle. Honorable Śaradvatīputra, I cannot think of nor cognize the karmic formation of virtuous deeds through which I have been born as a god and have encountered this great being. That being so, the death, transference and rebirth of all sentient beings cannot be thought of, cannot be cognized. And that which cannot be thought of or cannot be cognized is a great miracle. Just as the Blessed One has said: ‘The karmic results of actions are inconceivable. The nāga realms of the nāgas are also inconceivable. The objects of meditation of meditators are also inconceivable. The buddha realms of the blessed buddhas are also inconceivable.’ That being so, all phenomena are inconceivable, and that which is inconceivable is a great miracle.”
Again, the elder Śaradvatīputra asked, “O god, do you experience no anxiety when you hear about these miracles taught by the Blessed One?”
“Honorable Śaradvatīputra, does the element of space become anxious when the Tathāgatha teaches on miracles?”
“No, O god, it does not.”
“Honorable Śaradvatīputra, if the element of space has no fear when the Tathāgata teaches on miracles, then I too am unafraid.”
“Why, O god, are you space?”
“Indeed, Honorable Śaradvatīputra, I am space.”
“What thoughts lead you to say that, O god?”
“Honorable Śaradvatīputra, has not the Blessed One spoken of the internal element of space and spoken of the external element of space as pertaining alike to the element of space itself?”
“Indeed, O god, he has.”
“That being the case, Honorable Śaradvatīputra, all sentient beings are also of the nature of the element of space.”
“O god, in keeping with the teaching you have just imparted, you too will soon teach these miracles!”
“Honorable Śaradvatīputra, it is impossible to teach these miracles. Why? Because these miracles are beyond all objects of experience.”
Then the reverend Śaradvatīputra addressed the Blessed One, “Blessed One, the god Sārthavāha’s act of teaching in this way indicates that he has already rendered extraordinary service to victorious ones in the past and that he has also paid respectful service to Youthful Mañjuśrī in the past.”
“Indeed, Śaradvatīputra,” replied the Blessed One, “It is just as you have said. Śaradvatīputra, this god Sārthavāha has been brought to maturity by Youthful Mañjuśrī.
“Śaradvatīputra, in the far distant past, innumerable countless eons ago, during an eon called Exceptional Joy, in a world system called Bliss, there appeared a tathāgata, an arhat, a truly perfect buddha, perfect in knowledge and conduct, a well-gone one, a knower of the world, an unsurpassed guide who subdues beings, a teacher of gods and men, a blessed buddha named Sumerukalpa. Śaradvatīputra, the sentient beings in that world enjoyed every kind of happiness, and there was not even a whisper of suffering or mental discomfort. That world was made from the four precious gems—gold, silver, beryl and crystal. It was soft to the touch like kācilindika cloth and as smooth and even as the palm of a hand. There were no beings of the lower realms, only gods and humans. Foods and drinks would appear merely at the thought of them. Replete with boundless happiness, that world was known as Bliss.
“The saṅgha of that tathāgata was composed exclusively of bodhisattvas with blazing diligence, who had attained the light of insight, who had mastery of dhāraṇīs and sūtras, who had uninhibited eloquence, and who were skilled in understanding the teachings, correctly distinguishing every word. With the superknowledges, they understood consciousness, they had vanquished all māras and adversaries, and they were endowed with the patient forbearance of liberating insight that is without obscuration. They were skilled in administering the medicine of Dharma as appropriate to the mental inclinations of all sentient beings. They had amassed vast accumulations of merit and insight and served as virtuous friends to all sentient beings without being asked. They were experts in knowing how to travel to all buddhafields by means of supernatural powers. They were fully engaged in the oceanic mind, with mindfulness, intelligence, understanding, modesty, and fortitude. They were generous, their senses were tamed, they were well-restrained, and they were firmly settled in morality, learning, and insight. They were skilled in dedicating roots of virtue through infinite skillful methods. They radiated power and fearlessness and were resolutely immersed in all the teachings of the buddhas. They were bodhisattvas with single-pointed concentration, liberation, meditative stability, and meditative equipoise.
“Śaradvatīputra, at that time, a universal monarch named Śubhavyūha was present at the discourses of that blessed tathāgatha, arhat, truly perfect buddha Sumerukalpa. He was a righteous Dharma king who ruled over the four continents, possessed the seven precious treasures, and held dominion over humankind. He had a full one thousand sons, each and every one of whom had genuinely embarked on the path to unsurpassed, truly perfect awakening. Śaradvatīputra, this King Śubhavyūha and his retinue of queens had all embarked on the path to unsurpassed and truly perfect awakening. The lifespan of that blessed tathāgata, arhat, truly perfect buddha Sumerukalpa, and the lifespan of those humans there was seven hundred million years.
“With faith, King Śubhavyūha and his thousand sons and his retinue of queens took delight in the Dharma, took supreme delight, and for a full hundred thousand years, they honored and served the blessed tathāgata, arhat, truly perfect Buddha Sumerukalpa and his saṅgha of bodhisattvas with sincere hearts and minds, providing them with food, clothing, bedding, seats, medicines, provisions, and all other necessities and comforts. Every single day without fail, King Śubhavyūha and his retinue would make respectful offerings with their own hands, and every day without fail they would listen to the Dharma. In this way, seeing the Buddha again and again, and hearing his Dharma again and again over a hundred thousand years, the king, his sons, and his wives achieved the four recollections What are the four? Recollection of the Buddha, recollection of the Dharma, recollection of the Saṅgha, and recollection of morality that does not forget the mind set on awakening and is imbued with generosity. They achieved these four recollections. And with these four recollections, they were able to behold the Buddha day and night, were able to genuinely contemplate the Dharma, and were never separated from the Saṅgha of bodhisattvas.
“On a certain occasion, King Śubhavyūha and his sons and his retinue of queens, approached the blessed, tathāgata, arhat, truly perfect buddha Sumerukalpa in order to listen to him teach the Dharma. At that time, on that occasion, the tathāgata, arhat, truly perfect buddha Sumerukalpa was instructing his bodhisattvas by means of various miracles. Whereupon King Śubhavyūha asked the blessed, tathāgata, arhat, truly perfect buddha Sumerukalpa, ‘Are there any other exalted miracles besides these?’
“The blessed tathāgata, arhat, truly perfect buddha Sumerukalpa replied to King Śubhavyūha, ‘Great king, there are indeed other exalted miracles besides these. What are they? They are these: Describing the mind and mental factors that are immaterial; describing the cessation of the mind and mental factors; speaking of the nonabiding mind and mental factors that arise in the present; explaining the path that is nonarising and unoriginated; elucidating the doors of liberation as being of a single taste while having three branches; describing the single realization as four truths; making awakening, that is signless, devoid of aspect, and unproduced, understood; explaining the emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness of phenomena; bringing sentient beings formed from erroneous views and afflictions to maturity; the fact of there being a perfection of generosity when phenomena are neither taken up nor rejected; there being a perfection of morality when phenomena are uncreated and there is no karmic formation; there being a perfection of patient acceptance when phenomena are momentary and without origination; there being a perfection of diligence when phenomena are devoid of body and mind; there being a perfection of concentration when phenomena are neither gathered nor dissipated; there being a perfection of insight when phenomena are without near or far shores; there being skill in methods when phenomena are subject to neither affirmation nor negation; the cultivation of loving kindness towards phenomena, without weariness or reliance; the enjoining of compassion when phenomena are neither produced nor destroyed; the actual experience of joy when phenomena are without joy; the cultivation of equanimity when phenomena are nonabiding; attaining the divine eye when phenomena are beyond knowing and seeing; attaining the divine ear when phenomena are beyond hearing and knowing; there being knowledge of other minds when phenomena are devoid of referential objectification and are dissociated from mind; there being knowledge that recollects past situations when phenomena are without delineation as past; the attainment of the bases of supernatural power when phenomena are devoid of mind, body, sound, and energy; cultivating the applications of mindfulness when phenomena are nonabiding; cultivating the correct abandonments when phenomena are unborn and unceasing; teaching the faculties when phenomena are without faculties; explaining the strengths when phenomena are weak and without strength; explaining the branches of awakening when phenomena are thoroughly at peace; discussing the path when phenomena are without distinctive features; developing calm abiding when phenomena have reached the culmination of peace; being adept in special insight when phenomena are defined by liberation; and discussing nirvāṇa when phenomena are by nature nirvāṇa.’
“Thus did the blessed, tathagata, arhat, truly perfect buddha Sumerukalpa teach the Dharma to King Śubhavyūha, his thousand sons, and his retinue of queens. And when he taught the dharma discourse called Teaching on Miracles eighty-four thousand living beings developed the mind set on unsurpassed, truly perfect awakening, and King Śubhavyūha and his thousand sons attained concordant acceptance toward phenomena as they are. When they gained this acceptance, by the power of his awakening and their own inspired eloquence, they spoke these verses of praise to the tathagata, arhat, truly perfect buddha Sumerukalpa:
“Then, a dharmabhāṇaka monk named Dharmadhvaja, who had joined that assembly and was present there, addressed King Śubhavyūha, ‘Great king, your words are not in accord with the miracle of the Thus Gone One. They are not in keeping with it. For you depend on that which is nonabiding. Why? Great king, awakening abides in the realm of phenomena, so to abide in it is to be without any kind of engagement. Great king, awakening is devoid of all feelings, so it is characterized by the absence of knowing. Great king, awakening is beyond acceptance or rejection, so it is devoid of both acceptance and rejection. Great king, awakening resembles a drawing in space, it is without form, color, sign, or shape. Great king, awakening is inherently pure, so it is without antidotes. Great king, awakening encompasses all phenomena equally, so it is immanent in everything. Great king, awakening is devoid of all signs, so it is unmoving. Great king, awakening is characterized by peacefulness, so it is at peace. Great king, awakening is beyond affirming and negating, so it is fully at peace. Great king, awakening is devoid of discordant factors, so it is utterly unmoving. Great king, since awakening is not established, there is an attitude of equality. Great king, since awakening is primordially unborn, it is common to all sentient beings. Great king, awakening is not characterized by cognizance, it is distinguished by being unborn. Great king, since awakening is without mind, thought, and consciousness, it is devoid of cognizance. Great king, since awakening transcends all objects of perception, it is without movement. Great king, since awakening is devoid of all concepts, it is without elaboration. Great king, since awakening is characterized by emptiness, it is empty. Great king, since awakening is devoid of all signs, it is signless. Great king, since awakening is devoid of wishes, it is wishless. Great king, since awakening is devoid of karmic ripening, it is without karmic formation. Great king, since awakening is devoid of the three natures, it is uncompounded.
‘As such, great king, those who strive to attain awakening with such and such characteristic or with such and such an intrinsic nature, or who make aspirational prayers for it, delight in it, or wish for it, are engaged in misguided effort. Why? Because, great king, just as awakening is, so too should a bodhisattva’s conduct be. Those whose conduct is like that are those with proper conduct.’
[B2] “Then King Śubhavyūha said to this dharmabhāṇaka monk Dharmadhvaja, ‘Noble son, use your inspired eloquence to elucidate the proper conduct of bodhisattvas.’
“The dharmabhāṇaka monk Dharmadhvaja replied to King Śubhavyūha, ‘Great king, the conduct of giving away all one’s possessions, by [recognizing] sameness and without conceit toward all beings, is the conduct of bodhisattvas. The conduct of genuinely taking up morality, precepts, and ascetic practices, by recognizing sameness and without conceit concerning one’s own morality, is the conduct of bodhisattvas. The eradication of torments caused by anger, harmful intent, and hypocrisy—all torments caused by aversion—by recognizing sameness and without conceit concerning one’s own patient acceptance, is the conduct of bodhisattvas. Firm and intense dauntlessness, with sameness and without conceit concerning one’s own diligence, is the conduct of bodhisattvas. The practice of meditation—concentration, liberation, meditative stability, and meditative equipoise—with sameness and without conceit concerning one’s own meditation, is the conduct of bodhisattvas. Seeking the accumulation of insight, with sameness and without conceit concerning one’s own insight, is the conduct of bodhisattvas. Generating brahmā states, with sameness and with equanimity that is free from dualism, is the conduct of bodhisattvas. Developing the superknowledges, with sameness and without conceit concerning one’s superknowledges, is the conduct of bodhisattvas. Engaging discernment, with sameness and with purpose and confidence in the Dharma, is the conduct of bodhisattvas. Faith in, and reliance upon, the sameness of the unwavering realm of phenomena, is the conduct of bodhisattvas. Genuinely gathering qualities orientated toward awakening, with sameness and with the certainty that comes from reflecting on them without being disheartened, is the conduct of bodhisattvas. Upholding the four means of attracting disciples, with sameness and with consistency between one’s words and deeds, is the conduct of bodhisattvas. Regarding all sentient beings as equal, with sameness and without conceit concerning one’s own intention, is the conduct of bodhisattvas. Purifying the buddhafield by recognizing that the purity of space, the purity of mind, and the purity of the field of action are the same, is the conduct of bodhisattvas. Gathering the collection of the thirty-two major marks, by recognizing sameness and discerning the absence of characteristics in every phenomenon, is the conduct of bodhisattvas. Augmenting body, speech, and mind, by recognizing that the body, speech, and mind are the same, is the conduct of bodhisattvas. Delighting in the thought, ‘what should be done?’ by recognizing all sentient beings as the same in lacking a self, is the conduct of bodhisattvas. Not being disheartened in saṃsāra, by recognizing sameness, and with conviction in its dreamlike nature, is the conduct of bodhisattvas. Engaging in wholesome actions, while recognizing sameness and without interest in karma and karmic fruition, is the conduct of bodhisattvas. Donning the armor of observances and austerities, while recognizing sameness and discerning every phenomenon as illusion-like, is the conduct of bodhisattvas. Forbearance toward all suffering, by recognizing sameness and knowing suffering to be nonarising, is the conduct of bodhisattvas. Having stable affection, while recognizing sameness and equalizing one’s attitude toward those who are friends and those who are not, is the conduct of bodhisattvas. Enjoining superior intention, while recognizing sameness and not hoping for anything in return, is the conduct of bodhisattvas. Not being satiated in the pursuit of learning, while recognizing sameness and embracing both learning and practice, is the conduct of bodhisattvas. Not being close-fisted as a teacher of the Dharma, while recognizing sameness and teaching the Dharma without expecting material reward, is the conduct of bodhisattvas. Upholding the sublime Dharma, while recognizing sameness and the voidness of phenomena, is the conduct of bodhisattvas. Seeking true knowledge, while recognizing sameness as ultimate truth, is the conduct of bodhisattvas. Confidently vanquishing pride, while recognizing sameness and with genuine respect toward sentient beings, is the conduct of bodhisattvas. Pursuing the accumulation of all good qualities, while recognizing sameness and without conceit concerning ones’ own correct adoption of good qualities, is the conduct of bodhisattvas.’
“On hearing about the true conduct of bodhisattvas, King Śubhavyūha was overjoyed, and in his exhilaration and delight, his elation, happiness, and bliss, he bestowed all the outer robes and ornaments he was wearing on the dharmabhāṇaka monk Dharmadhvaja. His thousand sons likewise covered the dharmabhāṇaka monk Dharmadhvaja with all the ornaments and accoutrements they were wearing, saying ‘It is truly excellent that we have found this opportunity to behold, to pay homage to, to venerate, and to serve a holy being such as this. May all sentient beings attain such bodhisattva conduct and achieve such inspired eloquence,’ they said.
“Then the dharmabhāṇaka monk Dharmadhvaja said to King Śubhavyūha, ‘Great king, to offer mere robes and ornaments is no great act of offering. There are other offerings that you must make that far surpass these. What are they?’ Thereupon, the dharmabhāṇaka monk Dharmadhvaja spoke the following verses:
“When he heard these verses, King Śubhavyūha lost his interest in sensual pleasures, wealth, and the power of his kingdom. He grew weary, and, longing to experience the absence of desire and to go forth as a renunciant, he said to the blessed tathāgata Sumerukalpa, ‘Blessed One, may I go forth in the well-spoken Dharma-Vinaya and receive full ordination as a monk?’
“That blessed tathāgata Sumerukalpa replied, ‘Great King, there is no obstacle to going forth. All have this opportunity without hindrance. To live in a household is to live amidst afflictive emotions. If you so wish, I shall offer you instruction and guidance. You must then practice in accordance with my instructions and guidance.’
“When the blessed one provided this opportunity for him to go forth, King Śubhavyūha addressed his thousand sons, ‘Who among you will enjoy taking care of the affairs of the kingdom and ensure that the people properly uphold the Dharma?’
In response to an inquiry posed by the deity Sārthavāha concerning the many miracles performed by the Buddha, the Buddha explains that tathāgatas perform three types of miracles, namely miracles of pronouncement, miracles of teaching, and miracles of supernatural power. In this sūtra, the bodhisattva Mañjuśrī explains why the miracle of teaching—the very ability to express by means of words and conventional language the inexpressible Dharma and the ineffable truth of emptiness—constitutes the greatest of the three. When the god Sārthavāha demonstrates that he has achieved a clear understanding of the teachings imparted by Mañjuśrī, the Buddha then narrates one of this god’s former lives. Many eons ago he had been a Dharma king who renounced his kingdom to go forth after hearing teachings on emptiness given by a dharmabhāṇaka monk who was none other than Mañjuśrī himself in a past life, echoing the exchange that has just taken place.
After this narrative interlude, the discussion on the miracle of teaching resumes at Jetavana, with Śaradvatīputra and the god Sārthavāha questioning Mañjuśrī further. The outcome is an extensive exploration, rich in paradox, of Buddhist teachings on emptiness, including explanations of many key Mahāyāna terms. Delighted by Mañjuśrī’s inspired eloquence, the Buddha then smiles. When Ānanda asks the reason for his smile, the Buddha predicts the future complete awakening of the god Sārthavāha.
Tenzin Bhuchung undertook the translation of the text. He gratefully acknowledges the guidance and inspiration of Professor John Dunne during his Postdoctoral Fellowship sponsored by 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha and hosted by the Center for Healthy Minds at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.
The translation was completed under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha. George FitzHerbert edited the translation and the introduction, and Dawn Collins copyedited the text. Martina Cotter was in charge of the digital publication process.
The translation of this text has been made possible through the generous sponsorship of Kelvin Lee, Doris Lim, Chang Chen Hsien, Gephel Lim, and all sentient beings.
The Teaching on the Great Miracle, which is the twenty-second text in The Great Heap of Jewels collection, is devoted to the theme of miracles (Skt. prātihārya, Tib. cho ’phrul). Though it is similarly titled, this Mahāyāna sūtra is not to be confused with the Mūlasarvāstavādin text known as the Mahāprātihāryasūtra (“Great Miracle Sūtra”), which recounts perhaps the most famous of the Buddha’s miraculous displays—the so-called Śrāvasti Miracles performed by the Buddha in order to tame a group of tīrthika masters. Those Śrāvasti Miracles are widely celebrated in Buddhist art, are narrated in a variety of textual iterations across all the major languages of Buddhism, and have received significant scholarly attention.
By contrast, the main focus of the present text, The Teaching on the Great Miracle, which also takes place in Śrāvastī, is not supernatural power. Although the Buddha’s supernatural feats are outlined briefly as the method he uses to tame haughty and arrogant beings, the great miracles that are celebrated above all others in this discourse are instead the “miracles of teaching”—the ability to convey by means of words and conventional language the inexpressible Dharma. As such, it is the Dharma as a whole that is described here as the Buddha’s Great Miracle. This idea that the miracle of teaching is the greatest of the Buddha’s miracles is also found in the Kevaddhasutta (“Discourse with Kevaddha”) of the Pali Dīgha Nikāya, and in Vasubandhu’s discussion of miracles in chapter seven of the Commentary on the Treasury of Abhidharma (Abhidharmakośabhāṣya).
The main protagonist in The Teaching on the Great Miracle is a god named Sārthavāha, who during a gathering within the tranquil confines of Jetavana monastery in Śrāvastī, asks the Buddha about the various miracles he uses to tame beings. The Buddha responds by stating that the miracles of a tathāgata fall into three categories, namely miracles of pronouncement in which he reads the minds of other beings, sees where they have been reborn, and makes pronouncements about their future lives and attainments; miracles of teaching in which he conveys the inexpressible truth of Dharma by means of conventional terms and language; and miracles of supernatural power in which he displays supernatural feats of many kinds.
When the god Sārthavāha requests further elaboration on this subject, the Buddha requests the bodhisattva Mañjuśrī to speak. Thus prompted, Mañjuśrī explains that the Tathāgata is able to perform all kinds of supernatural feats. He not only enumerates the traditional list of ṛddhi powers, powers that are exemplified in the aforementioned Śrāvasti Miracles, but also gives further examples such as holding all the water in all the world systems of the trichiliocosm in the palm of his hand, or drawing all the worlds of the trichiliocosm into his mouth and exhaling them again, in both cases without harming a single sentient being. However, as Mañjuśrī explains, the truly “great miracle” that surpasses all others, is the ability to convey in words and language the truth of Dharma that is beyond conceptualization and verbal expression of any kind. It is also this miracle that is the hardest for worldly beings to accept, because people, being enmeshed in worldly concerns and attachments, cannot see beyond the five aggregates. As a result, they are threatened and frightened by teachings that explain the emptiness of the aggregates and the emptiness of all phenomena.
When the god Sārthavāha demonstrates his fearlessness, even in the face of these profound and potentially unsettling teachings on emptiness, the Buddha proceeds to narrate a past life story which mirrors the present discourse. In a joyous buddhafield many eons ago, there was a universal monarch who along with his many wives and his thousand sons venerated and served a tathāgata. In the entourage of this king was a dharmabhāṇaka monk who imparted teachings on the truth of all phenomena being beyond perceptual categories of any kind. In response to these profound teachings, the king decided to go forth as a renunciant. His thousand sons wished to follow suit, but the king insisted that one of them must remain a layman in order to look after the kingdom and its subjects. One of the princes, motivated by compassion for beings, agreed to do so, although he too pledged to conduct himself with the asceticism of a renunciant henceforth. The Buddha then explains that the universal monarch in this story was none other than the god Sārthavāha in a previous life, that the dharmabhāṇaka monk was none other than Mañjuśrī, and that the compassionate prince was none other than himself.
The discussion then resumes at Jetavana with Śāriputra questioning Mañjuśrī further on his attainments. Mañjuśrī’s replies are enigmatic, as he deconstructs Śāriputra’s questions and challenges him with paradoxes to illustrate the limitations of conceptualization and categories, even aspects of the path, in light of the ultimate truth of emptiness. In this way, The Teaching on the Great Miracle becomes a disquisition by Mañjuśrī on the doctrine of emptiness, rich in paradox, that explores many of the key terms found in Mahāyāna discourses. These include the six perfections, bodhisattva conduct, acceptance of the unborn nature of phenomena, the sameness of all phenomena, and others.
On hearing Mañjuśrī’s eloquent replies—which are themselves illustrations of the miracle of teaching—the Buddha gives one of his cosmically radiant smiles. When asked by Ānanda to explain his smile, he prophecies the future awakening of the god Sārthavāha as the tathāgatha Guṇarājaprabha. Furthermore, he prophesies that another deity present in the assembly, named Avalokiteśvara, will also appear in Guṇarājaprabha’s buddhafield as a universal monarch and, upon his passing, will also reach awakening, intimating further mirroring with the story previously told.
Among texts in the Kangyur focused on the theme of miracles beside this one, one may mention the sūtra that immediately precedes it in The Heap of Jewels collection, The Prophecy for Bhadra the Illusionist (Toh 65) and the short text Teaching on the Extraordinary Transformation That Is the Miracle of Attaining the Buddha’s Powers (Toh 186). For a fuller list of Kangyur texts in which miracles, supernatural powers, and extraordinary transformation play a prominent role, see the introduction to the latter.
Like most texts in The Heap of Jewels collection, The Teaching on the Great Miracle is not extant in Sanskrit and survives only in Tibetan and Chinese translations. The Chinese translation (Taishō 310–22) is attributed to the south Indian Buddhist master Bodhiruci, who is said to have arrived in China in 659
The colophon to the Tibetan translation attributes it to the Indian scholars Jinamitra, Surendrabodhi, and Prajñāvarman together with the prolific Tibetan translator and editor Bandé Yeshé Dé. This indicates a translation made from Sanskrit during the late eight or early ninth century. The text is absent from the Phangthangma but it is listed as an individual text in the Denkarma imperial catalog of translated texts. According to the Open Philology website, there are two relevant fragmentary Dunhuang witnesses.
In light of his prominent role in the discourse, the sūtra is sometimes glossed in Tibetan sources, such as Butön’s History (1322), as “The Questions of the God Sārthavāha” (lha’i bu ded dpon gyis zhus pa).
No commentaries on the text by either Indian or Tibetan scholars have been identified and, aside from a single research article in Japanese, it does not appear to have been the subject of modern scholarly attention.
To our knowledge, this is the first English translation to be published. The translation was made from Tibetan, based primarily on the Degé Kangyur edition, in consultation with the variant readings listed in the Comparative Edition (dpe bsdur ma) and the Stok Palace manuscript, which records an alternative Sanskrit title of the text, Mahāprātihāryopadeśasūtra.
[B1] Homage to all buddhas and bodhisattvas.
Thus did I hear at one time. The Blessed One was residing at Jetavana, Anāthapiṇḍada’s Park at Śrāvastī, together with a great congregation of two hundred and fifty monks and eight thousand bodhisattvas. A god named Sārthavāha had joined that assembly and was present there. Youthful Mañjuśrī had also joined that assembly and was present there.
Then the god Sārthavāha inquired of the Blessed One, “Blessed One, with how many miracles does the Tathāgata tame sentient beings?”
The Blessed One replied, “The miracles, O god, with which I tame sentient beings are threefold. What are the three? They are miracles of pronouncement, miracles of teaching, and miracles of supernatural power.
“What then is a tathāgatha’s miracle of pronouncement? A tathāgata’s miracle of pronouncement involves seeing that which is in a future time by means of unimpeded wisdom; seeing and knowing the mental activities of all sentient beings; instilling faith in those who lack faith in the Three Jewels; and understanding the operation of karma and its fruition.
“A tathāgata makes a pronouncement when he tells an individual that on the basis of present wrongdoing there will be lower rebirth in any of the lower destinies and that this will unfold accordingly without any deviation. It is when a tathāgata knows that an individual, as result of formerly acquired roots of virtue, will be liberated from the lower realms, be reborn as a god or a human, and will reach final deliverance through whichever vehicle—whether through the Śrāvakayāna, the Pratyekabuddhayāna, or the Mahāyāna. It is when he knows the happiness and sufferings that an individual will experience, the number of eons required for them to reach final deliverance, and through what actions they will come to behold and delight however many blessed buddhas. When he knows all this, and he indicates that it will unfold accordingly without any deviation, that is an act of pronouncement. It is when a tathāgata knows whether any individual, as a result of the roots of virtue they have acquired, will be reborn in the desire realm or whether they will be reborn with the sense fields of the form and formless realms, by which vehicle they will reach final deliverance, how many eons it will take for them to reach final deliverance, and through what actions they will come to behold and delight however many blessed buddhas. When he knows all this and he pronounces it to be so, that is an act of pronouncement. There is not even a single instance of any minds’ intention that is beyond his knowledge, be it wholesome, unwholesome, inferior, middling, or superior. This is a tathāgata’s miracle of pronouncement.
“What then is a tathāgata’s miracle of teaching? It pertains to teachings imparted with the purpose of safeguarding precepts. For example, ‘This is to be done,’ ‘This is not to be done,’ ‘This is to be relied upon,’ ‘This is not to be relied upon,’ ‘This is the right practice,’ ‘This is the wrong practice,’ ‘These qualities contribute to affliction,’ and ‘These qualities contribute to purification.’ As such, it pertains to all teachings on how one properly upholds good qualities, how one abandons unwholesome deeds, and how one embraces all features of the wholesome path. Indeed, it pertains to all teachings on the path to perfecting the Śrāvakayāna, the path to perfecting the Pratyekabuddhayāna, and the path to perfecting the Mahāyāna. When such teachings are practiced just as they have been taught, then it is impossible that whatever state of attainment has been indicated will not be realized. It is indeed impossible and untenable.
“‘When such-and-such an action is undertaken, it leads beings to the hell realms.’ ‘When such-and-such an action is undertaken, it leads beings to the animal realms.’ ‘When such-and-such an action is undertaken, it leads beings to the Yama realms.’ ‘When such-and-such an action is undertaken, it leads beings to the god realms.’ ‘When such-and-such an action is undertaken, it leads beings to the human realms.’ All teachings such as these—concerning how those who abandon the unwholesome, embrace the wholesome, and enter the noble path will take rebirth in the realms of gods and humans, and will by stages become those who attain nirvāṇa—that are taught flawlessly and without confusion, are a tathāgata’s miracle of teaching.
“What then is the Tathāgata’s miracle of supernatural power? For sentient beings overwhelmed by pride, arrogance, and conceit, who are tamed through displays of supernatural power, a tathāgata demonstrates miracles of supernatural power in the following ways: He transforms from one into many and, having become many, transforms back into one. He appears and disappears. He passes straight through walls. He passes straight through enclosures. He passes straight through mountains without any obstruction. He dips in and out of the earth like a little bird does in water. He walks on water without sinking, as if it were solid ground. He travels through the sky like a winged bird. He makes fire blaze from the upper part of his body while he makes water stream from the lower part of his body. He makes fire blaze from the lower part while he makes water stream from the upper part. Though both the sun and the moon are great in supernatural power, great in magical power, and great in splendor, he can take them in his hands and caress them. With his body, he has mastery right up to the brahmā realms. He can display the world systems of the great trichiliocosm engulfed in flames. In order to bring sentient beings to maturity, he can manifest whatever particular manifestation of supernatural power is required to subdue them. These are a tathāgata’s miracles of supernatural power.
“O god, these are the three kinds of miracles with which I tame sentient beings.”
The god Sārthavāha then inquired of the Blessed One, “Blessed One, are there other exalted miracles, besides these miracles, over which you have mastery?”
The Blessed One replied, “There are, O god.”
The Blessed One then instructed Youthful Mañjuśrī, “Mañjuśrī, use your inspired eloquence to teach the dharma discourse The Teaching on Miracles, for when they hear the dharma discourse called The Teaching on Miracles, bodhisattva mahāsattvas whose conduct is orientated toward the profound will gain acceptance, the faction of Māra will be annihilated, and the awakening of the tathāgatas will endure for a long time.”
Youthful Mañjuśrī then addressed the Blessed One, “If the blessed Tathāgata so wishes, he could hold all the water contained in every vast ocean in all the worlds of the great trichiliocosm in the palm of his hand, and could do so without harming a single sentient being living in that water. The blessed Tathāgata could perform this miracle, and this indeed would be an exalted miracle. However, the great miracle of the Tathāgata is that after attaining manifestly perfect buddhahood, he is able to explain and make known to others the Dharma—the Dharma that is inexpressible, beyond words, beyond explanation, unborn, nonarising, nameless, signless, soundless, voiceless, beyond the medium of words, beyond reason, beyond characteristics, beyond conduct, without movement, without origination, beyond consciousness, uncompounded, devoid of mind, thought, and consciousness, that has put an end to all conventional concepts, that is tranquil, pure, subtle, difficult to perceive, unexaminable, and beyond the scope of argumentation—through the medium of words, linguistic interpretation, allusions, and conventional terms. This is the great miracle. This profundity—which the world and its gods cannot fathom, which every ascetic and brahmin fears as they cling to their objects of perception, signs, and concepts, and cannot engage with—is the great miracle of the Tathāgata.
“Furthermore, Blessed One, if the Tathāgata so wishes, he could draw the worlds of the great trichiliocosm into his mouth, without diminishing in any way the sentient beings of the four great continents, the moons and suns, the surrounding mountains, the grasses, shrubs, medicinal plants, and forests. And emitting them again, placing them back just where they were, those sentient beings would not ask ‘where are we? What land is this?’ or ‘from what land have we arrived?’ This, Blessed One, would indeed be a great miracle of the Tathāgata. But the greatest miracle of all is that the Tathāgatha, after attaining manifestly perfect buddhahood, is able to teach the Dharma—the Dharma that is inexpressible, beyond language, beyond explanation, unborn, nonarising, nameless, signless, and likewise all the aforementioned qualities up to being devoid of mind, thought, and consciousness, that has put an end to all conventional concepts, that is tranquil, pure, subtle, difficult to perceive, unexaminable, and beyond the scope of argumentation—through the medium of words, linguistic interpretation, allusions, and conventional terms. That is the great miracle of the Tathāgata.
“Furthermore, Blessed One, all miracles involving the Tathāgata’s physical body are performed in order to guide sentient beings who cling to signs as indications of substance. But there is another greater miracle of the Tathāgata: That although the self does not exist, the conventional term ‘self’ is used. That although the sentient being does not exist, the conventional term ‘sentient being’ is used. That although the life force does not exist, the conventional term ‘life force’ is used. That although the sustained being does not exist, the conventional term ‘sustained being’ is used. That although the person does not exist, the conventional term ‘person’ is used. That although the human does not exist, the conventional term ‘human’ is used. That although the child of Manu does not exist, the conventional term ‘child of Manu’ is used. Likewise, though the name does not exist, the conventional term ‘name’ is still used. Though form does not exist, the conventional term ‘form’ is still used. Though feeling does not exist, the conventional term ‘feeling’ is still used. Though perception does not exist, the conventional term ‘perception’ is still used. Though karmic formation does not exist, the conventional term ‘karmic formation’ is still used. Though consciousness does not exist, the conventional term ‘consciousness’ is still used. Though the aggregates do not exist, the conventional term ‘aggregates’ is still used. Though constituents do not exist, the conventional term ‘constituents’ is still used. Though sense fields do not exist, the conventional term ‘sense fields’ is still used.
“Although it may be designated using conventional terms that ‘the eye is empty,’ the eye does not think ‘I am empty.’ Though it may be designated using conventional terms that ‘form is empty,’ form does not think ‘I am empty.’ Though it may be designated using conventional terms that ‘the eye consciousness is empty,’ the eye consciousness does not think ‘I am empty.’ Similarly, it may be designated using conventional terms that the ear, sound, and auditory consciousness, the nose, smell, and olfactory consciousness, the tongue, taste, and gustatory consciousness, the body, touch, and tactile consciousness, and the mind are all empty. But the mind does not think ‘I am empty.’ Though it may be conventionally stated that ‘all phenomena are empty,’ all phenomena do not think ‘I am empty.’ Though it may be conventionally stated that ‘the mental consciousness is empty,’ the mental consciousness does not think ‘I am empty.’
Making other sentient beings and other individuals understand in this way that phenomena are devoid of matter, devoid of mind, devoid of substance, devoid of name, and signless, is the great miracle of the Tathāgata.
“This miracle does not relate to the eyes, to form, or to visual consciousness. It does not relate to the ears, to sound, or to auditory consciousness. It does not relate to the nose, to smell, or to olfactory consciousness. It does not relate to the tongue, to taste, or to gustatory consciousness. It does not relate to the body, to touch, or to tactile consciousness. It does not relate to the mind, to mental phenomena, or to mental consciousness. Instead, this miracle is a miracle without sensory objects. It is a miracle devoid of objects. It is a miracle that does not relate to having a physical body, that does not relate to having a mind, thought, or consciousness.
“For this reason, this miracle is distrusted by worldly beings. Why? Because the ‘world’ refers to the five aggregates. Immature beings cling excessively to the five aggregates because they consider the five aggregates to be permanent. For this reason, this miracle is distrusted by all worldly beings. Worldly beings believe that the five aggregates are permanent, so when it is explained that they are impermanent, they are distrustful. Worldly beings believe that happiness is constituted by the five aggregates, so when it is explained that the five aggregates are suffering, worldly beings are distrustful. Worldly beings believe that a self is constituted by the five aggregates, so when it is explained that there is no self, the worldly are distrustful. Worldly beings believe that the five aggregates are agreeable, so when it is explained that they are disagreeable, the worldly are distrustful. Worldly beings believe that the five aggregates are ‘mine,’ so when it is explained that they have no owner, the worldly are distrustful. Worldly beings believe that the five aggregates are real, so when it is explained that they are unreal, the worldly do not believe it.
“As a consequence, the worldly by and large do not trust this miracle of the Tathāgata. This miracle does not delight their hearts. This miracle cannot be accounted for by the eyes nor reckoned in terms of form, for this miracle is beyond both the eyes and the scope of form. This miracle cannot be accounted for by the ears nor reckoned in terms of sound, for this miracle is beyond both the ears and the scope of sound. And so on in the same way for the rest. This miracle cannot be accounted for by the mind nor reckoned in terms of experienced phenomena, for this miracle is beyond both the mind and the scope of phenomena. This miracle does not fall within the experiential scope of knowledge. It is not an object of delight. It is not something that is understood.
“Since emptiness is inexpressible, the act of expressing emptiness is a miracle. Since signlessness is inexpressible, the act of expressing signlessness is a miracle. Since wishlessness is inexpressible, the act of expressing wishlessness is a miracle. Since non karmic formation is inexpressible, the act of expressing non karmic formation is a miracle. Since birthlessness is inexpressible, the act of expressing birthlessness is a miracle. Since nonorigination is inexpressible, the act of expressing nonorigination is a miracle. Since nonbeing is inexpressible, the act of expressing nonbeing is a miracle. Since the absence of characteristics is inexpressible, the act of expressing the absence of characteristics is a miracle. Since noncessation is inexpressible, the act of expressing noncessation is a miracle. Since nirvāṇa is inexpressible, the act of expressing nirvāṇa is a miracle.
“It is like this: true generosity, with the three aspects of there being no focus on the self, no sentient being, and no conceit related to the state of awakening, is a miracle. It is like this: true moral discipline, with the three aspects of there being no moving body, no verbal expression, and no mental movement, is a miracle. It is like this: true patient acceptance, with the three aspects of there being no reification of attachment, the mind deconstructed as momentary, and no conceptualization of body or mind, is a miracle. It is like this: true diligence, with the three aspects of there being no taking up, no renouncing, and no maintaining, is a miracle. It is like this: true concentration, with the three aspects of being internally at peace, externally devoid of movement [to sense objects], and no mental accumulation, is a miracle. It is like this: true insight, with the three aspects of grasping at ‘I’ abandoned, grasping at ‘mine’ discarded, and no views, is a miracle.
“When all phenomena are not without aspect, to explain them as being without aspect is a miracle. When all phenomena are not entities, to explain them as being without self-nature is a miracle. When all phenomena are indivisible, to describe and distinguish them individually with words is a miracle. When all phenomena are without coming and going, to describe their comings and goings is a miracle. When all phenomena are nonarising, to describe their arising is a miracle. When all phenomena are a single realization, to describe a variety of realizations is a miracle. When all dharmas are of a single taste, to describe and designate three distinct vehicles is a miracle. When all dharmas are indivisible in the realm of phenomena, to describe and designate them in distinct categories is a miracle. When all buddhas are one buddha, to describe them as limitless is a miracle. When all realms are one realm, to describe their variety is a miracle. When all sentient beings are one sentient being, to describe the levels of sentient beings is a miracle. When all dharmas are one dharma, to describe them as ultimate, excellent, or middling is a miracle. When all dharmas are not established, to describe them as established is a miracle. When all dharmas are beyond knowledge, to describe knowledge of them to others is a miracle.”
The god Sārthavāha then spoke to Youthful Mañjuśrī, “Mañjuśrī, if I have understood the meaning of what you have explained, any and every phenomenon that is spoken of constitutes a miracle.”
Mañjuśrī replied, “Indeed, O god, it is so. It is as you have said. Since all dharmas are inexpressible, the act of expressing any phenomenon constitutes a great miracle.”
When this teaching was given, twelve thousand gods generated the mind set on unsurpassed, truly perfect awakening, and five hundred bodhisattvas gained acceptance of the unborn nature of phenomena.
Then Venerable Śaradvatīputra asked the god Sārthavāha, “When you hear this teaching on miracles, O god, do you not experience any anxiety?”
The god replied, “Honorable Śaradvatīputra, since I myself am also a miracle, what is there for me to fear?”
Śaradvatīputra replied, “O god, what thoughts lead you to say that?”
The god replied, “Honorable Śaradvatīputra, since all dharmas are beyond transmigration, how virtuous and nonvirtuous dharmas are transferred is a great miracle. Honorable Śaradvatīputra, I cannot think of nor cognize the karmic formation of virtuous deeds through which I have been born as a god and have encountered this great being. That being so, the death, transference and rebirth of all sentient beings cannot be thought of, cannot be cognized. And that which cannot be thought of or cannot be cognized is a great miracle. Just as the Blessed One has said: ‘The karmic results of actions are inconceivable. The nāga realms of the nāgas are also inconceivable. The objects of meditation of meditators are also inconceivable. The buddha realms of the blessed buddhas are also inconceivable.’ That being so, all phenomena are inconceivable, and that which is inconceivable is a great miracle.”
Again, the elder Śaradvatīputra asked, “O god, do you experience no anxiety when you hear about these miracles taught by the Blessed One?”
“Honorable Śaradvatīputra, does the element of space become anxious when the Tathāgatha teaches on miracles?”
“No, O god, it does not.”
“Honorable Śaradvatīputra, if the element of space has no fear when the Tathāgata teaches on miracles, then I too am unafraid.”
“Why, O god, are you space?”
“Indeed, Honorable Śaradvatīputra, I am space.”
“What thoughts lead you to say that, O god?”
“Honorable Śaradvatīputra, has not the Blessed One spoken of the internal element of space and spoken of the external element of space as pertaining alike to the element of space itself?”
“Indeed, O god, he has.”
“That being the case, Honorable Śaradvatīputra, all sentient beings are also of the nature of the element of space.”
“O god, in keeping with the teaching you have just imparted, you too will soon teach these miracles!”
“Honorable Śaradvatīputra, it is impossible to teach these miracles. Why? Because these miracles are beyond all objects of experience.”
Then the reverend Śaradvatīputra addressed the Blessed One, “Blessed One, the god Sārthavāha’s act of teaching in this way indicates that he has already rendered extraordinary service to victorious ones in the past and that he has also paid respectful service to Youthful Mañjuśrī in the past.”
“Indeed, Śaradvatīputra,” replied the Blessed One, “It is just as you have said. Śaradvatīputra, this god Sārthavāha has been brought to maturity by Youthful Mañjuśrī.
“Śaradvatīputra, in the far distant past, innumerable countless eons ago, during an eon called Exceptional Joy, in a world system called Bliss, there appeared a tathāgata, an arhat, a truly perfect buddha, perfect in knowledge and conduct, a well-gone one, a knower of the world, an unsurpassed guide who subdues beings, a teacher of gods and men, a blessed buddha named Sumerukalpa. Śaradvatīputra, the sentient beings in that world enjoyed every kind of happiness, and there was not even a whisper of suffering or mental discomfort. That world was made from the four precious gems—gold, silver, beryl and crystal. It was soft to the touch like kācilindika cloth and as smooth and even as the palm of a hand. There were no beings of the lower realms, only gods and humans. Foods and drinks would appear merely at the thought of them. Replete with boundless happiness, that world was known as Bliss.
“The saṅgha of that tathāgata was composed exclusively of bodhisattvas with blazing diligence, who had attained the light of insight, who had mastery of dhāraṇīs and sūtras, who had uninhibited eloquence, and who were skilled in understanding the teachings, correctly distinguishing every word. With the superknowledges, they understood consciousness, they had vanquished all māras and adversaries, and they were endowed with the patient forbearance of liberating insight that is without obscuration. They were skilled in administering the medicine of Dharma as appropriate to the mental inclinations of all sentient beings. They had amassed vast accumulations of merit and insight and served as virtuous friends to all sentient beings without being asked. They were experts in knowing how to travel to all buddhafields by means of supernatural powers. They were fully engaged in the oceanic mind, with mindfulness, intelligence, understanding, modesty, and fortitude. They were generous, their senses were tamed, they were well-restrained, and they were firmly settled in morality, learning, and insight. They were skilled in dedicating roots of virtue through infinite skillful methods. They radiated power and fearlessness and were resolutely immersed in all the teachings of the buddhas. They were bodhisattvas with single-pointed concentration, liberation, meditative stability, and meditative equipoise.
“Śaradvatīputra, at that time, a universal monarch named Śubhavyūha was present at the discourses of that blessed tathāgatha, arhat, truly perfect buddha Sumerukalpa. He was a righteous Dharma king who ruled over the four continents, possessed the seven precious treasures, and held dominion over humankind. He had a full one thousand sons, each and every one of whom had genuinely embarked on the path to unsurpassed, truly perfect awakening. Śaradvatīputra, this King Śubhavyūha and his retinue of queens had all embarked on the path to unsurpassed and truly perfect awakening. The lifespan of that blessed tathāgata, arhat, truly perfect buddha Sumerukalpa, and the lifespan of those humans there was seven hundred million years.
“With faith, King Śubhavyūha and his thousand sons and his retinue of queens took delight in the Dharma, took supreme delight, and for a full hundred thousand years, they honored and served the blessed tathāgata, arhat, truly perfect Buddha Sumerukalpa and his saṅgha of bodhisattvas with sincere hearts and minds, providing them with food, clothing, bedding, seats, medicines, provisions, and all other necessities and comforts. Every single day without fail, King Śubhavyūha and his retinue would make respectful offerings with their own hands, and every day without fail they would listen to the Dharma. In this way, seeing the Buddha again and again, and hearing his Dharma again and again over a hundred thousand years, the king, his sons, and his wives achieved the four recollections What are the four? Recollection of the Buddha, recollection of the Dharma, recollection of the Saṅgha, and recollection of morality that does not forget the mind set on awakening and is imbued with generosity. They achieved these four recollections. And with these four recollections, they were able to behold the Buddha day and night, were able to genuinely contemplate the Dharma, and were never separated from the Saṅgha of bodhisattvas.
“On a certain occasion, King Śubhavyūha and his sons and his retinue of queens, approached the blessed, tathāgata, arhat, truly perfect buddha Sumerukalpa in order to listen to him teach the Dharma. At that time, on that occasion, the tathāgata, arhat, truly perfect buddha Sumerukalpa was instructing his bodhisattvas by means of various miracles. Whereupon King Śubhavyūha asked the blessed, tathāgata, arhat, truly perfect buddha Sumerukalpa, ‘Are there any other exalted miracles besides these?’
“The blessed tathāgata, arhat, truly perfect buddha Sumerukalpa replied to King Śubhavyūha, ‘Great king, there are indeed other exalted miracles besides these. What are they? They are these: Describing the mind and mental factors that are immaterial; describing the cessation of the mind and mental factors; speaking of the nonabiding mind and mental factors that arise in the present; explaining the path that is nonarising and unoriginated; elucidating the doors of liberation as being of a single taste while having three branches; describing the single realization as four truths; making awakening, that is signless, devoid of aspect, and unproduced, understood; explaining the emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness of phenomena; bringing sentient beings formed from erroneous views and afflictions to maturity; the fact of there being a perfection of generosity when phenomena are neither taken up nor rejected; there being a perfection of morality when phenomena are uncreated and there is no karmic formation; there being a perfection of patient acceptance when phenomena are momentary and without origination; there being a perfection of diligence when phenomena are devoid of body and mind; there being a perfection of concentration when phenomena are neither gathered nor dissipated; there being a perfection of insight when phenomena are without near or far shores; there being skill in methods when phenomena are subject to neither affirmation nor negation; the cultivation of loving kindness towards phenomena, without weariness or reliance; the enjoining of compassion when phenomena are neither produced nor destroyed; the actual experience of joy when phenomena are without joy; the cultivation of equanimity when phenomena are nonabiding; attaining the divine eye when phenomena are beyond knowing and seeing; attaining the divine ear when phenomena are beyond hearing and knowing; there being knowledge of other minds when phenomena are devoid of referential objectification and are dissociated from mind; there being knowledge that recollects past situations when phenomena are without delineation as past; the attainment of the bases of supernatural power when phenomena are devoid of mind, body, sound, and energy; cultivating the applications of mindfulness when phenomena are nonabiding; cultivating the correct abandonments when phenomena are unborn and unceasing; teaching the faculties when phenomena are without faculties; explaining the strengths when phenomena are weak and without strength; explaining the branches of awakening when phenomena are thoroughly at peace; discussing the path when phenomena are without distinctive features; developing calm abiding when phenomena have reached the culmination of peace; being adept in special insight when phenomena are defined by liberation; and discussing nirvāṇa when phenomena are by nature nirvāṇa.’
“Thus did the blessed, tathagata, arhat, truly perfect buddha Sumerukalpa teach the Dharma to King Śubhavyūha, his thousand sons, and his retinue of queens. And when he taught the dharma discourse called Teaching on Miracles eighty-four thousand living beings developed the mind set on unsurpassed, truly perfect awakening, and King Śubhavyūha and his thousand sons attained concordant acceptance toward phenomena as they are. When they gained this acceptance, by the power of his awakening and their own inspired eloquence, they spoke these verses of praise to the tathagata, arhat, truly perfect buddha Sumerukalpa:
“Then, a dharmabhāṇaka monk named Dharmadhvaja, who had joined that assembly and was present there, addressed King Śubhavyūha, ‘Great king, your words are not in accord with the miracle of the Thus Gone One. They are not in keeping with it. For you depend on that which is nonabiding. Why? Great king, awakening abides in the realm of phenomena, so to abide in it is to be without any kind of engagement. Great king, awakening is devoid of all feelings, so it is characterized by the absence of knowing. Great king, awakening is beyond acceptance or rejection, so it is devoid of both acceptance and rejection. Great king, awakening resembles a drawing in space, it is without form, color, sign, or shape. Great king, awakening is inherently pure, so it is without antidotes. Great king, awakening encompasses all phenomena equally, so it is immanent in everything. Great king, awakening is devoid of all signs, so it is unmoving. Great king, awakening is characterized by peacefulness, so it is at peace. Great king, awakening is beyond affirming and negating, so it is fully at peace. Great king, awakening is devoid of discordant factors, so it is utterly unmoving. Great king, since awakening is not established, there is an attitude of equality. Great king, since awakening is primordially unborn, it is common to all sentient beings. Great king, awakening is not characterized by cognizance, it is distinguished by being unborn. Great king, since awakening is without mind, thought, and consciousness, it is devoid of cognizance. Great king, since awakening transcends all objects of perception, it is without movement. Great king, since awakening is devoid of all concepts, it is without elaboration. Great king, since awakening is characterized by emptiness, it is empty. Great king, since awakening is devoid of all signs, it is signless. Great king, since awakening is devoid of wishes, it is wishless. Great king, since awakening is devoid of karmic ripening, it is without karmic formation. Great king, since awakening is devoid of the three natures, it is uncompounded.
‘As such, great king, those who strive to attain awakening with such and such characteristic or with such and such an intrinsic nature, or who make aspirational prayers for it, delight in it, or wish for it, are engaged in misguided effort. Why? Because, great king, just as awakening is, so too should a bodhisattva’s conduct be. Those whose conduct is like that are those with proper conduct.’
[B2] “Then King Śubhavyūha said to this dharmabhāṇaka monk Dharmadhvaja, ‘Noble son, use your inspired eloquence to elucidate the proper conduct of bodhisattvas.’
“The dharmabhāṇaka monk Dharmadhvaja replied to King Śubhavyūha, ‘Great king, the conduct of giving away all one’s possessions, by [recognizing] sameness and without conceit toward all beings, is the conduct of bodhisattvas. The conduct of genuinely taking up morality, precepts, and ascetic practices, by recognizing sameness and without conceit concerning one’s own morality, is the conduct of bodhisattvas. The eradication of torments caused by anger, harmful intent, and hypocrisy—all torments caused by aversion—by recognizing sameness and without conceit concerning one’s own patient acceptance, is the conduct of bodhisattvas. Firm and intense dauntlessness, with sameness and without conceit concerning one’s own diligence, is the conduct of bodhisattvas. The practice of meditation—concentration, liberation, meditative stability, and meditative equipoise—with sameness and without conceit concerning one’s own meditation, is the conduct of bodhisattvas. Seeking the accumulation of insight, with sameness and without conceit concerning one’s own insight, is the conduct of bodhisattvas. Generating brahmā states, with sameness and with equanimity that is free from dualism, is the conduct of bodhisattvas. Developing the superknowledges, with sameness and without conceit concerning one’s superknowledges, is the conduct of bodhisattvas. Engaging discernment, with sameness and with purpose and confidence in the Dharma, is the conduct of bodhisattvas. Faith in, and reliance upon, the sameness of the unwavering realm of phenomena, is the conduct of bodhisattvas. Genuinely gathering qualities orientated toward awakening, with sameness and with the certainty that comes from reflecting on them without being disheartened, is the conduct of bodhisattvas. Upholding the four means of attracting disciples, with sameness and with consistency between one’s words and deeds, is the conduct of bodhisattvas. Regarding all sentient beings as equal, with sameness and without conceit concerning one’s own intention, is the conduct of bodhisattvas. Purifying the buddhafield by recognizing that the purity of space, the purity of mind, and the purity of the field of action are the same, is the conduct of bodhisattvas. Gathering the collection of the thirty-two major marks, by recognizing sameness and discerning the absence of characteristics in every phenomenon, is the conduct of bodhisattvas. Augmenting body, speech, and mind, by recognizing that the body, speech, and mind are the same, is the conduct of bodhisattvas. Delighting in the thought, ‘what should be done?’ by recognizing all sentient beings as the same in lacking a self, is the conduct of bodhisattvas. Not being disheartened in saṃsāra, by recognizing sameness, and with conviction in its dreamlike nature, is the conduct of bodhisattvas. Engaging in wholesome actions, while recognizing sameness and without interest in karma and karmic fruition, is the conduct of bodhisattvas. Donning the armor of observances and austerities, while recognizing sameness and discerning every phenomenon as illusion-like, is the conduct of bodhisattvas. Forbearance toward all suffering, by recognizing sameness and knowing suffering to be nonarising, is the conduct of bodhisattvas. Having stable affection, while recognizing sameness and equalizing one’s attitude toward those who are friends and those who are not, is the conduct of bodhisattvas. Enjoining superior intention, while recognizing sameness and not hoping for anything in return, is the conduct of bodhisattvas. Not being satiated in the pursuit of learning, while recognizing sameness and embracing both learning and practice, is the conduct of bodhisattvas. Not being close-fisted as a teacher of the Dharma, while recognizing sameness and teaching the Dharma without expecting material reward, is the conduct of bodhisattvas. Upholding the sublime Dharma, while recognizing sameness and the voidness of phenomena, is the conduct of bodhisattvas. Seeking true knowledge, while recognizing sameness as ultimate truth, is the conduct of bodhisattvas. Confidently vanquishing pride, while recognizing sameness and with genuine respect toward sentient beings, is the conduct of bodhisattvas. Pursuing the accumulation of all good qualities, while recognizing sameness and without conceit concerning ones’ own correct adoption of good qualities, is the conduct of bodhisattvas.’
“On hearing about the true conduct of bodhisattvas, King Śubhavyūha was overjoyed, and in his exhilaration and delight, his elation, happiness, and bliss, he bestowed all the outer robes and ornaments he was wearing on the dharmabhāṇaka monk Dharmadhvaja. His thousand sons likewise covered the dharmabhāṇaka monk Dharmadhvaja with all the ornaments and accoutrements they were wearing, saying ‘It is truly excellent that we have found this opportunity to behold, to pay homage to, to venerate, and to serve a holy being such as this. May all sentient beings attain such bodhisattva conduct and achieve such inspired eloquence,’ they said.
“Then the dharmabhāṇaka monk Dharmadhvaja said to King Śubhavyūha, ‘Great king, to offer mere robes and ornaments is no great act of offering. There are other offerings that you must make that far surpass these. What are they?’ Thereupon, the dharmabhāṇaka monk Dharmadhvaja spoke the following verses:
“When he heard these verses, King Śubhavyūha lost his interest in sensual pleasures, wealth, and the power of his kingdom. He grew weary, and, longing to experience the absence of desire and to go forth as a renunciant, he said to the blessed tathāgata Sumerukalpa, ‘Blessed One, may I go forth in the well-spoken Dharma-Vinaya and receive full ordination as a monk?’
“That blessed tathāgata Sumerukalpa replied, ‘Great King, there is no obstacle to going forth. All have this opportunity without hindrance. To live in a household is to live amidst afflictive emotions. If you so wish, I shall offer you instruction and guidance. You must then practice in accordance with my instructions and guidance.’
“When the blessed one provided this opportunity for him to go forth, King Śubhavyūha addressed his thousand sons, ‘Who among you will enjoy taking care of the affairs of the kingdom and ensure that the people properly uphold the Dharma?’