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See Śikṣāsamuccaya, Toh 3940, folio 59.a, quoting Inspiring Determination at folio 133.b and the same at folio 270.b.
This section of the sūtra is also quoted extensively in Śikṣāsamuccaya, starting at folio 272.b.
See Śikṣāsamuccaya folio 11.b. See also Wedemeyer 2007, 411 and n. 45 (referencing Śāntideva’s quotation of this passage from this sūtra) and Snellgrove 1958, 620–23 (referencing the same passage from Śāntideva).
See Dharmachakra Translation Committee, trans., Not Forsaking the Buddha, 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2021.
The lengthy passages from the sūtra quoted in the Śikṣāsamuccaya are rather different in wording and phrasing from the Tibetan Kangyur editions of the sūtra, with numerous minor additions and deletions. Interestingly, David Snellgrove observes that the Tibetan and Chinese translations are closer to one another than to the extant Sanskrit, which would seem to suggest that the surviving Sanskrit passages in the Śikṣāsamuccaya differ from the earlier Sanskrit witnesses on which the Tibetan and Chinese translations were based. See Snellgrove 1958, 622.
Fashengzhile hui 發勝志樂會 (Taishō 310 [25]). A short passage from this version on the ten virtuous attitudes that result in rebirth in the realm of the Buddha Amitāyus was translated into English by Saddhaloka Bhikkhu in a 1996 publication entitled The Giving Rise of the Ten Kinds of Mind of the Bodhisattva. For more information on this version of the sūtra, see Lancaster, The Korean Buddhist Canon, K 22(25).
The full heading for this section of the Heap of Jewels, as it appears in the Degé, reads: “ ‘Inspiring Determination,’ the twenty-fifth section of ‘The Noble Dharma Discourse, The Great Heap of Jewels,’ in one hundred thousand sections.” The Yongle version omits “twenty-fifth section,” while the Kangxi, Narthang, Lhasa, and Stok Palace editions omit this heading entirely (Comparative Edition, 421; Stok Palace, folio 243.a).
Tib. khyed tshur shog. Instead of the imperative marker shog, the Yongle and Kangxi versions read shegs and the Narthang and Lhasa editions read sheg. The meaning of these two terms is unclear, so perhaps they are nothing more than scribal errors (Comparative Edition, p. 422).
Tib. khyim (“household”). In this context, khyim carries not just the sense of “household” but the reputation or social standing of that household. While this is not explicit in the Tibetan, Bodhiruci’s Chinese translation communicates exactly this sense: “many friends and relatives who had gained a good reputation” (duo zhu qinyou mingwen li yang 多諸親友名聞利養).
Following the Degé: ltung ba mang ba’am/ mang ba ma lags pa yang rung ste/. Yongle and Kangxi: ltung ba smad pa’am/ smad pa (“whether they are to be blamed or not”) (Comparative Edition, p. 422). Narthang and Lhasa: ltung ba med pa’am/ med pa (“whether they exist or not”) (Comparative Edition, p. 423). Stok Palace: ltung ba mad pa ’am/ mad pa (“whether they are true or not”) (folio 246.a).
Tib. brnyas. The Yongle and Kangxi versions read brnyes (“receive”), which is likely a scribal error.
Reading ma byol na instead of ram byol na. The Narthang and Lhasa editions read ma phyin na (“if we have not gone”).
Tib. rmas (“injury,” “wound”). The Yongle and Kangxi versions have the mistaken smras (“to speak”), while the Narthang, Lhasa, and Stok Palace versions read smas, which is an archaic term meaning “aggression” and would lead us to translate this phrase as “be spared harm and aggression” (Comparative Edition, p. 423; Stok Palace, folio 248.a).
Tib. mnog (“profit”). The Lithang and Choné versions read gnog, which is simply an alternate spelling of the more common mnog, while the Narthang mistakenly reads mgon, which would lead one to translate this phrase as “after realizing there is no protector” (Comparative Edition, p. 424). The Stok Palace version matches the Degé in reading mnog (Stok Palace, folio 250.a).
Tib. gang dag byang chub sems dpas khong du chud par bya zhing khong du chud nas kyang yongs su spang bar bya ba ni de dag yin no/. The Narthang edition avoids the repetition in this line, omitting khong du chud par bya zhing (Comparative Edition, p. 424).
The Degé here mistakenly reads bcom ldan ’das kyi, while the Yongle, Lithang, Kangxi, Narthang, Choné, and Lhasa read bcom ldan ’das ci. This latter reading marks a question, though the early placement of the ci is unusual. The Urga leaves off any particle after bcom ldan ’das and thus produces a vocative structure that is commonly found elsewhere in the text (Comparative Edition, p. 425).
Curiously, the Narthang edition adds the negative particle mi here, which would translate as “nonconceit” (Comparative Edition, p. 425).
This fascinating statement is clarified later in the text, see 1.80, where the repeated use of the perfective structure sangs rgyas kyis gsungs pa seems to suggest that such well-spoken utterances are consistent with what the Buddha has already spoken—they do not represent new teachings of the Buddha per se.
Tib. byams pa gzhan yang rgyu bzhis na spobs pa thams cad ni sangs rgyas kyis gsungs par rig par bya’o/. As mentioned earlier, the use of sangs rgyas kyis gsungs pa seems to communicate that anything that meets these qualifications is something that the Buddha has spoken. It is not new buddhavacana, but rather an echo of what the Buddha has already taught. Subsequent discussions of this point in the text share the same grammar.
The Degé and Comparative Edition have the misspelled rgyun tu zhugs pa, with the Comparative Edition noting no variants (Comparative Edition, p. 391). The Stok Palace version, however, has the correct rgyun du zhugs pa (Stok Palace, folio 256.a).
Tib. dran pa nye bar bzhag pa bzhi. The Yongle, Lithang, Kangxi, Narthang, Choné, Lhasa, and Stok Palace editions read dran pa nye bar gzhag pa bzhi (Comparative Edition, p. 427; Stok Palace, folio 258.b).
The Degé edition has the misspelled zo bdog bde ma yin, while the Yongle, Kangxi, Narthang, Lhasa, and Stok Palace editions have the correct zo mdog bde ma yin (Comparative Edition, p. 429; Stok Palace, folio 265.a).
Tib. phyis kyang lung nod par mi byed/ ’chang bar mi byed/ kun chub par mi byed de/. Here the Narthang version omits kun chub par mi byed de/ and thus would translate as “…consequently they will neither receive transmission of them nor retain them” (Comparative Edition, p. 431).
A term used to describe a managerial role or administrative duties in a monastic setting. While the position can be filled by a monk, it appears to be typically delegated to non-monastics.
The buddha of the western buddhafield of Sukhāvatī, where fortunate beings are reborn to make further progress toward spiritual maturity. Amitābha made his great vows to create such a realm when he was a bodhisattva called Dharmākara. In the Pure Land Buddhist tradition, popular in East Asia, aspiring to be reborn in his buddha realm is the main emphasis; in other Mahāyāna traditions, too, it is a widespread practice. For a detailed description of the realm, see The Display of the Pure Land of Sukhāvatī, Toh 115. In some tantras that make reference to the five families he is the tathāgata associated with the lotus family.
Amitābha, “Infinite Light,” is also known in many Indian Buddhist works as Amitāyus, “Infinite Life.” In both East Asian and Tibetan Buddhist traditions he is often conflated with another buddha named “Infinite Life,” Aparimitāyus, or “Infinite Life and Wisdom,”Aparimitāyurjñāna, the shorter version of whose name has also been back-translated from Tibetan into Sanskrit as Amitāyus but who presides over a realm in the zenith. For details on the relation between these buddhas and their names, see The Aparimitāyurjñāna Sūtra (1) Toh 674, i.9.
The buddha residing in the western buddha realm of Sukhāvatī. He is also known as Amitābha.
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.
One of the “twelve branches of excellent speech.”
An optional set of practices that monastics can adopt in order to cultivate greater detachment. The list of practices varies in different sources. When thirteen practices are listed, they consist of (1) wearing patched robes made from discarded cloth rather than from cloth donated by laypeople; (2) wearing only three robes; (3) going for alms; (4) not omitting any house while on the alms round, rather than begging only at those houses known to provide good food; (5) eating only what can be eaten in one sitting; (6) eating only food received in the alms bowl, rather than more elaborate meals presented to the Saṅgha; (7) refusing more food after indicating one has eaten enough; (8) dwelling in the forest; (9) dwelling at the root of a tree; (10) dwelling in the open air, using only a tent made from one’s robes as shelter; (11) dwelling in a charnel ground; (12) satisfaction with whatever dwelling one has; and (13) sleeping in a sitting position without ever lying down.
One of the three foremost translators of the Tibetan imperial era. A disciple of Padmasambhava and one of the main translators of the Kangyur.
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”).
There are seven branches of awakening: mindfulness, discrimination, diligence, joy, pliancy, absorption, and equanimity.
Disregard for virtuous qualities.
Meditative concentration in which the mind achieves stable attention or one-pointed focus.
The forest located on the outskirts of Vārāṇasī where the Buddha first taught the Dharma.
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.
The Buddha’s cousin and challenger.
The eight unfavorable conditions that pose obstacles to the practice of Dharma and attaining the state of awakening.
One of the “twelve branches of excellent speech.”
One of the “twelve branches of excellent speech.”
The final five hundred years in the period of decrease during an intermediate eon, in which the five degenerations are at their peak and the Buddha’s teachings have nearly disappeared.
The five sense pleasures are pleasing visual objects, sounds, fragrances, tastes, and tactile sensations.
Application of mindfulness with respect to the body, feelings, mind, and phenomena.
Not giving rise to any negativity that has not yet arisen, abandoning those negativities that have arisen, actively giving rise to virtues that have not yet arisen, and causing those virtues that have arisen to increase.
Monks, nuns, male lay precept-holders, and female lay precept-holders.
Being content with simple food, simple clothing, a simple dwelling place, and few possessions.
Subtle propensities created in the mind as a result of repeated experience.
One of the five major sūtra groups contained within the Kangyur.
The Sanskrit term śrāvaka, and the Tibetan nyan thos, both derived from the verb “to hear,” are usually defined as “those who hear the teaching from the Buddha and make it heard to others.” Primarily this refers to those disciples of the Buddha who aspire to attain the state of an arhat seeking their own liberation and nirvāṇa. They are the practitioners of the first turning of the wheel of the Dharma on the four noble truths, who realize the suffering inherent in saṃsāra and focus on understanding that there is no independent self. By conquering afflicted mental states (kleśa), they liberate themselves, attaining first the stage of stream enterers at the path of seeing, followed by the stage of once-returners who will be reborn only one more time, and then the stage of non-returners who will no longer be reborn into the desire realm. The final goal is to become an arhat. These four stages are also known as the “four results of spiritual practice.”
A hill near the Deer Park on the outskirts of Vārāṇasī.
The four immeasurables: loving-kindness (Tib. byams pa, Skt. maitrī); compassion (Tib. snying rje, Skt. karuṇā); joy (Tib. dga’ ba, Skt. muditā); and equanimity (Tib. btang snyoms, Skt. upekṣā).
This term can mean both physical seclusion and a meditative state of withdrawal.
The name of the southern continent in Buddhist cosmology, which can signify either the known human world, or more specifically the Indian subcontinent, literally “the jambu island/continent.” Jambu is the name used for a range of plum-like fruits from trees belonging to the genus Szygium, particularly Szygium jambos and Szygium cumini, and it has commonly been rendered “rose apple,” although “black plum” may be a less misleading term. Among various explanations given for the continent being so named, one (in the Abhidharmakośa) is that a jambu tree grows in its northern mountains beside Lake Anavatapta, mythically considered the source of the four great rivers of India, and that the continent is therefore named from the tree or the fruit. Jambudvīpa has the Vajrāsana at its center and is the only continent upon which buddhas attain awakening.
An Indian paṇḍita and translator who was one of the great scholars invited to Tibet during the reign of King Trisong Detsen.
Any volitional act, whether of body, speech, or mind. Karmic accumulation, positive or negative, will produce results in the future, unless it is purified.
A former buddha.
The third of the five hinderances to attainment of the first dhyāna.
A level on the path to awakening at which point there is no danger of falling back into saṃsāra.
The lord of death who judges the dead and rules over the hells.
The bodhisattva Maitreya is an important figure in many Buddhist traditions, where he is unanimously regarded as the buddha of the future era. He is said to currently reside in the heaven of Tuṣita, as Śākyamuni’s regent, where he awaits the proper time to take his final rebirth and become the fifth buddha in the Fortunate Eon, reestablishing the Dharma in this world after the teachings of the current buddha have disappeared. Within the Mahāyāna sūtras, Maitreya is elevated to the same status as other central bodhisattvas such as Mañjuśrī and Avalokiteśvara, and his name appears frequently in sūtras, either as the Buddha’s interlocutor or as a teacher of the Dharma. Maitreya literally means “Loving One.” He is also known as Ajita, meaning “Invincible.”
For more information on Maitreya, see, for example, the introduction to Maitreya’s Setting Out (Toh 198).
The second of the eight hot hells.
The last and most severe of the eight hot hells.
The sixth of the eight hot hells.
The first of the eight hot hells.
Originally the name of Indra’s principal enemy among the asuras. In early Buddhism he appears as a drought-causing demon, and eventually his name becomes that of Māra, the principal opponent of the Buddha’s teaching. The name also applies to the deities ruled over by Māra who attempted to prevent the Buddha’s awakening and who do not wish any being to escape from saṃsāra.
One of the “twelve branches of excellent speech.”
The four methods of attracting disciples are generosity (Tib. sbyin pa, Skt. dāna), pleasant speech (Tib. snyan par smra ba, Skt. priyavādita), helpfulness (Tib. don spyod pa, Skt. arthacaryā), and acting in a way that accords with the teachings (Tib. don ’thun pa, Skt. samānārthatā).
The ability to make manifest miraculous displays evident to ordinary beings.
The term bhikṣu, often translated as “monk,” refers to the highest among the eight types of prātimokṣa vows that make one part of the Buddhist assembly. The Sanskrit term literally means “beggar” or “mendicant,” referring to the fact that Buddhist monks and nuns—like other ascetics of the time—subsisted on alms (bhikṣā) begged from the laity.
In the Tibetan tradition, which follows the Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya, a monk follows 253 rules as part of his moral discipline. A nun (bhikṣuṇī; dge slong ma) follows 364 rules. A novice monk (śrāmaṇera; dge tshul) or nun (śrāmaṇerikā; dge tshul ma) follows thirty-six rules of moral discipline (although in other vinaya traditions novices typically follow only ten).
A class of nonhuman beings who live in subterranean aquatic environments, where they guard wealth and sometimes also teachings. Nāgas are associated with serpents and have a snakelike appearance. In Buddhist art and in written accounts, they are regularly portrayed as half human and half snake, and they are also said to have the ability to change into human form. Some nāgas are Dharma protectors, but they can also bring retribution if they are disturbed. They may likewise fight one another, wage war, and destroy the lands of others by causing lightning, hail, and flooding.
lhag pa’i bsam pa bskul ba (Adhyāśayasaṃcodananāmamahāyānasūtra) Toh 69, Degé Kangyur (par phud), vol. 43 (dkon brtsegs, ca), folios 131.b–153.b
lhag pa’i bsam pa bskul ba. Toh 69, Stok Palace Kangyur, vol. 39 (dkon brtsegs, ca), folios 243.a–276.a.
lhag pa’i bsam pa bskul ba. bka’ ’gyur (dpe bsdur ma) [Comparative Edition of the Kangyur], krung go’i bod rig pa zhib ’jug ste gnas kyi bka’ bstan dpe sdur khang (The Tibetan Tripitaka Collation Bureau of the China Tibetology Research Center). 108 volumes. Beijing: krung go’i bod rig pa dpe skrun khang (China Tibetology Publishing House), 2006–9, vol. 43, pp. 390–442.
pho brang stod thang ldan dkar gyi chos kyi ’gyur ro cog gi dkar chag [Denkarma]. Toh 4364, Degé Tengyur vol. 206 (sna tshogs, jo), folios 294.b–310.a.
Śāntideva. bslab pa kun las btus pa (Śikṣāsamuccaya) [Compendium of Bodhisattva Training]. Toh 3940, Degé Tengyur, vol. 111 (dbu ma, khi), folios 3.a–194.b.
Herrmann-Pfandt, Adelheid. Die lHan kar ma: ein früher Katalog der ins Tibetische übersetzten buddhistischen Texte. Vienna: Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, 2008.
Lancaster, Lewis R. The Korean Buddhist Canon: A Descriptive Catalogue.
Saddhaloka Bhikkhu, trans. The Giving Rise of the Ten Kinds of Mind of the Bodhisattva: The Discourse on the Ten Wholesome Ways of Action. Hong Kong: Gigantic Printing and Design Co., 1996.
Silk, Jonathan A. et al., ed. Brill’s Encyclopedia of Buddhism. Vol. 1, Literature and Languages. Leiden: Brill, 2015.
Snellgrove, David. “Note on the Adhyāśayasaṃcodanasūtra.” Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies 21 (1958): 620–23.
Wedemeyer, Christian K. “Beef, Dog, and Other Mythologies: Connotative Semiotics in Mahāyoga Tantra Ritual and Scripture.” Journal of the American Academy of Religion 75(2) (2007): 383–417.
Inspiring Determination is directed at reforming the conduct of sixty bodhisattvas who have lost their sense of purpose and confidence in their ability to practice the Dharma. The bodhisattva Maitreya leads them to seek counsel from the Buddha, who explains the causes these bodhisattvas created in former lives that resulted in their current circumstance. They make a commitment to change their ways, which pleases the Buddha, and this leads him to engage in a dialog with the bodhisattva Maitreya on how bodhisattvas, including those in the future age of final degeneration, the final half-millennium, should avoid faults and uphold conduct that accords with the Dharma.
This translation was completed by the Blazing Wisdom Translation Group, Tulku Sherdor and Virginia Blum, under the guidance of Khenpo Sonam Tobgyal, with editorial assistance from Hans Schmidt, research of Chinese canonical indices by Geok Hui Loo, and final editing and review by the 84000 editorial team.
The translation was completed under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.
Inspiring Determination appears in the Heap of Jewels (Skt. Ratnakūṭa; Tib. dkon brtsegs) section of the Kangyur. The sūtra opens with the bodhisattva Maitreya observing a group of sixty among the five hundred bodhisattvas who have gathered around the Buddha in the Deer Park on the outskirts of Vārāṇasī. These sixty bodhisattvas have strayed from the bodhisattva path. Rather than studying and practicing in solitude, they have become distracted by worldly concerns and have stopped applying themselves to the Dharma. Seeking to help them restore their commitments, Maitreya invites them to approach the Buddha, confess their faults, and request his guidance. The bodhisattvas then reveal and confess to the Buddha their failings and their doubts about being able to live up to the bodhisattva ideal.
The Buddha explains the causes and conditions they created in a former lifetime that have led to their current predicament. Specifically, during the previous period of the Buddha Krakucchanda, these bodhisattvas denigrated and slandered two monks, creating schisms and doubts in the Saṅgha and the wider community. Many lifetimes of painful ripening of this negative karma ensued.
The Buddha further prophesies, however, that although the bodhisattvas’ negative karma will continue to ripen in subsequent lives, once it is finally exhausted, during a period in which the Dharma is declining, they will attain rebirth in the realm of the Buddha Amitābha. Hearing this, the bodhisattvas are newly inspired and resolve not to repeat their mistakes. Maitreya asks the Buddha whether they will abide by their renewed commitment, and he confirms that they will.
This is followed by a lengthy series of enumerations by the Buddha, in response to inquiries by Maitreya, concerning the negative consequences of each fault of conduct in which the sixty bodhisattvas had engaged, as well as the advantages of refraining from each one. In several instances, these lists are presented first in prose form and then repeated in verse as an aide-memoire. Maitreya’s questions also prompt the Buddha to caution about the future degeneration of the Dharma, when it will be corrupted by the materialistic interests of teachers. He describes the pitfalls of teaching the Dharma without ridding oneself of attachment to personal gain and honor.
The Buddha’s countervailing instruction is to refrain from judging the veracity or quality of a Dharma teaching by the character or motivation of the teacher who offers it. Śāntideva (late seventh to mid-eighth century) emphasizes this point in his Śikṣāsamuccaya, citing this sūtra at length to assert that a genuine follower of the Buddha must refrain from judging the conduct of fellow practitioners of the Bodhisattva Vehicle; instead, one must focus on detecting and correcting one’s own faults. The Buddha later advises Maitreya that what marks someone as a follower of his teachings, and as an ordained member of his community, is not the formality of vows or the semblance of piety, but rather one’s cultivation of the qualities of the path, including renunciation, concentration, restrained speech, and the pursuit of wisdom.
An important corollary teaching imparted by the Buddha in this sūtra is how to determine whether a teaching qualifies as authentic Dharma. His rule, also quoted and discussed by Śāntideva, is that everything that is well spoken is the speech of the Buddha, no matter what it is or by whom it is offered. Moreover, to qualify as well spoken, an instruction must be meaningful, consistent with the Dharma, and designed to reduce mental defilements, and it must laud the qualities of nirvāṇa as opposed to saṃsāra. This sūtra appears to be the locus classicus for this doctrine in the Mahāyāna tradition.
The sūtra concludes on a positive note, with the Buddha outlining the ten positive attitudes that lead to rebirth in the realm of the Buddha Amitāyus, which is another name for the Buddha Amitābha. This serves as a valediction to his earlier prophecy of the future rebirth in Amitāyus’ realm of the sixty bodhisattvas whose confessions and renewed commitments prompted this teaching. In this way, Inspiring Determination fulfills its intention and serves as a set of guidelines and an exhortation for aspiring bodhisattvas to follow suit.
Many sūtras in the Kangyur mention the obstacles and difficulties practitioners may encounter, often in the context of the degenerate future times when the Dharma will be in decline. Few, however, relate in such detail the lapsed conduct of bodhisattvas or explain so precisely its consequences and cures. One sūtra on a similar theme that does share these features is Not Forsaking the Buddha (Buddhākṣepaṇa, Toh 276).
While there is no known extant version of this sūtra in Sanskrit, as noted earlier, a number of lengthy quotations from and other references to it are found in the surviving Sanskrit version of Śāntideva’s eighth-century work, the Śikṣāsamuccaya. Two separate classical Chinese versions of this sūtra are found in the Taishō Tripitaka. One version is included in Bodhiruci’s translation from Sanskrit of the Heap of Jewels section, completed during the early part of the eighth century
In producing this translation, we have based our work on the Degé xylograph, while consulting the Comparative Edition (Tib. dpe bsdur ma) and the Stok Palace manuscript. We also have made occasional use of Bodhiruci’s Chinese translation for issues of terminology. The colophon of the sūtra states that it was translated by the Indian preceptors Jinamitra and Surendrabodhi, together with the translator and editor Bandé Yeshé Dé. Consequently, we can date the Tibetan translation to the late eighth to early ninth century, a date further evidenced by the text’s inclusion in the early ninth-century Denkarma (Tib. ldan dkar ma) catalog.
[B1] Homage to all buddhas and bodhisattvas!
Thus did I hear at one time. The Blessed One was residing at Vārāṇasī, in the Deer Park by the Hill of Fallen Sages, accompanied by a great congregation of one thousand monks and five hundred bodhisattvas, most of whom had ripened their roots of virtue and cleared away their obscurations of karma.
At that time, some of the bodhisattvas there continued to enjoy social diversions, liked to sleep, liked to work, liked to talk, and liked deceit; they were soiled with stains, improper, indolent, and lazy. They had poor diligence and had stopped applying themselves. The bodhisattva great being Maitreya noticed those bodhisattvas conducting themselves in these unvirtuous ways.
The bodhisattva great being Maitreya then thought to himself, “Alas, these bodhisattvas have slackened in their efforts to perfect the branches of awakening. Therefore, I must rouse these bodhisattvas; I must remind them—that is for certain!”
Accordingly, in the afternoon, the bodhisattva great being Maitreya arose from his inner absorption and proceeded to where those bodhisattvas were staying. When he arrived, the bodhisattva great being exchanged greetings with them with sincere joy and delight, and then asked those bodhisattvas, “Tell me, children of noble lineage, are you improving yourselves through the practice of virtue, or have you perhaps been negligent?”
They answered, “Venerable Maitreya, we have neglected and not increased our practice of virtue. Our minds are ensnared by doubt, as we wonder whether we can become thus-gone ones. Our minds are further ensnared by regret, as we worry that we might fall into lower realms; and so, we have no enthusiasm left for virtuous practice.”
The bodhisattva great being Maitreya then said to those bodhisattvas, “Children of noble lineage, come this way. Let us proceed to where the blessed, thus-gone, worthy, and perfect Buddha Śākyamuni is residing. Why? Because the Blessed One is omniscient and all-seeing, possesses unobscured wisdom, and is wise in the ways of all beings; and so, he will teach you the Dharma in a way that is well suited to your level of experience.”
Then those sixty bodhisattvas, together with the bodhisattva great being Maitreya, went to where the Blessed One was residing. They assembled before him and offered homage with their heads at his feet. They cried and offered homage to the Blessed One with their four limbs and heads, over and over again, with tears streaming down their faces, and without raising their heads. The bodhisattva great being Maitreya, too, prostrated with his head at the feet of the Blessed One, circumambulated him three times, and then sat off to one side.
The Blessed One then told the bodhisattvas, “Children of noble lineage, stop crying and moaning, and stand up! Without regard for the ripening of karma, you joyfully harmed and abused others, taking delight and pleasure in doing so. Through creating obscurations of karma in that way, you are now obscured and hampered. Being overcome and ensnared, you are unable to exert yourselves.”
Then those sixty bodhisattvas, hanging their shawls over one shoulder, knelt with their right knees on the ground, joined their palms together respectfully toward the Blessed One, and petitioned him with these words: “Learning this, our minds reverse course; and so, we beg of the Blessed One to explain well to us our obscurations of karma, so that we can refrain from further compounding them hereafter.”
In response to this request, the Blessed One said the following to those sixty individuals of the Bodhisattva Vehicle: “Children of noble lineage, long ago, in the distant past, during the doctrinal period of the Thus-Gone One Krakucchanda, you took ordination. Thus established, you became intoxicated with conceit about your discipline, drunk with vanity about your learning, and strongly attached to your ascetic practices and your lack of possessions. Consequently, you became jealous and resentful of two monks who were preaching the Dharma, due to the offerings and respect they received, the households of their friends and relatives, and the households of their patrons, and so you directed accusations of lewd conduct at them. This created a schism dividing those two Dharma-teaching monks from the households of their friends and relatives and the households of their patrons, who became skeptical and lost their faith in the two monks. By leveling these and many further insults at those two Dharma-teaching monks, you obscured and cut off at the root the virtues of those other beings.
“Due to that nonvirtuous obscuration of karma, you were reborn in the major hell Incessant Torment for sixty thousand years. For forty thousand years, you were reborn in the major hell Reviving. For twenty thousand years, you were reborn in the major hell Black Lines. For eight thousand years, you were reborn in the major hell of Heat. Afterward, once you died and passed from that realm, you managed to obtain human rebirths, but for five hundred consecutive lifetimes you had no eyes, and so were blind. Through the shrouding effect of your obscurations of karma, no matter where you were reborn, in all those lifetimes you were dimwitted and absent-minded. You were shrouded by your obscurations rooted in unvirtuous acts and were entirely hapless. You were oppressed by ugly flaws and frequently reviled, cursed, and ridiculed. You were reborn in bad lands, bad regions, and bad countries, into bad and impoverished families; you had meager means and little respect, and you were ostracized and unsupported.
“When you have died and passed from this life, during the final half-millennium, at the time when the sacred Dharma is fading, you will be reborn solely in bad lands, into low-caste families and poverty. You will be reviled and feeble-minded, and you will abandon the roots of virtue. Even when you apply yourselves, obstacles will arise; and although moments of clarity will dawn, they will subsequently fade away.
“During the final half-millennium, all your obscurations of karma will finally be exhausted. With their exhaustion, next you will be reborn in Sukhāvatī, the buddha realm of the Thus-Gone One Amitābha. The Thus-Gone One Amitābha also will prophesy your unsurpassed and perfect awakening.”
The sad and distraught minds of those sixty children of noble lineage who belonged to the Bodhisattva Vehicle then turned perfectly joyous. Wiping the tears from their faces, and with their bodily hairs standing on end, they petitioned the Blessed One as follows:
“Blessed One, we confess the fault of generating a hostile attitude toward individuals who belong to the Bodhisattva Vehicle, and we also confess any other obscurations of karma we have amassed.
“Blessed One, from today onward, we make the following promises in the presence of the Thus-Gone One:
“Blessed One, from today onward, if we should speak of the failings, no matter whether they are many or few, of individuals belonging to the Bodhisattva Vehicle, then we will have betrayed the thus-gone, worthy, and perfect Buddha.
“Blessed One, from today onward, if we should insult individuals who belong to the Bodhisattva Vehicle or speak rudely to them, then we will have betrayed the thus-gone, worthy, and perfect Buddha.
“Blessed One, from today onward, if we see individuals who belong to the Bodhisattva Vehicle, whether they are lay or ordained, amusing themselves with and enjoying the five sense pleasures, and this makes us lose faith, such that we become disrespectful or unable to perceive them as teachers, then we will have betrayed the Thus-Gone One.
“Blessed One, from today onward, if we physically or mentally harm individuals belonging to the Bodhisattva Vehicle on account of the households of their friends and relatives or the households of their patrons, then we will have betrayed the Thus-Gone One.
“Blessed One, from today onward, if even a single unpleasant word slips from our mouths upon seeing an individual belonging to the Bodhisattva Vehicle, then we will have betrayed the Thus-Gone One.
“Blessed One, from today onward, if we fail to pay homage to individuals belonging to the Bodhisattva Vehicle three times during the day and three times at night, then we will have betrayed the Thus-Gone One.
“Blessed One, from today onward, if we are unwilling to sacrifice a kingdom or a fortune, or to risk life and limb, for the sake of this disciplined conduct to which we have committed, then we will have betrayed the Thus-Gone One.
“Blessed One, from today onward, if we demean individuals belonging to the Hearer or Solitary Buddha Vehicles, thinking, ‘We most assuredly are not like them!’ then we will have betrayed the Thus-Gone One.
“Blessed One, from today onward, if we do not maintain an attitude of humility, as if we were outcasts or dogs, then we will have betrayed the Thus-Gone One.
“Blessed One, from today onward, if we praise ourselves or criticize others, then we will have betrayed the Thus-Gone One.
“Blessed One, from today onward, if we are at risk of becoming involved in conflict and dispute and we do not immediately distance ourselves from it by a mile or a hundred miles, then we will have betrayed the Thus-Gone One.
“Blessed One, from today onward, if we claim to have good discipline, or refer to ourselves as well educated or well trained, or as having any good qualities at all, then we will have betrayed the Thus-Gone One.
“Blessed One, from today onward, if we do not refrain from boasting of our virtues and concealing our faults, then we will have betrayed the thus-gone, worthy, and perfect Buddha.”
Then the Blessed One congratulated those individuals belonging to the Bodhisattva Vehicle, saying, “Well said! Well said, children of noble lineage! Well said! You have spoken well! This commitment is well made. If you abide by this commitment, your obscurations of karma will be purified, and you likewise will acquire pure roots of virtue.”
At that point the Blessed One addressed the bodhisattva great being Maitreya: “Maitreya, sons or daughters of noble lineage who wish to purify their obscurations of karma should make just the type of commitment these children of noble lineage have made.”
Then the bodhisattva great being Maitreya asked the Blessed One, “Blessed One, will these children of noble lineage fulfill this commitment, or will they abandon it? Please tell me.”
“Maitreya, these children of noble lineage will never abandon their commitment, even at the cost of life and limb.”
Then the bodhisattva great being Maitreya asked the Blessed One, “Blessed One, during the final half-millennium, when the sacred Dharma is perishing, if an individual who belongs to the Bodhisattva Vehicle possesses certain qualities, will that person then be spared harm and injury, and readily attain liberation?”
The Blessed One responded to the question posed by the bodhisattva great being Maitreya in this way: “Maitreya, if an individual who belongs to the Bodhisattva Vehicle possesses four qualities, then during the final half-millennium, when the sacred Dharma is perishing, that person will be spared harm and injury, and will be liberated without difficulty. What are the four? (1) Recognizing one’s own mistakes, (2) not discussing the faults of others who belong to the Bodhisattva Vehicle, (3) paying no attention to the households of friends and relatives and the households of patrons, and (4) abandoning unpleasant speech. Maitreya, if an individual who belongs to the Bodhisattva Vehicle possesses those four qualities, then during the final half-millennium, when the sacred Dharma is perishing, that person will be spared harm and injury, and will be liberated without difficulty.
“Moreover, Maitreya, if someone who belongs to the Bodhisattva Vehicle possesses another four qualities, then during the final half-millennium, when the sacred Dharma is perishing, that person will be spared harm and injury, and will be liberated without difficulty. What are these other four? (1) Avoiding beings who are of little learning, (2) not collecting followers, (3) taking shelter in sparsely inhabited places, and (4) diligently training oneself to be disciplined and peaceful and to remain tranquil.
“Maitreya, if someone who belongs to the Bodhisattva Vehicle possesses these other four qualities, then during the final half-millennium, when the sacred Dharma is perishing, that person will be spared harm and injury, and will be liberated without difficulty.
“Maitreya, because sons or daughters of noble lineage who belong to the Bodhisattva Vehicle will want to be spared harm and injury, be liberated without difficulty, and exhaust entirely their obscurations of karma during the final half-millennium when the sacred Dharma is perishing, they should (1) dislike social diversions, (2) stay in the wilderness, in forests, and in sparsely inhabited places, (3) avoid beings who lack noble lineage or diligence, (4) reflect on their own mistakes and not look for mistakes in others, (5) enjoy silence, and, (6) through the perfection of insight, enjoy being at rest.
“If the wish to converse with others ever arises within them, then they should offer them the gift of Dharma while remaining free of materialistic interest.
“Maitreya, giving the gift of Dharma without materialistic interest, without the desire for offerings or respect, confers twenty benefits. These twenty are as follows:
“One will (1) have mindfulness, (2) have intelligence, (3) be judicious, (4) gain stability, (5) possess insight, (6) realize supermundane insight, (7) have less desire, (8) have less anger, (9) have less delusion, (10) become invulnerable to māras, (11) come to the attention of the blessed buddhas, (12) be guarded by nonhuman spirits, (13) be favored with splendor by the gods, (14) become invincible to enemies, and (15) not be separated from friends and relatives; (16) one’s word will be sacrosanct; (17) one will become fearless; (18) one’s mind will grow happier; (19) one will be honored by the wise; and (20) one’s offerings of the Dharma will become worthy of commemoration as well.
“And so, Maitreya, these twenty are the benefits that accrue when one offers the Dharma free of materialistic interest, having rejected all interest in gain or respect, and without hoping to get food or clothing, simply motivated by an altruistic intent to offer the gift of Dharma continually and repeatedly.
“Maitreya, offering the Dharma with an attitude that is free of materialistic interest has another twenty benefits. What are these twenty?
“(1) Intellectual prowess will be born in one formerly without it; (2) that prowess, once born, will not be lost; (3) one will possess the integrity necessary to gain the power of retention; (4) one will accomplish the aims of many beings with little difficulty; (5) one will become respectfully venerated by beings with little difficulty; (6) one will achieve physical restraint; (7) one will achieve verbal restraint; (8) one will achieve mental restraint; (9) one will pass beyond the fear of inferior rebirth; (10) one will make death an occasion for great joy; (11) one will defeat all challengers in a manner consistent with the Dharma; (12) even beings of high status will be overwhelmed by one’s majesty, let alone common folk; (13) one’s faculties will become unassailable; (14) one will adhere to the highest and finest intentions; (15) one will gain tranquility and special insight; (16) one will bring rigorous training to perfection; (17) one’s diligence will become unrelenting; (18) one will protect the sacred Dharma at all times; (19) one will quickly arrive at the level of a non-returner; and (20) one will be in harmony with all the conduct of bodhisattvas.
“Maitreya, these twenty are additional benefits that derive from offering the Dharma with an attitude free of materialistic interest.
“Maitreya, in the future, Dharma offered with materialistic interest by those who belong to the Bodhisattva Vehicle will be highly appreciated, whereas Dharma offered without materialistic interest will not. Those with faulty discernment will rely on such teachers!
“For their part, those teachers will depend upon the households of friends and relatives and the households of patrons and will offer them the gift of Dharma in a manner that is calculated to elicit their trust and respect. Dispensing with offering the Dharma while free of materialistic interest, they will teach the Dharma to others for the sake of clothing, food, bedding, cushions, curative medicines, and other useful items.
“Maitreya, it is like this. If, for instance, some person had hunks of putrid, rotting flesh hung around his neck, whether from the corpse of a dog, a human, or a monkey, he would wish to clean himself. And so, with embarrassment and revulsion, he would seek to rid himself of them. In the same way, those future teachers will be embarrassed and appalled by the prospect of offering the Dharma without obtaining material benefit. Once they realize there is nothing to be gained, they will be disappointed, refuse to teach, and leave.
“Wondering, ‘Why are they not giving us any food or clothing?’ and saying, ‘There is no reason for us to offer the Dharma; we really would rather not be stuck here for no reason,’ they will proceed to gather students for the sake of further adorning themselves, and not for the sake of attracting more and more beings to the Dharma. They will claim, ‘We gather followers only out of love, and so we have no need at all for them to serve and respect us. Because of our altruistic principles, in order to bring beings to maturity, we spend all our time visiting villages, towns, cities, states, and royal palaces’; and so they will promote themselves to many people. What they have in mind, however, is to go searching for food and clothing.
“Maitreya, now, I would not speak of a desirous mind bringing beings to maturity. Why not? Because, if one has not even matured oneself—a state that is not so easy to attain—then bringing other beings to maturity is out of the question.
“Maitreya, I would not call preoccupation with being served, and contamination from the pleasures of being physically served, helpfulness. Why not? Because, if one gathers followers in order to be made physically comfortable by their service, one is not concerned with whether they are practicing earnestly.
“Maitreya, I would not call such a hypocrite someone dwelling in isolation. I would not call having little merit having few needs. I would not call longing for fine food collecting alms.
“I would not call longing for beautiful clothes wearing robes made of discarded rags. I would not say that one who mixes lay with monastic life lacks entanglement. I would not call a charlatan the manifestation of a buddha. I would not say that looking for faults in others is being diligent in one’s practice.
“I would not say that continually losing your temper is compiling pure discipline. I would not call a prideful person learned. I would not call someone who holds a bias an upholder of the Vinaya. I would not call an intemperate person a Dharma teacher. I would not call socializing with laypeople discharging one’s administrative duties purely.
“I would not call selecting patrons being free from material needs. I would not call hoping for reciprocal benefit a method of attraction. I would not call desire for reward and respect pure motivation.
“I would not call having more and more doubt taking ordination. I would not say that being a contrarian is pursuing one’s training.
“I would not call showing disrespect offering the Dharma. I would not call being obsessed with worldly spells delighting in the Dharma. I would not call applying no effort toward realizing emptiness, emancipation.
“I would not say that failing to practice is performing one’s duties. Nor would I say that one who does not practice is perfecting the branches of awakening.
“I would not call a conceptual point of reference true realization. I would not call powerlessness the perfection of patience. I would not say that those who never have been tested wear the armor of the power of patience.
“I would not call having a naturally low libido the asceticism of maintaining pure conduct. I would not call failing to get anything done doing what one has committed to do.
“Conversely, I would not say that one with pure motivation is falling into the lower realms. I would not call acting with insight reckless conduct. I would not call someone who possesses skill a fraud.
“I would not call someone who lacks desire for gain or respect an inveterate liar. I would not call maintaining neutrality rejecting the Dharma. I would not call wanting to protect the sacred Dharma at all costs attachment to life and limb. I would not call being timid having no pride.
“Maitreya, such deceitful expressions, in the final half-millennium, will turn bodhisattvas barbarous; therefore, they must properly comprehend them and, having comprehended, must reject them.”
Then the bodhisattva great being Maitreya asked the Blessed One, “Blessed One, will these sixty bodhisattvas be obscured by short-lived obscurations of karma, or will they be obscured in some other fashion?”
The Blessed One responded to the bodhisattva Maitreya, “Maitreya, in the final half-millennium, most bodhisattvas will be obscured by obscurations of karma. Some of those bodhisattvas will exhaust their obscurations of karma. Some will increase them.
“Maitreya, furthermore, among these particular sixty bodhisattvas, there are twenty bodhisattvas who have only minor obscurations of karma, or slight obscurations of karma, and these will take rebirth during the final half-millennium in different villages and towns and in a variety of castes, where they will be learned, circumspect, upright, wise, and skillful. They will be broad-minded, richly beneficial to others, very compassionate, and handsome and lovely to behold. They will not put their virtues on display, will hide their qualities, and will be stable in their conduct. Taking ordination out of these various castes, they will train toward unsurpassed and perfect awakening over uncountable eons, and they will preserve and uphold this ordination, even risking life and limb, as they dwell in wildernesses, jungles, and sparsely populated places, without interest in gain or respect. They will always be diligent, superbly diligent, skillful in relating to the ways of beings, expert in secret mantra and scholarly treatises, very quick learners, expert in special insight, and of flawless acumen.
“Having acquired unfailing retention, through the power and blessings of the buddhas they will teach the Dharma to the four retinues and will be well versed in all the classes of teaching by the Thus-Gone One, namely, sūtra s, verse narrations, prophecies, poetic verses, aphorisms, ethical narrations, narrative discourses, parables, past-life stories, extensive sayings, marvels, and resolutions.
“At that time, those twenty highly skilled bodhisattvas will be authorized masters and authorized scholars of the Dharma, such that when they assert, ‘I have absorbed this Dharma discourse from the master So-and-So and from the scholar So-and-So,’ those holy persons will never have cause to be troubled.
“At that time, there also will appear certain unskillful bodhisattvas who will be conceited about their own virtues and, being complacent and haughty, will have no regard for those twenty. They will seek to promote themselves, and so will not uphold the sacred Dharma.
“They will even castigate them, saying, ‘The Dharma you have taught is the product of your own cleverness, not what the Thus-Gone One taught. This Dharma is just your own spurious creation. Since the Dharma that you teach is merely fabricated on your own authority, your teaching should be neither respected nor revered.’ This will cause many beings to reject their Dharma discourses, and because of such remarks, many will lose interest in the Dharma.
“They will go even further, saying, ‘Those monks are engaged in the material pursuit of donations, rather than in teaching the Dharma found in the sūtras and the vinaya. This is not the proper Dharma, so do not show reverence toward it!’
“Those with poor discernment simply will not understand that whatever qualifies as a well-spoken statement—no matter what it is—is the word of the Buddha. Because they are under the spell of Māra, they will reject the Dharma of those Dharma-holding monks, and so will accumulate the karma of abandoning the Dharma. Through accumulating the karma of abandoning the Dharma, they will fall into lower realms.
“Maitreya, in light of that, bodhisattvas who wish to safeguard the sacred Dharma must become skilled in method. No matter what, they must be very careful not to provoke feelings of hostility in those who have differing dispositions.”
The bodhisattva great being Maitreya then said to the Blessed One, “Blessed One, in that way, during the final half-millennium, when the sacred Dharma is perishing, such bodhisattvas with weak sensibility will come to the fore. Though ostensibly pursuing virtuosity, at the same time they will take no interest in those who actually possess it; and while they seek as well the power of retention, they will nonetheless denigrate the Dharma of monks who do retain the Dharma. Incredible, isn’t it?
“Blessed One, to offer an analogy, it is as though a person goes out searching for water from a spring, a well, or a lake, and when he gets there, he defecates in it, after which he thinks to draw the water out.
“When the foul odor of the water reaches his nose, it doesn’t occur to him that the smell is his own fault, as he exclaims, ‘Oh my, this water stinks!’ Instead, he blames the water for being bad.
“Blessed One, in this analogy, where, through the power of the Buddha, there are Dharma-teaching monks who have confident command over the system of Dharma teachings, they are like the spring, the well, or the lake. Blessed One, those bodhisattvas who will come to the fore in the final half-millennium are just like people of childish nature who defecate into the springs, wells, or lakes, and then when they seek to draw water out, find fault with that water; similarly, having faulty discernment, they will discredit those who teach the Dharma and discredit even the Dharma itself. And although they are the ones who have discredited it, they will still believe that they are seeking the taste of the Dharma. And without comprehending their own error, with a faulty sense of hearing, they will criticize and show contempt for those Dharma-holding monks, saying, ‘Look at how these monks teaching the Dharma are betrayed by their many faults!’ They will revile the taste of the Dharma conveyed by those Dharma-teaching monks and look for its mistakes, dismiss it with distaste, and turn their backs on it.”
The Blessed One then commended the bodhisattva great being Maitreya, saying, “Splendid! Wonderful, Maitreya! This example you have explained expresses very well how not to search for mistakes, and how to be free of any faults.
“Maitreya, in addition, one should understand that any discourse that satisfies four conditions is what the Buddha spoke. What are the four? Maitreya, they are (1) when the discourse is meaningful instead of meaningless, (2) when it contains the Dharma as opposed to not containing the Dharma, (3) when it makes defilements decrease and does not make defilements increase, and (4) when it teaches the qualities and benefits of nirvāṇa and does not increase the defects of saṃsāra. Maitreya, one should know that any discourse is what the Buddha spoke when it possesses these four factors.
“Maitreya, no matter whether a discourse endowed with these four factors is offered, or to be offered, by a monk, a nun, or a male or female lay precept-holder, faithful sons or daughters of noble lineage should perceive that person to be the Buddha; perceiving them as the Teacher, they should listen to the sacred Dharma. If you wonder why that is so, Maitreya, it is because everything that is well spoken—no matter what it is—is what the Buddha taught.
“Maitreya, when someone says, ‘This is not what the Buddha taught,’ because they feel hostility toward the speaker, then that person has rejected those four conditions and caused them to be disrespected. That person has thereby rejected all discourses that are the teaching of the Buddha. Having rejected the Dharma, that person accumulates the karma of abandoning the Dharma, and so is destined for the lower realms. Maitreya, since this is the case, faithful sons or daughters of noble family who want to avoid the karma of rejecting the Dharma should never feel hostility toward the Dharma out of hostility for an individual.
“Maitreya, the following four types of discourse are rejected by the buddhas. Maitreya, what are the four? They are (1) when a discourse is meaningless rather than meaningful, (2) when it does not contain the Dharma as opposed to containing the Dharma, (3) when it makes defilements increase rather than decrease, and (4) when it increases the defects of saṃsāra rather than teaching the qualities and benefits of nirvāṇa. Maitreya, these four types of discourse have been rejected and are not sanctioned by the buddhas.”
Then the bodhisattva great being Maitreya asked the Blessed One, “Blessed One, if it is the case that the buddhas have not approved of discourse that causes saṃsāra to increase, how is it that the Blessed One taught that defilements are good for bodhisattvas, in order for them to perfect the branches of awakening? And how is it that he recommended that they embrace saṃsāra as well? Or else, Blessed One, are such teachings not those of the Buddha after all?”
In response, the Blessed One asked, “Maitreya, what do you think about this? Is there meaning, or is there no meaning, in my teaching that defilements are helpful for bodhisattvas, to aid them in perfecting the branches of awakening, and in my teaching recommending that they embrace saṃsāra?”
He answered, “Since the Blessed One speaks perfectly, if he says that bodhisattvas should appreciate defilements, so that they might perfect the branches of awakening, then it certainly is meaningful, and it certainly contains the Dharma. Consequently, it is undoubtedly the speech of he who speaks perfectly.”
The Blessed One replied, “Maitreya, since that is so, as is the case with the teaching that defilements support bodhisattvas in perfecting the branches of awakening, and the express injunction to embrace saṃsāra, one must recognize that whatever is well spoken is what the Buddha spoke. Why is that? Maitreya, those matters that are the exclusive province of bodhisattvas with masterful command over the Dharma do not apply to hearers and solitary buddhas. As bodhisattvas will not experience them as defilements, defilements will not harm them.
“Maitreya, although that is so, defilements are not beneficial for others. For them they do not serve the purpose of perfecting the factors of awakening, have no value, and produce not even the slightest trace of virtue. Others must not succumb to the power of those very defilements for which bodhisattvas will risk even life and limb. And why is that? Because, Maitreya, teachings on defilements for bodhisattvas who have attained the power of wisdom are one thing, while teachings for those on levels at which the powers of bodhisattvas have not yet developed are a different matter.”
The bodhisattva great being Maitreya then said to the Blessed One, “As I understand the meaning of what the Blessed One has stated, bodhisattvas who seek not to create further obscurations of karma, who strive to purify their obscurations of karma, and who seek to be liberated easily, without harm or injury, will therefore have to take interest in all bodhisattva conduct in the final half-millennium, and practice it more and more, without reservation. They must not look for faults in others, must embrace all that is beneficial, and must focus on what is most essential.”
The Blessed One replied, “Maitreya, it is just so. Bodhisattvas will have to increase the scope of their bodhisattva conduct, without any reservations. Why is that? Maitreya, it is because the experience of bodhisattvas who enjoy superior discernment is entirely at odds with the rest of the world.
“As an analogy, Maitreya, while the conduct of stream enterers may resemble that of ordinary beings, they are not stained by the faults of ordinary, immature beings. You see, whereas desire, anger, and obliviousness cause childish, ordinary beings to fall into the lower realms, desire, anger, and obliviousness do not cause stream enterers to fall into the lower realms, since they have realized the nature of the transitory assemblage.
“Similarly, Maitreya, since they have not yet eliminated habitual tendencies, bodhisattvas who enjoy superior discernment may yet be caught unaware by desire and aversion, but their situation is quite different from that of childish, ordinary beings. Why is that? Latent tendencies do not thoroughly ensnare or occupy their minds; and so, their situation is not at all comparable to that of ordinary, immature beings, or bodhisattvas who have dim faculties and are not sharp in their renunciation.
“Maitreya, even though some among the faults of bodhisattva great beings who exercise fine discernment may be quite serious, through the power of insight they pulverize them, and so those faults never cause them to fall into lower realms.
“Maitreya, as an analogy, if you add a large bundle of sticks to a raging bonfire, the more you add, the longer and greater the blaze will grow; but they will not extinguish the fire. In just that way, Maitreya, the more fuel of defilements you add to the blazing insight of bodhisattvas who exercise insight, the more the fire of insight will blaze, without ever being extinguished or exhausted.
“Maitreya, since that is the case, from this description it should also be clear to you how the experience of bodhisattvas who enjoy superior discernment is entirely at odds with the rest of the world.”
The bodhisattva great being Maitreya then asked the Blessed One, “Blessed One, since they leave their homes behind seeking to develop their power of insight, which traits should fledgling bodhisattvas reject? Upon which traits should they rely? By respectively rejecting and relying upon which traits will they generate the power of insight—generate it where it hasn’t been generated before, and further increase the power of insight and prevent it from weakening where it already has been generated?”
The Blessed One replied to this question posed by the bodhisattva great being Maitreya as follows: “Maitreya, fledgling bodhisattvas who leave their homes behind and are developing their powers of insight should reject gain and honor and see the fault in gain and honor. They should give up their enjoyment of social diversions and see the fault in enjoying social diversions.
“They should give up their enjoyment of conversation and see the faults in enjoying conversation. They should no longer like to sleep and see the fault in liking to sleep. They should stop liking activity and see the fault in liking activity. They should stop enjoying excess and see the harm in enjoying excess.
Inspiring Determination is directed at reforming the conduct of sixty bodhisattvas who have lost their sense of purpose and confidence in their ability to practice the Dharma. The bodhisattva Maitreya leads them to seek counsel from the Buddha, who explains the causes these bodhisattvas created in former lives that resulted in their current circumstance. They make a commitment to change their ways, which pleases the Buddha, and this leads him to engage in a dialog with the bodhisattva Maitreya on how bodhisattvas, including those in the future age of final degeneration, the final half-millennium, should avoid faults and uphold conduct that accords with the Dharma.
This translation was completed by the Blazing Wisdom Translation Group, Tulku Sherdor and Virginia Blum, under the guidance of Khenpo Sonam Tobgyal, with editorial assistance from Hans Schmidt, research of Chinese canonical indices by Geok Hui Loo, and final editing and review by the 84000 editorial team.
The translation was completed under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.
Inspiring Determination appears in the Heap of Jewels (Skt. Ratnakūṭa; Tib. dkon brtsegs) section of the Kangyur. The sūtra opens with the bodhisattva Maitreya observing a group of sixty among the five hundred bodhisattvas who have gathered around the Buddha in the Deer Park on the outskirts of Vārāṇasī. These sixty bodhisattvas have strayed from the bodhisattva path. Rather than studying and practicing in solitude, they have become distracted by worldly concerns and have stopped applying themselves to the Dharma. Seeking to help them restore their commitments, Maitreya invites them to approach the Buddha, confess their faults, and request his guidance. The bodhisattvas then reveal and confess to the Buddha their failings and their doubts about being able to live up to the bodhisattva ideal.
The Buddha explains the causes and conditions they created in a former lifetime that have led to their current predicament. Specifically, during the previous period of the Buddha Krakucchanda, these bodhisattvas denigrated and slandered two monks, creating schisms and doubts in the Saṅgha and the wider community. Many lifetimes of painful ripening of this negative karma ensued.
The Buddha further prophesies, however, that although the bodhisattvas’ negative karma will continue to ripen in subsequent lives, once it is finally exhausted, during a period in which the Dharma is declining, they will attain rebirth in the realm of the Buddha Amitābha. Hearing this, the bodhisattvas are newly inspired and resolve not to repeat their mistakes. Maitreya asks the Buddha whether they will abide by their renewed commitment, and he confirms that they will.
This is followed by a lengthy series of enumerations by the Buddha, in response to inquiries by Maitreya, concerning the negative consequences of each fault of conduct in which the sixty bodhisattvas had engaged, as well as the advantages of refraining from each one. In several instances, these lists are presented first in prose form and then repeated in verse as an aide-memoire. Maitreya’s questions also prompt the Buddha to caution about the future degeneration of the Dharma, when it will be corrupted by the materialistic interests of teachers. He describes the pitfalls of teaching the Dharma without ridding oneself of attachment to personal gain and honor.
The Buddha’s countervailing instruction is to refrain from judging the veracity or quality of a Dharma teaching by the character or motivation of the teacher who offers it. Śāntideva (late seventh to mid-eighth century) emphasizes this point in his Śikṣāsamuccaya, citing this sūtra at length to assert that a genuine follower of the Buddha must refrain from judging the conduct of fellow practitioners of the Bodhisattva Vehicle; instead, one must focus on detecting and correcting one’s own faults. The Buddha later advises Maitreya that what marks someone as a follower of his teachings, and as an ordained member of his community, is not the formality of vows or the semblance of piety, but rather one’s cultivation of the qualities of the path, including renunciation, concentration, restrained speech, and the pursuit of wisdom.
An important corollary teaching imparted by the Buddha in this sūtra is how to determine whether a teaching qualifies as authentic Dharma. His rule, also quoted and discussed by Śāntideva, is that everything that is well spoken is the speech of the Buddha, no matter what it is or by whom it is offered. Moreover, to qualify as well spoken, an instruction must be meaningful, consistent with the Dharma, and designed to reduce mental defilements, and it must laud the qualities of nirvāṇa as opposed to saṃsāra. This sūtra appears to be the locus classicus for this doctrine in the Mahāyāna tradition.
The sūtra concludes on a positive note, with the Buddha outlining the ten positive attitudes that lead to rebirth in the realm of the Buddha Amitāyus, which is another name for the Buddha Amitābha. This serves as a valediction to his earlier prophecy of the future rebirth in Amitāyus’ realm of the sixty bodhisattvas whose confessions and renewed commitments prompted this teaching. In this way, Inspiring Determination fulfills its intention and serves as a set of guidelines and an exhortation for aspiring bodhisattvas to follow suit.
Many sūtras in the Kangyur mention the obstacles and difficulties practitioners may encounter, often in the context of the degenerate future times when the Dharma will be in decline. Few, however, relate in such detail the lapsed conduct of bodhisattvas or explain so precisely its consequences and cures. One sūtra on a similar theme that does share these features is Not Forsaking the Buddha (Buddhākṣepaṇa, Toh 276).
While there is no known extant version of this sūtra in Sanskrit, as noted earlier, a number of lengthy quotations from and other references to it are found in the surviving Sanskrit version of Śāntideva’s eighth-century work, the Śikṣāsamuccaya. Two separate classical Chinese versions of this sūtra are found in the Taishō Tripitaka. One version is included in Bodhiruci’s translation from Sanskrit of the Heap of Jewels section, completed during the early part of the eighth century
In producing this translation, we have based our work on the Degé xylograph, while consulting the Comparative Edition (Tib. dpe bsdur ma) and the Stok Palace manuscript. We also have made occasional use of Bodhiruci’s Chinese translation for issues of terminology. The colophon of the sūtra states that it was translated by the Indian preceptors Jinamitra and Surendrabodhi, together with the translator and editor Bandé Yeshé Dé. Consequently, we can date the Tibetan translation to the late eighth to early ninth century, a date further evidenced by the text’s inclusion in the early ninth-century Denkarma (Tib. ldan dkar ma) catalog.
[B1] Homage to all buddhas and bodhisattvas!
Thus did I hear at one time. The Blessed One was residing at Vārāṇasī, in the Deer Park by the Hill of Fallen Sages, accompanied by a great congregation of one thousand monks and five hundred bodhisattvas, most of whom had ripened their roots of virtue and cleared away their obscurations of karma.
At that time, some of the bodhisattvas there continued to enjoy social diversions, liked to sleep, liked to work, liked to talk, and liked deceit; they were soiled with stains, improper, indolent, and lazy. They had poor diligence and had stopped applying themselves. The bodhisattva great being Maitreya noticed those bodhisattvas conducting themselves in these unvirtuous ways.
The bodhisattva great being Maitreya then thought to himself, “Alas, these bodhisattvas have slackened in their efforts to perfect the branches of awakening. Therefore, I must rouse these bodhisattvas; I must remind them—that is for certain!”
Accordingly, in the afternoon, the bodhisattva great being Maitreya arose from his inner absorption and proceeded to where those bodhisattvas were staying. When he arrived, the bodhisattva great being exchanged greetings with them with sincere joy and delight, and then asked those bodhisattvas, “Tell me, children of noble lineage, are you improving yourselves through the practice of virtue, or have you perhaps been negligent?”
They answered, “Venerable Maitreya, we have neglected and not increased our practice of virtue. Our minds are ensnared by doubt, as we wonder whether we can become thus-gone ones. Our minds are further ensnared by regret, as we worry that we might fall into lower realms; and so, we have no enthusiasm left for virtuous practice.”
The bodhisattva great being Maitreya then said to those bodhisattvas, “Children of noble lineage, come this way. Let us proceed to where the blessed, thus-gone, worthy, and perfect Buddha Śākyamuni is residing. Why? Because the Blessed One is omniscient and all-seeing, possesses unobscured wisdom, and is wise in the ways of all beings; and so, he will teach you the Dharma in a way that is well suited to your level of experience.”
Then those sixty bodhisattvas, together with the bodhisattva great being Maitreya, went to where the Blessed One was residing. They assembled before him and offered homage with their heads at his feet. They cried and offered homage to the Blessed One with their four limbs and heads, over and over again, with tears streaming down their faces, and without raising their heads. The bodhisattva great being Maitreya, too, prostrated with his head at the feet of the Blessed One, circumambulated him three times, and then sat off to one side.
The Blessed One then told the bodhisattvas, “Children of noble lineage, stop crying and moaning, and stand up! Without regard for the ripening of karma, you joyfully harmed and abused others, taking delight and pleasure in doing so. Through creating obscurations of karma in that way, you are now obscured and hampered. Being overcome and ensnared, you are unable to exert yourselves.”
Then those sixty bodhisattvas, hanging their shawls over one shoulder, knelt with their right knees on the ground, joined their palms together respectfully toward the Blessed One, and petitioned him with these words: “Learning this, our minds reverse course; and so, we beg of the Blessed One to explain well to us our obscurations of karma, so that we can refrain from further compounding them hereafter.”
In response to this request, the Blessed One said the following to those sixty individuals of the Bodhisattva Vehicle: “Children of noble lineage, long ago, in the distant past, during the doctrinal period of the Thus-Gone One Krakucchanda, you took ordination. Thus established, you became intoxicated with conceit about your discipline, drunk with vanity about your learning, and strongly attached to your ascetic practices and your lack of possessions. Consequently, you became jealous and resentful of two monks who were preaching the Dharma, due to the offerings and respect they received, the households of their friends and relatives, and the households of their patrons, and so you directed accusations of lewd conduct at them. This created a schism dividing those two Dharma-teaching monks from the households of their friends and relatives and the households of their patrons, who became skeptical and lost their faith in the two monks. By leveling these and many further insults at those two Dharma-teaching monks, you obscured and cut off at the root the virtues of those other beings.
“Due to that nonvirtuous obscuration of karma, you were reborn in the major hell Incessant Torment for sixty thousand years. For forty thousand years, you were reborn in the major hell Reviving. For twenty thousand years, you were reborn in the major hell Black Lines. For eight thousand years, you were reborn in the major hell of Heat. Afterward, once you died and passed from that realm, you managed to obtain human rebirths, but for five hundred consecutive lifetimes you had no eyes, and so were blind. Through the shrouding effect of your obscurations of karma, no matter where you were reborn, in all those lifetimes you were dimwitted and absent-minded. You were shrouded by your obscurations rooted in unvirtuous acts and were entirely hapless. You were oppressed by ugly flaws and frequently reviled, cursed, and ridiculed. You were reborn in bad lands, bad regions, and bad countries, into bad and impoverished families; you had meager means and little respect, and you were ostracized and unsupported.
“When you have died and passed from this life, during the final half-millennium, at the time when the sacred Dharma is fading, you will be reborn solely in bad lands, into low-caste families and poverty. You will be reviled and feeble-minded, and you will abandon the roots of virtue. Even when you apply yourselves, obstacles will arise; and although moments of clarity will dawn, they will subsequently fade away.
“During the final half-millennium, all your obscurations of karma will finally be exhausted. With their exhaustion, next you will be reborn in Sukhāvatī, the buddha realm of the Thus-Gone One Amitābha. The Thus-Gone One Amitābha also will prophesy your unsurpassed and perfect awakening.”
The sad and distraught minds of those sixty children of noble lineage who belonged to the Bodhisattva Vehicle then turned perfectly joyous. Wiping the tears from their faces, and with their bodily hairs standing on end, they petitioned the Blessed One as follows:
“Blessed One, we confess the fault of generating a hostile attitude toward individuals who belong to the Bodhisattva Vehicle, and we also confess any other obscurations of karma we have amassed.
“Blessed One, from today onward, we make the following promises in the presence of the Thus-Gone One:
“Blessed One, from today onward, if we should speak of the failings, no matter whether they are many or few, of individuals belonging to the Bodhisattva Vehicle, then we will have betrayed the thus-gone, worthy, and perfect Buddha.
“Blessed One, from today onward, if we should insult individuals who belong to the Bodhisattva Vehicle or speak rudely to them, then we will have betrayed the thus-gone, worthy, and perfect Buddha.
“Blessed One, from today onward, if we see individuals who belong to the Bodhisattva Vehicle, whether they are lay or ordained, amusing themselves with and enjoying the five sense pleasures, and this makes us lose faith, such that we become disrespectful or unable to perceive them as teachers, then we will have betrayed the Thus-Gone One.
“Blessed One, from today onward, if we physically or mentally harm individuals belonging to the Bodhisattva Vehicle on account of the households of their friends and relatives or the households of their patrons, then we will have betrayed the Thus-Gone One.
“Blessed One, from today onward, if even a single unpleasant word slips from our mouths upon seeing an individual belonging to the Bodhisattva Vehicle, then we will have betrayed the Thus-Gone One.
“Blessed One, from today onward, if we fail to pay homage to individuals belonging to the Bodhisattva Vehicle three times during the day and three times at night, then we will have betrayed the Thus-Gone One.
“Blessed One, from today onward, if we are unwilling to sacrifice a kingdom or a fortune, or to risk life and limb, for the sake of this disciplined conduct to which we have committed, then we will have betrayed the Thus-Gone One.
“Blessed One, from today onward, if we demean individuals belonging to the Hearer or Solitary Buddha Vehicles, thinking, ‘We most assuredly are not like them!’ then we will have betrayed the Thus-Gone One.
“Blessed One, from today onward, if we do not maintain an attitude of humility, as if we were outcasts or dogs, then we will have betrayed the Thus-Gone One.
“Blessed One, from today onward, if we praise ourselves or criticize others, then we will have betrayed the Thus-Gone One.
“Blessed One, from today onward, if we are at risk of becoming involved in conflict and dispute and we do not immediately distance ourselves from it by a mile or a hundred miles, then we will have betrayed the Thus-Gone One.
“Blessed One, from today onward, if we claim to have good discipline, or refer to ourselves as well educated or well trained, or as having any good qualities at all, then we will have betrayed the Thus-Gone One.
“Blessed One, from today onward, if we do not refrain from boasting of our virtues and concealing our faults, then we will have betrayed the thus-gone, worthy, and perfect Buddha.”
Then the Blessed One congratulated those individuals belonging to the Bodhisattva Vehicle, saying, “Well said! Well said, children of noble lineage! Well said! You have spoken well! This commitment is well made. If you abide by this commitment, your obscurations of karma will be purified, and you likewise will acquire pure roots of virtue.”
At that point the Blessed One addressed the bodhisattva great being Maitreya: “Maitreya, sons or daughters of noble lineage who wish to purify their obscurations of karma should make just the type of commitment these children of noble lineage have made.”
Then the bodhisattva great being Maitreya asked the Blessed One, “Blessed One, will these children of noble lineage fulfill this commitment, or will they abandon it? Please tell me.”
“Maitreya, these children of noble lineage will never abandon their commitment, even at the cost of life and limb.”
Then the bodhisattva great being Maitreya asked the Blessed One, “Blessed One, during the final half-millennium, when the sacred Dharma is perishing, if an individual who belongs to the Bodhisattva Vehicle possesses certain qualities, will that person then be spared harm and injury, and readily attain liberation?”
The Blessed One responded to the question posed by the bodhisattva great being Maitreya in this way: “Maitreya, if an individual who belongs to the Bodhisattva Vehicle possesses four qualities, then during the final half-millennium, when the sacred Dharma is perishing, that person will be spared harm and injury, and will be liberated without difficulty. What are the four? (1) Recognizing one’s own mistakes, (2) not discussing the faults of others who belong to the Bodhisattva Vehicle, (3) paying no attention to the households of friends and relatives and the households of patrons, and (4) abandoning unpleasant speech. Maitreya, if an individual who belongs to the Bodhisattva Vehicle possesses those four qualities, then during the final half-millennium, when the sacred Dharma is perishing, that person will be spared harm and injury, and will be liberated without difficulty.
“Moreover, Maitreya, if someone who belongs to the Bodhisattva Vehicle possesses another four qualities, then during the final half-millennium, when the sacred Dharma is perishing, that person will be spared harm and injury, and will be liberated without difficulty. What are these other four? (1) Avoiding beings who are of little learning, (2) not collecting followers, (3) taking shelter in sparsely inhabited places, and (4) diligently training oneself to be disciplined and peaceful and to remain tranquil.
“Maitreya, if someone who belongs to the Bodhisattva Vehicle possesses these other four qualities, then during the final half-millennium, when the sacred Dharma is perishing, that person will be spared harm and injury, and will be liberated without difficulty.
“Maitreya, because sons or daughters of noble lineage who belong to the Bodhisattva Vehicle will want to be spared harm and injury, be liberated without difficulty, and exhaust entirely their obscurations of karma during the final half-millennium when the sacred Dharma is perishing, they should (1) dislike social diversions, (2) stay in the wilderness, in forests, and in sparsely inhabited places, (3) avoid beings who lack noble lineage or diligence, (4) reflect on their own mistakes and not look for mistakes in others, (5) enjoy silence, and, (6) through the perfection of insight, enjoy being at rest.
“If the wish to converse with others ever arises within them, then they should offer them the gift of Dharma while remaining free of materialistic interest.
“Maitreya, giving the gift of Dharma without materialistic interest, without the desire for offerings or respect, confers twenty benefits. These twenty are as follows:
“One will (1) have mindfulness, (2) have intelligence, (3) be judicious, (4) gain stability, (5) possess insight, (6) realize supermundane insight, (7) have less desire, (8) have less anger, (9) have less delusion, (10) become invulnerable to māras, (11) come to the attention of the blessed buddhas, (12) be guarded by nonhuman spirits, (13) be favored with splendor by the gods, (14) become invincible to enemies, and (15) not be separated from friends and relatives; (16) one’s word will be sacrosanct; (17) one will become fearless; (18) one’s mind will grow happier; (19) one will be honored by the wise; and (20) one’s offerings of the Dharma will become worthy of commemoration as well.
“And so, Maitreya, these twenty are the benefits that accrue when one offers the Dharma free of materialistic interest, having rejected all interest in gain or respect, and without hoping to get food or clothing, simply motivated by an altruistic intent to offer the gift of Dharma continually and repeatedly.
“Maitreya, offering the Dharma with an attitude that is free of materialistic interest has another twenty benefits. What are these twenty?
“(1) Intellectual prowess will be born in one formerly without it; (2) that prowess, once born, will not be lost; (3) one will possess the integrity necessary to gain the power of retention; (4) one will accomplish the aims of many beings with little difficulty; (5) one will become respectfully venerated by beings with little difficulty; (6) one will achieve physical restraint; (7) one will achieve verbal restraint; (8) one will achieve mental restraint; (9) one will pass beyond the fear of inferior rebirth; (10) one will make death an occasion for great joy; (11) one will defeat all challengers in a manner consistent with the Dharma; (12) even beings of high status will be overwhelmed by one’s majesty, let alone common folk; (13) one’s faculties will become unassailable; (14) one will adhere to the highest and finest intentions; (15) one will gain tranquility and special insight; (16) one will bring rigorous training to perfection; (17) one’s diligence will become unrelenting; (18) one will protect the sacred Dharma at all times; (19) one will quickly arrive at the level of a non-returner; and (20) one will be in harmony with all the conduct of bodhisattvas.
“Maitreya, these twenty are additional benefits that derive from offering the Dharma with an attitude free of materialistic interest.
“Maitreya, in the future, Dharma offered with materialistic interest by those who belong to the Bodhisattva Vehicle will be highly appreciated, whereas Dharma offered without materialistic interest will not. Those with faulty discernment will rely on such teachers!
“For their part, those teachers will depend upon the households of friends and relatives and the households of patrons and will offer them the gift of Dharma in a manner that is calculated to elicit their trust and respect. Dispensing with offering the Dharma while free of materialistic interest, they will teach the Dharma to others for the sake of clothing, food, bedding, cushions, curative medicines, and other useful items.
“Maitreya, it is like this. If, for instance, some person had hunks of putrid, rotting flesh hung around his neck, whether from the corpse of a dog, a human, or a monkey, he would wish to clean himself. And so, with embarrassment and revulsion, he would seek to rid himself of them. In the same way, those future teachers will be embarrassed and appalled by the prospect of offering the Dharma without obtaining material benefit. Once they realize there is nothing to be gained, they will be disappointed, refuse to teach, and leave.
“Wondering, ‘Why are they not giving us any food or clothing?’ and saying, ‘There is no reason for us to offer the Dharma; we really would rather not be stuck here for no reason,’ they will proceed to gather students for the sake of further adorning themselves, and not for the sake of attracting more and more beings to the Dharma. They will claim, ‘We gather followers only out of love, and so we have no need at all for them to serve and respect us. Because of our altruistic principles, in order to bring beings to maturity, we spend all our time visiting villages, towns, cities, states, and royal palaces’; and so they will promote themselves to many people. What they have in mind, however, is to go searching for food and clothing.
“Maitreya, now, I would not speak of a desirous mind bringing beings to maturity. Why not? Because, if one has not even matured oneself—a state that is not so easy to attain—then bringing other beings to maturity is out of the question.
“Maitreya, I would not call preoccupation with being served, and contamination from the pleasures of being physically served, helpfulness. Why not? Because, if one gathers followers in order to be made physically comfortable by their service, one is not concerned with whether they are practicing earnestly.
“Maitreya, I would not call such a hypocrite someone dwelling in isolation. I would not call having little merit having few needs. I would not call longing for fine food collecting alms.
“I would not call longing for beautiful clothes wearing robes made of discarded rags. I would not say that one who mixes lay with monastic life lacks entanglement. I would not call a charlatan the manifestation of a buddha. I would not say that looking for faults in others is being diligent in one’s practice.
“I would not say that continually losing your temper is compiling pure discipline. I would not call a prideful person learned. I would not call someone who holds a bias an upholder of the Vinaya. I would not call an intemperate person a Dharma teacher. I would not call socializing with laypeople discharging one’s administrative duties purely.
“I would not call selecting patrons being free from material needs. I would not call hoping for reciprocal benefit a method of attraction. I would not call desire for reward and respect pure motivation.
“I would not call having more and more doubt taking ordination. I would not say that being a contrarian is pursuing one’s training.
“I would not call showing disrespect offering the Dharma. I would not call being obsessed with worldly spells delighting in the Dharma. I would not call applying no effort toward realizing emptiness, emancipation.
“I would not say that failing to practice is performing one’s duties. Nor would I say that one who does not practice is perfecting the branches of awakening.
“I would not call a conceptual point of reference true realization. I would not call powerlessness the perfection of patience. I would not say that those who never have been tested wear the armor of the power of patience.
“I would not call having a naturally low libido the asceticism of maintaining pure conduct. I would not call failing to get anything done doing what one has committed to do.
“Conversely, I would not say that one with pure motivation is falling into the lower realms. I would not call acting with insight reckless conduct. I would not call someone who possesses skill a fraud.
“I would not call someone who lacks desire for gain or respect an inveterate liar. I would not call maintaining neutrality rejecting the Dharma. I would not call wanting to protect the sacred Dharma at all costs attachment to life and limb. I would not call being timid having no pride.
“Maitreya, such deceitful expressions, in the final half-millennium, will turn bodhisattvas barbarous; therefore, they must properly comprehend them and, having comprehended, must reject them.”
Then the bodhisattva great being Maitreya asked the Blessed One, “Blessed One, will these sixty bodhisattvas be obscured by short-lived obscurations of karma, or will they be obscured in some other fashion?”
The Blessed One responded to the bodhisattva Maitreya, “Maitreya, in the final half-millennium, most bodhisattvas will be obscured by obscurations of karma. Some of those bodhisattvas will exhaust their obscurations of karma. Some will increase them.
“Maitreya, furthermore, among these particular sixty bodhisattvas, there are twenty bodhisattvas who have only minor obscurations of karma, or slight obscurations of karma, and these will take rebirth during the final half-millennium in different villages and towns and in a variety of castes, where they will be learned, circumspect, upright, wise, and skillful. They will be broad-minded, richly beneficial to others, very compassionate, and handsome and lovely to behold. They will not put their virtues on display, will hide their qualities, and will be stable in their conduct. Taking ordination out of these various castes, they will train toward unsurpassed and perfect awakening over uncountable eons, and they will preserve and uphold this ordination, even risking life and limb, as they dwell in wildernesses, jungles, and sparsely populated places, without interest in gain or respect. They will always be diligent, superbly diligent, skillful in relating to the ways of beings, expert in secret mantra and scholarly treatises, very quick learners, expert in special insight, and of flawless acumen.
“Having acquired unfailing retention, through the power and blessings of the buddhas they will teach the Dharma to the four retinues and will be well versed in all the classes of teaching by the Thus-Gone One, namely, sūtra s, verse narrations, prophecies, poetic verses, aphorisms, ethical narrations, narrative discourses, parables, past-life stories, extensive sayings, marvels, and resolutions.
“At that time, those twenty highly skilled bodhisattvas will be authorized masters and authorized scholars of the Dharma, such that when they assert, ‘I have absorbed this Dharma discourse from the master So-and-So and from the scholar So-and-So,’ those holy persons will never have cause to be troubled.
“At that time, there also will appear certain unskillful bodhisattvas who will be conceited about their own virtues and, being complacent and haughty, will have no regard for those twenty. They will seek to promote themselves, and so will not uphold the sacred Dharma.
“They will even castigate them, saying, ‘The Dharma you have taught is the product of your own cleverness, not what the Thus-Gone One taught. This Dharma is just your own spurious creation. Since the Dharma that you teach is merely fabricated on your own authority, your teaching should be neither respected nor revered.’ This will cause many beings to reject their Dharma discourses, and because of such remarks, many will lose interest in the Dharma.
“They will go even further, saying, ‘Those monks are engaged in the material pursuit of donations, rather than in teaching the Dharma found in the sūtras and the vinaya. This is not the proper Dharma, so do not show reverence toward it!’
“Those with poor discernment simply will not understand that whatever qualifies as a well-spoken statement—no matter what it is—is the word of the Buddha. Because they are under the spell of Māra, they will reject the Dharma of those Dharma-holding monks, and so will accumulate the karma of abandoning the Dharma. Through accumulating the karma of abandoning the Dharma, they will fall into lower realms.
“Maitreya, in light of that, bodhisattvas who wish to safeguard the sacred Dharma must become skilled in method. No matter what, they must be very careful not to provoke feelings of hostility in those who have differing dispositions.”
The bodhisattva great being Maitreya then said to the Blessed One, “Blessed One, in that way, during the final half-millennium, when the sacred Dharma is perishing, such bodhisattvas with weak sensibility will come to the fore. Though ostensibly pursuing virtuosity, at the same time they will take no interest in those who actually possess it; and while they seek as well the power of retention, they will nonetheless denigrate the Dharma of monks who do retain the Dharma. Incredible, isn’t it?
“Blessed One, to offer an analogy, it is as though a person goes out searching for water from a spring, a well, or a lake, and when he gets there, he defecates in it, after which he thinks to draw the water out.
“When the foul odor of the water reaches his nose, it doesn’t occur to him that the smell is his own fault, as he exclaims, ‘Oh my, this water stinks!’ Instead, he blames the water for being bad.
“Blessed One, in this analogy, where, through the power of the Buddha, there are Dharma-teaching monks who have confident command over the system of Dharma teachings, they are like the spring, the well, or the lake. Blessed One, those bodhisattvas who will come to the fore in the final half-millennium are just like people of childish nature who defecate into the springs, wells, or lakes, and then when they seek to draw water out, find fault with that water; similarly, having faulty discernment, they will discredit those who teach the Dharma and discredit even the Dharma itself. And although they are the ones who have discredited it, they will still believe that they are seeking the taste of the Dharma. And without comprehending their own error, with a faulty sense of hearing, they will criticize and show contempt for those Dharma-holding monks, saying, ‘Look at how these monks teaching the Dharma are betrayed by their many faults!’ They will revile the taste of the Dharma conveyed by those Dharma-teaching monks and look for its mistakes, dismiss it with distaste, and turn their backs on it.”
The Blessed One then commended the bodhisattva great being Maitreya, saying, “Splendid! Wonderful, Maitreya! This example you have explained expresses very well how not to search for mistakes, and how to be free of any faults.
“Maitreya, in addition, one should understand that any discourse that satisfies four conditions is what the Buddha spoke. What are the four? Maitreya, they are (1) when the discourse is meaningful instead of meaningless, (2) when it contains the Dharma as opposed to not containing the Dharma, (3) when it makes defilements decrease and does not make defilements increase, and (4) when it teaches the qualities and benefits of nirvāṇa and does not increase the defects of saṃsāra. Maitreya, one should know that any discourse is what the Buddha spoke when it possesses these four factors.
“Maitreya, no matter whether a discourse endowed with these four factors is offered, or to be offered, by a monk, a nun, or a male or female lay precept-holder, faithful sons or daughters of noble lineage should perceive that person to be the Buddha; perceiving them as the Teacher, they should listen to the sacred Dharma. If you wonder why that is so, Maitreya, it is because everything that is well spoken—no matter what it is—is what the Buddha taught.
“Maitreya, when someone says, ‘This is not what the Buddha taught,’ because they feel hostility toward the speaker, then that person has rejected those four conditions and caused them to be disrespected. That person has thereby rejected all discourses that are the teaching of the Buddha. Having rejected the Dharma, that person accumulates the karma of abandoning the Dharma, and so is destined for the lower realms. Maitreya, since this is the case, faithful sons or daughters of noble family who want to avoid the karma of rejecting the Dharma should never feel hostility toward the Dharma out of hostility for an individual.
“Maitreya, the following four types of discourse are rejected by the buddhas. Maitreya, what are the four? They are (1) when a discourse is meaningless rather than meaningful, (2) when it does not contain the Dharma as opposed to containing the Dharma, (3) when it makes defilements increase rather than decrease, and (4) when it increases the defects of saṃsāra rather than teaching the qualities and benefits of nirvāṇa. Maitreya, these four types of discourse have been rejected and are not sanctioned by the buddhas.”
Then the bodhisattva great being Maitreya asked the Blessed One, “Blessed One, if it is the case that the buddhas have not approved of discourse that causes saṃsāra to increase, how is it that the Blessed One taught that defilements are good for bodhisattvas, in order for them to perfect the branches of awakening? And how is it that he recommended that they embrace saṃsāra as well? Or else, Blessed One, are such teachings not those of the Buddha after all?”
In response, the Blessed One asked, “Maitreya, what do you think about this? Is there meaning, or is there no meaning, in my teaching that defilements are helpful for bodhisattvas, to aid them in perfecting the branches of awakening, and in my teaching recommending that they embrace saṃsāra?”
He answered, “Since the Blessed One speaks perfectly, if he says that bodhisattvas should appreciate defilements, so that they might perfect the branches of awakening, then it certainly is meaningful, and it certainly contains the Dharma. Consequently, it is undoubtedly the speech of he who speaks perfectly.”
The Blessed One replied, “Maitreya, since that is so, as is the case with the teaching that defilements support bodhisattvas in perfecting the branches of awakening, and the express injunction to embrace saṃsāra, one must recognize that whatever is well spoken is what the Buddha spoke. Why is that? Maitreya, those matters that are the exclusive province of bodhisattvas with masterful command over the Dharma do not apply to hearers and solitary buddhas. As bodhisattvas will not experience them as defilements, defilements will not harm them.
“Maitreya, although that is so, defilements are not beneficial for others. For them they do not serve the purpose of perfecting the factors of awakening, have no value, and produce not even the slightest trace of virtue. Others must not succumb to the power of those very defilements for which bodhisattvas will risk even life and limb. And why is that? Because, Maitreya, teachings on defilements for bodhisattvas who have attained the power of wisdom are one thing, while teachings for those on levels at which the powers of bodhisattvas have not yet developed are a different matter.”
The bodhisattva great being Maitreya then said to the Blessed One, “As I understand the meaning of what the Blessed One has stated, bodhisattvas who seek not to create further obscurations of karma, who strive to purify their obscurations of karma, and who seek to be liberated easily, without harm or injury, will therefore have to take interest in all bodhisattva conduct in the final half-millennium, and practice it more and more, without reservation. They must not look for faults in others, must embrace all that is beneficial, and must focus on what is most essential.”
The Blessed One replied, “Maitreya, it is just so. Bodhisattvas will have to increase the scope of their bodhisattva conduct, without any reservations. Why is that? Maitreya, it is because the experience of bodhisattvas who enjoy superior discernment is entirely at odds with the rest of the world.
“As an analogy, Maitreya, while the conduct of stream enterers may resemble that of ordinary beings, they are not stained by the faults of ordinary, immature beings. You see, whereas desire, anger, and obliviousness cause childish, ordinary beings to fall into the lower realms, desire, anger, and obliviousness do not cause stream enterers to fall into the lower realms, since they have realized the nature of the transitory assemblage.
“Similarly, Maitreya, since they have not yet eliminated habitual tendencies, bodhisattvas who enjoy superior discernment may yet be caught unaware by desire and aversion, but their situation is quite different from that of childish, ordinary beings. Why is that? Latent tendencies do not thoroughly ensnare or occupy their minds; and so, their situation is not at all comparable to that of ordinary, immature beings, or bodhisattvas who have dim faculties and are not sharp in their renunciation.
“Maitreya, even though some among the faults of bodhisattva great beings who exercise fine discernment may be quite serious, through the power of insight they pulverize them, and so those faults never cause them to fall into lower realms.
“Maitreya, as an analogy, if you add a large bundle of sticks to a raging bonfire, the more you add, the longer and greater the blaze will grow; but they will not extinguish the fire. In just that way, Maitreya, the more fuel of defilements you add to the blazing insight of bodhisattvas who exercise insight, the more the fire of insight will blaze, without ever being extinguished or exhausted.
“Maitreya, since that is the case, from this description it should also be clear to you how the experience of bodhisattvas who enjoy superior discernment is entirely at odds with the rest of the world.”
The bodhisattva great being Maitreya then asked the Blessed One, “Blessed One, since they leave their homes behind seeking to develop their power of insight, which traits should fledgling bodhisattvas reject? Upon which traits should they rely? By respectively rejecting and relying upon which traits will they generate the power of insight—generate it where it hasn’t been generated before, and further increase the power of insight and prevent it from weakening where it already has been generated?”
The Blessed One replied to this question posed by the bodhisattva great being Maitreya as follows: “Maitreya, fledgling bodhisattvas who leave their homes behind and are developing their powers of insight should reject gain and honor and see the fault in gain and honor. They should give up their enjoyment of social diversions and see the fault in enjoying social diversions.
“They should give up their enjoyment of conversation and see the faults in enjoying conversation. They should no longer like to sleep and see the fault in liking to sleep. They should stop liking activity and see the fault in liking activity. They should stop enjoying excess and see the harm in enjoying excess.