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The Tibetan for “a courtesan’s daughter” (smad ’tshong ma’i bu mo) could also be interpreted as “a girl who was a courtesan.” Her name in Sanskrit is reconstructed from the Tibetan (gser mchog ’od dpal) and not attested in any manuscript. For detailed notes on both points see Braarvig 2010, notes 1 and 2 in the translation text.
We prefer to follow the mainstream Buddhist Sanskrit usage of manuscripts and inscriptions by spelling bodhisatva with a single rather than a double t, the latter being a convention of modern editors. See Bhattacharya (2010). Note that this is also the spelling used in Gāndhārī, as well as in Khotanese, in Tibetan lexicography, and in old Thai documents.
Here the Chinese (Taishō 817) adds the following: “All of the bodhisatvas were great beings, having acquired the powers of memory and immeasurable eloquence. Whatever discursive knowledge they might establish was the noble knowledge of the three gates of liberation. Their knowledge was unobstructed in the three worlds. Their concentration was undisturbed, and they had perfected the ten powers and fearlessness.”
This question and the girl’s answer are frequently cited in the commentarial literature to support the emptiness of the sensory elements as well as of the aggregates.
This sentence is very widely quoted in the commentarial literature, both Indian and Tibetan. The Sanskrit can be found in the Śikṣāsammucaya (Toh 3940), ch. 7 (Bendall 149.5), as well as in the Bodhicaryāvatārapañjikā (Toh 3872), ch. 6 (Bcp 91): pratighaḥ pratigha iti kalpaśatopacitaṃ kuśalamūlaṃ pratihanti tenocyate pratigha iti. The etymological relationships are lost in translation: “anger / hostility (pratigha) is called ‘anger / hostility’ because it destroys (pratihanti) the roots of virtue collected for a hundred eons, and on that account it is called ‘anger / hostility.’ ” As well as being an important doctrinal point, this sentence also constitutes a canonical gloss for the term pratigha, which has the more general meaning of “hostility” or “aversion” compared to the standard Tibetan translation (specified in Mahāvyutpatti S.1945), khong khro ba, “anger.”
The Sanskrit of this question and response are found cited in Kamalaśīla’s Bhāvanākrama III Bhk 235 (Toh 3917): mañjuśrīr uvāca kathaṃ dārike bodhisatvo vijitasaṃgrāmo bhavati | āha yo mañjuśrīr vicīya sarvadharmān nopalabhate.
The fivefold basic grouping of the components out of which the world and the personal self are formed.
King of Magadha and son of the king Bimbisāra. While he was a prince, he became friends with Devadatta, who convinced him to have his father killed and become the king instead. After his father’s death, he became tormented with guilt and regret, converted to Buddhism, and supported the compilation of the Buddha’s teachings during the First Council.
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.
The ancient Indian army was composed of four branches (caturaṅga)—infantry, cavalry, chariots, and elephants.
See also “anger.”
A banker’s son who purchases the favors of the courtesan’s daughter Suvarṇottamaprabhāśrī in The Miraculous Play of Mañjuśrī sūtra.
This term in its broadest sense can refer to any being, whether human, animal, or nonhuman. However, it is often used to refer to a specific class of nonhuman beings, especially when bhūtas are mentioned alongside rākṣasas, piśācas, or pretas. In common with these other kinds of nonhumans, bhūtas are usually depicted with unattractive and misshapen bodies. Like several other classes of nonhuman beings, bhūtas take spontaneous birth. As their leader is traditionally regarded to be Rudra-Śiva (also known by the name Bhūta), with whom they haunt dangerous and wild places, bhūtas are especially prominent in Śaivism, where large sections of certain tantras concentrate on them.
A high-ranking deity presiding over a divine world; he is also considered to be the lord of the Sahā world (our universe). Though not considered a creator god in Buddhism, Brahmā occupies an important place as one of two gods (the other being Indra/Śakra) said to have first exhorted the Buddha Śākyamuni to teach the Dharma. The particular heavens found in the form realm over which Brahmā rules are often some of the most sought-after realms of higher rebirth in Buddhist literature. Since there are many universes or world systems, there are also multiple Brahmās presiding over them. His most frequent epithets are “Lord of the Sahā World” (sahāṃpati) and Great Brahmā (mahābrahman).
Varyingly, “the sphere of dharmas,” “the base of dharmas,” “the realm of dharmas”—a synonym for the nature of phenomena.
A class of generally benevolent nonhuman beings who inhabit the skies, sometimes said to inhabit fantastic cities in the clouds, and more specifically to dwell on the eastern slopes of Mount Meru, where they are ruled by the Great King Dhṛtarāṣṭra. They are most renowned as celestial musicians who serve the gods. In the Abhidharma, the term is also used to refer to the mental body assumed by sentient beings during the intermediate state between death and rebirth. Gandharvas are said to live on fragrances (gandha) in the desire realm, hence the Tibetan translation dri za, meaning “scent eater.”
In Indian mythology, the garuḍa is an eagle-like bird that is regarded as the king of all birds, normally depicted with a sharp, owl-like beak, often holding a snake, and with large and powerful wings. They are traditionally enemies of the nāgas. In the Vedas, they are said to have brought nectar from the heavens to earth. Garuḍa can also be used as a proper name for a king of such creatures.
The term used for renunciation and the taking of vows as a novice, monk, or nun at the vinaya or pratimokṣa level of Buddhist practice.
A guardian of one of the four cardinal directions.
Name of the banker’s son Bhayadatta when he becomes a bodhisatva, according to a prophecy of the Buddha.
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.”
One of the six heavens of the desire realm.
A class of nonhuman beings that resemble humans to the degree that their very name—which means “is that human?”—suggests some confusion as to their divine status. Kinnaras are mythological beings found in both Buddhist and Brahmanical literature, where they are portrayed as creatures half human, half animal. They are often depicted as highly skilled celestial musicians.
An ancient Indian kingdom that lay to the south of the Ganges River in what today is the state of Bihar. Magadha was the largest of the sixteen “great states” (mahājanapada) that flourished between the sixth and third centuries ʙᴄᴇ in northern India. During the life of the Buddha Śākyamuni, it was ruled by King Bimbisāra and later by Bimbisāra's son, Ajātaśatru. Its capital was initially Rājagṛha (modern-day Rajgir) but was later moved to Pāṭaliputra (modern-day Patna). Over the centuries, with the expansion of the Magadha’s might, it became the capital of the vast Mauryan empire and seat of the great King Aśoka.
This region is home to many of the most important Buddhist sites, including Bodh Gayā, where the Buddha attained awakening; Vulture Peak (Gṛdhrakūṭa), where the Buddha bestowed many well-known Mahāyāna sūtras; and the Buddhist university of Nālandā that flourished between the fifth and twelfth centuries ᴄᴇ, among many others.
Literally “great serpents,” mahoragas are supernatural beings depicted as large, subterranean beings with human torsos and heads and the lower bodies of serpents. Their movements are said to cause earthquakes, and they make up a class of subterranean geomantic spirits whose movement through the seasons and months of the year is deemed significant for construction projects.
One of the five trees of Indra’s paradise, its heavenly flowers often rain down in salutation of the buddhas and bodhisattvas and are said to be very bright and aromatic, gladdening the hearts of those who see them. In our world, it is a tree native to India, Erythrina indica or Erythrina variegata, commonly known as the Indian coral tree, mandarava tree, flame tree, and tiger’s claw. In the early spring, before its leaves grow, the tree is fully covered in large flowers, which are rich in nectar and attract many birds. Although the most widespread coral tree has red crimson flowers, the color of the blossoms is not usually mentioned in the sūtras themselves, and it may refer to some other kinds, like the rarer Erythrina indica alba, which boasts white flowers.
An alternate name for Mañjuśrī.
Mañjuśrī is one of the “eight close sons of the Buddha” and a bodhisattva who embodies wisdom. He is a major figure in the Mahāyāna sūtras, appearing often as an interlocutor of the Buddha. In his most well-known iconographic form, he is portrayed bearing the sword of wisdom in his right hand and a volume of the Prajñāpāramitāsūtra in his left. To his name, Mañjuśrī, meaning “Gentle and Glorious One,” is often added the epithet Kumārabhūta, “having a youthful form.” He is also called Mañjughoṣa, Mañjusvara, and Pañcaśikha.
Māra, literally “death” or “maker of death,” is the name of the deva who tried to prevent the Buddha from achieving awakening, the name given to the class of beings he leads, and also an impersonal term for the destructive forces that keep beings imprisoned in saṃsāra:
(1) As a deva, Māra is said to be the principal deity in the Heaven of Making Use of Others’ Emanations (paranirmitavaśavartin), the highest paradise in the desire realm. He famously attempted to prevent the Buddha’s awakening under the Bodhi tree—see The Play in Full (Toh 95), 21.1—and later sought many times to thwart the Buddha’s activity. In the sūtras, he often also creates obstacles to the progress of śrāvakas and bodhisattvas. (2) The devas ruled over by Māra are collectively called mārakāyika or mārakāyikadevatā, the “deities of Māra’s family or class.” In general, these māras too do not wish any being to escape from saṃsāra, but can also change their ways and even end up developing faith in the Buddha, as exemplified by Sārthavāha; see The Play in Full (Toh 95), 21.14 and 21.43. (3) The term māra can also be understood as personifying four defects that prevent awakening, called (i) the divine māra (devaputramāra), which is the distraction of pleasures; (ii) the māra of Death (mṛtyumāra), which is having one’s life interrupted; (iii) the māra of the aggregates (skandhamāra), which is identifying with the five aggregates; and (iv) the māra of the afflictions (kleśamāra), which is being under the sway of the negative emotions of desire, hatred, and ignorance.
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.
One category of Dharma protectors in Buddhism.
The ancient capital of Magadha prior to its relocation to Pāṭaliputra during the Mauryan dynasty, Rājagṛha is one of the most important locations in Buddhist history. The literature tells us that the Buddha and his saṅgha spent a considerable amount of time in residence in and around Rājagṛha—in nearby places, such as the Vulture Peak Mountain (Gṛdhrakūṭaparvata), a major site of the Mahāyāna sūtras, and the Bamboo Grove (Veṇuvana)—enjoying the patronage of King Bimbisāra and then of his son King Ajātaśatru. Rājagṛha is also remembered as the location where the first Buddhist monastic council was held after the Buddha Śākyamuni passed into parinirvāṇa. Now known as Rajgir and located in the modern Indian state of Bihar.
The name of a world sphere (’jig rten gyi khams).
Name of Suvarṇottamaprabhāśrī when she reaches perfect awakening, according to a prophecy of the Buddha.
Name of the banker’s son Bhayadatta when he reaches perfect awakening, according to a prophecy of the tathāgata Ratnaprabha.
Future name of the banker’s son Bhayadatta, according to a prophecy of the Buddha.
The lord of the gods in the Heaven of the Thirty-Three (trāyastriṃśa). Alternatively known as Indra, the deity that is called “lord of the gods” dwells on the summit of Mount Sumeru and wields the thunderbolt. The Tibetan translation brgya byin (meaning “one hundred sacrifices”) is based on an etymology that śakra is an abbreviation of śata-kratu, one who has performed a hundred sacrifices. Each world with a central Sumeru has a Śakra. Also known by other names such as Kauśika, Devendra, and Śacipati.
These can be listed as twelve or as six sense sources (sometimes also called sense fields, bases of cognition, or simply āyatanas).
In the context of epistemology, it is one way of describing experience and the world in terms of twelve sense sources, which can be divided into inner and outer sense sources, namely: (1–2) eye and form, (3–4) ear and sound, (5–6) nose and odor, (7–8) tongue and taste, (9–10) body and touch, (11–12) mind and mental phenomena.
In the context of the twelve links of dependent origination, only six sense sources are mentioned, and they are the inner sense sources (identical to the six faculties) of eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind.
One way of describing experience and the world in terms of eighteen elements (eye and form, ear and sound, nose and odor, tongue and taste, body and touch, and mind and mental objects, to which the six consciousnesses are added).
Literally, “buddha for oneself” or “solitary realizer.” Someone who, in his or her last life, attains awakening entirely through their own contemplation, without relying on a teacher. Unlike the awakening of a fully realized buddha (samyaksambuddha), the accomplishment of a pratyekabuddha is not regarded as final or ultimate. They attain realization of the nature of dependent origination, the selflessness of the person, and a partial realization of the selflessness of phenomena, by observing the suchness of all that arises through interdependence. This is the result of progress in previous lives but, unlike a buddha, they do not have the necessary merit, compassion or motivation to teach others. They are named as “rhinoceros-like” (khaḍgaviṣāṇakalpa) for their preference for staying in solitude or as “congregators” (vargacārin) when their preference is to stay among peers.
One of the Indian teachers invited to Tibet at the time of the emperor Ralpacan (early ninth century). He was one of the great Indian pandits who assisted the Tibetan translators such as Yeshé Dé with the translation of Buddhist texts from Sanskrit.
A courtesan’s daughter, central figure of The Miraculous Play of Mañjuśrī sūtra. Her name means “Glorious Light of Supreme Gold.” The Sanskrit name is reconstructed from the Tibetan and is not attested (see n.1).
The largest universe described in Buddhist cosmology. This term, in Abhidharma cosmology, refers to 1,000³ world systems, i.e., 1,000 “dichiliocosms” or “two thousand great thousand world realms” (dvisāhasramahāsāhasralokadhātu), which are in turn made up of 1,000 first-order world systems, each with its own Mount Sumeru, continents, sun and moon, etc.
One of the four great guardian kings, he presides over the northern direction and rules over the yakṣas.
The Gṛdhrakūṭa, literally Vulture Peak, was a hill located in the kingdom of Magadha, in the vicinity of the ancient city of Rājagṛha (modern-day Rajgir, in the state of Bihar, India), where the Buddha bestowed many sūtras, especially the Great Vehicle teachings, such as the Prajñāpāramitā sūtras. It continues to be a sacred pilgrimage site for Buddhists to this day.
According to Buddhist tradition, one who is worthy of worship (pūjām arhati), or one who has conquered the enemies, the mental afflictions (kleśa-ari-hata-vat), and reached liberation from the cycle of rebirth and suffering. It is the fourth and highest of the four fruits attainable by śrāvakas. Also used as an epithet of the Buddha.
A class of nonhuman beings who inhabit forests, mountainous areas, and other natural spaces, or serve as guardians of villages and towns, and may be propitiated for health, wealth, protection, and other boons, or controlled through magic. According to tradition, their homeland is in the north, where they live under the rule of the Great King Vaiśravaṇa.
Several members of this class have been deified as gods of wealth (these include the just-mentioned Vaiśravaṇa) or as bodhisattva generals of yakṣa armies, and have entered the Buddhist pantheon in a variety of forms, including, in tantric Buddhism, those of wrathful deities.
A prolific Tibetan translator in the eighth and ninth centuries. He was one of the twenty-five disciples of Guru Rinpoche, and he assisted with the translation of more than three hundred texts that now appear in the Kangyur and Tengyur.
’phags pa ’jam dpal rnam par rol pa zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo. Toh 96, Degé Kangyur vol. 46 (mdo sde, kha), folios 217.a–241.b.
’phags pa ’jam dpal rnam par rol pa zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo. bka’ ’gyur (dpe bsdur ma) [Comparative Edition of the Kangyur], krung go’i bod rig pa zhib ’jug ste gnas kyi bka’ bstan dpe sdur khang (The Tibetan 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), 2006–2009, vol. 46, pp. 588–654.
Dharmarakṣa (tr). 佛說大淨法門經 (Fo shuo da jing fa men jing; Chinese translation of The Miraculous Play of Mañjuśrī), Taishō 817.
Narendrayaśas (tr). 大莊嚴法門經 (Da zhuang yan fa men jing; Chinese translation of The Miraculous Play of Mañjuśrī), Taishō 818.
Bhattacharya, Gouriswar. “How to Justify the Spelling of the Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Term Bodhisatva?” In From Turfan to Ajanta: Festschrift for Dieter Schlingloff on the Occasion of his Eightieth Birthday, edited by Eli Franco and Monika Zin, vol. II, 35–50. Rupandehi: Lumbini International Research Institute, 2010.
Braarvig, Jens. Mañjuśrīvikrīḍitasūtra. University of Oslo, Faculty of Humanities, Bibliotheca Polyglotta, Thesaurus Literaturae Buddhicae, input 2010.
Dharmachakra Translation Committee. The Teaching on the Indivisible Nature of the Realm of Phenomena (Dharmadhātuprakṛtyasambhedanirdeśa, Toh 52). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2018.
The Miraculous Play of Mañjuśrī presents a series of profound teachings within a rich narrative structure involving a beautiful courtesan’s daughter, Suvarṇottamaprabhāśrī. A banker’s son has purchased her favors, but while they are riding together toward a pleasure garden the girl’s attention is captivated instead by the radiantly attractive Mañjuśrī, who gives her instructions related to the meaning of the mind set on awakening. She then expresses her new understanding in a dialogue with Mañjuśrī, in the presence of King Ajātaśatru, his retinue, and the citizens of Rājagṛha. Meanwhile the banker’s son, with the help of Mañjuśrī and Śakra, experiences his own realization and receives teaching from the Buddha himself. The sūtra deals with well-known Mahāyāna themes, but places special emphasis on the emptiness and sameness of all phenomena.
Translated by Jens Erland Braarvig, and edited by David Welsh and Fredrik Liland, at the University of Oslo. This translation was first published on the site Bibliotheca Polyglotta by the Faculty of Humanities, University of Oslo, together with an edition of the Tibetan by Jens Braarvig and the two Chinese translations. The present version has been lightly edited and annotated by the 84000 editorial team.
The translation was completed under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.
The Miraculous Play of Mañjuśrī is a typical Mahāyāna sūtra in the sense that it presents a teaching on the standard Buddhist themes of impermanence and the drawbacks of sensual desires within a narrative framework emphasizing Mahāyāna principles of emptiness and compassion. These teachings are embedded within an interesting frame story, also not unusual for the Mahāyāna style, depicting a person who is otherwise not supposed to be particularly saintly: a courtesan’s daughter named Suvarṇottamaprabhāśrī.
This girl, the most beautiful of girls, whose skin shines with a golden hue, is courted by all the boys in the city. One, the banker’s son Bhayadatta (Given to Fear), purchases her favors, but as soon as the girl sees the princely Mañjuśrī, she instantly falls for him instead. The god of riches, Vaiśravaṇa, then appears, introduces Mañjuśrī by name, and, in answer to the girl’s questions, explains what a bodhisatva is. Mañjuśrī is clad in a fine white garment, as is usual for laymen, and the girl asks the bodhisatva whether she can have it. Yes, says the great figure, “if you develop the mind of awakening.” When the courtesan’s daughter asks what that is, Mañjuśrī answers “you yourself are awakening,” and that “all beings are included in awakening.” He goes on to list in great detail all the various constituents of mind and body and to equate them all with awakening, in much the same way that the Prajñāpāramitā texts go through so many of the factors identified in the Abhidharma and point to their lack of intrinsic existence.
Mañjuśrī’s teaching on awakening here accords with the Mahāyāna conviction that truth and awakening are not found in some theoretical system, but in what we are as human beings and in compassionate action toward our fellow beings, whatever their class or status. In this way, the sūtra also goes to great lengths to argue for universal sameness. As elsewhere in the Mahāyāna scriptures, nirvāṇa is the same as saṃsāra, and so even the afflicted mental states are really the same as awakening—prefiguring a tantric world view. As our text says, “The afflicted mental states are also the adamantine basis of awakening.” This is because understanding the afflicted mental states is in fact awakening. The way to get rid of the afflicted mental states is to understand their emptiness.
Suvarṇottamaprabhāśrī now demonstrates her new understanding in public, in a dialogue with Mañjuśrī that takes place the presence of King Ajātaśatru, his entire retinue of women and warriors, and the citizens of Rājagṛha. It is even acknowledged by the Buddha himself, who is taking a walk with Ānanda on the slopes of Vulture Peak.
Having attained a level of realization, Suvarṇottamaprabhāśrī feels she should abandon her worldly, laywoman’s life and “go forth,” i.e. take vows as a nun. In an important passage (1.122 et seq.) Mañjuśrī outlines the deeper, inner meanings of going forth for a bodhisatva, and inspires five hundred bodhisatvas to go forth themselves.
Having now met the beautiful Mañjuśrī, adopted his teaching, and attained a higher goal in life, Suvarṇottamaprabhāśrī decides to teach her male friends about the mind of awakening. As a consequence of this, she follows the Mahāyāna call to work tirelessly for the education and welfare of our fellow beings, and thus, in the park where she has gone to amuse herself with the banker’s son, Bhayadatta, she transforms herself into a rotting corpse in accord with the tradition of meditation practice in which one contemplates how this frail human body ends up as a rotting cadaver. Bhayadatta, seeing his beautiful companion thus transformed, is filled with great abhorrence, and then fear—as befits his name. He is afraid not only of the ghastly sight before him but also of being punished by the king’s men, and so he tries to flee the scene and get rid of the corpse, which had been a beautiful girl only a few moments before. At this crucial juncture, the surrounding forest resounds with teachings on impermanence and the illusory nature of phenomena, and with Śakra’s help Bhayadatta turns to the Buddha for guidance. A dialogue ensues between Mañjuśrī and the Blessed One on general Mahāyāna themes. The girl is also present—her death was only a magical creation and an expedient means employed to educate the fearful boy. The boy then seeks refuge in the only reliable and lasting refuge, namely the Blessed One himself, who confirms by his teachings to him that the bodhisatva does indeed seek awakening by seeking the essence of desire, and that fear is just an illusion grounded in attachment to the false idea of a self, just as had been argued in the previous dialogues. The Buddha prophesies Bhayadatta’s future buddhahood.
The Sanskrit title of the sūtra, Mañjuśrīvikrīḍita, literally means “Mañjuśrī’s Amusement”—the verb krīḍ- (and thus also vikrīḍ-) means to amuse oneself and to have fun, but here also to play with the supernatural knowledges and states of meditation. This word also often has a sexual connotation. Mañjuśrī’s games, however, have as their purpose the education of all living beings about awakening and the mind of awakening, and so even the flirtatious games of a courtesan may be transformed into those of a bodhisatva. But although this sūtra might thus appear to be directed mainly toward a lay audience, with the girl even asking in which religious group (gaṇa) the Mahāyāna teachings are to be found—evidently referring to a lay group rather than the saṅgha—its emphasis is on the importance of real engagement and inner transformation rather than on advocating any particular outer lifestyle. As Mañjuśrī says, in tune with the message of the text, when his new pupil asks him to help her adopt the monastic way of life (1.123), “It is like this, sister. Shaving the hair on your head is not equivalent to going forth as it pertains to the bodhisatva. Why not? Girl, bodhisatvas go forth by means of the effort to eliminate the afflicted mental states of all beings.”
The ideal set out here is to engage compassionately in ordinary life with all its imperfections rather than to retreat into isolation. The obligation of the bodhisatva that is espoused here is to practice the altruistic social virtues of compassion, friendliness, and so forth, rather than leading a silent life of meditation. This takes us to the core of the Mahāyāna ideology, shared by a great number of Mahāyāna sūtras: Anyone—courtesans or powerful laymen, even those living licentious lives—may be great bodhisatvas who have sought such rebirths for the sake of their fellow beings. Birth is really an illusion, suffering is really emptiness, and great compassion is the means by which to reach this radical acceptance, this understanding, which is the same as awakening.
The sūtra seems to have been relatively well known in India, being cited in a number of Indian treatises. Apart from these fragmentary citations, however, no Sanskrit version has yet come to light. The text was translated from Sanskrit into Chinese by Dharmarakṣa in 314
The sūtra’s placement, at least in Kangyurs of the Tshalpa (tshal pa) lineage, among the first few works in the General Sūtra section suggests that it was held in high esteem. Several of its passages are widely quoted in the Tibetan commentarial literature, and its statement about the destructive effect of anger on stores of merit (1.112) is particularly well known.
In producing this translation, we have based our work on the edited Tibetan text published at the Bibliotheca Polyglotta, University of Oslo (Braarvig 2010), in consultation with the two Chinese translations, which are also reproduced there and aligned with the Tibetan. Comprehensive notes detailing the variant readings of the Tibetan text in different Kangyurs can be found in that edition and have not been reproduced here.
[B1] Homage to all buddhas and bodhisatvas!
Thus did I hear at one time. Once, the Blessed One was staying at Vulture Peak in Rājagṛha with a great community of some five hundred monks, and with eight thousand bodhisatvas.
At that time, a courtesan’s daughter, Suvarṇottamaprabhāśrī, who was beautiful, charming, and attractive, was living in the great city of Rājagṛha. Her beautiful complexion was the most abundant of her riches. Because of the roots of virtue she had previously developed, that girl, whose body was the color of gold, was illumined by a light of a similar golden color wherever she stood, sat, or walked. Whatever clothes she put on, whether they were red or white, would shine with precisely the same golden color. That girl was a beloved and comforting friend to all people, and they never tired of looking at her. She had such gentle speech—tender, soft, sweet, and pleasant—and her ever-smiling face, never bunched up in anger, won the respect of all. There was no harshness or roughness in her. All the young princes, the young sons of ministers, the young sons of bankers, and the young sons of householders in the great city of Rājagṛha desired her greatly. She was always in their thoughts, and no matter how much they saw of her, they were never satisfied. Wherever that courtesan’s daughter Suvarṇottamaprabhāśrī went—to gardens, to rivers, to lotus ponds, to houses, to boulevards, or to marketplaces—men, women, boys, and girls assembled and followed her out of curiosity.
One day, a banker’s son named Bhayadatta used some of his wealth to hire the courtesan’s daughter, Suvarṇottamaprabhāśrī. Setting out for a garden, they sat down on a pleasant seat that had been prepared for them in a carriage drawn by four horses, which was decorated with jewels, pearls, cat’s eye gems, and gold, with raised parasols, flags, and banners. It was adorned with flowers, incense, perfume, aromatic powder, and garlands, and its windows were adorned with campaka flowers. The carriage was drawn along by people in front whose thoughts were devoted only to playing around and having fun, accompanied by cymbals and drums, and everyone behind it carried all kinds of things for enjoyment and pleasure. A great crowd of people followed, intent on seeing the woman who so aroused their curiosity, and thus they arrived in the garden.
It was at this time that the princely Mañjuśrī emerged from his meditative absorption. Feeling great compassion for all living beings, he thought, “Who are the living beings, suitable for training, who can be brought to maturity in this Great Vehicle by means of miraculous displays, the miracle of teachings, or the miracle of admonition?” The princely Mañjuśrī saw the courtesan’s daughter Suvarṇottamaprabhāśrī riding in the carriage with the banker’s son Bhayadatta toward the park. When he saw her, he considered how strong and vigorous she was with regard to her readiness to be trained, and he became aware that she possessed the power of the roots of virtue she had previously developed and the capacity to understand the teachings. So the princely Mañjuśrī produced a miraculous display, a miracle by means of which, as soon as he showed himself, he would outshine even the light of the sun and moon, let alone other sentient beings. Revealing just such an embodiment, he appeared clad in all kinds of jewelry and a luminous garment, the luster of which lit up a circular area a yojana across.
Then the princely Mañjuśrī, clothed in that garment and adorned with all that jewelry, placed himself facing the road on which the courtesan’s daughter Suvarṇottamaprabhāśrī was traveling. As soon as the princely Mañjuśrī had placed himself there, the carriage belonging to the banker’s son was darkened, as was the whole of the courtesan’s daughter Suvarṇottamaprabhāśrī’s body. Just as a piece of cloth soaked with ink would not shine, would not be bright, and would not be radiant if one were to place it next to gold from the Jambu River, in the same way the girl’s body did not shine, was not bright, and was not radiant when the light from the body of the princely Mañjuśrī touched it. The courtesan’s daughter Suvarṇottamaprabhāśrī saw the princely Mañjuśrī standing there, looking like a god, his body adorned with jewelry and clothed in his shining garment, and she saw too the light emanating from his garment. As soon as she had seen him, a feeling of contempt for her own body, a feeling of inferiority, arose in her, and she wanted to possess his garment. She thought, “I have had enough of this banker’s son. I will get down from this carriage to amuse myself with, play with, and tease this man instead. Then I can ask him for his garment.”
As soon as the girl had these thoughts, however, the great divine king Vaiśravaṇa, who had transformed himself into a man with the help of the magic of the princely Mañjuśrī, said to her, “Young lady, do not think passionate thoughts about this good man! Why not? Because he never seeks pleasure.”
“Who is he? What is his name?” asked the girl.
“He is a bodhisatva,” Vaiśravaṇa answered, “and he is called the princely Mañjuśrī.”
“But what is a bodhisatva?” asked the girl. “Is it a god, or is it a nāga, a yakṣa, a gandharva, a demigod, a garuḍa, a kinnara, a mahoraga, Śakra, Brahmā, a protector of the world, or a great king? What is a bodhisatva?”
Vaiśravaṇa replied, “Young lady, a bodhisatva is not a god, a nāga, a yakṣa, a gandharva, a demigod, a garuḍa, a kinnara, a mahoraga, Śakra, Brahmā, a protector of the world, or a great king. Young lady, he is called a bodhisatva because he completely fulfills the wishes of all beings. He is called a bodhisatva because he gives to all who ask and does not send anybody away.”
Then the girl thought, “So, according to what I’ve been told, Mañjuśrī will give me his garment.” After the courtesan’s daughter Suvarṇottamaprabhāśrī had alighted from the carriage, she spoke to the princely Mañjuśrī: “Mañjuśrī, please give me the garment in which your body is clothed.”
She then spoke the following verse:
Mañjuśrī replied, “If you enter awakening, young lady, I will give you this garment right away, because the whole world with its gods considers those who unswervingly maintain the mind of awakening to be worthy of offerings.”
The girl then asked the following in verse:
Mañjuśrī said, “Sister, awakening refers to the inexpressible, the absence of letters, the freedom from the aggregates, the sensory elements, and the sense sources, emptiness, the freedom from marks, the absence of afflictions, peace, tranquility, and complete pacification.”
The princely Mañjuśrī continued, “Sister, if you develop the mind of awakening, then I will give you this garment.”
“What is awakening, Mañjuśrī?” asked the girl.
“Sister,” replied Mañjuśrī, “you yourself are awakening.”
“How am I awakening, Mañjuśrī?” asked the girl. “I don’t understand the meaning of what you have said.”
“Sister,” replied Mañjuśrī, “this is the Dharma teaching of the current Tathāgata, the worthy one, the perfectly awakened one named Śākyamuni: ‘Just as the body partakes in universal sameness, awakening too partakes in universal sameness. Just as awakening partakes in universal sameness, the body too partakes in universal sameness.’ Therefore, I say to you, sister: ‘You yourself are awakening.’ What is your opinion, sister? Is this body of yours made up of the aggregates, the sensory elements, and the sense sources?”
When the girl had heard this teaching, the light of the Dharma was born in her as the result of the roots of virtue she had previously developed, and when she had attained that light, she said to Mañjuśrī, “Just so, Mañjuśrī, this body of mine is made up of the aggregates, the sensory elements, and the sense sources.”
“What is your opinion, sister?” asked Mañjuśrī. “Does form have mental activity or consciousness?”
“Not at all, Mañjuśrī,” replied the girl.
“Awakening too, sister, has no mental activity or consciousness,” said Mañjuśrī. “Therefore, sister, just as form partakes in universal sameness, awakening too partakes in universal sameness. Just as awakening partakes in universal sameness, form too partakes in universal sameness. Therefore, sister, I say to you: ‘You yourself are awakening.’
“But sister, what is your opinion? Do feelings, perception, conditioning, or consciousness have mental activity or consciousness?”
“Not at all, Mañjuśrī,” replied the girl.
“Awakening too, sister, has no mental activity or consciousness,” said Mañjuśrī. “Therefore, sister, just as consciousness partakes in universal sameness, awakening too partakes in universal sameness. Just as awakening partakes in universal sameness, consciousness too partakes in universal sameness. Therefore, sister, I say to you: ‘You yourself are awakening.’ ”
Mañjuśrī then asked, “What, sister, is your opinion? Is form something inner or outer, or is it both? Is form blue, yellow, red, or white? Is it the color of saffron, crystal, or silver? Can it be shown to be found in any place or direction?”
“Not at all, Mañjuśrī,” replied the girl.
“Awakening too, sister, is not something inner or outer, or both,” said Mañjuśrī. “It is not blue, yellow, red, or white; it does not have the color of saffron, crystal, or silver; and it cannot be shown to be found in any place or direction. Therefore, sister, just as form partakes in universal sameness, awakening too partakes in universal sameness. Just as awakening partakes in universal sameness, form too partakes in universal sameness. Therefore, sister, I say to you: ‘You yourself are awakening.’
“Likewise, sister, are feelings, perception, conditioning, and consciousness inner or outer, or are they both? Is consciousness blue, yellow, red, or white? Is it the color of saffron, crystal, or silver? Can it be shown to be found in any place or direction?”
“Not at all, Mañjuśrī,” replied the girl.
“Awakening too, sister, is not something inner or outer, or both,” said Mañjuśrī. “It is not blue, yellow, red, or white; it does not have the color of saffron, crystal, or silver; and it cannot be shown to be found in any place or direction. Therefore, sister, just as consciousness partakes in universal sameness, awakening too partakes in universal sameness. Just as awakening partakes in universal sameness, consciousness too partakes in universal sameness. Therefore, sister, I say to you: ‘You yourself are awakening.’
“Further, sister, the five aggregates are like a magical creation. They are nonexistent. They arise from misunderstanding and are nonexistent. They are an erroneous conventional expression. Awakening too is like a magical creation, nothing but a nonexistent and misleading conventional expression. Therefore, sister, just as a magical creation partakes in universal sameness, the aggregates partake in universal sameness. Just as the aggregates partake in universal sameness, a magical creation partakes in universal sameness. Just as a magical creation partakes in universal sameness, awakening partakes in universal sameness. Just as awakening partakes in universal sameness, a magical creation partakes in universal sameness. Therefore, sister, I say to you: ‘You yourself are awakening.’
“Further, sister, the five aggregates are like a dream, which is not really happening. Awakening too has the nature of a dream, which is not really happening. Therefore, sister, just as a dream partakes in universal sameness, the aggregates partake in universal sameness. Just as the aggregates partake in universal sameness, a dream partakes in universal sameness. Just as a dream partakes in universal sameness, awakening partakes in universal sameness. Just as awakening partakes in universal sameness, a dream partakes in universal sameness. Therefore, sister, I say to you: ‘You yourself are awakening.’
“Further, sister, the five aggregates are like a mirage, which is brought about by illusory action. Awakening too has the nature of a mirage, as it is beyond the maturation of action. Therefore, sister, just as a mirage partakes in universal sameness, the aggregates partake in universal sameness. Just as the aggregates partake in universal sameness, a mirage partakes in universal sameness. Just as a mirage partakes in universal sameness, awakening partakes in universal sameness. Just as awakening partakes in universal sameness, a mirage partakes in universal sameness. Therefore, sister, I say to you: ‘You yourself are awakening.’
“Further, sister, the five aggregates are like reflections in a mirror: they do not change as long as the object that is mirrored is not changed. Awakening too has the nature of reflections in a mirror: it does not change. Therefore, sister, just as reflections in a mirror partake in universal sameness, the aggregates partake in universal sameness. Just as the aggregates partake in universal sameness, reflections in a mirror partake in universal sameness. Just as reflections in a mirror partake in universal sameness, awakening partakes in universal sameness. Just as awakening partakes in universal sameness, reflections in a mirror partake in universal sameness. Therefore, sister, I say to you: ‘You yourself are awakening.’
“Further, sister, the five aggregates are just words, and those words are of an unwavering nature. Awakening too, sister, is just a word, and that word is unwavering. Therefore, sister, just as the unwavering partakes in universal sameness, the aggregates partake in universal sameness. Just as the aggregates partake in universal sameness, the unwavering partakes in universal sameness. Just as the unwavering partakes in universal sameness, awakening partakes in universal sameness. Just as awakening partakes in universal sameness, the unwavering partakes in universal sameness. Therefore, sister, I say to you: ‘You yourself are awakening.’
“Further, sister, among the aggregates there is no subject that acts, and the meaning of being uncreated is awakening. Among the aggregates there is no essential nature, and the meaning of being without any essential nature is awakening. Among the aggregates there is no origination, and the meaning of being without origination is awakening. Among the aggregates there is no permanence, and the meaning of impermanence is awakening. Among the aggregates there is no happiness, and the meaning of suffering is awakening. Among the aggregates there is nothing pure, and the meaning of impurity is awakening. Among the aggregates there is no self, and the meaning of selflessness is awakening. Further, sister, among the aggregates there is no development, and the meaning of being beyond development is awakening. The aggregates are void, and the meaning of being void is awakening. Among the aggregates there is nothing to grasp, and the meaning of being beyond grasping is awakening. Among the aggregates there is no support, and the meaning of being without support is awakening. Among the aggregates there is no coming or going, and the meaning of being beyond coming and going is awakening. Among the aggregates there is nothing that remains in the present, and the meaning of not remaining in the present is awakening. Further, sister, the aggregates are only a pious conventional expression, and awakening too is a pious conventional expression. The aggregates are essentially beyond conventional expressions, and awakening too is beyond conventional expressions. The essential nature of the five aggregates is the essential nature of all the phenomena penetrated by the Tathāgata, and that is awakening. In this way, sister, the essential nature of the aggregates is the essential nature of awakening, and the essential nature of awakening is the essential nature of all phenomena. Sister, the essential nature of the five aggregates, and the essential nature of awakening, is the essential nature of all beings. Therefore, sister, I say to you: ‘You yourself are awakening.’
“Further, sister, the understanding of the aggregates is undoubtedly awakening. There is no real understanding that does not include the aggregates. There is no real understanding that does not include awakening. Thus, understanding is awakening. Therefore, sister, I say to you: ‘You yourself are awakening.’
“Sister, you should understand this teaching in this way: just as all beings are included in awakening, that teaching that is not included in anything is awakening. Therefore, sister, I say to you: ‘You yourself are awakening.’
“Further, sister, in this body of yours, the four elements are produced, namely, the element of earth, the element of water, the element of fire, and the element of wind. Moreover, sister, the element of earth is not a self, not a sentient being, not a life principle, not a soul, and not an individual who is reborn; awakening too is not a self, not a sentient being, not a life principle, not a soul, and not an individual who is reborn. Thus, the element of water, the element of fire, and the element of wind too are not a self, not a sentient being, not a life principle, not a soul, and not an individual who is reborn. Awakening too is not a self, not a sentient being, not a life principle, not a soul, and not an individual who is reborn. The element of earth and awakening are the same because of their absolute sameness with empty space. The element of water and awakening are the same because of their absolute nonexistence. The element of fire and awakening are the same because they are totally unwavering. The element of wind and awakening are the same because they are totally indefinable. The element of earth, sister, is known and understood by the Tathāgata. The element of water, sister, is known and understood by the Tathāgata. The element of fire, sister, is known and understood by the Tathāgata. The element of wind, sister, is known and understood by the Tathāgata. Further, sister, to understand the element of earth is awakening. Thus, sister, to understand the element of water, the element of fire, and the element of wind is awakening. Therefore, sister, I say to you: ‘You yourself are awakening.’
“Sister, the element of earth does not know the element of water. The element of water does not know the element of fire. The element of fire does not know the element of wind. In this way, sister, thorough knowledge of the word element is called awakening. Therefore, sister, I say to you: ‘You yourself are awakening.’
“Further, sister, the eye is produced in this body of yours, and in the same way the ear, the nose, the tongue, the body, and the mind are produced. But sister, the eye is empty, and the essential nature of the eye, being emptiness, is awakening. But sister, the ear is empty, and the essential nature of the ear, being emptiness, is awakening. But sister, the nose is empty, and the essential nature of the nose, being emptiness, is awakening. But sister, the tongue is empty, and the essential nature of the tongue, being emptiness, is awakening. But sister, the body is empty, and the essential nature of the body, being emptiness, is awakening. But sister, the mind is empty, and the essential nature of the mind, being emptiness, is awakening. Therefore, sister, I say to you: ‘You yourself are awakening.’
“Further, sister, the emptiness of the eye is not amenable to conceptual imputation as ‘form,’ and the essential nature of empty form is awakening. The emptiness of the ear, the nose, the tongue, the body, and the mind is not amenable to conceptual imputation as ‘mental phenomena,’ and the essential nature of empty mental phenomena is awakening. Therefore, sister, I say to you: ‘You yourself are awakening.’ Thus, sister, the eye does not grasp form, just as awakening does not grasp form; the ear does not grasp sounds, just as awakening does not grasp sounds; the nose does not grasp smells, just as awakening does not grasp smells; the tongue does not grasp tastes, just as awakening does not grasp tastes; and the mind does not grasp mental phenomena, just as awakening does not grasp mental phenomena.
“What, sister, is the reason for this? The eye that is not connected to form is awakening, and, similarly with the other senses, the mind that is not connected to mental phenomena is awakening. Thus, sister, the sensory element of eye consciousness is not connected to the sensory element of form, and the sensory element of eye consciousness that is not connected to form is awakening. The sensory element of ear consciousness is not connected to the sensory element of sound, and the sensory element of ear consciousness that is not connected to sound is awakening. The sensory element of nose consciousness is not connected to the sensory element of smell, and the sensory element of nose consciousness that is not connected to smell is awakening. The sensory element of tongue consciousness is not connected to the sensory element of taste, and the sensory element of tongue consciousness that is not connected to taste is awakening. The sensory element of body consciousness is not connected to the sensory element of physical objects, and the sensory element of body consciousness that is not connected to physical objects is awakening. The sensory element of mind consciousness is not connected to the sensory element of mental phenomena, and the sensory element of mind consciousness that is not connected to mental phenomena is awakening. Therefore, sister, I say to you: ‘You yourself are awakening.’
“Thus, sister, awakening and the sensory element of eye consciousness are beyond duality and not distinguishable as two entities. Awakening and the sensory element of form are beyond duality and not distinguishable as two entities. As awakening and the sensory element of mind are beyond duality and not distinguishable as two entities, awakening and the sensory element of mental phenomena are beyond duality and not distinguishable as two entities. Awakening and the sensory element of mind consciousness are beyond duality and not distinguishable as two entities. Therefore, sister, I say to you: ‘You yourself are awakening.’
“Further, sister, understand that the eye is awakening. Similarly, understand that the ear, the nose, the tongue, the body, and the mind are awakening. The essential nature of the eye is empty, and this empty essential nature is awakening. Similarly, the essential nature of the ear, the nose, the tongue, the body, and the mind is empty, and this empty essential nature is awakening. Sister, the essential nature of the eye is beyond desire, aversion, and bewilderment, and that which is without desire, aversion, and bewilderment is awakening. The essential nature of the ear, the nose, the tongue, the body, and the mind is beyond desire, aversion, and bewilderment, and that which is without desire, aversion, and bewilderment is awakening.
“Sister, the eye has no owner, nothing that is owned, and no state of ownership. Awakening too has no owner, nothing that is owned, and no state of ownership. In the same way, the ear, the nose, the tongue, the body, and the mind have no owner, nothing that is owned, and no state of ownership.
“Sister, the eye is not connected to the state of being a man, and it is not connected to the state of a being a woman; nor, sister, is awakening connected to the state of being a man, or connected to the state of a being a woman. Similarly, sister, the ear, the nose, the tongue, the body, and the mind are not connected to the state of being a man, and are not connected to the state of a being a woman; nor, sister, is awakening connected to the state of being a man, or connected to the state of a being a woman. Sister, the eye is not a man, and it is not a woman; nor, sister, is awakening a man, or a woman. In the same way, sister, the mind is not a man, and it is not a woman, and, sister, awakening is not a man, and it is not a woman. Sister, this is how the Tathāgata understands the reality of the eye, and this understanding is awakening. The Tathāgata understands the reality of the mind in the same way, and this understanding is awakening. Therefore, sister, I say to you: ‘You yourself are awakening.’
“Further, sister, this body of yours is not a self, not a sentient being, not a life principle, not a soul, not a person, not a human being, not a man, not a creator, not a subject of feeling, knowing, hearing, smelling, tasting, or touching, nor is it a subject of consciousness. Sister, awakening too is not a self, not a sentient being, not a life principle, not a soul, not a personality, not a human being, not a man, not a creator, not a subject of feeling, knowing, hearing, smelling, tasting, or touching, nor is it a subject of consciousness. Thus, sister, the universal sameness of all phenomena is awakening.
“Sister, this body of yours is without mobility, without a subject that acts, and without permanence. It is not distinct or different from grass, wood, trees, and building materials of stone. Also, sister, the inner element of earth and the outer element of earth are not two and are not distinguishable as two entities. As such, they have the one characteristic of being without characteristics when they are understood by the Tathāgata through his insight and knowledge. Therefore, sister, I say to you: ‘You yourself are awakening.’
“Moreover, sister, the intention by which we have representations of thought, mind, and consciousness, and these representations of thought, mind, and consciousness themselves, are not found in the hair. They do not abide in the hair of the body, nor in the cuticles, nor in the skin, nor in the flesh, nor in the blood, nor in the bones, nor in the sinews, nor in the marrow. They do not abide inside, nor outside, nor neither inside nor outside. They do not abide in the eye, nor in the ear, nor in the nose, nor in the tongue, nor in the body, nor in the mind. They do not abide, nor do they not abide. They are not discontinuous, and do not abide in any location or direction. They are without form, not demonstrable, beyond representation, ungraspable, unmixed, without basis, pure, clean, and brilliant. That representation of thought and mind is beyond the impurity of afflicted mental states and also beyond purification. It is because it is not embodied, in being essentially pure and brilliant, that it is beyond the impurity of afflicted mental states and also beyond purification.
“Thus, sister, the essential nature of the aggregates, the sensory elements, and the sense sources is awakening, and the essential nature of awakening is the aggregates, the sensory elements, and the sense sources. Also, sister, the aggregates, the sensory elements, and the sense sources as developed in your body are awakening. Awakening is nothing else. Why is this? Awakening is nothing other than the aggregates, the sensory elements, and the sense sources. These are indeed awakening, because to understand the sameness of all phenomena is awakening. Therefore, sister, I say to you: ‘You yourself are awakening.’ ”
When the princely Mañjuśrī had given this teaching, five hundred gods in the heavens developed the mind of incomparable, perfect awakening. Among the men, women, boys, and girls in Suvarṇottamaprabhāśrī’s entourage, two hundred developed the mind of incomparable, perfect awakening. Sixty gods and humans too attained the stainless, impeccable, pure vision of phenomena.
The courtesan Suvarṇottamaprabhāśrī was content and elated, delighted and joyful. Joy and good temper arose in her, and having made obeisance with all five parts of her body by falling down at the feet of the princely Mañjuśrī, having gone to the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Saṅgha for refuge, having adopted a chaste life and the moral precepts, and having developed the mind of incomparable, perfect awakening with determination, she uttered the following words:
“I too, Mañjuśrī, having heard what you have taught, will develop the mind of incomparable, perfect awakening for the sake of your teaching, for the sake of pity and compassion for all beings, for the sake of not breaking the tradition of the Buddha, for the sake of not breaking the tradition of the Dharma, and for the sake of not breaking the tradition of the Saṅgha.
“In the same way, I will teach the Dharma to all beings to help them understand it. To purify the hindrances that originate from negative actions, I will confess each fault according to how it is committed. When beings do not understand that all phenomena are peaceful and tranquil, they do not understand the essential nature of phenomena, since they are controlled by error that follows incorrect thinking and chained to desire by attachment to their bodies. But, Mañjuśrī, though this is the case, even those beings who are chained to desire are connected to exactly that essential nature of phenomena.
“The bodhisatvas train themselves in this Dharma of connectedness and develop the mind of incomparable, perfect awakening. Why is this? Mañjuśrī, the afflicted mental states are not real but are born out of concepts, and they disappear when the concepts are understood as being empty. As I understand the meaning of what you have said, Mañjuśrī, the afflicted mental states are without any essential nature and are unborn, just like a mass of clouds. The afflicted mental states break up and dissolve in an instant, just like bubbles. The afflicted mental states are not produced, just like wind. The afflicted mental states are beyond all spheres, just like a drawing in the air. The afflicted mental states are not lasting, just like a drawing on water. The afflicted mental states originate from indulging in superficial mental activity, just like yakṣas and bhūtas. The afflicted mental states originate from mistakenly seeing things where there is nothing, just like in a fever. The afflicted mental states originate from concepts, and thus are nonexistent. The afflicted mental states are connected to the inclinations of the ego. The afflicted mental states grasp at objects because of the principle of greed for possessions. The afflicted mental states are adventitious because they are produced by misunderstanding. The afflicted mental states follow the distinguishing marks as they are the results of concepts. The afflicted mental states are not intellectual activity, as they do not investigate the different elements. The afflicted mental states, which originate with the fluctuation of thoughts, are the absence of introspection. The afflicted mental states, which originate in the attachment to self and others, are the absence of faith. The afflicted mental states are the grasping at the aggregates. The afflicted mental states are the holding on to the sensory elements as material things. The afflicted mental states are the amassing of the sense sources as material things. The afflicted mental states are the making of distinctions between concepts and forms. The afflicted mental states are the failure to understand the mind’s incorrect thinking.
“Despite that, Mañjuśrī, the afflicted mental states are the supporting pillar of awakening. Why is that? It is because awakening is immovable, and the afflicted mental states are the seeds of awakening. Awakening is really the understanding of the afflicted mental states. The afflicted mental states are also the adamantine basis of awakening. Why is this? It is because awakening is indivisable from the afflicted mental states, because of the principle of being inseparable from the totality of reality. To see the afflicted mental states, Mañjuśrī, is awakening. Awakening is ever-present in all objects. Mañjuśrī, as awakening is not established anywhere, so too the afflicted mental states are not established—they do not remain, as they are broken up and melt away as soon as they have arisen. Mañjuśrī, the afflicted mental states have thought as their essential nature. Why is this? Mañjuśrī, it is not possible to point out the essential nature of thought by expressions such as, ‘This thought is full of desire, full of aversion, and full of bewilderment.’ But, Mañjuśrī, since it is impossible to demonstrate what thought is, it is also not possible to point out the essential nature of the afflicted mental states by expressions such as, ‘The afflicted mental states are found in certain places and regions.’
“Bodhisatvas, Mañjuśrī, great beings, to the extent that they penetrate the afflicted mental states, do not get tired of bringing to maturity beings who behave in accord with their desire. Nor do they get tired of bringing to maturity beings who behave in accord with their aversion, nor those who behave in accord with their bewilderment, nor those who behave in accord with the three afflicted mental states in equal combination.
“Thus, Mañjuśrī, I will look upon my own desire in the same way as I look upon the desire of all those who behave in accord with their desire. Thus, Mañjuśrī, I will look upon my own aversion in the same way as I look upon the aversion of all those who behave in accord with their aversion. And, Mañjuśrī, I will look upon my own bewilderment in the same way as I look upon the bewilderment of all those who behave in accord with their bewilderment. I will, Mañjuśrī, look upon my own afflicted mental states in the same way as I look upon the afflicted mental states of all those who behave in accord with their afflicted mental states.
“Just as, Mañjuśrī, fire is not frightened by grass and trees, in the same way, Mañjuśrī, the fire of noble insight is not frightened by all the grass and trees of the afflicted mental states. Just as, Mañjuśrī, the disk of the sun does not remain in the company of darkness, in the same way, Mañjuśrī, noble insight does not remain in the company of the afflicted mental states.
“Just as, Mañjuśrī, the wind does not cling to trees and mountains, in the same way, Mañjuśrī, the bodhisatva who acts according to noble insight does not cling to any region of the afflicted mental states.
“Just as, Mañjuśrī, the element of space is not burned by the world-consuming fire at the end of an eon, in the same way, Mañjuśrī, the bodhisatva who acts according to noble insight is not burned by the world-consuming fire that is the afflicted mental states.
“Just as, Mañjuśrī, space does not remain in the company of dust, mist, or clouds, in the same way, Mañjuśrī, the bodhisatva who acts according to noble insight does not remain in the company of any of the afflicted mental states.
“Just as, Mañjuśrī, space does not remain in the company of earth, in the same way, Mañjuśrī, the bodhisatva who acts according to noble insight does not stay in the company of any of the afflicted mental states.
“Just as, Mañjuśrī, the lodestone does not remain in the company of iron, in the same way, Mañjuśrī, the bodhisatva who acts according to noble insight does not remain in the company of any of the afflicted mental states.
“Just as, Mañjuśrī, the circle of mountains cannot be shaken by all the winds, in the same way, Mañjuśrī, the bodhisatva who acts according to noble insight cannot be shaken by the afflicted mental states.
“Just as, Mañjuśrī, in the animal world the goose drinks the milk and not the water from a mixture of milk and water, in the same way, Mañjuśrī, the bodhisatva who acts according to noble insight draws out the insight and not the afflicted mental states from a mixture of noble insight and afflicted mental states.
“Just as, Mañjuśrī, on the northern continent the tree branches will not bow down to women who have sexual relations with their relatives, in the same way, Mañjuśrī, the bodhisatva who acts according to noble insight does not bow down to those living beings whose faculties are immature.
“Thus, Mañjuśrī, I have no fear of the afflicted mental states. Why not? Bodhisatvas, Mañjuśrī, are clad in the armor of fearlessness.
“Just as, Mañjuśrī, one cannot call someone who fears the enemy a hero, in the same way, Mañjuśrī, one cannot call someone who fears the afflicted mental states a bodhisatva.
“Just as, Mañjuśrī, one cannot call someone who is conquered by the enemy a hero, in the same way, Mañjuśrī, one cannot call someone who is conquered by the afflicted mental states a bodhisatva.
“Just as, Mañjuśrī, the jewel called purifier of water purifies all the dirt of the water that it is thrown into without getting soaked and sullied by the impurities of that water, in the same way, Mañjuśrī, bodhisatvas who act according to noble insight, even if they find themselves among the afflicted mental states, purify all the impurities of the afflicted mental states without getting soaked and sullied by the impurities of those afflicted mental states.”
After the courtesan’s daughter Suvarṇottamaprabhāśrī had given this teaching, she again asked the princely Mañjuśrī, “How, Mañjuśrī, does the bodhisatva become free from afflicted mental states?”
“Sister,” replied Mañjuśrī, “the bodhisatva who sees the afflicted mental states in terms of origination and disappearance is not called one without afflicted mental states.
“Sister, if only darkness appears in the midst of an oil lamp, it cannot really be called an oil lamp. In the same way, sister, a bodhisatva who sees the afflicted mental states in terms of origination and disappearance is not called a bodhisatva without afflicted mental states. Those without any afflicted mental states, sister, do not see impurity or purity anywhere. They are beyond seeing, not seeing, thought, mind, and consciousness, and they are without any afflicted mental states.
“Anyone anywhere, sister, who fosters the activity of thought, mind, and consciousness—even the thought of nirvāṇa—has afflicted mental states. Why is this? For one without afflicted mental states there is neither thought nor the activity of thought. For all of those who foster thoughts that have good and bad as their objects, conditioning is active. Conditioning is existence, and existence is conditioning. All conditioning is existence. Such are the afflicted mental states, dear sister.
“The afflicted mental states, sister, are attachment. Attachment to the eye and to forms is an afflicted mental state, as is attachment to the ear and to sounds, to the nose and to smells, to the tongue and to tastes, to the body and to physical objects, and to the mind and to mental phenomena. Attachment to morality is an afflicted mental state. Attachment to meditation is an afflicted mental state. Attachment to insight, liberation, and the vision of the knowledge of liberation is an afflicted mental state. Attachment to isolation is an afflicted mental state.
“The absence of afflicted mental states, sister, is a designation for the absence of activity. The absence of afflicted mental states is a designation for the absence of discursive thinking. The absence of afflicted mental states is a designation for the absence of effort. The absence of afflicted mental states is a designation for the absence of purpose. One who is without calculation and non-calculation, sister, is without afflicted mental states.
“Further, sister, as the Tathāgata says, one who is without afflicted mental states but strives to release others from afflicted mental states is to be called one without afflicted mental states, so freeing others from the afflicted mental states is how the bodhisatva adopts vigor.”
“Mañjuśrī, how does the bodhisatva adopt vigor?” asked the girl.
Mañjuśrī replied, “To be in harmony with the discernment of emptiness but still have compassion for beings who act according to viewpoints; to be in harmony with the discernment of the absence of distinguishing marks but still have compassion for beings who act according to distinguishing marks; to be in harmony with the discernment of the absence of wishes but still have compassion for beings who act according to wishes; to be in harmony with the discernment of the absence of conditioning but still have compassion for beings who act according to conditioning; to be in harmony with the discernment of the absence of birth and death but still have compassion for beings who entertain the concepts of old age and death; to be in harmony with the discernment of the absence of birth but still have compassion for beings who entertain the concepts of origination and destruction; to be in harmony with the discernment of what is certain to a hearer but still give up the attainment of the fruit of the hearer; to be in harmony with the discernment of what is certain to a solitary buddha but still give up the attainment of the fruit of the solitary buddha; and to be in harmony with the discernment of the untroubled state of a bodhisatva but still have compassion for all beings—this, sister, is how the bodhisatva adopts vigor.
“Just as, sister, it is easy to enter the ocean but hard to get hold of the great pearls and to return, in the same way, sister, reflecting on emptiness is easy but returning from it is difficult for one who has no expedient means. Reflecting on the absence of distinguishing marks, wishes, and conditioning, the absence of birth and origination, and the untroubled states of the hearers and the solitary buddhas is easy, but returning from such reflections is difficult for one who has no expedient means. Just as, sister, it is easy to enter a great battle but hard to get out unscathed and without injuries, in the same way, sister, entering the three gates of liberation is easy but returning is difficult for one who has no expedient means.”
“What, Mañjuśrī, is expedient means like?” asked the girl.
Mañjuśrī replied, “Expedient means, sister, is not giving up the two opposite sides, that is, the side of existence and the side of nirvāṇa. Expedient means, sister, is demonstrating the dual gates, that is, the gate of existence and the gate of nirvāṇa; the gate of emptiness and the gate of freedom from viewpoints; the gate of the absence of distinguishing marks and the gate of freedom from distinguishing marks; the gate of the absence of wishes and the gate of being born intentionally; the gate of the absence of conditioning and the gate of the conditioning of virtue; the gate of no birth and the gate of demonstrating birth; the gate of no activity and the gate of the aggregates, the sensory elements, and the sense sources; the gate of no origination and destruction and the gate of birth and activity; the gate of voidness and the gate of bringing beings to maturity; the gate of total reality and the gate of caring for every single thing; the gate of the way of the hearers and the gate of the determination of the bodhisatva; and the gate of isolated awakening and the gate of never forgetting the qualities of the Buddha.
“Sister, the bodhisatva who demonstrates the dual gates but does not become attached to any gate is said to be able in expedient means. The same goes for the gate of desire and the gate of the absence of desire, the gate of aversion and the gate of the absence of aversion, the gate of bewilderment and the gate of the absence of bewilderment, the gate of the afflicted mental states and the gate of the absence of the afflicted mental states, and the gate of all movement and the gate of the absence of movement. That, sister, is the bodhisatva’s ability in expedient means.
“The gate of the behavior of ordinary, naive beings on the one hand, and the gate of the behavior of one to be trained, one without need of further training, the hearer, the solitary buddha, and the bodhisatva on the other—knowledge of these two gates is the bodhisatva’s ability in expedient means.” [B2]
At that time, as the Blessed One was walking in the mountain forest on the slopes of Vulture Peak with his attendant, the venerable monk Ānanda, he sat down. Once he was seated, he commended the princely Mañjuśrī: “Mañjuśrī, you taught how a bodhisatva adopts vigor and his ability in expedient means just the way it is. This is very good! Very good!” This whole trichiliocosm was filled with the melody of those words “very good,” and it shook six times. Inspired by those words “very good,” the gods, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, demigods, garuḍas, kinnaras, mahoragas, humans, non-humans, Śakra, Brahmā, and many protectors of the world went to the place where the Blessed One was residing, greeted him by bowing their heads to the Blessed One’s feet, and sat down at one side.
When they had seated themselves, the gods, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, demigods, garuḍas, kinnaras, mahoragas, humans, non-humans, Śakra, Brahmā, and many protectors of the world asked the Blessed One, “To whom did the Blessed One utter the words ‘very good’ that filled this whole trichiliocosm with their melody?”
The Blessed One replied, “Gods, it was to the princely Mañjuśrī.”
The gods then asked, “Blessed One, where is the princely Mañjuśrī now?”
“Gods,” answered the Blessed One, “the princely Mañjuśrī is at the eastern gate of the great city of Rājagṛha, and is engaged in conversation on the Dharma with the courtesan’s daughter Suvarṇottamaprabhāśrī. Those gods who wish to hear the Dharma should go there.”
Then all of those gods, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, demigods, garuḍas, kinnaras, mahoragas, humans, non-humans, Śakra, Brahmā, and many protectors of the world gathered and went to the place where the princely Mañjuśrī was residing. They manifested themselves in physical bodies and showered a rain of flowers. That rain of flowers spread bouquets of flowers all over Rājagṛha and the surrounding area. There, the gods could see the humans, and the humans could see the gods, but they did not speak to each other.
Many hundreds of thousands of beings from the great city of Rājagṛha who had been inspired by the flowers, and who had been inspired by the visible bodies of the gods, went to the place where the princely Mañjuśrī was staying. King Ajātaśatru, surrounded by his retinue of women, with his armed forces of the four branches, and with his great royal wealth and his great royal might, also went to the place where the princely Mañjuśrī was staying. The retinue, the king, the ministers, the sons of the ministers, the traders, and the sons of the householders all saw that the courtesan’s daughter Suvarṇottamaprabhāśrī was free from the manifestation of the afflicted mental state of desire. Her senses and her behavior were calm. Her senses were undisturbed, full of modesty, and she was adorned with beauty. When they saw her, none of them gave rise to lustful thoughts.
When he saw that great crowd of people, the princely Mañjuśrī said to the courtesan’s daughter Suvarṇottamaprabhāśrī, “My child, this great crowd of people is no longer filled with desire upon seeing you. Where have you disposed of those afflicted mental states?”
“The afflicted mental states of all beings, Mañjuśrī, are located within knowledge and liberation,” answered the girl. “They are placed within the totality of phenomena, and I have understood them thus as being without origination, without destruction, and without change. This essential nature of the afflicted mental states is what I have understood.”
Mañjuśrī then asked, “My child, what is the essential nature of the afflicted mental states?”
The girl replied, “The essential nature of the afflicted mental states, Mañjuśrī, is an essential nature beyond construction and concept. The essential nature of the afflicted mental states is a fundamentally unborn essential nature. The afflicted mental states are adventitious. They do not remain when emptiness is understood. They do not remain when the absence of distinguishing marks and the absence of wishes is known. They do not remain when the originally pure light is present.
“Mañjuśrī, people can be killed by the poison of a highly venomous snake, but if they ingest the antivenom called agada, which neutralizes and pacifies all poison, then, as soon as the drug is administered, the poison of the venomous snake is made innocuous. Thus, boys and girls who ingest it can lovingly play with the snake. When they play with the snake, they may take it on their laps and wear it on one side as a shoulder belt. But even though they adorn themselves with it, it will not hurt, consume, or inflict harm on them.
“In the same way, Mañjuśrī, I had not previously heard of the discipline of the Dharma and was burned by the afflicted mental states that were brought about by superficial mental activity and misunderstanding. I was attached to my own body by desire, I was attached to my beauty, and I did not reflect upon the fact that beauty is just as fragile as foam. I did not understand that the body has the nature of an illusion. I did not understand that playing with pleasures is like a dream. I did not understand that the taste of the pleasure of desire is like a drop of honey. I did not understand that the life principle is like dewdrops. I did not understand that all composite things are impermanent. I did not understand that the body is impure. I did not understand that all composite things are intense suffering, and I did not reflect on the fact that all phenomena are without any self. I was thus obscured by darkness myself and I also obscured others. I was bound myself and I bound others as well.
“I heard your teaching on the Dharma, Mañjuśrī, and when I heard it, I had faith in it. When I had attained faith in it, I was freed, and so I will not look upon anyone with desirous eyes, neither in the present nor in the future. And why is this? Mañjuśrī, light does not coexist with darkness. In the same way, Mañjuśrī, no one who is free of desires is attached to the afflicted mental states.”
Then the courtesan’s daughter Suvarṇottamaprabhāśrī implored the princely Mañjuśrī, “Please, Mañjuśrī, as these great assemblies of gods and humans are gathered here, be eloquent in your speech on the Dharma so that when they have understood the essential nature of the afflicted mental states, these gods and these people will develop the mind of absolute, incomparable awakening out of compassion for living beings.”
“But sister,” replied Mañjuśrī, “the essential nature of the afflicted mental states is very difficult to reach. And why is this? Because the essential nature of the afflicted mental states is awakening.
“Sister, just as an unkindled fire does not have the nature of burning, in the same way, sister, the afflicted mental states that are not imagined do not have the nature of existence. Sister, just as a kindled fire has the nature of burning, in the same way, sister, the afflicted mental states that are imagined have the nature of existence.
“Sister, just as a fire burns if it has a cause, in the same way, sister, if the afflicted mental states have the cause of the manifestation of viewpoints, they burn in the three spheres of existence. Sister, just as a fire does not burn if it has no cause, in the same way, sister, if the afflicted mental states do not have the cause of the manifestation of viewpoints, they do not burn in the three spheres of existence.
“Sister, just as there is no increase or decrease in a thousand-year fire, in the same way, sister, there is no increase or decrease in the afflicted mental states generated over a hundred thousand eons.
“Sister, just as a fire that has been extinguished cannot be called a fire, in the same way, sister, afflicted mental states that have abated cannot be called afflicted mental states.
“Sister, just as a fire that burns in an open space cannot burn the space itself, in the same way, sister, the adventitious afflicted mental states that arise in that which is originally luminous are not able to pollute that which is originally luminous.
“Even though this is the case, sister, how should the body of form be regarded?”
“Mañjuśrī,” answered the girl, “just like the reflection of the moon in a small lake.”
“How, girl, should the aggregates be regarded?” asked Mañjuśrī.
“Just like the manifestation of the Tathāgata, Mañjuśrī,” answered the girl.
“How, girl, should the sensory elements be regarded?” asked Mañjuśrī.
“Just like the three spheres of existence when they are consumed by the fire of the eon, Mañjuśrī,” answered the girl.
“How, girl, should the sense sources be regarded?” asked Mañjuśrī.
“Just like formed actions, which are really unformed, Mañjuśrī,” answered the girl.
“How, girl, should this assembly be regarded?” asked Mañjuśrī.
“Just like the empty space above us, Mañjuśrī,” answered the girl.
“How, girl, should you be regarded?” asked Mañjuśrī.
“Just like a meeting between my mother and father, Mañjuśrī,” answered the girl.
“How, girl, should I be regarded?” asked Mañjuśrī.
“Just like a blind man seeing form, Mañjuśrī,” answered the girl.
“Girl, have you heard these teachings?” asked Mañjuśrī.
“I have heard them, Mañjuśrī, like information heard from a magically conjured person,” answered the girl.
“Girl, do you wish to reach incomparable, perfect awakening?” asked Mañjuśrī.
“As I myself am awakening, I do not need to wish for it anymore, Mañjuśrī,” answered the girl.
The Miraculous Play of Mañjuśrī presents a series of profound teachings within a rich narrative structure involving a beautiful courtesan’s daughter, Suvarṇottamaprabhāśrī. A banker’s son has purchased her favors, but while they are riding together toward a pleasure garden the girl’s attention is captivated instead by the radiantly attractive Mañjuśrī, who gives her instructions related to the meaning of the mind set on awakening. She then expresses her new understanding in a dialogue with Mañjuśrī, in the presence of King Ajātaśatru, his retinue, and the citizens of Rājagṛha. Meanwhile the banker’s son, with the help of Mañjuśrī and Śakra, experiences his own realization and receives teaching from the Buddha himself. The sūtra deals with well-known Mahāyāna themes, but places special emphasis on the emptiness and sameness of all phenomena.
Translated by Jens Erland Braarvig, and edited by David Welsh and Fredrik Liland, at the University of Oslo. This translation was first published on the site Bibliotheca Polyglotta by the Faculty of Humanities, University of Oslo, together with an edition of the Tibetan by Jens Braarvig and the two Chinese translations. The present version has been lightly edited and annotated by the 84000 editorial team.
The translation was completed under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.
The Miraculous Play of Mañjuśrī is a typical Mahāyāna sūtra in the sense that it presents a teaching on the standard Buddhist themes of impermanence and the drawbacks of sensual desires within a narrative framework emphasizing Mahāyāna principles of emptiness and compassion. These teachings are embedded within an interesting frame story, also not unusual for the Mahāyāna style, depicting a person who is otherwise not supposed to be particularly saintly: a courtesan’s daughter named Suvarṇottamaprabhāśrī.
This girl, the most beautiful of girls, whose skin shines with a golden hue, is courted by all the boys in the city. One, the banker’s son Bhayadatta (Given to Fear), purchases her favors, but as soon as the girl sees the princely Mañjuśrī, she instantly falls for him instead. The god of riches, Vaiśravaṇa, then appears, introduces Mañjuśrī by name, and, in answer to the girl’s questions, explains what a bodhisatva is. Mañjuśrī is clad in a fine white garment, as is usual for laymen, and the girl asks the bodhisatva whether she can have it. Yes, says the great figure, “if you develop the mind of awakening.” When the courtesan’s daughter asks what that is, Mañjuśrī answers “you yourself are awakening,” and that “all beings are included in awakening.” He goes on to list in great detail all the various constituents of mind and body and to equate them all with awakening, in much the same way that the Prajñāpāramitā texts go through so many of the factors identified in the Abhidharma and point to their lack of intrinsic existence.
Mañjuśrī’s teaching on awakening here accords with the Mahāyāna conviction that truth and awakening are not found in some theoretical system, but in what we are as human beings and in compassionate action toward our fellow beings, whatever their class or status. In this way, the sūtra also goes to great lengths to argue for universal sameness. As elsewhere in the Mahāyāna scriptures, nirvāṇa is the same as saṃsāra, and so even the afflicted mental states are really the same as awakening—prefiguring a tantric world view. As our text says, “The afflicted mental states are also the adamantine basis of awakening.” This is because understanding the afflicted mental states is in fact awakening. The way to get rid of the afflicted mental states is to understand their emptiness.
Suvarṇottamaprabhāśrī now demonstrates her new understanding in public, in a dialogue with Mañjuśrī that takes place the presence of King Ajātaśatru, his entire retinue of women and warriors, and the citizens of Rājagṛha. It is even acknowledged by the Buddha himself, who is taking a walk with Ānanda on the slopes of Vulture Peak.
Having attained a level of realization, Suvarṇottamaprabhāśrī feels she should abandon her worldly, laywoman’s life and “go forth,” i.e. take vows as a nun. In an important passage (1.122 et seq.) Mañjuśrī outlines the deeper, inner meanings of going forth for a bodhisatva, and inspires five hundred bodhisatvas to go forth themselves.
Having now met the beautiful Mañjuśrī, adopted his teaching, and attained a higher goal in life, Suvarṇottamaprabhāśrī decides to teach her male friends about the mind of awakening. As a consequence of this, she follows the Mahāyāna call to work tirelessly for the education and welfare of our fellow beings, and thus, in the park where she has gone to amuse herself with the banker’s son, Bhayadatta, she transforms herself into a rotting corpse in accord with the tradition of meditation practice in which one contemplates how this frail human body ends up as a rotting cadaver. Bhayadatta, seeing his beautiful companion thus transformed, is filled with great abhorrence, and then fear—as befits his name. He is afraid not only of the ghastly sight before him but also of being punished by the king’s men, and so he tries to flee the scene and get rid of the corpse, which had been a beautiful girl only a few moments before. At this crucial juncture, the surrounding forest resounds with teachings on impermanence and the illusory nature of phenomena, and with Śakra’s help Bhayadatta turns to the Buddha for guidance. A dialogue ensues between Mañjuśrī and the Blessed One on general Mahāyāna themes. The girl is also present—her death was only a magical creation and an expedient means employed to educate the fearful boy. The boy then seeks refuge in the only reliable and lasting refuge, namely the Blessed One himself, who confirms by his teachings to him that the bodhisatva does indeed seek awakening by seeking the essence of desire, and that fear is just an illusion grounded in attachment to the false idea of a self, just as had been argued in the previous dialogues. The Buddha prophesies Bhayadatta’s future buddhahood.
The Sanskrit title of the sūtra, Mañjuśrīvikrīḍita, literally means “Mañjuśrī’s Amusement”—the verb krīḍ- (and thus also vikrīḍ-) means to amuse oneself and to have fun, but here also to play with the supernatural knowledges and states of meditation. This word also often has a sexual connotation. Mañjuśrī’s games, however, have as their purpose the education of all living beings about awakening and the mind of awakening, and so even the flirtatious games of a courtesan may be transformed into those of a bodhisatva. But although this sūtra might thus appear to be directed mainly toward a lay audience, with the girl even asking in which religious group (gaṇa) the Mahāyāna teachings are to be found—evidently referring to a lay group rather than the saṅgha—its emphasis is on the importance of real engagement and inner transformation rather than on advocating any particular outer lifestyle. As Mañjuśrī says, in tune with the message of the text, when his new pupil asks him to help her adopt the monastic way of life (1.123), “It is like this, sister. Shaving the hair on your head is not equivalent to going forth as it pertains to the bodhisatva. Why not? Girl, bodhisatvas go forth by means of the effort to eliminate the afflicted mental states of all beings.”
The ideal set out here is to engage compassionately in ordinary life with all its imperfections rather than to retreat into isolation. The obligation of the bodhisatva that is espoused here is to practice the altruistic social virtues of compassion, friendliness, and so forth, rather than leading a silent life of meditation. This takes us to the core of the Mahāyāna ideology, shared by a great number of Mahāyāna sūtras: Anyone—courtesans or powerful laymen, even those living licentious lives—may be great bodhisatvas who have sought such rebirths for the sake of their fellow beings. Birth is really an illusion, suffering is really emptiness, and great compassion is the means by which to reach this radical acceptance, this understanding, which is the same as awakening.
The sūtra seems to have been relatively well known in India, being cited in a number of Indian treatises. Apart from these fragmentary citations, however, no Sanskrit version has yet come to light. The text was translated from Sanskrit into Chinese by Dharmarakṣa in 314
The sūtra’s placement, at least in Kangyurs of the Tshalpa (tshal pa) lineage, among the first few works in the General Sūtra section suggests that it was held in high esteem. Several of its passages are widely quoted in the Tibetan commentarial literature, and its statement about the destructive effect of anger on stores of merit (1.112) is particularly well known.
In producing this translation, we have based our work on the edited Tibetan text published at the Bibliotheca Polyglotta, University of Oslo (Braarvig 2010), in consultation with the two Chinese translations, which are also reproduced there and aligned with the Tibetan. Comprehensive notes detailing the variant readings of the Tibetan text in different Kangyurs can be found in that edition and have not been reproduced here.
[B1] Homage to all buddhas and bodhisatvas!
Thus did I hear at one time. Once, the Blessed One was staying at Vulture Peak in Rājagṛha with a great community of some five hundred monks, and with eight thousand bodhisatvas.
At that time, a courtesan’s daughter, Suvarṇottamaprabhāśrī, who was beautiful, charming, and attractive, was living in the great city of Rājagṛha. Her beautiful complexion was the most abundant of her riches. Because of the roots of virtue she had previously developed, that girl, whose body was the color of gold, was illumined by a light of a similar golden color wherever she stood, sat, or walked. Whatever clothes she put on, whether they were red or white, would shine with precisely the same golden color. That girl was a beloved and comforting friend to all people, and they never tired of looking at her. She had such gentle speech—tender, soft, sweet, and pleasant—and her ever-smiling face, never bunched up in anger, won the respect of all. There was no harshness or roughness in her. All the young princes, the young sons of ministers, the young sons of bankers, and the young sons of householders in the great city of Rājagṛha desired her greatly. She was always in their thoughts, and no matter how much they saw of her, they were never satisfied. Wherever that courtesan’s daughter Suvarṇottamaprabhāśrī went—to gardens, to rivers, to lotus ponds, to houses, to boulevards, or to marketplaces—men, women, boys, and girls assembled and followed her out of curiosity.
One day, a banker’s son named Bhayadatta used some of his wealth to hire the courtesan’s daughter, Suvarṇottamaprabhāśrī. Setting out for a garden, they sat down on a pleasant seat that had been prepared for them in a carriage drawn by four horses, which was decorated with jewels, pearls, cat’s eye gems, and gold, with raised parasols, flags, and banners. It was adorned with flowers, incense, perfume, aromatic powder, and garlands, and its windows were adorned with campaka flowers. The carriage was drawn along by people in front whose thoughts were devoted only to playing around and having fun, accompanied by cymbals and drums, and everyone behind it carried all kinds of things for enjoyment and pleasure. A great crowd of people followed, intent on seeing the woman who so aroused their curiosity, and thus they arrived in the garden.
It was at this time that the princely Mañjuśrī emerged from his meditative absorption. Feeling great compassion for all living beings, he thought, “Who are the living beings, suitable for training, who can be brought to maturity in this Great Vehicle by means of miraculous displays, the miracle of teachings, or the miracle of admonition?” The princely Mañjuśrī saw the courtesan’s daughter Suvarṇottamaprabhāśrī riding in the carriage with the banker’s son Bhayadatta toward the park. When he saw her, he considered how strong and vigorous she was with regard to her readiness to be trained, and he became aware that she possessed the power of the roots of virtue she had previously developed and the capacity to understand the teachings. So the princely Mañjuśrī produced a miraculous display, a miracle by means of which, as soon as he showed himself, he would outshine even the light of the sun and moon, let alone other sentient beings. Revealing just such an embodiment, he appeared clad in all kinds of jewelry and a luminous garment, the luster of which lit up a circular area a yojana across.
Then the princely Mañjuśrī, clothed in that garment and adorned with all that jewelry, placed himself facing the road on which the courtesan’s daughter Suvarṇottamaprabhāśrī was traveling. As soon as the princely Mañjuśrī had placed himself there, the carriage belonging to the banker’s son was darkened, as was the whole of the courtesan’s daughter Suvarṇottamaprabhāśrī’s body. Just as a piece of cloth soaked with ink would not shine, would not be bright, and would not be radiant if one were to place it next to gold from the Jambu River, in the same way the girl’s body did not shine, was not bright, and was not radiant when the light from the body of the princely Mañjuśrī touched it. The courtesan’s daughter Suvarṇottamaprabhāśrī saw the princely Mañjuśrī standing there, looking like a god, his body adorned with jewelry and clothed in his shining garment, and she saw too the light emanating from his garment. As soon as she had seen him, a feeling of contempt for her own body, a feeling of inferiority, arose in her, and she wanted to possess his garment. She thought, “I have had enough of this banker’s son. I will get down from this carriage to amuse myself with, play with, and tease this man instead. Then I can ask him for his garment.”
As soon as the girl had these thoughts, however, the great divine king Vaiśravaṇa, who had transformed himself into a man with the help of the magic of the princely Mañjuśrī, said to her, “Young lady, do not think passionate thoughts about this good man! Why not? Because he never seeks pleasure.”
“Who is he? What is his name?” asked the girl.
“He is a bodhisatva,” Vaiśravaṇa answered, “and he is called the princely Mañjuśrī.”
“But what is a bodhisatva?” asked the girl. “Is it a god, or is it a nāga, a yakṣa, a gandharva, a demigod, a garuḍa, a kinnara, a mahoraga, Śakra, Brahmā, a protector of the world, or a great king? What is a bodhisatva?”
Vaiśravaṇa replied, “Young lady, a bodhisatva is not a god, a nāga, a yakṣa, a gandharva, a demigod, a garuḍa, a kinnara, a mahoraga, Śakra, Brahmā, a protector of the world, or a great king. Young lady, he is called a bodhisatva because he completely fulfills the wishes of all beings. He is called a bodhisatva because he gives to all who ask and does not send anybody away.”
Then the girl thought, “So, according to what I’ve been told, Mañjuśrī will give me his garment.” After the courtesan’s daughter Suvarṇottamaprabhāśrī had alighted from the carriage, she spoke to the princely Mañjuśrī: “Mañjuśrī, please give me the garment in which your body is clothed.”
She then spoke the following verse:
Mañjuśrī replied, “If you enter awakening, young lady, I will give you this garment right away, because the whole world with its gods considers those who unswervingly maintain the mind of awakening to be worthy of offerings.”
The girl then asked the following in verse:
Mañjuśrī said, “Sister, awakening refers to the inexpressible, the absence of letters, the freedom from the aggregates, the sensory elements, and the sense sources, emptiness, the freedom from marks, the absence of afflictions, peace, tranquility, and complete pacification.”
The princely Mañjuśrī continued, “Sister, if you develop the mind of awakening, then I will give you this garment.”
“What is awakening, Mañjuśrī?” asked the girl.
“Sister,” replied Mañjuśrī, “you yourself are awakening.”
“How am I awakening, Mañjuśrī?” asked the girl. “I don’t understand the meaning of what you have said.”
“Sister,” replied Mañjuśrī, “this is the Dharma teaching of the current Tathāgata, the worthy one, the perfectly awakened one named Śākyamuni: ‘Just as the body partakes in universal sameness, awakening too partakes in universal sameness. Just as awakening partakes in universal sameness, the body too partakes in universal sameness.’ Therefore, I say to you, sister: ‘You yourself are awakening.’ What is your opinion, sister? Is this body of yours made up of the aggregates, the sensory elements, and the sense sources?”
When the girl had heard this teaching, the light of the Dharma was born in her as the result of the roots of virtue she had previously developed, and when she had attained that light, she said to Mañjuśrī, “Just so, Mañjuśrī, this body of mine is made up of the aggregates, the sensory elements, and the sense sources.”
“What is your opinion, sister?” asked Mañjuśrī. “Does form have mental activity or consciousness?”
“Not at all, Mañjuśrī,” replied the girl.
“Awakening too, sister, has no mental activity or consciousness,” said Mañjuśrī. “Therefore, sister, just as form partakes in universal sameness, awakening too partakes in universal sameness. Just as awakening partakes in universal sameness, form too partakes in universal sameness. Therefore, sister, I say to you: ‘You yourself are awakening.’
“But sister, what is your opinion? Do feelings, perception, conditioning, or consciousness have mental activity or consciousness?”
“Not at all, Mañjuśrī,” replied the girl.
“Awakening too, sister, has no mental activity or consciousness,” said Mañjuśrī. “Therefore, sister, just as consciousness partakes in universal sameness, awakening too partakes in universal sameness. Just as awakening partakes in universal sameness, consciousness too partakes in universal sameness. Therefore, sister, I say to you: ‘You yourself are awakening.’ ”
Mañjuśrī then asked, “What, sister, is your opinion? Is form something inner or outer, or is it both? Is form blue, yellow, red, or white? Is it the color of saffron, crystal, or silver? Can it be shown to be found in any place or direction?”
“Not at all, Mañjuśrī,” replied the girl.
“Awakening too, sister, is not something inner or outer, or both,” said Mañjuśrī. “It is not blue, yellow, red, or white; it does not have the color of saffron, crystal, or silver; and it cannot be shown to be found in any place or direction. Therefore, sister, just as form partakes in universal sameness, awakening too partakes in universal sameness. Just as awakening partakes in universal sameness, form too partakes in universal sameness. Therefore, sister, I say to you: ‘You yourself are awakening.’
“Likewise, sister, are feelings, perception, conditioning, and consciousness inner or outer, or are they both? Is consciousness blue, yellow, red, or white? Is it the color of saffron, crystal, or silver? Can it be shown to be found in any place or direction?”
“Not at all, Mañjuśrī,” replied the girl.
“Awakening too, sister, is not something inner or outer, or both,” said Mañjuśrī. “It is not blue, yellow, red, or white; it does not have the color of saffron, crystal, or silver; and it cannot be shown to be found in any place or direction. Therefore, sister, just as consciousness partakes in universal sameness, awakening too partakes in universal sameness. Just as awakening partakes in universal sameness, consciousness too partakes in universal sameness. Therefore, sister, I say to you: ‘You yourself are awakening.’
“Further, sister, the five aggregates are like a magical creation. They are nonexistent. They arise from misunderstanding and are nonexistent. They are an erroneous conventional expression. Awakening too is like a magical creation, nothing but a nonexistent and misleading conventional expression. Therefore, sister, just as a magical creation partakes in universal sameness, the aggregates partake in universal sameness. Just as the aggregates partake in universal sameness, a magical creation partakes in universal sameness. Just as a magical creation partakes in universal sameness, awakening partakes in universal sameness. Just as awakening partakes in universal sameness, a magical creation partakes in universal sameness. Therefore, sister, I say to you: ‘You yourself are awakening.’
“Further, sister, the five aggregates are like a dream, which is not really happening. Awakening too has the nature of a dream, which is not really happening. Therefore, sister, just as a dream partakes in universal sameness, the aggregates partake in universal sameness. Just as the aggregates partake in universal sameness, a dream partakes in universal sameness. Just as a dream partakes in universal sameness, awakening partakes in universal sameness. Just as awakening partakes in universal sameness, a dream partakes in universal sameness. Therefore, sister, I say to you: ‘You yourself are awakening.’
“Further, sister, the five aggregates are like a mirage, which is brought about by illusory action. Awakening too has the nature of a mirage, as it is beyond the maturation of action. Therefore, sister, just as a mirage partakes in universal sameness, the aggregates partake in universal sameness. Just as the aggregates partake in universal sameness, a mirage partakes in universal sameness. Just as a mirage partakes in universal sameness, awakening partakes in universal sameness. Just as awakening partakes in universal sameness, a mirage partakes in universal sameness. Therefore, sister, I say to you: ‘You yourself are awakening.’
“Further, sister, the five aggregates are like reflections in a mirror: they do not change as long as the object that is mirrored is not changed. Awakening too has the nature of reflections in a mirror: it does not change. Therefore, sister, just as reflections in a mirror partake in universal sameness, the aggregates partake in universal sameness. Just as the aggregates partake in universal sameness, reflections in a mirror partake in universal sameness. Just as reflections in a mirror partake in universal sameness, awakening partakes in universal sameness. Just as awakening partakes in universal sameness, reflections in a mirror partake in universal sameness. Therefore, sister, I say to you: ‘You yourself are awakening.’
“Further, sister, the five aggregates are just words, and those words are of an unwavering nature. Awakening too, sister, is just a word, and that word is unwavering. Therefore, sister, just as the unwavering partakes in universal sameness, the aggregates partake in universal sameness. Just as the aggregates partake in universal sameness, the unwavering partakes in universal sameness. Just as the unwavering partakes in universal sameness, awakening partakes in universal sameness. Just as awakening partakes in universal sameness, the unwavering partakes in universal sameness. Therefore, sister, I say to you: ‘You yourself are awakening.’
“Further, sister, among the aggregates there is no subject that acts, and the meaning of being uncreated is awakening. Among the aggregates there is no essential nature, and the meaning of being without any essential nature is awakening. Among the aggregates there is no origination, and the meaning of being without origination is awakening. Among the aggregates there is no permanence, and the meaning of impermanence is awakening. Among the aggregates there is no happiness, and the meaning of suffering is awakening. Among the aggregates there is nothing pure, and the meaning of impurity is awakening. Among the aggregates there is no self, and the meaning of selflessness is awakening. Further, sister, among the aggregates there is no development, and the meaning of being beyond development is awakening. The aggregates are void, and the meaning of being void is awakening. Among the aggregates there is nothing to grasp, and the meaning of being beyond grasping is awakening. Among the aggregates there is no support, and the meaning of being without support is awakening. Among the aggregates there is no coming or going, and the meaning of being beyond coming and going is awakening. Among the aggregates there is nothing that remains in the present, and the meaning of not remaining in the present is awakening. Further, sister, the aggregates are only a pious conventional expression, and awakening too is a pious conventional expression. The aggregates are essentially beyond conventional expressions, and awakening too is beyond conventional expressions. The essential nature of the five aggregates is the essential nature of all the phenomena penetrated by the Tathāgata, and that is awakening. In this way, sister, the essential nature of the aggregates is the essential nature of awakening, and the essential nature of awakening is the essential nature of all phenomena. Sister, the essential nature of the five aggregates, and the essential nature of awakening, is the essential nature of all beings. Therefore, sister, I say to you: ‘You yourself are awakening.’
“Further, sister, the understanding of the aggregates is undoubtedly awakening. There is no real understanding that does not include the aggregates. There is no real understanding that does not include awakening. Thus, understanding is awakening. Therefore, sister, I say to you: ‘You yourself are awakening.’
“Sister, you should understand this teaching in this way: just as all beings are included in awakening, that teaching that is not included in anything is awakening. Therefore, sister, I say to you: ‘You yourself are awakening.’
“Further, sister, in this body of yours, the four elements are produced, namely, the element of earth, the element of water, the element of fire, and the element of wind. Moreover, sister, the element of earth is not a self, not a sentient being, not a life principle, not a soul, and not an individual who is reborn; awakening too is not a self, not a sentient being, not a life principle, not a soul, and not an individual who is reborn. Thus, the element of water, the element of fire, and the element of wind too are not a self, not a sentient being, not a life principle, not a soul, and not an individual who is reborn. Awakening too is not a self, not a sentient being, not a life principle, not a soul, and not an individual who is reborn. The element of earth and awakening are the same because of their absolute sameness with empty space. The element of water and awakening are the same because of their absolute nonexistence. The element of fire and awakening are the same because they are totally unwavering. The element of wind and awakening are the same because they are totally indefinable. The element of earth, sister, is known and understood by the Tathāgata. The element of water, sister, is known and understood by the Tathāgata. The element of fire, sister, is known and understood by the Tathāgata. The element of wind, sister, is known and understood by the Tathāgata. Further, sister, to understand the element of earth is awakening. Thus, sister, to understand the element of water, the element of fire, and the element of wind is awakening. Therefore, sister, I say to you: ‘You yourself are awakening.’
“Sister, the element of earth does not know the element of water. The element of water does not know the element of fire. The element of fire does not know the element of wind. In this way, sister, thorough knowledge of the word element is called awakening. Therefore, sister, I say to you: ‘You yourself are awakening.’
“Further, sister, the eye is produced in this body of yours, and in the same way the ear, the nose, the tongue, the body, and the mind are produced. But sister, the eye is empty, and the essential nature of the eye, being emptiness, is awakening. But sister, the ear is empty, and the essential nature of the ear, being emptiness, is awakening. But sister, the nose is empty, and the essential nature of the nose, being emptiness, is awakening. But sister, the tongue is empty, and the essential nature of the tongue, being emptiness, is awakening. But sister, the body is empty, and the essential nature of the body, being emptiness, is awakening. But sister, the mind is empty, and the essential nature of the mind, being emptiness, is awakening. Therefore, sister, I say to you: ‘You yourself are awakening.’
“Further, sister, the emptiness of the eye is not amenable to conceptual imputation as ‘form,’ and the essential nature of empty form is awakening. The emptiness of the ear, the nose, the tongue, the body, and the mind is not amenable to conceptual imputation as ‘mental phenomena,’ and the essential nature of empty mental phenomena is awakening. Therefore, sister, I say to you: ‘You yourself are awakening.’ Thus, sister, the eye does not grasp form, just as awakening does not grasp form; the ear does not grasp sounds, just as awakening does not grasp sounds; the nose does not grasp smells, just as awakening does not grasp smells; the tongue does not grasp tastes, just as awakening does not grasp tastes; and the mind does not grasp mental phenomena, just as awakening does not grasp mental phenomena.
“What, sister, is the reason for this? The eye that is not connected to form is awakening, and, similarly with the other senses, the mind that is not connected to mental phenomena is awakening. Thus, sister, the sensory element of eye consciousness is not connected to the sensory element of form, and the sensory element of eye consciousness that is not connected to form is awakening. The sensory element of ear consciousness is not connected to the sensory element of sound, and the sensory element of ear consciousness that is not connected to sound is awakening. The sensory element of nose consciousness is not connected to the sensory element of smell, and the sensory element of nose consciousness that is not connected to smell is awakening. The sensory element of tongue consciousness is not connected to the sensory element of taste, and the sensory element of tongue consciousness that is not connected to taste is awakening. The sensory element of body consciousness is not connected to the sensory element of physical objects, and the sensory element of body consciousness that is not connected to physical objects is awakening. The sensory element of mind consciousness is not connected to the sensory element of mental phenomena, and the sensory element of mind consciousness that is not connected to mental phenomena is awakening. Therefore, sister, I say to you: ‘You yourself are awakening.’
“Thus, sister, awakening and the sensory element of eye consciousness are beyond duality and not distinguishable as two entities. Awakening and the sensory element of form are beyond duality and not distinguishable as two entities. As awakening and the sensory element of mind are beyond duality and not distinguishable as two entities, awakening and the sensory element of mental phenomena are beyond duality and not distinguishable as two entities. Awakening and the sensory element of mind consciousness are beyond duality and not distinguishable as two entities. Therefore, sister, I say to you: ‘You yourself are awakening.’
“Further, sister, understand that the eye is awakening. Similarly, understand that the ear, the nose, the tongue, the body, and the mind are awakening. The essential nature of the eye is empty, and this empty essential nature is awakening. Similarly, the essential nature of the ear, the nose, the tongue, the body, and the mind is empty, and this empty essential nature is awakening. Sister, the essential nature of the eye is beyond desire, aversion, and bewilderment, and that which is without desire, aversion, and bewilderment is awakening. The essential nature of the ear, the nose, the tongue, the body, and the mind is beyond desire, aversion, and bewilderment, and that which is without desire, aversion, and bewilderment is awakening.
“Sister, the eye has no owner, nothing that is owned, and no state of ownership. Awakening too has no owner, nothing that is owned, and no state of ownership. In the same way, the ear, the nose, the tongue, the body, and the mind have no owner, nothing that is owned, and no state of ownership.
“Sister, the eye is not connected to the state of being a man, and it is not connected to the state of a being a woman; nor, sister, is awakening connected to the state of being a man, or connected to the state of a being a woman. Similarly, sister, the ear, the nose, the tongue, the body, and the mind are not connected to the state of being a man, and are not connected to the state of a being a woman; nor, sister, is awakening connected to the state of being a man, or connected to the state of a being a woman. Sister, the eye is not a man, and it is not a woman; nor, sister, is awakening a man, or a woman. In the same way, sister, the mind is not a man, and it is not a woman, and, sister, awakening is not a man, and it is not a woman. Sister, this is how the Tathāgata understands the reality of the eye, and this understanding is awakening. The Tathāgata understands the reality of the mind in the same way, and this understanding is awakening. Therefore, sister, I say to you: ‘You yourself are awakening.’
“Further, sister, this body of yours is not a self, not a sentient being, not a life principle, not a soul, not a person, not a human being, not a man, not a creator, not a subject of feeling, knowing, hearing, smelling, tasting, or touching, nor is it a subject of consciousness. Sister, awakening too is not a self, not a sentient being, not a life principle, not a soul, not a personality, not a human being, not a man, not a creator, not a subject of feeling, knowing, hearing, smelling, tasting, or touching, nor is it a subject of consciousness. Thus, sister, the universal sameness of all phenomena is awakening.
“Sister, this body of yours is without mobility, without a subject that acts, and without permanence. It is not distinct or different from grass, wood, trees, and building materials of stone. Also, sister, the inner element of earth and the outer element of earth are not two and are not distinguishable as two entities. As such, they have the one characteristic of being without characteristics when they are understood by the Tathāgata through his insight and knowledge. Therefore, sister, I say to you: ‘You yourself are awakening.’
“Moreover, sister, the intention by which we have representations of thought, mind, and consciousness, and these representations of thought, mind, and consciousness themselves, are not found in the hair. They do not abide in the hair of the body, nor in the cuticles, nor in the skin, nor in the flesh, nor in the blood, nor in the bones, nor in the sinews, nor in the marrow. They do not abide inside, nor outside, nor neither inside nor outside. They do not abide in the eye, nor in the ear, nor in the nose, nor in the tongue, nor in the body, nor in the mind. They do not abide, nor do they not abide. They are not discontinuous, and do not abide in any location or direction. They are without form, not demonstrable, beyond representation, ungraspable, unmixed, without basis, pure, clean, and brilliant. That representation of thought and mind is beyond the impurity of afflicted mental states and also beyond purification. It is because it is not embodied, in being essentially pure and brilliant, that it is beyond the impurity of afflicted mental states and also beyond purification.
“Thus, sister, the essential nature of the aggregates, the sensory elements, and the sense sources is awakening, and the essential nature of awakening is the aggregates, the sensory elements, and the sense sources. Also, sister, the aggregates, the sensory elements, and the sense sources as developed in your body are awakening. Awakening is nothing else. Why is this? Awakening is nothing other than the aggregates, the sensory elements, and the sense sources. These are indeed awakening, because to understand the sameness of all phenomena is awakening. Therefore, sister, I say to you: ‘You yourself are awakening.’ ”
When the princely Mañjuśrī had given this teaching, five hundred gods in the heavens developed the mind of incomparable, perfect awakening. Among the men, women, boys, and girls in Suvarṇottamaprabhāśrī’s entourage, two hundred developed the mind of incomparable, perfect awakening. Sixty gods and humans too attained the stainless, impeccable, pure vision of phenomena.
The courtesan Suvarṇottamaprabhāśrī was content and elated, delighted and joyful. Joy and good temper arose in her, and having made obeisance with all five parts of her body by falling down at the feet of the princely Mañjuśrī, having gone to the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Saṅgha for refuge, having adopted a chaste life and the moral precepts, and having developed the mind of incomparable, perfect awakening with determination, she uttered the following words:
“I too, Mañjuśrī, having heard what you have taught, will develop the mind of incomparable, perfect awakening for the sake of your teaching, for the sake of pity and compassion for all beings, for the sake of not breaking the tradition of the Buddha, for the sake of not breaking the tradition of the Dharma, and for the sake of not breaking the tradition of the Saṅgha.
“In the same way, I will teach the Dharma to all beings to help them understand it. To purify the hindrances that originate from negative actions, I will confess each fault according to how it is committed. When beings do not understand that all phenomena are peaceful and tranquil, they do not understand the essential nature of phenomena, since they are controlled by error that follows incorrect thinking and chained to desire by attachment to their bodies. But, Mañjuśrī, though this is the case, even those beings who are chained to desire are connected to exactly that essential nature of phenomena.
“The bodhisatvas train themselves in this Dharma of connectedness and develop the mind of incomparable, perfect awakening. Why is this? Mañjuśrī, the afflicted mental states are not real but are born out of concepts, and they disappear when the concepts are understood as being empty. As I understand the meaning of what you have said, Mañjuśrī, the afflicted mental states are without any essential nature and are unborn, just like a mass of clouds. The afflicted mental states break up and dissolve in an instant, just like bubbles. The afflicted mental states are not produced, just like wind. The afflicted mental states are beyond all spheres, just like a drawing in the air. The afflicted mental states are not lasting, just like a drawing on water. The afflicted mental states originate from indulging in superficial mental activity, just like yakṣas and bhūtas. The afflicted mental states originate from mistakenly seeing things where there is nothing, just like in a fever. The afflicted mental states originate from concepts, and thus are nonexistent. The afflicted mental states are connected to the inclinations of the ego. The afflicted mental states grasp at objects because of the principle of greed for possessions. The afflicted mental states are adventitious because they are produced by misunderstanding. The afflicted mental states follow the distinguishing marks as they are the results of concepts. The afflicted mental states are not intellectual activity, as they do not investigate the different elements. The afflicted mental states, which originate with the fluctuation of thoughts, are the absence of introspection. The afflicted mental states, which originate in the attachment to self and others, are the absence of faith. The afflicted mental states are the grasping at the aggregates. The afflicted mental states are the holding on to the sensory elements as material things. The afflicted mental states are the amassing of the sense sources as material things. The afflicted mental states are the making of distinctions between concepts and forms. The afflicted mental states are the failure to understand the mind’s incorrect thinking.
“Despite that, Mañjuśrī, the afflicted mental states are the supporting pillar of awakening. Why is that? It is because awakening is immovable, and the afflicted mental states are the seeds of awakening. Awakening is really the understanding of the afflicted mental states. The afflicted mental states are also the adamantine basis of awakening. Why is this? It is because awakening is indivisable from the afflicted mental states, because of the principle of being inseparable from the totality of reality. To see the afflicted mental states, Mañjuśrī, is awakening. Awakening is ever-present in all objects. Mañjuśrī, as awakening is not established anywhere, so too the afflicted mental states are not established—they do not remain, as they are broken up and melt away as soon as they have arisen. Mañjuśrī, the afflicted mental states have thought as their essential nature. Why is this? Mañjuśrī, it is not possible to point out the essential nature of thought by expressions such as, ‘This thought is full of desire, full of aversion, and full of bewilderment.’ But, Mañjuśrī, since it is impossible to demonstrate what thought is, it is also not possible to point out the essential nature of the afflicted mental states by expressions such as, ‘The afflicted mental states are found in certain places and regions.’
“Bodhisatvas, Mañjuśrī, great beings, to the extent that they penetrate the afflicted mental states, do not get tired of bringing to maturity beings who behave in accord with their desire. Nor do they get tired of bringing to maturity beings who behave in accord with their aversion, nor those who behave in accord with their bewilderment, nor those who behave in accord with the three afflicted mental states in equal combination.
“Thus, Mañjuśrī, I will look upon my own desire in the same way as I look upon the desire of all those who behave in accord with their desire. Thus, Mañjuśrī, I will look upon my own aversion in the same way as I look upon the aversion of all those who behave in accord with their aversion. And, Mañjuśrī, I will look upon my own bewilderment in the same way as I look upon the bewilderment of all those who behave in accord with their bewilderment. I will, Mañjuśrī, look upon my own afflicted mental states in the same way as I look upon the afflicted mental states of all those who behave in accord with their afflicted mental states.
“Just as, Mañjuśrī, fire is not frightened by grass and trees, in the same way, Mañjuśrī, the fire of noble insight is not frightened by all the grass and trees of the afflicted mental states. Just as, Mañjuśrī, the disk of the sun does not remain in the company of darkness, in the same way, Mañjuśrī, noble insight does not remain in the company of the afflicted mental states.
“Just as, Mañjuśrī, the wind does not cling to trees and mountains, in the same way, Mañjuśrī, the bodhisatva who acts according to noble insight does not cling to any region of the afflicted mental states.
“Just as, Mañjuśrī, the element of space is not burned by the world-consuming fire at the end of an eon, in the same way, Mañjuśrī, the bodhisatva who acts according to noble insight is not burned by the world-consuming fire that is the afflicted mental states.
“Just as, Mañjuśrī, space does not remain in the company of dust, mist, or clouds, in the same way, Mañjuśrī, the bodhisatva who acts according to noble insight does not remain in the company of any of the afflicted mental states.
“Just as, Mañjuśrī, space does not remain in the company of earth, in the same way, Mañjuśrī, the bodhisatva who acts according to noble insight does not stay in the company of any of the afflicted mental states.
“Just as, Mañjuśrī, the lodestone does not remain in the company of iron, in the same way, Mañjuśrī, the bodhisatva who acts according to noble insight does not remain in the company of any of the afflicted mental states.
“Just as, Mañjuśrī, the circle of mountains cannot be shaken by all the winds, in the same way, Mañjuśrī, the bodhisatva who acts according to noble insight cannot be shaken by the afflicted mental states.
“Just as, Mañjuśrī, in the animal world the goose drinks the milk and not the water from a mixture of milk and water, in the same way, Mañjuśrī, the bodhisatva who acts according to noble insight draws out the insight and not the afflicted mental states from a mixture of noble insight and afflicted mental states.
“Just as, Mañjuśrī, on the northern continent the tree branches will not bow down to women who have sexual relations with their relatives, in the same way, Mañjuśrī, the bodhisatva who acts according to noble insight does not bow down to those living beings whose faculties are immature.
“Thus, Mañjuśrī, I have no fear of the afflicted mental states. Why not? Bodhisatvas, Mañjuśrī, are clad in the armor of fearlessness.
“Just as, Mañjuśrī, one cannot call someone who fears the enemy a hero, in the same way, Mañjuśrī, one cannot call someone who fears the afflicted mental states a bodhisatva.
“Just as, Mañjuśrī, one cannot call someone who is conquered by the enemy a hero, in the same way, Mañjuśrī, one cannot call someone who is conquered by the afflicted mental states a bodhisatva.
“Just as, Mañjuśrī, the jewel called purifier of water purifies all the dirt of the water that it is thrown into without getting soaked and sullied by the impurities of that water, in the same way, Mañjuśrī, bodhisatvas who act according to noble insight, even if they find themselves among the afflicted mental states, purify all the impurities of the afflicted mental states without getting soaked and sullied by the impurities of those afflicted mental states.”
After the courtesan’s daughter Suvarṇottamaprabhāśrī had given this teaching, she again asked the princely Mañjuśrī, “How, Mañjuśrī, does the bodhisatva become free from afflicted mental states?”
“Sister,” replied Mañjuśrī, “the bodhisatva who sees the afflicted mental states in terms of origination and disappearance is not called one without afflicted mental states.
“Sister, if only darkness appears in the midst of an oil lamp, it cannot really be called an oil lamp. In the same way, sister, a bodhisatva who sees the afflicted mental states in terms of origination and disappearance is not called a bodhisatva without afflicted mental states. Those without any afflicted mental states, sister, do not see impurity or purity anywhere. They are beyond seeing, not seeing, thought, mind, and consciousness, and they are without any afflicted mental states.
“Anyone anywhere, sister, who fosters the activity of thought, mind, and consciousness—even the thought of nirvāṇa—has afflicted mental states. Why is this? For one without afflicted mental states there is neither thought nor the activity of thought. For all of those who foster thoughts that have good and bad as their objects, conditioning is active. Conditioning is existence, and existence is conditioning. All conditioning is existence. Such are the afflicted mental states, dear sister.
“The afflicted mental states, sister, are attachment. Attachment to the eye and to forms is an afflicted mental state, as is attachment to the ear and to sounds, to the nose and to smells, to the tongue and to tastes, to the body and to physical objects, and to the mind and to mental phenomena. Attachment to morality is an afflicted mental state. Attachment to meditation is an afflicted mental state. Attachment to insight, liberation, and the vision of the knowledge of liberation is an afflicted mental state. Attachment to isolation is an afflicted mental state.
“The absence of afflicted mental states, sister, is a designation for the absence of activity. The absence of afflicted mental states is a designation for the absence of discursive thinking. The absence of afflicted mental states is a designation for the absence of effort. The absence of afflicted mental states is a designation for the absence of purpose. One who is without calculation and non-calculation, sister, is without afflicted mental states.
“Further, sister, as the Tathāgata says, one who is without afflicted mental states but strives to release others from afflicted mental states is to be called one without afflicted mental states, so freeing others from the afflicted mental states is how the bodhisatva adopts vigor.”
“Mañjuśrī, how does the bodhisatva adopt vigor?” asked the girl.
Mañjuśrī replied, “To be in harmony with the discernment of emptiness but still have compassion for beings who act according to viewpoints; to be in harmony with the discernment of the absence of distinguishing marks but still have compassion for beings who act according to distinguishing marks; to be in harmony with the discernment of the absence of wishes but still have compassion for beings who act according to wishes; to be in harmony with the discernment of the absence of conditioning but still have compassion for beings who act according to conditioning; to be in harmony with the discernment of the absence of birth and death but still have compassion for beings who entertain the concepts of old age and death; to be in harmony with the discernment of the absence of birth but still have compassion for beings who entertain the concepts of origination and destruction; to be in harmony with the discernment of what is certain to a hearer but still give up the attainment of the fruit of the hearer; to be in harmony with the discernment of what is certain to a solitary buddha but still give up the attainment of the fruit of the solitary buddha; and to be in harmony with the discernment of the untroubled state of a bodhisatva but still have compassion for all beings—this, sister, is how the bodhisatva adopts vigor.
“Just as, sister, it is easy to enter the ocean but hard to get hold of the great pearls and to return, in the same way, sister, reflecting on emptiness is easy but returning from it is difficult for one who has no expedient means. Reflecting on the absence of distinguishing marks, wishes, and conditioning, the absence of birth and origination, and the untroubled states of the hearers and the solitary buddhas is easy, but returning from such reflections is difficult for one who has no expedient means. Just as, sister, it is easy to enter a great battle but hard to get out unscathed and without injuries, in the same way, sister, entering the three gates of liberation is easy but returning is difficult for one who has no expedient means.”
“What, Mañjuśrī, is expedient means like?” asked the girl.
Mañjuśrī replied, “Expedient means, sister, is not giving up the two opposite sides, that is, the side of existence and the side of nirvāṇa. Expedient means, sister, is demonstrating the dual gates, that is, the gate of existence and the gate of nirvāṇa; the gate of emptiness and the gate of freedom from viewpoints; the gate of the absence of distinguishing marks and the gate of freedom from distinguishing marks; the gate of the absence of wishes and the gate of being born intentionally; the gate of the absence of conditioning and the gate of the conditioning of virtue; the gate of no birth and the gate of demonstrating birth; the gate of no activity and the gate of the aggregates, the sensory elements, and the sense sources; the gate of no origination and destruction and the gate of birth and activity; the gate of voidness and the gate of bringing beings to maturity; the gate of total reality and the gate of caring for every single thing; the gate of the way of the hearers and the gate of the determination of the bodhisatva; and the gate of isolated awakening and the gate of never forgetting the qualities of the Buddha.
“Sister, the bodhisatva who demonstrates the dual gates but does not become attached to any gate is said to be able in expedient means. The same goes for the gate of desire and the gate of the absence of desire, the gate of aversion and the gate of the absence of aversion, the gate of bewilderment and the gate of the absence of bewilderment, the gate of the afflicted mental states and the gate of the absence of the afflicted mental states, and the gate of all movement and the gate of the absence of movement. That, sister, is the bodhisatva’s ability in expedient means.
“The gate of the behavior of ordinary, naive beings on the one hand, and the gate of the behavior of one to be trained, one without need of further training, the hearer, the solitary buddha, and the bodhisatva on the other—knowledge of these two gates is the bodhisatva’s ability in expedient means.” [B2]
At that time, as the Blessed One was walking in the mountain forest on the slopes of Vulture Peak with his attendant, the venerable monk Ānanda, he sat down. Once he was seated, he commended the princely Mañjuśrī: “Mañjuśrī, you taught how a bodhisatva adopts vigor and his ability in expedient means just the way it is. This is very good! Very good!” This whole trichiliocosm was filled with the melody of those words “very good,” and it shook six times. Inspired by those words “very good,” the gods, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, demigods, garuḍas, kinnaras, mahoragas, humans, non-humans, Śakra, Brahmā, and many protectors of the world went to the place where the Blessed One was residing, greeted him by bowing their heads to the Blessed One’s feet, and sat down at one side.
When they had seated themselves, the gods, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, demigods, garuḍas, kinnaras, mahoragas, humans, non-humans, Śakra, Brahmā, and many protectors of the world asked the Blessed One, “To whom did the Blessed One utter the words ‘very good’ that filled this whole trichiliocosm with their melody?”
The Blessed One replied, “Gods, it was to the princely Mañjuśrī.”
The gods then asked, “Blessed One, where is the princely Mañjuśrī now?”
“Gods,” answered the Blessed One, “the princely Mañjuśrī is at the eastern gate of the great city of Rājagṛha, and is engaged in conversation on the Dharma with the courtesan’s daughter Suvarṇottamaprabhāśrī. Those gods who wish to hear the Dharma should go there.”
Then all of those gods, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, demigods, garuḍas, kinnaras, mahoragas, humans, non-humans, Śakra, Brahmā, and many protectors of the world gathered and went to the place where the princely Mañjuśrī was residing. They manifested themselves in physical bodies and showered a rain of flowers. That rain of flowers spread bouquets of flowers all over Rājagṛha and the surrounding area. There, the gods could see the humans, and the humans could see the gods, but they did not speak to each other.
Many hundreds of thousands of beings from the great city of Rājagṛha who had been inspired by the flowers, and who had been inspired by the visible bodies of the gods, went to the place where the princely Mañjuśrī was staying. King Ajātaśatru, surrounded by his retinue of women, with his armed forces of the four branches, and with his great royal wealth and his great royal might, also went to the place where the princely Mañjuśrī was staying. The retinue, the king, the ministers, the sons of the ministers, the traders, and the sons of the householders all saw that the courtesan’s daughter Suvarṇottamaprabhāśrī was free from the manifestation of the afflicted mental state of desire. Her senses and her behavior were calm. Her senses were undisturbed, full of modesty, and she was adorned with beauty. When they saw her, none of them gave rise to lustful thoughts.
When he saw that great crowd of people, the princely Mañjuśrī said to the courtesan’s daughter Suvarṇottamaprabhāśrī, “My child, this great crowd of people is no longer filled with desire upon seeing you. Where have you disposed of those afflicted mental states?”
“The afflicted mental states of all beings, Mañjuśrī, are located within knowledge and liberation,” answered the girl. “They are placed within the totality of phenomena, and I have understood them thus as being without origination, without destruction, and without change. This essential nature of the afflicted mental states is what I have understood.”
Mañjuśrī then asked, “My child, what is the essential nature of the afflicted mental states?”
The girl replied, “The essential nature of the afflicted mental states, Mañjuśrī, is an essential nature beyond construction and concept. The essential nature of the afflicted mental states is a fundamentally unborn essential nature. The afflicted mental states are adventitious. They do not remain when emptiness is understood. They do not remain when the absence of distinguishing marks and the absence of wishes is known. They do not remain when the originally pure light is present.
“Mañjuśrī, people can be killed by the poison of a highly venomous snake, but if they ingest the antivenom called agada, which neutralizes and pacifies all poison, then, as soon as the drug is administered, the poison of the venomous snake is made innocuous. Thus, boys and girls who ingest it can lovingly play with the snake. When they play with the snake, they may take it on their laps and wear it on one side as a shoulder belt. But even though they adorn themselves with it, it will not hurt, consume, or inflict harm on them.
“In the same way, Mañjuśrī, I had not previously heard of the discipline of the Dharma and was burned by the afflicted mental states that were brought about by superficial mental activity and misunderstanding. I was attached to my own body by desire, I was attached to my beauty, and I did not reflect upon the fact that beauty is just as fragile as foam. I did not understand that the body has the nature of an illusion. I did not understand that playing with pleasures is like a dream. I did not understand that the taste of the pleasure of desire is like a drop of honey. I did not understand that the life principle is like dewdrops. I did not understand that all composite things are impermanent. I did not understand that the body is impure. I did not understand that all composite things are intense suffering, and I did not reflect on the fact that all phenomena are without any self. I was thus obscured by darkness myself and I also obscured others. I was bound myself and I bound others as well.
“I heard your teaching on the Dharma, Mañjuśrī, and when I heard it, I had faith in it. When I had attained faith in it, I was freed, and so I will not look upon anyone with desirous eyes, neither in the present nor in the future. And why is this? Mañjuśrī, light does not coexist with darkness. In the same way, Mañjuśrī, no one who is free of desires is attached to the afflicted mental states.”
Then the courtesan’s daughter Suvarṇottamaprabhāśrī implored the princely Mañjuśrī, “Please, Mañjuśrī, as these great assemblies of gods and humans are gathered here, be eloquent in your speech on the Dharma so that when they have understood the essential nature of the afflicted mental states, these gods and these people will develop the mind of absolute, incomparable awakening out of compassion for living beings.”
“But sister,” replied Mañjuśrī, “the essential nature of the afflicted mental states is very difficult to reach. And why is this? Because the essential nature of the afflicted mental states is awakening.
“Sister, just as an unkindled fire does not have the nature of burning, in the same way, sister, the afflicted mental states that are not imagined do not have the nature of existence. Sister, just as a kindled fire has the nature of burning, in the same way, sister, the afflicted mental states that are imagined have the nature of existence.
“Sister, just as a fire burns if it has a cause, in the same way, sister, if the afflicted mental states have the cause of the manifestation of viewpoints, they burn in the three spheres of existence. Sister, just as a fire does not burn if it has no cause, in the same way, sister, if the afflicted mental states do not have the cause of the manifestation of viewpoints, they do not burn in the three spheres of existence.
“Sister, just as there is no increase or decrease in a thousand-year fire, in the same way, sister, there is no increase or decrease in the afflicted mental states generated over a hundred thousand eons.
“Sister, just as a fire that has been extinguished cannot be called a fire, in the same way, sister, afflicted mental states that have abated cannot be called afflicted mental states.
“Sister, just as a fire that burns in an open space cannot burn the space itself, in the same way, sister, the adventitious afflicted mental states that arise in that which is originally luminous are not able to pollute that which is originally luminous.
“Even though this is the case, sister, how should the body of form be regarded?”
“Mañjuśrī,” answered the girl, “just like the reflection of the moon in a small lake.”
“How, girl, should the aggregates be regarded?” asked Mañjuśrī.
“Just like the manifestation of the Tathāgata, Mañjuśrī,” answered the girl.
“How, girl, should the sensory elements be regarded?” asked Mañjuśrī.
“Just like the three spheres of existence when they are consumed by the fire of the eon, Mañjuśrī,” answered the girl.
“How, girl, should the sense sources be regarded?” asked Mañjuśrī.
“Just like formed actions, which are really unformed, Mañjuśrī,” answered the girl.
“How, girl, should this assembly be regarded?” asked Mañjuśrī.
“Just like the empty space above us, Mañjuśrī,” answered the girl.
“How, girl, should you be regarded?” asked Mañjuśrī.
“Just like a meeting between my mother and father, Mañjuśrī,” answered the girl.
“How, girl, should I be regarded?” asked Mañjuśrī.
“Just like a blind man seeing form, Mañjuśrī,” answered the girl.
“Girl, have you heard these teachings?” asked Mañjuśrī.
“I have heard them, Mañjuśrī, like information heard from a magically conjured person,” answered the girl.
“Girl, do you wish to reach incomparable, perfect awakening?” asked Mañjuśrī.
“As I myself am awakening, I do not need to wish for it anymore, Mañjuśrī,” answered the girl.