དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པའི་སྙིང་རྗེ་ཆེན་པོ་ངེས་པར་བསྟན་པ།
The Teaching on the Great Compassion of the Tathāgata
Tathāgatamahākaruṇānirdeśa
འཕགས་པ་དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པའི་སྙིང་རྗེ་ཆེན་པོ་ངེས་པར་བསྟན་པ་ཞེས་བྱ་བ་ཐེག་པ་ཆེན་པོའི་མདོ།
’phags pa de bzhin gshegs pa’i snying rje chen po nges par bstan pa zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo/
The Noble Great Vehicle Sūtra “The Teaching on the Great Compassion of the Tathāgata”
Āryatathāgatamahākaruṇānirdeśanāmamahāyānasūtra

Toh 147
Degé Kangyur, vol. 57 (mdo sde, pa), folios 142.a–242.b.
Translated by Anne Burchardi
under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha
First published 2020
Current version v 1.2.3 (2020)
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Summary
The Teaching on the Great Compassion of the Tathāgata opens with the Buddha presiding over a large congregation of disciples at Vulture Peak. Entering a special state of meditative absorption, he magically displays a pavilion in the sky, attracting a vast audience of divine and human Dharma followers. At the request of the bodhisattva Dhāraṇīśvararāja, the Buddha gives a discourse on the qualities of bodhisattvas, which are specified as bodhisattva ornaments, illuminations, compassion, and activities. He also teaches about the compassionate awakening of tathāgatas and the scope of a tathāgata’s activities. At the request of a bodhisattva named Siṃhaketu, Dhāraṇīśvararāja then gives a discourse on eight dhāraṇīs, following which the Buddha explains the sources and functions of a dhāraṇī known as the jewel lamp. As the text concludes, various deities and Dharma protectors praise the sūtra’s qualities and vow to preserve and protect it in the future, and the Buddha entrusts the sūtra and its propagation to Dhāraṇīśvararāja. The sūtra is a particularly rich source of detail on the qualities of bodhisattvas and buddhas.
Acknowledgements
This sūtra was translated by Anne Burchardi, with Dr. Ulrich Pagel acting as consultant. Tulku Dakpa Rinpoche, Jens Braarvig, and Tom Tillemans provided help and advice, and Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche provided inspiration. Anne Burchardi introduced the text, the translation and introduction were edited by the 84000 editorial team.
We gratefully acknowledge the generous sponsorship of May and George Gu, made in memory of Frank ST Gu. Their support has helped make the work on this translation possible.
Introduction
The Text
The Teaching on the Great Compassion of the Tathāgata1 is an important early Great Vehicle sūtra, setting out some key features of the bodhisattva path in a doctrinally dense text that has been explored in later commentaries as an important source of clarification on the qualities that bodhisattvas develop as they progress to awakening, on the dhāraṇīs, and indirectly on the potential for buddhahood (buddhagotra) underlying their progress. No Sanskrit text of the sūtra has been found, but it survives in two Chinese translations and one Tibetan.
In the Chinese Tripiṭaka, it appears as (Taishō 398), an independent sūtra translated by Dharmarakṣa in 291 ᴄᴇ, and also as a subsection of (Taishō 397), the Chinese translation by Dharmakṣema (385–433) of the large Mahāvaipulyamahāsaṃnipātasūtra, of which it occupies volumes 1–4.2
The sūtra was translated into Tibetan, according to the colophon of the Tibetan translation, by the Indian scholar Śīlendrabodhi along with the Tibetan translator Yeshé Dé. The text is also recorded in the Denkarma3 and Phangthangma4 inventories of Tibetan imperial translations, so we can establish that it was first translated from Sanskrit into Tibetan no later than the early ninth century, as the Denkarma is dated to 812 ᴄᴇ. It is this Tibetan translation, as preserved in the Degé Kangyur (and taking account of versions in other Kangyurs by consultation of the Comparative Edition, Tib. dpe bsdur ma), that is the basis of the present translation into English.
Outline of the Sūtra
In essence, the sūtra can be seen as comprising an introductory setting of the scene, followed by three main divisions according to topic. The first of these divisions, focusing on the elements of the bodhisattva path, is taught by the Buddha at the request of the bodhisattva Dhāraṇīśvararāja; the second, focusing on the dhāraṇīs, is a teaching by Dhāraṇīśvararāja; while the third is the Buddha’s endorsement of Dhāraṇīśvararāja’s teaching, his narration of past events involving Dhāraṇīśvararāja in previous lifetimes, and his proclamation that it is Dhāraṇīśvararāja who should transmit the entire text.5
The sūtra opens on Vulture Peak, in Rājagṛha, where the Buddha is presiding over an assembly of monks and bodhisattvas. He enters a state of meditative absorption in which he manifests an extravagant pavilion in the atmosphere between the desire realm and the form realm. He proceeds to ascend to the pavilion, along with his retinue, by way of an enormous staircase, one of four thousand that have appeared. As he passes the six heavens of the sensuous realm, their inhabitants praise him and join the ever-increasing throng, until the vast congregation finally arrives in the lofty pavilion. From the pavilion, the Buddha sends invitations in the form of light rays to the bodhisattvas who reside in the buddhafields of the ten directions, announcing the teaching he is about to give. In an instant, those bodhisattvas reach the pavilion together with their entourages. By simply clearing his throat, the Buddha enjoins all the faithful beings remaining in the human and nonhuman realms to ascend the staircases and join the vast congregation. He then emits a light that leads a bodhisattva named Puṣpaśrīgarbhasarvadharmavaśavartin to enter a state of absorption in which a teaching throne magically appears. The bodhisattva requests a teaching from the Buddha, who ascends the throne and delivers an introduction to the forthcoming teaching. Nine different bodhisattvas each enter a different state of meditative absorption, and those absorptions together bless the assembly with their corresponding qualities. When a tenth bodhisattva called Mārapramardaka enters absorption, a host of māras enters the assembly. After a brief exchange with the Blessed One, they also settle down to listen to the discourse.
At this juncture, a bodhisattva named Dharmeśvararāja expresses his confidence that the Buddha will consent to give a discourse, and he proceeds to delineate the qualities of the attendant bodhisattvas that make them suitable recipients of such teachings. The bodhisattva articulates how wonderful it is when a buddha engages in benefiting beings, and he concludes by highlighting the contrast between the bodhisattva intention and the intentions represented by the Śrāvaka and Pratyekabuddha Vehicles. As a result of his exclamations, an immense number of beings generate the thought of awakening. The Buddha then sends forth a light that inspires a bodhisattva named Dhāraṇīśvararāja to request a discourse.
This introductory setting of the scene gives way to the first main topic division when, in response to Dhāraṇīśvararāja’s request, the Blessed One begins his teaching with a description of the four bodhisattva ornaments, in prose and verse. Then follows a description of the eight illuminations of bodhisattvas, first in prose and then in verse, and then descriptions of sixteen kinds of great bodhisattva compassion and thirty-two bodhisattva activities.
Dhāraṇīśvararāja asks the Buddha to expound on the aspects, signs, attributes, and foundation of the great compassion and activity of tathāgatas. In reply the Buddha lists sixteen types of compassion that epitomize the nature of awakening. To further illustrate the compassionate activity of tathāgatas, the Blessed One goes on to relate how Brahmā originally requested the turning of the wheel of the Dharma and how that turning was a manifestation of the tathāgata’s compassion. This is followed by a comparison of the compassion of śrāvakas, bodhisattvas, and buddhas. Next, the Blessed One tells the story of a tathāgata named Sandalwood Dwelling, which illustrates how a tathāgata’s compassion also manifests in the form of prophecies.
The Buddha goes on to describe thirty-two forms of tathāgata activity, which consist of the ten strengths, the four types of fearlessness, and the eighteen unique buddha qualities. Finally, he gives the analogy of the cleansing of a gem in three stages, corresponding to the three turnings of the wheel of Dharma, followed by a brief description of tathāgata activity.
There follows a passage vividly describing the impact of the discourse on the audience in the form of the display of various offerings, the generation of the thought of awakening, and so forth. A dialogue ensues between a being named Magical Display of Māra and a bodhisattva known as Sovereign of the Magical Display of All Phenomena, which results in the conversion of the former to the Great Vehicle.
At this point, the second of the sūtra’s three main topics begins when a bodhisattva known as Siṃhaketu asks Dhāraṇīśvararāja for information about bodhisattva dhāraṇīs, and Dhāraṇīśvararāja introduces eight dhāraṇīs one by one. This is followed by a general conclusion of the eight dhāraṇīs and a verse section detailing them individually and generally.
The Buddha, in the third main division of the sūtra, announces his approval of Dhāraṇīśvararāja’s discourse and goes on to tell him about a world in the past known as Stainless. It was there that a tathāgata known as Stainless Illumination gave a teaching on a dhāraṇī called jewel lamp to a bodhisattva named Glorious Light, upon the latter’s request. The Blessed One proclaims that Dhāraṇīśvararāja himself was the bodhisattva Glorious Light in a past life and further declares that Dhāraṇīśvararāja is supreme among bodhisattvas.
Next, the bodhisattva Prajñākūṭa asks the Buddha how one attains this dhāraṇī. In response the Buddha describes the sources and functions of insight in a series of verses. A bodhisattva named Pratibhānapratisaṃvid then asks how Prajñākūṭa received his name, and in response the Buddha describes a world called Virtuous Occurrence in which a tathāgata named Glorious Secret posed a great number of questions to an assembly of bodhisattvas. The questions were answered expertly by a bodhisattva known as Smṛtibuddhi, resulting in the prophecy that he would become known as Prajñākūṭa. The Buddha reprises the sources and functions of insight in a series of verses, and Dhāraṇīśvararāja praises this teaching on awakening. The Buddha again expresses his approval of Dhāraṇīśvararāja’s discourse and explains the merit of being engaged with the sūtra. The Buddha then asks who is prepared to uphold it in the future. Various figures commit themselves to preserving and protecting the Dharma by pronouncing sets of two verses each. Finally, the Buddha entrusts the sūtra to Dhāraṇīśvararāja.
The Sūtra’s Associations with Buddha Nature Literature
The sūtra is considered important in Indo-Tibetan commentarial traditions for its clarification of the sense and significance of several key features of the bodhisattva path, including the dhāraṇīs and the whole range of the qualities of bodhisattvas and buddhas.6 However, it is in connection with the potential for buddhahood (buddhagotra) and its place in the doctrine and theories of buddha nature that this sūtra is particularly well known in the scholastic tradition of Tibetan Buddhism.
One notable characteristic of the text of the sūtra is its highly structured presentation of topics, which are set out, despite the format of dialog and discourse, in a systematic fashion almost like that of the later Indian treatises. In particular, the teaching that the Buddha delivers to Dhāraṇīśvararāja follows a sequential order based on the evolution of awakening from the state of ordinary being, through the gradual development of the features of a bodhisattva’s realization on the path, to the qualities and activities of buddhahood.
It seems to be that sequentially structured nature of this text that singled it out as the explicit source text for the similar structure on which the Ratnagotravibhāga, the most important and influential Indian treatise on buddha nature, is based.7 The Ratnagotravibhāga explains how the influence of (1) the Buddha, (2) the Dharma, and (3) the Saṅgha act on (4) the buddha nature or “element” (Skt. dhātu, Tib. khams) ever present within all sentient beings to purify it of the adventitious stains that obscure it, revealing (5) the awakened state (bodhi) and (6) its buddha qualities (guṇa), which then manifest (7) the buddha activity (samudācāra) that continues the sequence anew. In explaining its own sequential structure in these terms, the treatise calls them the “seven vajra topics” (vajrapāda), and explicitly cites this sūtra8 as the scriptural source of these topics as a complete, interlinked set (while other scriptures are cited as sources for each individual topic).
Despite this attribution, the seven vajra topics are not specifically presented as such in The Teaching on the Great Compassion of the Tathāgata. Rather, the Ratnagotravibhāgavyākhyā discerns them as implicit in this sūtra as follows. First, (1-3) the Buddha, Dharma, and Saṅgha are evoked in the setting of the scene that introduces the sūtra, in particular in all of 1.3 and the first sentence of 1.5. Next, (4) the buddha nature “element” is covered by the long teaching on the sixty ways in which it is purified, from 2.22 down to 2.200. The Buddha’s teaching on (5) the awakened state is to be found in his teaching on the sixteen kinds of compassion of tathāgatas, from 2.203 down to 2.256. Finally, his explanations of both (6) buddha qualities and (7) buddha activity are set out in parallel, since each of the thirty-two qualities he explains is the basis of a different aspect of activity; they are taught from 2.257 down to 2.506. Despite the treatise borrowing this thematic structure from the sūtra, it is important to note that the ways in which the actual content for each topic is presented in the treatise and the sūtra are very different. This is a complex subject that has received some scholarly attention but merits further research.9
The sūtra is therefore closely associated with the Ratnagotravibhāga, but that does not mean that it contains any direct discussion of buddha nature itself; indeed it does not contain even the standard terms for buddha nature at all.10 Nevertheless, the sūtra is listed as one of ten sūtras on buddha nature by Tibetan authors such as Dölpopa Sherap Gyaltsen (dol po pa shes rab rgyal mtshan, 1292–361)11 and Jamgön Kongtrül Lodrö Thayé (’jam mgon kong sprul blo gros mtha’ yas, 1813–99),12 and the Tibetan commentarial tradition offers reasons for linking it to the buddha nature tradition. One is the fact that the sūtra contains the analogy of the threefold purification of a beryl stone, which serves as a metaphor for the successive teachings of the three turnings of the wheel of Dharma as delineated in Tibetan Buddhist hermeneutics.13 Another is the fact that the text explicitly identifies itself as belonging to the “irreversible turning,” a term that the Tibetan commentarial tradition associates with the third turning. Both considerations are suggestive of the sūtra’s close connection with the hermeneutical framework of the third turning of the wheel of Dharma, a rubric comprising, among other things, classic texts on buddha nature. According to the Saṃdhinirmocanasūtra,14 this category contains sūtras of definitive meaning.15 To what extent The Teaching on the Great Compassion of the Tathāgata is directly quoted in the Tibetan commentarial tradition is a subject for future research. However, among the large number of Tibetan commentaries written on the Ratnagotravibhāga,16 recent research shows that Marpa Lotsawa (mar pa lo tsā ba, 1012–97)17 and Gö Lotsawa (’gos lo tsā ba, 1392–481)18 both quote the sūtra at length in their commentaries on this text.
This sūtra has received little attention in modern scholarship, the notable exception being its treatment in Ulrich Pagel’s in-depth research on historical and doctrinal interrelationships among a group of early Great Vehicle sūtras dedicated to the bodhisattva ideal, in which he has compared the text with the Bodhisattvapiṭaka (Toh 56), the Akṣayamatinirdeśa (Toh 175),19 and the Jñānālokālaṃkāra (Toh 100).20 In his study of the sources for the dhāraṇīs listed in the Mahāvyutpatti (entry no. 748), Pagel was able to confirm that the set of eight dhāraṇīs in this sūtra appear as the first eight of the twelve dhāraṇīs mentioned in the Mahāvyutpatti, and concluded that their presentation in this sūtra is one of the earliest and most detailed discussions of dhāraṇī practice in the Great Vehicle sūtras as a whole.21
The Translation
The Noble Great Vehicle Sūtra
The Teaching on the Great Compassion of the Tathāgata
The Great Assembly Chapter “Array of Ornaments”
Thus did I hear at one time. The Blessed One was dwelling on Vulture Peak, near Rājagṛha, a sacred site blessed by tathāgatas, a great stūpa where previous victors dwelled. It is a Dharma seat praised by bodhisattvas and a place worshiped by gods, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, and asuras that inspires toward roots of virtue. It is a site where tathāgatas appear and where gateways to the Dharma are promulgated, where bodhisattvas appear and where infinite qualities spring forth.
In the tathāgata domain, the Blessed One had fully realized the sameness of all phenomena. He had turned the wheel of the Dharma and now commanded a vast host of well-trained disciples. He had achieved mastery over all phenomena. He knew well how to fulfill the intentions of all beings, he had discovered how to bring their faculties to the highest perfection, and he had become skillful in terminating their karmic traces. In his spontaneous and uninterrupted buddha activity, he resided in the company of a large saṅgha of sixty thousand monks.
All of these monks were of noble lineage, mighty elephants who had done their duties and performed their tasks. They had laid down the burden of existence and attained their own goals for themselves. They had brought their entanglement in existence to an end. Their minds were liberated through perfect knowledge and insight, and they had brought the karmic traces of afflictive emotions to an end. These sons of the Dharma king, the Tathāgata, [F.142.b] were skillfully established in the profound Dharma. They were emancipated through the teaching on non-objectification. They had exquisite and elegant comportments, were great objects of veneration, and were fully grounded in the tathāgata word.
Furthermore, the Blessed One resided in the company of a vast saṅgha of bodhisattvas. These bodhisattva mahāsattvas were all-knowing and had achieved perfection through dispassionate conduct. From a Dharma cloud of great benevolence and vast compassion, these bodhisattvas sent forth the lightning of special insight, knowledge, and liberation and rained down showers of divine nectar, through which they pleased all beings. With a disposition that encompasses everyone, like the earth, they felt affection for all sentient beings and lacked hostility. They increased the crops of the diverse factors of awakening. By sending out rays of insight brighter than the sun, they revealed that they had achieved the path of clearing away the darkness of ignorance. They opened sentient beings like lotus flowers, brought the roots of virtue to maturity, and dried up the rivers of craving. Focused on the task of knowledge, they were driven by the mighty higher knowledges and tranquil abiding.
Like the moon, they displayed a waxing and waning in brightness, since their disposition embraced all beings, and they were skilled in the means to pacify and appease them; with their noble intentions like Mount Meru, the jewels of the Brahmā abodes were firmly established. They illuminated and displayed all buddhafields, which were superior in quality to our world and never buffeted by gusts of wind from any of the four directions. Like a great ocean, they were vast containers of retention and mindfulness, filled with the water of Dharma, and their precious bodhisattva conduct nourished all beings. Like the king of beasts, they had the legs of truth, a full tail of loving kindness, and eyes of tranquil abiding and special insight, and, since they were unintimidated by the profound Dharma, they subdued all adversaries. [F.143.a]
Their bodhisattva conduct remained undisrupted for countless eons, so they were endowed with all qualities. Thus the Blessed One dwelled in the company of countless bodhisattva mahāsattvas including the bodhisattva mahāsattva All-Illumining and Unobstructed Gaze, the bodhisattva mahāsattva All-Revealing Continuous Display of All Buddhafields, the bodhisattva mahāsattva Intelligence in Conduct Stemming from the Tathāgata Lineage, the bodhisattva mahāsattva All-Revealing Unperturbed Subjugation through All Conduct, the bodhisattva mahāsattva Topping the Victory Banner of Endless Courage with Miraculous Melodies, the bodhisattva mahāsattva Brilliant Light Rays of the Collection of Fine Gold, the bodhisattva mahāsattva Eloquence in Language via Insight, and the bodhisattva mahāsattva Gathering of Stable and Immeasurable Merit and Insight.
The Blessed One proceeded to teach the Dharma discourse The Gateway to Unobstructed Deliverance through the Bodhisattva Way of Life. Sixteen years had passed since the Blessed One had become fully awakened, and he knew that the sacred conduct had unfolded. He beheld the great assembly of bodhisattvas. Once he had understood these assembled bodhisattvas to be holders of the treasury of tathāgata Dharma, he thought, “Because I care deeply for the bodhisattvas, [F.143.b] I shall teach the Dharma discourse The Gateway to Unobstructed Deliverance through the Bodhisattva Way of Life, drawing on the magic and miraculous displays of tathāgatas, in order to lead the bodhisattva mahāsattvas to the domain of the Tathāgata.”
Then the Blessed One attained the tathāgata absorption called display of the emanation of the buddha domain exactly as it is. As soon as he had attained that absorption, by his buddha power a pavilion, a veritable buddha abode, appeared in the atmosphere between the desire realm and the form realm. This occurred due to the roots of virtue of the Tathāgata. It purified the thinking of bodhisattvas, illuminated the realms of the worlds of the ten directions, fulfilled the aspirations of countless sentient beings, eclipsed the palaces of the gods, and inspired bodhisattvas everywhere.
This pavilion had a foundation shaped like a white beryl. It comprised mansions made of gold extracted from the Jambu River, archways of red gems, portals of emeralds, terraces constructed of jewels, and altars crafted from radiant gems. Its upper stories consisted of brightly glowing precious stones with coverings of all kinds of jewels and adorned with dangling pearl rosaries, parasols, victory banners, raised standards, and fluttering silk tassels. It was praised and as vast as the extent of the trichiliocosm.
The pavilion was anointed with rare and precious sandalwood. It was perfumed with the enchanting fragrance of superior sandalwood. [F.144.a] It was scented by the noble essence of aloeswood, the best of fragrances. It was strewn with precious flowers and nāga pearls. It was adorned with flower arrangements of scattered flower petals, fine trees, and gorgeous ornaments. The pavilion was everywhere aglitter with variegated arrangements of beautiful ornaments, as many as exist in all the world systems. It also featured many strikingly beautiful lion thrones—many tens of billions, countless, of all different kinds, alluring, lofty, superb, broad, and immense.
In this world system appeared four thousand staircases framed by terraces the height of seven men and half a mile across. They were fashioned from precious sapphire and deep blue sapphire and adorned with canopies of all other manner of gems. They were festooned with golden jewels and other precious stones and enveloped by the sound of filigrees of chimes. These stairways soared from the ground level all the way up to the pavilion. They were straight and steady. Just as in this world system, such great staircases rose in all the world systems of the trichiliocosm.
At this point the Blessed One mindfully and deliberately emerged from that state of meditative absorption. As soon as he did, the world systems of the trichiliocosm trembled six times and were brightly illuminated. Then the Blessed One was together with a host of bodhisattvas and a host of śrāvakas, the host of bodhisattvas surrounding him and the host of śrāvakas in front of and behind him. Gods and nāgas praised him and caused a great rain of flower petals. They bestowed many garments on him [F.144.b] and caused a great rain of copious powders, perfumes, and lotions, all to the sound of cymbals and various melodies. The entire universe shook and lit up brightly.
Thereupon the whole assembly departed from Vulture Peak through the might of the Buddha: his miraculous powers, miraculous displays, great leadership, blessing, splendor, benediction, and magical abilities. Many tens of millions of gods, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kiṃnaras, and mahoragas followed in order to attend the Buddha, ascending the central jewel-encrusted staircase leading to the pavilion.
Aware that the Blessed One had proceeded to the staircase, the Caturmahārājakāyika gods, such as the Caturmahārājas, showered clouds of divine flower petals on him in worship. They joined their palms and praised him with the following words:
“The light of the sun, the moon, fire, and jewels, and the immaculate divine light of the heavenly realms, are all outshone by the light of the Capable One, which pacifies the three lower destinies. This light razes Mount Meru and the surrounding peaks, and it illuminates the buddhafields. Therefore, we joyously take refuge in the Victor who has accomplished all aims.”
After the Caturmahārājakāyika gods had praised the Blessed One with this verse, they joined the procession to attend to him.
At this point, the gods of Trāyastriṃśa, such as Śakra, the lord of the gods, became aware that the Blessed One had proceeded to the staircase, and they showered clouds of divine perfume on him in worship. They joined their palms and [F.145.a] praised him with the following words:
After the gods of Trāyastriṃśa had praised the Blessed One with this verse, they joined the procession to attend to him.
At this point, the gods of Yāma, such as Suyāma, the king of the gods, noticed that the Blessed One was ascending the staircase, and they showered clouds of divine garments on him in worship. They joined their palms and praised him with the following words:
After the gods of Yāma had praised the Blessed One with this verse, they joined the procession to attend to him.
At this point, the gods of Tuṣita, such as Pramodita, the king of the gods, noticed that the Blessed One was ascending the staircase, and they showered clouds of divine jewels on him in worship. They joined their palms and praised him with the following words:
After the gods of Tuṣita had praised the Blessed One with this verse, they joined the procession to attend to him.
At this point, the gods of Nirmāṇarati, such as Sunirmāṇarati, the king of the gods, noticed that the Blessed One was ascending the staircase, and they showered clouds of divine ornaments on him in worship. They joined their palms and praised him with the following words:
After the gods of Nirmāṇarati had praised the Blessed One with this verse, they joined the procession to attend to him.
At this point, the gods of Paranirmitavaśavartin, such as Vaśavartin, the king of the gods, noticed that the Blessed One had ascended the staircase and was now facing the pavilion, and they showered clouds of divine pearl garlands on him in worship. They joined their palms and praised him with the following words:
After the gods of Paranirmitavaśavartin had praised the Blessed One with these verses, they joined the procession to attend to him.
After the many gods had thus praised the vast display of the buddha domain, the Buddha entered the pavilion called Jeweled Array. Just as they realized that the Blessed One had gone to the pavilion Jeweled Array via the staircase in this world system of Endurance, they realized that he had also done so in all the world systems of the trichiliocosm.
At this point, the Blessed One sat down on the lion throne that had been prepared in the pavilion Jeweled Array, encompassed by the trichiliocosm. [F.146.b] The bodhisattvas and the great śrāvakas also took their seats. At this time, the Blessed One attained a buddha absorption called buddha play in unveiled liberation. No sooner had he attained that absorption than as many light rays as there are grains of sand in the river Ganges shone forth from each and every pore of his body. They illuminated all the world systems in the eastern, southern, western, and northern directions. They illuminated the zenith and the nadir, and the intermediate directions as well.
As soon as all the world systems had been illuminated in this way, the suffering experienced by sentient beings tormented in the hell realms ceased. The suffering experienced by beings in the world of Yama and the suffering experienced by beings in the animal realm also ceased. In that instant, attachment, aversion, delusion, and all the other afflictive emotions ceased to afflict sentient beings, who all became kind and loving, and considered beings to be like their parents.
In order to invite the bodhisattvas through the Buddha’s might, the following verses emanated from the light rays streaming from the Tathāgata:
The light rays transmitted these words to all buddhafields. They invited all bodhisattvas, made all world systems tremble, made all sentient beings happy, and purified all elements of the afflictive emotions. The light rays illuminated Tamondhakāra and obscured the dwelling places of Māra. They then returned to the immense circle of bodhisattvas and the world system of Endurance, where they disappeared into the top of the Blessed One’s head.
The light rays first invited the bodhisattva Puṣpaśrīgarbhasarvadharmavaśavartin to come. He resided in a buddhafield situated in the east, called Endowed with the Vast Display of the Precious Merits of Endless Qualities, of the Tathāgata Immaculate Pure Precious Light, Sovereign of the Uninterrupted Luminous Display of Dharma Endowed with the Factors of Awakening. As soon as the light rays reached this bodhisattva, as many bodhisattvas as there are grains of sand in ten Ganges rivers surrounded and followed him in honor. [F.147.b] They all left that buddhafield together and arrived in an instant in this world system of Endurance. Once they had approached the Blessed One inside the pavilion Jeweled Array, they prostrated at his feet. They circumambulated him ten thousand times and in worship showered a multitude of divine gems and beryl upon him. Then they praised him with these words:
Once those bodhisattvas had praised the Blessed One with countless bodhisattva eulogies, they withdrew to the eastern corner of the pavilion and sat down upon seats created by their own miraculous power.
Then the light rays invited the bodhisattva Ratnayaṣṭi to come. He resided in a buddhafield situated in the south, called Buddha Courage, of the Tathāgata Countless Qualities Precious Courage. As the light rays reached him, as many bodhisattvas as there are grains of sand in ten Ganges rivers surrounded and followed him in honor. They all left that buddhafield together and arrived in an instant in this world system of Endurance. Once they had approached the Blessed One inside the pavilion Jeweled Array, they prostrated at his feet. They circumambulated him ten thousand times [F.148.a] and in worship draped the Blessed One with filigrees of gold. Then they praised him with these words:
Once the bodhisattvas had praised the Blessed One with countless bodhisattva eulogies, they withdrew to the southern corner of the pavilion and sat down upon seats created by their own miraculous power.
Then the light rays invited the bodhisattva Sovereign of Powerful Reverberating Sound to come. He resided in a buddhafield situated in the west, called Illuminated, of the Tathāgata Illuminator. As the light rays reached him, as many bodhisattvas as there are grains of sand in ten Ganges rivers surrounded and followed him in honor. They all left that buddhafield together and arrived in an instant in this world system of Endurance. Once they had approached the Blessed One inside the pavilion Jeweled Array, they prostrated at his feet. They circumambulated him ten thousand times and in worship draped the Blessed One with filigrees of pearl necklaces. Then they praised him with these words:
Once the bodhisattvas had praised the Blessed One with countless bodhisattva eulogies, they withdrew to the western corner of the pavilion and sat down upon seats created by their own miraculous power.
Then the light rays invited the bodhisattva Ocean of Supreme Intelligence to come. He resided in a buddhafield situated in the north, called Fully Adorned with Jewels, of the Tathāgata Countless Qualities Precious Courage. As the light rays reached him, as many bodhisattvas as there are grains of sand in ten Ganges rivers surrounded and followed him in honor. They all left that buddhafield together and arrived in an instant in this world system of Endurance. Once they had approached the Blessed One inside the pavilion Jeweled Array, they prostrated at his feet. They circumambulated him ten thousand times and in worship draped the Blessed One with filigrees of crystals and jewels. Then they praised him with these words:
Once the bodhisattvas had praised the Blessed One with countless bodhisattva eulogies, they withdrew to the northern corner of the pavilion and sat down upon seats created by their own miraculous power.
Then the light rays invited the bodhisattva Illuminator to come. He resided in a buddhafield situated in the southeast, called Sorrowless, of the Tathāgata Conqueror of All Sorrow. As the light rays reached him, as many bodhisattvas as there are grains of sand in ten Ganges rivers surrounded and followed him in honor. They all left that buddhafield together and arrived in an instant in this world system of Endurance. Once they had approached the Blessed One inside the pavilion Jeweled Array, they prostrated at his feet. They circumambulated him ten thousand times and in worship draped the Blessed One with filigrees of jewels. Then they praised him with these words:
Once the bodhisattvas had praised the Blessed One with countless bodhisattva eulogies, they withdrew to the southeastern area of the pavilion and sat down upon seats created by their own miraculous power.
Then the light rays invited the bodhisattva Mind of Great Compassion to come. He resided in a buddhafield situated it the southwest, called Virtuous Eye, of the Tathāgata Gazing at All Beings with Great Compassion. [F.149.b] As the light rays reached him, as many bodhisattvas as there are grains of sand in ten Ganges rivers surrounded and followed him in honor. They all left that buddhafield together and arrived in an instant in this world system of Endurance. Once they had approached the Blessed One inside the pavilion Jeweled Array, they prostrated at his feet. They circumambulated him ten thousand times and in worship draped the Blessed One with filigrees of fine robes. Then they praised him with these words:
Once the bodhisattvas had praised the Blessed One with countless bodhisattva eulogies, they withdrew to the southwestern area of the pavilion and sat down upon seats created by their own miraculous power.
Then the light rays invited the bodhisattva Light-Web Bearer to come. He resided in a buddhafield situated in the northwest, called Free of Darkness, of the Tathāgata Sovereign Light Display. As the light rays reached him, as many bodhisattvas as there are grains of sand in ten Ganges rivers surrounded and followed him in honor. [F.150.a] They all left that buddhafield together and arrived in an instant in this world system of Endurance. Once they had approached the Blessed One inside the pavilion Jeweled Array, they prostrated at his feet. They circumambulated him ten thousand times and in worship draped the Blessed One with filigrees of ornaments. Then they praised him with these words:
Once the bodhisattvas had praised the Blessed One with countless bodhisattva eulogies, they withdrew to the northwestern area of the pavilion and sat down upon seats created by their own miraculous power.
Then the light rays invited the bodhisattva Immaculate Limitless Intelligence to come. He resided in a buddhafield situated in the northeast, called Pure Immaculate Dwelling, of the Tathāgata Immaculate Center of the Sky. As the light rays reached him, as many bodhisattvas as there are grains of sand in ten Ganges rivers surrounded and followed him in honor. They all left that buddhafield together and arrived in an instant in this world system of Endurance. Once they had approached the Blessed One inside the pavilion Jeweled Array, they prostrated at his feet. [F.150.b] They circumambulated him ten thousand times and in worship draped the Blessed One with filigrees of continuously sounding cymbals. Then they praised him with these words:
Once the bodhisattvas had praised the Blessed One with countless bodhisattva eulogies, they withdrew to the northeastern area of the pavilion and sat down upon seats created by their own miraculous power.
Then the light rays invited the bodhisattva Ornamental Display of Courage to come. He resided in a buddhafield situated in the nadir, called Appearing as Illumination, of the Tathāgata Glory of the Precious Red Lotus. As the light rays reached him, bodhisattvas as numerous as sand grains in the ten Ganges rivers surrounded and followed him in honor. They all left that buddhafield together and arrived in an instant in this world system of Endurance. Once they had approached the Blessed One inside the pavilion Jeweled Array, they prostrated at his feet. They circumambulated him ten thousand times and in worship draped the Blessed One with filigrees of garlands from the isle of precious jewels. Then they praised him with these words:
Once the bodhisattvas had praised the Blessed One with countless bodhisattva eulogies, they withdrew to the lower part of the pavilion and sat down upon seats created by their own miraculous power.
Then the light rays invited the bodhisattva Sovereign Who Emanates All Phenomena to come. He resided in a buddhafield situated in the zenith, called Adorned by Ornaments, of the Tathāgata Sovereign of Supreme Reverberating Sound. As the light rays reached him, as many bodhisattvas as there are grains of sand in ten Ganges rivers surrounded and followed him in honor. They all left that buddhafield together and arrived in an instant in this world system of Endurance. Once they had approached the Blessed One inside the pavilion Jeweled Array, they prostrated at his feet. They circumambulated him ten thousand times and in worship draped the Blessed One with filigrees of all kinds of ornaments, precious bells, and tinkling bells. Then they praised him with these words:
Once the bodhisattvas had praised the Blessed One with countless bodhisattva eulogies, they withdrew into the space above the pavilion and sat down upon seats created by their own miraculous power.
Thus the light rays invited the ten bodhisattvas of the ten directions, together with their entourages of countless other bodhisattvas. They arrived in an instant in this world system of Endurance, and they sat before the Blessed One within the pavilion Jeweled Array.
As the Blessed One mindfully and deliberately rose from that absorption, he cleared his throat and produced a sound, a melodious sound heard throughout the entire trichiliocosm. Once all the faithful in the entire trichiliocosm, including the monks and nuns, the laymen and laywomen, and the humans and nonhumans, heard the sound of the Blessed One clearing his throat, they grew satisfied in body and mind. By the power of the Buddha, they also arrived at the pavilion Jeweled Array in an instant, that very moment, by means of the miraculously manifesting staircases. They prostrated at the Blessed One’s feet and took their designated seats off to the side.
The sound of the Blessed One clearing his throat also inspired the gods of the following realms: Brahmā, Brahmakāyika, Brahmapurohita, Brahmapariṣadya, and Mahābrahmā; Mahāprabha, Parīttābha, Apramāṇābha, and Ābhāsvara; Parīttaśubha, Apramāṇaśubha, and Śubhakṛtsna; and Anabhraka, Puṇyaprasava, Bṛhatphala, Asaṃjñisattva, Avṛha, Atapa, Sudṛśa, [F.152.a] Sudarśana, and Akaniṣṭha. They too hastened in an instant, that very moment, to the pavilion Jeweled Array. They too prostrated at the Blessed One’s feet and took their seats.
Then, when the Blessed One had comprehended that this large retinue had assembled, a light called display of the strength of bodhisattvas sprang from his forehead. That light swirled around the whole group of bodhisattvas seven times and disappeared into the crowns of their heads. Then, as soon as the light had touched the bodhisattva Puṣpaśrīgarbhasarvadharmavaśavartin, by the power of the Buddha he attained the bodhisattva absorption called array of all ornaments.
As soon as he had entered that absorption, a beautiful throne for the Blessed One appeared in the center of the pavilion Jeweled Array. It was a raised lion throne the height of a gigantic palmyra tree. It rested on different types of embellished supports and was decorated with all kinds of precious things. It was draped in various types of cotton cloth and sprinkled with a variety of flower petals. The bodhisattvas held up an incredibly attractive parasol above the seat, and the seat was visible to the entire assembly. It delighted and deeply gratified all sentient beings.
After the bodhisattva Puṣpaśrīgarbhasarvadharmavaśavartin had conjured up the tathāgata seat, the great lion throne called limitless inspiring praise, he mindfully and deliberately emerged from that absorption. [F.152.b] He spoke to the Blessed One, his palms joined in reverence, and said the following:
Recognizing the determination of the bodhisattva Puṣpaśrīgarbhasarvadharmavaśavartin, the Blessed One took his seat on the lion throne.
The Blessed One, who had attained unobstructed liberation, thus sat on the lion throne to teach the Dharma discourse The Gateway to Unobstructed Deliverance through the Bodhisattva Way of Life. This discourse focuses on setting out on the bodhisattva path that accomplishes all profound buddha qualities: the strengths and four types of fearlessness. It is the source of wisdom, the gateway to the dhāraṇī seal that grants mastery of all teachings.
It is a gateway that establishes the four types of discriminating knowledge. It is a gateway to the wisdom of great superknowledge. It teaches the Dharma of nonorigination to the retinue of those who will not be turned back from awakening. It condenses all vehicles into sameness, into a single vehicle. It enters the uncontaminated, unique realm of phenomena. It engages the dispositions and faculties of all sentient beings.
This discourse is an essential teaching. It is a Dharma of total certainty. It destroys the entire retinue of Māra. It leads to engagement in the appropriate Dharma methods. It overcomes all afflictive emotions and views. It accords with wisdom free of attachment. It teaches skill in means and the wisdom of unobstructed dedication to the roots of virtue. It leads to the wisdom of the sameness of all buddhas. It is the gateway to the blessings of nonattachment. It elaborates on the exact nature of all phenomena.
This discourse leads to sameness free of discursive thought and concepts. [F.153.b] It brings about understanding of the sameness of the twelve links of profound dependent arising due to accumulating all the collections of merit and wisdom.
It is furnished with the ornament of the sameness of the body, speech, and mind of the buddhas. It accomplishes inexhaustible mindfulness, intelligence, realization, devotion, and wisdom. It engages the method of the noble truths in order to tame beings through the vehicle of the śrāvakas. It knows the solitude of body, speech, and mind in order to tame beings through the vehicle of the pratyekabuddhas. It attains the consecration at the stage of the wisdom of omniscience in order to tame beings through the Great Vehicle. Such a Dharma discourse leads to the mastery of all teachings in order to express all the qualities of the Tathāgata.
The Blessed One took his seat on the lion throne so that this discourse could be taught, elucidated, explained, recited, memorized, and understood. He did this to satisfy all the hosts of bodhisattvas, to display the miraculous power of the Tathāgata, and to eliminate the doubts of the retinue. He did it to defeat the entire retinue of Māra, to allow the teaching of the Tathāgata blaze forth, and to perform great buddha activity. [B2]
Then, by the power of the Buddha, the following events occurred. The bodhisattva known as Ratnayaṣṭi attained the array of buddha ornaments absorption and magically adorned the entire retinue with buddha ornaments. Then the bodhisattva Sovereign of Powerful Reverberating Sound attained the lotus array absorption and conjured up flower garlands and bouquets and placed them in the hands of the entire retinue. [F.154.a] They proceeded to toss the flower garlands and the bouquets toward the Blessed One and the gathering of bodhisattvas.
The bodhisattva named Ocean of Supreme Intelligence attained the fragrance array absorption and magically infused the fragrance of sandalwood into all the pores of the entire retinue. The bodhisattva named Light-Web Bearer attained the light array absorption and magically imbued the entire retinue with limitless physical radiance. The bodhisattva named Mind of Great Compassion attained the unblinking gaze absorption and conjured upon the retinue an unblinking gaze when in the presence of the Tathāgata. The bodhisattva named Immaculate Limitless Intelligence attained the absorption supremely delighted by the Dharma and magically imbued the entire retinue with the zeal for righteousness and with delight in and devotion toward the Dharma.
The bodhisattva called Ornamental Display of Courage attained the completely peaceful absorption and magically imbued the entire retinue with the removal of the five obstructions. The bodhisattva called Sovereign Who Emanates All Phenomena attained the action devoid of forgetfulness absorption and magically imbued the entire retinue with mindfulness of the thought of awakening and with remembrance of the Tathāgata as the object of attention. [F.154.b] The bodhisattva mahāsattva Illuminator attained the undefeatable absorption and magically imbued the entire retinue with the conquest of Māra and all adversaries.
Then, at that time, by the power of the Buddha, the bodhisattva Mārapramardaka attained the conquering the entire retinue of Māra absorption. At the very moment that the bodhisattva Mārapramardaka attained that absorption, all the billion demons throughout the trichiliocosm, surrounded by their armies and retinues of servants, disappeared very swiftly and immediately from their individual residences. Appearing before the Blessed One in the pavilion Jeweled Array, they prostrated themselves at his feet. They offered the Blessed One many hundreds of thousands of divine gifts, and with their palms respectfully and reverently joined they asked the Blessed One, “If we beseech you, Blessed One, ‘Please explain the Dharma! Sugata, please explain the Dharma!’ then, through the blessing of the bodhisattva Mārapramardaka, we will discard any demonic deeds and henceforth will not perform deeds that confuse sentient beings. O Blessed One! Please grant us relief so that we may listen to the Dharma in your presence.”
Thereupon, in order to grant relief to those demons, the Blessed One said, “Friends, very well, it is very good. Give up your demonic deeds and beseech the Tathāgata [F.155.a] to teach the Dharma! This will indeed become the cause for leaving behind all the ways of Māra. Why? It will do so because it generates the power that produces the roots of virtue for buddhahood.
“Friends, just as complete darkness that has prevailed for many years can be eliminated by a single lamp, in the same way, my friends, the complete darkness of the afflictive emotions that has prevailed for a hundred eons can be eliminated by a single generation of the power of wisdom. Friends, just as the moon, the sun, or a large precious jewel can dispel all darkness, in the same way, my friends, a single virtuous thought endowed with insight can eliminate all the darkness of unknowing. Friends, that is why, through this root of virtue, you will gradually remove all the darkness of unknowing and attain the great illumination of the Dharma.”
At this point, the bodhisattva Dharmeśvararāja, who was present among the members of the retinue, said, “Blessed One, the buddha domain blessed and revealed by the Tathāgata is inconceivable. I have no doubt that the Tathāgata will agree to teach the Dharma discourse of the Great Assembly chapter called The Gateway to Unobstructed Deliverance through the Bodhisattva Way of Life. Why is that? Blessed One, this assembly of outstanding bodhisattvas is great.
“Blessed One, they have donned the inconceivable bodhisattva armor. They sport with the great wisdom of the superknowledges. They resound in the ten directions. They are aware that stains do not exist when the mind has become purified. They are illuminated by [F.155.b] liberation. They are praised and commended by buddhas. They attain sovereign mastery over all phenomena. They bring all perfections to perfection. They emerge through all sorts of skillful methods. They dispel all demonic deeds, hostilities, and afflictive emotions. They tame all hosts of opponents and evil forces. They know how to analyze and teach all words. They attain perfect wisdom without attachment. They have obtained mindfulness, intelligence, realization, modesty, devotion, retention, and wisdom. They have unobstructed blessing and uninterrupted eloquence. They know how to distinguish the inferior and superior faculties of all beings. They teach the Dharma in accordance with the predispositions of all beings. They teach the flawless Dharma without mistake. They are skilled in the languages and dialects of all beings. They are endowed with the voices of kiṃnaras, kalaviṅka birds, and cranes and the melodious voice of Brahmā.
“They establish all beings in nirvāṇa by acting as their spiritual friends. They are motivated by great benevolence and vast compassion. They are stable, settled, and unwavering. They act on their words. They hoist the Dharma banner. They are firm like a vajra and indestructible like the ring of mountains. They make aspiration prayers free of any wishes. They are established in profound dependent arising, which is difficult to see and comprehend. They have cut off the two extremes of eternalism and nihilism, all views, and the karmic traces. They command a following that befits a great king. [F.156.a] They are great leaders who have for countless eons accomplished merit through the Jewel of the Dharma. They are great kings of physicians who cure the incorporeal disease of the afflictive emotions of all sentient beings. They are without fear of the resounding of the great lion’s roar, of all types nonsequential and inverted24 progression, and of the mystery of the Tathāgata. Their bodies will be well adorned by the excellent marks and signs. They make unstinting offerings. They are courageous in every respect. They defeat the army of all afflictive emotions and the four māras. They are like ferrymen. They thoroughly cultivate the spiritual faculties, the strengths, the factors of awakening, the concentrations, the liberations, and entering the absorptions.
“They exert themselves to fully liberate all sentient beings. They are like mountains. They turn away from the eight worldly dharmas: gain, loss, fame, ill repute, blame, praise, joy, and suffering. They are settled in the joyous, delightful, and rapturous Dharma. They bask in the radiance of the Jewel of the Dharma. They achieve contentment through wisdom. Like a lotus, they are unstained by any conditioned phenomena. They have pure halos that dim the light of the moon, the sun, Śakra, and Brahmā. They attain the ocean mudrā absorption. They engage in all aspects of the Jewel of the Dharma. They do not interrupt the lineage of the Three Jewels. They mature all beings. They perform subduing rituals. They maintain the treasury of all the jewels of the Buddhadharma. They are limitlessly praised. They accumulate infinite merit. [F.156.b] They approach the wisdom of omniscience, which is excellent in every respect. Such is this assembly, which could be praised until the end of time.
“This being so, Blessed One, I had the thought that you would agree to teach the Dharma discourse of the Great Assembly chapter called The Gateway to Unobstructed Deliverance through the Bodhisattva Way of Life.
“Blessed One, it is wonderful that the appearance of a present buddha benefits and appeases all sentient beings, generates the roots of virtue of future bodhisattvas, purifies the intentions of the bodhisattvas who have generated the first thought of awakening, uniquely engages bodhisattvas who have entered the bodhisattva way of life, empowers in the Buddhadharma bodhisattvas who are irreversible from awakening, does not let go to waste the causes and fruits of bodhisattvas who are kept back by one last birth, prepares conditions for sentient beings who are established on the path, causes the practice of great compassion for sentient beings who are not established on the path, and causes sentient beings who are definitely on a wrong path to be placed upon the true path. To sentient beings who aspire to the three vehicles, a buddha teaches their arrangements.
“The appearance of a buddha is an ornament of the world of gods, humans, and asuras, because when a buddha emerges, wonderful and marvelous Dharma teachings such as this will emerge in the world!
“Blessed One, such a display of blessings through a single instance of generating the thought of awakening, in this pavilion by these noble beings, is beyond the capacity of śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas to teach, even for a hundred thousand eons. [F.157.a]
“This being so, I had the thought that it would be utterly astonishing were any beings, even after witnessing an amazing, miraculous, magical display such as this, to aspire for the vehicle of śrāvakas or vehicle of pratyekabuddhas with misguided understanding. Why is that so? Blessed One, the very first generation of the thought of awakening of a bodhisattva overpowers all śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas. When someone discards the Great Vehicle and thinks, ‘I will follow the vehicle of the śrāvakas or pratyekabuddhas,’ it is for me comparable to a person with misguided insight who discards a precious gem of beryl and thinks, ‘I prefer a semiprecious stone.’ Blessed One, those sons or daughters of noble family who have generated the thought of supreme perfect awakening with determination and all others who do so will, within a short while, attain such a teaching.”
When the bodhisattva Dharmeśvararāja had given this account, an immensely vast number of creatures among the retinue of many different beings, including gods and humans, generated the thought of supreme perfect awakening.
This concludes the Assembly chapter “Array of Ornaments.”
Chapter 2
After the Blessed One had surveyed the great assembly of bodhisattvas, he knew and rejoiced that the bodhisattvas who had assembled were holders of the treasure of the Tathāgata’s Dharma striving for righteousness.
In order for the Dharma discourse The Gateway to Unobstructed Deliverance through the Bodhisattva Way of Life to be explained, [F.157.b] a light known as fearless eloquence, the mark of a great being, emerged from the crown of his head.
As soon as this light emerged, the Blessed One caused it to encircle the entire bodhisattva assembly seven times. He then caused it to encircle the body of the bodhisattva Dhāraṇīśvararāja a hundred times, after which it disappeared into the crown of the head of the bodhisattva Dhāraṇīśvararāja.
The instant the light touched Dhāraṇīśvararāja, by the power of the Buddha the bodhisattva Dhāraṇīśvararāja eclipsed the radiance, lion thrones, and bodies of the entire bodhisattva assembly a hundred times. He was brilliant, majestic, and resplendent.
At this point, the bodhisattva Dhāraṇīśvararāja became aware of the blessing of the Tathāgata and rose from his seat. He draped his upper garment over one shoulder and placed his right knee on the ground. He proceeded to bow, with his palms joined, in the direction of the Blessed One and conjure up a precious parasol known as ornament of the Tathāgata in the space directly above the crown of the Blessed One’s head. With a handle of lapis, a cover of gold, a jeweled parrot at the center, and spokes of precious sapphire, it had garlands of pearls hanging down as pendants and was decorated with tassels of divine silk. It resounded with filigrees of chimes, was upheld by the bodies of bodhisattvas, and was as vast as the trichiliocosm.
After he had conjured up such a precious parasol as an act of worshiping the Tathāgata, Dhāraṇīśvararāja brought down a rain of flowers. He intoned the sound of a constant uninterrupted melody accompanied by cymbals, and he praised the Blessed One with these words: [F.158.a]
After Dhāraṇīśvararāja had praised the Blessed One with these verses, he added, “Blessed One, the domain of the Tathāgata is inconceivable. The sphere of conduct of bodhisattvas is beyond measure. I understand that the Tathāgata teaches the Dharma untiringly, and I see that he abides in great compassion, which does not leave any sentient being behind. So I ask you this: Blessed One, what are the bodhisattva ornaments? Blessed One, by what ornaments are the bodhisattvas adorned so they become beautiful while performing bodhisattva conduct?
“How, Blessed One, do bodhisattvas, who have attained the inconceivable splendor of the Dharma, become free from the darkness of ignorance and doubt, and how do they become fully trained in the great gateway of Dharma? How, Blessed One, do bodhisattvas who never abandon any being become endowed with the supreme foundation of great compassion, which never abandons any being?
“How, Blessed One, do bodhisattvas engage in bodhisattva actions, carrying them out well without longing for their conclusion? Blessed One, I request that the Tathāgata explain The Gateway to Unobstructed Deliverance through the Bodhisattva Way of Life with firm determination so that the following may transpire: Bodhisattvas will by any means conquer evil and opponents, leave behind all doubt, and enter the Tathāgata domain. They will come to prominence within the bodhisattva domain, engage with the thinking of all sentient beings, [F.159.a] and understand the mental conduct of all sentient beings. They will purify buddhafields, subjugate the hordes of Māra, fully grasp the Dharma of the Tathāgata, and swiftly attain mastery of all teachings.”
The Blessed One responded, “Excellent, noble being, very good! It is really excellent that you decided to ask the Tathāgata with such determination, after you had attained certainty about the immeasurable conduct of the Tathāgata. Because of that, son of noble family, I shall explain to you how bodhisattva mahāsattvas perfect these qualities, as well as the other immeasurable bodhisattva qualities, and how they achieve mastery over all teachings. So, listen carefully and keep this in mind.”
“Very good, Blessed One,” replied Dhāraṇīśvararāja. He then listened with full attention as the Blessed One started to teach.
“Son of noble family, there are four types of bodhisattva ornaments: (1) the ornaments of morality, (2) the ornaments of absorption, (3) the ornaments of insight, and (4) the ornaments of retention. Son of noble family, those are the four bodhisattva ornaments.
(1) “Son of noble family, you may ask, ‘What are the bodhisattva ornaments of morality?’ Son of noble family, there is a single bodhisattva ornament of morality: [F.159.b] not harming any sentient being. A bodhisattva without a hateful disposition, who is pleasant and delightful toward all sentient beings, is endowed with the single bodhisattva ornament of morality.
“Son of noble family, there are two types of bodhisattva ornaments of morality: closing the gateway to the evil destinies and opening the gateway to the blissful destinies.
“Son of noble family, there are three types of bodhisattva ornaments of morality: purity in body, purity in speech, and purity in mind.
“Son of noble family, there are four types of bodhisattva ornaments of morality: achieving what one desires, accomplishing what one wishes for, attaining what one longs for, and finishing what one begins.
“Son of noble family, there are five types of bodhisattva ornaments of morality: nondeceptive absorption, nondeceptive insight, nondeceptive liberation, nondeceptive vision of liberating wisdom, and unsurpassed mahāparinirvāṇa—all endowed with morality.
“Son of noble family, there are six types of bodhisattva ornaments of morality: morality that is flawless on account of being without mental attachment, not degenerate on account of being without reproach, not corrupt on account of not being adulterated, [F.160.a] free of sin on account of increasing virtuous qualities, unfettered on account of being voluntary, and autonomous on account of being an understanding that does not depend on others.
“Son of noble family, there are seven types of bodhisattva ornaments of morality: pure generosity, pure patience, pure vigor, pure concentration, pure insight, pure method, and pure conscientiousness—all endowed with morality.
“Son of noble family, there are eight types of bodhisattva ornaments of morality: excellence in eloquence, excellence in the spiritual levels, excellence in lack of distractedness, excellence in lack of idleness, excellence in lack of vindictiveness, excellence in appreciating the appearance of a buddha, excellence in ease, and excellence in venerating one’s spiritual friends.
“Son of noble family, there are nine types of bodhisattva ornaments of morality: being fearless, being without anxiety, being determined, being tranquil, being cool, being released from bondage, being flexible, being well bred, and being accomplished in the stage of being restrained.
“Son of noble family, there are ten types of bodhisattva ornaments of morality: the ornaments of body, since bodhisattvas accomplish the auspicious thirty-two major marks and eighty minor signs; [F.160.b] speech, since they act on their word; mind, since they lack afflictive emotions; buddhafields, since they accomplish their aspirations; maturing sentient beings, since the bodhisattva intention is pure; birth, since they do not commit any sinful deeds; bodhisattva conduct, since they emulate the tathāgata conduct; understanding, since they lack pride; the seat of awakening, since they dedicate their roots of virtue; and the ornaments of the strengths, the fearlessnesses, and unique buddha qualities, since they do not discard their grounding in the root of moral conduct. Son of noble family, these are the ten types of bodhisattva ornaments of morality.
(2) “Son of noble family, you may ask, ‘What are the bodhisattva ornaments of meditative absorption?’ Son of noble family, there is a single bodhisattva ornament of absorption: loving all sentient beings.
“Son of noble family, there are two types of bodhisattva ornaments of absorption: honesty and suppleness.
“Son of noble family, there are three types of bodhisattva ornaments of absorption: lack of deception, cunning, and hypocrisy.
“Son of noble family, there are four types of bodhisattva ornaments of absorption: not being immobilized by desire, hatred, delusion, and fear.
“Son of noble family, there are five types of bodhisattva ornaments of absorption: [F.161.a] abandoning the five obstructions of sensual desire, ill will, drowsiness and torpor, agitation and regret, and doubt. These five obstructions are abandoned.
“Son of noble family, there are six types of bodhisattva ornaments of absorption: recollecting the Buddha, the Dharma, the Saṅgha, generosity, morality, and the gods.
“Son of noble family, there are seven types of bodhisattva ornaments of absorption: cultivating the seven factors of awakening without forgetting the thought of awakening: correct mindfulness, correct investigation of phenomena, correct vigor, correct joy, correct pliancy, correct absorption, and correct equanimity.
“Son of noble family, there are eight types of bodhisattva ornaments of absorption: cultivating the noble eightfold path, that is to say, correct view, correct intention, correct speech, correct action, correct livelihood, correct effort, correct mindfulness, and correct absorption.
“Son of noble family, there are nine types of bodhisattva ornaments of absorption: that of bodhisattvas who, without being forgetful, dwell on the foundation of great compassion, never abandon any sentient being, and [F.161.b] then, detached from desire, sin, and nonvirtues attain to and abide in the first concentration, which has applied and sustained thought and is joyful and blissful through detachment; that of bodhisattvas who are freed from applied and sustained thought, have inner serenity, and attain to and abide in the second concentration, which is joyful and blissful through absorption that is one-pointed and has no applied or sustained thought; that of bodhisattvas who are freed from the desire for joy, dwell in equanimity, are mindfully aware, and attain to and abide in the third concentration that is beyond joy, experiencing that physical bliss of which the noble ones say, ‘this is mindful equanimity established in bliss’; that of bodhisattvas who have abandoned bliss, having previously abandoned suffering, whose happiness and sadness have subsided, and who attain to and abide in the fourth concentration, which is pure mindfulness and equanimity that is neither bliss nor suffering; that of bodhisattvas who have transcended the perception of form, whose perception of physical obstruction has subsided, who pay no attention to diverse perceptions but think, ‘space is unending,’ and who attain to and abide in the realm of infinite space; that of bodhisattvas who have completely transcended the realm of infinite space and think, ‘consciousness is unending,’ who attain to and abide in the realm of infinite consciousness; that of bodhisattvas who have completely transcended the realm of infinite consciousness and think, ‘there is nothing at all,’ who attain to and abide in the realm of nothing at all; that of bodhisattvas who have completely transcended the realm of nothing at all and attain [F.162.a] to and abide in the Sphere of neither Perception nor Nonperception; and that of bodhisattvas who have completely transcended the Sphere of neither Perception nor Nonperception and attain the cessation of sensation and perception, but though they attain it, because of skillful means they refrain from manifesting the limit of reality and instead, due to previous blessing, remain present and mature sentient beings. These are the nine ornaments of absorption.
“Son of noble family, there are ten types of bodhisattva ornaments of absorption: gaining certainty through imperturbability, perfecting tranquil abiding, not forsaking diligent effort, withdrawing into meditative seclusion, not squandering the roots of virtue, maintaining mental solitude, maintaining physical pliancy, being discerning while thinking about and evaluating phenomena, controlling the mind, and attaining the noble lineage. Son of noble family, these are the ten types of bodhisattva ornaments of absorption.
(3) “Son of noble family, you may ask, ‘What are the bodhisattva ornaments of insight?’ Son of noble family, there is a single bodhisattva ornament of insight. It is having no doubts about any phenomenon.
“Son of noble family, there are two types of bodhisattva ornaments of insight: having no regret and not being agitated.
“Son of noble family, there are three types of bodhisattva ornaments of insight: abandoning delusion, breaking through the shell of ignorance, and dispelling the thick darkness of confusion. [F.162.b]
“Son of noble family, there are four types of bodhisattva ornaments of insight: understanding the suffering that is to be understood, illuminating the source of suffering to be relinquished, bringing to light the cessation to be realized, and being empowered to cultivate the path.
“Son of noble family, there are five types of bodhisattva ornaments of insight: purification of morality through lack of objectification, purification of absorption through concentration endowed with supreme insight, purification of liberation through nonduality, purification of the vision of liberating wisdom through the sameness of the three times, and purification of phenomena by means of the nature of reality free of attachment.
“Son of noble family, there are six types of bodhisattva ornaments of insight: transcendent generosity purified of the three spheres—the sphere of the agent purified because of being the same as an illusion, the sphere of sentient beings purified because of being the same as a dream, and the sphere of awakening purified through not hoping for results; transcendent morality purified of the three spheres—the sphere of body purified on account of being like a reflection, the sphere of speech purified by understanding it to be like an echo, and the sphere of the mind purified because of being the same as an illusion; transcendent patience purified of the three spheres—purification in abandoning aversion toward harshly spoken words, purification in abandoning desire for praise and adulation, and purification of understanding the dharmakāya in the offering of severed limbs and body parts; [F.163.a] transcendent vigor purified of the three spheres— purification in not being disheartened through the conviction that saṃsāra is dreamlike, purification in being stable through a vajra-like intention, and purification in neither accepting nor rejecting through liberating oneself from all conceptual signs; transcendent concentration purified of the three spheres—purification in nonattachment to it through understanding its mutability, purification in special insight through lack of obsession, and purification in focus through generation of superknowledge; and transcendent skillful means purified of the three spheres—purification in matters relating to gathering disciples by bringing beings to maturity, purification in having retention through upholding the true Dharma, and purification in aspirations in order to ornament the buddhafields.
“Son of noble family, there are seven types of bodhisattva ornaments of insight: being without mindfulness or mental engagement among the applications of mindfulness, understanding the lack of arising and cessation among correct exertions, being physically and mentally detached through the bases of miraculous powers, understanding the spiritual faculties among the sense faculties, annihilating all māras and afflictive emotions by means of the strengths, understanding by means of the factors of awakening the nature of all phenomena, and understanding that there is no coming and going among the paths.
“Son of noble family, there are eight types of bodhisattva ornaments of insight: understanding tranquil abiding on account of having deep serenity, understanding special insight on account of lacking distorted vision, understanding the aggregates on account of realizing the collections of Dharma, [F.163.b] understanding the elements because they are the same as the element of space, understanding the sense fields because they are the same as a ghost town, understanding dependent arising because it is without self, understanding the truths on account of a lack of turmoil, and understanding the definite realization of all phenomena on account of the full realization of reality just as it is.
“Son of noble family, there are nine types of bodhisattva ornaments of insight: understanding the past by means of the beginning, understanding the future by means of the end, understanding the present by means of the intervening, understanding the determinate destinies given that causes do not perish, understanding the indeterminate destinies given that conditions may produce different results,26 understanding the destinies of those who because of spiritual maturation are not predisposed to erring, understanding that all buddhas are equal because they are distinguished by the dharmakāya, understanding all phenomena to be sameness since reality is free of attachment, and understanding all noble ones to be equal because they are distinguished by the unconditioned.
“Son of noble family, there are ten types of bodhisattva ornaments of insight: understanding the nature of reality to be illusory on account of the characteristic of accomplishment, understanding it to be like a dream on account of the characteristic of conceptuality, understanding it to be like a mirage on account of the characteristic of deception, understanding it to be like a reflection on account of the characteristic of motionlessness, understanding it to be like a hallucination on account of the characteristic of being an assembly, understanding it to be like an echo on account of the characteristic of being conditioned, understanding the realm of phenomena as characterized by being uncorrupted, understanding thusness as characterized by being nonabiding, understanding the limit of reality as characterized by being unperturbed, and understanding the conditioned as being characterized by being unconditioned. [F.164.a]
(4) “Son of noble family, you may ask, ‘What are the bodhisattva ornaments of retention?’ Son of noble family, there is a single bodhisattva ornament of retention. It is remembering without forgetting.
“Son of noble family, there are two types of bodhisattva ornaments of retention: full retention and retention.
“Son of noble family, there are three types of bodhisattva ornaments of retention: skill in meaning, phonemes, and etymology.
“Son of noble family, there are four types of bodhisattva ornaments of retention: speaking words that are dispassionate, refined, liberated, and without falsehood.
“Son of noble family, there are five types of bodhisattva ornaments of retention: reliance on meaning among all one has studied, reliance on wisdom among all collections of words, reliance on sūtras of definitive meaning among all the sūtras, reliance on the nature of reality rather than all the words of persons, and reliance on the supramundane rather than on all that is mundane.
“Son of noble family, there are six types of bodhisattva ornaments of retention: acting in accordance with one’s words, employing statements that correspond to the truth, using words that are suitable to be kept in mind since they are without arrogance, using words that are acceptable because they are without deceptiveness, [F.164.b] teaching the Dharma that bears fruit because it is joined with great compassion, teaching the Dharma continuously through tactful knowledge of the audience, and teaching the Dharma in a timely manner through understanding the ways of the world.
“Son of noble family, there are seven types of bodhisattva ornaments of retention: possessing eloquence that is swift, forceful, quick, dispassionate, uninterrupted, undistorted, and replete with etymologies.
“Son of noble family, there are eight types of bodhisattva ornaments of retention: knowing the languages of the devas, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kiṃnaras, and mahoragas, up to the languages of all sentient beings.
“Son of noble family, there are nine types of bodhisattva ornaments of retention: not being intimidated in the midst of a gathering, not being dejected among orators, being fearless in the midst of explaining the Dharma, knowing discretion with regard to questioners, knowing how to give a loosely organized teaching to arrogant people, knowing how to give a well-organized teaching to those well on their way, manifesting as Vajrapāṇi to the pretentious, teaching the destruction by fire at the end of the eon to the deeply attached, and teaching the progression of the path exactly as it is to those fully matured. [F.165.a]
“Son of noble family, there are ten types of bodhisattva ornaments of retention: knowing how to teach without doubt to skeptics, letting the mind be a gate for the arising of Dharma, letting the lamp of insight shine completely for others, inexhaustibly teaching words, uninterruptedly teaching meanings, perfectly expressing boundless praise of the Buddha, describing the endless flaws of moral pollution, teaching the immeasurable praise of moral purification, engaging assiduously and without attachment in accordance with all beings’ faculties, and understanding the application of the discriminating knowledge bestowed on the level of buddhahood.”
Then, in order to elaborate on these points, the Blessed One spoke the following verses:
Then the Blessed One spoke the following words to the bodhisattva Dhāraṇīśvararāja: “Son of noble family, there are eight bodhisattva illuminations that brighten bodhisattvas so that they are free from the thick darkness of confusion and engage in pure bodhisattva activities. They are the illuminations of (1) mindfulness, (2) intelligence, (3) comprehension, (4) phenomena, (5) knowledge, (6) truth, (7) superknowledge, and (8) accomplishment. Son of noble family, those are the eight bodhisattva illuminations.
“Son of noble family, you may ask, ‘What are the bodhisattva illuminations of mindfulness?’ There are eight bodhisattva illuminations of mindfulness: when one prevents the roots of virtue performed in the past from going to waste, accumulates roots of virtue that have not yet been performed, does not forget teachings that one has heard, ascertains their meaning, is not carried away by the six kinds of sense objects, abandons nonvirtuous factors, and accomplishes virtuous factors, then mindfulness has become vast and excellent. Realizing that the bodhisattvas’ mindfulness has become excellent, the blessed buddhas appoint them as guardians of the city of the Dharma. Finally, on the strength of the preceding types of mindfulness, one reaches illumination with respect to all Dharma teachings. Son of noble family, those are the eight bodhisattva illuminations of mindfulness.
“Son of noble family, there are eight bodhisattva illuminations of intelligence: intelligence with regard to meaning rather than words or syllables, [F.168.a] intelligent wisdom rather than intelligent consciousness, intelligence involving Dharma instead of afflictive emotions, intelligence involving reason instead of what is contrary to reason, the intelligence of bodhicitta rather than the intelligence of a śrāvaka or pratyekabuddha, tremendous intelligence rather than lesser intelligence, the intelligence of a buddha instead of the intelligence of Māra, and compassionate intelligence instead of intelligence that is hostile toward sentient beings.
“Son of noble family, there are eight bodhisattva illuminations of comprehension: gaining comprehension of all teachings, of the underlying intent of what was taught, of the dispositions of beings, of the knowledge of the types of discriminating knowledge, of profound dependent arising, of the teachings via nonsequential progression, of the teachings via reverse progression,30 and of all the qualities of the Buddha.
“Son of noble family, there are eight bodhisattva illuminations of phenomena: the illuminations of mundane factors through teaching sentient beings to engage in appropriate deeds; of supramundane factors through insightfully teaching those who wish for liberation; of unobscured factors since they have cultivated the path; [F.168.b] of uncontaminated factors since they do not take up the defilements of desire, existence, ignorance, or views; of unconditioned factors since they have accomplished the certainty of the noble ones; of factors of pollution since they comprehend well the adventitious afflictive emotions; of factors of purification since their minds are naturally luminous; and of the factors of nirvāṇa since phenomena are totally pacified.
“Son of noble family, there are eight bodhisattva illuminations of knowledge: the illuminations of knowledge of someone who has eight existences remaining, a stream enterer, a once-returner, a non-returner, an arhat, a pratyekabuddha, a bodhisattva, and a fully awakened buddha.
“Son of noble family, there are eight bodhisattva illuminations of truth: the illuminations of the cultivation of the truth by which they enter a state of certainty, by which they attain the first fruition, by which they attain the second fruition, by which they attain the third fruition, by which they attain the fourth fruition, [F.169.a] by which they attain pratyekabuddhahood, by which they attain the acceptance of a bodhisattva, and by which they completely and perfectly awaken to the awakening of a buddha.
“Son of noble family, there are eight bodhisattva illuminations of superknowledge: the illuminations of clarity because bodhisattvas see all forms with the divine eye, of comprehension because they hear all sounds with the divine ear, of recollection because they recollect countless eons of previous existences, of natural luminosity because they gaze upon the minds of all beings, of the unobscured sky because they move by miraculous power through boundless buddhafields, of knowledge because they accomplish a knowledge that is free of defilements, of the accumulation of merit because they sustain all beings, and of the accumulation of wisdom because they eliminate the doubts of all sentient beings.
“Son of noble family, there are nine bodhisattva illuminations of accomplishment: the illuminations through accomplishment of wisdom, insight, understanding, correct view, tranquil abiding, special insight, the intentions of beings, a liberated mind that is unperturbed, and the final illumination.” [F.169.b]
Then, the Blessed One spoke the following verses:
Then the Blessed One told Dhāraṇīśvararāja, “Son of noble family, there are sixteen ways in which bodhisattvas give rise to great bodhisattva compassion for sentient beings. What are these sixteen ways? Son of noble family, bodhisattvas give rise to a bodhisattva’s great compassion for sentient beings while thinking as follows:
“ ‘Alas, these beings are fettered by personalistic views, and they are mixed up with various kinds of wrong views. To help them abandon all those views, I shall teach them the Dharma.
“ ‘Alas, these beings, due to misapprehension about what is actually the case, perceive what is impermanent to be permanent, what is painful to be pleasant, what is no self to be a self, and what is repulsive to be attractive. To help them abandon all misapprehensions, I shall teach them the Dharma.
“ ‘Alas, these beings are stuck grasping onto I and mine, and they perceive what is insubstantial to be substantial. To help them abandon grasping onto I and mine, I shall teach them the Dharma.
“ ‘Alas, these beings are obstructed by the five obstructions: they are tormented by sharp pangs of desire, they are very aggressive, they are attached to fogginess and sleep, they are excited and regretful toward ignoble objects, and they are unable to reach certainty about the holy Dharma. To help them abandon all obstructions, I shall teach them the Dharma.
“ ‘Alas, these beings are bound by attachment to the six sense fields: when they see form with their eyes, they cling to its marks and characteristics, and when they hear sounds with their ears, experience smells with their noses, [F.171.b] experience tastes with their tongues, feel sensations with their bodies, and notice phenomena with their mental faculties, they cling to their marks and characteristics. To help them abandon attachment to the six sense fields, I shall teach them the Dharma.
“ ‘Alas, these beings are overcome by pride, the pride of superiority, excessive pride, the pride that thinks “I am,” manifest pride, the inverted pride of self-abasement, and mistaken pride. Since they are conceited about themselves, they think “We are greater than those who are inferior,” “We are greater than those who are our equals,” and “We are even greater than those who are greater.” They take their five aggregates, from form to consciousness, as constituting I. They consider what has not been attained and think “I have attained it.” They reflect upon themselves and think “We are superior.” And they believe that their wrong views are correct. To help them abandon all forms of pride, I shall teach them the Dharma.
“ ‘Alas, these beings have followed evil paths and are separated from the noble path. To help them abandon evil paths and find the noble path, I shall teach them the Dharma.
“ ‘Alas, these beings are the slaves of craving. They are consumed by desire for wives, sons, and daughters. They have no independence or self-assurance. To help them become independent, able to assert themselves, and dance with joy, I shall teach them the Dharma. [F.172.a]
“ ‘Alas, these beings are not in harmony with one another; they are full of anger, hatred, and ill will. To help them abandon their anger, hatred, and ill will, I shall teach them the Dharma.
“ ‘Alas, these beings who are entangled with evil company and lack virtuous friends commit evil deeds. In order for virtuous friends to take them on and to help them abandon evil companions, I shall teach them the Dharma.
“ ‘Alas, these beings are overwhelmed by desire and attachment. They are discontent, and they are divorced from the state of the insight of the noble ones. To help them abandon attachment and develop the knowledge of the noble ones, I shall teach them the Dharma.
“ ‘Alas, these beings are entrenched in eternalistic and nihilistic views, and they think that actions do not have consequences. To guide them toward profound dependent arising and appropriate actions, I shall teach them the Dharma.
“ ‘Alas, these beings who are blinded by ignorance and delusion cling to the notions of a self, a being, a life, a living being, an individual, and a person. To help them purify the eye of noble insight and abandon all views, I shall teach them the Dharma.
“ ‘Alas, these beings revel in saṃsāra [F.172.b] and are captured by the executioner of the five aggregates. In order to extricate them from all the three realms, I shall teach them the Dharma.
“ ‘Alas, these beings are tethered by Māra’s lasso and persist in cunning and conceit. In order that they become liberated from all the tethers of Māra’s lasso and abandon cunning and conceit, I shall teach them the Dharma.
“ ‘Alas, these beings have shut the gate to nirvāṇa and opened the gates to the evil destinies. To help them open the gate to nirvāṇa and shut the gates to the evil destinies, I shall teach them the Dharma.’
“Son of noble family, great bodhisattva compassion for sentient beings arises in these sixteen ways.
“Son of noble family, when bodhisattvas exert themselves in thirty-two distinct bodhisattva activities, they become performers of excellent conduct. What are these thirty-two?
“Seeing how sentient beings go astray due to the sleep of delusion, while they themselves are awakened through insight, bodhisattvas awaken beings through insight. This is the first distinct bodhisattva act.
“Seeing how sentient beings aspire to the insignificant, while they themselves aspire to the vast, bodhisattvas establish beings in the Great Vehicle.
“Seeing how sentient beings desire what is not righteous, while they themselves abide in what is righteous, bodhisattvas establish beings in the desire for what is righteous.
“Seeing that the livelihoods of sentient beings are impure, while their own livelihoods are pure, [F.173.a] bodhisattvas connect beings to pure livelihoods.
“Seeing how sentient beings are sunk in views, while they establish themselves in correct views, bodhisattvas establish beings in the correct views of the noble ones.
“Seeing that sentient beings are ignorant and have amassed improper ways of thinking, yet cognizant that they themselves abide by proper mental activity that accords with reason, bodhisattvas establish beings in proper mental activity that accords with reason.
“Seeing how sentient beings have taken a stand on the wrong teachings, while they themselves have engaged the correct teachings, bodhisattvas teach beings the Dharma so that beings may practice these correct teachings.
“Seeing that sentient beings are stingy and possessive, while they themselves have renounced all possessions, bodhisattvas connect beings with the renunciation of all possessions.
“Seeing how sentient beings come to have evil characters and keep no moral commitments, while they themselves are established in pure morality, bodhisattvas establish beings in the commitments of morality.
“Seeing how sentient beings harbor ill will and are very aggressive, while they themselves are established in the power of patience and love, bodhisattvas establish beings in the power of patience and benevolence.
“Seeing how sentient beings are lazy and not very diligent, while they themselves are not lazy and apply themselves diligently, bodhisattvas connect beings with applying themselves diligently.
“Seeing how sentient beings are distracted and how their mindfulness is weak, while they themselves have equipoise and are absorbed in concentration, bodhisattvas establish beings in a state where they are not distracted but are mindful and vigilant. [F.173.b]
“Seeing how sentient beings’ understanding is impaired and how they are depraved and deluded, while they themselves are insightful and free of delusion, bodhisattvas establish beings in great wisdom and freedom from delusion.
“Seeing how sentient beings have fallen into the unsuitable and thus commit terrible deeds, while they themselves possess skillful means and perform correct deeds, bodhisattvas establish beings in skillful means and the performance of correct deeds.
“Seeing how sentient beings are overpowered by afflictive emotions and how their world thus consists in imagination, conceptualization, and reification, while they themselves have turned away from all afflictive emotions, bodhisattvas establish beings in the abandoning of all afflictive emotions.
“Seeing how sentient beings are fettered by the shackles of personalistic views and thus dwell in objectification, while they themselves have fully understood these personalistic views and thus become free from being fettered by objectification, bodhisattvas connect beings with fully understanding personalistic views and freedom from objectification.
“Seeing that sentient beings are undisciplined, immodest and unrefined, while they themselves are disciplined, modest, and refined, bodhisattvas establish beings in discipline, modesty, and refinement.
“Seeing how sentient beings do not remember or acknowledge what has been done for them and destroy their roots of virtue, while they themselves remember and acknowledge what has been done for them and protect their roots of virtue, bodhisattvas establish beings in remembering and acknowledging what has been done for them and not letting their roots of virtue go to waste.
“Seeing how sentient beings have fallen into the torrent and are under the influence of the desire to sin, while they themselves have crossed over all rivers, bodhisattvas connect beings to crossing over all rivers. [F.174.a]
“Seeing how sentient beings do not delight in and fail to comply with words of advice, while they themselves delight in and comply with words of advice, bodhisattvas establish beings in delighting in and complying with words of advice.
“Seeing how sentient beings are destitute and cling to what is ignoble, while they themselves are not destitute and dwell in deathless virtue, bodhisattvas connect beings with freedom from clinging and abiding by the roots of virtue.
“Seeing how sentient beings are poor and lack the wealth of the noble ones, while they themselves do not lack the wealth of the noble ones and are endowed with the seven riches, bodhisattvas establish beings in attaining the wealth of the noble ones.
“Seeing how sentient beings are constantly ill and ensnared by the venomous snakes of the four elements, while they themselves are never ill and always healthy, bodhisattvas establish beings in abandoning all forms of illness.
“Seeing that sentient beings are enveloped by the darkness of unknowing and lack the illumination of wisdom, while they themselves have attained the illumination of wisdom, bodhisattvas establish beings in the great illumination of wisdom.
“Seeing how sentient beings are bound by attachment to the three realms and plunge into the five states of existence within the wheel of saṃsāra, while knowing that they themselves are skilled in the full understanding of the three realms, bodhisattvas establish beings in the skill of the full understanding of the three realms.
“Seeing how sentient beings have embarked on wrong paths and diverged from the right path, while they themselves are established on the right path, bodhisattvas establish beings on the right path.
“Seeing how sentient beings are attached to their bodies and lives and fail to perceive their faults, [F.174.b] while they themselves pay no heed to their bodies and lives and see their own inadequacies, bodhisattvas establish beings in paying no attention to their bodies and lives and seeing their own inadequacies.
“Seeing how sentient beings are separated from the Buddha, Dharma, and Saṅgha, while they themselves are immersed in the unbroken lineage of the Three Jewels, bodhisattvas lead beings into the unbroken lineage of the Three Jewels.
“Seeing how sentient beings fall away from the excellent Dharma, while they themselves persist in upholding the excellent Dharma, bodhisattvas establish beings in upholding the excellent Dharma.
“Seeing how sentient beings live far from precious teachers and lack the six recollections, while they themselves never give up the six recollections, bodhisattvas establish beings in cultivating the six recollections.
“Seeing how sentient beings are obscured by the veils of karma and afflictive emotions, while they themselves are free from karma and afflictive emotions, bodhisattvas establish beings in the freedom from karma and afflictive emotions.
“Seeing how sentient beings possess all nonvirtuous qualities and have abandoned all virtuous qualities, while they themselves have abandoned all nonvirtuous qualities and possess all virtuous qualities, bodhisattvas establish beings in the abandoning of all nonvirtuous qualities and the perfection of all virtuous qualities.
“Son of noble family, these thirty-two bodhisattva activities constitute the preeminence of bodhisattvas. Once bodhisattvas are established in these, they are agents of excellent deeds.
“Son of noble family, the conduct of bodhisattvas is immeasurable. Why is that? Son of noble family, as many possibilities of pollution as there are among sentient beings, bodhisattvas can accomplish that many possibilities of purification. [F.175.a]
“Son of noble family, even if all the sentient beings of world systems as numerous as grains of sand in the river Ganges were situated in the śrāvaka or pratyekabuddha vehicles, whatever the activity of all these beings, it would not come close to even a hundredth of the activity of bodhisattvas who have generated the first thought of awakening. It would not come close to even a thousandth, a hundred thousandth, a ten millionth, a billionth, or any number, fraction, enumeration, analogy, or comparison of it. Why is that? Śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas are committed to abandoning the afflictive emotions of their own mindstreams, but bodhisattvas are committed to abandoning the afflictive emotions of all sentient beings. In this way, son of noble family, compared to the activity of all beings and the activity of śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas, the activity of bodhisattvas is said to be supreme. Why is that? The activity of immature ordinary beings is mistaken, and the activity of all śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas is limited, but the activity of bodhisattvas yields qualities that are unmistaken and immeasurable. It is because of this that bodhisattvas surpass all beings and all śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas.”
At this the bodhisattva Dhāraṇīśvararāja was content, pleased, delighted, and overjoyed. Feeling joyful and happy, he took delight in what was proclaimed by the Blessed One. He rejoiced, saying to the Blessed One, “Blessed One, these excellent descriptions the Tathāgata has given of the bodhisattva ornaments, the bodhisattva illuminations, the great compassion of bodhisattvas, and the conduct of bodhisattvas are marvelous! [F.175.b]
“May the Blessed tathāgata, arhat, completely perfect Buddha teach. Blessed One, how does the great compassion of the blessed buddhas enter sentient beings? What exactly are the aspects, characteristics, signs, foundation, and extent of great tathāgata compassion? How do blessed buddhas perform their activity? What exactly are the aspects, characteristics, signs, foundation, and extent of their activity? Blessed One! Please explain directly to us how the activity of the omniscient, all-seeing tathāgatas manifests.”
Then the Blessed One replied, “Son of noble family, listen well and remember, and I will explain to you briefly the engagement of great tathāgata compassion and tathāgata activity.
“Son of noble family, I shall elucidate the statement that the great compassion of blessed buddhas for sentient beings ‘neither arises nor engages.’ Why is that? The great compassion of blessed buddhas is constantly engaged. Since it is properly generated through training over innumerable eons, it is neither engaged nor disengaged. The great compassion of blessed buddhas is present for all sentient beings without being activated. As difficult as it was to obtain great tathāgata compassion, that is how immeasurable, inconceivable, inexhaustible, and far reaching it is. [F.176.a] Why is that? Son of noble family, as tathāgatas obtain awakening, their great compassion extends to sentient beings. Awakening is great compassion!
“How do tathāgatas attain such awakening?33 Tathāgatas attain awakening where there is no root and no foundation. In this regard, what is the root? What is the foundation? Personalism is the root and unreal imagining is the foundation. Tathāgatas understand these two to be the same because they are the same as awakening. Consequently, it is said that tathāgatas are perfect and complete buddhas whose awakening is without root and without foundation. Great tathāgata compassion extends to beings as they think, ‘These sentient beings do not comprehend these phenomena that are without root and without foundation. They should comprehend them.’
“Son of noble family, awakening is peaceful and tranquil. In this regard, what is peacefulness? What is tranquility? The inner world is peaceful. The outer world is tranquil. Why is that? The eye is empty of self and what belongs to a self. That is its nature. The ear, the nose, the tongue, the body, and the mind are empty of self and what belongs to a self. That is their nature. Because one understands the eye to be empty, one does not pursue form. Therefore it is said to be tranquil. Because one understands the ear to be empty, one does not pursue sound. Therefore it is said to be tranquil. Because one understands the nose to be empty, one does not pursue smell. Therefore it is said to be tranquil. Because one understands the tongue to be empty, one does not pursue taste. Therefore it is said to be tranquil. Because one understands the body to be empty, one does not pursue the tangible. Therefore it is said to be tranquil. [F.176.b] Because one understands the mind to be empty, one does not pursue mental factors. Therefore it is said to be tranquil. Great tathāgata compassion extends to beings with the thought, ‘These sentient beings do not comprehend peace and tranquility. They should comprehend them.’
“Son of noble family, because mind is naturally luminous, awakening is naturally luminous. Why is it said to be naturally luminous? Its nature is devoid of pollution. It is equal to space. It is of the nature of space. It is established as being the same as space. Because it is the same as space, it is sameness. Its nature is luminosity itself. Great tathāgata compassion extends to beings with the thought, ‘Since these immature ordinary beings do not comprehend this natural luminosity, they remain polluted by adventitious afflictive emotions. They should comprehend this luminous nature.’
“Son of noble family, awakening is without acceptance or rejection. In this regard, what is the absence of acceptance? What is the absence of rejection? Absence of acceptance means not clinging to any phenomenon. Absence of rejection means not rejecting any phenomenon. When tathāgatas enter the river of no acceptance and no rejection, they truly see that suchness is without an ‘other side’ yet not without an ‘other side,’ and thus they transcend these. In that way, tathāgatas attain complete and perfect awakening for which all phenomena are beyond an ‘other side’ and the absence of an ‘other side.’ Therefore they are called tathāgatas. Great tathāgata compassion extends to beings with the thought, ‘These immature ordinary beings do not comprehend the absence of acceptance and the absence of rejection. They should comprehend them.’
“Son of noble family, awakening is without signs and without objective reference. [F.177.a] In this regard, what is meant by ‘without signs’? What is meant by ‘without objective reference’? A visual consciousness without an objective referent is without signs. Form that is unseen is without objective reference. An auditory consciousness without an objective reference is without signs. Sound that is unheard is without objective reference. An olfactory consciousness without an objective reference is without signs. Odor that is not perceived is without objective reference. A consciousness of taste without an objective reference is without signs. Flavor that is not perceived is without objective reference. A tactile consciousness without an objective reference is without signs. Touch that is not perceived is without objective reference. A mental consciousness without an objective reference is without signs. Mental factors that are not perceived are without objective reference. Thus, the lack of attributes and objective references is the domain of the noble ones. What is the domain of the noble ones? That which is not the domain of the three realms is the domain of the noble ones. Thus, that which is not a domain is the domain of the noble ones. Great tathāgata compassion extends to beings with the thought, ‘Immature ordinary beings do not comprehend the domain of the noble ones. They should comprehend it.’
“Son of noble family, awakening is not the past, is not the future, and is not the present. It is the same throughout the three times, the termination of the triple sphere. In this regard, what is the termination of the triple sphere? Mind does not engage with the past, consciousness does not pursue the future, and mental activity does not engage with the present. Since mind, mental activity, and consciousness do not abide, one does not mull over the past, one does not give thought to the future, and one does not proliferate the present. [F.177.b] Great tathāgata compassion extends to beings with the thought, ‘Immature ordinary beings do not comprehend the equality of the three times and the purification of the triple sphere. They should comprehend them.’
“Son of noble family, awakening is incorporeal and unconditioned. In this regard, that which is incorporeal is not perceptible to visual consciousness. It is not perceptible to auditory, olfactory, taste, tactile, or mental consciousness. The unconditioned is that which is without origination, cessation, and endurance. That is the unconditioned, free of these three characteristics. That which is conditioned should also be comprehended to be just like the unconditioned. Why is that? The nature of all phenomena is nonexistence. That which is nonexistent is nondual. Great tathāgata compassion extends to beings with the thought, ‘Immature ordinary beings do not comprehend the incorporeal and unconditioned. They should comprehend it.’
“Son of noble family, what is called awakening is inseparable and abiding. In this regard, what abides? What is inseparable? Suchness abides. Nonabiding is inseparable. The realm of phenomena abides. Nondifferentiation is inseparable. The limit of reality abides. Immovability is inseparable. Emptiness abides. Lack of objective reference is inseparable. Signlessness abides. Nonconceptuality is inseparable. Wishlessness abides. Lack of making wishes is inseparable. The nonexistence of sentient beings abides. The essencelessness of sentient beings is inseparable. Space abides. Lack of objective reference is inseparable. Nonorigination abides. Noncessation is inseparable. [F.178.a] The unconditioned abides. The absence of movement is inseparable. Awakening abides. Tranquility is inseparable. Nirvāṇa abides. The absence of coming into being is inseparable. Great tathāgata compassion extends to beings with the thought, ‘Sentient beings do not comprehend this inseparability and abiding. They should comprehend it.’
“Son of noble family, awakening is completely and perfectly awakened neither by the body nor by the mind. Why is that? The body is inanimate, and the mind is like an illusion. Those who comprehend the body and the mind to be like that may still talk about awakening, using conventional language, but awakening cannot be described as physical or mental, as a phenomenon or not, as genuine or not, or as true or false. Why is that? Awakening cannot be described by means of any phenomenon. Awakening does not have a shape that can be described in conventional terms. Just as space has no shape and is indescribable, awakening likewise has no shape and is indescribable. In the same way, no phenomena are describable if one has understood them just as they are. There are no words for phenomena. There are no phenomena that correspond to words. Great tathāgata compassion extends to beings with the thought, ‘Sentient beings do not comprehend this aspect of the manner of phenomena. They should comprehend it.’
“Son of noble family, awakening is not apprehended and without a foundation. In this regard, what is not apprehended? What is without a foundation? Understanding the eye is not apprehended. Form without objective reference is without a foundation. Understanding the ear is not apprehended. [F.178.b] Sound without objective reference is without a foundation. Understanding the nose is not apprehended. Smell without objective reference is without a foundation. Understanding the tongue is not apprehended. Flavor without objective reference is without a foundation. Understanding the body is not apprehended. Touch without objective reference is without a foundation. Understanding mental cognition is not apprehended. Mental factors without objective references are without a foundation. In that way, tathāgatas completely and perfectly awaken to awakening that is not apprehended and without a foundation.
“Having attained complete and perfect awakening, the eye is not apprehended, form is not a foundation, and consciousness has nowhere to stand. The ear is not apprehended, sounds are not a foundation, and consciousness has nowhere to stand. The nose is not apprehended, smells are not a foundation, and consciousness has nowhere to stand. The tongue is not apprehended, tastes are not a foundation, and consciousness has nowhere to stand. The body is not apprehended, tactile sensations are not a foundation, and consciousness has nowhere to stand. The mind is not apprehended, phenomena are not a foundation, and consciousness has nowhere to stand.
“Since consciousness has nowhere to stand, one deeply understands the stations of the minds of all sentient beings. What are the stations of the minds of sentient beings? There are four stations of the minds of sentient beings. What are these four? Form is a station of the minds of sentient beings. Likewise feeling, perception, and formations are stations of the minds of sentient beings. But tathāgatas know that even these stations of their minds are nowhere to stand. Great tathāgata compassion extends to beings with the thought, ‘Sentient beings do not comprehend this limit of groundlessness. They should comprehend it.’
“Son of noble family, awakening is a designation for emptiness. The emptiness of empty awakening is the emptiness of [F.179.a] all empty phenomena. The tathāgatas completely and perfectly awaken by realizing that all those phenomena are in truth emptiness. Theirs is not an awakening brought about by making phenomena empty by means of emptiness. What is called emptiness and what is called awakening are understood to be one and the same. There is no division of emptiness and awakening into two categories at all.
“Why is that? Phenomena are nondual; they cannot be separated into two. They lack attributes, names, and signs. They are without movement, immovable, and without origination. Empty is a designation for what is devoid of clinging and apprehending. In this regard, ultimately, the phenomena that are referred to as empty are without any objective reference whatsoever, but they are still called empty. Just as we call space space even though space is actually indescribable, we call what is empty empty even though emptiness is actually indescribable. It is like this. This convention of using names to label what is nameless is applied to all phenomena. A name also does not inhere in the object or in a part of it. Just as names do not inhere in objects or in their parts, in the same way, whatever phenomenon described by a given name also does not inhere in the object or in part of it.
“In that way tathāgatas understand all these phenomena. They understand them to be primordially unborn, unceasing, without attributes, devoid of mind, mental activity, and consciousness, and without letters or sounds. Insofar as they understand them, they are liberated. There is no bondage. There is also no liberation. Great tathāgata compassion extends to beings with the thought, ‘Immature ordinary beings do not comprehend this sameness. They should comprehend it.’ [F.179.b]
“Son of noble family, awakening is similar to space. Space itself is never the same, but it is also never not the same. Awakening too is never the same, but it is also never not the same. Since phenomena do not truly exist, one cannot say whether they are the same or not the same. This is what tathāgatas realize when they fully awaken to the fact that all phenomena are not the same and are not not the same. They fully awaken without making even the slightest phenomenon the same or not the same.
“They understand with correct wisdom exactly what these phenomena are like. What is correct wisdom? It is the understanding that all phenomena are without root, that they are unborn and unceasing. They arise out of the unarisen. Having arisen, they pass away. They arise without a creator, and they pass away without a creator.
“In that way, though phenomena come to be through arising and perishing, there is no coming to be whatsoever. It is said that ‘the tathāgatas teach the Dharma in order to cut off the pathways of existence.’ Great tathāgata compassion extends to beings with the thought, ‘Sentient beings do not comprehend how to cut off the pathways of existence. They should comprehend it.’
“Son of noble family, awakening is a real ground. What is a real ground? As is awakening, so is form, which does not transcend suchness. As is awakening, so are feeling, perception, formations, and consciousness, which do not transcend suchness. As is awakening, so are the elements of earth, water, fire, and wind, which do not transcend suchness. As is awakening, so are the elements of eye, [F.180.a] form, and visual consciousness, which do not transcend suchness. As is awakening, so are the elements of ear, sound, and auditory consciousness, which do not transcend suchness. As is awakening, so are the elements of nose, smell, and olfactory consciousness, which do not transcend suchness. As is awakening, so are the elements of tongue, taste, and gustatory consciousness, which do not transcend suchness. As is awakening, so are the elements of body, tactile sensation, and tactile consciousness, which do not transcend suchness. As is awakening, so are the elements of mind, phenomena, and mental consciousness, which do not transcend suchness. It is just these that are labeled as phenomena. In this regard, they are labeled as aggregates, elements, and sense fields.
“It is to these as they really are that the tathāgatas are completely and perfectly awakened, completely and perfectly awakened in an unmistaken manner. As these were before, so they are later, and so they are in the meantime. They do not arise in the beginning, they do not pass on in the end, and they are devoid in the meantime. This is a real ground. As one is, so are they all. As they all are, so is one. The tathāgatas do not objectify the way things are in terms of one or many. Great tathāgata compassion extends to beings with the thought, ‘Immature ordinary beings do not comprehend the real ground. They should comprehend it.’
“Son of noble family, awakening consists in having penetrated the absence of aspects through penetrating the aspects. In this regard, what are the aspects? What is the absence of aspects? Aspects refers to taking up all virtuous factors. Absence of aspects refers to not objectifying any factor. Aspects refers to the ground of the mind that is groundless. Absence of aspects refers to the gate of liberation, a meditative absorption without signs. [F.180.b] Aspects refers to thinking about, evaluating, enumerating, and discriminating phenomena. Absence of aspects refers to the complete transcendence of evaluation. What is the complete transcendence of evaluation? It is that in which there is no activity of consciousness. Aspects refers to discriminating conditioned things. Absence of aspects refers to realizing the unconditioned. Great tathāgata compassion extends to beings with the thought, ‘Immature ordinary beings do not comprehend penetrating the aspects and the absence of aspects. They should comprehend it.’
“Son of noble family, awakening is the absence of contamination and the absence of appropriation. In this regard, what is the absence of contamination? What is the absence of appropriation? Absence of contamination means freedom from the four contaminants: freedom from the contaminant of desire, freedom from the contaminant of becoming, freedom from the contaminant of ignorance, and freedom from the contaminant of views. Absence of appropriation refers to freedom from the four appropriations: freedom from the appropriation of desire, freedom from the appropriation of views, freedom from the appropriation of asserting a self, and freedom from the appropriation of belief in the supremacy of one’s morality and asceticism. These four appropriations are darkened by ignorance and approached through craving. Thinking ‘I am,’ they are appropriated through clinging. The tathāgatas understand the I to be the root of appropriation, and they realize that purification of the self is the purification of sentient beings. The purification of the self and the purification of all sentient beings are an inseparable nonduality. Nonduality refers to nonarising. [F.181.a] Due to nonarising and noncessation, mind, mental activity, and consciousness do not operate. Where mind, mental activity, and consciousness do not operate, there is absolutely none of the false imagining of incorrect mental activity.
“Someone with correct mental activity does not activate ignorance. When ignorance does not arise, the twelve links of becoming do not arise. When the twelve links of becoming do not arise, there is no birth. That which is unborn is certain. That which is certain is the definitive meaning. That which is the definitive meaning is the ultimate. That which is ultimate means the reality devoid of a person. The reality devoid of a person is inexpressible. The inexpressible is dependent arising. Dependent arising is the Dharma. The Dharma is suchness. Suchness is the tathāgata. Therefore, it is said that ‘whoever sees dependent arising sees the Dharma, and whoever sees the Dharma sees the tathāgata.’ When one searches, informed by suchness, one sees nothing whatsoever, and that is how one sees. What is that ‘nothing whatsoever?’ The answer is ‘conceptual signs and objective references.’ At the time when one sees without thought or objective reference, one sees truly. In this manner, tathāgatas completely and perfectly awaken, by means of sameness, to the sameness of all phenomena. Great tathāgata compassion extends to beings with the thought, ‘Sentient beings do not comprehend what is without contamination and appropriation. They should comprehend it.’
“Son of noble family, awakening is pure, stainless, and without afflictive emotions. In this regard, what is pure? What is stainless? What is without afflictive emotions? [F.181.b] Emptiness is pure. Signlessness is stainless. Wishlessness is without afflictive emotions. The unborn is pure. Absence of conditioning is stainless. Nonarising is without afflictive emotions. The nature is pure. Total purity is stainless. Luminosity is without afflictive emotions. The absence of proliferation is pure. Non-proliferation is stainless. The pacification of proliferations is without afflictive emotions. Suchness is pure. The realm of phenomena is stainless. The limit of reality is without afflictive emotions. Space is pure. Space is stainless. Space is without afflictive emotions. Understanding inwardly is pure. Not pursuing outwardly is stainless. Not objectifying inwardly or outwardly is without afflictive emotions. Understanding the aggregates is pure. The essence of the elements is stainless. Rejecting the sense fields is without afflictive emotions. Understanding that the past is gone is pure. Understanding that the future has not yet arisen is stainless. Understanding that the present is present as the realm of phenomena is without afflictive emotions.
“Therefore purity, stainlessness, and the absence of afflictive emotions are actually united in the single state that is the state of peace. Peace is peacefulness. Peacefulness is what is called pacification. Pacification is what is called the absence of signs by means of the act of pacifying. The absence of signs is what is called pacification. Pacification is what is called intelligence.
“Therefore, son of noble family, as is space, so too is awakening. As is awakening, so too are all phenomena. As are all phenomena, so too are sentient beings. As are sentient beings, so too are the buddhafields. As are the buddhafields, so too is nirvāṇa. Thus, all phenomena are said to be equal to nirvāṇa. [F.182.a] Because they are ultimate and final there are no remedies to apply. Because there are no remedies to apply, all phenomena are primordially pure, primordially stainless, and primordially without afflictive emotions. Tathāgatas accordingly are completely and perfectly awakened to the reality of all phenomena. After surveying the mass of sentient beings who are impure, who are not stainless, and who possess afflictive emotions, they extend their great compassion known as magical play to all sentient beings.34
“Using his skillful means, the Tathāgata informed the gods of the Brahmā realm that he would not turn the wheel of the Dharma without being requested to do so. Then Brahmā Śikhāvala, surrounded and escorted by eight hundred thousand gods of the Brahmā realm, instantly disappeared from the realm of Brahmā. He arrived in the presence of the Tathāgata and paid homage at the Tathāgata’s feet. To ensure that the wheel of Dharma be set in motion, he supplicated the Tathāgata: ‘May the Blessed One teach the Dharma! May the Sugata teach the Dharma!’ He also supplicated the Tathāgata with the following words:
“Son of noble family, the Tathāgata, aware of Brahmā Śikhāvala’s supplication, proceeded with unforsaken great compassion to turn the unsurpassed Dharma wheel in Deer Park in Rṣipatana near the town of Vārāṇasī. In this world such a Dharma wheel had never been turned in conformity with the Dharma before by any wandering ascetic, brahmin, god, demon, or Brahmā himself. It was then that the word impermanence was understood throughout the entire billionfold universe. Kauṇḍinya was the first to fully know the Dharma. Then the Buddha, inspired, uttered the following:
“By turning the wheel of the Dharma, the Tathāgata tamed innumerable and unfathomably many sentient beings. Through knowing this magical play of great tathāgata compassion, immeasurable and innumerable sentient beings generated the thought of awakening. [F.183.a]
“Son of noble family, these sixteen kinds of great compassion of the blessed buddhas are constantly spontaneously active and are never given up. Endowed with such great compassion, tathāgatas happily dwell among the denizens in the great hell realms for the sake of each and every being, for as many eons as there are grains of sand in the river Ganges. When they gaze at those to be tamed through the superior Dharma and Vinaya, the tathāgatas are never discouraged, and their great compassion never deteriorates. That is how the inconceivable great compassion of the blessed buddhas extends to sentient beings.
“The compassion of śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas is compared to skin, the compassion of bodhisattvas to flesh, and the great compassion of blessed buddhas to bones and marrow. Śrāvaka compassion rejoices in buddha wisdom. Bodhisattva compassion establishes bodhicitta. The great compassion of blessed buddhas predicts beings to awakening. The compassion of śrāvakas relies on love. The compassion of bodhisattvas relies on bringing beings to maturity. The great compassion of blessed buddhas relies on bringing them to full maturity.
“The compassion of śrāvakas is discouraged by effort. The compassion of bodhisattvas brings undertakings to completion. The compassion of blessed buddhas brings success in all undertakings.
“Therefore, son of noble family, the great compassion of the blessed buddhas is supreme because buddhas dwell for eons, hundreds of eons, [F.183.b] thousands of eons, or hundreds of thousands of eons in order to tame beings. For so long as they do, they do not pass away into nirvāṇa. Son of noble family, you should understand this through this discourse.
“Son of noble family, in the past, innumerable beyond countless eons ago, in an eon known as Most Fragrant, in a world realm known as Fragrant, there appeared a tathāgata, an arhat, a completely and perfectly awakened buddha known as Sandalwood Dwelling. He was endowed with perfect knowledge and perfect conduct, a sugata, a world knower, an unsurpassed charioteer of those to be tamed, a teacher of gods and humans, a buddha, a blessed one. The lifespan of the Blessed Tathāgata Sandalwood Dwelling reached sixteen times eighty-four thousand years. His śrāvaka entourage consisted of sixteen times eighty-four thousand śrāvakas.
“The sweet fragrance coming from one of the pores of his skin suffused the billionfold universe with sweet-smelling fragrance. No foul smell arose in that world. In that world, furthermore, the fences, trees, mountains, and material forms that appeared were enveloped in the fragrance of that tathāgata. That is how it became known as Fragrant.
“Through the fragrance of the Tathāgata, despicable physical, verbal, and mental actions disappeared from the beings born in that realm. When they smelled that fragrance, those who went forth into the religious life following the Dharma of that blessed one generated the four concentrations. In that realm, ten thousand buddhas emerged simultaneously, all of them named Sandalwood Dwelling. That is how the eon came to be called Most Fragrant. [F.184.a]
“The Blessed Tathāgata Sandalwood Dwelling performed his buddha activity, and at the time of passing into nirvāṇa he beheld the disposition of a being who was trainable by a buddha and who was known as Trainable by Me. The buddha saw with pure divine vision surpassing human sight that this one being among the gods in the Sphere of neither Perception nor Nonperception who had previously cultivated roots of virtue, who was devoted to the vast, and who was tamable by a buddha would remain there for eighty-four thousand eons. Once he died and was reborn as a human, if he heard praise of the Great Vehicle instead of enjoying sense desires, he would generate the thought of unsurpassed perfect awakening and become someone who would not be turned back from unsurpassed perfect awakening.
“Then the Blessed Tathāgata Sandalwood Dwelling manifested great compassion through his skill in means and said to the monks, ‘Monks! Since the time has come for me to pass into nirvāṇa, I will now pass into nirvāṇa.’ Thereupon the Blessed Tathāgata Sandalwood Dwelling entered the absorption called indefatigable by seeing with great compassion35 and displayed passing into nirvāṇa.
“After passing into nirvāṇa, his relics were distributed. His sacred Dharma remained for eight times eighty-four thousand years. While his sacred Dharma was present, moreover, many beings received it, and no counterfeit Dharma appeared. Through the cultivation of the power of meditative absorption and miraculous blessing, that blessed one remained unmanifest for eighty-four thousand eons. [F.184.b]
“Thus, when eighty-four thousand eons had passed, that being among the gods in the Sphere of neither Perception nor Nonperception died and was reborn in the human realm in the family of a merchant. When he reached the age of eight, the Blessed Tathāgata Sandalwood Dwelling rose from his absorption that had lasted eighty-four thousand eons. He came before the youth in the form of a buddha, invisible to everyone else except the youth.
“This caused the youth to firmly make up his mind to generate the thought of unsurpassed perfect awakening and not be turned back from unsurpassed perfect awakening. The Buddha proceeded to teach the Dharma to the youth, beginning with the Great Vehicle. He also delivered teachings about the faults of desire. The Blessed One understood the perfect special intention of the youth and predicted that the youth would completely awaken to unsurpassed perfect awakening after seventy-two times one hundred thousand countless eons. He would emerge in the world as the Tathāgata Supreme Precious One. No human being but the youth himself heard this prophecy. Twelve thousand gods who were worthy heard it and generated the thought of unsurpassed perfect awakening. They also made an aspiration prayer saying, ‘When the Blessed Tathāgata called Supreme Precious One finds awakening, may we be born in his buddhafield at that time!’
“In order for them all to be born into that buddhafield, the Blessed One predicted, ‘The Tathāgata Supreme Precious One will predict your unsurpassed perfect awakening!’ [F.185.a] Thereupon, the Blessed Tathāgata Sandalwood Dwelling, having prophesied those bodhisattvas, completely passed into nirvāṇa, and the gods honored his relics.
“Son of noble family, the blessed buddhas are endowed with such compassion, which does not exist on the level of the śrāvakas or pratyekabuddhas. Son of noble family, just as the blessed buddhas do not interrupt the continuity of the lineage of the buddhas, likewise, the roots of virtue of those who offer to the buddhas will also be uninterrupted until they pass into nirvāṇa, because causes do not perish.”
When he had delivered this discourse on great tathāgata compassion, among the assembly, as many beings as a third of the number of grains of sand in the river Ganges generated the thought of unsurpassed perfect awakening. As many bodhisattvas as half the number of grains of sand in the river Ganges attained willing acceptance. And as many bodhisattvas as the number of grains of sand in the river Ganges attained the sixteen kinds of great compassion. They also attained acceptance of reality, which was endowed with the empowerment of all the Buddha’s teachings. At that time, all in the assembly who had heard this teaching became content, pleased, delighted, and overjoyed. Feeling joyful and happy, everyone hailed the Blessed One with the words “Very good!” and honored him with offerings both human and divine. [B4]
At that point,36 the Blessed One said to Dhāraṇīśvararāja, “Son of noble family, you may ask, ‘What are the actions of the tathāgatas?’ There are thirty-two tathāgata actions. What are these actions?
(1) “Son of noble family, the tathāgatas know with their unsurpassed wisdom and in accordance with reality what is possible and what is impossible. [F.185.b] You may ask, son of noble family, what is possible and what is impossible? That the maturation of wrongful conduct of body, speech, and mind will be desirable, pleasant, delightful, or attractive is impossible. This will not happen. That the maturation of good conduct of body, speech, and mind will be desirable, pleasant, delightful, and attractive is possible. This will happen. Son of noble family, that one will attain great wealth through greediness, be born as a god or human through flawed moral conduct, become beautiful through ill will, attain realization through laziness, reach certainty through mental distraction, or destroy the karmic traces through flawed insight is impossible. This will not happen. That one will attain great wealth through generosity, be born as a god or human through moral conduct, become beautiful through patience, attain realization through perseverance, reach certainty through concentration, and destroy all the karmic traces through insight is possible. This will happen.
“That the mind of someone who performs the acts of immediate retribution will be at ease is impossible. This will not happen. That the mind of someone with pure moral conduct will be at ease is possible. This will happen. That one will attain willing acceptance while being involved with objective references is impossible. This will not happen. [F.186.a] That one will attain acceptance through devotion to emptiness is possible. This will happen. That the mind will become pliant while in a state of regret is impossible. This will not happen. That a mind free of agitation will become pliant is possible. This will happen. That a universal monarch, Śakra, Brahmā, or a buddha will appear in the world in a female body is impossible. This will not happen. That someone will appear in the world as a universal monarch, Śakra, Brahmā, or a buddha after she has exchanged her female body is possible. This will happen. That someone who is not equal to the universal monarch will govern a kingdom is impossible. This will not happen. That he who is equal to the universal monarch will govern a kingdom is possible. This will happen.
“That a human being from the northern continent of Uttarakuru will descend to lower destinies is impossible. This will not happen. That such a human will proceed to happy destinies is possible. This will happen. That individuals37 who kill will enjoy long lives on account of their killing and that they will attain the noble path on account of their wrong views and the wrongful deeds based on them is impossible. This will not happen. That someone with a long life on account of abandoning killing will attain the noble path through correct views is possible. This will happen.
“That one will find deliverance without attaining the fruition of the eight paths38 is impossible. This will not happen. That one will find deliverance once one has attained their fruition is possible. This will happen. [F.186.b] That a stream enterer will actualize an eighth existence is impossible. This will not happen. That a stream enterer will enter a seventh existence even though there are obstacles is possible. That a once-returner will actualize a second existence is impossible. This will not happen. That a once-returner will reach the end of suffering after having returned to this world is possible. This will happen. That a non-returner will return to this world is impossible. This will not happen. That a non-returner will transcend suffering completely is possible. This will happen. That an arhat will enter a new existence is impossible. This will not happen. That an arhat will not enter a new existence is possible. This will happen.
“That a noble being will accept the instructions of another teacher is impossible. This will not happen. That such a being will have no other deity is possible. That a bodhisattva who accepts the unborn nature of phenomena will regress is impossible. This will not happen. That such a bodhisattva will awaken to complete and perfect awakening is possible. That a bodhisattva who dwells on the seat of awakening will arise without completely and perfectly awakening is impossible. This will not happen. That such a bodhisattva will arise as one awakened to complete and perfect awakening is possible.
“That karmic traces will appear for tathāgatas is impossible. This will not happen. That tathāgatas will have destroyed all karmic traces is possible. This will happen. That the wisdom of tathāgatas will be obstructed is impossible. That the wisdom of tathāgatas will be unobstructed [F.187.a] is possible. That the crown protuberances of tathāgatas will be visible is impossible. This will not happen. That the crown protuberances of tathāgatas will be invisible is possible. That one will know the activity of tathāgatas’ minds through means other than the power of buddhas is impossible. This will not happen. That one will not know it is possible. That the minds of tathāgatas will not be in equipoise and will have reference points is impossible. That tathāgatas will be in constant equipoise is possible. That untrue words will issue from tathāgatas is impossible. That true words will issue is possible.
“Son of noble family, that deluded objective reference will exist for tathāgatas is impossible. This will not happen. That delusion will not exist for tathāgatas is possible. This will happen. Son of noble family, words cannot illustrate the scope of the Tathāgata’s power of knowing what is possible and what is impossible. It is perfect. It is unique and like no other. About this the following is proclaimed:
(2) “Son of noble family, tathāgatas know skillfully and in accordance with reality about past, present, and future actions as well as the basis, causes, substance, and maturation of the actions undertaken. You may ask, how do they understand them? Son of noble family, the tathāgatas know the actions undertaken in the past that spring from virtuous causes, are free of anything nonvirtuous, and will, in the future, engender what springs from virtuous causes. They know the actions undertaken that spring from nonvirtuous causes, are free of anything virtuous, and will, in the future, engender what springs from nonvirtuous causes. They know in accordance with reality the actions undertaken that will become the basis for something minor in the future, the actions undertaken that will become the basis for something major in the future, [F.188.a] the actions undertaken that are the basis for something minor in the present that will become the basis for something major in the future, and the actions undertaken that are the basis for something major in the present that will become the basis for something minor in the future. They know the actions undertaken that are the basis for something minor in the present that will also become the basis for something minor in the future. They know the actions undertaken that are the basis for something major in the present that will also become the basis for something major in the future. They know the actions undertaken that were a minor task in the past that will become something major and turn into a great success in the future. They know the actions undertaken that require little exertion that may nonetheless become of great significance. They also know the actions undertaken that require great exertion that may nonetheless become of little significance.
“They know the actions undertaken that will engender the cause of śrāvakahood, the actions undertaken that will engender the cause of pratyekabuddhahood, and the actions undertaken that will engender the cause of buddhahood. They know the actions undertaken that are painful at present but will lead to a blissful maturation in the future. They know the actions undertaken that are blissful at present but will lead to a painful maturation in the future. The tathāgatas know the actions undertaken that are painful at present and will also lead to a painful maturation in the future. They know the actions undertaken that are blissful at present and will also lead to a blissful maturation in the future.
“In these ways, son of noble family, the tathāgatas uniquely and independently understand in accordance with reality all about beings’ actions in the past, present, and future, their circumstances, and their maturation. [F.188.b] With this understanding they teach the Dharma accordingly. This is the second tathāgata activity of the tathāgatas. About this it has been proclaimed:
(3) “Son of noble family, the tathāgatas know in accordance with reality the many and various inclinations of other beings and individuals. [F.189.a] You may ask, how do they know in accordance with reality the many and various inclinations of other beings and individuals? They know which individuals are established in attachment and inclined toward aversion, which individuals are established in aversion and inclined toward attachment, and which individuals are established in delusion and inclined toward attachment, aversion, and delusion. The tathāgatas know which individuals are established in virtue and inclined toward virtue, which individuals whose engagement is minor are inclined with a vast intention, and which individuals whose engagement is vast are inclined with a minor intention. They know which inclinations will transform minor engagements into major ones and which inclinations will transform superior engagements into minor ones. They know in accordance with reality which inclinations lead to acquiring a determined disposition that is destined for error, which inclinations remain undetermined, which inclinations lead to acquiring a disposition that is destined for truth, and which inclinations lead to attaining liberation in the case of one destined for truth. They know which inclinations will lead beyond the desire realm, which will lead beyond the form realm, and which will lead beyond the third realm. They know which inclinations will suppress something major through relying on something minor and which inclinations will transform something major into something minor. They know which inclinations will bring about the attainment of varying kinds of corresponding birth, appearance, and means of livelihood. [F.189.b] The tathāgatas know which inclinations will lead to downfall from the peak of existence and which inclinations will lead to the attainment of liberation. With this understanding they teach the Dharma accordingly. This is the third tathāgata activity of the tathāgatas. About this it has been proclaimed:
(4) “Son of noble family, the tathāgatas know, in accordance with reality, the worlds that are comprised of many and various elements. You may ask, how do they know them? They know, in accordance with reality, which elements accumulate mundane virtuous conditioning, which elements accumulate nonvirtuous conditioning, [F.190.a] which elements accumulate neutral conditioning, and which elements establish one in the element of deliverance.
“They know the element of the eye, the element of form, and the element of visual consciousness. How do they know them? They know them to be an inner emptiness, an outer emptiness, and an inner and outer emptiness, respectively. They know the element of the ear, the element of sound, and the element of auditory consciousness. How do they know them? They know them to be an inner emptiness, an outer emptiness, and an inner and outer emptiness, respectively. They know the element of the nose, the element of smell, and the element of olfactory consciousness. How do they know them? They know them to be an inner emptiness, an outer emptiness, and an inner and outer emptiness, respectively. They know the element of the tongue, the element of taste, and the element of the consciousness of taste. How do they know them? They know them to be an inner emptiness, an outer emptiness, and an inner and outer emptiness, respectively. They know the element of the body, the element of the tactile, and the element of tactile consciousness. How do they know them? They know them to be an inner emptiness, an outer emptiness, and an inner and outer emptiness, respectively. They know the element of the mind, the element of phenomena, and the element of mental consciousness. How do they know them? They know them to be an inner emptiness, an outer emptiness, and an inner and outer emptiness, respectively. They know the elements of earth, water, fire, and wind. How do they know them? They know them to be just like the element of space.
“They know the desire realm, the form realm, and the formless realm. [F.190.b] How do they know them? They know them to originate in false imagining. They know conditioned elements to be fabricated and unconditioned elements to be unfabricated. They know that the elements of pollution are characterized by adventitious afflictive emotion and that the elements of purification are characterized by natural luminosity. They know that the realm of saṃsāra is characterized by incorrect ignorance and that the sphere of nirvāṇa is characterized by correct knowing.
“In this way, the tathāgatas fully understand which elements establish the world, which elements fully establish it, which elements facilitate, and which elements obstruct. They know which elements belong to engagement, which belong to reflection, which belong to determination, and which elements are supports. With this understanding they teach the Dharma accordingly. This is the fourth tathāgata activity of the tathāgatas. About this it has been proclaimed:
(5) “Son of noble family, the tathāgatas know, in accordance with reality, the levels of the faculties of other beings and individuals. You may ask, how do they know them in accordance with reality? Son of noble family, they know, in accordance with reality, which beings are less gifted. Likewise, they know whose faculties are average, whose are sharp, whose are extraordinary, and whose are poor. [F.191.b]
“They know how consummate attachment, aversion, and delusion arise from the dominant influence of conceptuality. They know how contrived attachment, aversion, and delusion arise from the dominant influence of conceptuality. They know how perverted attachment, aversion, and delusion arise from the dominant influence of conceptuality. They know how destructive attachment, aversion, and delusion arise from the dominant influence of conceptuality. The tathāgatas know comprehensively how, from the dominant influence of conceptuality, some faculties originate from virtuous causes, some from nonvirtuous causes, some from neutral causes, and others from the causes of deliverance.
“Moreover, son of noble family, the tathāgatas know the sense faculties of the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind. They know the male faculty, the female faculty, and the vital force. They understand the propensity for physical pleasure and pain, mental joy and grief, and equanimity. They know the spiritual faculties of faith, vigor, mindfulness, absorption, and insight. They know the faculty that changes unknowing into omniscience, the faculty of omniscience, and the faculty endowed with omniscience. The tathāgatas understand which capacity caused by the sense power of the eyes will transform into a sense power for the ear, rather than into a sense power for the nose, tongue, or body. [F.192.a] They understand which capacity caused by the sense power of the ear will transform into a sense power for the nose, which capacity caused by the sense power of the nose will transform into a sense power for the tongue, which capacity caused by the sense power of the tongue will transform into a sense power for the body, and which capacity caused by the sense power of the body will transform into a sense power for the eye.
“To people who are capable of generosity and who apply themselves to moral conduct, the tathāgatas, understanding the range of capacities, give discourses on generosity. To people who are capable of moral conduct and who apply themselves to generosity, the tathāgatas, understanding the range of capacities, give discourses on moral conduct. To people who have the capacity for patience and who apply themselves to vigor, the tathāgatas, understanding the range of capacities, give discourses on patience. To people who are capable of vigor and who apply themselves to patience, the tathāgatas, understanding the range of capacities, give discourses on vigor. To people who have the capacity for concentration and who apply themselves to insight, the tathāgatas, understanding the range of capacities, give discourses on concentration. To people who have the capacity for insight and who apply themselves to concentration, the tathāgatas, understanding the range of capacities, give discourses on insight. Likewise, all factors of awakening should be comprehended in detail.
“To people who have the capacity for the Śrāvaka Vehicle but apply themselves to the Pratyekabuddha Vehicle, the tathāgatas, understanding the range of capacities, give discourses on the Śrāvaka Vehicle. To people who have the capacity for the Pratyekabuddha Vehicle [F.192.b] but apply themselves to the Śrāvaka Vehicle, the tathāgatas, understanding the range of capacities, give discourses on the Pratyekabuddha Vehicle. To people who have the capacity for the Great Vehicle but apply themselves to the Śrāvaka Vehicle and the Pratyekabuddha Vehicle, the tathāgatas, understanding the range of capacities, give discourses on the Great Vehicle. To people of the highest capacity who apply themselves to the Great Vehicle, the tathāgatas, understanding the range of capacities, give the final discourses.
“When the tathāgatas know that those who are subject to a lack of fortune and who appear unfortunate are not receptive, they remain in equanimity. When the tathāgatas know that those who have the power of good fortune and who appear fortunate are worthy, they teach them the Dharma as they are venerated by them.
“Son of noble family, in this way the tathāgatas know the developed and the undeveloped capacities of all sentient beings. They know the capacities that have not yet emerged as well as those that have emerged. The tathāgatas know in accordance with reality the capacities of beings, their aspects, their applications, their intentions, the causes from which they arise, their conditions, their reference points, their concordant causes, and their limits. This is the fifth tathāgata activity of the tathāgatas. About this it has been proclaimed:
(6) “Son of noble family, the tathāgatas know in accordance with reality the paths that lead to all destinies. You may ask, how do they know them? They know the beings who are destined for truth. They know the beings who are undetermined and the beings who are destined for error. They know the beings who are determined. Whether the tathāgatas teach the Dharma to them or not, those beings who have causal capacity and excellent prior engagement, who understand through mere outlines and whose intelligence is sharp, are destined to become liberated. The tathāgatas understand their causal capacity, and, in order to accelerate their liberation, they teach them the Dharma accordingly.
“They know the beings who are undetermined. If they meet an agreeable teaching and instruction, beings who are swayed by conditions and characterized by having to mature will become liberated. But if they do not, then they will not become liberated. To them the tathāgatas deliver discourses on causes and conditions. In this way, once they have heard the Dharma from the tathāgatas, they apply themselves accordingly and attain the result. It is for their sake that the blessed buddhas appear.
“They know the beings who are destined for error. Whether they teach the Dharma to them or not, those beings who have not purified themselves, [F.194.a] who are narrow minded, foolish, and unreceptive, are not destined for liberation. The tathāgatas are aware that they are not receptive and thus remain equanimous toward them. It is for their sake that the bodhisattvas don their armor.
“Son of noble family, the tathāgatas know the three paths of attachment. What are the three? They are the path of attachment arising from attraction, the path of attachment arising from clinging, and the path of attachment arising from previous causes. They know the three paths of aversion: the path of aversion arising from the cause of anger, the path of aversion arising from unfulfilled wishes, and the path of aversion arising from preexisting latent tendencies. They know the three paths of delusion: the path of delusion arising from the cause of ignorance, the path of delusion arising from the cause of personalistic false views, and the path of delusion arising from the cause of doubt. All these the tathāgatas know.
“Moreover, son of noble family, the tathāgatas know the difficult paths that swiftly lead to the superknowledges for those with sharp faculties and the difficult paths that slowly lead to the superknowledges for those with dull faculties. They know the easy paths that swiftly lead to the superknowledges for those with sharp faculties and the difficult paths that swiftly lead to the superknowledges for those with dull faculties. They know the paths that very slowly lead to the superknowledges because of beings’ loss of focus and the slower paths that may nonetheless swiftly lead to the superknowledges because their continuities are uninterrupted. [F.194.b] They know the swift paths that may nonetheless lead slowly to the superknowledges on account of falling short of final relief and the slow paths that nonetheless lead swiftly to the superknowledges on account of one not being attached to such paths.
“The tathāgatas know that there are paths where it is not the power of meditation but the power of discrimination that is brought to perfection. They know that there are paths where it is not the power of discrimination but the power of meditation that is brought to perfection. They know that there are paths where neither the power of meditation nor the power of discrimination is brought to perfection. They know that there are paths where both the power of discrimination and the power of meditation are brought to perfection.
“The tathāgatas know that there are paths with excellent intention but without excellent application. They know that there are paths without excellent intention but with excellent application. They know that there are paths without excellent intention or application. They know that there are paths with both excellent intention and application.
“There are paths where it is neither the speech nor the mind but the body that is purified. There are paths where it is neither the body nor the mind but the speech that is purified. There are paths where the body, speech, and mind are all purified. There are paths where neither the body nor the speech nor the mind are purified.
“In this way, the vision of a tathāgata’s wisdom enters, without obstruction, the full extent of the paths that arise from the causes of the engagements of all sentient beings and from the causes of error. [F.195.a] This is the sixth tathāgata activity of the tathāgatas. About this it has been proclaimed:
(7) “Moreover, son of noble family, the tathāgatas know in accordance with reality the process of pollution, purification, and emergence through concentration, liberation, absorption, and [F.195.b] meditation. You may ask, how do they know it? The tathāgatas know the causes and conditions for the arising of sentient beings’ pollution. They know the causes and conditions for sentient beings’ purification. What are causes? What are conditions? The cause of sentient beings’ pollution is improper mental activity. The condition for sentient beings’ pollution is ignorance. Ignorance is a cause and formations are conditions. The formations are causes and consciousness is a condition. Consciousness is a cause and name and form are conditions. Name and form are causes and the six sense fields are conditions. The six sense fields are causes and contact is a condition. Contact is a cause and sensation is a condition. Sensation is a cause and craving is a condition. Craving is a cause and appropriation is a condition. Appropriation is a cause and becoming is a condition. Becoming is a cause and birth is a condition. Birth is a cause and old age and death are conditions. Old age and death are causes and afflictive emotions are conditions. Afflictive emotions are causes and actions are conditions. Views are causes and craving is a condition. Latent tendencies are causes and their activations are conditions. These are the causes and conditions of beings’ pollution.
“What are the causes and conditions for sentient beings’ purification? There are two causes or two conditions for sentient beings’ purification. What are these two? Another’s words to be followed and one’s own correct mental activity form a pair. One-pointed tranquil abiding and skill in special insight also form a pair of causes or conditions. The same applies as well as to knowing that there is no coming and knowing that there is no going, realizing nonorigination [F.196.a] and reaching certainty, actualizing liberation through virtuous conduct and knowledge, cultivating the gates to liberation and knowing what is naturally liberated, and knowing contamination and knowing nonorigination. Finally, the pair consisting of realizing the truth and attaining the truth is a pair of causes or conditions for beings’ purification. All these the tathāgatas know.
“Moreover, son of noble family, the perceptions of pollution are immeasurable, and the perceptions of their purification are equally immeasurable. By discriminating in accordance with reality, the perceptions of pollution are replaced by those of their purification. But by grasping with excessive pride, the perceptions of purification may be replaced by those of pollution. Thus, through nonsequential enumerations, one enters the wisdom of the tathāgatas.
“Son of noble family, endowed with such wisdom, the tathāgatas are detached from desires and sinful nonvirtuous factors, possess applied and sustained thought, and are joyful and blissful through detachment. Attaining the first concentration, the tathāgatas emerge from cessation. Attaining cessation, they emerge from the first concentration. They have attainments that follow the sequence of the eight liberations and attainments that do not. They also have attainments in a nonsequential order. Although absorption is revealed as attainment and attainment is revealed as absorption, there is no blending at all within the tathāgatas’ absorption. For them there is no attainment in absorption in terms of objective reference points. A single tathāgata absorption accomplishes all absorptions. [F.196.b] Without emerging from a single absorption, the tathāgatas attain all absorptions, but for them there is no fluctuation from one mental moment to another. For the tathāgatas, a mind outside of equipoise does not exist. No one is able to witness a tathāgata absorption. A śrāvaka absorption is surpassed by a pratyekabuddha absorption. This is in turn surpassed by the bodhisattva absorption, which is in turn surpassed by the tathāgata absorption, which is unsurpassed. Due to that the tathāgata wisdom penetrates unchallenged.
“The tathāgatas know the instructions and guidance by which śrāvakas cultivate their meditative absorptions. Likewise, they know those by which pratyekabuddhas and bodhisattvas cultivate theirs. Understanding these, they instruct and guide beings accordingly. This is the seventh tathāgata activity of the tathāgatas. About this it has been proclaimed:
(8) “Moreover, son of noble family, the tathāgatas can recollect their own and other beings’ and other individuals’ various former existences. They can recollect one or two, three or four, five or ten, twenty, thirty, forty, or fifty previous births. They can recollect one hundred or one thousand, one hundred thousand, or billions of births. They can recollect the eon of world destruction, the eon of world formation, and the eon of both destruction and formation. They can recollect many eons of destruction, many eons of formation, or many eons of destruction and formation.
“ ‘These beings went by this or that name. I was born there with that name, in that clan, in that family lineage, eating that food, with that complexion [F.197.b] and that shape. I lived there during that period and experienced those joys and those sorrows. Then, after I died and transmigrated from there, I was reborn as another being. Then, after I died and transmigrated from there, I was born here in this form, in this area, from this region.’ Thus they recollect their own and other beings’ various former existences.
“They recollect the former existences of a being. How and through which prior causes a given being was born—the tathāgatas know such prior causes. Knowing these, they teach the Dharma accordingly.
“The tathāgatas know the movements of the minds of all past beings. They know that following a given objective reference, there arises a mind having such an objective reference, that it has arisen due to the given objective reference, and that it ceases when this objective reference is incomplete. The mind of a single being thus exists as an ongoing continuum, in which a given mind occurs following another. Even if one were to speak for as many eons as there are grains of sand in the river Ganges, it would be difficult to explain this with words.
“In this way, the tathāgatas know the ongoing continuums of the individual minds of all sentient beings. Even if the tathāgatas were to explain this until the end of time on the basis of rational analysis, their wisdom would not reach its limit. The tathāgata knowledge that recollects previous existences is inconceivable, unequaled, and immeasurable. Its scope is not easy to explain.
“Having become buddhas, the supreme leaders, the tathāgatas remind beings, ‘Hey sentient beings! Roots of virtue generate either buddhahood, śrāvakahood, or pratyekabuddhahood! Remember that! Remember!’ In this way, through the power of the buddhas, they also become mindful. [F.198.a]
“The tathāgatas teach them the Dharma in such a way that on account of the roots of virtue they observe in those beings, they will ensure that, whichever vehicle these beings take, they do not turn back from liberation.42 This is the eighth tathāgata activity of the tathāgatas. About this it has been proclaimed:
(9) “Son of noble family, with their pure divine vision, which surpasses that of humans, the tathāgatas observe beings dying, transmigrating, and taking birth. They observe their migrations into happy or sad destinies, their goodness or wickedness, their beautiful or ugly complexions. [F.198.b]
“ ‘Alas! Regarding those sentient beings who have acted badly either physically, verbally, or mentally, who have denigrated the nobles ones, and who have held wrong views, once their bodies fail and they die they will be born as hell beings, falling into lower realms and miserable destinies because they took up actions based on their wrong views.
“ ‘Regarding those sentient beings who have acted virtuously either physically, verbally, or mentally, who have not denigrated the noble ones, and who have held correct views, once their bodies fail and they die they will be born among gods in the higher realms and blissful destinies because they took up correct views.’ Thus tathāgatas know how beings migrate due to actions.
“The divine tathāgata vision is like this: It observes the destruction and formation of the worlds of the ten directions, all those that appear as fields in the limitless, innumerable, and incalculable buddhafields reaching to the end of space, the limitless realm of phenomena. It observes the death, transmigration, and rebirth of all those beings who appear and the death, conception, and rebirth of all those bodhisattvas who appear. It observes the buddhas who appear attaining complete and perfect buddhahood, turning the wheel of Dharma, relinquishing the physical body, and entering into parinirvāṇa. It observes the śrāvakas who appear becoming free and entering parinirvāṇa. And it observes the pratyekabuddhas who appear displaying miracles and purifying gifts. [F.199.a]
“Beings who do not appear and who are invisible for the five non-Buddhist superknowledges, for śrāvakas, for pratyekabuddhas, and for bodhisattvas—even they are visible to the divine tathāgata vision.
“Furthermore, those beings who are invisible in Jambudvīpa are visible to the tathāgatas. The gods and humans of the world realms of the vast trichiliocosm do not see them. The realms of such invisible beings are limitless.
“The divine tathāgata vision scans the realms of beings in all buddhafields, asking, ‘Who are the beings to be tamed by the buddhas?’ For as many kinds of beings to be tamed by the buddhas as exist, that many tathāgatas abide in their presence. Even as they tame these beings, other beings remain unaware of this. This is the ninth tathāgata activity of the tathāgatas. About this it has been proclaimed:
10. “Son of noble family, the tathāgatas have accomplished perfection. Through their own superknowledge they have actualized the nonexistence of contaminants and the liberation of their minds: ‘Due to the depletion of all contaminants, rebirth has come to an end. I have relied on pure conduct and done what had to be done, and I will not know any other existence after this one.’
“The tathāgata knowledge of the depletion of contaminants is pure, stainless, completely pure, luminous, and destroys all karmic traces. The śrāvaka depletion of contaminants is limited and does not destroy the karmic traces. The pratyekabuddha depletion of contaminants is also limited [F.200.a] and is lacking in great compassion and courage.
“The tathāgata depletion of contaminants is supreme in every respect. It destroys all karmic traces. It is sustained by great compassion. It is not lacking in fearlessness or courage. It is unsurpassed in all worlds. It consists of a single mental moment. Why is that? For the tathāgatas, there are no karmic traces of actions, afflictive emotions, or deluded conduct. To illustrate, since space is pure by nature, it is impossible for dust particles and smoke to coexist with it. In the same way, it is impossible for the tathāgata knowledge of the depletion of contaminants to coexist with the karmic traces of actions or afflictive emotions. Thus, as soon as the knowledge of the depletion of contaminants is present, they teach the Dharma to afflicted and grasping sentient beings so that they in turn will give up their grasping, and so that their defilements will be depleted: ‘Alas, you sentient beings who come to be through unreal conceptualization, you should understand contaminants and grasping in accordance with reality!’ In this manner, the tathāgatas make them know in accordance with reality that contaminants are not real. And having known that, they do not cling to any phenomenon. Due to their lack of clinging, they pass completely beyond sorrow. In this way, they teach the Dharma through well-conceived illustrations. Son of noble family, this is the tenth tathāgata activity of the tathāgatas. About this it has been proclaimed:
11. “Son of noble family, the tathāgatas dwell in the tathāgatas’ four types of fearlessness.44 No one in the world with its gods can reasonably reprove the tathāgatas, saying, ‘You have not become completely and perfectly awakened regarding phenomena,’ in response to their proclamation, ‘We perform awakened deeds and have become completely and perfectly awakened.’
“Why is it that tathāgatas declare that they are completely and perfectly awakened? The tathāgatas are completely and perfectly awakened to the fact that all phenomena are equal. They are completely and perfectly awakened to the fact that the phenomena of ordinary people, those engaged in learning, those in a state of no more learning, pratyekabuddhas, [F.201.a] bodhisattvas, and buddhas are all equal. They are completely and perfectly awakened to the fact that mundane, supramundane, flawed, unflawed, contaminated, uncontaminated, conditioned, and unconditioned phenomena are all equal.
“How are they equal? In terms of the essential view, they are equal in their emptiness. In terms of the essential sign, they are equal in being signless. In terms of the essential nature of the three realms, they are equal in being wishless. In terms of the essential nature of birth, they are equal in being unborn. In terms of the essential nature of conditioning, they are equal being without conditioning. In terms of the essential nature of origination, they are equal in being without origination. In terms of the essential nature of the substratum consciousness, they are equal in having no substratum consciousness. In terms of the essential nature of the three times, they are equal in accordance with reality. In terms of the essential nature of ignorance, becoming, and craving, they are equal in being knowledge and liberation. In terms of the essential nature of saṃsāra, they are equal in being nirvāṇa. Thus, the tathāgatas are completely and perfectly awakened to the equality of all phenomena, and that is why they declare, ‘We are completely and perfectly awakened.’
“Just as the tathāgatas have become completely and perfectly awakened with regard to those phenomena, in the same way they abide in great compassion. They teach other people and beings by means of various Dharmas, discourses, and circumstances. Their Dharma arises for the sake of eliminating created suffering.
“This tathāgata fearlessness overpowers and annuls allegations such as ‘They say they are teachers when they are not’ and [F.201.b] ‘They say they are completely and perfectly awakened when they are not.’ This is the eleventh tathāgata activity of the tathāgatas. About this it has been proclaimed:
12. “Son of noble family, no one in the world with its gods can reasonably reprove the tathāgatas, saying, ‘You have not eliminated those contaminants’ in response to their proclamation, ‘We have eliminated contaminants.’
“The tathāgatas’ depletion of contaminants occurs in the following manner: Since the minds of tathāgatas are freed from the contaminants of desire, they have destroyed all karmic traces that partake of attachment. Since the minds of tathāgatas are freed from the contaminants of becoming, they have destroyed all karmic traces that partake of anger. Since the minds of tathāgatas are freed from the contaminant of ignorance, they have destroyed all karmic traces that partake of delusion. Since the minds of tathāgatas are freed from the contaminants of views, [F.202.a] they have destroyed all karmic traces that partake of afflictive emotion.
“Therefore, from a conventional worldly point of view, the tathāgatas are said to have depleted the contaminants. However, ultimately, from the perspective of the insight and wisdom of the noble ones, phenomena that are to be known, abandoned, cultivated, or realized are never established.
“Why is that? The ‘depleted’ are never not depleted. They are totally depleted, but they are not ‘depleted by means of an antidote.’ Their depletion accords with reality. That depletion that accords with reality is devoid of anything depleted. That which is devoid of anything anywhere depleted is called unconditioned. The unconditioned is unborn, does not endure, and does not deteriorate.
“Therefore, whether tathāgatas appear or not, that which is the nature of reality and the realm of phenomena prevails. Just as the realm of phenomena prevails, in the same way wisdom prevails within it. Just as it is without engagement or withdrawal, wisdom prevails in the same manner.
“The tathāgatas, who, in accordance with the way of the Dharma, do not objectify the contaminants or their abandonment, are settled in great compassion and teach the Dharma to sentient beings so that they may abandon their contaminants. This is the twelfth tathāgata activity of the tathāgatas. About this it has been proclaimed:
13. “Son of noble family, the tathāgatas know in accordance with reality which obstructing factors obstruct. No one in the world with its gods is able to reasonably reprove the tathāgatas, saying, ‘Those factors do not obstruct.’ What are the obstructing factors? There is one: a mind that lacks faith. There are two: immodesty and impropriety. There are three: misconduct of body, speech, and mind. There are four: going wrong because of desire, aversion, delusion, or fear. There are five: killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, lying, and consuming intoxicants. There are six: irreverence toward the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Saṅgha and irreverence toward the training, meditative absorption, and the meditation cushion.46 [F.203.a] There are seven: ordinary pride, the pride of superiority, excessive pride, the pride that thinks ‘I am,’ manifest pride, the inverted pride of self-abasement, and mistaken pride. There are eight: wrong view, wrong intention, wrong speech, wrong action, wrong livelihood, wrong effort, wrong mindfulness, and wrong absorption. There are nine: giving rise to miserable states of mind such as ‘I was harmed,” ‘I am being harmed,’ or ‘I will be harmed’; giving rise to miserable states of mind such as ‘My friends were harmed,’ ‘They are being harmed,’ or ‘They will be harmed’; and giving rise to miserable states of mind such as ‘Those who are not my friends have benefited,’ ‘They are benefitting,’ or ‘They will benefit.’ There are ten: the ways of the ten nonvirtuous actions of killing, stealing, and sexual misconduct, lying, slander, harsh words, and idle chatter, and covetousness, maliciousness, and wrong views.
“Tathāgatas know the following to be obstructing factors: becoming engrossed in the taste of factors that are entangled with incorrect mental activity, being mistaken, being ensnared by obscurations, and being disordered by clinging to existence and to views, as well as any physical, verbal, or mental acts encumbered by the aggregates. [F.203.b] Declaring, ‘These are obstructing factors,’ they teach them as such, in accordance with reality. The tathāgatas teach the Dharma in order that these obstructing factors are pacified, calmed, and abandoned. This is the thirteenth tathāgata activity of the tathāgatas. About this it has been proclaimed:
14. “Son of noble family, the tathāgatas know, in accordance with reality, the noble path of deliverance as a noble path of deliverance, which eliminates created suffering. Beings will be delivered if they rely on it, and no one in the world with its gods is able to reasonably reprove the tathāgatas, saying, ‘This is not a path of deliverance.’ What, then, is the path of deliverance? It is the single path for sentient beings to travel that leads to purification.
“There are two factors of the path of deliverance: [F.204.a] tranquil abiding and special insight. There are three: emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness. There are four factors of the path of deliverance: mindfulness of body, mindfulness of feeling, mindfulness of mind, and mindfulness of phenomena. There are applications of mindfulness of the body where one contemplates what is inside the body, what is on the outside of the body, and both together. There are applications of mindfulness of sensation where one contemplates inner sensations, outer sensations, and both together. There are applications of mindfulness of mind where one contemplates the introverted mind, the extroverted mind, and both together. Finally, there are applications of mindfulness of phenomena where one contemplates inner factors, outer factors, and both together. There are five factors of the path of deliverance: the spiritual faculties of faith, vigor, mindfulness, meditative absorption, and insight. There are six factors of the path of deliverance: the recollection of the Buddha, the Dharma, the Saṅgha, renunciation, morality, and the gods. There are seven factors of the path of deliverance: the factors of awakening, which are correct mindfulness, correct investigation of phenomena, correct vigor, correct joy, correct pliancy, correct meditative absorption, [F.204.b] and the factor of awakening that is correct equanimity. There are eight factors of the path of deliverance: correct view, correct intention, correct speech, correct action, correct livelihood, correct effort, correct mindfulness, and correct meditative absorption. There are nine factors of the path of deliverance: the first, second, third, and fourth concentrations, the attainments of the absorptions of infinite space, consciousness, nothingness, and neither perception nor nonperception, and the attainment of the cessation of perception and feeling. There are ten factors of the path of deliverance. What are they? They are the ways of the ten virtuous actions. What are these? They are giving up killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, lying, slander, harsh words, idle chatter, covetousness, maliciousness, and wrong views. These are the ten factors that constitute the path of deliverance.
“Thus, the virtuous factors of awakening, whether they belong to the category of moral conduct, meditative absorption, or insight, or whether they belong to the category of liberation, the insight of liberating wisdom, or the noble truths, are said to constitute the path of deliverance.
“Moreover, the path of deliverance is to be correctly accomplished. [F.205.a] Correct accomplishment is the absence of the factors of accumulating or not accumulating, accepting or rejecting, and appropriating or abandoning. Why? The correct approach is not to engage the mind in duality.
“Seeing with wisdom all phenomena in a nondual manner and in accordance with reality is the path of deliverance. The tathāgatas teach this path of deliverance to sentient beings. When they rely on it, sentient beings are delivered, since created suffering is truly eliminated. This is the fourteenth tathāgata activity of the tathāgatas. About this it has been proclaimed:
15. “Moreover, son of noble family, the tathāgatas are without bodily faults that could be reasonably objected to, such as the bodily faults that the immature or even the learned may possess. Why is that? The physical activity of the blessed buddhas is faultless. They display beautiful comportment as they survey the world and behold their surroundings, [F.205.b] when they bend and stretch their limbs, as they wear the religious garments consisting of the upper Dharma robe, the outer robe, and the lower robe, and as they hold the alms bowl. The soles of their feet do not touch the ground as they come and go, walk and stand, and sit and recline, or as they enter and depart houses, towns, and hamlets. Instead, the tathāgatas’ feet step on thousand-spoked wheels that appear out of the ground, and on the lotus flowers with sweet fragrance that emerge. Those sentient beings, born as animals, who touch the tathāgatas’ footprints experience bliss for a week. After death, they will be reborn in the happy destinies of the higher realms. The tathāgatas’ religious garments do not actually touch their bodies by four finger lengths, but even so, a fierce wind will fail to make them disheveled. The radiance of their bodies arouses bliss in sentient beings as far as the lowest hell. Therefore, the bodies of the tathāgatas are said to be faultless.
“Son of noble family, the tathāgatas are without verbal faults that could be reasonably objected to, such as the verbal faults that the immature or even the learned may possess. Why is that? Because, son of noble family, their speech is timely, poetic, correct, and truthful, and they act accordingly. Their words are precisely defined and satisfy all sentient beings. They are not repetitive. They are adorned with beautiful phrases and meaning. A single instant of expression satisfies the minds of all sentient beings. Therefore, the speech of the tathāgatas is said to be faultless.
“Son of noble family, the tathāgatas are without mental faults that could be reasonably objected to, such as the mental faults that the immature or even the learned may possess. Why is that? [F.206.a] Because even though they perform all the buddha deeds without abandoning the state of equipoise, the tathāgatas apply their unattached vision of wisdom to all phenomena without abandoning the mind in equipoise. Therefore, the tathāgata mind is said to be faultless. Just as their mind is faultless, they teach the Dharma accordingly to beings in order to dispel all their faults. This is the fifteenth tathāgata activity of the tathāgatas. About this it has been proclaimed:
16. “Son of noble family, the tathāgatas have no noisy kinds of speech that could lead to conflict, such as the noisy speech of Māra, the class of māras, or the non-Buddhists. Why is that? Because the tathāgatas do not speak noisily or raucously. And why is that? Because they are free of attachment and anger. They do not become elated when all beings revere them, nor do they become disheartened if no beings revere them. They do not babble regretfully about tasks that were difficult or could not be completed.
“Tathāgatas do not dispute about anything in the world; they do not grumble. They abide in the absence of afflictive emotions. They are not possessive, they do not cling to or appropriate anything, and they are free from all bonds, so they do not speak noisily. [F.206.b] Just as their speech is not noisy, they teach the Dharma accordingly, so that all the noisy speech of all sentient beings will be abandoned. This is the sixteenth activity of the tathāgatas. About this it has been proclaimed:
17. “Son of noble family, the tathāgatas do not suffer from forgetfulness that could lead to confusion about any phenomena. Why is that? Because none of the concentrations, liberations, absorptions, or meditative attainments of the tathāgatas are marred by forgetfulness. When the tathāgatas observe the activity and movement of the minds of all sentient beings and teach the Dharma that is suitable for each, they do not suffer from forgetfulness. The tathāgatas do not suffer from forgetfulness regarding the discriminations of meaning, phenomena, etymologies, and eloquence. They do not suffer from forgetfulness in their unattached vision of wisdom of the past, present, and future.
“Just as the tathāgatas do not suffer from forgetfulness themselves, they teach the Dharma accordingly, so that no sentient beings will suffer from forgetfulness. This is the seventeenth tathāgata activity of the tathāgatas. About this it has been proclaimed:
18. “Son of noble family, the minds of the tathāgatas are never not in equipoise. Whether they walk, stand, sit, or recline, whether they eat, speak, or remain silent, they are constantly in equipoise, attain the supremely profound absorption, and practice an unobscured type of concentration. Without the blessing of the tathāgatas, no one among beings, whether in equipoise or not, is able to observe the mind of the tathāgatas.
“Just as the tathāgatas are constantly in equipoise, they teach the Dharma accordingly, in order that sentient beings will not become distracted from their absorptions. This is the eighteenth tathāgata activity of the tathāgatas. About this it has been proclaimed:
19. “Son of noble family, the tathāgatas are free from perceptions of difference of the type that would lead the mind into a state of imbalance. Why is that? The tathāgatas are free from perceptions of difference regarding the fields, since the fields are inexhaustible like space; they are free from perceptions of difference regarding sentient beings, since they are by nature without a self; they are free from perceptions of difference regarding the buddhafields, since they know the realm of phenomena to be a state of unadulterated equality; [F.207.b] and they are free from perceptions of difference regarding phenomena, since the nature of reality is free from attachment.
“Tathāgatas do not favor those who observe moral conduct or feel anger toward those who transgress moral conduct. They do not reward those who do good or return harm to those who have done harm. They are not indifferent to those who are worthy of training, nor do they condemn those who are stuck in error. The tathāgatas abide in sameness regarding all phenomena. Therefore, the tathāgatas are said to be without any perceptions of difference.
“Just as the tathāgatas are free of perceptions of difference, they teach the Dharma accordingly in order that all sentient beings may abandon perceptions of difference. This is the nineteenth tathāgata activity of the tathāgatas. About this it has been proclaimed:
20. “Son of noble family, the equanimity of the tathāgatas is not due to a lack of discernment. Why is that? Because the equanimity of the tathāgatas comprises cultivation of the path, not a lack of its cultivation. It is the cultivation of body, mind, and moral conduct. The equanimity of the tathāgatas comprises the cultivation of insight, not a lack of its cultivation. It is endowed with insight, not with delusion. It transcends the world; it does not descend into the mundane. It constitutes the deliverance of a noble one, [F.208.a] not the nondeliverance of someone who is not a noble one.
“The equanimity of tathāgatas involves turning the wheel of the Dharma. It is not without great compassion for beings. It is realized of its own accord without relying on a remedy. It is not an elated state of mind or a depressed state of mind. It is an unwavering state without objectification. It transcends conceptualization and conceptual exclusion. It is aware of the occasion and timely. It does not waver. It is not intentional, discriminative, or analytical. It is not an accomplishment. It is indefinable. It is genuine. It is just that: suchness—unique suchness.
“Through the perfection of such great equanimity the tathāgatas teach the Dharma accordingly, so that all sentient beings may perfect such equanimity. This is the twentieth tathāgata activity of the tathāgatas. About this it has been proclaimed:
21. “Son of noble family, the zeal of the tathāgatas does not deteriorate. What kind of zeal is it? It is the zeal for virtuous factors. Why is that? The tathāgatas’ zeal for great love and great compassion does not deteriorate. Their zeal for teaching the Dharma and for taming and ripening beings does not deteriorate. Their zeal for solitude does not deteriorate. [F.208.b] Their zeal for engaging sentient beings in embracing awakening does not deteriorate. Their zeal for the unbroken continuity of the lineage of the Three Jewels does not deteriorate.
“The tathāgatas are not driven by zeal, but, rather, their zeal is preceded by wisdom. That is why it is said that the zeal of the tathāgatas does not deteriorate. The tathāgatas teach the Dharma so that the unsurpassed zeal of all sentient beings may be perfected. This is the twenty-first tathāgata activity of the tathāgatas. About this it has been proclaimed:
22. “Son of noble family, the vigor of tathāgatas does not deteriorate. The vigor of the tathāgatas is as follows: It is a vigor that does not forsake beings to be tamed or disdain those who listen to the Dharma. When the tathāgatas discover audiences receptive to the Dharma, who do not tire of listening to the Dharma even for an eon, the tathāgatas will teach the Dharma, uninterrupted by meals and without stirring, even for an eon. For the sake of just a single being to be tamed by the buddhas, the tathāgatas, in their concern for beings, will travel beyond as many buddhafields as the number of grains of sand of the river Ganges. They will not become physically, verbally, [F.209.a] or mentally weary.
“The tathāgatas have made their minds pliant, roused vigor, and spoken in praise of vigor. The vigor through which sentient beings, by correctly applying themselves to it, will attain noble liberation—that is the vigor commended to them. This is the twenty-second tathāgata activity of the tathāgatas. About this it has been proclaimed:
23. “Son of noble family, the mindfulness of tathāgatas does not deteriorate in any respect or in any way whatsoever. Why is that? Because the tathāgatas are not forgetful. Son of noble family, as soon as tathāgatas awaken into unsurpassed, perfect awakening, they behold the mindstreams of all sentient beings of the past, present, and future. Still, they are not forgetful at all. Although they know the conduct of beings in accordance with reality, the tathāgatas do not let go of their wisdom regarding it. The mindfulness of tathāgatas does not deteriorate when they assign beings to three groups, engage with their faculties and mentalities, and behold their conduct. The tathāgatas’ teaching of the Dharma to beings happens without activating their recollection, without intention or analysis. Even while teaching, their mindfulness does not deteriorate. Why is that? [F.209.b] Because the mindfulness of tathāgatas does not deteriorate. Just as they are mindful and without forgetfulness, they teach the Dharma to beings accordingly. This is the twenty-third tathāgata activity of the tathāgatas. About this it has been proclaimed:
24. “Son of noble family, the meditative absorption of the tathāgatas does not deteriorate. It is the sameness of all phenomena, the fact that all phenomena are not not the same, and all phenomena as they really are. Why does the meditative absorption of the tathāgatas not deteriorate? What is equal to suchness is equal to absorption. What is equal to absorption is equal to the tathāgatas. That is why it is called equipoise.
“What is equal to the extreme of attachment is equal to the extreme of the lack of attachment. What is equal to the extreme of aversion is equal to the extreme of the lack of aversion. What is equal to the extreme of delusion is equal to the extreme of the lack of delusion. What is equal to the extreme of the conditioned is equal to the extreme of the unconditioned. What is equal to the extreme of saṃsāra is equal to the extreme of nirvāṇa. Having settled evenly in these types of sameness is called equipoise. Why is that? Because the absorption of the tathāgatas is without deterioration. Why is that? Because there is no deterioration in that sameness. There is no deterioration at all.
“The absorption of the tathāgatas does not involve the eyes, ear, nose, [F.210.a] tongue, body, or mind, even though the tathāgatas have complete faculties. Their absorption does not settle in the earth element, in the water element, in the fire element, or in the wind element. It does not settle in the desire realm, in the form realm, or in the formless realm. It is not settled in this world or in the world beyond. Since it does not settle, there is no deterioration. That is why it is said that the absorption of the tathāgatas is without deterioration. The tathāgatas teach the Dharma so that all sentient beings may also attain absorption. This is the twenty-fourth tathāgata activity of the tathāgatas. About this it has been proclaimed:
25. “Furthermore, son of noble family, the insight of the tathāgatas is without deterioration. What kind of insight is it? It is a thorough knowledge of all phenomena, a knowledge that does not depend on anything else. They know how to teach the Dharma correctly to other beings and individuals. They are skilled in correct discrimination and know how to analyze words. They know how to teach so that the usage of a single word will prevail for a hundred thousand eons. They know how to eradicate doubts in accordance with the manner of the question. They know how to be totally without attachment. They know how to teach the arrangement of the three vehicles. They know entirely the eighty-four thousand types of mental conduct of beings. They know how to teach the eighty-four thousand divisions of Dharma, each as is appropriate. In this way, the insight [F.210.b] of the tathāgatas has been shown to be limitless, infinite, inexhaustible, and immeasurable.
“Just as the tathāgatas are without deterioration and thoroughly without deterioration, so they teach the Dharma so that the insight of all sentient beings will be inexhaustible. This is the twenty-fifth tathāgata activity of the tathāgatas. About this it has been proclaimed:
26. “Son of noble family, the liberation of the tathāgatas is without deterioration. What is the liberation of the tathāgatas? The liberation of śrāvakas conforms to words. The liberation of pratyekabuddhas consists of their comprehension of conditions. The liberation of buddhas is called liberation because it is free of all attachment and apprehending. They are not tied to the past, they are not projected into the future, and they do not abide in the present. They are free from apprehending the eye and form as two, and from apprehending the ear and sound, the nose and smell, the tongue and taste, the body and tactile objects, and the mind and mental factors as two. They are free from apprehending and grasping. Likewise, they know the luminous nature of the mind. Therefore, they are called complete and perfect buddhas who have gained unsurpassed complete and perfect awakening through a single mental moment of insight.
“Just as the tathāgatas have attained complete and perfect buddhahood, so they teach the Dharma to other beings and individuals. [F.211.a] This is the twenty-sixth tathāgata activity of the tathāgatas. About this it has been proclaimed:
27. “Son of noble family, all physical activities of the tathāgatas are preceded and accompanied by wisdom. They tame sentient beings while they gaze, speak, remain silent, or eat. They tame them through their conduct. They tame beings by means of their major marks and minor signs and by means of their invisible crown protuberance. They tame beings merely by their gaze and by emitting light. They tame them as they walk about and while arriving at or departing from cities. There is no manner of conduct of the blessed buddhas that does not tame sentient beings. That is why all physical activities of the tathāgatas are said to be preceded and accompanied by wisdom. This is the twenty-seventh tathāgata activity of the tathāgatas. About this it has been proclaimed:
28. “Son of noble family, all verbal activities of the tathāgatas are preceded and accompanied by wisdom. Why is that so? The tathāgatas teach dharmas that give results, they communicate continuously, and the words they articulate are clearly defined. The speech of the tathāgatas makes everything known. It generates cognition. It is neither lofty nor sordid. It is not crooked, unclear, or dishonest. It is not rough, harsh, or distorted. It is soft, pleasing, and flexible. It is not inane or prattling, nor is it frantic, hasty, or hurried. It is distinct, and the words are clearly defined. It is joyous, melodious, and lucid. It is unimpeded, perfect, and pleasant. It is relevant, renowned, honorable, and beautiful. It is flawless, impeccable, and pliant. It is stainless, immaculate, and unambiguous. It is intelligible, unimpeded, and liberating. It is illuminating and straightforward. It is not inferior, disordered, or stammering. It generates bliss, physical well being, and mental delight. It pacifies attachment, subdues aversion, and dispels delusion. It overcomes demons, eliminates evil, and subjugates opponents. It generates consciousness. It sounds like a drum. It delights the wise. It sings like a kalaviṅka bird, Śakra, and Brahmā. It sounds like ocean waves and thunder. It resonates like the earth. It sounds like a crane, like the calls of a peacock and a cuckoo. It sounds like the jīvañjīvaka bird, like the king of geese, and like the king of beasts. It sounds like a vīṇā, the three-stringed vīṇā, [F.212.a] and drums. It sounds like a flute, a conch, and cymbals. It is informative, instructive, and lucid. It is charming, worth listening to, and profound. It is not false. It is melodious and generates roots of virtue. Its words and expressions are not degenerate but clearly defined. It is meaningful and endowed with Dharma. It is timely, always relevant, and appropriate.
“The tathāgatas teach while knowing whose faculties are excellent and whose are not. Their speech is embellished by generosity, purified by moral conduct, correctly accomplished through patience, made pliant through vigor, made flexible through concentration, and investigated with insight. It is taken up with love and undiscouraged because of compassion. It is joyful and radiant. It discerns with equanimity. It establishes the three vehicles. It is the unbroken lineage of the Three Jewels. It differentiates the three groups. It trains through the three gates of liberation. It is entirely suffused by the truth and wisdom. It is not criticized by the wise but praised by the noble ones. It reaches to the limits of space and is supreme in all respects.
Son of noble family, the speech of the tathāgatas is like that. That is why all verbal activities of the tathāgatas are said to be preceded and accompanied by wisdom. This is the twenty-eighth tathāgata activity of the tathāgatas. About this it has been proclaimed:
29. “Son of noble family, furthermore, the entire range of the tathāgatas’ mental activity is preceded and accompanied by wisdom. Why is that? The tathāgatas are inexpressible in terms of mind, mental activity, or consciousness. They are distinguished by wisdom. They are the sovereigns of wisdom. The wisdom of the tathāgatas conforms with the minds of all sentient beings. It engages with the mental activity of all sentient beings. It knows the consciousness of all sentient beings. It has resolved all phenomena. In all its absorptions, it does not depend on anything else. It completely transcends objectification. It is free from conditioned arising. It has eliminated the three existences. It has completely transcended any degree of pride. It is free of all the works of Māra. It is not constrained by any deception or pretense. It has eschewed clinging to I and mine. It is free of the faulty vision and darkness of ignorance and delusion. It has completely cultivated the branches of the path. It is nonconceptual like space. It is inseparable from the realm of phenomena. This is how the tathāgatas’ mental activity is preceded and accompanied by wisdom. This is the twenty-ninth tathāgata activity of the tathāgatas. About this it has been proclaimed:
30. “Son of noble family, the tathāgatas’ vision of wisdom has unattached and unobstructed access to the past. How is that? They know numerically the entire range of buddhafields that have appeared and disappeared in the past. They know each and every blade of grass, each bush, herb, and forest in those buddhafields. They know each and every gathering of creatures designated as beings in those buddhafields. They know each and every type of conduct of those beings. They know each and every buddha that has emerged in those buddhafields. They know each and every dharma taught and expressed by each buddha. They know each and every being tamed in the Śrāvaka Vehicle and the Pratyekabuddha Vehicle, as well as those tamed in the Great Vehicle. They know all the distinguishing features of the buddhafields, the different monastic congregations, and the range of lifespans, as well as the different categories of Dharma. They know of each inhalation and exhalation and of the enjoyment of excellent food.
“The tathāgatas know the forms of all past beings, their deaths, and their rebirths. They know their various faculties, activities, and mentalities. [F.213.b] They know their mindstreams. They know numerically each and every mental state that has arisen based on a previous mental state, both through direct and indirect cognition. They also observe the past mindstreams of previous tathāgatas. With such wisdom, the tathāgatas teach the Dharma to beings continuously in accordance with their ways of thinking. This is the thirtieth tathāgata activity of the tathāgatas. About this it has been proclaimed:
31. “Son of noble family, the tathāgatas’ vision of wisdom has unattached and unobstructed access to the future. How is that? The tathāgatas know each and every being, Dharma, and field that will arise and cease in the future, its arising and disappearance. They know each and every destruction by fire or water of the eons to come, each and every buddhafield that will come into being, the total amount of earth in those buddhafields, each and every particle of dust, blade of grass, bush, herb, and forest, and each and every constellation of stars.
“They know each and every buddha that will appear in each of those infinite buddhafields, each and every śrāvaka, pratyekabuddha, [F.214.a] and bodhisattva, each and every enjoyment of excellent food, and each and every instance of inhalation, exhalation, walking, sitting, and conduct. The tathāgatas know each and every being in those infinite realms who will be liberated by means of the Śrāvaka Vehicle, the Pratyekabuddha Vehicle, and the Great Vehicle. They know the lifespan of each and every being in each of those infinite fields, as well as each and every mind and mental event to come. Moreover, they teach the Dharma to beings while observing the future, without the future mindstream of tathāgatas being interrupted. This is the thirty-first tathāgata activity of the tathāgatas. About this it has been proclaimed:
32. “Furthermore, son of noble family, the tathāgatas’ vision of wisdom has unattached and unobstructed access to the present. How is that? The tathāgatas know in a threefold manner48 the number of all the present buddhafields in the ten directions. They know all the present buddhas, all of the present bodhisattvas, all of the present śrāvakas, and all of the present pratyekabuddhas.
“They know all the present constellations of stars. They know the present blades of grass, bushes, [F.214.b] herbs, and forests. They know numerically all the dust particles of the earth element being crushed into pieces right now in the ten directions. They know numerically all the minutest drops of the water element in the ten directions. They know numerically all the sparks of the fire element flickering in the ten directions. They know numerically all the gusts of wind forming in the ten directions. They know numerically all the minutest extensions of space in the ten directions.
“They know the three aspects of the realms of beings in the present: They know the realms of beings currently dwelling in hell, the causes of their birth, and the causes of their liberation. They know the realms of beings currently reborn as animals, the causes of their birth, and the causes of their liberation. They know the realms of beings currently in the world of Yama, the causes of their birth, and the causes of their liberation. They know the realms of beings who have become human, the causes of their birth, and the causes of their liberation. They know the realms of beings who are currently gods, the causes of their birth, and the causes of their liberation. They know the mindstreams of present sentient beings, their afflictive emotions, and their lack of afflictive emotions. They know the faculties of present beings fit to be tamed and those who are not fit to be tamed.
“Even though the tathāgatas know in this manner, they have no consciousness that pursues dualities, and they teach the Dharma to beings in order to introduce them to nonduality. [F.215.a] This is the thirty-second tathāgata activity of the tathāgatas. About this it has been proclaimed:
“Son of noble family, these are the thirty-two tathāgata activities. With these the tathāgatas tame the masses of beings. Even though the tathāgata activities are immeasurable, they are presented in abbreviated form in order to guide beings. [B6]
“Son of noble family, the tathāgata activity of the tathāgatas is immeasurable. It is inconceivable. It remains unknowable to the whole world, indescribable by language, and hard for others to achieve. It exists unceasingly in all buddhafields, conforms equally to all buddhas, and completely transcends all efforts. It is nonconceptual since it is equal to space. Since it is the action of the realm of phenomena, it does not act in a differentiated way. Why is that? Son of noble family, the blessed buddhas do not appear in order to deliver differentiated discourses. Nor, indeed, do they appear in order to deliver discourses that differentiate beings, buddhafields, dharmas, intentions, liberations, or types of nirvāṇa. Rather, upon attaining complete and perfect buddhahood, the tathāgatas—who are of one taste with the realm of phenomena, who are unobstructed, [F.215.b] and who provide opportunity to all beings—set in motion the unobstructed wheel of the Dharma—the irreversible wheel of the Dharma—so that beings may comprehend the Dharma.
“Consider, son of noble family, the analogy of an expert jeweler who knows the procedure for purifying gems. He picks out a rough gem from a mine and rinses it in a strong soda solution. He then polishes it with a cloth made of black hair. But his efforts do not stop there. Next he rinses the gem in a strong quicksilver solution and polishes it with sawdust and woolen cloth. But his efforts do not stop there. Finally he rinses it in a great purifying liquid and polishes it with the finest cotton. Once he has polished it and separated it from the lesser quartz, it may thenceforth be called beryl.
“In the same way, son of noble family, when the tathāgatas know the masses of completely impure beings, they cause beings who delight in saṃsāra to experience revulsion through discourses on impermanence, suffering, no self, and unattractiveness, which provoke revulsion. Then, they cause them to enter the Dharma and Vinaya of the noble ones. But the efforts of the tathāgatas do not stop there. Next, they cause beings to comprehend the way of the tathāgatas through discourses on emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness. But the efforts of the tathāgatas do not stop there. Finally, they guide beings into the domain of the tathāgatas through discourses known as The Irreversible Wheel of the Dharma and The Purification of the Triple Sphere. Once beings with their various causes and natures have entered equality, they comprehend the true nature of the tathāgatas and may thenceforth be called unsurpassed recipients of generosity.
“Therefore, son of noble family, you should understand by way of this exposition that tathāgata activity is inconceivable, [F.216.a] universally applicable, flawless in every way, and attuned with the three times, and that it constitutes the unbroken continuity of the lineage of the Three Jewels. The tathāgatas abide in inconceivable tathāgata activity. They do not discard their space-like bodies. They teach in all buddhafields. They do not eschew words that communicate the inexpressible Dharma. Rather, they teach the Dharma to sentient being by causing them to understand how things really are. They know the minds of all beings to be without objectification, and they know the thoughts in their minds. The blessed buddhas appear in order to purify the bodhisattva intention.
“Son of noble family, this unceasing and uninterrupted continuity, this unbroken continuity, this unbroken continuity of discourses that prophesy bodhisattvas constitutes the tathāgata activity of the tathāgatas.”
When this exposition of tathāgata activity had been delivered, the unfathomable, innumerable, and uncountable buddhafields of the ten directions shook six times. They shone brightly and were sprinkled with flower petals. When each and every one of the radiant and resplendent gods, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kiṃnaras, mahoragas, humans, nonhumans, monks and nuns, and male and female lay practitioners who had assembled in the pavilion Jeweled Array heard the present Dharma discourse explaining tathāgata activity, they all grew content, pleased, and delighted.
As an act of worship to the Tathāgata, they offered flowers, fragrance, incense, garlands, lotions, [F.216.b] powders, religious robes, canopies, victory banners, and various types of draped banners. They played cymbals and other musical instruments and sang melodious songs in veneration of the blessed ones. They scattered flowers over the crown of his head.
They sprinkled spherical ornaments, earrings, armlets, jewel necklaces, pearl necklaces, crescent-shaped adornments, muslin ornaments, mongoose decorations, rings, bangles, decorations shaped like the leaves of a tala tree, ornaments interwoven with flowers, shoulder ornaments, anklets, long necklaces, head ornaments, hand jewelry, and ornaments for the ears and feet. The assembly also spread out precious stones of beryl, gold from the Jambu River, precious stones of emerald, red gems, sapphires, fire-colored gems, gems with brilliant light, and multicolored gems. They scattered gold and silver dust as well as fragrant aloe powder, incense, sandalwood powder, benzoin powder, red sandalwood powder, and lotus powder.
They tossed celestial flowers, including different kinds of mandārava flowers, mahāmandārava flowers, coral-tree flowers, mañjūṣaka flowers, mahāmañjūṣaka flowers, roca flowers, mahāroca flowers, sthala flowers, mahāsthala flowers, cakra flowers, stainless cakra flowers, hundred-petaled lotus flowers, thousand-petaled lotus flowers, hundred-thousand-petaled lotus flowers, bright flowers, sweet-smelling flowers, exceedingly beautiful flowers, flowers resembling starlight, luminous flowers, multicolored flowers, and other similar flowers.
They proceeded to scatter water-borne flowers, such as the blue lotus, lotus, water lily, and white lotus. They scattered soil-grown flowers, such as jasmine flowers, pariṣaka flowers, [F.217.a] flowers from the harimantha tree, magnolia flowers, aśoka flowers, dhanuskari flowers, pāṭala flowers, and flowers from the mucilinda tree.
Finally, they played all kinds of musical instruments and drums, including small drums, flutes, bass drums, conches, kettle drums, gongs, and cymbals. They sang different kinds of melodious songs. They rained down showers of incense, powders, jewelry, ornaments, pearl necklaces, and fine garments, along with the sounds of cymbals large and small.
The bodhisattvas who had gathered from the various worlds of the ten directions rose into the sky above them and, as an act of worship to the Blessed One, sacrificed their own bodies. As soon as they had done so, they bedecked the entire pavilion Jeweled Array from the sky. It became embellished with many pearl necklaces arrayed as latticework of dangling jewels, decorated with checkered designs, carefully arranged, adorned with a net of small and large bells, and embellished with lotus flowers made of jewels. From each individual pearl of those necklaces, unfathomably innumerable bodhisattva bodies emerged. They circumambulated the Blessed One seven times and sat down on lion thrones of lotus flowers with jeweled designs.
As an act of worship to this Dharma discourse, immeasurably many blessed buddhas from the immeasurably many buddhafields of the ten directions sent forth into the world realm Endurance arrays of offerings, accomplished by each tathāgata, known as free-flowing utterances lasting for eons. Through the power of the Buddha these arrays arrived in this world realm Endurance and beautified the pavilion Jeweled Array with supreme embellishment. [F.217.b]
From among this retinue, immeasurably many beings generated the mind of unsurpassed, complete and perfect awakening, and immeasurably many bodhisattvas attained acceptance of the nonorigination of phenomena.
At that point, the Blessed One surveyed the entire bodhisattva assembly with his elephantine gaze and said the following: “This inconceivable array of ornaments offered by you, noble beings, which is blessed by the bodhisattva’s meditative absorption and bestowed by the tathāgatas, is not constructed, is not disorderly, does not grow old, and does not deteriorate. Sixteen years after the Tathāgata Maitreya reaches perfect buddhahood, and while he resides in the pavilion Jeweled Array, when this Dharma discourse of the Great Assembly chapter from The Gateway to Unobstructed Deliverance through the Bodhisattva Way of Life is taught in detail, and a congregation of bodhisattvas endowed with teachings and all qualities assembles, who will delight in making these offerings to the Tathāgata Maitreya as well as to all the tathāgatas of this Good Eon?”
Thereupon, a bodhisattva named Sovereign of the Magical Display of All Phenomena, seated amidst the assembled retinue, rose from his lotus seat, placed his right knee in the heart of the lotus, joined his palms together, and bowed toward the Blessed One. He supplicated the Blessed One and said, “Blessed One, I will delight in offering this array of ornaments, which is not constructed, is not disorderly, does not grow old, and does not deteriorate, to the Tathāgata Maitreya, as well as to all those other tathāgata, arhat, completely and perfectly awakened buddhas of the Good Eon who are not present here.”
At that time, a being called Magical Display of Māra, [F.218.a] hailing from the four-continent world system Susthita and seated in that very retinue, asked the bodhisattva Sovereign of the Magical Display of All Phenomena, “Son of noble family, how long can any receptacle of yours preserve this array and keep it from getting old?”
The bodhisattva replied, “Son of noble family, every receptacle is fragile and liable to break. Only space is indestructible and not liable to break. Therefore, the receptacle of space is the best of all. My friend, look at my body without closing your eyes, and you will see a great receptacle.”
Magical Display of Māra gazed at the body of the bodhisattva with his eyes wide open. He saw a world sphere called Appearance of the Sovereign of Water in the maṇḍala at the navel center of the bodhisattva’s body and asked, “Why is that world sphere called Appearance as the Sovereign of Water?”
“Because it is full of water. It looks just like an ocean. In that sphere lives a tathāgata known as Glory of Precious Blue Lotus. He dwells there and teaches the Dharma to passing bodhisattvas. From that vast reservoir of water emerges a lotus with jeweled designs on which are seated a blessed one and bodhisattvas.”
Magical Display of Māra joined his palms together to salute the bodhisattva, who asked him, “My friend, do you see the receptacle of the bodhisattvas?” He replied, “Yes, I see it. Noble being, [F.218.b] with such a receptacle as this, will you be able to preserve a great jeweled design without it wasting away or getting old for billions of eons?”
At that point, Magical Display of Māra saluted the Blessed One and said, “Blessed One, I have never seen this noble person before. Since I have never heard this Dharma discourse either, I wonder now, how will I pass quickly beyond sorrow by means of the Śrāvaka Vehicle? Now that I have heard this discourse and witnessed the miraculous power of the bodhisattva called Magical Display of All Phenomena, I will generate with determination the mind of unsurpassed, complete and perfect awakening. Blessed One, even beings who burn in hell for as many eons as there are grains of sand in the river Ganges will eventually awaken to unsurpassed, complete and perfect awakening. Therefore, I will never give up such unsurpassed, complete and perfect awakening!”
The Blessed One replied, “Excellent! It is excellent that you, O noble being, now wear the armor of unsurpassed, complete and perfect awakening and possess the blessing of miraculous power.”
At that point a bodhisattva called Siṃhaketu, who was also present in the assembled retinue, said to Dhāraṇīśvararāja, “Son of noble family, when bodhisattvas are established in dhāraṇīs, they retain all that the buddhas say, and when they teach the Dharma it becomes inexhaustible. Explaining it carefully, they satisfy all beings. What are the bodhisattva dhāraṇīs?”
Dhāraṇīśvararāja replied, [F.219.a] “Son of noble family, when bodhisattvas are established in dhāraṇīs, they retain all that the blessed buddhas say, and when they teach the Dharma it becomes inexhaustible. Since they explain it carefully, they satisfy all beings. The bodhisattva dhāraṇīs49 are eight: the (1) pure melody dhāraṇī, (2) inexhaustible basket dhāraṇī, (3) limitless enfoldment dhāraṇī, (4) ocean mudrā dhāraṇī, (5) lotus array dhāraṇī, (6) entering the gate of nonattachment dhāraṇī, (7) entering ascertainment by discriminating knowledge dhāraṇī, and (8) blessing of the buddha ornaments dhāraṇī.
“Son of noble family, these are the eight bodhisattva dhāraṇīs. Once bodhisattvas are established in these dhāraṇīs, they retain all that the buddhas say, and when they teach the Dharma it becomes inexhaustible. Since they explain it carefully, they satisfy all beings.”
Then Siṃhaketu entreated Dhāraṇīśvararāja, “Son of noble family, be eloquent and teach the introduction to the detailed classification of these dhāraṇīs that lead to zeal, in order that the bodhisattvas who hear this introduction will attain these dhāraṇīs.”
Dhāraṇīśvararāja replied, “For that reason, son of noble family, listen carefully and keep in mind the introduction to the detailed classification of these dhāraṇīs that I will now explain to you.
1. “Son of noble family, you may ask, ‘What is the pure melody dhāraṇī?’ [F.219.b] Son of noble family, when established in this bodhisattva dhāraṇī, since it is a completely pure gateway for entering nonattachment, one firmly abides with a mind that is centered. After one has gained certainty due to the blessings of the Dharma teaching, as one teaches the Dharma the melody of the Dharma generates understanding in a single buddhafield. The melody generates understanding in two, three, four, five, ten, twenty, thirty, forty, fifty, or one hundred buddhafields. It generates understanding in one thousand buddhafields, in ten, twenty, thirty, forty, fifty, or up to one hundred thousand buddhafields. Its melody creates understanding in billions of buddhafields. It magically creates a lion throne that reaches as high as one krośa. One sits down on it and teaches the Dharma. Likewise, in order to satisfy the interests of devoted beings, one magically creates a lion throne that reaches as high as half a yojana, a full yojana, Mount Meru, or the Brahmā realm. One sits down on it and teaches the Dharma.
“While seated on the lion throne, all the buddhas of the ten directions appear. One hears all the dharmas that the blessed buddhas explain. Having heard them, one retains all of them through the power of dhāraṇī and does not forget them. Such dharmas cause one to experience the meaning of each of the dharmas. Listening to other dharmas does not prevent one from teaching the Dharma. Teaching the Dharma does not prevent one from listening to the Dharma. By engaging in the sound of a single syllable, one engages in the sounds of all syllables. Thus, by uttering the first letter a, infinite doors to the Dharma are expressed.
“All phenomena are without coming because they never come, unmoving because they never depart, nonabiding because they are never present, [F.220.a] natureless because they are primordially pure, rootless because they are primordially unborn, limitless because they never occur, and without depletion because they are never in motion. All phenomena are unborn because they are without conditioning, nonarising because they have no creator, without origination because they are unmoving, without discord because they are reciprocally intertwined, unceasing because they are without agency, unmoving because they are wishless, free of elaboration because they are unthinkable and nonconceptual, inexpressible because they have engaged all sound, unutterable because they are soundless, indemonstrable because they do not endure in any form, unconstructed because they are unthinkable, without conceit because they are unestablished, unconceited because they undeceiving, and imperceptible because they are equal to space.
“All phenomena are beyond conventional terms because they have no means of expression, without arising because they do not abide in any object, unborn because they do not abide in any place, primordially pure because they lack afflictive emotions, without self because they lack a nature of their own, without sentient beings because they are primordially pure, without life because of the absence of faculties, without individuality because they are aimless, and primordially empty because of inner peace. [F.220.b]
“All phenomena are beyond conceptual signs because they are without limitations, wishless because they lack grasping, without conditioning because they are unconditioned, unconditioned because they completely transcend presence and absence, exceptional because they do not rely on anything external, without acceptance because they are without appropriation, without rejection because they are without abandonment, natureless because they are without bodies, lacking aspects because they are pure, actionless because they lack an agent, without maturation because they lack transmigration, and without anguish because of the absence of any seeds.
“All phenomena are signless because of the absence of apprehending, without wrong acts because they are not bound, unbound because they are not established, unestablished because they are not created, uncontaminated because they are not subject to contamination, unoriginated because they are primordially without origin, clear because they lack remedies, lacking remedies because they lack differentiated aspects, without materiality because they do not originate from the great elements, lacking feeling because of the absence of feeling, lacking perception because they completely transcend the pathways of perception, lacking formations because they are free of craving, and lacking consciousness because of the absence of discriminating knowledge.
“All phenomena lack elements because they are like the space element, without guidance because they completely transcend the path of objects, [F.221.a] without objects because they are unmoving, without desire because they are not falsely imagined, without form because they are without engagement, not formless because they are not determined, not disordered because they are devoid of disorder, inconceivable because they cannot be apprehended, without mental activity because they are indivisible into duality, unapprehendable because they completely transcend the path of objects, without a substratum because they are impermanent, noneternal because they are not in disharmony with a support, nameless because they lack conceptual signs, unmixed because there is no relative continuity, without foundation because they are foundationless, inexpressible because they have nothing to regret, lacking regret because they are free of sin, without karmic traces because they are stainless, stainless because they are primordially pure, and primordially pure because of the absence of afflictive emotions.
“All phenomena are without afflictive emotions because they lack support, without support because they lack deception, without deception because they enter nonattachment, entering into nonattachment because they are unobscured, unobscured because they are like space, like space because they are without conceptuality, immaterial because they are motionless, indemonstrable because they do not appear, nonappearing because they are free of appearance, without similarity on account of lacking dissimilarity, [F.221.b] without dissimilarity because they are like space, without darkness because they lack luminosity, without appearance because they are beyond remedies, beyond contemptibility because they are beyond wrongdoing, and beyond contemptibility because they do not perform actions. All phenomena are not in accordance with reality because they are deceptive fictions. They lack differentiation because they are primordially present.
“All phenomena lack spectators because they are formless, are without an audience because they are soundless; they are without a perceiver of smell because they are odorless, without a perceiver of taste because they are without taste, without a perceiver of touch because they are intangible, without a perceiving consciousness because they are not phenomena, and without objectification because they are beyond mind, mental activity, and consciousness; and they are inconceivable because they are like awakening, and they have primordially transcended sorrow because they are primordially unborn.
“In this way, son of noble family, as the bodhisattvas utter the primary letter a, because they have attained the pure melody dhāraṇī their teaching of the Dharma goes on for an eon or more without the sound of the letter a ever being lost. In the same way, any letter among all the letters used to teach the Dharma will not dissipate. They teach the Dharma, in word and meaning, unceasingly.
“With regard to bodhisattvas established in this dhāraṇī, their bodies are pure due to their behavior, their speech is pure due to their eloquence, and their minds are pure due to their cultivation of love. Their generosity is pure due to the absence of miserliness in making gifts of the Dharma and material wealth. [F.222.a] Their morality is pure because there is no degeneration in their discipline. Their patience is pure due to the absence of animosity. Their vigor is pure due to their performance of virtuous actions. Their concentration is pure because they are unattached. Their insight is pure because the light of their wisdom is without darkness. Their behavior is pure due to an absence of contemptible acts.
“Their eyes are pure due to the purity of their divine vision. Their ears are pure due to attaining the divine ear and listening to the Dharma discourses of all the tathāgatas. Their noses are pure because they perceive the fragrance of the tathāgatas’ discipline. Their tongues are pure due to an absence of thirst for delicious taste. Their bodies are pure because they are born miraculously and unstained by the impurities of a womb. Their minds are pure because they are skilled in distinguishing phenomena.
“For them, form is pure because they are well adorned by signs. Sound is pure because they articulate pleasing speech. Scent is pure because they are draped in the fragrance of discipline, learning, and generosity. Taste is pure because they have attained the supreme taste, the sign of a great being. Touch is pure because they have attained smooth and pliant limbs. Phenomena are pure because they have attained the illumination of the Dharma. Likewise, their mindfulness is pure because they have not forgotten the dharmas they have heard, their intelligence is pure because they have completely transcended the works of Māra, and their realization is pure because they have internalized the realization of the profound Dharma.
“Bodhisattvas established in this dhāraṇī pervade with light as many buddhafields as have understood its sound. That is to say, due to the attainment of the exceptional uniqueness of this very dhāraṇī, this light causes the Dharma taught by all the buddhas of the ten directions to manifest. [F.222.b]
“Son of noble family, this pure melody dhāraṇī is introduced only concisely here. The teaching on this dhāraṇī of pure melody is immeasurable. It is inconceivable in terms of the categories of language. It is limitless in terms of instructions. It is immeasurable in terms of lacking all doubt. It is infinite in terms of explanation. It is without attachment in terms of engagement.
2. “Son of noble family, you may then ask, ‘What is the inexhaustible basket dhāraṇī?’ It is the inexhaustible teaching of the dhāraṇī. The following teachings are inexhaustible: The teaching on impermanence says, ‘Form is impermanent.’ The teaching on suffering says, ‘Form is suffering.’ The teaching on the lack of self says, ‘Form is without self.’ The teaching on peace says, ‘Form is peace.’ The teaching on voidness says, ‘Form is void.’ The teaching on likeness to a water bubble says, ‘Form is like a water bubble.’ The teaching on likeness to an illusion says, ‘Form is like an illusion.’ The teaching on likeness to a hallucination says, ‘Form is like a hallucination.’ The teaching on likeness to the moon’s reflection in water says, ‘Form is like the moon’s reflection in water.’ The teaching on likeness to a dream says, ‘Form is like a dream.’ The teaching on likeness to an echo says, ‘Form is like an echo.’ The teaching on likeness to an optical illusion says, ‘Form is like an optical illusion.’ The teaching on likeness to a reflection says, ‘Form is like a reflection.’ The teaching on the lack of a nature says, ‘Form is natureless.’ The teaching on the lack of substantiality says, ‘Form is insubstantial.’ The teaching on the lack of a ground says, ‘Form is groundless.’
“The teaching on emptiness says, ‘Form is empty.’ The teaching on signlessness says, ‘Form lacks conceptual signs.’ The teaching on wishlessness says, ‘Form lacks wishfulness.’ [F.223.a] The teaching on the lack of conditioning says, ‘Form lack conditioning.’ The teaching on nonarising says, ‘Form is unarisen.’ The teaching on the lack of birth says, ‘Form is without arising.’
“The teaching on the lack of a nature in the beginning says, ‘Form is natureless in the beginning.’ The teaching on the lack of a nature in the end says, ‘Form is natureless in the end.’ The teaching on the lack of a nature in the meantime says, ‘Form is natureless in the meantime.’
“The teaching on peace says, ‘Form is peace.’ The teaching on pacification says, ‘Form is pacified.’ The teaching on the absence of movement says, ‘Form is unmoving.’ The teaching on the absence of elaboration says, ‘Form is without elaboration.’ The teaching on inconceivability says, ‘Form is inconceivable.’ The teaching on being incomparable says, ‘Form is incomparable.’
“The teaching on the lack of a self says, ‘Form is devoid of a self.’ The teaching on the lack of sentient beings says, ‘Form is devoid of sentient beings.’ The teaching on life says, ‘Form is devoid of life.’ The teaching on vitality says, ‘Form is devoid of vitality.’ The teaching on individuals says, ‘Form is devoid of individuals.’ The teaching on the inanimate says, ‘Form is inanimate.’ The teaching on the absence of mobility says, ‘Form is devoid of mobility.’ The teaching on the lack of agency says, ‘Form is devoid of agency.’
“The teaching on likeness to grass, walls, trees, dirt, and optical illusions says, ‘Forms are like grass, walls, trees, dirt, and optical illusions.’ The teaching on having the character of being established says, ‘Form has the character of being established.’ [F.223.b] The teaching on coming about from the four great elements says, ‘Form comes about from the four great elements.’ The teaching on the absence of sound says, ‘Form is soundless.’ The teaching on noncognition says, ‘Form is not cognition.’ The teaching on being inexpressible says, ‘Form is inexpressible.’ The teaching on inherent purity says, ‘Form is inherently pure.’ The teaching on dependent arising says, ‘Form is dependently arisen.’
“The teaching on the absence of annihilation says, ‘Form is without annihilation.’ The teaching on the absence of permanence says, ‘Form has no permanence.’ The teaching on the absence of a creator says, ‘Form has no creator.’ The teaching on the absence of an experiencer says, ‘Form has no experiencer.’ The teaching on being produced by the maturation of actions says, ‘Form has been produced by the maturation of actions.’ The teaching on being equal to the realm of phenomena says, ‘Form is equal to the realm of phenomena.’ The teaching on abiding in suchness says, ‘Form abides in suchness.’ The teaching on abiding at the limit of reality says, ‘Form abides at the limit of reality.’ The teaching on the absence of mineness says, ‘Form has nothing that is mine.’ The teaching on the absence of apprehending says, ‘Form is without apprehending.’ The teaching on being endless says, ‘Form is endless.’
“The teaching on being inconceivable says, ‘Form is inconceivable.’ The teaching on being incomparable says, ‘Form is incomparable.’ The teaching on immeasurability says, ‘Form is immeasurable.’ The teaching on infinity says, ‘Form is infinite.’ [F.224.a] The teaching on the nature of awakening says, ‘Form is of the nature of awakening.’ The teaching on equality with space says, ‘Form is equal to space.’ The teaching on the nature of nirvāṇa says, ‘Form is of the nature of nirvāṇa.’ These teachings are all inexhaustible.
“Similarly, by engaging in uttering a single sound, inexhaustible teachings are extensively applied to all that can be known, including all phenomena, that is, the aggregates, the elements, the sense fields, the collections of names, the collections of terms, and the collections of letters. The knowledge for expressing what is inexhaustible among this basket of a body arisen from the four great elements, the knowledge for entering into the inexhaustible Dharma discourses that are a basket of jewels, and the inexhaustible knowledge of the teachings are called the inexhaustible basket dhāraṇī. Through the teaching of a mere introduction, the inexhaustible basket is uttered for an eon or more.
3. “Son of noble family, you may then ask, ‘What is the limitless enfoldment dhāraṇī?’ The ‘limits’ are nihilism and eternalism. The ‘enfoldment’ is the twelve links of dependent arising: Conditioned by ignorance, formations occur. Conditioned by formations, consciousness occurs. Conditioned by consciousness, name and form occur. Conditioned by name and form, the six sense fields occur. Conditioned by the six sense fields, contact occurs. Conditioned by contact, sensation occurs. Conditioned by sensation, craving occurs. Conditioned by craving, appropriation occurs. Conditioned by appropriation, becoming occurs. Conditioned by becoming, birth occurs. Conditioned by birth, there occur old age, death, sorrow, lamentation, suffering, unhappiness, and chaos. In that manner, nothing but this great heap of sorrow occurs. The infinite intent of the formula, the infinite doors to its expositions, and its infinite introductions [F.224.b] provide knowledge of the limitless enfoldment dhāraṇī.
“The ‘limits’ are birth and cessation, whereas ‘enfoldment’ is beyond birth and cessation. The ‘limits’ are pollution and purification, whereas ‘enfoldment’ is natural purity. The ‘limits’ are discursive signs and elaborations, whereas ‘enfoldment’ is their lack of origination. The ‘limits’ are thoughts and conceptualization, whereas ‘enfoldment’ is beyond thoughts and conceptualization. The ‘limits’ are causes and views, whereas ‘enfoldment’ is comprehension of causes and views. The ‘limits’ are name and form, whereas ‘enfoldment’ does not form cognitive representations. The ‘limits’ are the conditioned and the unconditioned, whereas ‘enfoldment’ consists in the purity of all three spheres of agent, act, and object.
“The ‘limits’ are inner and outer, whereas ‘enfoldment’ is not based on consciousness. The ‘limits’ are karma and maturation, whereas ‘enfoldment’ is beyond karma and maturation. The ‘limits’ are virtue and nonvirtue, whereas ‘enfoldment’ is beyond conditioning. The ‘limits’ are having or lacking culpability, whereas ‘enfoldment’ is without duality. The ‘limits’ are karma and afflictive emotions, whereas ‘enfoldment’ is natural luminosity. The ‘limits’ are self and no self, whereas ‘enfoldment’ is complete purity. The ‘limits’ are saṃsāra and nirvāṇa, whereas ‘enfoldment’ means that all phenomena are thoroughly transcendent by nature.
“Therefore, son of noble family, the teaching on limitlessness is boundless. The teaching on enfoldment is boundless. Since bodhisattvas established in this limitless enfoldment dhāraṇī [F.225.a] are aligned with limitlessness and are aligned with enfoldment, even if they were to teach the Dharma for limitless hundreds of thousands of eons, they would not reach the end of the wisdom that retains meanings and syllables. This is the introduction to the limitless enfoldment dhāraṇī, the corresponding Dharma, the attendant realization of the illumination of wisdom, and the corresponding realization of unclouded wisdom with regard to this pure gateway.
4. “Son of noble family, you may then ask, ‘What is the ocean mudrā dhāraṇī?’ It is as follows: To give an analogy, all that appears in the world realm of the four great continents comprises appearances in the form of beings, mountains, and trees; grasses, bushes, medicinal herbs, forests, and harvests; the moon, the sun, the stars, gems, clouds, fire, and lightning; the layouts of cities, towns, and hamlets; palaces and riches; parks, springs, ponds, sprouts, and fountains; and all resources or objects of enjoyment, whether inferior, average, or supreme.
“Since all these forms of appearance are sealed by the great ocean in a manner that is not too little, not too much, and not excessive, the ocean is known to be great. Son of noble family, for bodhisattvas who are established in the ocean mudrā dhāraṇī, it is like a seal that seals the bodies of all sentient beings, the speech of all sentient beings, and the minds of all sentient beings. To whatever extent these bodhisattvas engage in the liberating activity of speech in promulgating the Dharma of the blessed buddhas of the ten directions, it is as if they mark things with a seal by way of such utterance. [F.225.b] Anything that bodhisattvas may express, which bears the seal of the Tathāgata, the seal of nonconceptuality, teaches everyone the seal of the Tathāgata, the seal of nonconceptuality, without recourse to any extraneous means.
“Thus, the teaching concerning their seals is as follows. A is the seal of the unconditioned. Ra is the seal of the attainment of freedom from desire regarding any phenomenon. Pa is the seal of teachings on the ultimate. Tsa is the seal of pure vision. Na is the seal of the knowledge of all name and form. La is the seal of extrication from the vines of craving. Da is the seal of the pure ten strengths. Ba is the seal of the pure factors of awakening and strengths. Ḍa is the seal of freedom from upset and agony. Ṣa is the seal of attaining the six kinds of superknowledge. Ba is the seal of abandoning the left-hand path. Ta is the seal of the teaching on suchness. Ya is the seal that accords with the way things are. Sta is the seal of freedom from the afflictive emotion of arrogance. Ka is the seal of freedom from doubt. Sa is the seal of teaching truth. Ma is the seal of the pure path. Ga is the seal of entry into the profound. Sṭha is the seal of demonstrating power and might. Dza is the seal of transcending old age and death. Shwa is the seal of abandoning the hazards of wild animals. Dha is the seal of the stainless realm of phenomena. Sha is the seal of the perfection of tranquil abiding. Kha is the seal of the basic nature of imperishable space. Kṣha is the seal of knowledge of the perishable and of the unborn. Su is the seal of abandoning the obscuration of dullness. [F.226.a] Sa is the seal of gaining omniscience for all sentient beings. Hwa is the seal of abandoning dharmas that facilitate degeneration. Bha is the seal of gaining realization of existence and nonexistence. Tsha is the seal of relinquishing attachment, aversion, fear, and stupidity. Sma is the seal of mindfulness, alertness, and nonforgetfulness. Hwa is the seal of summoning. Sa is the seal of rejecting all afflictive emotions. Gha is the seal of eliminating opacity, distorted vision, and ignorance. Ṭha is the seal of reaching the ultimate. Ṇa is the seal of gaining realization of excellent qualities. Pha is the seal of attaining the result. Ska is the seal of gaining comprehension of the aggregates. Dzwa is the seal of eradicating contagious diseases. Shtsa is the seal of directly and perfectly awakening wondrous marvelous qualities. Ba is the seal of reaching the end of the path and arriving in nirvāṇa. La is the seal of the infinitude of syllables.
“In this way, son of noble family, bodhisattvas, in as many ways as there are, comprehend the teaching of the seals represented by all these syllables used to teach the Dharma. Son of noble family, this introduces the gateway of the ocean mudrā dhāraṇī.
5. “Son of noble family, you may then ask, ‘What is the dhāraṇī called lotus array?’ Regarding bodhisattvas who are established in this dhāraṇī, wherever and in whichever assembly they choose to teach the Dharma, various beautiful lotus seats will blossom forth. As soon as they sit down on their lotus seats, a rain of lotus flowers will shower from the sky, and various kinds of doctrinal teachings will issue forth from them: profound discourses, variegated discourses, illustrative discourses, expositions, [F.226.b] melodic verses, prophecies, metered verses, praises, ethical narratives, ancient narratives, past life accounts, epic stories, and authoritative explications will manifest in this way.
“The reverberation of Dharma emanating from the lotus flowers alleviates suffering. The bodhisattvas remain neutral and silent without abandoning resting in equipoise. The deliverance issuing from the manifested lotus flowers alleviates suffering and instigates the buddha activities.
“Light rays burst forth from each and every pore of the bodhisattvas’ bodies. Lotus flowers blossom from these light rays, and more bodhisattva forms emerge from these lotus flowers. These disperse into the vast, immeasurable world realms in the ten directions and perform buddha activities. This is the introduction to the gateway of the lotus array dhāraṇī.
6. “Son of noble family, you may then ask, ‘What is the entering the gate of nonattachment dhāraṇī?’ It consists in not being attached to a single teaching and not being attached to two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, or ten teachings. It consists in not being attached to twenty, thirty, forty, fifty, sixty, seventy, eighty, ninety, or a hundred teachings. It consists in not being attached to a thousand, a hundred thousand, ten million, ten thousand million, or a hundred thousand million teachings. It consists in not being attached to a quadrillion, one hundred quadrillion, ten quintillion, immeasurable, innumerable, an incomparable number of, or an unfathomable number of teachings.
“It consists in not being attached to a number of teachings as vast as the number of grains of sand in the river Ganges, as vast as the number of particles in Jambudvīpa, as vast as the number of atoms of the four continents, [F.227.a] as vast as the number of atoms in twenty, thirty, forty, or fifty trichiliocosms or in a buddhafield. It consists in not being attached to the number of teachings ranging from a number as vast as the number of grains of sand in the river Ganges in a single buddhafield to a number as vast as the quantity of atoms in all the buddhafields.
“In this way, son of noble family, one teaches the gateways to the Dharma and their teachings, commencing with any gateway up to as many as the number of atoms in all buddhafields, through a single presentation, through two, three, four, five, six, ten, twenty, thirty, forty, or fifty teachings, or through hundreds, thousands, or a limitless number of teachings. Although one teaches using lexical imputations and associations and using precisely defined words, meanings, and syllables, one will be neither attached nor interrupted. This is the dhāraṇī called entering the gate of nonattachment.
7. “Son of noble family, you may ask, ‘What is the dhāraṇī called entering ascertainment by discriminating knowledge?’ One knows meaning, phenomena, etymologies, and eloquence. When all sentient beings of the eastern direction gather around one who has attained these kinds of knowledge, they inquire—each in their own language—about the mastery of meanings. Beings of the southern direction inquire about the mastery of phenomena. Beings of the western direction inquire about the mastery of etymology. And beings of the northern direction inquire about the mastery of eloquence. When this occurs, the bodhisattvas’ vocal deeds will be correspondingly immense. They will speak and employ various languages at the same time, without forgetting any [F.227.b] and without their minds becoming distracted. Knowing how to use languages, they adapt to all languages. By one moment of utterance, they bring knowledge that satisfies the minds of all sentient beings. This is the dhāraṇī called entering ascertainment by discriminating knowledge.
8. “Son of noble family, you may ask, ‘What is the dhāraṇī called blessing of the buddha ornaments?’ Son of noble family, for bodhisattvas who have attained this dhāraṇī, the form of the Tathāgata, golden in color with a body adorned with the auspicious marks and signs and seated on a great Dharma seat in the center of a large circle of attendants, will manifest right above the crowns of their heads. The Tathāgata’s form places its right hand on top of their heads. As soon as it touches them, they are endowed with the activities of body, speech, and mind adorned by buddha ornaments. Endowed with such qualities they can engage the mental dispositions of any audience and thereby teach the Dharma in a manner suited to each individual.
“However long they wish to teach the Dharma uninterruptedly without nourishment—whether it is for a day or two, three or four days, a week, a fortnight, a month, a season, or the course of a year, or even for a hundred years, a thousand years, or a hundred thousand years—because they are sustained by the blessings of the tathāgatas, whose gateways of Dharma are inexhaustible in number, they do not grow weary either physically or mentally.
“They possess four kinds of great knowledge. You may ask, ‘Which four?’ They know how to distinguish the dispositions and words of sentient beings, they know the inexhaustible four types of discriminating knowledge, they know how to delineate the vehicles, and they know how to teach the Dharma in accordance with each individual. [F.228.a]
“Son of noble family, this is known as the concise introduction to the gateway of the blessing of the buddha ornaments dhāraṇī. This dhāraṇī is inexhaustible, continues endlessly, embodies the scope of the tathāgatas, and is a boundless teaching.
“Son of noble family, these are the eight bodhisattva dhāraṇīs. Bodhisattvas who are established in these dhāraṇīs retain what all the buddhas say and uphold the Dharma they teach. Since they explain it carefully, they make all beings happy.”
Then Dhāraṇīśvararāja spoke these verses:
At this time, the Blessed One expressed his approval to the bodhisattva mahāsattva Dhāraṇīśvararāja: “Dhāraṇīśvararāja, it is excellent that you have explained this dhāraṇī teaching so well, that you have assumed responsibility for these teachings, and that you were motivated to request the profound words on the dhāraṇī gateway from previous tathāgatas. It is very good! Therefore, Dhāraṇīśvararāja, you should also know what has transpired by way of the following discourse.
“Once, in times past, inconceivably many eons ago, during the eon Illuminating, in a world called Stainless, a tathāgata, a buddha, a blessed one known as Stainless Illumination appeared in the world. The world Stainless was pure like lapis lazuli. It was like a mirror wiped completely free of dust and was as smooth as the palm of a hand. In that world grew fruit trees of the seven precious substances with jeweled branches, leaves, flowers, and fruits. There were many different beautiful lotus flowers the size of chariot wheels made of gold extracted from the Jambu River.
“In that world divine and human beings enjoyed themselves in opulent multistoried mansions. Food and drink appeared at the mere thought of it. The amusements enjoyed by these divine and human beings resembled the amusements enjoyed by the gods of the Paranirmitavaśavartin heaven. These divine and human beings had only a modicum of attachment, aversion, and delusion. [F.230.b] They were handsome and refined.
“This world had neither sun nor moon. The Blessed Tathāgata Stainless Illumination lit up the entire buddhafield with a glow that emanated from his body. The world even lacked names for day and night; the closing of the lotus flowers marked nighttime and their opening marked daytime.
“This tathāgata’s bodhisattva saṅgha comprised countless ordained bodhisattvas in a state of equipoise. There were innumerable householders who had embarked on unsurpassed perfect awakening. Here, no vehicles except the Great Vehicle were disseminated. The Blessed One taught the pure irreversible sermon, and his lifespan lasted half an eon. It was a world in which people did not grow old or die. In this buddhafield, those who dwelled in multistoried houses located on the ground were considered ‘human’ beings, while those who dwelled in multistoried houses located in the sky were considered ‘divine’ beings. Other than that, there was no distinction between the divine and the human beings in terms of their complexions or enjoyments.
“In that world there were no kings, except for the blessed, unsurpassed Dharma king. In that world, there was no one except for the divine and human beings who performed acts of worship to that tathāgata. There were no gods except for those who aspired to listen to the Dharma. There were no other teachers. No one kowtowed to others, performed superfluous deeds, or thought of anything else.
“In this world no one was designated ‘a woman.’ [F.231.a] Among its beings, no one was designated ‘a sinner,’ and no one was designated ‘a transgressor of the training.’ There were only those who trained in the three precepts. What are the three precepts? They are the precepts of advanced morality, advanced contemplation, and advanced insight.
“What is the precept of advanced morality? It consists in not forsaking the mind of omniscience and in abandoning everything conditioned. What is the precept of advanced contemplation? It consists in attaining advanced understanding through settling in absorption. What is the precept of advanced insight? It consists in attaining discriminating knowledge through being established in the perfection of insight.
“Those bodhisattvas engaged in precepts like these without prior scriptural transmission. This world realm was pure in this way. The doctrinal exposition of this blessed one was pure in this way.
“At that time, a bodhisattva known as Glorious Light was present in the retinue that had gathered. He rose from his seat and asked the Tathāgata, ‘Blessed One, if one speaks of retaining dhāraṇī, what is the dhāraṇī in which the blessed bodhisattvas are established so that everything taught by all the blessed buddhas is upheld, the Dharma does not fade away once it has been taught, and all sentient beings are satisfied through its eloquent explanation?’
“That blessed one replied, ‘Son of noble family, it is good that you thought to ask the Tathāgata about this point. [F.231.b] There is a dhāraṇī called jewel lamp. Bodhisattvas who are established in this dhāraṇī retain all the buddha teachings and appease all sentient beings through eloquent explanation.’
“Then Glorious Light requested the Tathāgata, ‘Blessed One, please introduce the jewel lamp dhāraṇī so that we may practice accordingly what we hear and so that we may attain this dhāraṇī.’ In reply the Tathāgata uttered the following verses:
“As the Blessed Tathāgata Stainless Illumination gave this dhāraṇī teaching, thirty-two thousand bodhisattvas within the great bodhisattva assembly attained the dhāraṇī, among them the bodhisattva mahāsattva Glorious Light. Dhāraṇīśvararāja, you may reflect or wonder, doubt, or regard with skepticism whether the bodhisattva of this period known as Glorious Light was someone else, but you should not! Why not? Because really you yourself were the bodhisattva of that period known as Glorious Light! Dhāraṇīśvararāja, [F.233.b] you have requested countless tathāgatas since time immemorial for this analysis of dhāraṇī. You have made such an inquiry.
“That is why you again have made a request to the Tathāgata and have fearlessly delivered this dhāraṇī analysis. Since you have realized this Dharma with your all-seeing intelligence, with this discourse I declare you to be supreme among bodhisattvas endowed with mindfulness and among the bodhisattvas who have attained dhāraṇī.”
At this point, a bodhisattva known as Prajñākūṭa, who was present in that assembly, asked, “How, Blessed One, do bodhisattvas attain this jewel lamp dhāraṇī? And having attained it, how do they avoid losing it? And having generated the power of the dhāraṇī, how do they sustain all sentient beings?”
The Blessed One replied, “Son of noble family, when bodhisattvas abide by the sources of insight and perform the functions of insight, they will attain this dhāraṇī. There is no doubt about it. They will nurture all beings.”
Prajñākūṭa asked in turn, “Blessed One, what are the sources and functions of insight? Please explain it to me.”
The Blessed One replied, “Because of your request, son of noble family, listen carefully and bear in mind what I tell you. These are the sources of insight and their corresponding functions: Son of noble family, listening to teachings not yet heard is a source of insight. Its function is to teach others the Dharma one has heard in detail. [F.234.a] Investigation is a source of insight. Its function is to teach others what one has investigated. Proper discernment is a source of insight. Its function is to establish beings in what is appropriate. Application is a source of insight. Its function is to accomplish. Thinking decisively about mind is a source of insight. Its function is to teach decisive thinking about mind. Dwelling in solitude is a source of insight. Its function is to know how to isolate body and mind. Delighting in solitude is a source of insight. Its function is to accomplish a solitary path. Cultivating tranquil abiding and special insight is a source of insight. Its function is to attain awareness and liberation. Cultivating the three liberations is a source of insight. Its function is to realize threefold awareness. Cultivating the application of mindfulness is a source of insight. Its function is the absence of mindfulness and mental activity. Cultivating abandonment is a source of insight. Its function is to know all phenomena to be naturally abandoned. Cultivating the bases of miraculous powers is a source of insight. Its function is to attain miraculous power without manifestation. Confidence with faithful devotion is a source of insight. Its function is to transcend all attachments. Dauntlessness is a source of insight. Its function is to be well trained in body and mind. Mindfulness and introspection are sources of knowledge. Their function is to attend to what is to be recollected. Gaining realization in the levels of meditative absorption is a source of insight. Its function is to attain constant presence in equipoise. [F.234.b]
“Relying on the faculty of insight is itself a source of insight. Its function is to know which faculties are best and which are not. Knowing the five strengths is a source of insight. Its function is not to be crushed by evil and afflictive emotions. Harmoniously accepting the factors of awakening is a source of insight. Its function is to harmoniously realize the nature of all phenomena. Practicing the branches of the path is a source of insight. Its function is not to be partisan toward Dharma or non-Dharma by understanding that all teachings are like rafts. Familiarizing oneself with suffering and its origin, cessation, and the path is a source of insight. Its function is to actualize cessation.
“Mastering the sūtras of provisional meaning is a source of insight. Its function is to rely on the sūtras of definitive meaning. Retaining everything that one has learned is a source of insight. Its function is to rely on the meaning. Investigating consciousness is a source of insight. Its function is to rely on wisdom. Not clinging to the words of an individual is a source of insight. Its function is to rely on the nature of reality.
“Discerning that all karmic formations are impermanent is a source of insight. Its function is to know fundamental nonorigination. Comprehending analytically that all formations are painful is a source of insight. Its function is to know that all phenomena are not actually conditioned. Discerning that phenomena are selfless is a source of insight. Its function is to know that beings are primordially pure. Discerning that nirvāṇa is peace is a source of insight. Its function is to know that all phenomena are nirvāṇa by nature. [F.235.a]
“Being unintimidated when one hears the truth is a source of insight. Its function is to have special awareness of the truth. Being unintimidated when one hears of the nature of reality is a source of insight. Its function is to have special awareness of all phenomena. Being unintimidated by any etymologies is a source of insight. Its function is to have special awareness of etymologies. Being unintimidated when one hears the Buddha’s eloquence is a source of insight. Its function is to have special awareness of eloquence. Feeling love toward beings and phenomena is a source of insight. Its function is to experience nonreferential love. Acting compassionately toward oneself and others is a source of insight. Its function is to experience great compassion that dissolves duality.
“Delighting in cultivating supreme joy when attending to the Dharma is a source of insight. Its function is to be without acceptance and rejection. Being impartial, free from attachment or aversion, is a source of insight. Its function is to be free from duality. Recollecting the Buddha is a source of insight. Its function is to know dharmakāya. Recollecting the Dharma is a source of insight. Its function is to know the nature of reality beyond attachment. Recollecting the Saṅgha is a source of insight. Its function is to comprehend it analytically as being unconditioned. Recollecting generosity is a source of insight. Its function is to let go of all afflictive emotions. Recollecting moral conduct is a source of insight. Its function is to know that moral conduct is not actually something to be accumulated. Recollecting the gods is a source of insight. Its function is the pure nature of reality. [F.235.b]
“Comprehending what one has learned is a source of insight. Its function is to comprehend all worlds. Performing deeds to be done is a source of insight. Its function is to know the maturation of actions to be nonexistent. Being without pride is a source of insight. Its function is to attain great wisdom. Benefiting oneself is a source of insight. Its function is to benefit both oneself and others. Upholding the eighty-four thousand Dharma teachings is a source of insight. Its function is to know the eighty-four thousand Dharma teachings. Knowing Dharma teachings is a source of insight. Its function is to teach Dharma successfully. Inspiring beings to embrace awakening is a source of insight. Its function is to place beings on the level of nonregression through the perfection of insight and skillful means. Being apprehensive of any birth as a being in worldly existence is a source of insight. Its function is to be born according to one’s intentions. Acceptance that accords with language is a source of insight. Its function is acceptance that rises from cultivation.
“Understanding decay is a source of insight. Its function is to understand nonorigination. Willing acceptance is a source of insight. Its function is to accept the unborn nature of phenomena. The level of nonregression is a source of insight. Its function is the level of empowerment. Sitting down on the seat of awakening is a source of insight. Its function is to perfectly awaken to unsurpassed complete and perfect awakening through insight that thinks, in a single moment, of everything whatsoever that is to be known, learned, realized, and perfectly awakened to.” [F.236.a]
As this account of the sources and functions of insight was delivered, the countless unfathomable buddhafields of the ten directions trembled six times, as did the pavilion made of jewels. Prajñākūṭa asked the Blessed One, “What has caused these countless, unfathomable buddhafields of the ten directions, as well as this pavilion hovering in the sky, to tremble six times?”
The Blessed One replied, “Son of noble family, when the tathāgatas of the past previously explained this Dharma discourse on the sources and functions of insight, upon your request and inquiry, son of noble family, it caused the great world to tremble and the earth to quake in the very space that holds it.”
Then a bodhisattva called Pratibhānapratisaṃvid asked the Blessed One, “Blessed One, why is the bodhisattva Prajñākūṭa called Prajñākūṭa?”
The Blessed One replied, “Son of noble family, once in past times, during the Stainless eon, in the world Virtuous Occurrence, there appeared a tathāgata, a blessed buddha named Glorious Secret. The inhabitants of that world lived with a bliss-filled state of mind. The Tathāgata’s bodhisattva saṅgha consisted of forty-two thousand bodhisattvas, [F.236.b] and his śrāvaka saṅgha comprised eighty-four thousand śrāvakas.
“Son of noble family, this blessed one apprehended that the eloquence of those bodhisattvas was extensive, and he deliberately posed a large number of questions. He then inquired, ‘Noble beings, who among you would like to give comprehensive explanations in reply to each and every one of my many questions, at a time of your own choosing?’
“One of them said, ‘I shall reply tonight,’ and another one said, ‘I shall reply in a week.’ Another said, ‘I shall reply in a fortnight,’ and yet another said, ‘Blessed One, I shall reply in one month.’ Thereupon, a bodhisattva called Smṛtibuddhi, who was present in the retinue, replied, ‘Blessed One, with the Tathāgata’s permission, without further ado, and without rising from my seat, I shall provide answers to the questions.’
“As soon as the lion’s roar of this noble being resounded, the entire trichiliocosm trembled six times. A great illumination appeared in the world. Inspired by this light, all kinds of gods gathered, from the celestial gods up to the gods of the pure abodes. Many thousands of monks and nuns, as well as male and female lay devotees, also congregated. All at once and in a single instant, they were transformed into a single ten-thousand-league maṇḍala retinue. [F.237.a]
“Then, once the bodhisattva had seen this assembly gather, by the power of his own merit, wisdom, mindfulness, dhāraṇī, eloquence, and fearlessness, as well as by the power of the blessing of the buddhas, he fielded all the many well-considered questions that had been asked. In the presence of that buddha and in front of the entire assembly, he provided countless explanations for each and every one of the many questions. He replied fluently, without interruption, coherently, and with the right words, syllables, and etymologies. In that manner, sixty thousand members of the assembly generated the thought of perfect awakening, and forty thousand bodhisattvas attained acceptance of the nonorigination of phenomena. The Blessed One expressed his approval of the answers. The melody carrying the sound of his approval reverberated throughout the entire trichiliocosm.
“All the gods, from the celestial gods up to the gods of the pure abodes, proclaimed, ‘Listen! Someone of such insight, eloquence, and skill in teaching will become a bodhisattva called Prajñākūṭa!’51 In this way, Prajñākūṭa received the name Prajñākūṭa.
“Son of noble family, you may wonder, doubt, or ponder whether the bodhisattva called Smṛtibuddhi was someone else at that time, but you should not. Why not? It was bodhisattva Prajñākūṭa himself who was the bodhisattva called Smṛtibuddhi at that time!”
At this point, the Blessed One spoke these verses in order to elaborate on this point: [F.237.b]
Thereupon, the bodhisattva Dhāraṇīśvararāja said, “Alas, Blessed One! The full extent of this unsurpassed complete and perfect awakening of the blessed buddhas has been precisely ascertained. What is taught by way of words is infinite, and what is accessed by way of meanings is infinite, yet it is difficult to access by those who are not diligent. It is profound since it is realized in accordance with dependent arising. It is difficult to fathom by those who engage in duality. It is difficult to see for those who rely on the six sense fields. It is difficult to trust for those dedicated to the lower vehicles. It is not for śrāvakas or pratyekabuddhas but is the provenance of bodhisattvas.
“This awakening is the seal of all phenomena. It is the equality of the realm of phenomena and thus inseparable from it. Having the characteristic of space, it does not become defiled. Since it is totally transcendent, it is not a substratum. It has knowledge of the behaviors of all sentient beings and knowledge of all causes.
“This awakening is the illumination of the perfection of wisdom. It is the source of deliverance. It is the method of the roots of virtue. [F.239.b] It is what is discerned by those who have attained discriminating knowledge. It liberates those who have attained superknowledge.
“This awakening consists in the realization of equality by those who abide in the single way. Not being multifarious, it is not differentiated among practitioners. Since it is the same as space, it is equal. But since is not a counteragent, it is unequal. Since it is equal to all buddhas, it is both equal and unequal. Since it is distinguished by way of cessation, it is free of dualism. It is not something to be analyzed by letters.
“This awakening is truly established as real. It is something known by language, yet ultimately it does not exist as something expressible. It exists conventionally, it is endowed with the might of the Three Jewels, it is conceived of in terms of the three vehicles, it is shown to be the three gates of liberation, it totally transcends the three realms, and it consists in the comprehension of threefold awareness.
“This awakening generates the vajra-like absorption. It is the abode of all phenomena. It has arisen from the wisdom of the Buddha. It is the sustenance of all beings. Being made clearly present by all buddhas, it is truly wonderful!
“Blessed One, sons or daughters of noble family who have faith in this vast account of the awakening of the blessed buddhas, who generate the thought of unsurpassed complete and perfect awakening, who listen to this sūtra in order to retain the holy Dharma, who are faithful, and who recollect it, uphold it, read it, master it, or teach it in detail to others—they, Blessed One, will generate a vast amount of merit. They will thereby pay homage to and repay the kindness of the tathāgatas.”
The Blessed one responded, [F.240.a] “That is correct, son of noble family. It is just as you have said: these beings will indeed generate a vast amount of merit. Some may fill all buddhafields visible to the tathāgata eye with all jewels and offer them to the tathāgatas, but if others, in order to uphold the holy Dharma and ensure the continuity of the Three Jewels, were to listen to this sūtra, have faith in it, retain it, uphold it, read it, master it, teach it in detail to others, or diligently persist in the yoga of cultivating it—these beings would generate a much larger amount of merit.” Then the Blessed One uttered these verses:
Then the Blessed One asked the great bodhisattva assembly, “Noble beings, when I pass into nirvāṇa, who among you would like to expound this Dharma discourse and safeguard the awakening of the blessed buddhas in order to ensure the continuity of the holy Dharma?”
Among the bodhisattva assembly, sixty billion bodhisattvas said with one voice, “Blessed One, we will retain the awakening of the Tathāgata, accomplished within countless eons, [F.240.b] and we would like to expound it in future times as well. But, Blessed One, just to be sure, we request the Tathāgata to please bless this Dharma discourse so that, among the many beings who will live at that time, those who have created roots of virtue will come to hear about it.”
Then the Blessed One, spoke these verses:
Thereupon the Caturmahārājas recited this pair of verses, in unison, to the Blessed One:
Then Śakra, lord of the gods, recited this pair of verses to the Blessed One:
Then Brahmā, ruler of the universe, recited this pair of verses to the Blessed One:
Then Pramodita, the divine being, recited this pair of verses to the Blessed One:
Then Māraputra recited this pair of verses to the Blessed One:
Then the divine being Prasīmā recited this pair of verses to the Blessed One:
Then, the bodhisattva Maitreya recited this pair of verses to the Blessed One:
Then the venerable Mahākāśyapa recited this pair of verses to the Blessed One:
Then the Blessed One voiced his approval to Śakra, Brahmā, and the protectors of the world, to the divine beings, to the bodhisattvas, and to the great śrāvakas: “Excellent, Noble beings! Excellent! Your lion’s roar of proclamation on account of your support for the holy Dharma is excellent. Noble beings, I instruct you: may you master it! Those beings who have embarked on the Great Vehicle, who have not attained acceptance, [F.242.a] and who have embraced this Dharma discourse with the blessing of the blessed buddhas who have mastered it and comprehended it—they will not pass beyond the seventh tathāgata53 until they have received their prophecy of awakening. Those who have become śrāvakas will be included in the first śrāvaka assembly of Maitreya. Those who have become pratyekabuddhas and who have mastered this Dharma discourse will, following my own nirvāṇa, attain solitary awakening without learning from others.”
When the Blessed One had taught this Dharma discourse as requested by Dhāraṇīśvararāja, countless beings generated the thought of awakening. Countless bodhisattvas became established in a state of nonregression. Countless world realms trembled six times, were illuminated, and were filled with swirling flower petals.
The bodhisattvas who had gathered from the world realms of the ten directions and had decorated the entire pavilion Jeweled Array with flowers of the seven precious substances as an act of worship to the Blessed One and this Dharma discourse made the following proclamation: “Blessed One, we shall acquire it and acquire it well! Because we have heard this exegesis of the Dharma discourse, it was not meaningless for us to be here!
“O Blessed One! May the life of Śākyamuni be protected! May this Dharma discourse remain for a long time among the people of Jambudvīpa! May the lives of those monks, nuns, and male and female lay devotees who uphold this sūtra be guarded for a long time! [F.242.b] May it bring benefit to all sentient beings!”
At this point, Dhāraṇīśvararāja said to the Blessed One, “O Blessed One! How wonderful is this definitive Dharma discourse, which is of excellent meaning, well composed, and well adorned, which delights all bodhisattvas, which overcomes all the hostility of evil ones and adversaries, skillfully embrace all teachings, and satisfies the thoughts of all beings, which emerges as the perfection of all vehicles, and which is vividly taught to those who emulate the qualities of all tathāgatas and to all who apply themselves to it!”
Then he asked, “Blessed One! What is this Dharma discourse called? How will it be transmitted?”
The Blessed One replied, “Dhāraṇīśvararāja, because of your request, you shall transmit this Dharma discourse known as The Explanation of the Great Compassion of the Tathāgata! You shall transmit it as The Prophecy of Listening to the Meaningful Activity of the Tathāgata!”
After the Blessed One had spoken, Dhāraṇīśvararāja, together with everyone in the bodhisattva and śrāvaka assemblies, as well as the world with its gods, humans, asuras, and gandharvas, rejoiced and praised what the Blessed One had said.
This completes the noble Great Vehicle sūtra “The Teaching on the Great Compassion of the Tathāgata.”
Colophon
This text was translated and edited by the Indian scholar Śīlendrabodhi and the principal editor-translator, Bandé Yeshé Dé. It was reviewed and finalized in accordance with the new language reforms.
Notes
Bibliography
Primary Sources
’phags pa de bzhin gshegs pa’i snying rje chen po nges par bstan pa zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo (Āryatathāgatamahākaruṇānirdeśanāmamahāyānasūtra). Degé Kangyur vol. 57 (mdo sde, pa), folios 142.a–242.b.
’phags pa de bzhin gshegs pa’i snying rje chen po nges par bstan pa zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo. bka’ ’gyur (dpe bsdur ma) [Comparative Edition of the Kangyur], krung go’i bod rig pa zhib ’jug ste gnas kyi bka’ bstan dpe sdur khang (The Tibetan 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. 57, pp. 377–611.
[Bodhisattvapiṭaka] ’phags pa byang chub sems dpa’i sde snod ces bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo (Āryabodhisattvapiṭakanāmamahāyānasūtra). Toh 56, Degé Kangyur vol. 40 (dkon brtsegs, kha), folios 255.b–294.a; vol. 41 (dkon brtsegs, ga), folios 1.b–205.b.
[Ratnagotravibhāga] theg pa chen po rgyud bla ma’i bstan bcos (Mahāyānottaratantraśāstra). Toh 4024, Degé Tengyur vol. 123 (sems tsam, phi), folios 54.b–73.a.
[Ratnagotravibhāgavyākhyā] theg pa chen po rgyud bla ma’i bstan bcos rnam par bshad pa (Mahāyānottaratantraśāstra). Toh 4025, Degé Tengyur vol. 123 (sems tsam, phi), folios 74.b–129.a.
rigs sngags kyi rgyal mo rma bya chen mo las gsungs pa’i smon lam dang bden tshig. Toh 814, Degé Kangyur vol. 96 (rgyud ’bum, wa), folios 254.a–254.b.
Secondary Canonical Sources
[Akṣayamatinirdeśa] ’phags pa blo gros mi zad pas bstan pa zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo (Āryākṣayamatinirdeśanāmamahāyānasūtra). Toh 175, Degé Kangyur vol. 60 (mdo sde, ma), folios 79.a–174.b. English translation in Braarvig, Jens, and David Welsh (2020). [Full citation listed in secondary sources]
Candrakīrti. dbu ma la ’jug pa (Madhyamakāvatāra). Toh 3861, Degé Tengyur vol. 102 (dbu ma, ’a), folios 201.b–219.a. Translation in La Vallée Poussin (1907–12).
Dharmottara. rigs pa’i thigs pa’i rgya cher ’grel pa (Nyāyabinduṭīka). Toh 4231, Degé Tengyur vol. 189 (mdo ’grel, we), folios 36.b–92.a.
[Denkarma] pho brang stod thang ldan dkar gyi chos kyi ’gyur ro cog gi dkar chag. Toh 4364, Degé Tengyur vol. 206 (sna tshogs, jo), folios 294.b–310.a.
[Jñānālokālaṃkāra] ’phags pa sangs rgyas thams cad kyi yul la ’jug pa’i ye shes snang ba’i rgyan zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo (Āryasarvabuddhaviṣayāvatārajñānālokālaṃkāranāmamahāyānasūtra). Toh 100, Degé Kangyur vol. 47 (mdo sde, ga), folios 276.a–305.a. English translation in Dharmachakra Translation Committee (2015). [Full citation listed in secondary sources]
Mahāvyutpatti (bye brag tu rtogs par byed pa chen po). Toh 4346, Degé Tengyur vol. 204 (sna tshogs, co), folios 1.b–131.a.
Nāgārjuna. mdo kun las btus pa (Sūtrasamuccaya). Toh 3934, Degé Tengyur vol. 110 (dbu ma, ki), folios 148.b–215.a.
[Ratnamegha] ’phags pa dkon mchog sprin ces bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo (Āryaratnameghanāmamahāyānasūtra). Toh 231, Degé Kangyur vol. 64 (mdo sde, wa), folios 1.b–112.b. English translation in Dharmachakra Translation Committee (2019). [Full citation listed in secondary sources]
[Ṡaḍaṅgayogapañjikā]. Avadhūtipa. dpal dus kyi ’khor lo’i man ngag sbyor ba yan lag drug gi rgyud kyi dka’ ’grel zhes bya ba (Śrīkālacakropadeśayogaṣaḍaṅgatantrapañjikānāma). Toh 1373, Degé Tengyur vol. 13 (rgyud, pa), folios 252.a–279.b.
[Saṃdhinirmocanasūtra] ’phags pa dgongs pa nges par ’grel pa zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo (Āryasaṃdhinirmocananāmamahāyānasūtra). Toh 106, Degé Kangyur vol. 49 (mdo sde, tsha), folios 1.b–55.b. English translation in Buddhavacana Translation Group (2020). [Full citation listed in secondary sources]
[Tathāgataguṇajñānācintyaviṣayāvatāranirdeśa] ’phags pa de bzhin gshegs pa’i yon tan dang ye shes bsam gyis mi khyab pa’i yul la ’jug pa bstan pa zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo (Āryatathāgataguṇajñānācintyaviṣayāvatāranirdeśanāmamahāyānasūtra). Toh 185, Degé Kangyur vol. 61 (mdo sde, tsa), folios 106.a–143.b. English translation in Liljenberg, Karen (2020). [Full citation listed in secondary sources]
Other Secondary Sources
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Braarvig, Jens, and David Welsh, trans. The Teaching of Akṣayamati (Akṣayamatinirdeśa, Toh 175). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2020.
Brunnhölzl, Karl. When the Clouds Part: The “Uttaratantra” and Its Meditative Tradition as a Bridge between Sūtra and Tantra. Boston: Snow Lion, 2014.
Buddhavacana Translation Group, trans. Unraveling the Intent (Saṃdhinirmocanasūtra, Toh 106). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.
Burchardi, Anne. “A Provisional list of Tibetan Commentaries on the Ratnagotravibhāga.” Tibet Journal 31, no. 4 (Winter 2006): 3–46.
Dharmachakra Translation Committee (2015), trans. The Ornament of the Light of Awareness that Enters the Domain of All Buddhas (Jñānālokālaṃkāra, Toh 100). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2015.
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Herrmann-Pfandt, Adelheid. Die lHan kar ma: ein früher Katalog der ins Tibetische übersetzten buddhistischen Texte. Vienna: Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, 2008.
Higgins, David, and Martina Draszczyk. Mahāmudrā and the Middle Way: Post-classical Kagyü Discourses on Mind, Emptiness and Buddha-Nature. Wiener Studien zur Tibetologie und Buddhismuskunde vol. 90.1–2. Vienna: Arbeitskreis für Tibetische und Buddhistische Studien der Universität Wien, 2016.
Hookham, S. K. The Buddha Within: Tathāgatagarbha Dharma According to the Shentong Interpretation of the Ratnagotravibhāga. Albany: SUNY Press, 1991.
Johnston, Edward H., ed. The Ratnagotravibhāga Mahāyānanottaratantraśāstra. Patna: Bihar Research Society, 1950.
La Vallée Poussin, Louis de, ed. Madhyamakāvatāra par Candrakīrti: Traduction Tibétaine. Bibliotheca Buddhica 9. Osnabruück: Biblio Verlag, 1907–12.
Liljenberg, Karen, trans. Introduction to the Inconceivable Qualities and Wisdom of the Tathāgatas (Tathāgataguṇajñānācintyaviṣayāvatāranirdeśa, Toh 185). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2020.
Marpa Chökyi Lodrö (mar pa chos kyi blo gros). rgyud bla ma’i tshig don rnam par ’grel ba. In dpal mnga’ bdag sgra sgyur mar pa’ lo tsA ba chos kyi blo gros kyi gsung ’bum, vol. 1, 414–522. Dehradun: Drikung Kagyu Institute, 2009.
Mathes, Klaus-Dieter, ed. ’Gos Lo tsā ba gZhon nu dpal’s Commentary on the Ratnagotravibhāgavyākhyā (Theg pa chen po rgyud bla ma´i bstan bcos kyi ´grel bshad de kho na nyid rab tu gsal ba’i me long). Stuttgart: Franz Steiner Verlag, 2003.
———. A Direct Path to the Buddha Within: Gö Lotsāwa’s Mahāmudra Interpretation of the Ratnagotravibhāga. Somerville, MA: Wisdom Publications, 2008.
Nakamura, Hajime. “On the Jnāna-āloka-alaṃkāra-sūtra.” Journal of Nichiren and Buddhist Studies 100 (1953): 185–204.
Obermiller, Eugène. “The Sublime Science of the Great Vehicle to Salvation: Being a Manual of Buddhist Monism.” Acta Orientalia 9 (1931): 81–306.
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Pagel, Ulrich, and Braarvig, Jens. “Fragments of the Bodhisattvapiṭaka.” In Buddhist manuscripts, Volume III, edited by Jens Braarvig, 11–89. Manuscripts in the Schøyen Collection. Oslo: Hermes Publishing, 2006.
Pāsādika, Bhikkhu, ed. Nāgārjuna’s Sūtrasamuccaya: A Critical Edition of the Mdo kun las btus pa. Fontes Tibetici Havnienses 2. Copenhagen: Akademisk Forlag, 1989.
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Glossary
Ābhāsvara
’od gsal
འོད་གསལ།
Ābhāsvara
Sixth god realm of form, meaning “luminosity,” it is the highest of the three heavens that make up the second dhyāna heaven in the form realm.
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Abodes of Brahmā
tshangs pa’i gnas pa
ཚངས་པའི་གནས་པ།
brahmavihāra
Brahmā abodes
The four abodes of Brahmā are loving kindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity, also known as the four “immeasurables.” The term is also rendered in this translation as “Brahmā abodes.”
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Absorption
ting nge ’dzin
ཏིང་ངེ་འཛིན།
samādhi
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Acceptance of reality
chos kyi bzod pa
ཆོས་ཀྱི་བཟོད་པ།
dharmakṣānti
Shorthand for anutpattikadharmakṣānti, “acceptance of the nonorigination of phenomena,” its realization being one of the qualities acquired by bodhisattvas. Dharmakṣanti can also refer to a way one becomes “receptive” to key points of the Dharma.
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Action devoid of forgetfulness
brjed pa med par spyod pa
བརྗེད་པ་མེད་པར་སྤྱོད་པ།
—
The name of an absorption.
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Adorned by Ornaments
rgyan gyis brgyan pa
རྒྱན་གྱིས་བརྒྱན་པ།
—
A buddhafield at the zenith, where the Tathāgata Sovereign of Supreme Reverberating Sound resides.
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Afflictive emotion
nyon mongs
ཉོན་མོངས།
kleśa
Mental and emotional traits that bind one to saṃsāra; the fundamental three are attachment, aversion, and delusion. Also translated here as “pollution.”
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Aggregate
phung po
ཕུང་པོ།
skandha
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Akaniṣṭha
’og min
འོག་མིན།
Akaniṣṭha
Seventeenth god realm of form, meaning “highest,” it is the highest of the five heavens that make up the “pure abodes” in the form realm.
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All-Illumining and Unobstructed Gaze
kun nas snang zhing sgrib pa med par lta ba
ཀུན་ནས་སྣང་ཞིང་སྒྲིབ་པ་མེད་པར་ལྟ་བ།
—
A bodhisattva mahāsattva present in the Buddha’s assembly.
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All-Revealing Continuous Display of All Buddhafields
zhing thams cad kyi rgyan bkod pa kun tu ston pa
ཞིང་ཐམས་ཅད་ཀྱི་རྒྱན་བཀོད་པ་ཀུན་ཏུ་སྟོན་པ།
—
A bodhisattva mahāsattva present in the Buddha’s assembly.
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All-Revealing Unperturbed Subjugation through All Conduct
spyod lam thams cad kyis ’dul ba mi ’khrugs pa kun tu ston pa
སྤྱོད་ལམ་ཐམས་ཅད་ཀྱིས་འདུལ་བ་མི་འཁྲུགས་པ་ཀུན་ཏུ་སྟོན་པ།
—
A bodhisattva mahāsattva present in the Buddha’s assembly.
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Anabhraka
sprin med
སྤྲིན་མེད།
Anabhraka
Tenth god realm of form, meaning “cloudless,” it is the lowest of the three realms in the fourth dhyāna heaven in the form realm.
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Appearance of the Sovereign of Water
chu’i rgyal por snang ba
ཆུའི་རྒྱལ་པོར་སྣང་བ།
—
The world realm of the Tathāgata Glory of Precious Blue Lotus.
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Appearing as Illumination
rnam par snang byed du snang ba
རྣམ་པར་སྣང་བྱེད་དུ་སྣང་བ།
—
A buddhafield at the nadir where the Tathāgata Glory of the Precious Red Lotus resides.
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Application of mindfulness
dran pa nye bar gzhag pa
དྲན་པ་ཉེ་བར་གཞག་པ།
smṛtyupasthāna
applications of mindfulness
Four contemplations on the body, sensation, mind, and phenomena.
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Appropriation
len pa · nye bar len pa
ལེན་པ། · ཉེ་བར་ལེན་པ།
ādana · upādana
Ninth of the twelve links of dependent arising. For the four appropriations, see 2.225.
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Apramāṇābha
tshad med ’od
ཚད་མེད་འོད།
Apramāṇābha
Fifth god realm of form, meaning “Immeasurable Light,” it is the second of the three heavens that make up the second dhyāna heaven in the form realm.
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Apramāṇaśubha
tshad med dge
ཚད་མེད་དགེ
Apramāṇaśubha
Eighth god realm of form, meaning “Limitless Virtue,” it is the second of the three heavens that make up the third dhyāna heaven in the form realm.
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Arhat
dgra bcom pa
དགྲ་བཅོམ་པ།
arhat
One who has achieved the fourth and final level of attainment on the śrāvaka path and who has attained liberation with the cessation of all afflictive emotions.
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Array of all ornaments
rgyan thams cad bkod pa
རྒྱན་ཐམས་ཅད་བཀོད་པ།
—
The name of an absorption.
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Array of buddha ornaments
sangs rgyas kyi rgyan bkod pa
སངས་རྒྱས་ཀྱི་རྒྱན་བཀོད་པ།
—
The name of an absorption.
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Asaṃjñisattva
’du shes med pa’i sems can
འདུ་ཤེས་མེད་པའི་སེམས་ཅན།
Asaṃjñisattva
Twelfth god realm of the form realms, meaning “Beings without Concepts,” it is the third of the three heavens that make up the fourth dhyāna heaven in the form realm. Also called Bṛhatphala.
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Asura
lha ma yin
ལྷ་མ་ཡིན།
asura
Powerful beings who live around Mount Meru and are usually classified as belonging to the higher realms. They are characterized as jealous and ambitious, forever in conflict with the gods.
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Atapa
mi gdung ba
མི་གདུང་བ།
Atapa
Fourteenth god realm of form, meaning “Without Hardship,” it is the second of the five “pure abodes” in the form realm.
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Avṛha
mi che ba
མི་ཆེ་བ།
Avṛha
Thirteenth god realm of form, it is the first of the five heavens that make up the “pure abodes” in the form realm.
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Bandé Yeshé Dé
ban de ye shes sde
བན་དེ་ཡེ་ཤེས་སྡེ།
—
A prolific Tibetan translator active during the late 8th and early 9th centuries.
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Bases of miraculous power
rkang pa snying po · rdzu ’phrul rkang pa · rdzu ’phrul gyi rkang pa
རྐང་པ་སྙིང་པོ། · རྫུ་འཕྲུལ་རྐང་པ། · རྫུ་འཕྲུལ་གྱི་རྐང་པ།
ṛddhipāda
Four qualities that eliminate negative factors: zeal, vigor, attention (Tib. sems pa, Skt. citta), and investigation (Tib. dpyod pa, Skt. mīmāṃsā).
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Becoming
srid pa
སྲིད་པ།
bhava
The tenth of the twelve links of dependent arising.
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Beryl
bai dUrya
བཻ་དཱུརྱ།
vaidurya
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Blessed one
bcom ldan ’das
བཅོམ་ལྡན་འདས།
bhagavān
blessed
Epithet of a buddha.
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Blessing of the buddha ornaments
sangs rgyas kyi rgyan byin gyis brlabs pa
སངས་རྒྱས་ཀྱི་རྒྱན་བྱིན་གྱིས་བརླབས་པ།
—
The name of a dhāraṇī.
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Bodhicitta
byang chub kyi sems
བྱང་ཆུབ་ཀྱི་སེམས།
bodhicitta
Also translated here as “thought of awakening.”
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Boon of the Dharma
chos kyi zong
ཆོས་ཀྱི་ཟོང་།
dharmapaṇa
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Brahmā
tshangs pa
ཚངས་པ།
Brahmā
(1) One of the primary deities of the Brahmanical pantheon, Brahmā occupies an important place as one of two deities (the other being Indra/Śakra) who are said to have first exhorted the Buddha Śākyamuni to teach the Dharma. The particular heavens over which Brahmā rules are often some of the most sought-after realms of higher rebirth in Buddhist literature. Among his epithets is “Lord of the World of Endurance” (Sahāṃpati).
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Brahmā abode
—
—
See “abodes of Brahmā.”
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Brahmā realm
tshangs pa’i ’jig rten
ཚངས་པའི་འཇིག་རྟེན།
Brahmaloka
realm of Brahmā
Brahmā
The heaven of Brahmā, usually located just above the desire realm as one of the first levels of the form realm and equated with the state that one achieves in the first concentration (dhyāna). Its extent varies depending on the source.
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Brahmā Śikhāvala
tshangs pa gtsug phud can
ཚངས་པ་གཙུག་ཕུད་ཅན།
—
The god of the Brahmā realm who encourages the Buddha Śākyamuni to turn the wheel of Dharma. Śikhāvala means peacock.
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Brahmakāyika
tshangs ris · tshangs pa’i ris
ཚངས་རིས། · ཚངས་པའི་རིས།
Brahmakāyika
First god realm of form, meaning “Stratum of Brahmā,” it is the lowest of the three heavens that make up the first dhyāna heaven in the form realm.
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Brahmapariṣadya
tshangs ’khor
ཚངས་འཁོར།
Brahmapariṣadya · Bharmapariṣad
Second god realm of form, meaning “Assembly of Brahmā,” it is the second of the three heavens that make up the first dhyāna heaven in the form realm. Also called Brahmapurohita.
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Brahmapurohita
tshangs pa’i mdun na ’don
ཚངས་པའི་མདུན་ན་འདོན།
Brahmapurohita
Second god realm of form, meaning “high priests of Brahmā,” it is the second of the three heavens that make up the first dhyāna heaven in the form realm. Also called Brahmapariṣadya.
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Bṛhatphala
’bras bu che ba
འབྲས་བུ་ཆེ་བ།
Bṛhatphala
Twelfth god realm of the form realms, meaning “Great Fruition,” it is the third of the three heavens that make up the fourth dhyāna heaven in the form realm. Also called Asaṃjñisattva.
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Brilliant Light Rays of the Collection of Fine Gold
gser bzang po rnam par bsags pa’i ’od kyi gzi brjid kyi ’od zer
གསེར་བཟང་པོ་རྣམ་པར་བསགས་པའི་འོད་ཀྱི་གཟི་བརྗིད་ཀྱི་འོད་ཟེར།
—
A bodhisattva mahāsattva present in the Buddha’s assembly.
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Buddha Courage
sangs rgya kyi spobs pa
སངས་རྒྱ་ཀྱི་སྤོབས་པ།
—
A buddhafield in the southern direction of the Tathāgata Countless Qualities Precious Courage.
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Buddha play in unveiled liberation
rnam par thar pa sgrib pa med pa la sangs rgyas rnam par rol pa
རྣམ་པར་ཐར་པ་སྒྲིབ་པ་མེད་པ་ལ་སངས་རྒྱས་རྣམ་པར་རོལ་པ།
—
The name of an absorption.
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Buddha qualities
sangs rgyas kyi chos
སངས་རྒྱས་ཀྱི་ཆོས།
buddhadharma
This term can refer to the general qualities of a buddha or to specific sets such as the ten strengths, the four fearlessnesses, the four discernments, and the eighteen unique buddha qualities; or even more specifically to another set of eighteen: the ten strengths; the four fearlessnesses; mindfulness of body, speech, and mind; and great compassion.
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Buddhafield
sangs rgyas kyi zhing
སངས་རྒྱས་ཀྱི་ཞིང་།
buddhakṣetra
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Calm
nyer zhi · nye bar zhi
ཉེར་ཞི། · ཉེ་བར་ཞི།
upaśāma · upaśanta
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Capable one
thub pa
ཐུབ་པ།
muni
An ancient title, derived from the verb man (“to contemplate”), given to those who have attained the realization of a truth through their own contemplation and not by divine revelation. Also rendered here as “sage.”
Used here as an epithet of the buddhas and of the Buddha Śākyamuni in particular.
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Caturmahārāja
rgyal po chen po bzhi
རྒྱལ་པོ་ཆེན་པོ་བཞི།
Caturmahārāja
The Four Great Kings—Virūḍhaka, Virūpākṣa, Dhṛtarāṣṭra, and Vaiśravaṇa. They are gods of the first god realm of the desire realm and known as powerful guardians of the four quarters who rule, respectively, over kumbhāṇḍas in the south, nāgas in the west, gandharvas in the east, and yakṣas in the north.
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Caturmahārājakāyika
rgyal chen bzhi’i ris
རྒྱལ་ཆེན་བཞིའི་རིས།
Caturmahārājakāyika
The lowest of the six god realms of the desire realm. See “Caturmahārāja.”
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Compassion
snying rje
སྙིང་རྗེ།
karuṇā
One of the abodes of Brahmā, the other being: loving kindness or love, equanimity, and joy.
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Completely peaceful
rab tu zhi ba dang ldan pa
རབ་ཏུ་ཞི་བ་དང་ལྡན་པ།
—
The name of an absorption.
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Concentration
bsam gtan
བསམ་གཏན།
dhyāna
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Conquering the entire retinue of Māra
bdud kyi dkyil ’khor thams cad rnam par ’joms pa
བདུད་ཀྱི་དཀྱིལ་འཁོར་ཐམས་ཅད་རྣམ་པར་འཇོམས་པ།
sarvamāramaṇḍalavidhvaṃsana
The name of an absorption.
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Conqueror of All Sorrow
mya ngan thams cad bcom pa
མྱ་ངན་ཐམས་ཅད་བཅོམ་པ།
—
A tathāgata in the southeastern buddhafield Sorrowless.
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Consciousness
rnam par shes pa · rnam shes
རྣམ་པར་ཤེས་པ། · རྣམ་ཤེས།
vijñāna
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Consecration
dbang bskur ba
དབང་བསྐུར་བ།
abhiṣekha
Also translated here as “empowerment.”
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Contamination
zag pa
ཟག་པ།
āsrava
contaminant
Also translated here as “defilement.” For the four contaminants, see 2.225.
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Correct exertions
yang dag spong ba · yang dag par spong ba
ཡང་དག་སྤོང་བ། · ཡང་དག་པར་སྤོང་བ།
samyakprahāṇa
The four correct exertions are (1) abandoning existing negative mental states, (2) abandoning the production of such states, (3) giving rise to virtuous states of mind that are not yet produced, (4) and letting those states continue.
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Countless Qualities Precious Courage
yon tan mtha’ yas rin chen spobs pa
ཡོན་ཏན་མཐའ་ཡས་རིན་ཆེན་སྤོབས་པ།
—
(1) A tathāgata in the buddhafield in the northern direction called Fully Adorned with Jewels. (2) A tathāgata in the buddhafield in the southern direction called Buddha Courage.
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Courage
spobs pa
སྤོབས་པ།
pratibhāna
Also translated here as “eloquence.”
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Crown protuberance
spyi gtsug
སྤྱི་གཙུག
uṣṇīṣa
crown
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Deep blue sapphire
mthon kha chen pos snying por gyur pa
མཐོན་ཁ་ཆེན་པོས་སྙིང་པོར་གྱུར་པ།
mahānīla
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Deer Park
ri dags kyi nags
རི་དགས་ཀྱི་ནགས།
Mṛgadāva
The forest, located outside of Vārāṇasī, where the Buddha first taught the Dharma.
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Defilement
zag pa
ཟག་པ།
āsrava
Also translated here as “contamination.”
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Deliverance
nges par ’byung ba · nges ’byung
ངེས་པར་འབྱུང་བ། · ངེས་འབྱུང་།
niḥsaraṇa
This term is also translated as ‘renunciation’ and denotes the practitioner’s mind turning away from the bonds of saṃsāra and towards liberation.
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Demonic deed
bdud kyi sug las · bdud kyi las
བདུད་ཀྱི་སུག་ལས། · བདུད་ཀྱི་ལས།
mārakarman
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Dependent arising
rten cing ’brel par ’byung ba
རྟེན་ཅིང་འབྲེལ་པར་འབྱུང་བ།
pratītyasamutpāda
dependently arisen
The relative nature of phenomena, which arises in dependence on causes and conditions. Together with the four noble truths, this was the first teaching given by the Buddha. See “twelve links of dependent arising.”
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Desire realm
’dod pa’i khams
འདོད་པའི་ཁམས།
kāmadhātu
One of the three realms of saṃsāra, characterized by the prevalence of sense desire.
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Deva
lha
ལྷ།
deva
See “gods.”
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Dhanuskari flower
d+ha nu ska ri
དྷ་ནུ་སྐ་རི།
—
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Dhāraṇī
gzungs
གཟུངས།
dhāraṇī
An incantation, spell, or mnemonic formula that distills essential points of the Dharma and is used by practitioners to attain mundane and supramundane goals. It also has the sense of “retention,” referring to the special capacity of practitioners to memorize and recall detailed teachings. Also translated here as “retention.”
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Dhāraṇīśvararāja
gzungs kyi dbang phyug gi rgyal po
གཟུངས་ཀྱི་དབང་ཕྱུག་གི་རྒྱལ་པོ།
Dhāraṇīśvararāja
The name of a Bodhisattva. The principal interlocutor of The Teaching on the Great Compassion of the Tathāgata, where he also gives a discourse of his own.
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Dharma and Vinaya
chos ’dul ba
ཆོས་འདུལ་བ།
dharmavinaya
An early term used to denote the Buddha’s teaching. “Dharma” refers to the sūtras and “Vinaya” to the rules of discipline.
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Dharma discourse
chos kyi rnam grangs
ཆོས་ཀྱི་རྣམ་གྲངས།
dharmaparyāya
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Dharmakāya
chos kyi sku
ཆོས་ཀྱི་སྐུ།
dharmakāya
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Dharmeśvararāja
chos kyi dbang phyug gi rgyal po
ཆོས་ཀྱི་དབང་ཕྱུག་གི་རྒྱལ་པོ།
Dharmeśvararāja
The name of a bodhisattva. One of the more prominent interlocutors in The Teaching on the Great Compassion of the Tathāgata, he is instrumental in instigating the Buddha’s discourse.
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Diligent
brtson ’grus · brtson pa
བརྩོན་འགྲུས། · བརྩོན་པ།
vīrya
diligently
Also translated here as “vigor.”
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Discriminating knowledge
so so yang dag par rig pa · so so yang dag rig
སོ་སོ་ཡང་དག་པར་རིག་པ། · སོ་སོ་ཡང་དག་རིག
pratisaṃvid
See “four types of discriminating knowledge.”
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Display of the emanation of the buddha domain exactly as it is
sangs rgyas kyi yul rnam par sprul pa ji lta ba bzhin du yang dag par ston pa
སངས་རྒྱས་ཀྱི་ཡུལ་རྣམ་པར་སྤྲུལ་པ་ཇི་ལྟ་བ་བཞིན་དུ་ཡང་དག་པར་སྟོན་པ།
—
The name of a tathāgata absorption.
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Display of the strength of bodhisattvas
chang chub sems dpa’i stobs nye bar ston pa
ཆང་ཆུབ་སེམས་དཔའི་སྟོབས་ཉེ་བར་སྟོན་པ།
—
The name of a light.
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Eight kinds of misdeeds
log pa brgyad
ལོག་པ་བརྒྱད།
aṣṭamithyātva
These consist of the opposites of the eight branches of the eightfold path: wrong view, intention, speech, action, livelihood, effort, mindfulness, and absorption.
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Eight liberations
rnam par thar pa brgyad
རྣམ་པར་ཐར་པ་བརྒྱད།
aṣṭavimokṣa
The first three liberations occur within the form realm: (1) liberation of the embodied looking at form (gzugs can gzugs la blta ba’i rnam thar), (2) liberation of the formless looking at a form (gzugs med gzugs la blta ba’i rnam thar), and (3) liberation through beautiful form (sdug pa’i rnam par thar pa); and the latter five occur within the formless realm: (4) liberation of infinite space (nam mkha’ mtha’ yas kyi rnam thar), (5) liberation of infinite consciousness (rnam shes mtha’ yas kyi rnam thar), (6) liberation of nothingness (ci yang med pa’i rnam thar), (7) liberation of the peak of existence (srid rtsi’i rnam thar), and (8) liberation of cessation (’gog pa’i rnam thar).
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Eightfold path
yan lag brgyad pa’i lam
ཡན་ལག་བརྒྱད་པའི་ལམ།
aṣṭāṅgamārga
The path leading to the attainment of an arhat, consisting of correct view, intention, speech, action, livelihood, effort, mindfulness, and absorption.
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Elements
khams
ཁམས།
dhātu
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 tactile sensation, mind and mental objects, to which the six consciousnesses are added).
Also refers to the “four elements.”
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Eloquence
spobs pa
སྤོབས་པ།
pratibhāna
Also translated here as “courage.”
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Eloquence in Language via Insight
shes rab kyis rnam par nges pa’i tshig la spobs pa
ཤེས་རབ་ཀྱིས་རྣམ་པར་ངེས་པའི་ཚིག་ལ་སྤོབས་པ།
—
The name of a bodhisattva mahāsattva.
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Empowerment
dbang bskur ba
དབང་བསྐུར་བ།
—
empowers, empowered
Also translated here as “consecration.”
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Emptiness
stong pa nyid
སྟོང་པ་ཉིད།
śūnyatā
In this text, refers to one of the three gates of liberation.
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Endowed with the Vast Display of the Precious Merits of Endless Qualities
yon tan mtha’ yas pa’i rin po che’i bsod nams bkod pas rgya che ba dang ldan pa
ཡོན་ཏན་མཐའ་ཡས་པའི་རིན་པོ་ཆེའི་བསོད་ནམས་བཀོད་པས་རྒྱ་ཆེ་བ་དང་ལྡན་པ།
—
A buddhafield in the eastern direction where the Tathāgata Immaculate Pure Precious Light, Sovereign of the Uninterrupted Luminous Display of Dharma Endowed with the Factors of Awakening resides.
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Endurance
mi mjed
མི་མཇེད།
Sahā
The name of our world system.
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Entering ascertainment by discriminating knowledge
so so yang dag par rig pa rnam par nges pa la ’jug pa
སོ་སོ་ཡང་དག་པར་རིག་པ་རྣམ་པར་ངེས་པ་ལ་འཇུག་པ།
—
The name of a dhāraṇī.
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Entering the gate of nonattachment
chags pa med pa’i sgo ’jug pa
ཆགས་པ་མེད་པའི་སྒོ་འཇུག་པ།
—
The name of a dhāraṇī.
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Equanimity
btang snyoms
བཏང་སྙོམས།
upekṣā
One of the factors of awakening and one of the abodes of Brahmā, the other being: loving kindness or love, joy, and compassion.
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Essential nature
ngo bo nyid
ངོ་བོ་ཉིད།
svabhāva
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Etymology
nges pa’i tshig · nges tshig
ངེས་པའི་ཚིག · ངེས་ཚིག
nirukta
etymologies
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Evil destinies
ngan ’gro
ངན་འགྲོ།
durgati
The three lower realms of animals, pretas, and hell beings. Also translated as “sad destinies” and “miserable destinies.”
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Factors of awakening
byang chub yan lag · byang chub kyi yan lag
བྱང་ཆུབ་ཡན་ལག · བྱང་ཆུབ་ཀྱི་ཡན་ལག
bodhyaṅga
The seven factors of awakening are listed in The Teaching on the Great Compassion of the Tathāgata as correct mindfulness, correct investigation of phenomena, correct vigor, correct joy, correct serenity, correct meditative absorption, and correct equanimity.
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Faculties
dbang po
དབང་པོ།
indriya
faculty
Most commonly refers to the cognitive faculties: the five senses plus the mental faculty. Also used here to refer to various faculties in a more general sense. See also the “five spiritual faculties.”
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Faith
dad pa
དད་པ།
śraddhā
One of the factors of awakening. It is also included in the lists of the five spiritual faculties, the five strengths, and the seven riches.
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Fearless eloquence
mi ’jigs pas spobs pa
མི་འཇིགས་པས་སྤོབས་པ།
—
The name of a light.
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Fearlessness
mi ’jigs pa
མི་འཇིགས་པ།
vaiśāradya · abhaya
See “four types of fearlessness.”
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Feeling
tshor ba
ཚོར་བ།
vedanā
One of the five aggregates and the seventh of the twelve links of dependent arising.
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Field
zhing
ཞིང་།
kṣetra
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Filigree
dra ba
དྲ་བ།
jāla
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Five obstructions
sgrib pa lnga
སྒྲིབ་པ་ལྔ།
pañcanivaraṇa
Five impediments to meditation: sense desire (’dod pa la ’dun pa, kāmacchanda), ill will (gnod sems, vyāpāda), drowsiness and torpor (rmugs pa dang gnyid, styānamiddha), agitation and guilt (rgod pa dang ’gyod pa, auddhatyakaukṛtya), and doubt (the tshom, vicikitsā).
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Five spiritual faculties
dbang po lnga
དབང་པོ་ལྔ།
pañcendriya
spiritual faculties
Faith, vigor, mindfulness, absorption, and insight.
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Five states of existence
lnga’i ’gro ba
ལྔའི་འགྲོ་བ།
pañcagati
A shorter form of the six classes of beings, these are (1) hell beings, (2) pretas, (3) animals, (4) human beings, and (5) gods. The fifth category is divided into gods and asuras when six realms are enumerated.
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Five strengths
stobs lnga
སྟོབས་ལྔ།
pañcabala
Faith, vigor, mindfulness, absorption, and insight. Although the same as the five spiritual faculties, they are stronger in terms of not being shaken by adverse conditions.
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Form realm
gzugs kyi khams
གཟུགས་ཀྱི་ཁམས།
rūpadhātu
One of the three realms of saṃsāra, characterized by subtle materiality and the lack of coarse desire as in the desire realm.
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Formations
’du byed
འདུ་བྱེད།
saṃskāra
As one of the five aggregates and the second of the twelve links of dependent arising, these are complex propensities that bring about actions. This term may also refer to composite objects or conditioned things in the generic sense.
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Formless realm
gzugs med pa’i khams
གཟུགས་མེད་པའི་ཁམས།
ārūpyadhātu · arūpadhātu
formlessness
One of the three realms of saṃsāra, characterized by having only subtle mental form.
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Four concentrations
bsam gtan bzhi
བསམ་གཏན་བཞི།
caturdhyāna
The four levels of concentration related to the form realm.
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Four continents
gling bzhi pa
གླིང་བཞི་པ།
caturdvipaka
The four continents surrounding Mount Meru that make up a world system.
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Four elements
khams rnam pa bzhi po
ཁམས་རྣམ་པ་བཞི་པོ།
caturdhātu
elements
Earth, water, fire, and wind. Also called “four great elements.”
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Four great elements
’byung po chen po bzhi
འབྱུང་པོ་ཆེན་པོ་བཞི།
caturmahābhūta
great elements
Earth, water, fire, and wind. Also called “four elements.”
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Four māras
bdud bzhi
བདུད་བཞི།
—
The deities ruled over by Māra are also symbolic of the defects within a person that prevent awakening. These four personifications are (1) devaputramāra (lha’i bu’i bdud), the divine māra, which is the distraction of pleasures, (2) mṛtyumāra (’chi bdag gi bdud), the māra of the Lord of Death, (3) skandhamāra (phung po’i bdud), the māra of the aggregates, which is the body, and (4) kleśamāra (nyon mongs pa’i bdud), the māra of the afflictive emotions.
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Four noble truths
bden pa bzhi
བདེན་པ་བཞི།
—
The Buddha’s first teaching, which explains suffering, the origin of suffering, the cessation of suffering, and the path to the cessation of suffering.
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Four types of discriminating knowledge
so so yang dag par rig pa bzhi
སོ་སོ་ཡང་དག་པར་རིག་པ་བཞི།
catuḥpratisaṃvid
Knowledge of phenomena, meaning, etymologies, and eloquence.
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Four types of fearlessness
mi ’jigs pa bzhi
མི་འཇིགས་པ་བཞི།
caturvaiśāradya · caturabhaya
Fearlessness in declaring that one has (1) awakened, (2) ceased all illusions, (3) taught the obstacles to awakening, and (4) shown the way to liberation.
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Fragrance array
dri bkod pa
དྲི་བཀོད་པ།
—
The name of an absorption.
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Fragrant
dri ldan
དྲི་ལྡན།
—
The name of a world realm.
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Free of Darkness
mun pa dang bral ba
མུན་པ་དང་བྲལ་བ།
—
A buddhafield in the northwestern direction of the Tathāgata Sovereign Light Display.
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Full retention
kun tu ’dzin pa
ཀུན་ཏུ་འཛིན་པ།
āgraha
fully retains
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Fully Adorned with Jewels
rin po che thams cad kyis spras pa
རིན་པོ་ཆེ་ཐམས་ཅད་ཀྱིས་སྤྲས་པ།
—
A buddhafield in the northern direction of the Tathāgata Countless Qualities Precious Courage.
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Gandharva
dri za
དྲི་ཟ།
gandharva
Gandharvas, literally “smell eaters,” are a class of spirits sometimes described as “celestial musicians.”
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Ganges
gang gA
གང་གཱ།
Gaṅgā
The sacred river of North India.
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Garuḍa
nam mkha’ lding
ནམ་མཁའ་ལྡིང་།
garuḍa
Lower class of divine beings described as eagle-like birds with gigantic wingspans. They are traditionally enemies of the nāgas. In the Vedas, they are said to have brought nectar from the heavens to earth.
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Gathering of Stable and Immeasurable Merit and Insight
bsod nams dang ye shes kyi tshogs dpag tu med pas brtan pas bsags pa
བསོད་ནམས་དང་ཡེ་ཤེས་ཀྱི་ཚོགས་དཔག་ཏུ་མེད་པས་བརྟན་པས་བསགས་པ།
—
A bodhisattva mahāsattva present in the Buddha’s assembly.
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Gazing at All Beings with Great Compassion
thugs rje chen pos sems can thams cad la gzigs pa
ཐུགས་རྗེ་ཆེན་པོས་སེམས་ཅན་ཐམས་ཅད་ལ་གཟིགས་པ།
—
A tathāgata in the southwestern buddhafield Virtuous Eye.
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Glorious Light
’od dpal
འོད་དཔལ།
—
A bodhisattva of the past world Stainless who received a dhāraṇī from the Tathāgata Stainless Illumination. A past incarnation of the bodhisattva Dhāraṇīśvararāja.
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Glorious Secret
dpal sbas
དཔལ་སྦས།
—
A tathāgata of the past world Virtuous Occurrence.
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Glory of Precious Blue Lotus
rin chen ud pa la’i dpal
རིན་ཆེན་ཨུད་པ་ལའི་དཔལ།
—
The name of a tathāgata in the world realm Appearance of the Sovereign of Water.
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Glory of the Precious Red Lotus
rin chen ut+pa la dmar po’i dpal
རིན་ཆེན་ཨུཏྤ་ལ་དམར་པོའི་དཔལ།
—
The tathāgata of the buddhafield, located at the nadir, called Appearing as Illumination.
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God
lha
ལྷ།
deva
One of the five or six classes of sentient beings, specifically influenced by exaltation, frivolousness, and pride. According to Buddhist cosmology, the gods live in many divine realms within the desire realm, the form realm, and the formless realm.. Also rendered here as “devas.”
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Good Eon
bskal pa bzang po
བསྐལ་པ་བཟང་པོ།
bhadrakalpa
The name of our present eon.
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Great superknowledge
mngon par shes pa chen po
མངོན་པར་ཤེས་པ་ཆེན་པོ།
mahābhijña
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Guhyaka
gsang ba pa
གསང་བ་པ།
guhyaka
A class of devas that, like the yakṣas, are ruled over by Kubera, but are also said to be his most trusted helpers. It is said that they protect his hidden treasures and live in mountain caves.
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Illuminated
snang ba dang ldan pa
སྣང་བ་དང་ལྡན་པ།
—
A buddhafield in the western direction of the Tathāgata Illuminator.
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Illuminating
rnam par snang byed
རྣམ་པར་སྣང་བྱེད།
—
The name of an eon.
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Illuminator
kun nas snang ba
ཀུན་ནས་སྣང་བ།
—
(1) Name of tathāgata in the western buddhafield Illuminated. (2) A bodhisattva in the southeastern buddhafield Sorrowless.
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Immaculate Center of the Sky
nam mkha’i dkyil dri ma med pa rnam par sems pa
ནམ་མཁའི་དཀྱིལ་དྲི་མ་མེད་པ་རྣམ་པར་སེམས་པ།
—
The tathāgata of the northeastern buddhafield Pure Immaculate Dwelling.
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Immaculate Limitless Intelligence
blo mtha’ yas dri med
བློ་མཐའ་ཡས་དྲི་མེད།
—
A bodhisattva in the northeastern buddhafield Pure Immaculate Dwelling.
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Immaculate Pure Precious Light, Sovereign of the Uninterrupted Luminous Display of Dharma Endowed with the Factors of Awakening
dri med rnam dag rin chen ’od byang chub kyi yan lag dang ldan pa’ chos rgyun mi ’chad pa’i ’od zer bkod pa’i rgyal po
དྲི་མེད་རྣམ་དག་རིན་ཆེན་འོད་བྱང་ཆུབ་ཀྱི་ཡན་ལག་དང་ལྡན་པའ་ཆོས་རྒྱུན་མི་འཆད་པའི་འོད་ཟེར་བཀོད་པའི་རྒྱལ་པོ།
—
A tathāgata in the eastern buddhafield Endowed with the Vast Display of the Precious Merits of Endless Qualities.
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Immeasurables
tshad med
ཚད་མེད།
pramāṇa
The four immeasurables, also known as the “abodes of Brahmā”: loving kindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity.
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Indefatigable by seeing with great compassion
thugs rje chen po la lta bas yongs su mi skyo ba
ཐུགས་རྗེ་ཆེན་པོ་ལ་ལྟ་བས་ཡོངས་སུ་མི་སྐྱོ་བ།
—
The name of an absorption.
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Indra
dbang po
དབང་པོ།
Indra
King of the gods of Trāyastriṃśa, usually referred to by the name “Śakra.”
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Inexhaustible basket
mi zad pa’i za ma tog
མི་ཟད་པའི་ཟ་མ་ཏོག
—
The name of a dhāraṇī.
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Insight
shes rab
ཤེས་རབ།
prajñā
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Intelligence
blo gros
བློ་གྲོས།
mati
Also translated as “understanding.”
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Intelligence in Conduct Stemming from the Tathāgata Lineage
de bzhin gshegs pa’i rigs las byung ba’i spyod pa’i blo gros
དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པའི་རིགས་ལས་བྱུང་བའི་སྤྱོད་པའི་བློ་གྲོས།
—
A bodhisattva mahāsattva present in the Buddha’s assembly.
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Investigation of phenomena
chos rnam par ’byed pa · chos rab tu ’byed pa
ཆོས་རྣམ་པར་འབྱེད་པ། · ཆོས་རབ་ཏུ་འབྱེད་པ།
dharmapravicaya
One of the factors of awakening.
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Jambu River
’dzam bu chu bo
འཛམ་བུ་ཆུ་བོ།
Jambunadī
A divine river.
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Jambudvīpa
’dzam bu’i gling
འཛམ་བུའི་གླིང་།
Jambudvīpa
The southern continent, one of the four continents surrounding Mount Meru.
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Jewel lamp
rin chen sgron ma
རིན་ཆེན་སྒྲོན་མ།
ratnadīpa
The name of a dhāraṇī.
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Jeweled Array
rin po che bkod pa
རིན་པོ་ཆེ་བཀོད་པ།
—
The name of a pavilion emanated by the Buddha.
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Jīvañjīvaka
shang shang · shang shang te’u
ཤང་ཤང་། · ཤང་ཤང་ཏེའུ།
jīvañjīvaka
A mythical two-headed bird that is said to live in the snowy mountains. It is described in Buddhist texts as having a melodious song and is depicted in Buddhist art as resembling a pheasant.
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Joy
dga’ ba
དགའ་བ།
prīti
One of the factors of awakening and one of the abodes of Brahmā, the other being: loving kindness or love, equanimity, and compassion.
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Kalaviṅka
ka la ping ka
ཀ་ལ་པིང་ཀ
kalaviṅka
In Buddhist literature refers to a mythical bird with the head of a human and the body of a bird. The kalaviṅka’s call is said to be far more beautiful than that of all other birds, and so compelling that it can be heard even before the bird has hatched. The call of the kalaviṅka is thus used as an analogy to describe the voice of the Buddha.
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Kanakamuni
gser thub
གསེར་ཐུབ།
Kanakamuni
Name of a former buddha usually counted as the second of the first four buddhas of the present Good Eon, the other three being Krakucchanda, Kāśyapa, and Śākyamuni.
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Kāśyapa
’od srung
འོད་སྲུང་།
Kāśyapa
Name of a former buddha usually counted as the third of the first four buddhas of the present Good Eon, the other three being Krakucchanda, Kanakamuni, and Śākyamuni.
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Kauṇḍinya
kauN+Di n+ya
ཀཽཎྜི་ནྱ།
Kauṇḍinya
An arhat and disciple the Buddha Śākyamuni. He is counted among the five wandering mendicants (parivrājaka) who initially ridiculed the Buddha’s austerities but later, after the Buddha’s awakening, became one of his first disciples and received his first discourse at Deer Park.
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Kiṃnara
mi’am ci
མིའམ་ཅི།
kiṃnara
A class of semidivine beings that resemble humans to the degree that their very name—which means “Is that a man?”—suggests some confusion as to their divine status. Kiṃnaras are mythological beings found in both Buddhist and Hindu literature, where they are portrayed as creatures half human and half animal (horse or bird). They are also usually depicted as highly skilled celestial musicians.
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Krakucchanda
’khor ba ’jig
འཁོར་བ་འཇིག
Krakucchanda
Name of a former buddha usually counted as the first of the first four buddhas of the present Good Eon, the other three being Kanakamuni, Kāśyapa, and Śākyamuni.
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Leadership
khyu mchog tu gyur pa
ཁྱུ་མཆོག་ཏུ་གྱུར་པ།
arṣabha
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Liberation
rnam par grol ba · rnam par thar pa
རྣམ་པར་གྲོལ་བ། · རྣམ་པར་ཐར་པ།
vimokṣa
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Light array
’od bkod pa
འོད་བཀོད་པ།
—
The name of an absorption.
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Light-Web Bearer
’od zer dra ba can
འོད་ཟེར་དྲ་བ་ཅན།
—
A bodhisattva in the northwestern buddhafield Free of Darkness.
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Limit of reality
yang dag pa’i mtha’ · mtha’ ma
ཡང་དག་པའི་མཐའ། · མཐའ་མ།
bhūtakoṭi
This term has three meanings: (1) a synonym for the ultimate nature, (2) the experience of the ultimate nature, and (3) the quiescent state of an arhat to be avoided by bodhisattvas.
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Limitless enfoldment
’khyil pa mtha’ yas
འཁྱིལ་པ་མཐའ་ཡས།
—
The name of a dhāraṇī.
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Limitless inspiring praise
bskul bar bsngags pa mtha’ yas
བསྐུལ་བར་བསྔགས་པ་མཐའ་ཡས།
—
The name of a seat.
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Loosely organized
snrel zhi
སྣྲེལ་ཞི།
vyatyasta
Lit. “topsy-turvy”; in a mixed order. Also translated here as “nonsequential” and “perverted.”
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Lotus array
pad ma bkod pa
པད་མ་བཀོད་པ།
—
The name of a dhāraṇī.
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Lotus array
pad+ma bkod pa
པདྨ་བཀོད་པ།
—
The name of an absorption.
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Loving kindness
byams pa
བྱམས་པ།
maitrī
Also rendered as love. One of the abodes of Brahmā, the other being: joy, equanimity, and compassion.
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Luminosity
’od gsal
འོད་གསལ།
prabhāsvara
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Magical Display of Māra
bdud rnam par ’phrul pa
བདུད་རྣམ་པར་འཕྲུལ་པ།
—
A being in the Buddha’s assembly.
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Mahābrahmā
tshangs chen
ཚངས་ཆེན།
Mahābrahmā
Third god realm of form, meaning “Great Brahmā,” it is the highest of the three realms of the first dhyāna heaven in the form realms.
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Mahākāśyapa
’od srung chen po
འོད་སྲུང་ཆེན་པོ།
Mahākāśyapa
One of the Buddha’s principal disciples, he became the Buddha’s successor on his passing.
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Mahāparinirvāṇa
yongs su mya ngan las ’das pa chen po
ཡོངས་སུ་མྱ་ངན་ལས་འདས་པ་ཆེན་པོ།
mahāparinirvāṇa
Synonym of “parinirvāṇa.”
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Mahāprabha
’od chen
འོད་ཆེན།
Mahāprabha
One of the form realms.
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Mahoraga
lto ’phye chen po
ལྟོ་འཕྱེ་ཆེན་པོ།
mahoraga
Literally “large serpent.” A subterranean semidivine being that take the form of a large serpent, sometimes with a human torso and head.
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Maitreya
byams pa
བྱམས་པ།
Maitreya
The bodhisattva of loving kindness and a future tathāgata, prophesied to be the fifth buddha of the Good Eon.
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Major marks
mtshan
མཚན།
lakṣaṇa
marks
Listed as thirty-two marks on the body of a buddha.
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Māra
bdud
བདུད།
Māra
(1) The demon who assailed Śākyamuni prior to his awakening. (2) The deities ruled over by Māra who do not wish any beings to escape from saṃsāra. (3) Any demonic force, the personification of conceptual and emotional obstacles. They are also symbolic of the defects within a person that prevent awakening. See also “four māras.”
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Mārapramardaka
bdud rab tu ’joms pa
བདུད་རབ་ཏུ་འཇོམས་པ།
Mārapramardaka
A bodhisattva.
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Māraputra
bdud kyi bu
བདུད་ཀྱི་བུ།
Māraputra
Lit. “Son of Māra.”
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Means of attraction
bsdu ba
བསྡུ་བ།
saṃgraha
The means of attracting disciples: generosity, pleasant speech, beneficial conduct, and conduct that accords with the wishes of disciples.
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Meditative equipoise
mnyam par gzhag pa · mnyam par bzhag pa
མཉམ་པར་གཞག་པ། · མཉམ་པར་བཞག་པ།
samāhita
equipoise
resting in equipoise
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Mind of Great Compassion
snying rje chen po sems pa
སྙིང་རྗེ་ཆེན་པོ་སེམས་པ།
—
A bodhisattva in the southwestern buddhafield Virtuous Eye.
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Mindfulness
dran pa
དྲན་པ།
smṛti
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Minor signs
dpe byad
དཔེ་བྱད།
vyañjana
signs
Listed as eighty minor signs on the body of a buddha.
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Miraculous display
cho ’phrul
ཆོ་འཕྲུལ།
prātihārya
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Miraculous power
rdzu ’phrul
རྫུ་འཕྲུལ།
ṛddhi
miracle
See “bases of miraculous power.”
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Miserable destinies
—
—
See “evil destinies.”
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Miserable states of mind
kun nas mnar sems
ཀུན་ནས་མནར་སེམས།
āghātavastu
These are listed as nine: thinking that one’s enemy has harmed, is harming, or will harm oneself; thinking that one’s enemy has harmed, is harming, or will harm one’s friend; and thinking that someone has helped, is helping, or will help one’s enemy.
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Morality
tshul khrims
ཚུལ་ཁྲིམས།
śīla
moral conduct
Morally virtuous or disciplined conduct and the abandonment of morally undisciplined conduct of body, speech, and mind. One of the six perfections of the bodhisattva. Also often rendered as “ethics,” “discipline,” and so on.
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Most Fragrant
dri mchog
དྲི་མཆོག
—
The name of an eon in the past.
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Mount Meru
ri bo lhun po
རི་བོ་ལྷུན་པོ།
Meru
Meru
The mountain at the center of a world system and surrounded by the four continents.
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Nāga
klu
ཀླུ།
nāga
A semidivine class of beings who live in subterranean aquatic environments and who are known to hoard wealth and esoteric teachings. They are associated with snakes and serpents.
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Nectar
bdud rtsi
བདུད་རྩི།
amṛta
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Nirmāṇarati
’phrul dga’
འཕྲུལ་དགའ།
Nirmāṇarati
The second highest of the six god realms of the desire realm, meaning “Enjoying Emanations.” Its inhabitants magically create the objects of their own enjoyment.
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Nirvāṇa
mya ngan las ’das pa
མྱ་ངན་ལས་འདས་པ།
nirvāṇa
The ultimate cessation of suffering.
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Noble lineage
’phags pa’i rigs
འཕགས་པའི་རིགས།
aryagotra
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Non-Buddhist
mu stegs pa
མུ་སྟེགས་པ།
tīrthika
Religious or philosophical orders that were contemporary with the early Buddhist order, including Jains, Jaṭilas, Ājīvikas, and Cārvākas.
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Non-returner
phyir mi ’ong ba
ཕྱིར་མི་འོང་བ།
anāgāmin
One who has achieved the third of the four levels of attainment on the śrāvaka path and who will no longer be reborn in saṃsāra.
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Nonsequential
snrel zhi · thod rgal
སྣྲེལ་ཞི། · ཐོད་རྒལ།
vyutkrāntakasamāpatti · vyatyasta
Lit. “topsy-turvy”; in a mixed order. Also translated here as “loosely organized” and “perverted.” See note 24.
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Ocean mudrā
rgya mtsho’i phyag rgya
རྒྱ་མཚོའི་ཕྱག་རྒྱ།
sāgaramudrā
The name of an absorption and the name of a dhāraṇī.
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Ocean of Supreme Intelligence
blo mchog rgya mtsho
བློ་མཆོག་རྒྱ་མཚོ།
—
A bodhisattva in the northern buddhafield Fully Adorned with Jewels.
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Once-returner
lan cig phyir ’ong ba
ལན་ཅིག་ཕྱིར་འོང་བ།
sakṛdāgāmin
One who has achieved the second of the four levels of attainment on the śrāvaka path and who will attain liberation after only one more birth.
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Ornamental Display of Courage
spobs pa’i rgyan bkod pa
སྤོབས་པའི་རྒྱན་བཀོད་པ།
—
A bodhisattva in the buddhafield at the nadir called Appearing as Illumination.
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Pāpīyān
sdig can
སྡིག་ཅན།
Pāpīyān
The name of a demon said to reside in Paranirmitavaśavartin.
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Paranirmitavaśavartin
gzhan ’phrul dbang byed
གཞན་འཕྲུལ་དབང་བྱེད།
Paranirmitavaśavartin
The highest of the six god realms of the desire realm.
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Parinirvāṇa
yongs su mya ngan las ’das pa · yongs su mya ngan las ’da’ ba
ཡོངས་སུ་མྱ་ངན་ལས་འདས་པ། · ཡོངས་སུ་མྱ་ངན་ལས་འདའ་བ།
parinirvāṇa
The final stage of passing into nirvāṇa, which occurs when an arhat or a buddha passes away.
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Pariṣaka flower
pa ri Sha ka
པ་རི་ཥ་ཀ
—
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Parīttābha
’od chung
འོད་ཆུང་།
Parīttābha
Fourth god realm of form, meaning “Lesser Light,” it is the lowest of the three heavens that make up the second dhyāna heaven in the form realm.
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Parīttaśubha
dge chung
དགེ་ཆུང་།
Parīttaśubha
Seventh god realm of form, meaning “Lesser Virtue,” it is the lowest of the three heavens that make up the third dhyāna heaven in the form realm.
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Pavilion
’khor gyi khyam
འཁོར་གྱི་ཁྱམ།
maṇḍalamāḍa
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Peace
zhi ba
ཞི་བ།
śānti
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Peak of existence
rtse mo
རྩེ་མོ།
bhavāgra
The highest possible state in saṃsāra, it refers to the highest sphere of the formless realm, the Sphere of neither Perception nor Nonperception.
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Perception
’du shes
འདུ་ཤེས།
saṃjñā
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Perfect knowledge
yang dag pa’i shes pa
ཡང་དག་པའི་ཤེས་པ།
samyagjñāna
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Personalism
’jig tshogs
འཇིག་ཚོགས།
satkāya
See “personalistic view.”
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Personalistic view
’jig tshogs la lta ba
འཇིག་ཚོགས་ལ་ལྟ་བ།
satkāyadṛṣṭi
personalistic false view
View that posits true reality in a person by taking one or more of the five aggregates to consist in a single, lasting, and autonomously existing entity (self). Also known as the view of the transitory collection.
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Perverted
snrel zhi
སྣྲེལ་ཞི།
vyatyasta
Also translated here as “nonsequential” and “loosely organized.”
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Phenomenon
chos
ཆོས།
dharma
Also translated as “righteousness” and “Dharma” (see entry for “Dharma and Vinaya”).
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Phoneme
tshig ’bru
ཚིག་འབྲུ།
akṣara
This term refers to the vowels and consonants that make up written or spoken language.
Also translated here as “syllable.”
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Pollution
nyon mongs
ཉོན་མོངས།
kleśa
Also translated here as “afflictive emotion.”
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Prajñākūṭa
shes rab brtsegs
ཤེས་རབ་བརྩེགས།
Prajñākūṭa
“Heap of Insight.” A bodhisattva present in the Buddha’s assembly.
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Pramodita
rab dga’ ldan
རབ་དགའ་ལྡན།
Pramodita
King of the gods of Tuṣita.
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Prasīmā
mtshams rab
མཚམས་རབ།
Prasīmā
The name of a god.
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Pratibhānapratisaṃvid
so so yang dag par rig pa la spobs pa
སོ་སོ་ཡང་དག་པར་རིག་པ་ལ་སྤོབས་པ།
Pratibhānapratisaṃvid
A bodhisattva in the Buddha’s assembly.
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Pratyekabuddha
rang sangs rgyas · rang rgyal
རང་སངས་རྒྱས། · རང་རྒྱལ།
pratyekabuddha
Someone who has attained liberation entirely through their own contemplation as a result of progress in previous lives but, unlike a buddha, does not have the accumulated merit and motivation to teach others.
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Preta
yi dwags
ཡི་དྭགས།
preta
A class of beings who, in the Buddhist tradition, are particularly known to suffer from hunger and thirst and the inability to acquire sustenance.
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Propensity
dbang po
དབང་པོ།
indriya
Also translated as “faculty.”
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Puṇyaprasava
bsod nams skyes
བསོད་ནམས་སྐྱེས།
Puṇyaprasava
Eleventh god realm of the form realm, meaning “Increasing Merit,” it is the second of the three heavens that make up the fourth dhyāna heaven in the form realm.
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Pure abodes
gnas gtsang ma
གནས་གཙང་མ།
Śuddhāvāsa
The name given to the five highest levels of existence within the form realm.
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Pure Immaculate Dwelling
yongs dag dri ma med par rab tu gnas pa
ཡོངས་དག་དྲི་མ་མེད་པར་རབ་ཏུ་གནས་པ།
—
A buddhafield in the northeastern direction, where the Tathāgata Immaculate Center of the Sky resides.
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Pure melody
sgra dbyangs rnam par dag pa
སྒྲ་དབྱངས་རྣམ་པར་དག་པ།
—
The name of a dhāraṇī.
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Puṣpaśrīgarbhasarvadharmavaśavartin
me tog dpal gyi snying po chos thams cad la dbang sgyur ba
མེ་ཏོག་དཔལ་གྱི་སྙིང་པོ་ཆོས་ཐམས་ཅད་ལ་དབང་སྒྱུར་བ།
Puṣpaśrīgarbhasarvadharmavaśavartin
Name of a bodhisattva in the eastern buddhafield Endowed with the Vast Display of the Precious Merits of Endless Qualities.
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Rājagṛha
rgyal po’i khab
རྒྱལ་པོའི་ཁབ།
Rājagṛha
Now known as Rajgir and located in the modern Indian state of Bihar, Rājagṛha was the capital of the kingdom of Magadha during the Buddha’s lifetime.
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Rare and precious sandalwood
tsan dan dus kyi rjes su ’brang ba’i dri
ཙན་དན་དུས་ཀྱི་རྗེས་སུ་འབྲང་བའི་དྲི།
kālānusāricandana
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Ratnayaṣṭi
rin chen srog zhing
རིན་ཆེན་སྲོག་ཞིང་།
Ratnayaṣṭi
A bodhisattva in the southern buddhafield Buddha Courage.
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Realm of Brahmā
—
—
See “Brahmā realm.”
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Realm of phenomena
chos kyi dbyings
ཆོས་ཀྱི་དབྱིངས།
dharmadhātu
A synonym for emptiness, the ultimate reality, or the ultimate nature of things. This term is interpreted variously due to the many different meanings of dharma as element, phenomena, reality, truth, and/or the teaching.
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Recollect
rjes su dran pa
རྗེས་སུ་དྲན་པ།
anusmṛti
recollecting
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Retention
gzungs
གཟུངས།
dhāraṇī
Also translated as “dhāraṇī.”
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Righteousness
chos
ཆོས།
dharma
Also translated as “phenomena” and “Dharma” (see entry for “Dharma and Vinaya”).
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Roca flower
s+tha la
སྠ་ལ།
roca
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Rṣipatana
drang srong lhung ba
དྲང་སྲོང་ལྷུང་བ།
Rṣipatana
The site near Vārāṇasī where the Buddha first turned the wheel of Dharma.
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Sad destinies
—
—
See “evil destinies.”
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Sage
drang srong
དྲང་སྲོང་།
ṛṣi
sages
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Śakra
brgya byin
བརྒྱ་བྱིན།
Śakra
King of the gods of Trāyastriṃśa, another name for Indra.
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Śākyamuni
shAkya thub pa
ཤཱཀྱ་ཐུབ་པ།
Śākyamuni
An epithet for the historical Buddha, Siddhārtha Gautama: he was a muni (“capable one”) from the Śākya clan. Usually counted as the fourth of the first four buddhas of the present Good Eon, the other three being Krakucchanda, Kanakamuni, and Kāśyapa.
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Sandalwood Dwelling
tsan dan khyim
ཙན་དན་ཁྱིམ།
—
A tathāgata in the past eon Most Fragrant, of the world realm Fragrant.
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Saṅgha
dge ’dun
དགེ་འདུན།
saṅgha
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Seal
phyag rgya
ཕྱག་རྒྱ།
mudrā
mudrā
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Seat of awakening
byang chub kyi snying po
བྱང་ཆུབ་ཀྱི་སྙིང་པོ།
bodhimaṇḍa
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Selfless
bdag med
བདག་མེད།
nairātmya
devoid of a self
no self
selflessness
without a self
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Sense fields
skye mched
སྐྱེ་མཆེད།
āyatana
One way of describing experience and the world in terms of twelve (or six sets of) sense fields: eye and form, ear and sound, nose and odor, tongue and taste, body and touch, and mind and mental objects.
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Sequential
rjes su ’thun pa
རྗེས་སུ་འཐུན་པ།
anukāra
Also translated as “well-organized.”
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Serenity
shin tu sbyangs pa
ཤིན་ཏུ་སྦྱངས་པ།
—
One of the factors of awakening.
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Seven precious substances
rin po che sna bdun
རིན་པོ་ཆེ་སྣ་བདུན།
saptaratna
The list of seven precious materials varies. Sometimes they are gold, silver, turquoise, coral, pearl, emerald, and sapphire; or they may be ruby, sapphire, beryl, emerald, diamond, pearls, and coral.
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Seven riches
nor bdun
ནོར་བདུན།
saptadhana
The seven riches of noble beings: faith, morality, generosity, learning, modesty, humility, and insight.
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Signlessness
mtshan ma med pa
མཚན་མ་མེད་པ།
animitta
signless
One of the three gates of liberation.
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Śīlendrabodhi
shI len dra bo dhi
ཤཱི་ལེན་དྲ་བོ་དྷི།
Śīlendrabodhi
An Indian paṇḍita resident in Tibet during the late 8th and early 9th centuries.
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Siṃhaketu
seng ge’i tog
སེང་གེའི་ཏོག
Siṃhaketu
Lit. “Lion Crest.” The bodhisattva present in the Buddha’s assembly who requests a discourse from Dhāraṇīśvararāja.
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Six kinds of sense objects
yul drug
ཡུལ་དྲུག
—
The objects of the six senses include those of the five physical senses (visual forms, sounds, smells, tastes, and tactile sensations) plus the object of the mental faculty, mental phenomena (dharmas).
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Six recollections
rjes su dran pa drug
རྗེས་སུ་དྲན་པ་དྲུག
ṣaḍanusmṛti
Six things to keep in mind: the Buddha, the Dharma, the Saṅgha, generosity, morality, and the gods. See 2.38
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Smṛtibuddhi
dran pa’i blo
དྲན་པའི་བློ།
Smṛtibuddhi
A bodhisattva of the past world Virtuous Occurrence who answers the questions of the Tathāgata Glorious Secret. A past incarnation of the bodhisattva Prajñākūṭa.
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Sorrowless
mya ngan med pa
མྱ་ངན་མེད་པ།
—
A buddhafield in the southeastern direction of the Tathāgata Conqueror of All Sorrow.
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Sovereign Light Display
’od bkod pa’i rgyal po
འོད་བཀོད་པའི་རྒྱལ་པོ།
—
A tathāgata in the northwestern buddhafield Free of Darkness.
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Sovereign of Powerful Reverberating Sound
sgra bsrags pa’i stobs kyi rgyal po
སྒྲ་བསྲགས་པའི་སྟོབས་ཀྱི་རྒྱལ་པོ།
—
A bodhisattva in the western buddhafield Illuminated.
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Sovereign of Supreme Reverberating Sound
sgra bsgrags mchog gi rgyal po
སྒྲ་བསྒྲགས་མཆོག་གི་རྒྱལ་པོ།
—
A tathāgata of the buddhafield, at the zenith, called Adorned by Ornaments.
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Sovereign of the Magical Display of All Phenomena
chos thams cad rnam par ’phrul pa’i rgyal po
ཆོས་ཐམས་ཅད་རྣམ་པར་འཕྲུལ་པའི་རྒྱལ་པོ།
—
A bodhisattva.
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Sovereign Who Emanates All Phenomena
chos thams cad rnam par ’phrul pa’i rgyal po
ཆོས་ཐམས་ཅད་རྣམ་པར་འཕྲུལ་པའི་རྒྱལ་པོ།
—
A bodhisattva in the buddhafield, at the zenith, called Adorned by Ornaments.
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Special insight
lhag mthong
ལྷག་མཐོང་།
vipaśyanā
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Special intention
lhag pa’i sems
ལྷག་པའི་སེམས།
adhicitta
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Sphere of neither Perception nor Nonperception
’du shes med ’du shes med min skye mched
འདུ་ཤེས་མེད་འདུ་ཤེས་མེད་མིན་སྐྱེ་མཆེད།
Naivasaṃjñānāsaṃjñāyatanaṃ
Fourth of the four formless realms, also the name of the fourth of the four concentrations (dhyāna).
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Spiritual level
sa
ས།
bhūmi
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Śrāvaka
nyan thos
ཉན་ཐོས།
śrāvaka
Those disciples of the Buddha who aspire to attain the state of an arhat by seeking self-liberation. The term is usually defined as “one who hears the Dharma from the Buddha and makes it heard by others.”
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Stainless
dri ma med pa
དྲི་མ་མེད་པ།
—
(1) A past world where the Tathāgata Stainless Illumination recited a dhāraṇī to the bodhisattva Glorious Light. (2) The name of an eon in the past.
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Stainless cakra flower
’khor lo dri med
འཁོར་ལོ་དྲི་མེད།
—
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Stainless Illumination
dri ma med par snang ba
དྲི་མ་མེད་པར་སྣང་བ།
—
A tathāgata of the past world Stainless who recited a dhāraṇī for the bodhisattva Glorious Light.
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Stream enterer
rgyun du zhugs pa
རྒྱུན་དུ་ཞུགས་པ།
srotāpanna
A person who has entered the “stream” of practice that leads to nirvāṇa. The first of the four attainments of the śrāvaka path.