The Question of Kṣemaṅkara

Homage to all buddhas and bodhisattvas!

Thus did I hear at one time. The Blessed One was staying in the Nyagrodha Park of the Śākyas, near Kapilavastu in the Śākya country, together with a great saṅgha of five hundred monks. At that time a Śākya youth2 named Kṣemaṅkara set out from the city of Kapilavastu for Nyagrodha Park, where the Blessed One was staying. As soon as he arrived there, he touched his head to the feet of the Blessed One and sat down to one side.

With folded palms the Śākya youth Kṣemaṅkara bowed down to the Blessed One and asked him, “Blessed One, what attributes should bodhisattvas possess in order to progress irreversibly toward unsurpassed and perfect awakening, so that even with just a little effort they will obtain the thirty-two marks of a great being, proceed from buddha realm to buddha realm, pass away free from delusion, possess the five types of superknowledge as soon as they are born, discard all unfree states, obtain leisure and advantages, gain retention, possess unobstructed eloquence, [F.168.a] possess the quality of not regressing, gain interest in emptiness, always delight in going forth, and always delight in pure conduct, even when staying in a household?”

In answer to this question, the Blessed One replied to the young Śākya Kṣemaṅkara, “Noble son, you have asked the Thus-Gone One about this topic for the sake of benefiting and bringing happiness to a multitude of beings, out of love for the world, for the welfare of numerous people, and in order to benefit and bring happiness to gods and humans. Excellent, excellent! Therefore, noble son, listen carefully and keep the following in mind, as I shall now explain.

“Bodhisattvas who possess four attributes will attain the qualities you have described. What are those four attributes? Noble son, they are as follows: bodhisattvas who possess the strength of patience and practice patience (1) do not retaliate though others revile them, (2) do not strike back though others beat them, (3) do not quarrel though others quarrel with them, and (4) do not get angry though others are hostile to them. Noble son, bodhisattvas who possess those four attributes will progress irreversibly toward unsurpassed and perfect awakening and will obtain the perfect qualities you have described.”

When the Well-Gone One had said this, the Teacher also spoke these words:

“Noble son, bodhisattvas who possess four additional attributes will progress irreversibly toward unsurpassed and perfect awakening, and they will achieve the perfect qualities you have described. What are those four attributes? Noble son, they are (1) pursuing the Dharma, yearning for the Dharma, and rejoicing, delighting in, and being inspired by the Dharma, as well as holding the Dharma and teaching the Dharma; (2) renouncing women and not indulging in women; (3) rejoicing in benefactors, in their giving nature, and in their giving,6 as well as renouncing dullness and sleep; and (4) feeling inspired by emptiness and abiding in emptiness. Noble son, bodhisattvas who possess those four attributes will progress irreversibly toward unsurpassed and perfect awakening and they will achieve the qualities you have described.” [F.169.a]

When the Well-Gone One had said this, the Teacher also spoke these words:

Upon hearing these teachings, the Śākya youth Kṣemaṅkara felt satisfied, delighted, and thrilled. Feeling joyful and happy, he unfastened the ornaments on his body and scattered them before the Blessed One. Through the Blessed One’s power these ornaments now transformed into a mansion made of precious substances, hovering directly above the Blessed One’s crown. From that mansion emanated five hundred people decorated with all manner of ornaments, who scattered their own ornaments in the direction of the Blessed One. In addition, they aroused the mind set on unsurpassed and perfect awakening and said, “Blessed One, we are sharing our roots of virtue with all beings, and we dedicate them toward unsurpassed and perfect awakening.”

The Śākya youth Kṣemaṅkara also perceived these emanated people. Seeing them, the hairs on his body stood on end, so he asked the Blessed One, “Blessed One, where are these people from? Are they from the east, from the south, from the west, from the north, from below, or from above? [F.169.b] From which cardinal or intermediate direction did they come?”

“Noble son,” replied the Blessed One, “these people are from neither the east, south, west, or north; nor from below or above; nor are they from any cardinal or intermediate direction. They are not gods, they are not nāgas, they are not yakṣas, they are not gandharvas, they are not demigods, they are not garuḍas, they are not kinnaras, they are not mahoragas, they are not humans, and they are not non-humans‍—they do not abide in the earth element, they do not abide in the water element, they do not abide in the fire element, they do not abide in the wind element, and they do not abide in the space element. They have no form, no feeling, no perception, no formation, no thinking, no mind, no consciousness, no karma, no ripening of karma, no present world, no other world, no coming, no going, no dwelling, no death, and no birth. However, noble son, they are known as magical emanations. They are called groundless, they are called lifeless, they are called beingless, they are called personless, they are called characteristicless, they are called void, they are called empty, and they are called essenceless.

“Kṣemaṅkara, those noble sons and daughters who hold all phenomena to be like magical creations‍—who accept, understand, and have faith and confidence in them as such, and who are not led astray by others‍—such noble sons and daughters, Kṣemaṅkara, are called my children. They are known as my descendants, they are known to possess illumination, they are known to be illuminating, they are known to clear away darkness, they are known to abandon afflictions. They are known as teachers, they are known as fields of merit, they are known as worthy of veneration,8 they are known as mendicants, they are known as brahmins, they are known as learned, they are known as elephants, they are known as those who accept that phenomena are unborn, [F.170.a] they are known as bodhisattvas, they are known as great beings, they are known as having the quality of non-regressing, they are known as having the qualities of bodhisattvas, and they are known as having been prophesied.

“However, noble children who do not agree that all phenomena are like magical creations, and who do not accept this, do not engage with it, have no faith in it, and lack trust in it‍—who feel frightened and scared upon hearing about it and start to panic, turn away from it, and challenge it‍—such noble children are known as not being mendicants. They are known as not being brahmins, they are known as non-Buddhists, they are known as those who apprehend things, they are known as depraved, they are known as unwholesome companions, they are known as people to avoid, they are known as deceitful bodhisattvas, they are known as immoral bodhisattvas, they are known as fake bodhisattvas, they are known as worthless bodhisattvas, they are known as corrupted bodhisattvas, and they are known as savage bodhisattvas.”

At this point the evil Māra, feeling frustrated and unhappy, went to the location where the Blessed One was staying and asked, “Blessed One, by delivering this Dharma teaching, how many beings’ welfare are you accomplishing?”

“Evil one,” replied the Blessed One, “through the delivery of this Dharma teaching, eighty-four thousand deities in the realms of desire and form will attain the acceptance that phenomena are unborn. The minds of five hundred monks will become free of defilements with no further appropriation. Seventy-five nuns will also attain the acceptance that phenomena are unborn. The bodhisattva Kṣemaṅkara and five hundred other laymen will also attain the acceptance that phenomena are unborn. Twenty-five female lay practitioners will purify the eye of Dharma, making it free from dust and dirt with regard to all phenomena, and all of them will attain the acceptance that phenomena are unborn. [F.170.b] When passing away, all of them will be reborn in Sukhāvatī, the buddha realm of the thus-gone, worthy, perfect buddha Amitābha. Once born there, they will all jointly uphold the awakening of the buddhahood of9 infinite blessed buddhas. They will express it, teach it, and authentically expound it. In the future, after as many eons as there are grains of sand in the Ganges River, during the so-called Good Eon of this trichiliocosm, they will fully awaken to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood.”

The evil Māra felt frustrated and unhappy. With regret, he began to weep. As he was leaving, he said, “Blessed One, please do not deliver this Dharma teaching again!”

“Evil one, you should not speak like that!” replied the Blessed One. “And why not? Because the turning of the Dharma wheel of all the blessed buddhas is unimpeded.”

Then venerable Ānanda asked the Blessed One, “Blessed One, what is this Dharma teaching called, and how should it be identified?”

The Blessed One responded, “Ānanda, you may call this Dharma discourse The Bodhisattva’s Renunciation, or you should call it The Question of Kṣemaṅkara. Ānanda, I entrust you with this Dharma discourse. I entrust it to you in order that you retain it, read it aloud, explain it, and accurately teach it to others in great detail. Why? Ānanda, noble sons and noble daughters who have genuinely entered the Great Vehicle [F.171.a] might practice the five perfections without the perfection of insight for ten eons. Yet those noble sons and noble daughters who retain this Dharma discourse, hold it, read it aloud, understand it, accurately teach it to others in detail, or even make it into a book and carry it, will create much more merit.”

Then the Blessed One spoke these verses:

When the Blessed One had spoken, venerable Ānanda, the Śākya youth Kṣemaṅkara, the entire retinue, and the world including its gods, humans, demigods, and gandharvas rejoiced and praised what the Blessed One had said.