The Dhāraṇī of the Jewel Torch

Translation of འཕགས་པ་དཀན་མཆག་ཏ་ལ་ལའ་གཟངས་ཞས་བྱ་བ་ཐག་པ་ཆན་པའ་མད (འཕགས་པ་དཀོན་མཆོག་ཏ་ལ་ལའི་གཟུངས་ཞེས་བྱ་བ་ཐེག་པ་ཆེན་པོའི་མདོ)

Language: English
Translator: David Jackson
Extent: 282 passages, 38,256 words
Text: complete digital text
Source: 84000 · Translated by David Jackson under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha… · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 (84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha). Shown whole and unaltered, with its notes, on a…

Text

84000's introduction

intro.1

The Dhāraṇī of the Jewel Torch starts with a profound conversation between the Buddha and the bodhisattvas Samantabhadra and Mañjuśrī on the nature of the dharmadhātu, buddhahood, and emptiness. The bodhisattva Dharmamati then enters the meditative absorption called the infinite application of the bodhisattva’s jewel torch and, at the behest of the millions of buddhas who have blessed him, emerges from it to teach how bodhisattvas arise from the presence of a tathāgata and progress to the state of omniscience. Following Dharmamati’s detailed exposition of the “ten categories” or progressive stages of a bodhisattva, the Buddha briefly teaches the mantra of the dhāraṇī and then, for most of the remainder of the text, encourages bodhisattvas in a long versified passage in which he recounts teachings by a bodhisattva called Bhadraśrī on the qualities of bodhisattvas and buddhas. Some verses from this passage on the virtues of faith have been widely quoted in both India and Tibet.

intro.2

Overview

intro.3

In this profound Mahāyāna sūtra, The Dhāraṇī of the Jewel Torch, the Buddha Śākyamuni explains, with the help of the bodhisattvas Mañjuśrī, Samantabhadra, and Dharmamati, how bodhisattvas progress toward awakening.

intro.4

Although seen as a sūtra in its own right, it is closely connected to the family of texts belonging to the Avataṃsakasūtra, two chapters of which it shares. As its title suggests, it can also be seen as a dhāraṇī, or as a sūtra about a dhāraṇī.

intro.5

Substantial passages were quoted by Śāntideva in the Śikṣāsamuccaya, and these extracts are now the only remnants of the Sanskrit text. The Tibetan translation, by the Indian master Surendrabodhi and the chief-editor translator the monk Yeshé Dé, dates to the early, imperial translation period, and its verses on faith later had a wide impact in Tibetan works. The Chinese translation, by Fatian, dates to the late tenth century and is classified as an Avataṃsaka text.

intro.6

Narrative and Doctrinal Content

intro.7

The setting of the text is the Vulture Peak in Rājagṛha. Its audience is a great gathering of highly accomplished monks and bodhisattvas, headed by Samantabhadra who, as the initial interlocutor, asks the Buddha how dharmadhātu should be understood. A brief but profound exchange follows.

intro.8

Mañjuśrī then appears and requests the Buddha to teach the dhāraṇī of the jewel torch (). The Buddha insists that Mañjuśrī should request Samantabhadra to teach it instead, and Samantabhadra’s dialog with Mañjuśrī starts with the meaning of buddha. A brief interlude follows (–) in which Śāriputra (here Śāradvatīputra) compares his own understanding unfavorably with Mañjuśrī’s vast wisdom, and professes his inability and unwillingness to debate with him; similar brief conversations between Śāriputra and Mañjuśrī recur at several points in the text.

intro.9

The bodhisattva Dharmamati then makes his appearance () and enters the meditative absorption called the infinite application of the bodhisattva’s jewel torch. Blessed and encouraged by millions of buddhas to summon the eloquence to teach, Dharmamati sets out the ten categories of bodhisattva (–) in the long passage that follows. A number of wonders then occur, after which Dharmamati summarizes the ten categories in verse (–).

intro.10

The Buddha, in response to several ensuing requests to teach, briefly teaches the mantra of the dhāraṇī () and comments on its meaning. At Samantabhadra and Mañjuśrī’s request, he then explains the benefits that hearing this sūtra will have for future disciples (–). Here several stark warnings are given to future hearers (mainly future monks) who might one day criticize or reject this sūtra.

intro.11

The final main section of the sūtra is a very long passage (twenty folios in the Degé edition) of versified encouragement for bodhisattvas, introduced by a prologue featuring Ānanda. The main versified part (–) is spoken by the Buddha as a narrative that introduces, relates, and concludes teachings given by the bodhisattva Bhadraśrī on the good qualities and modes of conduct of the bodhisattva. Bhadraśrī first eulogizes the thought of awakening (bodhicitta) and then a few verses later praises faith in a well-known passage, parts of which were quoted by Śāntideva (see below) and subsequently by many Tibetan authors. Bhadraśrī then describes many of the other qualities of bodhisattvas and their ability to manifest miraculously in different ways, including the astounding visual and other sensory content of their meditative absorptions, the many kinds of miraculous rays of light with which they bring benefit to the world and beings, and comparisons with the powerful magical displays of the ordinary gods such as Indra and the king of the nāgas.¹

intro.12

At the end of the teaching, its importance and future benefits are expressed by Subhūti and others, and Ānanda promises to retain it.

intro.13

The Sūtra, the Avataṃsaka, and the Chinese Translation

intro.14

Although it is found in the Kangyur among other Mahāyāna sūtras in the General Sūtra section (as Tōh 145 in the Degé Kangyur) and is listed as belonging to that general category in the Denkarma inventory of translated texts² (as well as to the Dhāraṇī section, see below), the sūtra also belongs to the family of texts related to the Avataṃsakasūtra (phal po che, “The Ornaments of the Buddhas,” Toh 44). Indeed, in the other imperial period inventory, the roughly contemporary Phangthangma, it is listed under the heading of “the works included in the group of sūtras of the noble, great, very extensive Buddhāvataṃsaka.”³

intro.15

The prominent role of the bodhisattva Samantabhadra; the centrality of the dharmadhātu; the vast numbers of buddhas who gather and the mention of the Buddha Vairocana in the pivotal passage about the absorption and blessing of Dharmamati; the tenfold division and subdivision of the categories of bodhisattva; the repeated vocative “O sons of the victors”;⁴ and many other features of this work, above all the central theme of how bodhisattvas first emerge in the presence of a tathāgata and progressively develop access to the buddha qualities, culminating in their regency and consecration, are all strongly reminiscent of the Avataṃsaka.

intro.16

Two long passages in the text represent two complete chapters of the Avataṃsakasūtra.⁵ In terms of content they are close to being exact matches, although the translations in Tibetan are different. The long passage recounting Dharmamati’s absorption and his ensuing revelations in both prose and verse (from to ) is almost identical to the whole of chapter 20 of the Tibetan Avataṃsakasūtra, “The Ten Categories of Bodhisattvas” (chapter 15 of the Chinese),⁶ while almost the entirety of the final verse section recounting the teachings by Bhadraśrī (from to near the conclusion of the text) matches the whole of chapter 17 of the Tibetan Avataṃsakasūtra, “Bhadraśrī” (chapter 12 of the Chinese).⁷

intro.17

The Chinese translation of this text, Taishō 299,⁸ made by Fatian almost a hundred years later than the Tibetan, in the year 983, is also classified as a sūtra of the Avataṃsaka family. It is placed in the Taishō in the Huayan volume, volume 10, along with the Avataṃsakasūtra itself and the other standalone texts related to it.⁹

intro.18

Why Is the Sūtra Also a Dhāraṇī?

intro.19

The text is classified not only as a sūtra, but also as a dhāraṇī, and in those Kangyurs that have an additional Dhāraṇī section it is duplicated there (as Tōhoku no. 847¹⁰ in the Degé Kangyur). Indeed, the title itself includes the word dhāraṇī, and the teaching requested of the Buddha is referred to as “the dhāraṇī of the jewel torch.”

intro.20

The term dhāraṇī is derived from the Sanskrit root √dhṛ (“to hold” or “to maintain”), and among its wide range of meanings most are closely related to the retaining—in the mind, in memory, in words, or in writing—of a particular teaching, realization, or approach to awakening. Perhaps the two most widespread senses in which the term is used are when it refers to a mantra-like formula that “encodes” its meaning without necessarily expressing it in comprehensible speech, or when it describes the highly developed capacity of advanced practitioners to memorize and accurately retain a set of detailed and profound instructions. But as well as signifying the means by which such meanings or sets of instructions are retained (i.e., what holds them), it can also designate a specific meaning or instruction itself (i.e., what is held).

intro.21

Furthermore, by extension from these senses of the term, a text that either contains a (mantra-like) dhāraṇī, or is about a dhāraṇī in any of these senses, may itself be referred to as a dhāraṇī. This is the basis for the term dhāraṇī having also come to designate a whole scriptural genre of Mahāyāna texts—well represented in the Kangyur, which contains some two hundred fifty texts in that category. However, as a genre it is both quite diverse in its composition and shares most of the texts it contains with other genres. It is often not entirely clear whether any one text is labeled a dhāraṇī because the text itself is a dhāraṇī, contains a dhāraṇī, or is about a dhāraṇī.

intro.22

For all these reasons, each text placed in this genre deserves its own analysis of what makes it “a dhāraṇī.” In the case of the present text, mentions are made throughout to a “dhāraṇī of the jewel torch,” but it is difficult to determine whether they all have the same reference, or whether they variously refer to a particular realization of bodhisattvas, to a teaching on that realization, or to the text itself.

intro.23

In the first chapter, there are four separate occasions on which the dhāraṇī seems to be taught. Although the corresponding mentions could conceivably all be understood as referring to one and the same instance of the dhāraṇī, three of the four occasions end with a statement that the dhāraṇī has now been taught, in the past tense. In the first of the four instances, the exchange between Mañjuśrī, Samantabhadra, and the Buddha (starting at ) is termed an explanation of the dhāraṇī in the initial request. In the second instance, Dharmamati’s long teaching on the ten levels of bodhisattvas is also described as a dhāraṇī immediately afterward by Samantabhadra (). The third instance is a dialog between Mañjuśrī and Śāriputra (starting at ) in response to the latter’s request for an explanation of the dhāraṇī, which is lauded as a teaching on that dhāraṇī afterward (). The fourth instance is when yet another request is made to the Buddha, this time by Samantabhadra, to teach the dhāraṇī (); the Buddha teaches what is described as a mantra, and in the discussions that follow it is made clear that the meaning it carries is that of the ineffable ultimate nature of reality.¹¹

intro.24

Along with dhāraṇīs, a number of sūtras mention gateways (Skt. mukha, Tib. sgo), meditative absorptions (Skt. samādhi, Tib. ting nge ’dzin), and liberations (Skt. vimokṣa, Tib. rnam par thar pa) as different kinds of qualities attained by bodhisattvas. That some of the mentions of the dhāraṇī in this sūtra fall into the category of such attained qualities is suggested by the first of the four instances instance here being also termed an “access” or gateway (), and by the second instance being described as arising from the gnosis that Dharmamati has attained while immersed in a meditative absorption called “the infinite application of the jewel torch.”¹² Nevertheless, this second instance, the long teaching on the ten levels of bodhisattvas, is clearly also seen as a teaching, in the sense of presenting specific doctrinal content. The third instance is heralded by Śāriputra’s announcement that a sūtra is to be taught, yet what happens turns out to be a short and somewhat cryptic dialog equating explanation with emptiness, and demonstrating how neither can be taught. Only the fourth instance, the mantra, can be reasonably clearly placed in the category of dhāraṇīs that are encoding formulae, and the meaning that the mantra can be assumed to express is linked to the first and third instances in the teaching by Samantabhadra that follows it, on how the dhāraṇī should be “retained” and cultivated as a teaching on thatness, the ultimate (Skt. tathatā, Tib. de bzhin nyid).

intro.25

Most of the subsequent mentions of the dhāraṇī as such, in what remains of the first chapter and at the beginning of the second (it is not mentioned at all in the long verse section), are made in the context of its future holders and of its past history, intermingled with descriptions of it as a Dharma discourse. In other words, as a teaching—but also, in the kind of internal self-reference that is a common feature of many Mahāyāna sūtras, designating this very text itself.

intro.26

The frequent mentions in this text of the “dhāraṇī of the jewel torch” are therefore quite varied in terms of the sense in which the term is being used. We have made no attempt to use capitalization or punctuation to distinguish those that may refer to the text itself, to a teaching, to the mantra, or to a realization.

intro.27

Neither of the two long sections that appear as chapters in the Avataṃsakasūtra make any mention of a dhāraṇī. None of the excerpts in Sanskrit quoted by Śāntideva (see below) include passages where the dhāraṇī is mentioned in the Tibetan text, but the title Śāntideva uses to introduce his citations does include the designation dhāraṇī.

intro.28

The Title and Its Variants

intro.29

The Sanskrit title transliterated in the Tibetan text, Ratnolkādhāraṇī in its short form, is the same as the title that appears in the Sanskrit manuscripts of the Śikṣāsamuccaya (see below). The Sanskrit ulkā can mean a fiery phenomena in the sky, i.e., a meteor, and also a firebrand or torch.

intro.30

Of the title in Tibetan, however, there are several different renderings. In all Kangyurs, the title is dkon mchog ta la la’i gzungs, incorporating the unusual, archaic word ta la la, meaning “lamp” or “torch.” In some of the twenty or so Tengyur treatises that quote the text (including the Tibetan translation of the Śikṣāsamuccaya), the ta la la title is used, even if in some cases the word gzungs (dhāraṇī) is dropped or replaced by the word mdo (sūtra). In others, however, the title is rendered in various forms that use, instead of ta la la, the more usual Tibetan term for “lamp” or “torch,” sgron ma or sgron me.¹³ Probably as a consequence, later Tibetan authors of indigenous works (see below) use sometimes one version of the title, sometimes the other, and only some authors who use the sgron ma variants seem to be aware that the canonical work they are quoting is in the Kangyur under a different title.

intro.31

The Sūtra in Śāntideva’s Śikṣāsamuccaya and Other Treatises

intro.32

The sūtra is quoted a little over twenty times in treatises in the Tengyur, notably by Atiśa, Vimalamitra, and Śāntideva, but also by lesser known authors. As noted above, both the dkon mchog ta la la and dkon mchog sgron ma forms of the title can be found, and there are considerable minor variations. Most, but not all, of the quotations are from the long verse section of the second chapter.

intro.33

The most extensive extracts appear in Śāntideva’s Śikṣāsamuccaya (Training Anthology), and indeed the sūtra appears to have been among Śāntideva’s favorite texts, as he quotes from it more than from any other work. His text contains two short extracts, one longer passage, and one very extensive section of the verses from the second chapter that makes up more than half of one of his chapters.¹⁴ The Śikṣāsamuccaya has survived in Sanskrit, as well as in its Tibetan translation in the Tengyur, and its Sanskrit text thus contains the only known remnants of the sūtra in Sanskrit.

intro.34

The Sūtra’s Impact on Tibetan Works

intro.35

The sūtra is listed in the Mahāvyutpatti as one of the hundred or so Dharma texts that were presumably best known at the time,¹⁵ and is frequently quoted by Tibetan authors of all the main traditions. The passages on the importance of faith are the most commonly quoted, and for some authors it is the scriptural source for there being—variously—three, four, or six kinds of faith.¹⁶ Other parts of both chapters are also cited.

intro.36

Identifying quotes from the sūtra is made more difficult by the variety of titles used.¹⁷ In the case of several authors, including Chomden Rikpa Raltri (bcom ldan rig pa ral dri, thirteenth century), Longchen Rabjampa (klong chen rab ’byams pa, fourteenth century), and many of the early Sakya scholars, quotes using both the dkon mchog sgron ma and the dkon mchog ta la la forms of the title can be found in the same work, suggesting that in some cases they may have been consulting treatises or other sources that used these different titles as well as the canonical text itself without always recognizing that both titles designate the same sūtra. Shākya Chokden (shA kya mchog ldan, fifteenth century) specifically mentions the identity of both titles.

intro.37

The Translation

intro.38

This translation is based principally on the Degé block print and the Comparative Edition (dpe bsdur ma) of the Kangyur. Yeshé Dé’s early-ninth-century translation contains a few archaic words that have survived subsequent editing, including the ta la la in the title, mentioned above. A few other noteworthy archaic spellings, recorded in the notes, are byin as a verb of the Buddha’s speech (see ); dbung, “center” (see );¹⁸ and the spelling nod pa for mnod pa (prahaṇam, “to receive”).¹⁹ In a few passages we have suggested a change in the text reading in an endnote, often in consultation with the Stok Palace version.

1

Chapter 1

Homage to all buddhas and bodhisattvas!

Thus did I hear at one time. The Blessed One was dwelling on the Vulture Peak of Rājagṛha, seated together with a great gathering of fully ordained monks, all of whom had perfected virtuous

2

qualities, roared mighty lion’s roars as great teachers, and were expert in seeking an immeasurable accumulation of gnosis, in all more than a thousand fully ordained monks.

A great gathering of bodhisattvas was also assembled there, including the bodhisattva great being Samantabhadra, the bodhisattva great being Ratnamudrāhasta, the bodhisattva great being Nityodyukta, the bodhisattva great being Ornamented by Good Qualities, the bodhisattva great being Announcing Merits, the bodhisattva great being Mahāmati, the bodhisattva great being Array of Good Qualities, the bodhisattva great being Vajra Intelligence, the bodhisattva great being Vajragarbha, the bodhisattva great being Light of a Vajra, the bodhisattva great being Weapon of a Vajra, the bodhisattva great being Adamantine Vajra, the bodhisattva great being Dhāraṇīdhara, the bodhisattva great being Dhāraṇīmati, the bodhisattva great being Seeing All Purposes, the bodhisattva great being Avalokiteśvara, the bodhisattva great being Mahāsthāmaprāpta, the bodhisattva great being Dṛḍhamati, the bodhisattva great being Vajrapāṇi, the bodhisattva great being Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta, the bodhisattva great being Avoiding Evil Destinies, the bodhisattva great being Overcoming All Sorrow and Darkness,

3

the bodhisattva great being Suvikrāntavikrāmin, the bodhisattva great being Not Taking or Rejecting, the bodhisattva great being Essence of Sandalwood, the bodhisattva great being Sāgaramati, the bodhisattva great being Durabhisambhava, the bodhisattva great being Arising Joy, the bodhisattva great being Intelligence of Conduct, the bodhisattva great being Pratibhākūṭa, the bodhisattva great being Essence of Speed, and the bodhisattva great being Maitreya.

Those and other bodhisattva great beings all dwelled in inconceivable emancipation, had left everything behind²⁰ through the meditative absorption heroic progress, had unimpeded melodic voices, and were skilled in holding sway over limitless buddha realms. They all dwelled in fearlessness, were devoid of attachment and anger, possessed pleasant-sounding voices, were not attached to the three realms of existence, possessed undivided retinues of attendants, were arisen from omniscience, and possessed limitless meditative absorptions and meditative attainments. They all fulfilled every hope, experienced the perfection of discriminating wisdom, were inclined toward meaningful goals in their bodily, verbal, and mental deeds, were intent on omniscience, were blessed to have limitless²¹ meditative absorptions and conduct, had attained fearlessness, had emptiness as their sphere of experience,²² and dwelled in the absence of phenomenal marks.

The bodhisattva great being Samantabhadra, who was seated as part of that assembly, bowing with his head to the feet of the Blessed One,

4

said, “Blessed One, how should we understand dharmadhātu?”

The Blessed One answered, “Son of a good family, dharmadhātu is to be understood as the absence of entities. Son of a good family, you should understand dharmadhātu as follows: as space-like, as without conceptual elaborations, as unelaborated, as without accepting, as without rejecting, as the absence of entities, and as foundationless.”

The bodhisattva Samantabhadra asked, “Blessed One, does dharmadhātu arise?”

The Blessed One answered, “Son of a good family, dharmadhātu has no arising. Son of a good family, dharmadhātu is inconceivable. You should understand it as the absence of entities: entities are in no way expressible, nor can they be shown in any way.”

The bodhisattva Samantabhadra asked, “Blessed One, how many aspects does awakening have?”

The Blessed One answered, “Son of a good family, the aspects of awakening are measureless; they cannot be shown to have a fixed measure.”

The bodhisattva Samantabhadra asked, “Blessed One, can dharmadhātu be conceptualized?”

The Blessed One answered, “Son of a good family, dharmadhātu is nonconceptual.”

The bodhisattva Samantabhadra asked, “If dharmadhātu is nonconceptual, how could it be that spiritually immature ordinary people would think of it?”

The Blessed One answered, “All spiritually immature ordinary people have arisen from thinking, conceptualizing, and imagining.”

The bodhisattva Samantabhadra said, “Blessed One, the awakening of the tathāgatas

5

is profound.”

The Blessed One said, “So it is. As you say, son of a good family. Moreover, the fact that all phenomena are without conceptual elaborations is what is called awakening.”

Then Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta, who had already arrived at that assembly and was already seated, bowed his head to the Blessed One’s feet and addressed him with these words: “I request that the Blessed One explain the dhāraṇī of the jewel torch.”

The Blessed One answered, “Son of a good family, ask the bodhisattva Samantabhadra. He possesses eloquent confidence that is unhindered with respect to all dharmas.²³ He will teach it to you.”

Then Mañjuśrī seated himself directly facing the Blessed One with palms joined in supplication and said, “Why cannot the Blessed One himself, who is omniscient and all-seeing, explain it?”

The Blessed One said, “Son of a good family, where there is a bodhisattva who possesses such excellent qualities, there the tathāgatas remain in indifference.”

Mañjuśrī said, “Blessed One, tathāgatas do not remain in indifference.”

The Blessed One said, “Son of a good family, I am not abandoning the realm of sentient beings. Nevertheless, the teaching of the bodhisattvas is an immeasurable and inconceivable teaching.”

Then Mañjuśrī repeated, “I request the Blessed One to explain the dhāraṇī of the jewel torch.”

The Blessed One answered, “Son of a good family, ask the bodhisattva Samantabhadra!

6

He will teach it to you. Why? Because that sublime man remains in the accumulation of gnosis.”

Mañjuśrī said, “If it is the Tathāgata’s intention that I do so, I will request it from that sublime man.”

The Blessed One said, “Mañjuśrī, if you have attained as many meditative absorptions as there are atoms, what need is there for you to request it from the Tathāgata? Son of a good family, you possess fortunate endowments regarding all the qualities of a buddha.”

Mañjuśrī said, “Blessed One, all the qualities of a buddha that I have relied on, cultivated, and enhanced should be understood as the power of the person of the Tathāgata.”

The Blessed One said, “Son of a good family, excellent, excellent! You have spoken well. But I request you, Mañjuśrī, to ask the bodhisattva Samantabhadra to teach.”

Then Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta said to the Blessed One, “This bodhisattva Samantabhadra teaches the exceedingly profound. He has mastered the Mahāyāna.”

The Blessed One said, “Son of a good family, you, too, are a king whose might extends over all dharmas;²⁴ do not address me. You also possess the inconceivable meditative absorption of abiding in emptiness.”

So Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta respectfully paid homage to the bodhisattva Samantabhadra, pressing the ten fingers of his hands together and saying to him, “O son of the victors, if you grant me the occasion, I would like to ask you a few words.”

The bodhisattva Samantabhadra said,

7

“Son of a good family, if you know the right time to have come, ask!”

Then Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta asked the bodhisattva great being Samantabhadra, “O son of the victors, what is the basic meaning behind calling the Buddha ‘Buddha’?”

The bodhisattva Samantabhadra said, “O son of the victors, the basic meaning of buddha is groundlessness.²⁵ The basic meaning of buddha is the absence of entities. The basic meaning of buddha is inconceivability. The basic meaning of buddha is to be equal to the unequaled.²⁶ The basic meaning of buddha is the absence of conceptual elaborations. The basic meaning of buddha is unelaborated. The basic meaning of buddha is the absence of accepting. The basic meaning of buddha is the absence of rejecting. The basic meaning of buddha is space-like. The basic meaning of buddha is ineffability. Son of a good family, such is the nature of the qualities of a buddha.”

Mañjuśrī said, “O son of the victors, but if all phenomena are without conceptual elaborations, how can you teach ‘qualities of a buddha’?”²⁷

The bodhisattva Samantabhadra said, “O son of the victors, such a ‘teaching’ is unteachable.”

Mañjuśrī said, “O son of the victors, if it is unteachable, what is taught?”

The bodhisattva Samantabhadra said, “Mañjuśrī, that which is the unteachable is taught through designation.”

Mañjuśrī said, “O son of the victors, what does one designate through designation?”

The bodhisattva Samantabhadra said, “Mañjuśrī, through designation one designates neither entities nor the absence of entities.”

Mañjuśrī said, “O son of the victors, if one does not designate entities through designation and does not designate the absence of entities either, then how could the Three Vehicles

8

ever be taught?”

The bodhisattva Samantabhadra said, “Mañjuśrī, do not be attached to the dharmadhātu, which is free of attachment! Why not? Mañjuśrī, it is because the Tathāgata taught that all phenomena are the absence of entities. Why are they the absence of entities? It is because the five aggregates are not apprehended.”²⁸

Mañjuśrī asked, “Is awakening something with conceptual elaborations? Or is it something that is without conceptual elaborations?”

The bodhisattva Samantabhadra replied, “Son of a good family, awakening is neither something with conceptual elaborations, nor is it something that is without conceptual elaborations. Thus, awakening exists neither in terms of having elaborations nor as being devoid of elaborations; it is indivisible into two.”

Then the Blessed One said²⁹ to the bodhisattva great being Samantabhadra, “Son of a good family, this inconceivable teaching is excellent, excellent! Yet, through the teaching of this discourse, the world with its gods will become confused.”

Mañjuśrī said, “Blessed One, to teach the Dharma in this way is not best suited to its being understood.”

The Blessed One replied, “Son of a good family, just as you say, it is not.”

Then Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta asked the Blessed One, “Blessed One, are all phenomena designated by this type of designation?”

The Blessed One said, “Son of a good family, just as you say, they are.”

Then the bodhisattva Samantabhadra said to the Blessed One, “This pure access to the Dharma³⁰ is difficult to appreciate!”

The Blessed One said, “Son of a good family, just as you say, it is.”

Then the bodhisattva Sāgaramati said to the Blessed One:

9

“This pure access to the Dharma that was taught by the bodhisattva Samantabhadra was well expressed.”

The Blessed One said, “Son of a good family, just as you say, it was. Moreover, son of a good family, this is the natural result³¹ of all phenomena. It is a great rain of the Dharma.”

Then a brahmin who was like a great śāla tree³² and who dwelled in sameness said, “Blessed One, awakening is inconceivable sameness. No letters or words are perceived in it.”

The Blessed One said, “Son of a good family, it is so; in the dharmadhātu no words are perceived, nor are any sense objects perceived.”

Then Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta said to the Blessed One, “Blessed One, what is the natural result of emptiness? What is its aspect? What is its sign? What is its phenomenal mark?”

The Blessed One said, “Mañjuśrī, emptiness is inexpressible and ineffable. That which partakes of its inexpressible nature is what is called emptiness. Emptiness is without letters, and thus it is called emptiness. Emptiness is ineffable, and hence it is called emptiness. Son of a good family, all phenomena are empty of their own essential nature.”

Then the venerable Śāradvatīputra said to the Blessed One: “Blessed One, look at the magical displays of the bodhisattvas who dwell in the inconceivable reality.”

The Blessed One said: “Venerable Śāradvatīputra, the knowledge of a bodhisattva who has generated the thought of awakening for the first time is sublime, while the knowledge of an arhat is not like that. Why not? It is because the arhat remains far removed from the qualities of a buddha,

10

while the bodhisattva will become a blessed buddha.”

The bodhisattva great being Sarvadharmeśvara then said to the Blessed One, “Blessed One, according to my understanding of the sense of what the Blessed One has taught, the śrāvaka has simply not obtained the qualities of a śrāvaka.”

The Blessed One said, “Son of a good family, it is not that the śrāvaka has not obtained the qualities of a śrāvaka, but rather, how could śrāvakas answer questions together with bodhisattvas or have the power and potency to bring about a transformation of their conduct?”

Then Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta said to the Blessed One, “Blessed One, if the Tathāgata taught that this Śāradvatīputra was foremost among disciples possessing discriminating wisdom, what did that teaching reveal?”

The Blessed One said, “Mañjuśrī, what I taught was without teaching.”

Then Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta said to the elder Śāradvatīputra, “Elder, did you obtain the qualities of a śrāvaka?”

He answered, “No, I did not.”

Mañjuśrī said, “In that case, are you an ordinary person?”

“No.”

“So, are you a trainee?”

“No.”

“Are you foremost among those who possess discriminating wisdom?”

“No.”

Mañjuśrī said, “Honorable Śāradvatīputra, if you are neither an ordinary person nor a trainee, nor foremost among those possessing discriminating wisdom, that can only mean you are someone who adheres to a heretical view.”³³

Śāradvatīputra said, “Son of a good family, I am not going to debate with you, a sublime person whose profound depth is as unfathomable as the ocean.”

11

Mañjuśrī said, “Honorable Śāradvatīputra, do not say that! You are the most prominent of the older generation.”

The elder said, “The fact of my age will not itself achieve anything, nor will it lead to realization. To make it better understood, son of a good family, I will give you an analogy. Consider how with a small diamond even a great boulder may be destroyed. Likewise, the discriminating wisdom that you have in a single pore of your body is more than a sentient being like myself has in all the particles of my body put together. Son of a good family, to make it understood, I will use another analogy for you. It is like, for instance, how a powerful man can, with just a small iron hook, tame a huge frightful elephant. Son of good family, likewise, you possess power. I am weak. How can I debate with a great elephant like this?”

Then the elder Śāradvatīputra said to the Blessed One, “Blessed One, it is like this: if a blind man cannot follow after someone or see a city, how would he manage to go from house to house? That would be impossible. Similarly, I see myself as blind in the presence of great elephants like these. The qualities of a buddha are that vast. I am not a suitable vessel for the qualities of a buddha. Now there is nothing for me to do.”

The Blessed One said, “Śāradvatīputra, do not talk like that! Consider, for example, that however many sentient beings may be touched by light from a tathāgata, all will obtain the qualities of a buddha. Likewise, Śāradvatīputra, you will be a recipient of limitless and inconceivable meditative absorptions.”

12

When the Blessed One explained this Dharma discourse, ninety-two thousand among the gods and humans gained a clear understanding of the Dharma.

It was at this point³⁴ that the bodhisattva Dharmamati entered the bodhisattva’s meditative absorption called the infinite application of the jewel torch.³⁵ No sooner had the bodhisattva Dharmamati entered that meditative absorption than, from the world systems in each of the ten directions that exceed in number the atoms of ten thousand buddhafields, blessed buddhas numbering as many as the atoms of ten thousand buddhafields showed their faces. Those blessed buddhas all had but one and the very same name: Vajra Quintessence.

As though they were in just one place despite issuing from the ten directions, those blessed buddhas said to him, “Dharmamati, that you have entered the bodhisattva’s meditative absorption of the infinite application in this way is excellent, excellent! Son of a good family, it is like this. Through the previous aspirations and previous blessings of this blessed tathāgata Vairocana himself, and reinforced by your own roots of virtue, all we buddhas from the ten directions, numbering as many as the atoms of ten thousand buddhafields and each one with the same name, bless you, so that you may teach all Dharma teachings, purify the gnosis of buddhahood, increase the gnosis of buddhahood, enter into the dharmadhātu, liberate the realms of sentient beings, enter and penetrate unbound gnosis, engage with gnosis, speak all languages, enter into omniscient gnosis, become unobstructed with respect to all phenomena, and engage in teaching the Dharma through knowing all three times.

13

Through the strength and blessing of the Buddha, expound the Dharma with inspired speech, beginning with the ten categories of the bodhisattva!”³⁶

Then those blessed buddhas caused that blessed bodhisattva Dharmamati to attain the light of unimpeded gnosis, with a very nature that was free of obstruction, free of interruption, and not forgetful; a gnosis free from differentiation, with a very nature that was morally blameless, inviolable, dauntless, inalienable; and excellent speech. Why so? Because he had thus obtained the very nature of that absorption.

Then those blessed buddhas extended their right hands and touched ³⁷ the head of the bodhisattva Dharmamati. As soon as those blessed buddhas had touched the bodhisattva Dharmamati, he rose from that absorption and said to the bodhisattvas, “O sons of the victors, this family of bodhisattvas is as follows: it is vast owing to the boundlessness of the dharmadhātu and of the element of space. O sons of the victors, the bodhisattva great beings were born into the family of past blessed buddhas, future blessed buddhas, and present blessed buddhas.”

Then those bodhisattvas said to the bodhisattva Dharmamati, “O son of the victors, who are those bodhisattva great beings who were born into the family of the past, future, and present

14

blessed buddhas? Tell me what thought they came from. O son³⁸ of the victors, explain what those ten categories of bodhisattvas are!”

The bodhisattva Dharmamati said to those bodhisattvas, “O sons of the victors, ten categories of bodhisattvas were taught, are taught, and will be taught by buddhas of the past, present, and future. What are those ten? They are: (1) bodhisattvas who have generated the initial thought of awakening, (2) beginners, (3) those who engage in yogic practice, (4) those who have taken rebirth, (5) those who have perfected application, (6) those who have perfected intention, (7) those who are irreversible, (8) those who are still youths,³⁹ (9) those who are regents, and (10) those who have been consecrated. O sons of the victors, those ten categories of bodhisattvas were taught, are taught, and will be taught by buddhas of the past, present, and future.

(1) “O sons of the victors, what is the category of bodhisattvas who have generated the initial thought of awakening? O sons of the victors, these bodhisattvas who have generated the initial thought of awakening will, as soon as they see the blessed buddhas, see an excellent or beautiful form with a completely excellent and brilliant complexion,⁴⁰ miracles of magical displays, miracles of mind reading,⁴¹

15

or miracles of insightful admonition,⁴² or see suffering sentient beings, or hear the praises of the Tathāgata, such that they will long for all-knowing gnosis and from the very beginning generate the intention to attain the highest insuperable awakening. And as soon as that very first intention to attain awakening is generated, those beings will have taken up ten things that are difficult to approach. What are those ten? They are: (1) the knowledge of what is possible and impossible,⁴³ (2) the knowledge of deeds⁴⁴ that occur in the past, present, and future and qualities that were obtained, (3) the knowledge of everywhere that paths lead, (4) the knowledge of the numerous and varied constituents of beings, (5) the knowledge of numerous spiritual inclinations and liberations, (6) the knowledge of the superior and inferior faculties, (7) the knowledge of the meditative concentrations, emancipations, absorptions, and meditative attainments in their defiled and purified forms and their arising,⁴⁵ (8) the knowledge that remembers previous lives, (9) the knowledge of the divine eye, and (10) the knowledge of the exhaustion of defilements. Thus, they will have taken up those ten things that are difficult to approach. O sons of the victors, such is the category of bodhisattvas who have generated the initial thought of awakening.

“O sons of the victors, these bodhisattva great beings who have generated the initial thought of awakening should worship the Buddha and apply the requisites for a bodhisattva’s happiness. Concerning that, they should provide explanations on becoming the lord of the world, acting sublimely, not being outshone, meeting with an immeasurable number of buddhas, engaging in yogic practice in the absorption of complete pacification, turning back the wheel of saṃsāra, setting in motion the wheel of the holy Dharma, and protecting suffering sentient beings.

16

Why so? It is because upon generating the thought of awakening, they apply themselves for the most part to all the qualities of a buddha, and those subjects of learning acquired previously are mastered with their own application and without recourse to dependence on others. O sons of the victors, such is the category of bodhisattvas who have generated the initial thought of awakening.

(2) “O sons of the victors, what is the category of beginner bodhisattvas? O sons of the victors, these beginner bodhisattvas have from the start generated ten aspects of mind. What are the ten aspects? They are: (1) a mind that brings benefit, (2) a mind that brings happiness, (3) a mind of kindness, (4) a mind that is flexible, (5) a mind that feels sadness, (6) a mind that intends to help, (7) a mind that aims at protecting everyone, (8) a mind of equality, (9) a mind of becoming a teacher, (10) and a mind of becoming a great teacher. They have generated these ten aspects of mind. O sons of the victors, such are beginner bodhisattvas.⁴⁶

“O sons of the victors, such beginner bodhisattvas should apply themselves to receiving instructions on scriptures and recitation. After becoming learned, they should devote themselves to retiring into solitude. Having retired into solitude, they should devote themselves to pleasing their spiritual teachers. Having pleased their teachers, they should devote themselves to delighting in following their instructions. Having followed their instructions with delight, they should devote themselves to awareness of temporality.⁴⁷ Having become aware of temporality, they should devote themselves to fearlessness. Having become fearless, they should devote themselves to knowing the meaning. Having become knowledgeable in the meaning, they should devote themselves to following the Dharma. Having become a follower of Dharma, they should apply themselves to the nature of non-confusion.⁴⁸ Having become free of confusion, they should apply themselves to formulating the Dharma.

17

Why so? Because upon first generating the thought of awakening, for the most part they apply themselves with diligence to all the teachings of the Buddha, and those subjects of learning acquired previously are mastered with their own application and without recourse to dependence on others. O sons of the victors, such is the category of beginner bodhisattvas.

(3) “O sons of the victors, what is the category of bodhisattvas who engage in yogic practice? O sons of the victors, concerning this,⁴⁹ bodhisattvas who engage in yogic practice will understand entities by means of ten aspects of apprehending. What are those ten? They are: (1) understanding all phenomena to be impermanent, (2) understanding all phenomena to be suffering, (3) to be without a self, (4) to be empty, (5) to be immovable, (6) to be without increase, (7) to be without any situation, (8) to be nonconceptual, (9) to be effortless, and (10) not to be produced. These bodhisattvas should understand those ten aspects, but since they are followers of the Dharma, they practice neither application nor non-application. O sons of the victors, such are bodhisattvas who engage in yogic practice.

“O sons of the victors, bodhisattvas who engage in yogic practice should apply themselves to investigating the constitution⁵⁰ of sentient beings. They should apply themselves to investigating the dharmadhātu. They should apply themselves to investigating the world realm. They should apply themselves to investigating the element of earth. They should apply themselves to investigating the elements of water, fire, air, and space, and the form and formless realms.⁵¹ Why is that? It is because for the most part they have direct insight that operates regarding all phenomena, and those subjects of learning acquired previously are mastered with their own application and without recourse to dependence on others. O sons of the victors, such is the category of bodhisattvas who engage in yogic practice.

18

(4) “O sons of the victors, what is the category of bodhisattvas who have taken rebirth? O sons of the victors, bodhisattvas who have taken rebirth are born as exalted in sacred scripture⁵² thanks to ten purifiers. What are those ten? They are: (1) Not turning back from ultimate reality, (2) accomplishing what will become the highest undivided faith in the Buddha, (3) contemplating the Dharma, (4) investigating sentient beings, (5) investigating the pure lands, (6) investigating the world, (7) investigating deeds, (8) investigating karmic consequences, (9) investigating saṃsāra, and (10) investigating nirvāṇa. Bodhisattvas will take rebirth as exalted in sacred scripture thanks to those ten purifiers. O sons of the victors, such is the category of bodhisattvas who have taken rebirth.

“O sons of the victors, these bodhisattvas who have taken rebirth should apply themselves to investigating the sameness of the dharmas of all past buddhas, apply themselves to investigating the sameness of the dharmas of all future buddhas, and apply themselves to investigating the sameness of the dharmas of all present buddhas. They should apply themselves to investigating the sameness of the dharmas of all buddhas.

“They should apply themselves to the investigation that correctly establishes the dharmas of past buddhas, apply themselves to the investigation that correctly establishes the dharmas of future buddhas, and apply themselves to the investigation that correctly establishes the dharmas of present buddhas. They should apply themselves to the investigation that correctly establishes the dharmas of all buddhas.

“They should apply themselves to investigating the sameness of the perfection of the qualities of past buddhas,⁵³

19

apply themselves to investigating the sameness of the perfection of the qualities of future buddhas, and apply themselves to investigating the sameness of the perfection of the dharmas of present buddhas. They should apply themselves to investigating the sameness of the perfection of the dharmas of all buddhas.

“Why is that? It is because for the most part they understand the sameness of the three times, and those subjects of learning acquired previously are mastered with their own application and without recourse to dependence on others. O sons of the victors, such is the category of bodhisattvas who have taken rebirth.

(5) “O sons of the victors, what is the category of bodhisattvas who have perfected application? O sons of the victors, these bodhisattvas who have perfected application will perform whatever virtuous deeds they may undertake (1) for the sake of protecting all sentient beings, (2) with the desire to benefit all sentient beings, (3) with the resolve to make all sentient beings happy, (4) with kindness toward all sentient beings, (5) in order to liberate all sentient beings, (6) in order that all sentient beings avoid harm, (7) in order to guide all sentient beings, (8) in order that all sentient beings have faith, (9) in order to train all sentient beings, and (10) in order to cause all sentient beings to enter perfect nirvāṇa. O sons of the victors, such are bodhisattvas who have perfected application.

“O sons of the victors, to those bodhisattvas who have perfected application ten topics ought to be expounded. What are they? They are (1) that sentient beings are boundless, (2) that sentient beings are inestimable, (3) that sentient beings are innumerable, (4) that sentient beings are inconceivable, (5) that sentient beings are incomparable,

20

(6) that sentient beings are immeasurable, (7) that sentient beings are empty, (8) that sentient beings are immovable, (9) that sentient beings are nonexistent, and (10) that sentient beings have no intrinsic nature. Why is that? It is because for the most part they settle their minds in non-attachment, and those subjects of learning acquired previously are mastered with their own application and without recourse to dependence on others. O sons of the victors, such is the category of bodhisattvas who have perfected application.

(6) “O sons of the victors, what is the category of bodhisattvas who have perfected intention? O sons of the victors, these bodhisattvas who have perfected intention, if they learn ten factors, will be decisively intent on the qualities of a Buddha. What are those ten? They are: (1) their resolve will be set on the qualities of a buddha regardless of whether someone teaches in praise of or not in praise of a buddha, (2) their resolve will be set on the qualities of a buddha regardless of whether someone teaches in praise of or not in praise of the Dharma, (3) their resolve will be set on the qualities of a buddha regardless of whether someone teaches in praise of or not in praise of bodhisattvas, (4) their resolve will be set on the qualities of a buddha regardless of whether someone teaches in praise of or not in praise of the conduct of bodhisattvas, (5) their resolve will be set on the qualities of a buddha regardless of whether someone teaches that the realm of sentient beings is small or vast in scope, (6) their resolve will be set on the qualities of a buddha regardless of whether someone teaches that the realm of sentient beings is defiled or not, (7) their resolve will be set on the qualities of a buddha regardless of whether someone teaches that the realm of sentient beings is easy or difficult to train, (8) their resolve will be set on the qualities of a buddha regardless of whether someone teaches that the dharmadhātu is small or vast in scope, (9) their resolve will be set on the qualities of a buddha regardless of whether someone teaches that the world realms perish or do not perish, and (10) their resolve will be set on the qualities of a buddha regardless of whether someone teaches that the dharmadhātu exists or does not exist.

21

O sons of the victors, such are bodhisattvas who have perfected intention.

“O sons of the victors, bodhisattvas who have perfected intention will be taught ten things that conform with phenomena. What are those ten? They should be taught that all phenomena: (1) are the very absence of phenomenal marks, (2) are without defining marks, (3) are not entities, (4) are nonexistent, (5) are deceptive, (6) are disengaged, (7) are essenceless, (8) are like illusions, (9) are like dreams, and (10) are without conceptual thought. Why is that? It is because since they are thus inalienable they possess for the most part the quality of increasing their excellent intention, and those subjects of learning acquired previously are mastered with their own application and without recourse to dependence on others. O sons of the victors, such is the category of bodhisattvas who have perfected intention.

(7) “O sons of the victors, what is the category of bodhisattvas who are irreversible? O sons of the victors, bodhisattvas who are irreversible will not turn back from their progress toward the qualities of a buddha if they learn ten objectives. What are those ten? They are: (1) to progress irreversibly toward qualities of a buddha whether one hears that a buddha exists or does not exist, (2) to progress irreversibly whether one hears that the Dharma exists or does not exist, (3) to progress irreversibly whether one hears that bodhisattvas exist or do not exist, (4) to progress irreversibly whether one hears that the conduct of bodhisattvas exists or does not exist, (5) to progress irreversibly whether one hears that in bodhisattva conduct a bodhisattva leaves everything behind or does not leave everything behind, (6) to progress irreversibly whether one hears that the tathāgatas have passed away or have not passed away,

First 59 of 284 passages. Read on

The Dhāraṇī of the Jewel Torch

Contents

Text

84000's introduction