The Basket Without Words, The Illuminator’s Matrix
- Language
- English
- Translator
- Bhikṣuṇī Thubten Damcho
- Extent
- 81 passages, 5,384 words
- Text
- complete digital text
- Source
- 84000 · Translated by Bhikṣuṇī Thubten Damcho and teamunder the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the… · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 (84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha). Shown whole and unaltered, with its notes, on a…
Contents
Text
84000's introduction
intro.1
The Basket Without Words, The Illuminator’s Matrix unfolds in Rājagṛha on Vulture Peak, where the Buddha is dwelling with a great assembly. The bodhisattva Viśeṣacintin requests the Buddha to give a teaching on two words and asks him to explain one factor that bodhisattvas should abandon, one quality that encompasses all the foundations of the training when safeguarded by bodhisattvas, and one phenomenon to which thus-gone ones truly and perfectly awaken. The Buddha responds by listing the afflictions that bodhisattvas abandon. Next, he advises bodhisattvas not to do to others what they themselves do not desire. Then, he teaches that there is no phenomenon to which thus-gone ones truly and perfectly awaken, and that thus-gone ones comprehend that all phenomena are free from going and coming, causes and conditions, death and birth, acceptance and rejection, and decrease and increase. At the conclusion of the sūtra, members of the assembly promise to propagate this teaching, and the Buddha explains the benefits of doing so.
intro.2
The Basket¹ without Words, The Illuminator’s Matrix ² begins with a description of the marvelous qualities of a massive assembly of bodhisattvas that has gathered in Rājagṛha on Vulture Peak together with the Buddha and his monastics. There follows a list of the great bodhisattvas in attendance, some of whom are accompanied by retinues of bodhisattvas, gods, goddesses, and universal monarchs. Also present are arhats, nāgas, gandharvas, and garuḍas, as well as more bodhisattvas from world systems in the ten directions, each accompanied by a fourfold assembly.
intro.3
The main interlocutor of this discourse is the bodhisattva Viśeṣacintin, who is praised by the Buddha in The Questions of Brahmaviśeṣacintin (Brahmaviśeṣacintiparipṛcchā, Toh 160)³ as “foremost among the bodhisattvas skilled in asking questions correctly and thoroughly.” The bodhisattva Viśeṣacintin requests the Buddha to give a teaching on two words, and he asks the Buddha about one factor bodhisattvas abandon, one quality that encompasses all the foundations of the training when bodhisattvas safeguard it, and one phenomenon to which thus-gone ones truly and perfectly awaken.
intro.4
The Buddha responds to the bodhisattva Viśeṣacintin’s first question by listing eight afflictions that bodhisattvas should abandon: the three poisons of attachment, anger, and delusion; afflictions derived from ignorance such as grasping at a self, laziness, and lethargy and sleepiness; and two of the twelve links of dependent origination that cause suffering in cyclic existence, namely ignorance and craving.
intro.5
To the second question, the Buddha responds that one quality that encompasses all the foundations of the training when bodhisattvas safeguard it is to not do to others what they themselves do not desire. The Buddha illustrates this with the example of avoidance of the three nonvirtuous physical actions—killing, stealing, and sexual misconduct—and explains that those who seek full awakening seek the causes of their own and others’ happiness and do not desire their own and others’ suffering.
intro.6
The Buddha’s response to the third question is a series of paradoxical statements. He begins by stating that there is no phenomenon to which thus-gone ones truly and perfectly awaken. Nonetheless, thus-gone ones comprehend that although all phenomena are unborn, karma is appropriated. All phenomena are without cessation, yet they depend on causes and conditions. All phenomena are free from the two extremes and are unarisen, yet there is arising that depends on causes and conditions.
intro.7
Just as bodhisattvas must train in methods—by abandoning afflictions and safeguarding ethical conduct—in conjunction with cultivating wisdom, here the Buddha points to the complementary nature of dependent arising and emptiness. He explains that bodhisattvas generate mundane and supramundane wisdom by comprehending the empty yet dependently arising nature of all phenomena. By examining the nature of that wisdom, they enter into the womb of the perfection of wisdom, which is called the illuminator’s matrix.
intro.8
The Buddha concludes his explanation with the statement that thus-gone ones comprehend how all phenomena are free from going and coming, causes and conditions, death and birth, acceptance and rejection, and decrease and increase.
intro.9
Having heard the Buddha’s discourse, a multitude of beings attain spiritual realization and higher rebirth. The Buddha exhorts his son, Venerable Rāhula, to retain this Dharma instruction, and a multitude of bodhisattvas promise to propagate it, while the Four Great Kings pledge to fulfill the wishes of beings who are vessels of this teaching. The Buddha concludes with a description of the great benefits that will accrue for those who hear and preserve this sūtra, which includes seeing at the time of death the Buddha Amitābha with his retinue and the Buddha with his retinue at Vulture Peak, attaining supernormal powers, and becoming fully awakened.
intro.10
This text is listed in both the Denkarma⁴ and Phangthangma⁵ catalogs, which indicates it was translated prior to to the compilation of the Denkarma catalog ca. 812 ce. According to its colophon in the Degé Kangyur, the text was edited and finalized by the Indian preceptors Jinamitra, Dānaśīla, and Munivarman and by the chief editor-translator Bandé Yeshé Dé. The colophon in the Stok Palace Kangyur does not include the names of the translators.
intro.11
Butön Rinchen Drup (bu ston rin chen grub, 1290–1364) cites the Buddha’s response to the bodhisattva Viśeṣacintin’s second question in Cluster of Scriptures,⁶ his explanation of Haribhadra’s Commentary on Ornament for the Clear Realizations (Abhisamayālaṅkāravṛtti), in the section “Summarizing the Meaning of the Buddha’s Instructions through One Phenomenon.”⁷ The fifteenth-century Tibetan scholar Pekar Sangpo⁸ groups this text under “Sūtras Explaining the Mental States of Bodhisattvas”⁹ in his Presentation of the Sūtras in the Kangyur ¹⁰ and asserts that this sūtra teaches the doctrine that the three provisional vehicles of the śrāvaka, pratyekabuddha, and bodhisattva lead to the one final vehicle of buddhahood.¹¹
intro.12
One folio of fragmented Sanskrit text from the end of the sūtra and corresponding to Degé folios to , has been identified in the Vajracchedikā manuscript held at the British Library.¹² The manuscript, discovered by Sir Marc Aurel Stein in 1900 in present-day Xinjiang, China, is the oldest extant Sanskrit copy of the Vajracchedikā and is dated to the late fifth or early sixth century ce. Paul Harrison notes that the Tibetan translation of this section matches the Sanskrit fragments in general, whereas the Chinese translations differ in places. Aside from these fragments, there is no extant Sanskrit version of the present text.
intro.13
There are four Chinese translations of this sūtra, the best known of which is The Precious Casket without Words translated by Bodhiruci between 508 and 535.¹³ The second translation with the same title made by Buddhaśānta (dates unknown) in 529 ce has been lost.¹⁴ Two other Chinese translations were made by Divākara (613–87 ce): The Mahāyāna Sūtra “Universally Radiant Treasury Free from Words” in 683 and The Mahāyāna Sūtra “Brilliant Treasury That Illuminates All, The Dharma Gateway without Words” between 676 and 688.¹⁵
intro.14
These sources may shed light on an ambiguity concerning the “two words” Viśeṣacintin refers to in his initial request. It is not entirely clear in the Tibetan translation what these two words are. Bodhiruci’s translation and Divākara’s translation The Mahāyāna Sūtra “Brilliant Treasury That Illuminates All, The Dharma Gateway without Words” appear to handle this ambiguity by grouping the bodhisattva Viśeṣacintin’s three questions into two. The contemporary Chinese commentary referenced above¹⁶ asserts that they refer to rulai (如來), the Chinese translation of the Sanskrit compound tathāgata, which can be parsed as “thus gone” (tathā + gata) or “thus come” (tathā + āgata). Read in this light, the Buddha’s reply to the bodhisattva Viśeṣacintin seems to mirror a section in The Ornament of the Light of Awareness That Enters the Domain of All Buddhas (Sarvabuddhaviṣayāvatārajñānālokālaṃkāra, Toh 100),¹⁷ in which the bodhisattva Mañjuśrī asks the Buddha to explain the meaning of two words, “non-arising” and “non-cessation.” The Buddha responds that these two words refer to the Tathāgata¹⁸ and provides a list of the causes of affliction and purification, which he explains are by nature empty and not perceived.¹⁹
intro.15
Divākara’s other translation, The Mahāyāna Sūtra “Universally Radiant Treasury Free from Words,” continues to be taught and recited today in the Chinese Buddhist tradition. It is often accompanied by a preface of unknown authorship entitled “The Miraculous Results of Reciting and Upholding The Mahāyāna Sūtra ‘Universally Radiant Treasury Free from Words’ through the Ages,”²⁰ which relates stories of four historical figures from the Tang through Ming Dynasties who derived benefits from reciting this sūtra.
intro.16
The Basket Without Words was translated from Chinese into Japanese by Hokei Izumi and published in the Kokuyaku Issaikyō (Japanese Translations of the Scriptures) series. In 1986, Sakai Shinten published a comparative study of the three extant Chinese translations and a Japanese translation of the Tibetan. Sakai reads “the basket without words” (anakṣarakaraṇḍaka) as referring to the Sanskrit letter a, described in the Buddha’s teaching to the bodhisattva Dṛḍhamati in Upholding the Roots of Virtue (Kuśalamūlasaṃparigraha, Toh 101)²¹ as “a point of explanation for designating the gate devoid of attributes” that all phenomena possess.²²
intro.17
This English translation was prepared based on the Tibetan translation in the Degé Kangyur in consultation with the Comparative Edition (dpe bsdur ma) and the Stok Palace Kangyur.
1
Homage to all buddhas and bodhisattvas.
Thus did I hear at one time. The Blessed One was dwelling in Rājagṛha on Vulture Peak together with a great saṅgha of monastics.
There were also many hundred sextillions of bodhisattvas, all with extensive knowledge, skilled in means, lucid, free from laziness, and skilled in their command of words.²³ They comprehended what is correct and what is incorrect. They were completely liberated. Endowed with the bud of discipline and the branch of conscience, they were compassionate by nature and
2
affectionate toward sentient beings. They had attained many meditative concentrations, possessed the hand of insight, and showed great respect to their teachers.
They resembled the bodhisattva great being Ratnadvīpa.²⁴ They knew what was virtuous and nonvirtuous and comprehended deception. They comprehended both semantic elucidation and inexhaustible eloquence.²⁵ They had attained victory and they engendered comprehension in all sentient beings. They emerged from and relied upon²⁶ the limit of reality.²⁷ Extremely heroic, they had no abode.²⁸ They were certain about the nature of the highest teachings. Their thoughts distinctly focused on the lack of inherent existence, they were courageous with regard to the matrix.²⁹
They were beings who despised rebirth. They comprehended phenomena and knew their bases of characterization. They were guardians and protectors of realms. They were renowned. They were endowed with the conqueror’s voice, endowed with the treasury of conquest, and endowed with the matrix without words. Absolutely awake and absorbed in the aggregate of knowledge, they delighted in their own actions and relied on those who were like them.³⁰ They were good in every way, took delight in equality, and were completely pure. They had purified their own and others’ continuums and attained victory.
Together there were the following: the bodhisattva great being Voice of Victory, the bodhisattva great being Dharma Speaker, the bodhisattva great being Conqueror’s Abode, the bodhisattva great being Emanation of the Dharma, the bodhisattva great being Source of a Thousand Attributes,³¹ the bodhisattva great being Aspirations Amassed, the bodhisattva great being Viśeṣacintin, the bodhisattva great being Dharaṇīdhara, the bodhisattva great being Jagatīndhara,³² the bodhisattva great being
3
Melodious Song of the Earth, the bodhisattva great being Pratibhānasampad, the bodhisattva great being Supreme Accumulation, the bodhisattva great being Lotus Petal Eyes, the bodhisattva great being Lotus Face, and the bodhisattva great being Maṇicūḍa.
The bodhisattva great being Mañjuśrī was also there together with bodhisattva great beings beyond number, all of whom were youthful. The bodhisattva great being Maitreya³³ was also there together with bodhisattva great beings who were all regents, as many as the grains of sand in the Ganges. The bodhisattva great being Viśeṣacintin was there together with many Śakras. The bodhisattva great being Samantabhadra, the bodhisattva great being Ākāśagarbha, and the Four Great Kings were there together with a multitude of universal monarchs. The bodhisattva great being Mahāsthāmaprāpta and the bodhisattva great being Avalokiteśvara were there together with a multitude of Brahmās. The bodhisattva great being Amoghadarśin was there together with a retinue of a multitude of Vaiśravaṇas. The bodhisattva great being Nakṣatrarāja was there together with the other guardians of the world. The bodhisattva great being Destroyer of Doubt and the bodhisattva great being Sarvanīvaraṇaviṣkambhin were there together with many thus-gone ones bearing the appearance of bodhisattvas.³⁴ Śāradvatīputra, Maudgalyāyana, Mahākāśyapa, and so forth were there together with all the arhats.
The bodhisattva
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great being Abundant Virtues and the bodhisattva great being Viśeṣacintin³⁵ were there together with a multitude of thousands of goddesses. The bodhisattva great being Bhaiṣajyarāja, the bodhisattva great being Arisen from Remedies, and all the Moons and Suns in as many world systems of the ten directions as there are grains of sand in the Ganges, proud of their own splendor, proceeded to where the Blessed One was. When seated in the Blessed One’s presence, it was as if lumps of soot had been placed before gold from the Jambu River—those Moons and Suns were no longer beautiful, no longer blazed, no longer shone, no longer gleamed, and no longer illuminated in the Blessed One’s presence.
All the assemblies of gods such as Nārāyaṇa; all the kings of the nāgas such as Varuṇa, Takṣaka, and Anavatapta, together with their retinues; the lord of the gandharvas Sumanāpa together with many tens of millions of gandharvas; and the king of the garuḍas Great Stainless One together with seventy million garuḍas proceeded to the place where the Blessed One was. All the bodhisattvas dwelling in as many world systems of the ten directions as there are grains of sand in the Ganges obtained permission from their respective thus-gone ones and, together with their fourfold assemblies, proceeded there and made supramundane offerings to the Blessed One and to the bodhisattvas and then sat on their respective lotus seats.
Then the bodhisattva great being Viśeṣacintin said to the Blessed One, “If the Blessed One gives me permission, I would like to ask the Blessed One about two words.”³⁶
The Blessed One replied, “I give my permission.
5
Therefore, Viśeṣacintin, ask the Thus-Gone One whatever you have in mind. The Thus-Gone One did not appear here for the sake of just anyone's benefit, I appeared here for the sake of your benefit.”
Then the bodhisattva Viśeṣacintin asked the Blessed One, “Blessed One, what is one factor that bodhisattvas abandon? Blessed One, what is one quality that, when safeguarded by bodhisattvas, encompasses all the foundations of the training? Blessed One, what is one phenomenon to which thus-gone ones have truly and perfectly awakened?”
Questioned in this way, the Blessed One gave his approval to the bodhisattva Viśeṣacintin. “Brahmā,³⁷ the words you have spoken are excellent, excellent! Child of a good family, such eloquence arises through the Thus-Gone One’s blessing. Child of a good family, if the Thus-Gone One did not bestow blessings, no one would ask the Thus-Gone One such questions. Viśeṣacintin, because of that, you should listen very carefully and keep this in mind. I will explain this to you.”
After the Blessed One said this, the bodhisattva Viśeṣacintin listened to the Blessed One accordingly.
The Blessed One said to him, “Child of a good family, someone may ask, ‘What is one factor that bodhisattvas should abandon?’ It is the quality of attachment. Child of a good family, this is one factor that should be abandoned. Moreover, one factor that should be abandoned is the quality of anger. This is one factor that should be abandoned. Moreover, one factor that should be abandoned is the quality of delusion. This is one factor that should be abandoned. Moreover, one factor that should be abandoned
6
is grasping at a self. This is one factor that should be abandoned. Moreover, one factor that should be abandoned is laziness. This is one factor that should be abandoned. Moreover, one factor that should be abandoned is lethargy and sleepiness. This is one factor that should be abandoned. Moreover, one factor that should be abandoned is craving.³⁸ This is one factor that should be abandoned. Child of a good family, moreover, one factor that bodhisattvas should abandon is ignorance. Child of a good family, this is one factor that bodhisattvas should abandon.³⁹
“Child of a good family, someone may ask, ‘What is one quality that bodhisattvas should constantly and continuously safeguard?’ Child of a good family, whatever bodhisattvas do not desire, they should not do to others. Child of a good family, those bodhisattvas who safeguard this one quality will thereby safeguard all the foundations of the thus-gone ones’ training. Why is this so? Child of a good family, whoever values their own life does not kill.⁴⁰ Whoever values their own wealth does not take what has not been given. Whoever values their wife does not approach another’s wife.⁴¹ Child of a good family, I have explained that those who think in these or similar ways and understand, 'I should act in accordance with the Thus-Gone One’s teachings," should safeguard this one quality.
“Why is this so? Child of a good family, all those who seek unsurpassed, perfect, and complete awakening seek the causes⁴² of their own happiness. That means that no one desires their own suffering; beings desire happiness. I say, ‘Do not do to others what you do not desire.’ Child of a good family, this is one quality that bodhisattvas should constantly and continuously safeguard.
“Child of a good family,
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someone may ask, ‘What is one phenomenon to which thus-gone ones have truly and perfectly awakened?’ Child of a good family, there is no one phenomenon to which thus-gone ones have truly and perfectly awakened. Child of a good family, without any phenomenon whatsoever to realize,⁴³ thus-gone ones have truly and perfectly awakened.
“Child of a good family, thus-gone ones also comprehend that all phenomena are unborn. Thus-gone ones comprehend that all phenomena are without cessation. Child of a good family, thus-gone ones also comprehend that all phenomena are free from the two extremes. Child of a good family, thus-gone ones comprehend that all phenomena are unarisen.⁴⁴ Child of a good family, thus-gone ones comprehend the appropriation of karma. Thus-gone ones comprehend that all phenomena depend on causes and conditions. Child of a good family, thus-gone ones comprehend that causes and conditions are like lightning. Thus-gone ones comprehend that there is no birth without causes and conditions.⁴⁵ In this way, thus-gone ones comprehend the true nature that is the illuminator’s matrix.
“Someone may ask, ‘Why are these realizations⁴⁶ called the illuminator’s matrix?’ Child of a good family, this is because they are the womb from which all mundane and supramundane wisdom and so forth arises. When one examines the nature of that wisdom, then one enters the womb of the perfection of wisdom. That is called the illuminator’s matrix.
“Child of a good family, thus-gone ones also comprehend that all phenomena are like a magician’s illusions and like mirages. Thus-gone ones comprehend their own true nature⁴⁷ that is naturally liberated. That which is liberated is the true nature of the illuminator’s matrix.
8
“Child of a good family, thus-gone ones also comprehend the single gateway of the Dharma. Child of a good family, that which is without going, without coming, without causes, without conditions, without death and transmigration, without birth, without acceptance, without rejection,⁴⁸ without decrease, and without increase; and, child of a good family, what is naturally natureless, what cannot be indicated by analogy, what cannot be expressed by words or language—that single gateway of the Dharma is comprehended by the thus-gone ones.”
When the teaching of the king of arrays, this Dharma discourse on the basket without words, the illuminator’s matrix, was explained, ⁴⁹ as many sentient beings as the minute particles that would appear to the eyes of a bodhisattva abiding on the tenth ground generated the mind of unsurpassed, perfect, and complete awakening. The same number attained arhatship. Moreover, an even greater number of sentient beings than that died and transmigrated from among the hell beings and were born as humans and gods. Many bodhisattvas attained the grounds.⁵⁰ Many bodhisattvas actualized hundreds of thousands of meditative concentrations. Many found that due to this discourse they did not lack anything they needed.
Then the Blessed One said to Venerable Rāhula, “Rāhula, you should remember this Dharma instruction of mine enthusiastically.”
Immediately after the Blessed One spoke, by the power of the Buddha, ninety million bodhisattvas from that retinue arose from their seats and said to the Blessed One, “Blessed One, we will remember this Dharma instruction of the Thus-Gone One. At a later time, in the future, we will explain it well in the Sahā world to those who seek the Bodhisattva Collection.”⁵¹
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The Four Great Kings said to the Blessed One, “Blessed One, we will fulfill all the wishes of those bodhisattvas who become vessels of teachings like this.”
Then the Blessed One looked upon the entire retinue and said, “Friends, those who hear this Dharma discourse on the basket without words, the illuminator’s matrix, which condenses the very extensive sūtras, will not be endowed with lesser roots of virtue. Why is this so?⁵² This is because all those excellent beings have served, venerated,⁵³ and honored me. Those children of a good family will carry my awakening on their shoulders. Their consummate eloquence will be unceasing. Their buddha realms will be thoroughly and completely pure.
“Also, at the time of death, they will see standing before them the Thus-Gone One Amitābha surrounded by a saṅgha of śrāvakas and attended by an assembly of bodhisattvas. They will also see me together with these very bodhisattvas abiding on Vulture Peak, the king of mountains. The treasury of the Dharma will never be exhausted for those children of a good family. They will remember their past lives. They will not be born in the lower realms.
“Child of a good family, I have spoken these words that contradict the whole world.⁵⁴ I have never seen children of a good family who commit the five actions with immediate retribution and then fasten this Dharma discourse to their bodies, write it out, recite it, or master it fall into the lower realms. Those bodhisattvas will be empowered by all the buddhas and attain the five eyes. They will not have inferior faculties.
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They will be embraced by all buddhas. They will be embraced by all bodhisattvas. Their limitless actions will be purified. Child of a good family, I see that they will speak these words in the future and become truly and perfectly awakened.”
When the Blessed One had spoken these words, Viśeṣacintin and the other bodhisattvas, Śakra and the gods, the Four Great Kings, and the world with its gods, humans, asuras, and gandharvas rejoiced and praised what the Blessed One had said.
Colophon
It was edited and finalized by the Indian preceptors Jinamitra, Dānaśīla, and Munivarman, and the chief editor-translator Bandé Yeshé Dé.
Notes
notes.1
1. See the introduction to Peter Alan Roberts and Yeshe Tulku, trans., The Basket’s Display (Kāraṇḍavyūha, Toh 116, 2013), i.15–i.17 for a helpful discussion of the translation of karaṇḍa as “basket.”
notes.2
2. The Tibetan that has been rendered “illuminator” is rnam par snang mdzad, which we have read as a noun rather than as an adjective, and which may refer either to the sun, figuratively, or to the Buddha Vairocana. Whether the intended sense here is the figurative evocation of the sun or a reference to Vairocana is not clear, but we have treated all instances in the text as the former and left the English uncapitalized. As for “matrix,” the intended sense here is that of a womb, one of the word’s meanings. In this regard, it may be worth noting that the English word “matrix” comes from the Latin for “mother” (māter).
notes.3
3. Dharmachakra Translation Committee, trans., The Questions of Brahmaviśeṣacintin (84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2021), 1.22.
notes.4
4. Denkarma, folio 299.b. See also Yoshimura 1950, p. 136; Herrmann-Pfandt 2008, p. 109.
notes.5
5. Phangthangma 2003, p. 16.
notes.6
6. shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa’i man ngag gi bstan bcos mngon par rtogs pa’i rgyan ces bya ba’i ’grel pa’i rgya cher bshad pa lung gi snye ma.
notes.7
7. chos gcig gis don bsdu ba. This section of Butön’s commentary also lists quotes from The Lion’s Roar of Śrīmālādevī (Śrīmālādevīsiṃhanāda, Toh 92), The Sūtra of Siṃha’s Questions ( Siṃhaparipṛcchāsūtra , Toh 81), and The Sūtra of Advice for the King (Rājādeśasūtra, Toh 214, 215). Cluster of Scriptures, pp. 203-204.
notes.8
8. For the dates of this scholar, see van der Kuijp 2009, pp. 8–9.
notes.9
9. byang chub sems dpa’i sems kyi gnas bshad pa’i mdo. The other sūtras in this group, listed in the order in which they appear, are Toh 257–62, 264–86, 357, 32, 33, 138, and 36.
notes.10
10. mdo sde spyi’i rnam bzhag.
notes.11
11. theg pa ni gnas skabs gsum dang mthar thug gcig go. The doctrine of the one final vehicle of buddhahood asserts that the śrāvaka, pratyekabuddha, and bodhisattva vehicles are expedient means that lead all beings to attain buddhahood. In contrast, the doctrine of three final vehicles asserts that those who follow the śrāvaka and pratyekabuddha paths become arhats and pratyekabuddhas, respectively, and do not go on to attain buddhahood. In a similar vein, a contemporary Chinese commentary reads “the illuminator’s matrix” (vairocanagarbha) as referring to the ninth level of “immaculate consciousness” (amalavijñāna) posited in certain strands of the Yogācāra school in China, and it likewise classifies this sūtra as teaching the one final vehicle of buddhahood. See Shi, Miaohui. Also see Shi, Chengjing on this sūtra teaching the doctrine of the one final vehicle of buddhahood.
notes.12
12. See Harrison 2015, pp. 833, 851, 863–65.
notes.13
13. 無字寶篋經 (Wuzi baoqie jing), Taishō 828. See Lancaster, “K213.”
notes.14
14. This sūtra is listed among Buddhaśānta’s translations in the 歷代三寶紀 (Lidai sanbao ji) [Record of the three jewels throughout successive dynasties], Taishō 2034, a private scriptural catalog of canonical texts compiled by Fei Changfang in 597 ce.
notes.15
15. 大乘離文字普光明藏經 (Dacheng liwenzi puguangmingzang jing), Taishō 829, and 大乘遍照光藏無字法門經 (Dacheng bianzhao guangzang wuzifamen jing), Taishō 830. See Lancaster, “K214” and “K215.”
notes.16
16. Shi, Miaohui.
notes.17
17. Dharmachakra Translation Committee, trans., The Ornament of the Light of Awareness That Enters the Domain of All Buddhas (84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2015), 1.14.
notes.18
18. Toh 100, 1.18.
notes.19
19. Toh 100, 1.71–1.75.
notes.20
20. 历代诵持《大乘离字普光明藏经》神奇感应 (“Lidai songchi dacheng liwenzi puguangmingzang jing shenqi ganying”).
notes.21
21. Dharmachakra Translation Committee, trans., Upholding the Roots of Virtue (84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2020), 13.63.
notes.22
22. Reading vairocanagarbha as referring to the womb realm of the Buddha Mahāvairocana, Sakai posits that this sūtra is a summary of the meaning of the Vairocanābhisaṃbodhi, an early Buddhist tantra composed between the mid-sixth and seventh centuries, extant in Chinese as The Enlightenment, Supernatural Transformations, and Empowerment of Mahāvairocana (Śubhakarasiṃha and Yixing, trans., 大毘盧遮那成佛神變加持經 Da biluzhena chengfo shenbian jiachi jing, Taishō 848) and in Tibetan as The Tantra of the Complete Awakening of Vairocana (rnam par snang mdzad mngon par rdzogs par byang chub pa’i rgyud, Toh 494). However, this sūtra’s translation into Chinese by Bodhiruci in the early sixth century suggests that it predates the Vairocanābhisaṃbodhi, raising doubts about Sakai’s claim.
notes.23
23. yi ge sgrub pa la mkhas pa. The Chinese translations read that they were “accomplished in understanding the gateway/treasury of the Dharma without words.”
notes.24
24. All three Chinese translations lack the epithet “bodhisattva great being” and read Ratnadvīpa as a place name (寶洲, “Precious Continent”). S reads rin po che’i snying (“Precious Matrix”).
notes.25
25. This translation follows the reading in C, H, J, and N that omits dang after zad mi shes pa: nges pa’i tshig dang spobs pa zad mi shes pa zung khong du chud par byed pa. Taishō 828 and Taishō 830 read zung (“pair”) as “two kinds of emptiness” (二空). Taishō 829 reads “the gateway to the ultimate and conventional” (真俗門), implying the two truths.
notes.26
26. D: brten pa. S: bstan pa (“taught”).
notes.27
27. Here, Taishō 828 reads 善學諸諦通達實際 (“Skilled in learning all truths, they realized the limit of reality”). Taishō 829 reads 深明實際不住其中 (“Deeply understanding the limit of reality, they did not abide in it”).
notes.28
28. Tib. gnas pa med pa. Here Taishō 828 reads 無邊勇健無所執著 (“Limitless in power, there was nothing they were attached to”).
notes.29
29. Translation tentative. Where D reads sems pa, other Kangyur versions (C, J, K, Y, N, S) read sems dpa’ (Skt. sattva), with S adding a shad: rang bzhin med pa’i khyad par sems dpa’/ snying po la dpa’ ba (“Preeminent heroes who lacked inherent existence, they were courageous about the matrix”). Here Taishō 828 reads 能善思惟實以不實二種法門 (“They were able to skillfully contemplate the real and unreal, the two types of Dharma doors”).
notes.30
30. The Chinese translations add here that these bodhisattvas were liberated from the three realms and able to rescue those in the three realms.
notes.31
31. stong gi ’byung gnas. This translation follows the Chinese translations that read “bodhisattva Thousand Attributes” (Taishō 828: 千相菩薩, Taishō 829: 千容相菩薩). Taishō 830 reads “bodhisattva Thousand Spokes” (千輻菩薩).
notes.32
32. Not listed in S.
notes.33
33. D: byams pa. Y: spyan ras gzigs (Avalokiteśvara). Taishō 829 and Taishō 830 similarly mention Avalokiteśvara here; they also do not include Mañjuśrī in the audience.
notes.34
34. Taishō 828 has the opposite formulation of the bodhisattvas Destroyer of Doubt and Sarvanīvaraṇaviṣkambhin manifesting the bodies of thus-gone ones. Taishō 829 is similar to the Tibetan, while Taishō 830 does not include this sentence.
notes.35
35. Taishō 828 also lists Viśeṣacintin a second time in the audience, accompanied by a retinue of goddesses. Taishō 829 and 830 name different bodhisattvas accompanied by goddesses.
notes.36
36. yi ge gnyis shig. Ch. 二字. It is not clear what this term refers to given that Viśeṣacintin asks the Buddha three questions. In Taishō 828, Viśeṣacintin asks only two questions here about what bodhisattvas abandon and what the thus-gone ones realize. He asks the third question about what bodhisattvas safeguard only after the Buddha’s reply to his first question. Taishō 829 is similar to the Tibetan. Taishō 830 has Viśeṣacintin asking only two questions, combining what bodhisattvas abandon and safeguard into a single question. After posing the two questions, Viśeṣacintin adds, “Please explain these two meanings to us” (有何等法。菩薩摩訶薩應當除滅及以守護。復有何法。如來克證及以覺知。如是二字惟願為説。).
notes.37
37. Short for Brahmaviśeṣacintin. Taishō 828 uses the same short form here (“Brahmā,” 梵天) and spells out Brahmaviśeṣacintin (勝思惟梵天) in full once later in the sūtra.
notes.38
38. D: sred pa. S reads srid pa (Skt. bhava), “renewed existence” or “becoming,” the tenth of the twelve links of dependent origination.
notes.39
39. Taishō 829 and Taishō 830 include “deluded doubt” (疑惑) in the list of phenomena to be abandoned. Taishō 829 also lists “arrogance” (憍慢) and leaves out “ignorance.” Taishō 830 leaves out “lethargy.”
notes.40
40. Y and K: gzhan gyi srog mi gcod (“does not take the lives of others”).
notes.41
41. Taishō 830 further spells out avoidance of the other seven of the ten nonvirtuous actions: lying, divisive speech, idle talk, harsh speech, covetousness, malice, and wrong views.
notes.42
42. D: rgyur. Y and K: rgyun (“continuity”).
notes.43
43. D: rtogs pa. Y and K: rtog pa (“conceive”).
notes.44
44. Instead of “all phenomena are unarisen,” the Chinese translations read “all phenomena are not real” (不實).
notes.45
45. Taishō 828 has a different formulation: “Yet what thus-gone ones realize is free from causes and free from conditions. Thus-gone ones’ speech is without karmic results. They experience this upon attaining full awakening” (而如來所覺離因離緣。如來說言無有業報。既成正覺而受之也。). Taishō 829 and Taishō 830 are similar to the Tibetan.
notes.46
46. D: yongs su rtog pa dag (“conceptions”). This translation follows the reading in S: yongs su rtogs pa dag. Taishō 829 and Taishō 830 read “the nature of phenomena” (法性). An equivalent term does not appear in Taishō 828.
notes.47
47. Taishō 828 and Taishō 830 read “the nature and characteristics (性相) of phenomena.” Taishō 829 reads “the true nature (實性) of all phenomena.”
notes.48
48. Taishō 828 reads “without thought, no thought” (無思不思) instead of “without acceptance, without rejection.” Taishō 829 and Taishō 830 are similar to the Tibetan.
notes.49
49. Here Taishō 828 reads 說此廣嚴上王無字寶篋光嚴法門時 (“When this extensively adorned supreme king, the basket without words, the Dharma instruction adorned by light was spoken”); Taishō 829 reads 當佛說此莊嚴王離文字普光明藏法門之時 (“When the Buddha spoke this king of adornments, the Dharma instruction of the universally illuminating treasury free from words”).
notes.50
50. sa thob par gyur. Taishō 830 reads “countless bodhisattvas abided on the grounds” (無量諸菩薩等住於諸地). Taishō 829 reads “countless bodhisattvas attained entry onto the first ground” (無量菩薩得入初地). This sentence is not found in Taishō 828.
notes.51
51. Following the reading in S: byang chub sems dpa’i sde snod (Skt. bodhisattvapiṭaka). D: byang chub sems dpa’i snod.
notes.52
52. In Taishō 830, the Buddha begins his response by saying that he is giving this Dharma instruction for the first time since attaining buddhahood. While Taishō 828 and Taishō 829 are similar to the Tibetan here, in Taishō 828 the Buddha concludes his discourse with a similar pronouncement.
notes.53
53. S adds ri mor bya (“showed respect to”).
notes.54
54. See The Questions of Brahmaviśeṣacintin (Toh 160), 1.187–1.188 for bodhisattva Brahmaviśeṣacintin’s explanation of why this Dharma contradicts the whole world.