འཕགས་པ་ཡང་དག་པར་སྤྱད་པའ་ཚལ་ནམ་མཁའ་མདག་གས་འདལ་བའ་བཟད་པ་ཞས་བྱ་བ་ཐག་པ་ཆན་པའ་མད 3
The Acceptance That Tames Beings with the Sky-Colored Method of Perfect Conduct 3
- Language
- English
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your head, your blood, and your limbs,
And large amounts of grain, jewels, elephants, horses, sons, cities, and precious steeds.
“You gave away food, drinks, your bed, and male and female servants.
You constantly liberate your relatives and other beings from their suffering;
You fulfill all wishes, and you bring joy to beings.
You performed one hundred sacrifices for beings,
“And offered the virtue you accumulated in the past to the many buddhas.
You are always loving and delight in constant generosity.
You are steadfast in observances and blaze like Mount Sumeru.
Please teach this acceptance to bring stability to beings!
“In the past, you continually made the aspiration to show beings
How to abandon the three lower realms and to lead them to the higher realms.
You cause beings to reach³¹ awakening—the supreme pacification of suffering.
Victor, you achieved genuine awakening in the past
“And you saturate the entire earth with the glorious water of your compassion.
You pacify the afflictions, the three stains, and all doubts,
And by pacifying these, you show the path that leads to awakening.
Just like when you realized the Dharma,
“Please shower a rain of Dharma on beings whose minds are parched!
Please quench their thirst with ambrosia and reveal the right qualities!
Beings reach awakening through the path of peace,
And the beings who have come from numerous realms to this one
“Are here to be liberated from old age and death.
Great sage, please teach them this Dharma.
Teach the acceptance that tames beings with the sky-colored method of perfect conduct!
This will lead them to understand elaborations as illusions and mirages.”³²
The Blessed One gave his consent to Mañjuśrīkumārabhūta by not saying a word and thought, “I will enter into that type of absorption, and, through that absorption, I will emanate bodies that will sit in all those storied mansions. I will then please those assemblies and make them grow weary of saṁsāra.”
The Blessed One entered the absorption known as the array of light. With his mind in meditative equipoise, the blessed Buddha entered each and every one of those storied mansions and took a seat.
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The bodhisattva Filled with Amazement then asked the bodhisattva Uncovering the Enemies, “Noble son, which of these innumerable storied mansions is the storied mansion in which the Thus-Gone One is sitting? Through the empowering force of the Buddha, we see his body residing in all those mansions. What is this all about?”
The bodhisattva Uncovering the Enemies replied, “Noble son, the term thus-gone one is inexpressible. Even ignorance is without elaborations in the teachings of the Buddha. Noble son, does the past mind achieve awakening?”
“No, noble son.”
“Does the future mind achieve awakening?”
“No, noble son.”
“Is there a dwelling place for the present mind and thoughts?”
“No, noble son.”
“If the mind and thoughts lack a present dwelling place, how could something that does not dwell anywhere achieve awakening?”
“Noble son, once all the phenomena of the three times are abandoned, is it not the case that there is no comprehension of phenomena?”
“Permanence and impermanence are completely abandoned. There is no transmigration, no birth, no cessation, and no contact. Conditioned and unconditioned phenomena are baseless. All things are like space and lack awakening and transmigration. Just as space has no past, present, or future, and no conceit, awakening also has no past, present, or future. Just as space lacks concepts and conceptualization, the awakening of the buddhas also lacks concepts and conceptualization. Just as space lacks darkness and light, the qualities of the buddhas also lack darkness and light.
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Just as space lacks forms and is undefinable, the qualities of the buddhas also lack forms and are undefinable. Just as space is unborn and unceasing, the qualities of the buddhas are also unborn and unceasing. Just as space lacks going, the qualities of the buddhas also lack the apprehension of going. Just as space is groundless, the qualities of the buddhas are also groundless. Just as space lacks contact, the qualities of the buddhas also lack contact. Just as space lacks the apprehension of a path, the qualities of the buddhas also lack the apprehension of a path. Just as space is insubstantial and devoid of characteristics, the qualities of the buddhas are also insubstantial and devoid of characteristics. Just as space is inexpressible and lacks words, the awakening of the buddhas is also inexpressible and lacks words. Just as space lacks permanence and impermanence, the qualities of the buddhas also lack permanence and impermanence. Just as space lacks a body and lacks origination, the qualities of the buddhas also lack a body and lack origination. Just as space lacks apprehended objects and lacks abiding, the qualities of the buddhas also lack apprehended objects and lack abiding. Just as space has no support, is baseless, lacks observation, and lacks conceptualization, ascending, knowledge, going, coming, origin, limit, disturbance, torment, examination, commenting, vision, concepts, darkness, entities, marks, and manifestation, noble son, the qualities of the buddhas also lack everything from having no support up to lacking marks.
“Noble son,
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the qualities of the buddhas are said to be unborn. The qualities of the buddhas have the characteristic of being nondual and they dwell in the realm of phenomena. The qualities of the buddhas are contained in the realm of sentient beings, and the qualities of the buddhas are contained in the realm of space. Noble son, the qualities of the buddhas are contained in thoughts and concepts. The qualities of the buddhas are contained in the realms, various places, and superior places.³³ The qualities of the buddhas are contained in knowing, not knowing, advanced knowledge, thorough knowledge, and complete knowledge. The qualities of the buddhas are contained in the absence of marks, in correct characteristics, in partial characteristics, in complete characteristics, and in subsequent characteristics. The qualities of the buddhas are contained in the absence of transcendence, in thorough transcendence, in transcendence, and in subsequent transcendence. The qualities of the buddhas are contained in accepting, rejecting, clinging, and appropriation. The characteristics of the buddhas are contained in light, total illumination, subsequent illumination, the absence of illumination, and the absence of absolute illumination. The qualities of the buddhas are contained in what is genuine, completely genuine, subsequently genuine, not fully genuine, and not absolutely genuine. The qualities of the buddhas are contained in statements, thorough statements, full statements, subsequent statements, absolute statements, and complete statements. The qualities of the buddhas are contained in full knowledge, complete knowledge, identical knowledge, and subsequent knowledge. The qualities of the buddhas are contained in forms, full forms, identical forms,
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true forms, and complete forms. Noble son, the awakening of the buddhas is contained in conduct, thorough conduct, identical conduct, subsequent conduct, and complete conduct. Noble son, awakening is contained in expressions, thorough expressions, subsequent expressions, identical expressions, and complete expressions. Noble son, awakening is contained in enumeration, thorough enumeration, identical enumeration, subsequent enumeration, and complete enumeration. Awakening is contained in existence, thorough existence, subsequent existence, and complete existence. Noble son, awakening is contained in elaboration, thorough elaboration, freedom from elaboration, subsequent elaboration, and complete elaboration.
“Noble son, one should regard the awakening of the buddhas as devoid of apprehension, like space. Noble son, is anyone able to expand, measure, rival, ornament, or depict space?”
“No, noble son, no one is able to do so.”
“Noble son, the qualities of the buddhas are like space. Just as space cannot be expanded in any way, the qualities of the buddhas cannot be expanded in any way. Noble son, why do you inquire about those storied mansions where the Blessed One is sitting and where the body of the Buddha manifests?”
As the bodhisattva Uncovering the Enemies gave this elaborate explanation of the gateway to the Dharma of nonduality, 5,700,000,000 bodhisattvas achieved the acceptance of the unborn nature of phenomena and 4,200,000,000 of them reached the gateway to the Dharma of nonduality that sets forth the secrets of the thus-gone ones. This entire buddha realm flourished, and
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the beings living on earth and in the sky applauded and exclaimed, “This holy being’s excellent teaching revealing the gateway to the Dharma of nonduality that sets forth the secrets of the thus-gone ones is excellent, excellent!”
At that moment, the Blessed One rose from his absorption known as mastery over the emergence of light. To the entire assembly’s amazement, all of the buddha bodies and storied mansions disappeared except for the one storied mansion in which they saw the Blessed One sitting.
The bodhisattva Foremost Among Many Kings then asked the bodhisattva Elucidating Seer, “Noble son, where did those storied mansions come from? Where have they gone?”
The bodhisattva Elucidating Seer replied, “Noble son, you still entertain the perceptions of going and coming.”
The bodhisattva Foremost Among Many Kings said, “Noble son, coming is a term for transience, and going is a term for the lack of self.”
The bodhisattva Elucidating Seer replied, “Noble son, terms for transience and terms for the lack of self are terms that imply possession and ownership. People who are attached to possession and ownership adhere to the following four mistaken views: they engage in practice (1) while perceiving what is impermanent as permanent, and (2) perceiving suffering as happiness, and they engage in practice (3) while perceiving what is impure as pure, and (4) perceiving what lacks a self as having a self. People who engage in those mental errors will incur the following five hindrances: they will not abandon the hindrances of (1) craving sense pleasures, (2) ill will, (3) sloth and torpor
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or laziness, (4) agitation and regret, and (5) doubt.³⁴
“Noble son, whoever incurs these five hindrances will engage in the five acts with immediate retribution. People who have not abandoned the five acts with immediate retribution will not see rebirth among gods or humans, to say nothing of the awakening of the hearers! And if that is the case for those who lack the awakening of the hearers, what need is there to mention those who lack the awakening of the solitary buddhas and the awakening of the buddhas? One who has not abandoned possession and ownership has also not abandoned permanence and annihilation. How could people who adhere to annihilationist views engage in virtuous actions and observe virtuous conduct? How could people who adhere to views of permanence engage in virtuous practices and in practices aimed at liberation? People who adhere to views of permanence and annihilation will not see rebirth among gods or humans, to say nothing of the awakening of the hearers or the solitary buddhas! How could they reach unsurpassed and perfect awakening? Since the silent members of this gathering who have assembled here are not contaminated by the vehicles of the hearers or the solitary buddhas because they do not adhere to wrong views such as ownership and possession, noble son, see to it that you do not say such things.”
The bodhisattva Subāhu then asked, “Noble son, should one not focus on the perceptions of going and coming? And if one does not focus on those, how should one provide bodhisattvas who are worthy recipients of gifts with the requisite belongings and provisions? How should one honor one’s parents? How should one care for the sick?”
“Noble son, the following things lack mental elaboration: objects, close objects, supreme objects, other objects, objects of reverence, going, fully going, completely going, subsequent going, and going elsewhere. All of those terms lack mental elaboration. How can that be?
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Noble son, concepts, thoughts, subsequent thoughts, complete thoughts, and supreme thoughts lead to, lend strength to, and establish one in saṃsāra. The flower may be birth among the gods or humans, but the fruit is dying and being reborn over and over in the three lower realms. All such thoughts related to the eight fleeting concerns have faults. All things that are related to conduct, thorough conduct, complete conduct, and subsequent conduct lead to the abandonment of noble acceptance.”
“Noble son, are those who practice virtue in order to accomplish the qualities of the buddhas in conflict with this noble acceptance?”
“Noble son, those who have little desire for noble qualities and great desire for negative deeds are in conflict with this noble acceptance. They destroy it, toss it aside, and delude themselves about it. It is said that those who have completely rejected virtuous qualities indulge in desirous thoughts, and those who indulge in desirous thoughts are in conflict with and destroy the acceptance of proper conduct. Those who lack the group of qualities related to that acceptance reject it. Noble son, the group of qualities related to the noble acceptance includes the vows related to speech, the mind, and the six sense fields; not accumulating karma; the inexpressible; the effortless; the nonconceptual; and the absence of thoughts, the absence of an object of observation, and the absence of observation by the mind or the mental faculty. All their mental, physical, and verbal actions lead to delusion about this noble acceptance, because they lack this group of qualities. All their concepts related to the notion that phenomena are to be undertaken, are immoveable, and have characteristics also lead to delusion about this noble acceptance, because they lack this group of qualities.
“Someone who cultivates this group of qualities of the noble acceptance, such as the lack of physical, verbal, and mental activity; immutability; the absence of characteristics; and the absence of concepts, pursues the ultimate nature of the Dharma of nonduality and realizes the ultimate truth.
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Anyone with the slightest understanding of the ultimate nature of all afflictions and the ultimate nature of all phenomena cultivates this acceptance. Those who do not argue about words, who have subdued all the afflictions, who do not waver from the inexpressible, who are not attached to any philosophical doctrine, and who understand that phenomena are known to be unborn and unarisen cultivate this acceptance. Those who dwell in the realm of phenomena while devoting themselves to the realm of beings, who consider the realm of phenomena and the realm of beings to be identical, who do not differentiate between them, and who are not in conflict with the realm of characteristics cultivate this acceptance.
“Those for whom all phenomena lack a cognitive basis, are devoid of self and other, and lack appearances because they are unborn, and who understand that all phenomena lack apprehension lack arising, lack a body, and lack cultivation; are unborn; lack death and transmigration; lack support; are unwavering, immutable, and free from the concepts of existence and nonexistence; are not a vessel; lack thoughts; are free from attachment; are undefiled, bereft of class, intrinsically pure, unstained, and devoid of afflictions; lack superimpositions; do not occur anywhere; and lack conflict cultivate this acceptance.
“Those who focus on things such as freedom from conditions; pacifying all wandering; completely transcending all wicked paths; nonorigination, nonengagement, and not delaying; not apprehending any objects; completely transcending consciousness; lacking imputation, not commenting, the lack of coming, the lack of basis, nonabiding, the absence of seed, and rootlessness; stabilizing, pacifying, and completely pacifying the mind; the complete absence of torment; reaching the ultimate goal; not giving rise to rebirth;
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and delighting in nirvāṇa will perfect this acceptance. Those who focus on concepts, thoughts, ideas, reflections, imagination, going, departing, advancing, and approaching will not cultivate this acceptance.
“Noble son, coming is a term that signifies leading toward. Noble son, when there is no leading and leading toward there is no going and no coming. One should cultivate the acceptance of the gateway to the Dharma of nonduality in order to completely destroy the basis of going and coming. Noble son, the observation of the characteristics of actions expressed by the term coming comes to pass because one has abandoned the cultivation of this acceptance. Noble son, the primary cause of the characteristics of actions expressed by the term going is the absence of characteristics. This is called cultivating acceptance of freedom from characteristics.
“The primary cause of the characteristics of purpose expressed by the term coming comes about due to a rejection of acceptance and is not the cultivation of acceptance. Noble son, the expression going refers to the cultivation of the acceptance of the destruction, nonexistence, and pacification of purpose.
“Noble son, the characteristics of origination expressed by the term coming are delusions about acceptance, not the cultivation of acceptance. Noble son, the characteristics of nonobservation and refutation expressed by the term going refer to the cultivation of this acceptance.
“Noble son, the characteristics of the gateway of observation expressed by the term coming are not cultivated for this acceptance and are in conflict with this acceptance. Pacification and the characteristics of the destruction of apprehension expressed by the term going refer to the cultivation of this acceptance.
“Noble son, the characteristics of the basis expressed by the term coming are destructive³⁵ to this acceptance and are not the cultivation of acceptance. Noble son, the disappearance and the pacification of the basis expressed by the term going refer to the cultivation of this acceptance.
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“Noble son, the characteristics of origination expressed by the term coming are an abandonment of acceptance and are not the cultivation of this acceptance. Pacification and the characteristics of the destruction of causes expressed by the term going refer to the cultivation of this acceptance.
“Noble son, the characteristics of words and conventional terms expressed by the term coming are not the cultivation of this acceptance. The state in which conventional terms are pacified expressed by the term going refers to the cultivation of this acceptance.
“Noble son, drowning in the river of ignorance in the past and the future expressed by the term coming is delusion about this acceptance and is not the cultivation of this acceptance. When the term going refers to vast peace and abandoning knowledge and ignorance of the past and future, it expresses the cultivation of this acceptance.
“Noble son, the characteristics of physical, verbal, and mental conduct expressed by the term coming are not the cultivation of this acceptance. When the term going refers to the pacification of formations such as craving, it expresses the cultivation of this acceptance.
“Noble son, when the term coming refers to the characteristics of the terms for the pacification of consciousness and dispassionate conduct, this is not the cultivation of this acceptance. When the term going refers to the disappearance of consciousness, cognition, and analysis, it expresses the cultivation of this acceptance.
“When the term coming refers to the characteristics of the arising of name and form, it is not the cultivation of this acceptance. When the term going refers to the pacification of name and form, it expresses the cultivation of this acceptance.
“When the term coming refers to the characteristics of discipline, involvement, and sense pleasures, this is not the cultivation of this acceptance. When the term going refers to the pacification and disappearance of the six sense faculties, it expresses the cultivation of this acceptance.
“When the term coming refers to the characteristics of other terms for meditation on the stream of contact, this is not the cultivation of this acceptance. When the term going refers to flowing down the river of contact, it expresses the cultivation of this acceptance.
“When going refers to cutting off the stream of the three types of feeling, it expresses the cultivation of this acceptance.
“When coming refers to engaging the basis of craving, this is not the cultivation of this acceptance.
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When going refers to the abandonment and disappearance of craving, it expresses the cultivation of this acceptance.
“Noble son, when coming refers to the characteristics of terms for engaging in grasping, this is not the cultivation of this acceptance. When the term going refers to the elimination of grasping, it is the cultivation of this acceptance.
“When the term coming refers to the characteristics of the term for strong attachment to cultivation, this is not the cultivation of this acceptance. When the term going refers to the way in which something produced is thoroughly comprehended, it is the cultivation of this acceptance.³⁶
“Noble son, when the term coming refers to the characteristics of a term for entering a womb once again, this is not the cultivation of this acceptance. When the term going refers to the destruction of birth, it expresses the cultivation of this acceptance.
“When the term coming refers to a term for pursuing happiness over and over, this is not the cultivation of this acceptance. When the term going refers to the abandonment and extinction of old age, it expresses the cultivation of this acceptance.
“Noble son, when the term coming refers to the characteristics of the state of repeatedly falling into the waters of the river of death, this is not the cultivation of this acceptance. When the term going refers to crossing over the river of death, it expresses the cultivation of this acceptance.
“Noble son, when the term coming refers to the characteristics of the state of pursuing misery, lamentation, unhappiness, and distress, this is not the cultivation of this acceptance. When the term going refers to the pacification of all forms of suffering and distress, it expresses the cultivation of this acceptance.
“Noble son, when the term coming refers to the characteristics of the state of the arising of all manner of suffering associated with formations; the arising of old age, death, and transmigration; and the arising of the suffering associated with meeting and parting, this is not the cultivation of this acceptance. When the term going refers to the pacification of all forms of suffering associated with formations, this is the cultivation of this acceptance.
“Noble son, when the term coming refers to the arising of all manner of suffering and the nature of the generation of the four mistaken views, it hinders the cultivation of all manner of virtues. Noble son, the term going refers to complete pacification and is the antidote to the mistaken views associated with suffering. Therefore, noble son, the term coming is an expression of something that leads to all forms of affliction,
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while the term going is a term that expresses something that does not lead to any association with the habitual tendencies of the afflictions.
“Therefore, noble son, bodhisattvas do not waver from the inexpressible. They are not attached to any expression. They do not argue about the realm of phenomena of words.³⁷ A bodhisattva for whom there are no apprehended objects, no arising, no body, and no origination, who has cut the stream of observing all manner of perceptions and is free from the concepts of existence and nonexistence, perfects this acceptance.”
As this teaching was being delivered by the bodhisattva Uncovering the Enemies, 99 sextillion bodhisattvas led by Subāhu achieved the acceptance of the unborn nature of phenomena. All the beings who dwelt on land and in the sky in the entire buddha realm applauded in unison, exclaiming, “Noble son, the way that you have set forth this profound method of Dharma and showered us with such a rain of Dharma so that we are filled with eloquence regarding reveling in the complete qualities of a bodhisattva, the supernormal faculties, and nonattachment is excellent!”
At that moment the many gods, nāgas, yakṣas, asuras, garuḍas, kinnaras, and mahoragas who had gathered from the ten directions yearned and were determined to perform an offering to the bodhisattva Uncovering the Enemies with divine flowers, garlands, perfumes, and ointments. As they scattered flowers, garlands, perfumes, and ointments on his body, that noble son used the power of his absorption to magically transform them into the various precious substances. The pile fell to one side and transformed into a lion throne for the Blessed One made of the seven precious gems that was a thousand leagues high and ten leagues wide, covered with divine fabrics, and delightful to behold.
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All of the followers of lowly ascetic practices—the non-Buddhists and followers of other ascetic orders in this buddha realm who had resolved to exert themselves in observances, rules of conduct, and the four modes of conduct, as well as the non-Buddhists and followers of other ascetic orders who had resolved to exert themselves in observances, rules of conduct, and the four positions in countless realms throughout the ten directions that are empty of buddhas or inundated with the five impurities—gazed upon this lion throne made of the seven precious substances. Some who were engaging in the five-fires ascetic practice could be seen prostrating to the sun and the moon; some were carrying water, some were carrying mud, and some were carrying water and mud; some had long hair, some had beards, and some had long hair and beards; some were standing on one foot or raising one arm; some were feeding on forest roots and leaves; some were lying on nails; some had smeared their bodies with ashes from bones; some wore garlands of human skulls; and some were seen holding skulls in the palms of their hands. There were other non-Buddhists there as well who practiced the staff observance, the dog observance, the pig observance, the deer observance, the bird observance,³⁸ the fire observance, the moon observance, the sun observance, the water observance, the ladder observance, and various ascetic healing practices, and even more who had mastered exerting themselves in ascetic practices, observances, rules of conduct, and the four positions. At that time all of those various practitioners of lowly ascetic practices were seen there at the lion throne.
A parasol made of the seven precious substances that was ten thousand leagues wide hung in the sky above the lion throne, and on that parasol one could see various types of ornaments made of celestial gems. Various conventional names of wrong views resounded from those ornaments. For instance, they emitted the sounds of the conventional names of the sixty-two wrong views, such as the view of annihilation; the view of permanence; the view of the transitory collection; the view that holds extreme beliefs; the view that regards discipline and observances as superior;
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the view that happiness arises on the basis of desire; the view of disputing and finding fault with one another, cutting off heads, and gouging out the eyes; and the view by which one abandons the view regarding the path of the ten virtuous actions.
All the bodhisattvas who had arrived in this buddha realm from the infinite, countless pure buddha realms in the ten directions heard those sounds and saw those beings at the lion throne who were engaged in those various types of unwholesome customs and observances. They became utterly disheartened and thought, “Alas! Who are those beings holding afflicted views that we see in this Sahā buddha realm, which is inundated with the five impurities? We should return to our respective buddha realms!”
Although they wanted to leave this buddha realm, they did not know which way to go to their respective realms, so they prostrated to the bodhisattva Uncovering the Enemies with their palms together and said, “Noble son, we want to leave this buddha realm and return to our respective buddha realms. Noble son, since this buddha realm is utterly obscured by inexplicable views and elicits doubt, even the slightest of our bodily, verbal, and mental actions will be misunderstood,³⁹ so we want to leave immediately. But we have lost our sense of direction and we do not know which way to go to our respective realms. Noble son, please enable us to return to our respective buddha realms!”
The bodhisattva Uncovering the Enemies replied to those bodhisattvas who had come from the buddha realms of the ten directions, “Noble sons, are you not followers of the Great Vehicle?”
“Noble son, we entered the path of unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening a long time ago!”
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“Noble sons, because of their aspiration to ripen beings who must be tamed, those who are intent upon awakening are steadfast and do not hesitate to take birth among the hell beings. The same goes for taking birth in the animal realm, the preta realm, buddha realms inundated with the five impurities, and among poor yakṣas, poor humans, demons, and non-Buddhists who have fallen into different types of wrong views and are filled with doubts. The fact that they take birth in those places due to their aspiration to tame beings is referred to as the bravery of the bodhisattvas. They go to places like that with firm diligence and great courage. There are beings with the root of ignorance who congregate together, live in the forest their entire lives, and defile the path of perfect peace.⁴⁰ These beings kill living creatures and diligently engage in the ten nonvirtuous actions. They perfect inferior views and are not afraid of the afterlife. Bodhisattvas should resolve to undergo mental and physical suffering themselves out of pity for beings who perfect views of permanence and annihilation. A single being can be devoted to the six perfections in order to ripen all beings, a single action can cause one to plant the seed and remain on the path of the ten virtuous actions, and a single excellent statement can lead to comprehension. Therefore, for the sake of every being, bodhisattvas diligently undergo many types of suffering for myriads of eons.
“Noble sons, bodhisattvas have two types of armor, and the armor that bodhisattvas wear is what allows them to seize the four māras and be known as bodhisattvas. What are those two? The armor of beings and the armor of the qualities of the buddha realms. Noble sons, what is the bodhisattvas’ armor of beings?
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Noble sons, bodhisattvas develop resolve and are courageous because of their steadfast diligence, and by exerting themselves in the six perfections and cultivating love, they ripen beings who are destitute, who involve themselves with the roots of nonvirtue, who commit the acts with immediate retribution, who reject the sacred Dharma, who denigrate the noble ones, and who are separated⁴¹ from the pure buddha realms. Bodhisattvas liberate beings from the sixty-two types of wrong views out of great compassion, so one should train to be a refuge for afflicted beings! You should gain their favor using the four means of attracting disciples—generosity, pleasant speech, altruistic actions, and consistency with the meaning!
“Winning the favor of beings by using generosity as a means for attracting disciples refers to bodhisattvas who give some gift, from food and drink up to their own head, out of generosity and dedicate it using skillful means and thus master the six perfections. When bodhisattvas who give a gift have given up on marks, this is the perfection of generosity. When they have pacified the observation of entities, this is the perfection of discipline. When they are not impatient toward any object, this is the bodhisattva’s perfection of patience. When they give away their possessions and set out to practice in the wilderness, this is a bodhisattva’s perfection of diligence. When they give away their possessions and stop engaging in any activity, this is the bodhisattva’s perfection of concentration. When there is no sense of ownership due to giving something as a gift, and when no desire for anything in return for that thing occurs to one’s mind in solitude, this nonorigination, nonconceptual thought, nonarising, nonexistence, and lack of anything to be eliminated regarding both receiving and giving is a bodhisattva’s perfection of insight into the acceptance of the nonarising nature of phenomena.
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“How can the skillful means of a bodhisattva bring about mastery of the six perfections just by giving away a single coin? Noble sons, someone with the characteristics of a bodhisattva trains in the following way. They do not fixate on gifts that bring great pleasure because there is no body. They do not reject a gift because it causes great pleasure.⁴² They do not perceive a gift that brings great pleasure. Naturally possessing this power is the perfection of generosity.
“Since they do not wish for anything related to the desire realm in return, they cut the stream related to giving a gift. Likewise, they cut the stream related to generosity because they do not wish for anything in return related to the form or the formless realms. Giving a gift while diligently avoiding engaging characteristics and focusing on the unborn and unceasing power of recollection is the perfection of discipline.⁴³
“Generosity that is devoid of conceit and focuses continuously on its object—the natural absence of the characteristics of distraction, of elaboration with respect to the object of recollection, and of acceptance and rejection—is the perfection of patience.
“Generosity that is the wisdom that applies mindfulness of the continual arising of all forms of apprehension; the wisdom that abandons practices that are in disharmony with the path; the wisdom that is disconnected from the paths of the hearers and the solitary buddhas; entirely out of compassion, protecting those who follow inferior and corrupted paths and are tormented by anger and establishing them on the path of peace; and giving a gift so that they may embrace the Great Vehicle because it brings one joy while practicing in the wilderness is a bodhisattva’s perfection of diligence.
“Such generosity leads to everything having the same characteristic, and by attaining absorption on all objects one realizes that they are like an empty city. One realizes that the mind is devoid of all marks and that it is nonexistent. One realizes that all desires depend upon conditions and that they are unsurpassed,⁴⁴ that all concepts are bodiless and have the characteristic of instantly disintegrating,
3.20
and that all bases are nonexistent and have the characteristic of not going, not departing, and not arising. This is the bodhisattva’s perfection of concentration.
“Generosity that is not based upon the aggregates of the desire realm due to thoughts about the self, thoughts about the wilderness, thoughts about desiring something in return, or thoughts based on a concept of receiving; generosity that is free from acceptance and rejection with respect to the earth element; generosity that is free from acceptance and rejection with respect to the water, fire, air, space, and consciousness elements; generosity that does not entertain thoughts or concepts in order to tame the hearers and the solitary buddhas; generosity that is the arising of space in the aggregates and the elements, the nonobservation of an inherent nature of form, and complete nonobservation of an inherent nature in the ear, the nose, the tongue, the body, the mind, consciousness, and mental phenomena; generosity through the power of recollection; giving a gift without severing the stream of marks by cultivating the lack of conceptual thought with diligence; generosity that does not observe any type of liberation; and giving the gift of being unadulterated because everything is unarisen and unborn while transmigrating and being reborn—this is said to be the bodhisattva’s perfection of insight.
“Furthermore, generosity that does not conceive of a self and undeniably provides all types of enjoyment; that leads to acceptance with respect to the arising of all forms of happiness; that has unlimited diligence regarding beings and that lacks acceptance and rejection regarding all marks; that lacks abiding in concentration; that is insight into the three realms; and that is free from all observation is the method by which bodhisattvas give the gift of a single coin. By giving rise to the appropriate attitude and dedicating the merit, they are established in all six perfections.
3.21
“They develop a firm conviction to tame the hearers and solitary buddhas, but they do not give rise to desire for the vehicles of hearers and solitary buddhas. They associate with all beings in order to tame non-Buddhists, but they do not adhere to their mistaken views. They dedicate all their acts of generosity and their roots of the ten virtues that lead to the accomplishment of omniscience in order to sustain all beings. They inspire those who have developed views of ownership to persistently observe discipline and to engage in genuine ascetic practices and observances. They dedicate their roots of virtue to ripen beings in the hell realms, in the animal realms, and in the world of the Lord of Death, and to liberate them from their suffering. They think, ‘I am not afraid of the suffering of the hell realms, the animal realms, or the world of the Lord of Death, and also I intentionally take rebirth in those very places through the power of firm and compassionate diligence and courageous aspirations.’ They are endowed with all forms of patience for the sake of ripening all beings. They investigate all momentary formations. They watch over the entire homeland. Their courage and diligence are founded on all the roots of virtue so that they can ripen all beings. They associate with all teachers and with those who are not teachers in order to ripen all beings, and they exert themselves in the practice of entering into concentration and absorption.
“After examining the absence of formations, they generate the view of a self by practicing the paths of the māras that belong to every land, and give rise to insight in order to tame beings. All the practices in the lands of foolish beings generate the view of a self. In order to ripen beings, bodhisattvas transcend all worldly domains and practice concentration.
3.22
They look at the practices related to the paths of all worldly domains. They give everything away in order to ripen all beings. Noble sons, in order to please all beings, you should liberate destitute beings from their state of poverty with the armor of beings, the ornament that ripens beings, and the means of attracting disciples of the bodhisattvas!
“Furthermore, noble sons, ripening beings and giving gifts to beings is the perfection of generosity. It grants beings whatever they wish. It ripens those who wish for material things using gifts of material things, and it satisfies and ripens those who wish for the Dharma with Dharma teachings that take whatever form is appropriate for those beings. This is the bodhisattva’s perfection of generosity.
“Furthermore, noble sons, as they ripen beings, the material gifts they give ripen the recipients of their generosity by generating in them a loving attitude. They ripen them by generating an attitude of joy in their minds, and those beings will develop the virtuous attitude that consists of diligently cultivating all forms of compassion. The bodhisattvas ripen those beings by generating in them the virtuous attitude of equanimity and of not committing negative deeds. They ripen them by generating states of absorption in their minds and by generating in them the attitudes of relying on the meaning and of the lack of self.
“Furthermore, they ripen them by generating the initial thought of awakening in the minds and thoughts of those who receive the gifts they give. They ripen some recipients by making those who practice conduct for awakening grow weary of cyclic existence.
3.23
The bodhisattvas ripen those among them who have been practicing bodhisattva conduct for a long time by teaching and explaining the Dharma to them so they will stop practicing the vehicles of the hearers and the solitary buddhas and reach the level of nonregression from unsurpassed and perfect awakening. The holy beings who have attained the absorptions, dhāraṇīs, and acceptances ripen those who have reached the level of nonregression by teaching and explaining to them the Dharma related to the aspects of impermanence, suffering, emptiness, and the lack of self. Those bodhisattvas also make aspirations to some bodhisattvas to avoid rebirth in the pure buddha realms and to teach and explain the Dharma related to generating great compassion in buddha realms that are afflicted and inundated with the five impurities.
“In those places, those bodhisattvas will awaken to unsurpassed, complete, perfect buddhahood, cause those who hold wrong views and entertain doubts to practice the three vehicles, and lead them to nirvāṇa. Through such skillful means, they ripen myriad beings. Noble sons, they ripen beings with gifts that are equal to the number of pores on a bodhisattva’s body, whether they be material gifts or gifts of the Dharma.
“Noble sons, bodhisattvas also ripen beings using pleasant speech as a means of attracting disciples. Noble sons, bodhisattva look upon others with joyful eyes, delight them with pleasant words, and with gentle words motivate beggars and those attending Dharma teachings to listen. They turn beings away from behaviors that lead to negative actions, turn them away from all manner of wrong views, and establish those who lack them with the four qualities.