འཕགས་པ་ད་བཞན་གཤགས་པའ་གསང་བ་བསམ་གྱས་མ་ཁྱབ་པ་བསྟན་པ་ཞས་བྱ་བ་ཐག་པ་ཆན་པའ་མད 7
The Secrets of the Realized Ones 7
- Language
- English
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has been invited to receive his midday meal in the capital city of Aḍagavatī in the abode of Vajrapāṇi, Lord of the Guhyakas, and that whoever among them wishes to see him should come quickly. Do as your father says!” The son of the lord of the guhyakas then did as he was told.
Vajrapāṇi, Lord of the Guhyakas, then spoke to his second son, Subāhu: “Use your superhuman powers and go to the heavenly realms from the realms of the earth-dwelling deities and the sky-dwelling deities up to the Heaven of the Four Great Kings, the Heaven of the Thirty-Three, the Yāma Heaven, the Heaven of the Contented, the Heaven of Those Whose Delight Comes from Magical Creations, and the Heaven of Those Who Possess the Power to Transform Others’ Delight into Their Own, and inform the gods of those realms that the Blessed One has been invited to receive his midday meal in the capital city of Aḍagavatī in the abode of Vajrapāṇi, Lord of the Guhyakas, and that whoever among them wishes to see him should come quickly. Do as your father says!” The young Subāhu then did as he was told.
Then, in an instant, in a fraction of an instant, many hundreds of thousands of gods from the desire and form realms appeared there and pervaded the surrounding area for ten thousand leagues. Vajrapāṇi, Lord of the Guhyakas, then arranged the offerings for the Blessed One, and in the morning he knelt down on his right knee, and, bowing down to the Blessed One with his palms joined together in a gesture of salutation, he informed the Blessed One that the midday meal was ready by reciting the following verses:
“Great sage, the time has come.
Best of men, please come!
True man, please come!
Most noble man, please come!
“Great sage, the midday meal is ready.
Best of bipeds, please come!
True biped, please come!
Most noble biped, please come!
“Like a lotus born in the pond of moral conduct,
You flourished in the water of heroic effort,
And now students buzz around you like bees.
Lotus-like sage, please come!
“You dwell among the truths of the noble ones,
You have the eyes of love and compassion,
And you utter the roar of no self.
Victorious lion, please come!
“The core of your conduct has mindfulness as its roots.
Your flowering branches are the limbs of awakening.
Your fruits of liberation are your attainments.
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Victorious tree, please come!
“Your depths have the vastness of wisdom.
Your waters have the coolness of concentration.
Sea traders speak of you as one immersed in yoga.
Ocean of virtues, please come!
“Glorious sphere of compassion,
Radiating light rays of wisdom,
Making students bloom like flowers,
You are the sun, sage—please come!
“You are unmoved by proponents of other doctrines.
You bear the medicines of freedom and the like.
Students and those beyond schooling are said to be deer.
You are a mountain, sage—please come!”
Knowing that Vajrapāṇi, Lord of the Guhyakas, had set out the midday meal, the Blessed One then spoke to the monks: “Since the Lord of the Guhyakas has set out the midday meal, monks, you should wear your monastic robes and take your alms bowls. Appoint a caretaker of the monastery and empower him with authority for seven days.” Those disciples and bodhisattvas who had superhuman powers then rose into the air by the power of their own superhuman powers, while those who did not have superhuman powers stood within the sphere of the Realized One’s aura of light and traveled through the vault of the sky with the Blessed One. Then, surrounded by a host of bodhisattvas and at the head of a host of disciples, the Blessed One vanished from the hill, Vulture Peak, while a host of gods lauded him and a host of goddesses sung his praise, all of them radiating light, showering a rain of flowers, and playing millions upon billions of musical instruments as they made domains tremble.
By means of the great majestic power of the Buddha, the great superhuman power of the Buddha, the great transformative power of the Buddha, the great miraculous display of the Buddha, the great glory of the Buddha, the great vital energy of the Buddha, the great demeanor of the Buddha, and the great child’s play of the Buddha,
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they flew freely through the vault of the sky like the king of swans, toward the capital city of Aḍagavatī. The gods of the realms of desire and form saw the Blessed One coming from afar. As he flew freely through the vault of the sky, he looked like the sphere of the rising sun. He looked as if he were the full moon being encircled by a constellation of stars. He was surrounded by a host of gods as if he were Śakra, King of the Gods. He was surrounded by brahmās as if he were Great Brahmā.²³⁰
Those gods who saw him coming were satisfied, overjoyed, pleased, and glad. They felt both delight and cheerfulness of mind, and then as an act of worship of the Blessed One, they strewed the Blessed One with heavenly blossoms of blue lotus, white water lily, red lotus, white lotus, māndārava, great māndārava, flowers of the divine Pārijāta tree, red spider lily, great red spider lily, sthāla, great sthāla, rocaka, and great rocaka—flowers the size of great wheels, flowers with intoxicating fragrance, flowers with hundreds and thousands of petals, flowers colored like the red breast of a goose, star flowers that shone with the radiance of a star, flowers whose every part had an everlasting fragrance, and flowers that were ever blooming and pleasing to the eye. These and other flowers were strewn upon the Blessed One while the gods held aloft parasols, flags, and banners, and played hundreds of thousands of musical instruments.
With an array such as this one, with showers of flowers raining down, with a heavy downpour of powders, scented oils, garlands, and fragrances, and with cymbals and other musical instruments being played and songs being sung by hundreds of divine maidens, the Blessed One reached the capital city of Aḍagavatī in an instant—in a fraction of an instant. He alighted at the assembly hall of the Great King Vaiśravaṇa, together with the bodhisattvas and great disciples, and just as soon as the Blessed One was standing firmly on the surface of the earth, at that precise moment in time the great earth shook, gently
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and slightly, so that no one was harmed by it.
When the Four Great Kings knew that the Blessed One had arrived at the capital city of Aḍagavatī, they hastened to his side with the utmost speed, together with the women from their inner chambers, their relatives, and their assemblies, carrying powders, scented oils, garlands, fragrances, incense, and flowers. When they arrived, first the Four Great Kings bowed their heads at the feet of the Blessed One, and worshiped him with the scented oils, garlands, incense, and flowers that they had brought, and they stood to one side with their arms outstretched, palms together in a gesture of salutation. Then, the women from the Four Great Kings’ inner chambers, their assembled armies, and everyone else who had gathered there all bowed their heads at the feet of the Blessed One, and stretched out their arms, palms together in a gesture of salutation.
The Blessed One then gave a talk on the Dharma that was oriented toward those who had gathered there, beginning with the Four Great Kings, which led twelve thousand living creatures among the assemblies of nāgas, yakṣas, rākṣasas, gandharvas, and kumbhāṇḍas gathered there to conceive the aspiration for awakening, and at the same time ten thousand maidens from the Four Great Kings’ inner chambers also conceived the aspiration for unsurpassable and perfect awakening.
At that point, Vajrapāṇi, Lord of the Guhyakas, along with the women from his inner chambers, surrounded by his relatives and their assemblies, and with the entire population of Anantaguṇaratnavyūha in his train, came to the assembly hall of the Great King Vaiśravaṇa, bearing all manner of flowers, fragrances, garlands, scented oils, incense, powders, linens, parasols, flags, and banners, and making music by singing and playing cymbals and other musical instruments. He approached the Blessed One, bowed his head at the Blessed One’s feet, walked around him seven times, keeping him on the right,
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and worshiped the Blessed One with the flowers, incense, fragrances, garlands, scented oils, powders, linens, parasols, flags, and banners of various kinds that had been brought, and with music being made by singing and playing musical instruments. Then he paid homage to the Blessed One and brought him into his courtyard, along with the monastic community.
The Blessed One then sat down upon his own lion’s seat that had been prepared for him in the courtyard, which was hovering above the ground’s surface and was endowed with the finest of all qualities, while the bodhisattvas and the great disciples took their own seats, and so did the whole assembly.
Vajrapāṇi, Lord of the Guhyakas, then said this to the assembly of gods:²³¹ “Come and assist the worship of the Realized One. For, as the Realized One has said,
“ ‘Those who give their approval in such a case,
And do the business with which they have been tasked,
Their reward will not be the lesser for it.
They, too, will receive their share of merit.’
“Therefore, friends, may you provide the accompanying approval and receive the merit that is the effect of such activity.”
Indeed, when the gods beheld the array in the courtyard and the array of lion’s seats, they were astounded, and thus inspired they uttered this inspired utterance: “Whose majestic power is this? Is it the Realized One’s, or is it that of the Lord of the Guhyakas?”
Then, a voice was heard from the sky, which said, “It is the empowering authority of the Lord of the Guhyakas. In the eastern direction from here, friends, beyond buddha domains equal to the number of grains of sand in the Ganges River, there is a world called Anantaguṇaratnavyūha, where the realized one Vyūharāja teaches the Dharma. With the Lord of the Guhyaka’s empowering authority, he has transformed the courtyard here
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into an array with an appearance similar to the array that the Lord of the Guhyakas saw there.”
As soon as the Blessed One sat upon the lion seat, at that very moment, the yakṣas, rākṣasas, pretas, piśācas, gandharvas, guhyakas, and mahoragas that were dwelling in the capital city of Aḍagavatī drew near to the Blessed One. Once they had drawn near, they bowed their heads at the feet of the Blessed One, and then stood to the side, while raising their arms, palms together, in a gesture of salutation to the Blessed One.
Now, Vajrapāṇi, Lord of the Guhyakas, invited the Four Great Kings and the whole assembly, saying, “Come, all of you who have gathered here, join together while we present the Blessed One with the meal that has been set out accordingly.”
Then, along with the women from his inner chambers, his relatives, his sons, his soldiers, and his attendants, Vajrapāṇi, Lord of the Guhyakas, with his own hands and with the deepest respect, served the Realized One, the bodhisattvas, and the community of monks with an abundant and excellent meal of hard and soft foods, arrayed with many different flavors, a meal that was made pure by the motivation of a bodhisattva and worthy of being offered in worship to the Realized One, which satiated and entertained them. After he had entertained and satiated the Blessed One, and he knew that the Blessed One had washed his hands and put away his alms bowl,²³² he sat down in front of the Blessed One to listen to the Dharma. When all the yakṣas and rākṣasas who were living in the capital city of Aḍagavatī had gathered there, too, they stood looking up at the face of the Blessed One with their arms outstretched, palms together in a gesture of salutation.
Chapter 19: The Protectors of the World
Vajrapāṇi, Lord of the Guhyakas, then asked
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the Blessed One to teach the Dharma: “Please give a teaching that will introduce the guiding principles of the Dharma in such a way that those beings who have not yet conceived the aspiration for awakening will conceive the aspiration for awakening, and become firmly established in the state of being unable to be turned back from unsurpassable and perfect awakening, and so that it will be to the benefit, prosperity, bliss, and aims of this assembly of yakṣas, rākṣasas, pretas, piśācas, gandharvas, guhyakas, and mahoragas for a long time, and so that by this distinction they will rise to a state of distinction and will not give up any part of it.”
After this had been said, the Blessed One addressed Vajrapāṇi, Lord of the Guhyakas, and the entire assembly, saying, “Listen well, friends, and pay careful and close attention, for I will give a teaching that will introduce the way of the Dharma in such a way that a noble son or noble daughter who sets foot upon it will suitably rise to a level of distinction,²³³ and will not give up any part of it.
Vajrapāṇi, Lord of the Guhyakas, said, “Good, Blessed One!” And he and the whole assembly listened to the Blessed One, as the Blessed One said this to them:
“In this regard, friends, noble sons and noble daughters with ambition who have conceived the aspiration for unsurpassable and perfect awakening are believers.²³⁴ They have an abundance of faith. They have a desire to be in sight of the noble ones and they desire to hear the Dharma. Without greed, they freely surrender everything. Their hands are open, and they delight in making gifts. They have an urge to sponsor sacrifices. They have a connection with surrender and they delight in sharing with others through their generosity.²³⁵
“Their thoughts are free of hostility and they possess clarity of mind. They believe in the idea that actions produce consequences. They take an active interest in it; they put their confidence in it. They are free of uncertainty, they have no doubts, and they do not take the opposing viewpoint. They know
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that the fruits of good and bad actions do not perish, and so they do not do what should not be done, even for the sake of their lives.
“They abstain from harming beings. They abstain from taking what is not given; they abstain from sexual misconduct; they abstain from lying, from slanderous speech, from harsh speech, and from idle chatter; and they abstain from covetousness, from malice, and from wrong views. They undertake the path of the ten forms of good conduct, and they do not take the path of the ten forms of bad conduct.²³⁶
“Full of belief and ready to be guided, such a noble son or daughter recognizes ascetics and brahmins whose conduct is right; who have practiced what is right; who are in full possession of moral conduct, virtue, and wisdom; who are experts; who have the quality of goodness; who are greatly learned; who have applied themselves to knowledge; who have repeatedly applied careful attention; who are calm, controlled, and at peace; who speak with restraint, assume an inoffensive manner,²³⁷ and have good intentions; who expel bad qualities; who are not haughty or condescending; who are not boisterous; who are not loose with their words; who attend to mindfulness; whose minds are concentrated in meditation; who have cut off the conduit to continued existence; who have drawn out the thorn; who have put down their burden; who have left behind uncertainty; who have left behind doubt; and who have left behind future rebirth—such a noble son or daughter knows them to be companions in what is good who appear in the form of ascetics and brahmins, but are actually buddhas and disciples of buddhas, and serves them, supports them, stays close to them, pleases them, does not displease them, and gains their favor.
“Companions in what is good whose favor is gained in this way make it clear, by means of talking about the nature of things, that generosity brings a state of great enjoyment. They demonstrate it; they enable noble sons and daughters to grasp it; they make them excited about it; they make them pleased about it. Similarly, they also make it clear that moral conduct brings rebirth in the heavens, that learning brings about a state of great wisdom, and that meditative cultivation brings freedom. They do so by saying:
“ ‘This is giving; this is the result of giving.
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This is stinginess; this is the result of stinginess. This is moral conduct; this is the result of moral conduct. This is immoral conduct; this is the result of immoral conduct.²³⁸ This is patience; this is the result of patience. This is heroic effort; this is the result of heroic effort. This is meditation; this is the result of meditation. This is wisdom; this is the result of wisdom. This is the state of one whose powers of discrimination are faulty; this is the result of the state of one whose powers of discrimination are faulty.
“ ‘This is good behavior with the body; this is the result of good behavior with the body. This is bad behavior with the body; this is the result of bad behavior with the body. This is good verbal behavior; this is the result of good verbal behavior. This is bad verbal behavior; this is the result of bad verbal behavior. This is good behavior with the mind; this is the result of good behavior with the mind. This is bad behavior with the mind; this is the result of bad behavior with the mind.
“ ‘This is virtue. This is vice. This is what should be done. This is what should not be done. Doing this is to one’s benefit, prosperity, bliss, and aims for a long time, but doing this is not to one’s benefit, prosperity, bliss, and aims for a long time.’²³⁹
“This, indeed, is how those companions in what is good demonstrate it to noble sons and daughters, how they enable them to grasp it, how they make them excited about it, how they make them pleased about it. And then, once they know that someone is a worthy recipient of the Dharma, they offer profound teachings—for instance, teachings on emptiness, teachings on groundlessness, teachings on desirelessness, teachings on what is unconditioned, teachings on what is not born and does not arise, and teachings on the lack of a self, the lack of a being, the lack of a life force, and the lack of a person.
“They offer profound teachings on dependent arising, saying, ‘This being so, this comes to be.
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This not being so, this does not come to be. This being so, this arises. This not being so, this ceases.’
“And they also say, ‘With ignorance as the condition, latent tendencies come to be; with latent tendencies as the condition, consciousness comes to be; with consciousness as the condition, name and form come to be; with name and form as the condition, the six sense spheres come to be; with the six sense spheres as the condition, sense contact comes to be; with sense contact as the condition, feeling comes to be; with feeling as the condition, craving comes to be; with craving as the condition, clinging comes to be; with clinging as the condition, becoming comes to be; with becoming as the condition, birth comes to be; and with birth as the condition, old age and death come to be, along with grief, lamentation, suffering, displeasure, and despair. Such is the origin of this whole great mass of suffering.
“ ‘That not being so, this does not come to be. From the ceasing of that, this ceases. So, from the ceasing of ignorance, latent tendencies cease; from the ceasing of latent tendencies, consciousness ceases; from the ceasing of consciousness, name and form cease; from the ceasing of name and form, the six sense spheres cease; from the ceasing of the six sense spheres, sense contact ceases; from the ceasing of sense contact, feeling ceases; from the ceasing of feeling, craving ceases; from the ceasing of craving, clinging ceases; from the ceasing of clinging, becoming ceases; from the ceasing of becoming, birth ceases; from the ceasing of birth, aging and death cease, along with grief, lamentation, suffering, displeasure, and despair. Such is the cessation of this whole great mass of suffering.
“ ‘In the respect, moreover, from the perspective of the ultimate truth, nothing can be found of which there is the arising or the cessation, and that is because all things that are dependently arisen are without an owner, a doer, or an experiencer. Furthermore, with respect to what comes into being through causes and conditions, there is no thing that comes into being, turns back into nonbeing, or returns into being. The notion that there are the three worlds comes into being as a result of bewilderment caused by what is unreal, and not otherwise. The notion persists through the afflictions; it persists through action;
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it persists through suffering. However, if one were to examine this false conception²⁴⁰ from the perspective of the true nature of things, there is no thing whatsoever, nor is there a doer of anything at all. Where a doer cannot be found, in such a case it should be said that nothing comes into being, turns back into nonbeing, or returns into being.’
“Hearing such a profound teaching about the nature of things, noble sons and daughters do not hesitate. They do not doubt. They comprehend that all things have the nature of being unbound, and so they do not become bound to form, and they do not become bound to feeling, conception, latent tendencies, or consciousness. They do not become bound to the eye, form, or visual consciousness. Likewise, they do not become bound to the ear, the nose, the tongue, or the body, or to the mind, mental objects, or the consciousness of mind. They believe that all things are naturally empty and naturally isolated and free.²⁴¹
“A bodhisattva who is grounded in such a belief, friends, does not stop seeing the buddhas. He does not stop listening to the Dharma. He does not stop serving the Saṅgha. Wherever he is born, he is not separated from seeing the buddhas, hearing the Dharma, and serving the Saṅgha. He is born with his face turned toward the blessed realized ones, and from the moment of his birth he strives with heroic effort. Striving with heroic effort and focused on the search for the good Dharma, he has no desire for the life of a householder. He has no desire to become attached to a household of wives, sons, daughters, male servants, female servants, attendants, and hired dayworkers.²⁴² As a youth, he does not engage in child’s play or with sensual pleasures even for a moment, and even though he is good-looking, he sets out from home in the prime of his life and enters the homeless life out of faith in the teachings of the blessed buddhas.
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“Those who enter the homeless life acquire companions in what is good, become companions of what is good, help others to attain what is good, and become motivated by what is good. Those who are motivated by what is good listen to teachings about what is good, but their central concern is practice; they are not endowed with mere verbal intelligence. After having strived with heroic effort in a search for extensive learning, they teach the Dharma expansively to others exactly as they heard it and without a thought for material compensation or an expectation of profit, favor, or fame. They teach the Dharma to others not by relying upon their own words, but they teach the Dharma to others exactly as they heard it and exactly as it has been established.
“They obtain a great love for those who hear the Dharma. They generate great compassion for all beings. Once they have extensive learning, they give no regard to their bodies or their lives, and they have few wants. They are content, live in total isolation, are easily satisfied, require little support, and are quite happy in forests and borderlands where they spend their time carefully investigating the Dharma just as they have learned it. They place their confidence in the meaning; they do not place their confidence in the words, and they become beings in whom the world with its gods, humans, and asuras places its confidence.²⁴³ They do not endeavor for themselves alone, but examine thoroughly and for the sake of all beings the unsurpassably great self, which is the knowledge of the buddhas.²⁴⁴
“They are intent on being watchful. What sort of watchfulness is meant here? It is what restrains the sense faculties. After seeing forms with the eye, they do not grasp on to their general features or secondary characteristics. They know the pleasure and the misery of such forms, and the freedom from them, just as they really are. In the same way, after cognizing sounds with the ear, smells with the nose, tastes with the tongue, tactile sensations with the body, and mental objects
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with the mind, they do not grasp on to their general features or secondary characteristics. They know the pleasure and the misery of such things, and the freedom from them, just as they really are. This is called watchfulness.²⁴⁵
“Moreover, watchfulness is also controlling one’s mind, protecting the minds of others, reducing one’s delight in the afflictions, increasing one’s delight in the Dharma, and conforming to one’s delight in the Dharma. It is the state of not pursuing preoccupations of sensual desire, ill will, and cruelty. It is the state of not pursuing greed, anger, delusion, and the roots of vice. It is the state of not pursuing bad behavior with one’s body. It is the state of not pursuing bad behavior with one’s speech. It is the state of not pursuing bad behavior with one’s mind. It is the state of not pursuing the objects of one’s indiscriminate attention. It is the state of not pursuing all bad and evil things. This is called watchfulness.
“Accordingly, friends, the bodhisattva who is watchful and has endeavored to pay careful attention has belief. Be watchful and a believer, Lord of the Guhyakas, have an abundance of faith, always be in harmony, be intent on the Dharma, and desire the Dharma. Indeed, those who have belief, Lord of the Guhyakas, whether human or another type of individual, do not have any fear of a bad rebirth in the next world. They do not apply their minds to bad behavior, and they are worthy of the praise of the noble ones.
“Furthermore, Lord of the Guhyakas, individuals who are established in the practice of the Dharma go to places that conform with the Dharma. They do not avoid the sight of the buddhas, and having been set firmly on the noble path, they attain greatness of character. This greatness of character, Lord of the Guhyakas, which they bring to fulfillment, is itself the aspiration for awakening in order to attain the knowledge of the realized ones. What is more, Lord of the Guhyakas, humans and other individuals who want to experience bliss ought to make an effort to achieve complete cessation, which is the final rest from effort.
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“Look at how this assembly shines, Lord of the Guhyakas! It has come together by means of the roots of past virtue. Therefore, Lord of the Guhyakas, one should make an effort so that roots of virtue are not completely ruined. And how, Lord of the Guhyakas, are roots of virtue not ruined? The roots of virtue of those gods and humans who live in watchfulness are not ruined, Lord of the Guhyakas. Therefore, watchfulness guards the mind. It drives away sense objects, it shuns the delight of sense pleasures, and it indulges the delight of the Dharma. It is the state of not pursuing preoccupations of sensual desire, ill will, and cruelty. It is the state of not pursuing the vices that are the objects of one’s indiscriminate attention. It is the state of not pursuing greed, anger, and delusion. It is the state of not pursuing the grave offenses of the body, speech, and mind. It is the state of not pursuing anything connected with ruin. This is called watchfulness.
“Those who are watchful and have belief, Lord of the Guhyakas, ought to make a heroic effort that conforms with these qualities, and then, by means of such heroic effort, they will gather those qualities of which watchfulness and belief are the causes. Those who are watchful, have belief, and make heroic effort, Lord of the Guhyakas, ought to make an effort to achieve mindfulness and circumspection. With mindfulness and circumspection, none of the qualities that are conducive to awakening are ruined. Those who are watchful, have belief, make heroic effort, and are mindful and circumspect, Lord of the Guhyakas, ought to practice with care. Indeed, Lord of the Guhyakas, the bodhisattva who has practiced with care knows whether something exists or does not exist.²⁴⁶ In this respect, what exists and what does not exist?
“There is the noble liberation for those who have practiced correctly.
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This, it is said, exists. In this regard, what does not exist? There is no noble liberation for those who have practiced incorrectly. This, it is said, does not exist. Moreover, action and consequence exist.²⁴⁷ The one of whom there is the action and consequence does not exist. Moreover, conventionally, the eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind exist.²⁴⁸ One who possesses the eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind does not exist.
“Moreover, for a bodhisattva who has strived with heroic effort, awakening exists. For one who is lazy, awakening does not exist. The five aggregates that arise from the distorted views exist. Things that arise without a cause do not exist.
“Moreover, a form that is impermanent, causes suffering, and is subject to change exists. A form that is established in accordance with the way things truly are as being permanent, stable, eternal, and not subject to change does not exist. In the same way, a feeling, conception, latent tendency, or consciousness that is impermanent, causes suffering, and is subject to change exists. A feeling, conception, latent tendency, or consciousness that is established in accordance with the way things truly are as being permanent, stable, eternal, and not subject to change does not exist.
“Moreover, what are called latent tendencies, which have ignorance as the condition, exist. When ignorance does not exist, then what are called latent tendencies do not exist. What is called consciousness, which has latent tendencies as the condition, exists. When latent tendencies do not exist, then what is called consciousness does not exist. What are called name and form, which have consciousness as the condition, exist. When consciousness does not exist, then what are called name and form do not exist. What are called the six sense spheres, which have name and form as the condition, exist. When name and form do not exist, then what are called the six sense spheres do not exist. What is called sense contact, which has the six sense spheres as the condition, exists. When the six sense spheres do not exist, then what is called sense contact does not exist. What is called feeling, which has sense contact as the condition, exists. When sense contact does not exist, then what is called feeling does not exist. What is called craving, which has feeling as the condition, exists. When feeling does not exist, then what is called craving does not exist.
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What is called clinging, which has craving as the condition, exists. When craving does not exist, then what is called clinging does not exist. What is called becoming, which has clinging as the condition, exists. When clinging does not exist, then what is called becoming does not exist. What is called birth, which has becoming as the condition, exists. When becoming does not exist, then what is called birth does not exist. What are called old age and death, along with grief, lamentation, suffering, displeasure, and despair, which have birth as the condition, exist. When birth does not exist, then what are called old age and death, along with grief, lamentation, suffering, displeasure, and despair, do not exist.
“Moreover, the development of great wealth through generosity exists. The development of poverty through generosity does not exist. Rebirth in the good realms through moral conduct exists. Rebirth in the bad realms through moral conduct does not exist. The development of great wisdom through learning exists. The development of faulty powers of discrimination through learning does not exist. The development of freedom through meditative cultivation exists. The development of bondage through meditative cultivation does not exist. The arising of afflictions for one who does not pay careful attention exists. The arising of afflictions for one who does pay careful attention does not exist.
“For those who have self-conceit, a prediction of perfect knowledge does not exist. For those who do not have self-conceit, cessation exists.
“Moreover, all-pervasive emptiness exists. A self that pervades an individual does not exist. For those who have knowledge, liberation exists. For those who are proud, freedom does not exist.²⁴⁹ That which is called a self, a being, a life force, and an individual does not exist.
“Bodhisattvas who are watchful and pay careful attention, Lord of the Guhyakas, know that those things exist which those in the world who are wise say exist. They know that those things do not exist which those in the world who are wise say do not exist.
7.18
They are not attached to the conventional expression ‘that exists.’ They are not attached to the conventional expression ‘that does not exist.’ They understand the correct meaning of what is taught by the blessed buddhas.
“When the realized ones give a concise outline of all things, Lord of the Guhyakas, they lay out a set of the four statements of the Dharma. What are these four? First, all conditioned things are impermanent. This is stated in order to defeat ascetics and brahmins who speak of permanence and those who have the idea that the long-lived gods are eternal. Second, all conditioned things are suffering. This is stated in order to defeat those that have the idea that gods and humans are happy. Third, all things are without self. This is stated in order to defeat those rival teachers who assert that there is a self. Fourth, nirvāṇa is peace. This is said in order to defeat those with self-conceit who engage in vain ruminations.
“What is called impermanence, Lord of the Guhyakas, is a designation with the meaning of momentariness. What is called suffering is a designation for being without desire. What is called being without self is a designation for the defining characteristic of emptiness. The statement nirvāṇa is peace is a designation for the direct realization of groundlessness.
“Bodhisattvas who are thus inclined toward all things in this way and who pay careful attention, Lord of the Guhyakas, do not neglect the qualities that are conducive to awakening, or allow them to become ruined. Indeed, they quickly bring to completion all the qualities of a buddha.”²⁵⁰
At this point, the Four Great Kings, who are the protectors of the world, spoke to the Blessed One. “Blessed One,” they said, “it is said that we, the Four Great Kings, are the protectors the world. How should we protect the world, Blessed One?”
The Blessed One then responded to the Four Great Kings, the protectors of the world, saying, “Friends, you should protect the world with deeds of the Dharma.
7.19
In this respect, those who walk the path of the ten forms of good conduct protect the world. What are the ten forms? They are as follows: you renounce the taking of life; you remain satisfied with your own wealth; you do not fly around with the wives of others; you are truthful to those who practice the Dharma; you do not divide other communities; you do not sow discord by using harsh speech; you use only the words that are necessary and you do not deceive others; you do not desire the wealth of others; you calm feelings of ill will; and you hold correct and pure views. Friends, those who walk the path of those ten forms of good conduct protect the world.
“There are eight more things, friends, that protect the world. What are these eight things? They are as follows: just as one speaks, so does one act; one respects one’s teachers; one treats everyone consistently; one is honest; one is gracious; one has thoughts of love toward all sentient beings; one does not do any bad deeds; and one gathers all the roots of virtue. Friends, these eight things protect the world.
“There are also six things that bring total satisfaction, friends, and these things protect the world, too. What are these six things? The first thing that brings total satisfaction is conduct with one’s body that shows love for the teacher, for the wise ones who lead the holy life, and for all beings. It satisfies them, shows them respect, and pleases them, and the cultivation of actions that satisfy, show respect, and please them attracts others and makes them ready for meditative concentration.
“Similarly, the second and third things that bring total satisfaction are conduct with one’s speech and conduct with one’s mind that show love for the teacher, for the wise ones who lead the holy life, and for all beings. They satisfy them, show them respect, and please them, and the cultivation of actions that satisfy, show respect, and please them attracts others and makes them ready for meditative concentration.
7.20
“The fourth thing that brings total satisfaction is the intent to share whatever one has obtained in accordance with the Dharma, including even those virtuous offerings that have been placed in one’s alms bowl, with the wise ones who lead the holy life. It satisfies them, shows them respect, and pleases them, and the cultivation of actions that satisfy, show respect, and please them attracts others and makes them ready for meditative concentration.
“The fifth thing that brings total satisfaction is the intent to uphold moral conduct together with the wise ones who lead the holy life, a moral conduct that is persistent, flawless, pure, good, autonomous, undefiled, praised by the wise, and not condemned by the wise ones who lead the holy life. It satisfies them, shows them respect, and pleases them, and the cultivation of actions that satisfy, show respect, and please them attracts others and makes them ready for meditative concentration.
“The sixth thing that brings total satisfaction is the intent to uphold the view that accords with the wise ones who lead the holy life—the view that is conducive to the forms of penetrating insight that are mastered by the noble ones, the view that completely eliminates suffering, the view of those adept at bringing suffering to an end. It satisfies them, shows them respect, and pleases them, and the cultivation of actions that satisfy, show respect, and please them attracts others and makes them ready for meditative concentration. These are the six things that bring total satisfaction, friends, and these things protect the world, too.
“There are four more things, friends, that protect the world. What are these four things? They are as follows: lust, hatred, delusion,
7.21
and fear—through the abandonment of these things one is not driven by lust onto a wrong course of action, one is not driven by hatred onto a wrong course of action, one is not driven by delusion onto a wrong course of action, and one is not driven by fear onto a wrong course of action. These four things, friends—that is, the abandonment of the four wrong courses of action—protect the world.
“There are two more things, friends, that protect the world. What are these two things? They are the following: a sense of shame and a feeling of remorse. These two things protect the world.
“There are also some single things, friends, that protect the world. What are these things? They are the following: The truth protects the world. Speaking well protects the world. Guilelessness protects the world. These single things, friends, protect the world.
“If one practices these sets of things, friends, one protects the world. Protect the world, friends, by practicing these sets of things.”
Chapter 20: Going and Coming
At that point, the Blessed One had the thought, “I should make it so that the words of a mantra are heard in this assembly, the articulation of which ensures the well-being of the entire assembly and ensures the long-term availability of the awakening of the realized ones, too.”
The Blessed One then spoke to Vajrapāṇi, Lord of the Guhyakas: “Lord of the Guhyakas, do you remember the words of the mantra that were spoken by me in the abode of the nāga king Apalāla, which I recalled as I was at the supreme point of the seat of awakening and spoke again for the well-being and benefit of the world?”
“Yes, I remember them, Blessed One.”
The Blessed One then said, “Use your inspired eloquence, Lord of the Guhyakas, and speak the words of the mantra.”
7.22
Vajrapāṇi, Lord of the Guhyakas, then rose from his seat. Crouching down in front of the Blessed One, he touched the Blessed One’s feet with his hands, and then he spoke these words of the mantra as follows:
ahula | hulavati | hularaṇa | aguha | ca ca ca ca ca |niṣuraṇa | kṣuta kṣata | kṣaya kṣaya | akṣayasama | śamanikara | hahula huvati | khilavati | kina abhiṣiti | nissaraṇi | jajājajāmati | avaṭā | nivaṭā | varta varta anusariṇi | bhuta anusmṛti ho | manuṣa anusmṛti ho | deva anusmṛti ho | nāganāṃ | yakṣānāṃ | gandharvāṇāṃ | kinnarāṇāṃ | mahoragāṇāṃ | svastir bhavantu | sarvasattvānāṃ | vikirantu mahāparavat | saṃvyathatāṃ dhāraṇi | garjatu samudravega iti | | ²⁵¹
When he had set forth this teaching of the words of the mantra, all the divine abodes quaked. The entire earth quaked, too, and the great ocean roiled. The whole assembly trembled and fell down at the feet of the Blessed One. The Blessed One then touched that galaxy of a thousand worlds with one foot. Just as the Blessed One was about to touch the ground, however, the whole assembly seated nearby cried out, “Blessed One, keep us safe! Sublime One, protect us! We are in danger! We are in great danger! We are trembling!”²⁵²
The Blessed One said, “Have no fear, friends, have no fear. This is the impact of these words of the mantra, which have been authorized by the empowering authority of the Realized One: the great earth quakes; the great ocean roils. Even if you were in the sky, you would quake.”
The Blessed One then taught the Dharma at length so that eighty thousand beings in the courtyard of Vajrapāṇi, Lord of the Guhyakas, conceived the aspiration for awakening