Vidyutprāpta’s Questions
Translation of འཕགས་པ་གླག་ཐབ་ཀྱས་ཞས་པ་ཞས་བྱ་བ་ཐག་པ་ཆན་པའ་མད (འཕགས་པ་གློག་ཐོབ་ཀྱིས་ཞུས་པ་ཞེས་བྱ་བ་ཐེག་པ་ཆེན་པོའི་མདོ)
- Language
- English
- Translator
- Robert Kritzer
- Extent
- 104 passages, 11,356 words
- Text
- complete digital text
- Source
- 84000 · Published by 84000 (v 1.0.2 2025). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha,… · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 (84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha). Shown whole and unaltered, with its notes, on a…
Contents
- intro 84000's introduction — 22 parts
- 1 — 16 parts
- 2 — 17 parts
- notes Notes — 49 parts
Text
84000's introduction
intro.1
Vidyutprāpta’s Questions is a Mahāyāna sūtra in which the bodhisattva Vidyutprāpta (“Lightning Attainment”) asks the Buddha how someone can help other beings attain enlightenment while remaining aware of the emptiness of all phenomena. The Buddha responds by explaining five “treasures” that enable a bodhisattva to teach the Dharma without being attached to the world. The first four include understanding sentient beings of various temperaments and the attitude necessary to teach them. The fifth, the treasure of the Dharma, is knowledge of the true nature of dharmas and skill in explaining this to ordinary beings.
intro.2
Vidyutprāpta’s Questions is a Mahāyāna sūtra in which the bodhisattva Vidyutprāpta (“Lightning Attainment”) asks the Buddha how someone can help other beings attain enlightenment while remaining aware of the emptiness of all phenomena. The Buddha responds by explaining five “treasures” that enable bodhisattvas to teach the Dharma without being attached to the world. The first four include understanding sentient beings of various temperaments and the attitude necessary to teach them. The fifth, the treasure of the Dharma, is knowledge of the true nature of dharmas and skill in explaining this to ordinary beings.
intro.3
The description of the first treasure, for the lustful, is quite long. Bodhisattvas understand that different sentient beings have different desires and that even the most lustful can be brought to maturity, that is to say, to the completion of the Buddhist path and the verge of liberation, by the bodhisattva’s skillful means. The Buddha emphasizes that bodhisattvas can teach spontaneously, without effort or attachment, and he gives several analogies to illustrate the nondualistic action to which the bodhisattva must aspire.
intro.4
The treasures for the angry and for the deluded are described following a similar pattern, but more briefly and with only one analogy. In the case of the angry, the Buddha tells bodhisattvas to be patient and compassionate to free beings from their anger. For the deluded, bodhisattvas must use their vast knowledge of doctrine to remove various false views, like a doctor who uses the appropriate medicine to cure a specific disease.
intro.5
The description of the treasure for those who are afflicted equally by lust, anger, and delusion is longer and more elaborate. More analogies are given, as well as two extended parables, which show how important it is for bodhisattvas to understand the individual temperaments and abilities of sentient beings yet remain impartial and detached.
intro.6
The fifth treasure, the treasure of the Dharma, enables bodhisattvas to teach sentient beings who are attached to the objects of consciousness, i.e., the objects of sight up to mental objects. The sūtra does not relate this treasure specifically to one of the four temperaments, and it seems to be intended for all sentient beings. The treasure of the Dharma consists of analytical knowledge of meaning, dharmas, language, and eloquence, and it is the basis of the bodhisattva’s teaching of the undifferentiated nature of dharmas.
intro.7
Finally, after the Buddha explains to Vidyutprāpta the five inexhaustible treasures, another bodhisattva, Candradhvaja (“Moon Banner”), asks about the phrase “wisdom without effort.” In his answer, the Buddha describes the wisdom of a bodhisattva who can lead sentient beings to liberation while knowing that sentient beings ultimately do not exist.
intro.8
Sources
intro.9
Vidyutprāpta’s Questions is no longer extant in Sanskrit. It has come down to us as the twentieth chapter or “assembly”¹ of the Ratnakūṭa,² a collection of forty-nine sūtras. The title of the Tibetan translation, glog thob kyis zhus pa, corresponds to the Sanskrit title,³ while the Chinese translation is called The Assembly on the Inexhaustible Treasures.⁴
intro.10
The Tibetan translation was not made from the Sanskrit. Rather, it is one of the nine sūtras in the Tibetan Ratnakūṭa that were translated from Bodhiruci’s Chinese translation, perhaps by Chödrup (chos grub, ca. 745–849).⁵ The sūtra appears in the Denkarma (Tib. ldan dkar ma), a ninth-century catalog of translations made during Tibet’s imperial period, which confirms its early ninth-century origins. However, in the Denkarma, it appears under the alternative title ’phags pa glog sbyin gyis zhus pa,⁶ which translates into English as The Noble Questions of Vidyuddatta, Vidyuddatta being an attested Sanskrit equivalent to glog sbyin, meaning “Lightning Gift.” Interestingly, this sūtra also appears under yet another title in the Phangthangma imperial-period catalog, namely, ’phags pa klog gi dbyig gis zhus pa’i mdo, which translates as The Noble Sūtra of the Questions of Jewel of Recitations, the name klog gi dbyig lacking any attested Sanskrit equivalent.⁷
intro.11
The Chinese translation (Taishō 310 [20]), like the translations of many of the other sūtras in the Ratnakūṭa, was made by Bodhiruci sometime between 706 and 713. Two versions of the Chinese title are found on lists of Ratnakūṭa sūtras in Chinese catalogs: Wu jin fu zang hui 無盡伏藏會 (The Assembly on the Inexhaustible Treasures)⁸ and Wu jin fu zang jing 無盡伏藏經 (The Sūtra on the Inexhaustible Treasures).⁹
intro.12
The Inexhaustible Treasures in Mahāyāna Literature
intro.13
In addition to the discussions of the inexhaustible treasures found in this sūtra, references to them appear elsewhere in Buddhist literature. In The Teaching of Vimalakīrti (Vimalakīrtinirdeśa, Toh 176), for example, two passages refer to them. In the first, the layman Vimalakīrti is said to have in his house four inexhaustible treasures from which the poor can help themselves without the treasures being emptied.¹⁰ In the second, bodhisattvas are said to be inexhaustible treasures for the poor: they make the poor produce the thought of enlightenment.¹¹ Lamotte points out that these metaphorical “treasures” later became the basis for the establishment of charitable institutions in China.¹²
intro.14
Inexhaustible treasures are described more extensively in the Buddhāvataṃsakasūtra. An entire chapter of this sūtra¹³ is devoted to ten treasures of faith, ethics, shame, conscience, learning, giving, wisdom, recollection, preservation, and elocution.¹⁴ The chapter on the ten treasures, which is chapter 22 in Śikṣānanda’s Chinese version (the version translated by Cleary) and chapter 27 in the Tibetan version, explains in general the special features and activities of the bodhisattva. Although there is no clear relationship between the Buddhāvataṃsakasūtra chapter and Vidyutprāpta’s Questions, certain topics are found in both, such as the importance of the bodhisattva’s knowledge of conditioned arising and the ability to teach individuals according to their differing faculties and desires.
intro.15
Finally, the entry on Vidyutprāpta’s Questions in the Japanese dictionary of Buddhist literature, Bussho kaisetsu dai jiten, suggests that the sūtra contains a forerunner of the theory of buddha nature and that there is a connection between the sūtra and the theories of mind nature in The Principles of the Perfection of Wisdom in One Hundred and Fifty Lines (Prajñāpāramitānayaśatapañcaśatikā, Toh 17) and dharma nature in the Buddhāvataṃsakasūtra.¹⁵
intro.16
A Note on the Bodhisattva Vidyutprāpta
intro.17
Vidyutprāpta is not a very well-known bodhisattva in Mahāyāna literature. The Sanskrit name is found only in Tibetan transliteration of the title of the sūtra. The name in the Tibetan translation, Lokthob (glog thob), corresponds to the Sanskrit Vidyutprāpta but does not appear anywhere else in the Kangyur. The name Diande 電得 in the Chinese translation appears in several places in the Taishō Tripiṭaka: in the Aṅgulimālīyasūtra (Yangjuemolu jing 央掘魔羅),¹⁶ where it is the name of a buddha, not a bodhisattva; in The Sūtra on the Names of the Buddha (Foming jing 佛名經),¹⁷ in a list of names of bodhisattvas, about whom nothing is said individually; and in Sengzhao’s commentary on The Teaching of Vimalakīrti, the Zhu weimojie jing 注維摩詰經, giving Kumārajīva’s explanation of the name Diande.¹⁸
intro.18
However, Sengzhao’s apparent reference to the bodhisattva Vidyutprāpta is misleading, and some clarification is necessary. In fact, the name Diande 電得 is not found in any extant version of The Teaching of Vimalakīrti itself. In the Zhu weimojie jing, the name appears as one of many bodhisattvas in a long list, each explained individually by Sengzhao or Kumārajīva. In the Sanskrit text of the sūtra, the corresponding name is Vidyuddeva, “Lightning God”; in Zhiqian’s Chinese translation,¹⁹ Mingshi 明施, “Luminous Charity”; in Xuanzang’s translation,²⁰ Diantian 電天, “Lightning God”; and in the Tibetan translation, glog gi lha, “Lightning God.” In Kumārajīva’s translation, the name is given as Diande 電徳.²¹ McRae translates this as “Lightning-Like Virtue.”²² However, Harrison, in his translation of the Pratyutpannabuddhasaṃmukhāvasthitasamādhisūtra, notes that Jñānagupta translates Vidyuddeva, “Lightning God,” as Diande 電德.²³ In light of the testimony of the Sanskrit, the Tibetan, and Xuanzang’s Chinese translation of The Teaching of Vimalakīrti, it is likely that Kumārajīva’s Diande 電德 refers to Vidyuddeva and should be translated as “Lightning God.”
intro.19
The following table illustrates the various permutations of the bodhisattva’s name:
intro.20
With this in mind, we can understand the apparent occurrence of the name Vidyutprāpta (“Lightning Attainment,” Diande 電得) in the Zhu weimojie jing. Since de 德, “virtue,” and de 得, “attainment,” were pronounced identically in Old Chinese and Middle Chinese,²⁴ it is very likely that it was a scribal error in the transmission of Sengzhao’s commentary that resulted in 德 becoming 得. Therefore, we can rule out any connection between the Diande in the Zhu weimojie jing and the Diande in the Vidyutprāptaparipṛcchā.
intro.21
The Present Work
intro.22
This is the first English translation of the Tibetan version of Vidyutprāpta’s Questions. It was prepared based on the Tibetan version preserved in the Degé Kangyur and Bodhiruci’s Chinese translation preserved in the Taishō Tripiṭaka. The Chinese version has been translated into Japanese in the Kokuyaku issaikyō series.²⁵ A somewhat incomplete English translation of the Chinese translation is found in Garma C. C. Chang’s A Treasury of Mahāyāna Sūtras.
1.1
Homage to all the buddhas and bodhisattvas.
Thus did I hear at one time. The Bhagavān was staying on Gṛdhrakūṭa Mountain in Rājagṛha together with a great assembly of one thousand monks, all of whom had especially exalted qualities and proclaimed the lion’s roar.²⁶ Also in attendance were five hundred bodhisattva mahāsattvas. They all had acquired dhāraṇīs, were unobstructed in eloquence, had realized patient acceptance of the nonarising of dharmas, were established in irreversibility, were endowed with samādhis, displayed superior powers in manifold ways, and were completely aware of the way that sentient beings behave mentally.
1.2
The bodhisattva Sūryadhvaja, the bodhisattva Candradhvaja, the bodhisattva Samantaprabha, the bodhisattva Moon King, the bodhisattva Illuminating Heights, the bodhisattva Vairocana, the bodhisattva Siṃhamati, the bodhisattva Precious Light of Virtue, the bodhisattva Sarvārthasiddha, the bodhisattva Possessing Previous Conditions, the bodhisattva Excellent Vows and Conduct, the bodhisattva Wisdom of Emptiness, the bodhisattva Even-Minded, the bodhisattva Joyous Yearning, the bodhisattva Fond of the Multitudes, the bodhisattva Yuddhajaya, the bodhisattva Practice of Wisdom, the bodhisattva Vidyutprāpta, the bodhisattva Victorious Eloquence, the bodhisattva Siṃhanāda, the bodhisattva Most Melodious, the bodhisattva Arousing, the bodhisattva Skilled in Changing Action,²⁷ and the bodhisattva Practice of Perfect Tranquility—bodhisattva mahāsattvas such as these were at the head. Furthermore, Śakra, king of the gods, the Four Great Kings, King Brahmā, lord of the Sahā world, and unlimited retinues of gods possessing great power, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kinnaras, and mahoragas, and others,
1.3
stayed together with the Bhagavān.
The bodhisattva Vidyutprāpta saw that the great assembly was gathered, purified, and completely at peace. He then got up from his seat, uncovered one shoulder, knelt on his right knee, joined his palms toward the Bhagavān and said to the Bhagavān, “Bhagavān, I am a bit uncertain. Now, let me ask you a question. May the Tathāgata, listening with compassion, give his consent.”
The Bhagavān said to the bodhisattva Vidyutprāpta, “The Tathāgata, Arhat, Samyaksaṃbuddha grants your request. Ask what you wish. It shall be explained fully.”
The bodhisattva Vidyutprāpta then asked the Bhagavān, “Bhagavān, what attribute do bodhisattvas have that lets them fulfill the desires of all sentient beings while not being sullied by flaws; that lets them lead sentient beings with their skill in means according to those beings’ faculties and their own natures, without their falling into the miserable existences after their bodies are destroyed; that lets them definitely realize equality and, like a lotus, be unsullied by flaws even though they dwell in the world; that lets them not move from the dharmadhātu but wander in the buddha fields, never separated from the sight of the Tathāgata’s form body;²⁸ that lets them abide in the three liberations and not enter samāpatti; and that lets them, after purifying the array of the buddha fields according to the inclinations of sentient beings, quickly in a single moment be perfectly enlightened in the highest enlightenment?”
Then the bodhisattva mahāsattva Vidyutprāpta, in the presence of the Bhagavān, spoke his request in verse:
1.4
“Unsurpassed lord of humans,
Whose wisdom and vision are unlimited,
You are established in the unadulterated Dharma²⁹
And you benefit worldly ones.
You observe all sentient beings equally.
You are the refuge of the world.
“Having shown the wrong and the right path,
You establish sentient beings in the ultimate happiness.
You have accumulated superior qualities,
Like a heap of various jewels.
You, the sun of wisdom in the world,
Are the worthy lord of the three realms.
By explaining the Mahāyāna,
You have perfected the path of enlightenment.³⁰
“The shape of your face is like the full moon.
You have completed the calming meditations.
By proclaiming the teaching of tranquility,
You have pacified the afflictions.
Please explain the practice of the bodhisattva
And benefit sentient beings.
“His buddha field and lifespan,
His form body and assembly,
His three actions and dharmas,
All are pure.
“Bhagavān, please explain
The pure practice of the bodhisattvas.
How do they subdue Māra? How do they teach the Dharma?
How is their mindfulness not impaired?
Please explain in your words.
“As for heroes,
Although they are thoroughly engaged in saṃsāra,
How are they established in the oneness of characteristics,
Never wavering with respect to things?
“How do they follow the buddhas
And make offerings,
And always, even when contemplating the Buddha’s body,³¹
Ultimately reject marks?
“Although they always realize the three liberations,
And are like birds flying in the sky,
Their merits are still incomplete,
And they never enter nirvāṇa.
But they know others’ faculties and natures,
And, following them without fear,
And without clinging,
They make those sentient beings mature.
“At first, they bestow worldly pleasure;
Later, they produce pure minds.
Since they are endowed with excellent wisdom,
They will attain the highest enlightenment.
1.5
May the Tathāgata explain such a deep and excellent matter.”
The Bhagavān replied to the bodhisattva mahāsattva Vidyutprāpta, “It is good, it is good, that you, son of good family, ask the Tathāgata this sort of thing in order to benefit innumerable sentient beings and make them happy, and to help the beings of the present world, including the gods, and the bodhisattvas of the future. Therefore, Vidyutprāpta, listen very carefully and keep this in mind. It will be fully explained to you.”
“Bhagavān, I wish to listen in this way,” replied the bodhisattva Vidyutprāpta.
“Vidyutprāpta,” said the Bhagavān, “the bodhisattva mahāsattvas have five treasures, which are great treasures, inexhaustible treasures, totally inexhaustible treasures, and limitless treasures. When bodhisattvas are completely endowed with such treasures, they are completely free from misfortune, they completely perfect especially superior virtues of the sort mentioned above, and quickly obtain with little difficulty superior, perfect enlightenment. What are the five? They are the treasure for those with a lustful temperament, the treasure for those with an angry temperament, the treasure for those with a deluded temperament, the treasure for those with an equally proportioned temperament, and the treasure of all dharmas.
“Vidyutprāpta, what is the bodhisattva mahāsattvas’ treasure for those with a lustful temperament? Sentient beings who belong to the group of those with a lustful temperament are bound by false views and falsely impute various things, according to their natures, to objects such as forms, sounds, smells, tastes, objects of touch, and mental objects, cling to them steadfastly, and are intoxicated in their attachment to pleasure. The bodhisattva mahāsattvas, by knowing in accordance with truth the mental temperament of those
1.6
beings, understand what they believe and desire, what objects they cultivate and are attached to, how powerful they are and what sort of faith they are endowed with, what sorts of virtuous roots they have produced, to what vehicle they should devote themselves, and when their virtuous roots will mature. The bodhisattva mahāsattvas, for the sake of eliminating all the desires of those sentient beings, and for the sake of making sure that their minds are always uninterruptedly virtuous, evaluate them very carefully and nourish them completely.
“Vidyutprāpta, it should be understood that the differences in the faculties and temperaments of sentient beings are very difficult to know. Śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas cannot understand them, let alone ordinary people or heretics. Vidyutprāpta, some sentient beings, even though they are attached to objects of desire, mature in unsurpassable, perfect enlightenment. Some sentient beings, just by having contact with a desired object or just by speaking with a lustful mind, mature in unsurpassable, perfect enlightenment. Some sentient beings look at a beautiful form and, although a lustful thought arises, understand, just by seeing that form deteriorating and being destroyed, that the form is impermanent, and the torment of their desire is calmed. Just by means of the utmost contemplation of impermanence, they mature in unsurpassable, perfect enlightenment.
“As for some other sentient beings, when they see a woman, desire does not arise, but afterward, through the power of memory, a sexual thought arises, and when they remember her complexion and figure, passion arises. As for some other sentient beings,
1.7
due to their seeing pleasing shapes in a dream, sexual attachment arises, and, fixating on them, they pursue them. As for some other sentient beings, just hearing a woman’s voice produces sexual desire. And some, freed from sexual thought that is due to a mere glance, mature in unsurpassable, perfect enlightenment.
“Therefore, Vidyutprāpta, although the bodhisattvas know, with their skillful means, those various illnesses of desire and the various remedies for desire, they lack signs of grasping at dualism in the dharmadhātu, and they produce great compassion even for those beings who are confused regarding the dharmadhātu. Vidyutprāpta, since not even the slightest thing called love, hatred, delusion, or wisdom regarding the dharmadhātu can be apprehended, the bodhisattva thinks, ‘If it is as I see it, sentient beings produce desire, hatred, and delusion toward these compounded things that are collections established as mere designations, without marks, empty of inherent existence, and void. After analyzing these things as they really are, dwelling in great compassion for those sentient beings who are bewildered by desire, I will fulfill my former vows. Without wavering from the dharmadhātu, I will make them mature by means of my effortless wisdom.’
“If a man mistakenly believes that women are pure, and if this gives rise to deep desire, the bodhisattva will turn himself into a very beautiful, elegant woman, whose physical characteristics are especially outstanding, and who, like apsaras, possesses precious ornaments and garlands, never before seen, and is well adorned with various ornaments.
1.8
With that sentient being³² having shown how lustful, passionate, and very obsessed he is, the bodhisattva, with a method adjusted to the ability of that sentient being, in order to remove the poison arrow of lust, by means of his unimpeded power, having previously changed into the shape of a woman,³³ then appears again before him. Having made that sentient being understand the dharmadhātu by his teaching of the Dharma, the bodhisattva will disappear. If a woman gives rise to a desirous thought about men, the bodhisattva appears in the body of a man. In order to remove the poison arrow of lust, he makes her understand the dharmadhātu by teaching the Dharma, and he disappears.
“Vidyutprāpta, there are twenty-one thousand lustful actions and, with the addition of those other actions,³⁴ there are eighty-four thousand actions in total. The bodhisattvas, with their effortless wisdom, produce countless thousands of open Dharma doors. The minds of sentient beings having been penetrated, they all become liberated, even though the bodhisattvas do not have the thought, ‘I teach this sort of Dharma to sentient beings,’ and they do not imagine that beings are liberated.
“Vidyutprāpta, to give an analogy, the nāga king of Lake Manasarovar, due to the force of karma, releases four great rivers from inside his palace and cools the summer heat. With the moisture, he makes the flowers and the fruits grow and the grains increase and greatly pleases many sentient beings. The nāga king himself releases these rivers, but he does not think, ‘I shall release the rivers.’ Nevertheless, the four great rivers flow continuously and benefit sentient beings. Bodhisattvas, similarly, since they have fulfilled their former vows, teach the four truths of the noble ones by means of their effortless wisdom. They dispel all the torments of saṃsāra and bestow the happiness of noble
1.9
liberation. But the bodhisattvas do not think, ‘I have taught the Dharma,’ or ‘I shall teach it.’ Nevertheless, they spontaneously dwell in their own thought of great compassion, and, having analyzed sentient beings, they teach them the Dharma in whatever way is suitable.
“Vidyutprāpta, to give another analogy, Śakra, king of the gods, has twelve billion apsaras. By means of Śakra’s autonomous power, he displays many bodies, and the apsaras all enjoy sexual pleasure with him. Individually they think, ‘Only I am frolicking with the king of the gods,’ while, in fact, the king of the gods has no attachment whatsoever. In the same way, the bodhisattvas, too, in accordance with the wishes of whichever sentient beings are worthy of completely passing beyond, mature them, while the bodhisattvas have no attachment.
“Vidyutprāpta, to give another analogy, when the orb of the sun appears at the top of a mountain, its light illuminates Jambudvīpa, and whatever place it illuminates, it reveals various colors—blue, yellow, red, white—while the orb of the sun itself is a single color. The unity of the light has no differences in quality. Similarly, the bodhisattvas also, with the orb of the sun of wisdom, illuminate the dharmadhātu. They appear at the mountaintops of sentient beings’ attachments as a single objective image, and they teach them the Dharma according to their desires, even though the dharmadhātu has no dualistic nature.
“Vidyutprāpta, this is the bodhisattva mahāsattvas’ treasure for those with a lustful temperament. When bodhisattva mahāsattvas obtain this treasure, for a kalpa or more than a kalpa,
1.10
they can display infinite bodies according to the various desires of sentient beings, even though the dharmadhātu has no dualistic nature.
“Furthermore, Vidyutprāpta, to give another analogy, pure gold is made, due to the skill of a metalworker and according to his will, into various types of ornaments. Although the attributes change, the nature of gold does not change. In the same way, the bodhisattva mahāsattvas also analyze the dharmadhātu very carefully, display infinite bodies to sentient beings according to their various wishes, and teach the Dharma in various words, even though the dharmadhātu has no dualistic nature. Since they are constantly immersed in the dharmadhātu, this is called being integrated in the nature of the dharmadhātu.³⁵ When bodhisattvas obtain this sort of treasure, since they teach the Dharma in various ways for the sake of sentient beings, they, due to hearing the Dharma, come to possess sovereignty over the marvelous wealth of the noble ones and abandon forever the troubles of saṃsāra.
“Furthermore, Vidyutprāpta, what is the bodhisattva mahāsattvas’ treasure for those with an angry temperament? Sentient beings have pride, conceive of ‘me’ and ‘mine,’ and do not practice compassion or patience since they have dwelt for a long time in characteristics of ‘me’ and ‘mine.’³⁶ Their own minds are destroyed by the torment of anger; they do not remember the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Saṅgha; and they are covered with the poison of anger and are deluded about reality. But the bodhisattvas never produce malice or hostility toward sentient beings who have much anger. They just think, ‘Alas, these sentient beings, since they are bewildered by ignorance, have increased their hatred and incorrect anger since they possess false notions regarding the true nature of dharmas,
1.11
which are, from the beginning, quiescent,³⁷ untainted and unsullied, peaceful and uncontentious, and completely void.’ After thinking in that way and abiding in great compassion, they always show their pity. Even if there are some who cut off their limbs and smaller body parts, because they desire to tame those sentient beings who have angry temperaments, they abide in patience. If those uncountable sentient beings who have angry temperaments turn their backs on one another, due to having completed actions of anger and hatred, and fall into a body within a bad birth, such as a poisonous snake, the bodhisattvas, abiding in patience, tame those beings by means of their loving kindness and the force of their mindfulness, and they do not receive the retribution of a bad birth in the future. Whatever their undoubted realization of equality is, this is called the bodhisattvas’ complete elimination, by their skillful means, of sentient beings’ angry temperaments.
“Furthermore, Vidyutprāpta, if the bodhisattvas see angry sentient beings, they think, ‘As all dharmas are pure in their own nature, alas, these sentient beings are incorrect due to following their anger, and they develop wrong views. Since they produce a thought of anger with respect to the nature of dharmas as equal and uncontentious, these sentient beings do not understand the dharmadhātu itself. If these sentient beings saw the nature of dharmas, they would not produce harmful thoughts toward others. Due to the fact that they do not understand the essence of the dharmadhātu, anger arises.’ The bodhisattvas, having produced even more compassion toward those sentient beings who have much anger, dwell in great compassion.
1.12
Again fulfilling their former vow, they correctly teach various Dharma doors for the sake of destroying, with their effortless wisdom, the angry actions of sentient beings without thinking, ‘I am teaching the Dharma for the purpose of removing sentient beings’ anger.’ Why is that? It is because the bodhisattvas understand very well the nature of the dharmadhātu. As for this, it should be known that, since the bodhisattvas dwell in the undifferentiated nature of the dharmadhātu, they eradicate defiled actions.
“Vidyutprāpta, to give an analogy, after darkness is removed, light is obtained, but darkness is not destroyed. Thus, the essence of darkness and light is undifferentiated, like space. In the same way, the bodhisattvas, relying on their undifferentiated knowledge of the dharmadhātu, teach the Dharma with skillful means. Taming various sentient beings with angry temperaments, they pacify them, but there are no distinctions in the dharmadhātu.
“Vidyutprāpta, to give an analogy, just as everywhere that the light from the rising wheel of the sun shines is all encompassed by the rising wheel of the sun, similarly, everything said by the bodhisattvas for the sake of taming and eradicating angry actions is all the wheel of Dharma, and there are no distinctions in the dharmadhātu. Thus, as for those twenty-one thousand angry actions and actions belonging to the other categories of temperaments, amounting to eighty-four thousand in total, the bodhisattvas, since they have perfected effortless wisdom, teach the Dharma that is appropriate for sentient beings’ various types of anger, without thinking, ‘I have taught, I teach, and I shall teach the Dharma.’ This should be known as the treasure for those of angry temperaments. When bodhisattvas
1.13
obtain this treasure, for a kalpa or more than a kalpa, according to the various inclinations of sentient beings, they teach the Dharma with skill in means through various words, letters, and expressions. Furthermore, although angry actions are endless, the bodhisattvas’ wisdom and courage also cannot be exhausted. As for this, it should be understood as the bodhisattvas’ treasure for those of angry temperaments, which they have obtained by explaining well the undifferentiated nature of the dharmadhātu.³⁸
“Furthermore, Vidyutprāpta, what is the bodhisattva mahāsattvas’ treasure for those with a deluded temperament? Vidyutprāpta, this sort of practice of the bodhisattvas is very difficult. Such sentient beings chase affliction, harm others, are wrapped in an eggshell of ignorance,³⁹ have no way of understanding the dharmadhātu since they are bound up in themselves like silkworms, do not properly contemplate what they should do, are attached to a belief in the self, enter a wrong path, persist in foolish actions, and have difficulty renouncing saṃsāra.
“Since they are like this, for the sake of sentient beings who are deluded, after the bodhisattvas first generate the thought of enlightenment, they tirelessly generate a great effort, without suffering and without laziness, and they think about the conditions in which, the conviction with which, and the kind of doctrinal teaching with which they can lead these sentient beings to the bodhisattva practice so that they may obtain liberation.
“The bodhisattvas, having previously penetrated the dharmadhātu, abide in great compassion by means of their effortless wisdom. After they understand that those sentient beings are confused regarding the dharmadhātu, having taught them Dharma according to their power and ability, they train them completely, without thinking, ‘I taught, I teach, and I shall teach the Dharma.’ However, by the power of their former vow, having thoroughly contemplated conditioned origination,
1.14
they spontaneously reveal many hundreds of thousands of Dharma doors and remove those sentient beings’ ignorance-based karmic activity and make them attain liberation.
“Vidyutprāpta, to give an analogy, it is like this. A good physician is skilled in curing many illnesses. He has previously become familiar with medical treatments, and as soon as he sees the symptoms of a disease, since he knows all the mantras and medical treatments, he cures it; there is nothing that he cannot cure. In the same way, the bodhisattvas, since they know the dharmadhātu very well, show, by means of their effortless knowledge, many hundreds of thousands of Dharma doors according to the faculties and natures of these beings, who have accumulated foolish actions, and make them understand everything clearly.
“Vidyutprāpta, this is the bodhisattva mahāsattvas’ treasure for those with a deluded temperament. When bodhisattvas obtain this treasure, having correctly contemplated conditioned origination, for the sake of those sentient beings with a deluded temperament, for a kalpa or more than a kalpa, according to their natures and wishes, they teach the Dharma with skill in means through various words, letters, and expressions. Furthermore, although deluded actions are endless, the bodhisattvas’ wisdom and courage also cannot be exhausted. As for this, it should be understood as the bodhisattvas’ treasure for those of deluded temperament, which they have obtained by explaining well the undifferentiated nature of all dharmas. Thus, as for those twenty-one thousand deluded actions and actions belonging to the other categories of temperaments, making a total of eighty-four thousand, the bodhisattvas, for the sake of eliminating them, having distinguished many hundreds and thousands of Dharma doors, teach them correctly. This is called the bodhisattvas’ treasure for those with a deluded temperament.
1.15
“Furthermore, Vidyutprāpta, what is the bodhisattva mahāsattvas’ treasure for those with an equally proportioned temperament? To give an analogy, it is like this. When a very clean, completely clear, spotless round mirror is placed at a crossroads, although reflections appear there without increase or diminishment, the round mirror does not think, ‘I made these various types of reflections.’ Nevertheless, if that round mirror is wiped well, all the reflections will spontaneously appear. In the same way, the bodhisattvas, by wiping well the round mirror of the dharmadhātu, established in effortless samādhi, open many hundreds of thousands of Dharma doors and teach according to the differences in sentient beings’ mental actions. All those sentient beings, understanding completely, obtain liberation. But they do not produce a concept of dharmas or a concept of sentient beings. Why is that? The bodhisattvas, because they understand very well the nature of the dharmadhātu, and since they contemplate those sentient beings of the four temperaments as they really are, teach Dharma according to their faculties and natures. However, since they contemplate the dharmadhātu and the realms of sentient beings as they are, they also do not have a conception of duality, because they see clearly that those categories of the dharmadhātu and the realms of sentient beings have no duality and no differences.
“Vidyutprāpta, to give an analogy, it is like this. In space, there is no characteristic of various differences, and there is no differentiation. In the same way, the bodhisattvas, since they contemplate the dharmadhātu very well, recognize that all dharmas enter into a single characteristic. By the power of their former vows, they teach Dharma in various ways according to the temperaments of sentient beings, even though in the dharmadhātu there are no differences.
“Vidyutprāpta, since the bodhisattvas have analyzed individually the twenty-one thousand actions of one with an equally proportioned temperament,
1.16
and the actions belonging to the other categories of temperaments, making a total of eighty-four thousand, they understand them all clearly. To give an analogy, it is like this. Just as a skillful doctor wisely knows illnesses and how to administer medicine, the bodhisattvas teach Dharma by means of their effortless wisdom. This is called the bodhisattva mahāsattvas’ treasure for those with an equally proportioned temperament. When bodhisattvas obtain this treasure, for the sake of sentient beings, they teach Dharma, for a kalpa or more than a kalpa, according to their desires, in various words. However, although sentient beings’ actions are endless, the bodhisattvas’ wisdom and courage also cannot be exhausted. This is called the bodhisattvas’ treasure for those with an equally proportioned temperament, which is obtained due to their good explanation of the undifferentiated nature of the dharmadhātu.
“Furthermore, Vidyutprāpta, the bodhisattvas, since they have perfected that sort of wisdom, are totally aware, with their skill in means, of sentient beings’ faculties, conduct, and aspirations. If they see sentient beings who have much desire, in order to tame them and treat their disease, they appear like an ordinary person, enjoying objects of desire, provided with children, a wife, and the comforts of a home. However, like a lotus, they are not contaminated or attached. Sentient beings who are deluded and lack intelligence, because they do not know the bodhisattvas’ skill in means, think, ‘What intelligent person would be attached to objects of desire just like an ordinary person? Therefore, this person has no enlightenment.’ Those kinds of sentient beings, because their minds are completely impure, give rise to great hatred, and since they are not reverent,
2.2
when due to their karma their bodies fail, they fall into the great hell after their death. However, because the bodhisattvas very secretly instruct them, their various faults are completely eliminated, and they are all fully established in the attainment of equanimity.
“To give an analogy, it is like this. When a strongly blazing fire meets grass and trees, they all burn fiercely and are transformed into the mass of the fire itself. Similarly, for the bodhisattvas, when they kindle the fire of wisdom, sentient beings’ desire, hatred, and confusion, their good and their evil, whatever they are, meet the bodhisattva, and all burn up and are transformed into wisdom. This is called the extraordinary quality of the bodhisattva.
“Furthermore, to give another analogy, the extraordinary quality of the king of mountains, Sumeru, is that it is formed from four types of jewels. Sentient beings, too, have qualities of various sorts—blue, yellow, red, and white—that correspond to those jewels. If they go to the lapis lazuli side of Sumeru, they all become the single color of lapis lazuli. If they go to the gold-colored side, they all become gold-colored. In the same way, they become silver-colored or crystal-colored. In just that way, since the bodhisattvas, too, have obtained extraordinary qualities, whatever the desire, hatred, confusion, good, or evil of sentient beings, when they go into the presence of the bodhisattvas and associate with them, they all enter into the wisdom of the bodhisattva. However, when their minds are impure, and due to their own sinful karma, they fall into the birth destiny of hell beings or animals or the world of the dead, in this case, by the power of the bodhisattvas’
2.3
extraordinary qualities and vow, after their sinful karmic consequences are exhausted, they are definitely set to obtain unsurpassed, perfect enlightenment in the future.
“Vidyutprāpta, in the period of the five defilements, innumerable, unlimited, incalculable kalpas in the past, a tathāgata, an arhat, a perfectly enlightened one, one endowed with knowledge and conduct, a sugata, a knower of the world, a supreme one, a charioteer who tames people, a teacher of gods and humans, a buddha bhagavān⁴⁰ named Jewel Heap Merit Voice⁴¹ appeared. At that time, all beings lived for a hundred twenty years, as I do today.
“At that time, sentient beings’ desire, hatred, and confusion were great. Since they were overwhelmed by afflictions, fathers and mothers, older and younger brothers, and friends disagreed, and they did not follow their teachers and masters. They did not acknowledge kind deeds. They were always full of malicious thoughts, and they had tricky and thieving minds. They hurt each other. They behaved improperly. They did not have respect for the Buddha, Dharma, and Saṅgha. Only beings like these, who, because they were overcome with stinginess, practiced the custom of pretas, lived in that buddha field, and they were very difficult to discipline.
“Even in such a bad era, that bhagavān, due to the power of his former vow, realized unsurpassed, perfect enlightenment and became a completely enlightened buddha. That bhagavān had twenty-two thousand śrāvakas.
“A king named Extensively Giving⁴² was then the sovereign who governed Jambudvīpa. He was sincere about the teaching of the Buddha, and he invited that tathāgata together with the saṅgha of śrāvakas for the three summer
2.4
months. Laying out extensive offerings, he worshiped and performed rituals.
“At that time, a monk named Stainless⁴³ was endowed with eloquence. Because he was skilled at teaching the Dharma, a great assembly was eager to hear him. He never tired of bringing sentient beings to maturity. He taught the Dharma without expectation and spoke sincerely with a shining complexion. He was endowed with a good appearance and strength, and his face was kind and handsome. Sentient beings longed to see him. He was served and respected, revered and praised. Beginning monks also frequently followed Stainless and appeared in the king’s palace, entering freely, and they showed their respect with various garments, food, drink, bedding, and medicines.
“Many monks from that great assembly did not know how to practice bodily restraint or wisdom of the mind. They did not have respect for the Buddha, Dharma, or Saṅgha. They had false views of permanence, nihilism, self, and so forth. They rejected the Buddha’s teaching. They were very agitated and hard to discipline. Their senses were unrestrained. They abided in wickedness. Without having the conduct of śramaṇas, they claimed to be śramaṇas. Their actions of body, speech, and mind were all entirely based in depravity.
“That bhagavān entered nirvāṇa after the rainy season, and King Extensively Giving cremated the bhagavān’s body in a fire of red sandalwood. He made offerings and built eighty million reliquary stūpas surrounded on four sides by red sandalwood railings, with golden lotuses.
“The monk Stainless had been given a prophecy by that bhagavān that he would be the most learned and
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would transmit the true doctrine widely after that tathāgata entered nirvāṇa. Whatever village, city, or marketplace he went to, he would convert innumerable hundreds of thousands of sentient beings and establish them in unsurpassed, perfect enlightenment.
“Many evil monks then did not understand the practice of yoga. They were always jealous. Confused by Māra, they went to the king and said, ‘The monk Stainless, who is respected by the king, goes in and out of the palace freely. This monk is not yet free from desire. He asks for food at the wrong time. He adorns his body with perfume and garlands, and since he is not truly chaste, it is not right for him to make offerings. For this reason, we have come here to explain this to the king. Do not have regrets later. Please do not disbelieve the true teachings of the Buddha.’
“At that time, there was a māra named Wicked. He changed himself into the shape of a monk, and he went to the king and spoke in the same way as above.
“King Extensively Giving, although he heard the same thing repeated, thought, ‘Since the monk Stainless is very diligent, I respect him as my teacher. Something like this is impossible.’
“Then the māra’s retinue showed half their bodies and spoke in verse to the king:
“ ‘King, study the practical arts.
Be skillful about the right moments.
If the king does not know these things,
He does not have the marks of a king of humans.
“ ‘The Buddha’s arhat disciples
Are endowed with great wisdom, but
They do not rely on the words of Stainless.
Why? Because they are nihilistic.
“ ‘Monks, in order to help,
Tell you the truth.
Nihilistic men who go to bad destinies
Are not truly chaste.
“ ‘That one, in the king’s palace,
2.6
Enjoys himself with your consorts.
The king and his retinue
Should investigate carefully and dispel doubt.’
“When the king heard about this matter,
He suffered in his mind from fear.
Together with his retinue,
He proceeded quickly to his palace.
“At that time, Stainless, in the palace,
Taught the highest truth
That dharmas are empty by nature.
“The king, together with his army,
Were all deceived by the māra.
They saw the consorts in the palace
Surround the monk.
“The king’s hatred was like that of a great intoxicated elephant,
And he ordered the executioners,
‘The monk has deceived my consorts.⁴⁴
Condemn him to a painful punishment.’
“The ministers, together with their retinues,
All under the control of the māra,
Thought the innocent monk
Must be harmed.
“An executioner came, holding weapons,
And Stainless, in compassion, shed tears.
The king said, ‘You are unrighteous.
Why are you crying?’
“Stainless said to the king,
‘This situation is difficult to believe.
Let them stop for a minute.’
“When the king heard what the monk said,
He ordered the executioners to stop.
‘What is the true situation?
You had better speak quickly!’
“Becoming very sincere, Stainless said,
‘Since compassion benefits the world,
I join my palms and ten fingers
And speak the truth.
“ ‘Let the great king know:
If I am really innocent,
May the earth shake six times,
And may flowers rain from the sky.’
“As soon as he said this,
The great earth shook six times,
Heavenly flowers fell from the sky,
And the māra’s army experienced misery.
“Then the king became calm.
He bowed at Stainless’s feet and begged forgiveness:
‘If I fall to hell,
Unprotected, I beg you to save me.
“ ‘Alas, since I met bad friends,
I had a bad state of mind.
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Because I followed bad friends,
I have no one to protect or save me.
“ ‘Except for the great teacher,
In the ten directions I have no protection.
I give up my royalty,
And now I take refuge for the rest of my life.’
“That monk, after he recognized the intention of the king
And his servants and retinue,
Set forth the highest truth.
The king, hearing it, obtained sincere faith.
“At that time, in the king’s palace,
The eighty thousand ladies with their retinues,
When they heard the highest truth,
Abided in irreversibility.
“The king, in accordance with what the Buddha taught,
For twenty-four years, constantly, day and night,
Apologized for his bad actions.
Nevertheless, his bad actions were not extinguished.
“A crowd of a hundred koṭis
Confronted the Dharma teacher with evil intentions.
As a result of this, after death,
They fell to Avīci hell.⁴⁵
“They suffered for many millions of years.
When their bad actions were extinguished, they met with the Tathāgata.
But because they were afraid in the past,
Their residual karmic retribution was always inferior.
“They practiced yoga gradually,
And after they worshiped thousands of millions of buddhas,
Each in a different country,
They all became perfectly enlightened.
“And they all had the same name.
They were called Virtuous Glory.
Then King Extensively Giving,
In the place where the compassionate and tolerant ascetic was,
“Because he produced a poisonous thought,
And since, for many millions of years,
His former bad actions were manifest,
He fell to Loud Howling hell.
“And when that karmic result was extinguished,
He again obtained a human body.
He met the Tathāgata All-Seeing
And always respected and worshiped him.
“Furthermore, he served
Eighty million buddhas.
The one enlightened after that
Is I.
“The monk who wished to harm
The innocent Dharma teacher
In the future will be the
Truly enlightened bodhisattva, Maitreya.
2.8
“The eighty thousand retinues of ladies
In the king’s palace at that time
Produced roots of good because they were very pure
And worshiped innumerable buddhas.
“Since they did such deeds,
And vowed to benefit sentient beings,
After they venerate millions of buddhas,
They each will become enlightened.
“I now instruct you:
Do not produce any harmful thoughts.
Whoever practices kindness and praises the Buddha
Will quickly obtain great enlightenment.
“Therefore, Vidyutprāpta, those who do not understand well the faculties, nature, and aspirations of sentient beings should not produce harmful thoughts. Vidyutprāpta, to give an analogy, just as Sumeru is the greatest among mountains, similarly, the wisdom of the Tathāgata is the greatest and most excellent and unsurpassable of wisdoms. To give another analogy, just as the ocean is the greatest among all waters, similarly, the wisdom of the Tathāgata is the most excellent and deepest and broadest of all wisdoms. To give another analogy, just as the cakravartin is the greatest and most excellent and unsurpassable, the wisdom of the Tathāgata is unsurpassed among wisdoms.
“Vidyutprāpta, the Tathāgata, due to his being endowed with this sort of knowledge, knows⁴⁶ the minds and all the changes in the operation of mental factors of those with lustful, angry, or deluded temperaments and helps them all in a snap of the fingers.
“Vidyutprāpta, the Tathāgata is endowed with omniscience. To give an analogy, a clear-sighted person, seeing clearly without effort a myrobalan fruit in the palm of his hand, has no doubt what it is. In the same way, the Tathāgata knows the mental actions of all sentient beings
2.9
and correctly explains various teachings in the midst of a great assembly.
“I understand and see, in the limitless, countless buddha field world systems, sentient beings associated with the lustful temperament who are completely tormented by lust and, fixing their minds on desires night and day, pass their time meaninglessly. I know and see the various actions of body, speech, and mind that are generated due to torment by lust.
“I understand and see those sentient beings with angry temperaments who are overwhelmed by anger, and, because they are jealous of and harm one another due to anger, fall into Avīci hell.
“I understand sentient beings who are associated with the deluded temperament who, since they are stupefied by the darkness of ignorance, are attached to confusion and desire to follow false views.
“I understand capable ones, incapable ones, ones with increasing effort, ones who regress and fail, ones who produce roots of good in the vehicle of the tathāgata, ones who produce roots of good in the vehicle of the pratyekabuddha, and ones who produce roots of good in the vehicle of the śrāvaka.
“Since the Tathāgata has this sort of wisdom, he understands the variety of temperaments of sentient beings living in his great retinue. If he knows that the time is not ripe, he does not teach anything, and, staying even-minded, he reflects on the fact that these sentient beings are confused about the Dharma and will not understand.
“As for the Tathāgata, I am endowed with especially superior faculties and power, and because I know the moment, I know who is suitable for discipline, who is the most resolute,
First 46 of 108 passages. Read on