འཕགས་པ་འདལ་བ་རྣམ་པར་གཏན་ལ་དབབ་པ་ཉ་བར་འཁར་གྱས་ཞས་པ་ཞས་བྱ་བ་ཐག་པ་ཆན་པའ་མད 1
Determining the Vinaya: Upāli’s Questions 1
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1.1
Homage to all the buddhas and bodhisattvas!
Thus did I hear at one time: The Bhagavān was dwelling in Śrāvastī, in Prince Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍada’s Park, together with a great monastic assembly of about five hundred monks as well as a thousand bodhisattvas. The Bhagavān looked upon those bodhisattva mahāsattvas with a gaze like an elephant’s and said to them, “Sons of noble birth, for the sake of upholding the holy Dharma in the future, in later times, who among you wishes to take up the unsurpassed, completely perfect awakening that took the Tathāgata countless myriads of eons to accomplish? Who among you, for the sake of bringing beings to maturity, wishes to nurture them by means of various methods, ways, and ideas?”
Then the bodhisattva mahāsattva Maitreya arose from his seat, adjusted his upper robe on one shoulder, knelt on his right knee, bowed to the Bhagavān with his palms joined in devotion, and said, “Bhagavān, for the sake of upholding the holy Dharma in the future, in later times, I wish to take up the unsurpassed, completely perfect awakening that took the Tathāgata countless myriads of eons to accomplish.”
The bodhisattva Siṃha said, “Bhagavān, I wish to nurture beings using various methods, ways, and ideas.”
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The bodhisattva Vajrapāṇi said, “Bhagavān, I wish to release beings from going to the lower realms.”
The bodhisattva Youthful Mañjuśrī said, “Bhagavān, I wish to fulfill the individual aspirations of beings.”
The bodhisattva Jñānaketu said, “Bhagavān, I wish to bring untold numbers of beings to maturity.”
The bodhisattva Dharmaketu said, “Bhagavān, I wish to bring beings to maturity through the gift of Dharma.”
The bodhisattva Candraketu said, “Bhagavān, I wish to bring beings to maturity by means of good qualities.”
The bodhisattva Sūryaketu said, “Bhagavān, I wish to bring beings to maturity by means of the easy vehicle.”
The bodhisattva Niḥśaṅka said, “Bhagavān, I wish to bring the limitless realms of beings to maturity and to support them.”
The bodhisattva Bhadrapāla said, “Bhagavān, I wish to bring beings to maturity by proclaiming the names they are to attain as result.”¹⁴
The bodhisattva Akṣayamati said, “Bhagavān, I wish to liberate inexhaustible realms of beings through extensive aspirations.”
The bodhisattva Youthful Candraprabha said, “Bhagavān, I wish to supply beings with all the requisites of happiness.”
1.3
The bodhisattva Sunetra said, “Bhagavān, I wish to establish the foundation for the happiness and contentment of beings.”
The bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara said, “Bhagavān, I wish to protect beings from lower realms and bad rebirths.”
The bodhisattva Mahāsthāmaprāpta said, “Bhagavān, I wish to save beings who have not escaped from the lower realms.”
The bodhisattva Rāśika said, “Bhagavān, I wish to teach undisciplined beings the way of discipline.”
The bodhisattva Sumanas said, “Bhagavān, I wish to bring beings with inferior inclinations to maturity.”
The bodhisattva Sūrata said, “Bhagavān, I wish to bring beings with inferior wisdom to maturity.”
The bodhisattva Tejorāśi said, “Bhagavān, I wish to bring beings who have been born from the wombs of animals to maturity.”
The bodhisattva Recognizer of Unafflicted Realization said, “Bhagavān, I wish to bring beings to maturity by correctly teaching them the way.”
The bodhisattva Priyadarśana said, “Bhagavān, I wish to equip beings with the immeasurable requisites of happiness.”
The bodhisattva Excellent Faculties said, “Bhagavān, I wish to bring beings to maturity by causing them to reflect on suffering.”
The bodhisattva Engaged in Inconceivable Liberation said, “Bhagavān, with merely a thought I wish to liberate beings born in the world of pretas.”
1.4
The bodhisattva Sūryaprabha said, “Bhagavān, I wish to bring to maturity those beings who are not yet mature.”
The bodhisattva Vimalakīrti said, “Bhagavān, I wish to fulfill every intention beings have.”
The bodhisattva Tejobala said, “Bhagavān, I wish to destroy the way beings take unfortunate rebirths.”
The bodhisattva Vimatiprahāṇa said, “Bhagavān, I wish to liberate inferior beings.”
The bodhisattva Niḥśaṅkasthāna said, “Bhagavān, for the sake of gathering beings I wish to express encouragement by saying ‘Wonderful!’ ”
The bodhisattva Jñānaśrī said, “Bhagavān, I wish to bring beings to maturity according to their varying predispositions.”
The bodhisattva Boundless Stillness said, “Bhagavān, I wish to teach beings the way of the unconditioned.”
The bodhisattva Fearless toward All Phenomena said, “Bhagavān, I wish to teach beings according to their own predisposition.”
The bodhisattva Ratnaśrī said, “Bhagavān, I wish to display a heap of jewels to beings.”
The bodhisattva Sumati said, “Bhagavān, I wish to bring beings to maturity by showing them a beautiful form.”
The bodhisattva Vimalatejas said,
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“Bhagavān, I wish to support and bring beings to maturity through affection.”
The bodhisattva Maṇibhadra said, “Bhagavān, I wish to bring beings to maturity by causing them to remember their past births.”
The bodhisattva Puṇyaraśmi said, “Bhagavān, I wish to guide beings by means of perfect aspiration prayers.”
The bodhisattva Bhadraśrī said, “Bhagavān, I wish to permanently liberate beings from suffering.”
The bodhisattva Ratnapāṇi said, “Bhagavān, I wish to make beings happy with jewels.”
The bodhisattva Mati said, “Bhagavān, I wish to end the poverty of poor beings.”
The bodhisattva Sarvanīvaraṇaviṣkambhin said, “Bhagavān, I wish to liberate beings from all the afflictions.”
The bodhisattva Vajra Light said, “Bhagavān, I wish to teach beings the exalted way.”
The bodhisattva Manifesting the Appearance of Good Qualities said, “Bhagavān, I wish to liberate beings by causing all their thoughts to be joyful.”
The bodhisattva Exalted Dharma said, “Bhagavān, I wish to show the pure eye of Dharma to beings.”
The bodhisattva Vajragarbha said, “Bhagavān, I wish to liberate beings from the obscurations.
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The bodhisattva Dharmākara said, “Bhagavān, I wish to liberate beings through the Dharma.”
The bodhisattva Nothing said, “Bhagavān, I wish to eliminate all the poisonous afflictions of beings.”
The bodhisattva Candrottara said, “Bhagavān, I wish to teach the perspective of the Dharma to beings.”
The bodhisattva Siṃhamati said, “Bhagavān, I wish to give the gift of Dharma to beings.”
The bodhisattva Luminous Youth said, “Bhagavān, I wish to liberate beings from inferior states.”
The bodhisattva Glorious Awakening said, “Bhagavān, I wish to block beings’ way to lower rebirths by teaching them the exalted way.”
The bodhisattva Suvarṇaprabha said, “Bhagavān, I wish to bring beings to maturity by displaying a physical body.”
The bodhisattva Puṇyaketu said, “Bhagavān, I wish to help those beings who help others.”
The bodhisattva Jagatīndhara said, “Bhagavān, I wish to destroy beings’ gateway into hell.”
The bodhisattva Nectar Holder said, “Bhagavān, I wish to save beings from saṃsāra.”
The youthful bodhisattva Jālinīprabha said, “Bhagavān, in the future, in later times, I wish to pacify beings’ afflictions through displays of light.”
After hearing such revelations from the bodhisattvas about
1.7
donning the armor that will mature beings, the venerable Śāriputra was seized with wonder and amazement. He said to the Bhagavān, “Ah! Bhagavān, the great compassion possessed by these bodhisattva mahāsattvas is amazing, as is their inconceivable skill in means and their donning of the great armor of stable diligence. It is amazing how these bodhisattvas cannot be overcome by any being, how difficult they are to fathom, to meet with, or to subjugate, and how their brilliance cannot be overcome. Furthermore, Bhagavān, when supplicants come before these bodhisattva mahāsattvas, whose brilliance cannot be overcome, and beg for their heads, hands, feet, and eyes—even when they beg for everything—these bodhisattva mahāsattvas do not recoil or become discouraged but rather are overjoyed. This is amazing to me. Bhagavān, I also think that any beings who harm bodhisattva mahāsattvas and then ask for their various inner and outer constituents will surely become bodhisattva mahāsattvas who rest in inconceivable liberation.”
The Bhagavān replied to the venerable Śāriputra, “So it is, Śāriputra, so it is! Such is the scope of these bodhisattvas’ samādhi, methods, wisdom, and gnosis. Śāriputra, the scope of these bodhisattvas is not that of śrāvakas or pratyekabuddhas. Śāriputra, bodhisattva mahāsattvas, in order to meet the inclinations of beings, manifest all the emanations of the buddhas, but while doing so they do not waver from their bodhisattva nature.
1.8
“Śāriputra, bodhisattva mahāsattvas will manifest the bodies of householders in order to dispel the delusions of grandeur held by householders who are intoxicated with arrogance. In order to remove the manic arrogance of beings who are inflated and intoxicated by mania, they display the power of a champion,¹⁵ or the exuberant power of Nārāyaṇa. They reveal the various paths to nirvāṇa for those beings who seek nirvāṇa. They display the form of śrāvakas to those beings oriented to the Śrāvakayāna and use the Śrāvakayāna to bring them to complete nirvāṇa. They display the form of pratyekabuddhas to beings oriented to the Pratyekabuddhayāna so that they can direct them toward dependent arising. They display the forms of buddhas to those beings who seek awakening so that they may attain all the qualities of a buddha.
“Śāriputra, in this way, once bodhisattva mahāsattvas have matured the realm of beings using a variety of methods, they set beings firmly in the qualities of buddhahood. Why? Śāriputra, beings will find no liberation apart from the liberation of final nirvāṇa, the gnosis of the tathāgatas. This is why they are called tathāgatas. Why? They are called tathāgatas because tathāgatas know the nature of reality just as it is. They are called tathāgatas because they use various concepts to induce understanding in beings.
1.9
They are called tathāgatas because they possess all virtuous qualities and have abandoned all nonvirtuous qualities. They are called tathāgatas because they demonstrate liberation to beings who are in bondage. They are called tathāgatas because they reveal the exalted path to beings who have embarked on an evil path. They are called tathāgatas because they teach emptiness and arise from emptiness.
“Śāriputra, bodhisattva mahāsattvas demonstrate liberation to ordinary, deluded, childish beings by using various forms of knowledge that align with their inclinations and thus bring them to an understanding of the true Dharma. And yet, they never waver from their bodhisattva nature. They display various types of illusion in order cause beings to progressively reach the seat of awakening.
“Furthermore, Śāriputra, lay householder bodhisattva mahāsattvas should practice two types of giving: giving the Dharma and giving material goods. Śāriputra, lay householder bodhisattva mahāsattvas should practice these two types of giving without attachment or anger.
“Śāriputra, renunciant bodhisattva mahāsattvas should engage in four types of giving:¹⁶ giving pens, giving ink, giving books, and giving the Dharma. Śāriputra, renunciant bodhisattva mahāsattvas should practice these four types of giving.
“Śāriputra, bodhisattva mahāsattvas who have accepted that phenomena are unproduced should practice three types of relinquishment:
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relinquishment, great relinquishment, and the highest relinquishment. With respect to these, “relinquishment” means to give away the kingdom; “great relinquishment” is to give away one’s wives, sons, and daughters; and the “greatest relinquishment” is to give away one’s own head, hands, feet, eyes, skin, bones, and marrow. Śāriputra, a bodhisattva mahāsattva who has accepted that phenomena are unproduced should practice these three types of relinquishment.”
Śāriputra asked, “Bhagavān, are bodhisattvas not afraid of desire? Are they not afraid of anger and delusion?”
The Bhagavān replied,¹⁷ “Śāriputra, the faults associated with the great misdeeds of bodhisattvas are twofold: those related to anger and those related to delusion. Śāriputra, these are the two faults associated with the great misdeeds of bodhisattvas.
“Śāriputra,¹⁸ among these, desire is a minor misdeed and is given up slowly. Anger is a major misdeed and is given up quickly. Delusion is a major misdeed and is given up slowly. Why is this? Śāriputra, desire is the ensnaring vine of saṃsāra and thus the seed of rebirth. Anger is eliminated quickly and is the cause of unfortunate rebirths. Delusion is difficult to relinquish and is the cause of falling into the eight great hells.
“Regarding these, Śāriputra, a bodhisattva should openly confess the weightiest of faults to an assembly of ten.¹⁹ A weighty fault of the hand—that is, grasping a woman’s hand—should be confessed to an assembly of five.
1.11
The fault of looking at a woman with ill intent should be confessed before one or two people.²⁰ A bodhisattva should confess the faults associated with the five grave acts of immediate retribution, faults related to women, faults related to boys, faults related to the hand, faults related to stūpas, faults related to the saṅgha, or any other weighty fault before the thirty-five bhagavān buddhas, doing so on their own throughout the day and night. The confession is as follows:
“ ‘I (name) seek refuge in the Buddha,
I seek refuge in the Dharma,
I seek refuge in the Saṅgha.
“ ‘I pay homage to the tathāgata, the arhat, the completely perfect Buddha Śākyamuni!
I pay homage to Vajragarbhapramardin.²¹
I pay homage to Ratnārcis.
I pay homage to Nāgeśvararāja.
I pay homage to Vīrasena.
I pay homage to Vīranandin.
I pay homage to Ratnāgni.²²
I pay homage to Ratnacandraprabha.
I pay homage to Amoghadarśin.
I pay homage to Ratnacandra.
I pay homage to Vimala.²³
I pay homage to Śūradatta.
I pay homage to Brahmā.
I pay homage to Brahmadatta.
I pay homage to Varuṇa.
I pay homage to Varuṇadeva.
I pay homage to Bhadraśrī.
I pay homage to Candanaśrī.
I pay homage to Anantaujas.
I pay homage to Prabhāsaśrī.
I pay homage to Aśokaśrī.
I pay homage to Nārāyaṇa.
I pay homage to Kusumaśrī.
I pay homage to the Tathāgata Brahmajyotirvikrīḍitābhijña.
I pay homage to the Tathāgata Padmajyotirvikrīḍitābhijña.²⁴
1.12
I pay homage to Dhanaśrī.
I pay homage to Smṛtiśrī.
I pay homage to Suparikīrtitanāmadheyaśrī.
I pay homage to Indraketudhvajarāja.
I pay homage to Suvikrāntaśrī.
I pay homage to Suvijitasaṃgrāma.²⁵
I pay homage to Vikrāntagāmin.
I pay homage to Samantāvabhāsavyūhaśrī.
I pay homage to Ratnapadmavikrāmin.
I pay homage to the tathāgata, the arhat, the completely perfect Buddha Ratnapadmasupratiṣṭhitaśailendrarāja.
“ ‘To them, and to all the other tathāgata, arhat, and completely perfect buddhas who dwell, live, and endure in all realms throughout the ten directions—to those blessed buddhas, I pray, please pay heed to me!
“ ‘In this and in all the other births that I have taken in saṃsāra without beginning or end, I have committed evil actions, I have asked others to commit them, or have rejoiced when they were committed.
“ ‘I have stolen the property of stūpas,²⁶ the property of the saṅgha, or the property of the saṅghas of the four directions,²⁷ have made others steal them, or have rejoiced when they were stolen.
“ ‘I have committed the five grave acts of immediate retribution, have made others commit them, or have rejoiced when they were committed.
“ ‘I have taken the path of the ten nonvirtuous actions, have made others take it, or have rejoiced in their taking it.
“ ‘Having been affected by karmic obscurations, I will go to the hells,²⁸ I will go to the animal realm,²⁹ I will go to the preta realm, I will be born among barbarians in a border region,³⁰ I will be born among the long-lived devas, I will have incomplete faculties, I will hold false views, or I will not be able to delight in the appearance of a buddha in the world.³¹
1.13
“ ‘All these karmic obscurations I confess in the presence of the bhagavān buddhas, who are wise, who have vision, who witness, who are authoritative, and who know and see. I reveal these actions; I do not conceal them, and I will henceforth show restraint.
“ ‘May those bhagavān buddhas pay heed to me!
“ ‘In this and in all the other births that I have taken in saṃsāra without beginning or end, whatever gifts I have given, even if just a small bit of food to an animal, whatever roots of virtue I may possess from maintaining discipline, whatever roots of virtue I may possess from chaste conduct, whatever roots of virtue I may possess by bringing beings to maturity, whatever roots of virtue I may possess through the mind of awakening, and whatever roots of virtue I may possess through unsurpassed gnosis, I collect, combine, and coalesce all of it and dedicate it to unsurpassed, completely perfect awakening by making unsurpassable, unexcelled, and supreme dedications.
“ ‘Just as the bhagavān buddhas of the past have dedicated, just as the bhagavān buddhas of the future will dedicate, and just as the bhagavān buddhas of the present now dedicate,³² in the same way, I also dedicate the virtue. I confess all evil actions.³³ I rejoice in all merit. I supplicate all buddhas. May my gnosis be unsurpassed.
“ ‘With folded hands I seek refuge
In all the conquerors, the most supreme beings
Of the present, of the past, and who have not yet come,
Who possess an ocean of qualities limitless and praiseworthy.’³⁴
1.14
“Śāriputra, in the same way, a bodhisattva should follow all tathāgatas in contemplating the thirty-five bhagavān buddhas and the rest, and thereby purify all their evil actions.
“Similarly, for the sole purpose of liberating beings, those very bhagavān buddhas reveal themselves directly to those who purify all evil actions. They likewise teach confused, foolish beings using a variety of words in order to bring them to maturity,³⁵ all without wavering from the dharmadhātu. They make perfect aspirations for the sake of liberating beings, liberating each according to their own predispositions.
“Śāriputra, bodhisattva mahāsattvas who have entered into the samādhi of great compassion appear in the form of hell beings, animals, beings in the world of Yama, and asuras for the sake of bringing beings to maturity. Bodhisattva mahāsattvas who have entered into the samādhi of great array appear in the form of householders for the sake of bringing beings to maturity. Bodhisattva mahāsattvas who have entered into the supreme samādhi appear in the form of cakravartins for the sake of bringing beings to maturity. Bodhisattva mahāsattvas who have entered into the samādhi of intense brilliance appear in the forms of Indra and Brahmā for the sake of bringing beings to maturity. Bodhisattva mahāsattvas who have entered into the single-pointed samādhi appear in the form of śrāvakas for the sake of bringing beings to maturity.
1.15
Bodhisattva mahāsattvas who have entered into the samādhi of nondual purity appear in the form of pratyekabuddhas for the sake of bringing beings to maturity. Bodhisattva mahāsattvas who have entered into the samādhi of peace appear in the form of completely perfect buddhas for the sake of bringing beings to maturity. Bodhisattva mahāsattvas who have entered into the samādhi mastery of all phenomena appear in forms aligned with various predispositions for the sake of bringing beings to maturity.
“Śāriputra, in that way, for the sake of bringing beings to maturity, holy beings sometimes appear in the form of Indra, sometimes in the form of Brahmā, and sometimes in the form of a cakravartin, all without wavering from the dharmadhātu. How so? Bodhisattvas, for the sake of bringing beings to maturity, appear to beings of different predispositions in a variety of recognizable forms, but the bodhisattvas objectify neither themselves nor beings as they appear in various forms to those beings.
“Śāriputra, what do you think? Can a cat withstand the roar of a lion, the king of beasts?”
Śāriputra replied, “Bhagavān, it cannot withstand it.”
The Bhagavān said, “Śāriputra, what do you think? Can a donkey bear the load of a great rutting elephant?”
Śāriputra replied, “Bhagavān, it cannot bear it.”
The Bhagavān said,
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“Śāriputra, what do you think? Can poor people endure the lordly magnificence of Indra and Brahmā?”
Śāriputra replied, “Bhagavān, they cannot endure it.”
The Bhagavān said, “Śāriputra, what do you think? Can a fledgling vulture withstand the attack of a garuḍa, the king of birds?”
Śāriputra replied, “Bhagavān, it cannot withstand it.”
“Similarly Śāriputra,³⁶ no ordinary being or follower of the Śrāvakayāna or Pratyekabuddhayāna is able to purify the faults of bodhisattvas that have arisen from the power of their courageous mind and roots of virtue or from their knowledge, nor can they purify pernicious faults, which are purified by entering the samādhi of seeing the buddhas. Bodhisattvas memorize and recite the names of these bhagavān buddhas, and by reciting the Dharma discourse of the Three Sections³⁷ three times during the day and three times at night, they renounce their pernicious faults and obtain samādhi.”³⁸
On the same occasion, the venerable Upāli emerged from meditative seclusion and came to where the Bhagavān was staying.³⁹ Upon arriving, he bowed his head at the feet of the Bhagavān, circumambulated him three times, and sat to one side. The venerable Upāli then said to the Bhagavān, “Bhagavān, when I was in solitary meditative seclusion, this thought arose in my mind:
Translations (1)
- The Bodhisattva’s Confession of Downfalls — samye-translations-stefan-mang-peter-woods 2020, English