The Questions of the Nāga King Sāgara (1)
Translation of འཕགས་པ་ཀླའ་རྒྱལ་པ་རྒྱ་མཚས་ཞས་པ་ཞས་བྱ་བ་ཐག་པ་ཆན་པའ་མད (འཕགས་པ་ཀླུའི་རྒྱལ་པོ་རྒྱ་མཚོས་ཞུས་པ་ཞེས་བྱ་བ་ཐེག་པ་ཆེན་པོའི་མདོ)
- Language
- English
- Translator
- Timothy Hinkle
- Extent
- 220 passages, 44,921 words
- Text
- complete digital text
- Source
- 84000 · Translated by the Dharmachakra Translation Committeeunder the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating… · 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 — 12 parts
- 1 — 27 parts
- 2 — 25 parts
- 3 — 25 parts
- 4 — 22 parts
- 5 — 26 parts
- 6 — 18 parts
- 7 — 22 parts
- notes Notes — 43 parts
Text
84000's introduction
intro.1
The Questions of the Nāga King Sāgara begins with a miracle that portends the coming of the Nāga King Sāgara to Vulture Peak Mountain in Rājagṛha. The nāga king engages in a lengthy dialogue with the Buddha on various topics pertaining to the distinction between relative and ultimate reality, all of which emphasize the primacy of insight into emptiness. The Buddha thereafter journeys to King Sāgara’s palace in the ocean and reveals details of the king’s past lives in order to introduce the inexhaustible casket dhāraṇī. In the nāga king’s palace in the ocean, he gives teachings on various topics and acts as peacemaker, addressing the ongoing conflicts between the gods and asuras and between the nāgas and garuḍas. Upon returning to Vulture Peak, the Buddha engages in dialogue with King Ajātaśatru and provides Nāga King Sāgara’s prophecy.
intro.2
《海龍王所問經》開篇的一片瑞相，預告着海龍王即將降臨在王舍城的靈鷲山上。在龍王和佛陀的長篇對話中，話題橫跨世俗和勝義諦的層面，強調了般若空觀之重要性。接著，為了引出寶篋藏陀羅尼，佛陀還來到海龍王大海深處的龍宮，闡述了龍王過去世的因緣。在海中，佛陀除了宣說其他善法，還化解了天神和阿修羅以及海龍族和大鵬金翅鳥之間的種種矛盾。回到靈鷲山後，佛陀又回答了阿闍世王的請問，并賜予海龍王授記。
intro.3
Set at Vulture Peak Mountain and in the ocean realm of the Nāga King Sāgara, The Questions of the Nāga King Sāgara covers many topics of interest to bodhisattvas, including karma and rebirth and the ultimate view of emptiness. The primary interlocutor is the eponymous Nāga King Sāgara, whose arrival at Vulture Peak Mountain is presaged by the appearance of a magical jeweled parasol covering the entire world. With the Buddha’s consent, Sāgara asks a series of questions, which are answered in sequence. Replying to a question about seeing with unobscured wisdom, the Buddha introduces a distinction between ordinary seeing and wisdom seeing, indicating that seeing with unobscured wisdom allows the bodhisattva greater perception that includes both relative and ultimate reality. At this point the Buddha’s discourse is explicitly identified by the gods, who have been listening in the sky above, as belonging to the second turning of the wheel of Dharma.
intro.4
In a story recalling one of the Nāga King Sāgara’s past lives, the Buddha introduces the jeweled casket dhāraṇī, also known as the inexhaustible casket dhāraṇī. This dhāraṇī turns out to have had an impact on all Nāga King Sāgara’s previous lives on the path to awakening. The Buddha explains that this dhāraṇī can be used by bodhisattvas to recognize nonduality, allowing them to continue working for the benefit of beings in saṃsāra without ever becoming contaminated. Asked about it by the king, the Buddha mentions the growing population of nāgas present during the king’s reign, explaining that they were disciples of the previous buddha Krakucchanda who let their vows of discipline lapse. Later, the Buddha performs a miracle allowing the entire assembly to visit Nāga King Sāgara’s realm on the seabed deep in the ocean. There the Buddha delivers a discourse on how the body is formed by one’s previous actions, and he proceeds to explain the benefits that accrue from abandoning nonvirtues.
intro.5
At two points in the sūtra, the Buddha is asked to intervene in the conflicts between the gods and asuras and between the nāgas and garuḍas. In the first case, at Śakra’s request the Buddha teaches the asuras about the power of love to inspire them to get along with the gods. Later, he blesses his shawl and gives it to the nāgas to protect them from the garuḍas. This distresses the garuḍas, but they are consoled by the Buddha and inspired to abandon nonvirtue after he gives them a teaching about cause and effect.
intro.6
Like many Great Vehicle sūtras, this work contains prophecies about how various beings who are present during this teaching will attain perfect awakening in a future lifetime. When the Nāga King Sāgara receives the prophecy of his own awakening, he takes that opportunity to question the existence of any phenomena that might provide a basis for that prophecy as well as the existence of any being who might function as that prophecy's subject. He points out that it is only by giving up such notions that one can receive the buddhas’ prophecy. This theme runs throughout the text: advancement on the path of the Great Vehicle is made through the ultimate insight that all phenomena are without intrinsic essence and thus beyond subject and object, yet this realization of emptiness in no way runs counter to engagement with dependently arisen relative phenomena.
intro.7
In this vein, two instances in which the issue of gender and spiritual awakening is addressed may be of particular interest to the modern reader. In chapter seven, after the Buddha delivers a special teaching addressed to a throng of ten thousand wide-eyed nāga women, which includes Nāga King Sāgara’s daughter, the Buddha’s attendant Mahākāśyapa interjects that it is impossible for anyone with a female body to attain awakening. Sāgara’s daughter immediately rejects Mahākāśyapa’s view on the grounds that anyone with pure motivation can attain awakening and that it contradicts the doctrine of universal emptiness or nonessentiality. She explains that male and female properties are essences wrongly attributed to otherwise empty mental and physical phenomena, and that “awakening has neither female nor male attributes.” With this logic of nonessentiality, she successfully undermines essentialized notions of gender and defends the ability of women to cultivate the mind set on awakening. In the end, the Buddha prophesies her awakening as the male buddha Samantavipaśyin.¹
intro.8
As this discourse draws to a close, a myriad of bodhisattvas, gods, and women commit to uphold the Buddha’s awakening. They at first seem doubtful that one may preserve the Buddha’s awakening by emphasizing the ultimate view, but the Buddha reassures them that this can be done. Śakra then expresses his amazement at the way in which the women in the gathering have been able to express themselves in accord with the ultimate Dharma. The Buddha once again confirms the women’s abilities as Dharma teachers, and subsequently entrusts Śakra with upholding the sūtra. Both of these events indicate that while the Saṅgha may generally have been reluctant to recognize women as fully qualified practitioners and teachers of the Dharma, the discourse on ultimate reality provided a context for declaring the equality of male and female, both in terms of the nonessentiality of gender constructs and the equal ability of both men and women to cultivate the pure motivation of the mind set on awakening.
intro.9
There are three consecutive sūtras of greater, middling, and shorter length in the Degé Kangyur entitled The Questions of the Nāga King Sāgara (Toh 153, Toh 154, Toh 155, respectively).² These three texts deal with separate topics and contain teachings that were delivered to the Nāga King Sāgara and the members of his court deep in the ocean. The material in Toh 154 is also found in Toh 153, and the fact that Toh 154 is included here as a separate work suggests that it had gained some degree of importance as an independent text prior to the Tibetan imperial period, when all three texts were translated into Tibetan. The final work in this series, Toh 155, appears to be an independent work with little relationship to the other two.
intro.10
To our knowledge, there is currently no extant Sanskrit version of this sūtra, although a few lines in Sanskrit (corresponding to folio 120.a.4–7 in the Degé block print) are preserved in Śāntideva’s Śikṣāsamuccaya (see ). The sūtra was translated into Chinese (Taishō 598³) in 285 ce by the Central Asian monk Dharmarakṣa. Translation from Sanskrit into Tibetan came several centuries later; the colophon of the version translated here states that it was the work of the Indian scholars Jinamitra and Prajñāvarman and the Tibetan translator Yeshé Dé, making the translation datable to the early ninth century. The text is also recorded in the Denkarma⁴ and Phangthangma⁵ inventories of Tibetan imperial translations, so we can establish that the Tibetan translation was produced no later than the early ninth century, as the Denkarma is dated to 812 ce. Versions of the sūtra are also found among the Dunhuang manuscripts.⁶
intro.11
We find several references to The Questions of the Nāga King Sāgara in the Tengyur, such as in a Madhyamaka treatise by the Indian master Atiśa (982–1054),⁷ as well as in the works of prominent later Tibetan masters, such as Karmapa III Rangjung Dorjé (1284–1339) and Gorampa Sönam Sengé (1429–1489), who both refer to the sūtra in support of the doctrine that any being who desires awakening (even nonhuman beings like nāgas) may take the vows of the mind set on awakening.⁸ Apart from Diana Paul’s aforementioned excerpt,⁹ the sūtra has, to our knowledge, received no detailed scholarly treatment in modern publications.
intro.12
This translation was prepared from the Degé (sde dge) block print in consultation with the Comparative Edition (dpe bsdur ma) and the Stok Palace manuscript.
1.1
Chapter One: The Setting
Homage to all buddhas and bodhisattvas.
Thus did I hear at one time. The Blessed One was dwelling in Rājagṛha at Vulture Peak Mountain with a great saṅgha of eight thousand monks and with twelve thousand bodhisattvas with higher knowledge that had gathered from the worlds of the ten directions by means of their higher knowledge. Those bodhisattvas possessed all the greatest attributes. They knew the dhāraṇīs and the discourses. They delighted all beings with their eloquence. They were skilled in teaching the wisdom of the higher knowledges. They had traveled to the sublime far shore of all the perfections. They were skilled in the knowledge of the bodhisattvas’ absorptions and attainments. They were praised, commended, and lauded by all buddhas. They were skilled in the knowledge of traveling to all buddha realms through their miraculous powers. They were skilled in the knowledge of terrifying the māras. They were skilled in the knowledge of all phenomena just as they are. They were skilled in the knowledge of beings’ supreme and ordinary faculties. They were skilled in the knowledge of accomplishing the factors of awakening. They were skilled in the knowledge of correctly accomplishing the acts of venerating all the buddhas. They were unstained by any worldly phenomena and were adorned with all the ornaments of body, speech, and mind. They had donned the armor consisting of delight in great love and compassion. They could be diligent over the course of countless eons without becoming discouraged. They roared the great lion’s roar. They were not overcome by any of the arguments of their adversaries. They had been marked by the seal of the irreversible Dharma. They had been crowned with all the qualities of buddhahood.
1.2
They included the bodhisattva great beings Meru, Sumeru, Mahāmeru, Scaling the Peak of Meru, King of the Meru Lamp, Merukūṭa, Merudhvaja, Merurāja, King Who Rules the Peak of Meru, Thunder, Drumbeat, Ratnākara, Ratnaketu, Jewel Peak, Ratnaśrī, Ratnasambhava, Ratnaprabha, Jeweled Staff Holder, Jewel Peak,¹⁰ Holder of the Precious Seal, Ratnajāla, Ratnavyūha, Ratnaprabha,¹¹ Ratnadvīpa, Ratnadīpa, Ratnapāṇi, Nanda, Inspiring Love for the Dharma, Vyūharāja, Adorned with a Mark, Light That Creates Language, Pure Light of Language, Ratnacūḍa, Amassed Divinity, Ratnakūṭa, Sahasraraśmi, Agnijihva, Star Lover, Candraprabha, Sahacittotpādadharmacakrapravartin, and Pure Golden Light, and the bodhisattva great being Eternal Giver of Freedom from Fear. They also included all the bodhisattva great beings of the Fortunate Eon such as Maitreya, sixty incomparable bodhisattvas such as Mañjuśrī, and sixteen excellent men such as Bhadrapāla.
Also present there were classes of gods including the Four Great Kings, the gods of the Thirty-Three such as the divine ruler Śakra, the gods of the Heaven Free from Strife such as the divine king Suyāma, the gods of the Heaven of Joy such as the divine king Saṃtuṣita, the gods of the Heaven of Delighting in Emanations such as the divine king Sunirmāṇarati, the gods of the Heaven of Making Use of Others’ Emanations such as the divine king Vaśavartin, the māra gods such as the god Sārthavāha,
1.3
the gods of the High Priests of the Brahmā Realm such as Subrahmā, the gods of the Great Brahmā class such as Brahmā who is lord of the Sahā world, the gods of the Luminous Heaven such as the divine king Ābhāsvara, the gods of the Heaven of Perfected Virtue such as the divine king Śubhakṛtsna, the gods of the Heaven of Great Fruition such as the divine king Bṛhatphala, the gods of the Pure Land such as the divine king Maheśvara, the gods of the Highest Heaven such as the divine king Vimalaprabhāsa, sixty thousand lords of the asuras such as the lord of the asuras Rāhu, forty-two thousand kinnaras such as the lord of the kinnaras Druma, thirty-two thousand lords of the gandharvas such as the lord of the gandharvas Mālādhara, seventy-two thousand nāga lords such as the king of the nāgas Anavatapta, and four thousand garuḍas who rule the birds, as well as thousands of other majestic gods, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kinnaras, and mahoragas.
Surrounded and revered by these thousands of members of the assembly, the Blessed One gazed straight ahead as he taught the Dharma. He sat upon a richly adorned lion throne, which had been arranged by all the gods, in such a manner that he resembled Mount Meru, the king of mountains rising above the ocean. Outshining the world and its gods, the Blessed One was dazzling, radiant, and brilliant as he sat there surrounded by the assembly of monks.
Then a jeweled parasol set with all lustrous gems and richly adorned with all kinds of jewels appeared in the sky above the Blessed One, who was seated amidst the gathered assembly. The jeweled parasol covered the entirety of this four-continent world system.
1.4
Hanging from it were hundreds of thousands of strands of multicolored pearls including white, red, crystal, golden, moon-colored, lotus-colored, and sky-colored pearls. As the strands of pearls glowed with light, a rain of flowers fell from the light rays. The flowers had hundreds of thousands of hues and were fragrant, beautiful, and captivating. They rained down over everyone in the assembly until they covered their knees. Thunder cracked in the sky. A rain of powdered aloe, red sandalwood, and yellow sandalwood also fell.
Then through the power of the Buddha, Venerable Mahāmaudgalyāyana stood up, draped his shawl over one shoulder, and knelt on his right knee. With his palms together, he bowed toward the Blessed One and asked, “Blessed One, whose arrival does such a miracle—never seen or heard of before—portend?”
The Blessed One answered Venerable Mahāmaudgalyāyana, “Maudgalyāyana, this portends that Nāga King Sāgara is coming to see the Thus-Gone One.”
Before long, Nāga King Sāgara arrived, surrounded and venerated by 840 million male and 720 million female nāgas. They came toward the Blessed One bearing flowers, fragrances, incense, flower garlands, lotions, powders, clothing, parasols, banners, and pennants. They were playing instruments, chanting, and singing thousands of melodies.
1.5
They bowed to the feet of the Blessed One and venerated him with their flowers, fragrances, incense, flower garlands, lotions, powders, clothing, parasols, banners, pennants, instruments,¹² and singing. At this point, he and his retinue of queens and relatives praised the Blessed One with these fitting verses:
“You work to benefit the world, you are honored by the world, and you give sight to the world.
Though born in this world, you are unsullied by it, like a lotus unsullied by water.
You see with your three eyes—Light of the World, you bring joy.
O Sun of the World, you understand conditions. Foremost in the world, today we honor you!
“Gentle and disciplined, you mastered the ten powers and perfected generosity and discipline.
Guide, you burned all the dust, darkness, stains, and roughness of the afflictions, incinerating their sprouts.
Compassionately, you bestow the seven highest riches, and your love for beings is exalted.
To you, a field of merit, the world’s best friend, I bow my head.
“The shining ūrṇā hair by your eyebrows is white like jasmine flowers, the moon, or a conch.
Even the gods from the abodes of Brahmā cannot see your uṣṇīṣa.
From your moon-like face, miraculous light shines, illuminating all beings without exception.
Its touch has the capacity to bring bliss, even to beings who have committed inexpiable evil deeds.
“Your speech is so captivating; like the moon your words satisfy the mind—
Outshining the speech of gods and humans, it is absolutely pure and pristine.
You clear the darkening dust of attachment and aggression and illuminate insight.
You please and delight, cause happiness, and are the true teacher of freedom.
1.6
“Your wisdom encompasses the three times—it is unimpeded and unstained.
You know all the actions of beings—be they humble, middling, or sublime.
You know all the different faculties, thoughts, destinations, and freedoms
In a single instant, and thus I prostrate to you!
“Trillions of persistent māras came to the tree of perfect awakening seeking to do you harm.
Though they were right before you, you never wavered, and your heart was filled with love.
O lord, you defeated them with truth, discipline, glory, qualities, and love.
Thus everyone here today has come to venerate you and pay homage.
“Lord, you have realized that all things are uncreated and hollow, like a moon reflected in water,
Foam, lightning, a cloud, or a water bubble, like illusions or a mirage.
Your¹³ qualities, causeless and inconceivable, are forever devoid of self.
You grant the five sense pleasures to beings, and so you, Lord, are able to liberate.
“Your amazing and great aspirations, O guide,
For the sake of which you showed such tenacity throughout trillions of eons,
For the sake of which you consistently benefit beings and venerate your guides,
For the sake of which you trained in giving, restraint, discipline, and patience, have been fulfilled.”
Once Nāga King Sāgara had thus praised the Blessed One with these fitting verses, he said to the Blessed One, “If, to clarify my questions, the blessed, thus-gone, worthy, perfect and complete Buddha would permit me, I would like to ask him about a few issues.”
The Blessed One replied to Nāga King Sāgara,
1.7
“Nāga Lord, ask the Blessed One whatever you desire. May my answers please you.”
Given the opportunity to have his questions answered by the Blessed One, Nāga King Sāgara then asked the Blessed One, “Blessed One, how do bodhisattvas eliminate rebirth in the lower realms and painful transmigrations? How do they transcend the eight unfavorable conditions? How do they take human and divine births? Blessed One, how do bodhisattvas attain an unceasing vision of the buddhas? How do they continuously meet spiritual friends? How do they always find agreeable places to stay? Blessed One, how do bodhisattvas have faith and abundant joy?¹⁴ How do they rely on the ripening of karma? How do they instruct by means of all virtuous qualities, having abandoned all nonvirtuous qualities? Blessed One, how do bodhisattvas take interest in the Dharma, desire it, and find great delight in it? How are they insatiable in the pursuit of learning?¹⁵ How are they exalted in their accomplishment of learning? Blessed One, how are bodhisattvas inspired to go forth? How do they travel through jungles and forests? How are they inspired by those of noble lineage, ascetic practices, and having few possessions? How do they perfect the qualities of going forth? Blessed One, how do bodhisattvas adhere to the profound Dharma? How do they eliminate the views of eternalism and nihilism? How do they engage with causal and conditioned phenomena? How do they become free from all sorts of views? Blessed One, how do bodhisattvas play by means of the wisdom of the higher knowledges and see with unobscured wisdom? Blessed One,
1.8
how do bodhisattvas comprehend the conduct, intentions, and actions of beings? Blessed One, how do bodhisattvas bring about ripening? How are they skilled in retention, recitation, and explanation? Blessed One, how do bodhisattvas defeat opposition from māras? How do they live free of fear and anxiety, and how do they live the bodhisattva way of life? How do bodhisattvas genuinely pursue the irreversible Dharma? How do they reach acceptance and obtain prophecy?”
The Blessed One responded to Nāga King Sāgara, “Nāga Lord, excellent, excellent. It is excellent that you, Nāga Lord, thought to ask the Thus-Gone One about these subjects. Nāga Lord, listen well, bear what I say in mind, and I will answer.
“Nāga Lord, if bodhisattvas possess four qualities, they genuinely eliminate rebirth in the lower realms and painful transmigrations. What are these four? They are being free of anger toward any being, taking up and carefully observing the path of the ten virtues, not criticizing others or mentioning their faults, and focusing on their own errors rather than those of others. Nāga Lord, if bodhisattvas possess these four qualities, they will genuinely eliminate rebirth in the lower realms and painful transmigrations.
“Nāga Lord, if bodhisattvas possess four qualities, they will abandon all unfavorable conditions. What are these four? They are to constantly sing the praises of the Three Jewels—the
1.9
Buddha Jewel, the Dharma Jewel, and the Saṅgha Jewel, to never distract anyone dedicated to the Dharma, to never cause others to feel regret, and to dispel the regret of beings mired in regret. Nāga Lord, if bodhisattvas possess these four qualities, they will abandon all unfree states.
“Nāga Lord, if bodhisattvas possess four qualities, they will take human and divine births. What are these four? They are never giving up the mind set on awakening and proclaiming it to others, never giving up genuine training in discipline or letting it decline, keeping the intention concerning aspiration pure, and developing great compassion for beings in order to ripen them. Nāga Lord, if bodhisattvas possess these four qualities, they will take human and divine births.
“Nāga Lord, if bodhisattvas possess eight qualities, they will never lose their vision of the buddhas. What are these eight? They are focusing on the recollection of the buddha, serving and venerating the thus-gone ones, constantly singing the praises of the thus-gone ones, commissioning images of the thus-gone ones, encouraging beings to see the thus-gone ones, making the aspiration to be born in any buddha realm where one has heard that a thus-gone one lives, being courageous and inspired toward vastness, and yearning for the wisdom of buddhahood.¹⁶ Nāga Lord, if bodhisattvas possess these eight qualities, they will never lose sight of the buddhas.
“Nāga Lord, if bodhisattvas possess four qualities, they will meet spiritual friends. What are these four? They are serving one’s spiritual friend without deceit
1.10
or pretense; cherishing, respecting, and serving the Dharma; being open to advice, easily satisfied, and gentle; and being humble and deferential. Nāga Lord, if bodhisattvas possess these four qualities, they will meet spiritual friends.
“Nāga Lord, if bodhisattvas possess three qualities, they will find agreeable places to stay. What are these three? They are having a tender and honest mind, eliminating jealousy and stinginess, and being pleased to support others’ gain, service, and happiness. Nāga Lord, if bodhisattvas possess these three qualities, they will find agreeable places to stay.
“Nāga Lord, if bodhisattvas possess five qualities, they will have faith. What are these five? They are the strength of interest, the strength of the accumulation of merit, the strength of understanding the ripening of karma, the strength of not giving up the mind set on awakening, and the strength of being grounded in reality. Nāga Lord, if bodhisattvas possess these five qualities, they will have faith.
“Nāga Lord, if bodhisattvas possess two qualities, they will become exceedingly joyful. What are the two? They are the strength of causes and the strength of engagement. Nāga Lord, if bodhisattvas possess these two qualities, they will become exceedingly joyful.
“Nāga Lord, if bodhisattvas possess three qualities, they will be supported by the ripening of karma. What are these three? They are aspiring to selflessness, the strength of patience, and diligently pursuing proper action. Nāga Lord, if bodhisattvas possess these three qualities, they will be supported by the ripening of karma.
“Nāga Lord, if bodhisattvas possess two qualities,
1.11
they will be ripe with all virtuous qualities, having abandoned all nonvirtuous qualities. What are these two? They are to offer a dedication that comprises the three parts,¹⁷ and to maintain carefulness. Alternatively, the two are having a virtuous nature and not hoping for a particular ripening. Nāga Lord, if bodhisattvas possess these two qualities, they will be ripe with all virtuous qualities, having abandoned all nonvirtuous qualities.
“Nāga Lord, if bodhisattvas possess five qualities, they will take interest in the Dharma. What are these five? They are being disinterested in form, being disinterested in sound, being disinterested in scent, being disinterested in taste, and being disinterested in touch. Nāga Lord, if bodhisattvas possess these five qualities, they will take interest in the Dharma. Nāga Lord, if bodhisattvas possess an alternate set of five qualities, they will take interest in the Dharma. What are these five? They are being interested in the Dharma rather than in one’s body, being interested in qualities rather than in one’s life, being interested in insight rather than in touch, being interested in virtue rather than in feeling, and being interested in protecting beings rather than in one’s own happiness. Nāga Lord, if bodhisattvas possess these qualities, they will take interest in the Dharma.
“Nāga Lord, if bodhisattvas possess six qualities, they will desire the Dharma. What are these six? They are desiring the qualities of renunciation rather than desiring to merely adopt the token robes; desiring to hear the Dharma rather than desiring to listen to the persuasions of the Lokāyatas; desiring Dharma teachings rather than desiring worldly goods; discerning the Dharma
1.12
rather than focusing on inappropriate matters; desiring to accomplish the Dharma rather than desiring to study words, etymologies, and definitions; and desiring to hear about the qualities of buddhahood rather than desiring to hear about the qualities of the hearers and solitary buddhas. Nāga Lord, if bodhisattvas possess these six qualities, they will desire the Dharma.
“Nāga Lord, if bodhisattvas possess eight qualities, they will find great delight in the Dharma. What are these eight? They are delighting in discussion of the mind set on awakening rather than discussion of the Lesser Vehicle; delighting in discussion of the means of attracting disciples rather than in discussion of what is mistaken; delighting in discussion of the Dharma tradition rather than in materialistic discussions; delighting in discussion of the Buddha’s greatness rather than in discussion of the end of saṃsāra; delighting in discussion of the profound and difficult subject of dependent origination rather than in discussion of the belief in the view of self; delighting in discussions of the selfless nature of phenomena and in pure conditions rather than in discussion of the beliefs in nihilism, eternalism, self, being, life force, person, or individuality; delighting in genuine and accurate discussion of emptiness, the absence of marks, and the absence of wishes, rather than in discussion of views involving reference points; and delighting in discussion concerned with renunciation and the display of the ornaments in the buddha realms rather than in discussion that causes indifference to peace. Nāga Lord, if bodhisattvas possess these eight qualities, they will find great delight in the Dharma.
“Nāga Lord, bodhisattvas must be insatiable in the pursuit of learning if they are to see five essential points. What are these five? Bodhisattvas must be insatiable in the pursuit of learning in order to see correctly with the genesis of insight through learning.
1.13
Bodhisattvas must be insatiable in the pursuit of learning in order to see correctly with the elimination of regret and doubt through learning. Bodhisattvas must be insatiable in the pursuit of learning in order to see correctly with the growth of the understanding of pollution and purification through learning. Bodhisattvas must be insatiable in the pursuit of learning in order to see correctly with the elimination of afflictions in all beings through learning and thereby the elimination of all afflictions. Bodhisattvas must be insatiable in the pursuit of learning in order to see correctly with the growth of fearlessness through learning and thereby the termination of all beings’ anxieties. Moreover, bodhisattvas must be insatiable in the pursuit of learning in order to see two essential points. What are these two? They are the dawning of the correct view of noble beings and the attainment of unfettered recollection.
“Nāga Lord, if bodhisattvas possess ten qualities, they will become exalted in terms of their accomplishment of learning. What are these ten? They are having few desires for and being content with gain and honor, having no concern for their body and life force in their pursuits, being mindful and aware in their actions, thinking very carefully about exactly what they have learned, minimizing activities by having no worldly diversions, not sleeping at the beginning or end of the night through being diligent in their practice, respecting and serving their master, relying on the spiritual teacher with humility and modesty, caring for beings with great compassion, honoring noble beings in order to perfect positive qualities, and protecting with knowledge the world and its gods. Nāga Lord, if bodhisattvas possess these ten qualities,
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they will become exalted in terms of their accomplishment of learning.
“Nāga Lord, if bodhisattvas truly see these five benefits, they will be inspired to go forth. What are these five? They are thinking that the actions one has committed will not go to waste, that one is influenced by the habitual patterns one has formed, that everything that is grasped for should be abandoned, that one will not be disparaged by the blessed buddhas, and that—even after having become liberated—one will still teach the Dharma in order to release from their shackles all beings who are fettered by the shackles of the afflictions. These are the five.
“There is another set of five benefits. What are these five? They are knowing that going forth accords with discipline because it ripens beings with impaired discipline, that it accords with learning because it ripens beings without learning, that it accords with absorption because it ripens distracted beings, that it accords with insight because it ripens beings with mistaken insight, and that it accords with the wisdom of liberation because it establishes beings on the path to the bliss of nirvāṇa. These are the five.
“There is another set of five benefits. What are these five? They are knowing that going forth defeats pride because it enables one to understand the five aggregates; that it eliminates the habitual tendency of craving because one can abandon origination; that it pacifies, fully pacifies, and deeply pacifies because one can actualize cessation; that it is an entrance to the path because one can cultivate the eightfold path of the noble ones; and that it penetrates the truth because one can establish beings in the truths. These are the five.
“Nāga Lord,
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if bodhisattvas possess four qualities, they will travel through jungles and forests and stay in dwellings in the hinterlands. What are these four? They are not caring for their body and life force, caring for all virtuous qualities, wishing to develop the higher knowledges, and pleasing gods and humans with their gentle comportment. Nāga Lord, if bodhisattvas possess these four qualities, they will travel through jungles and forests and stay in dwellings in the hinterlands.
“Alternatively, Nāga Lord, if bodhisattvas see a different set of four essential points, they will travel through jungles and forests and stay in dwellings in the hinterlands. What are these four? The first is the thought, ‘The forest and jungle are praised by the buddhas and, if one lives in the forest, one can focus with great compassion on freeing all beings. I have previously been part of society, but now I will no longer live in just one place.’ The second is the thought, ‘I am gathering the ornaments of the seat of awakening, rather than the afflictions.’ The third is the thought, ‘I must study with myriad well-trained bodhisattvas.’ The fourth is the thought, ‘Once I have accomplished all manner of positive qualities through living in the forest, I will travel to villages, towns, cities, lands, countries, and capitals preaching the Dharma to beings.’ Nāga Lord, if they have these four, they will travel through jungles and forests and stay in dwellings in the hinterlands.
“Nāga Lord, three things are the best and greatest qualities and comforts of bodhisattvas who are of noble lineage, who observe ascetic practices, and who have few possessions. What are these three? They are having no social activities due to being unconcerned with friends and enemies; living a humble, independent, and simple life due to having a free spirit and going wherever they please;
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and swiftly developing absorption due to considering all beings to be the same. These are the three.
“There is an alternate set of three: not being hypocritical or pretentious toward others, not getting attached to or angry toward others, and having no concern for household when staying somewhere to practice. Nāga Lord, these three things are the best and greatest qualities and comforts of bodhisattvas who are of noble lineage, who observe ascetic practices, and who have few possessions.
“Nāga Lord, if bodhisattvas have eight qualities, they will perfect their qualities of renunciation. What are these eight? They are being satisfied with the noble lineage; observing ascetic practices; having few possessions; learnedness; having a preference for deep contemplation of one’s own thoughts; having no delusion about the bodhisattva attitude;¹⁸ being diligent in the practice of cultivating the applications of mindfulness, absorption, and insight; and ensuring all one’s endeavors come down to the essential practice. Nāga Lord, if bodhisattvas have these eight qualities, they will perfect their qualities of renunciation.
“Nāga Lord, if bodhisattvas have ten qualities, they will adhere to the profound Dharma. What are these ten? Through the intrinsic nature of the self, they are aligned with the intrinsic nature of phenomena; through the purity of the self, they are connected with the purity of all phenomena; through the absence of self, they are dedicated to the absence of self in phenomena; through the emptiness of self, they are certain about the emptiness of all phenomena; through the voidness of self, they enter the voidness of all phenomena; through the quelling of self, they discern the quelling of all phenomena; through the actual nature of the self, they fathom the actual nature of all phenomena; through the profundity of self,
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they reflect on the profundity of all phenomena; through the materiality of the self, they consider the materiality of all phenomena; and through the ungraspability of the self, they understand the ungraspability of all phenomena. These are the ten.
“Nāga Lord, there is an alternate set of ten qualities through which bodhisattvas will adhere to the profound Dharma. What are these ten? They know all phenomena to be like illusions given that they are characterized by involvement with illusory creation. They know all phenomena to be like dreams given that one sees them as arisen from error. They know all phenomena to be like a mirage given that they are wrongly perceived. They know all phenomena to be like visual distortions given that they are based in causes and conditions. They know all phenomena to be like the moon in water because they never transfer from one state to another. They know all phenomena to be like echoes given that they cannot be found in any location or direction and thus do not have an essential nature. They know all phenomena to be like clouds and flashes of lightning given that they do not last for even a moment. They know that all phenomena are like rainbows given that they are not affected by attachment, aggression, and stupidity. They know all phenomena to be naturally pure given that they are not affected by adventitious subsidiary afflictions. They know all phenomena to be like space given that they are beyond birth, destruction, or persisting. Nāga Lord, if bodhisattvas have these ten qualities, they will adhere to the profound Dharma.
“Nāga Lord, if bodhisattvas have two qualities, they will not fall into the view of nihilism. What are these two? They are knowledge of karma and knowledge of the way to accomplish all the qualities of buddhahood. Nāga Lord, if bodhisattvas have these two qualities, they will not fall
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into the view of nihilism.
“Nāga Lord, if bodhisattvas have two qualities, they will not fall into the view of eternalism. What are these two? They are knowledge of impermanent phenomena and knowledge that discerns that once phenomena have arisen, they will dissolve and dissipate, and thus not persist. Nāga Lord, if bodhisattvas have these two qualities, they will not fall into the view of eternalism.
“Nāga Lord, if bodhisattvas have four qualities, they will be learned in dependent origination. They understand the process that leads from the origination of ignorance to the origination of aging and death. They understand the process that leads from the cessation of ignorance to the cessation of aging and death. They do not fall into the view of nihilism. And they do not subscribe to the view of eternalism. Nāga Lord, if bodhisattvas have these four qualities, they will be skilled in understanding dependent origination.
“Nāga Lord, if bodhisattvas have four qualities, they will not harbor any metaphysical views. What are these four? Knowing emptiness, they will not harbor views about self or beings. Knowing the absence of marks, they will not harbor views about a life force and a person. Knowing the absence of wishes, they will not harbor views about emergence and destruction. Knowing dependent origination, they will not harbor views of nihilism or eternalism. Nāga Lord, if bodhisattvas have these four qualities, they will not harbor metaphysical views.
“Nāga Lord, if bodhisattvas have six qualities, they will display higher knowledge. What are these six? Regarding all beings without anger brings about the purity of divine vision; patiently accepting malicious words brings about the purity of divine hearing; eliminating the mind’s pollutions brings about the purity of knowing the minds of others;
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giving the roots of virtue one has created in the past to all beings brings about the purity of recollecting previous lives; being agreeable, offering advice, and practicing what one preaches brings about the purity of knowing how to perform miracles; and not being stingy with sharing the teachings brings about the purity of knowing the exhaustion of the defilements. These are the six.
“Alternatively, Nāga Lord, offering lamps brings about the purity of divine vision; playing cymbals and drums and singing songs brings about the purity of divine hearing; generosity devoid of pollution brings about the purity of clairvoyance; helping others recollect and aspire toward virtuous qualities brings about the purity of the recollection of past lives; eliminating obscuration and regret brings about the purity of knowing how to perform miracles; and giving the Dharma brings about the purity of knowing the exhaustion of the defilements.
“Alternatively, Nāga Lord, gazing at the Thus-Gone One brings about the purity of divine vision; listening to the sublime Dharma brings about the purity of divine hearing; engaging the mind in accurate analysis brings about the purity of clairvoyance; recollecting the Saṅgha brings about the purity of the recollection of past lives; intense fervor brings about the purity of knowing how to perform miracles; accomplishing the Dharma brings about the purity of knowing the exhaustion of the defilements.
“In this context, how do they engage in play by means of these higher knowledges? Nāga Lord, in this regard, the divine vision of bodhisattvas surpasses and is more clear, elevated, great, and pure than the divine vision of the hearers and solitary buddhas, the divine vision of the five higher knowledges of non-Buddhist sages, and the divine vision
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of gods, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kinnaras, mahoragas, and human and nonhuman beings. Other than the object of the Thus-Gone One’s vision, there is no appearance of being, form, or phenomena that is not realized, seen, or known by this divine eye of theirs.
“Nāga Lord, the divine hearing of bodhisattvas surpasses and is clearer, more elevated, greater, and purer than the divine ear of the same list of beings from hearers and solitary buddhas to human and nonhuman beings. Other than the Thus-Gone One’s field of hearing, there is no sound whatsoever that is not heard by this divine ear. It is able to determine all the sounds of the past and future.
“In this way, Nāga Lord, bodhisattvas truly and accurately know all the mental movements, mental apprehending, mental marks, mental inquiries, mental causes, mental perspectives, mental results, mental certainties, mental analyses, mental images, mental attachments, mental aggressions, mental distractions, mental grasping, mental quietudes, mental excitements, mental invigorations, and mental states of all beings, as well as their past, future, and present states of mind and how their minds persist. In short, they know their every state of mind and are thus able to engage in Dharma discussions with them.
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With their recollection of past lives, they are capable of truly and accurately knowing and remembering the deaths and transmigrations of themselves and others, extending into the most distant reaches of the past, and of accurately describing the precise forms and venues for these lives. They display all kinds of actions without being subject to the accumulation of karma, even with respect to miraculous actions. Nāga Lord, such are bodhisattvas’ higher knowledges. The fulfillment of all aims through exercising mastery over their own minds is their play. This is how buddhas make a display of passing entirely beyond suffering, without passing entirely beyond suffering in such a way that they pass entirely beyond suffering permanently.
“What then is the higher knowledge that engenders a bodhisattva’s ability to manifest the knowledge of the exhaustion of the defilements? Without being attached to the liberation of the hearers and solitary buddhas, they specifically focus on the liberation of the wisdom of awakened wisdom and thereby know the natural exhaustion of the defilements. However, they do not actualize that knowledge; instead, they remain in the stream of saṃsāra only to bring about the exhaustion of the defilements for all beings. This is the bodhisattvas’ sixth higher knowledge.
“Nāga Lord, if bodhisattvas have four qualities, they will see wisdom without obscuration. What are these four? They should possess the five forms of higher knowledge that are suffused by omniscient wisdom, the four correct discriminations that are suffused by great love and great compassion, the four formless attainments that are suffused by means and insight, and the thirty-seven factors of awakening that are suffused by emptiness, the absence of marks, and the absence of wishes. Nāga Lord, if bodhisattvas have these four qualities,
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they will see with unobscured wisdom.
“Nāga Lord, what, in this context, does it mean to see with unobscured wisdom? It means acknowledging all the afflictions while truly defeating all the afflictions and their attendant habitual tendencies, acknowledging saṃsāra while attaining nirvāṇa, acknowledging the states of hearers and solitary buddhas while attaining the seat of awakening, and emulating the behavior of beings while knowing it to be void. This is what it means to see with unobscured wisdom.
“Alternatively, seeing with unobscured wisdom can mean conforming to all kinds of conditioned actions while attaining the unconditioned, seeing the pacification of conditioned phenomena while attaining the unconditioned. Nāga Lord, even when bodhisattvas operate within the conditioned, they are not obstructed by their knowledge of the unconditioned. Even though they attain the unconditioned, they are not obscured by unconditioned phenomena. Wisdom that is not obscured in these ways is known as the bodhisattva’s seeing with unobscured wisdom.
“Nāga Lord, if bodhisattvas have four qualities, they will understand the conduct, intentions, and manner of all beings. What are these four? They are knowledge that accords with the world, knowledge of being skilled in the meditative attainments, intention that is pliable in knowledge and thought, and the means to master the mind. Nāga Lord, if bodhisattvas have these four qualities, they will understand the conduct, intentions, and manner of all beings.
“Nāga Lord, if bodhisattvas have five qualities, they will be capable of ripening beings. What are these five? They are being unremitting by disregarding one’s own happiness,
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giving happiness to beings by being consistent in one’s endeavors, being deeply compassionate, acting in harmony with the behavior of beings, and bringing out the highest qualities. Nāga Lord, if bodhisattvas have these five qualities, they will be capable of ripening beings.
“Nāga Lord, if bodhisattvas have six qualities, they will be skilled in retention, recitation, and explanation. What are these six? They are attaining recollection, practicing with mindfulness and awareness, appropriately engaging with the truth, knowing the mind’s pursuits, achieving unobstructed eloquence, and being skilled in the knowledge that teaches intentional statements. Nāga Lord, if bodhisattvas have these six qualities, they will be skilled in retention, recitation, and explanation.
“Nāga Lord, if bodhisattvas have eight qualities, they will defeat opposition from māras. What are these eight? They are freedom from being afflicted by personalistic false views through knowing the illusory nature of the five aggregates, the experience of emptiness, taking rebirth intentionally in order to ripen beings while knowing all conditioned things to be unborn, being eternally wary of the three realms while having a firm diligence that never gives up the mind set on awakening, pursuing omniscient wisdom without lapsing into premeditated performance,¹⁹ gathering the accumulation of merit while considering beings, gathering the accumulation of wisdom while trusting in the characteristic of impermanence, and avoiding attachment to the knowledge of the hearers and solitary buddhas. Nāga Lord, if bodhisattvas
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have these eight qualities, they will defeat opposition from māras.
“Nāga Lord, if bodhisattvas have ten qualities, they will give up fear and anxiety and live the bodhisattva way of life. What are these ten? They are being consistently generous and becoming beautifully adorned with marks; maintaining discipline and closing off the lower realms; donning the armor of patience and not letting the faculties decline; being stable in diligence and being insatiable in the accumulation of roots of virtue; practicing concentration and having a refined mind; having insight and eliminating the afflictions; being skilled in means and being knowledgeable about dedication; attaining the correct discriminations and thus being skilled in meaning, qualities, expression, and eloquence; achieving recollection and thus being skilled in cutting through the doubts of beings; and being blessed by the buddhas and upholding the Dharma. Nāga Lord, if bodhisattvas have these ten qualities, they will give up fear and anxiety and live the bodhisattva way of life.
“Nāga Lord, if bodhisattvas have eight qualities, they will apply themselves to the irreversible Dharma. What are these eight? They are practicing what one preaches, analyzing one’s own error and not being concerned with others’ confusion, not criticizing others even when one’s life is at stake, not thinking of oneself as high even if one becomes rich and honored and not thinking of oneself as lowly if one is not rich and honored, giving generously while developing the intention to be the patron of all beings, not being tightfisted in teaching the Dharma but instead having a spirit of sharing, delighting in happiness and avoiding jealousy and stinginess,
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and giving up everything—whether beautiful or ugly—without regret. Nāga Lord, if bodhisattvas have these eight qualities, they will genuinely pursue the irreversible Dharma.
“Nāga Lord, if bodhisattvas have five qualities, they will never turn back from unsurpassed and perfect awakening. What are these five? They are being skilled in means by mastering all the perfections, being learned in the nature of all phenomena while adhering to the profound Dharma, being unimpaired in the higher knowledges while having knowledge of the workings of the faculties of all beings, acting without attachment while gaining true understanding, and acting according to²⁰ dependent origination and exhausting²¹ all defilements even though one has accomplished the state beyond defilement. Nāga Lord, if bodhisattvas have these five qualities, they will never turn back from unsurpassed and perfect awakening.
“Nāga Lord, if bodhisattvas have three qualities, they will attain acceptance. What are these three? They are selflessness in order to purify sentient beings, disengagement in order to purify phenomena, and nonattachment in order to purify wisdom. These are the three. Another three are the fact of being unending so that the past may be purified, the fact of being unborn so that the future may be purified, and the fact of persistence so that the phenomena of the present may be purified. These are the three.
“Nāga Lord, if bodhisattvas possess an alternate set of three qualities, they will reach acceptance. What are they? They are stability in merit in order to purify the body, limitless wisdom in order to purify the speech, and a focus on absorption in order to purify the mind.
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