འཕགས་པ་གསར་འད་དམ་པ་མད་སྡའ་དབང་པའ་རྒྱལ་པ་ཞས་བྱ་བ་ཐག་པ་ཆན་པའ་མད 19

19

and said, “Bhagavat, if in that way the buddha bhagavats do not pass into nirvāṇa and do not leave relics in the world, why is it that in the sūtras it is taught that the buddhas pass into nirvāṇa and leave their relics in the world so that if devas and humans have veneration and respect toward the relics of past buddhas that have been left in the world, and if the world with its devas and humans makes offerings to them, they will attain immeasurable benefit? And why is it said here that there are no relics, Bhagavat? I pray that with compassion you will explain⁷² and teach this.”

The Bhagavat then said to the bodhisattva mahāsattva Ruciraketu and the rest of the gathered assembly, “Know that when it is said that the bhagavats pass into nirvāṇa and leave relics in the world that this is a teaching with an implied meaning.

“Noble ones, the bodhisattva mahāsattvas know through these ten qualities that the Tathāgata Arhat Samyaksaṃbuddha correctly and truly teaches that there is a great passing into nirvāṇa.

“What are these ten?

“First, nirvāṇa means that the tathāgatas have completely eliminated the obscuration of the kleśas and the obscuration of knowledge.

“Second, nirvāṇa means that the tathāgatas know that there is no self in the individual and no self in phenomena.

“Third, nirvāṇa means that there is a transformation of the body and of qualities.

“Fourth, nirvāṇa means that there is a spontaneous guidance of beings.

“Fifth, nirvāṇa means that there is sameness in the Dharma body because there is no differentiation of characteristics through the truth becoming manifest.