འཕགས་པ་གསར་འད་དམ་པ་མཆག་ཏ་རྣམ་པར་རྒྱལ་བའ་མད་སྡའ་རྒྱལ་པ་ཐག་པ་ཆན་པའ་མད 2
The Sūtra of the Sublime Golden Light (1) 2
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2.1
Chapter 3: The Differentiation of the Three Bodies
¹⁴⁷ Then the bodhisattva mahāsattva Ākāśagarbha rose from his seat among that great assembly and, with his upper robe over one shoulder, knelt on his right knee, reverently placed his palms together, and bowed his head to the Bhagavat’s feet. He made offerings of flowers made of gold and jewels, precious banners, flags, and sublime, supreme parasols, and then he asked the Bhagavat, “Bhagavat, how can bodhisattva mahāsattvas accomplish in accordance with the Dharma the extremely profound secret of the tathāgatas?”
The Bhagavat said, “Noble one, listen well and keep this in mind! I shall reveal that to you.
“Noble one, all tathāgatas have three kinds of bodies. What are these three? They are the emanation body, the perfect enjoyment body, and the Dharma body. Just so, these three bodies are comprised within the perfection of the highest, most complete enlightenment. Whoever understands and comprehends this will quickly set forth from saṃsāra.¹⁴⁸
“How should bodhisattvas understand the emanation body? Noble one, in the past, when the tathāgatas were purifying the bhūmis, they accomplished all kinds of Dharma for the sake of all beings. Though they accomplished them, they continued to accomplish them until they had perfected their practice, so that through the strength of their meditation practice they gained great mastery. Through the power of that great mastery, they understood what the aspirations of all beings were, what the types of conduct of all beings were, what the natures of all beings were,
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and without engaging in time or missing a time or place, they teach the appropriate Dharma in accordance with the time and with those types of conduct,¹⁴⁹ and the various kinds of bodies that they manifest are called emanation bodies.
“Noble one, how should bodhisattvas understand the enjoyment body?¹⁵⁰ In this way: in order that bodhisattvas will attain realization,¹⁵¹ in order to teach the ultimate truth so that they will know the one taste of saṃsāra and nirvāṇa, in order to dispel the view of belief in a self, in order to make frightened and terrified beings become happy,¹⁵² in order to create the basis for endless Dharmas of the buddhas, and in order to be exactly in accord with the true nature, the wisdom of the true nature, and the power of past prayers, the tathāgatas have bodies with the perfection of the thirty-two signs and eighty features of a great being, with perfect auras of light around their heads and bodies. Those are what are called the enjoyment bodies.
“Noble one, how should bodhisattva mahāsattvas understand the Dharma body? Because the kleśa obscurations and so on have been completely dispelled and virtuous qualities have been made totally complete, there is solely the possession of the true nature and the wisdom of the true nature. That is what is called the Dharma body.
“The first two bodies are merely designations, while the Dharma body is true and the basis for those two other bodies. Why is that? It is because there is only the true nature of phenomena and nonconceptual wisdom, and there are no other qualities that are separate from all buddhas.
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All buddhas have a perfection of wisdom, and all their kleśas have completely ceased and ended so that the buddhas have attained purity. Therefore, all buddha qualities are contained within the true nature and the wisdom of the true nature.
“Moreover, noble one, all buddhas have attained the mastery of benefit for oneself and for others;¹⁵³ the benefit for oneself is the true nature of phenomena, and the benefit for others is the wisdom of the true nature. Because they have attained the power to benefit self and others, there is a perfect variety of endless deeds, and thus they reveal the endless, countless specific and different varieties of all the Dharmas¹⁵⁴ of the buddhas.
“As an analogy, noble one, on the basis of incorrect thought, various kleśas, various karmic causes, and various ripened results are manifested. In the same way, on the basis of the true nature of phenomena and the wisdom of the true nature, the various kinds of qualities of the buddhas, the various kinds of qualities of the pratyekabuddhas, and the various kinds of qualities of the śrāvakas are manifested.
“On the basis of the true nature of phenomena and the wisdom of the true nature, there is the attainment of the power over the qualities of buddhahood, which are supremely inconceivable. As an analogy, adorning the sky by painting a picture on it is inconceivable; in the same way, the accomplishment of the qualities of buddhahood on the basis of the true nature of phenomena and the wisdom of the true nature is inconceivable.
“Noble one, when there are no thoughts within the true nature of phenomena and the wisdom of the true nature, how can it have perfect, spontaneous activity?
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“As an example, noble one, although the tathāgatas pass into nirvāṇa, because they have attained mastery of prayer, there is a perfection of various kinds of activities. In the same way, the true nature and the wisdom of the true nature have attained mastery over the accomplishment of deeds.
“Also, although bodhisattva mahāsattvas enter equanimity within samādhi, because of their past prayers they rise from that samādhi and engage in many activities.
“Similarly, although there are no thoughts in either of those qualities, there is a spontaneous perfection of activities.
“As an analogy, noble one, the sun and moon have no thoughts, water and mirrors have no thoughts, and light has no thoughts; nevertheless, the combination of these three causes reflections to appear. In the same way, there are no thoughts in the true nature of phenomena and the wisdom of that true nature; nevertheless, because of the mastery of prayer, in the same way that through a combination of factors the reflections of the sun and moon appear, through a combination of factors the enjoyment bodies and the emanation bodies manifest their appearances to beings who are worthy.
“Moreover, noble one, extending the analogy, there are countless, innumerable waters and mirrors, and because of light, they manifest various kinds of different characteristics of reflections in space,¹⁵⁵ but space has no characteristics.
“In the same way, noble one, that which guides pupils are the reflections of the Dharma body. Through the power of prayers, the various features appear from the other two bodies,¹⁵⁶ but on the level of the Dharma body there are no diverse features.
“Noble one, it is on the basis of those two bodies that it is taught that there is the nirvāṇa with a remainder of all buddhas.
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It is on the basis of the Dharma body that it is taught that there is nirvāṇa without a remainder. Why is that? It is because that is the final cessation of all phenomena. It is on the basis of all these three bodies that it is taught that there is the nirvāṇa without location of all buddhas.
“There is no remaining in nirvāṇa because of the two bodies, for there is no buddhahood other than the Dharma body.
“Why are the two bodies said to not be in nirvāṇa? Because those two bodies are merely designations and have no validity; they arise and cease with each instant and are not definitively present. They are not definitive because they arise repeatedly. The Dharma body is not like that, and therefore those two bodies are not nirvāṇa. The Dharma body is nondual in relation to them,¹⁵⁷ and therefore it does not dwell in nirvāṇa. Therefore, it is on the basis of all three bodies that nirvāṇa without location is taught.
“Noble one, all ordinary beings are in bondage and have obscurations because of having three characteristics, and as a result are far from the three bodies. What are those three? They are the characteristic of the imputed, the characteristic of the dependent, and the characteristic of the ultimately real.
“It is because those characteristics are not known, have not ceased, and are not purified that they are not close to the three bodies. It is because those characteristics are known, have ceased, and are purified that the buddha bhagavats possess the three bodies.
“Noble one, childlike,¹⁵⁸ ordinary beings are far from the three bodies because they have not freed themselves from the three consciousnesses. What are those three? They are the consciousness that engages with things, the mentation that resides on the basis,
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and the basis consciousness.¹⁵⁹
“The engaging consciousness ceases through the path of subjugation.¹⁶⁰ The mentation that resides on the basis ceases through following the path of elimination. The basis consciousness is purified through the supreme path.
“The emanation body manifests because the engaging consciousness ceases. The enjoyment body manifests when the mentation that resides on the basis ceases. The Dharma body is attained because the basis consciousness is purified. That is why the tathāgatas possess the three bodies.
“Noble one, through the power of the first of those bodies,¹⁶¹ the buddhas have the same activity; through the power of the second of those bodies,¹⁶² the buddhas have the same intent; and through the power of the third body,¹⁶³ the buddhas have the same body.
“Noble one, that which is the first body of the buddhas has many forms in accord with the aspirations of beings, and therefore it manifests various characteristics and so it is taught to be multiple. The second body of the buddhas, because its disciples have one mentality, manifests a single characteristic, and so it is taught to be single. The third body of the buddhas pervades¹⁶⁴ all the forms of those two characteristics and is not a field of experience that possesses characteristics, and therefore it is taught to be neither the same nor different.
“Noble one, that which is the first body appears on the basis of the enjoyment body. That which is the second body appears on the basis of the Dharma body. That which is the Dharma body is not truly existent,¹⁶⁵ and so it is not based on anything.
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“Noble one, because those three qualities¹⁶⁶ have permanence, they are called permanent.
“That which is an emanation body always turns the Dharma wheel, and here and there, in accord with circumstances, continuously manifests skillful methods. In that way it is said to be permanent. It is taught to be impermanent because it is not the basis and because the activity of perfection does not manifest.
“That which is the enjoyment body is said to be permanent because continuously, throughout beginningless time, it has accumulated and possesses the unique qualities of all the buddhas, and just as there is no end to beings, there is no end to its activity. It is said to be impermanent because it is not the basis, because the activity of perfection does not manifest.
“That which is the Dharma body is not a composite phenomenon and has no diverse characteristics because it is the basis. It is taught to be permanent because it is the same as space.
“Noble one, there is no supreme wisdom other than nonconceptual wisdom. There is no superior field of experience other than the true nature of phenomena. And so those two true natures—that which is the true nature of phenomena and the true nature of wisdom—are not a single true nature and not separate true natures. Therefore, because the Dharma body is pure wisdom and pure cessation, because it is those two purities, the Dharma body is the perfection of purity.
“Moreover, noble one, there are four ways to categorize these three bodies: that which is the emanation body but not the enjoyment body;
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that which is the enjoyment body but not the emanation body; that which is both the emanation body and the enjoyment body; and that which is neither the emanation body nor the enjoyment body.
“What is it that is the emanation body but not the enjoyment body? After a tathāgata has passed into nirvāṇa, because of having attained the power of prayer, there is benefit in accordance with conditions,¹⁶⁷ and that is an emanation body.
“What is it that is the enjoyment body and not the emanation body? It is a body that is seen on the bhūmis.
“What is both the emanation body and the enjoyment body? That is the body in the nirvāṇa with a residue.
“What is neither the emanation body nor the enjoyment body? That is the Dharma body.¹⁶⁸
“Noble one, the Dharma body is revealed nonduality. What is nonduality?¹⁶⁹ In the Dharma body, there are neither characteristics nor the basis for characteristics, and so there is neither existence nor nonexistence; the Dharma body is neither single nor diverse; it is neither a number nor numberless; and it is neither light nor darkness.
“That wisdom of the true nature sees neither characteristics nor a basis for characteristics; it does not see existence or nonexistence; it does not see singularity or differences; it does not see number or absence of number; and it does not see light or darkness.
“Therefore, the pure field of experience and pure wisdom cannot be examined,¹⁷⁰ and though there is nothing to call ‘conduct’ in this,¹⁷¹ it is the basis for cessation and the path. Therefore, one should know that the various deeds of a tathāgata appear within this Dharma body.¹⁷²
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“Noble one, it is difficult to evaluate this body’s cause, condition, field of experience, location, result, and basis, and therefore it is comprehended that this body itself is the Mahāyāna. It is the nature of the tathāgatas. It is the essence of the tathāgatas. On the basis of this body, the first development of the aspiration for enlightenment is attained. There is also the appearance of the mind that practices meditation on the bhūmis. There is the appearance of the irreversible mind, the mind with one life remaining, and there appears the vajra mind¹⁷³ and even the mind of a tathāgata. In the same way, there appear all the measureless, endless sublime qualities of the tathāgatas. On the basis of the Dharma body there also appear countless great samādhis. Also, all great wisdom arises on the basis of this Dharma body. Therefore, the two bodies appear on the basis of samādhi and wisdom.
“This Dharma body depends upon its own nature, and so it is called eternal. It is also called self.¹⁷⁴ As it depends upon great samādhi, it is called bliss. As it depends upon great wisdom, it is called purity. Therefore, a tathāgata remains permanently, has attained power, is blissful and happy, and has become completely pure.
“On the basis of great samādhi, there manifest all samādhis,¹⁷⁵ such as the heroic samādhi; all mindfulness, such as the great mindfulness of phenomena; all the qualities of the buddhas, such as great love and great compassion; and all retentions, all higher cognitions, all powers,
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and the possession of all the qualities of equality.
“On the basis of this great wisdom, there appear the ten strengths,¹⁷⁶ the four confidences, the four discernments, the hundred and eighty unique qualities, and so on—countless wonderful, marvelous qualities.
“As an analogy, on the basis of a precious wish-fulfilling jewel, there appear the various kinds of countless, innumerable jewels. In the same way, on the basis of precious samādhi and precious wisdom, there arise the various countless, innumerable sublime qualities of the buddhas.
“Noble one, that Dharma body, samādhi, and wisdom transcend all characteristics, and there is no attachment to characteristics,¹⁷⁷ so that they cannot be analyzed. They are neither permanent nor nothingness, and that is why they are called the path of the middle way.
“Even though there are thoughts, in the essential nature there are no thoughts. Even though there is a threefold enumeration, in essence there are no three and therefore no increase or decrease. It is like an illusion or a dream, where there is no object and no subject. Therefore, the essential nature of the Dharma body is the state of liberation, which is beyond the scope of Yama’s realm. It has risen above the darkness of saṃsāra. Beings are unable to accomplish it, unable to reach it. It is the state in which the buddhas and bodhisattvas dwell.
“As an analogy, noble one, if there were a man who wanted gold, he would search everywhere for gold ore, and when he found gold ore, he would grind it to powder, extract its essence, smelt it, and obtain pure gold as he wished for.
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Then he would make it into various kinds of jewelry such as rings, and though he used it in various ways, the nature of the gold would never change at all.
“Moreover, noble one, if any noble men or noble women who wanted to attain the supreme liberation or to accomplish good worldly actions were to see the Tathāgata or the followers of the Tathāgata, they would approach and say, ‘Bhagavat, what is a good action and what is a bad action? What is true practice through which one attains pure conduct?’ Then the Buddha Bhagavat or his followers, on seeing them ask those questions,¹⁷⁸ would at that time think, ‘These noble men and noble women long to hear the Dharma because they are seeking for purity.’ Thinking that, they would reveal the Dharma and teach it, so that those noble men and noble women would understand it.¹⁷⁹
“Then when they heard the Dharma, they would remember it correctly, not forget it, develop the aspiration to practice it, gain the power of diligence, and eliminate the obscuration of idleness and purify themselves of all obscurations, avoid a lack of veneration for the fields of training, pacify agitation and regret¹⁸⁰ in the mind, and would then enter the first bhūmi.
“On the basis of the mind of the first bhūmi, they would eliminate that which obscures benefiting beings so that they enter the second bhūmi. On that bhūmi, they would eliminate that which obscures nonviolence¹⁸¹ and enter the third bhūmi. On that bhūmi, they would eliminate the obscuration to purifying the mind and making it pliable and enter the fourth bhūmi. On that bhūmi, they would eliminate the obscuration to skillful methods and enter the fifth bhūmi.
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On that bhūmi, they would eliminate the obscuration to perceiving ultimate and relative truth and enter the sixth bhūmi. On that bhūmi, they would eliminate the obscuration to the conduct that perceives characteristics¹⁸² and enter the seventh bhūmi. On that bhūmi, they would eliminate the obscuration of not seeing the cessation of characteristics and enter the eighth bhūmi. On that bhūmi, they would eliminate the obscuration of not seeing the arising of characteristics and enter the ninth bhūmi. On that bhūmi, they would eliminate the obscuration to the six higher cognitions and enter the tenth bhūmi. On that bhūmi, they would eliminate the obscuration to knowledge and eliminate the basis consciousness and enter the bhūmi of the tathāgatas.
“Entry into the bhūmi of the tathāgatas has three purities; therefore, it is called the perfectly pure. What are those three? Being pure of the kleśas, being pure of suffering, and being pure of characteristics. This is like when gold has been properly smelted, purified, and beaten, it has been made stainless, but this is making clear its primordial purity. It would not be correct to say that because of the pure nature of gold there was no gold.
“As an analogy, muddied water becomes clear, and though it becomes stainless it is the primordially pure nature of water that is made evident; therefore, it would not be correct to say that there was no water. In that same way, because the Dharma body is mixed with the kleśas,¹⁸³ when suffering and its origination are completely eliminated and there is no remainder of negative tendencies, the primordially pure nature of buddhahood is made clear. Therefore, it would not be correct to say that this essence was¹⁸⁴ nonexistent.
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“As another analogy, if the sky is obscured by smoke, clouds, dust, or mist, when it becomes clear,¹⁸⁵ the element of space becomes pure; therefore, it would not be correct to say that space had ceased¹⁸⁶ to exist. In the same way, the Dharma body is called pure because the many sufferings¹⁸⁷ have all come to an end, but it would not be correct to say that the essence¹⁸⁸ did not exist.
“Also, as a further analogy, if a man is asleep and in a dream sees himself being swept away by a great river, he moves his legs and arms and is not idle in body or mind, and therefore crosses the river¹⁸⁹ and reaches the far shore. But when he wakes up from that dream, he does not see the river, the riverbank on this side, or the riverbank on the farther side as having separate existences, but it would not be correct to say that there was no mind.¹⁹⁰
“As a further analogy, the mind becomes pure when the invalid thoughts of saṃsāra cease, but it would not be correct to say that the mind had not existed. In the same way, thoughts do not arise in the Dharma realm, and therefore it is called pure, but it would not be correct to say that the true essence¹⁹¹ of buddhahood was nonexistent.
“Also, noble one, the enjoyment body manifests because that which is the Dharma body becomes purified of the kleśa obscurations. The emanation body manifests because of being purified of karma obscurations. The Dharma body manifests because of being purified of the obscuration to wisdom.
“As an analogy, lightning appears on the basis of the sky, and light arises based on the lightning. In the same way, the enjoyment body manifests based on the Dharma body, and the emanation body manifests based on the enjoyment body.
“The Dharma body manifests because of its pure nature. The enjoyment body manifests because of pure wisdom. The emanation body manifests because of pure samādhi.
“The purity of those three is no different from the true nature of the Dharma body. Therefore, that which is the true nature—
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the true nature of one taste, the true nature of liberation, and the ultimate true nature—is no different from the bodies of the buddhas.
“The noble men or noble women who say, ‘The Tathāgata is our great teacher,’ those individuals who have true conviction,¹⁹² understand with clear minds that the bodies of the tathāgatas are not separate.
“Therefore, noble one, if invalid mentation is dispelled from all fields of experience, there will be the realization that there are no dualistic characteristics, and thoughts will cease. In the practice of the āryas, that true nature has no dualistic characteristics, and they practice correctly so that all obscurations are eliminated and completely cease.
“Through the obscurations of the true nature ceasing, there is the attainment of the true nature and the perfectly pure wisdom of the true nature.
“Through the Dharma realm, the true nature, and valid wisdom becoming purified, there will be the accumulation of a perfection of independent power.¹⁹³ There will also be complete cessation of all obscurations, the attainment of purification from all obscurations, and therefore that is called ‘the true nature,’ ‘the true wisdom,’ and ‘the true characteristics.’ Seeing that is called ‘the view of the āryas,’ and therefore it is called ‘truly seeing buddhahood.’
“Why is that? It is because the true nature of phenomena is seen correctly, and therefore the tathāgatas see all the tathāgatas.
“Why is that?
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The śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas who depart from the three realms seek the true field of experience, but they do not know it or see it. Because such ārya individuals cannot comprehend or see it, all ordinary beings develop doubt and uncertainty, have incorrect thoughts, and are unable to transcend them.
“As an analogy, if a weak rabbit were to try to leap across an ocean,¹⁹⁴ there is no doubt that it would not reach the other side. Why is that? Because it has very little strength.¹⁹⁵ In the same way, childlike, ordinary beings cannot understand the true nature of phenomena.
“The tathāgatas do not possess a viewpoint comprised of thoughts, but they have attained great power over phenomena and have perfectly pure, extremely profound wisdom, and their field of experience is not the same as that of others. Therefore, the tathāgatas, without concern for their own bodies and lives, through having undergone hardships for countless, innumerable eons, have attained this supreme, sublime body that is inconceivable, incomparable, beyond the scope of words, perfectly distinct,¹⁹⁶ and free from all fear.
“Noble one, the one who knows and sees the true nature of phenomena has no birth, aging, sickness,¹⁹⁷ or death; has an immeasurable lifespan; has no need for sleep; has no hunger; has no thirst; and has a mind that is always in samādhi¹⁹⁸ without distraction or instability.
“Whoever develops the aspiration to argue with the Tathāgata will not see the Tathāgata. Whatever the tathāgatas say is beneficial for everyone, and therefore whoever listens and hears that will certainly be liberated. They will not encounter vicious beasts, vicious humans, or
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vicious spirits.¹⁹⁹ There will be no end to the ripening of results from hearing the Dharma.
“The tathāgatas have no neutrality. They do not possess the thought, ‘I know all fields of experience.’²⁰⁰ They do not perceive saṃsāra and nirvāṇa as separate. The tathāgatas have no uncertainty whatsoever.²⁰¹ The tathāgatas are never without wisdom in all the four kinds of physical activity. There is no phenomenon that they do not have love and compassion for. There is not a single being to whom they do not bring happiness and benefit.
“Noble one, someone who hears this Sūtra of the Sublime Golden Light and believes in it will never fall into an existence as a hell being, an animal, a preta, or an asura but will always be reborn among devas or humans, so that they will never have an inferior rebirth and will always serve and honor the tathāgatas, listen to and obtain the Dharma, and be reborn into pure buddha realms. Why is that? Because they have heard this extremely profound Dharma.
“Those noble men and noble women²⁰² are known and prophesied by tathāgatas and are irreversibly progressing to the highest, most complete enlightenment.
“The noble men and noble women²⁰³ who hear this profound, sublime Dharma just once will not malign the tathāgatas, will not denigrate the Dharma, and will not defame the ārya saṅgha. In order to cause beings who have not developed good roots to develop them,
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and in order to cause the good roots that have been developed to increase, become vast, and ripen, they will inspire all beings in all world realms to accomplish the six perfections.”
Then the bodhisattva Ākāśagarbha, Brahmā, Śakra, the Four Mahārājas, and the great assembly of devas rose from their seats, and with their robes over one shoulder, they placed their palms together and with veneration bowed down their heads to the Bhagavat’s feet.
Then they said to the Bhagavat, “In whatever land this extremely excellent Sūtra of the Sublime Golden Light is taught, there will be four kinds of beneficial qualities. What are those four?
“First, the king’s army will be strong and increase so that there will be no invading enemies. There will be long lives and no illness. There will be good fortune and happiness, and the sublime Dharma will spread and increase.
“Second, within the palace, the queens, their attendants, the princes,²⁰⁴ and the ministers will be in harmony, will not quarrel, and will avoid deception and slander so that the king will authorize and honor them.
“Third, mendicants, brahmins, and the people will practice the true Dharma, have no illness, be happy, not die prematurely, and accomplish much merit.
“Fourth, in all three times, the four great elements will be in harmony; devas will give their blessing and their complete protection—as they will have love and compassion equally for all, they will not cause harm and will have no thoughts of malice; and beings will go for refuge to the Three Jewels, and they will all practice the conduct of enlightenment.
“Those are the four kinds of benefit.
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“Bhagavat, so that we may cause this sūtra to continually spread extensively, we will go to the locations of the individuals who possess this sūtra²⁰⁵ and we will benefit²⁰⁶ them.”
“Noble ones, that is excellent, excellent!” said the Bhagavat. “By your causing, with dedicated minds, this sublime king of sūtras to spread,²⁰⁷ this true Dharma will remain in the world for a long time!”
Chapter 4: The Vision in a Dream of Purification Through Regret
²⁰⁸ Then the bodhisattva Ruciraketu was happy and overjoyed to have heard the extremely sublime Dharma directly from the Bhagavat. He contemplated it one-pointedly and returned to his home.²⁰⁹ While asleep that night, in a dream he saw a great golden drum that was shining brightly like the disk of the sun. From those light rays, he saw in the ten directions countless buddhas seated upon beryl thrones at the foot of precious trees, encircled by assemblies of many hundreds of thousands, and they were teaching the Dharma.
A brahmin beat that drum, from which came a loud sound; from that sound were taught sublime Dharma verses of the confession of bad actions, which Ruciraketu heard. He kept the entirety of it in his mind and remained in one-pointed mindfulness.
At dawn, he left the city of Rājagṛha. Accompanied by an entourage numbering countless hundreds of thousands, and carrying objects for offering,²¹⁰ he went to Vulture Peak Mountain and came into the presence of the Bhagavat. He bowed down to the feet of the Bhagavat and spread out flowers and perfume.²¹¹ He then circumambulated the Bhagavat three times, keeping him to his right, and sat down to one side.
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He placed his palms together, gazed with veneration upon the face of the Bhagavat, and said, “Bhagavat, I dreamed that a brahmin beat a sublime golden drum from which came a loud sound, and from that sound were taught sublime Dharma verses of the confession of bad actions. I memorized them and remember them. Bhagavat, I request that through your great compassion you give me permission to recite them.”
Then, in the presence of the Bhagavat, he recited those verses:
“In a dream I had last night,
I saw a great golden drum
With an exceptionally superior shape,
Completely suffused with light rays.
“It was like the disk of the sun,
Its radiance spreading everywhere,
Filling the worlds in the ten directions.
I saw an entire multitude of buddhas
“Seated on thrones of beryl
At the foot of precious trees,
Encircled by respectful assemblies
Of countless hundreds of thousands.
“Then there was a brahmin
Who beat the great golden drum,
And from the sound of that great drum
These sublime verses were spoken:
“ ‘May the sound of the drum of golden light
Spread through all world realms in the trichiliocosm,²¹²
And through the power and might of the golden drum’s sound,
May the terrible suffering in the three lower existences,²¹³
“ ‘All the many sufferings that humans have,
And all the kleśa obscurations permanently cease,
And may fear be dispelled and there be happiness,²¹⁴
Just as it has been for the Lord of Munis, the Bhagavat.²¹⁵
“ ‘The Bhagavat in saṃsāra’s great ocean
Has practiced virtuous conduct and accomplished wisdom.²¹⁶
He causes beings to possess the aspects of enlightenment
And finally causes them to enter an ocean of good qualities.²¹⁷
“ ‘May all who hear the sound of the great drum
Of sublime golden light attain the voice of Brahmā,
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Attain the result that is the highest enlightenment,
And constantly turn the perfect Dharma wheel.
“ ‘May their lives continue for countless eons,
And may they teach the Dharma correctly and benefit beings.
May they bring to an end numerous kleśas and sufferings,
And cause desire, anger, ignorance, and so on, to cease.
“ ‘May beings who are in the lower existences,
Their bodies pervaded by a great blazing fire,
On hearing the sublime sound of the great drum
Be freed from suffering²¹⁸ and go to the Buddha for refuge.
“ ‘May all attain knowledge of past lives,
Remembering a hundred thousand lifetimes.²¹⁹
May they remember the Lord of Munis
And hear the profound teaching of the Tathāgata.
“ ‘Through hearing the sublime sound of the golden drum,
May they always be reliant upon the buddhas.
May they all completely forsake bad actions
And practice solely that which is pure and good.
“ ‘May all humans and devas
Who pray one-pointedly with devotion²²⁰
Hear the sublime sound of the golden drum
And completely fulfill their aspirations.
“ ‘May beings who have fallen into Avīci,
Whose bodies are tormented by the fires of hell,
And those who are in saṃsāra without protector or refuge,
On hearing that sound have their sufferings cease.²²¹
“ ‘May those born as devas, humans, pretas, and animals,
Who are experiencing many obstacles and sufferings,²²²
On hearing the sublime sound of the golden drum
Free themselves of suffering and attain liberation.
“ ‘I pray that the lords of two-legged beings, who at this time
Are continually present in worlds in the ten directions,
Will look lovingly upon me
With minds of great compassion.²²³
“ ‘Any being who has no refuge
And who is without a protector—
May those who are in that condition
Have the great refuges.
“ ‘In the presence of those with the ten strengths,
I confess today, single-mindedly, all of
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The extremely heavy bad actions,
The sins that I have committed in the past.
“ ‘I have constantly committed bad actions
By not believing in the buddhas,
Not revering gurus and kalyāṇamitras,²²⁴
And I have not performed many good actions.
“ ‘I have constantly committed bad actions
By being proud of my high status,
Of my family, and of my possessions,
And by being conceited about my youth.
“ ‘I have constantly committed bad actions²²⁵
Through constantly having wrong thoughts,
Giving voice to bad words,
And not seeing these as sinful.²²⁶
“ ‘I have constantly committed bad actions²²⁷
By constantly having a foolish mentality,
My mind obscured by the darkness of ignorance,
And by following wicked companions.
“ ‘I have committed bad actions because of
My delighting in amusements,
Because of being in a state of misery,
Or being in the bondage of desire and hate.
“ ‘I have committed bad actions because
I have relied upon friends who were not virtuous,
Because of being motivated by envy and greed,
And because of poverty and deception.
“ ‘Though I did not aspire to commit many bad actions,²²⁸
I have committed such actions
Through fear and terror,
Or because I was under the power of others.
“ ‘I have committed bad actions because,
Though I did not aspire to many bad actions,
I did so through fear and terror
Or because I was under the power of others.
“ ‘I have committed bad actions because
My thoughts were completely distracted,
Because I was angry or held a grievance,
And because I was tormented by hunger and thirst.
“ ‘I have committed bad actions because of
Being burned by the fire of the kleśas
In craving for food and drink,
And for clothes and for women.²²⁹
“ ‘All the many bad actions I have done,
Such as not having veneration in my mind
For the Buddha, Dharma, and Saṅgha,²³⁰
Today I individually confess them all.²³¹
“ ‘All the many bad actions I have done,
Such as not having veneration in my mind
For the pratyekabuddhas and bodhisattvas,
Today I individually confess them all.²³²
“ ‘All the many bad actions I have done,
Such as ignorant criticism of the Dharma
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And having no respect for my parents,²³³
Today I individually confess them all.
“ ‘All the many bad actions I have done,
Through the power of ignorance,
Of pride, of desire, and of anger,
Today I individually confess them all.
“ ‘May the countless buddhas in the realms
Of the ten directions, to whom I make offerings,
Become guides for all beings
And free them from suffering and obstacles.
“ ‘May every single being
Abide in the ten bhūmis.
Having perfected merit and wisdom,
May they guide beings as buddhas.²³⁴
“ ‘May I, for the sake of all beings,
Undergo hardships for a hundred thousand eons,²³⁵
And through the power of wisdom²³⁶
Free them from the ocean of suffering.²³⁷
“ ‘May I, for the sake of all beings,
Teach the profound Sūtra of The Supremely Victorious Golden Light ²³⁸
And clear away all their bad karma.
“ ‘If someone who has done heavy bad actions
Throughout a hundred thousand eons
Confesses and repents them, even for one instant,²³⁹
Then they will be purified of all that bad karma.
“ ‘If someone makes a confession
As in this Sublime Golden Light,²⁴⁰
Through its power they will quickly
Be purified of an entire multitude of sufferings.
“ ‘May I never tire of constant meditation on
A hundred thousand samādhis,
Countless powers of mental retention,
And the strengths, powers, and aspects of enlightenment.²⁴¹
“ ‘May I reach the ten bhūmis,
The most perfect of jewels,²⁴²
Complete the qualities of a buddha,
And liberate those fallen into saṃsāra.
“ ‘May I obtain from the ocean of buddhas
An extremely profound treasure of qualities,²⁴³
A perfection of sublime wisdom
That is difficult to conceive of.
“ ‘I pray that all buddhas in the ten directions²⁴⁴
Will each look upon and regard me²⁴⁵
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With their minds of great compassion
And accept the confession that I make.
“ ‘I have committed many bad actions,
And misery and fear constantly arise in my mind.
Even in all of the four kinds of physical actions,
I have no experience of happiness.²⁴⁶
“ ‘The buddhas, who have great compassion,²⁴⁷
Are able to dispel fear within beings.
I pray that you accept my confession²⁴⁸
And free me from misery and fear.
“ ‘I pray that with the water of compassion
You will wash me clean
Of every kleśa obscuration
And ripening karma that I have.
“ ‘I one-pointedly confess and repent
The bad actions that I have done in the past
And the bad actions I have done in the present;
May I be purified of them all.²⁴⁹
“ ‘I make the commitment not to repeat
These bad actions in the future,
And if there is any transgression,
Then I shall never²⁵⁰ conceal it.
“ ‘There are three physical acts, four vocal,
And three kinds of mental actions
That have placed beings in bondage
Beginninglessly and continuously.²⁵¹
“ ‘Through those three types of conduct
The ten bad actions are done.
I make a confession of each of my
Numerous errors of that kind.
“ ‘Because I have committed many bad actions,
I will experience their ripening and suffering.
I sincerely confess each one of them
In the presence of the buddhas.²⁵²
“ ‘Today I rejoice in all of²⁵³
The numerous good actions
That exist in this Jambudvīpa²⁵⁴
And in other world realms.
“ ‘I pray that I will reject the ten bad actions,
Practice the path of ten good actions,
Be established upon the ten bhūmis,
And always see the buddhas in the ten directions.²⁵⁵
“ ‘Through the power of the good roots²⁵⁶
That I have accomplished from merit and wisdom
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Through my body, speech, and mind,
May I quickly attain the highest wisdom.²⁵⁷
“ ‘Today, in the presence of those who have the ten strengths,²⁵⁸
I confess and repent many various sufferings and obstacles:
The obstacles from the stupidity of the fools in the three existences;
The obstacles from always creating heavy bad karma;
“ ‘The obstacles I have accumulated from wrong desires;²⁵⁹
The obstacles from continually circling through existences;
The obstacles from attachment to this world;
The obstacles from the kleśas of all childlike beings;
“ ‘The obstacles from a crazed, distracted, erroneous mind;
The obstacles from relying upon wicked friends;
The obstacles from desire and attachment for saṃsāra;²⁶⁰
The obstacles from bad actions through anger, stupidity, and idiocy;²⁶¹
“ ‘The obstacles from the eight unfortunate states and wicked friends;²⁶²
And the obstacles from not accumulating merit and good qualities.
Today, in the presence of all the jinas,²⁶³
I confess endless bad actions and sins.²⁶⁴
“ ‘Today I go for refuge to all the tathāgatas,
Who like golden mountains illuminate the ten directions.²⁶⁵
I pay homage to the unsurpassable ocean of qualities.²⁶⁶
I pray that all tathāgatas hold me in their love and compassion.²⁶⁷
“ ‘They have bodies that are golden, pure, and stainless;
Their eyes are pure and are the color of beryl.
The lords who have glory, magnificence, and renown—
The sun of their compassion and wisdom²⁶⁸ dispels darkness.
“ ‘The sunlight of the buddhas illuminates everywhere.
They are completely pure, stainless, free of impurities.
The moons of the munis illuminate and cool,
Dispelling the torment of the kleśas in beings.
“ ‘They are perfectly adorned by the thirty-two signs.
They have the eighty excellent features, complete.
Their qualities are hard to comprehend and have no equal.
Like sunlight, they illuminate the world.²⁶⁹
“ ‘They have a stainless color like that of beryl.
2.25
They are present in the sky, like the sun and moon.²⁷⁰
Their golden bodies are covered by a net of sublime crystals.
They are perfectly adorned by light rays of various colors.²⁷¹
“ ‘In saṃsāra’s great river of suffering,
One is swept along by the water of aging, illness, and misery.²⁷²
The unendurable ocean of that kind of suffering
Is completely dried up by the sunlight of the buddhas.
“ ‘Today, I pay homage and bow down to the omniscient ones,
The wonderful lords of the trichiliocosm world realm.²⁷³
Their bodies are the color of gold with bright light rays
And adorned by the various sublime features.
“ ‘Just as the water of the ocean is immeasurable,
Just as the particles in the earth are uncountable,
Just as the heaviness of Sumeru is unweighable,
And just as the extent of space has no end,
“ ‘That is how the qualities of the buddhas are.
There is not a single being who can know them.
Even if they were contemplated for countless eons,
The limits of the ocean of their qualities could not be known.
“ ‘All the mountains on this great earth
Could be crushed into the smallest particles and counted,
The waters of the ocean could be calculated with a hair tip,
But no one could count the qualities of a buddha.
“ ‘If all beings were to be gathered together
And were to praise all the renowned qualities
And the rare, pure, excellent characteristics of the bhagavats,
They would never reach the end of listing them.
“ ‘Through the numerous good actions that I have done,
May I quickly accomplish being an unsurpassable lord
Who teaches the true Dharma, brings benefit to beings,
And frees them from all their many sufferings.
“ ‘May I subjugate Māra’s powerful army
And turn the wheel of the sublime, highest Dharma.
May I remain for countless, innumerable eons
And satisfy beings with the flavor of amṛta.
“ ‘May I bring to completion the six perfections
In the same way as the jinas of the past have done.
May I bring desire, anger, and ignorance to an end,
Subjugate the kleśas, and eliminate suffering.
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“ ‘May I always remember my lifetimes;
May I remember a hundred thousand past lifetimes.
May I always remember the lords of munis²⁷⁴
And hear the profound Dharma of the buddhas.
“ ‘May I, through these good actions,
Attend upon countless jinas,
Forsake completely the causes that are bad actions,
And always practice the true Dharma.²⁷⁵
“ ‘May all the beings throughout every world
Become free of suffering and attain happiness.²⁷⁶
May all those with incomplete faculties
Have their physical features made complete.
“ ‘May beings with no protector, and bodies²⁷⁷
Weakened by the suffering of their illness,
All have the suffering of their illness cease
And have improved faculties, color, and power.
“ ‘May those to be executed for breaking the king’s law,
Who are tormented by many sufferings and in extreme misery,
Who are experiencing this unendurable suffering
Without having anyone to protect or save them—²⁷⁸
“ ‘And those who are struck by weapons and bound,
Whose bodies are tortured by various harmful instruments
And are experiencing countless thousands of miseries,
Their bodies in pain and without the slightest happiness—²⁷⁹
“ ‘May all of them become freed from their bonds,
From the beatings, suffering, and torments.
May the lives of those to be killed be saved
And all their many sufferings completely cease.²⁸⁰
“ ‘May beings who are pained by hunger and thirst
Obtain various kinds of the sublime, best flavors.
May the blind see forms, the deaf hear sounds,
The crippled²⁸¹ walk,²⁸² and the mute speak.
“ ‘May poor beings obtain a treasure of jewels,
Have a treasury that increases and never diminishes,
And may all beings attain sublime, supreme happiness
And never experience suffering.
“ ‘May they obtain a beautiful, sublime appearance²⁸³
That all devas and humans will wish to see,²⁸⁴
And may they directly experience limitless happiness²⁸⁵
And possess pleasures, prosperity, and merit.
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“ ‘May there arise many kinds of perfect music²⁸⁶
That are the exact music those beings wish to hear.
If they wish for water,²⁸⁷ may there appear perfectly cool pools²⁸⁸
Upon which float flowers of gold.
“ ‘May what those beings wish for—
Food, drink, clothes, thrones, and seats;²⁸⁹
Gold, silver, and beryl jewels,
And every string of jewelry—perfectly appear.
“ ‘May beings not hear anything unpleasant
And not see any disharmony between anyone.
May all their physical features be beautiful,
And may each being be kind and loving.
“ ‘May they obtain, as soon as they think of them,
Every possession and requisite that brings happiness in the world.
May they find wealth and without ever being in need
Divide their possessions and give them to beings.²⁹⁰
“ ‘May incense and perfumes, powders and ointments,
Various flowers of every kind of color
Fall from the trees three times each day,
And may there be happiness from the enjoyments wished for.
“ ‘May all beings make offerings to the jina lords
In the ten directions; to the three yānas,
The pure²⁹¹ and sublime doors to the Dharma;²⁹² and to the saṅgha of
Bodhisattvas, pratyekabuddhas, and śrāvakas.
“ ‘May they never have a low rebirth²⁹³
Or fall into the eight unfortunate states,²⁹⁴
But gain a supreme human’s riches and freedoms²⁹⁵
And attend on the buddhas in the ten directions.²⁹⁶
“ ‘May they always be reborn into a wealthy family
With a vast treasury of wealth and jewels,²⁹⁷
With a body and fame that are without equal
And a long life that lasts for countless eons.²⁹⁸
“ ‘May all women become males,
Heroic, with sharp minds and great intelligence.²⁹⁹
May they all practice the bodhisattva’s path
And be dedicated to accomplishing the six perfections.
“ ‘May they always see all the countless buddhas in the ten directions
Who have gone to the feet of victorious, precious trees,
Who are seated perfectly upon their thrones of beryl,³⁰⁰
And who are turning their wheels of the Dharma.³⁰¹
2.28
“ ‘If I have committed actions in past lives or the present
While in the circle of the three existences
That I am unaware of but that result in the lower existences,
May I be purified of them all, without remainder.
“ ‘May all beings who are in the ocean of existence,³⁰²
Tightly bound by the noose of saṃsāra,
Be cut free by the sword of wisdom
And, freed from suffering, quickly attain enlightenment.
“ ‘I rejoice in the entirety of all
The perfect, continuous merits
That are accomplished by beings in Jambudvīpa
Or in any other world realm whatsoever.
“ ‘I pray that the merit and rejoicing in
The many good actions of body, speech, and mind,
And this sublime, perfect action, constantly increase,³⁰³
So that the highest, great enlightenment will be attained.³⁰⁴
“ ‘By the merit of homage and praising a buddha’s qualities,³⁰⁵
With a mind that is pure and unpolluted,³⁰⁶
And by making dedications and prayers,
I pray that for sixty eons the lower existences will be transcended.
“ ‘If noble men and noble women, brahmins,
And the other sublime, supreme classes
Single-pointedly praise the buddhas with palms together,
Then in all their lives they will remember their lifetimes.
“ ‘They will have complete faculties and perfect bodies
And will have a perfection of all sublime qualities.
Throughout all their future lifetimes, may they
Always be looked up to by devas and humans.³⁰⁷
“ ‘This Dharma of purity through regret is not heard
By attaining the accomplishment of good roots
With just one buddha or with ten buddhas,³⁰⁸
But through generating good roots with a hundred thousand buddhas.’ ”³⁰⁹
Then the Bhagavat, having listened to what was addressed to him, praised the bodhisattva Ruciraketu by saying, “Excellent, excellent! Noble one, those who hear the Dharma teaching of praises of the qualities of the tathāgatas and purification through regret,
2.29
which you saw emerge from a great golden drum in your dream, will attain extremely great merit, will bring a vast benefit to beings, and will be purified of all sins.
“Know that all of this sublime, perfect activity of yours is because of the causes and conditions of your previously established propensities for praising and praying in past lives, and through the power of the blessing of the tathāgatas through which these causes and conditions have been revealed to you.”
At that time the great assembly, having heard those words, were all overjoyed and with conviction practiced in accordance with that teaching.
Chapter 5: The Purification of the Obscuration from Karma
³¹⁰ Then the Bhagavat, residing in correct analysis, entered into an extremely profound, excellent samādhi. From the pores of his body there came many countless hundreds of thousands of great light rays of various colors, and the light rays illuminated buddha realms so numerous they could not be exemplified or measured even by the number of sand grains in all the Ganges Rivers in the ten directions.
In the world realms with the five degenerations that were illuminated by those light rays, the radiance of those light rays shone out toward the individual locations of those beings who had fallen into³¹¹ existences as hell beings, as animals, and as pretas through following the path of the ten bad actions, committing the five actions with immediate result upon death, maligning the Three Jewels, having disrespect for gurus and family,³¹² and dishonoring and being arrogant toward upādhyāyas³¹³ and brahmins. When those beings saw those light rays, through the power of the light rays they all became happy, and in attractive, beautiful bodies adorned with the perfect physical signs, merit, and wisdom,