菩薩瓔珞本業經 1

English (machine translation) 1

Language: English

1.1

Translated by the Śramaṇa Zhu Fonian of Liangzhou under the Yao Qin

At one time the Buddha was once again visiting the site where he had attained right enlightenment beneath the bodhi tree in the kingdom of King Bimbisāra, and sat down again as before. Formerly, when he first attained buddhahood, his radiant light was exceedingly bright; now he again emitted forty-two rays of light, each ray having a million asaṃkhyeyas of rays of merit as necklace adornments, which adorned the Buddha's body and filled the dharmadhātu. Clear and serene as empty space, his collected spirit illuminated cessation; taking joy in the nature of eternal abiding, he fathomed the spiritual essence of transformation. Great in function and beyond measure, the Dharma King and Dharma Lord acts as father and mother to all sentient beings. He sat spontaneously upon a lion seat of a hundred thousand jewel lotuses, just as all buddhas of antiquity had sat: their virtues, deportment, and marks and signs were identical; their bodies and minds pure, completely endowed with universal practices of merit. The radiance penetrated the vajra treasury, sending forth boundless transformations to illuminate the lands of beings. Free from obstructions across past, future, and present, his transformative reach extended to all, bestowing the Dharma of deliverance upon beings equally throughout the three periods of time, perfectly luminous and singularly reaching, equal to all buddhas.

1.5

At that time, the bodhisattvas in the great assembly were all bound to one last rebirth. Their supernatural powers wondrously penetrated everywhere throughout the ten directions; their dharmakāyas were boundless, guiding and benefiting sentient beings, opening the treasury of the Buddha's Dharma, revealing the wondrous fruit of buddha-nature, and delivering the essential teachings of unconditioned cessation directly into beings' faculties. Instructing and transforming through knowledge of past lives, they entered the boundless by gradual mental stages. They understood the essentials of inner and outer, beginning and end without limit, and viewed all buddha lands equally without distinction. With voices of great compassion they praised the Buddha's name boundlessly and inexhaustibly; there was nothing in the affairs of the six destinies they did not thoroughly penetrate. Wherever they transformed beings, they all arrived and exclaimed: "The Buddha is mindful of us and has established our great resolve, fully showing us all the lands, both good and bad, superior and extraordinary, in the worlds of all buddhas. The Buddha's residences and journeys widely promote and guide conversion; with his radiant light and supernatural powers, he instructs us and illuminates our minds. He expounds for us the essentials of the bodhisattva's original acts and necklace adornments—the ten abodes, ten practices, ten dedications, ten grounds, Stainless Ground, and Ground of Wondrous Enlightenment—cutting off our flaws and all doubt and delusion. He fully manifests for us the buddha lands, buddha bodies, buddha powers, buddha strengths, and buddha samādhis. He lays forth teachings on the immeasurable transformations, the four equanimous minds and fearlessnesses, the faultless three karmas, the three-and-six unshared qualities, and all merits of the unexcelled Dharma of the path, flowing into all the lands of the ten directions." Endless distance to the east, there is the Fragrant Forest land; the buddha's name is Entering Vigour, and the bodhisattva's name is Śraddhāpradāna. Endless distance to the south, there is the Joyous Forest land; the buddha's name is Not Abandoning Joy, and the bodhisattva's name is Bodhipradāna. Endless distance to the west, there is the Flower Forest land; the buddha's name is Practising Vigour, and the bodhisattva's name is Ratnapradāna. Endless distance to the north, there is the Path Forest land; the buddha's name is Action of Vigour, and the bodhisattva's name is Prajñāpradāna. Endless distance to the northeast, there is the Blue Lotus land; the buddha's name is Compassionate Vigour, and the bodhisattva's name is Guṇapradāna. Endless distance to the southeast, there is the Golden Forest land; the buddha's name is Exhaustion of Vigour, and the bodhisattva's name is Netrapradāna. Endless distance to the southwest, there is the Jewel Forest land; the buddha's name is Superior Vigour, and the bodhisattva's name is Prabhāpradāna. Endless distance to the northwest, there is the Vajra land; the buddha's name is One-Vehicle Deliverance, and the bodhisattva's name is Dharmapradāna. Endless distance below, there is the Crystal land; the buddha's name is Great Vigour, and the bodhisattva's name is Jñānapradāna. Endless distance above, there is the Desire Forest land; the buddha's name is Utmost Vigour, and the bodhisattva's name is Bhadrapradāna. In this manner, all the lights of the Dharma flowed forth, pervasive everywhere.

1.6

At that time, the Muni Buddha praised the bodhisattvas of the ten directions, who were each foremost in their respective lands and had each arrived to enter this great assembly together with countless superior beings. They bowed their heads at the Buddha's feet and sat upon thousand-jewel lotus seats. Then the foremost bodhisattva in the multitude from that land, named Śraddhāpradāna, spoke in praise through the Buddha's holy power, saying: "How joyful is this assembly! Observing the pure buddha lands where they abide, down to their Dharma robes, the Tathāgata's patterns of virtue, the wondrous goodness of their practice, and the causes of the forty-two worthy and noble stages, they expound the sutras and Dharma, attaining the Buddha's transformative reach. Delivering beings boundlessly according to whether lands are clear or defiled, the branches of the path's transformation are complete everywhere. Furthermore, the buddha lands of other directions also speak of the necklace adornments and original acts without any difference; the path and Dharma they reveal do not differ from what Śākyamuni now speaks." At that time, Bodhisattva Śraddhāpradāna, entering the supernatural power of all the buddhas of the lands of the ten directions, made a great lion's roar and raised a question concerning the Dharma gate of the vajra necklace adornments of the immeasurable great jewel treasury ocean of all buddhas and all bodhisattvas.

1.7

At that time, when Śākyamuni Buddha first arrived beneath the tree, observing that the faculties and conditions of sentient beings in the dharmadhātu of the ten directions were manifest, he emitted a great radiant light that illuminated all the buddha realms, reaching upward to the four formless heavens, which descended together into the Dharma assembly. The eighteen [rūpa] heavens, the six [kāma] heavens, and the four [great kings'] heavens all gathered together. Among the immeasurable lands, a single land consists of one Mount Sumeru, encircled by the sun and moon illuminating the four continents—Pūrvavideha in the east, Jambudvīpa in the south, Aparagodānīya in the west, and Uttarakuru in the north. The great ocean and the iron enclosure encircle the realm of the land, above which are the twenty-eight heavens; such is one small land. Surrounding in the ten directions, there are together ten billion lands. At that time, the Buddha's light fully illuminated them all, as well as the Cāturmahārājakāyika heaven, Trāyastriṃśa heaven, Yāma heaven, Tuṣita heaven, Aparanirmita heaven, Nirmāṇarati heaven, Brahmaloka, Brahmapāriṣadya heaven, Brahmapurohita heaven, Mahābrahmā heaven, Water-Walking heaven, Subtle Water heaven, Immeasurable Water heaven, Water Sound heaven, Constrained Purity heaven, Signless heaven, Universal Purity heaven, Pure Light heaven, Guarding-Wonder heaven, Subtle-Wonder heaven, Utmost-Wonder heaven, Merit-Fruit heaven, Superior-Fruit heaven, Great Stillness heaven, Abiding-in-Space heaven, Abiding-in-Consciousness heaven, Abiding-in-Nothingness heaven, and the Neither-Perception-Nor-Non-Perception heaven. Such heavens all have great pools of water, and [beings] are born within lotuses; hence they are named water heavens. The four non-material classes of beings are all born by transformation. Below, it extends down to the boundary of the five wheels. This constitutes one buddha land, called the Dharmadhātu of Great Forbearance.

1.8

Śākyamuni Buddha divided his body into ten billion, pervading all of them, to expound the practices of the worthy and noble ones' original acts and necklace adornments for those lands. At that time, the great assembly of devas and humans saw the buddhas and bodhisattvas of those small lands as though meeting face to face nearby, and all came to gather at this vajra cessation bodhi tree assembly.

1.9

Bodhisattva Necklace Adornment Original Acts Sūtra, Chapter 2: Names of the Worthy and Noble Ones

1.10

At that time, Bodhisattva Śraddhāpradāna from another realm, through the Buddha's supernatural power, and because the great assembly consisted entirely of dragon kings, lion kings, and the twenty-eight deva kings—the multitude being of great faculties and great practices—received the Buddha's supernatural power and asked a humble question, addressing the Buddha: "Great Master! Through what practice did you originally accomplish the Buddha's noble path, so that your body, speech, and mind are pure and indestructible like vajra, no sentient beings can find any fault in you, your inner nature brightly illuminates and is permanently abiding without perishing, you surpass all bodhisattvas, produce peerless upright physical marks, are utterly natural, unconditioned and pure, and deliver immeasurable beings through the two kinds of eternal bodies? You manifest in the six destinies and are constantly revered by Śakra and Brahmā; you dispel darkness like a torch, illuminate heaven and earth like the sun and moon, ferry across devas and humans like a ferryman, and vertically transcend the three realms as the Honoured One of Wondrous Enlightenment. If one wishes to accomplish this path, how should one practise? What are the names of all the worthy and noble ones?"

1.11

At that time, Śākyamuni Buddha, with his vajra mouth, addressed Bodhisattva Śraddhāpradāna, saying: "Son of the Buddha! Listen attentively, listen attentively, and reflect upon it well; practise in accordance with the Dharma. Previously, among devas and humans, I broadly opened up the immeasurable practices and vows of all bodhisattvas; this Dharma is also that which the buddhas of the ten directions and the three periods of time joyfully expound—the definitive, explicit necklace adornments, the path traversed by the buddhas. Now, for this great assembly and all the faculties of fourteen nayutas of beings, I shall open the original acts of the necklace adornments. Your mind is worthy of being remembered; your aspirations are lofty and far-reaching, your great compassionate transformation and benevolence reach all sentient beings of the ten directions."

1.12

The Buddha said: "Son of the Buddha! One who wishes to accomplish this path should first rectify the three karmas, practise the teachings of the three jewels, and have faith and direction in cause and effect. If so, then through what you have asked, one will be able to enter all the teachings of the Buddha; one who is a bodhisattva will attain buddhahood before long. One must surely and attentively receive and study the name-gates of the forty-two worthy and noble stages of definitive meaning, which all buddhas of the ten directions and the three periods of time unanimously expound as one without two.

1.13

"Son of the Buddha! They are: liujiadu (in the Qin tongue, Abode of Generating the Mind); liudijiadu (in the Qin tongue, Abode of Cultivating the Ground); liuluojia (in the Qin tongue, Abode of Practice); liumo'a (in the Qin tongue, Abode of Noble Birth); anboposha (in the Qin tongue, Abode of Complete Expedients); pibozhi (in the Qin tongue, Abode of the Correct Mind); apibozhi (in the Qin tongue, Abode of Non-retrogression); bicha'jia (in the Qin tongue, Abode of the Kumārabhūta); bi'aluo (in the Qin tongue, Abode of the Dharma Prince); liuzhijia (in the Qin tongue, Abode of Consecration); dujia'a (in the Qin tongue, Practice of Joy); du'an'er (in the Qin tongue, Practice of Beneficial Action); duzhiluo (in the Qin tongue, Practice of Freedom from Anger); duhecha (in the Qin tongue, Practice of Inexhaustibility); dulituo (in the Qin tongue, Practice of Freedom from Delusion and Confusion); dushengbodi (in the Qin tongue, Practice of Wondrous Manifestation); dushabi (in the Qin tongue, Practice of Non-attachment); du'ahe (in the Qin tongue, Practice of Reverence); dufohe (in the Qin tongue, Practice of Wholesome Dharmas); duchayipo (in the Qin tongue, Practice of Reality); luodiliusha (in the Qin tongue, Dedication to Rescuing and Protecting All Sentient Beings); luotansha (in the Qin tongue, Dedication of Indestructibility); bibaiga (in the Qin tongue, Dedication of Equality with All Buddhas); fabituo (in the Qin tongue, Dedication to Reaching All Places); fodotuo (in the Qin tongue, Dedication of the Inexhaustible Treasury of Merit); luochabi (in the Qin tongue, Dedication of Accompanying Impartial Roots of Goodness); shiluochajia (in the Qin tongue, Dedication of Accompanying and Viewing All Sentient Beings Equally); pohedi (in the Qin tongue, Dedication of Suchness); poluodifutuo (in the Qin tongue, Dedication of Unbound Liberation); damobianjia (in the Qin tongue, Dedication to the Boundlessness of the Dharmadhātu); jiumoluojia (in the Qin tongue, Counter-current Ground of Joy); xu'ajiayipo (in the Qin tongue, Vaidūrya Path Ground of Purity); xu'najia (in the Qin tongue, Ground of Flowing Illumination); xutuohuan (in the Qin tongue, Ground of Contemplating Bright Flames); situohan (in the Qin tongue, Ground of Overcoming Obstacles Difficult to Conquer); anuohan (in the Qin tongue, Ground of Thinning the Stream Manifest Before One); aluohan (in the Qin tongue, Ground of Far-Reaching Beyond the Three Realms of Existence); aniluohan (in the Qin tongue, Ground of Immovability Born of Transformation); anuoha (in the Qin tongue, Ground of Wondrous Goodness of Wisdom Light); aheluofu (in the Qin tongue, Ground of the Dharma Cloud Complete in Bright Practice); moheyiluosha (in the Qin tongue, Signless Stainless Ground); suojiapojiapofotuo (in the Qin tongue, Unexcelled Ground of the Wondrously Enlightened One).

1.14

"Son of the Buddha! Therefore, the name-gates subsume all practices of merit; there is no buddha or bodhisattva who does not enter these name-gates. All supernatural powers, all causes and fruits, and all realms also enter these name-gates. Son of the Buddha! These name-gates are identical in the path expounded by the buddhas of the ten directions, neither increasing nor decreasing, expounded with a definitive lion's roar. You should make a vow by your own vow to receive, uphold, read, recite, and explain their meanings, wishing that all sentient beings may enter my Dharma together and be equal to us buddhas. Thus should you cultivate and study."

1.15

The Buddha said to Śraddhāpradāna Bodhisattva: "Son of the Buddha! I shall now briefly explain the nominal entrance of the first worthy among the nominal entrances: that which is called the Abode of the Initial Aspiration. Before ascending to this abode, there are ten names of compliance. Bodhisattvas constantly practice ten minds: namely, the mind of faith, the mind of mindfulness, the mind of diligence, the mind of wisdom, the mind of concentration, the mind of non-retrogression, the mind of dedication, the mind of protection, the mind of precepts, and the mind of vows. Son of the Buddha! One who practices these minds, after one kalpa, two kalpas, or three kalpas, is then able to enter into the rank of the first abode. Residing in this rank, one increasingly cultivates the hundred entrances of clear understanding of dharmas, which are the ten minds of faith. As each mind has ten [aspects], one therefore cultivates the hundred entrances of clear understanding of dharmas. One constantly generates immeasurable great vows, both with practices and without practices, and having attained the lineage of practice, extensively carries out all vows:

1.16

"The worthy person who generates [this] abode makes broad and vast vows, / From this life until [reaching] the Buddha, / All vows enter [herein]. / Within my vows, there are none that will not be fulfilled; / Reaching the attainment of buddhahood for oneself takes one's vows as the root. / As I now practice giving, / I vow that sentient beings / May abandon the thought of greedy desire / And enter the stage of the path of emptiness. / Constantly practicing the dharma-precepts, / I vow that sentient beings / May maintain their practice without breaking it, / And attain right liberation. / Constantly upholding the six forbearances, / I vow that sentient beings / May attain a mind free from dispute / And abide in the forbearance of tranquil dharmas. / With the power of great diligence, / I vow that sentient beings / May constantly practice without abiding, / And enter the fruit of self-enlightenment. / Residing in the mind of meditative concentration, / I vow that sentient beings / May be fully endowed with supernatural powers / And naturally be at peace in the unconditioned. / Cultivating the wisdom of the right Dharma, / I vow that sentient beings / May enter the stream of the ocean of wisdom / And inherit the bodhisattva stage. / Practicing signless vows, / I vow that sentient beings / May have all vows fulfilled, / Flowing into the ocean of buddhas. / With great wisdom and skillful means, / I vow that sentient beings / May have unhindered flow in the river of Dharma, / Reaching the limit of the two truths. / With great power and supernatural faculties, / I vow that sentient beings / May have transformations subject to their own will, / Attaining fearlessness. / With the ultimate wisdom fulfilled, / I vow that sentient beings / May accomplish vajra wisdom / And ascend to the fruit of the bodhimaṇḍa. / Entering the Stainless Ground, / I vow that sentient beings / May sit beneath the Buddha's bodhi tree / And transform all beings. / Now that I am already awakened, / I vow that sentient beings / May understand the nominality of continuity / And extinguish the mind that grasps at annihilation. / Awakening and illuminating the dharma-transformations, / I vow that sentient beings / May realize that dharmas are formed by conditions / And extinguish the mind that grasps at permanence. / As I attain the complete body, / I vow that sentient beings / May realize mutually dependent dharmas / And extinguish the mind that grasps at a self. / With objectless great compassion, / I vow that sentient beings / May understand that conditioned causes arise, / And extinguish the mind of clinging to false views. / With supreme extinction, / I vow that sentient beings / May realize real dharma-conditions / And extinguish the mind of clinging to faulty precepts and asceticism. / Attaining the fruit of the ten powers, / I vow that sentient beings / May realize the illumination of the two truths / And extinguish the mind of wrong views. / With vajra-power, / I vow that sentient beings / May realize the twelve conditionings / And extinguish the mind of doubt and false views. / Solitarily illuminating without boundary, / I vow that sentient beings / May recognize that dharmas are impermanent / And extinguish the mind of greed and stinginess. / With the five eyes and three clear knowledges, / I vow that sentient beings / May cultivate the awakening of the three insights / And extinguish the mind of ignorance and darkness. / With unhindered harmony, / I vow that sentient beings / May inherit understanding of the three jewels / And extinguish the mind of anger and dispute. / Attaining great luminous wisdom, / I vow that sentient beings / May enter universal emptiness / And extinguish the store of avidyā. / With the thirty-two marks, / I vow that sentient beings / May have each mark adorned and fine, / Extinguishing circumstantial retribution. / Attaining the function of the response body, / I vow that sentient beings / May board the great ship of the Dharma / And enter the ocean of the Buddha's Dharma. / My causal and resultant vows / Are all entirely complete; / All vows of practice / Are contained within them. / The twenty-four vows / Contain immeasurable practices; / Faith and vows are the opening door, / And the ultimate root of great wisdom. / Now before all the buddhas, / I receive these great vows; / My vows being now fulfilled, / I advance in cultivating the remaining practices. / The merits thereof / I will practice for a hundred thousand kalpas; / Only then will I relinquish my vows / And enter immeasurable realms. / All bodhisattvas, / If they enter these vows, / There are none who will not enter / The ocean of sarvajñā."

1.17

"Son of the Buddha! Once one residing in this rank has made these great vows, one surpasses all ordinary beings outside who practice the ten faiths. Now one further cultivates immeasurable merits: namely, the ten pāramitās and the three empties—signlessness, wishlessness, and the emptiness of existence and non-existence. When the contemplation of emptiness is accomplished, one instantly eliminates [the views of] a self, a person, an agent, and a sentient being; gradually abandons all views, [the distortions of] permanence, bliss, self, and purity, and the fetters of the three realms; and gradually destroys avidyā because all karmic habit-energies are subdued and severed. Densely gathering all wholesome dharmas and the eighty-four thousand prajñāpāramitās, all dharma-gates are contained within my mind, not leaving my mind from thought to thought.

1.18

"Son of the Buddha! There are ten unpardonable precepts that one should receive and uphold: First, not killing human beings, up to the twenty-eight heavens, buddhas, and bodhisattvas. Second, not stealing, down to a blade of grass or a leaf. Third, not engaging in sexual misconduct, up to non-humans. Fourth, not lying, up to non-humans. Fifth, not speaking of the sins and faults of monastic or lay bodhisattvas. Sixth, not selling alcohol. Seventh, not praising oneself and disparaging others. Eighth, not being stingy. Ninth, not being angry, up to non-humans. Tenth, not slandering the three jewels. If one breaks these ten precepts, it cannot be repented; one enters pārājika. For ten kalpas, on each day one undergoes eighty-four thousand penalties and undergoes eighty-four thousand deaths and rebirths; therefore they must not be broken. For this reason, Son of the Buddha! One loses the Abode of the Initial Aspiration, and even the second abode, third abode, and the ten grounds—all are lost. Therefore, these precepts are the root of the practices of all buddhas and all bodhisattvas. If any buddha or any bodhisattva did not attain the fruits of the worthy and noble stages through this dharma-gate of the ten precepts, that would be impossible. This is the characteristic of the first abode, the first person within the lineage of practice. In this way, the dharma-practices of the nine persons below gradually expand and increase, up through the nine abodes, ten practices, ten dedications, ten grounds, and the Stainless Ground, also gradually expanding and increasing inconceivable practices. Son of the Buddha! What I have now briefly spoken is like a single drop from the ocean."

1.19

Bodhisattva Yingluo Benye Jing, Chapter 3: The Learning and Contemplation of the Worthy and Noble Ones

1.20

At that time, Śraddhāpradāna Bodhisattva said to the Buddha: "How do bodhisattvas learn and contemplate the meanings and characteristics of the names? And what dharmas are practiced by their minds?"

1.21

The Buddha said: "Son of the Buddha! Your question is identical to that of all those who are able to ask questions when all buddhas in the buddha-lands of the ten directions sit upon their bodhimaṇḍas; all are named Śraddhāpradāna, without difference. Listen attentively! Listen attentively! Ponder it with right contemplation and practice according to the Dharma! Son of the Buddha! All buddhas speak of the entrance of the six luminous flames and the three samādhis, and I also speak likewise. The six lineages are the necklace adornments of merit for all bodhisattvas, which adorn and uphold the two kinds of dharmakāyas of the bodhisattva; the millions of asaṃkhyeyas of meritorious practices worn by bodhisattvas serve as necklace adornments. If any bodhisattva does not enter the meritorious entrance of the necklace adornments and attains entry into the correct rank, that would be impossible.

1.22

"Son of the Buddha! As for 'lineage', it refers to the lineage of practice, the nature lineage, the path lineage, the noble lineage, the equal enlightenment lineage, and the wondrous enlightenment lineage. They are also called the six firm states, called firm faith, firm dharma, firm practice, firm virtue, firm summit, and firm enlightenment. They are also called the six forbearances: the forbearance of faith, the forbearance of dharma, the forbearance of practice, the forbearance of correctness, the forbearance of stainlessness, and the forbearance of omniscience. They are also called the six wisdoms: wisdom from hearing, wisdom from thinking, wisdom from cultivation, signless wisdom, wisdom illuminating tranquility, and wisdom tranquil yet illuminating. They are also called the six concentrations: the concentration of practicing characteristics, the concentration of nature, the concentration of path wisdom, the concentration of path-species wisdom, the concentration of great wisdom, and the concentration of right contemplation. They are also called the six contemplations: the contemplation of abodes, the contemplation of practices, the contemplation of dedications, the contemplation of grounds, signless contemplation, and the contemplation of the knowledge of all aspects. Son of the Buddha! There is no bodhisattva or buddha who does not enter this dharma-gate of the six kinds of luminous contemplation, definitive, of ultimate meaning, and of the true mark.

1.23

"Son of the Buddha! What you previously spoke of as 'names': that which is called the names of the copper-jewel necklace bodhisattvas refers to the ten persons within the lineage of practice. Their names are: Bodhisattva of the Abode of the Initial Aspiration, Bodhisattva of Ground Cultivation, Bodhisattva of Practice, Bodhisattva of Noble Birth, Bodhisattva of Complete Skillful Means, Bodhisattva of the Right Mind, Non-retrogressing Bodhisattva, Kumārabhūta Bodhisattva, Bodhisattva as Prince of the Dharma, and Bodhisattva of Consecration.

1.24

"Son of the Buddha! As for the names of the silver-jewel necklace bodhisattvas, there are ten persons within the nature lineage. Their names are: Joyful Bodhisattva, Beneficial Bodhisattva, Bodhisattva Free from Anger, Inexhaustible Bodhisattva, Bodhisattva Free from Delusion and Confusion, Bodhisattva of Wholesome Manifestation, Unattached Bodhisattva, Respected Bodhisattva, Bodhisattva of Wholesome Dharmas, and Real Bodhisattva.

1.25

"Son of the Buddha! As for the names of the gold-jewel necklace bodhisattvas, there are ten persons within the path lineage. Their names are: Bodhisattva Saving and Protecting All Sentient Beings While Free from the Characteristic of Sentient Beings, Indestructible Bodhisattva, Bodhisattva Equaling All Buddhas, Bodhisattva Reaching All Places, Bodhisattva of the Inexhaustible Treasury of Merit, Bodhisattva of Equal Wholesome Roots, Bodhisattva Complying with and Contemplating Sentient Beings, Bodhisattva of Suchness-characteristics, Bodhisattva of Unbound Liberation, and Bodhisattva of the Immeasurable Dharmadhātu.

1.26

"Son of the Buddha! As for the names of the vaiḍūrya-jewel necklace bodhisattvas, there are ten persons within the noble lineage. Their names are: Joyful Bodhisattva, Stainless Bodhisattva, Luminous Wisdom Bodhisattva, Radiant Flame Bodhisattva, Difficult to Conquer Bodhisattva, Directly Present Bodhisattva, Far-Reaching Bodhisattva, Immovable Bodhisattva, Wisdom Light Bodhisattva, and Dharma Cloud Bodhisattva.

1.27

"Son of the Buddha! These necklace adornments of millions of asaṃkhyeyas of merits adorn and uphold the two kinds of dharmakāyas of the bodhisattva. These forty persons are called those of learning and practice, who enter into the dharma-stream to consecrate themselves.

1.28

"Son of the Buddha! As for the name of the maṇi-jewel necklace bodhisattva, there is one person within the equal enlightenment lineage, named Bodhisattva Vajra Wisdom Banner. Abiding in the summit-tranquil concentration, through the power of great vows he maintains his lifespan for a hundred kalpas; having cultivated a thousand samādhis, he enters the vajra-samādhi, harmonizing with all dharma-natures, where the two truths and the single truth form one unified mark. He further maintains his lifespan for a thousand kalpas, learning the Buddha's deportment—gazing like an elephant king and pacing like a lion—and further cultivates the Buddha's immeasurable, inconceivable dharmas of supernatural transformations and guiding others. For this reason, all buddha-dharmas are directly manifest before him; he enters into the domain of the Buddha's practice, sits upon the Buddha's bodhimaṇḍa, and transcends the three māras. He further maintains his lifespan for ten thousand kalpas, manifesting as a buddha; entering the great tranquil concentration, he is equally awakened with all buddhas. Beyond the realm of the two truths, he is neither existent nor non-existent, without mind and without form, and the two habit-energies of cause and effect are without remainder. Manifesting identically to the ancient buddhas, he has only a response name, manifesting all forms and minds to transform sentient beings. Manifesting identically to all ancient buddhas, he constantly walks the middle way, in the great bliss of the unconditioned, while birth and cessation appear as different; yet in reality he is not [yet the ultimate] Buddha, but manifests the Buddha's supernatural powers while constantly dwelling in his original realm.

1.29

"Son of the Buddha! The crystal necklace is clear and transparent inside and out; the constant nature of wondrous enlightenment is serene, luminous, and pure, and is called the Ground of All-Knowledge. Constantly situated in the middle way above all dharmas, it surpasses the four māras, is neither existent nor non-existent, with all characteristics exhausted; having suddenly realized the great awakening, it exhausts the transformation of substance and spirit, and its two bodies constantly abide to transform those who have affinity. For this reason, Son of the Buddha! I have now briefly spoken the names of the worthy and noble ones; you must accept, uphold, manifest, practice, and transform people with them.

1.30

"Son of the Buddha! Regarding what you asked before, 'What dharmas are practiced by their minds?': they are the so-called ten minds: First, the mind of the abode of the initial aspiration; second, the mind of the abode of ground cultivation; third, the mind of the abode of practice; fourth, the mind of the abode of noble birth; fifth, the mind of the abode of skillful means; sixth, the mind of the abode of the right mind; seventh, the mind of the abode of non-retrogression; eighth, the mind of the abode of the kumārabhūta; ninth, the mind of the abode of the prince of the Dharma; tenth, the mind of the abode of consecration.

1.31

"Furthermore, regarding the dharmas contemplated by the ten contemplating minds: First, densely gathering all wholesome roots, namely the four universal vows: for those who have not yet crossed the truth of suffering, causing them to cross the truth of suffering; for those who have not yet understood the truth of accumulation, causing them to understand the truth of accumulation; for those who are not yet settled in the truth of the path, causing them to be settled in the truth of the path; and for those who have not yet attained nirvāṇa, causing them to attain nirvāṇa.

1.32

"Buddha-son! Second is to cultivate immeasurable good deeds, that is to say, the four foundations of mindfulness: contemplating the body, feelings, mind, and phenomena. If all four are empty, the four inversions will not exist. Because one does not destroy provisional designations and all phenomena, that which is like an illusion or transformation refers to: the five aggregates of form, consciousness, feeling, conception, and volition; the six elements of consciousness and space; and the four great elements and all phenomena—they have no intrinsic characteristic and no other-characteristic, being like empty space.

1.33

"Buddha-son! Third is to practice well the dharmas of the Buddha path, that is to say, contemplating the ten all-inclusive bases: the four great elements, the four colours, the sphere of space, and the sphere of consciousness, for they are all like the real mark.

1.34

"Buddha-son! Fourth is to receive the Dharma before all buddhas and practice it, that is to say, the eight bases of overcoming: the two bases of overcoming of broad and brief marks within the internal real five aggregates; the two bases of overcoming of broad and brief marks within external provisional sentient-being phenomena; and the four bases of overcoming of broad and brief marks of the dharmas of the four great elements. In this way one contemplates all phenomena as empty, because they are signless.

1.35

"Buddha-son! Fifth is to cultivate all pure dharmas, that is to say, the eight awakenings of great people: few desires, contentment, quietude, diligence, right mindfulness, right concentration, right wisdom, and non-disputation, because they accord with all phenomena.

1.36

"Buddha-son! Sixth is to be protected by all buddhas, that is to say, the eight liberative contemplations: through the wisdom arising from listening, one attains the realization that both internal and external provisional marks cannot be apprehended, which is the first liberation of wisdom born of reflection; through the realization that the internal five phenomena and external all phenomena cannot be apprehended, which is the second liberation of wisdom born of cultivation; through the six contemplations fully completing the emptiness of the five aggregates of the form realm, which is the third liberation; and through contemplating the four formless realms, the five aggregates, and the meditative attainment of cessation as all unapprehensible, which is the fifth liberation, because they accord with the mark of suchness.

1.37

"Buddha-son! Seventh is to broaden the correct Dharma, that is to say, the six points of harmony and respect: the three karmas, sharing precepts, sharing views, and sharing practice. When all enter into this harmony of the Dharma, it is because it is ultimately empty and because they abide in the stage of non-retrogression.

1.38

"Buddha-son! Eighth is to believe in and delight in the Great Dharma, that is to say, the three emptinesses: because all causes are empty, there is the wishless; because all results are empty, there is the signless; and because the emptiness of cause and the emptiness of result are themselves empty, there is the emptiness of emptiness. Such phenomena are like empty space.

1.39

"Buddha-son! Ninth is for the mind to abide in the four immeasurables, that is to say, transforming sentient beings by teaching the Dharma of the four truths: the three realms are not pleasant and are suffering; the cause of accumulation born of ignorance brings about rebirth without end; and the three emptinesses, the aids to enlightenment, and the unconditioned are cessation. The four truths are non-dual, because they are of a single composite mark.

1.40

"Buddha-son! Tenth is to take delight in seeking the Buddha's virtues, that is to say, the six recollections: Buddha, Dharma, Saṅgha, precepts, giving, and devas, whereby one attains all the Buddha's virtues. Thought after thought one enters into the samādhi of non-illusion, because it is cultivated through constant practice manifesting before oneself. Buddha-son! I previously expounded the names of the ten contemplations in Trāyastriṃśa Heaven as the practice of ordinary people in the first ten abodes. Indeed, there are no bodhisattvas who do not enter this gate to head toward the ocean of sarvajñā (all-knowledge).

1.41

"Buddha-son! As for the ten minds of practice: first, the mind of joyful practice; second, the mind of beneficial practice; third, the mind of non-resentful practice; fourth, the mind of inexhaustible practice; fifth, the mind of practice free of deluded confusion; sixth, the mind of well-manifested practice; seventh, the mind of unattached practice; eighth, the mind of respectful practice; ninth, the mind of wholesome dharma practice; and tenth, the mind of real and true practice.

1.42

"Furthermore, regarding the phenomena contemplated by the ten minds of contemplation: first is to attain all-modes knowledge for oneself, that is to say, the four right efforts: using expedient means to cause unarisen wholesome dharmas to arise; using expedient means to cause arisen wholesome dharmas to increase and broaden; using expedient means to cause unarisen unwholesome dharmas not to arise; and using expedient means to cause arisen unwholesome dharmas to be severed. At that time, the bodhisattva acts for the sake of seeking the Buddha's fruition.

1.43

"Buddha-son! Second is to attain great power in one's own body, that is to say, the four bases of psychic power: mindfulness guarding the object, diligence pursuing it, concentration gathering and restraining it, and wisdom illuminating the object. One attains the non-arising of phenomena, because the Dharma is sovereign.

1.44

"Buddha-son! Third is the wish to be fully endowed with fearlessness, that is to say, the five faculties: faith, mindfulness, diligence, concentration, and wisdom, because they are all signless.

1.45

"Buddha-son! Fourth is seeking to be fully endowed with the three jewels, that is to say, the fivefold dharmakāya: precepts eliminate bodily faults; concentration frees the mind from distraction; wisdom awakens to the unreality of conception; liberation is free of encumbrance; and knowledge and vision free of encumbrance regards all sentient beings as unbound. This is for the sake of the knowledge and vision of liberation, because all phenomena are like empty space and non-dual.

1.46

"Buddha-son! Fifth is to transform all sentient beings, that is to say, the eightfold noble path: wisdom arising from a teacher is called right view; reflection arising upon attaining the Dharma is called right thought; tireless exertion is called right effort; leaving the household to receive the path and attaining the three factors of the path is called right speech, right action, and right livelihood; and entering the emptiness of dharma-nature is called right concentration and right wisdom. They contemplate the non-arising and non-duality, because they are of a single composite mark.

1.47

"Buddha-son! Sixth is attaining great compassion, that is to say, the seven contemplations: discrimination of dharmas, mindfulness of dharmas, diligence in dharmas, protection of dharmas, joy in dharmas, concentration in dharmas, and wisdom in dharmas. These are called the gates of contemplation, entering into the single mark.

1.48

"Buddha-son! Seventh is to attain the four unhindered understandings, that is to say, the five wholesome roots: the contemplation of correct view, the contemplation of heat, the contemplation of summits, the contemplation of forbearance, and the supreme contemplation of the emptiness of the three realms, because they can generate the signless great luminous wisdom of the ten grounds, because the noble womb has not yet altered, and because the supreme emptiness is equal.

1.49

"Buddha-son! Eighth is practicing within all buddha lands, that is to say, the four transformative methods: eloquence in dharmas, eloquence in meaning, eloquence in language, and eloquence in joyful exposition. These four are called the nature of wisdom, illuminating all phenomena as unarisen, because one practices within the ultimate truth.

1.50

"Buddha-son! Ninth is to illuminate all phenomena in a single thought, that is to say, the twelve links of dependent origination across the three times: two in the past, namely ignorance and formations; the present, namely consciousness, name-and-form, the six sense bases, contact, feeling, craving, grasping, and existence; and the future, namely birth and destruction. They are all formed through provisional integration, because their true nature cannot be apprehended.

1.51

"Buddha-son! Tenth is to turn the great wheel of Dharma with sovereignty, that is to say, the bodhisattva's three jewels: at that time, within the Middle Way of ultimate truth, the bodhisattva's wisdom is the jewel of enlightenment; the unarisen movement and bestowal of all phenomena is utilized as the jewel of Dharma; and constantly traversing the six destinies in harmony with the sentient beings of the six destinies is called the jewel of the Saṅgha. This is because they turn all sentient beings so that they flow into the ocean of the Buddha.

1.52

"Buddha-son! In the Yāma Heaven, I expounded the ten practices of ordinary people for the devas. Now, among this assembly, I briefly expound the essentials of the Dharma. You should accept and uphold them; all buddhas likewise teach this.

1.53

"Buddha-son! As for the ten minds of dedication: first, the mind of dedication that rescues and protects all sentient beings and is free of signs; second, the mind of indestructible dedication; third, the mind of dedication equal to all buddhas; fourth, the mind of dedication reaching all places; fifth, the mind of dedication that is an inexhaustible treasury of merits; sixth, the mind of dedication that accords with equal wholesome roots; seventh, the mind of dedication that accords with contemplating all sentient beings equally; eighth, the mind of dedication to the mark of suchness; ninth, the mind of dedication to unbound liberation; and tenth, the mind of dedication to the immeasurable dharmadhātu.

1.54

"Furthermore, regarding the phenomena contemplated by the ten minds of contemplation: first is the uprightness of the two truths, that is to say, learning the ultimate truth and contemplating that all marks of phenomena are such and cannot be apprehended. With loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity, one instructs the devas and humans of the six [heavens of desire], shaves the head, dons the robes of the three jewels, and as a home-leaving bodhisattva joins together with the whole Saṅgha, because the Buddha-Dharma is non-dual and supremely pure.

1.55

"Buddha-son! Second is deep wisdom of the ultimate truth, that is to say, the five supernormal knowledges: these are the distinct functions of the nature of wisdom. Thus, divine refers to the spiritual mind, which is why there is the bodily supernormal power of the devas; the divine eye sees all phenomena across the three times and sees subtle forms and so forth; the divine ear hears sounds throughout the ten directions and so forth; the divine knowledge of others' minds knows the minds of all people; and the divine knowledge of past lives knows the life-spans in the three times and six destinies. This is because one sees all phenomena with the wisdom of non-arising.

1.56

"Buddha-son! Third is pure utmost sincerity, that is to say, the four indestructible purities within the wisdom of non-arising, because faith in the Buddha, Dharma, Saṅgha, and precepts is indestructible.

1.57

"Buddha-son! Fourth is having a measure equal to the Buddha's powers, that is to say, the three marks: all phenomena are fundamentally non-existent and arise by provisional designation; having existed, they revert to non-existence and cease by provisional designation; non-empty existing phenomena abide by provisional designation. Therefore, thoroughly realizing that everything is empty and non-dual is called the emptiness of the marks of worldly truth, because the mark of the one truth is empty.

1.58

"Buddha-son! Fifth is skill in assessing the power of sentient beings, that is to say, the five aggregates: as for form, because form distinct from emptiness aggregates to form the great mass of form, the mark of form is empty; because the mind is formed moment by moment, the mark of mind is empty; feeling, conception, volition, and consciousness have no accumulation and no dispersion, because they are of a single signless mark.

1.59

"Buddha-son! Sixth is the power of the Buddha's teaching, that is to say, the twelve bases: the six external objects reach the six internal sense faculties and serve as the places into which consciousness enters, and so they are called bases. As for contemplation with wisdom: it is not internal, not external, and not in between, because all phenomena have neither self nor other.

1.60

"Buddha-son! Seventh is the unhindered wisdom of orientation, that is to say, the eighteen elements—the six objects, six faculties, and six consciousnesses—are of a single composite mark, and all phenomena are likewise of a single composite mark.

1.61

"Buddha-son! Eighth is wisdom that accords with spontaneity, that is to say, cause and result: good and evil are called causes; suffering and pleasure are called results. That from which things arise is the cause; that which arises is the result. Because they depend on each other as origin and arising, they are collectively cause and result. Cause and result are both empty, without arising and without cessation, because all are of a single composite mark.

1.62

"Buddha-son! Ninth is being able to accept the Buddha, Dharma, and Saṅgha, that is to say, the emptiness of the two truths: because causes and conditions aggregate, it is called existence, but that does not mean that existence is truly existent; because causes and conditions disperse, it is called non-existence, but that does not mean that existence is truly non-existent. Therefore, existence is non-existence and non-existence is non-existence, because prajñā and liberation are of a non-dual mark.

1.63

"Buddha-son! Tenth is transforming all sentient beings with sovereign wisdom, that is to say, the Middle Way of ultimate truth. Prajñā abides in the middle, contemplating and penetrating all phenomena as non-dual; its contemplative wisdom progresses gradually into the noble stages, and so it is called the contemplation of the similitude of ultimate truth, not the contemplation of the true Middle Way of ultimate truth. As for correct contemplation: from the first ground upwards, there are three minds of contemplation that enter all grounds. The three contemplations are: the contemplation of the two truths entering emptiness from provisional designations, and the contemplation of equality entering provisional designations from emptiness. These two contemplations are the path of expedient means. Relying on these two contemplations of emptiness, one can enter the contemplation of the Middle Way of ultimate truth, illuminating both truths simultaneously while thought after thought is extinguished in stillness, entering into the dharma-stream of the first ground; this is called the noble lineage of the mahāsattva, because one practices the Middle Way within signless phenomena without duality.

1.64

"Buddha-son! These thirty minds enter into faith in the One Vehicle. The causal dharma of the One Vehicle is not something that can be attained through nearby practice; one must broadly practice with a great mind for three asaṃkhyeya kalpas, practicing the forbearance of the subduing path, before it is finally fulfilled.

1.65

"Buddha-son! As for retrogression and advancement: prior to the ten abodes, among all the practices of ordinary people, when they generate the mind of sambodhi, there are sentient beings as numerous as the sands of the Ganges who learn and practice the Buddha-Dharma within minds of faith and conception—these belong to the wholesome roots subject to retrogression. Good sons! If one cultivates the ten faiths for one kalpa, two kalpas, or even ten kalpas, and manages to enter the ten abodes, at that time, from the initial first abode up to the sixth abode, if one cultivates the correct contemplation of the sixth prajñāpāramitā so that it manifests before oneself, and furthermore encounters the protection of buddhas, bodhisattvas, and spiritual friends, one will emerge into the seventh abode and constantly abide without retrogression. Prior to this seventh abode, it is called the stage subject to retrogression."

1.66

"Son of the Buddha! As for those who do not retrogress, entering upon the cultivation of the sixth prajñā, they realize that with regard to emptiness, there is no self, person, or master, and that ultimately there is no arising; thus they definitely enter the stage of certainty. Son of the Buddha! If one does not encounter good spiritual friends, then for one kalpa, two kalpas, or even ten kalpas, one will retrogress from the bodhicitta. For example, in my first assembly there were eighty thousand people who retrogressed; like the Devaputra Śuddhanetra, Prince Dharmacandra, and Śāriputra, when wishing to enter the seventh abode, they encountered bad conditions, retrogressed into the evil and unwholesome states of ordinary mortals, were no longer called people of the lineage of practice, and retrogressed into non-Buddhist paths. For one kalpa, ten kalpas, or even a thousand kalpas, they produced great wrong views and the five heinous sins, leaving no evil uncommitted. This is the mark of retrogression. Son of the Buddha! Previously, in the fourth heaven, I broadly revealed this teaching of the ten dedications for ordinary mortals; now, under this tree, I briefly explain the essentials of the Dharma. All of you must faithfully accept and practice it.

1.67

"Son of the Buddha! The minds of the ten grounds are: first, the mind of the four immeasurables; second, the mind of the ten wholesomenesses; third, the mind of bright light; fourth, the mind of blazing wisdom; fifth, the mind of great victory; sixth, the mind of presence; seventh, the mind of non-arising; eighth, the mind of the inconceivable; ninth, the mind of wisdom-light; tenth, the mind of receiving the stage.

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Linked texts (1)

菩薩瓔珞本業經 — Classical Chinese