Ten Benefits

Chapter 29

“Young man, there are ten benefits for bodhisattva mahāsattvas from maintaining patience and being kind. [F.89.b] What are these ten? They are: [1] they are not burned by fire; [2] they are not slain by weapons; [3] they are not affected by poison; [4] they do not drown in water; [5] the devas protect them; [6] they attain a body adorned by the primary signs of a great being; [7] all the doorways to their rebirth in lower existences are closed; [8] it is not difficult for them to be reborn in the paradise of Brahmā; [9] they are happy day and night; and [10] their physical sensations of comfort and pleasure are never lost.

29.­2 “Young man, those are the ten benefits for the bodhisattva mahāsattvas from maintaining patience and being kind.”

On this topic, it was said:

29.­3
“They are not burned by fire,
They are not killed by weapons,
They are not affected by poison,
They do not drown in water, {1}
29.­4
“They are protected by devas,
They have the thirty-two primary signs,
And the lower existences are closed to them.
Those are the benefits of patience. {2}
29.­5
“The state of Brahmā and the state of Śakra
Are not difficult for them to attain.
They always dwell in happiness
And have inconceivable pleasure. {3}
29.­6
“They are not slain by fire or weapons;
They are not killed by poison or drowning.
They are protected by devas, nāgas, and yakṣas.
Those are the benefits of maintaining kindness. {4}
29.­7
“Their bodies will have the thirty-two primary signs.
They will not fall into the lower existences,
And at death they will be reborn in the realm of Brahmā.
Those are the benefits of maintaining patience. {5}
29.­8
“They have happiness day and night.
Their bodies will have pleasurable sensations.
They will have the power of patience and bliss.
Those wise ones will always have a tranquil mind. {6}
29.­9

“Young man, there are ten benefits for bodhisattva mahāsattvas from taking up diligence. What are the ten benefits? They are: [1] it is difficult to approach their level;896 [2] they attain the state of being cared for by the buddhas; [3] they will be cared for by the devas; [4] they maintain the Dharma they have received; [5] they obtain the Dharma they have not previously received; [6] they attain the lineage of samādhis;897 [7] they have few illnesses; [8] they digest their food well; [9] they are like lotuses; and [10] they are not like pestles.898

29.­10 “Young man, those are the ten benefits for the bodhisattva mahāsattvas from taking up diligence.”

On this topic, it was said:

29.­11
“It is difficult to approach their level.899
They are without idleness.900
The devas protect them.
They quickly901 see the buddhas. {7}
29.­12
“Their prayers are fulfilled,902
They attain the lineage of samādhis,
And they do not become ill.903 [F.90.a]
Those are the benefits of diligence.904 {8–9}905
29.­13
“They digest pleasurably, without harm,
That which they eat and drink. {10}
They gradually develop
Like a blue lotus in the middle of water.906
29.­14
“In that way the bodhisattvas
Develop through good qualities. {11}
The days and the nights
Pass fruitfully for them.907
29.­15
“The Tathāgata who has engaged in diligence,
Gaining accomplishments for numerous eons,
Has taught to the bodhisattvas
These benefits of possessing diligence. {12}
29.­16
“Those who engage in diligence
Are in the care of the jinas.
The devas, too, make aspirations for them.
They will soon attain the Buddha’s enlightenment. {13}
29.­17
“What they have learned will never diminish,
And they give many other Dharma teachings.
Their confidence of speech increases immensely.
Those are the benefits of engaging in diligence. {14}
29.­18
“They will quickly attain the lineage of samādhis.
They will never become ill.
Whatever food they eat
They will comfortably digest completely. {15}
29.­19
“Day and night the good qualities
Of their powerful diligence increase.
Through the power of this diligence,
Before long they will attain enlightenment. {16}
29.­20

“Young man, there are ten benefits for bodhisattva mahāsattvas from being devoted to meditation. What are the ten benefits? They are: [1] they maintain their bodhisattva conduct; [2] they engage in the field of that conduct;908 [3] they live free from anguish; [4] their sensory faculties are protected;909 [5] they experience pleasure;910 [6] they are separated from desire; [7] they have insatiability for meditation; [8] they are free from the domain of Māra; [9] they are established in the domain of the Buddha; and [10] they ripen the state of liberation.

29.­21 “Young man, those are the ten benefits for the bodhisattva mahāsattvas from being devoted to meditation.”

On this topic, it was said:

29.­22
“They are never without bodhisattva conduct,
As they are established in bodhisattva conduct.
The yogins practice the field of that conduct,
And reject that which is not the field of that conduct. {17}
29.­23
“They live without anguish.
Their senses hidden and bound,
They experience pleasure. [F.90.b]
Their field of conduct is practicing meditation. {18}
29.­24
“They are without desire, or the craving of desire.
They abide in the bliss of meditation.
They are free from the domain of Māra
And dwell in the Buddha’s domain. {19}
29.­25
“This is the particular quality of the yogins:
That they delight in being alone in the forest.
They bring liberation to fruition.
Those are the ten aspects. {20}
29.­26
“The bodhisattvas remain in bodhisattva conduct
And they reject everything that is not that conduct.
They reject that which is not the field of that conduct and remain in that which is.
Those are the benefits of endeavoring in samādhi. {21}
29.­27
“They never experience anguish.
They reach the state of higher bliss.
Both their body and mind become blissful.
These are the benefits of endeavoring in meditation.911 {22}
29.­28
“They live secretly in solitary places.
They never have any distractions.
Thus their bodies are in isolation
And they attain happiness free of desires. {23}
29.­29
“They are unstained by desires and have no kleśas.
Thus they are free from the domain of Māra
And are established in the domain of the tathāgatas.
They bring their liberation to fruition. {24}
29.­30

“Young man, there are ten benefits for bodhisattva mahāsattvas from engaging in wisdom. What are these ten? They are: [1] they give away all their possessions without becoming proud that they are pure; [2] they have immaculate, correct conduct without forming an attachment to that conduct; [3] they maintain the power of patience without maintaining the conceptualization that there are beings; [4] they take up diligence in isolation from body and mind;912 [5] in meditating they meditate with a non-abiding meditation; [6] they are invincible to the māras; [7] they are unshakable to all adversaries;913 [8] they attain illumination regarding all engagement with the composite;914 [9] they engage in vast great compassion for all beings, and have no aspiration for the level of the śrāvakas or pratyekabuddhas;915 [F.91.a] and [10] they enter into the dhyānas, samādhis, and samāpattis of the buddhas.916

29.­31 “Young man, those are the ten benefits for the bodhisattva mahāsattvas from engaging in wisdom.”

On this topic, it was said:

29.­32
“The heroic ones give away all their possessions
But do not become proud that they are pure.
They keep their correct conduct immaculate
But they form no attachment to that. {25}
29.­33
“The wise ones meditate on patience
But have expelled the conceptualization of beings.
They are those who engage in diligence
But in isolation from body and mind. {26}
29.­34
“They are those who cultivate meditation,
But without abiding and independent;
They are invincible to the māras.
Those are the qualities of those who have wisdom. {27}
29.­35
“They are unshakable
To every adversary
And have obtained the illumination of saṃsāra.
Those are the qualities of wisdom. {28}
29.­36
“They have attained great compassion
Toward all beings.
They never have an aspiration
For the wisdom of the śrāvaka or pratyekabuddha. {29}
29.­37
“They are not proud of being pure through giving away all their possessions.
They have immaculate correct conduct but have no attachment to conduct.
They meditate on patience but have no conceptualization of beings.
Those are the benefits of being devoted to wisdom. {30}
29.­38
“They engage in diligence but in isolation.917
They meditate without being bound, without fixation.
They are wise918 and are invincible to Māra.919
Those are the benefits of being devoted to wisdom. {31}
29.­39
“They are unshakable to adversaries.920
They have discovered the shallowness921 of the composite,
And they have vast compassion for beings.
Those are the benefits of being devoted to wisdom. {32}
29.­40
“They never give rise to an aspiration to be
A pratyekabuddha or śrāvaka,
And thus they are established in the qualities of a buddha.
Those are the benefits of being devoted to wisdom.922 {33}
29.­41
“Young man, there are ten benefits for bodhisattva mahāsattvas from becoming very learned. What are the ten benefits? They are: [1] they do not create kleśas;923 [2] they do not develop malice;924 [F.91.b] [3] they expose doubts; [4] they make views accurate; [5] they shun the wrong paths; [6] they are established on the true path; [7] they have reached the doorway to deathlessness; [8] they are close to enlightenment; [9] they are a light for beings; and [10] they have no fear of the lower existences.

29.­42
“Young man, those are the ten benefits for the bodhisattva mahāsattvas from becoming very learned.”

On this topic, it was said:

29.­43
“These are taught to be the ten benefits
From becoming very learned
Just as they are known
By the Tathāgata, the Buddha. {34}
29.­44
“They know the two aspects
Of the kleśas and of purification.
They reject the kleśas
And follow925 the path of purification. {35}
29.­45
“The wise ones reject doubts
And develop accurate views.
They shun the wrong path
And follow the correct path. {36}
29.­46
“They are at the door to deathlessness
And they are close to enlightenment.
They are a light for beings
And they are not afraid of the lower existences. {37}
29.­47
“They know the numerous properties of having the kleśas,
And in the same way they know the aspect of purification.
They completely reject the kleśas
And train in the supreme quality of purification. {38}
29.­48
“They expose the doubts of all beings.
They have a view that is always accurate.
They shun the wrong path
And are always upon the true path of peace. {39}
29.­49
“They are always beside the doorway to deathlessness;
They are always close to stainless enlightenment.
They have become a light to all the multitudes of beings
And they have no fear of the lower existences. {40}
29.­50
“Young man, for bodhisattva mahāsattvas who are intent on giving the Dharma, there are ten benefits that come from giving the Dharma. What are the ten benefits? They are: [1] they reject that which should not be done; [2] they engage in that which should be done; [3] they follow the Dharma of a worthy person; [4] they purify buddha realms; [5] they reach the Bodhimaṇḍa; [6] they give away material things; [7] they overcome the kleśas; [F.92.a] [8] they gives their portion926 to all beings; [9] they meditate on love toward those on whom their minds are focused; and [10] they attain happiness in this life.

29.­51
“Young man, for bodhisattva mahāsattvas who are intent on giving the Dharma, those are the ten benefits that come from giving the Dharma.”

On this topic, it was said:

29.­52
“Those who give the supreme gift,
The gift of the Dharma, are not misers.
The Lord of the World has taught
That they will have ten benefits. {41}
29.­53
“They reject all that should not be done;
The wise ones engage in what should be done.
They obtain the Dharma of a worthy person
And maintain a motivation of generosity. {42}
29.­54
“They purify a buddha realm.927
Their realm is inconceivable.928
They are always on the Bodhimaṇḍa,929
Which is the result of giving the Dharma. {43}
29.­55
“They give away all material things.
They follow the king of the Dharma.
For those who have overcome the kleśas,
Enlightenment is not hard to attain. {44}
29.­56
“With a loving mind they give
Their portion to all beings.
They are those who have no envy,
And they have a happiness higher than that of humans. {45}
29.­57
“They are learned people who reject what should not be done.
They are wise people who are always doing what should be done.
They always follow the Dharma of great beings.
They are learned people who always give the gift of the Dharma. {46}
29.­58
“Their realm is one that is always pure.
They increase those qualities that are aspects of enlightenment.
They are always close to the Bodhimaṇḍa.
Those are the benefits of giving the Dharma. {47}
29.­59
“They have no kleśas, and give material things away.
They know the characteristics of things.
They are liberated from all attachment.
They never have any impediments. {48}
29.­60
“They have a wise one’s mind.
They wish for all beings to be happy.
They have loving minds free of envy,
And in this life their happiness is not little. {49}
29.­61
“Young man, there are ten benefits for bodhisattva mahāsattvas who dwell in emptiness. What are the ten benefits? They are: [1] they dwell in the dwelling of the Buddha;930 [F.92.b] [2] their meditation is nondwelling;931 [3] they are not intent on rebirth;932 [4] they have no clinging to conduct;933 [5] they do not criticize superior beings; [6] they live in an appropriate manner; [7] they do not conceptualize the objects of perception;934 [8] they remain detached;935 [9] they do not disparage the buddhas;936 and [10] they possess the Dharma.937

29.­62
“Young man, those are the ten benefits for bodhisattva mahāsattvas who dwell in emptiness.”

On this topic, it was said:

29.­63
“The yogins dwell in that which is
The dwelling of the lords of men
And the field of activity of all the buddhas,
Without the conception of a life. {50}
29.­64
“Without dependence on any existence
They never give up the superior dhyāna.
Having seen the nature of phenomena
They have no intention of being reborn. {51}
29.­65
“Those who have no clinging to conduct
Will not be dependent on conduct.938
They do not criticize in any way
Another superior being939 who is without defilement.940 {52}
29.­66
“They live in an appropriate manner
And are not known to quarrel.
The yogins do not conceptualize things
But live always detached. {53}
29.­67
“They do not disparage the Buddha
Even for the sake of their life.
While remaining in the emptiness of phenomena
They are fearlessly visible in their body. {54}
29.­68
“They teach the Dharma with veneration
For the inconceivable enlightenment of buddhahood
Of all the lords of the worlds,
And they have no doubt in the Dharma of the Buddha. {55}
29.­69
“The dwelling place of the supreme individuals,
The level not that of the many kinds of tīrthika,
There where there is no being, soul, or person:
That is where the bodhisattvas dwell.941 {56}
29.­70
“They have no dwelling whatsoever.
They remain in the bliss of nondwelling dhyāna.942
They see that phenomena have no self, no being,
And they do not give rise to the concept of creation. {57}
29.­71
“They understand the nature of phenomena.
They have no dependence even on conduct.
They do not conceive of themselves as pure because of conduct,
And always have faith in the buddhas.943 {58}
29.­72
“They meditate on the empty nature of all phenomena
And they are never in any way inappropriate. [F.93.a]
They possess the pure Dharma of the tathāgatas
And do not disparage the guides. {59}
29.­73
“Young man, there are ten benefits for bodhisattva mahāsattvas who remain intently in meditative seclusion. What are the ten benefits? They are: [1] their minds are unpolluted; [2] they remain careful; [3] they keep the Buddha in mind; [4] they have faith in bodhisattva conduct;944 [5] they have no uncertainty concerning wisdom;945 [6] they have gratitude toward the buddhas;946 [7] they do not abandon947 the Dharma; [8] they maintain vows perfectly; [9] they have attained the level of self-discipline; and [10] they have the direct perception of the four discernments.

29.­74
“Young man, those are the ten benefits for bodhisattva mahāsattvas who remain intently in meditative seclusion.”

On this topic, it was said:

29.­75
“Their minds are unpolluted.
They have rejected all carelessness.
They maintain carefulness.
Their field of activity is meditative seclusion. {60}
29.­76
“They have faith in the buddhas, having heard
Of the conduct of the Lord of the World.
The yogins have no doubt concerning wisdom,
The inconceivable wisdom of the buddhas. {61}
29.­77
“They have gratitude toward the buddhas,
And have no doubt concerning the Dharma of the buddhas.
They maintain their vows perfectly,
And have attained the level of self-discipline. {62}
29.­78
“They have attained discernment.
They delight in being alone in the forest.
They have forsaken gain and honors,
And their field of activity is meditative seclusion. {63}
29.­79
“Their minds are unpolluted.
They have forsaken all carelessness.
They are great beings who are always careful.
Those are the benefits of being dedicated to samādhi. {64}
29.­80
“They keep in mind the buddhas, the supreme humans,
And they have faith in their supreme conduct.
They do not doubt the wisdom of the tathāgatas.
Those are the benefits of being dedicated to samādhi. {65}
29.­81
“They always have gratitude toward the buddhas.
They do not forsake the Dharma even for the sake of their life.
At all times they keep their vows perfectly.
Those are the benefits of being dedicated to samādhi. {66}
29.­82
“They have attained the level of self-discipline. [F.93.b]
They quickly attain the direct perception of discernment.
They speak with the unceasing confidence of speech.
They teach millions and billions of sūtras. {67}
29.­83
“They quickly attain the enlightenment of buddhahood.
They protect the teaching of the Guide.
They defeat all who are adversaries.
They extensively propagate the enlightenment of buddhahood. {68}
29.­84
“When those bodhisattvas pass away,
They go to the realm of Sukhāvatī.
They hear the highest Dharma from Amitāyus
And attain the acceptance of the nonorigination of phenomena. {69} [B9]
29.­85
“Young man, there are ten benefits for bodhisattva mahāsattvas who are dedicated to solitude. What are the ten benefits? They are: [1] they have few activities; [2] they have gone far from busy crowds; [3] they have no quarrels; [4] they have no harm; [5] they do not increase defilements;948 [6] they do not create any cause for disputes; [7] they have perfectly peaceful conduct; [8] they maintain perfect self-restraint; [9] their minds are prepared for liberation; and [10] they quickly manifest liberation.

29.­86
“Young man, those are the ten benefits for bodhisattva mahāsattvas who are dedicated to solitude.”

On this topic, it was said:

29.­87
“They always have few activities.
They have gone far from busy crowds.
They have no quarrels.
They live alone in the forest. {70}
29.­88
“Without an intention to cause harm
They do not increase their defilements.
They have no cause for disputes.
Those are the qualities of living in a forest. {71}
29.­89
“They are peaceful in their conduct.
They restrain their body, speech, and mind.
They are prepared for liberation;
They will quickly reach liberation. {72}
29.­90
“They are yogins who always have few activities.
They have shunned the many faults of busy gatherings.
The yogins949 do not ever quarrel.
Those are the qualities of living in a solitary place. {73}
29.­91
“When they have become saddened by the composite,
They never harbor any longing for the world,
And they do not increase their defilements.
The ones who live in a forest gain these benefits. {74}
29.­92
“There never arises in them a cause for disputes. [F.94.a]
They live in solitude, delighting in peace.
Their body, speech, and mind are restrained.
The ones who live in solitude will have many qualities. {75}
29.­93
“They are prepared for liberation.
They will quickly attain the peace of liberation.
They dwell in the forest and are close to liberation.
Those who dwell in solitude will have all these qualities. {76}
29.­94
“Young man, there are ten benefits for bodhisattva mahāsattvas who live by receiving alms in the austerity of the disciplines of mendicancy. What are the ten benefits? They are: [1] they have no desire for a reputation; [2] they have no desire for fame; [3] they have no desire for honors or gains; [4] they remain within the four noble families;950 [5] they have no hypocrisy or boasting; [6] they do not praise themselves; [7] they do not criticize others; [8] they engage with households without aversion or attachment;951 [9] they give the Dharma without expectation of a reward;952 and [10] the Dharma they teach while remaining in the austerity of the disciplines of mendicancy will be remembered.

29.­95
“Young man, those are the ten benefits for bodhisattva mahāsattvas who live by receiving alms in the austerity of the disciplines of mendicancy.”

On this topic, it was said:

29.­96
“They have no desire for a reputation.
They do not wish for fame.
Those who remain in the disciplines of mendicancy
Are indifferent to gain and loss. {77}
29.­97
“They do not abandon the noble family.
They have no hypocrisy or boastfulness.
They do not praise themselves
And they do not criticize others. {78}
29.­98
“They have no attachment or aversion,
And teach the Dharma with no thought of reward.
The words they speak will be remembered.
Recipients of alms will have those qualities.953 {79}
29.­99
“They do not seek reputation, fame, or gain.
They remain within the four noble families.
The wise ones are neither hypocritical nor boastful.
Those are the qualities of dedication to mendicancy. {80}
29.­100
“They do not praise themselves or criticize others.
They are not upset when spoken to harshly.
They are not delighted when they hear themselves praised. [F.94.b]
Recipients of alms will have that contentment.954 {81}
29.­101
“They give the gift of the Dharma without thought of reward.
They do not search for fame or gain.
The words they speak will be remembered.
Those are the benefits that come from dedication to mendicancy. {82}
29.­102
“Young man, bodhisattva mahāsattvas who dwell in solitude while maintaining those qualities of the Dharma will obtain the treasure of the buddhas, they will obtain the treasure of the Dharma, they will obtain the treasure of wisdom, and they will obtain the treasure of knowing the past, the future, and the present.

29.­103
“Young man, how do bodhisattva mahāsattvas obtain the treasure of the buddhas? Young man, bodhisattva mahāsattvas who practice alone, who dwell in solitude, will attain the five higher cognitions. What are the five higher cognitions? They are divine sight, divine hearing, the knowledge of others’ minds, remembering past lives, and possessing miraculous powers. Young man, those are the five higher cognitions that are obtained. Through divine vision, which transcends human vision, the countless, innumerable buddha bhagavāns in the eastern direction are seen. In the same way the countless, innumerable buddha bhagavāns in the southern, western, and northern directions are seen. They constantly have this vision of the buddhas. Young man, in that way the bodhisattva mahāsattvas obtain the treasure of the buddhas.

29.­104
“Young man, how do bodhisattva mahāsattvas obtain the treasure of the Dharma? The bodhisattva mahāsattvas hear with their divine hearing the Dharma that is taught by those buddha bhagavāns in the ten directions. They are constantly hearing the Dharma. Young man, in that way the bodhisattva mahāsattvas obtain the treasure of the Dharma.

29.­105
“Young man, how do the bodhisattva mahāsattvas obtain the treasure of wisdom? Young man, the bodhisattva mahāsattvas who have that wisdom obtain the entire Dharma. They do not forget anything that they have obtained, and teach the Dharma to beings, [F.95.a] knowing what will be beneficial for any one person. Young man, in that way bodhisattva mahāsattvas obtain the treasure of wisdom.

29.­106
“Young man, how do bodhisattva mahāsattvas obtain the treasure of knowing the past, the future, and the present? Through the higher cognitions they gain the knowledge of the minds and conduct of all beings in the past, the future, and the present. Young man, in that way bodhisattva mahāsattvas obtain the treasure of knowing the past, the future, and the present.

29.­107
“Young man, in brief, bodhisattva mahāsattvas who maintain the qualities of the Dharma in that way will obtain the entire Dharma of the buddhas. This level is not reached by śrāvakas or pratyekabuddhas, let alone any adversary of the Dharma.”

On this topic, it was said:

29.­108
“The wise ones who remain in solitude
Will quickly attain the treasure of the buddhas,
The treasure of the Dharma, the treasure of wisdom,
The treasure of the past, and the five higher cognitions.”955 {83}
29.­109
Conclusion of the twenty-ninth chapter, “Ten Benefits.”

Source

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