The Benefits of Possessing the Sūtra

Chapter 33

Then the Bhagavān said to the youth Candraprabha, “Therefore, young man, bodhisattva mahāsattvas who wish to train in purifying1055 the great higher cognition of all phenomena should listen to the samādhi, the revealed equality of the nature of all phenomena, learn it, understand it, keep it, recite it to others, promote it, proclaim it, chant it, meditate on it with unadulterated meditation, promulgate it, and make it widely known to others.1056

33.­2 “Young man, what is the purification of the great higher cognition of all phenomena? It is having no grasping toward all phenomena, it is having no clinging to the aggregate of correct conduct,1057 it is having no pride in the aggregate of samādhi, it the absence of movement in the aggregate of wisdom, it is having the discerning insight1058 of the aggregate of liberation, and it is seeing correctly as it is the aggregate of the insight of the wisdom of liberation.1059

33.­3 “The bodhisattva mahāsattva who has those higher cognitions manifests all the manifestations of samādhi and teaches the Dharma to beings.

“This, young man, is what is called ‘the purification of the great higher cognition of all phenomena.’ ”

33.­4 Then at that time the Bhagavān gave a detailed Dharma teaching on purifying the great higher cognition of all phenomena by chanting the following extensive verses to the youth Candraprabha:

33.­5
“The purification of the great higher cognitions
Is an incontrovertible teaching.
Someone who practices in contradiction to it
Will not become free of attachment. {1}
33.­6
“That higher cognition, that wisdom,
Is the inconceivable wisdom of buddhahood.
Someone who remains in attachment
Will never know that wisdom. {2}
33.­7
“The numerous inconceivable Dharmas
Are taught by using words.
Someone who is attached to words
Will not know the meaning of the teaching. {3} [F.104.b]
33.­8
“How can someone teach the meaning
Who does not know the meaning behind the words?
Someone who has not learned what the true nature is
Teaches that which is not the Dharma as the Dharma. {4}
33.­9
“The one meaning of the differing words
Of the sūtras that have been taught by me
Within thousands of worlds
Is something that cannot be stated. {5}
33.­10
“Through contemplating a single word
All of them will be meditated on—
All of the many kinds of Dharma that have been taught
By however many buddhas there have been. {6}
33.­11
“For people who have mastered the meaning
That all phenomena are selfless,1060
When they have learned this word
The Dharmas of the Buddha will not be hard to attain.1061 {7}
33.­12
“All phenomena are the Buddha’s Dharma.1062
They who have learned the nature of phenomena,
They know the nature of phenomena
And do not contradict the nature of phenomena. {8}
33.­13
“All words are the Buddha’s words,
As all words have no substance.
Although one seeks them in the ten directions
The words of the Buddha will not be found. {9}
33.­14
“These words are the Buddha’s words.
Though one seeks them in the ten directions,
These unsurpassable words are not to be found.
They have never been found and never will be found.1063 {10}
33.­15
“The Buddha’s words are unsurpassable.
There is nothing higher than the Buddha’s words.
There is not an atom of them that is to be found,
And that is why they are called unsurpassable. {11}
33.­16
“An atom, a phenomenon, is not produced.
Although explanations use the term ‘atom,’
Something the size of an atom cannot be found;
It is a term used in teaching on the worldly level. {12}
33.­17
“The unfindability of phenomena is found,
But that finding also cannot be found.
Thus they who know phenomena
Realize the highest enlightenment, {13}
33.­18
“And having realized the highest enlightenment
They will turn the wheel of the Dharma.
Through turning the wheel of the Dharma
They teach the Buddha’s Dharma. {14}
33.­19
“The bodhisattvas who realize
The highest wisdom of buddhahood,
Because of that are called buddhas,
As they have realized buddhahood’s wisdom. {15}
33.­20
“The absence of existents, the absence of aspiration,
The absence of attributes, and emptiness—
It is these doorways to liberation
That the Buddha taught as doorways. {16}
33.­21
“The eyes, the ears, and the nose,
The tongue, the body, and likewise the mind,
The buddhas have explained
That they are by nature empty. {17}
33.­22
“They who know in that way
The nature of phenomena, [F.105.a]
Knowing the characteristics of phenomena,
They will not be in disagreement with it. {18}
33.­23
“This is the realm of experience of the heroes,
Of the bodhisattvas, the protectors.
They know the emptiness of phenomena
And they never have any doubt. {19}
33.­24
“Those who know the nature of phenomena,
Those ones are called a buddha.
They guide countless, innumerable
Beings to enlightenment. {20}
33.­25
“That which is accomplished by the word buddha
Is also accomplished by the words correct conduct.
The words buddha and correct conduct
Have the same characteristic. {21}
33.­26
“However many1064 words are spoken
Whether superior, middling, or lesser,
They are all taught in the one word meditation,
And in the one word buddha. {22}
33.­27
“The Buddha’s Dharma1065 is stated
To have no location and no direction.
It has no birth and no cessation.
Neither is it single nor multiple. {23}
33.­28
“It is not new and it is not old.
There is nothing to be proud of.
It is not blue and it is not yellow;
Neither is it white, nor red. {24}
33.­29
“That which is taught through verses
Is inexpressible and ungraspable.
This miraculous activity of the Sage
Is beyond the level of verses. {25}
33.­30
{26}1066
33.­31
“The buddha who has passed into nirvāṇa
Is seen in the form of a buddha.
The one who imagines that he is present
Will also see the buddha’s miracles. {27}
33.­32
“When someone has reached nirvāṇa
There is no being that is to be found.
That is how the Dharma is taught
And many beings are liberated. {28}
33.­33
“Just as the sun and moon
Appear in a bronze bowl
Without their own form going there,
Such is the nature of phenomena. {29}
33.­34
“Those who know the nature
Of phenomena to be like reflections,1067
They do not see the Buddha’s body
As being a body of form.1068 {30}
33.­35
“This phenomenon has no body;1069
There is no body in it at all.
A phenomenon has no body,
And that is the body of the Buddha. {31}
33.­36
“Those who see the dharmakāya, [F.105.b]
They are the ones who see the Guide.
The dharmakāyas1070 are the buddhas.
That is seeing the buddhas. {32}
33.­37
“That which is specified through dependence
Is specified to not be specific.
Those who wish to be renunciants
Should understand this approach. {33}
33.­38
{34}1071
33.­39
“Whoever thinks, ‘I have attained,’
Is for that reason said to be without attainment.
The one who is said to be a renunciant
Is the one who thinks, ‘I have not attained renuncation.’ {35}
33.­40
“Those who have not learned this profundity,
How can they teach the Dharma?
They cannot describe it
Through using profound words. {36}
33.­41
“The five skandhas are insubstantial.
Being nonexistent they arise.
For the one to whom the skandhas arise,
There is nothing that arises. {37}
33.­42
“Those characteristics of the skandhas
Are the characteristics of all phenomena.
Those characteristics are taught
But there are no characteristics that exist. {38}
33.­43
“The characteristic of phenomena
Is the same as that of space and sky,
As seen in the past, the future,
And as in the present. {39}
33.­44
“Space is taught to be ungraspable;
There is nothing there to be grasped.
That is the nature of phenomena:
It is ungraspable like space. {40}
33.­45
“That is how phenomena are taught,
That there is nothing to be seen.
For the one who does not see phenomena,
For him phenomena are beyond conception. {41}
33.­46
“These phenomena have no nature;
They have no nature to be found.
For those dedicated to buddhahood’s enlightenment
This is the domain of the yogin. {42}
33.­47
“The ones who know phenomena in that way
Will not have attachment to phenomena.
Not being attached to phenomena,
They understand the conceptualization of phenomena. {43}
33.­48
“The bodhisattvas, the protectors,
Have annihilated all phenomena.
Having annihilated the conceptualization of phenomena
They do not become proud in the Buddha’s Dharma. {44}
33.­49
“Having no pride in that preeminence,
They examine and teach that preeminence.
The ones who know that preeminence
Will have no pride throughout ten million eons. {45}
33.­50
“The foolish examine that preeminence
And subsequently continue in saṃsāra.
It has no location that can be found
Even though one searches throughout the ten directions. {46}
33.­51
“The bodhisattva,1072 knowing emptiness,
Has no attachment to saṃsāra.1073 [F.106.a]
They1074 practice to attain enlightenment
But their practice cannot be found. {47}
33.­52
“Their passage cannot be found,
Like that of a bird through the sky.
The bodhisattvas realize
That nature of enlightenment. {48}
33.­53
“Just as a well-trained conjurer
Is able to display illusions,
Although there are many kinds of forms
There is no form that can be grasped. {49}
33.­54
“There is no pride in acquisition or nonacquisition,
As there is no acquisition in acquisition.
That wisdom is like an illusion,
And that illusion has no location. {50}
33.­55
“Thus the understanding of fools
Is a conceptualization of empty phenomena.
Engaging in conceptualization,
They are doomed to the six existences. {51}
33.­56
“Beings undergo rebirth and aging;
There is no end to their being reborn.
There is no end to the suffering
Of skandhas that are born and die. {52}
33.­57
“The suffering of birth and saṃsāra
Is the conceptualization of foolish understanding.
This does not cease throughout eons;
Beings continue in saṃsāra for millions of eons. {53}
33.­58
“They continue in the performance of activities,
Whether that of engagement or disengagement.
They delight in the actions they perform,
But those activities will not liberate them. {54}
33.­59
“They are carried along on a river of actions,
And their actions will have no end.
They will die over and over,
Always dwelling in the realm of the māras. {55}
33.­60
“Overpowered by the māras, with poor understanding,
They act through being afflicted by the kleśas.
They experience births and deaths
That take place in various worlds. {56}
33.­61
“Those various beings who are blind fools,
They proceed toward death.
They are killed and destroyed,
And their existences are terrible. {57}
33.­62
“Those with foolish understanding
Kill each other with weapons.
By continuing with that kind of activity
Their sufferings only increase. {58}
33.­63
“Those with foolish understanding think,
‘My sons’ and ‘my wealth.’
They conceive of that which has no existence
And thereby continue to extend saṃsāra. {59}
33.­64
“They who extend saṃsāra,
Those individuals continue in saṃsāra.
They each go their individual ways
And therefore they are called individual beings. {60}
33.­65
“They reject the Buddha’s teaching [F.106.b]
And teach numerous other doctrines.
They are under the power of Māra
And they will not attain liberation. {61}
33.­66
“These fools, because of their desires,
Have intercourse with putrid women.
They will be reborn as putrid beings,
Falling into the lower realms as a result. {62}
33.­67
“The buddhas praise neither desire,
Nor having intercourse with women.
That is a terrifying noose,
The dreadful noose of women. {63}
33.­68
“Those who are wise avoid it
Like a vicious poisonous snake.
They do not put their trust in women.
That is not the path to enlightenment. {64}
33.­69
“They meditate on the path to enlightenment
That has been taught1075 by all the buddhas.
Having meditated on that path
They become unsurpassable buddhas. {65}
33.­70
“Those who have become unsurpassable
Become shrines in the world.
With unsurpassable wisdom
They become unsurpassable buddhas. {66}
33.­71
“They follow the poṣadha vows
And follow the path of correct conduct.
They lead toward enlightenment
Countless millions of beings. {67}
33.­72
“They accomplish the benefit of
Innumerable, countless beings.
They are heroes with great wisdom
Who beat the drum of deathlessness. {68}
33.­73
“They make the realm of Māra shudder;
They make the māras shake.
They lead to enlightenment
Countless millions of māras. {69}
33.­74
“They overcome their opponents.
They defeat the tīrthikas.
They shake the entire earth
With its mountains and oceans. {70}
33.­75
“The great leaders1076 through many transformations
Manifest miraculous manifestations of the body.
The great wise ones display
Inconceivable miracles. {71}
33.­76
“They shake millions of realms
As numerous as the Ganges sands.
They defeat the māras
And are greatly famed buddhas.1077 {72}
33.­77
“They manifest trees1078
Adorned with jewels,
Aromatic and beautiful,
Bearing flowers and fruits. {73}
33.­78
“Those heroes emanate
Delightful1079 mansions,1080 [F.107.a]
Palaces and pinnacled halls,
And beautiful lotus ponds1081 {74}
33.­79
“Filled with water that has the eight qualities,
That is clear, cool, and unstained.
Those who drink that water
Cease yearning for the three existences. {75}
33.­80
“They become irreversible,
Those who drink that supreme water.
Through supreme wisdom
They become supreme buddhas. {76}
33.­81
“Know that they enter
The supreme way of peace.
Those who do not know that way,
Those focused on perceptions,1082 will perish. {77}
33.­82
“The beings who follow that way,
And those who depend upon them,
Will fall into the great terror
Of unendurable Avīci. {78}
33.­83
“The terrible sufferings there
Are beyond description,
But I and the bodhisattvas,
The protectors, know them. {79}
33.­84
“They doubt the Dharma,
Which is profound and difficult to see.
It is not on the level of fools,
Those who remain focused on perceptions. {80}
33.­85
“The manifestations of displays,
Of appearances of many forms,
They are all of them seen in
The supreme buddha realms. {81}
33.­86
“All the appearances of manifested forms
That are in every buddha realm
Are all revealed here by bodhisattvas
With great miraculous powers. {82}
33.­87
“Those great heroes with great strength
Wear the armor of the great Dharma.
They strike with the blows
Of the great vajra of the meaning of emptiness. {83}
33.­88
“Many thousands of millions of light rays
As numerous as the sands in the Ganges
Are radiated from their bodies
And they illuminate the world. {84}
33.­89
“They find no pleasure in women
And have no desire for them.
Those conceptions have been destroyed
Naturally with their conceptions of women. {85}
33.­90
“Wherever those heroes are present,
Those buddha realms are not empty.
How could the māras and evil ones
Create an obstacle for them? {86}
33.­91
“Those who remain in fabricated views
Displease a multitude of buddhas.
Those who are based upon maliciousness
Maintain their desires and attachments. {87}
33.­92
“All of those who maintain those views [F.107.b]
Should be known to be māras.
But those māras and evil ones
Cannot cause them an obstacle.1083 {i}
33.­93
“When all conceptualization has ceased
They do not relapse into conceptualization.
That is how one should know wisdom to be,
The inconceivable wisdom of buddhahood. {88}
33.­94
“They see the past, the future,
And also the present.
Phenomena are revealed in that way,
But there is nothing to be revealed. {89}
33.­95
“They do not know through knowledge.
They are not despondent because of no knowledge.
When knowledge and no knowledge have been examined
That is what is said to be ‘the knowledge of buddhahood.’1084 {90}
33.­96
“The bodhisattvas know
Communication, words, and terms,
And they accomplish immeasurable,
Inconceivable benefits for beings. {91}
33.­97
“In order for a concept to be known,
It is taught through grasping.
The non-grasping of a concept
Is taught for the sake of detachment. {92}
33.­98
“That which is detachment is taught
To be detachment from conceptions.1085
As the nature of conceptions is known,1086
There will be no1087 conceptions.1088 {93}
33.­99
“When someone has the conception
‘I must eliminate this conception,’
They cause conceptions to increase,
And they will not be free from conceptions. {94}
33.­100
“For whom has this conception arisen?
Who has made this conception arise?
Who perceives this conception?
Who ends this conception? {95}
33.­101
“When a conception arises for anyone,
Even a buddha could not find any such phenomenon.
Contemplate the meaning of this
And there will be no conception. {96}
33.­102
“When does a conception arise?
For whom does the conception appear?
How does liberation arise
In the process of the mind? {97}
33.­103
“When liberation is experienced,
All thoughts become nonthought.
When thoughts become nonthought,
At that time there is nonthought. {98}
33.­104
“When one is on the level of thoughts,
Having thus contemplated,
All thoughts are eliminated
And there is nonthought. {99}
33.­105
“This is the ripening of good qualities, [F.108.a]
Which is seen without mentation,
And the thoughts of all beings
Are known in a single instant. {100}
33.­106
“As beings are, so are their thoughts;
As are their thoughts, so are the jinas.
The inconceivable Buddha
Has taught these thoughts. {101}
33.­107
“When will thoughts cease for those
Who think of being alone in solitude?
When they do not think that thought
Then all thoughts will cease to be. {102}
33.­108
“When it comes to the time of death
And their thoughts are continuing,
Their consciousness will follow the thoughts
And they will not be free from thought. {103}
33.­109
“If a man retains the concept of a woman,
His desire will continue to arise.
If this concept has ceased
He will not be stained by desire. {104}
33.­110
“This thought is a great thought;
It is the unsurpassable thought of the Dharma.
Through this thought of the Dharma
There will be a continuity of correct thoughts. {105}
33.­111
“Through incorrect thought
There will be numerous, countless thoughts,
And though one thinks for a very long time
There will still be no cessation to thinking. {106}
33.­112
“When someone has the thought of a name,
In that cessation there is no wisdom.1089
There is no cessation in the knowledge of a word—1090
That is the nature of cessation. {107}
33.­113
“Through words, speech, and communication
Phenomena are taught using the term cessation.
Between phenomena there is no distinction,
And through knowing that there is cessation; {108}
33.­114
“Even if it is explained for ten million eons
That they are unproduced and unceasing,
Without attributes and without characteristics,
They are taught to be without attributes. {109}
33.­115
“When all existents have ceased to exist
And they remain in nonexistence,
Existence is not taught to be other than nonexistence,
And nonexistence is not taught to be other than existence. {110}
33.­116
“The teaching of nonexistence
Is given through the word nonexistence,
But not even all the buddhas
Can see nonexistence. {111}
33.­117
“That which exists is taught
As this nonexistence of all that exists.
Knowing existents in this way,
They are taught to be nonexistent. {112}
33.­118
“There is no one whomsoever
Who can connect with this nonexistence.
The connection with this nonexistence
Results in a teaching that is one of conventions.1091 {113}
33.­119
“The ones who have in their mind the thought [F.108.b]
‘I shall become a buddha in this world,’
Will not be afflicted by craving for existence,
And those wise ones will attain enlightenment. {114}
33.­120
“The bodhisattvas in meditation
Do not long for any phenomenon.
When nothing is apprehended,1092
That is called enlightenment. {115}
33.­121
“There are many who say,
‘I am in a state of enlightenment,’
But not knowing this approach
They are far from buddhahood’s enlightenment. {116}
33.­122
“The Dharma that is taught through words
Is entirely composite and empty.
The nature of these words
Is profound, subtle, and difficult to see. {117}
33.­123
“It is through great higher cognition
That the teaching of this sūtra is given.
It is taught by all the buddhas
For the sake of the bodhisattvas. {118}
33.­124
“Remedies defeat
However many kleśas they have.
Remaining in higher cognition,
They cultivate miraculous powers. {119}
33.­125
“They maintain the knowledge of contemplation
And then that knowledge also ceases.
There is an insatiable acquisition
Of inconceivable, immeasurable wisdom. {120}
33.­126
“Their samādhi and miraculous actions
Are devoid of mentation.
Such is the ripening of these heroes
Who are always in a state of meditation. {121}
33.­127
“With these ripened miraculous powers
They go to millions of realms
And they see those who are the illumination of the worlds,
Who are as numerous as the sands of the Ganges. {122}
33.­128
“Their births and their deaths
Are the processes of their minds.
They have attained power over their minds
And their bodies are bright. {123}
33.­129
“The Buddha’s śrāvakas who maintain
The miraculous powers they have cultivated
Do not even approach a sixteenth fraction
Of the miraculous activities free of mentation. {124}
33.­130
“All the devas are unable
To know their thoughts.
Only the lords of the worlds,
And those who are equal to them, can do so. {125}
33.­131
“They do not become bald
And their hair does not become white.
They do not have evident aging
And thus have no suffering or death. {126}
33.­132
“They do not have doubt or mistrust
And they have no uncertainty. [F.109.a]
Day and night they seek for
Thousands of millions of sūtras. {127}
33.­133
“All their propensities
For the kleśas are eliminated.
They always have an equal mind
Toward all beings. {128}
33.­134
“They teach quintillions of samādhis
Throughout the ten directions.
Without respite they answer
Thousand of millions of questions. {129}
33.­135
“The concept of male, the concept of female,
And all other concepts have ceased.
They remain in the recognition of nonexistence
And they teach that which is certain and true. {130}
33.­136
“With completely pure wisdom
They teach the Dharma correctly.
They are dedicated to proclaiming the Dharma,
And are in the domain of samādhi and wisdom. {131}
33.­137
“Though they practice dhyāna,
They do not remain in existence.
Their words are not meaningless;
Their teaching of the Dharma is fruitful. {132}
33.­138
“Those who delight in this sūtra
Will easily become human,
Avoid all disadvantageous existences,
And repay the kindness of all the buddhas. {133}
33.­139
“Those who possess one verse
Of this precious sūtra
Will abandon saṃsāra
For countless eons. {134}
33.­140
“Those who delight in this sūtra
Are seen by all the buddhas.
They will serve the buddhas
And quickly attain enlightenment. {135}
33.­141
“Those who delight in this sūtra,
They will have no doubt or uncertainty
Concerning the entire Dharma,
And they are near to nirvāṇa. {136}
33.­142
“They will see a great hero,
A tathāgata on Gṛdhrakūṭa.
All the buddhas will give them prophecies
And they will appear to be compassionate jinas. {137}
33.­143
“Those who follow this sūtra
In this time of destruction
Will see Buddha Maitreya
And attain excellent patience. {138}
33.­144
“They will remain at the summit of existence,
The inconceivable summit of existence,
And at that inconceivable summit
They will know no doubt. {139}
33.­145
“They will not have any doubt at all,
Not even an atom of doubt.
As they have eliminated every atom of doubt,1093
Enlightenment will not be difficult to attain. {140} [F.109.b]
33.­146
“In the terrifying age of destruction
They will undergo hardship,
Train in this precious sūtra,
And have an unceasing eloquence.1094 {141}
33.­147
“They will promulgate this sūtra
And will guard the treasure of the buddhas.
This is an offering to all the buddhas,
An inconceivable offering of the Dharma. {142}
33.­148
“Those who maintain this sūtra
During the cruel age of destruction
Will without difficulty attain wisdom,
The inconceivable wisdom of buddhahood. {143}
33.­149
“Those who received this sūtra
From the buddhas of the past
Will come into possession of it
And promulgate it in the age of destruction. {144}
33.­150
“Their voices will proclaim
The conduct of the Śākya lion
In the presence of lords of the world
In millions of buddha realms. {145}
33.­151
“And in the presence of the buddhas1095
They will always roar the lion’s roar
With an endless confidence of speech,
Teaching the enlightenment of buddhahood. {146}
33.­152
“Those who have been prophesied by the Buddha
Will be born into the Ikṣvāku family.
They will protect this enlightenment
During the terrifying age of destruction. {147}
33.­153
“Their bodies will be perfect,
Adorned by the primary signs of a great being.
They will send emanations
To make homage to millions of buddhas. {148}
33.­154
“There will be the manifestation
Of golden, illusory flowers,
And flowers made of beryl,
Of crystal, and of silver, {149}
33.­155
“And every kind of jewel
Appearing from their hands,
Which they will scatter toward the buddhas
In seeking the path to enlightenment. {150}
33.­156
“Various kinds of offerings,
And perfectly created music,
As numerous as the Ganges sands,
Will be emitted from the pores of their bodies. {151}
33.­157
“The countless millions of beings
Who hear that music
Will progress irreversibly toward
Buddhahood’s highest wisdom. {152}
33.­158
“Those millions of buddhas
Recite countless praises
And their sound is heard
Within countless realms. {153}
33.­159
“For those who hear that sound
All their conceptualization ceases. [F.110.a]
When their conceptualization has ceased
They will see endless1096 buddhas. {154}
33.­160
“With that kind of wisdom
They will practice bodhisattva conduct.
They will benefit all beings
And become jinas who benefit others. {155}
33.­161
“Those who possess this samādhi
Are wise ones who will obtain
These benefits and qualities,
And also countless others. {156}
33.­162
“Even a female who hears
This sūtra and retains a single verse
Will change from having a female existence
And will become a dharmabhāṇaka. {157}
33.­163
“She will never again afterward
Have a female existence,
And will always be handsome
And adorned by the primary signs of a great being. {158}
33.­164
“They will all come to possess
These supreme qualities
Described in this supreme sūtra,
And they will quickly attain enlightenment. {159}
33.­165
“Having obtained this sūtra,
Which is the domain of all the buddhas,1097
Throughout all their lifetimes
They will always be without fear. {160}
33.­166
“Teaching this samādhi, this peace
Is the creation of bodhisattvas.
Whoever wishes to attain enlightenment
Should give the teaching of this sūtra. {161}
33.­167
“They will be close to the lords of sages
And will be close to buddhahood’s enlightenment.
They will before long attain
This level of peace and meditation. {162}
33.­168
“The bodhisattvas, the heroes,
Always remain in this enlightenment.
They see millions of buddhas
As numerous as the Ganges sands. {163}
33.­169
“They will become cakravartin kings who rule the world,
See stainless buddhas who have minds of perfect peace,
Praise those lords of the worlds with hundreds of verses,
And obtain the peace of this stainless samādhi. {164}
33.­170
“They will make unequaled offerings to those guides1098
Who have perfect, great fame and are supreme among humans and devas,
And they will cast aside the kingdom like spittle,
And pure, perfectly pure, will practice celibacy. {165}
33.­171
“They will enter homelessness in the Sage’s teaching
And obtain the peace of this stainless samādhi. [F.110.b]
They will have friendly speech with gentle words,
And become empowered and wise in teaching1099 a million sūtras. {166}
33.­172
“Having attained this samādhi they will teach it to many beings:
Empty and without attributes, the perfect attainment of peace,
The perfect and unimpeded practice of the Dharma of complete peace,
The empty nature that is constant, stainless peacefulness. {167}
33.­173
“They have profound realization, continuous endless realization,
A vast realization, a realization that is incalculably beneficial.
Having attained profound peace, this samādhi,
They will become an illumination for all worlds. {168}
33.­174
“Having attained this peace, this stainless samādhi,
They will be continually pure in celibacy,
Unsullied, always free of the kleśas,
And lead millions of other beings to be the same. {169}
33.­175
“Having attained this peace, this stainless samādhi,
They will have exceedingly sharp wisdom, supreme wisdom,
They will gain an ocean of learning and always have infinite understanding,
Virtuous speech, excellent understanding, and knowledge of the instructions. {170}
33.­176
“Having attained this peace, this stainless samādhi,
They will gain skill in works and skill in the arts,
Skill in healing and likewise skill in herbs.
In everything they will be constant and perfect. {171}
33.­177
“Having attained this peace, this stainless samādhi,
They will be perfect and completely skilled
In poetry, treatises, comedy, music, song, and dance,
Always becoming masters of these in this world. {172}
33.­178
“Having attained this peace, this stainless samādhi,
Such people will be those who always have a retinue.
They will not cause division, but will always keep harmonious unity
And practice the supreme, highest, peaceful bodhisattva conduct. {173}
33.­179
“Having attained this peace, this stainless samādhi,
Those wise people will never have
Sorrow, pain, or mental anguish,
And will at all times be free of illness. {174}
33.­180
“Having attained this peace, this stainless samādhi,
In this human world they will not have any illness,
No physical pain, nor likewise mental pain,
No toothache, and similarly no headache. {175} [F.111.a]
33.­181
“Having attained this peace, this stainless samādhi,
They will never have any illness occur,
None of the various sicknesses of the mortal world,
Whether physical illness or likewise mental illness. {176}
33.­182
“Having attained this peace, this stainless samādhi,
They will never have the many different kinds of afflictions,
Whether they are the various kinds of mental afflictions
Or the various kinds of physical illnesses. {177}
33.­183
“Having attained this peace, this stainless samādhi,
Just as space, the air, is undefiled,
Has a pure nature, and is vast1100 and bright,
In the same way their minds will be completely pure. {178}
33.­184
“Having attained this peace, this stainless samādhi,
Just as moonlight, and likewise sunlight, too,
Are pure, ungraspable, and radiant,
In the same way their minds will be bright. {179}
33.­185
“Just as it is not easy, using pigments,
To paint various forms in the air,
In the same way it is not easy to create pictures in the mind1101
Of those who remain in this stainless samādhi of peace. {180}
33.­186
“Just as the wind blows in the four1102 directions,
Going in every direction without impediment,
Their continuum of mind is like the wind,
Moving unimpeded, without attachment,1103 throughout the world. {181}
33.­187
“One may be able to catch the wind with a net,
One may be able to bind the wind with a noose,
But it is not so easy to know the mind of someone
Who has meditated on this stainless samādhi of peace. {182}
33.­188
“One may be able to catch a reflection on water,
And obtain from it a bowl of sesame oil,
But it is not so easy to know the mind of someone
Who has meditated on this stainless samādhi of peace. {183}
33.­189
“Someone may be able to catch in their hands
The lightning that flashes from the thundering clouds,
But it is not so easy to know the extent of the mind of someone
Who has meditated on this stainless samādhi of peace.1104 {184} [F.111.b]
33.­190
“One may be able to know the languages of all beings,
The beings in the buddha realms in the ten directions,
But it is not so easy to know the heights of the mind
Of bodhisattvas who have attained this samādhi. {185}
33.­191
“When they have attained this stainless samādhi of peace
They will have no kleśas and be undefiled.
Those who have attained this samādhi of peace
Will never again have attachment1105 to the three existences.1106 {186}
33.­192
“Having attained this stainless samādhi of peace,
They have no longing for objects of desire, no longing for forms;1107
They have no longing for women and have an unconfused mind.
They are peaceful, completely peaceful, and undefiled. {187}
33.­193
“Having attained this stainless samādhi of peace,
They have no longing for sons, no longing for daughters;
They have no longing for a wife, and no longing for attendants.
Their conduct is peaceful and they are undefiled. {188}
33.­194
“They have no longing for gold and no longing for wealth.
They have no longing for higher rebirth and no attachment to money and jewels.
They have a completely pure mind and are free of thought.
That is the uniqueness of this attainment of samādhi. {189}
33.­195
“They do not practice celibacy for a higher rebirth.1108
The wise are not generous out of yearning for a higher rebirth;
Bodhisattvas are generous because they desire enlightenment.
That is the uniqueness of this attainment of samādhi. {190}
33.­196
“Those who accomplish this stainless samādhi
Do not practice asceticism in order to have a kingdom,
Nor in order to become sovereign over the three existences.
They benefit many beings because they long for enlightenment. {191}
33.­197
“They have no longing for songs and no longing for dance,
They have no longing for incense1109 and no longing for drink,
And they have no longing for food and no longing for clothes.
That is the uniqueness of this attainment of samādhi. {i}1110
33.­198
“They have no longing for eyes and no longing for ears,
They have no longing for a nose and no longing for a tongue,
And they have no longing for a body and no longing for a mind.
That is the uniqueness of this attainment of samādhi. {ii}
33.­199
“They have no longing for home and no longing for the forest, [F.112.a]
They have no longing for a monastery and no longing for a village,
And they have no longing for a region and no longing for a town.
That is the uniqueness of this attainment of samādhi. {iii}
33.­200
“They have no longing for generosity and no longing for conduct,
They have no longing for patience and no longing for diligence,
And they have no longing for meditation and no longing for wisdom.
That is the uniqueness of this attainment of samādhi. {iv}
33.­201
“They have no longing for being and no longing for life,
They have no longing for the Buddha and no longing for the Dharma,
And they have no longing for the Saṅgha and no longing for enlightenment.
That is the uniqueness of this attainment of samādhi. {v}
33.­202
“They have no longing for existence and no longing for nonexistence,
They have no longing for the middle way and no longing for the extremes,
And they have no longing for everything and no longing for nothing.
That is the uniqueness of this attainment of samādhi. {vi}
33.­203
“When they have attained this stainless samādhi of peace,
Desire can never cause them harm.
Those who yearn for women have confused minds
And they know that this is the nature of desire. {192}
33.­204
“When they have attained this stainless samādhi of peace,
Anger can never cause them harm.
The wise ones destroy malice;
Through love they completely overcome anger.1111 {193}
33.­205
“Ignorance can never cause them harm;
Wisdom eliminates ignorance and stupidity.
They attain measureless wisdom free of darkness.
These qualities from attaining samādhi are measureless. {194}
33.­206
“Desire is always overcome by repulsiveness.1112
Anger is constantly defeated by love.
Wisdom cuts through ignorance, the net of the kleśas.
Those who have attained samādhi are majestic to the whole world. {195}
33.­207
“Sleep can never cause them harm.
They eliminate the various subsidiary kleśas.
They are undefiled and liberated.
These qualities from attaining samādhi are measureless. {196}
33.­208
“Desire can never cause harm
To the bodhisattvas who possess this samādhi. [F.112.b]
They delight always in generosity:
They give away their possessions and give happiness. {197}
33.­209
“The bodhisattvas who possess this samādhi
Possess power that is beyond compare.
At all times they are in the possession of strength.
There is no one who is their equal in the world. {198}
33.­210
“They become cakravartins in this world.
They come to Jambudvīpa as the sovereign of humans
And many beings make offerings to them,
And in particular they attain the unique wisdom free of darkness. {199}
33.­211
“Such bodhisattvas become the leaders in a special, jewellike family.1113
They have great wealth and are lords over many people.1114
They have horses, elephants, and perfect chariots to ride upon.
They have abundant gold and precious jewels.1115 {200}
33.­212
“Those who have faith in the supreme wisdom of the Buddha,
They are called the jewellike families in Jambudvīpa.
They are born there into special, jewellike families
And they benefit a multitude of their kin. {201}
33.­213
“They carefully engender faith in those
Who are of families in Jambudvīpa who have no faith.
They bring a multitude of beings to aspire to enlightenment,
And they become self-arisen buddhas, supreme jinas. {202}
33.­214
“They attain unequaled, highest enlightenment
And turn the unequaled Dharma wheel in buddha realms.1116
Those who then know that Dharma wheel
Will all remain in the birthlessness of phenomena. {203}
33.­215
“The bodhisattvas will perform many activities.
Beings will constantly make offerings to them.
They will constantly accomplish unequaled benefit.
They will remove the darkness from the eyes of beings. {204}
33.­216
{205}1117
33.­217
“The bodhisattvas, joyous, with loving minds
And unstained, will become buddhas.
Wherever those bodhisattvas are present
They will create an immeasurable benefit for beings. {206}
33.­218
“They will protect correct conduct and have matchless celibacy.
They will meditate on samādhi for many endless eons. [F.113.a]
They will constantly have certainty in dhyāna and liberation.
Those bodhisattvas will be the sons of the buddhas. {207}
33.­219
“They always practice the bases of miraculous powers,
And they go to various infinite realms.
They listen to the Dharma taught by the sugatas
And, having the power of retention, they remember everything. {208}
33.­220
“Those bodhisattvas who have the power of retention
Teach endless, countless sūtras.
Those bodhisattvas who have the power of retention
Accomplish countless benefits for beings. {209}
33.­221
“They know the deaths and rebirths
And the coming and going of beings,
What kind of actions they do,
And the ripening of their karma. {210}
33.­222
“In that transference of karma
There are not even atoms to be found.
Those greatly famous bodhisattvas
Know, too, that this is so. {211}
33.­223
“Emptiness is the supreme
Dwelling of the great beings.
They establish countless millions
Of beings in the great yāna. {212}
33.­224
“When they are teaching
They have no concept of beings.
The bodhisattvas teach
Without engaging in phenomena. {213}
33.­225
“When they teach the Dharma
There is no apprehending of an object.
They reside in emptiness,
Established in enduring wisdom. {214}
33.­226
“When someone has been taught this samādhi,
In which all the teachers reside,
No conceptions arise in him,
He naturally has no conceptions about women. {215}
33.­227
“When conceptions of women have ceased,
He sits at the Bodhimaṇḍa.
Once he has sat at the Bodhimaṇḍa
The conceptions of Māra cease. {216}
33.­228
“The wise one does not see
Māra 1118 and Māra’s army,1119
And neither does he see
The three daughters of Māra. {217}
33.­229
“Once he is seated upon the Bodhimaṇḍa,
All his conceptions are eliminated.
Once all his conceptions are eliminated
This entire world is shaken. {218}
33.­230
“So, too, are all the worlds in the ten directions [F.113.b]
With their Sumerus and their oceans,
And this is known
By all the beings in the ten directions.1120 {219}
33.­231
“This shaking of the world
Is the miracle of the bodhisattva;
It is shaken six times
When he attains supreme enlightenment. {220}
33.­232
“All the composite phenomena there are,
And all the noncomposite phenomena—
All phenomena are understood
That are taught by the word phenomena.1121 {221}
33.­233
“There is nothing there to be understood,
And that lion’s roar arises.
Knowing this process of arising,
He becomes an illuminating buddha. {222}
33.­234
“Phenomena appear dependently.
Phenomena are produced dependently.
The wise ones know the entirety
Of the dependence of phenomena. {223}
33.­235
“They know the development of all phenomena.
They have complete understanding through emptiness.
They have wisdom concerning states of existence.
They have complete understanding of all phenomena. {224}
33.­236
On seeking for these states of existence,
The bodhisattva does not find them.
That is the same as the inconceivable knowledge
Of all the buddhas concerning states of existence. {225}
33.­237
“The one who has that complete knowledge
Knows all states of existence.1122
Knowing the characteristic of the true Dharma,
He brings to an end all illusions.1123 {226}
33.­238
“Knowing the characteristic of the true Dharma,
He gazes upon all the realms.
Having gazed upon all the realms,
He seats himself at the Bodhimaṇḍa.1124 {i}
33.­239
“Having sat at the Bodhimaṇḍa,
There is the sound of the lion’s roar,
Which thus resounds throughout
Countless, innumerable millions of realms. {227}
33.­240
“All those greatly renowned buddha heroes
Also cause those realms to shake.
The leader of beings guides beings
In the way that they are to be guided. {228}
33.­241
“Having reached the highest enlightenment,
He rises from the Bodhimaṇḍa.
He guides the countless, innumerable beings
Who are to be guided. {229}
33.­242
“Then the Buddha emanates
Infinite buddha emanations.
These buddha emanations1125 go
To thousands of millions of realms.1126 {230}
33.­243
“They lead countless millions
Of beings to the highest enlightenment. [F.114.a]
He teaches the supreme Dharma
For the benefit of all beings. {231}
33.­244
“That kind of great wisdom
Is the inconceivable wisdom of a buddha.
Therefore develop the aspiration,
The supreme aspiration to enlightenment.1127 {232}
33.­245
“Develop veneration for those with the highest qualities:
The Buddha, the Dharma, and the Saṅgha,
And the heroes, the bodhisattvas,
Who seek for the highest enlightenment. {233}
33.­246
“Without becoming disheartened,
Venerate them unflaggingly,
And become before long
An illuminating buddha. {234}
33.­247
“Those bodhisattvas who come here
From thousands of realms
See the lamp of the world
Teaching the supreme Dharma. {235}
33.­248
“Those great heroes throw down
Great jewels for the Guide,
And in order to attain enlightenment
They cast down coral tree flowers. {236}
33.­249
“They adorn this realm,
The highest buddha realm.
All of the ten directions1128
Are covered with networks of jewels. {237}
33.­250
“They string up flags
And erect millions of banners,
And they adorn this realm
With endless adornments. {238}
33.­251
“They create countless, beautiful
Pinnacled halls with balconies,1129
Upper chambers,1130 and towers1131
Adorned with every jewel. {239}
33.­252
“They create palaces with crescents,
Round windows and aviaries,
Incense, banners, and vases,1132
And adorned with many jewels. {240}
33.­253
“The aroma1133 of incense
Spreads through this buddha realm.1134
That delightful incense
Pervades a billion1135 realms. {241}
33.­254
“When it has spread through them
A rain of incense falls.
Those who smell that incense
Become buddhas, guides. {242}
33.­255
“They cast away the pain1136 of desire.
They do not have anger and craving.1137
The net of ignorance1138 is destroyed
And all darkness comes to an end. {243}
33.­256
“There they attain the miraculous powers,
And the strengths, powers, and aspects of enlightenment. [F.114.b]
They attain the dhyānas and the liberations
And become worthy of offerings. {244}
33.­257
“Fifty million1139 beautiful
Seats are arranged,
Draped with millions1140 of cloths
And nets of jewels.1141 {245}
33.­258
“The bodhisattvas, the famous heroes,
Are gathered there upon those seats.1142
They shine with the primary signs
And also with the secondary signs. {246}
33.­259
“This entire buddha realm
Is adorned by trees made of jewels.
There are emanated ponds that are filled
With water that has the eight qualities. {247}
33.­260
“Those on the banks of those pools
Who drink from their waters
Are freed from all craving
And become worthy of veneration by the world. {248}
33.­261
“In other realms, too,
Bodhisattvas gather.
They praise the Buddha,
The lion of the Śākyas, the protector. {249}
33.­262
“Those who hear that praise
Become guides of the worlds.
Here I have described
This sūtra’s inconceivable benefits. {250}
33.­263
“Countless millions of lotuses
Are emanated, which have
Petals made of gold,
And pericarps of uragasāra.1143 {251}
33.­264
“They have stems1144 of beryl,
They have leaves1145 of crystal,
They have stamens of emerald,1146
And have beautifully appeared. {252}
33.­265
“They have an inconceivable aroma
That they continuously emit.
The inconceivable aroma of the lotuses
Fills millions of realms.1147 {i}
33.­266
“Those who smell that aroma
That they delightfully emanate
Will have delight in their minds
And all their illnesses will cease. {253}
33.­267
“Desire, anger, and ignorance
Will cease without trace.
When those three faults have ceased in them
They will be buddhas who bestow happiness. {254}
33.­268
“From them are emitted sounds,
Countless numbers of the word buddha.
And from them also the words
dharma and saṅgha emanate everywhere, {255}
33.­269
“And also the words emptiness,
Absence of attributes, and absence of aspiration.
The progress of the numerous millions of beings
Who hear them becomes irreversible. {256} [F.115.a]
33.­270
“These words that are emanated
Also reach millions of realms.
They establish countless millions
Of beings in this buddha wisdom. {257}
33.­271
“The birds that are peacocks,1148
Avadavats, and partridges
Also sing out a word,
The unsurpassable word buddha. {258}
33.­272
“The birds that are snipes,
Mynas, cranes, and cuckoos
Also sing out a word,
The inconceivable1149 word dharma.1150 {i}
33.­273
“The birds that are parrots, geese,
Ducks, shelducks, and swans
Also sing out a word,
The unsurpassable word saṅgha. {ii}
33.­274
“All the birds that there are
In the deva or the human worlds
Are continuously singing
Praises of the Three Jewels. {iii}
33.­275
“Trees made of jewels
Are manifested in this realm.
Those delightful jewel trees
Are uniquely beautiful. {259}
33.­276
“On all those trees are hung
Every kind of ornament.
They have manifested in this realm
Through the power of the Buddha.1151 {260}
33.­277
“This display does not exist
Anywhere in any realm.
This unique, superior sight
Is not to be seen in this realm.1152 {261}
33.­278
“This is what has been taught
By the Śākya lion, the protector.
The greatly famed bodhisattvas
Have no doubt in that wisdom. {262}
33.­279
“They comprehend that highest point.
Their way is inconceivable.
Their wisdom increases
Like an ocean into which rivers flow. {263}
33.­280
“They have no final end.
It is like drinking an ocean.
This is the inconceivable way
Of the bodhisattvas that has been taught. {264}
33.­281
“The greatly famed bodhisattvas,
The heroes, are at the highest point.
They give forth aspects of speech
That are as numerous as the Ganges sands. {265}
33.­282
“There is such inconceivable speech
But the bodhisattvas have no pride.1153
They have eliminated pride
And are near to enlightenment, {266}
33.­283
“They will not ruin their correct conduct
Even for the sake of their life.
The bodhisattvas are resolute [F.115.b]
And behave immaculately. {267}
33.­284
“They do not become ruined
By any concept of desire.
They have eliminated all conceptions
And they have countless samādhis. {268}
33.­285
“They practice them while in meditation
Yet have no attachment to those samādhis.
They have no clinging, they are attentive,
And they have no attachment to the world. {269}
33.­286
“When they leave this world
They go to Sukhāvatī.
When they have arrived there
They see Buddha Amitābha. {270}
33.­287
“Those bodhisattva heroes
Are adorned by the primary signs.
They have reached the domain of the five higher cognitions,
Great wisdom,1154 and the retentions. {271}
33.­288
“They go to millions of realms
And bow down to the feet of the buddhas.
Shining, they travel
To countless buddha realms. {272}
33.­289
“They have eliminated all faults
And are purified of all kleśas.
With the kleśas completely eradicated
They are one lifetime from becoming a jina. {273}
33.­290
“They will not go to the lower realms.
From that realm of humans
All rebirth into the lower realms
Has been eradicated in that realm. {274}
33.­291
“Do not doubt what has been revealed
Concerning that protector,
The Lord of the World, Amitābha,
And you will go to Sukhāvatī.1155 {275}
33.­292
“A woman who has faith on hearing
The praise of this precious sūtra1156
Will soon become a superior wise man
Who miraculously goes to billions of realms. {276}
33.­293
“Many offerings of innumerable kinds,
Offered continuously to supreme beings
Within the appearance of a quintillion realms,
Cannot equal a fraction of a loving mind. {277}
33.­294
“Those who always practice correct conduct and samādhi,
And also countless dhyānas and liberations,
Who always practice emptiness devoid of attributes—
They will soon become a sugata in the world. {278}
33.­295
“The bodhisattvas who maintain the aggregate of correct conduct
Make the greatest, most special offering to me.
Those who maintain the aspiration to enlightenment in the time of degeneration
Are continuously making an offering to all the buddhas.1157 {279} [F.116.a]
33.­296
“The bodhisattvas in the dreadful time of degeneration
Who protect this supreme Dharma1158 taught by the sugatas,
Are my offspring and protectors of the Dharma in the later times.1159
They have been entrusted by ten billion buddhas.” {280}
33.­297
Conclusion of the thirty-third chapter, “The Benefits of Possessing the Sūtra.” [B11]

Source

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