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The Chapter Teaching the Purification of Boundless Gateways consists of an extended discourse presented by the Buddha to his bodhisattva disciple Anantavyūha. The instruction consists of a so-called dhāraṇī gateway, a teaching that involves a series of dhāraṇī spells, which are interspersed throughout. The teaching is generally concerned with well-known Mahāyāna Buddhist themes, ranging from the lack of inherent identity to the qualities of complete awakening, but these topics are here presented within a larger exegesis on the meaning of the dhāraṇī gateway.

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The sūtra takes the form of a conversation between the Buddha and the bodhisattva Anantavyūha. The teaching itself commences when Anantavyūha requests from the Buddha a dhāraṇī gateway. This is an important concept common to many Great Vehicle sūtras. As a magical formula, a dhāraṇī constitutes a gateway to the infinite qualities of awakening, the awakened state itself, and the various forms of buddha activity. Just as those qualities are innumerable, so are the dhāraṇī gateways. The Mahāprajñāpāramitāśāstra explains the term by comparing a dhāraṇī gateway to a samādhi gateway.^⁠1 Just as a samādhi gateway allows access to any desired quality or magical power, so too can a dhāraṇī gateway. The difference is that while the samādhi comes and goes, the dhāraṇī never leaves those who have “obtained” it, following them like a shadow from life to life. This is because, when realizing or “obtaining” a dhāraṇī, one becomes “sealed” by it. Hence a dhāraṇī is often also called a dhāraṇī seal.

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The word dhāraṇī derives from the Sanskrit verbal root √dhṛ (“to hold,” “support,” “contain,” “retain,” or “remember”). The sense of containing could be applied to both the formula, which magically “contains” certain qualities, and the person who has obtained this dhāraṇī formula or seal. Once it has been obtained, that person becomes “sealed” or “stamped” with whatever quality the dhāraṇī contains and subsequently has the power to activate this quality or invoke the corresponding buddha activity. Though not explicit in the literal meaning of the term, a dhāraṇī is always a vehicle for the blessing of the buddhas and the magical power sealed therein. The sūtras and commentaries often describe the dhāraṇī power of retaining things in memory, but dhāraṇīs can also function as the gateway to innumerable other qualities, such as loving kindness, compassion, and so forth, and invoke any kind of awakened activity. As for the dhāraṇī formula itself, being a supplication or a command with a message, a dhāraṇī tends to be longer than the average mantra. It may also, and often does, include words devoid of lexical meaning. Perhaps the dhāraṇīs, with their tendency to include vernacular forms and seemingly alliterative derivations, were intended to resonate with the native speakers of the language, directly impacting their minds and feelings. Thus, the alliterative forms in the dhāraṇīs that seem unintelligible to us might have been intelligible to the native speakers of the period, or at least conjured up the meanings and feelings evoked by similar-sounding words known to them.

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A dhāraṇī cannot be reduced to a simple spell, however. Anantavyūha remarks, “this dhāraṇī gateway is as wide as the sky; it is a peerless great gateway. For that reason, it is described with words such as immeasurable and limitless.” This is not to say that the conversation does not focus on the unique efficacy of the actual dhāraṇī syllables. The Buddha explains that “dhāraṇīs are the condensation, the inclusion, the main essence, and the heart of every explanation, praise, utterance, declaration, and illustration.” Accordingly, dhāraṇīs are first and foremost potent, condensed speech. To penetrate them necessitates that one engages deeply with language and internalizes an understanding of the Sanskrit alphabet in particular. According to the sūtra, dhāraṇīs are not fanciful magic, for part of their efficacy hinges on the inseparable connection that exists between language and the phenomenal world.

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Like most Great Vehicle sūtras, this text reinforces the need for its own preservation via a discussion of why it is vital that all bodhisattvas take up the practice of this dhāraṇī. This spurs in turn a discussion of the benefits of having excelled in the dhāraṇī: nothing less than the achievement of the ten powers of a buddha, the factors of awakening, and the four types of fearlessness. Each of these traditional Buddhist lists is given its own unique treatment. Several dhāraṇīs are presented, including a series of spells that enable the practitioner to subdue Māra and to invoke and summon a variety of different gods of different locales, including Śakra, Brahmā, and the four great kings along with their retinues. Each of the latter will in turn bestow on the practitioner a variety of powers. The audience is finally urged to uphold and practice the sūtra’s instructions in a series of exhortations that encapsulate many of the sūtra’s central themes in an extended set of verses.

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Only a few of the texts contained in the Heap of Jewels are extant in Sanskrit, and this scripture is not one of them. The Tibetan translation, which we have rendered into English here, was completed in the early translation period and is listed in the early-ninth-century Denkarma catalogue.^⁠2 According to the colophon to the Tibetan translation, the sūtra was translated into Tibetan by the translator Kawa Paltsek (under the name Paltsek Rakṣita) and the Indian preceptor Surendrabodhi, who both participated in numerous translation projects in Tibet during the early translation period. The Chinese canon also contains a translation of this sūtra (T. 310–2), which was produced during the early eighth century by Bodhiruci (d. 727), a renowned translator who originally hailed from South India. This Bodhiruci is responsible for translating much of the Heap of Jewels collection, among other texts, into Chinese. This English translation was based primarily on the Tibetan Degé edition, with consultation of the Comparative Edition (dpe bsdur ma).

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Thus did I hear at one time. The Blessed One was staying at Kalandakanivāpa, in the Bamboo Grove near Rājagṛha, along with a great saṅgha of monks and innumerable bodhisattva great beings with only one birth remaining who had gathered from various buddhafields. At that time, the Blessed One was teaching the Dharma while surrounded by an audience numbering many hundreds of thousands. At one point, a bodhisattva named Anantavyūha, who was present among the assembly, stood up, draped his shawl over one shoulder, and knelt on his right knee. Bowing with palms joined toward the Blessed One, he said, “If the Thus-Gone One will grant me the opportunity, I would like to ask the blessed, thus-gone, worthy, perfect Buddha some questions, that I may receive a reply to my inquiries.”

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“Blessed One, I ask this of the Thus-Gone One on behalf of bodhisattva great beings who benefit all beings, whose minds are incomparable, whose intention is to know that all phenomena are pure, who analyze with great skillful understanding, who have developed skill in means for ascertaining innumerable topics, who pursue the great lion throne, who sit on the lion throne of omniscience, who cultivate intense subjugation, who are experts in irrefutable analysis, and who have fully donned the great armor that consists in applying great diligence in analysis.

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“Blessed One, I ask this of the Thus-Gone One on behalf of those beings who aim to serve as the foremost among beings and to reach perfection as lords ruling over everyone. Blessed One,[F.46.b] I ask this on behalf of those who aim to achieve unhindered and fearless knowledge, who maintain fearlessness and teach the Dharma to beings through methods and conditions that are beyond increase and decrease, who skillfully and extensively teach beings about the meaning of all phenomena, and who show how to penetrate the essential nature of things. Blessed One, I ask this on behalf of those whose minds are incomparable, unexcelled, superior, and foremost, and who seek to attain mastery of the mind.

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“Blessed One, I ask this of the Thus-Gone One on behalf of bodhisattvas who dwell on the levels and swiftly bring the level of buddhahood to culmination, who actualize the inconceivable perfection in skillful means, who develop with little hardship the inconceivable skill in means to bring beings to maturity, and who practice in order to manifest wisdom that will eradicate beings’ nonvirtuous qualities and foster their virtuous qualities, serve the family line of the Omniscient One, and lead countless thousands of beings to the level where one is destined for unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood. Blessed One, I ask this on behalf of those who teach the path of awakening to sentient beings and bodhisattvas and who delight in the qualities of buddhahood.

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“Blessed One, it is now the time and the occasion for revealing these Dharma gateways. Thus-Gone One, please teach these Dharma gateways to the large audience that has gathered here and carry out a Dharma teaching! These bodhisattvas have perfected their inconceivable aspirations and[F.47.b] have only one birth remaining, and their roots of virtue are ripe. Therefore, Blessed One, will the Thus-Gone One please make these bodhisattvas skillful in the dhāraṇī gateways, so that they may achieve the foundation of expertise in discerning the boundless ways of the Dharma; so that they may realize and teach the meaning of every definition; so that, if they strive, they may fully awaken to buddhahood; so that, if they strive, they may develop the infinite strength of miraculous power with which to bring countless beings to maturity; and so that they may become skilled in possessing the qualities and wisdom of buddhahood. Blessed One, if in this way the Thus-Gone One were to genuinely reveal such Dharma gateways, innumerable beings would become skilled and matured on the path to awakening. Blessed One, the Thus-Gone One has aspired for a long time to lead countless beings to awakened knowledge and self-manifest wisdom; now the time has come! Blessed One, please reveal and teach this dhāraṇī gateway so that these bodhisattvas’ individual roots of virtue may ripen, so that they may become more and more skilled in making inconceivable aspirations, and so that, through the Thus-Gone One’s powers, they may develop infinite, inconceivable skill in means. Blessed One, the thus-gone, worthy, perfect Buddha has gained mastery of infinite skill in means and reached the level of great fearlessness. Since he has focused his intention on genuine accomplishment for countless millions of eons, he is skilled in fulfilling all beings’ wishes.[F.48.a] Blessed One, everyone present here in this retinue gazes upon the Thus-Gone One’s face; these bodhisattvas are never sated in looking at the Thus-Gone One. They are insatiable in their pursuit of omniscient wisdom, in their pursuit of the Dharma, and they never tire of listening to the treasury of the Dharma of definitive meaning.

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“Blessed One, the Thus-Gone One is skilled in fulfilling the wishes of those present in this audience. The Thus-Gone One also understands the skill involved in all these bodhisattvas’ aspirations, the skill involved in application, and the skill involved in bringing them to maturity. Therefore, Blessed One, will the Thus-Gone One please reveal and explain the words of the Dharma gateways and dhāraṇī gateways, by which they may penetrate the unsurpassed sphere of the buddhas, the thus-gone ones, and come to perfect the skill in ascertaining all phenomena?

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“Blessed One, there will come a time in the future when hatred is rampant,[F.48.b] when desire, anger, ignorance, and other afflictions proliferate, when beings, overcome with ignorance, will argue, quarrel, bicker, and fight about the Dharma. I ask the Blessed One, the Thus-Gone One, to settle these matters so that at such a time bodhisattvas will be able, with great love in their hearts, to remain patient and neutral during such fights and, instead of arguing, adopt this Dharma way; so that, seized by great compassion, they may act harmoniously and not argue; and so that they may increase the power of their roots of virtue.

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“The Thus-Gone One is unsurpassable and incorruptible. Endowed with perfect, unceasing realization, you subdue and annihilate all opposition in a way that is aligned with the Dharma. You conquer all demons and generate roots of virtue in beings through your awakened qualities. You accomplish and display to beings your extraordinary, infinite skill in aspiration. You excel in omniscient wisdom and keep in mind the limitless compendia of the teachings. In possession of perfect and infinite eloquence,[F.49.a] you have mastered infinite skill in the way of dhāraṇī through illuminating, incomparable syllables and unceasing and refined discriminating knowledge. You are expert in the way of ascertaining all phenomena. You hasten the fulfillment of beings’ wishes and demonstrate to them the connection between past and future. You teach beings about the phenomena of the past, present, and future, you explain to them what is based on causes, and you teach the Dharma without any attachment. You make perfect meaningful statements to blessed buddhas in the realms of the ten directions, and in every realm in the ten directions you eradicate beings’ views about the Dharma through your miraculous power and fearlessness. Teaching beings this incredible, definitive Dharma, you are skilled in bringing awakened wisdom to maturity. Please offer such bountiful spiritual advice!

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The Blessed One then replied to the bodhisattva Anantavyūha, “Anantavyūha, it is excellent that you have asked this of the Thus-Gone One with such a disciplined mind. Anantavyūha, you have asked the Thus-Gone One to resolve these matters for all bodhisattvas and out of compassion for all beings, to bring about the perfection of the bodhisattvas’ skill in means and the purification of their aspirations. The qualities that you possess are not easily achieved! Thus, Anantavyūha, listen carefully and pay attention. I shall now explain how bodhisattvas may rise up to the sphere of omniscient wisdom through those and other boundless qualities.”

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The bodhisattva Anantavyūha agreed and gave his full attention to the Blessed One, who proceeded, “Anantavyūha, bodhisattvas who seek infinite skill in aspiration should employ the secret words conceived of by the Thus-Gone One; they should remember them, analyze them, and properly resolve them in their minds. How should they correctly resolve them? Anantavyūha, since this teaching of the Thus-Gone One emerges from the wisdom of the buddhas who are skilled in summarizing,[F.50.a] it does not arise from impurity. Anantavyūha, bodhisattvas should correctly train in this way: they should rely on the Dharma taught by the blessed buddhas, maintain great compassion, and extend great love to beings. In that way they will develop similar definitive qualities.

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“Certain beings who are dedicated to what is inferior will reach the state of a śrāvaka. Other beings who are dedicated to what is inferior will reach the state of a pratyekabuddha. Beings who have made perfect great aspirations and are dedicated to what is vast will reach complete omniscient wisdom. We who have discarded lower, inferior teachings maintain this kind of dedication to the vast Dharma and come to understand the scope of the secret words that reveal the realization of the thus-gone ones. We properly adopt the entire Dharma through the vast, sublime, and incomparable syllables of the thus-gone ones’ Dharma teachings, so that beings may be brought to maturity in accordance with their faculties and inclinations.

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“All those Dharma teachings are equal, without anything added or left out. They are not formless but of equal form,^⁠3 they are beyond waning and fullness, and they are infinite, deathless, and inherently pure. Although the blessed buddhas perceive and realize precisely the essential nature of the Dharma that is taught, there is no Dharma whatsoever that they comprehend or realize. Why is that? Because all Dharma teachings[F.50.b] have been explained and taught contextually, and whatever is presented contextually transcends the superficial labels of Dharma and non-Dharma. All imputed phenomena are ultimately beyond imputation. The Thus-Gone One has taught how to endeavor correctly in the true reality of phenomena. Dharma and non-Dharma are not established through conceptualization or through the absence of conceptualization. Since all phenomena are conceptually equal, they are beyond conceptualization. Since all phenomena are comprehended distinctly, they are beyond distinction. Since all phenomena are beyond origination, they are unborn. Since all phenomena are identified and brought into being through inaccurate conceptualization, they are unreal. Since all phenomena must come into being, they are beyond arising. Because phenomena do not come into contact, they do not interact. Since all phenomena are the perfection of sameness, they are beyond dependence. Since there is no acceptance or rejection of any phenomena, they are beyond engagement; this is the unique fulfillment of the activity of aspiration. All phenomena lack identity, and because they transcend identity there is no concept of mine. Since all these phenomena are beyond elaboration, they are equal, without distinction. Even if qualities are accomplished just as one has aspired, there is no aspiration whatsoever. Since all these phenomena tend towards dependence, they are nothing whatsoever. For those reasons, the Thus-Gone One has taught the nature of all these phenomena to be like a dream or an illusion; with respect to the nature of different phenomena, there are not the slightest distinctions of better, middling, and worse. In order to benefit beings I, with pure aspirations,[F.51.a] have led them to form vast aspirations and give up fixation on any phenomena.

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“Anantavyūha, this is the shining of the rays of the solar lineage; it is a Dharma illumination by which bodhisattvas’ unique and perfect aspirations flourish and excel. Therefore, the children of noble family who are devoted to this mode of Dharma teaching cultivate this light of the Dharma. Anantavyūha, bodhisattvas who reflect properly on an inward level while not letting their attention be distracted outwardly, who are stable in the abandonment of obscurations, who recollect the illumination of the bodhisattvas’ meditative absorption, and who are devoted to the profound Dharma should investigate this teaching. This teaching has been given by the Thus-Gone One to elicit expertise in what is conditioned. He has explained that those phenomena whose identity is to be conditioned are hollow, fake, void, essenceless, false, and deceptive by nature. The causes and conditions that make beings afflicted are also hollow, fake, void, essenceless, false, and deceptive. Even if you were to search throughout the worlds of the ten directions, you could never perceive or observe causes and conditions that lead beings to purity. These cannot be observed because they are beyond grasper and grasped and are nonexistent. If the Thus-Gone One has determined that phenomena are to be abandoned, what need is there to mention the abandonment of non-phenomena? What is abandoned is beyond being adopted; it is spontaneously present and intrinsically pure and thus does not know even the slightest existence. When all phenomena are comprehended precisely as they inherently are, there is no thinking or conceptualizing. Since all phenomena are not otherwise,[F.51.b] their basis cannot be identified. Therefore all these phenomena are groundless and baseless. They are verbal labels, and verbal labels are void. They persist without inherent identity, yet they do not persist. They are baseless, and because they have no basis they do not remain. The Thus-Gone One has taught using synonyms such as ending, transformation, and cessation. The Thus-Gone One’s intentional synonyms apply here as well.

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“You should not fixate on either virtuous or nonvirtuous things. By fixating on nonvirtuous things one becomes fixated on nonvirtuous things. By fixating on nonvirtuous things, suffering and mental unease emerge. These are referred to as the noble truth of suffering and thus have been taught by the Thus-Gone One in the Dharma discourse on nonvirtue. In the Dharma discourse on virtue, the Thus-Gone One has taught the absence of fixation on both virtue and nonvirtue, as well as the cessation of craving, so that one may abandon the origin and realize the second noble truth. In order that one may reach cessation and be free from concepts, in the discourse on the third noble truth the Thus-Gone One has taught extinction, investigation into the state of freedom from attachment, and the absence of grasping, delight, perception, and sensation, as well as freedom from concepts, so that one may realize the noble truth of the cessation of suffering. In order that one may realize the noble truth of the path leading to the cessation of suffering, in the discourse of the fourth noble truth the Thus-Gone One has taught those paths concerned with the pursuit of the level of realization of phenomena just as they are, and he taught the state that utterly transcends concepts, deceit, and all conceptual elaboration. He also taught the presentation of the eightfold path from cultivation of the right view up to right concentration.[F.52.a] The blessed buddhas have categorized the suffering to be understood, its origin to be abandoned, the cessation to be actualized, and the path to be cultivated as suffering, its origin, the cessation of suffering, and the path leading to the cessation of suffering. This suffering is a mere convention that does not really exist.

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“There are the two bases for understanding ignorance and so forth. What are they? There is no basis whatsoever for the absence of knowledge; since it is beyond realization, experience, knowledge, and inclusion, what could its basis be? It is nonexistent, fake, false, and deceptive. It has no basis other than being a label. There is no basis for fixating on it as being something eternal^⁠4 or finite. This is how one should analyze the basis of suffering, without fixation on concepts. In that way, one should understand that without a basis there can also be no understanding. Since suffering arises in connection with ignorance, it has the nature of unknowing. Ignorance is neither associated nor unassociated with anything and thus is nonexistent; it is beyond association. For these reasons, ignorance is not referred to as a creator or considered to be one, and thus it does not think or conceptualize; it does not act or perform any function.

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“Anantavyūha, this is the gateway to the comprehension of the identity of ignorance, which is aligned with the bodhisattvas’ knowledge and through which the darkness of ignorance is dispelled and the Dharma gateway that accords with knowledge is made manifest.[F.52.b] One purifies and accomplishes these gateways in order to realize expertise in the bodhisattvas’ noble truths. While focusing on suffering, one brings its origin to an end, to exhaustion, to cessation, by training in and cultivating the path of sameness. By practicing this path of sameness, one comes to know and understand all such phenomena. By knowing, one should abandon. By knowing, one should actualize. By knowing, one should cultivate. Thus what is known is understood, what is understood is abandoned, the abandonment is what is actualized, and what is actualized is taught to be cultivation. Understanding the Dharma of the noble ones in this way, one accomplishes the truth nonconceptually while remaining diligent; one remains free from acceptance and rejection.

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“Anantavyūha, noble beings understand that everything is imagined, created, and cherished, yet they do not become involved with concepts or conceptual elaboration, but maintain correct perception without clinging or reification. Thus they do not generate concepts or conceptual elaboration about the path, what is to be abandoned, or what is virtuous, not to mention concepts about what is nonvirtuous! If they are not caught up in the abandonment of these, why mention the abandonment of non-Dharma in a nonconceptual way? Those who are skilled in abandoning fetters neither bind themselves to what is spiritual nor to what is non-spiritual. They know that all phenomena are false, deceptive, void, hollow, and fake, and thus they have realized their true nature. Because they have perfected equanimity, abandoned fetters, and follow the path,[F.53.a] and because beings are bound to die, they spurn attachment and anger, and they realize that the essence of reality is neither to be accepted nor rejected.

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“In any case, Anantavyūha, since it is the inherent identity of phenomena to be intrinsically empty, all phenomena lack inherent identity, and therefore no creator of phenomena can be apprehended. Since the fetters are not present in any phenomena, one can neither associate with them nor disassociate from them. Thus one should not fixate even on the unreal or form ideas and concepts about abandoning the real and unreal. Through understanding of the purity of conditions, one knows that because any phenomena produced by conditions are empty of the conditions through which they arise, and vice versa, and because beings lack inherent identity, they are utterly pure and disengaged. Therefore, conditions are not associated with causes, and causes are not associated with conditions. No phenomena impel or become involved with each other, and so, Anantavyūha, focusing on inactive phenomena, one should penetrate this Dharma gateway of groundlessness.

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“Anantavyūha, all phenomena are conventionally described using names and characteristics. Characteristics refers to the labeling of the four elements as form, while names refers to the labeling of the remaining four aggregates as other than form.^⁠6 Names are false imputations, and due to the inaccurate distortion of characteristics, the self is considered a type of form,[F.53.b] while the body is held to belong to the self. Names are given due to the conceptualization of characteristics. Name and form are entirely unreal: they are fake, false, deceptive, illusory, and similar to forms in a dream. Forms are explained to be just like the physical bodies experienced in a dream. One should understand that forms, which lack essence, and the remaining four aggregates grouped under name, are all mere conventions. If one can understand that, one will not be affected by suffering, nor will one grasp at truth. Nothing whatsoever will be held in one’s mind; nothing will be apprehended, not even the slightest sense of having passed beyond suffering. Since perception is utterly transcended in this way, sensation will cease.

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“Anantavyūha, beings in the three realms are born out of the mental activity of perception. Since the mental activity of perception is nonexistent, those born in the three realms are also taught to be nonexistent. Whenever there is comprehension, there is fixation on form. Any mental activity is explained to be associated with sensation, perception, formation, and consciousness. Since it is the nature of phenomena to be neither associated nor disassociated, the mental activity of perception is nonexistent. Since the mental activity of perception is inherently nonexistent, it is labeled with words while being nonexistent; it is categorized as inherently peaceful.

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“Anantavyūha, the categories of Dharma explanations come from the nature of phenomena. Bodhisattvas should understand the truth that is established by the sameness of explanations and utterances. Anantavyūha, the Dharma explanations of the thus-gone ones come about in order to eliminate all fetters‍—they are not fruitless. You should form an immense resolve,[F.54.a] engage with the Dharma teachings, and engender great love and compassion for beings while free of fixation, concepts, conceptual elaboration of phenomena, or any sense that there are beings. This is how you should enter, traverse, and resolve these Dharma gateways. Which Dharma gateways? One realizes that all conditioned things arise out of unknowing and that all unconditioned things arise from wisdom vision. With wisdom free of conceptual elaboration, one should then correctly engage with and purify both the conditioned and the unconditioned. As one proceeds to apply the uncountable Dharma teachings, the enumerations have no enumeration; enumerations have no basis in enumerations. Since the gateway to the unconditioned is a Dharma gateway, it is utterly pure and leads to the apprehending of all the aspects of the Dharma illumination. Without letting what has been grasped and apprehended go to waste, one describes and teaches it with a mind that has achieved skill in means.

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“Anantavyūha, this is the entrance to the bodhisattvas’ dhāraṇī gateway, through which the discernment of the mind becomes vastly superior and all the etymological meanings of wisdom are revealed. Anantavyūha, what is the Dharma section of the dhāraṇī gateway through which bodhisattvas become skilled in apprehending all phenomena? Anantavyūha, a bodhisattva with expertise in pure wisdom maintains the wisdom of eloquence and looks into the intrinsic identity of phenomena with a mind that accords with the meaning. The bodhisattva then teaches, using the words of guidance, to describe the inexpressible: that all phenomena are essentially groundless, nameless, signless, unequaled, and beyond concordance, and yet they are not formless.[F.54.b] The nature of phenomena is undefinable, beyond coming and going, and beyond letters; it is the purity of letters, spontaneously present. Why is that? Because the nature of phenomena is similar and comparable to space. All things are therefore false and lack establishment; like space, they cannot be characterized by analysis and expression; they are utterly pure.

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“All these phenomena constitute a gateless gate; their gateway is completely pure, as they are unafflicted and undisturbed. How so? The nature of all things is utterly unborn and unformed because the identity of phenomena is beyond birth and formation. For this reason, all these phenomena are described and defined as having the intrinsic identity of being unreal; their nature is to have the intrinsic identity of being unreal. In that way, if one does not fixate on them, then the bodhisattvas’ Dharma gateway that is beyond fixation, the dhāraṇī gateway, and the gateway of Dharma sections become completely pure. When discussing the features of any phenomenon, we speak conventionally about ‘such-and-such features.’ Yet whatever is a feature is devoid of features, thus features are beyond actions, deeds, attachment, and anger. For this reason the gateway of purity is explained to be a non-gateway. Because that pure gateway is an immaculate gateway that engages with the absence of features, a feature is thus explained to be not truly existent. In the same way it is explained, for the purpose of recognizing ignorance, as being unformed and devoid of features. Anantavyūha, this gateway is the purification of dhāraṇī. Anantavyūha,[F.55.a] gateway is the realization that all phenomena are like a gate of space and, like a gate of space, are beyond appearances. Within that realization, one understands the sameness of everything that arises and disintegrates. All those phenomena should therefore be apprehended in a way that transcends realization, disappearance, and apprehending.

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“This entrance to the gateway of features, consisting in the absence of apprehending, abandonment, sameness, lack of sameness, and observation of even the smallest atoms, is the purity of the absence of features. Anantavyūha, absence of features refers to that which is devoid of both a body and something labeled as a body. The absence of features refers to that which is devoid of both an assemblage of names and something labeled by an assemblage of words. The absence of features implies that one should meditate in a space-like manner and understand the truth to be like space. Space is devoid of space, and space is therefore a label formed by an assemblage of words. This is the Dharma section of the gateway to the production of the power of wisdom knowledge, which concords with ignorance and by which a bodhisattva comes to realize expertise in the way of dhāraṇī. Since it is to be upheld, and since it is indisputable and free of delusion, one should penetrate the meaning of the secret dhāraṇī words, which are uninterrupted like the rains and rivers unleashed by the nāga king Anavatapta.

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“Anantavyūha, how are the secret words of dhāraṇī explained?”

The bodhisattva Anantavyūha replied to the Blessed One, “Blessed One, dhāraṇī is a term that refers to knowledge of the connections between phenomena. Blessed One, dhāraṇī means to maintain the act of recollection. They are called dhāraṇī because they teach the bases of secret words that maintain the power of the treasure of insight..[F.55.b] In this way, I will uphold the infinite power of awakening with a mind that utilizes expertise in wisdom. Blessed One, in order to help all beings, I will generate the stream of the Dharma as well as an uninterrupted power of expertise in revealing infinite wisdom. Blessed One, this dhāraṇī gateway is as wide as the sky; it is an unequaled great gateway. For that reason, it is defined as immeasurable and limitless. Statements such as equality of expression, facilitation, and instruction refer to its categorization in terms of expertise in teaching and its uniqueness. Since distinctions among letters are mastered, the comprehensive knowledge of language will be mastered. Since the meaning is analyzed and there is skill in teaching, comprehensive knowledge of the meaning will be mastered. Since there is skill in ascertaining phenomena, the comprehensive knowledge of phenomena will be mastered. Since there is purity of eloquence in the gateways of the Dharma, comprehensive knowledge of eloquence will be mastered. One fosters and maintains great love and great compassion in order to help beings, and yet one displays equanimity free of conceptual elaboration, without any sense of knowing or teaching others. Blessed One, these Dharma sections‍—expertise in limitless topics and expertise in the dhāraṇī gateway‍—came from the mouth of the Thus-Gone One.”

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The Thus-Gone One then said to the bodhisattva Anantavyūha, “Anantavyūha, gateway is a synonym for the Thus-Gone One’s omniscient wisdom.[F.56.a] Anantavyūha, these Dharma teachings are taught and articulated from the gateway of the Thus-Gone One’s utterly pure wisdom vision. They are based in the infinite pure gateways, are baseless, and manifest baselessly in the apprehending of numerous phenomena. Anantavyūha, I have stated that ‘all phenomena are the Buddha’s Dharma,’ which means that when there is realization of all phenomena, it is called the Buddha’s Dharma. In other words, these phenomena are the Buddha’s Dharma because the nature of all phenomena has been realized to be equal through awakened wisdom. The expression comprehension of all phenomena is used because all phenomena must be realized, and the realization of all phenomena is the realization of the dhāraṇī gateway because it subsumes all phenomena. Anantavyūha, these dhāraṇīs are the condensation, the inclusion, the main essence, and the heart of every explanation, praise,^⁠7 utterance, declaration, and illustration. All praises, explanations, and illustrations are articulated, described, and illuminated through the knowledge of letters.

1.40

“Anantavyūha, in terms of the knowledge of letters, a comes first. In terms of their expression, ha is the last. Anantavyūha, as an analogy, a mother must be present before a baby can be formed and carried, a father must be present first for the deposit of the seed, and birth must precede the maturation of the aggregates. After that, all the different appendages, the various sense sources, the various faculties, and the various shapes of the fully-matured faculties[F.56.b] can form in their entirety. Similarly, everything that is distinguishable is preceded by syllables. Here, the syllable a is positioned in proximity to the consonants at the beginning while ha is the last. These subsume the other letters, which follow after and join with them. This is an explanation and description of how to enter the dhāraṇī gateway.

1.41

“Moreover, one should investigate the destruction of all that belongs to the category of conditioned things. For instance, the combination of kha and yang shows that everything subsumed within the category of karmic formations‍—which pertains to the link of existence‍—is shown to be exhausted insofar as it perishes in the same way that one stops studying the alphabet once it has been mastered.^⁠8 For example, just as possession implies both cessation and dependence, so does everything related to both having what is associated with the fetters of existence and having what is subsumed within existence. Thus one should analyze all phenomena associated with the real and unreal, until in the end one has purified the gateway of the unformed. This is the entrance to the Dharma gateway that shows birth and destruction, and it is the explanation of the section of the dhāraṇī gateway that perfects the bodhisattvas’ skill in means. In this way, one should pronounce the first letter of the alphabet, progressing through ḍha and on until one masters the pronunciation of ha, thereby penetrating the meaning of secret mantra by means of explanation and correct articulation. Moreover, one should unobstructedly contemplate the proclamations that penetrate what is in accord with the Dharma.

1.42

“For instance, Anantavyūha, to analyze the alphabet one would first pronounce the letter a and then examine and bring to mind the other letters until[F.57.a] one has uttered and familiarized oneself with ḍha and ha by following the appropriate stages. One would then see that there is no letter that can be designated apart from these. The accomplishment of nondual attention with regard to everything in the category of the aggregate of formation is similar to this. Anantavyūha, for someone free of dualistic concepts, there is ultimately nothing at all that can be designated as a letter, nor are there any concepts from the perspective of fundamental reality. For someone without concepts, there is nothing at all that can be labeled as formation. Anantavyūha, to understand all phenomena is to maintain the knowledge of letters; because letters are uncreated they are beyond features. Why is this? Because there is no a that is truly brought about, and one should regard everything that is conditioned as lacking features. Since they are uncompounded, one should also abandon all aggregates.

1.43

“Anantavyūha, this is the gateway to expertise in immaculate dhāraṇī, the gateway of retention, the gateway of Dharma sections. If they train in it, bodhisattvas will come to excel in being utterly free from delusion. They will free beings from spiritual poverty, and they will not generate or entertain conceptual notions. Abandoning mental involvement with conceptual notions, they will take birth out of love for sentient beings. In order to become skilled in resolving their understanding of the unexcelled Dharma, they will mentally disperse the light of the Dharma and recollect the Thus-Gone One’s treasury of teachings. In order to comprehend the Dharma, they will achieve expertise in the infinite ways of mental understanding. Anantavyūha, in order to be free from clinging, bodhisattvas should know that all phenomena are mere names and, with that knowledge, comprehend a variety of words, discussions, and utterances;[F.57.b] this is how they should pursue knowledge in the way of dhāraṇī.

1.44

“How should one pursue knowledge in the way of dhāraṇī? Expressions and explanations are the same in not being located in any place or direction, not being part of anything, and not being included anywhere. Realizing them to be nothing more than mere names, one should accurately comprehend the authentic terms for phenomena. Anantavyūha, the entirety of the thus-gone ones’ Dharma is beyond features and expressions. It is a state of power and fearlessness. All phenomena should be explained in terms of this gateway. While the Thus-Gone One may indeed teach phenomena to have numerous features, phenomena are beyond sameness or difference; they are all unborn and nonexistent. Thus all phenomena are taught to be emptiness; whatever is empty is signless, and whatever is signless is wishless and beyond comprehension. Those phenomena that are empty, signless, unaffected by wishes, beyond comprehension, and beyond differentiation cannot be said to be either existent or nonexistent‍—not even the conventional designation nonexistent applies to them.

1.45

“Those phenomena cannot be fixated upon with the thought ‘They do not exist.’ Why is this? Because the Thus-Gone One has taught that all phenomena are ultimately beyond fixation. In this way, what is fixated upon, the one fixating, and the act of fixating upon something all have the nature of being void, hollow, and illusive; such deceptions and presumptions are conceptual elaborations. Anantavyūha, these Dharma teachings depend on the Teacher; he has not taught in any specific way[F.58.a] or taught in a way that was immaculate, and yet one must say that he is the Teacher. Anantavyūha, this is how the Dharma teachings of the Thus-Gone One emerge. Anantavyūha, those who are omniscient in this way are rare, and these days there are many individuals like you present before me who are interested in this teaching and follow the training to bring about omniscience. Anantavyūha, at a later time in the future, those who fully understand teachings such as this will be few, other than those now present before me who don the armor of resolve, thinking, ‘In the future, we will uphold the way of the Thus-Gone One’s Dharma in order to bring benefit and happiness to numerous beings!’ Anantavyūha, those who will uphold this teaching will be bodhisattvas who have served the victors of the past, who are devoted to the profound, who are knowledgeable in the profound teachings, and who are zealous and strive to hear them.

1.46

“Anantavyūha, the Thus-Gone One served the victors of the past, revered numerous buddhas, and was grounded in the profound way. He was faithful, sought out virtue, was full of zeal, dwelled in vastness, exerted himself in pursuit of the Great Vehicle, and showed no interest in either the vehicle of the śrāvakas or anything worldly. In order to bring benefit and happiness to all beings he repeatedly taught practitioners of the profound Dharma this unprecedented, profound, and expansive way of Dharma that is immeasurable, difficult to encounter and comprehend, does not contain anything that is heard among the foolish, and is hard to fathom by those who are fixated. It is not for those who do not seek it.

1.47

1.48

1.49

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1.51

“Anantavyūha, all phenomena are intrinsically pure; their intrinsic nature is neither to be connected nor separate, nor to exist in a relationship of either possession or absence. Anantavyūha, there are no existent phenomena among phenomena,[F.59.a] nor is there anything that such an absence can be truly applied to apart from both the demonstrations of causality and the designations regarding the exhaustion of causes, freedom from desire, and cessation, both of which are meant to elicit understanding in beings. Anantavyūha, the nature of phenomena is beyond causes, free of the exhaustion of causes, beyond the freedom from desire, and devoid of cessation; recognize that this is how the Thus-Gone One’s pure exposition of the Dharma manifests.[B2]

1.52

“Anantavyūha, even those who recognize the Thus-Gone One as the true nature of phenomena do not have a pure vision of the Thus-Gone One. Why? Because the Thus-Gone One is neither a phenomenon nor a non-phenomenon. Since the Thus-Gone One is not related to any phenomenon, it goes without saying that he is not related to any non-phenomenon. In this way, he is nonexistent. Because the Thus-Gone One transcends what can be labeled as a phenomenon, he cannot be described in any way. The Thus-Gone One is the purity of description, and thus he is profound, vast, and immeasurable.

1.53

“Anantavyūha, if there is no cognition of visual form nor any cognition of sensation, perception, formation, or consciousness regarding the Thus-Gone One, then what is it that designates him as the Thus-Gone One? What is known to designate him? The Thus-Gone One is endowed with the freedom entailed by the exhaustion of form, and likewise with the freedom entailed by the exhaustion of sensation, perception, formation, and consciousness. The Thus-Gone One is not related to or associated with form, sensation, perception, formation, or consciousness. He[F.59.b] does not make claims or generate conceptual elaborations about being conditioned or unconditioned, nor does he possess the two types of grasping.^⁠9 The Thus-Gone One is not related to or associated with the perpetuating causes of form, sensation, perception, formation, or consciousness. He has severed the roots; all things being rootless, he is beyond conceptual elaboration, immovable and unshakeable; he has crossed to the other shore and is unexcelled. He is present exclusively within the sphere of the buddhas, thus one should not say he is not present. The Thus-Gone One does not comprehend, adopt, or conceptualize anything. He appears to teach things authentically, but he doesn’t correspond to anything and teaches the Dharma for the sake of freedom. The true nature of the Thus-Gone One is exactly how all things truly are; he teaches definitively and precisely the mode of the suchness of all things. Therefore the Thus-Gone One and the entirety of phenomena are referred to as suchness. Just as suchness is both the true nature of the Thus-Gone One and the true nature of all phenomena, so too is everything; it is nondual and cannot be made two, and it is neither a singularity nor a multiplicity.

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1.55

“Anantavyūha, when the Thus-Gone One fully awakens to unexcelled and perfect buddhahood, there is nothing that he comprehends, knows, or realizes.[F.60.a] He does not recognize any phenomenon to be the true way of things, nor does he form the thought, ‘I don’t recognize any phenomenon that corresponds to something unobservable.’ At that time, the Thus-Gone One does not engage or involve himself with the notions of Dharma or non-Dharma; such discursive ideas do not occur in his mind. The Thus-Gone One then rests naturally within the purity of the true nature of phenomena. While indeed he correctly knows and discerns the fact that all phenomena are unstable, there is no one who knows or discerns this.

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1.57

“Anantavyūha, a word is not something called a word; one should understand all words by accessing the absence of words. All words are devoid of attachment, and in this way such words are erroneous. All erroneous words are devoid of attachment, and all such words are deceptive. All deceptive words are the words of suchness, and all words of suchness are ultimate words. All ultimate words are words of exhaustion, of the absence of attachment, and of cessation. All words of exhaustion, of the absence of attachment, and of cessation are words of nirvāṇa; they are words beyond words, beyond fetters, and beyond designation.

1.58

“Anantavyūha, there is one type of phrase that signifies that no phenomena are included in virtue and nonvirtue. What is that one type of phrase?[F.60.b] It is words devoid of attachment; in the absence of attachment there are no words whatsoever. Just as all words are free of attachment so too are they pure. Thus all words are devoid of words. The purity of words is the purity of nirvāṇa, and the purity of nirvāṇa is the purity of words. In this way all words are inexpressible. A voice that utters words is not found anywhere in the ten directions. Whether it is the one speaking, the audience, that which is spoken, or the reason why or the manner in which something is spoken, it is nonexistent. One should not make claims or form complex concepts about that which has no existence as being nonexistent. All words are words beyond claims and complex concepts. Therefore, if practitioners seek out and comprehend such words, they will reach freedom from attachment, cessation, and nirvāṇa, which is no different from those words.

1.59

“Yet even these words are inexpressible, and so words are one thing and speech another. The speech by which words are articulated is powerless, hollow, delusive, and deceptive. In order to become knowledgeable in the articulation of immaculate words, one makes words perceptible without designating anything. What is beyond designation is thus designated. Different words are designated, different words that are nonconceptual. That which is nonconceptual refers to the abandonment of concepts and what is subsumed within the true nature of phenomena. In order to go beyond discrimination, one does not involve oneself with, commit to, engage in, participate in, or carry out any conventional behavior. Maintaining these principles has been described by the Thus-Gone One as The Vehicle of the Thus-Gone One.[F.61.a] To not engage in anything whatsoever is to train in the level of bodhisattvas. Those who have reached this level have become skilled in purifying infinite dhāraṇīs.

1.60

1.61

Syādyathedan jaye vijaye uke ukavati āloke ālokavati prabhe prabhavati nirdarśane nirdarśanavati arthe arthavati śodhani śodhanavati pariśodhane kriye vikriyavati uttaraṇi saraṇi mahāvijaye mahāvijayavati anusandhi apratisandhi yugapatinaddha siddhi siddhārathavati mati mateprabhe uttare uttaravati vicare vicara anusandhi sare sarvati sara anugate samesamārabhavigate gate anigate apratinivarte viśeṣe viśeṣavati avahini nivahini pravahini uha uttaraṇe mālavanaye aśeṣe anupaśeṣe anugame apratigame agate anagate gativiśodhani pariśodhani kaṃkṣacchedani atematipratite mativiśodhani samanta anugate samantaparivāre samantaviśodhani anupragṛhi anupragṛhite hinārthe arthaviśuddhi parame hetunidvisanne pratīte pratītavati viniścaye viniścaya anugate anantārathe anantavigrahi madaviśiddhi anugrahe agrahaviśodhani adhyādamavigate[F.61.b] bahavaviśodhani vidyā anugati vidyā anusandhi pariśodhani.

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1.63

“Anantavyūha, I will now explain how bodhisattvas reach special realization in their skill in the way of dhāraṇī and how, with that realization, they become skilled in orienting themselves in the proper way and become experts in the understanding of the divisions of the way of dhāraṇī. How does one gain such understanding? Anantavyūha, the eye apprehends form, the ear apprehends sound, the nose apprehends smell, the mouth apprehends taste, the body apprehends texture, and the mind apprehends mental phenomena. Anantavyūha, how is it that the six inner entities apprehend the six outer entities? Anantavyūha, when bodhisattvas see a form with their eyes, they recognize it to be impermanent and understand it to be characterized by birth and disintegration. They recognize it as exhaustion, the absence of attachment, and cessation. With no attachment to the power of insight, with skill in mindfulness, and with no deceptiveness, their inner eye elements apprehend without conceptualizing in terms of self or non-self. They maintain knowledge of the purity of the visual sense source. In order to facilitate the apprehending of form,[F.62.a] they should purify the dhāraṇī gateway and, without fettering themselves to something other than these outer and inner phenomena, look with disengagement, look without attachment, and look within a state of cessation. They should not engage in any conceptual elaboration at all. Skilled in apprehending without elaboration, they remain in a state free of concepts. They let the visual consciousness and the phenomena cognized by the visual consciousness remain equal, without generating concepts. They remember that, just as their vision is pure, so too are phenomena like illusions. Through such extraordinary vision they maintain expertise in the purity of cognition and what is cognized, and they come to possess vast accumulations of merit and wisdom.

1.64

“This applies likewise to the way the ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind apprehend phenomena. When bodhisattvas cognize mental phenomena with their minds, they recognize them to be impermanent and regard them as being characterized by birth and disintegration. They recognize them as exhaustion, the absence of attachment, and cessation. With no attachment to the power of insight, with skill in mindfulness, and with no deceptiveness, their inner mental sense sources apprehend without conceptualizing in terms of self or non-self. Being skilled in recognizing multiplicity, they discern the ground of the mental consciousness and subsequently sustain knowledge of the purity of the mental sense source. In order to foster the apprehending of mental phenomena, they purify the dhāraṇī gateway. They should purify the dhāraṇī gateway and, without fettering themselves to something other than these outer and inner phenomena, look with disengagement, look without attachment, and look within a state of cessation. They should not engage in denigration or conceptual elaboration at all.[F.62.b] Skilled in apprehending without elaboration, they remain in a state free of concepts. They let the mental consciousness and the phenomena cognized by the mental consciousness remain equal, without generating thoughts or concepts. They remember that phenomena are just as pure as their vision is pure. They maintain expertise in the purity of cognition and what is cognized and, with extraordinary vision, come to possess vast accumulations of merit and wisdom.

1.65

“In this way they apprehend all outer and inner phenomena‍—whether of the past, present, or future‍—with their skill in the means of mentally accessing the true meaning via the power of insight. Thereby they do not regard anything as being causeless, nor do they regard anything as arising out of causes and conditions. Understanding instead that no phenomena are conjoined with any other, they pursue the nature of things as they are. All these phenomena are inherently luminous; they exist in the sense of being supports for each other, considering how they maintain and qualify each other rather than being present in the ordinary sense of being counted among all phenomena.

1.66

“Phenomena that do not arise or recede cannot be described. Phenomena that serve a function and yet are not of the same type as each other are neither related nor unrelated. There is no creator of phenomena and no instigation of creation. Phenomena are devoid of life force, sentience, and individual beings. All phenomena are established as words; when they are apprehended as they are, they are identical with nirvāṇa. All phenomena are beyond attachment, lack attachment, and are free of attachment. Anantavyūha, this instruction on the skill in discerning dhāraṇī[F.63.a] entails that bodhisattvas investigate all things from the perspective of the bodhisattvas’ outer and inner phenomena. Explained in this way, bodhisattvas are to give up the internal and not adopt the external. Instead they think, ‘Alas, the inhabitants of the world are living within the wheel of cyclic existence that is without beginning or end. Controlled by ignorance, they have entered the eggshell of ignorance where they roam, rove, and wander. They develop and evolve within this wheel of cyclic existence that is beyond apprehending and actuality, yet what results from the transformations of the wheel of cyclic existence is not genuine either. While this is how it is to inhabit the world, the world is beyond apprehending and actuality. Not understanding this, beings move, circulate, rush, hurry, and hasten through it. Alas, these beings do not understand this, have been misled by what is false, and become attached to the notion of a being where there is no being. They are bound by the fetter of their notion of a being. Alas, lacking understanding, these beings fall into fear, dread, and distress. While facing unreal hostile forces, waging wars, and falling into darkness, they do not go anywhere or come from anywhere. Alas, these beings cling to their attachments and are bound by the fetters of their attachments. Since they do not know about liberation, I will of course teach them this Dharma way in order to help and care for them!’

1.67

“Anantavyūha, if bodhisattvas analyze things in this way,[F.63.b] they will soon achieve great illumination regarding phenomena, accomplish the immaculate gateway, and acquire correct knowledge. They will become diligent in manifesting great acceptance, possess great love and great compassion, and become skilled in revealing the intent of the teachings. They will know all turns of phrase and innumerable words, and they will remember their past existences. Revealing what is beneficial, they will not go against any of the teachings but draw beings toward the undisputed activities. They will annihilate all opponents in a way that is in accord with the Dharma, and they will teach the Dharma in order to liberate beings from darkness. The thus-gone ones will utter meaningful statements throughout the ten directions. They will emit the great light of the Dharma, become benefactors of the inconceivable Dharma, enjoy the Dharma treasures of the thus-gone ones, and not be deluded. They will possess extraordinary aspirations that will be fulfilled precisely as they wish. They will realize incredible skill in methods and will be encouraged to fulfill the wishes of beings. They will demonstrate the causes related to the past and future and knowledge of the past and the future.

1.68

“Anantavyūha, bodhisattvas should strive to accomplish the gateway of meditative absorption. Bodhisattvas who are skilled in achieving the gateway of meditative absorption will achieve the dhāraṇī gateway and become realized. Bodhisattvas who have actualized the knowledge to achieve the dhāraṇī gateway will become skilled in teaching the mode of intentions,[F.64.a] take up the mode of wisdom, become realized in the way of the profound Dharma, understand how to present the teachings, have no uncertainty about anything, maintain an acceptance that doesn’t depend on anything else, and become skilled in engendering great diligence.

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1.71

“Anantavyūha, bodhisattvas increase their cultivation of the pure expertise in the foundation of discipline, expertise in the force of truth, and expertise in abandonment. They exert themselves in the pursuit of the Dharma free of clinging to mine and the notion of possession and train in the foundation of methods. In doing so, they will realize the foundation for knowledge in the ways of all phenomena and will never show signs of decline. They will remain at the level of nonregression, swiftly excel through their perfect eloquence, and develop through their ocean-like insight.[F.64.b]

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1.74

“Anantavyūha, the Thus-Gone One has realized the perfection of skill in teaching and yet there is nothing that the Thus-Gone One has realized, comprehended, or recognized. It is not that the Thus-Gone One teaches the Dharma so that something is discarded, or so that some particular thing is abandoned. It is also not the case that he teaches the Dharma so that something is produced, achieved, or not achieved. The Thus-Gone One maintains no specific focus and yet neither maintains nor does not maintain anything. How is this? The Thus-Gone One is not to be defined in any way. When the Thus-Gone One uses phrases like ‘The Thus-Gone One remains in this way’ or ‘He remains in that way,’ this does not entail either singularity or multiplicity. The Thus-Gone One is not to be labeled as either going or coming; he is beyond conceptual elaboration.[F.65.a] He utterly transcends conceptual elaboration and yet there is nothing that he transcends. For the Thus-Gone One there is no transcendence, and he knows that he is beyond transcendence. The Thus-Gone One does not think of being a Thus-Gone One, nor does he think of the Thus-Gone One as unmistaken suchness or as suchness that is unique. As the Thus-Gone One does not teach anything whatsoever, he teaches the true nature of the Thus-Gone One while not revealing or teaching anything. The Thus-Gone One is consistent with the nature of all phenomena, and yet the nature of all phenomena cannot be labeled.

1.75

“Phenomena have no inherent nature; the Thus-Gone One has said, ‘All phenomena are uncreated, immutable, utterly unborn, unceasing, and not separate. All phenomena are totally pure, they cannot be gained or accomplished, and are beyond apprehending.’ All phenomena are beyond comprehension and in this way there is nothing to be gained. Phenomena are not to be gained in the slightest; any phenomenon that can be realized is not a phenomenon. There is also no one who realizes, gains, or accomplishes anything. In light of this, since all phenomena are unborn, they cannot be realized. In order that the teachings of the thus-gone ones are cultivated and accomplished, they came to be referred to as noble Dharma, and yet that noble Dharma cannot be achieved at all. For noble beings, there is no Dharma or non-Dharma whatsoever, and the Dharma is neither noble nor ignoble.[F.65.b] The teachings of the thus-gone ones do not follow the conventions of being understood as teaching the application or lack of application of any kind of Dharma. The Thus-Gone One has defined the Dharma but has not defined the basic condition of the Dharma. The Thus-Gone One has taught about non-Dharma but has not defined the basic condition of non-Dharma. The Thus-Gone One has defined virtue and nonvirtue but has not defined the basic condition of virtue and nonvirtue. The Thus-Gone One has defined all phenomena but has not defined the basic condition of all phenomena. The Thus-Gone One has taught that all phenomena are beyond designation but has not defined the basic condition of this absence of designation. Anantavyūha, this presentation of the Thus-Gone One’s Dharma is extremely profound; one who has not trained in the profound Dharma cannot fully understand it.

1.76

“Anantavyūha, bodhisattvas who seek complete and perfect awakening and long to be free from cyclic existence should accomplish, explain, and realize the thus-gone ones’ teachings. Anantavyūha, when bodhisattvas discern these teachings without doubt or hesitation, there is nothing that they adopt or reject, nothing they produce or stop, and nothing about which they fabricate elaborate concepts. They connect to the accomplishment of the truth while not fixating on the presentation of the accomplishment of the truth. In that way they come to fully understand the immaculate Dharma gateway, and by accomplishing the gateway of meditative absorption they become completely purified.[F.66.a]

1.77

“Anantavyūha, take as an analogy Mount Meru, the king of mountains: it provides a home for those who have accumulated merit, created roots of virtue, and now live in its palaces. Those who take birth there will experience great delight. Similarly, the jewel of the all-inclusive teaching is a teacher for bodhisattvas who have created roots of virtue. Through such a jewel as this, bodhisattvas achieve the jewel of omniscient wisdom and become adherents of the jewel of knowledge of the unsurpassed Dharma.

1.78

“Anantavyūha, this discourse that condenses all Dharma teachings emerged from the thus-gone ones in order to perfectly reveal the dhāraṇī of the Dharma treasury. While this extensive Dharma dhāraṇī has appeared, it is not actually present. All the teachings of the thus-gone ones emerge from the dhāraṇī of boundless gateways. The Thus-Gone One has taught this way of upholding Dharma teachings in order to purify gateways and condense all the discourses. This dhāraṇī that perfectly condenses all discourses is beyond action, immutable, without edge, without center, and inexhaustible; this dhāraṇī is an immeasurable undertaking. This dhāraṇī gateway is practiced in every universe in the ten directions through the Thus-Gone One’s blessings.

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1.80

“Anantavyūha, those bodhisattvas who have realized this way of Dharma that condenses all Dharma teachings, who wish to enter an unbroken stream of Dharma and adhere to the seal of groundless phenomena, whose comprehension of secret mantra and intent is unimpaired,[F.66.b] who are steady in their cultivation of great diligence, who perfectly understand this teaching, and who have realized the defining mark of the essential nature of phenomena should not use expressions or instructions to create conventional labels. Instead, they should make use of all secret mantras and their intentions and attain true realization. In order to bring benefit and happiness to beings, they should develop their knowledge of statements on letter combination, deeply understand the classification system, and, drawing from that knowledge of the way phenomena are classified, summarize the latent meaning through the skillful use of analogy.

1.81

“Bodhisattvas should lecture on the Dharma, engage with Dharma teachers, maintain a loving and helpful attitude, long for the Buddha’s wisdom, have no attachment toward anything, remain within a dispassionate state, be content,^⁠11 access nondual wisdom, be free of deceit, and not teach outer and inner knowledge dualistically. Thus they should not teach beings in an approximate manner but should exert themselves with perseverance free of laziness in gaining increasing skill in pursuing the teachings. They should harmonize their entire language so that it is free from contradictions. They should focus on the benefit of self and other and gain skill in dismantling the notions of self and other. Adhering to the purity of all phenomena, they should discover the absence of identity in phenomena and yearn for the complete purification of the self. Whether someone requests it or not, they should teach the way of the Dharma without keeping it for themselves.

1.82

“They should give rise to an immeasurable attitude, thinking, ‘I will supply beings with the precious treasury of the unsurpassed Dharma, the most supreme and sacred form of generosity. I will connect them with the inexpressible precious Dharma.[F.67.a] Whether it benefits them or not, I will avoid being miserly with the Dharma with anyone; I will act without such miserliness. I will be generous and carry out the activities of the Omniscient One, the Thus-Gone One, who is the foremost of all benefactors‍—the benefactor of the Dharma. I will unload the great burden of beings, prepare the Dharma ferry so that they may ford the great river, and lead them to the accomplishment of every type of happiness!’

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“Anantavyūha, the Thus-Gone One upholds this dhāraṇī and bears it in mind. Anantavyūha, consider the example of bodhisattvas in their last existences. They dwell in the Joyous Realm, which lies at the center of the Heaven of the Thirty-Three, the Heaven Free from Strife, the Heaven of Delighting in Emanations, and the Heaven of Making Use of Others’ Emanations. It is the highest destination for the gods and where all beings experience sheer delight. It is the complete ripening of their roots of virtue that are suffused with great merit. They possess the accumulation of merit, the accumulation of discipline, the perfect and immaculate generosity that surpasses everything,[F.67.b] and the accumulation of insight of those who have a single existence remaining. Their roots of virtue are not outshone by any being among all those in this great trichiliocosm, they are worshiped and praised by everyone, and they are on the verge of attaining omniscient wisdom. When they then pass on from the Joyous Realm and take birth in the central land of Jambudvīpa, they are born at the geographical midpoint, in the hub of the fearless world, the nucleus of the earth, the sacred and supreme locale, the great, extraordinary central city where all beings reside. This is how bodhisattvas appear among beings, and they are to be regarded, bowed to, worshiped, and revered by all.

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“Similarly, while this dhāraṇī gateway discourse is included and contained within phenomena, it outshines everything and is immaterial. Those bodhisattvas who have entered it will be matured and developed; they will achieve supremacy and become the masters of all phenomena. In this way, bodhisattvas in their last existences who are born among humans utilize phenomena, watching over beings through the meditative absorption of their invisible crown protrusion. They comprehend every world in the great trichiliocosm, and with a vast mindset empowered by the blessings of great insight they come to attain the quintessence of the Dharma dhāraṇī. They take no pleasure in any type of sensual enjoyment, and they do not pursue the types of things that lead to attachment and desire. They possess minds that regard all phenomena through the meditative absorption of emptiness, and they achieve expertise in the absence of characteristics.[F.68.a] They have no attachment toward any spiritual state, and they do not savor the experience of any of the three realms. They have realized the scope of the defects, as well as renunciation, tranquility, and enthusiasm, and yet they do not fixate on them; they cultivate an unfixed state of mind. So that they might comprehend phenomena and eradicate their origin, they engender great love and compassion for beings and give birth to an attitude of renunciation in those with mature faculties.

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“With their expertise in the way of the intellect aligned with supreme insight, they bring to mind their mastery of expertise in the way of all beings and achieve expertise in the uncorrupted way of dhāraṇī with respect to phenomena. Perfectly regarding all phenomena with their expertise in understanding classifications, they resolve the inconceivable way of the Dharma. In their youth, they play with pleasurable things until their detached minds turn toward weariness and they forsake all their wealth, grains, and friends and renounce their home for homelessness. Leaving home, they amass deeds that are appropriate and excellent with minds skilled in the inconceivable way, and so they reach the seat of awakening where they achieve unsurpassed skill in the way of dhāraṇī according to their aspirations. With their immaculate expertise in dhāraṇī perfected, they come to comprehend all phenomena through self-manifest wisdom and achieve unimpaired expertise in upholding omniscient wisdom. Attaining the dhāraṇī of omniscient wisdom, they achieve a refined, definitive omniscient wisdom. They remain within the sphere of unsurpassed omniscient wisdom and turn the unsurpassed Dharma wheel in accord with the teachings. Knowing all phenomena and offering instruction,[F.68.b] they appear utterly resplendent as they melodiously bring understanding to the world with its gods.

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“Anantavyūha, bodhisattvas who remain within the seal of the dhāraṇī of omniscient wisdom will fully awaken to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood. Bodhisattvas with only one birth remaining use the roots of virtue to genuinely practice the inexpressible dhāraṇī gateway for many millions of eons; no one else could understand. Such bodhisattvas reside at the seat of awakening. They have long since attained acceptance of the profound teachings for the sake of awakening, and they have long since maintained chastity. In this way, I manifest the dhāraṇī gateway discerningly, only for those who have long cultivated an attitude born of great love and compassion for all beings.

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“Anantavyūha, through this dhāraṇī gateway bodhisattvas first stay at the seat of awakening and then awaken there to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood. Anantavyūha, the knowledge of such a dhāraṇī gateway is not something I can impart to you now; it is only at that time that bodhisattvas can come to know it on their own. At that time the dhāraṇī gateway of the bodhisattvas is a boundless gateway, a causal gateway, an immeasurable gateway, an incomparable gateway. This gateway is indescribable; it is more exalted than all the world. This gateway is not common to the world of beings including the gods, demons, ascetics, and brahmins. This gateway is supreme among the teachings and leads to immaculate omniscient wisdom.

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“Bodhisattvas refine their self-manifest wisdom through this gateway. Having gained this self-manifest wisdom, they turn the Dharma wheel, and[F.69.a] in order that countless beings may refine the Dharma gateway and purify the gateway of nirvāṇa they gradually lead them to seize the gateway of omniscient wisdom. They teach expertise in acquiring the numerous causes of the Dharma way, lead beings to gain skill in acquiring the knowledge of the aggregates, and describe how to be skilled in acquiring the knowledge of the aggregates’ purity. They teach the knowledge of the elements, sense sources, and dependent origination. They lead beings to the gateway of the accomplishment of the noble truths and produce in them expertise in apprehending the immaculate noble truths. They maintain expertise in the thirty-seven factors of awakening, produce discernment of them, and correctly explain the immaculate knowledge of them. They describe the expertise of upholding the knowledge of tranquility and special insight and demonstrate the immaculate knowledge of tranquility and special insight. They induce the acquisition of expertise in meditative absorption and equipoise and describe the expertise of acquiring immaculate concentration, meditative absorption, and equipoise. They demonstrate expertise in maintaining freedom from confusion and the absence of confusion and demonstrate expertise in maintaining the immaculate knowledge of freedom from confusion and the absence of confusion. They teach the expertise of maintaining the knowledge of exhaustion, of the absence of desire, and of the unborn, and they teach the immaculate knowledge of exhaustion, of the absence of desire, and of the unborn. They teach expertise in maintaining the knowledge of awareness and liberation and teach expertise in maintaining the immaculate knowledge of awareness and liberation. They describe the immaculate gateway of nirvāṇa and teach expertise in maintaining freedom from all immaculate words. They describe, through various categories,[F.69.b] the immaculate gateways of what is conditioned, unconditioned, defiled, undefiled, mundane, and supramundane. They perfectly teach the causes for acquiring expertise in the ascertainment of the unsurpassed Dharma and the pure knowledge of beings.

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“Anantavyūha, without forsaking the development of the awakened attitude, you should aim to engender the power of determination. How should you aim to engender the power of determination? You should not separate yourself from the accumulation of the branches of awakening. How should bodhisattvas dedicate themselves to becoming knowledgeable in the mode of all phenomena? Phenomena are beyond birth, death, arising, transference, fluctuation, coming, and going. All phenomena are empty of their defining characteristics. Thus one should not fixate on emptiness,[F.70.a] let alone fixate on features such as form. That would show a lack of tolerance for the conception of features. No marks are present within emptiness; features have no function within emptiness.

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“The Thus-Gone One has also stated that the entire category of formations is empty of identity, the concept mine, life force, sentience, humanity, humankind, and personhood. Emptiness is devoid of attachment but not distinct from attachment. Emptiness is devoid of aversion but not distinct from aversion. Emptiness is devoid of delusion but is also not distinct from delusion. Emptiness is devoid of passion but is also not distinct from passion. Emptiness does not dwell, abide, or reside within emptiness. Emptiness is free of desire; it is cessation and peace. Within it there is no thought, no concept, no ideation, and no imputation; it does not begin and is beyond affliction. Its essential nature is free of grasping and immaculate. The nature of everything‍—whether virtuous or nonvirtuous, conditioned or unconditioned, mundane or supramundane‍—is emptiness. One who dedicates themselves to this will be led to liberation. With liberation, one will come to realize liberated wisdom. Remaining in stainless, immaculate liberation, one will perfectly achieve the accumulation of the branches of awakening.

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“What is the set of branches of awakening? It is immaculate discipline, immaculate insight, immaculate meditative absorption, immaculate liberation, immaculate vision of liberated wisdom,[F.70.b] immaculate perfection of generosity, immaculate perfection of discipline, immaculate perfection of patience, immaculate perfection of diligence, immaculate perfection of concentration, and immaculate perfection of insight. What is immaculate is utterly pure, and utter purity is the stainless gateway itself.

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“The mind is inherently lucid and permanently unafflicted. The subsidiary afflictions are of a threefold nature: they are adventitious, unreal, and insignificant and thus are nonexistent. The mind is not mixed with affliction nor associated with purification. How is this? The mind is nondual and indivisible; its nature is immaculate. Those who understand this will not be disturbed by afflictions. Afflictions do not occur inside or outside the mind or anywhere in between those two. Except for the mind that arises from the combination of referents, causes, and conditions, the mind cannot be observed. In this sense, while it arises it does not really appear; nowhere in the ten directions does the mind cognize or behold the mind. The mind is likewise not associated with an observed object, nor is an observed object associated with the mind. The mind does not merge with causes and conditions, nor do causes and conditions merge with the mind. Everything is just mind; it is equivalent to mind. Those phenomena that are equivalent to the mind cannot know or see each other, let alone those that are not equivalent to mind. Ultimately the mind is neither equivalent nor nonequivalent with anything.[F.71.a] How is this? Nothing is associated or unassociated with anything else; all phenomena are essentially peaceful. They neither have nor lack an essence. The essence of phenomena is their inherent nature, and their inherent nature is that they are essenceless.

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“Although the teachings conventionally refer to ‘the essence and nature of all phenomena,’ phenomena are actually devoid of an inherent essence or a nature. The inherent nature of things is that they are empty and lack an essence. All that is empty and devoid of an essence has a single characteristic: since phenomena are devoid of characteristics, their characteristic is complete purity, and thus by definition there is nothing to label as empty or essenceless. Since by definition there is nothing to label as empty or essenceless, no phenomena can, by definition, be labeled. Within the lack of essence and emptiness, there is no affliction or purification. This is what the inherent nature of phenomena is like. The inherent nature of phenomena does not abide, dwell, or reside either in affliction or in purification.

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“Anantavyūha, phenomena do not abide, dwell, or reside, so how do beings become deluded? If delusion does not exist, consider how pitiful it is that the inhabitants of the world are confused due to false delusion. Alas, the inhabitants of the world have ended up in this unreal wheel of confusion, and yet there is nowhere they have ended up. They have not ended up anywhere, yet they are bound by fetters of space. Alas, these beings have ended up in a wheel of space, and yet space cannot be labeled as a wheel.[F.71.b] They have become confused due to their immense delusion, and yet they are devoid of ignorance or delusion.

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“Anantavyūha, look at how, due to the cataract of their ignorance, beings do not understand or comprehend these phenomena and are preoccupied with argument. Anantavyūha, those who are preoccupied with argument are free of preoccupation, but due to their delusion they simply do not know or see this. Those who are preoccupied do not become pure, as they are not preoccupied with the immaculate roots of virtue. Thus they are preoccupied. Anantavyūha, except for those who like you have cultivated virtuous qualities in solitude for a long time, no one will be able to understand this expression of the Thus-Gone One’s intent.

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“Anantavyūha, how are the secret words of dhāraṇī explained?”

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Ānanda

kun dga’ bo
ཀུན་དགའ་བོ།
ānanda (Source Unspecified)

A major śrāvaka disciple and personal attendant of the Buddha Śākyamuni during the last twenty-five years of his life. He was a cousin of the Buddha (according to the Mahāvastu, he was a son of Śuklodana, one of the brothers of King Śuddhodana, which means he was a brother of Devadatta; other sources say he was a son of Amṛtodana, another brother of King Śuddhodana, which means he would have been a brother of Aniruddha).

Ānanda, having always been in the Buddha’s presence, is said to have memorized all the teachings he heard and is celebrated for having recited all the Buddha’s teachings by memory at the first council of the Buddhist saṅgha, thus preserving the teachings after the Buddha’s parinirvāṇa. The phrase “Thus did I hear at one time,” found at the beginning of the sūtras, usually stands for his recitation of the teachings. He became a patriarch after the passing of Mahākāśyapa.

asura

lha ma yin
ལྷ་མ་ཡིན།
asura (Source Unspecified)

A type of nonhuman being whose precise status is subject to different views, but is included as one of the six classes of beings in the sixfold classification of realms of rebirth. In the Buddhist context, asuras are powerful beings said to be dominated by envy, ambition, and hostility. They are also known in the pre-Buddhist and pre-Vedic mythologies of India and Iran, and feature prominently in Vedic and post-Vedic Brahmanical mythology, as well as in the Buddhist tradition. In these traditions, asuras are often described as being engaged in interminable conflict with the devas (gods).

Blessed one

bcom ldan ’das
བཅོམ་ལྡན་འདས།
bhagavat (Source Unspecified), bhagavān (Source Unspecified)

In Buddhist literature, this is an epithet applied to buddhas, most often to Śākyamuni. The Sanskrit term generally means “possessing fortune,” but in specifically Buddhist contexts it implies that a buddha is in possession of six auspicious qualities (bhaga) associated with complete awakening. The Tibetan term‍—where bcom is said to refer to “subduing” the four māras, ldan to “possessing” the great qualities of buddhahood, and ’das to “going beyond” saṃsāra and nirvāṇa‍—possibly reflects the commentarial tradition where the Sanskrit bhagavat is interpreted, in addition, as “one who destroys the four māras.” This is achieved either by reading bhagavat as bhagnavat (“one who broke”), or by tracing the word bhaga to the root √bhañj (“to break”).

branches of awakening

byang chub kyi yan lag
བྱང་ཆུབ་ཀྱི་ཡན་ལག
bodhyaṅga (Source Unspecified)

In this text, this set of factors is said to include discipline, insight, absorption, liberation, the vision of liberated wisdom, the perfection of generosity, the perfection of discipline, the perfection of patience, the perfection of diligence, the perfection of concentration, and the perfection of insight. However, usually they are listed as seven, namely remembrance, discrimination between teachings, diligence, joy, pliancy or serenity, absorption, and equanimity; these form a part of the thirty-seven factors of awakening.

eighteen unshared qualities of a buddha

sangs rgyas kyo chos ma ’dres pa bco brgyad
སངས་རྒྱས་ཀྱོ་ཆོས་མ་འདྲེས་པ་བཅོ་བརྒྱད།
aṣṭādaśāveṇikabuddhadharma (Source Unspecified)

The list of eighteen unshared qualities in the Anantamukhapariśodhananirdeśa varies slightly from other canonical lists. Elsewhere, the first quality is that the buddhas are “consistent in their actions.” The list in the Anantamukhapariśodhananirdeśa also includes an additional member at position thirteen: “their liberated wisdom vision never wanes.” The eighteen are generally given as: (1) their actions are consistent; (2) their speech is not jarring; (3) they are not forgetful; (4) their state of cessation is not a state of indifference; (5) their perception is not discursive; (6) their minds are always composed; (7) their diligence never wanes; (8) their recollection never wanes; (9) their effort never wanes; (10) their meditative absorption never wanes; (11) their insight never wanes; (12) their liberation never wanes; (13) their physical actions are guided by wisdom and are in alignment with wisdom; (14) their verbal actions are guided by wisdom and are in alignment with wisdom; (15) their mental actions are guided by wisdom and are in alignment with wisdom; (16) their wisdom vision is unobstructed and unaffected by the past; (17) their wisdom vision is unobstructed and unaffected by the future; and (18) their wisdom vision is unobstructed and unaffected by the present.

feature

mtshan ma
མཚན་མ།
nimitta (Source Unspecified)

A polyvalent term, it generally refers to the characteristic features of an object or image. Nimitta can refer to features of an object that attract the mind’s attention, engage with it more deeply, and develop emotional responses to it. Such marks or features are often considered to be ultimately false and deceptive. In a more positive sense nimitta can refer to the focus of meditation practice. The term applies to both external objects and visualized images that are used to deepen meditative concentration and absorption. Also translated here as “sign” and “mark.”

fetter

kun tu sbyor ba
ཀུན་ཏུ་སྦྱོར་བ།
saṃyojana (Source Unspecified)

A set of ten concepts and emotional reactions that perpetuate one’s continued rebirth in saṃsāra: false attribution of a self based in relation to the aggregates (satkāyadṛṣṭi; ’jig tshogs la lta ba), doubt (vicikitsā; the tshom), privileging rituals and observances (śīlavrataparāmarśa; tshul khrims dang brtul zhugs mchog tu ’dzin pa), craving sense pleasures (kāmarāga; ’dod pa la ’dod chags), malice (vyāpāda; gnod sems), craving rebirth in the realm of subtle form (rūparāga; gzugs la chags pa), craving rebirth in the realm of the immaterial (arūpyarāga; gzugs med pa’i ’dod chags), pride (māna; nga rgyal), mental agitation (auddhatya; rgod pa), and ignorance (avidyā; ma rig pa).

four great kings

rgyal po chen po bzhi
རྒྱལ་པོ་ཆེན་པོ་བཞི།
caturmahārāja (Source Unspecified)

Four gods who live on the lower slopes (fourth level) of Mount Meru in the eponymous Heaven of the Four Great Kings (Cāturmahārājika, rgyal chen bzhi’i ris) and guard the four cardinal directions. Each is the leader of a nonhuman class of beings living in his realm. They are Dhṛtarāṣṭra, ruling the gandharvas in the east; Virūḍhaka, ruling over the kumbhāṇḍas in the south; Virūpākṣa, ruling the nāgas in the west; and Vaiśravaṇa (also known as Kubera) ruling the yakṣas in the north. Also referred to as Guardians of the World or World Protectors (lokapāla, ’jig rten skyong ba).

ab.

Summary

Acknowledgments

Introduction

The Translation

The Noble Great Vehicle Sūtra

The Chapter Teaching the Purification of Boundless Gateways

Summary

Acknowledgments

Introduction

The Translation

The Noble Great Vehicle Sūtra

The Chapter Teaching the Purification of Boundless Gateways

Notes

Glossary

Bibliography

Abbreviations