The Perfection of Wisdom in Eighteen Thousand Lines
Chapter 85: Sadāprarudita

Then the Lord, having spoken these verses, [F.181.b] said to venerable Subhūti, “Subhūti, any son of a good family or daughter of a good family who wants to search for the perfection of wisdom, that son of a good family or daughter of a good family should search for the perfection of wisdom as it was sought for by the bodhisattva great being Sadāprarudita, who is now practicing celibacy in the presence of the tathāgata, worthy one, perfectly complete buddha Bhīṣma­garjita­nirghoṣa­svara.”

The Lord having said that, venerable Subhūti asked him, “Lord, when the bodhisattva great being Sadāprarudita was searching for the perfection of wisdom, how did he search for it?”

Venerable Subhūti having asked that, the Lord said to him, “Subhūti, when the bodhisattva great being Sadāprarudita was searching for the perfection of wisdom, he searched in such a way that he did not take great care of his body, had no regard for his life, and was not motivated by gain, honor, or praise. While searching for the perfection of wisdom in a remote jungle hermitage, he heard a voice in the sky saying, ‘Son of a good family, go east and listen to the perfection of wisdom, go as you go when you do not pay attention to your body being tired, do not pay attention to feeling sleepy and drowsy, do not pay attention to food, do not pay attention to drink, do not pay attention to night and do not pay attention to day, and do not pay attention to the cold and do not pay attention to heat. Go without placing your hopes [F.182.a] in anything inside or outside. Son of a good family, go without looking to the right or left; go without looking to the west,1079 the north, above, below, or into the intermediate directions. Son of a good family, go as you go when you do not move at all from the perishable collection, do not move at all from form, and do not move at all from feeling, perception, volitional factors, or consciousness. Someone who moves from this will fail. In what will they fail? They will fail in the buddhadharmas, and those who fail in the buddhadharmas will live a cyclic existence, and those who live a cyclic existence will not gain the perfection of wisdom.’

“The voice having said that, the bodhisattva great being Sadāprarudita then replied to that voice, ‘I will do so. And why? Because I want to be a light to all beings; I want to fully accomplish all the buddhadharmas.’

“The bodhisattva great being Sadāprarudita having said that, that voice said to him, ‘Excellent, excellent!’

“Then the bodhisattva great being Sadāprarudita again heard a sound. He heard the sound say, ‘Son of a good family, since you have developed admiration for the emptiness, the signlessness, and the wishlessness dharmas, you must search for the perfection of wisdom. You must reject causal signs. You must reject real existence. You must reject the view that there is a being. Son of a good family, you must reject bad friends and must serve, attend on, and worship those spiritual friends who teach dharmas that are emptiness, the signlessness, and the wishlessness, not produced, not born, not really existent, [F.182.b] and not stopped. Son of a good family, when you are making progress like that it will not be long before you learn the perfection of wisdom that has been put into a book or that exists in the body of a monk who preaches the Dharma. Son of a good family, you should imagine whomever you learn this perfection of wisdom from to be the Teacher, and, son of a good family, you should feel appreciation and feel a sense of gratitude. You should weigh up these benefits: ‘Whomever I learn this perfection of wisdom from is my spiritual friend. By learning this perfection of wisdom I will quickly become irreversible from unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening, will stay close by the tathāgatas, worthy ones, perfectly complete buddhas and be born in buddhafields where I will not be separated from the tathāgatas. I will avoid the places that preclude a perfect human birth, and I will obtain the perfect moment.’ Having understood these benefits, son of a good family, you should imagine the monk preaching the Dharma to be the Teacher. Son of a good family, you should not follow after the monk preaching the Dharma on account of a stream of thought connected with ordinary material possessions; rather, you should follow after the monk preaching the Dharma on account of seeking the Dharma from him and because of your respect for the Dharma.

“ ‘You should see through the works of Māra. Son of a good family, it can be that Māra the wicked one presents bodhisattva great beings with shapes, sounds, smells, tastes, and feelings to become engaged with, enjoyed, and used. Having risen above them, they become engaged with, enjoy, and make use of them with skillful means. You should not on that account let yourself feel a lack of faith in those monk bodhisattvas preaching the Dharma; [F.183.a] rather, you should think like this: “I do not know those skillful means, but they are well aware of skillful means. They are enjoying, keeping company with, and using these dharmas as a way to tame beings, because it is conducive to the growth of the wholesome roots of beings. Bodhisattvas are not attached to or obstructed by1080 anything.” At that very moment, son of a good family, you should understand analytically the way things really are. And what, son of a good family, is the way things really are? It is this: all dharmas are without defilement and are without purification. And why? Because all dharmas are empty of an intrinsic nature. All dharmas are devoid of a being, devoid of a living being, devoid of a person, like an illusion, like a dream, like an echo, and like a mirage. Son of a good family, if you analyze the way all dharmas really are like that, and if you follow others because they are Dharma preachers, before long you will go forth into the perfection of wisdom.

“ ‘Furthermore, son of a good family, look out for the work of Māra. Do not feel displeased, son of a good family, if Dharma preachers look down on and do not watch over a son of a good family who wants the perfection of wisdom. Rather, keep on seeking for the Dharma, keep feeling a respect for the Dharma, and follow the monk preaching the Dharma without becoming despondent.’

“Then the bodhisattva great being Sadāprarudita, having received this instruction from the voice, went east, but before he had gone far it occurred to him that he had not asked the voice how far he should go, so he stopped right there, crying, grieving, [F.183.b] and lamenting: ‘I will spend the day on this very spot, spend two days, or three, or four, or five, or a week here. Until I hear the perfection of wisdom, I will not pay attention to my tired body, will not pay attention to drowsy and sleepy feelings, will not pay attention to food, will not pay attention to drink, will not pay attention to night and will not pay attention to day, and will not pay attention to the cold and will not pay attention to heat.’

“Subhūti, it is just like somebody whose only son is near death‍—they feel great suffering and mental anguish, and with that pain they are extremely concerned for their son, concerned with nothing else except him. Similarly, Subhūti, the attention of the bodhisattva great being Sadāprarudita at that time was directed just to when he would hear the perfection of wisdom; he was concerned with nothing else except that.

“Then, Subhūti, a shape assumed by a tathāgata stood in the presence of the bodhisattva great being Sadāprarudita, who was suffering like that, and complimented him: ‘Excellent, son of a good family, what you say is excellent! When the tathāgatas, worthy ones, perfectly complete buddhas of the past were practicing the bodhisattva practice, they sought for the perfection of wisdom just as you are now searching for the perfection of wisdom. Therefore, son of a good family, pursue it with this perseverance, this enthusiasm, and this yearning, and with a desire for it go east. Son of a good family, five hundred yojanas from here is a city called Gandhavatī surrounded by a series [F.184.a] of seven ramparts built of the seven precious stones, surrounded by a series of seven ditches and a series of seven rows of palm trees. It is twelve yojanas long and twelve yojanas wide, prosperous, thriving, secure, with an abundant food supply, with many living creatures, and full of people. It is laid out like a picture beautifully made with five hundred identical matching streets going through the city1081 with ample space for palanquins, crisscrossed at intervals with bridges. The ramparts all around that metropolis are made of the seven precious stones. The copings on the ramparts are made of gold from the river Jambū, they rise up and are well worked, and on the top of all the copings grow trees made of the seven precious stones, laden with various fruits, also made of precious stones. All around, between each tree from one coping to the next, hangs a string that is also made of precious stones. A network of small golden bells is fastened on the strings and thus surrounds the entire city. When stirred by the wind, the network of small golden bells gives out a sweet, charming, and delightful sound. To illustrate, five-part music when played in harmony by skilled musicians gives out a sweet, charming, and delightful sound, and just like that those small bells give out a sweet, charming, and delightful sound when stirred by the wind. Those beings play, delight in, and take great pleasure in that sound. The ditches in the environs of the metropolis are full of water‍—water neither too cold nor too hot‍—and on the water there are beautiful boats that have come about from the maturation of earlier karma,1082 variously decked out with the seven precious stones. Those beings go on board and play, delight, and sail around in them. The water is everywhere covered with blossoms of the blue lotus, the pink lotus, and the white lotus [F.184.b] and covered with other types of the most beautiful and fragrant flowers. Among all the types of flowers in a great billionfold world system there are none that are not there. There are five hundred parks in that metropolis all made of the seven precious stones, all of them colorful and beautiful. Each park has a large lotus lake with a circumference of about five hundred krośa, and growing from all the edges of the lotus lakes are colorful and beautiful blue lotus, pink lotus, and white lotus flowers of the seven precious stones. They cover the water. All those blue lotus, pink lotus, and white lotus flowers are the size of cart wheels and are blue, are the color blue, look blue, and appear blue;1083 are yellow, are the color yellow, look yellow, and appear yellow; are red, are the color red, look red, and appear red; and are white, are the color white, look white, and appear white. On all those lotus lakes geese, cranes, kāraṇḍa ducks, and curlews are calling out. All the lotus lakes are unowned and unrestricted and have come about from the maturation of the earlier karma of beings, beings such as those who have practiced the perfection of wisdom for a long time and believed in the deep dharmas for a long time.1084

“ ‘Son of a good family, at the main crossroads in the center of the city is the residence of the bodhisattva great being Dharmodgata made of the seven precious stones, colorful and beautiful, with a circumference of about a yojana, surrounded by seven ramparts and a series of seven rows of palm trees. [F.185.a] There are four gardens in the residence for the use of those living there, called Nityapramūdita, Aśoka, Śokavigata, and Puṣpacitra, and in each of the gardens there are eight lotus ponds called Bhadrā, Bhadrottamā, Nandā, Nandottamā, Kṣemā, Kśemottamā, Niyatā, and Avivāhā. One side of each lotus pond is made of gold, the second made of silver, the third made of beryl, and the fourth made of crystal. The ground at the bottom consists of quartz with golden sand over it. For each lotus pond there are eight flights of stairs adorned with steps made of different kinds of precious stones. In the spaces between the flights of stairs grow plantain trees of gold from the river Jambū. Covering the water of all the lotus ponds are pink lotus, blue lotus, and white lotus flowers, and on the lotus ponds geese, cranes, and curlews are calling out. All around those lotus ponds various flowering trees grow, and when those trees are stirred by the wind the blossoms drop onto the lotus ponds, so the water in all the lotus ponds has become imbued with the fragrance of sandalwood with its color and with its smell.

“ ‘The bodhisattva great being Dharmodgata along with his retinue, together with sixty-eight thousand women, endowed with an abundance of the five sorts of sense objects, play, delight, and take great pleasure there, and all those other male and female beings living in that city also enjoy those parks and lotus ponds, are endowed with an [F.185.b] abundance of the five sorts of sense objects, and play, delight in, and take great pleasure in them.

“ ‘Furthermore, even as the bodhisattva great being Dharmodgata along with his retinue play, delight, and take great pleasure, he teaches them the perfection of wisdom during the three time periods. Those beings living in the city of Gandhavatī show their respect for the Dharma like this: They set up a throne for the bodhisattva great being Dharmodgata at the main crossroads in the center of the city with one leg of gold, one leg of silver, one leg of beryl, and one leg of crystal1085 with a cotton cloth spread over, with a soft pillow and a cushion on top covered with Vārāṇāsī cotton, and with a cloth canopy with interconnected pearl ornamentation about half a krośa above it in the sky. Over that ground and its surroundings, they strew the five different sorts of colored flowers and imbue the place with fragrance from different sorts of perfumes and incense. The bodhisattva great being Dharmodgata seats himself there and teaches the perfection of wisdom, and those beings showing such respect, son of a good family, listen to the perfection of wisdom from the bodhisattva great being Dharmodgata. From among those gods and humans, those many hundreds of beings, many thousands of beings, many hundreds of thousands of beings, some listen to it being read aloud, some take it up, some bear it in mind, some go over it again and again, some clearly articulate it, some recite it from memory, some write it out, and some pay proper attention and understand it. None of those beings is subject to making a blunder. They are all irreversible from unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening.

“ ‘Son of a good family, go into the presence [F.186.a] of the bodhisattva great being Dharmodgata and you will learn the perfection of wisdom from him. Son of a good family, he has been your spiritual friend for a long time, the one who perfectly reveals and inspires you to take up unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening, who fires you up and excites you about it. Son of a good family, I too earlier sought the perfection of wisdom just as you are now seeking it. Son of a good family, pay attention day and night and keep on going constantly,1086 and before long you will hear the perfection of wisdom.’

“Then the bodhisattva great being Sadāprarudita, having heard that, was pleased, delighted, enraptured, overjoyed, and filled with joy and mental happiness.

“It is just like when a person pierced by a poisoned dart is concerned with nothing else except the thought, ‘When will I find a doctor who will free me from this suffering and remove this dart?’ Similarly, the bodhisattva great being Sadāprarudita was concerned with no other dharma except the thought, ‘When will I see that son of a good family who will let me hear the perfection of wisdom, and, having heard that Dharma, eliminate the attention I pay to falsely apprehended facts?’

“Then the bodhisattva great being Sadāprarudita, while remaining right on that very spot, generated the perception of the absence of a standing place in all dharmas, and many meditative stabilization gateways became evident to him‍—namely, the sarva­dharma­svabhāva­vyavalokana meditative stabilization, the sarva­dharma­svabhāvānupalabdhi meditative stabilization, [F.186.b] the sarva­dharmājñānāpagata1087 meditative stabilization, the sarva­dharma­nirvikāra­darśin meditative stabilization, the sarva­dharmāvabhāsa­kara meditative stabilization, the sarva­dharma­tamopagata meditative stabilization, the sarva­dharmājñāna­vidhvaṃsana meditative stabilization, the sarva­dharmānupalabdhi meditative stabilization, the kusumābhikīrṇa meditative stabilization, the sarva­dharmātma­bhāvānabhinirhāra meditative stabilization, the māyāvivarjita meditative stabilization, the ādarśa­maṇḍala­pratibhāsa­nirhāra meditative stabilization, the sarva­sattva­ruta­nirhāra meditative stabilization, the sarva­dharma­nirnānātva meditative stabilization, the sarva­sattvābhipramodana meditative stabilization, the sarva­sattva­ruta­kauśalyānugata meditative stabilization, the nānāruta­pada­vyañjanābhinirhāra meditative stabilization, the astambhita meditative stabilization, the prakṛtyavalokita1088 meditative stabilization, the anāvaraṇa­vimokṣa­prāpta meditative stabilization, the rajopagata meditative stabilization, the nāma­nirukti­pada­vyañjana meditative stabilization, the sarva­dharma­vipaśyana meditative stabilization, the sarva­dharmānāvaraṇa­koṭi meditative stabilization,1089 the gaganakalpa meditative stabilization, the vajropama meditative stabilization, the āsanna­rūpa­rājas1090 meditative stabilization, the jayalabdha meditative stabilization,1091 the avivartya­cakṣus meditative stabilization, the dharma­dhātu­nirgata meditative stabilization,1092 [F.187.a] the āśvāsadātā meditative stabilization, the siṃhābhigarjita meditative stabilization, the sarva­sattvābhibhavana1093 meditative stabilization, the vigatarajas meditative stabilization, the asaṃkliṣṭa meditative stabilization, the padmavyūha meditative stabilization, the kāṅkṣocchedana meditative stabilization, the sarva­sārānugata meditative stabilization, the sarva­dharmābhyudgata meditative stabilization, the abhijñā­bala­vaiśāradya­prāpta meditative stabilization, the sarva­dharma­nirvedhaka meditative stabilization,1094 the sarva­dharma­vibhava­samudra meditative stabilization,1095 the sarva­dharma­nirviśeṣa­darśin meditative stabilization, the sarva­dṛṣṭi­kṛta­gahana­vivarjita meditative stabilization, the tamopagata meditative stabilization, the sarva­dharma­nimittāpagata meditative stabilization, the sarva­saṅga­vimukta meditative stabilization, the sarva­kausīdyāpagata meditative stabilization, the gambhīra­dharma­prabhā­kara meditative stabilization, the merukalpa meditative stabilization, the asaṃhārya meditative stabilization, the māra­maṇḍala­vidhvaṃsana­kara meditative stabilization, the trailokyānabhiviniṣṭa meditative stabilization, the raśminirhāra meditative stabilization, and the tathāgata­darśana meditative stabilization1096 became evident to him.

“While remaining in those meditative stabilizations, he beheld countless, infinite lord buddhas in world systems [F.187.b] in the ten directions, who were illuminating this perfection of wisdom for the bodhisattva great beings. Those tathāgatas, having complimented him with ‘excellent’ and assured him, said, ‘Son of a good family, earlier when we were undertaking the bodhisattva’s practice we sought for the perfection of wisdom like this, and when we were seeking we also attained these meditative stabilizations; having attained these meditative stabilizations we became advanced in our comprehension of the perfection of wisdom and became grounded in the irreversible buddhadharmas. As we looked at the intrinsic nature and basic nature of these meditative stabilizations, we did not see any phenomenon at all that becomes absorbed, that arises from absorption, that practices for awakening, or that would fully awaken to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening. Son of a good family, this is that perfection of wisdom. Son of a good family, having stood without falsely projecting superiority or not falsely projecting superiority on account of any phenomenon we have gained such a body as this with a color like gold and obtained the thirty-two major marks, eighty minor signs, a halo extending the length of our outstretched arms, the inconceivable knowledge of a buddha and unsurpassed wisdom of a buddha, the unsurpassed meditative stabilization of a buddha, and the perfection of all the good qualities of a buddha‍—a perfection of good qualities that even tathāgatas cannot take the measure of or see the end of, never mind śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas. Therefore, son of a good family, produce a great feeling of respect for just these dharmas, intensely seeking for and wanting to obtain them. [F.188.a] Son of a good family, when you seek for and want to obtain unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening, it is not hard to gain. Produce an intense feeling of respect for your spiritual friends and cherish them. Bodhisattva great beings who are looked after by spiritual friends will quickly and fully awaken to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening.’

“Then the bodhisattva great being Sadāprarudita asked those tathāgatas, ‘Who is my spiritual friend?’

“They said to him, ‘Son of a good family, for a long time you have been matured for unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening and assisted by the bodhisattva great being Dharmodgata, who has trained you in the perfection of wisdom and skillful means. Son of a good family, he is the spiritual friend assisting you, so bear in mind as an order what he says to you. Son of a good family, if you should wrap the bodhisattva great being Dharmodgata like a turban on your head for an eon, or two eons, or a hundred eons, or a thousand eons, or even more eons than that, and attend to his needs with all the prerequisites for happiness, offer him all the shapes, sounds, smells, tastes, and feelings in a great billionfold world system, as many as there are, son of a good family, you still would not have paid him back for what he has done for you. And why? Because, son of a good family, through his power you have gained such meditative stabilizations as these, have heard about the perfection of wisdom and skillful means, and have obtained the perfection of wisdom.’ [F.188.b]

“Then those tathāgatas, having assured the bodhisattva great being Sadāprarudita, disappeared. That son of a good family emerged from those meditative stabilizations, and having emerged it still occurred to him to wonder, ‘Where did those tathāgatas come from and where did they go?’ Unable to see those tathāgatas, he became distressed and unhappy. It also occurred to him to think, ‘That bodhisattva great being Dharmodgata has obtained the dhāraṇīs, has the five clairvoyances, has served well the victors of the past, and as my spiritual friend has looked after me. He has worked for my welfare for a long time, so I am going to go into the presence of the bodhisattva great being Dharmodgata and, when I get there I will ask about this matter, about where those tathāgatas came from and where they went.’

“Then the bodhisattva great being Sadāprarudita constantly cultivated an attitude of liking, serene confidence, reverence,1097 and respect for the bodhisattva great being Dharmdogata, and having constantly cultivated that attitude, he began to worry: ‘I am destitute, so what can I take to show my respect when I go into the presence of the bodhisattva great being Dharmdogata? I do not have anything like a robe, or jewel, or gold, or precious stone, or pearl, or beryl, or conch shell, or crystal, or coral, or silver, or fine sand particles of gold, or flowers, or a perfumed flower garland, or a cream, or a parasol. Were I [F.189.a] to go into the presence of the bodhisattva great being Dharmdogata like this it would be wrong of me. I feel no joy or delight.’

“Then the bodhisattva great being Sadāprarudita, endowed with such qualities and with such a respectful attitude toward the guru, set off and gradually reached another city. When he went into the middle of the marketplace, it occurred to him to think, ‘I should sell myself and with the profit get something to show respect to the bodhisattva great being Dharmodgata. For a long time, thousands of my bodies have been destroyed, come to an end, and been sold, and over immeasurable cyclic existences I have experienced immeasurable suffering in hell again and again because of the desire for sense gratification caused by sense objects, but not because of such a Dharma as this or in order to have something to show respect to such a great being as this.’

“The bodhisattva great being Sadāprarudita then stood in the marketplace and advertised himself, shouting, ‘Who wants a man? Who wants a man?’

“Then it occurred to Māra the wicked one to think, ‘This bodhisattva great being Sadāprarudita, having sold himself out of a desire for the Dharma, will then show respect to the bodhisattva great being Dharmodgata and in regard to the perfection of wisdom and skillful means will inquire, “How should a bodhisattva great being practice the perfection of wisdom and quickly and fully awaken to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening, receive a veritable ocean of sacred learning, not be overpowered by Māra and the Māra class of gods, and obtain the perfection of all good qualities?” There he will work for the welfare of many beings and, having fully awakened [F.189.b] to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening, will cause them to pass beyond my sphere of influence and will cause other beings as well to pass beyond my sphere of influence. I have to block him in this.’

“Somehow or other Māra the wicked one cast a spell over the brahmins and landowners so that they could not hear the shout of the bodhisattva great being Sadāprarudita calling out, ‘Who wants a man? Who wants to purchase me?’

“Then, when the bodhisattva great being Sadāprarudita found there was nobody to purchase him, he stood off to the side and wept, lamenting, ‘When I thought to sell myself to find something to show respect to the bodhisattva great being Dharmodgata, I could not even find somebody to purchase me. What I found is something terrible to find.’

“Then it occurred to Śatakratu, head of the gods, to think, ‘Does the bodhisattva great being Sadāprarudita have such a perfect surpassing aspiration‍—namely, to give up his body out of a desire for the Dharma‍—or not? I will put this bodhisattva great being Sadāprarudita through a trial.’

Having magically produced himself disguised in the form of a brahmin student, he went specifically to where the bodhisattva great being Sadāprarudita was, and having gone there he asked the bodhisattva great being Sadāprarudita, ‘Son of a good family, what is the problem such that you are so miserable, distraught, and weeping like this?’

“ ‘Brahmin student,’ he replied, ‘I wanted to sell myself out of a desire for the Dharma, in order to worship the Dharma, but I found nobody to purchase me. This made me think, “Oh, I really have very little merit, [F.190.a] because when I had the idea to sell myself to worship the perfection of wisdom and to show respect to the noble bodhisattva great being Dharmodgata, I still could not even find somebody to purchase me.” ’

“Then that brahmin student said to the bodhisattva great being Sadāprarudita, ‘I do not want a man, but I am making a sacrifice, and for that I need a human heart, blood, bone, and marrow. Make a deal with me for that.’

“The bodhisattva great being Sadāprarudita thought, ‘I have found something excellent to find, and good to find in that I have found this brahmin student who will purchase my heart, blood, bone, and marrow, and the final outcome of my body will be in the perfection of wisdom and skillful means.’ He was thrilled, cheered up, and overjoyed, and he said to the brahmin student, ‘Brahmin student, you can take what you want from this body of mine.’

“ ‘Son of a good family,’ he replied, ‘I will give you whatever payment you want.’

“He said to him, ‘Brahmin student, give me whatever you will part with.’

“Then the bodhisattva great being Sadāprarudita took a sharp sword, stabbed his right arm and made the blood flow out, stabbed his right thigh and stripped all the flesh off, and went up to a wall to smash the bone to get the marrow.

“Then a merchant’s daughter sitting on the top floor of her house saw that bodhisattva great being Sadāprarudita strip all the flesh off his thigh and go up to the wall to smash the bone and thought, ‘Why is this son of a good family [F.190.b] hurting himself like this? I am going to go up to that son of a good family and ask him.’

“That merchant’s daughter went right to where the bodhisattva great being Sadāprarudita was and, having gone, asked the bodhisattva great being Sadāprarudita, ‘Son of a good family, why are you hurting yourself like this? What are you going to do with this blood, bone, and marrow?’ ”

“Sadāprarudita said to the merchant’s daughter, ‘Having sold it to this brahmin student, I will worship the perfection of wisdom and will also show respect to the noble bodhisattva great being Dharmodgata.’

“Then that merchant’s daughter asked the bodhisattva great being Sadāprarudita, ‘Son of a good family, having sold your heart, blood, bone, and marrow like this, son of a good family, what kind of good quality will you, who want to show respect to him, accomplish?’

“ ‘Young lady,’ he replied to her, ‘that son of a good family will instruct me in the perfection of wisdom and skillful means in which I have to train, and when I have trained in them, having fully awakened to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening, I will become a support for all beings. I will also obtain a body gold-like in color, and I will also obtain the thirty-two major marks of a great person, a halo extending the length of two outstretched arms, endless light rays, great love, great compassion, great joy, and great equanimity, the four fearlessnesses, the four detailed and thorough knowledges, and the eighteen distinct attributes of a buddha. [F.191.a] I will complete the five clairvoyances; inconceivably pure morality, inconceivably pure meditative stabilization, and inconceivably pure wisdom; the ten tathāgata powers; and perfect, complete knowledge, and I will obtain the unsurpassed Dharma jewel that is to be apportioned out among all beings.’

“That merchant’s daughter then said to the bodhisattva great being Sadāprarudita, ‘Son of a good family, it is totally amazing, these dharmas you have proclaimed that are so vast. You have to give your body away for as many eons as there are sand particles in the Gaṅgā River for the sake of each of such dharmas as these, never mind for one. Son of a good family, I will give you whatever gold, or jewel, or pearl, or beryl, or silver, or flowers, or incense, or perfume, or fragrance,1098 or flower garland, or cream, or powder, or robe, or parasol you need to show respect to the bodhisattva great being Dharmodgata, but do not hurt yourself like this. I will also accompany you. I will go right to where the bodhisattva great being Dharmodgata is, and together with you I too will cause such wholesome roots to grow‍—namely, those for obtaining such dharmas as those.’

“Then Śatakratu, head of the gods, having thrown off his brahmin student disguise, stood in front of bodhisattva great being Sadāprarudita in his own body and said, [F.191.b] ‘Excellent, son of a good family; excellent that you have such a firm commitment! Earlier, when out of a desire for such dharmas, previous tathāgatas, worthy ones, perfectly complete buddhas were undertaking the practice of a bodhisattva, they completed the perfection of wisdom and skillful means and fully awakened to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening. Son of a good family, I have no use for a heart, blood, bone, and marrow. I came here to test you. Son of a good family, pick whatever favor you want. Whatever the favor, son of a good family, I will grant it to you.’

“He said to him, ‘Śatakratu, please give me the unsurpassed buddhadharmas.’

“Śatakratu replied, ‘Son of a good family, this is a specific object that does not lie within my range. This is an object that lies specifically within the range of the lord buddhas. Pick some other favor.’

“The bodhisattva Sadāprarudita said, ‘Head of the gods, do not concern yourself with my body being in this state that needs to be made whole. Head of the gods, I myself will unleash the controlling power of truth. Head of the gods, if it is true that the tathāgatas, worthy ones, perfectly complete buddhas have prophesied that I am irreversible from full awakening to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening, and if I am known from my immovable surpassing aspiration, then through that truth and through the truth of those words, let my body become as it was before.’ Having said that, through the power of the Buddha and the purity of the surpassing aspiration, at that very moment, in that second, in the time it takes to blink, the body of the bodhisattva great being Sadāprarudita was reconstituted as it was before. [F.192.a] Then Śatakratu, head of the gods, lost his confidence giving a readiness to speak and, unable to muster up the confidence to say anything in reply to the bodhisattva great being Sadāprarudita, simply vanished on the spot.1099

“Then that merchant’s daughter said to the bodhisattva great being Sadāprarudita, ‘Son of a good family, come here. Come right to where my home is. I will get my parents to donate some jewels so you can worship the perfection of wisdom and show respect to the bodhisattva great being Dharmodgata with them.’

“The bodhisattva great being Sadāprarudita, accompanied by that merchant’s daughter, then went right to her home. Having arrived at her home1100 that merchant’s daughter then said to her parents, ‘Mother, father, please give me a lot of gold, and silver, and jewels, and precious stones, and flowers, and incense, and perfume, and flower garlands, and creams, and powders, and robes, and a parasol, and a royal ensign, and a banner, and what is needed for making music.1101 Please release1102 the five hundred servant girls you have given me. We will accompany the bodhisattva great being Sadāprarudita and go to worship the bodhisattva great being Dharmodgata. He will also teach us the Dharma.’

“Then that young lady’s parents asked her, ‘Daughter, who is this bodhisattva great being Sadāprarudita? Daughter, where is this son of a good family now?’

“The young lady said, ‘That son of a good family has right now arrived at our front gateway. That son of a good family with the unsurpassed aspiration‍—namely, the desire to set all beings free [F.192.b] from the infinite sufferings of saṃsāra‍—has set out for unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening. Out of a desire for the Dharma he was selling himself, wanting to worship the perfection of wisdom and wanting to get something to show respect to the bodhisattva great being Dharmodgata. Unable to get anybody to purchase his body, he was suffering, unhappy, and miserable and said, “When I wanted to sell myself, I could not find somebody to purchase me.” Then Śatakratu, having transformed himself into the form of a brahmin student, asked him, “Son of a good family, what do you want to sell yourself for?” and Sadāprarudita said, “Through this I will get something to worship the perfection of wisdom and show respect to that noble bodhisattva great being Dharmodgata as well; my buddhadharmas are contingent on that, which is to say, out of a desire for the Dharma.” Then Śatakratu, in the form of a brahmin student, said, “I do not need you. But I am making a sacrifice, and for that I need a human heart, blood, bone, and marrow.” That son of a good family, without despairing, said to him, “I will give it,” took a sharp sword, stabbed his arm and made himself bleed, stripped the flesh off his thigh, and, going off to smash the bone, stood off to one side thinking, “I will donate the bone and marrow.” I had gone up to the top floor of the house, so I saw him bleeding there and I wondered about that, “Why is this man hurting himself like this?” So I went up to him and spoke to him. I asked, “Son of a good family, why are you yourself making your body bleed like this? What are you doing this for?” [F.193.a] He said to me, “I am giving my blood, heart, bone, and marrow to this brahmin student. Why? Because I am destitute. I have no other wealth at all.” I asked, “What are you going to use your wealth for?” and he said to me, “It is for this, namely, to worship the perfection of wisdom and to get something to show respect to the bodhisattva great being Dharmodgata out of a desire for the Dharma.” I asked him, “Son of a good family, what kind, or what special good quality will you get from that?” and he said to me, “On account of this he will reveal to me the inconceivable good qualities of a buddha and infinite dharmas of a buddha. I will get dharmas such as those from this.” Having heard about those inconceivable good qualities of a buddha, I too felt joy and immense delight and thought, “It is totally amazing that this son of a good family would have such enthusiasm for such a condition1103 as this and be so overjoyed. If this son of a good family, out of a desire for the Dharma, is giving even himself away, why would we, who have vast possessions, not worship the Dharma? Why would we not make prayers for such states as those?” Then I said to that son of a good family, “Son of a good family, do not hurt yourself like this. I will give you a lot of the wealth you need to show respect to the noble bodhisattva great being Dharmodgata. I will also accompany you and will go right to where the bodhisattva great being Dharmodgata is, and I too will worship that son of a good family. I too will obtain what you have proclaimed, namely, these unsurpassed buddhadharmas.” [F.193.b] So, father and mother, please give me a great pile of treasure, and I together with that son of a good family will worship the bodhisattva great being Dharmodgata.’ [B60]

“Then that daughter’s parents said to their daughter, ‘From what you have told us about those excruciating conditions of that son of a good family, those dharmas are definitely inconceivable, superior in all the world, and bring about happiness for all beings. And that son of a good family is eager for such an excruciating condition for the sake of them, so we grant you our permission. But we too, daughter, together with you will go to see the bodhisattva great being Dharmodgata, and we also will worship him. Arrange for us the opportunity to go as well.’

“That young lady then prepared to leave1104 in order to worship and serve the bodhisattva great being Dharmodgata and said to her parents, ‘I am not going to stand in the way of anyone on the side of good.’

“Then that merchant’s daughter decked out five hundred carriages with ornaments, decked out those five hundred girls with ornaments, and, having decked them out, while holding flowers of various colors; holding incense, and perfume, and flower garlands, and creams, and powders, and robes, and a parasol, and a royal ensign, and a banner; holding aloft gold and silver flowers; holding an assortment of various jewels, and bringing along hard food, soft food, and tasty food to eat in a copious abundance, got into one carriage together with the bodhisattva great being Sadāprarudita [F.194.a] while the five hundred girls got into their five hundred carriages surrounding them, and with a huge retinue, starting with her mother and father in front, they set off traveling specifically to the east.

“After they had gone along stage by stage, the bodhisattva great being Sadāprarudita saw from afar the city of Gandhavatī with the colors of the seven precious stones, built beautiful to behold, surrounded by a series of seven ramparts of the seven precious stones, with seven archways, surrounded by a series of seven moats and a series of seven rows of palm trees, twelve yojanas long and twelve yojanas wide, prosperous, thriving, secure, with an abundant food supply, full of many people and living creatures, laid out like a picture beautifully made with five hundred identical matching streets going through the city with ample space for palanquins, and crisscrossed at intervals with bridges excellently built. He saw seated on a Dharma throne at the crossroads at its center the bodhisattva great being Dharmodgata, at the head of and surrounded by a retinue of many hundreds, many thousands, many hundreds of thousands, explaining the Dharma. The moment he saw him he obtained a joy and happiness just like that of a monk when he is absorbed in the first concentration with single-pointed attention, and seeing him he thought, ‘It would not be becoming of me to go into the presence of the bodhisattva great being Dharmodgata while seated in a carriage,’ so he got down from his carriage, and the merchant’s daughter and the five hundred girls got down from their carriages together with him too. Then, with the bodhisattva great being Sadāprarudita surrounded by the merchant’s daughter and the five hundred girls and so on in front, [F.194.b] all proceeded specifically toward the infinite array1105 and the bodhisattva great being Dharmodgata.

“The bodhisattva great being Dharmodgata had had an upper chamber on the roof constructed for the perfection of wisdom, made out of the seven precious stones, ornamented with red sandalwood, and draped in a net of pearls, and at that time, in order to worship the perfection of wisdom, seven jewels had been placed at the four corners of the upper chamber on the roof doing the work of lamps, and four censers made of silver were hanging down at the four sides in which pure black agaru1106 was smoldering. In the center of the upper chamber four1107 thrones made of the seven precious stones had been set down, four jeweled chests had been placed on them, and a golden book of the Perfection of Wisdom written in melted beryl had been put in those. That upper chamber on the roof was also adorned with variously colored hanging tassels.

“Then the bodhisattva great being Sadāprarudita and the merchant’s daughter together with the five hundred girls saw that upper chamber on the roof adorned with the infinite array, and saw many thousands of gods, and also saw Śatakratu, head of the gods, showering down on, showering over, and showering right over that upper chamber on the roof divine mandārava flowers, divine sandalwood powder, divine gold dust, and divine silver dust. They also heard divine instrumental music.

“Having seen and heard that, the bodhisattva great being Sadāprarudita asked Śatakratu, head of the gods, ‘Head of the gods, why are you and many thousands of gods showering down on, showering over, and showering right over [F.195.a] that jeweled upper chamber on the roof mandārava flowers and sandalwood powder, and why are the gods playing this divine instrumental music up in the sky?’

“The bodhisattva great being Sadāprarudita having asked that, Śatakratu, head of the gods, said to him, ‘Son of a good family, are you not aware that this is the perfection of wisdom, the mother and guide of the bodhisattva great beings, and by training in it bodhisattva great beings will quickly gain the perfection of all good qualities, all the buddhadharmas, and all-knowledge as well?’

“Śatakratu, head of the gods, having said that, the bodhisattva great being Sadāprarudita asked him, ‘Kauśika, where is the perfection of wisdom, the mother and guide of the bodhisattva great beings?’

“ ‘It is in this upper chamber on the roof,’ replied Śatakratu. ‘The noble bodhisattva great being Dharmodgata has placed it there, having written it in melted beryl in a golden book and sealed it with seven seals. It is difficult for us to show it to you.’

“Then the bodhisattva great being Sadāprarudita, with the merchant’s daughter and together with the five hundred girls, came forward as a group bearing flowers and bunches of flower garlands, and jeweled robes, and incense, and perfume, and flower garlands, and creams, and powders, and robes, and a parasol, and a royal ensign, and a banner, and gold and silver flowers, as much as they had, and they worshiped the perfection of wisdom with them. Each of them, too, had set aside [F.195.b] a portion from that for showing respect to the noble bodhisattva great being Dharmodgata.

“Then the bodhisattva great being Sadāprarudita,1108 having earlier worshiped the perfection of wisdom with flowers, and incense, and perfume, and flower garlands, and creams, and powders, and clothes, and a royal ensign, and a banner and so on, went right to where the bodhisattva great being Dharmodgata was, and, having gone there, in order just to worship the Dharma, strewed near, strewed in front, and strewed all around the bodhisattva great being Dharmodgata flowers, and incense, and perfume, and flower garlands, and creams, and powders, and robes, and a parasol, and a royal ensign, and a banner, and sandalwood powder, and gold and silver flowers.

“Those flowers then became a second story of flowers above the head of the bodhisattva great being Dharmodgata; the gold and silver flowers remained like a palace1109 in the sky; and those robes and jeweled robes remained like a choice circle of clouds made of various precious stones. Beholding such a miracle of the bodhisattva great being Dharmodgata’s miraculous power, the bodhisattva great being Sadāprarudita, the merchant’s daughter, and the five hundred girls thought, ‘This is amazing! Even while this bodhisattva great being Dharmodgata, this son of a good family, is pursuing the career of a bodhisattva, he has such great miraculous power, is so very mighty, and has such great energy. What, then, is it going to be like when he has fully awakened to unsurpassed, [F.196.a] perfect, complete awakening?’

“Then, starting with that merchant’s daughter, those five hundred girls generated a tremendous feeling of delight in the bodhisattva great being Dharmodgata. They all produced the thought of unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening and said, ‘In the future may we, from this wholesome root, become tathāgatas, worthy ones, perfectly complete buddhas. May we, even while pursuing the career of a bodhisattva, obtain those dharmas that are just like these dharmas that the bodhisattva great being Dharmodgata has obtained, and even while pursuing the career of a bodhisattva, may we actualize such dharmas as those. May we come to show respect to the perfection of wisdom just as the bodhisattva great being Dharmodgata shows respect to the perfection of wisdom; and just as the bodhisattva great being Dharmodgata teaches it to many people, may we teach it too. Just as this bodhisattva great being Dharmodgata is endowed with and perfected in the perfection of wisdom and skillful means, may we too come to be endowed with and perfected in the perfection of wisdom and skillful means.’

“Then the bodhisattva great being Sadāprarudita and those five hundred girls starting with the merchant’s daughter, having worshiped the perfection of wisdom and also showed respect to the bodhisattva great being Dharmodgata, bowed their heads to the feet of the bodhisattva great being Dharmodgata and, treating him with respect, [F.196.b] stood to one side with palms cupped together in a gesture of supplication.

“While standing to one side, the bodhisattva great being Sadāprarudita said to the bodhisattva great being Dharmodgata, ‘Son of a good family, here, while searching for the perfection of wisdom, I went to a remote jungle hermitage and heard a voice saying, “Son of a good family, go east and listen to the perfection of wisdom!” Having heard that voice, I went specifically to the east, but it occurred to me that I had not asked the voice how far I should go and who I would find to hear the perfection of wisdom from, so I felt very unhappy and distraught. I spent seven days and nights right on that very spot. Because I was so distraught, I did not have the customary thoughts about eating; rather, I focused my attention on just the perfection of wisdom. While thinking, “I did not ask the voice how far I should go and who I would find to hear the perfection of wisdom from,” a shape assumed by a tathāgata appeared in my presence and it said, “Son of a good family, go five hundred yojanas from here, and in a city called Gandhavatī you will see the bodhisattva great being Dharmodgata teaching the perfection of wisdom.”

“ ‘Having heard that from that shape assumed by a tathāgata, I set out and went on, as I had been told, specifically to the east, and I saw from afar a noble Dharma preacher, and the moment I saw him I felt a happiness just like that of a monk who has entered into the first concentration. [F.197.a] Suffused by that joy and delight, I did not move from that spot, and I heard the perfection of wisdom from you.1110 As I listened to it, many meditative stabilization gateways arose, and as I stood in them, the lord buddhas in world systems in the ten directions assured me and said, “Excellent, excellent, son of a good family, these meditative stabilizations of yours have arisen from the perfection of wisdom. We too, having stood in them, completed the buddhadharmas.” Thus, those tathāgatas taught me excellently, inspired me, fired me up, and excited me. Then they disappeared, and, having emerged from those meditative stabilizations, it occurred to me to wonder, “Where did those tathāgatas come from and where have they gone?” Then I again thought, “The bodhisattva great being noble Dharmodgata has done the work under the victors of the past, planted wholesome roots, and is well trained in the perfection of wisdom and skillful means. He will reveal to me where those tathāgatas came from and where those tathāgatas have gone.” So, son of a good family, I am asking you where those tathāgatas came from and where those tathāgatas have gone. Please teach me about the coming and going of those tathāgatas so we will be knowledgeable about the coming and going of those tathāgatas and will not become separated from seeing the tathāgatas.’ ”