The Questions of Sāgaramati
Chapter Seven: Entrustment

Then, the bodhisattva great being Light King of Qualities, who was seated amongst the assembly, addressed the Blessed One: “Blessed One, you have said that all phenomena that you understand are indescribable. In that case, Blessed One, since all phenomena are indescribable, how is the Dharma to be upheld?”

“Noble son,” answered the Blessed One, “that is true. You have described it accurately. Any phenomenon that I understand is indescribable. However, noble son, while all phenomena are indescribable and unconditioned, [F.52.b] using linguistic definitions to apprehend, perceive, teach, demonstrate, define, elucidate, distinguish, clarify, or teach such phenomena is what is meant by upholding the Dharma. Moreover, noble son, when Dharma teachers uphold, teach, or practice a sūtra such as this, that is also upholding the Dharma. Likewise, when others attend such Dharma teachers and rely upon them while extending them honor, reverence, service, respect, praise, care, protection, shielding, and shelter, that is also upholding the Dharma. Likewise, so is providing them with clothing, food, bedding, medicine, or provisions; as is offering them approval, protection, preservation of their virtues, praise, or concealment of their unflattering sides. Moreover, noble son, having faith in emptiness, trusting signlessness, believing in wishlessness, and gaining certainty that suchness is the unconditioned state is also upholding the sublime Dharma. Moreover, noble son, seeking to avoid debate, yet using proper Dharma arguments to defeat those who argue against the Dharma, is also upholding the sublime Dharma. Moreover, noble son, giving Dharma to others with a mind free of anger, an intention to gather and free beings, and a mind free of concern for material things, is also upholding the sublime Dharma. Moreover, noble son, disregarding one’s body and life and staying in solitude to preserve, conceal, and practice sūtras such as this is also upholding the sublime Dharma. Moreover, noble son, even a single step or a single inhalation or exhalation of the breath that comes from the cause of having either studied or taught the Dharma [F.53.a] is also upholding the sublime Dharma. Moreover, noble son, not grasping to or appropriating any phenomena is also upholding the sublime Dharma. Light King of Qualities, based on this explanation, you should understand this point.

“Noble son, countless eons ago in the past, in the eon called Noble Bliss, in the world Pure Light there was a thus-gone, worthy, perfect buddha named Teacher of the Power of Great Wisdom. He was learned and virtuous, a well-gone one, a knower of the world, a charioteer who guides beings, an unsurpassed being, a teacher of gods and humans, and a blessed buddha. Noble son, the world Pure Light was made of beryl and was incredibly pure. A light filled the ten directions. The bodhisattva great beings there played in the great power of super-knowledge. It was a place where everyone was freed within the profound Dharma. Their enjoyments were like those of the god Sunirmita, and in their divine bodies they listened to the Dharma of that Blessed One. In that realm, householders and monastics were not involved in distinct activities. The blessed thus-gone Teacher of the Power of Great Wisdom advised everyone to strive to uphold the sublime Dharma without any concern for body or life. In this way he gave extensive advice for upholding the sublime Dharma.

“At that point the bodhisattva great being Dharma Teacher was present in the assembly. [F.53.b] He asked the blessed thus-gone Teacher of the Power of Great Wisdom, ‘Blessed One, how should bodhisattvas uphold the sublime Dharma? Which Dharma should bodhisattvas uphold?’

“The blessed thus-gone Teacher of the Power of Great Wisdom then said to the bodhisattva Dharma Teacher, ‘Alas, noble son, this mind leaps at objects. So, to reverse and guard against this, focusing the mind and becoming disciplined, peaceful, tranquil, and gentle is to uphold the sublime Dharma. Why is this? The eye, forms, and visual consciousness are not the Dharma. The ear, sounds, and auditory consciousness; the nose, smells, and olfactory consciousness; the body, objects of touch, and tactile consciousness; and the mind, mental phenomena, and mental consciousness are not the Dharma. So, upholding the sublime Dharma is recognizing the eye and form to be empty, and neither thinking about the eye or form, nor maintaining visual consciousness. Skillfully using pure wisdom to help others understand this is to uphold the sublime Dharma. Likewise, upholding the sublime Dharma is recognizing the ear and sounds, nose and smells, tongue and tastes, body and objects of touch, and mind and mental phenomena to be empty, and neither thinking about them, nor maintaining their corresponding consciousnesses. Skillfully using pure wisdom to help others understand this is upholding the sublime Dharma. Moreover, not grasping at [F.54.a] or appropriating any phenomena that occur is upholding the sublime Dharma. Not grasping or appropriating any views that cause one to persist in mistaken views is to uphold the sublime Dharma. Not grasping at or appropriating the veils of unknowing or stupidity that stain the mind is upholding the sublime Dharma.

“ ‘Moreover, noble son, needing to establish or abandon something is not the Dharma or the Vinaya. Not establishing or abandoning anything is the Dharma and the Vinaya. Any Dharma that involves establishing or abandoning something is the conditioned path, and accomplishing and abandoning are not the Dharma or the Vinaya.

“ ‘What is it that neither needs to be established nor abandoned? It is that which is indescribable, unborn, and non-arising‍—that neither needs to be established nor abandoned. What does not need to be established or abandoned is the Dharma and the Vinaya.

“ ‘Why is this the Dharma? Why is this the Vinaya? It is the Dharma and the Vinaya because it prevents afflictions that are naturally unborn from arising. The Dharma and the Vinaya are unborn and unceasing. What is unborn and unceasing is inexhaustible. Likewise the inexhaustible and unborn Dharma and Vinaya are ungraspable insofar as they are non-arising. Not grasping is upholding the sublime Dharma.’

“Noble son, once the blessed thus-gone Teacher of the Power of Great Wisdom had given this teaching, thirty-two thousand bodhisattva great beings attained the acceptance that phenomena are unborn. When the bodhisattva Dharma Teacher heard this teaching, it left him satisfied, happy, delighted, and joyful. [F.54.b]

“In such a happy and joyful state of mind he said, ‘Blessed One, what the Thus-Gone One has said about the way in which bodhisattvas uphold the sublime Dharma is amazing. Yet, if I were to offer my understanding of what was expressed by the Blessed One, then I think that phenomena are not the Dharma. Dharma is whatever is beyond phenomena. Why is this? Blessed One, when there is clinging to any phenomenon, that is not the Dharma. When there is no clinging, that is the Dharma.

“ ‘Blessed One, anything that involves a dualistic perception of Dharma and non-Dharma is not the Dharma. Blessed One, anything that involves knowledge of perceptions is the Dharma. When described ultimately, Dharma and non-Dharma cannot be observed. Where there is no perception of Dharma or non-Dharma, nothing can be counted as Dharma. Where there is nothing that can be counted as Dharma, there are no limits. Where there are no limits, that is the limit of reality. Why is this? ‘The limit of space is the limit of reality. For space, there is no limit of destruction. As there is no limit of destruction for space, there is likewise no limit of destruction for any phenomenon. For this reason, all phenomena can be called the limit of space. Blessed One, any bodhisattva who hears this teaching on the limit of reality and claims it to be true will not take the position that phenomena are divisible. Blessed One, I do not see any perceived phenomenon that can be said to be upholding the sublime Dharma. [F.55.a] However, Blessed One, when I say this, am I in accord with the teachings of the Thus-Gone One, and those who teach the Dharma, and the Dharma itself? Is my explanation a true teaching?’

“ ‘Noble son,’ answered the Blessed One, ‘it is true. That is an explanation that accords with the teachings of the Thus-Gone One, and those who teach the Dharma, and the Dharma itself. What you have taught is a true teaching.’

“Noble son, when the bodhisattva Dharma Teacher gave this teaching, ten thousand gods from the divine assembly gained acceptance of phenomena concurring with reality. Light King of Qualities, if you are wondering, doubting, or of two minds about whether he who at that time was the bodhisattva Dharma Teacher is somebody unknown to you, do not think any further. Why so? Because, Light King of Qualities, you were at that time the bodhisattva Dharma Teacher! Therefore, Light King of Qualities, I entrust my unsurpassed and perfect awakening accomplished through countless billions of eons to you. I entrust it to you before this assembly so that you may uphold it, keep it, realize it, and teach it widely to others.”

As soon as the Blessed One made this announcement, six hundred million bodhisattvas rose from their seats and proclaimed with one voice, “We will also uphold the Thus-Gone One’s awakening!”

The Blessed One then asked of all of them, “Noble children, what Dharma will you live by, such that you will uphold this awakening that I have gained through countless billions of eons of practice?”

Then, a bodhisattva present in the assembly named Lord of Mountains promised the Blessed One, [F.55.b] “Blessed One, given that no one could uphold the sublime Dharma while being concerned with their body or life, I will uphold the Blessed One’s sublime Dharma while ignoring my body and life.”

The bodhisattva King of Splendors promised, “Blessed One, given that no one could uphold the sublime Dharma while hoping for gain, praise, or accolades, I will uphold the Thus-Gone One’s sublime Dharma while casting aside gain, praise, and accolades, and avoiding relying on those who are not noble ones.”

The bodhisattva Great Crest promised, “Blessed One, given that no one could uphold the sublime Dharma while holding the notion of Dharma and non-Dharma, Blessed One, I will uphold the sublime Dharma while mastering the nondual sameness of all phenomena.”

The bodhisattva Śrīgupta promised, “Blessed One, given that no one could uphold the sublime Dharma if they were outdone by the afflictions, Blessed One, I will uphold the sublime Dharma by outdoing the afflictions with the insight and wisdom of the noble ones.”

The bodhisattva Lamp Holder promised, “Blessed One, given that no one could uphold the sublime Dharma while enmeshed in the darkness of stupidity, Blessed One, I will uphold the sublime Dharma while attaining the light of the wisdom of nonattachment, and escape the darkness of stupidity with regard to all phenomena.”

The bodhisattva Lightning Gaze promised, “Blessed One, given that no one could uphold the sublime Dharma with wisdom that relies on others, Blessed One, I will uphold the sublime Dharma by mastering the wisdom [F.56.a] that directly perceives all phenomena, without relying on anything else.”

The bodhisattva Hidden promised, “Blessed One, given that no one could uphold the sublime Dharma with ordinary faculties and a confused mind, Blessed One, I will uphold the sublime Dharma while hiding and taming all faculties, sense doors, and sense sources.”

The bodhisattva Vimalaprabhā promised, “Blessed One, given that no one could uphold the sublime Dharma with a notion of discrete beings and phenomena, Blessed One, I will uphold the sublime Dharma while mastering an unbiased attitude toward all beings and the sameness of all phenomena.”

The bodhisattva Viśeṣagāmin promised, “Blessed One, given that no one could uphold the sublime Dharma with a mind that is distracted and not settled in equipoise, Blessed One, I will uphold the sublime Dharma with a mind that is undistracted from equipoise.”

The bodhisattva Sārthavāha promised, “Blessed One, given that no one could uphold the sublime Dharma while following wrong paths and without understanding the rites that bring proper knowledge of the path, Blessed One, I will uphold the sublime Dharma with understanding of the rites that bring proper knowledge of the path and while delivering beings from wrong paths onto the true path.”

The bodhisattva Excellent Intelligence promised, “Blessed One, given that no one could uphold the sublime Dharma while lost in the anxious mind of doubt, Blessed One, I will uphold the sublime Dharma by eliminating all anxiety, abandoning all doubt, and scattering the pain of fear.”

The bodhisattva Vairocana promised, “Blessed One, given that no one could uphold the sublime Dharma if they did not live by the Dharma and if they let their practice decline, [F.56.b] Blessed One, I will uphold the sublime Dharma while living by the Dharma, making my practice meaningful, and establishing all beings in right endeavor.”

The bodhisattva Seer of Light promised, “Blessed One, given that no one could uphold the sublime Dharma with misguided insight and without the light of Dharma, Blessed One, I will uphold the sublime Dharma with the light of Dharma and with skill in definitive wisdom gained through insight.”

The bodhisattva Non-aggressive Intellect promised, “Blessed One, given that no one could uphold the sublime Dharma with an aggressive mind and without the intention to protect beings, Blessed One, I will uphold the sublime Dharma with a mind that has no aggression and consistently protects beings.”

The bodhisattva Intellect of Pure Conduct promised, “Blessed One, given that no one could uphold the sublime Dharma without becoming skilled in the faculties of beings and understanding the types of beings’ conduct, Blessed One, I will uphold the sublime Dharma by seeking knowledge of the faculties and conduct of beings.”

The bodhisattva Vyūharāja promised, “Blessed One, given that no one could uphold the sublime Dharma while entertaining notions of a self, or beings, or phenomena, due to having conceptual notions about phenomena, Blessed One, I will uphold the Thus-Gone One’s sublime Dharma by eliminating all thought, concept, and conceptuality; purifying the three spheres; and not entertaining notions of a self, or beings, or phenomena.”

The bodhisattva Siṃhaketu promised, “Blessed One, the world is terrified of the thought that all phenomena are unborn and non-arising. [F.57.a] Blessed One, as I understand that all phenomena are unborn and non-arising, I will uphold the Blessed One’s sublime Dharma while being free from fear or anxiety and without entertaining any notions of ‘near’ or ‘far’ about any phenomenon.”

The bodhisattva Maitreya promised, “Blessed One, those who perceive awakening to be something far off cannot uphold the sublime Dharma. Blessed One, bodhisattvas who intend to attain unsurpassed and perfect awakening and then see that awakening is neither devoid of, nor involved in, body and mind, will be able to uphold the Thus-Gone One’s sublime Dharma.”

The bodhisattva Guṇa­rāja­prabhāsa promised, “Blessed One, one cannot uphold the sublime Dharma while not maintaining qualities, or while lacking qualities, or while lacking passion for the qualities of the Thus-Gone One. Thus, Blessed One, I will uphold the sublime Dharma by never lacking qualities, and by maintaining authentic bodhisattva qualities, and seeking out the qualities of the Thus-Gone One.”

The bodhisattva Youthful Mañjuśrī promised, “Blessed One, whenever a worldly person says, ‘I will uphold the sublime Dharma,’ that is wonderful. Why is this, Blessed One? When the Blessed One sat at the seat of awakening, he neither attained nor realized any Dharma. So in this regard there is nothing to uphold. Blessed One, I will uphold the nature of compassion so that I may abandon apprehending any beings and avoid grasping at any phenomena. I do not conceptualize any phenomena and I do not avoid conceptualizing any phenomena.”

The Blessed One then expressed his approval of Youthful Mañjuśrī, saying, “Excellent, Mañjuśrī, excellent. [F.57.b] That is correct. It is exactly as you have described it. I did not attain anything when I sat at the seat of awakening. I arose from the seat of awakening without having attained anything.”

Mañjuśrī then said, “Blessed One, you say that you sat at the seat of awakening and arose from the seat of awakening without having attained anything. However, if you sat there, then awakening becomes twofold: the Blessed One on one hand, and the seat of awakening on the other. Blessed One, awakening is not divisible into two!”

“Mañjuśrī,” responded the Blessed One, “because I am immersed in the essential nature of the seat of awakening, I sat at the seat of awakening. My nature is also the nature of the seat of awakening, the nature of awakening itself, the nature of all beings, and the nature of all phenomena. Mañjuśrī, that which I realized at the seat of awakening is also of that same nature. It is of one taste. Even as I fully awakened, the Thus-Gone One saw no phenomena of liberation apart from the seat of awakening. Because awakening is sameness, I realized the sameness of all phenomena. Sameness cannot be reckoned in any way. It is uncountable and immeasurable. Therefore, the thus-gone ones are said to be unconditioned. Mañjuśrī, the thus-gone ones attain the unconditioned and transcend all conditioned things. All who trust this teaching, Mañjuśrī, will be liberated by the Thus-Gone One’s liberation. Yet being liberated, they do not transcend this reality.”

Upon hearing this teaching, Sāgaramati and the other bodhisattvas who had come together to the Sahā world were satisfied, [F.58.a] happy, delighted, and joyful. In their happiness and delight, they wondered aloud, “We have gained a marvelous boon by coming to this buddha realm; by seeing the Blessed One, Youthful Mañjuśrī, and these sublime beings; and by hearing this profound Dharma teaching. Where this Dharma teaching is present, people will behold the buddhas. Where this Dharma teaching is practiced, we will see the wheel of Dharma turned. Whether now or when the Thus-Gone One has entered parinirvāṇa, anyone who hears this Dharma teaching and is inspired by it, upholds it, keeps it, reads it, masters it, or teaches it extensively to others will gain a marvelous boon.”

“Noble children,” asked the Blessed One, “what kind of marvelous boon do you think these bodhisattvas will gain?”

They answered, “The marvelous boon to be gained by such bodhisattvas is tenfold. It is an inconceivably great boon. What are these ten boons? (1) Gaining an opportunity to serve the manifestation of the buddhas. (2) Beyond just seeing them, achieving faith in them with pure motivation. (3) Beyond just being faithful, receiving the opportunity to hear Dharma. (4) Beyond just hearing, achieving a state beyond doubt. (5) Beyond eliminating doubt, going forth. (6) Beyond just going forth, achieving pure livelihood. (7) Beyond just having pure livelihood, achieving skill in teaching the Dharma. (8) Achieving the mind of awakening lifetime after lifetime. (9) Beyond simply not forgetting the mind of awakening, receiving the opportunity to hear the bodhisattva section of the Dharma. [F.58.b] (10) Beyond just hearing the bodhisattva section, gaining accomplishment. Blessed One, these ten boons are inconceivably great boons. Bodhisattvas who attend to these can be said to have gained a great boon.”

The Blessed One said, “Sublime beings, you have expressed well these boons of bodhisattva great beings. Excellent, excellent.”

When this teaching was given, thirty-six thousand beings developed the mind directed toward unsurpassed and perfect awakening. [B6]