The Questions of the Nāga King Sāgara (1)
Chapter Nine: The Inherent Purity of All Phenomena
Toh 153
Degé Kangyur, vol. 58 (mdo sde, pha), folios 116.a–198.a
- Jinamitra
- Prajñāvarman
- Yeshé Dé
Imprint
Translated by the Dharmachakra Translation Committee
under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha
First published 2021
Current version v 1.0.13 (2025)
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Table of Contents
Summary
The Questions of the Nāga King Sāgara begins with a miracle that portends the coming of the Nāga King Sāgara to Vulture Peak Mountain in Rājagṛha. The nāga king engages in a lengthy dialogue with the Buddha on various topics pertaining to the distinction between relative and ultimate reality, all of which emphasize the primacy of insight into emptiness. The Buddha thereafter journeys to King Sāgara’s palace in the ocean and reveals details of the king’s past lives in order to introduce the inexhaustible casket dhāraṇī. In the nāga king’s palace in the ocean, he gives teachings on various topics and acts as peacemaker, addressing the ongoing conflicts between the gods and asuras and between the nāgas and garuḍas. Upon returning to Vulture Peak, the Buddha engages in dialogue with King Ajātaśatru and provides Nāga King Sāgara’s prophecy.
Acknowledgements
Translated by the Dharmachakra Translation Committee under the guidance of Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche. The translation was produced by Timothy Hinkle, who also wrote the introduction. Andreas Doctor checked the translation against the Tibetan and edited the text.
The translation was completed under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.
The generous sponsorship of Kelvin Lee, Doris Lim, Chang Chen Hsien, Lim Cheng Cheng, Ng Ah Chon and family, Lee Hoi Lang and family, the late Lim Kim Heng, and the late Low Lily, which helped make the work on this translation possible, is most gratefully acknowledged.
Text Body
The Questions of the Nāga King Sāgara
Chapter Nine: The Inherent Purity of All Phenomena
King Ajātaśatru then remarked to the Blessed One, “Blessed One, all phenomena accord with their causes. When they are produced, they have the characteristic of arising. They come into being just as they are desired. Blessed One, the conduct of awakening is infinite. In this regard, for as long as bodhisattvas have not taken hold of a buddha realm replete with all supreme aspects, they will engage in bodhisattva conduct. Blessed One, [F.189.b] all bodhisattvas will purify buddha realms just like Nāga King Sāgara.”
The Blessed One said, “Great king, you have described things accurately, for all phenomena do indeed arise from mental engagement. Because all phenomena are without a creator, they come into being in accord with one’s desires.”
King Ajātaśatru turned to Nāga King Sāgara and commented, “Nāga Lord, you have received a gift, a great gift, in being prophesied to attain unsurpassed and perfect awakening with such unfathomable displays of enhancing qualities within your buddha realm.”
Nāga King Sāgara responded to King Ajātaśatru, saying, “Great king, there are no phenomena to be prophesied. Why is this? Because all phenomena are primordially pure.”
The king said, “Nāga Lord, are there not prophecies for those who have previously developed the roots of virtue?”
Nāga King Sāgara said, “Great king, what we term a sentient being is encapsulated by the aggregates, elements, and sense sources, yet the aggregates, elements, and sense sources cannot be prophesied. Great king, it is entirely to name and form that the term sentient being is applied. Yet name and form cannot be prophesied. It is entirely based on cause, perspective, perception, and mental engagement that the term sentient being is applied. Yet, cause, perspective, perception, and mental engagement cannot be prophesied. Even the roots of virtue that actually create the bodhisattva’s omniscience cannot be prophesied.
“Great king, all phenomena have the essential characteristic of emptiness. Yet emptiness [F.190.a] cannot be prophesied. Great king, all phenomena have the essential characteristic of the absence of marks, the absence of wishes, and unconditionedness. Yet the absence of marks, the absence of wishes, and unconditionedness cannot be prophesied. Great king, furthermore, the great compassion of buddhas is unfathomable. Phenomena that have no name or mark are all described using names and marks. Yet the blessed buddhas do not have a consciousness that pursues names and marks. Great king, these prophesies are just for conventional worldly communication, since there are no phenomena in this regard that can be apprehended, either internally or externally, as something that can be prophesied.”
The king said, “Nāga Lord, can bodhisattva great beings who reach acceptance not be prophesied?”
“Great king, even that acceptance is momentary and has the characteristics of exhausting, the inexhaustible limit, certainty in the limit of reality, the limit of sameness, and certainty in the limit of nonduality. The limit of nonduality is the limit of reality. The limit of reality is the limit of never arising. Anything that is limited involves attachment, aggression, and delusion. That which is limited is the limit of liberation. Whoever enters the door of that limit has no clinging to anything whatsoever. Whoever has no clinging whatsoever is without attachment on the level of conventional communication. Without attachment, one is liberated. If liberated, one will henceforth be unmoving, absolutely unmoving. If one is unmoving, absolutely unmoving, there can be no degeneration at all. If the mind does not degenerate, one will see emancipation from everything, for by not looking, one correspondingly sees. [F.190.b] When one does not look, there is no division into duality. If one abides in nonduality, one enters sameness. If one has entered sameness, there will be no high or low. If there is no high or low, one will reach the acceptance that discerns via the quality of sameness. In this vein, all the phenomena of acceptance, prophecy, something to be prophesied, a prophet, and someone for whom the prophecy is given are understood to be the same phenomena, the realm of phenomena devoid of phenomena, incommunicable, nonarising, neither entities nor nonentities, and the very limit of nonduality. Thus, one does not take notice of any phenomena whatsoever. To draw an analogy, space cannot be viewed; it is beyond what can be viewed. One should view all phenomena in this way.”
When Nāga King Sāgara gave his teaching, two hundred bodhisattvas reached the acceptance that phenomena are unborn. Two hundred monks liberated their minds from defilement without any reoccurrence.
King Ajātaśatru then said to the Blessed One, “Blessed One, Nāga King Sāgara’s eloquence is incredible.”
The Blessed One replied, “Great king, such eloquence is not so incredible or difficult. In fact, if any beginner were to hear this teaching without becoming intimidated, threatened, or scared, that would be more incredible and difficult. Why is this? The awakening of the blessed buddhas is difficult even to aspire to, for the world and its gods cannot grasp it, travel to it, aspire to it, [F.191.a] or trust it. Great king, understand that anyone who is not intimidated, threatened, or scared by this teaching has already served many buddhas. Now tell me, great king, would it be difficult for someone to make space, which is formless and indescribable, appear as something that has form?”
“It would be supremely difficult, Blessed One. Supremely difficult, Well-Gone One.”
“Now, it is far more difficult for someone to aspire to a Dharma that is this profound, deeply illuminating, disruptive of all feeling, and without self, being, life principle, soul, personhood, or movement, and to realize this reality as it is it. Such beings have the virtue that accords with the thus-gone ones, and they are their friends and relatives. Because they have abandoned the mistaken ways of beings, they are able to teach the Dharma. Because they dwell at the supreme seat of awakening, they are able to defeat billions of māras with love, insight, wisdom, and diligence. They are capable of mastering all phenomena, being brave, manifesting the wisdom of omniscience, and fully awakening to the wisdom of omniscience through the momentariness of mind. Because they communicate with all beings, understand the minds of all beings as they really are, and correctly understand the faculties of beings, supreme or otherwise, [F.191.b] they are able to turn the unsurpassed wheel of Dharma. Because they destroy the attacks of adversaries, outshine all extremists, and defeat all enemies, they are able to blow the conch of Dharma.”
Nāga King Sāgara’s wishes were thus achieved, brought to mind, and totally fulfilled. Having heard his prophecy, he rose into the sky and sang the following verses to the Blessed One:
Colophon
It was translated, proofed, and finalized by the Indian preceptors Jinamitra and Prajñāvarman and the editor-translator Bandé Yeshé Dé and others.
Bibliography
Tibetan Canonical Texts
klu’i rgyal po rgya mtshos zhus pa (Sāgaranāgarājaparipṛcchā). Toh 153, Degé Kangyur vol. 58 (mdo sde, pha), folios 116.a–198.a.
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dri med grags pas bstan pa (Vimalakīrtinirdeśa). Toh 176, Degé Kangyur vol. 60 (mdo sde, ma), folios 175.a–239.a. English translation in Thurman (2017).
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pho brang stod thang ldan dkar gyi chos kyi ’gyur ro cog gi dkar chag [Denkarma]. Toh 4364, Degé Tengyur vol. 206 (sna tshogs, jo), folios 294.b–310.a.
klu’i rgyal po rgya mtshos zhus pa (Sāgaranāgarājaparipṛcchā). Toh 154, Degé Kangyur vol. 58 (mdo sde, pha), folios 198.b–205.a. English translation in Dharmachakra Translation Committee (2020b).
klu’i rgyal po rgya mtshos zhus pa (Sāgaranāgarājaparipṛcchā). Toh 155, Degé Kangyur vol. 58 (mdo sde, pha), folios 205.a–205.b. English translation in Sakya Pandita Translation Group (2011).
Atiśa. dbu ma’i man ngag rin po che’i za ma tog kha phye ba (Ratnakaraṇdodghātanāmamadhyamakopadeśa). Toh 3930, Degé Tengyur vol. 110 (dbu ma, ki), folios 96.b–116.b. .
Śāntideva. bslab pa kun las btus pa (Śikṣāsamuccaya). Toh 3940, Degé Tengyur vol. 111 (dbu ma, khi), folios 3.a–194.b.
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