The Questions of Vikurvāṇarāja is a discourse about what are called the four “magical displays” of bodhisattvas. It begins with a series of questions put to the Buddha by the bodhisattva Vikurvāṇarāja, whose name means “King of Magical Displays,” about how bodhisattvas should perform magical displays for the sake of the Great Vehicle and for the sake of establishing others in the Great Vehicle. The Buddha answers by providing an extensive explanation of the four magical displays of moral conduct, superknowledge, knowing, and wisdom. Included in the Buddha’s answer to Vikurvāṇarāja is a presentation of the four reliances as well as a unique presentation of the ten strengths, four fearlessnesses, and eighteen qualities unique to the bodhisattvas, parallel to the ten strengths, four fearlessnesses, and eighteen qualities unique to the buddhas.
Translated, introduced, and annotated by Nathaniel Rich based on a draft translation by David Jackson.
The translation was completed under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha. Nathaniel Rich edited the translation and the introduction, and Ven. Konchog Norbu copyedited the text. Martina Cotter was in charge of the digital publication process.
The generous sponsorship of Nomura Shin, Biao Dong and Ozer Dong, which helped make the work on this translation possible, is most gratefully acknowledged.
The Questions of Vikurvāṇarāja is an extensive and elaborate account of the “magical displays” of bodhisattvas, the four reliances, and specific sets of qualities that are unique to bodhisattvas (and perhaps to this sūtra). The discourse begins with a series of questions in which the bodhisattva Vikurvāṇarāja, whose name means “King of Magical Displays,” asks the Buddha about how bodhisattvas should produce magical displays for the sake of the Great Vehicle, for the sake of causing others to desire the Great Vehicle, for the sake of establishing them in it, and for the sake of fulfilling their own aspirations.
The Buddha answers with a detailed account of each of the four magical displays of bodhisattvas: the magical displays of moral conduct, the magical displays of superknowledge, the magical displays of knowing, and the magical displays of wisdom. This account constitutes the bulk of the discourse. In the context of the Buddha’s description of the first, the magical displays of moral conduct, he also narrates an episode from the life of a bodhisattva in the past named Vajranābhi, in which Vajranābhi—eventually revealed to be the bodhisattva Vikurvāṇarāja himself in a past life—engages in an extensive dialogue with a māra named Vikrama. The Buddha’s description of the magical displays of superknowledge is a detailed description of the five superknowledges: divine sight, divine hearing, knowledge of others’ minds, knowledge of past lives, and miraculous powers. Particularly significant here is that the Buddha’s description of divine hearing includes an account of the so-called “four reliances” (rton pa bzhi): to rely on the meaning, not the wording; to rely on the definitive meaning, not the provisional meaning; to rely on gnosis (ye shes), not consciousness; and to rely on the Dharma, not the person. In the present discourse, the Buddha does not call these “the four reliances,” but he details each one as he describes to Vikurvāṇarāja how bodhisattvas listen to the Dharma taught by the buddhas with their extraordinary faculty of hearing.1
The bodhisattvas’ magical displays of knowing are the knowledge of the aggregates, knowledge of the elements, knowledge of the sense bases, knowledge of dependent origination, and knowledge of the truths. The Buddha’s description of these magical displays provides the occasion for a treatment of each of these foundational themes in Buddhist thought and practice. And finally, his description of the magical displays of wisdom includes, among other things, a presentation of the familiar category of the four correct discernments. This extensive presentation of the four magical displays of bodhisattvas is not only a treasure trove of teaching on different elements of the bodhisattva’s practice and attainment, many of them not often found in other Great Vehicle discourses, but it also echoes teachings that feature most prominently in the Perfection of Wisdom sūtras and points toward teachings on the equality or “sameness” of all phenomena and the dharmadhātu.
Following the Buddha’s answer to Vikurvāṇarāja’s questions, Vikurvāṇarāja causes a magical display of his own, lavishing an offering of a rain of flowers on the Buddha, the assembled bodhisattvas, and the entire retinue, whose bodies, when touched by those flowers, are transformed into bodies bearing the major and minor marks of a great person. The Buddha briefly narrates the circumstances in which he, in a past life and in the dispensation of a previous buddha, was introduced to the four magical displays. Then, Vikurvāṇarāja poses another question to the Buddha, asking if bodhisattvas possess their own ten strengths, four fearlessnesses, and eighteen unique qualities just as the buddhas do. Answering in the affirmative, the Buddha provides another extensive reply to Vikurvāṇarāja’s query, detailing each of these in an exceptional and inspiring presentation of the qualities that characterize the bodhisattva. The Buddha concludes by narrating another past life episode, this time one of his own previous lives in the very distant past when he heard this discourse from a buddha named Devarāja, underlining the significance of this discourse and ensuring that his listeners recognize its transformative power.
There is no known Sanskrit version of this sūtra extant. The sūtra was translated into Chinese by Kumārajīva in 407
The present translation is based on the Degé Kangyur version, in consultation with the Comparative Edition (dpe bsdur ma) and the Stok Palace Kangyur. Where variant readings have been adopted, this has been recorded in the notes.
Thus did I hear at one time. The Blessed One was dwelling in Śrāvastī, in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍada’s Park, together with a vast saṅgha of twenty thousand monks and ten thousand bodhisattvas, including the bodhisattvas Maitreya, Avalokiteśvara, Mahāsthāmaprāpta, Siṃhamati, Siṃhaketu, and Going with the Prowess of a Lion, all of whom had only one birth remaining.
The bodhisattva great being Vikurvāṇarāja was also present and seated in that assembly. At that time the Blessed One, within an assembly of many hundreds of thousands, was teaching the Dharma related to entering the Great Vehicle.
The bodhisattva great being Vikurvāṇarāja then rose from his seat, covered one shoulder with his robe, and knelt with his right knee on the ground. Paying homage to the Blessed One with his palms joined, he said to him, “If the Blessed One would grant me the opportunity to seek answers, I would pose questions about a few matters to the Blessed One, the Thus-Gone One, the Arhat, the Perfectly Complete Buddha.”
The Blessed One replied, “Vikurvāṇarāja, the Thus-Gone One grants you the opportunity to have your questions answered. Ask whatever you wish, and I will delight you by answering whatever questions you pose.”[F.176.a]
Given the opportunity by the Blessed One, the bodhisattva Vikurvāṇarāja was satisfied, pleased, and delighted. With joy, gladness, and his mind at ease, he asked, “Blessed One, how should bodhisattva great beings perform magical displays for this Great Vehicle? How should they cause other beings and other persons to desire this Great Vehicle? How, after defeating4 all māras, all conceited ones, all opponents, and all who cling to objectifying views by means of such magical displays, should they establish them in this Great Vehicle? And how are their aspirations fulfilled—that is, how does their discipline for reaching unsurpassed, perfectly complete awakening get perfected?”
The Blessed One replied, “Excellent, Vikurvāṇarāja! It is excellent that you thought to ask the Thus-Gone One about such things. Therefore, Vikurvāṇarāja, listen well and remember this. I will explain how bodhisattva great beings perform magical displays for this Great Vehicle; how they cause other beings and other persons to desire this Great Vehicle; how, after defeating all māras, all conceited ones, all opponents, and all who cling to objectifying views by means of such magical displays, they establish them in this Great Vehicle; and how their aspirations are fulfilled—[F.176.b] that is, how they are disciplined for reaching unsurpassed, perfectly complete awakening.”
“Excellent, Blessed One,” said the bodhisattva Vikurvāṇarāja, and he listened just as the Blessed One had instructed him.
The Blessed One said, “Vikurvāṇarāja, these four are the magical displays of bodhisattvas. Which four? The magical displays of moral conduct, magical displays of superknowledge, magical displays of knowing, and magical displays of wisdom. Vikurvāṇarāja, those four are the magical displays of bodhisattvas.
“Vikurvāṇarāja, what are the magical displays of moral conduct? Vikurvāṇarāja, they are the excellent moral conduct of a bodhisattva: moral conduct that is unbroken; moral conduct that is undestroyed; moral conduct that is unadulterated; moral conduct that is untroubled; moral conduct that is unobjectifying; moral conduct that is unimpaired;5 moral conduct that is irreproachable; moral conduct that is without anguish; moral conduct that is well observed; moral conduct that is praised by the learned; moral conduct that matures beings; moral conduct that protects the sublime Dharma; moral conduct that gladdens, overjoys, and pleases others; moral conduct that is not focused on birth in any of the states of existence;6 moral conduct that is based on calm abiding; moral conduct that is connected to special insight; moral conduct that is inclined toward the profound Dharma; moral conduct in which the superknowledges are unimpaired; moral conduct that cultivates emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness;[F.177.a] moral conduct that is peaceful, tranquil, and pacified; moral conduct that collects the Buddha’s Dharma and correctly teaches it; moral conduct that does not abandon any being; moral conduct that is guarded by kindness; moral conduct whose root is compassion; moral conduct that is correct and clear; moral conduct whose activity is certain;7 moral conduct that is based on the ascetic practices and minimizing possessions; moral conduct that renders one a meritorious object worthy of gifts; moral conduct that is utterly pure; moral conduct that does not interrupt the line of the thus-gone ones; moral conduct that protects the line of the Dharma; moral conduct that summons8 the noble saṅgha; moral conduct that is based on the mind set on awakening; moral conduct that is supported by the six perfections; moral conduct that cultivates the foundations of mindfulness, the correct efforts, the bases of miraculous powers, the faculties, the powers, the factors of awakening, and the path; and moral conduct that accomplishes all the qualities in harmony with the factors conducive to awakening. A bodhisattva whose moral conduct is excellent in those ways, Vikurvāṇarāja, will achieve whatever they wish.
“What might they wish? Let us suppose that the trichiliocosm were filled with the fire of the conflagration at the end of a great eon. If a bodhisattva whose moral conduct is excellent made the aspiration, ‘May that fire be extinguished!’ it would be extinguished and cease to exist. Or if they wished, they could, with their transformative power, cause the trichiliocosm to be filled with fire. If they wished, they could, with their transformative power, cause it to be covered with flowers.[F.177.b] If they wished, they could, with their transformative power, cause everything to have the nature of jewels. If they wished, they could, with their transformative power, cause all the Sumerus, kings of mountains, in world systems as numerous as the grains of sand in the Ganges River to become a single mountain.
“Vikurvāṇarāja, if such a bodhisattva whose moral conduct is excellent were to wish it, they could, with their transformative power, cause all the great oceans of world systems as numerous as the grains of sand in the Ganges River to become a single great ocean. If they are established in moral conduct, they achieve whatever they wish, and whatever they have determined will come to be. Vikurvāṇarāja, a bodhisattva who is established in moral conduct will come to possess these four magical displays. And one who possesses moral conduct will also achieve what they wish with their mind set on unsurpassed, perfectly complete awakening.
“Vikurvāṇarāja, previously—countless, exceedingly countless, boundless, immeasurable, inconceivably many eons in the past—there appeared in the world a thus-gone one named King of Light Rays of Immaculate Light, perfect in knowledge and conduct, a well-gone one, a knower of the world, a guide who tames beings, unsurpassed,9 a teacher of gods and humans, a buddha, and a blessed one. Vikurvāṇarāja, in the teachings of the thus-gone one King of Light Rays of Immaculate Light there was a bodhisattva named Vajranābhi, who possessed the power of being established in moral conduct and whose moral conduct was utterly pure.
“Vikurvāṇarāja, when the bodhisattva Vajranābhi wandered in the wilderness, he exerted himself energetically in the noble Dharma and Vinaya,10 and while established in the Buddha’s Dharma he applied himself correctly in this way. He thought, ‘Not apprehending any phenomena is moral conduct. Not fixating on any entity is moral conduct.[F.178.a] Allaying all defilements is moral conduct. Knowing the body to be like a reflection is moral conduct. Knowing the voice to be like an echo is moral conduct. Discerning the mind to be like an illusion is moral conduct. Not dichotomizing virtues and nonvirtues is moral conduct. Discerning the unattractiveness of the objects of desire is moral conduct. Cultivating love in the face of hatred is moral conduct. Shredding the net of ignorance through11 wisdom is moral conduct. Not apprehending the reality12 of desire, hatred, and ignorance is moral conduct. To not conceive of, to not conceptualize, to not think of, and to not regard any phenomena is moral conduct. To have no view of a self, no view of a being, no view of a life force, no view of a person, no view of annihilation, and no view of permanence is moral conduct. Not fabricating any phenomena13 is moral conduct. To be without fear is moral conduct. To not dwell in the three realms is moral conduct. To have confidence in the fact that phenomena are unborn is moral conduct. To be intent on acceptance of the fact that phenomena are unborn is moral conduct. To not seek gain or honor is moral conduct. To not be afraid of emptiness is moral conduct. To cultivate the signless is moral conduct. To be free from wishes is moral conduct. Not having any conceits on account of that very store of moral conduct is moral conduct. Not praising oneself or disparaging others on account of that moral conduct is moral conduct. To have no hankering for the sense bases is moral conduct.[F.178.b] To not wander toward objects14 is moral conduct. The equality of the aggregates and the collections of the Dharma is moral conduct.15 The equality of the elements and the dharmadhātu is moral conduct.16 To prioritize not disputing or fighting is moral conduct. To not abandon the striving for virtues is moral conduct. To know that all phenomena are utterly at peace and tranquil, and to embody and dwell in that fact, is moral conduct.’
“Vikurvāṇarāja, thus did the bodhisattva Vajranābhi possess that kind of firm basis in moral conduct. He adhered to this application of himself to the noble Dharma and this correct and unmistaken attentiveness, and that monk who was established in moral conduct, applied himself to the noble Dharma, and was correctly attentive walked on his path for walking meditation.17
“A son of Māra named Vikrama came to create obstacles, together with his retinue of eighty-four thousand māras—a horde of troops and attendants, all of them armed with swords. Magically causing18 their bodies to become very small, they made themselves invisible. Looking for an opportunity to harm the mental conduct of that monk, they followed him for a thousand years. And during those thousand years, they did not see a single instance in which the monk’s mind was distracted by a thought of hatred or a thought of malice.
“Then, after the thousand years had passed, Vikrama, a son of Māra, together with his attendants, displayed their full-sized bodies, brandishing swords, bows and arrows, spears, and clubs, menacing that monk. Seeing the horde of māras brandishing swords, bows and arrows, spears, and clubs, menacing him, the monk Vajranābhi said, ‘By the power of the truth and these true words of mine—[F.179.a] that when I applied myself to the noble Dharma I utterly purified my store of moral conduct and my correct application—may all of the swords, bows and arrows, spears, and clubs brandished by the māras and their attendants become flowers such as blue water lilies, lotuses, red water lilies, white lotuses, magnolias, jasmine flowers, vārśika flowers, and garlands of frankincense,19 and may the māras and deities of the class of māras all come to have appearances, bodies, complexions, and aspirations just like mine!’
“Vikurvāṇarāja, as soon as the bodhisattva Vajranābhi uttered those words, all the swords, bows and arrows, spears, and clubs brandished by the māras and the attendants of the māras transformed into garlands of multicolored flowers that were fragrant, pleasing, and lovely to look at. And the māras, too, assumed the appearance of the monk, and they were all included among those gone forth, wearing saffron robes and with their heads and faces shaved.
“Vikurvāṇarāja, the māra Vikrama saw the monk’s great magical display and was amazed. He and his attendants bowed at the monk’s feet, saying, ‘Monk, what Dharma did you obtain to wield such transformative power?’
“Vikurvāṇarāja, the bodhisattva Vajranābhi replied to the māra Vikrama, ‘Friend, this transformative power has not come from getting something; it has come from not apprehending any phenomena. Friend, this transformative power has not come from getting something; it has come from not getting anything. Friend, this transformative power has not come from dwelling in body, speech, and mind;[F.179.b] it has come from not dwelling in any phenomenon. Friend, this transformative power has not come from grasping at phenomenal signs; it has come from signlessness. This transformative power does not dwell in any phenomenon whatsoever; it has come from not dwelling in any phenomenon.’
“Then the māra Vikrama said to the bodhisattva Vajranābhi, ‘Monk, when I observed your mind for a thousand years, I did not see any movement in it.’
“The bodhisattva Vajranābhi replied, ‘Friend, even if you had carefully observed my mind for as many eons as there are grains of sand in the Ganges River, you would not have found it. Why not? Because the mind is not found within, nor is it found without, nor is it found in neither of those. Friend, would you20 find any movement of the mind in what is conjured by a magician?’
“ ‘Monk, I would not find any. How could any be found if what is conjured by a magician lacks both mind and thoughts?’
“ ‘Friend, the Thus-Gone One has taught that all phenomena have the nature of conjured illusions. Hence you would not find in them either mind or thoughts.’
“ ‘If, monk, you find neither mind nor thoughts, how do you then go or come or speak?’
“ ‘Here is an analogy. Just as a person conjured by a magician comes, goes, and speaks, so too are my own coming, going, and speaking.’
“ ‘Monk, what do you hold this exertion, this being established in moral conduct, this applying yourself to the noble Dharma, this engagement to be?’
“ ‘I hold them to be without foundation.’21
“ ‘What do you hold the lack of foundation to be?’
“ ‘Because it is without going, there is no present or future going whatsoever.[F.180.a] Friend, that which is called the lack of foundation is an expression for wishlessness. And when you asked me, Vikrama, “What do you hold this exertion, this being established in moral conduct, this applying yourself to the noble Dharma, this engagement to be?” I do not hold that form arises. I do not hold that it ceases. I do not hold that it abides. I do not hold that feeling, perception, mental formations, or consciousness arise. I do not hold that they cease. I do not hold that they abide.
“ ‘Vikrama, the engagement that does not grasp22 form and that does not grasp feeling, perception, mental formations, or consciousness—that is what I hold, and that is what I observe. Vikrama, the engagement of the noble ones is my engagement.’
“ ‘Monk, how do you engage?’
“ ‘Vikrama, all the qualities of ordinary people and the qualities of buddhas are the same and without duality. The qualities of trainees and the qualities of buddhas are the same and without duality. The qualities of those for whom there is no more training and the qualities of buddhas are the same and without duality. The qualities of pratyekabuddhas and the qualities of buddhas are the same and without duality. The qualities of the past, the qualities of the future, and the qualities of the present are the same and without duality. And they are the same by virtue of their equality in being without arising. They are the same by virtue of their equality in being without origination. They are the same by virtue of their equality in being without cessation. Because of teaching the equality that consists in not rejecting those kinds of equality, I maintain that I teach the Dharma to beings.[F.180.b]
“ ‘Friend, this correct engagement does not enter23 the realm of desire, nor does it enter the form realm. It does not enter the formless realm. That which is established in equality has not moved from reality and will not move from it; it does not go and it does not not go. Friend, these are what we call correct engagements.
“ ‘That which is the engagement with suchness is also the engagement with all phenomena. That which is the engagement with the dharmadhātu is also the engagement with all phenomena. That which is the engagement with the very limit of reality is also the engagement with all phenomena. And that which is the maintaining of such engagements is without any maintaining at all. I do not observe or fixate on the lack of any engagement whatsoever. Friend, this is what we call correct engagement.’
“Then the māra Vikrama asked the bodhisattva Vajranābhi, ‘Monk, what Dharma do you understand by means of this correct application?’
“ ‘Friend, by means of this correct application, I understand a Dharma that lacks sublimity. Since its also lacks aggrandizement24 and conceit, I have understood its equality. Also, when you asked me, “What Dharma do you understand?” this correct application is not distinguished by conceptual thought. Rather, this correct application is without excessive pride. This correct application is not distinguished by being gained. Rather, this correct application is free from being distinguished by being gained. There is no understanding of any Dharma whatsoever by means of this correct application. This25 so-called “correct application” is a designation for the lack of application.’
“Then the māra Vikrama asked the bodhisattva Vajranābhi, ‘Monk, what will you obtain by adopting moral conduct?’[F.181.a]
“ ‘Vikrama, by my adoption of moral conduct, I will fully awaken to unsurpassed, perfectly complete awakening to the fact that all phenomena are without cessation and without arising.’
“ ‘What awakening will you awaken to?’
“ ‘I will fully awaken to full awakening to the equality of form. I will fully awaken to full awakening to the equality of feeling, perception, mental formations, and consciousness.’
“The māra Vikrama asked, ‘Monk, where is awakening to be sought?’
“The bodhisattva Vajranābhi replied, ‘Friend, awakening is to be sought in the nature of the view that the transitory aggregates are, or possess, a self.’
“ ‘How should it be sought?’
“ ‘It should be sought by not in any way giving rise to26 awakening or a view of awakening.’
“Then the māra Vikrama asked the bodhisattva Vajranābhi, ‘Monk, who is your teacher? With whose instruction did you attain such eloquence?’
“ ‘Friend, the fact that I obtain awakening to the fact that the transitory aggregates have not been destroyed27 is my teacher. That I do not dwell in defilement or purification is my teacher. That consciousness does not dwell in the conditioned or the unconditioned is my teacher.28 That I crossed over the flowing river without effort, having not learned from anyone, is my teacher.29 That consciousness does not engage with any phenomena and that cognition does not move toward phenomena is my teacher. That I use language without wavering from the reality that is inexpressible is my teacher. That the wheel of Dharma has been turned because all phenomena are unborn and so that all birth does not occur is my teacher. That I do not dwell here, there, or in between is my teacher.[F.181.b] That there is arising because all phenomena do not arise is my teacher. That there is parinirvāṇa because all phenomena are without cessation is my teacher. Having been instructed in those ways, I attained such eloquence.’
“The māra Vikrama asked, ‘How did that thus-gone one turn the wheel of Dharma?’
“The bodhisattva Vajranābhi replied, ‘That thus-gone one turned the wheel of Dharma like this: The aggregate of form is not engaged with, nor is it turned away from. The suchness of form, the reality of form, the emptiness of form, the signlessness of form, the wishlessness of form, the tranquility of form, the voidness of form, the birthlessness of form, the essence of form, and the nature of form are not engaged with, nor are they turned away from. In the same way, feeling, perception, mental formations, and consciousness are not engaged with, nor are they turned away from. The suchness of consciousness, the reality of consciousness, the emptiness of consciousness, the signlessness of consciousness, the wishlessness of consciousness, the tranquility of consciousness, the voidness of consciousness, the birthlessness of consciousness, the essence of consciousness, and the nature of consciousness are not engaged with, nor are they turned away from.30 And he turned the wheel of Dharma so that all phenomena are not engaged with. Whether he turns the wheel of Dharma or not, he does not abandon the immeasurable limit31 of the dharmadhātu. And everything understood by way of that turning of the wheel of Dharma becomes that very turning.’
“Then the māra Vikrama and his attendants were accepted as students of the monk Vajranābhi and said, ‘We go for refuge in you, monk.’[F.182.a]
“He replied to them, ‘Do not go for refuge in me. Go for refuge instead in the thus-gone one King of Light Rays of Immaculate Light, since he has taught such a Dharma.’
“They said, ‘Come! Let us now go into the presence of that thus-gone one.’
“Then the bodhisattva Vajranābhi, the māra Vikrama, and the eighty-four thousand māras went together to where the blessed, thus-gone King of Light Rays of Immaculate Light was. Arriving there, they bowed down at the blessed one’s feet and, with their palms joined, took their seats before him. The thus-gone one then taught them the Dharma, beginning with being established in moral conduct and applying oneself to the noble Dharma, such that they all would be certain to attain irreversibility from progress toward unsurpassed, perfectly complete awakening.
“Vikurvāṇarāja, if you think that then, at that time, the bodhisattva Vajranābhi was someone else, do not see it that way. Why not? Because, Vikurvāṇarāja, you yourself were then, at that time, the bodhisattva called Vajranābhi. And the bodhisattva Dharaṇīdhara was then, at that time, the māra called Vikrama. Vikurvāṇarāja, these are the magical displays of bodhisattvas’ moral conduct. Based on such magical displays, inconceivably many types of aspirations are taught to bodhisattvas, and immeasurably many beings are matured for awakening. Even the hostile māras, having been defeated, are swiftly and fully awakened to unsurpassed, perfectly complete awakening.[F.182.b]
“Vikurvāṇarāja, if you ask what the bodhisattvas’ magical displays of superknowledge are, there are five magical displays of superknowledge: the divine eye, the divine ear, knowledge of others’ minds, recollection of past lives, and miraculous powers.
“Vikurvāṇarāja, you may ask what the bodhisattvas’ magical display of superknowledge of the divine eye is like. By means of the magical display of superknowledge of the eye, the visual faculty of a bodhisattva is not hindered by walls. It is not hindered by trees, not hindered by mountains, not hindered by forests, not hindered by the ring of mountains or the outer ring of mountains, not hindered by Sumeru, and not hindered by the intervening spaces of a world system. With that unhindered eye, they see the countless, innumerable buddhafields in all ten directions and know them all as a single buddhafield, just as space has no separation. They do not join one buddhafield to another, nor do they separate them. They see all the buddhas dwelling in those buddhafields together with their retinues of śrāvakas, and they see all the buddhas in the manner of the inseparability of the dharmadhātu. And in the manner of the inseparability of the dharmadhātu, they regard32 all buddhas as a single buddha. Seeing a single buddha purifies the seeing of all buddhas. Seeing all buddhas purifies the seeing of a single buddha. With that pure seeing of buddhas, they engage in the pure seeing of self. And with that very purity, they engage in the pure seeing of all phenomena. The perceptions of the pure seeing of self and the pure seeing of phenomena are nondual.[F.183.a] They understand that seeing the śrāvakas of those blessed buddhas is nothing other than the pure seeing of buddhas. By seeing the śrāvakas, they see the buddhas, and by seeing the buddhas, they sees the śrāvakas. By seeing correctly, they see them as the same.
“They see those in the classes of beings that dwell in the limitlessly, boundlessly many world systems, whether hell beings, animals, hungry ghosts, asuras, gods, or humans, and except for those in the formless realm, they see all their deaths, births, good complexions, bad complexions, fortunate rebirths, unfortunate rebirths, misfortune, and fortune. And they know this to be the mere appearances of those beings. They know and comprehend that everything that appears as physical form is all the result of the maturation of karma. Although they see beings and know the maturation of karma, by taking as their measure the limit of nonself, they do not perceive beings as beings.
“That divine eye sees everything included in form, and because of the very lack of substantial entities, everything that appears as form is understood to be a mere appearance. Everything that appears as form is understood to be nonexistent because it is unborn in the past.33 But that unhindered divine eye does not accomplish anything. Since it possesses the power of wisdom, if one wishes, one can see objects as if they were nearby. If one wishes, one can also not see them. If one wishes, objects will not appear before the eyes even in the slightest. Even in the midst of many hundreds of thousands of beings, the bodhisattva dwells in the meditative concentrations, emancipations, absorptions, and attainments, and hence no beings appear in their field of vision.[F.183.b] That is so because bodhisattvas understand the reality34 of nonself.
“If they wish, bodhisattvas can reveal their bodies to gods in the form realm whose bodies are subtle, whose bodies are exquisite, whose bodies are luminous, and whose bodies are invisible. Those gods will see the bodhisattvas’ bodies, and the bodhisattvas will see their bodies. If they wish, the gods will see their bodies, but will not see their own bodies. If they wish, the gods will see their own bodies, but not the bodhisattvas’ bodies. Such is the divine eye they possess.
“Bodhisattvas possess the divine ear. Their faculty of the divine ear hears all the sounds in the limitlessly, boundlessly many world systems—the sounds of gods and the sounds of nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kinnaras, and mahoragas, and the sounds of humans and nonhumans. And though it hears all those sounds, it does not distinguish them as separate, but regards all sounds as unuttered. It regards them as inexpressible.
“Bodhisattvas do not engage with the perception that all of those sounds are self, or the perception that they are beings, or the perception that they are sounds. Rather, they realize that all sounds are inexpressible as sounds in the beginning or as sounds at the end, and they have the conviction that all phenomena are inexpressible. The element of consciousness of the auditory faculty is unhindered. Having heard those sounds, it understands what they mean. What do sounds mean? The meaning of all sound is a meaning that is inexpressible. It is a meaning that is unuttered. The meaning of all sound is a meaning at peace. That meaning is the reliance upon meaning. And all sounds, though heard, do not abide anywhere, since all phenomena are unarisen.
“With that ear, they hear all the Dharma taught by all the buddhas who live and dwell in the innumerable world systems in the ten directions, teaching the Dharma.[F.184.a] There is nothing that obscures or distorts their hearing. Rather, they hear all those Dharma teachings, and they retain them exactly as they heard them. And, having retained them, they never forget any part of them. How is it that they never forget anything? Because they do not fail to understand any word, they do not forget. Having heard those Dharma teachings—whether with defilements or without defilements, whether conditioned or unconditioned, whether worldly or transcendent, whether virtuous or nonvirtuous, whether blameworthy or blameless, whether belonging to the Śrāvaka Vehicle, belonging to the Pratyekabuddha Vehicle, or belonging to the Great Vehicle—they are engaged with the fact that all of those Dharma teachings have the savor of the nature of a single Dharma teaching, since they possess the single savor of the element of voidness.35
“And though bodhisattvas hear and explain the Dharma, they are without attachment to any object. Though they hear the Dharma, they do not dwell together with any phenomenal signs. Relying on the Dharma, they do not rely on non-Dharma. What is the Dharma? That which is called Dharma is freedom from attachment. That which is called Dharma is signlessness. That which is called Dharma is unconditioned. That which is called Dharma is limitless, incomparable, unchanging, unapprehended, unborn, and unarisen. That which is called Dharma is the sort of Dharma with respect to which there are no conceits, and that is without conceptual thought, without the elaborations of perception and mental activities, without acceptance, and without rejection.
“Bodhisattvas rely on the meaning and do not rely on the wording, but they do not rely on the meaning by rejecting the wording. They listen to the Dharma with a mind that alights on the meaning.[F.184.b] How is it that the mind alights on the meaning? Because of the meaning of emptiness, it does not fall into views. Because of the meaning of signlessness, it does not fall into phenomenal signs. Because of the meaning of wishlessness, it does not fall into wishes. That is how the mind alights on the meaning. Bodhisattvas do not apprehend the meaning in terms of those from whom they hear the Dharma or that through which they rely on the meaning, and they do not apprehend it even in terms of nonapprehending. They hear the Dharma from the blessed buddhas, and they rely on sūtras of definitive meaning, not on sūtras of interpretable meaning.
“What are sūtras of definitive meaning? All sūtras are of definitive meaning because they are36 inexpressible. Therefore, bodhisattvas rely on sūtras of definitive meaning. Those who do not rely on sūtras of definitive meaning do so on what is called the interpretable. Why are they called interpretable? Since they dwell in teachings that contradict the definitive meaning, they must be interpreted. By what means are they interpreted? They are interpreted by means of their language.
“Those who rely on sūtras of definitive meaning do not interpret them by means of language. Why is that? Because they realize that the ultimate is inexpressible, and because they understand all phenomena of the past, present, and future, without adding or omitting anything. Vikurvāṇarāja, regarding this aspect of the meaning, when one thus relies on this reality, then all sūtras will be of definitive meaning. When one does not so rely, then all sūtras will be of interpretable meaning.
“Moreover, Vikurvāṇarāja, when bodhisattvas hear the Dharma from the blessed buddhas, they rely on gnosis, not on consciousness. Why is that? Because they understand that consciousness is like an illusion, void, without a nature, without form, indemonstrable, unimpeded, and unknowable. To realize consciousness in that way is gnosis.[F.185.a] Although they rely on gnosis and do not chase after consciousness, they teach consciousness to others. Not grasping at phenomenal signs, and giving rise to the thought that in consciousness there is gnosis, they do not fixate on consciousness or gnosis. Fixating on the reality of consciousness, they do not articulate the reality of gnosis.
“Vikurvāṇarāja, bodhisattvas who rely on gnosis do not dwell together with consciousness. And they do not teach the Dharma to other beings as that which is not consciousness. Vikurvāṇarāja, this is the bodhisattvas’ magical display of superknowledge. The bodhisattva who obtains the divine ear will realize the element of gnosis.
“Vikurvāṇarāja, bodhisattvas learn the Dharma in connection with the language of persons and rely on the Dharma itself,37 not on the person. Why is that? Because, Vikurvāṇarāja, if there were a person in this well-spoken Dharma and Vinaya, no beings whatsoever would be utterly pure and liberated.
“Therefore, Vikurvāṇarāja, though all phenomena indeed are without a person, the Thus-Gone One taught persons as a convention of the world. Thus bodhisattvas rely on the Dharma, not on the person. Vikurvāṇarāja, Dharma is a designation for the dharmadhātu. Vikurvāṇarāja, dharmadhātu is a designation for the element of the birthless. Vikurvāṇarāja, birthless is a designation for nonorigination. Vikurvāṇarāja, nonorigination is a designation for the inexpressible. Why is that? Because whatever the phenomena expressed by whatever the words, those phenomena do not exist in those words, and that which is not existent is a designation, and therefore it is called designation.[F.185.b]
“All phenomena are wordless; they are not articulated in words. In that regard, there are no words spoken by me—the words spoken by me are wordless. There is no expression since expression is unarisen and nonexistent. Why is that? Whatever has the characteristic of expression is not the words of the Buddha, because it is the inexpressible that is the words of the Buddha. Thus it is called the words of the Buddha. Whoever engages with the words of the Buddha engages with the wordless. If one engages with words, one does not engage with the words of the Buddha.
“Vikurvāṇarāja, if one wishes to engage with the words of the Buddha, one should not view as words the words with which person and Dharma are taught. Why is that? Because whatever is dual is not the words of the Buddha. The words of the Buddha are nondual. Whatever possesses language is not the words of the Buddha. The words of the Buddha are without language. That which possesses expression is not the words of the Buddha. The words of the Buddha are without expression. Therefore, Vikurvāṇarāja, whatever bodhisattva has engaged with the words of the Buddha is said to have obtained superknowledge, and by means of the divine ear, they realize the awakening of the Buddha in harmony with the reality of all language. Thus, Vikurvāṇarāja, this divine ear is the second superknowledge of the bodhisattvas.
[The Noble Questions of Vikurvāṇarāja]
[B2]“Moreover, Vikurvāṇarāja, the bodhisattva obtains the superknowledge of the knowledge of others’ minds; they know the minds of other beings and other persons. In whichever assembly they go to teach the Dharma, they first examine the minds of those in the assembly, considering the kinds of thoughts, fetters,38 causes, and characteristics each being possesses. Having examined them, they teach them the Dharma accordingly.[F.186.a] Because their own minds are pure, they engage in purifying the minds of those in the assembly. Vikurvāṇarāja, here is an analogy. Whatever are the colors, features, and shape of a physical form that appears on the clean surface of a mirror, their reflection appears just as they are, without adding or omitting anything, because the surface of the mirror is clean. They appear on the surface of the mirror even without conceptual thought or intentions.
“Vikurvāṇarāja, in the same way, because the bodhisattva’s own mind, too, is pure and the sphere39 of the dharmadhātu is pure, they understand all the mental activities of beings just as they occur. The bodhisattva’s mind is unobscured, and the minds of others unobscured. In that regard, if those in the assembly experience attachment, they understand that mind. And they observe the mind that is free from attachment. Why is that? Because the nature of the mind is without attachment. If anyone in the assembly experiences hatred, they understand that mind. And they observe the mind that is free from hatred. Why is that? Because the nature of the mind does not hate. If anyone in the assembly experiences ignorance, they understand that mind. And they observe the mind that is free from ignorance. Why is that? Because the nature of the mind is not ignorant.
“If those in the assembly are inclined toward the vehicle of the śrāvakas, bodhisattvas understand their experience40 exactly as it is and do not regard the dharmadhātu as lesser.[F.186.b] If those in the assembly are inclined toward the vehicle of the pratyekabuddhas, they understand their experience exactly as it is and do not regard the dharmadhātu as middling. If those in the assembly are inclined toward the Great Vehicle, they understand their experience exactly as it is and do not regard the dharmadhātu as highest. And though they teach the Dharma by knowing the experience of the mental constitutions of all beings, they do not conceptualize the nature of the mind. They teach the Dharma by way of the determination of all vehicles, but they do not differentiate the dharmadhātu. Because the dharmadhātu is without differentiation, they understand the experience of all beings. They mentally observe minds, but they do not engage in any mental activity with respect to minds, nor do they act in any inharmonious way with them.41 They understand the mental elements of all beings, and they understand that that which is the dharmadhātu is that which is the mental element.42
“Thus, Vikurvāṇarāja, bodhisattvas obtain the superknowledge that knows others’ minds, and through that superknowledge they know directly43 the world together with its gods.
“Moreover, Vikurvāṇarāja, bodhisattvas obtain the superknowledge that makes manifest the knowledge of previous lives, and without articulating anything, by composing their mental faculties they remember previous lives. They teach the Dharma in relation to the previous lives of themselves and others, from as many eons ago as there are grains of sand in the Ganges River. They know, ‘In such and such a place I had this name, this family, with such and such a lifespan, and I experienced this or that happiness and suffering.’ They also know such things about the previous lives of other beings.
“They know what has arisen for beings as a result of previous roots of virtue. They know, ‘These beings possess the power of causes, these possess the power of conditions, the cause for these beings is the Śrāvaka Vehicle, the cause for these beings is the Pratyekabuddha Vehicle, and the cause for these beings is the Great Vehicle.’[F.187.a] Knowing the previous causes of beings, they teach them the Dharma accordingly. By making manifest previous lives, they obtain excellent connections with the past. They remember all the previous roots of virtue produced in the presence of buddhas that were not dedicated to awakening, and they dedicate them to unsurpassed, perfectly complete awakening. They remember previous lives, but they understand that all phenomena are without movement in the past. They see that there is no going from the past to the future. They see that there is no going from the future to the past. And they understand that all phenomena do not go or come from anywhere. When they remember the past, they do not observe the past. When they remember44 the future, they do not observe the future. They understand all phenomena to be without edges or center.
“They remember the previous lives of all beings, but they understand form to be void of the past. They understand feeling, perception, mental formations, and consciousness to be void of the past. They understand that all five aggregates are void of the past, void of the future, and void of the present. They understand that all phenomena have the nature of being empty of the past, the nature of being empty of the present, and the nature of being empty of the future.
“Vikurvāṇarāja, the bodhisattvas’ remembering past lives is not the decline of previous roots of virtue, but it is the exhaustion of previously performed acts. Why is that? Because they know that all phenomena are neither new nor old.[F.187.b] By virtue of such knowledge, they regard everything included in mental formations to be like a dream. Here is an analogy. In a dream, one dreams of being born or dying, of happiness or suffering. They regard all mental formations in the same way. Regarding them in that way, they are not wearied by saṃsāra, and they feel compassion for all beings. They perceive that all phenomena are contrived, thinking that though they have wandered in saṃsāra for thousands of eons, that was unreal and nonexistent. They think45 that the wandering of all beings, which cannot exist where the elements are since the elements do not exist,46 is similar—it is unreal and nonexistent.
“Vikurvāṇarāja, the bodhisattva remembers previous lives and sees that the elements and mental formations are impermanent. Why is that? They remember the pleasures of a universal monarch, and that they are impermanent and subject to change. They remember the pleasures of Śakra, and that they are impermanent and subject to change. They remember the pleasures of Brahmā, and that they are impermanent and subject to change.
“They remember experiencing and enjoying the array of good qualities of the fields of previous blessed buddhas, the array of good qualities of śrāvakas, and the array of good qualities of bodhisattvas, and they also remember the excellence of the physical bodies of those blessed buddhas and the excellence of their turning the wheel of Dharma. Their remembering thus is a perception that does not see any conditioned, substantial entities or any grasping.47 Why is that? They think, ‘The vast buddhafields and the physical bodies of the buddhas have perished because48 they have the nature of perishing, and hence what I have grasped49 is also impermanent.’[F.188.a] Therefore, they teach that what one grasps is impermanent and subject to change. They think, ‘Alas, beings perceive permanence when all formations are totally impermanent,’ and they generate great compassion for beings but do not see any substantial entities.
“Vikurvāṇarāja, this is the fourth of the bodhisattvas’ magical displays of superknowledge. Realizing that all substantial entities are impermanent, bodhisattvas intentionally take birth in the states of existence in order to bring beings to maturity. They take up grasping in order to eliminate grasping, appropriating without appropriating, for the sake of maturing beings.
“Vikurvāṇarāja, what is the bodhisattvas’ magical display of miraculous powers? Vikurvāṇarāja, the bodhisattva obtains the bases of miraculous power that effect the aspect of power over the mind through aspiration, diligence, attention, and discernment. They obtain miraculous power that is entirely without any performance. If they wish, in a single instant of thought they can journey through world systems as numerous as the grains of sand in the Ganges River, and they know that they have gone there, but without moving from here. And there they appear to teach the Dharma while continually speaking here.
“Vikurvāṇarāja, this is the bodhisattvas’ magical display of miraculous powers. With that magical display, they train beings who are to be trained by means of the display of miraculous powers, whether gods or humans. To those beings who perceive permanence, they manifest the conflagration at the end of the eon. They then see the trichiliocosm aflame, but the world system is not destroyed. To beings who are excessively proud, they manifest in the form of the yakṣa Vajrapāṇi.[F.188.b] Wielding his fearsomely blazing and flaming vajra, they terrify the excessively proud, who are humbled and prostrate to them. To those who are inspired by the appearance of a universal emperor, they teach the Dharma by assuming the appearance and physical form of a universal emperor. To those who are inspired by the appearance of Śakra, they teach by assuming the appearance and physical form of Śakra. To those who are inspired by the appearance of Māra, they teach by assuming the appearance and physical form of Māra. To those beings who are inspired by the appearance of Brahmā, they teach by assuming the appearance and physical form of Brahmā. To those who are inspired by the appearance of a śrāvaka or a pratyekabuddha, they teach by assuming their appearance and physical form. To those beings who are inspired by the appearance of a buddha, they teach by assuming the appearance and physical form of a buddha.
“To some beings they teach the Dharma seated in the cross-legged posture in the sky, emanating light rays.50 To those beings inspired by vastness, they teach the Dharma after having covered the entire trichiliocosm with a canopy, hung it with garlands of woven silk,51 ornamented it with parasols, banners, and pennants, arrayed it with fluttering nets of bells and variegated flowers, enveloped it with incense, and caused it to resound with the sounds of many hundreds of thousands of cymbals. For some beings they transform the entire trichiliocosm into a single ocean covered with blue water lilies, white water lilies, and white lotuses. Emanating a lion throne in the middle of the ocean, they seat themselves atop it and teach the Dharma.
“For some beings, they teach the Dharma by manifesting themselves seated on the peak of Sumeru, speaking in the voice of Brahmā. For some beings, they teach the Dharma while remaining invisible, proclaiming it in a pleasing tone. For some beings, they teach the Dharma in the form of a gandharva,[F.189.a] with the joyous accompaniment of song and music. For some beings, they teach the Dharma accompanied by a circle of nāgas, manifesting clouds, thunder, lightning, and rainfall. They teach the Dharma for some who are afflicted by hunger and thirst, having gratified them with divine food and drink. They teach the Dharma to those beings in the hells who are utterly tormented by suffering, having extinguished the fire of the hells with the strength of their miraculous power, filling their pores with radiance and gladdening them.
“They teach the Dharma to beings who are blind, having granted them sight and restored their vision with the strength of their miraculous power. They teach the Dharma to beings who lack ears or are deaf, having restored their hearing with the strength of their miraculous power. They teach the Dharma to beings who are tormented by various illnesses, having cured their illnesses and restored them to health. They teach the Dharma to beings who are being dragged off to their executions and about to lose their lives, having emanated others who look just like them with the strength of their miraculous power, freeing them and saving their lives. They teach the Dharma to beings with damaged limbs or digits and lacking their faculties—who are ugly, lack confidence, and are discouraged about their bodies—having restored all of their limbs and digits with the strength of their miraculous power, so that they have excellent physical bodies. They train beings in the womb who are dull and live in impurity with the strength of their miraculous power, teaching the Dharma to them after gladdening them by transforming the womb into a jeweled mansion. They teach the Dharma to children who have been born and whose faculties are not yet fully developed, proclaiming it verbally with the strength of their miraculous power.[F.189.b]
“Vikurvāṇarāja, bodhisattvas who possess such miraculous power teach the Dharma by means of other inconceivable displays.52 To tame beings inspired by the sun and moon, with the strength of their miraculous power they shine like the sun and moon in the solar and lunar celestial palaces, placing the disks of the sun and moon and the trichiliocosm in the palms of their hands and proceeding through the limitlessly many world systems. They appear to go, without moving at all from their place.
“If they wish, after inserting within a single tuft of hair53 as many buddhafields as there are grains of sand in the Ganges River, while seated in the Brahmā realm they fling them to limitlessly many world systems without harming a single being. Then they return them to where they were before, without the beings knowing that they were taken away or brought back. With a single breath they can blow out as many eon-ending conflagrations as there are grains of sand in the Ganges River. Seated only in the cross-legged posture, they can go to buddhafields as numerous as the grains of sand in the Ganges River. Covering the sun and moon with their hands, they teach the Dharma having lowered those buddhafields.
“Vikurvāṇarāja, if, when a bodhisattva is seated in the presence of a thus-gone one, they so wish, they can worship the thus-gone one by strewing flowers over the thus-gone one’s body from flower baskets like Sumeru, and as soon as they have strewn them from the flower baskets, they appear within the body of the thus-gone one. They can transform all the wood and grass in the trichiliocosm into votive lamps and water offerings in order to worship the thus-gone one.[F.190.a] They can light votive lamps and cause a shower of lamps and water offerings to appear to rain down. They can display their own bodies before all beings, displaying themselves in whatever ways are inspiring—displaying themselves as Śakra, displaying themselves as Brahmā, displaying themselves as a śrāvaka, displaying themselves as a pratyekabuddha, or displaying themselves as a buddha.
“Vikurvāṇarāja, that is the bodhisattvas’ magical display of superknowledge—the divine eye that is unhindered in seeing forms, the divine ear that is unhindered in hearing sounds, knowledge that is unhindered in knowing the mental activities of all beings, and remembering countless eons and revealing everything about lives over countless eons, without hindrance and without obscuration, doing so without acceptance and without rejection—this is what is called the magical display of superknowledge.
“Vikurvāṇarāja, superknowledge for the sake of revealing all buddhas, superknowledge that knows all inferior beings, superknowledge that knows those tamed through the Śrāvaka Vehicle, superknowledge that knows those tamed through the Pratyekabuddha Vehicle, superknowledge that knows those tamed through the Great Vehicle, superknowledge that knows deaths and rebirths, superknowledge that knows the maturation of beings, superknowledge that is the knowledge and practice of renunciation,54 superknowledge that is skill in means, superknowledge of the dedication of generosity, and superknowledge of the dedication of moral conduct, patience, diligence, meditative concentration, and wisdom, the defeat of māras, and applying oneself to roots of virtue—all of those are what is called superknowledge.[F.190.b]
“Moreover, Vikurvāṇarāja, bodhisattvas who have obtained the superknowledges will be directly known55 by means of their physical form, appearance, radiance, charm,56 fame, strength, family, clan, wealth, and entourage. Hence it is called superknowledge. Moreover, Vikurvāṇarāja, bodhisattvas who have obtained superknowledge will be directly known by gods, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kinnaras, mahoragas, humans, and nonhumans; by Śakra, Brahmā, and the Guardians of the World; and by the thus-gone ones, the arhats, the unsurpassed and perfectly complete buddhas. Hence it is called superknowledge. Vikurvāṇarāja, that is what is called superknowledge. By means of that superknowledge, bodhisattvas do not forsake their prior vows and they demonstrate everything that is to be done.
“Vikurvāṇarāja, what are the magical displays of knowing? They are knowing the aggregates, knowing the elements, knowing the sense bases, knowing dependent origination, and knowing the truths.
“Vikurvāṇarāja, what is knowing the aggregates? Form is empty—the past of form is empty, the future of form is empty, and the present57 of form is empty. Similarly, Vikurvāṇarāja, with feeling, perception, mental formations, or consciousness—it is empty—the past of consciousness is empty, the future of consciousness is empty, and the present of consciousness is empty.58 Knowing that the five aggregates of appropriation are empty, utterly empty, is what is called knowing the aggregates.[F.191.a]
“Vikurvāṇarāja, what is knowing the elements? The earth element is the dharmadhātu, the water element is the dharmadhātu, the fire element is the dharmadhātu, and the wind element is the dharmadhātu. Why is that? Because all four elements are a single element as the dharmadhātu. It is like this: With the space element, the space element and the dharmadhātu are not elements, because they are not the earth element, not the water element, not the fire element, and not the wind element. Why is that? Because the immovable element is the dharmadhātu, the nondual element is the dharmadhātu, the birthless element is the dharmadhātu, the undefiled element is the dharmadhātu, and the utterly pure element is the dharmadhātu. Just like the dharmadhātu, so too is the element of self; so too the element of beings; so too the element of life force; so too the element of persons; so too the element of saṃsāra; and so too is the element of nirvāṇa. And just like the element of nirvāṇa, so too is the desire realm that element,59 the form realm that element, the formless realm that element, the conditioned element that element, and the unconditioned element that element. Therefore, it is called the element of nirvāṇa. In that way, Vikurvāṇarāja, that which is the independent knowing of the realms60 of form is what is called the elements.
“Vikurvāṇarāja, what is knowing the sense bases? The eye has not arisen or originated from any nature,61 and it has no creator whatsoever. Similarly, Vikurvāṇarāja, the ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind have not arisen or originated from any nature, and they have no creator whatsoever.[F.191.b] Vikurvāṇarāja, the eye is without an owner and has no viewer whatsoever. The ear is without an owner and has no listener whatsoever. The nose is without an owner and has no smeller62 whatsoever. The tongue is without an owner and has no taster whatsoever. The body is without an owner and has no experiencer of touch whatsoever. The mind is without an owner has no knower whatsoever.
“Vikurvāṇarāja, the nature of the eye is that it does not see forms.63 The nature of the ear is that it does not hear sounds. The nature of the nose is that it does not smell scents. The nature of the tongue is that it does not taste flavors. The nature of the body is that it does not feel tactile objects. The nature of the mind is that it does not know mental phenomena. Why is that? Because the eye is without an agent. It is like grass, a tree, an enclosure,64 or gravel, and similarly the ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind are without agents. They are like grass, a tree, an enclosure, or gravel.
“Vikurvāṇarāja, the eye is not attachment, nor is it the lack of attachment. Why is that? Because the eye by nature is without attachment. Vikurvāṇarāja, the ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind are not attachment, nor are they the lack of attachment. Why is that? Because mind by nature is without attachment.65 Vikurvāṇarāja, understanding that about all of the sense bases while being without attachment is what is called knowing the sense bases.
“Having known that about the aggregates, the elements, and the sense bases—that although they are without arising, without origination, and utterly at peace, still they arise and are originated—[F.192.a] they take up the aggregates, the elements, and the sense bases; they do not reject the aggregates, the elements, or the sense bases. That is the bodhisattvas’ magical display of knowing. They understand what the characteristics of the aggregates, the elements, and the sense bases are, and that which is their nature. They do not reject them, and although they appear in the three realms, they do not dwell together with the defilements, revealing birth and origination but without being born and without passing away. That is the bodhisattvas’ magical display of knowing.
“What is the knowing of dependent origination? Although ignorance is indeed the condition for mental formations, ignorance does not think, ‘I produce the formations.’ Although formations are indeed the condition for consciousness, formations do not think, ‘We produce consciousness.’ Although consciousness is indeed the condition for name and form, consciousness does not think, ‘I produce name and form.’ Although name and form are indeed the condition for the six sense bases, name and form do not think, ‘We produce the six sense bases.’ Although the six sense bases are indeed the condition for contact, the six sense bases do not think, ‘We produce contact.’ Although contact is indeed the condition for feeling, contact does not think, ‘I produce feeling.’ Although feeling is indeed the condition for craving, feeling does not think, ‘I produce craving.’ Although craving is indeed the condition for grasping, craving does not think, ‘I produce grasping.’ Although grasping is indeed the condition for existence, grasping does not think, ‘I produce existence.’ Although existence is indeed the condition for birth, existence does not think, ‘I produce birth.’ Although birth is indeed the condition for aging and death, birth does not think, ‘I produce aging and death.’[F.192.b]
“Vikurvāṇarāja, when bodhisattvas thus discern dependent origination, they do not dwell either in views of annihilation or in views of permanence. They think, ‘All these phenomena depend upon causes and conditions.’ They search for those causes and conditions, and having searched for them, they do not find them. Then they engage in equality with dependent origination. What kind of knowing do they engage with? That dependent origination is equal to birthlessness; that dependent origination is equal to that which emptiness is equal to; that dependent origination is equal to that which signlessness is equal to; and that dependent origination is equal to that which wishlessness is equal to. That very equality by which the thus-gone ones fully awaken to all phenomena is equal to dependent origination. The equality of dependent origination is without the birth of a self, without the birth of a being, without the birth of a life force, and without the birth of a person. No phenomena whatsoever are born. Therefore it is called dependent origination.
“Dependent origination should be seen as without origination. That which is the knowledge of the lack of origination is indeed the knowledge of dependent origination, but ignorance and knowledge are nondual and cannot be separated. Knowing that is called knowing dependent origination. Formations and nonformations are nondual and cannot be separated. Knowing that is called knowing dependent origination. Consciousness and nonconsciousness are nondual and cannot be separated. Knowing that is called knowing dependent origination. Name and form and the lack of name and form are nondual and cannot be separated. Knowing that is called knowing dependent origination.[F.193.a] The six sense bases and the lack of the six sense bases are nondual and cannot be separated. Knowing that is called knowing dependent origination. Contact and the lack of contact are nondual and cannot be separated. Knowing that is called knowing dependent origination. Feeling and the lack of feeling are nondual and cannot be separated. Knowing that is called knowing dependent origination. Craving and the lack of craving are nondual and cannot be separated. Knowing that is called knowing dependent origination. Grasping and the lack of grasping are nondual and cannot be separated. Knowing that is called knowing dependent origination. Existence and the nonconnection between births are nondual and cannot be separated. Knowing that is called knowing dependent origination. Birth and the lack of birth are nondual and cannot be separated. Knowing that is called knowing dependent origination. Aging and death and dreams66 are nondual and cannot be separated. Knowing this is called knowing dependent origination.
“That which is dependent does not abide; that which is dependent is without a core; that which is dependent is impermanent; that which is dependent is empty; that which is dependent is without coming or going; that which is dependent is unoriginated; that which is dependent is without holding on to anything; and that which is dependent is without engagement. Knowing that is called knowing dependent origination.
“Whoever sees dependent origination does not see ignorance; they do not see formations; they do not see consciousness; they do not see name and form;[F.193.b] they do not see the six sense bases; they do not see contact; they do not see feeling; they do not see craving; they do not see grasping; they do not see existence; they do not see birth; and they do not see aging and death. Whoever correctly sees phenomena in that way sees dependent origination. Whoever sees dependent origination sees the Dharma.
“What Dharma do they see? They see the Dharma that is freedom from attachment. Why is it said to be free from attachment? Because through it there is freedom from views of attachment toward all phenomena, hence it is said that they see the Dharma that is freedom from attachment. They see in that way without adding anything or taking anything away. They see in that way without any wavering from reality and without any attachment. They see in that way without engaging in any differentiation of the dharmadhātu. They see in that way the certainty of the very limit of reality.67 They see in that way by seeing in the way in which seeing is nonseeing. They see in that way without seeing by means of the physical eye, or by means of the divine eye, or by means of the eye of wisdom. Why is that so? Because the physical eye is without activity, and since it is without activity it does not see. The divine eye is conditioned, so it does not easily see the unconditioned. The eye of wisdom is nonconceptual, and because it is nonconceptual it does not see.
The Questions of Vikurvāṇarāja is a discourse about what are called the four “magical displays” of bodhisattvas. It begins with a series of questions put to the Buddha by the bodhisattva Vikurvāṇarāja, whose name means “King of Magical Displays,” about how bodhisattvas should perform magical displays for the sake of the Great Vehicle and for the sake of establishing others in the Great Vehicle. The Buddha answers by providing an extensive explanation of the four magical displays of moral conduct, superknowledge, knowing, and wisdom. Included in the Buddha’s answer to Vikurvāṇarāja is a presentation of the four reliances as well as a unique presentation of the ten strengths, four fearlessnesses, and eighteen qualities unique to the bodhisattvas, parallel to the ten strengths, four fearlessnesses, and eighteen qualities unique to the buddhas.
Translated, introduced, and annotated by Nathaniel Rich based on a draft translation by David Jackson.
The translation was completed under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha. Nathaniel Rich edited the translation and the introduction, and Ven. Konchog Norbu copyedited the text. Martina Cotter was in charge of the digital publication process.
The generous sponsorship of Nomura Shin, Biao Dong and Ozer Dong, which helped make the work on this translation possible, is most gratefully acknowledged.
The Questions of Vikurvāṇarāja is an extensive and elaborate account of the “magical displays” of bodhisattvas, the four reliances, and specific sets of qualities that are unique to bodhisattvas (and perhaps to this sūtra). The discourse begins with a series of questions in which the bodhisattva Vikurvāṇarāja, whose name means “King of Magical Displays,” asks the Buddha about how bodhisattvas should produce magical displays for the sake of the Great Vehicle, for the sake of causing others to desire the Great Vehicle, for the sake of establishing them in it, and for the sake of fulfilling their own aspirations.
The Buddha answers with a detailed account of each of the four magical displays of bodhisattvas: the magical displays of moral conduct, the magical displays of superknowledge, the magical displays of knowing, and the magical displays of wisdom. This account constitutes the bulk of the discourse. In the context of the Buddha’s description of the first, the magical displays of moral conduct, he also narrates an episode from the life of a bodhisattva in the past named Vajranābhi, in which Vajranābhi—eventually revealed to be the bodhisattva Vikurvāṇarāja himself in a past life—engages in an extensive dialogue with a māra named Vikrama. The Buddha’s description of the magical displays of superknowledge is a detailed description of the five superknowledges: divine sight, divine hearing, knowledge of others’ minds, knowledge of past lives, and miraculous powers. Particularly significant here is that the Buddha’s description of divine hearing includes an account of the so-called “four reliances” (rton pa bzhi): to rely on the meaning, not the wording; to rely on the definitive meaning, not the provisional meaning; to rely on gnosis (ye shes), not consciousness; and to rely on the Dharma, not the person. In the present discourse, the Buddha does not call these “the four reliances,” but he details each one as he describes to Vikurvāṇarāja how bodhisattvas listen to the Dharma taught by the buddhas with their extraordinary faculty of hearing.1
The bodhisattvas’ magical displays of knowing are the knowledge of the aggregates, knowledge of the elements, knowledge of the sense bases, knowledge of dependent origination, and knowledge of the truths. The Buddha’s description of these magical displays provides the occasion for a treatment of each of these foundational themes in Buddhist thought and practice. And finally, his description of the magical displays of wisdom includes, among other things, a presentation of the familiar category of the four correct discernments. This extensive presentation of the four magical displays of bodhisattvas is not only a treasure trove of teaching on different elements of the bodhisattva’s practice and attainment, many of them not often found in other Great Vehicle discourses, but it also echoes teachings that feature most prominently in the Perfection of Wisdom sūtras and points toward teachings on the equality or “sameness” of all phenomena and the dharmadhātu.
Following the Buddha’s answer to Vikurvāṇarāja’s questions, Vikurvāṇarāja causes a magical display of his own, lavishing an offering of a rain of flowers on the Buddha, the assembled bodhisattvas, and the entire retinue, whose bodies, when touched by those flowers, are transformed into bodies bearing the major and minor marks of a great person. The Buddha briefly narrates the circumstances in which he, in a past life and in the dispensation of a previous buddha, was introduced to the four magical displays. Then, Vikurvāṇarāja poses another question to the Buddha, asking if bodhisattvas possess their own ten strengths, four fearlessnesses, and eighteen unique qualities just as the buddhas do. Answering in the affirmative, the Buddha provides another extensive reply to Vikurvāṇarāja’s query, detailing each of these in an exceptional and inspiring presentation of the qualities that characterize the bodhisattva. The Buddha concludes by narrating another past life episode, this time one of his own previous lives in the very distant past when he heard this discourse from a buddha named Devarāja, underlining the significance of this discourse and ensuring that his listeners recognize its transformative power.
There is no known Sanskrit version of this sūtra extant. The sūtra was translated into Chinese by Kumārajīva in 407
The present translation is based on the Degé Kangyur version, in consultation with the Comparative Edition (dpe bsdur ma) and the Stok Palace Kangyur. Where variant readings have been adopted, this has been recorded in the notes.
Thus did I hear at one time. The Blessed One was dwelling in Śrāvastī, in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍada’s Park, together with a vast saṅgha of twenty thousand monks and ten thousand bodhisattvas, including the bodhisattvas Maitreya, Avalokiteśvara, Mahāsthāmaprāpta, Siṃhamati, Siṃhaketu, and Going with the Prowess of a Lion, all of whom had only one birth remaining.
The bodhisattva great being Vikurvāṇarāja was also present and seated in that assembly. At that time the Blessed One, within an assembly of many hundreds of thousands, was teaching the Dharma related to entering the Great Vehicle.
The bodhisattva great being Vikurvāṇarāja then rose from his seat, covered one shoulder with his robe, and knelt with his right knee on the ground. Paying homage to the Blessed One with his palms joined, he said to him, “If the Blessed One would grant me the opportunity to seek answers, I would pose questions about a few matters to the Blessed One, the Thus-Gone One, the Arhat, the Perfectly Complete Buddha.”
The Blessed One replied, “Vikurvāṇarāja, the Thus-Gone One grants you the opportunity to have your questions answered. Ask whatever you wish, and I will delight you by answering whatever questions you pose.”[F.176.a]
Given the opportunity by the Blessed One, the bodhisattva Vikurvāṇarāja was satisfied, pleased, and delighted. With joy, gladness, and his mind at ease, he asked, “Blessed One, how should bodhisattva great beings perform magical displays for this Great Vehicle? How should they cause other beings and other persons to desire this Great Vehicle? How, after defeating4 all māras, all conceited ones, all opponents, and all who cling to objectifying views by means of such magical displays, should they establish them in this Great Vehicle? And how are their aspirations fulfilled—that is, how does their discipline for reaching unsurpassed, perfectly complete awakening get perfected?”
The Blessed One replied, “Excellent, Vikurvāṇarāja! It is excellent that you thought to ask the Thus-Gone One about such things. Therefore, Vikurvāṇarāja, listen well and remember this. I will explain how bodhisattva great beings perform magical displays for this Great Vehicle; how they cause other beings and other persons to desire this Great Vehicle; how, after defeating all māras, all conceited ones, all opponents, and all who cling to objectifying views by means of such magical displays, they establish them in this Great Vehicle; and how their aspirations are fulfilled—[F.176.b] that is, how they are disciplined for reaching unsurpassed, perfectly complete awakening.”
“Excellent, Blessed One,” said the bodhisattva Vikurvāṇarāja, and he listened just as the Blessed One had instructed him.
The Blessed One said, “Vikurvāṇarāja, these four are the magical displays of bodhisattvas. Which four? The magical displays of moral conduct, magical displays of superknowledge, magical displays of knowing, and magical displays of wisdom. Vikurvāṇarāja, those four are the magical displays of bodhisattvas.
“Vikurvāṇarāja, what are the magical displays of moral conduct? Vikurvāṇarāja, they are the excellent moral conduct of a bodhisattva: moral conduct that is unbroken; moral conduct that is undestroyed; moral conduct that is unadulterated; moral conduct that is untroubled; moral conduct that is unobjectifying; moral conduct that is unimpaired;5 moral conduct that is irreproachable; moral conduct that is without anguish; moral conduct that is well observed; moral conduct that is praised by the learned; moral conduct that matures beings; moral conduct that protects the sublime Dharma; moral conduct that gladdens, overjoys, and pleases others; moral conduct that is not focused on birth in any of the states of existence;6 moral conduct that is based on calm abiding; moral conduct that is connected to special insight; moral conduct that is inclined toward the profound Dharma; moral conduct in which the superknowledges are unimpaired; moral conduct that cultivates emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness;[F.177.a] moral conduct that is peaceful, tranquil, and pacified; moral conduct that collects the Buddha’s Dharma and correctly teaches it; moral conduct that does not abandon any being; moral conduct that is guarded by kindness; moral conduct whose root is compassion; moral conduct that is correct and clear; moral conduct whose activity is certain;7 moral conduct that is based on the ascetic practices and minimizing possessions; moral conduct that renders one a meritorious object worthy of gifts; moral conduct that is utterly pure; moral conduct that does not interrupt the line of the thus-gone ones; moral conduct that protects the line of the Dharma; moral conduct that summons8 the noble saṅgha; moral conduct that is based on the mind set on awakening; moral conduct that is supported by the six perfections; moral conduct that cultivates the foundations of mindfulness, the correct efforts, the bases of miraculous powers, the faculties, the powers, the factors of awakening, and the path; and moral conduct that accomplishes all the qualities in harmony with the factors conducive to awakening. A bodhisattva whose moral conduct is excellent in those ways, Vikurvāṇarāja, will achieve whatever they wish.
“What might they wish? Let us suppose that the trichiliocosm were filled with the fire of the conflagration at the end of a great eon. If a bodhisattva whose moral conduct is excellent made the aspiration, ‘May that fire be extinguished!’ it would be extinguished and cease to exist. Or if they wished, they could, with their transformative power, cause the trichiliocosm to be filled with fire. If they wished, they could, with their transformative power, cause it to be covered with flowers.[F.177.b] If they wished, they could, with their transformative power, cause everything to have the nature of jewels. If they wished, they could, with their transformative power, cause all the Sumerus, kings of mountains, in world systems as numerous as the grains of sand in the Ganges River to become a single mountain.
“Vikurvāṇarāja, if such a bodhisattva whose moral conduct is excellent were to wish it, they could, with their transformative power, cause all the great oceans of world systems as numerous as the grains of sand in the Ganges River to become a single great ocean. If they are established in moral conduct, they achieve whatever they wish, and whatever they have determined will come to be. Vikurvāṇarāja, a bodhisattva who is established in moral conduct will come to possess these four magical displays. And one who possesses moral conduct will also achieve what they wish with their mind set on unsurpassed, perfectly complete awakening.
“Vikurvāṇarāja, previously—countless, exceedingly countless, boundless, immeasurable, inconceivably many eons in the past—there appeared in the world a thus-gone one named King of Light Rays of Immaculate Light, perfect in knowledge and conduct, a well-gone one, a knower of the world, a guide who tames beings, unsurpassed,9 a teacher of gods and humans, a buddha, and a blessed one. Vikurvāṇarāja, in the teachings of the thus-gone one King of Light Rays of Immaculate Light there was a bodhisattva named Vajranābhi, who possessed the power of being established in moral conduct and whose moral conduct was utterly pure.
“Vikurvāṇarāja, when the bodhisattva Vajranābhi wandered in the wilderness, he exerted himself energetically in the noble Dharma and Vinaya,10 and while established in the Buddha’s Dharma he applied himself correctly in this way. He thought, ‘Not apprehending any phenomena is moral conduct. Not fixating on any entity is moral conduct.[F.178.a] Allaying all defilements is moral conduct. Knowing the body to be like a reflection is moral conduct. Knowing the voice to be like an echo is moral conduct. Discerning the mind to be like an illusion is moral conduct. Not dichotomizing virtues and nonvirtues is moral conduct. Discerning the unattractiveness of the objects of desire is moral conduct. Cultivating love in the face of hatred is moral conduct. Shredding the net of ignorance through11 wisdom is moral conduct. Not apprehending the reality12 of desire, hatred, and ignorance is moral conduct. To not conceive of, to not conceptualize, to not think of, and to not regard any phenomena is moral conduct. To have no view of a self, no view of a being, no view of a life force, no view of a person, no view of annihilation, and no view of permanence is moral conduct. Not fabricating any phenomena13 is moral conduct. To be without fear is moral conduct. To not dwell in the three realms is moral conduct. To have confidence in the fact that phenomena are unborn is moral conduct. To be intent on acceptance of the fact that phenomena are unborn is moral conduct. To not seek gain or honor is moral conduct. To not be afraid of emptiness is moral conduct. To cultivate the signless is moral conduct. To be free from wishes is moral conduct. Not having any conceits on account of that very store of moral conduct is moral conduct. Not praising oneself or disparaging others on account of that moral conduct is moral conduct. To have no hankering for the sense bases is moral conduct.[F.178.b] To not wander toward objects14 is moral conduct. The equality of the aggregates and the collections of the Dharma is moral conduct.15 The equality of the elements and the dharmadhātu is moral conduct.16 To prioritize not disputing or fighting is moral conduct. To not abandon the striving for virtues is moral conduct. To know that all phenomena are utterly at peace and tranquil, and to embody and dwell in that fact, is moral conduct.’
“Vikurvāṇarāja, thus did the bodhisattva Vajranābhi possess that kind of firm basis in moral conduct. He adhered to this application of himself to the noble Dharma and this correct and unmistaken attentiveness, and that monk who was established in moral conduct, applied himself to the noble Dharma, and was correctly attentive walked on his path for walking meditation.17
“A son of Māra named Vikrama came to create obstacles, together with his retinue of eighty-four thousand māras—a horde of troops and attendants, all of them armed with swords. Magically causing18 their bodies to become very small, they made themselves invisible. Looking for an opportunity to harm the mental conduct of that monk, they followed him for a thousand years. And during those thousand years, they did not see a single instance in which the monk’s mind was distracted by a thought of hatred or a thought of malice.
“Then, after the thousand years had passed, Vikrama, a son of Māra, together with his attendants, displayed their full-sized bodies, brandishing swords, bows and arrows, spears, and clubs, menacing that monk. Seeing the horde of māras brandishing swords, bows and arrows, spears, and clubs, menacing him, the monk Vajranābhi said, ‘By the power of the truth and these true words of mine—[F.179.a] that when I applied myself to the noble Dharma I utterly purified my store of moral conduct and my correct application—may all of the swords, bows and arrows, spears, and clubs brandished by the māras and their attendants become flowers such as blue water lilies, lotuses, red water lilies, white lotuses, magnolias, jasmine flowers, vārśika flowers, and garlands of frankincense,19 and may the māras and deities of the class of māras all come to have appearances, bodies, complexions, and aspirations just like mine!’
“Vikurvāṇarāja, as soon as the bodhisattva Vajranābhi uttered those words, all the swords, bows and arrows, spears, and clubs brandished by the māras and the attendants of the māras transformed into garlands of multicolored flowers that were fragrant, pleasing, and lovely to look at. And the māras, too, assumed the appearance of the monk, and they were all included among those gone forth, wearing saffron robes and with their heads and faces shaved.
“Vikurvāṇarāja, the māra Vikrama saw the monk’s great magical display and was amazed. He and his attendants bowed at the monk’s feet, saying, ‘Monk, what Dharma did you obtain to wield such transformative power?’
“Vikurvāṇarāja, the bodhisattva Vajranābhi replied to the māra Vikrama, ‘Friend, this transformative power has not come from getting something; it has come from not apprehending any phenomena. Friend, this transformative power has not come from getting something; it has come from not getting anything. Friend, this transformative power has not come from dwelling in body, speech, and mind;[F.179.b] it has come from not dwelling in any phenomenon. Friend, this transformative power has not come from grasping at phenomenal signs; it has come from signlessness. This transformative power does not dwell in any phenomenon whatsoever; it has come from not dwelling in any phenomenon.’
“Then the māra Vikrama said to the bodhisattva Vajranābhi, ‘Monk, when I observed your mind for a thousand years, I did not see any movement in it.’
“The bodhisattva Vajranābhi replied, ‘Friend, even if you had carefully observed my mind for as many eons as there are grains of sand in the Ganges River, you would not have found it. Why not? Because the mind is not found within, nor is it found without, nor is it found in neither of those. Friend, would you20 find any movement of the mind in what is conjured by a magician?’
“ ‘Monk, I would not find any. How could any be found if what is conjured by a magician lacks both mind and thoughts?’
“ ‘Friend, the Thus-Gone One has taught that all phenomena have the nature of conjured illusions. Hence you would not find in them either mind or thoughts.’
“ ‘If, monk, you find neither mind nor thoughts, how do you then go or come or speak?’
“ ‘Here is an analogy. Just as a person conjured by a magician comes, goes, and speaks, so too are my own coming, going, and speaking.’
“ ‘Monk, what do you hold this exertion, this being established in moral conduct, this applying yourself to the noble Dharma, this engagement to be?’
“ ‘I hold them to be without foundation.’21
“ ‘What do you hold the lack of foundation to be?’
“ ‘Because it is without going, there is no present or future going whatsoever.[F.180.a] Friend, that which is called the lack of foundation is an expression for wishlessness. And when you asked me, Vikrama, “What do you hold this exertion, this being established in moral conduct, this applying yourself to the noble Dharma, this engagement to be?” I do not hold that form arises. I do not hold that it ceases. I do not hold that it abides. I do not hold that feeling, perception, mental formations, or consciousness arise. I do not hold that they cease. I do not hold that they abide.
“ ‘Vikrama, the engagement that does not grasp22 form and that does not grasp feeling, perception, mental formations, or consciousness—that is what I hold, and that is what I observe. Vikrama, the engagement of the noble ones is my engagement.’
“ ‘Monk, how do you engage?’
“ ‘Vikrama, all the qualities of ordinary people and the qualities of buddhas are the same and without duality. The qualities of trainees and the qualities of buddhas are the same and without duality. The qualities of those for whom there is no more training and the qualities of buddhas are the same and without duality. The qualities of pratyekabuddhas and the qualities of buddhas are the same and without duality. The qualities of the past, the qualities of the future, and the qualities of the present are the same and without duality. And they are the same by virtue of their equality in being without arising. They are the same by virtue of their equality in being without origination. They are the same by virtue of their equality in being without cessation. Because of teaching the equality that consists in not rejecting those kinds of equality, I maintain that I teach the Dharma to beings.[F.180.b]
“ ‘Friend, this correct engagement does not enter23 the realm of desire, nor does it enter the form realm. It does not enter the formless realm. That which is established in equality has not moved from reality and will not move from it; it does not go and it does not not go. Friend, these are what we call correct engagements.
“ ‘That which is the engagement with suchness is also the engagement with all phenomena. That which is the engagement with the dharmadhātu is also the engagement with all phenomena. That which is the engagement with the very limit of reality is also the engagement with all phenomena. And that which is the maintaining of such engagements is without any maintaining at all. I do not observe or fixate on the lack of any engagement whatsoever. Friend, this is what we call correct engagement.’
“Then the māra Vikrama asked the bodhisattva Vajranābhi, ‘Monk, what Dharma do you understand by means of this correct application?’
“ ‘Friend, by means of this correct application, I understand a Dharma that lacks sublimity. Since its also lacks aggrandizement24 and conceit, I have understood its equality. Also, when you asked me, “What Dharma do you understand?” this correct application is not distinguished by conceptual thought. Rather, this correct application is without excessive pride. This correct application is not distinguished by being gained. Rather, this correct application is free from being distinguished by being gained. There is no understanding of any Dharma whatsoever by means of this correct application. This25 so-called “correct application” is a designation for the lack of application.’
“Then the māra Vikrama asked the bodhisattva Vajranābhi, ‘Monk, what will you obtain by adopting moral conduct?’[F.181.a]
“ ‘Vikrama, by my adoption of moral conduct, I will fully awaken to unsurpassed, perfectly complete awakening to the fact that all phenomena are without cessation and without arising.’
“ ‘What awakening will you awaken to?’
“ ‘I will fully awaken to full awakening to the equality of form. I will fully awaken to full awakening to the equality of feeling, perception, mental formations, and consciousness.’
“The māra Vikrama asked, ‘Monk, where is awakening to be sought?’
“The bodhisattva Vajranābhi replied, ‘Friend, awakening is to be sought in the nature of the view that the transitory aggregates are, or possess, a self.’
“ ‘How should it be sought?’
“ ‘It should be sought by not in any way giving rise to26 awakening or a view of awakening.’
“Then the māra Vikrama asked the bodhisattva Vajranābhi, ‘Monk, who is your teacher? With whose instruction did you attain such eloquence?’
“ ‘Friend, the fact that I obtain awakening to the fact that the transitory aggregates have not been destroyed27 is my teacher. That I do not dwell in defilement or purification is my teacher. That consciousness does not dwell in the conditioned or the unconditioned is my teacher.28 That I crossed over the flowing river without effort, having not learned from anyone, is my teacher.29 That consciousness does not engage with any phenomena and that cognition does not move toward phenomena is my teacher. That I use language without wavering from the reality that is inexpressible is my teacher. That the wheel of Dharma has been turned because all phenomena are unborn and so that all birth does not occur is my teacher. That I do not dwell here, there, or in between is my teacher.[F.181.b] That there is arising because all phenomena do not arise is my teacher. That there is parinirvāṇa because all phenomena are without cessation is my teacher. Having been instructed in those ways, I attained such eloquence.’
“The māra Vikrama asked, ‘How did that thus-gone one turn the wheel of Dharma?’
“The bodhisattva Vajranābhi replied, ‘That thus-gone one turned the wheel of Dharma like this: The aggregate of form is not engaged with, nor is it turned away from. The suchness of form, the reality of form, the emptiness of form, the signlessness of form, the wishlessness of form, the tranquility of form, the voidness of form, the birthlessness of form, the essence of form, and the nature of form are not engaged with, nor are they turned away from. In the same way, feeling, perception, mental formations, and consciousness are not engaged with, nor are they turned away from. The suchness of consciousness, the reality of consciousness, the emptiness of consciousness, the signlessness of consciousness, the wishlessness of consciousness, the tranquility of consciousness, the voidness of consciousness, the birthlessness of consciousness, the essence of consciousness, and the nature of consciousness are not engaged with, nor are they turned away from.30 And he turned the wheel of Dharma so that all phenomena are not engaged with. Whether he turns the wheel of Dharma or not, he does not abandon the immeasurable limit31 of the dharmadhātu. And everything understood by way of that turning of the wheel of Dharma becomes that very turning.’
“Then the māra Vikrama and his attendants were accepted as students of the monk Vajranābhi and said, ‘We go for refuge in you, monk.’[F.182.a]
“He replied to them, ‘Do not go for refuge in me. Go for refuge instead in the thus-gone one King of Light Rays of Immaculate Light, since he has taught such a Dharma.’
“They said, ‘Come! Let us now go into the presence of that thus-gone one.’
“Then the bodhisattva Vajranābhi, the māra Vikrama, and the eighty-four thousand māras went together to where the blessed, thus-gone King of Light Rays of Immaculate Light was. Arriving there, they bowed down at the blessed one’s feet and, with their palms joined, took their seats before him. The thus-gone one then taught them the Dharma, beginning with being established in moral conduct and applying oneself to the noble Dharma, such that they all would be certain to attain irreversibility from progress toward unsurpassed, perfectly complete awakening.
“Vikurvāṇarāja, if you think that then, at that time, the bodhisattva Vajranābhi was someone else, do not see it that way. Why not? Because, Vikurvāṇarāja, you yourself were then, at that time, the bodhisattva called Vajranābhi. And the bodhisattva Dharaṇīdhara was then, at that time, the māra called Vikrama. Vikurvāṇarāja, these are the magical displays of bodhisattvas’ moral conduct. Based on such magical displays, inconceivably many types of aspirations are taught to bodhisattvas, and immeasurably many beings are matured for awakening. Even the hostile māras, having been defeated, are swiftly and fully awakened to unsurpassed, perfectly complete awakening.[F.182.b]
“Vikurvāṇarāja, if you ask what the bodhisattvas’ magical displays of superknowledge are, there are five magical displays of superknowledge: the divine eye, the divine ear, knowledge of others’ minds, recollection of past lives, and miraculous powers.
“Vikurvāṇarāja, you may ask what the bodhisattvas’ magical display of superknowledge of the divine eye is like. By means of the magical display of superknowledge of the eye, the visual faculty of a bodhisattva is not hindered by walls. It is not hindered by trees, not hindered by mountains, not hindered by forests, not hindered by the ring of mountains or the outer ring of mountains, not hindered by Sumeru, and not hindered by the intervening spaces of a world system. With that unhindered eye, they see the countless, innumerable buddhafields in all ten directions and know them all as a single buddhafield, just as space has no separation. They do not join one buddhafield to another, nor do they separate them. They see all the buddhas dwelling in those buddhafields together with their retinues of śrāvakas, and they see all the buddhas in the manner of the inseparability of the dharmadhātu. And in the manner of the inseparability of the dharmadhātu, they regard32 all buddhas as a single buddha. Seeing a single buddha purifies the seeing of all buddhas. Seeing all buddhas purifies the seeing of a single buddha. With that pure seeing of buddhas, they engage in the pure seeing of self. And with that very purity, they engage in the pure seeing of all phenomena. The perceptions of the pure seeing of self and the pure seeing of phenomena are nondual.[F.183.a] They understand that seeing the śrāvakas of those blessed buddhas is nothing other than the pure seeing of buddhas. By seeing the śrāvakas, they see the buddhas, and by seeing the buddhas, they sees the śrāvakas. By seeing correctly, they see them as the same.
“They see those in the classes of beings that dwell in the limitlessly, boundlessly many world systems, whether hell beings, animals, hungry ghosts, asuras, gods, or humans, and except for those in the formless realm, they see all their deaths, births, good complexions, bad complexions, fortunate rebirths, unfortunate rebirths, misfortune, and fortune. And they know this to be the mere appearances of those beings. They know and comprehend that everything that appears as physical form is all the result of the maturation of karma. Although they see beings and know the maturation of karma, by taking as their measure the limit of nonself, they do not perceive beings as beings.
“That divine eye sees everything included in form, and because of the very lack of substantial entities, everything that appears as form is understood to be a mere appearance. Everything that appears as form is understood to be nonexistent because it is unborn in the past.33 But that unhindered divine eye does not accomplish anything. Since it possesses the power of wisdom, if one wishes, one can see objects as if they were nearby. If one wishes, one can also not see them. If one wishes, objects will not appear before the eyes even in the slightest. Even in the midst of many hundreds of thousands of beings, the bodhisattva dwells in the meditative concentrations, emancipations, absorptions, and attainments, and hence no beings appear in their field of vision.[F.183.b] That is so because bodhisattvas understand the reality34 of nonself.
“If they wish, bodhisattvas can reveal their bodies to gods in the form realm whose bodies are subtle, whose bodies are exquisite, whose bodies are luminous, and whose bodies are invisible. Those gods will see the bodhisattvas’ bodies, and the bodhisattvas will see their bodies. If they wish, the gods will see their bodies, but will not see their own bodies. If they wish, the gods will see their own bodies, but not the bodhisattvas’ bodies. Such is the divine eye they possess.
“Bodhisattvas possess the divine ear. Their faculty of the divine ear hears all the sounds in the limitlessly, boundlessly many world systems—the sounds of gods and the sounds of nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kinnaras, and mahoragas, and the sounds of humans and nonhumans. And though it hears all those sounds, it does not distinguish them as separate, but regards all sounds as unuttered. It regards them as inexpressible.
“Bodhisattvas do not engage with the perception that all of those sounds are self, or the perception that they are beings, or the perception that they are sounds. Rather, they realize that all sounds are inexpressible as sounds in the beginning or as sounds at the end, and they have the conviction that all phenomena are inexpressible. The element of consciousness of the auditory faculty is unhindered. Having heard those sounds, it understands what they mean. What do sounds mean? The meaning of all sound is a meaning that is inexpressible. It is a meaning that is unuttered. The meaning of all sound is a meaning at peace. That meaning is the reliance upon meaning. And all sounds, though heard, do not abide anywhere, since all phenomena are unarisen.
“With that ear, they hear all the Dharma taught by all the buddhas who live and dwell in the innumerable world systems in the ten directions, teaching the Dharma.[F.184.a] There is nothing that obscures or distorts their hearing. Rather, they hear all those Dharma teachings, and they retain them exactly as they heard them. And, having retained them, they never forget any part of them. How is it that they never forget anything? Because they do not fail to understand any word, they do not forget. Having heard those Dharma teachings—whether with defilements or without defilements, whether conditioned or unconditioned, whether worldly or transcendent, whether virtuous or nonvirtuous, whether blameworthy or blameless, whether belonging to the Śrāvaka Vehicle, belonging to the Pratyekabuddha Vehicle, or belonging to the Great Vehicle—they are engaged with the fact that all of those Dharma teachings have the savor of the nature of a single Dharma teaching, since they possess the single savor of the element of voidness.35
“And though bodhisattvas hear and explain the Dharma, they are without attachment to any object. Though they hear the Dharma, they do not dwell together with any phenomenal signs. Relying on the Dharma, they do not rely on non-Dharma. What is the Dharma? That which is called Dharma is freedom from attachment. That which is called Dharma is signlessness. That which is called Dharma is unconditioned. That which is called Dharma is limitless, incomparable, unchanging, unapprehended, unborn, and unarisen. That which is called Dharma is the sort of Dharma with respect to which there are no conceits, and that is without conceptual thought, without the elaborations of perception and mental activities, without acceptance, and without rejection.
“Bodhisattvas rely on the meaning and do not rely on the wording, but they do not rely on the meaning by rejecting the wording. They listen to the Dharma with a mind that alights on the meaning.[F.184.b] How is it that the mind alights on the meaning? Because of the meaning of emptiness, it does not fall into views. Because of the meaning of signlessness, it does not fall into phenomenal signs. Because of the meaning of wishlessness, it does not fall into wishes. That is how the mind alights on the meaning. Bodhisattvas do not apprehend the meaning in terms of those from whom they hear the Dharma or that through which they rely on the meaning, and they do not apprehend it even in terms of nonapprehending. They hear the Dharma from the blessed buddhas, and they rely on sūtras of definitive meaning, not on sūtras of interpretable meaning.
“What are sūtras of definitive meaning? All sūtras are of definitive meaning because they are36 inexpressible. Therefore, bodhisattvas rely on sūtras of definitive meaning. Those who do not rely on sūtras of definitive meaning do so on what is called the interpretable. Why are they called interpretable? Since they dwell in teachings that contradict the definitive meaning, they must be interpreted. By what means are they interpreted? They are interpreted by means of their language.
“Those who rely on sūtras of definitive meaning do not interpret them by means of language. Why is that? Because they realize that the ultimate is inexpressible, and because they understand all phenomena of the past, present, and future, without adding or omitting anything. Vikurvāṇarāja, regarding this aspect of the meaning, when one thus relies on this reality, then all sūtras will be of definitive meaning. When one does not so rely, then all sūtras will be of interpretable meaning.
“Moreover, Vikurvāṇarāja, when bodhisattvas hear the Dharma from the blessed buddhas, they rely on gnosis, not on consciousness. Why is that? Because they understand that consciousness is like an illusion, void, without a nature, without form, indemonstrable, unimpeded, and unknowable. To realize consciousness in that way is gnosis.[F.185.a] Although they rely on gnosis and do not chase after consciousness, they teach consciousness to others. Not grasping at phenomenal signs, and giving rise to the thought that in consciousness there is gnosis, they do not fixate on consciousness or gnosis. Fixating on the reality of consciousness, they do not articulate the reality of gnosis.
“Vikurvāṇarāja, bodhisattvas who rely on gnosis do not dwell together with consciousness. And they do not teach the Dharma to other beings as that which is not consciousness. Vikurvāṇarāja, this is the bodhisattvas’ magical display of superknowledge. The bodhisattva who obtains the divine ear will realize the element of gnosis.
“Vikurvāṇarāja, bodhisattvas learn the Dharma in connection with the language of persons and rely on the Dharma itself,37 not on the person. Why is that? Because, Vikurvāṇarāja, if there were a person in this well-spoken Dharma and Vinaya, no beings whatsoever would be utterly pure and liberated.
“Therefore, Vikurvāṇarāja, though all phenomena indeed are without a person, the Thus-Gone One taught persons as a convention of the world. Thus bodhisattvas rely on the Dharma, not on the person. Vikurvāṇarāja, Dharma is a designation for the dharmadhātu. Vikurvāṇarāja, dharmadhātu is a designation for the element of the birthless. Vikurvāṇarāja, birthless is a designation for nonorigination. Vikurvāṇarāja, nonorigination is a designation for the inexpressible. Why is that? Because whatever the phenomena expressed by whatever the words, those phenomena do not exist in those words, and that which is not existent is a designation, and therefore it is called designation.[F.185.b]
“All phenomena are wordless; they are not articulated in words. In that regard, there are no words spoken by me—the words spoken by me are wordless. There is no expression since expression is unarisen and nonexistent. Why is that? Whatever has the characteristic of expression is not the words of the Buddha, because it is the inexpressible that is the words of the Buddha. Thus it is called the words of the Buddha. Whoever engages with the words of the Buddha engages with the wordless. If one engages with words, one does not engage with the words of the Buddha.
“Vikurvāṇarāja, if one wishes to engage with the words of the Buddha, one should not view as words the words with which person and Dharma are taught. Why is that? Because whatever is dual is not the words of the Buddha. The words of the Buddha are nondual. Whatever possesses language is not the words of the Buddha. The words of the Buddha are without language. That which possesses expression is not the words of the Buddha. The words of the Buddha are without expression. Therefore, Vikurvāṇarāja, whatever bodhisattva has engaged with the words of the Buddha is said to have obtained superknowledge, and by means of the divine ear, they realize the awakening of the Buddha in harmony with the reality of all language. Thus, Vikurvāṇarāja, this divine ear is the second superknowledge of the bodhisattvas.
[The Noble Questions of Vikurvāṇarāja]
[B2]“Moreover, Vikurvāṇarāja, the bodhisattva obtains the superknowledge of the knowledge of others’ minds; they know the minds of other beings and other persons. In whichever assembly they go to teach the Dharma, they first examine the minds of those in the assembly, considering the kinds of thoughts, fetters,38 causes, and characteristics each being possesses. Having examined them, they teach them the Dharma accordingly.[F.186.a] Because their own minds are pure, they engage in purifying the minds of those in the assembly. Vikurvāṇarāja, here is an analogy. Whatever are the colors, features, and shape of a physical form that appears on the clean surface of a mirror, their reflection appears just as they are, without adding or omitting anything, because the surface of the mirror is clean. They appear on the surface of the mirror even without conceptual thought or intentions.
“Vikurvāṇarāja, in the same way, because the bodhisattva’s own mind, too, is pure and the sphere39 of the dharmadhātu is pure, they understand all the mental activities of beings just as they occur. The bodhisattva’s mind is unobscured, and the minds of others unobscured. In that regard, if those in the assembly experience attachment, they understand that mind. And they observe the mind that is free from attachment. Why is that? Because the nature of the mind is without attachment. If anyone in the assembly experiences hatred, they understand that mind. And they observe the mind that is free from hatred. Why is that? Because the nature of the mind does not hate. If anyone in the assembly experiences ignorance, they understand that mind. And they observe the mind that is free from ignorance. Why is that? Because the nature of the mind is not ignorant.
“If those in the assembly are inclined toward the vehicle of the śrāvakas, bodhisattvas understand their experience40 exactly as it is and do not regard the dharmadhātu as lesser.[F.186.b] If those in the assembly are inclined toward the vehicle of the pratyekabuddhas, they understand their experience exactly as it is and do not regard the dharmadhātu as middling. If those in the assembly are inclined toward the Great Vehicle, they understand their experience exactly as it is and do not regard the dharmadhātu as highest. And though they teach the Dharma by knowing the experience of the mental constitutions of all beings, they do not conceptualize the nature of the mind. They teach the Dharma by way of the determination of all vehicles, but they do not differentiate the dharmadhātu. Because the dharmadhātu is without differentiation, they understand the experience of all beings. They mentally observe minds, but they do not engage in any mental activity with respect to minds, nor do they act in any inharmonious way with them.41 They understand the mental elements of all beings, and they understand that that which is the dharmadhātu is that which is the mental element.42
“Thus, Vikurvāṇarāja, bodhisattvas obtain the superknowledge that knows others’ minds, and through that superknowledge they know directly43 the world together with its gods.
“Moreover, Vikurvāṇarāja, bodhisattvas obtain the superknowledge that makes manifest the knowledge of previous lives, and without articulating anything, by composing their mental faculties they remember previous lives. They teach the Dharma in relation to the previous lives of themselves and others, from as many eons ago as there are grains of sand in the Ganges River. They know, ‘In such and such a place I had this name, this family, with such and such a lifespan, and I experienced this or that happiness and suffering.’ They also know such things about the previous lives of other beings.
“They know what has arisen for beings as a result of previous roots of virtue. They know, ‘These beings possess the power of causes, these possess the power of conditions, the cause for these beings is the Śrāvaka Vehicle, the cause for these beings is the Pratyekabuddha Vehicle, and the cause for these beings is the Great Vehicle.’[F.187.a] Knowing the previous causes of beings, they teach them the Dharma accordingly. By making manifest previous lives, they obtain excellent connections with the past. They remember all the previous roots of virtue produced in the presence of buddhas that were not dedicated to awakening, and they dedicate them to unsurpassed, perfectly complete awakening. They remember previous lives, but they understand that all phenomena are without movement in the past. They see that there is no going from the past to the future. They see that there is no going from the future to the past. And they understand that all phenomena do not go or come from anywhere. When they remember the past, they do not observe the past. When they remember44 the future, they do not observe the future. They understand all phenomena to be without edges or center.
“They remember the previous lives of all beings, but they understand form to be void of the past. They understand feeling, perception, mental formations, and consciousness to be void of the past. They understand that all five aggregates are void of the past, void of the future, and void of the present. They understand that all phenomena have the nature of being empty of the past, the nature of being empty of the present, and the nature of being empty of the future.
“Vikurvāṇarāja, the bodhisattvas’ remembering past lives is not the decline of previous roots of virtue, but it is the exhaustion of previously performed acts. Why is that? Because they know that all phenomena are neither new nor old.[F.187.b] By virtue of such knowledge, they regard everything included in mental formations to be like a dream. Here is an analogy. In a dream, one dreams of being born or dying, of happiness or suffering. They regard all mental formations in the same way. Regarding them in that way, they are not wearied by saṃsāra, and they feel compassion for all beings. They perceive that all phenomena are contrived, thinking that though they have wandered in saṃsāra for thousands of eons, that was unreal and nonexistent. They think45 that the wandering of all beings, which cannot exist where the elements are since the elements do not exist,46 is similar—it is unreal and nonexistent.
“Vikurvāṇarāja, the bodhisattva remembers previous lives and sees that the elements and mental formations are impermanent. Why is that? They remember the pleasures of a universal monarch, and that they are impermanent and subject to change. They remember the pleasures of Śakra, and that they are impermanent and subject to change. They remember the pleasures of Brahmā, and that they are impermanent and subject to change.
“They remember experiencing and enjoying the array of good qualities of the fields of previous blessed buddhas, the array of good qualities of śrāvakas, and the array of good qualities of bodhisattvas, and they also remember the excellence of the physical bodies of those blessed buddhas and the excellence of their turning the wheel of Dharma. Their remembering thus is a perception that does not see any conditioned, substantial entities or any grasping.47 Why is that? They think, ‘The vast buddhafields and the physical bodies of the buddhas have perished because48 they have the nature of perishing, and hence what I have grasped49 is also impermanent.’[F.188.a] Therefore, they teach that what one grasps is impermanent and subject to change. They think, ‘Alas, beings perceive permanence when all formations are totally impermanent,’ and they generate great compassion for beings but do not see any substantial entities.
“Vikurvāṇarāja, this is the fourth of the bodhisattvas’ magical displays of superknowledge. Realizing that all substantial entities are impermanent, bodhisattvas intentionally take birth in the states of existence in order to bring beings to maturity. They take up grasping in order to eliminate grasping, appropriating without appropriating, for the sake of maturing beings.
“Vikurvāṇarāja, what is the bodhisattvas’ magical display of miraculous powers? Vikurvāṇarāja, the bodhisattva obtains the bases of miraculous power that effect the aspect of power over the mind through aspiration, diligence, attention, and discernment. They obtain miraculous power that is entirely without any performance. If they wish, in a single instant of thought they can journey through world systems as numerous as the grains of sand in the Ganges River, and they know that they have gone there, but without moving from here. And there they appear to teach the Dharma while continually speaking here.
“Vikurvāṇarāja, this is the bodhisattvas’ magical display of miraculous powers. With that magical display, they train beings who are to be trained by means of the display of miraculous powers, whether gods or humans. To those beings who perceive permanence, they manifest the conflagration at the end of the eon. They then see the trichiliocosm aflame, but the world system is not destroyed. To beings who are excessively proud, they manifest in the form of the yakṣa Vajrapāṇi.[F.188.b] Wielding his fearsomely blazing and flaming vajra, they terrify the excessively proud, who are humbled and prostrate to them. To those who are inspired by the appearance of a universal emperor, they teach the Dharma by assuming the appearance and physical form of a universal emperor. To those who are inspired by the appearance of Śakra, they teach by assuming the appearance and physical form of Śakra. To those who are inspired by the appearance of Māra, they teach by assuming the appearance and physical form of Māra. To those beings who are inspired by the appearance of Brahmā, they teach by assuming the appearance and physical form of Brahmā. To those who are inspired by the appearance of a śrāvaka or a pratyekabuddha, they teach by assuming their appearance and physical form. To those beings who are inspired by the appearance of a buddha, they teach by assuming the appearance and physical form of a buddha.
“To some beings they teach the Dharma seated in the cross-legged posture in the sky, emanating light rays.50 To those beings inspired by vastness, they teach the Dharma after having covered the entire trichiliocosm with a canopy, hung it with garlands of woven silk,51 ornamented it with parasols, banners, and pennants, arrayed it with fluttering nets of bells and variegated flowers, enveloped it with incense, and caused it to resound with the sounds of many hundreds of thousands of cymbals. For some beings they transform the entire trichiliocosm into a single ocean covered with blue water lilies, white water lilies, and white lotuses. Emanating a lion throne in the middle of the ocean, they seat themselves atop it and teach the Dharma.
“For some beings, they teach the Dharma by manifesting themselves seated on the peak of Sumeru, speaking in the voice of Brahmā. For some beings, they teach the Dharma while remaining invisible, proclaiming it in a pleasing tone. For some beings, they teach the Dharma in the form of a gandharva,[F.189.a] with the joyous accompaniment of song and music. For some beings, they teach the Dharma accompanied by a circle of nāgas, manifesting clouds, thunder, lightning, and rainfall. They teach the Dharma for some who are afflicted by hunger and thirst, having gratified them with divine food and drink. They teach the Dharma to those beings in the hells who are utterly tormented by suffering, having extinguished the fire of the hells with the strength of their miraculous power, filling their pores with radiance and gladdening them.
“They teach the Dharma to beings who are blind, having granted them sight and restored their vision with the strength of their miraculous power. They teach the Dharma to beings who lack ears or are deaf, having restored their hearing with the strength of their miraculous power. They teach the Dharma to beings who are tormented by various illnesses, having cured their illnesses and restored them to health. They teach the Dharma to beings who are being dragged off to their executions and about to lose their lives, having emanated others who look just like them with the strength of their miraculous power, freeing them and saving their lives. They teach the Dharma to beings with damaged limbs or digits and lacking their faculties—who are ugly, lack confidence, and are discouraged about their bodies—having restored all of their limbs and digits with the strength of their miraculous power, so that they have excellent physical bodies. They train beings in the womb who are dull and live in impurity with the strength of their miraculous power, teaching the Dharma to them after gladdening them by transforming the womb into a jeweled mansion. They teach the Dharma to children who have been born and whose faculties are not yet fully developed, proclaiming it verbally with the strength of their miraculous power.[F.189.b]
“Vikurvāṇarāja, bodhisattvas who possess such miraculous power teach the Dharma by means of other inconceivable displays.52 To tame beings inspired by the sun and moon, with the strength of their miraculous power they shine like the sun and moon in the solar and lunar celestial palaces, placing the disks of the sun and moon and the trichiliocosm in the palms of their hands and proceeding through the limitlessly many world systems. They appear to go, without moving at all from their place.
“If they wish, after inserting within a single tuft of hair53 as many buddhafields as there are grains of sand in the Ganges River, while seated in the Brahmā realm they fling them to limitlessly many world systems without harming a single being. Then they return them to where they were before, without the beings knowing that they were taken away or brought back. With a single breath they can blow out as many eon-ending conflagrations as there are grains of sand in the Ganges River. Seated only in the cross-legged posture, they can go to buddhafields as numerous as the grains of sand in the Ganges River. Covering the sun and moon with their hands, they teach the Dharma having lowered those buddhafields.
“Vikurvāṇarāja, if, when a bodhisattva is seated in the presence of a thus-gone one, they so wish, they can worship the thus-gone one by strewing flowers over the thus-gone one’s body from flower baskets like Sumeru, and as soon as they have strewn them from the flower baskets, they appear within the body of the thus-gone one. They can transform all the wood and grass in the trichiliocosm into votive lamps and water offerings in order to worship the thus-gone one.[F.190.a] They can light votive lamps and cause a shower of lamps and water offerings to appear to rain down. They can display their own bodies before all beings, displaying themselves in whatever ways are inspiring—displaying themselves as Śakra, displaying themselves as Brahmā, displaying themselves as a śrāvaka, displaying themselves as a pratyekabuddha, or displaying themselves as a buddha.
“Vikurvāṇarāja, that is the bodhisattvas’ magical display of superknowledge—the divine eye that is unhindered in seeing forms, the divine ear that is unhindered in hearing sounds, knowledge that is unhindered in knowing the mental activities of all beings, and remembering countless eons and revealing everything about lives over countless eons, without hindrance and without obscuration, doing so without acceptance and without rejection—this is what is called the magical display of superknowledge.
“Vikurvāṇarāja, superknowledge for the sake of revealing all buddhas, superknowledge that knows all inferior beings, superknowledge that knows those tamed through the Śrāvaka Vehicle, superknowledge that knows those tamed through the Pratyekabuddha Vehicle, superknowledge that knows those tamed through the Great Vehicle, superknowledge that knows deaths and rebirths, superknowledge that knows the maturation of beings, superknowledge that is the knowledge and practice of renunciation,54 superknowledge that is skill in means, superknowledge of the dedication of generosity, and superknowledge of the dedication of moral conduct, patience, diligence, meditative concentration, and wisdom, the defeat of māras, and applying oneself to roots of virtue—all of those are what is called superknowledge.[F.190.b]
“Moreover, Vikurvāṇarāja, bodhisattvas who have obtained the superknowledges will be directly known55 by means of their physical form, appearance, radiance, charm,56 fame, strength, family, clan, wealth, and entourage. Hence it is called superknowledge. Moreover, Vikurvāṇarāja, bodhisattvas who have obtained superknowledge will be directly known by gods, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kinnaras, mahoragas, humans, and nonhumans; by Śakra, Brahmā, and the Guardians of the World; and by the thus-gone ones, the arhats, the unsurpassed and perfectly complete buddhas. Hence it is called superknowledge. Vikurvāṇarāja, that is what is called superknowledge. By means of that superknowledge, bodhisattvas do not forsake their prior vows and they demonstrate everything that is to be done.
“Vikurvāṇarāja, what are the magical displays of knowing? They are knowing the aggregates, knowing the elements, knowing the sense bases, knowing dependent origination, and knowing the truths.
“Vikurvāṇarāja, what is knowing the aggregates? Form is empty—the past of form is empty, the future of form is empty, and the present57 of form is empty. Similarly, Vikurvāṇarāja, with feeling, perception, mental formations, or consciousness—it is empty—the past of consciousness is empty, the future of consciousness is empty, and the present of consciousness is empty.58 Knowing that the five aggregates of appropriation are empty, utterly empty, is what is called knowing the aggregates.[F.191.a]
“Vikurvāṇarāja, what is knowing the elements? The earth element is the dharmadhātu, the water element is the dharmadhātu, the fire element is the dharmadhātu, and the wind element is the dharmadhātu. Why is that? Because all four elements are a single element as the dharmadhātu. It is like this: With the space element, the space element and the dharmadhātu are not elements, because they are not the earth element, not the water element, not the fire element, and not the wind element. Why is that? Because the immovable element is the dharmadhātu, the nondual element is the dharmadhātu, the birthless element is the dharmadhātu, the undefiled element is the dharmadhātu, and the utterly pure element is the dharmadhātu. Just like the dharmadhātu, so too is the element of self; so too the element of beings; so too the element of life force; so too the element of persons; so too the element of saṃsāra; and so too is the element of nirvāṇa. And just like the element of nirvāṇa, so too is the desire realm that element,59 the form realm that element, the formless realm that element, the conditioned element that element, and the unconditioned element that element. Therefore, it is called the element of nirvāṇa. In that way, Vikurvāṇarāja, that which is the independent knowing of the realms60 of form is what is called the elements.
“Vikurvāṇarāja, what is knowing the sense bases? The eye has not arisen or originated from any nature,61 and it has no creator whatsoever. Similarly, Vikurvāṇarāja, the ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind have not arisen or originated from any nature, and they have no creator whatsoever.[F.191.b] Vikurvāṇarāja, the eye is without an owner and has no viewer whatsoever. The ear is without an owner and has no listener whatsoever. The nose is without an owner and has no smeller62 whatsoever. The tongue is without an owner and has no taster whatsoever. The body is without an owner and has no experiencer of touch whatsoever. The mind is without an owner has no knower whatsoever.
“Vikurvāṇarāja, the nature of the eye is that it does not see forms.63 The nature of the ear is that it does not hear sounds. The nature of the nose is that it does not smell scents. The nature of the tongue is that it does not taste flavors. The nature of the body is that it does not feel tactile objects. The nature of the mind is that it does not know mental phenomena. Why is that? Because the eye is without an agent. It is like grass, a tree, an enclosure,64 or gravel, and similarly the ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind are without agents. They are like grass, a tree, an enclosure, or gravel.
“Vikurvāṇarāja, the eye is not attachment, nor is it the lack of attachment. Why is that? Because the eye by nature is without attachment. Vikurvāṇarāja, the ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind are not attachment, nor are they the lack of attachment. Why is that? Because mind by nature is without attachment.65 Vikurvāṇarāja, understanding that about all of the sense bases while being without attachment is what is called knowing the sense bases.
“Having known that about the aggregates, the elements, and the sense bases—that although they are without arising, without origination, and utterly at peace, still they arise and are originated—[F.192.a] they take up the aggregates, the elements, and the sense bases; they do not reject the aggregates, the elements, or the sense bases. That is the bodhisattvas’ magical display of knowing. They understand what the characteristics of the aggregates, the elements, and the sense bases are, and that which is their nature. They do not reject them, and although they appear in the three realms, they do not dwell together with the defilements, revealing birth and origination but without being born and without passing away. That is the bodhisattvas’ magical display of knowing.
“What is the knowing of dependent origination? Although ignorance is indeed the condition for mental formations, ignorance does not think, ‘I produce the formations.’ Although formations are indeed the condition for consciousness, formations do not think, ‘We produce consciousness.’ Although consciousness is indeed the condition for name and form, consciousness does not think, ‘I produce name and form.’ Although name and form are indeed the condition for the six sense bases, name and form do not think, ‘We produce the six sense bases.’ Although the six sense bases are indeed the condition for contact, the six sense bases do not think, ‘We produce contact.’ Although contact is indeed the condition for feeling, contact does not think, ‘I produce feeling.’ Although feeling is indeed the condition for craving, feeling does not think, ‘I produce craving.’ Although craving is indeed the condition for grasping, craving does not think, ‘I produce grasping.’ Although grasping is indeed the condition for existence, grasping does not think, ‘I produce existence.’ Although existence is indeed the condition for birth, existence does not think, ‘I produce birth.’ Although birth is indeed the condition for aging and death, birth does not think, ‘I produce aging and death.’[F.192.b]
“Vikurvāṇarāja, when bodhisattvas thus discern dependent origination, they do not dwell either in views of annihilation or in views of permanence. They think, ‘All these phenomena depend upon causes and conditions.’ They search for those causes and conditions, and having searched for them, they do not find them. Then they engage in equality with dependent origination. What kind of knowing do they engage with? That dependent origination is equal to birthlessness; that dependent origination is equal to that which emptiness is equal to; that dependent origination is equal to that which signlessness is equal to; and that dependent origination is equal to that which wishlessness is equal to. That very equality by which the thus-gone ones fully awaken to all phenomena is equal to dependent origination. The equality of dependent origination is without the birth of a self, without the birth of a being, without the birth of a life force, and without the birth of a person. No phenomena whatsoever are born. Therefore it is called dependent origination.
“Dependent origination should be seen as without origination. That which is the knowledge of the lack of origination is indeed the knowledge of dependent origination, but ignorance and knowledge are nondual and cannot be separated. Knowing that is called knowing dependent origination. Formations and nonformations are nondual and cannot be separated. Knowing that is called knowing dependent origination. Consciousness and nonconsciousness are nondual and cannot be separated. Knowing that is called knowing dependent origination. Name and form and the lack of name and form are nondual and cannot be separated. Knowing that is called knowing dependent origination.[F.193.a] The six sense bases and the lack of the six sense bases are nondual and cannot be separated. Knowing that is called knowing dependent origination. Contact and the lack of contact are nondual and cannot be separated. Knowing that is called knowing dependent origination. Feeling and the lack of feeling are nondual and cannot be separated. Knowing that is called knowing dependent origination. Craving and the lack of craving are nondual and cannot be separated. Knowing that is called knowing dependent origination. Grasping and the lack of grasping are nondual and cannot be separated. Knowing that is called knowing dependent origination. Existence and the nonconnection between births are nondual and cannot be separated. Knowing that is called knowing dependent origination. Birth and the lack of birth are nondual and cannot be separated. Knowing that is called knowing dependent origination. Aging and death and dreams66 are nondual and cannot be separated. Knowing this is called knowing dependent origination.
“That which is dependent does not abide; that which is dependent is without a core; that which is dependent is impermanent; that which is dependent is empty; that which is dependent is without coming or going; that which is dependent is unoriginated; that which is dependent is without holding on to anything; and that which is dependent is without engagement. Knowing that is called knowing dependent origination.
“Whoever sees dependent origination does not see ignorance; they do not see formations; they do not see consciousness; they do not see name and form;[F.193.b] they do not see the six sense bases; they do not see contact; they do not see feeling; they do not see craving; they do not see grasping; they do not see existence; they do not see birth; and they do not see aging and death. Whoever correctly sees phenomena in that way sees dependent origination. Whoever sees dependent origination sees the Dharma.
“What Dharma do they see? They see the Dharma that is freedom from attachment. Why is it said to be free from attachment? Because through it there is freedom from views of attachment toward all phenomena, hence it is said that they see the Dharma that is freedom from attachment. They see in that way without adding anything or taking anything away. They see in that way without any wavering from reality and without any attachment. They see in that way without engaging in any differentiation of the dharmadhātu. They see in that way the certainty of the very limit of reality.67 They see in that way by seeing in the way in which seeing is nonseeing. They see in that way without seeing by means of the physical eye, or by means of the divine eye, or by means of the eye of wisdom. Why is that so? Because the physical eye is without activity, and since it is without activity it does not see. The divine eye is conditioned, so it does not easily see the unconditioned. The eye of wisdom is nonconceptual, and because it is nonconceptual it does not see.
For an example of the four reliances as taught in other sūtras, see The Teaching of Akṣayamati (Toh 175).
This renders the Tibetan srid pa’i ’gro ba thams cad du skye ba la mi gnas pa’i tshul khrims.
This renders the Tibetan spyod lam ma brtags pa’i tshul khrims. The translation is tentative.
In this stock formula of the epithets of a buddha, there are times when the Tibetan treats “unsurpassed” (bla na med pa) as its own epithet, since it is followed by a shad, a punctuation mark that indicates the end of a phrase or clause. Other times, the Tibetan follows the Indic sources more literally and treats “unsurpassed” as a qualifier of “a teacher of gods and humans” (i.e., “an unsurpassed teacher of gods and humans”).
This renders the Tibetan byin gyis brlabs, which has also been rendered “transformative power.”
Here, “does not grasp” renders the Tibetan so sor mi ’dzin pa, while the following instance renders the Tibetan yongs su mi ’dzin pa.
This renders the Tibetan gang ’dus byas dang ’dus ma byas la rnam par shes pa mi gnas pa ni kho bo’i ston pa’o.
This renders the Tibetan gang gzhan las ma mnyan par blang ba med pa’i chu bo mi gnas pa rgal ba de ni kho bo’i ston pa’o. The translation is tentative.
Although it is not explicitly indicated here, presumably we are meant to understand that the list has been abbreviated rather than that items have been omitted.
This renders the Tibetan gzugs su snang ba de dag thams cad kyang sngon gyi mtha’ skye ba med pa’i phyir yang dag pa ma yin par rab tu shes la. Alternatively, this could be rendered, “Everything that appears as form is understood to be nonexistent because the past is unborn.”
The word rendered “surface” (dkyil ’khor) is here rendered “sphere,” so there is wordplay that is lost in translation.
Here, “experience” renders the Tibetan spyod pa, which might also be rendered “conduct” or “behavior.”
This sentence renders the Tibetan de sems kyis sems la rnam par lta la/ sems kyis sems la spyod par yang mi byed cing mi ’thun par yang mi byed do.
“Mental element” renders the Tibetan sems kyi dbyings, with dbyings being the Tibetan translation of the Sanskrit dhātu, so there is wordplay here, lost in translation, between “mental element” (sems kyi dbyings) and “dharmadhātu” (chos kyi dbyings).
“Directly know” renders the Tibetan mngon par shes, with mngon par shes pa the Tibetan word rendered “superknowledge,” so here, too, there is wordplay that is lost in translation.
This might be better understood to mean “bring to mind,” but it is the same word that is rendered “remember” throughout.
This follows the reading in S (sems), while D inexplicably negates the verb (mi sems). The Comparative Edition reports no variants here.
This clause renders the Tibetan ’byung ba chen po rnams ni med pas gang na ’byung ba chen po rnams mi srid pa. The translation is tentative.
Here both D and S read ’od rnams las ’od zer phyung. This follows the reading in J and C: ’od zer phyung.
This follows the reading in Y and S: cho ’phrul bsam gyis mi khyab pa gzhan dag gis. D: cho ’phrul bsam gyis mi khyab pa dang ldan pa gzhan dag gis.
This renders the Tibetan mngon par ’byung ba yang dag par shes pa spyod pa dag mngon par shes pa gang yin pa.
“Directly known” renders the Tibetan mngon par shes par ’gyur. The same wordplay—between “superknowledge” (mngon par shes pa) and “directly know/n” (mngon par shes/par ’gyur)—occurs throughout this passage and is lost in translation.
Although it is not explicitly indicated here, presumably we are meant to understand that the list has been abbreviated rather than that items have been omitted.
“Nature” renders the Tibetan rang bzhin, almost certainly based on the underlying Sanskrit prakṛti, and likely referring in particular to an ultimately existent primal substance posited by certain non-Buddhist systems of thought such as the Sāṃkhya.
This renders the Tibetan mig gi rang bzhin gzugs mi mthong. This is the same pattern with the remaining sense faculties, in which “is” is read by implication. Alternatively, this would be “the nature of the eye does not see forms,” and so forth, which is less clear.
This renders the Tibetan rtsig pa. See the entry for this word in the Indo-Tibetan Lexical Resource (ITLR).
Although it is not explicitly indicated here, presumably we are meant to understand that the list has been abbreviated rather than that items have been omitted.
Why “dreams” should be here is a mystery, but the Tibetan clearly reads rga shi dang rmi lam.
This follows the reading in Y, K, N, H, and S: ni; D: mi. The reading in Degé is “inexhaustible,” which is clearly a mistake in light of what follows.
Although it is not explicitly indicated here, presumably we are meant to understand that the list has been abbreviated rather than that items have been omitted.
This renders the Tibetan gang yang sems skyed pa thams cad la ’gog pa mngon du byed kyang yongs su mya ngan las mi ’da’ zhing mi skye ba dang dmigs su med pa’i phyir. The translation is tentative.
This renders the Tibetan bden pa shes pa zhes bya ba ni gang yang dag par ma yin pa med pa sdug bsngal yongs su shes pa’o. Note that we have read yang dag par ma yin pa and med pa as in apposition rather than as a double negative.
This renders the Tibetan sred pa bag la nyal gang gis srid pa byung ba’i sred pa bag la nyal de spangs pa zhes bya’o.
This follows the reading in S. D and the Kangyurs reported in the Comparative Edition do not have a case particle indicating whether these are taught “to” or “by” the followers of the Śrāvaka and Pratyekabuddha Vehicles.
This renders the Tibetan de la gnas par shes pa yang ma yin pa. This translation is tentative.
This follows the reading in S (ma ’ongs pa la shes pa dang/ mthong ba thogs pa med la), which replicates the pattern of the previous line about the past, as we would expect. D and all of the Kangyurs reported by the Comparative Edition appear to be corrupt here, as they read ma ’ongs pa la shes pa dang mthong ba med pa la, which would mean that there is no knowing and seeing the future.
This refers to the extinction of the defilements. This follows the reading in S: zad pa shes pa’ang shes la. D and all the Kangyurs reported in the Comparative Edition read zag pa yang shes la (“knowing the defilements,” specifically those whose extinction is known), but zad pa pairs with what follows (yongs su mi zad pa). Therefore, we have opted to read zad pa for zag pa, but not the repetition of shes pa and shes in S.
Note that here “parinirvāṇa” renders the Tibetan shin tu yongs su mya ngan las ’das pa, rather than the usual yongs su mya ngan las ’das pa (as in the following instance). The Tibetan shin tu is an intensifier.
Here, “conceptions” renders the Tibetan ’du shes. It could also be rendered “perceptions,” as it typically is in the case of the third of the five aggregates.
This follows the reading in Y and S: sbyangs pa smra ba; D: sbyin gnas smra ba (“I proclaim [myself] worthy of offerings”).
This follows the reading in S (dmigs pa). D and the Kangyurs reported in the Comparative Edition inexplicably read dmigs pa med pa (“nonapprehending”).
Here, “grasping” renders the Tibetan ’dzin pa, another bit of wordplay. Although less obvious in English, note the subtle play between the images of “grasping” (i.e., holding on to something), “taking up,” and “upholding.”
This follows the reading in S (yongs su mi ’dzin pa). D and the Kangyurs reported in the Comparative Edition inexplicably read yongs su ’dzin pa, without the negation.
Here and in the following item, “designations” renders the Tibetan tshig bla dags, with “abbreviations” rendering mdor bsdus pa’i tshig bla dags and “elaborate expressions” rendering spros pa’i tshig bla dags. “Masculine, feminine, and neuter” likely refers to the three grammatical genders in Sanskrit.
This renders the Tibetan gang gdags pa’i tshig thams cad chos rtogs par ro. This translation is tentative.
These are the twelve categories of scripture (Sanskrit dvādaśakadharmapravacana, Tibetan gsung rab kyi yan lag bcu gnyis).
In a general sense, samādhi can describe a number of different meditative states. In the Mahāyāna literature, in particular in the Prajñāpāramitā sūtras, we find extensive lists of different samādhis, numbering over one hundred.
In a more restricted sense, and when understood as a mental state, samādhi is defined as the one-pointedness of the mind (cittaikāgratā), the ability to remain on the same object over long periods of time. The Drajor Bamponyipa (sgra sbyor bam po gnyis pa) commentary on the Mahāvyutpatti explains the term samādhi as referring to the instrument through which mind and mental states “get collected,” i.e., it is by the force of samādhi that the continuum of mind and mental states becomes collected on a single point of reference without getting distracted.
The bodhisattvas’ realization that all phenomena are unproduced and empty. It sustains them on the difficult path of benefiting all beings so that they do not succumb to the goal of personal liberation. Different sources link this realization to the first or eighth bodhisattva level (bhūmi).
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.
This was an important early site for the Buddha’s growing community. Anāthapiṇḍada, a wealthy patron of the Buddha, purchased the park, located outside Śrāvastī, at great cost, purportedly covering the ground with gold, and donated it to the saṅgha. It was there that the Buddha spent several rainy seasons and gave discourses that were later recorded as sūtras. It was also the site for one of the first Buddhist monasteries. (Provisional 84000 definition. New definition forthcoming.)
An optional set of practices that monastics can adopt in order to cultivate greater detachment. The list of practices varies in different sources. When thirteen practices are listed, they consist of (1) wearing patched robes made from discarded cloth rather than from cloth donated by laypeople; (2) wearing only three robes; (3) going for alms; (4) not omitting any house while on the alms round, rather than begging only at those houses known to provide good food; (5) eating only what can be eaten in one sitting; (6) eating only food received in the alms bowl, rather than more elaborate meals presented to the saṅgha; (7) refusing more food after indicating one has eaten enough; (8) dwelling in the forest; (9) dwelling at the root of a tree; (10) dwelling in the open air, using only a tent made from one’s robes as shelter; (11) dwelling in a charnel ground; (12) having satisfaction with whatever dwelling one has; and (13) sleeping in a sitting position without ever lying down.
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).
The Sanskrit literally means “attainment,” and is used to refer specifically to meditative attainment and to particular meditative states. The Tibetan translators interpreted it as sama-āpatti, which suggests the idea of “equal” or “level”; however, they also parsed it as sam-āpatti, in which case it would have the sense of “concentration” or “absorption,” much like samādhi, but with the added sense of “attainment.”
One of the “eight close sons of the Buddha,” he is also known as the bodhisattva who embodies compassion. In certain tantras, he is also the lord of the three families, where he embodies the compassion of the buddhas. In Tibet, he attained great significance as a special protector of Tibet, and in China, in female form, as Guanyin, the most important bodhisattva in all of East Asia.
The four supports for supernormal abilities: determination, discernment, diligence, and samādhi.
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”).
A high-ranking deity presiding over a divine world; he is also considered to be the lord of the Sahā world (our universe). Though not considered a creator god in Buddhism, Brahmā occupies an important place as one of two gods (the other being Indra/Śakra) said to have first exhorted the Buddha Śākyamuni to teach the Dharma. The particular heavens found in the form realm over which Brahmā rules are often some of the most sought-after realms of higher rebirth in Buddhist literature. Since there are many universes or world systems, there are also multiple Brahmās presiding over them. His most frequent epithets are “Lord of the Sahā World” (sahāṃpati) and Great Brahmā (mahābrahman).
A collective name for the first three heavens of the form realm, which correspond to the first concentration (dhyāna): Brahmakāyika, Brahmapurohita, and Mahābrahmā (also called Brahmapārṣadya). These are ruled over by the god Brahmā. According to some sources, it can also be a general reference to all the heavens in the form realm and formless realm. (Provisional 84000 definition. New definition forthcoming.)
The class of deities.
Manu being the archetypal human, the progenitor of humankind, in the Mahābhārata, the Purāṇas, and other Indian texts, “child of Manu” (mānava) or “born of Manu” (manuja) is a synonym of “human being” or humanity in general.
A great “thousandfold universe,” consisting of a thousand worlds each with its own own Mount Meru, four continents, sun, moon, and god realms.
A list of four actions that refers to the act of eliminating unwholesome states that have arisen and making sure they do not arise, as well as causing wholesome states to arise and developing them once they have arisen.
The principle of dependent origination asserts that nothing exists independently of other factors, the reason for this being that things and events come into existence only in dependence on the aggregation of causes and conditions. In general, the processes of cyclic existence, through which the external world and the beings within it revolve in a continuous cycle of suffering, propelled by the propensities of past actions and their interaction with afflicted mental states, originate depending on the sequential unfolding of twelve links, commencing from ignorance and ending with birth, aging, and death. It is only through deliberate reversal of these twelve links that one can succeed in bringing the cycle to an end.
Manu being the archetypal human, the progenitor of humankind, in the Mahābhārata, the Purāṇas, and other Indian texts, “child of Manu” (mānava) or “born of Manu” (manuja) is a synonym of “human being” or humanity in general.
A buddha in the past, prior to Dīpaṃkara, from whom the Buddha Śākyamuni in a previous life first heard the present discourse.
The bodhisattva who, in this discourse, is said by the Buddha to have been the māra Vikrama in one of his previous lives. The Buddha narrates a dialogue from that life between the māra Vikrama and the bodhisattva Vajranābhi, a former life of the bodhisattva Vikurvāṇarāja.
A past buddha and the buddha before whom the Buddha Śākyamuni in a previous life made the bodhisattva vow.
Here “discipline” is meant in the sense that discipline is that which “accomplishes vows,” the literal meaning of the Sanskrit
Eighteen special features of a buddha’s behavior, realization, activity, and wisdom that are not shared by other beings. They are generally listed as: (1) he never makes a mistake, (2) he is never boisterous, (3) he never forgets, (4) his concentration never falters, (5) he has no notion of distinctness, (6) his equanimity is not due to lack of consideration, (7) his motivation never falters, (8) his endeavor never fails, (9) his mindfulness never falters, (10) he never abandons his concentration, (11) his insight (prajñā) never decreases, (12) his liberation never fails, (13) all his physical actions are preceded and followed by wisdom (jñāna), (14) all his verbal actions are preceded and followed by wisdom, (15) all his mental actions are preceded and followed by wisdom, (16) his wisdom and vision perceive the past without attachment or hindrance, (17) his wisdom and vision perceive the future without attachment or hindrance, and (18) his wisdom and vision perceive the present without attachment or hindrance.
In the context of Buddhist philosophy, one way to describe experience in terms of eighteen elements (eye, form, and eye consciousness; ear, sound, and ear consciousness; nose, smell, and nose consciousness; tongue, taste, and tongue consciousness; body, touch, and body consciousness; and mind, mental phenomena, and mind consciousness).
This also refers to the elements of the world, which can be enumerated as four, five, or six. The four elements are earth, water, fire, and air. A fifth, space, is often added, and the sixth is consciousness.
A category of advanced meditative attainment such as those of the “eight emancipations.”
The five aggregates (
The application of mindfulness to the body, the application of mindfulness to feeling, the application of mindfulness to mind, and the application of mindfulness to dharmas.
The correct discernments of meaning, the Dharma, lexical explanations, and eloquence.
The four types of fearlessness possessed by buddhas: They have full confidence that (1) they are fully awakened, (2) they have removed all defilements, (3) they have taught about the obstacles to liberation, and (4) they have shown the path to liberation.
The deities ruled over by Māra are also symbolic of the defects within a person that prevent awakening. These four personifications are (1)
A traditional list of four qualities by means of which buddhas and bodhisattvas build a group followers: giving gifts (
A class of generally benevolent nonhuman beings who inhabit the skies, sometimes said to inhabit fantastic cities in the clouds, and more specifically to dwell on the eastern slopes of Mount Meru, where they are ruled by the Great King Dhṛtarāṣṭra. They are most renowned as celestial musicians who serve the gods. In the Abhidharma, the term is also used to refer to the mental body assumed by sentient beings during the intermediate state between death and rebirth. Gandharvas are said to live on fragrances (gandha) in the desire realm, hence the Tibetan translation dri za, meaning “scent eater.”
The Gaṅgā, or Ganges in English, is considered to be the most sacred river of India, particularly within the Hindu tradition. It starts in the Himalayas, flows through the northern plains of India, bathing the holy city of Vārāṇasī, and meets the sea at the Bay of Bengal, in Bangladesh. In the sūtras, however, this river is mostly mentioned not for its sacredness but for its abundant sands—noticeable still today on its many sandy banks and at its delta—which serve as a common metaphor for infinitely large numbers.
According to Buddhist cosmology, as explained in the Abhidharmakośa, it is one of the four rivers that flow from Lake Anavatapta and cross the southern continent of Jambudvīpa—the known human world or more specifically the Indian subcontinent.
In Indian mythology, the garuḍa is an eagle-like bird that is regarded as the king of all birds, normally depicted with a sharp, owl-like beak, often holding a snake, and with large and powerful wings. They are traditionally enemies of the nāgas. In the Vedas, they are said to have brought nectar from the heavens to earth. Garuḍa can also be used as a proper name for a king of such creatures.
One of the bodhisattvas present in the assembly in which the Buddha gives the present discourse.
A complete cosmogonic cycle that includes four intermediate eons: the eon of formation (
Also known as the four great kings (
One of the five or six classes of sentient beings, into which beings are born as the karmic fruition of past miserliness. As the term in Sanskrit means “the departed,” they are analogous to the ancestral spirits of Vedic tradition, the pitṛs, who starve without the offerings of descendants. It is also commonly translated as “hungry ghost” or “starving spirit,” as in the Chinese 餓鬼 e gui.
They are sometimes said to reside in the realm of Yama, but are also frequently described as roaming charnel grounds and other inhospitable or frightening places along with piśācas and other such beings. They are particularly known to suffer from great hunger and thirst and the inability to acquire sustenance. Detailed descriptions of their realm and experience, including a list of the thirty-six classes of pretas, can be found in The Application of Mindfulness of the Sacred Dharma, Toh 287, 2.1281– 2.1482.
The four meditations on love (maitrī), compassion (karuṇā), joy (muditā), and equanimity (upekṣā), as well as the states of mind and qualities of being that result from their cultivation. They are also called the four abodes of Brahmā (caturbrahmavihāra).
In the Abhidharmakośa, Vasubandhu explains that they are called apramāṇa—meaning “infinite” or “limitless”—because they take limitless sentient beings as their object, and they generate limitless merit and results. Love is described as the wish that beings be happy, and it acts as an antidote to malice (vyāpāda). Compassion is described as the wish for beings to be free of suffering, and acts as an antidote to harmfulness (vihiṃsā). Joy refers to rejoicing in the happiness beings already have, and it acts as an antidote to dislike or aversion (arati) toward others’ success. Equanimity is considering all beings impartially, without distinctions, and it is the antidote to attachment to both pleasure and malice (kāmarāgavyāpāda).
A park in Śrāvastī, the capital of the ancient kingdom of Kośala in northern India. It was owned by Prince Jeta, and the wealthy merchant Anāthapiṇḍada, wishing to offer it to the Buddha, bought it from him by covering the entire property with gold coins. It was to become the place where the monks could be housed during the monsoon season, thus creating the first Buddhist monastery. It is therefore the setting for many of the Buddha's discourses.
A frequent simile for softness, thought to refer either (1) to the down of the kācilindika or kācalindika bird (see Lamotte 1975, p. 261, n. 321), or (2) to a tropical tree bearing silken pods, similar to kapok, from which garments were made, and identified (Monier-Williams p. 266) with Abrus precatorius.
Drolungpa Lodro Jungné (gro lung pa blo gros ʼbyung gnas).
C Choné (co ne)
D Degé (sde dge bka’ ’gyur)
H Lhasa (lha sa / zhol)
J Lithang (li thang)
K Kanxi (khang shi)
N Narthang (snar thang)
S Stok Palace (stog pho ’brang)
U Urga (phyi sog khu re)
Y Yongle (g.yung lo)
