The Acceptance That Tames Beings with the Sky-Colored Method of Perfect Conduct
Chapter 7
Toh 263
Degé Kangyur, vol. 67 (mdo sde, ’a), folios 90.a–209.b
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Table of Contents
Summary
In The Acceptance That Tames Beings with the Sky-Colored Method of Perfect Conduct, the Buddha Śākyamuni and several bodhisattvas deliver a series of teachings focusing on the relationship between the understanding of emptiness and the conduct of a bodhisattva, especially the perfection of acceptance or patience. The text describes the implications of the view that all inner and outer formations—that is, all phenomena made up of the five aggregates—are empty. It also provides detailed descriptions of the ascetic practices of non-Buddhists and insists on the importance for bodhisattvas of being reborn in buddha realms inundated with the five impurities for the sake of the beings living there, and of practicing in such realms to fulfill the highest goals of the bodhisattva path.
Acknowledgements
This text was translated by the Dharmachakra Translation Committee under the guidance of Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche. Benjamin Collet-Cassart translated the text from Tibetan into English and wrote the introduction. Adam Krug compared the draft translation with the Tibetan and edited the text.
The translation was completed under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha. David Fiordalis and others in the editorial team provided further editorial support, and Ven. Konchog Norbu copyedited the text. Martina Cotter was in charge of the digital publication process.
The translation of this text has been made possible through the generous sponsorship of Wang Jing and family, Chen Yiqiong and family, and Gu Yun and family.
Text Body
The Acceptance That Tames Beings with the Sky-Colored Method of Perfect Conduct
Chapter 7
At that moment, the thus-gone one, the worthy, perfect, and completely awakened Buddha Śākyamuni, interrupted his absorption of the twenty meteors, [F.166.a] adopted the form of a thus-gone one, and taught the Dharma to the beings. All the assemblies of gods, gandharvas, and humans also recovered their previous physical appearances. The Blessed One then entered the absorption known as the circle of saṃsāra, and as soon as he entered the circle of saṃsāra absorption, multicolored light rays radiated from the coil of hair between his eyebrows. The light rays illuminated the followers of the vehicle of the solitary buddhas in the buddha realms of the ten directions, numerous as all the grains of sand in the Ganges and inundated with the five impurities. As the bodies of those beings were touched by those light rays, they abandoned the fundamental ground of attachment, anger, and delusion, and their bodies became filled with bliss. Because of that light illuminating the four directions, they experienced the same levels of bliss and the same feelings as monks who have entered the second level of concentration. Through the power of the Buddha, they saw that the Thus-Gone One Śākyamuni and his assembly were not far away from them—approximately half a league away. They had intense faith, and solely through the power of the Buddha, they came before the Blessed One. The buddha fields of the ten directions that are inundated with the five impurities emptied, and eighty-four thousand myriads127 of beings following the vehicle of the solitary buddhas arrived before Śākyamuni, prostrated at the Blessed One’s feet, and sat before him to listen to the Dharma. The Blessed One then summoned the bodhisattvas who were hard to tame:
The bodhisattva Skilled in Fragrances then asked the Blessed One, “Blessed One, will each of those noble sons and daughters obtain an abundance of fearlessness, and will each of them obtain the merit of fearlessness, inexhaustible insight, and inexhaustible eloquence?”
The Blessed One replied to the bodhisattva Skilled in Fragrances, “Noble sons and daughters who understand not to pursue or cling to any formations regard all formations as without an owner, without causes and conditions, unestablished, and devoid of an agent.130 They do not cling to the thoughts, concepts, or marks of all those formations, which are insubstantial, or to the excellent minor marks.131 They do not cling to the world in any way whatsoever. They do not cling to forms, sounds, smells, tastes, or tactile objects, and they do not grasp at the five sense pleasures. They will not be reborn in any state of existence. All those who are free from attachment will not be reborn. They are insubstantial and lack mental engagement. [F.167.a] Those who are insubstantial and lack mental engagement are devoid of attachment. Those who are devoid of attachment are free from words. Those who are free from words are non-returners. Their minds are free from the countless formations associated with the three times and the three realms. Those who have attained the state in which phenomena do not arise and do not return understand the way in which phenomena are likenesses. They do not go, they do not come, and they are not attained. They do not cause any attachment whatsoever. They are not bound, they are not liberated, they do not remain, and they do not abide. They understand each and every phenomenon as the gateway to nonabiding, and they understand each and every phenomenon as the gateway to abiding. They know that freedom from death and rebirth depends on the realization of the Dharma. Since they do not depend on any phenomena, they are free from all the various types of phenomena. Since they are free from all the various types of phenomena, they are free from life forces, souls, persons, human beings, and individuals. Since they are free from life forces, souls, persons, human beings, and individuals, they never stray from voidness and emptiness. They regard all formations as limitless emptiness.
“Those noble sons meditate upon the mind because it is limitless emptiness, and each of them achieves the four inexhaustible armors. They become resources that one grasps as equal due to their inexhaustible nature.132 Since they ripen beings, their merit will be inexhaustible. They will teach the Dharma with inexhaustible eloquence. They will master wisdom through inexhaustible means. They reveal ultimate reality by accumulating the gateways to liberating beings in order to ripen beings. They understand that all phenomena lack a self, and they never give up ripening beings with the armor of great compassion. In every buddha realm they carry out the goal of ripening beings who are like the reflection of the moon in water. Since all phenomena lack a self, [F.167.b] those skilled ones ripen beings by accomplishing the taming of beings while in a state of absorption. They will ford the river that permanently eliminates views regarding the life force, transmigration, souls, and persons. Since formations such as the physical, verbal, and mental formations of the three times are nonexistent, they will cross over the ocean of beings’ existence. This is known as demonstrating the unobstructed wisdom of the bodhisattvas.”
As this teaching was being delivered, 6,800,000,000,000 bodhisattvas attained further acceptance of phenomena, and 84,000,000,000,000 followers of the vehicle of the solitary buddhas gave rise to the mind set on unsurpassed and perfect awakening, the mind set on the stage of nonregression, and each abided in that stage of nonregression.
The Blessed One then addressed the bodhisattva Regarded as a Friend, saying, “Noble son, whether or not the thus-gone ones appear in this world, the abiding nature of reality, the realm of phenomena, and phenomena themselves remain as follows: From what arises with ignorance as the condition up to the formations is nothing but a great mass of suffering. Furthermore, with the ceasing of ignorance up to the ceasing of formations, this great mass of suffering also ceases. In this way, by following the thus-gone ones, beings have realized this and attained awakening by means of the Dharma, and they will no longer propagate or proclaim other types of Dharma. When the thus-gone ones appear in the world, those worthy, perfect buddhas propagate and proclaim and teach the Dharma to beings. Those beings for whom there is no other truth then cross over the river of saṃsāra, and they each remain on the path that leads to peace, happiness, and nirvāṇa.”
As this proclamation was being delivered, myriads133 of beings attained the immaculate absorption of the solitary buddhas and reached the vehicle of the solitary buddhas. [B2] [F.168.a]
This was the seventh chapter of the Great Vehicle sūtra entitled “The Acceptance That Tames Beings with Light Rays That Travel through Space.”
Abbreviations
| C | Choné (co ne) Kangyur |
|---|---|
| D | Degé (sde dge) Kangyur |
| H | Lhasa (lha sa/zhol) Kangyur |
| J | Lithang (li thang) Kangyur |
| K | Peking (pe cin) or “Kangxi” Kangyur |
| N | Narthang (snar thang) Kangyur |
| S | Stok Palace (stog pho brang bris ma) Kangyur |
| U | Urga (phyi sog khu re) Kangyur |
| Y | Yongle (g.yung lo) Kangyur |
Bibliography
Tibetan Sources
’phags pa yang dag par spyod pa’i tshul nam mkha’i mdog gis ’dul ba’i bzod pa zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo. Toh 263, Degé Kangyur vol. 67 (mdo sde, ’a), folios 90.a–209.b.
’phags pa yang dag par spyod pa’i tshul nam mkha’i mdog gis ’dul ba’i bzod pa zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo. bka’ ’gyur (dpe bsdur ma) [Comparative Edition of the Kangyur], krung go’i bod rig pa zhib ’jug ste gnas kyi bka’ bstan dpe sdur khang (The Tibetan Tripitaka Collation Bureau of the China Tibetology Research Center). 108 volumes. Beijing: krung go’i bod rig pa dpe skrun khang (China Tibetology Publishing House), 2006–9, vol. 67, pp. 221–513.
’phags pa yang dag par spyod pa’i tshul nam mkha’i mdog gis ’dul ba’i bzod pa zhes bya batheg pa chen po’i mdo. Stok Palace Kangyur, vol. 64 (mdo sde, pa), folios 1.b–175.b.
Denkarma (pho brang stod thang ldan dkar gyi chos ’gyur ro cog gi dkar chag). Toh 4364, Degé Tengyur, vol. 206 (sna tshogs, jo), folios 294.b–310.a.
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