The Secrets of the Realized Ones
Chapter 2: The Secret of the Bodhisattva’s
Speech
Toh 47
Degé Kangyur, vol. 39 (dkon brtsegs, ka), folios 100.a.–203.a
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Table of Contents
Summary
In this sūtra, the narrative largely revolves around the figures of Vajrapāṇi, the yakṣa lord and constant companion of the Buddha, and the Buddha himself. In the first half of the sūtra, Vajrapāṇi gives a series of teachings on the mysteries or secrets of the body, speech, and mind of bodhisattvas and the realized ones. In the second half of the sūtra, Vajrapāṇi describes several events in the Buddha’s life: his practice of severe asceticism, his approach to the seat of awakening, his defeat of Māra, his awakening, and his turning of the wheel of Dharma. Following this, the Buddha gives a prediction of Vajrapāṇi’s future awakening as a buddha and travels to Vajrapāṇi’s abode for a meal. Interspersed throughout the sūtra are sermons, dialogues, and marvelous tales exploring a large number of topics and featuring an extensive cast of characters, including several narratives about past lives of Vajrapāṇi, Brahmā Sahāṃpati, and the Buddha himself. The sūtra concludes with the performance of two long dhāraṇīs, one by Vajrapāṇi and one by the Buddha, for the protection and preservation of the Dharma.
Acknowledgements
Translated by David Fiordalis and the Dharmachakra Translation Committee under the supervision of Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche. A first draft was made from the Tibetan by Timothy Hinkle with the assistance of Tulku Tenzin Rigsang and others. David Fiordalis thoroughly revised the translation with close reference to the extant Sanskrit manuscript, as well as the Tibetan translation. Fiordalis also wrote the summary, introduction, annotations, and most of the glossary entries. Fiordalis would like to acknowledge Paul Harrison, who furnished him with his own digital images of the Sanskrit manuscript, and Péter-Dániel Szántó, who generously made his transcription of the manuscript available for readers.
The translation was completed under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha. Rory Lindsay and 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 translation of this text has been made possible through the generous sponsorship of Jane and Leo Tong Chen, and their family.
Text Body
The Teaching of the Mysteries and Secrets of the Realized Ones
Chapter 2: The Secret of the Bodhisattva’s Speech
[B2] Once again, Vajrapāṇi, Lord of the Guhyakas, spoke to the bodhisattva Śāntamati: “Śāntamati, what is the secret of the Bodhisattva’s speech and the purity of his verbal action? Śāntamati, the succession of the bodhisattvas’ rebirths continues for precisely so long as beings continue to be reborn, and for as long as they continue to be reborn, these bodhisattvas make use of language. The knowledge and vision of the bodhisattvas penetrates without impediment beings’ use of language in all the ways they express linguistic utterances, verbal expressions, explanations, conventions, speeches, descriptions of reality, signs, actions, and happiness and suffering. Their knowledge and vision even penetrate the languages used by worms, mosquitoes, flies, bees, and moths. [F.111.a] Since their knowledge and expression of language enables them to relieve the bodies and minds of beings, such verbal expressions emerge from the mouths of those bodhisattvas who know and use language. This is in accordance with the nature of things. In this respect, it should be said:
“Śāntamati, the speech of bodhisattvas is expressed in the brahmās’ voices, the śakras’ voices, and in the voices of the lokapālas. It is expressed in the voices of the gods, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kinnaras, and mahoragas. It is expressed in the voices of all beings. It satisfies the wishes of all beings. About this, it should be said:
“Śāntamati, the speech of bodhisattvas does not contain any sense of lust; aversion; delusion; affliction;68 impediment; obstruction; vulgarity; foulness; callousness; abusiveness; incompleteness; harshness; attachment; anger; carelessness; animosity; contradictory words; words influenced by the various afflictions; fickleness; flattery; arrogance; haughtiness; impatience; inappropriate speech; desirous speech; words praising physical appearance; aggrandizement; contrivance; overly relaxed speech; intent to shock; exhausting speech; speech resulting from an impairment of their faculties, from diminished vitality, or from a diminished mind; disingenuousness; deficiency; opacity; coarseness; rejecting others; contradicting others; causing distress; [F.112.b] unproductiveness; scolding others; annoying others; causing oneself or others pain; inappropriate use of words; inappropriate choice of words; insincere words; irrational words; illogical words; vicious words; inauthentic words; false speech; unjust words; quarrelsome speech; harmful speech; inopportune speech; verbosity; bad grammar;69 hypocrisy; obsequiousness; speech intended to gain profit; ineffective demonstration; deceiving the eye; confusing the mind; expressing doubt; laconic expression; words that cause trauma and disgust; words of scornful disregard; boastful words about one’s own point of view; words that suppress the points of view of others; words that demonstrate an obsession with self-praise; words that demonstrate resistance to the praise of others;70 drunken speech; scornful words; excessive boasting to others; words that do not say what is needed; counterproductive words; leaking secrets; not guarding one’s words; using words that are condemned by the wise; condemning the noble ones; attacking another with abuse;71 public displays of praise; describing the faults of others at inopportune moments; twisting the knife; broadcasting the faults of others; words that fail to keep one’s promises;72 speech expounding upon the objects of one’s pride;73 speech that contradicts the workings of karma; or speech in which one fails to avoid using words that do not accord with reality.
“Śāntamati, the expression of the bodhisattvas’ speech is infused with the knowledge of the supernormal faculties, and because it results from the ripening of merit, it accords with the truth. [F.113.a] Whatever they say is just exactly so. Suppose a bodhisattva were to pass by or sit under a tree and somebody were to ask, ‘Excuse me, sir, how many leaves does this tree have?’ Without looking at the tree and without counting the leaves, the bodhisattva would then be able to say exactly how many leaves there were without overestimating or underestimating the number.
“Also, if one were to ask, ‘How many hundreds, thousands, hundreds of thousands, millions, billions, hundreds of billions, trillions, quadrillions, quintillions, sextillions, septillions, octillions, nonillions, decillions, undecillions, and duodecillions of grains of sand are there in the Ganges?’74 then, without looking or counting, the bodhisattva’s speech could declare exactly how many grains of sand there are. He knows the grains of sand to be this precise number by using the knowledge of the realized ones. Śāntamati, only the realized ones can directly perceive this. It is not directly perceptible to gods, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, marutas, garuḍas, kinnaras, mahoragas, disciples, or solitary buddhas.
“Śāntamati, you can understand this through the following teaching: At one point in the past, Śāntamati, there was a sage named Light and a brahmin named Śyāmaka. At that time, there was a tree called the Excellent King of Banyan Trees, which was covered by many branches and leaves. The crown of the tree was several miles in circumference and the sage, Light, dwelled beneath that tree. While he was dwelling there, [F.113.b] he used the power of his supernormal faculties to count the leaves on the branches of the Excellent King of Banyan Trees for twelve years and seven days until he came to a realization of that knowledge. At a certain point the brahmin, Śyāmaka, had been out seeking alms in the village, and because it was midday he went beneath that banyan tree to take his meal. He came before the sage, Light, and was truly delighted to see him. Sitting together, they spoke of many topics about which they were passionate. Then, the sage, Light, said to the brahmin Śyāmaka, ‘Excuse me, brahmin, but do you think there are any humans in this world of beings who have the ability to count, directly perceive, or know the number of leaves on this Excellent King of Banyan Trees?’
“ ‘Yes, revered one, there is.’
“ ‘Brahmin, who would that be?’ asked the sage.
“The brahmin replied, ‘Revered one, I can count them.’
“ ‘Well, count them, then, brahmin!’ said the sage.
“Immediately, without having to look at the tree or count the leaves, the brahmin knew how many leaves there were. He then spoke in verse, saying:
“ Śyāmaka replied, ‘Listen, revered one, this is not taught by gods, but by men. I follow true words and live according to their meaning. It is possible that the sky could exhaust itself and fall to pieces, but it is impossible for me ever to speak falsely.’
“Then Vajrapāṇi said:
“Śāntamati, so far as the purity of the speech of the bodhisattvas is concerned, this is the secret of the speech of the bodhisattvas. This is merely a brief demonstration of the purity of their speech. If one were to go further than that, an exhaustive explanation of the purity of the bodhisattvas’ speech would have no limit or endpoint.”
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