Chapter 77: Teaching the Purification of a Buddhafield

77.1Then it occurred to venerable Subhūti to think, “What is the path of bodhisattva great beings standing on which bodhisattva great beings have to be armed with such armor?”

77.2Then the Lord, understanding in his mind the thoughts occurring to Subhūti, said to Subhūti, “Subhūti, the six perfections are the path of the bodhisattva great beings; the thirty-seven dharmas on the side of awakening are the path of the bodhisattva great beings; and the fourteen emptinesses, nine serial absorptions, eight deliverances, ten tathāgata powers, and eighteen distinct attributes of a buddha are the path of the bodhisattva great beings. Furthermore, Subhūti, all dharmas are the path of the bodhisattva great beings.

77.3“What do you think, Subhūti, is there a dharma in which bodhisattva great beings do not train, without training in which they will fully awaken to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening? Subhūti, there is no dharma in which bodhisattva great beings do not train, because without training in all dharmas, bodhisattva great beings are not able to reach the knowledge of all aspects.”

77.4Then venerable Subhūti asked the Lord, “Lord, if all dharmas are empty, how will bodhisattva great beings train in all dharmas? Lord, if they say ‘there are this many,’ [F.121.a] or ‘they are these,’ or that these dharmas are ordinary or extraordinary, or with outflows or without outflows, or compounded or uncompounded, or the dharmas of ordinary people, or worthy one dharmas, or pratyekabuddha dharmas, have they elaborated on what cannot be elaborated, or else are they not one?”

77.5Venerable Subhūti having asked that, the Lord said to him, “Exactly so, Subhūti, exactly so! All dharmas are empty. Subhūti, were all dharmas not to be empty, bodhisattva great beings would not fully awaken to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening. But, Subhūti, all dharmas are empty, so bodhisattva great beings do fully awaken to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening.

77.6“Again, Subhūti, in regard to what you have asked‍—‘if all dharmas are empty, how will bodhisattva great beings make distinctions between all dharmas such as “there are this many,” or “they are these,” up to or the dharmas of ordinary people, or worthy one dharmas, or pratyekabuddha dharmas?’‍—Subhūti, were these ordinary beings to know ‘all dharmas are empty,’ then since they would know, bodhisattva great beings would not, having trained in all dharmas, reach the knowledge of all aspects. But, Subhūti, these beings do not know ‘all dharmas are empty,’ so bodhisattva great beings, having fully awakened to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening, make a presentation of all dharmas and teach [F.121.b] the doctrine to beings.

77.7“Subhūti, there, right from the beginning, bodhisattva great beings practicing the awakening path should reflect deeply on the fact that here, except for its being an enactment, there is no dharma at all that can be apprehended through its own intrinsic nature. And when they thus reflect deeply on the nature of those dharmas, they do not settle down on the perfections, or the thirty-seven dharmas on the side of awakening, or the result of stream enterer, or the result of once-returner, or the result of non-returner, or the state of a worthy one, or a pratyekabuddha’s awakening, or unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening, or any dharma at all. And why? Because all dharmas are empty of an intrinsic nature of all dharmas, so emptiness does not settle down on emptiness. And when even emptiness cannot be apprehended, what need is there to say more about emptiness settling down on emptiness?

77.8“Subhūti, bodhisattva great beings thus abide without settling down on all dharmas. Standing in that training they think, ‘What are these beings doing?’, and looking at what all beings are doing, think, ‘They are grasping at nonexistence.’ It then occurs to the bodhisattva great beings to think, ‘Oh! I will free these beings well from grasping at the unreal.’ So, standing with skillful means in the perfection of wisdom, they give them advice: ‘Come here, all of you! Give gifts, and through that you will get richer and richer. But do not project a sense of false superiority because of those riches. They are totally worthless.’ Similarly, they advise them to guard morality but not project a sense of false superiority because of that morality: ‘It too is totally worthless.’ [F.122.a] Similarly patience, similarly perseverance, similarly concentration, and similarly̛, they advise them to cultivate wisdom but not project a sense of false superiority because of that wisdom: ‘It is totally worthless.’ Similarly, they advise them to meditate on the result of stream enterer, similarly the result of once-returner, similarly the result of non-returner, similarly the state of a worthy one, similarly a pratyekabuddha’s awakening, and similarly, up to all buddhadharmas: ‘But do not project a sense of false superiority because of those dharmas. They too are totally worthless.’

77.9“Thus, while giving advice and instruction and practicing the awakening path, they still do not settle down on any dharma at all. And why? Because, based on having emptiness as their nature, all dharmas are not things that have been settled down on, because they have no intrinsic nature such that they could have been settled down on. Thus, Subhūti, bodhisattva great beings practice the awakening path but are not located anywhere. By way of not being located, they practice the perfection of giving but they are not located there. They practice the perfection of morality but are not located there. They practice the perfection of patience but are not located there. They practice the perfection of perseverance but are not located there. They practice the perfection of concentration but are not located there. They practice the perfection of wisdom but are not located there.

77.10“They become absorbed in the first concentration but are not located there. And why? Because the first concentration is empty of an intrinsic nature of a concentration. That which becomes absorbed, that too is empty, and those aspects on account of which they become absorbed, they are empty as well. Similarly, [F.122.b] they reach the second concentration, third concentration, up to the fourth concentration; similarly, love, compassion, joy, and equanimity, up to the formless absorptions; similarly, they reach the eight deliverances, nine serial absorptions, and the result of stream enterer but are not located there. They reach the result of once-returner but are not located there; they reach the result of non-returner but are not located there; they reach the state of a worthy one but are not located there; and they reach a pratyekabuddha’s awakening but are not located there.”

77.11“Lord, why are they not located?”

“Subhūti, they are not located for two reasons. And what are the two? It is because those results where they might be located have no intrinsic nature, nor does that on account of which they might be located, nor those who might be located. And second, because up until they fully awaken to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening they are not easily satisfied. They think, ‘It is not that I should not reach the result of stream enterer, but even after having reached the result of stream enterer I should not stand there; up to it is not that I should not reach a pratyekabuddha’s awakening, but even after having reached a pratyekabuddha’s awakening I should not stand there. And why? Because from my production of the first thought I have never produced any other thought except that of unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening.’ And why? Because those bodhisattva great beings, from the first production of the thought, have never produced any other thought except that of unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening. And similarly, starting from when they entered into the secure state of a bodhisattva up until they reached the tenth level, their thought [F.123.a] never wavered and they never produced any other thought except of unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening.

77.12“Subhūti, no matter how much physical, verbal, and mental training those bodhisattva great beings put into effect, it is not other than the thought of awakening. The bodhisattva great beings keep on thinking of awakening without wavering in their mind, producing a path to awakening.”

77.13Then venerable Subhūti asked the Lord, “Lord, if all dharmas are unproduced, well then, Lord, how will bodhisattva great beings produce a path to awakening?”

77.14Venerable Subhūti having asked that, the Lord said to him, “Exactly so, Subhūti, exactly so! All dharmas have not been produced. How so? All dharmas have not been produced for those who do not occasion anything.”

77.15The Lord having said that, venerable Subhūti asked him, “Lord, whether the tathāgatas arise or whether the tathāgatas do not arise, does the true dharmic nature of dharmas not remain?”

77.16“Exactly so, Subhūti, exactly so! Whether the tathāgatas arise or whether the tathāgatas do not arise, the true dharmic nature of dharmas remains, but still, for the sake of those who do not know that establishment of dharmas, bodhisattva great beings produce a path to awakening and with that path free beings from saṃsāra.”

77.17Then venerable Subhūti asked the Lord, [F.123.b] “Lord, do they reach awakening on that path that has been produced?”

“No,”

77.18“Lord, do they reach awakening on that path that has not been produced?”

“No.”

77.19“Lord, do they reach awakening on that path that has not been produced when it is not produced and is produced when it is produced?

“No.”

77.20“Lord, do they reach awakening on that path that has neither been produced nor not produced?”

“No.”

77.21“Well then, Lord, how do they reach awakening?”

Venerable Subhūti having asked that, the Lord said to him, “Subhūti, awakening is not reached by the path and it is not reached by what is not the path. Just awakening is the path, and just the path is awakening.”

77.22The Lord having said that, venerable Subhūti asked him, “Lord, if just awakening is the path, and just the path is awakening, well then, would not bodhisattva great beings already have reached awakening? Why is it still taught, then, that ‘a tathāgata, worthy one, perfectly complete buddha is on account of the thirty-two major marks of a great person, ten tathāgata powers, four fearlessnesses, four detailed and thorough knowledges, four immeasurables, four formless absorptions, up to the eighteen distinct attributes of a buddha’?”

77.23Venerable Subhūti having asked that, the Lord asked him in return, “Subhūti, what do you think, [F.124.a] does a buddha reach awakening?”

“No, Lord. Just a buddha is awakening, and just awakening is a buddha.”

77.24“Again, Subhūti, in regard to what you have said‍—‘Do bodhisattva great beings reach awakening or does it not happen at all?’‍—Subhūti, here bodhisattva great beings, having completed the six perfections, completed the thirty-seven dharmas on the side of awakening, and completed the ten tathāgata powers, four fearlessnesses, four detailed and thorough knowledges, and eighteen distinct attributes of a buddha, fully awaken to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening through the wisdom of the unique single instant that is the vajropama meditative stabilization. Having fully awakened to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening, from then on they are called tathāgata . They know all dharmas and see all dharmas, therefore they are said to be all-knowing .”

77.25Then venerable Subhūti asked the Lord, “Lord, if all dharmas are isolated from their own intrinsic nature, well then, Lord, how do bodhisattva great beings purify a buddhafield?”

77.26Venerable Subhūti having asked that, the Lord said to him, “Subhūti, here, starting from the first production of the thought, bodhisattva great beings purify their own and others’ final physical basis of suffering, final verbal basis of suffering, and final mental basis of suffering [F.124.b] and, with those purified, purify a buddhafield.”

77.27The Lord having said that, venerable Subhūti asked him, “Lord, what is the bodhisattva great beings’ final physical basis of suffering, final verbal basis of suffering, and final mental basis of suffering?”

77.28The Lord replied to venerable Subhūti, “Subhūti, the unwholesome physical action of killing, stealing, and illicit sex because of lust; the unwholesome verbal action of lying, backbiting, insulting, and babbling nonsense; and the unwholesome mental action of coveting, malice, and wrong view are called the bodhisattva great beings’ final physical basis of suffering, final verbal basis of suffering, and final mental basis of suffering. Bodhisattva great beings purify those final physical, verbal, and mental bases of suffering of themselves and others, and with those purified, purify a buddhafield.

77.29“Furthermore, Subhūti, stingy thought is the bodhisattva great beings’ final mental basis of suffering; immoral thought, angry thought, lazy thought, distracted thought, and intellectually confused thought are the bodhisattva great beings’ final mental basis of suffering too. Furthermore, Subhūti, morality that has not been purified is also the bodhisattva great beings’ final mental basis of suffering. Furthermore, Subhūti, separation from the four applications of mindfulness is also the bodhisattva great beings’ [F.125.a] final mental basis of suffering; similarly, separation from the four right efforts, four legs of miraculous power, five faculties, five powers, seven limbs of awakening, and eightfold noble path, and from the emptiness meditative stabilization, signlessness meditative stabilization, and wishlessness meditative stabilization is also the bodhisattva great beings’ final mental basis of suffering. Furthermore, Subhūti, while making manifest the result of stream enterer, feeling delight in it is also the bodhisattva great beings’ final mental basis of suffering; up to while making manifest the state of a worthy one, and a pratyekabuddha’s awakening, feeling delight in it is also the bodhisattva great beings’ final mental basis of suffering. Furthermore, Subhūti, the perception of form is the basis of suffering, and the perception of feeling, perception, volitional factors, and consciousness is the basis of suffering; the perception of eyes is the basis of suffering, and the perception of ears, nose, tongue, body, and thinking mind is the basis of suffering; and the perception of female is the basis of suffering and the perception of male is the basis of suffering. The perception of desire realm, perception of form realm, perception of formless realm, perception of wholesome, perception of unwholesome, perception of compounded, and perception of uncompounded, Subhūti, is also the bodhisattva great beings’ final physical basis of suffering, final verbal basis of suffering, and final mental basis of suffering.

77.30“Having eliminated all those bases of suffering, they personally give gifts and they inspire others [F.125.b] to give as well. They give food to those who want food, give drinks to those who want drink, up to give whatever they require, as appropriate, to those who have requirements, establish others in just those and inspire them to take them up, making that wholesome root into something shared in common by all beings and dedicating it to the purification of a buddhafield.

77.31Similarly, connect this with each, up to morality, patience, perseverance, concentration, and wisdom.

77.32“Having filled up this great billionfold world system with the seven precious stones, they personally give it as a gift because of the Three Jewels, inspire other to take up just that too, and dedicate it thus: ‘Through this wholesome root, may my buddhafield be made of the seven precious stones.’

77.33“Furthermore, Subhūti, bodhisattva great beings cause divine instrumental music to be played for the buddhas or buddha reliquaries and dedicate it thus: ‘Through this wholesome root, may divine instrumental music pleasing to the mind be constantly and always played in my buddhafield.’

77.34“Furthermore, Subhūti, bodhisattva great beings, having filled up this great billionfold world system with a divine fragrance, offer it to the buddhas or buddha reliquaries and dedicate it thus: ‘Through this wholesome root, may a divine fragrance come forth in my buddhafield.’

77.35“Furthermore, Subhūti, bodhisattva great beings, having offered food with a hundred flavors to the tathāgatas and the tathāgatas’ śrāvakas, dedicate it thus: [F.126.a] ‘Through this wholesome root, may the śrāvakas in my buddhafield when I have fully awakened to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening partake of food with a hundred flavors.’

77.36“Furthermore, Subhūti, bodhisattva great beings, having put divine creams on the tathāgatas, the tathāgatas’ śrāvakas, tathāgata statues, and tathāgata reliquaries, dedicate it thus: ‘Through this wholesome root, may the beings in my buddhafield when I have fully awakened to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening experience perfect feelings of divine touch.’

77.37“Furthermore, Subhūti, it occurs to bodhisattva great beings to think, ‘Just by thinking about it may I give the five sorts of sense objects‍—forms, sounds, smells, tastes, and feelings‍—pleasing to the mind to the buddhas, the buddhas’ śrāvakas, and all beings.’ Having thought that and given them, they dedicate it thus: ‘Through this wholesome root, may all the śrāvaka saṅghas and all beings in my buddhafield when I have fully awakened to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening come to have the five sorts of sense objects‍—forms, sounds, smells, tastes, and feelings‍—pleasing to the mind just by thinking about it.’

77.38“Furthermore, Subhūti, bodhisattva great beings, personally in association with all beings, give the gift of the five sorts of sense objects‍—forms, sounds, smells, tastes, and feelings‍—pleasing to the mind to the buddhas and the buddhas’ śrāvakas. [F.126.b]

77.39“Furthermore, Subhūti, it occurs to bodhisattva great beings practicing the perfection of wisdom to think, ‘I will become absorbed in the first concentration and cause others to enter the first concentration as well. Similarly, up to I will cause others to enter the fourth concentration and establish them there. I will establish them in love, compassion, joy, equanimity, up to the thirty-seven dharmas on the side of awakening.’ And they think, ‘Through this wholesome root, may the beings in my buddhafield when I have fully awakened to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening not be separated from the two gifts; may they not be separated from the four concentrations; may they not be separated from the four immeasurables; and may they not be separated from the thirty-seven dharmas on the side of awakening.’ In that way, Subhūti, bodhisattva great beings purify a buddhafield, and until all those aspirations are fulfilled do not fully awaken to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening. They cause themselves to be endowed with all those wholesome dharmas and others to be endowed with them as well. They personally have beautiful bodies and those beings that bodhisattva great beings bring to maturity have beautiful bodies as well. They, because of this‍—namely being assisted by merit‍—accomplish beautiful, good-looking, and handsome bodies.

77.40“Thus, Subhūti, bodhisattva great beings purify a buddhafield so that there will not even be the designation of the three terrible forms of life; [F.127.a] there will not even be the designation of different views; there will not even be the designation of greed, hatred, and confusion; there will not even be the words male or female ; there will not even be words for the two vehicles; there will not even be the designation of impermanence, suffering, or self; there will not even be the designation of appropriation; there will not even be the designation of self-grasping and taking something as ‘mine’; there will not even be the designation of attachment or obsession; there will not even be the designation of distortion; and there will not even be the designation of a presentation of the results. Quite the opposite, a proclamation of the emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness meditative stabilization will issue forth; a proclamation that those beings thus want to give away outer and inner things will issue forth; from trees stirred by the wind and from the outer and inner dharmas, words for emptiness , signlessness , and wishlessness will issue forth; words for nonproduction and noncessation will issue forth; such a proclamation of the actual intrinsic nature of those dharmas will issue forth; such a proclamation that ‘all dharmas are empty of all dharmas,’ of the actual nature of those dharmas will issue forth; and a teaching of the Dharma will issue forth, proclaiming, ‘Whether the tathāgatas arise or whether the tathāgatas do not arise, all dharmas are empty of all dharmas, in that which is empty there is no causal sign, and in that which has no causal sign there is nothing wished for.’ Such a proclamation of Dharma as appropriate for those standing up or sitting down, lying down or walking, will come forth in the day or at night. [F.127.b] It is thus that they purify a buddhafield.

77.41“All the lord buddhas, as many as there are in all world systems in the ten directions, raise their voices in praise of that tathāgata, worthy one, perfectly complete buddha who has fully awakened to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening in that buddhafield. All those beings who hear the praise and name of that tathāgata become destined for unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening. None of the beings become uncertain about whether the Dharma taught by that tathāgata, worthy one, perfect complete buddha is the Dharma or is not the Dharma. And why? Because in the true dharmic nature of all dharmas, there is nothing that is not the Dharma at all. All that is the Dharma. There, those beings overcome by unwholesome roots who have not planted wholesome roots in relation to the buddhas and the buddhas’ śrāvakas, who are influenced by bad friends, who are obstinate about the view of self, up to who are obstinate about every instance of a view, who are standing at the extreme of going on and on forever and at the extreme of annihilation, who, seized by an incorrect grasping, imagine someone not a buddha to be a perfectly complete buddha and imagine a perfectly complete buddha to be someone who is not a buddha, and say about the doctrine that it is not the doctrine. Saying about the doctrine that it is not the doctrine, they reject the doctrine; having rejected the doctrine their bodies disintegrate and after death they go into a terrible form of life, fall into error, and are born in hell. Those lord buddhas, having fully awakened [F.128.a] to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening, liberate those beings included in saṃsāra from those terrible forms of life and from being riddled with views. Having liberated them, they establish them in the class of those destined for the perfect state and, having established them there, they will not, from then on, be born in hell.

77.42“Subhūti, that is how bodhisattva great beings purify a buddhafield, and those beings who have been purified do not abide in any ordinary dharmas or extraordinary dharmas, dharmas with outflows or dharmas without outflows, compounded dharmas or uncompounded dharmas at all. And up until their unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening, they all remain destined for the perfect state.”

77.43This was the seventy-seventh chapter, “Teaching the Purification of a Buddhafield,” of “The Perfection of Wisdom in Eighteen Thousand Lines.” [B55]