Chapter 5

5.1Then the bodhisattva King of the Infinite Accumulation of Wisdom manifested staircases made of divine gold and divine blue beryl for the Blessed One that equaled the number of storied mansions in which he was not residing. [F.136.b] He manifested 84,000 young brahmins on both sides of those staircases. They were about thirty years old, had voices as melodious as Brahmā, held parasols with poles made out of gold, and practiced the religious life. Those young brahmins prostrated to the Blessed One with their palms together and praised him with the following verses:

5.10The Blessed One expressed his consent as soon as the young brahmins had recounted the Blessed One’s qualities. The sage Seer rose from his seat and at that very moment this entire great buddha realm shook in six ways. Many gods, nāgas, yakṣas, asuras, kinnaras, and mahoragas rained down showers of divine flowers everywhere in this Sahā buddha realm. They rained down showers of divine aloeswood, crape jasmine, and yellow sandalwood, as well as a rain of divine clothes, ornaments, wish-fulfilling garments, precious gems, pearl necklaces, and precious substances. They played divine music and exclaimed in a melodious stream, “We shall listen to this Dharma that has never been taught before! We shall overcome the domain of the māras! We shall conquer the domain of the afflictions! We shall comprehend the domain of wisdom! We shall comprehend the path of profound emptiness!”

5.11Then the Blessed One climbed the stairways leading to those storied mansions and sat on the lion throne that had been arranged for him. All the assemblies that filled the earth and the sky of this entire Sahā buddha realm fell silent and gazed at the sage Seer one-pointedly with their palms joined. When he saw those assemblies filling the earth and the sky of this entire buddha realm, the Blessed One uttered the following verses:

5.17The Blessed One then said to the bodhisattva Bhadrapāla, “Noble son, the bodhisattvas who abide in this acceptance of taming beings with the sky-colored method of perfect conduct will completely overcome all the domains of the māras, abandoning all the latent tendencies of craving associated with the notions of ownership and possession and the views related to ignorance and the absence of marks. They will know that all world systems are uncontaminated, they will understand the armor of beings, and they will know that the mind is like an illusion and that feelings are similar to smoke, particles of dust, space, and clouds. They will know that all marks and characteristics are space-like elaborations, and they will transcend all roots of virtue. Their karma will be completely extinguished, they will look after beings, and they will act as friends for both those who have created roots of virtue and those who have not. They will deliver all the teachings of the Buddha without obstruction, and they will pulverize all their opponents as numerous as the sky is vast. They will spread all the teachings of the Buddha like lions and send forth torrents of great Dharma teachings like a great ocean. They will have undeluded supernormal faculties and eloquence without attachment, and they will be praised and glorified. Noble son, from the moment that they have cultivated this acceptance until their body is brought under control, [F.138.a] and after this, they will achieve inconceivable buddha qualities.

5.18“Noble son, there are two aspects to this acceptance: the acceptance as a method of perfect conduct, and the acceptance that tames through being sky-colored. Noble son, what is the acceptance that is a method of perfect conduct? There are five aspects to this. What are those five aspects of the acceptance that is a method of perfect conduct? Forms, feelings, perceptions, formations, and consciousnesses. Noble son, what is the aggregate of form? Noble son, it has eight aspects that a bodhisattva should think about and analyze correctly. What are those eight aspects, noble son? Forms are made of the four great elements; forms are diseases; desires have the characteristic of phenomena that disintegrate; whatever has the nature of disintegrating is impermanent; it has the nature of insubstantiality, emptiness, and annihilation; and both inner and outer severe, middling, and minor afflictions are eliminated. Bodhisattvas cultivate acceptance that has the characteristics of being impermanent, suffering, lacking a self, and being as empty as the whole of space. This should be regarded as the bodhisattvas’ acceptance that ripens and looks after beings.

5.19“Furthermore, noble son, forms are made of the four great elements. Noble son, whether the four great elements are internal, external, big, small, inferior, blissful, far, or near, they should all be analyzed as not going, not leaving, not arising, not originating, lacking a self, and without ownership. They should be analyzed as being extinguished, having the characteristic of tranquility, and being devoid of concepts, without purpose, without origination, and without marks.

5.20“Since it is the source of extremely subtle particles as well as the body, [F.138.b] one should analyze the solid inner element of earth. When bodhisattvas analyze a single extremely subtle particle with subtle special insight, they understand that this single subtle particle has the same behavior as all the afflictions, which are devoid of characteristics. They understand that it lacks a self and is free from aspects. They understand that it is insubstantial, free from words, without apprehension, and free from all spoken sounds. They understand that it is free from the lack of self, and that it has the characteristics of Māra. They understand that it is wordless and free from causes and conditions. They understand that it is insubstantial and free from causes and conditions. They understand this extremely subtle particle as devoid of characteristics. Just as they analyze the pacification of all formations in the context of a single extremely subtle particle using those eight aspects, in the same way they analyze two of those particles, then three, all the way up to the entire internal body, using each one of those eight aspects in the same way that they analyze that single extremely subtle particle. They analyze the earth element of the external body in the same way that they analyze the internal body in terms of that single extremely subtle particle using these eight aspects. Proceeding from their lack of characteristics to their lack of marks, they correctly see all earth elements, whether they be internal, external, big, small, inferior, blissful, far, or near, as having the quality of perishing. Whatever perishes is impermanent. Whatever is impermanent is suffering. Whatever does not arise lacks a self. Whatever is compounded is free from all language and empty. Since they correctly understand that the external and internal earth elements are empty, they pacify the severe, middling, and minor afflictions. The earth element lacks perception and lacks feeling in the same way that space lacks perception and lacks feeling. This cultivation of the acceptance that it has the characteristics of being impermanent, suffering, lacking a self, and being empty should also be regarded as the bodhisattvas’ acceptance that ripens and looks after all beings. [F.139.a]

5.21“Furthermore, noble son, with respect to the body, water is anything that has the characteristic of being moist. Bodhisattvas use special insight to analyze each and every water element of the internal body in terms of the most minute characteristics of water in a mere droplet measuring a fraction of the point of one strand of hair. From the point that they correctly understand that this drop is devoid of the characteristics of being big, small, inferior, or blissful, and that it is free from all afflictions up to being without characteristics, and they understand that all formations are completely pacified in a mere drop, this is how they correctly analyze a single drop of water using those eight aspects. They correctly analyze each and every drop using those eight aspects, from one, then two, and up to all of the water elements of the internal body. Progressing from their lack of characteristics to their lack of marks, they correctly see the external water elements, whether they be big, small, inferior, blissful, far, or near, as having the quality of perishing just like the internal water elements. Whatever has the quality of perishing is impermanent, and it is also not conceptual. Whatever is not conceptual is also suffering. Whatever does not arise lacks a self. Whatever is compounded is free from all language and empty. Since they correctly understand that the external and internal water elements are empty, they pacify the severe, middling, and minor afflictions. The inner and outer water elements lack abiding and lack elaboration in the same way that space lacks abiding and lacks elaboration. This cultivation of the acceptance that they have the characteristic of being impermanent, suffering, empty, and without a self is the bodhisattvas’ nurturing and ripening of beings. The elaborate discussions presented here in the contexts of the earth and water elements should also be applied to the contexts of the fire and air elements. [F.139.b]

5.22“Furthermore, noble son, the fact that forms are based on the four elements means there is reason to doubt them too. Whether they are internal, external, big, small, inferior, blissful, far, or near, they are all insubstantial, they are all like reflections, and they are all subject to the power of the six sense fields, from the earth element up to the cause of consciousness. The sense faculties have the quality of arising and perishing from moment to moment, and bodhisattvas analyze things that perish and cease as having the nature of arising and perishing. The forms that bodhisattvas observe to be insubstantial and without a self should be analyzed from the perspective of the lack of verbal expression, the lack of going, the lack of arising, the lack of origination, the lack of a self, and the lack of ownership; from the perspective of the characteristic of tranquility; from the perspective of the lack of concept, the lack of purpose, and the lack of signs; and from the perspective of special insight. Bodhisattvas understand that they lack characteristics, that they are free from all afflictions, that they are free from aspects, that they lack a self, that they are free from mental formations, that they are devoid of words, and that they are free from causes and conditions. They understand that they are insubstantial and free from momentariness. They understand that all formations are without marks and without duration and conclusion. They understand that all formations are groundless and utterly pacified. They use these aspects to analyze forms as being insubstantial like a mass of foam. They see that everything is without characteristics up to being without marks, and everything has the quality of being perishable. Whatever has the quality of perishing is impermanent. Whatever is impermanent is also not conceptual. Whatever is not conceptual is also suffering. Whatever lacks origination lacks a self. Whatever is compounded is free from all paths and is empty. Since they correctly understand that those inner and outer forms are insubstantial like water foam and empty like reflections, their severe, middling, and minor afflictions will be pacified. [F.140.a] Just as space is not apprehended and is unconditioned, forms that are like water foam are also not perceived and are unchanging. They lack feelings, they are impermanent, they are suffering, they lack a self, and they are empty. The cultivation of the acceptance that is free from those characteristics should be regarded as the bodhisattvas’ acceptance that ripens and looks after beings.

5.23“Furthermore, noble son, they analyze forms‍—whether they be anywhere from internal to external, up to or those that are near‍—to have the nature of being unchanging in the same way as the cause of a mirror image, to be like an illusion, and as having the characteristics of a visible body. They understand forms without any attachment whatsoever, without conceit, without accepting, and without rejecting, so they know that forms are nondual. Since they know that all phenomena are included within the realm of phenomena, they understand that all forms made of the four great elements are completely indivisible, and that all language is baseless. They analyze forms as not going anywhere else, as not having a location, as adventitious suffering, as free from the two bonds of continuity and discontinuity, as like reflections, and as groundless. They analyze the characteristics of all forms as being like a mass of foam, without apprehension, without origin, and utterly devoid of intrinsic nature. They analyze the four great elements as being completely pure, without concepts, not originating, not fully established, and without engaging in any form of discontinuity related to the proliferation of all manner of qualities. They analyze the characteristics of the aggregate of forms that are made of the four great elements as being without conceit, without giving, without darkness, without light, without mental engagement, without duality, without accumulation, without elaboration, indivisible, like a reflection, indivisible, and insubstantial. They analyze the four great elements that constitute form as being completely nonconceptual, and as perishable like water foam. [F.140.b] They use these aspects to analyze forms as being insubstantial like reflections. They see that all formations are lacking characteristics up to lacking marks, and that they have the quality of being perishable. Whatever has the quality of perishing is impermanent. Whatever is impermanent is also not conceptual. Whatever is not conceptual is also suffering. Whatever lacks origination lacks a self. Whatever is compounded is devoid of all linguistic expression and empty. Since they correctly understand that those inner and outer forms are empty like water foam, their severe, middling, and minor afflictions will be pacified. Just as space is inexhaustible, formless, and indefinable, forms also have the characteristics of being inexhaustible, formless, undefinable, impermanent like water foam, suffering, devoid of self, and empty. The cultivation of the acceptance that is free from those apprehended characteristics should be regarded as the bodhisattvas’ acceptance that ripens and looks after beings.

5.24“Furthermore, noble son, they understand that, whether the characteristics of the four elements that constitute form are internal, up to being near, any characteristic of form that one might mention is like an optical illusion, like a shadow, baseless like water foam, devoid of attachment like space, inexpressible, and without accumulation. They understand that the three realms of saṃsāra and the three times have the same characteristic of lacking a self and that they are not apprehended and are wordless, and they understand the position of nonduality, of permanence, of nonapprehension, of inexhaustible conduct, of the absence of afflictions, of the nonexistence of objects, of the absence of movement, and of inexpressibility, and that forms have the characteristic of being like a reflection. They analyze the appearances of forms of both the desire and the form realms as being like space. They have the characteristics of optical illusions, they are like space, and they are not apprehended as existent entities. [F.141.a] Just as space is devoid of apprehension, without arising, and insubstantial, forms also have the characteristic of being like optical illusions and are baseless in the sense of being free from this or that side. Forms have the characteristic of sameness. They are like echoes, water foam, and the realm of phenomena. The echoes of forms of the element of space lack the elements, lack difference, lack sameness, and lack disturbance. In that way, these phenomena are similar to space.

5.25“Physical appearances are not apprehended, noncomposite, unborn, unoriginated, unwavering, unchanging, undying, nonabiding, not acquired by oneself or others, utterly nonconceptual, without attachment, and unfabricated. In that way, they transcend all formations as they continually appear to the eye consciousness. Like a mass of foam, even those physical appearances are empty of the eye consciousness, as is their basis, the four elements that make up the eye. Because they lack a self, the four great elements are empty as well. As it was explained before, they not apprehended as a self. The eyes are like a bunch of grapes in that each eye is made of countless tiny particles, and those tiny particles are conglomerations of the four great elements. Since those four great elements are not apprehended as a self and not apprehended as existent, what need is there to mention perceiving them as the abode of consciousness or the way that things arise? Bodhisattvas correctly analyze elements that constitute the eye as conglomerations of various tiny particles like a bunch of grapes. By that thorough analysis, there is no basis or path of the eye consciousness. Bodhisattvas analyze the eyes of beings using that correct analysis. [F.141.b] Those who correctly understand that the eye consciousness is empty will be free from attachment. Just as they correctly understand that the eye consciousness is empty, they should correctly understand that the eyes of the three realms are empty of the eye consciousness. All of the apparent characteristics of form from those that are external and internal to those that are near are like a mass of foam, in the same way that the physical appearances perceived by the eye are like a mass of foam, and the elements that constitute physical appearances are as baseless as space. Physical appearances are empty of characteristics in the same way that space is insubstantial and lacks characteristics, and they all appear like a mass of foam. All of them, from the appearance of internal and external characteristics of the body that are empty of other forms, just like space, up to those that are near, appear as the characteristics of form but are empty.

5.26“The ears, nose, tongue, and body are empty of their respective consciousnesses in the same way that the eyes are empty of the eye consciousness. Bodhisattvas correctly understand that all eyes of the desire and form realms are empty of the eye and the eye consciousness. Thus, they correctly understand the others too as empty based on the emptiness of the ears, nose, tongue, body, and their respective consciousnesses. They do not entertain thoughts or concepts such as the four great elements , and they do not view them as apprehended. They do not see a being, a life force, a soul, a person, a human being, a living creature, a doer, an agent, one who feels, anything that causes feeling, or anything that is born, that is emerging, or that is fully arisen. Since the characteristics of form are the marks that appear, there is also no apprehension of marks. Bodhisattvas correctly understand that they are empty through the nonapprehension and the emptiness of mental apprehensions, giving, actualization, comprehension, the basis, the fully arisen basis, [F.142.a] and the apparent characteristics of forms on which they focus. They do not consider the aggregate of form, space, and mental consciousness to be different, and they understand that they are empty due to the emptiness of everything in the three realms. They realize that all of the apparent characteristics of forms, from those that are internal and external up to those that are near, are like a mass of foam from the perspective of emptiness and destruction. They realize the lack of distress in tranquility, the absence of concepts, the absence of arising, the absence of cessation, the absence of origination, and the absence of marks. They know that they are free from space, groundless, and free from linguistic expression. They correctly understand that all the characteristics of formations that are internal and external, up to those that are near, have the quality of disintegrating and perishing, that things are empty and come to an end, and that disturbances come to an end. All the characteristics of form have the quality of perishing and are impermanent. Whatever is impermanent is suffering. Whatever lacks origination lacks a self. Anything that is a formation is free from all manner of linguistic characteristics and is empty.

5.27“As they correctly understand, all the empty characteristics of form, from those that are internal and external up to those that are near, their severe, middling, and minor afflictions will be pacified. This is the acceptance of not bringing an end to the characteristics of formations. This acceptance is free from latent tendencies in the same way that space is without wind. This acceptance lacks the apparent characteristics of form in the same way that space is unchanging. This acceptance is without injury and lacks the torment caused by the mind, conceptual thought, and discrimination in the same way that space is without torment and without injury. This acceptance is free from the latent tendencies of all linguistic expression just as space is free of all latent tendencies. [F.142.b] They have accomplished the acceptance that all characteristics have not arisen before and are unoriginated, just as space is unborn and unoriginated. This acceptance lacks the elaboration of all latent tendencies of the three realms in the same way that space lacks elaborations. The apparent characteristics of forms are included in the three realms in the same way that space is included in the three realms, but they have the characteristic of being impermanent, suffering, empty, and lacking a self. The cultivation of the acceptance of nonapprehension that is free from characteristics should be regarded as the bodhisattvas’ acceptance that ripens and looks after beings.

5.28This was the fifth chapter of the Great Vehicle sūtra entitled “The Acceptance That Tames Beings with the Sky-Colored Method of Perfect Conduct.”