Chapter 19: The Protectors of the World

19.1Vajrapāṇi, Lord of the Guhyakas, then asked [F.175.b] the Blessed One to teach the Dharma: “Please give a teaching that will introduce the guiding principles of the Dharma in such a way that those beings who have not yet conceived the aspiration for awakening will conceive the aspiration for awakening, and become firmly established in the state of being unable to be turned back from unsurpassable and perfect awakening, and so that it will be to the benefit, prosperity, bliss, and aims of this assembly of yakṣas, rākṣasas, pretas, piśācas, gandharvas, guhyakas, and mahoragas for a long time, and so that by this distinction they will rise to a state of distinction and will not give up any part of it.”

19.2After this had been said, the Blessed One addressed Vajrapāṇi, Lord of the Guhyakas, and the entire assembly, saying, “Listen well, friends, and pay careful and close attention, for I will give a teaching that will introduce the way of the Dharma in such a way that a noble son or noble daughter who sets foot upon it will suitably rise to a level of distinction, and will not give up any part of it.

19.3Vajrapāṇi, Lord of the Guhyakas, said, “Good, Blessed One!” And he and the whole assembly listened to the Blessed One, as the Blessed One said this to them:

19.4“In this regard, friends, noble sons and noble daughters with ambition who have conceived the aspiration for unsurpassable and perfect awakening are believers. They have an abundance of faith. They have a desire to be in sight of the noble ones and they desire to hear the Dharma. Without greed, they freely surrender everything. Their hands are open, and they delight in making gifts. They have an urge to sponsor sacrifices. They have a connection with surrender and they delight in sharing with others through their generosity.

19.5“Their thoughts are free of hostility and they possess clarity of mind. They believe in the idea that actions produce consequences. They take an active interest in it; they put their confidence in it. They are free of uncertainty, they have no doubts, and they do not take the opposing viewpoint. They know [F.176.a] that the fruits of good and bad actions do not perish, and so they do not do what should not be done, even for the sake of their lives.

19.6“They abstain from harming beings. They abstain from taking what is not given; they abstain from sexual misconduct; they abstain from lying, from slanderous speech, from harsh speech, and from idle chatter; and they abstain from covetousness, from malice, and from wrong views. They undertake the path of the ten forms of good conduct, and they do not take the path of the ten forms of bad conduct.

19.7“Full of belief and ready to be guided, such a noble son or daughter recognizes ascetics and brahmins whose conduct is right; who have practiced what is right; who are in full possession of moral conduct, virtue, and wisdom; who are experts; who have the quality of goodness; who are greatly learned; who have applied themselves to knowledge; who have repeatedly applied careful attention; who are calm, controlled, and at peace; who speak with restraint, assume an inoffensive manner, and have good intentions; who expel bad qualities; who are not haughty or condescending; who are not boisterous; who are not loose with their words; who attend to mindfulness; whose minds are concentrated in meditation; who have cut off the conduit to continued existence; who have drawn out the thorn; who have put down their burden; who have left behind uncertainty; who have left behind doubt; and who have left behind future rebirth‍—such a noble son or daughter knows them to be companions in what is good who appear in the form of ascetics and brahmins, but are actually buddhas and disciples of buddhas, and serves them, supports them, stays close to them, pleases them, does not displease them, and gains their favor.

19.8“Companions in what is good whose favor is gained in this way make it clear, by means of talking about the nature of things, that generosity brings a state of great enjoyment. They demonstrate it; they enable noble sons and daughters to grasp it; they make them excited about it; they make them pleased about it. Similarly, they also make it clear that moral conduct brings rebirth in the heavens, that learning brings about a state of great wisdom, and that meditative cultivation brings freedom. They do so by saying:

19.9“ ‘This is giving; this is the result of giving. [F.176.b] This is stinginess; this is the result of stinginess. This is moral conduct; this is the result of moral conduct. This is immoral conduct; this is the result of immoral conduct. This is patience; this is the result of patience. This is heroic effort; this is the result of heroic effort. This is meditation; this is the result of meditation. This is wisdom; this is the result of wisdom. This is the state of one whose powers of discrimination are faulty; this is the result of the state of one whose powers of discrimination are faulty.

19.10“ ‘This is good behavior with the body; this is the result of good behavior with the body. This is bad behavior with the body; this is the result of bad behavior with the body. This is good verbal behavior; this is the result of good verbal behavior. This is bad verbal behavior; this is the result of bad verbal behavior. This is good behavior with the mind; this is the result of good behavior with the mind. This is bad behavior with the mind; this is the result of bad behavior with the mind.

19.11“ ‘This is virtue. This is vice. This is what should be done. This is what should not be done. Doing this is to one’s benefit, prosperity, bliss, and aims for a long time, but doing this is not to one’s benefit, prosperity, bliss, and aims for a long time.’

19.12“This, indeed, is how those companions in what is good demonstrate it to noble sons and daughters, how they enable them to grasp it, how they make them excited about it, how they make them pleased about it. And then, once they know that someone is a worthy recipient of the Dharma, they offer profound teachings‍—for instance, teachings on emptiness, teachings on groundlessness, teachings on desirelessness, teachings on what is unconditioned, teachings on what is not born and does not arise, and teachings on the lack of a self, the lack of a being, the lack of a life force, and the lack of a person.

19.13“They offer profound teachings on dependent arising, saying, ‘This being so, this comes to be. [F.177.a] This not being so, this does not come to be. This being so, this arises. This not being so, this ceases.’

19.14“And they also say, ‘With ignorance as the condition, latent tendencies come to be; with latent tendencies as the condition, consciousness comes to be; with consciousness as the condition, name and form come to be; with name and form as the condition, the six sense spheres come to be; with the six sense spheres as the condition, sense contact comes to be; with sense contact as the condition, feeling comes to be; with feeling as the condition, craving comes to be; with craving as the condition, clinging comes to be; with clinging as the condition, becoming comes to be; with becoming as the condition, birth comes to be; and with birth as the condition, old age and death come to be, along with grief, lamentation, suffering, displeasure, and despair. Such is the origin of this whole great mass of suffering.

19.15“ ‘That not being so, this does not come to be. From the ceasing of that, this ceases. So, from the ceasing of ignorance, latent tendencies cease; from the ceasing of latent tendencies, consciousness ceases; from the ceasing of consciousness, name and form cease; from the ceasing of name and form, the six sense spheres cease; from the ceasing of the six sense spheres, sense contact ceases; from the ceasing of sense contact, feeling ceases; from the ceasing of feeling, craving ceases; from the ceasing of craving, clinging ceases; from the ceasing of clinging, becoming ceases; from the ceasing of becoming, birth ceases; from the ceasing of birth, aging and death cease, along with grief, lamentation, suffering, displeasure, and despair. Such is the cessation of this whole great mass of suffering.

19.16“ ‘In the respect, moreover, from the perspective of the ultimate truth, nothing can be found of which there is the arising or the cessation, and that is because all things that are dependently arisen are without an owner, a doer, or an experiencer. Furthermore, with respect to what comes into being through causes and conditions, there is no thing that comes into being, turns back into nonbeing, or returns into being. The notion that there are the three worlds comes into being as a result of bewilderment caused by what is unreal, and not otherwise. The notion persists through the afflictions; it persists through action; [F.177.b] it persists through suffering. However, if one were to examine this false conception from the perspective of the true nature of things, there is no thing whatsoever, nor is there a doer of anything at all. Where a doer cannot be found, in such a case it should be said that nothing comes into being, turns back into nonbeing, or returns into being.’

19.17“Hearing such a profound teaching about the nature of things, noble sons and daughters do not hesitate. They do not doubt. They comprehend that all things have the nature of being unbound, and so they do not become bound to form, and they do not become bound to feeling, conception, latent tendencies, or consciousness. They do not become bound to the eye, form, or visual consciousness. Likewise, they do not become bound to the ear, the nose, the tongue, or the body, or to the mind, mental objects, or the consciousness of mind. They believe that all things are naturally empty and naturally isolated and free.

19.18“A bodhisattva who is grounded in such a belief, friends, does not stop seeing the buddhas. He does not stop listening to the Dharma. He does not stop serving the Saṅgha. Wherever he is born, he is not separated from seeing the buddhas, hearing the Dharma, and serving the Saṅgha. He is born with his face turned toward the blessed realized ones, and from the moment of his birth he strives with heroic effort. Striving with heroic effort and focused on the search for the good Dharma, he has no desire for the life of a householder. He has no desire to become attached to a household of wives, sons, daughters, male servants, female servants, attendants, and hired dayworkers. As a youth, he does not engage in child’s play or with sensual pleasures even for a moment, and even though he is good-looking, he sets out from home in the prime of his life and enters the homeless life out of faith in the teachings of the blessed buddhas. [F.178.a]

19.19“Those who enter the homeless life acquire companions in what is good, become companions of what is good, help others to attain what is good, and become motivated by what is good. Those who are motivated by what is good listen to teachings about what is good, but their central concern is practice; they are not endowed with mere verbal intelligence. After having strived with heroic effort in a search for extensive learning, they teach the Dharma expansively to others exactly as they heard it and without a thought for material compensation or an expectation of profit, favor, or fame. They teach the Dharma to others not by relying upon their own words, but they teach the Dharma to others exactly as they heard it and exactly as it has been established.

19.20“They obtain a great love for those who hear the Dharma. They generate great compassion for all beings. Once they have extensive learning, they give no regard to their bodies or their lives, and they have few wants. They are content, live in total isolation, are easily satisfied, require little support, and are quite happy in forests and borderlands where they spend their time carefully investigating the Dharma just as they have learned it. They place their confidence in the meaning; they do not place their confidence in the words, and they become beings in whom the world with its gods, humans, and asuras places its confidence. They do not endeavor for themselves alone, but examine thoroughly and for the sake of all beings the unsurpassably great self, which is the knowledge of the buddhas.

19.21“They are intent on being watchful. What sort of watchfulness is meant here? It is what restrains the sense faculties. After seeing forms with the eye, they do not grasp on to their general features or secondary characteristics. They know the pleasure and the misery of such forms, and the freedom from them, just as they really are. In the same way, after cognizing sounds with the ear, smells with the nose, tastes with the tongue, tactile sensations with the body, and mental objects [F.178.b] with the mind, they do not grasp on to their general features or secondary characteristics. They know the pleasure and the misery of such things, and the freedom from them, just as they really are. This is called watchfulness.

19.22“Moreover, watchfulness is also controlling one’s mind, protecting the minds of others, reducing one’s delight in the afflictions, increasing one’s delight in the Dharma, and conforming to one’s delight in the Dharma. It is the state of not pursuing preoccupations of sensual desire, ill will, and cruelty. It is the state of not pursuing greed, anger, delusion, and the roots of vice. It is the state of not pursuing bad behavior with one’s body. It is the state of not pursuing bad behavior with one’s speech. It is the state of not pursuing bad behavior with one’s mind. It is the state of not pursuing the objects of one’s indiscriminate attention. It is the state of not pursuing all bad and evil things. This is called watchfulness.

19.23“Accordingly, friends, the bodhisattva who is watchful and has endeavored to pay careful attention has belief. Be watchful and a believer, Lord of the Guhyakas, have an abundance of faith, always be in harmony, be intent on the Dharma, and desire the Dharma. Indeed, those who have belief, Lord of the Guhyakas, whether human or another type of individual, do not have any fear of a bad rebirth in the next world. They do not apply their minds to bad behavior, and they are worthy of the praise of the noble ones.

19.24“Furthermore, Lord of the Guhyakas, individuals who are established in the practice of the Dharma go to places that conform with the Dharma. They do not avoid the sight of the buddhas, and having been set firmly on the noble path, they attain greatness of character. This greatness of character, Lord of the Guhyakas, which they bring to fulfillment, is itself the aspiration for awakening in order to attain the knowledge of the realized ones. What is more, Lord of the Guhyakas, humans and other individuals who want to experience bliss ought to make an effort to achieve complete cessation, which is the final rest from effort. [F.179.a]

19.25“Look at how this assembly shines, Lord of the Guhyakas! It has come together by means of the roots of past virtue. Therefore, Lord of the Guhyakas, one should make an effort so that roots of virtue are not completely ruined. And how, Lord of the Guhyakas, are roots of virtue not ruined? The roots of virtue of those gods and humans who live in watchfulness are not ruined, Lord of the Guhyakas. Therefore, watchfulness guards the mind. It drives away sense objects, it shuns the delight of sense pleasures, and it indulges the delight of the Dharma. It is the state of not pursuing preoccupations of sensual desire, ill will, and cruelty. It is the state of not pursuing the vices that are the objects of one’s indiscriminate attention. It is the state of not pursuing greed, anger, and delusion. It is the state of not pursuing the grave offenses of the body, speech, and mind. It is the state of not pursuing anything connected with ruin. This is called watchfulness.

19.26“Those who are watchful and have belief, Lord of the Guhyakas, ought to make a heroic effort that conforms with these qualities, and then, by means of such heroic effort, they will gather those qualities of which watchfulness and belief are the causes. Those who are watchful, have belief, and make heroic effort, Lord of the Guhyakas, ought to make an effort to achieve mindfulness and circumspection. With mindfulness and circumspection, none of the qualities that are conducive to awakening are ruined. Those who are watchful, have belief, make heroic effort, and are mindful and circumspect, Lord of the Guhyakas, ought to practice with care. Indeed, Lord of the Guhyakas, the bodhisattva who has practiced with care knows whether something exists or does not exist. In this respect, what exists and what does not exist?

19.27“There is the noble liberation for those who have practiced correctly. [F.179.b] This, it is said, exists. In this regard, what does not exist? There is no noble liberation for those who have practiced incorrectly. This, it is said, does not exist. Moreover, action and consequence exist. The one of whom there is the action and consequence does not exist. Moreover, conventionally, the eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind exist. One who possesses the eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind does not exist.

19.28“Moreover, for a bodhisattva who has strived with heroic effort, awakening exists. For one who is lazy, awakening does not exist. The five aggregates that arise from the distorted views exist. Things that arise without a cause do not exist.

19.29“Moreover, a form that is impermanent, causes suffering, and is subject to change exists. A form that is established in accordance with the way things truly are as being permanent, stable, eternal, and not subject to change does not exist. In the same way, a feeling, conception, latent tendency, or consciousness that is impermanent, causes suffering, and is subject to change exists. A feeling, conception, latent tendency, or consciousness that is established in accordance with the way things truly are as being permanent, stable, eternal, and not subject to change does not exist.

19.30“Moreover, what are called latent tendencies, which have ignorance as the condition, exist. When ignorance does not exist, then what are called latent tendencies do not exist. What is called consciousness, which has latent tendencies as the condition, exists. When latent tendencies do not exist, then what is called consciousness does not exist. What are called name and form, which have consciousness as the condition, exist. When consciousness does not exist, then what are called name and form do not exist. What are called the six sense spheres, which have name and form as the condition, exist. When name and form do not exist, then what are called the six sense spheres do not exist. What is called sense contact, which has the six sense spheres as the condition, exists. When the six sense spheres do not exist, then what is called sense contact does not exist. What is called feeling, which has sense contact as the condition, exists. When sense contact does not exist, then what is called feeling does not exist. What is called craving, which has feeling as the condition, exists. When feeling does not exist, then what is called craving does not exist. [F.180.a] What is called clinging, which has craving as the condition, exists. When craving does not exist, then what is called clinging does not exist. What is called becoming, which has clinging as the condition, exists. When clinging does not exist, then what is called becoming does not exist. What is called birth, which has becoming as the condition, exists. When becoming does not exist, then what is called birth does not exist. What are called old age and death, along with grief, lamentation, suffering, displeasure, and despair, which have birth as the condition, exist. When birth does not exist, then what are called old age and death, along with grief, lamentation, suffering, displeasure, and despair, do not exist.

19.31“Moreover, the development of great wealth through generosity exists. The development of poverty through generosity does not exist. Rebirth in the good realms through moral conduct exists. Rebirth in the bad realms through moral conduct does not exist. The development of great wisdom through learning exists. The development of faulty powers of discrimination through learning does not exist. The development of freedom through meditative cultivation exists. The development of bondage through meditative cultivation does not exist. The arising of afflictions for one who does not pay careful attention exists. The arising of afflictions for one who does pay careful attention does not exist.

19.32“For those who have self-conceit, a prediction of perfect knowledge does not exist. For those who do not have self-conceit, cessation exists.

19.33“Moreover, all-pervasive emptiness exists. A self that pervades an individual does not exist. For those who have knowledge, liberation exists. For those who are proud, freedom does not exist. That which is called a self, a being, a life force, and an individual does not exist.

19.34“Bodhisattvas who are watchful and pay careful attention, Lord of the Guhyakas, know that those things exist which those in the world who are wise say exist. They know that those things do not exist which those in the world who are wise say do not exist. [F.180.b] They are not attached to the conventional expression ‘that exists.’ They are not attached to the conventional expression ‘that does not exist.’ They understand the correct meaning of what is taught by the blessed buddhas.

19.35“When the realized ones give a concise outline of all things, Lord of the Guhyakas, they lay out a set of the four statements of the Dharma. What are these four? First, all conditioned things are impermanent. This is stated in order to defeat ascetics and brahmins who speak of permanence and those who have the idea that the long-lived gods are eternal. Second, all conditioned things are suffering. This is stated in order to defeat those that have the idea that gods and humans are happy. Third, all things are without self. This is stated in order to defeat those rival teachers who assert that there is a self. Fourth, nirvāṇa is peace. This is said in order to defeat those with self-conceit who engage in vain ruminations.

19.36“What is called impermanence, Lord of the Guhyakas, is a designation with the meaning of momentariness. What is called suffering is a designation for being without desire. What is called being without self is a designation for the defining characteristic of emptiness. The statement nirvāṇa is peace is a designation for the direct realization of groundlessness.

19.37“Bodhisattvas who are thus inclined toward all things in this way and who pay careful attention, Lord of the Guhyakas, do not neglect the qualities that are conducive to awakening, or allow them to become ruined. Indeed, they quickly bring to completion all the qualities of a buddha.”

19.38At this point, the Four Great Kings, who are the protectors of the world, spoke to the Blessed One. “Blessed One,” they said, “it is said that we, the Four Great Kings, are the protectors the world. How should we protect the world, Blessed One?”

19.39The Blessed One then responded to the Four Great Kings, the protectors of the world, saying, “Friends, you should protect the world with deeds of the Dharma. [F.181.a] In this respect, those who walk the path of the ten forms of good conduct protect the world. What are the ten forms? They are as follows: you renounce the taking of life; you remain satisfied with your own wealth; you do not fly around with the wives of others; you are truthful to those who practice the Dharma; you do not divide other communities; you do not sow discord by using harsh speech; you use only the words that are necessary and you do not deceive others; you do not desire the wealth of others; you calm feelings of ill will; and you hold correct and pure views. Friends, those who walk the path of those ten forms of good conduct protect the world.

19.40“There are eight more things, friends, that protect the world. What are these eight things? They are as follows: just as one speaks, so does one act; one respects one’s teachers; one treats everyone consistently; one is honest; one is gracious; one has thoughts of love toward all sentient beings; one does not do any bad deeds; and one gathers all the roots of virtue. Friends, these eight things protect the world.

19.41“There are also six things that bring total satisfaction, friends, and these things protect the world, too. What are these six things? The first thing that brings total satisfaction is conduct with one’s body that shows love for the teacher, for the wise ones who lead the holy life, and for all beings. It satisfies them, shows them respect, and pleases them, and the cultivation of actions that satisfy, show respect, and please them attracts others and makes them ready for meditative concentration.

19.42“Similarly, the second and third things that bring total satisfaction are conduct with one’s speech and conduct with one’s mind that show love for the teacher, for the wise ones who lead the holy life, and for all beings. They satisfy them, show them respect, and please them, and the cultivation of actions that satisfy, show respect, and please them attracts others and makes them ready for meditative concentration. [F.181.b]

19.43“The fourth thing that brings total satisfaction is the intent to share whatever one has obtained in accordance with the Dharma, including even those virtuous offerings that have been placed in one’s alms bowl, with the wise ones who lead the holy life. It satisfies them, shows them respect, and pleases them, and the cultivation of actions that satisfy, show respect, and please them attracts others and makes them ready for meditative concentration.

19.44“The fifth thing that brings total satisfaction is the intent to uphold moral conduct together with the wise ones who lead the holy life, a moral conduct that is persistent, flawless, pure, good, autonomous, undefiled, praised by the wise, and not condemned by the wise ones who lead the holy life. It satisfies them, shows them respect, and pleases them, and the cultivation of actions that satisfy, show respect, and please them attracts others and makes them ready for meditative concentration.

19.45“The sixth thing that brings total satisfaction is the intent to uphold the view that accords with the wise ones who lead the holy life‍—the view that is conducive to the forms of penetrating insight that are mastered by the noble ones, the view that completely eliminates suffering, the view of those adept at bringing suffering to an end. It satisfies them, shows them respect, and pleases them, and the cultivation of actions that satisfy, show respect, and please them attracts others and makes them ready for meditative concentration. These are the six things that bring total satisfaction, friends, and these things protect the world, too.

19.46“There are four more things, friends, that protect the world. What are these four things? They are as follows: lust, hatred, delusion, [F.182.a] and fear‍—through the abandonment of these things one is not driven by lust onto a wrong course of action, one is not driven by hatred onto a wrong course of action, one is not driven by delusion onto a wrong course of action, and one is not driven by fear onto a wrong course of action. These four things, friends‍—that is, the abandonment of the four wrong courses of action‍—protect the world.

19.47“There are two more things, friends, that protect the world. What are these two things? They are the following: a sense of shame and a feeling of remorse. These two things protect the world.

19.48“There are also some single things, friends, that protect the world. What are these things? They are the following: The truth protects the world. Speaking well protects the world. Guilelessness protects the world. These single things, friends, protect the world.

19.49“If one practices these sets of things, friends, one protects the world. Protect the world, friends, by practicing these sets of things.”

19.50This was the nineteenth chapter, “The Protectors of the World.”