華嚴經 品三十八 離世間品 · 因圓果滿行五十一門Avataṃsaka Sūtra · Detachment from the World · The Fifty-One Gates of the Practice of the Perfected Cause and the Fulfilled Fruit

Fifty-one gates stand open, and the last of them opens through to nirvāṇa.

This is the last of the rounds of Samantabhadra’s answering, running from “there are ten kinds of contemplation” to “manifesting parinirvāṇa.” The earlier part teaches you how to look, how to practice, and how to keep clear of obstruction; the later part plays through the whole course of accomplishing the Way. Not one stage-name occurs — the ten faiths, the ten abodes, the ten grounds, and names of that sort are an outline the ancient worthies set up on the basis of the Dushi jing, which Chengguan carried on and used; the scripture itself does not say them. The coordinates can be taken away, and the gates are still there.

The most piercing thing among the fifty-one gates is the ten māras: the māra of the roots of good, the māra of samādhi, the māra of the good friend, the māra of the wisdom of the dharma of awakening. How can roots of good be a māra? Chengguan answers without the least hesitation — “the name māra of the aggregates comes solely from grasping and attachment” — the name māra does not fall upon the thing, it falls upon the grasping. And he pushes it one sentence further: “when the mind discriminates, the ten thousand dharmas are all māra; how should it be only these ten?”

The warmest sentence is in the gate on the smile. After each of the ten thoughts comes the same sentence, “with glad delight he smiles and inwardly vows.” Within the thoughts there is the shouldering of ‘apart from me alone, none is able to save them,’ and there is also the sadness of seeing those who once walked with him left standing where they were. Compassion, with not a trace of gladness, cannot be sustained; gladness, with not a trace of sorrow, goes astray.

The last gate speaks of entering extinction, and among the ten senses not one says that the Buddha really went away; every one of them is “manifesting.”

A gate is for walking through, not for looking at.

From beginning to end this stretch is Samantabhadra Bodhisattva speaking alone, and those who listen are Universal Wisdom and the other bodhisattvas. Forty-nine of the gates all open with one call from Samantabhadra to the great assembly, “Sons of the Buddha” (gates 29 and 31, carrying on from what precedes them, begin instead with “if the bodhisattvas”). In the last three gates (gates 49 to 51) the grammatical subject shifts to “the Tathāgata, the Worthy One, the Perfectly Awakened One,” and what is spoken of is the affair of a buddha; yet it is still Samantabhadra who is speaking, and not the Buddha himself present and opening his mouth.

Gate 1. Contemplation: Ten Kinds of Eye for Seeing into Things

(Samantabhadra Bodhisattva speaks to Universal Wisdom and the other bodhisattvas:)

“Sons of the Buddha! Bodhisattva-mahāsattvas have ten kinds of contemplation. Which are the ten? Namely: the contemplation that knows all deeds — for the reason that even the most subtle of deeds is wholly seen; the contemplation that knows all destinies — for the reason that he sees where sentient beings go as they turn and flow, and yet grasps at no real sentient being; the contemplation that knows all faculties — for the reason that he penetrates through to the faculties having of themselves no fixed nature; the contemplation that knows all dharmas — for the reason that in contemplating he does not destroy the Dharma realm; the contemplation that sees the Buddha-dharma — for the reason that he diligently cultivates the eye of a buddha; the contemplation that obtains wisdom — for the reason that he is able to speak the Dharma in accord with the principle; the contemplation of the forbearance of non-arising — for the reason that with regard to the Buddha-dharma he has decided and understood; the contemplation of the ground of nonretrogression — for the reason that he has extinguished all the afflictions and has passed beyond the three realms and the station of the two vehicles; the contemplation of the ground of consecration — for the reason that with regard to all the dharmas of the buddhas he is master and unshaken; the contemplation of the samādhi of the wisdom of good awakening — for the reason that in all places in the ten directions he is able to do the work of a buddha. These are the ten. If a bodhisattva abides securely in this dharma, then he will obtain the unsurpassed great wisdom of contemplation of a Tathāgata.

Gate 2. Universal Contemplation: Ten Kinds of Looking That Reaches Everywhere

“Sons of the Buddha! Bodhisattva-mahāsattvas have ten kinds of universal contemplation. Which are the ten? Namely: universally contemplating all who come to beg — satisfying their wishes with a mind that does not go against them; universally contemplating all sentient beings who break the precepts — settling them in the pure precepts of a Tathāgata; universally contemplating all sentient beings who harbor a harming mind — settling them in the power of patience of a Tathāgata; universally contemplating all indolent sentient beings — urging them to be diligent and not to set down the burden of the Great Vehicle; universally contemplating all sentient beings whose minds are scattered — causing them to abide in the ground of the all-knowing wisdom of a Tathāgata and be scattered and stirred no more; universally contemplating all sentient beings of evil understanding — removing their doubts for them and demolishing the view that things exist; universally contemplating all good friends who are even-minded — following their instruction and abiding in the Buddha-dharma; universally contemplating all the dharmas that are heard — so as swiftly to realize and see the highest meaning; universally contemplating all boundless sentient beings — never forsaking the power of great compassion; universally contemplating all the dharmas of the buddhas — so as swiftly to accomplish all-knowing wisdom. These are the ten. If a bodhisattva abides securely in this dharma, then he will obtain the unsurpassed universal contemplation of the great wisdom of a Tathāgata.

Gate 3. Rousing Might: Ten Marks of Majesty Breaking Forth All at Once

“Sons of the Buddha! Bodhisattva-mahāsattvas have ten kinds of rousing might. Which are the ten? Namely: the rousing might of the bull-king — for the reason that it outshines and eclipses all the great assemblies of gods, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, and the rest; the rousing might of the elephant-king — for the reason that the nature of his mind is well tamed and gentle, and he is able to bear the burden of all sentient beings; the rousing might of the nāga-king — for the reason that he raises up the dense clouds of the great Dharma, makes the lightning of liberation flash, shakes forth the thunder of the meaning as it truly is, and rains down the sweet-dew rain of the faculties, the powers, the limbs of awakening, meditative concentration, liberation, and samādhi; the rousing might of the great garuḍa-king — for the reason that he dries up the water of craving, breaks open the shell of delusion, seizes and snatches those venomous evil nāgas the afflictions, and makes them come forth from the great sea of the suffering of birth-and-death; the rousing might of the great lion-king — for the reason that he abides securely in the fearless, even-minded great wisdom, and taking it as his weapon crushes and subdues the hosts of māra and the outsiders; the rousing might of bravery and strength — for the reason that in that great battle-array of birth-and-death he is able to crush and destroy all the foes that are the afflictions; the rousing might of great wisdom — for the reason that he knows the aggregates, the elements, and the sense-fields and the various dependent originations, and is able with mastery to open up and reveal all dharmas; the rousing might of the dhāraṇī — for the reason that with the power of mindfulness and the power of wisdom he holds the Dharma and does not forget it, and expounds it for sentient beings according to their faculties; the rousing might of eloquence — for the reason that unobstructed and swift he discriminates all things, and causes all who hear to be benefited and glad at heart; the rousing might of a Tathāgata — for the reason that the dharmas that aid the path toward the wisdom of all-knowing wisdom are all of them complete, and with the wisdom of a single thought-moment’s conjunction he obtains all that is to be obtained and awakens to all that is to be awakened to, mounts the lion-seat, subdues the foes that are māra, and accomplishes unsurpassed perfect awakening. These are the ten. If a bodhisattva abides securely in this dharma, then he will obtain the unsurpassed and masterful rousing might of the buddhas with regard to all dharmas.

Gate 4. The Lion’s Roar: Ten Phrases of Decisive and Fearless Proclamation

“Sons of the Buddha! Bodhisattva-mahāsattvas have ten kinds of lion’s roar. Which are the ten? Namely: proclaiming, ‘I shall surely accomplish perfect awakening.’ This is the great lion’s roar of the mind of awakening. ‘I shall cause all sentient beings — those not crossed over to be crossed over, those not liberated to be liberated, those who have not gained security to gain security, and those who have not gained nirvāṇa to gain nirvāṇa.’ This is the great lion’s roar of great compassion. ‘I shall cause the three lineages of the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Saṅgha never to be cut off.’ This is the great lion’s roar of requiting the kindness of the Tathāgata. ‘I shall adorn and purify all buddha-lands.’ This is the great lion’s roar of the ultimately firm oath. ‘I shall extinguish all the evil destinies and all the places of difficulty.’ This is the great lion’s roar of upholding the pure precepts for oneself. ‘I shall fulfill the adornment of the marks and signs of the body, speech, and mind of all the buddhas.’ This is the great lion’s roar of seeking merit without ever tiring of it. ‘I shall completely accomplish all the wisdom that all the buddhas possess.’ This is the great lion’s roar of seeking wisdom without ever tiring of it. ‘I shall extinguish all the hosts of māra and all the deeds of māra.’ This is the great lion’s roar of cultivating right practice and cutting off the afflictions. ‘I shall fully know that all dharmas are without self, without a sentient being, without a life-span, without a pudgala, empty, without mark, without wish, and pure as empty space.’ This is the great lion’s roar of the forbearance of the non-arising of dharmas. The bodhisattva of the final body shakes all the buddha-lands and causes them all to be adorned and purified; and at that time all the Śakras, the Brahmā kings, and the four heavenly kings come to praise and to entreat him: ‘We only pray that the bodhisattva, by the dharma of non-arising, may manifest the taking on of birth!’ Then the bodhisattva, with the unobstructed eye of wisdom, universally contemplates the world and says: ‘Among all sentient beings there is none that is my equal.’ And straightaway he manifests his birth in the royal palace, walks seven steps of himself, and makes a great lion’s roar: ‘In the world I am the most excellent and the first; I shall forever exhaust the far bound of birth-and-death.’ This is the great lion’s roar of doing as one has said. These are the ten. If a bodhisattva abides securely in this dharma, then he will obtain the unsurpassed great lion’s roar of a Tathāgata.

Gate 5. Pure Giving: Ten Kinds of Giving with Nothing Mixed In

“Sons of the Buddha! Bodhisattva-mahāsattvas have ten kinds of pure giving. Which are the ten? Namely: even-minded giving — for the reason that he does not pick and choose among sentient beings; giving as they wish — for the reason that he satisfies what they desire; giving without disorder — for the reason that he means to make them truly gain benefit; giving as is fitting — for the reason that he knows the difference of higher, middling, and lower; giving that does not abide — for the reason that he seeks no reward; giving that opens and lets go — for the reason that his mind is not fond and attached; giving of everything — for the reason that it is ultimately pure; giving dedicated and directed to awakening — for the reason that he has left far behind the two extremes of the conditioned and the unconditioned; giving that teaches and transforms sentient beings — for the reason that all the way to the place of the Way he does not forsake them; giving with the three spheres pure — for the reason that with regard to the one who gives, the one who receives, and the thing given he rightly and mindfully contemplates, as though they were empty space. These are the ten. If a bodhisattva abides securely in this dharma, then he will obtain the unsurpassed pure and vast giving of a Tathāgata.

Gate 6. Pure Precepts: Ten Kinds of Keeping the Precepts with Nothing Mixed In

“Sons of the Buddha! Bodhisattva-mahāsattvas have ten kinds of pure precepts. Which are the ten? Namely: the pure precept of the body — for the reason that he guards against the three evils of the body; the pure precept of speech — for the reason that he leaves behind the four faults of the mouth; the pure precept of the mind — for the reason that he forever leaves behind greed, anger, and wrong views; the pure precept of not breaking any point of the training — for the reason that he means to be the honored lord among all humans and gods; the pure precept of guarding the mind of awakening — for the reason that he takes no delight in the Lesser Vehicle; the pure precept of guarding what the Tathāgata has laid down — for the reason that toward even the most subtle offense he gives rise to great dread; the pure precept of guarding it in secret — for the reason that he means skillfully to pull out and rescue sentient beings who break the precepts; the pure precept of doing no evil at all — for the reason that he vows to cultivate all the dharmas of good; the pure precept of leaving far behind all views that things exist — for the reason that toward the precepts themselves too he has no attachment; the pure precept of guarding all sentient beings — for the reason that from it great compassion is set going. These are the ten. If a bodhisattva abides securely in this dharma, then he will obtain the unsurpassed and faultless pure precepts of a Tathāgata.

Gate 7. Pure Patience: Ten Kinds of Patience with Nothing Mixed In

“Sons of the Buddha! Bodhisattva-mahāsattvas have ten kinds of pure patience. Which are the ten? Namely: the pure patience that calmly bears slander and humiliation — for the reason that he means to guard sentient beings in his thought; the pure patience that calmly bears the knife and the staff — for the reason that he means well to guard himself and others; the pure patience of giving rise to no anger and harm — for the reason that his mind is unmoved; the pure patience of not reproaching the lowly — for the reason that one who occupies the higher place ought of himself to be forbearing; the pure patience of rescuing and guarding all who come and take refuge — for the reason that he is able to give away even his own body and life; the pure patience of leaving far behind the conceit of self — for the reason that he does not look down on those who have not yet learned; the pure patience of not being angry though maimed and reviled — for the reason that he contemplates all this as an illusion; the pure patience of not repaying the offenses of others — for the reason that he sees neither self nor other; the pure patience of not following the afflictions — for the reason that he has left the various objective realms behind; the pure patience that accords with the true wisdom of a bodhisattva and fully knows that all dharmas are without arising — for the reason that, without being taught by another, he has entered the realm of all-knowing wisdom. These are the ten. If a bodhisattva abides securely within this, then he will obtain the unsurpassed forbearance in the Dharma of all the buddhas, awakened to not through another.

Gate 8. Pure Vigor: Ten Kinds of Vigor with Nothing Mixed In

“Sons of the Buddha! Bodhisattva-mahāsattvas have ten kinds of pure vigor. Which are the ten? Namely: the pure vigor of the body — serving and making offerings to the buddhas and the bodhisattvas and the various teachers and elders, honoring the fields of merit and not turning back; the pure vigor of speech — expounding at length for others what he has heard of the Dharma, praising the merits of the buddhas without wearying; the pure vigor of the mind — well able to enter and to come forth from loving-kindness, compassion, joy, equanimity, meditative concentration, liberation, and the various samādhis, without any rest; the pure vigor of the upright mind — not deceiving and not flattering, not crooked and not false, diligently cultivating everything and not turning back; the pure vigor of the ascendant mind — his aspiration ever tending toward the wisdom that is higher and higher, wishing to be complete in all the white and pure dharmas; the pure vigor that is not spent in vain — taking in giving, keeping the precepts, patience, much hearing, and non-heedlessness, and all the way to awakening never stopping midway; the pure vigor that crushes and subdues all māras — able wholly to extinguish greed, anger, delusion, wrong views, all the afflictions, and the various entanglements and coverings; the pure vigor that completes the light of wisdom — whatever he does he well contemplates and makes ultimate, not letting himself afterward regret it, and obtaining the dharmas not held in common of all the buddhas; the pure vigor of no coming and no going — obtaining the wisdom of things as they truly are, entering the gate of the Dharma realm, body, speech, and mind all of them even, fully knowing that mark is non-mark, with nothing grasped at; the pure vigor that accomplishes the light of the Dharma — surpassing the various grounds, obtaining the consecration of the buddhas, and with an uncontaminated body manifesting passing away, birth, leaving home, accomplishing the Way, speaking the Dharma, and extinction, complete in affairs of Samantabhadra such as these. These are the ten. If a bodhisattva abides securely in this dharma, then he will obtain the unsurpassed great pure vigor of a Tathāgata.

Gate 9. Pure Meditation: Ten Kinds of Meditation with Nothing Mixed In

“Sons of the Buddha! Bodhisattva-mahāsattvas have ten kinds of pure meditation. Which are the ten? Namely: the pure meditation of ever delighting in leaving home — for the reason that he has given away all that he has; the pure meditation of obtaining a true good friend — for the reason that there is one who shows and teaches the right road; the pure meditation of dwelling in an araṇya and being able to endure wind and rain and the rest — for the reason that he has left behind self and what belongs to self; the pure meditation of leaving behind sentient beings who are clamorous — for the reason that he ever delights in stillness; the pure meditation in which the workings of the mind are tamed and gentle — for the reason that he guards the faculties; the pure meditation in which the mind and wisdom are at rest and extinguished — for the reason that no sound whatever and none of the thorns of the meditative concentrations can disturb him; the pure meditation of the skillful means of the way of awakening — for the reason that he contemplates all as realized before him; the pure meditation of leaving behind the relishing of its taste — for the reason that he does not forsake the realm of desire; the pure meditation that sets going the spiritual penetrations and the clarities — for the reason that he knows the nature of the faculties of all sentient beings; the pure meditation of masterful play — for the reason that entering the samādhi of the buddhas, he knows the absence of self. These are the ten. If a bodhisattva abides securely within this, then he will obtain the unsurpassed great pure meditation of a Tathāgata.

Gate 10. Pure Wisdom: Ten Kinds of Wisdom with Nothing Mixed In

“Sons of the Buddha! Bodhisattva-mahāsattvas have ten kinds of pure wisdom. Which are the ten? Namely: the pure wisdom that knows all causes — for the reason that he does not destroy the fruit and its recompense; the pure wisdom that knows all conditions — for the reason that he does not go against the principle of coming together; the pure wisdom that knows neither cutting off nor permanence — for the reason that with regard to dependent origination he penetrates through to it all as it truly is; the pure wisdom that pulls out all views — for the reason that toward the marks of sentient beings he neither takes up nor sets down; the pure wisdom that contemplates the movements of the minds of all sentient beings — for the reason that he fully knows them to be like an illusion; the pure wisdom of vast eloquence — for the reason that in discriminating the various dharmas he asks and answers without obstruction; the pure wisdom that none of the māras, the outsiders, the śrāvakas, and the pratyekabuddhas can know — for the reason that he has entered deeply into the wisdom of all the tathāgatas; the pure wisdom that sees the subtle and wondrous dharma-body of all the buddhas, sees the original nature of all sentient beings to be pure, sees all dharmas to be wholly at rest and extinguished, and sees all lands to be the same as empty space — for the reason that he knows all marks to be without obstruction; the pure wisdom of all the holdings-together, the eloquences, and the perfection of skillful means — for the reason that it makes people obtain all the most excellent wisdom; the pure wisdom of the adamantine wisdom of a single thought-moment’s conjunction, fully knowing all dharmas to be even — for the reason that he obtains the most honored wisdom among all dharmas. These are the ten. If a bodhisattva abides securely within this, then he will obtain the unobstructed great wisdom of a Tathāgata.

Gate 11. Pure Loving-Kindness: Ten Kinds of Loving-Kindness with Nothing Mixed In

“Sons of the Buddha! Bodhisattva-mahāsattvas have ten kinds of pure loving-kindness. Which are the ten? Namely: the pure loving-kindness of an even mind — for the reason that he universally takes in sentient beings and does not pick and choose among them; the pure loving-kindness of enriching and benefiting — for the reason that whatever he does makes people glad; the pure loving-kindness that treats others as oneself — for the reason that in the end he means to make them come forth from birth-and-death; the pure loving-kindness that does not forsake the world — for the reason that his mind is ever set upon the amassing of roots of good; the pure loving-kindness that is able to reach liberation — for the reason that he universally causes sentient beings to extinguish all the afflictions; the pure loving-kindness that brings forth awakening — for the reason that he universally causes sentient beings to set going the mind that seeks all-knowing wisdom; the pure loving-kindness unobstructed in the world — for the reason that he sends forth a great light that shines everywhere and evenly; the pure loving-kindness that fills empty space — for the reason that in rescuing and guarding sentient beings there is no place he does not reach; the pure loving-kindness that has dharmas as its ground — for the reason that he realizes the real dharma of suchness; the pure loving-kindness that has no ground — for the reason that he enters into the nature of a bodhisattva’s leaving arising behind. These are the ten. If a bodhisattva abides securely in this dharma, then he will obtain the unsurpassed and vast pure loving-kindness of a Tathāgata.

Gate 12. Pure Compassion: Ten Kinds of Compassion with Nothing Mixed In

“Sons of the Buddha! Bodhisattva-mahāsattvas have ten kinds of pure compassion. Which are the ten? Namely: the pure compassion that has no companion — for the reason that he sets going this mind alone and by himself. The pure compassion that does not weary and tire — for the reason that he undergoes suffering in place of all sentient beings and does not take it for toil. The pure compassion of taking birth in a place of difficulty — for the reason that it is for the sake of crossing sentient beings over. The pure compassion of taking birth in a good destiny — for the reason that he means to manifest impermanence. The pure compassion set going for sentient beings of the wrong fixity — for the reason that through kalpa after kalpa he does not forsake his great vow. The pure compassion that is not greedily attached to his own ease and joy — for the reason that he means universally to give joy to sentient beings. The pure compassion that seeks no requital of kindness — for the reason that he is only purifying his own mind. The pure compassion that is able to remove inversion — for the reason that he means to speak the dharma as it truly is. Bodhisattva-mahāsattvas know that all dharmas are in their original nature pure, without defiling attachment, without burning distress, and that it is only because of the adventitious afflictions that beings undergo the various sufferings; knowing this, they give rise to great compassion toward sentient beings, and this is named ‘the original nature is pure’ — for the reason that they mean to expound for them the dharma of undefiled, pure light. Bodhisattva-mahāsattvas know that all dharmas are like the track of a bird flying through the sky, and that sentient beings are veiled by the film of delusion and cannot see it clearly; contemplating them, they set going the mind of great compassion, and this is named ‘the wisdom of what is real’ — for the reason that they mean to open up and reveal for them the dharma of nirvāṇa. These are the ten. If a bodhisattva abides securely in this dharma, then he will obtain the unsurpassed and vast pure compassion of a Tathāgata.

Gate 13. Pure Joy: Ten Kinds of Gladness with Nothing Mixed In

“Sons of the Buddha! Bodhisattva-mahāsattvas have ten kinds of pure joy. Which are the ten? Namely: the pure joy of giving rise to the aspiration for awakening; the pure joy of giving away all that he has; the pure joy of not disdaining sentient beings who break the precepts but teaching and bringing them to accomplishment; the pure joy of being able to bear with sentient beings who do evil and, moreover, vowing to save and cross them over; the pure joy of giving away his body in seeking the Dharma and giving rise to no regret afterward; the pure joy of casting away the joy of desire for himself and ever delighting in the joy of the Dharma; the pure joy of causing all sentient beings to cast away the joy of the goods of life and ever to delight in the joy of the Dharma; the pure joy of seeing all the buddhas, reverencing and making offerings without ever having enough, the Dharma realm being even; the pure joy of causing all sentient beings to delight in meditative concentration, liberation, and samādhi, entering, coming forth, and playing therein; the pure joy of delighting at heart to be complete in cultivating all the austerities that accord with the way of a bodhisattva, and to realize the unsurpassed concentration and wisdom of silence, stillness, and immovability. These are the ten. If a bodhisattva abides securely in this dharma, then he will obtain the unsurpassed and vast pure joy of a Tathāgata.

Gate 14. Pure Equanimity: Ten Kinds of Even-Minded Letting Go with Nothing Mixed In

“Sons of the Buddha! Bodhisattva-mahāsattvas have ten kinds of pure equanimity. Which are the ten? Namely: the pure equanimity in which all sentient beings reverence and make offerings and yet no fond attachment arises; the pure equanimity in which all sentient beings slight, revile, and humiliate and yet no anger arises; the pure equanimity of ever walking within the world and yet not being stained by the eight dharmas of the world; the pure equanimity of waiting for the time to teach and cross over those sentient beings who are fit vessels for the Dharma, and of not giving rise to disdain toward those who are not fit for it either; the pure equanimity of not seeking the dharmas of the two vehicles, of the learner and of the one beyond learning; the pure equanimity of a mind ever leaving far behind all joys of desire and the dharmas that go along with the afflictions; the pure equanimity of not praising the two vehicles and not being weary of and turning from birth-and-death; the pure equanimity of leaving far behind all the speech of the world — whatever is not the speech of nirvāṇa, not the speech of leaving desire behind, speech not in accord with principle, speech that vexes and disturbs others, and the speech of śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas: to say it in brief, of leaving far behind all speech that obstructs the way of a bodhisattva; the pure equanimity of waiting for the time to teach and transform those sentient beings whose faculties are already ripe and in whom mindfulness and wisdom have arisen but who still cannot know the highest dharma; the pure equanimity of likewise waiting for the time with those sentient beings whom the bodhisattva has already taught and transformed in former ages and who can be tamed only when they reach the ground of buddhahood; the pure equanimity in which bodhisattva-mahāsattvas, toward these two kinds of persons, are without high and without low, without taking up and without setting down, leaving far behind all the various discriminations, ever abiding in right concentration, entering the dharma of things as they truly are, and gaining a mind that can bear it. These are the ten. If a bodhisattva abides securely within this, then he will obtain the unsurpassed and vast pure equanimity of a Tathāgata.

Gate 15. Meaning: Ten Kinds of Meaning That Is Conveyed

“Sons of the Buddha! Bodhisattva-mahāsattvas have ten kinds of meaning. Which are the ten? Namely: the meaning of much hearing — for the reason that it lies in cultivating firmly; the meaning of dharma — for the reason that it lies in deliberating and choosing skillfully; the meaning of emptiness — for the reason that it is the emptiness of the highest truth; the meaning of stillness — for the reason that it leaves behind the clamor of sentient beings; the meaning of the unspeakable — for the reason that he is not attached to any speech; the meaning of things as they truly are — for the reason that he penetrates through to the three times being even; the meaning of the Dharma realm — for the reason that all dharmas are of one taste; the meaning of suchness — for the reason that all the tathāgatas enter in accord with it; the meaning of the true limit — for the reason that he fully knows the ultimate as it truly is; the meaning of the great parinirvāṇa — for the reason that he extinguishes all suffering and yet still cultivates the various practices of a bodhisattva. These are the ten. If a bodhisattva abides securely in this dharma, then he will obtain the unsurpassed meaning of all-knowing wisdom.

Gate 16. Dharma: Ten Dharmas That Are Able to Hold

“Sons of the Buddha! Bodhisattva-mahāsattvas have ten kinds of dharma. Which are the ten? Namely: the real dharma — for the reason that he cultivates as it was spoken; the dharma of leaving grasping behind — for the reason that the grasper and the grasped are both of them left behind; the dharma of no contention — for the reason that there is no contention of any confusion; the dharma of being at rest and extinguished — for the reason that it extinguishes all burning distress; the dharma of leaving desire behind — for the reason that all greedy desire is cut off; the dharma of no discrimination — for the reason that clinging and discriminating come forever to rest; the dharma of no arising — for the reason that it is unmoved, like empty space; the unconditioned dharma — for the reason that it has left behind the marks of arising, abiding, and ceasing; the dharma of the original nature — for the reason that its own nature is unstained and pure; the dharma of forsaking all upadhi-nirvāṇa (upadhi, which is to say, having suffering) — for the reason that only by forsaking it can all the practices of a bodhisattva be set going and cultivated without cease. These are the ten. If a bodhisattva abides securely within this, then he will obtain the unsurpassed and vast dharma of a Tathāgata.

Gate 17. The Equipment of Merit That Aids the Path: Ten Kinds of Provision for Completing Merit

“Sons of the Buddha! Bodhisattva-mahāsattvas have ten kinds of equipment of merit that aids the path. Which are the ten? Namely: urging sentient beings to give rise to the aspiration for awakening — this is a bodhisattva’s equipment of merit that aids the path, for the reason that thereby the lineage of the three jewels is not cut off. Following upon the ten kinds of dedication — this is a bodhisattva’s equipment of merit that aids the path, for the reason that thereby all dharmas that are not good are cut off and all dharmas of good are gathered together. Guiding and instructing with wisdom — this is a bodhisattva’s equipment of merit that aids the path, for the reason that it surpasses the merit of the three realms. A mind that does not weary — this is a bodhisattva’s equipment of merit that aids the path, for the reason that he means ultimately to deliver and liberate all sentient beings. Giving away entirely everything he has, within and without — this is a bodhisattva’s equipment of merit that aids the path, for the reason that toward all things he has nothing grasped at. Being vigorous and not turning back so as to fulfill the marks and signs — this is a bodhisattva’s equipment of merit that aids the path, for the reason that he gives with the gates thrown wide open, without limit. Dedicating and directing to unsurpassed awakening the roots of good of all three grades, the higher, the middling, and the lower, and in his mind slighting not one portion of them — this is a bodhisattva’s equipment of merit that aids the path, for the reason that it accords with skillfulness in means. Giving rise to great compassion toward sentient beings of the wrong fixity, the low and mean, and the not good, and harboring no mind that holds them cheap — this is a bodhisattva’s equipment of merit that aids the path, for the reason that he ever sets going the great vowing mind of a great person. Reverencing and making offerings to all the tathāgatas, giving rise to the thought of a tathāgata toward all bodhisattvas, and causing all sentient beings to be glad — this is a bodhisattva’s equipment of merit that aids the path, for the reason that he holds to his original vow most firmly. That bodhisattva-mahāsattvas amass roots of good through asaṃkhyeya kalpas, and though the realization of unsurpassed awakening for themselves is already as though in the palm of the hand, give it all away to all sentient beings, with no sorrow and distress in their minds and no regret, that mind being vast and the same as the realm of empty space — this is a bodhisattva’s equipment of merit that aids the path, for the reason that thereby great wisdom is set going and the great Dharma is realized. These are the ten. If a bodhisattva abides securely within this, then he will be complete in the unsurpassed and vast mass of merit of a Tathāgata.

Gate 18. The Equipment of Wisdom That Aids the Path: Ten Kinds of Provision for Completing Wisdom

“Sons of the Buddha! Bodhisattva-mahāsattvas have ten kinds of equipment of wisdom that aids the path. Which are the ten? Namely: to draw near to a true good friend of much hearing, to reverence and make offerings to him, to honor and pay homage to him, to follow along with him in all sorts of ways, and not to go against his instruction — this is the first, for the reason that all is upright and there is nothing false and haughty. To leave arrogance forever behind, ever to act with humility and reverence, to have nothing coarse and rough in the deeds of body, speech, and mind, to be gentle and well accordant, not false and not crooked — this is the second, for the reason that a body such as this is fit to be a vessel of the Buddha-dharma. That mindfulness and wisdom keep watch at all times and have never been scattered, that there is a sense of shame and a sense of blame, gentleness, and a mind at ease and unmoved, that he ever recalls the six recollections, ever practices the six points of harmony, and ever abides in accord with the six firm dharmas — this is the third, for the reason that it is the skillful means for accomplishing the ten kinds of wisdom. To delight in the Dharma and delight in its meaning, to take the Dharma as his joy, ever to delight in hearing it without ever having enough, to cast away the disputations of the world and the speech of the world, to listen and receive with a concentrated mind the speech that goes beyond the world, to leave far behind the Lesser Vehicle and to enter the wisdom of the Great Vehicle — this is the fourth, for the reason that with a single mind he recollects and is not scattered and stirred. To shoulder the six perfections with a concentrated mind, to have cultivated the four dwellings of Brahmā until they are ripe, to cultivate well all the dharmas of clarity in accord with them, diligently to ask questions of all the sharp-witted and wise, to leave the evil destinies far behind and to turn toward the good roads, ever to delight in them at heart, to contemplate rightly and mindfully, to tame his own disposition and to guard the intentions of others — this is the fifth, for the reason that he firmly cultivates the practice of what is real. Ever to delight in coming forth and departing, not to be attached to the three kinds of existence, constantly to keep watch upon his own mind, never to have had an evil thought, to have cut off the three thoughts of desire, of anger, and of harming, to be good in the three kinds of deeds, and to know with decision the own-nature of the mind — this is the sixth, for the reason that it is able to make the minds of himself and others pure. To contemplate the five aggregates as all of them illusory affairs, the eighteen elements as venomous snakes, the twelve sense-fields as an empty village, and all dharmas as like an illusion, like a shimmering heat-haze, like the moon in water, like a dream, like a shadow, like an echo, like the image in a mirror, like a painting in the sky, like a whirling wheel of fire, like the colors of a rainbow, like the light of the sun and the moon — without mark and without shape, neither permanent nor cut off, neither coming nor going, and with nothing abiding either; and contemplating thus, to know that all dharmas are without arising and without ceasing — this is the seventh, for the reason that he knows the substance and nature of all dharmas to be empty and still. That bodhisattva-mahāsattvas hear that all dharmas are without self, without a sentient being, without one who lives, without a pudgala, without mind, without object, without greed, anger, and delusion, without body, without thing, without an owner, without anything to depend on, without attachment, and without activity, that all this is nothing at all and wholly comes to rest and extinction, and that having heard it they deeply believe and accept it, neither doubting nor slandering — this is the eighth, for the reason that thereby he is able to accomplish a full and excellent understanding. That bodhisattva-mahāsattvas well tame the faculties, cultivate in accord with the principle, ever abide in calming and contemplating, are still and quiet in mind and intent, so that no stirring thought whatever arises — without self, without person, without one who acts, without activity, reckoning no thought of self and reckoning no deed of self, without sore or wart, without scar or mark, and without even a forbearance obtained here; the deeds of body, speech, and mind neither coming nor going, without vigor and without bravery; contemplating all sentient beings and all dharmas with a mind even and with nothing abiding, neither this shore nor the far shore, the nature of both this and that being left behind, coming from nowhere and going nowhere, and ever thinking in this way with wisdom — this is the ninth, for the reason that he has reached the far shore of the mark of discrimination. That bodhisattva-mahāsattvas, because they see the dharma of dependent origination, see that dharmas are pure; because they see that dharmas are pure, see that the lands are pure; because they see that the lands are pure, see that empty space is pure; because they see that empty space is pure, see that the Dharma realm is pure; because they see that the Dharma realm is pure, see that wisdom is pure — this is the tenth, for the reason that thereby he cultivates and amasses all-knowing wisdom. Sons of the Buddha! These are bodhisattva-mahāsattvas’ ten kinds of equipment of wisdom that aids the path. If a bodhisattva abides securely in this dharma, then he will obtain the pure and subtle and wondrous mass of wisdom of a Tathāgata, unobstructed with regard to all dharmas.

Gate 19. Clarity and Footing: Ten Kinds of Clarity and Footing

“Sons of the Buddha! Bodhisattva-mahāsattvas have ten kinds of clarity and footing. Which are the ten? Namely: the clarity and footing of discriminating the various dharmas well; the clarity and footing of not grasping at and being attached to the various dharmas; the clarity and footing of leaving inverted views behind; the clarity and footing of examining the faculties with the light of wisdom; the clarity and footing of skillfully setting going right vigor; the clarity and footing of a wisdom able to enter deeply into the truth of what is real; the clarity and footing of extinguishing the deeds of the afflictions and accomplishing the wisdom of exhaustion and the wisdom of non-arising; the clarity and footing of the wisdom of the divine eye universally contemplating; the clarity and footing of the recollection of former abodes and the purity of knowing the earlier bound; the clarity and footing of the wisdom of the spiritual penetration of the exhaustion of the contaminants, cutting off the contaminants of sentient beings. These are the ten. If a bodhisattva abides securely in this dharma, then he will obtain the unsurpassed great light of a Tathāgata with regard to all the dharmas of a buddha.

Gate 20. Seeking the Dharma: Ten Kinds of Mind That Seeks the Dharma

“Sons of the Buddha! Bodhisattva-mahāsattvas have ten kinds of seeking the Dharma. Which are the ten? Namely: seeking the Dharma with an upright mind — for the reason that there is no flattery and deceiving; seeking the Dharma with vigor — for the reason that he leaves indolence and arrogance far behind; seeking the Dharma with a single direction — for the reason that he does not begrudge body and life; seeking the Dharma so as to cut off the afflictions of all sentient beings — for the reason that it is not for the sake of fame, gain, and reverence; seeking the Dharma so as to enrich and benefit all sentient beings, himself and others — for the reason that it is not for his own benefit alone; seeking the Dharma so as to enter wisdom — for the reason that he takes no delight in the letter; seeking the Dharma so as to come forth from birth-and-death — for the reason that he is not greedy for the joys of the world; seeking the Dharma so as to cross sentient beings over — for the reason that he has given rise to the aspiration for awakening; seeking the Dharma so as to cut off the doubts of all sentient beings — for the reason that he means to leave them without hesitation; seeking the Dharma so as to fulfill the Buddha-dharma — for the reason that he takes no delight in the remaining vehicles. These are the ten. If a bodhisattva abides securely in this dharma, then he will obtain the great wisdom of all the dharmas of a buddha, not taught to him by another.

Gate 21. Dharmas Clearly Understood: The Dharma Each of Ten Classes of Persons Clearly Understands

“Sons of the Buddha! Bodhisattva-mahāsattvas have ten kinds of dharma clearly understood. Which are the ten? Namely: following along with the ways of the world and growing roots of good — this is the dharma clearly understood by the ordinary person, the childish and untaught; obtaining a faith unobstructed and unbroken and keeping watch upon the own-nature of dharmas — this is the dharma clearly understood by one who practices in accordance with faith; diligently cultivating the Dharma and abiding in accord with the Dharma — this is the dharma clearly understood by one who practices in accordance with the Dharma; leaving far behind the eight wrong ones and turning toward the eightfold right path — this is the dharma clearly understood by the eighth person — the eighth person is the one directed toward the first fruit; extinguishing the various fetters, cutting off the contaminants of birth-and-death, and seeing the truth of what is real — this is the dharma clearly understood by the person of the stream-enterer; contemplating that the taste of desire is itself a danger, and knowing that there is no going and coming — this is the dharma clearly understood by the person of the once-returner; not delighting in the three realms and seeking the exhaustion of the contaminants, and toward the dharma of taking on birth not giving rise to fond attachment even for a single thought — this is the dharma clearly understood by the person of the non-returner; obtaining the six spiritual penetrations, obtaining the eight liberations, and completing the nine successive concentrations and the four unobstructed eloquences — this is the dharma clearly understood by the person of the arhat; being by nature fond of contemplating dependent origination as one taste, a mind ever still, content and with few affairs, understanding by himself and awakening not through another, and accomplishing all sorts of spiritual penetration and wisdom — this is the dharma clearly understood by the person of the pratyekabuddha; wisdom vast, the faculties clear and sharp, ever delighting to deliver and liberate all sentient beings, diligently cultivating the dharmas of merit and wisdom that aid the path, and being complete and full in all that a Tathāgata has, the ten powers, the fearlessnesses, and all merits — this is the dharma clearly understood by the person of the bodhisattva. These are the ten. If a bodhisattva abides securely in this dharma, then he will obtain the dharma clearly understood by the unsurpassed great wisdom of a Tathāgata.

Gate 22. Dharmas of Cultivation: Ten Gates of Practice

“Sons of the Buddha! Bodhisattva-mahāsattvas have ten kinds of dharma of cultivation. Which are the ten? Namely: the dharma of cultivation of reverencing and honoring the various good friends; the dharma of cultivation of being ever awakened by the gods; the dharma of cultivation of ever harboring a sense of shame and blame in the presence of the buddhas; the dharma of cultivation of pitying sentient beings and not forsaking birth-and-death; the dharma of cultivation of surely carrying through to the end whatever he does, with a mind that does not change and shift; the dharma of cultivation of recollecting with a concentrated mind and following after the assemblies of bodhisattvas who have given rise to the mind of the Great Vehicle, and diligently cultivating and learning; the dharma of cultivation of leaving wrong views far behind and diligently seeking the right road; the dharma of cultivation of crushing and demolishing the hosts of māra and the deeds of the afflictions; the dharma of cultivation of knowing the superiority and inferiority of the nature of the faculties of sentient beings and speaking the Dharma for them, causing them to abide in the ground of buddhahood; the dharma of cultivation of abiding securely in the boundless and vast Dharma realm, extinguishing the afflictions and making the body pure. These are the ten. If a bodhisattva abides securely within this, then he will obtain the unsurpassed dharma of cultivation of a Tathāgata.

Gate 23. Māra: Ten Māras That Obstruct the Way

“Sons of the Buddha! Bodhisattva-mahāsattvas have ten kinds of māra. Which are the ten? Namely: the māra of the aggregates — for the reason that from it the various graspings and attachments are set going; the māra of the afflictions — for the reason that it defiles constantly; the māra of deeds — for the reason that it is able to make obstruction; the māra of the mind — for the reason that from it haughtiness is set going; the māra of death — for the reason that it forsakes the place where one was born; the māra of the heavens — for the reason that he is arrogant and lets himself go; the māra of the roots of good — for the reason that toward the roots of good he grasps constantly; the māra of samādhi — for the reason that he long relishes its taste; the māra of the good friend — for the reason that toward the good friend a mind of attachment has arisen; the māra of the wisdom of the dharma of awakening — for the reason that toward it he is unwilling to let go. These are the ten. Bodhisattva-mahāsattvas ought to make skillful means and swiftly seek to leave them far behind.

Gate 24. Deeds of Māra: Ten Deeds That Corrupt and Ruin the Roots of Good

“Sons of the Buddha! Bodhisattva-mahāsattvas have ten kinds of deed of māra. Which are the ten? Namely: forgetting and losing the mind of awakening while cultivating the various roots of good — this is a deed of māra; giving with an evil mind, keeping the precepts with an angry mind, casting away those whose disposition is evil, leaving far behind those who are indolent, slighting those whose minds are scattered, and mocking and disdaining those of evil understanding — this is a deed of māra; toward the profound Dharma giving rise to a stingy mind, and though there be one fit to be taught and crossed over not speaking for him, while if he gets goods, gain, reverence, and offerings, then although the other is no vessel for the Dharma yet forcing himself to speak for him — this is a deed of māra; taking no delight in hearing the various perfections, and even when he has heard them not cultivating them, or though he does cultivate them yet often giving rise to indolence, and by reason of indolence his aspiration and intent being narrow and mean so that he does not seek the unsurpassed dharma of great awakening — this is a deed of māra; leaving good friends far behind and drawing near to evil friends, delighting to seek the two vehicles, taking no delight in taking on birth, and setting his aspiration upon nirvāṇa, the leaving of desire behind, and stillness — this is a deed of māra; toward a bodhisattva giving rise to a mind of anger, looking at him with an evil eye, searching out his offenses, proclaiming his faults and evils, and cutting off all the goods, gain, and offerings that he has — this is a deed of māra; slandering the true Dharma and taking no delight in hearing it, and when he does hear it then giving rise to disparagement, giving rise to no reverence when he sees others speaking the Dharma, and saying that what he himself expounds is right and what others expound is all wrong — this is a deed of māra; delighting to study the disputations of the world, artful techniques, and the ornaments of speech, opening out the two vehicles while hiding and covering over the profound Dharma, or handing a wondrous meaning to one who is not the person for it, leaving awakening far behind and abiding in a false road — this is a deed of māra; toward those already liberated and already at ease ever delighting to draw near and make offerings, and toward those not yet liberated and not yet at ease being unwilling either to draw near or to teach and transform them — this is a deed of māra; increasing the conceit of self, being without reverence, doing much to vex and harm sentient beings, not seeking the true Dharma and the wisdom of what is real, and that mind being wicked and evil and hard to awaken — this is a deed of māra. These are the ten. Bodhisattva-mahāsattvas ought swiftly to leave them far behind and diligently to seek the deeds of a buddha.

Gate 25. Forsaking the Deeds of Māra: Ten Direct Antidotes

“Sons of the Buddha! Bodhisattva-mahāsattvas have ten kinds of forsaking the deeds of māra. Which are the ten? Namely: drawing near to good friends and reverencing and making offerings to them is forsaking the deeds of māra; not raising himself up and not praising himself is forsaking the deeds of māra; believing and understanding the profound Dharma of the buddhas and not slandering it is forsaking the deeds of māra; never having forgotten and lost the mind of all-knowing wisdom is forsaking the deeds of māra; diligently cultivating wondrous practice and being constantly non-heedless is forsaking the deeds of māra; ever seeking the dharma of the treasury of all bodhisattvas is forsaking the deeds of māra; constantly expounding the Dharma with a mind that does not weary is forsaking the deeds of māra; taking refuge in all the buddhas of the ten directions and giving rise to the thought of them as rescuers and guardians is forsaking the deeds of māra; believing, accepting, and recollecting all the buddhas and receiving the sustaining of their spiritual power is forsaking the deeds of māra; having the same roots of good as all bodhisattvas, even and without a second is forsaking the deeds of māra. These are the ten. If a bodhisattva abides securely in this dharma, then he will be able to come forth from all the roads of māra.

Gate 26. Seeing the Buddha: Ten Ways of Seeing the Buddha

“Sons of the Buddha! Bodhisattva-mahāsattvas have ten kinds of seeing the Buddha. Which are the ten? Namely: toward the buddha who abides in the world and accomplishes perfect awakening, seeing him with non-attachment; toward the buddha of the vow, seeing him with bringing forth; toward the buddha of the recompense of deeds, seeing him with deep faith; toward the buddha who abides and sustains, seeing him with following along; toward the buddha of nirvāṇa, seeing him with entering deeply; toward the buddha of the Dharma realm, seeing him with reaching everywhere; toward the buddha of the mind, seeing him with abiding securely; toward the buddha of samādhi, seeing him with the measureless and the unsupported; toward the buddha of the original nature, seeing him with clear understanding; toward the buddha who accords with what is delighted in, seeing him with universally receiving. These are the ten. If a bodhisattva abides securely in this dharma, then he will constantly be able to see the unsurpassed Tathāgata.

Gate 27. The Deeds of a Buddha: Ten Things That a Buddha Does

“Sons of the Buddha! Bodhisattva-mahāsattvas have ten kinds of deed of a buddha. Which are the ten? Namely: opening up, revealing, and guiding at the right time — this is a deed of a buddha, for the reason that he means to make people cultivate rightly. Causing him to see it within a dream — this is a deed of a buddha, for the reason that he means to awaken his roots of good of former ages. Expounding for another a scripture he has not yet heard — this is a deed of a buddha, for the reason that he means to make him give rise to wisdom and cut off doubt. Speaking the dharma of coming forth and departing for one bound by remorse — this is a deed of a buddha, for the reason that he means to make him leave behind the doubting mind. If there be a sentient being in whom a stingy mind has arisen, and even a mind of evil understanding, a mind of the two vehicles, a mind of harming, a mind of doubt, a mind scattered and stirred, or a mind of arrogance, then manifesting for him the body of a Tathāgata adorned with all the marks — this is a deed of a buddha, for the reason that he means to grow his roots of good of the past. In a time when the true Dharma is hard to meet with, expounding the Dharma at length, and causing him, having heard it, to obtain the wisdom of the holdings-together and the wisdom of the spiritual penetrations, so that he can universally benefit measureless sentient beings — this is a deed of a buddha, for the reason that his excellent understanding is pure. If the affairs of māra should arise, being able by skillful means to manifest a sound like the realm of empty space and to speak the dharma of not harming and distressing others as an antidote to it, so that he awakens, and the hosts of māra, hearing it, have their majestic radiance extinguished — this is a deed of a buddha, for the reason that his aspiration and delight are surpassing and his majestic virtue is vast. That mind continuing on unbroken, ever guarding himself, and not letting himself realize and enter the right position of the two vehicles; and if there be a sentient being whose faculties are not yet ripe, never speaking for him of the realm of liberation — this is a deed of a buddha, for the reason that this is what his original vow does. The fetters and contaminants of birth-and-death all of them left behind, cultivating the practice of a bodhisattva continuously and unbroken, and with a mind of great compassion taking in sentient beings, causing them to set going practice and ultimately to be liberated — this is a deed of a buddha, for the reason that his cultivating of the practice of a bodhisattva is unbroken. That bodhisattva-mahāsattvas penetrate through to their own body and to sentient beings being from the first at rest and extinguished, and are not startled and not afraid, and yet still diligently cultivate merit and wisdom without ever having enough; that though they know all dharmas to be without any making, they do not forsake the own-mark of dharmas either; that though toward the various objective realms they have forever left greedy desire behind, they still ever delight to gaze up at and serve the form-bodies of the buddhas; that though they know that awakening to and entering the Dharma is not through another, they still use all sorts of skillful means to seek all-knowing wisdom; that though they know all the lands to be like empty space, they still ever delight to adorn all buddha-lands; that though they constantly contemplate that there is no person and no self, they teach and transform sentient beings without wearying; that though toward the Dharma realm they are from the first unmoved, they manifest all sorts of transformations with the power of the wisdom of the spiritual penetrations; that though they have already accomplished the wisdom of all-knowing wisdom, they cultivate the practice of a bodhisattva without rest; that though they know that the various dharmas cannot be spoken, they turn the pure wheel of the Dharma and make the great assembly glad at heart; that though they are able to manifest the spiritual power of the buddhas, they are not weary of and do not forsake the body of a bodhisattva; that though they manifest entering into the great parinirvāṇa, they manifest the taking on of birth in all places — being able to do a dharma such as this, in which the provisional and the real are carried on together, this is a deed of a buddha. These are the ten. If a bodhisattva abides securely within this, then he will obtain the unsurpassed, teacherless, and vast deeds, not taught to him by another.

Gate 28. Deeds of Conceit: Ten Deeds Brought About by Conceit

“Sons of the Buddha! Bodhisattva-mahāsattvas have ten kinds of deed of conceit. Which are the ten? Namely: toward teachers and elders, the assembly of monks, father and mother, śramaṇas, brāhmaṇas, and those who abide in the right road and those who turn toward the right road — toward these places that are honored fields of merit — yet not being reverent: this is a deed of conceit; or if there be a master of the Dharma who has obtained the most excellent Dharma, who rides in the Great Vehicle, who knows the road of coming forth, who has obtained the holdings-together, and who expounds the sūtras and the vast Dharma without rest, yet giving rise to a mind of haughtiness toward him and giving rise to no reverence toward the Dharma he expounds: this is a deed of conceit; in the gathering of the great assembly, hearing a wondrous dharma spoken and being unwilling to praise it and unwilling to make others believe and accept it: this is a deed of conceit; being fond of giving rise to the conceit of excess, exalting himself and riding roughshod over others, not seeing his own faults and not knowing his own shortcomings: this is a deed of conceit; being fond of giving rise to the conceit beyond excess, and when he sees one who has virtue, not praising him though he ought to be praised, and when he sees others praising him, giving rise to no gladness either: this is a deed of conceit; seeing a master of the Dharma speaking the Dharma for others and knowing full well that this is Dharma, is Vinaya, is what is real, is what the Buddha spoke, yet because he dislikes that person also disliking that Dharma along with him, giving rise to slander himself and teaching others to slander it as well: this is a deed of conceit; seeking a high seat for himself, calling himself a master of the Dharma, holding that he ought by rights to be provided for and ought not to do any work, and when he sees one aged and long in cultivation neither rising to greet him nor being willing to serve him: this is a deed of conceit; when he sees one who has virtue, knitting his brows and being displeased, his words coarse and rough, spying out that man’s faults: this is a deed of conceit; when he sees one who is clever and knows the Dharma, being unwilling to draw near, reverence, and make offerings to him, and unwilling to ask, ‘What is good? What is not good? What ought to be done? What ought not to be done? Doing what sort of deeds, may one in the long night obtain all sorts of benefit and ease?’ — deluded and stubborn, swallowed up by the conceit of self, and in the end not able to see the road of coming forth: this is a deed of conceit; and there are sentient beings covered over by a conceited mind, so that though the buddhas appear in the world they cannot draw near, reverence, and make offerings to them, and the good that is new does not arise while the good that is old is extinguished too, and they speak what ought not to be spoken and contend over what ought not to be contended over, and in the time to come will surely fall into a deep pit of peril and difficulty, passing a hundred thousand kalpas without so much as meeting a buddha, how much less hearing the Dharma! — only because they once gave rise to the mind of awakening, in the end they will of themselves awaken: this is a deed of conceit. These are the ten.

Gate 29. Deeds of Wisdom: The Ten Deeds of Wisdom Obtained After Leaving Conceit Behind

“If a bodhisattva leaves these deeds of conceit behind, then he obtains ten kinds of deed of wisdom. Which are the ten? Namely: believing and understanding the recompense of deeds and not destroying cause and fruit — this is a deed of wisdom; not forsaking the mind of awakening and ever recollecting the buddhas — this is a deed of wisdom; drawing near to good friends and reverencing and making offerings to them, that mind honoring them and from first to last never wearying — this is a deed of wisdom; delighting in the Dharma and delighting in its meaning without ever having enough, leaving false thought far behind and diligently cultivating right mindfulness — this is a deed of wisdom; toward all sentient beings leaving the conceit of self behind, toward the various bodhisattvas giving rise to the thought of a tathāgata, cherishing the true Dharma as he cherishes his own body, honoring and serving the Tathāgata as he guards and cherishes his own life, and toward those who cultivate giving rise to the thought of them as buddhas — this is a deed of wisdom; in the deeds of body, speech, and mind having none of the various kinds of the not good, praising the worthy and the noble, and following along with awakening — this is a deed of wisdom; not destroying dependent origination, leaving the various wrong views behind, breaking the darkness and obtaining light, and shining upon and seeing all dharmas — this is a deed of wisdom; toward the ten kinds of dedication cultivating in accord with them, toward the various perfections giving rise to the thought of a loving mother, toward skillfulness in means giving rise to the thought of a loving father, and with a deeply pure mind entering the house of awakening — this is a deed of wisdom; giving, keeping the precepts, much hearing, calming and contemplating, merit and wisdom — all these dharmas that aid the path being ever diligently amassed without wearying — this is a deed of wisdom; if there be any kind of deed that the buddhas praise, that is able to demolish the contention of the hosts of māra and the afflictions, able to leave behind all obstructions, coverings, entanglements, and bonds, able to teach, transform, and tame all sentient beings, able in accord with wisdom to take in the true Dharma, able to adorn and purify buddha-lands, and able to set going the spiritual penetrations and the clarities — diligently cultivating them all without slackening and drawing back — this is a deed of wisdom. These are the ten. If a bodhisattva abides securely within this, then he will obtain the unsurpassed great deeds of wisdom of all the skillful means of a Tathāgata.

Gate 30. Being Held by Māra: Ten Marks of Being Held Fast by Māra

“Sons of the Buddha! Bodhisattva-mahāsattvas have ten kinds of being held by māra. Which are the ten? Namely: an indolent mind is being held by māra; aspiration and desire that are narrow and mean is being held by māra; giving rise to contentment with a small portion of cultivation is being held by māra; accepting only one kind and not accepting the rest is being held by māra; not giving rise to the great vow is being held by māra; delighting to dwell in what is at rest and extinguished and seeking only to cut off the afflictions is being held by māra; forever cutting off birth-and-death is being held by māra; forsaking the practice of a bodhisattva is being held by māra; not teaching and crossing over sentient beings is being held by māra; doubting and slandering the true Dharma is being held by māra. These are the ten.

Gate 31. Being Held by the Buddhas: The Ten Holdings of the Buddhas After Casting Off the Holding of Māra

“If a bodhisattva is able to cast off these ways of being held by māra, then he obtains ten kinds of being held by the buddhas. Which are the ten? Namely: at the very first being able to give rise to the mind of awakening is being held by the buddhas; in life after life upholding the mind of awakening and not letting it be forgotten and lost is being held by the buddhas; keeping watch upon the affairs of the māras and being able wholly to leave them far behind is being held by the buddhas; hearing of the various perfections and cultivating as they were spoken is being held by the buddhas; knowing the suffering of birth-and-death and yet not loathing it is being held by the buddhas; contemplating the profound Dharma and obtaining measureless fruit is being held by the buddhas; speaking the dharma of the two vehicles for sentient beings while himself not realizing and grasping the liberation of that vehicle is being held by the buddhas; delighting to contemplate the unconditioned dharma and yet not abiding within it, and toward the conditioned and the unconditioned not giving rise to two thoughts, is being held by the buddhas; having reached the place of non-arising and yet still manifesting the taking on of birth is being held by the buddhas; though he has realized all-knowing wisdom, still setting going the practice of a bodhisattva and not cutting off the lineage of bodhisattvas is being held by the buddhas. These are the ten. If a bodhisattva abides securely within this, then he will obtain the unsurpassed power of holding of the buddhas.

Gate 32. Being Held by the Dharma: Ten Places of Being Held Fast by the Dharma

“Sons of the Buddha! Bodhisattva-mahāsattvas have ten kinds of being held by the Dharma. Which are the ten? Namely: knowing that all conditioned activities are impermanent is being held by the Dharma; knowing that all conditioned activities are suffering is being held by the Dharma; knowing that all conditioned activities are without self is being held by the Dharma; knowing that all dharmas are the nirvāṇa that is at rest and extinguished is being held by the Dharma; knowing that the various dharmas arise from conditions, and that without conditions they do not arise, is being held by the Dharma; knowing that it is because of unright thinking that ignorance arises, and that once ignorance has arisen then on to old age and death arise, and that when unright thinking is extinguished then ignorance is extinguished, and that once ignorance is extinguished then on to old age and death are extinguished, is being held by the Dharma; knowing that the three gates of liberation bring forth the vehicle of the śrāvakas, and that realizing the dharma of no contention brings forth the vehicle of the pratyekabuddhas, is being held by the Dharma; knowing that the six perfections and the four means of gathering bring forth the Great Vehicle is being held by the Dharma; knowing that all lands, all dharmas, all sentient beings, and all ages are the realm of the wisdom of a buddha is being held by the Dharma; knowing that one must cut off all thoughts, cast away all grasping, leave behind the earlier bound and the later bound, and follow along with nirvāṇa is being held by the Dharma. These are the ten. If a bodhisattva abides securely within this, then he will obtain the unsurpassed being held by the Dharma of all the buddhas.

Gate 33. The Deeds Done While Dwelling in the Tuṣita Heaven: The First of the Eight Aspects

“Sons of the Buddha! Bodhisattva-mahāsattvas dwelling in the Tuṣita heaven have ten kinds of deed that they do. Which are the ten? Namely: for the sons of the gods of the realm of desire they speak the dharma of weariness and leaving behind, saying: ‘All mastery is impermanent, and all joy will in the end decay and pass away.’ And they urge those gods to give rise to the aspiration for awakening. This is the first deed done. For the gods of the realm of form they expound entering and coming forth from the various meditations, liberations, and samādhis; and if within these there arises in them fond attachment, and because of that fond attachment there arise again the view of a body, wrong views, ignorance, and the rest, then they speak for them the wisdom of things as they truly are; and if toward all form-dharmas and non-form-dharmas they give rise to an inverted thought and take these to be pure, then they speak for them of the impure and say that all this is impermanent, and urge them to give rise to the mind of awakening. This is the second deed done. A bodhisattva-mahāsattva, dwelling in the Tuṣita heaven, enters a samādhi named Adornment of Light, and from his body sends forth a light that shines everywhere over the three-thousandfold great-thousand world-system, and in accordance with the minds of sentient beings speaks the Dharma for them with all sorts of sounds; and sentient beings, having heard it, are pure in the mind of faith, and when their lives end are born in the Tuṣita heaven, and the bodhisattva urges them to give rise to the mind of awakening. This is the third deed done. A bodhisattva-mahāsattva in the Tuṣita heaven, with the unobstructed eye, universally sees all the bodhisattvas in the Tuṣita heavens of the ten directions, and those bodhisattvas likewise all see this bodhisattva; and having seen one another, they discourse upon the wondrous Dharma, namely: the descending of the spirit and the entering of the mother’s womb, the first birth, the leaving of home, the going to the place of the Way, and being complete in the great adornment; and moreover they manifest the practices they have practiced from former ages onward, and that it is because of those practices that they have accomplished a great wisdom such as this; and all the merits do not depart from their own place, and yet they are able to manifest all sorts of things such as these. This is the fourth deed done. When a bodhisattva-mahāsattva dwells in the Tuṣita heaven, all the assemblies of bodhisattvas of all the Tuṣita heavenly palaces of the ten directions come together and gather round him in reverence; and at that time the bodhisattva-mahāsattva, in order to make all those bodhisattvas fulfill their wishes and be glad, expounds gates of Dharma for them in accordance with the ground in which they ought to abide, what they practice and what they cut off, what they cultivate and what they realize; and those bodhisattvas, having heard the Dharma spoken, are all greatly glad and obtain what they never had before, and each returns to the palace in which he dwells in his own land. This is the fifth deed done. When a bodhisattva-mahāsattva dwells in the Tuṣita heaven, the lord of the realm of desire, the heavenly māra Pāpīyān, in order to ruin and disturb the deeds of the bodhisattva, comes to the bodhisattva’s place with his retinue gathered round him; and at that time the bodhisattva, in order to crush and subdue the armies of māra, abides securely in the gate of the wisdom of the skillfulness in means of the perfection of wisdom taken in by the adamantine path, and speaks the Dharma for him with the two kinds of speech, the gentle and the rough, so that the māra Pāpīyān gains no opening; and the māras, seeing the masterful majestic power of the bodhisattva, all give rise to the mind of unsurpassed perfect awakening. This is the sixth deed done. A bodhisattva-mahāsattva, dwelling in the Tuṣita heaven, knows that the sons of the gods of the realm of desire take no delight in hearing the Dharma; and at that time the bodhisattva sends forth a great sound and announces to them everywhere, saying: ‘Today the bodhisattva will manifest rare things within the palace; let those who wish to see come swiftly.’ Then the sons of the gods, hearing these words, come and gather in measureless hundreds of thousands of koṭis of nayutas; and at that time the bodhisattva, seeing that the assembly of the gods has already gathered, manifests for them all sorts of rare things within the palace; and those sons of the gods, who have never seen or heard such things before, having seen them are all greatly glad, and that mind is intoxicated and sunk in them; and the bodhisattva then sends forth a sound within the music and tells them: ‘Sirs! All conditioned activities are impermanent, all conditioned activities are suffering, all dharmas are without self, and nirvāṇa is at rest and extinguished.’ And he tells them further: ‘You ought all to cultivate the practice of a bodhisattva, and ought all to fulfill the wisdom of all-knowing wisdom.’ Those sons of the gods, hearing this sound of the Dharma, sigh in sorrow and lament, and give rise to weariness and the wish to leave, and there is not one who does not give rise to the mind of awakening. This is the seventh deed done. A bodhisattva-mahāsattva, dwelling in the Tuṣita palace, does not forsake his own place, and yet is wholly able to go to the presence of all the measureless buddhas of the ten directions, to see the tathāgatas, to draw near, pay homage, reverence, and hear the Dharma; and at that time the buddhas, in order to make the bodhisattva obtain the highest dharma of consecration, expound for him a ground of the bodhisattva named All Spiritual Penetrations, causing him with the wisdom of a single thought-moment’s conjunction to be complete in all the most excellent merits and to enter the position of the wisdom of all-knowing wisdom. This is the eighth deed done. A bodhisattva-mahāsattva, dwelling in the Tuṣita palace, in order to make offerings to the tathāgatas, with great spiritual power raises up all sorts of articles of offering named Surpassing and Delightful, and throughout the Dharma realm, the realm of empty space, and all worlds makes offerings to the buddhas; and measureless sentient beings in those worlds, seeing this offering, all give rise to the mind of unsurpassed perfect awakening. This is the ninth deed done. A bodhisattva-mahāsattva, dwelling in the Tuṣita heaven, brings forth measureless and boundless gates of Dharma that are like an illusion and like a shadow, pervading all the worlds of the ten directions, and manifests all sorts of colors, all sorts of marks, all sorts of bodily forms, all sorts of bearing, all sorts of undertakings, all sorts of skillful means, all sorts of similes, and all sorts of speech, and in accordance with the minds of sentient beings makes them all glad. This is the tenth deed done. Sons of the Buddha! These are the ten kinds of deed that bodhisattva-mahāsattvas do while dwelling in the Tuṣita heaven. If a bodhisattva accomplishes this dharma, then he will after this descend to be born among human beings.

Gate 34. Ten Things Manifested in Descending to Birth: Ten Lights, Each Doing One Thing

“Sons of the Buddha! When a bodhisattva-mahāsattva is about to descend to birth from the Tuṣita heaven, he manifests ten kinds of thing. Which are the ten? Sons of the Buddha! When a bodhisattva-mahāsattva descends to birth from the Tuṣita heaven, from the soles of his feet he sends forth a great light named Adornment of Ease and Joy, which shines everywhere over all the sentient beings of the evil destinies and the difficulties within the three-thousandfold great-thousand world-system; and there is none touched by this light who does not leave suffering and obtain ease and joy; and having obtained ease and joy, they all know that a rare great person is about to arise in the world. This is the first thing manifested. Sons of the Buddha! When a bodhisattva-mahāsattva descends to birth from the Tuṣita heaven, from the mark of the white hair-tuft between his brows he sends forth a great light named Awakening, which shines everywhere over the three-thousandfold great-thousand world-system and shines upon the bodies of all the bodhisattvas who have practiced together with him in former ages; and those bodhisattvas, having received the shining of the light, all know that the bodhisattva is about to descend to birth, and each raises up measureless articles of offering and comes to the bodhisattva’s place and makes offerings. This is the second thing manifested. Sons of the Buddha! When a bodhisattva-mahāsattva is about to descend to birth from the Tuṣita heaven, from the palm of his right hand he sends forth a great light named Pure Objective Realm, which is able wholly to adorn and purify all the three-thousandfold great-thousand world-systems; and if within them there be a pratyekabuddha who has already obtained freedom from the contaminants and who keeps watch upon this light, then he casts away his life-span; and those who do not keep watch upon it are, by the power of the light, moved and set down in other remaining worlds; and all the māras, together with the outsiders and the sentient beings who hold the view that things exist, are likewise moved and set down in other worlds — only excepting those sentient beings fit to be transformed who are held by the spiritual power of the buddhas. This is the third thing manifested. Sons of the Buddha! When a bodhisattva-mahāsattva is about to descend to birth from the Tuṣita heaven, from his two knees he sends forth a great light named Pure Adornment, which shines everywhere over all the palaces of the gods, from the heaven of the four kings who guard the world below up to the Pure Abode heavens above, and there is no place it does not pervade; and those gods all know that the bodhisattva is about to descend to birth from the Tuṣita heaven, and all harbor longing, lamenting in sorrow and distressed, and each takes up all sorts of flower-garlands, robes, ointments, powdered incense, banners and canopies, and music, and comes to the bodhisattva’s place to reverence and make offerings, and follows after him from his descent to birth all the way to his nirvāṇa. This is the fourth thing manifested. Sons of the Buddha! When a bodhisattva-mahāsattva in the Tuṣita heaven is about to descend to birth, from the heart-treasury adorned with the adamantine svastika he sends forth a great light named Banner That None Can Overcome, which shines everywhere upon the vajra-bearing strongmen of all the worlds of the ten directions; and then a hundred koṭis of vajra-bearing strongmen all come and gather, following after him and standing guard, from his descent to birth all the way to his nirvāṇa. This is the fifth thing manifested. Sons of the Buddha! When a bodhisattva-mahāsattva is about to descend to birth from the Tuṣita heaven, from all the pores of his body he sends forth a great light named Discerning Sentient Beings, which shines everywhere over all the great-thousand worlds and touches everywhere the bodies of all the bodhisattvas, and touches also all the gods and the people of the world; and the bodhisattvas all think in this way: ‘I ought to abide here, make offerings to the Tathāgata, and teach and transform sentient beings.’ This is the sixth thing manifested. Sons of the Buddha! When a bodhisattva-mahāsattva is about to descend to birth from the Tuṣita heaven, from the great maṇi-jewel treasury hall he sends forth a great light named Contemplating What Abides Well, which shines upon the royal palace where this bodhisattva is about to be born and to be entrusted; and after that light has shone, the remaining bodhisattvas all together follow after him down to Jambudvīpa, and manifest the taking on of birth, whether in his household, in his village, or in his city, for the sake of teaching and transforming sentient beings. This is the seventh thing manifested. Sons of the Buddha! When a bodhisattva-mahāsattva is on the point of descending to birth from the Tuṣita heaven, from the heavenly palaces and from the various adornments of the great tiered pavilions he sends forth a great light named Pure Adornment of All the Palaces, which shines upon the womb of the mother who gives him birth; and after that light has shone, it makes the bodhisattva’s mother secure and at ease, complete and accomplished in all merits, and within the mother’s womb there is of itself a vast tiered pavilion adorned with great maṇi jewels, for the sake of settling the body of the bodhisattva there. This is the eighth thing manifested. Sons of the Buddha! When a bodhisattva-mahāsattva is on the point of descending to birth from the Tuṣita heaven, from beneath the soles of his two feet he sends forth a great light named Abiding Well; and if the life-spans of the sons of the gods and of the Brahmā gods are about to end, then having received the touch of the shining of this light they are all able to prolong and stay their life-spans, and to make offerings to the bodhisattva from his first descent to birth all the way to his nirvāṇa. This is the ninth thing manifested. Sons of the Buddha! When a bodhisattva-mahāsattva is on the point of descending to birth from the Tuṣita heaven, from among the secondary marks he sends forth a great light named Adornment of the Eye, which manifests all sorts of deeds of the bodhisattva; and at that time the humans and gods, some see the bodhisattva dwelling in the Tuṣita heaven, some see him entering the womb, some see his first birth, some see him leaving home, some see him accomplishing the Way, some see him subduing māra, some see him turning the wheel of the Dharma, and some see him entering nirvāṇa. This is the tenth thing manifested. Sons of the Buddha! A bodhisattva-mahāsattva, upon his body, upon his seat, within his palace, and within his tiered pavilion, sends forth a million asaṃkhyeya lights such as these, and wholly manifests all sorts of deeds of a bodhisattva; and having manifested these deeds, because he is complete in all the dharmas of merit, he descends to birth among human beings from the Tuṣita heaven.

Gate 35. Ten Matters of Dwelling in the Womb: Why Dwelling in the Womb Is Manifested

“Sons of the Buddha! A bodhisattva-mahāsattva’s manifesting of dwelling in the womb has ten kinds of matter. Which are the ten? Sons of the Buddha! A bodhisattva-mahāsattva, in order to bring to accomplishment sentient beings of small mind and mean understanding, and not wishing to make them give rise to a thought such as this — ‘This bodhisattva now is born of transformation of himself, and his wisdom and roots of good did not come from cultivation’ — therefore the bodhisattva manifests dwelling in the womb. This is the first matter. A bodhisattva-mahāsattva manifests dwelling in the womb in order to ripen the roots of good of his father and mother, of his various relatives, and of the sentient beings who practiced together with him in former ages. Why is this? Because it is only by seeing him dwelling in the womb that all their roots of good ought to be ripened. This is the second matter. When a bodhisattva-mahāsattva enters the mother’s womb, he is rightly mindful and rightly knowing, without confusion; and after he has come to dwell within the mother’s womb, his mind is ever rightly mindful, and there is no disorder either. This is the third matter. A bodhisattva-mahāsattva within the mother’s womb constantly speaks the Dharma, and the great bodhisattvas of the worlds of the ten directions, the Śakras, the Brahmā kings, and the four heavenly kings all come and gather, and he causes them all to obtain measureless spiritual power and boundless wisdom; the bodhisattva’s dwelling in the womb accomplishes eloquence and excellent use such as this. This is the fourth matter. A bodhisattva-mahāsattva within the mother’s womb gathers a great assembly, and with the power of his original vow teaches and transforms all the assemblies of bodhisattvas. This is the fifth matter. Since a bodhisattva-mahāsattva becomes a buddha among human beings, he ought by rights to have the most excellent taking on of birth among human beings, and therefore he manifests dwelling in the mother’s womb. This is the sixth matter. While a bodhisattva-mahāsattva is within the mother’s womb, the sentient beings of the three-thousandfold great-thousand world-system all see the bodhisattva, as one sees the image of one’s own face in a bright mirror; and at that time the great-minded gods, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kiṃnaras, mahoragas, humans, nonhumans, and the rest all come to the bodhisattva’s place to reverence and make offerings. This is the seventh matter. While a bodhisattva-mahāsattva is within the mother’s womb, all the bodhisattvas of the final birth who are within a mother’s womb in the worlds of other quarters all come and meet together, and he expounds a gate of Dharma of the great gathering named Treasury of Vast Wisdom. This is the eighth matter. When a bodhisattva-mahāsattva is within the mother’s womb, he enters a samādhi named Treasury Free of Defilement, and with the power of that samādhi manifests within the mother’s womb a great palace, all sorts of ornaments being utterly wondrous and fine, such that the palace of the Tuṣita heaven cannot be compared with it, and moreover he makes the mother’s body secure, at ease, and without ailment. This is the ninth matter. When a bodhisattva-mahāsattva dwells in the mother’s womb, with great majestic power he raises up articles of offering named Opening the Great Merit of the Treasury Free of Defilement, and throughout all the worlds of the ten directions makes offerings to all the buddhas, the tathāgatas, and those tathāgatas all expound for him the boundless Dharma-realm treasury of the dwelling-places of a bodhisattva. This is the tenth matter. Sons of the Buddha! These are the ten kinds of matter of a bodhisattva-mahāsattva’s manifesting of dwelling in the womb. If a bodhisattva penetrates through to this dharma, then he will be able to manifest the exceedingly subtle resorts.

Gate 36. The Exceedingly Subtle Resorts: Manifesting a Whole Lifetime All at Once Within the Womb

“Sons of the Buddha! Bodhisattva-mahāsattvas have ten kinds of exceedingly subtle resort. Which are the ten? Namely: within the mother’s womb, manifesting the first giving rise to the mind of awakening on to the ground of consecration; within the mother’s womb, manifesting dwelling in the Tuṣita heaven; within the mother’s womb, manifesting the first birth; within the mother’s womb, manifesting the stage of a youth; within the mother’s womb, manifesting dwelling in the royal palace; within the mother’s womb, manifesting the leaving of home; within the mother’s womb, manifesting austerities, going to the place of the Way, and accomplishing perfect awakening; within the mother’s womb, manifesting the turning of the wheel of the Dharma; within the mother’s womb, manifesting parinirvāṇa; within the mother’s womb, manifesting the greatly subtle, namely: all the practices of a bodhisattva and the measureless and diverse gates of the masterful spiritual power of all the tathāgatas. Sons of the Buddha! These are the ten kinds of subtle resort of a bodhisattva-mahāsattva within the mother’s womb. If a bodhisattva abides securely in this dharma, then he will obtain the subtle resort of the unsurpassed great wisdom of a Tathāgata.

Gate 37. Ten Kinds of Birth: The Marks of the First Birth

“Sons of the Buddha! Bodhisattva-mahāsattvas have ten kinds of birth. Which are the ten? Namely: being born leaving delusion far behind, rightly mindful and rightly knowing; being born sending forth a net of great light that shines everywhere over the three-thousandfold great-thousand world-system; being born abiding in the final existence and taking on a later body no more; being born neither arising nor being set going; being born knowing the three realms to be like an illusion; being born manifesting his body everywhere in the worlds of the ten directions; being born with a body that realizes the wisdom of all-knowing wisdom; being born with a body that sends forth the light of all the buddhas and universally awakens all sentient beings; being born with a body that enters the samādhi of contemplating with great wisdom; Sons of the Buddha! When the bodhisattva is born, he shakes all the buddha-lands, liberates all sentient beings, extinguishes all the evil destinies, outshines and eclipses all the māras, and measureless bodhisattvas all come and gather. Sons of the Buddha! These are the ten kinds of birth of a bodhisattva-mahāsattva, manifested in this way for the sake of taming sentient beings.

Gate 38. Smiling and Inwardly Vowing: The Smile That Follows Ten Thoughts

“Sons of the Buddha! Because of ten matters a bodhisattva-mahāsattva manifests a smile and inwardly vows. Which are the ten? Namely: a bodhisattva-mahāsattva thinks: ‘All the world is sunk in the mire of desire, and apart from me alone there is none able to save them.’ Knowing this, with glad delight he smiles and inwardly vows. He thinks further: ‘All the world is blinded by the afflictions; I alone today am complete in wisdom.’ Knowing this, with glad delight he smiles and inwardly vows. He thinks further: ‘Today, with this body of borrowed name, I shall obtain the unsurpassed dharma-body of a Tathāgata that fills the three times.’ Knowing this, with glad delight he smiles and inwardly vows. At that time the bodhisattva, with the unobstructed eye, contemplates everywhere all the Brahmā gods of the ten directions on to all the gods of Great Mastery, and thinks in this way: ‘These sentient beings all take themselves to have great powers of wisdom.’ Knowing this, with glad delight he smiles and inwardly vows. At that time the bodhisattva contemplates and sees that sentient beings have long planted roots of good and yet today have all fallen away from them; knowing this, with glad delight he smiles and inwardly vows. The bodhisattva contemplates and sees that of the seeds of the world, though what is planted is little, the fruit obtained is very much; knowing this, with glad delight he smiles and inwardly vows. The bodhisattva contemplates and sees that all sentient beings who receive the teaching of the Buddha will surely obtain benefit; knowing this, with glad delight he smiles and inwardly vows. The bodhisattva contemplates and sees that the bodhisattvas who practiced together with him in past ages are stained and attached to other affairs and do not obtain the vast merits of the Buddha-dharma; knowing this, with glad delight he smiles and inwardly vows. The bodhisattva contemplates and sees that the gods and humans and the rest who gathered together with him in past ages are to this day still in the stage of the ordinary person and cannot forsake it, and yet do not feel weary of it either; knowing this, with glad delight he smiles and inwardly vows. At that time the bodhisattva is touched by the light of all the tathāgatas, and is glad and comforted twice over, and with glad delight he smiles and inwardly vows. These are the ten. Sons of the Buddha! The bodhisattva manifests in this way for the sake of taming sentient beings.

Gate 39. Walking Seven Steps: The Ten Reasons for Walking Those Seven Steps

“Sons of the Buddha! Because of ten matters a bodhisattva-mahāsattva manifests the walking of seven steps. Which are the ten? Namely: in order to make manifest the power of a bodhisattva, therefore he manifests the walking of seven steps; in order to make manifest the giving of the seven noble riches, therefore he manifests the walking of seven steps; in order to fulfill the vow of the earth spirits, therefore he manifests the walking of seven steps; in order to make manifest the mark of passing beyond the three realms, therefore he manifests the walking of seven steps; in order to make manifest that the most excellent practice of a bodhisattva surpasses the practice of the elephant-king, the bull-king, and the lion-king, therefore he manifests the walking of seven steps; in order to make manifest the mark of the adamantine ground, therefore he manifests the walking of seven steps; in order to make manifest that he means to give sentient beings the power of bravery, therefore he manifests the walking of seven steps; in order to make manifest the cultivating of the jewels of the seven limbs of awakening, therefore he manifests the walking of seven steps; in order to make manifest that the dharma he has obtained is not taught to him by another, therefore he manifests the walking of seven steps; in order to make manifest that in the world he is the most excellent and beyond compare, therefore he manifests the walking of seven steps. These are the ten. Sons of the Buddha! The bodhisattva manifests in this way for the sake of taming sentient beings.

Gate 40. Dwelling in the Stage of a Youth: The Ten Reasons for Being a Youth

“Sons of the Buddha! Because of ten matters a bodhisattva-mahāsattva manifests dwelling in the stage of a youth. Which are the ten? Namely: in order to make manifest his penetrating mastery of all the letters, reckoning, drawings and books, and seals and signets of the world, and undertakings of all sorts, therefore he dwells in the stage of a youth; in order to make manifest his penetrating mastery of all the elephants and horses, carriages, bows and arrows, and swords and halberds of the world, and undertakings of all sorts, therefore he dwells in the stage of a youth; in order to make manifest his penetrating mastery of all the writing and discoursing, the board games and the amusements of the world, and affairs of all sorts, therefore he dwells in the stage of a youth; in order to make manifest his leaving far behind the faults of all sorts in the deeds of body, speech, and mind, therefore he dwells in the stage of a youth; in order to make manifest his entering concentration, abiding in the gate of nirvāṇa, and pervading the measureless worlds of the ten directions, therefore he dwells in the stage of a youth; in order to make manifest that his power surpasses that of all the gods, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kiṃnaras, mahoragas, Śakras, Brahmā kings, the world-guardians, humans, nonhumans, and the rest, therefore he dwells in the stage of a youth; in order to make manifest that the form, the marks, and the majestic radiance of a bodhisattva surpass those of all the Śakras, the Brahmā kings, and the world-guardians, therefore he dwells in the stage of a youth; in order to make sentient beings who are absorbed in the joys of desire glad and delighted in the Dharma, therefore he dwells in the stage of a youth; in order to honor the true Dharma, to make offerings to the buddhas with diligence, and to pervade all the worlds of the ten directions, therefore he dwells in the stage of a youth; in order to make manifest his obtaining the aid of the buddhas and receiving the light of the Dharma, therefore he dwells in the stage of a youth. These are the ten.

Gate 41. Manifesting Dwelling in the Royal Palace: The Ten Reasons for Living in the Palace

“Sons of the Buddha! After a bodhisattva-mahāsattva has manifested the stage of a youth, because of ten matters he manifests dwelling in the royal palace. Which are the ten? Namely: in order to ripen the roots of good of the sentient beings who practiced together with him in former ages, therefore he manifests dwelling in the royal palace; in order to make manifest the power of a bodhisattva’s roots of good, therefore he manifests dwelling in the royal palace; because the humans and gods are absorbed in the implements of joy, in order to manifest the implements of joy of a bodhisattva’s great majestic virtue, therefore he manifests dwelling in the royal palace; in order to follow along with the minds of the sentient beings of the age of the five turbidities, therefore he manifests dwelling in the royal palace; in order to make manifest that the power of a bodhisattva’s great majestic virtue is able to enter samādhi within the deep palace, therefore he manifests dwelling in the royal palace; in order to make the sentient beings who vowed together with him in former ages fulfill their heart’s intent, therefore he manifests dwelling in the royal palace; in order to make his father and mother, his kin, and his retinue fulfill what they wish, therefore he manifests dwelling in the royal palace; because he wishes with music to send forth the sound of the wondrous Dharma and make offerings to all the tathāgatas, therefore he manifests dwelling in the royal palace; because he wishes within the palace to abide in a subtle and wondrous samādhi and to manifest everything from the accomplishing of buddhahood all the way to nirvāṇa, therefore he manifests dwelling in the royal palace; in order to follow along with and guard the dharma of the buddhas, therefore he manifests dwelling in the royal palace. These are the ten. After the bodhisattva of the final body has in this way manifested dwelling in the royal palace, only then does he leave home.

Gate 42. Manifesting the Leaving of Home: The Ten Reasons for Leaving Home

“Sons of the Buddha! Because of ten matters a bodhisattva-mahāsattva manifests the leaving of home. Which are the ten? Namely: in order to be weary of and to leave behind the dwelling at home, therefore he manifests the leaving of home; in order to make sentient beings who are attached to home forsake it, therefore he manifests the leaving of home; in order to follow along with faith and delight in the road of the noble ones, therefore he manifests the leaving of home; in order to proclaim and praise the merit of leaving home, therefore he manifests the leaving of home; in order to make manifest his forever leaving behind the view of the two extremes, therefore he manifests the leaving of home; in order to make sentient beings leave behind the joys of desire and the joys of self, therefore he manifests the leaving of home; in order first to make manifest the mark of coming forth from the three realms, therefore he manifests the leaving of home; in order to make manifest that he is master of himself and does not belong to another, therefore he manifests the leaving of home; in order to make manifest that he is about to obtain the dharma of a Tathāgata’s ten powers and fearlessnesses, therefore he manifests the leaving of home; because for the bodhisattva of the final body the dharma ought by rights to be thus, therefore he manifests the leaving of home. These are the ten. By this the bodhisattva tames sentient beings.

Gate 43. Manifesting the Practice of Austerities: The Ten Reasons for Cultivating Austerities

“Sons of the Buddha! For the sake of ten matters a bodhisattva-mahāsattva manifests the cultivating of austerities. Which are the ten? Namely: in order to bring to accomplishment sentient beings of mean understanding, therefore he manifests the practice of austerities; in order to pull out the wrong views of sentient beings, therefore he manifests the practice of austerities; in order to make sentient beings who do not believe in the recompense of deeds see the recompense of deeds, therefore he manifests the practice of austerities; because, in following along with the dharma of a defiled world, it ought by rights to be thus, therefore he manifests the practice of austerities; in order to make manifest that he is able to endure toil and hardship and diligently cultivates the Way, therefore he manifests the practice of austerities; in order to make sentient beings delight in seeking the Dharma, therefore he manifests the practice of austerities; for the sake of sentient beings who are attached to the joys of desire and the joys of self, therefore he manifests the practice of austerities; in order to make manifest that the bodhisattva’s setting going of practice is most excellent, and that all the way to the final birth he still does not forsake diligence and vigor, therefore he manifests the practice of austerities; in order to make sentient beings delight in the dharma of stillness and grow their roots of good, therefore he manifests the practice of austerities; because the faculties of the gods and the people of the world are not yet ripe, and he means to await the time and make them ripe, therefore he manifests the practice of austerities. These are the ten. With this skillful means the bodhisattva tames all sentient beings.

Gate 44. Going to the Place of the Way: The Ten Matters of Going to the Foot of the Tree of Awakening

“Sons of the Buddha! A bodhisattva-mahāsattva’s going to the place of the Way has ten kinds of matter. Which are the ten? Namely: when going to the place of the Way, he shines upon all the worlds; when going to the place of the Way, he shakes all the worlds; when going to the place of the Way, he manifests his body everywhere in all the worlds; when going to the place of the Way, he awakens all the bodhisattvas and all the sentient beings who practiced together with him in former ages; when going to the place of the Way, he manifests all the adornments of the place of the Way; when going to the place of the Way, in accordance with what the minds of sentient beings desire he manifests for them a body with bearing of all sorts and all the adornments of the tree of awakening; when going to the place of the Way, he sees present before him all the tathāgatas of the ten directions; when going to the place of the Way, at every raising and setting down of his foot he constantly enters samādhi, and in thought after thought accomplishes buddhahood with no gap between; when going to the place of the Way, all the kings among the gods, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kiṃnaras, mahoragas, Śakras, Brahmā kings, and the world-guardians do not know of one another, and yet each raises up all sorts of surpassing and wondrous offerings; when going to the place of the Way, with unobstructed wisdom he universally contemplates and sees all the buddhas, the tathāgatas, cultivating the practice of a bodhisattva and accomplishing perfect awakening in all the worlds. These are the ten. By this the bodhisattva teaches and transforms sentient beings.

Gate 45. Sitting at the Place of the Way: The Ten Matters of Sitting upon the Diamond Seat

“Sons of the Buddha! A bodhisattva-mahāsattva’s sitting at the place of the Way has ten kinds of matter. Which are the ten? Namely: when sitting at the place of the Way, he shakes all the worlds in all sorts of ways; when sitting at the place of the Way, he shines evenly upon all the worlds; when sitting at the place of the Way, he extinguishes all the sufferings of the evil destinies; when sitting at the place of the Way, he causes all the worlds to be made of adamant; when sitting at the place of the Way, he universally contemplates and sees the lion-seats of all the buddhas, the tathāgatas; when sitting at the place of the Way, his mind is like empty space, with nothing discriminated; when sitting at the place of the Way, in accordance with what is fitting for another he manifests a body with bearing; when sitting at the place of the Way, he abides securely in accordance with the adamantine samādhi; when sitting at the place of the Way, he receives the pure and wondrous place held by the spiritual power of all the tathāgatas; when sitting at the place of the Way, with the power of his own roots of good he is wholly able to aid all sentient beings. These are the ten.

Gate 46. The Unprecedented Matters of Sitting at the Place of the Way: Ten Rare Things That Never Were Before

“Sons of the Buddha! When a bodhisattva-mahāsattva sits at the place of the Way, there are ten kinds of rare and unprecedented matter. Which are the ten? Sons of the Buddha! When a bodhisattva-mahāsattva sits at the place of the Way, all the tathāgatas of the worlds of the ten directions all appear before him, and all raise their right hands and praise him, saying: ‘Excellent, excellent! Unsurpassed guide!’ This is the first unprecedented matter. When a bodhisattva-mahāsattva sits at the place of the Way, all the tathāgatas wholly guard him in their thought and give him majestic power: this is the second unprecedented matter. When a bodhisattva-mahāsattva sits at the place of the Way, the assemblies of bodhisattvas who practiced together with him in former ages all come and gather round him, and with all sorts of articles of adornment reverence and make offerings to him: this is the third unprecedented matter. When a bodhisattva-mahāsattva sits at the place of the Way, the grasses, trees, thickets, and forests of all the worlds and other things without feeling all bend their bodies and lower their shadows and turn toward the place of the Way: this is the fourth unprecedented matter. When a bodhisattva-mahāsattva sits at the place of the Way, he enters a samādhi named Contemplating the Dharma Realm, and the power of that samādhi is able to make all the practices of the bodhisattva wholly full and complete: this is the fifth unprecedented matter. When a bodhisattva-mahāsattva sits at the place of the Way, he obtains a dhāraṇī named Highest Treasury of the Ocean of Subtle Light Free of Defilement, and is able to receive the great cloud and Dharma rain of all the buddhas, the tathāgatas: this is the sixth unprecedented matter. When a bodhisattva-mahāsattva sits at the place of the Way, with the power of his majestic virtue he raises up surpassing and wondrous articles of offering, and throughout all the worlds makes offerings to the buddhas: this is the seventh unprecedented matter. When a bodhisattva-mahāsattva sits at the place of the Way, he abides in the most excellent wisdom, and wholly knows present before him the faculties and the movements of intent of all sentient beings: this is the eighth unprecedented matter. When a bodhisattva-mahāsattva sits at the place of the Way, he enters a samādhi named Good Awakening, and the power of that samādhi is able to make his body fill all the worlds of the three times to the ends of the realm of empty space: this is the ninth unprecedented matter. When a bodhisattva-mahāsattva sits at the place of the Way, he obtains the unobstructed great wisdom of the light free of defilement, and causes his deeds of body universally to enter the three times: this is the tenth unprecedented matter. Sons of the Buddha! These are the ten kinds of rare and unprecedented matter when a bodhisattva-mahāsattva sits at the place of the Way.

Gate 47. Manifesting the Subduing of Māra: The Ten Reasons for Subduing Māra

“Sons of the Buddha! When a bodhisattva-mahāsattva sits at the place of the Way, he contemplates ten kinds of sense and manifests the subduing of māra. Which are the ten? Namely: because the sentient beings of a turbid age delight in battle, in order to bring out the power of the majestic virtue of a bodhisattva, therefore he manifests the subduing of māra; because among the gods and the people of the world there are those who harbor doubt, in order to cut off their doubts, therefore he manifests the subduing of māra; in order to teach, transform, and tame the armies of the māras, therefore he manifests the subduing of māra; in order to make those among the gods and the people of the world who delight in battle-arrays all come and gather to look on, so that their minds are tamed, therefore he manifests the subduing of māra; in order to make manifest that of all the majestic power a bodhisattva has, there is none in the world who can match it, therefore he manifests the subduing of māra; because he wishes to set going the power of bravery of all sentient beings, therefore he manifests the subduing of māra; in order to pity the sentient beings of the last age, therefore he manifests the subduing of māra; because he wishes to make manifest that even up to the place of the Way there are still armies of māra that come to touch and distress him, and that only after this is the realm of māra passed beyond, therefore he manifests the subduing of māra; in order to make manifest that the working of the afflictions is weak and feeble while the power of the roots of good of great loving-kindness is strong, therefore he manifests the subduing of māra; because he wishes to follow along with the dharma practiced in a turbid and evil world, therefore he manifests the subduing of māra. These are the ten.

Gate 48. Accomplishing the Powers of a Tathāgata: The Turn from the Perfected Cause into the Fulfilled Fruit

“Sons of the Buddha! Bodhisattva-mahāsattvas have ten kinds of accomplishing the powers of a Tathāgata. Which are the ten? Namely: because he passes beyond all the deeds of the hosts of māra and the afflictions, therefore he accomplishes the powers of a Tathāgata; because he is complete in all the practices of a bodhisattva and plays in all the gates of a bodhisattva’s samādhi, therefore he accomplishes the powers of a Tathāgata; because he is complete in all the vast meditative concentrations of a bodhisattva, therefore he accomplishes the powers of a Tathāgata; because he is full in all the white and pure dharmas that aid the path, therefore he accomplishes the powers of a Tathāgata; because he obtains the light of the wisdom of all dharmas and thinks and discriminates well, therefore he accomplishes the powers of a Tathāgata; because his body pervades all the worlds, therefore he accomplishes the powers of a Tathāgata; because the sounds of speech he sends forth are all of them equal to the minds of all sentient beings, therefore he accomplishes the powers of a Tathāgata; because he is able with spiritual power to sustain all things, therefore he accomplishes the powers of a Tathāgata; because he is equal to the deeds of body, speech, and mind of the buddhas of the three times without any difference, and within a single thought fully knows the dharmas of the three times, therefore he accomplishes the powers of a Tathāgata; because he obtains the samādhi of the wisdom of good awakening and is complete in the ten powers of a Tathāgata — namely, from the power of the knowledge of what is the case and what is not the case on to the power of the knowledge of the exhaustion of the contaminants — therefore he accomplishes the powers of a Tathāgata. These are the ten. If a bodhisattva is complete in these ten powers, then he is named the Tathāgata, the Worthy One, the Perfectly Awakened One.

Gate 49. Turning the Great Wheel of the Dharma: The Ten Matters of the Tathāgata’s Turning of the Wheel

“Sons of the Buddha! The turning of the great wheel of the Dharma by the Tathāgata, the Worthy One, the Perfectly Awakened One has ten kinds of matter. Which are the ten? First, being complete in the pure wisdom of the four fearlessnesses; second, bringing forth the four kinds of eloquence and sounds that accord; third, being well able to open up and expound the marks of the four truths of what is real; fourth, following along with the unobstructed liberation of the buddhas; fifth, being able to make the minds of sentient beings all give rise to pure faith; sixth, that all the words he speaks are not spent in vain, being able to pull out the poisoned arrows of the sufferings of sentient beings; seventh, being sustained by the power of the vow of great compassion; eighth, that whatever sound he sends forth pervades all the worlds of the ten directions; ninth, that through asaṃkhyeya kalpas he speaks the Dharma without cease; tenth, that whatever dharma he speaks is all able to set going the faculties, the powers, the way of awakening, meditative concentration, liberation, samādhi, and such dharmas. Sons of the Buddha! The turning of the wheel of the Dharma by the buddhas, the tathāgatas, has measureless kinds of matter such as these.

Gate 50. Sowing the White and Pure Dharmas: The Ten Reasons Why No Word of the Teaching Is Spent in Vain

“Sons of the Buddha! When the Tathāgata, the Worthy One, the Perfectly Awakened One turns the wheel of the Dharma, because of ten matters he sows the white and pure dharmas within the minds of sentient beings, and there is not one phrase spent in vain. Which are the ten? Namely: because of the power of his vow in the past; because he is sustained by great compassion; because he does not forsake sentient beings; because his wisdom is masterful, and he speaks the Dharma for them in accordance with what they delight in; because he surely meets their occasion and has never missed it; because he accords with what is fitting for them and has no false speech; because the wisdom that knows the three times understands well; because his body is the most excellent and there is none that can be his equal; because his speech is masterful and none can fathom it; because his wisdom is masterful, and whatever words he sends forth are able to make people awaken. These are the ten.

Gate 51. Manifesting Parinirvāṇa: The Ten Senses of Entering Extinction

“Sons of the Buddha! When the Tathāgata, the Worthy One, the Perfectly Awakened One has finished doing the work of a buddha, he contemplates ten kinds of sense and manifests parinirvāṇa. Which are the ten? Namely: in order to make manifest that all conditioned activities are indeed impermanent; in order to make manifest that all that is conditioned is not secure; in order to make manifest that the great nirvāṇa alone is the place of security, without dread; because the humans and gods delight in and are attached to the form-body, therefore making manifest for them that the form-body is an impermanent dharma, and causing them to vow to abide in the pure dharma-body; in order to make manifest that the power of impermanence cannot be turned back; in order to make manifest that all that is conditioned does not abide in accordance with the mind and is not master of itself; in order to make manifest that all the three kinds of existence are like an illusion and a transformation and are not firm; in order to make manifest that the nature of nirvāṇa is ultimately firm and cannot be destroyed; in order to make manifest that all dharmas are without arising and without being set going, and yet have the marks of gathering together and of scattering and breaking apart; Sons of the Buddha! When the buddhas, the world-honored ones, have finished doing the work of a buddha, have fulfilled what they vowed, have turned the wheel of the Dharma, have already taught and crossed over all who ought to be taught and crossed over, and when those bodhisattvas who ought to receive an honored title have also all been accomplished in receiving their predictions, then by the dharma it ought by rights to be thus that they enter the unchanging great parinirvāṇa. Sons of the Buddha! This is how the Tathāgata, the Worthy One, the Perfectly Awakened One contemplates ten senses and manifests parinirvāṇa.