華嚴經 白話全本 · 冊5Avataṃsaka Sūtra · Complete Vernacular · Vol. 5

The samādhi portion (Chengguan's outline): the bodhisattva Vajra Banner, sustained by the power of the Buddha, enters the samādhi of the bodhisattva's light of wisdom

(narration by the compilers of the scripture)

At that time the bodhisattva Vajra Banner, sustained by the awesome spiritual power of the Buddha, entered a samādhi of the bodhisattvas, whose name is the Light of Wisdom.

The sustaining portion (1) (Chengguan's outline): the buddhas of the ten directions appear before him, and every one of them is named Vajra Banner

After he had entered this samādhi, in each and every one of the ten directions, beyond worlds as many as the dust-motes of a hundred thousand buddha-lands (grind the land of one buddha into dust-motes and take the number of those motes: it is an exceedingly great number), there were in each direction buddhas as many as the dust-motes of a hundred thousand buddha-lands, all of them bearing one and the same title, titled: Vajra Banner — and they appeared all together before the bodhisattva Vajra Banner and with one voice praised him, saying —

The sustaining portion (2) (Chengguan's outline): the praising, and the declaring of the five sources of the sustaining

“Excellent! Excellent! Good man! You have indeed been able to enter this samādhi of the bodhisattva's light of wisdom.

“Good man! This is because the buddhas as many as the dust-motes of a hundred thousand buddha-lands in each and every one of the ten directions sustain you together upon your person with their spiritual power; and it is also because of the power of the past vow and the awesome spiritual power of the Tathāgata Vairocana; and it is further because your own wisdom is pure; and it is also because the roots of goodness of the bodhisattvas seated here have grown and become excellent — it is these several powers joined together that make you able to enter this samādhi and expound the Dharma.

The sustaining portion (3) (Chengguan's outline): what the sustaining is for — the twenty-two clauses of “in order that”

“It is in order that the bodhisattvas may gain purity and be without any fear; in order that they may be furnished with eloquence that has no obstruction; in order that they may enter the ground of wisdom that has no obstruction; in order that they may abide upon the great mind of omniscience; in order that they may accomplish roots of goodness that have no exhaustion; in order that they may fulfill and be furnished with the white dharmas that have no obstruction (dharmas that are pure and purely good); in order that they may enter the Dharma realm of the universal gate (the Dharma realm in which a single gate is furnished with the many gates of Dharma); in order that they may display the spiritual power of all buddhas; in order that their knowledge of recollection reaching to the limit of the past may not be cut off; in order that they may gain the guarding and upholding of the faculties by all buddhas;

“And further, it is in order that they may expound the many dharmas widely by measureless gates of Dharma; in order that, having heard, they may all understand it and make it plain, receive it and uphold it and not forget it; in order that they may gather in all the roots of goodness of the bodhisattvas; in order that they may bring to completion the dharmas that aid the path and go forth from the world; in order that the wisdom of omniscience (the wisdom within the wisdom of a buddha) may not be cut off; in order that they may open forth the great vow; in order that they may explain the real meaning; in order that they may know the Dharma realm; in order that the bodhisattvas may all be gladdened; in order that they may cultivate the equal roots of goodness of all buddhas; in order that they may guard and uphold the lineage-nature of all tathāgatas —

“That is to say: it is in order to expound the ten dedications of the bodhisattvas.

The sustaining portion (4) (Chengguan's outline): the sustaining by speech — you should, sustained by the awesome spiritual power of the Buddha, expound this Dharma

“Son of the Buddha! You should, sustained by the awesome spiritual power of the Buddha, expound this Dharma: because you are able to gain the guarding mindfulness of the Buddha; because you abide within the house of the Buddha; because you increase the merit that goes forth from the world; because you gain the light of the dhāraṇī (the all-holding, which is able to gather in and hold in memory all dharmas without losing them); because you enter the Buddha-dharma that has no obstruction; because the great light universally illumines the Dharma realm through and through; because you gather together the pure dharmas that are without fault; because you abide upon the vast realm of wisdom; because you gain the light of the Dharma that has no obstruction.”

The sustaining portion (5) (Chengguan's outline): the sustaining by mind — the buddhas gave him ten things

(narration by the compilers of the scripture)

At that time the buddhas straightway gave the bodhisattva Vajra Banner measureless wisdom; gave him eloquence that neither lingers nor is obstructed; gave him the skillful means that distinguishes the phrases of the text and their meaning; gave him the light of the Dharma that has no obstruction; gave him the equal body of a tathāgata; gave him pure sounds of voice differentiated without measure; gave him the bodhisattvas' inconceivable samādhi of good contemplation; gave him the knowledge of the dedication of all roots of goodness that cannot be marred or destroyed; gave him the fine skillful means accomplished by contemplating all dharmas; gave him the eloquence that expounds all dharmas in all places without being cut off.

The question raised and settled: why it is he in particular who is sustained

Why is this? Because of the power of the roots of goodness by which he entered this samādhi.

The sustaining portion (6) (Chengguan's outline): the sustaining by body — the buddhas each with the right hand stroke the crown of his head

At that time the buddhas each stretched forth the right hand and stroked the crown of the head of the bodhisattva Vajra Banner.

The rising portion (Chengguan's outline): he rises from concentration and addresses the bodhisattvas seated there

The bodhisattva Vajra Banner, having had the crown of his head stroked, thereupon rose from concentration and said to the bodhisattvas seated there —

The main portion (1) (Chengguan's outline): the general statement — the great vow fills the Dharma realm and is universally able to rescue and guard all sentient beings

“Son of the Buddha! A bodhisattva-mahāsattva has an inconceivable great vow, which fills the whole of the Dharma realm and is universally able to rescue and guard all sentient beings — that is to say: he learns and cultivates the dedications of all the buddhas of the past, the future, and the present.

The main portion (2) (Chengguan's outline): he raises the question himself and answers it himself — how many kinds of dedication are there

“Son of the Buddha! How many kinds are there of the dedications of a bodhisattva-mahāsattva? Son of the Buddha! The dedications of a bodhisattva-mahāsattva are of ten kinds, and these are what the buddhas of the three times together expound. Which are the ten?

The main portion (3) (Chengguan's outline): the listing of the ten names

“The first is the dedication of rescuing and guarding all sentient beings while free of the mark of sentient beings; the second is the indestructible dedication; the third is the dedication equal to all the buddhas; the fourth is the dedication that reaches every place; the fifth is the dedication of the treasury of inexhaustible merit; the sixth is the dedication of entering all equal roots of goodness; the seventh is the dedication that accords equally with all sentient beings; the eighth is the dedication of the mark of suchness; the ninth is the dedication of liberation without bondage and without attachment; the tenth is the measureless dedication of entering the Dharma realm.

The main portion (4) (Chengguan's outline): the concluding of the number, and the citing of the buddhas of the three times as attestation

“Son of the Buddha! These are the ten kinds of dedication of a bodhisattva-mahāsattva — the buddhas of the past have already spoken them, the buddhas of the future will speak them, and the buddhas of the present now speak them.”

The Question Raised and the Roots of Goodness Dedicated: The Six Perfections and the Four Immeasurables

The bodhisattva Vajra Banner himself raises the question, and himself answers it:

“Son of the Buddha! What is the bodhisattva-mahāsattva's ‘dedication of rescuing and guarding all sentient beings while free of the mark of sentient beings’?

“Son of the Buddha! This bodhisattva-mahāsattva practices the dāna-pāramitā (the perfection of giving), purifies the śīla-pāramitā (the perfection of the precepts), cultivates the kṣānti-pāramitā (the perfection of patience), raises the pāramitā of vigor, enters the dhyāna-pāramitā (the perfection of meditative concentration), and dwells in the prajñā-pāramitā (the perfection of wisdom); and he cultivates great kindness, great compassion, great joy, and great equanimity — cultivating measureless roots of goodness such as these.

“When he cultivates the roots of goodness, he gives rise to this thought: ‘May these roots of goodness be universally able to benefit all sentient beings, causing them all to be pure, on to the ultimate, and forever to leave behind the measureless suffering and distress of the hells, of the hungry ghosts, of the animals, of the place of Yama, and the rest.’

Ten Times ‘I Shall Be, for All Sentient Beings’

“When the bodhisattva-mahāsattva plants roots of goodness, he dedicates his own roots of goodness in this way:

“‘I shall be a house for all sentient beings, for the sake of sparing them all things of suffering; I shall be a guard for all sentient beings, for the sake of causing them all to be liberated from the afflictions; I shall be a refuge for all sentient beings, for the sake of causing them all to get free of every fear; I shall be a resort for all sentient beings, for the sake of causing them to reach omniscience; I shall be a security for all sentient beings, for the sake of causing them to gain the place of ultimate peace and security; I shall be a light for all sentient beings, for the sake of causing them to gain the light of wisdom and to extinguish the darkness of delusion; I shall be a torch for all sentient beings, for the sake of breaking apart all their darkness of ignorance; I shall be a lamp for all sentient beings, for the sake of causing them to dwell in the place of ultimate purity; I shall be a guide for all sentient beings, for the sake of leading them to enter the true Dharma; I shall be a great guide for all sentient beings, for the sake of giving them the great wisdom that is unobstructed.’

“Son of the Buddha! When the bodhisattva-mahāsattva dedicates his manifold roots of goodness in this way, he benefits all sentient beings equally, and ultimately causes them all to attain omniscience.

Neither Kin nor Friend, Guarded Just the Same

“Son of the Buddha! Toward sentient beings who are neither kin nor friend the bodhisattva-mahāsattva likewise guards and dedicates, with no difference at all from how he treats kin and friends. Why is this? Because the bodhisattva-mahāsattva has already entered the equality of all dharmas, and so he does not give rise, toward any sentient being, to a single thought that ‘this one is not kin, not friend’.

“Suppose some sentient being gives rise to a mind of enmity and harm toward the bodhisattva: the bodhisattva still looks upon him with kindly eyes and from first to last has no anger; and he acts universally as a good friend for sentient beings, expounding the true Dharma for them and causing them to cultivate it.

The Great Sea Is Not Spoiled by the Many Poisons

“It is like the great sea, which none of the many poisons can alter or ruin. So it is with the bodhisattva: all those who are foolish and benighted, who have no wisdom, who do not know kindness received, who are hate-filled, stubborn, and vicious, who are arrogant and self-important, whose mind's eye is blind (their mind's eye as if sightless), who do not recognize good dharmas — evil sentient beings of every such kind, pressing and vexing him in every manner, are none of them able to shake or disturb him.

The Sun God-Son Does Not Fail to Appear Because of Coverings and Obstructions

“It is like the sun god-son (the god of the sun), who appears in the world and does not, because those born blind cannot see him, hide himself and fail to appear; nor does he, because of the city of the gandharvas (a city conjured in the air), the hand of an asura, the trees of Jambudvīpa, towering crags, deep valleys, dust and mist, smoke and cloud — things of every such kind covering and obstructing him — hide himself and fail to appear; nor does he, because the seasons alter and change, hide himself and fail to appear.

“So it is precisely with the bodhisattva-mahāsattva: he has great merit, his mind is deep and vast, he observes with right mindfulness, and he does not shrink back or submit; because he wishes to bring merit and wisdom to their ultimate accomplishment, toward the surpassing dharmas above he gives rise in his mind to aspiration and delight; the light of the Dharma shines everywhere and he sees every meaning; toward the manifold dharma-gates his wisdom is sovereign; always for the sake of benefiting all sentient beings he cultivates good dharmas, and he has never once mistakenly given rise to a thought of forsaking sentient beings.

He Does Not Abandon the Dedication Because Beings Are Hard to Tame

“He does not, because sentient beings are vicious in nature, of wrong views, hate-filled and turbid, and hard to tame, forsake them at once and cultivate the dedication no more; rather he takes the bodhisattva's great vow as his armor and adorns himself with it, rescuing and guarding sentient beings, constantly without turning back.

“He does not, because sentient beings do not know to repay kindness, fall away from the bodhisattva's practice and forsake the path of awakening; he does not, because he dwells in one place together with the common and the foolish, cast off all the roots of goodness that accord with reality; he does not, because sentient beings again and again give rise to faults and are hard to bear, give rise to a mind of weariness toward them.

The Sun Does Not Appear for One Matter Only

“Why is this? It is like the sun god-son, who does not appear in the world for one matter only. So it is precisely with the bodhisattva-mahāsattva: it is not for the sake of one sentient being that he cultivates the manifold roots of goodness and dedicates them to anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi (unsurpassed perfect awakening); rather it is for the sake of universally rescuing and guarding all sentient beings that he cultivates roots of goodness and dedicates them to unsurpassed perfect awakening.

“So too: it is not for the sake of purifying one buddha-land, not for the sake of having faith in one buddha, not for the sake of seeing one buddha, not for the sake of comprehending one dharma, that he raises the vow of great wisdom and dedicates it to unsurpassed perfect awakening; rather it is for the sake of universally purifying all buddha-lands, of universally having faith in all the buddhas, of universally serving and making offerings to all the buddhas, of universally understanding all the buddha-dharmas, that he raises the great vow, cultivates the manifold roots of goodness, and dedicates them to unsurpassed perfect awakening.

Taking the Dharma of the Buddhas as the Object: The True Dedication of Ten Kinds of Mind

“Son of the Buddha! The bodhisattva-mahāsattva takes the dharma of the buddhas as his object, raises a vast mind and a mind that does not turn back, and through measureless kalpas gathers up the jewel of the mind that is rare and hard to obtain, and is completely equal with all the buddhas.

“The bodhisattva contemplates his manifold roots of goodness in this way: his faith is pure, his great compassion is firm, and with a most profound mind, a joyful mind, a pure mind, a most excellent mind, a gentle mind, a kind and compassionate mind, a pitying mind, a mind that gathers and guards, a mind that benefits, and a mind that brings peace and joy, he makes a true dedication universally for sentient beings — not merely with the words of his mouth.

May All Sentient Beings: Merit Complete

“Son of the Buddha! When the bodhisattva-mahāsattva dedicates his manifold roots of goodness, he gives rise to this thought:

“‘By my roots of goodness, may all who are born in any of the destinies, all sentient beings, gain purity; may their merit be complete, indestructible, and without end; may they always be honored by others, their right mindfulness unforgotten; may they obtain settled wisdom and be furnished with measureless knowledge; and may their bodily deeds, their verbal deeds, and their mental deeds, and all their merit, be complete and adorned.’

May All Sentient Beings: Serving the Buddhas, Dwelling Where the Buddhas Dwell

“He also gives rise to this thought: ‘By these roots of goodness, may all sentient beings serve and make offerings to all the buddhas with none of it in vain; may their pure faith toward the buddhas be indestructible; may they hear the true Dharma, cut off every doubt, hold it in memory unforgotten, and practice as it is spoken;

“‘may they, in the presence of the tathāgatas, raise a mind of reverence, their bodily deeds pure, dwelling in measureless and vast roots of goodness; may they forever leave poverty behind and have the seven riches complete (faith · precepts · shame · abashment · learning · giving · wisdom, the seven noble riches); may they, in the presence of the buddhas, always follow the Buddha in study, accomplish measureless surpassing and wondrous roots of goodness, awaken and understand equally, dwell in omniscience, and look upon sentient beings equally with an unobstructed eye;

“‘may marks and signs of every kind adorn their bodies, without stain or defect; may their speech be pure and subtle, their merit complete, their faculties tamed, the ten powers accomplished, their good mind fulfilled, and dwelling upon nothing. May all sentient beings universally gain the happiness of a buddha, gain measureless dwelling, and dwell where the buddhas dwell.’

Seeing Beings Make Evil and Undergo Suffering: I Shall Undergo It in Their Place

“Son of the Buddha! The bodhisattva-mahāsattva sees the manifold sentient beings making evil karma and undergoing manifold grave sufferings, and because of these heavy obstacles they do not see the Buddha, do not hear the Dharma, and do not recognize the Saṅgha. Then he gives rise to this thought: ‘I shall, within those evil destinies, undergo the manifold sufferings in place of the manifold sentient beings, causing them to gain liberation.’

“When the bodhisattva undergoes the venom of suffering in this way, he grows on the contrary more diligent: he does not forsake, does not evade, is not startled, is not frightened, does not draw back, is not faint-hearted, and has no weariness. Why is this? Because just as he has vowed, he is determined to shoulder all sentient beings and cause them to gain liberation.

Turning with Their Karma, Bound by the Net of Craving: Raising Great Compassion and Dedicating

“The bodhisattva then gives rise to this thought: ‘All sentient beings, in the places of the manifold sufferings and difficulties of birth, old age, sickness, and death, turn along with their karma, are of wrong views and without wisdom, and have lost the manifold good dharmas — I ought to rescue them and cause them to get out.’

“Again, those sentient beings are bound by the net of craving and covered over by the canopy of delusion; they are dyed and attached to the three existences (existence in the desire realm · existence in the form realm · existence in the formless realm), pursuing them and not letting go; they enter the cage of suffering, perform the deeds of the manifold demons, their merit and their wisdom alike exhausted; they always harbor doubt, do not see the place of peace and security, do not know the road out, turn without cease within birth-and-death, and are constantly sunk in the mire of the manifold sufferings.

“Having seen this, the bodhisattva raises a mind of great compassion and a mind of great benefit; wishing to cause sentient beings all to gain liberation, he dedicates all his roots of goodness, dedicates them with a vast mind, dedicating as the bodhisattvas of the three times have cultivated their dedication, dedicating as the Sūtra of the Great Dedication speaks of dedication, vowing that the manifold sentient beings may universally gain purity and ultimately accomplish the knowledge of all modes.

I Would Rather Undergo the Many Sufferings Alone: My Body as the Pledge

“He again gives rise to this thought: ‘The practice I cultivate is to cause sentient beings all to accomplish the unsurpassed king of wisdom; it is not for my own body that I seek liberation, but only to rescue and relieve all sentient beings, causing them all to gain the mind of omniscience, to cross the flood of birth-and-death, and to be liberated from the manifold sufferings.’

“He also gives rise to this thought: ‘I shall universally, for all sentient beings, undergo the manifold sufferings to the full, causing them to get out of the great ravine of the measureless sufferings of birth-and-death. I shall universally, for all sentient beings, in all worlds and in all evil destinies, throughout the kalpas to come, undergo every suffering, and yet always diligently cultivate roots of goodness for sentient beings. Why is this? I would rather undergo such manifold suffering alone than have sentient beings fall into the hells. I shall, in those places of danger and difficulty — the hells, the animals, the place of Yama, and the rest — make my own body the pledge, ransoming all the sentient beings of the evil destinies and causing them to gain liberation.’

Not Seeking the Path for His Own Body: The Fault of the Five Desires

“He also gives rise to this thought: ‘I vow to protect all sentient beings and in the end not to forsake them; what I say is truthful, without falsity. Why is this? It is for the sake of delivering all sentient beings that I have raised the mind of awakening; it is not for my own body that I seek the unsurpassed path, nor is it to seek the realms of the five desires and the manifold pleasures within the three existences that I cultivate the practice of awakening.

“‘Why is this? Of the pleasures of the world there is not one that is not suffering. They are the realm of the manifold demons, what fools covet, what the buddhas censure; all suffering and calamity arise from them; the hells, the hungry ghosts, and the animals, the place of Yama, wrath and anger, quarrels and litigation, mutual reviling and disgrace — evils of every such kind all come about through coveting and attachment to the five desires. To be besotted with the five desires is to be far from the buddhas and obstructed from birth in heaven — how much more from attaining anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi!’

“The bodhisattva contemplates in this way that the world covets a little savor of desire and undergoes measureless suffering; in the end it is not for the sake of that pleasure of the five desires that he seeks unsurpassed awakening and cultivates the bodhisattva practice; but only to bring peace and joy to all sentient beings does he raise the mind and cultivate, fulfilling the great vow, cutting through the snares (the noose-ropes) of the manifold sufferings of sentient beings and causing them to gain liberation.

The Ten Kinds of Happiness

“Son of the Buddha! The bodhisattva-mahāsattva again gives rise to this thought: ‘I shall dedicate my roots of goodness in this way, causing all sentient beings to gain the ultimate happiness, the happiness of benefit, the happiness of not receiving (the happiness of not receiving the feelings), the happiness of stillness, the happiness of no dependence, the happiness of no movement, the measureless happiness, the happiness of not forsaking and not turning back, the happiness of not ceasing, and the happiness of omniscience.’

The Taming Master · The Minister of the Army · The Ship-Master

“He also gives rise to this thought: ‘I shall be for all sentient beings a taming master, and be a minister in charge of the troops; holding aloft the torch of great wisdom, I shall show them the road of peace and security, cause them to leave danger and difficulty behind, and by skillful means cause them to know the true meaning; and in the great sea of birth-and-death I shall be the skilled ship-master of omniscience, ferrying the manifold sentient beings and causing them to reach the other shore.’

Rescuing and Guarding as Is Fitting: The Seven Things the Dedication Accomplishes

“Son of the Buddha! When the bodhisattva-mahāsattva dedicates his manifold roots of goodness in this way, that is to say: ‘Rescuing and guarding all sentient beings as is fitting for each, causing them to get out of birth-and-death; serving and making offerings to all the buddhas, gaining the unobstructed wisdom of omniscience; forsaking the manifold demons, and keeping far from bad friends; drawing near to all bodhisattva good friends; extinguishing every fault and offense, and accomplishing pure karma; being furnished with the bodhisattva's vast practices and vows, and with measureless roots of goodness.’

But One Sun Rises and Can Universally Illumine All: I Alone

“Son of the Buddha! When the bodhisattva-mahāsattva has rightly dedicated his manifold roots of goodness, he gives rise to this thought: ‘It is not because the sentient beings of the four continents are many that many suns appear; let but one sun rise, and it can universally illumine all sentient beings. Moreover, it is not by a light of their own bodies that sentient beings know there is day and night, are able to travel about and observe, and set up their manifold undertakings; all this is accomplished because the sun god-son appears — and yet that sun-disc is one only, and there is no second.’

“So it is precisely with the bodhisattva-mahāsattva: when he gathers roots of goodness and dedicates them, he gives rise to this thought: ‘Those sentient beings cannot even save themselves — how could they save others? I alone, my resolve solitary and without companion, gather roots of goodness and dedicate them in this way.

“‘That is to say: for the sake of widely delivering all sentient beings, for the sake of universally illumining all sentient beings, for the sake of showing and guiding all sentient beings, for the sake of awakening all sentient beings, for the sake of looking back upon and nurturing all sentient beings, for the sake of gathering in all sentient beings, for the sake of bringing all sentient beings to accomplishment, for the sake of causing all sentient beings to rejoice, for the sake of causing all sentient beings to delight, for the sake of causing all sentient beings to cut off doubt.’

I Should Be Like the Sun, Seeking No Return of Kindness: What Deserves the Name of Dedication

“Son of the Buddha! The bodhisattva-mahāsattva again gives rise to this thought: ‘I should be like the sun, universally illumining all and seeking no return of kindness. When sentient beings have evil, I can bear with all of it, and in the end I do not on that account forsake my vow; I do not, for the evil of one sentient being, forsake all sentient beings.

“‘I only diligently cultivate roots of goodness and dedicate them, universally causing sentient beings all to gain peace and joy; though the roots of goodness be few, they universally gather in sentient beings, and with a joyful mind I dedicate them vastly.

“‘If there are roots of goodness but one does not wish to benefit all sentient beings, that is not called dedication; take any single root of goodness whatever, and only when it universally takes sentient beings as its object is it called dedication.

Twenty-One Dedications Free of Marks (Chengguan's outline)

“‘— Setting sentient beings in the dharma-nature to which nothing clings, and dedicating; seeing that the self-nature of sentient beings neither moves nor turns, and dedicating; toward this matter of dedication depending on nothing and grasping nothing, and dedicating; not grasping the mark of the roots of goodness, and dedicating; not discriminating the substance of karma and its recompense, and dedicating; not clinging to the marks of the five aggregates, and dedicating; not ruining the marks of the five aggregates, and dedicating; not grasping karma, and dedicating; not seeking recompense, and dedicating; not being dyed by and attached to causes and conditions, and dedicating; not discriminating what causes and conditions give rise to, and dedicating; not clinging to names, and dedicating; not clinging to places, and dedicating; not clinging to dharmas that are false and empty, and dedicating; not clinging to the mark of sentient beings, the mark of worlds, or the mark of mind and thought, and dedicating; not giving rise to the inversion of mind, the inversion of perception, or the inversion of view, and dedicating; not clinging to the way of words and speech, and dedicating; contemplating the true nature of all dharmas, and dedicating; contemplating the equal mark of all sentient beings, and dedicating; sealing the manifold roots of goodness with the seal of the Dharma realm, and dedicating; contemplating that all dharmas are far from craving and desire, and dedicating.

Understanding That All Dharmas Are ‘Nothing’ · Karma Is Like a Shadow Cast by Light

“‘Understanding that all dharmas are ‘nothing’, then what is planted as roots of goodness is likewise so; contemplating that the manifold dharmas are not two, are unborn and unceasing, the dedication too is likewise so.

“‘Dedicating with manifold roots of goodness such as these, he cultivates the pure dharma of counteraction, and all his roots of goodness accord with the world-transcending dharma.

“‘He does not make two marks: it is neither in terms of karma that he cultivates omniscience, nor apart from karma that he dedicates to omniscience; omniscience is not itself karma, and yet it is not apart from karma that omniscience is gained. Because karma is pure like a shadow cast by light, the recompense too is pure like a shadow cast by light; because the recompense is pure like a shadow cast by light, the wisdom of omniscience too is pure like a shadow cast by light.

“‘Being far from all the agitated thinking and discrimination of ‘I’ and ‘what is mine’ — knowing thus, he dedicates the manifold roots of goodness by skillful means.’

Conclusion: Liberating Beings Without Ever Resting

“When the bodhisattva dedicates in this way, he liberates sentient beings without ever resting, and yet he does not dwell in the marks of dharmas; though he knows that the manifold dharmas have no karma and no recompense, he is well able to bring forth all karma and recompense without contradiction or contention — thus by skillful means he cultivates the dedication.

“When the bodhisattva-mahāsattva dedicates in this way, he is far from every fault and is praised by the buddhas.

“Son of the Buddha! This is the bodhisattva-mahāsattva's first ‘dedication of rescuing and guarding all sentient beings while free of the mark of sentient beings’.”

The Ceremony of the Repeated Verses

At that time the bodhisattva Vajra Banner observed all the assemblies of the ten directions and the whole Dharma realm, entered deeply into the meaning of the phrases, cultivated surpassing practice with a measureless mind, with great compassion universally covered and protected all sentient beings, did not cut off the seed-nature of the tathāgatas of the three times, entered the treasury of the merit-dharmas of all the buddhas, brought forth the dharma-body of all the buddhas, was well able to discriminate the minds of the manifold sentient beings, and, knowing that the roots of goodness they had planted were ripe, dwelt in the dharma-body and manifested a pure form-body for sentient beings; receiving the Buddha's spiritual power, he then spoke verses, saying:

Repeated Verses (1): The Roots of Goodness Dedicated — The Four Immeasurables and the Six Perfections

“Through inconceivable kalpas he cultivates the path, vigorous and firm, his mind unobstructed; because he wishes to benefit the kinds of living beings, he ever seeks the merit-dharmas of the buddhas.

“He who tames the world, the peerless one, refines and polishes his thought to the utmost clarity; raising the mind to deliver universally all the conscious, such a one is able skillfully to enter the treasury of dedication.

“His power of brave and vigorous effort is complete, his wisdom penetrating and his thought pure; universally he rescues and guards all sentient beings, and his mind is able to bear patiently and does not tilt.

“His mind dwells well and is beyond compare, his thought is ever pure and greatly delighted; cultivating diligently in this way for the sake of beings — it is like the great earth, which universally bears all.

“He does not for his own body seek pleasure, but wishes only to rescue and guard the manifold sentient beings; raising in this way the mind of great compassion, he swiftly is able to enter the ground of no obstruction.

“In all the worlds of the ten directions, all the sentient beings there are he gathers in; for the sake of rescuing them he settles his mind well, and thus he studies the manifold dedications.

“He practices giving with great delight, upholds pure precepts without transgression, is brave and vigorous with a mind unshaken, and dedicates to the omniscience of the Tathāgata.

“His mind is vast and without bound, the power of his patience dwells and does not tilt; his meditative concentration is most profound and constantly illumines, his wisdom is subtle and hard to conceive.

“Within all the worlds of the ten directions he is furnished with the cultivating and refining of pure practice; merit such as this he dedicates entirely, because he wishes to bring peace and joy to all the conscious.

Repeated Verses (2) (Chengguan's outline): Verses on the Dedication That Follows Marks — Benefit and Joy, and Undergoing Suffering in Their Place

“The great being diligently cultivates manifold good deeds, measureless, boundless, beyond reckoning; all of these he takes and uses to benefit sentient beings, causing them to dwell in the unsurpassed wisdom that is hard to conceive.

“Universally, for the sake of all sentient beings, through inconceivable kalpas he dwells in the hells; thus he has never had a mind of weariness or regret, but bravely and decidedly dedicates constantly.

“He does not seek form, sound, scent, or taste, nor does he hope for the manifold subtle touches; only to deliver sentient beings does he ever seek the unsurpassed and most excellent wisdom.

“His wisdom is pure like space; he cultivates the boundless practice of a great being; the manifold practices such as the Buddha practices, this person thus constantly studies.

“The great being travels through the manifold worlds and is able everywhere to make sentient beings secure; universally he causes all to rejoice, and cultivates the bodhisattva practice without ever being satisfied.

“He extinguishes every poison within the mind, and ponders and cultivates the highest wisdom; not for himself does he seek peace and joy, but wishes only that sentient beings may get free of suffering.

“This person's dedication reaches the ultimate, his mind ever pure and far from the many poisons; he is entrusted by the tathāgatas of the three times and dwells in the unsurpassed city of the great Dharma.

Repeated Verses (3) (Chengguan's outline): Verses on the Dedication Free of Marks

“He has never been dyed by or attached to the manifold forms, and so it is with feeling, perception, formations, and consciousness; his mind forever goes out from the three existences, and all his merit he dedicates entirely.

“The manifold sentient beings whom the Buddha knows and sees he gathers in entirely, with none left over; he vows to cause them all to gain liberation, and cultivating for their sake he greatly rejoices.

“His mindfulness dwells constantly thought after thought, his wisdom is vast and beyond compare; far from delusion, his right mindfulness constantly still, all his manifold deeds are pure.

“Those bodhisattvas dwell within the world and cling to no dharma, inner or outer, just as the wind travels within space without obstruction — so precisely is the great being's use of mind.

“All his bodily deeds are pure, and all his words are without fault; his mind ever turns toward the Tathāgata, and he is able to make the buddhas all rejoice.

Repeated Verses (4): Verses on the Benefit the Dedication Accomplishes

“In the measureless lands of the ten directions, wherever there are buddhas he goes; there he beholds the honored ones of great compassion, and there is none he does not revere, gaze upon, and serve.

“His mind is ever pure and far from the manifold faults; he enters the world everywhere without fear; already he dwells in the unsurpassed path of the Tathāgata, and he acts moreover as a great Dharma-pool for the three existences.

“Diligently he contemplates all dharmas, and in accord with them ponders ‘existent’ and ‘not existent’; thus he heads toward the true principle and gains entry to the most profound place of no contention.

“By this he cultivates and completes the firm path, which none of the sentient beings can ruin; he is well able to comprehend the nature of the manifold dharmas and universally, throughout the three times, clings to nothing.

“Dedicating in this way he reaches the other shore, universally causing sentient beings to leave the manifold defilements; forever far from every support, he gains entry to the ultimate place of no support.

“The ways of speech of all sentient beings, differing severally according to their kinds — the bodhisattva is able to discriminate and speak them all, and yet his mind clings to nothing and is unobstructed.

“The bodhisattva cultivates the dedication in this way; his merit and skillful means cannot be spoken; he is able to cause, within the worlds of the ten directions, all the buddhas alike to praise him.”

The Question Raised: What Is Called a Bodhisattva's Indestructible Dedication

“Son of the Buddha! What is called the indestructible dedication of a bodhisattva-mahāsattva?

The Ten Indestructible Faiths: The Ten Objects in Which He Has Faith

“Son of the Buddha! This bodhisattva-mahāsattva, toward all the tathāgatas of the past, of the future, and of the present, gains an indestructible faith — because he is able to serve all buddhas;

“Toward all bodhisattvas, down to a bodhisattva who has only just given rise to a single thought of the mind that seeks omniscience, he too gains an indestructible faith — because he vows to cultivate all the roots of goodness of a bodhisattva without weariness;

“Toward all the dharmas of the buddhas, he gains an indestructible faith — because he has given rise to a deep aspiration and delight;

“Toward all the teachings of the buddhas, he gains an indestructible faith — because he guards them and upholds them;

“Toward all beings, he gains an indestructible faith — because he looks upon them equally with kindly eyes, dedicates and directs his roots of goodness to them, and benefits them universally;

“Toward all the pure and immaculate dharmas (the dharmas of goodness that are pure and unstained), he gains an indestructible faith — because he universally amasses the boundless several roots of goodness;

“Toward the path of dedication of all bodhisattvas, he gains an indestructible faith — because he has fulfilled the several surpassing wishes, delights, and resolute understandings;

“Toward all bodhisattva dharma masters, he gains an indestructible faith — because toward the bodhisattvas he gives rise to the thought that they are buddhas;

“Toward the sovereign supernormal powers of all buddhas, he gains an indestructible faith — because he deeply believes that the buddhas are hard to conceive of;

“Toward the practice of skillful means of all bodhisattvas, he gains an indestructible faith — because he takes in the several measureless and innumerable objects of practice.

Dwelling in Indestructible Faith: Planting the Several Roots of Goodness Amid the Several Objects

“Son of the Buddha! When the bodhisattva-mahāsattva dwells in indestructible faith in this way, then toward the buddhas, the bodhisattvas, the śrāvakas, and the pratyekabuddhas, toward all the teachings of the buddhas, and toward all beings — amid such several objects as these — he plants roots of goodness measureless and boundless, and causes the mind of awakening to turn and increase yet further; his loving-kindness and his compassion are vast, he contemplates equally, he follows and studies what the buddhas do, and he takes in all pure roots of goodness; he enters deeply into the real meaning, amasses the practice of merit, performs great giving, cultivates the several merits, and contemplates the three times equally.

Dedicating to Omniscience: The Vows the Bodhisattva Makes

“With roots of goodness and merit such as these, the bodhisattva-mahāsattva dedicates and directs them to omniscience: ‘May I always see the buddhas, draw near to good friends, and dwell together in one place with the bodhisattvas; may I be mindful of omniscience and not let it go from my mind for even a moment; may I receive and uphold the teaching of the Buddha and guard it with diligence; may I teach, transform, and ripen all beings, my mind ever dedicating them to the path that goes beyond the world; may I make offerings to, look after, and serve all dharma masters; may I understand the dharmas and hold them in memory without forgetting; may I cultivate the great vows and cause them all to be fulfilled.’

Amassing Roots of Goodness: Nine Layers of Advance

“In this way the bodhisattva amasses roots of goodness, accomplishes roots of goodness, increases roots of goodness, reflects upon roots of goodness, binds his mindfulness to roots of goodness, discriminates roots of goodness, delights in roots of goodness, cultivates roots of goodness, and dwells in roots of goodness.

The Articles of Offering (One): The Mixed Gate (Chengguan's Outline), Twenty Clauses

“When the bodhisattva-mahāsattva has amassed the several roots of goodness in this way, he then, with the fruit of dependent retribution obtained by these roots of goodness, cultivates the bodhisattva practice; and in thought after thought he sees measureless buddhas and, according to what each of them should receive, serves them and makes offerings to them.

“He offers countless jewels, countless flowers, countless garlands, countless robes, countless canopies, countless banners, countless pennants, countless articles of adornment, countless attendants, countless plasterings of the ground, countless unguents, countless powdered incenses, countless blended incenses, countless burning incenses, countless deep faiths, countless delights, countless pure minds, countless reverences, countless praises, countless acts of homage —

The Articles of Offering (Two): Seats · Walking Places

“Countless jeweled seats, countless flower seats, countless incense seats, countless garland seats, countless sandalwood seats, countless cloth seats, countless vajra seats, countless maṇi seats, countless jeweled-silk seats, countless jewel-colored seats;

“Countless jeweled walking places, countless flower walking places, countless incense walking places, countless garland walking places, countless cloth walking places, countless walking places inlaid with jewels, countless walking places of all jeweled silks and colored stuffs, countless walking places of all jeweled tāla trees, countless walking places of all jeweled railings, countless walking places covered over with nets of all jeweled bells;

The Articles of Offering (Three): Palaces · Adornment by Trees · Adorning the Palaces (Chengguan's Outline)

“Countless palaces of all jewels, countless palaces of all flowers, countless palaces of all incense, countless palaces of all garlands, countless palaces of all sandalwood, countless palaces of the treasury of all firm and wondrous fragrance, countless palaces of all vajra, countless palaces of all maṇi — all of them wondrous beyond the heavens;

“Countless trees of assorted jewels, countless trees of the several incenses, countless trees of jeweled robes, countless trees of music, countless trees of articles of jeweled adornment, countless trees of wondrous sounds, countless trees of jewels one never wearies of, countless trees of jeweled silks and colored stuffs, countless trees of jeweled pendants, and countless trees adorned with all the flowers and incenses, banners and pennants, garlands and canopies — trees of such several kinds, their branches spreading and their shade interlacing, adorn those palaces.

“Those palaces have, besides, countless adornments of balustrades, countless adornments of windows, countless adornments of doorways, countless adornments of storied pavilions, countless adornments of half-moons, countless adornments of curtains, countless golden nets spread over them, countless incenses perfuming them all around, and countless robes spread upon their ground.

Offering to the Buddhas and to the Relics: The Eleven Purposes

“Son of the Buddha! With articles of offering of these several kinds, throughout measureless, innumerable, unspeakably unspeakable kalpas, the bodhisattva-mahāsattva makes offerings with a pure mind, with reverence and respect, to all the buddhas, constantly without turning back and without rest; and all the relics that are left after each and every tathāgata has passed into extinction, these too he honors and makes offerings to in just this way.

“He does this in order that all beings may give rise to pure faith; in order that all beings may take in roots of goodness; in order that all beings may leave the several sufferings behind; in order that all beings may gain a vast resolute understanding; in order that all beings may adorn themselves with the great adornment; in order to adorn with measureless adornment; in order that all that is done may reach the ultimate; in order to know that the arising of buddhas in the world is hard to meet with; in order to fulfill the measureless powers of a tathāgata; in order to adorn and make offerings to the stūpas and shrines of the buddhas; in order to uphold and maintain the dharma of all the buddhas — and so he makes offerings to the buddhas of the present, and to all the relics that are left after they have passed into extinction. Those offerings of his could not be exhausted in the telling even through countless kalpas.

Cultivating and Amassing Merit: From No Turning Back and No Weariness to the Sealing of the Several Objects

“In this way he cultivates and amasses measureless merit, all of it for the ripening of all beings, without turning back, without rest, without weariness; without attachment, leaving behind the several imaginings of the mind; without anything to lean upon, cutting off forever what is leaned upon; leaving behind the self, and what belongs to the self as well; with the seal of the dharma as it truly is he seals the several gateways of karma; he gains the non-arising of dharmas and dwells where the buddhas dwell; he contemplates the nature of non-arising and seals the several objects.

The Twelve Clauses of Dedication: From the Buddhas' Protective Mindfulness to the Fulfilling of Faith and Understanding

“In this way he dedicates: he dedicates with the mind aroused that the buddhas protect and keep in mind; he dedicates in accord with the nature of the dharmas; he dedicates by entering the dharma that is without making and by the skillful means that accomplishes what is done; he dedicates by the skillful means that casts off all imagining of and attachment to affairs; he dedicates by dwelling in measureless skillfulness; he dedicates by coming forth forever from all the states of existence; he dedicates by the skillfulness of practicing the several practices without dwelling upon marks; he dedicates by universally taking in all roots of goodness; he dedicates by universally purifying the vastness of all the bodhisattva practices; he dedicates by giving rise to the unsurpassed mind of awakening; he dedicates by dwelling together with all roots of goodness; he dedicates by fulfilling the mind of the highest faith and understanding.

What Is Accomplished at the Time of Dedication (One): Not Changing · Not Turning Back · Not Stirred into Confusion

“Son of the Buddha! When the bodhisattva-mahāsattva dedicates the several roots of goodness in this way, then, although he follows along with birth and death, he does not change; seeking omniscience, he has never turned back; dwelling amid the several states of existence, his mind is not stirred into confusion; he is able to deliver all beings; he is not stained by conditioned dharmas; he does not lose the unobstructed wisdom. The practice and the station of a bodhisattva — their causes and conditions are without end; the several dharmas of the world cannot make them shift; he is complete in the pure perfections, and is able to accomplish the powers of omniscience.

What Is Accomplished at the Time of Dedication (Two): Leaving the Darkness of Delusion · Understanding That the Dharmas Are Like Shadows and Like Echoes

“In this way the bodhisattva leaves behind the several darknesses of delusion, accomplishes the mind of awakening, reveals light, increases the pure dharmas, dedicates toward the surpassing path, and is complete in the multitude of practices; with a pure intent he is well able to discriminate; he understands that all dharmas appear entirely in accordance with the mind; he knows that karma is like a conjuring, that the retribution of karma is like an image in a mirror, that the several activities are like transformations; that the dharmas born of causes and conditions are all like an echo in a valley; that the several practices of a bodhisattva are all like a shadow; he brings forth the pure eye of dharma that clings to nothing, and sees the vast objects in which nothing is made; he realizes the nature of quiescence and understands that the dharmas are not two; he gains the true mark of the dharmas and is complete in the bodhisattva practice; toward all marks he clings to nothing; he is well able to practice the several kinds of work in which he shares the affairs of beings, and toward the pure and immaculate dharmas he never casts them aside; leaving behind every clinging, he dwells in the practice of non-clinging.

What Is Accomplished at the Time of Dedication (Three): Skillful Reflection · The Twofold Conclusion of the Two Practices

“In this way the bodhisattva reflects with skill: he has no confusion, he does not go against the dharmas, he does not destroy the causes of karma, he sees the real clearly and dedicates with skill; he knows the self-nature of the dharmas and, by the power of skillful means, accomplishes the retribution of karma and reaches the other shore; with wisdom he contemplates all the dharmas, and obtains the wisdom of supernormal powers and the roots of goodness of the several kinds of work; without making anything he practices, and follows his mind freely.

The Purpose of the Dedication: For Whose Sake He Dedicates

“When the bodhisattva-mahāsattva dedicates the several roots of goodness in this way, it is in order to deliver all beings, not to cut off the lineage of the buddhas, to leave forever the deeds of Māra, to see that omniscience has no bound, to have faith and delight and not to cast away the objects of the world, and to cut off the several defilements; and he vows too that beings may gain pure wisdom, may enter the deep skillful means, may come forth from the dharmas of birth and death, may obtain the roots of goodness of a buddha, may cut off forever all the works and deeds of Māra, may seal the several kinds of karma universally with the seal of equality, may give rise to the mind that goes forward into the knowledge of all modes, and may accomplish all the dharmas that go beyond the world.

The Fruit of the Station (Chengguan's Outline): What Is Gained by Dwelling in This Dedication

“Son of the Buddha! This is called the second, the indestructible dedication, of a bodhisattva-mahāsattva. When the bodhisattva-mahāsattva dwells in this dedication, he gains the sight of all the innumerable buddhas, accomplishes measureless pure and wondrous dharmas, gains universally an equal mind toward beings, and has no doubt about any dharma; he is sustained by the spiritual power of all the buddhas; he subdues the hosts of Māra and leaves forever the deeds of Māra; he accomplishes the nobility of birth in the family of the buddhas and fulfills the mind of awakening; he gains the unobstructed wisdom, which need not be expounded to him by another, and is well able to open up the meaning of all dharmas; he is able, following the power of his thought, to enter all lands, universally illuminating beings and causing them all to be pure. With the power of this indestructible dedication the bodhisattva-mahāsattva takes in the several roots of goodness and dedicates them in this way.”

The Repeated Verses (One): The Indestructible Intent · Offering · Single-Minded Recollection of the Buddhas

At that time the bodhisattva Vajra Banner surveyed the ten directions and, sustained by the spiritual power of the Buddha, spoke these verses:

“The bodhisattva has already gained the indestructible intent, and practices all the several works of goodness, and is therefore able to make the buddhas rejoice; the one who has wisdom dedicates by this.

“He makes offerings to measureless, boundless buddhas, gives, keeps the precepts, and tames his faculties, wishing to benefit the several beings, and universally causing all to be pure.

“All the finest of the several incenses and flowers, measureless and differing surpassing garments, jeweled canopies together with articles of adornment — he offers them to all the tathāgatas.

“Making offerings to the buddhas in this way, through measureless, innumerable, unthinkable kalpas, he is reverent and respectful and constantly rejoices, and has never for one thought given rise to weariness.

“With a single mind he calls the buddhas to mind — they are the great bright lamps of every world; of all the tathāgatas of the ten directions there is not one who is not present before him, as though beheld with his own eyes.

The Repeated Verses (Two): Giving Without Weariness · Offering to the Relics · Setting Up Images

“Through unthinkable, measureless kalpas, he gives in every way with a mind that never wearies; amid hundreds of thousands of myriads of koṭis of kalpas, he cultivates the dharmas of goodness, all of it thus.

“When those tathāgatas have passed into extinction, he makes offerings to the relics without ever being satisfied, and with every kind of wondrous adornment he builds up multitudes of stūpas and shrines hard to conceive of.

“He sets up the surpassing form that has no equal, with treasuries of jewels and pure gold for its adornment, towering and lofty like the king of mountains; their number is measureless, hundreds of thousands of koṭis.

“Having made offerings with a pure mind and reverence, he gives rise again to the intent of joy and of benefit, and through unthinkable kalpas he dwells within the world, rescuing and guarding beings and setting them free.

The Repeated Verses (Three): Understanding That Beings Are Deluded Imagining · Understanding That Their Substance-Nature Is Not Existent

“He understands that beings are all deluded imagining, and toward them makes no discrimination at all, and yet he can discriminate well the faculties of beings, and universally acts for the benefit of the multitude of the living.

“The bodhisattva cultivates and amasses the several merits, vast and most surpassing, beyond compare, and understands that their substance-nature is wholly not existent; thus, decisively, he dedicates them all.

“With the most surpassing wisdom he contemplates the dharmas, and within them there is not one dharma that arises; dedicating thus by skillful means, his merit is measureless and cannot be exhausted.

“By this skillful means he causes the mind to be pure, wholly equal to all the tathāgatas; and since the power of this skillful means cannot be exhausted, therefore the reward of merit also has no end.

The Repeated Verses (Four): Giving Rise to the Mind of Awakening · Leaning upon Nothing · Sought Out, It Cannot Be Found

“He gives rise to the unsurpassed mind of awakening, and upon no world does he lean; he reaches universally the worlds of the ten directions, and toward all of them there is nothing that obstructs him.

“All the tathāgatas appear within the world in order to open up and to guide the minds of beings; yet contemplate those minds according to their nature, and in the end, sought out, they cannot be found.

“All the dharmas, with none left over, enter wholly into suchness and are without substance-nature; dedicating with an eye pure as this, he opens up that prison of birth and death of the world.

“Though he causes the several states of existence to be wholly pure, neither does he discriminate among those states; he knows that the nature of the states of existence is nothing at all, and yet he causes them to rejoice with a pure intent.

The Repeated Verses (Five): Not Attached to Buddha-Lands · The Work of Dedication · The Vow to Cultivate This Merit

“Upon a single buddha-land he does not lean, and upon all the buddha-lands it is likewise so; neither is he stained by conditioned dharmas, for he knows that the nature of those dharmas has no place to lean upon.

“By this he cultivates and completes omniscience; by this he adorns with unsurpassed wisdom; by this he causes the buddhas all to rejoice — and this is the bodhisattva's work of dedication.

“With a single mind the bodhisattva calls the buddhas to mind — they have unsurpassed wisdom and skillful means; as the buddhas lean upon nothing at all, so may I too cultivate and complete this merit.

The Repeated Verses (Six): Rescuing and Guarding · Guarding the Dharma · Not Attached to Speech · Not Giving Rise to a Thought upon Emptiness

“With a single mind he rescues and guards all beings, causing them to leave the multitude of evil deeds far behind; benefiting the several multitudes of the living in this way, he binds his mindfulness and reflects and has never cast it aside.

“Dwelling in the ground of wisdom he guards the dharma, and does not take nirvāṇa by any other vehicle; he vows only to gain the unsurpassed path of a buddha — thus does the bodhisattva dedicate with skill.

“He does not take up the words that beings speak, for all that is conditioned is an empty and false affair; yet though he does not depend upon the way of words, neither does he cling to the absence of speech.

“All the tathāgatas of the ten directions understand the dharmas with none left over; and though they know that all is empty and quiescent, they do not give rise to a thought upon emptiness.

“With a single adornment he adorns all, nor does he give rise to discrimination among the dharmas; awakening the several multitudes of the living in this way — all is without self-nature, and there is nothing observed.”

The question raised: what is called the dedication equal to all buddhas

The bodhisattva Vajra Banner said to the great assembly:

“Sons of the Buddha! What is called the bodhisattva-mahāsattva's dedication equal to all buddhas?

The roots of goodness that are dedicated: the six objects appear before him and he gives rise to neither love nor hate

“Sons of the Buddha! This bodhisattva-mahāsattva follows and studies the path of dedication of the world-honored buddhas of the past, of the future, and of the present. When he studies the path of dedication in this way, then, seeing all forms and so on down to objects of touch and objects of mind, whether they be beautiful or ugly, he gives rise to neither love nor hate, and his mind attains sovereign freedom; he is without any faults, and is vast and pure; he is joyful and glad, and is far removed from every sorrow and vexation; his mind and thought are supple, and all his faculties are cool and clear.

Dedicating to the buddhas: may the buddhas' joy turn and increase yet further (the ten joys)

“Sons of the Buddha! When the bodhisattva-mahāsattva has obtained such ease and joy as this, he further gives rise to the thought of dedicating it to the buddhas, and thinks in this way: ‘May the roots of goodness that I now plant cause the joy of the buddhas to turn and increase yet further, that is to say: the inconceivable joy of the buddhas' dwelling place, the joy of the buddhas' samādhi that has no equal or comparison, the joy of great loving-kindness and compassion that cannot be limited or measured, the joy of the liberation of all the buddhas, the joy of the great spiritual penetrations that has no bound or border, the joy of great sovereign freedom that is most utterly to be revered, the joy of measureless power that is vast and ultimate, the joy of stillness that is apart from all knowing and perceiving, the joy of constant right concentration that dwells in the dwelling without obstruction, the joy of not changing or altering that practices the practice without duality.’

Dedicating to the bodhisattvas: from vows not yet fulfilled to the realization of Sarvajñā

“Sons of the Buddha! When the bodhisattva-mahāsattva has dedicated his various roots of goodness to the buddhas, he further dedicates these roots of goodness to the bodhisattvas, that is to say: ‘May those whose vows are not yet fulfilled be caused to attain fulfilment, those whose minds are not yet pure be caused to attain purity, and those whose perfections are not yet satisfied be caused to attain satisfaction. May they abide in the mind of awakening that is like vajra, attain non-retrogression with respect to omniscience, not cast away great vigor, and guard all the roots of goodness of the gate of awakening; may they be able to cause sentient beings to cast away the conceit of self and to give rise to the mind of awakening, so that all they have vowed is accomplished and fulfilled; may they abide in all the places where the bodhisattvas abide, obtain the bright and keen faculties of a bodhisattva, cultivate roots of goodness, and realize Sarvajñā (omniscience).’

Dedicating to sentient beings, to the two vehicles, and to beings in the evil destinies

“Sons of the Buddha! When the bodhisattva-mahāsattva has in this way dedicated his various roots of goodness to the bodhisattvas, he then takes them and dedicates them to all sentient beings: ‘May all the roots of goodness that sentient beings possess, down to the very least of them, lasting no longer than the snap of a finger, be such that they see the Buddha, hear the Dharma, and revere the holy Saṅgha. May those roots of goodness all be far removed from hindrances, so that their recollection of the Buddha is fulfilled, their recollection of the Dharma is skillful in means, their recollection of the Saṅgha is reverent, they are not parted from the sight of the Buddha, their minds attain purity, they obtain the dharmas of the buddhas, they gather in measureless virtues, they purify every kind of spiritual penetration, they cast off doubting thoughts about the Dharma, and they dwell in accordance with the teaching.’ And just as he dedicates in this way for sentient beings, so he dedicates in the very same way for the śrāvakas and the pratyekabuddhas. ‘And may all sentient beings be forever parted from the hells, the hungry ghosts, the animals, King Yama, and every evil place; may they increase the unsurpassed mind of awakening, single-mindedly and diligently seek the knowledge of all modes, never slander the true Dharma of the buddhas, obtain the ease and joy of a buddha, be pure in body and mind, and realize omniscience.’

Great vows gather in the good: giving rise, gathering, increasing — and all of them “rightly”

“Sons of the Buddha! All the roots of goodness that the bodhisattva-mahāsattva possesses he causes, by great vows, to be given rise to and rightly given rise to, gathered and rightly gathered, increased and rightly increased, so that they are all made vast and fully complete.

Dwelling in the house together with wife and child: the mind of awakening never for a moment cast away

“Sons of the Buddha! The bodhisattva-mahāsattva dwells in the house together with wife and child, and yet has never for a moment cast away the mind of awakening; with right mindfulness he ponders the sphere of Sarvajñā, delivering himself and delivering others, causing all to reach the ultimate; with skillful means he converts and guides his own family, causing them to enter the wisdom of a bodhisattva, causing them to ripen and gain liberation; and although he dwells together with them in one place, in his mind there is nothing to which he clings, for by his original great compassion he abides in the household, and out of a heart of loving-kindness he accords with wife and child, while toward the pure path of a bodhisattva there is no hindrance whatever.

What is done at home: dressing, eating, sleeping and waking are all dedicated to the path of Sarvajñā

“Although the bodhisattva-mahāsattva performs all manner of business at home, he has never for a moment cast away the mind of omniscience. That is to say: whether putting on clothing, or eating flavored food, or taking medicinal broths, washing and rinsing and anointing the body, turning about and looking round, walking, standing, sitting, and lying down, in the actions of body, speech, and mind, whether asleep or awake — in all such doings as these his mind constantly dedicates and directs them to the path of Sarvajñā, and he fixes his thought upon it and ponders it, and at no time lets go of it.

“Wishing to benefit all sentient beings, he abides in the measureless great vows of awakening and takes in numberless and vast roots of goodness; he diligently cultivates every kind of good and universally rescues and guards all beings; he is forever removed from all arrogance and heedlessness, and is decisively bound for the ground of omniscience, never in the end giving rise to a thought that turns toward any other path; he constantly contemplates the awakening of all the buddhas, and forever casts away every defiled dharma; he practices all that the bodhisattvas train in, and toward the path of omniscience there is no hindrance; he dwells in the ground of wisdom and delights in reciting and studying, and with measureless wisdom he gathers in every kind of root of goodness; his mind does not cling with fondness to anything in the world, nor is it defiled by the practices he himself performs, and single-mindedly he receives and upholds the teachings of the buddhas. In this way the bodhisattva, abiding in the household, universally gathers in roots of goodness and causes them to increase, dedicating them to the unsurpassed awakening of the buddhas.

Giving an animal a single ball, a single grain: even the slightest good is dedicated

“Sons of the Buddha! When the bodhisattva at such a time gives to an animal even so much as a single ball or a single grain of food, he likewise makes a vow such as this: ‘May these beings be caused to cast off the destiny of animals, to obtain benefit and ease, to reach ultimate liberation, to cross over the sea of suffering forever, to extinguish the feeling of suffering forever, to remove the aggregates of suffering forever, and to cut off forever the perception of suffering, the mass of suffering, the actions of suffering, the causes of suffering, the root of suffering, and every place of suffering; may all those beings be able to attain this casting off.’

Gathering over a long time: from the first arising of the mind he takes in all sentient beings

“In this way the bodhisattva single-mindedly fixes his thought upon all sentient beings, and, taking those roots of goodness as the foremost thing, dedicates them for their sake to the knowledge of all modes. From the very first arising of the mind of awakening the bodhisattva universally takes in sentient beings, and all the roots of goodness that he cultivates he takes and dedicates, wishing to cause them to be forever removed from the wilderness of birth and death, to obtain the unobstructed happiness of the Tathāgatas, to come forth from the sea of afflictions, and to train in the path of the Buddha's Dharma; his loving-kindness fills everywhere and the strength of his compassion is vast, so that he universally causes all to obtain the joy of purity; he guards the roots of goodness and draws near to the Buddha's Dharma; he comes forth from the sphere of Māra and enters the sphere of the buddhas; he severs the seed of the world and plants the seed of the Tathāgata, and abides in the dharma of the equality of the three times.

Already gathered · to be gathered · now gathering (Chengguan's outline): studying the past buddhas' dedication apart from marks

“In this way the bodhisattva-mahāsattva takes all the roots of goodness that are already gathered, that are to be gathered, and that are now gathering, and dedicates them all. And he thinks in this way: ‘Just as the buddhas and bodhisattvas of the past practiced, revering and making offerings to all the buddhas, delivering every kind of sentient being and causing them to come forth forever, diligently cultivating all roots of goodness, and taking them all and dedicating them without anything to which they clung — that is to say: not relying on form, not clinging to feeling, not making inverted perceptions, not producing formations, not grasping consciousness, and casting off the six sense-bases; not dwelling in the dharmas of the world but delighting in what transcends the world; knowing that all dharmas are like empty space, with nowhere that they come from, neither arising nor ceasing, without anything real to be obtained and without anything to which one is defiled; being far removed from every kind of discriminating view, unmoving and unturning, unlosing and unbreaking; abiding in the true limit, without marks and apart from marks, being only a single mark — entering in this way deeply into the nature of all dharmas, constantly delighting to practice the roots of goodness of the universal gate, and seeing entirely all the assemblies of all the buddhas.

I too dedicate in this way: knowing that what he cultivates is like an illusion, like a shadow

“ ‘Just as those roots of goodness of all the Tathāgatas of the past were dedicated, so do I too dedicate in this way; I understand such a dharma, I realize such a dharma, I rely upon such a dharma, I give rise to the mind and cultivate it, and I do not go against the true mark of the dharma; and I know that the practice I myself cultivate is like an illusion, like a shadow, like the moon in water, like an image in a mirror, all of it made manifest by the coming together of causes and conditions — and so on up to the ultimate ground of the Tathāgata.’

Equal to the present and the future: the nineteen names of dedication

“Sons of the Buddha! The bodhisattva-mahāsattva further thinks in this way: ‘Just as the buddhas of the past, when they cultivated the bodhisattva practice, took their various roots of goodness and dedicated them in this way, so too did those of the future and those of the present, all of them in this same way. I now also ought to do as those buddhas did, giving rise to the mind in this way and taking my various roots of goodness and dedicating them: the foremost dedication, the excellent dedication, the most excellent dedication, the high dedication, the unsurpassed dedication, the unequalled dedication, the dedication equal to the unequalled, the incomparable dedication, the matchless dedication, the revered dedication, the wondrous dedication, the impartial dedication, the upright dedication, the dedication of great merit, the vast dedication, the good dedication, the pure dedication, the dedication apart from evil, and the dedication that does not follow after evil.’

The benefit accomplished by dedication: the three kinds of action made pure, the root of clinging pulled out

“When the bodhisattva has in this way rightly dedicated his various roots of goodness, he accomplishes pure actions of body, of speech, and of mind; he abides in what the bodhisattvas abide in and is without any faults; he cultivates good actions and is far removed from evil of body and evil of speech, and his mind is without blemish; he cultivates omniscience and dwells in a vast mind, knowing that in all dharmas there is nothing that is done; he dwells in the dharmas that transcend the world, and the dharmas of the world do not defile him; he discriminates and knows measureless kinds of action, accomplishes the skillful means of dedication, and forever pulls out the root of all clinging.

The concluding name and the fruit of the station (Chengguan's outline): the ten excellent virtues of one who dwells in this dedication

“Sons of the Buddha! This is the bodhisattva-mahāsattva's third dedication, the dedication equal to all buddhas. The bodhisattva-mahāsattva who dwells in this dedication enters deeply into all the deeds of the Tathāgatas and tends toward the excellent and wondrous virtues of the Tathāgata; he enters the deep and pure sphere of wisdom, is not parted from all the deeds of the bodhisattvas, and is well able to discriminate skillful and wondrous means; he enters the deep Dharma realm and knows well the successive stages of the bodhisattva's cultivation; he enters the family of the buddhas, and by skillful and wondrous means he discriminates and knows the measureless and boundless dharmas of every kind; and although he again manifests a body and takes birth within the world, yet toward the dharmas of the world his mind has nothing to which it clings.”

Verses (1): the general statement and explanation of the name · the dedication of the roots of goodness arisen from objects

At that time the bodhisattva Vajra Banner, sustained by the Buddha's spiritual power, contemplated everywhere the ten directions, and spoke these verses:

“Those bodhisattva-mahāsattvas study the dharma of dedication of the past buddhas, and they study too what all the guiding masters of the future and the present worlds have practiced.

Amid every kind of object they obtain ease and joy, and they are praised by the buddhas, the Tathāgatas; with the pure eye of vast radiance, they dedicate it all to the greatly wise and clear one (the Buddha).

The manifold joys obtained by the bodhisattva's faculty of body, and by eye, ear, nose, and tongue as well, measureless and supremely wondrous joys such as these, he dedicates them all to the most excellent ones (the buddhas).

All the manifold good dharmas of the world, and those that the Tathāgatas have accomplished — in them he takes everything in without remainder, and with all his rejoicing he benefits sentient beings.

The rejoicing of the world is of measureless kinds; this present dedication is for the sake of sentient beings: whatever joy the lion among men (the Buddha) possesses, may he cause the flock of beings to fulfill it entirely.

The Tathāgatas in all the lands, and every kind of joy that they know and see — may he cause sentient beings all to obtain it, and become a great bright lamp illumining the world.

The excellent and wondrous joy that the bodhisattva obtains, he dedicates it all to the flock of beings; and though it is for the sake of the flock of beings that he dedicates, yet in the dedication there is nothing to which he clings.

Verses (2): gathering in the ten thousand goods — the dedication of increase and the dedication of gathering

“The bodhisattva who practices this dedication gives rise to a measureless mind of great compassion; just as the virtue of dedication that the buddhas cultivate, so may my own practice be fulfilled entire.

Just as what the most excellent ones (the buddhas) have accomplished, the subtle and wondrous joy of the vehicle of omniscience, and what I myself practice within the world, the measureless joy of all the bodhisattva practices,

the joy of peace and safety shown by entering the destinies, the joy of stillness that constantly guards the faculties — he dedicates them all to the flock of beings, universally causing them to cultivate and attain unsurpassed wisdom.

It is not that body, speech, and mind are themselves the action, nor is there any other action apart from these; it is only by skillful means that the darkness of delusion is extinguished, and thus is unsurpassed wisdom cultivated and attained.

The manifold actions of practice that the bodhisattva cultivates gather in measureless and excellent merit; following the Tathāgata, he is born into the family of the buddhas, and stilly and without disorder he rightly makes dedication.

All the worlds throughout the ten directions, and all the sentient beings in them, he takes in entirely; he dedicates his roots of goodness to them all, vowing to cause them to be complete in the joy of peace and safety.

He does not seek benefit for his own body, but wishes only to cause all beings to have ease and joy; never for a moment has he given rise to a mind of frivolous talk, but contemplates only that dharmas are empty and without self.

Verses (3) (Chengguan's outline): turning back to praise the dedication to bodhisattvas · following marks and apart from marks · the benefit accomplished by dedication

“The measureless most excellent ones (the buddhas) of the ten directions, and all the true sons of the Buddha whom he beholds — he dedicates his roots of goodness to them all, vowing to cause them swiftly to attain unsurpassed awakening.

All the kinds that possess consciousness within the world he takes in with an impartial mind, without remainder; by the manifold good actions that I myself practice, may those sentient beings swiftly attain buddhahood.

The measureless and boundless great vows of every kind that the unsurpassed guiding master has expounded — may the sons of the Buddha all be pure, and, according to what their minds delight in, may all be fulfilled.

Contemplating everywhere the worlds of the ten directions, he bestows his merit upon them all, vowing to cause them all to be complete in wondrous adornment: thus does the bodhisattva study dedication.

His mind does not weigh and measure the two dharmas, but constantly comprehends that dharmas are without duality; and whether dharmas be two or be not two, within them there is in the end nothing to which he clings.

All the worlds throughout the ten directions are entirely the discriminations of sentient beings' perceptions; in perception and non-perception alike there is nothing to be obtained: in this way does he comprehend all perceptions.

When the bodies of those bodhisattvas have been made pure, then their minds too are pure and without blemish; their verbal action is already pure and without any faults, and it should be known that when the mind is pure there is nothing to which one clings.

Verses (4) (Chengguan's outline): the fruit of the station and the concluding praise

“With a single mind he rightly recollects the buddhas of the past, and calls to mind too the guiding masters of the future, and the honored ones among gods and humans of the present, studying entirely the dharma that they expound.

All the Tathāgatas of the three times, whose wisdom is clear and penetrating and whose minds are unimpeded, for the sake of benefiting sentient beings, dedicate toward awakening and gather in the manifold actions.

That foremost wisdom, that vast wisdom, that wisdom which is not false, that wisdom without inversion, that impartial and real wisdom, that pure wisdom — thus does the one of most excellent wisdom speak.”

The question raised: what is the dedication that reaches every place

The bodhisattva Vajra Banner went on to say:

“Sons of the Buddha! What is the bodhisattva-mahāsattva's dedication that reaches every place?

The great vow: may this root of goodness be like the true limit, with no place it does not reach

“Sons of the Buddha! When this bodhisattva-mahāsattva is cultivating all the roots of goodness, he gives rise to a thought in this way: ‘May the power of the merit of this root of goodness of mine reach every place. Just as the true limit (the true limit of all dharmas) is such that there is no single place it does not reach: reaching all things, reaching all worlds, reaching all sentient beings, reaching all lands, reaching all dharmas, reaching all of space, reaching all the three times, reaching all that is conditioned and unconditioned, reaching all speech and sound. May this root of goodness of mine be just so, universally reaching the dwelling places of all the Tathāgatas and making offerings to all the buddhas of the three times: causing the vows made by the buddhas of the past all to be fulfilled, causing the buddhas of the future to be complete in adornment, and causing the buddhas of the present, together with their lands, their places of awakening, and the great assemblies of their Dharma-gatherings, to fill all of space and the Dharma realm. May it be that, by reason of the great majestic power of faith and understanding, by reason of vast wisdom that is without obstruction, and by reason of the dedication of all the roots of goodness, I am able to make offerings with such manifold vessels of offering as the gods possess, filling measureless and boundless worlds.’

The buddhas are everywhere present: which is why the offering can arrive, and why it can be manifested

“Sons of the Buddha! The bodhisattva-mahāsattva further gives rise to a thought in this way: ‘The buddhas, the world-honored ones, are universally present within all of space and the Dharma realm. Arisen from every kind of karma there are, in the ten directions, worlds beyond speaking that are embraced by all the world-species, and every kind of world beyond speaking of buddha-lands and buddha-domains, measureless worlds, worlds without division, revolving worlds, worlds standing on their side, upturned worlds, and overturned worlds; and within all such worlds as these the buddhas now dwell in the world with their spans of life and manifest every kind of spiritual penetration and transformation. And there too are bodhisattvas who, by the power of their excellent understanding, for the sake of those sentient beings who are able to receive transformation, within all those worlds manifest themselves as Tathāgatas arising in the world, with the wisdom that can reach every place; who universally reveal the Tathāgata's measureless and sovereign spiritual power, whose dharma-body universally goes forth without any difference and enters equally and universally into the whole Dharma realm; whose Tathāgata-womb body is neither born nor ceasing, and who by skillful means universally manifest themselves in the world — by reason of having realized the true nature of dharmas and surpassed all things, by reason of having obtained the unobstructed power of non-retrogression, and by reason of being born in the family of the Tathāgata's unobstructed vision and vast majestic virtue.’

Wondrous offerings and the ten minds of dedication: how the mind is used at the time of offering

“Sons of the Buddha! With the vow of all the roots of goodness he has planted, the bodhisattva-mahāsattva, in the presence of such Tathāgatas as these, makes offerings with manifold wondrous flowers, and with manifold wondrous fragrances, flower-garlands, jeweled canopies, banners, pennants, garments, and lamps, and with all the remaining vessels of adornment; and if it be an image of a buddha, or if it be a stūpa or shrine of a buddha, to these too he makes offerings in just the same way. With these roots of goodness he dedicates in this way — that is to say: dedicating without distraction, dedicating single-mindedly, dedicating with his own mind's intent, dedicating with reverence, dedicating unshakably, dedicating without abiding anywhere, dedicating without depending on anything, dedicating with a mind free of the notion of sentient beings, dedicating with a mind free of restless contention, and dedicating with a still mind.

Calling to mind again the ever-abiding buddhas: how wide the objects of the offering are

“And he gives rise to a thought again in this way: ‘Throughout the whole Dharma realm and the realm of space, within all the kalpas of the past, the future, and the present, the buddhas, the world-honored ones, have realized omniscience and accomplished the path of awakening; their measureless names are each different from one another; at every kind of time they manifest the accomplishing of perfect awakening; all of them abide in their life-span to the exhaustion of the future; each and every one of them adorns his body with the adornments of the Dharma realm; their places of awakening and their Dharma-gatherings extend everywhere throughout the Dharma realm; and in all lands they arise in due season and do the deeds of a buddha. To all such buddhas and Tathāgatas as these I universally dedicate my roots of goodness.

The breadth of the vessels of offering: from countless canopies of fragrance to palaces of maṇi jewels

“‘May I do so with countless canopies of fragrance, countless banners of fragrance, countless pennants of fragrance, countless curtains of fragrance, countless nets of fragrance, countless images of fragrance, countless lights of fragrance, countless flames of fragrance, countless clouds of fragrance, countless seats of fragrance, countless walking-grounds of fragrance, countless dwelling-places of fragrance, countless worlds of fragrance, countless mountains of fragrance, countless seas of fragrance, countless rivers of fragrance, countless trees of fragrance, countless garments of fragrance, countless lotus flowers of fragrance, and countless palaces of fragrance; with measureless canopies of flowers, and so, broadly told, on down to measureless palaces of flowers; with boundless canopies of garlands, and, broadly told, on down to boundless palaces of garlands; with unequalled canopies of unguent, and, broadly told, on down to unequalled palaces of unguent; with innumerable canopies of powdered fragrance, and, broadly told, on down to innumerable palaces of powdered fragrance; with canopies of garments beyond reckoning, and, broadly told, on down to palaces of garments beyond reckoning; with canopies of jewels beyond thinking, and, broadly told, on down to palaces of jewels beyond thinking; with canopies of lamplight beyond measuring, and, broadly told, on down to palaces of lamplight beyond measuring; with canopies of adornments beyond speaking, and, broadly told, on down to palaces of adornments beyond speaking; with canopies of maṇi jewels beyond speaking and beyond speaking, and banners of maṇi jewels beyond speaking and beyond speaking, and in the same way pennants of maṇi jewels, curtains of maṇi jewels, nets of maṇi jewels, images of maṇi jewels, lights of maṇi jewels, flames of maṇi jewels, clouds of maṇi jewels, seats of maṇi jewels, walking-grounds of maṇi jewels, dwelling-places of maṇi jewels, lands of maṇi jewels, mountains of maṇi jewels, seas of maṇi jewels, rivers of maṇi jewels, trees of maṇi jewels, garments of maṇi jewels, lotus flowers of maṇi jewels, and palaces of maṇi jewels, all of them as many as is beyond speaking and beyond speaking. And within each and every one of such domains as these there are countless balustrades, countless palaces, countless towers, countless gate-houses (gate-towers), countless half-moons (ornaments in the shape of a half-moon), countless counter-terraces (the works for warding off an enemy upon a city tower), countless windows (window-openings), countless pure jewels, and countless adornments — with such offerings as these and their like I reverently make offering to the buddhas, the world-honored ones, spoken of above.

What the offering is for: may the world be pure, may sentient beings escape

“‘May all the worlds attain purity, may all sentient beings attain escape and abide in the ground of the ten powers, and among all dharmas obtain the unobstructed clarity of dharma. May all sentient beings be complete in roots of goodness and all attain subduing; may their minds be measureless, equal to the realm of space; may they go to all lands and yet in truth arrive nowhere, may they enter all lands and there set forth every kind of good dharma; may they constantly see the buddhas, plant roots of goodness, accomplish the Great Vehicle, cling to no dharma, be complete in the manifold goods, establish measureless practices, enter universally into the boundless whole Dharma realm, accomplish the power of the buddhas' spiritual penetrations, and obtain the Tathāgata's wisdom of omniscience.

Just as there is no self: the twenty clauses of “universally gathering in”

“‘Just as the principle that there is no self universally gathers in all dharmas, so too are these roots of goodness of mine: they universally gather in all the buddhas and Tathāgatas, because he makes offerings to them all without remainder; they universally gather in all the measureless dharmas, because he is able to awaken into them all without obstruction; they universally gather in all the assemblies of bodhisattvas, because ultimately he shares one and the same root of goodness with them; they universally gather in all the practices of the bodhisattvas, because by the power of his original vow they are all fulfilled; they universally gather in all the clarity of dharma of the bodhisattvas, because he penetrates all dharmas without obstruction; they universally gather in the great power of the buddhas' spiritual penetrations, because he accomplishes measureless roots of goodness; they universally gather in the powers and the fearlessnesses of the buddhas, because he gives rise to a measureless mind and satisfies all; they universally gather in the samādhis, the eloquence, and the gates of dhāraṇī of the bodhisattvas, because he is well able to illumine and know the dharma that is without duality; they universally gather in the skillfulness in means of the buddhas, because he manifests the Tathāgata's great spiritual power; they universally gather in the descent into birth, the accomplishing of the path, the turning of the wheel of the true Dharma, the subduing of sentient beings, and the entry into parinirvāṇa of all the buddhas of the three times, because his reverent offerings extend everywhere without exception; they universally gather in all the worlds of the ten directions, because his adorning and purifying of the buddha-lands is in every case ultimate; they universally gather in all the vast kalpas, because within them he appears and cultivates the bodhisattva practice without any interruption; they universally gather in all the destinies of birth there are (the places where birth is received in the six destinies), because within them all he manifests the receiving of birth; they universally gather in all the realms of sentient beings, because he is complete in the practice of the bodhisattva Samantabhadra; they universally gather in the habit-energies of all the afflictions, because he causes them all by means to become pure; they universally gather in the faculties of all sentient beings, because he knows their measureless differences entirely; they universally gather in the understandings and inclinations of all sentient beings, because he causes them to leave defilement behind and attain purity; they universally gather in all the practices that teach and transform sentient beings, because he manifests a body for them according to what befits them; they universally gather in all the ways of sentient beings that answer to their capacities, because he enters entirely into all the realms of sentient beings; they universally gather in the wisdom-nature of all the Tathāgatas, because he guards and upholds the teaching of all the buddhas.’

Using the unobtainable as his means: the contemplation at the time of dedication

“Sons of the Buddha! When the bodhisattva-mahāsattva dedicates his roots of goodness in this way, he uses the unobtainable as his means: he does not, within karma, discriminate its recompense, nor, within the recompense, discriminate the karma; though he is without discrimination he enters universally into the Dharma realm; though he is without any doing he abides constantly in the roots of goodness; though he is without any arising he diligently cultivates the surpassing dharmas; he does not believe in dharmas and yet is able to enter deeply into them (he does not grasp at any mark in dharmas by which they might be believed, and yet is able to enter deeply into them); he does not hold dharmas to exist and yet knows and sees them all; both the doing and the not doing are alike unobtainable; he knows that the nature of dharmas is constantly not sovereign; though he sees all dharmas he sees nothing; though he universally knows everything he knows nothing.

“The bodhisattva penetrates the objective realm in this way: he knows that all dharmas have causes and conditions as their root; he sees the dharma-body of all the buddhas; he arrives at the true limit in which all dharmas are apart from defilement; he understands that the world is in every case like a transformation; he clearly comprehends that sentient beings are only one dharma and have no second nature; he does not cast away the skillfulness in means that works within the objects of karma; within the realm of the conditioned he displays the unconditioned dharma, and yet does not destroy the marks of the conditioned; within the realm of the unconditioned he displays the conditioned dharma, and yet does not discriminate the marks of the unconditioned.

“The bodhisattva contemplates in this way that all dharmas are ultimately still and extinguished, accomplishes all the pure roots of goodness, and yet gives rise to the mind that rescues and protects sentient beings; his wisdom clearly comprehends the whole ocean of dharmas; he constantly delights to cultivate the dharma that is apart from folly; he has already become complete in the merit that transcends the world and no longer studies the dharmas of the world; he obtains the pure eye of wisdom and leaves behind every kind of cataract of folly; and with good means he cultivates the path of dedication.

The concluding praise and the benefit accomplished: matching the buddhas' mind, and becoming the world's field of merit, its guide, its sun

“Sons of the Buddha! When the bodhisattva-mahāsattva dedicates his roots of goodness in this way, he accords with the mind of all the buddhas, adorns and purifies all the buddha-lands, teaches and ripens all sentient beings, and is complete in receiving and upholding all the Buddha-dharma; he becomes the supreme field of merit for all sentient beings, the wise guide for all merchants, and the pure sun of all the worlds; each and every one of his roots of goodness fills the whole Dharma realm, and all of them are able to rescue and protect all sentient beings and to cause them to be pure and complete in merit.

The ten capacities: what he is able to do when he dedicates in this way

“Sons of the Buddha! When the bodhisattva-mahāsattva dedicates in this way, he is able to guard and uphold the seed of all buddhas, able to ripen all sentient beings, able to adorn and purify all lands, able not to destroy any karma, able to know all dharmas, able to contemplate equally that dharmas are without duality, able to go everywhere throughout the worlds of the ten directions, able to penetrate the true limit that is apart from desire, able to accomplish pure faith and understanding, and able to be complete in bright and keen faculties.

The concluding name and the fruit of the station (Chengguan's outline): the ten kinds of “obtaining the reaching of every place”

“Sons of the Buddha! This is the bodhisattva-mahāsattva's fourth dedication, the dedication that reaches every place. When the bodhisattva-mahāsattva abides in this dedication: he obtains the bodily action that reaches every place, because he is universally able to respond and appear within all worlds; he obtains the verbal action that reaches every place, because within all worlds he expounds the Dharma; he obtains the mental action that reaches every place, because he receives and upholds the dharmas spoken by all buddhas; he obtains the spiritual penetration of the base of power that reaches every place, because according to the minds of sentient beings he goes to them all and responds; he obtains the wisdom that accords with realization that reaches every place, because he is universally able to penetrate all dharmas; he obtains the dhāraṇī and the eloquence that reach every place, because according to the minds of sentient beings he causes them to rejoice; he obtains the entry into the Dharma realm that reaches every place, because within a single pore he enters universally into all worlds; he obtains the body that enters everywhere and reaches every place, because within the body of a single sentient being he enters universally into the bodies of all sentient beings; he obtains the universal seeing of kalpas that reaches every place, because within each and every kalpa he constantly sees all the Tathāgatas; he obtains the universal seeing in thought-moments that reaches every place, because within each and every thought-moment all the buddhas are present before him. Sons of the Buddha! Having obtained the dedication that reaches every place, the bodhisattva-mahāsattva is able to dedicate his roots of goodness in this way.”

The verses of praise (one): without attachment, and yet not casting sentient beings aside

Then the bodhisattva Vajra Banner, sustained by the Buddha's majestic power, contemplated the ten directions universally and spoke these verses:

“Toward all the worlds, inner and outer, the bodhisattva has no attachment at all, and yet does not cast away the work of benefiting sentient beings — such is the wisdom that the great being cultivates.

“All the lands there are in the ten directions have nothing they depend on and nowhere they abide; he does not grasp at livelihood or at any other such dharma, nor does he falsely give rise to any discrimination.

The verses of praise (two): universally gathering in, yet not grasping

“He universally gathers in all sentient beings within the worlds of the ten directions without remainder, and yet contemplates that their very substance is nothing at all — this is the good dedication that reaches every place.

“He universally gathers in the conditioned and the unconditioned dharmas, and yet gives rise to no false thought about them; and so it is with the dharmas of the world as well — thus does the lamp that lights the world awaken to them.

The verses of praise (three): the deeds he cultivates, dedicated to the buddhas

“The deeds and practices the bodhisattva cultivates differ each from each as superior, middling, and inferior, and with all these roots of goodness he dedicates them to all the Tathāgatas of the ten directions.

“The bodhisattva dedicates and reaches the other shore; following the Tathāgatas he studies and accomplishes all; constantly with wondrous wisdom he considers well, and is complete in the most excellent dharma among men.

“His pure roots of goodness he universally dedicates, benefiting the sentient beings who have lost their way and never casting them aside, so that all sentient beings may become the unsurpassed lamp that lights the world.

The verses of praise (four): without discriminating, and yet without forsaking

“Never has he discriminated or grasped at sentient beings, nor does he falsely think upon dharmas; and though toward the world he has no defiling attachment, still he does not cast away any of the conscious ones (sentient beings).

“The bodhisattva constantly delights in the dharma of still extinction and by according with it arrives at the realm of nirvāṇa, and yet he does not forsake the way of sentient beings — such is the subtle and wondrous wisdom that he obtains.

“The bodhisattva has never discriminated karma, nor does he grasp at any fruit or recompense; all the worlds arise from conditions, and he does not see dharmas apart from causes and conditions.

The verses of praise (five): entering deeply and dedicating well

“Entering deeply into such objective realms as these, he gives rise to no discrimination within them — the tamer and guide of all sentient beings clearly understands this and dedicates well.”

The question raised and the roots of goodness dedicated: where the eight clauses come from

The bodhisattva Vajra Banner went on to raise the question himself and to answer it himself:

“Sons of the Buddha! What is the dedication of the treasury of inexhaustible merit of a bodhisattva-mahāsattva (a practitioner who has given rise to the great mind)?

“Sons of the Buddha! This bodhisattva-mahāsattva takes the roots of goodness that arise from removing by repentance all the grave hindrances of every kind of karma (the grave karma made earlier that would hinder his practice); the roots of goodness that arise from reverently saluting all the buddhas of the past, the present, and the future, of the three times; the roots of goodness that arise from exhorting all the buddhas to expound the essentials of the Dharma; the roots of goodness that arise from hearing the Dharma the Buddha teaches and cultivating it with diligence, and awakening into the inconceivable and vast sphere; the roots of goodness that arise from giving rise to rejoicing (seeing the good of another and having gladness arise in the mind) over all the roots of goodness possessed by all the buddhas and all the sentient beings of the past, the future, and the present; the roots of goodness obtained by the diligent cultivation of the multitude of bodhisattvas, the roots of goodness of all the buddhas of the three times, past, future, and present, being without end; the roots of goodness that arise from the mind of rejoicing given rise to because the bodhisattva knows in full that the buddhas of the three times accomplish right and equal awakening (awakening in its fullness), turn the wheel of the right Dharma (setting forth the right Dharma), and tame sentient beings; and all the roots of goodness that arise from giving rise to rejoicing over all of this — that the buddhas of the three times, from the first arising of the mind, cultivate the practice of a bodhisattva and accomplish the most right awakening, on down to their manifesting entry into parinirvāṇa (passing into extinction), and after the parinirvāṇa the right Dharma abiding in the world on until it is exhausted.

The ten clauses of “all that is” and the adornment of the buddha-lands of the past

“The bodhisattva in this way calls to mind the spheres of buddhas beyond speaking (so many that they cannot be told) and his own sphere, on up to the unobstructed sphere of bodhi (awakening), and all the roots of goodness that are in this way vast and measureless and each distinct from each — all that is accumulated, all that is believed and understood, all that is rejoiced over, all that is fulfilled, all that is accomplished, all that is cultivated, all that is obtained, all that is known and perceived, all that is taken up and held, all that is increased and grown — he takes them all and dedicates them, to adorn with them the lands of all the buddhas: just as in the numberless kalpas of the past that were without bound or border, in all the worlds, in every place through which all the Tathāgatas passed.

“That is to say: the measureless and numberless kinds of buddha-worlds (the great structure in which worlds are ranged into kinds and set out among one another) are what the wisdom of a buddha knows, what a bodhisattva recognizes, what one of the great mind receives; those adorned buddha-fields (the lands of the buddhas) are what pure karmic practice pours forth and draws forth, arising in accord with what sentient beings are ready to feel; they are what the spiritual power of the Tathāgata manifests, what the pure karma of the buddhas' appearing in the world accomplishes, what the wondrous practice of the bodhisattva Samantabhadra raises up; and all the buddhas accomplish the path within them, manifesting every kind of sovereign spiritual power.

The adornment of the buddha-lands to the end of the future: the six adornments

“To the very end of the future, all the Tathāgatas, the Worthy of Offerings (worthy to receive offerings), the Rightly and Fully Awakened, abide filling the Dharma realm, and are to accomplish the path of buddhahood, and are to obtain buddha-lands of every pure and adorned merit. To the end of the Dharma realm and to the end of the realm of empty space, without bound and without border, without interruption and without exhaustion, they all arise from the wisdom of the Tathāgata and are adorned by measureless wondrous jewels.

“That is to say: the adornment of every incense, the adornment of every flower, the adornment of every garment, the adornment of every treasury of merit, the adornment of the power of every buddha, the adornment of every buddha-land.

“That is the place where the Tathāgatas gather as in a capital, inconceivable; the many pure multitudes who cultivated and practiced together and have a bond from former lives abide within it, and in a future age are to accomplish right awakening. That is what all the buddhas accomplish; it is not what the eye of the world can see; only the pure eye of a bodhisattva can behold it. These bodhisattvas are furnished with great majestic virtue, in former lives they planted roots of goodness, they know that all dharmas are like a conjuring trick and like an apparition, they universally cultivate every pure karma of a bodhisattva, they enter the inconceivable samādhi of sovereign freedom (the mind settled in one place and thereby free), by skillful means they are able to do what the buddhas do, they send forth the light of the buddhas and universally illumine the world, without limit and without end.

The adornment of the buddha-lands of the present: the eleven kinds of implement of adornment

“All the buddhas, the world-honored ones, of the present are in every way like this as well. The worlds they adorn have measureless shapes and measureless light and color, all of them accomplished by merit — measureless incense, measureless jewels, measureless trees, numberless adornments, numberless palaces, numberless sounds. The good friends (the fine teachers and companions who are able to instruct one) who come following upon the causes and conditions of former lives manifest the adornment of every merit, without end.

“That is to say: the adornment of every incense, the adornment of every garland (a wreath of flowers), the adornment of every powdered incense (incense ground to a powder), the adornment of every jewel, the adornment of every banner, the adornment of every jewelled silk streamer (a colored ornament of silk), the adornment of every jewelled railing (a balustrade), the adornment of asaṃkhyeya golden nets, the adornment of asaṃkhyeya rivers, the adornment of asaṃkhyeya cloud-rains, asaṃkhyeya musics playing subtle and wondrous sounds — implements of adornment measureless and numberless such as these adorn everything: to the end of the Dharma realm and to the end of the realm of empty space, all the worlds that arise from the measureless and manifold karma of the ten directions, that a buddha knows and that a buddha proclaims, and all the buddha-lands within them.

The twenty-nine names of buddha-lands and the first great vow

“That is to say: the adorned buddha-land, the pure buddha-land, the impartial buddha-land, the fine and good buddha-land, the majestic buddha-land, the vast buddha-land, the peaceful and happy buddha-land, the indestructible buddha-land, the inexhaustible buddha-land, the measureless buddha-land, the unmoving buddha-land, the fearless buddha-land, the luminous buddha-land, the buddha-land without contrariety, the buddha-land to be loved and delighted in, the universally illumining buddha-land, the adorned and beautiful buddha-land, the fine and lovely buddha-land, the wondrously wrought buddha-land, the foremost buddha-land, the excellent buddha-land, the especially excellent buddha-land, the most excellent buddha-land, the utterly excellent buddha-land, the high buddha-land, the unsurpassed buddha-land, the unequalled buddha-land, the incomparable buddha-land, the buddha-land beyond all likeness.

“All the adornments possessed by all the buddha-lands of the past, the future, and the present, in this way, the bodhisattva-mahāsattva takes his own roots of goodness and gives rise to the mind of dedicating them: ‘Would that all the pure adornments of all the lands possessed by all the buddhas of the past, the future, and the present be taken entire and used to adorn a single world; and that, just as with all the adornments possessed by all those buddha-lands, they be wholly accomplished, wholly purified, wholly gathered, wholly made manifest, wholly made beautiful, wholly upheld and maintained. As it is with one world, so, to the end of the Dharma realm and to the end of the realm of empty space, is it with all worlds, the manifold adornments of all the buddha-lands of the three times being present in full.’

The second great vow: the great bodhisattvas filling the buddha-fields

“Sons of the Buddha! The bodhisattva-mahāsattva further dedicates his roots of goodness in this way: ‘Would that all the buddha-fields that I cultivate and bring to completion be entirely filled with great bodhisattvas. Those bodhisattvas are true and real in their very nature, and their wisdom penetrates through; they well discriminate all worlds and the realm of sentient beings, they enter deeply into the Dharma realm and into the realm of empty space, they cast away folly; they accomplish the recollection of the Buddha, they recollect the Dharma as real and inconceivable, they recollect the Saṅgha as measureless and everywhere pervading, and they recollect relinquishing as well (letting go and not grasping); the sun of their wisdom is fulfilled, the light of their wisdom universally illumines, they see all and are nowhere hindered; from the place where nothing is obtained they bring forth the dharmas of the buddhas, they become the lords of many excellent and superior roots of goodness, they give rise to the unsurpassed mind of awakening; they abide upon the powers of the Tathāgata, they tend toward Sarvajñā (omniscience), they break the deeds of the māras, they purify the realm of sentient beings, they enter deeply into the nature of dharmas, they are forever far removed from inversion, and their roots of goodness and their great vows do not fall away empty.

“‘Bodhisattvas such as these fill his land full, and being born in such a place and possessing such virtue, they constantly do what the buddhas do, and obtain the pure light of the awakening of a buddha; they are furnished with the wisdom of the Dharma realm, they set forth the power of spiritual penetration, and a single body of theirs fills the whole Dharma realm; they obtain great wisdom, they enter the sphere in which omniscience moves, they well discriminate the measureless and boundless phrases and meanings of the Dharma realm; toward all buddha-fields they have no clinging whatever, and yet are able universally to manifest all the buddha-lands; their minds are like empty space, having nothing they lean upon, and yet are able to discriminate the whole Dharma realm, and they enter and come forth well from the inconceivable and most profound samādhis; they tend toward Sarvajñā, they abide in the buddha-fields, they obtain the powers of the buddhas, and they set forth and expound asaṃkhyeya dharmas with no dread at all; they accord with the roots of goodness of the buddhas of the three times, they universally illumine the whole Dharma realm of the Tathāgatas, and they are able to receive and hold all the Dharma of the buddhas entire; they know asaṃkhyeya kinds of the dharma of language, and they well send forth inconceivable and distinct sounds; they enter the ground of the unsurpassed sovereign freedom of a buddha, and they universally travel through all the worlds of the ten directions without hindrance; they practice the dharma that is without contention and without anything to depend upon, they are without discrimination, and they cultivate and enlarge the mind of awakening; they obtain skillful wisdom, they well know phrases and meanings, and they are able to set forth and expound them following upon their sequence.

“‘Would that great bodhisattvas such as these adorn his land, filling it full and spreading through it, according with it and abiding in it, perfumed and cultivated and utterly perfumed and cultivated (perfuming body and mind unceasingly with stillness and insight and loving-kindness and compassion), pure and utterly pure, tranquil and at rest (peaceful and still). Within a single buddha-field, in whatever quarter it may be, there are great bodhisattvas such as these — numberless, measureless, boundless, unequalled, beyond counting, beyond reckoning, beyond thinking, beyond measuring, beyond speaking, beyond speaking of beyond speaking — pervading it and filling it full. As it is with one quarter, so is it with all quarters; as it is with one buddha-field, so is it with all the buddha-fields to the end of empty space and filling the Dharma realm.’

The ten skillful dedications and the three purities

“Sons of the Buddha! With his manifold roots of goodness the bodhisattva-mahāsattva dedicates skillfully to all buddha-fields, dedicates skillfully to all bodhisattvas, dedicates skillfully to all Tathāgatas, dedicates skillfully to the awakening of all buddhas, dedicates skillfully to all vast vows, dedicates skillfully to every path of the essential going forth (the essential path of coming out), dedicates skillfully to the purifying of the whole realm of sentient beings, dedicates skillfully to seeing constantly, in all worlds, the buddhas appearing and arising in the world, dedicates skillfully to seeing constantly that the life-span of the Tathāgata is measureless, dedicates skillfully to seeing constantly all the buddhas filling and pervading the Dharma realm and turning the unobstructed and non-retrogressive wheel of the Dharma.

“Sons of the Buddha! When the bodhisattva-mahāsattva dedicates his manifold roots of goodness in this way, then, because he universally enters all the buddha-lands, all the buddha-fields are entirely pure; because he universally reaches the whole realm of sentient beings, all bodhisattvas are entirely pure; because he universally vows that in all the buddha-lands there be buddhas appearing and arising, in the whole Dharma realm and in all the buddha-lands the bodies of the Tathāgatas appear standing out above all.

Tending toward omniscience and the ten pairs of not discriminating

“Sons of the Buddha! With a dedication such as this, beyond all comparison, the bodhisattva-mahāsattva tends toward Sarvajñā; his mind is vast, like empty space, without limit or measure, entering the inconceivable, and he knows that all karma and its fruits of recompense are entirely still and extinguished; his mind is constantly impartial, without bound or border, and universally able to enter throughout the whole Dharma realm.

“Sons of the Buddha! When the bodhisattva-mahāsattva dedicates in this way, he does not discriminate self and what belongs to self (what is mine); he does not discriminate a buddha and the Dharma of a buddha; he does not discriminate buddha-fields and their adorning purification; he does not discriminate sentient beings and their taming; he does not discriminate karma and the fruit of recompense of karma; he does not cling to thinking, nor to what arises from thinking; he does not destroy causes, he does not destroy fruits, he does not grasp at matters, he does not grasp at dharmas; he does not say that birth-and-death is a thing discriminated, he does not say that nirvāṇa is constantly still and quiescent, he does not say that the Tathāgata has entered into and realized the sphere of a buddha; there is not the least dharma that could stand in one place together with a dharma.

Universal giving to sentient beings and the nine gainings of inexhaustible roots of goodness

“Sons of the Buddha! When the bodhisattva-mahāsattva dedicates in this way, with his manifold roots of goodness he universally gives to sentient beings, decisively causing them to ripen and teaching and transforming them impartially; without taking up marks, without any object seized upon, without weighing and measuring, without falsity, far removed from all discriminating and grasping. When the bodhisattva-mahāsattva has dedicated in this way, he obtains inexhaustible roots of goodness.

“That is to say: because he calls to mind all the buddhas of the three times, he obtains inexhaustible roots of goodness; because he calls to mind all bodhisattvas, he obtains inexhaustible roots of goodness; because he purifies the buddha-fields, he obtains inexhaustible roots of goodness; because he purifies the whole realm of sentient beings, he obtains inexhaustible roots of goodness; because he enters deeply into the Dharma realm, he obtains inexhaustible roots of goodness; because he cultivates the measureless mind that is equal to the realm of empty space, he obtains inexhaustible roots of goodness; because he deeply understands the sphere of all buddhas, he obtains inexhaustible roots of goodness; because he diligently cultivates the deeds of a bodhisattva, he obtains inexhaustible roots of goodness; because he penetrates the three times, he obtains inexhaustible roots of goodness.

The ten clauses of knowing and the pure eye

“Sons of the Buddha! When the bodhisattva-mahāsattva dedicates all his roots of goodness in this way, he knows that in the whole realm of sentient beings there is no sentient being, he understands that in all dharmas there is no life-span, he knows that in all dharmas there is no doer, he awakens to the fact that all dharmas are without a pudgala (that subject which takes up birth again and again within birth-and-death), he knows that all dharmas are without wrath and contention, he contemplates that all dharmas arise from causes and conditions and have no place where they abide, he knows that all things have nothing to lean upon, he knows that all buddha-fields are entirely without any abiding, he contemplates that the practices of all bodhisattvas likewise have no place, he sees that all spheres are entirely without anything at all.

“Sons of the Buddha! When the bodhisattva-mahāsattva dedicates in this way, his eye in the end does not see an impure buddha-field, nor does it see sentient beings possessing a differing mark; there is not the least dharma that is entered by wisdom, nor is there the least wisdom that enters into a dharma; he understands that the body of the Tathāgata is not like empty space (a sheer nothing) — because all merits and measureless wondrous dharmas are fulfilled in that body, and because in all places he causes sentient beings to accumulate roots of goodness and be made replete.

Obtaining the ground of the ten powers in thought after thought · the treasury of merit of the wish-fulfilling maṇi · the conclusion in which practice accomplishes virtue

“Sons of the Buddha! In thought after thought this bodhisattva-mahāsattva obtains grounds of the ten powers (the ground where the ten kinds of wisdom-power of a buddha lie) beyond speaking of beyond speaking, is furnished with every merit, accomplishes pure roots of goodness, and becomes a field of merit for all sentient beings.

“This bodhisattva-mahāsattva accomplishes the treasury of merit of the wish-fulfilling maṇi (the jewel that manifests according as the mind seeks), because, according as there is anything he needs, all the implements of ease are obtained entire; according to whatever quarter he travels to, he is everywhere able to adorn and purify all the lands, and according to whatever place he passes through, he causes sentient beings beyond speaking of beyond speaking to be entirely pure, because he takes up merit and orders his practices thereby.

“Sons of the Buddha! When the bodhisattva-mahāsattva dedicates in this way, he cultivates all the practices of a bodhisattva, his merit is especially excellent and his form and marks beyond all comparison; his majestic power and light surpass the worlds, and the māras and the households of the māras are unable to look him in the face; his roots of goodness are furnished entire and his great vows are accomplished; his mind becomes ever more broad, equal to omniscience; within a single thought he is everywhere able to pervade measureless buddha-fields; the power of his wisdom is measureless, he penetrates the spheres of all the buddhas, and toward all buddhas he obtains a deep believing understanding; he abides upon the power of the mind of awakening that is boundless wisdom, vast as the Dharma realm and ultimate as empty space.

The concluding name and the ten inexhaustible treasuries

“Sons of the Buddha! This is called the bodhisattva-mahāsattva's fifth dedication, the dedication of the treasury of inexhaustible merit.

“The bodhisattva-mahāsattva who abides in this dedication obtains ten kinds of inexhaustible treasury. What are the ten? That is to say: he obtains the inexhaustible treasury of seeing the buddhas, because within a single pore he sees asaṃkhyeya buddhas appearing and arising in the world; he obtains the inexhaustible treasury of entering the Dharma, because by the power of a buddha's wisdom he contemplates and sees that all dharmas enter entirely into a single dharma; he obtains the inexhaustible treasury of holding in memory, because he receives and holds all the Dharma taught by the buddhas without forgetting it; he obtains the inexhaustible treasury of decisive wisdom, because he well knows the secret skillful means of all the Dharma taught by the buddhas; he obtains the inexhaustible treasury of understanding the drift of the meaning, because he well knows the drift and the bounds of the principle of the dharmas; he obtains the inexhaustible treasury of boundless awakened understanding, because with a wisdom like empty space he penetrates all the dharmas of the three times; he obtains the inexhaustible treasury of merit, because he fills full the minds and intentions of all sentient beings inexhaustibly; he obtains the inexhaustible treasury of valiant wisdom and awareness, because he is wholly able to remove and extinguish the cataract of folly of all sentient beings; he obtains the inexhaustible treasury of decisive eloquence, because he sets forth and expounds the impartial Dharma of all the buddhas and causes sentient beings entirely to understand it clearly; he obtains the inexhaustible treasury of the ten powers and the fearlessnesses, because he is furnished with all that a bodhisattva practices, and with a silk band free of defilement bound about his crown (receiving the consecration and the conferring of office) reaches the unobstructed omniscience. These are the ten.

“Sons of the Buddha! When the bodhisattva-mahāsattva dedicates all his roots of goodness, he obtains these ten kinds of inexhaustible treasury.”

The verses of praise (1): the roots of goodness dedicated · adorning and purifying buddha-fields

At that time the bodhisattva Vajra Banner universally contemplated the ten directions and spoke these verses, saying:

“The bodhisattva has accomplished the power of the profound mind, and universally in all dharmas has attained sovereign freedom; with the merit obtained by his exhorting and his rejoicing, by unobstructed skillful means he dedicates it well.

“All the Tathāgatas of the three times adorn and purify buddha-fields and fill the world, and of all their merits there is none that is not complete; and his dedicating of roots of goodness to purify buddha-fields is likewise just so.

“All the dharmas of the buddhas of the three times the bodhisattva thoroughly ponders one and all, taking them up with his mind and letting none escape him; and so does he adorn the buddha-fields.

“Though one exhaust all the kalpas of the three times in praising the manifold merits of a single buddha-field, the kalpas of the three times may yet be exhausted, but the merits of the buddha-field are without end.

“All buddha-fields such as these the bodhisattva sees one and all and lets none escape him; gathering them all together he adorns a single buddha-land, and with all buddha-lands it is likewise so.

The verses of praise (2): human jewels as the adornment · the dedication that gathers all in

“There are sons of the Buddha whose minds are pure, all of them born by transformation from the Dharma of the Tathāgata; with every merit they adorn their minds, and all the buddha-fields are filled full of them.

“Those bodhisattvas are furnished with all, having bodies adorned with measureless marks and signs; their eloquent expounding fills the world, like a great ocean that is without end.

“The bodhisattva abides within the manifold samādhis, and all that he practices is furnished entire; his mind is pure and has no equal, and his light universally illumines the worlds of the ten directions.

“Buddha-fields such as these, with none left out, are all of them filled full with these bodhisattvas; they have never called to mind the vehicle of the śrāvakas, nor do they seek after the path of the pratyekabuddhas.

The verses of praise (3): dedicating to sentient beings · the conclusion in which practice accomplishes virtue

“The bodhisattva whose mind is pure in this way dedicates his roots of goodness to sentient beings; universally he hopes to cause them to accomplish the right path and to be furnished with the knowing of the dharmas of the buddhas.

“All the multitude of māra-foes of the ten directions the bodhisattva by his majestic power crushes one and all; his valiant wisdom none is able to overcome, and decisively he cultivates the ultimate dharma.

“The bodhisattva, by the power of a great vow such as this, has in all his dedicating nothing that impedes him; he enters the treasury of inexhaustible merit; past, future, and present, it is constantly without end.

The verses of praise (4) (Chengguan's outline): awakening apart from marks (i) karma and its fruit · being and non-being

“The bodhisattva well contemplates the dharmas of the formations, penetrating that their nature is not sovereignly free; and since he knows that the nature of the dharmas is thus, he does not falsely grasp at karma and its fruit of recompense.

“There is no dharma of form and no dharma that is formless, and there is neither perception nor non-perception; dharmas of being and dharmas of non-being are all of them absent, and he knows that in all there is nothing obtained.

“All dharmas arise from causes and conditions, and their nature is neither being nor non-being; and toward the conditions and all that arises from them, in the end he grasps at nothing within them.

The verses of praise (5) (Chengguan's outline): awakening apart from marks (ii) name and mark · impartiality · the mark of merit

“In every place where the language of sentient beings is, therein in the end there is nothing obtained; he knows that name and mark are both discriminations, and clearly understands that all dharmas are without self.

“Just as the nature of sentient beings is originally still and extinguished, in this way he knows all dharmas; all that the three times take in, with none left out, buddha-fields and every karma alike, are impartial.

“With wisdom such as this he makes his dedication, and following upon his understanding the karma of merit arises; and the marks of these merits are likewise as his understanding is — how then could there still be anything obtained therein?

“Dedicating in this way, his mind is without defilement, and never does he weigh and measure the nature of the dharmas; he penetrates that that nature is altogether not a nature, and he neither abides in the world nor goes forth from it.

The verses of praise (6) (Chengguan's outline): sentient beings apart from marks

“All the manifold good karma that he practices he takes and dedicates to sentient beings; there is not one thing whose real nature he does not penetrate, and all discriminating he sends away entire.

“All the false views there are he casts away entire and leaves none remaining; far removed from every burning vexation and constantly cool, he abides in the ground of liberation without hindrance.

The verses of praise (7) (Chengguan's outline): the conclusion in which practice accomplishes virtue, apart from marks · the purity of the sphere

“The bodhisattva does not destroy any dharma, nor does he ruin the nature of the dharmas; he understands and knows that the dharmas are like an echo, and toward all there is nothing to which he clings.

“He knows that the sentient beings of the three times all arise from the coming together of causes and conditions; and he knows too what their minds delight in and what their habit-energies are, and he has never ruined any dharma.

The verses of praise (8) (Chengguan's outline): the conclusion in which practice accomplishes virtue, apart from marks · the wisdom of the two emptinesses

“He penetrates that the nature of karma is not karma, and yet he does not go against the marks of the dharmas; and again he does not destroy the fruit of recompense of karma, saying that the nature of the dharmas arises from causes and conditions.

“He knows that sentient beings have no arising, and that there are no sentient beings who transmigrate; there are no real sentient beings that could be spoken of, and it is only in dependence upon the worldly that they are set forth by convention.”

(The bodhisattva Vajra Banner, carrying on from what he answered above concerning the fifth dedication, the dedication of the treasury of inexhaustible merit, speaks to the assembly of bodhisattvas. From here on he raises the question himself and answers it himself, speaking straight through without any interposed question and without verses. The vocative “Sons of the Buddha” is his address to the bodhisattvas seated there.)

Restating the Name and Raising the Question: He Sets Out the Topic Himself

“Sons of the Buddha! What is the bodhisattva-mahāsattva's dedication that accords with and makes firm all roots of goodness?

The Gate of the Body Relied Upon: First, What Kind of Body It Is That Practices This Giving

“Sons of the Buddha! This bodhisattva-mahāsattva may be an emperor, ruling a great realm, his majesty and virtue broadly spread over the four quarters, his name shaking all under heaven, so that of all his enemies there is none that does not submit; the commands and orders he issues all accord with the right Dharma; he holds up a single jeweled canopy that broadly shades the ten thousand quarters; he travels through the lands he governs, and wherever he goes there is no obstruction; with silk free of defilement bound upon his crown, he is sovereign in the Dharma, and those who see him are glad at heart and submit; he uses neither punishment nor penalty, and the people, moved by his virtue, follow his transforming influence of themselves; by the four means of gathering (giving, kind speech, beneficial conduct, and working alongside them) he gathers in beings; he is a wheel-turning king, and supplies all things everywhere.

“The bodhisattva-mahāsattva abides in such sovereign merit as this: he has a great retinue that cannot be broken down; he is far from the multitude of faults, and those who see him do not grow weary of him; he is adorned with merit, complete in the marks and signs, his body and limbs evenly proportioned and complete; he obtains a firm body like that of Nārāyaṇa (the name of a mighty strong man), accomplishes great strength, and there is none who can bend him down; he obtains pure deeds and is far from every hindrance of deeds;

Listing What Is Given: First a General List of the Things to Be Given

“He fully cultivates every kind of giving — he may give food and drink together with all manner of fine tastes, or give carriages, or give clothing, or give flower garlands, mixed incense, unguent incense, couches and seats, dwellings and places of abode, the finest lamps and candles, the decoctions and medicines needed for treating illness, jeweled vessels, jeweled carriages, and well-tamed elephants and horses — all of them fittingly adorned, and given with joy.

“Someone may come and beg for the seat on which the king sits, or a canopy, or a parasol, banners, pennants, and jeweled things, ornaments of every kind, the jeweled crown upon his head, the bright pearl within his topknot, and even the royal station itself — and he begrudges none of it.

“If he sees beings bound within a prison, he relinquishes his wealth and jewels, his wife and children, his retinue, and even uses his own body to rescue them and set them free. If he sees a prisoner about to be put to death, he gives up his own body and life in place of that one's life.

“Someone may come and beg for the hair of his crown together with the skin, and he gives it with joy and begrudges nothing. Eyes, ears, nose, tongue, and teeth, the crown of the head, hands and feet, blood and flesh, bones and marrow, heart and kidneys, liver and lungs, the large intestine and the small intestine, thick skin and thin skin, the fingers and toes, the nails together with the flesh — all these he gives away entirely with a joyful mind.

“He may throw himself down into a deep and great pit of fire in order to request a Dharma never heard before; or he may bear every bitter torment in his body in order to protect the right Dharma of the Tathāgata; or, for the sake of seeking the Dharma, even for the sake of a single graph, he is able to relinquish everything within the four seas.

“He constantly leads and transforms the multitude by the right Dharma, causing them to cultivate good conduct and cast off every evil. If he sees beings harming the bodily form of others, he rescues them with a mind of loving-kindness and causes them to give up the deed of offense. If he sees a Tathāgata accomplishing the utmost right awakening, he extols and praises him, causing all to hear of it and know.

“He may give land and build monastic quarters, dwellings, and halls to serve as places of abode; and he may give servants to attend and do their work. He may give his own body to one who comes to beg, or give it to the Buddha. For the sake of seeking the Dharma he is joyful and leaps for gladness; for the sake of beings he attends upon them and makes offerings.

“He may relinquish the royal station, cities, villages, palaces, gardens and groves, wife and children, and retinue, satisfying the wish of whoever begs. Or he may relinquish all the goods that sustain life, and everywhere set up the great assembly of unrestricted giving (an assembly at which no one is selected out and all alike receive what is given); the beings there are fields of merit of every different kind, some coming from afar and some from nearby, some worthy and some foolish, some fair and some ugly, some men and some women, some human and some not human, the conduct of their minds each different and what they seek each other than the next — and to all alike he gives, and causes them all to be satisfied.

The Gate of the Mind That Gathers In Well: The Dedication of Every Gate Runs Down through This One Mind

“Sons of the Buddha! When the bodhisattva-mahāsattva gives in this way, he gives rise to a mind that gathers in well, and dedicates it all. That is: he well gathers in form, according with and making firm all roots of goodness; he well gathers in feeling, perception, formations, and consciousness, according with and making firm all roots of goodness; he well gathers in the royal station, according with and making firm all roots of goodness; he well gathers in his retinue, according with and making firm all roots of goodness; he well gathers in the goods that sustain life, according with and making firm all roots of goodness; he well gathers in his bestowing, according with and making firm all roots of goodness.

The Gate of Giving Food: Food Is the Life of the World, and So All Giving Begins Here

“Sons of the Buddha! The bodhisattva-mahāsattva, according as the things he gives are measureless and boundless, dedicates those roots of goodness in this way, namely: ‘When he gives the finest food and drink to beings, his mind is pure, and toward the things given he is without greed, without clinging, and without any grudging or stinting, fully practicing giving; may all beings obtain the food of wisdom, their minds without obstruction, understanding the very nature of food, without any greed or clinging, delighting only in the food of the joy of Dharma and of going forth; may they be filled with wisdom, abide firmly by the Dharma, take in roots of goodness, and travel in purity with dharma-body and wisdom-body; may they pity beings and act as a field of merit for them, and so manifestly receive balled food (the worldly food that is taken in lumps).’ This is the bodhisattva-mahāsattva's dedication of roots of goodness at the time of giving food.

The Gate of Giving Drink: Drink Is Easily Come By and Quenches Thirst, and So He Vows That They Obtain the Water of the Taste of Dharma

“Sons of the Buddha! When the bodhisattva-mahāsattva gives drink, he dedicates these roots of goodness in this way, namely: ‘May all beings drink the water of the taste of Dharma, cultivating with vigor and being complete in the bodhisattva path; may they cut off the thirsty craving of the world and ever seek the wisdom of a buddha; may they leave the realm of desire and obtain the joy of the Dharma; may their bodies be born from pure dharmas, and may they ever gather in and govern their minds by samādhi; may they enter the ocean of wisdom, raise up the great cloud of Dharma, and pour down the great rain of Dharma.’ This is the bodhisattva-mahāsattva's dedication of roots of goodness at the time of giving drink.

The Gate of Giving Tastes: Taste Nourishes the Body, and So He Vows That They Obtain the Taste of the Dharma

“Sons of the Buddha! The bodhisattva-mahāsattva gives all manner of pure and finest tastes. That is: pungent, sour, salty, and bland, together with sweet and bitter. These many tastes are moistening and complete, able to make the four great elements peaceful and harmonious, the flesh full, the strength vigorous, and the mind pure and constantly joyful; when swallowed and chewed they cause neither coughing nor retching; the faculties are bright and keen and the inner organs sound; poison cannot invade and illness cannot injure; from first to last there is no affliction, and lasting ease is obtained. With these roots of goodness he dedicates in this way, namely:

‘May all beings obtain the supreme taste and be filled with sweet dew; may all beings obtain the taste of the knowledge of Dharma and understand the working of every taste; may all beings obtain measureless tastes of Dharma, penetrate the Dharma realm, and abide in the great city of Dharma that is the true limit; may all beings become a great cloud of Dharma, pervading the Dharma realm and everywhere sending down the rain of Dharma, teaching, transforming, and taming all beings; may all beings obtain the surpassing taste of wisdom, and be filled in body and mind with the unsurpassed joy of Dharma; may all beings obtain every finest taste without greed or clinging, unstained by any of the tastes of the world, and ever cultivate with vigor all the dharmas of the buddhas; may all beings obtain the taste of Dharma that is one taste, and understand that the dharmas of all buddhas are without any difference; may all beings obtain the most surpassing taste, and riding upon omniscience never turn back; may all beings obtain entry into the undifferentiated taste of Dharma of all buddhas, and be able to distinguish every capacity; may all beings increase in the taste of Dharma, and ever be satisfied with the unobstructed Dharma of the buddhas.’

“This is the bodhisattva-mahāsattva's dedication of roots of goodness at the time of giving tastes; it is so that all beings may cultivate merit with vigor and all be complete in the unobstructed body of wisdom.

The Gate of Giving Carriages: A Carriage Takes the Place of Walking and Reaches Far, and So He Vows That They Obtain the Vehicles

“Sons of the Buddha! When the bodhisattva-mahāsattva gives carriages, he dedicates these roots of goodness in this way, namely: ‘May all beings be complete in the vehicle of omniscience, riding upon the great vehicle, the vehicle that cannot be broken, the most surpassing vehicle, the supreme vehicle, the swift vehicle, the vehicle of great strength, the vehicle complete in merit, the world-transcending vehicle, and the vehicle that gives birth to measureless bodhisattvas.’ This is the bodhisattva-mahāsattva's dedication of roots of goodness at the time of giving carriages.

The Gate of Giving Clothing: Clothing Covers the Body and Wards Off Cold, and So He Vows That They Obtain the Clothing of Shame and Modesty

“Sons of the Buddha! When the bodhisattva-mahāsattva gives clothing, he dedicates these roots of goodness in this way, namely: ‘May all beings obtain the clothing of shame and modesty to cover their bodies, casting off the evil dharma of the heterodox paths that bare the body; may their complexions be glossy and their skin fine and soft; may they accomplish the foremost joy of all buddhas and obtain the utterly pure knowledge of all modes.’ This is the bodhisattva-mahāsattva's dedication of roots of goodness at the time of giving clothing.

The Gate of Giving Flowers: Flowers Open and Delight the Eye, and So He Vows That They Obtain the Flower of Samādhi

“Sons of the Buddha! The bodhisattva-mahāsattva constantly gives all manner of famous flowers, namely: subtle and fragrant flowers, flowers of every color, measureless rare and wondrous flowers, fair-to-see flowers, delightful flowers, flowers of every season, heavenly flowers, human flowers, flowers cherished by the world, and flowers of deep fragrance that gladden the mind. With measureless wondrous flowers such as these he makes offerings to all the buddhas of the present, and to all the stupas that remain after a buddha's extinction; or he uses them to make offerings to those who expound the Dharma; or to make offerings to the jewel of the Saṅgha of monks, to all bodhisattvas, to the good friends, to śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas, to father and mother, and to his clan and kin, down to his own self and to all the rest who are poor and orphaned. When he gives, he dedicates these roots of goodness in this way, namely:

‘May all beings obtain the flower of the samādhi of all buddhas, and be able to open out all dharmas; may all beings become as the buddhas are, so that those who see them rejoice and their minds do not weary; may all that all beings see be pleasing and fitting to them, their minds unmoved and undisturbed; may all beings be complete in the practice of vast and pure deeds; may all beings constantly be mindful of good friends, their minds unchanging; may all beings be like agada medicine (the medicine that removes all poisons), able to remove all the poisons of the afflictions; may all beings fulfill their great vows and all become unsurpassed kings of wisdom; may the sunlight of the wisdom of all beings break the darkness of folly; may the pure moon of awakening of all beings grow to fullness; may all beings enter the great isle of jewels and see good friends, and be complete in the accomplishment of all roots of goodness.’

“This is the bodhisattva-mahāsattva's dedication of roots of goodness at the time of giving flowers, so that beings may all obtain pure and unobstructed wisdom.

The Gate of Giving Garlands: A Garland Is a Head Ornament That People Delight to See, and So He Vows That They Be Delightful to Beings' Sight

“Sons of the Buddha! When the bodhisattva-mahāsattva gives flower garlands, he dedicates these roots of goodness in this way, namely: ‘May all beings be such as people delight to see, so that those who see them admire them, those who see them draw near in friendship, those who see them love them, those who see them long for them, those who see them are freed of sorrow, those who see them are gladdened, those who see them leave evil behind, those who see them ever come to draw near to a buddha, and those who see them are made pure and obtain omniscience.’ This is the bodhisattva-mahāsattva's dedication of roots of goodness at the time of giving garlands.

The Gate of Giving Incense: Incense Removes Filth, and So He Vows in Particular That They Obtain the Incense of Moral Discipline

“Sons of the Buddha! When the bodhisattva-mahāsattva gives incense, he dedicates these roots of goodness in this way: ‘May all beings be complete in the incense of moral discipline, obtaining discipline that is not deficient, discipline that is unmixed, discipline that is unstained, discipline without regret, discipline free of entanglement, discipline without fever, discipline without transgression, discipline without bound, world-transcending discipline, and the discipline that is the bodhisattva's perfection; may all beings, by reason of this discipline, all accomplish the discipline-body of the buddhas.’ This is the bodhisattva-mahāsattva's dedication of roots of goodness at the time of giving incense, so that beings may all obtain the full and unobstructed aggregate of moral discipline.

The Gate of Giving Unguent Incense: Unguent Incense Perfumes and Arouses the Body, and So All Ten Perfections Are Called Incense

“Sons of the Buddha! When the bodhisattva-mahāsattva gives unguent incense, he dedicates these roots of goodness in this way, namely:

‘May all beings have the incense of giving perfume all, so that they can bestow all that they have; may all beings have the incense of moral discipline perfume all, so that they obtain the ultimate pure discipline of the Tathāgata; may all beings have the incense of patience perfume all, so that they are far from every mind that is dangerous and harmful; may all beings have the incense of vigor perfume all, so that they ever wear the armor of the vigor of the great vehicle; may all beings have the incense of concentration perfume all, so that they abide in the samādhi in which the buddhas stand before them; may all beings have the incense of wisdom perfume all, so that in a single thought they accomplish the unsurpassed king of wisdom; may all beings have the incense of Dharma perfume all, so that toward the unsurpassed Dharma they are without fear; may all beings have the incense of virtue perfume all, so that they accomplish every great merit and wisdom; may all beings have the incense of awakening perfume all, so that they obtain the ten powers of a buddha and reach the far shore; may all beings have the wondrous incense of pure and white dharmas perfume all, so that every unwholesome dharma is forever extinguished.’

“This is the bodhisattva-mahāsattva's dedication of roots of goodness at the time of giving unguent incense.

The Gate of Giving Couches and Seats: A Couch or Seat Is for Settling the Body, and So He Vows That They Obtain the Seats of the Dharma

“Sons of the Buddha! When the bodhisattva-mahāsattva gives couches and seats, he dedicates these roots of goodness in this way, namely:

‘May all beings obtain the couch and seat of the gods, and realize great wisdom; may all beings obtain the couch and seat of the worthy and the noble, relinquishing the intent of ordinary folk and abiding in the mind of awakening; may all beings obtain the couch and seat of ease and joy, forever parted from all the suffering and vexation of birth-and-death; may all beings obtain the ultimate couch and seat, and see the sovereign spiritual powers of the buddhas; may all beings obtain the couch and seat of equality, and constantly and universally perfume and cultivate every good dharma; may all beings obtain the most surpassing couch and seat, complete in pure deeds that the world cannot match; may all beings obtain the couch and seat of peace, realizing the real Dharma and being ultimately complete; may all beings obtain the pure couch and seat, and cultivate the realm of the Tathāgata's pure knowledge; may all beings obtain the couch and seat of abiding, and have good friends ever follow and shelter them; may all beings obtain the lion couch and seat, and ever lie down on the right side as the Tathāgata does.’

“This is the bodhisattva-mahāsattva's dedication of roots of goodness at the time of giving couches and seats, so that beings may cultivate right mindfulness and well guard their faculties.

The Gate of Giving Dwellings: A Dwelling Is for Settling One's Abode, and So He Vows That They Dwell Where the Buddhas Dwell

“Sons of the Buddha! When the bodhisattva-mahāsattva gives dwellings, he dedicates these roots of goodness in this way, namely: ‘May all beings all abide in pure buddha-lands and cultivate every merit with vigor; may they abide in the realm of profound samādhi and cast off all clinging to a place of abode; may they understand that all places of abode are utterly without existence, and leaving every world abide in omniscience; may they take in all the abodes of all buddhas, and abide in the abode of ease that is the ultimate path; may they ever abide in the foremost pure roots of goodness, and never cast off the buddhas' supreme abiding.’ This is the bodhisattva-mahāsattva's dedication of roots of goodness at the time of giving dwellings; it is because he wishes to benefit all beings and, according to what befits each, to consider how to rescue and guard them.

The Gate of Giving Places of Abode: A Place of Abode Is What One Relies On, and So He Vows That They Abide Relying on the Buddha and on Good Friends

“Sons of the Buddha! When the bodhisattva-mahāsattva gives places of abode, he dedicates these roots of goodness in this way, namely: ‘May all beings constantly obtain what is truly good for them, their minds at ease; may all beings abide relying on the Tathāgata, abide relying on great wisdom, abide relying on good friends, abide relying on what is honored and surpassing, abide relying on good conduct, abide relying on great loving-kindness, abide relying on great compassion, abide relying on the six perfections, abide relying on the great mind of awakening, and abide relying on every bodhisattva path.’ This is the bodhisattva-mahāsattva's dedication of roots of goodness at the time of giving places of abode, so that all merit may be pure, ultimacy pure, knowledge pure, the path pure, the Dharma pure, discipline pure, aspiration pure, faith and understanding pure, vows pure, and every spiritual power and merit pure.

The Gate of Giving Lamplight: A Lamp Breaks the Darkness, and So He Vows That They Obtain the Kinds of Light

“Sons of the Buddha! The bodhisattva-mahāsattva gives lamps of every kind, namely: ghee lamps, oil lamps, jeweled lamps, maṇi lamps, lacquer lamps, fire lamps, aloeswood lamps, sandalwood lamps, lamps of every fragrance, and lamps of measureless colored light. When he gives measureless lamps such as these, it is because he wishes to benefit all beings and because he wishes to gather in all beings, and he dedicates these roots of goodness in this way, namely:

‘May all beings obtain measureless light that universally illumines all the right Dharma of the buddhas; may all beings obtain pure light that illumines and sees the most subtle forms of the world; may all beings obtain light free of film that understands the realm of beings to be empty and without existence; may all beings obtain boundless light, their bodies sending forth wondrous light that universally illumines all; may all beings obtain all-illumining light, their minds not turning back from the dharmas of the buddhas; may all beings obtain the pure light of a buddha, appearing in all the lands; may all beings obtain unobstructed light, one light illumining the whole Dharma realm; may all beings obtain unbroken light, illumining the buddha-lands with brightness unbroken; may all beings obtain the light of the banner of wisdom, universally illumining the world; may all beings obtain measureless colored light, illumining all lands and displaying spiritual power.’

“When the bodhisattva gives lamplight in this way, it is because he wishes to benefit all beings and to bring all beings ease: with these roots of goodness he follows after beings, with these roots of goodness he gathers in beings, with these roots of goodness he distributes to beings, with these roots of goodness he shows loving pity to beings, with these roots of goodness he shelters and rears beings, with these roots of goodness he rescues and guards beings, with these roots of goodness he fills beings, with these roots of goodness he holds beings in mind, with these roots of goodness he benefits beings equally, with these roots of goodness he contemplates beings. This is the bodhisattva-mahāsattva's dedication of roots of goodness at the time of giving lamplight; such dedication is without obstruction, and everywhere causes beings to abide in roots of goodness.

The Gate of Giving Medicinal Decoctions: Medicine Removes Illness, and So He Vows That Beings Be Forever Free of a Body That Is Ill

“Sons of the Buddha! When the bodhisattva-mahāsattva gives medicinal decoctions, he dedicates these roots of goodness in this way, namely:

‘May all beings ultimately come out from all coverings and entanglements (the afflictions that veil and bind); may all beings be forever parted from a body that is ill and obtain the body of a Tathāgata; may all beings become great and good medicine, extinguishing every unwholesome illness; may all beings become agada medicine, abiding in the bodhisattva's ground of non-retrogression; may all beings become the medicine of a Tathāgata, able to draw out every poisoned arrow of affliction; may all beings draw near to the worthy and the noble, extinguish the afflictions, and cultivate pure conduct; may all beings become great kings of medicine, forever removing the multitude of illnesses so that they do not arise again; may all beings become indestructible medicine trees, able to heal all beings; may all beings obtain the light of omniscience and draw out the arrows of the multitude of illnesses; may all beings well understand the worldly art of prescription and medicine, and heal every disease there is.’

“When the bodhisattva-mahāsattva gives medicinal decoctions, it is so that all beings may be forever parted from the multitude of illnesses, be ultimately at peace, be ultimately pure, be free of illness as a buddha is, have every arrow of illness drawn out, obtain an inexhaustible and firm body, obtain a body that the encircling mountain of vajra cannot break, obtain firm and fully satisfying strength, obtain the full joy of a buddha that cannot be taken away, and obtain the sovereign and firm body of all buddhas — and he dedicates these roots of goodness in this way.

(This one segment closes at “he dedicates these roots of goodness in this way,” and does not close, as all the other segments do, with “this is the bodhisattva-mahāsattva's … dedication of roots of goodness.” Among the twenty-nine segments of the whole, this one alone is so.)

The Gate of Giving Vessels: A Vessel Holds and Receives, and So He Vows That They Become Vessels of the Dharma

“Sons of the Buddha! The bodhisattva-mahāsattva is able to bestow every kind of vessel. That is: vessels of yellow gold filled with mixed jewels, vessels of white silver holding the multitude of wondrous jewels, vessels of beryl holding jewels of every kind, vessels of crystal filled with measureless jeweled ornaments, vessels of tridacna holding red true pearls, vessels of agate filled with coral and maṇi pearls and jewels, vessels of white jade holding the multitude of fine foods, vessels of sandalwood holding heavenly garments, and vessels of vajra holding the multitude of wondrous incenses. With measureless and numberless jeweled vessels of every kind, holding measureless and numberless jewels of every kind, he may give to the buddhas, because faith in the Buddha as a field of merit is inconceivable; or give to bodhisattvas, because he knows that good friends are hard to meet with; or give to the noble Saṅgha, so that the Buddha's Dharma may long abide in the world; or give to śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas, because he gives rise to pure faith in the noble ones; or give to father and mother, out of reverence; or give to teachers and elders, because they constantly lead and instruct him so that he cultivates merit in accord with the noble teaching; or give to the lowly, the poor, and the orphaned, because with great loving-kindness and great compassion he looks with loving eyes equally upon all beings; and it is so that he may single-mindedly fulfill the dāna-pāramitā of all the bodhisattvas of the past, the future, and the present, giving all things to all everywhere and never wearying of beings and casting them off. When he gives in this way, he clings neither to the things given nor to those who receive them.

“When the bodhisattva-mahāsattva gives jeweled vessels such as these holding measureless jewels, he dedicates these roots of goodness in this way, namely:

‘May all beings become vessels of the boundless treasury equal to space, their power of mindfulness vast, able to hold all the scriptures of the world and beyond the world without forgetting or losing any; may all beings become pure vessels, able to awaken to the profound right Dharma of the buddhas; may all beings become unsurpassed jeweled vessels, able to hold the Dharma of the buddhas of the three times; may all beings accomplish the vast Dharma-vessel of a Tathāgata, taking in by indestructible faith the dharmas of awakening of the buddhas of the three times; may all beings accomplish the vessel of the most surpassing jeweled adornment, abiding in the mind of awakening of great majesty and virtue; may all beings accomplish the vessel that is the place merit relies upon, giving rise to pure faith and understanding toward the measureless wisdom of the Tathāgatas; may all beings accomplish the vessel that enters into omniscience, and reach the utmost of the Tathāgata's unobstructed liberation; may all beings obtain the vessel of bodhisattva practice that reaches to the end of future kalpas, able to cause beings everywhere to abide in the strength of omniscience; may all beings accomplish the vessel of the surpassing merit of the lineage of the buddhas of the three times, able to hold all that is spoken in the wondrous voice of all buddhas; may all beings accomplish the vessel that can contain the assemblies and the seats of awakening of all the Tathāgatas throughout the Dharma realm, the realm of space, and every world, becoming the foremost among great men who praise and speak, and urging the buddhas to turn the wheel of the right Dharma.’

“This is the bodhisattva-mahāsattva's dedication of roots of goodness at the time of giving vessels, because he wishes to cause all beings everywhere to be complete in the vessel of the practices and vows of the bodhisattva Samantabhadra.

The Gate of Giving Jeweled Carriages in Offering to the Buddhas: Offering Carriages of Many Jewels to the Buddhas, He Vows That They Obtain the Tathāgata's Unobstructed Vehicle

(The five segments that follow all have the many-jeweled carriage as the thing given, while the fields given to differ — buddhas, good friends, the Saṅgha, śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas, and fields of merit down to the poor and the orphaned. First the carriages given and the fields given to are set out in general.)

“Sons of the Buddha! The bodhisattva-mahāsattva takes carriages of every kind, adorned and decorated with many jewels, and presents them to the buddhas and to the bodhisattvas, to teachers and elders, to good friends, to śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas, and to measureless fields of merit such as these, down to the poor and the orphaned. Of these people, some come from afar and some from nearby; some come because they have heard the bodhisattva's name; some come because they have a bond with the bodhisattva; some come because they have heard of the vow of giving the bodhisattva made in the past; and some the bodhisattva has wished in his heart to invite.

“At this time the bodhisattva may give jeweled carriages, or golden carriages, all wondrously adorned, covered above with nets of bells and hung below with jeweled bands; or he may give the finest carriages of beryl, decorated with measureless rarities; or give carriages of white silver, covered with nets of gold and drawn by fine horses; or give carriages adorned with measureless mixed jewels, covered with jeweled nets and drawn by fragrant elephants; or give carriages of sandalwood, with wondrous jewels for wheels and mixed jewels for canopy, the jeweled lion seat handsomely spread, a hundred thousand court women seated in rows upon it, and a hundred thousand men drawing and driving it; or give jeweled carriages of crystal, decorated with the multitude of mixed wondrous jewels, filled with women of upright form, covered above with jeweled curtains and flanked by attending banners and pennants; or give carriages of agate treasure, decorated with many jewels, perfumed with all manner of mixed incense, and adorned with wondrous flowers of every kind scattered over them, a hundred thousand court women holding jeweled necklaces, the driving evenly done so that even a dangerous road is passed in safety; or give firm and fragrant carriages, with many jewels for wheels, of great and magnificent adornment, covered above with jeweled curtains and hung below with jeweled nets, jeweled garments of every kind spread within, and a pure and fine fragrance streaming without, that fragrance wondrous and pleasing to the mind, measureless gods flanking it as it goes, laden with many jewels to be given out as the time requires; or give carriages of shining jewels, the wondrous colors of jewels of every kind shining through, the multitude of wondrous jeweled nets spread over them, mixed jeweled necklaces hanging all around, powdered incense scattered so that within and without are fragrant and clean, and the men and women he loves all carried upon them.

“Sons of the Buddha! When the bodhisattva-mahāsattva presents wondrous jeweled carriages such as these to the buddhas, he dedicates these roots of goodness in this way, namely:

‘May all beings understand the making of offerings to the supreme field of merit, and deeply believe that giving to a buddha obtains measureless recompense; may all beings turn single-mindedly toward the buddhas and constantly meet with measureless pure fields of merit; may all beings begrudge nothing to the Tathāgatas, and be complete in the accomplishment of the mind of great relinquishing; may all beings cultivate the practice of giving in the presence of the buddhas, leave behind the vow of the two vehicles, and attain the Tathāgata's unobstructed liberation and the wisdom of omniscience; may all beings practice inexhaustible giving in the presence of the buddhas, and enter into the measureless merit and wisdom of a buddha; may all beings enter the surpassing knowledge of a buddha and accomplish the pure and unsurpassed king of wisdom; may all beings obtain the buddhas' spiritual power of reaching everywhere without obstruction, so that wherever they wish to go they are sovereign; may all beings enter deeply into the great vehicle, obtain measureless wisdom, and abide unmoved; may all beings be able to bring forth every dharma of omniscience, and become the supreme field of merit for gods and humans; may all beings be without any grudge or hatred in the presence of the buddhas, planting roots of goodness with vigor and delighting to seek the wisdom of a buddha; may all beings be able to go spontaneously to all buddha-lands, pervading the whole Dharma realm in a single instant without weariness; may all beings attain the bodhisattva's sovereign spiritual powers, dividing their bodies to fill the realm of space and drawing near to make offerings in the presence of all buddhas; may all beings obtain bodies beyond compare, going everywhere throughout the ten directions without weariness; may all beings obtain vast bodies, flying swiftly wherever they intend, never slackening or retreating; may all beings obtain the buddhas' ultimate and sovereign might, and in a single instant, throughout the whole realm of space, display the spiritual transformations of all buddhas; may all beings cultivate the practice of ease, according with all the bodhisattva paths; may all beings obtain swift practice and reach the utmost of the wisdom, spiritual powers, and ten powers; may all beings everywhere enter the lands of the ten directions throughout the Dharma realm, exhausting their farthest bounds while remaining equal and without difference; may all beings practice the practice of Samantabhadra without turning back, reaching the far shore and accomplishing omniscience; may all beings mount the vehicle of wisdom that is beyond compare, according with the nature of dharmas and seeing the principle as it truly is.’

“This is the bodhisattva-mahāsattva's dedication of roots of goodness when he presents jeweled carriages to all the buddhas of the present and to all the stupas that remain after a buddha's extinction, so that beings may obtain the Tathāgata's ultimate and unobstructed vehicle of going forth.

The Gate of Giving Carriages to Good Friends: Giving Carriages to Good Friends, He Vows That Beings Ever Follow Good Friends and Never Part from Them

“Sons of the Buddha! When the bodhisattva-mahāsattva gives jeweled carriages to bodhisattvas and other good friends, he dedicates these roots of goodness in this way, namely:

‘May all beings ever hold in mind the instruction of good friends, guarding it with single-minded diligence so that it is not forgotten or lost; may all beings share one and the same benefit with good friends, taking in all everywhere and holding roots of goodness in common with them; may all beings draw near to good friends, honor them and make offerings to them, relinquishing all they have and complying with what pleases their minds; may all beings obtain good aspiration, following after good friends and never casting them off; may all beings ever meet with good friends, serving them single-mindedly and not going against their instruction; may all beings love good friends, never parting from them, with no interval and nothing mixed in, and with no error or fault; may all beings be able to give their own bodies to good friends, following their instructions without disobedience; may all beings be gathered in by good friends, cultivating great loving-kindness and going far from every evil; may all beings, following good friends, hear the right Dharma spoken by all buddhas; may all beings share with good friends one and the same pure fruit of the deeds of roots of goodness, and share with the bodhisattvas one and the same practice and vow, reaching the utmost of the ten powers; may all beings be able to hold the dharma of good friends, and attain the wisdom and spiritual powers of every realm of samādhi; may all beings be able to hold all the right Dharma, cultivating every practice and reaching the far shore; may all beings ride the great vehicle without obstruction, and reach the utmost of the path of omniscience; may all beings all mount the vehicle of omniscience and reach the place of peace without turning back; may all beings know practice as it truly is, so that in accord with all the Dharma of the buddhas that they hear they reach the utmost, never forgetting it; may all beings be gathered in everywhere by the buddhas, obtain unobstructed knowledge, and reach the utmost of all dharmas; may all beings obtain sovereign spiritual powers that do not fall away, so that wherever they wish to go they arrive in a single thought; may all beings come and go in sovereign freedom, transforming widely, and cause beings to abide in the great vehicle; may all beings not practice in vain, but be carried by the vehicle of wisdom to the ultimate station; may all beings obtain the unobstructed vehicle, and by unobstructed knowledge reach every place.’

“This is the bodhisattva-mahāsattva's dedication of roots of goodness at the time of giving carriages of every kind to good friends, so that beings may be complete in merit and be equal to and undifferentiated from the buddhas and bodhisattvas.

The Gate of Giving Carriages to the Jewel of the Saṅgha: Giving Carriages to the Saṅgha, He Vows That Beings Enter the Assembly of the Worthy and the Noble

“Sons of the Buddha! When the bodhisattva-mahāsattva gives jeweled carriages to the Saṅgha, he gives rise to the mind that studies all giving, the mind of wisdom that understands well, the mind of pure merit, the mind of relinquishing in accord, the mind that the jewel of the Saṅgha is hard to meet with, the mind of deep faith in the jewel of the Saṅgha, and the mind that holds and maintains the right teaching; he abides in surpassing aspiration, obtains what he has never had before, holds a great assembly of giving, brings forth measureless and vast merit, and deeply believes that the Buddha's teaching cannot be broken down; and he dedicates these roots of goodness in this way, namely:

‘May all beings everywhere enter the Buddha's Dharma and hold it in mind without forgetting; may all beings leave behind the dharmas of ordinary folly and enter the place of the worthy and the noble; may all beings swiftly enter the noble station, able by the Buddha's Dharma to open and lead others forward in due order; may all beings be honored by the whole world, so that what they say is surely trusted and used; may all beings well enter the equality of all dharmas, and understand that the self-nature of the Dharma realm is without duality; may all beings be born from the realm of the Tathāgata's knowledge, and be surrounded by all who are tamed and compliant; may all beings abide in the dharma that is apart from defilement, extinguishing every dust and stain of affliction; may all beings all accomplish the unsurpassed jewel of the Saṅgha, leaving the ground of ordinary folk and entering the assembly of the worthy and the noble; may all beings cultivate good dharmas with vigor, obtain unobstructed knowledge, and be complete in the merit of the noble ones; may all beings obtain the mind of wisdom, not clinging to the three times, and be sovereign as kings among all assemblies; may all beings ride the vehicle of wisdom and turn the wheel of the right Dharma; may all beings be complete in spiritual powers, able in a single thought to go to worlds unspeakably unspeakable in number; may all beings ride upon a body of space, their wisdom unobstructed in all worlds; may all beings everywhere enter the assemblies of all the buddhas throughout the whole realm of space and the Dharma realm, and accomplish the foremost practice of the perfections; may all beings obtain a body that rises lightly and surpassing wisdom, and be able everywhere to enter all buddha-lands; may all beings attain boundless and skillful spiritual footing, and everywhere manifest their bodies in all lands; may all beings obtain a body that depends on nothing at all, and by spiritual power appear everywhere like a shadow; may all beings obtain inconceivable sovereign spiritual might, so that they appear before whomever they should teach, and teach and tame them; may all beings obtain the skillful means of entering the Dharma realm without obstruction, and in a single thought travel everywhere through the lands of the ten directions.’

“This is the bodhisattva-mahāsattva's dedication of roots of goodness in giving jeweled carriages to the Saṅgha; it is so that beings may everywhere ride the pure and unsurpassed vehicle of wisdom and turn the wheel of the wisdom of unobstructed Dharma in all worlds.

The Gate of Giving Carriages to Śrāvakas and Pratyekabuddhas: Giving Carriages to the Fields of the Two Vehicles, He Vows That Beings Become the Supreme Field of Merit

“Sons of the Buddha! When the bodhisattva-mahāsattva gives jeweled carriages to śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas, he gives rise to minds such as these, namely: the mind of the field of merit, the mind of reverence, the mind that is an ocean of merit, the mind able to bring forth merit and wisdom, the mind born from the strength of the Tathāgata's merit, the mind that has cultivated for a hundred thousand koṭis of nayutas of kalpas, the mind able to practice the bodhisattva practice for unspeakable kalpas, the mind liberated from every bondage of Māra, the mind that crushes every host of Māra's armies, and the mind whose light of wisdom illumines and understands the unsurpassed Dharma; and with all the roots of goodness of this giving of carriages he dedicates in this way, namely:

‘May all beings be the foremost field of merit that the world trusts, complete in the unsurpassed dāna-pāramitā; may all beings be far from unprofitable speech, ever delighting in solitude, their minds without a second thought; may all beings become the foremost pure field of merit, gathering in beings and causing them to cultivate deeds of merit; may all beings become a deep abyss of wisdom, able to give beings the fruit of measureless and numberless roots of goodness; may all beings abide in unobstructed practice and fulfill the foremost pure field of merit; may all beings abide in the dharma without contention, and understand that all dharmas are without any doing and take non-nature as their nature; may all beings ever draw near to the supreme field of merit, and be complete in the cultivation of measureless merit; may all beings be able to display measureless sovereign spiritual powers, and gather in all that has consciousness by a pure field of merit; may all beings be complete in the field of merit of inexhaustible virtue, able to give beings the foremost fruit of the vehicle that is the Tathāgata's ten powers; may all beings become a true field of merit that can bring the fruit to term, accomplish omniscience, and obtain an inexhaustible mass of merit; may all beings obtain the dharma that extinguishes offenses, and be able to hold the phrases and meanings of the Buddha's Dharma that they have never heard before; may all beings ever listen with vigor to all the Buddha's Dharma, and understand all they hear, with nothing passing them by in vain; may all beings hear the Buddha's Dharma, penetrate it to the utmost, and expound it in accord with what they have heard; may all beings believe, understand, and practice the Tathāgata's teaching, casting off all the ninety-six kinds of heterodox views; may all beings ever see the worthy and the noble, and increase every most surpassing root of goodness; may all beings ever trust and delight in those who have wisdom, dwelling together and rejoicing with the noble and the sagely; may all beings hear the buddhas' names to no vain purpose, and, in accord with what they hear, be able to see them with their own eyes; may all beings be well able to distinguish and understand the right teaching of the buddhas, and be able to guard those who uphold the Buddha's Dharma; may all beings ever delight to hear all the Buddha's Dharma, holding, reciting, revealing, and illumining it; may all beings believe and understand the true merit of the Buddha's teaching, and relinquish all they have in reverent offering.’

“This is the bodhisattva-mahāsattva's dedication of roots of goodness at the time of giving carriages of every kind to śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas; it is so that beings may all accomplish pure and foremost wisdom and spiritual powers, cultivating with vigor and without sloth, and obtain omniscience, the powers, and fearlessness.

The Gate of Giving Carriages to Fields of Merit and to the Poor: Giving to the Lowest of Fields, He Reproaches Himself and Pays Reverence, and Vows That Beings All Ride the Vehicle of Omniscience

“Sons of the Buddha! When the bodhisattva-mahāsattva gives jeweled carriages to the fields of merit and even to the poor and the solitary, he relinquishes everything in accord with what they seek, his mind glad and never wearied; and he even reproaches himself before them, saying: ‘I ought to have gone myself to make offerings and provide for you; I ought not to have troubled you to come from afar and be wearied.’ Having said this, he bows and kneels, asks after their health and welfare, and gives them everything they need.

“At times he may give them maṇi-jewel carriages, filled with the foremost women-treasures of Jambudvīpa; or give gold-adorned carriages, filled with the women-treasures of the human realm; or give wondrous beryl carriages, filled with the singing women of the inner palace; or give jeweled carriages rare and wondrous of every kind, filled with maidens like the court women of the heavens; or give numberless jewel-adorned carriages, filled with jewel-women gentle, bright, wise, and eloquent; or give the wondrous sandalwood carriage he himself rides in, or give jeweled carriages of crystal, all bearing jewel-women filling them, their countenances upright, their form and marks beyond compare, adorned in splendid dress, so that those who see them are gladdened at heart; or give jeweled carriages of agate, bearing upon them the person of a consecrated prince; or at times give firm and fragrant carriages, bearing within them all his sons and daughters; or give carriages adorned with every jewel, bearing the dear kin and retinue whom it is hard to relinquish.

“Sons of the Buddha! When the bodhisattva-mahāsattva, with measureless jeweled carriages such as these, gives reverently in accord with what they seek, causing them all to have their wishes fulfilled and to be gladdened and satisfied, he dedicates these roots of goodness in this way, namely:

‘May all beings ride the vast vehicle whose wheel is unturning and unobstructed, and go to the inconceivable tree of awakening; may all beings ride the vehicle of the great knowledge of Dharma whose cause is pure, and cultivate the bodhisattva practice to the end of future kalpas without ever turning back; may all beings ride the vehicle in which all dharmas are without existence, be forever parted from every discrimination and clinging, and ever cultivate the path of omniscience; may all beings ride the upright vehicle without flattery or deceit, and go to the buddha-lands sovereign and unobstructed; may all beings abide in accord with the vehicle of omniscience, and take joy together in the dharmas of the buddhas; may all beings all ride the vehicle of the bodhisattva's pure practice, and be complete in the bodhisattva's ten paths of going forth and in the joy of samādhi; may all beings ride the vehicle of four wheels — namely dwelling in a good land, relying on good persons, amassing surpassing merit, and giving rise to great vows — and thereby fulfill the pure brahmic conduct of all bodhisattvas; may all beings obtain the vehicle of the light of Dharma that illumines the ten directions everywhere, and study all the strength of the Tathāgata's knowledge; may all beings ride the vehicle of the Buddha's Dharma and reach the ultimate far shore of all dharmas; may all beings be carried by the vehicle of Dharma whose merit and goodness are beyond reckoning, and everywhere show the safe and right path of the ten directions; may all beings ride the vehicle of great giving, and cast off the stain of stinginess; may all beings ride the vehicle of pure discipline, and hold boundless pure discipline equal to the Dharma realm; may all beings ride the vehicle of patience, and ever be apart from anger and turbid disturbance toward beings; may all beings ride the vehicle of great vigor that does not turn back, firmly cultivating surpassing practice and tending toward the path of awakening; may all beings ride the vehicle of meditative concentration, swiftly reach the seat of awakening, and realize the knowledge of awakening; may all beings ride the vehicle of wisdom and skillful means, their transformation-bodies filling the whole Dharma realm and the realms of all buddhas; may all beings ride the vehicle of the Dharma king, accomplish fearlessness, and constantly give the Dharma of omniscience everywhere; may all beings ride the vehicle of wisdom that clings to nothing, be able to enter everywhere throughout the ten directions, and yet be unmoved within the true nature of dharmas; may all beings ride the vehicle of the Dharma of all buddhas, appearing to take birth throughout the lands of the ten directions and yet not losing or breaking the path of the great vehicle; may all beings ride the supreme jeweled vehicle of omniscience, fulfilling the practices and vows of the bodhisattva Samantabhadra without weariness.’

“This is the bodhisattva-mahāsattva's dedication of roots of goodness when he gives jeweled carriages to the fields of merit and even to the poor and the orphaned; it is so that beings may be complete in measureless wisdom, be glad and leap for joy, and ultimately all obtain the vehicle of omniscience.

The Gate of Giving Elephants and Horses: Elephants and Horses Are Tamed in Nature and Can Reach Far, and So He Vows That They Obtain the Tamed and Compliant Vehicle

“Sons of the Buddha! The bodhisattva-mahāsattva gives the elephant treasure, whose nature is tamed and compliant, complete in its seven limbs, in the vigor of its years, its six tusks pure, the color of its mouth red as a lotus, its body fresh and white like a snow mountain, ornamented with golden banners, spread over with jeweled nets, its trunk adorned with wondrous jewels of every kind, so that those who see it delight in it and do not weary of it, and it goes ten thousand leagues without ever tiring; or he gives the well-tamed horse treasure, complete in all its marks like a heavenly horse, adorned with the light of wondrous jeweled moon-discs, spread over with nets of true gold and bells, its pace even and level so that the rider is at ease, going wherever he intends swift as the wind, ranging over the four continents sovereign and unobstructed.

“With these elephant and horse treasures the bodhisattva may support his father and mother and his good friends, or give them to beings who are destitute and afflicted; his mind is open and free, giving rise to no regret or grudging, but only redoubling his gladness and increasing his pity, cultivating the virtue of a bodhisattva and purifying the mind of a bodhisattva; and he dedicates these roots of goodness in this way, namely:

‘May all beings abide in the tamed and compliant vehicle, and increase every merit of a bodhisattva; may all beings obtain the vehicle of skillfulness, and be able thereby to bring forth all the dharmas of the buddhas; may all beings obtain the vehicle of faith and understanding, and universally illumine the strength of the Tathāgata's unobstructed knowledge; may all beings obtain the vehicle of setting out, and be able to give rise everywhere to all the great vows; may all beings be complete in the vehicle of the perfection of equality, and fulfill all equal roots of goodness; may all beings accomplish the jeweled vehicle, and bring forth the unsurpassed jewel of the knowledge of the dharmas of the buddhas; may all beings accomplish the vehicle adorned with bodhisattva practice, and open out the flowers of the bodhisattva's samādhis; may all beings obtain the boundless and swift vehicle, and through numberless kalpas purify the bodhisattva's mind, thinking with vigor and penetrating all dharmas; may all beings accomplish the most surpassing, tamed and compliant great vehicle, and by good skillful means be complete in the bodhisattva grounds; may all beings accomplish the loftiest, broadest, and firmest great vehicle, able to carry all beings everywhere so that they all reach the station of omniscience.’

“This is the bodhisattva-mahāsattva's dedication of roots of goodness at the time of giving elephants and horses; it is so that beings may all ride the unobstructed vehicle of wisdom, and be full and ultimate and reach the vehicle of buddhahood.

The Gate of Giving Jeweled Seats: A Seat Is Where One Is Placed and What People Look Up To, and So He Vows That They Sit upon the Seat of Awakening

“Sons of the Buddha! When the bodhisattva-mahāsattva gives seats, he may give the lion seat on which he himself is placed. That seat is high, broad, uncommon, and wondrously fine, with beryl for feet, wrought with inlaid gold, and soft garments spread upon it; jeweled banners are set up, wondrous incense perfumes it, and it is fitted out with measureless mixed jeweled ornaments; nets of gold cover it above, and jeweled bells swing in the wind and give forth wondrous sounds; rarities beyond count fill and decorate it all around, and all the ministers and people alike look up to it. The consecrated great king alone is placed upon it, proclaiming the Dharma's transforming influence, which the ten thousand realms honor and follow.

“That king further adorns his body with wondrous jewels, namely: the jewel of universal light, the jewel of Indra-blue, the jewel of great Indra-blue, and the maṇi jewel of the surpassing treasury, bright and pure as the sun, cool as the moon, spread thickly all around like the host of stars, the finest adornment beyond compare; and the wondrous jewels of the ocean and the jewel of the ocean's firm banner, with rare and varied patterns and marks, adorned in every kind of way, most honored and most surpassing amid the great assembly. With silk free of defilement and jāmbūnada gold crowning his head, he enjoys the consecrated station, rules over Jambudvīpa as king, and is complete in measureless strength of great majesty and virtue; with loving-kindness as his mainstay he subdues all enemies, and wherever his teaching and command go, there is none that does not receive and comply with it.

“At that time, with jeweled adorned seats such as these, hundreds of thousands of ten thousands of koṭis of them, measureless and numberless, the wheel-turning king gives to the Tathāgata, that foremost field of merit, and to the bodhisattvas, true good friends, the jewel of the worthy and noble Saṅgha, teachers of the Dharma, father and mother, clan and kin, śrāvakas, pratyekabuddhas, and those who have set out on the bodhisattva vehicle; or he gives them to a Tathāgata's stupa, and even to all who are poor and orphaned; and in accord with what they need he gives to them all. With these roots of goodness he dedicates in this way, namely:

‘May all beings sit upon the seat of awakening, and be able to awaken to the right Dharma of all buddhas; may all beings be placed upon the seat of sovereignty, obtain sovereignty in the Dharma, be such as no vajra mountain can break, and be able to crush every army of Māra; may all beings obtain the buddhas' sovereign lion seat, and be looked up to by all beings; may all beings obtain seats adorned with jewels rare and wondrous of every kind, unspeakably unspeakable in number, and be sovereign in the Dharma and lead beings; may all beings obtain the most surpassing seat of the three kinds of world-realm, adorned by vast roots of goodness; may all beings obtain a seat pervading worlds unspeakably unspeakable in number, whose praise cannot be exhausted in asaṃkhyeya kalpas; may all beings obtain the seat of great, deep, and secret merit, their bodies filling the whole Dharma realm; may all beings obtain inconceivable jeweled seats of every kind, and in accord with the beings held in mind by their original vows widely open the giving of Dharma; may all beings obtain the good and wondrous seat, and display the spiritual powers of buddhas unspeakable in number; may all beings obtain every jeweled seat, every fragrant seat, every flower seat, every garment seat, every garland seat, every maṇi seat, and every inconceivable jeweled seat of beryl and the rest, seats of worlds measureless and unspeakable, seats of the pure adornment of every world, and every vajra seat, and display the Tathāgata's majestic and sovereign might, accomplishing the utmost right awakening.’

“This is the bodhisattva-mahāsattva's dedication of roots of goodness at the time of giving jeweled seats; it is so that beings may obtain the great seat of awakening that transcends the world, and awaken of themselves to all the dharmas of the buddhas.

The Gate of Giving Canopies: A Canopy Covers and Shades, and So He Vows That They Obtain the Canopy of Merit and Wisdom

“Sons of the Buddha! The bodhisattva-mahāsattva gives jeweled canopies of every kind. These canopies are uncommon, such as the honored use, adorned with great jewels of every kind, foremost among a hundred thousand koṭis of nayutas of the finest canopies; many jewels form their poles, wondrous nets cover them above, jeweled cords and golden bells hang all around, and maṇi necklaces are hung in due order; when a light breeze stirs them their wondrous sounds are in harmony; pearls, jade, and jeweled treasuries of every kind fill them, and measureless rarities are all used to decorate them; the wondrous fragrance of sandalwood and aloeswood perfumes them everywhere, and the light of jāmbūnada gold is pure and clear.

“With measureless hundreds of thousands of koṭis of nayutas of asaṃkhyeyas of wondrous jeweled things such as these, fully adorned, he presents them with a pure mind to the buddhas and to all the stupas that remain after a buddha's extinction; or, for the sake of the Dharma, gives them to bodhisattvas, to good friends, and to renowned masters of the Dharma; or gives them to father and mother; or gives them to the jewel of the Saṅgha; or again presents them to all the Buddha's Dharma; or gives them to fields of merit among beings of every kind; or gives them to teachers and monks and to the elders; or gives them to those who have first given rise to the mind of awakening, and even to all who are poor and orphaned; and to whoever asks he gives them all. With these roots of goodness he dedicates in this way, namely:

‘May all beings cultivate roots of goodness with vigor so as to cover their bodies, and ever be sheltered by the buddhas; may all beings take merit and wisdom as their canopy, and be forever parted from all the afflictions of the world; may all beings be sheltered by good dharmas, extinguishing the dust, stain, and burning vexation of the world; may all beings obtain the treasury of wisdom, so that the multitude delight to see them and their minds do not weary; may all beings shelter themselves with the quiescent white dharmas, and all reach the utmost of the indestructible Dharma of the buddhas; may all beings well cover their bodies, and reach the utmost of the Tathāgata's pure dharma-body; may all beings become an all-pervading canopy, covering the world everywhere with the wisdom of the ten powers; may all beings obtain wondrous wisdom, transcending the three times without being stained by any of them; may all beings obtain the canopy of one worthy of offerings, accomplish the surpassing field of merit, and receive every offering; may all beings obtain the supreme canopy, attain unsurpassed knowledge, and awaken of themselves.’

“This is the bodhisattva-mahāsattva's dedication of roots of goodness at the time of giving canopies; it is so that all beings may obtain a sovereign canopy able to hold all good dharmas; so that all beings may be able with a single canopy to cover everywhere the whole realm of space, the Dharma realm, and all lands, displaying the buddhas' sovereign spiritual powers without turning back; so that all beings may be able with a single canopy to adorn all the worlds of the ten directions and make offerings to the buddhas; so that all beings may make offerings to all the Tathāgatas with wondrous banners, pennants, and jeweled canopies; so that all beings may obtain the canopy of universal adornment, covering all buddha-lands everywhere without remainder; so that all beings may obtain a vast canopy that covers beings everywhere and causes them all to give rise to faith and understanding toward the Buddha; so that all beings may make offerings to one buddha with wondrous jeweled canopies unspeakable in number, and do the same in the presence of each and every buddha unspeakable in number; so that all beings may obtain the lofty and broad canopy of a buddha's awakening, covering all the Tathāgatas everywhere; so that all beings may obtain canopies adorned with every maṇi jewel, canopies adorned with every jeweled necklace, canopies adorned with every firm fragrance, canopies of pure adornment with jewels of every kind, canopies of pure adornment with measureless jewels, and canopies of pure adornment with vast jewels, spread over with jeweled nets and hung with jeweled bells that swing in the wind and give forth subtle and wondrous sounds, covering everywhere the bodies of the buddhas throughout the Dharma realm, the realm of space, and every world; so that all beings may obtain the canopy adorned with knowledge that is without barrier and without obstruction, covering all the Tathāgatas everywhere; and further because he wishes all beings to obtain foremost wisdom; and further because he wishes all beings to obtain the adornment of a buddha's merit; and further because he wishes all beings to give rise to a pure mind of aspiration toward the merit of a buddha; and further because he wishes all beings to obtain measureless and boundless sovereign jewels of the mind; and further because he wishes all beings to fulfill the knowledge that is sovereign in all dharmas; and further because he wishes all beings to cover all things everywhere with their roots of goodness; and further because he wishes all beings to accomplish the most surpassing canopy of wisdom; and further because he wishes all beings to accomplish the all-pervading canopy of the ten powers; and further because he wishes all beings to be able with a single canopy to spread over the buddha-lands of the Dharma realm; and further because he wishes all beings to be sovereign in the Dharma and to be Dharma kings; and further because he wishes all beings to obtain a mind sovereign in great majesty and virtue; and further because he wishes all beings to obtain vast wisdom that is never cut off; and further because he wishes all beings to obtain measureless merit that covers all things everywhere and reaches the utmost in all; and further because he wishes all beings to cover their minds with every merit; and further because he wishes all beings to cover beings with a mind of equality; and further because he wishes all beings to obtain the equal canopy of great wisdom; and further because he wishes all beings to be complete in the skillful means of the great dedication; and further because he wishes all beings to attain a pure mind of surpassing aspiration; and further because he wishes all beings to obtain a pure intent of good aspiration; and further because he wishes all beings to obtain the great dedication that covers all beings everywhere.

The Gate of Giving Banners and Pennants: Banners and Pennants Are Lofty, Conspicuous, and Can Be Raised, and So He Vows That They Raise the Banners of the Dharma

“Sons of the Buddha! The bodhisattva-mahāsattva may give the finest banners and pennants of every kind. Many jewels form their poles, jeweled silk their pennants, and mixed damasks of every kind their banners; jeweled nets hang covering them, and their light and color fill all around; jeweled bells swing lightly, their notes in harmony; wondrous jewels rare and uncommon, shaped like a half-moon, and the light of jāmbūnada gold surpassing the brightness of a clear day, are all set upon the banners; in accord with what the fruits of deeds in the various worlds display, wondrous things of every kind serve as their adornment. Such wondrous banners and pennants as these, numberless thousands of ten thousands of koṭis of nayutas of them, their reflections joined and their radiance linked so that each sets off the next, their brightness pure and clean, pervade the whole earth and fill the ten directions, the realm of space, the Dharma realm, and all buddha-lands.

“With a pure mind of faith and understanding the bodhisattva-mahāsattva takes measureless banners and pennants such as these and gives them to all the buddhas of the present and to all the stupas that remain after a buddha's extinction; or gives them to the jewel of the Dharma; or gives them to the jewel of the Saṅgha; or gives them to bodhisattvas and to good friends; or gives them to śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas; or gives them to a great assembly; or gives them to a single person; and to all who come seeking he gives them everywhere. With these roots of goodness he dedicates in this way, namely:

‘May all beings be able to raise the banners and pennants of every root of goodness and merit, which cannot be destroyed; may all beings raise the banners and pennants sovereign in every dharma, honoring and loving them and guarding them with diligence; may all beings ever write the right Dharma upon jeweled silk, and uphold the Dharma-treasury of the buddhas and bodhisattvas; may all beings raise the lofty and conspicuous banner, and light the lamp of wisdom that universally illumines the world; may all beings raise the firm banner, and be able to crush and destroy every deed of Māra; may all beings raise the banner of the strength of wisdom, which no Māra can break; may all beings obtain the Nārāyaṇa banner of great wisdom, and crush every banner of conceit in the world; may all beings obtain the banner of the great light of the sun of wisdom, and universally illumine the Dharma realm with the sunlight of wisdom; may all beings be complete in the banner adorned with measureless jewels, filling all the worlds of the ten directions and making offerings to the buddhas; may all beings obtain the banner of a Tathāgata, and crush and destroy all the ninety-six kinds of heterodox views.’

“This is the bodhisattva-mahāsattva's dedication of roots of goodness at the time of giving banners and pennants, so that all beings may obtain the profound, lofty, and broad banner of bodhisattva practice and the pure path of the banner of the bodhisattvas' practice of spiritual powers.

The Gate of Giving the Multitude of Jewels: Opening the Treasury and Giving Jewels, He Vows That They Obtain the Three Jewels and the Jewel of Wisdom

“Sons of the Buddha! The bodhisattva-mahāsattva opens his treasuries of many jewels and, with hundreds of thousands of koṭis of nayutas of wondrous rare jewels, gives to numberless beings, granting them in accord with their intent, his mind begrudging nothing; and he dedicates these roots of goodness in this way, namely:

‘May all beings ever see the jewel of the Buddha, cast off folly, and cultivate right mindfulness; may all beings be complete in the light of the jewel of the Dharma, and uphold all the Dharma-treasuries of the buddhas; may all beings be able to gather in every jewel of the Saṅgha, providing for them and making offerings without ever wearying; may all beings obtain the unsurpassed jewel of the mind of omniscience, purify the mind of awakening, and never turn back; may all beings obtain the jewel of wisdom, enter everywhere into all dharmas, their minds without doubt; may all beings be complete in the jewels of all the bodhisattva's merits, and reveal and expound measureless wisdom; may all beings obtain the jewels of measureless wondrous merit, and cultivate to fullness the wisdom of the ten powers of right awakening; may all beings obtain the sixteen jewels of knowledge of the wondrous samādhis, and ultimately fulfill vast wisdom; may all beings accomplish the jewel of the foremost field of merit, and awaken to the unsurpassed wisdom of a Tathāgata; may all beings become the foremost and unsurpassed lord of jewels, and open and expound all dharmas with inexhaustible eloquence.’

“This is the bodhisattva-mahāsattva's dedication of roots of goodness at the time of giving the multitude of jewels, so that all beings may all fulfill the foremost jewel of wisdom and the jewel of the Tathāgata's unobstructed pure eye.

The Gate of Giving Ornaments: Giving What Adorns the Body, He Vows That They Obtain the Adornment of Body, Speech, and Mind

“Sons of the Buddha! The bodhisattva-mahāsattva may make a gift of wondrous ornaments of every kind, namely: every implement that adorns the body, making the body pure and wondrous so that nothing about it fails to please. The bodhisattva-mahāsattva looks equally upon all the beings of the world as upon his own only child, and wishes to cause them all to obtain a pure and wondrous adornment of bodily form, to accomplish the supreme ease of the world and the joy of a buddha's wisdom, to abide in the Buddha's Dharma, and to benefit beings. With hundreds of thousands of koṭis of nayutas of jeweled ornaments uncommon and wondrous of every kind such as these, he practices giving with vigor.

“When he practices giving, he dedicates these roots of goodness in this way, namely:

‘May all beings accomplish the unsurpassed wondrous ornaments, and adorn gods and humans with pure merit and wisdom; may all beings obtain the pure mark of adornment, and adorn their bodies with pure merit; may all beings obtain the finest mark of adornment, and adorn their bodies with the marks of the hundred merits; may all beings obtain the unconfused mark of adornment, and adorn their bodies with every mark; may all beings obtain the mark of adornment of well-purified speech, and be complete in every kind of inexhaustible eloquence; may all beings obtain the mark of adornment of the sound of every merit, their voices pure so that those who hear them are pleased; may all beings obtain the lovable mark of adornment of the speech of the buddhas, causing beings to hear the Dharma with joy and cultivate pure conduct; may all beings obtain the mark of adornment of the mind, entering deep meditative concentration and seeing all buddhas everywhere; may all beings obtain the mark of adornment of dhāraṇī, illumining all the right Dharma of the buddhas; may all beings obtain the mark of adornment of wisdom, and adorn their minds with the wisdom of a buddha.’

“This is the bodhisattva-mahāsattva's dedication of roots of goodness at the time of bestowing every ornament; it is so that beings may be complete in all the measureless Dharma of the buddhas, full and adorned in merit and wisdom, and forever parted from all conceit and heedlessness.

The Gate of Giving the Jeweled Crown: The Crown and the Pearl Are upon the Head, Supreme and Hardest to Relinquish, and So He Vows That They Obtain the Crown of Wisdom

“Sons of the Buddha! The bodhisattva-mahāsattva takes the maṇi jeweled crown of the sovereign royal station received at consecration, together with the bright pearl within his topknot, and gives them everywhere to beings, his mind begrudging nothing; he cultivates constantly and with vigor, becomes a great lord of giving, studies the wisdom of giving, increases the root of relinquishing, is wise and skillful, his mind vast, and gives to all; and with those roots of goodness he dedicates in this way, namely:

‘May all beings obtain the consecration of the Dharma of the buddhas, and accomplish omniscience; may all beings be complete in the crest of the topknot, obtain foremost wisdom, and reach the far shore; may all beings gather in beings everywhere with the jewel of wondrous wisdom, and cause them all to reach the utmost crown of merit; may all beings all accomplish the jeweled crown of wisdom, and be fit to receive the world's homage; may all beings adorn their heads with the crown of wisdom, and become kings sovereign in all dharmas; may all beings bind the bright pearl of wisdom upon their crowns, which none in all the world can see; may all beings all be fit to receive the world's bowing at their feet, accomplish the crown of wisdom, and illumine the Buddha's Dharma; may all beings wear upon their heads the crown adorned with the ten powers, the jeweled ocean of wisdom pure and complete; may all beings reach the crown of the great earth, obtain omniscience, reach the utmost of the ten powers, and break the retinue of the Māras at the summit of the realm of desire; may the beings obtain the foremost and unsurpassed king of crowns, and attain the crown of the light of omniscience, which none can outshine.’

“This is the bodhisattva-mahāsattva's dedication of roots of goodness at the time of giving the jeweled crown, so that beings may obtain the wondrous maṇi-jeweled crown of wisdom in the utterly pure place of foremost knowledge.

The Gate of Rescuing from Prison: Relinquishing Wealth and Body to Rescue the Bound, He Vows That Beings Be Loosed from Every Bond

“Sons of the Buddha! The bodhisattva-mahāsattva sees beings placed in the dark places of a prison, their bodies bound and held in fetters, manacles, cangues, and chains, unable to rise or sit at ease, the multitude of sufferings crowding upon them, without kin or acquaintance, with nothing to turn to and no rescue, naked, starving, and worn, in bitterness so severe that it can hardly be borne. Seeing this, the bodhisattva relinquishes all the wealth and jewels he has, his wife and children, his retinue, and his own body, and rescues those beings within the prison, just as the bodhisattva Great Compassion and the bodhisattva King of Wondrous Eyes did; and having rescued them, he gives them everything in accord with what they need, removes their suffering and affliction, and causes them to be at peace; and then he gives them the unsurpassed jewel of the Dharma, causing them to cast off heedlessness, abide in roots of goodness, and not turn back in mind within the Buddha's teaching.

“Sons of the Buddha! When the bodhisattva-mahāsattva rescues beings within a prison, he dedicates these roots of goodness in this way, namely:

‘May all beings ultimately be liberated from the bondage of craving; may all beings cut off the stream of birth-and-death and rise to the shore of wisdom; may all beings extinguish folly, give birth to wisdom, and be liberated from every bondage of affliction; may all beings extinguish the bonds of the three realms, obtain omniscience, and ultimately go forth; may all beings forever cut off every knot and bond of affliction, and reach the far shore of the wisdom of the ground without affliction and without obstruction; may all beings be apart from every stirring of thought, from ratiocination, and from discrimination, and enter the equal and unmoving ground of knowledge; may all beings be loosed from every bond of desire, forever parted from all the greed and desire of the world, and unstained within the three realms; may all beings obtain surpassing aspiration, and ever have the buddhas expound gates of Dharma for them; may all beings obtain the liberation without clinging and without bondage, their minds vast as the Dharma realm and ultimate as space; may all beings obtain the spiritual powers of a bodhisattva, tame beings in all worlds, and cause them to leave the world and abide in the great vehicle.’

“This is the bodhisattva-mahāsattva's dedication of roots of goodness at the time of rescuing the suffering beings of the prison, so that beings may everywhere enter the ground of the Tathāgata's wisdom.

The Gate of Substituting for a Condemned Prisoner: Relinquishing His Own Body and Life for the Prisoner Facing Execution, He Vows That Beings Obtain the Life of Fearlessness

“Sons of the Buddha! The bodhisattva-mahāsattva sees a prisoner bound in five places, undergoing all manner of bitter torment; the guards drive and press him, taking him toward the place of death to cut off his life; he relinquishes all the instruments of joy in Jambudvīpa, and from kin and friends alike he must part forever; he is set upon a high block and cut apart with a blade, or run through the body on an upright wooden stake, or wrapped in cloth, doused with oil, and burned with fire — sufferings such as these, pressing upon him in every way.

“Seeing this, the bodhisattva gives up his own body and undergoes it in that one's place. He does as the bodhisattva Ajita, the bodhisattva King of Surpassing Practice, and the remaining measureless great bodhisattvas did, who for the sake of beings gave up their own bodies and lives and underwent all manner of bitter torment. At that time the bodhisattva says to the one in charge: ‘I vow to give up my body in place of his life; sufferings such as these may be given to me. Whatever you would inflict upon him, do to me as you please; and were the suffering to exceed his by asaṃkhyeya times over, I ought still to bear it, so that he may be set free. If I see him about to be killed and do not give up my body and life to ransom him from his suffering, then I am not called one who abides in the bodhisattva's mind. Why is this? Because it is for the sake of rescuing and guarding all beings that I have given rise to the mind of awakening that is omniscience.’

“Sons of the Buddha! When the bodhisattva-mahāsattva gives up his own body and life to rescue beings, he dedicates these roots of goodness in this way, namely:

‘May all beings obtain the ultimate body and life that is never cut off or exhausted, and be forever parted from every calamity and oppression; may all beings abide relying on the buddhas, receive omniscience, be complete in the ten powers, and obtain the prediction of awakening; may all beings rescue everywhere all that has consciousness, cause them to be without dread, and forever come out of the evil destinies; may all beings obtain the life of all, and enter the deathless realm of wisdom; may all beings be forever parted from enemies and foes, be free of every danger and distress, and ever be gathered in by the buddhas and by good friends; may all beings cast off every sword, weapon, and instrument of evil suffering, and cultivate pure and good deeds of every kind; may all beings go far from every dread, and beneath the tree of awakening crush and subdue the armies of Māra; may all beings go far from the dread of the great assembly, their minds pure and fearless toward the unsurpassed Dharma, able to make the supreme great lion's roar; may all beings obtain the unobstructed lion-wisdom, and practice right deeds in all worlds; may all beings arrive at the place of fearlessness, and ever be mindful of rescuing and guarding the beings who suffer.’

“This is the bodhisattva-mahāsattva's dedication of roots of goodness at the time when he gives up his own body and life to rescue those prisoners about to be executed; it is so that beings may leave the suffering of birth-and-death and obtain the supremely wondrous joy of the Tathāgata.

(The bodhisattva Vajra Banner continues on from what he has said before, speaking to the bodhisattvas seated in the assembly. The twenty gateways below are spoken through in one breath: no question is inserted in the middle of them, and there are no verses.)

The gateway of giving the topknot: cutting off the most precious portion of the head and giving it away

“Sons of the Buddha! A bodhisattva-mahāsattva gives away to one who comes begging the topknot together with the skin of the head, just as the bodhisattva King Jewel-Topknot and the bodhisattva Surpassingly Wondrous Body did, and as the remaining measureless bodhisattvas did. At that moment the bodhisattva sees the beggar come, joy arises in his heart, and he says to him, ‘If today you have need of the topknot with its skin, you may take it here from me. This topknot of mine is the very first thing in all Jambudvīpa.’ While he is saying these words there is in his heart no wavering and no distraction; he does not turn his thought to any other undertaking; he lets go of the world, single-mindedly seeks quiescence, is ultimately pure, is diligent and straightforward, and heads toward omniscience. Then he takes up a sharp knife and cuts from his own head the topknot together with the skin, sets his right knee upon the ground, joins the palms of his ten fingers, and single-mindedly gives it to him. He holds in right mindfulness the path walked by all the buddhas and bodhisattvas of the three times, past, future and present; he gives rise to great joy, and his aspiration and his delight increase yet further. Amid all dharmas his mind is well able to open and understand; he does not cling to suffering; he knows that the feeling of suffering is without mark and without arising, that the various feelings arise one from another, and that there is not one of them that abides unchanging: ‘Therefore I ought, as all the bodhisattvas of the past, the future and the present do, to cultivate the great relinquishing, to give rise to deep faith and delight, and to pursue omniscience without turning back — and this is not done by another's instruction, nor by the power of a good friend.’ When a bodhisattva-mahāsattva gives in this way, he dedicates and directs his various roots of goodness thus, namely: ‘May all sentient beings obtain the invisible crown (the mark upon the crown so high that no one can see its top), and accomplish the bodhisattva's topknot that is like a stūpa; may all sentient beings obtain hair of a deep blue color, hair like vajra, hair fine and soft, able to extinguish all the afflictions of sentient beings; may all sentient beings obtain hair that is glossy, hair that is fine and dense, hair that does not encroach upon the temples and the forehead; may all sentient beings obtain hair that is soft, hair that grows as far as the temples and forehead and does not overrun them; may all sentient beings obtain hair like the svastika sign, hair whorled and turning to the right; may all sentient beings obtain hair bearing the marks of a buddha, forever apart from all the knots and habit-energies of affliction; may all sentient beings obtain hair of light, whose light shines everywhere upon the worlds of the ten directions; may all sentient beings obtain hair that is undisturbed, hair like the Tathāgata's, pure and wondrous and without admixture; may all sentient beings obtain hair that can become a crowning stūpa worthy of offerings, causing those who see it to be as though they saw the hair of a buddha; may all sentient beings all obtain the Tathāgata's hair that is without defiling attachment, forever apart from all gloom, from films over the eye, and from dust and grime.’ This is the bodhisattva-mahāsattva's dedication of roots of goodness when he gives away the topknot with its skin; it is for the sake of causing the minds of sentient beings to attain quiescence, that they may all fulfill the various dhāraṇīs (the all-holding), and that they may ultimately obtain the Tathāgata's knowledge of all modes and his ten kinds of power.

The gateway of giving the eyes: giving the eyes away, and vowing that beings obtain ten kinds of eye

“Sons of the Buddha! A bodhisattva-mahāsattva gives his eyes away to the various sorts of people who come begging, just as the bodhisattva Joyful Practice and the bodhisattva King Moonlight did, and as was the giving practiced by the remaining measureless bodhisattvas. When a bodhisattva-mahāsattva gives away his eyes, he raises the mind of purely giving the eye, he raises the mind of the pure eye of wisdom, he raises the mind of the light that relies upon the Dharma, he raises the mind that contemplates the unsurpassed Buddha-path directly before him, he gives rise to the mind that dedicates and directs toward vast wisdom, he gives rise to the mind of relinquishing equally with the bodhisattvas of the three times, he gives rise to the mind of indestructible pure faith in the unobstructed eye, and toward that beggar he raises the mind of joyfully taking him in; for the sake of bringing all the spiritual penetrations to their completion, for the sake of bringing forth the Buddha-eye, for the sake of enlarging the great mind of awakening, for the sake of cultivating great kindness and compassion, and for the sake of subduing the six faculties, upon dharmas such as these he gives rise to his mind. Sons of the Buddha! When a bodhisattva-mahāsattva gives away his eyes, toward that beggar his heart gives rise to love and delight; he establishes for him an assembly of giving, and increases the power of the Dharma; he lets go of the world's love-views and its heedlessness, cuts off the bondage of greed and desire, and cultivates awakening; following whatever the other seeks, his mind abides unmoved, he does not go against the other's wish, he causes all to be satisfied, and he constantly accords with the practice of relinquishing that has no second thought. With this root of goodness he dedicates and directs thus, namely: ‘May all sentient beings obtain the most excellent eye, showing and guiding all; may all sentient beings obtain the unobstructed eye, opening wide the treasury of wisdom; may all sentient beings obtain the pure fleshly eye, its light illumining and penetrating through, with nothing that can screen it; may all sentient beings obtain the pure divine eye, seeing entirely the deeds and fruits of the births and deaths of sentient beings; may all sentient beings obtain the pure Dharma-eye, able to accord with and enter into the realm of the Tathāgata; may all sentient beings obtain the eye of wisdom, letting go of all discriminating attachment; may all sentient beings be fully possessed of the Buddha-eye, awakening entirely to all dharmas; may all sentient beings accomplish the universal eye, exhausting all realms without any obstruction; may all sentient beings accomplish the pure eye that is free of the film of delusion, knowing that the realm of sentient beings is empty and without anything at all; may all sentient beings be fully possessed of the pure and unobstructed eye, all reaching the ultimate of the Tathāgata's ten powers.’ This is the bodhisattva-mahāsattva's dedication of roots of goodness when he gives away his eyes; it is for the sake of causing sentient beings to obtain the pure eye of omniscience.

The gateway of giving the ears and nose: two things given in one passage, while the vows are set up separately

“Sons of the Buddha! A bodhisattva-mahāsattva is able to give his ears and his nose to the various sorts who come begging, just as the bodhisattva King Surpassing Practice and the bodhisattva Victor Without Enmity did, and as the remaining measureless bodhisattvas did. When he gives, he draws near to and attends upon the beggar, and with a concentrated mind cultivates the practices of the bodhisattvas; he is fully possessed of the Buddha-lineage and is born into the house of the Tathāgata; he calls to mind the practice of giving cultivated by all the bodhisattvas, and constantly and diligently gives rise to the awakening of all buddhas, purifying the merit and the wisdom of his faculties; he contemplates the three kinds of existence (existence in the realm of desire, in the realm of form, and in the formless realm, that is, existence within the three realms), and there is not one of them that is firm; he vows constantly to see the buddhas and bodhisattvas, and to accord with and call to mind all the Buddha-dharmas; he knows that this body is false and empty of anything at all, and so he does not begrudge it. When the bodhisattva gives away his ears and nose in this way, his mind is constantly quiescent and his faculties are tamed; he causes sentient beings to escape and to be delivered from the various perils and calamities, and to grow all wisdom and merit; he enters the great sea of giving, penetrates the meaning of the Dharma, and fully cultivates all the paths; he acts in reliance upon wisdom, gains sovereignty in the Dharma, and with an unfirm body purchases the firm body. Sons of the Buddha! When a bodhisattva-mahāsattva gives away his ears, he dedicates and directs his various roots of goodness thus, namely: ‘May all sentient beings obtain the unobstructed ear, hearing everywhere all the sounds of the preaching of Dharma; may all sentient beings obtain the unhindered ear, understanding entirely all sounds; may all sentient beings obtain the Tathāgata's ear, keen and penetrating in all things without stoppage or blockage; may all sentient beings obtain the pure ear, not giving rise to a discriminating mind on account of this base, the ear; may all sentient beings obtain the ear that is neither deaf nor dull, causing benighted consciousness in the end not to arise; may all sentient beings obtain the ear that pervades the Dharma realm, knowing entirely the Dharma-sounds of all buddhas; may all sentient beings obtain the unobstructed ear, awakening to all unhindered dharmas; may all sentient beings obtain the indestructible ear, well knowing the various treatises and disputations, with none able to destroy them; may all sentient beings obtain the ear of universal hearing, vast and pure, becoming a king among ears; may all sentient beings be fully possessed of the divine ear and of the Buddha-ear.’ This is the bodhisattva-mahāsattva's dedication of roots of goodness when he gives away his ears; it is for the sake of causing sentient beings all to obtain the pure ear. Sons of the Buddha! When a bodhisattva-mahāsattva gives away his nose, he dedicates and directs thus, namely: ‘May all sentient beings obtain a high and straight nose, obtain a nose of the excellent signs, obtain a nose of good marks, obtain a nose that may be loved and delighted in, obtain a pure and wondrous nose, obtain an accordant nose, obtain a lofty and manifest nose, obtain a nose that subdues enemies, obtain a nose good to look upon, obtain the nose of a Tathāgata; may all sentient beings obtain a face apart from anger and wrath, obtain the face of all dharmas, obtain an unobstructed face, obtain a face good to look upon, obtain an accordant face, obtain a pure face, obtain a face apart from faults, obtain the perfect face of a Tathāgata, obtain a face that pervades every place, obtain a face of measureless beauty.’ This is the bodhisattva-mahāsattva's dedication of roots of goodness when he gives away his nose; it is for the sake of causing sentient beings ultimately to enter the dharmas of all buddhas, for the sake of causing sentient beings ultimately to take in the dharmas of all buddhas, for the sake of causing sentient beings ultimately to know the dharmas of all buddhas, for the sake of causing sentient beings ultimately to uphold and maintain the dharmas of all buddhas, for the sake of causing sentient beings ultimately always to see all the Tathāgatas, for the sake of causing sentient beings all to be able to realize the Dharma-gates of the buddhas, for the sake of causing sentient beings ultimately to accomplish a mind that none can destroy, for the sake of causing sentient beings all to be able to illumine and understand the true Dharma of all buddhas, for the sake of causing sentient beings everywhere to adorn and purify the Buddha-lands, and for the sake of causing sentient beings all to obtain the body of the Tathāgata's great and mighty power. This is the bodhisattva-mahāsattva's dedication of roots of goodness when he gives away his ears and his nose.

The gateway of giving the teeth: abiding in the ground of firmness and sovereignty, and only then able to give

“Sons of the Buddha! A bodhisattva-mahāsattva abiding within the ground of firmness and sovereignty is able to give his teeth to the various sorts of sentient beings, just as in ages past the bodhisattva King Flower-Teeth and the bodhisattva King of the Six-Tusked Elephants did, and as the remaining measureless bodhisattvas did. When a bodhisattva-mahāsattva gives away his teeth, his mind is pure, rare and hard to come by as the uḍumbara flower (the flower that appears once in a vast age). Namely: he gives with an inexhaustible mind, gives with a mind of great faith, gives with a mind that step by step accomplishes measureless relinquishing, gives with a mind that has tamed the faculties, gives with a mind that relinquishes everything entirely, gives with the vowing mind that seeks omniscience, gives with a mind that brings ease and joy to sentient beings; this is great giving, this is utmost giving, this is excellent giving, this is the most excellent giving, and he gives with a mind that cuts away what his own body vitally needs and yet holds no grudge. At that time the bodhisattva dedicates and directs his various roots of goodness thus, namely: ‘May all sentient beings obtain sharp and white teeth, becoming the most excellent stūpa, receiving the offerings of gods and humans; may all sentient beings obtain even teeth, like the excellent marks of a buddha, without gaps or defects; may all sentient beings obtain a tamed mind, well able to head toward the bodhisattvas' practice of the perfections; may all sentient beings be well able to have purity within the mouth, their teeth fresh and white, manifest and distinct; may all sentient beings obtain teeth that may be called to mind and that are adorned, their mouths pure, without any mark that could be loathed; may all sentient beings have their teeth accomplished and complete to the full forty, constantly emitting all sorts of rare and wondrous fragrance; may all sentient beings have their thought well tamed, their teeth fresh and clean as a white lotus, the lines whorling round and forming the svastika sign; may all sentient beings have lips fresh and pure and teeth white, emitting measureless light that shines everywhere; may all sentient beings have teeth firm and sharp, eating without leaving a whole grain, without craving for flavors, becoming a superior field of merit; may all sentient beings constantly emit light from between their teeth, conferring upon the bodhisattvas the foremost prediction (the conferring of a prediction).’ This is the bodhisattva-mahāsattva's dedication of roots of goodness when he gives away his teeth; it is for the sake of causing sentient beings to be fully possessed of omniscience, and to have wisdom pure amid all dharmas.

The gateway of giving the tongue: opening his mouth and putting out his tongue to show the beggar

“Sons of the Buddha! When a bodhisattva-mahāsattva has someone come to beg for his tongue, toward that beggar he speaks with a mind of kindness and compassion in soft words and loving words, just as in ages past the bodhisattva King Upright Countenance and the bodhisattva Non-Retrogression did, and as the remaining measureless bodhisattvas did. Sons of the Buddha! When a bodhisattva-mahāsattva is receiving birth among the various destinies, there are measureless hundreds of thousands of koṭis of nayutas of sentient beings who come to beg for his tongue. At that time the bodhisattva settles that person upon a lion seat, and with a mind free of anger, a mind free of harming, a mind free of enmity, a mind of great and mighty virtue, a mind born from the Buddha-lineage, a mind abiding in what the bodhisattvas abide in, a mind constantly unmuddied and undisturbed, a mind abiding in great power, a mind with no clinging to the body, a mind with no clinging to speech, he sets both knees upon the ground, opens his mouth and puts forth his tongue, and shows it to the beggar; with a kindly mind and soft words he tells him, saying: ‘This body of mine now belongs entirely to you. You may take my tongue and use it as you wish; may whatever you vow for all be satisfied.’ At that time the bodhisattva dedicates and directs his various roots of goodness thus, namely: ‘May all sentient beings obtain a tongue that reaches everywhere, able to proclaim entirely the dharmas of all sorts of speech; may all sentient beings obtain a tongue that covers the face, so that what they say has nothing double in it and is entirely true; may all sentient beings obtain a tongue that can cover all Buddha-lands everywhere, displaying the sovereign spiritual penetrations of all buddhas; may all sentient beings obtain a soft and slender tongue, constantly receiving flavors that are beautiful, pure and superior; may all sentient beings obtain a tongue of eloquence, able to cut off all the nets of doubt of the world; may all sentient beings obtain a tongue of light, able to emit countless myriads of koṭis of lights; may all sentient beings obtain a decisive tongue, disputing all dharmas without exhaustion; may all sentient beings obtain a tongue that can tame all everywhere, well able to open up and show all the secret essentials, so that whatever they say causes people to have faith and to accept it; may all sentient beings obtain a tongue that penetrates all everywhere, well entering the great sea of all speech; may all sentient beings obtain the tongue that speaks well of all the Dharma-gates, reaching the far shore in every knowledge of language.’ This is the bodhisattva-mahāsattva's dedication of roots of goodness when he gives away his tongue; it is for the sake of causing sentient beings all to obtain the perfect and unobstructed wisdom.

The gateway of giving the head: relinquishing his head in order to accomplish ten kinds of head of wisdom

“Sons of the Buddha! A bodhisattva-mahāsattva gives away his head to the various sorts who come begging, just as the bodhisattva Most Excellent Wisdom did, and as was the giving practiced by the great man the King of the land of Kāśi and the other great bodhisattvas; it is because he wishes to accomplish the head of the most excellent wisdom that enters into all dharmas, because he wishes to accomplish the head that realizes great awakening and rescues sentient beings, because he wishes to be fully possessed of the head that sees all dharmas as the very first, because he wishes to obtain the head of the pure wisdom of right view, because he wishes to accomplish the unobstructed head, because he wishes to realize the head of the first ground, because he seeks the head of the most excellent wisdom in the world, wishing to accomplish the head of pure wisdom whose crown none within the three realms can see, because he wishes to obtain the head of the king of wisdom that displays itself as reaching everywhere throughout the ten directions, and because he wishes to fulfill the sovereign head that none among all dharmas is able to destroy. Sons of the Buddha! A bodhisattva-mahāsattva who abides in this dharma and cultivates it diligently has already entered into the lineage of all buddhas and gives as a buddha gives; in the presence of the buddhas he gives rise to pure faith and increases his roots of goodness; he causes the various sorts who come begging all to obtain joy and satisfaction; his mind is pure and his gladness measureless; his mind is pure and his understanding faithful, illumining the Buddha-dharma; he gives rise to the intention for awakening, and abides in the mind of relinquishing; his faculties are glad and his merit increases; he gives rise to good desire, and constantly delights to practice the vast practice of giving. At that time the bodhisattva dedicates and directs his various roots of goodness thus, namely: ‘May all sentient beings obtain the head of a Tathāgata, obtain the invisible crown; in every place may there be none who can outshine them, and among all the Buddha-fields may they be the very foremost; may their hair whorl to the right, bright and pure and glossy, adorned with the svastika sign, rare in the world; may they be fully possessed of the head of a buddha and accomplish the head of wisdom, which is the very first head in all the world, the head that is complete, the head that is pure, the head of perfect wisdom that sits in the place of awakening.’ This is the bodhisattva-mahāsattva's dedication of roots of goodness when he gives away his head; it is for the sake of causing sentient beings to obtain the most excellent Dharma and to accomplish the unsurpassed great wisdom.

The gateway of giving the hands and feet: taking faith as hands and practice as feet

“Sons of the Buddha! A bodhisattva-mahāsattva gives his own hands and feet to the various sorts of sentient beings, just as the bodhisattva Ever-Diligent and the bodhisattva King Sorrowless did, and as the remaining measureless bodhisattvas did. In the various places of birth among the various destinies he gives away his hands and feet; he takes faith as his hands, and raises up the practice of richly benefiting sentient beings; he goes back and forth and turns about, diligently cultivating the true Dharma, and vows to obtain jeweled hands and to take his hands as his giving; what he does is not spent in vain, and he is fully possessed of the bodhisattva-path; he constantly stretches out his hands in readiness to give widely; he steps out at ease and travels about, valiant and without timidity, and with the power of pure faith is fully possessed of the practice of diligence, wiping out the evil destinies and accomplishing awakening. Sons of the Buddha! When a bodhisattva-mahāsattva gives in this way, with a measureless and boundless vast mind he opens the pure Dharma-gate and enters the sea of all buddhas; he accomplishes the hands of giving and gives everywhere throughout the ten directions; by the power of his vows he holds fast the path of omniscience, and abides in the mind that is ultimately free of defilement; his dharma-body and his wisdom-body are without severance and without ruin, and none of the deeds of Māra can shake them; relying upon the good friend he makes his mind firm, and together with the bodhisattvas he cultivates the perfection of giving. Sons of the Buddha! When a bodhisattva-mahāsattva, seeking omniscience for the sake of sentient beings, gives away his hands and feet, he dedicates and directs his various roots of goodness thus, namely: ‘May all sentient beings be fully possessed of the power of the spiritual penetrations and all obtain jeweled hands; and having obtained jeweled hands, may they each revere one another, giving rise to the thought that the other is a field of merit, and make offerings to one another with all kinds of jewels; and may they further make offerings of the many jewels to all buddhas, raising clouds of wondrous jewels that spread throughout the Buddha-lands, causing sentient beings to give rise to kindness toward one another and not to vex or harm one another; and may they journey through the Buddha-fields, abiding without fear, naturally and fully possessed of the ultimate spiritual penetrations. And may they further all obtain jeweled hands, flower hands, incense hands, garment hands, canopy hands, flower-garland hands, powdered-incense hands, hands of adornments, boundless hands, measureless hands, universal hands; and having obtained hands such as these, may they by the power of the spiritual penetrations constantly and diligently go to all the Buddha-lands, able with a single hand to stroke everywhere all the world-systems of the buddhas, with sovereign hands to uphold sentient beings, obtaining hands of wondrous marks that emit measureless light, able with a single hand to cover sentient beings everywhere, accomplishing the Tathāgata's marks of webbing between the fingers and of nails like red copper.’ At that time the bodhisattva with the hands of his great vows covers sentient beings everywhere: ‘May all sentient beings in their aspiration constantly delight to seek unsurpassed awakening, bringing forth the great sea of all merit, seeing those who come to beg with joy and without weariness, entering the sea of the Buddha-dharma and being one with the roots of goodness of a buddha.’ This is the bodhisattva-mahāsattva's dedication of roots of goodness when he gives away his hands and feet.

The gateway of giving the blood of his body: breaking open his body to let out blood, and dedicating with ten kinds of mind

“Sons of the Buddha! A bodhisattva-mahāsattva breaks open his own body and lets out blood to give to sentient beings, just as the bodhisattva Dharma-Deed and the bodhisattva King Good Intent did, and as the remaining measureless bodhisattvas did. When he gives away the blood of his body among the various destinies, he raises the mind that accomplishes omniscience, raises the mind that longs for and looks up to great awakening, raises the mind that delights to cultivate the bodhisattva practice, raises the mind that does not cling to the feeling of suffering, raises the mind that delights to see those who beg, raises the mind that does not disdain those who come to beg, raises the mind that heads toward all the bodhisattva paths, raises the mind that guards all the bodhisattvas' practice of relinquishing, raises the mind that enlarges the bodhisattvas' good giving, raises the mind of non-retrogression, the mind that does not rest, and the mind that does not cling fondly to himself; and he dedicates and directs his various roots of goodness thus, namely: ‘May all sentient beings all accomplish the dharma-body and the wisdom-body; may all sentient beings obtain a body without toil or weariness, like vajra; may all sentient beings obtain an indestructible body, which none is able to harm; may all sentient beings obtain a body like a conjuration, appearing everywhere in the world without exhaustion; may all sentient beings obtain a body that may be loved and delighted in, pure and wondrous and firm; may all sentient beings obtain a body born from the Dharma realm, the same as the Tathāgata's and without anything it depends upon; may all sentient beings obtain a body like the light of a wondrous jewel, which none of the world's people can outshine; may all sentient beings obtain a body that is a treasury of wisdom, sovereign within the realm of the deathless; may all sentient beings obtain a body that is a sea of jewels, so that all who see it gain benefit and none is spent in vain; may all sentient beings obtain a body of empty space, which the world's afflictions and calamities cannot defile.’ This is the dedication of roots of goodness performed by the bodhisattva-mahāsattva when he gives away the blood of his body — with a mind of the Great Vehicle, a pure mind, a vast mind, a glad mind, a mind of gladness at good fortune, a joyful mind, a superior mind, a mind of ease and joy, and an unmuddied mind.

The gateway of giving the marrow and flesh: ten things appearing before him, and only then the giving

“Sons of the Buddha! When a bodhisattva-mahāsattva sees someone begging for the marrow and flesh of his body, he is joyful and with soft words says to the beggar: ‘The marrow and flesh of my body — take and use them as you wish.’ This is just as the bodhisattva Rich Benefit and the bodhisattva King All-Giving did, and as the remaining measureless bodhisattvas did. When in the various places of birth among the various destinies he gives his own marrow and flesh to those who beg, his joy is vast and his mind of giving increases; together with the bodhisattvas he cultivates roots of goodness, departs from the dust and grime of the world, and attains a deep aspiration; he gives his body everywhere, and his mind is not exhausted; he is fully possessed of measureless and vast roots of goodness, takes in all the jewels of wondrous merit, receives and carries out the bodhisattva-dharma without weariness; his mind constantly loves and delights in the merit of giving, and he gives everywhere to all, with no regret in his heart; he closely contemplates that all dharmas arise from conditions and have no substance of their own, and does not crave the undertaking of giving nor the fruit of that undertaking; whomever he meets, he gives to equally. Sons of the Buddha! When a bodhisattva-mahāsattva gives in this way, all buddhas appear before him, because he thinks of them as a father and thereby obtains their protective mindfulness; all sentient beings appear before him, because he would cause them everywhere to abide in pure dharmas; all worlds appear before him, because he would adorn and purify all the Buddha-lands; all sentient beings appear before him, because with a mind of great compassion he would rescue and guard them everywhere; all the Buddha-paths appear before him, because he delights to contemplate the Tathāgata's ten powers; all the bodhisattvas of the past, the future and the present appear before him, because he would together with them fulfill all roots of goodness; all fearlessnesses appear before him, because he is able to make the supreme lion's roar; all three times appear before him, because he obtains the wisdom of equality and contemplates them everywhere; all the world appears before him, because he gives rise to vast vows and cultivates awakening to the exhaustion of future kalpas; all the bodhisattvas' practices free of fatigue and weariness appear before him, because he gives rise to countless vast minds. Sons of the Buddha! When a bodhisattva-mahāsattva gives away his marrow and flesh, he dedicates and directs this root of goodness thus, namely: ‘May all sentient beings obtain a vajra body, which cannot be broken down; may all sentient beings obtain a firm and dense body, constantly without lack or diminishment; may all sentient beings obtain a mind-made body, like the body of a buddha, adorned and pure; may all sentient beings obtain a body of the marks of a hundred merits, adorning itself with the thirty-two marks; may all sentient beings obtain a body wondrously adorned with the eighty excellent signs, fully possessed of the ten powers and not to be cut off or broken; may all sentient beings obtain the body of a Tathāgata, ultimately pure and beyond all measure; may all sentient beings obtain a firm body, which none of the enemies of Māra can destroy; may all sentient beings obtain a body of a single mark, one and the same in bodily mark with the buddhas of the three times; may all sentient beings obtain an unobstructed body, filling the realm of empty space with a pure dharma-body; may all sentient beings obtain a body that is the treasury of awakening, able to contain the whole world everywhere.’ This is the bodhisattva-mahāsattva's dedication of roots of goodness when, seeking omniscience, he gives away his marrow and flesh; it is for the sake of causing sentient beings all to obtain the Tathāgata's ultimately pure and measureless body.

The gateway of giving the heart: giving away one's own heart, and vowing that beings obtain twenty kinds of mind

“Sons of the Buddha! A bodhisattva-mahāsattva gives his heart to the various sorts who come begging, just as the bodhisattva Without Regret or Weariness and the bodhisattva King Unobstructed did, and as the remaining measureless great bodhisattvas did. When he gives his own heart to those who beg, he does so with a mind that studies sovereign giving, a mind that cultivates all giving, a mind that practices the dāna-pāramitā (the perfection of giving), a mind that accomplishes the dāna-pāramitā, a mind that studies all the bodhisattvas' giving, a mind that relinquishes all entirely and inexhaustibly, a mind accustomed to giving all entirely, a mind that shoulders all the bodhisattvas' practice of giving, a mind that holds in right mindfulness all buddhas appearing before him, and a mind that makes offerings to all who come begging without any cutting off. When a bodhisattva-mahāsattva gives in this way, his mind is pure — for the sake of delivering all sentient beings, for the sake of obtaining the place of the awakening of the ten powers, for the sake of practicing in reliance upon the great vow, for the sake of abiding in the bodhisattva-path, for the sake of accomplishing omniscience, and for the sake of not casting away his original vow — and he dedicates and directs his various roots of goodness thus, namely: ‘May all sentient beings obtain a mind that is a vajra treasury, which none of the vajra encircling mountains and the like can destroy; may all sentient beings obtain a mind of the vajra realm adorned with the svastika sign, obtain a mind that none can shake, obtain a mind that cannot be made afraid, obtain a mind that benefits the world constantly and without exhaustion, obtain a mind that is the treasury of wisdom of the banner of great valor, obtain a mind like the firm banner of Nārāyaṇa (the mighty one), obtain a mind like the sea of sentient beings that cannot be exhausted, obtain a mind of the treasury of Nārāyaṇa that none can destroy, obtain a mind that extinguishes the deeds of Māra and the hosts of Māra, obtain a mind without fear, obtain a mind of great and mighty virtue, obtain a mind of constant diligence, obtain a mind of great valor, obtain a mind that is not startled or frightened, obtain a mind clad in vajra armor, obtain the supreme mind among all the bodhisattvas, obtain a mind of the light of awakening that accomplishes the Buddha-dharma, obtain the mind that sits beneath the tree of awakening, abides in the true Dharma of all buddhas, is apart from all confusion, and accomplishes omniscience, obtain the mind that accomplishes the ten powers.’ This is the bodhisattva-mahāsattva's dedication of roots of goodness when he gives away his heart; it is for the sake of causing sentient beings not to be defiled by the world and to be fully possessed of the mind of the Tathāgata's ten powers.

The gateway of giving the intestines, kidneys, liver and lungs: contemplating that the body is not firm, and purchasing with it the firm body

“Sons of the Buddha! If someone begs a bodhisattva-mahāsattva for his intestines, kidneys, liver and lungs, he gives them all away to him, just as the bodhisattva Good Giving and the bodhisattva Sovereign King Subduer of Māra did, and as the remaining measureless great bodhisattvas did. When he practices this giving and sees the beggar come, his mind is joyful and he looks upon him with kindly eyes; for the sake of seeking awakening, whatever the other has need of he gives him entirely, and in his heart there is no regret midway. He contemplates that this body has nothing firm about it: ‘I ought to give it to him, and thereby take up the firm body.’ And he further calls to mind that this body will before long be ruined, and that those who see it will be disgusted; it is what foxes, wolves and hungry dogs would eat; this body is impermanent and will in the end be cast away, eaten by other creatures, and it will itself know nothing of it. Sons of the Buddha! When a bodhisattva-mahāsattva makes such a contemplation, knowing the body to be impermanent and filthy in the extreme, he understands within the Dharma and gives rise to great joy; with a reverent mind he looks closely at that one who has come begging, with the thought that a good friend has come to guard him, and whatever the other begs for there is nothing he does not bestow, so that with an unfirm body he purchases the firm body. Sons of the Buddha! When a bodhisattva-mahāsattva gives in this way, all his roots of goodness are used for dedication: ‘May all sentient beings obtain a body that is a treasury of wisdom, pure within and without; may all sentient beings obtain a body that is a treasury of merit, able everywhere to hold fast the vow of omniscience; may all sentient beings obtain a body superior and wondrous, holding wondrous fragrance within and emitting light without; may all sentient beings obtain a body whose belly does not protrude, straight above and below, its limbs and joints in proportion; may all sentient beings obtain a body of wisdom, filled and gladdened and nourished by the flavor of the Buddha-dharma; may all sentient beings obtain an inexhaustible body, cultivating and abiding in the profound nature of dharmas; may all sentient beings obtain a body that is the pure treasury of dhāraṇī (the all-holding), displaying all dharmas with subtle and wondrous eloquence; may all sentient beings obtain a pure body, pure within and without, whether in body or in mind; may all sentient beings obtain a body of the deep contemplative practice of the Tathāgata's wisdom, filled with wisdom and sending down the great rain of Dharma; may all sentient beings obtain a body quiescent within, that outwardly becomes for sentient beings a king of the banner of wisdom, emitting great light that shines upon all everywhere.’ This is the bodhisattva-mahāsattva's dedication of roots of goodness when he gives away his intestines, kidneys, liver and lungs; it is for the sake of causing sentient beings to be pure within and without and all to abide in unobstructed wisdom.

The gateway of giving the bones of the limbs and joints: relinquishing the bones of the body's parts, and vowing that beings obtain twenty kinds of body

“Sons of the Buddha! A bodhisattva-mahāsattva gives the various bones of his limbs and joints to those who come begging, just as the bodhisattva Dharma Treasury and the bodhisattva King Light did, and as the remaining measureless great bodhisattvas did. When he gives away the bones of the limbs and joints that are parts of his own body, seeing the beggar come, he gives rise to a mind of love and delight, a mind of joy, a mind of pure faith, a mind of ease and joy, a mind of valor, a mind of kindness, an unobstructed mind, a pure mind, a mind that bestows whatever the other begs for. When a bodhisattva-mahāsattva gives away the bones of his body, he dedicates and directs his various roots of goodness thus, namely: ‘May all sentient beings obtain a body like a conjuration, no longer receiving a body of bone, flesh and blood; may all sentient beings obtain a vajra body, indestructible and which none can overcome; may all sentient beings obtain the perfect dharma-body of omniscience, born within the realm that is without bondage, without attachment and without tie (that is, the realm of nirvāṇa); may all sentient beings obtain a body of the power of wisdom, its faculties complete, neither cut off nor ruined; may all sentient beings obtain a body of the power of the Dharma, sovereign in the power of wisdom and reaching the far shore; may all sentient beings obtain a firm body, that body upright and true, constantly without scattering or ruin; may all sentient beings obtain a body that responds as is fitting, teaching, transforming and taming all sentient beings; may all sentient beings obtain a body perfumed by wisdom, fully possessed of the great strength of limbs and joints like Nārāyaṇa's; may all sentient beings obtain a body firm and continuous without any severance, forever apart from all exhaustion and toil; may all sentient beings obtain a body abiding in great strength, entirely and fully possessed of the great strength of diligence; may all sentient beings obtain the dharma-body that is equal throughout the world, abiding in the place of measureless and supreme wisdom; may all sentient beings obtain a body of the power of merit, so that those who see it receive benefit and are far removed from all evils; may all sentient beings obtain a body without any place of dependence, and all be fully possessed of the wisdom that depends on and clings to nothing; may all sentient beings obtain a body taken in by the buddhas, constantly guarded and protected by all buddhas; may all sentient beings obtain a body that richly benefits all sentient beings everywhere, able to enter everywhere into all the destinies; may all sentient beings obtain a body that appears everywhere, able everywhere to illumine and display all Buddha-dharmas; may all sentient beings obtain a body fully possessed of diligence, with concentrated mindfulness diligently cultivating the wisdom-practice of the Great Vehicle; may all sentient beings obtain a pure body apart from self-conceit and arrogance, its wisdom constantly abiding and nothing shaking or disturbing it; may all sentient beings obtain a body of firm practice, accomplishing the undertaking of the omniscience of the Great Vehicle; may all sentient beings obtain the body of the household of the buddhas, forever apart from all the births and deaths of the world.’ This is the bodhisattva-mahāsattva's dedication of roots of goodness when he gives away the bones of his body; it is for the sake of causing sentient beings to obtain omniscience and to be forever pure.

The gateway of giving the skin of his body: treating the one who comes with a knife as a benefactor

“Sons of the Buddha! When a bodhisattva-mahāsattva sees someone come holding a sharp knife in his hand, begging for the skin of his body, joy arises in his heart and his faculties are glad, as though a man had bestowed a heavy kindness upon him; he goes out to meet him and brings him in, lays out a seat and asks him to sit, bows his body in reverence, and thinks thus: ‘This one who has come begging is very hard to meet with; it is because he would fulfill my vow of omniscience that he has come to ask, and this is precisely to benefit me.’ And joyfully, with a gentle countenance, he says to him: ‘This body of mine now I relinquish entirely; the skin you have need of, take and use as you wish.’ This is just as in ages past the bodhisattva Pure Treasury and the bodhisattva King of the Golden-Flanked Deer did, and as the remaining measureless great bodhisattvas did, with nothing different. At that time the bodhisattva dedicates and directs his various roots of goodness thus, namely: ‘May all sentient beings obtain fine skin, pure as the color and mark of a Tathāgata, so that those who see it are not disgusted; may all sentient beings obtain indestructible skin, like vajra, which none is able to destroy; may all sentient beings obtain golden skin, like the superb true gold of Jambūnada (the finest gold that comes out of the river among the jambu trees), pure and bright and clean; may all sentient beings obtain skin of measureless colors, manifesting pure colors according to what the mind of the other delights in; may all sentient beings obtain skin of pure and wondrous color, fully possessed of the color and marks of a Tathāgata, good and soft and pure as a śramaṇa's; may all sentient beings obtain skin of the foremost color, pure in its own nature, its color and marks beyond compare; may all sentient beings accomplish the skin of the Tathāgata's pure color, adorning themselves with all the marks and signs; may all sentient beings obtain skin of wondrous color, emitting great light that shines upon all everywhere; may all sentient beings obtain skin of a net of brightness, like a lofty banner in the world, emitting perfect light beyond what can be told; may all sentient beings obtain skin of glossy color, all its colors and marks entirely pure.’ This is the bodhisattva-mahāsattva's dedication of roots of goodness when he gives away the skin of his body; it is for the sake of causing sentient beings all to obtain all the adorned and purified Buddha-fields, and to be fully possessed of the Tathāgata's great merit.

The gateway of giving the fingers and toes: giving without seeking beautiful desires and without prizing reputation

“Sons of the Buddha! A bodhisattva-mahāsattva gives his fingers and toes to the various sorts who come begging, just as the bodhisattva Firm Diligence and the bodhisattva Sovereign King of Jambudvīpa did, and as the remaining measureless great bodhisattvas did. At that time the bodhisattva's countenance is harmonious and glad, his mind at ease and good, without inversion; he rides upon the Great Vehicle; he does not seek beautiful and wondrous desires and does not prize reputation; he only gives rise to the vast intention of a bodhisattva, is far removed from stinginess and jealousy and all defilements, and turns wholly toward the Tathāgata's unsurpassed wondrous Dharma. Sons of the Buddha! When a bodhisattva-mahāsattva gives in this way, he gathers up his various roots of goodness and uses them all for dedication: ‘May all sentient beings obtain slender and long fingers, no different from a buddha's; may all sentient beings obtain well-rounded fingers, in proportion above and below; may all sentient beings obtain fingers with nails of red copper, those nails rising high, pure and illumining and penetrating through; may all sentient beings obtain the fingers of the great man of the excellence of omniscience, able entirely to hold and maintain all dharmas; may all sentient beings obtain fingers of the excellent signs, fully possessed of the ten powers; may all sentient beings obtain the fingers of a great person, slender and well-rounded and even; may all sentient beings obtain fingers of the wheel-mark, the joints of the fingers perfect and their lines whorling to the right; may all sentient beings obtain fingers like a lotus with the svastika sign whorling upon them, adorned with the marks and signs that are the karmic recompense of the ten powers; may all sentient beings obtain fingers that are a treasury of light, emitting great light that shines upon Buddha-worlds beyond what can be told; may all sentient beings obtain well-arrayed fingers, skillfully distributed and fully possessed of the webbing.’ This is the bodhisattva-mahāsattva's dedication of roots of goodness when he gives away his fingers; it is for the sake of causing sentient beings all to obtain purity of mind.

The gateway of giving the fingernails in seeking the Dharma: exchanging the fingernails for a single sentence of Dharma

“Sons of the Buddha! When a bodhisattva-mahāsattva seeks the Dharma, if someone says: ‘If you can give me your fingernails together with the flesh, I will give you the Dharma,’ the bodhisattva answers, saying: ‘Only give me the Dharma. The fingernails with the flesh — take and use them as you wish.’ This is just as the bodhisattva Sovereign King in Seeking the Dharma and the bodhisattva Inexhaustible did, and as the remaining measureless great bodhisattvas did: for the sake of seeking the Dharma, wishing to use the true Dharma to open up and expound it, to richly benefit sentient beings, and to cause all sentient beings to attain satisfaction, he relinquishes the fingernails together with the flesh to the various sorts who come begging. At that time the bodhisattva dedicates and directs this root of goodness thus, namely: ‘May all sentient beings all obtain the nails of the buddhas' mark of red copper; may all sentient beings obtain glossy nails, adorned with the excellent signs; may all sentient beings obtain bright and pure nails, illumining and penetrating through as the very first; may all sentient beings obtain the nails of omniscience, fully possessed of the marks of a great person; may all sentient beings obtain incomparable nails, undefiled by attachment amid all the worlds; may all sentient beings obtain wondrously adorned nails, their light shining upon all worlds everywhere; may all sentient beings obtain indestructible nails, pure and without lack or defect; may all sentient beings obtain nails of the mark that is the skillful means of entering all the Buddha-dharmas, their vast wisdom entirely pure; may all sentient beings obtain well-born nails, so that of the bodhisattva's karmic fruits there is none that is not pure and wondrous; may all sentient beings obtain the nails of the great guiding master of omniscience, emitting the treasury of wondrous light of measureless colors.’ This is the bodhisattva-mahāsattva's dedication of roots of goodness when, for the sake of seeking the Dharma, he gives away the fingernails together with the flesh; it is for the sake of causing sentient beings to be fully possessed of the unobstructed power of the buddhas' nails of omniscience.

The gateway of throwing himself into a fire pit in seeking the Dharma: entering a fire pit of the human world and at once hearing the Dharma — the true Dharma is very easily gotten

“Sons of the Buddha! A bodhisattva-mahāsattva seeks the Dharma-treasury of the buddhas with reverence and esteem, giving rise to the thought that it is hard to obtain. If one who is able to preach the Dharma comes and says to him: ‘If you can throw your body into a fire pit seven fathoms deep (a fathom being seven feet), I will bestow the Dharma upon you,’ then the bodhisattva, having heard it, is joyful and leaps up, and contemplates thus: ‘For the sake of the Dharma I ought even to abide long in Avīci hell and all the evil destinies and undergo measureless suffering — how much more so merely to enter a fire pit of the human world and thereby be able to hear the Dharma? Marvelous! The true Dharma is after all as easily gotten as this: without undergoing the measureless bitter torments of the hells, I need only enter the fire pit and at once I may hear it. Only preach for me; I will enter the fire pit.’ This is just as the bodhisattva King Seeker of Good Dharma and the bodhisattva Vajra Contemplation, who for the sake of seeking the Dharma entered into a fire pit. At that time the bodhisattva dedicates and directs this root of goodness thus, namely: ‘May all sentient beings abide in the dharmas of omniscience wherein the buddhas abide, never turning back from unsurpassed awakening; may all sentient beings be apart from all perils and hardships, and receive the ease and joy of the buddhas; may all sentient beings obtain a fearless mind, apart from all terrors; may all sentient beings constantly delight to seek the Dharma, fully possessed of gladness and joy, adorning themselves with the many dharmas; may all sentient beings be apart from all the evil destinies, extinguishing the blazing fire of all three poisons (greed, anger and delusion); may all sentient beings constantly obtain ease and joy, fully possessed of the excellent and wondrous joys of the Tathāgata; may all sentient beings obtain the bodhisattva's mind, forever apart from all the fires of greed, anger and delusion; may all sentient beings all obtain the joy of the bodhisattva's samādhis, seeing all buddhas everywhere with great gladness of mind; may all sentient beings speak well of the true Dharma, reaching the ultimate in the Dharma and constantly not forgetting it; may all sentient beings be fully possessed of the wondrous joy of the bodhisattva's spiritual penetrations, ultimately abiding in the knowledge of all modes.’ This is the bodhisattva-mahāsattva's dedication of roots of goodness when, for the sake of seeking the true Dharma, he throws himself into a fire pit; it is for the sake of causing sentient beings to be apart from the deeds that obstruct and all to be fully possessed of the fire of wisdom.

The gateway of undergoing the multitude of sufferings in seeking and guarding the Dharma: undergoing in an evil man's stead the suffering he ought to undergo

“Sons of the Buddha! A bodhisattva-mahāsattva, for the sake of seeking the true Dharma, discriminates and expounds it, opens the bodhisattva-path, shows the road of awakening, heads toward unsurpassed wisdom, diligently cultivates the ten powers, broadens the mind of omniscience, obtains the dharma of unobstructed wisdom, and causes sentient beings to be pure and to abide in the realm of the bodhisattvas. When he diligently cultivates great wisdom and guards the awakening of the buddhas, he undergoes measureless afflictions and suffering entirely in his own body, just as the bodhisattva Seeker of Good Dharma and the bodhisattva King Valiant did, and as the remaining measureless great bodhisattvas did. For the sake of seeking the Dharma he undergoes measureless suffering, and he even takes in those exceedingly evil men who slander the true Dharma, who are covered over by evil deeds and held fast by the deeds of Māra; all the afflictions and sufferings that they ought to undergo, he, for the sake of seeking the Dharma, undergoes entirely in their stead. He dedicates and directs this root of goodness thus, namely: ‘May all sentient beings be forever apart from the pressing oppression of all suffering and affliction, and accomplish the spiritual penetrations of ease, joy and sovereignty; may all sentient beings be forever apart from all sufferings and obtain all joys; may all sentient beings forever extinguish the aggregates of suffering and obtain a body that illumines and appears, constantly receiving ease and joy; may all sentient beings escape the prison of suffering and accomplish the practice of wisdom; may all sentient beings see the road of safety and be apart from all the evil destinies; may all sentient beings obtain the joy of delight in the Dharma and forever cut off the multitude of sufferings; may all sentient beings forever pull out the multitude of sufferings, being kind and loving to one another with no mind to harm; may all sentient beings obtain the joy of the buddhas and be apart from the suffering of birth and death; may all sentient beings accomplish pure and incomparable ease and joy, which all sufferings and afflictions cannot harm; may all sentient beings obtain all excellent joys and be ultimately and fully possessed of the unobstructed joy of a buddha.’ This is the bodhisattva-mahāsattva's dedication of roots of goodness when, for the sake of seeking the Dharma, he undergoes the multitude of sufferings; it is because he would rescue and guard all sentient beings, causing them to be apart from perils and hardships and to abide in the place of liberation where omniscience is without any obstruction.

The gateway of relinquishing the realm and its cities in seeking the Dharma: prostrating himself full length for the sake of a single word

“Sons of the Buddha! When a bodhisattva-mahāsattva dwelling in the position of a king seeks the true Dharma, even for the sake of but one phrase, one word, one sentence, one meaning he gives rise to the thought that it is hard to obtain, and he is able wholly to exhaust and relinquish all that lies within the seas — near or far, the lands, the cities and towns, the people, the storehouses, the gardens and pools, the dwellings, the groves, the flowers and fruits, and even all rare and wondrous things, the palaces and pavilions, his wife and children and his retinue, and his kingship as well: all these he is able to relinquish. Within what is not firm he seeks the firm Dharma, because he would benefit all sentient beings, and he diligently seeks the buddhas' unobstructed liberation and the ultimately pure path of omniscience, just as the bodhisattva Great Power and Virtue and the bodhisattva King Surpassing Virtue did, and as the remaining measureless great bodhisattvas did. He diligently seeks the true Dharma, even to the least of it, for the sake of but one word prostrating himself full length upon the ground; he holds in right mindfulness all the Buddha-dharmas of the three times, and loves and delights to cultivate them; he never craves reputation or gain, and casts away all the world's sovereign kingly positions to seek the position of the sovereign Dharma-king of the buddhas; toward the world's joys his mind has no attachment, and he nourishes his mind with the dharmas that go beyond the world; he is forever apart from all the world's frivolous talk and abides in the buddhas' Dharma that is free of frivolous talk. At that time the bodhisattva dedicates and directs his various roots of goodness thus, namely: ‘May all sentient beings constantly delight to bestow gifts, relinquishing all entirely; may all sentient beings be able to relinquish what they have, with no regret midway in their hearts; may all sentient beings constantly seek the true Dharma, not begrudging body or life or the necessities of living; may all sentient beings obtain entirely the benefit of the Dharma, able to cut off the doubts and confusions of all sentient beings; may all sentient beings obtain the desire for good dharmas, their minds constantly glad and delighting in the true Dharma of all buddhas; may all sentient beings, for the sake of seeking the Buddha-dharma, be able to relinquish body and life and kingship as well, and with a great mind cultivate unsurpassed awakening; may all sentient beings esteem the true Dharma, constantly and deeply loving and delighting in it, not begrudging body or life; may all sentient beings uphold and maintain the buddhas' Dharma that is exceedingly hard to obtain, constantly and diligently cultivating it; may all sentient beings all obtain the light of the awakening of the buddhas, accomplishing the practice of awakening and being awakened not by another; may all sentient beings be constantly able to contemplate all Buddha-dharmas, pulling out the arrow of doubt so that their minds attain safety.’ This is the bodhisattva-mahāsattva's dedication of roots of goodness when, for the sake of seeking the true Dharma, he relinquishes his realm and its cities; it is for the sake of causing sentient beings to be perfect in knowledge and vision, and constantly to abide upon the road of safety.

The gateway of cutting off killing and giving fearlessness: becoming a great king and forbidding all slaughter

“Sons of the Buddha! A bodhisattva-mahāsattva becomes a great king, sovereign in the Dharma, and everywhere puts forth his commands, causing the deed of killing to be done away with; all the slaughtering in the cities, towns and villages within Jambudvīpa he causes to be forbidden and cut off; to the footless, the two-footed, the four-footed, the many-footed, to the various kinds of living creatures he gives fearlessness everywhere, with no mind to bully or to rob; he cultivates widely all the bodhisattva practices, presides over the myriad creatures with benevolence and kindness, does not encroach upon them or vex and harm them, gives rise to the mind of the wondrous jewel, and brings safety to sentient beings; in the presence of the buddhas he establishes a deep aspiration, constantly abides of himself in the three kinds of pure precept, and causes sentient beings likewise to abide in them. A bodhisattva-mahāsattva causes sentient beings to abide in the five precepts and forever to cut off the deed of killing; and he dedicates and directs this root of goodness thus, namely: ‘May all sentient beings give rise to the bodhisattva's mind, be fully possessed of wisdom, and forever keep their life-span without any end; may all sentient beings abide for measureless kalpas, make offerings to all buddhas, revere them and cultivate diligently, and increase their life-span yet further; may all sentient beings be fully possessed of practice, apart from the dharmas of old age and death, so that no calamity or poison may harm their lives; may all sentient beings be fully accomplished in a body without sickness or affliction, sovereign in life-span, able to abide as they wish; may all sentient beings obtain an inexhaustible life-span, to the exhaustion of future kalpas abiding in the bodhisattva-practice, teaching, transforming and taming all sentient beings; may all sentient beings become a gateway of life-span, wherein the roots of goodness of the ten powers increase; may all sentient beings be fully possessed of roots of goodness, obtain an inexhaustible life-span, and fulfill their great vows; may all sentient beings all see the buddhas and make offerings and render service to them, abiding in an inexhaustible life-span and gathering roots of goodness; may all sentient beings in the presence of the Tathāgata study well what ought to be studied, and obtain the gladness of the noble Dharma and an inexhaustible life-span; may all sentient beings obtain the life-faculty that abides constantly, without aging and without sickness, and with valor and diligence enter the wisdom of a buddha.’ This is the bodhisattva-mahāsattva's dedication of roots of goodness when he abides in the three groups of pure precepts and forever cuts off the deed of killing; it is for the sake of causing sentient beings to obtain the perfect wisdom of the Buddha's ten powers.

The gateway of rescuing those whose male form has been ruined: wealth rescues from present suffering, Dharma rescues from suffering to come

“Sons of the Buddha! A bodhisattva-mahāsattva sees that there are sentient beings who harbor cruelty in their hearts and who ruin the male form belonging to all sorts of humans and beasts, causing their bodies to have lack and diminishment and to undergo all manner of bitter torment; and having seen this, he raises great kindness and compassion and pities and rescues them, causing all the people of Jambudvīpa to cast away this occupation. At that time the bodhisattva says to that man: ‘Why would you do such an evil deed as this? I have storehouses in the hundreds of thousands of myriads of koṭis, filled entirely with all the implements of joy; whatever you have need of I will give you. What you do — from it the multitude of offenses is born, and I now urge you not to do this thing. The deed you do is not in accord with principle, and even should you gain something by it, where then could you use it? To harm another and benefit oneself — in the end there is no such principle. Evil conduct such as this and all manner of unwholesome dharmas are not praised by any Tathāgata.’ And having spoken these words, he then gives him entirely all the implements of joy that he has. And further with good words he preaches the subtle and wondrous Dharma for him, causing him to be glad. Namely: he shows him the dharma of quiescence, causing him to have faith and to accept it, to extinguish what is unwholesome, to practice pure deeds, and to give rise to kindness toward one another and not to vex and harm one another. And that man, having heard it, forever casts away his offenses and evils. At that time the bodhisattva dedicates and directs this root of goodness thus, namely: ‘May all sentient beings be fully possessed of the form of a man, and accomplish the Tathāgata's mark of the sheathed organ; may all sentient beings be fully possessed of the form of a male, giving rise to a valiant mind and cultivating all the pure practices; may all sentient beings be fully possessed of valiant strength, constantly acting as leaders, abiding in unobstructed wisdom and never turning back; may all sentient beings all obtain and be fully possessed of the body of a great man, forever apart from the mind of greed and desire and free of defiling attachment; may all sentient beings all accomplish the dharmas of a good man, their wisdom increasing and praised by all buddhas; may all sentient beings everywhere obtain and be fully possessed of the strength of a great person, constantly able to cultivate the roots of goodness of the ten powers; may all sentient beings never lose or ruin the form of a male, constantly cultivating merit and wisdom and dharmas never had before; may all sentient beings amid the five desires be unattached and unbound, their minds attaining liberation, weary of and apart from the three kinds of existence, abiding in the bodhisattva-practice; may all sentient beings accomplish the man of foremost wisdom, whom all people honor and trust and obey in his teaching; may all sentient beings be fully possessed of the wisdom of the bodhisattva who is a great man, and before long become the unsurpassed great hero.’ This is the bodhisattva-mahāsattva's dedication of roots of goodness when he forbids all ruining of the male form; it is for the sake of causing sentient beings to be fully possessed of the form of a man, all to be able to guard the good men, to be born into the households of the worthy and the noble, to be fully possessed of wisdom, constantly and diligently to cultivate the excellent practices of a great man, to have the function of a great man, skillfully to be able to display the seven paths of the great man, and to be fully possessed of the buddhas' lineage of good men, the right teaching of a great man, the valor of a great man, the diligence of a great man, the wisdom of a great man, and the purity of a great man — causing sentient beings everywhere ultimately to obtain them all.

(The bodhisattva Vajra Banner, taking up what he has said before, goes on expounding to the bodhisattvas in the assembly the sixth dedication, the dedication that accords with and makes firm all roots of goodness. The fifteen gates below are spoken through in one breath, with no other speaker interposed among them.)

Gate one, praising the Buddha's appearing in the world: crying out “the Tathāgata has appeared in the world” for the whole world to hear

“Sons of the Buddha! If the bodhisattva-mahāsattva sees the Tathāgata arise in the world and expound the true Dharma, he uses a great voice to proclaim to all everywhere: ‘The Tathāgata has appeared in the world! The Tathāgata has appeared in the world!’ — causing all sentient beings to be able to hear the Buddha's name and to cast off all conceit and all frivolous talk (the meaningless sporting of words); then he urges them further, causing them to hasten to see the Buddha, causing them to call the Buddha to mind, causing them to turn toward the Buddha, causing them to take the Buddha as their object (fixing the thought upon the Buddha), causing them to contemplate the Buddha, causing them to praise the Buddha; and then he further expounds at length for them how hard a buddha is to meet with, appearing but once in a thousand myriad koṭis of kalpas. Sentient beings thereby become able to see the Buddha, give rise to a mind of pure faith, leap up in gladness, and revere him and make offerings; and at the place of the Buddha they hear the names of the buddhas, and one after another meet with countless buddhas, planting every kind of root of goodness and cultivating it so that it increases. At that time countless hundreds of thousands of myriads of koṭis of nayutas (exceedingly great numbers) of sentient beings, because they have seen the Buddha, all attain a taming that is pure and ultimate. Those sentient beings all give rise, with respect to the bodhisattva, to the thought of the most excellent good friend; and because of the bodhisattva they accomplish the Dharma of the Buddha, and with roots of goodness planted through countless kalpas they everywhere perform the deeds of a buddha in the world.

“Sons of the Buddha! When the bodhisattva-mahāsattva reveals things to sentient beings and causes them to see the Buddha, he dedicates his various roots of goodness in this way: ‘May all sentient beings, without waiting to be urged and enticed, go of themselves to see the Buddha, serve him and make offerings, and all be made glad; may all sentient beings constantly delight to see the Buddha, with never a moment in their minds of casting this aside; may all sentient beings constantly and diligently cultivate vast wisdom, and receive and uphold the Dharma-treasury of all the buddhas; may all sentient beings, following whatever sounds they hear, be able to awaken into the Dharma of the Buddha, and cultivate the practice of a bodhisattva through measureless kalpas; may all sentient beings dwell in right mindfulness, and constantly see with the eye of wisdom the arising of the buddhas; may all sentient beings give no thought to other undertakings, but constantly call to mind the seeing of the Buddha and diligently cultivate the ten powers; may all sentient beings in every place constantly see the buddhas, and fully understand that the Tathāgata fills the realm of empty space; may all sentient beings be complete in the sovereign body of a buddha, and everywhere in the ten directions accomplish the way and expound the Dharma; may all sentient beings meet with good friends, constantly hear the Dharma of the Buddha, and obtain toward all the Tathāgatas a faith that cannot be broken or lost; may all sentient beings be able to extol the arising of the buddhas, and cause those who see it to attain purity everywhere.’ This is the bodhisattva-mahāsattva's dedication of the roots of goodness of praising the Buddha's appearing in the world; it is for the sake of causing sentient beings to see all the buddhas, to make offerings to them and serve them, and to be ultimately pure in the unsurpassed Dharma.

Gate two, the giving of the great earth: giving away the whole of the earth

“Sons of the Buddha! The bodhisattva-mahāsattva gives away the great earth: whether he gives it to the buddhas, for the raising of monastic dwellings; or gives it to bodhisattvas and to good friends, for them to use as they see fit; or gives it to the assembly of monks, to be their dwelling place; or gives it to his father and mother; or gives it to other persons (those who have wealth and who are neither objects of reverence nor objects of compassion), to śrāvakas, to pratyekabuddhas, and to every kind of field of merit, and on down to all the poor, the orphaned and destitute (those with neither father nor mother to shelter them), and the rest of the four assemblies, giving it all to them as they see fit so that they lack nothing; or gives it away for the raising of the stūpas and temples of the Tathāgata. In every one of these various places he furnishes them completely with the utensils that sustain life (the implements of daily use), letting them take and use them as they wish, with nothing they need fear.

“When the bodhisattva-mahāsattva gives land in any quarter whatsoever, he dedicates his various roots of goodness in this way: ‘May all sentient beings be complete in the pure ground of omniscience, and all reach the further shore of the whole range of Samantabhadra's practices; may all sentient beings obtain the ground of total retention, and with right mindfulness receive and uphold all the dharmas of the buddhas; may all sentient beings obtain the power of upholding and sustaining, and be constantly able to guard the teaching of all the buddhas; may all sentient beings obtain a mind like the great earth, so that toward all sentient beings their thought is constantly pure and without any evil intent; may all sentient beings hold fast to the lineage of the buddhas, and accomplish the successive stages of the bodhisattva grounds without any breaking off; may all sentient beings be everywhere a place of peace and security for all, and all be tamed and made to dwell in the pure path; may all sentient beings benefit the world just as the Tathāgatas do, everywhere causing others to cultivate diligently and to dwell in the power of a buddha; may all sentient beings be everywhere loved and delighted in by the world, and all be made to dwell in the unsurpassed joy of a buddha; may all sentient beings obtain skillfulness in means, and dwell within the powers of a buddha and the dharmas of fearlessness; may all sentient beings obtain a wisdom like the great earth, and freely cultivate all the dharmas of the buddhas.’ This is the bodhisattva-mahāsattva's dedication of the roots of goodness at the time of giving the great earth, for the sake of causing sentient beings all to attain the ultimate pure ground of all the Tathāgatas.

Gate three, the giving of servants: giving people as well, and caring also for those people's hearts

“Sons of the Buddha! The bodhisattva-mahāsattva gives away boy-servants and menservants (the boy attends and waits upon others, the manservant is furnished for labor), making offerings to all the buddhas, to bodhisattvas, and to true good friends; or he gives them to the jewel of the Saṅgha; or he presents them to his father and mother, who are such excellent fields of merit; or again he gives them to sentient beings afflicted with sickness and suffering, so that they lack nothing and their lives may be preserved; or again he gives them to the poor and the orphaned and destitute and to all others who have no one to look after them; or, for the sake of guarding the stūpas and temples of the Tathāgata, or for the sake of writing out and upholding the true Dharma of the buddhas, he gives servants numbering hundreds of thousands of koṭis of nayutas, at whatever time they are needed. Those servants are all clever and skillful, their dispositions are of themselves tamed and pliant, they are constantly diligent and vigorous and without indolence, and they are furnished with a mind that is straight, a mind at ease, a mind of benefit, a mind of kindness, a mind of respectfulness, a mind without resentment, and a mind without enmity; they are able to follow what is fitting to the customs of the place where the recipient dwells, and to work every kind of benefit in every kind of place; and they have all come by the summons of the bodhisattva's pure deeds, so that there is nothing among talents, arts, crafts, and calculation that they have not mastered, and they are well able to attend and serve so that the recipient's heart is made glad.

“At that time the bodhisattva dedicates his various roots of goodness in this way: ‘May all sentient beings obtain a tamed and pliant mind, and cultivate roots of goodness at the place of all the buddhas; may all sentient beings, according with what is fitting, make offerings to all the buddhas, and be able to hear and receive whatever the buddhas expound; may all sentient beings be taken in by the Buddha, constantly contemplate the Tathāgata, and have no other thought; may all sentient beings not break or lose the lineage of the buddhas, and diligently cultivate all the roots of goodness that accord with the buddhas; may all sentient beings constantly and diligently make offerings to all the buddhas, with never a time that passes in vain; may all sentient beings take up and hold the wondrous meaning of all the buddhas, be pure in speech, and travel about without fear; may all sentient beings constantly delight to see the Buddha, with never a mind that has had enough, and at the place of the buddhas not begrudge even body and life; may all sentient beings be able to see the buddhas, with a mind that is not stained by attachment, leaving behind all reliance upon the world; may all sentient beings turn toward the Buddha alone, and forever leave behind every wrong place of refuge; may all sentient beings accord with the path of the Buddha, their minds constantly delighting to contemplate the unsurpassed Dharma of the Buddha.’ This is the bodhisattva-mahāsattva's dedication of the roots of goodness at the time of giving servants; it is for the sake of causing sentient beings to be far removed from dust and defilement, to purify the ground of a buddha, and to be able to manifest the sovereign body of a Tathāgata.

Gate four, the giving of one's own body: handing oneself over to those who come to beg

“Sons of the Buddha! The bodhisattva-mahāsattva gives his own body to those who come to beg; and at the time of giving he gives rise to a humble mind, gives rise to a mind like the great earth, gives rise to a mind that bears all suffering without wavering, gives rise to a mind that attends upon sentient beings without weariness, gives rise to a mind that is toward all sentient beings as a kind mother is, dedicating and turning over to them every good that he has, and gives rise to a mind that pardons and forgives every kind of encroachment on the part of those sentient beings who are foolish and dangerous and utterly evil; and he dwells upon his roots of goodness and diligently gives service.

“At that time the bodhisattva takes all his roots of goodness and dedicates them in this way: ‘May all sentient beings, according to what they need, be constantly without lack, cultivating the practice of a bodhisattva without interruption, not casting away any of the bodhisattva's benefits of meaning, dwelling well upon the path a bodhisattva walks, fully understanding the bodhisattva's nature of equality among dharmas, obtaining a place in the count of the Tathāgata's clan, dwelling in truthful speech, holding fast to the practice of a bodhisattva, causing the worlds to obtain the pure Dharma of the buddhas, and, believing and understanding with a profound mind, realizing the Dharma to its end; may they cause sentient beings to bring forth pure and surpassing roots of goodness, to dwell in great merit, and to be complete in omniscience. And with these roots of goodness may he cause all sentient beings constantly to make offerings to all the buddhas, to understand all dharmas, to receive and uphold and recite them without forgetting, without losing, without breaking, and without scattering them, their minds well tamed, and what is untamed made tame, disciplining it by means of the dharma of stillness. May he cause those sentient beings to dwell upon such matters at the place of the buddhas. And with these roots of goodness may he cause all sentient beings to become foremost stūpas, worthy to receive every kind of offering from the world; cause all sentient beings to become the most excellent fields of merit, obtaining the wisdom of a buddha and awakening all people; cause all sentient beings to become the most excellent recipients, everywhere able to benefit all sentient beings; cause all sentient beings to accomplish the most excellent merit and benefit, able to make others complete in every root of goodness; cause all sentient beings to become the foremost good place for giving, able to make others obtain measureless reward of merit; cause all sentient beings in the three realms all to come forth from them; cause all sentient beings to become foremost guides, able to reveal to the world the path as it truly is; cause all sentient beings to obtain wondrous total retention, complete in holding fast to the true Dharma of all the buddhas; cause all sentient beings to realize the measureless and foremost Dharma realm, complete in the unobstructed right path that is like empty space.’ This is the bodhisattva-mahāsattva's dedication of the roots of goodness of giving his own body, for the sake of causing sentient beings all to obtain the measureless body of wisdom that is fit to receive offerings.

Gate five, offering the body to the buddhas: after hearing the Dharma, offering the body up

“Sons of the Buddha! The bodhisattva-mahāsattva hears the true Dharma and is glad and delighted, gives rise to a mind of pure faith, and is able with his body to make offerings to the buddhas; he delights in and believes and understands the unsurpassed jewel of the Dharma, and gives rise toward the buddhas to the thought of father and mother; he recites and receives and upholds the unobstructed path of the Dharma, and everywhere enters countless nayutas of dharmas, of jewels of great wisdom, and of gates of roots of goodness; his mind constantly calls to mind measureless buddhas, he enters the realm of the buddhas and penetrates deeply into their meaning; he is able, with the Tathāgata's subtle and secret voice of Brahmā, to raise up clouds of the Dharma of the Buddha and to rain down the rain of Dharma of the Buddha, valiant and sovereign; he is able to discriminate and expound the foremost ground of one who has all knowledge, complete in accomplishing the vehicle of Sarvajñā (omniscience), and with measureless hundreds of thousands of koṭis of nayutas of great dharmas he fills up all the faculties.

“Sons of the Buddha! When at the place of the buddhas the bodhisattva-mahāsattva hears such a Dharma as this, he is measurelessly glad and dwells in the true Dharma; he cuts off his own doubts and causes others to cut off theirs as well; his mind is constantly cheerful and free-flowing, and his merit is accomplished and full; his roots of goodness are complete, and his thought is constantly continuous; he benefits sentient beings, and his mind is constantly without want; he obtains the most excellent wisdom and accomplishes the treasury of vajra; he draws near to the buddhas, purifies the buddha-lands, and constantly and diligently makes offerings to all the Tathāgatas.

“At that time the bodhisattva dedicates his various roots of goodness in this way: ‘May all sentient beings all obtain the perfect and most excellent body, and be taken in by all the buddhas; may all sentient beings constantly draw near to the buddhas, dwelling in dependence upon the buddhas, and constantly be able to behold and gaze upon them, never being far from them; may all sentient beings all obtain a pure and unbreakable body, complete in every merit and every wisdom; may all sentient beings constantly and diligently make offerings to all the buddhas, and practice the ultimate pure conduct in which nothing is obtained; may all sentient beings obtain the body of no-self, apart from self and from what belongs to self; may all sentient beings all be able to divide their bodies throughout the lands of the ten directions, like a shadow appearing yet with no coming and no going; may all sentient beings obtain the sovereign body, going everywhere throughout the ten directions with no self and nothing received; may all sentient beings be born from the body of the Buddha, dwelling in the unsurpassed family of the Tathāgata's body; may all sentient beings obtain the body of the power of the Dharma, whose great strength of patience none can break; may all sentient beings obtain the body beyond comparison, accomplishing the Tathāgata's pure dharma-body; may all sentient beings accomplish the body of world-transcending merit, born in the pure Dharma realm in which nothing is obtained.’ This is the bodhisattva-mahāsattva's dedication of the roots of goodness of offering his body to the buddhas, for the sake of causing sentient beings to dwell forever in the household of the buddhas of the three times.

Gate six, giving the body to all sentient beings: turning the body into ten things others can use

“Sons of the Buddha! The bodhisattva-mahāsattva gives his body to all sentient beings, for the sake of causing them everywhere to accomplish roots of goodness and to call roots of goodness to mind. The bodhisattva-mahāsattva vows of himself that his body shall be a great bright lamp, everywhere able to illumine all sentient beings; that it shall be a means of joy for sentient beings, everywhere able to take in all sentient beings; that it shall be a subtle and wondrous treasury of the Dharma, everywhere able to bear up all sentient beings; that it shall be a pure light, everywhere able to open up and enlighten all sentient beings; that it shall be a light and shadow for the world, everywhere causing sentient beings constantly to be able to see; that it shall be a cause and condition of roots of goodness, everywhere causing sentient beings constantly to be able to meet with it; that it shall be a true good friend, causing all sentient beings all to receive its teaching and guidance; that it shall be a level road, causing all sentient beings all to be able to tread upon it; that it shall be a complete ease and joy than which there is nothing higher, causing all sentient beings to leave suffering and be pure; that it shall be a bright and clear sun, everywhere working equal benefit for the world.

“At that time the bodhisattva dedicates his various roots of goodness in this way: ‘May all sentient beings constantly draw near to the Buddha and enter into the ground of the Buddha's wisdom; may all sentient beings obtain the wisdom of according, and dwell in unsurpassed awakening; may all sentient beings constantly abide within the Dharma assemblies of the buddhas, their thought well tamed; may all sentient beings have a rule for what they do, complete in the dignified deportment of a buddha; may all sentient beings all attain nirvāṇa, understanding deeply the meaning of the Dharma; may all sentient beings be complete in the practice of knowing what is enough, born in the family of the Tathāgata; may all sentient beings cast off ignorance and desire, and dwell in the aspiration of a buddha; may all sentient beings give rise to surpassing roots of goodness, and sit beneath the tree of awakening; may all sentient beings slay the thief of the afflictions, and leave behind the mind of enmity and harm; may all sentient beings be complete in guarding and upholding all the dharmas of the buddhas.’ This is the bodhisattva-mahāsattva's dedication of the roots of goodness of giving his body to all sentient beings; it is for the sake of benefiting all sentient beings and causing them to obtain the unsurpassed place of peace and security.

Gate seven, serving the buddhas: serving with the body, and serving with the mind as well

“Sons of the Buddha! The bodhisattva-mahāsattva himself uses his body to attend and serve the buddhas; at the place of the buddhas he thinks of repaying their weighty kindness, with the thought of them as father and mother, and gives rise toward all the Tathāgatas to deep faith and delight; with a pure mind he guards and upholds the awakening of the Buddha, and dwells in the dharmas of the buddhas; he leaves behind the thought of the world and is born in the family of the Tathāgata; he accords with the buddhas and leaves behind the realm of Māra; he fully understands all that the buddhas practice, and accomplishes himself as a vessel for the Dharma of all the buddhas.

“At that time the bodhisattva dedicates these roots of goodness in this way: ‘May all sentient beings obtain a pure mind, adorning themselves with the jewels of omniscience; may all sentient beings dwell in being well tamed, far removed from every unwholesome deed; may all sentient beings obtain a firm retinue that cannot be broken, everywhere able to take in the true Dharma of the buddhas; may all sentient beings become disciples of the Buddha, and reach the bodhisattva's ground of consecration; may all sentient beings constantly be taken in by the buddhas, forever apart from all unwholesome dharmas; may all sentient beings accord with the buddhas and cultivate the most excellent dharmas of a bodhisattva; may all sentient beings enter the realm of the Buddha, and all receive the prediction of omniscience; may all sentient beings be wholly equal with all the Tathāgatas, sovereign in every dharma of a buddha without exception; may all sentient beings all be taken in by the buddhas, and constantly be able to cultivate deeds in which there is no grasping; may all sentient beings constantly be the foremost attendants of the buddhas, cultivating the practice of wisdom at the place of all the buddhas.’ This is the bodhisattva-mahāsattva's dedication of the roots of goodness of attending and serving the buddhas; it is because he wishes to realize the awakening of the buddhas, because he wishes to rescue and guard all sentient beings, because he wishes to come forth from the whole of the three realms, because he wishes to accomplish a mind that does no harm, because he wishes to obtain measureless and vast awakening, because he wishes to accomplish the wisdom that illumines the Dharma of the Buddha, because he wishes constantly to be taken in by the buddhas, because he wishes to obtain the protection of the buddhas, because he wishes to believe and understand all the dharmas of the buddhas, because he wishes to accomplish roots of goodness equal to those of the buddhas of the three times, and because he wishes to fill out the mind without regret and to realize the dharmas of all the buddhas.

Gate eight, the giving of the royal throne: giving away everything in the realm, and the throne along with it

“Sons of the Buddha! The bodhisattva-mahāsattva gives away all the things in the land of his realm, and on to the royal throne itself, all of which he is able to relinquish; toward every kind of worldly affair his mind attains sovereignty, without tie, without bond, and without any clinging attachment; he is far removed from evil deeds and benefits sentient beings; he does not cling to the fruits and retributions of deeds, does not delight in worldly dharmas, and no longer craves the places of birth in the states of existence; though he dwells within the world, it is not in this place that he takes birth; his mind clings neither to the aggregates nor to the elements nor to the sense-fields, and toward inner dharmas and outer dharmas his mind has no dwelling; he constantly does not forget or lose the bodhisattva practices, and has never been far from good friends; he holds fast to the vast practices and vows of the bodhisattvas, and constantly delights to serve all good companions.

“At that time the bodhisattva dedicates these roots of goodness in this way: ‘May all sentient beings become great kings of the Dharma, sovereign in the Dharma and reaching the further shore; may all sentient beings accomplish the kingship of the Dharma of the Buddha, crushing every affliction, that thief and foe; may all sentient beings dwell upon the throne of a buddha, obtain the wisdom of a Tathāgata, and expound the Dharma of the Buddha; may all sentient beings dwell in the realm of the Buddha, able to turn the unsurpassed and sovereign wheel of the Dharma; may all sentient beings be born in the family of the Tathāgata, sovereign in the Dharma, guarding and upholding the lineage of the buddhas so that it is never cut off; may all sentient beings reveal the true Dharma of measureless kings of the Dharma, and accomplish boundless great bodhisattvas; may all sentient beings dwell in the pure Dharma realm and become great kings of the Dharma, manifesting the arising of buddhas one after another without a break; may all sentient beings become kings of wisdom among the worlds, transforming and guiding the flock of the living without setting it aside for a moment; may all sentient beings become everywhere, for all sentient beings within the Dharma realm and the realm of empty space and all worlds, lords of the giving of Dharma, so that all are able to dwell in the great vehicle; may all sentient beings be able to become kings complete in every good, equal to the roots of goodness of the buddhas of the three times.’ This is the bodhisattva-mahāsattva's dedication of the roots of goodness of giving away the royal throne; it is for the sake of causing all those sentient beings ultimately to dwell in the place of peace and security.

Gate nine, the giving of the royal capital: giving away the capital city and the customs duties together

“Sons of the Buddha! When the bodhisattva-mahāsattva sees people come to beg for the king's capital, the great city adorned and splendid, and all the duties gathered at the barrier-passes (the guard posts of the passes), he gives them all away, with no grudging in his mind; he turns his mind solely toward awakening and makes the great vow, dwelling in great loving-kindness and practicing great compassion, his aspiration glad and delighted, benefiting sentient beings; with vast wisdom he understands the deep Dharma, and dwells in the buddhas' nature of equality among dharmas. He practices giving because his arousing of the mind is for the sake of seeking omniscience; because he has given rise to deep delight in the dharma of sovereignty; because he seeks to realize the wisdom of sovereignty; because he would purify and cultivate every merit; because he would dwell in firm and vast wisdom; because he would widely gather all roots of goodness; because he would cultivate the vow for every dharma of a buddha; because he would awaken of himself to the dharma of great wisdom; because he would dwell in the mind of awakening without retrogressing; and because he would cultivate all the practices and vows of a bodhisattva and the knowledge of all modes on to the very end.

“With these roots of goodness he dedicates in this way: ‘May all sentient beings all be able to adorn and purify measureless lands, and present them to the buddhas as their dwelling place; may all sentient beings constantly delight to dwell in the araṇya (the still and secluded dwelling place), still and unmoving; may all sentient beings never rely upon royal capitals and settlements, their minds delighting in stillness and forever attaining what is ultimate; may all sentient beings never delight in or cling to any world, and constantly delight to be far from the speech of the common world; may all sentient beings obtain a mind free of craving, giving away everything they possess with no mind that regrets it halfway; may all sentient beings obtain the mind of coming forth, casting away all the affairs of a household; may all sentient beings obtain a mind without grudging, constantly practicing generosity; may all sentient beings obtain a mind without attachment, leaving behind the dharma of dwelling at home; may all sentient beings be able to leave the mass of suffering, extinguishing every calamity and every dread; may all sentient beings adorn and purify all the worlds of the ten directions, and present them to the buddhas.’ This is the bodhisattva-mahāsattva's dedication of the roots of goodness of giving away the royal capital, for the sake of causing sentient beings all to be able to adorn and purify the buddha-lands.

Gate ten, the giving of the whole retinue of the inner palace: ten kinds of mind that do not cling

“Sons of the Buddha! All the retinue of the bodhisattva-mahāsattva's inner palace, the attendant women and the singing girls, are upright in form and complete in ability, and their talking and laughing, their singing and dancing, are all subtle and skillful; with every kind of garment and every kind of flower and perfume they adorn their bodies, so that those who see them are glad and their feelings never have enough. Such precious women as these number hundreds of thousands of myriads of koṭis of nayutas, and all are born of the bodhisattva's wholesome deeds, sovereign and free as they wish, respectful and compliant and without fault; and he gives them all to those who come to beg, and within this has no mind of loving delight, no mind of looking back with longing, no mind of indulgent attachment, no mind of being tied, no mind of grasping, no mind of craving and defilement, no mind of discrimination, no mind that follows after them, no mind that takes up their marks, and no mind of wishing for pleasure.

“At that time the bodhisattva contemplates his various roots of goodness, and dedicates them because he would cause all sentient beings all to attain deliverance; dedicates them because he would obtain the gladness of the Dharma of the Buddha; dedicates them because he would obtain firmness within what is not firm; dedicates them because he would obtain the unbreakable mind of vajra wisdom; dedicates them because he would enter the site of awakening of the buddhas; dedicates them because he would reach the further shore; dedicates them because he would obtain the unsurpassed mind of awakening; dedicates them because he would be able with wisdom to fully understand all dharmas; dedicates them because he would bring forth every root of goodness; and dedicates them because he would enter the household of the buddhas of the three times.

“Sons of the Buddha! Dwelling upon such dharmas as these, the bodhisattva-mahāsattva is born in the family of the Tathāgata; he increases the pure and excellent causes of the buddhas, and brings forth the most excellent path of omniscience; he enters deeply into the bodhisattva's vast deeds of wisdom, extinguishes all the defilement and vexation of the worlds, and is constantly able to make offerings and give to the fields of merit; for all sentient beings he expounds the wondrous Dharma, establishes them skillfully, causes them to cultivate every pure practice, and constantly and diligently takes in every root of goodness.

“At that time the bodhisattva dedicates his various roots of goodness in this way: ‘May all sentient beings constantly obtain a measureless retinue of samādhis, the bodhisattva's excellent concentration continuing without break; may all sentient beings constantly delight to see the Buddha, and all enter the samādhi of the adornment of the buddhas; may all sentient beings accomplish the bodhisattva's inconceivable concentration, and freely sport in measureless spiritual penetrations; may all sentient beings enter the concentration of things as they truly are, and obtain an unbreakable mind; may all sentient beings entirely obtain the bodhisattva's profound samādhis, and attain sovereignty in every meditative concentration; may all sentient beings obtain a liberated mind, and accomplish the retinue of all samādhis; may all sentient beings attain skill in every kind of samādhi, and all be able to take in the marks of every samādhi; may all sentient beings obtain the samādhi of surpassing wisdom, and be everywhere able to study every gate of samādhi; may all sentient beings obtain the unobstructed samādhi, and entering deep meditative concentration never fall away from it; may all sentient beings obtain the samādhi without attachment, their minds constantly in right reception, not taking up dualistic dharmas.’ This is the bodhisattva-mahāsattva's dedication of the roots of goodness at the time of giving away the whole retinue of the inner palace; it is for the sake of causing all sentient beings to obtain a pure retinue that cannot be broken; for the sake of causing all sentient beings to obtain a retinue of bodhisattvas; for the sake of causing all sentient beings all to be satisfied in the Dharma of the Buddha; for the sake of causing all sentient beings to be satisfied in all the powers of omniscience; for the sake of causing all sentient beings to realize unsurpassed wisdom; for the sake of causing all sentient beings to obtain a retinue that accords with them; for the sake of causing all sentient beings to obtain the company of those of the same aspiration and the same practice; for the sake of causing all sentient beings to be complete in every merit and every wisdom; for the sake of causing all sentient beings to accomplish pure roots of goodness; for the sake of causing all sentient beings to obtain a good and harmonious retinue; for the sake of causing all sentient beings to accomplish the Tathāgata's pure dharma-body; for the sake of causing all sentient beings to accomplish an eloquence that follows the right order of reason, well expounding the inexhaustible Dharma-treasury of the buddhas; for the sake of causing all sentient beings forever to cast away all worldly roots of goodness and together to cultivate the pure roots of goodness that transcend the world; for the sake of causing all sentient beings to be full in their pure deeds and to accomplish every pure dharma; and for the sake of causing every dharma of a buddha to appear before all sentient beings, adorning and purifying everywhere with the light of the Dharma.

Gate eleven, the giving of wife and children: as Prince Sudāna did

“Sons of the Buddha! The bodhisattva-mahāsattva is able to give away the wife and children he loves, just as did Prince Sudāna of old (whose name here means Good Love, or else Fine Love), and the bodhisattva King Manifest Adornment, and the rest of the measureless bodhisattvas. At that time the bodhisattva, riding upon the mind of Sarvajñā (omniscience), practices every kind of giving and purifies and cultivates the bodhisattva's path of giving. His mind is pure, with no regret halfway; he exhausts all that he treasures and gives it away, seeking omniscience alone; he causes sentient beings to purify the aspiration of their profound minds, to accomplish the practice of awakening, to contemplate the bodhisattva's path, to call to mind the awakening of a buddha, and to dwell in the lineage of the buddhas.

“Having accomplished such a mind of giving as this, the bodhisattva-mahāsattva decisively aspires to and seeks the body of a Tathāgata; he contemplates his own body and sees that it belongs to all people and is not his own to command; and again with his body he everywhere takes in sentient beings, giving to all as an island of jewels does, and causing those who are not yet satisfied to be satisfied. Guarding and caring for sentient beings in this way, the bodhisattva would make his own body a foremost stūpa, causing all everywhere to give rise to gladness; would give rise to a mind of equality toward the world; would be a cool pool for sentient beings; would give every ease and joy to sentient beings; would be a great lord of giving for sentient beings; sovereign in wisdom, knowing well the practices a bodhisattva practices, he is able in this way to adorn himself with the great vow; turning toward omniscience, he vows to become an unsurpassed field of merit for wisdom; calling sentient beings to mind everywhere and constantly guarding them, he is able to accomplish the benefit of his own body; the light of his wisdom illumines the world everywhere, and he constantly and diligently calls to mind the bodhisattva's mind of giving, and constantly delights to contemplate the realm of the Tathāgata.

“Sons of the Buddha! With a liberated mind that is without bond and without attachment, the bodhisattva-mahāsattva dedicates in this way the roots of goodness gathered from giving away wife and children: ‘May all sentient beings dwell in the awakening of a buddha, and giving rise to a transformation body, turn the irreversible wheel of the Dharma throughout the Dharma realm; may all sentient beings obtain a body without attachment, and with the power of their vows travel through all the buddha-lands; may all sentient beings cast away the mind of love and hate, and cut off the fetters of craving and anger; may all sentient beings become sons of the buddhas, following what the Buddha practices; may all sentient beings, at the place of the buddhas, give rise to their own minds, which cannot be thwarted or broken; may all sentient beings constantly be sons of the Buddha, born from the Dharma by transformation; may all sentient beings obtain the ultimate place, accomplishing the Tathāgata's sovereign wisdom; may all sentient beings realize the awakening of a buddha, forever apart from the afflictions; may all sentient beings be able fully to expound the path of a buddha's awakening, and constantly delight to practice the unsurpassed giving of Dharma; may all sentient beings obtain a mind of right concentration, not broken by any of the conditions; may all sentient beings sit beneath the tree of awakening, accomplish the most perfect awakening, and reveal it to measureless good men and good women born from the Dharma by transformation.’ This is the bodhisattva-mahāsattva's dedication of the roots of goodness of giving away wife and children, for the sake of causing sentient beings all to be able to realize unobstructed liberation and the wisdom without attachment.

Gate twelve, the giving of house and home: knowing that a household will fall apart, and so being able to let it go

“Sons of the Buddha! The bodhisattva-mahāsattva takes his adorned house and home and his many goods and, as any come to beg, gives them all away, practicing the dharma of giving; toward his household he has no attachment, and is far removed from every thought and reflection about dwelling at home (the thinking and discriminating within the mind); he loathes the affairs of a household and the utensils that sustain life, neither craving them nor savoring them, his mind not tied to them; he knows that a household is easily broken and scattered, his mind constantly weary of it and casting it aside, and within it there is nothing at all he loves or delights in; he wishes only to leave home and cultivate the practice of a bodhisattva, adorning himself with the dharmas of the buddhas; he relinquishes everything, with no mind that regrets it halfway, and is constantly praised by the buddhas; his house and home and his wealth, whatever he has and wherever it is, he gives away in kindness, with no mind that clings to it; and when he sees any come to beg, his mind gives rise to joy and celebration.

“At that time the bodhisattva dedicates these roots of goodness in this way: ‘May all sentient beings cast away wife and children, and accomplish the foremost joy of leaving home; may all sentient beings be freed from the bonds of a household and enter into the state that is not a household, cultivating pure conduct within the dharmas of the buddhas; may all sentient beings cast away the defilement of stinginess, delight in every kind of giving, and never retrogress in mind; may all sentient beings forever leave behind the dharma of a household, with few desires and knowing what is enough, storing nothing up; may all sentient beings come forth from the household of the common world and dwell in the family of the Tathāgata; may all sentient beings obtain the unobstructed Dharma, and extinguish every path of hindrance; may all sentient beings leave behind love for their kin, so that though they appear as dwelling at home their minds cling to nothing; may all sentient beings be well able to teach and guide others, and without leaving the dharma of the household expound the wisdom of a buddha; may all sentient beings, though their bodies appear within the home, have minds that constantly dwell in accord with the wisdom of a buddha; may all sentient beings, upon the ground of dwelling at home, dwell upon the ground of a buddha, and everywhere cause measureless and boundless sentient beings to give rise to a mind of gladness.’ This is the bodhisattva-mahāsattva's dedication of the roots of goodness at the time of giving away house and home, for the sake of causing sentient beings to accomplish the bodhisattva's every kind of practice and vow and the wisdom of the spiritual penetrations.

Gate thirteen, the giving of all gardens, groves, terraces and pavilions: turning a place of amusement into a place of delight in the Dharma

“Sons of the Buddha! When the bodhisattva-mahāsattva gives away every kind of garden and grove, terrace and pavilion, and adorned place of sport and pleasure, he calls this to mind and says: ‘I shall be a fine garden and grove for all sentient beings; I shall reveal to all sentient beings the joy of the Dharma; I shall give to all sentient beings the thought of gladness; I shall show to all sentient beings boundless joy and delight; I shall open the pure gate of the Dharma for all sentient beings; I shall cause all sentient beings to give rise to a mind of gladness; I shall cause all sentient beings to obtain the awakening of a buddha; I shall cause all sentient beings to accomplish and fulfil the great vow; I shall be toward all sentient beings as a kind father is; I shall cause all sentient beings to contemplate with wisdom; I shall give to all sentient beings the utensils that sustain life; I shall be toward all sentient beings as a kind mother is, growing every root of goodness and every great vow.’

“Sons of the Buddha! When the bodhisattva-mahāsattva cultivates the roots of goodness in this way, he gives rise to no weariness toward evil sentient beings, nor does he mistakenly give rise to a mind that casts them aside. Even if all the sentient beings that fill the world do not know his kindness, the bodhisattva has never had any dislike or resentment toward them, nor does he give rise to a single thought of seeking any return; he wishes only to extinguish their measureless suffering and vexation; toward all the worlds his mind is like empty space, stained by nothing, and he everywhere contemplates the true mark of all dharmas; he makes the great vow to extinguish the suffering of sentient beings, and never wearies of or casts away his aspiration for the great vehicle; he extinguishes every view, and cultivates the bodhisattvas' practices and vows of equality.

“Sons of the Buddha! When the bodhisattva-mahāsattva has contemplated in this way, he takes in the roots of goodness and dedicates them all, thus: ‘May all sentient beings in thought after thought grow measureless wholesome dharmas, and accomplish the unsurpassed mind of the garden and grove; may all sentient beings obtain the unmoving Dharma, and be made glad by seeing all the buddhas; may all sentient beings delight in the garden park of the Dharma, and obtain the wondrous joy of the garden parks of the buddha-lands; may all sentient beings obtain a pure and subtly wondrous mind, and constantly see the garden and grove of the Tathāgata's spiritual feet; may all sentient beings obtain the sportive joy of a buddha, and constantly sport well within the realm of wisdom; may all sentient beings obtain the joy of sporting, and go everywhere to the sites of awakening and the Dharma assemblies of the buddha-lands; may all sentient beings accomplish the bodhisattva's liberated sporting, and to the end of future kalpas practice the bodhisattva practices with a mind that never wearies; may all sentient beings see all the buddhas filling the Dharma realm, give rise to a vast mind, and dwell in the garden and grove of the buddhas; may all sentient beings all be able to go everywhere to all the buddha-lands, and in each single land make offerings to the buddhas; may all sentient beings obtain a mind of wholesome desire, and purely adorn all the buddha-lands.’ This is the bodhisattva-mahāsattva's dedication of the roots of goodness of giving away every garden and grove, terrace and pavilion; it is for the sake of causing sentient beings to see all the buddhas and to sport in the gardens and groves of all the buddhas.

Gate fourteen, holding the great assembly of giving: a great assembly that troubles not one sentient being

“Sons of the Buddha! The bodhisattva-mahāsattva holds hundreds of thousands of koṭis of nayutas of measureless and countless vast assemblies of giving, all of them pure and approved by the buddhas, and from beginning to end he does not injure or trouble a single sentient being; he everywhere causes sentient beings to be far from every evil, to purify the path of the three kinds of action, and to accomplish wisdom; he opens and sets forth measureless hundreds of thousands of koṭis of nayutas of asaṃkhyeyas (countless numbers) of pure realms, and gathers measureless hundreds of thousands of koṭis of nayutas of asaṃkhyeyas of wondrous goods that sustain life; he gives rise to the mind of awakening that is exceedingly hard to obtain, practices giving without limit or measure, and causes sentient beings to dwell in the pure path, good in the beginning, the middle, and the end, and to give rise to pure faith and understanding; following what hundreds of thousands of koṭis of measureless sentient beings delight in, he makes them all glad, and with great loving-kindness and compassion he rescues and guards all, serving and making offerings to the buddhas of the three times; and because he would accomplish the lineage of all the buddhas, he practices giving with no mind that regrets it halfway, increases the faculty of faith, accomplishes and fulfils the excellent practice, and in thought after thought advances in the dāna-pāramitā (the perfection of giving that goes to the further shore).

“At that time the bodhisattva dedicates his various roots of goodness in this way: ‘May all sentient beings give rise to the mind of the great vehicle, and all be able to accomplish the giving of the Mahāyāna (the great vehicle); may all sentient beings all be able to practice the giving of the great assembly, the giving that exhausts all, the giving that is good, the most excellent giving, the unsurpassed giving, the giving above which there is nothing higher, the giving that has no equal, the giving that surpasses all the worlds, and the giving that all the buddhas praise; may all sentient beings become foremost lords of giving, saving sentient beings from among the evil destinies, and causing them all to be able to enter the unobstructed path of wisdom, to cultivate the vow of equality and the roots of goodness as they truly are, and to obtain the undifferentiated wisdom that realizes its own object; may all sentient beings dwell in the still wisdom of the meditative concentrations, enter the deathless path, carry through to the end every spiritual penetration and every wisdom, be valiant and vigorous, be complete in all the grounds, adorn the Dharma of the Buddha, reach the further shore, and never retrogress; may all sentient beings hold great assemblies of giving without ever wearying, saving and relieving sentient beings without rest, on to the ultimate unsurpassed knowledge of all modes; may all sentient beings constantly and diligently plant every root of goodness, and reach the further shore of measureless merit; may all sentient beings constantly receive the praise of the buddhas, be everywhere great lords of giving for the world, complete in merit, filling the Dharma realm, illumining the ten directions everywhere, and bestowing unsurpassed joy; may all sentient beings hold great assemblies of giving, widely gather roots of goodness, take in sentient beings equally, and reach the further shore; may all sentient beings accomplish the most excellent giving, and everywhere cause sentient beings to dwell in the foremost vehicle; may all sentient beings become those who give at the fitting time, forever apart from giving at the wrong time, their great giving carried to the end; may all sentient beings accomplish wholesome giving, and reach the further shore of the great giving of a buddha, that man among men; may all sentient beings ultimately and constantly practice the giving of great adornment, taking all the buddhas without exception as their teachers, drawing near to them all and raising up great offerings; may all sentient beings dwell in pure giving, gathering measureless merit equal to the Dharma realm, and reaching the further shore; may all sentient beings become great lords of giving among the worlds, vowing to deliver the flock of kinds, and dwelling upon the ground of a Tathāgata.’ This is the bodhisattva-mahāsattva's dedication of the roots of goodness of holding the great assembly of giving, for the sake of causing sentient beings to practice unsurpassed giving, the ultimate giving of a buddha, the accomplishing of wholesome giving, unbreakable giving, the giving that offers to the buddhas, giving without anger or resentment, giving that rescues sentient beings, giving that accomplishes omniscience, giving that constantly sees the buddhas, giving of wholesome vigor, and the vast giving that accomplishes all the merits of a bodhisattva and the wisdom of the buddhas.

Gate fifteen, the giving of the goods that sustain life: the rest cannot be told to the end, and so at the last all utensils are spoken of together

“Sons of the Buddha! The bodhisattva-mahāsattva gives away all the goods that sustain life, with no craving or grudging in his mind, and seeking no reward; he has no hope of the wealth and joy of the world, leaves behind the mind of deluded thinking, and thinks well upon the Dharma; because he would benefit all sentient beings, he closely and finely contemplates the real nature of all dharmas; following the various differences among sentient beings, and what each of them uses and each of them seeks, he provides measureless utensils that sustain life, all of whose ornaments are subtle and fine; he practices boundless giving, practices giving of every kind, and gives away to the very end both what is within and what is without; and when he practices such giving as this, the power of his aspiration increases, he obtains great merit, and accomplishes the jewel of the mind; he is constantly able to guard all sentient beings, causing them all to bring forth surpassing aspirations, and has never had a mind that sought any return; all his roots of goodness are equal to those of the buddhas of the three times, and he takes them all to fulfil the knowledge of all modes.

“Sons of the Buddha! With the roots of goodness of all this giving the bodhisattva-mahāsattva dedicates to sentient beings: ‘May all sentient beings be pure and tamed; may all sentient beings extinguish the afflictions, and adorn and purify all the buddha-lands; may all sentient beings, with a pure mind, in a single thought pervade the Dharma realm; may the wisdom of all sentient beings fill empty space and the Dharma realm; may all sentient beings obtain omniscience, everywhere enter the three times and tame sentient beings, and at all times constantly turn the pure and irreversible wheel of the Dharma; may all sentient beings be complete in omniscience, well able to manifest the skillful means of the spiritual penetrations and to benefit sentient beings; may all sentient beings all be able to awaken and enter into the awakening of the buddhas, and to the end of future kalpas, in the worlds of the ten directions, constantly expound the true Dharma without ever resting, causing all sentient beings everywhere to be able to hear and know it; may all sentient beings cultivate the bodhisattva practices through measureless kalpas, and all attain perfection; may all sentient beings, in all worlds — be they defiled or pure, small or great, coarse or fine, facing downward or facing upward, whether of a single adornment or of the various adornments that can be expounded — in worlds numbering as the number of the worlds, cultivate the bodhisattva practices with no place left unpervaded; may all sentient beings in thought after thought constantly perform all the buddha-deeds of the three times, teaching and transforming sentient beings so that they turn toward omniscience.’

The general conclusion: the gladness that arises at the sight of one who begs, which the joys of the nine kings cannot match

“Sons of the Buddha! Following upon all that sentient beings need, the bodhisattva-mahāsattva gives to them with such asaṃkhyeya (countless) goods as these; it is for the sake of causing the Dharma of the Buddha to continue without break, and with great compassion he everywhere rescues and guards all sentient beings; he dwells upon great loving-kindness and cultivates the bodhisattva practices; toward the instruction of the Buddha he never from beginning to end transgresses, and with skillfulness in means he cultivates every good, not cutting off the lineage of any of the buddhas; whatever people seek he gives them, without any weariness or trouble, relinquishing everything and never having regretted it halfway, and constantly and diligently dedicating it to the path of omniscience.

“At that time, from the lands of the ten directions, people of every kind of form and class, of every kind of destiny of birth, and of every kind of field of merit all come together and gather at the place of the bodhisattva, seeking and asking for every kind of thing. Seeing them, the bodhisattva takes them all in everywhere; his mind gives rise to gladness, as at the sight of a good friend; in great compassion he pities them and thinks to fulfil their wishes; his mind of relinquishing increases without rest and without weariness; and following what they seek, he causes them all to be satisfied and to leave behind the suffering of poverty.

“At that time all those who beg are greatly glad and joyful in their minds, and passing the word from one to another they extol and praise the virtue of the bodhisattva, so that his fine renown spreads far and people come to him from everywhere. Seeing this, the bodhisattva is measurelessly glad; and though one were to enjoy for a hundred thousand koṭis of nayutas of kalpas the joy of Śakra, for countless kalpas the joy of the Yāma Heaven, for measureless kalpas the joy of the Tuṣita Heaven, for boundless kalpas the joy of the Heaven of Good Transformation, for unequalled kalpas the joy of the Heaven of Free Enjoyment of Others' Emanations, for innumerable kalpas the joy of a Brahmā king, for unnameable kalpas the joy of a wheel-turning king ruling over a three-thousandfold realm, for unthinkable kalpas the joy of the Heaven of Universal Purity, and for inexpressible kalpas the joy of the Heaven of the Pure Abodes — none of them could match this gladness. When the bodhisattva-mahāsattva sees those who beg come before him, he is glad and delights in it, rejoicing and leaping up; his faith increases, his aspiration is pure, his faculties are tamed and pliant, his faith and understanding are accomplished and full, and he advances on even to the awakening of the buddhas.

“Sons of the Buddha! With these roots of goodness the bodhisattva-mahāsattva dedicates because he would benefit all sentient beings; dedicates because he would give ease and joy to all sentient beings; dedicates because he would cause all sentient beings to obtain the great benefit of meaning; dedicates because he would cause all sentient beings all to attain purity; dedicates because he would cause all sentient beings all to seek awakening; dedicates because he would cause all sentient beings all to attain equality; dedicates because he would cause all sentient beings all to obtain a worthy and good mind; dedicates because he would cause all sentient beings all to enter the Mahāyāna (the great vehicle); dedicates because he would cause all sentient beings all to obtain worthy and good wisdom; and dedicates because he would cause all sentient beings all to be complete in the practices and vows of the bodhisattva Samantabhadra, to fulfil the vehicle of the ten powers, and to manifest the accomplishment of right awakening.

Freedom from marks (Chengguan's outline): at the time of dedicating, not clinging even to “dedication”

“Sons of the Buddha! When the bodhisattva-mahāsattva dedicates his various roots of goodness in this way, his bodily action, his verbal action, and his mental action all attain liberation, without attachment and without bond; there is no perception of a sentient being, no perception of one who lives, no perception of a pudgala (one who takes up the destinies), no perception of a person, no perception of a child, no perception of one who is born, no perception of one who acts, no perception of one who receives, no perception of “being,” no perception of “nonbeing,” no perception of this world or the world hereafter, no perception of dying here and being born there, no perception of permanence, no perception of impermanence, no perception of the three states of existence, no perception of the absence of the three states of existence — neither perception nor non-perception. And thus it is neither a dedication that is bound, nor a dedication that is released from bondage; neither a dedication of deeds, nor a dedication of the retribution of deeds; neither a dedication of discrimination, nor a dedication without discrimination; neither a dedication of thinking, nor a dedication of having thought; neither a dedication that has a mind, nor a dedication that has no mind.

“Sons of the Buddha! When the bodhisattva-mahāsattva dedicates in this way, he does not cling to the inner, nor cling to the outer; does not cling to that which takes an object, nor cling to the object taken; does not cling to cause, nor cling to fruit; does not cling to dharma, nor cling to non-dharma; does not cling to thinking, nor cling to non-thinking; does not cling to form, nor cling to the arising of form, nor cling to the ceasing of form; does not cling to feeling, perception, formations, or consciousness, nor cling to the arising of feeling, perception, formations, or consciousness, nor cling to the ceasing of feeling, perception, formations, or consciousness.

“Sons of the Buddha! If the bodhisattva-mahāsattva is able not to cling to these dharmas, then he does not bind form, nor bind the arising of form, nor bind the ceasing of form; he does not bind feeling, perception, formations, or consciousness, nor bind the arising of feeling, perception, formations, or consciousness, nor bind the ceasing of feeling, perception, formations, or consciousness. And if he is able not to bind these dharmas, then with respect to all dharmas there is also no releasing at all. Why is this? There is not the least dharma that is now arising, that has already arisen, or that will arise; there is no dharma that can be taken up, no dharma that can be clung to. Such is the own-mark of all dharmas: they are without own-nature, and own-nature and mark are apart; they are not one and not two, not many and not measureless, not small and not great, not narrow and not broad, not deep and not shallow, not still and not frivolous talk, not a place and not a non-place, not dharma and not non-dharma, not substance and not non-substance, not existent and not non-existent.

“When the bodhisattva contemplates dharmas in this way, they become non-dharma; and within the realm of words he sets them up in accord with the world, so that non-dharma is spoken of as dharma; he does not cut off the paths of action, does not cast away the bodhisattva practices, and in seeking omniscience never retrogresses to the end; he fully knows that all the conditions of action are like a dream, that sounds are like an echo, that sentient beings are like shadows, and that all dharmas are like an illusion, and yet he does not break the power of the deeds of causes and conditions; he fully knows that the working of deeds is vast, understands that all dharmas are wholly without anything done, and yet practices the path of non-doing without ever letting it lapse for a moment.

The explanation of the name: why it is called “dedication”

“Sons of the Buddha! This bodhisattva-mahāsattva dwells in omniscience, and whether in a place or in a non-place he everywhere dedicates all to the nature of omniscience; in every place he dedicates, and does not retrogress.

“By what meaning is it called dedication? Because he crosses the world forever and reaches the further shore, it is called dedication; because he comes forth forever from the aggregates and reaches the further shore, it is called dedication; because he crosses beyond the path of words and reaches the further shore, it is called dedication; because he leaves every kind of perception and reaches the further shore, it is called dedication; because he cuts off forever the view of a body and reaches the further shore, it is called dedication; because he leaves forever the place of reliance and reaches the further shore, it is called dedication; because he cuts short forever what is done and reaches the further shore, it is called dedication; because he comes forth forever from the states of existence and reaches the further shore, it is called dedication; because he casts away forever every grasping and reaches the further shore, it is called dedication; because he comes forth forever from worldly dharmas and reaches the further shore, it is called dedication.

The fruit of the station (Chengguan's outline): dedicating in this way, there are these ten accordings

“Sons of the Buddha! When the bodhisattva-mahāsattva dedicates in this way, he becomes one who dwells in accord with the Buddha, dwells in accord with the Dharma, dwells in accord with wisdom, dwells in accord with awakening, dwells in accord with meaning, dwells in accord with dedication, dwells in accord with the realm, dwells in accord with practice, dwells in accord with the real, and dwells in accord with purity.

“Sons of the Buddha! When the bodhisattva-mahāsattva dedicates in this way, he becomes one who fully understands all dharmas, and one who serves all the buddhas; there is not one buddha he does not serve, and not one dharma to which he does not make offerings; there is not one dharma that can be extinguished and broken, and not one dharma that can be gone against; there is not one thing that can be craved and clung to, and not one dharma that can be wearied of and left behind; he does not see, among any of the inner and outer dharmas, the least thing extinguished or broken that would go against the path of causes and conditions; the power of the Dharma is complete in him, without rest.

The conclusion: this is the sixth dedication, the dedication that accords with and makes firm all roots of goodness

“Sons of the Buddha! This is the bodhisattva-mahāsattva's sixth dedication, the dedication that accords with and makes firm all roots of goodness. When the bodhisattva-mahāsattva dwells in this dedication, he is constantly guarded and kept in mind by the buddhas, firm and not retrogressing; he enters the deep nature of dharmas and cultivates omniscience; he accords with the meaning of the Dharma, accords with the nature of dharmas, accords with all firm roots of goodness, and accords with all perfect and great vows; he is complete in the dharma of according and being firm, which none of the vajras can break, and among all dharmas he attains sovereignty.”

The rising to speak the verses: after Vajra Banner's three contemplations, he manifests a form-body in reliance on the dharma-nature body

(Narration by the compilers of the scripture:) At that time, when the bodhisattva Vajra Banner had contemplated the ten directions, contemplated the great assembly, and contemplated the Dharma realm, he entered into the profound meaning of the words and phrases, cultivated a measureless and vast mind, with a mind of great compassion everywhere covered and guarded the world, nourished the mind of the lineage of the buddhas of the past, the future, and the present, entered into the merits of all the buddhas, accomplished the body of the sovereign power of the buddhas, contemplated what the minds of all sentient beings delight in, and, following what their roots of goodness could ripen into, manifested for them a form-body in reliance upon the dharma-nature body, and, sustained by the spiritual power of the Buddha, spoke these verses:

Verses (1), the body upon which the practice relies: first saying who this one is

“The bodhisattva manifests his body and becomes a king, and among the stations of the world there is none his equal, his merit and awesome light surpass all, and everywhere he raises up benefit for the flock of beings.

“His mind is pure and without stain, sovereign in the world and revered by all, he proclaims and expounds the true Dharma to instruct them, and everywhere causes sentient beings to obtain peace and security.

“He is born among the noble and ascends the royal throne, constantly relying on the right teaching to turn the wheel of the Dharma, the disposition he has received is kind and without cruelty, and the people of the ten directions look up to him and are all transformed by his guidance.

“His discriminating wisdom is constantly clear, and his form and his talents are both complete, he governs the whole of his domain with none who does not submit, and crushes the armies of Māra so that all are brought to their end.

“He holds firmly to the pure precepts without transgression, his resolve is decisive and he is able to endure without wavering, he forever vows to sweep away the mind of anger, and constantly delights to cultivate the dharmas of the buddhas.

Verses (2), the practice that arises in reliance on the body: giving from food and drink and clothing all the way to head, eyes, hands and feet

“Food and drink, perfume and garlands, and clothing, carriages and mounts, beds and mats, seats and lamps — the bodhisattva takes them all and gives them to relieve others, and there are besides measureless kinds of things.

“For the sake of benefit he practices giving, causing them to open up and bring forth a vast mind, and toward those in the station of the honored and toward the other recipients as well, his thought is pure and gives rise to gladness.

“The bodhisattva gives to all everywhere, and is able to relinquish all he has, within and without, determined to make his own mind forever pure, and never to let it give rise for a moment to what is narrow and mean.

“Whether he gives away his head or gives away his eyes, whether he gives away his hands or gives away his feet, his skin and flesh, his bones and marrow, and whatever else there may be — he relinquishes it all with no grudging in his mind.

“The bodhisattva dwells in the station of a great king, of noble and eminent clan, honored among men; he opens his mouth and puts forth his tongue to give it to the flock of beings, his mind glad and without sorrow or longing.

“With the various merits of that giving of the tongue, he dedicates them to all sentient beings, vowing everywhere that by this excellent cause and condition they may all obtain the broad and long tongue of a Tathāgata.

“Whether he gives away wife and children and the royal throne, or gives away his own body to serve as a servant, his mind is pure and constantly glad, and in all such things there is no sorrow and no regret.

“Whatever people delight in and seek he gives them, relieving them at the fitting time and never wearying, he is able to scatter and give away all he possesses, and all who come seeking are everywhere satisfied.

“For the sake of hearing the true Dharma he gives away his own body, and cultivates every kind of austerity in seeking awakening, and again for the sake of sentient beings he relinquishes everything, seeking unsurpassed wisdom without retrogressing.

“Because at the place of the Buddha he has heard the true Dharma, he gives away his own body to serve as an attendant, because he would everywhere deliver the flock of beings, and gives rise to a measureless mind of gladness.

“When he sees the World-Honored One, that great guide, able with a mind of loving-kindness to benefit beings vastly, at that time he leaps up and gives rise to gladness, and hears and receives the flavor of the Tathāgata's deep Dharma.

“All the roots of goodness that the bodhisattva has he takes and dedicates them all to sentient beings, everywhere rescuing and guarding them with none left out, forever causing them to be liberated and constantly at ease.

“All the retinue that the bodhisattva has are upright and dignified in form and able in speech and clever in wisdom, with flower garlands and garments and perfumed unguents, and every kind of adornment complete in them.

“Such a retinue is exceedingly rare, and yet the bodhisattva is able to give them all away, seeking right awakening alone in order to deliver the flock of beings, and this mind is never for a moment set aside.

“Contemplating closely in this way, the bodhisattva is complete in cultivating every kind of vast deed, and takes them all and dedicates them to all who possess consciousness (sentient beings who have a mind), without giving rise to a mind that grasps and clings.

“The bodhisattva relinquishes that station of a great king, and the lands of his realm and its many cities and towns, his palaces and towered pavilions and gardens and groves, and his servants and his guards, with no grudging at all.

“Through measureless hundreds of thousands of kalpas he goes about from place to place giving, and thereby teaches and guides the flock of beings, causing them all to rise up to the unsurpassed shore.

“Measureless kinds and classes of beings, each one different from the other, come from the worlds of the ten directions and gather there, and the bodhisattva sees them and rejoices in his mind, and following whatever they lack, causes them to be satisfied.

“Just as the buddhas of the three times made their dedications, so does the bodhisattva cultivate such deeds, and all that the tamer and honored one among men practiced, he studies in accord with it and reaches the further shore.

Verses (3), the dedication free of marks, part one, cutting off thought and perception within (Chengguan's outline): even “who is it that enters” is asked

“The bodhisattva contemplates all dharmas: who is it that is able to enter this dharma? What is it that is called entering? And what, moreover, is that which is entered? Giving in this way, his mind dwells nowhere.

“The skillful wisdom of the bodhisattva's dedication, the skillful means of the bodhisattva's dedication, the true meaning of the bodhisattva's dedication — within those dharmas there is nothing to which he clings.

“In his mind he does not discriminate any deed, nor is he stained by attachment to the fruit of deeds, he knows that the nature of awakening arises from conditions, and enters the deep Dharma realm with nothing that goes against it.

“Deeds are not something that exists within the body, nor do they dwell in reliance upon the mind, with wisdom he fully knows that deeds have no own-nature, and yet because of causes and conditions deeds are not lost.

“In his mind he does not falsely take up the dharmas of the past, nor does he crave and cling to the affairs of the future, he does not dwell in anything in the present, and fully understands that the three times are wholly empty and still.

Verses (4), the dedication free of marks, part two, meeting objects while apart from defilement (Chengguan's outline): the five aggregates already at the further shore

“The bodhisattva has already reached the further shore of form, and so it is with feeling, perception, formations, and consciousness, he passes beyond the stream of birth and death in the world, and his mind is humble and constantly pure.

“He contemplates closely the five aggregates and the eighteen elements, the twelve kinds of sense-field, and his own body, and within each one of these he seeks for awakening, and their substance and nature are in the end not to be obtained.

Verses (5), the dedication free of marks, part three, the question and its explanation (Chengguan's outline): taking neither the extreme of permanence nor that of annihilation

“He does not take up the mark of dharmas as permanently abiding, nor does he cling to the mark of annihilation, the nature of dharmas is neither existent nor nonexistent, and yet the principle of deeds is in its order never exhausted.

“He does not dwell in anything among the dharmas, and does not see either sentient beings or awakening, in the lands of the ten directions and within the three times, when sought to the end they are not to be obtained.

Verses (6), not obstructing the following of marks (Chengguan's outline): though it cannot be found when sought, the practice is not in vain

“If one is able to contemplate all dharmas in this way, it is just as the buddhas understand them, and though its nature be sought and not obtained, still what the bodhisattva practices is not in vain.

“The bodhisattva fully knows that dharmas exist from conditions, and does not go against any of the paths that are practiced, he reveals and explains the tracks of all deeds, so as to make sentient beings wholly pure.

“This is the path that the wise practice, and it is what all the Tathāgatas expound, following it and pondering, one enters the right meaning, and awakening of oneself accomplishes awakening.

Verses (7), according and the fruit of the station (Chengguan's outline): the nature of dharmas is everywhere, and so too is dedication

“Dharmas neither arise nor cease, and neither do they come nor go, it is not that one dies here and is born there — such a one as this understands the Dharma of the buddhas.

“He fully understands the true nature of dharmas, and yet within the nature of dharmas he makes no discrimination, knowing that dharmas have no own-nature and no discrimination, this one enters well into the wisdom of the buddhas.

“The nature of dharmas is everywhere in every place, in all sentient beings and in all lands, the three times are wholly within it with nothing left over, and yet there is no shape or mark that can be obtained.

“All that the buddhas have awakened to they take in entirely with nothing left over, and though they expound all the dharmas of the three times, such dharmas as these are none of them truly existent.

“Just as the nature of dharmas pervades all, so too is it with the bodhisattva's dedication, dedicating in this way to all sentient beings, he is constantly in the world without retrogressing.”

The Question Raised: What the Seventh Dedication Is Called

The bodhisattva Vajra Banner says:

“Sons of the Buddha! What is the bodhisattva-mahāsattva's (the practitioner who has given rise to the great mind) dedication that accords equally with all sentient beings?

The Roots of Goodness Dedicated: Thirty-One Clauses

“Sons of the Buddha! This bodhisattva-mahāsattva takes all the roots of goodness (the roots that are able to give birth to good fruit) that he has gathered together wherever he has been, that is to say: small roots of goodness, great roots of goodness, broad roots of goodness, many roots of goodness, measureless roots of goodness, roots of goodness of every different kind, roots of goodness as many as the number of dust motes, roots of goodness of asaṃkhyeya (a number that cannot be counted), roots of goodness without any border, roots of goodness that cannot be thought over, roots of goodness that cannot be weighed, roots of goodness born from the field of the Buddha, roots of goodness born from the field of the Dharma, roots of goodness born from the field of the Saṅgha, roots of goodness born from the field of the good friend (the fine teacher and friend who can instruct one), roots of goodness born from the field of all sentient beings, roots of goodness born from the field of skillfulness in means, roots of goodness born from the field of cultivating good minds of every kind, roots of goodness born from the inner field, roots of goodness born from the outer field, roots of goodness born from the field of the borderless dharmas that assist the path, roots of goodness of diligently cultivating every kind of relinquishing, roots of goodness of settling a surpassing resolve and keeping the pure precepts through to the end, roots of goodness of being able to give everything away and of there being nothing one cannot bear, roots of goodness of constant vigor with a mind that does not retrogress, roots of goodness of entering measureless samādhi (the thought settled in one place) by great skillful means, roots of goodness of contemplating well with wisdom, roots of goodness of knowing that the thoughts and the marks of conduct of all sentient beings each differ, roots of goodness of gathering together borderless merit, roots of goodness of diligently cultivating the practices that are the bodhisattva's work, roots of goodness of everywhere sheltering and nourishing every world.

What Kind of Person the Cultivating of These Roots of Goodness Makes

“Sons of the Buddha! Toward these roots of goodness the bodhisattva-mahāsattva practices and abides within them, enters into them and gathers them in, accumulates them and gets them fully prepared, understands them through and through so that his mind is pure; and when he sets them forth and rouses them up, he obtains a mind able to bear, and shuts the door that leads to the evil destinies; he gathers in the six faculties well, is complete in dignified bearing, is far from what is upside down, and is full in right conduct; he is fit to be a vessel for the dharmas of all the buddhas, and can be a good field in which beings plant merit; he is borne in mind by the buddhas, he increases the buddhas' roots of goodness, he abides upon the buddhas' vows, he carries on the buddhas' work, his mind attains sovereignty, and he is equal to the buddhas of the three times; he heads toward the Buddha's place of awakening, enters the Tathāgata's power, is complete in the Buddha's form and marks, and passes beyond all the worlds; he does not delight in being born among the gods, is not greedy for wealth and ease, and does not cling to any sort of contriving; he takes all his roots of goodness and dedicates every one of them, becoming a treasury of merit for beings; he abides upon the ultimate path, shelters all everywhere, pulls beings out of the road of falsity and causes them to abide in every good dharma, reaching through every field without being cut off and without being used up; he opens the gate of omniscience and awakening, sets up the banner of wisdom, and adorns and purifies this great road; he is able to appear everywhere in every world, causing beings to be rid of defilement, so that their minds are well tamed, they are born into the family of the Tathāgata, and the Buddha's lineage is made pure; his merit is fully prepared, he acts as a great field of merit and is relied upon by the world; he establishes beings and causes them all to be pure, and constantly and diligently cultivates every root of goodness.

Gathering These Roots of Goodness In by the Mind of Awakening

“Sons of the Buddha! When the bodhisattva-mahāsattva, with pure resolve and by the power of the mind of awakening (the mind that seeks awakening), cultivates every kind of root of goodness, he thinks in this way: ‘These roots of goodness are what the mind of awakening has gathered together, are what the mind of awakening has pondered out, are what the mind of awakening has roused up, are what the mind of awakening has resolved upon and delighted in, are what the mind of awakening has increased and helped; all of it is for pitying all sentient beings, all of it is for seeking omniscience in all its modes (the Buddha's wisdom), all of it is for accomplishing the Tathāgata's ten powers.’ When he thinks in this way, his roots of goodness increase and advance and will never retrogress.

Vowing That They Become the Giving of Outer Wealth (Chengguan's Outline): Ten Kinds of Thing Filling Numberless Worlds

“Sons of the Buddha! The bodhisattva-mahāsattva further thinks in this way: ‘May I, with the fruit and reward of these roots of goodness, for all the kalpas of the future cultivate the bodhisattva's practice, and give all of it away to all sentient beings, dedicate all of it to all sentient beings, reaching everywhere with nothing left out. May asaṃkhyeya worlds be filled with precious things, asaṃkhyeya worlds be filled with clothing, asaṃkhyeya worlds be filled with fine incense, asaṃkhyeya worlds be filled with articles of adornment, asaṃkhyeya worlds be filled with measureless maṇi jewels (wish-fulfilling gems), asaṃkhyeya worlds be filled with fine flowers, asaṃkhyeya worlds be filled with the finest flavors, asaṃkhyeya worlds be filled with goods and wealth, asaṃkhyeya worlds be filled with couches and seats — covered above with jeweled canopies and spread with fine cloth, asaṃkhyeya worlds be filled with jeweled crowns of every kind of adornment. Suppose there were one person who, for all the kalpas of the future, came constantly to beg: I would give him these things and never grow weary and take rest. As it is toward one person, so is it toward all sentient beings.’

What the Mind Is Like at the Time of Giving: Five Withouts and Five Rousings Only

Sons of the Buddha! When the bodhisattva-mahāsattva gives in this way, he is without a mind of pretense, without a mind that hopes for a return, without a mind that wants a name, without a mind that regrets partway, without a mind of fretting and burning; he rouses only the mind that seeks solely the road of omniscience, the mind that gives away everything, the mind that pities beings, the mind that transforms beings and ripens them, the mind that causes all of them to abide in the wisdom of omniscience. Sons of the Buddha! The bodhisattva-mahāsattva, with these roots of goodness, dedicates in this way, and for all the kalpas of the future constantly practices giving.

Vowing That They Become the Giving of Inner Wealth (Chengguan's Outline): From Elephants and Horses to His Own Body and Life

“Sons of the Buddha! The bodhisattva-mahāsattva further thinks in this way: ‘For the sake of a single sentient being I would have asaṃkhyeya worlds filled with jeweled elephants, complete in the seven limbs (the four feet, the two tusks, and the tail), utterly tamed in temper, with golden banners standing on their backs and golden nets covering them, adorned with fine jewels of every kind, and give them away; may asaṃkhyeya worlds be filled with jeweled horses, like the king of dragon-horses, decked out with adorning articles of every kind of jewel, and given away; may asaṃkhyeya worlds be filled with women musicians, all able to perform fine sounds of every kind, and given away; may asaṃkhyeya worlds be filled with men and women, and given away; may asaṃkhyeya worlds be filled with my own body, and given away with the mind of awakening roused up; may asaṃkhyeya worlds be filled with my own head, and given away with a mind that is not heedless; may asaṃkhyeya worlds be filled with my own eyes, and given away; may asaṃkhyeya worlds be filled with the blood and flesh of my own body together with its marrow, and given away with no clinging or attachment in the mind at all; may asaṃkhyeya worlds be filled with sovereign royal stations, and given away; may asaṃkhyeya worlds be filled with servants and attendants to be sent on errands, and given away.’ With things of this kind the bodhisattva-mahāsattva, for all the kalpas of the future, abides upon the vast mind that relinquishes everything and gives to a single sentient being; and as toward one sentient being, so does he give in this way toward all sentient beings to the very ends of the realm of beings.

From One World Extended to the Whole of Space and the Whole Dharma Realm

“Sons of the Buddha! In one world, for all the kalpas of the future, the bodhisattva-mahāsattva cultivates the bodhisattva's practice, giving these things to one sentient being, and supplying and giving in this way to all sentient beings, causing them all to be satisfied; and as in one world, so also in all the worlds throughout the whole of space and the whole Dharma realm, with great compassion sheltering everywhere, never in the end cut off or resting, pitying them everywhere and supplying and offering according to what they need, not letting his practice of giving stop on meeting some circumstance or other, and not, even for the space of a finger-snap, giving rise to a weary mind.

The Nineteen Minds That Arise at the Time of Giving

Sons of the Buddha! When the bodhisattva-mahāsattva gives in this way, he gives rise to minds such as these, that is to say: a mind unstained, a mind unbound, a mind released, a mind of great strength, a most profound mind, a mind that gathers in well, a mind that does not grasp, a mind that does not see a life-holder, a mind well tamed, a mind not scattered, a mind that does not falsely reckon, a mind complete in the nature of every kind of jewel, a mind that does not seek fruit and reward, a mind that penetrates all dharmas, a mind that abides upon the great dedication, a mind that decides well every meaning, a mind that causes all sentient beings to abide in unsurpassed wisdom, a mind that gives birth to the great light of the Dharma, a mind that enters the wisdom of omniscience.

The Ten Vows Within Each Thought-Moment

“Sons of the Buddha! The bodhisattva-mahāsattva, in each thought-moment, dedicates the roots of goodness he has gathered together in this way, that is to say: ‘May all beings be rich in wealth and jewels, with nothing at all lacking; may all beings accomplish the great treasury of merit that is without end and inexhaustible; may all beings be complete in every peace and ease; may all beings increase the work of the bodhisattva-mahāsattva; may all beings fulfill measureless dharmas of the first rank; may all beings obtain the vehicle of omniscience that does not retrogress; may all beings see everywhere all the buddhas of the ten directions; may all beings be forever parted from every confusion and defilement of the world; may all beings all obtain a pure and equal mind; may all beings leave every difficult condition and obtain omniscience.’

What the Dedication Is For (One): Twenty-One Clauses Purely on the Practice of Giving

“Sons of the Buddha! When the bodhisattva-mahāsattva dedicates in this way, he gives rise to a glad mind; so that all beings may obtain benefit and ease; so that all beings may obtain an equal mind; so that all beings may abide in a mind able to relinquish; so that all beings may abide in a mind that relinquishes everything; so that all beings may abide in a mind of giving with gladness; so that all beings may abide in a mind of giving that is forever parted from poverty; so that all beings may abide in a mind of giving away all wealth and jewels; so that all beings may abide in a mind of giving away wealth and jewels beyond number; so that all beings may abide in a mind of universal giving, measureless giving, and giving of everything; so that all beings may abide in a mind of giving unbroken through all the kalpas of the future; so that all beings may abide in a mind of giving that relinquishes everything without regret and without vexation; so that all beings may abide in a mind of giving that relinquishes every article that sustains life; so that all beings may abide in a mind of giving according with what is asked; so that all beings may abide in a mind of giving that gathers sentient beings in; so that all beings may abide in a mind of vast giving; so that all beings may abide in a mind of giving that relinquishes measureless articles of adornment as an offering; so that all beings may abide in a mind of giving with nothing stained or clung to; so that all beings may abide in a mind of equal giving; so that all beings may abide in a mind of giving of exceedingly great strength like vajra; so that all beings may abide in a mind of giving that shines out like the light of the sun; so that all beings may abide in a mind of giving that can gather in the wisdom of the Tathāgata;

What the Dedication Is For (Two): Ten Clauses on the Ripening of the Roots of Goodness

“So that all beings may have the retinue of their roots of goodness fully prepared; so that all beings may have their roots of goodness and their wisdom constantly present before them; so that all beings may obtain a pure mind that cannot be broken down and may be complete in it; so that all beings may accomplish the most surpassing pure roots of goodness; so that all beings may wake up out of the sleep of the afflictions; so that all beings may put an end to every doubt and confusion; so that all beings may obtain equal wisdom and pure merit; so that all beings may be full in merit with none able to break it down; so that all beings may be complete in the pure and unmoving samādhi; so that all beings may abide in the wisdom of omniscience that cannot be broken down;

What the Dedication Is For (Three): Ten Clauses on Pure Practice

“So that all beings may fulfill the bodhisattva's measureless pure practice of the spiritual penetrations; so that all beings may gather and cultivate roots of goodness with nothing stained or clung to; so that all beings may call to mind all the buddhas of the past, the future, and the present and have their minds made pure; so that all beings may give birth to pure and surpassing roots of goodness; so that all beings may put an end to every deed made by Māra that obstructs the path; so that all beings may be complete in the unobstructed, pure, and equal dharmas of merit; so that all beings may with a vast mind constantly call the buddhas to mind without slackening or letting go; so that all beings may constantly draw near to the buddhas and diligently make offerings; so that all beings may open wide the gates of every kind of root of goodness and be able everywhere to fulfill the white and pure dharmas; so that all beings may have their measureless mind, vast mind, and most surpassing mind all made pure;

What the Dedication Is For (Four): Ten Clauses on Cultivating the Ten Perfections Together

“So that all beings may accomplish a pure and equal mind of giving; so that all beings may uphold the buddhas' śīla-pāramitā (the practice of keeping the precepts that goes to the other shore) and be equally pure; so that all beings may obtain the pāramitā of great capacity to bear; so that all beings may abide in the pāramitā of vigor and be constantly without slackening; so that all beings may abide in measureless meditative concentration and be able to give rise to every kind of penetrating wisdom; so that all beings may obtain the prajñā-pāramitā (the practice of wisdom that goes to the other shore) that knows all dharmas to be without a substance of their own; so that all beings may be full in the borderless pure Dharma realm; so that all beings may fulfill the pure roots of goodness of every spiritual penetration; so that all beings may abide in equal practice, gathering good dharmas together so that all are full; so that all beings may enter well into the fields of all the buddhas and reach everywhere within them;

What the Dedication Is For (Five): Ten Clauses That Speak of “Everywhere” at Every Point

“So that all beings may have the deeds of body, speech, and mind everywhere pure; so that all beings may have the fruit and reward of good deeds everywhere pure; so that all beings may penetrate the dharmas and be everywhere pure; so that all beings may penetrate the true meaning and be everywhere pure; so that all beings may cultivate every surpassing practice and be everywhere pure; so that all beings may accomplish every great vow of the bodhisattva and be everywhere pure; so that all beings may realize every merit and wisdom and be everywhere pure; so that all beings may accomplish roots of goodness of one and the same nature, and dedicating them may give birth to the vehicle of omniscience and be everywhere full; so that all beings may adorn and purify all the buddha-lands and be everywhere full; so that all beings may see all the buddhas with nothing stained or clung to and be everywhere full;

What the Dedication Is For (Six): Eleven Clauses That Speak as Far as the Buddha's Fruit

“So that all beings may be complete in every mark and sign and in the adornment of merit and be everywhere full; so that all beings may obtain the sixty kinds of voice, so that what they say is sincere and true and can be believed and accepted by all, adorned besides with a hundred thousand kinds of dharma, and may be everywhere full in the Tathāgata's unobstructed wondrous sound of merit; so that all beings may accomplish the adornment of the ten powers and an unobstructed, equal mind; so that all beings may obtain all the buddhas' inexhaustible light of the Dharma and be everywhere full in every eloquence; so that all beings may obtain the unsurpassed, fearless lion's roar of the hero among men; so that all beings may obtain omniscience and turn the wheel of the Dharma that does not retrogress and is not used up; so that all beings may penetrate all dharmas and set them forth and expound them and be everywhere full; so that all beings may cultivate pure and good dharmas in season and be everywhere full; so that all beings may accomplish the unsurpassed Dharma-jewel of the guide and be equally pure; so that all beings may be everywhere full amid one adornment, measureless adornments, great adornment, and the adornment of the buddhas; so that all beings may equally enter all the fields of the three times and reach everywhere within them;

What the Dedication Is For (Seven): Ten Clauses on the One Being All

“So that all beings may all be able to go to all the buddha-fields (the lands of the buddhas) and hear and receive the true Dharma with nowhere unreached; so that all beings may have the benefit of their wisdom honored by the world and be equal to the Buddha; so that all beings may with omniscience know all dharmas and be everywhere full; so that all beings may carry out unmoving deeds and obtain unobstructed fruit and be everywhere full; so that all beings may have every one of their faculties obtain the spiritual penetrations, able to know the faculties of all sentient beings; so that all beings may obtain the equal wisdom in which there is no difference, and be everywhere pure in the dharma of one mark; so that all beings may be nowhere at odds with the principle and be complete in every root of goodness; so that all beings may understand clearly and thoroughly every sovereign spiritual penetration of every bodhisattva; so that all beings may obtain all the buddhas' inexhaustible merit, equal in merit and in wisdom alike; so that all beings may give rise to the mind of awakening and understand all dharmas to be equal and of one mark with nothing left out or lacking;

What the Dedication Is For (Eight): Ten Clauses on Being a Field of Merit and a Field of Great Strength

“So that all beings may penetrate the true Dharma and be the highest field of merit in the world; so that all beings may accomplish equal and pure great compassion and be a field of great strength for those who give; so that all beings may be firm and foremost with none able to spoil them; so that all beings may be such that whoever sees them is surely benefited and none can crush them; so that all beings may fulfill the most surpassing equal mind; so that all beings may be well able to penetrate all dharmas and obtain great fearlessness; so that all beings may send out a single light that shines everywhere on all the worlds of the ten directions; so that all beings may everywhere cultivate every bodhisattva's practice of vigor without slackening or retrogressing; so that all beings may with one practice-vow everywhere fulfill every kind of practice and vow; so that all beings may with one wondrous sound cause everywhere all who hear it to understand;

What the Dedication Is For (Nine): Eight Clauses on Knowing All Minds with One Mind

“So that all beings may all be complete in every bodhisattva's pure mind; so that all beings may everywhere meet with the good friends and serve them all; so that all beings may cultivate the bodhisattva's practice, taming sentient beings without resting; so that all beings may with fine eloquence be complete in every voice, expounding widely according to their faculties without being cut off or used up; so that all beings may be able with one mind to know all minds, and with all roots of goodness to dedicate equally; so that all beings may constantly delight in gathering together every root of goodness and may establish beings in pure wisdom; so that all beings may obtain omniscience and a body of merit, wisdom, and purity; so that all beings may know well the roots of goodness of all sentient beings, and contemplating them dedicate and everywhere accomplish;

What the Dedication Is For (Ten): Ten Clauses That Speak as Far as the Attaining of Buddhahood

“So that all beings may obtain omniscience, accomplish the right and equal awakening, and be everywhere full; so that all beings may obtain the wisdom of the spiritual penetrations in full, so that arising in one place they arise in every place as well; so that all beings may obtain the wisdom of universal adornment, so that adorning and purifying one assembly they adorn and purify every assembly as well; so that all beings may within one buddha-land see everywhere all the buddha-lands; so that all beings may with all articles of adornment, articles of adornment beyond speaking, measureless articles of adornment, and inexhaustible articles of adornment adorn all the buddha-lands and reach everywhere; so that all beings may be able to decide and understand clearly the most profound meaning of all dharmas; so that all beings may obtain the highest and foremost sovereign spiritual penetration of all the Tathāgatas; so that all beings may obtain the sovereign spiritual penetration of all merit that is neither one nor different; so that all beings may be complete in every equal root of goodness and everywhere have the buddhas anoint the crowns of their heads; so that all beings may all fulfill the pure body of wisdom and be the most honored among all the kinds of existence.

What the One Who Dedicates in This Way Becomes: Thirteen Clauses

“Sons of the Buddha! The bodhisattva-mahāsattva in this way pities, benefits, and gives ease to all sentient beings and causes them all to be pure; he is far from stinginess and envy, is born in a surpassing and wondrous place, is complete in great dignity and virtue, gives rise to great faith and understanding, and is forever parted from anger and from every screening and murkiness; his mind is pure, plain and upright and gentle, without flattery or crookedness, without confusion, without folly; he carries out the practice of going forth, and the firm and unbreakable equal mind never retrogresses; the power of the white and pure dharmas is fully accomplished in him, without vexation and without fault, and he dedicates with skill; he constantly cultivates right practice so as to tame sentient beings, puts an end to every kind of unwholesome deed, and practices austerities and every root of goodness; he further urges beings to cultivate likewise, everywhere undergoes every suffering for the sake of the kinds that have feeling, contemplates every root of goodness with the eye of great wisdom, knows that all of them have wisdom for their nature, and by skillful means dedicates them to all sentient beings.

Six Clauses on Urging Beings to Cultivate Likewise

“So that all beings may all abide in every place of pure merit; so that all beings may all be able to gather in every root of goodness and know the nature and the meaning of every merit; so that all beings may everywhere purify every kind of root of goodness; so that all beings may plant every good dharma in the field of merit with no regret afterward in their minds; so that all beings may everywhere be able to gather in all sentient beings, causing them one by one to head toward omniscience; so that all beings may everywhere gather in every root of goodness there is, causing them one by one to answer to the equal dedication.

The Ten Ultimate Vows

“He further dedicates every root of goodness in this way, that is to say: ‘May all beings be ultimately at peace; may all beings be ultimately pure; may all beings be ultimately at ease; may all beings be ultimately released; may all beings be ultimately equal; may all beings ultimately penetrate through; may all beings ultimately abide in every white and pure dharma; may all beings obtain the unobstructed eye; may all beings tame their minds well; may all beings be complete in the ten powers and tame sentient beings.’

The Ten Non-Clingings

“Sons of the Buddha! When the bodhisattva-mahāsattva dedicates in this way, he does not cling to deeds, does not cling to the reward of deeds, does not cling to the body, does not cling to things, does not cling to lands, does not cling to directions and places, does not cling to sentient beings, does not cling to there being no sentient beings, does not cling to any dharma, does not cling to there being no dharmas at all.

Giving the Roots of Goodness Everywhere to the World

Sons of the Buddha! When the bodhisattva-mahāsattva dedicates in this way, he gives these roots of goodness everywhere to the world: ‘May all beings fulfill the Buddha's wisdom, obtain a pure mind, have their wisdom clear and penetrating, be still within and unmoved by outer conditions, and increase and accomplish the lineage of the buddhas of the three times.’

The Vast Virtue Accomplished at the Time of Such Practice

“Sons of the Buddha! When the bodhisattva-mahāsattva practices a dedication such as this, he goes beyond everything with none able to surpass him, and all the words of speech there are in every world, all praising him together, could not exhaust it; he cultivates everywhere all the bodhisattva's practices, is able to go to all the buddha-lands and see all the buddhas everywhere without obstruction; he is further able to see everywhere what the bodhisattvas of all the worlds do; by skillful means he distinguishes for beings the most profound phrases and meanings of the dharmas, obtains dhāraṇī (the total holding that can keep and not lose) and expounds the wondrous Dharma, unbroken through all the kalpas of the future; for the sake of beings, in each thought-moment, in worlds beyond speaking, beyond speaking, he everywhere manifests his body like an image and makes offerings to the buddhas; in each thought-moment he adorns and purifies buddha-lands beyond speaking, beyond speaking, causing them all to be reached everywhere, and cultivates the wisdom of adorning and purifying buddha-fields without being satisfied; in each thought-moment he causes sentient beings beyond speaking, beyond speaking, a hundred thousand koṭis of nayutas of them (a number exceedingly great), to be purified and accomplished and equally satisfied; within all those lands he diligently cultivates every pāramitā, gathers sentient beings in, and accomplishes pure deeds; he obtains the unobstructed ear, and as for the buddha-worlds beyond speaking, beyond speaking, and the wheel of the Dharma turned by each Tathāgata, he hears and holds them all and cultivates them diligently, not giving rise to a single thought of casting them aside; he abides upon the bodhisattva's spiritual penetration that has nothing obtained, nothing relied upon, nothing contrived, and nothing stained or clung to, and in a single kṣaṇa, the space of a finger-snap, divides his body and goes everywhere to the buddha-worlds beyond speaking, seeing the same as the bodhisattvas see.

How Much More at Buddhahood: Ten Equalities and Purities

“Sons of the Buddha! When the bodhisattva-mahāsattva cultivates the bodhisattva's practice in this way, he is still able to fulfill measureless pure merit beyond speaking, beyond speaking, which calling to mind and praising could not exhaust — how much more so when he comes to accomplish unsurpassed awakening: all buddha-fields equal and pure, all sentient beings equal and pure, all bodies equal and pure, all faculties equal and pure, all fruits of deeds equal and pure, all assemblies and places of awakening equal and pure, all full practice equal and pure, the wisdom of skillful means in all dharmas equal and pure, all the Tathāgatas' vows and dedications equal and pure, all the buddhas' fields of spiritual penetration equal and pure.

The Fifteen Pairs That Are Not at Odds

“Sons of the Buddha! When the bodhisattva-mahāsattva dedicates in this way, he obtains the Dharma gate of all merit, purity, and gladness, and is fully adorned with measureless merit. When he dedicates in this way, sentient beings are not at odds with any land, and lands are not at odds with any sentient beings; lands and sentient beings are not at odds with deeds, and deeds are not at odds with lands and sentient beings; thought is not at odds with mind, and mind is not at odds with thought; thought and mind are not at odds with their fields, and fields are not at odds with thought and mind; deeds are not at odds with their reward, and reward is not at odds with deeds; deeds are not at odds with the paths of deeds, and the paths of deeds are not at odds with deeds; the nature of dharmas is not at odds with the marks of dharmas, and the marks of dharmas are not at odds with the nature of dharmas; the arising of dharmas is not at odds with the nature of dharmas, and the nature of dharmas is not at odds with the arising of dharmas; the equality of lands is not at odds with the equality of sentient beings, and the equality of sentient beings is not at odds with the equality of lands; the equality of all sentient beings is not at odds with the equality of all dharmas, and the equality of all dharmas is not at odds with the equality of all sentient beings; the equality of the limit free of desire is not at odds with the equality of the abiding of all sentient beings, and the equality of the abiding of all sentient beings is not at odds with the equality of the limit free of desire; the past is not at odds with the future, and the future is not at odds with the past; the past and the future are not at odds with the present, and the present is not at odds with the past and the future; the equality of the world is not at odds with the equality of the Buddha, and the equality of the Buddha is not at odds with the equality of the world; the bodhisattva's practice is not at odds with omniscience, and omniscience is not at odds with the bodhisattva's practice.

The Twenty Equalities Obtained

“Sons of the Buddha! When the bodhisattva-mahāsattva dedicates in this way, he obtains the equality of deeds, obtains the equality of reward, obtains the equality of the body, obtains the equality of skillful means, obtains the equality of vows, obtains the equality of all sentient beings, obtains the equality of all lands, obtains the equality of all practices, obtains the equality of omniscience, obtains the equality of the buddhas of the three times; he comes to serve all the buddhas, comes to make offerings to all the bodhisattvas, comes to plant every root of goodness, comes to fulfill every great vow, comes to transform all sentient beings, comes to know all deeds, comes to serve and make offerings to all good friends, comes to enter every pure assembly and place of awakening, comes to penetrate every right teaching, comes to fulfill every white dharma.

The Concluding of the Name and the Nine Fruits of Accomplishing This Dedication

“Sons of the Buddha! This is the bodhisattva-mahāsattva's seventh dedication, the dedication that accords equally with all sentient beings. When the bodhisattva-mahāsattva has accomplished this dedication, he is able to crush and destroy every enemy of Māra, to pull out the thorns of the desires, to obtain the joy of going forth, to abide in the nature in which there are not two, to be complete in great dignity and virtue, to rescue and guard sentient beings, and to be a king of merit; his spiritual footing is unobstructed, he goes to all lands and enters the place of stillness and cessation; he is complete in every body, accomplishes the bodhisattva's practice, and his mind attains sovereignty in every practice and vow; he distinguishes and knows all dharmas and is able to be born everywhere in all the buddha-fields; he obtains the unobstructed ear and hears all the sounds there are in every land; he obtains the pure eye of wisdom and sees all the buddhas without ever setting them aside for a moment; within every field he accomplishes roots of goodness, and in his mind there is no high and low; toward all dharmas he obtains what has nothing obtained. The bodhisattva-mahāsattva, with all his roots of goodness, accords equally with all sentient beings and dedicates in this way.”

The Verses of Repeated Praise (One): The Goodness Dedicated and the Vow That It Become Articles of Support

At that time the bodhisattva Vajra Banner, carried by the Buddha's spiritual power, contemplated the ten directions everywhere and spoke these verses, saying:

“The merits that the bodhisattva does are wondrous, vast, and exceedingly profound and far-reaching, and even the practice of a single thought-moment he is able to dedicate without any border.

“The articles that sustain life which the bodhisattva has, of every kind, are abundant and full without limit or number, with fragrant elephants and jeweled horses to draw his carriage, and clothing and precious goods all of the finest.

“Whether with head and eyes together with hands and feet, or taking the flesh of his body together with its marrow, he spreads them through measureless lands of the ten directions, giving everywhere to all and filling them all.

“All the merit cultivated through measureless kalpas he dedicates entirely, for he would rescue the kinds of living things, and his mind in the end will not retrogress.

The Verses of Repeated Praise (Two): Dedicating This Giving and Vowing That Beings Be Complete in Wealth and Dharma (Chengguan's Outline)

“For the sake of delivering sentient beings the bodhisattva constantly cultivates the most surpassing work of dedication, causing the three realms everywhere to obtain ease and causing them all in time to accomplish the unsurpassed fruit.

“The bodhisattva everywhere raises up an equal vow, and following the pure deeds he has gathered together he dedicates and gives them all to the kinds of living things, and this great oath he will never in the end cast aside.

“The power of the bodhisattva's vows is without limit or obstruction, and every world is gathered in entirely; dedicating in this way to the kinds of living things, he has never for a moment given rise to a discriminating mind.

“He vows everywhere that beings' wisdom be clear and penetrating, that giving and keeping the precepts be wholly pure, that they practice with vigor and not slacken or let go, and this great oath is without rest.

“The bodhisattva dedicates and arrives at the other shore; he opens everywhere the gate of the pure and wondrous Dharma; his wisdom is the same as the Honored One of Two Feet's (the Buddha's), and he distinguishes the true meaning through to the end.

The Verses of Repeated Praise (Three): Dedicating to the True Limit

“The bodhisattva's words of speech are already penetrating, and his wisdom of every kind is likewise so; he speaks the Dharma in accord with principle and without obstruction, and yet within it his mind does not cling.

“Constantly, of all dharmas he makes no duality, nor does he make of them a non-duality; from the two and the non-two alike he departs, knowing that all of them are the road of words.

The Verses of Repeated Praise (Four): Praising the Vastness of the Virtue of the Cause (Chengguan's Outline)

“He knows that all the worlds are wholly equal, being nothing but mind, nothing but speech, nothing but every deed; sentient beings are like a conjuring and have no reality, and all the fruits and rewards there are arise from this.

“All that there is within every world, the fruits and rewards of every kind each differing, there is none that is not brought about by the power of deeds, and if deeds are put an end to those too are all used up.

The Verses of Repeated Praise (Five): Praising the Purity of the Virtue of the Fruit (Chengguan's Outline)

“The bodhisattva contemplates all the worlds, and the deeds of body, speech, and mind are wholly equal, and he causes sentient beings too to abide in equality, like the great and holy Honored One who has no equal.

“The bodhisattva dedicates all his good deeds, causing everywhere the form-bodies of beings to be pure, so that merit and skillful means are both fully prepared, the same as the unsurpassed Tamer of Men (the Buddha).

“The bodhisattva benefits the kinds of living things and dedicates entirely the great sea of merit; he vows that his majestic light stand out above the world and that he come to accomplish a body of heroic and mighty strength.

“Whatever merits he has cultivated, he vows that the world be everywhere made pure, that the buddhas' purity be beyond compare, and that the purity of sentient beings be so as well.

“The bodhisattva obtains skill in the meaning and is able to know the buddhas' most surpassing dharmas; with his many good deeds he dedicates equally, vowing that the classes of creatures become the same as the Tathāgata.

The Verses of Repeated Praise (Six): Praising the Exhaustion of Marks and Equality, and the Concluding Praise (Chengguan's Outline)

“The bodhisattva knows that the dharmas are empty and that in every world there is nothing at all, that there is no making and no maker, and yet the deeds and rewards of sentient beings are not lost.

“The dharmas are still and ceased and yet are not still and ceased; he is far from the discriminating mind of these two extremes; knowing that all discriminations are the views of the world, when he enters the right station discrimination is exhausted.

“Sons of the Buddha such as these, who are true and real, are born by transformation from the Tathāgata's Dharma; they are able to dedicate well in this way, and the doubts and confusions of the world are wholly put an end to.”