大智度論 歎信行品之下Dazhidulun — Mahāprajñāpāramitā-upadeśa · Praise of Practising in Faith, Part 2 of 2

Praise of Practising in Faith, Last Part: Fully Practising Prajñā and Seeing No Increase or Decrease; Hindrances and the Protection of the Buddhas; the Buddha-Eye Seeing and Knowing Those Who Uphold the Sūtra; Prajñā Turning South, West, and North; Making Vows and the Deep Sūtras That Accord with the Six Perfections

What Is Being Asked

The First Part set up 「信」 tr. "faith" as the eye of the whole chapter: Śakra thought that those who have the prajñā sūtra reach their ears all owe it to having made offerings to the buddhas in former lives and having long practised the six perfections; to worship prajñā is to worship omniscience; only not abiding in form and the rest is training in prajñā; the three questions and three answers on very deep, hard to fathom, and immeasurable come to rest in this, that not practising the very deep is practising prajñā; one who has newly aroused the mind cannot bear to hear the deep, while the avaivartika can have faith and does not sink; the four similes of the wilderness, the great sea, the tree, and the woman with child establish the meaning of the prior signs of receiving the prediction; the Buddha entrusts well the affairs of the bodhisattvas, and by the four means of gathering and the ten wholesome paths they practise themselves and teach others. The Last Part carries on this virtue of faith and first asks after the utmost reach of faith—fullness: only seeing no mark of increase and no mark of decrease in form, and not discriminating this as dharma or as non-dharma, is called fully practising prajñā; the inconceivable, too, may not be abided in. Who is it that has faith and understanding? One who has long practised the six perfections, planted roots of goodness, drawn near to the buddhas, and kept company with good friends. But where precious treasure is, the trouble of bandits follows close: when this prajñā is spoken there are many hindrances, and the evil Māra delights in ruining it; and here the protection and upholding of the Buddha's power and of the buddhas of the ten directions unfolds in full—write quickly and practise quickly, the Buddha-eye seeing and knowing, the result of offerings; after the extinction prajñā turns south, turns west, turns north, and the north will do the work of the Buddha; at the end come the making of vows, the great mind and great giving, and the ease of obtaining, in a later body, the deep sūtras that accord with the six perfections. What the Last Part asks is the question of how practising in faith comes to ground: a deep and inconceivable dharma—how, in an evil age where Māra is strong and the Dharma weak, can it be written, upheld, and practised, and in the end never be lost? The answer holds both ends together—within, the long-planted roots of goodness and the right contemplation that does not discriminate; from outside, the buddhas of the ten directions seeing, knowing, protecting, and keeping in mind with the Buddha-eye; within and without support each other, and so, though the hindrances are great, in the end they cannot ruin it.

Passage by Passage

1. The accomplishment of great merit; fully practising prajñā—seeing no mark of increase, seeing no mark of decrease. Subhūti praises the bodhisattva's accomplishment of great merit: for the sake of all beings he practises prajñā, wishing to attain anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi; going further, he asks about the mark of full practice. The Buddha answers: when practising prajñā, he sees no mark of increase in form and sees no mark of decrease either, and so with feeling, perception, constructions, and consciousness, and so on up to omniscience of all kinds; again, he does not see this as dharma or as non-dharma, the three times, good and not good, determinate and indeterminate, conditioned and unconditioned, the three realms, the six perfections, and so on up to omniscience of all kinds—at this time it is called full. The reason is that dharmas are signless, and that dharmas are empty, deceptive, not firm, without a perceiver, without a life. Fullness is not adding more; it is setting down even the view of 「增減」 tr. "increase and decrease" along with everything else—this sentence fixes the balance for the whole unit.

2. What is spoken is inconceivable; knowing it and grasping at marks, one cannot be full. Subhūti exclaims: what the World-Honored One speaks is inconceivable! The Buddha goes along with it and sets out the reason: because form is inconceivable, what is spoken is inconceivable; because feeling, perception, constructions, and consciousness, the six perfections, and so on up to omniscience of all kinds are inconceivable, what is spoken is inconceivable. Yet a turn follows at once: if, when practising prajñā, the bodhisattva 「知」 tr. "knows" that form is inconceivable, and so on up to knowing that omniscience of all kinds is inconceivable, this bodhisattva on the contrary cannot be full in prajñā. The word of praise is barely out before it is blocked and pushed aside—if the inconceivable is gripped as a knowable mark, conceiving has already come back to life; the road to fullness does not allow a foothold even on 「不可思議」 tr. "the inconceivable".

3. Who will have faith and understanding—long practice, planting roots of goodness, drawing near to the buddhas, keeping company with good friends. Subhūti asks: this deep prajñā—who can have faith in it and understand it? The Buddha answers with four things: having long practised the six perfections, having planted roots of goodness, having drawn near to and made offerings to many buddhas, and keeping company with good friends. To have faith in and understand the deep Dharma is not the cleverness of one present thought; it is the fruit of long perfuming—practice as the ground, roots as the base, the buddhas as teachers, friends as conditions; if one of the four things is missing, the power of faith cannot hold up when one hears the deep Dharma. This question comes straight from the chapter's title, 「信行」 tr. "practising in faith": one who can have faith must have that by which he can have faith.

4. What long practice is—not discriminating form, the mark of form, the nature of form. Subhūti presses: how does one count as having long practised the four things? The Buddha's answer is beyond expectation: not discriminating form, not discriminating the mark of form, not discriminating the nature of form; the twelve sense-fields and the eighteen elements, the three realms, the six perfections, inner emptiness and so on up to the emptiness of non-existent and existent dharmas, the four foundations of mindfulness and so on up to the eighteen unshared dharmas, knowledge of the kinds of paths, omniscience of all kinds—in each he does not discriminate the dharma, its mark, or its nature. Why? Because form is inconceivable, and so on up to omniscience of all kinds being inconceivable. 「久」 tr. "Long" is, surprisingly, not measured by years, but by not discriminating—the qualification of time is replaced by the qualification of contemplative wisdom, and this the treatise-author will make explicit below.

5. Prajñā is the heap of precious treasure and the heap of purity. Subhūti takes in the understanding and exclaims: because form is very deep, prajñā is very deep, and so on up to: because omniscience of all kinds is very deep, prajñā is very deep. He then sets up two names: prajñā is the heap of precious treasure—because it holds the treasure of the fruit of srota-āpanna and so on up to the treasure of anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi, and holds the treasures of the four dhyānas, the four immeasurable minds, the four formless absorptions, the five supernormal powers, the four foundations of mindfulness and so on up to the eightfold noble path, the Buddha's ten powers, the four fearlessnesses, the four unobstructed knowledges, great kindness and great compassion, the eighteen unshared dharmas, omniscience, and omniscience of all kinds; prajñā is the heap of purity—because form is pure, and so on up to omniscience of all kinds being pure. The heap of treasure speaks of its wealth; purity speaks of its unmixedness: all the noble fruits and noble dharmas are stored within it, and yet that which stores them has not a speck of dust in itself that can be stained.

6. One of great merit has a great share of kindness. The treatise-author explains 「大功德成就」 tr. "the accomplishment of great merit": first he cites the earlier text, 「自行，亦教他人」 tr. "practising oneself and also teaching others"; then he adds a further explanation—beings are not his kin, and he has nothing to crave or gain from them, yet for their sake he toils at practising prajñā and seeks unsurpassed awakening; this is called the bodhisattva's having a great share of kindness toward beings, and so it is called great merit. The greatness of the kindness lies precisely in its having no tie: the kindness of worldly people is mostly bound to kinship and repayment, while the bodhisattva's kindness has no kin to lean on and no gain to aim at, and is purely for the sake of beings—the 「大」 tr. "great" of merit is judged from this, not by the number of deeds, but by the arousing of a mind that seeks nothing.

7. The mark of fullness—seeing no increase or decrease, like a dream, like an illusion, because of ultimate emptiness. The mark of cultivating prajñā has been spoken of at length in earlier chapters; what is asked now is the mark of 「具足」 tr. "fullness". The Buddha says: as with cultivating prajñā, so too is the mark of fullness—if one sees no increase or decrease in form and the other dharmas, it is called full. The treatise-author adds the most crucial sentence: though this bodhisattva attains the ten grounds and sits at the seat of awakening, and at that time his cultivation of prajñā is full, it is still like a dream, like an illusion, neither increasing nor decreasing—it is said so because of ultimate emptiness. Fullness is not a change of quantity from lack to completion—even the ten grounds and the seat of awakening do not go outside the contemplation of dream and illusion, of neither increase nor decrease; from beginning to end the meaning of fullness is only one ultimate emptiness.

8. Not discriminating dharma and non-dharma, a hundred rivers merging into one taste; entering the emptiness of dharmas. Again, if the bodhisattva does not discriminate among all dharmas this as dharma and that as non-dharma, but all are dharma—like the water of the great sea, where a hundred rivers and ten thousand streams all merge into one taste—at that time his cultivation of prajñā is full. Again, if the bodhisattva enters the emptiness of dharmas, and does not see dharmas as having the three times, good and not good, and so on, and does not see the six perfections and so on up to omniscience of all kinds, at that time his cultivation of prajñā is full. The simile of the sea is excellent: on land a hundred rivers are each clear or muddy, and entering the sea they share the one salt taste—the distinction between dharma and non-dharma is a discrimination on the shore; in the sea of the emptiness of dharmas, there is not one dharma that is not dharma. The two 「復次」 tr. "Again" passages are two faces of one fullness: not discriminating is illumination and function; entering the emptiness of dharmas is realising the substance.

9. The signless is the real mark; false and deceptive, not firm; because beings are empty, without a perceiver, without a life. The treatise-author explains the concluding sentence at the end of the sūtra text: 「諸法無相」 tr. "dharmas are signless" is precisely the real mark; to discriminate among dharmas is always the mark of wrong view; because the eighteen emptinesses are used, it is called 「諸法空」 tr. "dharmas are empty"; what is born from the coming together of causes and conditions is taken to exist, and when the conditions separate it breaks down, so it is 「虛誑」 tr. "false and deceptive"; conditioned dharmas are impermanent and without reality, so they are 「不堅固」 tr. "not firm". 「無覺者」 tr. "Without a perceiver" is established from the emptiness of beings—there is no one who receives suffering and pleasure; as for 「無壽者」 tr. "without a life", life is called the life-faculty, and some people cling to the life-faculty as having the mark of a self and take life as the self; within the emptiness of beings this has already been refuted by all kinds of causes and conditions, and so there is no one who practises the Dharma and no one who receives the Dharma. Contemplating that dharmas are empty—the emptiness of beings and the emptiness of dharmas—in this way one fully cultivates prajñā: the string of negations in the sūtra text returns, word by word, to its place in the two emptinesses.

10. Astonished and delighted, unable to settle himself; cause and effect resemble each other; abiding in the inconceivable, one is not full. At this time Subhūti is astonished and delighted and cannot settle himself, and he exclaims that the prajñā spoken is inconceivable. The Buddha says: it is inconceivable because form and the other dharmas are inconceivable—the reason is that cause and effect resemble each other: what is spoken is the effect, and the dharma on which it relies is the cause; since the dharma is beyond conceiving, the speaking too is beyond conceiving. Again, if the bodhisattva knows that form and the other dharmas are also inconceivable, and if he 「住」 tr. "abides" in this inconceivable, then he is not full in prajñā, because he grasps at the mark of the inconceivable. Praise and sickness are only one line apart: praising its inconceivability is taking in the understanding; abiding in the inconceivable is grasping at marks—taking in the understanding gives birth to faith; grasping at marks becomes a bond.

11. Like sinking into the great sea with nothing to rely on; inconceivable and again inconceivable—who will have faith and understanding? Subhūti finds no place to rely on within prajñā, like sinking into the great sea, and so he says to the Buddha: this deep prajñā is inconceivable, and 「不可思議」 tr. "the inconceivable" is itself also inconceivable—who will have faith and understanding? If it were only inconceivable it still could not be believed; how much more when it is inconceivable and again inconceivable! The Buddha answers: having long practised the six perfections, long planted roots of goodness, long made offerings to and drawn near to the buddhas, and long kept company with good friends—because of these causes and conditions the mind of faith is firm and can believe and receive the deep prajñā. Each of the four things is crowned with the word 「久」 tr. "long": for a dharma with nothing to rely on, only one who has long cultivated can be at peace where there is nothing to rely on—the firmness of the mind of faith is trained out precisely after countless times of letting go.

12. Other chapters say that those who have newly aroused intent can have faith; now it speaks of those who aroused intent long ago; the glosses on not discriminating form, mark, and nature. The treatise-author first examines a doubt: in other chapters it is said that those who have newly aroused intent can also have faith in the deep prajñā; now the Buddha says that it is because they aroused intent long ago that they can have faith—which is why Subhūti asks what one who aroused intent long ago is. The Buddha answers with clearly knowing the mark of prajñā and not discriminating any dharma: 「不分別色」 tr. "not discriminating form"—the four great elements and the form made of the four great elements; 「不分別色相」 tr. "not discriminating the mark of form"—not discriminating that form can be seen and sound can be heard, whether fine or ugly, whether short or long, whether permanent or impermanent, whether suffering or pleasure; 「不分別色性」 tr. "not discriminating the nature of form"—not seeing form as having a permanent dharma, namely the nature of solidity of earth and the like. Dharma, mark, and nature go deeper level by level: the dharma is the substance and the thing, the mark is its outward sign, and the nature is the underlying colour clung to as permanent—only when none of the three levels is set up is it clearly knowing the mark of prajñā.

13. The real nature of form is called the nature of dharmas; marks accumulated by habit become nature; the simile of smoke and fire. Again, the real nature of form is called the nature of dharmas, because it is ultimately empty; the bodhisattva does not discriminate the nature of dharmas, because the nature of dharmas is the mark of not breaking down, and so on up to omniscience of all kinds likewise. Question: Earth is the 「相」 tr. "mark" of solidity; why is it called its 「性」 tr. "nature"? Answer: Marks accumulated by habit become nature—just as when a person is angry, and the habit goes on day after day without stopping, it becomes an evil nature. Or nature and mark are different, as seeing smoke one knows there is fire: smoke is the mark of fire but not fire; or mark and nature are not different, as heat is both the mark of fire and the nature of fire. This question and answer sets everyday words in order with great cleanness: nature is not a separate thing outside the mark; it is the mark accumulated by habit and set deep and firm; and what is set deep and firm is also fundamentally ultimately empty—habit can become nature, and nature can also be turned, and in this lies already the hinge of turning the ordinary into the noble.

14. The inconceivable is ultimate emptiness; though the days, months, and years are not long, one who can practise thus is called long. Here the Buddha speaks of the causes and conditions: form and the other dharmas are inconceivable—the inconceivable is precisely ultimate emptiness, and the real mark of all dharmas is ever pure of itself. Subhūti thereupon grasps one meaning: though the bodhisattva's days, months, and years are not long, if he can practise thus, this is called long. The earlier doubt about 「久」 tr. "long" is here fully resolved: long is not reckoned by the calendar but judged by practice—one who can refrain from discriminating any dharma, though new, is long; one who cannot, though long, is new. Having heard prajñā, Subhūti gains a still deeper benefit, and so he says to the Buddha: prajñā is very deep, because form and the rest are very deep—the mark of the very deep is as spoken before.

15. The gloss on precious treasure—able to destroy the evil poison of the three fetters, and so on up to destroying all afflictions and their residual habits; cause and effect spoken of together. The treatise-author explains 「珍寶聚」 tr. "the heap of precious treasure": precious treasure means the fruit of srota-āpanna, because it can destroy the evil poison of the three fetters; and so on up to anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi, which can destroy all afflictions and their residual habits and can fulfil all wishes. These fruits rely on the dhyānas and so on up to omniscience of all kinds—cause and effect spoken of together: this is called the heap of precious treasure. What makes treasure treasure is defined by its power to destroy poison and fulfil wishes, not by rarity or splendour; the fruits are the completion of the treasure, and the dhyānas, the knowledges, and the other dharmas are its causes; cause and effect are raised together, and so it is called a 「聚」 tr. "heap"—prajñā does not store a single jewel; it stores the whole vein of treasure running from the first fruit straight through to the fruit of buddhahood.

16. The heap of purity—practising rightly and not wrongly, not clinging even to ultimate emptiness; foolish people wish to ruin it, like one whose eyes are filmed seeing treasure and calling it impure. He explains 「清淨聚」 tr. "the heap of purity": to practise rightly and not wrongly among form and the other dharmas is called purity, without any fault or trouble; and so on up to not clinging even to ultimate emptiness and not clinging even to the inconceivable—therefore it is called the heap of purity. The treatise-author further sketches Subhūti's thought: prajñā can fulfil the wishes of all beings—the pleasure of this life, the pleasure of later lives, the pleasure of nirvāṇa, the pleasure of awakening; yet foolish and deluded people, on the contrary, wish to ruin this heap of purity. Like the wish-fulfilling jewel without flaw or stain, like space without dust or dirt, prajñā is ultimately pure; yet people give rise to the causes and conditions of wrong views of their own accord and wish to create hindrances and ruin it—just as a person whose eyes are filmed, seeing a wondrous treasure, calls it impure. The film is in the eye and the blame is laid on the treasure—the whole pathology of those who slander prajñā lies in this simile.

17. "Having had this thought"; it is most strange—when prajñā is spoken there are many hindrances; one should write quickly and cultivate quickly. The treatise-author marks 「作是念已」 tr. "having had this thought" to close off the preceding thought, and the sūtra text continues: Subhūti says: World-Honored One! It is most strange! When this prajñāpāramitā is spoken, there are many hindrances! The Buddha confirms it: this very deep prajñā has many hindrances; because of this, one who wishes to write it out should write it quickly, and when reading, reciting, reflecting, expounding, rightly recollecting, and practising, one should also practise quickly—if the writing can be completed in one month, one should write diligently, and so on, if it is completed in two months, three months, up to a year, one should still write diligently; whether it is accomplished in one month or up to a year, one should diligently accomplish it. Why? Because within this precious treasure many troubles arise. One word, 「疾」 tr. "quickly", runs through the whole passage: precious treasure draws bandits, and delay breeds change—the urgency of this Dharma-gate is established from here.

18. Though the evil Māra wishes to hinder, he cannot ruin it. Subhūti says: within this very deep prajñā, the evil Māra delights in creating hindrances, so that one cannot write it, cannot read, recite, reflect, expound, rightly recollect, or practise it. The Buddha tells Subhūti: though the evil Māra wishes to hinder this deep prajñā so that one cannot write it and so on up to practise it, he still cannot ruin this bodhisattva-mahāsattva's writing of prajñā and so on up to his practising it. The two sentences rise and fall together: Māra's 「欲」 tr. "wish" is real—the hindrances are not an enemy one has imagined; but Māra's 「能」 tr. "ability" has a limit—he wishes to ruin it and in the end cannot. Where this limit is drawn, and by what power it is drawn, is precisely Śāriputra's question below.

19. By whose power can Māra not hinder—the Buddha's power, and also the power of the buddhas presently in the ten directions. Śāriputra asks: by whose power is it that the evil Māra cannot hinder the bodhisattva's writing of the deep prajñā and so on up to his practising it? The Buddha says: it is by the Buddha's power; it is also by the power of the buddhas presently in the worlds of the ten directions—the buddhas protect and keep this bodhisattva in mind, so that Māra cannot hinder; the immeasurable, boundless, asaṃkhyeya buddhas presently in the ten directions protect and keep in mind this bodhisattva writing the deep prajñā and so on up to practising it; 「法應爾」 tr. "the Dharma is naturally so", and no one can create hindrance. Good men and good women should form this thought: that I write this deep prajñā and so on up to practise it is all by the power of the buddhas of the ten directions. The three Chinese characters rendered here as "the Dharma is naturally so" weigh the most: the buddhas' protection of those who practise prajñā is not a special gift of favour; it is the constant law of the Dharma-realm—for the practitioner to keep the buddhas' power in mind is precisely to credit the achievement to the Dharma and not to rely on oneself.

20. All by the Buddha's power; one should know that they are protected by the buddhas. Śāriputra goes one step further and draws the conclusion: if there are good men and good women who write this deep prajñā and so on up to practise it, it is all by the Buddha's power, and one should know that these people are protected by the buddhas. The Buddha sets his seal on it: Just so! Just so! One should know that if anyone writes this deep prajñā and so on up to practises it, it is all by the Buddha's power, and one should know that they are also protected by the buddhas. From 「佛力」 tr. "the Buddha's power" it is pushed on to 「諸佛所護」 tr. "protected by the buddhas", an advance of one word: power speaks of the working of the blessing added; protection speaks of the kindness of being gathered in—one who writes and upholds prajñā is not a lone soldier copying sūtras in an evil age, but is at every moment within the buddhas' protecting mindfulness; this sentence is the steadying pill for practitioners in an evil age.

21. The buddhas all recognise him and all see him with the Buddha-eye; he is not far from anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi; offerings of flowers, incense, necklaces, banners, and canopies. Śāriputra says: the immeasurable, boundless, asaṃkhyeya buddhas presently in the ten directions all recognise, and all see with the Buddha-eye, these good men and good women when they write the deep prajñā and so on up to practise it. The Buddha sets his seal on it and broadens it: if one who seeks the bodhisattva path writes this deep prajñā, receives and upholds it, reads, recites, rightly recollects it, and practises as it is taught, one should know that this person is not far from anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi; this person has much of the mark of faith and understanding toward the deep prajñā, and also makes offerings to it, reveres, honours, and praises it, making offerings of flowers, incense, necklaces, and so on up to banners and canopies. The buddhas all recognise, and all see with the Buddha-eye, these good men and good women. How intimate the two words 「皆識」 tr. "all recognise" are—the buddhas of the ten directions do not merely shine on him in general; they know this person.

22. The merit of offerings gains great benefit and a great result—never falling into the evil destinies, never parting from the buddhas and the six perfections. The Buddha goes on: the merit of this person's offerings will gain great benefit and a great result; because of the causes and conditions of the merit of these offerings, he will never fall into the evil destinies, and up to the ground of the avaivartika he will never part from the buddhas; because of the causes and conditions of these roots of goodness, up to anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi, he will never part from the six perfections, never part from inner emptiness and so on up to the emptiness of non-existent and existent dharmas, from the four foundations of mindfulness and so on up to the eightfold noble path, from the Buddha's ten powers and so on up to anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi. 「終不遠離」 tr. "Never part from", running through several sentences, is the deepest layer of the result: not falling into the evil destinies is leaving suffering; not parting from the buddhas and the dharmas is drawing near to the path—the result of making offerings to prajñā is never, life after life, leaving the track of prajñā.

23. Hindrances are deeds of Māra; because conditioned dharmas cannot be trusted, write quickly; the sūtra-scrolls of the prajñā family are more and fewer. The treatise-author explains: hindrances are the deeds of Māra and the like, causes and conditions that ruin prajñā. The Buddha approves what Subhūti said about writing quickly and practising quickly—the reason for quickness is that conditioned dharmas cannot be trusted, and many hindrances arise. He further examines the actual state of the scrolls: the sūtra-scrolls of the prajñā family are more and fewer, of upper, middle, and lower size—the Praise of Light, the Emission of Light, and the Practice of the Way; those who write are slow or quick—some write diligently with one mind, some are lax and not diligent; the human body is impermanent, and conditioned dharmas cannot be trusted; because Śākyamuni Buddha appeared in an evil age there are many hindrances—therefore it is said that what can be finished in one month should be written diligently to completion, without abandoning it midway, and so on up to a year; as with writing, so too with practice; according to whether people's faculties are sharp or dull, it may be slow or quick. The four words 「人身無常」 tr. "the human body is impermanent" are the true footnote to 「疾」 tr. "quickly": it is not the Dharma that hurries people; it is impermanence that hurries them.

24. In the world, because of precious things, there are many bandits; Māra's people and evil ghosts enter bodies and harass them, and wreck the writing of prajñā. Here the Buddha further speaks of the causes and conditions: in the world, because of precious things, many bandits appear; prajñā is precisely the great precious treasure, and so it has many hindrances. The treatise-author explains the marks of hindrance: although there are sickness, hunger, and the like, because the deeds of Māra are great it is said to be the deeds of Māra—whether Māra, or Māra's people, or evil ghosts create evil causes and conditions, entering people's bodies and harassing their bodies and minds, and wreck the writing of prajñā; or make those who write weary of it, or make affairs of the country arise, or make those who write unable to obtain offerings, and so on. The simile of bandits turns the 「多」 tr. "many" of the hindrances into a necessity: the weightier the treasure, the more the bandits gather—meeting trouble is not a sign that practice has gone wrong, but precisely the converse proof that the Dharma one holds is precious; knowing this, when one meets trouble one does not doubt the Dharma.

25. The troubles of reading, reciting, and expounding—slandering the teacher, the jibe of the naked man and heavenly garments; Māra takes the form of a śramaṇa and ruins right recollection. When reading and reciting, teacher and disciples are not in harmony. When expounding the Dharma in the great assembly, sometimes someone comes and speaks of the faults of the Dharma-teacher; or says he cannot practise as he speaks, so what is the use of listening to him; or says that although he can keep the precepts he is dull of faculty and does not understand the deep meaning, so listening to what he says is of no benefit at all; or says that prajñā is empty and without anything existent, destroys all dharmas, and has no place to practise—like a naked man who says of himself, "I wear heavenly garments." As for not rightly recollecting: Māra takes on a fine body, the body of a good friend, or takes the form of a śramaṇa whom one reveres and trusts, and speaks for one of prajñā as empty and without anything existent, saying that although there are the names of sin and merit there is no principle to them, or saying that prajñā is empty and one may take nirvāṇa at once—such things wreck the right recollection of those who cultivate the Buddha path. The most dangerous hindrance does not wear the mark of Māra; it wears the mark of a good friend, the mark of a śramaṇa; every sentence of its speech carries the word 「空」 tr. "empty", and every word misuses emptiness—using emptiness to brush away sin and merit, using emptiness to urge the taking of nirvāṇa: all this is Māra's speech.

26. The great can break the small—the power of the true wisdom of prajñā is very great; the deeds of Māra are false and deceptive. A bodhisattva who has newly aroused intent, hearing these things, is greatly startled and terrified in mind: we have bodies of birth and death, and Māra is the lord of the desire realm, with very great might—how can we practise prajñā and attain the unsurpassed path? Therefore the Buddha says that though the evil Māra wishes to hinder, he still cannot ruin it. Why? Because the great can break the small—as one free of desire always overcomes one who is greedy and desirous, one of kindness and compassion always overcomes one who is angry, the wise always overcome the unwise; prajñā is true wisdom, its power is very great, and the deeds of Māra are false and deceptive; though the bodhisattva has not yet attained full prajñā, because he has gained a share of its breath, Māra cannot ruin him. The contest of powers lies not in might and rank but in true and false: Māra's greatness is a greatness within the desire realm; prajñā's greatness is the greatness of having gone beyond the false and deceptive—the phrase 「得其氣分」 tr. "gained a share of its breath" is especially worth savouring: without waiting for fullness, merely touching the edge of prajñā, Māra can already do nothing.

27. By the Buddha's power; the Buddha's power spoken of first is Śākyamuni, and afterward the buddhas presently in the ten directions; prajñā is the mother of the buddhas of the ten directions. Because of these causes and conditions, Śāriputra asks by whose power Māra cannot ruin it, and the Buddha answers that it is by the Buddha's power. The treatise-author opens it out: among evil people Māra is the greatest, among good people the Buddha is the greatest; among those who bind people Māra is the greatest, among those who release people the Buddha is the greatest; among those who hinder people Māra is the greatest, among those who clear the way the Buddha is the greatest. The Buddha's power spoken of first is Śākyamuni Buddha; the buddhas presently in the ten directions spoken of afterward are the other buddhas—Akṣobhya, Amitābha, and the like. As an evil bandit has other evil ones to help him, so too with the Dharma of the buddhas: always, for the sake of all beings, whenever someone arouses intent they act as his protectors. Why? Prajñāpāramitā is the mother of the buddhas of the ten directions; when someone wishes to ruin it, they cannot but protect it. The meaning of protecting the Dharma is gathered into the one word 「母」 tr. "mother": a child protects its mother by its very nature—the buddhas' protection of prajñā is not a duty imposed from outside; it is that from which the Dharma body and the life of wisdom come forth.

28. Seeing, knowing, and keeping in mind with the Buddha-eye—able to do a great thing without yet having broken Māra's net, a merit rarely had. Śāriputra says: if anyone writes and upholds it and so on up to practises it, they are all protected by the buddhas. The Buddha approves his words. He asks further: do the buddhas presently in the ten directions all see, know, and keep in mind with the Buddha-eye the good men and good women who write, uphold, and so on? The Buddha approves, saying: just so. The treatise-author explains the levels: first, the evil Māra comes wishing to ruin it, and the Buddha and the buddhas of the ten directions guard it and do not let it be spoiled; now they see this person with the Buddha-eye and know that this person's merit is rarely had—without yet having broken Māra's net, he can carry out this great matter of prajñā, and therefore the buddhas of the ten directions see, know, and keep this person in mind with the Buddha-eye. Protection wards off the troubles from outside; keeping in mind values the virtue within: his body is inside Māra's net and yet his hand does not let go of the scroll—this rarity is precisely what the Buddha-eye rests upon.

29. The divine eye is of two kinds; the Dharma-eye and the wisdom-eye, entering the Buddha-eye, each have what they see. Question: Is it seen with the divine eye, or seen with the Buddha-eye? If it is seen with the divine eye, why is the Buddha-eye spoken of here? If it is seen with the Buddha-eye, since beings are false and deceptive, how are they seen with the Buddha-eye? Answer: The divine eye is of two kinds—contained in the Buddha-eye and not contained: the one not contained sees beings of the present, limited and measurable; the one contained sees beings of the three times, without limit and without measure. The Dharma-eye, entering the Buddha-eye, sees only dharmas and does not see beings; the wisdom-eye, entering the Buddha-eye, does not see dharmas but sees only ultimate emptiness. Here the framework for distinguishing the five eyes is set up: the Buddha-eye is not a separate eye placed outside the four eyes; it is the perfect functioning of the four eyes once they have entered the position of a buddha—because it contains the divine eye it sees beings without measure, because it contains the Dharma-eye it sees dharmas, because it contains the wisdom-eye it sees emptiness; each has charge of its own illumination, and all return alike to the one Buddha-eye.

30. What is contained in the Buddha-eye is all real; beings are false with respect to nirvāṇa, not false as seen in the world. Question: Is the divine eye contained in the Buddha-eye real or false? If false, the Buddha should not see with what is false; if real, beings are empty—even present beings are not real, how much less future and past ones? Answer: What is contained in the Buddha-eye is all real. Beings are false with respect to nirvāṇa; it is not that what is seen in the world is false; because people grasp a fixed mark in beings it is said that they are false—it is not with regard to worldly truth that they are said to be false. For this reason, the divine eye contained in the Buddha-eye sees beings. The judgement of false and real rests on which truth is being faced: in terms of nirvāṇa and the limit of reality, the mark of beings is false; in terms of worldly truth, beings are plainly there—the Buddha sees beings by worldly truth, and sees without grasping a fixed mark, and so he sees false and deceptive beings and yet his seeing is wholly real.

31. The wisdom-eye is signless and not fit for contemplating beings; the simile of the small child and the small stick; spoken for the sake of worldly truth. Question: If so, why are beings not seen with the wisdom-eye contained in the Buddha-eye? Answer: Because the wisdom-eye is signless and sharp—the wisdom-eye is always joined with emptiness, the signless, and non-action, and is not fit for contemplating beings. Why? The coming together of the five aggregates is provisionally named a being; it is like a small child, who may be whipped with a small stick but must not be given the large stick. Here the praise of the bodhisattva practising prajñā is spoken for the sake of worldly truth, not the truth of the highest meaning. The meaning of the simile is subtle: the provisionally named being cannot withstand the direct illumination of the wisdom-eye of ultimate emptiness, as a small child cannot withstand the large stick—illumined by it, the provisional name scatters and breaks down, and there is no 「眾生」 tr. "being" to be seen or kept in mind; to see, know, protect, and keep beings in mind, one must use the divine eye that works within worldly truth. Each eye has its use, and they do not overstep one another.

32. Though the future does not yet exist, noble wisdom can know and see it; within prajñā there is no discrimination of the three times. Question: The future world does not yet exist; even to know it by thought is hard, how much more to see it with the eye? Answer: Just as past dharmas, though ceased and without anything existent, can be remembered—past events, and all of one's former lives—through the power of recollection among the mind and mental-factor dharmas; so too the noble ones have the power of noble wisdom, and though a thing has not yet arisen they can know it and see it. Again, within this prajñā there is no discrimination of the three times, and future, past, and present are not different: if one sees the present, one should also see the past and future; if one does not see the past and future, one should also not see the present. Of the two answers one is shallow and one deep: the shallow answer uses the power of recollecting former lives as the example that establishes knowledge of the future; the deep answer goes straight to the equality of the three times in prajñā—the separation of the three times is set up by discrimination in the first place, and once discrimination has dissolved, seeing the present and seeing the future are one and the same unobstructed seeing.

33. The sinful people of the north in the age of the Dharma's end—why does the Buddha see, know, and keep them in mind? Great compassion's love penetrating to the marrow; that they can have faith in an evil age is what is hard. Question: The beings of the north in the age of the Dharma's end have not exhausted their outflows and fetters; they are sinful and evil people—why does the Buddha see, know, and keep them in mind? Answer: The mark of the Buddha's great compassion is a love that penetrates to the bone and marrow; these bodhisattvas can arouse the mind of the unsurpassed path for the sake of beings; the Buddha sees that this Dharma will blaze at the very end, and that after my nirvāṇa these people will help the Buddha's Dharma—therefore he keeps them in mind and knows them. Again, the people of the north at the end are born in a border land in an evil age, where the three poisons blaze, in the midst of the kalpa of swords and weapons, and the worthy and noble are rare; these people do not of themselves know the causes and conditions of sinful and meritorious karma, yet merely hearing from others, or reading the sūtras, they can believe, delight, and make offerings, and quickly draw near to the unsurpassed path—this is what is hard! If, while the Buddha was in the world, one became an avaivartika and practised prajñā in faith, that would not be counted hard. The judgement of hard and easy overturns the view of pure and defiled: faith in an evil age is worth more than realisation in a flourishing age—the reason the Buddha-eye rests especially on the practitioners of the age of the Dharma's end is precisely that it is hard for them.

34. Because the mark of faith and understanding is great, they can make offerings; the great result—never parting from the buddhas, like a small child not parting from its mother. Because these people's mark of faith and understanding is great, they can make offerings to prajñā; the things offered, flowers, incense, and so on, are as spoken before; by these offerings they gain a great result—just as those who disparage it receive great suffering and affliction, the two set against each other. As for the great result: as the srota-āpanna never falls into the three evil destinies, so too is this bodhisattva who with one mind has faith in, understands, and makes offerings to prajñā. Because he loves and keeps in mind the buddhas, and because he always practises the samādhi of recollecting the Buddha, he never parts from the buddhas; and once he reaches the ground of the avaivartika and teaches and transforms beings, there is no fault in his parting from the buddhas. It is like a small child not parting from its mother, for fear of falling into troubles. Because he always deeply loves and keeps in mind wholesome dharmas, up to awakening he never parts from the six perfections and the rest—he gains such a great result in this life and later lives. The simile of mother and child is cut with great precision: before reaching non-retrogression, one relies on the buddhas as a child relies on its mother; having reached the stage of non-retrogression, there is no fault in parting from the buddhas—reliance has its season; it is not a clinging forever.

35. After the Buddha's parinirvāṇa the deep prajñā will go to the south—those who write, uphold, read, and recite do not fall into the evil destinies, and gradually attain nirvāṇa by the three vehicles. The sūtra text turns to the record of its spreading: Śāriputra! After the Buddha's parinirvāṇa, this deep prajñā will go to the lands of the south, and there bhikṣus, bhikṣuṇīs, upāsakas, and upāsikās will write this deep prajñā, will receive and uphold, read, recite, reflect on, expound, rightly recollect, and practise it; because of the causes and conditions of these roots of goodness, they will never fall into the evil destinies, and will receive the pleasures among gods and humans; they will increase the six perfections, and make offerings to, revere, honour, and praise the buddhas; and gradually, by the vehicle of the śrāvakas, of the pratyekabuddhas, and of the Buddha, they will attain nirvāṇa. The four assemblies raised together and the seven things listed in full are the whole picture of upholding the Dharma after the extinction; the one sentence ‘gradually attain nirvāṇa by the three vehicles’ is especially broad—those whom prajñā delivers are not limited to one vehicle; according to the slowness or quickness of their faculties and natures, in the end all are delivered.

36. From the south it turns to the west—the four assemblies write and uphold it, and the result is as before. It records the second stage: this deep prajñā, from the south, will turn to the places of the west, and there bhikṣus, bhikṣuṇīs, upāsakas, and upāsikās will write this deep prajñā, will receive and uphold, read, recite, reflect on, expound, rightly recollect, and practise it; because of the causes and conditions of these roots of goodness, they will never fall into the evil destinies, and will receive the pleasures among gods and humans; they will increase the six perfections, and make offerings to, revere, honour, and praise the buddhas; and gradually, by the vehicle of the śrāvakas, of the pratyekabuddhas, and of the Buddha, they will attain nirvāṇa. The sūtra text repeats the whole sentence without omitting a single word—where the Dharma arrives, the result arrives with it: the place changes but the Dharma does not change, and the result does not change; the repeated sentence-pattern itself proclaims the equality of the benefit of prajñā, which neither increases nor decreases according to region.

37. From the west it turns to the north, and the north will do the work of the Buddha—when my Dharma flourishes, it has no mark of extinction; I see these people with the Buddha-eye. The third stage: from the west it will turn to the north, and there the four assemblies will write, uphold, read, recite, and so on up to practise it, and the result is as before. One more record is added: this deep prajñā—at that time the north will do the work of the Buddha. Why? When my Dharma flourishes, it has no mark of extinction. The Buddha says: I already keep in mind those who receive and uphold the deep prajñā and so on up to practise it, and also keep in mind those who can write it out, revere it, and make offerings to it; these people will never fall into the evil destinies, will receive the pleasures among gods and humans, will increase the six perfections, and will gradually attain nirvāṇa by the three vehicles. Why? I see these people with the Buddha-eye, and I also acclaim and praise them; the immeasurable, boundless, asaṃkhyeya buddhas of the ten directions also see these people with the Buddha-eye, and also acclaim and praise them. 「我法盛時，無有滅相」 tr. "When my Dharma flourishes, it has no mark of extinction"—the land of the age of the Dharma's end becomes instead the field of the work of the Buddha; this sentence is the greatest single guarantee the whole chapter gives to practitioners of the last age.

38. In a later time it will spread widely in the north; those who can write and uphold it long ago aroused the mind of the Great Vehicle. Śāriputra says to the Buddha: will this deep prajñā, in a later time, spread widely in the north? The Buddha says: Just so! Just so! In a later time it will spread widely in the north. He further records its people: in a later time in the north, if good men and good women hear this deep prajñā, and write it, receive and uphold, read, recite, reflect on, expound, rightly recollect it, and practise as it is taught, one should know that these people long ago aroused the mind of the Great Vehicle, have made offerings to many buddhas, have planted roots of goodness, and have long kept company with good friends. The record of its spreading widely and the way of recognising its people come out together: that the Dharma will spread widely is the effect; that the people who can uphold it have deep and long-standing affinities is the cause—those who uphold the sūtra in the last age should not slight themselves: to be able, in that time and that place, to meet this Dharma and uphold it is already proof of long cultivation.

39. Many seek the Buddha path; few hear the deep prajñā without sinking and without being startled; being of one mind and in harmony, Māra cannot spoil them. Śāriputra asks: in a later time in the north, how many good men and good women will write the deep prajñā and so on up to practise as it is taught? The Buddha answers: though there are many who seek the Buddha path, few hear this deep prajñā without sinking, without being startled, without being terrified, without being afraid. Why? These people have drawn near to and made offerings to many buddhas, and have often consulted the buddhas with questions; they will surely be able to fulfil the six perfections, the four foundations of mindfulness, and so on up to the eighteen unshared dharmas; because their roots of goodness are pure and thick they can benefit many beings. I now speak for these people the dharma that accords with sarvajñā, and the buddhas of the past also spoke for these people the dharma that accords with sarvajñā; because of these causes and conditions, in later births they go on to obtain the mind of awakening and also speak the dharma of awakening for others. These people are all of one mind and in harmony, and Māra or Māra's people cannot spoil their mind of awakening—how much less those of evil conduct who disparage! These people, hearing the deep prajñā, greatly gain the joy of the Dharma and the delight of the Dharma, and also establish many people in roots of goodness. Between the many and the few is drawn the true threshold of practising in faith; and the four words 「一心和合」 tr. "of one mind and in harmony" are the first line of defence of the Saṅgha against Māra.

40. The Buddha appeared in the east, and prajñā circles Jambudvīpa to the right—like the sun, the moon, and the five planets, like the constant rule of offerings. The treatise-author explains: 「佛滅度後，當至南方國土」 tr. "After the Buddha's passing into extinction, it will go to the lands of the south"—the Buddha appeared in the east, and there expounded prajñā, broke Māra and Māra's people and those of the outside paths, and delivered immeasurable beings, and afterward passed into extinction beneath the twin trees at Kuśinagara; later prajñā went from the east to the south. It is like the sun and moon, the five planets, and the twenty-eight lunar mansions, which constantly go from the east to the south, to the west, to the north, circling Mount Sumeru; and again like the constant rule of offerings, circling to the right, delivering the people of Jambudvīpa everywhere. For these causes and conditions, it goes from the east to the south and from the south to the west. The sūtra is explained with a double simile of the heavenly bodies and the rites: the turning of the Dharma is not a chance migration; it is a constant way like the sun and moon moving across the sky, and a way in accord with the Dharma like circling to the right in reverence—prajñā going once around Jambudvīpa is precisely delivering once all around.

41. The Buddha, with an unattached mind, is not fixed in one place, and prajñā too does not stay fixed in one place; two regions receive the result, and later it passes on to the north. As the Buddha, because his mind is unattached, is not fixed in one place, so too prajñā does not stay fixed in one place. From the west to the north: the beings of these two regions love to make offerings, to write, to read, and so on up to practise it, with flowers, incense, and so on up to banners and canopies, and they receive a great result, as said in the sūtra; later it passes on to the north. The result obtained here from offerings is as said above. 「不定住一處」 tr. "Does not stay fixed in one place" turns the mark of the spreading one level further: the Dharma is not tied to a place, as the Buddha is not tied to a location—prajñā is not carried off at people's invitation; it is an unattached Dharma that moves of itself in response to conditions; wherever there are the conditions of offering, writing, and upholding, there the Dharma appears.

42. The north will do the work of the Buddha—five hundred years after the Buddha's extinction, both kinds of people, sharp and dull, will over a long, long time all be delivered. 「北方當作佛事」 tr. "The north will do the work of the Buddha"—here the causes and conditions are spoken: while the Buddha was present he could cut off the doubts of the assembly, the Buddha's Dharma flourished, and there was no fear of the Dharma's extinction; five hundred years after the Buddha's extinction, the true Dharma gradually dies out, and at that time the work of the Buddha grows harder. At that time those of sharp faculties read, recite, and rightly recollect, and also make offerings of flowers and incense; those of dull faculties write it out and make offerings of flowers, incense, and so on—these two kinds of people will over a long, long time all be delivered, and therefore it is said that it will do the work of the Buddha. Here the meaning of the work of the Buddha is widened: at the time the true Dharma gradually dies out, reading and reciting, writing out, recollecting, and flowers and incense—the sharp and the dull each doing their part—are all the work of the Buddha; in the age of the Dharma's end there is no small practice: all who turn toward prajñā will over a long, long time be delivered.

43. It spreads widely because the north of Jambudvīpa is broad; because the snowy mountains are cold, the three poisons cannot greatly arise, and the five faculties gain strength. The Buddha says: these good men and good women, I and the buddhas of the ten directions all see with the Buddha-eye, and keep in mind, know, and praise. Śāriputra says to the Buddha: will this deep prajñā spread widely in the north? The treatise-author explains 「廣行」 tr. "spread widely": because the north of Jambudvīpa is broad and great. Again, in the land of the north there are the snowy mountains; because the snowy mountains are cold, the medicinal herbs can kill all poisons; in the rice and grain that people eat, the three poisons cannot greatly arise; because the three poisons cannot greatly arise, beings are pliant, and the five faculties beginning with faith all gain strength—for causes and conditions such as these, prajñā is much practised in the north. When these people hear the deep prajñā, write and uphold it, and so on up to practise as it is taught, one should know that these people long ago aroused the intention of the Great Vehicle, have made offerings to many buddhas, planted roots of goodness, and kept company with good friends, and so in an evil age they can write, uphold, believe, receive, and so on up to practise as it is taught. The account of water and soil is not abstract talk: body and mind depend on each other, and the arising of the three poisons also borrows outer conditions—where the conditions of the environment are pliant, the five faculties easily gain strength; this is the principle of the dependent recompense aiding the direct recompense.

44. Few have minds that penetrate without being startled or sinking; drawing near to the buddhas, questioning and challenging about prajñā, fulfilling the six perfections and the thirty-seven limbs of the path. Śāriputra asks how many people in the north can write, read, recite, and so on up to practise as it is taught. The Buddha answers: this deep prajñā is hard to know and hard to practise; though many people arouse the mind of the unsurpassed path and gain the name of bodhisattva, few hear this prajñā with a mind that penetrates it, without being startled, without sinking. The mark of a mind that penetrates without being startled or terrified the Buddha himself speaks of: these people have drawn near to many buddhas—through immeasurable ages they have always seen the buddhas and revered them and made offerings; as for 「問難」 tr. "questioning and challenging", asking directly about a matter is questioning, and when the doubting mind is not resolved, asking again in all kinds of ways is called challenging—these people, life after life, have questioned and challenged the buddhas about the matters of prajñā. Though the fruit of these people's merit is not yet complete, one should know that they fulfil the six perfections, the thirty-seven limbs of the path, and so on up to the eighteen unshared dharmas. The gloss on 「問難」 tr. "questioning and challenging" is most worth taking as a model: to doubt and not ask is to mislead oneself; to ask and not get to the bottom is to deceive oneself—only by questioning and challenging life after life does one question out a faith that is not startled and does not sink.

45. Because their merit is pure and ripe they benefit many beings; as when one lamp is lit, one from another they are all lit. Because this merit is pure and ripe they benefit many beings: because of the causes and conditions of dānapāramitā and śīlapāramitā, they are born into rich and noble families, and practise giving themselves and teach others to give; because of the causes and conditions of kṣāntipāramitā and dhyānapāramitā, they cause immeasurable beings to leave home, receive the precepts, and arouse the mind of anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi. Here the Buddha speaks of the causes and conditions: these people heard from me and from the buddhas of the past the Great Vehicle Dharma that accords with sarvajñā, and therefore in later births they do not lose this mind; these people also teach and transform others, speaking of such matters—as when one lamp is lit, one from another they are all lit. The simile of the lamp gathers in the whole meaning of the teacher's transmission: one lamp lights a hundred lamps, light upon light without end, and the first lamp is not diminished—the hearer of the Dharma turns into a speaker of the Dharma, and the life of the true Dharma rests entirely on this one 「展轉」 tr. "one from another".

46. Because their afflictions are thin they are of one mind and in harmony, and Māra finds no opening; evil conduct that is not evil, like a noble one not yet free of desire. These people's afflictions are thin; because they are without stinginess and greed, jealousy, and hatred, they do not slander one another, and are always of one mind and in harmony, and therefore Māra or Māra's people cannot spoil them. If a person has even a little flaw, Māra gets his opening, like a person with a sore receiving poison. Māra, the lord of the desire realm, still cannot spoil them—how much less people of evil conduct! Or there are people of evil conduct who are not evil, like a noble one not yet free of desire; for this reason it is said: people of evil conduct who disparage prajñā are precisely ruining bodhisattvas. The simile of the sore and the poison admonishes to the utmost: the poison does not choose the person; it chooses the sore to enter—Māra's getting an opening lies not in Māra's strength, but in the gap of one's own afflictions. And the distinction 「惡行而非惡」 tr. "evil conduct that is not evil" is most fair and forgiving: seeing that someone's traces of conduct are lacking, one may not at once judge the person—the judgement lies in whether or not he disparages prajñā, not in the marks of his traces.

47. Loving the Buddha's Dharma and deeply attached to the real Dharma; because they gain the mind of great kindness and great compassion, according to beings' strength they lead them into prajñā. Again, these good men and good women, for immeasurable ages, have loved the Buddha's Dharma and been deeply attached to the real Dharma; because their power of faith and power of wisdom are great, they hear the deep prajñā; because they gain the mind of great kindness and great compassion, according to beings' strength they lead them into the deep prajñā, or lead them to gain the causes and conditions of prajñā—namely giving, keeping the precepts, and the other roots of goodness. 「為阿耨多羅三藐三菩提故」 tr. "For the sake of anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi" means that these people, because they seek the unsurpassed path, teach others to abide in roots of goodness and merit. The method of delivering people lies in the four words 「隨眾生力」 tr. "according to beings' strength": those whose strength can bear entering the deep are led straight into prajñā; those whose strength cannot yet bear it are first given the conditions of giving and keeping the precepts—the causes and conditions of prajñā are also of prajñā's household, and in receiving and guiding no one is abandoned.

48. Before me and before the buddhas of the past they made the vow to deliver countless beings; I know their minds, and I too rejoice. The sūtra text goes on to record their original vow: these good men and good women made a vow before me—when I practise the bodhisattva path, I will deliver countless hundreds of thousands of ten-thousands of koṭi of beings, causing them to arouse the mind of anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi, showing, teaching, benefiting, and gladdening them, up to receiving the prediction at the ground of the avaivartika; I know their minds, and I too rejoice. These people also made such vows before the buddhas of the past, and the buddhas of the past also knew their minds and rejoiced. The vow is made before the Buddha, and the Buddha knows it and rejoices—a vow is not a soliloquy; it is a promise with a witness; today's ability to uphold and practise is the redemption of the vow of long ago, and the rejoicing of the buddhas of the three times follows it all the way.

49. The mind is great, what is received is great, great giving, a great result; taking on a body to gather beings, and vowing to be born before the buddhas of other quarters. The Buddha says: what these good men and good women do is done with a great mind, the form, sound, smell, taste, touch, and dharmas they receive are also great, and they can also give greatly; having given greatly, they plant great roots of goodness; having planted great roots of goodness, they gain a great result. In order to gather beings they take on a body, and among beings they can give away all their possessions, inner and outer. Because of the causes and conditions of these roots of goodness, they vow to be born in the worlds of other quarters where the buddhas presently expound the deep prajñā; having heard this deep prajñā before the buddhas, there too they show, teach, benefit, and gladden hundreds of thousands of ten-thousands of koṭi of beings, causing them to arouse the mind of awakening. The six words 「大」 tr. "great" give rise to one another step by step: because the mind is great, what is received is great; because what is received is great, the giving is great; because the giving is great, the roots are great and the result is great—and the use of the result lies not in enjoying it oneself, but in taking on a body to gather beings, being reborn before the buddhas, and in turn transforming hundreds of thousands of ten-thousands of koṭi of people.

50. There is no dharma of the three times the Buddha does not know; of those who diligently seek the six perfections, some obtain and some do not. Śāriputra says to the Buddha: Rare! World-Honored One! Among dharmas of the past, future, and present there is no dharma the Buddha does not know, no mark of dharmas known that he does not know, no matter of beings' conduct that he does not know; he fully knows the past buddhas and bodhisattvas and śrāvakas, and also knows the bodhisattvas and śrāvakas in the worlds of the buddhas presently in the ten directions, and also knows the future buddhas, bodhisattvas, and śrāvakas. World-Honored One! In the future world there will be good men and good women who diligently seek the six perfections, receive and uphold them, read, recite, and so on up to practise them—will some obtain them and some not obtain them? The Buddha tells Śāriputra: if with one mind, with vigour, they diligently seek, they will obtain the sūtras that accord with the six perfections. Śāriputra asks again: practising diligently in this way, will they obtain these deep sūtras that accord with the six perfections? The praise of his wisdom and the question are linked: precisely because the Buddha knows the three times everywhere, the question about obtaining the Dharma in the future has something to rest on—what is asked is whether the sūtra-scrolls are obtained or lost; what is at stake is whether the life of wisdom survives or perishes.

51. The record of obtaining the deep sūtras that accord with the six perfections—turning to a later body, they obtain them easily, up to attaining anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi. The Buddha says to Śāriputra: these good men and good women will obtain these deep sūtras that accord with the six perfections. Why? These people, for the sake of anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi, expound the Dharma to beings, showing, teaching, benefiting, and gladdening them, causing them to abide in the six perfections; because of these causes and conditions, turning to a later body they easily obtain the deep sūtras that accord with the six perfections; having obtained them, they practise as the six perfections teach, with vigour and diligence and without rest, up to purifying buddha-worlds, bringing beings to maturity, and attaining anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi. The cause of obtaining the sūtras is expounding the Dharma to others: one who gives the Dharma to others has the Dharma given back to him—that he easily obtains the deep sūtras in a later body is not a chance stroke of fortune; it is the natural return of the karmic power of the gift of Dharma.

52. The Buddha and the buddhas of the past rejoice because they know their minds are great; the difference between those of great mind and those who practise mixed merit. The treatise-author explains: the Buddha says that good men and good women made vows before me and before the buddhas of the past, and that I and the buddhas of the past know that these good men have great minds and can accomplish something, and therefore rejoice. When these people hear that the Buddha knows their minds, they give rise to joy, recall to themselves the making of their vows in the past, and redouble their vigour. As for 「大心」 tr. "the great mind": the minds of all beings delight in taking the six sense-objects as their objects; there are people who practise mixed merit—when making merit their minds give rise to doubt and regret, and though the result of this merit brings wealth and rank, they cannot use it well and cannot give it to others, and because of the causes and conditions of sinful karma their faculties are dark and dull and do not distinguish fine from ugly. The sickness of mixed merit lies in the one word 「悔」 tr. "regret": giving and doubting and regretting, the result is discounted—being rich and unable to use it or give it away is precisely the shadow of that one thought of doubt and regret at the beginning.

53. Because of pure merit they can use it as they like and give as they wish; not seeking worldly pleasure, they vow to be born before the buddhas of the present. While these good men have not yet attained the path, because of pure merit they gain the finest and most wondrous five desires, and can also use them as they like and give them away as they wish—whether giving to the poor and needy or planting in fields of merit. If they meet a good friend and hear the Buddha's Dharma, the mind of desire comes to rest, they pity beings, and for the sake of awakening they give away all their possessions, inner and outer, grudging nothing; if they keep the precepts, they practise the ten wholesome paths everywhere, are complete in the rules of conduct of the precepts, and practise them together with a mind of kindness and compassion; the other wholesome dharmas are likewise, all practised by themselves with a deep mind, and they guide others to practise the wholesome path. Because of the causes and conditions of this merit, they do not seek worldly pleasure—the places of wealth and rank of heavenly kings and human kings; hearing that there is a place of a present buddha, they vow to go and be born there. This bodhisattva, because he knows the real mark of all dharmas, does not delight in birth; if it is for the sake of beings, he is born before the buddhas of the ten directions; he hears the deep prajñā, and having heard it, there he opens and transforms immeasurable hundreds of thousands of beings to arouse the mind of the unsurpassed path. 「不樂生」 tr. "Does not delight in birth" and ‘vows to be born’ are in one and the same person: he is weary of taking birth within birth and death, and vows to take birth in order to deliver beings—whether to take or refuse birth rests wholly on whether it is for oneself or for beings.

54. Śāriputra praises the Buddha's omniscience—from suchness, the nature of dharmas, and the limit of reality, there is nothing he does not know. Śāriputra, who does not have omniscience, hearing of the vows and practices of the bodhisattvas of the three times, gives rise to a mind of wonder and says to the Buddha: World-Honored One! Among the three times there is no dharma the Buddha does not know; from suchness, the nature of dharmas, and the limit of reality, there is nothing he does not know; the karma that beings' minds perform, and the causes and conditions of their results—there is no matter he does not know; from the buddhas presently in the ten directions, and the buddhas of the past and future worlds, together with their worlds, disciples, and what they practise—he knows them all everywhere. The Buddha's omniscience—its power is very great and inconceivable! The treatise-author expressly marks 「舍利弗無一切智」 tr. "Śāriputra does not have omniscience"—the śrāvaka foremost in wisdom, before the Buddha's wisdom, still stands in the position of looking up in praise; the measure of omniscience is not the śrāvaka's wisdom enlarged; it is another realm, illumining the three times directly from suchness, the nature of dharmas, and the limit of reality.

55. Why, seeking prajñā alike, some obtain and some do not; a good mind within, and the protection and help of the buddhas and the gods from outside; asking again about the deep sūtras. Śāriputra's thought is: all alike are renunciants who together seek prajñā—why do some obtain it and some not? The Buddha answers: if this bodhisattva always seeks the six perfections with one mind, not sparing body or life, this person has a good mind within, and from outside is protected and helped by the buddhas, the bodhisattvas, and the gods. Śāriputra's thought: though he is vigorous, the Buddha is not in the world and the power of Māra is great—how is this bodhisattva to obtain this deep sūtra of prajñā? Therefore he asks again: will they obtain these deep sūtras that accord with the six perfections? The judgement of obtaining or losing lies not in the richness or poverty of outer conditions but in the purity or mixture of the seeking mind: between one mind and sparing one's life lies the gap between obtaining and not obtaining—once the mind within is pure, protection without gathers of itself; this is of a piece, head to tail, with the main line of the whole unit, ‘roots of goodness within, the Buddha's protection without’.

56. The causes and conditions of obtaining them—expounding the Dharma for beings, by the fruit of that karma they easily obtain them in a turned body; begrudging the Dharma, one is born in a border land. The Buddha says: they will obtain them. Here are spoken the causes and conditions of obtaining: good men and good women, for the sake of the unsurpassed path, expound the Dharma for beings, showing, teaching, benefiting, and gladdening them, causing them to abide in the six perfections and opening the Buddha path; by the fruit of this karma, turning to another body they easily obtain the deep sūtras that accord with the six perfections; if they obtain them, they can quickly receive and uphold them and so on up to practise as it is taught, vigorous and not giving up, never parting from them life after life; by the result of the six perfections they purify buddha-worlds and bring beings to maturity, up to the unsurpassed path. If one begrudges the Dharma, one is ever born in a border land where there is no Buddha-dharma. The whole fascicle ends with one cool sentence: one who gives the Dharma obtains the Dharma life after life; one who begrudges the Dharma loses the Dharma life after life—a border land where there is no Buddha-dharma is no one's punishment; it is a boundary drawn by one's own karma of begrudging the Dharma; the chapter praising practice in faith ends by urging people on with the gift of Dharma.

Do Not Misread

Do not read ‘knowing that form is inconceivable, one cannot be full in prajñā’ as forbidding one to take in the understanding of the inconceivable. The Buddha himself first says that form and so on up to omniscience of all kinds are inconceivable, and therefore what is spoken is inconceivable—taking in the understanding is without fault; the sickness lies in 「住」 tr. "abiding" and 「取相」 tr. "grasping at marks": gripping the inconceivable as a realm one can set a foot on, conceiving comes back to life. To praise it is allowed; to abide in it is not.

Do not read 「皆是佛力」 tr. "it is all by the Buddha's power" as saying that the practitioner has no achievement of his own and only waits for the blessing to be added. The sūtra text holds both ends together: within, having long practised the six perfections, planted roots of goodness, drawn near to the buddhas, and followed good friends; from outside, the buddhas protecting and keeping in mind. The treatise-author says plainly that the bodhisattva, 「得其氣分故，魔不能壞」 tr. "because he has gained a share of its breath, Māra cannot ruin him"—one first touches the power of prajñā oneself, and then the Buddha's protection has something to act upon; keeping the buddhas' power in mind is not relying on oneself, not failing to practise oneself.

Do not read the Buddha's seeing beings with the Buddha-eye as saying that beings really exist, contradicting the emptiness of beings. The treatise-author judges it clearly: beings are false with respect to nirvāṇa; it is not that what is seen in the world is false; the Buddha sees beings and praises the bodhisattva by worldly truth, not the truth of the highest meaning. The wisdom-eye is not fit for contemplating beings; only the divine eye contained in the Buddha-eye sees them—each of the five eyes has its own charge, and one may not cling to one eye to challenge another.

Do not read prajñā's turning south, west, and north, and the north doing the work of the Buddha, as saying that regions are superior or inferior, or that the Dharma picks and chooses. The treatise-author explains this as a constant way like the sun and moon circling to the right, moving according to the conditions of offering, writing, and upholding; the flourishing of the north rests on the dependent arising of the snowy mountains, water, and soil causing the three poisons not to arise greatly and the five faculties to gain strength—not on the people of the north being uniquely superior in nature. In the sūtra text the result in the three regions of south, west, and north is entirely the same—the Dharma shows no partiality.

Do not read 「終不墮惡道」 tr. "never fall into the evil destinies" and 「終不遠離諸佛」 tr. "never part from the buddhas" as a protective charm guaranteed by holding the scroll. The result is tied to the causes and conditions of writing, upholding, reading, reciting, rightly recollecting, practising as it is taught, and the roots of goodness of offering; and the treatise-author says plainly that where there is even a little flaw Māra gets his opening, like a sore receiving poison—the guarantee lies in practice and upholding without a gap, not in having the scroll in hand.

Do not read the judgement on 「惡行人毀呰般若」 tr. "people of evil conduct who disparage prajñā" backwards, as saying that all whose traces of conduct are lacking belong to Māra's party. The treatise-author expressly sets up a distinction: or there are people of evil conduct who are not evil, like a noble one not yet free of desire—people are judged by their faith in or disparagement of prajñā, not by the marks of their traces at one time; using this judgement to admonish oneself is right; using it to slight others loses its intent.

Bearing on Practice

Take ‘seeing no increase or decrease’ to examine your own attitude in practice. When effort gains a little strength you feel the Dharma is increasing, and when circumstances turn against you, you feel the path is decreasing—this view of increase and decrease is precisely where you are not full. Keep in mind that even the ten grounds and sitting at the seat of awakening are like a dream, like an illusion, neither increasing nor decreasing: put the feelings of advance and retreat, gain and loss, back into ultimate emptiness, and your effort will have a lasting flavour.

Take 「日月年歲不久，能如是行，是名久」 tr. "though the days, months, and years are not long, one who can practise thus is called long" to encourage yourself and also to warn yourself. As encouragement: if you came to the Buddha's teaching late, do not give up on yourself—long is not reckoned in years; as warning: having only seniority in years while discriminating as before, you may not be called long. Each year ask yourself: my mind that discriminates among dharmas—how much lighter is it now than in years past?

Take ‘write quickly and cultivate quickly’ to cure procrastination. The human body is impermanent, conditioned dharmas cannot be trusted, and hindrances arise in plenty—what you can write today, write; what you can recite, recite; what you can practise, practise; do not lean on days to come. You can set yourself a course with a deadline: what can be accomplished in a month, accomplish diligently, without abandoning it midway.

Take the admonition about Māra taking the form of a śramaṇa to train the eye that discerns the Dharma. When you hear someone say ‘because it is empty there is no sin or merit’ or ‘because it is empty one may take nirvāṇa at once’, however venerable his appearance, know that it is speech that ruins right recollection—those who use emptiness to brush away cause and effect, or use emptiness to abandon practice, are none of them the right meaning of prajñā. Discern the Dharma, not the appearance; this passage is a mirror that shows up demons.

Take 「一心和合」 tr. "of one mind and in harmony" to guard your own place of practice. Where Māra gets his opening is in slander and rifts, as poison enters a sore; when fellow practitioners do not slander one another and are always of one mind and in harmony, Māra's people have nowhere to lay a hand. When there is a rift between you and a fellow practitioner, remember that this is opening a sore to the poison—harmony is not a matter of social courtesy; it is the city wall against Māra.

Take 「問難」 tr. "questioning and challenging" as the way to draw near to a good friend. Ask directly about the matter, and when the doubting mind is not resolved, ask again in all kinds of ways—only by questioning and challenging about the matters of prajñā life after life is a faith formed that is not startled and does not sink. To have doubts on hearing the Dharma and not ask is to leave yourself the root of fear; to ask until you reach the bottom is the true drawing near of making offerings to the buddhas.

Take ‘begrudging the Dharma, one is born in a border land’ to examine your own giving of the Dharma. When the Dharma you know meets someone able to hear it and you grudge giving it, the karma of that is to be far from the Buddha's Dharma life after life; expounding the Dharma to others, showing, teaching, benefiting, and gladdening, has as its result the easy obtaining of the deep sūtras in a later body. Whenever someone asks you about the Dharma, remember the simile of one lamp lighting a hundred lamps—giving to others is giving to oneself.

Further Resonances

What the Last Part carries on from the First Part is a single line: turning the virtue of faith into the road of practice, and then handing the road of practice over to an evil age. The First Part established the source of faith: those who hear prajñā and can have faith all owe it to having made offerings to the buddhas in former lives and having long practised the six perfections; to worship prajñā is to worship omniscience; only not abiding in form and the rest is training; very deep, hard to fathom, and immeasurable, and yet only not practising the very deep is practising prajñā; those who have newly aroused intent are startled and terrified, while those of long practice do not sink; the four similes establish the prior signs of receiving the prediction, and the good entrusting, the four means of gathering, and the ten wholesome paths gather up its conduct. The Last Part first carries the measure of faith to its utmost: only seeing no increase or decrease, and not discriminating dharma and non-dharma, mark and nature, is called full; the inconceivable, too, may not be abided in; long practice is not reckoned by years but by not discriminating; the heap of precious treasure and the heap of purity—cause and effect spoken of together, and ultimately without stain. Then it faces the evil age head-on: because precious treasure draws bandits, hindrances must be many; Māra's people and evil ghosts ruin the writing, ruin the reciting, ruin the expounding, ruin right recollection; yet the great can break the small, the power of the true wisdom of prajñā is very great, and the power of Śākyamuni Buddha and of the buddhas presently in the ten directions is its protection from without—prajñā is the mother of the buddhas of the ten directions; when someone wishes to ruin it, they cannot but protect it; the divine eye contained in the Buddha-eye sees the beings of the three times, seeing by worldly truth and not by the highest meaning; that sinful people in the age of the Dharma's end can believe, delight, and make offerings is what is hard, and so the Buddha, in great compassion, keeps them in mind and knows them. After the extinction prajñā turns south, turns west, turns north, like the sun and moon circling Sumeru to the right; the conditions of the snowy mountains of the north let the five faculties gain strength; both kinds of people, sharp and dull, will over a long, long time all be delivered; when my Dharma flourishes, it has no mark of extinction; those who can uphold it are few, yet these people long ago aroused the mind of the Great Vehicle; being of one mind and in harmony, Māra cannot spoil them, as when one lamp is lit, one from another they are all lit. At the end it traces back their original vow: before the buddhas of the three times they vowed to deliver countless beings; great mind, great giving, great result, vowing to be born before the buddhas of other quarters; those who diligently seek with one mind and with vigour will obtain the deep sūtras that accord with the six perfections; those who expound the Dharma for beings easily obtain them in a turned body; those who begrudge the Dharma are born in a border land. From the head of the chapter to its end, the three Chinese characters 「歎信行」 tr. "praise of practising in faith" here reach their full weight: the First Part praises that the people who can have faith have a source from which they come; the Last Part praises that the Dharma of practising in faith has a place to which it goes—within, fullness is completed by not discriminating; without, its not being ruined is secured by the protecting mindfulness of the buddhas; it spreads through three regions and the work of the Buddha does not cease; where faith reaches, where practice reaches, there reaches the light of the buddhas' eyes.