大乘莊嚴經論 二利品

Benefiting others and benefiting oneself turn out to be one and the same thing

Once the mind of awakening has been aroused, what comes next? This chapter answers without hesitation: go and benefit sentient beings.

But someone may ask: whom does one look after first — oneself, or others? For the bodhisattva there is no such riddle here. For in his heart he has long since seen self and other as equal — indeed, he loves and guards others even more than he loves himself; and this being so, "benefiting others" simply is "benefiting oneself," so how could they be pulled apart into two separate things?

More moving still is a single reversal: the one who seeks only his own pleasure often fails to gain it and falls instead into suffering; the bodhisattva, on the contrary, makes no reckoning for himself and single-mindedly gladdens others — and in the end the good of self and of other is fulfilled all at once, and what he gains is the greatest ease. Exchange "for myself" for "for sentient beings," and one's own share of joy is not lost — it is brought to fulfillment within the benefiting of others.

This, then, is the first step underfoot after arousing the mind. Follow this chapter, and watch how the bodhisattva walks "for the other" into "for oneself."

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Having spoken of arousing the mind, the text next speaks of practicing, in accord with that arousing of the mind, the conduct that benefits both oneself and others.

The great reliance and the great practice, the great fruit — expounded in order — the great taking-in and the great endurance, the great aim: three matters, accomplished.

First, the three matters of "reliance, practice, and fruit," each in its greatness: the great reliance — arousing the mind while relying on great awakening (大菩提, mahābodhi); the great practice — setting out in action for the benefit of oneself and others; the great fruit — causing [beings] to attain supreme awakening. This is their order. Then, from another side, the accomplishing of these three matters: the great taking-in — at the time of arousing the mind, gathering in all sentient beings; the great endurance — at the time of setting out in action, enduring every great suffering; the great aim — at the time of attaining the fruit, the work of benefiting all sentient beings far and wide is accomplished. Having stated the order, the text next states that there is no difference between self-benefit and benefit-of-others.

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Other and self equal in mind, yet love inclines toward the other as more: since there is this mark of "more," what difference is there in the twofold benefit?

The bodhisattva attains an equality of mind toward other and self — attained either through faith (namely, at the time of arousing the mind on the conventional level) or through knowledge (namely, at the time of arousing the mind on the level of ultimate meaning). Yet, though he has this equal mind, he loves the other's body more than his own. Since he holds toward others such a "mark of more" (regarding them as weightier than himself), he no longer discriminates which is self-benefit and which is benefit-of-others — the two being without difference. Having stated their non-difference, the text next states that benefit-of-others is the more excellent.

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In the world he has no bond of enmity; benefiting others, he ever takes suffering on himself; the nature of compassion arises of itself — therefore benefit-of-others is the more excellent.

The bodhisattva has long since cut off, throughout the worlds, every bond of enmity; therefore he ever undergoes all manner of toil upon himself in order to accomplish the benefit of others — for this arises of itself from his having great compassion (大悲, mahākaruṇā) as his very substance. By this principle, then, benefit-of-others is the more excellent. Question: This benefit-of-others — how does it accord [with beings]?

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By right teaching he turns them toward it, and makes them enter, and makes them tractable, and makes them accomplished, and makes them abide, makes them awaken, makes them liberated; he gathers their merit and brings them to birth in the [Buddha-]family, gains them the prediction and the consecration, on to the attaining of the Tathāgata's knowledge — by these he benefits the throng of beings.

There are three kinds of sentient beings, namely those abiding in the lower, the middling, and the higher capacity. The bodhisattva gathers them in according to that in which they abide, by thirteen kinds of according [benefit — accord meaning: benefiting them as suits their capacity]:

1. Right teaching — by teaching in accord [with their capacity] and by discerning their minds;
2. Turning them toward it — by the power of supernormal ability;
3. Making them enter — once they have turned toward it, causing them to believe and accept the right teaching;
4. Making them tractable — once they have entered, cutting off their doubt;
5. Making them accomplished — by ripening their wholesome roots;
6. Making them abide — by instruction, causing their mind to settle;
7. Making them awaken — by causing them to attain wisdom;
8. Making them liberated — by causing them to attain the supernormal powers and other excellent qualities;
9. Gathering their merit — by causing them to amass merit and wisdom throughout;
10. Bringing them to birth in the [Buddha-]family — by causing them to be born into the family of the Buddha;
11. Gaining them the prediction — by [their] receiving the prediction [of awakening] on the eighth ground;
12. Gaining them the consecration — by [their] receiving the consecration on the tenth ground;
13. Attaining the Tathāgata's knowledge — by [their] entering the ground of Buddhahood.

Question: This according [with beings] — how is it made firm (how is it done without deviation or failure)?

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Not distorted and not haughty, unattached and penetrating, able to endure and pliant-tractable, going far and inexhaustible: know that these eight principles accomplish those thirteen.

By eight qualities the thirteen kinds of according [benefit] stated above are accomplished:

1. Not distorted — since the other already abides in a certain capacity, [the bodhisattva] teaches according to that disposition and does not falsely impart what is unfitting;
2. Not haughty — when turning the other toward it, he does not, presuming upon his supernormal ability, exalt himself;
3. Unattached — when causing the other to enter the right Dharma, he is not defiled by [attachment to] sentient beings;
4. Penetrating — he cuts through the other's net of doubt;
5. Able to endure — he can ripen the other well;
6. Pliant-tractable — he instructs by way of according [with them], not by way of unsubdued instruction;
7. Going far — in such matters as [bringing them to] birth in the [Buddha-]family and the rest, he is willing to go far off [to reach them], causing them to be able to accomplish [it];
8. Inexhaustible — in benefiting sentient beings, his vow is inexhaustible at all times.

This is what is called their accomplishing; so it should be known. Question: This according [with beings] — how does it excel in its distinctions (as against the world and the two vehicles)?

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Those given to desire, greatly to be feared; those with existence-craving, unsteady and distorted; those who delight in cessation, cutting off the afflictions; the greatly compassionate, seeking the Buddha-Dharma.

The commentary sets four kinds [of people] in contrast:

• Those given to desire (the people of the desire realm): greatly to be feared — for their suffering of body and mind is much, and they tend toward the evil destinies.
• Those with existence-craving (the people of the form and formless realms): unsteady and distorted — for what they delight in is impermanent, hence "unsteady"; and there is the suffering-of-formations [in it], hence "distorted."
• Those who delight in cessation (the people who seek only self-benefit): cutting off the afflictions — for, held fast by the afflictions, their suffering is unending, so, in order to leave suffering, they cut off their own afflictions and seek only their own quiescence.
• The greatly compassionate (the people who benefit others): seeking the Buddha-Dharma — this person ever seeks all the Buddha-Dharma, for the sake of benefiting all sentient beings.

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The world seeks its own pleasure — gaining no pleasure, but ever the utmost suffering; the bodhisattva diligently gladdens others, and the twofold benefit becomes the highest pleasure.

The deluded of the world ever seek their own pleasure, yet gain no pleasure — on the contrary, they gain the utmost suffering. The bodhisattva is not so: he ever exerts himself to gladden others, and thereby the twofold benefit is accomplished, and he gains, furthermore, the pleasure of the foremost great nirvāṇa. This is the bodhisattva's excellent distinction in according [with beings]. Having stated the according [benefit] of benefiting others, the text next turns this practice back over [dedicates it] for [the sake of] sentient beings.

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Differing faculties in differing places, differing acts with differing conduct: whatsoever is done, he turns it back over for the benefit of sentient beings.

The bodhisattva's turning-back-over [dedication]: following the activity of the eye and the other faculties, the various places, and the various dignified deportments and acts of conduct performed, he benefits sentient beings. Whatever conduct there be, if it corresponds in its particulars or is even similar [to what benefits them], all of it he turns back over for all sentient beings — as is set forth at length in the Sūtra of Pure Conduct (《行清淨經》). Having stated the mind of turning-back-over, the text next blocks the mind that cannot endure.

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Sentient beings are not their own masters; they ever perform all kinds of evil deeds; because enduring them increases his compassion, he has neither vexation nor opposition.

Sentient beings, vexed by the afflictions, are not masters of their own minds, and therefore perform all kinds of evil deeds. The bodhisattva, by wisdom, ever gives rise toward them to great endurance and increases his great compassion; therefore, toward them, he gives rise to no vexed or resentful mind, nor does he wish to do anything that runs counter [to their good, that would harm them]. Having blocked the mind that cannot endure, the text next reveals the greatness of according [with beings].

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Surpassing-forth and quiescence, qualities and benefiting things: in order, relying on four aims, "greatness" is said to be of four kinds.

The bodhisattvas have four kinds of greatness in according [with beings]:

1. The greatness of surpassing-forth — surpassing forth from within the three existences [the three realms] and the five destinies. (As the Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra (《般若波羅蜜經》) says: "Subhūti! If form were an existent dharma and not a non-existent dharma, then this Mahāyāna could not surpass forth beyond all the gods, humans, and asuras of the world" — that is, it is precisely because [form's] emptiness is realized that it can surpass forth.)
2. The greatness of quiescence — heading toward the non-abiding nirvāṇa (無住處涅槃, apratiṣṭhita-nirvāṇa, abiding in neither birth-and-death nor nirvāṇa).
3. The greatness of qualities — for the two stores of merit and wisdom go on increasing.
4. The greatness of benefiting things — for he ever relies on great compassion and does not forsake sentient beings.

(Here the chapter on The Twofold Benefit ends.)

The Chapter on Arousing the Mind aroused the mind; now that mind must be brought down into "practice." The content of that practice, put in a single phrase, is the twofold benefit (二利) — benefit for oneself and benefit for others. The most moving eye of this chapter is this: in the bodhisattva, benefiting oneself and benefiting others are not two things at all. The chapter first states how the three things "support, practice, and fruit" are each "great," then states why self and other are not different and why benefiting others is the more excellent; next it teaches how to benefit others so that it truly reaches home (the thirteen kinds of according); and finally it turns out a truth of the utmost depth: the more one does not seek one's own joy but seeks only to bring joy to others, the more, on the contrary, one gains the great joy.

I. Support, practice, and fruit — three things, each great

Great support and great practice, and the great fruit, stated in order; great taking-up and great patience, and the great meaning — three things accomplished.

This whole round of the bodhisattva's benefiting-self-and-other practice is "great" from beginning to end. Looked at from the positive side of the three things — support, practice, and fruit: what he relies on is the great awakening (great support); what he practices is the benefit of self and other (great practice); the fruit he seeks is unsurpassed awakening (great fruit). Looked at again from the side of accomplishment: at the arousing of the mind he takes up all sentient beings (great taking-up); at the setting-out of practice he can bear all great suffering (great patience); at the gaining of the fruit he benefits all sentient beings on a vast scale (great meaning). The support is gained as great, the practice as great, the fruit as great — this is the bearing of the bodhisattva's practice, unlike that of the lesser path.

II. Self and other undivided: loving the other more than oneself

Other and self, the mind made equal; and yet the love toward the other is the greater — since it has such an excellent character, what difference is there in the twofold benefit?

The bodhisattva first gains a certain mind — the mind in which self and other are equal (gained either through faith, at the time of the arousing of the mind on the conventional level; or through wisdom, at the time of the arousing of the mind on the level of the ultimate truth). But here is the wonder of it: having gained equality, he yet loves and cares for others more than himself. Once he has toward others such a mind that "holds them heavier than himself," the very boundary line between benefiting oneself and benefiting others naturally melts away.

This can be felt through the left and right hands: when the right hand is injured, the left hand tends to it, and never first reckons "that is the right hand, it is not me" — within one body there was never any calculating of "self and other" in the first place. The bodhisattva sees sentient beings as one body with himself; benefiting others is just as the left hand tends the right — where, then, would there still be any dividing of "benefit for self" and "benefit for other"?

III. Why "benefiting others" is the more excellent

In the world he has no karma of enmity; benefiting them, he ever takes suffering on himself; a nature of compassion arises of itself — therefore benefiting others is the greater.

The treatise presses further: in the bodhisattva, "benefiting others" is especially excellent. Why? Because in this world he has long since cut off the karma of enmity (bearing no enmity toward anyone), and so he is always willing to take suffering upon himself in order to accomplish the benefit of others; and this willingness is not something forced or braced up — it arises of itself, having great compassion for its very substance. A giving that issues from one's own nature is naturally higher than a reckoning made for oneself. 〔exposition-borrowed simile〕 A later passage of this treatise realizes just this "of itself" precisely through the image of a dove sheltering its young: "As a dove toward its own young covers them over with the utmost love, so a person of compassion, toward beings, has love just so." The mother dove spreads her wings to cover the chicks, loving them most keenly — and none of this is a thing arrived at by calculation. The bodhisattva toward sentient beings "loves them into the very marrow of the bones… as though they were his one child"; and the willingness to take on suffering for their benefit is just like this — a tenderness welling up of itself out of the nature of compassion, not a reckoning braced up by force.

IV. How to benefit others so that it reaches home: the thirteen kinds of according

By good teaching he makes them turn toward it, makes them enter, and makes them ready; makes them ripen and makes them abide, makes them awaken, makes them liberated; the gathering of virtue and the birth into the family, the receiving of the prediction and the taking of the office, up to the accomplishing of the Tathāgata's knowledge — by these he benefits the multitude of beings.

Benefiting others is not a burst of enthusiasm laid on at random. The capacities of sentient beings fall into three grades — low, middle, and high — and the bodhisattva takes them up in accord with the capacity in which each abides — like a good physician who gives the medicine to fit the illness, like a good teacher who instructs according to the material. The prose commentary lists thirteen kinds of according, and they form exactly a stairway from the shallow to the deep: first good teaching (speaking the Dharma to fit the person), then making them turn toward it, making them enter (receiving in faith the right teaching), making them ready (cutting off their doubt), making them ripen (maturing their roots of good), making them abide (settling the mind), making them awaken (gaining wisdom), and making them liberated; then further up, the gathering of virtue (gathering merit and wisdom), the birth into the family (being born into the family of the buddhas), the receiving of the prediction (receiving the prediction on the eighth ground), the taking of the office (taking the office on the tenth ground), all the way to gaining the Tathāgata's knowledge (entering the ground of buddhahood).

These last three stages — "birth into the family · receiving of the prediction · taking of the office" — can be seen through the image of succession in a royal house: as a prince is born into the royal family (birth into the family), then gains the prediction as crown prince (receiving of the prediction), and at last takes the office of consecration (taking of the office) — step by step succeeding to the throne. This image is the one already set up in the Chapter on Taking Refuge — the likeness of "one like a prince, one like a great minister" (the child of the Buddha continuing and raising up the Buddha's lineage) — and the two may be seen together: the bodhisattva's entering the Buddha's family, receiving the prediction, and taking the office is just like a prince's succeeding to the great line, and in the end continuing and raising up the Buddha's lineage, succeeding to the Buddha's place.

From resolving one doubt for a person, to sending a person all the way to buddhahood — these thirteen stages are the whole course by which the bodhisattva "sends people all the way home."

Not distorted and not lifted up, unattached and also penetrating, able to bear and pliant, going far off and also inexhaustible — know that these eight meanings accomplish those thirteen.

And to walk these thirteen stages without leaning or losing the way, one leans on eight virtues to hold them up: not distorted (teaching the Dharma to fit the occasion, not conferring it at random); not lifted up (not exalting oneself on the strength of supernormal powers); unattached (delivering beings yet not being stained by attachment to beings); penetrating (able to cut off their doubt); able to bear (patiently maturing them); pliant (teaching in a gentle, accommodating way, not by force); going far off (willing to go far off to accomplish their good); and inexhaustible (the vow to benefit beings never running dry at any time). With these eight virtues laid beneath, benefiting others will not become a good intention that does harm.

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V. The four kinds of people — a mirror held up to the mind

One habituated to desire, greatly to be feared; one with craving-for-existence, wavering and toppled; one who delights in cessation, cutting off the afflictions; and the greatly compassionate, seeking the Buddha's Dharma.

The prose commentary sets out four kinds of people over against one another, like a stairway from the low to the high, and like a mirror held up to the mind:

• One habituated to desire (a person of the desire realm, chasing after desire) — "greatly to be feared": his suffering of body and mind is great, and he goes on toward the evil destinies — this is the most to be feared.
• One with craving-for-existence (a person born in the form or formless realm, attached to the joy of meditative absorption) — "wavering and toppled": the joy of absorption he craves is still impermanent, so the mind "wavers"; and beneath it there is still the suffering-of-formations, so it is seen as "toppled."
• One who delights in cessation (a person seeking only his own benefit) — "cutting off the afflictions": bound by the afflictions, his suffering does not cease, and so, in order to leave suffering, he cuts off his own afflictions and seeks only his own stillness (this is already world-transcending, yet it is still done for oneself).
• The greatly compassionate (a person who benefits others) — "seeking the Buddha's Dharma": he constantly seeks all the Buddha's Dharma, wholly in order to benefit all sentient beings.

Set the four in a row and their high and low stand plain: from chasing desire, to craving absorption, to seeking one's own stillness, to seeking the Dharma for the sake of beings — the measure of the heart grows greater layer by layer. The student may take up this mirror and look at himself, and see which stage he now stands on.

VI. A reversal: seeking one's own joy turns to suffering; joying others becomes the great joy

Worldly people seek their own joy — joyless, ever in extreme suffering; the bodhisattva diligently joys others — the twofold benefit becomes the highest joy.

This is the deepest reversal in the whole chapter. Worldly people, single-mindedly "seeking their own joy" — and the result? The joy is not to be had, and instead extreme suffering is gained. This can be felt through drinking salt water to quench thirst: a thirsty man goes to drink salt water — the more he drinks the thirstier, the thirstier the more he drinks, until at last the suffering is past bearing — to seek within "one's own joy" alone is just this cycle.

The bodhisattva goes the opposite way: single-mindedly "causing others to be joyful," and the result is that benefit-of-self and benefit-of-other are accomplished together, and further he gains the foremost joy of the great nirvāṇa. This is again like a single lamp: light it in order to shine on others, and its light is shared out among a hundred and a thousand, yet its own light is not diminished by a fraction — indeed, by shining so widely it appears the brighter. Turn "for myself" into "for sentient beings," and one's own joy is not only not lost but fulfilled within the benefiting of others — this is "the twofold benefit becomes the highest joy."

Differing faculties in differing places, differing acts with differing conduct — whatever is done at all, he dedicates it to the benefit of sentient beings.

Just because the twofold benefit is not-two, the bodhisattva dedicates everything to sentient beings: following the activity of the various faculties, the various places, the various kinds of bearing and deed and conduct — whatever is done at all, so long as it corresponds in its particulars or is even similar, all of it he dedicates to all sentient beings (as is set out at length in the Sūtra on the Purity of Practice). Here lies the wonder of dedication: an utterly ordinary deed, so long as it is done and dedicated with the mind of "for all sentient beings," becomes at that very moment a deed that benefits beings. Turn the mind once, and thing after thing is the bodhisattva path.

VII. Bearing beings' evil, and the greatness of "according"

Sentient beings are not their own masters, ever doing evil deeds; bearing with them increases compassion — so there is no vexation and no offense.

On the road of benefiting others, one cannot but meet with beings' evil. How is it to be borne? The treatise breaks open the crux: sentient beings are "not their own masters" — bound by the afflictions, their bodies not their own to command, and only so do they do evil deeds. Seeing clearly through this one layer, the bodhisattva toward them raises only great patience, only increases great compassion, and gives rise to no vexation, nor any wish to do a thing that harms them. This can be felt through delirium in illness: a man burning with fever and raving may strike out wildly at the one who nurses him, and the nurse holds no grudge — she knows that it is the illness, not the man. Beings doing evil are just like losing control in illness; the bodhisattva, like a kind physician, bears with their evil and pities their illness the more.

Surpassing-forth and stillness, virtue and the benefiting of beings — in order, resting on four meanings, greatness is said to be of four kinds.

At the last, the treatise closes with four kinds of "greatness of according": greatness of surpassing-forth (surpassing forth from the three existences and the five destinies — as the Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra shows: it is precisely by fully realizing that "form" is originally empty that the great vehicle can surpass forth beyond all the gods and men of the world); greatness of stillness (heading toward the non-abiding nirvāṇa, dwelling neither in birth-and-death nor in nirvāṇa); greatness of virtue (the two stores of merit and wisdom growing without cease); and greatness of benefiting beings (ever resting on great compassion, not forsaking sentient beings). Of the four, the one most worth keeping in mind is still that "non-abiding nirvāṇa" — able to realize nirvāṇa yet unwilling to enter it alone, dwelling long in birth-and-death for the sake of sentient beings: the practice of the twofold benefit comes down, in the end, to these two words — "not forsaking."

Conclusion: the twofold benefit was one thing all along

Seen whole, the Chapter on the Twofold Benefit says this: in the bodhisattva, benefiting oneself and benefiting others were one thing all along. Because he gains the equality of self and other and so loves others more than himself, benefiting others just is benefiting himself; with the thirteen kinds of according, he sends sentient beings all the way from the shallow to the deep, up to the ground of buddhahood; with the four kinds of people set over against one another, he marks out the high and low of the heart's measure; then with the one reversal — "seeking one's own joy turns to suffering, joying others becomes the great joy" — he lays bare the hollowness of "for oneself" and shows forth the substance of "for others"; and at the last, with great patience he contains beings' evil, and with the fourfold greatness of according he comes home to the non-abiding nirvāṇa and to compassion's "not forsaking."

To close in one phrase: turn "for myself" into "for sentient beings" — the benefit of self is not thereby lost; it is fulfilled within the benefit of others. The very first step of practice after the arousing of the mind is just this work of "the twofold benefit is not two."