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size of a thumb, or perhaps a mustard seed, or a speck of dust. What the Tathāgata explains the self to be is nothing like that. Therefore when I preach "dharmas are without self,

" in truth they are not without self.

So what is this self [of which I now speak]? If a dharma is true, real, permanent, autonomous, a basis, and its nature is immutable, then that is what I call self. Just like that great physician who correctly appreciated the [genuine] medicinal value of milk, for the sake of living beings the Tathāgata similarly expounds the presence of a true and real self in dharmas. This is how you four groups of followers should practice the dharma. 68

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Chapter One

Longevity: Part 3

The Buddha once again addressed the bhikṣus:

Whatever doubts you may have about monastic discipline, you should ask me now and I will explain things to bring you joy [in satisfying your concerns]. Having long since absorbed the fact that the original nature of all dharmas is empty, I thoroughly understand this. On the other hand, bhikṣus, do not say that the Tathāgata cultivates only the practice of emptiness as the original nature of dharmas.

Once again he spoke to the bhikṣus: "Whatever doubts you may have about the precepts, you should come forward and ask about them now. "

At that point some bhikṣus came forward and said:

World-Honored One, we do not have the wisdom to be able to ask a Tathāgata, One Worthy of Offerings, Perfectly Enlightened One. Why? Because the realm that the Tathāgata [inhabits] is inconceivable to us, the samādhis that the Tathāgata has are inconceivable to us, and the teachings that the Tathāgata explains are inconceivable to us. That is why we do not possess the wisdom that would enable us to ask the Tathāgata a question. World-Honored One, suppose, for example, there was a old man, one hundred and twenty years of age, who suffered from longstanding health problems and who was confined to bed, unable to get up from a prone position. His energy is depleted, his life nearly finished. At that time a wealthy person with some connection to this old man, who had wanted to visit for some time, finally appeared at his home. Handing over a hundred pounds of gold to the old man, he made this request: 69

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I have to go away and would like you to hold this gold for me. Could I ask you to return it to me when I come back, though it may be ten years or even twenty years before I return?

The old man agreed and accepted the gold. Yet he had no offspring, and it was not long before his illness deepened and his life ended. What had been entrusted to him then became utterly lost. When the owner of the gold finally returned, he looked for the gold but found nothing. This is an example of how an ignorant person may not know how to judge what can and cannot be safely entrusted to another, for after his return, search as he may, that owner could not find his gold. This is why he lost his wealth.

World-Honored One, we śrāvakas are in such a situation. Although we hear the Tathāgata's carefully crafted teachings and precepts, we are not entirely able to accept and maintain them, and thus we are unable to ensure that the dharma will remain over a long period of time, much like how that old man accepted what the other person had entrusted to him [but could not ensure its safekeeping for very long]. At this point we are so ignorant when it comes to monastic discipline, what could we possibly ask about? The Buddha said to the bhikṣus:

But if you were to ask me something now, it would be beneficial for all living beings. For that reason I instruct you to allow yourself the liberty to freely ask me about whatever it may be that you have doubts about. Then the monks did speak up, saying to the Buddha:

World-Honored One, this situation is also analogous to that of someone who is twenty-five years old, robust and sharp. He has a great deal of wealth in gold, silver, and vaiḍūryaprecious stones; his father, mother, wife, children, and his relatives are all alive and with him. Then someone comes and entrusts him with some jeweled valuables, explaining to this young man,

"Due to certain circumstances I need to go away. When those matters have finished, I will return and you can return these things to me then.

"

On that occasion the healthy young man [takes in] the valuables and proceeds to protect them as if they were his own possessions. But then, 70

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unexpectedly, he becomes ill, whereupon he turns to his family members and issues this order: "This gold and these jewels have been entrusted to me by someone else. If he comes looking for them, give them all back to him.

"

Thus does a wise person know well how to plan for such things. When someone goes away and then returns looking for what he left behind, he should be able to regain possession of it without any fear of loss. For the World-Honored One, it is also like this. For if you entrust the jewel of the dharma to Ānanda and the other bhikṣus, [we fear] it cannot abide for long. Why? Because without exception all śrāvakas, even [Ānanda and] Mahākāsyapa, are impermanent. It would be just like entrusting valuables to that old man who agreed to accept them. For this reason the unsurpassed dharma of the Buddha should be entrusted to the bodhisattvas. By means of their dialogic [culture of] "inquiry and reply" at which they are so adept, the jewel of the dharma under their care will abide through incalculable thousands of kalpas. And during that time it will surely grow and flourish, bringing benefit and comfort to living beings, just like that healthy [young] man who accepted the valuables from another [and made provisions for them to be kept beyond his own lifetime].

It is in this sense that we wonder how even great bodhisattvas could put forth questions to you. [In comparison,] our wisdom is analogous to that of a mosquito. How could we presume to be able to inquire about the profound teaching of the Tathāgata?

Then the śrāvakas became silent, remaining where they were. Then the Buddha praised the monks, saying:

Excellent, excellent. Well have you attained minds without contamination, the minds of arhats. I have also thought about the circumstances of these two groups and accordingly I take the Mahāyāna and entrust it to the bodhisattvas, enabling this wondrous teaching to remain in the world for a very long time.

He then spoke to all living beings:

Sons and daughters of good families, my life span cannot be measured, nor can the eloquence of my pleasant speech be exhausted. You should 71

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therefore feel free to seek clarification. Whether it is about the precepts or taking refuge, you should not hesitate to express even your second or third concerns.

At that time there was a bodhisattva-mahāsattva in the crowd, originally from the village of *Tāla. Known as Mahākāśyapa, he was a brahman and still young in years. Through the Buddha's special powers he rose from his seat, threw his robe over his right shoulder, and circumambulated the Buddha for a hundred thousand paces before kneeling before him, with his right knee on the ground, pressing his palms together, and speaking thus: "World-Honored One, I now have a few questions I would like to ask. If the Buddha permits, I would dare speak. "

The Buddha then said to Kāśyapa:

The Tathāgata has omniscient knowledge and knows that which you will ask. I will expound on these matters for you, to remove your doubts and bring you joy.

Then the bodhisattva-mahāsattva Kāśyapa addressed the Buddha as follows: World-Honored One, the Tathāgata takes pity on us and listens to our queries. I know that my wisdom is slight, no more than that of a mosquito, and the virtue of the Tathāgata and World-Honored One towers like a mountain. [The Tathāgata] is pure like sandalwood, like a lion difficult to subdue, and his followers cannot be put asunder. The body of the Tathāgata is like a true vajradiamond, resembling vaiḍūryaits appearance, and truly difficult to destroy. In addition, he is surrounded by a great ocean of wisdom, and within that assembly are numerous great bodhisattva-mahāsattvas who all accomplish merit so wondrously, immeasurably, and without limit that they are like fragrant elephants. Who would dare to stand before such a community to ask a question? But in order receive the supernatural power of the Buddha, by means of the spiritual power emanating from the good karmic roots of this great assembly I will endeavor to ask some minor questions. Then, directly facing the Buddha, Kāśyapa asked the following questions in verse:

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How does one gain long life, and An adamantine, indestructible body? By means of what causal principles Does one attain such solid power? How can this sutra

Bring us to the ultimate, to the other shore? We beseech the Buddha to reveal these secrets For a wide range of living beings. How does one achieve something so grand That he becomes a spiritual support for other living beings? When in truth someone is not an arhat How can he have the capacity of an arhat? How can we understand the deity Māra, Who creates obstacles for living beings? A Buddha utterance and a [Māra] Pāpīyas utterance— By what understanding can we distinguish them? What are the controls within ourselves, For rejoicing and expounding the [Four Noble] Truths. How might our good karmic acts be so thoroughly accomplished That we explicate the four inversions [for others]? How does one create good karma? Great Sage, please explain this now. How can the bodhisattvas

Manage to see the nature of what is difficult to see? How can one grasp the meanings of Complete syllables and half-syllables?41 How can we pair sacred observances, Like the sārasaand kācilindibirds, 42

The sun and moon, and

The planets Venus and Jupiter? How is it that someone who has yet to commit to the path Is still called a bodhisattva? In the midst of a large community, How can one attain fearlessness? Like gold from the Jambū River, 380a

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The Nirvana Sutra, Volume I With which no one can find fault, Where in this sullied world, Are those as immaculate as a lotus flower? Where among those having the defilements, Are those whom the defilements cannot stain, Who can be like physicians treating illnesses Yet not afflicted by those illnesses? How in this great ocean of birth and death Can one become the captain of his ship? How can one jettison saṃsāra, Like a snake shedding its skin? How should we contemplate the Three Jewels So they become like wish-fulfilling trees for the gods? If the three vehicles are without self-nature, Then how do we then explain them? Concerning the nonorigination of the bliss [of nirvāṇa]: Why is it said that one "acquires bliss" [when attaining it]? How can bodhisattvas

Create a community that is not fractured? How is it that people born blind Can nonetheless create eyes to guide themselves? How should we express our many faces When we seek only for the Great Sage to preach? How can our preaching of the dharma Expand like a moon growing fuller each day? How can we also express

The ultimate that is nirvāṇa? How can we show courage

Toward humans, gods, and Māras? How should we understand the dharma-nature (*dharmatā) Even as we accept our longing for the dharma? How can bodhisattvas

Distance themselves from all illness? How can we, for other living beings Unpack these mysteries?

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How can we explain the ultimate, As well as what is not ultimate? If one cuts through one's web of uncertainty, Why is this not spoken of as definitive? How should we approach

The path to the supreme and unsurpassed [awakening]? I now beseech the Tathāgata,

On behalf of the bodhisattvas. Hoping for an exposition of great depth And subtlety about our practice. Within each and every dharma

Is a nature tranquil and joyous. I humbly implore the Honorable Great Sage, To explain this to us in some detail! O Great Support for living beings, Most Honored One on Two Legs, Wondrous Remedy, I now want to ask about the aggregates (skandhas) Yet I lack the wisdom to do so. Diligent are the bodhisattvas, But they, too, cannot understand [these things]. Such things are profound indeed— It is the realm of buddhas!

At that time the Buddha praised the bodhisattva Kāśyapa: Excellent, excellent! Good man, you have yet to attain omniscient knowledge, but as one who has already attained this I know that what you are asking about is a profound and hidden treasure. Indeed, your questions are hardly different from those asked by someone with omniscient knowledge. Good man, it was when I sat down at that seat of enlightenment under the bodhitree that I first attained true awakening. At that time there were present bodhisattvas in buddha realms as innumerable as the grains of sand in asaṃkhyeyaGanges Rivers, and they also asked me about its profound significance. The impact of their words were in all cases no different in merit from those you have spoken today, for asking questions such as yours in turn benefits innumerable living beings. 75

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At that time Kāśyapa once again addressed the Buddha, saying: World-Honored One, I lack the power of wisdom to be able to ask the Tathāgata anything of such a profound nature. World-Honored One, a mosquito is incapable of traversing enough sky to cross an ocean to its far shore, and I am like that. I am quite incapable of asking the Tathāgata about the deepest meanings in the ocean of your wisdom, in the sky of your dharma-nature. World-Honored One, when a king takes out the jewels he wears in his hair and entrusts them to the treasury official responsible for storing them, that treasury official reveres, enhances, and protects what he has been given. In like manner will I revere, enhance, and protect the profound significance of the well-balanced [teachings] expounded by the Tathāgata. Why? Because it will enable me to gain deep wisdom on a grand scale.

At that time the Buddha said to Kāśyapa:

Good man, listen carefully. Listen carefully! I will now explain for you the acts that led to the Tathāgata's gaining this long life. A bodhisattva obtains a long life by means of the causality in his karma. For that reason you should concentrate and listen carefully. If you can establish a proper karmic cause for bodhi,then by all means you should listen carefully to the meanings [I will expound]. And having heard and absorbed this, you can turn to communicating it to others. Good man, it is because I cultivated proper behavior in this way that I attained anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi,and now once again I shall disseminate this doctrine to all. Good man, this is analogous to a prince who commits a crime and is detained in prison, and the king whose intense pity and affection toward his beloved son brings him to redirect his carriage to that place of detention. Bodhisattvas are like this. If they desire to obtain long life they must protect all living beings just as if those beings were their own children. Bringing forth great sympathy (maitrī), great compassion (karuṇā), great sympathetic joy (muditā), and great equanimity (upekṣā), a bodhisattva bestows upon them the precept against killing and teaches them how to practice what are wholesome dharmas. You should also firmly establish all living beings in the five moral precepts and ten aspects of good character.

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including the realms of hell, hungry ghosts, animals, andasuras, so that you may also relieve the suffering living beings there, liberating anyone not yet liberated, saving anyone not yet saved, enabling anyone not in nirvāṇa to attain nirvāṇa. Calming all forms of fear [in others] is the type of karmic causality that causes bodhisattvas to then attain extremely long lives, to gain freedom in all forms of wisdom, and to be reborn in a heavenly realm when this lifetime comes to an end. At that time the bodhisattva Kāśyapa addressed the Buddha again and said:

World-Honored One, the meaning of your explanation that the bodhisattva-mahāsattvas should view living beings as their own children is profound but somewhat opaque, for I cannot quite understand it. World-Honored One, [to my understanding,] the Tathāgata should not tell bodhisattvas to cultivate impartiality toward living beings, regarding them [all] as his children. Why do I say this? Because within the Buddha's dharma there are those who violate the precepts, commit heinous crimes, or malign the true-dharma. How could [you] perceive such people to be the same as your own children?

The Buddha then responded to Kāśyapa: "But it is so, it is so! I perceive living beings truly as children of mine, just like my own son Rāhula. "

The bodhisattva Kāśyapa then said:

World-Honored One, once in the past during the upavāsaconfessional ceremonies on the fifteenth day of the month,

44 a small boy appeared

just when the community was engaging in the purifying ritual of precept recitation. He was not there to cultivate wholesome practices in action, speech, or thought, but surreptitiously listened to the discussion on the precepts while standing off in the shadows of the corner of the room. Then Guhyapāda Vajrapāṇi,

45 using the Buddha's supernatural power,

picked up his vajramallet and crushed the boy into dust. World-Honored One, this vajrapāṇi's extreme act of violence led to the taking of the life of this small boy. How can the Tathāgata say that you view all living beings as identical to your son Rāhula [after something like this]? The Buddha answered Kāśyapa by saying:

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Now you should not speak that way. That child was not a real person but only temporarily incarnated there as a human in order to drive off those who transgress the precepts and are harmful to the dharma by forcing them to leave the community. Guhyapāda Vajrapāṇi was likewise only an apparition. Kāśyapa, I look upon those who malign the true-dharma, the icchantikas, those who kill living beings, those who hold false views, and those who committed crimes in the past in the same way, which is that I regard them all with same compassion I have for Rāhula. Good man, there are examples of kings who cannot set aside the need to mete out capital punishment when the crime requires it, even when those who violate the law are government officials, but a world-honored tathāgata is not like that. For those who are corrupting the dharma, my punishment will be to instigate ecclesiastical action as follows: banishment from the monastery for improper conduct, censure for quarreling with fellow monks, probation for too many precept violations, restriction of activities for offensive behavior toward a householder, suspension for not recognizing one's own transgressions, revocation of monastic privileges for not confessing precept violations, and suspension for not abandoning wrong views.

46 Good man, the Tathāgata chastises those

who debase the dharma in order to show such people that there are moral consequences to engaging in bad behavior. Good man, understand that at the same time the Tathāgata does this without instilling fear in these wicked living beings, for I also shine one, two, perhaps even five beams of light [upon them]. Anyone who personally encounters this light will [be transformed] and will walk away from all such bad behavior. A tathāgata is equipped with immeasurable strength to perform such deeds. Good man, if there is some teaching that you have not yet seen but wish to, I will now show you its face. After my parinirvāṇa,depending on the area, there will be some bhikṣus who keep the precepts, whose comportment is impeccable, and who [thus] take responsibility for preserving the dharma. When they see someone who is hostile to the dharma and respond by temporarily expelling that person [from the community], or by censure, or by chastisement, you should understand that the [monks who mete out the punishment] will gain a measure of merit beyond calculation. 78

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Good man, this is analogous to a king who had been violent and wicked throughout his reign, who then falls seriously ill. The king of a neighboring state, well aware of this king's reputation, decides it is time to raise an army to destroy him completely. At that point the sick king is so debilitated as to be powerless, but stricken with fear he undergoes a change of heart and begins to do good deeds. In such a case as this, the neighboring king has gained immeasurable merit. The monks who preserve the dharma are just like this. By expelling or censuring those who violate the Law, it enables those same people to practice the dharma properly, bringing merit beyond measure.

Good man, suppose, for example, poisonous plants start growing in the fields of an upright householder's place of residence. When the householder becomes aware of the situation, straight away he will then cut them down to get rid of them forever. Or when a man in the prime of life finds white hairs growing on his head he becomes embarrassed and cuts them or pulls them out, preventing them from growing any longer. Supporting the dharma, monks, is just like this. When you see someone who has violated the precepts or injured the true-dharma, then you must take punitive steps such as temporarily removing that person from the community or censuring him. If a good monk sees someone acting in a way that is injurious to the dharma and decides to leave him be, rather than taking steps to have him reprimanded by temporary removal or censure, understand that the [monk who observes the bad behavior but does nothing] is an enemy within the dharma of the Buddha. If you can reprimand [the violator] by temporarily expulsion or censure, then you will be a disciple of mine, for you have heard my true voice. The bodhisattva Kāśyapa then addressed the Buddha once more, saying: But, World-Honored One, we still cannot regard all living beings as identical to our own children in the way you described—that is, as you regard your own son Rāhula. World-Honored One, one person may pick up a sword to injure the Buddha and another person may take sandalwood paste to worship the Buddha, and the Buddha looks upon these two [acts] with impartiality. Why then do you also say we must admonish or censure 79

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[those who malign the dharma]? If we censured them, we would then be violating your doctrine [of impartial compassion]. The Buddha then imparted this to Kāśyapa:

Good man, consider, for example, sovereigns, important officials, or grand councilors who are raising children that are physically attractive, graceful, discerning, and intelligent. What if they entrust two, three, or four of their children to a strict teacher with these words: Please educate and train all these children for me. Teach them deportment, ceremonial behavior, the arts, textual studies, and mathematics in a way that will enable all of them to succeed. If it should happen that three of the four charges I give to you now take ill from being caned and die, then make sure that you do not hold back in disciplining the remaining child so that he is able to accomplish his goals. For though I may mourn the loss of three of my children, in the end I will not hold this against you.

Kāśyapa, would that father and that teacher be guilty of the crime of murdering those children?

[Kāśyapa replied:]

Indeed no, they would not, World-Honored One. Why? Because the children were brought to this teacher [by their father] out of love and the desire to have them accomplish their studies; there was no evil intent. Teaching children like this brings immeasurable blessings. [The Buddha said:]

Good man, the Tathāgata is also like this. I look upon those acting in ways that are destructive of the dharma as if they were all equally my only child. Now the Tathāgata is about to entrust this unsurpassed truedharma to kings, high officials, grand councilors, monks, nuns, laymen, and laywomen. Kings, high officials, and the four groups of Buddhist followers should work to encourage students [of the dharma] to attain the highest level of morality, meditation, and wisdom. If there are [members of the community] who do not study these three teachings, who are 80

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lazy, who violate the precepts, or who malign the true-dharma, the king and the four groups of believers should punish them. Good man, would the sovereigns of nations or the four groups of believers be committing transgressions if they took action in this way or not? [Kāśyapa replied:] "They would not, World-Honored One. "

[The Buddha said:]

Good man, as neither kings nor the four groups of believers would incur any karmic sin [for disciplining such individuals], how could a tathāgata? Good man, a tathāgata thoroughly engages in equanimity toward all living beings, recognizing them as if they were all no different from his only child. Those who engage [the world] in this way are called "bodhisattvas who cultivate impartiality toward all living beings, recognizing each of them as equal to their only child.

" Good man, bodhisattvas who

train in this way obtain long lives and are also able to know the events of their former lifetimes.

The bodhisattva Kāśyapa then spoke to the Buddha again: World-Honored One, as the Buddha has explained it, if bodhisattvas cultivate impartiality, in which all living beings are seen as their own children, then those bodhisattvas will gain long life. But the Tathāgata should not speak in such a manner. Why? Because among individuals who know the dharma, some of whom even preach on various ways of following the norms of filial duty, there are those who return home and then pick up a tile shard or a rock and throw it at their mother or father. So while that follower's mother and father may be fields of blessings for him and from whom he derives great benefits—in essence, people so rare he may never encounter anyone like them again—this individual nevertheless does not pay homage to them as he should but instead causes them agony and injury. For someone like this who knows the teachings, words are quite different from deeds.

What the Tathāgata has expounded amounts to something like this, saying that bodhisattvas who cultivate a mind of equanimity toward all living beings will attain a long life and the ability to know their past lives, and forever reside in the world without change. But for some 81

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reason the World-Honored One now has a lifetime whose length is quite short, no different from anyone else! Might the Tathāgata have some sense of resentment toward living beings? World-Honored One, what action of yours in the past was so bad that its karmic outcome would result in severing your life faculty? For this life you have obtained is so short as to have lasted less than one hundred years. The Buddha answered Kāśyapa:

Good man, why would you speak in such a harsh way before a tathāgata? The long life of a tathāgata is the best among all long lives. The permanent dharma that I have obtained is first among everything permanent. The bodhisattva Kāśyapa then addressed the Buddha again, saying, "World-Honored One, in what way has the Tathāgata attained a long life?" The Buddha answered:

It is like the eight great rivers. The first is called Gaṅgā (Ganges), the second is called Yamunā (Jumna), the third is called Sarayu (Sarju), the fourth is called Ajiravatī, the fifth is called Mahī, the sixth is called the Sindhu (Indus), the seventh is called Vakṣu (Oxus), and the eighth is called Sītā. These eight large rivers and a great many small rivers all empty into the great ocean.

47 Kāśyapa, the life spans of everyone—

humans, gods, and even those out in space—all eventually flow like great rivers into the ocean that is the life span of the Tathāgata. That is precisely why the life span of the Tathāgata cannot be measured. Moreover, Kāśyapa, just like Lake Anavatapta supplies water for the four great rivers [of Jambudvīpa], the Tathāgata supplies life for everyone. Kāśyapa, just as among the eternal dharmas it is space that comes first, among everything permanent it is the Tathāgata that is first. Kāśyapa. Just as cream on the surface of clarified butter (*sarpirmaṇḍa) is first among medicines, so is the Tathāgata, for his life span is first among living beings.

The bodhisattva Kāśyapa then addressed the Buddha again: World-Honored One, if the Tathāgata's life span is as you have described, then should not the Tathāgata reside [here] either for one more kalpa, at least something close to a kalpa,so as to continually disseminate the 82

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wondrous dharma, like the pouring down of a great and opportune rain [on all living beings]?

[The Buddha said:]

Now Kāśyapa, you should not hold an image in your mind of the Tathāgata in terms of his life ending. Kāśyapa, if a monk, nun, layman, laywoman, or even someone of another path attains the freedom of the five supernatural powers,

48 that person may reside [here] either for one more kalpaor something less than another kalpa,may course through the air sitting or lying down as they please, emit fire from their left side and pour out water from their right side, or produce smoke and flames from their bodies just as in a real conflagration. Such people are capable of living as long as they want, or are free to make their lives brief. If someone endowed with these special abilities has the spiritual power to do whatever he pleases, would not the Tathāgata have the power to deal with any and all things as he likes? Would he be not capable of living for half the length of a kalpa,or for an entire kalpa, or for a hundred kalpas, a hundred thousand kalpas, or innumerablekalpas? For this reason you should understand that a tathāgata is a permanently abiding dharma, an immutable dharma. This body of the Tathāgata [that you see now] is only a transformational body, it is not a body nourished by any sort of food. It is in order to save living beings that I show [my body] as identical to a poisonous tree; thus will I demonstrate the abandonment of this form and the entry into nirvāṇa. Kāśyapa, you should understand the Buddha to be a permanently abiding dharma, an immutable dharma. And it is within this context of that which is of ultimate significance that all of you should devote yourselves to your practice with singleminded commitment, and when you have completed your practice [similarly devote yourselves to] disseminating the teaching to others. At that point, the bodhisattva Kāśyapa said to the Buddha: World-Honored One, what is the difference between the dharmas transcending this world and the dharmas occurring in this world? Just as the Buddha stated,

"Buddha is a permanently abiding dharma, an immutable dharma,

" among the worldly teachings it is also said,

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The deity Brahmā is permanent; the deity Īśvara is permanent and immutable. I am permanent, my nature is permanent, the very atoms of my existence are permanent.

If, as you say, a tathāgata is a permanent dharma, then why is the Tathāgata's presence [here] impermanent? If you are not a permanent presence, then in what way are you distinct? Why do I say this? Because Brahmā and the worldly nature of the tiniest atoms are also not manifest. The Buddha told Kāśyapa:

Suppose, for example, there was a rich merchant who had a considerable collection of cattle. Though their colors were varied and there were different types of cows among them, they formed a single herd. The merchant entrusted control over the cows to herdsmen, who led them to water and grass as needed. This was done only for the production of sarpirmaṇḍa,the cream on the surface of clarified butter; the merchant was not interested in milk or yogurt. The herdsmen churned the milk [to produce the butter from which sarpirmaṇḍawas made], and ate it themselves.

Now when the merchant's life came to an end, all the cows in his possession were stolen by a group of thieves. After securing the herd, they ended up churning the milk themselves, as they had no wives [to do it for them]. Then they would sit down to eat, and as they did the thieves would speak among themselves, saying:

That rich merchant raised these cows but not because he sought milk or yogurt—it was only for the sarpirmaṇḍa.But how are we supposed to get that? That creamy froth is said to have the best flavor of anything in this world, but we have no vessel [for preparing it]. And even if we were to obtain it from this milk, there would be no place to store it.

Their conversation continued:

All we have are these leather bags. We could fill them but even if they were filled with milk, we still do not know how to churn it. Just getting buttermilk from milk is difficult enough, how much more so to try to make butter!

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Then the thieves took what could have become sarpirmaṇḍaand they added water to it. But because they added so much water, they lost whatever chance they had of making yogurt or sarpirmaṇḍa. This is what ordinary people49are like. While they may have the good dharma, whatever they have of it is [only] what remains of the Tathāgata's true-dharma. Why do I say this? Because after the World-honored Tathāgata enters nirvāṇa, they will steal the remaining good dharma he leaves behind—be they teachings on morality, meditation, or wisdom—just like the thieves who looted the herd of cows [from the farm]. But although ordinary people have obtained [the Buddha's teachings on] morality, meditation, and wisdom, they lack the skills that would enable them to attain liberation by means of these teachings. With their attitude they simply cannot obtain the permanent morality, the permanent meditation, or the permanent wisdom that is liberation, just like that group of thieves who did not know the means by which to acquire sarpirmaṇḍaand so lost [that opportunity].

In addition, much like the thieves' decision to add water to the milk in order to produce sarpirmaṇḍa,ordinary people also do things [out of ignorance]. For the sake of liberation they speak of nirvāṇa as being a soul, a living being, a life force, a spirit, Brahmā, Īśvara, an atom, a nature, a precept, a meditation, wisdom, liberation, or the heaven of neither thought nor nonthought. But in fact these people have attained neither liberation nor nirvāṇa. They are no more than the group of thieves who did not obtain sarpirmaṇḍa.

These ordinary people do engage in some sacred practices, honoring their mother and father [out of filial duty, for example], on the basis of which they attain rebirth in a heaven and receive a modicum of peace and joy there. But, like the group of thieves that added water to milk, just so do ordinary people not actually understand why it is due to cultivating even a few sacred practices [such as] honoring their parents that they can attain birth in a heavenly realm. Nor can they understand morality, meditation, and wisdom, or taking refuge in the Three Jewels. And because they do not understand, when I speak of permanence, bliss, self, and purity, they may repeat what I have said but in fact they do not understand what they are talking about. Therefore I want you to know that after the 85

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Tathāgata passes from this world, at that time there will be such people who lecture on the topic of permanence, bliss, self, and purity. But if a king who turns the wheel of the dharma (cakravartin) were to appear in the world, through the strength of his virtue this group of thieves would be forced to withdraw and abandon the cows, which in turn would thereupon suffer no further harm. At that time the wheelturning king would take all the cows and assign them to a highly skilled herdsman. This person will know the means by which to extract sarpirmaṇḍa,and because of this sarpirmaṇḍathe lives of all living beings will be without pain or stress. When a dharma wheel-turning king appears in the world, ordinary people will no longer be able to preach about morality, meditation, or wisdom; they will retreat from such activities, just as the cattle thieves retreated.

Were a tathāgata to appear in the world and thoroughly explain to living beings the ordinary, worldly teaching as well as the extraordinary, transcendent teaching, it would enable bodhisattvas to follow him and preach these things on their own. Once those bodhisattva-mahāsattvas obtain that most excellent sarpirmaṇḍa,they would go on to bring an incalculable number of other living beings to where they, too, obtained the unsurpassed, timeless ambrosia of the dharma: that is, the permanence, bliss, self, and purity of a tathāgata.

Good man, this is what I mean when I say that the Tathāgata is permanent and immutable, which is not the "permanent dharma" meant when a common, ordinary, or ignorant person refers to Brahmā or other deities. When someone invokes "permanent dharma" in the way I am speaking of here, it calls forth the Tathāgata and not any other dharma. Kāśyapa, you should understand a tathāgata body in this way. Kāśyapa, good men and good women should always focus their thoughts on cultivating understanding of these two words: the Buddha "permanently abides. " Kāśyapa,

when a good man or good woman cultivates these two words, know that such a person is following that which I have practiced and will reach the same place that I have reached. Good man, if one's practice of these two words comes to an end, understand that for that person the Tathāgata enters parinirvāṇa.Good man, the meaning of [my] nirvāṇa is none other than the dharma-nature or natural condition (dharmatā) of all buddhas. 86

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The bodhisattva Kāśyapa then addressed the Buddha, saying: World-Honored One, what is the sense of this "natural condition" of buddhas? World-Honored One, I would now like to understand what this means. The only request I have is for the Tathāgata to take pity [on us] and explain this in detail. The abandonment of his body is the natural condition [of a buddha]. This "natural condition" includes the buddha relinquishing his body but relinquishing his body means there will be nothing there, and if nothing is there, then in what sense does his body exist? If a buddha's body does exist, then why do you speak of that body as having the natural condition [of being abandoned by him]? And if this is the natural condition of his body, then how does it obtain existence [at all]? How should I now understand the meaning of these things? The Buddha then replied to the bodhisattva Kāśyapa: Good man, you should not speak of cessation as the natural condition [of buddhas]. There is no cessation in their natural condition. Good man, it is like postulating about deities in the heaven of nonideation who attain material bodies yet have no notion of materiality. You should not ask such things as,

"Where do all these deities reside?"

"Do they enjoy themselves? "How do they act and think?" "How do they see and hear?"

Good man, the realm of the tathāgatas is beyond anything even the śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas can understand. Good man, you should not speak about the body of a tathāgata as a dharma that disappears. For, good man, dharmas that disappear in this way belong to the realm of buddhas, and not the realms of śrāvakas or pratyekabuddhas. Good man, you should not speculate where tathāgatas might reside, where they go, what they see, or what they enjoy. Good man, the meaning of these things is beyond the extent of your knowledge. The dharma bodies of buddhas have a variety of skillful means that simply cannot be conceptualized. In addition, good man, you should cultivate a notion of the buddha, dharma, and sangha as all being permanent. These three dharmas are not different notions, they are not impermanent notions, and they are not notions that change. There will be no foundation to the three pure 382c

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refuges of someone who regards these as different. All the restrictions and precepts [they have observed] will not remain with them, and in the end they will be unable to realize the fruits of bodhion the paths of the śrāvaka or the pratyekabuddha. If, on the other hand, one can incorporate this inconceivability into their cultivation of this notion of permanence, that person's refuge will be genuine. Good man, it is like saying because there is a tree, there is a shadow of a tree. Tathāgatas are also like this. Because they are permanent dharmas, they thus serve as a refuge for living beings. They are not impermanent; when it is claimed that tathāgatas are impermanent, they then cease to be the foundation for the refuge of both people and deities.

The bodhisattva Kāśyapa then asked the Buddha: "World-Honored One, there is also the metaphor of the tree in the dark that has no shadow. "

[The Buddha said:]

Kāśyapa, you should never say there is a tree with no shadow. It is only that the shadow is not visible to your physical eye. Good man, the Tathāgata is like this. His nature is something that abides permanently, without change. But without the eye of wisdom this cannot be seen, just like the shadow of a tree is not visible in the darkness. Ordinary people will claim after the Buddha has disappeared that this shows the Tathāgata is an impermanent dharma. Time and time again I will be spoken of in this way. But if you say that the Tathāgata is somehow different from the teachings and the community, that itself precludes the establishment of taking the triple-refuge. It is like saying that because your mother and father are different, therefore that makes them impermanent. Once again the bodhisattva Kāśyapa addressed the Buddha: World-Honored One, from now on I will regard the buddha, dharma, and sangha as three entities that abide eternally. I will enlighten my father and mother about this, and make sure that they and the next seven generations [of my family] maintain this understanding with reverence. How special this is, World-Honored One, that I should now be able to learn the inconceivable nature of the tathāgatas, the teachings, and the community. And as I disseminate this doctrine, what I have learned will 88

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also be for the sake of others. If there are people who cannot accept this, let it be known that I will be like frost or hail to any colleague who devotes their time to cultivating an understanding of [the Three Jewels] as impermanent.

At that time the Buddha praised the bodhisattva Kāśyapa: Excellent, excellent! You are now well equipped to protect and sustain the true-dharma. Those who support the dharma in this way do not deceive others. And those who do not deceive others [produce] wholesome karmic conditions, for which they obtain long lifetimes and clear knowledge of their past lives.

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Chapter 2: The Adamantine Body

Chapter Two

The Adamantine Body

At that time the World-Honored One once again addressed Kāśyapa, saying: Good man, the body of a tathāgata is a permanently abiding body, an indestructible body, an adamantine body; it is not a body sustained by food of any sort. In other words, it is a dharma body. The bodhisattva Kāśyapa said to the Buddha:

World-Honored One, I do not see anything like the bodies that you have just enumerated. All that I can see is a body that is impermanent, destructible, made up of atoms, which consumes different foods, and so forth. Why? Because the Tathāgata is about to enter nirvāṇa. The Buddha said:

Kāśyapa. Now you must not say that the Tathāgata's body is not solid, that it is subject to destruction like the body of an ordinary person. Good man, you should be aware of the fact that the body of a tathāgata has become hardened and difficult to destroy over an immense period of time—hundreds of millions of kalpas. It is not like the body of a human or a god, nor is it a body bound by fear, nor is it a body that consumes any sort of food.

The tathāgata body is a body and is not a body. It was not born and it will not cease to exist. It does not learn and it does not practice. It is immeasurable and boundless. It leaves no footprints. It does not discern things and has no forms to discern. It is utterly pure. It has no movement. It is neither passive nor active. It is nonabiding and nonbecoming. It is unflavored and unmixed. It was not created (*saṃskṛta). It has no karma and no karmic fruit. It does not move. It does not disappear. It is not a thought, nor is it a number. It is inconceivable and it will always be inconceivable. It has no consciousness in the usual sense. Its thoughts are impartial, neither separate nor not separate. It is not and it is. It has neither 91

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coming nor going, and yet it does come and go. It [can]not be destroyed, damaged, removed, or cut off. It does not come into existence and it does not go out of existence. It does not dominate and yet it is dominant. It is not being and it is not nonbeing. It is not realized and it is not observed. It cannot be put into words and yet it is not nonlinguistic. It is neither definite nor indefinite. It cannot be seen yet it is clearly visible. It is without any location and yet it is located. It is without any residence and yet it resides. It is without darkness and without light. It has no quiescence and yet it is quiescent. It possesses nothing. It does not receive and it does not give. It is pure and without stain. It has no disputes, having cut off disputation. It resides without any place of residence. It neither takes nor falls into [a saṃsāric existence]. It is neither a dharma nor a nondharma. It is neither a field of merit nor not a field of merit. There is no exhausting it, it cannot be exhausted, and it is totally separate from all ways of being exhausted. It is empty and yet dissociated from emptiness. Although it does not permanently reside anywhere, there is no cessation of its thought-stream. It has no stains. It is without words, existing apart from words. It is not voice, it is not speech, and it does not learn. It does not weigh and it does not measure. It is neither unified nor differentiated. It is neither an image nor a characteristic, though it is adorned with external characteristics. It is neither bravery nor fear. It has no quiescence, it does not become quiet. It has no heat, it does not warm. It is not visible, it has no external form.

A tathāgata saves all living beings and yet does not save anyone, which is why he is able to liberate living beings. He does not liberate anyone, which is why he awakens living beings. He does not awaken anyone, which is why the dharma he preaches accords with reality. He is nondual and therefore immeasurable, unequaled, evenly consistent like space, completely without shape, of the same nature as nonarising. He does not cut off what is not permanent, he always courses in the single vehicle though living beings see three [vehicles]. He does not retrogress and does not turn away from cutting through all fetters, nor does he confront or contact anyone. He is without any nature and abides in that nature. He is neither combined nor dispersed, neither long nor short, neither round nor square. He is not made of aggregates (skandhas), sense bases 92

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(āyatanas), or sense realms (dhātus) and yet there are aggregates, sense bases, and sense realms in him. He neither increases nor decreases, neither wins nor loses.

The body of a tathāgata accomplishes merit that is thus beyond measure. There is no one who [fully] understands this, yet there is no one who does not understand this. There is no one who sees it, yet there is no one who does not see it. It is neither created nor uncreated. 50 It is neither worldly nor unworldly. It is neither made nor not made. It is neither a support nor not a support. It is neither a composite of the four major elements (mahābhūtas) nor not a composite of the four major elements. It does not arise from causes, but neither does it arise noncausally. It is not [the body of] a living being but neither is it [the body of] a nonliving being. It is neither [the body of] a śramaṇanor that of a brahman. This lion is a grand lion.

It is not a body and yet it is not a nonbody; there is no way to fully communicate this. Aside from one dharma characteristic, [its virtues] cannot be enumerated. When it enters the final parinirvāṇa,it does not enter parinirvāṇa.The dharma bodies of tathāgatas have all accomplished innumerable subtle and virtuous qualities such as these. 51 Kāśyapa, there

is no one other than a tathāgata who understands this; it is not something understood by either śrāvakas or pratyekabuddhas.

Kāśyapa, a tathāgata body that has achieved virtuous qualities such as this is not a body sustained by eating of any sort. Kāśyapa, as the virtuous qualities in the true body of a tathāgata are such, how could it also be subject to illness or stress, as vulnerable and fragile as an unfired pot? Kāśyapa, the reason the Tathāgata manifests illness is in order to tame living beings. Good man, by now you should understand that the body of a tathāgata is an adamantine, vajrabody. From this day forth you should always focus your thoughts on this meaning. Do not think of it as a body sustained by eating. Moreover, you should explain to others as well that the Tathāgata's body is in fact a dharma body. The bodhisattva Kāśyapa addressed the Buddha and said: World-Honored One, the Tathāgata has accomplished such significant virtue, how indeed could his body be subject to illness, pain, impermanence, or 93

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destruction? From today I will always think of the Tathāgata's body as a permanent dharma body, a body of bliss, and I will disseminate this to others. As such, World-Honored One, the Tathāgata's dharma body is indeed adamantine and indestructible. And yet, I am still unable to understand the causality that brought it into being. The Buddha said:

Kāśyapa, it is by means of the causality resulting from upholding the true-dharma that one achieves an adamantine body. Kāśyapa, having upheld the causal principles of the dharma since the distant past, I have now attained this adamantine body, permanent and indestructible. Good man, those who are committed to upholding the true-dharma, regardless of whether or not they themselves have accepted the five lay precepts or carry out the proper observances, will do whatever it takes to defend those pure monks who do keep the precepts, even wielding knives and swords, bows and arrows, or halberds and lances [in their defense]. The bodhisattva Kāśyapa then addressed the Buddha again, asking: World-Honored One, if we come across a monk who lives apart from any protected community, residing alone in an isolated, quiet spot in the hills or under a tree, should we call that person a true bhikṣu? What about a person who follows someone who provides protection [for the dharma]— should we recognize such people as householder shave lings?52 The Buddha informed Kāśyapa:

Do not use such language, calling them "householder shavelings. " There

may be [individual] mendicants who, wherever they go, comport themselves in a manner that is deserving of offerings. They may read and recite sutras and engage in contemplation in seated meditation. And when people come to them with questions on the dharma, they may then give a sermon, speaking about charity, discipline, merit-making, minimizing desire, and knowing satisfaction therein.

But though they may be able to preach in various ways, they will never have [the authority of] the lion's roar.

53 They will not be surroundedby

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the norms of behavior. Bhikṣus such as these ultimately are unable to benefit themselves and they are unable to benefit others. You should understand these people to be lazy idlers. Although they may hold to the precepts and promote the pure practices [of a brahman], those people cannot really do anything. There may be bhikṣus who comport themselves in a manner that is deserving of offerings, but [only] if they are also able to accept the precepts and restrictions [of our community] and maintain them as such will they be able effect the lion's roar when they preach the sublime dharma. This will be so throughout the ninefold canon of scriptures that are preached in order to benefit and comfort living beings; that is, sutras, verses, predictions, metric narratives, proclamations, past life stories of the Buddha's disciples, past life stories of the Buddha, extended discourses, and miracles of the Buddha.

You may declare the following:

In the Nirvana Sutrathe Buddha established restrictions on the bhikṣus such that they should not keep slaves, cows, sheep, or anything improper. If there is a monk who keeps anything impure like this, he must be reined in. The Tathāgata had also explained in previous sutras that when there are monks who keep improper things such as these, you should chase them down and return them to lay status, just like any given king controls his country according to his dharma. Whenever there is a bhikṣuwho can roar like a lion in this way, the precept breakers who hear him speak will all be consumed with rage and attack that dharma master. This dharma preacher, however, even if his life were to end [as a result], would be known as one who kept the precepts, benefiting himself and others. For this reason I give sovereigns, government officials, royal councilors, and Buddhist laymen permission to protect dharma preachers. Anyone who wants to protect the truedharma effectively should study what has been outlined here. Kāśyapa, those who break the precepts and do not protect the dharma I call "householder shavelings. " Someone who does not maintain the precepts earns

a name like this.

Good man, in the distant past, innumerable, seemingly endless asaṃkhyeya kalpas ago, in this town of Kuśinagara, a buddha appeared 95

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in the world known as Nandivardhana Tathāgata, Worthy of Offerings, of Right and Universal Knowledge, with Clarity and Conduct Perfect, Well-Gone, with Understanding of the World, Unsurpassed Worthy, Tamer of Men, Teacher of Gods and Humans, Awakened World-Honored One. At that time the world was vast, exquisitely pure, plentiful, and peaceful. The people prospered greatly and there was no hunger or thirst. Like the Sukhāvatī Land of Bliss, it was filled with bodhisattvas and the like. This buddha world-honored one resided in that world for an immeasurable [length of time] saving living beings, and after which, [lying down] between twin sal trees, he entered mahāparinirvāṇa.After that buddha's nirvāṇa, the true teaching (saddharma) abided in the world for [seemingly] countless millions of years, but during the last forty years [of that era] when that buddha's teaching was about to disappear, one monk appeared who kept the precepts. His name was Buddhadatta. He was surrounded by a large group of followers, and produced the lion's roar when he preached across the entire ninefold division of scriptures. He imposed restrictions on the monks, [telling] them they could not keep slaves, cows, sheep, or anything improper.

At that time there were many monks who violated the precepts, and when they heard him speak of these things all of them harbored evil thoughts, taking up swords and staves to intimidate this dharma master. At that time the king was called Bhavadatta. Hearing the commotion, he took steps to protect the dharma by immediately going to where the dharma preacher was, and then doing everything he could to help him fight back against the evil precept-breaking monks, [thereby] enabling the dharma preacher to escape harm. But the king himself was severely injured in the melee, struck by swords, arrows, and lances. There was no place on his body that was spared from a wound, not even an area as small as a mustard seed. [Upon seeing him in this state] Buddha datta immediately praised him, saying:

Excellent, excellent! King, you are now a genuine protector of the true teaching. In a future world, you yourself will become a dharma vessel of immeasurable proportions.

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joy. Soon thereafter his life came to an end and he was reborn in the land of the Buddha Akṣobhya, becoming that buddha's principal disciple there. The citizen followers of the king, whether they were soldiers who fought with him or individuals who rejoiced at his efforts, were all filled with a nonretrogressive resolution to attain awakening (bodhicitta). And when their lives ended they were all reborn in the land of the Buddha Akṣobhya as well. After that kalpaended, the life of the monk Buddha datta also came to an end and he, too, achieved rebirth in the land of the Buddha Akṣobhya. Among the śrāvakas listening to that buddha, Buddha datta became his number two disciple. Thus, when the true teaching is about to come to an end, you should maintain and protect it in this manner. Kāśyapa, the king at that time was none other than I myself. The bhikṣuwho preached the dharma was the Buddha Kāśyapa. Those who defend the true teaching, Kāśyapa, obtain this kind of incomparable reward. As a consequence of those events I have attained the various marks by which I adorn myself today, having achieved a dharma body, an indestructible body.

The bodhisattva Kāśyapa then addressed the Buddha, saying: "World-Honored One, a tathāgata's permanent body is something like a painted rock.

"

The Buddha said to Kāśyapa:

Good man, this is why monks, nuns, laymen, and laywomen must all redouble their efforts to defend and uphold the true-dharma. The rewards for taking responsibility for preserving the dharma are extensive, boundless. Good man, for this reason laymen who defend the dharma may need to take up swords and staves in this way to protect those monks who are upholding the dharma. If one has taken the vow of maintaining the five precepts, in and of itself that does not mean that person has earned the appellation "a person of the Mahāyāna.

" On the other hand,

someone who has not taken the five precepts yet defends the true-dharma would be given the title of "[a person of] the Mahāyāna. " [When necessary,] protectors of the true-dharma should take up swords and other weapons to serve the dharma preachers.

Kāśyapa said to the Buddha:

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World-Honored One, if monks stand side-by-side with laymen, wielding swords or staves [in defense of the dharma], would they still be considered teachers or not? Would they still be maintaining the precepts or violating them?

The Buddha said to Kāśyapa:

Do not suggest that this would mean a violation of the precepts. Good man, after my nirvāṇa a degenerate age will come upon the world; nations will be in chaos, people will steal from one another, and society will be plagued by famine. At that time many will aspire for the monastic life because they are hungry. Such individuals I call "shave lings. " When

they see there are pure monks who are maintaining the precepts, protecting the true-dharma, and comporting themselves with dignity, these shavelings will run after those monks to chase them away, perhaps injuring or even killing them. The bodhisattva Kāśyapa then spoke to the Buddha:

World-Honored One, those people who do keep the precepts and who do protect the true-dharma, how will they manage to travel between towns and cities in order to teach?

[The Buddha answered:]

Good man, that is why I now allow those who keep the precepts to rely on the companionship of those in white robes54who wield weapons. Though kings, high officials, and merchants may take up weapons as lay followers in order to protect the dharma, I declare this to be entirely in keeping with the precepts. However, though one may take up weapons [in defense of the dharma], he should not take another's life. To act in the way I have described would constitute the most principled precept keeping. Kāśyapa, when I say someone is protecting the dharma, I am referring to [a monastic] who is endowed with right opinions who can disseminate widely the Mahāyāna scriptures. Such a person never keeps decorated royal parasols, oil pots, rice or other grains, or any kind of fruits or melons. He does not cultivate relationships with kings, government officials, or the wealthy for personal gain. He is not obsequious toward patrons, 98

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he is meticulous in his comportment, and he is stern with those who break the precepts and others who behave badly. Such a person I call "a teacher who keeps the precepts and protects the dharma, who can be a true spiritual guide to living beings, and whose mind is broad and expansive like a great ocean. "

Kāśyapa, if there is a monk who preaches the dharma to others for personal gain, his followers and associates will learn from their teacher and also covet personal gain. This person will destroy his own community in this way.

Kāśyapa, there are three types of sangha communities: 1) sanghas that include people who violate precepts, 2) sanghas made up of the foolish and ignorant, and 3) sanghas of people who live in a pure way. The communities that include people who violate precepts are easily spoiled, but the communities of those who are pure in keeping the precepts cannot be spoiled even by situations that offer them personal gain. Which sanghas include people who violate precepts? There are some monks who, although they normally observe the rules of behavior, when there is personal gain involved, spend considerable time with people who violate precepts and inevitably become intimate with them through joint activities. These I call precept violators or sangha members who mix [with precept violators].

Which sanghas are foolish and ignorant? If there are monks in the forest whose faculties are dim and dull and who do not see things clearly, who have few desires and beg for their meals, who on the days for reciting the precepts or the occasions for confessing precept violations teach their disciples how to make a pure confession, but when seeing others who are not their disciples blithely violate the precepts yet do not manage to enjoin them to make a pure confession and, unaffected by this, sit together with them throughout the precept recitation and confession ceremonies—this I call a sangha of the foolish and ignorant. Which sanghas are pure? These are the monks who are not damaged by [the acts of] even ten trillion māras. The basic nature of this group of bodhisattvas is pure, and they are able to straighten out the other two groups I have just mentioned, enabling everyone to live in peace in pure communities. I call them,

"dharma-protecting, most excellent vinaya

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masters.

" Because of their desire to discipline and [thereby] benefit living beings, they understand which aspects of the moral precepts are unimportant and which are important. They do not affirm behavior that is not in keeping with the discipline; behavior in keeping with the discipline they do affirm. How does someone discipline another? If bodhisattvas are going to spiritually transform other living beings they must be a constant presence in towns and villages regardless of time or occasion. They might end up in the homes of widows or female entertainers, even living together with them for many years. If they were śrāvakas, this type of thing could not be done but this [bodhisattva work] I call "disciplining and benefiting living beings.

"

How does one know which [precepts] should be considered weighty? As you see the Tathāgata establish a precept on the basis of some incident, from that day forward you should follow that [rule] and take care not to commit a similar offense. Thus we have the four grave pārājikaoffenses that one who has gone forth as a monastic must never commit. 55 If,

despite these rules, one still transgresses, that person is no longer a śramaṇa,that person is not in the lineage of Śākyamuni. This I would call serious or weighty.

Which [precepts] should be considered light? If one commits a violation in a trivial situation and upon being remonstrated three times is able to give up such behavior, this I would call light or insignificant. To not affirm noncompliance with the precepts refers to the refusal to reside together with anyone who lauds impure things and urges you to accept them. To affirm compliance with the precepts refers to the careful study of the monastic precepts and the avoidance of anyone who violates them. Whenever noticing conduct in another that accords with the rules in the vinaya, one's heart is filled with joy. This is how one grasps what is wrought in the Buddha's dharma and is fully capable of explaining it. This is a person I would call a vinaya master. One who thoroughly grasps just one word [of the vinaya], or one who thoroughly retains what is in the sutras, are also like this. In this way, good man, the buddhadharma is immeasurable, inconceivable. The Tathāgata himself is thus— beyond conception.

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The bodhisattva Kāśyapa then addressed the Buddha, saying: World-Honored One, just so, just so! Truly a sacred teaching like the Buddha's dharma is immeasurable and inconceivable. The Tathāgata himself is just the same, beyond conception. Therefore we know that the Tathāgata is permanently abiding, indestructible, and unchanging. From now on I will study hard in order to disseminate this meaning to others.

At that time the Buddha praised the bodhisattva Kāśyapa: Excellent, excellent! The body of a Tathāgata is just that: a body that is adamantine and indestructible. Bodhisattvas should thoroughly study right perception and right understanding. If you are able to see all these things clearly in this way, then you will see the Buddha's adamantine body, his indestructible body, just as if you were looking at images [of yourself] reflected in a mirror.

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