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he reached a stone of diamond that he could not penetrate. This diamond was so hard that even his heavy ax could not damage it. Good man, buddha-nature in living beings is just like this. It cannot be destroyed by any theory, by the deity Māra Pāpīyas or any other person or deity. As a feature of the five aggregates, when they come into being, it does as well. But a characteristic of the functioning five aggregates is that, like rocks and sand, they can be fractured and even destroyed. Yet buddha-nature is like a diamond in that it is impossible to destroy or even damage it. This is why I say that destroying the five aggregates I do call "killing a living being,

" but, good man, you must

also understand that the Buddha's dharma is thus inconceivable [regarding the buddha-nature].

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Chapter Four

The Nature of the Tathāgata: Part 5

The Buddha said: "Good man, the well-balanced sutras are like the ambrosia of immortality (amṛta) but they are also like poisonous medicine. "

The bodhisattva Kāśyapa then addressed the Buddha: "What would cause the Tathāgata say that the well-balanced sutras are like the ambrosia of immortality but also like a poisonous medicine?" The Buddha said: "Good man, do you now want to know the true meaning of the tathāgata hidden treasury?" Kāśyapa said: "Yes, I do. I truly want to know the meaning of the tathāgata hidden treasury.

"

Then the World-Honored One explained in verse: It may be that taking the ambrosia of immortality Injures a person's life and he dies early. It may be that taking the ambrosia of immortality, Enhances a person's life and he lives longer. It may be that taking poison gives life, Or conditions are such that taking poison brings death. The ambrosia of immortality that is unimpeded wisdom, Refers to the Mahāyāna scriptures. Yet these Mahāyāna scriptures Are also called "a mixing of poison and medicine. "

Like butter, the cream on the surface of clarified butter, And granulated honey;

When digested they are medicine, When not digested they are poison. 409a

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The Nirvana Sutra, Volume I The well-balanced [sutras] are just like this; For the wise they are the ambrosia of immortality, For the foolish who do not understand buddha-nature When taken they become poison. For śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas, The Mahāyāna is the ambrosia of immortality. Just like among all flavors, Milk comes first.

Thus those who make strenuous effort, By means of the Mahāyāna,

Can indeed reach nirvāṇa,

Becoming elephant kings among men. Livings beings that understand buddha-nature, Just like you, Kāśyapa,

[Will know] the taste of the unsurpassed ambrosia of immortality, That is never born and never dies. Kāśyapa, for now you are skillful In discriminating the three objects of refuge. But the nature of this triple-refuge Is just the nature of self. When someone critically observes That self-nature contains buddha-nature, You will know that a person such as that Is able to enter this hidden treasury. One who understands self and what pertains to self Has already passed beyond this world. The nature of the Three Jewels that are the Buddha's dharma Is to be honored above all else, Like these verses I have expounded The meaning of their nature is thus. At that point Kāśyapa spoke up and uttered these verses: Now I completely do not understand The principle of taking refuge in the Three Jewels. How should one seek that place of unsurpassed fearlessness? 236

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I do not fully understand the principle of taking refuge in the Three Jewels.

How does one dononself?

How does taking refuge in the Buddha, Bring one consolation?

Why in taking refuge in the Dharma, Does one only request explanations for oneself? Why do some attain freedom, While others do not?

Why does taking refuge in the Sangha Lead to gaining the greatest benefit? How do you truly explain

The path to the attainment of buddhahood in the future? If one will not attain this in the future, Then why take refuge in the Three Jewels [now]? At this point I have no foreknowledge, Of the sequence for practicing the refuges. What idea can one entertain about childbirth, Without ever being pregnant? There must be a presence in the womb, Before we say that [a woman] is "with child. "

The child, if it is in the womb, Will definitely be born before long. This sense of how we speak of a child [before its birth], Is how karma seems to living beings. 117

As the Buddha has explained, Fools cannot understand.

And because of their nonunderstanding, They transmigrate through saṃsāra into hell. An upāsakain name only

Does not understand the true meaning [of the teachings], But only seeks ever more extensive discriminations To eliminate the web of uncertainty surrounding the self. But the great wisdom of the Tathāgata 409c

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The Nirvana Sutra, Volume I Only pities such discriminations. I thus implore you to explain the hidden treasury Of the tathāgatagarbha.

[The Buddha answered:]

Kāśyapa, you will understand, As I bring out for you now The recondite teachings

By which your doubts can be removed. Now listen carefully.

You, among all the bodhisattvas, And the seventh buddha

Share the same name.

A person who takes refuge in the Buddha Is truly called an upāsakaor lay follower. To the end, he does not also take refuge In other gods or spirits. A person who takes refuge in the Dharma, Then abandons the taking of life A person who takes refuge in the sacred Sangha, Does not seek the paths of heretics. Taking refuge in the Three Jewels in this way Brings the attainment of fearlessness. Kāśyapa said to the Buddha: I will take refuge in the Three Jewels again. This is called the right path, The realm of the buddhas. The mark of equality in the Three Jewels Always contains the nature of great wisdom. Self-nature and buddha-nature Are not two, are not to be distinguished. This way is praised by the Buddha, It is the basis of right training and stability, It is also called the right commitment, 238

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And therefore extolled by the Buddha.

Directing myself toward the unsurpassed path

Praised by he who is well gone,

Is nothing less than the ambrosia of immortality. There is nothing else like it.

Then the Buddha said to the bodhisattva Kāśyapa:

Good man, now you should not distinguish among the Three Jewels as śrāvakas and ordinary people do. In the Mahāyāna, there is nothing that marks the three refuges as separate. Why do I say this? Because the dharma and the sangha exist within the buddha-nature itself. It was in order to ferry śrāvakas and ordinary people to the other shore that I separately expounded different marks for each of the three refuges. Good man, if you want to follow a dharma that accords with worldly custom, then it makes sense to distinguish the existence of three separate refuges. But, good man, a bodhisattva would do better to consider things in this way:

Now with this body I take refuge in this buddha. But if it were in this very body that I attained buddhahood, then after becoming a buddha I would no longer pay reverence to, make obeisance to, or make offerings to the world-honored ones. Why is this? Because all buddhas are equal, equally the object of refuge for living beings. If someone wants to pay their respects to relics of the dharma body, they should worship the reliquaries of buddhas. Why? This comes from the desire to save living beings. But by enabling living beings to put forth the idea of a reliquary within their own body and to then worship and make offerings to it, in this way living beings can take their personal dharma body as a place of refuge.

Living beings [at some point] all rely on untrue or fraudulent dharmas. [For them] I will, in stages, endeavor to expound the truedharma. In addition, some take refuge in fraudulent sanghas. [For them] I will endeavor to be a place of the true sangha. And when there are those who distinguish three different forms of refuge, I will endeavor to be a single place of refuge for them, devoid of that 239

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tripartite distinction. I will become the eyes for those who are blind, and I will also become a true place of refuge for śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas.

Good man, this is how a bodhisattva does the work of a buddha both for living beings whose karmic transgressions may be unfathomable and for those who are advanced in wisdom.

Good man, this is akin to a person facing imminent battle whose state of mind is dominated by the thought,

"I am the person in front here. All

the soldiers are depending entirely upon me.

" This is also like a prince

who ruminates,

"I will tame the other princes, continuing the work of great kings and hegemons, attaining freedom and showing the other princes where their refuge lies.

" Thus [a bodhisattva] should never give

rise to thoughts of inferiority, just as kings, princes, or ministers cannot afford to do so. Good man, in much the same way a bodhisattvamahāsattva also ruminates, "How is it that these three things and myself

are one in essence?"118 Good man, what I am revealing now is that those three things are just nirvāṇa itself. The Tathāgata is called the Unsurpassed Worthy. Like the head that sits atop a person's body, rather than at the trunk or limbs, the buddha sits at the top [of the triple-refuge], rather than the dharma or the sangha. For the purpose of spiritually transforming worlds he manifests in different forms at different times, becoming like their scaffolding. Therefore you need not accept the objects of refuge as something discriminated into three forms as is currently understood by ordinary, dull-witted people. In the Mahāyāna, be ardent, be resolute, like a powerful sword!

The bodhisattva Kāśyapa then addressed the Buddha: World-Honored One, I ask out of appreciation, not because I do not understand. As someone with a bodhisattva's seriousness of purpose, I wish to ask about the ground of what is pure and undefiled. For the sake of the bodhisattvas, I would like to move the Tathāgata to delineate and expand on these astonishing things in your exalted presentation of Mahāyāna well-balanced sutras. The Tathāgata's great compassion has already been expounded so beautifully that I [know I] dwell within it. The ground of purity for the bodhisattva of which I speak is none other 240

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than this very Mahāparinirvāṇa-sūtrathat you so eloquently expound. World-Honored One, henceforth I will teach other living beings about the hidden tathāgatagarbhain some detail. I will also attest to the true basis of the triple-refuge. Anyone who can believe in this Mahāparinirvāṇa-sūtrawill be able to recognize quite naturally the ground of the triple-refuge. Why is this so? Because of the presence of buddha-nature in the hidden treasury that is the tathāgatagarbha. [The Buddha commented:]

Those who expound this scripture will all talk about the presence of the buddha-nature within oneself, without exception, and people like this will not have far to go to find the ground of the triple-refuge. Why? Because they [will grasp that]:

In the future it is I, myself, who should accomplish the Three Jewels. As a result, those who are śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas, and other living beings as well, can honor and venerate them by relying on me.

Good man, this is the reason why you should make a proper study of the Mahāyāna scriptures.

Kāśyapa then said:

Thus is buddha-nature inconceivable. And the thirty-two major marks and the eighty minor marks [on a buddha's body] are also inconceivable. At that, the Buddha praised Kāśyapa:

Excellent, excellent! Good man, you have already achieved wisdom of profound value. For you I will now explain further about entering this treasury that is the tathāgatagarbha.

If it were asserted that self is an abiding entity, then it would be a permanent dharma and there would be no separation from suffering. If one were to cultivate pure practice on the basis of nonself, it would not yield any benefits. If it were asserted that all dharmas are without self, that would constitute the annihilationist doctrine, 119and if it were asserted

that self is an abiding entity [in all dharmas], that would constitute the 241

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eternalist doctrine.

120 If it were asserted that that all conditioned phenomena are impermanent, that would be the annihilationist view; and if all composite things were permanent, then that would again be an eternalist view. If one asserts [existence as] suffering, that would be annihilationist; if one asserts [existence as] bliss, that would be eternalist. To cultivate the notion that all dharmas are permanent is to fall into the error of the annihilationist view. To cultivate the notion that all dharmas are destroyed is to fall into the error of the eternalist view. It is like an inchworm whose hind legs move whenever his forelegs do. The cultivation of eternalism and annihilationism are always like this, for each one calls forth the other.

What I am implying here is that focusing your practice on what is painful in other dharmas is never going to be efficacious, but focusing your practice on what is joyful in other dharmas will be efficacious. Focusing your practice on nonself in other dharmas is to limit yourself to concern with the defilements, while focusing your practice on permanence in other dharmas brings you to what I call the hidden tathāgatagarbha.The nirvāṇa I speak of has no abode. It would indeed be of some value to pursue your [understanding] of other dharmas that are impermanent, but by cultivating your [understanding] of dharmas that are permanent you will be looking at the buddha, dharma, and sangha, as well as liberation proper. You should understand that this sense of a "middle way" in the Buddha's dharma expresses the true-dharma, a perspective that distances itself from either extreme. 121 Ordinary people,

even those who are foolish, have no doubts about the [significance of the] middle. It is like someone weakened from illness, who, after eating butter, feels relieved.

122

The inherent nature of dharmas of both existence and nonexistence is indeterminate, just like the fact that the natures of the four major elements are not the same. The fact that they differ from each other is well known by skilled physicians who make them contract or expand by following their idiosyncratic tendencies. Good man, the Tathāgata is also like this. He acts toward all living beings like a skilled physician, understanding the differences in the inherent makeup of their individual defilements, thereby removing [those defilements] and revealing the hidden 242

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tathāgata treasury that is pure buddha-nature, permanently abiding and immutable. Those who assert that it does exist have a wisdom that is untainted. Those who assert that it does not exist are just speaking falsely. Those who assert that it does exist need not remain quiet, but they should not engage in frivolous speculation nor turn it into a matter of dispute. Just search for an understanding of the true nature of dharmas! Ordinary people who speculate or argue do so because they do not comprehend thesubtle, hidden treasury that is the tathāgatagarbha. If [I] expound123 on the problem of suffering, the fool immediately thinks,

"Ah yes, the body is impermanent!" and will preach, "Everything

is suffering.

" But what the fool cannot fathom is the presence of a blissful nature in the body. If I expound on impermanence, the ordinary person [similarly] reckons this to mean that all bodies are impermanent like water jars of unbaked clay. But a wise person would discern that one should never say,

"Everything is impermanent.

" Why? Because the seed

of buddha-nature is within one's own body. If I expound on nonself, the ordinary person will think,

"Throughout the Buddha's dharma there is

never any presence of a self.

" But the wise person would discern that

"nonself" is a verbal convention and not real. Having understood things in this way, doubts should not arise in him.

If I speak of the emptiness of the tathāgata hidden treasury, the ordinary person who hears this will take it nihilistically. But the wise person would discern that a tathāgata is constant and immutable. When I say that liberation is like an illusion, the ordinary person will think, "Attaining

liberation means to be obliterated.

" But the wise person will discern that

these lions among humans, though they may come and go, abide permanently without change. If I say that spiritual ignorance conditions all phenomena, an ordinary person who hears this will conceive of it as a distinction between two dharmas: enlightened knowledge and unenlightened ignorance. But a wise person will understand that their natures are not two, that nonduality is their true nature. If I say that conditioned phenomena condition consciousness, an ordinary person will think that I am talking about two things: phenomena and consciousness. But a wise person will understand that their natures are not distinct, that their nondual nature is their true nature.

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When I allude to keeping or violating the ten aspects of good character, what ought to be done and what ought not to be done, good states of existence and bad states of existence, or white dharmas and black dharmas, the ordinary person will infer these statements to be about dualities. The wise person, however, will comprehend that their natures are not two distinct things, that their nondual nature is their true nature. If I say,

"You should cultivate [your understanding of] the fact that all dharmas are characterized by suffering,

" the ordinary person will

infer this to be about a duality. The wise person, however, will comprehend that their natures are not two distinct things, that their nondual nature is their true nature.

When I state that [the doctrine of] "all conditioned phenomena are impermanent" means the tathāgata hidden treasury is also impermanent, "

the ordinary person will think these are two different things. The wise person, however, will comprehend that their natures are not two distinct things, that their nondual nature is their true nature. When I state that [the doctrine of] "all dharmas are without self" means that the tathāgata hidden treasury is also without self,

" the ordinary person will infer that

they are two different things. The wise person, however, will understand that their natures are not two distinct things, that their nondual nature is their true nature.

The nature of self and nonself are not two distinct things. The significance of something like this for the tathāgatahidden treasury cannot be measured; it is praised by innumerable, limitless numbers of buddhas. This is what I have been explaining here in this Sutra that Accomplishes All Merit.

124

Good man, both the nature and characteristics of self and nonself are not a duality. You should accept and admire this. Good man, you should also resolutely hold close and keep in mind those sutras that embody this approach. As I explained in the Large Sutra on Perfect Wisdom(Mahāprajñāpāramitā-sūtra), self and nonself do not have two distinct characteristics. It is like the fact that curds are produced from milk, fresh butter is produced from curds, clarified butter produced from fresh butter, and the cream on clarified butter is produced from clarified butter. Does the nature of curds come from milk, does it come from itself, or does it arise from 244

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something else? This is the same issue all the way down to the cream on the surface of clarified butter. If you say these are produced by means of something else, this would constitute "external causation" and it would mean they do not come from milk. If they did not come from milk, then milk would be not involved in them. If they arose out of themselves, they could not have arisen presupposing a continuity [of identity] over time. 125

If they did arise from within a continuity [of identity], then there would be no co-arising. If there was no co-arising, then the five kinds of dairy flavors would also not [arise] at the same time. But though they do not come into being at the same time, they definitely do not come from somewhere else. That is why you should understand that the characteristics of curds exist within milk prior to [the arising of curds], for when there is a rich sweetness of flavor in something, it does not change of its own doing.

126This is true for all the flavors, up to and including the cream on the surface of clarified butter. The causality at work in a cow drinking water and eating grass is that these things are transformed by her blood vessels and milk is produced. If she eats sweet-tasting grass, her milk will thereupon taste sweet. If she eats bitter-tasting grass, her milk will thereupon have a bitter taste. There is a type of grass that grows in the Himalayas called snigdha.

127If cows eat it, their milk will yield a clarified

butter cream that completely lacks any colors such as green, yellow, red, white, or black. Thus, depending on the grain or grass that a cow eats, the color and flavor of her milk will differ.

By means of the causes and conditions resulting from behavior that is dominated by knowledge or ignorance, living beings will produce [karmic results] in two characteristic ways. And yet ignorance can be transformed and thereby turned into knowledge. In the same way, all dharmas, whether wholesome or unwholesome, are [ultimately] devoid of this kind of duality.

The bodhisattva Kāśyapa then addressed the Buddha:

World-Honored One, in your analogy of milk, what do curds represent? World-Honored One, if as you say the characteristic of curds is definitely present within milk, then it being in such a minute form that it cannot be seen makes me wonder what does it mean to say that "curds arise or 245

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come into existence from the causes and conditions of milk"? When we say dharmas come into existence, it is because they originally did not exist, but [in your analogy] the phenomenon already exists, so how can we speak of it as "coming into existence"? If the characteristic of curds is definitely within milk, then within a hundred blades of grass there should be milk and likewise within milk there should be grass. But if one says that curds are definitely not within milk, then what causes the milk to produce the curds? On the other hand, if a dharma that originally did not exist can at a later time come into existence, then why is it that grass does not come into existence from milk [as curds do]?

[The Buddha answered:]

Good man, it cannot be said with certainty that fresh milk does or does not have curds within it. Nor can one state that it comes into existence from something else. If one takes the position that fresh milk definitely has curds within it, how does one then account for the difference between the substance of something and its flavor? For that reason one cannot say that milk definitely has the nature of curds within it. On the other hand, if one takes the position that fresh milk definitely does not have milk curds within it, then why is it that rabbit horns do not arise from milk? When poison is put into milk, the curds that are then formed will kill a person. Therefore it should not be said that milk definitely does not have the nature of curds within it. If one takes the position that curds arise from something else, then why do curds not arise from water? Therefore it should not be said that curds arise from something else. 128

Good man, the causal process in operation when a cow eats grass is that her blood turns white, then both grass and blood are broken down, and by means of her life force this changes into milk. Although milk comes from grass and blood, it cannot be said that [the raw materials and the finished product] are two distinct and separate things; it is just that we speak of it as being produced from this causal process. The other milk products from curds down to the cream on clarified butter are also like this. It is in this sense that we have named the flavors derived from cow's [milk]. The breakdown of the milk is what then becomes the causality that leads to curds. What causes all this to happen? Perhaps fermentation, perhaps heat. 246

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Because there is a process we are able to say that from certain causalities other things are produced, and this is also true for [all the milk products I have mentioned] down to the cream on the surface of clarified butter. This is why it cannot be said definitively that the characteristics of curds are not present in fresh milk, or that it is produced by some outside cause that is separate from milk, for such statements are inappropriate. Good man, knowledge and ignorance are also like this. If one is influenced by defilements and constraints in what they do, the person is labeled ignorant. If one is influenced by thoroughly wholesome dharmas in what they do, the person is labeled knowledgeable. This is precisely why I say that these two are not distinct—how we speak of someone depends on the karmic conditions operative [at that moment]. That Himalayan grass called snigdhawill, if any cow eats it, turn her milk into cream.

129 Buddha-nature is also like this.

Good man, living beings whose [accumulated] merit amounts to little will not find this grass. Buddha-nature is also like this, in that living beings do not see it because it is clouded over by their defilements. On the other hand, although the ocean is uniformly salty, within it there is also water so excellent that it tastes as good as milk. Think of the Himalayan Mountains themselves, for despite achieving a variety of merit by producing many medicinal plants, there are also poisonous plants there. The bodies of living beings are also like this: although they have poisonous snakes that make up the four elements of the body, they also have a wondrous medicine king within them, namely buddha-nature. This is no artificially constructed dharma but it is obscured by the dust of adventitious defilements. Whether brahman, kṣatriya, vaiśya,or śūdra, anyone who can remove these defilements will thereupon see the buddha-nature and complete the highest path. Just as when thunder cracks and clouds appear in the sky, flowers bloom on the tusks of all the elephants, but if were there no thunderclaps then there would be no blooming of flowers, and no words for it either. The buddha-nature of living beings is just like this. In its usual state it is covered by all the defilements and impossible to see. This is why I expounded on nonself in living beings [at one time]. But if one could only hear this subtle Mahāparinirvāṇa-sūtra,he would then see his buddha-nature, and it would be like seeing flowers 247

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on an elephant tusk. And although you may hear about all the different samādhis discussed in other sutras, if you have not heard this sutra then you will not understand this subtle aspect of the Tathāgata, just like in the absence of thunder the flowers on the elephant tusks cannot be seen. It is only after hearing this sutra that one thereby understands the hidden treasury buddha-nature that is expounded by all tathāgatas, as in the metaphor of seeing flowers on elephant tusks when there is thunder. After hearing this sutra one thereupon understands that all living beings possess buddha-nature, and this is the reason why I expound the Mahāparinirvāṇa-sūtra.I [also] call it "the hidden treasury that is a tathāgata, "

extending the dharmakāya-like flowers on elephant tusks when it thunders. By nurturing something of such significance, one thus attains what is known as mahāparinirvāṇa. If a good man or good woman carefully studies and practices what is in this Subtle Sutra of the Great Nirvana, know that this will be a person who repays their debt to the Buddha and is truly a disciple of the Buddha.

The bodhisattva Kāśyapa then addressed the Buddha:

This is extraordinary, World-Honored One. The buddha-nature that you speak of is very profound, very profound, difficult to perceive, difficult to enter. Śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas will be unable to swallow it. The Buddha answered: "Good man, just so, just so. What you have expressed admiration for does not differ from what I have explained. "

The bodhisattva Kāśyapa then addressed the Buddha: "World-Honored One. Why is buddha-nature so very profound, so difficult to perceive, so difficult to enter?" The Buddha answered:

Good man, this is something like a hundred blind men going to a physician in order to have their eyes healed. The physician takes a golden scalpel and makes an incision in their retinas. He then holds up one finger and asks if they can see it or not, but the blind men answer that they are still unable to see anything. He then holds up two fingers and then three fingers and until they finally say yes, they are able to see slightly. Good man, this is how it was in the time before this Subtle Sutra of the 248

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Great Nirvanahad been expounded by the Tathāgata. Although innumerable bodhisattvas had equipped themselves with the perfections, even to the point of reaching the ten stages, they were still unable to see that they themselves had the buddha-nature.

Upon the Tathāgata expounding it, however, they will see it immediately if only slightly. But having seen it at all, these bodhisattvamahāsattvas will all exclaim "This is extraordinary, World-Honored One. We have traversed the cycle of birth and death countless times, continually confused by nonself.

"

Good man, thus even bodhisattvas who earn a place among the ten stages may not clearly discern the buddha-nature. As such, how could one expect śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas to be able to perceive it? Good man, this is analogous to a man who looks up at the sky and sees wild geese flying by. He may think,

"That was a flock of geese I just saw in

the sky,

" but in fact he is unsure of what he was looking at, as there were only traces of birds in his gaze. In much the same way, bodhisattvas who have progressed to the ten stages may perceive and understand only a small portion of this tathāgata-nature. How much harder for a śrāvaka or pratyekabuddha to be able to discern this!

Good man, it is like an intoxicated man trying to walk down a road that he can barely see in his blurred vision. Bodhisattvas at the ten stages who have discerned only a small part of the tathāgata-nature are in a state like this. Good man, this is also analogous to a thirsty man crossing a wide field. The man's thirst presses upon him so that he searches everywhere for water. He sees a clump of trees and on one of the trees sits a white crane. But the man has become so disoriented that he is unable to distinguish between what is a tree and what is water. As he is unsure of what he is looking at, he will just gaze upon the white crane against the group of trees. Good man, bodhisattvas at the ten stages who have discerned only a small part of the tathāgata-nature are in such a state. Good man, imagine a man adrift in the middle of the ocean, hundreds of thousands, yea, innumerable yojanas [from shore]. In the distance he sees a large boat, a watchtower, and a large building. At that moment he thinks,

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know to be a watchtower!" Bodhisattvas at the ten stages who perceive the tathāgata-nature within them are in such a state. Good man, it is like a prince born with a delicate constitution who stays up all night frolicking at a party. When the sun comes up, he finds that everything he sees has become unclear. In much the same way, for bodhisattvas at the ten stages, although they may see the tathāgata-nature within themselves they are not very clear about it. Good man, this is also analogous to someone in a government ministry who is detained because of work for the king and returns home late with the night pressing in upon him. Suddenly lightning flashes and he sees a herd of cows. At that moment he thinks,

"Were those cows? A group

of clouds? A house, perhaps?" He stares [in the direction of] what he saw for some time and realizes that though he has the impression that what he saw were cows, it all seems uncertain to him now. In much the same way, for bodhisattvas at the ten stages: though they may see the tathāgata-nature within themselves they remain unable to ascertain precisely what it is. Good man, it is also like a precept-keeping bhikṣuwho looks into water that is free of any insects and yet sees something like the forms of insects in it. At that moment he thinks,

"Those things moving in the

water, are they insects? Is it dust?" After observing the water for a long time, although he knows that what he sees is dust, he is not completely sure. In much the same way, bodhisattvas at the ten stages may see the tathāgata-nature within themselves but they are not very clear about it. In addition, good man, consider the analogy of someone who looks into the darkness and sees a small child in the distance. At that moment he thinks,

"Was that an ox, an eagle, or a person?" He observes the darkness for a very long time, concluding that although he saw a child, he is not completely sure. In much the same way, bodhisattvas at the ten stages may perceive the tathāgata-nature within themselves but they are not very clear about it.

In addition, good man, it is like a man who sees a painted image of a bodhisattva at night in the dark. At that moment he thinks, "This

bodhisattva image, is it Maheśvara, or Mahābrahmā, or merely a robe made of dyed cloth?" He gazes at it for some time, and while in his mind he is 250

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saying "that is the image of a bodhisattva,

" in fact he is not completely

sure. In much the same way, bodhisattvas at the ten stages may perceive the tathāgata-nature within themselves but they are not very clear about it. Good man, this buddha-nature that you possess is thus profound and difficult to discern. Only buddhas can understand it; [the realm] of śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas does not encompass it. Good man, the wise must be discriminating in this way in their understanding of the tathāgata-nature. The bodhisattva Kāśyapa then addressed the Buddha, saying: "World-Honored One, as you have explained, the buddha-nature is subtle and difficult to understand. Is it something that can be seen with our physical eyes?" The Buddha said:

Kāśyapa, good man. It is like the heaven of neither thought nor nonthought, which is also something that those who tread the two [non-Mahāyāna] paths are unable to understand. Understanding comes as a result of having faith in accordance with this sutra. In the same way, good man,śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas who believe in what is taught in this Mahāparinirvāṇa-sūtrawill thus know of their own tathāgatanature by themselves. Good man, for this reason you should carefully perform and cultivate the practices of this Mahāparinirvāṇa-sūtra.Good man, buddha-nature is thus something only buddhas fully understand; [the realm] of śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas does not encompass it. The bodhisattva Kāśyapa then addressed the Buddha again, saying: "World-Honored One. Mundane, ordinary people regard their nature as a living being to confirm the existence of a self.

"

The Buddha said,

Think about this parable which centers on two people who were close friends. One was a prince, the other was poor and humble, yet the two of them moved around together. On one occasion, the poor man noticed an impressive sword owned by the prince, which was pure and powerfully constructed like no other. In his mind the poor man coveted the sword. Sometime later, the prince had to travel to another country and took the sword with him. Meanwhile, the poor man, while spending the night 251

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away from home on one occasion, talked in his sleep, and kept repeating, "The sword, the sword.

" Someone nearby overheard him, grabbed the man and took him to the king. Upon seeing him, the king asked, "This

sword of which you speak, where is it to be found?" The man answered the king directly, explaining what he could, and added: King, even if you were to cut up this body of your humble servant, severing my hands and feet in hopes of getting at the sword, you would still not find it. When this servant was close to your son, the prince, that was when I did happen to see it, but just once, and I dared not reach out to touch it. How could I have taken it? The king then asked him, "When you saw the sword, what did it look like?"

He answered,

"Great king, what this servant saw was something like a ram's horn.

"

When the king heard this he broke out in a smile and said, "As I

follow your thinking, I see there is nothing to fear, for that sword is not in my storehouse. How could you have possibly seen such a thing near the prince?"

Then the king turned to his ministers and asked them, "Have any of

you ever seen this sword?" But upon uttering these words, the king dropped dead.

Thereupon another prince succeeded him to the throne, and he also asked his staff,

"Tell me if any of you have seen this sword among the treasures in the palace. " The staff answered,

"We have seen it.

" So he

asked,

"What is it shaped like?" And they answered, "Great king, it looks

like a ram's horn.

" Then the king said,

"Where in the palace would a sword like that be stored?" And thus did four kings in succession all search for the sword, but to no avail. Now some time after the last king had departed, the former prince who had left for another country returned to his homeland, once again assuming his position as prince and in due time succeeded to the throne as king. When he, too, asked the staff if any of them had seen the sword, they answered,

"Great king, we have all seen it. " So he continued,

"What

did it look like?" [One person] answered, "Great king, its color is pure 252

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like the utpala(blue lotus) flower. " Someone else answered,

"It is shaped

like a ram's horn,

" and then someone else said, "Its color is red, like a

cluster of flames.

" Another chimed in,

"No, it looks like a black snake. "

Overcome with laughter, the king blurted out, "None of you have seen

what my sword actually looks like. "

Good man, bodhisattva-mahāsattvas are just like this. When out in society they expound upon the true characteristics of self but having preached that dharma they then proceed to abandon it. And just like that prince who took his wonderful sword with him when he left for another country, the ordinary, ignorant person [who has been exposed to this teaching] will say "All things have a self; there is a self, " just like that

poor friend of the prince who cried out in his sleep, "The sword, the

sword!" When śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas ask living beings, "What

marks or forms does the self have that characterize it for what it is?" ,

they will get such answers as "I have seen the form of the self—it is the size of a human thumb,

" or "It looks like a grain of rice, " or "It is just

like a grain of millet.

" And others will say,

"The marks that characterize self reside within the mind where it blazes like the sun. " Thus living

beings do not really know what it is that distinguishes the self, much like the palace staff did not know what it was that distinguished the sword. When bodhisattvas preach the dharma concerning the matter of self in such a manner, ordinary people will not understand and instead divide things up in various ways to fallaciously create notions about marks [they believe] characterize the self. All this resembles the way in which the queries about what the sword looked like led to the answer that it looked like a ram's horn. These ordinary people, one after another, will continue to think in this way, in the process producing false views. It was in order to cut off false views such as these that the Tathāgata expressed the things he did about nonself. In the parable, this is why the [king]130 told the palace staff, "That sword is not in my storehouse. "

[The Garland of Letters]131 Good man, the true self that the Tathāgata has been talking about today is what is called the buddha-nature. In my teachings this buddha-nature has been likened to the pure sword [in the previous story]. Good man, if 253

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an ordinary person is able to communicate it well, he will be in accord with the highest buddha-dharma. But if someone can proclaim it in a detailed way that distinguishes things appropriately, know that what you have is someone with the countenance of a bodhisattva. Good man, whatever different treatises, spells, verbal utterances, and written words there are, they are all buddha utterances; they do not reflect what is spoken by the proponents of other paths.

The bodhisattva Kāśyapa said to the Buddha:

World-Honored One, how is it that the matrix of syllables (*akṣara mātṛkā) was uttered by the Tathāgata? [The Buddha said:]

Good man, uttering the first half of the syllables or akṣaras is what forms the matrix [of the phonetic system], providing the support for recorded essays, spells, and literature [as a whole]. And as for the genuine dharma and all its divisions (skandha), ordinary people study this phonetic matrix of syllables so that later they will be able to discern what is dharma and what is not dharma.

The bodhisattva Kāśyapa then spoke again to the Buddha, saying: World-Honored One, what is the meaning of the akṣaras of which you speak?

[The Buddha answered:]

Good man, there are fourteen vowel sounds that designate what is meaningful in akṣaras. The word " akṣara

"itself is called nirvāṇic because

[syllabic speech] is permanent and indissoluble (a-kṣara). If it is indissoluble, then it is indestructible (akṣaya), and indestructible is none other than what the adamantine body of the Tathāgata is. The [following] fourteen vowel sounds are what I call the basis of syllables or akṣaras. Ais unbreakable (abhedya), and being unbreakable is precisely why what is called the Three Jewels is like the adamantine vajra. The sound Ais also without corrupting influences (anāsrava). And that which is without corrupting influences is none other than the Tathāgata. Nothing flows from the Tathāgata's nine orifices, thus he is without any cor-254

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rupting influences. Nor does his body even have the nine orifices, so for this reason he is free of any corrupting influences. To be free from the corrupting influences is to be permanent, and permanence is precisely what the Tathāgata is. The Tathāgata is unmade (akṛta) and that is [another reason] why he is without corrupting influences. In addition, the sound Ais also called virtue (aṅga). Virtue is precisely the Three Jewels, and thus we call it A.

Āmeans ācārya. Now what is meant by ācārya? It is someone who has succeeded in being called a "holy one" (ārya) in the world: without attachments, with few desires; someone who has [attained] satisfaction. That person is also called "pure" (āpūtaor āpūnita), as they can ferry living beings across the great ocean of saṃsāra, in and out of which flow the three existences. This is what is called holy. The sound Ā is also the practice of discipline (ācaritam): maintaining the pure precepts and comporting oneself in accordance with the world (lokānuvartanā). The letter Āalso means to depend on (āśraya) holy persons: to study [their] comportment, stopping, starting, and rising movements (gocaraor ācāra). It is also to worship (pūja), respect (ādara), and bow down in reverence (namaskāraor pādavanda) to the Three Jewels, to provide filial care for one's father and mother, and to study the Mahāyāna. good men and good women who maintain the precepts and bodhisattva-mahāsattvas, these are the holy ones. Āalso means to teach using injunctions (ādeśana or ājñā), such as when saying,

"Hey you, come here!" (āgaccha), or

"You must do this!"

, or "You must not do that!" Anyone who is able to

obstruct (āvaraṇa) teachings that advocate impropriety is known as a holy person. This, therefore, is what is called the letter Ā. Idenotes "this" (idam), the holy life (brahmacarya) in the Buddha's dharma that is extensive (vistara), pure (viśuddha), and unstained (vimala) like the full moon. It is in this way that you should do what must be done and refrain from what must not be done. Thisis meaningful (sārtha) and [this] is not meaningful (anartha); thisis a Buddha utterance and thisis a Māra utterance. Thisis therefore what is meant by I. Īis the Buddha's dharma. It is subtle, profound, and difficult to attain. Like Maheśvara and Mahābrahmā, this dharma is called free and autonomous (īśvara). As they are able to sustain it, these [deities] are 413b

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called "protectors of the dharma" (dharmapāla). The autonomous [lords] are also called the "four world-protectors" (lokapāla). Their autonomy enables them to guard this Mahāparinirvāṇa-sūtra. Īmeans to be able to proclaim something freely, so it can also mean to expound the dharma for the sake of living beings in a free and autonomous way. Moreover, since Īmeans autonomy, what is it that I have taught? It is [to encourage you] to cultivate your practice of the well-balanced (vaitulya) scriptures. The sound Īalso means cutting out jealousy (īrṣyā) just like removing weeds, all of which can transform [a situation] into something auspicious (śrī). This, therefore, is Ī.

Uis the most exalted (uttara), the most supreme (uttama), and the most advanced (udāra) of all sutras: namely, the Mahāparinirvāṇa. In addition, Uindicates the nature of a tathāgata (tathāgatagarbha), something that śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas have yet to hear about. It also stands for Uttarakuru, the ideal among of all places [to live]. If bodhisattvas can manage to hear and accept this sutra, then they would [similarly] become the most eminent (utkṛṣṭaor utkarṣa) among all living beings. This is why we say that this sutra is the highest and the best. This, therefore, is the letter U.

Ūis like cow's milk (ūdhasya), the most excellent among all flavors. The nature of a tathāgata is also like this, and this [Mahāparinirvāṇa] is [therefore] the most respected and exalted (ūrdhva) among all sutras. If anyone should slander it, you should know that that person would be no different from an ox. In addition, Ūis called someone without wisdom (ūnajñāna) or without mindfulness (ūnasmṛti). When someone slanders the subtle and secret tathāgatagarbha,it should be understood that such a person is in a most regrettable (ūrmi) state. They are far from the secret tathāgatagarbhawhen they preach the doctrine of nonself; thus they are called Ū.

Edenotes "this" (etad), the nirvāṇa of the buddhas that is their natural condition (dharmatā). Thus it is called E.

Aimeans tathāgata, as it indicates "thus come" (aiti). In addition, Ai is the movement (airyāthaor airyāthika patha) of a tathāgata—starting, stopping, contracting, stretching, or rising up. His [movement] is never without benefit to living beings. This is thus called Ai. 256

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Ois known as the defilements (kleśa), which are also called "outflows" (ogha). The Tathāgata has permanently cut off all the defilements, and this is referred to by the letter O.

Aumeans the Great Vehicle (auttarika-yāna?). Of the fourteen [vowel] sounds, this is the last one (auttarapadika?). The Mahāyāna sutras are also like this in that they are the last word among all scriptures. This is therefore called Au.

Aṃdesignates the ability to stop (saṃruddhaor saṃrodha) all things impure. Within the Buddha's dharma it has the ability to abandon all gold, silver, and precious stones. This is what is called Aṃ. Aḥmeans the supreme vehicle (mahāyānaḥ). Why? Because this Mahāyāna scripture, the Mahāparinirvāṇa-sūtra,is most excellent (niṣṭhāḥ) among all sutras. This is what is called Aḥ. Kadesignates the arising of great compassion (karuṇā) toward living beings. Just as the Buddha looks upon his son Rāhula, Kameans to do your best (kalyāṇa) toward others. This is why it is called Ka. Kharefers to amity with someone who is not to be trusted (khalaprīti). Those who are not to be trusted are also said to be muddled (khaṭuka) in that they do not believe in the tathāgatagarbha,and this is why it is known as Kha.

Garefers to a womblike repository (garbha), and this repository is none other than the hidden treasury that is the tathāgatagarbha. All living beings possess buddha-nature, and that is why this is called Ga. Ghais the voice (ghoṣa) of the Tathāgata that is constantly present (nitya). To what does "the constantly present voice of the Tathāgata" refer? It refers to the fact that the Tathāgata permanently abides without change. This, therefore, is Gha.

Ṅais the aspect of destruction (bhaṅga) that is in all conditioning (saṃskāra). This is what is meant by Ṅa.

Cahas the meaning of practice (caryā). Because it pacifies (abhi cāruka), it is known to mean practice. This, then, is Ca. Chais the Tathāgata covering all living beings to protect them (prati chādana), like a great canopy (chattra). This, then, is Cha. Jais complete liberation (punarjanmajaya) in which there is no aspect of aging (nirjarā). This, then, is known as Ja.

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Jhais an overgrowth of kleśa,like a dense forest (jhaṣa). This, then, is known as Jha.

Ñameans wisdom (ñāna).

132 Understanding the nature of the dharma that is reality (tattvadharmatā) is therefore called Ña. Ṭarefers to preaching the dharma while only half [the Buddha's] body is manifest (parisphuṭa) in Jambudvīpa, like a half-moon [that takes the shape of this letter].

133 This, then is what is known as Ṭa.

Ṭhais the consummate (niṣṭhāvator naiṣṭhika) nature of the dharma body. It is like a full moon [that takes the shape of this letter]. 134This is

therefore called Ṭha.

Ḍadesignates an idiotic (ḍimbaor ḍimbha) sangha member. He does not understand permanence and impermanence, and is comparable to a small infant (ḍimbaor ḍimbha). This is therefore called Ḍa. Ḍhais not understanding the gratitude owed (ānuvidhitsā) to one's teacher. [Such a person] is comparable to a ram (menḍha). This, then, is Ḍha.

Ṇadenotes that which is not this noble (aṇāriya)135 doctrine, like [teachings] found in the heretical (pāṣaṇḍa) paths of the outsiders. This is therefore called Ṇa.

Tais the Tathāgata when he tells the bhikṣu, "You should put aside

your apprehension (ātaṅka) for I will expound the subtle dharma for you.

" This, then, is known as Ta.

Thameans illusion (svapnāvasthā). Living beings are surrounded by it as they transmigrate through saṃsāra, trapped like silkworms or gold beetles.

136 This, then, is what is called Tha.

Darepresents great charity (dāna), what is known as the "Mahāyāna. "

For this reason it is called Da.

Dhais to praise virtue (dhanya). The Three Jewels are like Mount Sumeru in their loftiness (sotsedha), broad expanse (pariṇaddha), and durability (dhīra). This is therefore called Dha. Narefers to the fact that the Three Jewels are steadfast (adhiṣṭhāna), without movement (naiścalya), just like the crossbeam in a gate (indrakīla). This is called Na.

Pameans what is called an inverted apprehension (viparyāsa). If someone were to say that the Three Jewels were all perishable (pari kṣaya), 258

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you should understand that such a person deceives himself (parimūḍha). This, therefore, is called Pa.

Phadesignates worldly calamity (vipatphala). If one says that when worldly calamities occur, the Three Jewels are also extinguished, you should understand that such a person is foolish, ignorant, and violates what has been indicated by the Sage. This, therefore, is called Pha. Barefers to the ten powers (bala) of buddhas. This, then, is what is called Ba.

Bhais a heavy burden (bhāra). When someone is suitable (bhavya) to bear [the weight of] the unsurpassed true teaching, you should know that such a person is a great bodhisattva. This, then, is what is known as Bha. Marepresents the glorious (maṇḍana) mental discipline (manodaṇḍa) of bodhisattvas, referring to this MahāyānaMahāparinirvāṇa[-sūtra]. This, therefore, is called Ma.

Yarefers to the fact that bodhisattvas, wherever they may be (yatratatra), preach the teachings of the Great Vehicle (Mahāyāna) for living beings. This, then, is what is known as Ya.

Rais to effectively decimate (uparati) the [three poisons of] greed (rāga), hatred (dveṣa), and delusion (moha), as one expounds the teaching of truth (tattvadharma). This, then, is what Rasignifies. Larefers to the "voice-hearer path" (śrāvakayāna), which is agitated and unsettled (lola). [By contrast,] the Mahāyāna is fixed and has no movement (acala). To free oneself from (uccalana) the voice-hearer path and assiduously practice the unexcelled Mahāyāna, this is thus called La. Vais the great dharma rain (mahā-dharma-varṣa) rained down for living beings by the Tathāgata and World-Honored One (bhagavat), namely the world's spells (vidyā) and scriptures. This, therefore, is Va. Śais to be free of the three darts (śalya).

137This, therefore, is known

as Śa.

Ṣameans completion (pariniṣpatti). If a person is able to hear this Mahāparinirvāṇa-sūtra,he would then be firmly established (sampratiṣṭhita) in all the Mahāyāna scriptures; thus is this called Ṣa. Sarepresents the preaching of the true-dharma (saddharma) for living beings, causing joy (saṃharṣaṇa) in them. This, then, is what Sarepresents. 259

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Hais a sense of joy (harṣa) in one's mind. Extraordinary (hā)! The World-Honored One has relinquished (hāta) all conditioning (saṃskāra). Alas (hambhoor aho bata)! The Tathāgata is entering parinirvāṇa!" Therefore this is Ha.

Kṣameans Māra. No matter how many māras may try, they cannot damage the tathāgatagarbha, and that is why this is called Kṣa.In addition, Kṣaalso expresses conformity with the world in displaying [the Tathāgata] having a father, mother, wife, and child. Therefore this, too, is called Kṣa.

Ṛ, Ṝ, Ḷ,and Ḹ—these four syllables I explain as having four meanings. That is, buddha, dharma, and sangha, and their opposition (pratipakṣa). What I call their "opposition" refers to conformity or acting in accordance with the ways of the world (lokānuvartana), such as when [the Buddha] has Devadatta display his rupture of the sangha or the Buddha's conjuring up various other forms, shapes, and images in order to set forth the rules of training (śikṣāpada). The wise understand and know they should not respond to any of these things with fear, as these are "acts of conformity with the world.

" For this reason they are called Ṛ, Ṝ, Ḷ,and Ḹ.

The voice may arise from breathing, from the base of the tongue, or from the nasal area; it may be long, short, or staccato. Depending on what it sounds like, we discern what it means. All discriminations in sound are made by how the tongue and teeth [are used]. In this way the meaning of a syllable can turn the speech act of a living being into something pure. But the buddha-nature in living beings is not like this—a verbal designation (*śabda-prajñapti) that only later becomes pure. Why? Because its nature is originally pure. Although it may be located within the aggregates (skandha), sense bases (āyatana), or sense fields (dhātu),

138 do not identify it with the aggregates, sense bases, or sense fields. For this reason living beings should all take refuge in the bodhisattvas who, by means of their buddha-nature, look upon living beings without discrimination.

And for this reason the half-syllables are the basic units in scriptures, treatises, and other written works. However, all the meanings in these halfsyllables are also the basis of speech that is afflicted by the defilements. 260

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That is why they are called half-syllables. By contrast, complete syllables are the basis of all that is good in speech. For example, someone who does bad deeds in this world might be called a "half-person" and someone who cultivates good deeds might be called a "complete person. " In this way,

the basis of all scriptures and treatises comes from half-syllables, so if someone were to say that the Tathāgata and proper liberation were contained in half-syllables, that would be incorrect. Why? Because these are things apart from words. For this reason, in regard to any and all phenomena the Tathāgata is unhindered, unattached, and truly liberated. What could be called "comprehending the meaning of syllables"? If one understood that the appearance of the Tathāgata in the world could effect the destruction of half-syllables, that I would call "comprehending the meaning of syllables.

" But if one only has the meanings that come

from following what is expressed with half-syllables, that person would not understand the nature of the Tathāgata.

What would constitute "the meaning of no syllables"? When people familiarize themselves with and practice a dharma that is unwholesome, that is what I call "[a dharma] of no syllables.

" A person of no syllables

also refers to those who, though they familiarize themselves with and practice a dharma that is good, nevertheless do not understand what is permanent and impermanent, constant and inconstant in the Tathāgata. They do not understand the two jewels of the dharma and the sangha, what is vinaya and what is not vinaya, what are sutras and what are not sutras, what has been spoken by Māra and what has been spoken by the Buddha. If one is incapable of distinguishing such things, he would constitute someone who follows and adheres to "meanings of no syllables. " Having now

explained [the implications] of following those meanings that are devoid of syllables entirely, I therefore urge you to free yourself from what are half-syllables and grasp well what lies in complete syllables. The bodhisattva Kāśyapa then addressed the Buddha, saying: World-Honored One. We should indeed study carefully the [total] number of syllables. For having now encountered the most exalted teacher, we have received both encouragement and admonishments from the Tathāgata. 261

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The Buddha praised Kāśyapa: "Excellent, excellent! To seek the truedharma you must study these things. "

Then the Buddha also imparted this to the bodhisattva Kāśyapa: Good man, the kācilindiand the cakravākaare two kinds of birds who do things in tandem; they are never apart from each other, whether moving or stationary. In much the same way the dharmas of suffering, impermanence, and nonself are never apart from each other. The bodhisattva Kāśyapa said to the Buddha: "World-Honored One. How can suffering, impermanence, and nonself be like the cakravākaand the kācilindibirds?"

The Buddha said:

Good man. There is a dharma that is painful and there is a different dharma that is blissful, there is dharma that is permanent and there is a different dharma that is impermanent, there is dharma that is self and there is a different dharma that is nonself. Just like rice differs from hemp or wheat, and wheat is likewise different from beans, millet, or sugar cane, in the same way from a variety of seeds emerge sprouts that will then become [a variety of] leaves and flowers. These [examples] are all impermanent and yet whenever the fruit ripens people enjoy it, and that moment we can call "a constant.

" Why? Because its nature is

true and real.

Kāśyapa then asked the Buddha: "World-Honored One. If there is a constancy in things like that that, would that be the same as [the constancy] of the Tathāgata?"

The Buddha answered:

No, good man, you should not construe things like that. Why? If you were to say the Tathāgata is like Mount Sumeru, then when the kalpa of destruction comes and Sumeru is destroyed, would you have it that the Tathāgata is also destroyed in the same way? Good man, you should not hold that kind of understanding. With the exception of nirvāṇa, good man, among all the dharmas there is not one that is permanent. I was only using a worldly figure of speech when I said that [the enjoyment of] fruit is a constant.

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Kāśyapa then asked the Buddha: "World-Honored One. Excellent, excellent! Now I see what the Buddha was saying. "

The Buddha told Kāśyapa:

Just so, just so. Good man, even those who practice all the samādhis described in the sutras, until they hear this Mahāparinirvāṇa[-sūtra], everything they say will only pertain to impermanence. But when they have heard this sutra, even when the defilements are present in them it will seem as if they are gone, and they will then be of benefit to all humans and deities. Why? Because they will have clearly ascertained the presence of buddha-nature within themselves. Good man, this is also like a mango tree (āmra). When its flowers begin to open and scatter, that we say is impermanent. But when its fruit has ripened, it is of great value, and that we can say is invariable.

Good man, even those who practice all the samādhis described in the sutras, until they hear this Mahāparinirvāṇa[-sūtra], everything they say will only pertain to impermanence. But when they have heard this sutra, even when the defilements are present in them it will seem as if they are gone, and they will then be of benefit to all humans and deities. Why? Because they will have clearly ascertained the presence of buddhanature within themselves. In addition, good man, this is analogous to what happens when gold ore is melted. What had been something with the characteristics of impermanence when melted turns into gold, which is of great value, and that we can say is invariable. Good man, even those who practice all the samādhis described in the sutras, until they hear this Mahāparinirvāṇa[-sūtra], everything they say will only pertain to impermanence. But when they have heard this sutra, even when the defilements are present in them it will seem as if they are gone, and they will then be of benefit to all humans and deities. Why? Because they will have clearly ascertained the presence of buddhanature within themselves. Good man, it is like sesame. Before it is pressed it is known as an impermanent [substance], but after pressing it yields oil, which is of great value, and that we can say is invariable. Good man, even those who practice all the samādhis described in the sutras, without hearing the Mahāparinirvāṇa[-sūtra], everything they say 263

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will only pertain to impermanence. But when they have heard this sutra, even when the defilements are present in them it will seem as if they are gone, and they will then be of benefit to all humans and deities. Why? Because they will have clearly ascertained the presence of buddha-nature within themselves. In addition, good man, this is analogous to the flow of a multitude of rivers that all return to the sea. The samādhis described in the sutra canon all return to the Mahāparinirvāṇa-sūtra of the Mahāyāna. Why is this? Because ultimately what I am talking about is the presence of buddha-nature. Good man, this precisely why I say there is a dharma that is permanent, and there is a different dharma that is impermanent, and so on up to the teaching of nonself, which is also like this. The bodhisattva Kāśyapa then asked the Buddha:

World-Honored One. The Tathāgata is already free from the poisonous arrow of sorrow. Great sorrow is the mark of deities, but the Tathāgata is not a deity. Sorrow is the mark of a human being, but the Tathāgata is not a human being. Sorrow is the mark of the twenty-five forms of existence in saṃsāra, but the Tathāgata is not in any of those twentyfive forms of existence and therefore the Tathāgata has no sorrow. Why, then, do people speak of the Tathāgata's sorrow?

[The Buddha responded:]

Good man, beings in the heaven of nonideation are so called because ideas are not formed [in that realm].

139 But if there is no [mental process

to produce] ideas, that should mean there is no life force. If there is no life force, then how could someone have aggregates, sense fields, and sense bases? In that sense, one cannot say the life force of a being in the heaven of nonideation resides in any particular place, [and yet this heaven is real]. Good man, it is like the tree spirits who reside in trees. It cannot be claimed with certainty that they reside in the branches, the nodes, the stems, or the leaves of trees. But just because their location is not fixed does not mean that we can say they do not exist. The life force of a being in the heaven of nonideation is like this.

Good man, the Buddha's dharma is also like this. It is exceedingly profound and difficult to grasp. The Tathāgata truly has no sorrow or 264

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anxiety, and he brings forth great compassion for those who are enmeshed in sorrow. For he looks upon all living beings as he looks upon his son Rāhula.

In addition, good man, a life force of a being in the heaven of nonideation can only be truly understood by a buddha; the knowledge of all others simply does not extend this far. This is also true for the state of neither ideation nor nonideation.

140Kāśyapa, the nature of the Tathāgata

is pure and unstained. As this is a constructed, transformation body, where could there be sorrow or anxiety? But to say that the Tathāgata has no sorrow is to question how he could be capable of benefiting living beings in disseminating the buddha-dharma. To say the Tathāgata has no sorrow is to question how he "looks upon living beings as he looks upon [his son] Rāhula.

" And if someone denied that he looks upon others

as Rāhula, such talk would be false. In this sense, good man, the Buddha is inconceivable, the dharma is inconceivable, the buddha-nature in living beings is inconceivable, and the life force of a being in a heaven devoid of ideation is inconceivable. The Tathāgata has sorrow and he does not have sorrow. This is the realm of buddhas and simply cannot be understood by śrāvakas or pratyekabuddhas.

Good man, this is analogous to the impossibility of a house in all its detail standing in the sky. Yet if someone claimed that there could never be any means by which a house could be suspended in mid-air, that would be unfounded. It is in this sense that one should not say that a house is standing in the sky or is not standing in the sky. Though an ordinary person might claim that a house does stand in the sky, in fact the sky is such that in fact nothing resides in it. Why? Because its nature offers no support.

141

Good man, the mind is just like this. One cannot say it resides in the aggregates, the sense fields, or the sense bases, nor can one say it does not reside in those places. The life of beings in the heaven of nonideation is also like this and the sorrow of the Tathāgata is like this as well. If the Tathāgata had no sorrow, then how can it be claimed that he regards living beings as if they were Rāhulas? If it were claimed that he does have sorrow, then why it is said that his nature is the same as the sky?142

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Good man, consider the analogy of a magician. Although he conjures up a variety of things—a palace, killing someone and then nurturing him back to health, being tied up and escaping, objects such as gold, silver, vaidūrya,jewels, a grove of trees or an individual tree—none of them are real. The Tathāgata is like this. In conformity with the world, he may manifest distress but actually there is no reality in the emotion being displayed.

Good man, the Tathāgata has already enteredparinirvāṇa,so how could he have sorrow or anxiety? If someone were to say that the Tathāgata's entering into nirvāṇa was something impermanent, know that it would be that person who would have sorrow. If someone were to say that the Tathāgata does not enter into nirvāṇa but permanently abides in a way that is immutable, know that that person would be without sorrow. The Tathāgata does worry and does not worry, but this is not something that can easily be understood.

Moreover, good man, this is analogous to the fact that a lower person is quite familiar with a lower dharma, but does not have knowledge of notions of the middle or higher. Someone of the middle knows about the middle [dharmas] but does not know about the higher. But a higher person understands the higher andthe middle and the lower. Śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas are just like this—their knowledge is restricted to their own stage of understanding—but the Tathāgata is not, for he completely understands his own stage as well as the stages of understanding in others. This is why the Tathāgata is said to have unhindered wisdom. He manifests phantom transformations that accord with worldly custom and when ordinary people see this with their physical eyes they presume they are real. Yet despite the desire in some to thoroughly understand the unhindered, unsurpassed wisdom of the Tathāgata, this simply will not occur. He has anxiety and he does not have anxiety—only a buddha can understand this. And based on this causality, [this teaching that] "there is dharma about self and there is a different dharma about nonself" is what I call, "the nature of cakravākaand kācilindibirds.

"

For in addition, good man, the Buddha's dharma moves in tandem, just like the cakravākabirds do. In the height of summer when the waters swell, these birds select high plains on which to settle as safe areas to 266

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raise their young. When that period ends, they follow their instincts and move to other areas that give them security. The Tathāgata's appearance in the world is just like this. In order to transform innumerable living beings he enables them to reside in the true-dharma, just as the cakravāka and kācilindibirds choose the high plains as the place to set down their children. The Tathāgata in like manner enables living beings to accomplish what they need to do and then immediately enters mahāparinirvāṇa. Good man, with the adage,

"There is a dharma that is suffering and there is a different dharma that is bliss, " I am alluding to the fact that conditioned phenomena are suffering and that nirvāṇa is bliss. This is the most recondite [of doctrines], for it destroys conditioned phenomena. The bodhisattva Kāśyapa then addressed the Buddha: "World-Honored One. Why is it that when living beings attain nirvāṇa it is called 'the greatest bliss'?"

The Buddha said:

Good man, as I have explained, conditioned phenomena as a whole are marked by aging and death.

Conscientious and attentive,

Is the place I call the immortal (*amṛta). Inattentive and not conscientious, That I call mortal (*mṛta)

If you are not inattentive

Then you can obtain the deathless place. In like manner, the inattentive Always proceed down a road of death. If one is inattentive, he is in [the realm of] created dharmas, and the created dharmas constitute what is most painful. Not to be inattentive thus refers to nirvāṇa; nirvāṇa is marked by deathlessness and constitutes what is most pleasurable. If one proceeds on the path of conditioned phenomena, that I call "the place of death where one receives the greatest pain.

" But if one reaches nirvāṇa, this I call "the place of deathlessness where one receives the greatest pleasure. " To not be inattentive, even if one is involved with conditioned phenomena, I would still call that "a body that is permanent, blissful, deathless, and indestructible. "

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What is it to be inattentive? What is it to be attentive? Mundane, ordinary people [follow] a dharma I call inattentive and of constant death. Supramundane, holy people are attentive and have neither aging nor death. Why is this? Because they have entered the ultimate, permanent bliss that is nirvāṇa. It is in this sense that I say there is a dharma that is painful and there is a different dharma that is blissful; there is dharma that is self and there is a different dharma that is nonself. Like someone here on the ground who sees no traces of birds when looking up at the sky, good man, living beings who lack divine vision will not see their own tathāgata-nature existing right there in the midst of their own defilements. This is why I have expounded the recondite teachings of nonself. What is this about? It is about the fact that without divine vision one cannot understand the true self and instead, a self is constructed in a way that is inappropriate. Anything created that is a product of the defilements is impermanent. This is why I have said that there are dharmas that are permanent and different dharmas that are impermanent. He who is steadfast and strong,

As if standing on a mountaintop,

Constantly observes ordinary people,

On the ground and in the wilderness [below].

Having ascended a palace of great wisdom,

A platform of unsurpassed wonder,

He has removed his own sorrow

Yet sees the sorrow in living beings.

Having completely cut off the defilements in himself, however numerous, the Tathāgata resides on a mountain of wisdom, observing living beings who themselves are constantly [plagued by] the defilements, hundreds of millions in number.

The bodhisattva Kāśyapa then addressed the Buddha: World-Honored One. The meaning of what you have expounded in these verses does not make sense to me. Why? Because those who have entered nirvāṇa have neither sadness nor happiness. How does one attain the "ascent to a palace of wisdom"? Moreover, what does it mean to live at the top of a mountain and observe living beings below? 268

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The Buddha said:

Good man, the palace of wisdom is just another name for nirvāṇa. He who has no sorrow refers to tathāgatas; he who has sorrow refers to ordinary people. It is because ordinary people have sorrow that they regard tathāgatas as not having sorrow. The peak of Mount Sumeru refers to proper liberation. Making diligent effort is a metaphor for the fact that there are no disturbances on Mount Sumeru. The earth refers to conditioned phenomena; these ordinary people who are settled on the earth, they create these conditioned phenomena. The term "wisdom" is thus a name for right awakening. Freed from existence, [the liberated person] permanently abides and is therefore called "tathāgata. " Tathāgatas have

sympathy for the innumerable living beings that are continuously struck by the poisonous arrows of their various states of existence. This is why I referred to the Tathāgata as having sorrow.

The bodhisattva Kāśyapa then addressed the Buddha: "World-Honored One. If a tathāgata were to feel sadness, then we could not call him 'a perfectly enlightened one.

'"

The Buddha then said to Kāśyapa:

All things have causes and conditions for coming into existence. In accordance with the transformations that living beings are bound to go through, the Tathāgata takes birth and manifests himself among them. But though he may undergo birth [as a living being], in actuality no birth takes place. This is why I say the Tathāgata is a "constantly abiding dharma,

" just like the kācilindiand cakravākabirds [that are always together].

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