The Great Sutra on the Equality of All Phenomena and the Ultimate Nature of Reality

འཕགས་པ་ཆོས་ཐམས་ཅད་ཀྱི་རང་བཞིན་མཉམ་པ་ཉིད་རྣམ་པར་སྤྲོས་ པ་ཏིང་ངེ་འཛིན་གྱི་རྒྱལ་པོ་ཞེས་བྱ་བ་ཐེག་པ་ཆེན་པོའི་མདོ།

The Great Sutra on the Equality of All Phenomena and the Ultimate Nature of Reality

འཕགས་པ་ཆོས་ཐམས་ཅད་ཀྱི་རང་བཞིན་མཉམ་པ་ཉིད་རྣམ་པར་སྤྲོས་ པ་ཏིང་ངེ་འཛིན་གྱི་རྒྱལ་པོ་ཞེས་བྱ་བ་ཐེག་པ་ཆེན་པོའི་མདོ།

Chapter 29 · Ten Benefits

EN
“Young man, there are ten benefits for bodhisattva mahāsattvas from maintaining patience and being kind. What are these ten? They are: [1] they are not burned by fire; [2] they are not slain by weapons; [3] they are not affected by poison; [4] they do not drown in water; [5] the devas protect them; [6] they attain a body adorned by the primary signs of a great being; [7] all the doorways to their rebirth in lower existences are closed; [8] it is not difficult for them to be reborn in the paradise of Brahmā; [9] they are happy day and night; and [10] their physical sensations of comfort and pleasure are never lost.
EN
“Young man, those are the ten benefits for the bodhisattva mahāsattvas from maintaining patience and being kind.”
EN
On this topic, it was said:
EN
“They are not burned by fire, They are not killed by weapons, They are not affected by poison, They do not drown in water, {1}
EN
“They are protected by devas, They have the thirty-two primary signs, And the lower existences are closed to them. Those are the benefits of patience. {2}
EN
“The state of Brahmā and the state of Śakra Are not difficult for them to attain. They always dwell in happiness And have inconceivable pleasure. {3}
EN
“They are not slain by fire or weapons; They are not killed by poison or drowning. They are protected by devas, nāgas, and yakṣas. Those are the benefits of maintaining kindness. {4}
EN
“Their bodies will have the thirty-two primary signs. They will not fall into the lower existences, And at death they will be reborn in the realm of Brahmā. Those are the benefits of maintaining patience. {5}
EN
“They have happiness day and night. Their bodies will have pleasurable sensations. They will have the power of patience and bliss. Those wise ones will always have a tranquil mind. {6}
EN
“Young man, there are ten benefits for bodhisattva mahāsattvas from taking up diligence. What are the ten benefits? They are: [1] it is difficult to approach their level; [2] they attain the state of being cared for by the buddhas; [3] they will be cared for by the devas; [4] they maintain the Dharma they have received; [5] they obtain the Dharma they have not previously received; [6] they attain the lineage of samādhis; [7] they have few illnesses; [8] they digest their food well; [9] they are like lotuses; and [10] they are not like pestles.
EN
“Young man, those are the ten benefits for the bodhisattva mahāsattvas from taking up diligence.”
EN
On this topic, it was said:
EN
“It is difficult to approach their level. They are without idleness. The devas protect them. They quickly see the buddhas. {7}
EN
“Their prayers are fulfilled, They attain the lineage of samādhis, And they do not become ill. Those are the benefits of diligence. {8–9}
EN
“They digest pleasurably, without harm, That which they eat and drink. {10} They gradually develop Like a blue lotus in the middle of water.
EN
“In that way the bodhisattvas Develop through good qualities. {11} The days and the nights Pass fruitfully for them.
EN
“The Tathāgata who has engaged in diligence, Gaining accomplishments for numerous eons, Has taught to the bodhisattvas These benefits of possessing diligence. {12}
EN
“Those who engage in diligence Are in the care of the jinas. The devas, too, make aspirations for them. They will soon attain the Buddha’s enlightenment. {13}
EN
“What they have learned will never diminish, And they give many other Dharma teachings. Their confidence of speech increases immensely. Those are the benefits of engaging in diligence. {14}
EN
“They will quickly attain the lineage of samādhis. They will never become ill. Whatever food they eat They will comfortably digest completely. {15}
EN
“Day and night the good qualities Of their powerful diligence increase. Through the power of this diligence, Before long they will attain enlightenment. {16}
EN
“Young man, there are ten benefits for bodhisattva mahāsattvas from being devoted to meditation. What are the ten benefits? They are: [1] they maintain their bodhisattva conduct; [2] they engage in the field of that conduct; [3] they live free from anguish; [4] their sensory faculties are protected; [5] they experience pleasure; [6] they are separated from desire; [7] they have insatiability for meditation; [8] they are free from the domain of Māra; [9] they are established in the domain of the Buddha; and [10] they ripen the state of liberation.
EN
“Young man, those are the ten benefits for the bodhisattva mahāsattvas from being devoted to meditation.”
EN
On this topic, it was said:
EN
“They are never without bodhisattva conduct, As they are established in bodhisattva conduct. The yogins practice the field of that conduct, And reject that which is not the field of that conduct. {17}
EN
“They live without anguish. Their senses hidden and bound, They experience pleasure. Their field of conduct is practicing meditation. {18}
EN
“They are without desire, or the craving of desire. They abide in the bliss of meditation. They are free from the domain of Māra And dwell in the Buddha’s domain. {19}
EN
“This is the particular quality of the yogins: That they delight in being alone in the forest. They bring liberation to fruition. Those are the ten aspects. {20}
EN
“The bodhisattvas remain in bodhisattva conduct And they reject everything that is not that conduct. They reject that which is not the field of that conduct and remain in that which is. Those are the benefits of endeavoring in samādhi. {21}
EN
“They never experience anguish. They reach the state of higher bliss. Both their body and mind become blissful. These are the benefits of endeavoring in meditation. {22}
EN
“They live secretly in solitary places. They never have any distractions. Thus their bodies are in isolation And they attain happiness free of desires. {23}
EN
“They are unstained by desires and have no kleśas. Thus they are free from the domain of Māra And are established in the domain of the tathāgatas. They bring their liberation to fruition. {24}
EN
“Young man, there are ten benefits for bodhisattva mahāsattvas from engaging in wisdom. What are these ten? They are: [1] they give away all their possessions without becoming proud that they are pure; [2] they have immaculate, correct conduct without forming an attachment to that conduct; [3] they maintain the power of patience without maintaining the conceptualization that there are beings; [4] they take up diligence in isolation from body and mind; [5] in meditating they meditate with a non-abiding meditation; [6] they are invincible to the māras; [7] they are unshakable to all adversaries; [8] they attain illumination regarding all engagement with the composite; [9] they engage in vast great compassion for all beings, and have no aspiration for the level of the śrāvakas or pratyekabuddhas; and [10] they enter into the dhyānas, samādhis, and samāpattis of the buddhas.
EN
“Young man, those are the ten benefits for the bodhisattva mahāsattvas from engaging in wisdom.”
EN
On this topic, it was said:
EN
“The heroic ones give away all their possessions But do not become proud that they are pure. They keep their correct conduct immaculate But they form no attachment to that. {25}
EN
“The wise ones meditate on patience But have expelled the conceptualization of beings. They are those who engage in diligence But in isolation from body and mind. {26}
EN
“They are those who cultivate meditation, But without abiding and independent; They are invincible to the māras. Those are the qualities of those who have wisdom. {27}
EN
“They are unshakable To every adversary And have obtained the illumination of saṃsāra. Those are the qualities of wisdom. {28}
EN
“They have attained great compassion Toward all beings. They never have an aspiration For the wisdom of the śrāvaka or pratyekabuddha. {29}
EN
“They are not proud of being pure through giving away all their possessions. They have immaculate correct conduct but have no attachment to conduct. They meditate on patience but have no conceptualization of beings. Those are the benefits of being devoted to wisdom. {30}
EN
“They engage in diligence but in isolation. They meditate without being bound, without fixation. They are wise and are invincible to Māra. Those are the benefits of being devoted to wisdom. {31}
EN
“They are unshakable to adversaries. They have discovered the shallowness of the composite, And they have vast compassion for beings. Those are the benefits of being devoted to wisdom. {32}
EN
“They never give rise to an aspiration to be A pratyekabuddha or śrāvaka, And thus they are established in the qualities of a buddha. Those are the benefits of being devoted to wisdom. {33}
EN
“Young man, there are ten benefits for bodhisattva mahāsattvas from becoming very learned. What are the ten benefits? They are: [1] they do not create kleśas; [2] they do not develop malice; [3] they expose doubts; [4] they make views accurate; [5] they shun the wrong paths; [6] they are established on the true path; [7] they have reached the doorway to deathlessness; [8] they are close to enlightenment; [9] they are a light for beings; and [10] they have no fear of the lower existences.
EN
“Young man, those are the ten benefits for the bodhisattva mahāsattvas from becoming very learned.”
EN
On this topic, it was said:
EN
“These are taught to be the ten benefits From becoming very learned Just as they are known By the Tathāgata, the Buddha. {34}
EN
“They know the two aspects Of the kleśas and of purification. They reject the kleśas And follow the path of purification. {35}
EN
“The wise ones reject doubts And develop accurate views. They shun the wrong path And follow the correct path. {36}
EN
“They are at the door to deathlessness And they are close to enlightenment. They are a light for beings And they are not afraid of the lower existences. {37}
EN
“They know the numerous properties of having the kleśas, And in the same way they know the aspect of purification. They completely reject the kleśas And train in the supreme quality of purification. {38}
EN
“They expose the doubts of all beings. They have a view that is always accurate. They shun the wrong path And are always upon the true path of peace. {39}
EN
“They are always beside the doorway to deathlessness; They are always close to stainless enlightenment. They have become a light to all the multitudes of beings And they have no fear of the lower existences. {40}
EN
“Young man, for bodhisattva mahāsattvas who are intent on giving the Dharma, there are ten benefits that come from giving the Dharma. What are the ten benefits? They are: [1] they reject that which should not be done; [2] they engage in that which should be done; [3] they follow the Dharma of a worthy person; [4] they purify buddha realms; [5] they reach the Bodhimaṇḍa; [6] they give away material things; [7] they overcome the kleśas; [8] they give their portion to all beings; [9] they meditate on love toward those on whom their minds are focused; and [10] they attain happiness in this life.
EN
“Young man, for bodhisattva mahāsattvas who are intent on giving the Dharma, those are the ten benefits that come from giving the Dharma.”
EN
On this topic, it was said:
EN
“Those who give the supreme gift, The gift of the Dharma, are not misers. The Lord of the World has taught That they will have ten benefits. {41}
EN
“They reject all that should not be done; The wise ones engage in what should be done. They obtain the Dharma of a worthy person And maintain a motivation of generosity. {42}
EN
“They purify a buddha realm. Their realm is inconceivable. They are always on the Bodhimaṇḍa, Which is the result of giving the Dharma. {43}
EN
“They give away all material things. They follow the king of the Dharma. For those who have overcome the kleśas, Enlightenment is not hard to attain. {44}
EN
“With a loving mind they give Their portion to all beings. They are those who have no envy, And they have a happiness higher than that of humans. {45}
EN
“They are learned people who reject what should not be done. They are wise people who are always doing what should be done. They always follow the Dharma of great beings. They are learned people who always give the gift of the Dharma. {46}
EN
“Their realm is one that is always pure. They increase those qualities that are aspects of enlightenment. They are always close to the Bodhimaṇḍa. Those are the benefits of giving the Dharma. {47}
EN
“They have no kleśas, and give material things away. They know the characteristics of things. They are liberated from all attachment. They never have any impediments. {48}
EN
“They have a wise one’s mind. They wish for all beings to be happy. They have loving minds free of envy, And in this life their happiness is not little. {49}
EN
“Young man, there are ten benefits for bodhisattva mahāsattvas who dwell in emptiness. What are the ten benefits? They are: [1] they dwell in the dwelling of the Buddha; [2] their meditation is nondwelling; [3] they are not intent on rebirth; [4] they have no clinging to conduct; [5] they do not criticize superior beings; [6] they live in an appropriate manner; [7] they do not conceptualize the objects of perception; [8] they remain detached; [9] they do not disparage the buddhas; and [10] they possess the Dharma.
EN
“Young man, those are the ten benefits for bodhisattva mahāsattvas who dwell in emptiness.”
EN
On this topic, it was said:
EN
“The yogins dwell in that which is The dwelling of the lords of men And the field of activity of all the buddhas, Without the conception of a life. {50}
EN
“Without dependence on any existence They never give up the superior dhyāna. Having seen the nature of phenomena They have no intention of being reborn. {51}
EN
“Those who have no clinging to conduct Will not be dependent on conduct. They do not criticize in any way Another superior being who is without defilement. {52}
EN
“They live in an appropriate manner And are not known to quarrel. The yogins do not conceptualize things But live always detached. {53}
EN
“They do not disparage the Buddha Even for the sake of their life. While remaining in the emptiness of phenomena They are fearlessly visible in their body. {54}
EN
“They teach the Dharma with veneration For the inconceivable enlightenment of buddhahood Of all the lords of the worlds, And they have no doubt in the Dharma of the Buddha. {55}
EN
“The dwelling place of the supreme individuals, The level not that of the many kinds of tīrthika, There where there is no being, soul, or person: That is where the bodhisattvas dwell. {56}
EN
“They have no dwelling whatsoever. They remain in the bliss of nondwelling dhyāna. They see that phenomena have no self, no being, And they do not give rise to the concept of creation. {57}
EN
“They understand the nature of phenomena. They have no dependence even on conduct. They do not conceive of themselves as pure because of conduct, And always have faith in the buddhas. {58}
EN
“They meditate on the empty nature of all phenomena And they are never in any way inappropriate. They possess the pure Dharma of the tathāgatas And do not disparage the guides. {59}
EN
“Young man, there are ten benefits for bodhisattva mahāsattvas who remain intently in meditative seclusion. What are the ten benefits? They are: [1] their minds are unpolluted; [2] they remain careful; [3] they keep the Buddha in mind; [4] they have faith in bodhisattva conduct; [5] they have no uncertainty concerning wisdom; [6] they have gratitude toward the buddhas; [7] they do not abandon the Dharma; [8] they maintain vows perfectly; [9] they have attained the level of self-discipline; and [10] they have the direct perception of the four discernments.
EN
“Young man, those are the ten benefits for bodhisattva mahāsattvas who remain intently in meditative seclusion.”
EN
On this topic, it was said:
EN
“Their minds are unpolluted. They have rejected all carelessness. They maintain carefulness. Their field of activity is meditative seclusion. {60}
EN
“They have faith in the buddhas, having heard Of the conduct of the Lord of the World. The yogins have no doubt concerning wisdom, The inconceivable wisdom of the buddhas. {61}
EN
“They have gratitude toward the buddhas, And have no doubt concerning the Dharma of the buddhas. They maintain their vows perfectly, And have attained the level of self-discipline. {62}
EN
“They have attained discernment. They delight in being alone in the forest. They have forsaken gain and honors, And their field of activity is meditative seclusion. {63}
EN
“Their minds are unpolluted. They have forsaken all carelessness. They are great beings who are always careful. Those are the benefits of being dedicated to samādhi. {64}
EN
“They keep in mind the buddhas, the supreme humans, And they have faith in their supreme conduct. They do not doubt the wisdom of the tathāgatas. Those are the benefits of being dedicated to samādhi. {65}
EN
“They always have gratitude toward the buddhas. They do not forsake the Dharma even for the sake of their life. At all times they keep their vows perfectly. Those are the benefits of being dedicated to samādhi. {66}
EN
“They have attained the level of self-discipline. They quickly attain the direct perception of discernment. They speak with the unceasing confidence of speech. They teach millions and billions of sūtras. {67}
EN
“They quickly attain the enlightenment of buddhahood. They protect the teaching of the Guide. They defeat all who are adversaries. They extensively propagate the enlightenment of buddhahood. {68}
EN
“When those bodhisattvas pass away, They go to the realm of Sukhāvatī. They hear the highest Dharma from Amitāyus And attain the acceptance of the nonorigination of phenomena. {69}
EN
“Young man, there are ten benefits for bodhisattva mahāsattvas who are dedicated to solitude. What are the ten benefits? They are: [1] they have few activities; [2] they have gone far from busy crowds; [3] they have no quarrels; [4] they have no harm; [5] they do not increase defilements; [6] they do not create any cause for disputes; [7] they have perfectly peaceful conduct; [8] they maintain perfect self-restraint; [9] their minds are prepared for liberation; and [10] they quickly manifest liberation.
EN
“Young man, those are the ten benefits for bodhisattva mahāsattvas who are dedicated to solitude.”
EN
On this topic, it was said:
EN
“They always have few activities. They have gone far from busy crowds. They have no quarrels. They live alone in the forest. {70}
EN
“Without an intention to cause harm They do not increase their defilements. They have no cause for disputes. Those are the qualities of living in a forest. {71}
EN
“They are peaceful in their conduct. They restrain their body, speech, and mind. They are prepared for liberation; They will quickly reach liberation. {72}
EN
“They are yogins who always have few activities. They have shunned the many faults of busy gatherings. The yogins do not ever quarrel. Those are the qualities of living in a solitary place. {73}
EN
“When they have become saddened by the composite, They never harbor any longing for the world, And they do not increase their defilements. The ones who live in a forest gain these benefits. {74}
EN
“There never arises in them a cause for disputes. They live in solitude, delighting in peace. Their body, speech, and mind are restrained. The ones who live in solitude will have many qualities. {75}
EN
“They are prepared for liberation. They will quickly attain the peace of liberation. They dwell in the forest and are close to liberation. Those who dwell in solitude will have all these qualities. {76}
EN
“Young man, there are ten benefits for bodhisattva mahāsattvas who live by receiving alms in the austerity of the disciplines of mendicancy. What are the ten benefits? They are: [1] they have no desire for a reputation; [2] they have no desire for fame; [3] they have no desire for honors or gains; [4] they remain within the four noble families; [5] they have no hypocrisy or boasting; [6] they do not praise themselves; [7] they do not criticize others; [8] they engage with households without aversion or attachment; [9] they give the Dharma without expectation of a reward; and [10] the Dharma they teach while remaining in the austerity of the disciplines of mendicancy will be remembered.
EN
“Young man, those are the ten benefits for bodhisattva mahāsattvas who live by receiving alms in the austerity of the disciplines of mendicancy.”
EN
On this topic, it was said:
EN
“They have no desire for a reputation. They do not wish for fame. Those who remain in the disciplines of mendicancy Are indifferent to gain and loss. {77}
EN
“They do not abandon the noble family. They have no hypocrisy or boastfulness. They do not praise themselves And they do not criticize others. {78}
EN
“They have no attachment or aversion, And teach the Dharma with no thought of reward. The words they speak will be remembered. Recipients of alms will have those qualities. {79}
EN
“They do not seek reputation, fame, or gain. They remain within the four noble families. The wise ones are neither hypocritical nor boastful. Those are the qualities of dedication to mendicancy. {80}
EN
“They do not praise themselves or criticize others. They are not upset when spoken to harshly. They are not delighted when they hear themselves praised. Recipients of alms will have that contentment. {81}
EN
“They give the gift of the Dharma without thought of reward. They do not search for fame or gain. The words they speak will be remembered. Those are the benefits that come from dedication to mendicancy. {82}
EN
“Young man, bodhisattva mahāsattvas who dwell in solitude while maintaining those qualities of the Dharma will obtain the treasure of the buddhas, they will obtain the treasure of the Dharma, they will obtain the treasure of wisdom, and they will obtain the treasure of knowing the past, the future, and the present.
EN
“Young man, how do bodhisattva mahāsattvas obtain the treasure of the buddhas? Young man, bodhisattva mahāsattvas who practice alone, who dwell in solitude, will attain the five higher cognitions. What are the five higher cognitions? They are divine sight, divine hearing, the knowledge of others’ minds, remembering past lives, and possessing miraculous powers. Young man, those are the five higher cognitions that are obtained. Through divine vision, which transcends human vision, the countless, innumerable buddha bhagavāns in the eastern direction are seen. In the same way the countless, innumerable buddha bhagavāns in the southern, western, and northern directions are seen. They constantly have this vision of the buddhas. Young man, in that way the bodhisattva mahāsattvas obtain the treasure of the buddhas.
EN
“Young man, how do bodhisattva mahāsattvas obtain the treasure of the Dharma? The bodhisattva mahāsattvas hear with their divine hearing the Dharma that is taught by those buddha bhagavāns in the ten directions. They are constantly hearing the Dharma. Young man, in that way the bodhisattva mahāsattvas obtain the treasure of the Dharma.
EN
“Young man, how do the bodhisattva mahāsattvas obtain the treasure of wisdom? Young man, the bodhisattva mahāsattvas who have that wisdom obtain the entire Dharma. They do not forget anything that they have obtained, and teach the Dharma to beings, knowing what will be beneficial for any one person. Young man, in that way bodhisattva mahāsattvas obtain the treasure of wisdom.
EN
“Young man, how do bodhisattva mahāsattvas obtain the treasure of knowing the past, the future, and the present? Through the higher cognitions they gain the knowledge of the minds and conduct of all beings in the past, the future, and the present. Young man, in that way bodhisattva mahāsattvas obtain the treasure of knowing the past, the future, and the present.
EN
“Young man, in brief, bodhisattva mahāsattvas who maintain the qualities of the Dharma in that way will obtain the entire Dharma of the buddhas. This level is not reached by śrāvakas or pratyekabuddhas, let alone any adversary of the Dharma.”
EN
On this topic, it was said:
EN
“The wise ones who remain in solitude Will quickly attain the treasure of the buddhas, The treasure of the Dharma, the treasure of wisdom, The treasure of the past, and the five higher cognitions.” {83}

English translation published by 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha (https://84000.co), CC BY-NC-ND 3.0. Translated by Peter Alan Roberts.

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