Thus did I hear at one time. The Blessed One was staying in Śrāvastī, in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍada’s Park, along with a great saṅgha of 1,250 monks. All of the monks were worthy ones who had exhausted their defilements. They were without afflictions and self-controlled. Their minds were liberated and their insight was liberated. They were of noble birth. They were great elephants. They had accomplished their tasks and completed their work. They had laid down their burden and reached their goal. They had destroyed the bondages of existence and, due to their perfect knowledge, their minds were liberated. They had obtained supreme perfection in mastering all mental states. Also present there were bodhisattva great beings who had gathered from buddhafields in all the ten directions, as well as splendorous gods, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kinnaras, mahoragas, humans, and others who attended on and served the Blessed One. At that time, the Blessed One taught the Dharma to the four assemblies on the topic of the six perfections.
The Blessed One said to Venerable Śāradvatīputra, “Śāradvatīputra, please give a teaching on the perfection of discipline of those bodhisattva great beings who wish to awaken to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood.”
Thus, through the power of the Buddha and because the Blessed One had encouraged him to do so, Śāradvatīputra began to teach the bodhisattva great beings’ perfection of discipline.
At that point, Venerable Pūrṇa Maitrāyaṇīputra asked Venerable Śāradvatīputra, “Venerable Śāradvatīputra, how can we identify those bodhisattvas who have genuine discipline? How can we identify bodhisattvas with faulty discipline? What is the domain of bodhisattvas? And what is not the domain of bodhisattvas?”
Venerable Śāradvatīputra said to Venerable Pūrṇa Maitrāyaṇīputra, “Venerable Pūrṇa, if bodhisattvas are involved with any attitudes of the hearers or solitary buddhas, that is not the domain of bodhisattvas. Any bodhisattvas who have such involvement are bodhisattvas with a lapse in discipline; they are involved in that which is not the domain of bodhisattvas. They are not upholding the bodhisattvas’ perfection of discipline. Since they are not upholding the perfection of discipline, they have broken their bodhisattva commitment. Since they have broken their bodhisattva commitment, they have a lapse in discipline. Venerable Pūrṇa, moreover, if bodhisattvas practice generosity and dedicate the merit toward the levels of the hearers or solitary buddhas, they are engaging in an improper domain. Engaging in an improper domain in itself is a lapse in discipline. If bodhisattvas live in a household and enjoy the five sense pleasures, that in itself is not a lapse in discipline. However, when they practice generosity and dedicate the merit toward the levels of the hearers or the solitary buddhas, that in itself is a lapse in discipline.
“Venerable Pūrṇa, as an analogy, a prince who pays heed to the king’s advice will undertake all the trainings that are fitting for a royal prince, such as elephant riding, horse riding, chariot driving, swordsmanship, archery, javelin toss, running, marching, jumping, wrestling, and combat. While he trains in this way, although he is away from the king, he is also not dishonoring the king.
“Venerable Pūrṇa, likewise, bodhisattvas may live as householders, enjoying the five sense pleasures. Although their lifestyle is to delight in pleasures in this way, it is still assisting the bodhisattvas toward the attainment of omniscience. However, if they dedicate the merit of generosity toward attaining the levels of the hearers or the solitary buddhas, that in itself is an incorrect attitude that renders them unsuitable to attain omniscience. The more unsuitable they render themselves, the more incapable they will be of upholding the perfection of discipline. The more incapable they are of upholding the perfection of discipline, the more removed from omniscience they will be. In that way they will not engage in the domain of bodhisattvas. Straying from the domain of the bodhisattvas in itself entails a lapse in the bodhisattvas’ discipline.
“Venerable Pūrṇa, moreover, bodhisattvas may go forth from home and keep pure discipline. However, unless they dedicate the merit toward omniscience, those bodhisattvas will not possess the discipline of bodhisattvas. Whoever lacks the discipline of bodhisattvas cannot be called a bodhisattva. Bodhisattvas may live as householders, taking refuge in the Three Jewels and dedicating the merit toward omniscience. This in itself means they are keeping the discipline of bodhisattvas and should be known as disciplined, even though they may be enjoying the five sense pleasures. Bodhisattvas who keep the discipline of bodhisattvas are never apart from the perfection of discipline. Whoever does not part from the perfection of discipline should also be understood to be inseparable from omniscience. Moreover, even if those bodhisattvas were to have improper and desirous thoughts, they would all be overcome through a single contemplation of omniscience.
“Venerable Pūrṇa, moreover, if you take a beryl gemstone and place it among a hundred thousand semiprecious stones, the uniqueness, brilliance, and luster of the beryl will outshine all those semiprecious stones. Venerable Pūrṇa, likewise, you should know that all improper thoughts of a bodhisattva are eclipsed by a single contemplation of the roots of virtue of omniscience, just as beryl eclipses semiprecious stones and makes them look dull. Venerable Pūrṇa, moreover, if bodhisattvas are generous simply because of wishing for special marks, they are engaging in an improper domain. In fact, all such cases of engaging in an improper domain constitute a lapse in discipline. Venerable Pūrṇa, bodhisattvas should not practice generosity out of a desire for special marks. Instead, they should be generous because of wishing for omniscience. Why is that? Because whoever is omniscient will also have the marks. They will also have the types of fearlessness. They will also have the eighteen unique features of a buddha and all the other qualities of a buddha. Therefore, they should not think of generosity as being supreme in itself. It is when they do not think of generosity as being supreme that they master the perfection of discipline.”
Venerable Pūrṇa said, “Venerable Śāradvatīputra, when bodhisattvas who wish for omniscience practice generosity, do they not view omniscience as being supreme? When something is viewed as supreme, the discipline and practice related to that are also viewed as supreme.”
Venerable Śāradvatīputra said, “Venerable Pūrṇa, omniscience does not remain anywhere, nor is it found in a particular place. Omniscience does not exist within form, feeling, perception, formation, or consciousness. It is not compounded, nor is it uncompounded. It cannot be measured. It is therefore impossible to apprehend it as supreme. Omniscience does not take anything as a reference point. Whatever is beyond reference point does not exist, nor is it absent. That which neither exists, nor is absent, cannot be viewed as being supreme. Therefore, Venerable Pūrṇa, when bodhisattva great beings dedicate their practice of generosity and their observance of discipline toward omniscience, it is not the case that they view their discipline and practice as supreme. If, however, they were to dedicate the merit toward the levels of the hearers or the solitary buddhas, they would be assuming their discipline to be supreme. That would entail the bodhisattvas having damaged their bodhisattva discipline.”
Venerable Śāradvatīputra said, “Yes, they can be repaired unless they have realized the limit of reality and unless they see the truths. Venerable One, when bodhisattvas wish to awaken to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood, they should not realize the limit of reality.”
Venerable Śāradvatīputra said, “Because to do so would lead them to fall to the levels of the hearers and solitary buddhas. When they are on the levels of the hearers and solitary buddhas they do not have the fortune of arousing the mind set upon omniscience. Then, if it should happen that the Dharma disappears, they would end up manifesting awakening on their own rather than attaining omniscience. Venerable Pūrṇa, for this reason they should not realize the limit of reality until they sit at the seat of awakening. Venerable Pūrṇa, moreover, when bodhisattvas practice the perfection of discipline, they will only be upholding the perfection of discipline if they practice in order to benefit all beings. Venerable Pūrṇa, if bodhisattvas practice generosity, or maintain discipline, for the sake of a limited number of beings, they are not upholding the perfection of discipline. Why is that? Because the perfection of discipline is boundless.”
Venerable Śāradvatīputra replied, “If they dedicate the merit of any practice of generosity or any observance of discipline toward omniscience, that is the bodhisattva discipline for bodhisattvas. If bodhisattvas practice discipline for as many eons as there are grains of sand in the Ganges, yet fail to dedicate the merit toward omniscience, they do not uphold the perfection of discipline. However, though bodhisattvas may not dedicate their merit toward becoming a hearer or a solitary buddha, that in itself also does not constitute the perfection of discipline. Still, neither is it considered a lapse in discipline. It is when bodhisattvas dedicate their merit toward becoming a hearer or a solitary buddha that their discipline is said to be faulty. Why is that? Because that is no longer the domain of bodhisattvas.
Venerable Śāradvatīputra replied, “It refers to any state of mind that involves the six perfections and the state of omniscience—such is the domain of bodhisattva great beings. If bodhisattvas remain as householders for as many eons as there are grains of sand in the Ganges, involved with the five sense pleasures and enjoying them, yet have no thoughts of attaining the level of a hearer or a solitary buddha, that in itself is not said to be faulty bodhisattva discipline. Why is that? Because it does not disturb their determination to attain omniscience. Venerable Pūrṇa, as an analogy, an innocent man may be thrown in jail for a long time. He may even be incarcerated for many hundreds, thousands, or hundreds of thousands of years. Yet his determination to be free is not shaken thereby, nor will he develop any criminal inclinations in the process. He may be locked up, but that does not make him a thief. Venerable One, likewise, bodhisattvas may live as householders and enjoy the five sense pleasures, but that does not make their discipline faulty. If certain people practice pure conduct for as many eons as there are grains of sand in the Ganges yet dedicate the merit toward becoming a hearer or a solitary buddha and thus are swayed from their determination to attain omniscience, their pure conduct alone does not make them disciplined. Whoever attempts to practice the perfection of discipline by observing the discipline of the hearers is not called a bodhisattva. Why is that? Because they are at odds with the perfection of discipline.”
Thus did I hear at one time. The Blessed One was staying in Śrāvastī, in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍada’s Park, along with a great saṅgha of 1,250 monks. All of the monks were worthy ones who had exhausted their defilements. They were without afflictions and self-controlled. Their minds were liberated and their insight was liberated. They were of noble birth. They were great elephants. They had accomplished their tasks and completed their work. They had laid down their burden and reached their goal. They had destroyed the bondages of existence and, due to their perfect knowledge, their minds were liberated. They had obtained supreme perfection in mastering all mental states. Also present there were bodhisattva great beings who had gathered from buddhafields in all the ten directions, as well as splendorous gods, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kinnaras, mahoragas, humans, and others who attended on and served the Blessed One. At that time, the Blessed One taught the Dharma to the four assemblies on the topic of the six perfections.
The Blessed One said to Venerable Śāradvatīputra, “Śāradvatīputra, please give a teaching on the perfection of discipline of those bodhisattva great beings who wish to awaken to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood.”
Thus, through the power of the Buddha and because the Blessed One had encouraged him to do so, Śāradvatīputra began to teach the bodhisattva great beings’ perfection of discipline.
At that point, Venerable Pūrṇa Maitrāyaṇīputra asked Venerable Śāradvatīputra, “Venerable Śāradvatīputra, how can we identify those bodhisattvas who have genuine discipline? How can we identify bodhisattvas with faulty discipline? What is the domain of bodhisattvas? And what is not the domain of bodhisattvas?”
Venerable Śāradvatīputra said to Venerable Pūrṇa Maitrāyaṇīputra, “Venerable Pūrṇa, if bodhisattvas are involved with any attitudes of the hearers or solitary buddhas, that is not the domain of bodhisattvas. Any bodhisattvas who have such involvement are bodhisattvas with a lapse in discipline; they are involved in that which is not the domain of bodhisattvas. They are not upholding the bodhisattvas’ perfection of discipline. Since they are not upholding the perfection of discipline, they have broken their bodhisattva commitment. Since they have broken their bodhisattva commitment, they have a lapse in discipline. Venerable Pūrṇa, moreover, if bodhisattvas practice generosity and dedicate the merit toward the levels of the hearers or solitary buddhas, they are engaging in an improper domain. Engaging in an improper domain in itself is a lapse in discipline. If bodhisattvas live in a household and enjoy the five sense pleasures, that in itself is not a lapse in discipline. However, when they practice generosity and dedicate the merit toward the levels of the hearers or the solitary buddhas, that in itself is a lapse in discipline.
“Venerable Pūrṇa, as an analogy, a prince who pays heed to the king’s advice will undertake all the trainings that are fitting for a royal prince, such as elephant riding, horse riding, chariot driving, swordsmanship, archery, javelin toss, running, marching, jumping, wrestling, and combat. While he trains in this way, although he is away from the king, he is also not dishonoring the king.
“Venerable Pūrṇa, likewise, bodhisattvas may live as householders, enjoying the five sense pleasures. Although their lifestyle is to delight in pleasures in this way, it is still assisting the bodhisattvas toward the attainment of omniscience. However, if they dedicate the merit of generosity toward attaining the levels of the hearers or the solitary buddhas, that in itself is an incorrect attitude that renders them unsuitable to attain omniscience. The more unsuitable they render themselves, the more incapable they will be of upholding the perfection of discipline. The more incapable they are of upholding the perfection of discipline, the more removed from omniscience they will be. In that way they will not engage in the domain of bodhisattvas. Straying from the domain of the bodhisattvas in itself entails a lapse in the bodhisattvas’ discipline.
“Venerable Pūrṇa, moreover, bodhisattvas may go forth from home and keep pure discipline. However, unless they dedicate the merit toward omniscience, those bodhisattvas will not possess the discipline of bodhisattvas. Whoever lacks the discipline of bodhisattvas cannot be called a bodhisattva. Bodhisattvas may live as householders, taking refuge in the Three Jewels and dedicating the merit toward omniscience. This in itself means they are keeping the discipline of bodhisattvas and should be known as disciplined, even though they may be enjoying the five sense pleasures. Bodhisattvas who keep the discipline of bodhisattvas are never apart from the perfection of discipline. Whoever does not part from the perfection of discipline should also be understood to be inseparable from omniscience. Moreover, even if those bodhisattvas were to have improper and desirous thoughts, they would all be overcome through a single contemplation of omniscience.
“Venerable Pūrṇa, moreover, if you take a beryl gemstone and place it among a hundred thousand semiprecious stones, the uniqueness, brilliance, and luster of the beryl will outshine all those semiprecious stones. Venerable Pūrṇa, likewise, you should know that all improper thoughts of a bodhisattva are eclipsed by a single contemplation of the roots of virtue of omniscience, just as beryl eclipses semiprecious stones and makes them look dull. Venerable Pūrṇa, moreover, if bodhisattvas are generous simply because of wishing for special marks, they are engaging in an improper domain. In fact, all such cases of engaging in an improper domain constitute a lapse in discipline. Venerable Pūrṇa, bodhisattvas should not practice generosity out of a desire for special marks. Instead, they should be generous because of wishing for omniscience. Why is that? Because whoever is omniscient will also have the marks. They will also have the types of fearlessness. They will also have the eighteen unique features of a buddha and all the other qualities of a buddha. Therefore, they should not think of generosity as being supreme in itself. It is when they do not think of generosity as being supreme that they master the perfection of discipline.”
Venerable Pūrṇa said, “Venerable Śāradvatīputra, when bodhisattvas who wish for omniscience practice generosity, do they not view omniscience as being supreme? When something is viewed as supreme, the discipline and practice related to that are also viewed as supreme.”
Venerable Śāradvatīputra said, “Venerable Pūrṇa, omniscience does not remain anywhere, nor is it found in a particular place. Omniscience does not exist within form, feeling, perception, formation, or consciousness. It is not compounded, nor is it uncompounded. It cannot be measured. It is therefore impossible to apprehend it as supreme. Omniscience does not take anything as a reference point. Whatever is beyond reference point does not exist, nor is it absent. That which neither exists, nor is absent, cannot be viewed as being supreme. Therefore, Venerable Pūrṇa, when bodhisattva great beings dedicate their practice of generosity and their observance of discipline toward omniscience, it is not the case that they view their discipline and practice as supreme. If, however, they were to dedicate the merit toward the levels of the hearers or the solitary buddhas, they would be assuming their discipline to be supreme. That would entail the bodhisattvas having damaged their bodhisattva discipline.”
Venerable Śāradvatīputra said, “Yes, they can be repaired unless they have realized the limit of reality and unless they see the truths. Venerable One, when bodhisattvas wish to awaken to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood, they should not realize the limit of reality.”
Venerable Śāradvatīputra said, “Because to do so would lead them to fall to the levels of the hearers and solitary buddhas. When they are on the levels of the hearers and solitary buddhas they do not have the fortune of arousing the mind set upon omniscience. Then, if it should happen that the Dharma disappears, they would end up manifesting awakening on their own rather than attaining omniscience. Venerable Pūrṇa, for this reason they should not realize the limit of reality until they sit at the seat of awakening. Venerable Pūrṇa, moreover, when bodhisattvas practice the perfection of discipline, they will only be upholding the perfection of discipline if they practice in order to benefit all beings. Venerable Pūrṇa, if bodhisattvas practice generosity, or maintain discipline, for the sake of a limited number of beings, they are not upholding the perfection of discipline. Why is that? Because the perfection of discipline is boundless.”
Venerable Śāradvatīputra replied, “If they dedicate the merit of any practice of generosity or any observance of discipline toward omniscience, that is the bodhisattva discipline for bodhisattvas. If bodhisattvas practice discipline for as many eons as there are grains of sand in the Ganges, yet fail to dedicate the merit toward omniscience, they do not uphold the perfection of discipline. However, though bodhisattvas may not dedicate their merit toward becoming a hearer or a solitary buddha, that in itself also does not constitute the perfection of discipline. Still, neither is it considered a lapse in discipline. It is when bodhisattvas dedicate their merit toward becoming a hearer or a solitary buddha that their discipline is said to be faulty. Why is that? Because that is no longer the domain of bodhisattvas.
Venerable Śāradvatīputra replied, “It refers to any state of mind that involves the six perfections and the state of omniscience—such is the domain of bodhisattva great beings. If bodhisattvas remain as householders for as many eons as there are grains of sand in the Ganges, involved with the five sense pleasures and enjoying them, yet have no thoughts of attaining the level of a hearer or a solitary buddha, that in itself is not said to be faulty bodhisattva discipline. Why is that? Because it does not disturb their determination to attain omniscience. Venerable Pūrṇa, as an analogy, an innocent man may be thrown in jail for a long time. He may even be incarcerated for many hundreds, thousands, or hundreds of thousands of years. Yet his determination to be free is not shaken thereby, nor will he develop any criminal inclinations in the process. He may be locked up, but that does not make him a thief. Venerable One, likewise, bodhisattvas may live as householders and enjoy the five sense pleasures, but that does not make their discipline faulty. If certain people practice pure conduct for as many eons as there are grains of sand in the Ganges yet dedicate the merit toward becoming a hearer or a solitary buddha and thus are swayed from their determination to attain omniscience, their pure conduct alone does not make them disciplined. Whoever attempts to practice the perfection of discipline by observing the discipline of the hearers is not called a bodhisattva. Why is that? Because they are at odds with the perfection of discipline.”
Sutraya