Venerable Śāradvatīputra said to Venerable Pūrṇa Maitrāyaṇīputra, “Venerable Pūrṇa, when comparing the patience of the bodhisattva great beings and the patience of the hearers, which of these two should be regarded as greater and more excellent, naturally radiant, and powerful?”

Venerable Pūrṇa replied, “Venerable One, let me ask you about this instead, and you will find your answer about patience. Venerable Śāradvatīputra, as an analogy, when comparing the gold of the Jambu River to brass, which of these two is greater and more excellent, radiant, and valuable?”

Śāradvatīputra replied, “Venerable Pūrṇa, the gold in the Jambu River is greater and more excellent, radiant, and valuable.”

Pūrṇa replied, “Venerable Śāradvatīputra, you should view the patience of the hearers like the luster of brass while the patience of the bodhisattvas is like the luster of gold from the Jambu River. Venerable Śāradvatīputra, moreover, if someone were to cut off all of a bodhisattva great being’s major and minor body parts, he should tell himself, ‘It may be possible to comprehend the number of grains of sand in the great Ganges but it is impossible to calculate the number of bodies I have had in the past. If the body parts that have been severed from my past bodies were to be piled up, the heap would be larger than Mount Meru.’ Bodhisattva great beings who understand the implications of this should therefore not feel any hostility even when their body is cut up or pierced. Instead, they should develop love and dedicate it all for the sake of omniscience. If they can do so, those bodhisattvas will never be apart from the perfection of patience. Venerable Śāradvatīputra, moreover, bodhisattva great beings who wish to awaken to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood should make their minds similar to the earth, water, fire, wind, and space.”

Śāradvatīputra replied, “Venerable Pūrṇa, what does it mean that bodhisattva great beings’ minds should be similar to the earth, water, fire, wind, and space?”

Pūrṇa replied, “Venerable Śāradvatīputra, as an analogy, if you anoint the earth with a beautiful ointment, it feels no attachment toward that. Alternatively, if you smear the earth with a repulsive ointment, there is no anger. Similarly, bodhisattvas do not feel any attachment to beautiful sights, sounds, smells, tastes, or textures. Nor do they feel hostility toward repulsive sights, sounds, smells, tastes, or textures. They do not lose their patience, lessen in their enthusiasm, or develop any hostility. Therefore, the minds of the bodhisattvas are similar to the earth as well as to water, fire, and wind. How are their minds similar to space? Well, space does not feel attachment to any ointment, no matter how delightful, nor does it feel any aversion to repulsive excrement or urine. In just the same way, bodhisattva great beings do not develop any attachment to beautiful forms, nor do they feel aversion to ugly forms. Similarly, neither do they develop any attachment to pleasant sounds, smells, tastes, or textures, nor aversion to repulsive ones. They do not lose their patience or lessen in their enthusiasm. This is why the minds of bodhisattva great beings are like space. Venerable Śāradvatīputra, this is how the minds of bodhisattva great beings are like the earth, water, fire, wind, and space.”

Śāradvatīputra asked, “Venerable Pūrṇa, anything that is like space must be infinite, so does that mean that bodhisattvas are infinite?”

Pūrṇa replied, “Venerable Śāradvatīputra, bodhisattvas should consider the mind within their body to be like space. If they can reason and think in this way, then the bodhisattva great beings will have the strength and skill to bear the blows of sticks, clubs, and weapons. Likewise, by means of the perfection of wisdom, they should understand all bodies in this way. Then the bodhisattvas can uphold the perfection of patience. Since they embrace the perfection of wisdom, they will have the strength to bear all the sufferings experienced by beings in the hells, including the fires and the blows of the hell beings’ weapons and sticks. The ability to bear hardship is itself the perfection of patience. Why is that? Since beginningless time in saṃsāra, bodhisattvas have experienced all of these sufferings. However, even though they had to suffer in this way, they did not attain the result of a stream enterer, nor the result of a once-returner, nor the result of a non-returner, nor the state of a worthy one, nor did they attain awakening by themselves. However, as bodhisattva great beings perceive the implications, they should be able to bear those sufferings. As an analogy, if a man has a delicious meal, he will feel satisfied, delighted, happy, pleased, joyful, and content. He might even feel exhilarated. Likewise, when bodhisattvas see a beggar, even if it is someone who wants to harm those bodhisattvas, they should feel the same joy, deference, and respect for the beggar as a worthy one who has exhausted all defilements would feel if he saw the Thus-Gone One. They should then dedicate the entire mental process involved toward omniscience. Doing so, those bodhisattva great beings are upholding the perfection of patience.”