Venerable Pūrṇa Maitrāyaṇīputra asked Venerable Śāradvatīputra, “Venerable Śāradvatīputra, why are bodhisattva great beings permitted to practice the attainment of the first concentration state and why are they likewise permitted to undertake the second, third, and fourth concentrations, and yet not dwell in them?”

Venerable Śāradvatīputra said to Venerable Pūrṇa Maitrāyaṇīputra, “Venerable Pūrṇa, because they fear taking birth among the long-lived gods once their body disintegrates. Venerable Pūrṇa, since the thus-gone, worthy, perfect Buddha perceives these consequences, he does not allow them to take birth among the long-lived gods. Why is that? Because if they are born in the desire realm they can more swiftly perfect the state of omniscience.”

Venerable Pūrṇa said, “Venerable Śāradvatīputra, it is amazing how bodhisattva great beings practice these concentration levels, only to later abandon these levels and turn their attention to this lowly world so filled with hardships. Venerable Śāradvatīputra, as an analogy, if a man finds a treasure filled with many different jewels, he will evaluate it, pick it up, and then proceed. Another time, he may see a kākaṇi coin or a kārṣāpaṇa coin and, stretching out his arm, pick it up and proceed. Likewise, Venerable One, once bodhisattva great beings have rested blissfully and leisurely in the four concentrations and the four attainments of the formless realm, they will at first evaluate them and then rest within those states. However, they will subsequently turn their attention to the phenomena of the desire realm and, as their body disintegrates, they will take birth in the desire realm. In this way the bodhisattva great beings will once again take up the practice of the six perfections. Venerable Śāradvatīputra, since the thus-gone, worthy, perfect Buddha perceives the implications of all this, he does not allow bodhisattvas to take birth among the long-lived gods.”

Venerable Pūrṇa Maitrāyaṇīputra asked the Blessed One, “Blessed One, that which I have taught and explained here, is that taught by the Thus-Gone One and is it a Dharma statement? Is it a Dharma discourse that agrees with the Dharma?”

The Blessed One said, “Pūrṇa, what you have taught and explained is taught by the Thus-Gone One. It is a Dharma statement. It is a Dharma discourse that agrees with the Dharma. Pūrṇa, if bodhisattva great beings rest in the first concentration, as well as the second, third, and fourth concentrations, they must not think, ‘I have produced these concentrations and now I will take birth in the form realm or the formless realm.’ However, neither should they think, ‘I will go beyond the form realm and the formless realm.’ ”

Pūrṇa asked, “Honorable Blessed One, is the omniscience of the Thus-Gone One beyond, and separate from, the desire realm, the form realm, and the formless realm?”

The Blessed One said, “Pūrṇa, that is correct. That is how it is. The omniscience of the thus-gone, worthy, perfect Buddha is beyond the desire realm, beyond the form realm, and beyond the formless realm. It is beyond, and separate from, these three realms.”

Pūrṇa said, “Blessed One, if the omniscience of the Thus-Gone One is separate from the three realms, then, as the thus-gone, worthy, perfect Buddha sees the implications of doing so, he should not allow the bodhisattvas to awaken to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood and, practicing the perfection of concentration, transcend the desire realm, the form realm, and the formless realm.”

The Blessed One said, “Pūrṇa, if bodhisattvas who wish to awaken to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood and practice the perfection of concentration were allowed to transcend the desire realm, the form realm, and the formless realm, they would abandon their bodhisattva vow and end up on the levels of the hearers and the solitary buddhas. Pūrṇa, when bodhisattva great beings sit at the seat of awakening, that is the time and occasion for the bodhisattva great beings to abandon the desire realm and the form realm. Pūrṇa, it is when bodhisattvas have aroused the mind of awakening and dedicated all that arises toward omniscience that they remove themselves from the third realm and bring themselves closer to omniscience.”

Pūrṇa asked, “Honorable Blessed One, how do bodhisattvas who are practicing the perfection of concentration and who uphold the perfection of insight avoid savoring the experience of concentration and its subcategories without being apart from them either?”

The Blessed One said, “Pūrṇa, when bodhisattvas practice the perfection of concentration, they maintain the concentrations and their subcategories while applying the notion of egolessness. They then dedicate the resulting roots of virtue toward the state of omniscience. Pūrṇa, in this way bodhisattva great beings practice the perfection of concentration and uphold the perfection of insight without savoring the experience of concentration or its subcategories, and yet without being apart from them either.”

Pūrṇa asked, “Honorable Blessed One, how do bodhisattvas practice the perfection of concentration and uphold the perfection of diligence?”

The Blessed One said, “Pūrṇa, when bodhisattvas are practicing the perfection of concentration and have transcended the desire realm, they must abandon the concentrations and once again turn their attention to the desire realm. Pūrṇa, then those bodhisattva great beings are practicing the perfection of concentration and upholding the perfection of diligence.”

Pūrṇa asked, “Honorable Blessed One, how do bodhisattvas practice the perfection of concentration and uphold the perfection of patience?”

The Blessed One said, “Pūrṇa, when bodhisattva great beings are filled with love and compassion and practice that very same concentration, they will rest without any hostility. Pūrṇa, then those bodhisattva great beings are practicing the perfection of concentration and upholding the perfection of patience.”

Pūrṇa asked, “Honorable Blessed One, how do bodhisattvas practice the perfection of concentration and uphold the perfection of discipline?”

The Blessed One said, “Pūrṇa, when bodhisattvas practice the perfection of concentration, they should avoid thinking of the levels of the hearers and the solitary buddhas as being supreme. Pūrṇa, then those bodhisattva great beings are practicing the perfection of concentration and upholding the perfection of diligence.”

Pūrṇa asked, “Honorable Blessed One, how do bodhisattvas practice the perfection of concentration and uphold the perfection of generosity?”

The Blessed One said, “Pūrṇa, when bodhisattvas practice the perfection of concentration, they should engender compassion for all beings and think, ‘These beings are never free from the sufferings experienced in saṃsāra. Therefore, when I awaken to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood, I will benefit these beings with the gift of the Dharma and teach them the Dharma, so that they can abandon all afflictions.’ Pūrṇa, this is how bodhisattva great beings practice the perfection of concentration and uphold the perfection of generosity.”

Pūrṇa asked, “Honorable Blessed One, what are such skillful bodhisattva great beings like?”

The Blessed One said, “Pūrṇa, they are nonregressing bodhisattvas.”

Pūrṇa said, “Honorable Blessed One, when bodhisattva great beings don the great armor for the sake of limitless beings, they think, ‘I will bring limitless beings to nirvāṇa. I will ensure that the way of the Buddha remains uninterrupted.’ And they undertake hardship when all the while the one who passes into nirvāṇa, the act of passing into nirvāṇa, and the full awakening to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood do not exist. That is amazing!”

The Blessed One said, “Pūrṇa, that is certainly true. However, they do undergo suffering and they do bring suffering to an end. Therefore, in this way one should regard bodhisattva great beings as undertaking hardships.”

Pūrṇa said, “Honorable Blessed One, quite so, that is correct. One should understand that bodhisattvas do undertake hardships. That is because they awaken to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood for the sake of limitless beings without any focus on someone passing into nirvāṇa, the act of passing into nirvāṇa, or the full awakening to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood. Having done so, they teach the Dharma in order to eradicate the attachment, anger, and delusion of all beings.”

The Blessed One said, “Pūrṇa, if bodhisattvas rest without distraction and contemplate the state of omniscience, you should know that they possess concentration. Pūrṇa, if bodhisattvas contemplate the levels of the hearers and the solitary buddhas, you should know that they are distracted bodhisattvas. Why is that? Because those are to be feared. Pūrṇa, moreover, if it should happen that bodhisattva great beings begin to conceptualize by focusing on form, sound, smell, taste, or texture, that may certainly become the basis for their mind to become distracted. Nevertheless, these phenomena do not pose an obstacle for the state of omniscience, and any phenomenon that does not pose an obstacle for the state of omniscience belongs at the level of the absorption of bodhisattva great beings.”