Venerable Śāradvatīputra said to the Blessed One, “Blessed One, how can we identify bodhisattvas? How long must bodhisattvas practice in order to be known as bodhisattvas? Say they explain and teach to all beings about the perfection of generosity, the perfection of discipline, the perfection of patience, the perfection of diligence, the perfection of concentration, and the perfection of insight. Starting with the perfection of generosity, all the way through to the perfection of insight, they dedicate toward omniscience for the sake of all beings. In the proper sequence, they dedicate by saying, ‘Through my generosity may all miserly beings become generous. Through my perfection of discipline may everyone with a lapse in discipline become disciplined. Through my perfection of patience may all malicious and furious beings develop patience. Through my perfection of diligence may all lazy beings become diligent. Through my perfection of concentration may all beings who are lost in thought and those who are distracted attain concentration. Through my perfection of insight may all deluded beings with faulty insight gain proper insight!’ Blessed One, how many eons will it take for those bodhisattva great beings to reach their goal?”

The Blessed One said to Venerable Śāradvatīputra, “Śāradvatīputra, when bodhisattva great beings dedicate in this way, they will realize their goal within five hundred eons. Moreover, if bodhisattvas possess such skillfulness, wish to awaken to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood within the era of the one thousand buddhas of this excellent eon, and moreover can make aspirations such as, ‘Whatever it takes, may the lower realms be emptied,’ and ‘When my hearers first assemble, may there be billions of worthy ones,’ then, Śāradvatīputra, I promise that their awakening will be accomplished within one thousand eons. By delighting in such aspirations, there will be signs, indications, and marks that they will be fulfilled within five hundred eons. Thus, they shall be known as nonregressing bodhisattvas.”

Venerable Śāradvatīputra said, “Blessed One, when bodhisattva great beings hear this teaching on the perfections, it fills them with joy. That is because they know that bodhisattvas are not abandoned by the blessed buddhas. Thus, if bodhisattva great beings hear this teaching on the perfections, they will be filled with joy and delight. Even if these feelings last for just a single day, they will cause them to enter this vehicle and remain there for a long time. If the joy lasts for two days, those bodhisattvas will enter the vehicle and stay there for an exceedingly long period. If the joy lasts for seven days, those bodhisattvas will enter this vehicle and remain there for an even longer time. As they remain within this vehicle, they will stay there for an exceedingly long time.”

Venerable Śāradvatīputra then continued addressing the Blessed One: “Blessed One, please let me explain the meaning of what the Blessed One has taught. The roots of virtue gathered henceforth by bodhisattva great beings will thus increase greatly and, being skilled in means, they will actualize within seven eons the teachings on the perfections that they receive. I have the confidence to articulate this teaching of the blessed ones on the perfections due to the blessings of the Thus-Gone One.”

The Blessed One said, “Śāradvatīputra, that is correct. That is true. These signs and indications foretell that the bodhisattva great beings will enter this vehicle and remain for the entire duration. That is why those bodhisattvas are known to be nonregressing bodhisattvas. However, if bodhisattvas do not become elated when the perfections are being explained, you should understand that those bodhisattvas have only newly entered this vehicle. Śāradvatīputra, I declare that bodhisattvas gradually attain omniscience by entering this vehicle, listening to the perfections, and then training in them.”

Venerable Śāradvatīputra said, “Blessed One, the degree to which the blessed buddhas do not abandon the bodhisattvas is amazing!”

The Blessed One said, “Śāradvatīputra, tell me, do you think that it is only the bodhisattvas whom the blessed buddhas do not abandon? Śāradvatīputra, you should not think that way. Why is that? Because the blessed buddhas do not abandon anyone. Rather, they keep in their hearts a constant concern to liberate all beings from the sufferings they experience in saṃsāra. Śāradvatīputra, a thus-gone one is just as concerned with all beings as he is with the thus-gone ones. Śāradvatīputra, if the Thus-Gone One discriminated in his concern for the thus-gone ones, the bodhisattvas, the solitary buddhas, the worthy ones, the non-returners, the once-returners, the stream enterers, the followers of the Dharma, the faithful ones, the non-Buddhists in possession of the five superknowledges, those who practice the path of the ten virtuous actions, and least of all with murderers and outcasts, then, Śāradvatīputra, the thus-gone, worthy, perfect Buddha would have preferences. However, Śāradvatīputra, the Thus-Gone One is just as concerned with all beings as he is with other thus-gone ones; thus the blessed buddhas dwell within the sameness of all phenomena. Śāradvatīputra, I do not see any entity or object that causes the Thus-Gone One to feel any attachment or anger. In fact, there could not possibly be such a thing. Why is that? Because the blessed buddhas have relinquished all attachment and anger. Still, Śāradvatīputra, we do say that the Thus-Gone One does not abandon bodhisattvas. Why is that? Because the Thus-Gone One continues to train bodhisattva great beings in the six perfections and steadily spreads the light of the Dharma in the world. Śāradvatīputra, since the blessed buddhas perceive this ultimate perspective, they decide to instruct and teach the bodhisattvas. Therefore, even when the Thus-Gone One passes away, bodhisattvas can still gradually awaken to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood and spread the light of the Dharma in the world.”

Venerable Śāradvatīputra said to the Blessed One, “Blessed One, that is true. Well-Gone One, that is true. Once the Thus-Gone One is no more, the bodhisattvas will eventually awaken to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood and spread the light of the Dharma in the world.”

The Blessed One said, “Śāradvatīputra, think of a tree that falls over in the forest. A seed from that tree might sprout at the edge where the tree fell. Gradually the tree grows and eventually develops a lush canopy where many hundreds, thousands, and even hundreds of thousands of beings can find shelter from the torments of heat, wind, sun, and hail. Sitting in the shade of that tree they feel happy and at ease. These beings come to appreciate the shade to the extent that the thought of going somewhere else never occurs to them. Whatever functions the former tree fulfilled are now taken over by that new tree. Likewise, Śāradvatīputra, as the bodhisattva great beings gradually train in the six perfections and awaken to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood within this very buddha realm, they fulfill the same functions as the other thus-gone, worthy, perfect buddhas, teaching the Dharma in order to eradicate the disturbing emotions of limitless beings. Thus, intelligent beings come to experience the Dharma and Vinaya and later have no wish to abandon that Dharma and Vinaya.

“Śāradvatīputra, just as people who are plagued by the torments of heat, wind, sun, and hail have no desire to leave the shade of the tree, so, Śāradvatīputra, intelligent beings have no wish to seek out non-Buddhist teachers once they have experienced the nectar-like taste of the Dharma and Vinaya that the Thus-Gone One teaches. It is because the blessed buddhas perceive this ultimate perspective that they decide to instruct and teach the bodhisattvas. Thus, when the Thus-Gone One passes away so that no Thus-Gone One remains, the bodhisattva great beings awaken to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood, remaining in the world and offering shade to others.”

Venerable Śāradvatīputra said to the Blessed One, “Blessed One, please allow me to explain the meaning of what the Blessed One has taught. One might teach a hundred, a thousand, a trillion, or even more followers of the vehicle of the hearers and establish them in the state of a worthy one. However, if one compares that Dharma teaching to bodhisattvas who just once set their mind on the state of omniscience in order to practice these perfections, then these latter ones will be supreme, foremost, superior, preeminent, sublime, unsurpassed, and unexcelled. That single occurrence of the mind of awakening would be superior.”

The Blessed One said to Venerable Śāradvatīputra, “Excellent, Śāradvatīputra, excellent! As a hearer of the teacher you are learned, bright, gentle, and fearless. You are an intelligent being who acts according to the teaching.”

Then the Blessed One spoke to Venerable Ānanda, “Ānanda, please make sure to remember, master, and retain the elder Śāradvatīputra’s instructions on the bodhisattvas’ perfection of discipline.”

Venerable Ānanda replied to the Blessed One, “Blessed One, I will uphold this teaching on the bodhisattva great beings’ perfection of discipline and, in order that those who have newly entered this vehicle as well as all nonregressing bodhisattvas may reach the state of omniscience, Well-Gone One, I will master this teaching and remember it.”

Once the Blessed One had spoken, Venerable Śāradvatīputra, Venerable Pūrṇa Maitrāyaṇīputra, Venerable Ānanda, the great hearers, the bodhisattva great beings who had gathered from all directions, and the entire world, including its gods, humans, asuras, and gandharvas, rejoiced and praised what the Blessed One had said.