Venerable Pūrṇa Maitrāyaṇīputra asked Venerable Śāradvatīputra, “Venerable Śāradvatīputra, which teaching makes it impossible for the minds of nonregressing bodhisattva great beings to become exhausted?”

Śāradvatīputra replied, “Venerable Pūrṇa, whenever bodhisattva great beings practice generosity, they always do so with a focus on the state of omniscience. Therefore, the bodhisattva great beings’ minds cannot be exhausted or surpassed. Venerable Pūrṇa, imagine a merchant who is doing business involving many hundreds of thousands of goods. To conduct his business he has, for many hundreds of thousands of years, taken loans from wealthy merchants or traders. If his business were to turn out unsuccessfully, he could approach the royal quarters and petition the king. If he in this way were to receive the protection of the royal troops, none of the merchants or traders would be able to cause him any harm. Why is that? Because he would be supported by the group that controls the army; he would rely on the faction that enjoyed the royal army’s support.

“Venerable Pūrṇa, in the same way, the minds of bodhisattva great beings—whether they are those who have just aroused the mind of awakening for the first time or are nonregressing bodhisattvas—also rely on the faction that controls the army. Why is that? Because they rely on the faction that controls the army of omniscience. In that way, none of the hearers are able to overpower them. Venerable Pūrṇa, even if the wealth of the man who relied on the king were to be depleted, no one would be able to harm him. In the same way, when bodhisattva great beings rely on the side of omniscience, no hearer or demon is able to harm them.”

Venerable Pūrṇa said, “Venerable Śāradvatīputra, how can bodhisattvas be harmed by the hearers?”

Śāradvatīputra replied, “Venerable Pūrṇa, they can be harmed by the hearers if they hear explanations of the levels of the hearers and solitary buddhas and think, ‘May I develop their attitude and become like them!’ Any bodhisattva who relishes such discourse and delights in it will be harmed by cultivating such inappropriate thoughts.

Venerable Pūrṇa said, “Venerable Śāradvatīputra, why are these called ‘inappropriate thoughts’?”

Śāradvatīputra replied, “Because they serve to impede the omniscience of bodhisattva great beings, they do not serve to develop it, and they make this omniscience take a long time. Therefore, they are called the inappropriate thoughts of bodhisattva great beings. Venerable Pūrṇa, if a practitioner wishes to actualize the limit of reality by means of spiritual practice and wishes to enter into the ascertainment of the real, any occurrences of desire, anger, or delusion will postpone his attainment of the state of a worthy one. Thus, they are called inappropriate thoughts. Venerable Pūrṇa, in the same way, when a bodhisattva seeks to awaken to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood, any type of thinking associated with the hearers and solitary buddhas hinders the attainment of omniscience. If such thoughts occur, the bodhisattva great being has become overpowered by the hearers.”

Venerable Pūrṇa said, “Venerable Śāradvatīputra, in that case the bodhisattva will have become overpowered by the hearers. Whoever thinks like a hearer or a solitary buddha does not deserve the name bodhisattva. Why is that? Because such thoughts do not occur in those we classify as bodhisattvas. Venerable Śāradvatīputra, for example, if a stream enterer entertains disturbing emotions, he is no longer a suitable recipient of generosity. If someone has attained the consciousness that abandons disturbing emotions, that person is recognized as a stream enterer. However, if he has disturbing emotions, he is not recognized as such. Therefore, a stream enterer is someone who has attained knowledge and become familiar with abandonment. Venerable Śāradvatīputra, likewise, if a bodhisattva arouses and entertains the mind state of a hearer or a solitary buddha, that person cannot be recognized as a bodhisattva. On the other hand, whoever keeps omniscience foremost in mind and engenders such mind states is recognized as a bodhisattva.

“When bodhisattvas maintain the mind of awakening they cannot be harmed. Venerable One, to give an analogy, regardless of whether a master archer sits or moves about, it will be hard for his enemies to harm him, since he can intercept the arrows of others and protect himself. Venerable Śāradvatīputra, likewise, when bodhisattvas maintain the mind of awakening, it is difficult to harm them. Even if they should hear of the activities of hearers and solitary buddhas, they will form the aspiration, ‘May I swiftly awaken to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood and teach the Dharma to the hearers, just as the thus-gone, worthy, perfect Buddha Śākyamuni is teaching the Dharma to the hearers at present.’ Venerable One, in this way skillful bodhisattvas who maintain the mind of awakening cannot be harmed. Even if they hear the instructions of the hearers and solitary buddhas, they will think, ‘These Dharma instructions appeared from the Thus-Gone One.’ In this way they will bring the Thus-Gone One to mind without developing any attachment to the vehicle of the hearers. Venerable Śāradvatīputra, it is therefore hard to match bodhisattvas who maintain the mind of awakening. Similarly, Venerable One, for example, when practitioners become focused in spiritual practice and well trained in absorption, thoughts are no longer able to harm them. Why is that? Because they have become greatly familiar with that focus. Likewise, it is hard to match bodhisattvas who maintain the mind of awakening. Why is that? Because they are never apart from the mind of omniscience.”

Śāradvatīputra said, “Venerable Pūrṇa, if it should be understood that it is hard to match bodhisattvas, does that refer to all bodhisattvas, including those who have newly entered this vehicle, those who have become nonregressing, and those who sit at the seat of awakening?”

Venerable Pūrṇa said, “Venerable Śāradvatīputra, yes, all of those bodhisattvas are hard to match. And why? Because those bodhisattvas cannot be swayed from their vows. And therefore, all those bodhisattvas who keep their vows and maintain the mind of awakening are hard to match. Venerable Śāradvatīputra, for example, those bodhisattvas who awaken at present and those thus-gone ones who awaken one billion years from now are equally omniscient. Venerable Śāradvatīputra, in the same way, those bodhisattvas who have newly entered this vehicle, those bodhisattvas who have become nonregressing, and those bodhisattvas who attain the final state of mind as they are sitting at the seat of awakening are all equal in terms of focusing on the state of omniscience.”

Śāradvatīputra said, “Venerable Pūrṇa, how is it they are not different?”

Venerable Pūrṇa said, “Venerable Śāradvatīputra, although there is a difference in terms of the speed of their progress, there is no difference with regard to the mind of awakening itself. As such, all of these types of mind are equal with regard to accomplishing awakening. Venerable Śāradvatīputra, they are nonregressing from abiding in the mind of a bodhisattva. Now tell me, could someone who has strayed from the state of a worthy one and maintains a defiled state of mind be considered a worthy one?”

Śāradvatīputra said, “No, Venerable Pūrṇa, one would be very arrogant to say so.”

Pūrṇa said, “Venerable Śāradvatīputra, likewise, it would be pretentious for a bodhisattva who leaves behind the mind of awakening to claim to be awakened. Such a person is no longer a bodhisattva, but rather a defamed bodhisattva. That person can no longer be called a bodhisattva.”

Śāradvatīputra said, “Venerable Pūrṇa, that is correct. That is how it is. Venerable Pūrṇa, as an analogy, if a man at first has a functioning sex organ but later loses that organ, so that he becomes unable to act with a functioning male sex organ, that person is classified as a neuter. Venerable Pūrṇa, in the same way, if the mind of bodhisattvas becomes sluggish, they can no longer be classified as bodhisattvas.”