“Householder, you may wonder how the Thus-Gone One correctly understands the knowledge of omniscience. Householder, when the Thus-Gone One observes the cognition that independently knows all phenomena, he understands, ‘There are no phenomena that I do not fully understand. No one will be able to contradict me by claiming that there is any phenomena that I do not fully understand.’ In this way the Thus-Gone One rests in the understanding of everything. When the Thus-Gone One is asked about his understanding of everything, he can respond for an eon, and so forth, up until…. Therefore, he will enjoy this temple with its sandalwood courtyard. As for the origin, cessation, and path, they are as previously taught.

“Householder, you may wonder how the Thus-Gone One correctly understands the correct understanding of the meaning. Householder, the Thus-Gone One correctly understands the correct understanding of the meaning in the following manner. ‘This syllable expresses this meaning. Thus, the meaning of dharma, the meaning of beings, the meaning of no life force, the meaning of no person, the meaning taught by emptiness, the meaning of absence of marks, and the meaning of absence of wishes should all be expressed and analyzed. Thus, at the appropriate times, one should express the words impermanence, suffering, no self, absence of marks, absence of wishes, peace, absence of conceit, taming of oneself, no formation, and no proliferation. When someone is attached to the self, one should know the correct understanding of emptiness. When someone is attached to marks, one should know the absence of marks. When there is attachment to wishes, one should know the absence of wishes. When there is involvement in thought, one should have the correct understanding of eloquence.’ To know, see … and be skillful about this is called knowing the correct understanding. That is what the Thus-Gone One correctly understands. When the Thus-Gone One is asked about the knowledge of the correct understanding of the meaning, he can respond for an eon, and so forth, up until…. Therefore, he will enjoy this temple with its sandalwood courtyard. As for the origin, cessation, and path, they are as previously taught.

“Householder, you may wonder how the Thus-Gone One correctly understands the knowledge of the characteristics of the Thus-Gone One. Householder, the Thus-Gone One correctly understands the four characteristics of the Thus-Gone One. They are: gazing like an elephant, stretching like a lion, knowing the thoughts of all beings, and acting in accord with the paths of all beings. To know, see, … and be skillful about this is called knowing the characteristics of the Thus-Gone One. That is what the Thus-Gone One correctly understands. When the Thus-Gone One is asked about the knowledge of these characteristics, he can respond for an eon, and so forth, up until…. Therefore, he will enjoy this temple with its sandalwood courtyard. As for the origin, cessation, and path, they are as previously taught.

“Householder, you may wonder how the Thus-Gone One correctly understands the knowledge of the abodes of the Thus-Gone One. Householder, the Thus-Gone One practices love for the sake of all beings. He knows, ‘I must protect these beings from their fear of birth, from their fear of old age, from their fear of sickness, and from their fear of death.’ This practice of love for the sake of the welfare and happiness of all beings is the first abode of the Thus-Gone One. He also engenders compassion in this way: ‘Oh, these beings suffer. I must teach the Dharma in order to clear away their suffering. I must liberate them by nothing but the path of the noble ones.’ He is delighted in this way: ‘This very path will liberate them from suffering.’ His delight transforms all suffering into equanimity and thus he engenders an equanimity that is free from mentation. These are the four abodes of the Thus-Gone One. To know, see, … and be skillful about this is called knowing the abodes of the Thus-Gone One. That is what the Thus-Gone One correctly understands. When the Thus-Gone One is asked about the knowledge of the abodes of the Thus-Gone One, he can respond for an eon, and so forth, up until…. Therefore, he will enjoy this temple with its sandalwood courtyard. As for the origin, cessation, and path, they are as previously taught.

“Householder, you may wonder how the Thus-Gone One correctly understands the knowledge of the faculties of the Thus-Gone One. Householder, the Thus-Gone One correctly understands how to strive toward the accomplishment of the factors of awakening over boundless millions of eons. He correctly understands the clear mind, the unsullied mind, and the undisturbed mind. The Thus-Gone One correctly understands the insight of applying oneself to the mind of awakening, gathering one’s mind, not being forgetful, being undistracted, and being without disturbing emotions. To know, see, perceive, realize, understand, and be skillful about this is called knowing the faculties of the Thus-Gone One. Householder, in this way the Thus-Gone One correctly understands the faculties of the Thus-Gone One. When the Thus-Gone One is asked about the knowledge of the faculties of the Thus-Gone One, he can respond for an eon, and so forth, up until…. Therefore, he will enjoy this temple with its sandalwood courtyard. As for the origin, cessation, and path, they are as previously taught.

“Householder, you may wonder how the Thus-Gone One correctly understands the knowledge of physical actions. Householder, the Thus-Gone One correctly understands the virtuous physical actions, which are to abandon killing, to abandon taking what is not given, and to abandon desirous sexual misconduct. Householder, in this way the Thus-Gone One correctly understands the virtuous physical actions. Householder, you may wonder how the Thus-Gone One correctly understands the knowledge of the unvirtuous physical actions. He correctly understands about killing, taking what is not given, and desirous sexual misconduct. Householder, in this way Thus-Gone One correctly understands the unvirtuous physical actions. Householder, you may wonder how the Thus-Gone One correctly understands the knowledge of the neutral physical actions. The Thus-Gone One correctly understands the physical actions that do not ripen out of specific intentions. To know, see, … and be skillful about this is called knowing the physical actions. That is what the Thus-Gone One correctly understands. When the Thus-Gone One is asked about the knowledge of physical actions, he can respond for an eon, and so forth, up until…. Therefore, he will enjoy this temple with its sandalwood courtyard. As for the origin, cessation, and path, they are as previously taught.

“Householder, you may wonder how the Thus-Gone One correctly understands the knowledge of verbal actions. Householder, the Thus-Gone One correctly understands the four virtuous verbal actions, which are to abandon lying, to abandon divisive talk, to abandon harsh words, and to abandon gossiping. Thus he correctly understands the four virtuous verbal actions. Householder, the Thus-Gone One also correctly understands the four unvirtuous verbal actions, which are lying, uttering divisive talk, speaking harsh words, and gossiping. Householder, you may wonder how the Thus-Gone One correctly understands the knowledge of the four neutral verbal actions. Householder, the Thus-Gone One correctly understands the verbal actions that engage correctly, engage incorrectly, change over time, and appear from actions. To know, … and be skillful about this is called knowing verbal actions. That is what the Thus-Gone One correctly understands. When the Thus-Gone One is asked about the knowledge of verbal actions, he can respond for an eon, and so forth, up until…. Therefore, he will enjoy this temple with its sandalwood courtyard. As for the origin, cessation, and path, they are as previously taught.

“Householder, you may wonder how the Thus-Gone One correctly understands the knowledge of mental actions. Householder, the Thus-Gone One correctly understands the three virtuous mental actions, which are the absence of covetousness, the absence of ill will, and the correct view. He correctly understands the three unvirtuous mental actions, which are covetousness, ill will, and wrong view. He correctly understands the three neutral mental actions that engage correctly, engage incorrectly, change over time, and appear from actions. To know, … and be skillful about this is called knowing mental actions. That is what the Thus-Gone One correctly understands. When the Thus-Gone One is asked about the knowledge of mental actions, he can respond for an eon, and so forth, up until…. Therefore, he will enjoy this temple with its sandalwood courtyard. As for the origin, cessation, and path, they are as previously taught.

“Householder, you may wonder how the Thus-Gone One correctly understands the knowledge of the preceding. Householder, having first gained knowledge of the ten powers of the Thus-Gone One, he can undertake physical, verbal, and mental actions. Householder, moreover, whether he has first gained knowledge of exhaustion, no-birth, saṃsāra, or nirvāṇa, the Thus-Gone One can engage in physical, verbal, and mental actions. To know, … and be skillful about this is called knowing the preceding. That is what the Thus-Gone One correctly understands. When the Thus-Gone One is asked about the knowledge of the preceding, he can respond for an eon, and so forth, up until…. Therefore, he will enjoy this temple with its sandalwood courtyard. As for the origin, cessation, and path, they are as previously taught.

“Householder, you may wonder how the Thus-Gone One correctly understands the knowledge of the subsequent. Householder, the Thus-Gone One correctly understands that all physical actions are understood through the ten powers of the Thus-Gone One. There is no physical action created, abiding, or ceasing that is not known by the knowledge of the ten powers of the Thus-Gone One. The same applies to all verbal and mental actions. To know, see, … and be skillful about this is called knowing the subsequent. Householder, moreover, the Thus-Gone One uses his knowledge of whatever he observes to discriminate. When he gently looks at the state of the world with his loving mind and observes beings, he understands how all beings who live on errant paths and who experience misfortune, as well as old age, sickness, and death, are suffering. As he understands this with his omniscient mind, he realizes that there is no way to be free from such suffering in the slightest, apart from abandoning the aggregates. He is fully aware of this. It is because of wanting to end their troubles in the form of pain and distress that he understands the absence of harm. In this way the Thus-Gone One correctly understands the subsequent. When the Thus-Gone One is asked about the knowledge of the subsequent, he can respond for an eon, and so forth, up until…. Therefore, he will enjoy this temple with its sandalwood courtyard. As for the origin, cessation, and path, they are as previously taught.

“Householder, you may wonder how the Thus-Gone One correctly understands the knowledge of lack of regression. Householder, the Thus-Gone One does not regress from the eighteen unique qualities of a buddha. Householder, moreover, the Thus-Gone One does not regress from any knowledge that he has understood. Thus, he never regresses from knowing how to abandon desire, knowing how to abandon anger, or knowing how to abandon delusion. The Buddha never regresses from any knowledge that he has understood, such as his knowledge of the applications of mindfulness, his knowledge of the path, his knowledge of recollection, his knowledge of tranquility, his knowledge of insight, his knowledge of understanding, his knowledge of liberation, his knowledge of exhaustion, his knowledge of no-birth, his knowledge of comprehension, his knowledge of abandonment, his knowledge of training, his knowledge of actualization, his knowledge of miracles, his knowledge of the divine eye, his knowledge of the divine ear, his knowledge of the minds of others, his knowledge of past lives, his knowledge of the exhaustion of defilements, his knowledge of causes, his knowledge of results, his knowledge of engagement, his knowledge of reversal, his knowledge of the aggregates, his knowledge of the elements, his knowledge of the sense spheres, his knowledge of dependent origination, his knowledge of the faculties, his knowledge of the powers, his knowledge of the truths, his knowledge of saṃsāra, his knowledge of nirvāṇa, his knowledge of time, his knowledge of what is not timely, his knowledge of understanding, his knowledge of direct perception, his knowledge of patience, his knowledge of distance, his knowledge of proximity, his knowledge of occurrence, his knowledge of no occurrence, his knowledge of training, his knowledge of no training, his knowledge of exhaustion, his knowledge of harmful intent, his knowledge of the relative, or his knowledge of the ultimate. In this way the Buddha never regresses from his limitless knowledge. To know, see, … and be skillful about this is called knowing lack of regression. That is what the Thus-Gone One correctly understands. When the Thus-Gone One is asked about the knowledge of lack of regression, he can respond for an eon, and so forth, up until…. Therefore, he will enjoy this temple with its sandalwood courtyard. As for the origin, cessation, and path, they are as previously taught.

“Householder, you may wonder how the Thus-Gone One correctly understands the knowledge of omniscience. Householder, the Thus-Gone One fully realizes all phenomena by himself, without hearing about them from anyone else. Since the Thus-Gone One’s realization of this is so skilled, he knows what is timely and untimely in relation to those who listen to the Dharma. Since he knows the elements of sentient beings, he is skilled in timely application. Since he is skilled in the process of ripening, he knows who is a proper vessel. As he teaches the Dharma, he is skilled in the ways to teach his audience and how they should receive the Dharma. This is how the Thus-Gone One correctly understands the knowledge of omniscience. Householder, moreover, the Thus-Gone One correctly understands the faculties of sentient beings in this way: ‘This being has thoughts of desire; this being has thoughts of anger; this being has thoughts of dullness; this being has thoughts of desire and anger; this being has thoughts of desire and dullness; this being has thoughts of anger and dullness; this being has thoughts of dullness and desire; this being has thoughts of dullness and anger; this being has thoughts of desire and anger and dullness; this being has virtuous thoughts but negative behavior; this being has negative thoughts but virtuous behavior; this being has negative thoughts and negative behavior; this being has virtuous thoughts and virtuous behavior; this being craves material things but not the Dharma; this being craves the Dharma but not material things; this person has created such-and-such roots of virtue; those beings have created such-and-such roots of virtue; this being will be afflicted by such-and-such a path; this being will be purified by such-and-such a path; this being will be afflicted by such-and-such a kindness; and this being will be purified by such-and-such a kindness.’ This is how the Thus-Gone One correctly understands the knowledge of omniscience. When the Thus-Gone One is asked about the knowledge of omniscience, he can respond for an eon, and so forth, up until…. Therefore, he will enjoy this temple with its sandalwood courtyard.

“Householder, you may wonder how the Thus-Gone One correctly understands the knowledge of the origin as related to the knowledge of omniscience. Householder, the Thus-Gone One correctly understands those causes and conditions that accomplish knowledge of the origin as related to the knowledge of omniscience. The Thus-Gone One correctly understands this whether he considers impermanence, suffering, inner phenomena, results, unease, negativity, degeneration, movement, destruction, wrongdoing, epidemics, emptiness, lack of self, lack of experience, faults, harm, or opposition. When the Thus-Gone One is asked about the knowledge of the origin as related to the knowledge of omniscience, he can respond for an eon, and so forth, up until…. Therefore, he will enjoy this temple with its sandalwood courtyard.

“Householder, you may wonder how the Thus-Gone One correctly understands the knowledge of cessation as related to the knowledge of omniscience. Householder, the Thus-Gone One correctly understands it in this way. He accomplished the welfare of an immeasurable number of beings and refrained from harming them. He illuminated them and cleared away their darkness. He has freed innumerable beings from suffering and established them in happiness. That is the knowledge of cessation as related to the knowledge of omniscience. Moreover, he knows it to be primordially unborn. Householder, this is how the Thus-Gone One correctly understands the knowledge of cessation as related to the knowledge of omniscience. When the Thus-Gone One is asked about the knowledge of cessation as related to the knowledge of omniscience, he can respond for an eon, and so forth, up until…. Therefore, he will enjoy this temple with its sandalwood courtyard.

“Householder, you may wonder how the Thus-Gone One correctly understands the knowledge of the path that leads to cessation as related to the knowledge of omniscience. Householder, the Thus-Gone One correctly understands it in this way. The Thus-Gone One correctly understands the knowledge of cessation by which he knows, understands, and actualizes the knowledge of omniscience, whether he contemplates insipidity, or whether he contemplates shortcomings, or whether he contemplates deliverance. When the Thus-Gone One is asked about the knowledge of the path that leads to cessation as related to the knowledge of omniscience, he can respond for an eon, a hundred eons, or a thousand eons, or ten thousand eons, or ten million eons, or a billion eons, or a quadrillion eons, or one hundred quadrillion eons, or a quintillion eons, or a sextillion eons, or an immeasurable number of eons. He can reply for innumerable, inconceivable, incomparable, immeasurable, and inexpressible eons. He can reply for an immeasurable number of immeasurable eons, and an immeasurable number of innumerable eons, and an immeasurable number of inconceivable eons, and an immeasurable number of incomparable eons, and an immeasurable number of inestimable eons, and an immeasurable number of inexpressible eons. He can respond for an immeasurable number of innumerable eons, and an innumerable number of innumerable eons, and an inconceivable number of innumerable eons, and an incomparable number of innumerable eons, and an inestimable number of innumerable eons, and an inexpressible number of innumerable eons; and an innumerable number of inconceivable eons, and an incomparable number of inconceivable eons, and an inestimable number of inconceivable eons, and an inexpressible number of inconceivable eons; and an immeasurable number of incomparable eons, and an innumerable number of incomparable eons, and an inconceivable number of incomparable eons, and an incomparable number of incomparable eons, and an inestimable number of incomparable eons, and an inexpressible number of incomparable eons; and an immeasurable number of inestimable eons, and an innumerable number of inestimable eons, and an inconceivable number of inestimable eons, and an incomparable number of inestimable eons, and an inestimable number of inestimable eons, and an inexpressible number of inestimable eons; and an immeasurable number of inexpressible eons, and an innumerable number of inexpressible eons, and an inconceivable number of inexpressible eons, and an incomparable number of inexpressible eons, and an inestimable number of inexpressible eons, and an inexpressible number of inexpressible eons. Thus, his eloquence is inexhaustible. Householder, you may wonder why that is. It is because in his wisdom the Thus-Gone One knows the matchless sphere of reality. With this knowledge, when the Thus-Gone One is asked about the knowledge of the path that leads to cessation as related to the knowledge of omniscience, he can respond for an eon without his eloquence coming to an end. Therefore, with his unimpeded wisdom vision he will enjoy this temple with its sandalwood courtyard.