“Maudgalyāyana, when I was training in the practices of a bodhisattva in the past, I created numerous different roots of virtue in order to understand what is possible.

“Long ago in the limitless cycle of existence, Maudgalyāyana, long before even the distant past there was a sage known as Thorough Guide, who by means of a non-Buddhist path had reached freedom from the passions of desire and accomplished the five superknowledges. The sage wondered, ‘These beings all appear to be of different births, classes, and families. What might be the causes and the conditions for this? The causes and conditions cannot be anything other than involvement in afflictions. When one is involved in afflictions one will form corresponding karmic activities, and with the formation of such karmic activities there will be a corresponding form of ripening. So the causes are karmic action and affliction. Yet whose is the formation of karmic action, whose are the afflictions, and who will experience the ripening?’

“He continued thinking, ‘The formation of karmic action is not due to anything other than an assembly of factors. Thus, no affliction thinks, “I shall give rise to karmic action”; no karmic action thinks, “I shall bring ripening”; and no ripening thinks, “I shall ripen on someone.” Rather, the thought of “I” is projected without any real basis, and this is what creates the link to the myriad types of suffering. Suffering does not come from anywhere, does not belong to anything, is not produced by anyone, and is not apprehended, even in the slightest. Why is that so? Because the conceived “I” is not there but just thought to be there. When one is attached to a self that does not exist, the self becomes vulnerable, because one is attached to a self that is not really there. With such attachment to self there will be thoughts of “suffering,” as well as of “purity” and “permanence.” However, when instead one accepts the absence of self where there is no self, and when likewise impermanence, unhappiness, and impurity are accepted, one will not become attached to the conception of a self, even after incalculable eons.’ Thus the sage proceeded to shake innumerable sentient beings out of their attachment to a self and established them in emptiness.

“Maudgalyāyana, in case you may think that at that time the sage Thorough Guide was anyone else, do not think so. And why not? In those days I was the sage Thorough Guide. I shook those beings out of their conception of a self and established them in emptiness.

“Maudgalyāyana, consider how the thus-gone ones have awakened to the realization of the sameness of all phenomena while ordinary, ignorant individuals conceive in terms of a self, permanence, and purity, which results in their various sufferings. It is like this example: when a silkworm lying in its cocoon is burned by fire it will be burned by its very own silk threads. Likewise, ordinary, childish beings are similarly burned by the various types of suffering that they have created. Maudgalyāyana, bodhisattvas therefore consider the formations of karmic action to be bondage. Sentient beings are burned in the fire of their attachment and desire. However, when thus burned, their ignorant obscurations prevent them from recognizing the initial context that drew them into the fire. A bodhisattva who is skilled with respect to attachment and desire will become irreversible and quickly attain the intrinsic nature.

“Maudgalyāyana, when I was training in the practices of a bodhisattva in the past, I created vast and boundless roots of virtue in order to understand the origin as related to knowledge of what is possible. I did this by wondering how I could fully awaken to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood and then teach sentient beings about the knowledge of the origin as related to knowledge of what is possible.

“Long ago in the limitless cycle of existence, Maudgalyāyana, long before even the distant past there was a sage known as Expert about Cessation of What Is Possible. He was beyond existence, the ties of existence, and any type of bith. The sage thought to himself, ‘Alas, all these beings are afflicted by their own ignorance of the nature of things. Thus, attached to things that have no nature, they embrace the very causes of their own suffering. Seizing the causes of their own suffering, they suffer.’

“In this way he understood all things that have no nature and comprehended the causes of karmic formation. Having comprehended the causes of karmic formation, he increased the causes of knowledge and cut through the causes of ignorance. Thus he practiced to eliminate unvirtuous qualities at all times and occasions, and instead let the qualities of virtue flourish. In this way he matured innumerably many tens of thousands of beings within the knowledge of the origin as related to knowledge of what is possible.

“Maudgalyāyana, in case you may think that at that time Expert about Cessation of What Is Possible was anyone else, do not, because I was him. In this way I matured beings beyond count within the knowledge of the origin as related to knowledge of what is possible. Therefore, Maudgalyāyana, bodhisattvas must become expert about the maturation of knowledge of the origin as related to knowledge of what is possible. A bodhisattva who is an expert on the knowledge of the origin as related to knowledge of what is possible will soon abide within the qualities of the irreversible stage.

“Maudgalyāyana, when I was training in the practices of a bodhisattva in the past, I created boundless roots of virtue in order to understand cessation as related to knowledge of what is possible. I did this by wondering how I could fully awaken to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood and then teach sentient beings about the knowledge of cessation as related to knowledge of what is possible.

“Long ago in the limitless cycle of existence, Maudgalyāyana, long before even the distant past there was a king called Bhūbhṛta. He was a religious and just king, who had a loving heart for sentient beings. The king thought to himself, ‘Why do these beings experience endless suffering. How might they gain liberation and freedom from their pains?’ With that thought in mind the king then examined those beings’ previous acts of karmic formation. Thus he saw some sentient beings ablaze, being totally consumed by fire while running and crying. Others he saw were attacked by birds while crying and running away. Others again were eaten by worms as they cried and ran fast. Still others were engulfed by a foul smell, crying pitifully and running fast.

“The king thought, ‘These beings suffer in different ways because of being attached to their lives and due to their subsequent engagement in karmic formation.’ Hence, having seen with his own eyes how those beings remained in error, he proceeded to teach them about the flaws of such ways. He said, ‘Because you regard your own lives with such fondness, that fondness causes you to engage in negative karmic acts. It is due to such karmic formation that you race around with your bodies ablaze, while being attacked by birds, while being eaten by worms, or while engulfed by a foul smell. Since you believe in a self that truly exists, you experience nothing but suffering and never find even a bit of happiness. Because of your beliefs in individuality, you engage in negative acts, and so you experience this sort of ripening. Consider instead the body to be inexhaustible, regard it without attachment, and perceive it as unclean.’

“Based on that teaching of the Dharma innumerably many tens of thousands of beings attained the irreversible stage. Maudgalyāyana, in case you may think that at that time King Bhūbhṛta was anyone else, do not think so. In those days I was King Bhūbhṛta. In this way I caused innumerably many tens of thousands of beings to stop their grasping and arrive at irreversibility. Therefore, Maudgalyāyana, bodhisattvas must train in non-grasping. A bodhisattva who trains in non-grasping will quickly attain the level of irreversibility.

“Maudgalyāyana, when I was training in the practices of a bodhisattva in the past, I created boundless roots of virtue in order to understand the path that leads to cessation as related to knowledge of what is possible. I did this by wondering how I could fully awaken to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood and then teach sentient beings about the knowledge of the path that leads to cessation as related to knowledge of what is possible.

“Long ago in the limitless cycle of existence, Maudgalyāyana, long before even the distant past there was a king and sage by the name of Knower of Existence. An accomplished and learned man, he was trained in understanding feelings and the one that feels, as well as formations, particulars, virtues, evils, absence of evil, performed acts, and also the mundane sciences and crafts.

“The king thought to himself, ‘What type of science might one learn to become free from birth, destruction, death, and unhappiness? Might there be some form of science that is devoid of unhappiness?’ Yet when inquiring in this way he failed to find any such science that is beyond arising, destruction, death, and birth. ‘These actions are like a potter’s jars,’ he thought. ‘They contain no sentient being, and they will end. If beings do not engage in karmic formation there will neither be death nor birth.’

“At that point the king attained mental absorption, and as his mind thus rested in equipoise, he thought of the distinct bodies of sentient beings. Considering the individual identities of as many beings as there are particles in a buddha realm, he determined the causes and conditions that create those identities, as well as the ways of apprehension whereby such identities emerge. Then he thought, ‘How can one acquire a cognition that does not create a personal identity? Only by disengaging from karmic formation. Whenever there is no such formation, there will not be any such distinctions. But when there is such causal formation, there obviously will be. All of that is due to ignorance and craving, and craving causes karmic activity. Yet beings are not aware of this. If craving ceases there will not be any karmic activity. Yet beings do not understand this either. Thus the wise must let the light of wisdom unfold. The bodhisattva who spreads the light of wisdom will reach the irreversible stage.’

“Maudgalyāyana, in case you may think that at that time King Knower of Existence was anyone else, do not think so. And why not? In those days I was King Knower of Existence. Therefore, Maudgalyāyana, bodhisattvas must gain knowledge. The bodhisattva who achieves knowledge of entities reaches the irreversible stage.”