Great Cloud Essence then said, “In order to tame the minds of unawakened and foolish sentient beings, I beseech you to shine the subtle light rays of the lamp of understanding the concealed intent of the Bhagavān Tathāgata’s speech upon all those who have entered great darkness.”

The Bhagavān replied, “Great Cloud Essence, you must broadly ignite the twenty-three liberation gateways of the continuous flow of skillful methods of Dharma for those who are ignorant of how to enter into the fundamental divisions of the concealed intent of the Tathāgata’s speech.

“Great Cloud Essence, within this Great Cloud discourse there is the liberation gateway of the continuous flow of skillful methods of Dharma for those who are ignorant of how to enter the fundamental divisions of the concealed intent of the Tathāgata’s speech. It is called having no grasping at ‘I’ and ‘mine’ amid the grasping for ‘I’ and ‘mine.’ There is the liberation gateway called having no fear amid involvements in dangerous or mundane ways of being. There is the liberation gateway called freedom from desire amid involvement in desires. There is the liberation gateway called having no faults in the midst of faults and egregious faults. There is the liberation gateway called having no delusion in the midst of delusion and acute delusion. There is the liberation gateway called freedom from desire in the midst of desire and acute desire. There is the liberation gateway called having no attachment in the midst of attachment and acute attachment. There is the liberation gateway called having no clinging while in the midst of clinging and acute clinging. There is the liberation gateway called having no defilement in the midst of defilement and acute defilement. There is the liberation gateway called fully illuminated in the midst of darkness and acute darkness. There is the liberation gateway called being very sharp in the midst of dullness and acute dullness. There is the liberation gateway called having great love in the midst of cutting and dividing.

“There is the liberation gateway called possessing kindness and so forth in the midst of abusiveness or heinous conduct. There is the liberation gateway called praising generosity amid condemning or strongly condemning generosity. There is the liberation gateway called not being slanderous amid slander or egregious slander. There is the liberation gateway called purifying karma amid constant self-praise and disparagement of others. There is the liberation gateway called having no attachment in the midst of attachment or acute attachment. There is the liberation gateway called not lacking balance in the midst of what is unbalanced or acutely unbalanced. There is the liberation gateway called being satisfied amid dissatisfaction and unhappiness. There is the liberation gateway called not being vacuous amid vacuousness and acute vacuousness. There is the liberation gateway called consummate permanence amid impermanence and acute impermanence. There is the liberation gateway called consummate selfhood amid the absence of self. And there is the liberation gateway called consummate happiness amid unhappiness and acute unhappiness. These twenty-three are the liberation gateways of the continuous flow of skillful methods of Dharma for those who are ignorant of how to enter the basic divisions of the concealed intent of the Tathāgata’s speech.”

At that time, a devaputra named Delight of All Beings set forth from the great assembly and, after having made divine offerings to the Bhagavān, uttered this verse:

“Ah! Presently, all the śrāvakas Gave rise to the great, intoxicating causal factor By which they take form as innumerable great gods To serve as medicine for all sentient beings. Having taken to heart the concealed intent of the Tathāgata’s speech, They will teach it to others!”