King Ajātaśatru then remarked to the Blessed One, “Blessed One, all phenomena accord with their causes. When they are produced, they have the characteristic of arising. They come into being just as they are desired. Blessed One, the conduct of awakening is infinite. In this regard, for as long as bodhisattvas have not taken hold of a buddha realm replete with all supreme aspects, they will engage in bodhisattva conduct. Blessed One, all bodhisattvas will purify buddha realms just like Nāga King Sāgara.”

The Blessed One said, “Great king, you have described things accurately, for all phenomena do indeed arise from mental engagement. Because all phenomena are without a creator, they come into being in accord with one’s desires.”

King Ajātaśatru turned to Nāga King Sāgara and commented, “Nāga Lord, you have received a gift, a great gift, in being prophesied to attain unsurpassed and perfect awakening with such unfathomable displays of enhancing qualities within your buddha realm.”

Nāga King Sāgara responded to King Ajātaśatru, saying, “Great king, there are no phenomena to be prophesied. Why is this? Because all phenomena are primordially pure.”

The king said, “Nāga Lord, are there not prophecies for those who have previously developed the roots of virtue?”

Nāga King Sāgara said, “Great king, what we term a sentient being is encapsulated by the aggregates, elements, and sense sources, yet the aggregates, elements, and sense sources cannot be prophesied. Great king, it is entirely to name and form that the term sentient being is applied. Yet name and form cannot be prophesied. It is entirely based on cause, perspective, perception, and mental engagement that the term sentient being is applied. Yet, cause, perspective, perception, and mental engagement cannot be prophesied. Even the roots of virtue that actually create the bodhisattva’s omniscience cannot be prophesied.

“Great king, all phenomena have the essential characteristic of emptiness. Yet emptiness cannot be prophesied. Great king, all phenomena have the essential characteristic of the absence of marks, the absence of wishes, and unconditionedness. Yet the absence of marks, the absence of wishes, and unconditionedness cannot be prophesied. Great king, furthermore, the great compassion of buddhas is unfathomable. Phenomena that have no name or mark are all described using names and marks. Yet the blessed buddhas do not have a consciousness that pursues names and marks. Great king, these prophesies are just for conventional worldly communication, since there are no phenomena in this regard that can be apprehended, either internally or externally, as something that can be prophesied.”

The king said, “Nāga Lord, can bodhisattva great beings who reach acceptance not be prophesied?”

“Great king, even that acceptance is momentary and has the characteristics of exhausting, the inexhaustible limit, certainty in the limit of reality, the limit of sameness, and certainty in the limit of nonduality. The limit of nonduality is the limit of reality. The limit of reality is the limit of never arising. Anything that is limited involves attachment, aggression, and delusion. That which is limited is the limit of liberation. Whoever enters the door of that limit has no clinging to anything whatsoever. Whoever has no clinging whatsoever is without attachment on the level of conventional communication. Without attachment, one is liberated. If liberated, one will henceforth be unmoving, absolutely unmoving. If one is unmoving, absolutely unmoving, there can be no degeneration at all. If the mind does not degenerate, one will see emancipation from everything, for by not looking, one correspondingly sees. When one does not look, there is no division into duality. If one abides in nonduality, one enters sameness. If one has entered sameness, there will be no high or low. If there is no high or low, one will reach the acceptance that discerns via the quality of sameness. In this vein, all the phenomena of acceptance, prophecy, something to be prophesied, a prophet, and someone for whom the prophecy is given are understood to be the same phenomena, the realm of phenomena devoid of phenomena, incommunicable, nonarising, neither entities nor nonentities, and the very limit of nonduality. Thus, one does not take notice of any phenomena whatsoever. To draw an analogy, space cannot be viewed; it is beyond what can be viewed. One should view all phenomena in this way.”

When Nāga King Sāgara gave his teaching, two hundred bodhisattvas reached the acceptance that phenomena are unborn. Two hundred monks liberated their minds from defilement without any reoccurrence.

King Ajātaśatru then said to the Blessed One, “Blessed One, Nāga King Sāgara’s eloquence is incredible.”

The Blessed One replied, “Great king, such eloquence is not so incredible or difficult. In fact, if any beginner were to hear this teaching without becoming intimidated, threatened, or scared, that would be more incredible and difficult. Why is this? The awakening of the blessed buddhas is difficult even to aspire to, for the world and its gods cannot grasp it, travel to it, aspire to it, or trust it. Great king, understand that anyone who is not intimidated, threatened, or scared by this teaching has already served many buddhas. Now tell me, great king, would it be difficult for someone to make space, which is formless and indescribable, appear as something that has form?”

“It would be supremely difficult, Blessed One. Supremely difficult, Well-Gone One.”

“Now, it is far more difficult for someone to aspire to a Dharma that is this profound, deeply illuminating, disruptive of all feeling, and without self, being, life principle, soul, personhood, or movement, and to realize this reality as it is it. Such beings have the virtue that accords with the thus-gone ones, and they are their friends and relatives. Because they have abandoned the mistaken ways of beings, they are able to teach the Dharma. Because they dwell at the supreme seat of awakening, they are able to defeat billions of māras with love, insight, wisdom, and diligence. They are capable of mastering all phenomena, being brave, manifesting the wisdom of omniscience, and fully awakening to the wisdom of omniscience through the momentariness of mind. Because they communicate with all beings, understand the minds of all beings as they really are, and correctly understand the faculties of beings, supreme or otherwise, they are able to turn the unsurpassed wheel of Dharma. Because they destroy the attacks of adversaries, outshine all extremists, and defeat all enemies, they are able to blow the conch of Dharma.”

Nāga King Sāgara’s wishes were thus achieved, brought to mind, and totally fulfilled. Having heard his prophecy, he rose into the sky and sang the following verses to the Blessed One:

“Having defeated the māras, their hosts, and their hordes, You destroyed the mass of negative views. Great Sage, you make the Dharma rain down, Satisfying the entire world with its nectar.

“You are the Dharma King, capable of bestowing fearlessness. Freed from the mire, you live on the shores of fearlessness. You are a teacher of the supreme path for those with worldly eyes And the protector of beings without refuge.

“O King of Physicians, who delivers us from anguish, You bestow the medicine that eliminates aging and death. To ensure that henceforth there will be no ailing beings, You heal those tormented by sickness and aging.

“You are our sole teacher, refuge, and master. Only you can give ultimate happiness. Taking the oars, you know ultimate reality And turn us away from the suffering of saṃsāra.

“O god among gods, greatest of beings Who is the lamp for the whole world, To meet you is to cross the oceans of existence. You alone are the greatest human.

“O Lord of Sages, there is no one like you Who has such wisdom and form and has vanquished all opponents. You are the teacher for the entire world with its gods, Showing the path of freedom.

“Your supreme omniscience outshines everything, And you are unstained by the phenomena of the world. I prostrate to you who have achieved omniscience, freedom from clinging, Liberation, courage, and supreme wisdom!

“The guide of the world has declared That all phenomena are pure and immaculate, Just as space in the atmosphere is pure, Formless, imperceptible, and unconditioned.

“Though he has dispelled all views of existence and nonexistence, The Well-Gone One teaches that phenomena are pure. As they involve conditions and involve causes, There is no being, person, or life principle.

“The essence of space, primordially pure, Is like illusions, mirages, or moons reflected on water. The pure essence of space Is, like lightning, not located anywhere.

“The past is empty, and empty too is the future. The essence of birth, abiding, and destruction is empty. Here, such things are neither entities nor nonentities; Their nature is nonexistent, empty.

“The essential nature of the realm of phenomena Is the essential nature of the element of sentient beings. The essential nature of the element of sentient beings Is the essential nature of the buddha qualities.

“The essential nature of the buddha qualities Is the essential nature of all phenomena. The essential nature of all phenomena Is the essential nature of the buddha realms.

“The essential nature of the buddha realms Is the essential nature of the buddhas’ awakening. The essential nature of the buddhas’ awakening Is the essential nature of the realm of phenomena.

“When bodhisattvas see in this way The purity of all phenomena, The victors will then bestow a prophecy of supreme awakening Through their sublime wisdom.

“As phenomena are merely marks, labels, and conventions, They are the same in being unreal, imputed names. No one could acquire them in the past, Yet they continually utter these names.

“Names are given to the nameless. Phenomena are empty, pure by nature. Those who skillfully know worldly perceptions Act according to mere conventions.

“Knowing that all phenomena are like an illusion, They are known to be unreal and coreless like dreams. Their ripening is merely causes and their interactions. They are notions of reality that do not exist.

“All phenomena are deceptive and frightening. They are unreal, like illusions and mirages. They are like reflections and whirling firebrands, Constantly confounding the immature.

“By imputing me and mine, these childish beings, These fools, are tormented by their craving and deluded. As the wheel of saṃsāra rolls along, They will be oppressed by suffering and never achieve peace.

“This way that beings perceive is unreal, Nor is there even anyone who perceives. The views of the living world are blinded by delusion, And so beings continually encounter suffering, again and again.

“The gods’ only experience of suffering is death and transmigration. The suffering of humans is in their restless seeking. The suffering of hell beings is in the terrors they encounter. For animals, it is how they prey on one another.

“The suffering of hungry ghosts is hunger and thirst. All worlds are mired in suffering. Seeing the sufferings of all the worlds That are without refuge or support,

“The Great Sage is loving and compassionate And sets out to liberate them from suffering. Bodhisattvas must be stable in their asceticism and diligent in the perfections, Even throughout billions of eons.

“Understanding that there is no existence, Escaping the swamp, they guide beings. When phenomena are seen as compounded and fake, They are seen to be totally empty and insubstantial like the sky.

“As they are without self-nature, They are not self, neither entity nor nonentity. If all extreme views are abandoned, Pure and immaculate awakening will be achieved.

“There is no one at all who undergoes birth, aging, harm, Dying, or living. Whoever is born, ages, gets sick, and dies Is born from humans, yet that human does not exist.

“In this way, there is no me or mine, No humans or any human race. It is all a lie, because there is no owner or master. So one perceives the living world to be an illusion.

“There is no creator and no one experiencing. Yet, due to karma, nonexistent fruits appear. Their nature occurs through the conditioning of beings’ karma. They mutually combine in dependence on causes.

“No performance of virtuous or nonvirtuous actions, And no habituation or repetition, Exist as objects in a particular location. Still, though their essence is empty, they do ripen.

“They do not exist internally, externally, or in between, And there is no coming together of phenomena. They do not rely on anything anywhere, Yet their ripening is unfailing.

“They know no arising, no ceasing either. The learned, in order to bring understanding of this, Encourage listening, as they teach words, Teaching them in order to refine the view.

“There is no one with perceptions or anyone perceiving. Within nirvāṇa there is no one passing into peace. There is also no birth—any limit is a limit. The limit of selflessness is the limit of space.

“By achieving the complete limit, the limit of sameness, One will achieve sublime and unfathomable buddhahood. The limits of the past, of the future, Of birth, and of non-birth—

“All limits should be seen as identical in this light. Those who understand the gateway of the limit of nonattachment And who are unattached to the limits of the three times Will achieve the supreme family of the victors.

“Liberating beings from their confinement, They will attain the supreme peace of nirvāṇa. By seeing all beings as dreams, They will be unattached to the names and forms of the world.

“The eyes that are purified of all phenomena Will achieve peace, unmoving and unwavering. No phenomena can be described, verbalized, Or perceived, because they are pure nonexistence.

“The family lineage of the sublime thus-gone victors Is of the nature of peace and dispels all wishes; It is without flaws and diseases and is free from anguish. It quells all elaborations of thought and is unfathomable.

“These qualities of the supreme victors Are imperceptible, and they cannot be described or verbalized. Yet to benefit others, sublime beings Speak and teach even in our own languages.

“Whoever sees the world as a natural teacher And further develops faith— Such gods and humans who hear the extraordinary Dharma Gain a great boon.

“This Dharma is proclaimed by the guides of the world Throughout the cardinal and intermediate directions. Those buddhas who will manifest in the future Will all have the same qualities.

“All sound is merely echoes. As words are spoken, they are heard by the ear. They can become the cause of the proper path, Which is called Dharma in order to generate understanding.

“All things are illusory and hollow. They are discerned for the sake of beings, Yet the nature of these things Could never be divided.

“If the noble ones train with the Teacher, The Buddha, the supreme Dharma king of the world, The aware and knowledgeable Lord of Dharma, They will also accordingly realize the meaning of reality.

“What arose in the past, what arises now, And what will arise in the future— The wisdom of the sage, the supreme being, Perceives all of that without impediment.

“The Sublime Being has today given me A definite prophecy of supreme awakening. I will become a buddha for the benefit of beings. I have no doubt or hesitation about this.”