Maha Prajnaparamita Sastra
by Gelongma Karma Migme Ch枚dr枚n | 2001 | 941,039 words
This page describes 鈥渧isheshacinti-brahma-paripriccha-sutra鈥� as written by Nagarjuna in his Maha-prajnaparamita-sastra (lit. 鈥渢he treatise on the great virtue of wisdom鈥�) in the 2nd century. This book, written in five volumes, represents an encyclopedia on Buddhism as well as a commentary on the Pancavimsatisahasrika Prajnaparamita.
Go directly to: Footnotes.
The Vi艣e峁cinti-brahma-parip峁沜ch膩-s奴tra
It is said in the Ming-wang king (J膩lin墨prabhas奴tra): The 蝉迟丑腻惫颈谤补[1] 艢腻谤颈辫耻迟谤补 said to the Buddha: O Bhagavat, those who are able to understand the words of these bodhisattvas gain great merit (产补丑耻峁� pu峁噛askandha峁� prasunvante). Why? If those who succeed merely in hearing the name (苍腻尘补苍) of these bodhisattvas already derive great benefit, what can be said of those who also understand their words?
O Bhagavat, if a man were to plant a tree (惫峁沰峁) without stamping down the ground around it and this tree produced roots (尘奴濒补), a trunk (skandha), branches (艣腻办丑腻), leaves (辫补谤峁嘺), and even gave fruit (phala), that would be a rare thing (durlabha). Well, the activity (肠补谤测腻濒补办峁峁嘺) of these bodhisattvas is just as extraordinary. Indeed, without relying on any dharma whatsoever, they manifest births (箩腻迟颈) and deaths (尘补谤补峁嘺) in the buddhafields (产耻诲诲丑补办峁迟谤补) and there, as if at play, they display at will the talents of their eloquence (辫谤补迟颈产丑腻苍补) and their wisdom (辫谤补箩帽腻). Then, hearing these great sages displaying this talent of eloquence playfully and at will, who would not produce the mind of supreme complete enligtenment (补苍耻迟迟补谤补蝉补尘测补办蝉补峁僢辞诲丑颈肠颈迟迟补)?
At that time there was in the assembly the bodhisattva 笔鈥檕耻-丑辞耻补 (厂补尘补苍迟补辫耻峁补).[2] He said to 艢腻谤颈辫耻迟谤补: The Buddha has said that the sthavira [艢腻谤颈辫耻迟谤补] is the foremost of the sages (辫谤补箩帽腻vat膩m agrya岣�) among all the disciples (艣谤腻惫补办补). Today, O 蝉迟丑腻惫颈谤补, have you not discovered (upagata) the 诲丑补谤尘补诲丑腻迟耻,[3] the fundamental element of the dharma? Then why not use your great wisdom to discourse on this dharma as you will?
艢腻谤颈辫耻迟谤补. 鈥� The disciples of the Buddha (buddha艣谤腻惫补办补) only speak of its domain (测补迟丑腻惫颈峁测补尘).
厂补尘补苍迟补辫耻峁补. 鈥� Does the 诲丑补谤尘补诲丑腻迟耻 have a domain?
艢腻谤颈辫耻迟谤补. 鈥� No. [267b]
厂补尘补苍迟补辫耻峁补. 鈥� If the 诲丑补谤尘补诲丑腻迟耻 has no domain, how can you claim, O 蝉迟丑腻惫颈谤补, to speak according to this domain?
艢腻谤颈辫耻迟谤补. 鈥� I speak of it according to the degree it has been understood (adhigata) by me.
厂补尘补苍迟补辫耻峁补. 鈥� O 蝉迟丑腻惫颈谤补, have you understood that the 诲丑补谤尘补诲丑腻迟耻 is without measure (补辫谤补尘腻峁嘺)?
艢腻谤颈辫耻迟谤补. 鈥� Yes.
厂补尘补苍迟补辫耻峁补. 鈥� Then why did you just say: 鈥淚 speak to the measure that it has been understood by me鈥�? If the 诲丑补谤尘补诲丑腻迟耻 such as it is understood by you is immeasurable, the words [spoken about it] are also immeasurable. The 诲丑补谤尘补诲丑腻迟耻 is immeasurable and is not measurable.
艢腻谤颈辫耻迟谤补. 鈥� The 诲丑补谤尘补诲丑腻迟耻 is ungraspable (补苍补诲丑颈驳补尘测补濒补办峁峁嘺).
厂补尘补苍迟补辫耻峁补. 鈥� If the 诲丑补谤尘补诲丑腻迟耻 is ungraspable, do you find deliverance (vimukti) outside the 诲丑补谤尘补诲丑腻迟耻?
艢腻谤颈辫耻迟谤补. 鈥� No.
厂补尘补苍迟补辫耻峁补. 鈥� Why?
艢腻谤颈辫耻迟谤补. 鈥� Because the 诲丑补谤尘补诲丑腻迟耻 is inseparable (avyatirikta) from it.
厂补尘补苍迟补辫耻峁补. 鈥� Is the knowledge of the saints (腻谤测补箩帽腻苍补) that you understand like the 诲丑补谤尘补诲丑腻迟耻?
艢腻谤颈辫耻迟谤补. 鈥� As for me, I want to hear the Dharma; this is not the time to preach.
厂补尘补苍迟补辫耻峁补. 鈥� All dharmas being fixed (niyata) in the 诲丑补谤尘补诲丑腻迟耻, is there something to hear (艣谤辞迟补惫测补) or something to say (vaktavya)?
艢腻谤颈辫耻迟谤补. 鈥� No.
厂补尘补苍迟补辫耻峁补. 鈥� Then why did you just say: 鈥淚 want to hear the Dharma; this is not the time to preach鈥�?
艢腻谤颈辫耻迟谤补. 鈥� Nevertheless, the Buddha said: 鈥淭wo people gain immeasurable merit: i) the one who preaches carefully; ii) the one who listens attentively.鈥�
厂补尘补苍迟补辫耻峁补. 鈥� When you enter into the absorption of cessation (苍颈谤辞诲丑补蝉补尘腻辫补迟迟颈),[4] can you hear the Dharma?
艢腻谤颈辫耻迟谤补. 鈥� O son of noble family (kulaputra), in the absorption of cessation one does not hear the Dharma.
厂补尘补苍迟补辫耻峁补. 鈥� Do you think that all the dharmas are eternally ceased (nityaniruddha)?
艢腻谤颈辫耻迟谤补. 鈥� Yes, I think so.
厂补尘补苍迟补辫耻峁补. 鈥� The 诲丑补谤尘补诲丑腻迟耻 being eternally ceased, it is impossible to hear the Dharma. Why? Because all the dharmas are eternally ceased.
艢腻谤颈辫耻迟谤补. 鈥� Without coming out of concentration (蝉补尘腻诲丑颈), can you preach the Dharma?
厂补尘补苍迟补辫耻峁补. 鈥� There is no dharma that is not concentrated (蝉补尘腻丑颈迟补).
艢腻谤颈辫耻迟谤补. 鈥� If that is so, all worldly people (辫峁泃丑补驳箩补苍补) are also concentrated.
厂补尘补苍迟补辫耻峁补. 鈥� Of course, all worldly people are concentrated.
艢腻谤颈辫耻迟谤补. 鈥� In what concentration are all worldly people concentrated?
厂补尘补苍迟补辫耻峁补. 鈥� It is in the unshakeable concentration of the 诲丑补谤尘补诲丑腻迟耻 (ak峁bhya诲丑补谤尘补诲丑腻迟耻蝉补尘腻诲丑颈)[5] that all worldly people are concentrated.
艢腻谤颈辫耻迟谤补. 鈥� If that is so, there is no difference (惫颈艣别峁) between worldly people (辫峁泃丑补驳箩补苍补) and saints (腻谤测补).[6]
厂补尘补苍迟补辫耻峁补. 鈥揑 do not accept that there is a difference between worldly people and saints. Why? Because among saints, there is no dharma that is ceased (niruddha) and, among worldly people, there is no dharma that is produced (utpanna). Neither of them escape the sameness (蝉补尘补迟腻) of the 诲丑补谤尘补诲丑腻迟耻.
艢腻谤颈辫耻迟谤补. 鈥� O son of noble family (kulaputra), what is the sameness of the 诲丑补谤尘补诲丑腻迟耻?
厂补尘补苍迟补辫耻峁补. 鈥� It is what was cognized (箩帽补迟腻) and seen (诲峁涐梗峁璦) by you, O sthavira, when you attained bodhi. Did you then produce the attributes of the saint (腻谤测补dharma)?
艢腻谤颈辫耻迟谤补. 鈥� No.
厂补尘补苍迟补辫耻峁补. 鈥� Did you destroy the attributes of the worldly person (辫峁泃丑补驳箩补苍补dharma)?
艢腻谤颈辫耻迟谤补. 鈥� No.
厂补尘补苍迟补辫耻峁补. 鈥� Did you acquire the attributes of the saint?
厂补尘补苍迟补辫耻峁补. 鈥� Did you see and cognize the attributes of the worldly person? [267c]
艢腻谤颈辫耻迟谤补. 鈥� No.
厂补尘补苍迟补辫耻峁补. 鈥� O sthavira, what then did you cognize and see in order to acquire the bodhi of the saints?
艢腻谤颈辫耻迟谤补. 鈥� The way of existence (迟补迟丑补迟腻) of the worldly person, the way of existence of the 产丑颈办峁 who has just attained deliverance (vimukti), the way of existence of the 产丑颈办峁 entered into 苍颈谤惫腻峁嘺 without residue (nirupadhi艣e峁苍颈谤惫腻峁嘺). This way of existence is a single way of existence; it does not involve any differentiation.
厂补尘补苍迟补辫耻峁补. 鈥� O 艢腻谤颈辫耻迟谤补, it is the way of existence characteristic of the 诲丑补谤尘补诲丑腻迟耻, the unshakeable way of existence (ak峁bhya迟补迟丑补迟腻 and, by this way of existence, one will know the way of existence of all dharmas.[7]
Then 艢腻谤颈辫耻迟谤补 said to the Buddha: Bhagavat, there is no object (vastu) that the great mass of fire (agniskandha) does not consume. It is the same for the words spoken by those individuals who affirm that all dharmas enter into the 诲丑补谤尘补诲丑腻迟耻.
Notes on the Vi艣e峁cinti-brahma-parip峁沜ch膩-s奴tra:
In Tibetan, gnas brtan corresponding to the Sanskrit sthavira which 碍耻尘腻谤补箩墨惫补 renders equally as houei-ming or 办鈥檌-苍颈别苍. In the Sanskrit texts, the names of the disciples are usually preceded by the adjective 腻测耻峁补迟 (in Chinese tch鈥檃ng-tche, kiu-cheou; in Tibetan, tshe da峁� ldan pa) the translation of which 碍耻尘腻谤补箩墨惫补 and even Hiuan-tsang most frequently omit. All these epithets of respect have the sense almost of the Greek 鈥榩resbyter鈥�, elder, worthy of consideration. Another honorific appellation of Buddhist and Jain monks is bhadanta (in Chinese, tsuan-tche; in Tibetan, bstun pa).
Footnotes and references:
[1]:
On this s奴tra frequently cited under different names by the 罢谤补颈迟茅, see above, p. 1268鈥�1269F, note. The passage cited here occurs in T 585, k. 2, p. 10c23 鈥� 11b25; T 586, k. 2, p. 42c9 鈥� 43b2; T 587, k. 3, p. 74a2鈥揷7; Tib. Trip., no. 827, vol. 33, p. 198鈥�199, fol. 50b7 鈥� 52b3.
[2]:
In Tibetan, Kun-tu me-tog.
[3]:
In Tibetan, chos kyi dbyi峁卻.
[4]:
The sa峁僯帽膩vedita苍颈谤辞诲丑补蝉补尘腻辫补迟迟颈, the concentration of the cessation of concept and feeling, which by definition has no object: cf. p. 1299F, 1307F.
[5]:
In Tibetan, chos kyi dbyi峁卻 岣hrugs pa岣 ti峁� 峁卐 岣zin.
[6]:
The identity of worldly people and the saints is one of the favorite themes of the Mah膩y膩nas奴tras: cf. 痴颈尘补濒补办墨谤迟颈苍颈谤诲别艣补, transl., p. 143, note 5; 156鈥�157; 235; 艢奴ra峁僩ama蝉补尘腻诲丑颈, transl. p. 184.
[7]:
In the Tibetan version, 厂补尘补苍迟补辫耻峁补 says to 艢腻谤颈辫耻迟谤补: de bzhin 帽id de ni ma log pa de b艣in 帽id da峁� | gzhan ma yin pa de bzhin 帽id da峁� | mi 岣yur ba de bzhin 帽id da峁� | mi 岣hrugs pa de bzhin 帽id de | btsun pa 艢ari岣 bu de b艣in 帽id chos thams cad kyi de b艣in 帽id rjes su rig par bya岣 |
This way of being (迟补迟丑补迟腻) is the way of being without mistake (avipary膩sa迟补迟丑补迟腻), the infallible way of being (ananya迟补迟丑补迟腻), the immutable way of being (avipari峁嘺ma迟补迟丑补迟腻), the unshakeable way of being (ak峁bhya迟补迟丑补迟腻). O bhadanta 艢腻谤颈辫耻迟谤补, the way of being of all dharmas should be known by this way of being.