THE MAHĀPARINIRVĀṆA SŪTRA
VOLUME III
Chapter 1: THE LENGTH OF LIFE 3
The Buddha said to the bhikshus:
Regarding the precepts and discipline, if you have anything in doubt, you should now ask freely. I will explain it to satisfy you. I have cultivated and fully understood the inherently empty and tranquil nature of all phenomena. O bhikshus! Do not think that the Tathāgata has only cultivated the tranquil nature of all phenomena.
He again said to the bhikshus:
Regarding the precepts and discipline, if anyone has anything in doubt, they should now ask. At that time, the bhikshus immediately said to the Buddha:
World-Honored One! We do not possess sufficient wisdom; how could we possibly question the Tathāgata, the Worthy One, the Rightly and Completely Awakened One? Why is this? Because the realm of the Tathāgata is inconceivable, the meditative absorptions of the Tathāgata are inconceivable, and the teachings spoken by the Tathāgata are inconceivable. Therefore, we do not have sufficient wisdom to question the Tathāgata.
World-Honored One! It is like a person who is one hundred and twenty years old, has been ill for a long time, lies bedridden and cannot get up, his strength has weakened, and his life is not long. A wealthy person, because he has business elsewhere, wishes to travel to another place and entrusts one hundred measures of gold to that old man, saying: “Now I must go to another place, so I entrust this precious property to you. Please keep it for me for ten or twenty years. When I return, you can give it back to me.” At that time, the old man accepted it, but he had no heir. Not long afterward, he became seriously ill and died. The precious property was completely lost. When the wealthy man returned, he did not know whom to ask for it. That foolish person did not know how to consider whether a place was suitable or unsuitable for entrusting such a thing. Therefore, when the owner returned, he did not know whom to demand it from. Because of this, he lost all his precious possessions.
World-Honored One! We disciples of the Śrāvaka vehicle are also like this. Although we have heard the Tathāgata earnestly teach and instruct us, we cannot preserve it so that the true Dharma may continue for a long time. We are like that old man who accepted another person’s entrusted property. Now, regarding the precepts and discipline, we do not have sufficient wisdom; how could we ask?
The Buddha said to the bhikshus:
If you ask Me, it will bring benefit to all sentient beings.
Therefore, I allow you to freely ask about whatever remains doubtful.
At that time, the bhikshus said to the Buddha:
World-Honored One! It is like a person who is twenty-five years old, young and strong, possessing many treasures of gold, silver, and lapis lazuli; his parents, wife, children, relatives, and friends are all still alive. Someone comes and entrusts precious goods to him, saying: “I have business that requires me to go to another place. When I finish my affairs and return, you can give my precious goods back to me.” The young man keeps those possessions as carefully as if they were his own. Suddenly, he falls ill and tells his family: “These jewels belong to someone else who entrusted them to me. If he returns, give them back to him.” A wise person is the same; if he knows how to properly calculate and consider, then when the owner returns, the precious goods will be returned and not lost. The World-Honored One is also like this. If the Dharma treasure is entrusted to Ānanda and the bhikshus, the true Dharma will not remain for a long time. Why is this? Because all Śrāvakas and Mahākāśyapa will eventually be impermanent. They are like that old man who received another person’s entrusted treasures. Therefore, the unsurpassed Dharma should be entrusted to bodhisattvas, because bodhisattvas skillfully ask questions and correctly explain the Dharma treasure. Thus, the teachings will remain for countless thousands of generations, greatly flourish, and bring benefit and happiness to sentient beings, just like the young man who received another person’s entrusted possessions. For this reason, only bodhisattvas are able to ask questions. Our wisdom is like that of mosquitoes and flies; how could we possibly ask about the profound teachings of the Tathāgata? At that time, the Śrāvakas sat silently.
The Buddha praised the bhikshus:
Excellent! Excellent! You have completely attained the undefiled mind, the mind of an Arhat. I have long thought that, because of these two reasons, the Mahāyāna Dharma should be entrusted to the bodhisattvas, enabling the wondrous Dharma to remain in the world for a long time.
At that time, the Buddha said to the entire great assembly:
Good sons and good daughters! The lifespan of the Tathāgata cannot be measured, and His eloquence and skill in joyful exposition cannot be completely counted. You should freely ask questions, whether about the precepts and discipline or about the Dharma of refuge.
The Buddha said this two or three times. At that time, within the great assembly there was a young bodhisattva who was originally from the village of Dala, of the Mahākāśyapa clan, of the Brahmin lineage. Through the Buddha’s spiritual power, he immediately rose from his seat, bared his right shoulder, circumambulated the Buddha hundreds of thousands of times, knelt with his right knee on the ground, joined his palms, and faced the Buddha, saying:
World-Honored One! Now I wish to ask a few questions. If the World-Honored One permits it, only then will I dare to ask.
The Buddha said to Kāśyapa:
The Tathāgata, Worthy One, the Rightly and Completely Awakened One, grants you the freedom to ask. I will explain and remove your doubts so that you may rejoice.
At that time, Bodhisattva Mahākāśyapa said to the Buddha:
World-Honored One! Since the Tathāgata has compassionately accepted my request, I will ask. However, our wisdom is as lowly as that of flies and mosquitoes, while the conduct, virtue, and majestic power of the Tathāgata are lofty beyond measure. You are purely composed of those difficult-to-tame beings such as sandalwood and lions, who cannot be destroyed or made into ordinary companions. The body of the Tathāgata is like true vajra, with a color like lapis lazuli, truly indestructible, and surrounded by such a great ocean of wisdom. The great bodhisattvas in this assembly have all accomplished immeasurable, boundless, profound, wondrous virtues, like fragrant elephants. Before such a great assembly, how could I dare to ask questions? Yet, relying on the Buddha’s spiritual power and the virtuous roots and majestic qualities of this great assembly, I wish to ask a few questions.
Bodhisattva Kāśyapa, before the Buddha, spoke a verse:
How can one attain longevity,
An indestructible diamond-like body?
Through what causes and conditions
Can one obtain great firm strength?
How can one, with this sutra,
Ultimately reach the other shore?
I pray the Buddha, for the sake of sentient beings,
Reveal the wondrous and profound Dharma.
How can one become vast and great,
Becoming a refuge for all beings,
Not being an Arhat,
Yet attaining the rank equal to an Arhat?
How can one recognize heavenly demons,
So as to prevent them from obstructing?
How can one clearly know
Whether words are those of the Buddha or Māra?
How can the Tamer of Beings
Joyfully expound the ultimate truth,
Accomplishing true wholesome goodness,
And explain the four inverted views?
How can one create wholesome karma?
Now the Great Sage shall speak.
How can all Bodhisattvas
See the nature that is difficult to see?
How can one fully understand the meaning
Of a single word or half a word?
How can one together with the noble practices
Be like the Ta-la-ta bird?
The Kālinḍī sun and moon,
The Venus star and Jupiter,
How can one, before generating the aspiration,
Be called a Bodhisattva?
How can one amidst a great assembly
Remain without fear,
Like Jambu gold,
Which no one can find fault with?
How can one in an evil age
Remain like a lotus unstained by mud?
How can one amidst afflictions
Not be defiled by them?
Like a skilled physician treating illness,
Who is not infected by the disease,
How can one steer the boat
Across the vast ocean of birth and death?
How can one escape samsara,
Like a snake casting off its skin?
How can one regard the Three Jewels
Like the wish-fulfilling tree?
How can one speak of it
If the three vehicles are without inherent nature?
How can one speak of joy
When joy has not yet arisen?
How can all Bodhisattvas
Obtain an indestructible assembly?
How can one, for the sake of the blind,
Become a guide?
How can one manifest many bodies?
I pray the Buddha explain.
How can the one who teaches the Dharma
Become gradually bright like the crescent moon?
How can one manifest
The ultimate state of Nirvana?
How can the courageous one
Manifest the paths of humans, gods, and demons?
How can one know the nature of Dharma
And abide in the bliss of Dharma?
How can all Bodhisattvas
Be free from all illnesses?
How can one, for sentient beings,
Expound the secret Dharma?
How can one explain what is ultimate
And also what is not ultimate?
How can one explain what is indeterminate,
As the Buddha cuts through the net of doubt?
How can one draw near
The supreme, unsurpassed path?
Now I respectfully request the Tathāgata,
For the sake of all Bodhisattvas,
To teach the profound Dharma
Of all wondrous practices.
Within all phenomena,
There exists the nature of peace and bliss.
I pray the World-Honored One
Explain this clearly to us.
The World-Honored One, the Wondrous Medicine Buddha,
The refuge upon whom all beings rely,
Now I wish to ask about the aggregates,
But I lack wisdom.
Even diligent Bodhisattvas
Are unable to know
Such a profound realm
Of all Buddhas.
At that time, the Buddha praised Bodhisattva Kāśyapa:
“Excellent! Excellent! O virtuous one! You have not yet attained the Omniscient Wisdom that I have attained, yet what you have asked concerning the profound secret treasury is no different from what a being of complete wisdom would ask. O virtuous one! When I first attained Perfect Enlightenment and sat beneath the Bodhi tree at the place of enlightenment, there were countless and immeasurable Bodhisattvas throughout all Buddha realms, as numerous as the sands of the Ganges River, who also asked Me this profound meaning. Yet the meaning and merit of those questions were no different from your question. One who asks in this way brings benefit to immeasurable sentient beings.”
Bodhisattva Kāśyapa addressed the Buddha:
“World-Honored One! I do not possess sufficient wisdom and strength to be able to ask the Tathāgata about such profound meanings. World-Honored One! It is like a small fly or mosquito that cannot fly across to the other shore of the great ocean and soar throughout the sky. Likewise, I cannot ask the Tathāgata about the profound meaning of the emptiness of dharma-nature and the great ocean of wisdom in this way.
World-Honored One! It is like a king taking the bright pearl from his topknot and giving it to the official who guards the treasury. After receiving the jewel, the treasury official respectfully and wholeheartedly preserves it. I too respectfully preserve the profound meanings of the Mahāyāna scriptures spoken by the Buddha. Why? Because they enable me to attain vast and profound wisdom.”
At that time, the Buddha said to Bodhisattva Kāśyapa:
“Good man, listen carefully, listen carefully! I will explain to you the conduct and practices of long life that the Tathāgata has attained. Because of the causes and conditions of these practices, Bodhisattvas attain long life. Therefore, you should listen with sincere minds and receive this meaning. If a practice can become a cause for Bodhi, you should wholeheartedly listen to and receive this meaning. After hearing and receiving it, you should explain it to others. Good man! Because I cultivated such vows and practices, I attained Anuttara-samyak-saṃbodhi. Now, for the sake of everyone, I will extensively explain this meaning.
Good man! It is like a prince who commits an offense and is imprisoned. The king, deeply loving and remembering his son, personally goes to the prison. Bodhisattvas are the same. Those who wish to attain long life must protect and remember all sentient beings as if they were their own children, giving rise to great loving-kindness, great compassion, great joy, and great equanimity. They transmit the precept of not killing, teach the practice of wholesome Dharma, and encourage all sentient beings to uphold the five precepts and the ten wholesome deeds. They also enter the realms of hell beings, hungry ghosts, animals, and asuras to rescue suffering beings, liberate those who have not yet been liberated, save those who have not yet been saved, enable those who have not attained Nirvāṇa to attain Nirvāṇa, and comfort all those who are afraid. Through such karmic causes, Bodhisattvas attain long life, become free and自在 with respect to wisdom, and after death are born in the heavens.”
At that time, Bodhisattva Kāśyapa again addressed the Buddha:
“World-Honored One! The meaning that great Bodhisattvas regard all sentient beings equally as their own children is extremely profound, and I do not yet understand it. The World-Honored One should not say: ‘Bodhisattvas cultivate equality toward all sentient beings and regard them all equally as their children.’ Why? Because within the Buddha’s teachings there are people who break the precepts, those who commit the five rebellious acts, and those who destroy the true Dharma. How can they be regarded as one’s own children?”
The Buddha said to Kāśyapa:
“That is correct, that is correct! The Tathāgata truly regards sentient beings as his children, just as he regards Rāhula.”
Bodhisattva Kāśyapa again addressed the Buddha:
“World-Honored One! In the past, on the fifteenth day of the month, when the Sangha was performing the uposatha ceremony, among the pure assembly that had received full ordination, there was a young boy who had not properly cultivated the actions of body, speech, and mind. He hid in a secret place and secretly listened to the monks reciting the precepts. The Vajra-wielding Spirit Miji, relying on the Buddha’s spiritual power, struck the boy with a vajra club and smashed him into dust. World-Honored One! The Vajra Spirit was truly violent to be able to kill the boy. Why then does the Tathāgata say that he regards sentient beings as children equal to Rāhula?”
The Buddha said to Kāśyapa:
“You should not speak in this way. That child was an emanation, not a real person. He appeared in this way in order to drive those who break the precepts and destroy the Dharma out of the Sangha. The Vajra Spirit Miji was also an emanation.
Kāśyapa! Those who slander the true Dharma, those of the icchantika class, those who kill, those with wrong views, and those who intentionally violate the precepts—I love all of them as I love my son Rāhula.
Good man! It is like the ministers of a king who violate the laws of the kingdom. Depending on the severity of their crimes, they are executed without exception. The Tathāgata, the World-Honored One, is not like this. Toward those who slander the true Dharma, he performs the karmic procedures of expulsion, reproach, correction, accusation, making them unfit to be seen, elimination, and not abandoning evil views.
Good man! The reason the Tathāgata establishes these disciplinary karmic procedures for subduing such people is because of those who slander the true Dharma, in order to show that those who commit evil deeds will experience their results.
Good man! You should know that the Tathāgata is one who brings fearlessness to evil beings. If the Tathāgata releases one ray of light, or two, or three, then any person who encounters that light immediately abandons all evil. The Tathāgata possesses countless powers such as these.
Good man! There is a Dharma that has not yet been seen. If you wish to see it, I will now explain its appearance to you. After I enter Nirvāṇa, wherever there are monks who uphold the precepts, possess complete dignity and conduct, protect the true Dharma, and see someone destroying the true Dharma, if they are able to correct them through reprimand or expulsion, you should know that such a monk gains immeasurable and incalculable merit.
Good man! It is like a king who constantly commits cruel and violent acts and then falls gravely ill. A neighboring king, knowing the situation, raises an army and comes with the intention of completely destroying him. At that time, the sick king has no power and becomes terrified, so he changes his mind and nature and performs wholesome deeds. Thus, the neighboring king gains immeasurable merit.
A monk who preserves the precepts and Dharma is the same. When he expels and reproaches those who destroy the Dharma, causing them to practice wholesome Dharma, that monk gains immeasurable merit.
Good man! It is like a wealthy elder whose houses and fields have harmful poisonous plants growing in them. When the elder discovers this, he orders them to be cut down completely by the roots.
It is also like a young man who discovers gray hair on his head. Because he feels ashamed, he plucks it out completely so that it will not grow again.
A monk who preserves the precepts and Dharma is the same. When he sees someone breaking the precepts and destroying the true Dharma, he reproaches, expels, and censures that person. If a monk who upholds the precepts sees someone destroying the true Dharma but neglects to reprimand, censure, and expel him, then you should know that this monk is a thief within the Buddha’s Dharma. If he reprimands, censures, and expels him, then that monk is my Śrāvaka disciple.”
Bodhisattva Kāśyapa addressed the Buddha:
“World-Honored One! According to what you have taught, it does not seem to be equal. You say that all sentient beings are regarded equally as children like Rāhula. World-Honored One! If there is someone who uses a knife to harm the Buddha, and another person who applies sandalwood paste to the Buddha’s body, the Buddha gives rise to an equal mind toward these two kinds of people. Then why do you say that one must punish those who break the precepts? If those who break the precepts are punished, would that not contradict the teachings of the World-Honored One?”
The Buddha said to Bodhisattva Kāśyapa:
Good man! It is like a king, a great minister, or a prime minister raising sons who have handsome appearances, intelligence, and wisdom. They take their sons—whether two, three, or four of them—and entrust them to a strict and upright teacher to educate them, saying: “Teacher, please teach and instruct my sons so that they may master the disciplines of dignified conduct, etiquette, skills, writing and documents, and calculation. I now have four sons, all of whom will come to you to receive instruction. Suppose three of these sons are beaten and die, and the remaining one must still be strictly disciplined so that he may become a proper person; even though I lose three sons, I will not regret it.”
Kāśyapa, in this case, would the father and the teacher of these children be guilty of the crime of killing?
The World-Honored One, no. Why? Because their intention is compassion, wishing for the child to become a worthy person, and there is no evil intention. If they educate and discipline in this way, they will attain immeasurable merit and virtue.
Good man! The Tathāgata is likewise. He regards those who destroy the precepts and Dharma equally as an only child. Now the Tathāgata entrusts the unsurpassed true Dharma to kings, great ministers, prime ministers, monks, nuns, male lay disciples, and female lay disciples. The kings and the four assemblies should admonish and encourage those who practice, causing them to increase in precepts, concentration, and wisdom. If there are people who do not study these three categories of Dharma, who are lazy, break the precepts, and destroy the true Dharma, then kings, great ministers, and the four assemblies should punish them severely.
Good man! In this way, do kings and the four assemblies commit offenses?
The World-Honored One, no.
Good man! If kings and the four assemblies do not even have offenses, how much less would the Tathāgata? Good man! The Tathāgata cultivates the perfect practice of equality toward all sentient beings, regarding them as an only child. One who cultivates this practice is called a bodhisattva who cultivates an equal mind toward all sentient beings, regarding them as an only child. Good man! A bodhisattva who cultivates this conduct will have an increased lifespan and will also be able to know matters from previous lives.
Bodhisattva Kāśyapa said to the Buddha:
World-Honored One! According to what the Buddha has taught, if a bodhisattva cultivates an equal mind and regards all sentient beings as an only child, then his lifespan will increase. The Tathāgata should not say this. Why? It is like a person who knows the Dharma and can explain all teachings of filial piety and obedience, yet when he returns home, he uses tiles and stones to throw at and strike his parents. Parents are an excellent field of merit, bringing many benefits, difficult to encounter and difficult to find, and deserving of careful service and support; yet he instead harms them. Such a person who knows the Dharma has words and actions that contradict each other.
The words of the Tathāgata are also like this. The Tathāgata says that a bodhisattva who cultivates an equal mind, regarding sentient beings as an only child, will attain long life, clearly know past lives, and remain forever in the world without change. Yet today, due to what causes and conditions does the lifespan of the Tathāgata appear so short, like ordinary people? Could it be that the Tathāgata gives rise to thoughts of hatred toward sentient beings? What evil karma did the Tathāgata create in the past, and how many lives did he take, that now his lifespan is short and he does not live even a hundred years?
The Buddha said to Kāśyapa:
Good man! Today, for what reason do you speak such harsh words before the Tathāgata? The longevity of the Tathāgata surpasses all other kinds of longevity. The Tathāgata has realized the supreme eternal abiding Dharma, superior to all other eternal abiding dharmas.
Bodhisattva Kāśyapa said to the Buddha:
World-Honored One! Why does the Tathāgata live a long life?
The Buddha said to Kāśyapa:
Good man! It is like the eight great rivers—the Ganges, Yamunā, Sarabhū, Aciravatī, Mahī, Sindhu, Vatsā, and Sītā—together with all the smaller rivers, all flowing into the great ocean. Kāśyapa, likewise, the lifespans of all beings in heaven, earth, and space flow into the ocean of the Tathāgata’s lifespan. Therefore, the lifespan of the Tathāgata is immeasurable.
Furthermore, Kāśyapa, it is like Lake Anavatapta giving rise to the four great rivers; likewise, the Tathāgata gives rise to all lifespans. Kāśyapa, just as among all eternal abiding dharmas, space is foremost, so among all eternal abiding dharmas, the Tathāgata is foremost; just as among all medicines, clarified butter is foremost, so among all sentient beings, the lifespan of the Tathāgata is foremost.
Bodhisattva Kāśyapa said to the Buddha:
World-Honored One! If the lifespan of the Tathāgata is truly like this, then the World-Honored One should remain in the world for one kalpa or less than one kalpa, constantly expounding the wondrous Dharma like a great rain pouring down.
The Buddha said:
Kāśyapa! You should not give rise to the thought that the Tathāgata becomes extinct. If there are monks, nuns, male lay disciples, female lay disciples, or even non-Buddhist practitioners and five-supernatural-power sages who have attained freedom—whether they live for one kalpa or less than one kalpa, moving, standing, lying, or sitting freely in empty space, with fire issuing from their left side and water flowing from their right side, with their bodies emitting smoke and flames like a great fire—they may wish to extend their lives, and their wishes will be fulfilled. Regarding their lifespan, whether long or short, they have freedom.
If those with the five supernatural powers can possess such spiritual power according to their wishes, how much more can the Tathāgata, who possesses sovereign power over all dharmas, not remain in the world for half a kalpa, one kalpa, a hundred kalpas, a hundred thousand kalpas, or countless kalpas? Therefore, you should know that the Tathāgata is the eternal abiding Dharma, unchanging.
This body of the Tathāgata is a transformed body, not a body sustained by ordinary food. In order to save sentient beings, he manifests like a poisonous tree; therefore, he must abandon it and enter Nirvāṇa.
Kāśyapa, you should know that the Buddha is the eternal abiding Dharma, without change. Regarding the ultimate truth, you should diligently cultivate it with a single-minded effort. After cultivating it, you should explain it to everyone.
At that time, Bodhisattva Kāśyapa said:
World-Honored One! What difference is there between worldly Dharma and transcendent Dharma? According to what the Buddha has taught, the Buddha is the eternal abiding Dharma, the unchanging Dharma. People in the world also say that Brahmā is eternal abiding, that Īśvara (the Self-Existent Lord) is eternal and unchanging, that the self is eternal, that nature is eternal, and that atoms are also eternal. If the Tathāgata is said to be the eternal abiding Dharma, why does the Tathāgata not constantly appear in the world? If he does not constantly appear, what difference is there between this meaning of “eternal” and the worldly understanding of eternity? Why? Because Brahmā, up to the nature of the world and atoms, also do not appear.
The Buddha said to Kāśyapa:
For example, there was an elder who had many cows. Although their colors were different, they belonged to the same herd. The elder entrusted the herd of cows to a herdsman to graze and drink water, only because he wished to obtain clarified butter, not because he wanted milk or cream. The cowherd, on his own initiative, milked the cows and drank the milk. After the elder died, the herd of cows was completely taken away by bandits. After the bandits obtained the cows, they had no women, so they milked the cows themselves and drank the milk. At that time, the bandits discussed among themselves: “That elder raised cows only for the sake of obtaining clarified butter, not for milk or cream. What method can we use to obtain clarified butter? Clarified butter is the most precious substance in the world. We have no container; even if we can milk the cows, we have nothing to hold it in.” They discussed further and thought that only a leather bag could be used as a container. But even having a container, they did not know how to churn it until it coagulated, so even obtaining drinkable liquid would be difficult, much less obtaining clarified butter. At that time, because the bandits wanted to obtain clarified butter, they added water into the bag of milk. Because there was too much water, the milk, cream, and clarified butter all disappeared.
Sentient beings are also like this. Although they possess wholesome teachings, these are all Dharma left behind by the Tathāgata. Why? Because after the Tathāgata entered Nirvāṇa, they stole the wholesome Dharma left behind by the Tathāgata, such as precepts, concentration, and wisdom, just as the bandits seized the herd of cows. Ordinary people may possess these precepts, concentration, and wisdom, but they do not have the proper methods, and therefore they cannot explain them correctly. For this reason, they cannot attain the liberation of eternal precepts, eternal concentration, and eternal wisdom. It is like those bandits who did not know the proper method and caused the clarified butter to disappear.
Just as the bandits, in their desire to obtain clarified butter, added water to it, ordinary people are also like this. Seeking liberation, they speak of self, sentient beings, life span, personhood, Brahmā, the Sovereign Heaven, atoms, the nature of the world, precepts, concentration, wisdom, liberation, the Neither-Perception-nor-Non-Perception Heaven, and claim that these are Nirvāṇa. In reality, they do not attain liberation or Nirvāṇa, just as the bandits did not obtain clarified butter.
Also, just as ordinary people possess a small amount of pure conduct and make offerings to their parents, through these causes and conditions they are born in the heavens and experience a little happiness, like those bandits obtaining milk mixed with water. Ordinary people truly do not understand that by cultivating a little pure conduct and honoring their parents they are born in the heavens. They also do not understand precepts, concentration, and wisdom, nor do they take refuge in the Three Jewels. Because they do not understand, they speak of permanence, bliss, self, and purity. Although they are able to speak of these things, in reality they do not know them.
Therefore, after appearing in the world, the Tathāgata taught sentient beings the Dharma of permanence, bliss, self, and purity. Just as a Wheel-Turning King appears in the world, and through the power of his merits the bandits scatter and the herd of cows becomes safe. At that time, the Wheel-Turning King entrusts the herd of cows to a skilled cowherd. That person knows the method of producing clarified butter, and through clarified butter all beings escape suffering.
When the Dharma of the Wheel-Turning Sage King appears, all ordinary people who cannot speak of precepts, concentration, and wisdom are scattered like those bandits. At that time, the Tathāgata skillfully expounds worldly and supramundane teachings, causing Bodhisattvas to teach the Dharma to sentient beings according to them. Great Bodhisattvas who have obtained clarified butter then enable immeasurable and boundless sentient beings to obtain the unsurpassed nectar of Dharma. This is the Tathāgata’s Dharma of permanence, bliss, self, and purity.
O good man! For this reason, the Tathāgata is the eternal Dharma that does not change, unlike ignorant ordinary people in the world who consider Brahmā to be eternal. This eternal Dharma is precisely the Tathāgata; it is not any other eternal Dharma. O Kāśyapa! You should know that the body of the Tathāgata is also like this. O Kāśyapa! Good men and good women should always single-mindedly cultivate the two words “Buddha,” which mean “eternally abiding.”
O Kāśyapa! If there are good men and good women who cultivate these two words, you should know that such people follow the path that I have followed and arrive at the place where I have arrived. O good man! If someone cultivates these two words, it is the sign of cessation of defilements; you should know that the Tathāgata will enter Nirvāṇa for that person. O good man! The meaning of Nirvāṇa is the Dharma-nature of all Buddhas.
Bodhisattva Kāśyapa said to the Buddha:
World-Honored One! What is the meaning of the Buddha’s Dharma-nature? Now I wish to know the meaning of Dharma-nature. I ask the Tathāgata, out of compassion, to explain it extensively. Dharma-nature means relinquishing the body; relinquishing the body is called having nothing. If the body has nothing, how can it exist? If the body exists, why say that the body has Dharma-nature? If the body has Dharma-nature, why can it continue to exist? How should I understand this meaning?
The Buddha said to Kāśyapa:
O good man! You should not say that cessation is Dharma-nature in this way. Dharma-nature does not have cessation. For example, the beings of the Non-Perception Heaven attain the form aggregate but do not have the perception of form. One should not ask those heavenly beings: “How do they experience happiness? What is the meaning of perception? What is seeing and hearing?” O good man! The realm of the Tathāgata cannot be known by Śrāvakas or Pratyekabuddhas. You should not say that the body of the Tathāgata is a Dharma of cessation. Such a Dharma of cessation is the realm of the Buddha, which Śrāvakas and Pratyekabuddhas cannot know.
O good man! You should not now speculate: “Where is the Tathāgata? Where does He go? What does He see? How does He experience joy?” You cannot know these meanings. The Dharma-body of all Buddhas possesses various inconceivable skillful means.
Furthermore, O good man! One should cultivate the contemplation that Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha are eternal. These three Dharmas do not have any other perception; one should not perceive them as impermanent or changing. If a person cultivates another perception toward these three Dharmas, know that such a person does not have a place of refuge in the pure Three Refuges, their precepts are incomplete, and they will never be able to attain the fruits of Śrāvaka, Pratyekabuddha, or Bodhi. If anyone can cultivate the perception of permanence toward this inconceivable Dharma, that person has a place to return to.
O good man! For example, when there is a tree, there is the shade of the tree. The Tathāgata is also like this: because there is eternal Dharma, there is a place of refuge; it is not something impermanent. If one considers the Tathāgata to be impermanent, then the Tathāgata cannot be the refuge for heavenly beings and humans.
Bodhisattva Kāśyapa said to the Buddha:
World-Honored One! It is like in a dark place there is a tree but there is no shadow of the tree.
O Kāśyapa! You should not say that there is a tree but no shadow of the tree. It is only because ordinary eyes cannot see it. Likewise, the nature of the Tathāgata is eternally abiding and unchanging. Those without the eye of wisdom cannot see it, just as in darkness one cannot see the shadow of a tree. After the Tathāgata passes into extinction, ordinary people who think the Tathāgata is impermanent are also like this.
If there is someone who says that the Buddha is different from Dharma and Sangha, such a person cannot accomplish the three places of refuge. Just as your father and mother are each different, they are therefore subject to impermanence.
Bodhisattva Kāśyapa again said to the Buddha:
World-Honored One! From today onward, I will use the three eternal and abiding principles of Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha to awaken my present parents, and even those of seven generations, causing them all to uphold them. World-Honored One, this is truly wondrous! Now I learn the inconceivable Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. Having learned them myself, I will also explain this meaning clearly to others. If there are people who cannot believe and accept it, such people have long cultivated the Dharma of impermanence. I will become frost, fog, and hail for such people.
At that time, the Buddha praised Bodhisattva Kāśyapa:
Excellent! Excellent! Now you are truly able to protect the true Dharma. Protecting the true Dharma in this way, one cannot deceive people. Through the causes and conditions of wholesome karma and by not deceiving others, one attains long life and knows clearly many past lives.
Chapter 2: THE VAJRA BODY
At that time, the Buddha said to Bodhisattva Kāśyapa:
O virtuous son! The body of the Tathāgata is the eternal body, the indestructible body, the vajra body; it is not a body sustained by miscellaneous foods, but rather the Dharma body.
Bodhisattva Kāśyapa addressed the Buddha:
“World-Honored One! As You have taught, I do not see any such body. I only see bodies that are impermanent, decaying, composed of particles, and sustained by miscellaneous foods. Why is this so? Because the Tathāgata is about to enter Nirvāṇa.”
The Buddha said:
“O Kāśyapa! You should not think that the body of the Tathāgata is not firm and indestructible, decaying like the bodies of ordinary beings. O virtuous son! You should know that the body of the Tathāgata has remained firm and indestructible through immeasurable hundreds of thousands of millions of kalpas; it is not the body of gods or humans, not a fearful body, and not a body sustained by miscellaneous foods. The body of the Tathāgata is not a body, yet it is a body; it neither arises nor ceases, is neither cultivated nor practiced, immeasurable and boundless, without traces, without knowledge and without form, completely pure, without movement, does not receive, does not go, does not abide, does not act, has no taste, is not mixed with anything, is neither conditioned nor karma, neither result nor action, neither extinction nor mind, neither mental factors, inconceivable, eternally abiding and inconceivable, neither consciousness nor non-consciousness, apart from mind and yet not apart from mind.
That mind is equal and impartial, neither nonexistent nor existent; it neither comes nor goes and yet comes and goes; it is neither destroyed nor ruined, neither cut off nor severed, neither born nor extinguished; it has no master and yet is master; it is neither existent nor nonexistent, neither awareness nor contemplation, neither a name nor without a name, neither concentration nor without concentration; it cannot be seen yet is clearly seen, has no place and yet is a place, has no home and yet is a home; it is neither dark nor bright, neither silent nor not silent; it possesses nothing and does not grasp anything, does not give anything; it is pure and free from defilement, without contention and beyond contention; it abides in non-abiding, neither takes nor falls; it is neither Dharma nor non-Dharma, neither a field of merit nor not a field of merit; it is inexhaustible and not exhaustible, far removed from all exhaustion; it is emptiness and apart from emptiness; although it does not eternally abide, it is not destroyed moment by moment; it has no impurity, no written words, and is apart from written words; it is neither sound nor speech, neither cultivation nor practice, neither measurable nor weighable, neither one nor different; it is neither image nor appearance, yet all marks adorn it; it is neither courage nor fear; it is tranquil, not tranquil; it is not hot, not without heat; it cannot be seen and has no appearance.
The Tathāgata liberates all sentient beings because He does not see any act of liberation; He can free sentient beings because He does not see any liberation; He awakens sentient beings because He does not see any awakening. He teaches the Dharma according to reality because there is no discrimination. He cannot be measured, has nothing equal to Him, is equal to space, without marks or appearances, identical with the nature of non-arising. He is neither eternal nor annihilated, always practices the One Vehicle while sentient beings perceive three vehicles; He neither retreats nor turns back, cuts off all bonds, does not compete for superiority, does not come into contact, is not nature yet abides in nature; He is neither formed through combination nor dispersed, neither long nor short, neither round nor square, neither the skandhas, sense realms, and elements nor not the skandhas, sense realms, and elements; neither increased nor decreased, neither superior nor inferior.
The body of the Tathāgata accomplishes immeasurable merits and virtues such as these. There is no one who knows it, yet there is no one who does not know it; there is no one who sees it, yet there is no one who does not see it; it is neither conditioned nor unconditioned, neither worldly nor not worldly, neither acting nor not acting, neither dependent nor not dependent, neither the four great elements nor not the four great elements, neither cause nor not cause, neither sentient being nor not sentient being, neither Śramaṇa nor Brāhmaṇa. It is the lion, the great lion. It is neither body nor not body. It cannot be proclaimed in words except through the one characteristic of Dharma. It cannot be counted or calculated. When it enters Nirvāṇa, it does not enter Nirvāṇa. The Dharma body of the Tathāgata is accomplished with immeasurable wondrous merits and virtues such as these.
O Kāśyapa! Only the Tathāgata knows this characteristic; it cannot be known by the Śrāvakas or Pratyekabuddhas. O Kāśyapa! Such merits and virtues accomplish the body of the Tathāgata; it is not a body nourished by miscellaneous foods. O Kāśyapa! Since the true body of the Tathāgata possesses such merits and virtues, how could it have illnesses, suffering, afflictions, fragility, and impermanence like a clay vessel? O Kāśyapa! The reason the Tathāgata manifests illness and suffering is because He wishes to discipline and transform sentient beings. O Kāśyapa! You should know that the body of the Tathāgata is a vajra body. From today onward, you should single-mindedly contemplate this meaning. Do not think of it as a body sustained by miscellaneous foods. You should also explain widely to others that the body of the Tathāgata is itself the Dharma body.
Bodhisattva Kāśyapa addressed the Buddha:
“World-Honored One! Since the Tathāgata has accomplished such merits and virtues, why does the body of the Tathāgata have illness, suffering, impermanence, and decay? From now on, I shall constantly contemplate that the body of the Tathāgata is the eternally abiding Dharma body, the peaceful and blissful body. I shall also widely explain this meaning to others.
World-Honored One! The Tathāgata’s vajra Dharma body is indestructible, but I still do not understand the reason why.”
The Buddha said:
“O Kāśyapa! Through the causes and conditions of protecting the True Dharma, you have now accomplished this vajra body. O Kāśyapa! Because in the past the Tathāgata protected the True Dharma, He now possesses the eternally abiding, indestructible vajra body. O Kāśyapa! One who protects the True Dharma does not merely receive the five precepts, nor does he merely cultivate proper conduct; rather, he must take up swords, bows, arrows, spears, and lances in order to protect bhikṣus who uphold pure precepts.”
Bodhisattva Kāśyapa addressed the Buddha:
“World-Honored One! If there is a bhikṣu who leaves behind protection, dwelling alone in a secluded place, in a graveyard, or beneath a tree, such a person should be called a true bhikṣu. If there are people who follow and protect him, then one should know that these people are merely shaven-headed householders.”
The Buddha said to Bodhisattva Kāśyapa:
“Do not say that they are shaven-headed householders. There may be bhikṣus who, according to their place of residence, receive sufficient provisions to maintain their bodies, read and recite scriptures, contemplate, meditate while seated, and when people come to ask about the Dharma, teach them generosity, morality, merit, few desires, and contentment. Although they can explain all these teachings, they cannot explain the Mahāyāna Dharma, are not surrounded by a Mahāyāna assembly of disciples, and cannot subdue the wicked and those who act contrary to the Dharma. Bhikṣus such as these cannot bring benefit to themselves or to sentient beings. Know that such people are lazy and negligent. Although they uphold precepts and maintain pure conduct, you should know that they accomplish nothing.
There may also be bhikṣus whose provisions for maintaining their bodies are always sufficient, who can uphold the precepts they have received, and who frequently expound the teachings of the Mahāyāna extensively. These are the nine divisions of scriptures: Sūtra, Geya, Vyākaraṇa, Gāthā, Udāna, Itivṛttaka, Jātaka, Vaipulya, and Adbhuta-dharma. Using these nine divisions of scriptures, they widely teach others, creating benefit and happiness for sentient beings, and they proclaim words such as these:
‘In the Nirvāṇa Sūtra, the Buddha taught that bhikṣus should not maintain unlawful possessions such as servants, sheep, or cattle. If any bhikṣu keeps such impure possessions, he should be disciplined and punished. Previously, in other collections of scriptures, the Buddha taught that if any bhikṣu keeps such impure possessions, then any king of any country should punish him according to the Dharma and expel him, returning him to lay life.’
When a bhikṣu speaks such words and those who break the precepts hear them, they immediately become angry and wish to harm that Dharma-teaching bhikṣu. Even if that Dharma-teaching bhikṣu were to die because of this, he would still be called a person who upholds the precepts and creates benefit for himself and for everyone. For this reason, the Tathāgata permits kings, ministers, prime ministers, and upāsakas to protect those who teach the Dharma. Anyone who wishes to protect the True Dharma should learn in this way. O Kāśyapa! Those who break the precepts and do not uphold the True Dharma are called shaven-headed householders; it is not those who uphold the precepts who should be called this.
O Kāśyapa! In the past, through immeasurable, boundless, countless kalpas, in this city of Kuśinagara there appeared a Buddha named Joy-Increasing Tathāgata, Arhat, Perfectly Enlightened One, One Perfect in Knowledge and Conduct, Well-Gone One, Knower of the World, Unsurpassed One, Tamer of Beings, Teacher of Gods and Humans, Buddha, World-Honored One. At that time, the world was vast, adorned, prosperous, flourishing, and joyful. The people were wealthy and free from hunger and thirst, like the bodhisattvas in the Land of Bliss. That Buddha remained in the world for a very long time, and after His teaching of sentient beings was complete, He entered Nirvāṇa. The True Dharma remained in the world for immeasurable hundreds of thousands of millions of years. Forty years before the Buddha’s Dharma was to disappear, there was a precept-observing bhikṣu named Jue De, surrounded by many disciples and followers. He was able to clearly explain the nine divisions of Mahāyāna scriptures and prohibited bhikṣus from keeping unlawful possessions such as slaves, cattle, and sheep.”
At that time, many monks who had broken the precepts, hearing this, immediately gave rise to evil thoughts. They took knives and staffs and went to threaten the Dharma teacher. At that time, King Youde, having heard of this matter, because he wished to protect the True Dharma, immediately went to the place where the Dharma teacher was expounding the teachings, and together with the monks who had broken the precepts fought a fierce battle. Because of this, the Dharma teacher escaped danger. At that time, the king’s body was wounded by swords, knives, bows, and arrows; his entire body was pierced like mustard seeds, with no place left uninjured. Then the monk Giác Đức praised the king, saying: “Excellent! Excellent! Today the king is truly one who protects the True Dharma. In future lives, this body will become an immeasurable vessel of Dharma.” When the king heard this Dharma teaching, his mind became greatly joyful. He then passed away and was reborn in the Buddha Akṣobhya’s land, becoming that Buddha’s foremost disciple. The generals, people, relatives, those who fought alongside the king, and those who rejoiced in his actions all generated the unsurpassed aspiration for Bodhi, never to regress, and when they died, they were all reborn in the Buddha Akṣobhya’s land. The monk Giác Đức, after his life ended, was also reborn in the Buddha Akṣobhya’s land as the second disciple among that assembly of Śrāvakas. When the True Dharma is about to disappear, one should receive, uphold, and protect it in this way. O Kāśyapa! The king at that time was my former incarnation. The monk who taught the Dharma was Buddha Kāśyapa. O Kāśyapa! Those who protect the True Dharma receive such immeasurable results. Because of this cause and condition, today I possess many excellent marks to adorn myself, have accomplished the Dharma body, and possess an indestructible body.
Bodhisattva Kāśyapa again said to the Buddha:
“World-Honored One! The truly eternal body of the Tathāgata is like something carved into stone.”
The Buddha said to Bodhisattva Kāśyapa:
“Good man! Because of such causes and conditions, monks, nuns, male lay disciples, and female lay disciples should diligently protect the True Dharma. The karmic rewards of protecting the True Dharma are vast and immeasurable. Good man! Therefore, those lay disciples who protect the True Dharma should take up knives and staffs to support such Dharma-preserving monks. If someone receives and upholds the five precepts, that person cannot be called a Mahāyāna practitioner. A person who does not uphold the five precepts but protects the True Dharma is called Mahāyāna. A person who protects the True Dharma must take up swords, knives, and weapons in order to protect the Dharma teacher.”
Bodhisattva Kāśyapa said to the Buddha:
“World-Honored One! If a monk associates with such lay disciples who hold knives and staffs, is he a teacher or not a teacher? Is he one who upholds the precepts or one who breaks them?”
The Buddha taught Kāśyapa:
“Good man! Do not consider such people to have broken the precepts. After I enter Nirvāṇa, in the evil age when lands become chaotic and people suffer from hunger and theft, many people will leave home because of starvation and hardship. Such people are called shaven-headed ones. These people, seeing pure monks who uphold the precepts, possess proper dignity and conduct, and protect the True Dharma, will drive them away, or kill them, or harm them.”
Bodhisattva Kāśyapa again said to the Buddha:
“World-Honored One! If this is so, how can those who uphold the precepts and protect the True Dharma enter villages and towns to teach and transform beings?”
“Good man! Therefore, I allow those who uphold the precepts to associate with householders who carry knives and staffs. If there are kings, great ministers, elders, or lay disciples who, for the sake of protecting the True Dharma, hold knives and staffs, I also call them people who uphold the precepts. Although they hold knives and staffs, if they do not kill people, then they are called the foremost among those who uphold the precepts. O Kāśyapa! A person who protects the True Dharma means one who possesses right view, can extensively explain the Mahāyāna scriptures, and does not accept the king’s precious parasol, oil jars, rice and grain, various flowers and fruits, nor approach kings, officials, ministers, and elders because of such offerings. Regarding donors’ offerings, one’s mind should not be flattering or deceitful. One must possess proper dignity and conduct and eliminate evil people who break the precepts. Such a person is called a teacher who upholds the precepts and protects the Dharma, the true spiritual friend of sentient beings. The mind of such a person is as vast as the great ocean.
O Kāśyapa! If a monk teaches the Dharma to people for the sake of receiving offerings, then the disciples and followers close to that person will also imitate their teacher and seek offerings in the same way. Such a person destroys the Sangha community. O Kāśyapa! The Sangha has three kinds: first, the mixed Sangha that breaks the precepts; second, the ignorant Sangha; third, the pure Sangha.
The mixed Sangha that breaks the precepts is easily destroyed, while the pure Sangha that upholds the precepts cannot be destroyed by causes and conditions of material gain. What is called a mixed Sangha that breaks the precepts? If there is a monk who, although guarding the prohibitive precepts, because of seeking offerings, sits, stands, walks, associates, and works together with those who break the precepts, then this is called a Sangha that breaks the precepts, also called a mixed Sangha.
What is called an ignorant Sangha? If there is a monk who stays in a secluded place, whose faculties are not sharp, who is dark and dull-minded, who desires little and goes begging for food, and on the days of reciting the precepts and the ceremony of confession and reconciliation, only instructs his own pure disciples to repent and become purified, but sees people who are not his disciples committing many violations of the precepts and does not instruct them to repent and become purified, instead allowing them to join in the recitation of the precepts and confession ceremony, then this is called an ignorant Sangha.
What is called a pure Sangha? There is a Sangha of monks who cannot be obstructed or destroyed by hundreds of thousands of millions of armies of Māras. This assembly of Bodhisattvas is inherently pure in nature and can discipline the assemblies of the two previous types, causing them to abide in the pure Sangha. This is called the unsurpassed great master who protects the True Dharma.
A person who skillfully preserves the precepts, wishing to discipline and benefit sentient beings, should know that regarding the characteristics of precepts—whether minor or not actually part of the Vinaya—one does not realize them; if they are part of the Vinaya, one realizes them.
What does it mean to discipline sentient beings? If Bodhisattvas, in order to teach and transform sentient beings, often enter villages without choosing the time or season, or go to the homes of widows or prostitutes and live together with them for many years, then although a Śrāvaka should not do such a thing, this is called disciplining and benefiting sentient beings.
What does it mean to know the grave precepts? If one sees the Tathāgata, due to a certain matter, establish a precept saying, ‘From now on you should be careful and do not commit this offense,’ such as the four grave precepts—precepts that those who have left home should not violate but intentionally violate—then they are no longer Śramaṇas, nor sons of the Śākya clan. These are called grave precepts.
What are light precepts? If a person commits a minor offense and, after being admonished three times, is able to abandon it, this is called a light precept.
What is meant by not realizing what is not Vinaya? If there is someone who praises and says that impure things may be accepted and used, one should not live together with that person.
What is meant by realizing what accords with the Vinaya? A person who skillfully studies the precepts does not associate with those who break them. Seeing someone who practices correctly according to the precepts, he gives rise to joy. He can know truthfully the activities of the Buddha’s Dharma and has the ability to skillfully explain them. Such a person is called a teacher of Vinaya. One who skillfully understands even a single word and skillfully preserves the sūtras is likewise so.
Good man! Such is the Buddha’s Dharma: immeasurable and inconceivable. The Tathāgata is also the same: inconceivable.”
Bodhisattva Kāśyapa said to the Buddha:
“World-Honored One! Indeed, indeed! It is exactly as the World-Honored One has taught. The Buddha’s Dharma is immeasurable and inconceivable, and the Tathāgata is also inconceivable. Therefore, one should know that the Tathāgata is eternally abiding, indestructible, and unchanging. Today, I have studied this thoroughly and have also extensively explained this meaning to others.”
At that time, the Buddha praised Bodhisattva Kāśyapa:
“Excellent! Excellent! The body of the Tathāgata is precisely the indestructible vajra body. A Bodhisattva should carefully learn, see correctly, and know correctly in this way. If one can see and know clearly in this manner, then one has seen the Buddha’s vajra body, the indestructible body, just as one sees images reflected in a mirror.”
Chapter 3: The Merits of the Name
At that time, the Tathāgata again said to Bodhisattva Kāśyapa:
Good man! You should uphold and receive the merits of the name and chapters and verses of this sutra. If there are any good men or good women who hear the name of this sutra and are reborn into the four evil paths, such a thing cannot happen. Why is this? Because this sutra is the place of cultivation and the merit attained by countless, boundless Buddhas. Now the Tathāgata will expound it.
Bodhisattva Kāśyapa said to the Buddha:
World-Honored One! What is the name of this sutra? How should great bodhisattvas uphold and receive it?
The Buddha told Kāśyapa:
This sutra is called the “Great Bodhisattva Nirvāṇa.” All the words at the beginning are good, the words in the middle are also good, and the words at the end are also good. Its meaning is profound, its wording is perfect, pure and unified, fully containing the pure conduct of Brahmacarya, and its treasury of vajra-like treasures is abundant and without deficiency. Now you should listen carefully, and I will explain it for you.
Good man! The meaning of “Great” is permanence and abiding. Just as the eight great rivers all flow into the great ocean, this sutra is likewise able to subdue all afflictions, bonds, and the natures of Māra. Afterwards, one should dwell in Great Parinirvāṇa and relinquish the body and life; therefore it is called Great Parinirvāṇa.
Good man! It is like a physician who has a secret formula that encompasses all other medicines. Good man! The Tathāgata is also like this. He has fully taught all kinds of wondrous, secret, profound Dharma methods, and all of them enter into Great Parinirvāṇa; therefore it is called Great Parinirvāṇa. Good man! It is like a farmer who sows crops at the end of spring and always looks forward to the harvest; once the fruits and grains have been harvested, there is no longer any expectation. Good man! All sentient beings are likewise. When they cultivate and study other sutras, they often hope to be nourished by their flavor, but if they hear this Great Parinirvāṇa Sutra, all hopes of being nourished by the flavors of other sutras come to an end. This Great Parinirvāṇa Sutra can enable sentient beings to cross beyond the streams of existence.
Good man! It is also like among all footprints, the footprint of the elephant is supreme. Likewise, this sutra is foremost among all samādhi sutras. Good man! It is like plowing fields in autumn, which is the best. Likewise, among all sutras, this sutra is supreme. Good man! Among all medicines, ghee is the finest, curing the afflictions and disturbed minds of sentient beings; this Great Parinirvāṇa Sutra is the foremost.
Good man! It is like clarified butter possessing eight flavors. This Great Parinirvāṇa Sutra also possesses eight flavors. What are these eight? First, permanence; second, constancy; third, peace; fourth, coolness; fifth, freedom from aging; sixth, freedom from death; seventh, purity; eighth, bliss. Because it possesses these eight flavors, it is called Great Parinirvāṇa. If bodhisattvas abide within it and are able to manifest Nirvāṇa everywhere, it is called Great Parinirvāṇa.
Kāśyapa! If any good man or good woman wishes to enter Nirvāṇa through this Great Parinirvāṇa, they should cultivate and learn in this way: The Tathāgata is eternally abiding; the Dharma and Sangha are the same.
Bodhisattva Kāśyapa again said to the Buddha:
World-Honored One! How extraordinary! The merits of the Tathāgata are inconceivable; the Dharma and Sangha are likewise inconceivable. If a person cultivates and studies this scripture, they will attain the true Dharma method and can become a skilled physician. If a person has not yet studied it, one should know that this person is blind, without the eye of wisdom, and is obscured by ignorance.