by Red Pine
“Furthermore, Subhuti, inconceivable and incomparable is this dharma teaching, this dharma teaching spoken by the Tathagata, Subhuti, for the benefit of those beings who set forth on the foremost of paths, for the benefit of those beings who set forth on the best of paths. For if someone grasps, memorizes, recites, and masters this dharma teaching and explains it in detail to others, the Tathagata will know them, Subhuti, by means of his buddha knowledge. And the Tathagata will see them, Subhuti, by means of his buddha vision. The Tathagata will be aware of them, Subhuti, for all such beings produce a body of merit that has no limits, a body of merit that is inconceivable, incomparable, immeasurable, and boundless. For all such beings as these, Subhuti, likewise wear enlightenment upon their shoulders. And how so? Subhuti, this dharma teaching cannot be heard by beings of lesser aspiration: not by those who mistakenly perceive a self, nor by those who mistakenly perceive a being, a life, or a soul. For beings who lack the bodhisattva’s aspiration cannot hear, grasp, memorize, recite, or master this dharma teaching.
“Moreover, Subhuti, wherever this sutra is explained, that place shall be honored. Whether in the realm of devas, humans, or asuras, that place shall be honored with prostrations and circumambulations. That place shall be like a stupa.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
IN THE PREVIOUS CHAPTER, the Buddha told Subhuti that practicing the paramitas of wisdom, forbearance, and charity was possible only if the practitioner was free of such delusions as a self. In this chapter, he anticipates those who might take this to mean to get rid of the self, to sacrifice the self on the altar of some deity or cause or to throw the self into the black hole of nihilism. Although the Buddha says such actions do produce a certain amount of merit, he once again compares the greater merit produced by believing and sharing this teaching with others. And to this greater body of merit (the sanbhoga-kaya), he adds the robe of buddhahood (the nirmana-kaya) by means of which we too become teachers of gods and humans. For those who realize and transmit this teaching to others join the lineage of buddhas who are present throughout the three periods of time and the ten directions of space and who teach and liberate others through the power of the body of truth (the dharma-kaya), represented here by the sanctuary of a stupa. And just in case we doubt our ability to join this noble assembly, the Buddha tells us this teaching cannot be heard, believed, or practiced by those who do not share the bodhisattva’s resolve to liberate all beings. Hence, we who now hear or encounter this teaching have already made this resolve and could not have made this resolve without first freeing ourselves of attachment to such delusions as self and being. The path is clear. We need only put on our robe and set forth.
Chao-ming titles this: “The Merit of Understanding This Sutra.”
Hui-neng says, “The merit of understanding and reciting, of benefiting oneself and others, has no limit and cannot be measured. Thus follows a chapter on the merit of understanding this sutra.”
“Furthermore, Subhuti, if a man or woman
renounced their self-existence during the morning as
many times as there are grains of sand in the
Ganges, and likewise renounced their self-existence
during midday as many times as there are grains of
sand in the Ganges, and renounced their selfexistence
during the afternoon as many times as
there are grains of sand in the Ganges,
In ancient India, the day was divided into three periods of morning, midday, and afternoon, each of which lasted about four hours. There were three similar periods for the night that were measured according to the movement of the Big Dipper.
Again, the Buddha recalls the image of Purusha, the cosmic being whose sacrifice of his self-existence resulted in the creation of this world and its human race. During the Buddha’s day, the members of most religious sects in India believed in the efficaciousness of such sacrifice and held that the practice of self-renunciation was an essential means to liberation. They reasoned that since sacrifice, properly performed, results in a divine response, the greater the sacrifice, the greater the response. And what sacrifice could be greater than one’s own self, greater even that one’s own body or life, both of which have spatial or temporal limits. Shakyamuni also spent years practicing austerities of self-denial to free himself from suffering. But he was honest enough to admit the futility of such practices. And it was only when he turned to the Middle Way between indulgence and austerity that he attained Enlightenment. Still, various forms of self-denial have continued to be cultivated by followers of the Buddha, and not only by those who are denigrated as members of Hinayana sects.
Ch’en Hsiung says, “The Buddha was concerned that his disciples might become attached to the perception of forbearance and uselessly give up their body without the slightest benefit to their own nature or the nature of others. Hence, he brings this up in Chapter Thirteen and again here.”
Sheng-yi says, “The physical body depends on karma for its existence and has no nature of its own, just as a wave depends on the wind for its existence and has no nature of its own. The sea is one, while waves are countless. Billions of waves rise and fall during the morning. Billions of waves rise and fall during the midday. Billions of waves rise and fall during the afternoon. Thus, over the course of millions and trillions of kalpas, the number of illusory waves is far beyond reckoning. But all those illusions can’t compare to the one reality—they can’t compare to the sea. Noble sons and daughters are also like this. There is only the one sea of our buddha nature. But when people are confused, the sea of buddha nature becomes the sea of consciousness, and the sea of consciousness becomes the sea of passion, and the sea of passion becomes the sea of karma, and the sea of karma becomes the sea of suffering, and from the sea of suffering they receive countless, limitless karmic bodies. Thus, on top of confusion, they pile up confusion without end and without limit. But all those illusions can’t compare to the one reality, namely, the true form of all dharmas.”
Of such renunciates, Cold Mountain says, “Dressed in sky-flower clothes / wearing tortoise-hair shoes / clutching rabbit-horn bows / they hunt the ghosts of delusion.” (The Collected Songs of Cold Mountain: 293)
Textual note: Neither Kumarajiva, Bodhiruci, nor Yi-ching includes khalu-punar (furthermore). All Chinese editions, except that of Dharmagupta, translate parityaja (renounce) by pu-shih (donate), the same term they use elsewhere to render dana (give). But these two are distinct. Ostensibly, dana adds to the welfare of the recipient, while parityaja adds to welfare of the giver. The same difference among the Chinese editions also appears in Chapter Thirteen.
and renounced their self-existence in this manner
for many hundreds and thousands of millions and
trillions of kalpas,
To provide an idea of the length of a kalpa, the Maha Prajnaparamita Shastra (5) gives these examples: take a city (preferably a deserted one) several hundred square kilometers in area and fill it with mustard seeds. Then take out one seed every hundred years. When the city is empty of mustard seeds, a kalpa will still not be over. Or take a rock several hundred square kilometers in area and brush it with a silk scarf once every hundred years. When the rock is worn to dust, a kalpa will still not have ended.
Wang Jih-hsiu says, “A person cannot possibly have as many self-existences as there are grains of sand in the Ganges to give away during the three periods of the day. This is only an expedient metaphor for what is beyond the limits of comparison.”
Textual note: Neither the Stein Sanskrit edition nor the Khotanese translation includes niyuta (trillions). At different times and in different texts, koti and niyuta were variously interpreted. A koti can range anywhere from one hundred thousand to ten million, and a niyuta can vary from one hundred billion to whatever number has fifty zeros after it.
and someone heard this dharma teaching and did
not reject it, the body of merit produced as a result
would be immeasurably, infinit
ely greater. How
much more so if they not only wrote it down but
grasped it, memorized it, recited it, mastered it, and
explained it in detail to others.
Thus far, the Buddha has asked no more of us than to keep in mind a single four-line gatha of this sutra and has said that such practice produces more merit than the performance of incredible acts of material charity. The Buddha now offers an equally stupendous example of mental charity. Still, this too turns out to be inferior to the merit produced by simply not maligning this teaching. Naturally, belief and understanding produce still more merit, and teaching others even more. But such is the power of this teaching, if someone hears it and does not prevent others from believing and practicing it, their merit is far greater than that of those who engage in self-sacrifice beyond the limits of comprehension.
Here, too, the Buddha adds likhitva (write it down) to the beginning of the list of merit-producing activities. Although writing existed in India well before the Buddha’s time, we have little information about the early recording of sutras in written form. Oral transmission of the Buddha’s teachings seems to have remained the preferred form of instruction among monastic communities until transmission among the laity became increasingly important in the centuries immediately before and after the beginning of the Christian Era. Also, while some commentators suggest that writing is placed first here because it produces less merit than reciting or explaining this sutra, others say it is placed first to emphasize its importance in the spread of Buddhism beyond monastery walls.
Seng-chao says, “Giving has limits. Belief has none. How much more so if people uphold and transmit what they believe.”
Emperor Wu of the Liang dynasty asked Bodhidharma, “I have built so many monasteries and copied so many sutras and supported so many monks, how great would you say is my merit?” Bodhidharma replied, “No merit.” (Chuantenglu: 3)
Sheng-yi says, “Before a noble son or daughter hears and upholds this sutra about prajna, they don’t understand that all dharmas are empty. They view the five skandhas as their body and as their life. But when they give away their body and life, the perception of a self that gives and the perception of a five-skandha life that is given remain. As long as the mind has a subject and an object, it is a deluded mind.”
Hui-neng says, “If people can hear this sutra and realize its truth, both self and other suddenly vanish, and they at once become buddhas. Renouncing the body has limited merit and cannot compare with the unlimited wisdom of upholding this sutra.”
Te-ch’ing says, “The Buddha’s meaning is that while prajna contains no words, words are prajna. This sutra spoken by the Buddha is prajna in its entirety. If someone can believe and accept it, they will become one with the wisdom of buddhas. And the Buddha, by means of his own wisdom, understood that the merit of such a person was limitless. This is the merit of becoming one with the buddha mind in the space of a single thought.”
Textual note: In place of pratikship (reject), all Chinese translators, except Kumarajiva, have (fei/hui-) pang (criticize). Neither Kumarajiva nor the Stein edition includes aprameyan-asankhyeyan (immeasurably, infinitely). Neither does Kumarajiva include vistara (in detail), while no Chinese edition includes dharaya (memorize).
“Furthermore, Subhuti, inconceivable and incomparable
is this dharma teaching, this dharma teaching spoken by
the Tathagata, Subhuti, for the benefit of those beings
who set forth on the foremost of paths, for the benefit
of those beings who set forth on the best of paths.
The reason the merit from understanding and transmitting this teaching to others exceeds all other forms of charity is because it is devoid of any characteristics by means of which we might conceive of it and thus compare it to some other teaching. Naturally, such a teaching is difficult to believe and difficult to comprehend. Thus, the Buddha waited until the latter half of his ministry to reveal it to his disciples. And thus, Subhuti asked on behalf of those sons and daughters who hoped to embark on the bodhisattva path and not on behalf of followers of the shravaka path. For only those who have vowed to liberate others, without being attached to others, can hear it, much less comprehend it and put it into practice.
Seng-chao says, “Clearly the merit possessed by this teaching surpasses the realm of the mind. Hence, it cannot be conceived of by the mind. And it surpasses the realm of language. Hence, it cannot be discussed through words. The foremost of paths is the one that reaches everywhere. The best of paths is the one that surpasses all other paths.”
Hui-neng says, “On the best of paths there are no impure dharmas to avoid, nor are there any pure dharmas to seek. There are no beings to liberate, nor is there any nirvana to realize. There are no thoughts about liberating beings, nor are there thoughts about not liberating beings. This is the best of paths.”
T’ung-li says, “The Mahayana is both provisional and absolute. For example, the elementary teaching of the Mahayana is provisional, while the final, instantaneous, and perfect teachings are absolute. This sutra is not only provisional but also absolute. By setting forth on it, one enters the final, instantaneous path. Continuing on, one enters the perfect path. Thus is it called setting forth on the best of paths.”
Tao-ch’uan says, “It’s like cutting through a bundle of threads. One cut severs them all. My song goes: ‘One blow knocks down the wall of illusions / one kick topples the gate of mystery / north and south, east and west, walk where you want / stop looking for the merciful Kuan-tzu-tzai [Avalokiteshvara, the Bodhisattva of Compassion] / the Mahayana teaching, the best of teachings / each blow leaves a scar / each slap a bloody hand.’”
Textual note: In place of khalu-punar (furthermore), which is not present in the Stein edition, Kumarajiva and Bodhiruci have yi-yao-yen-chih (essentially speaking). After acintya (inconceivable) and atulya (incomparable), Kumarajiva, Bodhiruci, and Yi-ching have wu-pien-kung-te (and of limitless merit). In place of agrayana (foremost of paths), Kumarajiva and Yi-ching have ta-sheng (Mahayana). This entire section is missing in the Khotanese and considerably condensed and incomplete in the Stein edition.
For if someone grasps, memorizes, recites, and masters
this dharma teaching and explains it in detail to others,
the Tathagata will know them, Subhuti, by means of
his buddha knowledge. And the Tathagata will see them,
Subhuti, by means of his buddha vision. The Tathagata
will be aware of them, Subhuti, for all such beings
produce a body of merit that has no limits, a body of
merit that is inconceivable, incomparable, immeasurable,
and boundless.
Buddhists attribute a number of abhijnas, or supernatural powers, to arhans, bodhisattvas and buddhas. With their eyes and ears, for example, such spiritually advanced beings are able to see or hear anything and everything in the dimensions of form or sound. And with their minds, they are able to know the minds of others as well as their past and future rebirths. This knowledge of future rebirths is what the Buddha is referring to here. For just as a bodhisattva’s body of merit is also not limited by space or time, a buddha’s knowledge is not limited by space or time. Thus, the future buddhahood of those who grasp and explain this teaching to others is evident to buddhas, just as Shakyamuni’s future buddhahood was evident to Dipankara.
Cold Mountain says, “They say when Shakyamuni / first heard Dipankara’s prophecy / Dipankara and Shakyamuni / spoke only of past and future sages / past and future bodies didn’t matter / how they differed didn’t differ / for each and every buddha / the mind is a tathagata’s realm.” (The Collected Songs of Cold Mountain : 237)
Textual note: At the beginning of this section, Paramartha has yu-wei-lai-shih (in a future age). As in the previous section, no Chinese edition includes dharyaya (memorize). Paramartha has chiao-t’a-hsiu-hsing (teaches others to practice) in place of paryavapta (masters). The Stein ed
ition does not include parebhyas ca vistarena sanprakashayishyanti (and explains in detail to others). Neither Kumarajiva, Bodhiruci, Paramartha, Yi-ching, nor the Stein edition includes buddha-jnanena (by means of his buddha knowledge) or buddha-cakshusha (by means of his buddha vision). Neither Kumarajiva, Bodhiruci, Paramartha, Dharmagupta, nor Müller includes buddhas-te-tathagatena (the Tathagata will be aware of them).
For all such beings as these, Subhuti, likewise wear
enlightenment upon their shoulders.
The word skandha, as in the compound punya-skandha (body of merit), refers to the body from the shoulders down. Thus by means of their inconceivable, incomparable, immeasurable, boundless bodies of merit, bodhisattvas join the lineage of buddhas and wear the same robe of enlightenment on their shoulders, while those whose bodies of merit remain in the realms of Desire or Form do not.