by Red Pine
92 One kind for ordinary people, one kind for shravakas and pratyeka-buddhas, and one kind for bodhisattvas.
93 Brahma was regarded as the supreme being and creator of the universe by Brahmans, and his heavens (as many as eighteen according to some accounts) make up what Buddhists call the realm of form.
94 Every translation handles this clause differently. As elsewhere, I’ve followed Gunabhadra, who has a buddha’s dharma body in mind.
95 Section LXXXIX. Mahamati poses a final series of questions concerning the nature of buddhas and buddhahood. Much like those concerning the metaphor of the sand of the Ganges, the Buddha’s answers are meant to reveal the deeper meaning concerning what on the surface appear to be contradictions.
96 This sentence follows from the previous one and asks how is it that those who seek nirvana (arhats) are assured of buddhahood. I have followed Shikshananda in this case, as the wording is unclear in Gunabhadra, while Bodhiruchi has buddhas not entering nirvana rather than arhats not entering nirvana. Suzuki has something quite different: “How can all beings attain Tathagatahood without realizing the truths of Parinirvana?”
97 Vajrapani is the name of one of the three protective deities of every buddha. As his name indicates, he is usually depicted wielding a vajra, or thunderbolt.
98 Bodhiruchi, Shikshananda, and the Sanskrit all have variations of “why say the ultimate beginning is not knowable yet speak of entering nirvana.” In what follows, the Buddha says the ultimate beginning cannot be known because the past and future are illusions and because it is merely another fabrication.
99 This refers to the attempt by Mara and his demonic host to distract Shakyamuni prior to his attainment of Enlightenment.
100 Cinca Manavika accused the Buddha of being the father of her unborn child, which turned out to be nothing but rags tied around her stomach. Sundari also made false accusations against the Buddha. Some texts say for sexual impropriety, others say that she killed her own daughter, buried the body where the Buddha was staying, and accused the Buddha of the murder.
101 This refers to an occasion when the residents of a village where the Buddha was begging refused to give him any food.
102 The term “dharmata buddha,” as the Buddha says later in this section, refers to a “real buddha,” or what would eventually be called a buddha’s “dharma body.”
103 The seventh consciousness is self-consciousness.
104 It is only the habit-energy of repository consciousness that ceases, not the eighth consciousness itself, which, once purified, is referred to as the tathagatagarbha, the womb of buddhas, and thus the source of buddha knowledge.
105 The Sanskrit for this expression is purva-dharma-sthitita.
106 As it did earlier in this chapter, these refer to the five states of affliction: wrong views, attachments to desire, attachments to form, attachments to formlessness, and fundamental ignorance.
107 There are different lists for the two afflictions (kleshas). Most likely meant are afflictions arising from projection and those inherent in the eight forms of consciousness.
108 Demons cannot disturb, nor Vajrapani protect, those who understand what is real.
109 They necessarily limit their explanations of the Dharma to things people can see, using them as metaphors for what they cannot see. But they do not speak of their own understanding because they are apparitions and have no experience or realization of their own.
110 Bodhiruchi, Shikshananda, and the Sanskrit have “six forms of consciousness.” Obviously, there developed a difference of opinion as to whether or not the will, or self-consciousness, ceases along with conceptual and sensory consciousness at death. In the Lankavatara, the Buddha says only the repository consciousness continues into the next life. Hence, Gunabhadra’s version alone is consistent with the text.
111 The Sanskrit has samdhya-bhashya (twilight teaching), which is a mistake for samdha-bhasya (esoteric teaching). Gunabhadra and Bodhiruchi have yin-fu (covered), while Shikshananda has mi-yi (secret). The meaning of this is a subject of much debate. Which is the real teaching? Judging from what the Buddha says in the following verses as well as elsewhere in this sutra, he is concerned that if he presented his “real” teaching to such people, it would either be misunderstood or it would terrify them. Hence, he keeps it covered up and presents something more attractive. Then again, at the end of Section LXXXVI, he asks why people don’t understand the “deeper meaning” of his words.
112 The four states of affliction include views and attachments in the realms of desire, form, and formlessness. They are referred to as the five states when they include fundamental ignorance.
113 Section XC. This section on cultivating a vegetarian diet follows from the foregoing and is not a haphazard addition. It is important to know how to live in this world of illusions. And the practice of avoiding the eating of meat became part of the bodhisattva path advocated by Mahayana Buddhism. Thus, some commentators also view this section as a critique of the practices of Hinayana Buddhists, namely, the shravakas and pratyeka-buddhas, who excused their eating of meat by claiming it was not proscribed by the precepts. Bodhiruchi’s translation of the prose part of this section is seven times as long, while Shikshananda’s is three times as long, suggesting that this issue was of more than passing concern.
114 Wine and onions are not mentioned again in the prose section. I imagine this is because they were already listed among the things prohibited by the precepts that lay and monastic Buddhists agreed to abide by. Eating meat, however, was not prohibited—although killing was. The reason for the proscription regarding onions and their kin was that they were considered aphrodisiacs. To this first verse, Gunabhadra adds two lines: “May the Peerless One / pity us with an explanation.” I’ve followed Bodhiruchi and Shikshananda, neither of whom includes this.
115 Most likely referring to the unburied corpses of the poor.
116 You never know when you’re eating a human.
117 Chandalas were members of a despised caste associated with the disposal of corpses. Dombas were also outcastes and associated with the cremation of corpses.
118 The Buddha encouraged such associations so that his followers would eat and drink as little as possible.
119 This story appears in a number of variants in early Indian texts. Saudasa was the son of Sudasa and a lioness. Hence, he was called Simha, “the Lion.”
120 It was the contention of some shravakas that as long as they didn’t request, seek, or think about meat, they could eat it.
121 Shikshananda’s translation of the poems agrees with that of Gunabhadra, while that of Bodhiruchi sometimes does but often does not. The Sanskrit includes a number of verses that are not present in any of the Chinese versions.
122 The proscription in this case concerns the use of sesame oil as an insecticide.
123 Not only is self-mortification counterproductive to enlightenment, killing insects in the process cancels any merit gained from such a practice.
124 This is one of the eight hot hells. The Sanskrit is raurava, meaning to “lament” or “scream.”
125 This terminology, which also appears in the penultimate paragraph of the prose section, refers to the series of excuses some shravakas used for eating meat.
126 Chandalas were one of many despised castes in India. Among their professions was the disposal of corpses. Dombas were another despised caste whose professions included the cremation of corpses.
127 The appearance of rakshasas here is ironic, considering they were the inhabitants of Lanka. Gunabhadra spreads this out over six lines.
128 The Angulimaliya Sutra was translated into Chinese by Gunabhadra, the translator of this sutra, around A.D. 440. Not to be confused with the Angulimala Sutta of the Pali Canon, the focus of this Mahayana text is on the tathagatagarbha, or true self.
129 The wording here refers to the practice of reporting violations of the precepts as to what one has seen, heard, or suspected regarding others and oneself.
The Buddha’s point is that such people are attached to their projection of their newfound purity.
LANKAVATARA MANTRA130
The Buddha then told Mahamati, “Mahamati, in order to protect this sutra, buddhas of the past, the future, and the present proclaim the Lankavatara Mantra. You should memorize what I, too, proclaim. The mantra goes:
Tutte tutte vutte vutte patte patte katte katte amale amale vimale vimale nime nime hime hime vame vame kale kale kale kale atte matte vatte tutte jnette sputte katte katte latte patte dime dime cale cale pace pace bandhe bandhe ance mance dutare dutare patare patare arkke arkke sarkke sarkke cakre cakre dime dime hime hime tu tu tu tu du du du du ru ru ru ru phu phu phu phu svaha.
“Mahamati, if a good son or daughter memorizes and recites and explains this dharani to others, no human or non-human or evil spirit will trouble them. And should misfortune occur, if someone recites this mantra for them 108 times, the offending spirit will leave at once.
“Mahamati, I will teach you another mantra:
Padme padmadeve hine hini hine cu cule culu cule phale phula phule yule ghule yula yule ghule ghula ghule pale pala pale munce munce munce cchinde bhinde bhanje marde pramarde dinakare svaha.
“Mahamati, if a good son or daughter memorizes and recites and explains this dharani to others, no deva or naga or yaksha or human or non-human or evil spirit will trouble them. I also teach this mantra to keep rakshasas away.
“Whoever memorizes these mantras, memorizes every word of the Lankavatara Sutra.”
This marks the end of the Lankavatara Sutra.
130 This mantra, or dharani, is not present in Gunabhadra’s text. I’ve based my rendering on Shikshananda’s Chinese transcription and the Sanskrit.
GLOSSARY
The following is a list of titles, names, and terms that appear in the preface, in the sutra, or in the notes. All Sanskrit terms are romanized, but without their usual diacritical marks. For the romanization of Chinese, I have used the traditional Wade-Giles system and added the modern Pinyin spelling after the slash. For the most part, the Chinese characters reflect the usages that appear in Gunabhadra’s translation.
abhidharma . Sanskrit for “higher dharmas” or “study of dharmas,” this refers to the matrices of dharmas used by various sects of Buddhism for the study of the mind. It is like a periodic table of the mind.
adhishthana . This refers to powers used by tathagatas to support the spiritual practice of others.
aids to enlightenment . The Sanskrit is bodhi-angani. There are seven: perception of what is true, perception of what is false, zeal, joy, transcendence, remembrance and renunciation.
Akanishtha Heaven . The highest heaven in the realm of form and where enlightenment takes place.
alaya-vijnana . See repository consciousness.
anagamin . The third of the four fruits of the Hinayana path. This refers to shravaka practitioners who are not reborn in the realm of desire (as humans, for example) but among the gods in the highest heaven of the realm of form.
Ananda (b. 432 B.C.) . Shakyamuni Buddha’s cousin and the monk whose unfailing memory formed the basis of the sutras that comprise the Buddhist Canon.
Angulimaliya Sutra .A Mahayana text that focuses on the tathagata-garbha. It was translated into Chinese by Gunabhadra.
apsaras . Celestial females known for their beauty and grace and also for their skill as dancers.
arhat . The fourth of the four fruits of the Hinayana path. This refers to those shravakas who are free from rebirth and who attain nirvana at the end of this life.
Aryadeva (fl. A.D. 200-250) . Born on the island of Lanka, he became the most prominent disciple of Nagarjuna and an expositor of Madhyamaka teachings.
Ashoka (304–232 B.C.) . The ruler who united most of India during his reign. Following his conversion to Buddhism, he was responsible for sending missionaries to such places as the island of Lanka and for otherwise spreading the religion throughout the sub-continent.
ashraya-paravrtti . The overturning or transformation of one’s foundation, which occurs as a result of the freedom from projections that accompanies the eighth stage of the bodhisattva path.
assurances . These are given to bodhisattvas who have reached that stage from which they will no longer retreat and who are destined to become buddhas.
asuras . Gods who have been expelled from the heavens atop Mount Sumeru who now make war on the other gods. They constitute one of the six possible realms into which one can be reborn.
Avici . Sanskrit for “uninterrupted” or “unrelenting.”This is the name of the hell in which there is no respite from suffering. It is also the hottest of all hells.
ayatanas . These include the five powers of sensation and the five domains of sensation along with the sixth power of the mind and its corresponding domain of thought.
bhagavan . This is one of every buddha’s ten titles. It means “one who bestows prosperity.”
bhumi . Sanskrit for “stage,” as in the stages of a path.
bhutakoti . This Sanskrit term means “limit of reality” or “boundary of reality.” In the Lanka, it refers to transcending the dialectic of samsara and nirvana. I have usually translated it as ‘ultimate reality.”
Bodhiruchi . Indian monk who translated the Lankavatara in 513.
bodhisattva . Those who follow the path to enlightenment and who vow to liberate all beings. The paragon of Mahayana Buddhism, as opposed to the shravakas and pratyeka-buddhas of Hinayana Buddhism, with their focus on their own nirvana.
bodhisattva path . Initially conceived as a seven-stage path that indicated the sequence of attainments realized by those who followed Buddhist teachings. As the Mahayana developed, three additional stages were added, and it is these that are the focus of the Lankavatara.
Brahma . The creator of the universe whose heavens make up the lower part of the realm of form.
Brahman . Member of the priestly class in ancient India.
buddha knowledge . The Sanskrit is arya-jnana, where arya refers to “the noble ones” and jnana means “knowledge.”What buddhas know.
Buddhist Canon . The Sanskrit is tripitaka. The Mahayana version is usually described as having twelve divisions. The nine-division classification mentioned in the Lanka includes sermons of the Buddha (sutras), metrical pieces (geyas), prophecies (vyakaranas), poems (gathas), impromptu statements (udanas), narratives (ityuktas), stories of the Buddha’s previous lives (jatakas), expanded sutras (vaipulyas), and miracles (adbhuta-dharmas). It excludes causal conditions (nidanas), parables (avadanas), and treatises (upadeshas) of the twelve-division version.
cakravartin . Sanskrit for “wheel-turning-king.” This refers to those whose accumulated merit results in a birth in which they have the option of becoming a buddha or ruling the world.
cessation of sensation and perception . The Sanskrit is samjna-vedita-nirodha-samapatti. This meditation is carried out in the realm of form as well as in the formless realm and is considered the highest or most sublime of the nine levels of meditative states cultivated in these two realms.
Chienkang/Jiankang . Old name for the city of Nanching/Nanjing.
Chihuan/Qihuan Monastery . Monastery near Nanching where Gunabhadra translated the Lankavatara in 443.
Ching-chueh/jingjue (683–750) . Author of Leng-ch’ieh-shih-tzu-chi, which lists the early patriarchs of Zen beginning with Gunabhadra up to and including his own teacher, Shen-hsiu.
Chos-grub (fl 840) . Tibetan monk who lived in Tunhuang and other oases in the Kansu Corridor and who translated Gunabhadra’s Chinese translation of the Lankavatara into Tibetan.
Chuang-tzu/Zhuangzi (369–286 B.C.) . Author of the Taoist allegorical text that bears his name.
citta . This term refers to the mind in general, but in the Lanka it often refers to the eighth, or repository, consciousness.
Cold Mountain (fl. 780) . Anonymous hermit-poet who lived near the Tientai Mountains of Chekiang province.
delight in whatever
is present . The Sanskrit is drishta-dharma-sukha.
delusion . The Sanskrit is bhranti. This refers to the misperception of reality. It is one of the three poisons, the other two being desire and anger.
dependent origination . The Sanskrit is pratitya-samutpada. The understanding that one thing is dependent upon another and therefore does not exist by itself forms the basis of the teaching that all dharmas are therefore empty of self-existence. It was the understanding of the chain of dependent origination (ignorance, memory, consciousness and so on up to grasping, existence, birth, old age and death) that led to Shakyamuni’s Enlightenment.
dependent reality . The Sanskrit is paratantra-svabhava. Reality as a matrix of interdependence, where nothing exists by itself and where there are therefore no things in themselves. Dependent reality is also referred to as pratitya-samutpada, or dependent origination. In the snake-rope analogy, dependent reality is the rope. While it forms the basis for misperception, it is also a misperception, as it is an arbitrary designation without self-existence.