“Moreover, Kauśika, bodhisattva great beings who have newly set out in the vehicle should gather together, compress into one, and take the measure794 of those merits accrued by the immeasurable, countless tathāgatas, arhats, perfectly complete buddhas who are presently residing and maintaining themselves, and teaching the Dharma, along with their communities of śrāvakas, in the countless, immeasurable world systems in each of the eastern direction, southern direction, western direction, northern direction, intermediate northeastern direction, intermediate southeastern direction, intermediate southwestern direction, intermediate northwestern direction, and in the directions below and above—those lord buddhas who have cut off the modes of thought construction, whose use of words is unimpeded, whose burden has been relinquished, who have trodden down the thorns of the town, who have completely severed the fetters binding them to the rebirth process, and whose minds are thoroughly liberated by perfect understanding—and of those roots of virtue, as many as there are, generated in relation to them by those in great and lofty royal families, or those in great and lofty priestly families, or those in great and lofty householder families, or by the gods of the Cāturmahārājika realm, or the gods of the Trayastriṃśa realm, or the gods of the Yāma realm, or the gods of the Tuṣita realm, or the gods of the Nirmāṇarati realm, or the gods of the Paranirmitavaśavartin realm, or the gods of the Brahmakāyika realm, or the gods of the Brahmapurohita realm, or the gods of the Brahmapārṣadya realm, or the gods of the Mahābrahmā realm, or the gods of the Ābha realm, or the gods of the Parīttābha realm, or the gods of the Apramāṇābha realm, or the gods of the Ābhāsvara realm, or the gods of the Śubha realm, or the gods of the Parīttaśubha realm, or the gods of the Apramāṇaśubha realm, or the gods of the Śubhakṛtsna realm, or the gods of the Vṛha realm, or the gods of the Parīttavṛha realm, or the gods of the Apramāṇavṛha realm, or the gods of the Vṛhatphala realm, or the gods of the Avṛha realm, or the gods of the Atapa realm, or the gods of the Sudṛśa realm, or the gods of the Sudarśana realm, or the gods of the Akaniṣṭha realm—or by anyone, whoever they are—and, having done so, should rejoice in them with the rejoicing that is excellent, foremost, best, supreme, perfect, greatest, unsurpassed, unexcelled, unequaled, and equal to the unequaled. And having rejoiced, making common cause with all beings, they should dedicate those to unsurpassed, perfect, complete enlightenment.”
Then the bodhisattva great being Maitreya asked the venerable Subhūti, “If bodhisattva great beings who have newly set out in the vehicle focus their thoughts, as is their habit,795 on all those roots of virtue of the lord buddhas and the communities of śrāvakas of the lord buddhas, and rejoice in them with the rejoicing that is excellent, foremost, best, supreme, perfect, greatest, unsurpassed, unexcelled, unequaled, and equal to the unequaled, how will those bodhisattva great beings not have a mistaken perception, how will they not have a mistaken thought, and how will they not have a mistaken view?”
“Maitreya,” replied Subhūti, “if those bodhisattva great beings focus their thoughts, as is their habit, on those lord buddhas and their communities of śrāvakas, and do not have a perception of a buddha, do not have a perception of a śrāvaka, do not have a perception of a root of virtue, and do not have a perception of a mind, even of that mind that makes the dedication, then the bodhisattva great beings who make the dedication in that manner will not have a mistaken perception, will not have a mistaken thought, and will not have a mistaken view. If those bodhisattva great beings take hold of a mental image and focus their thoughts, as is their habit, on those lord buddhas and their communities of śrāvakas and those roots of virtue, and, having taken hold of a mental image, dedicate them to unsurpassed, perfect, complete enlightenment, that would be the mistaken perception, the mistaken thought, and the mistaken view of bodhisattva great beings.
“If those bodhisattva great beings know, ‘The mind, when we focus our thoughts, as is our habit, on those lord buddhas and their communities of śrāvakas and those roots of virtue, is extinct just as those are extinct,’ and if they make the dedication thinking, ‘That which is extinct cannot dedicate. This is the reality of the mind—that very mind by which the dedication is made—and this is the reality of that phenomenon [enlightenment], the phenomenon to which the dedication is made,’ they make the dedication perfectly and it will not be erroneous. So that is the way bodhisattva great beings should dedicate the roots of virtue.
“There are bodhisattva great beings who gather together, compress into one, and take the measure of the roots of virtue, as many as there are, of the lord buddhas of the past, future, and present, from the time they first set their mind on enlightenment to as long as their Dharma remains; and the roots of virtue, as many as there are, of the śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas; and the roots of virtue, as many as there are, generated by many ordinary persons in relation to them; and the teachings of the Dharma that have been heard, as much as there are; and, in relation to that, the roots of virtue, as many as there are, generated by gods, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kinnaras, and mahoragas; and the roots of virtue, as many as there are, generated by those in great and lofty royal families, or those in great and lofty priestly families, or those in great and lofty householder families, or by the gods of the Cāturmahārājika realm, or the gods of the Trayastriṃśa realm, or the gods of the Yāma realm, or the gods of the Tuṣita realm, or the gods of the Nirmāṇarati realm, or the gods of the Paranirmitavaśavartin realm, or the gods of the Brahmakāyika realm, or the gods of the Brahmapurohita realm, or the gods of the Brahmapārṣadya realm, or the gods of the Mahābrahmā realm, or the gods of the Ābha realm, or the gods of the Parīttābha realm, or the gods of the Apramāṇābha realm, or the gods of the Ābhāsvara realm, or the gods of the Śubha realm, or the gods of the Parīttaśubha realm, or the gods of the Apramāṇaśubha realm, or the gods of the Śubhakṛtsna realm, or the gods of the Vṛha realm, or the gods of the Parīttavṛha realm, or the gods of the Apramāṇavṛha realm, or the gods of the Vṛhatphala realm, or the gods of the Avṛha realm, or the gods of the Atapa realm, or the gods of the Sudṛśa realm, or the gods of the Sudarśana realm, or the gods of the Akaniṣṭha realm; and the good Dharma that they have heard, as much as there is. If, having done so, they were to rejoice with the rejoicing that is excellent, foremost, best, supreme, perfect, greatest, unsurpassed, unexcelled, unequaled, and equal to the unequaled, and dedicate all of that to unsurpassed, perfect, complete enlightenment, and if they were to make this dedication knowing, ‘Those phenomena are extinct, have ceased, are nonexistent, and are transformed, and that mind where the dedication is made is also empty of essential nature,’ then they will have made a dedication to unsurpassed, perfect, complete enlightenment.
“ ‘Phenomena do not dedicate phenomena. If you ask why, it is because all phenomena are empty of an essential nature.’ If they know this and if they make the dedication accordingly, they will have made a dedication to unsurpassed, perfect, complete enlightenment. So it is that when bodhisattva great beings practice the perfection of wisdom, practice the perfection of meditative concentration, practice the perfection of perseverance, practice the perfection of tolerance, practice the perfection of ethical discipline, and practice the perfection of generosity, they will not have a mistaken perception, they will not have a mistaken thought, and they will not have a mistaken view. If you ask why, it is because these bodhisattva great beings are not attached to the dedication, are not attached to those roots of virtue, do not observe even enlightenment, and do not observe the mind set on enlightenment to which they could be attached. This is the unsurpassed dedication of bodhisattva great beings.
“If bodhisattva great beings know that their accumulation of the basis of meritorious action is devoid of the aggregates, sensory elements, and sense fields; if they know that it is devoid of the perfection of wisdom, know that it is devoid of the perfection of meditative concentration, know that it is devoid of the perfection of perseverance, know that it is devoid of the perfection of tolerance, know that it is devoid of the perfection of ethical discipline, and know that it is devoid of the perfection of generosity; know that it is devoid of the emptiness of internal phenomena, know that it is devoid of the emptiness of external phenomena, know that it is devoid of the emptiness of external and internal phenomena, know that it is devoid of the emptiness of emptiness, know that it is devoid of the emptiness of great extent, know that it is devoid of the emptiness of ultimate reality, know that it is devoid of the emptiness of conditioned phenomena, know that it is devoid of the emptiness of unconditioned phenomena, know that it is devoid of the emptiness of the unlimited, know that it is devoid of the emptiness of that which has neither beginning nor end, know that it is devoid of the emptiness of nonexclusion, know that it is devoid of the emptiness of inherent nature, know that it is devoid of the emptiness of all phenomena, know that it is devoid of the emptiness of intrinsic defining characteristics, know that it is devoid of the emptiness of that which cannot be apprehended, know that it is devoid of the emptiness of nonentities, know that it is devoid of the emptiness of essential nature, and know that it is devoid of the emptiness of an essential nature of nonentities; know that it is devoid of the applications of mindfulness, know that it is devoid of the correct exertions, know that it is devoid of the supports for miraculous ability, know that it is devoid of the faculties, know that it is devoid of the powers, know that it is devoid of the branches of enlightenment, and know that it is devoid of the noble eightfold path; and know that it is devoid of the truths of the noble ones, know that it is devoid of the meditative concentrations, know that it is devoid of the immeasurable attitudes, know that it is devoid of the formless absorptions, know that it is devoid of the eight liberations, know that it is devoid of the nine serial steps of meditative absorption, know that it is devoid of the emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness gateways to liberation, know that it is devoid of the extrasensory powers, know that it is devoid of the meditative stabilities, know that it is devoid of the dhāraṇī gateways, know that it is devoid of the ten powers of the tathāgatas, know that it is devoid of the four fearlessnesses, know that it is devoid of the four kinds of exact knowledge, know that it is devoid of great loving kindness, know that it is devoid of great compassion, and know that it is devoid of the eighteen distinct qualities of the buddhas, in that way, Subhūti, the accumulation of the basis of meritorious action is dedicated by bodhisattva great beings to unsurpassed, perfect, complete enlightenment.
“If bodhisattva great beings know that that accumulation of the basis of meritorious action associated with rejoicing is devoid of the essential nature of an accumulation of the basis of meritorious action associated with rejoicing, and if they know that those buddhas are devoid of the essential nature of a buddha, those roots of virtue are devoid of the essential nature of a root of virtue, those accumulations are devoid of the essential nature of an accumulation, that mind of enlightenment is devoid of the essential nature of a mind set on enlightenment, that dedication is devoid of the essential nature of a dedication, and that enlightenment is devoid of the essential nature of an enlightenment; the perfection of wisdom is devoid of the essential nature of a perfection of wisdom; that the perfection of meditative concentration is devoid of the essential nature of a perfection of meditative concentration, the perfection of perseverance is devoid of an essential nature of a perfection of perseverance, the perfection of tolerance is devoid of the essential nature of a perfection of tolerance, the perfection of ethical discipline is devoid of the essential nature of a perfection of ethical discipline, and the perfection of generosity is devoid of the essential nature of a perfection of generosity; that the emptiness of internal phenomena is devoid of an emptiness of internal phenomena, the emptiness of external phenomena is devoid of the essential nature of an emptiness of external phenomena, the emptiness of external and internal phenomena is devoid of the essential nature of an emptiness of external and internal phenomena, the emptiness of emptiness is devoid of the essential nature of an emptiness of emptiness, the emptiness of great extent is devoid of the essential nature of an emptiness of great extent, the emptiness of ultimate reality is devoid of the essential nature of an emptiness of ultimate reality, the emptiness of conditioned phenomena is devoid of the essential nature of an emptiness of conditioned phenomena, the emptiness of unconditioned phenomena is devoid of the essential nature of an emptiness of unconditioned phenomena, the emptiness of the unlimited is devoid of the essential nature of an emptiness of the unlimited, the emptiness of that which has neither beginning nor end is devoid of the essential nature of an emptiness of that which has neither beginning nor end, the emptiness of nonexclusion is devoid of the essential nature of an emptiness of nonexclusion, the emptiness of inherent nature is devoid of the essential nature of an emptiness of inherent nature, the emptiness of all phenomena is devoid of the essential nature of an emptiness of all phenomena, the emptiness of intrinsic defining characteristics is devoid of the essential nature of an emptiness of intrinsic defining characteristics, the emptiness of that which cannot be apprehended is devoid of the essential nature of an emptiness of that which cannot be apprehended, the emptiness of nonentities is devoid of the essential nature of an emptiness of nonentities, the emptiness of essential nature is devoid of the essential nature of an emptiness of essential nature, and the emptiness of an essential nature of nonentities is devoid of the emptiness of an essential nature of nonentities; that the applications of mindfulness are devoid of the essential nature of an application of mindfulness, the correct exertions are devoid of the essential nature of a correct exertion, the supports for miraculous ability are devoid of the essential nature of a support for miraculous ability, the faculties are devoid of the essential nature of a faculty, the powers are devoid of the essential nature of a power, the branches of enlightenment are devoid of the essential nature of a branch of enlightenment, and the noble eightfold path is devoid of a noble eightfold path; that the truths of the noble ones are devoid of a truth of the noble ones, the meditative concentrations are devoid of the essential nature of a meditative concentration, the immeasurable attitudes are devoid of the essential nature of an immeasurable attitude, the formless absorptions are devoid of the essential nature of a formless absorption, the eight liberations are devoid of the essential nature of a liberation, the nine serial steps of meditative absorption are devoid of the essential nature of a serial step of meditative absorption, the emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness gateways to liberation are devoid of the essential nature of an emptiness, signlessness, or wishlessness gateway to liberation, the extrasensory powers are devoid of the essential nature of an extrasensory power, the meditative stabilities are devoid of the essential nature of a meditative stability, and the dhāraṇī gateways are devoid of the essential nature of a dhāraṇī gateway; and that the ten powers of the tathāgatas are devoid of the essential nature of a power of the tathāgatas, the four fearlessnesses are devoid of the essential nature of a fearlessness, the four kinds of exact knowledge are devoid of the essential nature of a kind of exact knowledge, great compassion is devoid of a great compassion, and the eighteen distinct qualities of the buddhas are devoid of a distinct quality of the buddhas, then those bodhisattva great beings should practice the perfection of wisdom that is void accordingly, because this is the perfection of wisdom of bodhisattva great beings.
“Moreover, when bodhisattva great beings dedicate the roots of virtue of those lord buddhas and their communities of śrāvakas who have passed into final nirvāṇa, they should make the dedication like this: Just as those lord buddhas have passed into final nirvāṇa, these roots of virtue, too, have passed into final nirvāṇa. Just like those roots of virtue, as they really are, this dedication too has passed into final nirvāṇa. And that mind that is the mind by which the dedication is made is of a similar type, which is to say, has that as its essential nature. When they understand like that, the dedication has been made to unsurpassed, perfect, complete enlightenment, and when the dedication has been made in that manner, they will not have a mistaken perception, they will not have a mistaken thought, and they will not have a mistaken view.
“When bodhisattva great beings practice the perfection of wisdom, if they perceive those roots of virtue of those lord buddhas by way of a mental image, they do not make a dedication to unsurpassed, perfect, complete enlightenment. ‘All the lord buddhas of the past, as many as there are, are not mental images—they are not within the scope of mental images.’796 Even if they focus their thoughts, as they habitually do, like that, they still make them into mental images and do not dedicate those roots of virtue to unsurpassed, perfect, complete enlightenment. In that way they will have a mistaken perception, they will have a mistaken thought, and they will have a mistaken view.
“If bodhisattva great beings do not perceive those lord buddhas, those roots of virtue, those accumulations, and those settings of the mind on enlightenment, and do not make them into mental images, they dedicate those roots of virtue to unsurpassed, perfect, complete enlightenment. In that way they will not have a mistaken perception, they will not have a mistaken thought, and they will not have a mistaken view.”
“Venerable monk Subhūti,” asked Maitreya, “how do bodhisattva great beings not make a mental image of those roots of virtue and dedicate them to unsurpassed, perfect, complete enlightenment?”
“Bodhisattva great beings should train in those skillful means in this perfection of wisdom,” replied Subhūti. “They should know about the skillful means of bodhisattva great beings from the perfection of wisdom. Without relying on the perfection of wisdom, it is not possible to dedicate the basis of meritorious action.”
Maitreya then said, “Should one think, ‘Would there not be the fault that in the perfection of wisdom those lord buddhas do not exist and are not apprehended, those roots of virtue do not exist and are not apprehended, those accumulations do not exist and are not apprehended, and those settings of the mind by which the dedication is made to unsurpassed, perfect, complete enlightenment do not exist and are not apprehended?’ in regard to that, when bodhisattva great beings practice the perfection of wisdom they should make an investigation as follows: ‘If those bodies of theirs797 have ceased, those roots of virtue have ceased, those accumulations have ceased, and those settings of the mind on enlightenment have ceased, how, having made them mental images, could there be any conception of those lord buddhas, those roots of virtue, those accumulations, and those settings of the mind on enlightenment?’
“The tathāgatas, arhats, perfectly complete buddhas do not rejoice in and praise dedication by way of mental images in that manner. If you ask why, it is because making a mental image of the lord buddhas who have passed into final nirvāṇa, and conceiving of them and apprehending them, is their major act of apprehending. So it is that bodhisattva great beings who wish to dedicate those roots of virtue should make the dedication without apprehending and without making mental images. The tathāgatas, arhats, perfectly complete buddhas do not say that a dedication of someone with the perception of an objective referent and with the perception of a mental image is of great value. If you ask why, it is because that dedication would be poisonous and painful.
“To illustrate, it would be just like perfect798 food of excellent color and excellent aroma, mixed with poison—even though the color, aroma, and taste may well be pleasant, it nonetheless would end up being poisonous. Persons of a childish disposition or disposed to intellectual confusion think it is edible, but if they do indeed eat it, even though they experience the color, aroma, and good taste, it transforms799 into suffering and the ripening of suffering.
“Similarly, here some with wrong awareness, wrong cognition, and wrong training, who do not realize and do not understand the meaning, will teach as follows: ‘Come here, child of a good family. You should gather together, compress into one, and take the measure of all those roots of virtue, as many as there are, that the lord buddhas of the past, future, and present, from the time they first set their mind on enlightenment, up to fully awakening to unsurpassed, perfect, complete enlightenment, up to when they passed into final nirvāṇa in the expanse of nirvāṇa where there is no remainder of the aggregates, and up until the disappearance of the good Dharma have accumulated, are accumulating, and will accumulate from having practiced the perfection of wisdom; the roots of virtue, as many as there are, that they have accumulated, are accumulating, and will accumulate from having practiced the perfection of meditative concentration; the roots of virtue, as many as there are, that they have accumulated, are accumulating, and will accumulate from having practiced the perfection of perseverance; the roots of virtue, as many as there are, that they have accumulated, are accumulating, and will accumulate from having practiced the perfection of tolerance; the roots of virtue, as many as there are, that they have accumulated, are accumulating, and will accumulate from having practiced the perfection of ethical discipline; and the roots of virtue, as many as there are, that they have accumulated, are accumulating, and will accumulate from having practiced the perfection of generosity; the roots of virtue, as many as there are, that they have accumulated, are accumulating, and will accumulate from having cultivated the four meditative concentrations; the roots of virtue, as many as there are, that they have accumulated, are accumulating, and will accumulate from having cultivated the four immeasurable attitudes; the roots of virtue, as many as there are, that they have accumulated, are accumulating, and will accumulate from having cultivated the four formless absorptions; and the roots of virtue, as many as there are, that they have accumulated, are accumulating, and will accumulate from having cultivated the five extrasensory powers; the roots of virtue, as many as there are, that they have accumulated, are accumulating, and will accumulate from having cultivated the four applications of mindfulness; the roots of virtue, as many as there are, that they have accumulated, are accumulating, and will accumulate from having cultivated the four correct exertions; the roots of virtue, as many as there are, that they have accumulated, are accumulating, and will accumulate from having cultivated the four supports for miraculous ability; the roots of virtue, as many as there are, that they have accumulated, are accumulating, and will accumulate from having cultivated the five faculties; the roots of virtue, as many as there are, that they have accumulated, are accumulating, and will accumulate from having cultivated the five powers; the roots of virtue, as many as there are, that they have accumulated, are accumulating, and will accumulate from having cultivated the seven branches of enlightenment; and the roots of virtue, as many as there are, that they have accumulated, are accumulating, and will accumulate from having cultivated the noble eightfold path; the roots of virtue, as many as there are, that they have accumulated, are accumulating, and will accumulate from having cultivated the four truths of the noble ones; the roots of virtue, as many as there are, that they have accumulated, are accumulating, and will accumulate from having cultivated the eight liberations; the roots of virtue, as many as there are, that they have accumulated, are accumulating, and will accumulate from having cultivated the nine serial steps of meditative absorption; the roots of virtue, as many as there are, that they have accumulated, are accumulating, and will accumulate from having cultivated the emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness gateways to liberation; the roots of virtue, as many as there are, that they have accumulated, are accumulating, and will accumulate from having cultivated the meditative stabilities; the roots of virtue, as many as there are, that they have accumulated, are accumulating, and will accumulate from having cultivated the dhāraṇī gateways; the roots of virtue, as many as there are, that they have accumulated, are accumulating, and will accumulate from having cultivated the ten powers of the tathāgatas; the roots of virtue, as many as there are, that they have accumulated, are accumulating, and will accumulate from having cultivated the four fearlessnesses; the roots of virtue, as many as there are, that they have accumulated, are accumulating, and will accumulate from having cultivated the four kinds of exact knowledge; the roots of virtue, as many as there are, that they have accumulated, are accumulating, and will accumulate from having cultivated great compassion; and the roots of virtue, as many as there are, that they have accumulated, are accumulating, and will accumulate from having cultivated and the eighteen distinct qualities of the buddhas; the roots of virtue, as many as there are, that they accumulate, through which they have refined, are refining, and will refine many buddhafields and through which they have brought to maturity, are bringing to maturity, and will bring to maturity many beings; the lord buddhas’ aggregate of ethical discipline, aggregate of meditative stability, aggregate of wisdom, aggregate of liberation, aggregate of the knowledge and seeing of liberation, knowledge of an all-aspect omniscient one, state where the attributes do not decline, and abiding in perpetual equanimity; the uncontaminated roots of virtue of those śrāvakas; those roots of virtue on account of which one800 has rejoiced, is rejoicing, and will rejoice in them, and on account of which the pratyekabuddhas have been, are being, and will be prophesied by those lord buddhas; and the roots of virtue that have been generated, are being generated, and will be generated by gods, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kinnaras, and mahoragas, and you should dedicate these to unsurpassed, perfect, complete enlightenment.’
“When a dedication is made with a dedication by way of a mental image and an apprehended object in that manner, it becomes poisonous. It is like that poisonous food in the illustration. For those who have a perception of an apprehended object there is no dedication. And why? Because that apprehending is poisonous, has a causal sign, has causes, and has conditions. If they dedicate in such a manner, they will deprecate the tathāgatas, will not speak as the tathāgatas have spoken, and will also not speak in accord with the Dharma.”
“So how, then, should sons or daughters of good families in the vehicle of the bodhisattvas rejoice in and dedicate the roots of virtue of the lord buddhas of the past, future, and present? How, when they rejoice in all those roots of virtue, as many as there are, that the lord buddhas of the past, future, and present, from the time they first set their mind on enlightenment, up to fully awakening to unsurpassed, perfect, complete enlightenment, up to when they passed into final nirvāṇa in the expanse of nirvāṇa where there is no remainder of the aggregates, and up until the disappearance of the good Dharma have accumulated, are accumulating, and will accumulate from having practiced the perfection of wisdom; the roots of virtue, as many as there are, that they have accumulated, are accumulating, and will accumulate from having practiced the perfection of meditative concentration; the roots of virtue, as many as there are, that they have accumulated, are accumulating, and will accumulate from having practiced the perfection of perseverance; the roots of virtue, as many as there are, that they have accumulated, are accumulating, and will accumulate from having practiced the perfection of tolerance; the roots of virtue, as many as there are, that they have accumulated, are accumulating, and will accumulate from having practiced the perfection of ethical discipline; and the roots of virtue, as many as there are, that they have accumulated, are accumulating, and will accumulate from having practiced the perfection of generosity; the roots of virtue, as many as there are, that they have accumulated, are accumulating, and will accumulate from having cultivated the four meditative concentrations; the roots of virtue, as many as there are, that they have accumulated, are accumulating, and will accumulate from having cultivated the four immeasurable attitudes; the roots of virtue, as many as there are, that they have accumulated, are accumulating, and will accumulate from having cultivated the four formless absorptions; and the roots of virtue, as many as there are, that they have accumulated, are accumulating, and will accumulate from having cultivated the five extrasensory powers; the roots of virtue, as many as there are, that they have accumulated, are accumulating, and will accumulate from having cultivated the four applications of mindfulness; the roots of virtue, as many as there are, that they have accumulated, are accumulating, and will accumulate from having cultivated the four correct exertions; the roots of virtue, as many as there are, that they have accumulated, are accumulating, and will accumulate from having cultivated the four supports for miraculous ability; the roots of virtue, as many as there are, that they have accumulated, are accumulating, and will accumulate from having cultivated the five faculties; the roots of virtue, as many as there are, that they have accumulated, are accumulating, and will accumulate from having cultivated the five powers; the roots of virtue, as many as there are, that they have accumulated, are accumulating, and will accumulate from having cultivated the seven branches of enlightenment; and the roots of virtue, as many as there are, that they have accumulated, are accumulating, and will accumulate from having cultivated the noble eightfold path; the roots of virtue, as many as there are, that they have accumulated, are accumulating, and will accumulate from having cultivated the four truths of the noble ones; the roots of virtue, as many as there are, that they have accumulated, are accumulating, and will accumulate from having cultivated the eight liberations; the roots of virtue, as many as there are, that they have accumulated, are accumulating, and will accumulate from having cultivated the nine serial steps of meditative absorption; the roots of virtue, as many as there are, that they have accumulated, are accumulating, and will accumulate from having cultivated the emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness gateways to liberation; the roots of virtue, as many as there are, that they have accumulated, are accumulating, and will accumulate from having cultivated the meditative stabilities; the roots of virtue, as many as there are, that they have accumulated, are accumulating, and will accumulate from having cultivated the dhāraṇī gateways; the roots of virtue, as many as there are, that they have accumulated, are accumulating, and will accumulate from having cultivated the ten powers of the tathāgatas; the roots of virtue, as many as there are, that they have accumulated, are accumulating, and will accumulate from having cultivated the four fearlessnesses; the roots of virtue, as many as there are, that they have accumulated, are accumulating, and will accumulate from having cultivated the four kinds of exact knowledge; the roots of virtue, as many as there are, that they have accumulated, are accumulating, and will accumulate from having cultivated great compassion; and the roots of virtue, as many as there are, that they have accumulated, are accumulating, and will accumulate from having cultivated and the eighteen distinct qualities of the buddhas; the roots of virtue, as many as there are, that they accumulate, through which they have refined, are refining, and will refine many buddhafields and through which they have brought to maturity, are bringing to maturity, and will bring to maturity many beings; the lord buddhas’ aggregate of ethical discipline, aggregate of meditative stability, aggregate of wisdom, aggregate of liberation, aggregate of the knowledge and seeing of liberation, knowledge of an all-aspect omniscient one, state where the attributes do not decline, and abiding in perpetual equanimity; the uncontaminated roots of virtue of those śrāvakas; those roots of virtue on account of which one has rejoiced, is rejoicing, and will rejoice in them, and on account of which the pratyekabuddhas have been, are being, and will be prophesied by those lord buddhas; and the roots of virtue that have been generated, are being generated, and will be generated by gods, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kinnaras, and mahoragas, and when they dedicate them, should they not train, thinking that they will dedicate those roots of virtue to unsurpassed, perfect, complete enlightenment?”
“Maitreya,” said Subhūti, “here sons or daughters of good families in the vehicle of the bodhisattvas practicing the perfection of wisdom with the wish not to deprecate the tathāgatas should dedicate in the following manner: ‘I should rejoice in those roots of virtue just as those tathāgatas, arhats, perfectly complete buddhas comprehend, know, and understand, with the unsurpassed transcendental knowledge of the buddhas, their natural conditions,801 essential natures, and defining characteristics, on account of which reality of phenomena they exist. Just as those lord buddhas comprehend them, I will dedicate them to unsurpassed, perfect, complete enlightenment.’ It is in this manner that the sons or daughters of good families in the vehicle of the bodhisattvas should dedicate those roots of virtue to unsurpassed, perfect, complete enlightenment. If they dedicate in such a manner, they will not deprecate the tathāgatas, will speak as the tathāgatas have spoken, and will also speak in accord with the Dharma. Practicing in that manner, that dedication of bodhisattva great beings will not be poisonous and will be a perfect nectar of immortality.