Chapter 6: Rejoicing and Dedicating389
Then the bodhisattva great being Maitreya390 said to the elder, the venerable Subhūti, “Noble Subhūti, if one compares, on the one hand, the thing that is producing the merit391 associated with a bodhisattva great being’s dedication of rejoicing,392 and, on the other hand, on the part of all sentient beings, the thing that is producing the merit derived from generosity, the thing that is producing the merit derived from ethical discipline, and the thing that is producing the merit derived from cultivation, then the actual thing that is producing the merit associated with a bodhisattva great being’s dedication of rejoicing is called the foremost, the best, the most distinguished, the most eminent, the preeminent, the most prominent, the excellent, the unexcelled, the most excellent, the unequaled, and the equal to the unequaled.”393
At this, the venerable Subhūti said to the elder and bodhisattva great being Maitreya, “O Maitreya, a bodhisattva great being rejoices in all the worthy, perfectly and completely awakened tathāgatas—immeasurable among the immeasurable, innumerable among the innumerable, unlimited among the unlimited, inconceivable among the inconceivable, infinite and limitless among the infinite and limitless—who previously passed into the nirvāṇa dimension without any constituents remaining and have pervaded everywhere throughout each of the world’s ten directions in each of the immeasurable among the immeasurable, innumerable among the innumerable, unlimited among the unlimited, inconceivable among the inconceivable, infinite and limitless among the infinite and limitless billionfold, great order world systems.394 Those worthy, perfectly and completely awakened tathāgatas eradicated their worldly ruts. They cut off their circuitous pathways.395 They cut the leashes of dualistic proliferations and cyclic existence.396 They exhausted their tears. They crushed their thorns.397 They completely laid down their burdens. They reached their own goals. They cut their worldly ties. They liberated their mindsets by accurate understanding. They achieved complete control over all mindsets.
“The bodhisattva great being rejoices in everything from when those worthy, perfectly and completely awakened tathāgatas first gave rise to the proper mindset, up to the point where they realized unsurpassed, perfect awakening and then passed into the nirvāṇa dimension without any constituents remaining and without their genuine teachings disappearing, as follows.398
“That bodhisattva great being rejoices in those blessed buddhas’ masses of ethical discipline, masses of meditative concentration, masses of wisdom, masses of liberation, and masses of seeing the knowing of liberation.399
“That bodhisattva great being rejoices in their roots of virtue associated with the six transcendent states; their roots of virtue associated with the excellent qualities of a buddha; their roots of virtue associated with the transcendent state of the powers, the grounds for self-confidence, and so on;400 their roots of virtue associated with the transcendent state of extrasensory knowledge; their roots of virtue associated with the transcendent state of complete knowing; their roots of virtue associated with the transcendent state of aspiration; and their roots of virtue associated with the excellent knowing of someone who has complete knowing.
“That bodhisattva great being rejoices in their care for others’ welfare; their great benevolence; their great compassion; their immeasurable and innumerable buddha qualities; their unsurpassed, perfect awakening; their unsurpassed ease of perfect awakening; their transcendent state of sovereignty over all things; and their development of the supremely miraculous power that is illimitable, unsurpassed, and has surpassed everything.
“That bodhisattva great being rejoices in the tathāgatas’ power of knowing reality as-it-is, which is unobstructed, unattached, unimpeded, unequaled, equal to the unequaled, without analogy, and illimitable;401 the power of the buddhas’ knowing;402 the buddhas’ seeing with knowing of the powers, namely,403 the transcendent state of the ten powers, the realization overflowing with supreme ease, the four grounds for self-confidence, and so on; and the realization of the truth through actualizing the ultimate nature of all things.404
“That bodhisattva great being rejoices in the tathāgatas’ acts of setting in motion the wheel of the Dharma,405 presenting the torch of the Dharma,406 beating the drum of the Dharma,407 blowing the conch of the Dharma, sounding the conch of the Dharma,408 striking with the sword of the Dharma,409 showering with the rain of the Dharma,410 making a sacrificial offering of the Dharma,411 nourishing sentient beings with the gift of the Dharma, and fulfilling wishes with the gift of the Dharma.412
“That bodhisattva great being rejoices in the roots of virtue—within those Dharma teachings and among the qualities of a buddha, the qualities of a solitary realizer, or the qualities of a disciple—that belong to all those who have become tamed, trained, resolved, determined, and devoted to awakening.413 He or she rejoices in the roots of virtue of all those bodhisattva great beings who are foreordained for unsurpassed, perfect awakening by the blessed buddhas, and in all their roots of virtue associated with the six transcendent states. He or she rejoices in the roots of virtue of all those persons who belong to the path of a solitary realizer and are foreordained to be solitary realizers. He or she rejoices in the thing that is producing the merit derived from generosity, the thing that is producing the merit derived from ethical discipline, and the thing that is producing the merit derived from cultivation for those persons on the disciple path. He or she rejoices in both the roots of virtue free of worldly influences on the path of training and the roots of virtue free of worldly influences on the path of no more training, and rejoices in the roots of virtue planted with respect to the Dharma by ordinary people. He or she rejoices in the thing that is producing the merit derived from generosity, the thing that is producing the merit derived from ethical discipline, and the thing that is producing the merit derived from cultivation by all those blessed buddhas’ four assemblies, namely, the monks, nuns, male lay devotees, and female lay devotees.
“That bodhisattva great being rejoices in the roots of virtue planted by all beings, including gods, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kinnaras, mahoragas, humans, and spirits—and even animals—when the blessed buddhas were teaching the Dharma. He or she rejoices also in all those roots of virtue that sentient beings have planted when the blessed buddhas were passing into nirvāṇa, all those roots of virtue planted when the blessed buddhas had passed into nirvāṇa, and all those roots of virtue depending on the blessed buddhas, depending on the teachings, depending on the saṅgha, and depending on any persons worthy of mental cultivation.414
“Without leaving out any of these roots of virtue, that bodhisattva great being essentializes them, combines them into one, considers them,415 and completely rejoices in them with the foremost joyousness.416 He or she rejoices in them with a joyousness that is the best, the most distinguished, the most eminent, the preeminent, the most prominent, the excellent, the unexcelled, the most excellent, the unequaled, and the equal to the unequaled.417 After having rejoiced in that way, he or she then pronounces the words, ‘I dedicate to unsurpassed, perfect awakening the thing that is producing the merit associated with rejoicing. Let it bring forth unsurpassed, perfect awakening.’418
“Now, in all this, when a person on the bodhisattva path gives rise to that proper mindset and dedicates it based on such things, meditative objects, and meditative perspectives, would he or she even mentally perceive those things, meditative objects, and meditative perspectives in the way that makes them into signs?”419
In response, the venerable Subhūti said to the elder, the bodhisattva great being Maitreya, “If a bodhisattva great being were to turn a nonexistent thing into a meditative object and turn a nonexistent meditative object into a sign, then how could this not involve an error of conception, an error of mindset, or an error of view? As for how this would be so, it is just as, for example, desire mentally constructs and imagines a nonexistent thing and thereby gives rise to an error of conception, an error of mindset, and an error of view that sees permanence in the impermanent, happiness in the painful, self in what lacks a self, and purity in the impure. On the other hand, if the proper mindset and its awakening were just like such a thing, meditative object, and meditative perspective, then everything—all the elements—would be exactly the same.421 Furthermore, if the proper mindset and its awakening were all just like such a thing, meditative object, and meditative perspective, then what mindset would he or she dedicate to unsurpassed, perfect awakening based on what thing, what meditative object, and what meditative perspective? In addition, what thing that produces the merit associated with rejoicing would a bodhisattva great being dedicate to what unsurpassed, perfect awakening?”422
The bodhisattva great being Maitreya then said to the elder, the venerable Subhūti, “Noble Subhūti, this point is not to be described or taught in front of a bodhisattva great being who has just begun to set out on the journey.423 Why is that? Because any trace of faith, any trace of appreciation, any trace of trust, and any trace of devotion that he or she might have would entirely disappear.424 However, noble Subhūti, this point can be described or taught in front of a bodhisattva great being who is beyond regressing or a bodhisattva great being who is supported by a virtuous friend, since, regarding such a point, he or she would not become deflated, depressed, dejected, or sunk in despondency, and his or her mental attitude would not become discouraged, shattered, frightened, terrified, or stricken with terror.425 It is in this way that a bodhisattva great being should dedicate to the state of complete knowing the thing that is producing the merit associated with rejoicing.”
The elder, the venerable Subhūti, then said to the bodhisattva great being Maitreya, “Maitreya, after rejoicing with that mindset, the rejoicing mindset—which the bodhisattva great being is to dedicate—will have dissipated, ceased, dissolved, and become totally transformed.426 So what mindset is the bodhisattva great being dedicating to unsurpassed, perfect awakening by what means? That is to say, what mindset—which is the thing that is producing the merit associated with rejoicing—is the bodhisattva great being dedicating to unsurpassed, perfect awakening? Given that the two mindsets are never concurrent and that the inherent nature of a mindset cannot be dedicated, how could one mindset even dedicate another mindset?”427
Then Śakra, powerful lord of the gods, said to the elder, the venerable Subhūti, “Subhūti, let those bodhisattva great beings who have just begun to set out on the path not become frightened, not be terrified, and not be stricken with terror after hearing this explication. Pray tell instead, Subhūti, how should a bodhisattva great being dedicate to unsurpassed, perfect awakening the thing that is producing the merit associated with rejoicing? How should the mindset associated with that rejoicing be properly supported by supporting the thing that is producing the merit associated with rejoicing, and then properly dedicated by dedicating the mindset associated with rejoicing?”
Then, out of respect for the bodhisattva great being Maitreya, the elder, the venerable Subhūti, deferred to his authority on this point and spoke instead about the bodhisattva great being Maitreya, saying, “The bodhisattva great being Maitreya rejoices in all those past blessed buddhas in the immeasurable and innumerable billionfold, great order world systems in the ten directions, and in all those immeasurable and innumerable blessed buddhas in each direction of each billionfold, great order world system, as blessed buddhas who passed into nirvāṇa. He rejoices that they eradicated their worldly ruts; they cut off their circuitous pathways; they cut the leashes of dualistic proliferations and cyclic existence; they exhausted their tears; they crushed their thorns; they completely laid down their burdens; they reached their own goals; they cut their worldly ties; they liberated their mindsets by accurate understanding; and they achieved complete control over all mindsets.
“The bodhisattva great being Maitreya rejoices in everything from when those worthy, perfectly and completely awakened tathāgatas first gave rise to the proper mindset, up to the point where they realized unsurpassed, perfect awakening and then passed into the nirvāṇa dimension without any constituents remaining, and without their genuine teachings disappearing, as follows.
“The bodhisattva great being Maitreya rejoices in the roots of virtue connected with the transcendent states of the blessed buddhas, the accumulation of merit, and the accumulation of the roots of virtue.
“The bodhisattva great being Maitreya rejoices in those blessed buddhas’ masses of ethical discipline, masses of meditative concentration, masses of wisdom, masses of liberation, and masses of seeing the knowing of liberation. He rejoices in their care for others’ welfare, great benevolence, great compassion, immeasurable and innumerable buddha qualities, and the Dharma taught by the blessed buddhas.
“The bodhisattva great being Maitreya rejoices in the roots of virtue of all those who are trained in those teachings, who have become resolved, and who have set out. He rejoices in the roots of virtue of all those bodhisattva great beings who are foreordained for unsurpassed, perfect awakening by the blessed buddhas, and in all their roots of virtue associated with the six transcendent states. He rejoices in the roots of virtue of all those persons who belong to the path of a solitary realizer and are foreordained to be solitary realizers.
“The bodhisattva great being Maitreya rejoices in the roots of virtue derived from generosity, the roots of virtue derived from ethical discipline, and the roots of virtue derived from cultivation that belong to those persons on the disciple path. He rejoices in both the roots of virtue free of worldly influences on the path of training and the roots of virtue free of worldly influences on the path of no more training, and he rejoices in the roots of virtue planted with respect to the Dharma by ordinary people.
“The bodhisattva great being Maitreya rejoices in the gods, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kinnaras, mahoragas, humans, and spirits who have heard the Dharma, and after hearing it, planted roots of virtue. He rejoices even in those beings born as animals who heard the Dharma, and after hearing it, planted roots of virtue. He rejoices also in all those roots of virtue that sentient beings planted when the blessed buddhas were passing into nirvāṇa and had passed into nirvāṇa.
“Without leaving out any of those roots of virtue, the bodhisattva great being Maitreya essentializes them, combines them into one, considers them, and completely rejoices in them. After having rejoiced, he dedicates to unsurpassed, perfect awakening the thing that is producing the merit associated with rejoicing. Maitreya, how can a bodhisattva great being, who is dedicating, have no error of conception, no error of mindset, and no error of view?”
The bodhisattva great being Maitreya replied to the elder, the venerable Subhūti, “Noble Subhūti, if a bodhisattva great being has no conception of a ‘proper mindset’—concerning either the proper mindset that is being dedicated or the proper mindset with which he or she is dedicating it—then the thing that is producing merit associated with rejoicing is dedicated to unsurpassed, perfect awakening by the bodhisattva great being. Since a bodhisattva great being does not conceive of that proper mindset, thinking, ‘This is the proper mindset,’ he or she has no error of conception, no error of mindset, and no error of view. On the other hand, suppose that a bodhisattva great being is dedicating the one proper mindset with the other proper mindset and has the conception of a ‘proper mindset’—that is to say, he or she does conceive of that proper mindset, thinking, ‘This is the proper mindset.’ Then, in this way, a bodhisattva great being would have an error of conception, an error of mindset, and an error of view.
“Also, suppose that a bodhisattva great being dedicates that proper mindset that he or she conceives of or considers in the following way. That is, when the proper mindset is simply being considered, he or she conceives of it as ‘dissipated, dissipated’—as ‘ceased,’ ‘dissolved,’ and ‘totally transformed’—while being aware that anything dissipated cannot be dedicated.428 Likewise, the proper mindset that is dedicating it also has the very same true nature. Furthermore, those things with which it is dedicating also have the very same true nature. Furthermore, those qualities to which it is dedicating also have the very same true nature.429 Supposing that a bodhisattva great being dedicates like this, then he or she is dedicating correctly, not incorrectly. Hence, this is the very way that a bodhisattva great being should dedicate.430
“Beyond that, suppose that a bodhisattva great being rejoices in the immeasurable and innumerable future blessed buddhas in the same way as in those past blessed buddhas, who eradicated their worldly ruts, cut off their circuitous pathways, and cut the leashes of dualistic proliferations and cyclic existence.
“Suppose that the bodhisattva great being rejoices in everything from when those blessed buddhas first will give rise to the proper mindset up to the point where they will realize unsurpassed, perfect awakening and then pass into the nirvāṇa dimension without any constituents remaining and without their genuine teachings disappearing, as follows.
“Suppose that the bodhisattva great being rejoices in those blessed buddhas’ roots of virtue associated with the six transcendent states.
“Suppose that the bodhisattva great being rejoices in those blessed buddhas’ masses of ethical discipline, masses of meditative concentration, masses of wisdom, masses of liberation, and masses of seeing the knowing of liberation.
“Suppose that the bodhisattva great being rejoices in their care for others’ welfare, great benevolence, great compassion, immeasurable and innumerable buddha qualities, and the Dharma that will be taught by those blessed buddhas.
“Suppose that the bodhisattva great being rejoices in the roots of virtue of all those who will be resolved and will set out.
“Suppose that the bodhisattva great being rejoices in the roots of virtue associated with the six transcendent states of all those bodhisattva great beings who will be foreordained for unsurpassed, perfect awakening by the blessed buddhas, and the roots of virtue of all those persons who belong to the path of a solitary realizer and will be foreordained to be solitary realizers. He or she rejoices in the roots of virtue to be derived from generosity, the roots of virtue to be derived from ethical discipline, and the roots of virtue to be derived from cultivation by those persons on the disciple path. He or she rejoices in both the roots of virtue free of worldly influences on the path of training and the roots of virtue free of worldly influences on the path of no more training. And he or she rejoices in the roots of virtue to be planted with respect to the Dharma by ordinary people.
“Suppose that the bodhisattva great being rejoices in the gods, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kinnaras, mahoragas, humans, and spirits who will plant roots of virtue. He or she rejoices even in those beings born as animals who will hear the Dharma, and after hearing it, will plant roots of virtue. He or she also rejoices in all those roots of virtue that sentient beings will plant when the blessed buddhas are passing into nirvāṇa and have passed into nirvāṇa.
“Without leaving out any of these roots of virtue, suppose that he or she essentializes them, combines them into one, considers them, and completely rejoices in them. Suppose that after rejoicing, he or she dedicates to unsurpassed, perfect awakening the thing that is producing the merit associated with rejoicing. So, how is it that a bodhisattva great being, while dedicating, does not have any error of conception, any error of mindset, or any error of view?
“If a bodhisattva great being has no conception of a ‘proper mindset’—with respect to either the proper mindset dedicated or the proper mindset with which he or she is dedicating it—then the thing that is producing merit associated with rejoicing is dedicated to unsurpassed, perfect awakening by the bodhisattva great being. Since a bodhisattva great being does not conceive of that proper mindset, thinking, ‘This is the proper mindset,’ he or she has no error of conception, no error of mindset, and no error of view. On the other hand, suppose that he or she dedicates the one proper mindset with the other proper mindset and has the conception of a ‘proper mindset’—that is to say, he or she conceives of that proper mindset, thinking, ‘This is the proper mindset.’ Then, in this way, a bodhisattva great being would have an error of conception, an error of mindset, and an error of view.
“That said, suppose that a bodhisattva great being dedicates that proper mindset that he or she conceives of or considers in the following way. That is, when the proper mindset is simply being considered, he or she conceives of it as ‘dissipated, dissipated’—as ‘ceased,’ ‘dissolved,’ and ‘totally transformed’—while being aware that anything dissipated cannot be dedicated. Likewise, that proper mindset that is dedicating also has the very same true nature. Also, those things with which it is dedicating also have the very same true nature. Furthermore, those qualities to which it is dedicating also have the very same true nature. Supposing that a bodhisattva great being dedicates like this, then he or she is dedicating correctly, not incorrectly. Hence, this is the very way that a bodhisattva great being should dedicate.
“Beyond that, suppose that a bodhisattva great being rejoices in the immeasurable and innumerable present blessed buddhas in the same way as the future blessed buddhas, who have eradicated their worldly ruts, cut off their circuitous pathways, cut the leashes of dualistic proliferations and cyclic existence, and are now residing, existing, and abiding in immeasurable and innumerable billionfold, great order world systems.
“Suppose that the bodhisattva great being rejoices in everything from when those blessed buddhas first gave rise to the proper mindset up to the point where they realized unsurpassed, perfect awakening and then passed into the nirvāṇa dimension without any constituents remaining, and without their genuine teachings disappearing, as follows.
“Suppose that the bodhisattva great being rejoices in those blessed buddhas’ roots of virtue associated with the six transcendent states.
“Suppose that the bodhisattva great being rejoices in those blessed buddhas’ masses of ethical discipline, masses of meditative concentration, masses of wisdom, masses of liberation, and masses of seeing the knowing of liberation.
“Suppose that the bodhisattva great being rejoices in their care for others’ welfare, great benevolence, great compassion, immeasurable and innumerable buddha qualities, and the Dharma taught by the blessed buddhas.
“Suppose that the bodhisattva great being rejoices in the roots of virtue of all those who are resolved and are setting out.
“Suppose that the bodhisattva great being rejoices in the roots of virtue associated with the six transcendent states of all those bodhisattva great beings who are being foreordained for unsurpassed, perfect awakening by the blessed buddhas, and the roots of virtue of all those persons who belong to the path of a solitary realizer who are being foreordained to be solitary realizers. He or she rejoices in the roots of virtue derived from generosity, the roots of virtue derived from ethical discipline, and the roots of virtue derived from cultivation by those persons on the disciple path. He or she rejoices in both the roots of virtue free of worldly influences on the path of training and the roots of virtue free of worldly influences on the path of no more training. And he or she rejoices in the roots of virtue being planted with respect to the Dharma by ordinary people.
“Suppose that the bodhisattva great being rejoices in the gods, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kinnaras, mahoragas, humans, and spirits who are hearing the Dharma and, after hearing it, are planting roots of virtue. He or she rejoices even in those beings born as animals who are hearing the Dharma, and after hearing it, are planting roots of virtue. He or she also rejoices in all those roots of virtue that sentient beings are planting when the blessed buddhas are passing into nirvāṇa and have passed into nirvāṇa.
“Without leaving out any of these roots of virtue, suppose that he or she essentializes them, combines them into one, considers them, and completely rejoices in them. Suppose that after rejoicing, he or she dedicates to unsurpassed, perfect awakening the thing that is producing the merit associated with rejoicing. So, how is it that a bodhisattva great being, while dedicating, does not have any error of conception, any error of mindset, or any error of view?
“If a bodhisattva great being has no conception of a ‘proper mindset’ regarding the one proper mindset he or she is dedicating with the other proper mindset, then the thing that is producing the merit associated with rejoicing is dedicated to unsurpassed, perfect awakening by the bodhisattva great being. Since a bodhisattva great being does not conceive of that proper mindset, thinking, ‘This is the proper mindset,’ he or she has no error of conception, no error of mindset, and no error of view. On the other hand, suppose that he or she dedicates the one with the other proper mindset with the conception of a ‘proper mindset’—that is to say, he or she were to conceive of that proper mindset, thinking, ‘This is the proper mindset.’ Then, in this way, a bodhisattva great being would have an error of conception, an error of mindset, and an error of view.
“That said, suppose that a bodhisattva great being dedicates that proper mindset that he or she conceives of or considers in the following way. That is, when the proper mindset is simply being considered, he or she conceives of it as ‘dissipated, dissipated’—as ‘ceased,’ ‘dissolved,’ and ‘totally transformed’—while being aware that anything dissipated cannot be dedicated. Likewise, that proper mindset that is dedicating also has the very same true nature. Also, those things with which it is dedicating also have the very same true nature. Furthermore, those qualities to which it is dedicating also have the very same true nature. Supposing that a bodhisattva great being dedicates like this, then he or she is dedicating correctly, not incorrectly. Hence, this is the very way that a bodhisattva great being should dedicate.
“Beyond that, suppose that a bodhisattva great being rejoices in the immeasurable and innumerable past, future, and present blessed buddhas, who have eradicated or will eradicate their worldly ruts, cut off their circuitous pathways, and cut the leashes of dualistic proliferations and cyclic existence.
“Suppose that the bodhisattva great being rejoices in everything from when those blessed buddhas first gave rise to the proper mindset up to the point where they have realized, are realizing, or will realize unsurpassed, perfect awakening, up to the point where they have passed, are passing, or will pass into the nirvāṇa dimension without any constituents remaining, and without their genuine teachings having disappeared, disappearing, or coming to disappear as follows.
“Suppose that the bodhisattva great being rejoices in those blessed buddhas’ roots of virtue associated with the six transcendent states.
“Suppose that the bodhisattva great being rejoices in those blessed buddhas’ masses of ethical discipline, masses of meditative concentration, masses of wisdom, masses of liberation, and masses of seeing the knowing of liberation.
“Suppose that the bodhisattva great being rejoices in their care for others’ welfare, great benevolence, great compassion, immeasurable and innumerable buddha qualities, and the Dharma that has been taught, is being taught, and will be taught by those blessed buddhas.
“Suppose that the bodhisattva great being rejoices in the roots of virtue of all those who have become resolved, are becoming resolved, and will become resolved, and who have set out, are setting out, and will set out.
“Suppose that the bodhisattva great being rejoices in the roots of virtue associated with the six transcendent states of those bodhisattva great beings who were foreordained, will be foreordained, and are being foreordained for unsurpassed, perfect awakening by the blessed buddhas, and the roots of virtue of those persons on the path of a solitary realizer who were foreordained, will be foreordained, and are being foreordained to be solitary realizers. He or she rejoices in the roots of virtue derived from generosity, the roots of virtue derived from ethical discipline, and the roots of virtue derived from cultivation for those persons on the disciple path. He or she rejoices in both the roots of virtue free of worldly influences on the path of training and the roots of virtue free of worldly influences on the path of no more training. And he or she rejoices in the roots of virtue that were planted, are being planted, and will be planted with respect to the Dharma by ordinary people.
“Suppose that the bodhisattva great being rejoices in the gods, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kinnaras, mahoragas, humans, and spirits who have heard, are hearing, and will hear the Dharma, and after hearing it, have planted, are planting, and will plant those roots of virtue. He or she rejoices even in those beings born as animals who have heard, are hearing, and will hear the Dharma, and after hearing it, have planted, are planting, and will plant roots of virtue.
“Suppose that the bodhisattva great being also rejoices in all those roots of virtue that sentient beings have planted, are planting, and will plant when the blessed buddhas have passed into nirvāṇa, will pass into nirvāṇa, and are passing into nirvāṇa.
“Without leaving out any of these roots of virtue, suppose that the bodhisattva great being essentializes them, combines them into one, considers them, and completely rejoices in them with the foremost joyousness. He or she rejoices in them with a joyousness that is the best—the most distinguished, the most eminent, the preeminent, the most prominent, the excellent, the unexcelled, the most excellent, the unequaled, and the equal to the unequaled. After having rejoiced in this way, he or she then recites the words, ‘I dedicate to unsurpassed, perfect awakening the thing that is producing the merit associated with rejoicing. Let it bring forth unsurpassed, perfect awakening.’ So, how is it that such a bodhisattva great being, while making this dedication, does not have any error of conception, any error of mindset, or any error of view?
“If the bodhisattva who is making a dedication considers those things that have dissipated, ceased, dissolved, and are totally transformed to be dedicated to a thing that is undissipating, then they are properly dedicated to unsurpassed, perfect awakening.431 Furthermore, if the bodhisattva discerns that there is not one thing dedicating another thing, then this too is properly dedicated to unsurpassed, perfect awakening. In this way, Venerable Subhūti, while dedicating, a bodhisattva great being has no error of conception, no error of mindset, and no error of view. Why not? Because he or she does not fixate upon that dedication. Furthermore, if he or she likewise conceives of no mindset to be perceiving a mindset, and no thing to be perceiving a thing, then this too is properly dedicated to unsurpassed, perfect awakening. This is a bodhisattva great being’s unsurpassed way of dedicating.
“That said, if a bodhisattva great being were to conceive of an accumulation of merit, then he or she would not be dedicating to unsurpassed, perfect awakening.432 Why not? Because he or she would be fixated on that dedication. On the other hand, if it occurs to him or her that both the accumulation of merit and the thing that is producing the merit associated with rejoicing are null and void, then he or she is dedicating to unsurpassed, perfect awakening.433 Furthermore, if he or she does not conceive of any conditioning factors as null and void, then that bodhisattva great being possesses the transcendent state of wisdom.434
“That said, suppose that a bodhisattva great being were to conceive of the root of virtue of the blessed buddhas who have passed into nirvāṇa as a root of virtue that is exactly the same as that dedication.435 Suppose also that he or she were to conceive of both the root of virtue and that by which it is dedicated as being of the same type, characteristic, class, and nature.436 Then, with such conceptions, he or she would not be dedicating any root of virtue to unsurpassed, perfect awakening.437 Why not? Because the blessed buddhas do not recommend dedicating any root of virtue by way of signs.438 That is to say, the past has dissipated, ceased, dissolved, and totally transformed. The future is not yet obtained. Anything located in the present is not mentally perceived. Hence, these three, which are not perceived, can be neither sign nor perceptual object.439 If a bodhisattva great being were to make a root of virtue into a sign in this way, he or she would neither be considering, nor dedicating it to, unsurpassed, perfect awakening.440
“That is not to say that someone lacking mindfulness—in other words, someone who, out of a lack of either mindfulness or recognition, simply fails to make a root of virtue into a sign, consider it, or pay attention to it—would somehow be dedicating it to unsurpassed, perfect awakening.441 Rather, when a bodhisattva great being considers such a sign without making it into a sign, then in this way he or she dedicates that root of virtue to unsurpassed, perfect awakening.442 Thus, it is in this that a bodhisattva great being should train, and it is such training that should be recognized as his or her skill in means.443 That very skill in means through which he or she dedicates the root of virtue is close to the state of complete knowing. And any bodhisattva great being who wishes to train in this skill in means should repeatedly listen to this very transcendent state of wisdom, take it in, keep it in mind, chant it, master it, pass it on, teach it, expound it, explain it, recite it, and be questioned about it. Why is that? It is because, without attaining the transcendent state of wisdom, it is impossible for anyone who has not listened to this very teaching to become well steeped in the activity of dedicating the transcendent state of wisdom.444 That said, someone might claim that it is somehow possible for a bodhisattva great being not to rely on the transcendent state of wisdom and yet to dedicate the thing that is producing the merit to unsurpassed, perfect awakening. But anyone who would say such a thing should be told not to speak that way.
“Why is that? Because, suppose that even though those physical bodies and those conditioning factors are ceased, null, void, and free of any mental perception, a person were nevertheless to make reality as-it-is into a sign, and conceptualize it. Next, suppose that, by conceiving of a reality as-it-is in something that is not the reality as-it-is, he or she were to dedicate a mental perception to the freedom from mental perceptions.445 If such a person were to do this, then he or she would not be dedicating the root of virtue to unsurpassed, perfect awakening in the way recommended by the blessed buddhas. Why not? Because even the blessed buddhas’ nirvāṇa—which is made into a sign, conceptualized, and mentally perceived through his or her own mental representation of it as ‘nirvāṇa’—would just be his or her own gross mental perception of it. And the worthy, perfectly and completely awakened tathāgatas have never stated that such a dedication by someone conceiving of a mental perception would bring great benefit.446 Why is that? Because such a dedication would contain poison or thorns. It is as if, as an analogy, there were some delicious food that was also poisonous. Even if it seemed desirable from the perspective of color, smell, taste, and texture, it would be poisonous, and hence the wise would avoid it as something unfit for consumption. Of course, foolish and unwise people might think that this very same food should be consumed. And its taste might even bring pleasure to whoever were to consume such food because of its color, smell, taste, and texture. But once that food was digested, it would result in suffering.447 That is to say, some might die or at least suffer on the brink of death because of that poisonous food. Just as in that analogy, Subhūti, in this very area, there are some who have misheard, misconstrued, and incorrectly practiced. Because of this, they do not know the meaning of what has been well described. Without understanding the real meaning that accords with reality, they will instruct and guide others as follows.
“ ‘Come, noble son, contemplate the masses of ethical discipline, masses of meditative concentration, masses of wisdom, masses of liberation, and masses of seeing the knowing of liberation of those past, present, and future blessed buddhas. Contemplate those roots of virtue also that disciples have planted, will plant, and are planting in relation to those blessed past, future, and present buddhas, up to the point where the genuine Dharma has not disappeared, will not disappear, and does not disappear. That is to say, contemplate those roots of virtue that have been planted, will be planted, and are being planted, starting from when those blessed past, future, and present buddhas first gave rise to the proper mindset up to the point where they have realized, are realizing, and will realize unsurpassed, perfect awakening, and have passed, are passing, and will pass into the nirvāṇa dimension without any constituents remaining. Contemplate the roots of virtue that have been planted, will be planted, and are being planted by those bodhisattva great beings who were foreordained, will be foreordained, and are being foreordained for unsurpassed, perfect awakening by the blessed buddhas. Contemplate the roots of virtue of those persons on the path of a solitary realizer who were foreordained, will be foreordained, and are being foreordained to be solitary realizers. Contemplate the roots of virtue of those persons on the disciples’ path who were foreordained, will be foreordained, and are being foreordained for the awakening of a disciple. Contemplate the roots of virtue of ordinary sentient beings.
“ ‘Without leaving out any of these roots of virtue, you should essentialize them, combine them into one, consider them, and completely rejoice in them.448 After rejoicing, you should dedicate to unsurpassed, perfect awakening the thing that is producing the merit associated with rejoicing.’
“As explained, such a dedication would be made by means of a sign, so it would be poisoned, just like in the example of the food itself being poisoned.449 For those with a conception based on a mental perception, there is no dedicating. Why not? Because a mental perception is poisoned. Therefore, any person on the bodhisattva path should not train in this way. One might ask, ‘How should a person train instead? How should the root of virtue of the past, future, and present blessed buddhas be taken up? How should what is taken up be properly taken up? How should it be dedicated? How should a person properly dedicate what is dedicated to unsurpassed, perfect awakening?’ The answer is that any noble son or daughter on the bodhisattva path who wishes to avoid denigration of the tathāgatas should rejoice in all the roots of virtue and dedicate them as follows.450
“ ‘Just as the worthy, perfectly and completely awakened tathāgatas know the root of virtue with their buddha knowing and see it with their buddha eye, just so I rejoice in that root of virtue that is of a similar type, characteristic, class, and nature, recognized to be the true nature of things. And, in the very same way that the worthy, perfectly and completely awakened tathāgatas recommend, I dedicate this root of virtue being dedicated to unsurpassed, perfect awakening.’
“The bodhisattva great being who rejoices and dedicates in this way is faultless. He or she rejoices in that root of virtue of the blessed buddhas perfectly; dedicates it to unsurpassed, perfect awakening; and does not denigrate the worthy, perfectly and completely awakened tathāgatas. Such a noble son’s or daughter’s dedication is an unpoisoned dedication—that is to say, a perfectly great dedication and an utterly perfect dedication of the ultimate realm of things—made with an altruistic disposition and a firm conviction.451
“Moreover, a noble son or daughter on the bodhisattva path should thus dedicate the ethical discipline, concentration, wisdom, liberation, and seeing the knowing of liberation as unenmeshed in the desire realm, form realm, or formless realm, and as something that is not past, present, or future. Why is that? Because, insofar as he or she is not enmeshed in the three realms or the three times, his or her dedication of them—exactly as they are—is also not enmeshed.452 Furthermore, that thing to which that dedication is dedicated is not enmeshed.453 Thus, when the bodhisattva great being has firm conviction while dedicating in this way, then his or her dedication is an unspoiled, unenmeshed, and unpoisoned dedication, a perfectly great dedication, and an utterly perfect dedication of the ultimate realm of things.454 On the contrary, if he or she were to dedicate that thing while being fixated upon it and making it into a sign, then he or she would be dedicating it incorrectly. That said, the correct dedication is the following bodhisattva great being’s dedication: ‘Just as the blessed buddhas know and recommend the root of virtue dedicated to be properly dedicated to unsurpassed, perfect awakening, just so I make this dedication.’ And in this way, the root of virtue dedicated is properly dedicated to unsurpassed, perfect awakening.”455
Then the Blessed One commended the venerable Subhūti: “Excellent, Subhūti, excellent. Subhūti, you are acting as a teacher should by teaching the Dharma to the bodhisattva great beings.456 Why is that so? Because, Subhūti, a bodhisattva great being’s dedication is a dedication of the ultimate realm of things.
“ ‘Just as the worthy, perfectly and completely awakened tathāgatas know and see it as the true nature of things, just so I rejoice in that root of virtue that is of a similar type, characteristic, class, and nature, recognized to be the true nature of things. And, in the very same way that the worthy, perfectly and completely awakened tathāgatas recommend, I dedicate this root of virtue being dedicated to unsurpassed, perfect awakening.’457
“Now suppose that the mass of merit in this bodhisattva great being’s dedication of the ultimate realm of things were compared to the accumulation of merit by any noble son or daughter who had inspired and established all the sentient beings in as many billionfold, great order world systems as there are grains of sand in the River Ganges in the ten virtuous ways of acting.458 In this case, the mass of merit born from that very bodhisattva great being’s dedication of the ultimate realm of things would be called the foremost, the best, the most distinguished, the most eminent, the preeminent, the most prominent, the excellent, the unexcelled, the most excellent, the unequaled, and the equal to the unequaled.
“Now, Subhūti, never mind a noble son or daughter inspiring and establishing all the sentient beings in as many billionfold, great order world systems as there are grains of sand in the River Ganges in the ten virtuous ways of acting. Subhūti, suppose that the bodhisattva great being’s dedication of the ultimate realm of things were compared to the accumulation of merit from inspiring and establishing all those sentient beings in the attainment of the four meditative states. In this case too, the very same mass of virtue associated with that bodhisattva great being’s dedication would be called the foremost, the best, the most distinguished, the most eminent, the preeminent, the most prominent, the excellent, the unexcelled, the most excellent, the unequaled, and the equal to the unequaled.
“Now, never mind a noble son or daughter inspiring and establishing all the sentient beings in as many billionfold, great order world systems as there are grains of sand in the River Ganges in the attainment of the four meditative states. Subhūti, suppose that the bodhisattva great being’s dedication of the ultimate realm of things were compared to the accumulation of merit from inspiring and establishing all those sentient beings—in as many billionfold, great order world systems as there are grains of sand in the River Ganges—in the attainment of the four immeasurable states.
“Now, never mind a noble son or daughter inspiring and establishing all the sentient beings in as many billionfold, great order world systems as there are grains of sand in the River Ganges in the attainment of the four immeasurable states. Subhūti, suppose that the bodhisattva great being’s dedication of the ultimate realm of things were compared to the accumulation of merit from inspiring and establishing all those sentient beings—in as many billionfold, great order world systems as there are grains of sand in the River Ganges—in the attainment of the four formless attainments.
“Now, never mind a noble son or daughter inspiring and establishing all the sentient beings in as many billionfold, great order world systems as there are grains of sand in the River Ganges in the attainment of the four formless attainments. Subhūti, suppose that the bodhisattva great being’s dedication of the ultimate realm of things were compared to the accumulation of merit from inspiring and establishing all those sentient beings—in as many billionfold, great order world systems as there are grains of sand in the River Ganges—in the five types of extrasensory knowledge.
“Now, never mind a noble son or daughter inspiring and establishing all the sentient beings in as many billionfold, great order world systems as there are grains of sand in the River Ganges in the five types of extrasensory knowledge. Subhūti, suppose that the bodhisattva great being’s dedication of the ultimate realm of things were compared to the accumulation of merit from inspiring and establishing all those sentient beings—in as many billionfold, great order world systems as there are grains of sand in the River Ganges—in being stream enterers.
“Now, never mind a noble son or daughter inspiring and establishing all the sentient beings in as many billionfold, great order world systems as there are grains of sand in the River Ganges in being stream enterers. Subhūti, suppose that the bodhisattva great being’s dedication of the ultimate realm of things were compared to the accumulation of merit from inspiring and establishing all those sentient beings—in as many billionfold, great order world systems as there are grains of sand in the River Ganges—in being once-returners.
“Now, never mind a noble son or daughter inspiring and establishing all the sentient beings in as many billionfold, great order world systems as there are grains of sand in the River Ganges in being once-returners. Subhūti, suppose that the bodhisattva great being’s dedication of the ultimate realm of things were compared to the accumulation of merit from inspiring and establishing all those sentient beings—in as many billionfold, great order world systems as there are grains of sand in the River Ganges—in being non-returners.
“Now, never mind a noble son or daughter inspiring and establishing all the sentient beings in as many billionfold, great order world systems as there are grains of sand in the River Ganges in being non-returners. Subhūti, suppose that the bodhisattva great being’s dedication of the ultimate realm of things were compared to the mass of merit from inspiring and establishing all those sentient beings—in as many billionfold, great order world systems as there are grains of sand in the River Ganges—in being worthy ones.
“Now, never mind a noble son or daughter inspiring and establishing all the sentient beings in as many billionfold, great order world systems as there are grains of sand in the River Ganges in being worthy ones. Subhūti, suppose that the bodhisattva great being’s dedication of the ultimate realm of things were compared to the mass of merit from inspiring and establishing all those sentient beings—in as many billionfold, great order world systems as there are grains of sand in the River Ganges—in being solitary realizers.
“Now, never mind a noble son or daughter inspiring and establishing all the sentient beings in as many billionfold, great order world systems as there are grains of sand in the River Ganges in being solitary realizers. Subhūti, suppose that the bodhisattva great being’s dedication of the ultimate realm of things were compared to the accumulation of merit from inspiring and establishing all those sentient beings—in as many billionfold, great order world systems as there are grains of sand in the River Ganges—to become bodhisattvas who had set out for unsurpassed, perfect awakening.459 And suppose that every single one of those bodhisattvas were to take care of all the other bodhisattvas in each of the other billionfold, great order world systems, as many as there are grains of sand in the River Ganges—offering them robes, alms, seats, beds, preventive medicines, remedies, and other requisites—for a period of as many eons as there are grains of sand in the River Ganges.460 And suppose that they also were to give them all gifts, including every basis for happiness and every condition pleasant to experience. And suppose that they did all this with a conception based on a mental perception.461
“Now differentiate again all those other beings and all those bodhisattvas in that very same manner, and suppose that each single bodhisattva were to take care of all the other bodhisattvas for a period of as many eons as there are grains of sand in the River Ganges.462 And suppose that each single one were also to pay tribute to them—with robes, alms, seats, beds, preventive medicines, remedies, other requisites, every basis for happiness, and every condition pleasant to experience—revere them, respect them, venerate them, honor them, and tend to them. And in the same manner, suppose that each single one were to give gifts to all the bodhisattvas like this one by one, and, likewise, they all were to give them gifts like this. Subhūti, what do you think? Based on that, would those bodhisattvas earn a great amount of merit?”
“A great amount, Blessed One. A great amount, Sugata,” replied Subhūti. “It is not easy to come up with even a number for that mass of merit. It is not easy to come up with any quantification, any metaphor, any analogy, any equivalence, or any comparison for that mass of merit. Blessed One, if that mass of merit were physical in form, it could not be contained even in billionfold, great order world systems equal to that number of grains of sand.”
In response, the Blessed One said to the elder, the venerable Subhūti, “Correct, Subhūti, correct. But, Subhūti, when a person on the bodhisattva path, who is supported by the transcendent state of wisdom and skill in means, dedicates the root of virtue to unsurpassed, perfect awakening through this dedication of the ultimate realm of things, he or she earns far more merit than that. That is to say, the former accumulation of merit, which those bodhisattvas conceiving of a mental perception would earn through such generosity, does not come close in worth to even a fraction of the mass of merit born from the dedication of the ultimate realm of things. It does not come close in worth to one hundredth, one thousandth, one hundred thousandth, one ten millionth, one billionth, one ten billionth, one trillionth, or even one ten trillionth of it. Nor is any calculation, any fraction, any quantification, any metaphor, any analogy, any equivalence, or any comparison adequate for comparing them. Why not? Because those former bodhisattvas—who conceive of a mental perception—might have given extremely numerous gifts, but those gifts are still enumerated as ‘extremely numerous.’ ”463
Then twenty thousand of the gods among the retinue of the Four Great Kings paid homage to the Blessed One, joining their hands in respect, and said, “Blessed One, such a dedication of the root of virtue to the state of complete knowing by those bodhisattva great beings who, in particular, are supported by the transcendent state of wisdom and skill in means is a great dedication, inasmuch as it surpasses the accumulation of merit derived from the same amount of giving by those bodhisattvas adhering to a mental perception.”
Then one hundred thousand gods from the Heaven of the Thirty-Three scattered and rained down upon the Blessed One heavenly showers of flowers, incense, perfumes, wreaths, fragrant oils, aromatic powders, heavenly showers of jewels, and heavenly showers of fabrics. They paid tribute to him with heavenly garlands of lights all around, and through the many heavenly ways of venerating him. They revered him, respected him, venerated him, honored him, and cared for him. They played musical tributes to the Blessed One with heavenly parasols, banners, bells, and flags. Then they spoke the following words: “Ah! Blessed One, how wonderful this is! A bodhisattva great being’s dedication of the ultimate realm of things is a great dedication, because, insofar as this great dedication is supported by the transcendent state of wisdom and skill in means, it surpasses the amount of merit derived from giving that could be accumulated by those bodhisattvas adhering to a mental perception.”
Likewise, the gods from the other retinues among the gods also came and paid tribute to him with supreme tribute, revered him with supreme reverence, respected him with supreme respect, venerated him with supreme devotional offerings, honored him with supreme honor, and cared for him with supreme care. They all expressed words to the exact same effect and made their voices resound.