605. According to Ratnākara (F.114.a), the path is “free of developing conceits” because it is the remover of all developments of conceit. RK: amananā mārgaḥ, sarvamananāsamudghātitvāt.
606. According to Ratnākara (F.114.a–b), the path is “unshaken,” because always remains as the nature of the ultimate realm of things. This ends the explanation of twenty-seven aspects in (a worthy one’s) complete knowing. RK: acalo mārgaḥ, dharmadhātuśarīratvena śāśvatatvāt| iti sarvajñatākārāḥ.
607. According to Ratnākara (F.114.b), next are the thirty-six aspects in (a bodhisattva’s) complete knowing of the paths. In the corresponding verse of the Ornament, the word “cause” refers to the source (of suffering). There, the (noble truths of) the source and path are explained first as a means of approaching the result. After that, the (noble truths of) suffering and cessation are explained, because they are the result. Among those, there are, respectively, eight aspects (source), seven aspects (path), five aspects (suffering), and sixteen aspects (cessation). In this scripture, the eight aspects (to be discerned) about the source of suffering are (the following six aspects): free of attachment, not an origination, null, free of faults, free of emotional defilements, and without existence. But these (six) represent eight aspects, because “free of faults” includes the three (poisons), namely being free of attachment, hatred, and confusion. The source (of suffering) is the (five) former constituents. In Sanskrit etymology, the word rāga (“attachment”) should be understood to mean that the constituents “are dyed” (rājyante) in it. The “things” (in this sentence) have a nature that is imagined. (One should discern the aspect of) the source as free of attachment. RK: atha mārgajñatākārāḥ ṣaṭtriṃśat| hetuḥ samudayaḥ| ataḥ samudayamārgau prathamata uktau phalopāyatvāt, duḥkhanirodhau paścād uktau phalatvāt, teṣv ākārā yathākramam| aṣṭau sapta pañca ṣoḍaśeti ca kīrtītāḥ sūtre tatra samudaye ’ṣṭau-virāga-asamutthāna-śānta-nirdoṣa-niṣkleśa-niḥsattva| kathaṃ tadaṣṭau ? yato nirdoṣe tritayaḥ-arāga-adveṣa-amoha| prāktanā hi pañcaskandhāḥ samudayaḥ| rajyante ’sminn iti rāgaḥ| parikalpitaḥ svabhāvo dharmāṇām| vi gato rāgo ’smād iti virāgaḥ samudayaḥ.
608. According to Ratnākara (F.114.b), “the freedom from any false nature of all things” refers to the emptiness of the false nature, i.e., imagined nature. RK: sarvadharmāṇām avitathatām iti vitathena kalpitena svabhāvena śūnyatām.
609. According to Ratnākara (F.114.b), “origination” refers to the cause of defilement, i.e., conceptualization. (A bodhisattva discerns the aspect of) the source as “free of origination” because there is no conceptualization in it. It is “free of conceptualizing all things” because it is not a grasper. RK: samutthānaṃ kleśahetur vikalpaḥ| tasyāsminn abhāvād asamutthānaḥ samudayaḥ| sarvadharmāṇāṃ nirvikalpatām iti agrāhakatvāt.
610. According to Ratnākara (F.114.b), (a bodhisattva discerns the aspect of) source as “null,” i.e., as cessation, because when the ultimate truth appears, there is no mental perception of all the signs of things as appearances of things. For this very reason, it is the transcendent state free of (the “faults”) of attachment, aversion, and confusion. RK: śāntaḥ samudayaḥ, nirodha ity arthaḥ| tatkutaḥ? sarveṣāṃ dharmanimittānāṃ dharmapratibhāsānāṃ paramārthapratibhāse ’nupalabdheḥ| ata eva arāgapāramitā adoṣapāramitā amohapāramitā ca.
611. According to Ratnākara (F.114.b–15.a), “transcendent state of positive qualities” means the transcendent state in which attachment, aversion, and confusion are destroyed. (A bodhisattva discerns the aspect of) the source as free of emotional defilements, because all defilements are absent. The “absence of imagination” means the absence of a grasper. RK: guṇapāramitām iti rāgadoṣamohakṣayapāramitām| sarvakleśābhāvān niṣkleśaḥ samudayaḥ| parikalpāsattām iti grāhakāsattām.
612. According to Ratnākara (F.114.b–15.a), also, a sentient being is someone afflicted and suffering. (A bodhisattva discerns the aspect of) the source as free of a sentient being. The “pinnacle of reality” refers to the emptiness of persons and things. RK: api ca sattvo vikliṣṭaḥ syād duḥkhī ca | tadabhāvān niḥsattvaḥ samudayaḥ| bhūtakoṭitām iti dharmapudgalaśūnyatām.
613. According to Ratnākara (F.115.a), now regarding the path, the seven aspects (discerned by bodhisattvas) are: beyond measure, not conforming to the two extremes, undivided, unaffected, nonconceptual, immeasurable, and unattached. Among those, the path is “beyond measure” from the perspective of its false nature, i.e., “the lack of a cause for the cause of all things.” RK: mārge sapteti-apramāṇa-antadvayānanugama-asambhinna-aparamṛṣṭa-avikalpa-aprameya-asaṅga| apramāṇo mārgaḥ| sarvadharmāṇāṃ samutthānasyāsamutthānatām alīkatvam upādāya.
614. According to Ratnākara (F.115.a), the path is “not conforming to the two extremes.” It is “not fixating on all things” because of its emptiness of existent things as they appear and its nonconformance with nonexistent things. RK: antadvayānanugamo mārgaḥ| sarvadharmeṣv anabhiniveśatām iti| yathāpratibhāsaṃ bhāvasya tacchūnyatayā cābhāvasyānanugamaḥ (sic!).
615. According to Ratnākara (F.115.a), the path is “undivided.” Being “not differentiating” means not mentally perceiving distinction. RK: asambhinno mārgaḥ| asambhedanatām iti bhedānupalabdhim.
616. According to Ratnākara (F.115.a), the path is “unaffected” because through it, there is no longing for the disciples’ path. RK: aparāmṛṣṭo mārgas tena hīnayānāspṛhaṇāt.
617. According to Ratnākara (F.115.a), the path is “nonconceptual.” The “equality of conceptualizations” means not mentally perceiving conceptualizations. RK: avikalpo mārgaḥ| vikalpasamatām iti vikalpānām anupalabdhim.
618. According to Ratnākara (F.115.a), the path is “immeasurable.” From the perspective of “the true nature of things beyond measure” means because the meditative object is the true nature of things beyond measure. RK: aprameyo mārgaḥ| apramāṇadharmatām upādāye ti| apramāṇadharmatālambanatvāt.
619. According to Ratnākara (F.115.a), the path is “unattached.” The “nonattachment to all things” means the freedom from mental perceptions. RK: asaṅgo mārgaḥ| sarvadharmeṣv asaṅgatām iti nirupalambhatām.
620. According to Ratnākara (F.115.a), the five aspects concerning (the truth of) suffering are impermanent, suffering, empty, no-self, and lacking any characteristic. “The impermanent” are simply not permanent. Hence, “all things being unconditioned” means they do not arise in the manner they appear. RK: duḥkhe pañca-anitya-duḥkha-śūnya-anātma-lakṣaṇa| sāsravāḥ pañcaskandhā duḥkham| tad anityaṃ nityaṃ na bhavaty eveti | sarvadharmāṇām asaṃskṛtatām iti yathāpratibhāsam anutpannatām.
621. According to Ratnākara (F.115.a), “suffering” is (discerned in the noble truth of) suffering because, like space, it lacks the characteristic of happiness. RK: duḥkhaṃ duḥkhaṃ sukhavilakṣaṇatvād ākāśavat.
622. According to Ratnākara (F.115.a), the “empty” is (discerned in the noble truth of) suffering because nothing is mentally perceived. RK: śūnyaṃ duḥkhaṃ sarvadharmānupalabdheḥ.
623. According to Ratnākara (F.115.a), “no-self” is (discerned in the noble truth of) suffering because of the impossibility of fixating on anything. RK: anātmā duḥkhaṃ yathāpratibhāsaṃ sarvadharmeṣv abhiniveśāyogāt.
624. According to Ratnākara (F.115.a), “lacking any characteristic” is (discerned in the noble truth of) suffering because of the absence of the three characteristics of conditioned things, i.e., birth, aging, and impermanence. Things “not coming into being” means their being unconditioned in accordance with both their appearance and the ultimate reality. RK: trīṇi saṃskṛtalakṣaṇāni| jātir jarā ’nityatā ca| tadabhāvād alakṣaṇaṃ duḥkham| anabhinivṛttitām iti yathāpratibhāsaṃ yathāparamārthaṃ cāsaṃskṛtatām.
625. According to Ratnākara (F.115.a–b), there are sixteen aspects concerning (the truth of) cessation. To explain, cessation refers to mere “emptiness” that is pure. And emptiness is undivided, because there is no mental perception of any dividers. Thus, like space, (the truth of) cessation is “infinite and limitless.” The sixteen emptinesses, which are homogenous, are (listed) in order because they are delimited by stage and amplitude. For this reason, he says this sentence refers to the (sixteen emptinesses), from the transcendent state of internal emptiness, the transcendent state of external emptiness, and so on, up to transcendent state of the emptiness of the nature of nonexistence. For this reason, there are sixteen aspects in the truth of cessation. This ends the section on the aspects of (a bodhisattva’s) complete knowing of the path. RK: nirodhe ṣoḍaśa| tathā hi nirodhaḥ śūnyata iva viśuddhā| na ca śūnyatā bhidyate bhedakānām anupalabdheḥ| tasmād ākāśavad anantāparyanto nirodhaḥ| anukrameṇa vistāreṇa vā paricchedād yathākramaṃ tataḥ ṣoḍaśa śūnyatāḥ santy ekarasāḥ| ata āha| sarvaśūnyatāpāramiteyam anantāparyantatām upādāye ti| adhyātmaśūnyatāpāramiteyaṃ bahirdhāśūnyatāpāramiteyaṃ yāvad abhāvasvabhāvaśūnyatāpāramitetyādi| ataś ca nirodhasatye ṣoḍaśākārāḥ| iti mārgajñatākārāḥ.
626. According to Ratnākara (F.115.b), from this sentence mentioning the “applications of mindfulness” up to the end of the chapter, Subhūti speaks of the 110 aspects of (a buddha’s) complete knowing of all aspects (distinctly from those just mentioned). The total of 110 aspects known by (a buddha’s) knowing of all aspects (includes thirty-seven aspects of a disciple, thirty-four aspects of a bodhisattva, and thirty-nine aspects of a buddha, i.e., 37 + 34 + 39 = 110). Among these, the first are the thirty-seven “factors in awakening” (bodhipakṣadharma), which are subdivided into seven subgroups “beginning with the applications of mindfulness (smṛtyupasthānam) and so on.” Since these individually are not mentally perceived, they are called “transcendent states of” such and such (within the thirty-seven factors) because each of the transcendent states has that as its aspect. For details of the thirty-seven, see n.219. RK: sarvākārajñatākārāḥ daśottaraṃ śatam…tān adhikṛtya smṛtyupasthānā d ītyādikaṃ āparivartasamāpteḥ| smṛtyupasthānādibodhipakṣyadharma-pāramiteyam iti smṛtyupasthānādayaḥ saptavargā anekaśo vibhaktāḥ saptatriṃśadbodhipakṣyā dharmā bhavanti| pratyekaṃ teṣām anupalambhāt tadākārāḥ pāramitāḥ.
627. According to Ratnākara (F.115.b–16.a), it is the three “gateways to complete liberation”—namely, (1) the transcendent state of emptiness, (2) the transcendent state of the freedom from signs, and (3) the transcendent state of freedom from inclination—because these three are not mentally perceived. It is the “eight liberations”—namely, (1) the transcendent state of the first (subtle form) liberation, (2) the transcendent state of the second (formless) liberation, (3) the transcendent state of the bright liberation, (4) the transcendent state of liberation of the stage of limitless space, (5) the transcendent state of liberation of the stage of limitless consciousness, (6) the transcendent state of liberation of the stage of nothing whatsoever, (7) the transcendent state of liberation of the stage of neither conception nor no conception, and (8) the transcendent state of liberation of the stage of the cessation of feeling and conception—because these eight are not mentally perceived. RK: |de nas rnam par thar pa’i sgo gsum ni stong pa nyid kyi pha rol tu phyin pa dang| mtshan ma med pa’i pha rol tu phyin pa dang| smon pa med pa’i pha rol tu phyin pa yin te| rnam par thar pa’i sgo mi dmigs pa’i phyir ro| rnam par thar pa brgyad ni dang po’i rnam par thar pa’i pha rol tu phyin pa dang| gnyis pa’i rnam par thar pa’i pha rol tu phyin pa dang| sdug pa’i rnam par thar pa’i pha rol tu phyin pa dang| nam mkha’ mtha’ yas skye mched kyi rnam par thar pa’i pha rol tu phyin pa dang| rnam shes mtha’ yas skye mched kyi rnam par thar pa’i pha rol tu phyin pa dang| cung zad med pa’i skye mched kyi rnam par thar pa’i pha rol tu phyin pa dang| ’du shes med ’du shes med min skye mched kyi rnam par thar pa’i pha rol tu phyin pa dang| ’du shes dang tshor ba ’gog pa’i rnam par thar pa’i pha rol tu phyin pa yin te| rnam par thar pa brgyad mi dmigs pa’i phyir ro.
628. According to Ratnākara (F.116.a), it is the transcendent state of “the nine incremental states of abiding”— including (1–4) the transcendent states of abiding in the first through the fourth meditative states (dhyāna) in the subtle form realm (see n.381), and (5–9) the transcendent states of abiding in the stages of limitless space, limitless consciousness, nothing whatsoever, neither conception nor no conception, and the cessation of feeling and conception (see n.381)—because they too are not mentally perceived. RK: mthar gyis gnas pa’i snyoms par ’jug pa dgu ni de’i phyir bsam gtan dang po la gnas pa’i pha rol tu phyin pa nas bsam gtan bzhi pa la gnas pa’i pha rol tu phyin pa zhes bya ba’i bar dang| nam mkha’ mtha’ yas skye mched la gnas pa’i pha rol tu phyin pa nas ’du shes dang tshor ba ’gog pa la gnas pa’i pha rol tu phyin pa zhes bya ba yin te| bsam gtan dang po la sogs pa mi dmigs pa’i phyir ro.
629. According to Ratnākara (F.116.a), it is the transcendent state of the four noble truths—suffering, source, cessation, and path—because they are also not mentally perceived. RK: sdug bsngal gyi pha rol tu phyin pa dang| kun ’byung gi pha rol tu phyin pa dang| ’gog pa’i pha rol tu phyin pa dang| lam gyi pha rol tu phyin pa dang| bden pa bzhi mi dmigs pa’i phyir ro.
630. According to Ratnākara (F.116.a), this sentence refers to the transcendent states (associated with) the ten (levels of a bodhisattva)—namely, generosity, ethical discipline, tolerant acceptance, heroic perseverance, meditation, wisdom, skill in means, aspiration, strength, and knowledge—because nothing that runs contrary to them is mentally perceived. The last thirty-four aspects mentioned up to here concern those on the bodhisattva path. RK: pha rol tu phyin pa bcu ste| de’i phyir sbyin pa’i pha rol tu phyin pa nas thabs dang smon lam dang| stobs dang ye shes kyi pha rol tu phyin pa yin te| de dag gi mi mthun pa’i phyogs de mi dmigs pa’i phyir ro| |de ni byang chub sems dpa’i lam la gnas pa’i rnam pa sum cu rtsa bzhi’o.
631. According to Ratnākara (F.116.a), the “transcendent state of power” refers to the transcendent state of the ten powers, namely, from the transcendent state of the power of knowing what occurs and what cannot occur, up to the transcendent state of the power of knowing the extinction of worldly influences. The phrase “from the perspective of its inability to be harmed” (anavamṛdyatā) also signifies (a buddha’s) power. For the ten powers, see n.124. RK: |stobs kyi pha rol tu phyin pa ni stobs bcu ste de’i phyir gnas dang gnas ma yin pa mkhyen pa’i stobs kyi pha rol tu phyin pa nas zag pa zad pa mkhyen pa’i stobs kyi pha rol tu phyin pa’i bar du’o| |mi brdzi ba’i slad du’o zhes bya ba de ni yang stobs kyi don to. Note: The thirty-nine aspects of a buddha begins here, but Ratnākara only mentions this at the end of the chapter.
632. According to Ratnākara (F.116.a–b), the “transcendent state of self-confidence” has four aspects: (1) the transcendent state of self-confidence of being perfectly awake, (2) the transcendent state of self-confidence that all worldly influences are extinguished, (3) the transcendent state of self-confidence about things leading beyond cyclic existence, and (4) the transcendent state of self-confidence about the things impeding awakening. “Absolutely not being deflated” means self-confident. (Note: Elsewhere the third and fourth are in reverse order.) RK: |mi ’jigs pa’i pha rol tu phyin pa ni rnam pa bzhi ste| mngon par rdzogs par byang chub pa la mi ’jigs pa’i pha rol tu phyin pa dang| zag pa zad pa la mi ’jigs pa’i pha rol tu phyin pa dang| nges par ’byung ba’i chos rnams la mi ’jigs pa’i pha rol tu phyin pa dang| bar du gcod pa’i chos rnams la mi ’jigs pa’i pha rol tu phyin pa’i shin tu ma zhum pa zhes bya ba ni mi ’jigs pa’i don to.
633. According to Ratnākara (F.116.b), the “transcendent state of the types of experiential knowledge” are (1) the transcendent state of the experiential knowledge of things (dharma), (2) the transcendent state of the experiential knowledge of meanings (artha), (3) the transcendent state of the experiential knowledge of terminological interpretation (nirukti), and (4) the transcendent state of the experiential knowledge of illuminating (pratibhāna). The things, meanings, terms, and illumination are both understood and known experientially. “The lack of attachments or grudges” (pratighātitā) means having the power to not be attached or angry, which is the meaning of the “experiential knowledge.” RK: |so so yang dag par rig pa ni chos so so yang dag par rig pa’i pha rol tu phyin pa dang| don so so yang dag par rig pa’i pha rol tu phyin pa dang| nges pa’i tshig so so yang dag par rig pa’i pha rol tu phyin pa dang| spobs pa so so yang dag par rig pa’i pha rol tu phyin pa’o| |chos thams cad dang| don dang| nges pa’i tshig dang| spobs pa rnams shes shing yang dag par rig pa’o| |de la chags pa med pa dang| thogs pa med pa zhes bya ba ni de la chags pa med pa dang| thogs pa med par nus pa’o| |de ni so so yang dag par rig pa’i don to.
634. According to Ratnākara (F.116.b), this refers to the transcendent state of the eighteen distinctive qualities of a buddha. They are “distinctive” because these qualities are not shared by others. They are “transcendent states” because they have these qualities as their aspects. The transcendent states of a buddha’s eighteen distinctive qualities are (1–3) the three transcendent states of freedom from error, from useless speech, and from memory failures; (4–6) the three transcendent states of freedom from an unconcentrated mindset, from conceiving differences, and from unconsidered indifference; (7–12) the six transcendent states of freedom from waning interest, heroic deeds, mindfulness, concentration, wisdom, and liberation; (13–15) the three transcendent states in which all his physical, verbal, and mental activities are accompanied and preceded by awareness; and (16–18) the three transcendent states in which his seeing and being aware of the past, present, and future are unattached and unhindered. In the phrase “having transcended quantification” the word “quantification” means thinking about what it is like. That he has transcended such thinking indicates something unshared with others (i.e., something distinctive to a buddha). Note: see also note 120. RK: sangs rgyas kyi chos ma ’dres pa thams cad kyi pha rol tu phyin pa zhes bya ba la| sangs rgyas kyi chos kyang yin la ma ’dres pa yang yin pas na| sangs rgyas kyi chos ma ’dres pa’ o| |gzhan dag dang thun mong ma yin pa’i phyir de ni sangs rgyas kyi chos ma ’dres pa’o| |thams cad kyang yin la sangs rgyas kyi chos ma ’dres pa thams cad do| sangs rgyas kyi chos ma ’dres pa bco brgyad ces bya ba’i don to| |de dag gi rnam pa nyid kyi phyir pha rol tu phyin pa’o| |’di lta ste| ’khrul pa med pa dang| ca co med pa dang| dran pa nyams pa med pa zhes bya ba pha rol tu phyin pa gsum dang| thugs mnyam par ma bzhag pa mi mnga’ ba dang| tha dad pa’i ’du shes mi mnga’ ba dang| so sor ma brtags pa’i btang snyoms mi mnga’ ba’i pha rol tu phyin pa gsum dang| ’dun pa dang| brtson ’grus dang| dran pa dang| ting nge ’dzin dang| shes rab dang| rnam par grol ba nyams pa mi mnga’ ba’i pha rol tu phyin pa drug dang| lus dang ngag dang| yid kyi las thams cad ye shes sngon du ’gro zhing ye shes kyi rjes su ’brang ba gsum dang| dus gsum thams cad la ma chags ma thogs pa’i ye shes ’jug pa’i pha rol tu phyin pa gsum ste de ni sangs rgyas kyi chos ma ’dres pa bco brgyad kyi pha rol tu phyin pa’o| |bgrang ba’i tshul las shin tu ’das pa zhes bya ba la ’dra bar sems pa ni bgrang ba’o| |de’i tshul ni ldan pa ste ’dres pa’o| |de las shin tu ’das pa ni ’das pa ste| de ni ma ’dres pa’i don to.
635. The point in this sentence revolves around the similar Sanskrit etymology of the words “as they are” (tathā), “actual nature” (tathatā), and “actualized one” (tathāgata), and the relationship between dharma as “teaching” and “things” as well as dharmatā as “true nature”—all of which are difficult to explain in translation. Briefly, according to Ratnākara (F.116.b–17.a), since the Tathāgata taught the way things are in reality, he is the Tathāgata (viz. he who realized the way things are). His actual nature (viz. being the way things are) is the nature of the Tathāgata (viz. the nature of realizing the way things are), because his nature is that transcendent state. “All the teachings” (sarvadharma) here means the Buddha’s teachings. Their nature is “nonfalse” because they are only true. RK: ji lta ba’i chos de kho na bzhin du gsungs pas na de bzhin gshegs pa’o| |de’i de bzhin nyid ni de bzhin gshegs pa nyid de de’i ngo bo nyid de ni pha rol tu phyin pa’o| |chos thams cad ni sangs rgyas thams cad kyi bka’o| |de dag gis ma log pa de bzhin nyid ni bden pa nyid kyi phyir ro. According to Hari (456), regarding the phrase “the actual nature of the Tathagāta,” it is “from the perspective of their not being false”—i.e., because no characteristic or meaning was lacking—in all the teachings taught by the Tathāgata that there is a single aspect of the actual nature taught by all the buddhas. Hari: tathāgatatathate ti sarvasya dharmasya buddhair bhagavadbhir bhāṣitasya lakṣaṇārthāvaikṛtyād avitathatām upādāya sarvabuddhabhāṣitatathatākāra ekaḥ.
636. According to Hari (456), “from the perspective of all things lacking inherent nature,” i.e., because the realization of that is not dependent on anything else, the single aspect of “self-existence” belongs to those who are not subject to (i.e., independent of) all things. Hari: svayambhūpāramiteyam iti sarvadharmāsvabhāvatām upādāya tadadhigamasyāparapratyayatvāt sarvadharmavaśavartina svayambhvākāra ekaḥ. Note: Ratnākara’s (F.117.a) comments here are not translated because they interweave Sanskrit grammatical principles and etymological glosses with hermeneutics aimed at justifying his own philosophical viewpoint against Haribhadra’s interpretation, and too much background would be necessary to explain them.
637. According to Ratnākara (F.117.a), “knowing of someone who has complete knowing” is a synonym of buddhahood. For this reason, (the corresponding passages of) the large (25,000- and 100,000-line) Transcendent State of Wisdom scriptures conclude instead by referring to buddhahood rather than the words “knowing of someone who has complete knowing” (see the Twenty-Five Thousand, 29.91, and Hundred Thousand, <ref [end ch. 29] nya, F.348.a>). Regarding the phrase “the complete knowing of all aspects of all things,” we should understand it to mean “the complete knowing of” the nature of all things and “all the aspects of” the nature of “all things.” “From the perspective of its complete knowing” means from the perspective of its very nature. These thirty-nine aspects of someone abiding on the path of a buddha are the aspects known by the complete knowing. If one combines these (thirty-nine) aspects (with the thirty-seven aspects of the fruition of a disciple and the thirty-four aspects of the fruition of a bodhisattva), then it makes these 110 aspects known by (a buddha’s) knowing of all aspects. However, in the three types of complete knowing (i.e., that of buddha with 110 aspects, of a bodhisattva with 36 aspects, and a worthy one (arhat) with 27 aspects), there are a total of 173 (for details see Brunnhölzl 2011, vol. 2, pp. 296–7). RK: thams cad mkhyen pa’i ye shes ni sangs rgyas nyid ces bya ste don gcig go| |de’i phyir yum chen mo dag las sangs rgyas nyid kyi rnam pa zhes tha mar gsungs so| |’dir ni rnam pa thams cad mkhyen pa’i pha rol tu phyin pa’o zhes bstan te| |chos thams cad kyi ngo bo nyid dang| rnam pa thams cad ni chos thams cad kyi ngo bo nyid kyi rnam pa thams cad do| |de dag mkhyen pa ni de’i ngo bo ste| de nyid de de’i slad du’o| |sangs rgyas kyi lam la brten pa sum cu rtsa dgu ni rnam pa thams cad mkhyen pa’i rnam pa’o| |rnam kun mkhyen nyid rnam pa la| |gcig tu bsdus na brgya dang bcu|| thams cad mkhyen nyid rnam gsum la| |brgya dang bdun cu rtsa gsum mo.
638. The beginning of this chapter corresponds to the beginning of chapter 30 in the Twenty-Five Thousand and Hundred Thousand, and of chapter 39 in the Eighteen Thousand.
639. According to Hari (245), the “actual nature” (tathatvam) means the nature (bhāva) as it is (tathā), in the sense of not being otherwise. (This interpretation holds true even though the Sanskrit reads as adjectival tatha instead of adverbial tathā). The three verbs “training,” “progressing,” and “engaging in meditation” are all to be described at the level of preliminary practice with that (actual nature) as the motivating factor. Hari: tathatvāya śikṣiṣyanta ityādi. tathābhāvas tathatvam ananyathārthena. ata eva nirdeśādd hrasvatvaṃ, tannimittaṃ śikṣiśyanta ityādipadatrayaṃ prayogādyavasthāsu vācyaṃ. According to Ratnākara (F.117.b), “training” means through tranquility (shamatha); “progressing” means through extraordinary insight (vipaśyanā; lhag mthong); and “engaging in meditation” means through tranquility and extraordinary insight together. RK: de bzhin nyid du slob pa dang zhes bya ba ni zhi gnas kyis so| |bsgrub pa dang zhes bya ba ni lhag mthong gis so| |rnal ’byor du byed pa zhes bya ba ni zhi gnas dang lhag mthong gis so. Note: The translation “to attain the actual nature” (instead of the more fluid “to actualize it”) has been used so that, in accordance with the commentators, readers can connect this discourse about tathatvam and tathatā, both of which are translated “actual nature.” Cf. Macdonell, p. 189, where the dative case “for” can be interpreted to mean “to attain” and hence the translation “train to attain the actual nature” or “train to actualize it.” Cf. also PTSD sikkhati + dat., “train oneself for the purpose of…”. BHSD vinayāya sikkhati, “train oneself to give up.”
640. According Hari (245), “closely attend” means by donating to the tathāgatas’ retinues, by listening to what they taught, and through offerings to venerate them. (Hari also comments on why the Sanskrit compound word should be understood the way it is translated above). Hari: tathāgataparyupāsitā iti tāthāgatāḥ parivārapradānena taduktaśravaṇena ca pūjādibhiś ca paryupāsitā yais te tathoktāḥ. niṣṭhāntaṃ pūrvaṃ nipatatīti vyabhicāralakṣaṇatvāt paryupāsita śabdasya na pūrva nipātaḥ.
641. Regarding the immediately subsequent usage of these terms, according to Ratnākara (F.118.a) “ask” means questioning all points about which they are uncertain; “fully pursue their questions” means doing the same with regard to all answers (to those previous questions) about which they are uncertain. RK: |yongs su dris pa dang| yongs su dri bar bgyis pa zhes bya ba ni the tshom gyi gnas thams cad yongs su dris pa dang| gang gis the tshom gyi lan de byas pas ni yongs su dris par byas pa’o.
642. Ratnākara suggests here that the problem is not just that these people lack faith, etc., but actually that they have faith and so on in the opposite of what the transcendent state of wisdom is teaching. That is to say, according to Ratnākara (F.118.a), their “faith” is believing in a false nature (vitathatā); their “acceptance” involves a wish to grasp that; their “predilection” is a wish to not let go; their “appetite” is a desire to listen to words and meanings; their “verve” is enthusiasm (for that); their “care” is for merit to serve as an antidote for attachment, aggression, confusion, and laziness; their “firm conviction” is in an objective reality (dngos po) established by direct perception, inference, and scriptural authority that they can grasp, saying, “It is this way and cannot be any other way.” RK: |de kho na nyid ma yin par yang dag par yid ches pa ni dad pa’o| ’dzin par ’dod pa ni bzod pa’o| spong bar mi ’dod pa ni sred pa| tshig dang don nyan par ’dod pa ni ’dun pa’o| brtson ’grus ni spro ba’o| |dge ba’i rtsa ba’i bar du gcod pa chags pa dang| zhe sdang dang| gti mug dang| le lo’i gnyen po ni bag yod pa’o| |mngon sum dang| rjes su dpag pa dang| yid ches pa’i lung gis nges pa’i dngos po la ’di nyid yin gyi gzhan du ni ma yin no zhes nges par ’dzin pa ni mos pa’o| |mi ’phrogs pa’i rten byed pa’i las can te| de gtso bor byed pa ni pha rol rgol ba la sogs pas mi ’phrogs pa’i phyir ro.
643. According to Ratnākara (F.118.a), the point of the homage is to demonstrate the mutual causality of the transcendent state of wisdom and the knowing of someone who has complete knowing, because that transcendent state of wisdom is difficult to obtain. RK: shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa dang thams cad mkhyen pa phan tshun rgyu nyid du nges par bstan pa la phyag bya ba’i don te de ni rnyed par dka’ ba nyid do. According to Hari (463), since buddhahood is attained by repeatedly practicing the transcendent state of wisdom at the level of a bodhisattva, the “state of complete knowing” is (said to be) “born from” it. Since “the transcendent state of wisdom” shines forth at the level of buddhahood in order to tame beings, the transcendent state of wisdom is (said to be) manifested by “the knowing of someone who has complete knowing.” Given that they are related as cause and effect in this way, when one pays homage to the transcendent state of wisdom, one pays homage to the knowing of someone who has complete knowing. Hari: bodhisattvāvasthāyāṃ mātur abhyāsena buddhatvaprāptes tataḥ sarvajñatā nirjātā, buddhatvāvasthāyāṃ vineyebhyaḥ prajñāpāramitāprakāśanāt sarvajñajñāna prabhāvitā ca prajñāpāramit ety evaṃ hetuphalasambandhāt prajñāpāramitānamaskāre sarvajñajñānasya namaskāraḥ.
644. According to Hari (463), “one should go about life in the transcendent state of wisdom” by means of one’s knowing consisting in its study, contemplation, and cultivation. These steps should be, respectively, connected with the three subsequent verbs (i.e., “dwell” in it, “progress” in it, and “engage” in meditation in it). Hari: śrutacintābhāvanāmayajñānair yathākramaṃ prajñāpāramitāyāṃ caritavyam ityādipadatrayaṃ yojyaṃ.
645. According to Ratnākara (F.118.a), when it says he or she “does not dwell on physical forms” and so on, it means he or she does not fixate on them. Since a bodhisattva “engages in meditation” aimed at not dwelling on those physical forms and so on, he or she arrives at the engagement in meditation, that is to say, he or she engages in (the true) meditation on physical forms and so on. RK: |gzugs mi gnas so zhes bya ba la sogs pa ni bshad pa ste mngon par zhen pa zhes bya ba’i don to| |gang gi phyir mi gnas pa de’i phyir rnal ’byor du byed pa ni sbyor ba thob pa’o| |de ni gzugs la sogs pa la mi gnas pa la sbyor ba’o.
646. According to Hari (467), “What fault might there be?” asks the question “Which of the many faults, such as worry, doubt, and so on, could there be?” Hari: ko doṣa iti katamaḥ kāṅkṣādidoṣaḥ syāt.
647. According to Hari (468), since someone not frightened and so on (by hearing the transcendent state of wisdom) must possess the gotra (innate disposition, potential, or nature) of a bodhisattva, the Buddha’s reply suggests that “there will be no fault.” Hari: gotrasāmarthyād anutrāsādir ato na kaścid ity āha: dūrata ityādi.
648. According to Ratnākara (F.120.b), the word “resistant” means averse toward it, and “agitated” means recoiling from it. RK: |mi mthun pa zhes bya ba ni rgyab kyis phyogs pa’o| |g.yos par ’gyur ro zhes bya ba ni ldog par ’gyur ba’o.
649. According to Ratnākara (F.120.b), “approach” means apply themselves in a way that leads to it; “trust in” means without concepts. In this way, (this passage explains that) the practice of an irreversible (bodhisattva) involves the mindset approaching and trusting in the pinnacle of reality. RK: |rab tu ’jug pa’i zhes y aba ni ’jug pa’i tshul gyis sbyor bar byed pa’o| |rtog pa med pa ni rab y aba pa’o| |de ltar sems rab tu ’jug pa dang| rab y aba pa ste ’di ni phyir mi ldog pa’i sbyor ba’o.
650. According to Ratnākara (F.120.b), “agitated” means anxious. RK: bskyod na zhes y aba ni skyo ba’o…
651. According to Hari (475), she feels a “heaviness” in the womb because of the time to give birth being close. Her body “is agitated” because of its distention; “on account of not previously paying proper heed” means on account of engaging in sexual intercourse; the three descriptions “indulged sexually,” “had intercourse,” and “became engrossed” respectively refer to the preliminary, main, and subsequent stages (of her sexual activity); “did it repeatedly” means because of revisiting it constantly again and again. She is experiencing “such” unbearable “physical discomfort.” The word “considers” is supplied here (as it is implied by the Sanskrit grammar). Hari: āsannaprasavakālatvād gurugarbhā. aṅgavijṛmbhaṇād veṣṭate. paurvakeṇāyoniśomanasikāreṇa grāmyadharmapratisaṃyuktena, prayogamaulapṛṣṭhāvasthāsu yathākramam āsevitena niṣevitena bhāvitena, sarvatra punaḥpunar āmukhīkaraṇād bahulīkṛtene māṃ vartamānām evaṃrūpām asahyāṃ kāyena vedanāṃ duḥkham anubhavāmī ti cintayatīti śeṣaḥ. According to Ratnākara (F.120.b), why she does not feel like being intimate is explained in the next sentence. The phrase “on account of not previously paying proper heed” means due to her causal thought (which led to her sexual activity) being tinged by desire. She “indulged sexually” because she nurtured that desire. She “had intercourse” means she acted upon her desire. She “became engrossed” because she consummated it. She “did it repeatedly” because she did all that the same way over and over. RK: |ji ltar ’grogs pa la dad che bar mi ’gyur zhe na| sngon gyi tshul bzhin zhes bya ba la sogs pa gsungs so| |tshul bzhin ma yin pa’i yid la byed pa zhes bya ba ni ’dod chags dang bcas pa’i rgyu’i rnam par rtog pa’o| kun du bstan pa zhes bya ba ni de bskyed pa’i phyir ro| |nges par bstan pa zhes bya ba ni ’dod chags la spyod pa’o| |bsgoms pa zhes bya ba ni yang dag par phrad pa’i phyir ro| |mang du byas pas zhes bya ba ni yang dang yang du de ltar byed pa’i phyir ro.
652. The phrase translated “with completely matured roots of virtue” (dge ba’i rtsa ba yongs su smin pa) appears in the Tibetan (F.121.b) but is lacking in the Sanskrit text.
653. According to Hari (475), after the words “how well…” (Subhūti describes) the support of a master/protector’s assistance and so on. It is “wonderful” because the Blessed One “supports the bodhisattvas” well and “protects them” well through foreordination and so on after they enter the stages and perfection practices, and he “provides for them” well by assigning them virtuous friends. Also, the wonder is that, out of compassion toward all, he assists beings differently in each case by (providing) positive conditions appropriate for those with distinct dispositions. Hari: yāvad vacanena sanāthā ityādiparigrahaḥ. yasmād vyākaraṇādibhir bhūmiṣu pāramitāsu ca niveśanāt suparigṛhītāḥ suparīttāś ca, kalyāṇamitrapratyarpaṇāc ca suparīnditā bhagavatā bodhisattvās tasmād āścaryaṃ. sarvaviṣayatve ’pi kṛpāyā viśiṣṭāśayasampattibhavyatābalena pratiniyatajanānugraho vismayaḥ.
654. According to Hari (477), in this sentence he explains the positive conditions for those with distinct dispositions. It says they have practiced (a) for beings’ “welfare” (hita) because of bringing benefit in the future, (b) for their “happiness” (sukha) because of bringing benefit in the present, and (c) “being sympathetic to the world” because of making efforts to increase virtuous tendencies and decrease nonvirtuous tendencies created in the past. This all is connected to Subhūti’s previous statement. Hari: viśiṣṭāśayasampattim evāha tathā hī tyādinā. anāgatasambandhenārthakāritvād bahujanahitāya pratipannāḥ. vartamānakālatayedānīm arthakaraṇād bahujanasukhāya, atītakālasambandhena kṛtānāṃ kuśalākuśalavāsanānāṃ yathākramaṃ vivṛddhaye parihāṇaye vā yatnakaraṇāl lokānukampāyai pratipannā iti pūrveṇa sambandhaḥ.
655. According to Ratnākara (F.121.a), here “any thing” or “any nonthing” refers to any things that are virtuous, nonvirtuous, indeterminate, and so on. “He or she does not identify” even them. RK: chos dang chos ma yin pa ni mtshon pa ste| dge ba dang mi dge ba dang| lung du ma bstan pa la sogs pa’i chos rnams kyang yang dag par rjes su mi mthong.
656. According to Hari (478), the first question is about gaining the nature of “someone who has gone about that life.” The second question is about gaining the designation of “someone who has gone about that life.” The Blessed One replies in the following sentence. Hari: kathaṃ bhagavaṃś caritāvī bodhisattvo mahāsattvo bhavatīti svarūpalābhapraśnaṃ kathaṃ caritāvītināmadheyaṃ labhata ity anvarthasaṃjñālābhapraśnaṃ ca pariharann āha: iha śāriputre tyādi. Note the “that” in the translation “someone who has gone about that life” (caritāvī) has been added, because the connotation of the Sanskrit term is akin to saying “someone who has lived the life” almost in the sense of “someone who has lived a holy life.”
657. According to Ratnākara (F.121.a), the word “even” is meant to imply (if this thing is not even imagined, then) “how much more could be said about other things.” RK: kyang gi sgra ni chos gzhan rnams lta ci smos zhes pa’o.
658. According to Ratnākara (F.121.a), the “treasure” refers to the fruition, because the transcendent state of wisdom is the cause of everything from attaining perfect awakening up to setting in motion the wheel of Dharma teachings. Hence, this sentence refers to the practice that bestows the treasure of such fruits. RK: |bcom ldan ’das shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa ni rin po che’i phung po’o zhes bya ba ni ’bras bu rin po che ni yang dag par rdzogs pa’i byang chub nas| chos kyi ’khor lo bskor ba’i bar gyi rgyu yin pa’i phyir| ’di ni ’bras bu rin po che sbyin par byed pa’i sbyor ba’o. According to Hari (479), the transcendent state of wisdom is “profound” because it is an antidote in which there is no identity of things or persons. This being so, the transcendent state of wisdom is a “treasure trove” because it bestows the treasure of the fruitions—beginning with entering the stream up to unsurpassed, perfect awakening—upon those who do the preliminary practices that bestow the treasure of such fruitions by proceeding to the first fruit through the path of seeing and so on. Hari: dharmapudgalanairātmyapratipakṣatvena gambhīrā satī prathamaphaladarśanādipratipattyā phalaratnadānaprayogavatāṃ srotāapattyādyanuttarasamyaksambodhiphalaratnasya dātrītvād ratnarāśiḥ.
659. According to Ratnākara (F.121.a), this sentence refers to the practice that is pure, because of seeing the space-like purity of those very fruits (i.e., the “treasure” in the previous sentence). RK: teṣām eva phalānām ākāśa vadviśuddhidarśanād iti śuddhakaḥ prayogaḥ|| Hari: ākāśa syeva śuddhatām upādāya. According to Hari (479), the transcendent state of wisdom is a “pure trove, because of its space-like purity,” insofar as it causes those who do the preliminary practices to eliminate the cognitive and emotionally defiling obscurations, by cultivating the purity of physical form and so on. Hari: rūpādiviśuddhibhāvanayā tatprayogavatāṃ kleśajñeyāvaraṇaprahāṇahetutvena śuddharāśiḥ.
660. According to Hari (479), it is “surprising” that obstacles can arise even though it is extremely powerful. Hari: mahānubhāvatve ’py antarāyasambhava ity āścaryaṃ.
661. The next sentence begins to describe the positive qualities gained through practice, i.e., the third subtopic within the Ornament’s fourth topic.
662. The phrase “speaking about it” (bhāṣyamāṇām) appears first in this line of verbs in the Sanskrit edition. But since it seems to come out of nowhere and since there is no equivalent in Tibetan, the phrase is not included in the main text and only noted here.
663. In this paragraph, the English translation has omitted a refrain describing the activities by those bodhisattvas in the future, because all these activities are implied in the past tense description and, if repeated twice, the comprehensibility of the passage would be undermined. Note: Although “taken in” (udgrahya) is missing in the Skt. and Tib., it is included it here with the assumption that it was probably omitted due to a simple scribal eye skip.
664. According to Hari (486), the “toil” is writing out the transcendent state of wisdom. The “mental exertion” is chanting and remembering it. Hari: sa pariśrama iti tallikhanaṃ. parispanda iti dhāraṇavācane. According to Ratnākara (F.122.a), it will be “extremely effective” in terms of the stages of a bodhisattva in the future; “extremely beneficial” in terms of the positive conditions for a bodhisattva; “extremely fruitful” after unsurpassed awakening; and “extremely rewarding” in terms of the positive conditions in their last rebirth according to family, genetic dispositions, and so on. Their “toil” means their exhaustion. Their “mental exertion” means applying themselves. RK: mahārthika āyatyāṃ bodhisattvabhūmibhiḥ| mahānuśaṃso bodhisattvasampattibhiḥ| mahāphalaḥ paścād anuttarāyā bodhyāḥ| mahāvipākaḥ caramabhavabhāvinībhiḥ kulagotralakṣaṇādisampattibhiḥ| pariśramaḥ klamathaḥ| parispando vyāpāraḥ| iti mahārthatādiguṇaḥ.
665. According to Hari (486), the meaning here is that the transcendent state of wisdom is primarily beneficial because sentient beings attend to it—through listening to it and so on—in order to gain insight into the true nature of everything through the gateway of everything lacking inherent nature. Hari: yasmāt sarvadharmanaiḥsvābhāvyamukhena dharmāṇāṃ tattvaprativedhāya śravaṇādikrameṇa pratyupasthitā tasmāt tasyā evānuśāṃso mukhyata ity arthaḥ.
666. According to Ratnākara (122.a–b), the next passage is taught because—insofar as the Blessed One taught the Dharma in the sixteen major cities of the central region—someone might wonder how it came to “spread.” Understand here that “fresh essence (navamaṇḍa < abhinavasāra) has been obtained” by those disciples to be tamed. The phrase “fresh essence has been obtained” is an adjectival compound that modifies “Dharma and Vinaya.” This scripture can be described as “Dharma and Vinaya” because it is both “Dharma”—insofar as it is the Dharma qua teaching (rather than Dharma qua realization)—and “Vinaya” (lit. “guiding” or “taming”), insofar as it tames the emotional defilements. Once the Blessed One has passed into nirvāṇa, the genuine Dharma is to remain in the world for five thousand years. “The time when the genuine Dharma disappears” is after that. The phrase “in the period before” means as that time is drawing nearer. RK: nanu madhyadeśe ṣoḍaśeṣu mahānagareṣu bhagavatā dharmo deśitaḥ| tasya kathaṃ tato ’nyatra pracāra ityata āha| navamaṇḍa ityādi| navamaṇḍo ’bhinavaḥ sāraḥ| sa prāpto vineyair asyeti tathokte dharmavinaye | dharmaś cāsau deśanādharmatvād vinayaś ca kleśavinayād iti dharmavinayaḥ | bhagavati parinirvṛte saddharmasya loke ’vasthānaṃ pañcavarṣasahasrāṇi tato ’ntardhānakālaḥ| tatsamaye sannidhāne. According to Hari (487), the meaning to be expressed is “like fresh essence” (navamaṇḍa iva < abhinavasāra iva). This is “obtained” by these and those Dharma teachers. Although this phrase comes after the main verb, it should be connected to the main clause, “the scriptures will spread” (i.e., Hari is explaining how to make sense of the awkward Sanskrit syntax). Hari: navamaṇḍaprāpta iti navamaṇḍa ivābhinavasāra ivābhidheye ’rthe taistair dharmabhāṇakaiḥ prāpte sati pracariṣyanti sūtrāntā iti pūrveṇa sambandhaḥ. Note: This translation follows Ratnākara and the Tib. shA ri’i bu yang pha rol tu phyin pa drug dang ldan pa’i mdo sde ’di dag ni de bzhin gshegs pa ’das nas kyang dam pa’i chos ’jig pa’i dus kyi tshe chos ’dul ba snying po sar pa thob pa na lho phyogs su ’byung bar ’gyur ro | | lho phyogs nas kyang bar ta nir ’byung bar ’gyur ro | | bar ta ni nas yang byang phyogs su ’byung ste.
667. According to Ratnākara (122.b), the precise location of its spread is delimited from other regions by the phrase “in the northern region” and from other parts of that by the phrase “in the northern part.” “Widespread” means it spread widely. It says there will be (first) “many,” referring to a small faction of followers, (and second) “a great many,” meaning (that the small faction) is to increase to a majority. “Nevertheless” implies even though. (Ratnākara interjects here that the other following words are easy to understand so he will not further comment upon them, but the following sentence connects the dots in the entire passage to this point.) Up to here, the decline in the teaching is explained in terms of four factors: (1) the passing away of the Blessed One, (2) the extraction of the essence, (3) descending toward the time of the Dharma’s disappearance, and (4) the timeliness for passing on the Dharma. Nevertheless, contingent upon the above four factors, the teachings will be passed on. Hence, these qualities are contingencies for the teachings (to spread). RK: uttarasyāṃ diśī ti digantarāṇāṃ vyavacchedaḥ| uttare digbhāga iti| tasyā api bhāgāntarāṇāṃ, vistāreṇa caratīti vaistārikī| uttarāpatha iti vacanaṃ dakṣiṇāpathā der vyavacchedāya| bahava ity alpakapakṣyasya subahava iti bahutvaprakarṣāya| kiñcāpī ti yady api| śeṣaṃ subodham| atra caturbhiḥ kāraṇaiḥ śāsanāpacaya uktaḥ| bhagavato ’tyayena| navamaṇḍaprāptatvena antardhānakālasannipātena pravartakālyatvena ca| tathāpi śāsanaṃ tān avalaṃbya pravartiṣyata iti śāsanāvalambatvaguṇaḥ.
668. According to Ratnākara (122.b), “the ethical disciplines” is a plural word meant to imply “and so on.” Thus, the meaning here is “the ethical discipline and so on” (i.e., meditation and wisdom are also implied). RK: śīleṣv iti bahuvacanam ādyarthaṃ śīlādiṣv ity arthaḥ.
669. According to Hari (490), he asks rhetorically “How will this be so?” because these bodhisattvas will have forgotten hearing this teaching as they are attaining the stage of a buddha. Then, he addresses this qualm in the following sentence. Hari: vismṛtabuddhabhūmiprāpakadharmaśravaṇāḥ katham anuttarāṃ bodhim ārabhyārthakāriṇa iti tat kasya hetor ity āśaṅkyāha: tathā hi teṣām ityādi.
670. According to Ratnākara (F.122.b), they will do “the practices,” i.e., preliminary practices, “even in future lives,” i.e., even as they go beyond this life and the next. Being “zealous” about that teaching means being passionate about it. RK: jātivyativṛttānām apī ti tāṃ taduttarāṃ ca jātim atikrāntānām api samudācārāḥ prayogāḥ| abhinandanam abhilāṣaḥ.
671. According to Hari (491), the phrase “resolved about those practices” means well established in them. They will “not be able to be broken,” i.e., they will not be able to be prevented from awakening, because they will have developed the quality of unbreakabilty due to attaining the causes such as the Tathāgata’s protection (as explained earlier by Hari). Hari: samudācāreṣu teṣu vyavasthitāḥ, na śakyā bhedayitum iti tathāgataānāthyakaraṇalābhenābhedyatāguṇotpatter bhedayituṃ bodher nivartayitum āśakyāḥ.
672. According to Ratnākara (F.123.a), “due to their aspirations or mantras” means due to (evil) prayers or magic spells. RK: chandato mantrato ve ti| abhiprāyeṇābhicārena vā. Hari explains that the phrase “due to their aspirations or mantras” (as translated from Sanskrit here) can be interpreted in two opposite ways, depending, it seems, on whether the “aspirations or mantras” belong to the bodhisattvas or to their enemies. According to Hari (491), the phrase “due to aspirations” means due to wishes held for or against the Mahāyāna scriptures. Regarding the phrase “due to mantras,” some scholars claim that it means that those bodhisattvas are not able to be broken because of their own repeated practice of reciting mantras and its many benefits, namely, “It is due to mantras that gods protect, that the mind turns toward virtue, and that illnesses, untimely deaths, and misfortunes are destroyed.” Other scholars claim that the phrase “due to mantras” means that the pernicious Māra cannot turn bodhisattvas back from the transcendent state of wisdom by any means, i.e., by force of magical potions and mantras (viz. evil incantations). Hari: chandata iti sūtrāntamahāyānābhilāṣataḥ. mantrata iti rakṣanti devatā mantraiḥ kuśale vartate manaḥ vyādhayo ’kālamṛtyuś ca daurbhāgyaṃ ca praṇaśyatīti bahvanuśaṃsān mantracaryābhyāsāc ca bhedayituṃ na śakyanta ity eke. māreṇa pāpīyasā sarvaprakāreṇauṣadhīsāmarthyān mantrasāmarthyāc ca prajñāpāramitāto nivartayitum aśakyā ity apare. Note: in Ratnākara above, the Sanskrit MS reading (N92-59b, line 2) has been emended from vyavacanena to abhicārena, but P. Jaini emends it to vyavacāraneṇa.
673. According to Hari (491), “enthusiasm” that seeks something beyond this world; “trust” that is founded in the Buddha, Dharma, and Saṅgha; “delight” that, according to sacred texts, indicates the purity of one’s mindset. Hari: tatra prītir yā lokottaradharmaparyeṣṭiḥ. prasādo buddhadharmasaṃghāśrayaḥ. prāmodyaṃ yā śuddhatā cittasyety ārṣam.
674. According to Ratnākara (F.123.a), we will help them “set out” for it by just going forth (on to the path) and “prevail in it” due achieving a superior state through cultivating it. We will help them “become established in it” means will make them become steadfast in it. RK: prasthāpayiṣyāma iti prasthānamātreṇa| samprabhāvayiṣyāma iti bhāvanāprakarṣasaṃpādanāt| pratiṣṭhāpayiṣyāma iti sthirīkariṣyāmaḥ.
675. According to Hari (493), they will have “extraordinarily firm conviction” because, through their belief in the extraordinary, profound meaning, they will take hold of the extraordinary fruits. Hari: udārādhimuktikā iti gambhīrodārārthādhimokṣeṇodāraphalaparigrahād udārādhimuktikāḥ. According to Ratnākara (F.123.a), regarding them having “extraordinarily firm conviction,” we can abbreviate and state what is said in the two large scriptures on the transcendent state of wisdom this way: “They come to have extraordinarily firm conviction. After they bestow extraordinary gifts in (the form of) sights, sounds, scents, flavors, textures, and mental qualities, they accumulate extraordinary roots of virtue. Then, after they reap the extraordinary fruits, they come to reap fruit after fruit for the sake of sentient beings” (see the Twenty-Five Thousand, 30.74). Thus, this sentence ends the short section on the quality of reaping extraordinary fruit. RK: udārādhimuktikā bhaviṣyantī ti| yathoktaṃ mahatyos tad eva saṃkṣipya brūmaḥ| “te khalu udārādhimuktikā bhaviṣyanti| rūpaśabdagandharasasparśadharmeṣu ta udārāṇi dānāni datvā udārāṇi kuśalamūlāny abhisaṃskṛtya udāraṃ vipākaṃ parigṛhya sattvānām arthāya vipākād vipākaṃ parigṛhīṣyanti” iti udāraphalaparigrahaguṇaḥ.
676. According to Ratnākara (F.123.b), “properly express” means accurately express. They will “come” because they are close at hand, “appear” because they are obtained when effort is involved, and “present themselves” when no effort is involved. RK: abhivadantī ti samyagvadanti| upagamiṣyanti sannidhānataḥ| upapatsyante prayatne sati lābhāt| upanaṃsyante ayatnenaiva lābhāt.
677. The beginning of this chapter corresponds to the beginning of Chapter 31 in the Twenty-Five Thousand and Hundred Thousand, and of Chapter 40 in the Eighteen Thousand. From the point marked by note 707, the chapter goes on to include the first parts of Chapter 32 in the Twenty-Five Thousand and Hundred Thousand, and of Chapter 41 in the Eighteen Thousand.
678. According to Hari (499), right after the (chapter on the bodhisattva’s) positive qualities, one might still wonder what are the practices that need to be cultivated through eliminating those faults that cause obstacles to practice. So, he describes everything in the following chapter in order to explain the faults that create obstacles. The question “will they encounter any” means how many will they encounter? Hari: guṇānantaraṃ ke punas te prayogāntarāyakarā doṣā yeṣāṃ parivarjanena prayogā bhāvayitavyā ity antarāyakarān doṣān vaktum āha: guṇā ime bhagavann ityādi. kecit punar iti kiyantaḥ punar ity arthaḥ.
679. According to Ratnākara (F.123.b), the question “what are the many” arises due to Subhūti wanting to know the details concerning the “many (activities of Māra)” mentioned generally by Blessed One. His reply basically points to the forty-six (activities of Māra) being explained. RK: bahūnī ti sāmānyenokte viśeṣajijñāsayā praśnaḥ, kiyadrūpāṇī ti| teṣām ityādy uttaram| vakṣyamāṇāni ṣaṭcatvāriṃśad iti bhāvaḥ.
680. According to Ratnākara (F.123.b-24.a), the words “discussing” are a synecdoche for all the bodhisattva practices. “What a long time it will take … to become illuminated” refers to the long time it will take to consummate the transcendent states (pāramitā), and to the much longer time that awakening will take. This is the fault involving illumination taking a long time. RK: bhāṣamāṇā dipadāni sarvacaryāṇām upalakṣaṇāni| cireṇa pratibhānam utpatsyata iti cireṇa pāramitānāṃ pūraṇam| tataś cireṇaiva bodhiḥ syāt| iti cirapratibhānadoṣaḥ.
681. According to Ratnākara (F.124.a), “become distracted” means become shaken up, because, when it is happening, someone who lacks the skill in means will immediately develop pride. And awakening will take longer to develop for those who look down upon other bodhisattvas in lower families. The fault here is that illumination will be fleeting. RK: vikṣepsyata iti uddhataṃ bhaviṣyati| anupāyakuśalasya kṣiprataraṃ tadutpattau mānotpatteḥ| tato ’nyān bodhisattvān avamanyamānasya nīcakuleṣūtpattyā cireṇaiva bodhiḥ syād ity āśupratibhānadoṣaḥ.
682. According to Ratnākara (F.124.a), “gaping at it” means physically opening the mouth with pride; “laughing at it” means laughing aloud at it; and “ridiculing it” means putting it down out of pride. This is the defect referring to physical behavior. RK: jṛmbhamāṇā iti sadarpakāyaprasārāḥ| hasanta iti aṭṭahāsān kurvantaḥ| uccavagghayanta iti darpād uttiṣṭhantaḥ| iti kāyakarmavaiguṇyam.
683. According to Ratnākara (F.124.a), their “mindsets get distracted” means they are not focused. They “get caught up in something else” means they have something in mind due to other causes, but they “fail to be mindful” by themselves, because, even in their different spiritual activities, they forget the teachings. This is the fault involving mental defects. RK: vikṣiptacittā ity asamāhitā| anyonyavijñānasamaṅgina iti paraiḥ smarayitavyāḥ| svayaṃ tu smṛtiṃ na pratilapsyante| bhinneṣv apīryāpatheṣūddeśavismaraṇād veti cittavaiguṇyadoṣaḥ.
684. According to Hari (501), in this sentence he begins to explain the study and so on that is disposed toward inappropriateness. When he says “write it out,” it is meant to include study and so on by implication. Hari: ayogavihitasvādhyāyāditāṃ nirdiśann āha: parasparam upahasanta ity ādi. likhiṣyantī ti upalakṣaṇāt svādhyāyādikaṃ grāhyaṃ.
685. According to Ratnākara (F.124.a), “look about wildly” means this way and that way. “Incongruous” refers to the incomplete degree to which their book is confirmed in the teachings. This is the fault that their study and so on is disposed toward inappropriateness. RK: vikṣiptacakṣuṣa itas tataḥ| visāmagrī ti yāvatām āgamane pustakam ākṛṣyate tāvatām asamagratety ayogavihitasvādhyāyāditā doṣaḥ.
686. According to Ratnākara (F.124.a), they “do not develop themselves” means they do not ripen. RK: na nirjāyante na niṣpadyante.
687. According to Ratnākara (F.124.a), “dismiss” means mentally; “abandon” means verbally and physically; “going beyond cyclic existence” means reaching the end of the trainings. RK: vivarjya cetasā| utsṛjya kāyavāgbhyām| niryāṇ aṃ śikṣāparyantagamanam.
688. According to Hari (502), “brings forth” means gives rise to; “dismiss” means dismiss the practice and “abandon” the intention; and “narrow-minded” means those with little intelligence. The “root of fully comprehending it as it is” means the primary cause of full knowledge of the perfect Dharma. “Branches” refers to the Disciple Vehicle and so on. Hari: āhārikām iti utpādikām. vivarjyotsṛjye ti prayogāśayābhyām ity vācyaṃ. parīttabuddhaya iti svalpabuddhayaḥ. yathābhūtaparijñāyā mūlam iti samyagdharmāvabodhasya pradhānaṃ kāraṇaṃ. praśākhām iti śrāvakayānādikaṃ.
689. Note here that the English translation follows two Sanskrit readings found in Cambridge Add.866 MS (slide 00185) rather than in the modern Sanskrit editions (such as by Mitra, Wogihara, and Vaidya): (a) it follows the Add.866 reading buddhatvam (“buddhahood”), which is confirmed by Tib. sangs rgyas nyid, buddhatvam, where the modern Sanskrit editions read vṛddhatvam (“growth”), probably because the syllable bu looks similar to the syllable vṛ and they were confused either by the original scribes in their copying of the manuscripts or in the readers of those manuscripts.
690. According to Ratnākara (F.124.a–b), “foliage” means a collection of leaves. They are “engaged in something like foliage” means they have applied themselves to the collections of scriptures that are like foliage. RK: patrapalālam patrasamūhaḥ | palālopamāpratipannā iti palāśopameṣu sūtrānteṣv abhiyuktāḥ. Note here that the English translation “engaged in foliage” follows the Cambridge Add.866 MS reading śākhāpatrapalālopamāpratipannā (as opposed to the modern editions, which read śākhāpatrapalālopamāḥ pratipannāḥ) and Ratnākara, which reads palālopamāpratipannā.
691. According to Ratnākara (F.124.b), they “tame” by taming the five sense faculties; “pacify” by taming the mind; and “completely liberate” by ending rebirth. They undertake “preliminary practices,” i.e., ways to apply themselves, in order “to accumulate all the roots of virtue.” RK: damayiṣyāmaḥ pañcendriyadamanāt| śamayiṣyāmaḥ cetaso damanāt| parinirvāpayiṣyāmaḥ punarbhavakṣayāt| kuśalamūl ānām abhisaṃskāro niṣpādanāni| tadarthāḥ prayoga vyāpārāḥ.
692. According to Ratnākara (F.124.b), they “would not develop conceits about them” because they do not mentally perceive those beings or themselves. RK: na ca tair mantavyam iti teṣām ātmanaś cānupalambhād.
693. According to Hari (505), “retreating from the world” refers to isolating oneself physically and so on. Hari: pratisaṃlayanam iti kāyādivivekaḥ. According to Ratnākara (F.124.b), “retreating from the world” refers to meditative concentration. RK: pratisaṃlayanaṃ samādhiḥ|
694. According to Ratnākara (F.124.b), “forever” means until awakening; “constantly” means this rebirth; and “continuously” means every day. RK: nityakālam ity ā bodheḥ| satataṃ caitat pratijanma bhāvāt samitaṃ ca pratyahaṃ bhāvād iti satatasamitam.
695. According to Hari (505), “builder” means carpenter and “apprentice” means his student. “The Vaijayanta Palace” is in the middle of the plains (of the Heaven of the Thirty-Three Gods) on the top of Mount Meru, in a golden city called Sudarśana (“Beautiful”), which is (roughly translated) five million miles around and twenty miles high. The palace is known as the Vaijayanta Palace. Each of the Vaijayanta Palace’s four sides is twenty miles in length, while its upward rise has been constructed with a splendid appearance. Understand the pair words “build or construct” to mean in a slow or fast type of way. Note: The translation of distance into miles in this section is very rough. These approximate estimates are based on the ancient Indian distance measure called yojanas, which are reported by different sources to be anywhere between 2.5 and 9 miles. Hari: palagaṇḍa iti takṣakaḥ. palagaṇḍāntevāsī ti tacchiṣyaḥ. vaijayantasya prāsādasye ti sumerutalamadhye sudarśanaṃ nāma nagaraṃ sauvarṇaṃ. dairghyeṇārdhatṛtīya yojanasahasrapramāṇam ekaikaṃ pārśvaṃ. ucchrayeṇa dvyardhayojanaṃ. tatra nagarasya madhye śakrasya vaijayanto nāma prāsādo, dairghyeṇārdhatṛtīyayojanaśatapramāṇam ekaikaṃ pārśvaṃ. ucchrayeṇa yathāśobhaṃ kṛto vaijayantaprāsādaḥ. cirakṣipraprabhedena kartukāmo nirmātukāma iti padadvayaṃ.
696. In ancient Indian cosmography, the sun and the moon were considered heavenly bodies with their own “palace.” Cf. PTSD vimāna, entry 7.
697. According to Hari (505), “definitely not” means absolutely not. He is implying that the builder’s notion of the cause does not match his notion of the effect. That is to say, the size of the Vaijayanta Palace is much larger than the palaces of the sun and moon, which are, respectively, (roughly) four to five hundred miles across. Hari: no hīdam iti sūryācandramasor vimānād yathāyogaṃ pañcāśatsaikayojanād vaijayantasyādhikapramāṇatvena hetuphalānurūpaviparyayasūcanān naivety arthaḥ. According to Ratnākara (F.124.b), the size (of an orb) would be much too small compared to the Vaijayanta Palace. RK: tac ca vaijayantād atīvālpapramāṇam.
698. The implication here is that the disciple path leads only to “complete liberation,” whereas the bodhisattva path leads to the “state of complete knowing”—i.e., a state of awakening beyond the personal liberation described in those scriptures.
699. According to Ratnākara (F.125.a), a “universal emperor” (cakravartin—lit. “wheel turner”) is so called because his wheel (cakra) turns (pravart ana) in the world. (This can be interpreted to mean either that his chariot wheels can go anywhere he wishes in the universe or that he makes things happen in the world). The “wheel” is a supernatural, atmospheric, thousand-spoked wheel with a central nave and an outer rim. It can be made of either iron, copper, silver, or gold, according to the requirements (of the different ranks of universal emperors). His “outward appearance” is like gold from the Jambu River. His “form” is replete with the thirty-two marks of a great person. His “majesty” means his power, influence, and aura of light. His “prosperity” means his good fortune. RK: loke cakrasya pravartanāt cakravartī| tat punaś cakram apauruṣam ākāśagāmi sahasrāraṃ sanābhikaṃ sanemikam, āyasaṃ tāmraṃ raupyaṃ sauvarṇa vā yathāyogam| varṇo jāmbunadanibhaḥ| saṃsthānaṃ dvātriṃśanmahāpuruṣalakṣaṇopetam| tejaḥ sarvam abhibhūḥ prabhāvaḥ prabhāmaṇḍalaś ca| ṛddhiḥ sampattiḥ.
700. Here, the point is that outwardly the universal emperor and regional ruler may appear the same, but their less obvious qualities are different. According to Ratnākara (F.125.a), as for what is distinctive (about a universal emperor), there are seven precious things: the precious wheel, the precious elephant, the precious horse, the precious minister, the precious bursar, and the wish-fulfilling jewel. RK: viśeṣa taḥ saptaratnāni—cakraratnaṃ hastiratnaṃ aśvaratnaṃ pariṇāyakaratnaṃ gṛhapatiratnaṃ maṇiratnaṃ ceti. He only mentions six here, but most lists include the precious queen (strīratna) and/or the precious general (senapatiratna).
701. According to Ratnākara (F.125.a), “not made clear” means confusing or perplexing because (in those scriptures) the topic is undeveloped and trivial. The “attainment of a bodhisattva” is so called because he or she attains (lit. is elevated) due to it. RK: dhandhayati mohayaty aparisphuṭatvād alpatvāc ceti dhandhakaḥ| yasmād dhetor bodhisattvaḥ samudeti sa bodhisattvasamudāgamaḥ.
702. According to Ratnākara (F.125.a), they “reach it” due to merely obtaining it. They “enter into it” through listening to it and so on. “Dismiss it” means abandon it. “Turn back from it” means turn themselves away from it. RK: avāpya lābhamātreṇa| samāsādya śravaṇādibhiḥ| vivarjya tyaktvā| vivartya parāṅmukhībhūya.
703. According to Ratnākara (F.125.b), it is “profound” because it is a diadem on the ultimate truth and “brilliant” because it is an illumination utterly free of stains. RK: gambhīraṃ paramārthaśekharatvāt| prabhāsvaraṃ paramanirmalālokatvāt.
704. According to Ratnākara (F.125.b), the “activity of Māra” is considering the transcendent state of wisdom as any of (four possibilities, namely,) (1) “is” or (2) “is not the written transcendent state of wisdom”; or is (3) “in the letters,” or (4) “not in the letters.” To explain (the refutation of these four possibilities here), the transcendent state of wisdom cannot be (1) the written transcendent state of wisdom (i.e., the first possibility), because the transcendent state of wisdom lacks any visible form, smell, and so on; (2) not the written transcendent state of wisdom (i.e., the second possibility), because it is its ultimate reality; (3) the letters of the written transcendent state of wisdom (i.e., the third possibility), because all things are beyond letters; and (4) not the letters of the written transcendent state of wisdom (i.e., the fourth possibility), because those letters are its natural outcome, because those letters themselves do point toward the transcendent state of wisdom, and because one realizes the transcendent state of wisdom by focusing on those letters themselves as (containing) the meaning. Thus, the four possible faults here are fixating on (1) the writing, (2) nonexistence, (3) letters, and (4) nonletters. RK: ye kecit prajñāpāramitā likhite ti, asatī ti, akṣarāṇī ti, anakṣare ti vā manyante sarvaṃ tan mārakarma| tathā hi na sā likhitā rūpagandhādivirahāt| nāsatī paramārthasattvāt| nākṣarāṇi sarvadharmāṇām anakṣaratvāt| n ānakṣarā tanniṣyandatvād eṣām akṣarāṇām| ebhir eva ca tasyāḥ sūcanāt| etāny eva ca tenārthenālambya tasyā adhigamāt| tad evaṃ likhanābhiniveśo ’sattvābhiniveśo ’kṣarābhiniveśo ’nakṣarābhiniveśaś ceti catvāro doṣāḥ.
705. This sentence—“One should understand the following to be activities of Māra that arise for some bodhisattva great beings”—has been added to clarify ahead of something that the Blessed One himself clarifies only at the end of the following, very long relative clause.
706. According to Ratnākara (F.125.b–26.a), “countries” refers to (countries) such as Mālava and so on; “villages” (grāma) refers to nonaffluent dwelling areas with one hundred or one thousand homes; “towns” (nagara) refers to affluent dwelling areas with one thousand to one hundred thousand homes; “market towns” (nigama) are just towns, but are even more affluent; “provinces” (janapada) refers to areas like Kāśi (the area around modern-day Vārāṇasī) and so on; “kingdoms” (rāṣṭra) are collections of those provinces; and “principalities” (rājadhānī) are cities inhabited by rulers. RK: deśo mālavādiḥ| śatena sahasreṇa vā saṃkhyātagṛho ’nāḍhyānāṃ nivāso grāmaḥ| sahasreṇa lakṣeṇa vā saṃkhyātagṛha āḍhyānāṃ nivāso nagaram| nagaram eva ca vastubhūyiṣṭhaṃ nigamaḥ| maṇḍalaṃ kāśyādi janapadaḥ| tatsamūho rāṣṭram| rājādhyuṣitaṃ nagaraṃ rājadhānī.
707. According to Ratnākara (F.126.a), “literature” means prose or poetry. “Waterfront areas” refers to the riverside steps (where townspeople bathe). “Streets” (viśikhā) means roads for carriages. “Vehicles” (śibikā) means palanquins (or similar vehicles). RK: ākhyānaṃ gadyakāvyam| gulmo ghaṭṭaḥ| viśikhā rathyā| śivikā yāpyayānam.
708. According to Hari (513), “separating from pleasant or unpleasant things” means (the concerns of) not being connected with pleasant or unpleasant things. Hari: priyāpriyavyatyastaḥ priyāpriyaviyogaḥ.
709. According to Ratnākara (F.126.a), “livelihoods” means the resources for living, the means of livelihood. The “tasks needing to be done” refers to past events. RK: jīvitā rthāḥ pariṣkārāḥ jīvitapariṣkārāḥ| According to Hari (513), “tasks needing to be done” means the things that constantly need to be done. Hari: iti kartavyatā satatakaraṇīyatā.
710. According to Ratnākara (F.126.a), “stories” means accounts of past events. RK: iti hāsaḥ purāvṛttam.
711. According to Hari (513), “spectating at the docks” (darśanaṃ < akṣadarśanaṃ) means watching dice games and so on by the waterfront. Hari: gulmā kṣa darśanaṃ ghaṭṭa sthāne pāśakādidarśanaṃ. Note: The Tibetan translation la gcan gyi cho lo lta ba incorporates Hari’s gloss.
712. According to Ratnākara (F.126.a), “obstacles” means impediments; “donations” means getting robes and so on; “tributes” means (signs of) respect; “celebrity” means renown; “indulging” means delighting in those things; “mentally distressed” is by impediments to getting robes and so on. RK: antarāyā vighātāḥ| lābhaś cīvarādiprāptiḥ| satkāra ādaraḥ| śloko yaśaḥ| tair āsvāda uddharṣaḥ| cittotpīḍā cīvarādivighātaiḥ. According to Hari (513), “donations” means getting precious things and so on; “tributes” means splendid diadems and so on; “celebrity” means renown; “indulging” means experiencing those things. Hari: lābhasatkāraślokāsvāda iti tatra lābho ratnādiprāptiḥ, satkāraḥ śrīpaṭṭabandhanādiḥ, śloko yaśaḥ. teśām anubhavanam āsvādaḥ.
713. According to Ratnākara (F.126.a), “skill in means” since he or she does not fall to an inferior level of awakening. The fault of someone without skill in means is seeking the opposite of that in the profound collection of scriptures. RK: kiñcāpī ti yadyapi| upāyakauśalyam iti yena hīnabodhau na pated iti| upāyakauśalyarahitasya gambhīrasūtrānte atanmārgaṇadoṣaḥ.
714. This point in the chapter corresponds to the beginning of Chapter 32 in the Twenty-Five Thousand and Hundred Thousand, and to the beginning of Chapter 41 in the Eighteen Thousand. The remainder of this chapter corresponds to part of Chapter 32 in the Twenty-Five Thousand (down to 32.62) and Hundred Thousand, and to the entirety of Chapter 41 in the Eighteen Thousand.
715. According to Ratnākara (F.126.a), a “Dharma teacher” (bhāṇako < guruḥ) preaches (the Dharma), and a Dharma student (dhārmaśravaṇikaḥ śiṣyaḥ) has the goal of listening to the Dharma. RK: dharma sya bhāṇako vaktā guruḥ| dharmaśravaṇaṃ prayojanam eṣām iti dhārmaśravaṇikaḥ śiṣyaḥ.
716. According to Ratnākara (F.126.a), “the necessary conditions” refers to a complete state, while “the lack of necessary conditions” is due to a deficiency (in that regard). RK: samagrabhāvaḥ sāmagrī| viparyāsāt visāmagrī.
717. According to Ratnākara (F.126.a), being “lazy” refers to indolence. Being “busy” also refers to indolence, i.e., that of householders. Both descriptions are a deficiency of being lazy with respect to interest (in the Dharma). RK: kilāsaṃ kausīdyam| bahukṛtyatā gṛhiṇām sapi kausīdyam iti cchandakilāsavaidhuryam.
718. According to Ratnākara (F.126.a), “might have wandered off” means might have gone (somewhere else). RK: kṣepsyata iti karme karttariprayogaḥ| gamiṣyatītyarthaḥ. Note: Ratnākara’s comment also explains why, in terms of Sanskrit grammar, the active sentence construction applies here.
719. According to Ratnākara (F.126.a), someone could “understand it through its brief explanation” through special knowledge when something general is explained, or “understand it through its detailed explanation” through special knowledge when anything is explained. A person who does not “know anything beyond the words” is a literalist, because they know nothing more than exactly what is said. RK: udaghaṭitajñaḥ sāmānyokte viśeṣajñānāt| vipañcitajñaḥ kiñcid apy uktau viśeṣaparijñānāt| anabhijñaḥ padaparamaḥ| sa hi yad ucyate tad eva jānāti nādhikam.
720. Ending one’s own suffering “right here and now” (ihaiva), i.e., starting now in this very birth, is an activity of Māra, because it entails a breach of the bodhisattva vow to remain in painful cyclic existence until all beings are freed.
721. According to Hari (519), “perishable” in the sense that the continuity of their existence is interrupted; “impermanent” in the sense that impermanent things are momentary; “suffering” in the sense that they are connected with existential suffering (samskāraduḥkhatā); and “bound to deteriorate” in the sense that the suffering of change (vipariṇāmaduḥkha) is certain to arise. It should be understood here that the words “perishable” and so on are explaining the previous sentences, namely “conditioned things are impermanent” and so on. Hari: tatra aśāśvataṃ prabandhocchedāt, anityaṃ kṣaṇikānityatayā, duḥkhaṃ samskāraduḥkhatāyogāt, vipariṇāmadharmakaṃ vipariṇāmaduḥkhasadbhāvād iti tad evaṃ sarvam aśāśvatam ityādi sarvaṃ hi samskṛtam anityam ityāder vyākhyānam ity avasātavyaṃ.
722. According to Hari (519), they “become disenchanted” means they will turn away from practicing for the sake of awakening due to a desire for positive states of being, such as the first fruit of a stream enterer and so on. Hari: saṃvegam āpatsyanta iti prathamaphalādisugatyabhilāṣeṇa bodhicārikāvimukhatāṃ kariṣyanti.
723. According to Hari (521), “a shortage of food” means nourishment will be difficult to obtain because food will be lacking. A “lack of provisions and security” (ayogakṣemaś) is due to lacking “provisions,” i.e., getting whatever is desired, or “security,” i.e., being free from attacks. They are called “impediments to survival” because they end one’s life. Hari: durbhikṣa iti bhaktarahitatvena duḥprāpyabhikṣaḥ. ayogakṣema iti iṣṭāvāptir yogaḥ, nirupadravatvaṃ kṣemas, tadubhayābhāvād ayogakṣemaḥ. jīvitendriyanirodhāj jīvitāntarāyaḥ.
724. According to Hari (521), after the phrase “impediments to survival in it,” one must supply the phrase “those who reach that place without obstacles.” Hari: tasmiṃś ca pradeśe jīvitāntarāyo ’pi bhaved iti, anantarāyāṃ diśaṃ gaccheyur bhavanta iti śeṣaḥ.
725. According to Hari (522), “little creatures” such as scorpions and so on. “Carnivorous animals” are predators. The “nonhumans” are hungry ghosts and so on. Hari: tatra jantur vṛścikādiḥ, duṣṭagraho vyāḍaḥ, pretādir amanuṣyaḥ.
726. According to Hari (522), a “wilderness area” means a dangerous place. “Snake” means a serpent. Hari: kāntāraṃ bhayasthānaṃ, sarīsṛpaḥ sarpaḥ. Note: the translation has followed Ratnākara’s explanation of the Sanskrit compounds (from ch. 19): vyāḍa iḥ kā ntāraṃ vyāḍakāntāram| pānīya varjitakāntāraṃ pānīyakāntāram.
727. According to Hari (522), a “nonhuman flesh-eaters” means yakṣas and so on who feed on flesh. Hari: mānsāśī yākṣādiḥ kravyādaḥ.
728. According to Hari (524), “transmitted in my scriptures” because it is in accord with the other scriptures; “contained in my scriptures” because it is shown in their own Arthaviniścaya sūtra (Distinctly Ascertaining the Meanings, Toh 317, a Lesser Vehicle work) and so on. He will “sow doubt” because the collections of scriptures similar to the Mother (Transcendent State of Wisdom) will cause doubt to arise. Hari: aparasūtrānulomanāt sūtrāgataṃ. svasminn arthaviniścayādisūtre dṛśyamānatvāt sūtraparyāpannaṃ. jananīsadṛśasūtropasaṃhāreṇa saṃśayotpādanāt saṃśayaṃ prakṣepsyati.
729. According to Hari (524), they are “small-minded, weak-minded, narrow-minded”—expressed in that order—because they do not comprehend the three natures, i.e., the imagined, dependent, and real nature. Hari: kalpitādisvabhāvatrayāparijñānād alpabuddhikān mandabuddhikān parīttabuddhikān iti yathākramaṃ vācyaṃ. Note: The Tibetan translation puts this sentence before the previous sentences to link it more directly with what Māra says.
730. According to Hari (525), he “realizes the pinnacle of reality” means he attains the nirvāṇa of the disciples—the desire for that (state) is, in principle, produced by this statement. Hari: bhūtakoṭiṃ sākṣātkarotī ti śrāvakanirvāṇam adhigacchati. niyamād anena tatrābhilāṣo janyate.
731. Note: The sentence order in the Tibetan differs from the Sanskrit here.
732. Note: Conze has interpreted this very differently: “And while it is true that these deeds of Mara are bound to arise, a great many agencies will arise in their turn that oppose the faults of Mara.”
733. The Sanskrit word loka refers to both the world and the sentient beings inhabiting it. The chapter first focuses on loka as the world, but then as the sentient beings in it. So the title of the chapter could also be understood as “The Chapter on Showing Sentient Beings.”
734. The beginning of this chapter corresponds to points in Chapter 32 in the Twenty-Five Thousand (32.63) and Hundred Thousand, and to the beginning of Chapter 42 in the Eighteen Thousand, covering the remainder of those chapters; and at the point marked by note 781 the chapter continues with content that corresponds to Chapter 33 in the Twenty-Five Thousand and Hundred Thousand, and to Chapter 43 in the Eighteen Thousand.
735. According to Hari (529), “not dwell in a numb state” means dwell without happiness; “unpleasantness” means something mentally disagreeable. Hari: asparśavihāra iti asukhavihāraḥ. amanāapa iti cittenānabhipretaḥ. According to Ratnākara (F.128.a), to “dwell in” a numb state means to roam about in it; “unpleasantness” means mental displeasure, due to there being a cause of pain. RK: sparśavihāra iti sparśapracāraḥ| amanaāpa iti amanojñaḥ duḥkhahetutvāt.
736. According to Hari (530), they “keep” her, i.e., another (beside themselves), “well tended” with sustenance, like food and so on. They “keep her well protected” in the sense of providing protection from thieves and so on. They “keep her well cared for” in the sense of removing physical dirt and so on. Hari: kenacid āhārādyupastambhena sudhāritām anye ’pi dhārayeyuḥ. caurādibhyo vihitarakṣatvena sugopāyitāṃ gopāyeyuḥ. kāyikamalādyapanayanena sukelāyitāṃ kelāyeyuḥ. According to Ratnākara (F.128.a), “keep well tended” means keep her well nourished. They would nourish her so that she is well nourished. “Protect” means preserve. “Take care” means keep free of impure things. The word “care” is based on her (possibly) catching a disease. RK: sudhṛtāṃ dhārayeyur iti supuṣṭāṃ puṣṭīyuḥ| tathā puṣṭīyuḥ yathā supuṣṭā syāt| gopāyanaṃ rakṣaṇam| kelāyanaṃ śodhanaṃ vyādhiharaṇāt kelāśabdaḥ.
737. According to Ratnākara (F.128.a), “painful encounters” such as an itch and so on means the mental factor of contact born from the coming together of object, organ, and consciousness. It is “painful” in the sense of causing pain. RK: kaṇḍvādiduḥkho vā sparśa iti| viṣayendriyavijñānasannipātajaś caitasikaḥ sparśaḥ| sa ca duḥkhahetur duḥkha.
738. According to Hari (530), “due to calamities” (āpāta) means due to lightning strikes and so on. “Due to misfortunes” (utpāta) means due to pestilent illness and so on. “Nothing undesirable” means the occurrence of an undesired thing. Hari: āpātato vidyudādipātāt. utpātataḥ sarvopasargikarogataḥ. aniṣṭanipāto ’niṣṭavastusambhavaḥ. According to Ratnākara (F.128.a), “calamities” means on the part of nonhuman actors. “Misfortunes” refers to lightning and so on. RK: āpāto ’manuṣyāṇām| utpāto vidyudādiḥ.
739. According to Ratnākara (F.128.a), “keep her in mind” in the sense of being interested in her well-being. RK: mamakāreṇa mamāyeyuḥ.
740. According to Ratnākara (F.128.a), the “tathāgata” here refers to the Buddha Śākyamuni. “Furthermore, all those” (in the next sentence) refers to not only Śākyamuni (but to others as well). RK: tathāgatasye ti śākyamuneḥ| yepī ti na kevalaṃ śākyamuniḥ.
741. According to Ratnākara (F.128.a), “reside” means be there; “stay” means remain there; and “live their lives” means remain as long as they live. RK: tiṣṭhantī ti santi| dhriyanta iti avatiṣṭhante| yāpayantī ti yāvadāyur avatiṣṭhante.
742. According to Ratnākara (F.128.a), she is “the one who gives birth to” the state of complete knowing and “who makes them see it,” i.e., leads them to it. RK: janayitrī ti| asyāḥ sarvajñatāyāḥ| darśayitrī ti prāpikā.
743. According to Ratnākara (F.128.a), “thus” means just as she gives birth to them. RK: evam iti janakatvenaiva.
744. This passage involves a play on the Sanskrit word loka (which can refer to either the world or the people in it) and its etymological meaning as that which perishes (lujyate). When the Tathāgata says here that the five constituents (which constitute the world and people) “neither perish nor are destroyed,” he is suggesting that they are not merely momentary and impermanent continua as the disciple teachings suggest, but rather are empty of inherent nature as the Mahāyāna explains. According to Hari (538), the meaning of this phrase “neither perish nor are destroyed” is that the five constituents, respectively, are not breakable because they are momentary and do not disappear due to the impermanence of their continua (of causes and effects). Hari: na lujyante na pralujyanta iti kṣaṇikaprabandhānityatābhyāṃ yathākramaṃ na naśyanti na pranaśyantīty arthaḥ. According to Ratnākara (F.128.b), the word loka is explained as deriving from the verbal root √luj, in the sense of perishing. (Generally speaking) the “worlds” (or people) “perish,” i.e., due to momentariness, or are “destroyed,” i.e., due to their continuum ceasing. In the use of the word loka (in the plural here), what is etymologized (as perishing) goes against the Sanskrit agentive yuc affix rule. RK: loka ity ākhyātā iti lujo vināśe| lujyante pralujyante kṣaṇikatvāt santānanirodhāc ceti lokāḥ| karttur yuc| nairukto varṇavyatyayaḥ.
745. According to Ratnākara (F.128.b), he asks how the worlds/people are shown by her. The basic idea is that since the “world” (loka) literally means perishing, what is the superiority of the transcendent state of wisdom? The implication here is that the transcendent state of wisdom must be superior to it, since, other than its perishable quality, the world is not something shown. Someone might nevertheless object that it is a contradiction to say that the world (i.e., that which perishes) does not perish or get destroyed. But there is no contradiction. In this context, the logical connection (of that phrase) is to that transcendent state of wisdom (i.e., the grammatical subject) that shows the world, i.e., the five constituents that do not perish or get destroyed. (Note: unlike Haribhadra, Ratnākara suggests that the sentence here is a reference to the truly established (pariniṣpanna) nature of the five constituents from the Yogācāra standpoint.) RK: kathaṃ loka iti darśitā iti| yadi luñjanta iti lokāḥ | tadā ’syāḥ ko ’tiśaya iti bhāvaḥ| viśvādarśitam iti lujyatvād anyat| yato ’tiśayaḥ syād ity arthaḥ| na lujyanta ityādi| nanu tathāpi vyāhatam etat na lujyante na pralujyante tasmāl loka iti? nāsti vyāghātaḥ| yasyāyam atra sambandhaḥ| loka iti pañcaskandhāḥ| te bhagavatyā prajñāpāra[mi]tayā na lujyante na pralujyanta iti darśitāḥ.
746. According to Haribhadra (538), in ultimate reality, due to their lack of an inherent nature, the two natures of being momentary and having impermanent continua—i.e., the two absences of the natures of (conditioned) things and dharmas (according to disciples)—do not exist as the emptiness and so on of the constituents. But in conventional reality, they do exist. This is the idea here. Hari: tattvato ’svabhāvatvāt skandhānāṃ śūnyatāditvena vastudharmasvabhāvābhāve kṣaṇikaprabandhānityate na bhavataḥ. saṃvṛtyā tu sta iti bhāvaḥ. According to Ratnākara (F.128.b), he answers the rhetorical question by speaking of emptiness and so on. In the next sentence, freedom from signs and so on is the same as emptiness. RK: śūnyate tyādinottaram| yathā śūnyatā evam animittādaya ity āha na cetyādinā.
747. According to Haribhadra (538), to explain the knowing of all beings and their mental ruminations (in the next two paragraphs), he says “furthermore” and so on. Hari: sarvasattvacittacaritajñānaṃ nirdiśann āha : punar aparam ityādi.
748. According to Ratnākara (F.128.b–29.a), the (Blessed One’s) knowledge of the mental ruminations of innumerable sentient beings is explained, and it is not explained as his knowing their quality of innumerability or destructibility. Rather, he says “furthermore,” meaning after having previously taught the knowledge of sentient beings’ immeasurability, then he explains the knowledge of their mental ruminations. In that explanation, he asks how could there be knowledge of the immeasurability of sentient beings? (The answer is) because, insofar as they lack an inherent nature, there is no measure and no number to them. Then he asks how could there be knowledge of their mental ruminations? (The answer is) because, insofar as beings are nonexistent, their mental ruminations also do not exist. RK: sattvānāṃ cittacaryāsv ity anenāprameyāṇāṃ sattvānāṃ cittacaritajñānaṃ nirdiṣṭam| tac ca na vināśatvāprameyatājñānena| tataḥ punaraparam ityādinā sattvāprameyatājñānam uktvā yo pī tyādinā taccittacaritajñānam āha| tatra kathaṃ sattvānām aprameyatājñānam. yatas teṣāṃ niḥsvabhāvatayā na pramāṇaṃ na saṃkhyā| kathaṃ tac cittacaritānāṃ jñānam ? sattvāsattayā teṣām apy asattvāt. According to Hari (539), the phrase “nothing but (eva) the unreal nature of sentient beings” and so on refers to his full comprehension of sentient beings as having an innumerable and so on nature because their inherent nature is like an illusion. Hari: sattvāsvabhāvataye tyādi. sattvānāṃ māyopamasvabhāvatvād aprameyādirūpeṇa parijñānaṃ.
749. According to Ratnākara (F.129.a), she is the “one who shows the world” because beings are also the world (i.e., the Sanskrit word loka refers to both the world and beings). RK: lokasya sandarśayitrī ti sattvānām api lokatvāt.
750. The word saṃkṣipta is translated “undistracted” here to help contrast it with the opposite term vikṣipta (“distracted”) in the following paragraph. According to Ratnākara (F.129.a), distraction refers to (the mindset) wandering outward. RK: bahirgatir vikṣepaḥ.
751. According to Ratnākara (F.129.a), “undistractedness” means resting in the mindset’s original nature, and that itself is nothing but the “dissipation” of that mindset. Also, that is a “nondissipation” because the essential nature of a mindset is inexhaustible. Therefore, he “discerns accurately their undistractedness from dissipation, and dissipation being due to nondissipation.” RK: saṃkṣepo hi cittasya prakṛtau sthānam| tac cāsya kṣaya eva| sa cākṣayaś cittaprakṛter akṣayatvāt| tasmāt sa tathāgataḥ saṃkṣepaṃ kṣayataḥ kṣayaṃ cākṣayato yathābhūtam prajānāti. According to Hari (540), he discerns the mindset engaged in the true nature through having that as a meditative focus, at the conventional level, to be an “undistractedness based in dissipation,” i.e., based in destruction. He also “discerns the dissipation,” i.e., destruction, at the ultimate level, “in accordance with reality” as “nondissipation,” i.e., a nondestruction because the (sentient being) possessing the (quality of) dissipation does not exist. Hari: sa saṃkṣepaṃ kṣayataḥ kṣayaṃ cākṣayata iti tadālambanena dharmatāyāṃ praviṣṭaṃ cittaṃ sa saṃkṣepaṃ kṣayato vināśataḥ saṃvṛtyā jānāti. kṣayam api vināśaṃ kṣayiṇo ’sattvāt paramārthato ’kṣayam avināśaṃ yathābhūtam prajānāti.
752. According to Hari (541), “the true nature of things” here means their not arising from the ultimate realm of things. At the conventional level, they are “distracted mindsets,” i.e., outwardly engaged due to inattentiveness toward that nature. But at the ultimate level, he “discerns” them, “in accordance with reality” to be “free of characteristics,” i.e., lacking any inherent nature; “unwaning” due to the impermanence of the moments; “utterly unwaning” due to the cessation of the continuum; and “undistracted” due to the impossibility of wandering outwardly. Hari: dharmatāta iti dharmadhātor anutpādataḥ. tadamanasikāreṇa bahiḥ pravṛttāni cittāni vikṣiptāni saṃvṛtyā. paramārthataḥ punar alakṣaṇāni svabhāvavirahitāni. kṣaṇānityatvenākṣīṇāni. prabandhoparamād avikṣīṇāni, bahirgamanāsambhavād avikṣiptānī ti yathābhūtam prajānāti. According to Ratnākara (F.129.a), “free of characteristics” means empty of their own inherent characteristics. RK: alakṣaṇāni hī ti| yasmāt svalakṣaṇaiḥ śūnyānītyarthaḥ.
753. According to Hari (541), “inhabited” means the mindset inhabited until the end of cyclic existence out of compassion. It is “free of ceasing, free of arising, and free of dwelling” because these three characteristics of conditioned things are not logically possible. Hence, since it cannot have the nature of possessing a property, it is “independent.” Since it cannot be measured, it is “immeasurable.” It is indestructible, since, like the ultimate realm of things, it cannot be destroyed. Hari: adhiṣṭhitam iti mahākaruṇayāsaṃsāram adhiṣṭhitaṃ taccittaṃ. yathāyogaṃ trividhasaṃskṛtalakṣaṇāsambhavād anirodham anutpādam asthitam. ato dharmirūpatvāyogād anāśrayaṃ. pramātum aśakyatvenāprameyaṃ. dharmadhātuvad vināśānupapatter akṣayaṃ bhavati tathāgatasya.
754. According to Hari (541), mentally he “discerns, in accordance with reality,” the immeasurable and indestructible nature of all sentient beings’ mindsets to be like “space,” because they appear in his meditative concentration (as if) on the surface of the mirror. Hari: yenaiva cittenākāśam ivāprameyākṣayatayā sarvasattvānāṃ cittāprameyākṣayatāṃ svasamādhidarpaṇatale pratibhāsanād yathābhūtam prajānāti.