900. According to Ratnākara (F.151.a), “when Māra speaks this way” means even when something similar is said by Māra. RK: evam apī ti| īdṛśe ’pi māreṇoktau.
901. According to Ratnākara (F.151.b), “the dimension of someone beyond regressing” refers to the original nature. RK: avinivartanīyasya dhātuḥ prakṛtiḥ.
902. Cf. BHSD pratisaraṇa.
903. According to Ratnākara (F.151.b), his or her qualities “cannot revert” means he or she is not negatively affected by others. RK: apratyudāvartanīyadharme ti pareṇa sambadhyate.
904. According to Hari (676), “this” refers to going about life in the transcendent state of wisdom. “Here in this very life” means in this very birth. After the words “end your suffering,” we should add the words “by cultivating the four noble truths.” Hari: eṣe ti prajñāpāramitācaryā. ihaivety asminn eva janmani. duḥkhasyāntaṃ kuru caturāryasatyabhāvanayeti śeṣaḥ. According to Ratnākara (F.151.b), the “someone else” is criticizing the bodhisattva path with the words “going about life in cyclic existence” and so on. He is trying to make the bodhisattva take on the śrāvaka path with the words “in this very life” and so on. RK: saṃsāre cārike ty ādinā bodhisattvamārgaṃ dūṣayati | ihaiva tvam ityādinā śrāvakādimārgaṃ grāhayati.
905. According to Hari (676), “Oh, alas!” here is an exclamation of sorrow. Since “in this life, first,”—i.e., at a later time in it—“you will will fail to escape this physical body”—i.e., not become actualized without realizing the true nature of things—“why do you think you need to take on another physical body again,” i.e., by force of your aspirations and so on (to be reborn again and again in the future) in order to benefit sentient beings. Hari: aho vate tyādi aho kaṣṭam ihaiva tāvat tavāyam ātmabhāvo dharmatādhigamavaikalyena yadottarakālam apariniṣpanno ’ nabhinirvṛtto bhaviṣyati tadā kasmāt punas tvam anyam ātmabhāvaṃ praṇidhānādibalena sattvārthaṃ pratigrahītavyaṃ manyasa ity arthaḥ. māro ’yam ity anyamārgopadeśino ’vabodhena nivartanāsambhavād avinivartanīyaḥ. According to Ratnākara (F.151.b), “to escape” means that one’s life cycles come to an end. The (untranslated) Sanskrit word vā indicates two possibilities. He implies (you should aim to escape) either “in this very life” or “alas” (it is sad). Ratnākara’s gloss: abhinirvṛtta iti kṣīṇāyuḥ| vā śabdo vikalpe| ihaive tyādikaṃ vā vakṣyati| aho vate tyādikaṃ vā.
906. According to Ratnākara (F.151.b), “does not get deterred” means the mindset is not agitated, because he or she knows the inferior path described by Māra to be Māra’s talk. RK: cittaṃ na kupyati na calatī ti mārabhāṣitasya hīnamārgasya Mārabhāṣitatvena jñānāt.
907. According to Ratnākara (F.151.b–52.a), “divisive words” refers to words aimed at their giving up the Mahāyāna. The logical connection is that “upon hearing” those “from someone else”—i.e., from Māra—their mindset “does not completely abandon” it, i.e., they are not deterred. From what? From “the true nature of things,” which in this context refers to things themselves while going about life in the Mahāyāna. From that, their mindset “does not turn away,” i.e., turn their back on it. “Does not deviate” means not contrary to it, i.e., not extremely proud about the disciples’ path. RK: viveko mahāyānatyāgaḥ| tadarthāni vacanāni vivekapadāni| tāni parato mārāditaḥ śrutvā cittaṃ na parihīyate iti sambandhaḥ| na calatīty arthaḥ| kuta ityāha| dharmatāyā iti dharma eva dharmatā mahāyānacaryā, tataḥ na pratyudāvartata iti na vimukhībhavati| nānyathābhāva iti na viparyayaḥ| na hīnayāne bahumāna ity arthaḥ. Note: The translation already interprets the sentence according to Ratnākara’s other comments here, namely: tānī ti vivekapadāni| ca śabdo hetau| yasmān mārakarmāṇi jānāti.
908. According to Hari (679), “due to things being empty of inherent characteristics” means because the bodhisattva (who is about to realize emptiness) has a mental perception of a judgment about things such as physical form and so on as having a true nature empty of inherent nature. He or she has “attained,” i.e., achieved, “the bodhisattva’s irreversible fault-free state,” i.e., the acceptance of the knowing of things in relation to suffering. He or she “does not mentally perceive such things” because he or she does not “cumulatively construct them” or “give rise to them.” He or she “has acceptance and knowing of nonarising” means has arrived at acceptance as described. Hari: tathā h ītyādi. svalakṣaṇaśūnyair iti svabhāvaśūnyadharmatayā rūpādidharmāvabodhānupalambhād bodhisattvanyāmaṃ duḥkhe dharmajñānakṣāntim adhigato ’vakrāntaḥ saṃs tam api dharmaṃ nopalambhate yatas taṃ nābhisaṃskaroti notpadayatī ty arthaḥ. anutpādajñānakṣāntika iti yathānirdiṣṭakṣānti lābhī. According to Ratnākara (F.152.a), one can be sure that a bodhisattva dwelling in the path of seeing has the indication of being beyond regression. What is that? It consists in acceptance and knowing, i.e., a moment of acceptance and a moment of knowing. RK: darśanamārge sthitasya bodhisattvasyāvaivartikaṃ liṅgaṃ veditavyam| kiṃ tat ? kṣāntijñānalakṣaṇāḥ kṣāntikṣaṇāḥ jñānakṣaṇāś ca. According to Ratnākara (F.152.a), “cumulatively construct it” means “give rise” to it. In the sentence, he or she does not perceive “such things,” i.e., physical form and so on. A mental perception is a cumulative construction, which is to give rise to things. RK: abhisaṃskarotī ti utpādayatītyarthaḥ| tam api dharmam iti rūpā dikaṃ nopalabhata ityādi| atra upalambha evābhisaṃskāraḥ| sa evotpādanam| anutpādajñāne kṣāntir asyeti bahuvrīhiḥ. Note: Ratnākara’s latter comment also suggests that the Sanskrit compound here should be read as the acceptance of knowing of things, rather than “has acceptance and knowing of nonarising.”
909. This point in the chapter corresponds to the beginning of Chapter 40 in the Twenty-Five Thousand and the Hundred Thousand, and of Chapter 50 in the Eighteen Thousand.
910. According to Ratnākara (F.152.a), “dissuade” means to get rid of a desire. RK: vicchandayisyatī ti vigatacchandaṃ kariṣyati.
911. According to Ratnākara (F.152.a), “perfectly understand” means with spiritual knowing. RK: ājñāsyati lokottareṇa jñānena.
912. According to Ratnākara (F.152.a), “exerting yourself” means being afflicted. RK: vihanyase kliṣyase.
913. According to Ratnākara (F.152.a), “to keep him or her back” means to cause the abandonment of the mindset of awakening. RK: vivecanatā bodhicittatyājanam.
914. According to Hari (681), the bodhisattva “abides in the meditative states” by first encountering the meditative states in order to abide at ease in this present world. He or she “gets familiar with them” by not actualizing the fruits of those states (i.e., being reborn in pure realms). He or she “attains the meditative states” by focusing on the subsequent knowing realized through eliminating the offshoots of the different states in order to counteract (rebirth in) the subtle form realm and the formless realm. He or she “avoids involuntary rebirth” (in the subtle form or formless realms) “by force of the meditative states” because he or she takes hold of a favorable physical body and “once again takes on the qualities of someone in the desire realm” because, at the level of subsequent knowing with regard to suffering, a bodhisattva cannot be reborn through achieving a total lack of desire. These (last two) sentences should be connected (as two parts of the same action). Hari: atra dhyānāni dṛṣṭadharmasukhavihārārtham abhimukhīkaraṇād dhyānair viharati. tatphalāsākṣātkaraṇād dhyānaparajayaṃ ca karoti. tattadaṅgaprahāṇenādhigatānvayajñānasya rūpārūpyadhātupratipakṣatvajñāpanārtham ālambanād dhyānāni ca samāpadyate. anukūlātmabhāvasya parigrahān na ca dhyānavaśenopapadyate. duḥkhe ’nvayajñānāvasthāyāṃ bodhisattvasya vairāgyalābhānupapattyā sa punar eva kāmāvacarān dharmān adhyālambata iti yojyaṃ.
915. According to Hari (682), they are neither “attached”—i.e., fixated upon—the sense pleasures obtained, nor “inclined”—i.e., wishing for—any that are not yet obtained. Hari: prāpteṣu kāmeṣu kāmābhiṣvaṅgo ’bhiniveśaḥ. aprāpteṣv abhiprāyaḥ prārthanā.
916. According to Ratnākara (F.153.a), “satisfying” due to producing very much mental satisfaction, or “pleasurable” due to producing very much pleasure. “Absolutely free of seeking” means always free of seeking. RK: atyarthaṃ saumanasyajananāt priyarūpaiḥ| atyarthaṃ sukhajananāt sātarūpaiḥ| praśaṃsāyāṃ rūpapa iti| anarthikā eve ti nityam anarthikāḥ. Note: The footnote translation here does not include Ratnākara’s citation of the principle regarding the Sanskrit words priyarūpa and sātarūpa as pleonastic (svarthika) derivative nouns. Cf. Balamanoramāyāṃ taddhitaprakriyā 5|4|40.
917. According to Ratnākara (F.153.a), the sixteen epithets here correlate to the five aspects conducive to liberation, the four aspects conducive to penetrative insight, and the (first) seven moments on the path of seeing. RK: pañcabhir mokṣabhāgīyaiś caturbhir nirvedhabhāgīyaiḥ saptabhiś ca darśanakṣaṇair yogāt satpuruṣair ity ādini ṣoḍaśapadāni.
918. According to Hari (684), the expressions “difficult to attack,” “unconquerable,” and “unparalleled” are, respectively, because they are physically, verbally, and mentally unsurpassable. Hari: anabhibhavanīyakāyavākcittatvād yathāsaṃkhyaṃ durdharṣānatikramaṇīyadurāsadapadāni vacyāni.
919. According to Hari (684), someone is “endowed with vital power” due to having sexual organs concealed within their sheaths. Hari: vastigatakośaguhyatvāt puruṣavṛṣabhendrayasamanvāgataḥ.
920. According to Ratnākara (F.153.a), “special mantras” means a particular kind of mantra that belongs to kidnapping deities. “Herbs” are those of annual plants. “Magic spells” are mantras of feminine deities. “Medicinal potions” are herbal remedies. The words “and so on” refer to curses such as magical diagrams, mantras, and so on. RK: mantrajātir mantraviśeṣaḥ grahadevatāyāḥ| auṣadhiḥ phalapākāntā| strīdevatāyā mantro vidyā| bhaiṣajyam auṣadham| ādi śabdena yantramantrādiparigrahaḥ. According to Hari (682), some scholars say that “special mantras” refers to the kind of mantras belonging to Noble Tāra and others. “Herbs” refers to the false daisy plant and others produced by the (light of the) moon, sun, and celestial bodies. The “magic spells” and “medicinal potions” are nothing but those special type of mantras and the herbs. The words “and so on” refer to curses such as magical diagrams. Other scholars say that “special mantras” refers to the spiritual. “Herbs” are the combination of many substances. The “magic spells” are worldly. The “medicinal potions” are made from single ingredients. Still other scholars say that “special mantras” derives from the close bond between a man and his deity. “Herbs” are for counteracting diseases that have arisen. The “magic spells” derive from the close bond between a woman and her deity. The “magical potions” are for preventing future misfortunes. Hari: āryatārādimantraprakāro mantrajātiḥ. candrasūryagrahotpāditabhṛṅgarājādir oṣadhiḥ. mantrajātyoṣadhy eva vidyābheṣajādi. ādi śabdād yantrādiparigraha ity eke. mantrajātir lokottarā. bahudravyasamāhāralakṣanauṣadhiḥ. vidyā laukikī bheṣajam ekāṅgikam ity apare. puruṣadevatāsambandhān mantrajātiḥ. utpannavyādhipratikārārtham oṣadhiḥ. strīdevatāsambandhād vidyā. bheṣajam anāgatotpātapratiṣedhārtham ity anye. Note: Ratnākara seems to take the “women” to be subjugated, but in Hari’s comments, some seem to suggest that women are the subjugators.
921. According to Ratnākara (F.153.a), “belligerent” means quarreling physically and “combative” means verbally. RK: vigrahaḥ kāyena kalaho vivādas tu vācā.
922. This translation follows the Tibetan “indicating” (kun ston pa’i nyes pa; *ādarśana), because the Sanskrit edition’s ādeyatādoṣa makes less sense and could easily be an error for ādarśanadośa in most scripts. Cf. Negi vol. 1, ka, for kun ston pa, ādarśana.
923. According to Hari (684), Ārya Vimuktisena (seventh century) said the use of the words “preoccupation” and “occupation” informs us that, respectively, the previous preoccupation concerns the truths of suffering and its origin and the subsequent occupation concerns the truths of cessation and the path. Others have said that the “preoccupation” is the first habitual fixation on the constituents, whereas “occupation” is the subsequent habitual fixation on the absolute. Hari: yogānuyoga grahaṇena duḥkhasamudayasatyayor nirodhamārgasatyayoś ca yathākramaṃ yogānuyogapaurvāparyaṃ jñāpitam ity āryavimuktisenaḥ. skandhādiṣu prathamo ’bhiniveśo yogaḥ. paścād atyantābhiniveśo ’nuyoga ity apare. According to Ratnākara (F.153.a–b), being “preoccupied” is a mental function involving habitual fixation, whereas being “occupied” is a mental function free of habitual fixation. To “stay” in those refers to one’s concentration (samādhi) being possessed with such things. RK: yogaḥ sābhiniveśā vṛttiḥ| anuyogo nirabhiniveśā vṛttiḥ| tābhyāṃ vihāras tayor vihāras tadvān samādhiḥ. Note: This translation concerns Ratnākara’s comments on the Ornament verse that correlates here to the Aṣṭa. His other technical comments are already reflected in the translation and not translated here, i.e., RK: yogāś cānuyogaś ca yogānuyogaṃ, tadanuyuktās tena saha yuktāḥ| sahārthe ’nu śabdaḥ| na viharantī ti sambandhaḥ.
924. These are different types of otherworldly beings. To use English equivalents may confuse more than help.
925. According to Ratnākara (F.154.b), “harmony” means the knowing of everything’s sameness and “disharmony” means the mental construct of everything’s difference. RK: abhedaḥ samatājñānam| bhedo nānātvavikalpaḥ.
926. According to Ratnākara (F.154.b), “doubt” means uncertainty and “disheartened” means low in energy. RK: vicikitsā saṃśayaḥ| saṃsīdanaṃ mandotsāhatā.
927. According to Ratnākara (F.154.b), “the mindset that results immediately afterward” means the torment that follows immediately afterward. RK: ānantaryacittene ti| anantaryapaścāt tāpena.
928. According to Ratnākara (F.155.a), when it says “exactly that way… and not otherwise” it is implicitly understood to mean “complete, perfect awakening is sure to be mine.” A “magically empowered form of a buddha” means the magical creation of a buddha. “In reality” means in essence. RK: tathā tan nānyathe ty ukte ’rthād gamyate bhaviṣyaty eva me ’nuttarā samyaksambodhir iti| buddhādhiṣṭhānaṃ buddhanirmāṇam| addhe ti tattvata ity arthaḥ.
929. According to Ratnākara (F.155.a), “give themselves away” means “selling themselves in the market” (vikraya) and so on, whereas “giving up their lives” means dying. The truth taught by the blessed buddhas is that everything is empty. Confused persons contest that very truth. For themselves or others to apprehend that, they give up even their lives. This is because for them to do that for the truth is to have “appreciation and devotion” to the buddhas, because they know the Tathāgata to be “the body of truth” and because they see their own future buddhahood. RK: ātma naḥ parityāgo vikrayādi| jīvita sya parityāgo maraṇam| buddhair bhagavadbhir deśito dharmaḥ sarvadharmāḥ śūnyā iti| tam eva mohapuruṣāḥ pratikṣipanti| tasya svayaṃ paraiś ca parigrahāya jīvitam api tyajati| sa hi buddheṣu yat premagauravaṃ tad dharme karoti| dharmakāyās tathāgatā iti jñānāt| ātmanaś ca bhāvibuddhatvadarśanāt. Note that earlier in this sūtra (4.2), Śakra says, “As the Blessed One has said, ‘The blessed buddhas are the bodies of the truth (dharmakāya). But, monks, do not see (manyadhvam) this real body (satkāyam) as that body. Instead, monks, see me through actualizing (niṣpatti) the body of truth (dharmakāya).’ And hence the body of the tathāgatas should be seen as revealed (prabhāvita) at the pinnacle of reality (bhūtakoṭi), that is to say, as the transcendent state of wisdom.”
930. Once again, the above passage involves a play on the word dharma, which means “truth,” “things,” and “teachings.”
931. According to Ratnākara (F.159.b), “Chapter on Emptiness” means the chapter primarily concerned with emptiness. RK: śūnyatā pradhānaḥ parivartaḥ śūnyatāparivartaḥ. He says that while the previous chapter took the path of seeing as the context in which to explain the signs of being beyond regressing, in terms of their numbers and distinctive qualities in the four stages of insight, this chapter explains the profound path of cultivation. RK: nirvedhāṅgadṛṅmārgayor avaivartikaliṅgāni saṃkhyayā viśeṣataś coktani| bhāvanāmārgas tu gambhīraḥ.
932. The content of this chapter corresponds to the first part of Chapter 41 in the Twenty-Five Thousand (down to 41.46) and the equivalent in the Hundred Thousand, and to the first part of Chapter 51 in the Eighteen Thousand (down to 51.52).
933. According to Ratnākara (F.155.b), “endowed with great positive qualities” means that their accumulation of positive qualities is great, because it is extremely profound and because it has been amassed through uninterrupted effort over a period of two countless eons. For this reason, it is “boundless” because it cannot be evaluated qualitatively and “ measureless” because it cannot be quantified. RK: mahān guṇasambhāraḥ paramagambhīratayā kalpāsaṃkhyeyadvayanirantaraprayatnalabhyatayā ca| ata eva viśeṣato jñātum aśakyatvād apramāṇāḥ saṃkhyātum aśakyatvād aparimitāḥ.
934. According to Ratnākara (F.155.b), this “bodhisattva great being” is on the path of cultivation beyond turning back and is “beyond regressing” from the path of cultivation. The knowing is “infinite” because it surpasses calculation; “limitless” because it is extremely vast; and “cannot be led astray” means that (the bodhisattva’s knowing of) the perfect pinnacle and so on cannot be perfectly understood even “by the disciples or solitary realizers”—such is the profundity of the path of cultivation. RK: bodhisattvo mahāsattva iti bhāvanāmārgastho ’vaivartikaḥ| avinivartanīyene ti bhāvanāmārgasthena| saṃkhyātikramād anantam| paramodāratvād aparyantam| asaṃhāryaṃ samyagagrādyaṃ samyag jñātum aśakyaṃ| śrāvakapratyekabuddhair apīti bhāvanāmārgasya gāmbhīryam. According to Hari (695), it “cannot be led astray” since it cannot be shaken by the whole world. Hari: sarvalokākampyatvenāsaṃhāryaṃ.
935. According to Ratnākara (F.155.b), “could certainly explain” means it is possible, but the implication is that doing so would not be a benefit to beings. For that reason, he says what he does next. RK: pratibalaḥ śakto nirdeṣṭum | kin tu sattvārtho na syād iti bhāvaḥ| tataḥ kim ityāha| ata eve tyādi| eva kāro bhinnakramaḥ| sthānānī ty ataḥ pareṇa draṣṭavyaḥ| sarvāṇi gambhīrāṇī ti vīpsārthaḥ. Note: Ratnākara also explains here that the word “just” (eva) is out of order in the Sanskrit text and rightfully qualifies the “points,” rather than being after the word “that being so.” Also, Ratnākara and Hari both suggest that the Sanskrit repeats the word “profound” twice (translated “extremely profound) to indicate that it is something on the path to be practiced again and again. Cf. Hari: gambhīrāṇi gambhīrāṇī ti vīpsābhidhānaṃ paunaḥpuṇyābhyāsamārgajñāpanārthaṃ.
936. According to Ratnākara (F.155.b), the “points” refers to the meditative objects on the path of cultivation. “Connected with the transcendent state of wisdom” means based on that. The Sanskrit optative here should be understood (as translated) to mean “could you please outline.” This is a request for instruction by Subhūti. RK: sthānānī ti bhāvanāmārgālambanāni| prajñāpāramitāyāṃ pratisaṃyuktāni tadādhāraṇīty arthaḥ| sūcayitavyānī ti sūcyantām ityarthaḥ| iti subhūter adhyeṣaṇā. Note: Both commentaries explain the entire chapter below as concerning the different aspects of the path of cultivation in conjunction with the outline of topics in the Ornament.
937. According to Hari (696), “want to learn about” these means he wants to be instructed in them. Hari: nigamayitukāma iti pratipādayitukāmaḥ. According to Ratnākara (F.155.b), “want to learn about” means he wants to practice these on the path of cultivation. RK: nigamayitukāma iti bhāvanāmārge yojayitukāmaḥ.
938. According to Hari (696–97), (the point on the path of cultivation) is “emptiness” because it is devoid of a grasper; “freedom from signs” because it lacks anything grasped; “freedom from inclinations” because there is not even a substantially existent nondual knowing to be attained separate from the grasper or grasped; “freedom from conditioning” because it is not associated with arising and so on or because it continues effortlessly; “freedom from arising” because it is the nonexistence of a cause; “freedom from birth” because it is the end of rebirth; “freedom from any state of being” because of lacking any counterproductive forces on the path of seeing; and “freedom from passion” because it is the dissolution of counterproductive forces on the path of cultivation. It is “cessation” because it is the quality of the nonarising of suffering in the future; “nirvāṇa” because it is the station of abiding delightfully in peace without signs; and “dissolution” because it is the fruit of not wandering in suffering in this life. Some say that the different meanings of emptiness and so on should be expressed in this way. One should also understand all these words to be pointing toward the ultimate realm of things through different types of exclusions. Hari: grāhakavivekena śūnyatā. grāhyābhāvād ānimittaṃ. grāhyagrāhakaviviktādvayajñānasyāpi vastusato ’dhigantavyasyāsattvād apraṇihitam. jātyādilakṣaṇatrayavisaṃyogād anābhogapravṛttatvād vānabhisaṃskāraḥ. hetor asattvād anutpādaḥ. pratisaṇdhivigamād ajātiḥ. darśanamārgavipakṣavirahād abhāvaḥ. bhāvanāmārgavipakṣaviśleṣād virāgaḥ. āyatyāṃ duḥkhānutpattidharmatvān nirodhaḥ. animittaśāntasukhavihārapadasthānatvān nirvāṇaṃ. dṛṣṭe dharme duḥkhāpracāraphalatvād vigama ity evam esāṃ śūnyatādīnām arthabhedo vācya ity eke. sarvair apy etaiḥ padair vyāvṛttibhedād dharmadhātur eva nirdiśyata iti grāhyaṃ. According to Ratnākara (F.156.a), the nature (bhāva) of all things as they appear and the nature of them as they truly are is “emptiness.” It itself is the “freedom from signs” because signs cease in the experience of it. It itself is “freedom from inclinations” because those who experience it have no aspiration for the three realms. It itself is “freedom from conditioning” because those who experience it do not perform karmic deeds that lead to rebirth. It itself is “freedom from arising” because those who experience it do not have arisings due to any karmic deeds. It itself is “freedom from birth” because those who experience it know (that things are) unborn by nature. It itself is “freedom from any state of being” because it is insubstantial. It itself is the purity of “freedom from passion” because those who experience it uproot the emotional defilements and negative propensities. It itself is “cessation” because those who experience it are blocked from future rebirth. It itself is “nirvāṇa” because those who experience it overcome the latent impressions. It itself is “dissolution” because those who experience it put an end to the constituents with worldly influences. RK: gambhīram itītyādi| sarvadharmāṇāṃ yathāpratibhāsam bhāvo yathātattvaṃ ca bhāvaḥ śūnyatā | saivānimittaṃ tadvedane nimittanirodhāt| saivāpraṇihitaṃ tadvidāṃ traidhātuke ’praṇidhānāt| saivānabhisaṃskāras teṣāṃ punarbhavāya karmākaraṇāt| saivānutpādas teṣāṃ tena karmaṇā’nutpādāt| saivājātis teṣāṃ prakṛtyajātatājñānāt| saivābhāvo ’dravyatvāt| saiva virāga śuddhiḥ kleśānuśayasamudghātāt| saiva nirodhas teṣāṃ punarbhavavirodhāt| saiva nirvāṇaṃ teṣāṃ vāsanāsamudghātāt| saiva vigamas teṣāṃ sāśravaskandhoparamāt.
939. According to Ratnākara, the question is whether the term “profound” refers to these “things”—i.e., to emptiness and so on—but not to “everything,” i.e., the constituents, elements, and so on. Cf. RK: dharmāṇām iti śūnyatādinām| sarvadharmāṇām iti skandhadhātvādīnām.
940. According to Ratnākara (F.156.b), the profundity of physical forms is “where”—i.e., in the actual nature of form and so on—the imagined forms and so on that we experience do not appear, since they appear as ultimately existent nature. RK: yatre ti yasyāṃ rūpāditathatāyāṃ vedyamānāyāṃ kalpitaṃ rūpādi na prakhyāti iyaṃ rūpā dīnāṃ gambhīratā | paramārthasatā rūpeṇa teṣāṃ prakhyānāt.
941. According to Ratnākara (F.156.b), “subtle” refers to his refined objects of knowledge. The Blessed One “points us toward nirvāṇa” because nothing imaginary appears to a bodhisattva beyond regressing, who is on the path of cultivation. The Blessed One “keeps us away from physical forms” and so on, because those appear as the ultimate reality. So, a bodhisattva (develops) the longing to end all the mental projections of form and so on by means of nirvāṇa. RK: sūkṣmeṇe ti nipuṇavedyena| nirvāṇaṃ ca sūcitam| bhāvanāmārgasthasyāvaivartikasya sarveṣāṃ parikalpitānām aprakhyānāt| rūpā dibhyaś ca nivāritaḥ| teṣāṃ paramārthasya prakhyānāt| tatra nirvāṇena rūpādisamāropāntam utkatā.
942. According to Ratnākara (F.157.a), “these” points—i.e., the emptiness and so on mentioned above—are “connected with the transcendent state of wisdom,” meaning the wisdom that has transcended conceptualization, i.e., the transcendent state of wisdom qua the path of seeing and the path of cultivation. But the transcendent state of wisdom that is the stages of insight (on the path of preliminary practice) is implicit within these two. So here, “connected,” i.e., associated with, means reliant on these three types (of transcendent state of wisdom). The connection is that one “contemplates, considers, and meditates upon” those. RK: imānī ti yathoktāni śūnyatādīni| prajñāpāramitāpratisaṃyuktānī ti vikalpa pāramitai va prajñā prajñāpāramitā darśanamārgo bhāvanāmārgaś ca| nirvedhabhāgīyāni tu tādarthyāt prajñāpāramitā| tasyāṃ trividhāyāṃ pratisaṃyuktāni sambaddhāni tadādhārāṇīty arthaḥ| ya imāni cintayiṣyati tulayiṣyati upanidhāsyatī ti sambandhaḥ.
943. According to Ratnākara (F.157.a–.b), “should abide” through conclusive certainty based on contemplation; “should train” by developing tranquility through considering; “should go about life” by developing extraordinary insight by means of meditating; “prescribed” by listening to the words in the text; “informed” by making the meaning known; “expounded” by making the esoteric meaning known. There are four types of reasoning: (1) the “reasoning of dependence” concerns the arising of an effect in dependence upon all its causes; (2) the “reasoning of cause and effect” concerns the efficacy by which particular effects arise from particular causes; (3) the “reasoning of proof” is the valid investigation by which some point is proved, and (4) the “reasoning of the nature of things” (establishes) the rule for the inherent nature of things, e.g. fire burns and water causes moisture. Through these four reasonings, one “contemplates,” i.e., investigates, the object of meditative concentration devotedly and consistently by sitting cross-legged in a solitary place. “Considering” means making the mind calm through the nine stages of meditation aimed at tranquility (śamatha). “Meditating upon” these things means the four stages of meditation aimed at extraordinary insight (vipaśyanā), i.e., one pulls things apart, analyzes them, investigates them, and engages in examining them. Here, (a) pulling them apart is being aware of them phenomenologically; (b) analyzing them means being aware of them ontologically, as the text mentions (below) the “five constituents” and so on; (c) investigating them means transforming them into a (single) sign (nimittīkaraṇaṃ) by way of the nonconceptual mind in connection with wisdom, as the text mentions (below) “everything is empty” and so on, and (d) examining them means accurately evaluating them. This describes the nature of the path of cultivation. RK: sthātavyam iti cintayaikāntaniścayāt| śikṣitavyam iti tulanena śamathotpādanāt| pratipattavyam ity upanidhyānena vipaśyanotpādanāt| ājñaptaṃ granthaśravaṇāt| ākhyātam arthajñāpanāt| upadiṣṭaṃ rahasyakīrtanāt| catasro yuktayaḥ| apekṣāyuktiḥ sarvahetūn apekṣya kāryotpatteḥ| kāryakāraṇayuktiḥ tebhyaḥ pratyekaṃ kāryaviśeṣotpatteḥ| upapattiḥ sādhanayuktiḥ| yena pramāṇena yo ’rthaḥ sidhyati| dharmatāyuktiḥ svabhāvaniyamo dharmāṇām| agni eva dahaty āpa eva kledayantītyādi| ābhiḥ samādhyālambanasya rahasi paryaṅkam āruhya satkṛtya sātatyena nirūpaṇaṃ cintā| tatraiva navākāreṇa śamathena cetasaḥ samīkaraṇaṃ tulanam| dharmān vicinoti pravicinoti parivitarkayati parimīmāṃsām āpadyata iti caturākārā vipaśyanā upanidhyānam|| tatra yāvadbhāvikatājñānaṃ vicayaḥ| pañcaiva skandhā ityādi yathāvadbhāvikatājñānaṃ pravicayaḥ| sarva ete śūnyā ityādi nirvikalpena manasā prajñāsahagatena nimittīkaraṇaṃ parivitarkaḥ| santīraṇaṃ parimīmāṃsā| iti bhāvanāmārgasya svabhāvaḥ.
944. According to Ratnākara (F.157.b), “likewise” means in the stages taught. “Pondering” is by means of meditation aimed at tranquility (śamatha). “Meditating” is by means of the meditation aimed at extraordinary insight (vipaśyanā). “Reflecting” is by means of both (meditations aimed at tranquility and extraordinary insight). “Practicing” is by means of persevering in meditation aimed at tranquility. “Striving” is by means of persevering in the meditation aimed at extraordinary insight. “Exerting” is by means of persevering in both. RK: tathe tyādi| tathe ti yathoktena krameṇa sampādayamānaḥ śamathena| upanidhyāyana vipaśyanayā| upaparīkṣamāṇa ubhābhyām| prayujyamānaḥ śamathavīryeṇa| ghaṭamāno vipaśyanāvīryeṇa| vyāyacchamāna ubhayavīryeṇa.
945. According to Ratnākara (F.157.b), “How great is the karmic deed…?” is a rhetorical question that he answers himself with the following example. RK: svayam eva bhagavān pṛcchati kiyatakarma karotī ti| uttaraṃ svayam evāha tadyathāpī tyādinā.
946. According to Ratnākara (F.157.b–58.a), “held back by someone else” means she is not permitted or allowed by someone else. RK: paraparigṛhīte ti parakīyā na vaśayen na śaknuyāt.
947. According to Ratnākara (F.158.a), “leaves cyclic existence behind” means abandons it, which arises from a series of births by someone returning to it; “turns his or her back on it” means due to the returner not returning; and “puts an end to it” means by not moving from a past to a future life. RK: saṃsārād ity āgāmino janmaprabandhāt| chorayatī ti tyajati| vipṛṣṭhīkaroti āgāmino ’nāgamanāt| vyantīkarotī ty aparāntataḥ pūrvāntānayanāt.
948. According to Ratnākara (F.158.a), “abides” due to having eliminated doubts through contemplation; “trains” through tranquility; “progresses” through extraordinary insight; “meditates” through both of those; “engages in meditation,” i.e., the cultivation of it. With just these few words, a single karmic deed is explained. RK: tiṣṭhati cintayā saṃśayacchedāt| śikṣate śamathena| pratipadyate vipaśyanayā| upanidhyāyatī tyubhābhyām| evaṃ yogaṃ bhāvanām āpadyate| iyatā ekaṃ karmoktam.
949. According to Hari (702), to “give” means to offer, and to “provide ongoing support” means (to do so) over a long period. Hari: dadyāt pratiṣṭhāpayed iti niryātayec cirasthitikaṃ ca kuryād ity arthaḥ. According to Ratnākara (F.158.a), “give” by bestowing things, and “provide ongoing support” without holding back. RK: dadyād arpaṇataḥ| pratiṣṭhāpayed avipratisārataḥ.
950. According to Hari (703), “from his or her attentiveness” means from cultivating the transcendent state of wisdom. Hari: tato manasikārād iti prajñāpāramitābhāvanātaḥ. According to Ratnākara (F.158.a), “attentiveness” refers to abiding delightfully (in concentration). RK: manasikāro vihāraḥ.
951. There is some wordplay here. Subhūti’s question is making reference to the fact that the Blessed One uses the Sanskrit word abhisaṃskāra in both a negative and a positive sense in different places in this scripture. In the present positive context here, it is translated as “accumulation” (abhisaṃskāra, in relation to merit). But in an earlier negative context, it was translated as “cumulative construction” (abhisaṃskāra, in relation to physical forms and so on). For instance, in chapter 1, the Blessed One explains that bodhisattvas should not engage in the “cumulative construction” (abhisaṃskāra) of physical forms and so on because a “cumulative construction” is a conceptualization, i.e., a purely mental construct, rather than the transcendent state of wisdom (1.20, see also n.111). Thus, according to Ratnākara (F.158.b), since the Blessed One has repeatedly taught in this section here that a bodhisattva will “earn more merit,” Subhūti raises the following rhetorical objection: Since the “cumulative construction/accumulation” (i.e., of physical forms and so on) is a conceptualization and since the “cumulative construction/accumulation” of merit must also be like that, the words “much more merit” should amount to much more conceptualization. RK: iha bahutaraṃ puṇyaṃ prasavatī ti bāhulyenoktam| ataḥ subhūteś codyam abhisaṃskāro vikalpaḥ| tadvat puṇyābhisaṃskāro ’ pi| tasmād bahutaraṃ puṇyam iti bahutaro vikalpa uktaḥ syād iti. According to Hari (706), a cumulative construction, i.e., a mental effort, is a “conceptualization,” i.e., an error. So the question is why—given that any such act would be accompanied by karmic seeds of conceptualization—are you saying here that “he or she would earn more merit” at the time of dedication? Hari: abhisaṃskāraś cittābhogo vikalpo viparyāso yadā kathaṃ vikalpabījānugamāt tadā bahutaraṃ puṇyaṃ pariṇāmanākāle prasavatīty ucyate.
952. According to Ratnākara (F.158.b), “at this point” refers to the time when a bodhisattva is on the path of cultivation. RK: idānīm iti bhāvanāmārgakāle. According to Hari (706), “at this point” refers (in particular) to the stage of eighth division of the path of cultivation. Hari: idānīm iti aṣṭamaprakārabhāvanāmārgāvasthāyāṃ.
953. According to Ratnākara (F.158.b), “empty” because it does not exist in accord with any characteristics. The Sanskrit suffix -ka (on the word śūnyaka, etc., in the text) is meant here in the sense of something unknown, i.e., the foolish do not know it simply to be “empty.” RK: yathālakṣaṇam asattvāc chūnyaḥ| ajñātārthe ka pratyayaḥ| bālair ajñātaḥ śūnyaka ity eva.
954. According to Ratnākara (F.159.a), it is “inexhaustible” (akṣaya) like space. Like space, it is immeasurable. RK: akṣayā apī ti ākāśavat| aprameyātāpī ty ākāśasyeva.
955. Note: The Sanskrit text here omits “discontinuation” (vigama), which was mentioned earlier in the chapter. It also includes “inexhaustible” (akṣayam), which was not in the original list, but was just mentioned previously.
956. According to Hari (710), this phrase means due to his explication that flows naturally from the Tathāgata’s compassion. Hari: tathāgatasya karuṇāniṣyandanirdeśatvād. According to Ratnākara (F.159.a), to break down the Sanskrit compound precisely, “his teaching” refers to his compassion, based on which he teaches. “As a result of his teaching” means as the natural outcome of his compassion. The result is itself the explication—i.e., the two words in the Sanskrit compound have a single locus. RK: deśanābhinirhāranirdeśa eṣa iti| deśyate ’nayeti deśanā karuṇā, tasyā ’bhinirhāro niṣyandaḥ, sa cāsau nirdeśaś ca. Cf. abhinirhāra (in dharmadeśanābhinirhāra), “skillful devices.”
957. According to Ratnākara (F.159.a), it is “inexpressible” because it is not an object of expression. RK: avāggocaratvād anabhilāpyāḥ.
958. According to Ratnākara (F.159.a), “the thing at the core of a perfection” refers to the characteristic of emptiness. RK: pāramitārthasye ti śūnyatālakṣaṇasya.
959. According to Ratnākara (F.159.a), they give others gifts with these “attentive mental states” and “developments of the proper mindset.” (They dedicate) the “roots of virtue” connected with those “developments of the proper mindset.” RK: sa dānaṃ dadat tān manasikārāṃs tāṃś cittotpādān iti yair dānaṃ dadāti| tāni ca kuśalamūlānī ti yāni tais cittotpādaiḥ saṃprayuktāni.
960. According to Hari (713), he is explaining that on the conventional level, the path of cultivation performs a function in accord with the way that complete, perfect awakening is. Hari: saṃvṛtyā tu yathānuttarā samyaksambodhis tathā bhāvanāmārgo ’rthakriyākārīti kathayann āha: api tu khalu punar ityādi. According to Ratnākara (F.159.a–.b), “they would dedicate them in accord with that unsurpassed, perfect awakening” means that the dedication to awakening cannot be in accord with something else. RK: yathā bodhis tathā pariṇāmayatī ti| anyathā na sā pariṇāmanā bodhaye syāt.
961. According to Ratnākara (F.159.b), the chapter “The Noble Lady Gaṅgadevī” means the chapter characterized (lakṣita) by the noble lady Gaṅgadevī (whose role in it becomes clear only at the end). RK: gaṅgadevābhaginyā lakṣitaḥ parivartas tatparivartaḥ.
962. The beginning of this chapter corresponds to the remainder of Chapter 41 in the Twenty-Five Thousand (starting at 41.47) and Hundred Thousand, and of Chapter 51 in the Eighteen Thousand (51.53). At the point marked by note 979, the chapter goes on to include content corresponding to the whole of Chapter 42 in the Twenty-Five Thousand and Hundred Thousand, and of Chapter 52 in the Eighteen Thousand; and at the point marked by note 1010, the chapter goes on to include content corresponding to the whole of Chapter 43 in the Twenty-Five Thousand and Hundred Thousand, and of Chapter 53 in the Eighteen Thousand.
963. The Sanskrit term cittotpāda means “arising of the mindset,” where the term “mindset” generally refers to any kind of mindset, i.e., proper or improper. In this part of the chapter it specifically refers to the mindset of awakening. To make this clearer in the main text, the initial occurrences of the word “mindset” have been translated as “mindset of awakening.”
964. According to Ratnākara (F.159.b), the idea of the objection here is that awakening (which arises from the accumulation of merit and wisdom) cannot be the result of a former and a subsequent mindset, because they do not coexist with each another. RK: na pūrveṇa cittena bodhir na ca paścimena tayor asamavadhānād iti codyam. According to Hari (717), “does not coexist with” means the former does not have an immediate connection with the latter, because, insofar as the first and last moments arise and dissolve without the presence of the other, they have no direct relation to one another. Given their lack of any direct relation, he asks, “So how could there be any…?” in order to imply that there actually could never be an “accumulation of the roots of virtue,” because there is no arising of a (single) mindset appearing with the (two) different objects (i.e., causes that must be accumulated). Hence, he is implying that there could be no perfect awakening. Hari: asamavahita iti paścimaprathamayor yathākramaṃ niranvayodayavināśena parasparam asambandhād asaṃśliṣṭaḥ. katham iti sambandhābhāvād viśiṣṭārthapratibhāsicittānutpādān naiva kuśalamūlānām upacayo bhavati. tato nānuttarā samyaksambodhir iti bhāvaḥ.
965. According to Hari (718), “the first flame to strike” refers to the flame encountered in the first moment. Hari: prathamābhinipātene ti prathamakṣaṇamilitena. According to Ratnākara (F.159.b), this section is the rebuttal (of the above objection) by way of the example of a lamp. The Ornament states this section’s objection as follows: “Awakening is not connected to the former or the subsequent mindset. (Awakening is known) through the example of a lamp.” The Ornament then states the rebuttal: “The nature of things (which is awakening) is profound in eight ways.” The actual nature of pure awakening is the characteristic taught in the eighteen (types). But the characteristic of awakening with its retinue is taught as the eight types of profundity. RK: evamukta ityādi prāg evamuktā t| iyatā dīpadṛṣṭāntena parihāraḥ| atra śāstram— pūrveṇa bodhir no yuktā manasā paścimena vā||4-58ab|| iti codyam| dīpadṛṣṭāntayogena ||4-58c|| bodhir iti vartate| anena parihāraḥ||atha śāstram—gambhīrā dharmatāṣṭadhā…||4-58d|| yā bodhir iti vartate| kevalāyā bodhes tathataiva lakṣaṇam uktam aṣṭādaśe| saparicchadāyās tu bodher lakṣaṇam aṣṭavidhaṃ gāmbhīryam.
966. The translation follows the gloss of RK: anyatra tebhya iti vinā tebhyaḥ.
967. According to Ratnākara (F.160.a), the following passage up to where it says “he or she intensively cultivates” is teaching the eight profundities (of the true nature of things). RK: evam ukte bhagavān ityādinā parijayaṃ karotī ty etad antenāṣṭavidhaṃ gāmbhīryam. The eight profundities belonging to the nature of things are listed in the Ornament as “the profundity in arising, ceasing, actual nature, knowledge objects, knowing, practice, nonduality, and skill in means.” Cf. RK: utpāde ca nirodhe ca tathatāyāṃ gabhīratā| jñeye jñāne ca caryāyām advayopāyakauśale|| AA 4.59. According to Hari (721), after specifying the resultant contingencies (above), in order to describe a bodhisattva’s characteristics that are beyond regressing (bhāvanāmārga), he now explains the scope of a bodhisattva on the path of cultivation in which there are eight types of profundities. Beginning with this sentence, he first describes the profundity of arising. Hari: prasaṅgāgataṃ nirdiśyedānīṃ bhāvanāmārgasthabodhisattvānām avaivartikalakṣaṇakathanāya yasmin viṣaye ’ṣṭavidhaṃ gāmbhīryaṃ tad vaktavyam ity utpādagāmbhīryaṃ tāvat kathayann āha: gambhīro ’yaṃ bhagavann ityādi.
968. According to Ratnākara (F.160.a), the “mindset”—i.e., the erroneous one that consists in the imagination of the unreal—“that has ceased” refers to a mindset exhausted due to the exhausting of (the ordinary sentient being’s) mental continuum (upon awakening at the level of a bodhisattva beyond regressing on the path of cultivation). He says “definitely not” (no hi<naiva) because the habitual fixation on subject and object that is the cause of error is exhausted—this is the idea. This ends the (first) profound aspect of arising. RK: yac cittam iti bhrāntam abhūtaparikalpātmakam| niruddham iti santānakṣayāt kṣīṇam| no hī ti naivety arthaḥ| bhrāntikāraṇasya dvayābhiniveśasya kṣayād iti bhāvaḥ| ity utpādagāmbhīryam.
969. According to Ratnākara (F.160.a), the “mindset that has arisen” refers to the mindset free of error, because, insofar as its error has been exhausted but it depends upon a mindset, it is (talking about) the arising of the mindset (of an awakened being)—this is the basic idea. It has the “quality of cessation” moment by moment. “Will it cease?” asks the question whether that continuum will cease. He says “definitely not” because automatically its arising and its aspirations and so on are made exceedingly inexhaustible. RK: yac cittam utpannam iti abhrāntam| bhrāntikṣayāc cittādhīnatvāc ca cittotpatter iti bhāvaḥ| nirodhadharmi bhagavann iti pratikṣaṇam iti bhāvaḥ| nirotsyata iti santānanirodheneti bhāvaḥ| no hīdam iti svarasata utpatteḥ praṇidhānādibhiś ca saviśeṣam akṣayīkṛtatvād iti bhāvaḥ. According to Hari (721), in this passage “arisen” refers to a past thing in the process of perishing. Since, in reality, it has the nature of cessation, he says “the quality of cessation.” Regarding this term “quality of cessation,” the observed “quality” is “cessation,” i.e., emptiness. Hari: tatrotpannam atītaṃ vinaṣṭasattākam iti. tattvena nirodharūpatvād āha: nirodhadharmī ti nirodhaḥ śūnyatā sa eva dharmo ’sya vidyata iti nirodhadharmi.yāvat. Note: The Sanskrit editions have “not arisen” (anutpanna) in place of “arisen” (utpanna), but the translation here follows the Tibetan, which is confirmed by both Ratnākara’s and Hari’s explanations.
970. According to Ratnākara (F.160.a), “that mindset that has not arisen” refers to what was taught in the profundity of arising immediately before as “not having the quality of cessation.” The repetition of those words—i.e., “not having the quality of cessation”—is now in relation to this (mindset). RK: yac cittam anutpannam ity utpādagāmbhīrye yad uktam yan na nirodhadharmī ty anantaram eva yad uktaṃ| yan nirodhadharmī ty asmiṃs teṣāṃ punaruktatā syāt.
971. According to Ratnākara (F.160.a), “that mindset” refers to the mental continuum. Its having “the qualities of neither arising nor ceasing” means that it has neither beginning nor end. RK: yac cittam iti yac cittasantānaḥ| anutpādānirodhadharmī ty anādinidhanam.
972. According to Ratnākara (F.160.a), “the quality” called nirvāṇa. The phrase “cessation as its essential nature” means it has the essential nature of having ceased, i.e., a cessation (nirodha<niruddham). RK: yo dharma iti nirvāṇākhyaḥ| nirodho niruddham| tatsvabhāvo ’syeti svabhāvaniruddhaḥ.
973. According to Ratnākara (F.160.a), here “the true nature of things” means emptiness. This ends the section on the profundity of cessation. RK: dharmate ti śūnyatā| iti nirodhagāmbhīryam.
974. According to Ratnākara (F.160.a–b), “remain as it is” means to the limits of space; “would it not remain unchanging” means like an actual nature. He replies “definitely not” because the idea is that it lasts in the form of a stream. RK: tathaiva sthāsyatī ti yāvad ākāśam| mā kuṭasthā bhūd iti tathatāvat| no hīdam iti pravāhanityatvād iti bhāvaḥ.
975. According to Ratnākara (F.160.b), he says “the actual nature is profound” due to its subtlety, which he too is accurately understanding. This ends the section on the profundity of the actual nature. RK: tathaiva sthāsyatī ti yāvad ākāśam| mā kuṭasthā bhūd iti tathatāvat| no hīdam iti pravāhanityatvād iti bhāvaḥ| gambhīrā tathate ti samyagjñānād api sūkṣmatvād ity tathatāgāmbhīryam.
976. According to Ratnākara (F.160.b), a “mindset in the actual nature” means it is contained in that nature because of being aware of it. He says “definitely not” because that knowing is not connected to an object of knowing in the sense of something different (from it). RK: tathatāyāṃ cittam iti tadveditvāt tasyā ādheyam| no hīdam iti jñānād bhede vedyatvāyogāt.
977. According to Ratnākara (F.160.b), “is the mindset the actual nature” because of their single same characteristic (of emptiness)—this is the idea. RK: cittaṃ tathate ty ekalakṣaṇād iti bhāvaḥ.
978. According to Ratnākara (F.160.b), “is the mindset other than the actual nature” due to a mere difference in characteristics. He says “definitely not” because it has the same nature despite its difference in characteristics. Thus, even though it is ungraspable, the actual nature is something to be aware of as such. This ends the section on the profundity of the object of knowledge. RK: anyat tathatāyā lakṣaṇabhedād eva| no hīdam iti lakṣaṇabhedepi tādātmyāt| tad evam agrāhyatve pi vedyā tathateti jñeyagāmbhīryam.
979. According to Ratnākara (F.160.b), the Blessed One asks “do you see” the nature of a mindset? He says “definitely not” because it is ungraspable. Yet, he knows the mind also to be precisely that which is grasped. This ends the section on the profundity of knowing. RK: samanupaśyasi tvam iti cittarūpam| no hī ty agrāhyatvāt| tad eva grāhyam api cittaṃ vettī ti jñānagāmbhīryam.
980. According to Ratnākara (F.160.b), in the question “does someone go about life in something profound,” “something profound” implies an object of the transcendent state of wisdom. In Subhūti’s answer, “those practices” are conventional signs of meditative reference points. “Do not arise” means do not come into being. “Are not practiced” means do not make themselves known. RK: gambhīre caratī ti prajñāpāramitārthe| samudācārā ālambananimittāni| na pravartante na bhavanti| na samudācaranti na prakhyāntīti caryāgāmbhīryam. This ends the section on the profundity of practice.
981. According to Ratnākara (F.160.b), the question “does he or she go about in a conventional sign?” means either in a conventional sign of the two (i.e., subject and object) or in a conventional sign of freedom from that duality. The response is “definitely not,” i.e., neither in a conventional sign of duality (i.e., subject and object) nor in a conventional sign of freedom from that duality. RK: nimitte caratī ti dvayanimitte ’dvayanimitte vā| no hī ti na dvayanimitte nādvayanimitte.
982. According to Ratnākara (F.160.b), here “conventional sign” means either a dualistic or nondualistic conventional sign. “Unabandoned” means not cast off. He says it is “definitely not” unabandoned—(that is to say, it is a double negative meaning that all conventional signs) are abandoned. This ends the section on the profundity of the nondual. RK: nimittam iti dvayādvayanimittam| avibhāvitam aprahīṇam| no hī ti nāprahīṇam| prahīṇam evety arthaḥ| ity advayagāmbhīryam.
983. According to Ratnākara (F.160.b), he or she becomes a “śrāvaka,” i.e., not a completely perfect buddha. RK: śrāvako bhaved iti na samyaksambuddhaḥ.
984. According to Ratnākara (F.161.a), here he summarizes (the above) with the words from “Therefore…” and what follows in this paragraph. “He or she knows what a characteristic or a conventional sign is” means that he or she perceives all that is comprised by the conventional sign of a thing and the conventional sign of the nature of things. “He or she intensively cultivates” means nothing but repeatedly practices. This ends the section on the profundity of the skill in means. RK: etat tad ityādinopasaṃhāraḥ| yal lakṣaṇaṃ yan nimittam iti yad dharmanimittaṃ yac ca dharmatānimittaṃ tatsarvaṃ jānāti| parijayam abhyāsamātraṃ karoti| ity upāyakauśalagāmbhīryam.
985. According to Ratnākara (F.161.a), among these, the eighth profundity is supreme, whereas the others—i.e., the seven types of profundity taught (above)—are in the vicinity of awakening and classified as beyond regressing on the path of training (śaikṣa). He will (next) explain the sameness of cyclic existence and nirvāṇa (as it relates to the path of no more training). RK: tatrāṣṭamaṃ gāmbhīryaṃ viprakṛṣṭam| bodhe śeṣāṇi sannikṛṣṭānīty uktavidhaṃ gāmbhīryam| uktaś ca śaikṣau ’vaivartiko gaṇaḥ|| samatā bhavaśāntyoḥ vaktavyā. Note: RK’s comments end by stating that the “signs of nonregressing bodhisattvas” end here and the next Ornament subtopic (IV.ix) on the “sameness of cyclic existence and peace” begins.
986. This point in the chapter corresponds to the beginning of Chapter 42 in the Twenty-Five Thousand and Hundred Thousand, and of Chapter 52 in the Eighteen Thousand.
987. The basic idea here seems to be that a bodhisattva’s daytime-like meditative concentration on the path of cultivation perfumes the sleep-like post-meditation until he or she begins to see cyclic existence and nirvāṇa as the same, not just in meditation but after getting up from it too. That is to say, according to Ratnākara (F.161.a), “dream” refers to the erroneous cognition for someone who has arisen (from meditative concentration into the post-meditation), because it is like a dream. However, “daytime” refers to the accurate cognition that constitutes the path of cultivation, because it is like daytime. When is the one connected to the other? He says that when his or her transcendent state of wisdom thrives due to practicing intensively during the daytime, (then it also thrives for him or her during a dream). RK: vyutthitasya hi jñānaṃ bhrāntaṃ svapnopamatvāt svapnaḥ| bhāvanāmārgas tu samyagjñānaṃ divasopamatvād divasaḥ| tatra kadā yuktaṃ syāt? yadi daivasikād abhyāsātiśayāt svapne ti prajñāpāramitā vivardheta. Note: The translation follows the Tibetan here, which differs only slightly from the Sanskrit edition.
988. According to Ratnākara (F.161.a–b), “repeatedly practicing (ābhyāsataḥ) the transcendent state of wisdom” means practicing at the level of the path of cultivation. This ends the section on the sameness of cyclic existence and nirvāṇa. RK: prajñāpāramitābhyāsata iti bhāvanāmārgābhyāsataḥ| iti saṃsāranirvāṇasamatā.
989. According to Ratnākara (F.161.b), when Śāriputra is speaking here, the word “dream” refers to nothing but a dream (i.e., unlike just above where it refers to the post-meditative illusion). RK: śāriputra āhe tyādi| iha svapnaśabdena svapna evocyate. According to Hari (729–30), the question is will he or she “accrue” (ācaya) due to the piling up of karmic events, or “incur” (upacaya) a karmic deed due to its having the capacity to produce results? Śāriputra’s basic qualm is that, just like in a dream, there would be no pure or impure karmic deed even during the daytime, because there would be no preparatory (intention to act) and so on. Hari: svarūpopacayād ācayaḥ. kāryajananasāmarthyad upacayaḥ. tadvat svapnatulyatvena prayogādīnām abhāvād divase ’pi śubhāśubhakarmaṇo ’bhāvaḥ syād iti bhāvaḥ.
990. According to Hari (730), in this sentence he explains that ultimately there is no accruing or accumulating. But at the conventional level, he asserts a relationship between cause and effect (as Vasubandhu’s Twenty Verses says): “When dreaming, the mind is afflicted with sleepiness and hence its result is different.” In other words, Śāriputra’s dream example does not prove anything. Hence, he explains this in the next sentence. Hari: paramārthato naivācayopacayāv ity āha : yathā svapnopamā ityādi. saṃvṛtyā tu karmaphalasambandhasyābhīṣṭatvān middhenopahataṃ cittaṃ svapne tenāsamaṃ phalam iti dṛṣṭāntāsiddhiḥ syād ity āha: atha punar āyuṣman ityādi. Note: The passage is referring to the Buddha’s knowing, upon awakening, of the destruction of the defilements and worldly influences.
991. According to Hari (730), in this case, the person thinks, “Hooray (aho), he has been killed! It is great that he has been killed! It is for good reason (suṣṭhu) that he has been killed!” because he or she had a preparatory (intention to act) and so on and harmed body, speech, and mind. Then, by taking (what he or she did in the dream) as applying to himself or herself in all cases, he or she thinks, “I killed him!” and the difference of meaning in this is to be explained (in the next sentence). Hari: tatra prayogādiniṣpādanāt kāyavākcittopaghātād cāho hataḥ sādhu hataḥ suṣṭhu hataḥ. sarvatrātmavyāpāropalambhān mayā hata ity arthabhedo vācyaḥ.
992. According to Hari (730), the Madhyamaka holds that even though a thing (vastu) in the waking state is similar to a dream in the sense of its verisimilitude, karmic deeds that are virtuous and so on are established for those who have not broken all the bonds of error, because they are fixated on existence and so on. Nevertheless, unclear, nonvirtuous behavior (pratipatti) in a dream brings a reduced result, because its cause is more erroneous due to sleepiness—while a clear, unconfused false appearance (pratibhāsa) in the waking state brings a greater result because it lacks a cause that is more erroneous due to sleepiness. Hari: ato madhyamakanayena jāgradavasthāyām api svapnasadṛśe vastuni tadanurūpārthe bhāvādyabhiniveśenākhaṇḍitasakalaviparyāsabandhanānāṃ kuśalādayo vyavasthāpyante. kiṃtu middhādhikabhrāntikāraṇatvenāspaṣṭākuśalapratipattyā svapne nyūnaṃ phalaṃ. jāgradavasthāyāṃ tu middhādikabhrāntikāraṇavigamāt spaṣṭānākulapratibhāsatvenādhikaṃ phalaṃ.
993. According to Ratnākara (F.161.b), in the phrase “a particular conception about his dissolution,” the word “dissolution” means nirvāṇa and “particular conception” means his comprehension of it. RK: kṣayasaṃjñe ti kṣayo nirvāṇaṃ tasya saṃjñā udgrahaḥ.
994. According to Ratnākara (F.161.b), here the “thinking” concerns real things, whereas the “conceptualizing” is the fabrication of something false. RK: bhutārthakalpanaṃ kalpaḥ| vi tathakalpa naṃ vikalpaḥ.
995. According to Ratnākara (F.161.b), here the words “mindset,” “mental activity,” “mind,” and “conceptualization” all share a single meaning. RK: cittaṃ cetanā buddhir vikalpaḥ ity eko ’rthaḥ.
996. According to Ratnākara (F.161.b), “void” refers to something devoid of any inherent nature. RK: viviktānī ti niḥsvabhāvāni.
997. According to Ratnākara (F.161.b), the deluded mind first makes something nonexistent into a conventional sign, then into objective bases. RK: viplutā hi buddhir avidyamānam eva nimittīkṛtyā rambaṇī karoti.
998. Here, there is a play on the words “not being found or known” (avidyamāna) and “ignorance or lacking in knowledge” (avidyā) reminiscent of a similar passage in chapter 1 (see 1.46 and n.142). RK: viplutā hi buddhir avidyamānam eva nimittīkṛtyā rambaṇī karoti.
999. In other words, all twelve links of dependent arising are void.
1000. According to Hari (733), “on account of worldly conventions” means concerning the conventional level. The Sanskrit word iti here implies the words “is said to” (which have been added in the main text above). Hari: lokavyavahāram upādāye ti saṃvṛtim adhikṛtya. utpadyata iti anantaram ucyata iti śeṣaḥ.
1001. According to Ratnākara (F.161.b), in the phrase “bears direct bodily witness,” the word body refers to the basis (i.e., the container consciousness). By transforming that basis, one becomes a realized being, i.e., direct bodily witness. “This question” refers to the controversial point raised. RK: kāyasākṣī ti kāya āśrayaḥ| tatparāvṛttyā kāyena sākṣ ātkārī kāyasākṣī| enam artham ity etac codyaṃ. According to Hari (734), a bearer of direct bodily witness is a non-returner who has attained cessation, at the end of the path to the state of a worthy one. Similarly, the noble Maitreya is called a bearer of direct bodily witness because he is at the end of the path to buddhahood. “The question at hand” is whether a gift in a dream is (actually) dedicated (to the awakening of all beings, etc.). Hari: kāyasākṣī ti arhattvapratipannako ’nāgāmī nirodhalābhī kāyasākṣī. tadvad buddhatvapratipannakatvenāryamaitreyaḥ kāyasākṣī. enam artham iti svapne pariṇāmitaṃ kiṃ tad dānam iti praśnaṃ.
1002. According to Ratnākara (F.161.b), the “Unconquerable One” is an epithet of Maitreya. RK: ajito maitreya iti paryāyau.
1003. According to Ratnākara (F.161.b), the phrase “anything to which I can respond” refers to the question itself; “anything by means of which I can respond” refers to words; and “anything to whom I can respond” refers to Śāriputra himself. RK: visarjayitavya iti praśnaḥ| yena dharmeṇe ti vācā| yasya dharmasye ti śāriputrasya. Note: The sentence “Nor do I identify a thing to whom (yasya dharmasya) I can respond” does not appear in the Sanskrit or Tibetan editions, but appears in Ratnākara’s comments, so it has been included in the translation of the main text.
1004. According to Hari (736), “I suppose” means “if” (i.e., he is wondering whether Maitreya has actualized them). Hari: kaccid iti yadi.
1005. According to Hari (737), the Blessed One asks “why…” because Śāriputra’s comprehension is only similar to (that of) the disciples. Śāriputra calls it “profound wisdom” because his comprehension of it is equivalent to the merely nonconceptual knowing (that is the scope of a disciple, not of a bodhisattva)—so the Blessed One means to say here that Śāriputra should not form such a notion (of Maitreya’s wisdom). To explain this very equivalence, he asks, “Are you revealing that you identity the thing…?” In this sentence, he is asking to be precise: When you comprehend it through your conceptual knowledge, do “you identify”‑—i.e., apprehend—“the thing,” i.e., the state of a worthy one, which is characterized by the knowledge that (suffering and its cause have been) extinguished and will not re-arise? Hari: śrāvakāṇām īdṛśa evādhigama ity āha : kutas te śāriputre tyādi. nirvikalpajñānamātreṇādhigamasya tulyatvād gambhīraprajño ’yam iti naivaṃcittam utpādanīyam ity arthaḥ. tulyatvam eva kathayann āha : samanupaśyasi tvam ityādi. taṃ dharmaṃ kṣayānutpādajñānalakṣaṇam arhattvaṃ vikalpajñānenādhigamakāle kiṃ tvaṃ samanupaśyasy upalabhasa iti yāvat.
1006. The Sanskrit and Tibetan repetition and word order in this quoted thought have been altered slightly for the sake of clarity in English.
1007. According to Ratnākara (F.161.b), “a reserve of strength” means a latent mental impression with the capacity for self-cultivation. RK: balādhānaṃ bhāvanābalavāsanā.
1008. According to Hari (738), right after the above, with this sentence, he starts to explain the twofold purification of a buddhafield by separating the world into (first) the inhabitants and (then) the environment. Hari: ity anantaraṃ sattvabhājanalokabhedena dvividhabuddhakṣetraviśuddhiṃ nirdiśann āha: punar aparaṃ śāriputre tyādi.
1009. According to Ratnākara (F.162.a), “all beings there” in that buddhafield “will live on divine food.” He says this in order to exclude carnivorousness and so on. RK: divyopabhoge tyādi| samabuddhakṣetrasattvā iti vartate| rudhirādyāhāravyudāsāya caitad uktam.
1010. The translation “the roots of virtue” here follows Tibetan (dge ba’i rtsa ba la) as opposed to the Sanskrit edition’s “virtue” (kuśala).
1011. The above two paragraphs regarding wild animals and thieves concern purification of the world’s inhabitants. The next three paragraphs concern the world’s environment.
1012. According to Hari (742), they will find drinkable water endowed (upeta) with the eight qualities (aṣṭāṅga), because they get “water that is (1) pleasant-smelling (sugandhi), (2) pleasant tasting (svādu), (3) cool (śītalaṃ), (4) soft (laghu), (5) clear (accha), (6) pure (śuci), and not harmful (7) to the stomach or (8) to the throat to drink it.” Hari: aṣṭāṅgoptapānīyaṃ sugandhi svādu śītalaṃ laghv acchaṃ śuci pātuś ca kukṣikaṇṭhau na bādhata || ity udakalābhād aṣṭāṅgopetapānīyalābhinaḥ.
1013. According to Hari (742), “comfortable,” “bestowed every delight,” and “filled with happiness” are, respectively, lesser, middling, and greater degrees (of happiness). Hari: mṛdumadhyādhimātrabhedena sukhitāḥ sukhasamaṅginaḥ sarvasukhasamarpitāḥ.
1014. According to Hari (743), that “moment of thought,” which has not arisen at the ultimate level, lasts a long time at the conventional level. It is “a point in time with no beginning”, i.e., it is beginningless, because it lacks an initial cause. Its endpoint (paryanto bhāgaḥ) is “beyond any point in time” because, at the stage of a buddha, its nature is emptiness. For this reason, a bodhisattva would not be frightened and so on by his or her realization taking a very long time. This is the idea behind him saying the bodhisattva would “never form (utpādayitavyā) the notion of it being difficult.” Hari: yasmād yaś cittakṣaṇas tattvato ’nutpannaḥ saṃvṛtyā saiṣā cirakālavatī prathamakāraṇarahitatvād anādir apūrvā koṭiḥ. paryanto bhāgo buddhatvāvasthāśūnyatāsvabhāvatvād yad utākoṭis. tasmāc cireṇābhisaṃbodhād uttrāsādi na kartavyaṃ. duṣkarasaṃjñā ca notpādayitavye ty arthaḥ. According to Ratnākara (F.162.a), the “limitation” (iyatī) is a measurement circumscribing the “moment of thought.” It is “with no beginning” means it is something in the future. It is “beyond any point in time” because a point in time of a moment without parts does not exist. RK: iyatī ti cittakṣaṇa parimāṇā| apūrve ti bhāvinī| yad utākoṭīr iti na hi niraṃśasya kṣaṇa sya koṭir asti. Note: Ratnākara’s and Hari’s divergent explanations appear to disagree in their interpretation of the Sanskrit word apūrva here. It seems that for Hari, the word apūrva is indicating a “beginningless” point in time, i.e., the beginningless past. Whereas, for Ratnākara, the word is indicating a point in time that is “has not begun,” i.e., “the future” (bhāvinī). Both the available editions in Sanskrit and Tibetan for Ratnākara are corrupt here, but seem to imply that his interpretation of it as “the future” is based on a quote from The Perfection of Wisdom in One Hundred Thousand Lines. The long sūtras have no real equivalent of the present passage at the equivalent point in their structure, and Ratnākara’s mention of the Hundred Thousand is not a verbatim quote, so we have not been able to identify definitively within it the passage to which he is referring, but it is possibly one in chapter 12, 12.201. See Ratnākara (F.162.a): ma byung ba ni sngon med pa ste| shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa stong phrag brgya ba las gsungs so.
1015. According to Ratnākara (F.162.a), “that” which was the thing “with no beginning” (yet) is “a point in time with no beginning” into which he or she will “realize” awakening. This ends the section on the purification of one’s buddhafield. RK: yā se ty apūrvārthābhut (?) āpūrvā koṭīr yatrā bhisaṃbhotsye | iti buddhakṣetrapariśuddhiḥ.
1016. To resolve an ambiguity in the Sanskrit, this translation has here followed the Tibetan: shA ri’i bu byang chub sems dpa’ sems dpa’ chen po des ’di ltar dka’ ba’i ’du shes bskyed par mi bya ste | sngon med pa’i mtha’ ma ’di ni mang zhing yun ring ba’o sngon med pa’i mtha’ ma ’di ni sems kyi skad cig ma gcig dang ldan pa ste ’di lta ste mtha’ med pa’o snyam mo. Note: The Tibetan in the Degé Kangyur has gi as a typo for mi. This may have misled Conze’s opposite interpretation which says that a bodhisattva “should think that great and long is this limit which has no beginning, for it is connected with one single thought-moment, in other words, it is the absence of a limit.”
1017. This point in the chapter corresponds to the beginning of Chapter 43 in the Twenty-Five Thousand and Hundred Thousand, and of Chapter 53 in the Eighteen Thousand.
1018. According to Hari (743), “in such places” means in the places mentioned for purifying one’s buddhafield, because she had the power through her repeated practice. RK: atra sthāna iti abhyāsayogena śakyatvān nirdiṣṭabuddhakṣetrapariśodhane.
1019. The translation of the Sanskrit suvarṇa as “yellow” rather than “golden” is, first of all, because suvarṇa often just means “yellow” and, second, because the story (later in the chapter) suggests her flowers were an offering inferior to the blue lotuses (utpala) offered by the Buddha in his previous life.
1020. According to Hari (746), Ānanda is astonished at the Blessed One’s predictions that just emerged about her (in this foreordaining of her future awakening). Hence the Blessed One explains more in the next sentence. Hari: vyākṛtānām eva tatrotpādād vismaya ity āha : atha khalv āyuṣmata ityādi.
1021. According to Hari (746), “escape the saṃsāric mud” (uttīrṇapaṅkās) due to eliminating the obscuration of the defilements and “close to actualizing awakening” because of being established in realizing the culmination (i.e., the fifth of eight realizations explained in the Ornament). Hari: tatra kleśāvaraṇaprahāṇād uttīrṇapaṅkāḥ. mūrdhābhisamaye ’vasthitatvād bodhipariniṣpattyupagatāḥ.
1022. According to Hari (746), here the Blessed One is also foreordaining (the assembly as) her future disciple community. Hari: śrāvakasaṃgham api vyākurvann āha: tasya khalu punar ityādi.
1023. Dīpaṃkara was the buddha in the past under whose guidance the Buddha Śākyamuni, in a distant previous life, first made the vow to attain buddhahood and from whom he received the foreordaining of his future attainment (vyākaraṇa), as recounted in this passage and in many other accounts. In many texts he is counted as the fourth in a lineage of twenty-seven buddhas who preceded Śākyamuni.
1024. According to Hari (748), it is because this foreordainment of all the aspects (related to her future awakening) is in accord with her original aspirations that (the Blessed One endorses) this statement (of Ānanda’s). In it, “due to having achieved the preliminary practices” means due to having reached the path of seeing; due to having “gone to the very end” means due to her having understood the nature of the path of cultivation. Hari: praṇidhānānurūpam evedaṃ sarvaprakāravyākaraṇam ity āha: kṛtaparikarme tyādi. tatra prāptadarśanamārgatvāt kṛtaparikarmā. viditabhāvanāpathasvabhāvatvāt kṛtaparyantā.
1025. According to Ratnākara (F.162.b), “Examining Skill in Means” means fully cognizing it. This chapter has that as its central topic. RK: upāyakauśal yānāṃ mīmāṃsā parijñānaṃ tadarthaḥ parivartaḥ.
1026. The beginning of this chapter corresponds to the beginning of Chapter 44 in the Twenty-Five Thousand and Hundred Thousand, and of Chapter 54 in the Eighteen Thousand. At the point marked by note 1054, the chapter goes on to include content corresponding to a first part of Chapter 45 in the Twenty-Five Thousand (down to 45.8) and Hundred Thousand, and to Chapter 55 in the Eighteen Thousand (down to 55.9).
1027. According to Ratnākara (F.162.b), since the factors in awakening and so on elliptically imply the freedom from signs and the freedom from inclinations only by means of the meditative concentration on emptiness, the word “emptiness” (in the first question) is a synecdoche referring to meditative concentration on emptiness. RK: śūnyatāsamādhinaivānimittāpraṇihitayor bodhipakṣādīnāṃ copalakṣaṇāt| śūnyatāyām iti śūnyatāsamādhau. Note: In other words, Ratnākara is giving a technical reason why emptiness here should be understood as the meditative concentration on emptiness, i.e., one of the three gateways to liberation.
1028. According to Ratnākara (F.162.b), in this sentence “mental continuum” means the unbroken series (of moments of mind). The word “such” refers to the emptiness, which is the “true nature of things,” i.e., the essential nature. The phrase “as a true nature of a things” means as a solid essence or core. RK: santatiḥ pravāhaḥ| kathaṃ pratyavekṣamāṇa ity āha rūpaṃ śunyam itī ti| tām iti śūnyatām| dharmatām iti dharmaprakṛtim| dharmataye ti dharmasāratayā. According to Hari (749), the two repetitions of “true nature of things” both refer to emptiness. The term “physical forms” means real things. The idea is that he or she should consider carefully so that they do not mentally perceive the so-called emptiness of the inherent nature of emptiness. This passage is teaching that, like a magical illusion, emptiness and so on are the objective scope of skill in means. Hari: rūpam iti tāṃ dharmatāṃ dharmataye ti tāṃ dharmatāṃ śūnyatāṃ dharmatayā śūnyatayā rūpaṃ vastv iti pratyavekṣamāṇo yathā na samanupaśyec, chūnyatāṃ śūnyatāsvabhāvenāstīti yathā nopalabheta tathā pratyavekṣitavyam iti yāvat. etad uktaṃ: māyopamaḥ śūnyatādir upāyakauśalaviṣaya iti.
1029. According to Ratnākara (F.162.b), “the pinnacle of reality” is just emptiness when it has become totally detached (from cyclic existence). RK: bhūtakoṭir iti śūnyataiva kaivalyaṃgatā bhūtakoṭiḥ. Note: The bodhisattva does not directly actualize “the pinnacle of reality” because it would lead to the state of a worthy one in the disciples’ nirvāṇa, whereas a bodhisattva chooses to stay in cyclic existence until he or she attains buddhahood, which (unlike mere arhathood) involves the ability to benefit other beings still in cyclic existence. This is discussed in more detail below.
1030. According to Hari (750), “replete with all excellent qualities” means it is not lacking in (the transcendent states of) generosity and so forth. Hari: sarvākāravaropetām iti dānādyavikalāṃ.
1031. According to Ratnākara (F.162.b), (the meditative object is) “unfixed,” i.e., not determined as something to be directly actualized. RK: asamāhita eve ti sākṣātkartavyatayā ’nadhyavasita eva. According to Hari (750), he or she will be “supported by the transcendent state of wisdom,” which consists in great skill in means “but does not directly actualize emptiness.” This means he or she deliberately keeps their mind in the meditative concentration on emptiness, only without being attached to it. Hari: asamāhita eve ti prajñāpāramitā ca mahopāyakauśalātmikā mayā parigṛhītā bhaviṣyati na ca śūnyatā sākṣātkṛte ty abhiprāyād atanniṣṭha eva śūnyatāsamādhau cittaṃ dhārayati.
1032. According to Hari (750), the bodhisattva “does not eliminate worldly influences” means does not get rid of worldly influences (that flow away from nirvāṇa toward) the desire realm, because he or she intentionally takes rebirth for the sake of beings. To “get fully acquainted with them” means to destroy the worldly influences through focusing on the object of the meditative concentration on emptiness. Hari: na cāsravakṣayaṃ kāmabhavāsrava prahāṇaṃ saṃcintyasattvārthaṃ pratijanmaparigrahāt karoti. śūnyatāsamādhyālambanād āsravakṣaye ca parijayaṃ karotī ty arthaḥ. According to Ratnākara (F.162.b), “along the way” means until he or she has cultivated the qualities of a buddha. RK: atrāntarā iti yāvad buddhadharmā asya na paripakvāḥ.
1033. According to Ratnākara (F.162.b), “as such” means in the stages that were taught. “Procured” means attained. The rest is easy to follow. This ends the section on the preliminary practice of skill in means. RK: evam ity uktena krameṇa| ārūḍha upārjitāḥ| śeṣa subodham| ity upāyakauśalasya prayogaḥ.
1034. The idea here is that the bodhisattva has deliberately chosen, out of compassion, not to attain cessation by directly actualizing emptiness—even though it would be possible—in order to follow the Mahāyāna path to developing the qualities of buddha for the benefit of others, rather than the disciples’ path leading to nirvāṇa for oneself. The Blessed One gives three extended analogies about such a choice below.
1035. According to Ratnākara (F.162.b), “courageous” means fearless; “persevering” means with fortitude; “steadfast” means firm-minded. RK: śūro nirbhīḥ| vīryam utsāhaḥ| pratiṣṭhānaṃ sthairyam.
1036. According to Ratnākara (F.163.a), “perfectly clear” means rational. “Perfect in behavior” means he conducts himself perfectly in practice. “Knew the proper time” and so on means he knew what has been taught (by others, such as astrologers and so on) about the “proper time” and so on. RK: pratibhānam abhyūhaḥ| pratipattir anuṣṭhānam| yasmin kālā dau yady uktaṃ tajjñānāt kālā dijñaḥ.
1037. According to Ratnākara (F.163.a), “masterful” means he has attained mastery over his body, speech and mind. His armor and so on are “immune to weapons or attacks.” RK: gatiḥ kāyavākcittakarmaṇyatā| tāṃ gataḥ prāptaḥ| praharaṇāvaraṇaṃ kavacādi. Note: The English translation “weapons or attacks” aims to capture two meanings of the one Sanskrit word praharaṇa following the Tibetan, which appears to do the same. Tib: mtshon cha mang po zlog par gyur pa mtshon cha sra ba zlog par gyur pa.
1038. According to Ratnākara (F.163.a), “learned in” means expert in. RK: viśāradaḥ paṇḍitaḥ.
1039. According to Hari (754), “benevolence, compassion, rejoicing, and impartiality” are meditative concentrations accompanied (by the nature of the five skandhas). They are, respectively, to increase the wish for sentient beings to be joined with happiness, to be separated from suffering, to never be separate from happiness, and to be benefited (impartially). Hari: tatra sattveṣu sukhasaṃyogaduḥkhaviyogasukhāviśleṣahitakaraṇāśayasamṛddhau saparivārāḥ samādhayo yathākramaṃ maitrīkaruṇā muditopekṣāḥ.
1040. According to Ratnākara (F.163.a), since those are enemies, i.e., the hindrances, he or she overcomes them through the four immeasurables. This ends the section on the first skill in means. RK: iti śatrava eva śāstravā (sic!) antarāyāḥ| teṣām atikramaś caturbhir apramāṇair iti prathamam upāyakauśalam. Note: The first part of Ratnākara’s Sanskrit text does not seem to make sense, so this translation follows the Tibetan: ’di ni dgra nyid yin pas na dgra ste bar du gcod pa’o| |de dag las ’das pa ni tshad med pa rnam pa bzhis so| |’di ni thabs la mkhas pa dang bo’o.
1041. According to Ratnākara (F.163.a), so that the first arrow shot into the sky does not fall for a long time, the force that makes it continue in that state (āvedha) comes from the other arrows. Likewise, so that the first mindset does not directly actualize (the pinnacle of reality) until the qualities of a buddha have ripened, the force that makes it continue in that state (āvedha) comes from other mindsets. Since the force that makes it continue in that state is not overcome, the method functions as the continuative force. RK: ūrdhvakṣiptasya śarasyeva śarāntaraiś ciram apātāya ya āvedhas tadvad ā buddhadharmaparipākkaṃ sākṣātkaraṇāya cittasya cittāntarair ya āvedhaḥ| tad anatikrameṇa vṛttir yathāvedham upāyaḥ. Note: Ratnākara is ostensibly explaining here how the skill in means—as a force that causes the first development of the mindset of awakening to continue until awakening—works by preventing a bodhisattva from settling for the lesser nirvāṇa for his or her own sake.
1042. The term “supreme pinnacle of reality” realized by buddhas seems to be distinguished from the “pinnacle of reality” that is directly experienced by disciples and solitary realizers.
1043. According to Ratnākara (F.163.b), here “goes about life” means with tranquility; “abides” with insight; and “attains” with the union of the two. RK: carati śamathena| viharati vipaśyanayā| sam ādhisamāpat tir ubhābhyām. Note: Ratnākara also gives here an untranslatable creative etymology of the word samāpatti suggesting the first syllable sam– stands for samādhi, i.e., sam ādhisamāpat ti.
1044. According to Ratnākara (F.163.b), “fully accomplishes” means realizes. RK: abhinirharatī ti niṣpādayati.
1045. According to Ratnākara (F.163.b), (in the Sanskrit compound “gateway to complete liberation through meditative concentration,” we should understand emptiness) as both the “meditative concentration” and the “complete liberation” because it is the door to liberation. RK: abhinirharatī ti niṣpādayati| samādhiś cāsau vimokṣaś ca muktidvāratvāt.
1046. The last phrase “until completely perfecting the qualities of a buddha” follows the Tibetan edition. There is no comparable phrase in the Sanskrit edition.
1047. According to Ratnākara (F.163.b), in this context “developing the mindset” means fully accomplishing the mindset. He or she “performs difficult noble deeds” by this (skill in means). This method/means is not shared (by others), in the sense that it is not shared by any of the disciples or solitary realizers. RK: cittotpādaś cittābhinirhāraḥ| anenā yaṃ duṣkarakārakaḥ| eṣa ca sarvaśrāvakapratyekabuddhair asādhāraṇatvād asādhāraṇa upāyaḥ.
1048. According to Ratnākara (F.163.b), “sentient being” here means a self (ātma) or a person (puruṣaḥ). RK: sattva ātmā puruṣaḥ.
1049. According to Ratnākara (F.163.b), (from the thirty-seven factors in awakening listed, this section is referring to the last four subgroups, namely) the five “faculties” and the five “powers,” which include the same list: “faith” (heroic perseverance, mindfulness, meditative concentration, and wisdom). The “aspects of awakening” are the seven (listed previously) and the “path” is the eightfold one. The belief in a “sentient being” is attachment. Nonattachment is the attainment of emptiness and so on after thinking, “Once I have realized … awakening, I will teach … sentient beings” to help them “eliminate” that. The method/means is not being attached based on an connection with that conception. RK: indriyāṇi pañca śraddhādīni| bal āny api pañcaiva| bodhya ṅgāni sapta| mārgo ’ṣṭāṅgaḥ| sattvadṛṣṭiḥ saktiḥ| tatprahāṇāya sattvānām abhisambuddhaḥ sattvān deśayiṣyāmī ti sañcintya śūnyatā di samāpat tir asaktiḥ| tadyogād asakta upāyaḥ.