Toh 26 — The Sūryagarbha Perfection of Wisdom

F.175.b Homage to all buddhas and bodhisattvas!

Thus did I hear at one time. The Blessed One was residing in a sacred grove^[1] in the country of Magadha together with a large saṅgha of monks and an immeasurable, incalculable number of bodhisattvas who had gathered from infinite buddhafields.

Then the bodhisattva great being named Sūryaprabhāsa, who was in the assembly, got up from his seat, went to the Blessed One, and said to him, “Blessed One, I have come to the Tathāgata to ask a question. Blessed One, I request your permission to ask it.”

The Blessed One replied, “Ask me whatever you wish, and I will answer.”

The bodhisattva Sūryaprabhāsa then asked the Blessed One, “How, Blessed One, should a bodhisattva who is skilled in means train in the perfection of wisdom?” F.176.a

“Son of a good family,” replied the Blessed One, “there is a meditative stability that is skilled in means called the sun. Bodhisattvas should train in it.”

“How should they train in it?” he asked the Blessed One.

“Son of a good family,” replied the Blessed One, “the meditative stability the sun skilled in means^[2] has seven aspects. What are they? First, just as the sun ripens a sprout, the bodhisattva’s sun-like meditative stability ripens the sprout of awakening in sentient beings. Second, just as the sun never diminishes or dissipates, the compassion of the bodhisattva’s meditative stability acts equally for all sentient beings.^[3] Third, just as the sun burns dust, the bodhisattva’s wisdom of insight burns the dust of the defilements. Fourth, just as the sun melts ice, the bodhisattva’s meditative stability, the antidote endowed with gnosis, melts the ice-like defilements. Fifth, just as the sun dispels darkness, the bodhisattva’s discriminating gnosis^[4] dispels the darkness of grasped objects and grasping subjects. Sixth, just as the sun revolves around the four continents, the bodhisattva’s perfect activity liberates from the four torrents of suffering. Seventh, just as the sun warms everything equally, the means that is the bodhisattva’s perfect conduct, which gladdens all sentient beings, is like that act of warming.

“Furthermore, son of a good family, bodhisattvas should train in the perfection of wisdom. They should train in the fact that all phenomena are without inherent existence, are signless, are totally devoid of all signs, are nonentities, are devoid of all entities, are that which is uncontaminated, are that which is devoid of all contamination, and are empty in their essential nature.

“Son of a good family, bodhisattvas should train in the meaning of reality, the realm of phenomena, the real nature, the very limit of reality, the unmistaken real nature, the one and only real nature, the truth, and thusness.” F.176.b

Then the Blessed One said to the bodhisattva Sūryaprabhāsa, “Son of a good family, bodhisattvas should also train in the fact that all phenomena are without conditioning^[5] and without arising. Son of a good family, they should train in the fact that all phenomena are naturally pure. They should know that all phenomena, such as form and so on, are naturally empty; they should know that they are void in their essential nature.

“Son of a good family, someone who takes up the Perfection of Wisdom sūtra will purify karmic obscurations, the accumulation of merit will arise, they will come to possess an immeasurable accumulation of wisdom, and they will come to possess mindfulness, ethical discipline, and meditative stability. Son of a good family, bodhisattvas should also train in the perfection of wisdom.”

At that point, the Blessed One recited this verse:

After the Blessed One had spoken, the bodhisattva Sūryaprabhāsa, and the world with its gods and humans, rejoiced and praised what the Blessed One had said.