Toh 122 — The Sūtra on Wisdom at the Hour of Death
Atyayajñānasūtra
Translated by Tom Tillemans’ class in the University of Vienna’s program of Buddhist Translation Studies under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.
The Noble Mahāyāna Sūtra
Wisdom at the Hour of Death
F.153.a Homage to all buddhas and bodhisattvas!
Thus did I hear at one time. The Blessed One was residing in the palace of the king of the gods in the Akaniṣṭha realm,[1] and was teaching the Dharma to the entire assembly there.
The bodhisattva mahāsattva Ākāśagarbha paid homage to the Blessed One and asked, “Blessed One, how is the mind to be viewed for a bodhisattva at the point of dying?”
The Blessed One replied, “Ākāśagarbha, a bodhisattva, when the time comes to die, should cultivate wisdom at the hour of death. Wisdom at the hour of death is as follows:
“All phenomena are naturally pure. So, one should cultivate the clear understanding that there are no entities.
“All phenomena are subsumed within the mind of enlightenment. So, one should cultivate the clear understanding of great compassion.[2]
“All phenomena are naturally luminous. So, one should cultivate the clear understanding of nonapprehension.
“All entities are impermanent. So, one should cultivate the clear understanding of nonattachment to anything whatsoever.
“When one realizes mind, this is wisdom. So, one should cultivate the clear understanding of not seeking the Buddha elsewhere.”
The Blessed One then spoke the following verses:
After the Blessed One had spoken, F.153.b the whole assembly, including the bodhisattva Ākāśagarbha and others, were overjoyed and full of praise for the Buddha’s words.
This concludes The Noble Mahāyāna Sūtra “Wisdom at the Hour of Death.”
Notes
This appears to be the only Kangyur sūtra to be set in Akaniṣṭha (although a number of tantras are, too). As well as referring to the highest level of the realm of form, Akaniṣṭha here, according to the Indian and Tibetan commentaries, is also to be equated with the Ghanavyūha (stug po bkod pa) buddhafield and indicates that the Buddha is present here in his saṃbhogakāya form, perceptible only to bodhisattvas on the highest levels.
backPrajñāsamudra’s commentary here explains that all phenomena of saṃsāra and nirvāṇa indeed have no true “outer” existence but are one’s own very mind of enlightenment, and that “great compassion” means applying all three levels of compassion, namely, (1) compassion that perceives sentient beings (sems can la dmigs pa’i snying rje) regarding their suffering; (2) compassion that perceives phenomena (chos la dmigs pa’i snying rje) regarding the impermanent, suffering, empty, and selfless nature of all phenomena; and (3) compassion that does not apprehend anything (dmigs pa med pa’i snying rje), and thus cultivating emptiness. The three together include all of the Buddha’s teaching.
backAlthough the subject “all phenomena” is omitted in this verse, it is implicit, as can be seen in the parallel construction in the preceding and following verses, each beginning with chos rnams. Significantly too, the earlier prose passage expressing this idea had chos thams cad (“all phenomena”) as the subject.
backPrajñāsamudra, commenting on this verse, first cites a passage from the Laṅkāvatārasūtra to the effect that the nature of phenomena is like illusions that are nonexistent, and then with reference to what he has said regarding the equivalent passage in prose (see #UT22084-054-003-69), comments: “When one has cultivated in this way [i.e., with an understanding of the illusory nature of phenomena], one gives rise to compassion which does not apprehend anything; this is the best type of compassion.” Degé F.173b.2–3: de ltar bsgoms na dmigs pa med pa’i snying rje skye ste / snying rje’i mchog yin no.
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