Translated in the Great Tang Dynasty by the Tripiṭaka Master Xuan Zang by Imperial Command
At that time, the Buddha told Śāriputra: “For the sake of Anuttarā-Samyak-Saṃbodhi, how does a Bodhisattva-Mahāsattva rely upon the Vīrya Pāramitā to cultivate the Bodhisattva practices? Śāriputra, a Bodhisattva-Mahāsattva diligently cultivates the Vigour Pāramitā and carries out the Bodhisattva practices.
“Śāriputra, a Bodhisattva-Mahāsattva, fully accomplishing and perfecting the non-retreating vigour, is able not to consider even the weighty matter of body and life, and brings forth great vigour in seeking the subtle Dharma gates of the Bodhisattva Treasury, earnestly listening, receiving, upholding, reading, reciting, thoroughly inquiring and investigating, penetrating the meaning and intent, and widely expounding and explaining them to others; or again writing them down and keeping them, cultivating them in accord with what is right. This is called a Bodhisattva-Mahāsattva cultivating the Bodhisattva practices.
“Śāriputra, what is called not considering body and life? Śāriputra, when a Bodhisattva-Mahāsattva is cultivating the Pāramitā of vigour, suppose there is another person who brings terror upon him, saying: ‘If you receive and uphold, read, recite, and even widely explain to others, write down, keep, and cultivate in accord with what is right this scripture of the Bodhisattva Treasury, then I shall pierce your body with a hundred arrays of arrows and spears and cut off your life.’ Śāriputra, at that time, although the Bodhisattva-Mahāsattva hears these words, he does not take them to heart at all, without fear, without terror, without alarm, without dread. He brings forth four kinds of steadfastness and, with heroic might, becomes even more diligent toward the subtle Dharma gates of the Bodhisattva Treasury, not abandoning, not giving up, not distancing, not departing from them, fully accomplishing fierce faith-understanding, steadfast faith-understanding, steadfast endurance, and steadfast vigour.
“Śāriputra, I shall now speak to you skillful parables for steadfast endurance and steadfast vigour, so that Bodhisattvas may acquire steadfast endurance and steadfast vigour, and in cultivating the Bodhisattva path not consider body and life. Śāriputra, suppose that all beings encompassed within the three-thousand great-thousand-world system—whether born from eggs, or from wombs, or from moisture, or by transformation, whether with form or without form, whether with perception or without perception, or neither with nor without perception, whether visible or invisible—suppose that all such beings, even for the space of a kṣaṇa, all obtain human bodies, and all of them at the same time form a hundred thousand kinds of extremely heavy enmity toward the Bodhisattva. Suppose those enemies say to the Bodhisattva: ‘If you receive and uphold, read, recite, and even widely explain to others, write down, keep, and cultivate in accord with what is right the sentences of this scripture of the Bodhisattva Treasury, then we all together shall seize you, bind you, and cut off your life.’
“Śāriputra, because the Bodhisattva-Mahāsattva is cultivating the Vīrya Pāramitā, at that time, although he hears these words, he does not give rise to even a single thought of fear or dread. He single-mindedly gathers and holds the four kinds of True Dharma, devoting himself solely to seeking the subtle Dharma gates of the great Bodhisattva Treasury. Śāriputra, this is called the Bodhisattva-Mahāsattva fully accomplishing and perfecting the non-retreating Pāramitā of vigour. He further perfects boundless power, heroic vigour, vigorous right exertion, vigorous intention, vigorous pure precepts, vigorous great endurance, vigorous meditative stabilization, vigorous great wisdom, and vigorous supreme knowledge of right conduct, all entirely vigorous.
“Śāriputra, when this Bodhisattva-Mahāsattva is cultivating the Pāramitā of vigour, because he fully possesses such great power of endurance, even if immeasurable beings in the ten directions each contend with one another while holding a hundred thousand swords and knives, and give rise to murderous intent toward the Bodhisattva, at that time the Bodhisattva never gives rise to even the slightest trace of anger toward those beings. Śāriputra, because such a Bodhisattva-Mahāsattva abides in the power of endurance, he is like the Great Brahmā King, like Śakra, or like the King of the Four-Jeweled Sumeru, unshakable, always dwelling in compassion, constantly bringing forth the intention to rescue and heal beings, and in all his actions never turning back. Moreover, this Bodhisattva’s mind is like great earth, like great water, like great fire, like great wind, and like space, and he is also able to skillfully cultivate the antidotes for the roots of the seeds and sprouts of greed, anger, and delusion.
“Śāriputra, suppose a Bodhisattva-Mahāsattva, taking worlds as numerous as the sands of the Gaṅgā and filling all of them with priceless treasures, offers them all to immeasurable Tathāgatas, Worthy Ones, Perfectly and Completely Awakened Ones; and suppose another Bodhisattva-Mahāsattva who cultivates the Vīrya Pāramitā hears this subtle Dharma gate of the great Bodhisattva Treasury, and after hearing this scripture goes to a solitary place, binds his mindfulness, contemplates this Dharma, and diligently studies it, enabling those Bodhisattvas who have not yet cultivated it to delight in practicing it. Śāriputra, such a Bodhisattva-Mahāsattva, because he cultivates vigour, gathers and holds immeasurable subtle wholesome roots, and these cannot be matched by those who cultivate giving. Why is this so? Śāriputra, it is because these wholesome roots belong to Anuttarā-Samyak-Saṃbodhi. Therefore, Bodhisattva-Mahāsattvas, with respect to these subtle Dharma gates of the Bodhisattva Treasury, should listen to them, receive them, uphold them, read and recite them, and if they also write them down and widely teach them to others, they should bring forth vigour and heroically cultivate them.
“Moreover, Śāriputra, a Bodhisattva-Mahāsattva who brings forth the Vigour Pāramitā should cultivate the that what is traversed and that what is not traversed. Śāriputra, what are called that what is traversed and that what is not traversed? Śāriputra, the ‘not traversed’ is Nirvāṇa. They are called ‘not traversed’ because devils and Māras cannot traverse it; they are called ‘traversed’ because they are practiced by the virtuous who cultivate vigour. The so-called virtuous are the Buddhas, the Pratyekabuddha, and the disciples of the Buddha. Why is this so? It is because all virtuous ones who ascend the Holy Path, as well as the World-Honored Buddhas, all aim toward the attainment of great Nirvāṇa.
“Śāriputra, all beings frequently practice three domains. Which three domains? They are following along with the evil destinies, tending toward the evil destinies, and preparing to fall into the evil destinies. Therefore, Bodhisattva-Mahāsattvas never follow after defiled Dharmas, but solely seek the Dharmas of liberation: precepts, endurance, extensive learning, white, and so forth. Śāriputra, beings in the world mostly abide in actionless, yet constantly claim that they abide in action; beings in the world are mostly lax and indolent, yet constantly proclaim that they are bringing forth vigour. Therefore, Śāriputra, a Bodhisattva-Mahāsattva who is wise never draws near to those who are inactive and indolent, nor does he fall into their ranks, but draws near only to the great Bodhisattvas who practise and bring forth vigour. Why is this so, Śāriputra? It is because there is no being who can, as a Bodhisattva does, give rise to pure faith-understanding toward the supreme, stainless, pure marks of great Nirvāṇa. Śāriputra, a Bodhisattva-Mahāsattva who brings forth the Vigour Pāramitā is not diligent merely for the sake of his own attainment of Nirvāṇa, but cultivates right practice and brings forth vigour for the sake of gathering in all beings, enabling all beings to obtain benefit and bliss, instructing and teaching them, settling beings upon the Holy Path. Therefore, it is said that a Bodhisattva is called a noble hero.”
At that time, the World-Honored One wished to restate this meaning and spoke in verse:
“Heroically cultivating without slowness, always possessing great vigour,
constantly and intelligently upholding the Dharma of the Bodhisattva Treasury.
They skillfully contemplate the meaning of Dharma and know the Buddha is inconceivable.
Only those who diligently seek the pure Dharma can be called Bodhisattvas.
Those who cultivate vigour and possess great wisdom sit beneath the wondrous Bodhi tree,
Subduing the terrifying armies of evil Māra through the force of prajñā and vigour.
They guard the precepts and sustaining the worlds.
For the benefit of beings they constantly practice vigour, without limit or measure.”
“Moreover, Śāriputra, such subtle scripture of the Great Vehicle Bodhisattva Treasury, when circulated in the world, can cause beings to give rise to great joy, can bring forth blessings and wisdom, can generate great wealth causing it to increase, can bring about the superior pleasures of the heavens, can bring about all forms of complete fulfillment, can produce all the powers of all Buddhas and Tathāgatas, the fearlessnesses, the unobstructed knowledge and understanding, the great compassion, great loving-kindness, great joy, great equanimity, and the unique qualities of the Buddhas. In brief, it can bring forth all Dharmas of all Buddhas, subdue terrifying māra-enemies, purify the mind, bring forth fierce wisdom, exhaust the roots of birth-and-death, exhaust the boundary of suffering, and draw near to Nirvāṇa. Śāriputra, in the future age, five hundred years after we enter Nirvāṇa, there will be many beings of slight merit who will not give rise to faith and respect toward this scripture and will destroy and abandon it. Yet there will also be immeasurable beings of great blessing who will revere this scripture, cultivate it in accord with what is right, diligently practise with vigour, seeking unsurpassed perfect awakening, seeking morality, seeking extensive learning, seeking concentration, wisdom, liberation, and the knowledge-and-vision of liberation, seeking all the Dharma of the Buddhas, and seeking to bring benefit and bliss to all beings, seeking to abandon wrong views and cultivate right views, seeking to abandon the flowing round of birth-and-death and cultivate the Holy Path, seeking to proclaim the True Dharma to subdue heavenly Māras, and seeking to abandon craving, subdue anger, shatter delusion, eliminate ignorance, and bring forth the light of wisdom.
“Moreover, Śāriputra, in the future age, if there are beings who, after hearing this Dharma, seek all wholesome Dharmas, they should bring forth superior, heroic, and earnest vigour; because they have heard such subtle Dharma, they will have no obstruction with respect to the Dharmas of the Buddhas and will certainly have no doubt.
“Śāriputra, at that time there will again be immeasurable beings who, aided by the power of the fruit of their blessings, dwell in superior intent, and, for the sake of seeking unsurpassed perfect awakening, will listen to and receive this scripture. After hearing it, they will obtain vast joy, and will skillfully study the subtle Dharma gates of the Bodhisattva Treasury and cultivate them in accordance with what is spoken.
“Again, Śāriputra, at that time there will be beings who delight in hearing the Tathāgata’s teaching. Whatever distinct conditions they may have that allow them to hear such a scripture, after hearing it, they will obtain vast joy; having obtained joy, they will bring forth steadfast diligence and will be able, within this great and subtle Dharma treasure of the Bodhisattva Treasury, to take only a small portion of its jewels.
“Śāriputra, it is like innumerable ripe fruits drifting upon the waters of the great ocean, complete in color, fragrance, and fine taste; there is a great man who, bringing forth heroic and great vigorous strength, enters the ocean, moving his hands and feet to gather those fruits, obtaining perhaps two or perhaps three. That great man, carrying those fruits, leaves the ocean, goes to a certain place, tastes them, and only then knows their pure and wondrous flavor, rare and unmatched. He then thinks thus: ‘Such wondrous fruits, complete in color, fragrance, and taste, I have never eaten since birth. I should again bring forth diligent vigour, reenter the ocean, and with hands and feet gather the remaining fruits.’ Having formed this thought, he goes to the seashore and looks everywhere, but he can no longer see them at all. Thus he deeply regrets and generates great sorrow: ‘Why did I not gather more earlier, such that now I have lost measureless wondrous fruits!’ Śāriputra, it is exactly like this. In the age after my passing, in the five hundred years when the unsurpassed True Dharma is on the verge of extinction, there will be immeasurable beings—of little faith, little giving, little morality, little wisdom, and little cultivation of diligence—who, by various distinct conditions, are able to hear such a Dharma jewel. After hearing the Dharma, they obtain from this scripture only a slight and shallow portion of meaning, even upholding only a single four-line stanza. Again, because evil Māras disturb and obscure them, they are not respected, inquired of, supported, praised, or believed by others. This keeper of the scripture, knowing that people do not respect him, thus gives rise to a mind of abandoning this scripture. He only holds the minute and slight portion of meaning from the sentences he previously heard and goes to a quiet place to contemplate and examine it. He gives rise to joy, and yet also to remorse, saying: ‘Alas, how astonishing! I have now greatly lost wholesome benefit. Why did I not hear and receive more of the unsurpassed right teaching of the Buddhas and Tathāgatas?’ He then again gives rise to a profound heart toward the Tathāgata, doubling that right mindfulness which he had previously generated. Śāriputra, at that time there will be bhikṣus seized by evil Māras who, after hearing this scripture, will in the presence of others generate slander, saying that this scripture was fashioned by those who decorate words with finery and that it is not truly spoken by the Buddha. For this reason, there will be some bhikṣus who do not listen to or receive this scripture at all.”
At that time, the World-Honored One wished to restate this meaning and spoke in verse:
“After hearing this Dharma, one should, without obstruction,
be entirely free of doubt regarding the Dharmas of the Buddhas and obtain supreme understanding.
Those of slight blessings cannot hear it; those of abundant blessings are able to hear this scripture.
Those of slight blessings, though they hear it, do not generate faith;
those of abundant blessings, after hearing it, revere it and honor it as though adorning themselves with flower garlands.
Those of slight blessings say that this is not the holy teaching; they will fall into evil destinies, like blind men falling into a deep pit.
Those of abundant blessings, after hearing it, give rise to joy and will go to fortunate destinies, like clarified butter rising to the surface of water.
Those of slight blessings, upon hearing it, give rise to sorrow and affliction, and through long nights they will suffer and not escape darkness.
Even if they hear a little, they will again be disturbed by Māras, slander the Buddha’s awakening, and swiftly fall into hell.”
