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Chapter XIII of the Nirvana Sutra (Faxian) Translated by Stephen Hodge This is a complete translation (the first ever undertaken in English) of the "Tathagatagarbha" chapter of Faxian's Mahaparinirvana Sutra, translated exclusively for this website by Stephen Hodge. Some scholars (e.g. Professor Shimoda of Japan) believe that the Faxian version of the Mahaparinirvana Sutra is the earliest extant version of the scripture that we possess. Some terms in the original Chinese text, however, are obscure, and where there is uncertainty as to the correct translation, the relevant words have been underlined by Stephen Hodge. Note that two kinds of self are spoken of in this chapter: the ephemeral mundane or worldly self (the skandhaic ego), and the True Self, which is the indwelling (within each being) totality of Buddha-Dharma-Sangha. I have capitalised "Self" where it refers to the True Self, for ease of reading. (Please forgive the erratic font sizes. The website has a mind of its own and does not respond to my attempts at font regularisation!) - Dr. Tony Page.

THE TATHGATA-GARBHA Again, the Bodhisattva Kyapa said to the Buddha, "Blessed One, the Tathgata has a Self, but do the twenty-five modes of existence also have it or not ?" The Buddha said to Kyapa, "The True Self is the Tathgata-dhtu. You should know that all beings do have it, but it is not apparent since those beings are enveloped by immeasurable afflictions [kleshas]. It is, for example, like a cache of precious treasure that exists within an impoverished dwelling though unknown [to anybody]. Then, somebody who is skilled in the characteristics of treasure said to the poor man, "Do some work for me and I'll give you wealth and treasure". The poor man replied, "I can't come. Why ? Because there is a cache of treasure within my old home and I can't abandon it". The man said, "You are foolish, for you do not know the location of the treasure. Work for me and I'll give you a precious treasure which you will be able to use without its ever becoming exhausted." After he had said this, that person then removed the precious treasure from ;

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that house and gave it to him. The poor man was delighted and amazed, knowing that that person was truly reliable. All beings are also like that, for each one of them has the Tathgata-dhtu, but they are unaware of that because it is enveloped and submerged beneath immeasurable afflictions. The Tathgata skilfully encourages them and reveals it, causing them to know that the Tathgatadhtu exists within their bodies and accept this with confidence. "Moreover, noble son, it is like, for example, the new-born child of some woman which is small and sickly. A doctor skilfully mixes a good medicine with ghee and sugar and administers it to the child. He advises the mother that she should not give any milk to the child, to allow the child to digest the medicine, after which time she can give milk. He also mixes some bitter herbs and smears it on her breasts. When the child wanted to suckle milk, he tasted the bitter flavour and turned away [from her breast]. After the mother knew that the medicine had been digested, she washed her breasts and let the child drink milk from them. In the same way, noble son, the Tathgata first taught people to cultivate the notion that all phenomena are devoid of a self in order to encourage and train them. When they have cultivated non-self, they eliminate the false view of the Self. Having eliminated the false view of the Self, they enter nirva. I have taught non-Self in order to eradicate the mundane / conventional self [i.e. the impermanent ego]. Subsequently, I teach the Tathgata-dhtu with skilful words of implicit intent. This is called the True Self, which is divorced from the mundane [self]." The Bodhisattva Kyapa said to the Buddha, "Blessed One, when a person is first born, their knowledge is slight but, as they gradually grow up, their knowledge also becomes more perspicacious. Yet if there were a self, it would remain the same. Because their knowledge gradually increases, we know that there is no self. Again, a self should not be subject to birth and death and yet there is birth and death, so one should know that there is no self. If we suppose that all beings do have the Tathgata-garbha, then there should be no differences between them, and yet there are presently apparent a variety of beings who have adopted dissimilar bodies due to various different kinds of karma, such as elders, brahmins, katriyas, eminent citizens, caalas and so forth. If we suppose that beings have the Tathgata-dhtu, they should all be identical and yet they are not currently the same. Therefore, we know that they do not have the Tathgata-dhtu. If again it were true that they have the Tathgata-dhtu, then they would not engage in various kinds of unwholesome actions such as killing and stealing. If we allow that beings have the Tathgata-dhtu, then the deaf would hear, the blind would see and the dumb would speak. If we suppose that each being has the Tathgata-dhtu, then where is it located ? Is it mingled with the body, in different colours such as blue, yellow, red or white ? Is it located in one single place or does it pervade the entire body ?" The Buddha said to Kyapa, "It is, for example, like this: a certain king has a great wrestler who has fixed to the top of his head a precious jewel which can purge all infections. He had a bout with someone from a rival country which caused the jewel he was wearing to be forced into his body. Blood, flesh and skin covered it over and the jewel seemed to have disappeared. Though the

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wrestler searched for it, he could not find it and thought that he had lost it. Now, there was a skilled doctor who had come to treat the injury. Consequently, the wrestler said to the doctor, 'I had a jewel, but I seem to have lost it. I have searched in various places for it, but I don't know where it is. You should know that a precious jewel is an impermanent thing, just like froth on water quick to arise and quick to perish, elusive like a phantom.' In that manner, he thought he had lost his jewel forever. The doctor replied, 'The jewel is not lost don't think that you have lost it ! When you were fighting, the jewel entered into your body. It is not visible because it is concealed by your blood, flesh and skin.' The wrestler did not believe the doctor and said to him, 'Whereabouts is the jewel in my blood and flesh ? You are just speaking empty words !' Then the skilled doctor extracted the jewel. Having got his jewel, the wrestler then believed the good doctor and was amazed at his knowledge. "All beings are also like this. Each one of them has the Tathgata-dhtu but, through having recourse to evil acquaintances, they give rise to attachment, hatred and stupidity and fall into the three miserable states and so forth, adopting various kinds of bodies throughout the twenty-five modes of existence. The precious jewel that is the Tathgata-dhtu is buried within the wound of the afflictions of attachment, hatred and stupidity, so that they are unaware of its presence there. Engaging in the notion that there is no Self with regard to the mundane / conventional self, they do not understand the skilful words of implicational import of the Tathgata, who is like a good doctor. They have the notion that there is no Self, and are unable to know the True Self. Regarding this, the Tathgata again utilizes skilful means: he causes them to extinguish the raging fires of the countless afflictions, revealing and elucidating the Tathgata-dhtu to them. "Moreover, noble son, it is, for example, like this: there is a very sweet medicinal herb in the Himlayas called 'superior taste', which remains hidden and invisible as long as there is no universal emperor in the world. Sick people went to the location of the medicine and, digging into the ground, they buried pipes to draw off the medicinal sap. They obtained sap with a sweet taste, a bitter taste, a pungent taste, a sour taste, a salty taste or an astringent taste. Though the sick people got these various tastes, they were unable to get the medicine with the true superior taste, because they did not dig the ground deeply enough and because their merits were slight. Due to the power of a universal emperor's merit, he is able to obtain the medicine with the true superior taste when he appears in the world. Similarly, noble son, the Tathgata-dhtu is hidden by a multitude of different tastes, the countless afflictions [arising from] stupidity. Hence, beings are unable to obtain the superior taste of the Tathgata-dhtu, and, engaging in various kinds of actions, they come to be born

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in different places. "The Tathgata-dhtu cannot be killed. Those who die are said to be short-lived, while the Tathgata-dhtu is said to be true life. It cannot be severed or destroyed right up to the attainment of buddhahood. The Tathgata-dhtu can neither be harmed nor killed but only nurtures the person, while those who can be harmed or killed, like those sick people, engage in a mass of perverse actions and encounter various kinds of fruitional recompense as katriyas, brahmins and so forth, being born and dying in the twenty-five modes of existence, because they cannot obtain the true Tathgatadhtu. "Furthermore, noble son, it is like a person who digs the earth searching for diamonds. Holding a sharp pick-axe in his hands, he digs into the ground and rocks, able to pulverise them all. Diamonds alone he cannot shatter. The Tathgata-garbha is like this, for it cannot be harmed by the sharp weapons of the gods and demons. It only nurtures the person and anything that can be harmed or damaged is not the Tathgata-dhtu. Hence, you should know that the Tathgata-dhtu cannot be harmed or killed. This means that the extensive stras, the Tathgata's definitive teachings, are both elixir and poison." The Bodhisattva Kyapa said to the Buddha, "Blessed one, in what sense are the definitive teachings both elixir and poison ?" The Buddha replied, "Noble son, listen now for I shall explain this to you", and then he uttered a verse: "One person consumes nectar and achieves long life. another person takes nectar and soon dies, his life damaged. Because of drinking it, death is poisoned, or else because of drinking it, life is poisoned. "Nectar is the unimpeded Mahyna awareness [ jnana], while the poison is also the unimpeded Mahyna awareness. It is like ghee, sesame oil or sugar when eaten but not digested they are said to be poisons, but when eaten and digested they are said to be nectar. Ignorant people do not understand the extensive secret teaching of Mahyna, so for them it is said to be poison. For rvakas and pratyekabuddhas who dwell in the Mahyna Dharma and for bodhisattvas, heroes among people, it is said to be nectar. This is like, for example, cows although their colours may be different, their milk has the same taste. Similarly, Kyapa, you should know that the Tathgatadhtu is the refuge of bodhisattvas who have attained fearlessness. Their dhtu and my dhtu are completely identical in taste."

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Regarding this, the Bodhisattva Kyapa spoke this verse: "I take refuge now in the three Jewels, [that are] the profound Tathgata-dhtu. The Tathgata-garbha within my body is these three: the Buddha, Dharma and Sagha. Such a refuge as this is called the highest refuge". Then again the Blessed One uttered these verses for Kyapa: "How can it be said that refuge is known to those who do not know the three Jewels ? If going to the Buddha for refuge is deemed to be the most auspicious, then again for what reason do they also go to Dharma for refuge ? Going to the Dharma for refuge is just an idea in one's mind. Moreover, for what reason do they go to the Sagha for refuge ? How can those without faith in the Buddha as refuge, the definitively real and true, gain any knowledge at all of the tathgata-dhtu of the Three Jewels ? Why do those who do not understand its meaning give rise to the confused notion that the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sagha, are a stairway of the Three Jewels ? This is like a somebody who is not pregnant having the notion that they will give birth to a child ! Those who think like that only increase their confusion. Like somebody who xxx an echo, they are far from being true upsakas. You should strive to find with skilful means

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the definitive meaning of the Mahyna ! Teachings concordant with the Tathgata will cause you to eliminate your doubts." The Bodhisattva Kyapa then spoke these verses: "Those who go to the Buddha for refuge, adopting the upsaka dharma, will not consider going for refuge to any of the various gods. Those who go to the Dharma for refuge, adopting the upsaka dharma, will not act with pernicious teachings (dharma) nor will they engage in improper rituals. Those who go to the Sagha for refuge, adopting the upsaka dharma, will not seek out deserving recipients [of alms] amidst the followers of false paths. Therefore, I go to the Three Jewels as refuge and shun the three mundane non-dharmas. These three objects of refuge were also taught by the Tathgata, I relied upon these objects in the past and now have attained a place of security: You too should also go to them for refuge and attain what I have. You too who travel along this path of sameness will swiftly eliminate the mass of sufferings and the confusions of the cycle of life and death. As for the tathgata-dhtu, in accordance with what the Tathgata teaches, I, together with other beings, am identical to this tathgata-dhtu.

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Even including the Mras, we shall all rely upon this, the path followed by the Buddhas, and be endowed with this ambrosia, going for refuge as do the Buddhas, eschewing the existent Muni." Then the Bhagavat spoke these additional verses to Kyapa: "Do not be like the rvakas, with their immature understanding: know that there is only one refuge and not three. Though the Buddha, Dharma and Sagha are identical in this path of sameness, I established these three objects in order to extinguish false views. If you now want to comport yourself: in conformity with mundane people, then you should go to the Three Jewels for refuge in accordance with this teaching: 'If somebody goes to the Buddha for refuge, then let them take refuge in me ! If somebody goes to perfect Awakening for refuge, I have already achieved perfect Awakening. Those who separate the refuges are confused about the tathgata-dhtu: they should have an attitude of sameness as regards the Tathgata. If they join their hands in obeisance [to me], they then venerate all Buddhas; I am the most real refuge for other beings, because I am already endowed with the pure and wondrous Dharmakya.

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If they venerate a caitya, they should venerate me, for I am the most real caitya for other beings. I am also the true caitya, therefore they should venerate me. If they go to the Dharma for refuge, they should take refuge in me, because I am already endowed with the pure and wondrous Dharmakya and I am the most real Dharma for other beings. If they go to the Sagha for refuge, they should take refuge in me. All other beings are all included within the Buddha's Sagha. I am the fully awakened Sagha for other beings, I shall generate the eye of the path for those beings who lack vision. Hence, the community of the rvakas and Sagha of the Pratyekabuddhas should go for refuge to the most real Sagha of the Tathgata, which includes them all.' " The Buddha said to Kyapa, "Thus noble son, a bodhisattva-mahsattva should think, 'Even though I might have an accumulation of unwholesomeness and ignorance, I should remember that I have the buddha-dhtu', just as a heroic warrior at the time of battle knows that he is the leader of the army and acts as the bulwark of all the ranks. For example, when a prince is made crown-prince, he knows that he is superior to all the other princes and that he will act as a real refuge for the princes when he is made king. No ignoble notions arise in his mind. Noble son, bodhisattvamahsattvas are also like this. They generate adamantine determination and transcend those three objects, becoming fearless like that prince. They are divorced from notions of diversity concerning the three objects, for the Tathgata is foremost, just as the crown of the head is uppermost. XXXX division in separate things, like a stairway. In order to train people in the world by providing them with a mundane refuge, they teach separate aspects with regard to the real object, and utilize the

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three objects in order to convert immature ignorant people and cause them to penetrate the profoundly acute insight of the Mahyna." The Bodhisattva Kyapa uttered these verses: "Though I understand the true significance of this, I asked the Tathgata about it because I want to explain [to others] the unsullied valour of a bodhisattva. It is excellent that the Bhagavat has explained the practice of a bodhisattva, the profoundly acute Mahyna wisdom, the insight which is like a cut diamond. It is excellent that the Bhagavat has explained how bodhisattvas are to be established, for now I shall also [impart to others] what the Tathgata has fully revealed. All the different kinds of beings should all examine themselves: they themselves are the tathgata-dhtu, all of them are the three refuges. All the different kinds of beings who have faith and uphold this stra, whether they have already eliminated the afflictions or have not yet distanced themselves from desires, they should all take refuge in the tathgata-garbha which inheres within themselves: this alone is the authentic taking of refuge, without a second or a third [object]. What is the reason for that ? Because the Bhagavat has explained that the subtle tathgata-garbha is present in each individual.

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Because they know the significance of this, they do not take refuge in the three [objects]; they have become the true refuge for the entire world, for they encompass in their totality the Dharma and the Community of monks. The rvakas and Pratyekabuddhas will all venerate them. Thus the tathgata-dhtu is inconceivable, because it is also endowed with the thirty-two major and eighty minor attributes. The Buddha said to Kyapa, "Excellent, excellent, noble son ! These bodhisattvas should thus train themselves in the extremely profound and incisive insight. Furthermore, noble son, I shall explain to you how one is to approach / enter the tathgata-garbha". Then he uttered these verses:If there were an enduring self, then there would be no experience of pain; whereas if there were no Self, the cultivation of the holy life would be in vain. All phenomena are devoid of a Self: this is called an annihilationist teaching; to say that there is an enduring self: this is a doctrine that posits eternality. All phenomena are impermanent: this is an annihilationist doctrine; all phenomena are permanent: this is an eternalist doctrine. All phenomena involve suffering: this is an annihilationist doctrine; all phenomena are pleasurable: this is a doctrine that posits eternality. To cultivate the notion that everything is permanent: this swiftly results in an annihilationist doctrine;

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To cultivate the notion that everything is impermanent: this swiftly results in an eternalist doctrine. As for example a leech / caterpillar, which reaches one place and soon focuses on the next, those who thus cultivate the notion of permanence will swiftly become annihilationists, while those who cultivate the notion of extinction will swiftly get the notion of permanence: as with the example I have taught, they achieve one and then seek another. On the one hand, the cultivation of suffering is predicated with regard to the unwholesome; on the other hand, the cultivation of happiness is predicated with regard to the wholesome. On the one hand, the cultivation of no self concerns the immeasurable afflictions; on the other hand, the cultivation of one that endures concerns the buddha-dhtu and nirva. On the one hand, the cultivation of impermanence concerns the ephemeral body; on the other hand, the cultivation of permanence concerns the Three Jewels the Tathgata and so forth, and equally liberation: this is the true reality of phenomena. What the Tathgata has explained is not like [the caterpillar] in that simile: you should know that he expounds the Dharma, abiding in the middle, free from the two extremes, devoid of both eternalism and annihilationism. Foolish mundane people are confused about the Buddha's teachings, just as those who are malnourished

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become deranged if they precipitately eat butter. Existence and non-existence increase their troubles, just as in the case of somebody who is seriously ill, the four elements mutually increase the harm when not functioning in balanced harmony. When the phlegm humour (doa) increases unabated, then the various winds produce parching; when the wind humour is in disarray, then salivation will also increase. Such disharmonies as these causes the body to become disordered. A good doctor with skilful therapy can regulate these four kinds [of disorders], eliminate all kinds of diseases, and bring about comfort throughout the body. The Good Doctor can cure with skilful therapy the countless diseases of the afflictions that are like the four highly venomous snakes by balancing the dhtus and bringing about comfort. These balanced dhtus are called the 'tathgata-garbha'. When they hear about the tathgata-dhtu, which is divorced from all realms / dhtus, permanently abiding, without change, and unattached to both existence and non-existence, foolish people make deluded assertions and do not understand the hidden teachings. When the Tathgata teaches with skilful means about suffering for the sake of beings, foolish people are incapable of understanding and say that their bodies are liable to extinction; but wise people truly understand that this is not to be upheld with regard to everything,

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for they know that within their bodies the seed of bliss is present. When they hear me teach with skilful means about impermanence for the sake of beings, foolish people say that their body is like a vessel made by a potter; but wise people truly understand that this is not to be upheld with regard to everything, for they know that the subtle seed of the Dharmakya inheres within their bodies. When they hear me teach with skilful means about not-Self for the sake of beings, foolish people say that according to the Buddha's Dharma [it teaches] that everything is devoid of a Self; but wise people truly understand that provisional discourse is not exhaustive, for they are not confused concerning the purity of the true nature (dharmat) of the Tathgata. When they hear me expound with skilful means teachings about emptiness for the sake of beings, foolish people are incapable of comprehending them, saying that all these utterances [imply] extinction; but wise people truly understand that these are not to be upheld with regard to everything, for they know that the Tathgata's Dharmakya is enduring and devoid of change. When they hear me expound with skilful means teachings about liberation for the sake of beings, foolish people say that the body of the Buddha is utterly destroyed when he is liberated; but wise people truly understand that there is no ending to the coming and going

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of the Tathgata, the lion of a man, who freely travels about by himself. When they hear me teach with skilful means for the sake of beings that the saskras are dependent upon ignorance, foolish people are incapable of comprehending this, and say that these are two [distinct] factors; but the wise truly understand that although ignorance and knowledge are different, these two aspects do not exist with respect to the true nature of liberation. Consciousness arises in dependence upon the saskras: foolish people say that there is a duality here, but intelligent people know that the conditions of saskras are two things and yet they are non-dual. Foolish people uphold two aspects regarding the ten wholesome and ten unwholesome [deeds], but the wise truly understand that although they are two, they are non-dual. Regarding faults and the absence of faults, foolish people say that there are two things, but the wise truly understand that they are non-dual by their nature. Regarding purity and impurity, foolish people say that there are two things, but the wise truly understand that they are non-dual by their nature. When I speak of all phenomena in terms of created (saskta) and uncreated (asaskta), foolish people are incapable of understanding this and say that there are two things, but the intelligent truly understand that they are non-dual by their nature.

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When I teach that all phenomena are either painful or pleasurable, foolish people are incapable of understanding this and say that there are two things, but the intelligent truly understand that they are non-dual by their nature. When they hear me teach for the sake of beings that all saskras are impermanent, foolish people are incapable of comprehending this and cultivate this notion in connection with the tathgata-dhtu, but the intelligent truly understand that they are non-dual by their nature. When they hear me teach for the sake of beings that all phenomena are devoid of a self, foolish people are incapable of comprehending this and say that the Buddha teaches the non-existence of Self, but the intelligent understand that intrinsically Self and not-Self are non-dual. Immeasurable and countless Buddhas have taught this tathgata-garbha, and I too have taught in the Sarva-puya/gua-samuccaya-stra that Self and not-Self are non-dual: you should carefully uphold this !" "Noble son, you should recollect the Sarva-puya/gua-samuccaya-stra ! I have taught nonduality in the Mah-praj -pramit-stra, and that likewise expounds the non-duality of Self and not-Self. "For example, curds arise from milk, fresh butter arises from curds, ripe butter arises from fresh butter and the essence of butter arises from ripe butter. Is it one substance from start to finish or does it come from somewhere else ? If this were just one substance, then it would be created as the basic, original substance. If the milk were the curds, then it would even now remain at the milk phase, devoid of any attributes of curds. For this reason, they are mutually produced in succession.

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One says that they evolve in succession because they do not already exist. If it comes from somewhere else, then in what place does it exist ? But one does not see the curds and so forth coming from somewhere else during the milk phase. All of those elements have the essence of butter as their intrinsic nature but they merely appear as different elements because it is obscured by defects. "When a cow's food is xxx {= defective}, its milk has the flavour of blood. A cow that eats sweet grass produces milk with a sweet odour, a cow that eats bitter grass produces milk that has a bitter odour. In the foothills of the Himalayas, there is a sweet, unctuous grass. A cow that eats this produces only sapir-maa [essence of ghee] and nothing of any other colour. According to the differently flavoured grasses that a cow eats, the milk has various different colours. Similarly, knowledge and ignorance are not two distinct phenomena, for in that manner knowledge turns into ignorance because of the xxxx of indulgence in karmic actions. All wholesome and unwholesome factors are devoid of duality. Therefore, you should know that the tathgata-dhtu is like that sapir-

maa: it is intrinsically pure, but it appears with different features because of the xxxx of the
afflictions. "For example, people say that the water of the oceans is salty, but not all of the water is salty because some of them [i.e. some of the oceans] contain water which has the eight flavours. For example, there are many poisonous herbs in the Himalayas, but the Himalayas primarily have beneficial medicinal herbs. The bodies of all beings are likewise: they are a composite of the four elements, which are like venomous snakes, and yet the buddha-dhtu primordially exists in these bodies. Like those beneficial medicinal herbs, the tathgata-dhtu is constantly present from start to finish, not a product of any action, but it grows [subsists?] in the midst of immeasurable afflictions. "Beings who seek after buddhahood should eradicate the ensnarements of the immeasurable afflictions. For example, there are great clouds and lightning in the spring months but it does not rain. In summertime, everything is awash/flourishing with the great torrents of rain. The tathgatadhtu is also like that: it is enveloped by the ensnarements of immeasurable afflictions, so although people may have heard about the stras and the meditative concentrations ( samdhi), they do not know about the tathgata-dhtu because of that. Because they do not know about it, they give rise to notions of Self and not-Self. When the extensive (vaipulya) Mah-parinirva-stra, the Dharma treasury of secret teachings, is heard in the world and people have heard about the tathgata-dhtu, they sprout and grow, nourished by its great significance/content. For this reason, it is called the

Mah-parinirva-stra. Thus, noble son, those beings who study this extensive Mah-parinirva-

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stra are said to fully repay the Tathgata's kindness.

The Bodhisattva Kyapa said to the Buddha, "Excellent, Bhagavat ! The tathgata-dhtu is a treasure extremely difficult to perceive or obtain for the rvakas and Pratyekabuddhas." The Buddha replied, "It is thus, it is thus, noble son ! I also always say that it is extremely difficult to perceive. For example, there is a somebody with cataracts that cover his eyes, so that he cannot see the five colours. He goes to a good doctor to have his cataracts treated. [The doctor] removes a small piece of tissue and then points out some object and tells the man to look at it. Because his vision is still blurred, he says that there are two or three objects there, but gradually his vision is corrected and he sees it distinctly. Similarly, noble son, bodhisattva-mahsattvas who [have completed] the course of purification and have accomplished the tenth level [i.e. the highest level of Bodhisattva attainment, just prior to becoming a Buddha] are able to xxx [make out ?] the reality of the tathgata-dhtu within their bodies, but they still suffer the confusion of the wheel of non-Self. What can be said of the ability of rvakas and Pratyekabuddhas to know it ! You should know, noble son, that the tathgata-dhtu is thus difficult to perceive. " Again, there is somebody who looks up and sees a flying bird. It is so distant that he is unsure whether it is or is not [a bird], but xxx his eyes, he then discerns it distinctly. Bodhisattvas who dwell on the tenth level are also like this: when they perceive the tathgata-dhtu within their bodies, they first have confused notions about it, but after some time they eventually see it distinctly. What can be said of the rvakas and Pratyekabuddhas ! "Again, there is somebody who becomes bewildered about the direction in which lies his destination. He racks his brains, thinks carefully and ponders upon it and yet he still loses his way. Bodhisattvas who dwell on the tenth level are also like this: when they perceive the tathgata-dhtu within their bodies, they carefully focus on it and yet they still have confused notions about it. What can be said of the rvakas and Pratyekabuddhas ! "Again, there is somebody travelling far through a wilderness who becomes confused with the heat and thirst. He sees a wild horse in the distance, but is uncertain if it is water, a tree or a village. Bodhisattvas who dwell on the tenth level are also like this: even when they perceive the tathgatadhtu within their bodies, they still have confused notions about it. "Again, there is somebody who climbs up to a high place and sees a caitya [monument for veneration of the Buddha] below in the distance. He thinks it might be water, or the sky, or a house, or else a wild horse, a hill, a rock, a shrub or a tree. But when he eventually sees it properly, he then knows that it is a caitya. Bodhisattvas who dwell on the tenth level are also like this: even when they

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perceive the tathgata-dhtu within their bodies, they still have confused notions about it. When they eventually see it distinctly, then they know its true nature. "Again, there is somebody travelling in a ship on the ocean and sees a xxx in the distance but becomes confused about it, thinking that it is the sky or a statue. Bodhisattvas who dwell on the tenth level are also like this: even when they perceive the tathgata-dhtu within their bodies, they still have confused notions about it. "Again, there is a prince who has spent the whole night watching entertainments until sunrise. He sees somebody but is uncertain whether it is a relative or somebody else. Bodhisattvas who dwell on the tenth level are also like this: even when they perceive the tathgata-dhtu within their bodies, they still have confused notions about it. "Again, there is a minister who has summoned to the royal palace for consultations. Returning home in the darkness of the night, he sees something that might be a white cow in a flash of lightning but he is confused as to whether it is a house or a mound of earth. Bodhisattvas who dwell on the tenth level are also like this: even when they perceive the tathgata-dhtu within their bodies, they still have confused notions about it. "Again, there is a monk who observes the moral precepts and, when he looks again carefully at water he has strained himself, he sees something that might be a hair but he thinks it could be an insect or a dust mote. Bodhisattvas who dwell on the tenth level are also like this: even when they perceive the tathgata-dhtu within their bodies, they still have confused notions about it. "Again, there is somebody who is gazing at a high mountain peak, but he is not sure whether there is a traveller there or a wild animal. Bodhisattvas who dwell on the tenth level are also like this: even when they perceive the tathgata-dhtu within their bodies, they still have confused notions about it. "Again, there is somebody with weak eyes who sees a painting in the gloom of the night, but he is not sure whether it is a portrait of a person or of a god, or else a portrait of the Buddha, Indra, Brahma or some bodhisattva. Bodhisattvas who dwell on the tenth level are also like this: even when they perceive the tathgata-dhtu within their bodies, they still have confused notions about it. "Thus, noble son, the tathgata-dhtu is extremely profound and difficult to see, for it is only within the perceptual domain of a Buddha and it is not something that may be known or seen by rvakas and Pratyekabuddhas. Thus, noble son, you should accept with trust the Tathgata's teachings, which are known to the intelligent.

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The Bodhisattva Kyapa said to the Buddha, "Would the Bhagavat explain how those with mere mortal eyes can see the tathgata-dhtu that is so profoundly subtle ? The Buddha replied, "For example, the divine sphere neither with ideation nor without ideation is only within the perceptual domain of a Buddha, so how could any of the rvakas and Pratyekabuddhas see it ? Only [by acting] in conformity with the Tathgata's sutras, they later come to perceive it by means of trusting faith. Similarly, noble son, all rvakas and Pratyekabuddhas should develop trusting faith in the extensive Parinirva-stra and then they will know that there is the tathgata-dhtu within their bodies. Hence, you should know that the tathgata-dhtu is only within the perceptual domain of a Buddha and not of the rvakas and Pratyekabuddhas." The Bodhisattva Kyapa said to the Buddha, "Bhagavat, people in the world all say that they have a Self. What does this signify ?" The Buddha replied, "For example, there were once two people who were friends. One was a prince and the other a poor man but they were bound by friendship and went about together. This prince had a tame rhinoceros and the poor man saw it. Some time later, they travelled together to another country and stayed together overnight in a certain guest-house. Then, the poor man cried out in a dream, "The rhinoceros is coming ! The rhinoceros is coming !", his voice carrying through the walls. At that moment, somebody heard him and went to the palace to report what he had heard to the king of that country. The king asked, "Where is the rhinoceros ?". Then the poor man said to the king, "I do not have the rhinoceros, but I know that it exists because I once saw it." The king again asked about its appearance and the poor man told him that its horn resembled that of a goat. When he had told the king that, the king said to the poor man, "xxx [this is ?] nothing but an empty story", and the notion that the rhinoceros resembled a goat spread throughout the kingdom. Not long after that, that king died and his crown prince came to the throne. He too searched for the rhinoceros but could not find it. Then his son succeeded him as King and he too similarly searched for the rhinoceros but could not find it. Thereafter, successive generations for a long time had the notion that the rhinoceros was a goat. "Similarly, when a bodhisattva mahsattva emerges in the world, he expounds the True Self for the sake of beings. Those who are ignorant of it hear that all beings have the Buddha-nature but, because they do not know its true [nature], they speak about it with deluded notions, 'The Self- is like a inch-sized lamp located in the heart' and other various notions such as the 'being' ( sattva), the 'Self' (tman), the 'person' (purua) or the 'life-force' ( jva). Such dream-like utterances are passed on

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successively, but they all give rise to false views. [Or else] they consider whether they have a personal self and seek out the nature of their personal self but, not finding the True Self, they come up with the theory that there is no Self. Thus all people in the world constantly have deluded ideas, considering whether they have a personal self or having the idea that there is no Self. Thus, noble son, I teach that the Tathagata's nature is the ultimate truth. You should know that any person in the world who expounds the Self in accordance with the Dharma is separated from conventional [truth]. You should know that all of these manifestations of bodhisattvas appear in the same manner as mundane/conventional utterances."

| Dr Tony Page 2004 |