A Brief Explanation of the Mahayana Tathagatagarbha Sutra
Chapter Six The Merits and Benefits of Receiving, Upholding, and Reciting the Tathāgatagarbha Sūtra
Original text: 尔时世尊。告金刚慧菩萨摩诃萨。若出家若在家。善男子善女人。受持读诵。书写供养。广为人说。如来藏经。所获功德。不可计量。金刚慧，若有菩萨。为佛道故。勤行精进。修习神通。入诸三昧。
Explanation: This sūtra takes Bodhisattva Vajra Wisdom as its leading figure; it is Bodhisattva Vajra Wisdom who comes forth to pose the question. Because of the conditions of this request, the World-Honored One expounded this Mahāvaipulya Tathāgatagarbha Sūtra. Bodhisattva Vajra Wisdom is the principal questioner of this sūtra, the one who made the request.
At that time the World-Honored One told the Bodhisattva-Mahāsattva Vajra Wisdom that if the fourfold assembly of left-home and lay good men and good women could receive, uphold, recite, copy out, and make offerings to the Tathāgatagarbha Sūtra and widely proclaim it to sentient beings, the merits they obtained could not be measured. Vajra Wisdom, if there are bodhisattvas who, for the sake of cultivating the Buddha Way, should diligently practice vigor and courageously cultivate the dharma of the tathāgatagarbha, cultivating the four dhyānas and eight samādhis and the conduct of supernatural powers, and entering into all samādhis.
Original text: 欲殖德本。供养过恒河沙。现在诸佛。造过恒河沙。七宝台阁。高十由旬。纵广正等。各一由旬。设七宝床。敷以天缯。为一一佛。日日造立。过恒河沙。七宝台阁。以用奉献。一一如来。及诸菩萨。声闻大众。以如是事。普为供养。一切过恒河沙。现在诸佛。
Explanation: If one wishes to plant the root of virtue and widely sow the fields of merit, one should make offerings to Buddhas presently dwelling in the world numbering more than Ganges' sands, and build for the Buddhas storied towers and pavilions of the seven treasures exceeding Ganges' sands in number. The towers and pavilions of the seven treasures are ten yojanas high; one yojana is forty to eighty li, so the height is equivalent to four hundred to eight hundred li. In length and breadth they are exactly equal, each one yojana—that is, forty to eighty li in both length and width. One should also set up beds of the seven treasures for the Buddhas, spread with celestial silks, and should build for each Buddha, day after day, towers and pavilions of the seven treasures as many as more than Ganges' sands, offering them to each Tathāgata, as well as to the great bodhisattvas and the great assemblies of arhats and śrāvakas. With such powers of supernatural penetration, the bodhisattva universally makes offerings to World-Honored Ones presently dwelling in the world numbering more than Ganges' sands.
What are supernatural powers? Cultivating the four dhyānas and eight samādhis, though it can yield extraordinary marvels, is merely practice at the phenomenal level, a dharma of arising and ceasing. True supernatural powers are the wondrous merits inherent in the tathāgatagarbha. The tathāgatagarbha itself is supremely numinous: it penetrates all dharmas, knowing all things and capable of all things. Its wondrous function can bring forth existence from non-existence—wondrous existence arising from true emptiness; its penetration extends throughout all dharmas, manifesting and transforming all dharmas, non-dual with all dharmas. Yet within His mind-substance there is not a single dharma, and yet He manifests all dharmas. His substance is not even as large as a mustard seed, yet He can manifest the Buddha-lands of the Buddhas of the ten directions and countless emanation bodies. Once a bodhisattva has cultivated the four dhyānas and eight samādhis, he will possess countless hundreds of thousands of samādhis: there are samādhis of meditative concentration, and there are also wisdom samādhis of the equal cultivation of samādhi and prajñā. After seeing the mind and seeing the nature, one will attain the vajra samādhi, the prajñā samādhi, and the samādhi of suchness; all samādhis encompass both the realm of wisdom and the realm of meditative concentration.
The bodhisattva makes offerings to Buddhas presently dwelling in the world numbering more than Ganges' sands, wishing to plant the root of merit. The root of virtue refers to the merit, wisdom, provisions, provisions for the Path, and virtuous conduct gained through cultivation, as well as the transformation of mental conduct toward purity, extending all the way to the future transformation of the consciousnesses into wisdom. In order to plant the root of virtue, the bodhisattva must make offerings to more than Ganges' sands of Buddhas of the ten directions who are in the world propagating the Dharma and benefiting sentient beings. How then should he make offerings? By constructing more than Ganges' sands of towers and pavilions of the seven treasures and using them to make offerings to the Buddhas. And it is not merely offerings to one Buddha: since he is to make offerings to Buddhas numbering more than Ganges' sands, he must construct towers and pavilions of the seven treasures numbering more than Ganges' sands.
Original text: 如是次第。乃至过五十恒沙。众宝台阁。以用供养。过五十恒沙。现在诸佛。及诸菩萨声闻大众。乃至无量百千万劫。
Explanation: For each and every Buddha presently dwelling in the world, the bodhisattva builds every day towers and pavilions of the seven treasures numbering more than Ganges' sands, using them to make offerings to each Buddha, every bodhisattva, and the assemblies of śrāvakas. With such offerings, the bodhisattva even makes offerings to the present Buddhas, bodhisattvas, and assemblies of śrāvakas exceeding fifty Ganges' sands in number, continuing all the way through countless hundreds of thousands of millions of kalpas, making such offerings every day. Such veneration is truly inconceivable—unceasingly practicing generosity with food and drink and towers and pavilions of various treasures. Is such a bodhisattva not exceptionally diligent, with merits obtained that are immeasurable and boundless?
Original text: 金刚慧。不如有人。喜乐菩提。于如来藏经。受持读诵。书写供养。乃至一譬喻者。金刚慧。此善男子。于诸佛所。种诸善根。福虽无量。比善男子善女人。所得功德。百分不及一。千分不及一。乃至算数譬喻。所不能及。
Explanation: Vajra Wisdom, even such offerings are not as good as a person delighting in the great Way of bodhi and cultivating the great Way of bodhi; they are not as good as receiving, upholding, and reciting the Mahāvaipulya Tathāgatagarbha Sūtra, or even receiving, upholding, reciting, copying out, and making offerings to a single parable within the Tathāgatagarbha Sūtra. Vajra Wisdom, although the merit of that good man who built towers of the seven treasures day after day and made offerings to the Buddhas is immeasurable, it does not match the merits obtained by good men and good women who receive, uphold, and recite the Tathāgatagarbha Sūtra; it does not even reach one part in a hundred or one part in a thousand of their merits. Even reckoned by numbers and parables, it cannot compare—it is beyond comparison.
In other words, the merit of immeasurable generosity of wealth (dāna) is not even one part in a hundred or one part in a thousand of the merit of reciting and upholding the Tathāgatagarbha Sūtra, and is far beyond comparison. It is truly inconceivable; the difference in merits simply cannot be calculated. This shows how vast the merits of sentient beings studying and cultivating the dharma of the tathāgatagarbha must be—simply immeasurable and boundless in their vastness!
Original text: 尔时世尊重说偈曰。
若人求菩提 闻持此经者 书写而供养 乃至于一偈
如来微妙藏 须臾发随喜 当听此正教 功德无有量
若人求菩提 住大神通力 欲供十方佛 菩萨声闻众
其数过恒沙 亿载不思议 为一一诸佛 造立妙宝台
Explanation: At this time the World-Honored One again summarized in verse, saying:
若人求菩提。闻持此经者。书写而供养。乃至于一偈。 If someone wishes to realize bodhi, cultivate the great Way of bodhi, and seek the dharma of the tathāgatagarbha, hoping to see the mind and see the nature and accomplish the Buddha Way, he hears and upholds this Tathāgatagarbha Sūtra, copies out the Tathāgatagarbha Sūtra, and is able to make offerings to the Tathāgatagarbha Sūtra in various ways, even receiving, upholding, and reciting a single verse within the Tathāgatagarbha Sūtra.
如来微妙藏。须臾发随喜。当听此正教。功德无有量。 While he recites, upholds, and copies out the subtle and wondrous treasury of the Tathāgata, if he can, within a single instant, give rise to a mind of sympathetic joy and a mind of praise, saying, "This sūtra is truly excellent," that single utterance of praise will enable him to attain buddhahood in the future. Such people should all come to hear the Tathāgata's teaching of the true Dharma, to hear the Tathāgatagarbha Sūtra spoken by the Tathāgata; the merits they can obtain are immeasurable and boundless.
若人求菩提。住大神通力。欲供十方佛。菩萨声闻众。其数过恒沙。亿载不思议。为一一诸佛。造立妙宝台。 If someone wishes to realize unsurpassed bodhi and himself possesses great powers of supernatural penetration, hoping to make offerings to the Buddhas of the ten directions and to the bodhisattvas and assemblies of śrāvakas of the ten directions—the number of these Buddhas, bodhisattvas, and assemblies of śrāvakas whom he wishes to offer to exceeds Ganges' sands, and the duration of his offerings exceeds one hundred million years—such offerings are indeed inconceivable; moreover, he has specially built wondrous towers of the seven treasures for each and every Buddha.
Original text: 台高十由旬 纵广四十里 中施七宝座 严饰备众妙
敷以天缯褥 随座各殊异 无量过恒沙 献佛及大众
悉以此奉献 日夜不休息 满百千万劫 所获福如是
慧者闻此经 能持一譬喻 而为人解说 其福过于彼
乃至于算数 譬喻所不及 众生之所依 速成无上道
菩萨谛思惟 甚深如来藏 知众生悉有 疾成无上道
Explanation: 台高十由旬。纵广四十。中施七宝座。严饰备众妙。 Each of the constructed towers and pavilions of the seven treasures is ten yojanas high, with length and breadth of forty li. Forty li is one yojana, so a height of ten yojanas is four hundred li. In the middle of the treasure towers are spread seats and beds of the seven treasures, adorned with great solemnity, complete with all manner of subtle wonders.
敷以天缯褥。随座各殊异。无量过恒沙。献佛及大众。 Celestial silks and bedding are also spread out; corresponding to each treasure seat, each has its own excellence and marvels—the textures, colors, and treasures all differ, endlessly varied. The offerings and treasures are immeasurable in quantity, exceeding Ganges' sands, and then all are presented to the Buddhas, the bodhisattvas, and the assemblies of śrāvakas.
悉以此奉献。日夜不休息。满百千万劫。所获福如是。 Day and night without rest, he makes offerings to the Buddhas and the assemblies of bodhisattvas for a full hundred thousand million kalpas, and the merit obtained likewise exceeds Ganges' sands in number. A single small kalpa alone equals 16.8 million human years; a middle kalpa is that multiplied by twenty, and a great kalpa that multiplied by eighty—such is the span of one kalpa. Making such offerings every day for so long a time, how much merit would this person obtain? It simply cannot be reckoned; this is called "inconceivable."
慧者闻此经。能持一譬。而为人解说。其福过于彼。 When a person of intelligence and wisdom hears this Tathāgatagarbha Sūtra, even if he can only uphold a single parable and explain it to others, the merit he obtains far surpasses the merit of making offerings to the Buddhas, bodhisattvas, and śrāvakas for hundreds of thousands of millions of billions of kalpas. 乃至于算数，譬喻所不及，众生之所依，速成无上道。 A single parable—for example, the parable of the honey, the parable of the true gold image, the parable of the maṇi jewel, and so forth—if one can uphold any one of these parables and explain it to others, this merit already surpasses the merit of offering towers and pavilions of the seven treasures to the Buddhas. The amount by which it surpasses is countless times more than calculation can reckon. Such a person is one upon whom sentient beings rely; he can become a bodhisattva, swiftly accomplish the unsurpassed Way, perfectly attain buddhahood, and widely deliver immeasurable sentient beings.
菩萨谛思惟。甚深如来藏。知众生悉有。疾成无上道。 After the cultivating bodhisattvas deliberate carefully, they know that every sentient being possesses the profoundly deep tathāgatagarbha; once sentient beings themselves realize it, they can swiftly accomplish the unsurpassed Buddha Way. Only because one can know the tathāgatagarbha can one realize the tathāgatagarbha, and in the end one can rely upon the tathāgatagarbha to attain buddhahood. Therefore, studying the dharma of the tathāgatagarbha and reciting and upholding the Tathāgatagarbha Sūtra is supremely and incomparably excellent.
This final passage is the World-Honored One telling the bodhisattvas about those deeds of His own in past lives, long ago, countless kalpas ago, when He first began to cultivate according to the Tathāgatagarbha Sūtra—telling the bodhisattvas of His own experiences of studying and cultivating the Tathāgatagarbha Sūtra.
