Chapter 25

How a Bodhisattva Is Trained

158. When training oneself, one never arrives at the training, one never arrives at a Teacher, and one never arrives at the dharmas which make up the training. Who trains themselves, without discriminating between “training” and “not training”, trains in this Bodhi-dharma.

159. This understanding, if true, should never result in the bodhisattva’s training becoming lax, lazy, or in a lack of morality. For the bodhisattva finds all pleasures in the dharma and in this training. They train themselves, skillfully, but without grasping. When they train this wisdom, the wise shedder of light, not even a single unwholesome thought arises; like the sun shedding its light into the sky: all darkness is dispelled, no darkness can stand up to its magnificent rays.

Perfect Wisdom Comprehends All the Perfections

160. To those who have made their training that of the perfection of wisdom, all other trainings (perfections) become perfectly comprehended and realized. Just as in one false view always lies all of the sixty-two false views, so in this one perfection lies all of the perfections. Just as when life has been stopped, all the other faculties associated with life are stopped; just so, when the best of the wise walk in this wisdom, all these perfections become fully comprehended.

Bodhisattvas and Disciples

161. In the qualities of the Disciples and the Pratyekabuddhas, the wise bodhisattvas have been trained, but they do not stand in them, nor do they long for them. “It is in this way that I need to be trained,” they think, and it is in this sense that they train themselves properly.