33rd Imperishable, Accumulation of Knowledge

[Sanskrit text for this chapter is available]

What then is the bodhisattvas’ imperishable accumulation of knowledge? The bodhisattva accumulates the causes and conditions by which he reaches knowledge [beyond duality (advayajñāna) ]. Which causes, which conditions?

[The causes (hetu) are:] Deep eagerness in seeking knowledge [by eagerness and exertion in writing out and reading books, etc. (pustakalekhāpāṭhādicchanda’udyoga) ]; always serving, living with and attending spiritual friends who have attained knowledge. He relies on the knowledge of the Buddha, not on the knowledge of the disciples and the isolated buddhas. It is absence of conceit towards and love for those spiritual friends like love for the masters, like love for the Teacher himself. The spiritual friends, having ascertained that the listener has good intentions [that he will not seek religion desiring gain and honour (lābhasatkāra), but will seek knowledge beyond duality (advayajñāna) ], bring about conversation [teaching (1) the moments of existence to be taught (deśyadharmadeśanā), the twelvefold Word (dvadaśâṅgapravacana) ] and speech concerned with knowledge [giving (2) teachings on the moments of existence to be accomplished (sādhyadharmadeśanā), explaining the causes (hetu), emptiness (śūnyatā) and so on, teachings which bring about knowledge beyond duality (advayajñāna) ], knowing he is a worthy recipient they unceasingly teach religion which is not concerned with outer things [like the manuals of the outsiders (bāhyakaśāstravyākaraṇa), but giving (3) teachings on the moments of existence to be attained (anugantavyadharmadeśanā), thus always teaching the moments of existence which are the wings of awakening (bodhipakṣyadharma) ].

[The conditions (pratyaya) are:] Having heard these religious teachings [of the above-mentioned three kinds, being causes (hetu), from spiritual friends] he [the person seeking religion] makes an effort to accumulate religious teachings, and the effort to accumulate religious teachings is his accumulation of knowledge. What then is the effort to accumulate religious teachings?

[1. Undertakings being causes of knowledge (hetvārambha):] Having few things for the benefit of oneself; doing few [worldly] things [like commerce and agriculture]; being moderate in speech; having few necessities of life; making an effort at practising vigilance in the beginning and end of the night; reflecting on the meaning of what one has heard; seeking it more and more; no confusion in thought; suppression of hindrances; knowing the way out of the sinful; no remorse; no manifestation of vices; firmness in realization [not being content with the words only, but striving to accomplish the religious teachings as they have been heard]; inclination towards religion [in grasping the words (vākya) of the teaching explained at the time of hearing (śrutakāla) ]; proneness to religion [finding the meaning in the teachings heard (śrutadharmârtha) at the time of pondering (cintākāla) ]; propensity to religion [in approaching the fruit (phala) by repeated meditation (bhāvanā) on the meaning found by pondering (cintā) ], perfection in courage [not being overcome by the contraries of vices, etc. (kleśâdivipakṣa) ]; being like one whose head and clothes are on fire in seeking knowledge; but not attached to any of these [things in the way of not apprehending (anupalambha) them, not being attached to material things (āmiṣa) ]; no loose morality; never putting the burden down; gaining distinction [in growing]; avoiding crowds; finding joy in solitude; having the mind bent on solitude in the woods; content with the family of the holy; never unstable with regard to the qualities of purification; joy consisting in pleasure in the joy of religion; forgetting worldly incantations; seeking the supramundane moments of existence; unwavering recollection; being in accordance with understanding the meaning [in thinking in accordance with the sphere of all moments of existence (dharmadhātu) ]; being in accordance with the way through intelligence; keeping vows with steadfastness; accordance with knowledge by conditions [that is, knowledge in accordance with the principle of dependent origination (pratītyasamutpāda), or, accumulating the causes of knowledge beyond duality (advayajñānahetu) by knowing the essential character of the moments of existence which is dependent origination (dharmāṇāṃ pratītyasamutpādalakṣaṇajñānena) ]; being adorned with shame and modesty [and thus doing no sin through having regard for oneself and others]. [2. Undertakings concerned with the essence of knowledge (svabhāvârambha):] Making it the most important thing to be in accordance with knowledge [seeking it in any practice whatsoever]; suppressing ignorance; purification of the eye of insight for those tied down by the darkness and blindness of ignorance and delusion; purity in understanding [no hindrances concerning things to be known or vices]; broadness in understanding [having the Great Way in scope (mahāyānâlambanatayā) ]; no narrowness in understanding [siding with the small way (hīnayāna) ]; no divided understanding [no attachment to various kinds of viewpoints (dṛṣṭi) ]; illuminated understanding [because of original purity (prakṛtiviśuddhi) ]; immediate knowledge [unhindered in the three times].

[3. Undertakings which are fruits of knowledge (phalārambha):] Not to depend on the qualities of others [but obtaining good qualities oneself], no haughtiness because of one’s own qualities [having really obtained them]; and praising the qualities of others [having no envy (īrṣyā) ] (p. 123); doing good actions; never freeing oneself from the burden of maturing one’s actions [even though understanding the state of emptiness (śūnyatādharma), he accepts the maturation of actions]; knowledge of the purification of actions. [These are the conditions (pratyaya) ].

This, reverend Śāradvatīputra, is called the bodhisattvas’ imperishable accumulation of knowledge.

Further, the accumulation of knowledge is of four kinds [that is, the causes producing knowledge (jñānotpādahetu) are of four kinds]. What four?

These four gifts augment the accumulation of knowledge. What four? The gift of birch-bark for writing, ink and books to the preachers of religion; different kinds of teaching thrones to the preachers of religion; giving all gain, honour and praise to the preachers of religion; giving compliments without guile to the preachers of religion to grasp religion [oneself]. Those four gifts augment the accumulation of knowledge.

These four kinds of protection augment the bodhisattvas’ accumulation of knowledge. What four? Protecting the preachers of religion like protecting a lord [or protecting them for fear of kings (rājabhaya) ]; protecting [their] roots of good; protecting [the preachers of religion when they travel in] kingdoms and among peoples; protecting the beneficial things. Those four augment the bodhisattvas’ accumulation of knowledge.

These four kinds of support augment the bodhisattvas’ accumulation of knowledge. What four? Supporting the preachers of religion with material things; supporting them because of religion [to prolong the existence of true religion (saddharmacirasthitikatā) ]; supporting them because of insight [so that their insight is not lost]; supporting them because of knowledge [so that their knowledge grows and is not lost]. Those four augment the bodhisattvas’ accumulation of knowledge.

These five powers augment the bodhisattvas’ accumulation of knowledge. What five? The power of faith for confidence; the power of vigour for seeking learning; the power of recollection so as not to forget the thought of awakening; the power of concentration to have thoughts always reflecting on universal sameness; the power of insight for the sake of power of learning [so as to understand the teachings (dharma) ]. Those five powers augment the bodhisattvas’ accumulation of knowledge.

These four kinds of morality augment the bodhisattvas’ accumulation of knowledge. What four? The morality of joy in religion; the morality of seeking religion [through spiritual friends, listening to their teachings, writing and reading them]; the morality of reflecting on religion [with logic (yukti) ]; the morality of transforming into awakening. Those four kinds of morality augment the bodhisattvas’ accumulation of knowledge.

These four kinds of tolerance augment the bodhisattvas’ accumulation of knowledge. What four? Tolerating bad speech [which enumerates bad qualities (doṣa) behind one’s back (parokṣāt) ] and abusive speech [uttered to one’s face (sākṣāt) ] through striving to seek religion; tolerating wind, sun, cold, heat, thirst and hunger through striving to seek religion; tolerance in accordance with teachers and preceptors [enduring pain to act according to their instructions] through striving to seek religion; tolerance of moments of existence as being emptiness, beyond distinguishing marks and beyond longing, through striving to seek religion. Those four kinds of tolerance augment the bodhisattvas’ accumulation of knowledge.

(p. 124) These four kinds of vigour augment the bodhisattvas’ accumulation of knowledge. What four? The vigour to hear [many books (grantha) ]; the vigour to retain in mind [their meaning (artha) ]; the vigour to teach [others the teachings one has heard and grasped]; the vigour to progress spiritually [cultivating by meditation the teachings]. Those four kinds of vigour augment the bodhisattvas’ accumulation of knowledge.

These four limbs of meditation augment the bodhisattvas’ accumulation of knowledge. What four? Staying [bodily] in solitude; one-pointedness [of thought]; seeking supernormal knowledge in meditation; relying on the Buddhas’ knowledge [not that of disciples and isolated buddhas]. Those four limbs of meditation augment the bodhisattvas’ accumulation of knowledge.

These four lights of insight augment the bodhisattvas’ accumulation of knowledge. What four? Not behaving according to the view of annihilation; not entering into the view of eternity; not being in contradiction with dependent origination; tolerating absence of a self [without fear]. Those four lights of insight augment the bodhisattvas’ accumulation of knowledge.

These four kinds of expedient means augment the bodhisattvas’ accumulation of knowledge. What four? Accordance with the world; accordance with religion; accordance with living beings; accordance with knowledge [of omniscience]. Those four kinds of expedient means augment the bodhisattvas’ accumulation of knowledge.

These four ways augment the bodhisattvas’ accumulation of knowledge. What four? The way of the perfections; the way of the stages; the way of the wings of awakening; the way to knowledge of omniscience. Those four ways augment the bodhisattvas’ accumulation of knowledge.

These four kinds of never having enough augment the bodhisattvas’ accumulation of knowledge. What four? Never having enough of learning; never having enough of teaching; never having enough of examining things; never having enough of knowledge. Those four kinds of never having enough augment the bodhisattvas’ accumulation of knowledge.

Further, the accumulation of knowledge is to be in accordance with all living beings [not forsaking existence (saṃsāra) so as to work the weal of living beings (sattvārtha) with the form of great compassion (mahākaruṇārūpeṇa) ], but also to be in accordance with all religious things [even though in this way not forsaking existence (saṃsāra), not being in opposition to extinction (nirvāṇa), not forgetting extinction, in short, teaching the extinction which is found nowhere (apratiṣṭhitanirvāṇa) ].

The accumulation of knowledge should be seen as arising from generosity, and in the same way the accumulation of knowledge should be seen also as arising from morality, tolerance, vigour, meditation and insight; the accumulation of knowledge should be seen as arising from friendliness, compassion, joy and equanimity.

Why [do the above-mentioned things (dharma) become the accumulation of knowledge]? All the bodhisattvas’ undertakings [mentioned supra by name (nāmagrāhika) p. 122,18-123,4 and divided into 1) undertakings which are causes of knowledge (hetvārambha), 2) undertakings concerned with the essence of knowledge (svabhāvârambha) and 3) undertakings which are fruits of knowledge (phalārambha) ] originate through knowledge because they are preceded by knowledge [making knowledge the most important (jñānapara) ], because they rely on knowledge, and depend on knowledge of omniscience [by way of having it as the object (ālambana) ]. It [the accumulation of knowledge] is the support of all who know, in it none of the Evil Ones will find a weak spot, here all the worthy receptacles of the Buddhas’ religion are present, and they attain the blessing of the Buddhas, they attain omniscience [being furnished with the causes (hetu) that bring omniscience about].

This is the imperishability of knowledge’s accumulation. (p. 125) These, reverend Śāradvatīputra, are called the bodhisattvas’ imperishable accumulation of merit and knowledge.