46th-50th Imperishable, The Five Abilities.

[Sanskrit text for this chapter is available]

Further, reverend Śāradvatīputra, the bodhisattvas’ five abilities are also imperishable.

What are the five abilities? 1) The ability of faith, 2) the ability of vigour, 3) the ability of recollection, 4) the ability of concentration and 5) the ability of insight.

1) What then is the ability of faith? The faith by which he has faith in four moments of existence.

Which four? a) He has faith in the right view concerning things in the world, things belonging to existence; he relies on the ripening of action: “Whatever action I do, good or bad, I will experience the ripening of that action.” Even for the sake of his life he does not commit a bad action.

b) He has faith in the bodhisattva’s practice, and entering that practice he has no wish for any other way of religious development.

c) According to the highest meaning, the explicit meaning, he has faith in all moments of existence as being characterized by reflection on the profound dependent origination, no self, no being, no life-principle, no life-sustaining principle, no personality, as characterized by emptiness, no distinguishing marks and the fact that there is nothing to long for, but he does not cling to any viewpoint.

d) He has faith in all the qualities of a Buddha, his powers, modes of fearlessness and so on, and having faith his doubt and hesitation disappear and he accumulates those qualities of a Buddha.

This is called the ability of faith.

2) What then is the ability of vigour?

The moments of existence he has faith in by the ability of faith, those moments of existence he accumulates by the ability of vigour, this is called the ability of vigour.

3) What then is the ability of recollection?

The moments of existence he accumulates by the ability of vigour, those moments of existence he does not forget by the ability of recollection, this is called the ability of recollection.

4) What then is the ability of concentration?

The moments of existence he does not forget by the ability of recollection, those moments of existence he makes the object of one-pointedness by the ability of concentration; this is called the ability of concentration.

5) What then is the ability of insight?

The moments of existence he makes the object of one-pointedness by the ability of concentration, (p. 140) those moments of existence he reflects on [the individual characteristics (svalakṣaṇa) ] and understands [the general characteristics (sāmanyalakṣaṇa) ] by the ability of insight; having knowledge of those moments of existence not dependent on [the teachings of] others, knowledge [realizing those moments of existence] in oneself, is called the ability of insight.

Thus these five abilities are helpers and associates, they fulfil the qualities of a Buddha, they reach the stage of prediction. Just as, reverend Śāradvatīputra, those who possess supernormal power in connection with the abilities of sense-perception do not give any prediction as long as the male and female organs of the foetus in the womb are not developed, just so the Awakened Lords do not predict the incomparable, perfect awakening as long as the bodhisattvas are not furnished with these five abilities transcending the world.

These, reverend Śāradvatīputra, are the bodhisattvas’ five imperishable abilities.