The Vajra Praj¤à Pàramità Såtra

Introductions
On The English Translation of A General Explanation Of The Vajra Praj¤à Pàramità Såtra
This Såtra says, “One should produce a heart without dwelling
anywhere.Ÿ The Sixth Patriarch, the Great Master Hui, heard
that sentence and awakened to the Way. “Any dwelling of the heart is no dwelling.Ÿ Therefore the Larger Chapters say, “If
one dwells in dharmas, he does not dwell in praj¤à pàramità.
If one does not dwell in dharmas, he dwells in praj¤à pàramità.Ÿ That is why every one of the Great Praj¤à assemblies begins
with an explanation of “not dwelling.Ÿ
That Såtra also says, “At that time the World Honored
One, using Dharmas which were not witticisms, discussed
the marks of the Tathàgata. For the sake of all Bodhi-
sattvas he proclaimed praj¤à, the profound principle and
tendency of the Dharma door of the word ‘wheel’ saying, ‘All dharmas are devoid of marks because they are apart
from the many marks. All dharmas are wishless, because
they are without seeking. All dharmas are still, because
they are eternally quiescent. All dharmas are impermanent, because they are without a permanent nature. All dharmas
are without bliss, because there is nothing which can be blissful. All dharmas are without self, because they have no self-mastery. All dharmas are devoid of purity, because
they are apart from the mark of purity. All dharmas cannot

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be obtained, because in searching for their mark, it cannot be found.Ÿ That explains the principle and tendency of the
emptiness of the nature.
That Såtra also says, “At that time the World Honored
One, further using the storehouse of those who dwell in and
maintain the Dharma, discussed the marks of the Tathàgata.
For the sake of all Bodhisattvas he proclaimed praj¤à, the
total pervasiveness of sentient beings who dwell in and main-
tain the Dharma, the profound principle and tendency of the
supreme storehouse Dharma door, saying, ‘All sentient beings
are the storehouse of the Tathàgata, because Samantabhadra
Bodhisattva’s own substance is all-pervasive. All living beings
are the storehouse of vajra, because they are anointed by the vajra-storehouse. All living beings are the storehouse of proper Dharma, because they rely on proper speech to bring about change. All living beings are the storehouse of won-
derful karma, because in matters of karma they rely on the
additional practices.’Ÿ The previous passage explained that existent dharmas are non-existent. This passage explains that
non-existent dharmas are not non- existent. Non-existence and not non-existence is the principle and tendency of the
Middle Way.
In the past, five hundred bhikùus became doubtful
and disbelieved when they heard the emptiness dharma of praj¤à. Arising from their seats, they departed. The Bodhi-
sattva Net Brightness instructed the Brahmà God Beneficial
Consideration to devise an expedient means to instruct
them.

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The Brahmà God replied, “Even if they were allowed
to depart for as many kalpas as there are grains of sand in the Ganges River, they could not get out of this Dharma
door. They are like a fool who, fearing emptiness, tries to walk away from emptiness. No matter where he goes, he does not leave emptiness behind. Those bhikùus are just like that. Although they may go a long way, they cannot leave the mark of emptiness.
“They are also like a man who seeks emptiness. Racing east and west he says, ‘I want emptiness! I want emptiness!’
That man merely says the name of emptiness; he does not perceive emptiness. Those bhikùus are also like that. Desiring to attain nirvàõa, they practice in the midst of nirvàõa and do not attain it. For what reason? Nirvàõa is merely a name,
and just like emptiness which is merely a name, it cannot be obtained.Ÿ
We who investigate the Buddha’s teaching should know that the Buddha’s teaching is the teaching of the Dharmarealm;
it is not differentiated into national traditions. The Buddha’s
teaching is the teaching of all people; it is not divided by regional interests. The Buddha’s teaching is the teaching of living beings; it is without racial prejudice. The Buddha said,
“All living beings have the Buddha-nature. All can become
Buddhas.Ÿ Whether you believe or not makes no difference
because eventually you will come to believe. It is only a matter of time. Since nothing can go beyond the Dharmarealm, eve-
rything is equally enveloped by the Buddhadharma. What
more is there to say?

On the advent of the first publication of this English
translation of A General Explanation of the Vajra Såtra, I
have judiciously added these few words of preface.
Gold Mountain øramana An Tz’u
The 15th day of the 7th lunar month
The Day of the Buddha’s Rejoicing
Mahàyàna, 3002On the advent of the first publication of this English
translation of A General Explanation of the Vajra Såtra, I
have judiciously added these few words of preface.
Gold Mountain øramana An Tz’u
The 15th day of the 7th lunar month
The Day of the Buddha’s Rejoicing
Mahàyàna, 3002

 

How the Translation was made
The translation of the Buddhist Tripiñaka is work of such mag-
nitude that it cannot be entrusted to single individuals working on their own. Above all, translations of såtras must be certified as the authentic transmission of the Buddha’s Proper Dharma.
This translation of A General Explanation of the Vajra Praj¤à Pàramità Såtra by Tripiñaka Master Hs‚an Hua, done under the auspices of the Buddhist Text Translation Society, a body of more than thirty members of the Sa¤gha and scholars, and
certified by the Venerable Master Hs‚an Hua, bears such author ity. It will be of interest to those concerned with the translation of the Buddhist Canon into the various languages
of the world to review the procedure employed by the Buddhist
Text Translation Society in the translations it undertakes.
Eight regulations govern the conduct of Buddhist Text
Translation Society translators. (1) A translator must free himself from the motives of personal fame and reputation.
(2) A translator must cultivate an attitude free from arrogance
and conceit. (3) A translator must refrain from aggrandizing himself and denigrating others. (4) A translator must not
establish himself as the standard of correctness and suppress the work of others with his fault-finding. (5) A translator must
take the Buddha-mind as his own mind. (6) A translator must
use the wisdom of the Selective Dharma Eye to determine
true principles. (7) A translator must request Elder Virtuous
Ones from the ten directions to certify his translations. (8) A

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ing såtras, vinaya texts, and ÷àstras when his translations are
certified to be correct.
The work of the Buddhist Text Translation Society is
done by committees, four in number. (1) Primary Translation
Committee; (2) Revisions Committee; (3) Editorial Com-
mittee; and (4) Certification Board. Each person who works
on a given såtra signs his name to it and accepts responsibility
for its clarity and accuracy.
øàkyamuni Buddha originally spoke the Vajra Såtra in
India. When the Buddhadharma was transmitted to China,
the Great Patriarchs certified translations into Chinese.
The High Master Hs‚an Hua, Professor of the Tripiñaka
(Tripiñakàcàrya) and of the Dhyànas (Ch‘an Shih), is heir to that tradition. Based upon the Chinese texts, the Master publically lectures såtras, ÷àstras, and vinaya, and delivers
his own oral commentary also in Chinese, which his disciples preserve on tape. The Buddhist Text Translation Society
is primarily concerned with translating these works, and
making the Master’s invaluable commentaries available to the world.
A tape is first translated by a chief translator, a member of the Primary Translation Committee. He may rewrite or polish, but his primary responsibility is to render, as accurately
as possible, what is on the tape into the language of transla-
tion. He types his translation in triplicate, leaving ample room for subsequent correction on the typed sheets themselves.
He signs and dates each copy, retaining one for the Primary
Translation Committee, and handing the remaining two on

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to the Revisions Committee. At that point his responsibility for the translation’s wording ends, although he will probably be consulted about changes and revisions in the subsequent work.
The Revisions Committee also listens to the tape, and
corrects or revises both copies of the rough draft identically. The work done by the Primary Translation Committee is not
erased, for those who edit and review the work at a later date should be able to see quite clearly both the original transcript and the alternate versions. Each member of the committee
who works on the såtra is responsible for its accuracy at that
point. He indicates the date he received the drafts, how much
work he did on them each day, and signs and dates the copies
when he has finished. Of the two typed drafts; Revisions retains one copy and hands the other on to the Editorial
Committee.
The Editorial Committee also listens to the tape. It
compares the rough draft version and the revisions made by
the second committee, and decides upon a correct version. This committee is responsible for the såtra’s accuracy from
that point on. The members of the Editorial Committee who
work on a given translation also make the language readable,
“increasing where deficient, and decreasing where excessive.Ÿ
Their aim is not, however, literary brilliance which distracts the
reader’s attention from the meaning of the text; the Editorial
Committee works to make the principles of the Dharma very clear. When finished, the Editorial Committee arranges for
the typing of the final version of the translation, again in

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triplicate. The members concerned sign and date each copy,
retaining one for the Committee and handing two on to the
Certification Board.
The Venerable High Master Hs‚an Hua is Chairman
of the Certification Board, as he is of the Buddhist Text Translation Society as a whole. As the Abbot of San Francisco’s
Gold Mountain Dhyàna Monastery, the headquarters of the Buddhist Text Translation Society, and President of the
International Institute for the Translation of Buddhist Texts,
where much of the work of the Buddhist Text Translation
Society is undertaken, he personally supervises the work
of translation. The Master alone can certify that a given
translation transmits the Mind-to-mind Seal Dharma handed down from øakyamuni Buddha through the Indian Patriarchs
to the first Chinese Patriarch Bodhidharma, and in successive transmissions, on to modern times, when the Venerable High Master Hsu Yun, in the late 1940’s, transmitted that Dharma Treasury to the Venerable High Master Hs‚an
Hua. Certification by the Venerable Master is, therefore, an
essential step in preparing the authoritative translation of any
work from the Buddhist Canon.
The Master reviews the final version of all translated
works with members of the Certification Board who are fluent
both in Chinese and in the language of the translation. He points out any major mistakes, especially with regard to doc-
trine. A text so certified is therefore true and actual Dharma,
and tallies with the mind of all Buddhas. one may, in full confidence, rely upon it to cultivate.

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The Certification Board, having approved the final text,
retains one typed copy and has the other sent for printing.
The Editorial Committee checks proofs when they come back from the printer to see that they accord with the final rewrit-
ing which the Certification Board author ized. In that way, all
share the work and all share the responsibility.
The members of the Buddhist Text Translation
Society are all Buddhist disciples, hold at the very least the
Five Lay Precepts, and have studied the Buddhadharma
for many years. What is more they have put the Dharma into practice at every step of the way. All of the Sa¤gha members who are disciples of the Venerable Master observe
the ascetic practices of eating only one meal a day at noon
and of never lying down, and many of the laymen and
laywomen also cultivate some of these practices. Some members have attained to advanced stages in meditation; others are very erudite and may have university degrees
ranging up to a Ph.D.; others are single-mindedly mindful
of the Buddha Amitàbha; while others specialize in uphold-
ing the rules of conduct, or in the Secret School. All the
Master’s disciples cultivate all five schools of practice in
varying proportions. Trained by such a Master, vigorously cultivating in such a way, and with their lives devoted to the world-wide dissemination of the Buddhadharma, the
members of the Buddhist Text Translation Society, through
following the translation procedure outlined above, are able to guarantee the authenticity and accuracy of the texts they
send to press.

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The committee members who particularly worked
to translate A General Explanation of the Vajra Praj¤à Pàramità Såtra by Tripiñaka Master Hs‚an Hua are as follows: (1) Primary Translation was done by Bhikùuõã Heng Ch’ih, whose skill as a translator is matched by her skill in medita-
tion. A long-term disciple of the Venerable Master and one of
the first group of five Americans to receive the full left-home
precepts, Dharma Master Heng Ch’ih has been translating
the Master’s Dharma now for many years. She is experienced
in on-the-spot translation of the Master’s lectures, which are
made every time the Master lectures publically, as well as in all aspects of translation from tapes and written works. She
also helps put out the monthly Buddhist Journal Vajra Bodhi
Sea, and both teaches and continues to study the Dharma at Gold Mountain Monastery in San Francisco. The Vajra Såtra
is at the core of her personal practice of the Way, and so she
has a clear understanding of its profound principles.
Bhikùuõã Heng Ch’ih sat through the entire ninety-eight
day Ch’an Meditation Session sponsored by the Sino-
American Buddhist Association in 1970 -1971, another first in
the West. This makes her eminently qualified to translate a
såtra concerned with the very heart of meditational practice leading to Enlightenment. Above all, Bhikùuõã Heng Ch’ih
is dedicated to the propagation of the Buddhadharma as
embodied in the Master’s words. She has from the beginning
faithfully followed the translation procedures which have been described, recognizing that translation must be a joint endeavor employing the talents and wisdom of more than just a few.

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(2) Revision was done by Bhikùuõã Heng Yin, the first
American woman to receive the full Bhikùuõã Precepts, and
one of the Venerable Master’s first American disciples. As
an advanced student of the Chinese language, not only can
she translate the Master’s words unhesitatingly into English, but she has committed a great deal of the Buddhadharma to
memory, including the major part of the øåraïngama Såtra,
and a substantial portion of the Dharma Blossom (Lotus)
Såtra. She already has many works of translation and origi-
nal compositions to her credit, among them the translation
of The Sixth Patriarch’s Dharma Jewel Platform Såtra and
Commentary by Tripiñaka Master Hs‚an Hua, recently pub-
lished by the Sino-American Buddhist Association under the
auspices of Gold Mountain Dhyàna Monastery.
(3) Editing was done by three committee members.
Bhikùu Heng Kuan, a long-term disciple of the Venerable
Master, who holds an B.A. from Harvard, and an M.A. in
English from Stanford, was responsible for the editing
and review of the Såtra text and commentary in its final
stages. Dharma Master Heng Kuan is Editor-in-Chief of the
monthly journal of Buddhist Studies, Vajra Bodhi Sea. He is also Secretary-Treasurer of the Sino-American Buddhist Association, Guest Prefect and Acting Managing Director of Gold Mountain Dhyàna Monastery, Managing Director of the newly established International Institute for the Translation of
Buddhist Texts, and a member of the Board of Directors of
the Bodhi-Dhamma Center. He regularly lectures såtras and
speaks Dharma both in, Chinese and English, and concen-

trates in his cultivation of the Way on the Dharma doors of
Ch’an and the Secret School. Bhikùu Heng Kuan reviews, does final editing, and prepares for publication the vast majority of works published by the Society. He was ordained in Taiwan, receiving the Complete precepts, and has since then been rigorously trained by the Master to the point that he can with sound judgement administer in so many capacities. Recently,
while not neglecting his many responsibilities, Dharma Master
Kuan deepened his cultivation significantly by completing a
three-week total fast for world peace.
Bhikùuõã Heng Hsien, disciple of the Master and the
first American woman to receive the full Bhikùuõã Precepts
on American soil, and from the Master himself, is a Ph.D.
candidate at the University of California in Berkeley in the field of Sanskrit. She extensively consulted the Sanskrit and
Tibetan versions of the text in working on the Såtra and made major contributions to the translation. Dharma Master Hsien
gives on-the-spot translations of the Master’s lectures, and is
herself currently delivering a lecture series on the Wonderful Dharma Lotus Blossom Såtra, based on the Venerable
Master’s commentary on that Såtra, for which she uses both the Chinese and Sanskrit texts in her preparation. Dharma Master Heng Hsien has been teaching Indian Civilization at U.C. Berkeley, and she also teaches various languages,
including Sanskrit, at Gold Mountain Monastery. Her
Dissertation deals with the Avataüsaka Såtra which is now
being lectured from the Dharma Platform at Gold Mountain Monastery by the Venerable High Master.

Upàsaka Tun Kuo Tsun worked on initial editing, giving careful attention to the wording of the English text
and commentary. He has been a disciple of the Master for
many years, and holds the Five Lay Precepts, and the Ten
Major and Forty-eight Minor Bodhisattva Precepts, being
one of the first Westerners to receive them. He now teaches
high school and junior college in Washington State, has com-
pleted his B.A. at the University of Washington, and is doing
graduate work.
Other members of the Buddhist Text Translation
Society who assisted substantially in preparing this work for publication are øràmaõerika Heng Chen, who holds
an M.A. degree from Stanford; Upàsaka I Kuo Jung,
who holds degrees from Harvard and the University of Washington, and who is currently a Ph.D. candidate at the
University of California, Berkeley, and Lecturer in Religious
Studies, University of California, Davis; Upàsaka Kuo Yu
Linebarger, who is a graduate student at San Francisco
State; Upàsaka Kuo Chen Clowery, who holds an M.A. from the University of California, Berkeley; and Upàsaka
Kuo Hui Weber, a serious cultivator and talented Dharma protector.
The Buddhist Text Translation Society is pleased to present this new translation and commentary to the public,
and hopes that all who encounter the Vajra Praj¤à Pàramità Såtra will joyfully accept it and abide in deep faith, cultivate according to

 

 

I vow that the merit from this work
Will adorn the Buddha’s Pure Land,
Repaying parents, teacher, and elders,
And aiding those in the suffering paths below.
May those who see and hear this work
Bring forth the Bodhi Heart,
And when this causal body is done,
Be born together in the Ultimate Blissful Land.

 

 

Preface:
The Title
The Vajra Praj¤à Pàramità Såtra
øàkyamuni Buddha’s teaching, taken as a whole, divides into
Five Periods and Eight Teachings. The Vajra Praj¤à Pàramità Såtra belongs to the fourth, or praj¤à period, and among the
first four teachings, it is the third, the specific teaching.
The Great Praj¤à Såtra which contains what the Buddha said about praj¤à, comprises over 600 volumes of
which the Vajra Såtra is just one. Praj¤à is important, as can
be seen by the fact that the Buddha, having spoken praj¤à for a full twenty years, declared that the Praj¤à Såtras would be disseminated to every land.
Tripiñaka Master Hs‚an Tsang, partially fulfilling that prediction, translated the Great Praj¤à Såtra from Sanskrit into Chinese in the T’ang Dynasty at Ta Hsing Shan Mon-
astery with the aid of more than one thousand bhikùus and
over two thousand laymen. Ta Hsing Shan was not a small
place. From the Abbot’s room to the front gate was a distance of over three miles and the monk in charge of opening and
shutting the front gate usually rode a horse in order to cover
the distance in a reasonable length of time. Being so large, the
monastery easily accommodated the three to four thousand people involved in the work of translation.
During the year the Great Praj¤à Såtra was trans-
lated, the peach trees blossomed six times. That auspicious

translator must endeavor to propagate the Teaching by print-

occurrence testified to the importance of the Praj¤à Såtra.
It is also widely known that the flower spirits and the grass
and tree spirits all came to protect the wonderful Dharma
assembly.
The opening lecture of the Vajra Praj¤à Pàramità Såtra
marks the beginning of another praj¤à assembly in America.
The events which led to this assembly began in 1968 when
a group of eager students from Seattle came to the Buddhist
Lecture Hall in San Francisco to participate in the first official
seven-day meditation session ever held in America, lasting
daily from six in the morning to nine in the evening — although
the participants found it rigorous, it was actually very
expedient. Authentic dhyàna sessions start at 3 A.M. and run
straight through to midnight.
At that time those people made a good impression on
me and it was clear that they could work within the discipline
of the Buddhadharma. During that session they requested
explanation of the øåraï gama Såtra. It is said,
Dharma does not arise alone.
Relying on conditions it is born.
The Way is not practiced in vain.
Meeting conditions there is a response.
I met their request, and during the summer of 1968 the
øåraï gama Såtra was lectured in its entirety. It was followed
by the Wonderful Dharma Lotus Blossom Såtra.
I have come to America to create High Masters, future Patriarchs, Bodhisattvas, and Buddhas. After hearing the

øåraï gama Såtra, several Americans wish to leave the home
life under me. To broaden their understanding of the Buddha-
dharma and for the sake of all the other fruits of the Way
which will follow them, I am lecturing the Dharma Blossom Såtra.
On the anniversary of the day Avalokite÷vara Bodhi-
sattva left the home life, several people requested an expla-
nation of the Vajra Såtra. I consented and began to speak
the Såtra in addition to the lectures on the Dharma Blossom Såtra.
The explanation of the Vajra Såtra will be simplified by omitting the usual discussion of the Seven Types of Såtra
Titles and the Five Profound Meanings. Let’s just open the
door and look at the mountain. The work divides into three
sections:
1. General Explanation of the Title, (Chapter one);
2. The Translator, (Chapter Two); and
3. Detailed Explanation of the Text, (Chapter Three
through Thirty-four).
Vajra is a Sanskrit word which defies translation because
of its numerous connotations, but essentially vajra is an inde-
structible substance, usually represented by diamond. Vajra
is here metaphorically extended to refer to the principles of this Discourse on Dharma. Vajra refers to the vajra heart, the
vajra nature, and the vajra praj¤à. The vajra praj¤à is the vajra
nature which in turn is the vajra praj¤à.

 

Vajra is identical with the self-nature, the essential life force of all living beings, because both are indestructible and
adamantine. Furthermore, the eternally dwelling heart all
beings have in common is the same as the vajra nature, since
it too cannot be destroyed. Praj¤à, as the highest form of
wisdom living beings can attain, is real mark praj¤à, eternally
indestructible. It is therefore referred to as vajra praj¤à.
According to the traditional explanations of the Seven
Types of Såtra Titles, vajra in the title refers metaphorically
to praj¤à, an essential Buddhist dharma. But more point-
edly it may be said that praj¤à is vajra, the heart is vajra, the nature is vajra. To discriminate by way of analogy only serves to dull the brilliance of that splendid truth. Although dharmas may be used as figurative ｅxpressions of the one
principle, as is here the case in speaking of the one principle
as an indestructible vajra, originally and conclusively there
is only one Dharma. Such divisions of the one principle are
mere expedients which serve to accord with the various
understandings of living beings. Divided we have the Vajra
Praj¤à Pàramità Såtra, united it is the Vajra Såtra. It could also be called the Praj¤à Pàramità Såtra. There is no need for rigid interpretation. The Vajra Såtra itself speaks of “no
fixed dharmas.Ÿ If a person holds tightly to the view that
one is one and two is two, the explanation of the principle
becomes lifeless.
Vajra is durable, luminous, and able to cut. The sub-
stance of vajra is durable, able to destroy what nothing else can, and yet is itself indestructible. The substance of vajra

fully controls devious influences, including heavenly demons and outside ways.
The light, which is the characteristic mark of vajra, has
the power to break up all darkness, yet protects itself from
all destruction. Light dawns when darkness is destroyed. In
protecting the faultless dharma, vajra eradicates all that is di-
vergent and perverted. When deviant dharmas are allowed to
persist in the world, then darkness flourishes. When deviant
dharmas are destroyed, the faultless proper dharma shines
forth more brightly to abide far longer in the world.
As light is the characteristic mark of vajra, cutting is its
function. Vajra can cut like the keen blade of a knife. Cutting
metal, carving jade, slicing through steel as if slicing through
mud — that is the power of vajra. Such sharpness pierces all
obstructions and controls all deviations. Nothing can defeat it.
The heart which is vajra does not refer to the heart
within the breast. That heart is flesh and has very little use
when compared to the vajra heart.
The heart of vajra is also not the false-thinking heart, the sixth mind consciousness. The eyes, ears, nose, tongue,
body, and mind each have a consciousness:
Eyes have eye-consciousness,
ears have ear-consciousness,
the nose has nose-consciousness,
the tongue has tongue-consciousness,
the body has body-consciousness,
and the mind has mind-consciousness.

Common people, whose awareness does not penetrate beyond
the sixth mind-consciousness, consider the flesh heart to be
their true heart. That is the first mistake. The second mistake
is thinking that their false-thinking heart is also their true heart,
as ânanda did in the øåraï gama Såtra.
“The Buddha told ânanda, ‘That is not your
heart. It is the dust (objects) before you, the
empty false marks of thought which delude your
true nature. Because of this, from beginningless
time right up to your present life, you have taken
a thief as your son, lost your original source,
and thereby undergo the turning of the wheel.’Ÿ
This passage from the øåraï gama Såtra is very important.
It speaks of the sixth mind-consciousness which has an exceptional
talent for preoccupying itself with trivial and inconsequential thoughts. Those false thoughts that are produced send the sixth consciousness-mind suddenly east, west, north,
south; suddenly up, suddenly down. one need not sit in a
rocket in order to go to the moon; the mind just gives rise to the thought, “Ah, the moon…Ÿ and instantly one is there. A
single false thought sends one straight to India, a single false
thought and one is off to China. one produces a false thought
and the streets of Japan are right before one’s eyes. The same is true of Germany, France or anywhere one has been; a single false thought and one is there again.
ânanda thought the false-thinking heart was the real
heart. The Buddha told ânanda, “That is not your heart.

What is it? It is just the empty false appearance of dust objects
before you. Those appearances manifest from your false thinking and delude your true nature. From beginningless
kalpas until now you have always taken that for your heart.
To do so is like thinking a thief is your son, and it makes you
lose the knowledge of your eternal source. That source is the
eternally indestructible precious nature, the enlightened bright heart. For that reason you appear and disappear endlessly in
the six paths of the turning wheel.Ÿ
The third heart is the true suchness heart which is
real mark praj¤à. The true suchness heart is so great there
is nothing beyond it, and so small there is nothing within it.
One will find nothing smaller or larger than true suchness.
The true suchness heart is the vajra heart, the real nature of
every one of us.
Praj¤à
Green bamboo… yellow flowers —
Everything is praj¤à.
The Sanskrit word praj¤à is included among the Five Kinds
of Terms Not Translated which were established by Dharma Master Hs‚an Tsang in the T’ang Dynasty. The list comprises
terms not translated because they:
1. are secret;
2. have many meanings;
3. refer to something not existing in the
trans lator’s country;

34
4. traditionally have not been translated; and
5. are honored terms.
Although praj¤à could be translated “wisdom,Ÿ since it con-
tains many meanings the original Sanskrit is retained.
There are Three Kinds of Praj¤à:
1. literary praj¤à;
2. contemplative praj¤à; and
3. real mark praj¤à.
The såtras which elucidate the principles of praj¤à may be grouped in Eight Divisions and also fall into Ten Categories which are:
1. The Great Praj¤à Såtra. It consists of 600 volumes
of praj¤à literature. When Tripiñaka Master Hs‚an Tsang
translated the Great Praj¤à Såtra, the peach trees blossomed
six times in one year. Ordinarily peach trees blossom only once a year, but during the translation period the blossoms opened and fell approximately once every two months, or six
times during the year.
2. The Light Emitted Praj¤à Såtra, consisting of 30 volumes, was spoken by the Buddha as he emitted light.
3. The Mahàpraj¤à Såtra, also consists of 30 volumes, and although Mahà means great, this Såtra is not the Great Praj¤à Såtra listed above.
4. The Light Praise Praj¤à Såtra, which consists of
10 volumes, is so named because while speaking praj¤à the
Buddha emitted light to praise it.

35
5. The Way Conduct Praj¤à Såtra consists of 10 volumes.
6. The Shorter Chapters on Praj¤à Såtra also con-
sists of 10 volumes.
7. The Praj¤à Såtra of the Victorious Heavenly King contains seven volumes.
8. The Praj¤à Såtra of the Humane King Who Pro-
tects His Country consists of two volumes.
9. The Real Mark Praj¤à Såtra is complete in one volume.
10. The Ma¤ju÷rã’s Questions on Praj¤à Såtra also
consists of one volume. Within those Ten Categories are con-
tained a total of 701 volumes of Praj¤à Såtras.
An investigation of Dharma should include considera-
tion of the places in which the Buddha spoke Dharma and
the number of assemblies that received the teaching. The praj¤à teaching was spoken in Four Places at Sixteen As-
semblies:
1. Seven assemblies were held on Vulture Peak, also
called Efficacious Vulture Mountain, near the city House of
Kings.
2. Seven assemblies were held in the city of øràvastã in the Jeta Grove in the Garden of the Benefactor of Orphans
and the Solitary. That is where the Vajra Såtra was spoken.
3. one assembly was held in the Maõi Jewel Treasury Palace of the Bliss From Others’ Transformations Heaven.
4. one assembly was held beside the White Heron
Pool in the Bamboo Forest Park near the House of Kings.

The Vajra Praj¤à Pàramità Såtra was spoken at the
third assembly held at the second location, the Jeta Grove. So
the Såtra begins, “Thus I have heard at one time the Buddha
was staying in øràvastã in the Jeta Grove in the Garden of the
Benefactor of Orphans and the Solitary.Ÿ
Of the Three Kinds of Praj¤à — literary, contemplative,
and real mark — literary praj¤à arises from the study of Såtras,
but a true understanding of the literature only comes through
contemplative praj¤à. Contemplative wisdom, fully developed,
penetrates the final goal: real mark praj¤à. If praj¤à does not
manifest, it is simply an indication that the basic wisdom inher-
ent in all people has not been brought to fruition. The wisdom
which is real mark praj¤à arises only when nourished by the waters of literary and contemplative praj¤à.
Pàramità. Some say it is as sweet as pineapple.1 Not only that, it is the sweetest of sweets. It is separation from suf-
fering and attainment of bliss. When ever a task is well done the people of India say it is “pàramità,Ÿ just as we would say
it is “finished.Ÿ But pàramità means more than just finished, it means the task has been perfectly accomplished.
Pàramità means “arrived at the other shore.Ÿ If you,
take a bridge or ferry from San Francisco to Oakland, your
promotion from elementary school is “pàramità.Ÿ Obtaining
arrival in Oakland is “pàramità.Ÿ Receiving a certificate of 1. Pineapple po to kuo and pàramità, po lo mi contain the same char-
acters, po lo. Mi means “sweetŸ; thus the pun: sweet as pineapple.

a high school diploma is “pàramità.Ÿ Acquiring a Bachelors
degree is “pàramità.Ÿ A Masters degree, a Doctorate, are also
“pàramità.Ÿ At present we are on “this shoreŸ of birth and death. By passing through the sea of suffering we can arrive at the
other shore of Nirvàõa. This is also “pàramità.Ÿ
Everything can be “pàramità-ed.Ÿ For example, a
person takes up the practice of dhyàna meditation. The day
that person opens enlightenment will be the day of pàramità.
The øåraï gama Såtra Lecture and Cultivation Session
in the summer of 1968 was another example. The day it began was “this shore.Ÿ one hundred and six days later was
Mahàpraj¤àpàramità. In general, any job done well and done completely is called pàramità.
Now we are all studying Buddhadharma. In the begin-
ning it is difficult to understand, and so some people come to the Lecture Hall once and do not dare to return, fearing the
extreme difficulty in practice. one first needs good roots and
then one needs patience. Those who remain to cultivate come to realize that the Buddhadharma is the most important thing
in the world. “If I don’t understand the Buddhadharma it is
as if I haven’t eaten enough. I must hear the Såtras and listen to the Dharma. It is more delicious than the finest food in the best restaurant.Ÿ If listening to Såtras can be put in place of one’s heart’s delight, then, when one has attentively listened
to the entire Såtra, that too is pàramità.
Såtra. Såtras provide a road to travel in cultivation. Going
from the road of birth and death to the road of no birth and

death, the common person penetrates to sagehood — to Buddhahood. one who wishes to walk that road must rely on the Dharma to cultivate. The Dharma is in the Såtras.
The word Såtra has many meanings.
1. It is called “an emanationŸ because it comes from
the Buddha’s mouth.
2. Såtra is also called “a bright revelationŸ because it can illumine the whole world with its light.
3. Såtra is also called “a constantŸ because it is a
method which never changes. Whether in the past or in
the present, the Såtra remains the same. Not one word
can be taken out, not one added. It neither increases nor
decreases.
4. The Såtra “strings together.Ÿ Like beads on a string,
the principles of the Buddhadharma are linked together in the lines of the Såtra from beginning to end.
5. The Såtra “attractsŸ living beings in the same way that a magnet draws iron filings. Living beings drawn
to the Såtras come to have a thorough understanding of the
Buddhadharma.
6. The Såtra is a “methodŸ of cultivation held in ven-
eration by living beings in the past, present, and future.
7. Såtra is also called a “bubbling spring.Ÿ The prin-
ciples flow from the Såtras like water from a bubbling spring which moistens the entire earth, causing all living beings to be
filled with the joy of Dharma and to obtain delightful dhyàna food. The complete title of the Såtra is the Vajra Praj¤à
Pàramità Såtra.

 

Preface:
The Translator
Translated by Tripiñaka Dharma Master Kumàrajãva during the Yao Ch’in Dynasty.
1. In the Yao Chin period, Tripiñaka Master Kumàrajãva
translated the Såtra, giving it the title Vajra Praj¤à Pàramità
Såtra. In later times the Såtra came to be translated by five
other Dharma Masters.
2. Dharma Master Bodhiruci translated it in the Y‚an
Wei period and used the same title as Kumàrajãva.
3. Dharma Master Paramàrtha translated the Såtra in
the later Ch’en Dynasty also under the same title.
4. In the Sui Dynasty, Dharma Master Upagupta translated the Såtra under a different title. He added the word
“cutting,Ÿ calling it the Cutting-Vajra Praj¤à Pàramità Såtra.
5. In the Tang Dynasty during the 19th year of the reign period Chen Kuan, Dharma Master Hs‚an Tsang trans-
lated the Såtra, reversing Upagupta’s title slightly and calling
it the Vajra Which Can Cut Praj¤à Pàramità Såtra. Dharma Master Hs‚an Tsang was a great, virtuous, high monk who
walked from China to India via Siberia in order to study the
Såtras. After studying for fourteen years he returned to China
to translate the works which he had collected.
6. Dharma Master I Ching also studied in India, and
returned to China during the reign of Empress Wu Tsai T’ien

who made great display of her patronage of Buddhism and
commissioned Dharma Master I Ching to translate Såtras. His
translation of the Såtra bore the same title as that by Dharma
Master Hs‚an Tsang.
Of those six translations, Dharma Master Kumàrajãva’s
is considered the finest. It was Vinaya Master Tao Hs‚an who
discovered the reason Master Kumàrajãva’s translations are
the ones people most like to read and recite. Vinaya Master
Tao Hs‚an especially cultivated the precepts and rules. In the
Four Great Deportments — walking, standing, sitting, and
lying down — he was extremely proper. As is said in the
øåraï gama Såtra,
“He rigorously regulated his demeanor out of stern
respect for the pure Dharma.Ÿ Such deportment commands
the respect of ghosts and spirits as well as that of men and gods.
Vinaya Master Tao Hs‚an was a model for all to follow.
The four Great Deportments refer to walking, stand-
ing, sitting, and lying down. Walk like the wind. That does not mean like a gale which tears down mountains, uproots
trees, and blows over houses. It means like a gentle breeze.
Stand like a pine. Sit like a bell. That does not mean like the bell’s clapper — always swaying to and fro. Sit like
the ancient bells which were made so heavy nothing could
move them. Then one has sufficient samàdhi power. Lie
like a bow. That is called “lucky lying down.Ÿ Put your right
hand under your right cheek, and your left hand on your left thigh. øàkyamuni Buddha entered nirvàõa in the “lucky lying downŸ posture.

In response to Vinaya Master Tao Hs‚an’s superb cultivation of the Three-Thousand Deportments and the
Eighty-Thousand Fine Practices, the gods brought him of-
ferings. Those of you who wish to be high masters should protect and maintain the precepts and rules, and then the
Dharma protectors and good spirits will protect you. If you
break the precepts, they will not. Vinaya Master Tao Hs‚an
was “dignified and pure in Vinaya, a great model for the triple
realm.Ÿ He was an example for those in the desire realm, the
form realm, and the formless realm, and in response the gods
brought him food to eat.
One day when a god appeared with food, Vinaya Master Tao Hs‚an asked him, “Why does everyone like Kumàrajãva’s translations?Ÿ
The god, named Lu Hs‚an Ch’ang replied, “Because
Kumàrajãva has been the master translator for the past
seven Buddhas. The Såtras he translated are the same as
the Buddhas’ heart, so everyone likes to read and recite them.Ÿ
Moreover, when Kumàrajãva was about to die he said,
“I personally don’t know if there are mistakes in the såtras I
have translated, but if there are none, when I am cremated my tongue will not burn. If I have made mistakes, and the trans-
lations are not in accord with the Buddhas’ heart, then my
tongue will burn.Ÿ After Kumàrajãva completed the stillness,
his body was burned but his tongue remained untouched by the fire, fully certifying that the såtras which Dharma Master Kumàrajãva translated are completely correct.

Yao Ch’in Dynasty. The Yao Ch’in (344-413 A.D.) is the
name given to the reign period of Emperor Yao Hsing. It is
not the same as the Ying Ch’in, reign period of Ch’in Shih
Huang, or as the Fu Chin, reign period of Emperor Fu Chien. When Fu Chien was assassinated by Yao Ch’ang the dynasty
was renamed Yao Ch’in in honor of the new emperor. Yao
Ch’ang in time was succeeded by his nephew Yao Hsing, and
the dynasty name Yao Ch’in was retained. It was during the
reign of Yao Hsing, a strong supporter of Buddhism, that Kumàrajãva translated the Såtra.
Tripiñaka. Tripiñaka refers to the three divisions of the Buddhist
canon:
1. the såtra division, spoken for the study of samàdhi;
2. the vinaya division, spoken for the study of morality;
and,
3. the ֈstra division, spoken for the study of
wisdom.
Dharma Master. Dharma Master has two meanings:
1. he masters the Dharma and gives it to others,
and
2. he takes the Dharma as his master.
There are four kinds of Dharma Masters: those who explain
the Dharma for others, through lecturing såtras and discussing

principles of Dharma; those who read and recite the såtras for
others; those who write out the såtras for others; and those
who accept and maintain the såtras themselves. The last kind of Dharma Master accepts the principles of a såtra in his
heart, and with his body puts the principles into practice. His
cultivation is the embodiment of a såtra’s meaning. Not all
Dharma Masters are Tripiñaka Masters. Some may have read
only the såtras, or only the Vinaya, or only the ÷àstra division.
As a Tripiñaka Dharma Master, Kumàrajãva had penetrated all
three divisions of the canon: the såtras, the ÷àstras, and the
Vinaya.
Kumàrajãva. Kumàrajãva was the son of Kumàrà yaõa, who
refused to inherit his father’s high position in order to leave the
home life and cultivate the Way. During his travels as a mendi-
cant, Kumàrà yaõa was received by the King of Kuchà, a small
country of central India, and invited to be National Master
there. Later by imperial command he was forced to marry the king’s sister, Jãvà. While she carried their son Kumàrajãva,
her wisdom and power of learning increased remarkably, a
phenomenon which also occurred while øàriputra was in his
mother’s womb.
Later Kumàrajãva’s mother wished to leave the home
life. Finally, after a period of fasting she received permission from her reluctant husband, who, although formerly a bhikùu,
had by then developed a strong attachment to his beautiful
wife. After Jãvà became a bhikùuõã she quickly certified to the
first fruit of Arhatship.

44
The Sanskrit name Kumàrajãva means “mature youth,Ÿ
because even as a youth he had the virtuous conduct of an elder. In one day he could memorize more than thirty-
six thousand words. In two days he was able to recite the entire Dharma Blossom Såtra from memory. At age seven
Kumàrajãva left the home life. one day while visiting a
temple in Kashgar with his mother, he picked up a huge censer on one of the altars and lifted it over his head as an
offering to the Buddhas. After doing so he thought, “This
is too heavy for me to liftŸ and the discrimination rendered him incapable of holding the censer, so that he had to cry
out to his mother for help. From that experience he came
to the sudden and total realization that everything is made from the mind alone.
During the Fu Ch’in Dynasty in China an astrologer predicted that a great sage would come. The Emperor Fu
Chien recognized the sage to be Kumàrajãva, and sent a
massive army commanded by General Lu Kuang to escort the Dharma Master to China. The King of Kuchà, disregard-
ing Kumàrajãva’s advice that the advancing troops were not
militant, countered the “invasion.Ÿ In the ensuing battle
Kuchà’s king was killed and his army defeated. Many political
changes followed which delayed Kumàrajãva’s arrival in China
until the Yao Ch’in Dynasty. Kumàrajãva established a transla-
tion center in Ch’ang An, the capital city, where he translated
over three hundred volumes of Såtra texts, among them the
Vajra Praj¤à Pàramità Såtra, volume 577 of the Great Praj¤à Såtra.

 

 

Chapter 1
The Reasons for the Dharma Assembly
Thus I have heard. At one time the Buddha was staying
in the Jeta Grove of the Garden of the Benefactor of
Orphans and the Solitary together with a gathering of
great bhikùus, twelve hundred fifty in all.
At that time, at meal time, the World Honored one
put on his robe, took up his bowl, and entered the great
city of øràvastã to beg for food. After he had finished his
sequential begging within the city, he returned, ate the
food, put away his robe and bowl, washed his feet, ar-
ranged his seat, and sat down.
Thus I have heard. Those words are the first of the Six Re-
quirements. It is essential that all who lecture or read Såtras
be quite familiar with the Six Requirements which are: belief,
hearing, time, host, place, and audience.
1. Thus is the, requirement of belief,
2. I have heard is the requirement of hearing,
3. At one time is the requirement of time,
4. The Buddha is the requirement of a host,
5. In øràvastã in the Jeta Grove of the Garden of
the Benefactor of Orphans and the Solitary is the require-
ment of a place,
6. Together with a gathering of great bhikùus, twelve hundred fifty in all is the requirement of an audience.

The six requirements prove that a såtra was spoken by the
Buddha. Since the requirements begin every såtra, they are
called the “Common Preface.Ÿ The text which immediately
follows them varies with each såtra, and so it is called the “Specific Preface.Ÿ In this såtra the Specific Preface is:
At that time, at meal time, the World Honored
One put on his robe, took up his bowl, and
entered the great city of øràvastã to beg for food.
After he had finished his sequential begging
within the city, he returned, ate his food, put
away his robe and bowl, washed his feet,
arranged his seat and sat down.
The Common Preface is also called both the “ForewordŸ and
the “Postscript.Ÿ When lecturing såtras one can discuss this
section as a foreword to the såtra and also as a Postscript ap-
pended at a later date.
“Can a preface really be called either a Foreword or a
Postscript?Ÿ you might ask.
There is nothing fixed about it. Whatever is fixed is not
Buddhadharma. The Vajra Såtra makes clear the principle
of no fixed dharmas. When something is fixed upon, the re-
sultant attachment causes obstruction which in turn leads to affliction. When there is no attachment, emptiness is without
affliction. When all is empty, to what can one be attached?
What then cannot be put down? When one is completely empty of self, what affliction could there be? Affliction comes
when one’s viewpoint is not empty of self. Things have not

been seen through, smashed, and put down. Therefore…
Wherever you go you are stuck by thorns,
Wherever you go you bump into walls.
Every place you go you walk into walls or get caught in bram-
bles, and it is painful. You feel pain because you have not put
your body down. If you have absolutely no self, no others, no living beings, no life — nothing at all — what pain is there?
Who has pain? When there is not even a person who feels
pain, what affliction can there be? Where would the affliction
come from? This is easy to talk about but difficult to do.
The six requirements are called the Postscript because
they were not part of the original Såtra. The Buddha did not
say “Thus I have heard…Ÿ That text was added afterwards by
the Venerable ânanda when the såtra division was compiled.
The Postscript is also called the Prologue. Therefore the six
requirements may be called the Foreword, the Prologue, and
the Postscript.
The Buddha instructed that all Såtras he spoke should begin with the four words “Thus I have heard…Ÿ Those who
investigate Buddhist såtras should know the history of those
four words.
After the Buddha had finished speaking the Wonderful
Dharma Lotus Blossom Såtra, the Nirvàõa Såtra, the Buddha Bequeaths the Teaching Såtra, the Kùitigarbha Såtra and
others, he announced that he was going to enter nirvàõa. Every
one of his disciples cried. Bodhisattvas cried, Arhats cried, and
all the bhikùus and common people cried even harder.

49
“Why did they cry? Did the Bodhisattvas and Arhats still
have emotion?Ÿ one asks.
The deep, compassionate Dharma which the Buddha spoke had been like milk which nourished them. They had
drunk the Dharma milk for many years, and now their source was going dry; so they cried.
ânanda cried hardest. Tears poured from his eyes, his
nose ran, and he knew nothing but grief. He cried so hard he forgot everything. The Venerable Aniruddha, though blind,
had the heavenly eye and the heavenly ear. When he heard
everyone crying as though they had gone mad, he took ânanda aside and asked, “What are you crying about?Ÿ
“Ahh,Ÿ wailed ânanda, “the Buddha is going to nirvàõa and we will never get to see him again. What do you mean
‘What am I crying about?’!Ÿ
The Venerable Aniruddha said, “Don’t cry. You still
have important things to do. Try to straighten up a little.Ÿ
ânanda said, “What important things? The Buddha is
going to enter nirvàõa, what is left for me to do? I want to go
with the Buddha.Ÿ He wanted to die with the Buddha.
“That won’t do. It’s a mistake to talk like that.Ÿ
“Well what do you want me to do?Ÿ
The Venerable Aniruddha said, “There are four ques-
tions you should ask the Buddha.Ÿ
“Four questions! Now that the Buddha is going to nirvàõa how can there still be questions? I can’t tell the Buddha not to
enter nirvàõa, can I?Ÿ
“No.Ÿ

“What are the four questions?Ÿ
The Venerable Aniruddha said, “The first question:
After the Buddha enters nirvàõa the Såtras should be com-
piled. What words should we use to begin the Såtras? What
guide should there be?Ÿ
ânanda heard that and said, “That’s really important.
As soon as I heard you say it, I knew I should ask about it.
What other questions are there?Ÿ
“The second question: When the Buddha was in the
world we lived with the Buddha. After the Buddha crosses
over to extinction, after he enters nirvàõa, where should we
dwell?Ÿ
ânanda dried his eyes and wiped his nose. He said,
“That’s also very important. Right. When the Buddha was in
the world the entire group of twelve hundred fifty bhikùus lived
together with him. Now that he is going to enter nirvàõa where
will we live? I should ask that. What’s the next question?Ÿ He was getting anxious because he could see that the questions
were important.
“The third question: When the Buddha was in the world,
the Buddha was our Master. Now that he is entering nirvàõa,
whom should we take as Master? We should select one person from among us. We can’t manage without a Master!Ÿ
“Right. That also should be asked. What is the fourth question?Ÿ
“The fourth question is extremely important: When the Buddha was in the world, he could discipline the bad-natured bhikùus.Ÿ Bad-natured bhikùus are those who leave home and

51
do not follow the rules. “After the Buddha enters nirvàõa who
will discipline them?Ÿ
ânanda said, “Right again. Now the bad-natured bhikùus will consider us their equals and we will not be able to discipline them. That is a real headache. Okay , I’ll go get
the Buddha’s advice on these.Ÿ
ânanda went straight to the Buddha’s room. Although
he had not washed his face, his eyes were dry and his nose
clean, and he was not nearly as unsightly as when he had been crying. The Buddha was on the verge of entering samàdhi,
and ânanda had no time to waste. “Buddha?Ÿ he said, “World
Honored one? I have some very important problems about
which I need your advice. Can you answer me now?Ÿ
The Buddha already knew that his cousin and youngest
disciple was coming to ask questions, and he said, “Certainly I can answer you. What are your problems?Ÿ
“These are not my problems, they are the Buddha’s problems, problems of Buddhadharma, problems of all the
high masters! I can’t solve them, and so I have come seeking
the Buddha’s compassionate instruction. I have heard many såtras and opened much wisdom, but now, faced with this mo-
mentous event, I can’t handle it. I need your advice, Buddha.Ÿ
“All right, speak,Ÿ said the Buddha.
“The first question is, after the Buddha enters nirvàõa
we want to compile the Såtras. What words should we begin
them with to show that they are the Buddha’s?Ÿ
The Buddha said, “Use the four words ‘Thus I have
heard’.Ÿ

“‘Thus I have heard’. Okay, I’ll remember,Ÿ said ânanda,
“what’s the answer to the second question?Ÿ
“What is the second question? You haven’t asked it yet, ânanda.Ÿ
“I haven’t? Oh. The next question is where should we
live? There are so many of us. How will we get along? Where
will we dwell?Ÿ
“That’s a small problem,Ÿ said the Buddha. “You should dwell in the Four Dwellings of Mindfulness.Ÿ These are:
1. contemplation of the body as impure,
2. contemplation of feelings as suffering,
3. contemplation of thoughts as impermanent,
and
4. contemplation of dharmas as devoid of self.
“The third question. You have been our Master, but when you
enter nirvàõa who will our Master be? Will it be the oldest?
Great Kà÷yapa is the oldest. Will it be someone middle aged?
That would be Aj¤àtakauõóinya. If it is to be the very young-
est — I’m the youngest, but I can’t be the Master. I can’t do
it, Buddha.Ÿ
The Buddha said, “You don’t need to be Master, and
neither does Aj¤àtakauõóinya or Great Kà÷yapa.Ÿ
“Who will it be then?Ÿ
The Buddha said, “Take the Pratimokùa as your master.Ÿ
The Pratimokùa is the Vinaya — the precepts and rules. “Take
the precepts as Master.Ÿ

The Buddha said that all people who have gone forth
from home should take the Pratimokùa as Master. Therefore if you want to leave the home life you certainly must receive
the precepts. If you do not receive the precepts, then you
have no Master. When one leaves home he should receive the
÷ràmaõera precepts, the Bodhisattva precepts, and the bhikùu precepts. one who has taken only the ÷ràmaõera precepts and the Bodhisattva precepts, but has not taken the bhikùu precepts, has only partially left home. To leave home fully, one takes the complete precepts as Master.
“Now we have a Master,Ÿ ânanda said, “but among us
there are bad-natured bhikùus. While you have been in the
world, you’ve managed them, Buddha. What should we do
about them when you are gone?Ÿ
During the time of the Buddha there were six bhikùus
who were very rambunctious. They constantly interfered with others’ cultivation. If people were maintaining the precepts and rules, those bhikùus tried to hinder them. Although those
six bhikùus did not follow the rules, not one of them was as
disobedient as today’s average bhikùu.
“What should we do about evil natured bhikùus?Ÿ asked
ânanda.
“Oh, that,Ÿ said the Buddha, “is very easy. You should be silent and they will go away. Don’t talk to them. After all,
aren’t they bad? Aren’t they boisterous and disobedient? Ignore them. Don’t speak to them. They’ll become bored and
leave on their own.Ÿ
Those are the Buddha’s answers to the four questions.

54
At one time refers to the time when the Buddha was staying
in øràvastã. øràvastã, the name of the capital city which housed King Prasenajit, translates as “flourishing virtue.Ÿ “FlourishingŸ
refers to the Five Desires: forms, sounds, scents, flavors, and
tangible objects and to the wealth which abounded in the
country. “VirtueŸ refers to the conduct of the citizens, who
were well-educated and free from vexations.
The Jeta Grove belonged to King Prasenajit’s son, Prince Jeta, whose name, “war victor,Ÿ was given him in com-
memoration of King Prasenajit’s victory in a war with a neigh-
boring country which occurred on the day his son was born.
The Benefactor of Orphans and the Solitary refers to an Indian philanthropist of the time who was much like King Wen
of the Chou Dynasty in China. King Wen’s first goal was to
benefit widowers, widows, orphans, and the solitary, meaning
elderly, childless couples. His government was beneficent and
humane, and tended solely to the good of the country. The
benefactor mentioned here in the Såtra was an elder named
Sudatta, “good benefactor,Ÿ one of King Prasenajit’s great
ministers.
The flower garden belonged to Prince Jeta until Sudatta
bought it for the exorbitant price of one square inch of gold for every square inch of ground! The Elder Sudatta made the
purchase following his invitation to the Buddha to come to øràvastã to speak Dharma. The following are the events which
resulted in his purchase of the garden.

It all began when Sudatta went to Ràjagçha on business
and stayed with a friend named Shan T’an No.
One night during his visit at Shan T’an No’s home, his
friend arose in the middle of the night and began to decorate his home. He brought out arrays of adornments and arranged them to perfection, working on into the night until his home was most elegant. The Elder Sudatta heard the commotion
and arose to see what was happening. “Friend, what is the
great occasion for making your house so splendid? Have you
invited the King? Is someone in your family to be married? Why all the preparations?Ÿ
“It’s not the King I’m expecting or a wedding. I have invited the Buddha to come to my house to receive a vegetar-
ian offering,Ÿ replied his friend.
Sudatta had never before heard of the Buddha, and
when his friend spoke the name, all the hairs on his body
stood on end. “Strange,Ÿ he thought, “Who’s the Buddha?Ÿ he wondered.
The Elder Shan T’an No said, “The Buddha is the son
of King øuddhodana. He cast aside his inheritance of the
throne in order to leave the home life and practice the Way. He cultivated for six years in the Himàlayas, and afterwards,
under the Bodhi tree, he saw a star one evening, was enlight-
ened to the Way, and became a Buddha.Ÿ
The Elder Sudatta’s foundation of good roots caused him immediately to voice his resolve to see the Buddha.
His profound sincerity so moved øàkyamuni Buddha, who
was staying in the Bamboo Grove, (about sixty or seventy

56
miles southeast of Ràjagçha), that he emitted a light to guide
Sudatta. Seeing the light, Sudatta thought it was dawn, and
eagerly dressed and set out. It was actually the middle of the night and the city gates had not yet been opened, but
when the Elder arrived at the city wall, the gates, due to the
Buddha’s spiritual penetrations, were open and he passed through them and proceeded on his way to see the Buddha.
Sudatta followed the directions given him by his friend, and
was guided by the Buddha’s light.
When he arrived at the vihàra he didn’t know the correct procedure for greeting the Buddha. Again his deep
sincerity evoked a response, and four gods transformed into bhikùus, circumambulated the Buddha three times to the right,
went before the Honored one, bowed three times, knelt, placed their palms together, and made their inquiries. The
Elder Sudatta followed their example, and then knelt before the Buddha who rubbed his crown and said, “Why have you
come?Ÿ
Sudatta simply said, “Buddha, you are too good. I have
never seen a Buddha before, and now I don’t want to leave
you. Will you come and live near my home?Ÿ
The Buddha agreed saying, “All right, but do you have
a place? The twelve hundred and fifty disciples who constantly
accompany me will need to be fed and housed. Do you have accommodations large enough for all of us?Ÿ
“I’ll find a place,Ÿ promised the Elder, and he returned home to begin an extensive search of the area which ended
when he saw Prince Jeta’s flower garden. It was perfect in

every respect, affording a good view, yet convenient to the
city proper. The grounds themselves were charged with efficacious
energy. Everything about it was first rate, except that
it belonged to the Prince. Wondering how he would ever be able to buy it, Sudatta sent a messenger to make an offer. “He
has so much money he thinks he can buy my flower garden!Ÿ laughed the prince in amazement. “Very well,Ÿ he said in jest,
“if he covers it completely with gold coins I will sell it to him! That’s my price.Ÿ Prince Jeta was assuming the Elder Sudatta
could not possibly afford grounds which cost their area in
gold. Never did he guess that Sudatta’s money and his desire
to hear the Dharma both were adequate. The Elder took gold coins from his family storehouses and covered Prince Jeta’s garden.
Prince Jeta was outraged. “Take back your coins! I
have no intention of selling. It was just a joke. It never oc-
curred to me you would actually be willing to pay such a price.
My garden can’t be bought for any amount.Ÿ
The Elder quietly replied, “Now you say you won’t sell?
You are heir to the throne, and an Emperor’s word should be reliable. A king doesn’t lie or speak recklessly. You had better
sell, because if people can’t trust your word now, why should
they believe you after you assume the throne?Ÿ
The Prince recognized his predicament. “Very well,Ÿ he said. “Since you used gold coins to cover it, you have pur-
chased the ground. But you did not cover the trees. So the
garden is your offering to the Buddha, and the trees are my offering. Do you have anything further to say?Ÿ

58
The Elder considered this and realized that it had principle.
It was true that the tops of the trees had not been covered
with gold, and if he refused to consent, the Prince might chop them down and then the garden would be far less beautiful.
“All right, we’ll divide it.Ÿ
Therefore it is called “The Jeta Grove in the Garden
of the Benefactor of Orphans and the Solitary.Ÿ The Prince’s name is mentioned first since he was royalty, and the Elder
Sudatta, known as Anàthapiõóada, “The Benefactor of
Orphans and the Solitary,Ÿ who held a ministerial position in
the court, is mentioned second.
Together with a gathering of great bhikùus. After øàkya-
muni Buddha realized Buddhahood, he went first to the Deer Park to cross over the Five Bhikùus including âj¤àtakauõóinya.
Then he contemplated and saw that Uruvilvà Kà÷yapa, who had a large following of disciples, could be converted. øàkya-
muni Buddha was an Elder Sa¤ghan and had the manner of a High Master, but when he arrived to pay his visit, Uruvilvà
Kà÷yapa did not acknowledge him with respect because he
thought, “I am the leader of many men. Everyone calls me
the Worthy one….Ÿ Unaware of the Buddha’s background,
he unceremoniously launched into an investigation of dharma with him. Soon, however, he realized what he had confronted, for no matter what he said, he never managed to have the
last word. He could not defeat the Buddha in debate! Having
failed with words, he resorted to his spiritual power as a fire
worshipper. With the intention of burning the Buddha, he con-

jured up a great fire. His strength was impressive, but the fire
failed to touch the Buddha, and, in fact, veered back toward
Kà÷yapa himself, who, on the verge of being burned alive, was
helpless and immediately surrendered to the Buddha.
Uruvilvà had five hundred disciples and his brothers
had two hundred and fifty each, all of whom took refuge with
the Buddha, bringing the number of disciples to 1,005.
Later the Buddha converted Sariputra and Mahàmaud-
galyàyana who had one hundred disciples each. When they
took refuge, the Buddha’s disciples amounted to 1,205 in all.
Ya÷as, the son of an elder, and his disciples also took refuge
with the Buddha. This actually makes a total of 1,255 disci-
ples who were the Buddha’s constant followers. Såtra texts round off the number to 1,250.
At that time has five meanings:
1. It was the time when the Buddha wanted to speak,
began to speak, and was speaking.
2. It was the time which breaks up the views of outside
ways. Some outside ways deny the existence of past, present, and future. At that time means the explanation has occurred in the past, is occurring in the present, and will occur in the
future. These words therefore separate the Buddhadharma
from the dharma of outside ways.
3. It was the time of planting seeds. Seeds that are
planted and nourished will grow. Uncultivated seeds will perish. If one has developed good causes in past lives, but
does not cultivate that fruit further in this life, he will have

roots that wither and die. If these good roots are continually
cared for, they will bear further fruit. So if you have roots that
are sufficiently good to allow you to hear Såtra lectures, do
not just come occasionally; come as often as possible. The
more you come, the deeper your roots will grow.
4. It was the time to listen to såtras. That does not
mean just listening once or twice. It means listening regularly, for the more you hear the more you understand. In listening
to såtras three conditions must be fulfilled:
a. a true teacher,
b. a true teaching, and
c. true study.
With only one or two of these conditions fulfilled, study is
useless. For instance, if you have a true teaching and truly
study, but lack a true teacher, then you cannot understand that teaching. All three conditions must be met for cultivation
to succeed.
5. It was the time when the Buddha wanted to speak
the Dharma and beings wanted to listen. The Buddha wished to speak in the way living beings wanted to hear. The Buddha
and living beings are not two, one high and the other low. They are equal.
World Honored one is one of the Ten Special Names of the
Buddha. When the Buddha descended from the palace in the
Tuùita heaven into the realm of people and was born from the
right side through the ribs of his mother Màyà, he immediately

took seven steps, then with one hand pointing to heaven and one hand pointing to earth, he said, “Above heaven and below
heaven, I alone am honored.Ÿ When he had finished speak-
ing, nine dragons spouted water to bathe his body. Thus the
Buddha is known as the World Honored one. World refers not only to the worldly but to the world transcending, for all
realms, both mundane and transcendental, honor, revere, and
bow to the World Honored one.
The mention of meal time clearly shows that the Buddha, like
ordinary people, still eats and drinks. When it was time to eat,
the World Honored one put on his robe. There are three
robes worn by members of the Sa¤gha:
1. The antarvàsas, the five-piece robe, is a work robe.
It is made in a pattern of five strips, each of which contains two pieces, one long and one short;
2. the uttaràsa¤ga, the seven-piece robe, is worn for
ceremonies and when listening to Dharma; and
3. the saüghàñã, also called the “perfect robe,Ÿ or “great robe,Ÿ is composed of up to 108 pieces in twenty-five strips. Each piece in the robes represents a field and so they
are also called “field of blessingsŸ robes. Members of the Sa¤gha wear the saüghàñã when receiving offerings from
laymen, who thereby “plant fields of blessings.Ÿ When putting
on the robe a verse is recited which says,
“Good indeed is the liberation cloth!
Unsurpassed field of blessings robe…Ÿ

This robe is worn when lecturing Såtras and speaking Dharma from the high seat, when accepting offerings of pure food from the king or ruler of a country, and when begging for food.
Meal time was not a casual affair for the Buddha as it is for
lazy people who sleep until time to eat and then get up and
wait for someone to prepare the food and serve it to them.
Even though the Buddha had realized Buddhahood with its spiritual penetrations and wonderful functions, at meal time
he still put on his robe and took up his bowl. The bowl refers
to the Sanskrit word pàtra which translates as the “vessel of appropriate size,Ÿ implying that this bowl will hold enough to satisfy one’s needs. øàkyamuni Buddha was given his bowl by the Four Heavenly Kings who manifested to present it to
him in person.
He took his bowl and entered the great city of øràvastã to beg for food. Members of the Sa¤gha beg for food in order
to give living beings an opportunity to plant seeds in the field
of blessings. Because living beings did not know about going
before the Triple Jewel to plant blessings, the Sa¤gha members
went to the living beings by entering the cities and begging from door to door, neither by-passing the poor to beg from the rich, nor by-passing the rich to beg from the poor, unlike Subhåti who exclusively begged from the wealthy.
The Buddha reprimanded his two disciples Subhåti and
Great Kà÷yapa for their manner of begging. First he scolded
Subhåti for thinking, “Wealthy people have money because in
former lives they fostered merit and virtue. If I don’t beg from

them and give them the opportunity to plant further blessings,
then next life they will be poor. They will not continue to be wealthy and honored.Ÿ So Subhåti only begged from the rich.
However, wealthy people eat good food. Although he said it
was to help them plant blessings so they could continue to be wealthy in future lives, I believe that in actuality Subhåti liked
to eat good food and that is why he begged from the rich. That is what I say, but perhaps Subhåti was not like the rest
of us, who constantly think about eating well. It is true that he wanted to help them continue their blessings.
Second, the Buddha scolded Great Kà÷yapa because,
in his arduous practice of asceticism, he not only ate just one
meal a day, but he begged only from the poor. His thought
was, “These people are poor because in former lives they did
not foster merit and virtue. They did not do good deeds when
they had money, and so in this life they are poor. I will help them out of their predicament by enabling them to plant bless-
ings before the Triple Jewel so next life they will be wealthy and honored.Ÿ The poorer the house, the more he begged there, even to the point that the poor people took the food out of their own bowls in order to have an offering for him. I
believe that because Patriarch Kà÷yapa cultivated asceticism he wanted to undergo suffering, and did not want to eat good
things. He knew how people with money eat, and did not want
to eat well himself. There is a Chinese proverb which says:
To be sparing with clothing increases life.
To be sparing with food increases blessings.

Great Kà÷yapa was one hundred and twenty years old when
he took refuge with the Buddha. Life after life he had been
frugal, and in this life, because he did not like to eat rich food,
he only begged from the poor, just the opposite of Subhåti.
Both of those methods are extreme, and not in accord with the
Middle Way, and it is for this reason that the øåraï gama Såtra
says that the Buddha scolded them and called them Arhats.
The Buddha was equitable in his begging and did not
favor rich or poor. His disciple ânanda followed his example
and practiced equal compassion. “ânanda already knew that the Tathàgata, the World Honored one, had admonished Subhåti and the Great Kà÷yapa as Arhats whose hearts were not equable.Ÿ
He (ânanda) decided that throughout his
begging round he would pay no attention to
whether his donors were clean or unclean,
reputable kùatriyas or lowly caõóàlas. He would
practice equal compassion, rather than seek out
the mean and lowly, and in that way enable all
living beings alike to obtain measureless merit.
The Buddha’s impartiality in begging is indicated by the strict
door-to-door sequence he followed. When he finished begging at one house he went to beg at the one beside it, and so forth
on to the next.
After he had finished his sequential begging he returned to the
Jeta Grove in the Garden of the Benefactor of Orphans and the

Solitary, where he ate the food, put away his robe and bowl,
and washed his feet. The Buddha traveled the roads barefoot,
so after he returned and had eaten he washed his feet.
Then he arranged his seat and sat down. When the begging
was finished, the food eaten, his robe and bowl stored, and
his feet cleansed — after this basic routine had been attended to — the Buddha then arranged his seat and sat down. This
does not mean that he piled pillows beneath and pillows
behind, pillows all around and then eased himself onto a plush
couch like some people do. It means he made a gesture or two — straightened a mat, tidied the seat a bit, and then sat
down.
Real mark praj¤à was expressed in the Buddha’s performance of the daily routine. That is not to say the em-
phasis was placed on the performance itself, to announce, “I cultivate!Ÿ Rather, if one understands Dharma, everything is
cultivation. That is not true of one who affects the manner
of an experienced cultivator declaring, “Look at me, I just
sit here thus,Ÿ whereas the next minute finds him fidgeting, squirming, and talking a mile a minute. People who cultivate
the Way seldom talk. Do not talk too much. If you do you
will hinder other people’s cultivation as well as your own. In a place where the Sa¤gha lives one cannot hear the sound of a
single voice. If conversation is necessary it is carried on in very low tones so as not to disturb others. People who wish to use
effort in cultivation of the Way should study the Buddha and
in every movement, every gesture, avoid obstructing others.

 

 

Chapter 2
Subhåti’s Request
At that time the Elder Subhåti arose from his seat in the
assembly, uncovered his right shoulder, placed his right
knee on the ground, put his palms together with respect
and said to the Buddha,
After øàkyamuni Buddha had put away his robe and bowl,
washed his face, arranged his seat and sat down, an Elder
named Subhåti stood up in the assembly. There are Three
Kinds of Elders: the elder in years, the Dharma-nature elder, and the elder in blessings and virtue.
1. The elder in years must be old and have held the
precepts for a long time, as had Mahàkà÷yapa, the oldest and
longest precepted of those in øàkyamuni Buddha’s Dharma assembly. There are three grades of elders in years:
a. low rank, those who have held precepts for at
least ten years;
b. middle rank, those who have held precepts
for more than twenty years; and
c. high rank, those who have held precepts for
more than thirty years.
2. The Dharma-nature elder may be young, but he
must possess great wisdom and be able to lecture såtras and
speak Dharma with sufficient power to teach and transform
living beings. His stature comes from his deep understanding

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