The Sutra of Perfect Enlightenment

大唐、罽賓三藏佛陀多羅譯

Translated by the Tripitaka Master Buddhatrata of Kashmir (the Kashmir region today), in the Great Tang.

如是我聞：

Thus I have heard:

一時，婆伽婆入於神通大光明藏，三昧正受，一切如來光嚴住持，是諸眾生清淨覺地；身心寂滅平等本際，圓滿十方不二隨順，於不二境現諸淨土。與大菩薩摩訶薩十萬人俱，其名曰文殊師利菩薩、普賢菩薩、普眼菩薩、金剛藏菩薩、彌勒菩薩、清淨慧菩薩、威德自在菩薩、辯音菩薩、淨諸業障菩薩、普覺菩薩、圓覺菩薩、賢善首菩薩等，而為上首；與諸眷屬皆入三昧，同住如來平等法會。

Once the Bhagavan (a transliterated honorific of the World-Honored One) entered the Treasury of Divine Power and Great Radiance, and was in right reception in samadhi (a state of concentration in which the mind does not scatter). This is the state upheld by all the Tathagatas in adornment of radiance, and it is also the pure ground of awakening of all beings; body and mind are tranquil and extinguished, equal at the original limit, filling the ten directions, non-dual and in accord, and within the non-dual realm manifesting all the pure lands. He was together with a hundred thousand great Bodhisattva-mahasattvas, whose names were Manjushri Bodhisattva (Bodhisattva, short for bodhisattva, one who seeks awakening and also saves beings), Samantabhadra Bodhisattva, Universal Eye Bodhisattva, Vajragarbha Bodhisattva, Maitreya Bodhisattva, Pure Wisdom Bodhisattva, Majestic Virtue Sovereign Bodhisattva, Eloquent Voice Bodhisattva, Purifier of Karmic Obstacles Bodhisattva, Universal Awakening Bodhisattva, Perfect Awakening Bodhisattva, Good Worthy Head Bodhisattva, and others, who were the chiefs; together with all their retinues they entered samadhi and dwelt together in the Tathagata's assembly of the equal Dharma.

於是文殊師利菩薩在大眾中即從座起，頂禮佛足右遶三匝，長跪叉手而白佛言：「大悲世尊！願為此會諸來法眾，說於如來本起清淨因地法行，及說菩薩於大乘中發清淨心，遠離諸病，能使未來末世眾生求大乘者不墮邪見。」作是語已五體投地，如是三請終而復始。

Then Manjushri Bodhisattva, in the great assembly, rose from his seat, bowed with his head at the Buddha's feet, circled him three times to the right, knelt with palms joined, and said to the Buddha: "Greatly Compassionate World-Honored One! I beg you, for the sake of the Dharma assembly gathered here, to speak of the pure causal-ground practice of the Tathagata's original arising, and to speak of how Bodhisattvas in the Mahayana give rise to the pure mind and keep far from all faults, so that beings of the future age of decline who seek the Mahayana will not fall into wrong views." Having said this, he threw his five limbs to the ground, and so he asked three times, ending and beginning again.

爾時，世尊告文殊師利菩薩言：「善哉！善哉！善男子！汝等乃能為諸菩薩諮詢如來因地法行，及為末世一切眾生求大乘者，得正住持不墮邪見。汝今諦聽！當為汝說。」時，文殊師利菩薩奉教歡喜，及諸大眾默然而聽。

At that time the World-Honored One said to Manjushri Bodhisattva: "Excellent, excellent, good son! You are able to ask the Tathagata, on behalf of the Bodhisattvas, about the causal-ground practice of the Tathagata, and on behalf of all beings of the age of decline who seek the Mahayana, so that they may gain right upholding and not fall into wrong views. Listen carefully now! I will speak to you." Then Manjushri Bodhisattva received the teaching with joy, and the whole assembly listened in silence.

「善男子！無上法王有大陀羅尼門，名為圓覺，流出一切清淨真如菩提涅槃及波羅蜜教授菩薩。一切如來本起因地，皆依圓照清淨覺相，永斷無明方成佛道。云何無明？善男子！一切眾生從無始來種種顛倒，猶如迷人四方易處，妄認四大為自身相，六塵緣影為自心相；譬彼病目見空中花及第二月。善男子！空實無花，病者妄執。由妄執故，非唯惑此虛空自性，亦復迷彼實花生處，由此妄有輪轉生死，故名無明。善男子！此無明者非實有體，如夢中人夢時非無，及至於醒了無所得；如眾空花滅於虛空，不可說言有定滅處，何以故？無生處故。一切眾生於無生中，妄見生滅，是故說名輪轉生死。善男子！如來因地修圓覺者，知是空花，即無輪轉，亦無身心受彼生死，非作故無，本性無故。彼知覺者猶如虛空，知虛空者即空花相，亦不可說無知覺性。有、無俱遣，是則名為淨覺隨順。何以故？虛空性故，常不動故，如來藏中無起滅故，無知見故，如法界性究竟圓滿遍十方故；是則名為因地法行。菩薩因此於大乘中發清淨心，末世眾生依此修行不墮邪見。」

"Good son! The unsurpassed Dharma King has a great dharani gate (dharani, a spell or Dharma-gate that holds all good and lets nothing be lost), named Perfect Awakening (the perfect awakened nature, which this sutra says every person has fully and which pervades the ten directions), from which flow forth all pure suchness, bodhi, nirvana (the state in which affliction ceases and one no longer turns in birth and death), and paramita (meaning "gone to the other shore," crossing from the near shore of birth and death to the far shore of liberation), and it instructs the Bodhisattvas. All Tathagatas, at the causal ground of their original arising, relied on the pure characteristic of perfect illumination and awakening, and forever cut off ignorance, and only then attained the Buddha Way. What is ignorance? Good son! All beings from beginningless time have had all kinds of inversions, like a lost person who mistakes the four directions, falsely taking the four elements (earth, water, fire and wind) for the mark of the body, and the shadows of conditioned sense objects (form, sound, smell, taste, touch and dharmas) for the mark of the mind; like a person with diseased eyes who sees flowers in the sky and a second moon. Good son! In the sky there are in truth no flowers, and it is the sick person who falsely clings to them. Because of this false clinging, one not only is deluded about the self-nature of the sky, but also is confused about the place from which the real flowers arise, and because of this there is false turning through birth and death, and so it is called ignorance. Good son! This ignorance has no real substance; like a person in a dream, in the dream it is not that there is nothing, but when he wakes there is nothing to be found; like all the sky-flowers vanishing in the sky, one cannot say they have a fixed place where they vanish. Why? Because there is no place of arising. All beings, within non-arising, falsely see arising and ceasing, and so they are said to turn through birth and death. Good son! When Tathagatas at the causal ground cultivate perfect awakening, they know these are sky-flowers, and then there is no turning, nor do body and mind receive that birth and death; it is not that it is made not to be, but that it is without it in its original nature. The one who knows and perceives is like space, and the one who knows space is the very mark of the sky-flowers, yet one cannot say there is no nature of knowing and awareness. Send away both being and non-being, and this is called pure awakening in accord. Why? Because of the nature of space, because it is always unmoving, because in the Tathagatagarbha (the awakened nature that all beings have originally and that can become a Tathagata) there is no arising or ceasing, because there is no knowing or seeing, and because, like the nature of the Dharma realm, it is ultimately perfect and pervades the ten directions; this is called the causal-ground Dharma practice. Because of this Bodhisattvas give rise to the pure mind in the Mahayana, and beings of the age of decline who practice by this will not fall into wrong views."

爾時，世尊欲重宣此義而說偈言：

Then the World-Honored One, wishing to restate this meaning, spoke in verse:

「文殊汝當知，一切諸如來，

"Manjushri, you should know that all the Tathagatas,

從於本因地，皆以智慧覺，

from the original causal ground, all used wisdom to awaken,

了達於無明。知彼如空花，

and thoroughly understood ignorance. Knowing it to be like sky-flowers,

即能免流轉，又如夢中人，

they were then able to escape turning in birth and death, like a person in a dream,

醒時不可得。覺者如虛空，

for whom nothing can be found on waking. The awakened one is like space,

平等不動轉，覺遍十方界，

equal and unmoving; awakening pervades the ten directions,

即得成佛道。眾幻滅無處，

and so he attains the Buddha Way. All illusions vanish with no place to go,

成道亦無得，本性圓滿故。

and the attainment of the Way is also without gain, because the original nature is perfect and complete.

菩薩於此中，能發菩提心，

Bodhisattvas within this

末世諸眾生，修此免邪見。」

can give rise to the bodhi mind, and beings of the age of decline who practice this escape wrong views."

於是普賢菩薩在大眾中即從座起，頂禮佛足右遶三匝，長跪叉手而白佛言：「大悲世尊！願為此會諸菩薩眾，及為末世一切眾生修大乘者，聞此圓覺清淨境界，云何修行？世尊！若彼眾生，知如幻者，身心亦幻，云何以幻還修於幻？若諸幻性，一切盡滅，則無有心，誰為修行？云何復說修行如幻？若諸眾生本不修行，於生死中常居幻化，曾不了知如幻境界，令妄想心云何解脫？願為末世一切眾生，作何方便漸次修習，令諸眾生永離諸幻。」作是語已五體投地，如是三請終而復始。

Then Samantabhadra Bodhisattva, in the great assembly, rose from his seat, bowed with his head at the Buddha's feet, circled him three times to the right, knelt with palms joined, and said to the Buddha: "Greatly Compassionate World-Honored One! I beg you, for the sake of the Bodhisattva assembly here, and for all beings of the age of decline who practice the Mahayana, who hear of this pure realm of perfect awakening: how should they practice? World-Honored One! If those beings know that illusions are like illusions, then body and mind are also illusions; how can one use illusion to cultivate illusion? If all illusory natures are entirely extinguished, then there is no mind; who then would practice? And how can it be said again that practice is like illusion? If beings originally do not practice, and always dwell among transformations of illusion in birth and death, never understanding the realm of illusion, how can the deluded thinking mind be liberated? I beg you, for all beings of the age of decline, to say what skillful means they should use, and by what gradual stages they should practice, so that all beings may forever leave all illusions." Having said this, he threw his five limbs to the ground, and so he asked three times, ending and beginning again.

爾時，世尊告普賢菩薩言：「善哉！善哉！善男子！汝等乃能為諸菩薩及末世眾生，修習菩薩如幻三昧，方便漸次，令諸眾生得離諸幻。汝今諦聽！當為汝說。」時，普賢菩薩奉教歡喜，及諸大眾默然而聽。

At that time the World-Honored One said to Samantabhadra Bodhisattva: "Excellent, excellent, good son! You are able, for the Bodhisattvas and for beings of the age of decline, to ask how to practice the Bodhisattva's illusion-like samadhi, with its skillful means and gradual stages, so that beings may leave all illusions. Listen carefully now! I will speak to you." Then Samantabhadra Bodhisattva received the teaching with joy, and the whole assembly listened in silence.

「善男子！一切眾生種種幻化，皆生如來圓覺妙心，猶如空花從空而有，幻花雖滅空性不壞；眾生幻心還依幻滅，諸幻盡滅覺心不動。依幻說覺亦名為幻，若說有覺猶未離幻，說無覺者亦復如是。是故，幻滅名為不動。善男子！一切菩薩及末世眾生，應當遠離一切幻化虛妄境界，由堅執持遠離心故，心如幻者亦復遠離，遠離為幻亦復遠離，離遠離幻亦復遠離，得無所離即除諸幻。譬如鑽火兩木相因，火出木盡灰飛煙滅；以幻修幻亦復如是，諸幻雖盡不入斷滅。善男子！知幻即離，不作方便；離幻即覺，亦無漸次。一切菩薩及末世眾生依此修行，如是乃能永離諸幻。」

"Good son! All the various illusory transformations of beings arise from the wondrous mind of perfect awakening of the Tathagata, like sky-flowers that come to be from the sky; though the illusory flowers vanish, the nature of the sky is not destroyed. The illusory mind of beings likewise vanishes in reliance on illusion, and when all illusions have wholly vanished, the awakened mind does not move. To speak of awakening in reliance on illusion is also called illusion; to say there is awakening is still not to have left illusion, and to say there is no awakening is also the same. Therefore, the vanishing of illusion is called unmoving. Good son! All Bodhisattvas and beings of the age of decline should keep far from all illusory and false realms; because of holding firmly to the mind of leaving, even the mind that is like illusion is also left behind, leaving behind is also illusion and is also left behind, and leaving even the leaving of illusion is also left behind, and when one attains that there is nothing left to leave, all illusions are removed. It is like two sticks of wood drilled together for fire, which depend on each other: the fire comes out, the wood is consumed, and ashes fly and smoke vanishes; using illusion to cultivate illusion is also like this, and though all illusions are exhausted, one does not enter annihilation. Good son! To know illusion is at once to leave it, without making skillful means; leaving illusion is awakening, and there are no gradual stages. All Bodhisattvas and beings of the age of decline who practice according to this are thus able to leave all illusions forever."

爾時，世尊欲重宣此義而說偈言：

Then the World-Honored One, wishing to restate this meaning, spoke in verse:

「普賢汝當知，一切諸眾生，

"Samantabhadra, you should know that all beings,

無始幻無明，皆從諸如來，

beginningless illusory ignorance, all from the Tathagatas'

圓覺心建立。猶如虛空花，

mind of perfect awakening is established. It is like flowers in the sky,

依空而有相，空花若復滅，

which have form in reliance on the sky; if the sky-flowers vanish again,

虛空本不動。幻從諸覺生，

the sky itself is originally unmoved. Illusion is born from awakening,

幻滅覺圓滿，覺心不動故。

and when illusion vanishes, awakening is perfect, because the awakened mind does not move.

若彼諸菩薩，及末世眾生，

If those Bodhisattvas, and beings of the age of decline,

常應遠離幻，諸幻悉皆離。

should always keep far from illusion, all illusions are wholly left.

如木中生火，木盡火還滅，

As fire born in wood, when the wood is consumed the fire too goes out,

覺則無漸次，方便亦如是。」

awakening has no gradual stages, and skillful means are also like this."

於是普眼菩薩在大眾中即從座起，頂禮佛足右遶三匝，長跪叉手而白佛言：「大悲世尊！願為此會諸菩薩眾及為末世一切眾生，演說菩薩修行漸次，云何思惟？云何住持？眾生未悟作何方便普令開悟？世尊！若彼眾生無正方便及正思惟，聞佛如來說此三昧心生迷悶，則於圓覺不能悟入。願興慈悲，為我等輩及末世眾生假說方便。」作是語已五體投地，如是三請終而復始。

Then Universal Eye Bodhisattva, in the great assembly, rose from his seat, bowed with his head at the Buddha's feet, circled him three times to the right, knelt with palms joined, and said to the Buddha: "Greatly Compassionate World-Honored One! I beg you, for the Bodhisattva assembly here and for all beings of the age of decline, to explain the stages of the Bodhisattva's practice: how should they contemplate? How should they uphold? What skillful means should be used to open all unawakened beings? World-Honored One! If those beings lack right skillful means and right contemplation, and on hearing the Buddha and Tathagata speak this samadhi, their minds become confused and perplexed, then they cannot awaken to and enter perfect awakening. I beg you, out of compassion, to provisionally speak skillful means for us and for the beings of the age of decline." Having said this, he threw his five limbs to the ground, and so he asked three times, ending and beginning again.

爾時，世尊告普眼菩薩言：「善哉！善哉！善男子！汝等乃能為諸菩薩及末世眾生，問於如來修行漸次、思惟、住持乃至假說種種方便，汝今諦聽！當為汝說。」時，普眼菩薩奉教歡喜，及諸大眾默然而聽。

At that time the World-Honored One said to Universal Eye Bodhisattva: "Excellent, excellent, good son! You are able, for the Bodhisattvas and beings of the age of decline, to ask the Tathagata about the stages of practice, contemplation, upholding, and even the provisional speaking of all skillful means. Listen carefully now! I will speak to you." Then Universal Eye Bodhisattva received the teaching with joy, and the whole assembly listened in silence.

「善男子！彼新學菩薩及末世眾生，欲求如來淨圓覺心，應當正念遠離諸幻，先依如來奢摩他行，堅持禁戒，安處徒眾，宴坐靜室，恆作是念：『我今此身四大和合，所謂髮毛、爪齒、皮肉、筋骨、髓腦、垢色皆歸於地，唾涕、膿血、津液、涎沫、痰淚、精氣、大小便利皆歸於水，暖氣歸火，動轉歸風。四大各離，今者妄身當在何處？』即知此身畢竟無體，和合為相，實同幻化。四緣假合，妄有六根；六根、四大中外合成，妄有緣氣，於中積聚，似有緣相假名為心。善男子！此虛妄心若無六塵則不能有，四大分解無塵可得，於中緣塵各歸散滅，畢竟無有緣心可見。

"Good son! Those newly learning Bodhisattvas and beings of the age of decline who wish to seek the Tathagata's pure mind of perfect awakening should hold right mindfulness and keep far from all illusions; first they should rely on the Tathagata's shamatha (calming, which makes the mind still) practice, firmly keep the precepts, dwell peacefully with the community, sit in meditation in a quiet room, and always think thus: 'This body of mine is now a harmony of the four elements: the hair, nails, teeth, skin, flesh, sinews, bones, marrow, brain and filth all return to earth; spittle, tears, pus, blood, fluids, saliva, phlegm, semen and breath, and urine and feces all return to water; warmth returns to fire; and movement returns to wind. When the four elements each separate, where is this false body now?' Then one knows that this body in the end has no substance, that it is a mark of combination, and is truly the same as an illusion. With the four conditions falsely joined, one falsely has six faculties; the six faculties and four elements join from inside and outside, falsely there is conditioned breath, which gathers within them, and what seems to be the mark of conditions is provisionally called mind. Good son! This false mind could not exist without the six sense objects; when the four elements are broken apart no object can be found, and within them the conditions and objects each scatter and vanish, and in the end there is no conditioned mind to be seen.

「善男子！彼之眾生幻身滅故幻心亦滅，幻心滅故幻塵亦滅，幻塵滅故幻滅亦滅，幻滅滅故非幻不滅；譬如磨鏡垢盡明現。善男子！當知身心皆為幻垢，垢相永滅十方清淨。善男子！譬如清淨摩尼寶珠，映於五色隨方各現，諸愚痴者見彼摩尼實有五色。善男子！圓覺淨性現於身心隨類各應，彼愚痴者說淨圓覺實有如是身心自相，亦復如是；由此不能遠於幻化。是故我說身心幻垢，對離幻垢說名菩薩；垢盡對除，即無對垢及說名者。

(The Buddha continued:) "Good son! Since the illusory body of those beings has vanished, the illusory mind also vanishes; since the illusory mind has vanished, the illusory objects also vanish; since the illusory objects have vanished, the vanishing of illusion also vanishes; and since that vanishing has vanished, what is not illusion does not vanish; like polishing a mirror until the dirt is gone and the brightness appears. Good son! You should know that body and mind are both the dirt of illusion, and when the marks of the dirt are forever gone, the ten directions are pure. Good son! It is like a pure mani jewel reflecting the five colors and showing each according to direction, so that the foolish see that mani as truly having five colors. Good son! The pure nature of perfect awakening appears in body and mind in response to each kind, and the foolish say that pure perfect awakening truly has such body-and-mind marks of its own, and this is likewise so; because of this they cannot get far from illusion. So I say body and mind are the dirt of illusion, and one who is apart from the dirt of illusion is called a Bodhisattva; when the dirt is exhausted and the opposite removed, there is no opposing dirt and none who is called by a name."

「善男子！此菩薩及末世眾生，證得諸幻滅影像故，爾時便得無方清淨，無邊虛空覺所顯發。覺圓明故顯心清淨，心清淨故見塵清淨，見清淨故眼根清淨，根清淨故眼識清淨，識清淨故聞塵清淨，聞清淨故耳根清淨，根清淨故耳識清淨，識清淨故覺塵清淨；如是乃至鼻、舌、身、意亦復如是。善男子！根清淨故色塵清淨，色清淨故聲塵清淨，香、味、觸、法亦復如是。善男子！六塵清淨故地大清淨，地清淨故水大清淨，火大、風大亦復如是。善男子！四大清淨故，十二處、十八界、二十五有清淨。彼清淨故，十力、四無所畏、四無礙智、佛十八不共法、三十七助道品清淨，如是乃至八萬四千陀羅尼門一切清淨。善男子！一切實相性清淨故一身清淨，一身清淨故多身清淨，多身清淨故如是乃至十方眾生圓覺清淨。善男子！一世界清淨故多世界清淨，多世界清淨故如是乃至盡於虛空圓裹三世一切平等清淨不動。

(The Buddha continued:) "Good son! These Bodhisattvas and beings of the age of decline, having realized the vanishing of the shadow-images of all illusion, then attain a limitless purity, revealed by awakening as boundless as space. Because awakening is round and bright, the mind is shown to be pure; because the mind is pure, the seeing of objects is pure; because seeing is pure, the eye faculty is pure; because the faculty is pure, eye consciousness is pure; because consciousness is pure, the sound-object heard is pure; because hearing is pure, the ear faculty is pure; because the faculty is pure, ear consciousness is pure; because consciousness is pure, the objects of awareness are pure; and so it is also with nose, tongue, body and mind. Good son! Because the faculties are pure, the form-object is pure; because form is pure, the sound-object is pure, and so it is also with smell, taste, touch and dharmas. Good son! Because the six sense objects are pure, the earth element is pure; because earth is pure, the water element is pure, and so it is also with fire and wind. Good son! Because the four elements are pure, the twelve sense-fields (the six faculties of eye, ear, nose, tongue, body and mind, and the six objects of form, sound, smell, taste, touch and dharmas), the eighteen realms (the six faculties, six objects and six consciousnesses), and the twenty-five kinds of existence (the twenty-five forms of existence in the three realms) are pure. Because those are pure, the ten powers, the four fearlessnesses, the four unobstructed knowledges, the eighteen exclusive qualities of a Buddha, and the thirty-seven factors of enlightenment (the four foundations of mindfulness, four right efforts, four bases of spiritual power, five faculties, five powers, seven factors of awakening and the eightfold path) are pure, and so it goes on until all the eighty-four thousand dharani gates are all pure. Good son! Because the nature of all true marks is pure, one body is pure; because one body is pure, many bodies are pure; because many bodies are pure, and so on until the perfect awakening of beings in the ten directions is pure. Good son! Because one world is pure, many worlds are pure; because many worlds are pure, and so on until all of space, enveloping the three times, is equally pure and unmoving."

「善男子！虛空如是平等不動，當知覺性平等不動；四大不動故，當知覺性平等不動；如是乃至八萬四千陀羅尼門平等不動，當知覺性平等不動。善男子！覺性遍滿清淨不動。圓無際故，當知六根遍滿法界；根遍滿故，當知六塵遍滿法界；塵遍滿故，當知四大遍滿法界；如是乃至陀羅尼門遍滿法界。善男子！由彼妙覺性遍滿故，根性、塵性無壞無雜；根、塵無壞故，如是乃至陀羅尼門無壞無雜；如百千燈光照一室，其光遍滿無壞無雜。善男子！覺成就故，當知菩薩不與法縛，不求法脫，不厭生死，不愛涅槃，不敬持戒，不憎毀禁，不重久習，不輕初學。何以故？一切覺故，譬如眼光曉了前境，其光圓滿得無憎愛，何以故？光體無二無憎愛故。

(The Buddha continued:) "Good son! Since space is thus equal and unmoving, you should know the nature of awakening is equal and unmoving; since the four elements are unmoving, you should know the nature of awakening is equal and unmoving; and so on until the eighty-four thousand dharani gates are equal and unmoving, you should know the nature of awakening is equal and unmoving. Good son! The nature of awakening fills everywhere, pure and unmoving. Because it is round and without limit, you should know the six faculties fill the Dharma realm; because the faculties fill it, you should know the six objects fill the Dharma realm; because the objects fill it, you should know the four elements fill the Dharma realm; and so on until the dharani gates fill the Dharma realm. Good son! Because that wondrous nature of awakening fills everywhere, the nature of the faculties and the nature of the objects are neither destroyed nor mixed; because faculties and objects are not destroyed, and so on until the dharani gates are neither destroyed nor mixed; like the light of a hundred thousand lamps shining in one room, their light fills it everywhere, neither destroyed nor mixed. Good son! Because awakening is accomplished, you should know that a Bodhisattva is not bound by dharmas, does not seek liberation from dharmas, does not loathe birth and death, does not love nirvana, does not revere those who keep the precepts, does not hate those who break the prohibitions, does not esteem those of long practice, and does not slight beginners. Why? Because all is awakening; like the light of the eye, which clearly knows the scene before it, its light is round and complete and has no hate or love. Why? Because the body of light is not two and has no hate or love."

「善男子！此菩薩及末世眾生，修習此心得成就者，於此無修亦無成就。圓覺普照寂滅無二，於中百千萬億不可說阿僧祇恆河沙諸佛世界，猶如空花亂起、亂滅，不即、不離，無縛、無脫；始知眾生本來成佛，生死、涅槃猶如昨夢。善男子！如昨夢故，當知生死及與涅槃無起、無滅、無來、無去，其所證者無得、無失、無取、無捨，其能證者無作、無止、無任、無滅，於此證中無能、無所，畢竟無證亦無證者，一切法性平等不壞。善男子！彼諸菩薩如是修行，如是漸次，如是思惟，如是住持，如是方便，如是開悟，求如是法，亦不迷悶。」

(The Buddha continued:) "Good son! Those Bodhisattvas and beings of the age of decline who cultivate this mind and attain accomplishment have in this neither cultivation nor accomplishment. Perfect awakening shines everywhere, tranquil and without duality, and within it the hundred thousand ten thousand million unspeakable asamkhyeyas (countless) of Ganges sands of Buddha worlds are like sky-flowers that arise and vanish in disorder, neither identical nor apart, with no bondage and no liberation; only then does one know that beings have originally become Buddhas, and that birth and death and nirvana are like yesterday's dream. Good son! Because they are like yesterday's dream, you should know that birth and death and nirvana have no arising or ceasing, no coming or going; that what is realized has no gain or loss, no taking or leaving; that the one who realizes has no doing, no stopping, no allowing, no extinguishing; that in this realization there is no ability and no object, in the end no realization and no realizer, and the nature of all dharmas is equal and not destroyed. Good son! Those Bodhisattvas who thus practice, thus by stages, thus contemplate, thus uphold, thus use skillful means, thus awaken, and seek such a Dharma, are not confused or perplexed."

爾時，世尊欲重宣此義而說偈言：

Then the World-Honored One, wishing to restate this meaning, spoke in verse:

「普眼汝當知，一切諸眾生，

"Universal Eye, you should know that all beings,

身心皆如幻，身相屬四大，

their bodies and minds are all like illusions; the marks of the body belong to the four elements,

心性歸六塵。四大體各離，

and the nature of the mind returns to the six objects. When the four elements each separate,

誰為和合者？如是漸修行，

who is the one who joins them? Thus practicing by stages,

一切悉清淨。不動遍法界，

all becomes pure. Unmoving and pervading the Dharma realm,

無作止任滅，亦無能證者。

with no doing, stopping, allowing or extinguishing, and no one who can realize it.

一切佛世界，猶如虛空花，

All the Buddha worlds are like flowers in the sky,

三世悉平等，畢竟無來去。

the three times are all equal, and in the end there is no coming or going.

初發心菩薩，及末世眾生，

Bodhisattvas who have just given rise to the mind, and beings of the age of decline,

欲求入佛道，應如是修習。」

who wish to enter the Buddha Way, should practice thus."

於是金剛藏菩薩在大眾中即從座起，頂禮佛足右遶三匝，長跪叉手而白佛言：「大悲世尊！善為一切諸菩薩眾宣揚如來圓覺清淨大陀羅尼因地法行漸次方便，與諸眾生開發矇昧；在會法眾承佛慈誨，幻翳朗然，慧目清淨。世尊！若諸眾生本來成佛，何故復有一切無明？若諸無明眾生本有，何因緣故，如來復說本來成佛？十方異生本成佛道，後起無明；一切如來，何時復生一切煩惱？唯願不捨無遮大慈，為諸菩薩開秘密藏，及為末世一切眾生，得聞如是修多羅教了義法門永斷疑悔。」作是語已五體投地，如是三請終而復始。

Then Vajragarbha Bodhisattva, in the great assembly, rose from his seat, bowed with his head at the Buddha's feet, circled him three times to the right, knelt with palms joined, and said to the Buddha: "Greatly Compassionate World-Honored One! You have so well proclaimed for all the Bodhisattva assembly the Tathagata's perfect awakening, the great pure dharani, the causal-ground practice and its stages and skillful means, opening the darkness of all beings; those of us in the assembly have received the Buddha's compassionate teaching, the illusory cataract is clear, and our eyes of wisdom are pure. World-Honored One! If all beings have originally become Buddhas, why then do they have all this ignorance? If all ignorant beings have it originally, for what reason does the Tathagata say again that they have originally become Buddhas? If beings of different births in the ten directions originally accomplished the Buddha Way and afterward gave rise to ignorance, then when do all the Tathagatas again give rise to all afflictions? I only beg you not to withhold your unobstructed great compassion, to open the secret treasury for the Bodhisattvas, and for all beings of the age of decline, that on hearing this sutra (a sutra, a discourse of the Buddha) teaching, the Dharma gate of definitive meaning, they may forever cut off doubt and regret." Having said this, he threw his five limbs to the ground, and so he asked three times, ending and beginning again.

爾時，世尊告金剛藏菩薩言：「善哉！善哉！善男子！汝等乃能為諸菩薩及末世眾生，問於如來甚深秘密究竟方便，是諸菩薩最上教誨了義大乘，能使十方修學菩薩及諸末世一切眾生，得決定信，永斷疑悔。汝今諦聽！當為汝說。」時，金剛藏菩薩奉教歡喜，及諸大眾默然而聽。

At that time the World-Honored One said to Vajragarbha Bodhisattva: "Excellent, excellent, good son! You are able, for the Bodhisattvas and for beings of the age of decline, to ask the Tathagata about the profound, secret and ultimate skillful means, which is the supreme teaching of definitive meaning in the Mahayana for all Bodhisattvas, able to make Bodhisattvas who study in the ten directions and all beings of the age of decline gain firm faith and forever cut off doubt and regret. Listen carefully now! I will speak to you." Then Vajragarbha Bodhisattva received the teaching with joy, and the whole assembly listened in silence.

「善男子！一切世界始終生滅，前後有無，聚散起止，念念相續，循環往復，種種取捨，皆是輪迴。未出輪迴而辨圓覺，彼圓覺性即同流轉；若免輪迴，無有是處。譬如動目能搖湛水；又如定眼猶迴轉火；雲駛月運，舟行岸移亦復如是。善男子！諸旋未息，彼物先住尚不可得；何況輪轉生死垢心曾未清淨，觀佛圓覺而不旋復？是故汝等便生三惑。

(The Buddha continued:) "Good son! The beginning and end, birth and death, before and after, being and non-being, gathering and scattering, arising and stopping of all worlds, continuing thought after thought, going round and round again, with all their taking and leaving, are all samsara. If one has not yet left samsara and tries to discern perfect awakening, then that nature of perfect awakening will turn along with it; to hope to be free of samsara in this way is not reasonable. It is like how the eye's moving can shake clear still water; or like fixing the eye to look and the wheel of fire still seems to turn; when clouds race the moon seems to move, and when a boat moves the shore seems to shift, and it is the same. Good son! If all the turning has not yet stopped, it is not even possible to make external things stop first; how much less, when the defiled mind that turns in birth and death has not yet been purified, could your contemplation of the Buddha's perfect awakening fail to turn along with it? So you give rise to these three doubts.

「善男子！譬如幻瞖妄見空花，幻翳若除，不可說言：『此瞖已滅，何時更起一切諸翳？』何以故？瞖花二法非相待故。亦如空花滅於空時，不可說言虛空何時更起空花？何以故？空本無花非起滅故。生死涅槃同於起滅，妙覺圓照離於花瞖。善男子！當知虛空非是暫有亦非暫無，況復如來圓覺隨順，而為虛空平等本性。

(The Buddha continued:) "Good son! It is like seeing sky-flowers falsely through an illusory cataract; if the illusory cataract is removed, one cannot say: 'This cataract has vanished, when will all cataracts arise again?' Why? Because the cataract and the flowers are not two things that exist in mutual dependence. It is also like sky-flowers vanishing in the sky: one cannot say when the sky will give rise to sky-flowers again. Why? Because the sky originally has no flowers, and has no arising and vanishing. Birth and death and nirvana are the same as arising and vanishing; wondrous awakening and perfect illumination are apart from flowers and cataract. Good son! You should know that space is not temporarily there, nor temporarily not there; how much less the Tathagata's perfect awakening in accord, which is the equal original nature of space.

「善男子！如銷金鑛，金非銷有；既已成金不重為鑛，經無窮時金性不壞。不應說言本非成就，如來圓覺亦復如是。善男子！一切如來妙圓覺心本無菩提及與涅槃，亦無成佛及不成佛，無妄輪迴及非輪迴。

(The Buddha continued:) "Good son! It is like smelting gold ore: the gold does not exist because of the smelting; once it has become gold, it does not turn back into ore, and through endless time the nature of gold is not destroyed. One should not say that it was originally not accomplished; the Tathagata's perfect awakening is also like this. Good son! In the wondrous perfect mind of awakening of all Tathagatas, there is originally no bodhi and no nirvana, no becoming a Buddha and no not becoming a Buddha, no false samsara and no non-samsara.

「善男子！但諸聲聞所圓境界身心語言皆悉斷滅，終不能至彼之親證所現涅槃，何況能以有思惟心測度如來圓覺境界。如取螢火燒須彌山，終不能著；以輪迴心生輪迴見，入於如來大寂滅海，終不能至。是故我說一切菩薩及末世眾生，先斷無始輪迴根本。善男子！有作思惟從有心起，皆是六塵，妄想緣氣，非實心體，已如空花。用此思惟辨於佛境，猶如空花復結空果，展轉妄想無有是處。善男子！虛妄浮心多諸巧見，不能成就圓覺方便。如是分別，非為正問。」

(The Buddha continued:) "Good son! Even the realm perfectly accomplished by shravakas (those who hear the Buddha's words and attain liberation), where body, mind and language are all cut off, can in the end never reach the nirvana they themselves have realized; how much less can the thinking mind be used to measure the Tathagata's realm of perfect awakening. It is like burning Mount Sumeru with a firefly's light, which in the end cannot burn it; to give rise to the view of samsara with a samsaric mind and enter the Tathagata's great sea of tranquil extinction can never reach it. So I say that all Bodhisattvas and beings of the age of decline must first cut off the root of beginningless samsara. Good son! The thought that makes and fabricates arises from having a mind; all of it is the six sense objects, deluded thinking, and conditioned breath, and is not the real substance of mind, and is already like sky-flowers. To use this thinking to discern the Buddha's realm is like a sky-flower bearing sky-fruit again, deluded thought in turn, which is not reasonable. Good son! The false, floating mind has many clever views and cannot accomplish the skillful means of perfect awakening. To make distinctions like this is not a right question."

爾時，世尊欲重宣此義而說偈言：

Then the World-Honored One, wishing to restate this meaning, spoke in verse:

「金剛藏當知，如來寂滅性，

"Vajragarbha, you should know that the Tathagata's nature of extinction,

未曾有終始。若以輪迴心，

has never had end or beginning. If one uses the samsaric mind,

思惟即旋復，但至輪迴際，

to think, it turns again, and only reaches the edge of samsara,

不能入佛海。譬如銷金鑛，

and cannot enter the Buddha's sea. It is like smelting gold ore,