We Were Once Each Other's Family
The third treasury, shame, and the fourth, remorse, both begin from memory rather than rule. The bodhisattva recalls that across beginningless ages, every living being has already served as every other living being's own father, mother, brother, and sister — and that mutual harm between beings who were once family is what shame, rightly understood, responds to.
Shame Toward Oneself, Remorse Before the Buddhas
The third and fourth treasuries form a natural pair — traditionally distinguished as shame felt toward oneself and remorse felt before others — and both take the same form: a bodhisattva's own inward reflection, addressed to no one, arriving at the same resolve each time. Shame recalls a beginningless history of mutual harm among beings who were once each other's own family; remorse recalls the impurity and dissatisfaction of desire itself, ending in old age and a wrinkled face no one escapes.
「佛子！何等為菩薩摩訶薩慚藏？此菩薩憶念過去所作諸惡而生於慚。謂彼菩薩，心自念言：『我無始世來，與諸眾生皆悉互作父母、兄弟、姊妹、男女，具貪、瞋、癡、憍慢、諂誑及餘一切諸煩惱故，更相惱害，遞相陵奪，姦婬、傷殺，無惡不造；一切眾生，悉亦如是，以諸煩惱備造眾惡，是故各各不相恭敬、不相尊重、不相承順、不相謙下、不相啟導、不相護惜，更相殺害，互為怨讎。自惟我身及諸眾生，去、來、現在，行無慚法，三世諸佛無不知見。今若不斷此無慚行，三世諸佛亦當見我。我當云何猶行不止？甚為不可。是故我應專心斷除，證阿耨多羅三藐三菩提，廣為眾生說真實法。』是名：菩薩摩訶薩第三慚藏。
"Son of the Buddha! What is the bodhisattva-mahāsattva's treasury of shame? This bodhisattva recollects the various evils they have committed in the past, and gives rise to shame because of them. That bodhisattva reflects in their own mind, saying: 'Since beginningless ages, I have, together with every living being, mutually served as one another's father, mother, brother, sister, son, and daughter, and because of greed, hatred, delusion, arrogance, flattery, deceit, and every other affliction, have mutually caused one another harm and vexation, mutually oppressed and plundered one another, and committed adultery and killing — there is no evil I have not done. Every living being is likewise exactly the same, fully equipped with afflictions and creating every kind of evil, and for this reason none of us shows respect to one another, none of us honors one another, none of us submits to or defers to one another, none of us is humble toward one another, none of us guides or instructs one another, none of us protects or cherishes one another — instead we mutually kill and harm one another, becoming enemies to one another in turn. Reflecting on this, I myself and every living being, in the past, the future, and the present, have practiced conduct devoid of shame, and there is not a single buddha across the three periods of time who does not know and see this. If I do not now cut off this shameless conduct, every buddha across the three periods of time will likewise see me continuing in it. How, then, could I still go on practicing it without stopping? This would be utterly unacceptable. For this reason I should single-mindedly cut it off entirely, realize unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening, and extensively expound the true and real Dharma for the sake of living beings.' This is called the bodhisattva-mahāsattva's third treasury: the treasury of shame.
「佛子！何等為菩薩摩訶薩愧藏？此菩薩自愧昔來，於五欲中，種種貪求，無有厭足，因此增長貪、恚、癡等一切煩惱：『我今不應復行是事。』又作是念：『眾生無智，起諸煩惱，具行惡法，不相恭敬，不相尊重，乃至展轉互為怨讎。如是等惡，無不備造，造已歡喜，追求稱歎，盲無慧眼，無所知見。於母人腹中，入胎受生，成垢穢身，畢竟至於髮白面皺。有智慧者，觀此但是從婬欲，生不淨之法，三世諸佛皆悉知見。若我於今猶行是事，則為欺誑三世諸佛。是故我當修行於愧，速成阿耨多羅三藐三菩提，廣為眾生說真實法。』是名：菩薩摩訶薩第四愧藏。
"Son of the Buddha! What is the bodhisattva-mahāsattva's treasury of remorse? This bodhisattva feels remorse for themselves, that since long ago, amid the five desires, they have craved and sought after them in every kind of way, never once satisfied or content, and because of this have increased greed, hatred, delusion, and every other affliction: 'I should no longer continue to act in this way.' They further reflect, thinking: 'Living beings, lacking wisdom, give rise to every affliction, fully practicing every evil deed, showing no respect or honor toward one another, and even becoming, in turn, enemies to one another. There is no evil of this kind they have not fully committed, and having committed it, they rejoice, seeking after praise and acclaim for it, blind and without the eye of wisdom, with no true knowledge or vision at all. Entering the womb within a mother's body and receiving birth there, one forms a body of defilement and impurity, which in the end comes to white hair and a wrinkled face. Those possessed of wisdom observe that this is nothing but a dharma of impurity born from sexual desire, and every buddha across the three periods of time knows and sees this entirely. If I myself were now still to continue in this practice, I would be deceiving every buddha across the three periods of time. For this reason I should cultivate and practice remorse, swiftly accomplish unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening, and extensively expound the true and real Dharma for the sake of living beings.' This is called the bodhisattva-mahāsattva's fourth treasury: the treasury of remorse.
Both treasuries follow the same inward shape: a memory, a recognition that the buddhas of all three periods of time already see whatever is being reflected upon, and a resolve to accomplish awakening precisely so as to teach others out of the same condition. The memory behind shame is striking in its specificity — not an abstract confession of wrongdoing, but the claim that across beginningless time, every living being has already been every other living being's own parent, sibling, or child, which makes the mutual harm described immediately afterward a betrayal of kinship rather than harm done to strangers.
Part 165 Complete
This closes Part 165. Chapter 22 continues in Part 166 with the treasury of learning.