Part 344 of the collection · Fascicle 30 of 80 · 十迴向品第二十五之八 · T279

Freed Forever from Hell and the Realm of Death

Having vowed adornment, equal wisdom, and spiritual power for himself, the bodhisattva now dedicates it outward: the very first wish for all sentient beings is freedom from the three lower destinies — hell, rebirth as an animal, and the realm of Yama, lord of death — before ten further wishes for peace between friend and foe, perfected wisdom, and a mind that finally becomes unwavering and free of every obstruction.

Translator: Ru-Yi Meditation Center Status: Part 344 — the twenty vows extended to every sentient being Source: Taishō T279 (Śikṣānanda, Tang, 695–699 CE)

As for Himself, So for Every Being

The passage names its own method explicitly: "just as he dedicates in this way for his own person, so too does he dedicate in this same way for all sentient beings." What was inward-facing in Part 343 — twenty vows for his own body, speech, and mind — becomes, without any change of structure, a wish extended to every being: freedom from the lowest destinies first, then equal treatment of friend and foe, perfected wisdom, and a secure place to abide.

Chinese Source

「佛子!菩薩摩訶薩以諸善根,願得莊嚴一切佛國,願得周遍一切世界,願得成就智慧觀察。如為己身如是迴向,如是而為一切眾生,所謂:『願一切眾生永離一切地獄、畜生、閻羅王趣;願一切眾生除滅一切障礙之業;願一切眾生得周普心平等智慧;願一切眾生於怨於親等心攝受,皆令安樂,智慧清淨;願一切眾生智慧圓滿,淨光普照;願一切眾生思慧成滿,了真實義;願一切眾生以淨志樂,趣求菩提,獲無量智;願一切眾生普能顯示安隱住處。』佛子!菩薩摩訶薩恒以善心如是迴向,為令一切眾生遇清涼雲,霔法雨故;為令一切眾生常值福田,勝境界故;為令一切眾生皆能善入菩提心藏,自護持故;為令一切眾生離諸蓋、纏,善安住故;為令一切眾生皆獲無礙神通智故;為令一切眾生得自在身,普示現故;為令一切眾生成就最勝一切種智,普興利益無空過故;為令一切眾生普攝群品,令清淨故;為令一切眾生皆能究竟一切智故;為令一切眾生心不動搖,無障礙故。

Ru-Yi Translation

"Child of the Buddha! The bodhisattva mahāsattva, with these wholesome roots, wishes to attain the adornment of every buddha-land, wishes to attain a presence pervading every world, and wishes to attain the accomplishment of wise contemplation. Just as he dedicates in this way for his own person, so too does he dedicate in this same way for all sentient beings, namely: 'May all sentient beings forever leave behind every destiny of hell, of animal rebirth, and of the realm of Yama, the King of Death; may all sentient beings extinguish and remove every obstructing karma; may all sentient beings attain a universally pervading mind and equal wisdom; may all sentient beings gather in both foe and kin with an equal mind, causing them all to attain peace and happiness, their wisdom pure; may all sentient beings' wisdom become perfected, its pure light universally illuminating; may all sentient beings' reflective wisdom be brought to fulfillment, comprehending the true and real meaning; may all sentient beings, with pure aspiration and joy, proceed toward the pursuit of enlightenment, obtaining immeasurable wisdom; may all sentient beings be universally able to reveal a place of secure abiding.' Child of the Buddha! The bodhisattva mahāsattva forever dedicates with a wholesome mind in this way, so that all sentient beings may encounter a cooling cloud, pouring down the rain of the Dharma; so that all sentient beings may forever encounter a field of merit, a supreme domain; so that all sentient beings may all be able to skillfully enter the treasury of the mind of enlightenment, protecting and upholding it themselves; so that all sentient beings may leave behind every hindrance and entanglement, skillfully abiding securely; so that all sentient beings may all obtain the unobstructed wisdom of spiritual power; so that all sentient beings may attain a sovereign body, universally manifesting themselves; so that all sentient beings may accomplish the most excellent wisdom of all modes, universally raising up benefit that is never in vain; so that all sentient beings may universally gather in every kind of being, causing them to become pure; so that all sentient beings may all be able to attain the ultimate end of all-wisdom; so that all sentient beings' minds may become unwavering, free of any obstruction."

Reading note — Ru-Yi Meditation Center

"May all sentient beings gather in both foe and kin with an equal mind" sits early in the list, right after freedom from the lower destinies — a reminder that the dedication of true suchness begins not with lofty metaphysics but with the far more practical difficulty of treating an enemy the same way one treats family, before any of the vows toward wisdom or spiritual power can mean very much.

Part 344 Complete

This continues the eighth dedication's vows for all sentient beings. Chapter 25 continues in Part 345 as the bodhisattva, upon seeing any delightful land, garden, or grove — even the majesty of a king, or a dwelling free of noise and clamor — turns that very sight into an occasion for cultivating merit, gathering wholesome roots as vast and inexhaustible as the great ocean.