A Sūtra Compressed Into a Mote of Dust
The third of four inconceivable aspects of a buddha's domain is illustrated by one of Mahāyāna literature's most famous images: an entire sūtra scroll, the size of a trichiliocosm, folded within a single, invisibly small mote of dust — and a person who breaks the dust open to release it for the benefit of beings who never knew it was there.
The Sūtra Scroll Hidden in a Mote of Dust
佛無量功德者，謂前際後際於一向染凡夫地中常不捨離真如法身，一切諸佛法無異無差別，此處不可思議。是故經言：復次佛子！如來智慧無處不至。何以故？以於一切眾生界中終無有一眾生身中而不具足如來功德及智慧者，但眾生顛倒，不知如來智遠離顛倒起一切智、無師智、無礙智。佛子！譬如有一極大經卷如一三千大千世界，大千世界一切所有無不記錄；若與二千世界等者，悉記二千世界中事；若與小千世界等者，悉記小千世界中事；四天下等者，悉記一切四天下事；須彌山王等者，悉記須彌山王等事；地天宮等者，悉記地天宮殿中事；欲天宮等者，悉記欲天宮殿中事；色天宮等者，悉記色天宮殿中事；若與無色天宮等者，悉記一切無色界天宮殿中事。彼等三千大千世界極大經卷，在一極細小微塵內，一切微塵皆亦如是。時有一人出興於世，智慧聰達具足成就清淨天眼，見此經卷在微塵內，作如是念：「云何如此廣大經卷在微塵內而不饒益諸眾生耶？我今應當勤作方便破彼微塵出此經卷饒益眾生。」作是念已。爾時彼人即作方便破壞微塵出此經卷饒益眾生。
佛子！如來智慧、無相智慧、無閡智慧，具足在於眾生身中，但愚癡眾生顛倒想覆，不知不見不生信心。爾時如來以無障閡清淨天眼，觀察一切諸眾生身。既觀察已，作如是言：「奇哉奇哉！云何如來具足智慧在於身中而不知見？我當方便教彼眾生覺悟聖道，悉令永離一切妄想顛倒垢縛，令具足見如來智慧在其身內與佛無異。」如來即時教彼眾生修八聖道，捨離一切虛妄顛倒，離顛倒已見如來智，與如來等饒益眾生故。偈言：不相捨離法故。
As for the Buddha's immeasurable qualities: that, from the very beginning to the very end, even within the utterly defiled state of the ordinary person, one is never separated from the dharmakāya of true suchness, and that the buddha-dharmas are, without exception, without difference — this point is inconceivable. Hence a sūtra says: "Furthermore, Son of the Buddha! The Tathāgata's wisdom reaches everywhere without exception. Why is this? Because there is not a single being, anywhere within the realm of all beings, in whose very body the Tathāgata's own virtue and wisdom is not fully present — it is only that beings, inverted in their thinking, do not know it. The Tathāgata's wisdom, free of every inversion, gives rise to all-knowing wisdom, wisdom without a teacher, unobstructed wisdom.
"Son of the Buddha! It is like there being a single, extremely great sūtra scroll, equal in size to an entire trichiliocosm, recording without exception everything the whole trichiliocosm contains; equal to a dichiliocosm, it records everything within that dichiliocosm; equal to a monochiliocosm, it records everything within that monochiliocosm; equal to the four continents, it records everything of all four continents; equal to Mount Sumeru, king of mountains, it records everything of Mount Sumeru; equal to the palaces of the earth-gods, it records everything within the palaces of the earth-gods; equal to the palaces of the desire-realm gods, it records everything within their palaces; equal to the palaces of the form-realm gods, it records everything within their palaces; and equal to the palaces of the formless-realm gods, it records everything within all the palaces of the formless-realm heavens. This extremely great sūtra scroll, equal to an entire trichiliocosm, is contained within a single, extremely minute mote of dust — and every mote of dust is exactly the same in this respect.
"At that time there arose in the world a certain person, of penetrating wisdom, complete with the pure heavenly eye, who saw this sūtra scroll present within the mote of dust, and thought: 'How can it be that so vast a sūtra scroll, present within a mote of dust, brings no benefit to any being at all? I should now diligently apply skillful means, break open this mote of dust, and release this sūtra scroll, so as to benefit every being.' Having thought this, that person then applied skillful means, broke open the mote of dust, and released the sūtra scroll, bringing benefit to every being.
"Son of the Buddha! Just so, the Tathāgata's wisdom, wisdom free of marks, unobstructed wisdom, is fully present within the body of every being — it is only that foolish, ignorant beings are covered by inverted thinking, and so do not know it, do not see it, and give rise to no faith in it. At that time the Tathāgata, with the pure heavenly eye, unobstructed and unhindered, observes the bodies of every being. Having thus observed them, he says: 'How extraordinary, how extraordinary! How can it be that the Tathāgata's own complete wisdom is present within their bodies, and yet they neither know nor see it? I should now, by skillful means, teach these beings to awaken to the noble path, causing them all to leave forever behind every false thought, every inversion, every bond of defilement, so that they may fully see that the Tathāgata's wisdom, present within their own bodies, is no different from the Buddha's own.' The Tathāgata then at once teaches these beings to cultivate the noble eightfold path, to cast aside every falsehood and inversion — and, once free of inversion, to see the Tathāgata's wisdom, equal to the Tathāgata's own, thereby benefiting these beings." The verse says: the dharma of never being separated from one another.
This parable — quoted from an Avataṃsaka-family sūtra text, part of the same larger corpus this site's Gaṇḍavyūha collection translates a different section of — is likely the single most influential image in this entire treatise for how tathāgatagarbha doctrine was later received in East Asia, since its central claim (a being's own inherent, already-complete buddha-wisdom is simply "covered," never absent or partial) became a load-bearing premise for much of Chan Buddhism's own rhetoric about sudden awakening. Two details are easy to read past. First, the mote of dust containing the sūtra is explicitly not a special or rare object — "every mote of dust is exactly the same in this respect" — meaning the parable's claim is meant to generalize to literally everything, not to some privileged class of things. Second, the wise person's own reaction on discovering the hidden scroll is not triumph at a personal insight but immediate concern for everyone else: "how can it be that so vast a sūtra scroll... brings no benefit to any being at all?" The parable's whole point is compassionate action following directly from a specific piece of knowledge, not knowledge sought or valued for its own sake.
The Buddha's Spontaneous Activity, and the Impure Jewel Simile
及佛所作業者，同一時、一切處、一切時自然無分別，隨順眾生心，隨順可化眾生根性，不錯不謬隨順作佛業，此處不可思議。是故經言：善男子！如來為令一切眾生入佛法中故，無量如來業作有量說。善男子！如來所有實作業者，於彼一切世間眾生，不可量不可數、不可思議不可知、不可以名字說。何以故？以難可得與前眾生故、以於一切諸佛國土不休息故、以一切諸佛悉平等故、以過一切諸世間心所作事故、以無分別猶如虛空悉平等故、以無異無差別法性體故。如是等廣說已，又說不淨大毘琉璃摩尼寶珠譬喻言：善男子！汝依此譬喻，應知如來業不可思議故、平等遍至故、一切處不可呵故、三世平等故、不斷絕三寶種故，諸佛如來雖如是住不可思議業中，而不捨離虛空法身。雖不捨離虛空法身，而於眾生隨所應聞名字章句為之說法。雖為眾生如是說法，而常遠離一切眾生心所念觀。何以故？以如實知一切眾生諸心行故。偈言：自然無分別故。
"The Buddha's own activity": at one and the same time, in every place, at every time, spontaneously, without discrimination, according with the minds of beings, according with the natures and capacities of beings capable of being transformed, unerringly and without mistake, the Buddha-work is performed in accordance with them — and this too is inconceivable. Hence a sūtra says: "Good sons! In order that every being might enter into the Buddha's own Dharma, the Tathāgata's own immeasurable activity is spoken of as though it were measured. Good sons! The Tathāgata's own real activity, with respect to every being of every world, cannot be measured, cannot be counted, is inconceivable, cannot be known, and cannot be spoken of by name at all. Why is this? Because it is hard to convey to beings not yet ready for it; because it never ceases across every buddha-land; because every buddha is entirely equal; because it transcends whatever any worldly mind could ever accomplish; because, without discrimination, it is entirely equal, just like empty space; because its own dharma-nature and essence admit of no difference and no distinction at all." Having explained this at such length, the sūtra further speaks the simile of the impure, great lapis-lazuli wish-fulfilling pearl, saying: "Good sons! By means of this simile, you should know that the Tathāgata's own activity is inconceivable, that it equally reaches everywhere, that it cannot be faulted in any place, that it is equal across the three times, and that it never severs the seed of the Three Jewels. Though the buddhas, the tathāgatas, abide in this way within inconceivable activity, they never depart from the dharmakāya that is like empty space. And though they never depart from the dharmakāya that is like empty space, they still, for the sake of beings, teach the Dharma to them in whatever names and phrases they are able to hear. And though they teach the Dharma to beings in this way, they remain forever apart from whatever thought or reflection any being's own mind might produce. Why is this? Because they truly know the mental activity of every being." The verse says: spontaneous, and without discrimination.
The fourth inconceivable aspect closes the loop this whole four-part list opened: a buddha's activity is simultaneously bound to nothing (never departing from "the dharmakāya that is like empty space") and responsive to everything ("in whatever names and phrases beings are able to hear"). The impure jewel simile — a wish-fulfilling pearl, presumably still coated in the grime it was extracted from, that nonetheless already possesses its full power — will reappear, developed at much greater length, in this treatise's own tathāgatagarbha chapter beginning in Part 8, where it becomes one of the chapter's own nine central similes rather than a passing illustration.
One Cause, Three Conditions: How the Three Jewels Arise
依此妙法身出生於三寶者，偈言：
所覺菩提法， 依菩提分知，
菩提分教化， 眾生覺菩提。
初句為正因， 餘三為淨緣，
前二自利益， 後二利益他。
此偈明何義？此四種句總攝一切所知境界。此明何義？初一句者，謂所證法應知，以彼證法名為菩提。偈言：所覺菩提法故。第二句菩提依菩提分知者，以諸佛菩提功德能作佛菩提因故。偈言：依菩提分知故。第三句菩提分教化者，以菩提分令他覺故。第四句眾生覺菩提者，所化眾生覺菩提故。此四種句次第不取相，依此行故，清淨菩提出生三寶應知。偈言：所覺菩提法，依菩提分知，菩提分教化，眾生覺菩提故。以一句因、三句緣故，如來得阿耨多羅三藐三菩提。以得菩提者，十力等諸佛如來法、三十二種諸佛如來作業。依如來業，眾生聞聲依彼法故得清淨因緣出生三寶應知。是故偈言：初句為正因，餘三為淨緣故。
That the Three Jewels arise in dependence on this wondrous dharmakāya — a verse says:
The dharma of awakening that is realized; known through the factors of awakening;
the factors of awakening used to teach and transform; and beings awakening to bodhi.
The first line is the primary cause; the remaining three are the pure conditions;
the first two are benefit to oneself; the last two are benefit to others.
What meaning does this verse make clear? These four lines together comprise the entire domain of what is to be known. What does this clarify? The first line refers to the dharma that is realized, and should be known accordingly, since that realized dharma is called bodhi. The second line, "bodhi known through the factors of awakening," means that the buddhas' own virtues of bodhi are able to serve as the cause of a buddha's own bodhi. The third line, "the factors of awakening used to teach and transform," means that the factors of awakening cause others to awaken. The fourth line, "beings awakening to bodhi," means that the beings who are transformed thereby awaken to bodhi. These four lines, in this order, grasp at no fixed mark, and it is in dependence on this practice that pure bodhi is understood to give rise to the Three Jewels. Because of one line of cause and three lines of condition, the Tathāgata attains unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening; and, having attained bodhi, there are the ten powers and the rest, the dharmas of every buddha, every tathāgata, and the thirty-two kinds of activity of every buddha, every tathāgata. In dependence on the Tathāgata's own activity, beings, hearing his voice, in dependence on that dharma, attain the pure causes and conditions that give rise to the Three Jewels — and this should be understood accordingly.
This closing verse ties off the whole Three Jewels section (Parts 2 through 7) with a single causal formula: one cause, bodhi itself, and three conditions — the factors of awakening, their use in teaching others, and beings actually awakening because of it. The treatise's own accounting of self-benefit and other-benefit, introduced back in Part 2 for the Jewel of Buddha alone, now applies to the entire architecture of Buddha, Dharma, and Saṅgha at once: the first two lines (bodhi realized, bodhi's own virtues) are benefit to oneself, and the last two (teaching, and beings awakening) are benefit to others — the same two-part rhythm this treatise returns to at every level of its own argument.
Part 7 Complete, and the Three Jewels Chapters Conclude
This closes the treatise's account of the Three Jewels — Buddha, Dharma, and Saṅgha — and with it, the introductory chapters (Parts 2 through 7). The treatise now turns to its longest and most consequential chapter: that every being, without exception, possesses the tathāgatagarbha, built around nine similes that will occupy the next several parts of this collection.
Continue to Part 8 — All Beings Have the Tathāgatagarbha →