How To Kill With The Sword Of Wisdom Sutra

Mañjusrī said to Well-Abiding Mind, “Son of heaven, you have already attained the realization of the profound Dharma and fully acquired unhindered eloquence. Shall we now go to see the World-Honored One to discuss the profound, subtle doctrines?”

Well-Abiding mind answered Mañjusri, “Great sage, I would only discuss [these doctrines] with a person who does not speak to me, nor give me any discourse, question me, or answer me, or else with a person who says that there is no Buddha, Dharma, or Sangha, that the three vehicles should be put to an end, that there is neither samsāra nor nirvāņa, that dharmas neither combine nor scatter, that nothing is revealed or generated, that no sound is uttered, and that all words should be put aside.”

Mañjuśri said to Well-Abiding Mind, “Son of heaven, I would speak to one who can take in my [discourse] without hearing, without reading, without reciting, without accepting, without upholding, without thinking, without remembering, without grasping, without abandoning, without perceiving, without knowing, and without listening to my words or explaining them to others. Why?

Because the bodhi of all Buddhas is originally beyond all letters, without mind and apart from the mind, and devoid of enlightenment. Though enlightenment is spoken of with arbitrary names, the names are also empty.”

Maňjuśri said, “Stop, son of heaven! You should not think delusively and discriminatively of the regression of a Bodhisattva. Why? Because if a Bodhisattva ever regresses, he will never be able to attain supreme enlightenment. Why? Because in bodhi there is no such thing as regression.

At this, Well-Abiding Mind asked, “Great sage, if so, from what does regression arise?”

Mañjuśrī answered, “Son of heaven, regression arises from desire, hatred, and ignorance; from craving for existence; from ignorance up to birth and death; the twelve links of dependent origination; from causes, views, names, and forms; from the Realm of Desire, the Realm of Form, and the Realm of Formlessness; from the deeds of a Sravaka and the deeds of a Pratekyabuddha; from discrimination, attachment, signs, and clinging to signs; from the view of nihilism and the view of eternalism; from grasping and abandoning; from the thought of a self, the thought of a sentient being, the thought of a life, the thought of a person, and the thought of a personal identity; from thinking, bondage, and perversion; from the view of self and the sixty-two views based on the view of a self; from the [five] covers; from the [five] aggregates, the [twelve] entrances, and the [eighteen] elements; from the thought of the Buddha, the thought of the Dharma, and the thought of the Sangha; and from such thoughts as: ‘I shall become a Buddha,’ ‘I shall teach the Dharma, I shall deliver sentient beings from samsāra, I shall defeat demons, and I shall acquire wisdom! Therefore, son of heaven, if one does not discriminate the Tathãgata’s ten powers, four fearlessnesses, and eighteen unique qualities; his roots, powers, enlightenment, and path; and does not discriminate those who discriminate and regress, then he is said to be non-regressing.

Mañjuśrĩ said, “It is so. Son of heaven, the Tathagata is no other than the realm of voidness. Why? Because all dharmas are equal, like voidness. Voidness is the Tathãgata and the Tathāgata is voidness. Voidness and the Tathagata are not two; they are not different. Son of heaven, he who wishes to see the Tathagata should contemplate in this way. If he comprehends reality as it is, he will find that nothing in it can be discriminated.”

Mañjusrĩ then asked, “World-Honored One, what is a Bodhisattva-Mahasattva? What is the meaning of Bodhisattva’?”

The Buddha replied to Mañjuśrī. “You ask what is a Bodhisattva-Mahasattva and what is the meaning of Bodhisattva. A Bodhisattva-Mahasattva is one who can understand and realize all dharmas. Mañjusri, the dharmas, all of which are realized by a Bodhisattva, are spoken of by mere words. Mañjuśrī, the Bodhisattva realizes that the eye is by nature empty and, in spite of this realization he never harbors any such thought as: ‘I can realize [the eye]’. Likewise. he realizes that the ear, nose, tongue, body and mind are empty by nature, and in spite of this realization, he never harbors any such thought as: ‘I can realize them.’ He also realizes that form is by nature empty, and in spite of the realization, he never thinks discriminatively: ‘I can realize [form].’ Likewise, he realized that sounds. odors, tastes, textures, and dharmas are by nature empty, and in spite of this realization, he never thinks discriminatively: ‘I can realize them.’ These are the ways in which a Bodhisattva realizes all dharmas.

Furthermore Mañjuśri, how does a Bodhisattva-Mahäsattva realize desire, hatred, and ignorance? He realizes that desire is caused by discrimination; that hatred is caused by discrimination, and that ignorance is caused by discrimination.

He also realizes that discrimination itself is empty, nonexistent, devoid of any-thing, beyond play-words, inexpressible, and unrealizable. These are the ways in which a Bodhisattva realizes all dharmas.

Manjusri, how does a Bodhisattva-Mahāsattva realize the three realms? He realizes that the Realm of Desire is without a self and a personal identity, that the realm of form is without action, that the Realm of Formlessness is empty and nonexistent, and that the three realms are remote and far away [from him]. These are the ways in which a Bodhisattva realizes all dharmas.

Furthermore, Mañjuśrī, how does a Bodhisattva-Mahāsattva understand the deeds of sentient beings? He understands that some sentient beings act from hatred and ignorance. After he understands and realizes this, he reveals his knowledge to sentient beings, then teaches and converts them, causing them to achieve liberation. These are the ways in which a Bodhisattva realizes all dharmas.

Moreover, Mañjuśri, how does a Bodhisattva-Mahasattva understand all sentient beings? He understands all sentient beings by knowing that they are only names; that, apart from the names, there is no sentient being; that, therefore, all sentient beings are no other than one sentient being and one sentient being is no other than all sentient beings; and that, therefore, sentient beings are not sentient beings. If he can practice nondiscrimination in this way, the Bodhisattva-Mahãsattva realizes all dharmas.

Mañjusri said to Kasyapa, “Virtuous Kasyapa, actually I have never done anything that was difficult to do. Why? Because no deed is done; nothing was, is, or will be done. For this reason, Mahākāsyapa, I do not perform any deeds, nor leave any deeds undone. Kasyapa, I do not deliver sentient beings from samsāra, nor do I let them remain in bondage. Why? Because all dharmas are nonexistent.”

Kāśyapa, why do you say in the presence of the World-Honored One that I can do what is difficult to do? Mahäkāśyapa, I do nothing; therefore, be careful not to say that I can do what is difficult to do. Mahakāsyapa, not only do I do nothing but Tathagatas, Pratyekabuddhas. and Arhats also really do nothing. Mahakāsyapa, who can do what is difficult to do? Correctly speaking, only children and ordinary persons can do what is difficult and one who says so is called an able speaker. Why? Because no Tathagata acquires, has acquired, or will acquire anything. Srāvakas and Pratyekabuddhas do not aquire anything either. Only ordinary people acquire all things.

Then Mañjuśrí asked the Buddha, “World-Honored one, what is the so-called Realization of Nonarising? World-Honored One, why is it also called the Realization of the Nonarising of Dharmas? How can a Bodhisattva achieve this realization?”

The Buddha replied to Mañjuśri, “Actually, not a single person achieves the Realization of the Nonarising of Dharmas amid the dharmas which arise. To say that one has achieved it is nothing but words. Why? Because the dharmas that do not arise are unattainable and beyond perception, so that the Realization of the Nonarising of Dharmas is unattainable. To attain is not to attain; there is nothing to attain or to lose – this is called the attainment of the Realizations of the Nonarising of Dharmas.”

Mañjuśri asked, “Son of heaven, regarding sentient beings, what do you think of them?”

Well-Abiding Mind answered “Think that sentient beings and all other dharmas are nothing but names and are all concocted by thoughts.

Mañjuśrī said, “Son of heaven, I therefore say that now you should kill the thoughts of a self, of a personal identity, of a sentient being, and of a life, eliminating the thoughts even of these names. You should kill in this way.

Well-Abiding Mind asked, “Great sage, what instrument should one use to kill [in this way]?”

Manjuśri answered, “Son of heaven, I always kill with the sharp knife of wisdom. In the act of killing, one should hold the sharp knife of wisdom and kill in such a manner as to have no thought of holding the knife or of killing. Son of heaven, in this way, you should know well that to kill the thoughts of a self and a sentient being is to kill all sentient beings truly [If you can do that,] I will give you permission to cultivate pure conduct [with me].

Hurriedly, the Buddha said to Mañjuśri, “Stop, stop! Do not do the wrong thing. Do not kill me in this way If you must kill me, you should first know the best way to do so. Why? Because, Mañjuśri, from the beginning there is no self, no others, no person; as soon as one perceives in his mind the existence of an ego and a personal identity he has killed me; and this is called killing.”

The World-Honored One said to Mañjuśrī, “Mañjusri, one who hears the explanation of this sūtra, this profound Dharma-door, is not different from one who lives at the time when a Buddha appears in the world. Mañjuśri, one who hears this sūtra explained is not different from one who realizes the fruit of a Stream-enterer of a Once-returner, of a Nonreturner, or of an Arhat. Why? Because this sūtra is not different from suchness.

Mañjuśri, one who believes and understands this sutra after having heard it explained is not different from a Bodhisattva in his last existence, who will without fail attain supreme enlightenment sitting on the bodhi-site under the bodhi-tree. Why? Because this Dharma-door is the essential path of the Buddhas, the World-Honored Ones, in the past, present, and future.”

At this, Mañjuśri said to the Buddha, “World-Honored One, it is so, it is so, just as the Buddha says. This sūtra is not different from emptiness, signlessness, wishlessness, suchness, the dharmadhātu, reality, equality, liberation, and freedom from passions.”

Luminous Dharma