atha khalv āyuṣmān subhūtir bhagavantam etad avocat - kiṃ punar bhagavan prathamacittotpādena bodhisattvo mahāsattvo ’nuttarāṃ samyaksaṃbodhim abhisaṃbudhyate, utāho paścimacittotpādena bodhisattvo mahāsattvo ’nuttarāṃ samyaksaṃbodhim abhisaṃbudhyate? paurvako bhagavaṃś cittotpādaḥ paścimakena cittotpādenāsamavahitaḥ, paścimakaś cittotpādaḥ paurvakeṇa cittotpādenāsamavahitaḥ |
kathaṃ bhagavan bodhisattvasya mahāsattvasya kuśalamūlānām upacayo bhavati? evam ukte bhagavān āyuṣmantaṃ subhūtim etad avocat - tat kiṃ manyase subhūte tailapradyotasya jvalato ’rciṣā prathamābhinipātena sā vartirdagdhā, utāho paścimābhinipātenārciṣā sā vartirdagdhā? subhūtir āha - no hīdaṃ bhagavan |
na hi bhagavan arciṣā prathamābhinipātena sā vartirdagdhā |
na ca prathamābhinipātamanāgamyārciṣā sā vartirdagdhā |
na ca bhagavan paścimābhinipātenārciṣā sā vartirdagdhā, na ca paścimābhinipātamanāgamyārciṣā sā vartirdagdhā |
bhagavān āha - tat kiṃ manyase subhūte api nu sā vartirdagdhā? subhūtir āha - dagdhā bhagavan, dagdhā sugata |
bhagavān āha - evam eva subhūte na ca prathamacittotpādena bodhisattvo mahāsattvo ’nuttarāṃ samyaksaṃbodhim abhisaṃbudhyate, na ca prathamacittotpādamanāgamyānuttarāṃ samyaksaṃbodhim abhisaṃbudhyate |
na ca paścimacittotpādenānuttarāṃ samyaksaṃbodhim abhisaṃbudhyate, na ca paścimacittotpādamanāgamyānuttarāṃ samyaksaṃbodhim abhisaṃbudhyate |
na ca taiś cittopādair na cānyatra tebhyaś cittotpādebhyo ’bhisaṃbudhyate |
abhisaṃbudhyate ca bodhisattvo mahāsattvo ’nuttarāṃ samyaksaṃbodhim ||
gzugs ni chos thams cad bsags pa dang bral ba’o ||
de bzhin du tshor ba dang ’du shes dang ’du byed rnams dang rnam par shes pa ni chos thams cad bsags pa dang bral (6) ba’o ||
gzugs ni chos thams cad ting nge ’dzin mu med pa dang mtshungs pa’o ||
de bzhin du tshor ba dang ’du shes dang ’du byed rnams dang rnam par shes pa ni chos thams cad ting nge ’dzin mu med pa dang mtshungs pa’o ||
gzugs ni bral ba ste gzugs kyi ngo bo nyid dang gzugs (7) kyi de bzhin nyid ni sangs rgyas kyi chos so ||
de bzhin du tshor ba dang ’du shes dang ’du byed rnams dang rnam par shes pa ni bral ba ste rnam par shes pa’i ngo bo nyid dang rnam par shes pa’i de bzhin nyid ni sangs rgyas kyi chos so ||
gzugs ni chos thams cad mu med pa’i chos (260b1) nyid do ||
de bzhin du tshor ba dang ’du shes dang ’du byed rnams dang rnam par shes pa ni chos thams cad mu med pa’i chos nyid do ||
gzugs ni stong pa mu med pa’i chos nyid do ||
de bzhin du tshor ba dang ’du shes dang ’du byed rnams dang rnam par shes pa ni stong pa mu (2) med pa’i chos nyid do ||
gzugs ni sems dang sems las byung ba mu med pa’o ||
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1. Conditioned coproduction
Subhuti: If a Bodhisattva wins full enlightenment, is that due to the production of the first thought of enlightenment, or due to the last thought of enlightenment? Those two acts of thought can nowhere be synthesized [and therefore they cannot cooperate in producing a result].
How can an accumulation of a Bodhisattva’s wholesome roots take place? The Lord: What do you think, Subhuti, is the wick of a burning oil lamp burned up by the first incidence of the flame, or by the last incidence of the flame? Subhuti: Not so, O Lord!
It is not burned up by the first incidence of the flame,
nor independent of it,
and it is also not burned up by the incidence of the last flame, nor independent of it.
The Lord: Has then this wick been definitely burn up? Subhuti: Yes, Lord.
The Lord: In the same way, it is neither through the first nor through the last thought of enlightenment, nor independent of them (353) that a Bodhisattva wins full enlightenment.
He does not win it through these productions of thought, nor otherwise than through them.
And yet he does win full enlightenment.