gaganagañjaparipṛcchā, volume 6
Then the bodhisatva Ratnaśrī addressed himself to the bodhisatva Gaganagañja: “Son of good family, was the supramunane way purified by you?”
Gaganagañja said: “Son of good family, it was purified by purifying myself.”
Ratnaśrī said: “Son of good family, how did you purify yourself?”
Gaganagañja said: “Since this world is pure, son of good family, I am originally pure.”
Ratnaśrī said: “Son of good family, what is the purity of the world?”
Gaganagañja said: “Since the form (rūpa) is originally pure, it is deathless (acyuta).
Since the form in the future will be pure, it is without coming.
Since the form in the present is pure, it is established in the true state (dharmatāsthita).
In the same way, since the feeling, perception, formative factors and consciousness (vedanāsaṃjñāsaṃskāravijñāna) are originally pure, those are deathless.
Since the consciousness (vijñāna) in the future will be pure, it is without coming.
Since the consciousness in the present is pure, it is established in the true state (dharmatā). Son of good family, this is the purity of the world.”
Ratnaśrī said: “As for the pure world, where can we see it?”
Gaganagañja said: “Son of good family, you can see such pure world in all dharmas.”
Ratnaśrī said: “How can we see all the dharmas?"
Gaganagañja said: “It is when we know how to distinguish the past and future of all dharmas by means of insight and knowledge (prajñājñāna)”
Ratnaśrī said: “How do you distinguish the past and future of all dharmas?”
Gaganagañja said: “Where there is no cessation (pariccheda) or eternity (śāśvata).”
Ratnaśrī said: “Where is no cessation or eternity?”
Gaganagañja said: “Where there is no cessation or eternity there is no origination or extinction (anutpannāniruddhatā).”
Ratnaśrī said: “What is this place without origination or extinction?”
Gaganagañja said: “It cannot be verbally expressed.”
Ratnaśrī said: “Why is that?”
Gaganagañja said: “Because the dharma is incalculable and ineffable.”
Ratnaśrī: “Son of good family, how can you count the incalculable dharmas (asaṃkhyeyadharma)?”
Gaganagañja said: “Just as, even though on the earth it is possible to measure open space, in open space it is impossible, just so, even though it is possible to measure by means of calculation (gaṇanamukhena), it is still impossible to measure by means of calculation. This is because the nature of the means of calculation is non-calculation.”
Ratnaśrī said: “What then are the means of calculation and the means without calculation?”
Gaganagañja said: “The means of calculation is conditioned (saṃskṛta), and the means without calculation is unconditioned (asaṃskṛta).
Therefore, that which is without calculation in the unconditioned is beyond calculation, and that which is beyond calculation is unconditioned, thus the Lord said that by means of insight one should calculate, investigate, and give up what is to be given up.
Accordingly, when the bodhisatva calculates the dharma in the conditioned, measures it in his consciousness, and reflects on it in the right way, he never sees any dharma which is to be fully known (parijñeya), to be eliminated (prahātavya), to be realized (sākṣātkartavya), or to be cultivated (bhāvayitavya).
Since the bodhisatva never sees any dharma, he does not establish any dharma.
Where he does not establish any dharma, there is the attainment of the absence of basis (anālaya).
Where he attains the absence of basis, there is not anything to be wanted.
Where there is nothing to be wanted, there is nothing to be obtained.
Since he is free from mental conception (upalambha), there is nothing related to the self (amama) or nothing to be grasped (aparigraha).
What is non-grasping? It is not grasping permanence or impermanence in form, as well as in feeling, perception, formative factors or consciousness (vedanāsaṃjñāsaṃskāravijñāna);
it is not grasping suffering or happiness in form, as well as in feeling, perception, formative factors or consciousness; it is not grasping the self or selflessness in form, as well as in feeling, perception, formative factors or consciousness;
it is not grasping the beautiful or the ugly in from, as well as in [feeling, perception, formative factors or] consciousness; it is not grasping emptiness or non-emptiness in from, as well as in [feeling, perception, formative factors or] consciousness.
Even though he does not grasp anything, he attains concentration (samādhi). He stays within existence (saṃsāra), but he never grasps any vice of existence.
Even though he makes living beings believe in extinction, he attained extinction from the beginning (ādiparinirvṛta).
What then is the extinction of the bodhisatva?
Extinction (parinirvāṇa) is the unconditioned (anabhisaṃskṛta).
Even though the bodhisatva never makes even a small bad action (akuśalakarman), he still enters into grasping for the good actions (kuśaladharma).
Since the bodhisatva makes all composite things (sarvasaṃskṛta) as belonging to body, speech, and mind (kāyavākcitta), he, having investigated them, transforms them into omniscience.
He does not seek omniscience as form nor feeling, nor perception, nor formative factors, nor consciousness.
Because he is not attached to his thoughts and morality, while fulfilling all his vows (sarvapraṇidhāna), he never sees (na samanupaśyati) the dharma in which there is increase or decrease.
Since the dharma does not decrease nor increase, the bodhisatva, having attained the sameness of all dharmas (sarvadharmasamatā), performs the practice of a bodhisatva, being established in the absolute reality (dharmadhātu), thus he neither performs nor practices any dharma.
Son of good family, the bodhisatva who has attained such extinction performs the practice of the bodhisatva (bodhisatvacaryā).
Why is that? When the bodhisatva is established in the unconditioned (abhisaṃskāra) among all constructed, he attains extinction, and therefore the bodhisatva does not construct things among all the constructed things. Thus the unconditioned is called ‘extinction (parinirvāṇa)’ because it is not conditioned.
Since the other shore (pāra) is that which does not enter into consciousness (vijñāna), the bodhisatva is characterized (prabhāvita) as having no conceptual activity (avijñapti), thus it is called ‘extinction.’
Since the other shore is without distinguishing marks (animitta), the bodhisatva does not transform his thoughts into distinguishing marks, thus it is called ‘extinction.’
Since the other shore is beyond false imagination (parikalpa), his thoughts do not enter into the imagination, thus it is called ‘extinction.’
Since the other shore is baseless, he does not transform his thoughts into the absence of basis (anālaya), thus it is called ‘extinction.’
Therefore, son of good family, this is the extinction of the bodhisatva, namely performing the practice of the bodhisatva.
Then the Lord applauded the bodhisatva, the great being Gaganagañja (atha khalu bhagavān gaganagañjāya bodhisatvāya mahāsatvāya sādhukāram adāt): “Well done, good man, well done (sādhu sādhu satpuruṣa). If it should be explained, I will say like that.”
When this teaching was declared, five hundred bodhisatvas produced the tolerance [that all things are unborn (anutpattikadharmakṣānti)].
Then the bodhisatva, the great being Gaganagañja addressed himself to the Lord: “O Lord, we attained eloquence by this light of the dharma from the tathāgata (tathāgatadharmāloka).
Just as forms appear in dependence on light, so we attained shining eloquence by the power generated by the tathāgata.”
Then the bodhisatva Ratnaśrī said this to the bodhisatva Gaganagañja: “Son of good family, why do you hide your knowledge and teach that you attained eloquence by the presence of the Buddha (buddhādhiṣṭhāna)?”
Gaganagañja said: “Son of good family, all the eloquence of the bodhisatvas, even a small part of it, should be seen as the presence of the Buddha. Why is that? If the buddhas do not make those dharmas appear, how could the bodhisatva attain eloquence?”
Ratnaśrī said: “Son of good family, how is the eloquence transferred?”
Gaganagañja said: “Son of good family, there is no transference [of eloquence,] but, nevertheless, the eloquence is attained by the eloquence of the Buddha.”
Just as, even though ignorance (avidyā) is not transferred to the formative factors (saṃskāra), the formative factors are produced by the cause of ignorance, just so, even though the eloquence of the Buddha is not transferred anywhere, by its cause the eloquence still arises.
Just as the sounds of horses, elephants, and human beings (hayagajamanuṣyakāḥ śabdāḥ) are not transferred to an echo (pratiśrutkā) but because of it the echo (pratiśrutkā) arises, just so the eloquence of the Buddha is not transferred anywhere but by its cause the eloquence still arises.”
Ratnaśrī said: “Son of good family, dependent origination (pratītyasamutpāda) is profound (gambhīra).”
Gaganagañja said: “In the same way any dharma is never born.”
Ratnaśrī said: “Son of good family, what is it that there is no dependent origination of any dharma?”
Gaganagañja said: “Son of good family, if a certain agent (kartṛ) is in conditions, the dharmas will be born, but, because any agent is not apprehended in conditions, the agent is not apprehended in any dharma.
Ratnaśrī said: “Son of good family, what is it that the Tathāgata never appears?”
Gaganagañja said: “if suchness arises, the tathāgata will appear, but still we hold the view that suchness never arises. Why is that? Suchness is brought about (prabhāvita) through non-arising. One who understands all dharmas just like the suchness, he is called the tathāgata.
Ratnaśrī said: “Son of good family, why did the tathāgata come?”
Gaganagañja said: “Something like that should be let alone (sthāpanīya).”
Ratnaśrī said: “What is this letting alone?”
Gaganagañja said: “Because the absolute truth (dharmadhātu) is in accordance with its proper place (yathāsthāna).”
Ratnaśrī said: “What is the place of the absolute truth?”
Gaganagañja said: “It is not the place of birth nor the place of death, it is neither a place nor non-place. Such a place is the place of the absolute truth, and just the place of absolute truth is the place of all dharmas.
The place of all dharmas is not a place, and that which is not a place is without place because there is no place of birth or place of death, thus it is neither a place nor non-place. Such is the place of the tathāgata which is not considered as the place of birth nor the place of cessation.
In this way, son of good family, that the tathāgata appears is an extreme (eko ’ntaḥ) and that the tathāgata never appears is another extreme, thus you should seek the tathāgata from the middle way (madhyamapratipad) which is free from both extremes, namely the existence of birth or the non-existence of birth.”
Ratnaśrī said: “Son of good family, although that the buddha arises from the absence of the place of birth or death is profound, son of good family, who would believe this appearing of the buddha?”
Gaganagañja said: “One who does not make any matter of dispute (adhikaraṇa).”
Ratnaśrī said: “Son of good family, how is ‘matter of dispute (adhikaraṇa)’ explained?”
Gaganagañja said: “Son of good family, ‘matter of dispute (adhikaraṇa)’ is a word for imputing (samāropa).
One who does not impute anything to any dharma does not makes any matter of dispute concerning any dharma, therefore a word for ‘no matter of dispute’ is a word for sameness (samatā);
a word for sameness is a word for the incomparable (asadṛśa);
a word for the incomparable is a word for the absence of words (apada);
a word for the absence of words is a word for the absence of letters (anakṣara);
a word for the absence of letters is a word for the absence of information (avijñapti);
a word for the absence of information, in which there is no activity (apracāra) of thoughts and mind (cittamanas), is a word for the absence of activity;
Just as, even though bird-tracks do not remain in the sky, we still talk about it with the place of sound, in the same way, whether the buddha is born or unborn, we still talk about it with the word to be born.
In that case, even though the bodhisatva teaches non-origination (anutpāda), he still makes things appear.
Why is that? Because the essential nature of all dharmas (sarvadharmasvabhāva) is the essential nature of unbornness (anutpādasavabhāva);
the essential nature of unbornness (anutpādasvabhāva) is without own nature (niḥsvabhāva);
that which has no essential nature, in that there is no existence;
that in which there is no existence, that is established nowhere, thus all dharmas are the limit established nowhere (apratiṣṭhitakoṭi);
the limit established nowhere is the limit of all dharmas, thus all the dharmas are called ‘being established in the limit of reality (bhūtakoṭi)’;
what is called the limit of reality is the unlimited limit (aparicchinnakoṭi);
since the limit is in accordance with all limits, all dharmas appear as having attained the limit.
Why is that? Because, even if the limit attains another part of the sky, it is still the same limit in the sky. Just as there is no border dividing the sky, just so there is no limit of any dharma (sarvadharmakoṭi) in the limit of reality (bhutakoṭi).
Since the limit of reality is the limit of the self (ātmakoṭi), by knowing the limit of the self, the knowledge of the limit of all beings is understood.
Since the limit of all dharmas is unified with the limit of all beings, all dharmas are called ‘the limit of exhaustion (kṣaya), the end of exhaustion, and the ultimate of exhaustion.’
What is called ‘exhaustion (kṣaya)’ is a designation (adhivacana) for extinction (nirvāṇa), and thus all dharmas are the same as extinction.
Why is that? Because it is without adversary (niṣpratipakṣa).
Just as there is no adversary in open space, so there is no adversary in all dharmas.
Those who seek extinction (nirvāṇa) in the perspective of an adversary see birth and death, and those who think that these dharmas will be born and will die never know the sameness of extinction (nirvāṇasamatā) since they practice in birth and death.
Therefore, the Lord said “You should know! you should know! Do not dispute! Do not dispute! Fulfill the indisputable excellent qualities of ascetics (śrāmaṇa)!”
Complete text
I. The Occasion