17. Dharmaratnanidhāna
How then, son of good family, does the bodhisatva grasp the treasury of the Dharma Jewel (dharmaratnanidhāna) of the Awakened Lords?
Son of good family, the treasury of the Dharma Jewel (dharmaratnanidhāna) of the Awakened Lords is imperishable (akṣaya).
Thus, as many as are the entrances into the essential character of behaviour in all living beings, so many are the entrances into knowledge which is the gate into the treasury of the Dharma Jewel of the Awakened Lords (yāvantaḥ sarvasatvānāṃ caritalakṣaṇānupraveśās tāvad api buddhānāṃ bhagavatāṃ dharmaratnanidhānamukhajñānapraveśāḥ).
Just as the behaviour of living beings is imperishable and endless, in the same way, the treasury of the Dharma Jewel of the Awakened Lords is also imperishable and endless (yathā satvacaritam akṣayam anatam evam api buddhānāṃ bhagavatāṃ dharmaratnanidhānāny akṣayāṇi anatāni).
From the night (rātri) when the Tathāgata attained awakening (bodhiprāpta) to the night of his extinction (parinirvāṇa), the treasury of the Dharma Jewel (dharmaratnanidhāna) has been explained, is being explained, and will be explained by the Tathāgata. All of them are what they really are (tathatā), not different from what they are (avitathatā), and nothing else but what they are (ananyathā).
Why is it called ‘such’ (kasmāt tatheti)? Since it is the entrance into the peace of suchness, it is called 'such’ (tathatāśāntisaṃprasthitatvāt tatheti).
Why is it called ‘suchness without error’ (kasmāt avitatheti)? Since it is the entrance into the highest truth, it is called ‘suchness without error.’ (paramārthasatyasaṃprasthitatvāt tatheti)
Why is it called ‘suchness that is not other’ (kasmāt ananyatatheti)? Since he seeks nothing else but the essential nature (svabhāva), there is no other.
Further, as for the treasury of the Dharma Jewels of the Awakened Lords, even though living beings of a system of threefold thousand great thousand worlds (trisāhasramahāsahasralokadhātuparyāpanna) were as learned as (bāhuśruta) Ānanda, all of them would not be able to understand even a syllable (akṣara) in hundreds of thousands of millions of aeons (kalpakoṭīśatasahasra); and further they would not be able to teach even a single meaning (ekārtha) - such a true teaching (yathābhūtadeśanā) is the treasury of Dharma Jewels belonging to the Awakened Lords.
The bodhisatvas, having grasped it, do not forget (saṃpramoṣayati) any letter or lose any meaning (artha), and they please (ārādhyati) all living beings, gratify (ārāgayati) all the Buddhas, vanquish all the Evil Ones (sarvamāra), subjugate all other heretics (sarvānyatīrthika), and appease all vices (sarvakleśa). Thus they understand the Dharma Jewel Words.
In this way, son of good family, the bodhisatva grasps the treasury of the Dharma Jewel (dharmaratnanidhāna) of the Awakened Lords.
rigs kyi bu de la (3) ji ltar na byaṅ chub sems dpa’ saṅs rgyas bcom ldan ’das dag gi chos dkon mchog gi mdzod ’dzin pa yin źe na |
rigs kyi bu saṅs rgyas bcom ldan ’das ’dag gi chos dkon mchog gi mdzod ni mi zad pa ste |
sems can thams cad kyi spyod pa’i mtshan ñid la rab tu ’jug (4) pa ji sñed pa saṅs rgyas bcom ldan ’das rnams kyi chos dkon mchog gi mdzod la gzud pa’i ye śes la ’jug pa’aṅ de sñed do ||
ji ltar sems can gyi spyod pa mi zad ciṅ mtha’ med pa de bźin du saṅs rgyas bcom ldan ’das rnams kyi chos dkon mchog gi mdzod kyaṅ mi (5) zad ciṅ mtha’ med pa’o ||
chos dkon mchog gi mdod ces bya ba ni gaṅ gi nub mo de bźin gśegs pas byaṅ chub brñes pa nas | gaṅ gi nub mo yoṅs su mya ṅan las ’das pa de’i bar du de bźin gśegs pas bśad pa daṅ ’chad pa daṅ | ’chad par ’gyur ba de thams (6) cad ni de bźin no ||
ci’i phyir de bźin źes bya źe na | de bźin ñid źi ba la yaṅ dag par źugs pas de’i phyir de bźin źes bya’o ||
ci’i phyir ma nor ba de bźin ñid ces bya źe na | don dam pa’i bden pa la yaṅ dag par źugs pa (7) de’i phyir ma nor ba de bźin ñid ces bya’o ||
ci’i phyir na gźan ma yin pa de bźin ñid ces bya źe na | de bdag gi ṅo bo ñid ma yin par gźan du mi btsal te | de’i phyir gźan ma yin pa’o ||
yaṅ saṅs rgyas bcom ldan ’das rnams kyi chos dkon mchog gi mdzod ni stoṅ gsum (267b1) gyi stoṅ chen po’i ’jig rten gyi khams su gtogs pa’i sems can rnams maṅ du thos pa kun dga’ bo lta bur gyur kyaṅ de dag thams cad kyis bskal pa bye ba phrag stoṅ du yaṅ yi ge khoṅ du chud par mi nus so || yaṅ don gcig tu bstan te ji lta ba bźin du bstan pa ’di lta bu (2) ni saṅs rgyas bcom ldan ’das rnams kyi chos dkon mchog gi mdzod do ||
de byaṅ chub sems dpa’ rnams ’dzin te ji ltar yi ge thams cad mi brjed ciṅ don thams cad mi ñams par sems can thams cad mgu bar byed | saṅs rgyas thams cad rab tu mñes par byed | (3) bdud thams cad pham par byed | mu stegs can gźan thams cad tshar gcod || ñon moṅs pa thams cad źi bar byed ciṅ de dag la chos dkon mchog rab tu sgrogs pa de ltar ’dzin to ||
rigs kyis bu de ltar na byaṅ chub sems dpa’ saṅs rgyas bcom ldan ’das rnams kyi chos (4) dkon mchog gi mdzod ’dzin pa yin no ||