sahiṣṇutā ca caryāyāṃ duṣkarāyāṃ śubhā yataḥ |
tadguṇāparimāṇatvād agrārthena nirucyate ||
’di ltar dka’ ba spyod pa la | ci mi sñam pa dge phyir daṅ ||
de yi yon tan tshad med pas | mchog gi don du brjod pa yin ||
23-25. The gift of the Law is superior to any other gift, because
a) it makes worthy the two (viz. the place where the doctrine has been given i. e. preached pṛthivī-pradeśa, p. 28, l. 10, and the giver of it, i.e, the preacher of the doctrine, p. 28, l. 14 dhārayiṣyanti... saṃprakāśayiṣyanti;
[End of chapter 12]
b) the fruits which are its outflow are very great, (because in fact no dharma has ever been preached, p. 29, l. 3 ff.);
c) it is the cause of no defilement 1); (as the gift of other things, p. 29, l. 6 ff., rather it stops all sorts of defilements);
d) it surpasses the inferior merit (in so far as its aim is the realization of supreme illumination and not the obtainment of the signs of the mahāpuruṣa. (This would he an erroneous assumption since the dharmakāya, as has been said before, is devoid of any sign, p. 29, l. 13 ff.);
e) from the practice of those lower merits one gets as a fruit higher pains (in so far as the practice of liberality, as a result, causes enjoyment to be experienced by one’s own body in a future life, and that body is essentially sorrow, while the merit derived from the gift of the Law makes us abandon numberless bodies) p. 29, l. 19 ff;
[End of chapter 13]
f) its ends are difficult to he obtained (referring to na mayā śruta-pūrvaḥ said by Subhūti p. 30, l. 8): and its meaning is the highest (referring to: prajñāpāramitā saivāpāramitā p. 31, l. 6 ff.);
g) the limits to its contents cannot be known;
h) its teachings are not common to those of the other sects (viz. the bhūtsaṃjñā p. 30, l. 10, is peculiar only to this doctrine);
i) it is profound and deep; (in so far as no wrong opinion, viparyāsa, is found in this doctrine concerning the existence either of the percipient or of things to he perceived, nātma-saṃjñā . .. pravartiṣyate. .. p. 30, l. 19 ff.; but in spite of this realization of non-existence, the bodhisattva does not feel any mental fear, which is of three kinds: nottrasiṣyanti, no saṃtrasiṣyanti, na saṃtrasam āpatsyante p. 31, l. 5);
k) it is superior to the sūtras of the other schools (paraṃparamiteyam p. 31, l. 6);
l) it has a great and pure connection (with the lineage) of the Buddhas (yām ca... tathāgata bhāṣante p. 31, l. 7-8).
Therefore the merit derived from the understanding and practice of the gnosis distinguishes itself from and it is far superior to that derived from the mere practice of good actions etc.
(But though the practice of the gnosis is painful, nevertheless it cannot be said to be a cause of pain; this point is made clear in the two following stanzas:)
