譬如丈夫行入巨海。超進極遠乃致衆寶。
(21)如是大姉。正諦觀察空
無相願及無所行。不(22)生不起。聲聞之乘。縁覺之乘。令難進者至不(23)退轉。乃離因縁。
又如有人入大戰中。使難進(24)者將護忿諍。令無所害致爲難也。如是大姉。(25)其諦觀察三脱門者。不失善權其難
亦爾(26)女復問言。何謂菩薩爲權方便
文殊師利答(27)曰。權方便者。知其時節不捨恐畏生死分部(28)泥洹伴黨。
權方便者。示恐懼門。謂生死門。泥(b1)洹之門。空無之門。所見之門。無相之門。無願(2)之門。彼所想門。無所行門。精進本徳遵行(3)之門。無所出門。現世之門。無所立門。陰種諸(4)入無所起門。無所滅門典所行門。澹泊之(5)門。開化衆生導示之門。法界之門。護正法門。(6)聲聞之門。縁覺之門。説佛道門。度佛道門。
若(7)使菩薩見恐懼門者。於一切門而無所著。是(8)則名曰善權方便。
取要言之貪欲門哉離諸(9)愛故。瞋怒門哉離於結恨。愚癡門哉離於不(10)明。塵勞門哉離於穢濁。諸趣門哉無往來(11)故。是爲菩薩善權方便。
至於一切愚夫行門。(12)所學無學縁覺菩薩如來之門。其能曉了此(13)諸門者。是則名爲善權方便
譬如大海易入難出。
何以故無善方便(c1)故。
如是聲聞縁覺入空無相無作法中。無方(2)便故不能自出。最勝精進菩薩有方便故能(3)入能出。
譬如有人入陣鬪戰身無傷損而能(4)免出。是最爲難。如是菩薩入空無相無願三(5)解脱門。有方便故則能免出。是則名爲菩薩(6)方便
(7)勝金色女問文殊師利言。云何名爲菩薩方(8)便。
文殊師利言。方便有二種。一者不捨生死。(9)二者不住涅槃。
復有二種。一者空門。二者惡(10)見門。復有二種。一者無相門。二者相覺觀門。(11)復有二種。一者無願門。二者願生門。復有二(12)種。一者無作門。二者種善根行門。復有二種。(13)一者無生門。二者示生門。復有二種。一者無(14)出門。二者陰入界門。復有二種。一者寂滅門。(15)二者出生門。復有二種。一者定門。二者教化(16)門。復有二種。一者法界門。二者護正法門。復(17)有二種。一者聲聞門。二者深心菩提行門。復(18)有二種。一者辟支佛門。二者四無礙門。
若有(19)菩薩於如是等二種法門。爲他示現無所執(20)著。於一切法門亦復如是。是名方便。
復有二(21)種門。一者貪門。二者離貪門。復有二種。一者(22)瞋門。二者離瞋門。復有二門。一者癡門。二者(23)離癡門。復有二門。一者煩惱門。二者離煩惱(24)門。復有二種。一者一切生門。二者離生門。此(25)名菩薩方便門。
復有二種。一者一切凡夫行(26)門。二者一切學無學聲聞辟支佛菩薩如來(27)門。若能知此二種門者。是名菩薩最勝方便
Just as, sister, it is easy to go into the ocean, but getting hold of the great pearls and return is hard (tadyathā bhagini mahāsāgarapraveśaḥ sukaro mahāratnāny ādāya vyavartanaṃ duṣkaram).
In the same way, sister, to reflect on emptiness is easy, but returning from it is difficult for the one without expedient means (evam eva bhagini śūnyatāpratyavekṣā sukaropāyarahitena vyāvartanaṃ duṣkaram);
to reflect on absence of distinguishing marks, wishful thinking and formative factors, the absence of birth and origination, the way of development of the disciples and the isolated buddhas is easy, but returning from it is difficult for the one without expedient means (ānimittāpraṇihitānabhisaṃskārājātyanutpādaśrāvakanyāmapratyekabuddhanyāmapratyavekṣā sukaropāyarahitena vyāvartanaṃ duṣkaram).
Just as, sister, it is easy to enter a great battle, but getting out without injuries and unhurt is hard. In the same way, sister, to enter the three gates of liberation is easy, but returning is difficult for the one without expedient means (tadyathā bhagini mahāyuddhapraveśaḥ sukaro ’vraṇitānupahatottarṇaṃ duṣkaram, evam eva bhagini trivimokṣamukhapraveśaḥ sukara upāyarahitena vyāvartanaṃ duṣkaram).
The girl said: What, Mañjuśrī, are expedient means like?
Mañjuśrī said: Expedient means, sister, is not giving up the two opposite sides, that is, the side of existence and the side of extinction (kīdṛśo mañjuśrīr upāya iti, mañjuśrīr uvāca, upāya iti bhagini yad dvipakṣāprahāṇaṃ kiṃ tu saṃsārapakṣo nirvāṇapakṣaś ca).
Expedient means, sister, is demonstrating the dual gates (upāya iti bhagini yo mukhadvaysaṃdarśaṇaḥ), that is, the gate of existence and the gate of extinction (saṃsāramukhaṃ nirvāṇamukhaṃ ca), the gate of emptiness and the gate of freedom from viewpoints (śūnyatāmukhaṃ dṛṣṭivimokṣamukhaṃ ca), the gate of absence of distinguishing marks and the gate of freedom from distinguishing marks (ānimittamukhaṃ nimittavimokṣamukhaṃ ca), the gate of absence of no wishful thinking aand the gate of being born according to one’s wish (apraṇidhānamukhaṃ saṃcintyopapattimukhaṃ ca), the gate of absence of things formed and the gate of forming the good (anabhisaṃskāramukhaṃ kuśalābhisaṃskaraṇamukhaṃ ca), the gate of no birth and the gate of demonstrating birth (anutpādamukham utpādasaṃdarśanamukhaṃ ca), the gate of no activity and the gate of parts of the personality, spheres and fields of senseperception (apravṛttimukhaṃ skandhadhātvāyatanamukhaṃ ca), the gate of no origination and destruction and the gate of birth and activity (anutpādānirodhamukhaṃ utpādapravṛttimukhaṃ ca), the gate of isolation and the gate of maturing beings (vivekamukhaṃ satvaparipācanāmukhaṃ ca), the gate of total reality and the gate of caring for every single thing (dharmadhātumukhaṃ sarvadharmapratirakṣaṇamukhaṃ ca), the gate of the way of disciplines and the gate of the determination of the bodhisatva (śrāvakayānamukhaṃ bodhisatvādhyāśayamukhaṃ ca), the gate of isolated awakening and the gate of never forgetting the qualities of the Buddha (pratyekabodhimukhaṃ buddhadharmāsaṃpramoṣamukhaṃ ca).
Sister, the bodhisatva demonstrating the dual gates but not getting attached to any gates is called able in expedient means (yo bhagini bodhisatvo mukhadvayam upadarśayann api sarvamukheṣv asaktaḥ sa upāyakuśala ucyate).
In the same way with the gate of desire and the gate of absence of desire (evam eva rāgamukhaṃ vigatarāgamukhaṃ ca), the gate of aversion and the gate of absence of aversion (dveṣamukhaṃ vigatadveṣamukhaṃ ca), the gate of bewilderment and the gate of absence of bewilderment (mohamukhaṃ vigatamohamukhaṃ ca), the gate of vices and the gate of absence of vices (kleśamukhaṃ vigatakleśamukhaṃ ca), the gate of all movement and the gate of absence of movement (sarvagatimukham agatimukhaṃ ca), this, sister is the bodhisatvas ability in expedient means (idaṃ bhagini bodhisatvasyopāyākauśalyam).
The gate of the behaviour of the ordinary naive beings and the gate of the behaviour of the one to be trained, the one without need of further training, the disciple, the isolated buddhas as well as that of the bodhisatva, the knowledge of these two gates is the ability in expedient means of the bodhisatva (yad bālapṛthagjanacaryāmukhaṃ śaikṣāśaikṣaśrāvakapratyekabuddhabodhisatvacaryāmukhaṃ ca yad taddvayajñānam idam bodhisatvasyopāyakauśalyam ucyate).