12.

Chapter 12

The Training According to the Samādhi

12.1 “Young man, those are the qualities and benefits that a bodhisattva who
knows the nature of all phenomena will have. He will describe the true,
excellent qualities of the tathāgatas. He will not falsely say that which is
untrue about the tathāgatas. Why is that? It is because he knows perfectly
that nature, which is the nature through which a tathāgata comes to be.530 He
knows the infinite qualities of a buddha. Why is that? Young man, the
qualities of a buddha are infinite, inconceivable, beyond thought. They
cannot be conceived or measured. Why is that? The mind, young man, is
taught to be without a nature of its own,531 to be without form.532 Young
man, that nature of the mind is also the nature of the qualities of a buddha.
That nature of the qualities of a buddha is also the nature of the tathāgatas,
and that is the nature of all phenomena.
12.2 “Young man, the bodhisattva mahāsattva who knows correctly that
teaching on the nature of all the qualities is called, young man, a bodhisattva
mahāsattva with profound comprehension. He is skilled in emancipation. He
knows perfectly emancipation from the three realms. He has perfect
knowledge, does not teach that which is erroneous, and does not say that
which is anything other than true. [F.43.b] His conduct is in line with what he
teaches. He has no attachment to the three realms. He has transcended the
three realms. He has transcended the level of desire, the level of form, the
level of formlessness, the level of the kleśas, the level of names, and the level
of language. He is skilled in the way of letters and words. He knows freedom
from letters.533 He has mastered the inexpressible Dharma. He knows letters.
He is skilled in letters. He is skilled in the knowledge of the categories of
letters and words. He is skilled in the knowledge of the detailed categories of
letters and words. He is skilled in the knowledge of the categories of all the
words534 of the Dharma. He is skilled in the knowledge of the detailed
categories of all the words535 of the Dharma. He is skilled in the knowledge536
 of the presentation of all the Dharma. He is endowed with the certainty of
understanding, so that all the evil māras and all the devas in their entourages
cannot overcome him.”
12.3 At that time, when this Dharma teaching was given, ninety-eight times a
hundred thousand million devas and human beings who had created the
karma in previous lifetimes,537 had accumulated538 a trillion retentions,539
were unobscured, and had insight into the Dharma, all attained patience.540
The Bhagavān prophesied to them all that after four million, eight hundred
thousand countless eons they would attain the highest, complete
enlightenment of perfect buddhahood. He prophesied to each of them their
separate names, their identical lifespans, and the individual buddha realms
where they would attain the highest, complete enlightenment of perfect
buddhahood.
It was said:

12.4 “The wise bodhisattva who seeks to attain

The highest, supreme enlightenment,
Who is skilled in meaning and the Dharma,
Practices the nature of phenomena. {1}

12.5 “He says nothing that is untrue

About the unique qualities of the buddhas.
The hero, free of all doubt,
Knows the nature of the jinas. {2}

12.6 “He knows that all phenomena have but a single meaning,
And that is solely emptiness.
They do not have different meanings.
He becomes adept in that single meaning. {3}

12.7 “The wise one knows that they are without thought,
Are devoid of thought, and that there is no object. [F.44.a]
He has eliminated without remainder
Every conception of cessation and noncessation. {4}

12.8 “He does not see the one with ten strengths as form,
But sees the lion of men as the dharmakāya.
Neither does he conceive of attributes
Because he has eliminated all error. {5}

12.9 “The qualities are inconceivable, beyond thought.

They have the nature of complete peace.
With this knowledge he thus sees
The buddhas as the supreme among humans. {6}
12.10 “Just as he knows his own conceptions to be,
Thus he directs his understanding of everything.
All phenomena have that nature,
Which is as completely pure as space.541 {7}

12.11 “Nothing arises to his conceptual mind.

He knows emancipation542 from all phenomena.
He is liberated from the three realms
And he has no aspiration for them.543 {8}

12.12 “He is one who sees correctly and does not say
Anything to the contrary or any untrue words.
All the words that he speaks
Come forth through the power of the jinas. {9}

12.13 “He transcends the level of desire,

And the levels of kleśas, form, and formlessness.
His mind has no attachment to phenomena.
He practices with joy, benefiting beings. {10}

12.14 “He has transcended the level of words;

His knowledge of language is obtained from its nature.
For however long he speaks
He knows those words have no basis. {11}

12.15 “There is no activity of conceptualization;

Incorrect views have completely ceased.
His understanding is completely assured.
It has a stability like that of space. {12}

12.16 “Even though quintillions of māras

Come to disturb his mind,
He overcomes all the māras
And does not fall under their power. {13}

12.17 “He has rejected the net of the māras.

He has pure, untroubled conduct.
He aspires to the bliss of dhyāna
And knows the world to be empty. {14}

12.18 “Even though it’s said the world is an aggregate,

He knows it to be empty,
And that all phenomena are like space,
Without birth and without cessation. {15}
12.19 “He has forsaken the self, but not the conduct544
Or listening to the teaching of the one with ten strengths.545 [F.44.b]
He has attained perfect conduct
And will be reborn wherever he prays to be. {16}

12.20 “He goes to the buddha realms.

He sees many millions of buddhas.
He has no desire for the deva realms
And he does not pray to be there. {17}

12.21 “While he is practicing the Dharma,

His diligence does not waver for an instant.
He is highly praised by
The buddhas in the ten directions. {18}

12.22 “Therefore, young man, when you have received

This Dharma teaching of the samādhi,
Rejecting the profits of the intellect,
Teach this Dharma to the people. {19}

12.23 “The one who wishes for the numerous qualities

Possessed by the self-arisen buddha
Should train in this goodness
And become a buddha with the ten strengths.” {20}

12.24 Conclusion of the twelfth chapter, “The Training According to the Samādhi.”