優婆塞戒經義菩薩心堅固品第九
Chapter 9: The Bodhisattva's Resolute Mind
善生言：「世尊！義菩薩者，云何自知是義菩薩？」
Good son said: "World-Honored One! For a bodhisattva of meaning, how does one know oneself to be a bodhisattva of meaning?"
「善男子！菩薩摩訶薩修苦行時，先自誡心。善男子！我念往昔行菩薩道時，先從外道受苦行法，至心奉行，心無退轉。無量世中以灰塗身，唯食胡麻、小豆、粳米、粟米𢇲等，日各一粒；荊棘、惡刺、㭬木、地石以為臥具；牛屎、牛尿以為病藥。盛夏之月，五熱炙身；孟冬之節，凍氷儭體。或受草食、根食、莖食、葉食、果食、土食、風食，作如是等諸苦行時，自身他身俱無利益。雖爾，猶故心無退轉，出勝一切外道苦行。
Good man! When a great bodhisattva practices asceticism, he first disciplines his own mind. Good man, I recall that in my past lives, when I was treading the bodhisattva path, I first followed non-Buddhist teachers in their ascetic practices, devoting myself entirely with a mind that never wavered. For countless lifetimes, I smeared my body with ashes and ate only one grain each of sesame, beans, rice, and millet per day. I used thorns, sharp brambles, stakes, and bare stones as my bed. I took cow dung and cow urine as medicine for illness. In the heat of summer, I let the scorching sun burn my body from five directions; in the depths of winter, I pressed my body against freezing ice. I subsisted on grass, roots, stems, leaves, fruits, soil, and even air. Yet through all these ascetic practices, neither my own life nor others' lives gained any true benefit. Even so, my mind never turned back, and I surpassed all the ascetic practices of non-Buddhist teachers.
「善男子！我於往昔為四事故，捨棄身命：一者、為破眾生諸煩惱故，二者、為令眾生受安樂故，三者、為自除壞貪著身故，四者、為報父母生養恩故。菩薩若能不惜身命，即自定知是義菩薩。
"Good man! In the past, I gave up my body and life for four reasons: first, to break through the afflictions of all beings; second, to bring them peace and happiness; third, to eliminate my own attachment to the body; and fourth, to repay the kindness of my parents who gave me life and raised me. If a bodhisattva can be willing to sacrifice body and life, then it is certain that such a one is a true bodhisattva."
「善男子！我於往昔為正法故，剜身為燈三千六百。我於爾時具足煩惱，身實覺痛，為諸眾生得度脫故，諭心令堅，不生退轉。爾時即得具足三事——一者、畢竟無有退轉，二者、得為實義菩薩，三者、名為不可思議——是名菩薩不可思議。
"Good man! In the past, for the sake of the true Dharma, I carved my body to serve as lamps three thousand six hundred times. At that time, I was still full of afflictions, and my body truly felt pain. Yet, to help all beings attain liberation, I instructed my mind to remain steadfast, never turning back. At that moment, I attained three fulfillments: first, final freedom from all regression; second, becoming a true Bodhisattva; third, being called inconceivable. This is the inconceivability of a Bodhisattva."
「又我往昔為正法故，於一劫中，周身左右受千瘡苦。爾時具足一切煩惱，身實覺苦，為諸眾生得度脫故，諭心令堅，不生退轉，是名菩薩不可思議。
"Moreover, in the past, for the sake of the true Dharma, I endured the suffering of a thousand wounds all over my body for a whole kalpa. At that time I was still full of afflictions, and my body truly felt the pain. But so that sentient beings might attain liberation, I steeled my mind and resolved never to retreat. This is called the inconceivable quality of a bodhisattva.
「又我往昔為一鴿故，棄捨是身。爾時具足一切煩惱，身實覺苦，為諸眾生得度脫故，諭心令堅，不生退轉，是名菩薩不可思議。
"Also, in the past, for the sake of a single dove, I gave up this body. At that time I was fully endowed with all afflictions, and this body truly experienced Suffering. But so that sentient beings might attain liberation, I steadied my mind and made it firm, never turning back. This is what is called the inconceivable quality of a bodhisattva."
「善男子！一切惡友、諸煩惱業，即是菩薩道莊嚴伴。何以故？一切凡夫無有智慧、正念之心，故以煩惱而為怨敵，菩薩智慧、正念具足，故以煩惱而為道伴；惡友及業，亦復如是。善男子！捨離煩惱，終不得受惡有之身。是故菩薩雖現惡業，實非身、口、意惡所作，是誓願力。以是願力受惡獸身，為欲調伏彼畜生故。菩薩現受畜生身已，善知人語、法語、實語、不麁惡語、不無義語，心常憐愍，修集慈悲，無有放逸，是名菩薩不可思議。
"Good man, all bad friends and the karma of the afflictions are themselves the adornments and companions of the bodhisattva's path. Why is this? Because ordinary people lack wisdom and Right Mindfulness, they treat the afflictions as enemies. The bodhisattva is complete in wisdom and Right Mindfulness, and so takes the afflictions as companions on the path; bad friends and karma are the same. Good man, if one abandons the afflictions, one can never receive a body in an unfortunate existence. Therefore, though a bodhisattva appears to commit bad karma, it is not actually done through evil acts of body, speech, or mind—it comes from the power of Vow. By the power of that Vow they take the body of a wild beast, in order to tame those in the animal realm. Having manifested a body in the animal realm, a bodhisattva understands human speech, Dharma speech, truthful speech, speech free of harshness, and speech that is never meaningless; their mind is always full of sympathy, they cultivate Compassion, and they are never heedless. This is called the inconceivability of the bodhisattva."
「善男子！我於往昔受熊身時，雖具煩惱，煩惱於我無自在力。何以故？具正念故，我於爾時，憐愍眾生，擁護正法，修行法行。受瞿陀身、劫賓耆羅身、兔身、蛇身、龍身、象身、金翅鳥身、鴿身、鹿身、獼猴、羖羊、雞雉、孔雀、鸚鵡、蝦蟇——我受如是鳥獸身時，雖具煩惱，煩惱於我無自在力。何以故？具正念故，憐愍眾生，擁護正法，修行法行。
"Good man, in the past, when I took the body of a bear, though I still had afflictions, the afflictions had no power over me. Why? Because I possessed Right Mindfulness. At that time I had compassion for sentient beings, protected the true Dharma, and practiced the Dharma-practice. When I took the body of a kapila deer, a kalavinka bird, a hare, a snake, a dragon, an elephant, a golden-winged bird, a dove, a deer, a macaque, a ram, a pheasant, a peacock, a parrot, or a toad—whenever I took such bodies of birds and beasts, though I still had afflictions, the afflictions had no power over me. Why? Because I possessed Right Mindfulness, had compassion for sentient beings, protected the true Dharma, and practiced the Dharma-practice."
「善男子！於飢饉世，我立大願，以願力故受大魚身，為諸眾生離於飢渴，食我身者，修道、念道，無惡罪過；疾疫世時，復立大願，以願力故身為藥樹，諸有病者，見、聞、觸我，及食皮膚、血肉、骨髓，病悉除愈。善男子！菩薩摩訶薩受如是苦，心不退轉，是名義菩薩。
"Good man, in times of famine I made a great Vow, and by the power of that Vow I took the body of a great fish, so that sentient beings might be freed from hunger and thirst. Those who eat my flesh cultivate the Path, keep the Path in mind, and commit no evil or transgression. In times of plague and epidemic I again made a great Vow, and by the power of that Vow my body became a medicinal tree. All who are ill—whether they see me, hear of me, touch me, or eat my skin, flesh, blood, or marrow—are completely cured of their sickness. Good man, a bodhisattva-mahāsattva endures such Suffering without retreating in heart. Such a one is called a bodhisattva of true meaning."
「菩薩修行六波羅蜜時，終不悕求六波羅蜜果，但以利益眾生為事。菩薩深知生死過患，所以樂處，為利眾生受安樂故。菩薩了知解脫安樂、生死過患而能處之，是名菩薩不可思議。菩薩所行，不求恩報；受恩之處，常思反報。善男子！一切眾生常求自利，菩薩所行恒求利他，是名菩薩不可思議。菩薩摩訶薩具足煩惱，於怨親所平等利益，是名菩薩不可思議。
When a bodhisattva practices the six perfections, they never seek the fruits of the six perfections; they take only the benefit of sentient beings as their concern. A bodhisattva deeply understands the faults and dangers of birth and death, and yet willingly remains within it, enduring it in peace and comfort in order to benefit sentient beings. A bodhisattva fully understands the peace of Liberation and the faults and dangers of birth and death, and yet is able to dwell amid them—this is called the inconceivability of a bodhisattva. In what a bodhisattva does, they do not seek repayment of kindness; wherever they have received kindness, they constantly think of repaying it. Good man, all sentient beings constantly seek their own benefit, while what a bodhisattva does is always to seek the benefit of others—this is called the inconceivability of a bodhisattva. A bodhisattva-mahāsattva, though fully possessed of afflictions, benefits enemies and loved ones equally—this is called the inconceivability of a bodhisattva.
「善男子！若諸外道化眾生時，或以惡語、鞭打、罵辱、擯之令出，然後調伏。菩薩不爾，化眾生時，無麁惡語、瞋語、綺語，唯有濡語、真實之語，眾生聞已，如青蓮遇月，赤蓮遇日。善男子！菩薩施時，財物雖少，見多乞求，不生厭心，是名菩薩不可思議。菩薩教化盲、聾、瘖、瘂，愚癡、邊地惡眾生時，心無疲厭，是名菩薩不可思議。
"Good man, when non-Buddhist teachers convert sentient beings, they may use harsh words, beat them with whips, scold and insult them, or expel them, and only then do they discipline them. A bodhisattva is not like this. When converting sentient beings, a bodhisattva uses no coarse or harsh words, no angry words, no frivolous words—only gentle words and truthful words. When sentient beings hear them, it is like a blue lotus meeting the moon, or a red lotus meeting the sun.
Good man, when a bodhisattva gives, though the goods may be few, if many beggars come, the bodhisattva does not grow weary of them. This is called the inconceivability of a bodhisattva. When a bodhisattva teaches and transforms the blind, the deaf, the mute, the foolish, and the wicked sentient beings of the borderlands, the mind feels no fatigue or weariness. This is called the inconceivability of a bodhisattva."
「善男子！菩薩有四不可思議：一者、所愛重物能以施人，二者、具諸煩惱能忍惡事，三者、離壞之眾能令和合，四者、臨終見惡說法轉之。是名菩薩四不可思議。
"Good man, a bodhisattva has four inconceivable qualities: first, they can give away things they deeply cherish to others; second, though they still have afflictions, they can endure harsh treatment; third, they can bring back together a community that has broken apart and make it harmonious; fourth, when they face evil at the moment of death, they can teach the Dharma and turn it around. These are called the four inconceivable qualities of a bodhisattva."
「復有三事不可思議：一者、呵責一切煩惱，二者、處煩惱中而不捨之，三者、雖具煩惱及煩惱業而不放逸。是名菩薩三不可思議。
There are three inconceivable things: first, censuring all afflictions; second, remaining amid afflictions without abandoning them; third, though possessing afflictions and the karma of afflictions, being without heedlessness. These are called the three inconceivable things of a bodhisattva.
「復有三事不可思議：一者、始欲施時心生歡樂，二者、施時為他不求果報，三者、施已心樂不生悔恨。是名菩薩三不可思議。
"There are three more inconceivable things: first, when one is about to give, the heart gives rise to joy; second, when giving, one gives for others' sake without seeking reward; third, after giving, the heart remains joyful and no regret arises. These are called the bodhisattva's three inconceivable things.
「善男子！菩薩摩訶薩作是行時，自觀其心：『我是名菩薩也？義菩薩乎？』眾生若能作如是事，當知是人即義菩薩也。
"Good man, when a bodhisattva-mahāsattva practices in this way, they examine their own mind: 'Am I a bodhisattva in name only? Or a bodhisattva in true meaning?' If sentient beings are able to do such things, you should know that such a person is a bodhisattva in true meaning.
「善男子！菩薩有二種：一者、在家，二者、出家。出家菩薩作如是事，是不為難；在家菩薩為如是事，是乃為難。何以故？在家之人多惡因緣所纏繞故。」
"Good man, there are two kinds of bodhisattvas: first, those who live at home, and second, those who leave home. For a bodhisattva who has left home, to do such things is not difficult; for a bodhisattva who lives at home, to do such things is truly difficult. Why is that? Because people living at home are entangled in many bad influences and circumstances."