Section 4. How Perverted Views Can be Avoided
(Summary 4: …This section explains how a Bodhisattva avoids perverted views (extremes) by performing jubilation and dedication [T1] ⇐⇒ without perceiving thoughts or dharmas as inherently real [T2] ⇐⇒ aligning with tathatā as pointed to by the Union of the Two Truths [U2T].
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Maitreya and Subhuti emphasize that a Bodhisattva must not identify thoughts of rejoicing or dedication as fixed entities (“this is that thought”) but recognize their empty nature—extinct, stopped, departed, reversed [T2].
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By understanding that all dharmas, including merit and enlightenment, are empty and cannot be cognized as real entities [T2] ⇐⇒ the Bodhisattva dedicates merit [T1] ⇐⇒ without “settling down” in the process [T2] ⇐⇒ ensuring the act is non-poisonous and free from attachment [T2].
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This skillful means [T1] ⇐⇒ combined with wisdom wisdom [T2] ⇐⇒ allows the Bodhisattva to act conventionally [T1] ⇐⇒ without attachment, reification, effort or absolute [T2] ⇐⇒ while embodying the Middle Way [U2T].
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The text warns that perceiving merit or dharmas as real leads to a “poisonous” dedication, like consuming appealing but toxic food, as it involves reification.
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Instead, the Bodhisattva rejoices and dedicates [T1] ⇐⇒ as the Tathāgatas see it — with their Buddha-cognition, ⇐⇒ knowing the empty nature, kind, and mode of all dharmas [T2] [U2T].
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This practice [T1] ⇐⇒ supported by constant study of the Perfection of Wisdom [T2] [U2T] ⇐⇒ ensures the Bodhisattva’s actions are unincluded in the triple world (sense-desire, form, formless) ⇐⇒ and accord with Reality as it is [U2T].
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By not treating phenomena as signs and acting with non-attached compassion, the Bodhisattva’s dedication becomes a “great turning over” into the dharma-element, perfect and conducive to universal enlightenment.)
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TEXT: Maitreya: The Bodhisattva must not, as a result of any thought by which one is turning this over, become one perceiving any thought. It is thus meritorious work founded on jubilation becomes such as is turned into, or rather perhaps, revealed as full enlightenment.
Subhuti: If one does not perceive any thought, identifying it as 'this is that thought,' as such a Bodhisattva has no perverted perception, thought or view. But if one perceives the thought by which one turns this over, identifying it as 'this is that thought,' as such one becomes one who perceives thought. As a result one has perverted perception, thought and view.
But any Bodhisattva turns over rightly, not wrongly, as one perceives and brings to mind any thought which turns over in such a way as one regards it as 'just extinct,' extinct as 'stopped, departed, reversed'; and as one reflects thusly, as what is extinct cannot be turned over; and as this extinctness as 'stopped, departed, reversed,' is the very dharmic nature also of any thought by which one turns over, and also of the dharmas through which one turns over, as well as of the dharmas to which one turns over, it is thus any Bodhisattva turn this over.
One considers any future Buddhas, present Buddhas, or past, future and present Buddhas in this same way in which one considers any past Buddhas.
So now, under which circumstances is one without perverted perception, thought or views? If, while one turns over, one brings to mind any dharmas as extinct, stopped, departed, reversed, and any dharma into which it is turned over as inextinguishable, this, [the wholesome root] becomes something which is turned over into full enlightenment. For one does not settle down in any process of dedication.
If further one considers no dharma can be turned over into a dharma, it becomes something which is turned over into full enlightenment. It is thus by which any Bodhisattva who turns over is without perverted perception, thought or view, for one does not settle down in any process of dedication. If further, one perceives any thought cannot cognize any thought, neither of itself nor another, nor can dharma cognize dharma, now too, this has become something which is turned over into full enlightenment. This is the supreme maturity of any Bodhisattva.
But if, on the other hand, a Bodhisattva perceives any accumulation of merit, one cannot turn it over into full enlightenment due to one settling down in some process of dedication.
If further one reflects this (any) accumulation of merit is isolated and quietly calm, and also any meritorious work founded on jubilation is isolated and quietly calm...one turns over into full enlightenment.
But, if in addition one does not even perceive any conditioned events are calmly quiet and isolated, such is Perfection of Wisdom of such a Bodhisattva. But one does not turn over into full enlightenment if one perceives this to be any wholesome root of Buddhas, the Lords having gone to parinirvāṇa; or as this wholesome root by which it is turned over is just as illusory and is of the same kind, has the same mark, belongs to the same class, has the same own-being. For Buddhas and Lords do not allow a dedication to take place through a sign.
One neither brings to mind nor turns over any wholesome root to full enlightenment if one brings about a sign by reflecting anything which is past is extinct, stopped, departed, reversed; what is future has not yet arrived; and of any present no stability is got at, and that this which is not got at has no sign or range.
On the other hand one also does not turn over to full enlightenment if one fails to bring about a sign or to bring to mind anything whatsoever as a result of sheer inattentiveness, or if one fails to attend as a result of lack of mindfulness, or of lack of understanding. But such and said wholesome root becomes something which is turned over into full enlightenment on condition of one bringing to mind such and said sign, but does not treat it as any sign. It is thus the Bodhisattva trains oneself herein. This is known as one's skill in means. When, through skill in means, one turns over any wholesome root, one is near to all-knowledge. The Bodhisattva wanting to train oneself in this skill in means, however, constantly commits to hearing just this Perfection of Wisdom, studying it and asking questions derived from it. For without the help of Perfection of Wisdom one untaught cannot enter on the work of dedication by means of Perfection of Wisdom. But one does not make a statement to any effect such as thanks to Perfection of Wisdom it is possible to transform any meritorious work into full enlightenment. For stopped are any such personal lives, stopped are any such karma-formations, calmly quiet, isolated, lacking in basis.
Moreover, as this person has brought about a sign, and made a discrimination, one perceives what is truly real in what is not truly real as it were truly real, and one would transform a basis into what is without basis. Buddhas, the Lords do not allow one's wholesome roots to become something which is in this way transformed into full enlightenment, for even these become to one so inclined a great basis. Even the parinirvāṇa of Buddhas and Lords, one so inclined treats as a sign and discriminates, thusly one believes oneself to get at Nirvāṇa from a viewpoint, and this is not the dedication carried out by one who perceives any basis which the Tathāgatas have called a source of great welfare. For this process of dedication is not without poison, not without torn.
It is just as with foods seeming excellent, but is really poisonous. Its color, smell, taste and touch seem desirable, but nevertheless, as poisonous it is best shunned and not eaten by circumspect people. Although food, stupid people might think it best to be eaten. The color, smell, taste and touch of this food promise happiness, but its transformation in any person eating it surely leads to a painful conclusion. As a result one incurrs death, or deadly pain.
Just so some perceivers of a basis who seize badly the meaning of what is well taught, badly distinguish it, badly master it, and misunderstand it, not understanding the meaning as it really is, these instruct and admonish others to consider the mass of merit of the past, future and present Buddhas and Lords, in the way described before, to rejoice at it, and to turn over into full enlightenment the meritorious work founded on jubilation. Thus this turning over, since it is being carried out by means of a sign, is turned into poisonousness. It is just like the poisonous food mentioned before. Here can be no turning over for someone who perceives a basis. For a basis is poisonous and has a range. Herein a person who belongs to the vehicle of Bodhisattvas does not train oneself thus.How now does one train oneself? How does one take hold of the wholesome root of the past, future and present Buddhas and Lords? And how does anything which is taken hold of become something which is successfully taken hold of? How does one turn over? And how does it become something which is successfully turned over into the supreme enlightenment?
Here the son or daughter of a good family who belongs to the vehicle of Bodhisattvas, and who does not want to calumniate Tathāgatas, thus rejoices over all and any wholesome root, and turns it over thus: "I rejoice in this wholesome root which is considered in the way in which Tathāgatas with their Buddha-cognition and their Buddha-eye know and see it, -its kind such as it is, its class such as it is, its quality such as it is, its own-being such as it is, its mark such as it is, and its mode of existence such as it is. And I thus turn this over in such a way as these Tathāgatas can allow this wholesome root to be turned over into full enlightenment."
As one thus rejoices, thus turns over, a Bodhisattva becomes free from guilt. The righteousness of Buddhas, the Lords, is rejoiced in. This wholesome root becomes something which is turned over into full enlightenment. And one does not calumniate any Tathāgatas. In this way one's turning over becomes a non-poisonous turning over, a great turning over, a turning over into the dharma-element; it becomes perfect, quite perfect, through this earnest intention and resolve of one thus turning over. Moreover, someone who belongs to the vehicle of Bodhisattvas turns this over with understanding all morality, concentration, wisdom, emancipation, vision and cognition of emancipation, are unincluded in any world of sense-desire, the world of form, the formless world, and as such these are neither past, future, nor present.
For everything that is in any three periods of time or in any triple world is unincluded in ultimate reality. In consequence the turning over is also unincluded, and so is the dharma [i.e. Buddhahood] into which this process of transformation is being turned, - if only one firmly believes this. As a Bodhisattva turns over in such a way, such ones as this one is can never again lose the turning over, and it becomes unincluded, non-poisonous, a great turning over, a turning over of the dharma-element, perfect, quite perfect. But, on the other hand, as one settles down in what one may turn over, and treats it as a sign, one now turns it over wrongly. A Bodhisattva, however, turns over with the idea such as it is through this turning over into the dharma-element, as the Buddhas, the Lords know and permit it, this wholesome root becomes something which has been turned over into full enlightenment, successfully turned over. This is the right method of turning it over. And in this way it becomes something that has been turned over into supreme enlightenment, successfully turned over.
The Lord: Well said, Subhuti, well said. You perform the office of the Teacher as you demonstrate Dharma to the Bodhisattvas. For it is this turning over, which is the turning over of the dharma-element, which is the turning over of a Bodhisattva. He thinks: "As the Buddhas and Lords know and see this wholesome root in this dharmahood, -its kind such as it is, its class such as it is, its quality such as it is, its own-being such as it is, its mark such as it is, its mode of existence such as it is, -so I rejoice in it as these. And as these grant permission, so I turn it over."
