Texts/Sāgaramatiparipṛcchāsūtra
Heralded by a miraculous flood, the celestial bodhisattva Sāgaramati arrives in Rājagṛha to engage in a Dharma discussion with Buddha Śākyamuni. He discusses an absorption called "The Pristine and Immaculate Seal" and many other subjects relevant to bodhisattvas who are in the process of developing the mind of awakening and practicing the bodhisattva path. The sūtra strongly advises that bodhisattvas not shy away from the afflictive emotions of beings—no matter how unpleasant they may be—and that insight into these emotions is critical for a bodhisattva's compassionate activity. The sūtra deals with the preeminence of wisdom and non-grasping on the path. In the end, as a teaching on how to deal with māras, the sūtra illuminates the many pitfalls possible on the path of the Great Vehicle. (Source: 84000)
Description from When the Clouds Part
This sūtra[1] is quoted twice in RGVV[2] in the context of the tathāgata heart’s phase of being a bodhisattva. The first quote describes how bodhisattvas deliberately retain certain afflictions in order to be reborn in saṃsāra and yet are not harmed by these afflictions. The second quote uses the example of the purification of a precious beryl that had been lying in the mud for many years. This example, the sūtra says, illustrates that bodhisattvas see the natural luminosity of the mind of sentient beings, which is obscured by adventitious afflictions but never tainted in its essence (this is repeated once elsewhere). By virtue of that, they give rise to the mind-set for purifying the minds of sentient beings and liberating them. Elsewhere, the sūtra says that the dhātu of sentient beings is primordially pure and that what is called a "sentient being" refers simply to mistakenness, ignorance, saṃsāric existence, craving, being ensnared by views, and improper mental engagement. The text also states that bodhisattvas constantly give rise to compassion, make efforts, and dedicate their own virtues and those of others so that the lineage of the three jewels does not become interrupted. Otherwise, this sūtra does not contain elements of the teachings on buddha nature. (p. 47)
- D152 (115 folios) as well as Taishō 397 (5) and 400.
- J47–50.
| Other Titles | ~ ārya-sāgaramati-paripṛcchā-nāma-mahāyāna-sūtra |
|---|---|
| Text exists in | ~ Tibetan ~ Chinese |
| Canonical Genre | ~ Kangyur · Sūtra · mdo sde · Sūtranta |
| Literary Genre | ~ Sūtras - mdo |
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