The Ten Inexhaustible Treasuries

Chapter Twenty-Two

VI. The Treasury of Giving

Sutra:

“Disciples of the Buddha, what is the Bodhisattva Mahasattvas’ Treasury of Giving? These Bodhisattvas practice ten kinds of giving. They are, Giving by Reducing one’s Portion, Exhaustive Giving, The Giving of Inner Wealth, the Giving of Outer Wealth, The Giving of Inner and Outer Wealth, Total Giving, Past Giving, Future Giving, Present Giving, and Ultimate Giving.

Commentary:

When the Bodhisattva Forest of Merit and Virtue finishes speaking the Treasury of Learning, he calls out again, “Disciples of the Buddha, what is the Bodhisattva Mahasattvas’ Treasury of Giving? “Among the greatest of Bodhisattvas what is the Treasury of Giving that they practice?” Then he follows with an explanation. These Bodhisattvas practice ten kinds of giving. The Bodhisattvas who practice the Ten Inexhaustible Treasuries also cultivate ten kinds of giving. They are;

• Giving by Reducing One’s Portion
• Exhaustive Giving
• The Giving of Inner Wealth
• The Giving of Outer Wealth
• The Giving of Inner and Outer Wealth
• Total Giving
• Past Giving
• Future Giving
• Present Giving
• Ultimate Giving.

Each of these is explained in detail in the following passage of text.

Bodhisattvas practice giving. Some people who have never heard the Sutras explained don’t know what a Bodhisattva is. What is a Bodhisattva? He is an enlightened sentient being who enlightens sentient beings. What is a sentient being? All those with blood and breath are said to be sentient. Things without blood and breath are said to be insentient. Bodhisattvas are those who enlighten all those with sentience. They are also sentient beings that are enlightened. Among living beings, they are those that are enlightened. Originally, they too, are living beings, but they have become enlightened.

As to enlightenment, there is self-enlightenment, enlightenment of others, and the perfection of enlightenment and practice. Self-enlightenment means that one has become enlightened oneself. This refers to those of the Two Vehicles, that is Sound Hearers and Those Enlightened To Conditions. Sound Hearers are those who, upon hearing the voice of the Buddha, the sound of the Buddha, awaken to the Way. They cultivate the Dharma of the Four Holy Truths: Suffering, Accumulation, Extinction, and the Way. One enlightened to Conditions is also called a Pratyekabuddha; he cultivates the Twelve Links of conditioned Co-Production and awakens to the Way. The Twelve Links are;

• Ignorance conditions activity
• Activity conditions consciousness
• Consciousness conditions name and form
• Name and form conditions the six entrances
• The six entrances conditions contact
• Contact conditions feeling
• Feeling conditions love
• Love conditions grasping
• Grasping conditions having/existence
• Having/existence conditions birth
• Birth conditions
• Old age and death.

These are the Twelve Links of Conditioned Co-Production. If ignorance is extinguished, then activity comes to an end. If activity comes to an end, then consciousness is extinguished. If consciousness is extinguished, then name and form are extinguished. If name and form are extinguished then the six entrances are extinguished. If the six entrances are extinguished, then contact is extinguished. If contact is extinguished, then feeling is extinguished. If feeling is extinguished, then love is extinguished. If love is extinguished, then grasping is extinguished, and when grasping is extinguished, then existence is extinguished. When existence is extinguished, then birth, old age and death are extinguished.

These Twelve Links are those which Those Enlightened to Conditions cultivate to awaken to the Way. When a Buddha is in the world, they are called Those Enlightened to Conditions. When there is no Buddha in the world, they are called Solitarily Enlightened Ones. So, cultivators who enlighten themselves are those of the Two Vehicles. They are enlightened themselves and therefore are different from common people because ordinary, common people are not enlightened.

What does it mean to not be enlightened? It means to take what is right as wrong and what is wrong as right. It means to take what is black as white and what is white as black. That’s a common person.

Those who enlighten others are Bodhisattvas. Bodhisattvas can enlighten themselves and enlighten others. A fully enlightened one is a Buddha who is complete with the three kinds of enlightenment. That’s a brief explanation of the meaning “Bodhisattva”.

The giving which a Bodhisattva practices is of three kinds;

• The giving of Wealth.
• The giving of Dharma.
• The giving of Fearlessness.

Wealth refers to all of one’s valuables. Outwardly it refers to one’s country, cities, wife, and children—all of one’s most precious gems. Inwardly, it refers to one’s head, eyes, brain, and marrow. To be able to relinquish all of this is considered to be the giving of wealth.

The giving of Dharma means to speak Dharma for living beings. It is said that of all the kinds of offerings, the offering of Dharma is the ultimate one. To use Dharma as an offering is the highest kind of gift because it can rescue people’s wisdom life. Speaking the Dharma can cause people to resolve their minds on Bodhi—on enlightenment—and to cause them to accomplish the Unsurpassed Path. That’s why among the kinds of giving, the giving of Dharma is the most important.

The giving of fearlessness is the third. This means that whenever you find someone who is frightened, or who is in some difficulty or who has gotten involved in some dangerous circumstance, you are able to comfort him and cause him to not be afraid. You cause his mind to settle and be peaceful without any fear.

Every Bodhisattva who practices the Bodhisattva Way should practice these ten kinds of giving. Now, we are participating in this Kuan Yin Recitation Session and everyone is singlemindedly reciting the name of Kuan Yin Bodhisattva. Kuan Yin Bodhisattva’s name means to regard all the sounds in the world. This particular Bodhisattva follows the sounds to rescue people from suffering. Whatever particular difficulty you happen to be in, if you happen to recite the Bodhisattva’s name, he will bestow fearlessness upon you and practice the giving of fearlessness.

“Kuan”, refers to the one who is able to regard, using wisdom. The world’s sounds—“shih yin”, are the experiences which are contemplated, the states. What is contemplated is the realm of the states of living beings. So, this Bodhisattva is one who uses the wisdom which is able to contemplate, the wisdom of the contemplator, to contemplate the various realms or experiences.

Now, we are all here reciting the name of Kuan Yin Bodhisattva, and Kuan Yin Bodhisattva uses his wisdom to contemplate the sounds within the minds of all living beings. He makes it so whatever we seek will be in accord with our wishes. When you participate in this session of reciting Kuan Yin Bodhisattva’s name, every time you make that sound, there is a comparable strength which arises. If you recite once, then there is one part strength. If you recite ten times, then there is ten times the strength. When you recite the name of Kuan Yin Bodhisattva, a light of aiding Dharma is emitted which reaches this Way Place. This beneficial light of the Dharma descends and reaches our Way Place and pours upon the crowns of the heads of each person who is participating in this session. It is a sweet dew which anoints the crown of your heads, to help you. You are washed clean of all of your offenses by this water of sweet dew and your good roots will be able to increase and grow.

1. Giving by Reducing One’s Portion

Sutra:

“Disciples of the Buddha, what is the Bodhisattvas’ Giving by Reducing One’s Portion? These Bodhisattvas who are humane and compassionate by nature, well practice giving. If they obtain delicious food, they do not keep it for themselves, but offer it to living beings and afterwards eat a portion. It is the same with all material objects they receive.

Commentary:

After Forest of Merit and Virtue Bodhisattva has finished naming the ten kinds of giving, he again calls out; “All of you Disciples of the Buddha, what is the Bodhisattvas’ Giving by Reducing One’s Portion? “Portion” means to divide up or portion out, and in this way to practice giving. These Bodhisattvas who are humane and compassionate by nature, well practice giving. Whoever has a disposition which is by nature humane and compassionate, is this Bodhisattva. Whoever is not naturally humane and compassionate is not this Bodhisattva.

Now, if you are this Bodhisattva, then you ought to cultivate the Bodhisattva Path. If you are not this Bodhisattva, you should change your mind and also practice the Bodhisattva Path. To be humane and compassionate is to have humanitarian feelings about people, to be good to everyone. To have a natural disposition is to be naturally endowed with that kind of character. A Bodhisattva is naturally endowed with the character of humaneness and compassion. His inherent nature is that way.

He is good at practicing charity and giving. What he likes is to be charitable and to give. Charity is being very kind to people, and in a kindly fashion practicing giving to all living beings. If they obtain delicious food —if they come into possession of some very delicious and exquisitely flavored things to eat, how do they act? They do not keep it for themselves alone. They don’t just take the whole portion for themselves to enjoy. What do they do? They offer it to living beings. They want to give to living beings. They give all of the excellent flavors, all the good things to eat, to all living beings, and afterwards eat a portion.

First of all they give them to all other living beings and then afterwards, they themselves eat. Only then do they go on to eat those delicious flavors. What is this? This is renouncing oneself for the sake of people. One forgets about oneself for the sake of all other living beings.

It is the same with all material objects they receive. It doesn’t matter who gives these Bodhisattvas the offerings of food, or offerings of clothing, or offerings of various kinds of jewelry—it’s all the same way. They act just the same way as when they obtained all the excellent flavors. They don’t take them all for themselves, but divide them up and give some to all living beings before they partake of any themselves, whether it is an offering of clothing, medicine, or bedding—it’s all treated in the same way.

So all of you think about this. Why is it that we here want to undergo suffering? Cultivating the Way here is very bitter and it’s not easy to endure this method of practice. But we endure it because we want to practice the Bodhisattva Way. Why is it that we just eat once a day? This is also because we want to economize on food and drink so we can offer them to all living beings of the world. It’s for this reason that we undergo a little discomfort and thereby enable other people to be full and warm. That’s a very good kind of practice.

Therefore, now as the Avatamsaka Sutra is spoken, all of you should reflect upon what it says. We are here practicing the Bodhisattva Path. This means that we want to take what we eat and drink and make an offering of it to the living beings of the world. This is an extremely big hearted matter. All of you can endure this kind of suffering. This is an inconceivable kind of state.

Sutra:

“When they themselves eat, they have this thought: ‘In my body there are eighty thousand worms who rely on me to live. When my body is full and content, they are full and content. When my body is suffering from hunger, they also suffer from hunger. I now accept all of this food and drink with the hope that all living beings will be full. It is in order to give that I take this food. I am not greedy for it’s flavors.’

Commentary:

“When they themselves eat, they have this thought: If the Bodhisattvas who cultivate the Ten Inexhaustible Treasuries obtain exquisite flavors and are about to eat them, they first make the following reflection: “In my body there are eighty thousand worms—within my body there are 80,000 bugs.” We people are big bugs. A human body is comprised of a lot of little bugs. And in the little bugs are numerous microorganisms. Basically our bodies are just one big collection of bugs. People who don’t understand this consider their bodies to be extremely valuable. For the sake of the body one seeks good things to eat, good things to wear, and a comfortable place to live. Everyday one spends all of one’s time looking after oneself. But you don’t know that your body is just a whole lot of small bugs congregated together to make up one big bug. In every single one of your hair pores there are gathered a whole lot of bugs.

The Bodhisattva reflects that the 80,000 bugs dwelling within his body are those “who rely on me to live. All of those bugs rely on me to survive. When my body is full and content, they are full and content. If my body is happy and full and not hungry or thirsty, all the 80,000 bugs are also full and happy. All of those bugs also have food, they have things to eat and so they are all happy and feel really fine. But, when my body is suffering from hunger, they also suffer from hunger. If my body is hungry, then they also suffer from hunger. All of those bugs in my body are also without anything to eat. If I don’t have anything to eat, they also go hungry.

I now accept all of this food and drink with the hope that all living beings will be full. It is for that reason that I eat these things,”…such as drinking a cup of tea or maybe eating a piece of fruit or maybe drinking a glass of milk or maybe eating some cheese. But as to cheese, you ought to know, all of you Americans like to eat this, but Chung Kuo (Chinese) people really don’t like to eat cheese. When Chung Kuo (Chinese) people see cheese, especially French cheese, which stinks to high heaven, they plug up their noses. Not even to speak of eating it, they won’t even smell it. But Americans say, “Oh, that’s something really good.” You think it’s so fine because all of the bugs in your body are fond of it. They’ve developed a taste for it. This is called, “getting together with the stench and liking it.”

The Bodhisattva reflects, “I now want to cause living beings universally to be full. It is in order to give that I take this food. When I eat and drink all of these things, I want all living beings also to be full of them. It’s for their sake that I eat. It’s just because I want to portion out this food and give it to all of those 80,000 bugs, that I eat and drink these things. However, I am not greedy for it’s flavors.” And so it’s not for oneself that one eats the cheese, and not out of greed for it’s flavor, but rather it is for the sake of all of these 80,000 bugs. One does not become greedy for any flavor—whether it’s good or bad, stinking or delicious. When you come right down to it, it’s the bugs who like to eat it, so I give it to them to eat.

Sutra:

“They also have this thought; ‘Throughout the long night of time, I have been lovingly attached to my body and have partaken of food and drink from a desire to fill it up. Now I use the nourishment from this food as a gift to living beings and vow to eternally cut off greed and attachment with regard to my body.’ This is called Giving by Reducing One’s Portion.

Commentary:

They also have this thought—These Bodhisattvas also strike up false thinking. They strike up false thinking about living beings and say, “Has this living being gotten to the point that I should rescue him? How is that living being doing? Have his Bodhi sprouts come up yet?” The Bodhisattvas also strike up false thinking, but it’s not the same kind of false thinking that we have. At all times it’s for the sake of teaching living beings.

“Throughout the long night of time, I have been lovingly attached to my body. During the dark and obscure night of time, what I have loved most was my body. My biggest attachment has been this body of mine. I was afraid my body would be cold, hungry, thirsty, or too hot. In every time and every place I was always taking my body into consideration. I was always taking good care of it, considering it more important than a precious gem and taking this body as a really fine thing.” But if you go without a bath for a couple of days, your body stinks unbearably. What’s so good about that? No matter how good it looks to you, it’s just like taking the most beautiful clothing and adorning a toilet. Everyone really knows, no one has to be told, that inside the body there are things that stink. The Bodhisattva also loved and was attached to his body so he didn’t become a Buddha.

The Bodhisattva continues to reflect, “and in order to make my body healthy and have the comfort of being full, I have partaken of food and drink from a desire to fill it up. I have accepted this food and drink. Now I use the nourishment from this food as a gift to living beings. I universally bestow all of this upon all of the 80,000 small bugs in my body. And vow to eternally cut off greed and attachment with regard to my body. I want to once and for all cast out greedy love and attachment.”

This is called Giving by Reducing One’s Portion. The Bodhisattva practices giving his portion—cutting down on the amount he uses, or not using his portion at all, in order to give it to other beings.

2. Exhaustive Giving

Sutra:

“What is the Bodhisattvas’ Exhaustive Giving? Disciples of the Buddha, these Bodhisattvas obtain all kinds of supremely flavored food and drink, fragrant flowers, clothes, and provisions of life. Were they to use these things themselves, they would be peaceful, happy, and long-lived. If they deny themselves and give to others, then they will be poor, miserable, and die young.

Commentary:

“What is the Bodhisattvas’ Exhaustive Giving? Just prior to this we talked about giving by reducing one’s portion. Now we come to the second kind of giving—exhaustive giving. What is the exhaustive giving of a Great Bodhisattva? Disciples of the Buddha, Forest of Merit and Virtue Bodhisattva speaks out and says, these Bodhisattvas obtain all kinds of supremely flavored food and drink. These Bodhisattvas have somehow come across a great variety of superbly flavored food and drink. Also fragrant flowers, clothes, and provisions of life —things that are able to sustain the lives of humans. Were they to use these things themselves, they would be peaceful, happy, and long-lived. They would have a peaceful and calm existence and their years would increase. If they deny themselves and give to others, then they will be poor, miserable, and die young. They will compound their sufferings and shorten their own lives. What should they do? It’s explained below.

Sutra:

“If at that time, a person comes and says, ‘You should give everything you have to me,’ The Bodhisattva says to himself, ‘From beginningless time to the present, because of starvation, I have lost my body countless times, yet I never did even a hair’s worth of benefit for living beings that would have been of wholesome benefit to me as well. Now, I should, as those before me have done, renounce my life in order to benefit living beings. According to what I own, I should renounce everything—even my very life—without any stinginess.’ This is called Exhaustive Giving.

Commentary:

These Bodhisattvas have everything that they need. If they use these things themselves, they will have long and happy lives. If they don’t use them themselves and instead give them to others, then they will certainly suffer. Their sufferings will increase and their lifespan will decrease. Given this situation, suppose another person approaches him--If at that time, a person comes and says, “You should give everything you have to me. All of these delicious foods and drinks, fragrant flowers, and handsome garments, all of those things you should give to me as a gift—all of them.”

The Bodhisattva thinks about the present situation and recalls his past—his own personal past. And so, the Bodhisattva says to himself, “From beginningless time to the present, because of starvation, I have lost my body countless times. Because of starvation I have lost my life I don’t know how many times. Yet I never did even a hair’s worth of benefit for living beings. For such a long time in the past I never did the slightest act of good for living beings. I didn’t aid living beings in ways that would have been of wholesome benefit to me as well. That is, I didn’t plant any good roots. I haven’t done any good things for living beings in the past. Nor did I get any advantage or benefit for myself.

Now, I should, as those before me have done, renounce my life. Now I should starve as I have done countless times in the past. I have all of this good food and these provisions, but I’m not going to use them. Instead I’ll give them to this person who has come to seek. I’ll probably be just as famished as I was in the past and probably die just like I did before.

Although I have food I won’t eat it. I’ll be like one who is oppressed by starvation in order to benefit living beings. In this way I may be helpful to other living beings. All of this delicious food and drink, also these fragrant flowers, garments, and other kinds of material I should give in order to help out living beings. In the past, I have not done even a hair’s breadth of benefit for others. Now that I’m so rich, I should help them out.

According to what I own, I should renounce everything.” Thereupon he agrees to the wishes of that person and renounces everything he has. “I will give even my very life.” He is willing to do it without any stinginess. “There should be nothing that I am unable to give up, including my own life. If someone says, “I want to use your life,” I certainly will give it to him.” This is called Exhaustive Giving. This is the exhaustive giving on the Bodhisattva cultivating the Ten Inexhaustible Treasuries. “Exhaustive” means giving everything one has. “Exhaustive” means there is nothing left, it’s all given away, even one’s own life.

3. The Giving of Inner Wealth

Sutra:

“What is the Bodhisattvas’ Giving of Inner Wealth? Disciples of the Buddha, suppose a Bodhisattva is youthful and robust, upright and handsome, clothed in fine garments and adorned with fragrant flowers, having just received anointment on the crown of his head to make him a wheel turning king, and who is replete with the seven jewels and ruling over the four continents.

Suppose he is approached by a person who addresses his lordship, ‘Oh, great king know that I am now old and decrepit, plagued with many illnesses, friendless, childless, emaciated, and eccentric. My death is not far off. If I had the king’s body, hands, feet, blood, flesh, head, eyes, bones, and marrow, I could go on living. I pray that the king will not be calculating or stingy, but will look upon me with kind thoughts and give himself to me.’

Commentary:

“What is the Bodhisattvas’ Giving of Inner Wealth? Now, those who study the Buddhadharma should think about this. What path do you want to cultivate? That is to say, where do you want to be reborn? What do you want to be? Do you want to be a Bodhisattva or practice as a Solitarily Enlightened One, or a Shravaka—a Sound Hearer? Do you want to be a heavenly being or a human? Do you want to be an Asura or cultivate the path of a hungry ghost? Do you want to be reborn as an animal or do you want to be reborn in the hells? Whatever path you want to cultivate or practice, you can be a guest in that path.

The Sanskrit word is gati -destination. If you want to be a Bodhisattva, you can be a guest in the Bodhisattva Path, but at no time should you think that you are in charge—that you are the host. If you think that you are in control, then you are attached. You should be objective. Look at things objectively when you cultivate these dharmas. When you cultivate the path of a Bodhisattva—you give. When you cultivate the path of a Sound Hearer—you only cultivate what’s good for yourself. When you cultivate the Bodhisattva Path, you do what’s good for everyone. When you cultivate the path of One Enlightened to Conditions, you practice the Twelve Conditioned Links of Co-Production, which are:

• Ignorance conditions
• Karmic Activity which conditions
• Consciousness which conditions
• Name and Form which conditions the
• Six Entrances which conditions
• Contact which conditions
• Feeling which conditions
• Love which conditions
• Grasping which conditions
• Existence which conditions
• Birth which conditions
• Old Age and Death.

Sound Hearers cultivate the Four Holy Noble Truths of Suffering, Accumulation, extinction, and the Path. One who cultivates the Bodhisattva Path cultivates the Six Perfections-the Six Paramitas and the Ten Thousand Conducts. The Six Pararmitas are;

• Giving
• Morality
• Patience
• Vigor
• Ch’an Samadhi
• Prajna Wisdom

To be a god you cultivate the Ten Good Acts of;

• No killing
• No stealing
• No sexual misconduct
• No harsh speech
• No double tongued speech
• No frivolous speech
• No lying
• No greed
• No hatred
• No stupidity

If you want to be a human, hold the Five Precepts of;

• No killing
• No stealing
• No sexual misconduct
• No false speech
• No taking of intoxicants

How do you go about becoming an Asura? What you should do is constantly keep a militant, fighting, aggressive attitude around you all the time. This is the Dharma Ending Age and everyone likes to fight and struggle with everyone else. That is because Asuras have been born out of this earth in great numbers. Now, if you want to be a hungry ghost, just maintain your ignorance. Don’t give anything. Hungry ghosts have this characteristic; they are unwilling to give anything whatsoever.

Therefore they are hungry ghosts lacking everything. If you want to be an animal, then bring forth your ignorance, all of your deviant views. Wear them on your sleeve and keep them in front of you when you do things. Keep this ignorance around and before long you’ll be an animal. How about the hells? If you want to be reborn in the hells, go out and kill people, set fires, break all the laws you can find, then you can fall into the hells pretty easily. You can be reborn in whatever path you wish; for whatever seeds you plant you’ll reap the corresponding fruit. A Bodhisattva cultivates giving. Giving means giving to other people, not telling other people to give to you.

Here in our Kuan Yin Recitation Session, Kuan Yin Bodhisattva can help you out. If you are really sincere and work hard at your cultivation, it’s easy to get a chance to open great wisdom so you won’t be as stupid in the future. What’s more, there’s an opportunity to open your Five Eyes. You can’t get all of the Six Spiritual Penetrations, but the Five Eyes can come. When you recite the name of Kuan Yin Bodhisattva, the Bodhisattva comes down to aid you, and you can become enlightened on the spot, immediately.

Once enlightened, you possess great wisdom and great eloquence. You get the Buddha Eye, the Dharma Eye, the Wisdom Eye, the Heavenly Eye, and the Flesh Eye—the Five Eyes. When you have the Five Eyes, then when something happens, you are not as stupid as you were before, because now you understand cause and effect. You understand what’s right and what’s wrong. Everyone has a share in this Kuan Yin Bodhisattva Recitation Session. You can obtain whatever you want, whatever you seek. You can have whatever you wish for.

This is an inconceivable and ineffable state. Not only do we people recite the name of Kuan Yin Bodhisattva, but all other Bodhisattvas recite the name of Kuan Yin Bodhisattva as well. Because the vow power of Kuan Yin Bodhisattva is so great, anyone who recites the name of Kuan Yin Bodhisattva can very quickly leave suffering and attain bliss. One can end birth and death, obtain great wisdom and light, gain a long life and increase his eloquence. All of these things can be accomplished. But if you don’t encounter a wise advisor to teach you, then you’ll understand none of this.

No matter who you are, if you feel something like a bug crawling around on top of your head or on your face, don’t rub it with your hand. Don’t pay any attention to it. This is the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas rubbing the crown of your head, helping you out. People who understand the Buddhadharma who experience this, shouldn’t pay attention to or become attached to it. Even people who don’t understand the Buddhadharma, still shouldn’t rub their face with their hands when they experience this sensation. This is really important. If you rub or scratch the place where the Bodhisattva is rubbing your crown, you interfere with what he is doing. You brush away the Bodhisattva’s hand. If you experience this sensation, just be patient; it’s a time when you don’t want to move your mind. Remain unmoving.

The Bodhisattva gives inner wealth, so the text says, “ Disciples of the Buddha, suppose a Bodhisattva is youthful and robust, upright and handsome, clothed in fine garments and adorned with fragrant flowers, having just received anointment on the crown of his head to make him a wheel turning king. He is a youthful Bodhisattva who is full-featured. Various garments and flowers adorn his person. He has just received an anointment on the crown of his head. When a Bodhisattva receives an anointment on the crown from the Buddhas, he becomes a Dharma Prince. He can become one of the four kinds of Wheel Turning Kings, either gold, silver, copper, or iron. The Gold Wheel Turning King governs the entire universe—all four continents. The Four Great Continents are;

Jambudvipa in the South
Uttarakuru in the North
Apara-Godaniya in the East
Purva-Videha in the West.

The Silver Wheel Turning King governs three continents, the Copper Wheel Turning King governs two continents, and the Iron Wheel Turning King governs one of the great continents.

This Bodhisattva is a Gold Wheel Turning monarch whose domain covers all Four Continents. He is replete with the seven jewels and ruling over the four continents. He has all seven of the precious things in their completion. The Seven Kinds of Precious Jewels are;

• The Wheel Jewel
• The Elephant Jewel
• The Horse Jewel
• The Jewel of the Divine Pearl
• The Jewel of Able Ministers
• The Jewel of the Jade Maiden
• The Jewel of Generals.

At this time, suppose he is approached by a person who addresses his Lordship. Suppose now that there is a person who requests an audience with the king. To the Gold Wheel Turning King he says, “Oh, great king know that I am now old and decrepit—I’m not young anymore like you. My eyes don’t see very clearly, my hair is all snowy white and my teeth have all fallen out. I’m plagued with many illnesses. I have contracted serious diseases. I’m friendless, childless, all alone and very isolated. I’m emaciated, and eccentric. My death is not far off. I’m skinny as a rail—very cadaverous looking.

Death is practically upon me! If only I had the king’s body—you’re so young now, if I could get a hold of your body, your hands, feet, blood, flesh, head, eyes, bones, and marrow —if you would give me all those things, then I could go on living. My own life would certainly flourish. I could get fat. I could be young again. I’d have a lot of energy and I wouldn’t die. I pray that the king will not be calculating or stingy. My wish is that you, oh king, will not think of yourself. Don’t have a second thought, don’t even think about it. Don’t think that you can’t give up your hands, your blood, your head, your flesh, bones, and marrow. Don’t be stingy and refuse to give these to me. But I hope the Great King will look upon me with kind thoughts and give himself to me. I want you to regard me with compassion, King. Give everything to me.”

All of you think about this. Who could do this? Who could give on a scale like this? I think no one would be able to give one’s own head, bones, marrow, flesh, eyes, hands, and feet. But if you can’t make this vow, you are not a Bodhisattva. If you dare to make this vow, then you are the same as all Bodhisattvas.

Sutra:

“At that time the Bodhisattva says to himself, ‘In the future my physical body must also die and will be of no benefit to anyone. It is fitting that I should immediately relinquish it to save living beings.’ Having had this thought, he gives himself away without any regrets. This is called The Giving of Inner Wealth.

Commentary:

This youthful Bodhisattva has the position of a king and has all of the Seven Jewels and riches. Such a wealthy and distinguished person is approached by an old person who comes to beg from him. This old person is on the brink of death. He definitely must have had a doctor tell him to get a blood transfusion because he didn’t have enough blood. So he goes to the great king to beg for his blood, flesh, head, eyes, bones, and marrow. He wants the king to give him all of these things so that he can prolong his life. At this time he says to the king, “You shouldn’t wait any longer, you shouldn’t mull over it or consider it to the point that you might change your mind and decide not to offer them.” Having such a person come before him to beg in this way, the king is able to achieve this merit and virtue. This is called sacrificing oneself for the sake of other people. One forgets about oneself for the sake of all living beings.

At that time the Bodhisattva says to himself, “In the future my physical body must also die. Even though I am as wealthy and honored as it’s possible to be, in the future I will die just the same.” It’s said;

The fish flit around in the water
People knock around in the world.
Not knowing to do good and virtuous deeds,
They steel their hearts and commit crimes.
They may pile up gold and silver as high as mountains,
But when they close their eyes for the final time, the whole wad is gone.
They go before King Yama empty-handed,
Weeping tears with bitter regret.

The Bodhisattva has this contemplation, “When it’s time to die, I too will die and will be of no benefit to anyone. I won’t be able to benefit other living beings or myself. It is fitting that I should immediately relinquish it to save living beings. Now this person wants to beg from me. He wants my head, eyes, bones, and marrow. I should quickly take advantage of this opportunity and make this offering in order to rescue living beings. Whatever has benefit for living beings I should quickly do without waiting around.”

Having had this thought, he gives himself away. After contemplating thus, he gives away his head, eyes, bones, and marrow to living beings without any regrets. His heart has no regrets. He doesn’t make an offering and then regret it later on. This is called The Giving of Inner Wealth. This is the third type of giving within the Ten Inexhaustible Treasuries’ Treasury of Giving which the Bodhisattva practices.

People say, “How can this be done? How can you actually sacrifice your own life as an offering? You can’t do it because you are not a Bodhisattva. If you were a Bodhisattva then you’d also be able to do this. A Bodhisattva doesn’t act on his own behalf. He’s not attached to himself. Therefore he is able to give up his own body, mind, nature, and life to all living beings in order to benefit them. If only something has benefit for living beings then he will definitely do it. Whatever can be done, he will do. What is impossible to do, he still will do. It’s not so easy to bring forth the Bodhi Heart. You have to practice what people can’t practice and give what people can’t give. This is truly a Bodhisattva who brings forth the resolve for Bodhi.

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