Terms

“Turning over”—This is another way Conze translates what can simply be called “dedication of merit.”

Jubilation—Rejoicing in the merit of others, particularly buddhas and awakened qualities.

Overall Teaching

A bodhisattva should rejoice in all the qualities of awakening and dedicate the merit of them to the attainment of buddhahood but without perceiving any sign/basis.

Summary

1.     Supreme Merit of Dedication and Jubilation

a.     Compared to giving, morality, and meditational development, a bodhisattva’s rejoicing at the merit of others and dedicating merit to the awakening of all beings is superior. [135]

2.     The Range of Jubilation

a.     A bodhisattva considers all realms, times, and buddhas, their attainments, merits, perfections, powers, [136] full awakening, qualities of teaching the Dharma, and associated merits and roots, [137] and all together rejoices in all of that.

b.     After rejoicing, the bodhisattva turns it over to their and all beings attainment of awakening. [138]

3.     A Metaphysical Problem

a.     Those things through which the bodhisattva rejoices are not treated as “signs.” But, Subhūti asks, founded on what does he dedicate to what awakening? [139]

b.     Maitreya says that this should only be taught to an irreversible bodhisattva, and they, regardless, make that jubilation and dedication without trembling.

c.     But, Subhūti asks, without any thought truly meeting any other thought, is it not impossible to truly rejoice and dedicate?

d.     Śakra says that this, again, shouldn’t be taught to beginners on the bodhisattva path, but asks how one can succeed in these tasks. [140]

e.     Subhūti explains to Maitreya that after considering the roots and merits (2.a.) a bodhisattva rejoices and then dedicates the work founded on rejoicing to awakening, [141] but asks how one can not have a perverted (wrong) view when one does that.

4.     How Perverted Views can be Avoided

a.     Maitreya explains that one, in dedicating, simply does not perceive the thought, and in this way does not have a perverted view. [142]

b.     One dedicates regarding thought of dedication as extinct, stopped, departed, reversed, and consider buddhas of three times as one considers past ones. [-148]

c.     Dedication occurs when one does not consider any phenomena being dedicated, likewise when one perceives that thought is not cognizing thought, [149] when ones work is “isolated and quietly calm,” and when one does not perceive that all events are “isolated and quietly calm,” then that is their Perfection of Wisdom.

i.     Doing any of this with regards to a sign is not dedication.

d.     The bodhisattva who wants to train in these methods should study the Perfection of Wisdom. [150]

i.     Yet, one should not cognize that one achieves anything “thanks” to the Perfection of Wisdom.”

e.     Those who badly understand this, and practice in a sign/basis, are like people who eat attractive food, which is really poisonous. [151-2]

f.      How then does one dedicate? The bodhisattva should rejoice in wholesome roots of the buddhas, considering it to be dedicated in such a way that the buddhas can allow them to be dedicated to full awakening. This method is guiltless.

g.     Also, one should dedicate understanding awakened qualities to be unincluded in the three worlds and three times. [153] Thus it is dedicated as completely signless.

h.     The Buddha praises this explanation. [154]

5.     Considerations of Merit

a.     Such a jubilation and dedication is superior to the establishment of beings in the various attainments up to Pratyekabuddhahood. [155-6]

b.     But if all bodhisattvas provide for beings in all worlds while perceiving a basis/sign, while they would have an incalculable heap of merit, the merit compared to one who dedicates dedicating to the “dharma element” (i.e. without a sign) is infinitesimal. [157]

c.     The gods of the Four Great Kings praise this kind of dedication with all sorts of flowers and adornments. [158-9]

d.     The Buddha says, considering beings who give in such a manner, and a bodhisattva who rejoices without a basis/sign, the merit of the former is infinitesimal compared to the latter. [160]

e.     The Buddha says that this is why this jubilation and dedication is the most excellent. [161-2]

f.      The second reason why it is the most excellent jubilation and dedication is that no dedication takes place, nothing is passed on or destroyed, it is unbound and unattached, just as all dharmas and qualities of awakening. [163]

g.     Again, the Buddha reaffirms that the merit of anyone practicing while perceiving a basis/sign is infinitesimal, even if they were abused, even if they were completely patient and never lazy, and even if they enter the dhyānas. [164-168]