How a Bodhisattva Permanently Eradicates Poverty

 The Jewel-Heap Sutra,  (Ratnakuta Sutra) Vol. 42

“Furthermore, Sariputra, when great bodhisattvas practice śīla (precept observance) pāramitā, they should keep this in mind: ‘Worldly beings feel at ease relying on their erroneous views, and are conceited, thus gaining nothing from their mentor’s teachings. What will they miss? The sacred treasures. What are the sacred treasures? They are the notions of faith, moral discipline, learning, conscience, shame, detachment, and wisdom. These dharmas denote sacred treasures. Those beings are called the extremely poorest because they don’t have the sacred treasures.’ The great bodhisattva should also keep this in mind: ‘I should practice the dharma of marvelous autonomy to respectfully accept and comply with my mentor’s teachings. What does this mean? Due to the dharma of marvelous autonomy, great bodhisattvas respectfully accept and comply with their mentor’s teachings, which will allow them to achieve personal realization. What can they realize and attain? The sacred treasures. And what are the bodhisattvas’ sacred treasures? The sacred treasures denote the spiritual Dharma-gate distinction of the bodhisattva repository. That is to say, having a thorough understanding of the bodhisattva’s dharma of marvelous autonomy, which essentially refers to the marvelous autonomy of a Buddhist Dharma preacher based on the Dharma-gate distinction of the bodhisattva repository, who can fluently and extensively give various discourses on the Dharma to living beings and can debate and postulate, reveal and elucidate, analyze and differentiate, and manifest the Dharma’s expansion. Having abided in the bodhisattva repository, the great bodhisattvas obtain the sacred dharma treasures and permanently eradicate poverty. Thus, they will rapidly attain the perfect anuttara-samyak-sambodhi.’” 

《大寶積經》卷42：

「復次舍利子！菩薩摩訶薩行尸羅波羅蜜多時，發如是心：『世間眾生邪僻自在，反執師教無所剋獲。不獲何等？所謂聖財。云何聖財？謂信、戒、聞、慚、愧、捨、慧，如是等法是謂聖財。彼諸眾生不獲此故名極貧窮。』菩薩摩訶薩又作是念：『我今應修妙善自在，於師教誨隨順敬受。所以者何？菩薩摩訶薩由妙自在，於師教誨隨順敬受，有所證得。何所證得？所謂聖財。何等名為菩薩聖財？謂菩薩藏法門差別。了知菩薩妙善自在，即說法師妙善自在，於菩薩藏法門差別，廣為眾生宣暢敷演，辯了建立、開闡分別、顯示流布。菩薩摩訶薩安住如是菩薩藏已，獲聖法財永斷貧窮，速疾證於阿耨多羅三藐三菩提。』」

Remark:

 The term sacred treasures mean  “lifetime after lifetime.” The sacred treasures are validated throughout the stream of transmigration and are not limited to this current life.

 Once Buddhist practitioners aspire to take the Bodhi Path to attain Buddhahood, their foremost task is to attain awakening to initiate their prajna (wisdom generated from the True Mind). The practice method on how to approach prajna, however, can be passed down only by enlightened Buddhist mentors. In view of this, bodhisattvas’ minds should pinpoint how to deserve a good mentor from whom one can learn about the required intellectual virtues and merits, including being able to condition one’s mind to take courses on the Dharma (marvelous autonomy, meaning both the body and mind are prepared and disposed to practice the Dharma), accumulating abundant Dharma wealth, and respectfully accepting and practicing the instructions of one’s mentor to attain awakening to the True Mind, whereby great bodhisattvas are able to understand the Dharma-gate distinction of the bodhisattva repository (the True Mind) themselves and are then able to preach it to others.

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