[Pramāṇa](https://indike.org/pramana/) › [Indian literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in) › [Buddhist Literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha) › [Buddhist Sanskrit literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit) › [Mahāyāna sūtras](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra) › [Doctrinal sūtras](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.dharma) › [Hastikakṣya](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.dharma.hastikaksya) › [གླང་པོའི་རྩལ་ཞེས་བྱ་བ་ཐེག་པ་ཆེན་པོའི་མདོ](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.dharma.hastikaksya*bo) › [The Strength of the Elephant](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.dharma.hastikaksya*bo~en-84000) › 9 # གླང་པའ་རྩལ་ཞས་བྱ་བ་ཐག་པ་ཆན་པའ་མད 9 The Strength of the Elephant 9 - **Language:** English ### [9](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.dharma.hastikaksya*bo~en-84000.9) “bodhisattva great beings assume the state of a hell being by entering the absorption known as great lotus, while at the same time experiencing all the joys of the gods, including the most subtle of them. For their part, hell beings perceive these bodhisattvas as hell beings because they are themselves hell beings. Through this appearance, bodhisattvas expound the Dharma to those denizens of the hell who have the potential to be extricated from the hells. They completely liberate many thousands of beings from the hells. Thus, Mañjuśrī, bodhisattvas assume the state of a hell being while at the same time experiencing the state of the higher realms.” “Blessed One,” asked Mañjuśrī, “how do bodhisattvas assume the state of an animal, while at the same time experiencing the great extent of human qualities?” “Mañjuśrī,” replied the Blessed One, “bodhisattvas assume the state of an animal by entering the absorption known as settling in complete peace, and without experiencing any impairment to their mental faculties, they experience the great extent of human qualities. Through this appearance, they explain the Dharma to beings that have become animals and so establish many thousands of beings in the Dharma. Thus, Mañjuśrī, bodhisattvas experience the condition of an animal while at the same time experiencing the great extent of human qualities.” “Blessed One,” asked Mañjuśrī, “how do bodhisattvas embrace a birth in the lower castes, while at the same time experiencing the pleasures of a cakravartin’s kingdom?” The Blessed One replied, “Mañjuśrī, in order to do this, bodhisattvas enter the absorption known as subduing and illuminating. By means of this absorption, which is conquering and illuminating, they embrace a birth in the lower castes, while at the same time experiencing the pleasures of a cakravartin’s kingdom. - [Previous: 8](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.dharma.hastikaksya*bo~en-84000.8) - [Next: 10](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.dharma.hastikaksya*bo~en-84000.10) ## Linked texts (1) - [གླང་པོའི་རྩལ་ཞེས་བྱ་བ་ཐེག་པ་ཆེན་པོའི་མདོ](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.dharma.hastikaksya*bo.9) — Classical Tibetan --- Source: [https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.dharma.hastikaksya*bo~en-84000.9](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.dharma.hastikaksya*bo~en-84000.9) · Pramāṇa