འཕགས་པ་དགངས་པ་ངས་པར་འགྲལ་པ་ཞས་བྱ་བ་ཐག་པ་ཆན་པའ་མད 50

50

This was the seventh chapter, on Paramārthasamudgata.

Then the bodhisattva Maitreya addressed a question to the Bhagavān: "Bhagavān, based on what, relying on what, does a bodhisattva cultivate śamatha and vipaśyanā in the Mahāyāna?"

The Bhagavān replied: "Maitreya, it is by resting upon and relying on the establishment of designations of phenomena and the non-abandonment of the aspiration for unexcelled, perfect bodhi.

"Bhagavān, with respect to the four objective bases of śamatha and vipaśyanā that were taught—namely, the conceptual image, the non-conceptual image, the limits of existence, and the fulfillment of the purpose—how many of them are the ālambana of śamatha?"

He replied: "One, namely the non-conceptual image."

"How many are the ālambana of vipaśyanā?"

He replied: "Only one, namely the conceptual image."

"How many are the ālambana of both?"

He replied: "Two, namely the limits of existence and the fulfillment of the purpose."

"Bhagavān, by relying on and dwelling upon those four objective bases of śamatha and vipaśyanā, how does a bodhisattva seek śamatha and become skilled in vipaśyanā?"

The Bhagavān replied: "Maitreya, the establishment of the designations of phenomena that I have spoken to bodhisattvas—namely, sūtra, geya, vyākaraṇa, gāthā, udāna, nidāna, avadāna, itivṛttaka, jātaka, vaipulya, adbhutadharma, and upadeśa—