法界次第初門 3.27

3.27

The reason the nine kinds of dhyāna are explained next after the four reliances is that once a bodhisattva has obtained the correct basis of reliance, they are able to advance in cultivating profound and vast great practices. When speaking of the profound and vast internal practices, none surpasses meditative absorption; hence the Dà zhìdù lùn states: 'Dhyāna is the greatest, like a king.' Mentioning dhyāna subsumes everything; that is to say, when bodhisattvas attain the path, arise to turn the wheel of the Dharma, and enter nirvāṇa, all their supreme and wondrous meritorious qualities are entirely contained within dhyāna. Now, clarifying distinctive contemplation: the bodhisattva's attainment of the path, arising to turn the wheel of the Dharma, and entering nirvāṇa with supreme and wondrous meritorious qualities—all methods of mental cultivation are contained within the nine kinds of dhyāna; hence they are explained next after the four reliances. Although the intent of these nine kinds of dhyāna is found in the Yingluo jing, their names are not listed and explained there. It is in Bodhisattva Maitreya's composition, the Dichi, where the six pāramitās are clarified, that the characteristics of the nine kinds are delineated; they are all unshared dhyānas of the bodhisattva, from intrinsic-nature dhyāna up to pure [purity], not shared with the practitioners of the two vehicles. Now, in order to clarify the bodhisattva's unshared sequence, their profound and vast internal practices, and the methods of mental cultivation, among the six pāramitās these nine great dhyānas are specifically singled out. The reason these nine are collectively called 'dhyāna' is that the translation and explanation of the name are the same as before; thus, the name is identical, but the characteristics of the dharmas differ.