四教義 9.9

9.9

Second, regarding cultivating bodhisattva practices: this means upholding, reading, and reciting the Mahāyāna Vaipulya [sūtras], explaining them for others, personally practicing the holy practice, and also teaching others to practice the holy practice. As for personally practicing the holy practice, the Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra explains that holy practice has three kinds: first, the holy practice of precepts; second, the holy practice of concentration; third, the holy practice of wisdom. The bodhisattva reflects that the principle of Buddha-nature is profound, subtle, and difficult to see, and cannot be entered suddenly by the initial mind; one must uphold precepts, cultivate concentration and wisdom, and sequentially regulate the mind through the three contemplations to enter the middle way. Only when the afflictive hindrances of the three truths are eliminated does one then attain the path, perceive the Buddha-nature, and abide in great nirvāṇa. The distinctive characteristics of the three contemplations are as explained before. First, regarding the holy practice of precepts: the bodhisattva protects and maintains the precepts of the five divisions just as one protects a floating buoy. When the rākṣasas of the two kinds of afflictions—craving and views—come begging, saying, 'If you can give them to me, I will cause you to enter nirvāṇa,' this means causing one to attain a nirvāṇa belonging to the worldly pleasures of craving, or a nirvāṇa belonging to the worldly pleasures of views. If the bodhisattva does not violate the precepts in compliance with craving and views, one is endowed with the five branches of precepts, namely: being endowed with the pure precepts of the bodhisattva's fundamental karma, the pure precepts of preceding and following associates, the pure precepts of being free from evil thoughts, the pure precepts of protecting right mindfulness, and the precepts of dedicating toward the complete unsurpassed path. Furthermore, one protects both the intrinsically grave precepts and the precepts prohibiting worldly censure, regarding them as equal and without difference. Upholding precepts like this, one bestows them on all sentient beings, vowing that all sentient beings may attain the prohibitive precepts, the well-purified precepts, the good precepts, the unbroken precepts, the unfragmented precepts, the Mahāyāna precepts, the non-retrogressing precepts, the compliant precepts, the ultimate precepts, and the precepts that fully accomplish all pāramitās. When a bodhisattva is well able to protect and uphold the precepts, one attains entry into the initial stage of immovability. Abiding in the stage of immovability, the bodhisattva is immovable and non-retrogressing, does not fall and is not dispersed; this is called the bodhisattva cultivating the holy practice of precepts. Second, regarding cultivating the holy practice of concentration: this refers to following and contemplating the breath from the initial ānāpāna, entering the fundamental dhyāna of holding excellence, penetrating clarity, and purity. One sees the thirty-six components of the body just as a person with clear vision opens a granary and sees grain, millet, hemp, and beans; further, distinguishing the thirty-six components, one does not see any self. Further, one cultivates the contemplation dhyāna of the eight emancipations, contemplating the impurity of the internal and external body. Removing the skin and flesh, one carefully contemplates the white bones and sees the bone colors and characteristics differ, namely blue, yellow, white, and pigeon-colored; such bone characteristics are also without self, and one attains the concentration of the desire realm of contemplation dhyāna. At that time, the bodhisattva sequentially contemplates the bones: when contemplating the blue bones, one sees this great earth in the east, west, south, and north all with blue characteristics; yellow, white, and pigeon-colored are also likewise. This is the completion of the concentration of the stage of not-yet-arrived dhyāna of contemplation. It is also said that when performing this contemplation, light of colors such as blue, yellow, red, white, and pigeon-colored emerges from between the eyebrows, and within the light one sees the Buddha; this is the first emancipation. This extends to accomplishing the eight emancipations, eight stations of mastery, ten totalities, nine sequential attainments, lion-sprint samādhi, and step-over samādhi. When the bodhisattva abides in such dhyāna concentrations as the emancipations and stations of mastery, cultivating the four immeasurable minds, the six pāramitās, the four means of embracing, and supernatural transformations, this is shared mindfulness. Further, through upholding, reading, and reciting the Mahāyāna Vaipulya [sūtras], reflecting on their names and meanings within dhyāna concentration, and cultivating the four unobstructed discernments, this is object-oriented mindfulness. If these applications of mindfulness are accomplished, one attains abiding in the stage of patient endurance; this is called the bodhisattva cultivating the holy practice of concentration. If these two applications of mindfulness are not yet congruent with mindfulness of dharmic nature, they still belong to the initial worthy stage of settling the mind. Third, regarding cultivating the holy practice of wisdom: this refers to the four truths. The Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra says: 'What is called suffering has the characteristic of oppression; arising has the characteristic of being able to produce and grow; cessation has the characteristic of quelling; the path has the characteristic of the Mahāyāna. Furthermore, suffering has the characteristic of manifestation; arising has the characteristic of transformation; cessation has the characteristic of removal; the path has the characteristic of being able to remove. Furthermore, suffering has the characteristic of the three sufferings; arising is the twenty-five realms of existence; cessation is the extinguishing of the twenty-five realms of existence; the path is cultivating precepts, concentration, and wisdom.' This means first contemplating the four truths of arising and ceasing, subduing the delusions of view and thought within the realms, and cultivating mindfulness of dharmic nature, which is the correct contemplation of the truth of suffering in terms of arising and ceasing. If one contemplates this as the arising of suffering, this as the cessation of suffering, and this as the path to the cessation of suffering, correctly contemplating the four truths of arising and ceasing in this manner, one indirectly contemplates the principle of non-arising, immeasurable middle way Buddha-nature. And by directly using the four truths of arising and ceasing to subdue all the clustered knots of afflictions belonging to views and craving within the realms, all this is the power of wisdom of mindfulness of dharmic nature. The meaning of mindfulness of dharmic nature is fully as explained before. If the bodhisattva attains this mindfulness of dharmic nature and joins it with the previous shared and object-oriented mindfulnesses, then in the stage of patient endurance one's wisdom and roots of goodness increase. From the initial mind of faith up to the mind of vows, when the ten minds are accomplished, this is the iron-wheel, external ordinary, dry wisdom, and subduing patience. Question: How many dharmas does the bodhisattva of the distinctive teaching accomplish such that the mind of faith attained is different from that of the previous shared teaching? Answer: Returning to the ten dharmas, one knows they are different: first, believing in correct causes and conditions, which means knowing the causes and conditions of the four kinds of four truths without confusion. Second, truly generating the bodhicitta, which means knowing to give rise to a mind of compassionate universal vows regarding the immeasurable four truths. Third, diligently cultivating calming and insight, which means knowing how to sequentially and skillfully cultivate the four kinds of calming and insight. Fourth, universally dismantling dharmas, which means contemplating the emptiness, provisionality, and middle way of causal arising and ceasing to universally dismantle delusions regarding the three truths. Fifth, knowing passageway and blockage, which means knowing that the four paths and cessations are passageways, while the four sufferings and arisings are blockages. Sixth, skillfully cultivating the aids to the path, which means knowing how to sequentially cultivate the four kinds of thirty-seven aids to the path. Seventh, skillfully cultivating auxiliary methods for the path, which means the emancipations and stations of mastery being able to accomplish all counteragents, and the six pāramitās assisting in opening the three liberations. Eighth, skillfully discerning stages, which means knowing that based on the four kinds of four truths one enters the seven stages without presumption or error. Ninth, patiently enduring strong and soft robbers, which means knowing that when cultivating the four path truths, the mind is able to be at ease regarding the four sufferings and arisings. Tenth, non-arising of attachment to dharmas conforming to the path, which means knowing that sequentially cultivating the four path truths gives rise to all dharmas conforming to the path without giving rise to an attached mind. The bodhisattva of the mind of faith of the distinctive teaching understands these ten matters clearly, differing from the mind of faith of the shared teaching. Understanding the import of these ten dharmas deeply, they can then be used to explain the ten minds of faith, until below when explaining the ten faiths of the perfect teaching their characteristics will be brought out completely. The Yingluo jing says: 'One faith has ten, and ten faiths have a hundred; these hundred dharmas are the root of all methods of the path.'