釋淨土群疑論 7.35

7.35

Explanation: This is precisely a stage in the sequence of a bodhisattva's cultivation of the path. How is this known? In fascicle forty-five of the Avataṃsaka Sūtra it says: 'At that time, Mañjuśrī turned around like an elephant king, looked upon the youth Sudhana, and spoke these words: "Excellent, excellent! Good man, you have indeed been able to give rise to the anuttarasaṃyaksaṃbodhicitta and seek spiritual friends."' After various praises such as these and briefly preaching the Dharma for him, he immediately sent him to go seek the monk Meghasvara and request to learn the bodhisattva practices. That monk Meghasvara precisely taught Sudhana the buddhānusmṛti-samādhi. Therefore we know that the first spiritual friend was Mañjuśrī, who observed the generation of the bodhicitta. The second spiritual friend was the monk Meghasvara, who precisely taught the buddhānusmṛti-samādhi. Moving forward in this sequence through one hundred and ten cities seeking spiritual friends, each and every spiritual friend taught one Dharma gate; proceeding upon one Dharma gate, one subsequently attained the next Dharma gate—all of these constitute the sequence of a bodhisattva's cultivation and study. Therefore we know that generating the bodhicitta is the foremost of the myriad practices, and studying this buddhānusmṛti-samādhi is the second of the myriad practices. Inferring from this, the buddhānusmṛti-samādhi is precisely a stage in the sequence of cultivation and study for newly resolved bodhisattvas.