Aspects of Mahayana Buddhism and its Relation to Hinayana c8.s10.5

c8.s10.5

He is now asked by the Buddhas to exert for acquiring the ten balas and four vaiśāradyas which he up till now has not acquired, and also to take into consideration the ruffled, afflicted, deluded state of mind of the ignorant people. He is then reminded of one of his previous resolutions that dharmatā (i.e. dharmas being without origin, decay and continuity) is not for Tathāgatas only but that the Śrāvakas and Pratyekabuddhas should also be made to realise it. He is then asked by Buddhas to exert for possessing like them immeasurable body, knowledge, worlds, refulgence, purity of voice and limbs, dharmālokas, kṣetras, sattvas and the variety of dharmas of the ten corners of the universe. The possession of ‘immeasurables’ is of great value, far surpassing all the merits and knowledge acquired in the previous seven bhūmis, because the merits and knowledge acquired hitherto were by means of exertion (sābhoga-karmaṇā) while in the present bhūmi the merits and knowledge are acquired spontaneously.