Overall Teaching

Bodhisattvas train in reliance upon the good friends who teach PW. Bodhisattvas help beings by both being situated in signless suchness (which is identical to the skandhas) due to the perfections and non-trembling, and teach beings how to do the same. Bodhisattva aspiration is not connected to any dharma, and a buddha demonstrates the non-seizing nature of the Dharma through non-demonstration.

Summary

1.     The Beginner’s Task

a.     A Bodhisattva who is only beginning should train by tending, loving, and honouring good friends who teach:

i.     Perfection of Wisdom

ii.     The other perfections

iii.     That awakening is not the same as the skandhas [292-3]

b.     Good friends do not long for the level of the śrāvaka or pratyekabuddha.

2.     How a Bodhisattva Helps Beings

a.     Bodhisattvas do what is difficult:

i.     Due to attaining the six perfections they don’t wish to enter their own parinirvāṇa.

ii.     While wishing to win full awakening, they don’t tremble at saṃsāra (i.e. they remain in it until they attain awakening).

b.     The Buddha declares that they claim eight qualities when awakened: [293]

i.     Are the world’s shelter, protecting beings and removing their sufferings.

ii.     Are the world’s refuge, setting free beings from sufferings.

iii.     Are the world’s resting place, demonstrating Dharma so beings don’t embrace any form, form’s connection, production, or stopping. [294]

iv.     Are the world’s final relief, as all skandhas are the “beyond,” and with there being no discrimination between them, bodhisattvas know them through their non-discrimination. Thus they reveal them. [295]

v.     Are the world’s islands, revealing, as islands, the limits to the skandhas. Their limit truly being the calm quiet, sublime, nirvāṇa, unperverted.

vi.     Are the world’s lights, turning away the darkness of ignorance. [296]

vii.     Are the world’s leaders, demonstrating the absence of production and stopping in the skandhas, people, and all dharmas.

viii.     Are the world’s resort, teaching, when awakened, that the skandhas are situated in space, and neither come nor go, but are the same as space, due to their emptiness [of own-being]—they are situated in that nature and don’t depart—that being the same as full awakening itself, signless and [suchness]. [297-9]

3.     Description of Perfect Wisdom

a.     Beings who have matured their roots in the past under previous Buddhas can understand PW [i.e. identical to suchness, signlessness, etc.].

b.     Being situated in an isolated nature, they will be so situated that they will become the resort of countless beings. [299-300]

c.     The armour of a bodhisattva (their aspiration to awaken beings) is unconnected to any dharma. [301]

d.     Bodhisattvas, while not desiring the levels of a śrāvaka or pratyekabuddha, should desire the level of a buddha.

e.     A bodhisattva relies on nothing and doesn’t tremble or doubt, but jumps right into the perfection of wisdom. [302]

f.      Their perception is based upon not inclining their thought to any attainment, cessation, arising, etc. Rather, on the immeasurableness of all-knowledge, which doesn’t lend itself to being known—which is fundamentally identical with skandhas and the six perfections.

g.     Śakra and the Buddha comment on the deepness of this Dharma, which is carefree in non-action, non-demonstrated—demonstrating non-seizing upon any Dharma—and contrary to the ways of the whole world, which is wont to grasp at anything.