Overall Teaching

A bodhisattva engages in skilful means by training in emptiness without realising the reality-limit, which would render full nirvāṇa, due to their vow of the non-abandonment of all beings. They continue without abandoning, without depending on anything, and continually developing the perfections. They can be known as irreversible when they display signs in their dreams, and in other powers like putting out fires or exorcising ghosts with utterances of truth.

Summary

1.     Emptiness and Reality-Limit

a.     A Bodhisattva practicing PW should conquer and concentrate on emptiness by contemplating the aggregates as empty, but when doing that, not considering their empty nature as real entities: but in this way, he does not realise the reality-limit.

b.     But, Subhūti asks: how can one practicing PW not realise emptiness?

c.     Rather than focusing on realisation, he resolves that now is the time for conquest through the six perfections. [370] For instance, cultivating, temporarily, compassion in meditation.

d.     Moreover, he continues to have outflows, thus preventing entrance into nirvāṇa. Similarly, when concentrating on emptiness and the signless, he understands that he does not fully realise the signless because now his goal is maturing beings, not realisation (i.e. nirvāṇa).

2.     Three Similes

a.     [1]Supposing there were a virtuous hero with all sorts of good qualities [371], who would feel joy and zest, and be fearless. If his family were in danger, [372] he would not abandon them for he can deal with any danger and situation. Similarly, a bodhisattva with skilful means will not abandon beings—while being able to enter nirvāṇa, he holds himself back until Buddhahood from realising the “reality-limit;”  [373] he dwells in emptiness and the signless, but does not fall into them (which would result in arhatship) until Buddhahood.

b.     [2]This is just like a bird who flies suspended in the air—not depending on anything for support—similarly, a bodhisattva continues without depending on anything, including the signless.

c.     [3]This is just like an archer who would continue to check the fall of arrows by shooting more arrows upwards. [374] Thus, while meditating on the true nature of dharmas, a bodhisattva should not completely realise it while developing the perfections.

3.     Doors to Deliverance and Vows about Beings

a.     [4]If a bodhisattva, while aspiring to free all beings and for the concentration on (1) emptiness, (2) the signless, (3) and the wishless (three doors to deliverance), then they have skilful means and will not realise the reality-limit before attaining full buddhahood. [375]

b.     [5]If a bodhisattva then also aspires to remove the erroneous views of beings after attaining full buddhahood, then they become more keen, acquire the powers, limbs of awakening, and the path. [376]

c.     He understands that beings perceive dharmas apprehending a basis, or a sign, and thus enter into concentration on emptiness[6] and the signless.[7] Similarly, beings perceive permanence, happiness, the self, loveliness: he wishes to teach them the opposite.[8] [377] To counteract, he increases his pure dharmas upheld by skilful means, concentrating on the wishless and friendliness, etc.

d.     [9]If he brings to mind the wrong views of all beings, and brings to mind the correct true nature of the dharmas they consider wrongly, [378] then it is impossible that they could would be liberated (uneffected) or become intimate with the triple world.

4.     Irreversibility

a.     If a bodhisattva teaches that emptiness, etc., should be attended to but does not continue to manifest the thought of not abandoning beings, then they are not irreversible. [379]

b.     [10]They are irreversible if they give the correct answer.[11] [12]Then the whole world cannot overwhelm them.[13]

5.     Dream Experiences and the Mark of Irreversibility

a.     [14]If bodhisattvas also see that all dharmas are like a dream even in their dreams, then they are irreversible.

b.     [15]Similarly if the lower vehicles or anything worldly, is an object of longing in their dreams. [380]

c.     [16]Similarly, if they see the Buddha, [17]if they rise in the air to teach the Dharma, see a halo around the Buddha, and dispatch monks in different directions to teach in their dreams.

d.     [18]Similarly, if when dangers arise in dreams they don’t get afraid but know it is the same with the whole world: it is like a dream, and that they should teach the Dharma after they have won awakening. [381]

e.     [19]Similarly, if they aspire for there to be no lower realms in their world when dreaming.

f.      [20]Similarly, if they have a prophetic dream of a village on fire and wish for it to be extinguished, and it is extinguished, they are irreversible. [382] But if it does not, then they have refused the Dharma in their past.

6.     Irreversibility and the Magical Power of Veracity

a.     [21]If a person is seized or possessed by a ghost [383] and a bodhisattva speaks of their aspiration to win full awakening, and the ghost departs, then they should be known as irreversible.

[1] First of the types of skilful means: (1) Skilful means that overcomes all hostile dharmas

[2] (2) Skilful means of dwelling without a support (after being habituated to signlessness)

[3] (3) Skilful means that operates because of earlier prayers (i.e. prayer builds up conditions)

[4] (4) Skilful means not shared in common with the lower vehicles

[5] (5) Skilful means of bodhisattvas who don’t apprehend any dharma

[6] (6) Skilful means that takes nothing as a basis

[7] (7) Signless skilful means

[8] (8) Wishless skilful means

[9] Skilful means indicating emptiness (essential nature of 6-8)

[10] (9) Skilful means that is a sign of irreversibility. I.e. they indicate not only the doors to deliverance, but also the non-abandonment of beings.

[11] Haribhadra explains that this is not actually related to the first point. Rather, it means an irreversible Bodhisattva can be identified when other bodhisattvas question them, and their answers “correspond to the realization of irreversibility.” (Vol. 3, p. 361)

[12] (10) Unlimited skilful means

[13] Maitreya summarises the ten skilful means as follows:

“It’s object and practice. Skill in means is subdivided into ten: that overcomes enemies, has no support, is propelled [by earlier prayers], is marked as uncommon, is unattached, without a basis, has ended signs and wishes, is the sign of that [irreversibility], and is measureless. [4.62b-63]” (Vol. 3, p. 361)

[14] Signs of Culmination Realisation for a bodhisattva on the path: (1) The sign of seeing all dharmas like a dream, even when dreaming, due to strong habituation

[15] (2) The sign of not producing thoughts for the lower vehicles

[16] (3) The sign of seeing a Tathāgata and so forth

[17] (4) The sign of magical powers.

[18] (5) The sign of producing the thought to teach dharmas like a dream

[19] (6) The sign of turning attention to eliminating states of woe in their own Buddha-fields

[20] (7) The sign of the strong power of truth to put out fires, etc.

[21] (8) The sign of the power of an utterance of truth in exorcising ghosts