Overview

Bodhisattvas surpass all, let alone buddhas, who do not turn back out of compassion. The merit of rejoicing in bodhisattvas’ arising bodhicitta is measureless and the benefits are this worldly, otherworldly, and buddhahood. An illusion (bodhisattva) cannot know full awakening (illusion) and their thought of awakening is also illusion. This is doing what is hard, and yet there is no one doing the hard thing which also does not exist, they act without such discrimination like puppets, etc., due to the non-discrimination of PW.

Summary

1.     Śakra Praises the Bodhisattvas

a.     [1]Śakra: A bodhisattva who practices PW surpasses all, let alone one who becomes a buddha.

b.     Śakra scatters māndārava flowers over the Buddha and offers his wishes for the awakening of bodhisattvas to be successful, [434] and says he has little doubt that such bodhisattvas will turn back, for they’re motivated by compassion.[2]

2.     Jubilation, turning over and merit

a.     [3]Śakra asks to what extent the merit is superior for one who rejoices in the arising of bodhicitta.

i.     The Buddha says it is not possible to grasp how much merit that is. [435][4]

b.     [5]Śakra declares those who do not hear what the Buddha has just said, and who consequently don’t rejoice, as beset by Māra, [6]but those who do so rejoice, shatter Māra’s realm. [436]

i.     [7]The Buddha declares that those who do so rejoice please the buddhas.

ii.     [8]Śakra declares that they shall be respected wherever they’re reborn, and they won’t encounter unpleasant sense experiences [437] and they can be reborn in the heavens, and gradually, due to their good roots, [9]they’ll also join the bodhisattva vehicle and train for buddhahood and will lead countless beings to liberation.

3.     The nature of illusion

a.     [10]Subhūti asks how an illusory thought can know full awakening.

i.     The Buddha points out that such a thought is not a separate real entity, likewise illusion [438], so both are illusion.

ii.     Subhūti admits that you cannot affirm or deny the existence of any dharma, and isolated dharmas also cannot be said to exist or not either. Thus, dharmas which have no existence cannot know awakening and PW is absolutely isolated.

b.     Subhūti again asks, since isolated dharmas cannot be developed or bring about or remove any other dharma, how can a bodhisattva by resorting to what is isolated know full awakening, which is also isolated? [439][11]

i.     The Buddha points out that it is just because PW is isolated that awakening is known. But if a bodhisattva forms a notion of this isolation, that is not PW.[12]

c.     Thus this is doing what is hard, while still not realising an object on the levels of the other vehicles.

i.     Yet, Subhūti points out, there is no bodhisattva who does what is hard, [440] for there’s nothing to be realised, or by which one can realise. But if a bodhisattva does not tremble at this, does not review practicing as a certain fact, does not review being close to awakening as a real fact, does not review that they are aloof from the other vehicles, then that is practicing PW.

ii.     Just as space does not know “I am near to this or that,” similarly the bodhisattva does not reflect.[13]

iii.     Just as an illusory man: it does not occur to such an illusion that the conjurer is near and the spectators are far. [441][14]

iv.     Just as a reflection: reflections don’t think the object reflecting is near, but the object being reflected is far.[15]

v.     Just as a tathāgata finds nothing dear or not dear: just so a bodhisattva.[16]

vi.     Just as they forsake all constructions and discriminations: just so PW.[17]

vii.     A fictitious creature [emanation] conjured up by the tathāgata does not reflect that awakening or the vehicles are near or far;[18]

viii.     And performs certain work without discrimination: just so a bodhisattva because of PW’s non-discrimination. [442][19]

ix.     Just as a puppet has no discriminations but performs what the puppeteer makes it, likewise do bodhisattvas act because of PW’s non-discrimination. [443][20]

[1] Haribhadra points out that the third aspect of culmination realisation is being taught here, which is “steadying,” i.e. “the culmination clear realisation that has grown through increase into what it is, really, finally meant to be. To discuss it, Śakra says in its praise, or about its benefits:” (Vol. 4, 173) The first section here discusses the steadiness of having faults removed, a richness of working for the welfare of all, and not forsaking beings.

[2] “This is saying through the force of perfect skill in means like that at the stage of non-conceptual realization, the steadying is the aforementioned perfect completion of the dharmas of the three all-knowledges, the knowledge of all aspects and so on, marked by not forsaking the needs of beings because of being stirred by feelings of great compassion and so on. Thus Maitreya says,

They set forth the steadying as a perfect completion of the dharmas of the three all-knowledges and not forsaking the needs of others. [5.3]” (Vol. 4, 175)

[3] Here, Haribhadra points out, the aspect of culmination realisation that is taught here is the “complete stabilization of thought” or “mental composure” that results from having become stable.

[4] Haribhadra: “By apparently talking about something else, the Lord has identified the complete stabilization of thought marked by meditative stabilization in the form of a merit surpassing measurement. Thus Maitreya says,

The Lord proclaims the meditative stabilization through the great merit, measuring its immeasurability against a thousand four-continent world-systems, or two or three thousand of them that could, theoretically, be measured. [5.4]” (Vol. 4, 176)

[5] Haribhadra, “After the aids to penetration comes the path of seeing. Maitreya now has to explain the four object and subject conceptualisations that are its opposite side, as well as the counteracting antidote. So, first of all, teaching the first based on dharmas on the side of entering into saṃsāra in their entirety:” (Vol. 4, 176)

[6] The first object conceptualisation, saṃsāra that is to be rejected, is described first in negative terms and then in positive terms: this is to say, while saṃsāra is to be rejected, within saṃsāra we can see the illusion-like nature of things and thus break through (i.e. “shatter Māra’s realm).

[7] The second object conceptualisation based on the totality of dharmas on the side of stopping saṃsāra.

[8] The first grasper-subject conceptualisation based on a materially existing, ordinary person.

[9] The second grasper-subject conceptualisation based on a nominally existing ordinary person. Thus, this is a kind of rejoicing that can occur when one is established in the conceptualisation that the self is nominal, not nominal and material. But both are falsehoods, though the second is higher than the first. As Maitreya said, “They are marked by an emptiness of being a subject.” [5.7]

[10] The first grasped-object conceptualisation, connected with entering into saṃsāra. From the illusory nature of thoughts one can extrapolate all dharmas.

[11] Haribhadra points out that the confusion comes from conflation of conventional and ultimate truth, “on the conventional level, from an extremely pure cause there is an extremely pure result” but not on the ultimate level. (Vol 4, 181)

[12] Nāgārjuna writes, “The Victors have said that emptiness is the escape from all views. They say those who have emptiness as a view are incorrigible.” [MMK, 13.8] All of these statements are showing both ultimate and conventional in sequence. Thus the first grasped-object conceptualisation removes the conceptualisation of suchness.

[13] The second conceptualisation, which removes conceptualisation of a lineage.

[14] The third conceptualisation, which removes conceptualisation of a full attainment through practice.

[15] The fourth conceptualisation, which removes conceptualisation of an objective support.

[16] The fifth conceptualisation, which removes conceptualisation of a counteracting and opposing side.

[17] The sixth conceptualisation, which removes apprehension of the conceptualisation of their own realization.

[18] The seventh conceptualisation, which removes conceptualisation of a doer linked to a magical creation.

[19] The eighth conceptualisation, which isolates from the conception of doing the work of looking after the welfare of beings.

[20] The ninth conceptualisation, which frees from the conceptualisation of success in doing the work. Thus are all nine grasped-object conceptualisations that bodhisattvas eliminate on the stages of culmination clear realization.