Overall Teaching

Vaira knows treasures in the oceans and helps mariners obtain them while teaching them the Dharma.

Summary

1.     On the way to Kutagara,[1] Sudhana, noticing the crookedness and bumpiness of the path, considered how his visiting Vaira[2] will be a means of liberating all beings. In Kutagara, he saw the mariner[3] Vaira surrounded by thousands of merchants talking about the virtues of buddhas by talking about the ocean.

2.     Sudhana paid respects to Vaira, and requested he explain to him bodhisattva practice.

3.     In response, Vaira said:

a.     It is good for him to ask about the path to buddhahood adorned with great qualities. 

b. He explained that he lives in the coastal metropolis of Kutagara. Observing beings that are poor, he wishes to take care of their mundane needs and then satisfy them with spiritual enjoyments, turning them towards buddhahood and the ocean of omniscience.

c. He lives on the edge of the ocean, knowing all of the treasure islands in the ocean,[4] and where all the categories and types of precious substances and vessels can be extracted from the ocean,[5] and the abodes of all dragons, demons, and goblins and how to avoid them and their obstacles.[6] He also knows the whirlpools, depths, and shallows, ranges of ocean waves, good and bad colors of the waters.[7]

d. He knew the movements of the sun, moon, and stars and meteorologically beneficial and harmful times to travel, when to anchor, and when to sail and what good qualities of the ship are.[8]

e. With this knowledge, he benefits beings by conveying beings to the treasure islands of their choice and then convey them back, without ever losing a ship. When seeing him, the mariners also hear his spiritual instruction and consequently now appear and manifest in the world as bodhisattvas working for the benefit of all beings.[9]

f.  Having attained this liberation of great compassion[10] like flowing water, he cannot tell the virtues of bodhisattvas who travel the water of the inherent nature of all beings and pull all beings out of the ocean of attachments. Thus, Sudhana must go south to Nandihāra to enquire of bodhisattva practice with Jayottama.

4.     Paying his respects, Sudhana left.

[1] “Kutagara is called the City of High Houses, the high houses representing knowledge. Vaira is called Independent because he used natural discipline and great compassion to go into the ocean of birth and death while remaining free.” (1595)

[2] Vaira represents the second dedication: Indestructible Dedication.

[3] “Vaira is represented as a mariner, for as he was like a ship that does not stay on the near shore, does not stay on the farther shore, and does not stay in midstream, but carries people across. He ferried people over the ocean of birth and death by means of myriad principal and satellite practices within discipline, so he was seen on the seashore surrounded by hundreds of thousands of merchants. (1595-6)

[4] Representing “Being profoundly calm and unshakable in the middle of the ocean of birth and death.”

[5] This “refers to the empty and non-empty matrices of awakening. Knowledge of categories of precious substances refers to countless natural virtues. Knowledge of types of precious substances refers to the realisation of buddha-nature. Knowledge of precious vessels refers to understanding of beings’ faculties. Extraction of precious substances refers to setting up teachings according to faculties in order to bring out knowledge and virtue.”

[6] “Part of the bodhisattvas of the pure lands are free like dragons; when purity and pollution have not been forgotten, this is the danger zone of the dragon abodes. Listeners (śrāvakas) can empty the three poisons; this is the danger zone of demons. Conditional illuminates (pratyekabuddhas) dwell in the ocean of nirvāṇa, so buddha-knowledge does not appear; this is the danger zone of goblins. Since the ocean of birth and death becomes a way of access to the real universe, Vaira said he avoided all such danger zones.”

[7] “Knowing whirlpools, depths, and shallows refers to knowing the workings of craving, grasping, and becoming. The ranges of ocean waves refer to the quantity of thoughts in emotive consciousness. The good and bad colors of the waters refer to the joy and anger of the clinging mind.

[8] He “also knew the movements of the sun, moon, and stars meaning that he understood the mysterious signs of yin and yang in the world and used this to help people. It also represents the methods and guidelines for developing maturity according to the faculties of different teachings and practices.” (1596)

 “Vaira also knew about the soundness of ship hulls and how well their machinery worked, emblematic of his knowledge of the degree of maturity of faculties and capacities, of whether or not peoples’ minds were transformed, and of whether or not they could enter birth and death.”

[9] This represents “passing through the various ranks and their teachings, and then, when the ten stages are fulfilled, in the eleventh stage going back to live as before in the ocean of birth and death to carry out the practice of Samantabhadra.”

[10] This means “that the natural discipline of great compassion is indestructible.” (1597)