Overall Teaching

Viśvāmitra does not teach anything, but directs Sudhana to Śilpābhijña. Śilpābhijña teaches how to enter doors of transcendent wisdom through the forty-two syllables. Bhadrottamā teaches a samādhi which produces the mystical empowerment of the senses and spheres of awakening. Muktāsāra’s liberation is of unobstructed mindfulness. Sucandra names his liberation but does not teach anything. Ajitasena has an inexhaustible treasury of buddhas in his liberation. Śivarāgra achieves all through his word of truth that no bodhisattvas ever truly retrogress.

Summary

Viśvāmitra

1.     Descending from the heaven of the thirty-three, Sudhana went to Kapilavastu again, where he saw the young teacher Viśvāmitra.[1] After asking him to explain bodhisattva practice, Viśvāmitra said that he learned writing from a young bodhisattva called Śilpābhijña, so he should instead ask him.[2]

Śilpābhijña

2.     Going to Śilpābhijña,[3] Sudhana asked him to teach him bodhisattva practices. Śilpābhijña explained:

a.     He attained a liberation with higher knowledge of arts. In uttering phonemes, by the “associative power of a bodhisattva” he enters a door of transcendent wisdom.

b.    He goes through all the forty-two phonemes in the Sanskrit syllabary and names each door of transcendent wisdom he enters.[4]

c.     He said, this is all he knows, but he cannot tell of the virtues or practices of bodhisattvas who have attained perfection of all mundane and transcendent arts, thus Sudhana should go to the laywoman Bhadrottamā in Kevalaka, Magadha, who can teach him.

d.    Paying his respects, Sudhana left.

Bhadrottamā

3.     Going to Bhadrottamā[5] in Kevalaka, Sudhana requested she teach him bodhisattva practices. She said:

a.     She knows and teaches the doctrine ‘baseless sphere’ and has a samādhi of mystic empowerment (adhiṣṭhāna).

b.    There is no foundation of any phenomena whatsoever in that samādhi. It produces the mystical empowerment of six senses of omniscience, and the spheres illumining the world.

c.     She knows this sphere, but does not know all the unobstructed, unattached practices of bodhisattvas. Thus, Sudhana should go south to Bharukaccha city, and ask the goldsmith Muktāsāra.6

d.    Paying his respects, Sudhana left.

Muktāsāra

4.     Sudhana went to Muktāsāra7 and asked him to teach him bodhisattva practice. He said:

a.     He knows a liberation called ‘supernal manifestation of unobstructed mindfulness’ and seeks the Dharma at the feet of buddhas in ten directions.8

b.    Knowing only this liberation, he tells Sadhana to go to the householder Sucandra in the same city, who can teach him.

c.     Paying his respects, Sudhana left.

Sucandra

5.     Sudhana went to Sucandra9 and asked him to teach him bodhisattva practice. He said:

a.     He has attained the liberation “light of undefiled knowledge” but knowing only that Sudhana should go to ask the householder Ajitasena in the city Roruka south of here.

b.    Paying his respects, Sudhana left.

Ajitasena

6.     Going to Ajitasena,10 Sudhana asked him to teach bodhisattva practice. He said:

a.     He has attained a liberation called ‘inexhaustible appearance’ by which he has an inexhaustible treasury of visions of buddhas.

b.    He instructed Sudhana to go south to see the brahmin Śivarāgra and ask him.

c.     Paying his respects, Sudhana left.

Śivarāgra

7. Going to Śivarāgra,[11] Sudhana requested him to teach him bodhisattva practice. He said:

a.     He acts on a vow of truth: that no bodhisattva has ever, truly, turned away from supreme awakening.

b.    By the power of the truth of his speech act, all things come to fruition. But to learn the practices of the bodhisattvas whose actions accord with truth, he should go south to Sumanamukha, and ask the boy Śrīsaṃbhava and the girl Śrīmati.

c.     Paying his respects, Sudhana left.

[1] He represents the third of Samantabhadra’s practices: Teaching Worldly Principles Everywhere.

[2] “Viśvāmitra did not tell Sudhana anything but sent him to see Śilpābhijña, illustrating the rule for teacher-exemplars, which is properly not to instruct personally but to leave this to assistant mentors, just answering questions about unresolved matters. This represents the fact that the virtuous are never alone, always having associates to assist in the development of education.” (1618)

[3] He represents the fourth of Samantabhadra’s practices: Penetrating the Mysteries of Writing and Higher Knowledge of Arts.

[4] “Because these phenomena include all writings, to hold one in mind is to hold all in mind, and to hold all in mind is to hold one in mind—this is the portal of wisdom.” This is also part of basis of the efficacy of mantra recitation in the Mantrayāna.

 “For example, in reciting A, he entered the facet of transcendent wisdom in which there are no distinctions in the power of bodhisattvas. A is the negative prefix: realising the truth that all is empty and not really existent is the realm of nondifferentiation in the power of bodhisattvas. Pronouncing Ra, he entered the facet of transcendent wisdom in which there are infinite differentiations, as Ra represents the realm of differentiated knowledge and practice of Samantabhadra.” (1618–1619)

[5] She represents the fifth practice of Samantabhadra: Helping People by both Conventional and Mystical Arts and Sciences.

 “Bhadrottamā is called Best of the Good because she understood all principles. Because she was in the material world helping beings, sometimes she was a diviner, sometimes a curer, sometimes an appraiser of jewels, sometimes a writer.

 “Understanding all genius and effective knowledge, able to control all pernicious influences, containing the ocean of knowledge of Samantabhadra, equalling the spiritual body of Mañjuśrī, embodying buddhahood, spiritualising myriad beings, reaching everywhere and performing all practices, in accord with the sayings that buddhas have reality for their body, only when one arrives at all realities and knows all truths can one be a teacher of gods and humans.”

[6] “But reality has no place of abode, so the body also has no anchor—though it pervades myriad existences, it has no substance itself. Therefore Bhadrottamā said she had only realised liberation of the baseless sphere.” (1619) 

[7] He represents the sixth of Samantabhadra’s practices: Pure Liberation by Being in the World Without Clinging Thoughts.

[8]   “Adorn thoughts with formless knowledge and thoughts will naturally not cling to phenomena. This is liberation.” (1619–1620)

[9]  He represents the seventh of Samantabhadra’s practices: Illumination by Pure Knowledge working in the World.

 “The practical great compassion represented in this meaning is one with the formless liberation of the preceding meeting, so it takes place in the same city. In the ten abodes, ten practices, ten dedications, and ten stages, the seventh and eighth steps merge into each other; in this eleventh stage, the sixth and seventh grades are one body. Using the light of great compassion to break through the confusion of sentient beings is liberation of the illumination of pure knowledge.” (1620) 

[10]   He represents the eighth stage of Samantabhadra’s practice: Finding Infinite Forms in Formlessness.

 His city, Roruka “represents the great vows that produce spiritual practices. The householder Ajitasena represents victory over the demons of birth and death.”

 “The totality of states of mind are the infinite forms of the buddha. These are the infinite forms in formlessness.” (1620) In this way, Ajitasena briefly expressed that he realised that his mind is the buddha’s mind.

[11] He represents the ninth of Samantabhadra’s practices: Speaking so as to Reveal Truth.

               He “represents transcend power—in the ordinary without being ordinary, in the clamour without making clamour.

               “The liberation of speech revealing truth is attained by realisation that the essence of all words and speech is inherently real and that persons and thing are all thus—so there is no empty talk.” (1621)