Overall Teaching

Sarvagāmin dwells on a mountain peak near Tosala and teaches the enlightening practice of going everywhere.

Summary

1.     Remembering and practicing Acalā’s teachings, Sudhana proceeded to Amitatosala and the city of Tosala. [1]

2.     Reaching it at sunset, he went from street to street looking for the mendicant[2] Sarvagāmin.[3] He saw a bright mountain peak[4] called Sulabha and thought he would see him there. Going to the mountain peak, he saw Sarvagāmin walking[5] there from afar, looking like Brahma, surrounded by thousands of brahmic gods. 

3.     Having approached Sarvagāmin, he requested that he teach him bodhisattva practice.

4.     Sarvagāmin praised Sudhana’s search for full awakening. He explained that:

a.     He is established in the enlightening practice of going everywhere, observing everywhere, knowing all planes, all based on non-being.[6]

b.     By going everywhere and understanding things everywhere, he helps beings and teaches all beings, by explaining the bodhisattva practices in different ways: 

i. for some he helps by charity, some by describing paramitās, some he fightens from bad paths, some he delights by describing omniscience, and some by showing the master of buddhas.

c.     He also takes upon forms of local humans and beings in every block of the city, and in every part of the world, teaching them without them knowing it is him. He does it all according to their own mentalities and inclinations, in various methods, forms, and languages.

5.     He admitted that despite knowing this enlightening practice of going everywhere, he cannot teach the virtues of bodhisattvas with bodies equal to all beings, who attained concentration on the indivisibility of their own bodies and those of all beings, and carry out their vows in

the world without being defiled, imbued with endless great compassion. Thus, Sudhana must go south to Pṛthurāṣṭra and enquire of the bodhisattva Utpalabhūti.

6.     Sudhana, respecting Sarvagāmin, left.

Reflection on the Ten Practices

Section 14-23 taught the bodhisattvas who represent the ten practices. The next ten will represent the ten dedications. Li writes:

 “After this the ten dedications are set up. By means of the ten practices one can perfect worldly arts of government and education, yet one is still unable to remain in the ocean of birth and death, neither emerging nor sinking, based on unobstructed action in the real universe by the universally good practice of inherent buddhahood. Therefore the ten dedications are needed.” (1594)

The ten abodes are states of awakened mind, the ten practices are states of awakened action, and the ten dedications will be states of awakened dedication: to, for instance, the welfare of beings.

[1] “Tosala is called Production of Happiness, to represent the use of ubiquitous physical manifestation through fulfillment of transcendent knowledge in order to benefit ordinary people and make them happy.”

[2] “Sarvagāmin is represented as a mendicant because his knowledge was equal to a buddha’s.”

[3] His name means “Going Everywhere because he appeared to assimilate to false ideas and to the three vehicles of Buddhism. The Confucian and Taoist sages were also in this category.” He realised the 10th practice: truth.

 “Ordinarily, learners are called outsiders as long as they have not yet entered into the real universe (Dharamdhātu) where there is interpenetration of noumenon and phenomena [mind and dharmas], of bodies and lands. In this case, Sarvagāmin appeared to be an outsider, helping beings according to type, yet in reality he was not an outsider.”

[4] The mountain’s light represents “the sun of great knowledge in the middle of the night of birth and death. … The mountaintop symbolizes the lofty supremacy of knowledge, the flatness [of its top] symbolizes the evenness of compassion.” (1593)

[5] “Walking around illustrates not dwelling partially on either knowledge or compassion.”

[6] “Sarvagāmin said he knew the enlightening practice of going everywhere; by means of knowledge he penetrated all existences, and appeared in corresponding physical forms, as echoes respond to sounds without there being any substance coming or going.” (1594)