By this we mean that all Bodhisattvas, by their aspiration (cittotpâda) 1 and discipline (caryâcarana), will be able to attain to the reason that made all Tathâgatas perceive the path (mârga).
Briefly stated, there are three kinds of aspiration: (1) Aspiration through the perfection of faith; (2) Aspiration through knowledge and practice; (3) Aspiration through intellectual intuition.
By whom, and by which deeds, can faith (çraddhâ) be perfected and can the aspiration be awakened?
Now the people who belong to the group of inconstancy
Since then either by virtue of the instruction received from Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, or on account of their deep compassion (mahâkarunâ), or from their desire to preserve the right doctrine (saddharma) against its corruption, their aspiration [to the highest truth] will be awakened.
After having awakened the aspiration they will
Some of them, happening to see Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, may make offerings to them, wait on them, practise many [meritorious] deeds, and, while ten thousand mahâkalpas (æons) are not yet elapsed, may meantime come into some favorable circumstances and thereby awake aspiration. What are those favorable circumstances? For instance, they may witness the personal figure of a Buddha, or may make some offerings to the congregation of priests
The first one is called the means of practising the fundamental [truth, mûla]. That is to say, by contemplating the true essence of all dharmas, which, being uncreate and free from imagination, is not concerned with the metempsychosis of birth and death, and by contemplating the truth that all things originate from the co-operation of the principle (hetu) and the causes (pratyaya), and that the retribution of karma is irrevocable, one will evoke deep compassion, discipline oneself in all good deeds, embrace and convert all beings, and not dwell in Nirvâna, since suchness [in its absolute aspect] has nothing to do with Nirvâna or with birth-and-death. As this attitude
[Now to return to the former subject], when the Bodhisattva thus aspires to the highest truth, he is able to have a partial insight into the Dharmakâya of the Buddha; and according to the power of the vow (pranâdhânavaça), he performs eight things, to wit, his descent from the palace in the Tushita heaven 2
It is sometimes said in the Sûtra 2 that even those Bodhisattvas who aspired [to the highest truth] through the perfection of their faith might relapse and fall down to the evil creation (apâyagati). 3 But this was
Pratyekabuddhahood, any more than to the evil creation (apâyagati).
If he learn that he is able to attain to Buddhahood only after an assiduous observance of various rules of austerity and mortification during immeasurable asamkheya-kalpas, 1 he will never be frightened nor will he falter. How then could he ever raise such thoughts as cherished by Çrâvakas or Pratyekabuddhas? How then could be fall down to the evil creation (apâyagati)? He has a firm faith in the truth that all things (sarvadharma) from. the beginning are in their nature Nirvâna itself. 2
But in fact the intrinsic nature, the faculties, the aspiration, and the intellectual attainment of all Bodhisattvas are equal [in value] and there is not any scale of gradation in them. Because they will all equally and assuredly attain to the most perfect enlightenment, only after the elapsing of three asamkheyakalpas. Yet as there are differences in various states of existence regarding their objects of seeing, hearing, etc., as well as regarding their faculties, their desires, and their character; so there are correspondingly many different forms of religious discipline [destined to] them.
Three different operations of the mind are revealed in this aspiration by means of intellectual intuition: (1) Pure consciousness originating in the mind as it becomes free from particularisation; (2) moral consciousness [lit., upâya-citta?] originating in the mind
A question arises here. As space is infinite, worlds are infinite. As worlds are infinite, beings are infinite. As beings are infinite, the modes of mentation are also infinitely diversified. And as all these objects and conditions (vishaya) have no limits, they can hardly be known or understood [in all their multitudinousness]. If, now, ignorance being destroyed, all modes
latter's various necessities and capabilities. Therefore the mind that is saturated with subjectivity is annihilated, while all things are understood and omniscience (sarvâkârajñâna) is attained. 1
When a mirror is covered with dust, it cannot reflect images. It can do so only when it is free from stain. It is even the same with all beings. If their minds are not clear of stain, the Dharmakâya cannot reveal itself in them. But if they be freed from stain, then it will reveal itself.
113:1 Aspiration which does not exactly correspond to the Chinese fah hsin and Sanskrit cittotpâda, has been retained for lack of a fitter term. It has a technical sense in Buddhism. Literally, fah or utpâda means producing, raising, or awakening, while hsin or citta as noticed elsewhere is mind, thought, or consciousness. Cittotpâda, however, is more than the raising of one's thought to a higher religious life; it means the recognition of the truth that one is in possession within oneself of the highest perfect knowledge (samyaksambodhi); it is the birth within oneself of a higher ethical impulse constituting the essence of religion. A fuller form of fah hsin is fah bodhi hsin or fah anuttarasamyaksambodhi hsin. See the Mahâyâna Sûtras such as the Saddharma Pundarîka, Vajracchedikâ, Sukhâvati Vyuha, Lankâvatara, Avatamsaka, etc.
114:1 There are three groups of people: (1) Those who are constantly abiding in absolute truth (samyaktvaniyata-râçi); (2) Those who are constantly abiding in falsehood (mithyâtvaniyatarâçi); (3) Those who are inconstant (aniyata-râçi).
114:2 The ten virtues (daçakuçalâni) consist in not committing the ten evils (daçâkuçalâni) which are as follows: (1) Killing a living being (prânâtipâda); (2) Stealing (adattâdâna); (3) Committing adultery (kâmamithyâçâra); (4) Lying (mrshâvâda); (5) Slander (paiçunya); (6) Insulting speech (pârushya); (7) Frivolous talk (sambhinnapralâpa); (8) Avarice (abhidhya); (9) Evil intent (vyâpâda); (10) False view (mithyâdrshthi). The ten evils here enumerated should be avoided by the lay members of Buddhism. For the Çramaneras there is a different set of precepts specially intended for them, called the Daçaçikshapada, with which the ten virtues must not be confused as they are by some.
115:1 The older translation reads "Mahâyâna."
119:1 Mahâyânists in general distinguish four aspects of Nirvâna; (1) Nirvâna that is pure and spotless in its self-nature, i.e., absolute suchness, possessed equally by all beings; (2) Nirvâna that has remnant (upadhiçesa), i.e., a state of relative suchness, which, though freed from the affectional hindrance (kleçâvarana), is still under the fetter of materiality, which causes suffering and misery; (3) Nirvâna that has no remnant (anupadhiçesha) and full of love and wisdom, believes neither in birth-and-death nor in Nirvâna, but eternally abiding in the suchness of things benefits all sentient beings. Çrâvakas and Pratyekabuddhas can recognise the first three aspects of Nirvâna, but the last one is known only to Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. For further details see the tenth volume of the Vijñânamâtrasiddhi Çâstra, translated into Chinese by Hüan-tsang.
119:2 One of the six heavenly abodes of the Kâmaloka (world of desire). The heavenly abodes are: (1) Region of the four kings of the cardinal points (mahârâjakâyika); (2) that of the thirty
120:2 For instance, it is stated in the second fasciculus of the Bodhisattva-kusumamâlâ-pûrvakarma Sûtra (? P‘u-sa ying-lo, pên-yeh Ching, in Chinese, translated by Fo-nien towards the end of the third century) that those Bodhisattvas who have not yet entered on the eighth stage (there are ten stages) of Bodhisattvahood may happen to relapse in his religious course, if not be able to receive instruction in the Dharma from some fully enlightened teachers.
120:3 Three of the six gatis are the apâyagati (evil path): Hell
121:2 The same monistic idea is expressed also in the following famous phrases: "Âçrâvas (desires or prejudices) are nothing but Bodhi (enlightenment), and birth-and-death (or this world of transformation) is nothing but Nirvâna." Individuation is the product of subjectivity; the universe in reality is one great whole.
123:1 In the older translation we read: "Having in view only the emancipation and beneficence of all beings, he [Bodhisattva] does not rely on words and characters."
124:1 The older translation reads: "It is out of [human] comprehension that he [Bodhisattva] can achieve such innumerable methods [of salvation]."
125:1 A distinction is sometimes made between Sarvâkârajñâna, Sarvajnâna and Mârgajnâna: Sarvâkârajñâna is the knowledge by which we are enabled to know all forms and manifestations in their fundamental oneness; Sarvajnâna is simply the knowledge of all things, or omniscience; Mârgajnâna is the knowledge by which we can recognise the path leading to final emancipation. But they are practically the same.
126:1 The older translation reads: "In reply we say: All phenomenal objects (vishaya) are from the beginning for in their metaphysical origin] of the one mind which is free from imagination and subjectivity. As all beings illusively perceive the existence of the phenomenal world (vishaya), they impose limitations on the mind. As they thus illusively cherish imagination and subjectivity, which are not in accordance with the nature of the Dharma, they cannot thoroughly understand it. All Buddha-Tathâgatas are, however, free from illusive perception, and [therefore their knowledge is] omniscient, because the mind constituting the principle of all things is true and valid. The self-essence [of all Buddhas] illuminates all illusive phenomena, possesses a great wisdom-activity and innumerable Sarvâkârajñâna."
127:1 In the older translation we read: The Dharmakâya of all Buddha-Tathâgatas is universal (samatâ) and pervades every thing; it is free from compulsion and therefore spontaneous, manifesting itself through the minds of all beings."
