Selected Lectures on the Sutra of the Meeting of Father and Son
Chapter One The World-Honored One's Entrustment of the Dharma Gate for Cultivating and Realizing Liberation
Original text:尔时世尊。告净饭王言。大王。如上所说。解脱法门。当自系心。正念观察。勇猛精进。决定修作。过去未来。现在诸佛。依此得证。无上菩提。能招世间。一切富乐。能消世间。一切渴爱。能伏世间。一切我慢。能破世间。一切邪见。能灭有情。一切罪恶。未登初地。凡夫异生。皆令证得。平等法性。如是法要。非诸声闻。及辟支佛。所行境界。唯诸菩萨。之所修作。
Explanation: The Buddha said to King Śuddhodana: Regarding the dharma gate of liberation spoken of above, you should gather in your own mind and observe with right mindfulness, and cultivate resolutely with courageous diligence. The Buddhas of the past, the future, and the present all attained unsurpassed bodhi by relying on this gate of liberation. Relying on this dharma gate of liberation, one can obtain great freedom and ease within worldly dharmas and the retribution of all wealth and happiness; one can extinguish all craving in the world, subdue all conceit of self in the world, break all wrong views in the world, and eliminate all sins of sentient beings. Cultivating in accordance with this dharma gate of liberation can enable those ordinary beings (pṛthagjana) who have not yet entered the first bhūmi to all realize the dharma nature of equality. Such a dharma gate of cultivation is not the realm cultivated by śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas; only the great bodhisattvas can cultivate and realize it.
The World-Honored One exhorted King Śuddhodana to place his mind upon the dharma gate of liberation, to abandon the myriad dharmas, abandon the enjoyments of the five desires, abandon the false dharmas of the five aggregates and eighteen realms, and with courageous diligence use right mindfulness and right contemplation to observe and deliberate upon the myriad dharmas—that all these dharmas are indeed like dreams and illusions, false and illusory, impermanent, and suffering. After contemplating and observing them as they truly are, one will spontaneously and proactively practice with courageous diligence and cultivate resolutely; once the mind genuinely accepts this, one can realize liberation.
Therefore, studying Buddhism means first hearing the true Dharma, then contemplating rightly and contemplating in accordance with principle, and cultivating with courageous diligence according to correct principle. Cultivation must be courageous and diligent in order to succeed, because studying Buddhism is the same in principle as boiling water: to boil a pot of water, one must keep adding fire and let the fire burn continuously before the water can boil. If the fire goes out halfway, the water cools down again; if one then heats it and stops the fire again, when will this pot of water ever be boiled? Courageous diligence follows this same principle—with one concentrated burst of effort, the pot of water can quickly be brought to a boil. If cultivation is lax and slack, one will advance and retreat, wasting much time and energy in between. Courageous diligence and resolute cultivation—this resoluteness belongs to the power of meditative concentration (samādhi); when the mind is resolutely within the dharma of liberation and cultivates the dharma of liberation unceasingly, the result will inevitably be liberation.
By what did all the Buddhas of the ten directions and the three periods of time attain unsurpassed, right and perfect enlightenment and accomplish the Buddha Way? They all accomplished it by relying on the contemplation of all dharmas as like dreams, realizing and perfecting the three gates of liberation of emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness. First one hears the true Dharma of the contemplation of all dharmas as like a dream, then contemplates rightly, and cultivates according to the correct principle arrived at through contemplation—one must pass through the four steps of hearing, contemplation, cultivation, and realization. If one does not listen to the sūtras and hear the Dharma, there will be no right mindfulness with which to contemplate; unable to contemplate in accordance with principle and observe the true reality of all dharmas, there will be no cultivation of right diligence; unable to realize the true reality of all dharmas, one cannot realize the contemplation of all dharmas as like a dream, cannot enter the first bhūmi, and cannot obtain any of the subsequent liberations.
If one wishes to realize the false nature of the myriad dharmas, realize the self-natured pure mind, and realize unsurpassed, right and perfect enlightenment, one must begin with listening to the sūtras and hearing the Dharma; after hearing the Dharma, one must gather in the mind and contemplate according to the true meaning and principle. One must rely on the Buddha's authoritative words (āptavāda) and gain faith through verification with body and mind; with the faculty of faith firm, knowing that by relying on this dharma one will inevitably attain liberation and accomplish the Buddha Way, one will then certainly cultivate with courageous diligence, never retreating from the great way of bodhi, and thus will surely realize the fruit of the path of bodhi. First one realizes the fruit of Small Vehicle bodhi, realizing the falsity of the five aggregates and eighteen realms, thereby realizing the selflessness of person (pudgala-nairātmya); then one awakens to the mind that is the Ālayavijñāna, realizing that the Ālayavijñāna neither arises nor ceases, understanding that all dharmas are born from the Ālayavijñāna, that the self is false and illusory, that all dharmas are false and illusory, that all are of the nature of the Ālayavijñāna with nothing besides—therefore all dharmas are empty, and one can reach the fruit of the first bhūmi; then in sequence one realizes the second, third, and fourth bhūmis, and finally realizes the fruit of the Buddha-bhūmi, entering the great nirvāṇa that is ultimate and perfect—such is the sequence of cultivation.
If one does not listen to the sūtras and hear the Dharma, and does not delve deeply into the treasury of sūtras, one will not know how to cultivate diligently. Delving deeply into the treasury of sūtras and contemplating in accordance with principle with right mindfulness—it is not enough merely to delve deeply into the treasury of sūtras; contemplating with right mindfulness is very important, for it enables the faculties of faith and diligence to grow unceasingly. The Buddha said that by relying on this one can attain the realization of unsurpassed bodhi. Especially with the dharma gate of all dharmas being like dreams and illusions that the Buddha teaches in this sūtra—by engaging in deep contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā) within meditative concentration, one can realize the contemplation of all dharmas as like a dream, and thereby enter the first bhūmi.
The retribution of attaining unsurpassed bodhi is extremely sublime. First, the worldly retribution is obtaining all abundance, peace, and happiness; those who study and cultivate the Buddha-dharma and realize the fruit of the path do not fall into evil destinies; second, wherever they are born they enjoy the retribution of wealth, honor, glory, and splendor. The Chan masters of the past, after realizing the fruit of the Great Vehicle, could all become kings or great ministers when reborn again in the human world; the higher the stage of fruit realized, the higher the status and the greater the power in the heavens or the human world in future lives—this is called worldly wealth and happiness.
Those who study Buddhism must understand the need to cultivate much merit and much wisdom; once the retribution of merit has been cultivated, one will obtain worldly wealth and honor. The Buddha is the Honored One perfect in both merit and wisdom; if one has only wisdom without merit, one still cannot become a Buddha, and without merit one also cannot attract the respect, reverence, and offerings of everyone in the world. Therefore, when we recite sūtras, we are cultivating both merit and wisdom; sitting in meditation is also cultivating merit; prostrating to the Buddha is also cultivating merit. How much more so the generosity of wealth and the generosity of Dharma, benefiting and bringing joy to sentient beings—these are even more cultivating merit. Being the Honored One perfect in both merit and wisdom, both aspects must be complete and perfect to be the Unsurpassed Master (anuttara-puruṣa).
Cultivating and studying the Buddha-dharma diligently, one can attain the realization of unsurpassed bodhi and can eliminate all craving in the world. Craving is thirst and covetous love—an extreme longing for the worldly dharmas of the three realms; longing to possess them gives rise to covetous love in the mind; clinging and unable to let go, one cannot leave the three realms, resulting in ceaseless transmigration and suffering within the three realms.
This unsurpassed bodhi can eliminate all conceit of self in the world. Ordinary sentient beings all have deep and heavy conceit of self. What is conceit of self? First, sentient beings believe that an 'I' exists, taking the five aggregates as the self: the physical body is the self, feelings are the self, seeing, hearing, awareness, and knowing are the self, the aggregate of perception is the self, bodily, verbal, and mental actions are the self, and the discriminating and cognizing nature of the six consciousnesses is the self. Ordinary beings take these as the self and then grasp at the self severely; because of the view of self and the mind of self-grasping, the mind of conceit of self arises, believing that one's own five aggregates and eighteen realms are superior to those of other sentient beings, that one excels over other beings in certain aspects of worldly dharmas; therefore one inwardly exalts oneself and bullies other sentient beings.
Conceit is divided into seven kinds: conceit, superior conceit, conceit exceeding conceit, conceit of self, inflated conceit, inferior conceit, and wrong conceit—all are conceits existing because of the so-called self; thus conceit of self is the root, from which the other conceits arise. The other conceits must first be severed through cultivation, while conceit of self is severed last. In the Small Vehicle, conceit of self is severed at the stage of the fourth-fruit arhat, but the habit-energy of conceit of self still remains; in the Great Vehicle, conceit of self is severed at the stage of first-bhūmi bodhisattva, but habit-energy still remains, and this habit-energy of conceit of self can only be completely severed when one has cultivated to the stage of eighth-bhūmi bodhisattva—showing how deeply rooted habit-energy is.
What is the habit-energy of conceit of self? For example, when a loathsome insect falls from a tree onto the body, most people instinctively shake it off at once—without thinking, without deliberation, they can react quickly subconsciously; this is the manas's habitual self-protection, avoiding danger and rejecting what one loathes without deliberation—this is the habit-energy of conceit of self. Why do all sentient beings have this habit-energy? Because sentient beings' manas, since beginningless kalpas, has constantly grasped the five-aggregate body as the self, this habit-energy is deeply rooted; even if the view of self has been severed and conceit of self removed, deep within the manas there are still the concepts and thoughts of the five aggregates as self, and habitually there remains a shadow of the five aggregates that has not been cleared away—only bodhisattvas at the seventh and eighth bhūmis can sever this habit-energy of conceit of self. An arhat can prevent conceit of self from arising as manifest activity; only bodhisattvas from the first bhūmi upward begin to sever bit by bit the habit-energy of conceit of self and the habit-energies of the afflictions of greed, hatred, and delusion. When an arhat severs afflictions, it is likewise only the manifest activity of afflictions that is severed; all habit-energies only begin to be gradually severed at the bodhisattva stages from the first bhūmi upward.
The afflictions in sentient beings' minds are extremely deep and heavy, and extremely numerous—very hard to sever. Actually, to say it is hard, it is not hard: as long as one cultivates with courageous diligence, the afflictions will melt away like snow beneath the light of the rising sun; thus difficulty or ease depends entirely on one's own mind. For instance, as to how those who awakened to the Way described the difficulty or ease of Chan enlightenment, Pang Yun said: 难难难，十担麻油树上摊 (attaining enlightenment through investigating Chan is as difficult as spreading ten dan of sesame seeds on a tree)! Then Mrs. Pang said: 易易易，百草头上西来意! Their daughter Lingzhao said: 也不难，也不易，饥来吃饭倦来眠. The three people had three feelings and three views about enlightenment. Therefore it is said that the difficulty or ease of all dharmas lies in the person, in whether one's faculties are sharp or dull; difficulty and ease are relative dharmas, false appearances—there is no real difficulty or ease that exists.
Unsurpassed bodhi can break all wrong views in the world. Where do wrong views come from? They also come from the view of self. Before ordinary beings realize any fruit, they all believe there is an 'I' existing—the physical body is the self, the five aggregates are the self; all kinds of views that proceed from the basis of 'self' belong to wrong views. Cultivating and realizing the Buddha-dharma can break all wrong views and can eliminate all sins of sentient beings. When one realizes the first fruit of srotāpanna, one breaks the three fetters, such as the wrong view concerning self; the karma of the three evil destinies created since beginningless kalpas is eliminated, and in the future one will never fall into the three evil destinies. The remaining karmic retribution is repaid only among humans, with suffering experienced among humans. However severe the suffering among humans may be, it is still happier than the three evil destinies, and the suffering is milder than that of the three evil destinies.
Those who have not realized entry into the first bhūmi are called ordinary beings (pṛthagjana); those who have realized the first bhūmi are noble ones, having eliminated the ordinary-being nature (pṛthagjanatva) and no longer creating evil karma of birth and death. Sentient beings who have not severed the seeds of defiled karma of birth and death all belong to the ordinary; when this lifespan ends there will be another life, only born at another time and in another place—perhaps in the heavens, or among humans, in the hells, or as hungry ghosts—this is called being born at different times and in different places.
First-bhūmi bodhisattvas and ordinary beings both have segmented birth-and-death (pariccheda-maraṇa). For example, a person lives one lifetime of a hundred-odd years, or a thousand-odd years; when the lifespan ends, there is the next life—birth and death is divided into stage after stage, hence it is called segmented birth-and-death. If a first-bhūmi bodhisattva is reborn in the heavenly realm, the lifespan is extremely long; if reborn in the human world, the lifespan is the same as that of ordinary sentient beings, and there is also segmented birth-and-death; if by the power of vows one is reborn in the animal destiny, the lifespan is as brief as that of animals, and there is also segmented birth-and-death. Besides segmented birth-and-death there is also transformational birth-and-death (parināma-maraṇa). Transformational birth-and-death means the lifespan is extremely long, but within the tathāgatagarbha mind there remain defiled seeds of birth and death not yet all eliminated, which can still invite the karma of birth and death; the false appearance of birth and death cannot be forever extinguished, and the seeds of arising and ceasing in the mind cannot be severed before reaching the Buddha-bhūmi—therefore there is transformational birth-and-death.
Unsurpassed bodhi can enable ordinary beings, just like first-bhūmi bodhisattvas, to realize the dharma nature of equality. What is the dharma nature of equality? Does it mean that you, I, and he are three equals? No. Sentient beings are unequal in terms of marks: there are male marks and female marks, human marks and animal marks, marks of wealth and honor and marks of poverty, marks of good people and marks of bad people; but one thing is equal: the mind-essence of true suchness is equal. How is the mind equal? For example, the Ālayavijñāna mind-essence equally cooperates with the deluded minds of the preceding seven consciousnesses and equally manifests all dharmas, without the slightest difference—its essential nature is equal. Although the marks differ in myriad ways, the essential nature of the Ālayavijñāna mind is certainly equal, possessing the same functions, the same operations, equally containing the six great seeds of earth, water, fire, wind, space, and consciousness, containing the seeds of the preceding seven consciousnesses and the function of manifesting all dharmas; the Ālayavijñāna of all sentient beings is the same—this is the equality-nature of sentient beings.
The Buddha's seventh consciousness also possesses the nature of equality, regarding all sentient beings with perfect equality, knowing that although sentient beings' marks differ and are unequal, their nature is equal—all are the tathāgatagarbha nature. The Buddha observes that all sentient beings possess the buddha-nature, and the buddha-nature is equal without difference; the Buddha does not look at external marks. Therefore the Buddha does not discriminate between good people and evil people, and will not save only good people while not saving evil people; the Buddha has no such unequal mind—as long as conditions are ripe, the Buddha delivers all equally. The minds of ordinary beings are unequal; they can only observe others' external appearance and cannot see the inner equal buddha-nature; since beginningless kalpas they have been habituated to grasping at marks, which has become a habitual tendency, not knowing that within differentiated marks there is also an undifferentiated nature. As for first-bhūmi bodhisattvas, because their sixth and seventh consciousnesses have initially transformed consciousness into wisdom, the seventh consciousness has transformed into a portion of the wisdom of equality (samatā-jñāna); in viewing all worldly dharmas, they know their essence is all tathāgatagarbha, and therefore their minds have begun to possess the nature of equality.
After understanding the principle of true suchness and buddha-nature, one should learn from the true-suchness Ālayavijñāna, learning His mental conduct of treating sentient beings equally. No matter what sentient beings' seventh consciousness wants to do, He cooperates, selflessly giving and offering—whatever is wanted He provides; if sound is wanted He manifests sound, if form objects are wanted He manifests form objects; regardless of whether the mind is good or bad, He gives everything in accordance with sentient beings' minds, equally according with sentient beings. The unequal mind is the false mind; the equal mind is the Buddha-mind. The Buddha observes sentient beings as all being Buddhas; when sentient beings observe the Buddha, they only see the Buddha's thirty-two marks; if the Buddha does not manifest the thirty-two marks, sentient beings treat Him as an ordinary being. Because sentient beings have not opened their eyes, they can only see external marks and cannot see the essence. We should diligently cultivate the Buddha-dharma, realize the dharma nature of equality as soon as possible, realize the true-suchness buddha-nature, and soon possess the wisdom of equality.
The Great Vehicle dharma is not the realm of śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas, but the essential dharma of Great Vehicle bodhisattvas—the tathāgatagarbha dharma that bodhisattvas cultivate and realize. Śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas can only cultivate and study the dharma of the Two Vehicles, realizing the falsity of the five aggregates and eighteen realms of the worldly realm, realizing the selflessness of person, severing covetous grasping at the five aggregates and eighteen realms, and attaining liberation; they cannot realize the Ālayavijñāna and the buddha-nature, do not realize the dharma nature of equality, and therefore also do not possess the wisdom of equality.
Original text:大王。应作是念。我当云何。于人天中。得为眼目。于长夜中。得为照明。于爱河中。得为船筏。于险难处。得为导师。无依怙者。为作主宰。自得度已。复能度他。自解脱已。令他解脱。自得安隐。令他安隐。自证涅槃。复令他证。大王。不应观彼。现在世间。所受富乐。五欲自在。诸根如幻。境界如梦。谓于色境。声香味触。心生贪着。无满足时。
Explanation: The Buddha said: Great King, you should always harbor such thoughts in your mind: How shall I, among humans and gods, serve as the eyes of sentient beings, and in the long night of birth and death be a great illumination for all sentient beings, guiding sentient beings' course? How shall I, in the river of craving of birth and death within the three realms, serve as a boat and raft for sentient beings, pulling sentient beings across the river of craving? How shall I, at the perilous and difficult places of birth and death, serve as a guide for sentient beings, leading sentient beings out of dangerous places? How shall I serve as a master for those who have no refuge or protection, giving sentient beings' minds something to rely upon? How shall I first seek my own deliverance and then come to deliver others; first be liberated myself, and then go on to liberate others; first attain peace and security myself, and then bring peace and security to others; first realize nirvāṇa myself, and then enable others to realize it as well? Great King, you should not look only at the wealth, happiness, and freedom in the five desires—wealth, form, fame, food, and sleep—currently enjoyed in the world; in fact the six faculties are all like illusions and all realms are like dreams; do not let the mind cling covetously to form, sound, smell, taste, and touch without ever being satisfied.
These words are the World-Honored One's earnest and heartfelt guidance and exhortation to King Śuddhodana, urging him to give rise to the great bodhi mind, make great vows, attain deliverance from birth and death, and realize the great nirvāṇa soon. Making the vow to serve as the eyes of humans and gods, benefiting oneself and benefiting others, guiding sentient beings toward liberation. Sentient beings have not opened their eyes and are deluded and inverted within the transmigration of birth and death. If they can receive guidance, they will never again be deluded and inverted, and from then on will walk out of the lost path of wrong views toward the light. When bodhisattvas make this vow, when can they accomplish it? Those capable of serving as the eyes of humans and gods are at minimum first-bhūmi bodhisattvas. First-bhūmi bodhisattvas can serve as teachers of humans and gods—guides among humans and guides among gods—leading sentient beings onto the path to buddhahood. A teacher of humans and gods is the eyes of sentient beings. When a bodhisattva realizes the wisdom of the patience with the non-arising of dharmas (anutpattika-dharma-kṣānti) of the first bhūmi and enters the family of the Tathāgata, the Buddha-dharma has been initially mastered by them; only by mastering the Buddha-dharma can one lead sentient beings in cultivation and serve as the eyes of sentient beings.
Bodhisattvas make the vow to be an illumination in the long night. The dark long night of sentient beings' birth and death—who will illuminate it? Bodhisattvas should resolve to illuminate it, becoming a torch, lighting up sentient beings' minds, illuminating the way for sentient beings toward liberation, toward the path to buddhahood. Bodhisattvas make the vow to be a boat and raft in the river of craving. Ordinary sentient beings are all drowning in the river of craving of birth and death: sentient beings of the desire realm covet their own family members and relatives and the five desires and six dusts; sentient beings of the form realm cling to the wondrous realms of the heavens and the celestial bodies of the gods; sentient beings of the formless realm, though without physical bodies, covet the comfortable states of meditative concentration. All of these are covetous craving; because of these cravings, sentient beings cannot leave the three realms and drift and transmigrate in the river of craving of birth and death within the three realms. Bodhisattvas should make the vow not only to free themselves from the river of craving, but also to be a boat and raft within the river of craving, ferrying sentient beings out of the river of craving.
Bodhisattvas make the vow to be a guide at perilous and difficult places. Where is perilous and difficult? There is no peace in the three realms—it is like a burning house; nowhere in the three realms is safe and peaceful; all are like burning houses. As the Lotus Sutra (Saddharma-puṇḍarīka Sūtra) illustrates: the three realms are like a house already ablaze with great fire, yet the sentient beings inside the house are still playing within, not knowing that suffering is about to arrive, not knowing to escape the burning house. Out of compassion for sentient beings unable to escape from suffering, the Buddha, from outside the burning house, returns into the burning house of the three realms to rescue and deliver sentient beings. Yet sentient beings are still playing within the three realms, not knowing that fierce fire is about to blaze up everywhere, cutting off all routes of retreat, with evil ghosts and fierce beasts all around, and the house about to collapse—they are already in peril, yet sentient beings remain utterly unaware.
The illustrations in the Lotus Sutra all speak of sentient beings' ignorance—dwelling in the perilous places of birth and death without knowing it. From this we can see the Buddha's great loving-kindness and great compassion: He could have abandoned the skin-bag of the human physical body, yet He donned the shell of humanity and was reborn among humans to come back and rescue sentient beings—this is truly unconditional great loving-kindness and great compassion of the same essence. We should be like the Buddha and in the future also not fear peril and difficulty, vowing to rescue sentient beings. What is the prerequisite for being a guide? It is having already crossed the perilous places of birth and death and being capable of serving as a guide; if one does not know where the perils are and where the dangers lie, one cannot lead sentient beings out of danger. Therefore we must first understand how to leave the three realms and be capable of leaving the three realms before we can turn back to guide sentient beings, avoiding peril and heading toward the place of peace and happiness.
Bodhisattvas should make the vow to serve as a master for those without refuge. Sentient beings are in fact all without support or reliance, suffering and lonely. Living in this human world, they seem to have family and relatives to rely on, but all family members and relatives are unreliable; they too are lonely and without support, all needing a place of reliance. Every person has nothing to depend on; when the lifespan ends, they set out alone on the road. In the three evil destinies, even the closest relatives cannot accompany one; one can only walk alone on a road that is strange, lonely, desolate, and painful. Therefore bodhisattvas should make the vow to be the support and reliance for these helpless sentient beings, leading sentient beings toward the light and toward liberation.
Bodhisattvas should make the vow that after they themselves have been delivered, they can then deliver others. Only after one has been delivered oneself can one deliver others; if a bodhisattva has only the heart to rescue and deliver while still within the ocean of suffering of transmigration, then he has no power to rescue sentient beings. For example, a person who has never been to a distant place with beautiful scenery cannot lead others to go enjoy the scenery together; he may lose his way halfway and naturally never reach the destination. Therefore one must first have been to the scenic place, personally beheld the beautiful sights, and become clear about the road in between before one can lead others to go there together—this is the principle that only one who has delivered oneself can deliver others.
Bodhisattvas should make the vow to be liberated themselves and also enable others to be liberated. Only when one is liberated oneself can one enable others to attain liberation; only when one has the ability to leave the three realms and is not bound by the three realms can one lead others together onto the correct path of liberation. If one has not attained liberation oneself, one does not know the correct path of liberation and cannot lead sentient beings onto the path of liberation.
Bodhisattvas should make the vow to attain peace and security themselves and then bring peace and security to others. The Buddha has already reached the other shore of nirvāṇa, attained the ultimate bliss of the quiescence of nirvāṇa, and both body and mind have attained peace and security; in order to rescue and deliver sentient beings and bring them peace and security, He returns to the three realms, yet body and mind remain peaceful and at ease, not deluded or bound by the realms of the five desires and six dusts of the Sahā world; only thus can He lead sentient beings to gradually attain peace and security as well. When Śākyamuni Buddha came to the Sahā world and accomplished the Way through the eight marks, He was born as Prince Siddhārtha, surrounded by the five desires, yet the prince's mind had long transcended these worldly realms, untainted by any realm; his mind attained peace and security, was not deluded or inverted in any realm, and he was able to abandon all worldly desires and family affections, resolutely leaving home to cultivate the Way; after accomplishing the Way, he began to extensively deliver immeasurable sentient beings.
Bodhisattvas should also emulate the conduct of all Buddhas, cultivating diligently to attain peace of body and mind, and then bringing peace and security to immeasurable sentient beings. If one's own mind has not yet attained peace, with unceasing craving and grasping, one is easily deluded within the five desires and six dusts, then creates evil karma and suffers unceasingly; when one cannot even attain peace oneself, how can one bring peace to sentient beings? Bodhisattvas should realize nirvāṇa themselves and then enable others to realize it. After realizing nirvāṇa oneself, one then guides sentient beings to realize nirvāṇa. Nirvāṇa is a pure and tranquil state attained through cultivation and realization—neither arising nor ceasing. Nirvāṇa is divided into four kinds.
First, the nirvāṇa of the self-natured purity of the tathāgatagarbha. The tathāgatagarbha itself is of the nature of nirvāṇa—neither arising nor ceasing, neither increasing nor decreasing, pure and undefiled, not attached to a single dharma. When bodhisattvas see the mind and attain enlightenment, they realize this originally existing nirvāṇa nature, realizing the self-natured pure mind.
Second, nirvāṇa with remainder (sopadhiśeṣa-nirvāṇa). 'With remainder' means there is still a physical body existing or still a mind existing; with body and mind existing there is the feeling of suffering. When an arhat is alive in the world, there is a physical body of the five aggregates existing in the world; the physical body has sensations, and therefore there is a certain degree of suffering; residual suffering can appear dependent on the physical body—feeling cold when the wind blows, feeling hot under the sun, feeling itchy when bitten by mosquitoes—this state of having slight suffering to experience is called nirvāṇa with remainder. Nirvāṇa with remainder is the nirvāṇa state realized by Small Vehicle practitioners of the third and fourth fruits; bodhisattvas from the first bhūmi onward have likewise realized it.
Third, nirvāṇa without remainder (anupadhiśeṣa-nirvāṇa). When an arhat's lifespan ends, he extinguishes the five aggregates and enters the state of nirvāṇa without remainder. In this state there is no physical body, no mind, and no five aggregates; therefore no feeling of suffering can appear—no body to suffer, no mind to suffer, no body and mind to feel suffering; there is no sensation, no thought or discrimination, and no arhat anymore; one abides in the tranquil state of nirvāṇa, with only the indestructible self-natured pure mind remaining, abiding in a state of nothing whatsoever—this is called nirvāṇa without remainder. This nirvāṇa is realized after the fourth-fruit arhat passes into extinction; anāgāmins with deep merit of liberation can also realize it after the end of life; bodhisattvas at the full-mind stage of the first bhūmi have the ability to realize it but do not, in order to retain delusion to moisten rebirth, benefiting themselves and benefiting others.
Fourth, the nirvāṇa of non-abiding (apratiṣṭhita-nirvāṇa). This is the nirvāṇa state realized by the Buddha; other bodhisattvas, śrāvakas, and pratyekabuddhas have no ability to realize it. After the Buddha ultimately accomplished omniscience (sarvākārajñatā), with His profound great wisdom His mind does not abide in any realm and does not abide in any dharma—not abiding in emptiness, not abiding in existence, not abiding in nirvāṇa without remainder, and not abiding in the three realms; yet with His immeasurable great compassion, the Buddha also does not leave the three realms, does not leave worldly dharmas, does not leave the five-aggregate body, does not leave the body of the thirty-two marks, and with the liberated physical body of the five aggregates teaches sentient beings to realize nirvāṇa and attain liberation. The Buddha can, in accordance with conditions, accomplish the Way through the eight marks in a world, manifesting as a Buddha; when the conditions in this world are exhausted, He will manifest another five-aggregate body in other Buddha-lands with which He has affinities, manifesting as a Buddha to deliver sentient beings; thus He can benefit and bring joy to sentient beings in countless worlds so that they all realize nirvāṇa and attain liberation—this is the Buddha's nirvāṇa of non-abiding that never abandons sentient beings.
The nirvāṇa realized by arhats is that after extinguishing the physical body and five aggregates, the physical body never manifests again—reducing the body to ashes and extinguishing wisdom; they neither continue to cultivate and study the Buddha-dharma nor benefit and bring joy to sentient beings; their compassionate mind is thin; they do not wish to become Buddhas themselves, nor can they lead sentient beings to become Buddhas together. Therefore the arhats' nirvāṇa without remainder is not ultimate; the most ultimate nirvāṇa is the nirvāṇa of non-abiding realized by the Buddha, forever never abandoning any sentient being. The mental conduct of bodhisattvas differs from that of arhats: although they could enter nirvāṇa without remainder, they do not enter it; life after life they cultivate and realize the Buddha-dharma within the three realms, continuously benefiting themselves while also benefiting and guiding sentient beings. Therefore bodhisattvas are greater than arhats, more compassionate than arhats, possess greater wisdom than arhats, and have vaster supernatural powers than arhats.
The Buddha earnestly and patiently exhorted His father not to regard the wealth and happiness currently enjoyed in the world and the freedom in the five desires, and not to let the mind cling covetously without satisfaction to form, sound, smell, taste, and touch—to no longer covet those realms of form, sound, smell, taste, touch, and dharmas. When the mind covets the five desires and six dusts, it is not easily satisfied. The World-Honored One's father had been a king for decades, constantly enjoying the worldly pleasures of the five desires, yet still did not know their suffering and did not know to escape. The Buddha exhorted him: You should no longer covet this world's wealth and happiness, because all faculties are like illusions and all realms are like dreams; the six faculties are all illusory—the eye faculty should not covet forms, the ear faculty should not covet sounds; do not be lost in the pleasures of the five desires, living a life of luxury and dissipation; all these are illusory, and the realms of the six dusts are all like dreams, not real, vanishing at any moment.
Why did the Buddha repeatedly exhort His royal father? Because the wealthy and powerful are very hard to deliver; they have long been intoxicated in the pleasures of the five desires and cannot easily pull themselves out. The poor, living impoverished lives, deeply feel the suffering of the world; when they encounter the Buddha-dharma, they will spontaneously cultivate with courageous diligence—unless their merit is too thin and, preoccupied with making a living, they rush about in worldly life, unable to study and cultivate the Buddha-dharma.
The earth we inhabit belongs to Jambudvīpa, south of Mount Sumeru; north of Mount Sumeru there is Uttarakuru, to the east is Pūrvavideha, and to the west is Aparagodānīya—these are the four great continents of a small chiliocosm. The people of Uttarakuru have a lifespan of one thousand years, dignified appearances, and abundant lives; they need not labor, and all the livelihood necessities they need manifest naturally; gold, silver, and treasures are complete, the seven treasures are complete, and life is very enjoyable; sentient beings all pursue the pleasures of the five desires, do not study the Buddha-dharma, and do not seek liberation; therefore in Uttarakuru there is no Buddha-dharma and no practitioners. Only the people of Jambudvīpa have suffering and happiness in equal measure; when they can no longer bear suffering, they will seek the way to leave suffering. When they encounter the Buddha-dharma, they will cultivate in order to leave and sever suffering; in a world of pure happiness the Buddha-dharma cannot exist. If sentient beings are born in Uttarakuru or born in the heavens, studying Buddhism becomes very difficult—truly it is said, 'It is hard to cultivate the Path amid wealth and honor.'
For example, the Trāyastriṃśa Heaven is very blissful; the celestial sons play and amuse themselves every day, having nothing to do besides pleasure and play. Lord Śakra earnestly exhorts those celestial sons to quickly come study Buddhism; sometimes he sounds the heavenly drum, compelling the celestial sons to come to the Hall of the Good Dharma (Sudharmā) to listen to the sūtras and hear the Dharma, not letting them indulge further in the pleasures of the five desires. Because when the merit of the heaven is exhausted, they must descend to the three evil destinies to suffer. In the heavens, too, one can no longer study and cultivate Buddhism—therefore it is hard to cultivate the Path amid wealth and honor, and hard to study Buddhism amid favorable circumstances.
