Bodhisattvas Must Vow the Ten Inexhaustible Vows

At the culmination of the Seventh Ground, when cultivating an even more sublime samadhi, the bliss of samadhi arises, preventing departure from the Three Realms into Nirvana without remainder. For Bodhisattvas between the First to Seventh Grounds, having eradicated attachment to the mundane world of the five aggregates, they find no delight in the dharmas of the five-aggregate world. Once this clinging is completely severed, there are no dharmas within the Three Realms capable of binding the manas. Consequently, the Bodhisattva would enter Nirvana without remainder. Therefore, during this stage, it is necessary to retain a trace of afflictions and karmic obstacles, preserving a subtle attachment to certain minor dharmas, using this to bind the manas and prevent departure from the Three Realms.

Unyielding perseverance on the path to Buddhahood and unyielding dedication to liberating sentient beings prevent entry into Nirvana without remainder. This too is a subtle form of clinging, but it must be temporarily retained. The Avatamsaka Sutra speaks of the Bodhisattva's ten inexhaustible vows. Before entering the First Ground, a Bodhisattva must make these vows to ensure the perpetual cultivation of the Buddha Way, never abandoning sentient beings, thereby avoiding Nirvana and ultimately attaining Buddhahood.

Only when the mind is free from the clinging to self and dharmas is there true liberation and ease. The more clinging there is, the narrower the mind becomes. An Eighth Ground Bodhisattva's mind is free from clinging, abiding spontaneously in non-action, vast and unobstructed, with the greatest spiritual powers and mastery of the Way. Such a Bodhisattva can manifest a Buddha's form, reveal Buddha lands, and extensively liberate immeasurable sentient beings. Before attaining the Third Fruition, it is unnecessary to make such vows, nor is it possible to enter Nirvana without remainder. This is because beings are still bound within the Three Realms by afflictions of greed, hatred, and delusion. They harbor attachment to the five-aggregate world and will not depart from the bonds of birth and death within the Three Realms, still suffering the anguish of karmic retribution. The heavier the greed, the heavier the hatred, the heavier the delusion, the greater the suffering, and the more severe the bonds of birth and death become. Each person's clinging to self, their greed and love for self, is the root cause of their own harm, yet they remain unaware, constantly fixated on "I, I, I" – truly pitiable and lamentable.