"The Śūraṅgama Sūtra, Volume V: The Twenty-Five Sages' Dharma Gates of Perfect Penetration - Bodhisattva Dharaṇīṃdhara"

Then the Bodhisattva Dharanindhara rose from his seat, prostrated at the feet of the Buddha, and addressed the Buddha, saying: "I recall that in the past, when the Tathagata Samantaprabhasa appeared in the world, I was a bhikshu. Constantly, at all vital thoroughfares, river crossings, fields, and treacherous narrow paths—wherever there were irregularities that hindered or damaged carts and horses—I would level and fill them. Sometimes I built bridges, sometimes carried sand and earth. Through such diligent toil, I served through the appearance of countless Buddhas in the world. When beings in bustling marketplaces needed someone to carry their burdens, I would first carry the load for them, deliver it to their destination, set it down, and leave without taking any payment. During the time when the Buddha Vipasyin was present in the world, famines were widespread. I worked as a porter, carrying loads regardless of distance, taking only one coin in return. If an ox-cart became mired or trapped, I used my divine strength to push the wheels and relieve their distress. Once, when the king of that country held a feast and offered alms to the Buddha, I leveled the ground to await the Buddha’s arrival. The Tathagata Vipasyin touched my head and said to me: ‘Level the ground of your mind, and the ground of the world will become entirely level.’ At that, my mind opened. I saw that the minute particles of my body and those composing the world were entirely equal, without distinction. The intrinsic nature of these particles neither clashes nor interacts; even weapons cannot touch them. Within this Dharma-nature, I realized the patient endurance of the non-arising and attained Arhatship. Redirecting my mind, I now enter the Bodhisattva stage. Hearing all the Tathagatas proclaim the wonderful lotus-flower Buddha-knowledge, I was the first to bear witness and became the foremost. The Buddha asks about perfect penetration. I achieved it by contemplating that the two kinds of particles—those of the body and those of the world—are fundamentally equal, without distinction, arising from the Tathagatagarbha as illusory dust. When the dust vanished, wisdom became complete, and I accomplished the unsurpassed Way. This is foremost."

Explanation: The Bodhisattva Dharanindhara rose from his seat, prostrated at the Buddha’s feet, and said to the Buddha: "I recall that in the past, when the Tathagata Samantaprabhasa appeared in the world, I was a bhikshu. Constantly, at all crucial road junctions, river crossings, fields, and perilously narrow places—wherever ditches, pits, or other irregularities hindered the passage of carts and horses—I would silently fill and level them. At such places, I either built a bridge or personally carried sand and earth to smooth the path, ensuring carts and horses could pass unimpeded. Through such diligent and arduous service to beings, I persevered through the appearance of immeasurable Buddhas in the world. Throughout these long kalpas, besides repairing roads, I also carried burdens for others. For instance, when beings in bustling places sought help carrying heavy loads, I would approach them first, assist with their goods, deliver them to the designated place, set them down, and depart without accepting any payment. When the Buddha Vipasyin appeared in this world, famines were widespread. Working as a porter, I carried loads regardless of whether the destination was near or far, accepting only one coin. If an ox-cart became mired in mud, I used great strength to push its wheels free, relieving the distress. Once, when the king of that country hosted a feast to honor the Buddha Vipasyin, I leveled the ground where the Buddha was to pass, awaiting his arrival. The Tathagata Vipasyin touched my head and said: ‘You should level the ground of your mind; then all grounds in the world will become level.’ Hearing this, my mind immediately opened, understanding the connection between the mind-ground and the world-ground, and the relationship between the physical body and the world. With the eye of wisdom, I saw that the minute particles of this body and all particles composing the world are identical, without any distinction. The intrinsic nature of particles neither contacts nor collides; even weapons cannot touch them. Within the Dharma-nature of particles, I realized the patient endurance of the non-arising and attained Arhatship. Having long since redirected my mind from Arhatship to the Mahayana Bodhisattva stage, I now hear all Buddhas proclaim the wonderful Dharma-flower, revealing the Buddha’s knowledge and vision. I was the first to bear witness and became the foremost among the assembly. Now the Buddha asks about the perfect penetration method. I attained it by closely observing that the two kinds of particles—those of the body and those of the world—are fundamentally equal, arising as illusory dust from the Tathagatagarbha. After the dust-phenomena vanished in my mind, wisdom became perfectly luminous, and I accomplished the unsurpassed Buddha-way. This is the foremost method of perfect penetration in my practice."

When the Bodhisattva Dharanindhara encountered the Buddha Vipasyin, why did his mind immediately open upon hearing a single phrase, enabling him to attain Arhatship? This is because, over countless kalpas, he had already aroused the bodhi mind, extensively benefited beings, accumulated great merit, subdued self-nature, attained profound samadhi, and fully perfected the conditions for enlightenment. Thus, upon hearing Vipasyin Buddha’s instruction to "level the ground of your mind, and the world-ground will become level," he instantly reflected, realized the subtle relationship between the physical body and the material world, and attained the fourth fruition of Arhatship. Therefore, practitioners should diligently accumulate the merit and wisdom conducive to realizing the truth. Once the provisions for enlightenment are complete, when conditions ripen, realization will occur without obstruction.