The Practice Method of Ākāśagarbha Bodhisattva (1)

Original text:虚空藏菩萨，即从座起，顶礼佛足，而白佛言：我与如来，定光佛所，得无边身。尔时手执四大宝珠，照明十方微尘佛刹，化成虚空。又于自心现大圆镜，内放十种微妙宝光，流灌十方尽虚空际。诸幢王刹来入镜内，涉入我身，身同虚空，不相妨碍。身能善入微尘国土，广作佛事，得大随顺。此大神力，由我谛观四大无依，妄想生灭，虚空无二，佛国本同，于同发明，得无生忍。佛问圆通，我以观察虚空无边，入三摩地，妙力圆明，斯为第一。

Explanation: The Bodhisattva Ākāśagarbha begins by introducing the dharma gate he cultivated. He attained the boundless body at the place of Dīpaṃkara Buddha, together with the Tathāgata. The meaning of "boundless body" is that the body of the Bodhisattva Ākāśagarbha is so vast that it has no boundaries; however vast empty space is, that is how vast the material body of the Bodhisattva Ākāśagarbha is. Therefore the material body of the Bodhisattva Ākāśagarbha is called the boundless body, capable of containing empty space as well as embracing the worlds of the ten directions; hence his name is Ākāśagarbha (Space Treasury). Although the body of the Bodhisattva Ākāśagarbha is as vast and boundless as empty space, it is still a material body; since there is the existence of a material body, there are the functions and operations of a material body; and since it is called a material body, it has hands, which is why the Bodhisattva Ākāśagarbha can hold in his hands the four great precious jewels. These four great precious jewels can illuminate the Buddha-lands as numerous as fine dust motes in the ten directions. One Buddha-land is one buddha-world; the ten directions refer to the worlds of the ten directions. The ten directions represent east, west, south, and north; southeast, southwest, northeast, and northwest; as well as above and below — together making ten directions. "Fine dust motes" indicates that the number is extremely, extremely large. In empty space there are countless fine dust motes; one dust mote represents one Buddha-land, one buddha-world. Then the dust motes of the worlds of the ten directions are even more countless. Even the dust motes within one cubic meter cannot be counted, let alone the dust motes of the worlds of the ten directions. So many Buddha-lands are uncountable, beyond number; the buddha-worlds are also immeasurable, boundless, and endless in multitude. This shows how vast and unobstructed the spiritual power of the Bodhisattva Ākāśagarbha is. The Bodhisattva Ākāśagarbha holds the four great precious jewels in his hands, and these jewels can illuminate the Buddha-lands of the ten directions; all the immeasurable buddha-worlds can be illuminated by them.

Then they transform into empty space. What transforms into empty space? All the Buddha-lands as numerous as fine dust motes in the ten directions transform into empty space — this is the spiritual power employed by the Bodhisattva Ākāśagarbha. Why can all the Buddha-lands as numerous as fine dust motes in the ten directions transform into empty space? Because the Buddha-lands of the ten directions are also illusory and unreal; although they exist on the phenomenal level, in essence they do not exist — they are empty, illusory. Therefore, when the Bodhisattva Ākāśagarbha shines the four great precious jewels upon the buddha-worlds of the ten directions, the buddha-worlds of the ten directions immediately transform into empty space. There is also a special meaning here: the four great precious jewels of the Bodhisattva Ākāśagarbha represent his great wisdom. When the Bodhisattva uses his great wisdom to observe the buddha-worlds of the ten directions, he clearly understands that all the buddha-worlds of the ten directions are unreal, that they are illusorily manifested by the tathāgatagarbha in dependence on conditions, and are also empty.

After the buddha-worlds of the ten directions transform into empty space, the Bodhisattva Ākāśagarbha then manifests a great mirror within his own mind. What mind does this "own mind" refer to? No matter what He manifests, where does the manifested phenomenon come from? It all comes from the tathāgatagarbha of the Bodhisattva. The Bodhisattva Ākāśagarbha is a tenth-bhūmi bodhisattva; a tenth-bhūmi bodhisattva has not yet become a Buddha, and before becoming a Buddha, his tathāgatagarbha cannot be called the undefiled consciousness (amala-vijñāna); at this stage it can be called the ripening consciousness (vipāka-vijñāna). The tathāgatagarbha of bodhisattvas at the eighth bhūmi and above is all called the ripening consciousness, and can also be called the tathāgatagarbha.

From the tathāgatagarbha mind of the Bodhisattva Ākāśagarbha, the great mirror is manifested. This great mirror may be actual physical matter, transformed by spiritual power. Within the great mirror, ten kinds of extremely wondrous and supremely excellent precious lights are emitted. These ten precious lights shine from ten directions into the worlds of the ten directions. The ten directions represent all locations in empty space; everywhere the precious lights are connected, with no place lacking the illumination of the precious lights. Wherever there is empty space, there are the precious lights. The empty space of the worlds of the ten directions is boundless and endless, and the precious lights emitted from the great mirror manifested in the mind simultaneously illuminate the empty space of the ten directions. Wherever there is empty space, the precious lights stream forth.

Moreover, the precious lights also illuminate the banner-king lands (the Buddha-lands of the ten directions), and all the Buddha-lands also appear within the great mirror manifested in the mind of the Bodhisattva Ākāśagarbha. This is the result of the vast spiritual power, the boundless spiritual power, of a tenth-bhūmi bodhisattva. Because the great mirror is manifested by the mind of the Bodhisattva Ākāśagarbha, the banner-king lands of the ten directions also come into the body of the Bodhisattva Ākāśagarbha. Why? Because the body of the Bodhisattva Ākāśagarbha is boundlessly vast, extending to the very limits of empty space; however large empty space is, that is how large the material body of the Bodhisattva Ākāśagarbha is. The banner-king lands all come into the great mirror, and the great mirror is manifested by his mind, so it is within the material body of the Bodhisattva Ākāśagarbha, within empty space, and within the empty-space limits of the worlds of the ten directions.

At this time, the body of the Bodhisattva Ākāśagarbha is like empty space. Empty space can contain the worlds of the ten directions, can contain the material universe (the receptacle world), and can contain all material forms. Empty space and material forms do not obstruct each other; all material forms can come into empty space, can be stored in empty space, and can be established in empty space. Since the body of the Bodhisattva Ākāśagarbha is like empty space, the banner-king lands of the ten directions, having come into the great mirror, have also come within the material body of the Bodhisattva Ākāśagarbha. The material body of the Bodhisattva Ākāśagarbha is like empty space and does not obstruct the banner-king lands of the worlds of the ten directions; there is no obstruction or hindrance, because the material body of the Bodhisattva Ākāśagarbha is also like empty space.