The Practice Methods of Bodhisattva Ākāśagarbha - Part I

Akasagarbha Bodhisattva then rose from his seat, prostrated at the Buddha's feet, and addressed the Buddha, saying: "I, together with the Tathagata, attained the Boundless Body at the place of Dipamkara Buddha. At that time, I held in my hand the Four Great Precious Pearls, which illuminated the Buddha-lands as numerous as the fine dust motes in the ten directions, transforming them into emptiness. Furthermore, within my own mind manifested a Great Perfect Mirror, from which radiated ten kinds of subtle and wondrous precious lights, flowing and pouring throughout the ten directions, reaching the limits of empty space. The banner-topped kingly Buddha-lands came into the mirror, entered into my body. My body, identical to empty space, did not obstruct them. My body was able to skillfully enter lands as numerous as dust motes, extensively performing Buddha-deeds, attaining great compliance. This great divine power arose because I truly contemplated that the four great [elements] have no basis, that illusory thoughts arise and cease, that emptiness is non-dual, and that Buddha-lands are fundamentally the same. Through realizing this sameness, I attained the Patient Acceptance of the Non-Arising [of dharmas]. The Buddha inquires about perfect penetration. I attained samadhi through contemplating the boundlessness of empty space. This wondrous power, perfect and luminous, is the foremost."

Explanation: Akasagarbha Bodhisattva begins to introduce the Dharma-door of his cultivation. He attained the Boundless Body at the place of Dipamkara Buddha. The meaning of Boundless Body is that Akasagarbha Bodhisattva's body is so vast and great that it has no boundaries. As vast as empty space is, so vast is Akasagarbha Bodhisattva's rupa-kaya (form body). Therefore, Akasagarbha Bodhisattva's rupa-kaya is called the Boundless Body, which can contain empty space and also encompass the worlds of the ten directions. Hence, his name is Akasagarbha (Storehouse of Emptiness/Space). Although Akasagarbha Bodhisattva's body is as vast and boundless as empty space, it is still a rupa-kaya. Since a rupa-kaya exists, it has the functions and actions of a rupa-kaya. Since it is called a rupa-kaya, it has hands. Thus, it is said that Akasagarbha Bodhisattva could hold the Four Great Precious Pearls. These Four Great Precious Pearls could illuminate the Buddha-lands as numerous as the fine dust motes in the ten directions. One Buddha-land is one Buddha-country. The ten directions represent the ten directions of the worlds: east, west, south, north, southeast, southwest, northeast, northwest, above, and below – adding up to ten directions. 'Fine dust motes' indicates an exceedingly, exceedingly large number. In empty space, there are countless fine dust motes. One fine dust mote represents one Buddha-land, one Buddha-country. The dust motes of the worlds in the ten directions are even more innumerable. Even the dust motes within one cubic meter are beyond counting, let alone the dust motes of the worlds in the ten directions. So many Buddha-lands are beyond counting, beyond number; the Buddha-countries are also measureless, boundless, and limitless in number. This demonstrates how vast and unobstructed Akasagarbha Bodhisattva's divine power is. Akasagarbha Bodhisattva held the Four Great Precious Pearls; these pearls could illuminate the Buddha-lands of the ten directions; even the measureless number of Buddha-countries could all be illuminated.

Then [they were] transformed into emptiness. What was transformed into emptiness? The Buddha-lands as numerous as the fine dust motes in the ten directions were all transformed into emptiness. This was the divine power employed by Akasagarbha Bodhisattva. Why could all the Buddha-lands as numerous as the fine dust motes in the ten directions be transformed into emptiness? Because the Buddha-lands of the ten directions are also empty, illusory, and unreal. Although they exist in the phenomenal realm, in essence, they are non-existent, also empty, also illusory. Therefore, when Akasagarbha Bodhisattva illuminated the Buddha-countries of the ten directions with the Four Great Precious Pearls, immediately all the Buddha-countries of the ten directions were transformed into emptiness. There is also a special meaning here: Akasagarbha Bodhisattva's Four Great Precious Pearls represent his great wisdom. The Bodhisattva, using great wisdom, contemplated the Buddha-lands of the ten directions and understood that all Buddha-lands of the ten directions are unreal; they are illusory manifestations arising dependently from the Tathagatagarbha, and are also empty.

After the Buddha-lands of the ten directions were transformed into emptiness, Akasagarbha Bodhisattva then manifested a Great Perfect Mirror within his own mind. What mind does this 'own mind' refer to? Regardless of what he manifests, where do all these manifested phenomena come from? They all come from the Bodhisattva's Tathagatagarbha. Akasagarbha Bodhisattva is a Tenth Ground Bodhisattva. A Tenth Ground Bodhisattva has not yet become a Buddha. Before Buddhahood, his Tathagatagarbha cannot be called the Stainless Consciousness (Amala-vijnana); at this stage, it can be called the Maturation Consciousness (Vipaka-vijnana or Manas-vijnana). The Tathagatagarbha of Bodhisattvas of the Eighth Ground and above is called the Maturation Consciousness, but it can also be called Tathagatagarbha.

From the Tathagatagarbha mind of Akasagarbha Bodhisattva, a Great Perfect Mirror manifested. This Great Perfect Mirror might be substantial matter, transformed through divine power. From within the Great Perfect Mirror radiated ten kinds of extremely subtle, extremely sublime precious lights. These ten kinds of precious lights shone out in the ten directions towards the worlds of the ten directions. The ten directions represent all locations within empty space; everywhere was connected by the precious lights; there was no place not illuminated by them. Wherever there was empty space, there was the precious light. The worlds of the ten directions are boundless and limitless in empty space. The precious lights radiating from the Great Perfect Mirror manifested within the mind simultaneously illuminated the empty space of the ten directions; wherever there was empty space, the precious light flowed and poured.

Furthermore, the precious lights also illuminated the banner-topped kingly Buddha-lands, meaning all the Buddha-lands of the ten directions. All the Buddha-lands also manifested within the Great Perfect Mirror manifested in the mind of Akasagarbha Bodhisattva. This was due to the vast divine power, the boundless divine power, of a Tenth Ground Bodhisattva. Because the Great Perfect Mirror was manifested by Akasagarbha Bodhisattva's mind, the banner-topped kingly Buddha-lands of the ten directions also came into Akasagarbha Bodhisattva's body. Why? Because Akasagarbha Bodhisattva's body is boundlessly vast, also reaching the limits of empty space. As vast as empty space is, so vast is Akasagarbha Bodhisattva's rupa-kaya. Thus, all the banner-topped kingly Buddha-lands came into the Great Perfect Mirror. Since the Great Perfect Mirror was manifested by his mind, it was also within Akasagarbha Bodhisattva's rupa-kaya, within empty space, and within the empty space of the worlds of the ten directions.

At this time, Akasagarbha Bodhisattva's body was like empty space. Empty space can contain the worlds of the ten directions; it can contain the universe, the vessel-world; it can contain all material forms (rupa-dharmas). Empty space and material forms do not obstruct each other. All material forms can enter into empty space, can be stored within empty space, can be established within empty space. Since Akasagarbha Bodhisattva's body was like empty space, all the banner-topped kingly Buddha-lands of the ten directions also came into the Great Perfect Mirror, which was within Akasagarbha Bodhisattva's rupa-kaya. Akasagarbha Bodhisattva's rupa-kaya was like empty space, and thus did not obstruct the banner-topped kingly Buddha-lands of the worlds of the ten directions; there was no obstruction or barrier, because Akasagarbha Bodhisattva's rupa-kaya was also like empty space.