Exposition on Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva’s Dharma Gate of Perfect Penetration through the Ear Faculty

(1) Original Text: At that time, the Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara immediately arose from his seat, paid homage at the feet of the Buddha, and addressed the Buddha, saying: "World-Honored One, I recall that in the past, countless kalpas as numerous as the sands of the Ganges ago, there was a Buddha who appeared in the world, named Avalokiteśvara. Before that Buddha, I aroused the Bodhi mind. That Buddha taught me to enter Samādhi through hearing, contemplation, and cultivation. Initially, within hearing, I entered the stream and transcended the objects. The state entered became tranquil; the dual characteristics of motion and stillness clearly ceased to arise. Gradually advancing in this way, the hearing and what is heard were exhausted. With the exhaustion of hearing, there was no abiding. The awareness and what is aware became empty. The emptiness and awareness became perfectly complete. The emptiness and what is empty were extinguished. With the extinction of arising and ceasing, the tranquility of extinction manifested. Suddenly, I transcended the worldly and supramundane, and the ten directions became perfectly bright. I attained two kinds of supreme excellence. First, above, I united with the fundamentally wondrous enlightened mind of all the Buddhas of the ten directions, sharing the same compassionate power as the Buddhas and Tathāgatas. Second, below, I united with all sentient beings of the six destinies throughout the ten directions, sharing the same compassionate reliance as all sentient beings."

Explanation: Kalpas as numerous as the sands of the Ganges means immeasurable kalpas, countless great kalpas. This shows that Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara attained the fruit of enlightenment immeasurable kalpas ago, meaning he is an ancient Buddha returning, compassionately guiding beings once more.

"Enter Samādhi through hearing, contemplation, and cultivation." Samādhi refers to both a wisdom state and a state of meditative absorption. The combination of these two represents the fruition of a Bodhisattva on the great stages (Mahāyāna Bhūmis), at least the fourth Bhūmi. The wisdom state refers to the realization of the Tathāgatagarbha, the clear seeing of one's true nature. The state of absorption refers to the four dhyānas and eight samāpattis, achieving at least the first or second dhyāna, ideally the fourth dhyāna or higher. The wisdom state is entry through principle (理入), while the meditative absorption state is entry through practice (事入 or 行入), belonging to gradual cultivation through practical application. This point absolutely cannot be falsified. Thus, "hearing, contemplation, and cultivation" encompasses two parts: entry and cultivation through principle, and entry and cultivation through practice. Both are indispensable and must work closely together to cultivate to a high Bodhisattva fruition and enter deep Samādhi. Both meanings are essential; neither can be lacking.

"Initially, within hearing, I entered the stream and transcended the objects." This part, concerning entry through principle, is still relatively easy to explain. Through hearing and contemplating the Dharma, one enters the stream of the Noble Path and realizes the true nature of all dharmas. "Transcended the objects" means the mind extinguishes the realms of the five aggregates, eighteen elements, and six dusts, no longer taking these worldly dharmas as real. The part concerning entry and cultivation through practice must involve concrete meditative absorption skills, the actual practice of meditation. This meditation involves entering absorption through hearing a particular sound. Just as one hears the sound, one follows the stream of sound inward, and the external sound-object vanishes. This part still cannot be separated from the principle entry aspect: where does the sound stream from? Reflect on the source of the sound.

"Entered the stream and transcended the objects" means entering the stream of the Noble Path and transcending the location of the sound. Because all sounds are produced by the Tathāgatagarbha, upon realizing the Tathāgatagarbha, one gradually understands that all sounds are the nature of the Tathāgatagarbha, and thus ceases to regard sound as truly existent. This is entry through principle, combined with cultivation through practice. As the ear faculty grasps at form-dust, once the mind becomes unified, meditative absorption arises, and the ear consciousness and mental consciousness gradually turn back towards the source from which the sound arises. Shifting from outward hearing to inward hearing, the external sound-dust gradually becomes inaudible.