Explanation of the Mahayana Sutra on the Manifestation of Consciousness

Original Text: The Buddha saw Bhadrapāla. He emitted light from his whole body, illuminating Bhadrapāla. At that moment, Bhadrapāla became fearless. He circumambulated the Buddha three times, bowed his head at the Buddha’s feet, and addressed the Buddha: "I beseech you, World-Honored One, out of compassion, instruct me. I have now attained pure faith at the Buddha’s place. My heart yearns for the wondrous Dharma and wishes to ask something. Yet I have long dwelled in birth and death, drowning in the suffering of afflictions. My thoughts are chaotic and scattered. I lack the karmic support for practices like precepts. Though my heart is profoundly earnest, I do not know how to transcend this net of foolishness, confusion, and doubt, how to cross over and escape birth and death. The World-Honored One is the All-Knowing One, seeing all universally. The appearance of a Buddha is extremely rare, difficult to encounter, like a wish-fulfilling jewel bestowing joy upon sentient beings. The Buddha is the great wish-fulfilling jewel. All sentient beings solely rely on the Buddha to attain great bliss. He is the great parent, the source of goodness for sentient beings. Because of the Buddha-parent, sentient beings see the correct path. I beseech you, out of compassion, illuminate my doubts and dispel my darkness."

The Buddha told Bhadrapāla: "You have doubts; ask freely according to your wish. I shall explain and clarify them for you in detail." Then Bhadrapāla, having received the Buddha’s permission to ask, focused his mind on his inquiry and stood to one side.

Explanation: The appearance of a Buddha is indeed exceedingly rare and difficult to encounter. The Buddha has told us in the sutras how long it is between the appearance of Buddhas in the Saha world. In the Bhadrakalpa, one thousand Buddhas will appear. Śākyamuni Buddha is the fourth, and the fifth Buddha will be Maitreya Buddha. The time difference between the appearance of Śākyamuni Buddha and Maitreya Buddha is recorded in the Buddhist scriptures as 9.6 billion years. This interval between the appearance of these two Buddhas is considered the shortest. Often, many great kalpas pass without a single Buddha appearing, and sometimes even dozens of great kalpas pass without a single Buddha appearing. How long is dozens of great kalpas? One complete cycle of the formation, abiding, destruction, and emptiness of the Earth is one great kalpa. Such a length of time is 16.8 million years (one small kalpa), multiplied by eighty, which constitutes one great kalpa. If dozens of great kalpas pass without a single Buddha appearing, how afflicted must the sentient beings living in this world be? With no one to save them from birth and death, they wander in saṃsāra without end. If such a long time passes without a Buddha appearing, then the appearance of a Buddha in this world is truly extremely rare and difficult to encounter.

"Sentient beings rely on the Buddha to attain great bliss; the Buddha is the great parent. This is said from the perspective of appearance. From the standpoint of ultimate truth, all sentient beings rely on the Buddha within their own five aggregates body to attain great bliss. The Tathāgatagarbha is the parent giving birth to the five aggregates; it is the parent bestowing all dharmas upon sentient beings. The Buddha within the five aggregates body can bring the Three Baskets of scriptures, the Dharma of Buddhahood, and the Dharma of liberation to sentient beings. Sentient beings, practicing according to it, can attain great bliss. All sentient beings solely rely on their own Tathāgatagarbha to attain great bliss. The Tathāgatagarbha is also the parent of sentient beings, bestowing everything upon them. The Tathāgatagarbha is the source of goodness for sentient beings; having the Tathāgatagarbha enables sentient beings to cultivate wholesome dharmas. Sentient beings, because of this Buddha-parent, see the correct path of practice; once on the right path, there is hope for liberation. I only wish the World-Honored One would compassionately illuminate our doubts, dispel our darkness of ignorance.

The Buddha told Bhadrapāla: 'You may ask whatever doubts you have freely; I will answer each one for you.' In truth, the Buddha already knew what Bhadrapāla wished to ask, hence he spoke thus. Knowing the Buddha permitted his question, Bhadrapāla stood to one side, his mind focused solely on asking his question.