The Dharma Gate of Practice of Bodhisattva Ākāśagarbha (III)

“虚空无二，佛国本同，于同发明，得无生忍。” The empty space of the ten directions and the Buddha-lands of the ten directions are non-dual; all are empty, all are illusory and false appearances, all are the tathāgatagarbha nature of the fundamental mind, all are the seed-functions operating within the substance of the tathāgatagarbha, and are non-dual with the tathāgatagarbha. Ākāśagarbha Bodhisattva realized that the worlds and lands of the ten directions, as well as empty space, are all non-dual with the tathāgatagarbha, all empty, and thereupon he gave rise to the profound patience with the non-arising of dharmas (anutpattika-dharma-kṣānti) and attained deeper and more wondrous wisdom. By means of this deep and wondrous wisdom, Ākāśagarbha Bodhisattva entered into even more profound meditative concentration, entering the samādhi of the equal cultivation of Samādhi and Prajñā in perfect fusion, and thereby possessed the spiritual powers described above. Then he was able to employ these powers, his body entering empty space, becoming identical with space, merging into the worlds of the ten directions, and liberating sentient beings in accord with conditions. Since the worlds of the ten directions, empty space, and the four great elements all have nothing to rely upon, empty space can contain the material form composed of the four great elements and the worlds numerous as dust motes in the ten directions; at the same time, all the dust-mote worlds of the ten directions can also be entirely transformed into empty space. Ākāśagarbha Bodhisattva's own space-body is composed of the four great elements; the four great elements and empty space are non-dual, both being the tathāgatagarbha nature, manifested and revealed by the tathāgatagarbha, so Ākāśagarbha Bodhisattva's physical body can be as vast and boundless as empty space. Empty space and the Buddha-lands are fundamentally the same; the Buddha-lands are also material worlds composed of the four great elements, and like empty space, all are manifested by the tathāgatagarbha, and in essence are all the tathāgatagarbha; therefore the material four great elements of the Buddha-lands can also be transformed into empty space. Empty space is also the tathāgatagarbha nature, the material four great elements are also the tathāgatagarbha nature, and the dust-mote worlds and Buddha-lands of the ten directions are also the tathāgatagarbha nature. Since all are the tathāgatagarbha nature, they can be mutually unobstructed; all being empty, there is no obstruction. The worlds of the ten directions can be transformed into empty space, and empty space can contain the worlds of the ten directions; the boundless body of the Boundless-Body Bodhisattva can also be transformed into empty space and can also contain the dust-mote Buddha-lands of the ten directions—this is the great spiritual power of the perfect illumination of Samādhi and Prajñā. This great spiritual power was accomplished by Ākāśagarbha Bodhisattva through the equal cultivation of Samādhi and Prajñā together; immeasurable and boundless spiritual powers are all accomplished jointly by Samādhi and Prajñā, jointly by śamatha and vipaśyanā; lacking either one, they cannot be accomplished. Because Ākāśagarbha Bodhisattva realized awakening through the same [nature], this "same" represents non-duality—non-dual with whom? Non-dual with the tathāgatagarbha. Whether it is the material form of the four great elements, or empty space, and the Buddha-lands of the ten directions, all are non-dual with the tathāgatagarbha, identical in essence; because they are identical in essence, all being empty, the Bodhisattva gave rise to great wisdom. Realizing awakening through the same [nature]—this "realizing awakening" means that he attained, discovered, understood, and obtained this great wisdom; "awakening" is wisdom. He realized that the four great elements have nothing to rely upon, that they are all imagined, all subject to arising and ceasing. Empty space is non-dual, and the Buddha-lands are fundamentally the same—realizing this point, that all are the essence of the tathāgatagarbha, all the emptiness (śūnyatā) of the tathāgatagarbha, their essence all being empty, they are therefore mutually unobstructed. Thus Ākāśagarbha Bodhisattva attained the profound patience with the non-arising of dharmas, and from attaining this great wisdom of the patience with the non-arising of dharmas, he possessed great spiritual power. His great spiritual power is incomparably great: Buddha-lands as numerous as dust motes can merge into his physical body, and all the Buddha-lands of the ten directions can be transformed into empty space; his physical body and empty space, the Buddha-lands of the ten directions, and the material form of the material worlds (the inanimate environment) of the universe are mutually unobstructed, without hindrance, mutually in perfect fusion.

Ākāśagarbha Bodhisattva further said: “佛问圆通，我以观察虚空无边，入三摩地，妙力圆明，斯为第一。” Because he had already observed that empty space is boundless and infinitely vast, in the course of his contemplation he entered samādhi; this is samādhi arising from wisdom, and then spiritual powers arose. Empty space has no bounds—why does it have no bounds? If it had bounds, it would be material form; the essence of empty space is also the tathāgatagarbha nature, and the essence of material form and the worlds of the ten directions is also the tathāgatagarbha nature; their essence is empty, being the tathāgatagarbha nature. The Bodhisattva contemplated this principle and entered samādhi; samādhi is the realm where concentration and wisdom are in perfect fusion, indicating that the Bodhisattva entered the realm of profound meditative concentration from the realm of wisdom, and thereby obtained vast spiritual powers and boundless wisdom—wondrous powers perfectly illuminated, this is the foremost. The wondrous powers are Ākāśagarbha Bodhisattva's subtle spiritual powers, perfectly revealed, perfectly obtaining the wondrous power of the perfect penetration. Ākāśagarbha Bodhisattva contemplated that empty space is non-dual and the Buddha-lands are fundamentally the same—this is the foremost. His method of cultivation is one part concentration and one part wisdom, śamatha and vipaśyanā of one substance, contemplating that all dharmas are the tathāgatagarbha nature, non-dual with the tathāgatagarbha; therefore all dharmas are empty. Since all dharmas are empty, they are mutually unobstructed, without hindrance, able to perfectly fuse and contain: his body can contain empty space, being the same as empty space, and can also enable empty space to contain the worlds of the ten directions; his body can also contain the worlds of the ten directions. He can also go to the worlds of the ten directions, according with sentient beings and according with the Buddha-lands, widely performing the Buddha's work—this is Ākāśagarbha Bodhisattva's Dharma gate of cultivation.