What Is a Contemplating Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva?

Who is Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva (the Bodhisattva who contemplates with ease)? Bodhisattvas can be divided into two kinds: true bodhisattvas and false bodhisattvas. A true bodhisattva refers to the tathāgatagarbha mind-essence, which is free of arising and ceasing; He attends to the bodhisattva's five aggregates in the most minute way, never ceasing for a moment. The other kind is a bodhisattva with a five-aggregate body that is subject to arising and ceasing.

"Ease" (śvara) is also of two kinds. One is the intrinsic ease of the tathāgatagarbha itself: He exists independently without relying on any dharma, needing nothing at all, neither arising nor ceasing. The other is the ease of the five-aggregate body: the five aggregates are at ease only when liberated; without liberation, there is no ease.

This Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva, who possesses a five-aggregate body, has extremely profound meditative concentration and wisdom; he can freely observe and deliberate upon profound meanings with an unhindered mind—this is ease. He can observe his own true mind's essence anytime and anywhere—this is ease, with the prerequisite that he has already awakened to the true mind, for only then can he make deep and detailed observation. This bodhisattva can observe his own true mind's essence—how it operates, how it works in conjunction with the five aggregates to produce all dharmas—and can also observe how the true minds of other sentient beings in the six realms operate, how they manifest, and how they coordinate with the five aggregates. This is ease.

This bodhisattva's mind is at ease: it can remain unbound by the five aggregates and all dharmas, does not crave or cling to any dharma, the mind can be apart from all dharmas, and does not attach to them—this is ease. This bodhisattva can also observe that the true minds of all sentient beings originally exist, are not produced by any external condition, and exist independently without depending on any external condition. The true mind is intrinsically at ease; when the deluded mind does not attach to signs and does not cling, it is untainted by all dharmas and is likewise at ease.

Upon attaining this kind of ease, the bodhisattva's five-aggregate body can come and go freely throughout the Buddha-lands of the ten directions, and all physical bodies can manifest according to conditions—this is ease, and ease beyond compare. To manifest a great trichiliocosm at will, without any deliberate preparation—what ease that is! The prerequisite is that one must have awakened to this mind of ease—the eighth consciousness, the ālayavijñāna. This bodhisattva can manifest limitless supernatural powers: whatever body is needed to liberate beings, he manifests that very body and preaches the Dharma to them; the physical bodies of the four noble ones and the six ordinary realms manifest at will—this is great ease. The prerequisite is that one must have cultivated profound prajñā-pāramitā, realized profound prajñā wisdom, and attained ease of mind.