Nagarjuna’s Treatise on the Ten Grounds Volume ll

NĀGĀRJUNA’S TREATISE ON THE TEN GROUNDS VOLUME II

NĀGĀRJUNA'S TREATISE ON THE TEN GROUNDS VOLUME II

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BDK English Tripiṭaka Series NĀGĀRJUNA'S TREATISE ON THE TEN GROUNDS VOLUME II

(Taishō Volume 20, Number 1521) Translated by Bhikshu Dharmamitra BDK America, Inc. 2025

Copyright © 2024 by Bukkyō Dendō Kyōkai and BDK America, Inc.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transcribed in any form or by any means —electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise— without the prior written permission of the publisher. First Printing, 2025

ISBN: 978-1-886439-94-8

Library of Congress Control Number: 2024944238 Published by

BDK America, Inc.

1675 School Street

Moraga, California 94556

Printed in the United States of America

A Message on the Publication of the

English Tripiṭaka

The Buddhist canon is said to contain eighty-four thousand different teachings. I believe that this is because the Buddha's basic approach was to prescribe a different treatment for every spiritual ailment, much as a doctor prescribes a different medicine for every medical ailment. Thus his teachings were always appropriate for the particular suffering individual and for the time at which the teaching was given, and over the ages not one of his prescriptions has failed to relieve the suffering to which it was addressed.

Ever since the Buddha's Great Demise over twenty-five hundred years ago, his message of wisdom and compassion has spread throughout the world. Yet no one has ever attempted to translate the entire Buddhist canon into English throughout the history of Japan. It is my greatest wish to see this done and to make the translations available to the many English-speaking people who have never had the opportunity to learn about the Buddha's teachings. Of course, it would be impossible to translate all of the Buddha's eighty-four thousand teachings in a few years. I have, therefore, had one hundred thirty-nine of the scriptural texts in the prodigious Taishō edition of the Chinese Buddhist canon selected for inclusion in the First Series of this translation project. It is in the nature of this undertaking that the results are bound to be criticized. Nonetheless, I am convinced that unless someone takes it upon himself or herself to initiate this project, it will never be done. At the same time, I hope that an improved, revised edition will appear in the future. It is most gratifying that, thanks to the efforts of more than a hundred Buddhist scholars from the East and the West, this monumental project has finally gotten off the ground. May the rays of the Wisdom of the Compassionate One reach each and every person in the world.

Numata Yehan

Founder of the English

August 7, 1991 Tripiṭaka Project

v

Editorial Foreword

In the long history of Buddhist transmission throughout East Asia, translations of Buddhist texts were often carried out as national projects supported and funded by emperors and political leaders. The BDK English Tripiṭaka project, on the other hand, began as a result of the dream and commitment of one man. In January 1982 Dr. Numata Yehan, founder of Bukkyō Dendō Kyōkai (Society for the Promotion of Buddhism), initiated the monumental task of translating the complete Taishō shinshū daizōkyō edition of the Chinese Tripiṭaka (Buddhist canon) into the English language. Under his leadership, a special preparatory committee was organized in April 1982. By July of the same year the Translation Committee of the English Tripiṭaka was officially convened. The initial Committee included the following members: (late) Hanayama Shōyū (Chairperson), (late) Bandō Shōjun, (late) IsHIgami Zennō, (late) Kamata Shigeo, (late) Kanaoka Shūyū, Mayeda Sengaku, (late) Nara Yasuaki, (late) SayeKI Shinkō, (late) SHIoiri Ryōtatsu, (late) Tamaru Noriyoshi, (late) Tamura Kwansei, (late) Uryūzu Ryūshin, and (late) Yuyama Akira. Assistant members of the Committee were as follows: Kanazawa Atsushi, Watanabe Shōgo, Rolf Giebel of New Zealand, and Rudy Smet of Belgium. After holding planning meetings on a monthly basis, the Committee selected one hundred and thirty-nine texts for the First Series of the project, estimated to be one hundred printed volumes in all. The texts selected were not limited to those originally written in India but also included works composed in China and Japan. While the publication of the First Series proceeds, the texts for the Second Series will be selected from among the remaining works; this process will continue until all the texts, in Japanese as well as in Chinese, have been published. Given the huge scope of this project, accomplishing the English translations of all the Chinese and Japanese texts in the Taishō canon may take as long as one hundred years or more. Nevertheless, as Dr. Numata wished, it is the sincere hope of the Committee that this project will continue until completion, even after all the present members have passed away. vii

Publisher’s Foreword

Editorial Foreword

Dr. Numata passed away on May 5, 1994, at the age of ninety-seven. He entrusted his son, Mr. Numata Toshihide with the continuation and completion of the English Tripiṭaka project. Mr. Numata served for twenty-three years, leading the project forward with enormous progress before his sudden passing on February 16, 2017, at the age of eighty-four. The Committee previously lost its able and devoted first Chairperson, Professor Hanayama Shōyū, on June 16, 1995, at the age of sixty-three. In October 1995 the Committee elected Professor Mayeda Sengaku (then Vice President of Musashino Women's College) as Chairperson, and upon the retirement of Professor Mayeda in July 2016, the torch was passed to me to serve as the third Chairperson. Despite these losses and changes we, the Editorial Committee members, have renewed our determination to carry out the noble ideals set by Dr. Numata. Present members of the Committee are Kenneth K. Tanaka (Chairperson), Mayeda Sengaku, IcHIsHIma Shōshin, Katsura Shōryū, Minowa Kenryō, Saitō Akira, SHImoda Masahiro, Watanabe Shōgo, and Yonezawa Yoshiyasu. The Numata Center for Buddhist Translation and Research was established in November 1984, in Berkeley, California, U.S.A., to assist in the publication of the translated texts. The Publication Committee was organized at the Numata Center in December 1991. In 2010, the Numata Center's operations were merged with Bukkyō Dendō Kyōkai America, Inc. (BDK America), and BDK America continues to oversee the publication side of the English Tripiṭaka project in close cooperation with the Editorial Committee in Tokyo. To date, the project has completed about seventy-five percent of the seven thousand one hundred and eighty-five Taishō pages of texts selected for the First Series. Much work still lies ahead of us but we are committed to the completion of the remaining texts in order to realize the grand vision of Dr. Numata, shared by Mr. Numata and Professor Hanayama, to make the Buddhist canon more readily accessible to the English-speaking world.

Kenneth K. Tanaka

Chairperson

Editorial Committee of

the BDK English Tripiṭaka

viii

Publisher's Foreword

On behalf of the members of the Publication Committee, I am happy to present this volume as the latest contribution to the BDK English Tripiṭaka Series. The Publication Committee members have worked to ensure that this volume, as all other volumes in the series, has gone through a rigorous process of editorial efforts. The initial translation and editing of the Buddhist scriptures found in this and other BDK English Tripiṭaka volumes are performed under the direction of the Editorial Committee in Tokyo, Japan. Both the Editorial Committee in Tokyo and the Publication Committee, headquartered in Moraga, California, are dedicated to the production of accurate and readable English translations of the Buddhist canon. In doing so, the members of both committees and associated staff work to honor the deep faith, spirit, and concern of the late Reverend Dr. Yehan Numata, who founded the BDK English Tripiṭaka Series in order to disseminate the Buddhist teachings throughout the world. The long-term goal of our project is the translation and publication of the texts in the one hundred-volume Taishō edition of the Chinese Buddhist canon, along with a number of influential extracanonical Japanese Buddhist texts. The list of texts selected for the First Series of this translation project may be found at the end of each volume in the series.

As Chair of the Publication Committee, I am deeply honored to serve as the fifth person in a post previously held by leading figures in the field of Buddhist studies, most recently by my predecessor, John R. McRae. In conclusion, I wish to thank the members of the Publication Committee for their dedicated and expert work undertaken in the course of preparing this volume for publication: Managing Editor Marianne Dresser, Dr. Hudaya Kandahjaya, Dr. Carl Bielefeldt, Dr. Robert Sharf, and Rev. Brian Kensho Nagata, Director of the BDK English Tripiṭaka Project.

A. Charles Muller

Chairperson

Publication Committee

ix

Table of Contents

Contents A Message on the Publication of the English Tripiṭaka Numata Yehan v Editorial Foreword Kenneth K. Tanaka vii Publisher's Foreword A. Charles Muller ix Translator's Introduction Bhikshu Dharmamitra xiii Nāgārjuna's Treatise on the Ten Grounds, Volume II 1 Chapter 19. The Fourfold Dharmas 3 Chapter 20. Mindfulness of the Buddhas Chapter 21. Forty Dharmas Exclusive to Buddhas (Part 1) Chapter 22. Forty Dharmas Exclusive to Buddhas (Part 2) Chapter 23. Forty Dharmas Exclusive to Buddhas (Part 3) Chapter 24. Verses Offered in Praise Chapter 25. Teachings to Aid the Mindfulness of the Buddha Samādhi Chapter 26. The Analogy Chapter Chapter 27. A Summarizing Discussion of the Bodhisattva Practices 23 45

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125

137

157

175

Chapter 28. Distinctions in the Second Ground's Courses of Karmic Action 191 Chapter 29. Distinctions Pertaining to Śrāvakas and Pratyekabuddhas Chapter 30. [Distinctions Pertaining to] the Great Vehicle Chapter 31. Guarding the Moral Precepts Chapter 32. An Explanation of the Dhūta Austerities Chapter 33. Aids to Gaining the Fruits of Śīla Chapter 34. In Praise of the Moral Precepts Chapter 35. The Karmic Rewards of the Moral Precepts 229 245

283

309

339

363

371

Notes 379 Glossary 411 xi

Translator’s Introduction

Contents Bibliography 423 Index 427 A List of the Volumes of the BDK English Tripiṭaka (First Series) 451 xii

Translator's Introduction

Bhikshu Dharmamitra

As the latest in my series of translations of bodhisattva path texts important in the history of Classic Indian and Chinese Mahayana Buddhism, I present here my English translation of Tripiṭaka Master Kumārajīva's rendering from Sanskrit of Nāgārjuna's Treatise on the Ten Grounds (Daśabhūmika-vibhāṣā).1 This is a text devoted to explaining in great detail the aspects of practice involved in ascending through the ten "grounds," "planes," or "levels" of bodhisattva path cultivation that are described in the Ten Grounds Sutra (Daśabhūmika-sūtra) and in the nearly identical "Ten Grounds" chapter of the Flower Adornment Sutra (Avataṃsaka-sūtra). In order to encourage and facilitate deeper study of this topic, I have translated both of these closely related texts which are available under separate cover from Kalavinka Press.

Although Dharmarakṣa was the first to translate this text into Chinese, his 265 C.E. translation of this treatise has been lost.2 The edition of Nāgārjuna's Treatise on the Ten Grounds that I have translated here is the only one that exists in any language, namely the seventeen-fascicle Shizhu piposha lun 十住毘婆沙論 or Daśabhūmika-vibhāṣā that is preserved in the Taishō edition of the Buddhist canon (T. 1521). It was translated from Sanskrit into English by Tripiṭaka Master Kumārajīva as dictated to him from memory by Tripiṭaka Master Buddhayaśas sometime between the latter's arrival in Chang'an in 408 and his return to Kashmir four years later.

Although, having studied it closely, I find this thirty-five-chapter treatise to be beautifully and awesomely complete in itself as a close description of the principles and practices necessary for entering and mastering the first two of the ten bodhisattva grounds, it is probable that this text as translated by Kumārajīva was originally part of a much larger work. Fortunately, the edition that we have is, in and of itself, a wonderfully thorough training manual for moving from the life of a common unenlightened person to that of an irreversible bodhisattva well along on the path to buddhahood.

xiii

Translator's Introduction

A Brief Description of

the Treatise Contents

As noted above, this text consists of thirty-five chapters3 in seventeen fascicles that describe in great detail the principles and practices involved in entering the bodhisattva path and in perfecting in correct sequence the practices of the first and second grounds, the "Ground of Joyfulness" and the "Ground of Stainlessness."

Chapter 1. "The Introduction" discusses the author's motivations and aims in composing this treatise. Chapters 2 through 27 explain the practices of the first ground. Chapters 28 through 35 explain the practices of the second ground. Chapter 2. "Entering the First Ground" through Chapter 17. "On Entering the Temple" focus on the practice methods of the lay bodhisattva. Chapter 18. "The Jointly Shared Practices" through Chapter 27. "Summarizing the Practice [of the First Ground]" focus more on the bodhisattva practices that are common to both the lay bodhisattva and the monastic bodhisattva. Chapter 28. "Distinctions in Courses of Karmic Action on the Second Ground" through Chapter 35. "In Praise of Moral Precepts" focus somewhat more strongly on the practices of the monastic bodhisattva or very advanced lay practitioner. Due to the length of this treatise, its contents are published in two volumes. Volume I (published previously) includes Chapters 1-18; this Volume II includes Chapters 19-35.

A Condensed Description of

Each Chapter's Contents4

To give the reader a general idea of the content of each of the chapters, I present a brief description immediately below:

Chapter 1. The Introduction. This chapter consists of a general discussion of the whole treatise, a description of Nāgārjuna's motives in writing the treatise, and a close explanation of the "refuge" verse that opens the treatise. Chapter 2. Entering the First Ground. This chapter lists the names and meanings each of the ten grounds, explains how one enters the first ground, and discusses why this ground is called the "Ground of Joyfulness." xiv

Translator's Introduction

Chapter 3. The Characteristics of the Ground. This chapter describes the character of the first-ground bodhisattva, focusing in particular on this bodhisattva's distinctive features. It also explains why his mind is for the most part joyful and explains the nature of his fearlessness.

Chapter 4. Purification of the Ground. This chapter describes twenty-seven dharmas involved in purifying the first ground.

Chapter 5. The Explanation of the Vows. This chapter describes the bodhisattva's ten great vows in great detail. Chapter 6. On Producing the Bodhi Resolve. This chapter describes and explains the seven causes and conditions involved in generating the resolve to achieve the utmost, right, and perfect enlightenment.

Chapter 7. On Training the Mind. This chapter describes the many different sorts of causes and conditions that might cause the bodhisattva to lose his resolve to reach the enlightenment of a buddha.

Chapter 8. On the Avaivartika. This chapter describes the characteristics of the bodhisattva who has fallen into ruination and the characteristics of the bodhisattva who has become irreversible on the path to buddhahood. Chapter 9. On the Easy Practice. This chapter describes using the path of "the easy practice," mindfulness of the buddhas, to succeed in reaching the ground of the avaivartika or "irreversible" bodhisattva.

Chapter 10. Getting Rid of Karma. This chapter describes the methods for purifying past bad karma, specifically referencing repentance, entreating, rejoicing in others' merit, and dedication of merit. Chapter 11. Distinctions With Regard to Merit. This chapter discusses the merit and karmic rewards of repentance, entreating, rejoicing, and transference of merit and also explains how repentance results in less severe retribution from grave karmic offenses.

Chapter 12. Distinctions With Regard to Giving. This chapter discusses the karmic rewards of giving and also explains what constitutes pure giving and impure giving.

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Translator's Introduction

Chapter 13. Distinctions With Regard to the Giving of Dharma. This chapter explains the superiority of Dharma giving over material giving and discusses the qualifications of someone who teaches the Dharma.

Chapter 14. The Characteristics of the [Three] Refuges. This chapter discusses how one takes refuge in the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha as well as how one practices mindfulness of the Buddha, mindfulness of the Dharma, and mindfulness of the Sangha.

Chapter 15. The Five Moral Precepts. This chapter explains the practices beneficial to self and beneficial to others while also explaining the dharma of the five lay precepts.

Chapter 16. On Realizing the Faults of the Householder's Life. This chapter details for the lay bodhisattva the faults of the household life, thereby encouraging the layperson to consider the advantages of becoming a monastic. It also describes the practice of the six perfections.

Chapter 17. On Entering the Temple. This chapter describes the practices adopted by the layperson on entering the grounds of stupas and temples, explains how to take and maintain the eight abstinence precepts, and compares lay practice with monastic practice.

Chapter 18. The Jointly Shared Practices. This chapter describes the practices common to both lay and monastic bodhisattvas while also describing a buddha's thirty-two major marks and the karmic causes that bring them about. Chapter 19. The Fourfold Dharmas. This chapter explains how wisdom is the origin of the thirty-two marks while also setting forth many fourfold lists that explain how wisdom is acquired, how wisdom is lost, how one's roots of goodness are devoured, how one's roots of goodness increase, and so forth. Chapter 20. Mindfulness of the Buddhas. This chapter describes the method for acquiring the pratyutpanna samādhi wherein one is allowed to see the buddhas. It explains that one should cultivate mindfulness and contemplation of the buddhas' form bodies in reliance upon their thirty-two major marks and eighty subsidiary characteristics.

xvi

Translator's Introduction

Chapter 21. Forty Dharmas Exclusive to Buddhas (Part 1). This chapter lists forty dharmas exclusive to buddhas and discusses the first nine of those forty dharmas that serve as the basis for practicing mindfulness of all buddhas' Dharma body.

Chapter 22. Forty Dharmas Exclusive to Buddhas (Part 2)—Challenges to the Reality of Omniscience. This entire chapter is devoted to refuting the various challenges to the claim that buddhas are omniscient. Chapter 23. Forty Dharmas Exclusive to Buddhas (Part 3)—Thorough Knowing of Unfixed Dharmas [and the Other Exclusive Dharmas]. This chapter begins by explaining the tenth of the exclusive dharmas, that of "thorough knowing of matters that are unfixed," continues by explaining the rest of the forty exclusive dharmas, and then ends by introducing an additional forty-four exclusive dharmas.

Chapter 24. Verses Offered in Praise. This chapter explains that one is to use the forty dharmas exclusive to the buddhas in one's practice of mindfulness of the Buddha and then presents praise verses to be used as a means for successfully entering the mindfulness of the Buddha samādhi. Chapter 25. Teachings to Aid the Mindfulness of the Buddha Samādhi. This chapter sets forth the method for acquiring the pratyutpanna samādhi while also describing the karmic rewards derived from this samādhi.

Chapter 26.The Analogy Chapter. This chapter sets forth the analogy of the great guide leading fellow travelers across treacherous terrain to a great city while also describing in greater detail the knowledge essential to deeply understanding and practicing the bodhisattva path. Chapter 27. A Summarizing Discussion of the Bodhisattva Practices. This chapter presents a general explanation of all the dharmas practiced by the bodhisattva along with a discussion of the differences between the practitioner who is a bodhisattva in name only and the practitioner who truly is a genuine bodhisattva. Chapter 28. Distinctions in the Second Ground's Courses of Karmic Action. This chapter begins by introducing ten types of resolute intentions that should be adopted by the first-ground bodhisattva wishing to reach the second ground. xvii

Translator's Introduction

It continues then with a detailed explanation of each of the ten courses of good karmic action and the ten courses of bad karmic action.

Chapter 29. Distinctions Pertaining to Śrāvakas and Pratyeka buddhas. This chapter begins by asserting that the ten courses of good karmic action enable the practitioner to access the ground of a śrāvaka disciple, the ground of a pratyekabuddha, and the ground of a buddha. It then describes which sorts of beings may reach the grounds of śrāvaka disciples and pratyekabuddhas by relying upon the practice of the ten courses of good karmic action. Chapter 30. [Distinctions Pertaining to] the Great Vehicle. This chapter describes which sorts of beings may reach the ground of a buddha through cultivation of the ten courses of good karmic action. It also asserts that a bodhisattva's cultivation of the ten courses of good karmic action is superior to such cultivation as undertaken by adherents of the śrāvaka disciple and pratyekabuddha vehicles. Chapter 31. Guarding the Moral Precepts. This chapter describes the general and specific karmic rewards resulting from cultivating the ten courses of good karmic action. It then presents sixty-five aspects of the perfection of moral virtue in accordance with the Jeweled Summit Sutra.

Chapter 32. An Explanation of the Dhūta Austerities. This chapter describes the correct practice of the twelve dhūta austerities, their benefits, and the conditions under which they may be set aside. Chapter 33. Aids to Gaining the Fruits of Śīla. This chapter describes the dharmas that enable purification of one's practice of moral virtue. It also describes four types of monks, of which the first three are worthy of censure and the fourth is to be emulated.

Chapter 34. In Praise of the Moral Precepts. This chapter begins by asserting that "The bodhisattva who purifies his observance of the moral precepts in this manner is able to gather together all sorts of meritorious qualities and derive all manner of benefits." It then proceeds to quote Akṣayamati Bodhisattva's extensive praise of the moral precepts.

Chapter 35. The Karmic Rewards of the Moral Precepts. This chapter describes the second-ground bodhisattva's manifestation as a wheel-turning king who instructs beings in the practice of the ten course of good karmic action. xviii

Translator's Introduction

On the Completeness and

Ultimacy of This Treatise

Although this treatise primarily focuses its discussions on how to understand the principles, how to develop the qualities, and how to master the skills required to reach the first two of the bodhisattva grounds, its utility is not limited to accomplishing that already very amazing, beautiful, and daunting feat. In fact, the broad and deep range of the discussions in this text apply to the entire path to buddhahood. Indeed, if one were to deeply study this text together with the Ten Grounds Sutra, one would then already possess a very complete map of how to proceed all the way to the perfect enlightenment of a buddha. So many other additional aspects of knowledge, wisdom, powers, skills, and qualities are mastered on these first two grounds that I think it would be fair to say that most of us would need to cultivate the bodhisattva path for many hundreds of lifetimes before we could move beyond the teachings presented in this wonderful treatise by Nāgārjuna.

Finally, as noted in Chapter 29, this treatise does indeed provide all of the teachings a practitioner would need to reach all the way to buddhahood: "These ten courses of good karmic action enable the practitioner to reach the grounds of the śrāvaka disciples, also enable him to reach the ground of the pratyekabuddhas, and also enable him to reach the ground of the buddhas." In the very next chapter, Chapter 30, Nāgārjuna answers the question, "Which sorts of beings can the ten courses of good karmic action also cause to reach the ground of buddhahood?", doing so by setting forth with the following verse distinguishing these bodhisattvas from practitioners attracted to the individual liberation paths idealizing arhats and pratyekabuddhas:

The way they practice the ten courses of good karmic action is superior to that of the two other classes of practitioners, for they engage in measureless extraordinary cultivation

superior to that of anyone else in the world.

They bring forth vows that are both solid and good,

perfect the great compassion that cannot be impeded,

adeptly take on the practice of skillful means,

and patiently endure every sort of pain and anguish.

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Translator's Introduction

They do not abandon any being,

deeply cherish the wisdom of the buddhas, and delight in those who completely and thoroughly practice the buddhas' powers and sovereign masteries. They are able to refute all ideas involving wrong views and accept and protect the buddhas' right Dharma. They are valiant, able to endure, and vigorous, and are possessed of solid resolve in teaching beings. They do not covet or become attached to their own happiness or to living a measurelessly long life.

They are supreme in all their endeavors

and free of fault in all the works they do. They possess every kind of purity

and come forth through the practice of all the supreme bases.5 The courses of good karmic action enable these persons to reach the ground of the bhagavats who possess the ten powers. A close perusal of the above verses should put to rest any doubts any student of Dharma might entertain about the completeness and ultimacy of this treatise. In Summation

I first happened on this text many years ago when searching the Buddhist canon for the most important bodhisattva path texts to translate into English. I immediately fell in love with it and started translating it back in 2004, but had to take a break from it for a few years due to health reasons and also because I was preoccupied with fourteen other bodhisattva path manuscripts I published as the first ten Kalavinka Press volumes in 2009. I finally finished a first draft translation of this treatise in late spring of 2011, which I did not finish revising until early 2018, this because I was deeply involved in creating a translation of the Ten Grounds Sutra (now available) and the Avataṃsaka Sutra (which, though long since completed, is still being revised and edited).

I have always felt that Nāgārjuna's Treatise on the Ten Grounds is one of the most important and most inspiring bodhisattva path texts in the Buddhist canon xx

Translator's Introduction

and one that simply must be translated into English as soon as possible. Hence it gives me great pleasure to finally be able to bring forth this translation for the perusal of English-speaking Dharma students and practitioners devoted to the deep study of the bodhisattva path.

The accuracy and readability of this translation have been greatly improved by many corrections, preview comments, and editorial suggestions generously contributed by Bhikkhu Bodhi, Bhikshu Jianhu, Feng Ling, Nicholas Weeks, and Jon Babcock. Although I have given this translation my best effort and the greatest care to ensure accuracy, I am aware that there may still be room for refinements here and there. That said, I remain very confident that this translation will do much to advance the western reader's understanding of right practice of the bodhisattva path as taught by Ārya Nāgārjuna. xxi

Contents

NĀGĀRJUNA'S TREATISE ON THE TEN GROUNDS (Daśabhūmika-vibhāṣā) (T.1521:20a2-122b13) Composed by Ārya Nāgārjuna Translated into Chinese in the Later Qin Era by Tripiṭaka Master Kumārajīva from the State of Kuchā

Chapter 19

The Fourfold Dharmas

The bodhisattva should singlemindedly cultivate the above-discussed actions by which one acquires the thirty-two marks. Cultivating the actions that lead to acquisition of the thirty-two marks is an endeavor rooted in wisdom. Therefore: The bodhisattva should utterly abandon

the four dharmas leading to lessening and loss of wisdom He should always cultivate and practice

the four dharmas leading to the acquisition of wisdom. There are four dharmas able to bring about the lessening and loss of wisdom that the bodhisattva should abandon. There are also four dharmas leading to the acquisition of wisdom that one should always cultivate. What are the four dharmas leading to loss of wisdom? They are: The first is failing to revere the Dharma or one who speaks the Dharma. The second is being secretive and miserly in the teaching of essential dharmas. The third is presenting an obstacle to someone fond of Dharma and thereby harming their motivation to listen to the speaking of Dharma. The fourth is harboring an arrogant attitude and consequently elevating oneself while looking on others as inferiors.

What are the four dharmas leading to acquisition of wisdom? They are: First, one reveres the Dharma as well as those who speak the Dharma. Second, one explains Dharma for others as one has heard it and as one has studied and recited it, doing so with a pure mind and without seeking to receive offerings.

Third, knowing that the realization of wisdom occurs through extensive learning, one diligently and unremittingly applies oneself to one's study, doing so as urgently as if one were putting out a fire in his own turban.

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66a

Nāgārjuna's Treatise on the Ten Grounds, Volume II Fourth, one accepts and upholds in practice, in a manner faithful to how it was taught, whatever Dharma one has learned, never forgetting it. In so doing, one esteems actions that are consistent with the words and does not esteem words alone.

These are the four. If one does not damage his roots of goodness, he will be able to abandon the four dharmas leading to loss of wisdom while being able to practice the four dharmas leading to acquiring wisdom. Consequently, one who strives to increase his wisdom acts in accord with the following verse:

As for the four dharmas that devour one's roots of goodness, the bodhisattva should utterly abandon them.

As for the four dharmas that increase one's roots of goodness, the bodhisattva should cultivate and practice them. What then are those four dharmas that assail and devour one's roots of goodness? They are:

The first is the harboring of arrogance while coveting worldly matters. The second is while being attached to offerings, coming and going from the households.

The third is giving rise to hatred and jealousy through which one slanders bodhisattvas. The fourth is that on hearing scriptures one has not previously heard, one refuses to believe or accept them.

What then are the four dharmas conducing to the increase of one's roots of goodness? They are:

First, one strives insatiably to acquire any scriptures that one has not yet heard, in particular those that deal with the six pāramitās and those that belong to the bodhisattva canon.

Second, one rids oneself of any arrogance toward other beings, adopting instead an attitude of humility and deferential regard for even to the lowest of the lowly.

Third, whatever wealth one gains is gained only in accordance with Dharma and is sought only to the degree that it satisfies one's needs. Thus one abandons all types of wrong livelihood while delighting in the practice of the four lineage bases of the āryas.6 4

Chapter 19. The Fourfold Dharmas

Fourth, one does not ridicule others' transgressions, whether real or not, and one does not focus on the shortcomings of others. Hence, if there happens to be something within the sphere of Dharma that one has not yet thoroughly understood, one must not harbor a mental opposition to it. Rather one should take the testimony of the Buddha as the basis for certifying its validity. [Thus, one should reflect,] "Given that the Buddha is possessed of all-knowledge, his dharmas are countless. He speaks of them in ways that are appropriate to any given circumstance. These are not matters about which I have direct knowledge." And so it is that one increases one's roots of goodness. In addition, there are four dharmas perfectible only by those without flattery or deviousness. Therefore:

The bodhisattva should utterly abandon

four dharmas characterized by flattery and deviousness. He should always cultivate and practice

four dharmas characterized by a straightforward mind. Both lay and monastic bodhisattvas should utterly abandon four dharmas involving flattery or deviousness. This is a matter analogous to the difficulty of extricating a crooked tree from a dense forest. In this same manner, there are disciples of the Buddha in the world who, although they have entered the Dharma of the Buddha, they are nonetheless unable to depart from the dense forest of samsara. What then are these four dharmas? They are: First, one harbors doubts about, does not place faith in, and is unfixed in one's resolve regarding the Buddha's Dharma.

Second, one maintains an arrogant and hateful attitude toward other beings.

Third, one's mind is beset by covetousness and jealousy when witnessing benefits accruing to others.

Fourth, the defaming rumors emanating from one's slander of bodhisattvas spread about everywhere. These are the four.

What then are the four dharmas characterized by a straightforward mind? They are:

5

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Nāgārjuna's Treatise on the Ten Grounds, Volume II First, if one commits some offense, one immediately reveals it, conceals none of it, extinguishes it through the confession of transgressions, and then proceeds along the path that is free of regrets. Second, even if, by telling the truth, one would lose the royal throne as well all manner of valuable treasures, one still refuses to utter a falsehood. [What's more,] no words disparaging of others ever pass one's lips.

Third, if somebody assails one with harsh speech, curses, ridicule, disparagement, mocking, slanders, bondage, confinement, whipping, beating, torture, or other such offensive behavior, one only blames his own previous-life actions and does not fault others. Because one has faith in karmic retribution, one's mind remains free of anger or resentment. Fourth, one peacefully abides in the meritorious quality of faith. It is very difficult to maintain resolute faith in the sublime Dharma of the buddhas. But because one's mind is pure, one is able to maintain faith in it and accept it all.

The bodhisattva fallen into ruin engages in the four sorts of flattery and deviousness. The well-trained bodhisattva has four straightforward practices to which he adheres. Consequently, if the bodhisattva wishes to refrain from engaging in actions characterized by flattery and deviousness and instead wishes to carry forth his practice with a straightforward mind, he should accord with the following lines:

One should abandon four kinds of dharmas

practiced by a bodhisattva fallen into ruin.

One should cultivate four kinds of dharmas

practiced by the well-trained bodhisattva.

What are the four dharmas practiced by a bodhisattva fallen into ruin? They are:

First, even though he may be learned, he nonetheless gives himself over to frivolous joking and thus fails to practice in compliance with the Dharma.

Second, he responds to transformative teaching with frivolous rationalizations and fails to respect or comply with instructions provided by monastic preceptors or monastic Dharma teachers.7 6

Chapter 19. The Fourfold Dharmas

Third, he is unable to remain worthy of the offerings bestowed by the faithful. He does away with vigilant restraint of his behavior and yet still continues to accept offerings.

Fourth, he does not revere bodhisattvas who are gentle and good, but instead maintains an arrogant attitude toward them. These are the four.

What then are the four dharmas practiced by the well-trained bodhisattva? They are: First, he is always happy to hear Dharma that he has not heard before and, having heard it, he is able to practice in accordance with what is taught. He relies on Dharma, relies on its meaning, and relies on practicing in accord with how it was taught.

Second, he accords with the import [of the teachings], is not misled by words and expressions, and is agreeable and easy to instruct. In matters related to serving as a teacher, he carries on those responsibilities with conscientious purposefulness. Third, he is unfailing in observance of the moral precepts and in cultivation of meditative concentration while also maintaining a pure livelihood.

Fourth, in his relations with well-trained bodhisattvas, he brings forth respectful thoughts, acts congenially, and treats them with high regard. Thus he does away with any tendencies toward arrogance and focuses on their meritorious qualities.

There are also four types of mistakes a bodhisattva may be vulnerable to committing, all the while seeking in these contexts to focus on the shortcomings of other bodhisattvas. These behaviors are the defining features of a bodhisattva fallen into ruin. If, on the other hand, he is able to draw close to four paths of goodness, these serve to define the bodhisattva who is well trained. This is as described in a verse:

The bodhisattva should utterly abandon

four types of bodhisattva mistakes.

The bodhisattva should cultivate

four paths of bodhisattva conduct.

7

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Nāgārjuna's Treatise on the Ten Grounds, Volume II What are the four kinds of bodhisattva mistakes? They are: First, if one were to teach extremely profound Dharma to beings who are not adequate vessels to receive it, this would be a mistake. Second, if one were to teach Small Vehicle doctrines to those who delight in profound and magnificent dharmas, this would be a mistake.

Third, if one were to act with condescending arrogance or disrespect toward someone engaged in right practice of the path who, with wholesome mind, observes the moral precepts, this would be a mistake. Fourth, if with regard to someone who is not yet adequately developed and cannot yet be trusted one were to nonetheless trust him, or if one were to attract a bad person [into the community] who is a breaker of precepts and take him to be a good person worthy of friendship, this would be a mistake.

What are the four paths of bodhisattva conduct? They are: First, one treats all beings with a mind of equal regard. Second, one uses the good Dharma to teach everyone. Third, one teaches Dharma equally to all beings. Fourth, one behaves with right conduct toward all beings. If one always commits the four kinds of bodhisattva mistakes, fails to delight in judicious reflection on all dharmas, and fails to diligently cultivate good dharmas, then one is an imitation bodhisattva. Therefore: Among all of the bodhisattva dharmas,

there are four that are indicative of imitation bodhisattvas. The Buddha said of such dharmas

that one should utterly abandon each and every one of them. What then are those four? They are:

First, one covets and esteems offerings and does not regard the Dharma as precious.

Second, one acts solely for the sake of fame and accolades and does not strive to acquire meritorious qualities.

Third, one seeks one's own happiness and is not mindful of other beings.

8

Chapter 19. The Fourfold Dharmas

Fourth, one seeks to attract and delights in having a retinue of followers and does not delight in renunciation.

These are the four.

Question: How is one able to abandon the dharmas of an imitation bodhisattva?

Response: One who is a bodhisattva should cultivate the meritorious qualities associated with the initial bodhisattva practices. If one does this, he will then be able to abandon the dharmas of imitation bodhisattvas. Therefore, if a bodhisattva wishes to abandon the dharmas of imitation bodhisattvas, he should act in accordance with the following verse that states: With regard to the four meritorious qualities of the initial practices, one should be energetically diligent in causing them to arise. Once they have arisen, cause them to increase. Having caused them to increase, continue to guard them. What then are these four? They are:

First, one develops a resolute belief in the dharma of emptiness and yet still believes in karmic retribution.

Second, one delights in the dharma of nonself and yet still brings forth the mind of great compassion for all beings.

Third, one's mind resides in nirvana and yet one's practice abides within samsara.

Fourth, one practices giving, wishing to facilitate beings' development [in the path] and not because one seeks any karmic reward in return. If someone wishes to produce, increase, and guard the four meritorious qualities associated with the initial bodhisattva practices, he should draw near to a good spiritual guide.8 This is as described in this verse: The bodhisattva should draw near

to four kinds of good spiritual friends

and he should also utterly abandon

four kinds of bad spiritual friends.

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The bodhisattva who delights in [the prospect of realizing] anuttarāsamyaksaṃbodhi should draw near to, pay reverence to, and make offerings to four kinds of good spiritual friends and should remain distant from four kinds of bad spiritual friends.

What then are the four kinds of good spiritual friends? They are: First, one contemplates anyone who comes seeking something as a worthy friend, for he is thereby able to assist one in realizing the unsurpassable path.

Second, one contemplates anyone who speaks Dharma as a good spiritual guide, for he is able to assist one in achieving the wisdom that arises from extensive learning.

Third, one speaks in praise of monastics, contemplating them as good spiritual guides, for they are able to assist in the growth of all roots of goodness.

Fourth, one contemplates the buddhas, the bhagavats, as good spiritual guides, for they are able to assist one in successfully developing all of the dharmas of a buddha.

What then are the four types of bad spiritual friends? They are: First, those who have resolved to seek success in the pratyekabuddha vehicle and delight in having but few desires and few tasks to attend to.

Second, bhikṣus seeking success in the śrāvaka disciple vehicle who [merely] delight in sitting in dhyāna meditation.

Third, those fond of studying the non-Buddhist Lokāyata scriptures,9 decorous literature, poetry, and polemical sophistry. Fourth, those who, if one draws close to them, esteem the acquisition of worldly benefits, not the acquisition of benefits associated with the Dharma.

Given the above, the bodhisattva should draw near to the four kinds of good spiritual friends while remaining distant from the four types of bad spiritual friends. If the bodhisattva can remain distant from the four kinds of bad spiritual friends while drawing near to the four kinds of good spiritual friends, then he will acquire four vast treasuries, will go entirely beyond all 10

Chapter 19. The Fourfold Dharmas

dharmas associated with the works of Māra, will produce measureless merit, and will exhaustively accumulate all good dharmas. Questions:

What are the dharmas constituting the bodhisattva's vast10 treasuries? What is meant by being able to go entirely beyond all dharmas associated with the works of Māra?

What are the dharmas by which one is able to produce measureless merit?

And what all is meant by being able to accumulate all good dharmas? Response:

All bodhisattvas are possessed of four vast treasuries of the sublime Dharma. Of the four that facilitate accumulation of all good dharmas, the resolve to attain bodhi is foremost among them. What then are the four? They are:

First, one is able to meet the Buddha. Second, one is able to hear [teachings on] the six pāramitās. Third, one's mind remains free of the obstacle of hostility toward the teacher of Dharma.

Fourth, because one is not neglectful, one's mind delights in dwelling in a forest hermitage.

These are the four vast treasuries.

As for "being able to go beyond all [works of] Māra," there are four dharmas in this connection. What are the four? They are: First, one never abandons one's resolve to attain bodhi. Second, one's mind remains free of the obstacle of hostility toward any being.

Third, one becomes aware of and knows all views. Fourth, one's mind remains free of arrogance toward any bodhisattva. These are the four.

As for the dharmas by which one acquires measureless merit, there are four additional dharmas in this connection. What are the four? They are: 11

67b

Nāgārjuna's Treatise on the Ten Grounds, Volume II First, in one's giving of Dharma, one has nothing that he hopes for in return.

Second, one brings forth the mind of great compassion for bad people who break the moral precepts.

Third, in teaching other beings, one brings forth [the resolve to attain] the unsurpassable bodhi.

Fourth, in dealing with beings of base character, one practices patience. These are the four.

As regards the accumulation of all good dharmas, this refers to four dharmas. And what are those four? They are: First, when abiding in the solitary leisure of a recluse, one avoids adopting affected or eccentric practices.

Second, in the practice of the four means of attraction, one does not seek anything in return for one's kindness.

Third, in protecting and preserving right Dharma, one will not be sparing of even one's own body and life. Fourth, when planting roots of goodness, one takes the resolve to attain bodhi as the foremost priority.

These are the four.

Ideally, one should take up an extensive explanation of each and every one of these sets of four dharmas. However, because the text could become tediously complex, we do not present extensive discussions,11 but now instead use verses to provide concise explanations that accord with what the Buddha has taught.

If a bodhisattva wishes to acquire the treasuries of the bodhisattvas, if he wishes to go beyond all the works of Māra, and if he wishes to accumulate all good dharmas, he should completely abandon all of the following things: The two hollow attachments and the two types of bondage, The two types of hindrances and the two defiling dharmas, The two ulcerous sores as well as the two types of abysses, The two causes of being burned and the two illness dharmas. If the bodhisattva wishes to gain access to the bodhisattva treasuries and the other sorts of meritorious qualities, then he should utterly abandon all of these twofold dharmas.

12

Chapter 19. The Fourfold Dharmas

What is meant by "the two hollow attachments"? The first is that of indulging a covetous attachment to ideas related to the Lokāyata scriptures. The second is adding decorative ornamentation to one's robe and bowl. As for "the two types of bondage," the first is the bondage of being attached to views. The second is the bondage of coveting fame and profit. Of the "the two hindrance dharmas," the first is that of forming close relationships with members of the laity and the second is that of remaining distant from good people.

As for "the two defiling dharmas," the first is that of simply enduring and accepting one's own afflictions. The second is that of delighting in carrying on friendships with benefactors.12

Of "the two ulcerous sores," the first is that of focusing on the transgressions of others. The second is that of concealing one's own transgressions. As for "the two abyss-like dharmas," the first is that of contributing to the damage and destruction of right Dharma. The second is that of accepting offerings even as one breaks the moral precepts.

Of "the two dharmas leading to being burned," the first is that of continuing to wear the monastic's kāṣāya robe even when possessed of a defiled mind. The second is that of [continuing under such circumstances] to accept sustaining offerings from those who are pure in their observance of the precepts.

Monastics may be prone to developing "the two types of illnesses" that are difficult to cure. The first is that of possessing such overweening pride13 that one thinks he can simply subdue his own mind [without availing himself of a teacher or the appropriate Dharma antidotes]. The second is that of obstructing and destroying the resolve of someone seeking to [cultivate the practices of] the Great Vehicle.

If the bodhisattva is able to completely abandon dharmas such as these, there are additional dharmas by which he may swiftly attain anuttarāsamyaksaṃbodhi. [If he avails himself of them,] he can then swiftly attain it. He may also acquire those that are praised by all buddhas, pratyekabuddhas, and arhats.

Question: Which dharmas are those that lead to rapid attainment of anuttarāsamyaksaṃbodhi? And which of them are praised by all buddhas, pratyekabuddhas, and arhats?

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Nāgārjuna's Treatise on the Ten Grounds, Volume II Response:

If one is able to practice the characteristic practices of the four truths, one will swiftly attain the bodhi of the Buddha.

Also, if one practices four additional dharmas,

he will be praised by the three classes of āryas.

What are the practices that are characteristic of cultivating the four truths? They are:

First, because one seeks to develop all good dharmas, one is energetically vigorous. Second, one listens to, accepts, studies, and recites the Dharma of the sutras and then practices in accordance with their teachings. Third, having renounced the three realms of existence as comparable to a site of human slaughter, one always seeks the means to avoid and transcend them.

Fourth, in order to benefit and bring peace and happiness to all beings, one strives to benefit one's own mind.

The "truth" [of "the four truths"] refers to being genuine and nondeceptive. Because [the four truths] lead to the attainment of anuttarāsamyaksaṃbodhi, they are not false. Next, there are four dharmas that are praised by the three classes of āryas. What are those four? They are:

First, even if abstaining from it will cost one's life, one will not do any bad deed.

Second, one always practices the giving of Dharma. Third, one remains singlemindedly focused whenever receiving teachings on Dharma. Fourth, if one produces a defiled thought, one is immediately able to correctly contemplate the defiled thought and the causes and conditions that initiated the defiled thought, [reflecting,] "As for these 'roots of defilement,' just what about them is designated as 'defiled'? What is it that becomes 'defiled'? In what circumstances does it arise? And precisely who is it that that generates this defilement?" As one carries on right reflection in this way, one realizes that these factors are all false, devoid of any genuine substantiality, and devoid of any 14

Chapter 19. The Fourfold Dharmas

intrinsic existence of their own. Because one possesses a definite and resolute belief in the emptiness of all dharmas, because no dharmas whatsoever exist intrinsically, and because one carries on such right contemplation of the causes and conditions of defilement, one does not bring forth any sort of evil karmic action. As for all the other afflictions, one also contemplates them in this same manner.

The bodhisattva's acquisition of these dharmas that elicit the praises of the great men is a consequence of his abandoning all bad karmic actions rooted in the afflictions. His mind then completely develops the relinquishing mind. This is as described below:

Having completely developed the relinquishing mind, one seeks to bestow both worldly and world-transcending benefit. As one seeks to bestow these forms of benefit,

one's mind remains free of any weariness.

This bodhisattva completely develops the dharma of relinquishing. His desire to practice Dharma giving and to practice the giving of material wealth is due to his motivation to benefit beings. Whether he is striving to bring about worldly benefit or world-transcending benefit, so long as he has not yet succeeded, his mind still remains free of any weariness or any inclination to retreat.

[The bestowal of] "worldly benefit" entails a thorough understanding of the world's classical texts, cultural arts, professional skills, the implementation of clever expedients, and so forth. [The bestowal of] "world-transcending benefit" entails [providing instruction in the practice of] the dharmas of the [five] root faculties, [five] powers, [seven] limbs of enlightenment, and [eightfold] path [as practiced by those who have become] free of the contaminants. This is as described here:

As one seeks in this manner to bestow the two kinds of benefit, one's mind remains free of weariness and neglectfulness. Through staying free of weariness and neglectfulness, one becomes able to acquire all of the profound dharmas. It is due to seeking it from within the classical works that one is able to acquire wisdom.

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Nāgārjuna's Treatise on the Ten Grounds, Volume II

68a

One thereby develops a perfectly complete knowledge of the world's most superior and foremost dharmas.

In "remaining free of weariness and neglectfulness," "weariness and neglectfulness" refer to feelings of loathing. If in one's studies one remains free of loathing, then one's mind will remain free of weariness. If one remains free of weariness, then one will always be free of weariness as one seeks to acquire the dharmas found within the scriptures, the arts, medicine, professional skills, and the codes of propriety. If one remains free of weariness in these pursuits, then one will acquire wisdom and will perfect a deep knowledge of the dharmas appropriate for use in the world. "Dharmas of the world" refers here to the local customs determining what is appropriate in any given situation for adapting to the minds of those in the world. One becomes well able to understand the dharmas necessary to maintain order in the world. One thereby becomes able to understand what is appropriate in addressing beings possessed of superior, middling, and inferior capacities. In guiding them, one accords with whatsoever is appropriate. One becomes skillful in understanding worldly affairs while also maintaining a mind deeply imbued with a sense of shame and a dread of blame. As for "in guiding them, one accords with whatever is appropriate," this refers to the fact that, in addressing the needs of beings of superior, middling, and inferior capacity, each of them has what is most appropriate for use in instructing them.

As for "a sense of shame and a dread of blame," "shame" refers to a feeling of mortification regarding one's own actions whereas "dread of blame" refers to the potential for feeling mortified by [the critical judgments of] others. There are those who hold that it is because of one's actions that one feels a sense of shame and that it is because of seeing others that one feels a dread of blame. Within the sphere of worldly dharmas, having a dread of blame is the primary priority. This is as described in a sutra [that says], "There are two dharmas of pristine purity that guard the world, namely a sense of shame and a dread of blame." This is as described in a verse: Whenever there are people possessed of a dread of blame, they understand the Dharma, karmic transgressions, and merit. 16

Chapter 19. The Fourfold Dharmas

As for those devoid of a dread of blame, good people avoid them, for there is no evil that they will not do.

Question: Why do you so assiduously counsel bodhisattvas to develop a good understanding of the dharmas appropriate for use in the world? Response: If the bodhisattva is knowledgeable about the dharmas of the world, it will be easy for him to gain access to beings in a way that is mutually pleasing. He will thereby be able to teach them and guide the development of their minds in a way that causes them to abide in the Great Vehicle. If one does not understand the dharmas of the world, then he will be incapable of teaching even a single person. Therefore the dharmas of the world serve as an expedient path for teaching beings. The bodhisattva who understands the dharmas of the world in this way has a mind that is well equipped with a sense of shame and dread of blame. This is as described here:

When subjected to bad actions, remain respectful and generous. How much the more so in dealing with those that benefit oneself. One possessed of a dread of blame and an inclination to be respectful refrains from slighting or deriding those who are good. Because this bodhisattva has a well-developed dread of blame, even in dealing with badly-behaved people, he is still able to behave respectfully, bestow offerings, welcome those who arrive, escort those who depart, and extend greetings. How much the more so would this be the case when dealing with good people possessed of meritorious qualities. Because one is possessed of the two mental attitudes of a dread of blame on the one hand and respectfulness on the other, in dealing with those who are worthy and good but deficient in knowledge, one does not adopt a slighting or arrogant attitude toward them. One reflects: "There are those who are possessed of meritorious qualities, yet conceal their presence in the world just as ashes conceal hot coals. They should not be slighted merely because they feel disdain for such worldly concerns. If I were to slight them for such minor reasons, I would be guilty of a karmic offense." Additionally:

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In whatever endeavor one takes up,

although it may be difficult, one still completes it. This being so, even in endeavors undertaken in the world, they are still characterized by never retreating.

No matter what endeavors this bodhisattva takes up, whether that be building a stupa or a temple, arranging for a great Dharma assembly, or rescuing someone who has committed some crime—in all such difficult endeavors in the world, one's mind refuses to desist or retreat from the task. So long as any given endeavor has not yet been completed, it is essential to use the power of all sorts of expedients as well as the power of physical, verbal, and mental persistence to successfully complete the task. It is not only with respect to endeavors related to the Dharma of the Buddha that one refuses to turn back in retreat, for even in worldly endeavors, one maintains this characteristic of refusing to turn back in retreat. Question: Based on which causes and conditions is one able to succeed in such endeavors?

Response: If one is possessed of the power of patient endurance, he will be able to successfully complete his endeavors. This is as described here: Having developed this power of great patient endurance, one becomes deeply committed to making offerings to the buddhas. Whatever teachings have been taught by the buddhas, one is able to accept and uphold all of them.

Having developed this power of patient endurance, the bodhisattva uses this power to make offerings to the buddhas, to bow to them in reverence, and to freely offer up, as appropriate, robes, food, drink, and so forth. Additionally, whatever the Buddha has taught one to do, whether that be upholding the moral precepts, cultivating dhyāna concentration, subduing one's own mind, or contemplating all dharmas in accordance with ultimate reality—one uses the power of patient endurance in all of these endeavors. This is just as when one obtains a sharp knife. He should then use it for beneficial purposes and should not use it for unbeneficial purposes. As it is said:

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Chapter 19. The Fourfold Dharmas

It is through faith, compassion, kindness, and relinquishing, through the capacity for tireless patient endurance,

through also being able to understand the significance [of teachings], through serving as a guide for the minds of other beings, through keeping a dread of blame enabling supreme endurance, through making momentous offerings to the buddhas,

and through abiding in what the Buddha has taught—

it is through right practice of these ten dharmas

that one becomes able to purify the first of the grounds. These then are what constitute the bodhisattva path.

It is due to the bodhisattva's ability to carry out these practices, beginning with faith and concluding with abiding in the Buddha's teachings, that he is able to purify the first ground.

These ten dharmas all take faith as what is foremost. "Faith" refers to the mind's reaching a definite resolve with respect to the causes and conditions of the Dharma of the buddhas, one that is enhanced by one's delight in it. How does this come to be the case? It is because this bodhisattva's mind is pure in nature that he is able to develop such a deeply rooted power of faith. Having acquired this power of faith, he then brings forth the mind of compassion toward beings, reflecting as follows: "The Dharma of all buddhas takes the great compassion as its very foundation. I now singlemindedly delight in the Dharma of the Buddha. Therefore, when in the midst of beings I should bring forth the mind of compassion."

As this compassion of his gradually increases, it develops into the great compassion.

Having developed the great compassion, one then brings forth thoughts of kindness toward other beings, reflecting as follows: "I should benefit other beings in a manner consistent with my capacity to do so. If I do this, then this would become the practice of kindness based on genuine compassion." When one benefits beings, one is immediately able to practice relinquishing to the degree that one can give away all of his inward or outward possessions, reflecting as follows: "If I dispense with my possessions in this manner, doing so out of a wish to benefit beings and make them happy, this 19

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shall become genuine kindness. In addition, these beings will then become well-disposed to trust and accept my words."

One then becomes able to endure all manner of distressing situations in order to acquire valuable possessions with which to fulfill one's desire to practice such relinquishing. One then reflects in this manner: "If in doing this I were to become weary, then there would be nothing gained from my pursuit of wealth by involving myself in the means for mastering the world's various skills, arts, classical texts, and agriculture techniques. Therefore I should be tireless in learning the world's skills, arts, classical texts, agricultural techniques, and other such things." Through such a capacity for patient endurance, one is able to understand the meaning and significance [of what one studies], whereupon one reflects as follows: "The flavor of worldly classics and texts derives from the meaningful ideas contained within them. If one becomes well able to understand the conceptual flavor of such classics, one is thereby able to gain a penetrating comprehension of all worldly dharmas."

If one becomes able to completely comprehend them, one can then serve as a guide for other beings of superior, middling, and inferior capacities. One then reflects as follows: "If one has no sense of shame or dread of blame, he will be unable to inspire delight in other beings. In order to cause them to be delighted, I should act with a sense of shame and dread of blame." One then reflects as follows: "If I have no capacity for patient endurance, then I will not be able to bring about either worldly or world-transcending benefit. It is through the capacity for patient endurance that one can serve as a guide for all beings and cause them all to be delighted. It is because their minds are delighted that they will then trust and accept my words. Because they believe and accept my words, I can diligently implement skillful means by which I can serve as a guide for them."

One also reflects as follows: "If beings make offerings to the Buddha, then they will gain much benefit from this." Then, wishing to influence beings to make offerings to the Buddha, one immediately adopts this practice oneself by making offerings to the Buddha, his images, and his śarīra relics. Because those beings believe and accept whatever one does, they then emulate one's practice of making offerings to the Buddha and thereby 20

Chapter 19. The Fourfold Dharmas

establish the causes and conditions for being reborn in the human and celestial realms and for abiding in the Dharma of the three vehicles. It is in this manner that the bodhisattva sequentially develops his practice of these ten dharmas by which he is then able to purify the first bodhisattva ground. 21