Nagarjuna’s Treatise on the Ten Grounds Volume ll

Chapter 20

Mindfulness of the Buddhas

When the bodhisattva dwelling on the first ground has completed what is to be practiced, due to the power of his roots of goodness, he will naturally be able to see several hundred buddhas.14 When, in this [above-discussed] manner, the bodhisattva subdues his own mind, he develops a deep love for the path to buddhahood. He then completely fulfills the first-ground practices in accordance with the way he learned them. Then, due to the power of his roots of goodness and merit, he is naturally able to see the present-era buddhas of the ten directions right before his very eyes.

Question: Is it solely through the power of roots of goodness and merit that one is then able to see buddhas or is there some other method by which one can do so?

Response:

There is a deep samādhi that the Buddha explained for the sake of Bhadrapāla. If one acquires this samādhi treasure, one becomes able to see the buddhas. Bhadrapāla was a lay bodhisattva well able to practice the dhūta austerities. It was for the sake of this bodhisattva that the Buddha spoke the Pratyutpanna-samādhi-sūtra.

15 The pratyutpanna samādhi is one in which one sees the buddhas right before one's very eyes. When the bodhisattva accesses this magnificently precious samādhi, even though he might not yet have gained the heavenly eye and heavenly ear, he is nonetheless able to see the buddhas of the ten directions and he is also able to listen to the Dharma of the sutras being taught by those buddhas. Question: What means should one use to acquire this samādhi? 23

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Response:

One should bring to mind the buddhas,

envisioning them as residing in a great assembly,

replete with all thirty-two major marks

and eighty secondary characteristics adorning their bodies. In cultivating this samādhi, the practitioner brings to mind the buddhas with the thirty-two major marks and eighty secondary characteristics gracing their bodies, with bhikṣus close by, with devas making offerings, and with a grand and reverential assembly surrounding them. With focused mind, one envisions each of the major marks of those buddhas.

One also recollects the buddhas as those who are possessed of great vows, recollects their perfection of the great compassion and the fact that it has not been cut off, recollects their perfection of the great kindness through which they bring profound peace to beings, recollects their practice of the great sympathetic joy and their fulfillment of beings' aspirations, and recollects their practice of equanimity through which they have abandoned aversion and craving and do not abandon beings.

One also recollects their practice of the truthfulness basis of meritorious qualities by which they are never deceptive, recollects their practice of the relinquishment basis of meritorious qualities by which they have rid themselves of the miserliness defilement, recollects their practice of the thoroughgoing [quiescence]16 basis of meritorious qualities by which their minds maintain a state of thoroughgoing quiescence, and recollects their practice of the wisdom basis of meritorious qualities through which they have acquired great wisdom.17

One recollects too their perfect practice of dāna-pāramitā by which they have become the lords of Dharma giving, their perfect practice of śīlapāramitā by which their observance of the moral precepts is pure, their perfect practice of kṣānti-pāramitā by which their capacity for patient endurance is analogous to that of the earth, their perfect practice of vīrya-pāramitā by which their vigor is preeminent, their perfect practice of dhyāna-pāramitā by which they have destroyed all hindrances to meditative absorption, and their perfect practice of prajñā-pāramitā by which they have destroyed all obstacles to wisdom.

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One recollects too:

Their mark of having the wheel insignia on the hands and feet, emblematic of their ability to turn the wheel of Dharma; Their mark of securely planted feet, emblematic of their standing securely in every dharma;

Their mark of proximal webbing on fingers and toes, emblematic of the extinguishing of all afflictions;

Their mark of seven places of fullness, emblematic of their complete fulfillment of merit;

Their mark of soft and tender hands and feet, emblematic of their harmonious manner of proclaiming the Dharma;

Their mark of slender and long fingers and toes, emblematic of their cultivation and accumulation of every sort of good and sublime dharma during the long night [of previous lifetimes]; Their mark of having broad heels and wide eyes, emblematic of their vast learning;

Their mark of having a large and erect body, emblematic of their proclamation of the great and upright Dharma; Their mark of having high arches, emblematic of their being lofty in all things;

Their mark of having upwardly spiraling bodily hairs, emblematic of their ability to cause beings to abide in the supreme and sublime dharma; Their mark of having legs gradually growing in thickness like those of the aiṇeya antelope;

Their mark of long arms reaching past the knees, their arms appearing like golden gate bars;18

Their mark of the stallion-like retracted male organ, emblematic of their possession of the treasury of Dharma jewels; Their mark of the golden-hued body emanating light of countless colors; Their mark of fine and thin skin, emblematic of their proclamation of subtle and sublime Dharma;

Their mark of one hair per hair pore, emblematic of their revealing of the single-mark Dharma;

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Nāgārjuna's Treatise on the Ten Grounds, Volume II Their mark of the [mid-brow] white-down tuft adorning the countenance, due to which beings happily and tirelessly gaze at the Buddha's face;

Their mark of a lionlike upper torso, emblematic of the Buddha, like the lion, being one who is fearless;

Their mark of round and large shoulders, emblematic of their ability to make skillful distinctions regarding the nature of the five aggregates; Their mark of fullness in the subaxillary region, emblematic of their possession of a full measure of good roots;

Their mark of distinguishing every flavor, emblematic of their having perfectly tasted the flavor of quiescence;

Their mark of having a square-set body, emblematic of having crushed the fear of births and deaths;

Their mark of the fleshy prominence atop the crown, emblematic of their heads never having to be lowered in reverence [to someone superior];

Their mark of the large tongue the color of real coral that is even able to cover the face;

Their mark of the Brahmā-like voice and the physical mark that reaches even to the Brahma Heaven;

Their mark of the lionlike jaw;

Their mark of the broad shoulders, these being emblematic of their ability to demolish [the views held by] non-Buddhist traditions; Their mark of even teeth, emblematic of their practice of pure dhyāna meditation;

Their mark of their teeth being of even height, emblematic of their minds' equal regard for all beings;

Their mark of closely set teeth, emblematic of their abandonment of desires;

Their mark of having forty teeth, emblematic of their perfection of the forty dharmas exclusive to buddhas;

Their mark of blue eyes, emblematic of their looking on beings with minds imbued with kindness;

Their mark of having eyelashes like those of the royal bull, with the lashes long and in no way disarrayed;

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Their obtaining of a rare physical form that beings look on without ever tiring of holding it in their gaze;

Their having bodies adorned with these thirty-two marks; Their having the eighty minor characteristics like inlaid adornments on their bodies, emanating brilliant radiance; Their complete fulfillment of merit;

Their transcendently supreme and awesome powers; Their widespread illustrious esteem;

Their bodies' incense-like fragrance produced by purity in observing the moral precepts;

Their invulnerability to being moved by worldly dharmas; Their ability to remain undefiled by any arising of afflictions; Their ability to remain unsullied by others' verbal abuse; Their ability to roam and sport through use of their spiritual powers; The ability of the buddhas to be so intensely magnificent in the manifestation of their awe-inspiring powers that no one would dare obstruct them;

Their freely exercised sovereign mastery in using wisdom to proclaim the Dharma that is like the roaring of a lion; Their ability to dispel the darkness of delusion by marshaling the power of vigor;

Their use of magnificent brilliance to everywhere illuminate the heavens and the earth;

Their utter invincibility in debate;

Their being such that everyone looks up to them and no one can look down on them;

Their constancy in regarding all beings with kindness; Their possession of mindfulness as vast as the great oceans; Their meditative absorption that is like Mount Sumeru [in its unshakability];

Their possession of patience comparable to the earth's [ability to endure anything];

Their ability to bring about growth in the merit planted by beings that is analogous [to the growth-enhancing capacity of] water's moisture;19 27

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Nāgārjuna's Treatise on the Ten Grounds, Volume II Their ability to bring forth roots of goodness in beings that, in its power, is like the rising of the wind;

Their ability to ripen beings that is like fire's ability to cook things; Their possession of wisdom as boundless as empty space; Their universal raining down of the great Dharma [rain] that is like [the rain that pours down from] immense dense clouds;

Their ability to remain unstained by worldly dharmas that is like lotus blossoms' [ability to rise from mud and yet remain unsullied by it]; Their ability, like lions pouncing on deer, to decisively refute [the doctrines of] non-Buddhist masters;

Their ability to bear a heavy burden that is like that of the great king of the elephants;

Their ability to lead a great congregation of followers that is like that of the great king of bulls;

Their possession of a retinue of pure followers that is like [the retinue of] a wheel-turning king;

Their utter supremacy in the world that is like that of the lord of the Mahābrahma Heaven;

Their ability to inspire fondness and delight that is like that of a bright moon in the clear night sky;

Their universal illumination that is able to burn as brightly as the brilliantly shining sun; Their bestowal on beings of the causes and conditions for peace and happiness that is like [the generosity of] a humane father; Their acting out of pity toward beings, protecting them in whatever way is appropriate, that is like the actions of a lovingly kind mother; Their purity of conduct that is like [the purity of ] the real gold in the heavens;

Their possession of the power of great strength that is like that of Indra in the heavens;

Their diligence in benefiting those in the world that is like that of a world-protecting lord;

Their ability to cure the disease of the afflictions that is like [the curative power of] a king of physicians;

Their ability to rescue one from disastrous circumstances that is like that of close relatives;

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Their ability to accumulate a store of meritorious qualities that is like an immense treasury;

Their possession of immeasurably vast moral virtue; Their possession of boundless meditative absorptions; Their ineffable wisdom;

Their unequaled liberation;

Their knowledge and vision of liberation that is the equal of the unequaled;

Their incomparability in all things;

Their supremacy over everyone in the world due to which they are recognized as foremost among men;

And their perfection of great dharmas by which they are recognized as great men.

It is in this way that the bodhisattva engages in recollective contemplation of all buddhas in accordance with their possession of the qualities characteristic of the great men. [So, too, he recollects:] That these buddhas have cultivated these meritorious qualities for a countless, boundless, inconceivable, and incalculable number of hundreds of thousands of myriads of koṭis of kalpas during which they have been well able to guard their physical, verbal, and mental karma; That they are well able to completely sever all doubts with respect to the five categorical repositories of dharmas: past dharmas, future dharmas, present dharmas, unconditioned dharmas, and ineffable dharmas; That, without falling into any error, they employ the four modes of reply: the definitive reply, the distinguishing reply, the counter-questioning reply, and the reply that sets aside the question;20 That they skillfully explain the dharmas of the thirty-seven enlightenment factors, namely: the faculties, the powers, the limbs of enlightenment, the path, the stations of mindfulness, the right efforts, and the foundations of psychic power;21

That they are well able to distinguish [each link comprising the chain of] cause and effect, namely: ignorance, actions, consciousness, name and form, the six sense faculties, contact, feeling, craving, grasping, becoming, birth, and aging and death;

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Nāgārjuna's Treatise on the Ten Grounds, Volume II That they are free of any attachment to the eye or visual forms, to the ear or sounds, to the nose or fragrances, to the tongue or flavors, to the body or touch, or to the mind or dharmas [as objects of mind]; That they skillfully expound the nine types of passages contained in the Dharma of the sutras, namely: sutras, geyas, prophetic teachings or expositions, gāthās, udānas, nidānas, [short] discourses beginning with "Thus [spoke the Buddha]…," vaipulyas, and unprecedented events; That they are not influenced by any of the negative influences such as: greed, hatred, delusion, arrogance, the view that conceives of the existence of true personhood, extreme views, wrong views, seizing upon views, seizing on rules and regulations, or doubts; That they are not assailed by such afflictions as absence of faith, absence of a sense of shame, absence of a dread of blame, flattery, deviousness, frivolousness, neglectfulness, indolence, somnolence, animosity, miserliness, or jealousy;

That they have known and seen the truth of suffering, have cut off its origination, have realized cessation, have cultivated the path, have abandoned what is to be abandoned, have seen what is to be seen, have done what is to be done, have utterly destroyed the foes,22 and have perfectly fulfilled their vows;

That they are venerated in the world, are as fathers to the world, and are lords of the world, are well come, are well gone, are possessed of the well-cultivated mind, are consummately skilled in meditative stillness, are well realized in the realization of cessation, and are well liberated;

That, as they abide in countless and boundless worlds throughout the ten directions, in worlds as numerous as the sands in the Ganges, [one envisions them] as if they were appearing directly before one's very eyes.

The bodhisattva should also envision in contemplation all of the buddhas as graced with their eighty secondary characteristics,23 recollecting: That their nails are copper-colored is emblematic of their practice of pure dharmas;

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That their nails are prominent and large is emblematic of birth into the great clan;

That their nails are glossy and smooth is emblematic of a deep affection for beings;

That their fingers are round, tapered, and long is emblematic of the depth and duration of their practice;

That their fingers are fully fleshed is emblematic of fully developed roots of goodness;

That their fingers are tapered and long is emblematic of sequential accumulation of all dharmas of a buddha;

That their veins are hidden and invisible, but they do not hide the lineage of [the quality of their conduct in] body, speech, and mind; That there are no thick knots in their veins is emblematic of their having broken up the knots of afflictions;

That their ankle bones are flat and inconspicuous is emblematic of their not hiding away the Dharma;

That their feet are not misaligned in their track is emblematic of their liberation of the multitudes who have fallen into deviant conduct; That their gait is like that of the lion is emblematic of their being the lions among men;

That their gait is also like that of the king of elephants is emblematic of their being the elephant kings among men;

That their gait is also like the king of geese is emblematic of their flying high, like the wild goose;

That their gait is also like the king of bulls is emblematic of their being the most revered of all men;

That, when walking, they turn around to the right, is emblematic of their skillful proclamation of the right path;

That their posture is not hunched or crooked is emblematic of the fact that their minds are never crooked;

That their bodies stand solid and erect in their posture is emblematic of their praise of solidity and durability in upholding the moral precepts; That their bodies gradually grew large is emblematic of their sequential exposition of Dharma;

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That all parts of their bodies are large and majestic is emblematic of their ability to skillfully explain the great and sublime meritorious qualities;

That their bodies are perfectly developed is emblematic of their perfection in the Dharma; That their strides are of equal length is emblematic of their equalminded regard for all beings; That their bodies are pristine in their cleanliness is emblematic of the purity of their three types of karma;

That their skin is fine and soft is emblematic of the naturally pliant character of their minds;

That their bodies remain free of all dust and dirt is emblematic of their good views that have abandoned all defilement;

That their bodies do not shrink through wasting [even in old age] is emblematic of their minds' always remaining unsinkable; That their bodies are boundless and immeasurable is emblematic of the immeasurability of their roots of goodness;

That the flesh of their bodies is taut and finely textured is emblematic of their eternal severance of [karmically compulsory] later incarnations; That all of their joints are smooth in their articulations is emblematic of their skillful explication of the twelve causes and conditions and their perfectly clear distinguishing of each of them; That the hue of their bodies is not dark is emblematic of their knowledge and vision being free of any darkness;

That their waists are full all around is emblematic of their disciples' possession of fully developed conduct;

That their bellies are clear [of blemishes] and of fresh and immaculate appearance is emblematic of their being well able to completely know the serious faults of samsara;

That their bellies do not protrude is emblematic of their having crushed the mountain of arrogance;

That their bellies are flat and do not show is emblematic of the fact that their proclamation of Dharma is directed equally toward everyone; That their umbilici are round and deep is emblematic of their penetrating comprehension of extremely deep dharmas; 32

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That their umbilici have a rightward swirl is emblematic of their disciples' compliance with instruction; That their bodies are in every way graceful in their refinements is emblematic of the thoroughgoing purity of their disciples; That their awesomeness in deportment is utterly immaculate is emblematic of the incomparable purity of their minds; That their bodies are free of blemishes is emblematic of their being completely free of any black dharmas;

That the softness of their hands is superior even to that of tūla cotton silk is emblematic of the experience of those receiving their instruction who feel as if their bodies have become as light as a wisp of down; That the lines on their palms form a deep pattern is emblematic of the profoundly dignified nature of their awesome deportment; That the lines on their palms are long is emblematic of their contemplative regard for the long-term future of those receiving their Dharma teaching;

That the pattern on their palms is lustrous and smooth is emblematic of their relinquishing of the affection of relatives and of their acquisition of the fruits of the great path; That their countenances remain free of any long-faced expression is emblematic of the presence of exceptional circumstances in the moral precepts they establish;

That their lips are as red as bimba fruit is emblematic of their looking on the entire world as merely like an image reflected in a mirror; That their tongues are soft and pliant is emblematic of their initial use of gentle speech in liberating beings;

That their tongues are thin and wide is emblematic of the purity and abundance of their meritorious qualities;

That their tongues are crimson red is emblematic of their Dharma's ability to cause common people to understand what they find difficult to understand; That their voices are like thunder is emblematic of their not fearing the boom of a thunderclap;

That their voices are harmonious and gentle is emblematic of their proclamation of soft and gentle Dharma;

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Nāgārjuna's Treatise on the Ten Grounds, Volume II That their four central incisors are rounded [in their visible profile] and straight is emblematic of their proclamation of the Dharma of the straight path;

That their four central incisors are all sharp is emblematic of their liberation of those beings who are possessed of sharp faculties; That their four central incisors are immaculately white is emblematic of their being foremost in purity;

That their four central incisors are evenly and equally set is emblematic of their standing on the level ground of the moral precepts; That the profile of their rows of teeth gradually taper to those that are smaller [in height] is emblematic of the graduated sequence in their explanation of the dharma of the four truths;

That they have noses that are high and straight-ridged is emblematic of their standing atop the high mountain of wisdom;

That their nasal apertures are clear and clean is emblematic of the purity of their disciples;

That their eyes are wide and laterally long is emblematic of their wisdom's qualities of being vast and far-reaching; That their eyelashes are not sparse or in disarray is emblematic of their skill in their differential assessment of beings; That the whites and pupils of their eyes are as fresh and pristine as the petals of a blue lotus blossom is emblematic of their being such that even devas and heavenly maidens are moved to gaze upon them fondly and bow down in reverence before them;

That their eyebrows are high and long is emblematic of the far-reaching spread of their fame;

That the hair of their eyebrows is smooth and glossy is emblematic of their thoroughgoing knowledge of the dharmas of mental pliancy; That their ears are equal in their appearance is emblematic of the equality of all who listen to the Dharma;

That their faculty of hearing is undamaged is emblematic of their ability to liberate any being possessed of an undamaged mind; That their foreheads are flat and of fine appearance is emblematic of their having skillfully abandoned all views;

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That their foreheads are unrestricted in their wide breadth is emblematic of their having broadly refuted [the claims of] non-Buddhist traditions;

That their heads are in all respects perfectly developed is emblematic of their having thoroughly perfected [the goals of] their great vows; That their hair is the color of the black bee is emblematic of their having transformed the pleasures associated with the five types of desire;

That their hair is dense and fine is emblematic of their having already put an end to the fetters;

That their hair, so pleasing in its appearance, is soft in texture is emblematic of their pliant and sharp wisdom's ability to know well the flavor of dharmas;

That their hair is not in disarray is emblematic of their words never being disordered;

That their hair is smooth and glossy is emblematic of their always being free of any sort of coarse speech;

That their hair has a marvelous fragrance is emblematic of their use of the fragrant blossoms of the seven branches of bodhi to teach and guide beings in whatever way is appropriate.

That their mark of virtue, peace, and joy appears in their hair. And that their mark of virtue, peace, and joy also appears on the palms of their hands and on the soles of their feet.

It is in this manner that a bodhisattva should envision the buddhas residing in the midst of a great assembly, speaking on right Dharma, and sitting on the lion seat. The lion seat has feet made from vaiḍūrya inset with various jewels, a headrest made from real coral with marvelous red pearls, and a canopy made of hammered gold. It is draped with all sorts of soft, silky, and lustrous heavenly robes and is supported by bejeweled lions whose bodies are made of purple gold. Their eyes are amber and their tails are motherof-pearl. They have carnelian tongues, four white-diamond tusk-teeth, hair made of real white silver, and long, full manes. That seat rests upon these four lions. They form [the base of] the throne that has armrests made from royal elephant tusks and a footrest made of the many sorts of jewels. 35

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The buddhas receive there the reverential obeisance of the devas, dragons, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kiṃnaras, and mahoragas. The buddhas appear in this way on this throne. They wear the saṃkakṣikā24 and the nivāsana,25 neither too high nor too low, so that they cover the three regions of the body and are neatly arranged and straight all around. They wear a light-colored saṃghāṭī robe,26 with the strips composing it clearly visible, neither too high nor too low, and not misaligned. They abide in the midst of an audience adorned by the presence of the eight kinds of great āryas,27 surrounded by a great assembly of humans and devas. When in attendance there, the dragons and golden-winged garuḍa birds all listen together to the teaching of Dharma, remaining free of any thoughts of mutual hostility.28

Everyone in the entire assembly is imbued with a deeply sincere sense of shame and dread of blame as, with reverential affection for the Buddha, they all listen singlemindedly to the discourse of the Buddha, accept and uphold it, reflect upon it, and practice in accordance with what is taught. Because their minds are focused as they listen and because their thoughts are pure, they are able to block any interference by the hindrances. Everyone in the great assembly gazes insatiably up at the Tathāgata, with all the hairs raised on their bodies, with their eyes filled with tears, with their minds afire with intensity, or with hearts filled with great joy.

Wherever people have become like this, one knows that their minds have become purified. They remain there motionless and silent, serenely still, and as if having entered dhyāna absorption. Their minds are free of either love or hatred and remain undistracted by any extraneous matters. They have thoughts of great compassion29 by which they feel kindness and pity for beings, wishing to rescue them all. Their minds do not descend into flattery or deviousness, but rather have become utterly quiescent and pure as they distinguish what is good from what is bad. They have an immensely strong determination from which they neither fall away nor shrink back and they do not regard themselves as superior or others as inferior. The buddhas are all observed abiding in such great assemblies, teaching Dharma that is easy to understand and easy to completely fathom. [Their audiences] listen with insatiable delight. Their voices are deep, are not subject to fading [even at a distance], are gentle, and are pleasing to the ear. Originating 36

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in the belly, through the interaction of the throat, tongue, nasopharynx, dental palate, teeth, and lips, the air is caused to become sounds and sentences that may be soft and pleasing to the ear, may be as powerfully strong as the earth-quaking thunder emanating from huge, dense rain clouds, may be like those fierce winds off the great ocean that drive up the surf, or may be like the voice of the devas in the Mahābrahma Heaven. With voices such as these, they lead forth and guide those beings that are capable of being liberated. They have abandoned any modes of expression associated with scolding that may involve contortion of the brow, the countenance, or the lips. Their speech is neither deficient in any way nor unnecessarily long and redundant. There is no doubt in what they proclaim and their words will certainly be beneficial. Their speech is entirely free of any deceptive statements, any statements vulnerable to refutation, or any other such statements. It is entirely free of these faults and it is heard equally well by those far and near. The buddhas are freely able to answer the four types of challenging questions. They explain the four truths, thereby causing beings to gain the four fruits of the path. They establish points of meaning and make statements supported by reasons. They are completely equipped with all of the methods used in speaking. In the many different sorts of matters that they discuss, their meaning is easy to completely comprehend. Whatever they proclaim is entirely clear and never intentionally cryptic or convoluted. Their speech is neither too fast nor too slow. The beginnings and conclusions of each discourse are mutually compatible and invulnerable to anyone's challenges. With speech such as this, they spread forth and proclaim the Dharma which is good in the beginning, middle, and end, imbued with meaning, beneficial, devoted solely to Dharma, and, in all respects, perfect.30 It is able to cause beings to gain karmic rewards in in this very lifetime. Their discourse is not meaningful only for a time, is such that one can test it for oneself, and is such that will lead to the fulfillment of one's aspirations. Those possessed of profound and sublime wisdom realize it within themselves. It can extinguish in beings the raging fire set ablaze by the three poisons. It is able to rid one of all karmic offenses committed by body, speech, and mind, and it is also well able to open up and reveal the essence of moral virtue, the meditative absorptions, and wisdom.

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It begins with mere naming that in turn provokes realization of meaning that then in its own turn causes one to be filled with joy. From this joy, there then arises bliss, and from this bliss, there then arises meditative concentration. From this meditative concentration, there arises a wise knowing in accordance with reality, and from this wise knowing in accordance with reality, one then develops renunciation. Due to having developed this renunciation, one becomes able to destroy the fetters, and due to having destroyed those fetters, one then gains liberation.

In this very manner, this Dharma is caused to unfold in a sequence whereby: It is well able to open forth and reveal the four bases [of meritorious qualities]: truth, relinquishment, quiescence, and wisdom; It is able to reveal for beings the means by which they are caused to perfectly fulfill the pāramitās of giving, moral virtue, patience, vigor, meditative concentration, and wisdom;

It is able to cause beings to sequentially enter and proceed through the Ground of Joyfulness, the Ground of Stainlessness, the Ground of Shining Light, the Ground of Blazing Brilliance, the Difficultto-Conquer Ground, the Ground of Direct Presence, the Far-reaching Ground, the Ground of Immovability, the Ground of Excellent Intelligence, and the Ground of the Dharma Cloud;

It is able to make clear distinctions with regard to the śrāvaka disciple vehicle, the pratyekabuddha vehicle, and the Great Vehicle; It is able to provoke realization of the fruits of the path gained by the stream-enterer, once-returner, nonreturner, and arhat;31 And it is able too to cause complete success in gaining wealth and happiness in the realms of humans and devas.

This is what constitutes the treasury of meritorious qualities that provides all of the foremost forms of benefit.

It is in this manner that one uses right thought in the recollective mindfulness of all buddhas. One abides in a peaceful and quiet place, rids oneself of sensual desire, ill will, dullness and drowsiness, doubtfulness, regret and agitation, and singlemindedly carries on focused mindfulness in which one refrains from generating thoughts that obstruct or cause one to lose meditative absorption. One employs this sort of mind in one's focused mindfulness of 38

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the buddhas. If one's mind sinks, one should raise it up again. If one's mind becomes scattered, one should draw it back into a focused state. One then sees the entire great assembly as if it were always right before one's very eyes. When one has not yet managed to enter concentrated meditative absorption, one should always praise the two types of phenomena that consist of the Buddha's major marks and secondary characteristics, using verses to celebrate the qualities of the buddhas and to cause one's mind to become well trained in this.

Accordingly, there are these lines of verse as follows: Referring to the marks and characteristics of the bhagavats and the karmic causes and conditions by which they acquired them, I shall use these marks and their corresponding karmic actions to set forth the praises of these great āryas: The thousand-spoked wheel mark on the feet is associated with a pure retinue and giving. It is because of these causes and conditions that the many worthies and āryas surround them. The mark of the stable stance of the feet arises from upholding without fail all goodness one has taken on. It is because of this that the legions of Māra's armies are unable to succeed in destroying them. Their fingers and toes join with proximal webs and their bodies have the mark of purple-golden coloration. Because of their skillful practice of the means of attraction, the great assembly naturally bows in deferential reverence. Their hands and feet are extremely soft

and the body has the mark of fullness in the seven places. It is due to giving food that accords with others' wishes that they are naturally given many offerings. They have long fingers, broad heels,

and the body has the mark of being large and upright. 39

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This results from abandoning the causes and conditions of killing and may lead to a life span lasting even up to a kalpa in length. The hairs of the body grow in an upward and rightward spiral and the feet have the mark of high arches. By always advancing in good endeavors, they thereby acquired the dharma of irreversibility. They have the gradually tapering legs of the aiṇeya antelope due to always delighting in study and recitation of scriptures. It is through speaking the Dharma for others that they rapidly realized the unsurpassable path. As for having long arms that reach below the knees, this is due to never being miserly in giving anything one possesses to whoever seeks to acquire them. Thus they can teach and guide others in ways suited to their wishes. Genital ensheathment reflects a treasury of meritorious qualities associated with skillfully reconciling those who are estranged.32 As a result, they acquire a great congregation of humans and devas and use the pure wisdom eye to create their sons.33 Their thin skin that radiates golden light is associated with giving marvelous apparel and halls. As a consequence, they acquire an abundance of fine robes as well as pristine quarters, buildings, and viewing terraces. The single hair in each pore

and the white hair tuft between the eyes are associated with serving as a supreme protector. Hence they are revered throughout the three realms of existence. They have an upper body like that of a lion with the two shoulders rounded and full. These result from always using speech that is pleasing to others. As a consequence, there is no one who opposes them. 40

Chapter 20. Mindfulness of the Buddhas

The marks of subaxillary fullness and cognition of all tastes stem from providing medical care and medicines for the sick. As a consequence, devas and humans all revere and love them and their bodies remain ever free of disease. The roundness of the mid-body and the crown's fleshy uṣṇīṣa sign reflect the merit of giving with a harmonious and delighted mind. As a consequence of exhorting and teaching even the stubborn, they reign as sovereignly masterful kings of Dharma. As for the voice like that of a kalaviṅka bird, the broad tongue, and the voice like a Great Brahma Heaven deva, they are from the speaking of words that are both gentle and true. They therefore acquire the Great Ārya's eight voice qualities.34 Having first brought contemplative thought to bear and then afterward spoken words of definite truthfulness, they acquired the lionlike mark.

Hence all who see them trust them and defer to them. That their teeth are white, straight, and close-set is because they have always refrained from slighting those who have previously given offerings. Hence the minds of those in their retinue are agreeable and unified. Above and below, they have a total of forty teeth that, being close-set, have no gaps.

These result from never slandering and not lying. Hence their disciples' [loyalty] cannot be destroyed. The pupils and whites of their eyes are clearly delineated and they have the mark of eyelashes like those of a royal bull. These are caused by kindly thought and an amicable view of others. Consequently all observers look on them with a tireless gaze. Even though a wheel-turning king

who rules over four continents

41

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Nāgārjuna's Treatise on the Ten Grounds, Volume II possesses these major marks and secondary characteristics, their radiance still cannot compare with that of a buddha. I pray that the power of the merit from my setting forth praises of the major marks and the secondary characteristics may be able to cause everyone

to have purified minds as well as everlasting peace and happiness. The bodhisattva should also engage in contemplative mindfulness of the buddhas by way of their eighty secondary characteristics. Accordingly, there are these lines of verse, as follows:

All buddhas possess the marvelous secondary characteristics, eighty in number, with which their bodies are adorned. You should all delight in them

and listen intently as I describe them.

The bhagavats have round and slender fingers, nails that are purplish red in hue,

convex in profile, smooth, and glossy,

characteristics of having everything in measureless abundance. Their veins lie flat, their ankle bones are invisible, their feet are not skewed in their track, their gait is like that of the king of lions, and they are incomparably awe-inspiring to all observers. When walking, the entire body turns to the right. They are serene in manner and refined in their deportment. The parts of their squarely set bodies are orderly in their posture and their dignified grace inspires fondness and happiness. Their bodies are firm in tone, but extremely soft. The articulations of their joints are quite visibly distinct. When walking, they do not travel in a meandering manner. All of their sense faculties are fully and perfectly developed. The flesh on their bodies is extremely taut, finely textured, freshly radiant, and especially immaculate. 42

Chapter 20. Mindfulness of the Buddhas Their physical posture is especially upright, refined, and devoid of any feature subject to dispraise. The belly is round, but does not visibly bulge. The navel, though deep, does not appear to be an orifice. Its creases manifest as a rightward spiraling swirl. Their deportment is extremely pure. The body is free of any blemishes

and the hands and feet are extremely soft. The lines in the palms are deep and long, continuous, straight, and lustrous. The tongue is slender, the face is not too long. The central incisors are white, rounded, slender, and sharp. The hue of the lips is like that of the bimba fruit. Their voice is as deep as the king of the wild geese. The nose is prominent in profile and the eyes are bright and clear. The eyelashes are close-set and fine, but not in disarray. The brow is elevated, has eyebrow hair that is soft, and it is straight and not crooked. The hair of the brows, being even and straight, is emblematic of being well aware of the faults in any dharma. The hair of the brows is smooth and glossy, a feature emblematic of skillfully liberating and aiding beings. The ears are full, long, even in shape, undamaged, and especially pleasing to the eye. The forehead is broad and straight. All of the head's features are perfectly formed. The hair is fine, dense, never in disarray, the color of the king of the black bees, clean, pleasantly fragrant, immaculate, and possessed of three of the marks. 43

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This has been the description of the eighty secondary characteristics. Because these eighty secondary characteristics are interspersed with and serve to adorn the thirty-two major marks, if one fails to take up contemplative mindfulness of both the thirty-two marks and the eighty secondary characteristics in one's praises of the Buddha's body, then one may lose forever the causal factors conducing to well-being and happiness in the present and future lives.

44

Chapter 21

Forty Dharmas Exclusive

to Buddhas (Part 1)

It is in the above-discussed manner that the bodhisattva uses the thirty-two major marks and eighty secondary characteristics in his contemplative mindfulness of the Buddha's physical body. Now one should proceed to mindfulness of the dharmas exemplifying the Buddha's meritorious qualities, namely: One should also use the forty exclusive dharmas in one's contemplation of the buddhas,

for the buddhas are their Dharma body

and are not merely associated with their physical bodies. Although the buddhas possess countless dharmas not held in common with any other persons, there are forty dharmas that, if borne in mind, will cause one to experience joyful happiness. And why [should one bear them in mind]? It is not the case that the buddhas are their form bodies, for they are rather to be identified with the Dharma body. This accords with this scriptural testimony: "You should not contemplate the Buddha merely in terms of his form body, for it is on the basis of Dharma that one should carry on such contemplation."

As for the forty dharmas exclusive to the buddhas, they are as follows:35 1. Sovereign mastery of the ability to fly; 2. [The ability to manifest] countless transformations; 3. Boundless psychic powers of the sort possessed by āryas; 4. Sovereign mastery of the ability to hear sounds; 5. Immeasurable power of knowledge to know others' thoughts; 6. Sovereign mastery in [training and subduing] the mind; 7. Constant abiding in stable wisdom;

8. Never forgetting;

9. Possession of the powers of the vajra samādhi; 10. Thorough knowing of matters that are unfixed; 45

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Nāgārjuna's Treatise on the Ten Grounds, Volume II 11. Thorough knowing of matters pertaining to the formless realm's meditative absorptions;

12. The completely penetrating knowledge of all matters associated with eternal cessation;

13. Thorough knowing of the nonform dharmas unassociated with the mind;36

14. The great powers pāramitā;

15. The [four] unimpeded [knowledges] pāramitā; 16. The pāramitā of perfectly complete replies and predictions in response to questions;

17. Invulnerability to harm by anyone; 18. Their words are never spoken without a purpose;37 19. Their speech is free of errors and mistakes; 20. Complete implementation of the three turnings [of the Dharma wheel] in speaking Dharma;

21. They are the great generals among all āryas; 22-25. They are able to remain unguarded in four ways;38 26-29. They possess the four types of fearlessness; 30-39. They possess the ten powers;

40. They have achieved unimpeded liberation. These are the forty dharmas exclusive to the buddhas. We shall now discuss them more extensively, as below. [1. Sovereign Mastery of

the Ability to Fly]

As for "sovereign mastery of the ability to fly," all buddhas fly with sovereign mastery, entirely as they wish, and with a manner and speed that are limitless and unimpeded. How is this so? If the Buddha wishes to raise one foot and then the other, walking through space in just such a fashion, then he is immediately able to do so. If he wishes to simply step into space and depart in this manner or if he wishes to simply stand motionlessly in space and depart in this way, he is immediately able to do so. If he prefers to just sit there peacefully in the full lotus posture and depart like that, then he is also able to leave that way. If he wishes instead to lie down peacefully and then depart, he is able to leave in that way as well. 46

Chapter 21. Forty Dharmas Exclusive to Buddhas (Part 1)

If he decides to stand upon a precious lotus blossom extending to the very boundaries of empty space, one with a blue vaiḍūrya stem, real coral petals, pistils of yellow gold, wish-fulfilling pearls for its pedestal, and countless sorts of surrounding phenomena, one that appears like the sun on first rising—departing in just such a fashion—then he does just that. Or if, alternatively, he wishes to create through spontaneous psychic transformation a palace like the palaces of the sun or moon, like the supremely marvelous palace of Indra, or like those of the Yāma Heaven devas, the Tuṣita Heaven devas, the Nirmāṇarati Heaven devas, the Paranirmitavaśavartin Heaven devas, the Brahma Heaven kings, or like the palaces of any of the other devas, and if he then wishes to create any such palaces, sit down within them, and then depart in that fashion [in one of those flying palaces], then he is immediately able to do precisely that.

Then again, if he prefers to use any of the many other means [for flying from one place to another], then he is freely able to depart however he chooses. Hence it is said, "He is able to completely fulfill whatever wishes he makes." Consequently, with but a single step, the buddhas can pass beyond great trichiliocosms as numerous as the sands of the Ganges. There are those who claim that the Buddha is able to move beyond some particular number of hundreds of thousands of lands in but a single mindmoment, whereas there are yet others who claim that, if anyone [supposed he could] know that the Buddha could depart such a distance with but a single step and in but a single mind-moment, then that would be [to infer that the Buddha's abilities] could be limited. But the sutras declare that the powers of the buddhas surpass all limits. One should therefore realize that the sovereign power of the buddhas to freely fly through empty space is limitless and boundless. So how is this the case? Given that one of the great śrāvaka disciples using his sovereign mastery of the psychic powers is able in a single mind-moment to pass beyond a hundred koṭis of Jambudvīpas, Aparagodānīya, Pūrvavidehas, Uttarakurus, Four Heavenly Kings Heavens, Trāyastriṃśa Heavens, Yāma Heavens, Tuṣita Heavens, Nirmāṇarati Heavens, Paranirmitavaśavartin Heavens, and Brahma Heavens—and given that there are a particular number of mind-moments in the wink of an eye and given that one might aggregate enough of these mind-moments to comprise a whole day, seven whole days, a whole month, a whole year, and so forth, on up to a full hundred years, and 47

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if in only a single day, such a śrāvaka disciple might pass through fifty-three koṭis plus two million, nine hundred and sixty-six thousand, that large a number of great trichiliosms, any buddha would still be able in a mere mindmoment to exceed that number of great trichiliocosms passed through by such a śrāvaka disciple in the course of a full hundred years. Then again, if one were to allow the passage of a single kalpa for each and every grain of sand in the Ganges—and if there was a great śrāvaka disciple foremost in psychic powers who, across the course of a life span of kalpas as numerous as the Ganges' sands, passed through in each successive mind-moment just such a number of world systems [as described above]— and if he were to do this for a number of mind-moments equivalent to a day, month, or year, doing so with the free exercise of all of his powers even to the exhaustion of such a number of great kalpas—all of those lands passed through by that great śrāvaka disciple during that entire time could still be passed through by a buddha in but a single mind-moment. The buddhas may freely fly from one place to another with just such a speed as this. In this, they cannot be obstructed by the Iron Ring Mountains, the ten jeweled mountains, the stations of the Four Heavenly Kings, the stations of the Trāyastriṃśa Heavens, the stations of the Yāma Heavens, Tuṣita Heavens, Nirmāṇarati Heavens, Paranirmitavaśavartin Heavens, Brahma World Heavens, Brahma Assembly Heavens, Great Brahma Heavens, Lesser Light Heavens, Limitless Light Heavens, Light and Sound Heavens, Lesser Purity Heavens, Measureless Purity Heavens, Universal Purity Heavens, Vast Fruition Heavens, Nonperception Heavens, Not Vast Heavens, No Heat Heavens, Delightful Vision Heavens, Sublime Vision Heavens, or the Akaniṣṭha Heaven.

[Nor can their flight be obstructed by] the great winds, by the great floods, or by the fires that occur at the end of the kalpa. Nor can it be obstructed by any heavenly dragon, yakṣa, gandharva, asura, kiṃnara, mahoraga, deva, Māra, Brahmā, śramaṇa, brahman, or anyone possessed of all the psychic powers. It is therefore said of the buddhas that they are unimpeded in their ability to fly. Additionally, by virtue of the sovereign mastery of their flight, they are able to exercise that ability in any manner they wish, by sinking into or emerging from the earth, or by passing through the obstructions presented by stone cliffs, mountains, and such. The Buddha is superior in this ability to 48

Chapter 21. Forty Dharmas Exclusive to Buddhas (Part 1) any of the other āryas. Also, the Buddha is able to make his normal standing body reach in its height on up to the Brahma Heavens. Śrāvaka disciples are unable to match this. There are all manner of differences of this sort. [2. (The Ability to Manifest)

Countless Transformations]

As for the buddhas' sovereign mastery in "the ability to manifest transformations," in the matter of manifesting phenomena, they have immeasurable power to do this. The capacity to manifest transformations as possessed by the other classes of āryas is both measurable and bounded whereas the buddhas' capacity to manifest transformations is measureless and unbounded. The other āryas are able, in but a single mind-moment, to manifest a single transformation body whereas the buddhas are able, in but a single mind-moment, to manifest countless phenomena in whatever way they wish. This is as described in the Sutra on the Great Spiritual Powers: The Buddha may send forth from his navel a lotus blossom with transformation buddhas sitting atop it that then, in an orderly fashion, fill up all of space on up to the Akaniṣṭha Heaven. The many sorts of transformations created by the buddhas take all sorts of different forms and all sorts of different shapes and are all created in but a single mind-moment. Also, śrāvaka disciples are able to perform transformations within a thousand lands whereas the buddhas are able to freely perform transformations within a countless and boundless number of lands and are additionally able to do much more than this, for the buddhas have gained the solid transformation samādhi. Also, the transformations performed by but one of the buddhas' bodies are able to occur in worlds as numerous as the sands of the Ganges. Additionally, a buddha is able in a countless and boundless number of worlds of the ten directions to manifest a buddha being born, taking on a body, dropping to the earth, taking seven steps, leaving the home life, studying the path, defeating Māra's armies, achieving enlightenment, and turning the Dharma wheel. All of these phenomena are created in but a single mind-moment. All of these transformation buddhas are themselves also able to carry out the work of the buddhas. And the transformation-generated phenomena created by all of those buddhas are themselves countless and boundless. 49

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[3. Boundless Psychic Powers of

the Sort Possessed by Āryas]

Also, the buddhas have "boundless psychic powers of the sort possessed by āryas." As for "the psychic powers possessed by āryas," this refers to phenomena such as: radiating light from their bodies that may manifest as raging fire and also pouring forth rains; transforming their length of life however they wish, either lengthening it or shortening it; being able in a single thought to go to the Brahma Heaven; being able to perform transformations of various phenomena, being able to shake the great earth whenever they wish; or being able to ceaselessly radiate light capable of illuminating countless worlds. Also, "psychic powers possessed by āryas" are referred to as such because they are incomparably different from those possessed by common people, because of their being boundless, and because of their going beyond all limits. Although common people may possess some ability to perform transformations of various phenomena, their power to do so is so minor as to be beneath mention here.

A śrāvaka disciple may be able to split a thousand lands and then cause them to join back together again, may be able to lengthen his life span to a kalpa or somewhat less than a kalpa in duration and then be able to shorten it, but after having shortened it, he will be unable to make it long again. He may be able in a single mind-moment to go to the Brahma worlds of a thousand lands, may be able to freely perform transformations in a thousand lands, may be able to shake the earth in a thousand lands, may be able to ceaselessly radiate light from his body that can illuminate a thousand lands, and, even if his body is destroyed, he may retain the presence of his spiritual powers and their ability to perform transformations just as before, doing so in a thousand lands. The lesser pratyekabuddha is able to perform a myriad transformations in a myriad lands. The middling pratyekabuddha is able to perform a million transformations in a million lands. A great pratyekabuddha is able to perform the sorts of transformations cited above, doing so throughout all lands in a great trichiliocosm.

The buddhas, the bhagavats, are able to perform transformations in worlds more numerous than the Ganges' sands wherein they send forth fire and water from their bodies. They are even able to grind to fine dust worlds as numerous as the Ganges' sands and then cause them to be restored. They 50

Chapter 21. Forty Dharmas Exclusive to Buddhas (Part 1) are able to abide for a life span of countless kalpas, are able to shorten that life span, and having shortened it, they are then able to lengthen it again. They are able to abide for an immeasurably long period of time. They are able to freely perform transformations such that, in the space of but a single mind-moment, they are able to go to countless and boundless worlds as numerous as the sands in the Ganges River.

They are able to cause their usual body, when standing, to reach all the way up to the Brahma worlds. They are also able to perform a transformation whereby countless and boundless asaṃkhyeyas of worlds are all caused to be transformed into gold, or into silver, or into vaiḍūrya, coral, mother-of-pearl, or carnelian. To sum up the essential point, they are freely able in accordance with their wishes to cause them to be transformed into a countless number of precious things.

They are also able in accordance with their wishes to transform the waters of the great oceans in worlds as numerous as the Ganges' sands into milk, ghee, yogurt, or honey. They are also able in but a single mind-moment to transform incalculably many mountains into real gold.

They are also able to shake the heavenly palaces of the desire realm and form realm heavens of countless and boundless worlds. They are also able in but a single mind-moment to cause gold-colored radiance to so universally illuminate an immeasurably great number of worlds that the light from all those suns and moons and heavenly palaces of the desire realm and the form realm no longer appear at all.

Although a buddha may have already passed into nirvana, afterward, he is still freely ever able in all those worlds to remain for however long he wishes, ceaselessly implementing his spiritual powers. [4. Sovereign Mastery of the

Ability to Hear Sounds]

As for "sovereign mastery in the ability to hear sounds," the buddhas have sovereign mastery in their ability to hear sounds however they please. Even if there were countless hundreds of thousands of myriads of koṭis of musical sounds being simultaneously played and hundreds of thousands of myriads of koṭis of beings simultaneously speaking—whether those sounds are far or near, the buddhas are freely able to hear whichever sounds they please.39 73a 51

Nāgārjuna's Treatise on the Ten Grounds, Volume II

If one were to cause all beings in great trichiliocosms as numerous as the Ganges' sands to simultaneously create any given number of hundreds of thousands of myriads of koṭis of kinds of music that filled up all those worlds, and if at the same time all beings in worlds as numerous as the Ganges' sands were to fill up all those worlds with the voice of Brahmā, if any buddha wished to hear only one single sound from among all those sounds, then that buddha would be freely able to hear that single sound while not hearing any other sound.

In the case of the sounds heard by śrāvaka disciples, if someone possessed of great spiritual powers were to block any given sound, then they would not be able to hear it. In the case of sounds heard by buddhas, even though there might be someone possessed of great spiritual powers seeking to block their hearing some sound, the buddhas are nonetheless able to hear it. A śrāvaka disciple may be able to hear any sound within a thousand lands. The buddhas, the bhagavats, are able to hear even the most subtle sounds even from a distance spanning countlessly and boundlessly many world systems.

A śrāvaka disciple possessed of great spiritual powers and abiding in the Brahma World Heavens is able to issue such a great sound that it is capable of pervasively filling a thousand lands. As for the buddhas, the bhagavats, it matters not whether they are abiding here or in the Brahma World Heaven, or are instead in yet some other place—their voices are still able to fill up countlessly and boundlessly many world systems. If they wish to cause a particular being to hear the most subtle sound across a distance of countlessly and boundlessly many worlds, they can cause him to hear it and if they wish to prevent someone from hearing a sound, then that person will indeed be unable to hear it at all. Consequently, it is only the buddhas who have gained sovereign mastery with regard to the hearing of sounds. [5. Immeasurable Power of Knowledge

to Know Others' Thoughts]

As for "measureless power of sovereign mastery in the ability to know others' thoughts," the buddhas, the bhagavats, are completely aware of all the thoughts of all beings of the present existing throughout countlessly and boundlessly many worlds. Others may develop the ability to know someone 52

Chapter 21. Forty Dharmas Exclusive to Buddhas (Part 1) else's thoughts, but only as represented by the words [contained in others' thoughts]. The buddhas, however, know others' thoughts in terms of the associated meanings of the words [contained in others' thoughts]. Moreover, others remain unable to know the thoughts of beings in the formless realm, but the buddhas are able to know them. Although others may possess the ability to know someone else's thoughts, if anyone possessed of great powers wishes to block that ability, then they will no longer be able to know others' thoughts.

Supposing that all beings had developed psychic powers to the same degree as Śāriputra, Maudgalyāyana, or a pratyekabuddha. Now suppose that they used all of their collective spiritual powers to block anyone from knowing someone's thoughts. In such a case, a buddha would still be able to break their spiritual powers and would still succeed in knowing that person's thoughts. Additionally, a buddha is able to use his spiritual powers to completely know any being's superior, middling, and inferior thoughts, his defiled thoughts, and his pure thoughts. Moreover, he is able to know with regard to each thought, the condition taken as the object of that thought, is able to know also the sequential progression of each thought as it moves from one objective condition to another, and is able to comprehensively know all of the conditions associated with any given thought. Also, he is able to know any being's thoughts in accordance with their true character. It is on these bases that the buddhas are acknowledged to have immeasurable powers to completely know the thoughts of others. [6. Sovereign Mastery in (Training

and Subduing) the Mind]

As for the buddhas' "pāramitā of being foremost in training and subduing the mind," they well know all of the dhyānas, samādhis, and liberations and well understand entry into them, abiding in them, and emerging from them. Whether a buddha is immersed in meditative absorption or not, should he wish to focus his mind on a single object, then he is freely able to focus upon it for however long he wishes and then is able to change from this object to focusing on some other condition, freely abiding in that focus for however long he wishes.

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If the Buddha, abiding in his normal thoughts, wishes to cause others to remain unaware of his thoughts, then they would be unable to know them. Even if all beings had perfected the ability to know others' minds to a degree comparable to the ability to know others' thoughts as possessed by a king of the Great Brahma Heaven, a great śrāvaka disciple, or a pratyekabuddha, and they all then caused a single person to acquire their collective abilities in this, and this person then wished to know the normal thought of a buddha, so long as that buddha did not permit it, that person would still be unable to acquire that knowledge.

This is as described in the Sutra on the Seven Expedients: The practitioner:

Well knows the signs of meditative absorption;

Well knows the signs of abiding in meditative absorption; Well knows the signs of emerging from meditative absorption; Well knows the signs of stable and secure meditative absorption; Well knows the signs of the stations of practice in meditative absorption;

Well knows the signs of the development of meditative absorption; And well knows what is and is not appropriate to the dharmas of meditative absorption.40

This is what is meant by the buddhas' "pāramitā of being foremost in training and subduing the mind."

[7. Constant Abiding in

Stable Wisdom]

As for the buddhas' "constant abiding in stable wisdom," the buddhas' stable wisdom is constant and unshakable and their mindfulness is always maintained in their minds. And why is this the case? It is because they first know and then act, because they freely dwell on whichever object they choose while having no doubt in their actions, because they have cut off all afflictions, and because they have gone utterly beyond the realm41 of movement itself.

This is as the Buddha told Ānanda:

54

Chapter 21. Forty Dharmas Exclusive to Buddhas (Part 1) The Buddha, in this one evening, gains anuttarāsamyaksaṃbodhi and proceeds then to teach the path to the ending of suffering to everyone in the world, whether they be a deva, Māra, Brahmā, a śramaṇa, or a brahman, and then, in the end, finally enters the nirvana without residue. During the interim, the Buddha, with respect to every feeling, is aware of its arising, is aware of its abiding, is aware of its birth, and is aware of its cessation. With respect to all perceptions,42 all tactile contact, all ideation, and all mental discursion, he is aware of their arising, aware of their abiding, aware of their birth, and aware of their cessation. Māra the Evil One,43 constantly and without resting, followed along after the Buddha both day and night for seven years yet was never in all that time able to come upon any shortcomings of the Buddha and was never able to observe an instance of the Buddha's mindfulness not abiding in a state of stable wisdom. This is what is meant by the Buddha's constant abiding in the practice of stable wisdom.

[8. Never Forgetting]

As for the dharma of "never forgetting," because the buddhas have gained the dharma of irreversibility, have reached a penetrating understanding of the five categorical repositories of dharmas,44 and have acquired the unsurpassable Dharma, the buddhas never forget. With respect to all that the buddhas have realized beneath the bodhi tree and have then subsequently acquired up to the time when they enter the nirvana without residue, no matter whether it be a deva, Māra, Brahmā, a śramaṇa, a brahman, or some other ārya, there is no one who is able to cause the buddhas to forget anything at all.

This is as described in the Sutra on the Seal of Dharma, "As for that which is realized at the bodhimaṇḍa, this is known as the genuine realization and there is no dharma superior to it."

This is also as described in the Horripilation Sutra: Śāriputra. If anyone could claim truthfully that they do not have any aspect of Dharma that they forget, I would be the one who could make that claim. How is this so? I alone do not forget anything whatsoever. 55

Nāgārjuna's Treatise on the Ten Grounds, Volume II This is what is intended when it is said that the buddhas never forget Dharma. 73c

[9. Possession of the Powers

of the Vajra Samādhi]

As for the "vajra samādhi," the vajra samādhi of all the buddhas, the bhagavats, is one of the exclusive dharmas, [so named:] Because it cannot be destroyed by anything;

Because there is no place where it can be obstructed; Because it is associated with right and universal knowledge; Because it destroys all hindrances to Dharma; Because it is able to equally penetrate [all dharmas]; Because it brings about the power to acquire the benefit of all meritorious qualities; And because it is the most supreme of all dhyāna samādhis. As for its being called the "vajra samādhi" because there is nothing that can destroy it, it is like the precious vajra gem that cannot be crushed by anything at all. This samādhi is just like this. There is no dharma capable of destroying it. It is therefore known as the "vajra samādhi." Question: Why is it that it cannot be destroyed? Response: This is because there is nothing anywhere that obstructs it. It is just as with Indra's vajra that meets no obstruction anywhere. This samādhi is just like that.

Question: Why is this samādhi said to have nothing anywhere that obstructs it?

Response: Because it possesses a right and utterly penetrating comprehension of all dharmas. All buddhas, abiding in this samādhi, are able to utterly penetrate all of the dharmas subsumed within the five categorical repositories of dharmas: all dharmas of the past, of the present, of the future, those that transcend the three periods of time, and those that are ineffable dharmas. It is for this reason that it is said to meet with no obstruction anywhere. 56

Chapter 21. Forty Dharmas Exclusive to Buddhas (Part 1) If it were the case that, while abiding in this samādhi, all buddhas still did not have an utterly penetrating comprehension of all dharmas, then that would be a case of still having obstructions. But, in truth, this is not the case. It is therefore said to not be obstructed by anything whatsoever. Question: How is it that this samādhi brings about a penetrating comprehension of all dharmas? Response: It is because this samādhi is able to open up all obstructive dharmas, namely the obstacle of the afflictions, the obstacles to meditative absorption, and the obstacles to knowledge. Because it is able to open up all obstructions, it is therefore said to bring about an utterly penetrating comprehension of all dharmas.

Question: How is it that this samādhi is able to open up all obstructions whereas other samādhis remain unable to do so?

Response: This samādhi is well able to penetrate three45 dharmas: Because it is able to destroy the mountain of afflictions so that nothing remains of them;

Because it brings about the right and universal comprehension of all dharmas;

And because it brings about the thoroughgoing attainment of the liberation of the indestructible resolve. It is for these reasons that this samādhi is said to be able to open up all obstructions.

Question: How is it that this samādhi is able to equally penetrate these three dharmas?46

Response: This is because, when one abides in this samādhi, one gains the power by which one is then able to acquire every sort of meritorious quality. None of the other samādhis possess this sort of power. It is for this reason that this samādhi is able to "equally penetrate" [all dharmas]. Question: How is it that, abiding in this samādhi, one gains the power by which one is then able to acquire every sort of meritorious quality? 57