The Ten Grounds

Chapter Twenty-Six

Sutra:  

“Tossed about in the Four Floods,
Their minds sink and drown.
With the Three Realms scorching them,
Such sufferings are limitless.

They take the skandhas as their home,
Their egos dwell within it.
Because I want to save them,
I diligently cultivate the Way.  

“Should they be seeking to escape,
Their minds inferior and low,
And renounce the most superior
Wisdom of the Buddha,

I wish to cause them all
To dwell in the Great Vehicle,
To bring forth diligent vigor,
And not feel tired or weary.”  

The Bodhisattva dwelling here
Amasses merit and virtue.
He sees limitless Buddhas,
And makes offerings to them all.

In millions of kalpas’ cultivation,
His good is ever bright,
In the way metallic compounds
Are used to smelt true gold.  

Commentary:

“Tossed about in the four floods, their minds sink and drown.” The Four Floods are the Four Kinds of Upside-down Thinking that cause one to revolve in birth and death. The Four Upside-down Ways of Thinking are:

• Greed.
• Hatred.
• Stupidity.
• Pride.

They are also:

• Mistaking the impermanent for permanent.
• Mistaking what is not bliss for bliss.
• Mistaking what is not self for self.
• Mistaking what is impure for pure.

Those are the four kinds of upside-down thought. Actually there are not just four kinds, but hundreds upon thousands of millions of kinds. The essential ones, however, are thinking that what is not permanent is permanent, thinking that what is not happiness is happiness, thinking what is not self is self, and thinking what is not pure is pure. Something is not going to last, but one figures it will last.

Something is not happiness, but one takes it for happiness. What is not self one mistakes for self. What is not pure one decides is pure. That kind of upside-downness is mistaking a thief for one’s son, mistaking suffering for bliss, mistaking the false for the true. So it is said, they are tossed about in the Four Floods the way one might be tossed about in the sea. Their minds sink and drown in those four ways of being upside-down. For one’s mind to sink and drown is to lack wisdom.

“With the Three Realms scorching them, such sufferings are limitless.” The Three Realms have no peace, just like a burning house. They are:

• The Desire Realm.
• The Form Realm.
• The Formless Realm.

The living beings in the Desire Realm depend on desire for their very lives. They only live to have desire, and if they have no desire then they feel like they are dead. That’s why it is called the Desire Realm. In the Desire Realm no one is ever satisfied, but always full of desire and longing: being greedy for wealth, greedy for sex, greedy for fame, and greedy for food and sleep. Or they desire forms, sounds, smells, tastes, and objects of touch. They are greedy for fine food, greedy for fine sounds, greedy for fine smells, greedy for fine tastes, greedy for experiences of touch. All that is desire, the Desire Realm. To get out of it, you have to cut off desire and cast out love.

If you have no desire, then you transcend the heavens of the Desire Realm. But if you can’t break through the attachment to form, then you’ll be confused by the heavens of the Form Realm, and never go beyond it to the Heavens of the Formless Realm, in which there are no sounds, no forms and shapes, and no thinking. Those are all within the Three Realms, however. It says, “With the Three Realms, scorching them, such sufferings are limitless.” The Three Realms are, as it were, burning them, and their sufferings and troubles are just too many. All of us now are living in the heavens of the Desire Realm.

“They take the skandhas as their home, their egos dwell within it.” They take the dharmas of the Five Skandhas-form, feeling, thinking, activities, and consciousness-to be their house and home figuring, “This house is mine, and I am in the house.” But that’s all erroneous thinking. “Because I want to save them, I diligently cultivate the Way.” Because the Bodhisattva on the Ground of Leaving Filth wants to cross over such upside-down living beings, he very diligently cultivates the Way. “Should they be seeking to escape, their minds inferior and low…”

Some people want to cultivate, but they don’t develop minds of great compassion. They don’t develop Great Vehicle attitudes which are free from self. They simply want to become self-ending Arhats and cultivate the dharmas of Sound Hearers and Those Enlightened to Conditions. Since they only want to take care of themselves, it is said that their minds are inferior and low. They do cultivate and want to escape from the Three Realms, but the measure of their minds is not great. It’s very petty: “And they renounce the most superior wisdom of a Buddha.” They only cultivate to reach the fruit position of an Arhat. They don’t seek to reach the wisdom of the Buddha. They don’t seek out Great Vehicle Dharmas. They don’t know how to go about seeking the most lofty and supreme, unsurpassed wisdom of a Buddha.

“I wish to cause them all to dwell in the Great Vehicle.” The Bodhisattva on the Ground of Leaving Filth says, “Right now I would like to save those kinds of living beings, so they bring forth the Great Vehicle resolve for Bodhi, and dwell within Great Vehicle Buddhadharmas: “To bring forth diligent vigor, and not feel tired or weary.” He says he wishes to cause them to bring forth a great resolve for Bodhi and courageous vigor to:

Diligently cultivate precepts, samadhi, and wisdom,
without ever becoming tired of it.

The Bodhisattva dwelling here amasses merit and virtue. The Bodhisattva who has brought forth the resolve for Bodhi, who practices the Bodhisattva Way, and who has brought forth this vast, great attitude, when he dwells in that place, assembles all kinds of merit and virtue. He sees limitless Buddhas, and makes offerings to them all. He sees limitless and boundlessly many hundreds of thousands of millions of Ganges= sands worth of nayutas of Buddhas, and he makes offerings to every one of them. In millions of kalpas’ cultivation, his good is ever brighter. During limitless millions of kalpas of cultivating pure wisdom, his wisdom becomes ever more bright, clear, and understanding, in the way metallic compounds are used to smelt true gold. It is the same as when one uses some kind of metal or stone to refine true gold, so that the more it is refined, the more pure and bright it becomes.

This means that if you have wisdom you should go on to have more wisdom. Don’t stop halfway along the road. When you are only halfway there, don’t say, “Oh, I think I have made it. I have certified to the fruit of Arhatship, and that’s all I want. I don’t want to keep on cultivating to Buddhahood.” Instead, you should keep on going ahead and cultivate the Buddha Way with diligence.

Sutra:  

The Buddha’s disciple dwelling here
Acts as a Wheel-Turning King,
Universally teaching living beings
To practice the Ten Goods.

All of the good dharmas
Which he cultivates in practice
Are to seek the ten-fold powers,
And then save the world.  

He willingly forsakes
Kingship, wealth, and jewels,
Abandons household life,
And relies on the Buddha’s teaching.

With courageous vigor,
Inside a single thought,
He obtains a thousand samadhis,
And sees a thousand Buddhas.  

All of the various powers
Of spiritual penetrations
The Bodhisattva on this Ground
Is able to manifest.

If he acts through power of vows
It surpasses even these,
And with limitless sovereign ease
He saves the flocks of beings.  

Of the ones who help and aid
Each and every world-
The most supreme Bodhisattva practices
Which they cultivate.

Such merit and virtue as that
Upon the Second Ground
For all disciples of the Buddha
I have now proclaimed.  

Commentary:

The Buddha’s disciple dwelling here acts as a Wheel-Turning King. A Bodhisattva who certifies to the Second Ground regularly makes the vow to appear as a Wheel-Turning Sage King, because such kings have great power and great spiritual penetrations, universally teaching living beings to practice the Ten Goods. They can teach and transform living beings to they hold the Five Precepts, practice the Ten Wholesome Acts, and cultivate all rewards of blessings. All of the good dharmas which he cultivates in practice, the good dharmas which he, as a Wheel-Turning Sage King, teaches all living beings to cultivate, are to seek the ten-fold powers, and then save the world, to accomplish the ten kinds of powers of spiritual penetrations that a Buddhas has, and then save the living beings of the world.

The Ten Powers of a Buddha

• The power of knowing from awakening to what is and what is not the case.
• The power of knowing karmic retributions throughout the Three Periods of Time.
• The power of knowing all Dhyanas, Liberations, and Samadhis.
• The power of knowing all faculties, whether superior or inferior.
• The power of knowing the various realms.
• The power of knowing the various understandings.
• The power of knowing where all paths lead.
• The power of knowing through the heavenly eye without obstruction.
• The power of knowing previous lives without outflows.
• The power of knowing from having cut off all habits forever.

When one certifies to the position of Buddhahood, one obtains ten kinds of powers of knowing through wisdom. The first is the power of knowing through awakening to what is and what is not the case. “Awakening to” means understanding. In any situation, the Buddha can tell if it is according to principle or not, whether something holds good or not, and whether it is reasonable or not.

The second is the power of knowing karmic retributions throughout the Three Periods of Time. The Buddhas knows what kinds of causes every living being in the Three Realms throughout the past, the present, and the future has planted, and what retributions each beings is receiving as a result-and he knows this simultaneously about all living beings.

The third is the power of knowing all Dhyanas, Eight Liberations, and Nine Successive Stages of Samadhi, as well as a limitless number of particular Samadhis. The Buddhas has experienced them all, and by the power of this wisdom recognizes them all very clearly.

The fourth is the power of knowing all faculties, whether superior or inferior. With this power of wisdom, the Buddha knows what the basic disposition of every living being is like. If superior, it is good and wholesome; if inferior, it is low and base.

The fifth is the power of knowing the various realms. “Realms” means states, whether good or bad. The Buddhas has already reached the very highest of states, has transcended the Three Realms, and so he is very clear about all the states and less realms within them.

The sixth is the power of knowing the various understandings. Some living beings are intelligent with keen understanding, while others are dense and don’t understand. The Buddhas recognizes very distinctly the level of understanding of each living being.

The seventh is the power of knowing where all paths lead. “Where all paths lead” means the fruit obtained through each way of cultivation. For example, If you hold the Five Precepts and practice the Ten Good Acts, you can be reborn in the heavens, and so that is a path. If you cultivate the dharmas of the Four Noble Truths, you can certify to the Four Fruits of Arhatship. If you cultivate the Twelve Links of Conditioned Co-production, you become One Enlightened to Conditions. If you cultivate the Six Paramitas and the ten thousand practices, you can become a Bodhisattva. The Buddha immediately knows what the outcome will be of travelling down any given road, of employing any given method.

The eighth is the power of knowing through the heavenly eye is one of the Five Eyes. With his heavenly eye, the Buddha can see absolutely everything, even up to the highest heavens-for nothing obstructs the Buddha’s heavenly eye which is perfect.

The ninth is the power of knowing previous lives without outflows. The Buddha knows very clearly what every living being was in its past lives, whether it was an animal or a hungry ghost, or whether it is a returning Bodhisattva.

The tenth is the power of knowing from having cut off all habits forever. “Habits” refers to all the bad habits and faults we ordinary people possess. The Buddhas has already seen through them all and put them all down, and will never have any of those problems again. When one become a Buddha, one cuts off those habits from limitless kalpas past, so they don’t exist anymore. Those are the ten kinds of power of a Buddha.

He willingly forsakes kingship, wealth, and jewels. The Wheel-Turning Sage King is able to give away his kingly position to someone else. He can renounce all his wealth and gems. He abandons household life, and relies on the Buddha’s teaching. He can bestow his countries, cities, wives and children, his head, eyes, brains, and marrow upon living beings, and rely upon the Buddhadharma to cultivate. With courageous vigor, inside and single though-in the interval of one instant of though-he obtains a thousand samadhis, and sees a thousand Buddhas. He acquires, through courageous vigor, a thousand samadhis, sees a thousand Buddhas, sees a thousand worlds, and can make a thousand worlds quake in six ways.

All of the various powers of spiritual penetrations of all Buddhas, the Bodhisattva on this ground is able to manifest. The Bodhisattva on the Ground of Leaving Filth is able to manifest them all. If he acts through power of vows, it surpasses even these. What he can do through the power of his vows far exceeds that number, and with limitless sovereign ease, he saves the flocks of beings. He has limitless powers of spiritual penetrations, and with freedom and comfort teaches and transforms all living beings.

Of the ones who help and aid each and every world, so that all living beings of all worlds obtain benefit-the most supreme Bodhisattva practices which they cultivate-the supreme doors of Bodhisattva conduct that they practice, such merit and virtue as that upon the Second Ground, for all disciples of the Buddha I have no proclaimed. I have now told all of you disciples of the Buddha about those most supreme Dharma doors.

End of Second Ground. 

The Third Ground

Sutra:  

Buddha’s disciples who heard the conducts of that Ground,
The Bodhisattva states difficult to conceive,
All were most respectful and in heart rejoiced,
And scattered flowers in empty space by way of offerings.  

Commentary:

Buddha’s disciples who heard the conducts of that Ground, all the Buddhist disciples who came to hear the doors of practice in cultivation upon the Second Ground, the Ground of Leaving Filth, the Bodhisattva states difficult to conceive, inconceivable, all were most respectful and in heart rejoiced. None of the living beings failed to be most reverent or to become very happy at heart. They scattered flowers in empty space by way of offerings. They strewed wonderful, precious lotus blossoms in the air as offerings to the multitudes in the Dharma Assembly.

Sutra:  

They praised him saying: “Good indeed, Great Mountain King!
With kindly mind and pity you remember living beings,
And well speak about the wise one’s precepts and comportments,
The marks of practice that exist upon the Second Ground.  

Those are all Bodhisattvas’ subtle and wonderful conducts,
True and actual, with no other, without discrimination.
From the wish to benefit all the flocks of beings.
You have thus proclaimed their utmost purity.  

You to whom both gods and humans all make offerings,
We hope that you for us will proclaim the Third Ground.
All the deeds of wisdom, interactive with the Dharma,
What their states are like in detail, please totally explain.

All the dharmas of giving and precepts of the Great Immortal,
Hi patience and his vigor, his dhyana and his wisdom,
Along with his expedients, the way of kindness and compassion-
The Buddha’s purified conduct we wish you would proclaim.”  

At that time Liberation Moon again requires saying:

“Great Knight of Fearlessness, oh Treasury of Vajra,
Won’t you tell us of tending towards and entering the Third Ground,
You whose heart is so compliant, who have all merit and virtue.”  

Commentary:

All of the states of the Bodhisattva were inconceivable, and so every single living beings without exception was very reverent and delighted, and they all scattered flowers in empty space as offerings to the Bodhisattva. They praised him, saying “Good indeed, Great Mountain King! The Bodhisattva is like a great mountain king. With kindly mind and pity, you remember living beings. You use a mind of kindness and compassion that bestows happiness, and you are kindly mindful of all living beings. And you well speak about the wise one’s precepts and comportments. The Bodhisattva speaks very well about the One With Wisdom’s Three Collections of Pure Precepts:

• The Pure Precepts which include all rules and observances.
• The Pure Precepts which include all wholesome dharmas.
• The Pure Precepts which include all Living Beings.

You speak well of the marks of practice that exist upon the Second Ground, all about how to cultivate and practice the states that occur on the Bodhisattva Way on the Second Ground.

“Those are all Bodhisattvas’ subtle and wonderful conducts. That is to say, all Bodhisattvas should cultivate these subtle and wonderful doors of practice which are true and actual, with no other, without discrimination. These are dharmas that are true, actual and not false. There are no two ways about them. There is only true and actual dharma of real mark, with nothing different, and without any other discrimination. From the wish to benefit all the flocks of beings, you have thus proclaimed their utmost purity. For that reason you have now spoken the very purest dharmas.

“You to whom both gods and humans all make offerings, we hope that you for us will proclaim the Third Ground.” This is requesting Vajra Treasury Bodhisattva to speak the dharmas of the Third Ground for the sake of all living beings. “All the deeds of wisdom, interactive with the Dharma, the deeds of all wisdom and their interaction with the Dharma, what their states are like in detail, please totally explain. We hope that you will completely tell us what the states that one certifies to are like so everyone can hear.

“Please explain all the dharmas of giving and precepts of the Great Immortal; that is, all of the Buddha’s Giving and Holding Precepts, his patience and his vigor, his dhyana Samadhi and his wisdom-those various kinds of dharmas-along with his expedient means, the Way cultivated through kindness and compassion. The Buddha’s purified conduct we with you would proclaim. We wish you would talk about all the various pure Dharma doors which were practiced by the Buddha.”

At that time Liberation Moon again requested Dharma from Vajra Treasury Bodhisattva saying: “Great Knight of Fearlessness, oh Treasury of Vajra.” He said, “Great Bodhisattva, Vajra Treasury Bodhisattva, who has no fear, wont you tell us of tending towards and entering the Third Ground? I hope that you will tell us about how to cultivate ad what Dharma doors to use to certify to the Third Ground. You whose heart is so compliant, who have all merit and virtue. You are so compliant at heart and you have all the meritorious qualities, Vajra Treasury Bodhisattva. I wish that you would talk about the principles of the Third Ground for the sake of all living beings.”

Sutra:

At that time, Vajra Treasury Bodhisattva addressed Moon of Liberation Bodhisattva saying: Disciples of the Buddha, the Bodhisattva Mahasattva who has already purified the Second Ground, and who wishes to enter the Third Ground, should bring forth ten kinds of profound minds. What are the ten? They are: a purified mind, a peacefully dwelling mind, a mind of disgust and renunciation, a mind free of greed, an unretreating mind, a solid mind, a mind of flourishing brightness, a courageous mind, a vast mind, a great mind. The Bodhisattva using those Ten Kinds of Minds attains entry to the Third Ground.

Disciples of the Buddha, the Bodhisattva, Mahasattva, once he dwells upon the Third Ground, contemplates the marks of conditioned dharmas as they really are. That is, as impermanent, as suffering, as impure, as having no peace, as subject to destruction, as not lasting long, as produced and extinguished in a kshana, as not produced from the boundary of before, as not tending towards the boundary of afterwards, and as not dwelling in the present.

He also contemplates those dharmas as not being able to rescue and as having no reliance, as bestowing worries and bestowing grief, as being conjoined with suffering and troubles, as being bound up by love and hate, as multiplying anxiety and sorrows, their accumulation never stopping, as ceaselessly blazing with the fire of greed, hatred and stupidity, as enmeshed in the multitudes of calamities, which day and night increase and grow, like illusions without actuality.

Having seen them in that way, he doubly increases his disgust for and freedom from all that is conditioned and tends towards the wisdom of a Buddha. He sees that the Buddha’s wisdom is inconceivable, incomparable, limitless, difficult to obtain, without admixtures; that it has no troubles, no worries, and has arrived at the city of fearlessness; that is not longer retreats; that it is able to rescue living beings from limitless sufferings and difficulties.

The Bodhisattva in that way sees how there are such limitless benefits to the Thus Come One’s wisdom. He sees that there are limitless disasters to all that is conditioned. Then towards all living beings he brings forth ten kinds of minds of sympathy and pity. What are the ten? They are: He sees that all living beings are alone and forlorn with nothing to rely on, and brings forth a mind of sympathy and pity. He sees that all living beings are poor and destitute, and brings forth a mind of sympathy and pity.

Commentary:

When Moon of Liberation Bodhisattva requested the Dharma, Vajra Treasury Bodhisattva was going to speak the Dharma, and so at that time, Vajra Treasury Bodhisattva addressed Moon of Liberation bodhisattva saying: Disciples of the Buddha, the great Bodhisattva Mahasattva who cultivates the Bodhisattva Way and amasses all kinds of good roots, who has already purified the Second Ground, the Ground of Leaving Filth, and who wishes to enlighten the Third Ground, should bring forth ten kinds of profound minds.

Again, it is ten kinds of deep minds that we should bring forth. What are the ten? They are: a purified mind, one which has no defilements, a peacefully dwelling mind which does not move; a mind of disgust and renunciation which has no greed; a mind free of greed and which has become pure; an unretreating mind which only goes forward with courageous vigor; a solid mind with no doubts; a mind of flourishing brightness which is intelligent and wise, not stupid; a courageous mind courageously vigorous and not lazy; a vast mind, one of great capacity! A great mind. The Bodhisattva, using those ten kinds of minds, attains entry to the Third Ground. It’s through those ten kinds of minds that one can enter the Third Ground.

Disciples of the Buddha, all of you, the Bodhisattva Mahasattva, once he dwells upon the Third Ground, contemplates the marks of conditioned dharmas as they really are. He contemplates how all conditioned dharmas contradict true suchness. That is, as impermanent, as suffering, as impure, as having no peace. They are transitory, and do not last forever. They always entail suffering. They aren’t pure, and are not peaceful. He sees them as subject to destruction, as not lasting long, as produced and extinguished in a kshana, as not produced from the boundary of what was before, they didn’t arise from what was prior-as not tending towards the boundary of afterwards. They are not going towards what comes after… and as not dwelling in the present. They don’t dwell in the here and now either.

He also contemplates those dharmas as not being able to rescue. These dharmas cannot save one from suffering, and as having no reliance. They have nothing on which one can rely; as bestowing worries and bestowing grief-they bring both worries and grief; as being conjoined with suffering and troubles. They dwell together with suffering and trouble; as being bound up by love and hate-they are tied up with hate and love; as multiplying anxiety and sorrows, their accumulation never stopping. There is not way to stop them; as ceaselessly blazing with the fire of greed, hatred, and stupidity. The fire of greed and stupidity blazes and cannot be stopped; as enmeshed in the multitudes of calamities, disasters of all sorts, which day and night increase and grow, like illusions without actuality. They are unreal, just like illusions and transformations.

Having seen them in that way, after the Bodhisattva has seen those kinds of states, he doubly increases his disgust for and freedom from all that is conditioned. He wants to get out of conditioned dharmas, and tends towards the wisdom of a Buddha. He wants to obtain the Buddha’s wisdom. He sees the Buddha’s wisdom. He can see that the Buddha’s wisdom is inconceivable, incomparable, limitless, difficult to obtain, without admixtures, nothing mixed in with it, and that it has no troubles, no worries, and has arrived at the great city of fearlessness; that it no longer retreats-it doesn’t turn back any more; that it is able to rescue living beings from limitless sufferings and difficulties.

The Bodhisattva in that way sees, upon making that contemplation, how there are such limitless benefits to the Thus Come One’s wisdom. The benefits from the Buddha’s wisdom are infinite. He sees that there are limitless disasters to all that is conditioned, all conditioned dharmas being non-ultimate. Then towards all living beings he brings forth ten kinds of minds of sympathy and pity. He has ten kinds of attitudes of sympathy and pity for living beings. What are the ten? They are: He sees that all living beings are alone and forlorn with nothing to rely on. He sees living beings as being all by themselves, with nothing they can depend on, and brings forth a mind of sympathy and pity. He produces an attitude of sympathy and concern for all living beings. He sees that all livings beings are poor and destitute, and brings forth a mind of sympathy and pity. He again has to feel very sorry for those living beings, and sympathizes with and pities them.

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