The Ten Patiences

Chapter Twenty-Nine

 

 

Sutra:

Sentient beings in the ten directions
Are all obscured by their thoughts.
If they could renounce confused perceptions,
All worldly thoughts would cease to be.

Commentary:

Sentient beings in the ten directions. Those who have not heard the Sutras being explained before may say, “Why are there ten directions? I’ve only heard of four directions or eight directions.” I’ll tell you what the ten directions are. North, south, east, and west are the four cardinal directions. Southwest, southeast, northwest, northeast are the four intermediate points. Together they make eight directions. Add the zenith and nadir (above and below), and that makes ten directions. “Sentient beings” refers not only to human beings, but to all creatures endowed with blood and breath.  

Sentient beings are all obscured by their false, mixed-up thoughts. The more intelligent you are, the less obscured you are by these false thoughts. If they could renounce confused perceptions, their confused views, all worldly thoughts would cease to be. Views, or perceptions, are subtler than thoughts. Once you abandon your confused views, your deluded thoughts about this world will vanish. This is easier said than done.

Sutra:

All beings in the world resemble mirages.
They vary only according to thoughts.
Knowing that the world is based on thoughts,
One departs from the three kinds of confusion.

Take the analogy of a mirage on a hot day:
Most people perceive it as water.
In actuality there is no water at all,
And the wise do not seek water there.

For sentient beings it is that way, too.
Their mundane inclinations are mirages,
Figments of their minds,
Yet the state of their minds is unobstructed.

As one transcends thoughts,
One also abandons fallacious arguments.
Then one becomes able to liberate
Those who foolishly cling to thoughts.

Removed from arrogance,
Devoid of worldly thoughts,
One dwells in a realm both finite and infinite:
These are a Bodhisattva’s expedients.

Commentary:

All beings in the sentient world resemble mirages in springtime. From afar, there seems to be a hazy, whitish expanse of water. But when one gets closer and looks, there is nothing there. The thoughts of sentient beings are likened to mirages. They are ultimately unreal. They vary only according to thoughts. The myriad species of sentient beings in the world are manifestations of our discursive and deluded thoughts. In the absence of these erroneous thoughts, such states would not exist. These distorted mental processes account for the various types of beings.  

Knowing that the world is based on thoughts. The Bodhisattva knows that all sentient beings are attached to thoughts. Thoughts can be coarse or subtle. For example, wishful thinking is a subtle thought. Irrational thoughts and thoughts of impossible dreams are coarse thoughts. When one realizes that everything in the world is created from thoughts, and that all beings dwell in and are attached to their thoughts, one departs from the three kinds of confusion. [The Master asks a disciple:] What are the three kinds of confusion? 

Disciple: The first is confused thinking, as when one engages in false thinking. The second is confused views, and the third is a confused mind, the mind here refers to the eighth consciousness.

Venerable Master: That’s correct. The Bodhisattva departs from the three kinds of confusion: confusion of thoughts, views, and mind.  

Take the analogy of a mirage on a hot spring day: / Most people perceive it as water. They see it and think it is water. In actuality there is no water at all, as they discover when they get closer. And the wise do not seek water there. People with wisdom know that the mirage is but an illusion of water. Thus, they do not expect to find water there.

For sentient beings it is that way, too, just like mirages. Their mundane inclinations and desires are mirages, / Figments of their minds, seeming to exist, but actually nonexistent. Yet the state of their minds is unobstructed. If one can clearly recognize discursive thoughts for what they really are and is not confused or obstructed by them, one can realize the state of the unobstructed mind.  

As one transcends all deluded thoughts, / One also abandons fallacious arguments. In the absence of sophistry, only truth remains. Then one becomes able to liberate / Those who foolishly cling to discursive thoughts and chase after illusory states. Out of great compassion, the Bodhisattva leads sentient beings laden with false thoughts through the dharma door to liberation.  

Removed from arrogance, / Devoid of worldly thoughts. In cultivation, one must leave behind all thoughts of arrogance. Unfortunately, most people are incapable of letting go of their own ego. They harbor a kind of self-conceit that makes them look down on their teachers and the Dharma. Only by leaving arrogance far behind, can we cast out all deluded thoughts of this world. One dwells in a realm both finite and infinite, a state that is endless and inexhaustible. These are a Bodhisattva’s expedients. What is this called? The great Bodhisattva who cultivates the Bodhisattva conduct attains this expedient dharma-practice, dwelling where there is no dwelling, giving rise to a mind that dwells nowhere.

II.A.vi. Verses in praise of Patience in Perceiving All as Dreams

Sutra:

The Bodhisattva realizes that mundane dharmas
Are all like dreams.
Neither somewhere nor nowhere,
Essentially, they are eternally quiescent.

There are no distinctions among dharmas.
Like dreams, they are not beyond the mind.
In all worlds in the three periods of time,
Everything is just that way.

Dreams in essence neither arise nor perish;
They have no direction or location.
The Three Realms are all this way;
One who sees this attains liberation of mind.

Commentary:

The Bodhisattvacultivates Patience in Perceiving All as Dreams. Dreams are unreal states. Prophetic dreams—dreams that forecast the future—are another matter. Now the text is referring to dreams that are totally false and illusory.

The great Bodhisattva who cultivates the Bodhisattva Path realizes that mundane dharmas / Are all like dreams. If we were to view life as a dream, what would be there worth hankering after, attaching to, contending over, desiring, coveting, or clinging to? Dreams can neither be grasped nor renounced. You may want to grab hold of a dream to examine it, but it is intangible. You may say, “I don’t want to dream,” but you can’t control that either. Although dreams are false, they often disturb our true mind, for we are affected by our dreams.

In addition, our lives are just like dreams, but we don’t believe we are dreaming. If someone says, “You’re dreaming right now,” you would not believe him. You think, “I am making money in the business world,” or “I am acquiring knowledge through my education.” You take everything seriously and think whatever you do is real, not believing it is all a dream. It is as if, when you are dreaming, someone said to you, “Mr. So-and-so, you are dreaming.” You would certainly disbelieve the person, no matter who it was. However, when you wake up, without needing anyone to tell you, you know for yourself that you had been dreaming.  

Likewise, before we become enlightened, we are all dreaming. However, if someone were to tell us life is a dream, we wouldn’t believe him or her. Once we become enlightened, however, we will certainly realize that we were dreaming, even if no one tells us so. Take a look! We all think we’re so intelligent and wise, yet we don’t even realize that we are dreaming! What kind of intelligence and wisdom is that?

Everything is but a dream. If you don’t believe that, then go on and have a good dream!

Neither somewhere nor nowhere. If you claim that dreams are real, can you locate them? They aren’t anywhere to be found. “They happen in my sleep,” you say. Then can you find them when you go to sleep? However, if you claim that dreams have no location, then why do you appear to be in a specific location in your dream? In summary, dreams are not somewhere, since you can’t find them. On the other hand, they are not nowhere, since a very complete state appears in dreams.

Essentially, they are eternally quiescent. Can you find the real substance of a dream? Take a picture of it and show me! You can’t do it—now or in the future. How can you photograph the dream when you yourself are in the dream? You are asleep, so of course you can’t take a picture of your dream. Dreams are fundamentally quiescent; in other words, they are empty and nonexistent.  

There are no distinctions among dharmas, which is how they resemble dreams. Like dreams, they are not beyond the mind. They are no different than the mind.In all worlds in three periods of time—past, present, and future—everything is just that way. Everything resembles a dream. 

Dreams in essence neither arise nor perish; / They have no direction or location. / The Three Realms of existence—the Desire Realm, the Form Realm, and the Formless Realm—are all this way; / One who sees this, who has this view and understanding, attains liberation of mind. Your eternal, true mind and your pure, bright inherent nature will be liberated from the influences of the six sense-faculties and the six sense-objects. 

This line is very clear and simple, but no one pays heed. It says that people are all dragged around by emotions and weighed down by desires. Previously we talked about how womb-born beings come from emotion, egg-born beings come from thought, moisture-born beings result from combination, and transformation-born beings from separation. People are bound by emotional love and burdened by their desires for materialistic pleasures. Thus, they cannot be free. They go ahead and do things they know are wrong.  

Laozi was right when he said,

All know what is fine, but they pursue the vile.
All know what is good, but they pursue what is unwholesome. 

People know good deeds are praiseworthy, but they refuse to do them. They deliberately go against their conscience. No matter how long you have listened to sutra lectures and studied the Buddhadharma, you must see through and renounce such habits before you can experience liberation.

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