The Ten Patiences

Chapter Twenty-Nine

 

II.A.viii. Verses in praise of Patience in Perceiving All as Reflections

Sutra:

Wishing to benefit the world,
He single-mindedly seeks after bodhi.
Constantly entering the Dharma nature,
He entertains no discrimination. 

He observes that all things in the world
Are quiescent and devoid of an intrinsic nature.
Yet he constantly benefits beings,
Cultivating with an unwavering resolve. 

He neither dwells in the world
Nor separates himself from the world.
Relying on nothing in the world,
He is nowhere dependent.

Commentary:

Wishing to benefit all sentient beings in the world, / He single-mindedly seeks after bodhi, the unsurpassed path to Buddhahood and enlightenment. Although the Bodhisattva benefits all beings in the world and seeks the Unsurpassed Path, he is constantly entering the fundamental substance of the Dharma nature. What is the fundamental substance of the Dharma nature? It is the absence of discrimination. Thus, while he entertains no discrimination, he accomplishes the path of bodhi.  

He observes that all things in the world / Are quiescent and devoid of an intrinsic nature. /Yet he constantly practices the Bodhisattva Path and benefits all beings, / Cultivating with an unwavering resolve. When the Bodhisattva cultivates the Six Paramitas and Myriad Practices of the Bodhisattva Path, he is cultivating Samadhi. Samadhi is being unmoved in the midst of movement. Movement is stillness; stillness is movement. Movement and stillness are one; they are nondual.

Why? Because the Bodhisattva is free from all attachments. We who cultivate often misunderstand, and think that we can develop Samadhi through stillness. Actually, being calm in stillness is not as skillful as being calm in movement. If you lack Samadhi in the midst of movement, you still will be influenced by your internal and external states. Don’t make the mistake of “delighting in emptiness and clinging to stillness.” Cultivation requires that we cultivate stillness within movement, and movement within stillness. Movement is stillness, and stillness is movement. Movement and stillness are not two different states. If you say, “I like to be still and I don’t like to move,” then you are attached to stillness. If you say you prefer action to stillness, then you are attached to movement. Whether moving or being still, you should be in Samadhi. What kind of state is that? It’s described by two lines I often quote: 

The eyes see forms, but inside there is nothing.
The ears hear sounds, but the mind does not know. 

In other words,

When you awaken to what you see,
You transcend the world.
When you are confused by what you see,
You sink and flounder.

Samadhi is not realized only in stillness. The Samadhi that develops during movement is even more genuine and useful. Cultivators must attain a state of perfect, unobstructed harmony. This is what “cultivating with an unwavering resolve” means. This unwavering resolve is also known as the unmoving mind. Mencius was forty before he attained an unmoving mind and had some Samadhi. Gaozi attained an unmoving mind earlier than Mencius, so Mencius said, “Gaozi preceded me in achieving an unmoving mind.” The “unmoving mind” is synonymous with the “unwavering resolve.” 

He neither dwells in the world nor separates himself from the world. He is attached neither to worldly dharmas nor to transcendental dharmas. Relying on nothing in the world, / He is nowhere dependent. You won’t be able to find any attachments, for the Bodhisattva is not attached to worldly or transcendental dharmas.

Sutra:

He comprehends the nature of the mundane,
Yet is undefiled by and unattached to it.
Without relying upon the world,
He transforms and liberates those in the world.

He completely knows the intrinsic nature
Of all the dharmas in the world.
He understands that dharmas are nondual,
Yet to nonduality he attaches not.

His mind neither leaves the mundane
Nor dwells in the mundane.
It is not beyond the mundane
That he cultivates All-Wisdom.

Like a reflection in water,
Neither inside nor outside,
The Bodhisattva in quest of bodhi,
Understands that the world is not the world.

He neither dwells in nor transcends the mundane,
For the mundane is beyond words.
He is neither within nor without,
Appearing in the world like a reflection.

Commentary:

He comprehends the nature of the mundane. The Bodhisattva understands the intrinsic nature of every worldly dharma, yet is undefiled by and unattached to it. Having severed the attachment to self and to dharmas, he is unattached to any worldly dharma. Without relying upon the world, / He transforms and liberates those in the world. While not relying on worldly dharmas, the Bodhisattva teaches and transforms all sentient beings in the world, enabling them to leave suffering and attain happiness. 

He completely knows the true, intrinsic nature / Of all the dharmas in the world. / He understands that all dharmas are nondual, / Yet to nonduality he attaches not. The Bodhisattva is not attached to the nondual dharma of the primary truth.

His mind neither leaves the mundane / Nor dwells in the mundane. The Bodhisattva does not leave worldly dharmas, nor is he attached to the world. It is not beyond the mundane / That he cultivates All-Wisdom. He does not seek All-Wisdom outside worldly dharmas; rather, he cultivates the transcendental Dharma right within mundane dharmas. He is in the world, yet transcends the world. It is as easy as turning your hand over. Before turning, you see the back of the hand. Once you turn it over, you see the palm. This is the same principle as afflictions being bodhi. When you don’t cultivate and fail to understand things as they really are, you have afflictions. When you understand, those afflictions are simply bodhi. Bodhi is not outside of afflictions; rather, bodhi is right within afflictions. Afflictions are bodhi, and bodhi is afflictions. If you know how to turn affliction around, it is bodhi. If you don’t, it is still affliction.

Like a reflection of the moon in water, / Neither inside nor outside. Would you say the moon’s reflection is in the water or outside the water? It is neither. The Bodhisattva in quest of bodhi, the Unsurpassed, Proper and Perfect Enlightenment, understands that the world is not the world. He understands that the world is empty, and so the text says, “is not the world.” All worldly dharmas are empty.

He neither dwells in nor transcends the mundane. He is attached neither to worldly dharmas nor to transcendental dharmas, for the mundane is beyond words. The world is empty and ineffable. He is neither within the world nor without, / Appearing in the world like a reflection. The Bodhisattva appears in the world like the reflection of the moon on water.

Sutra:

Entering this profound meaning,
He leaves defilement and gains total clarity.
Yet he does not forsake his original vow
To be wisdom’s lamp shining on all.

The world has no boundaries,
Yet his wisdom infuses it to capacity.
He transforms flocks of beings everywhere,
Enabling them to cast out all attachments. 

Commentary:

Entering this profound meaning. The Bodhisattva understands the profound analogy. He contemplates that:

All things are like dreams, illusions, bubbles, and shadows,
Like dewdrops and lightning flashes.
One should contemplate them thus.

The Bodhisattva’s wisdom is pure, so he leaves defilement and gains total clarity. He shines like brilliant crystalline light that penetrates inside and out. Yet he does not forsake his original great vow / To be wisdom’s lamp shining on all in the Dharma Realm. 

The world has no boundaries, / Yet his wisdom infuses it to capacity. The Dharma Realm and the world are boundless. If you have great wisdom, you can enter these boundless worlds and be equal to them. In these boundless worlds, he transforms limitless flocks of beings everywhere, / Enabling them to cast out all attachments. 

II.A.ix. Verses in praise of Patience in Perceiving All as Conjured Effects

Sutra:

Contemplating the profound Dharma,
He benefits the multitudes of beings,
Leading them to enter wisdom
And cultivate every path to enlightenment. 

The Bodhisattva observes all dharmas,
Realizing that they are all like conjured effects.
Yet he undertakes practices resembling conjured effects,
Never forsaking them to the very end.

In accord with the nature of conjured effects,
He cultivates the Bodhi Path.
All dharmas resemble conjured effects.
So do the Bodhisattva’s practices.

Commentary:

Contemplating the profound Dharma of wisdom, he benefits the multitudes of beings, / Leading them to cultivate and enter great wisdom / And cultivate every path to enlightenment as practiced by all Buddhas. 

The Bodhisattva observes and carefully ponders all dharmas, / Realizing that they are all like illusions and conjured effects. / Yet he undertakes practices resembling conjured effects, / Never forsaking them to the very end. He never gives up practicing the Bodhisattva Path.

In accord with the nature of conjured effects, / He cultivates the Bodhi Path. He cultivates all paths to enlightenment, without becoming attached to any. All dharmas resemble conjured effects, constantly undergoing changes; so do the Bodhisattva’s practices. He does not take them too seriously. [Editor’s note: The sense here is that he does the practices but does not attach to them.] He spends his days going along with the natural course of things, being content with his lot and doing his share of work.  

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