The Ten Patiences

Chapter Twenty-Nine

 

 

Sutra:

The Bodhisattva Mahasattva is the same way. He regards all worlds as illusory—namely, the world of karma, the world of afflictions, the world of lands, the world of dharmas, the world of time, the world of inclinations, the world of formation, the world of destruction, the world of movement, and the world of deliberate action. 

When the Bodhisattva Mahasattva contemplates all worlds as illusory, he perceives no beings coming into being, no beings ceasing to be, no lands coming into being, no lands ceasing to be, no dharmas coming into being, and no dharmas ceasing to be.

He does not see a past that can be differentiated, a future that is evolving, or a present that maintains its status quo even for the space of a single thought.

Commentary:

The Bodhisattva Mahasattva is the same way. He regards all worlds as illusory—namely, the world of karma, the world of afflictions, the world of lands, the world of dharmas, the world of time, the world of inclinations, the world of formation, the world of destruction, the world of movement, and the world of deliberate action. The great Bodhisattva among Bodhisattvas is also thus. He contemplates everything in the world as illusory: karma is illusory; afflictions are illusory; lands are illusory; dharmas are illusory; the worlds of time, inclinations, formation, destruction, movement, and deliberate action are all illusory. 

When the Bodhisattva Mahasattva contemplates all worlds as illusory, he perceives no beings coming into being, no beings ceasing to be, no lands coming into being, no lands ceasing to be, no dharmas coming into being, and no dharmas ceasing to be. He does not see a past that can be differentiated, a future that is evolving, or a present that maintains its status quo even for the space of a single thought. The Bodhisattva does not see distinguishable events in the past, nor does he see evolving events in the future, nor does he see any dharmas that dwell even for an instant in the present. This is because everything is false and illusory.

Sutra:

He neither contemplates bodhi nor differentiates bodhi. He neither sees the Buddhas’ appearance nor sees the Buddhas’ nirvana. He neither sees them as having dwelt in great vows, nor sees them as having entered the proper position of Buddhahood. He never goes beyond their being equally illusory. 

Although this Bodhisattva accomplishes Buddhalands, he knows that lands have no differentiation. Although he is accomplished in the realms of sentient beings, he knows that there is no differentiation among sentient beings. Although he contemplates the entire Dharma Realm, he abides peacefully in the Dharma nature, tranquil and unmoving. Although he comprehends the equality of the three periods of time, he does not violate the convention of differentiating the three periods of time. Although he realizes (the emptiness of) the skandhas and the locations, he forever severs all dependencies. Although he liberates sentient beings, he realizes that all in the Dharma Realm are equal and devoid of the various differences. Although he knows that all dharmas are beyond language and inexpressible, he always speaks the Dharma with infinite eloquence. Although he is not attached to the work of transforming sentient beings, he does not renounce great compassion, and he turns the Dharma wheel to rescue all.  

Commentary:

Bodhisattvas are free from all attachments. They act without action. Thus, they do not discriminate among the events of the past, deliberate about the future, or have a single thought of attachment to the present. He neither contemplates bodhi nor differentiates bodhi. A Bodhisattva does not contemplate bodhi; instead, he cultivates bodhi. In other words, he cultivates the land without being concerned about the harvest. He diligently nurtures and waters his crops, so that they sprout, bloom, and bear fruit. A Bodhisattva also makes no discriminations about the Path to Enlightenment. 

He neither sees the Buddhas’ appearance nor sees the Buddhas’ nirvana. A Bodhisattva is not attached to the idea of the Buddhas appearing in the world or of their entering nirvana. He neither sees them as having dwelt in great vows, nor sees them as having entered the proper position of Buddhahood. He is not attached to a Buddha or a Bodhisattva of Equal Enlightenment cultivating magnificent vows. He is able to “sweep away all dharmas and separate from all appearances.” He is not attached to the idea of certifying to the position of Buddhahood. He never goes beyond their being equally illusory. A Bodhisattva is not attached to the impartial nature of illusion either. He is attached to nothing at all. 

Although this Bodhisattva accomplishes Buddhalands, he knows that lands have no differentiation. Although he is accomplished in the realms of sentient beings, he knows that there is no differentiation among sentient beings. A Bodhisattva transforms and rescues a myriad of sentient beings, yet he knows that sentient beings are not different from one another. For example, although people are of different races and nationalities, they are all still people. There may be language and cultural barriers, but people share a common humanity. Although he, the Bodhisattva, contemplates the entire Dharma Realm, he abides peacefully in the Dharma nature, tranquil and unmoving in his native land. Although he comprehends the equality of the three periods of time, he does not violate the convention of differentiating the three periods of time. The Bodhisattva knows the three periods of time are equal and there is no need to differentiate, yet he does not go against the convention of differentiating among them.

Although he realizes (the emptiness of) the skandhas and locations, he forever severs all dependences. A Bodhisattva realizes the nonexistence of the five skandhas, the twelve locations, and the eighteen realms, but he remains in the world and does not transcend it. Although the Bodhisattva could sever all ignorance, he keeps a little bit so he can be the same as sentient beings. He could destroy that one fraction of ignorance, but instead “brilliance mixes with the common.” In other words, the Bodhisattva mingles with sentient beings in order to teach and transform them. When sentient beings see him, they think: “He's just like us. If he can attain the Path, so can we.

If he can awaken to great wisdom, so can we. If he can achieve the Five Eyes and Six Spiritual Powers, we can do the same!” Suppose you were different from sentient beings. If sentient beings were all black, and you were white—not just fair-skinned, but whiter and brighter than snow—those black sentient beings would think: "I’m not as white as he, so I can’t become enlightened like him.” Thus, Bodhisattvas manifest as black people, yellow-skinned people, white people, and people of all colors. In this great melting pot, there are Bodhisattvas for every variety of people. When people see those of their own ethnic group cultivate the Path and possess spiritual powers, they resolve to cultivate as well. Hence, sentient beings will not feel that they are hopeless cases. Bodhisattvas may not like to do certain things, but in order to constantly accord with sentient beings, they will do a little. And when they do so, they are not attached. That is the Bodhisattvas’ state of being.

Although he liberates sentient beings, he realizes that all in the Dharma Realm are equal. He realizes that sentient beings are just Buddhas, and Buddhas are simply sentient beings. People who don’t understand this may say: "I don’t believe in Buddhism.” Believers and nonbelievers alike are included in Buddhism, because their inherent nature is the same as the Buddha nature. This is not a matter of belief. In fact, it doesn’t matter whether you believe or not. As I often say, you may not believe the Buddha today, but wait till tomorrow, and you’ll believe. If you insist you won’t believe tomorrow, then wait till the day after. If you insist that you won’t believe the day after tomorrow, then wait till next month. You will have faith by then. “Ah, you can wait as many years as you want, but I still won’t believe,” you say. Then I’ll wait until another lifetime. You may not believe in this life, but in your next life you may feel that you not only failed to gain any advantages from your disbelief, but also suffered losses as a result. After this realization, you may change your mind and believe in Buddhism.

“No, I won’t convert to Buddhism in my next life either,” you assert. Well, you can’t be sure what you will do in your next life. You can’t sign a contract saying that you won’t believe in Buddhism in your next life. No one dares to sign such a contract with you. Thus, you can’t guarantee what your faith will be in your next life, and there’s a chance you might become a Buddhist!

“Although I can’t sign a contract against it, I make a vow not to become a Buddhist in my next life,” you say. It doesn’t matter. I can wait a great kalpa for you. In time, you will slowly come around. When you have nowhere to go, you will return very naturally. Why is this? Buddhism pervades empty space and the Dharma Realm. If you can run outside of empty space or the Dharma Realm, then you don’t have to believe in Buddhism. In short, there is no basis for your claim that because you do not believe now, you will not do so in the future. For example, consider yourself in this very lifetime. As a young person, you like to study. But after a while, you grow weary of it and prefer to have fun as a hippie. When you grow up, you regret having neglected your studies. You think, “If I’d been serious about studying back then, I could have had a Ph.D. by now. I didn’t study because I didn’t know any better, and now it’s too late to start.”  Through such reflection, your thinking changes.

As another example, suppose you want to get married. If you are a woman, you look for a boyfriend. If you are a man, you search for a girlfriend. After you find a mate and get married, you start to argue with him or her and end up changing your mind. “Marriage is wrong for me,” you think, “I should leave the home-life and become a monastic.” But after three-and-a-half days—not even four—of monastic life, you want to return to lay life. “Monastic life is so lonely! I can’t take it. I must return to lay life right away!” But after returning to lay life, you feel ill at ease and want to leave home again. So, you see, even in this life time, you argue and fight with yourself. How agonizing! If you can’t even make up your mind in this life, how much the less can you determine your next life? You say you won’t believe in Buddhism in your next life? No one dares to buy your “insurance” against ever believing in the Buddhadharma. It doesn’t work this way.

The Bodhisattva understands that everything in the Dharma Realm is equal and devoid of the various differences. Although he knows that all dharmas are beyond language and inexpressible. He knows that all dharmas are beyond words and can’t be described. Indeed, “the path of language is cut off,” there is nothing that can be said. “The realm of thought is gone,” there is no place for false thoughts to arise. At the point when even false thoughts are gone, what can you do? This is the essence of the Dharma. Independent of words and language, it is “transmitted outside the teaching, sealing the mind with the mind” (i.e., the confirmation of Enlightenment between two enlightened beings that is beyond words and language.)

Despite the ineffability of this dharma door, he always speaks the Dharma with infinite eloquence. The Bodhisattva constantly expounds the Dharma with inexhaustible eloquence that, as the Chinese saying goes, can “bring the dead to life and the living to death.” The cycle of death and rebirth is endless. If he says something is alive, it is alive; if he says it is dead, it is dead. His eloquence is so unobstructed that none can argue with him. If you ask me, the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas expound no principles, for there are no principles to be expounded. If everything is inexpressible, how can there be principles to expound? It doesn’t matter to me whether or not you believe what I say. I just talk. Within the inexpressible, I say a bit, without caring whether you believe or disbelieve.

Although he is not attached to the work of transforming sentient beings, he does not renounce the heart of great compassion, and he turns the Dharma wheel to rescue all sentient beings. What does “turning the Dharma wheel” mean? If you want to know, come to Gold Mountain Monastery. Here we turn the great Dharma wheel day after day, every hour and every minute. We kept spinning it around and around until Gold Wheel Monastery spun out of it. Gold Wheel Monastery turns the Dharma wheel even more vigorously – there are lectures on physiognomy, divination, and geomancy.

Sutra:

Although he expounds past causes and conditions for them, he knows that causes and conditions are essentially devoid of evolvement. This is called Patience in Perceiving All as Illusions, the fourth kind of patience of a Bodhisattva Mahasattva.

Commentary:

Although he, the Bodhisattva, expounds past causes and conditions, results and retributions, for all sentient beings, he knows that causes and conditions are empty and insubstantial, essentially devoid of evolvement. Since causes and conditions don’t have any substance of their own, how can they possibly change? This is called Patience in Perceiving All as Illusions, the fourth kind of patience of a Bodhisattva Mahasattva. 

I.C.v. Patience in Perceiving All as Mirages

Sutra:

Disciples of the Buddha, what constitutes the Bodhisattva Mahasattva’s Patience in Perceiving All as Mirages? Disciples of the Buddha, this Bodhisattva Mahasattva knows that all worldly phenomena resemble mirages. Like mirages, they have no location, are neither inside nor outside, neither existent nor nonexistent, neither annihilated nor eternal, neither of one color nor of many colors nor colorless. They are simply spoken of and manifested according to the beings of the world.

The Bodhisattva in this way practices genuine contemplation. He understands all dharmas and at once realizes all levels of cultivation, thus attaining perfection. This is called Patience in Perceiving All as Mirages, the fifth kind of patience of aBodhisattva Mahasattva.

Commentary:

Universal Worthy Bodhisattva says: Disciples of the Buddha, what constitutes the Bodhisattva Mahasattva’s Patience in Perceiving All as Mirages? Disciples of the Buddha, this Bodhisattva Mahasattva knows that all worldly phenomena resemble mirages. Mirages are optical effects that create the appearance of a pool of water in the distance. When one gets closer, the image of water vanishes.

Like mirages, they have no location. Where would you say mirages are? They exist everywhere, yet nowhere. They have no origin and no destination. They are neither produced from inside nor from outside, neither existent nor nonexistent. You may claim mirages exist, but when you approach them, they disappear. You may claim they don’t exist, yet they appear as pools of water in the distance. Thus, they are neither existent nor nonexistent.

Mirages are neither annihilated (since they can occur at any time) nor eternal (since they can vanish at any moment). Mirages are neither of one color nor of many colors nor colorless. Mirages are not colorless. From afar, they have a bit of whitish color, like a body of water. 

They are simply spoken of and manifested according to the beings of the world. This Bodhisattva speaks and manifests in accord with the sentient beings of the world. He is like a mirage, appearing and disappearing, neither eternally gone nor eternally existing. The Bodhisattva in this way practices genuine contemplation. He uses true principles and genuine wisdom to contemplate all states. His state of mind is such that he understands the Reality of all dharmas and immediately—right in the present moment—realizes all levels of cultivation, thus attaining perfection. He not only causes himself to attain perfect bodhi, but also causes all sentient beings to do the same. This is called Patience in Perceiving All as Mirages, the fifth kind of patience of aBodhisattva Mahasattva. This is the great Bodhisattva’s fifth dharma-practice of patience.

I.C.vi. Patience in Perceiving All as Dreams

Sutra:

Disciples of the Buddha, what is meant by the Bodhisattva Mahasattva’s Patience in Perceiving All as Dreams? Disciples of the Buddha, this Bodhisattva Mahasattva knows that all worldly phenomena resemble dreams. Like dreams, they are neither of the world nor apart from the world; they are neither of the Desire Realm nor of the Form Realm nor of the Formless Realm; they neither come into being nor cease to be; they are neither defiled nor pure, and yet they make their appearance.

The Bodhisattva Mahasattva is the same way. He understands all in the world are the same as dreams in their absence of change. They resemble dreams in their (lack of) inherent nature, in the attachments they produce, in their separateness from the inherent nature, in their fundamental nature, in their manifestations, in their lack of disparities, in their discriminatory thinking, and in the insight derived when one awakens from them. This is called Patience in Perceiving All as Dreams, the sixth kind of patience of a Bodhisattva Mahasattva.

Commentary:

Universal Worthy Bodhisattva called out, “Disciples of the Buddha, do you know what is meant by the Bodhisattva Mahasattva’s Patience in Perceiving All as Dreams?” Since he received no reply, he continued, “Disciples of the Buddha, this Bodhisattva Mahasattva knows that all worldly phenomena resemble dreams. Everything in the world is like a dream.

Why is that? When people are dreaming, they are not aware of being in a dream. In a dream, someone may strike it rich, be a great official, and enjoy riches and glory. But if you tell him, “You are just dreaming. None of this is real,” he certainly will not believe you. When he wakes up, however, without needing to be told, he knows, “Oh, so it was all just a dream I had last night.” In the dream he had riches and high positions in the government. As President, Prime Minister, Secretary of State, Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Secretary of the Interior, and Secretary of Finance, he handled unimaginable quantities of capital. However, it was all a dream.

Like dreams, they are neither of the world nor apart from the world. Though the world resembles a dream, dreams are not of the world. Yet dreams are created by people, and thus they are not apart from the world.

They are neither of the Desire Realm nor of the Form Realm nor of the Formless Realm. If dreams are not of this world, do they originate from the heavens of the Desire, Form, or Formless Realms? No, because they are merely dreams. They neither come into being nor cease to be. Dreams are not born and do not die.

They are neither defiled nor pure. Dreams are not necessarily defiled or pure. You may claim that dreams are defiled, but sometimes one has pure dreams, such as dreams of bowing to the Buddhas, chanting sutras, or bowing in repentance. On the other hand, when you say that dreams are pure, sometimes defiled states appear in them. For example, one may dream of dancing while intoxicated with whisky and brandy, so that one’s soul seems to rise to the heavens. And yet they make their appearance.  In spite of their not having any of the above qualities, dreams still do manifest.

The Bodhisattva Mahasattva is the same way. Using the dharma of Patience in Perceiving All as Dreams, he contemplates all causes and conditions as ephemeral dreams. In a dream, someone finds a good boyfriend or girlfriend, dates that person, eventually gets married and has many children, and those children in turn have many children of their own. All these things happen in a dream. They seem real, but are really just part of a dream. He understands all in the world are the same as dreams. All things, even those things dearest to you, are nothing but figments of dreams.

Thus it is said,

Human life is but a dream.
Death is also but a dream.
In dreams, we seem to have glory and honor.
Waking from dreams, poverty haunts us. 
Day after day in this dream we create,
We fail to perceive the dream’s fleeting nature.
If from this dream we never awake,
Then we will have dreamt it all in vain. 

Things are like dreams in their absence of change. Whatever you dream, that’s your dream. The dream doesn’t change. You can’t alter it.

They resemble dreams in their (lack of) inherent nature. Dreams are illusory creations, arising and perishing with no nature of their own. If they had a nature, they would not be dreams. In the attachments they produce. One becomes attached to dreams being good or bad. In their separateness from the inherent nature. Dreams have no nature of their own; they are separate from one’s inherent nature. In their fundamental nature. Dreams are fundamentally empty and unreal. In their manifestations. Manifestations in dreams are also unreal.

In their lack of disparities. Dreams do not discriminate among themselves. They do not say, “You are a beautiful dream. I am an ugly dream.” Dreams make no such distinctions. In their discriminatory thinking. Most dreams come about because of thoughts and discriminations.  

And in the insight derived when one awakens from them. Upon waking from a dream, one realizes that it was ephemeral and unreal. Before waking, one felt it was real and pretty enjoyable. If one is confused from birth until death, what is life but a dream? When one truly understands and attains great wisdom, then one awakens from the dream. Looking back at the shore of samsara, one exclaims at the suffering of people in the world. Miserable and afflicted, bickering and fighting, they muddle their way through life, not knowing that although the sea of suffering is vast, by simply turning around, they can reach the other shore of liberation. This is called Patience in Perceiving All as Dreams, the sixth kind of dharma of patience of a Bodhisattva Mahasattva.

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