The Ten Patiences

Chapter Twenty-Nine

 

I. Prose

         D. Conclusion

Sutra:

Disciples of the Buddha, these are the ten kinds of patience of a Bodhisattva Mahasattva. 

Commentary:

Disciples of the Buddha, which includes all of you, these are the ten kinds of patience of a Bodhisattva Mahasattva. These are the ten practices of patience of great Bodhisattvas.

1. Verses
1. One hundred verses in praise
1. Verses in praise of Patience with Sounds

Sutra:

At that time Universal Worthy Bodhisattva Mahasattva, wishing to restate the meaning of his teachings, spoke the following verses:

Commentary:

At that time Universal Worthy Bodhisattva Mahasattva, wishing to restate the meaning of his teachings, spoke the following verses. He used verses to further clarify the principles.

This chapter of the Flower Adornment Sutra is called “The Ten Patiences.” Before people have encountered any trying circumstances, they say they can be patient and yield to others. When certain situations arise, however, they fail to recognize these states and are unable to be patient or yield. Instead, they run down the path of ignorance. The more they run, the farther they stray from truth. As a result, their wisdom fails to manifest.

China is an agricultural nation. Most people are farmers. They know they must plant the fields before they can reap a harvest. It would not be possible to harvest anything without having done the work of planting. Similarly, how do we plant our fields [of blessings]? We start by doing various good deeds. When we have done many good deeds, small problems naturally take care of themselves.

In coming to this country to propagate the Buddhadharma, I have never told you the advantages of attending sutra lectures. The reason you listen to sutra lectures is to understand principles you didn’t understand before. Then, based on those principles you learn, you can begin to make progress. Once we understand the principles, we ought to take Buddhism more seriously and constantly consider how we can support Buddhism so that it develops and flourishes day by day. You should do this not only with Buddhism, but with other religions. Work diligently for the well-being of all citizens. Don’t create any scandal. If you cause trouble and your parents hear of it, they will certainly be heartbroken.  

When you are not mature enough or have not developed your wisdom, you ought to go to places of learning to learn what you don’t know. Once you learn some principles, you must put them into practice. However, it takes time to truly learn the principles. By analogy, you cannot simply plant seeds in the ground and then neglect them. If you neglect them, they will not turn out well. You must protect them and give them food and water.  

Every day we study the Buddhadharma in San Francisco, yet none of you are aware of its benefits. When someone who has never heard the Buddhadharma happens to hear it once, he or she finds it inconceivable, for it encompasses all principles. Let us gather the principles of all religions to study and compare them. Let us learn from others’ strong points to make up for our shortcomings. Let all religions help one another to flourish. We should never say to a person of another religion, “Buddhism is the best.” Buddhism should advocate all religions. We should promote all religions by following the principle, “We proceed together without hindering each other.”

If you asked me my religion, I would say, “Mine is the religion of truth; it is the religion of human beings; it is the religion of sentient beings; it is the religion of everyone.” All sentient beings can become humans, and all humans can become Buddhas. Thus, Buddhism can also be called the “religion of human beings,” and the “religion of sentient beings.” We don’t have to limit ourselves by insisting that we are Buddhists. Buddhism pervades all of space and the Dharma Realm. We ought to acknowledge all religions as Buddhism. Other religions may not see it that way, but that’s their business. We ought to expand our hearts to encompass all that exists within space and the Dharma Realm—because it is all the manifestation of truth. Therefore, we should not discriminate between our religion and other religions. They may want to distinguish themselves from us, but we will not distinguish ourselves from them. That’s how we should go about it.

Sutra:

Take, for example, a person in the world who
Learns of the site of a treasure trove;
The prospect of uncovering it
Is cause of great joy in his heart. 

That is what happens when the greatly wise
Bodhisattva, true disciple of the Buddha,
Encounters the Dharma of all Buddhas
Which is profound, tranquil, and markless. 

Upon hearing this profound Dharma,
His mind is set at peace,
Free from panic and terror,
Free from every fear.

Commentary:

Universal Worthy Bodhisattva, in speaking his verse, makes another analogy. Take, for example, a person in the world who/ Learns of the site of a treasure trove. Suppose there is a person in the world who hears of a treasure trove. If he were to discover it, he would be extremely rich. The prospect of uncovering it / Is cause of great joy in his heart. Knowing that he has the opportunity to find that treasure trove, he is delighted.  

That is what happens when the greatly wise / Bodhisattva, true disciple of the Buddha, who hears and encounters the Dharma of all Buddhas / Which is profound, tranquil, and markless. Such Dharma is unsurpassed, profound, tranquil, and free from marks.

Upon hearing this profound dharma of prajna wisdom, his mind is set at peace, /Free from panic and terror, and /free from every fear. Upon hearing that the Dharma is profound, he is not alarmed. Upon hearing that it is wonderful, he is not afraid. Free from fear, he is able to enter deeply the Sutra Treasury and have wisdom like the sea. 

Sutra:

The Great Knight in quest of bodhi
Hears this extensive sound.
With a mind pure and patient,
He is free of doubt in this regard. 

Mindful of the Dharma he has heard
In all its profound, subtle wonder,
He is bound to accomplish All-Wisdom
And be a great teacher for humans and gods. 

The Bodhisattva who hears this sound
Rejoices in his heart
And brings forth a resolute vow
To seek the Dharma of all Buddhas. 

Through his delight for bodhi,
His mind is gradually subdued
And his faith made to grow;
He neither opposes nor disparages the Dharma.

Hence when he hears this sound,
In his mind patience takes root,
Wherein he dwells without wavering
To cultivate the Bodhisattva’s practices. 

Commentary:

The Great Knight refers to the Great Bodhisattva. He is also known as the “Knight with a Great Resolve.” A sentient being with a great resolve for the Path is also called a great knight. He is in quest of bodhi: he has made the bodhi resolve, is pursuing the path of bodhi, and hopes to one day reap the bodhi fruit. Bodhi is the Path of Enlightenment. It is attained when ignorance and afflictions are eradicated. In the Bodhisattva state, cultivating the profound and vast dharma-practice of the Bodhisattva Path, he hears this profound and extensive Dharma sound. With a mind pure and patient, / He is free of doubt in this regard. When the Bodhisattva cultivates according to the “Ten Patiences Chapter,” the most important requirement is that his mind be pure and patient, able to endure this dharma-practice. He cannot have the tiniest doubt about this dharma-practice.

Mindful of the Dharma he has heard / In all its profound, subtle wonder. He recollects and investigates the unsurpassed, profound, subtle, inconceivable, and wonderful Dharma he has heard. When he cultivates the Dharma of extensive patience and resolves to attain unsurpassed bodhi, the Path of Enlightenment, he is bound to accomplish All-Wisdom and become a Buddha. And he will be a great guide and teacher for humans and gods. That is, he will be the same as a Buddha, who is the Teacher and Model for Humans and Gods.

The Bodhisattva who hears this unsurpassed, profound, wonderful sound / Rejoices with reverence in his heart / And brings forth a most resolute vow / To seek the Dharma of all Buddhas.He wishes to pursue the subtle, wonderful Dharma spoken by the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas.

Through his delight for bodhi, the Path of Enlightenment / His mind is gradually subdued—his thoughts of obstinacy, meanness, and rebelliousness are tamed—and his faith made to grow day by day. He neither opposes nor disparages the Dharma. He cultivates in accord with the Dharma. He would not defy or slander the Buddhadharma.  

Hence when he hears this Dharma sound, / In his mind patience takes root. His mind develops a patient attitude, wherein he dwells without wavering/ To cultivate the Bodhisattva’s practices. He abides steadily in the state of patience and cultivates the Bodhisattva Path: the Six Paramitas and the Myriad Practices.

Sutra:

In his quest for bodhi,
He focuses his cultivation on its path—
Vigorous and never retreating,
He dismisses no beneficial restraints.

Seeking the path of bodhi,
His mind is free from fear.
Hearing the Dharma, he grows more vigorous
In presenting offerings to the Buddhas to delight them.

Commentary:

In his quest for the unsurpassed bodhi, he (the great Bodhisattva who cultivates the Bodhisattva Path) focuses his cultivation on its path—the path of enlightenment. Constantly and at all times, he is brave, vigorous and never retreating from anuttara-samyaksambodhi, and he dismisses no beneficial restraints. The Chinese character for “restraint” literally means the yoke that oxen wear when they pull carts. There are many “yokes” that, once put over your head, prevent you from turning back and retreating. Similarly, the Bodhisattva advances forward fearlessly and vigorously.

At all times one finds the Bodhisattva seeking the path of bodhi, the path of enlightenment, being vigorous day and night. His mind is free from fear. He only advances, never regresses. The great length and difficulty of the path to Buddhahood does not daunt him. Hearing the Dharma spoken by all Buddhas, he grows more vigorous / In presenting offerings to the Buddhas to delight them. The Bodhisattva constantly goes to all lands in the ten directions and makes offerings to all the Buddhas there, causing them to rejoice.

II.A.ii. Verses in praise of Patience with the Agreeable

Sutra:

Just as a person of great blessings who
Acquires a treasury of fine gold
Carries the gold with him,
Fashioning it into ornaments.

In the same way, the Bodhisattva.
Hearing the Dharma’s profound meaning,
Ponders it, expanding his oceanic wisdom,
And cultivates the dharma of compliance. 

He understands to accord with the existence of dharmas.
He understands to accord with the nonexistence of dharmas.
In this way he tallies with every dharma,
Thus achieving an understanding of all dharmas. 

Commentary:

Just as a person of great blessings who/ Acquires a treasury of fine gold / Carries the precious gold with him, / Fashioning it into assorted ornaments and vessels, in the same way, the Bodhisattva, / Hearing the Dharma’s profound meaning, / Ponders it and cultivates according to the Dharma, thus expanding his oceanic wisdom, / And cultivates the dharma-practice of compliance with sentient beings. 

He understands to accord with the existence of dharmas; he understands that dharmas have appearances. He understands to accord with the nonexistence of dharmas. He also understands that dharmas have no appearances. In this way he tallies with every dharma and cultivates in accordance with them, thus achieving an understanding of all dharmas. He awakens to patience with the state of mind in which no mental objects arise. Being in accord with all dharmas, he comprehends the reality of all dharmas (i.e., he sees things as they really are.)

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