2.2.2.1.1.8. THE EXPLANATION OF THE IMMOVABLE (Achala, Miyowa/mi g.yo ba)
2.2.2.1.1.8.1. The brief teaching on the essence of the ground
2.2.2.1.1.8.2. The extensive explanation of its qualities
2.2.2.1.1.8.1. THE BRIEF TEACHING ON THE ESSENCE OF THE GROUND
In order to repeatedly attain virtues greater than before,
On this ground the great beings become irreversible
And enter into The Immovable. (8.1)
Now an explanation from the perspective of the eighth bodhichitta generation will be given. In order to repeatedly attain virtue that exceeds the virtue of the two accumulations gathered on the seventh ground and lower, the bodhisattvas of the eighth ground now attain forbearance in relation to the nonarising of phenomena. Through this forbearance, their path to the wisdom of buddhahood becomes irreversible.
These great beings thus enter into The Immovable. There is a reason for their repeatedly attaining virtues that exceed those attained on the seventh ground—the sūtras say (Ten Grounds):566
O, children of the Victor, let me begin with an example: if you set out on land with a large ship to sail the great ocean, you must work very hard to carry the ship until you reach the water’s edge. Once you reach the ocean, however, the ship’s sails pick up the wind, and the ship moves rapidly without any effort. Moreover, the distance you will travel during just one day of sailing in this way could not possibly be covered in even one hundred years by traveling with the ship as you did before, on land.
O, children of the Victor, it is the same way regarding the bodhisattvas’ steadfast accumulation of merit, gathered through genuinely practicing the great vehicle. Here, the bodhisattvas’ conduct arrives at the ocean: due to spontaneously present wisdom, even an instant of their experiencing the wisdom of omniscience will far outrival all the bodhisattvas’ previous actions of one hundred thousand eons.
Thus, the grounds preceding the eighth ground entail effort. Once one attains the eighth ground, one engages effortlessly and naturally in the wisdom of buddhahood. Thus there is a great distinction possessed by this ground in terms of the bodhisattvas’ rapidity of progress and in terms of the manner in which they attain further positive qualities.
2.2.2.1.1.8.2. THE EXTENSIVE EXPLANATION OF ITS QUALITIES
2.2.2.1.1.8.2.1. The qualities of the perfection of aspirations and of being guided by the buddhas
2.2.2.1.1.8.2.2. Though unsurpassable in the three realms, they still have yet to accomplish the qualities of buddhahood
2.2.2.1.1.8.2.3. Though saṃsāra has stopped for them, they bring the qualities of buddhahood to perfection through the ten masteries
2.2.2.1.1.8.2.1. THE QUALITIES OF THE PERFECTION OF ASPIRATIONS AND OF BEING GUIDED BY THE BUDDHAS
Their aspirations become extremely pure,
And they are roused from cessation by the victorious ones. (8.2)
The aspirations (praṇidhāna, mönlam/smon lam) of these bodhisattvas, ten sexdecillion567 of which were made on the first ground, at this time become extremely pure. Through the perfection of aspirations, their qualities become superior. This ground is posited as the ground of the youthful children of the victorious ones: on the ninth ground one attains the state of victorious regent, while on the tenth ground one receives the empowerments of the victorious ones in the manner of a Chakravartin king.
Since on this ground all mental afflictions without exception are relinquished, one enters without effort into the dharmadhātu. Therefore at this time the victorious ones must encourage the bodhisattvas to arise from their absorption, for their not arising from absorption would sever in an untimely way the continuity of the benefit they bring to others. The victorious ones address them as follows:
You do not have the wisdom, powers, and other qualities of buddhahood that we have.
In order to attain these, hold fast to exertion!
In this way the victorious ones rouse them from cessation, making them accomplish the qualities and vast wisdom of buddhahood. The sūtras say (Ten Grounds):568
O, children of the victorious ones! The bodhisattvas abiding on this Immovable bodhisattva ground develop the full power of their aspirations.
Up until:
…the continuity of the activities for all sentient beings would be severed.
The nirvāṇa from which the bodhisattvas are roused at this time is explained in the following quotation from the Brilliance of the Sun (Nyi Nang/nyi snang):569
This nirvāṇa is not the nirvāṇa of the hearers. For the bodhisattvas cast far away the mental engagements of the hearers from the time they engender bodhichitta onward. Nor is it the nirvāṇa of the buddhas. For this nirvāṇa does not relinquish all of the factors to be relinquished by meditation. What is this nirvāṇa? In general one can speak of eight types of nirvāṇa: 1) the nirvāṇa that follows the attainment of the peak stage [of the path of juncture] and is a transcendence of the severance of the roots of virtue; 2) the nirvāṇa that follows the attainment of the patience stage and is a transcendence of the lower realms; 3) the nirvāṇa that follows the attainment of concentration and is [itself] a branch of concentration; 4) the nirvāṇa of the stream-enterer that transcends the eighth level of existence; 5) the nirvāṇa of the once-returner that transcends the two desirous existences; 6) the nirvāṇa of the nonreturner that transcends the desire realm; 7) the nirvāṇa of arhats, which takes on the forms of being with and without remainder; and 8) the nirvāṇa bearing an ulterior intention. Of these eight, the nirvāṇa referred to here is the last. It is posited as a form of nirvāṇa by bearing in mind the potential severance of benefit to others.
2.2.2.1.1.8.2.2. THOUGH UNSURPASSABLE IN THE THREE REALMS, THEY STILL HAVE YET TO ACCOMPLISH THE QUALITIES OF BUDDHAHOOD
Since the mind that is free from attachment does not coexist with faults,
On the eighth ground the impurities and their roots are thoroughly pacified.
Though the mental afflictions are exhausted and they become unsurpassable in the three realms,
They are not able to attain what buddhas possess in a limitless way, similar to space. (8.3)
As was explained above, the bodhisattvas on the eighth ground are roused from cessation. Due to their being roused in that way, they become stainless: just as brightness and darkness cannot exist in the same place, the mind that is free from attachment due to the rising of the sun of nonconceptual wisdom does not coexist with the dark faults of the mental afflictions.
On the eighth ground, therefore, the stains that are the causes for birth in the three realms of saṃsāra—the mental afflictions that had arisen before—are thoroughly pacified at their very root. Since the bodhisattvas here exhaust and relinquish the mental afflictions without exception, they now become free from attachment toward the three realms. They become unsurpassable570 in the three realms.
Nevertheless, the bodhisattvas at this stage are unable to attain the qualities of buddhas. They cannot attain the qualities that buddhas, in a manner limitless as space, possess. Since this is the case, the bodhisattvas must apply themselves all the more energetically in order to attain those qualities.
2.2.2.1.1.8.2.3. THOUGH SAṂSĀRA HAS STOPPED FOR THEM, THEY BRING THE QUALITIES OF BUDDHAHOOD TO PERFECTION THROUGH THE TEN MASTERIES
Even though saṃsāra has stopped for them, they attain the ten masteries, and through these
They display their own essential nature in many different ways to the beings of cyclic existence. (8.4)
This completes the eighth bodhichitta generation from the Entrance to the Middle Way.
How do these bodhisattvas relinquish all of the mental afflictions and bring the qualities of buddhahood to perfection? For them, taking birth in saṃsāra due to mental afflictions or due to actions—be they virtuous or nonvirtuous, contaminated or uncontaminated—has stopped. However, they do attain the ten masteries (wang chu/dbang bcu), which will be explained below.
Through these ten masteries, they display for the benefit of others their own essential character to the beings of cyclic existence via bodies that are of a mental nature. They manifest in a variety of ways: sometimes they display bodies to the six realms of saṃsāra; sometimes they display nirvāṇic bodies to worldly pure realms.
They create such displays through emanation and also through nonemanation by relying on the principal (rang-gyü/rang rgyud) body they have taken on. Through making such displays, they perfect without exception the accumulations and purifications. The “mental body” mentioned here is explained to be similar to a state in which one is able to go wherever one thinks of without any impediment.571
As to the ten masteries, the bodhisattvas attain:
1) mastery over life, because they can bless their life [spans to endure] for an inexpressible number of eons;
2) mastery over mind, because they enter into states of absorption through limitless avenues of samādhi;
3) mastery over accoutrements (yo-je/yo byad), because they are able to continually bless and display many arrays of ornaments in all world realms;
4) mastery over actions, because, through the blessings of the karma they have accumulated, they can display any birth desired572 in accordance with the capabilities of disciples;
5) mastery over birth, because they are able to display any birth in accordance with the capabilities of disciples in all of the world realms;573
6) mastery over aspirations, because they can be born in whatever buddha realm they like, at whatever time they like, and display themselves as buddhas;
7) mastery over imagination (möpa/mos pa), because they can display all of the world realms as being utterly filled with buddhas;
8) mastery over miracles, because they are able to continually display all of the miraculous deeds that appear in all of the buddha realms;
9) mastery over wisdom, because they continually display the qualities of the tathāgatas, such as the powers; and
10) mastery over phenomena, because they continually display the appearances of the gateways of dharma that are beyond center or fringe.574
This completes the explanation of the eighth bodhichitta generation, The Immovable, from the Entrance to the Middle Way.