Purifying the First Five Perfections
Teaching others turns back into the bodhisattva's own practice: the chapter now shows how each of the ten perfections is purified in turn, beginning with giving up everything internal and external, and continuing through moral discipline, patience like the great earth, tireless diligence, and meditative absorption.
Giving, Moral Discipline, Patience, Diligence, and Meditative Absorption
「菩薩如是為諸眾生而演說法，則自修習，增長義利，不捨諸度，具足莊嚴波羅蜜道。是時，菩薩為令眾生心滿足故，內外悉捨而無所著，是則能淨檀波羅蜜。具持眾戒而無所著，永離我慢，是則能淨尸波羅蜜。悉能忍受一切諸惡，於諸眾生，其心平等，無有動搖，譬如大地能持一切，是則能淨忍波羅蜜。普發眾業，常修靡懈，諸有所作恒不退轉，勇猛勢力無能制伏，於諸功德不取不捨，而能滿足一切智門，是則能淨精進波羅蜜。於五欲境無所貪著，諸次第定悉能成就，常正思惟，不住不出，而能銷滅一切煩惱，出生無量諸三昧門，成就無邊大神通力；逆順次第，入諸三昧，於一三昧門入無邊三昧門，悉知一切三昧境界，與一切三昧三摩鉢底智印不相違背，能速入於一切智地，是則能淨禪波羅蜜。」
"The bodhisattva, having taught the Dharma to living beings in this way, then cultivates and practices it themselves, increasing its true benefit, never once letting go of the perfections, fully adorning the path of the perfections. At that time, the bodhisattva, wishing to fulfill living beings' own hearts, gives up everything, both internal and external, entirely, clinging to none of it — this is how they are able to purify the perfection of giving. Fully upholding every precept while clinging to none of it, forever leaving behind pride and self-conceit — this is how they are able to purify the perfection of moral discipline. Being entirely able to bear and endure every kind of evil, their mind equal toward every living being, unshaken and unmoved, just as the great earth is able to bear everything — this is how they are able to purify the perfection of patience. Universally undertaking every kind of endeavor, forever cultivating without slackening, whatever they do never turning back, their courageous strength impossible for anything to subdue, neither grasping nor discarding any merit, and yet able to fulfill the very gateway of all-knowing wisdom — this is how they are able to purify the perfection of diligence. Toward the objects of the five desires they have no greed or attachment at all; every successive stage of meditative absorption they are entirely able to accomplish; forever rightly reflecting, neither abiding within it nor emerging from it, and yet able to extinguish every affliction, bringing forth immeasurable gates of samādhi, accomplishing boundless and great spiritual power; entering every samādhi in forward and reverse sequence, from a single gate of samādhi entering boundless gates of samādhi, entirely knowing the realm of every samādhi, never contradicting the wisdom-seal of every samādhi and every meditative attainment, and able to swiftly enter the very ground of all-knowing wisdom — this is how they are able to purify the perfection of meditative absorption."
Each of the ten perfections here gets the same closing formula — "this is how they are able to purify" a given perfection — turning what could be an abstract list into something closer to a working definition: not what the perfection is in the abstract, but what specific quality of mind actually purifies its practice. Patience is defined by the great earth's capacity to bear everything; diligence, by neither grasping nor discarding any merit already gained. The remaining five perfections — wisdom, skillful means, vow, power, and knowledge — continue in the next Part.
Part 108 Complete
This closes Part 108. Chapter 18 continues in Part 109 with the purification of wisdom, skillful means, vow, power, and knowledge.