Resting on Disenchantment
The Blazing Ground works through the whole of the classical training — right efforts, bases of spiritual power, faculties, powers, factors of awakening, and the eightfold path — and gives each of them the same four-part refrain. Then, at the end, it says why a bodhisattva is doing any of this, and the ten reasons are not the ones the training itself would suggest.
Effort, Power, Faculty, Strength
The four right efforts are given in full, and from the bases of spiritual power onward a refrain takes over — the same four clauses appended to every single item, without abbreviation, thirty times over.
復次，此菩薩未生諸惡不善法為不生故，欲生勤精進發心正斷；已生諸惡不善法為斷故，欲生勤精進發心正斷；未生諸善法為生故，欲生勤精進發心正行；已生諸善法為住不失故，修令增廣故，欲生勤精進發心正行。
Furthermore, so that evil and unwholesome dharmas not yet arisen may not arise, this bodhisattva gives rise to zeal, rouses diligent effort, and sets the mind upon right cutting-off; so that evil and unwholesome dharmas already arisen may be cut off, they give rise to zeal, rouse diligent effort, and set the mind upon right cutting-off; so that wholesome dharmas not yet arisen may arise, they give rise to zeal, rouse diligent effort, and set the mind upon right practice; and so that wholesome dharmas already arisen may abide and not be lost, and may be cultivated to increase and grow broad, they give rise to zeal, rouse diligent effort, and set the mind upon right practice.
復次，此菩薩修行欲定斷行，成就神足，依止厭，依止離，依止滅，迴向於捨；修行精進定、心定、觀定斷行，成就神足，依止厭，依止離，依止滅，迴向於捨。
Furthermore, this bodhisattva cultivates the concentration of zeal together with the activity of cutting off, and accomplishes a base of spiritual power — resting upon disenchantment, resting upon dispassion, resting upon cessation, and turning toward relinquishment; and they cultivate the concentration of effort, the concentration of mind, and the concentration of investigation together with the activity of cutting off, and accomplish bases of spiritual power — resting upon disenchantment, resting upon dispassion, resting upon cessation, and turning toward relinquishment.
復次，此菩薩修行信根，依止厭，依止離，依止滅，迴向於捨；修行精進根、念根、定根、慧根，依止厭，依止離，依止滅，迴向於捨。復次，此菩薩修行信力，依止厭，依止離，依止滅，迴向於捨；修行精進力、念力、定力、慧力，依止厭，依止離，依止滅，迴向於捨。
Furthermore, this bodhisattva cultivates the faculty of faith — resting upon disenchantment, resting upon dispassion, resting upon cessation, and turning toward relinquishment; and they cultivate the faculties of effort, of mindfulness, of concentration, and of wisdom — resting upon disenchantment, resting upon dispassion, resting upon cessation, and turning toward relinquishment. Furthermore, this bodhisattva cultivates the power of faith — resting upon disenchantment, resting upon dispassion, resting upon cessation, and turning toward relinquishment; and they cultivate the powers of effort, of mindfulness, of concentration, and of wisdom — resting upon disenchantment, resting upon dispassion, resting upon cessation, and turning toward relinquishment.
依止厭，依止離，依止滅，迴向於捨 — resting upon disenchantment, upon dispassion, upon cessation, and turning toward relinquishment. The refrain is not decoration and the sūtra never once abbreviates it, which in a text this fond of 乃至 is a decision. Every capacity being developed here is being given the same footing, and the footing is three kinds of turning-away plus a direction.
Note that faculties and powers repeat the identical five terms — faith, effort, mindfulness, concentration, wisdom — with only the word for what they are changing. The tradition's own distinction is that a faculty is a capacity one has and a power is that capacity become unshakable. The sūtra marks the difference by saying the same thing twice, which is exactly what strengthening consists of.
The Path, and Why
The seven factors of awakening and the eightfold path complete the classical set. Then the sūtra stops and asks, in effect, what all of this is in aid of — and the answer relocates the whole apparatus.
復次，此菩薩修行念覺分，依止厭，依止離，依止滅，迴向於捨；修行擇法覺分、精進覺分、喜覺分、猗覺分、定覺分、捨覺分，依止厭，依止離，依止滅，迴向於捨。復次，此菩薩修行正見，依止厭，依止離，依止滅，迴向於捨；修行正思惟、正語、正業、正命、正精進、正念、正定，依止厭，依止離，依止滅，迴向於捨。
Furthermore, this bodhisattva cultivates the awakening-factor of mindfulness — resting upon disenchantment, resting upon dispassion, resting upon cessation, and turning toward relinquishment; and they cultivate the awakening-factors of the investigation of dharmas, of effort, of joy, of tranquility, of concentration, and of equanimity — resting upon disenchantment, resting upon dispassion, resting upon cessation, and turning toward relinquishment. Furthermore, this bodhisattva cultivates right view — resting upon disenchantment, resting upon dispassion, resting upon cessation, and turning toward relinquishment; and they cultivate right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration — resting upon disenchantment, resting upon dispassion, resting upon cessation, and turning toward relinquishment.
菩薩修行如是功德，為不捨一切眾生故，本願所持故，大悲為首故，大慈成就故，思念一切智智故，成就莊嚴佛土故，成就如來力、無所畏、不共佛法、相好音聲悉具足故，求於上上殊勝道故，隨順所聞甚深佛解脫故，思惟大智善巧方便故。
The bodhisattva cultivates such merits as these: because they do not abandon any sentient being; because they are upheld by their original vows; because great compassion is at the head; because great loving-kindness is accomplished; because they hold all-knowing wisdom itself in mind; because they accomplish the adorning of buddha-lands; because they accomplish the Tathāgata's powers, fearlessnesses, and unshared buddha-dharmas, and the full possession of the marks, the excellent features, and the voice; because they seek the ever higher and more surpassing path; because they accord with the profound liberation of a buddha as they have heard it; and because they consider great wisdom and skillful means.
The ten reasons are the passage's real work, and they should be read against the refrain they follow. Thirty-odd times the text has said disenchantment, dispassion, cessation — the vocabulary of turning away — and then it lists why: not to abandon any being, upheld by vows, great compassion at the head, great loving-kindness accomplished. The first reason given for a training built entirely on letting go is that nobody is to be let go of.
This is the chapter's characteristic move, and the fourth ground is where it becomes most visible. The practices are not modified for bodhisattva use — the four foundations of mindfulness in Part 428 and the eightfold path here are given exactly as they have always been given, refrain and all. What changes is only what they are attached to at either end. 迴向於捨, turning toward relinquishment, and 為不捨一切眾生, not abandoning any being, use the same character for two opposite objects, and the sūtra sets them a few lines apart without comment.
Part 429 Complete
This continues Arciṣmatī, the fourth of the Ten Grounds. Chapter 26 continues in Part 430 as the bodhisattva abandons what the view of the body leads with — clinging to a self, a person, a being, a life-span, to the aggregates, elements, and sense-fields — giving up whatever deeds the Tathāgata has censured and practicing whatever he has praised; after which skillful means yields ten kinds of mind, beginning again with a mind of moisture.