The Ten Inexhaustible Clauses, and Why Great Compassion Arises

Sūtra: Through ten inexhaustible clauses, these great vows are accomplished. What are the ten? First, the exhaustion of the realm of sentient beings; second, the exhaustion of the realm of world-systems; third, the exhaustion of the realm of space; fourth, the exhaustion of the dharma-realm; fifth, the exhaustion of the realm of nirvāṇa; sixth, the exhaustion of the realm of buddhas appearing in the world; seventh, the exhaustion of the realm of the tathāgatas' wisdom; eighth, the exhaustion of the realm of what the mind takes as its object; ninth, the exhaustion of the realm entered by the buddhas' own wisdom; and tenth, the exhaustion of the realm of the world's turning, the turning of the Dharma, and the turning of wisdom. Should the realm of sentient beings ever be exhausted, only then would my vow itself be exhausted. Should the realm of world-systems, the realm of space, the dharma-realm, the realm of nirvāṇa, the realm of buddhas appearing in the world, the realm of the buddhas' wisdom, the realm of what the mind takes as its object, the realm entered by the buddhas' own wisdom, or the realm of the world's turning, the turning of the Dharma, and the turning of wisdom ever be exhausted — should any of those realms be exhausted, only then would my vow itself be exhausted. But since the realm of sentient beings can never be exhausted, this root of goodness of mine can likewise never be exhausted. Since the realm of world-systems, the realm of space, the dharma-realm, the realm of nirvāṇa, the realm of buddhas appearing in the world, the realm of the tathāgatas' wisdom, the realm of what the mind takes as its object, the realm entered by the buddhas' own wisdom, and the realm of the world's turning, the turning of the Dharma, and the turning of wisdom can never be exhausted, this root of goodness of my every vow can likewise never be exhausted.

Commentary: Here, the exhaustion of the realm of sentient beings is the universal aspect, and the exhaustion of the realm of world-systems through the exhaustion of the realm of the turning of wisdom are the particular aspects. What is the realm of sentient beings? It is the exhaustion of the realm of sentient beings. Where do they dwell? It is the exhaustion of the realm of world-systems. Whatever realm of space there may be — it is the exhaustion of the realm of space. What dharma is taught to transform them? It is the exhaustion of the dharma-realm. Wherever the transformed sentient beings are placed — it is the exhaustion of the realm of nirvāṇa, the exhaustion of the realm of buddhas appearing in the world. By what skillful means? It is the exhaustion of the realm of the tathāgatas' wisdom, and further, in accordance with whatever the mind takes as its object, the exhaustion of the realm of what the mind takes as its object. And further, in accordance with which realm? It is the exhaustion of the realm entered by the buddhas' own wisdom. Having now explained this matter of "exhaustion," it makes manifest that this is an unbroken exhaustion, not an exhaustion moment by moment. These nine kinds of exhaustion, briefly stated, are three kinds of turning, making manifest the increasing power of these ten inexhaustible clauses — and it is through this power that the buddhas constantly bring benefit to sentient beings. This concludes the explanation of the excellence of vow. What is the excellence of practice?

Sūtra: Sons of the Buddha! Once a bodhisattva has resolutely aroused these great vows, he attains a tamed mind and a gentle mind, and thereby becomes one of faith. He has faith in the buddhas' and tathāgatas' own original practice and entry, gathering the perfections and thereby increasing them, well accomplishing every ground, complete in fearlessness, power, and the unshared buddha-dharmas, unbreakable, the inconceivable buddha-dharma, arising from the tathāgatas' own domain, without center and without limit, entering the tathāgatas' own domain through boundless gateways of practice, and thus his faith accomplishes its fruit. In brief: he has faith in every bodhisattva's practice, all the way to attaining the tathāgatas' ground of wisdom — which is spoken of as an empowerment.

Commentary: "Once he has aroused these great vows, he attains a tamed mind" means that, among his roots of goodness, he attains supreme self-mastery. "A gentle mind" means he attains a supreme, joyful practice. "Thereby becomes one of faith" — here, "entry into the original practice" means entering from a bodhisattva's practice all the way to accomplishing the awakening of enlightenment. Within this, having faith in the entry into the original practice encompassed by a bodhisattva's practice has two aspects: first, what is a bodhisattva's practice; and second, in what sequence is it accomplished — as the sūtra says, "gathering the perfections and thereby increasing them," and "well accomplishing every ground." This entry into the original practice encompassed by enlightenment has six kinds of superiority, and this is why the faith in it is superior. First, superiority in counteracting the outsiders, Māra's hosts, and the śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas — as the sūtra says, "complete in fearlessness, power, and the unshared buddha-dharmas, unbreakable." Second, the supreme superiority of inconceivable spiritual power — as the sūtra says, "the inconceivable buddha-dharma." Third, superiority in being free of mixed defilement — as the sūtra says, "arising from the tathāgatas' own domain, without center and without limit." Fourth, the superiority of the wisdom of all modes — as the sūtra says, "entering the tathāgatas' own domain through boundless gateways of practice." Fifth, the superiority of freedom — every habituated tendency of affliction being forever left behind — as the sūtra says, "his faith accomplishes its fruit." Further, this briefly summarizes and makes manifest that bodhisattva's entry into the original practice — as the sūtra says, "in brief: he has faith in every bodhisattva's practice, all the way to attaining the tathāgatas' ground of wisdom, which is spoken of as an empowerment." "Spoken of" means what is taught; "empowerment" means what is realized. This bodhisattva has three contemplations, giving rise to great loving-kindness and compassion toward every sentient being: first, that they are far removed from the supreme bliss of ultimate meaning; second, that they are utterly filled with every suffering; and third, that they are caught within these two errors. What is meant by being far removed from the supreme bliss of ultimate meaning?

Sūtra: Sons of the Buddha! That bodhisattva reflects thus: the true Dharma of every buddha is thus profound, thus still, thus quiescent, thus empty, thus signless, thus free of aspiration, thus undefiled, thus boundless, thus supreme — this Dharma of every buddha is thus hard to attain.

Commentary: "The true Dharma of every buddha is thus profound" is of nine kinds: the profundity of stillness; the profundity of quiescence; the profundity of emptiness; the profundity of signlessness; the profundity of freedom from aspiration; the profundity of being undefiled; the profundity of boundlessness; the profundity of supremacy; and the profundity of being hard to attain. "Stillness" means being free of the false conception of real existence, since false conception grasps directly at it as real. "Quiescence" means the meaning of the Dharma is settled. "Emptiness," "signlessness," and "freedom from aspiration" mean the contemplation of the three gates of liberation that counteract the three hindrances. What are the three hindrances? Discrimination, marks, and grasping — these three gates are their respective antidotes, since the third involves relinquishing aspiration. "Undefiled" means the contemplation of being free of mixed, defiling dharmas. "Boundless" means the contemplation of a root of goodness that cannot be counted or measured. "Supreme" means the contemplation of the supreme wisdom that rests on both self-benefit and benefiting others. "Hard to attain" means the contemplation of the wisdom realized only after three incalculable eons. What is meant by being utterly filled with every suffering?

Sūtra: Yet ordinary people's minds fall into wrong views, their discriminating consciousness obscured by the darkness of ignorance and delusion, constantly raising the banner of conceit, sunk within the net of craving desire, following the forest of flattery and deceit, ever harboring envy that becomes the very cause of their next rebirth. Gathering greed, hatred, and delusion in abundance, they give rise to all manner of karmic action; the fierce wind of resentment fans the flame of their sinful mind, ever keeping it ablaze; whatever deeds they undertake all accord with inverted views; and, following the outflows of desire, of existence, and of ignorance, they continuously give rise to the very seeds of mind, thought, and consciousness.

Commentary: "Yet ordinary people's minds fall into wrong views" — wrong views are of nine kinds. First, the wrong view of an obscured mind — as the sūtra says, "their discriminating consciousness obscured by the darkness of ignorance and delusion." Second, the wrong view of conceit — as the sūtra says, "constantly raising the banner of conceit." Third, the wrong view of craving — as the sūtra says, "sunk within the net of craving desire." Fourth, the wrong view of a flattering, deceitful mind — as the sūtra says, "following the forest of flattery and deceit." Fifth, the wrong view of envious conduct — as the sūtra says, "ever harboring envy that becomes the very cause of their next rebirth." Sixth, the wrong view of gathering karma — as the sūtra says, "gathering greed, hatred, and delusion in abundance, they give rise to all manner of karmic action." Seventh, the wrong view of a fanned, blazing mind — as the sūtra says, "the fierce wind of resentment fans the flame of their sinful mind, ever keeping it ablaze." Eighth, the wrong view of initiating karma — as the sūtra says, "whatever deeds they undertake all accord with inverted views." Ninth, the wrong view of the seeds of mind, thought, and consciousness — as the sūtra says, "following the outflows of desire, of existence, and of ignorance, they continuously give rise to the very seeds of mind, thought, and consciousness."

Here, the wrong view of an obscured mind, the wrong view of conceit, and the wrong view of craving — these three wrong views proceed in this order through false conception based on the meaning of the Dharma. The wrong view of a flattering, deceitful mind and the wrong view of envious conduct — these two wrong views concern faults of mental conduct at the time of seeking something. Envy gives rise to wrongful conduct toward one's own person; jealousy concerns wealth and possessions — and this is why, in life after life, one falls into a lowly and base condition, one's form and appearance repugnant, one's means of livelihood insufficient. The sixth, the wrong view of gathering karma, concerns hating and desiring the two inverted object-realms at the time of experiencing any feeling. The seventh, the wrong view of a fanned, blazing mind, concerns dwelling again and again on resentment, wishing to initiate retaliatory, evil karma. The eighth, the wrong view of initiating karma, concerns injuring one another in turn at the time of committing evil. The ninth, the wrong view of the seeds of mind, thought, and consciousness, concerns the fact that, even at the time of performing wholesome karma — giving, upholding precepts, cultivating roots of goodness, and the like — all such karma is still tainted with outflow.

Sūtra: Within the ground of the three realms, a sprout further arises, namely name-and-form arising together, never apart from one another; once this name-and-form has grown, it becomes the cluster of the six sense-bases; once the six sense-bases have formed, contact arises from the meeting of the inner and outer; from the condition of contact, feeling arises; from delighting deeply in feeling, craving arises; from the increase of craving, grasping arises; from the increase of grasping, further existence arises again; from the condition of existence, there is birth, old age, death, sorrow, grief, suffering, and affliction — and thus sentient beings give rise to and increase this very cluster of suffering. Within this, all is empty, free of a self and of what belongs to a self, without knowing and without awareness, like grass, trees, stone, or a wall, and also like an echo; and yet sentient beings, unknowing and unaware, undergo suffering and affliction because of it.

Commentary: Within this, causes and conditions are of three kinds: first, their own mark, from "a sprout further arises" all the way to "existence"; second, the shared mark, namely the faults of birth, old age, sickness, and death; and third, the mark of inversion, being free of a self and of what belongs to a self, and the rest. Their own mark is of three kinds. First, the mark of retribution: name-and-form arising together with the ālayavijñāna — as the sūtra says, "within the ground of the three realms, a sprout further arises, namely name-and-form arising together." "Name-and-form arising together" means that name and form arise together with that consciousness. Second, the mark of their cause: this name-and-form is never apart from that consciousness, arising together in dependence on it — as the sūtra says, "never apart from one another." Third, the mark of the sequence of their fruit: from the six sense-bases all the way to existence — as the sūtra says, "once this name-and-form has grown, it becomes the cluster of the six sense-bases; once the six sense-bases have formed, contact arises from the meeting of the inner and outer; from the condition of contact, feeling arises; from delighting deeply in feeling, craving arises; from the increase of craving, grasping arises; from the increase of grasping, further existence arises again; from the condition of existence, there is birth, old age, death, sorrow, grief, suffering, and affliction — and thus sentient beings give rise to and increase this very cluster of suffering." Within this, "free of a self and of what belongs to a self" — these two make manifest emptiness. "Without knowing and without awareness" means that its own essence is without a self. That it is without knowing and without awareness shows that this is not a matter belonging to sentient beings' own moving or unmoving activity. As the sūtra says, "like grass, trees, stone, or a wall, and also like an echo," since it is a dharma resembling and analogous to causes and conditions themselves. What is meant by being caught within these two errors? As the sūtra says, "and yet sentient beings, unknowing and unaware, undergo suffering and affliction because of it."

Sūtra: Seeing sentient beings in this way, never apart from this cluster of suffering, the bodhisattva thereupon gives rise to the wisdom of great compassion; and, reflecting that he himself should teach and transform these very sentient beings, causing them to abide in the ultimate bliss of nirvāṇa, he thereupon gives rise to the wisdom of great loving-kindness.

Commentary: What is meant by being utterly filled with the cluster of suffering, and by being far removed from the supreme bliss of ultimate meaning — this has already been explained above, making manifest great compassion and loving-kindness respectively.