The Second Ground Complete

Sūtra: These sentient beings are shut up within the prison-house of the world, beset by manifold afflictions and suffering, tormented by false thought, bound by the fetters of love and hate, ever accompanied by grief and sorrow, fettered by the chain of love, covered by the dense thicket of ignorance within the triple world. I must cause these sentient beings to depart from every attachment to the triple world, and cause them to abide in the unobstructed nirvāṇa free of characteristics.

Commentary: With respect to the difference among the realms of sentient beings for those who seek the holy life, there is the fault of being shut up in a prison-house — as the sūtra says, "these sentient beings are shut up within the prison-house of the world." This fault of the prison-house is accompanied, it should be understood, by five kinds of affliction that follow it everywhere: first, the matter of suffering; second, the exhaustion of wealth; third, separation from what one loves; fourth, bondage; and fifth, obstruction. This shows a difference among five kinds of difficulty. First, the difficulty of having no health — the manifold suffering of illness, false thought, and sorrow — as the sūtra says, "beset by manifold afflictions and suffering, tormented by false thought." Second, the difficulty of the necessities of life, bound by hatred and love amid what is loved and what is not loved — as the sūtra says, "bound by the fetters of love and hate." Third, the difficulty of kinship, grief and sorrow increasing as those dear to one are separated and destroyed — as the sūtra says, "ever accompanied by grief and sorrow." Fourth, the difficulty of moral discipline: though born within the realm of form or the formless realm, one is only temporarily free of transgressing the precepts, and cannot escape the affliction-fetter of craving that runs contrary to the conduct of moral discipline — as the sūtra says, "fettered by the chain of love." Fifth, the difficulty of views: attaining worldly wisdom, one remains covered over by the contrary affliction-fetter of ignorance — as the sūtra says, "covered by the dense thicket of ignorance within the triple world." Toward these sentient beings, in accordance with the antidote, by means of the dharma of suchness he causes them to abide in the unobstructed nirvāṇa free of characteristics — as the sūtra says, "I must cause these sentient beings to depart from every attachment to the triple world, and cause them to abide in the unobstructed nirvāṇa free of characteristics." What is the wrong view of the various non-Buddhist paths?

Sūtra: These sentient beings, deeply attached to the mark of self, are unable to leave the lair of the five aggregates of their own accord; they practice the four inversions, and dwell within the empty village of the six sense-fields; they are constantly afflicted and tormented by the four great elements as though by venomous serpents, and are slain by the five-aggregate thieves, undergoing every manner of boundless suffering and affliction as a result. I must cause these sentient beings to depart from every obstruction, and cause them to abide in the path of the wisdom of emptiness and no-self, namely nirvāṇa, which extinguishes every obstruction.

Commentary: "The various non-Buddhist seekers of a wrongful holy life" have the fault of grasping at the mark of self, which is the root of every other view — as the sūtra says, "these sentient beings are deeply attached to the mark of self." These sentient beings wish to advance toward the city of nirvāṇa, but, because they hold to a self, they are unable to bestir themselves to leave the dwelling of the five aggregates — as the sūtra says, "unable to leave the lair of the five aggregates of their own accord." Wishing to practice the correct path, because of their inverted thinking they instead practice a wrongful path — as the sūtra says, "they practice the four inversions." Relying on and clinging to the notion of self, wishing to advance toward nirvāṇa, their false view of self dwells within the six sense-fields — as the sūtra says, "dwell within the empty village of the six sense-fields." Undergoing every suffering of old age, sickness, and death, they wish to depart from it but are unable to, for it constantly follows their own person — as the sūtra says, "constantly afflicted and tormented by the four great elements as though by venomous serpents." The aggregate-thieves pursue them without ever releasing them — as the sūtra says, "slain by the five-aggregate thieves." They are constantly pursued by every manner of suffering — as the sūtra says, "undergoing every manner of boundless suffering and affliction as a result." Toward these sentient beings, in accordance with the antidote, by means of the dharma of suchness he causes them to depart from every obstruction and abide in nirvāṇa — as the sūtra says, "I must cause these sentient beings to depart from every obstruction, and cause them to abide in the path of the wisdom of emptiness and no-self, namely nirvāṇa, which extinguishes every obstruction." What is the correct holy life? Those who share the same Dharma, yet incline toward the Lesser Vehicle, and the rest.

Sūtra: These sentient beings, their minds small and narrow, do not seek the Great Vehicle; their minds are far removed from the unsurpassed wisdom of omniscience; though they equally possess the path of going forth, they delight instead in the vehicle of the Śrāvaka or the Pratyekabuddha. I must cause these sentient beings to abide securely in the sublime, unsurpassed Buddha-dharma, its profound and vast great meaning. Sons of the Buddha! A bodhisattva, by thus according with the power of upholding moral discipline, is well able to broadly give rise to expedient practice.

Commentary: Those who practice the correct holy life yet seek the Lesser Vehicle have this fault. This intention toward the Lesser Vehicle is of two kinds: first, a small mind, since the Buddha-dharma is sublime, vast, and boundless, yet their mind retreats and shrinks back, unable to realize it; second, a narrow mind, since they are slothful in bringing benefit to boundless sentient beings — as the sūtra says, "these sentient beings, their minds small and narrow, do not seek the dharma of the Great Vehicle." There is, further, the fault of their vow and aspiration relying on the Lesser Vehicle, since they vow for the Lesser Vehicle — as the sūtra says, "their minds are far removed from the unsurpassed wisdom of omniscience." There is the fault in their practice: sentient beings of indeterminate lineage, who in truth possess the dharma of going forth by the Great Vehicle, instead practice the Lesser Vehicle — as the sūtra says, "though they equally possess the path of going forth, they delight instead in the vehicle of the Śrāvaka or the Pratyekabuddha." Toward these sentient beings, in accordance with the antidote, by means of the dharma of suchness he causes them to abide in the vast mind of the sublime, unsurpassed Buddha-dharma — as the sūtra says, "I must cause these sentient beings to abide securely in the sublime, unsurpassed Buddha-dharma, its profound and vast great meaning." In dependence on the practice of upholding moral discipline, he attains this power of moral discipline, able to perform wholesome deeds, skillfully giving rise to every wholesome practice — as the sūtra says, "Sons of the Buddha! A bodhisattva, by thus according with the power of upholding moral discipline, is well able to broadly give rise to expedient practice."

Sūtra: Sons of the Buddha! This bodhisattva, having dwelt in this bodhisattva's Ground Free of Defilement, sees many buddhas. Through great spiritual power and the power of his great vows, he sees hundreds of buddhas, thousands of buddhas, hundreds of thousands of buddhas, hundreds of thousands of niyutas of buddhas, koṭis of buddhas, hundreds of koṭis of buddhas, thousands of koṭis of buddhas, hundreds of thousands of koṭis of buddhas, and hundreds of thousands of koṭis of niyutas of buddhas — through great spiritual power and the power of his great vows. When this bodhisattva sees these buddhas, with a supreme, deep mind he makes offerings to them, reveres, honors, and praises them, presenting robes, food and drink, bedding, medicine, and every requisite entirely as offerings. And, with the supreme and sublime objects of delight belonging to the bodhisattvas, he makes offerings to the entire monastic assembly, dedicating this root of goodness, wishing for unsurpassed, perfect, complete enlightenment. Toward the buddhas he gives rise to a supreme mind of reverence, and further receives the ten wholesome dharmas. Having received these wholesome dharmas, all the way until he attains unsurpassed, perfect, complete enlightenment, he never loses them. This bodhisattva, throughout boundless eons, boundless hundreds of eons, boundless thousands of eons, boundless hundreds of thousands of eons, boundless koṭis of eons, boundless hundreds of koṭis of eons, boundless thousands of koṭis of eons, boundless hundreds of thousands of koṭis of eons, and boundless hundreds of thousands of koṭis of niyutas of eons, departs from the taint of stinginess, envy, and broken moral discipline, cultivating and practicing giving and moral discipline until they are pure. Sons of the Buddha! It is like refined, true gold that, once placed within alum-water and boiled, departs from every impurity and becomes ever more radiant and pure. Sons of the Buddha! A bodhisattva dwelling in this Ground Free of Defilement is just the same: throughout boundless eons, all the way to boundless hundreds of thousands of koṭis of niyutas of eons, he departs from the taint of stinginess, envy, and broken moral discipline, accomplishing giving and moral discipline until they are pure. At that time, among the four means of attraction, this bodhisattva's kind speech now predominates; and, among the ten perfections, the perfection of moral discipline now excels — the other perfections he does not fail to cultivate and gather, but in accordance with his own strength and portion. Sons of the Buddha! This is what is briefly called a bodhisattva-mahāsattva's Second Ground, the bodhisattva's Ground Free of Defilement.

A bodhisattva dwelling in this ground often becomes a Wheel-Turning King, attaining mastery of the Dharma, complete with the seven treasures, possessing the power of self-mastery to remove every sentient being's taint of broken moral discipline and the rest, and, through skillful means, causing sentient beings to practice the ten wholesome courses of action. The wholesome deeds he performs — giving, kind speech, beneficial action, and cooperative work — every one of these merits is never apart from mindfulness of the buddhas, mindfulness of the Dharma, mindfulness of the monastic assembly, mindfulness of every bodhisattva, mindfulness of the bodhisattva's own practice, mindfulness of every perfection, mindfulness of the ten grounds, mindfulness of unbreakable power, mindfulness of fearlessness, mindfulness of the unshared buddha-dharmas, all the way to never apart from mindfulness of being complete in the wisdom of all modes, the wisdom of omniscience.

He constantly gives rise to this thought: among all sentient beings, I shall be foremost, I shall be supreme, I shall be great, I shall be sublime, I shall be exceedingly sublime, I shall be highest, I shall be unsurpassed, I shall be a guide, I shall be a leader, I shall be a teacher, I shall be one held in honor, all the way to being the very support of the wisdom of omniscience. Sons of the Buddha! Should this bodhisattva-mahāsattva then wish to leave home and diligently exert himself, within the buddha-dharma he is thereupon able to leave home, his wife and children, and the five desires behind. Having gone forth into homelessness, diligently exerting himself, within a single thought-moment he attains a thousand samādhis, is able to see a thousand buddhas, comes to know the spiritual power of a thousand buddhas, is able to shake a thousand buddha-worlds, is able to enter a thousand buddha-worlds, is able to illumine a thousand buddha-worlds, is able to teach and transform the sentient beings of a thousand buddha-worlds, is able to dwell in life for a thousand eons, is able to know the affairs of a thousand eons each in the past and the future, is able to enter skillfully into a thousand Dharma-gates, and is able to transform his own body into a thousand bodies, manifesting, within each and every one of those thousand bodies, a thousand bodhisattvas as its own retinue.

Should he, through the power of vow, be self-mastering and supreme, a bodhisattva's power of vow manifests beyond even this number, manifesting all manner of spiritual power — whether of body, or of radiance, or of spiritual power itself, or of the eye, or of the object-realm, or of voice, or of activity, or of adornment, or of empowerment, or of faith, or of karmic function — every one of these spiritual powers, throughout boundless hundreds of thousands of myriad koṭis of niyutas of eons, beyond all counting or knowing.

Commentary: Here, the excellence of the fruit and benefit, comparatively measured, is just as explained for the First Ground; this ground is likewise so — where the two share the same matter, it is the same, and where one is absent, this should be understood accordingly. The excellence here lies in this: throughout boundless eons, departing from the taint of stinginess, envy, and broken moral discipline, he accomplishes giving and moral discipline until they are pure, and every such matter excels — for in the First Ground, moral discipline was not yet pure, and so giving, too, was not yet pure. If this is so, why then does the First Ground say that the perfection of giving excels, the rest not being its equal? It is because that very perfection of giving, and the rest, become more supremely pure within this ground. Because he departs from the taint of stinginess, envy, and broken moral discipline, this ground is therefore explained by the name Free of Defilement. In the First Ground, the gold was only refined by fire, removing outer taints such as greed — and so it was said that the refined gold became pure. Now, within this ground, it is further placed within alum-water and boiled, removing the taint obscuring the gold's own substance — since its own nature becomes genuinely pure, this is said to be the meaning of the purity of the nature of moral discipline.