The Four Immeasurables, and the Mastery of Spiritual Power

Sūtra: This bodhisattva's mind of loving-kindness accords with what is vast, immeasurable, without duality, without anger or resentment, without opposition or obstruction, without affliction or harm, reaching everywhere throughout the world, foremost within the dharma-realm and the world, ultimate as the realm of space itself, pervading and covering every course of conduct in the world. So too this bodhisattva's mind of compassion, mind of sympathetic joy, and mind of equanimity all accord with what is vast, immeasurable, without duality, without anger or resentment, without opposition or obstruction, without affliction or harm, reaching everywhere throughout the world, foremost within the dharma-realm and the world, ultimate as the realm of space itself, pervading and covering every course of conduct in the world.

Commentary: The immeasurables are of three kinds: first, the mindfulness that takes sentient beings as its object; second, the mindfulness that takes dharmas as its object; third, the mindfulness that takes no object at all. The mindfulness that takes sentient beings as its object has four distinguishing aspects: first, bestowing joy; second, the antidote to obstruction; third, purity; fourth, the gathering of fruit. What is bestowing joy? Bestowing three kinds of joy: first, the joy of the desire realm; second, the joy shared with delight, as in the first and second dhyānas; third, the joy not shared with delight, since it is free of both suffering and delight. "Without duality" is likewise "vast" and "immeasurable" — as the sūtra says, "this bodhisattva's mind of loving-kindness accords with what is vast, immeasurable, without duality." What is the antidote to obstruction? Giving love to one who is unloved — this is the antidote to obstruction, as the sūtra says, "without anger or resentment, without opposition." What is purity? The correct severing of disharmony of body and mind — sleepiness and torpor, restlessness and remorse, and the other hindrances — as the sūtra says, "without obstruction." What is the gathering of fruit? Within the desire realm and the form realm, receiving both the direct fruit and the habituated fruit, there being no matter of suffering — as the sūtra says, "without affliction or harm." What is the mindfulness that takes dharmas as its object? Everywhere, in every place, the dharmas of all ordinary beings within the desire realm, the form realm, and the formless realm, of those in training and beyond training, and of sentient beings in general, together with whatever discriminating deeds sentient beings perform, are all borne in mind and known — as the sūtra says, "reaching everywhere throughout the world." The mindfulness that takes no object is of two kinds: first, the no-mindfulness of own-characteristics, contemplating dharmas as without self, foremost within the world — as the sūtra says, "foremost within the dharma-realm and the world." Second, the contemplation reaching everywhere without exhaustion — as the sūtra says, "ultimate as the realm of space itself." "Every course of conduct in the world" means universally practiced throughout every world — as the sūtra says, "pervading and covering every course of conduct in the world." As for the spiritual powers: four of them are of the nature of knowledge, and the fifth is of the nature of seeing. The first spiritual power purifies the karma of the body. The two powers of the deva-ear and of the knowledge of others' minds purify the karma of speech. The two powers of the knowledge of past lives and of the knowledge of death and rebirth purify the karma of mind. The power of the body is able to reach wherever sentient beings are. The two powers of the deva-ear and of the knowledge of others' minds are able to know the sound and meaning of the Dharma being taught — since one knows others' minds, one is able to fully understand every kind of speech and sound, relying on this same meaning yet expressed through words of every different kind, according to what is of use to sentient beings. The two powers reaching to what has gone and what is to come fully know what sentient beings, in the past and in the future, ought to receive in the way of teaching and transformation. What is the mastery of spiritual power?

Sūtra: This bodhisattva displays immeasurable spiritual power, able to shake the great earth; he transforms one body into many bodies, and many bodies back into one body; he appears and vanishes, then emerges again; walls of stone and mountain-barriers he is able to pass through entirely, as though walking through empty space; seated cross-legged, he travels through the sky just like a bird upon the wing; he enters and emerges from the earth as though it were water, no different; he walks upon water as upon solid ground; from his body he emits smoke and flame like a great mass of fire; from his body he pours forth water like a great cloud; the sun and moon, possessed of such great spiritual virtue and such great majestic power, he is able to touch and stroke with his very hand; the power of his body extends, self-mastering, all the way to the Brahmā world.

This bodhisattva, through the purity of the deva-ear realm surpassing that of ordinary people, hears fully both kinds of sound, human and divine, whether near or far, hearing even the sound of gnats, mosquitoes, and flies.

This bodhisattva, through the wisdom that knows others' minds, knows as it really is the minds and mental factors of other sentient beings: a mind possessed of craving he knows truly as a mind possessed of craving, a mind free of craving he knows truly as a mind free of craving. He knows truly a mind possessed of hatred and a mind free of hatred, a mind possessed of delusion and a mind free of delusion; he knows truly a mind possessed of defilement and a mind free of defilement, a small mind and a vast mind, a great mind and an immeasurable mind, a gathered mind and an ungathered mind, a mind abiding in concentration and a mind not abiding in concentration, a liberated mind and an unliberated mind, a seeking mind and a mind not seeking, a superior mind he knows truly as a superior mind and a mind not superior he knows truly as a mind not superior — thus, through the wisdom that knows others' minds, he knows as it really is the minds and mental factors of other sentient beings.

This bodhisattva truly recollects and knows the boundless places of his own past lives; he is able to recollect and know one life, two, three, four, five lives, all the way to ten, twenty, thirty, forty, fifty lives; he is able to recollect and know a hundred lives, recollecting and knowing boundless hundreds of lives, boundless thousands of lives, boundless hundreds of thousands of lives; he recollects and knows eons of formation, eons of dissolution, eons of formation-and-dissolution, and boundless eons of formation-and-dissolution, all the way to recollecting and knowing a hundred eons, a thousand eons, a hundred thousand eons, a koṭi of eons, a hundred koṭis of eons, a thousand koṭis of eons, a hundred thousand koṭis of eons, all the way to recollecting and knowing boundless hundreds of thousands of myriad koṭis of niyutas of eons: "I myself once dwelt in such-and-such a place, with such-and-such a name, such-and-such a clan, born in such-and-such a manner, of such-and-such an appearance, eating such-and-such food, of such-and-such a lifespan, abiding so long, and experiencing such-and-such suffering and joy. I died there and was born here; I died here and was born there." Thus every manner of characteristic belonging to past lives — their telling, their clan, their features, and the rest — he is fully able to recollect and know.

This bodhisattva, through the purity of the deva-eye realm surpassing that of ordinary people, sees sentient beings being born and dying, their bodily form fine or ugly, their conduct wholesome or unwholesome, their condition poor and lowly or wealthy and noble; whatever karma these sentient beings have created, he knows it all truly. These sentient beings, having accomplished evil karma of body, evil karma of speech, and evil karma of mind, slandering the sages and the worthy, accomplishing wrong view — because of the causes and conditions of wrong view and its karma, when the body perishes and the life ends, they must fall into an evil destiny and be born within the hells. These sentient beings, having accomplished wholesome karma of body, wholesome karma of speech, and wholesome karma of mind, not slandering the sages and the worthy, accomplishing right view — because of the causes and conditions of right view and its wholesome karma, when the body perishes and the life ends, they must be born within a wholesome destiny and among the various heavens. Thus this bodhisattva, through the purity of the deva-eye realm surpassing that of ordinary people, knowing their characteristics, clan, and name, sees sentient beings being born and dying, their bodily form fine or ugly, their conduct wholesome or unwholesome, their condition poor and lowly or wealthy and noble; according to their karma, whatever retribution these sentient beings receive, he knows it all truly.

This bodhisattva, with respect to dhyāna, liberation, samādhi, and samāpatti, is able to enter and able to emerge; yet he is not born through the power of dhyāna and liberation, but, according to what he sees as able to fulfill the factors of enlightenment, through the power of his vow, he is born within it.

Commentary: "Mastery of spiritual power" should be understood as the attainment of supreme self-mastery. This self-mastery is of three kinds: first, mastery over worlds, being able to shake the great earth of the world — as the sūtra says, "this bodhisattva displays immeasurable spiritual power, able to shake the great earth." Second, mastery over the body, being able to disperse and unite it, to conceal and reveal it — as the sūtra says, "he transforms one body into many bodies, and many bodies back into one body; he appears and vanishes, then emerges again." Third, mastery over karmic function. This karmic function is of eight kinds. First, moving crosswise without obstruction — as the sūtra says, "walls of stone and mountain-barriers he is able to pass through entirely, as though walking through empty space." Second, moving upward — as the sūtra says, "seated cross-legged, he travels through the sky just like a bird upon the wing." Third, moving both upward and downward — as the sūtra says, "he enters and emerges from the earth as though it were water, no different." Fourth, treading upon water without sinking — as the sūtra says, "he walks upon water as upon solid ground." Fifth, his body itself ablaze — as the sūtra says, "from his body he emits smoke and flame like a great mass of fire." Sixth, his body able to pour forth water — as the sūtra says, "from his body he pours forth water like a great cloud." Seventh, his body able to touch and stroke — as the sūtra says, "the sun and moon, possessed of such great spiritual virtue and such great majestic power, he is able to touch and stroke with his very hand." Eighth, self-mastery itself, extending all the way to the Brahmā world — attaining self-mastery in freely transforming both the sentient world and the receptacle world according to his will — as the sūtra says, "the power of his body extends, self-mastering, all the way to the Brahmā world."

As for the power of the deva-ear: according to what is able to be heard and what is heard, it truly and manifestly shows forth pure and attentive hearing. "Surpassing that of ordinary people" means surpassing ordinary people through hearing what is far off. As for sound: extending down all the way to the sounds of the Avīci hell, he is able to hear it all — as the sūtra says, "this bodhisattva, through the purity of the deva-ear realm, surpasses that of ordinary people." Whatever sound is made by human beings, devas, and the rest, he manifestly hears it clearly, extending even to the faint, fine sound of gnats, mosquitoes, and flies, which he is likewise able to hear — as the sūtra says, "he hears fully both kinds of sound, human and divine, whether near or far, hearing even the sound of gnats, mosquitoes, and flies."

As for the power of knowing others' minds: the differences among others' minds are of eight kinds: first, that which accords with affliction; second, the latent tendency; third, the mind as born into a given realm; fourth, the practice of training in samādhi; fifth, the attainment of samādhi; sixth, the attainment of liberation; seventh, false conduct and correct conduct; eighth, the remaining ordinary person's overweening conceit. "That which accords with affliction" means being conjoined with craving, hatred, and the rest — as the sūtra says, "this bodhisattva, through the wisdom that knows others' minds, knows as it really is the minds and mental factors of other sentient beings: a mind possessed of craving he knows truly as a mind possessed of craving," all the way to "a mind free of delusion." "The latent tendency" means having affliction and being free of affliction, and the rest — as the sūtra says, "he knows truly a mind possessed of defilement and a mind free of defilement." "The mind as born" means small within the human realm, vast within the heavens of desire, great within the heavens of form, and immeasurable within the two liberations of the formless realm — as the sūtra says, "a small mind and a vast mind, a great mind and an immeasurable mind." "The practice of training in samādhi" means a scattered mind and an unscattered mind — as the sūtra says, "a gathered mind and an ungathered mind." "The attainment of samādhi" means the time of entering concentration and the time of not entering concentration, and the time of abiding in concentration and rising from it — as the sūtra says, "a mind abiding in concentration and a mind not abiding in concentration." "The attainment of liberation" means having bondage and being without bondage — as the sūtra says, "a liberated mind and an unliberated mind." "False conduct and correct conduct" means, with regard to fame and renown, giving rise manifestly to longing, whether in accordance with it or not — as the sūtra says, "a seeking mind and a mind not seeking." "The remaining ordinary person's overweening conceit" means the coarse and the fine habituated conduct — as the sūtra says, "a superior mind he knows truly as a superior mind and a mind not superior he knows truly as a mind not superior."

As for the power of the wisdom of past lives: who is able to recollect? It is wisdom that is able to recollect — as the sūtra says, "this bodhisattva truly recollects and knows the boundless places of his own past lives." What matters does he recollect? As the sūtra says, "he is able to recollect and know one life," all the way to "recollecting and knowing boundless hundreds of thousands of myriad koṭis of niyutas of eons." How does he recollect? Through the difference in name — as the sūtra says, "I myself once dwelt in such-and-such a place, with such-and-such a name." The difference in family — as the sūtra says, "such-and-such a clan." The difference in noble or lowly station — as the sūtra says, "born in such-and-such a manner." The difference in fine or ugly appearance — as the sūtra says, "of such-and-such an appearance." The difference in food provided — as the sūtra says, "eating such-and-such food." The difference in the conduct of karma — as the sūtra says, "of such-and-such a lifespan, abiding so long." The difference of decline and gain, formation and dissolution — as the sūtra says, "experiencing such-and-such suffering and joy — I died there and was born here; I died here and was born there." Here, the difference in family means the difference of father and mother. The difference in noble or lowly station means the difference between kṣatriya, brāhmaṇa, and the rest. The difference in the conduct of karma means the difference of lifespan — dying at the proper time or dying before the proper time. Here, "every manner of characteristic" means the difference of every characteristic — as the sūtra says, "every manner of characteristic." "Telling" means naming — as the sūtra says, "telling." "Clan characteristics" means family and clan and the rest — as the sūtra says, "their telling, their clan, their features, and the rest, he is fully able to recollect and know." There is, further, another interpretation: "is able to recollect and know one life, two lives," and so on — this is called "characteristics." "Telling" means the name and the rest. "Features" means "I died there and was born here," and so on — all of which he is fully able to recollect and know.

As for the power of the wisdom of death and rebirth: who is able to see? It is through the deva-eye that one sees. "Pure" means seeing with certainty. "Surpassing that of ordinary people" means seeing what is far off — as the sūtra says, "this bodhisattva, through the purity of the deva-eye realm, surpasses that of ordinary people." What matters does he see? Namely, the birth and death of sentient beings, and the rest — as the sūtra says, "he sees sentient beings being born and dying," all the way to "whatever karma these sentient beings have created, he knows it all truly." How does he see? As the sūtra says, "these sentient beings, having accomplished evil karma of body," all the way to "according to their karma, whatever retribution these sentient beings receive, he knows it all truly." The rest is as explained within the preceding two grounds; the retribution of wholesome and unwholesome karma should likewise be understood here just as there.

Here, "dhyāna" refers to the four dhyānas; "liberation" refers to the four formless concentrations; "samādhi" refers to the four immeasurables; "samāpatti" refers to the five spiritual powers. "Able to enter and able to emerge" means that, at the very moment the mind arises, its function manifests immediately before him, in accordance with the mind. "Yet he is not born through the power of dhyāna and liberation" means that this manifests the accomplishment of that mind of deep and heartfelt mindfulness, sincere and full. "According to what he sees as able to fulfill the factors of enlightenment" means being born together, in one and the same place, with the buddhas and the great bodhisattvas — as the sūtra says, "this bodhisattva, with respect to dhyāna, liberation," all the way to "through the power of his vow, he is born within it."