Why the Seventh Ground Alone Is Called Excellent

Sūtra: At that time, the bodhisattva Vimuktacandra asked the bodhisattva Vajragarbha, saying: Son of the Buddha! Does a bodhisattva perfect every dharma that assists enlightenment only within the Seventh Ground, the bodhisattva ground — or does he perfect it, just the same, within all of the bodhisattva's ten grounds? The bodhisattva Vajragarbha said: Son of the Buddha! A bodhisattva, within all ten of the bodhisattva grounds, perfects every one of these dharmas that assist enlightenment without exception; it is only that the Seventh Ground is called by this name because it excels. Why is this so? Son of the Buddha! Because this bodhisattva, within this bodhisattva ground, perfects the practice of skillful means, and thereby attains entry into the practice of wisdom and spiritual power. Son of the Buddha! Within the First Ground, a bodhisattva perfects the dharmas that assist enlightenment because he sets forth his vow and contemplates every buddha-dharma. Within the Second Ground, he perfects the dharmas that assist enlightenment because he removes the defiling taint from his mind. Within the Third Ground, he perfects the dharmas that assist enlightenment because his vow turns ever more increasing and he attains the light of the Dharma. Within the Fourth Ground, he perfects the dharmas that assist enlightenment because he enters the path. Within the Fifth Ground, he perfects the dharmas that assist enlightenment because he practices in accordance with the dharmas of the world. Within the Sixth Ground, he perfects the dharmas that assist enlightenment because he enters a profound Dharma-gate. Within this Seventh Ground, the bodhisattva ground, he perfects every dharma that assists enlightenment because he gives rise to every buddha-dharma.

Commentary: What is the fulfillment of the lower grounds' surpassing practice of skillful means? Because it is fulfilled, one thereby enters the practice of great wisdom and spiritual penetration — as the sūtra says, "the bodhisattva Vajragarbha said: Son of the Buddha! A bodhisattva, within all ten of the bodhisattva grounds, perfects every one of these factors of enlightenment without exception; it is only that the Seventh Ground is called by this name because it excels. Why is this so? Son of the Buddha! Because this bodhisattva, within this bodhisattva ground, perfects the practice of skillful means, and thereby attains entry into the practice of wisdom and spiritual power." Here, "spiritual power" means the five spiritual powers; "wisdom" is as already explained before. What, then, is the fulfillment of the practice of skillful means within this ground? Within the practices of the world and beyond the world that came before, this ground further gives rise to a still more excellent practice — and this is why, within this Seventh Ground, giving rise to every buddha-dharma, one is able to perfect the dharmas that assist enlightenment, as the sūtra says, "Son of the Buddha! Within the First Ground, a bodhisattva perfects the dharmas that assist enlightenment because he sets forth his vow and contemplates every buddha-dharma," all the way to, "within this Seventh Ground, the bodhisattva ground, he perfects every dharma that assists enlightenment because he gives rise to every buddha-dharma." Thus the prior distinction of excellence relative to the higher grounds — the fulfillment of the lower grounds' surpassing practice of skillful means — has already been explained. What, then, is the fulfillment of the higher grounds' surpassing practice, the exertion belonging to the wisdom and skillful means of the factors of enlightenment?

Sūtra: Why is this so? Son of the Buddha! A bodhisattva, coming from the First Ground all the way to the Seventh, attains the path traversed by every kind of wisdom. Through the power of this attainment, from the Eighth Ground, the bodhisattva ground, all the way to the Tenth Ground, the effortless practice is spontaneously fulfilled. Son of the Buddha! It is like two worlds: one, a world both defiled and pure; the other, a world wholly pure. Between these two there lies a passage hard to cross. To cross beyond this boundary, one must rely on great spiritual power. Son of the Buddha! A bodhisattva, practicing thus along the bodhisattva path that is both defiled and pure, likewise finds it hard to cross beyond — he must rely on the power of a great vow, the power of great skillful wisdom, and the power of great spiritual might before he is able to cross beyond it.

The bodhisattva Vimuktacandra said: Son of the Buddha! Is the practice of the seventh bodhisattva ground a defiled practice, or is it a pure practice? The bodhisattva Vajragarbha said: Son of the Buddha! From the First Ground onward, every practice a bodhisattva undertakes is already free from the defiled karma of affliction. Why is this so? Because he dedicates it toward unsurpassed, perfect, complete enlightenment. Since what he practices, in according with the path, is equal according to its portion, this is not called "passing beyond" the afflicted practice of the Seventh Ground. Son of the Buddha! It is like a Wheel-Turning King who, mounted upon a supreme, jeweled elephant, journeys throughout the four continents: he knows there are people who are poor, destitute, afflicted, and stained by defilement, and yet he is not himself stained by their defilement. And yet this king has not thereby escaped the human body; only were he to relinquish the human body and be born into the Brahmā world, abiding within the palace of the Brahmā heaven, beholding a thousand world-systems at once, manifesting the Brahmā king's own radiance and majestic power — only then would he no longer be called a human being. Son of the Buddha! A bodhisattva is just the same: from the First Ground onward, mounted upon the vehicle of the perfections, he practices throughout every world, and he too knows the world's own defilement by affliction, and yet he is not himself stained by this defilement of affliction. Because he is mounted upon the correct path, this is not called "passing beyond" the afflicted defilement of the Seventh Ground. Should a bodhisattva relinquish every practice of exertion and pass from the Seventh Ground into the Eighth Ground, then, at that time, he is called one mounted upon the bodhisattva's own pure vehicle, practicing throughout every world — knowing truly every defilement of affliction, and yet not being stained by this defilement of affliction, because he has thereby attained passing beyond it. Son of the Buddha! A bodhisattva, dwelling in this Seventh Ground, the bodhisattva ground, passes beyond the great host of afflictions such as craving and desire. This bodhisattva, dwelling within this bodhisattva's Dūraṅgamā, the Far-Reaching Ground, is called neither one who has affliction, nor one who is without affliction. Why is this so? Because no affliction whatsoever is active within him, he is not called one who has affliction; because his craving in pursuit of the Tathāgata's own wisdom is not yet fulfilled, he is not called one who is without affliction.

Commentary: What is the fulfillment of the higher grounds' surpassing practice, the exertion belonging to the wisdom and skillful means of the factors of enlightenment? As the sūtra says, "Why is this so? Son of the Buddha! A bodhisattva, coming from the First Ground all the way to the Seventh, attains the path traversed by every kind of wisdom," all the way to, "he must rely on the power of a great vow, the power of great skillful wisdom, and the power of great spiritual might before he is able to cross beyond it." That, from the First Ground onward, he is far removed from every affliction — this is what is thereby made manifest. This ground is named "defiled-and-pure," not "defiled practice," since what he practices, according to its portion, is an equal path. This bodhisattva, within this ground, relinquishes the path of exertion according to his own strength and portion, as in the simile of the Wheel-Turning King. Within the Eighth Ground, he spontaneously attains the practice of retribution, passing beyond the defilement of affliction — this is what is made manifest through the simile of being born into the Brahmā world, relinquishing the Wheel-Turning King's own human body, as the sūtra says, "Sons of the Buddha! It is like a Wheel-Turning King," all the way to, "and yet he is not stained by this defilement of affliction, because he has thereby attained passing beyond it. Son of the Buddha! A bodhisattva, dwelling in this Seventh Ground, the bodhisattva ground, passes beyond the great host of afflictions such as craving and desire" — this is because he has not yet arrived at the ground of retribution. This is why this ground is not called a practice free of affliction, since it still involves exertion. A bodhisattva dwelling within this Far-Reaching Ground is called neither one who has affliction," all the way to, "because it is not yet fulfilled." "Not called one who is without affliction" — thus the prior distinction of excellence relative to the higher grounds has already been explained. Next is explained the distinction belonging to the fruit of dual practice. This has four aspects: first, the purification of karma; second, the attainment of a supreme samādhi; third, surpassing the ground; and fourth, the attainment of a supreme practice. What, then, is the purification of karma?

Sūtra: This bodhisattva, dwelling within this Seventh Ground, the bodhisattva's Dūraṅgamā, the Far-Reaching Ground, ultimately accomplishes a deep and pure bodily karma, ultimately accomplishes a deep and pure verbal karma, and ultimately accomplishes a deep and pure mental karma. This bodhisattva, whatever unwholesome course of karma the buddhas condemn, has already relinquished and departed from entirely; whatever wholesome course of karma the buddhas praise, this he constantly practices. Whatever scriptures, treatises, and skilled arts exist in the world, he masters spontaneously, just as was already explained within the Fifth Ground. This bodhisattva becomes a great teacher throughout the great trichiliocosm; apart only from the buddhas and the bodhisattvas of the Eighth Ground, there is no sentient being whose deep mind and sublime practice can equal his own. This bodhisattva's every dhyāna, samādhi, samāpatti, spiritual power, and liberation all stand directly present before him. Within the gate of cultivated practice, this is not yet the excellent accomplishment of the power of retribution, as it will be within the Eighth Ground, the bodhisattva ground. This bodhisattva, dwelling within this Seventh Ground, the bodhisattva's Dūraṅgamā, the Far-Reaching Ground, in thought after thought, perfects and gathers the power of skillful wisdom together with every dharma that assists enlightenment, attaining a fulfillment ever more excellent still.

Commentary: The purification of karma has four aspects. First, the excellence of purified precepts, as the sūtra says, "this bodhisattva, dwelling within this Seventh Ground, the bodhisattva's Dūraṅgamā, ultimately accomplishes a deep and pure bodily karma," all the way to, "this he constantly practices." Second, the excellence of purified worldly wisdom, as the sūtra says, "whatever scriptures, treatises, and skilled arts exist in the world," all the way to, "he masters spontaneously." Third, attaining, in his own person, an excellent mind and conduct, the two being equal, with no one able to equal him, as the sūtra says, "this bodhisattva becomes a great teacher throughout the great trichiliocosm," all the way to, "there is no sentient being whose deep mind and sublime practice can equal his own." Fourth, attaining the excellence of supreme power — dhyāna and the rest — standing directly present, as the sūtra says, "this bodhisattva's every dhyāna, samādhi," all the way to, "attaining a fulfillment ever more excellent still." Herein, in dependence on dhyāna, he gives rise to samādhi, samāpatti, spiritual power, and liberation, for the sake of teaching and transforming sentient beings, and for the sake of the practice of quiescent bliss. The samāpatti of cessation, in this same sequence, likewise belongs to this fruit of dual practice. The four aspects of the purification of karma have now been explained. Next is explained the attainment of a supreme samādhi.

Sūtra: This bodhisattva, dwelling within this Seventh Ground, the bodhisattva's Dūraṅgamā, the Far-Reaching Ground, enters the bodhisattva's samādhi named well-choosing wisdom, the samādhi of well-considered meaning, the samādhi of beneficial intent, the samādhi of the treasury of discriminated meaning, the samādhi that chooses every meaning, the samādhi of well-abiding, firm roots, the samādhi of the gateway of wisdom and spiritual power, the samādhi of the karmic function of the Dharma-realm, the samādhi of the Tathāgata's own benefit, and enters the bodhisattva's samādhi named the gateway of the manifold treasury of meaning and of nirvāṇa within the world. A bodhisattva, through this gateway of great wisdom and spiritual power, having thus perfected these ten foremost samādhis, is able to enter a hundred thousand of the bodhisattva's own gateways of samādhi, purifying and cultivating this ground.

Commentary: The attainment of a supreme samādhi has ten aspects. First, in dependence on meaning not yet contemplated; second, in dependence on meaning already contemplated — as the sūtra says, "this bodhisattva, dwelling within this Seventh Ground, the bodhisattva's Dūraṅgamā, enters the bodhisattva's samādhi named well-choosing wisdom," and "the samādhi of well-considered meaning." Third, in dependence on the excellence of boundless meaning within a single phrase; fourth, in dependence on speaking boundless names for a single meaning — as the sūtra says, "the samādhi of beneficial intent," and "the samādhi of the treasury of discriminated meaning." Fifth, in dependence on the wisdom that penetrates every one of the five sciences — as the sūtra says, "the samādhi that chooses every meaning." Sixth, in dependence on the purification of the hindrance of affliction, since the contemplation of suchness is firmly rooted — as the sūtra says, "the samādhi of well-abiding, firm roots." Seventh, in dependence on the purification of the hindrance to wisdom, which has four aspects of purification. First, the antidote to the hindrance that obstructs supreme merit — as the sūtra says, "the samādhi of the gateway of wisdom and spiritual power." Second, the antidote to the hindrance to unobstructed wisdom — as the sūtra says, "the samādhi of the karmic function of the Dharma-realm." Third, the antidote to the hindrance of weakness regarding the deep and supreme buddha-dharma — as the sūtra says, "the samādhi of the Tathāgata's own benefit." Fourth, the antidote to the hindrance of not abiding in practice — as the sūtra says, "entering the bodhisattva's samādhi named the gateway of the manifold treasury of meaning and of nirvāṇa within the world." "The manifold treasury of meaning" means manifold roots of goodness. Through this gateway of great wisdom and spiritual power, having thus perfected these ten foremost samādhis, one is able to enter a hundred thousand myriad of the bodhisattva's own gateways of samādhi, purifying and cultivating this ground. The attainment of a supreme samādhi has now been explained. Next is explained surpassing the ground.

Sūtra: This bodhisattva, because this samādhi's wisdom and skillful means are excellently purified, and because he attains the power of great compassion, surpasses the ground of the śrāvaka and the pratyekabuddha, and stands directly present, turning his thought toward the ground of wisdom.

Commentary: "Surpassing the ground of the śrāvaka and the pratyekabuddha" has two aspects: first, the power of skillful wisdom cultivated in practice; and second, the power of great compassion. "Standing directly present" means being able to enter the stream of the Dharma. "Turning his thought toward the ground of wisdom" should be understood as the wisdom of the Eighth Ground, which contemplates only the path of śamatha and vipaśyanā, since it is accomplished within that very place. Furthermore, "surpassing" is what is made manifest through the excellence of karma.