“Blessed One, for which obstacles do mental stillness and insight serve as antidotes from the first stage of the bodhisattva path up to the stage of a tathāgata?”
1. “Maitreya, on the first stage, mental stillness and insight are antidotes to the defilement of bad destinies as well as to the affliction of karma and birth.
2. “On the second stage, they are antidotes to the arising of confusion resulting from subtle transgressions.
3. “On the third stage, they are antidotes to attachment for desirous objects.
4. “On the fourth stage, they are antidotes to craving for absorption and Dharma.
5. “On the fifth stage, they are antidotes to the exclusive rejection of saṃsāra and exclusive inclination toward nirvāṇa.
6. ‘On the sixth stage, they are antidotes to the abundant arising of phenomenal appearances.
7. “On the seventh stage, they are antidotes to the subtle arising of phenomenal appearances.
8. “On the eighth, they are antidotes to exerting oneself toward what is without phenomenal appearance as well as to not having mastery over phenomenal appearances.
9. On the ninth, they are antidotes to not having mastery in teaching the Dharma in every aspect.
10. “On the tenth, they are antidotes to not having obtained the perfect analytical knowledge of the truth body.
11. “Maitreya, on the stage of a tathāgata, mental stillness and insight are antidotes to the extremely subtle defiling obstructions and the even more subtle cognitive obstructions.229 By fully eliminating these obstructions, one abides within the truth body that has been completely purified. As a consequence, one obtains the realization of the object corresponding to the accomplishment of the goal—the gnosis and vision that are utterly free from attachment and hindrance.”230
“Blessed One, in what way do bodhisattvas obtain mental stillness and insight, so that they will attain the unsurpassable complete and perfect awakening?”231
“Maitreya, once bodhisattvas have obtained mental stillness and insight, they consider the seven aspects of true reality.232 With their minds concentrated on the doctrine that has been heard and contemplated, they direct their attention inwardly toward the true reality that has been well233 understood, contemplated, and focused upon. As they direct their attention in this way on true reality, their minds then remain in complete equanimity234 toward each and every subtle phenomenal appearance that manifests, not to mention coarse ones.
“Maitreya, these subtle phenomenal appearances include the phenomenal appearances appropriated by mind; the phenomenal appearances of experiences, representations, affliction, and purification; the internal or external phenomenal appearances and those that are both internal and external; the phenomenal appearances related to the notion that one must act for the benefit of all beings; the phenomenal appearances of knowledge and suchness; the phenomenal appearances of the four noble truths of suffering, the origin of suffering, the cessation of suffering, and the path;235 the phenomenal appearances of the conditioned, the unconditioned, the permanent, the impermanent, and the nature inherent to what is subject to suffering and change or what is not subject to change; the phenomenal appearance distinct or indistinct from the defining characteristic specific to the conditioned; the phenomenal appearance of everything as a result of having the notion of ‘everything’ in reference to anything; and the phenomenal appearance of the selflessness of the person and of phenomena. The bodhisattva’s mind remains in complete equanimity toward all these phenomenal appearances as they manifest.
“Continually practicing in this way, they will in due time purify their minds from obstacles, obstructions, and distractions. In the course of this practice, the seven aspects of the cognition that is personal and intuitive, the gnosis236 that is the awakening237 to the seven aspects of true reality, will arise. Such is the bodhisattvas’ path of seeing. By obtaining it, bodhisattvas have entered the faultless state of truth,238 are born into the lineage of tathāgatas, and, upon obtaining the first stage, enjoy all the advantages of this stage. Because they have already obtained mental stillness and insight, they have attained their two referential objects: the image with conceptualization and the image without conceptualization. Thus, having obtained the path of seeing, they attain the point where phenomena end.239
“In the higher stages, they enter the path of practice and direct their attention toward their threefold referential object.240 It is like this: in the way one uses a smaller wedge to pull out a larger one and thus drives out a wedge by means of a wedge, they eliminate all phenomenal appearances related to affliction by eliminating internal phenomenal appearances. When they eliminate them, they also eliminate corruption. By getting rid of phenomenal appearance and corruption, they gradually purify their minds in the higher stages in the way gold is refined. They will attain the unsurpassable, complete and perfect awakening and also obtain the realization of the object corresponding to the accomplishment of the goal.241 Thus, Maitreya, once bodhisattvas have achieved mental stillness and insight in this way, they will attain the unsurpassable, complete and perfect awakening.”
“How do bodhisattvas practice so that they accomplish the great powers of a bodhisattva?”
“Maitreya, the bodhisattvas who are skillful with regard to these six topics accomplish the great powers of a bodhisattva: (1) the arising of the mind, (2) the underlying condition of the mind, (3) the emergence from the mind, (4) the increase of the mind, (5) the decrease of the mind, (6) and skillful means.
1. “How are they skillful with regard to the arising of the mind? They are skillful with regard to the arising of the mind as it is if they know the sixteen ways in which mind arises:242 (i) the representation that is a support and receptacle, for example, the appropriating cognition;243 (ii) the representation that is a variegated image of a referential object, for example, the mental cognition of conceptualizations that simultaneously apprehends forms and so on, or that simultaneously apprehends outer and inner objects, or that in a single instant simultaneously settles in several states of concentration, perceives numerous buddha fields, or sees many tathāgatas—being nothing but the mental cognition of conceptualizations; (iii) the representation taking limited phenomenal appearances as its object, for example, the mind related to the [realm of] desire; (iv) the representation taking vast phenomenal appearances as its object, for example, the mind related to the [realm of] form; (v) the representation taking immeasurable phenomenal appearances as its object, for example, the mind related to the domain of limitless space and limitless cognition; (vi) the representation taking subtle phenomenal appearances as its object, for example, the mind related to the domain of nothingness; (vii) the representation taking ultimate phenomenal appearances as its object, for example, the mind related to the domain of neither conception nor lack of conception; (viii) the representation that does not have phenomenal appearance [as its object], for example, the supramundane mind and the mind having cessation as its object; (ix) the representation involving suffering, for example, the mind of hell beings; (x) the representation involving mixed sensations, for example, the mind experienced in the [realm of] desire; (xi) the representation involving joy, for example, the mind belonging to the first and second meditative absorptions; (xii) the representation involving bliss, for example, the mind belonging to the third meditative absorption; (xiii) the representation involving neither suffering nor bliss, for example, the mind belonging to the fourth meditative absorption up to the domain of neither conception nor lack of conception; (xiv) the representation involving defilements, for example, the mind associated with defilements and secondary defilements; (xv) the representation involving virtue, for example, the mind associated with faith and so on; and (xvi) the neutral representation, for example, the mind that is not associated with either defilement or virtue.
2. “How are they skillful with regard to the underlying condition of the mind? They are skillful when they cognize the true reality of representations as it truly is.244
3. “How are they skillful with regard to the emergence from the mind? They are skillful when they cognize as they truly are the two bonds, namely, the bonds of phenomenal appearance and corruption.
4. “How are they skillful with regard to the increase of the mind? They are skillful when they cognize as such the arising and increase of the mind at the moment when the mind that is the antidote to phenomenal appearance and corruption arises and increases.
5. “How are they skillful with regard to the decrease of the mind? They are skillful when they cognize as such the decrease and decline of the mind at the moment when the mind afflicted by the adverse factors of phenomenal appearance and corruption decreases and declines.
6. “How are they skilled in terms of means? They are skillful when they practice the eight liberations, the eight domains of mastery, and the ten domains of totality.
“Maitreya, in this way bodhisattvas have accomplished, do accomplish, and will accomplish the great powers of a bodhisattva.”
“The Blessed One said that all sensations have come to complete cessation in the domain of the nirvāṇa with no aggregates remaining. What are then those sensations?”245
“Maitreya, in brief, two kinds of sensations cease: (1) the sensations246 arising from corruption incumbent on being alive and (2) the sensations arising from their resulting objects.
1. “Among those, the sensations arising from corruption related to one’s existence are of four kinds: (i) sensations arising from physical corruption, (ii) sensations arising from nonphysical corruption, (iii) sensations arising from corruption currently brought to fruition, and (iv) sensations arising from corruption not yet brought to fruition.
“Sensations arising from corruption brought to fruition refer to present sensations, whereas sensations arising from sensations not yet brought to fruition refer to sensations that are the causes for future sensations.
2. “The sensations of their resulting objects are also of four kinds: (i) sensations related to places, (ii) sensations related to necessities, (iii) sensations related to enjoyments, and (iv) sensations related to relations.
“Moreover, there are sensations in the domain of the nirvāṇa with aggregates remaining. Although these include sensations not yet brought to fruition,247 their opposites, the experience of sensations arising from present sensations, have not completely ceased. They are experienced as a mixture of pleasant and unpleasant sensations. Both kinds of sensation already brought to fruition have completely ceased. Only the category of sensations arising from present sensations are experienced. In the domain of the nirvāṇa with no aggregates remaining, even this will cease when one passes into parinirvāṇa. This is why I said that all sensations have come to a complete cessation in the domain of the nirvāṇa with no aggregates remaining.”
Thereupon, the Blessed One spoke these words to the bodhisattva Maitreya: “Maitreya, you questioned the Tathāgata with determination and skill regarding the perfect and pure path of yoga. This is excellent. I taught that this path of yoga is perfect and pure, and exactly248 so I have taught and will teach all the perfect buddhas of the past and the future. The sons and daughters of noble family should devote themselves to this path with great effort.”249
Then, at that moment,250 the Blessed One spoke these verses:
“This presentation of the teachings by means of designations
Is thoughtful and of great significance for [the practice of this] yoga.251
Those who, by relying on this Dharma,
Correctly devote themselves to this yoga will attain awakening.252
“Those who, seeking liberation, study the entire Dharma
By looking for faults and disputing it
Are, Maitreya, as far from this yoga
As is the sky from the earth.253
“Wise254 and skilled in the real meaning255 of benefiting beings
Is the one who does not strive to benefit beings thinking they will reward him.256
The one expecting a reward will indeed257 not obtain
The joy that is both258 supreme and free from covetousness.259
“Those who grant Dharma instructions [to obtain] desirous objects
Have renounced desirous objects and yet260 still accept them.
Although these fools have obtained the priceless and faultless261 jewel of Dharma,
They wander like beggars.262
“Therefore, with great effort
Strive to abandon disputation, distractions, and mental elaborations.
In order to liberate the world of beings including the gods,
Devote yourself to this yoga.”
Then, the bodhisattva Maitreya asked the Blessed One, “Blessed One, what is the name of the teaching imparted in this Dharma discourse that unravels the Tathāgata’s intent? How should I keep it in mind?”263
The Blessed One answered, “Maitreya, this is a teaching of definitive meaning on yoga. Keep it in mind as The Teaching of Definitive Meaning on Yoga.” As the Blessed One expounded this teaching, six hundred thousand beings produced the mind directed at the unsurpassable, complete and perfect awakening, three hundred thousand hearers purified the Dharma eye from impurities and contaminations; one hundred and fifty hearers who were without attachment liberated their minds from all outflows; and seventy-five thousand bodhisattvas attained the state wherein their attention was directed toward the great yoga.264
This was the chapter of the bodhisattva Maitreya—the eighth chapter.