Chapter of Pure Wisdom
Scriptural Text: At that time, in the midst of the great assembly, Bodhisattva Pure Wisdom rose from his seat, bowed at the Buddha’s feet, circumambulated three times to the right, knelt with palms joined, and said to the Buddha:
“Great Compassionate World-Honored One, You have extensively explained to us such inconceivable matters, things we had never seen and never heard before. Now we have received the Buddha’s skillful guidance, and body and mind are at ease, gaining great benefit. We pray that for all those in this Dharma assembly You again proclaim the Dharma King’s perfect awakened nature: in what way do the realizations and attainments of sentient beings, bodhisattvas, and the Tathagata, World-Honored One, differ? Please enable sentient beings in the Dharma-ending age, upon hearing this noble teaching, to awaken in accord, and gradually be able to enter.” After speaking thus, he prostrated with five points touching the ground and repeated this request three times.
Commentary: The main meaning of this passage is that Pure Wisdom Bodhisattva asks the Buddha: on the path of practice, from ordinary being to Buddhahood, how many stages are there, and how do the stages of cultivation and realization differ? He asks the Buddha to teach this so sentient beings may understand and gradually enter Perfect Enlightenment nature.
Pure Wisdom means wisdom that is pure, namely Prajna wisdom. From this chapter through the next six chapters, the emphasis is on actual practice. Throughout cultivation, at every moment, one must rely on Prajna wisdom for guidance. Therefore Pure Wisdom Bodhisattva stands and asks, symbolizing Prajna wisdom.
Scriptural Text: At that time the World-Honored One said to Bodhisattva Pure Wisdom:
“Excellent, excellent! Good man, you are able, for sentient beings in the Dharma-ending age, to ask the Tathagata about gradual stages and distinctions. Listen carefully now, and I will explain for you.” Then Pure Wisdom Bodhisattva, together with the great assembly, joyfully received the teaching and listened in silence.
Commentary: The Buddha praises Pure Wisdom Bodhisattva because he skillfully asked, for future beings, about the differentiated stages of cultivation and realization, and instructs him and the assembly to listen silently and attentively.
Scriptural Text: “Good man, the self-nature of Perfect Enlightenment is beyond fixed nature and fixed existence; according to various natures, it gives rise to various functions, with no grasping and no attainment. Within true suchness, there are in truth no bodhisattvas and no sentient beings. Why? Because bodhisattvas and sentient beings are both illusory transformations. When illusion is extinguished, there is no grasper and no attainer. It is like the eye faculty: it does not see itself. Nature is originally equal, and there is no one who is equal. Sentient beings are deluded and inverted, unable to eliminate all illusions. In the process of eliminating what is not yet eliminated, within deluded exertion distinctions appear. If one attains accord with the Tathagata’s quiescent extinction, in truth there is no extinction and no one who is extinguished.”
Commentary: The main point is that within Perfect Enlightenment nature, there are originally no dharmas at all, yet according to conditions all differing dharmas appear.
This resembles a passage in the Surangama Sutra: in a lute there are not inherently good or bad melodies, yet according to conditions many tones appear.
In Perfect Enlightenment nature, there is no subject and object of grasping, no subject and object of realization, no bodhisattva and no sentient being. Because sentient beings have not eliminated illusory marks, they mistakenly apply effort to remove delusions, and thus see attainments, realizations, and stages.
If one accords with the Tathagata’s quiescent Perfect Enlightenment nature, one no longer sees any dharma as truly existent.
The analogy “the eye does not see itself” points to the equal and non-contrived nature of Perfect Enlightenment. It manifests all dharmas according to conditions without grasping or attaining, just as the eye illuminates all forms equally but does not see itself as “the one illuminating.”
“The self-nature of Perfect Enlightenment has no fixed abiding” means: “not-nature” indicates not clinging to intrinsic existence; “nature-existence” indicates that sages and ordinary beings all equally possess it, so one does not abide in annihilating emptiness either.
Scriptural Text: “Good man, all sentient beings from beginningless time, because of false thought of self and attachment to self, have never known that thought after thought is arising and ceasing. Therefore they produce love and hate and become attached to the five desires.”
Commentary: The previous section spoke from the standpoint of Perfect Enlightenment’s pure equality, where there are no distinctions of bodhisattva and sentient being. But from the standpoint of practical cultivation, there are clear stages.
Therefore from this section onward, the sutra explains staged entry into Perfect Enlightenment: beginning with the Ten Faiths, then the Three Worthies, then the Ten Saints, and finally Buddhahood.
This section mainly describes those at the Ten Faiths level, who accord with Perfect Enlightenment while still beginning practice. From beginningless time, because beings deludedly cling to “self” and “what belongs to self” as real, greed and anger arise.
Scriptural Text: “If they encounter good spiritual friends who teach and cause them to awaken to the pure Perfect Enlightenment nature, and clearly understand arising and ceasing, then they know this arising-nature is itself wearying agitation. If again there are those whose agitation is forever cut off and who attain purity of the Dharma-realm, then that very understanding of purity becomes their own obstruction; therefore they are not yet free in Perfect Enlightenment. This is called sentient beings’ accord with awakened nature.”
Commentary: If one meets good spiritual teachers and awakens that “self” and “objects of self” are unreal and arising-ceasing illusions, then self-clinging is reduced and one reaches a pure Dharma-realm. Yet if one still “knows purity” and clings to it, dharma-clinging remains, so Perfect Enlightenment is still obstructed.
Therefore this is called ordinary beings (Ten Faiths level) according with Perfect Enlightenment.
Scriptural Text: “Good man, all bodhisattvas regard conceptual understanding as obstruction. Though they cut off the obstruction of conceptual understanding, they still abide in knowing-awakening. That awakened-knowing as obstruction is still an obstruction, and they are not yet free. This is called bodhisattvas not yet entering the grounds, according with awakened nature.”
Commentary: These bodhisattvas have left behind clinging to “knowing purity,” but still retain “knowing awakening.” Because this “knowing awakening” remains as obstruction, Perfect Enlightenment cannot fully manifest.
This section describes the Three Worthies bodhisattvas according with Perfect Enlightenment: Ten Abodes, Ten Practices, and Ten Dedications.
Scriptural Text: “Good man, both illuminating and awakened-knowing are called obstructions. Therefore bodhisattvas’ constant awakening does not abide; illuminator and illuminated simultaneously become quiescent and extinct. It is like someone cutting off his own head: once the head is cut, there is no cutter. Thus, using obstructing mind to extinguish obstructions, when obstructions are extinguished there is no one who extinguishes obstruction. Sutra teaching is like a finger pointing to the moon. If one sees the moon, one knows what was pointed to is ultimately not the moon. All Tathagatas’ various words for instructing bodhisattvas are also like this. This is called bodhisattvas who have entered the grounds, according with awakened nature.”
Commentary: The previous section described Three Worthies bodhisattvas still having “knowing” and “awakening.” This section describes bodhisattvas who have entered the noble grounds: although constantly awakened, they do not abide in awakening, because subject and object are gone.
Like one cutting off one’s own head: once the head is gone, there is no cutter and no cut.
All Buddha teachings are expedients pointing to truth (Perfect Enlightenment). One must rely on expedients to reach truth, but if one clings to expedients, truth is never reached.
Dharma teaching is like the finger pointing at the moon. To see the moon, one relies on the finger; once the moon is seen (truth realized), one does not cling to the finger (expedient means). If one clings to the finger, one never sees the moon.
Scriptural Text: “Good man, all obstructions are precisely ultimate awakening. Right thought and wrong thought are both liberation. Establishing dharma and destroying dharma are both called nirvana. Wisdom and ignorance are both prajna. The dharmas accomplished by bodhisattvas and by outsiders are both bodhi. Ignorance and true suchness are non-different realms. Precepts, samadhi, wisdom, and lust, anger, delusion are all pure conduct. Sentient-being lands and Buddha lands are one Dharma-nature. Hell and heavenly palaces are both pure lands. With nature and without nature both equally complete the Buddha-path. All afflictions are ultimately liberation. The ocean-wisdom of Dharma-realm illuminates all forms as empty space. This is called the Tathagata’s accord with awakened nature.”
Commentary: The earlier sections explained:
At Ten Faiths, one is obstructed by “knowing purity.”
At Three Worthies, one is obstructed by “knowing awakening.”
At Ten Saints, one has left those obstructions but still has not fully perfected seamless constant awakening.
This section describes Buddhahood, complete entry into Perfect Enlightenment nature, where all dharmas are seen as one essence. Therefore it is said: obstruction is ultimate awakening; right and wrong thought are liberation; affliction and birth-death are bodhi and nirvana; wisdom and ignorance are prajna.
Hence the ancient saying: “When deluded, true suchness becomes false thought; when awakened, false thought itself is true suchness.”
Scriptural Text: “Good man, all bodhisattvas and sentient beings in the Dharma-ending age should, at all times, not give rise to false thoughts. Yet toward false mind they also should not forcibly stop or extinguish it. Dwelling amid the realm of false imagination, they should not add discriminating knowing. Toward no-discriminating knowing, they should not discriminate true or real. Those sentient beings who hear this Dharma gate, believe, understand, receive, and uphold it without giving rise to fear or alarm, are called those who accord with awakened nature.”
Commentary: “At all times do not generate false thought” means no-thought. “Toward false mind do not stop or extinguish” means not suppressing delusion. “In the realm of false imagination do not add knowing” means not reifying delusion as truly existent. “Toward non-knowing do not discriminate true non-knowing” means not reifying emptiness either.
Practicing this way is maintaining right mindfulness and true settling of mind.
The key instruction here is one line: “At all times, do not give rise to false thought.” If false thought does not arise, greed, anger, and delusion do not arise. If the three poisons do not arise, body, speech, and mind karmas are not created. If karma is not created, birth-and-death samsara ceases. When birth-death ceases, true mind appears. That is accord with Perfect Enlightenment nature.
Like muddy water placed still: if at all times it is not shaken, clear water appears naturally.
This resembles the Surangama teaching “do not follow discriminating thought based on dust-objects.” It is a swift direct method, not easy to receive unless one has cultivated over many lives and planted deep roots of goodness under many Buddhas.
In summary, if bodhisattvas and later beings can maintain this, without producing false thoughts and without deliberate suppression, then they have deep roots from many Buddhas and have entered Perfect Enlightenment nature; they will attain Buddhahood.
Scriptural Text: “Good man, you should know that such sentient beings have already made offerings to hundreds of thousands of myriads of billions of Buddhas and great bodhisattvas, planting many roots of virtue. The Buddha says such persons are called those who have accomplished all-seed wisdom.”
Commentary: Good men, you should know that beings like these have planted roots of merit through offerings to immeasurable Buddhas and bodhisattvas. The Buddha says such people will accomplish all-seed wisdom.
Scriptural Text: At that time the World-Honored One, wishing to restate this meaning, spoke verses:
Pure Wisdom, you should know:
The nature of perfect bodhi
Neither grasps nor attains,
Neither bodhisattva nor sentient being.
When one seeks awakening before awakening,
There are gradual stages and distinctions.
Sentient beings are obstructed by conceptual understanding;
Bodhisattvas have not yet left awakened-knowing.
Entering the grounds is quiescent extinction,
Not abiding in any mark.
Great awakening is fully perfected,
Called universal accord.
Sentient beings in the Dharma-ending age,
If mind does not produce delusive falsehood,
The Buddha says such persons,
In this very life are bodhisattvas.
They have made offerings to Buddhas as many as Ganges sands,
And merit is already complete.
Though there are many expedient means,
All are called wisdom in accord.