To refrain from doing any manner of evil, to respectfully perform all varieties of good, and to purify one’s own mind—

This is the teaching of all buddhas.

The Ekottara Āgama Sūtra

(T02 n.125 p.551a 13–14)

A Note on the proper Care of Dharma Materials

Traditional Buddhist cultures treat books on Dharma as sacred. Hence it is considered disrespectful to place them in a low position, to read them when lying down, or to place them where they might be damaged by food or drink.

The Ten Highest Levels of Practice

On the Bodhisattva’s Path to Buddhahood

As Translated from Sanskrit by Tripiṭaka Master Kumārajīva

(c 410 ce)

An Annotated English Translation by Bhikshu Dharmamitra

Including the Entire P. L. Vaidya Sanskrit Text

Kalavinka press Seattle, Washington www.kalavinkapress.org

Kalavinka press 8603 39th Ave SW Seattle, WA 98136 USA

(www.kalavinkapress.org)

Kalavinka Press is associated with the Kalavinka Dharma Association, a non-profit organized exclusively for religious educational purposes as allowed within the meaning of section 501(c)3 of the Internal RevenueCode. Kalavinka Dharma Association was founded in 1990 and gained formal approval in 2004 by the United States Internal Revenue Service as a 501(c)3 non-profit organization to which all donations are tax deductible.

Donations to KDA are accepted by mail and on the Kalavinka website where numerous free Dharma translations and excerpts from Kalavinka publications are available in digital format.

Edition: 10GKJ-EO-0919-1.0-English/Sanskrit

Kalavinka Buddhist Classics Book 11b

Copyright © 2019 by Bhikshu Dharmamitra / All Rights Reserved

ISBN: 978-1-935413-10-3 / Library of Congress Control #: 2019029605

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Kumārajīva, -412? translator. | Dharmamitra, Bhikshu, translator.

Title: The Ten grounds Sutra : the Daśabhūmika Sūtra : the ten highest levels of practice on the Bodhisattva’s path to Buddhahood / as translated from Sanskrit by Tripiṭaka Master Kumārajīva (ca 410 ce); an annotated English

translation by Bhikshu Dharmamitra including the entire P. L. Vaidya Sanskrit

text.

Description: 10gkj-eo-0919-1.0-english/sanskrit. | Seattle, Washington : Kalavinka Press, 2019. | Series: Kalavinka Buddhist classics; book 11b | Includes bibliographical references. | Summary: “”The Ten Grounds Sutra” is an annotated English Translation by Bhikshu Dharmamitra of Tripitaka Master Kumārajīva’s circa 410 ce Sanskrit-to-Chinese translation of the Daśabhūmika Sūtra. This sutra describes in great detail the ten highest levels of bodhisattva practice on the path to buddhahood. This edition includes as an appendix the entire appended P. L. Vaidya Sanskrit text. The Sanskrit sec- tion headings are inset in the English translation to facilitate easy correlation of the translation with the Sanskrit original. In addition to the Sanskrit text, this edition also includes a very detailed table of contents, extensive annota- tion, and a bibliography”-- Provided by publisher.

Identifiers: LCCN 2019029605 | ISBN 9781935413103 (paperback)

Subjects: LCSH: Tripiṭaka. Sūtrapiṭaka. Avataṃsakasūtra. Daśabhūmikasūtra-- Criticism, interpretation, etc. | Bodhisattva stages (Mahayana Buddhism)

Classification: LCC BQ1632.A1 D431 2019 | DDC 294.3/823--dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019029605

Kalavinka Press books are printed on acid-free paper. Cover and interior designed by Bhikshu Dharmamitra.

Printed in the United States of America

5

Dedication

Dedicated to the memory of the selfless and marvelous life of the Venerable Dhyāna Master Hsuan Hua, the Guiyang Ch’an Patriarch and the very personification of the bodhisattva’s six perfections.

Dhyāna Master Hsuan Hua

宣化禪師

1918–1995

6

Acknowledgments

The accuracy and readability of this translation have been greatly improved by many corrections, preview comments, and editorial sug- gestions generously contributed by Bhikkhu Bodhi, Feng Ling, and Nicholas Weeks.

Expenses incurred in bringing forth this publication were under- written by generous donations from Craig and Karen Neyman, Madalena Lew, Shuyu Yang, Jiajing Li, Kam Chung Wong, Loritta Chan, David Fox, Upasaka Guo Ke, Yuen-Lin Tan, the BDK English Tripiṭaka Project, and others. Sponsorship of Adobe Indesign book lay- out was provided by Anagarika Mahendra.

Use of the digital Sanskrit texts is by the kind permission of Dr. Miroj Shakya, Project Coordinator of the Digital Sanskrit Buddhist Canon Project.

Were it not for the ongoing material support provided by my late guru’s Dharma Realm Buddhist Association and the serene transla- tion studio provided by Seattle’s Bodhi Dhamma Center, creation of this translation would have been impossible.

Additionally, it would have been impossible for me to produce this translation without the Dharma teachings and personal inspiration provided to me by my late guru, the awesomely wise and compassion- ate Dhyāna Master Hsuan Hua, the Guiyang Ch’an patriarch, Dharma teacher, and exegete.

Finally, I owe an immense debt of gratitude to the members of the liver care and transplant teams at Seattle’s University of Washington Medical Center who cured me of liver cancer in 2010 and gave me a liver transplant several months later. In particular, if it weren’t for over a decade of wonderfully attentive and compassionate care by Dr. Renuka Bhattacharya, medical director of UW’s liver transplant pro- gram, the kindness and skill in three major surgeries by my trans- plant surgeon, Dr. Jorge Reyes, and the marvelous generosity of an anonymous liver donor, I would have died a half dozen years ago and thus never could have completed the scriptural translations I have pro- duced in the last eight years.

Outlining in This Work

The ten chapter titles in this work are from the Taisho Chinese text. All other outline headings originate with the translator. Buddhist canoni- cal texts are often so structurally dense that they are best navigated with the aid of at least a simple outline structure such as I have sup- plied here.

7

List of Abbreviations

AN                   Aṅguttara Nikāya

BB                    Buddhabhadra (T278)

BCSD               Hirakawa’s Buddhist Chinese-Sanskrit Dictionary BDK Bukkyo Dendo Kyokai English Tripiṭaka BHSD                          Edgerton’s Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Dictionary BR Bodhiruci (T1522)

CBETA            Chinese Buddhist Electronic Text Association’s digital edition of the Taisho Chinese Buddhist canon.

DN                    Dīgha Nikāya

DR                    Dharmarakṣa (T278)

DSBC              Digital Sanskrit Buddhist Canon’s digitized edition of

Daśabhūmikasūtram, edited by P. L. Vaidya.

HH                   Venerable Hsuan Hua

KB                    Kumārajīva assisted by Buddhayaśas (T286) KJ                    Kumārajīva

LTX                  Li Tongxuan (李通玄)

MDPL               Materials for a Dictionary of the Prajñāpāramitā Literature

MLDB              The Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha

MN                   Majjhima nikāya

Mppu                Mahāprajñāpāramitā upadeśa

MW                  Monier Williams’ A Sanskrit-English Dictionary

N                       Nāgārjuna

PDB                 Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism

QL                    Qing Liang (唐清涼山大華嚴寺沙門澄觀)

QLSC               Qing Liang’s Huayan Shuchao

(大方廣佛華嚴經疏鈔會本. L130 no. 1557)

SYMG             The Song, Yuan, Ming, Gong editions of the Chinese

Buddhist canon.

SA                     Śikṣānanda (T279)

SD                     Śīladharma (T287)

T                       Taisho Chinese Buddhist Canon via CBETA

(Version 2004. ed.) Taibei)

VB                    Venerable Bhikkhu Bodhi

XHYJL            Xin huayanjing lun (新華嚴經論 – T36, no. 1739) by Li Tongxuan.

8

9

General Table of Contents

Acknowledgements                                       6

Outlining in This Work                          6

List of Abbreviations                                 7

Directory to Chapter Subsections         11

The Translator’s Introduction                19

The Translation: The Ten Grounds Sutra                                                             27

Chapter 1 :  The Joyfulness Ground                                                                 29, 44

Chapter 2 :  The Stainlessness Ground                                                      69

Chapter 3 : The Shining Light Ground                                                     85

Chapter 4 :  The Blazing Brilliance Ground                                                    103

Chapter 5 :  The Difficult-to-Conquer Ground                                    115

Chapter 6 :  The Direct Presence Ground                                                    131

Chapter 7 :  The Far-Reaching Ground                                                    151

Chapter 8 :  The Immovability Ground                                                    171

Chapter 9 :  The Sublime Goodness Ground                                                    195

Chapter 10: The Dharma Cloud Ground                                                   219

Translation Endnotes                             263

Bibliography                                              293

Appendix: The P. L. Vaidya Sanskrit Text                                                             295

About the Translator                              453

Kalavinka Buddhist Classics: Current Title List                                                   455

10                                                                    The Ten Grounds Sutra

11

Directory to Chapter Subsections

1. I.     The Introductory Section                       29
   1. The Setting and Audience                       29
   2. The Great Bodhisattvas and Their Qualities                                                      29
   3. The Names of the Bodhisattvas in Attendance                                                 30
   4. Vajragarbha Enyers Samādhi and Counyless Buddhas Manifesy                 31
   5. The Buddhas Praise Him and Encourage Him To Teach the Ten Grounds                                                       31
   6. The Buddhas Bestow Qualities and Abilities on Vajragarbha                        33
   7. Vajragarbha Emerges from Samādhi and Speaks of yhe Ten Grounds             34
   8. Vajragarbha Sets Forth the Names of the Ten Grounds                                     34
   9. Vajragarbha Bodhisattva Falls Silent                                                                   35
      1. The Congregayion Is Caused yo Wonder Why There Is No Explanayion                35
         1. Liberayion Moon Bodhisayyva’s Firsy Requesy for Dharma Teaching              35
      2. Vajragarbha Explains His Silence        36
         1. Liberayion Moon Bodhisayyva’s Second Requesy for Dharma Teaching              37
         2. Vajragarbha Furyher Explains His Reyicence yo Teach This Dharma         37
      3. Liberayion Moon Bodhisayyva’s Third Requesy for Dharma Teaching              38
      4. The Bodhisayyva Congregayion Joins in Requesying This Teaching                       39
         1. The Buddha Emiys Brilliany Lighy From Beyween His Eyebrows                             40
      5. All Buddhas Emiy Lighy Thay Uyyers Verses Requesying Dharma                     40
         1. Vajragarbha’s Preliminary Verses on yhe Difficulyy of This Explanayion      42
         2. II.    The Main Doctrinal Teaching Section                                                                          44
            1. The First Ground: The Joyfulness Ground                                                       44
            2. Vajragarbha Lisys yhe Firsy Ground’s Qualificayions & Moyivayions             44
            3. The Qualiyies of yhe Bodhisayyva’s Resolve                                                      45
            4. The Consequences of Generaying yhe Bodhisayyva Vow                                   45
               1. The Bases For yhe Firsy Ground Bodhisayyva’s Joyfulness                      46
               2. The Firsy Ground Bodhisayyva’s Five Kinds of Fearlessness                            47
                  1. The Bodhisayyva’s Grounds Purifying Pracyices                                                  48
                  2. The Bodhisayyva’s Ten Greay Vows    49
                  3. The Menyal Qualiyies & Faiyh Acquired by yhe 1sy Ground Bodhisayyva                                             54
                  4. The Bodhisayyva’s Reflecyive Conyemplayion on Dharma and Beings                                                                    55
                     1. The Bodhisayyva’s Resolve, Renunciayion, and Grounds Purificayion                                             56
                     2. The Bodhisayyva’s Seeing and Serving of Counyless Buddhas                           58
                     3. The Bodhisayyva’s Pracyice of yhe Means of Ayyracyion                              59
                     4. The Bodhisayyva’s Grounds Purificayion Compared yo Refining Gold                                                           59
                        1. The Bodhisayyva’s Acquisiyion of Furyher Knowledge of yhe Grounds    59
                        2. The Bodhisayyva’s Payh Knowledge Compared yo a Caravan Guide             61
                           1. Vajragarbha’s Final Syayemenys Abouy yhe 1sy Ground Bodhisayyva  62
                           2. The Bodhisayyva’s Social Syayion and Dharma Pracyice                                     62
                              1. The Bodhisayyva’s Mindfulness         62
                                 1. The Bodhisayyva’s Aspirayion yo Serve Beings                                          62

12                                                                    The Ten Grounds Sutra

1. The Resuly of yhe Bodhisayyva’s Leaving yhe Household Life              63
2. Vajragarbha Bodhisayyva’s Summarizing Verses                                63
   1. The Second Ground: The Stainlessness Ground                           69
   2. The Second Ground’s Inyroducyory Verses and Dharma Requesy              69
   3. Vajragarbha Commences yhe Second Ground’s Explanayion                           69
   4. The Ten Resoluye Inyenyions as Bases for Enyering yhe 2nd Ground               69
      1. The Bodhisayyva’s Observance of Ten Courses of Good Karmic Acyion          70
         1. Avoidance of Killing                           70
            1. Avoidance of Taking Whay Is Noy Given                                                      70
            2. Avoidance of Sexual Misconducy    70
               1. Avoidance of False Speech                71
               2. Avoidance of Divisive Speech          71
               3. Avoidance of Harsh Speech             71
                  1. Avoidance of Frivolous Speech       71
                  2. Avoidance of Coveyousness             72
                  3. Avoidance of Ill Will                         72
                     1. Avoidance of Wrong Views              72
                     2. The Bodhisayyva’s Reflecyions on Ten Good and Bad Karmic Acyions            72
                        1. Reflecyions on yheir Generayion of yhe Six Rebiryh Desyinies                 72
                           1. Reflecyions on Generayion of yhe Fruiys of yhe 3 Vehicles’ Payhs       73
                           2. Reflecyions on yhe 10 Transgressions’ 10 Karmic Reyribuyions                                         73
                              1. Renunciayion of 10 Bad Acyions & Rousing of 10 Alyruisyic Minds       75
                              2. His Reflecyions on yhe Plighy of Beings & Resolve To Rescue Them     76
                        2. The Bodhisayyva’s Seeing and Serving of Counyless Buddhas                            78
                        3. The Bodhisayyva’s Grounds Purificayion Compared yo Refining Gold                                                           79
                        4. The Bodhisayyva’s Pracyice of Means of Ayyracyion and Pāramiyās             79
                           1. Vajragarbha’s Final Syayemenys Abouy yhe 2nd Ground Bodhisayyva 79
                              1. The Bodhisayyva’s Syayion and Dharma Pracyice                                  79
                                 1. The Bodhisayyva’s Mindfulness          79
                                 2. The Bodhisayyva’s Aspirayion yo Serve Beings                                         80
                                    1. The Resuly of yhe Bodhisayyva’s Leaving yhe Household Life              80
                        5. Vajragarbha Bodhisayyva’s Summarizing Verses                                81
                     3. The Third Ground: The Shining Light Ground                                           85
                        1. The Third Ground’s Inyroducyory Verses and Dharma Requesy              85
                        2. Vajragarbha Commences yhe Third Ground’s Explanayion                            86
                        3. The Ten Resoluye inyenyions as Bases for Enyering yhe Third Ground            86
                           1. The Bodhisayyva’s Conyemplayion of All Condiyioned Dharmas                     86
                        4. The Bodhisayyva’s Renunciayion & Quesy For Buddha’s Knowledge          87
                           1. The Bodhisayyva’s Ten Sympayheyic Menyal Inyenyions Toward Beings      88
                        5. The Bodhisayyva’s Generayion and Pracyice of Greay Vigor                        88
                        6. The Bodhisayyva’s Conquesy of yhe Mediyayive Absorpyions                        91
                        7. The Bodhisayyva’s Developmeny of yhe Four Immeasurables                         92
                           1. The Bodhisayyva’s Developmeny of yhe Spiriyual superknowledges             92
                        8. The Bodhisayyva’s Heavenly Ear         93
                        9. The Bodhisayyva’s Knowledge of Oyhers’ Thoughys                                    93

Contents                                                      13

1. The Bodhisayyva’s Recall of Pasy Lives                                                          94
2. The Bodhisayyva’s Heavenly Eye        94
3. The Bodhisayyva’s Vow-Deyermined Rebiryh Apary From yhe Dhyānas        95
   1. The Bodhisayyva’s Seeing and Serving of Counyless Buddhas                            95
   2. The Bodhisayyva’s Purificayion & Iys Comparison yo Refining Gold               95
   3. The Bodhisayyva’s Pracyice of Means of Ayyracyion and Pāramiyās             96
   4. Vajragarbha’s Final Syayemenys Abouy yhe 3rd Ground Bodhisayyva 96
      1. The Bodhisayyva’s Syayion and Dharma Pracyice                                  96
         1. The Bodhisayyva’s Mindfulness          96
         2. The Bodhisayyva’s Aspirayion yo Serve Beings                                         97
            1. The Consequences of yhe Bodhisayyva’s Vigor and Vows       97
            2. Vajragarbha Bodhisayyva’s Summarizing Verses                                97
               1. The Fourth Ground: The Blazing Brilliance Ground                               103
               2. The Fouryh Ground’s Inyroducyory Verses and Dharma Requesy            103
               3. Vajragarbha Commences yhe Fouryh Ground’s Explanayion                          104
               4. 10 Gayeways yo Dharma Lighy as Bases for Enyering yhe 4yh Ground   104
                  1. 10 Knowledge-Mayuring Dharmas for Biryh in yhe Buddhas’ Clan               104
                  2. The Bodhisayyva’s Pracyice of yhe 37 Enlighyenmeny Facyors                       105
                     1. The Four Syayions of Mindfulness 105
                        1. The Four Righy Efforys                   106
                        2. The Four Bases of Psychic Power   106
                           1. The Five Rooys                                  106
                           2. The Five Powers                                  106
                           3. The Seven Limbs of Enlightenment  107
                              1. The Eightfold Path                           107
                              2. The Bodhisayyva’s Ten Aims Underlying His 37 Facyors Pracyice                                                              107
                              3. The Bodhisayyva’s Leaving of Wrong Views, Ayyachmenys, and Acyions    108
                                 1. Menyal & Personal Qualiyies Gained in Payh Culyivayion                            108
                                 2. The Bodhisayyva’s Acquisiyion of Ten Kinds of Vigor                                        109
                                 3. Oyher Qualiyies Developed in yhe Bodhisayyva’s 4yh Ground Pracyice                                                                  109
                                 4. The Bodhisayyva’s Seeing and Serving of Counyless Buddhas                          109
                                    1. The Bodhisayyva’s Purificayion & Iys Comparison yo Refining Gold             110
                                    2. The Radiance of This Bodhisayyva’s Rooys Like Thay of a Maṇi jewel       110
                                    3. Vajragarbha’s Final Syayemenys Abouy yhe 4yh Ground Bodhisayyva                                                                  110
                                       1. The Bodhisayyva’s Syayion and Dharma Pracyice                                 110
                                          1. The Bodhisayyva’s Mindfulness        111
                                          2. The Bodhisayyva’s Aspirayion yo Serve Beings                                        111
                                             1. The Consequences of yhe Bodhisayyva’s Applicayion of Vigor                                                              111
                        3. Vajragarbha Bodhisayyva’s Summarizing Verses                              111
      2. The Fifth Ground: The Difficult-to-Conquer Ground                                   115
      3. The Fifyh Ground’s Inyroducyory Verses and Dharma Requesy             115
      4. Vajragarbha Begins yhe Fifyh Ground’s Explanayion                          116
      5. Ten Imparyial Resoluye Inyenyions Enabling Fifyh Ground Access          116
         1. The Bodhisayyvas’ Bases for Buddhahood and Irreversible Resolve                                                                  117
         2. The Bodhisayyva’s Knowledge of yhe Truyhs                                                      117

14                                                                    The Ten Grounds Sutra

1. The Bodhisayyva’s Resulyany Generayion of Compassion & Kindness                                                                  119
2. The Bodhisayyva’s Conyemplayion of yhe Causaliyy of Beings’ Plighy         119
3. The Bodhisayyva’s Compassionaye Dedicayion of Rooys of Goodness     120
4. The Fifyh Ground Bodhisayyva’s Qualiyies and Their Bases                   120
   1. The Meyhods Used by yhe Bodhisayyva in his Teaching of Beings                                                                  122
   2. The Bodhisayyva’s Adopyion of an Array of Means yo Benefiy Beings    122
   3. The Bodhisayyva’s Seeing and Serving of Counyless Buddhas                          123
   4. The Bodhisayyva’s Purificayion of Qualiyies and Rooys of Goodness    123
      1. Good Rooys Purificayion Like Refining Gold & Celesyial Phenomena                                                                  124
      2. Vajragarbha’s Final Syayemenys Abouy yhe 5yh Ground Bodhisayyva                                                                  124
         1. The Bodhisayyva’s Syayion and Dharma Pracyice                                 124
            1. The Bodhisayyva’s Mindfulness        124
            2. The Bodhisayyva’s Aspirayion yo Serve Beings                                        124
               1. The Consequences of yhe Bodhisayyva’s Vigor and Vows     125
               2. Vajragarbha Bodhisayyva’s Summarizing Verses                              125
      3. The Sixth Ground: The Direct presence Ground                                  131
      4. The Sixyh Ground’s Inyroducyory Verses and Dharma Requesy             131
      5. Vajragarbha Commences yhe Fifyh Ground’s Explanayion                          133
      6. The Ten Dharmas of Idenyiyy Enabling Access yo yhe Sixyh Ground              133
         1. 6yh Ground Enyry, Acquiesceny Payience, and Primacy of Compassion                                                                  133
         2. The Bodhisayyva’s Conyemplayion of Causaliyy in Cyclic Exisyence             134
            1. Conyemplayion of yhe Sequenyial Conyinuiyy of Causal Facyors       134
               1. The Bodhisayyva Conyemplayes yhe Definiyions of Causal Links            135
               2. The Bodhisayyva’s Conyemplayion of Mind as yhe Basis of Exisyence  136
                  1. The Conyemplayion of 2 Funcyions of Each Causal Chain Link             137
                  2. The Conyemplayion of Causal Chain Producyion and Desyrucyion                                                              138
                  3. Conyemplayion of The 12 Links’ associayion wiyh inseparabiliyy.    138
                     1. The Twelve Links As Consyiyuenys of Three Payhs                                   138
                     2. The Twelve Links’ Correlayion Wiyh yhe Three Periods of Time              139
                     3. The Twelve Links’ Correlayion Wiyh yhe Three Kinds of Suffering         139
                        1. Conyemplayion of yheir arising & ceasing by causes and condiyions 139
                        2. Conyemplayion of yheir creayion and desyrucyion of yhe Bonds      140
                        3. Conyemplayion of “uyyer nonexisyence” & “uyyer cessayion”                                                              140
                           1. A Summary Lisying of 10 Conyemplayions of yhe 12 Causal Facyors                                                140
                           2. The Bodhisayyva’s Acquisiyion of yhe Three Gayes yo Liberayion                  140
                        4. The Bodhisayyva’s Compassionaye Relucyance yo Enyer Final Nirvāṇa   141
                        5. The Bodhisayyva’s Samādhis Relayed yo yhe Three Gayes yo Liberayion     142
                        6. The Bodhisayyva’s Ten Types of Resoluye inyenyions                              142
                           1. 10 Consequences of yhe Bodhisayyva’s 10 Types of Resoluye inyenyions         143
                           2. The Bodhisayyva’s Prajñāpāramiyā Pracyice and Payience Acquisiyion    143
                           3. The Bodhisayyva’s Seeing and Serving of Counyless Buddhas                          143
                           4. Purifying Good Rooys Like Polishing Gold & Moonlighy’s Coolness          144
                              1. Vajragarbha’s Final Syayemenys Abouy yhe 6yh Ground Bodhisayyva                                                                  144
                                 1. The Bodhisayyva’s Syayion and Dharma Pracyice                                 144
                                    1. The Bodhisayyva’s Mindfulness        144

Contents                                                      15

1. The Bodhisayyva’s Aspirayion yo Serve Beings                                        145
   1. The Consequences of yhe Bodhisayyva’s Vigor and Vows     145
   2. Vajragarbha Bodhisayyva’s Summarizing Verses                              145
      1. The Seventh Ground: The Far-Reaching Ground                                  151
      2. The Sevenyh Ground’s Inyroducyory Verses and Dharma Requesy            151
      3. Vajragarbha Commences yhe Sevenyh Ground’s Explanayion                          152
      4. Ten Types of Sublime Pracyice Enabling Sevenyh Ground Access     152
         1. The Bodhisayyva’s Twenyy Kinds of Peneyraying Comprehension                154
         2. His Adopyion of Non-Discriminaying Mind & Mediyayive Pracyice            155
            1. His Pracyice of Ten Pāramiyās & Oyher Dharmas Leading yo Bodhi   156
            2. Vimukyicandra Asks Abouy yhe Perfecyion of Bodhyaṅga Dharmas  157
            3. Vajragarbha on yhe Perfecyion of Bodhyaṅgas on All Grounds              157
            4. Vimukyicandra Asks Abouy Transcendence of Afflicyions            158
               1. Vajragarbha Explains yhe Transcendence of Afflicyions            158
               2. Vajragarbha’s Cakravaryin Sage King Analogy                                                   158
               3. This Conquesy of Samādhis & Unproduced-Dharmas Payience          160
               4. Vimukyicandra: “Doesn’y yhe 1sy Ground Surpass yhe Two Vehicles?”  161
                  1. Vajragarbha: “In Aspirayion, Yes. By Viryue of Pracyice, Noy Yey”            161
                  2. Vajragarbha’s Analogy of a Prince Noy Yey Ascended yo Power             161
                     1. This Bodhisayyva’s Unique Pracyice & Resyrainy From Final Nirvāṇa           161
                     2. Vimukyicandra: “When Can One Enyer The Cessayion Samādhi?”      162
                     3. Vajragarbha: “From 6yh Ground On; Now He Enyers & Arises ay Will”    162
                     4. Vajragarbha Likens Pracyice To Sailing on yhe Open Ocean                 162
                     5. 10 Paradoxical Aspecys of yhe 7yh Ground Bodhisayyva’s Pracyice        162
                     6. The Bodhisayyva’s Seeing and Serving of Counyless Buddhas                          163
                     7. Good Rooys Purificayion Likened yo Gold Inlay and Sunlighy                      164
                     8. Vajragarbha’s Final Syayemenys Abouy yhe 7yh Ground Bodhisayyva                                                                  164
                        1. The Bodhisayyva’s Syayion and Dharma Pracyice                                 164
                           1. The Bodhisayyva’s Mindfulness        164
                           2. The Bodhisayyva’s Aspirayion yo Serve Beings                                        164
                              1. The Consequences of yhe Bodhisayyva’s Vigor and Vows     165
                              2. Vajragarbha Bodhisayyva’s Summarizing Verses                              165
      5. The Eighth Ground: The Immovability Ground                          171
      6. The Eighyh Ground’s Inyroducyory Verses and Dharma Requesy            171
      7. Vajragarbha Commences yhe Eighyh Ground’s Explanayion                          172
      8. 10 Accomplishmenys Associayed Wiyh Enyering yhe 8yh Ground                    172
         1. 10 Types of Comprehension Associayed Wiyh 8yh Ground Access                                                                  173
         2. The Unproduced Dharmas Payience Basis of “Profound Pracyice”            173
            1. “Profound Pracyice” Like a Monk wiyh Superknowledges & Dhyānas  174
            2. 8yh Ground Likened yo Awakening from a River-Fording Dream              174
            3. 8yh Ground Likened yo yhe Brahma World’s Absence of Afflicyions        174
            4. The Buddhas’ Manifesyayion Before yhe 8yh Ground Bodhisayyva            175
               1. The Buddhas’ Praise & Insyrucyions for yhe 8yh Ground Bodhisayyva    175
               2. The Imporyance of Buddhas’ Appearing yo 8yh Ground Bodhisayyvas                                        176
               3. The Reasons 8yh Ground Bodhisayyva Pracyices Are So Measureless            177

16                                                                    The Ten Grounds Sutra

1. This Bodhisayyva’s Pracyices Likened yo Sailing ouy onyo yhe Ocean          177
2. The Bodhisayyva’s Conyemplayion of Buddha’s All-Knowledge                     178
3. His Knowledge of Worlds’ Arising, Deyeriorayion, & Desyrucyion         178
   1. His Knowledge of yhe Four Elemenyal Phases                                 178
   2. His Knowledge of Ayoms’ Manifesyayions in Worlds and Beings                                                                  178
   3. His Knowledge of yhe Three Realms of Exisyence                                          179
   4. His Applicayion of Knowledge in Adapyive Biryhs To Teach Beings    180
   5. His Transcendence of Discriminayions & Knowledge of 10 Body Types       181
      1. The Bodhisayyva’s Manifesyayion of Differeny Bodies for Beings       181
         1. The Bodhisayyva’s Knowledge of Beings’ Bodies                                    182
         2. The Bodhisayyva’s Knowledge of yhe Bodies of Lands                                  182
            1. His Knowledge of Reyribuyion, 2-Vehicles, and Bodhisayyva Bodies                                                              183
            2. The Bodhisayyva’s Knowledge of Tayhāgayas’ Bodies                          183
            3. The Bodhisayyva’s Acquisiyion of Ten Kinds of Sovereign Masyery               183
            4. Ten Characyerisyic Aspecys of yhis Eighyh Ground Bodhisayyva             184
            5. Ten Types of Power in Which This Bodhisayyva Is Well Esyablished     185
               1. The Ten Names of this Eighth Bodhisattva Ground                              185
               2. Addiyional 8yh Ground Bodhisayyva Qualiyies and Pracyice Aspecys        186
                  1. The Bodhisayyva’s Seeing and Serving of Counyless Buddhas                          187
                  2. The Bodhisayyva’s Furyher Acquisiyion of Buddhas’ Dharma Lighy                                                        187
                     1. The Radiance of Good Rooys Likened yo a Sage King’s Adornmenys            187
                     2. This Bodhisayyva’s Radiance Like Thay of a Brahma Heaven King         188
                        1. Vajragarbha’s Final Syayemenys Abouy yhe 8yh Ground Bodhisayyva                                                                  188
                           1. The Bodhisayyva’s Syayion and Dharma Pracyice                                 188
                              1. The Bodhisayyva’s Mindfulness        188
                              2. The Bodhisayyva’s Aspirayion yo Serve Beings                                        189
                                 1. The Consequences of yhe Bodhisayyva’s Vigor and Vows     189
                                 2. Vajragarbha Bodhisayyva’s Summarizing Verses                              189
                                    1. The Ninth Ground: The Sublime Goodness Ground                                 195
                                    2. The Ninyh Ground’s Inyroducyory Verses and Dharma Requesy            195
                                    3. Vajragarbha Commences yhe Ninyh Ground’s Explanayion                          197
                                       1. Ten Earnesyly Pursued Endeavors Enabling Ninyh Ground Access        197
                                          1. This Bodhisayyva’s 10 Types of Realiyy-Based Knowledge of Karma 197
                        2. Ten Types of Realiyy-Based Knowledge of Enyangling Difficulyies                                                                  198
                        3. Ten Types of Realiyy-Based Knowledge of Beings’ Menyal Aspecys                                                                  198
                        4. His Realiyy-Based Knowledge of yhe Afflicyions’ Characyerisyics               199
                        5. His Realiyy-Based Knowledge of Characyerisyics of Karmic Acyions 200
                           1. His Realiyy-Based Knowledge of Characyerisyics of Beings’ Faculyies                                                                  201
                           2. His Knowledge of Beliefs, Sense Realms, and Resoluye Inyenyions     202
                           3. His Knowledge of Layeny Tendencies’ Characyerisyics                                      202
                           4. His Knowledge of Characyerisyics Associayed Wiyh Biryhs                     203
                           5. His Knowledge of Characyerisyics of Habiyual Karmic Propensiyies           203
                              1. His Knowledge of Those Fixed in Righy, in Wrong, or Unfixed              204
                              2. His Knowledge-Based Adapyive Teaching and Liberayion of Beings  205
                                 1. The Bodhisayyva’s Command of Four Types of Unimpeded Knowledge         206

Contents                                                      17

1. Ten Permuyayions of Experyise in yhe Four Unimpeded Knowledges  206
2. His Acquisiyion of Dhāraṇīs & Furyher Receipy of Buddhas’ Dharma                                                                  208
3. His Expounding on Dharma Throughouy a Greay Trichiliocosm   209
4. This Bodhisayyva’s Various Voice-Like Expressions in Teaching Beings 209
5. His Independeny Command of Counyless Simulyaneous Voices        210
6. The Bodhisayyva’s Vigor in Quesy of yhe Lighy of Knowledge                      211
7. The Bodhisayyva’s Seeing and Serving of Counyless Buddhas                          211
8. His Good Rooys’ Puriyy Like yhe Gold of a Cakravaryin’s Crown                  212
   1. His Good Rooys’ Puriyy Like a Brahma Heaven King’s Radiance      212
   2. Vajragarbha’s Final Syayemenys Abouy yhe 9yh Ground Bodhisayyva                                                                  212
      1. The Bodhisayyva’s Syayion and Dharma Pracyice                                 213
         1. The Bodhisayyva’s Mindfulness        213
         2. The Bodhisayyva’s Aspirayion yo Serve Beings                                        213
            1. The Consequences of yhe Bodhisayyva’s Vigor and Vows    213
            2. Vajragarbha Bodhisayyva’s Summarizing Verses                              213
   3. The Tenth Ground: The Dharma Cloud Ground                                        219
      1. The Tenyh Ground’s Inyroducyory Verses and Dharma Requesy            219
      2. Vajragarbha Commences yhe Tenyh Ground’s Explanayion                          221
      3. The Cayegories of Pracyice Before Enyering yhe Tenyh Ground               221
      4. This Bodhisayyva’s Subsequeny Acquisiyion of Samādhis                      222
      5. The Final Samādhi’s Manifesyayion of an Immense Radiany Loyus                223
         1. This Bodhisayyva Siys Ayop a Loyus Encircled by Reyinue Bodhisayyvas  223
         2. His Body Emanayes Lighy Illuminaying Ten Realms of Beings   223
         3. The Lighy Rays Form a Canopy Thay Makes Offerings yo All Buddhas      224
         4. The Lighy Rays Circle Around All Buddhas and Enyer Their Feey        225
            1. The 10 Regions’ Bodhisayyvas Come, Make Offerings & Enyer Samādhi     225
            2. They Emanaye Lighy from Their Chesys Thay Enyers His Chesy          225
            3. All Buddhas Send Foryh Lighy Thay Enyers This Bodhisayyva’s Crown    226
            4. This Bodhisayyva Acquires Samādhis and All Buddhas’ Consecrayion         226
               1. The Simile of yhe Consecrayion of yhe Wheel Turning Sage King’s Son 227
               2. The Capaciyies Arising From This Bodhisayyva’s Consecrayion             227
                  1. This Bodhisayyva’s Knowledge of Ayyainmenys                                         227
                  2. This Bodhisayyva’s Knowledge of Transformayion                                     228
                  3. This Bodhisayyva’s Knowledge of Susyaining Bases                                   229
                  4. This Bodhisayyva’s Knowledge of Subyleyies of Pracyice                          229
                  5. This Bodhisayyva’s Knowledge of yhe Tayhāgayas’ Secreys                            230
                  6. This Bodhisayyva’s Knowledge of yhe Inyerpeneyrayion of Kalpas                230
                  7. This Bodhisayyva’s Knowing of yhe Buddha’s Peneyraying Knowledge     231
                  8. This Bodhisayyva’s Acquisiyion of Counyless Liberayions                         232
                     1. This Bodhisayyva’s Samādhis, Dhāraṇīs, and Superknowledges         232
                     2. This Bodhisayyva’s Limiyless Memory Power                                                       232
                        1. His Limiyless Memory Compared yo yhe Ocean’s Limiyless Capaciyy        232
                        2. Vimukyicandra Asks Abouy yhe Limiys of This Bodhisayyva’s Memory          233
                        3. Vajragarbha’s Analogy yo Describe This Bodhisayyva’s Memory Power  233
                           1. The Dharma Cloud Bodhisayyva’s Greay Dharma Rain                              235

18                                                                    The Ten Grounds Sutra

1. This Bodhisayyva’s Use of Spiriyual Powers in Transforming Worlds         236
2. His Use of Powers in Manifesying Bodies & Supernayural Phenomena  236
3. The Congreganys Wonder: “Whay More Could Even a Buddha Do?”    238
4. Liberayion Moon Asks Vajragarbha for an Explanayion                               238
   1. Vajragarbha Enyers “The Nayure of All Buddha Lands Samādhi”             238
   2. Liberayion Moon Asks Abouy This Samādhi’s Name and Capaciyy          239
   3. He Asks: “Whay More Mighy a Buddha’s Powers Accomplish?”          240
   4. Vajragarbha Conyrasys a Few Clumps of Soil yo All Worlds                          240
   5. Vajragarbha Compares Many Bodhisayyvas’ Wisdom yo One Buddha’s                                                 241
      1. The Nayure of This Bodhisayyva’s Pracyice and Wisdom Lighy                241
         1. The Lighy of His Wisdom, Meriy, and Good Rooys Compared yo Gold        242
         2. The Radiance of This Bodhisayyva’s Wisdom Compared yo Gold                 242
         3. The Buddhas’ Ongoing Teaching of This Bodhisayyva                                 242
            1. Vajragarbha’s Final Syayemenys Abouy a 10yh Ground Bodhisayyva 243
               1. The Bodhisayyva’s Syayion and Dharma Pracyice                                 243
                  1. The Bodhisayyva’s Mindfulness        243
                  2. The Bodhisayyva’s Aspirayion yo Serve Beings                                        243
                     1. The Consequences of yhe Bodhisayyva’s Vigor and Vows     243
                     2. III.  The Final Summarizing Discussion of the Ten Grounds                                       244
                        1. His Evenyual All-Knowledge Likened yo Rivers’ Flow Inyo yhe Sea             244
                        2. The 10 Grounds’ Differences Likened yo Those of 10 Mounyain Kings                244
                           1. The Firsy Ground Compared yo yhe Snow Mounyain King                           244
                           2. The Second Ground Compared yo yhe Fragrance Mounyain King                  245
                           3. The Third Ground Compared yo yhe Khadira Mounyain King                      245
                              1. The 4yh Ground Compared yo yhe Rishis-and-Āryas Mounyain King      245
                        3. The Fifyh Ground Compared yo yhe Yugaṃdhara Mounyain King             245
                           1. The Sixyh Ground Compared yo yhe Horse Ear Mounyain King                  246
                        4. The Sevenyh Ground Compared yo yhe Nimindhara Mounyain King       246
                        5. The Eighyh Ground Compared yo yhe Cakravāda Mounyain King                246
                        6. The Ninyh Ground Compared yo yhe Manifold Signs Mounyain King        246
                           1. The Tenyh Ground Compared yo yhe Sumeru Mounyain King                        247
                        7. The 10 Grounds in All-Knowledge Likened yo Mounyains in yhe Sea  247
                     3. The Ten Grounds Compared yo Ten Aspecys of yhe Greay Ocean                247
                     4. The Ten Grounds Compared yo a Large Maṇi Jewel                                                248
   6. The Prerequisiye Condiyions for Hearing The Ten Grounds Teachings 249
   7. Liberayion Moon Asks: “How Much Meriy by Hearing This Teaching?        249
   8. Vajragarbha Explains Meriy and Imporyance of 10 Grounds Teaching 249
   9. The Auspicious Signs Thay Occurred When This Suyra’s Teaching Ended    250
      1. The Ten Direcyions’ Bodhisayyvas Ayyesy yo yhe Teaching’s Universaliyy                                                                    250
      2. Vajragarbha’s Summarizing Verses Augmenyed by yhe Buddha’s Powers  251

Translator’s Introduction

As a continuation of my efforts to bring forth translations of impor- tant bodhisattva path texts from the golden age of Classic Indian and Chinese Mahāyana Buddhism, I present here my English trans-

lation of The Ten Grounds Sutra (Daśabhūmika-sūtra) as translated into

Chinese from Sanskrit in the early 5^th century by Tripiṭaka Master

Kumārajīva with the assistance of Tripiṭaka Master Buddhayaśas. The subject of this scripture is the bodhisattva’s progress through ten “grounds,” “planes,” or “levels” of spiritual path cultivation as he ascends from his initial state as a common person ensconced in cyclic existence up to that of a fully enlightened buddha who has reached the utmost, right, and perfect enlightenment.

There is no agreement on the actual origin of this Ten Grounds Sutra text. According to the tradition, it was originally the “Ten Grounds” chapter of the immense Avataṃsaka Sutra, but later cir- culated independently as The Ten Grounds Sutra. A number of aca-

demics prefer to think that it was first an independently circulating

scripture which was only later included in the Avataṃsaka Sutra. In any case, in addition to the later Sanskrit, Tibetan, and Mongolian editions of this text, there are six relatively early surviving Chinese editions as follows:

Dharmarakṣa (c. 297), T 283;

Kumārajīva assisted by Buddhayaśas (c. 408–412 ce),¹ T 286; Buddhabhadra (c. 418–20 ce), as Avataṃsaka Sutra Ch. 22, T 278; Bodhiruci (c. 508–511 ce), embedded in Vasubhandu’s commen-

tary, T 1522;

Śikṣānanda (c. 695–699 ce), as Avataṃsaka Sutra Ch. 26, T 279; Śīladharma (c. 790 ce), T 287.

There have been several translations of this text into English in one or another of its classical contexts, as follows:

Megumu Honda from the Sanskrit of the Daśabhūmika-sūtra;²

Buddhist Text Translation Society (partial) of Śikṣānanda’s ren- dering of the Avataṃsaka Sutra’s Chapter 26;

Thomas Cleary, supposedly (but not really) from Śikṣānanda’s edition of the Avataṃsaka Sutra, this as Chapter 26 of his Flower Ornament Scripture.³

20                                                                    The Ten Grounds Sutra

The Megumu Honda translation was done in 1961–62 when he was still a student at Yale, and, although perhaps useful for beginning students of Sanskrit, its utility is diminished by the author’s early difficulties with both Sanskrit and English.

The BTTS effort is so far only a partial, consisting as it does of a translation of the first four of the ten grounds. I have been advised by a member of that translation team that, as of July, 2018, the tenta- tive publication date for the rest of the Ten Grounds chapter is still two or more years away.

Regarding this Ten Grounds Sutra itself, Thomas Cleary’s trans-

lation, although represented as a translation of Chapter 26 of

the Śikṣānanda edition of the Avataṃsaka Sutra, is instead appar- ently a loose translation of the P. L. Vaidya Sanskrit edition of the Daśabhūmika-sūtra.

Although there are other schemas describing the levels of cul- tivation through which one passes in cultivating the bodhisattva path, the “ten grounds” arrangement described in this text is really quite standard for the Classic Indian Mahāyana tradition. As listed in the introductory section of this chapter, these ten levels of prog- ress along the bodhisattva path are as follows:

1)    The Ground of Joyfulness (pramuditā);

2)    The Ground of Stainlessness (vimalā);

3)    The Ground of Shining Light (prabhākarī);

4)    The Ground of Blazing Brilliance (arciṣmati);⁴

5)    The Difficult-to-Conquer Ground (sudurjayā);

6)    The Ground of Direct Presence (abhimukhī);

7)     The Far-Reaching Ground (dūraṃgamā);

8)    The Ground of Immovability (acalā);

9)    The Ground of Excellent Intelligence (sādhumatī);⁵

10)     The Ground of the Dharma Cloud (dharma-megha).

Each of these grounds is correlated with the practice of one of these ten perfections:

The perfection of giving (dāna-pāramitā);

The perfection of moral virtue (śīla-pāramitā); The perfection of patience (kṣānti-pāramitā); The perfection of vigor (vīrya-pāramitā);

The perfection of dhyāna meditation (dhyāna-pāramitā); The perfection of wisdom (prajñā-pāramitā);

The perfection of skillful means (upāya-pāramitā);

Introduction                                                21

The perfection of vows (praṇidhāna-pāramitā); The perfection of powers (bala-pāramitā);

The perfection of knowledge (jñāna-pāramitā).

There are also other correlations between particular grounds and important bodhisattva skills and capacities. Examples include:

The four means of attraction on the first four grounds;

The thirty-seven enlightenment factors on the fourth ground; The four truths on the fifth ground;

The twelve links of conditioned arising on the sixth ground; The unproduced-dharmas patience on the eighth ground; The four unimpeded knowledges on the ninth ground.

According to this text, as the bodhisattva moves from one level to another in his cultivation of the ten grounds, he sees more and more buddhas, manifests more and more bodhisattva transforma- tion bodies attended by bodhisattva retinues, and appears as a bodhisattva king in higher and higher stations of existence. This bodhisattva kingship phenomenon begins with his appearance as a king over the continent of Jambudvīpa on the first ground after which he appears as a king over all four continents on the second ground, appears as a king of the Trāyastriṃśa Heaven on the third ground, and so forth, finally culminating with his appearance as a king of the Akaniṣṭha Heaven on the tenth ground.

There were a number of difficulties that I encountered in trans- lating this sutra from Chinese, most of which involve ambiguities in meaning introduced by the limitations of Chinese language in accurately reflecting Sanskrit technical term nuances. This prob- lem is well evidenced by the particular Chinese-language tech- nical term translations chosen by Kumārajīva. (The challenges I encountered in translating Śikṣānanda’s “Ten Grounds” chapter of the Avataṃsaka Sutra were nearly identical.) Fortunately, because I could consult the surviving Sanskrit edition, it was for the most part possible to trace the antecedent Sanskrit terms and then choose somewhat more accurate English technical term translations than would have resulted from simply trying to translate Kumārajīva’s terms directly from Chinese. Relative clarity in this matter was

aided somewhat by J. Rahder’s Glossary.⁶ Even though the P. L.

Vaidya Sanskrit edition dates from roughly a millennium after the

Śikṣānanda and Kumārajīva editions, I think it is still mostly valid

to rely on it for this purpose because, even as aspects of meaning at

22                                                                    The Ten Grounds Sutra

the sentence and paragraph level of the Sanskrit manuscript morph over time with each recopying or transcription from memory, tech- nical terms still tend to remain unchanged. The same cannot be said for the actual text of the scripture because we can readily observe very obvious differences between the Sanskrit edition and the very early Śikṣānanda and Kumārajīva editions.

The first and most obvious problem is the difficulty which the Chinese translations have in reliably reflecting the difference between technical terms such as jñāna (knowledge, cognition, etc.) and prajñā (wisdom). In an ideal translation world, Kumārajīva and

Śikṣānanda would have very rigorously stuck with simply zhi (智) for “jñāna / knowledge” and zhihui (智慧) for “prajñā / wisdom,” but this is not the case, especially in the translation of verse lines where

the need for extreme economy in composing Chinese 5- or 7-char- acter verse lines where it often became necessary to shorten zhi- hui (智慧) to simply zhi (智), thereby accidentally obscuring for the Chinese reader the difference between “wisdom” and “knowledge.”

I found that this problem was fairly easily overcome through con-

sulting the Sanskrit.

Other technical terms which initially produced difficulties due to the widely varying and sometimes deceptive Chinese transla- tions were adhyāsaya (usually “higher aspirations,” etc.), āśaya (usually “intentions,” “resolute intentions,” “dispositions,” “incli- nations,” etc.), and adhimukti (usually “resolute beliefs,” “resolute faith,” “convictions,” etc.). Had I not closely tracked the Sanskrit text, it would have been nearly impossible to accurately translate these terms and preserve their distinctions.

Due to the particular need of specialists and advanced students to closely track and distinguish technical terms and other issues such as these, I have embedded the alphabetical Sanskrit section headings of the P. L. Vaidya Sanskrit edition These very helpful alphabetical section markers originate with Johannes Rahder who embedded them in his 1923 and 1926 editions of the Daśabhūmika- Sūtra.⁷ In all cases I have placed these alphabetical section headings within the texts in bolded reduced-font “curly brackets” or “braces” as follows: {A}, {B}, {AA}, etc.

In bringing forth this translation, I making no claims to absolute accuracy. Though I have been assisted by critical comments from about a half dozen colleagues, it is still possible that there is room for improvement even after going through the manuscript so many

Introduction                                                23

times. I hope that readers who notice errors or infelicities will favor me with constructive email criticism via the Kalavinka website. I hope that this edition will at least encourage a deeper study of this text by students of the Dharma.

Bhikshu Dharmamitra

Seattle

July 4, 2019

Introduction Endnotes

1. Citing Kusugai, Richard Robinson (Early Mādhyamika in India and China, p. 76) says that Kumārajīva is said to have “procrastinated about starting work on the Daśabhūmika until Buddhayaśas joined

him in the undertaking.” Buddhayaśas arrived in Chang’an in 408,

so the translation must date from around that time.

1. Sinor, D., Raghu Vira, Honda, Megumu, & Permanent International Altaistic Conference. (1968). Studies in South, East, and Central Asia

: Presented as a memorial volume to the late Professor Raghu Vira (Śata-

piṭaka series ; v. 74). New Delhi: International Academy of Indian

Culture.

1. Cleary, T. (1984). The Flower Ornament Scripture : A Translation of the Avatamsaka Sutra. Boulder : [New York]: Shambhala Publications

; Distributed in the U.S. by Random House.

1. SA,SD, and Prajñā all translate the name of this bhūmi as “the Ground of Blazing Intelligence” (焰慧地). This appears to be the result of an error arising from misinterpreting the Sanskrit name (arciṣmatī) by mistaking a suffix indicating possession (-mat modified to agree with the feminine noun bhūmi to become -matī) for a completely unrelated word that means “intelligence,” “intellect,” “mind” (mati). (BB, BR, KB, and the Tibetan all recognize –matī as a possessive suf- fix and hence accord with the Sanskrit meaning.) I have chosen to “bridge” the problem by translating the name of this ground as “the Ground of Blazing Brilliance” in order to allow both meanings the be reflected in the word “blazing” and thus more or less accurately translate both the (seemingly erroneous) SA translation and the cor- rect meaning of the Sanskrit.
   1. There seem to be two distinctly different understandings of the meaning of this ground:

DR, SA, BB, BR, SD, and Prajñā all translate the name of this bhūmi as “the Ground of Excellent Intelligence” (善慧地). DR translates that same meaning slightly differently: (善哉意). The Tibetan translation also corresponds to this with “the Ground of Excellent Insight“ (legs

pa’i blo gros). Strictly speaking, one could infer that most of these ren- derings appear be the result of an error arising from misinterpret- ing the Sanskrit name (sādhumatī) by mistaking a suffix indicating possession (-mat modified to agree with the feminine noun bhūmi to become -matī) for a completely unrelated word that means “intel- ligence,” “intellect,” or “mind” (mati).