Translator’s Introduction
The Bodhicitta-sastra (Taisho vol. 32, no. 1665) is extant only in Chinese translation. Although tradition attributes its composition to the legendary tantric Nagarjuna and asserts that it was translated by Amoghavajra (705-774), I believe that Amoghavajra was its actual composer. This is a Buddhist tantric text and constitutes one of the most important sastras in the formulation of the Shingon theory of human-buddha integration. The term “human-buddha integration,” which first appears in this sastra, called zhi shen chengfo in Chinese and sokushin jobutsu in Japanese, literally means “the body, just as it is, is that of the Buddha.” This sastra claims that human-buddha integration is possible because bodhicitta (the wisdom of knowing the true nature of self, i.e., that the self is a product of emptiness)1 is shared by both sentient beings and the Buddha, who in this case is Dharmakaya Mahavairocana, the personification of emptiness.
The term bodhicitta, however, is interpreted differently in the kengyo (exoteric) tradition, the teachings revealed by the historical Buddha, Sakyamuni, and the mikkyo, esoteric teachings revealed by Dharmakaya Mahavairocana. For example, the Huayan jing (Avatamsaka-sutra), a kengyo text, conceives of bodhicitta as the cause (inbun) of enlightenment, attested to in the story of the legendary Sudhanasresthi-daraka going through the fifty-three stages to realize enlightenment. The Bodhicitta-sastra conceives of bodhicitta as a property inherent in the minds of all sentient beings and verifies this supposition through bodhisattva practice the practice to enlighten others. Nonetheless, the inherent bodhicitta needs to be awakened. The awakening process is described in five stages:⑴ understanding bodhicitta, (2) cultivating that understanding, (3) realizing the union between Mahavairocana and sentient beings, i.e., mental union, (4) realizing physical union, and (5) realizing bodhi, supreme enlightenment. The five stages actually refer to the meditative process to realize the cultivation of bodhicitta. These stages are described symbolically in terms of the sixteen waxing phases of the moon.
In examining the Bodhicitta-sastra, three questions that require clarification arise: First, it was said that Dharmakaya Mahavairocana is the personification of emptiness. What does this mean? It should be noted here that the Bodhicitta- sastra is a tantric text, and expresses concepts symbolically. Mahavairocana is conceived of as a creator in the sense that emptiness is the source of creation. Creation refers to co-arising. Hence, the term “Dharmakaya Mahavairocana” specifically represents the personification of the dharma dhatu, the realm of the Dharma, which is the co-arising of emptiness. Second, what is the difference between bodhicitta and tathagatagarbha (lit., “womb of the buddha”)？ Both terms mean the same insofar as they presuppose that the potential for enlightenment exists within the makeup of human consciousness. In fact, the text employs the terms bodhicitta and tathagatagarbha interchangeably. But while the history of the development of tathagatagarbha thought is clear,2 that of bodhicitta thought is not. That is, when and where did the term bodhicitta originate? Under what historical circumstances did it evolve into Mahayana thought? And what doctrinal circumstances led to differentiating the kengyo and mikkyd interpretations of bodhicitta?
It is clear that Kukai, the founder of the Japanese esoteric tradition, Shingon, derived his integration theory from this sastra. Finally, does this teaching in this text represent a gradual or a sudden doctrine?3 What characterizes this sastra is the term zhi, rendered as soku (as in the Japanese term sokushin jdbutsu). This is a synergistic term, meaning that through insight into bodhicitta the practitioner realizes human-buddha integration suddenly, while the awakening and cultivation of that insight occurs more gradually.
The Bodh ici tta-sastra
The treatise on the awakening of supreme enlightenment (bodhicitta)
through yogic practices, based on the Vajrasekhara-sutra;
also known as the essence of cultivating and upholding
the meditative practices for awakening bodhicitta,
based on the teachings of yoga-dharana.
Translated by the Tripitaka master Sramana Amoghavajra,
a provincial chancellor, who was the examiner of state
ceremonies, endowed with the meritorious rank equal to
that of the three ministers (the Prime Minister and his two
officials), and was the Duke of Su with the income of a
district of three thousand households; he supervised civil
matters, and upon him was bestowed the purple robe;
he was entitled Daguangzhi (Extensive Wisdom) of
Daxingshan Monastery and was posthumously
called Dajian (Great Mirror).
[Chapter I]
[Introduction]
Acarya Daguangzhi says:
[1. Awakening]
If there is a person of superior faculties and superior knowledge, he should not seek the Dharma of non-Buddhists or of the two lesser vehicles (i.e., of the sravakas and pratyekabuddhas). He should instead be magnanimous, courageous, unafflicted, cultivate the buddha vehicle, and arouse this kind of thought:
I desire to seek the most supreme enlightenment and do not seek other attainments.
[2. The Merits Acquired as the Result of Awakening]
Because the mental state of this vow is steadfast, the palace of Mara trembles and the buddhas of the ten quarters recognize it; and, constantly abiding in the realms of gods and humans and experiencing supreme delight, the practitioner does not forget this vow but remembers it wherever he is born. He vows to perfect the bodies of bodhicitta through yoga (i.e., to realize union with bodhisattvas by meditating on the mandala). This state of realization is called the awakening of bodhicitta because these deities are all the same as the body of Mahavairocana Buddha.
[3. Practice]
One who covets fame or rank produces that kind of thought and acts so as to attain it; one who seeks wealth produces that kind of thought and acts so as to attain it; and one who wills to do good or evil entertains that kind of thought and accomplishes what he has willed. Therefore, one who seeks bodhi should awaken bodhicitta and cultivate bodhi practices. Having awakened [bodhicitta],
one should then know the marks of those practices. The marks are of three kinds. Now, the buddhas and bodhisattvas—who in the past, while abiding in the causal realm of enlightenment, having aroused the thought [of bodhicitta]—regarded: (1) supreme truth (Skt. paramartha-satya), (2) vow, and
(3) samadhi as their guiding principles, at no time forgetting them in the course of realizing buddhahood. They realized “buddhahood in the present body” (Jp. sokushin jobutsu) through the Mantra Dharma alone. This Dharma is called Samadhi Dharma (i.e., the Dharma realized in samadhi). It is missing in other schools and is not spoken of by them. We shall discuss first the vow, second supreme truth, and third samadhi.
[Chapter II]
[Vow]
[1. Definition]
First, vow: the practitioner should constantly embrace this kind of thought:
I will bring benefit and peace to all sentient beings of the world without leaving any behind, observing them in the ten directions as if they were myself.
The term “benefit” means exhorting all sentient beings and enabling them to abide peacefully in the realm of supreme enlightenment, never trying to save them by means of the Dharma of the two vehicles.
[2. Tathagatagarbha ]
The mantra practitioner should know that all sentient beings are endowed with the nature of the tathagatagarbha (buddha-nature) and are capable of abiding peacefully in supreme enlightenment. Therefore the mantra practitioner does not employ the Dharma of the two vehicles to cause sentient beings to be saved. Thus the Avatamsaka-sutra says, “There is not a single sentient being who is not endowed with the wisdom of the Tathagata.” But because of delusion, distortions, and attachment, sentient beings do not realize enlightenment. If they part from delusion, then knowledge of all particulars, spontaneous knowledge, and unobstructed knowledge are readily at hand.
[3. Peace of Mind]
“Peace of mind” means that because a practitioner already understands that all sentient beings will ultimately realize buddhahood, he would not dare to be arrogant. Furthermore, through the teaching of great compassion, he takes the most appropriate means to bring about the ultimate salvation of all sentient beings. He offers what is sought by them, even his own life,
unsparingly, to enable them to live in peace and to bring joy to them. Since he is already intimate with them, sentient beings will have confidence in his words. It is indeed through intimacy that guidance is possible. Even if
573a sentient beings are ignorant, they should not be coerced into salvation. A mantra practitioner should lead them by skill-in-means.
[Chapter III]
[Supreme Truth]
[1. Definition]
Second, supreme truth refers to the insight that all dharmas are without essence. Why do they lack an essence?
[2. Ordinary People]
Ordinary people are attached to fame, profit, and the necessities of life; they devote themselves to achieving material security and recklessly indulge in the three poisons and five desires. The mantra practitioner should truly abhor and abandon these notions and practices.
[3. Non-Buddhist Religious
Practitioners]
The non-Buddhist practitioners are attached to their own lives: with the aid of drugs they attain life in the palace of the immortals. Some consider rebirth in heaven to be the ultimate. The mantra practitioner should observe the nonBuddhist’s view of salvation as follows: even if karmic forces are exhausted, one cannot part from the triple world because the afflictions remain to be extinguished, the seeds of retribution from the past are not destroyed, and evil thoughts repeatedly arise. Thus non-Buddhists sink into the ocean of suffering from where it is difficult to escape. You should know that the Dharma of the non-Buddhists is like an illusion, a dream, or a flickering flame.
[4. Followers of the
Two Vehicles]
Of the followers of the two vehicles, sravakas cling to the Dharma of the four truths while pratyekabuddhas cling to the Dharma of twelve-stage causation (pratttyasamutpada). Realizing that the four elements (earth, water, fire, and wind) and the five aggregates (skandhas) will ultimately be destroyed,
they arouse a profound distaste for them: they destroy the notion of the reality of self and cultivate the original Dharma, eventually attaining their due level of realization—arriving to great nirvana and regarding this as the ultimate destination.
The mantra practitioner should thus observe: though the followers of the two vehicles destroy the notion of the reality of self, they still cling to the notion of the reality of dharmas, and although they purify their minds (manas), they do not understand anything beyond that. Further, by realizing the fruit [of their respective paths]—the product of eons of practices—and by destroying both body and mind, they end up reaching nirvana, which is like a vast empty space, deep and tranquil. Those of determined nature (sravakas andpratyeka- buddhas) find it difficult to awaken [bodhicitta and are] only able to give rise to it after completing the full term of kalpas. Those of indeterminate nature do not speak of kalpa limits. Meeting the proper conditions they directly convert to the Mahayana, depart from the “city of mirage,” and transcend the triple world because of their long-developed faith in the Buddha. And through the skill-in-means of buddhas and bodhisattvas and through skill-in-means, they will finally awaken the great mind. From the ten stages of faith—going through the following stages and passing through the time of three incalculable kalpas of arduous practices—they will realize buddha- hood. It is already clear that the wisdom of sravakas and pratyekabuddhas is inferior and is not to be indulged in.
[5. Mahayana Practitioners]
Furthermore, among sentient beings, there are those who are awakened to the Mahayana and carry out bodhisattva practices, leaving no Dharma practice uncultivated. They practice through three incalculably long kalpas, observing the six perfections and innumerable bodhisattva practices to the fullest extent, and then realize the buddha fruit. These are graded practices that require a considerable span of time.
The mantra practitioner, having observed the limits of the former, again gives rise to the motivation to bring benefit and comfort to all sentient beings in their worlds without leaving anyone behind. By the determination generated from his great compassion, he permanently transcends the sphere of the practices of the non-Buddhists and the followers of two vehicles. He furthermore
cultivates the supreme teachings of yoga that enable entry into buddhahood directly from the level of an ordinary person. Thus he transcends the bodhisattva stages. He also deeply understands that all dharmas are without essence. Why do they lack an essence? The gist of this was explained above.
[6. Refutation of the Reality
of Dharmas]
Now, the Dharma of the lost way arises from deluded conceptualization, and continues to develop. This brings about immeasurable and limitless afflictions and transmigration through the six destinies. If one awakens, deluded conceptualizations are terminated and various dharmas are extinguished. Therefore they lack self-nature. Furthermore, the compassion of buddhas arises from the truth to save and embrace sentient beings. Like a physician who prescribes the most appropriate medicine for a disease, the Buddha bestows various teachings according to [various beings’ capacities] and each affliction receives its own antidote. But just as someone would employ a raft to reach the other shore but would abandon it once they have reached that shore, we should likewise abandon the Dharma that enabled us to conquer delusion, because dhar- mas have no essence. As the Mahdvairocandbhisambodhi-sutra says, '“Dharmas are without marks. Their marks are the marks of empty space.”4 The realization of this state of understanding is called the supreme bodhi.
[7. The Emptiness of
Dharmas]
You should know that all dharmas are empty of an essence. Why? Having realized that dharmas are originally unarisen, the essence of the mind is automatically thus. Hence, not having the view of body and mind, one abides in quiescent equality, the cognition the ultimate truth, which disallows retrogression. If delusion does arise, one would recognize it but would not follow it; when delusion ceases, the mind as the source of all dharmas will become void. Here myriad virtues are perfected and their marvelous function is infinite. Therefore the buddhas of the ten directions consider the supreme truth and practice of the vow as their discipline. Those equipped with this state of mind are capable of turning the Dharma wheel and bringing benefits to both themselves and others.
[8. Canonical Sources]
Thus the Avatamsaka-sutra says:
Compassion is the light and wisdom is its guiding principle, the two merge as skill-in-means.
In the purified mind of faith-and-understanding, there is the immeasurable power of the Tathagata.
Unobstructed knowledge manifests:
This knowledge is self-realized, not acquired through the aid of others.
All complete, he is identical with the Tathagata, having awakened to the supreme state.
If a child of the Buddha awakens for the first time, with a precious jewel-mind such as this,
He will surpass the stage of ordinary people and enter the level of buddha practices.
He is born in the household of the Tathagata, an infallible clan.
He is equal to the buddhas,
and, at the end, he will perfect supreme bodhi.
Having realized this state, even slightly, he enters the stage of joy, pramudita.
His mind immovable,
he is like the king of a great mountain.4
The Avatamsaka-sutra further says, “In each ground (bhumi), from the first ground up to the tenth ground, great compassion is the base.”6
The Amitayurdhyana-sutra says, “Buddha-mind is the great compassion.”7
The Nirvana-sutra says, “O Cunda, though your body is of mortals, your mind is the same as buddhas.”8 It further says:
The Medicine King, the Buddha, pities the beings of the world;
His body and wisdom are tranquil.
Within the Dharma of no-self, he realizes the true self;
Therefore I pay homage to the Supreme One.
Having awakened, there is no distinction
between initial and ultimate enlightenment.
Between the two, it is initial enlightenment that is difficult.
For not yet having enlightened oneself, one is supposed to
enlighten others.
Thus I pay homage to initial awakening.
If one has realized initial awakening, he is the master of gods and
humans, surpassing the sravaka and pratyekabuddha.
This type of awakening transcends the triple world.
Therefore it is called “unsurpassed.”9
The Mahavairocanabhisambodhi-sutra says, “Bodhicitta is the cause,
compassion its root, and skill-in-means its end result.”10
[Chapter IV]
[Samadhi]
[1. Definition]
Third, samadhi: How should a mantra practitioner, having thus contemplated,
realize supreme bodhi?
[2. The Meditation
on the Moon]
You should know that all beings inherently dwell in the great enlightenment of Samantabhadra Bodhisattva, [who represents the attributes of bodhicitta]; that though they are endowed with bodhicitta, they are also bound by the afflictions of greed, hatred, and delusion; that through the great compassion of the buddhas—who, through their wisdom of skill-in-means, teach this profound secret yoga—the practitioner is able to meditate on the discs of the sun and moon within his mind.
Through this meditation, he sees his original state of mind (bodhicitta), which is tranquil and pure like the light of a full moon covering space without discrimination. This state of mind is called complete enlightenment (the perfection of the cognizes); it is also called pure dharma dhatu (the perfection of the cognized); and it is also called the sea of the perfection of the wisdom of reality (the union of the cognize and the cognized). Its ability in samadhi to contain a variety of immeasurable precious jewels is like a full moon’s ability to contain its pureness and brilliance.
Why? Because all beings are endowed with the mind of Samantabhadra: one sees one’s own mind like the disc of the moon.
Why is the disc of the moon employed as a simile? Because a perfect full moon is like bodhicitta. The moon disc has sixteen phases. This is a metaphor for the sixteen bodhisattvas, from Vajrasattva to Vajrasamdhi, realized in yoga.
[3. The Five Buddhas]
Among the thirty-seven deities [of the Vajradhatu Mandala], each buddha of
the five quarters represents one type of cognition. The five buddhas are:
(1) Aksobhya Buddha of the east. He is also called “indestructible cognition” (vajra-jnana) because he perfects mirrorlike cognition (adarsa-jndna).
(2) Ratnasambhava Buddha of the south. He is also called “investiture cognition” (abhiseka-jndna) because he perfects the cognition of equality (samata-jnana).
(3) Amitabha Buddha of the west. He is also called “lotus cognition” (padma-jndna) because he perfects the cognition that deals with discriminative observation (pratyaveksand-jndna). He is also called the “cognition that turns the Dharma wheel” (dharmacakra-pravartana-jndna).
(4) Amoghasiddhi Buddha of the north. He is also called the “cognition of perfecting all works” (karma-jndna), i.e., the cognition to implement insight into practice (krtydnusthdna-jndna).
(5) Mahavairocana Buddha of the center. He is the fundamental buddha because he represents the cognition of the world of Dharma (dharmadhdtu).
[4. The Four Paramita-
bodhisattvas]
From the four buddha-cognitions (i.e., the first four buddha-cognitions) emanate the four perfecting [pdramitd-]bodhisattvas [who are offered to the fifth buddha, Mahavairocana]. The fourpdramitd-bodhisattvas of Mahavairocana are: (1) Vajra[-paramita], (2) Ratna[-paramita], (3) Dharma[-paramita], and (4) Karma[-paramita].
They are the mothers who give birth to and nurture all deities of the three time periods.
[5. The Sixteen Maha-
bodhisattvas]
From here, the vow hand gestures (mudrds) are perfected and the four buddhas emanate from Dharmadhatu Mahavairocana. Each buddha of the four quadrants embraces four bodhisattvas:
(1) Aksobhya Buddha of the east embraces the four bodhisattvas Vajra- sattva, Vajraraja, Vajravasin, and Vajrasadhu.
(2) Ratnasambhava Buddha of the south embraces Vajraratna, Vajraprabha, Vajraketu, and Vajrahasa.
(3) Amitabha Buddha of the west embraces Vajradharma, VajratTksna, Vajrahetu, and Vajrabhasa.
(4) Amoghasiddhi Buddha of the north embraces Vajrakarma, Vajraraksa, Vajradamstra, and Vajrasamdhi.
Each of the buddhas of the four quarters thus embraces four bodhisattvas, making a total of sixteen great [maha-]bodhisattvas.
Of the thirty-seven deities, excluding the five buddhas, the fourparamita- bodhisattvas [of Mahavairocana], the four samgraha-bodhisattvas [Vajrankusa, Vajrapasa, Vajrasphota, and Vajravesa, offered to the four buddhas by Mahavairocana,] and the eight pw/a-bodhisattvas [Vajradhupa, Vajrapuspa, Vajraloka, Vajragandha, Vajralasya, Vajramala, VajragTta, and Vajranritya, offered to the four buddhas by Mahavairocana]—of which the last two groups (i.e., the four samgraha-bodhisattvas and the eightpw/a-bodhisattvas) are a later development—we are thus talking about the sixteen bodhisattvas encompassed by the buddhas of the four quarters. So the Mahdprajnapdramita- sWtra says:
There are sixteen meanings of emptiness—from the emptiness of the six sense organs and the six sense fields (adhyatma-sunyata) to the emptiness of self-nature and the emptiness of the emptiness of self-nature (abhava-
[6. The Sixteen Phases of the
Moon and Their Implication
in Meditation]
There is an essence of purity, fully prepared to perform practices, in the mind of all sentient beings. This essence is extremely subtle, pure, and bright. Though it transmigrates within the six destinies (gati), it does not change, like the light-essence that does not change in any one of the sixteen phases of the moon. A part of the light of the moon is absorbed by the sun, such as at the time of the new moon; at that time, the nature of its light is not manifested, but afterward the moon arises, increasing its brightness day by day, until it reaches fullness after the fifteenth day.
Therefore, a meditation practitioner should first arouse the essence of brightness (bodhicitta), which is inherent in the mind by meditating on the
syllable “A ”; and he should gradually purify and brighten it and realize the ultimate cognition of non-arising (adyanutpada-jnana).
[7. The Meaning of the
Syllable “A”]
The syllable “A ” signifies that all dharmas are originally non-arisen. In interpreting the syllable “A, ” the commentary on the Mahavairocanabhisam- bodhi-sutra gives five meanings:
(1) The syllable “A ” signifies the thought of enlightenment, bodhicitta.
(2) The syllable “A” signifies the practice: for realizing enlightenment, bodhi.
(3) The syllable “AM” signifies the realization of enlightenment.
(4) The syllable “AH” signifies supreme enlightenment, parinirvana.
(5) The syllable “AH” signifies wisdom complete with skill-in-means. Furthermore, we can match the meaning of the syllable “A” with the
words “to reveal,” “to indicate,” “to realize,” and “to enter”^terms found in the Lotus Sutra.
(1) “To reveal” means to reveal the Buddha’s wisdom-based view, that is, to reveal his bodhi and nirvana as in the case of the syllable “A, ” which signifies the thought of enlightenment (bodhicitta).
(2) “To indicate” means to indicate the Buddha’s wisdom, as in the case of the syllable “A,” which signifies practice, the indicator of bodhi.
574b (3) “To realize” means to realize the Buddha’s wisdom, as in the case of
the syllable “AM, ” which signifies the realization of bodhi.
(4) “To enter” means to enter the realm of the Buddha’s wisdom, which signifies nirvana. It refers to “all-complete perfection” and corresponds to the syllable “AH,” meaning the perfection of the wholesome skill-in-means.
[8. The Practice of Meditation
on the Syllable “A”]
The meditation on the syllable “A” is designed to praise the essence of that syllable—symbolizing the five inherent meanings of bodhicitta. This statement of praise is described in verse as follows:
The eight-petal white lotus is within easy reach; the syllable “A” manifests its pure brilliance.
The mudra with hands placed together incorporates both meditation and wisdom.
It invites the tranquil wisdom of the Tathagata.12
One who encounters the syllable “A ” should meditate on it with true determination and contemplate on the perfect brilliance of pure consciousness: if one sees it just for a moment, he is the one who has realized supreme truth; if one constantly sees it, he will enter the first bodhisattva stage (bhumi); if this vision gradually increases, then it pervades the limits of the dharmadhatu, and becomes equal to space, he would be at perfect liberty, complete with knowledge of all particulars. The one who cultivates yogic contemplation should cultivate the practices of the three mysteries in all detail and realize the essence of the five stages to realize buddhahood.
[9. The Three Mysteries
and the Five Stages to
realize Buddhahood]
The three mysteries are:
(1) Physical action (kaya-guhya): performing mudras to summon the hosts of deities.
(2) Vocal action (vag-guhya): chanting mantras, making each word completely clear and understanding them without error.
(3) Mental action (mano-guhya): abiding in yoga, coming into union with the pure moon that has reached its fullness, and meditating on bodhicitta.
The five stages to realize buddhahood are:
(1) The stage of penetration, becoming aware of bodhicitta.
(2) The stage of cultivating bodhicitta.
(3) The stage of perfecting the va/ra-mind, the realization of the union of “knower” and “known.”
(4) The stage of perfecting the va/ra-body, the realization of the physical union of a human being and the Buddha.
(5) The stage of realizing the supreme bodhi and the attainment of the adamantine body.
If one has completed these stages, one has perfected the body of the presiding deity.
[Chapter V]
[Enlightenment]
What is fully revealed [in one’s body and mind] is the body and mind of Samantabhadra. What is fully realized is identical to what the buddhas of the ten directions have realized. Though the period of time required for practice and realization might differ throughout the ages when one awakens, there should be no concept of time: the mind of an ordinary person is like a closed lotus bud and the mind of the Buddha is like a blooming lotus bud. If this meditation is perfected, all things within the ten directions, whether pure or defiled, as well as the distinction between sentient beings of the six destinies, between the practices of the three vehicles, among the processes from creation down to destruction of the worlds of the three time periods, between various kinds of karma of sentient beings, among the marks of the causal aspect of bodhisattva practices, and among the buddhas of the three time periods—all will be revealed and one will realize the body of the Buddha and fulfill all the practices and vows of Samantabhadra. Therefore the Maha- vairocanabhisambodhi-sutra says, “The true state of mind such as this is what the past buddhas have proclaimed.”12
Question: It was said that because the adherents of the two vehicles cling to dharmas, they do not realize buddhahood. Now, one is encouraged to cultivate bodhicitta and samadhi. What is the difference?
Answer: Because the adherents of the two vehicles cling to the notion of the reality of dharmas, they will consummate this kind of meditation only after a long period; they will remain submerged in the realm of emptiness and stagnate in the realm of tranquility; they would be limited by kalpa requirements as a condition to enlightenment. But they would subsequently be awakened to this great state of realization riding through the gate of the practices of goodness in a distracted state (the exoteric approach), they will pass through innumerable kalpas. For these reasons, these practices should be abandoned. They should not be relied upon.
Now, though the mantra practitioner already has rejected the reality of self and dharmas and has acquired the wisdom to correctly see reality, he is, nevertheless, incapable of realizing the Tathagata’s knowledge of all-knowledge, because of the separation from his original nature from beginningless time. He therefore seeks the profound path, practices the three mysteries in due order, and enters the buddha stage from the stage of an ordinary person. The meditation of the Mantra Dharma enables the practitioner to penetrate the true nature of the buddhas, to be aware of the true nature (dharmakaya) of the buddhas, to realize the wisdom of the world of dharmas (dharma- dhatu-svabhava-jnana), and to perfect four aspects of Mahavairocana Buddha—dharmakaya, the truth body; sambhogakaya, the means body; nir- manakaya, the historically transformed body; and nisyandakaya, the body that enters the six destinies in order to save all beings. The practitioner who has not yet observed the meditation of the Mantra Dharma would not gain these insights. Therefore one should cultivate the understanding of the Mantra Dharma.
Hence, the Mahavairocanabhisambodhi-sutra says, “Perfection originates from the mind.”14
The Vajrasekhara-sutra says:
When Sarvarthasiddha Bodhisattva first sat in the vajra-seat and attained the supreme path, he was endowed with the state of the buddhas and realized its fruition.15
If someone at the present time, with determination, practices the teachings as prescribed by the Mantra school, the content of this meditation would be revealed to him even without his leaving his seat and he would perfect the body of the Buddha.
Therefore the Mahavairocana-sutra, in the “Chapter on the Rites of Worship” says,
If the practitioner’s strength does not increase, he should dwell in the realm of the Mantra Dharma and only meditate on bodhicitta.
The Buddha explained that embodied in [the Mantra Dharma] are ten thousand virtues that enable the practitioner to gain insight into the Dharma of bodhicitta.16
This is because bodhicitta is able to contain the virtues of all buddhas. If this bodhicitta is realized through practice, the practitioner will then become the master of all teachings; if he returns to the realm of inherent enlightenment, he will dwell in the buddha land of mysterious adornment. Without arising from his seat, he would perfect all buddha works.
Bodhicitta is praised as follows: if a person who seeks the wisdom of the Buddha realizes bodhicitta, with the body born of his father and mother, he will immediately realize the state of great enlightenment (mahabodhi).
Notes
1 The Mahavairocana-sutra, T.1564.30:1c.
2 See Jikido Takasaki, Nyoraizo shiso no keisei (Tokyo: Shunjusha, 1974).
3 The terms “gradual” and “sudden” were conceived of in fifth-century China, after Kumarajlva had translated many Mahayana sutras. The Chinese, faced with the task of sorting out the mass of texts, developed the panjiao system of classifying and evaluating the contents of these texts. The panjiao systematizers conceived of the limits of the gradual approach and the superiority of sudden approach. The gradual approach relies on reason and inference, establishes proposition, and subjects it to a philosophical critique in order to validate its truth-claim, while the sudden approach relies on intuition and direct cognition and validates its truth-claim experientially.
4 T.848.18:1c5.
5 T.279.10:184a4-13.
6 This phrase, as presented here, cannot be located in the Huayan jing (Avatamsaka- sutra).
7 T.365.12:343c2.
8 T.374.12:372b26-27.
9 T.374.12:590a19-24.
10 T.848.18:1b29-c1.
11 See, for example, T.220.5:13b22-29.
12 T.876.18:328b16-17.
13 T.848.18:22a17.
14 T.848.18:19b28.
15 T.865.18:207c10.
16 T.848.18:45b29-c2.
Glossary
abhiseka (Jp. kanjo): A rite of inauguration, an anointing or consecrating ritual act. In India it means the religious act of sprinkling water upon a king’s head as an act of initiation.
adhisthdna (Jp. kaji): Empowerment or consecration. It refers to the transference of Buddha’s power and the response to it by sentient beings.
afflictions (Skt. klesa): Affective disorders, defilement(s), mental disturbances, emotional negativity. All of the thoughts, words, actions, and emotions that arise and cease based on nescience and desire that keep human beings trapped in the cycle of birth and death, and which result in suffering. Buddhism teaches methods for attaining nirvana/enlightenment as a means of eliminating the afflictions.
aksara-cakra (Jp. jirin): The wheel (cakra) of the seed syllable A. See also bija.
Amoghavajra (705-774): A prolific translator who became one of the most politically powerful Buddhist monks in Chinese history, acknowledged as one of the eight patriarchs of the doctrine in Shingon lineages. Born in Samarkand, he went to China at the age of ten after his father’s death. In 719, he was ordained into the sangha by Vajrabodhi and became his disciple. After all foreign monks were expelled from China in 741, he and some associates went on a pilgrimage to gather texts, visiting Sri Lanka, Southeast Asia, and India. He returned to China in 746 with some five hundred volumes. See also Shingon.
arhat: A saint who has freed himself from the cycle of birth and death by completely eradicating all passions; arhatship is the highest of the four stages of spiritual attainment in the Theravada and other mainstream schools of Buddhism.
bija: A seed letter or syllable, such as A, om, hum, am, ah, etc., which symbolizes the essence of the certain nature and power of a deity, Dharma, and action. Normally seed syllables are expressed in one Sanskrit letter and reveal many meanings.
bodhi: Awakening, enlightenment.
bodhicitta: Lit., the mind (citta) of enlightenment or awakening (bodhi). The awakened mind; the aspiration to realize bodhi-wisdom, i.e., perfect enlightenment.
bodhisattva: A Buddhist practitioner intent on the attainment of enlightenment based on profoundly altruistic motivations (bodhicitta). The bodhisattva is the model practitioner in the Mahayana tradition, one who dedicates his or her efforts to the salvation
of other beings. This concept is used in Mahayana texts to distinguish from the earlier Indian notion of the arhat, who also attains a form of enlightenment but whose realization is considered to be inferior due to the individual orientation of the practices pursued in its attainment. See also arhat; bodhicitta; Mahayana.
brahman (Skt. brahmana): A member of the priestly class, the highest of the four castes. See also four castes.
buddha-nature: The possession by sentient beings of the innate buddha mind, indicating the potential to actualize buddhahood. Buddha-nature is understood as being not fully actualized prior to the full attainment of buddhahood, thus sentient beings are required to purify themselves through practice to achieve its realization.
candala: An untouchable, below the lowest of the four castes, born of a sudra father and a brahman mother; also used as a generic term for any untouchable or outcaste. See also four castes; sudra.
delusion/ignorance (Skt. avidya): The fundamental misunderstanding of reality that underlies all suffering; the first of the twelve links of twelve-stage causation. Rather than a lack of factual knowledge, delusion or ignorance is a basic error in perception that prevents people from seeing things as they really are, i.e., that all things are ultimately impermanent and lack inherent self. See also twelve-stage causation.
determined nature: A theory of the Yogacara school that teaches the discrimination of the innate capacities of temperaments of sentient beings into five types: (1) the nature predetermined for sravaka practices; (2) the nature predetermined forpratyeka- buddha practices; these first two are commonly taken together as those with “two- vehicle proclivities”; (3) the nature predetermined for bodhisattvas, whose members will ultimately attain the full enlightenment of a buddha; (4) the indeterminate nature, whose members inherently possess the potential to attain the goals of two or three of the groups above; (5) the nature lacking capacity for enlightenment (icchantika). See also bodhisattva; pratyekabuddha; sravaka; two vehicles; Yogacara.
dharani: Verbal formulae or mystical verses to be chanted. They reveal the essence or powers of Dharma and deity in the form of praise. A dharani is usually a long verse, while a mantra is a shorter verse. See also mantra.Dharma: The Buddhist teaching or doctrine; ultimate truth or reality.
dharma-cakra: The wheel of the law, or teaching, a symbol of the Buddha’s sphere of influence.
dharmadhatu: The underlying principle of reality. In Sinitic forms of Mahayana teaching, the term refers to a religious basis or principle~the origin of all things. In this kind of teaching, where the whole universe is taken as phenomena, it is understood as the manifestation of true thusness.
Dharma eye (dharmacaksus): One of five types of vision; refers to the clear perception of all phenomena. See also five supernatural faculties.
dharmakaya (“Dharma body”）： The “reality body,” “truth body”； in general in the Mahayana the Dharma body is a term for absolute existence, the manifestation of all existences—the true body of reality, or Buddha as eternal principle; the body of essence that is pure, possesses no marks of distinction, and is the same as emptiness. One of the three bodies (trikaya) of the Buddha. See also Dharma; three bodies.
Esoteric tradition (Skt. Mantrayana/Tantrayana/Vajrayana): A school of Buddhism, originating in India, that developed its system of philosophy borrowing from Madhya- maka and Yogacara thought, and which had extensive influence in Tibet as well as considerable influence in China and Japan. The hallmark of Esoteric traditions is reliance on mystical formulae called mantra and dharani. As the school developed, texts were written that focused on esoteric practices such as these. See also dharani; Madhyamaka; mantra; mikkyo; Shingon; Yogacara.
five aggregates (Skt. skandha): The five skandhas are the division of matter and mind into five categories—form, feeling, perception, impulse, and consciousness.
five desires: Five kinds of desire that arise from attachment to the objects of the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, and body. Also a reference to the five sense objects of form, sound, odor, taste, and tactility that are the cause of these desires.
five supernatural faculties (pancdbhijna): Five supernatural powers—(1) supernatural vision, (2) supernatural hearing, (3) the ability to know others’ thoughts, (4) the ability to know former lives, and (5) the ability to perform miracles such as appearing anywhere at will.
four castes: The four main classes into which Indian society was divided; also referred to as the “four classes.” See also brahman; ksatriya; sudra; vaisya.
four groups of practitioners (catusparisad): The four categories of Buddhist followers— monks, nuns, laymen, and laywomen.
gandharva: A class of heavenly beings, famed for their musical skills.
karma (Jp. katsuma): Lit., “action”; in the Shingon tradition, the term “karma” means more than its literal meaning, referring to the dynamic, creative action toward enlightenment. More precisely, it denotes a cosmological act of magnifying the scope of mind. See also Shingon.
kengyo: The expressed teaching; exoteric teaching. Teachings that can be understood by ordinary people, expressed through standard language and logic. Contrasted with the Esoteric, or mikkyo teachings, typified by those of the Shingon school. See also Esoteric; mikkyo; Shingon.
ksatriya: A member of the military or ruling class, the second of the four castes. See also four castes.
lunar mansion (Skt. naksatra): Twenty-seven or twenty-eight divisions of the sky, each identified by a prominent star or asterism, through which the moon passes during
its monthly cycle. From ancient times China followed the system of twenty-eight lunar mansions, while in India the systems of twenty-seven (in which the lunar mansion Abhijit, called Ox in China, is omitted) and twenty-eight lunar mansions were both known. There is some debate about which system is older; the Matanga Sutra shows evidence of both systems.
maha-sukha: Lit., “great enjoyment,” “supreme bliss.” It refers to the great bliss generated by the union of male and female energies in tantric doctrine.
Mahavairocana (“Great Sun”): The Buddha who is the central teacher and object of veneration in the Vajrayana tradition. Mahavairocana is the transcendent and cosmocratic apotheosis of the historical buddha, Sakyamuni. Under the earlier designation of Vairocana (“Luminous One”), he represents Buddhism’s most profound speculation on the emptiness and interpenetration of all elements in the universe (Skt. dharma- dhatu). As Mahavairocana he is concretely envisaged as the all-encompassing lord of the cosmos and is the object of worship in a form of tantric Buddhism that spread from India to Sumatra, China, Japan, and Tibet. Originally the name referred to the light of the sun, but later on took on connotations of the buddha as fundamental principle of the universe. See also dharmadhatu; Vajrayana.
Mahavairocanabhisambodhi-sutra: A Mahayana sutra; the Chinese translation by Subha- karasimha, with the assistance of Yixing, in 124 became the most important text for the East Asian Vajrayana/Tantrayana school. This scripture presents the world as a stage on which Vairocana reveals the three mysteries of the Esoteric tradition by which one may discover one’s innate pure mind of enlightenment. This theme is addressed in the opening dialogue between Mahavairocana and an assembly led by the bodhisattva Vajrapani, who inquires about omniscience (sarvajnajnana). The Bhagavan responds that it is caused by the mind that seeks enlightenment, is founded on compassion for others, and culminates in skillful means. See also Esoteric tradition; Mahavairocana; three mysteries; Vajrapani; Vajrayana.
Mahayana (“Great Vehicle”): The name attached to a late Indian sectarian movement that became the main form of Buddhism in East Asia. The term was created together with the disparaging term Hinayana (“Lesser Vehicle”), which was used by the former to distinguish itself from the early Buddhist teaching (referred to as the Theravada). In the polemical sense, the concept of a “great vehicle” refers to the fact that the Mahayana considered its doctrines to be more open and universal in advocating that enlightenment is attainable by all sentient beings, rather than only by monastics who practice in the pure environment of the monastery. This movement produced a large body of new sutras, in which the new model practitioner, the bodhisattva, preached the doctrine of the emptiness of all things. See also bodhisattva.
mantra (Jp. shingon, lit., “true word”): A mystical short verse or verbal formula to be recited that contains the power to bring about spiritual or temporal results. Originally in Indian Brahmanical religion, a syllable, word, or verse that was revealed to a seer while in meditation; thus, syllables recited during certain meditative practice; a power-laden syllable or series of syllables that manifests certain cosmic forces
and aspects of the Buddha. In the Esoteric tradition a specific mantra is attributed to each deity for identification. See also dharani; Esoteric tradition.
Matanga: A member of a certain hill tribe and, by extension, an outcaste; also used interchangeably with candala. See also candala.
mikkyo (Jp. “esoteric teachings”): The name of the Esoteric tradition in Japan. Also known as the Shingon school. See also Esoteric tradition; Shingon.
mudra: Generally, this term refers to the hand gesture (seal) called hasta-mudra. According to Esoteric tradition there are four kinds of s: (1) maha-mudra (“great seal”), (2) samaya-mudra (“pledge seal”), (3) dharma-mudra (“seal of the universal law that governs human existence”), which refers to the visualization of the seed letters (bija) symbolizing the Buddha’s teachings and ideal realm through formation; and (4) karma-mudra (“action seal”). In the P>ra/•巧dpdramz•tdnaya-sUtra (T. 243) mudra refers to the hasta-mudrd, the hand gesture used to symbolize the nature and power/action of a particular deity. See also bija; Esoteric tradition.
ndga: A class of serpentlike beings; usually rendered in Chinese as “dragon.”
Nagarjuna (second-third centuries C.E.): One of the most esteemed figures in Buddhist history, considered by many Mahayanists as second in insight and importance only to Buddha himself. A master of Sanskrit grammar and linguistics as well as a skilled debater and critical thinker, his masterwork, the Mulamadhyamaka-kdrikd (Fundamental Verses on the Middle Way), sharply critiqued with elegant, sophisticated verse many treasured concepts and theories held by Buddhists and non-Buddhists, from causality and time to karma and nirvana.
nirmanakaya: “transformation body”; the temporal body of the Buddha; the transformation of the Buddha’s body into the form of a sentient being in order to teach and save them. One of the three bodies (trikaya) of the Buddha. See also three bodies.
pdda: Lit., “step, pace, footstep” in Sanskrit. In the Prajndpdramitdnaya-sutra it means “in the state of.” In the Chinese version of this text it is described as “word” rather than “step,” “state of,” but this is an apparent confusion with the term paddrtha, “word” or “principle.”
prajndpdramitd: “Perfection of wisdom.” Literally, to “reach the other shore” (nirvana) through wisdom. It also refers to the path of the perfection of wisdom emphasized repeatedly in the Prajnaparamitanaya-sutra.
Prasenajit: The king of Kosala. A contemporary of Sakyamuni, he ascended the throne in the same year that Sakyamuni attained enlightenment and, together with his wife and son, became a devout follower and patron of the Buddha.
pratyekabuddha: Solitary realizer, self-enlightened one, individual illuminate, etc. One who lives apart from others and attains enlightenment for himself, in contrast to the altruism of the bodhisattva principle. One of two paths of practice collectively referred to as the two vehicles. See also bodhisattva; two vehicles.
puja (Jp. kuyo): Worship, ritual offerings, and devotional rites to a deity.
ratna: Lit., “treasures, jewels,” the term also connotes “value” and “richness.” In the Shingon tradition it refers to the symbol of something beneficial, a productive/meritorious nature or power. In the Vajradhatu Mandala it is depicted and located in the southern quadrant.
samadhi (Jp. sanmaji): Trance, mental concentration. In practical usage it refers to the state of trance attained through mental concentration and visualization.
samaya: Vow, oath, awakening; the act of removing hindrance, sameness, and oneness with an objective.
sambhogakaya: “Reward body,” also called body of bliss or body of recompense. The ideal body of a buddha that is produced upon entering buddhahood as the result of vows undertaken during the practices of the bodhisattva path. One of the three bodies (trikaya) of the Buddha. See also three bodies.
Shingon (Jp. “true word”): The Chinese translation of the Sanskrit term “mantra,” this school can be considered the East Asian version of Mantrayana/Tantrayana/Vajrayana, also known as the Esoteric tradition. The formation of the school in China was based largely on scriptures brought to China by Subhakarasimha, Vajrabodhi, and his disciple Amoghavajra. See also Amoghavajra; Esoteric tradition; mikkyo.
siddhi: Obtaining a power, accomplishing the ultimate goal, fulfillment, and achieving success in a particular spiritual mission.
six destinies: Six kinds of rebirth in samsara undergone by sentient beings in accord with their good or evil actions (karma) carried out in previous lifetimes. Beings are reborn into one of six realms of existence: (1) hell (Skt. naraka-gati), (2) hungry ghosts (preta-gati), (3) animals (tiryagyoni-gati), (4) titans (asura-gati), (5) humans (manusya-gati), and (6) gods (deva-gati).
sramana/sramana: An ascetic or religious mendicant (male and female, respectively).
sravaka: “Voice-hearer,” a disciple. Originally, the term referred to a direct disciple of the Buddha, one who heard his teaching directly. In later Mahayana texts, it is used as a technical term with somewhat negative connotations. While sravakas are disciplined monk-practitioners who contemplate the principle of the Four Noble Truths in order to attain arhatship, and thus eventually nirvana, they are also considered, along with the pratyekabuddha, to be practitioners of the two lesser vehicles, inferior in insight and compassion to the bodhisattva. See also arhat; bodhisattva; pratyeka- buddha; two vehicles.
Sravasti: The capital of the kingdom of Kosala. See also Prasenajit.
sudra: A member of the serf class, the lowest of the four castes. See also four castes.
surata (Jp. byoteki): Delightful ecstasy or pleasure attained through sexual intercourse. In the Prajnaparamitanaya-sutra it serves as a metaphor or allusion to express the
state of great enjoyment (maha-sukha) in the form of love in mutual interaction. See also maha-sukha.
tathagata (Jp. nyorai): Lit., one who has come (agata) and gone (gata) beyond; an epithet of a buddha. In the Prajnaparamitanaya-sutra a tathagata is also referred to as the Lord or a preacher who delivers the Dharma to his assembly, embodying the truth of suchness.
tathagatagarbha: Lit., “matrix/womb (garbha) of the thus-come one (tathagata).” This term refers to the capacity for becoming a tathagata (i.e., enlightened) that is present in the minds of unenlightened sentient beings.
ten stages of faith: The first ten stages (bhumi) in the fifty-two-stage path of the bodhi- sattva, so called because faith is the entry to Buddhist practice. See also bodhisattva.
three mysteries (Jp. sanmitsu): The three mystic modes of activity through body, speech, and mind, referring to the consecrating power of Mahavairocana. Esoteric tradition practitioners seek to realize their buddha-nature through the performance of physical signs and postures (mudra), the recitation of mantra and dharani (speech), and the practice of meditation, abiding in the state of samadhi (mind). See also buddha- nature; mantra; dharani; Mahavairocana; mudra; samadhi.
three poisons: The three basic afflictions: desire or craving (raga); anger or ill-will (dvesa); and delusion or ignorance (moha).
three vehicles: The three paths (Skt. triyana) of practice of sravakas, pratyekabuddhas, and bodhisattvas. As taught in the Mahayana schools, these three paths of practice are considered to be suitable for different capacities of sentient beings, with the first two vehicles categorized by the Mahayana as the “Lesser Vehicle” (Hinayana). See also two vehicles.
triple realm (Jp. sangai): Also called the triple world, the three levels of samsara into which sentient beings are reborn: the realm of desire (or delusion) (kamadhatu), the realm of form (rupadhatu), and the formless realm (arupyadhatu), the inhabitants of which have no physical bodies.
twelve-stage causation (Skt. pratityasamutpada): The core Buddhist teaching that all phenomena arise from conditions: nothing arises out of nothing, nothing arises of itself, and things do not come into existence through the power of an external creator. There is nothing that is self-contained, independent, or that has its own separate and independent nature. Twelve-stage causation is the condition of relationship to something else resulting in arising or production.
two vehicles: The vehicles of the sravakas (“voice-hearers,” direct disciples) andpratyeka- buddhas (self-realizers). These two kinds of practitioners are regularly mentioned in Mahayana literature, generally cast in a negative light as representatives of the so-called Hinayana (“Lesser Vehicle”) tradition, in contradistinction to the bodhisattva path of the Mahayana. They are understood as practitioners who are engaged in a
view toward practice and enlightenment that will lead to attainment of arhatship but not buddhahood. See also arhat; Mahayana; pratyekabuddha; sravaka.
vaisya: A member of the class of peasants, merchants, and artisans, the third of the four castes. See also four castes.
vajra (Jp. kongo): Diamondlike, adamantine, imperishable/immovable nature. The term connotes wisdom, enlightenment, the Buddha’s power, and in practical terms refers to the thunderbolt-shaped ritual implements, of which there are three types: the single-pronged vajra (Jp. tokko-sho), the three-pronged vajra (Jp. sanko-sho), and the five-pronged vajra (Jp. goko-sho). These types of implements derive from weapons used in ancient India.
Vajrapani (Jp. Kongoshu): A great bodhisattva generally equated with Vajrasattva Bodhi- sattva, an ideal being in the Mahayana Buddhist tradition, one who seeks enlightenment through the salvation of all sentient beings. In the Esoteric tradition he is portrayed and symbolized in the form of great desire, physical contact, love, and mastery in love.
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Miyasaka, Yusho, ed. Joyo-Darani to Sho-shingon (Dharani and Mantra in Daily Use). Chizan Kyoka Shiryo, vol. 4. Kyoto: Chishakuin Kenkyusho, 2000, rev. ed.
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