The Training

The Buddha told Bhadrapāla,

“If Bodhisattvas aspire to attain this samādhi quickly, they should stand in great faith. Those who train themselves in accordance with the Dharma can attain this samādhi. Do not raise any doubts, even as slight as a hair. This Dharma of Concentrated Mind is also called the Bodhisattva Way Surpassing All Other Ways.”

[Then the Buddha spoke in verse:]

With a single thought, believe in this Dharma. Following the teachings heard, think only of one object. Keep only one thought, ceasing all other thoughts. Stand firm in your faith, without any doubts. Progress energetically, never negligent or indolent.

Think of neither existence nor nonexistence, neither progress nor regress. Think of neither front nor back, neither left nor right. Think of neither nonexistence nor existence, neither far nor near. Think of neither pain nor itch, neither hunger nor thirst. Think of neither cold nor hot, neither pain nor pleasure. Think of neither birth nor old age, neither illness nor death. Think of neither body nor life, nor longevity. Think of neither wealth nor poverty, neither nobility nor lowliness. Think of neither sense objects nor desires. Think of neither large nor small, neither long nor short. Think of neither beauty nor ugliness. Think of neither evil nor good, neither anger nor delight. Think of neither rising nor sitting, neither proceeding nor stopping. Think of neither the sūtras nor the Dharma. Think of neither right nor wrong, neither grasping nor abandoning. Think of neither perception nor consciousness. Think of neither cessation nor continuation. Think of neither emptiness nor true reality. Think of neither heavy nor light, neither hard nor easy. Think of neither deep nor shallow, neither broad nor narrow. Think of neither father nor mother, neither wife nor children. Think of neither friends nor acquaintances, neither love nor hatred. Think of neither gain nor loss, neither success nor failure. Think of neither clarity nor turbidity.

Cease all thoughts and be vigilant for a given period of time, never distracted. Progress energetically, never negligent or indolent. Do not count the years, nor feel tired in a single day. Hold one thought, never losing it. Avoid sleep and keep the mind alert. Always live alone and avoid gatherings. Shun evil ones but stay near beneficent friends. Serve illuminated teachers, regarding them as Buddhas. Hold firm your resolve, but always be gentle. Meditate on the equality of all things. Avoid your hometown and keep away from relatives. Abandon love and desire and live in purity. Meditate on that which is asaṁskṛta and cease desires. Drop distracting thoughts and learn the way of concentration. Gain wisdom from words in accord with dhyāna. Remove the three afflictions and purify the six faculties. Cease lustful pursuits and leave sensory pleasures behind. Do not be greedy for wealth or accumulate things. Know contentment in eating and do not covet flavors. Take care never to eat any sentient being [dead or alive]. Dress in accordance with the Dharma, and do not be ornately adorned. Do not tease others, nor be proud or arrogant. Do not be conceited, nor elevate yourself. Expound sūtras in accordance with the Dharma. Understand that the body has always been like an illusion. Do not be engrossed by the [five] aggregates, nor revel in the [twelve] sensory fields. The five aggregates are like thieves, and the four domains are like snakes. All are impermanent and all are unstable. Recognize that there has never been an everlasting ruler in one, Only convergence and divergence of causes and conditions. Understand and know that nothing in existence is real. Bestow lovingkindness and sympathy on all. Give alms to the poor and relief to the unfortunate.

This is meditative concentration in the Bodhisattva Way, which Will unfold the fundamental wisdom and elicit myriads of wisdom-knowledge.

The Buddha told Bhadrapāla, “One who trains in this way will attain the samādhi in which present Buddhas all stand before one.

If, among bhikṣus, bhikṣuṇīs, upāsakas, and upāsikās, there are those who want to train according to this Dharma, they should fully observe their precepts and live alone in a place to think of Amitābha Buddha, who now is in the west. According to the teachings heard, one should also think of His land called Sukhāvatī, which is ten million koṭi Buddha Lands away from here.

One should single-mindedly contemplate for one day and one night, or even seven days and seven nights.

After the seventh day, one will see Him. By analogy, one sees things in a dream, not knowing whether it is day or night, indoors or outdoors, and one’s sight is impervious to darkness or obstructions.

“Bhadrapāla, Bodhisattvas should do this contemplation. Then huge mountains, Sumeru Mountains, and dark places in the intervening Buddha Lands will all fall away, not posing any obstruction. These Bodhisattvas will see across without having the God-eye, hear across without having the God-ear, and travel to that Buddha Land without possessing transcendental powers. It is not that they have died here and been reborn there, but that they can sit here and see everything there.

“As an analogy, a man hears that in the kingdom of Vaiśālī lives a prostitute named Sumanā; a second man hears of a prostitute called Āmrapālī; and a third man hears that Utpalavarṇā has become a prostitute. These three men have never seen those three women, but they have heard of them and their lust is ignited. They all live in Rājagṛha, and they have lustful thoughts concurrently. Each of them goes, in a dream, to the woman he thinks of and spends the night with her. When they wake up, they all remember their own dreams.”

The Buddha told Bhadrapāla, “The three women I have mentioned serve as an analogy. You may use this story to expound the sūtras, enabling others to unfold their wisdom so that they will arrive at the Ground of No Regress on the unsurpassed true Way. When they eventually attain Buddhahood, they all will be called Superb Enlightenment.”

The Buddha said, “Bodhisattvas in this land can see Amitābha Buddha by thinking intently only of Him. When they see Him, they can ask, ‘What Dharma should I uphold in order to be reborn in Your land?’ Amitābha Buddha will reply, ‘Those who wish to be reborn in my land should think of my name. If they can continue without rest, they will succeed in being reborn here.’”

The Buddha said, “Because of intent thinking, one will be reborn there. One should always think of Amitābha Buddha’s body with the thirty-two physical marks and the eighty excellent characteristics, unequaled in its majesty, radiating vast bright light to illuminate everywhere. He teaches, in the assembly of Bodhisattvas and bhikṣus, that dharmas [in true reality] are empty and, therefore, indestructible.

Why? Because indestructible are all dharmas, such as form, pain, itch, thinking, perception, birth, death, consciousness, spirit, earth, water, fire, wind, the human world, and the heaven world, including Great Brahma Heaven. By thinking of a Buddha, one attains the Samādhi of Emptiness.”

The Buddha told Bhadrapāla, “Who have attained this Bodhisattva samādhi? My disciple Mahākāśyapa, Indraguṇa Bodhisattva, the god-son Good Virtue, and those who already know this samādhi, have attained it through training. Hence, Bhadrapāla, those who wish to see present Buddhas [in worlds] in the ten directions should think of their lands single-mindedly, without other thoughts. Then they will be able to see them. As an analogy, one travels to a distant land and thinks of family and kin in one’s hometown. In a dream, one returns home, sees one’s family and relatives, and enjoys talking to them. After waking, one tells one’s dream to friends.”

The Buddha said, “If Bodhisattvas hear of a Buddha’s name and wish to see Him, they will be able to see Him by constantly thinking of Him and His land. For example, a bhikṣu visualizes before him the bones of a corpse, turning blue, white, red, or black. The colors are not brought by anyone, but are imagined by his mind. Likewise, by virtue of Buddhas’ awesome spiritual power, Bodhisattvas who skillfully abide in this samādhi can see, as they wish, a Buddha of any land. Why? Because they are able to see Him by virtue of three powers: the power of Buddhas, the power of the samādhi, and the power of their own merit.

“As an analogy, a handsome young man dressed in fine clothes wants to see his own face. He can see his reflection by looking into a hand mirror, pure oil, clear water, or a crystal. Does his reflection come from the outside into the mirror, oil, water, or crystal?”

Bhadrapāla replied, “No, it does not. God of Gods, it is because of the clarity of the mirror, oil, water, or crystal, that the man can see his reflection. His reflection comes from neither the inside [of the medium] nor the outside.”

The Buddha said, “Very good, Bhadrapāla. Because the medium is clear, the reflection is clear. Likewise, if one wishes to see a Buddha, one with a pure mind will be able to see. When one sees Him, one can ask questions, and He will give a reply. Having heard the teachings, one will be exultant and think: ‘Where does this Buddha come from and where am I going? As I think of this Buddha, He comes from nowhere and I am going nowhere. As I think of the desire realm, the form realm, and the formless realm, these three realms are formed by my mind. I can see what I think of. The mind forms a Buddha for itself to see; the mind is the Buddha mind. As my mind forms a Buddha, my mind is the Buddha; my mind is the Tathāgata; my mind is my body.’

“Although the mind sees a Buddha, the mind neither knows itself nor sees itself. The mind with perceptions is saṁsāra; the mind without perceptions is nirvāṇa. Dharmas as perceived are not something pleasurable. They are empty thoughts, nothing real. This is what Bodhisattvas see as they abide in this samādhi.”

Then the Buddha spoke in verse:

The mind does not know itself; the mind does not see itself. The mind that fabricates perceptions is false; the mind without perceptions is nirvāṇa. Dharmas are not firm, only founded upon thinking. Those who see emptiness with this understanding are free from perceptions and expectations.