DESCRIPTION
The Tenth Ground is called Dharmamegha, ‘Dharma Clound’ 法雲. It is emblematic of the ability of practitioners to teach like clouds showering rain. It is also called the stage of abhiṣeka (anointment, consecration, baptism, or coronation), symbolizing anointment or coronation with the crown of all knowledge. Practitioners attain incalculable numbers of special concentrations and gain access to the higher knowledges characteristic of the enlightened. They attain inconceivable liberation; infinite powers of recollection; and ability to receive, absorb, and hold the revelations of the mysteries of complete enlightenment.
Entry into the Tenth Ground
Bodhisattvas gain entry into the Tenth Ground by firmly maintaining and never relinquishing the practices of:
- Thoroughly accumulating every kind of pure Dharma
- Accumulating the measurelessly many Dharmas that are provisions for the Path
- Becoming protected by immense merit and wisdom
- Compassion on a vast scale
- Deeply knowing and distinguishing the differences in worlds
- Deeply penetrating beings’ entangling difficulties
- Reaching the Tathagata’s domain of practice
- Mindfulness in accord with the Tathagata’s stations of quiescent practice
- Progress toward the 10 powers, 4 fearlessnesses, and 18 unique qualities of buddhas
- Progress toward other such attainments of buddhas
Abiding in the Tenth Ground - Abhiṣeka (’Anointment’)
Bodhisattvas nearing the Ground of Buddhahood acquire the direct manifestation of the bodhisattva’s Stainless Samādhi, and ten additional samādhis, as well as hundreds of myriads of asaṃkhyeyas of samādhis. Among them, the very last samādhi is known as ‘Enhancement of the Station of All-Knowledge’ (i.e. empowerment).
When this samādhi manifests directly before them, there then emerges an immense bejeweled ‘king of lotus blossoms’ with a circumference comparable to a hundred myriad Three Thousand Great Thousand world-systems. It is adorned by and inlaid with all of the many sorts of precious gems and surpasses any other that exists anywhere in any world. It comes form from roots of world-transcending goodness and is perfected by the practice of the wisdom that fathoms all dharmas as like mere illusions and devoid of any inherently existing nature.
At that time, the bodhisattva’s body is equal in size to the lotus blossom and appears seated on top of it, and bodhisattvas appear on lotus blossoms surrounding it. Worlds quake and the bodhisattva emits light from the body:
- First from the feet, which extinguishes all suffering in the Hell Realms
- Then the two knees, extinguishing all suffering in the Animal Realms
- From the navel, extinguishing all suffering in the Ghost Realms
- The left and right sides of the torso, causing those in the Human Realm to by pleased
- From their hands, illuminating the realms of Devas and Asuras
- From the shoulders, illuminating those who are Sravakas
- From the neck, illuminating those who are pratyekabuddhas
- From the mouth, illuminating the bodies of bodhisattvas up to the Ninth Ground
- From the white tuft of hair between the eyebrows, illuminating Tenth Ground bodhisattvas
- From the crown of the head, illuminating assemblies gathered around buddhas everywhere
The lights then circle ten times around all world-systems, dwell up in space, and then form a net-like canopy of light shinning with offerings to buddhas. This canopy rains down many sorts of offerings to the buddhas and has the appearance of an immense cloud.
After the light rays rain down these offerings, they circle the buddhas ten times and then enter their feet. At that time, all the buddhas and bodhisattvas become aware that in [such-and-such] world there is [so-and-so] bodhisattva who has traveled the Path and reached the stage of ‘consecration’ and they all immediately come to that bodhisattva. All those bodhisattvas who had already reached the Tenth Stage emanate a single large beam of light from the vajra adornment symbol on their chests called ‘Destroyer of Māra’s Thieves,’ accompanied by many hundreds and thousands of myriads of other rays of light illuminating the Ten Directions, which comes and enters the bodhisattva’s chest, who then acquires great powers, super-knowledges, and wisdom.
The Buddhas then all put forth a beam of light from the white tuft of hair between their brows called ‘Enhancer of All-Knowledge’ along with measureless more lights, which illuminate the Ten Directions, perform many miracles, and then enters the crown of the bodhisattva’s head while the accompanying lights enter the crowns of the heads of the other bodhisattvas.
The bodhisattva then becomes known as one who has received ‘consecration’ and has entered the Realm of the Buddhas,
Dharma Cloud
Bodhisattvas on the Tenth Ground know, in accordance with Suchness, attainment as it takes places in all realms, paths, and places, and all the sustaining bases and secrets associated with everything. The bodhisattva ‘takes in the rain’ of the measurelessly many dharmas - the ‘Dharma Cloud’ (Dharmamegha) - and has immeasurable memory power.
The Stage of Buddhahood
The audience wonders, ‘If the bodhisattva on the 10th Ground is so powerful, what must the Stage of Buddhahood be like?
Vajragarbha enters ‘The Nature of the Physical Form of All Buddha Lands’ samādhi and everyone observes their own bodies enter into the body of Vajragarbha wherein they see the multitude of adorning phenomena transpiring throughout a great Three Thousand world-system that are such that, even were they to spend an entire kalpa attempting to describe them all, they could never come to an end of them. They also observe therein a Tree of Enlightenment with a buddha, All-Knowledge King Tathāgata, sitting underneath it. They they are returned to their original location.
Vajragarbha compares the merit of the bodhisattva to pebbles, while the merit of buddhas is like continents.
Analogy of Gold
It is as if there were a great master goldsmith who was skilled in refining gold to make adornments inlaid with precious Mani pearls, adornments to be worn around the neck of the King of the Vasavartin Heaven, the radiance of which cannot be outshone by the radiance of any other god.
Becoming a World Leader
Bodhisattvas dwelling on the first ground often become Maheśvara Heaven Kings of the Three Realms