DESCRIPTION
Chapter 27 begins a new assembly, the Seventh Assembly. Once again, the Buddha is in the state of Magadha abiding at the site of enlightenment, araṇya style, having first realized right enlightenment, in the Hall of Universal Radiance, having entered ‘All Buddhas’ Kṣaṇa-Boundary Samādhi. He was together with bodhisattva-mahāsattvas as numerous as the atoms in ten buddha kṣetras, none of whom had not already entered the crown-anointing stage of consecration
Samantacakṣus (’Universal Eye’) Bodhisattva then asks, “How many samādhis and liberations have been perfected by Samantabhadra Bodhisattva and the multitudes of bodhisattvas who abide in all the practices and vows of Samantabhadra?”
Just hearing the name ‘Samantabhadra’, the multitude of bodhisattvas in that congregation immediately acquire an inconceivable and measureless samādhi in which their minds became unimpeded, quiescent, and unmoving, filled with reverential esteem for Samantabhadra, and they urgently wish to see him. Although they look everywhere throughout the congregation, they are unable to see him or the seat on which he sits.
Universal Eye Bodhisattva asks, “Where is Samantabhadra Bodhisattva?” The Buddha replies, “Samantabhadra Bodhisattva is now close to me in this congregation at the site of enlightenment. From the very beginning, he has not moved at all.”
Universal Eye and the other bodhisattvas look again throughout the congregation at the site of enlightenment, searching everywhere, and are still unable to see Samantabhadra Bodhisattva.”
The Buddha says, “This is because Samantabhadra Bodhisattva’s dwelling place is so extremely profound as to be indescribable. Samantabhadra Bodhisattva has acquired the gateway to boundless wisdom, has entered the ‘lion-sprint’ samādhi, which is the samādhi the Buddha enters at the beginning of the last chapter, the Gandhavyuha section.
Universal Eye Bodhisattva enters samādhi, searching for Samantabhadra, and still can’t find him. “I have not seen his body or physical actions, his speech or verbal actions, his mind or mental actions, his seat, or his dwelling place. I have not seen any of these.”
The Buddha replies, “This is because of Samantabhadra Bodhisattva’s power from dwelling in inconceivable liberations. Universal Eye, what do you think? Would it be possible for anyone to describe the location of various illusory images spoken of in magically conjured writings?”
The bodhisattva replies, “No,” and the Buddha says, “If one cannot even describe the illusory images in a magical conjuration, how much the less could one enter into or see Samantabhadra Bodhisattva’s ‘secret spheres of physical action, secret spheres of verbal actions, or secret spheres of mental actions’. Why is this the case? It is because Samantabhadra Bodhisattva’s spheres of action are extremely deep, inconceivable, and so measureless as to have passed beyond all means of measurement.”
Universal Eye and the bodhisattvas, longing to see Samantabhadra Bodhisattva, chant: “Namo to all buddhas. Namo to Samantabhadra Bodhisattva,” doing so three times as they bowed their heads [to the ground] in reverential respect.
Then Samantabhadra manifests his form body for them, thereby enabling everyone to see Samantabhadra near the Tathāgata, sitting on a lotus flower throne in the midst of the congregation of all bodhisattvas.
The Buddha then in instructs Samantabhadra to explain the Ten Samādhis:
1 - Universal Light Samādhi 普光明三
First, there are ten kinds of inexhaustible knowledges, then ten kinds of boundless resolve, ten ways of entering samadhi, and ten skillful means for entering samadhi, thus manifesting bodies that are neither one nor multiple. When the bodhisattva-mahāsattva abides in this samādhi, they so transcend the world and become so detached from the world that no one can disturb them and no one can overpower them.
2 - Subtle Light Samādhi 妙光明三昧
The bodhisattva-mahāsattva enters great three thousand world-systems equal to the number of atoms in a great three thousand world-system in which they are able to manifest, in every one of those worlds, bodies as numerous as the atoms in a three thousand world-system, causing every one of those bodies to emanate light rays as numerous as the atoms in a great three thousand world-system, causing every one of those light rays to manifest colors as numerous as the atoms in a great three thousand world-system, every one of which colors illuminating worlds as numerous as the atoms in a three thousand world-system, and are able, in every one of those worlds, to teach beings as numerous as the atoms in a great three thousand world-system.
“They do not abide within the world, do not abide outside of the world, are free of all discriminations regarding the world, and also do not interfere with any of the features of the world. They contemplate all dharmas as possessed of a single characteristic, that of being characteristicless, this as they also do not interfere with the nature of any dharmas. They abide in the nature of true Suchness and never depart from it.”
Just as when a conjurer produces illusions in the world, it is not the case that he manifests such illusions somewhere outside of his current location nor is it the case that the current location is somewhere outside of the conjured illusion, so too it is with the bodhisattva-mahāsattva for whom it is not the case that they enter worlds somewhere outside of empty space. Nor is it the case that they enter empty space somewhere beyond the world. Why? Because empty space and the world are no different. Abiding in the world, they also abide in empty space. In the midst of empty space, the bodhisattva-mahāsattva is still able to see and is still able to cultivate all of the many different marvelously adorning karmic deeds in all worlds.
“They completely realize that the three periods of time are no different from an illusory conjuration and they have a definite penetrating comprehension of the mind as boundless.”
3 - Successive Traveling to all Buddha Lands Power Samādhi 次第遍往諸佛國土神通三昧
This bodhisattva-mahāsattva goes past countless worlds to the east and then, additionally goes on beyond a number of worlds as numerous as the atoms in all those worlds, entering this samādhi in all those worlds, perhaps entering for a kṣaṇa ….. or even perhaps entering for an ineffable-ineffable number of kalpas. Whether it is with respect to its long duration or short duration or to the dharmas or the timing, there are many different distinctions in this. In all those circumstances, the bodhisattva makes no discriminations and the mind remains free of any defiling attachments. They do not impute duality or non-duality; they do do not impute universality and do not impute uniqueness. Although they abandon these kinds of discriminations, they still uses skillful means involving the spiritual superknowledges so that, when they emerge from this samādhi, they do not ever forget or lose any of its dharmas. In this, they are like the sun, which itself goes around on a cycle of illumination, never stopping, day or night. But relatively speaking as a human, when the sun rises, this is designated as “daytime,” and when the sun sets, this is designated as “nighttime.” But the sun is not born with the day nor dies at night. When the bodhisattva-mahāsattva has been abiding within this spiritual superknowledge samādhi in countless worlds and then finishes with that period of abiding in samādhi, they still continue to clearly behold all of those countlessly many worlds
4 - Pure Profound Mind Practice Samādhi 清淨深心行三昧
This bodhisattva-mahāsattva knows that the number of buddhas is equal to the number of other beings. They see countless buddhas more numerous than the atoms in an asaṃkhyeya of worlds and, wherever those tathāgatas are: they make offerings to them of all different kinds of marvelous gifts.
In so doing, they find nothing at all that is apprehensible as inherently existent.
When they enter this samādhi, they see the Buddha and hear the Dharma. When they emerge from meditative absorption, they remember these experiences, do not forget them, and then use them in instructing congregations in all those sites of enlightenment and in adorning all those buddha lands.
5 - Knowledge of Past Treasuries of Adornments Samādhi 知過去莊嚴藏三昧
The bodhisattva-mahāsattva is able to know the appearance in the world of the buddhas of the past. Because this bodhisattva-mahāsattva acquires knowledge with respect to boundlessly many sequences such as these, they then know the buddhas of the past, their kṣetras of the past, etc. In but a single mind-moment, they are able to enter a hundred kalpas, up to an ineffable-ineffable number of kalpas. When that bodhisattva-mahāsattva enters this samādhi, it is not that they extinguish the present and it is not that they then take the past as an objective condition.”
When that bodhisattva emerges from this samādhi, they receive ten kinds of inconceivable crown-anointing consecration dharmas from the Tathāgata.
6 - Treasury of the Light of Wisdom Samādhi 智光明藏三昧
When bodhisattva-mahāsattvas abide in this samādhi, they are able to know with respect to all buddhas in all worlds in all kalpas of the future their various names, ineffable numbers of names.
In this way, they are able to use their wisdom to fully know the number of kalpas in all future worlds.
The essential nature of this great samādhi is one of impartiality and nondiscrimination by which it is able to allow the bodhisattva to know an ineffable-ineffable number of hundreds of thousands of koṭīs of nayutas of different characteristics.
This allows them to enable beings to attain great fruit [of their karmic actions], and they gain the reverence of divine beings.
7 - Understanding the Buddha Adornments of all Worlds Samādhi 了知一切世界佛莊嚴三昧
The bodhisattva-mahāsattva who abides in this samādhi is able to successively enter worlds throughout the ten directions. In this way, they are able to successively enter all worlds, and see themselves going to the congregations of all buddhas, in all worlds. When they see these things, they do not make discriminations regarding lands, beings, buddhas, and dharmas; they do not become attached to the body, the body’s actions, the mind, or the intellectual mind. The bodhisattva-mahāsattva sees countless colors and signs, countless forms and appearances, countless manifestations, countless rays of light, and countless nets of light.
When the bodhisattva-mahāsattva abides in this samādhi, they perfect ten kinds of swiftness dharmas, acquire ten kinds of Dharma seals with which they imprint all dharmas, and they rain the Dharma rain. They also acquire a body possessed of ten kinds of supreme purity and awesome virtue.
8 - Differentiated Bodies of all Sentient Beings Samādhi 一切眾生差別身三昧
The bodhisattva-mahāsattva who abides in this samādhi acquires ten kinds of nonattachment: to kṣetras, directions, kalpas, congregations, dharmas, bodhisattvas, bodhisattva vows, samādhis, buddhas, and grounds. In this samādhi, this bodhisattva-mahāsattva does so: By entering within the body and emerging outside the body; entering outside the body and emerging inside the body, etc. etc. all the way up to entering in true suchness and emerging in speech; or entering in speech and emerging in true suchness.
When the bodhisattva-mahāsattva abides in this samādhi, he acquires ten kinds of praiseworthy dharmas due to which he is praised. Additionally, they acquire ten kinds of radiant illumination, ten kinds of effortlessness, countless ‘spheres of experience’ such as: Entering as single and emerging as multiple; Entering as multiple and emerging as single; Entering as the same and emerging as different; Entering as different and emerging as the same; up to entering in emerging and emerging in entering.
This samadhi is just like when a spell is chanted over and over by a conjurer and it becomes efficacious.
This bodhisattva-mahāsattva also reaches the far shore of perfection in ten kinds of spiritual superknowledges.
9 - Sovereign of the Dharmadhatu Samādhi 法界自在三昧
This bodhisattva-mahāsattva enters a samādhi called “the samādhi of sovereign mastery throughout the Dharmadhatu” on his own eye sense base, ear, nose, tongue, etc. and so forth, up to and including their own mind sense base. The bodhisattva enters this samādhi in every pore of their own body and is then spontaneously able to know the entire world, to know all worldly dharmas, to know all worlds, and in all those worlds, they see buddhas appearing, and they abide in this samādhi during measurelessly many kalpas.
10 - Unimpeded Wheel Samādhi 無礙輪三昧
When bodhisattva-mahāsattvas enter this samādhi, they abide in unimpeded, or unobstructed physical, verbal, and mental actions, contemplating and perceiving all-knowledge. They perfect great vows in relation to all dharmas, constantly arousing the great compassion for all beings and achieves success in the unchanging Dharma of the Tathāgata.
Just as empty space holds the many worlds whether they are coming into being or abiding, doing so without wearying, without tiring, without deteriorating, without decaying, without dissolution, without damage, without change, without varying, without difference, and without relinquishing its own nature, doing so because it is the very nature of empty space for it to be this way, so too it is with the bodhisattva-mahāsattva who establishes countless great vows to liberate all beings with a mind that remains free of any weariness in doing so.
The lotus flower described in this section, the ‘10th level’ samadhi, appear to correspond with the description of the crown-anointing abhiṣeka on the 10th bhūmi ground. The flower is so vast that it extends to the very boundaries of the ten directions. The Buddha goes on to describe this flower in great detail, the ineffable number of petals, jewels, and fragrances, and so on, and how it arises from the right Dharma by which one is able to fully understand the illusory. It emits light, which manifests jewels, in which are seen the indescribable.
This bodhisattva-mahāsattva takes the Dharmadhatu as their own body and remains free of discriminations.