🍃

CH 28 - Ten Super-Knowledges

DESCRIPTION

Samantabhadra Bodhisattva then explains to the bodhisattvas the Ten ‘Super Knowledges’ (abhijñā):

  1. Knowledge of the Minds of Others - Knowing all the innumerable and various types of beings' minds.
  2. Unobstructed, Pure Divine Eye - Seeing all beings according to the karma each has accumulated - the suffering or pleasure they experience, their minds, their discriminations, their views, their speech, causes, actions, conditions, and the arising of all beings.
  3. Recall of past lives - Knowing the past lives of one’s self and all beings in an inexpressible number of worlds, as well as the the names of an inexpressible number of buddhas from past kalpas
  4. Knowledge of future kalpas - Knowing all beings in each kalpa even until the end of time, as well as all buddhas’ activities in all future kalpas.
  5. Unobstructed, Pure Divine Ear - With regard to all sounds, they can choose to hear or not hear at will, and they can remember everything exactly as it was spoken or written.
  6. Being Insubstantial and Without Inherent Nature - They reach throughout the ten directions without going anywhere, yet they visit buddha-fields
  7. Skillfully Distinguishing all Beings’ Languages - In whatever world they enter, they can know the dispositions and desires of all beings therein. According to these dispositions and desires, they can understand their language and speak in ways that all can understand.
  8. Manifesting Innumerable Adorned Form Bodies - Knowing that all dharmas are free from form characteristics, without differentiating characteristics, without various characteristics, without immeasurable characteristics, without discriminating characteristics, and without blue, yellow, red, or white characteristics, the bodhisattva thus enters the Dharmadhātu and can manifest their body in various forms.
  9. Knowledge of All Dharmas - Knowing that all dharmas have no names, no inherent nature, no coming, no going, are neither different nor not different, neither various nor not various, neither dual nor non-dual, without self, etc. etc.
  10. Knowledge of the Cessation of all Dharmas Samadhi - They can learn all dharmas in all worlds, understand that dharmas are without characteristics, know that all dharmas arise from conditions and have no inherent nature, yet expound them skillfully according to worldly conventions. Although their minds do not dwell on any dharmas, they accord with beings' faculties and desires, skillfully expounding various dharmas for them.