The Ten Wonders & The Source of Enlightenment

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The Ten Wonders that are the Door to the Origin of Enlightenment

The First five:

1. The Wonderful Original Cause - This is the very first inspiration of the Bodhi mind to walk in (practice) the path of the Bodhisattvas. It is the ultimate cause of the cultivation of enlightenment. In the 16th Chapter of The Lotus Sutra, Sakyamuni made an illustration to describe a number of lifetimes that it so great that it is impossible to calculate or even imagine. With the lifetime of the wonderful original cause even exceeding this, it is seen for what it is - timeless and eternal. Only the Buddha is able to know eternity like this.

All of the manifestations of the cause in the past were not the original cause. The Lotus Sutra speaks of the Buddhas that lived in the remote past and their work in forming the causes and conditions for future enlightenment. However all of these causes happened in the interim period and were not the wonderful original cause. When placing the cause somewhere in the interim period of the past, it is more difficult to believe in it.

Therefore The Lotus Sutra discards all the manifestations of the past and eliminates doubt in all which is provisional and not real. The wonderful original cause that is eternal is here right now for you to make at this very moment. Included in this cause are all the objects, wisdoms, practices and ranks that are on the path of enlightenment. This wonderful original cause must be ever renewed in order for one to stay on the true path. The Lotus Sutra says:

• “I originally practiced the path of the Bodhisattva, this becoming a livelihood that still has not ended.”

2. The Wonderful Original Effect - The wonderful original cause directly leads to the attainment of the ultimate enlightenment, with its virtues of eternity, bliss, purity, and the true self. The ultimate enlightenment is the wonderful original effect, which includes the wonderful Threefold Dharma, the Threefold Body of Enlightenment. Realizing that one has already attained enlightenment and come into this world for all of eternity is the wonderful original effect, also called the Wonderful Enlightenment. In The Lotus Sutra, the wonderful original cause and the wonderful original effect are revealed to be identical. The Lotus Sutra says:

• "I have in reality attained enlightenment and come into this world for a limitless, boundless, ever increasing number…”
• "In reality I have attained enlightenment and come into this world for eternity, if anything. However by ways and means I instruct living beings in order to teach them.”

3. The Wonderful Original Land - There must a place for the wonderful original effect to exist. Where is the land that the original Buddha returns to reside? The words of The Lotus Sutra say: “Since I have come, I have always been here in this Saha World teaching the Dharma and instructing living beings”. The original Saha World is the wonderful original land of the Buddha. The Lotus Sutra says:

• “I have already attained complete enlightenment in the Saha World and instructed and guided these Bodhisattvas.”
• “Since I have come, I have always been in this Saha World teaching the Dharma and instructing, as well as other places guiding and benefiting living beings.”

This land is not the Saha World of routine everyday existence, but the wonderful original Saha world, the original place of enlightenment where the Buddha has always been teaching the Dharma to the living beings that accept it with faith.

4. The Wonderful Original Sympathy & Response - Having already attained the effect, there is the original time of realization of the 25 Samadhis. With the vow of mercy and compassion, there are the sympathetic spiritual capacities that are connected with the serene illumination of the Buddha’s eye. Therefore we speak of the original sympathy and response. The Lotus Sutra says:

• “If there are living beings that come and reach me here, with my enlightened eye I will observe their faith and their other spiritual roots, sharp and dull.”

This is the wonderful original illumination of spiritual capacities and the wonderful original sympathetic response.

5. The Wonderful Original Spiritual Penetration - This is the very first time that one unites mercy and compassion with spiritual transformation. To influence others, the Buddha makes spiritual penetration, displaying signs and stirring living beings in order to spiritually uplift them. Therefore it is called the wonderful original spiritual penetration. The Lotus Sutra says:

• “The secret mystery of The One That Has Come; the power of spiritual penetration.”

And in the meantime it says:

• “Some revealing my life, some revealing the lives of others - some revealing my work, some revealing the work of others.”

This is taking on the form of the ten spiritual realms and making the various kinds of incarnations and is called the wonderful original spiritual penetration. The Ten Wonders that are the Door to the Origin of Enlightenment

The last five:

6. The Wonderful Original Teaching of the Dharma - Having first sat at the place of enlightenment (the Bodhimandala) and attained the true enlightenment, the Buddha turned the wheel of the Dharma and taught with the four unhindered forms of expression. The Lotus Sutra says:

• “All these Bodhisattvas have been influenced by me to inspire the great mind of enlightenment. They all abide in the non-retreating stage, cultivating and training in my teaching.”

And in the meantime:

• “Some is teaching my works, some the works of others.”

This is the wonderful original teaching of the Dharma.

7. The Wonderful Original Followers - These are the people that received the original teaching of the Dharma. They are the Bodhisattvas that spring forth from the earth. Maitreya was not aware of their existence. The Lotus Sutra says:

• “All these Bodhisattvas have a golden hue and dwell in the emptiness below. They are all my children. I have instructed this multitude for all of eternity.”

These are the wonderful original followers.

8. The Wonderful Original Nirvana - The original Nirvana is the realization of the virtue of freedom or detachment. Having already connected with and spiritually uplifted living beings the Buddha speaks of entering into extinction. This is called the Original Nirvana. The Lotus Sutra says:

• “And again I speak of entering into Nirvana, doing like this everywhere by distinguishing the ways and means.”
• “Now I am not really not extinguished, and yet as a device I speak of the need to attain extinction.”

With the conditions for enlightenment having already been accomplished, the Buddha then declares His entry into Nirvana.

9. The Wonderful Original Lifespan - With the Buddha having already declared His entry into extinction, it follows that there is the lifespan of the Dharma, which may be either long or short. This is the lifespan. The Lotus Sutra says:

• “Here and there teaching of myself in different names and terms, for periods of time great and small.”
• “Periods of time” These are the lifespans.
• “Great and small” - This is being long or short, permanent (lasting) or impermanent (transient). With the lifespans of the interim period already being like this, the original lifespan is like this as well.

10. The Wonderful Original Benefits - The original deeds, vows, penetrations, responses, etc., are the followers. These are the abundant benefits. The Sutra says:

• “And with ways and means I teach the subtle and wonderful Dharma that is able to make living being raise up the mind of joy.”

This is the benefit of the meantime.

The sequential birth and origination of these ten:

These ten kinds of meanings so far have been just been explained from here and there in the Sutra’s words. Now we desire to compile them in a sequential order so we can explain their birth and origination.

1. The original cause is at the beginning.
2. The cause directly renders an effect (the attainment of enlightenment).
3. With the attainment of the effect there is the (creation of the pure) land.
4. With the ultimate effect being in the (creation of the) land, there is illumination of its spiritual capacities. The capacities are stirred and consequently they are spiritually influenced
5. Upon offering spiritual influence there is spiritual penetration.
6. Having achieved spiritual penetration, there is the teaching of the Dharma.
7. With the teaching of the Dharma being accepted, there is the attainment of followers.
8. With the followers having been spiritually uplifted, the conditions for enlightenment have been accomplished and there is Nirvana.
9. With there being Nirvana, we speak of the lifespan of the Dharma being either long or short.
10. The lifespan, whether it is long or it is short, creates spiritual benefits, and after the Buddha’s extinction there are the benefits of the True Dharma and the Copied Dharma, etc.

The meanings of these are measureless but we settle upon there being ten in order to tie them together from beginning to end and arrive at a number that reveals the sequence.

Source

tientai.net