Cultivating the Samādhi
The Bhagavān now said to the youth Candraprabha,299 “Therefore, young man, bodhisattva mahāsattvas who wish for this samādhi, and wish to attain quickly the highest, complete enlightenment of perfect buddhahood, should cultivate this samādhi.
6.2 “Young man, what is the cultivation of this samādhi? [F.18.b] Young man, bodhisattva mahāsattvas with a compassionate mind are dedicated to making offerings to the tathāgatas, whether living or passed into nirvāṇa, of Dharma robes, alms, seat and bedding, medicines for when ill, and of monastic utensils, and of flowers, incense, perfume, garlands, ointments, aromatic powders, clothing, parasols, banners, and flags, and of music and musical instruments. They dedicate that root of merit to the attainment of samādhi. They do not make offerings to a tathāgata with the hope for anything at all—not with the hope for anything they desire, nor with the hope for any enjoyment, nor with the hope for a higher existence, nor with the hope for followers—but do so with the Dharma in mind. They do not even, with that wish, perceive the Tathāgata as the dharmakāya, let alone perceiving him as the rūpakāya.
6.3 “Young man, it is in that way that an offering is made to the tathāgatas. It is done without seeing the tathāgatas, without focusing on the self, and without any desire for the ripening of karma. Young man, if an offering made to a tathāgata is purified of those three aspects of the action, this samādhi will be attained and the highest, complete enlightenment of perfect buddhahood will be quickly reached.”
6.4 At this point the Bhagavān gave a detailed teaching on the cultivation of the samādhi by chanting the following extensive verses to the youth Candraprabha.
6.5
“Through offering incense to infinite wisdom
Beings will have an infinite aroma.
In ten million eons they will not go to the lower realms,
And no bad smells will come from them. {1}
6.6
“For ten million eons they will practice bodhisattva conduct
And make offerings to ten thousand million buddhas.
The aroma of wisdom will arise so that they
Will become buddhas with the aroma of supreme conduct. {2}
6.7
“If any beings know that the incense they offer,
Those to whom they offer it,
And the minds that offer incense [F.19.a] do not exist,
The ‘concordant patience’ they have is of lesser kind. {3}
6.8
“But if a person maintains a patience that is great,300
Even were they cut up, for ten million eons,
Into tiny pieces as numerous as the Ganges sands,
Their mind will never regress. {4}
6.9
“Why is this termed ‘patience’?
And why is it called ‘concordant’?
For what reason is it said to be ‘nonregressive’?
And why are they called ‘bodhisattvas’? {5}
6.10
“Their patience being for the selfless nature of phenomena,
Those who perceive selflessness have no kleśas.
They know that all phenomena are like space.
That, therefore, is what is termed ‘patience.’ {6}
6.11
“They train in accord with all the jinas.
Those wise ones do not practice non-Dharma.
They do not doubt the Buddha’s Dharma.
That is the patience that is ‘concordant.’ {7}
6.12
“Even if all the māras in the world transformed
Into buddhas and said to such practitioners,
‘Enlightenment is too difficult! So become a śrāvaka!’
They would not believe those words and would not regress. {8}
6.13
“If they know of the incorrect view of beings
They say, ‘This is not the path to deathlessness!’301
So that they reject the wrong path and are brought to the true path.302
That is the reason why they are called bodhisattvas.303 {9}
6.14
“They remain upon the path of concordant patience
And are awake through the knowledge of selflessness.
Even in a dream they do not believe
In humans, persons, souls, or beings. {10}
6.15
“Even if as many millions of māras as there are Ganges sands
Came before them in the forms of buddhas,
And said to them that there is a soul within the body,
They would reply that it was not so and say, ‘You are not buddhas.’304 {11}
6.16
“Through wisdom I know that the skandhas are empty.
Because I know that, I am unaccompanied by kleśas.
In my conduct I use mere words
But within this world remain within nirvāṇa, {12}
6.17
“Just as when a man has a son born to him
And gives him a name, saying, ‘This is his name!’
But that name cannot be found anywhere.
And that name did not come from anywhere. {13}
6.18
“In that way the name ‘bodhisattva’ is given, [F.19.b]
But if one seeks for this ‘bodhisattva’
That name will not be found anywhere.
One who knows that is a bodhisattva. {14}
6.19
“The bodhisattvas do not believe in the existence of a self
Any more than that a fire can burn in the middle of the ocean.
Since they have developed the aspiration for enlightenment
They have not had the view that there is a soul within.305 {15}
6.20
“There is no birth and there is no death
For beings, humans,306 the descendants of Manu.
Phenomena have an empty nature, like illusions;
The tīrthikas are unable to know that. {16}
6.21
“Also those who crave for food,
Who desire and cling to alms bowls and robes,
Who are arrogant and are haughty,
They cannot understand the Buddha’s enlightenment. {17}
6.22
“The lazy who are overcome by sleepiness and dullness,
Who have stubborn minds,307 and are shameless,
Who have no faith in the Buddha,
They are unable to understand308 sublime enlightenment. {18}
6.23
“The ordinary beings with incorrect behavior,
Those who do not have faith in the Dharma,
Who have no respect toward celibates,
They are unable to understand enlightenment. {19}
6.24
“Those with correct behavior, who have modesty and self-respect,
Who delight in the Dharma and the buddhas,
Who show great respect to the practitioners of celibacy,
They will attain the supreme, highest enlightenment. {20}
6.25
“Those whose conduct is performed with mindfulness,
Who sit upon their cushion with joy and delight,
With dhyāna as food and samādhi for drink,
They will attain the supreme, highest enlightenment. {21}
6.26
“Those who understand selflessness all day long,
Who are mindful of emptiness as they walk,
Who bear the beautiful aromatic flowers of the aspects of enlightenment,
Those dedicated ones will attain supreme enlightenment. {22}
6.27
“They who are skilled in bodhisattva conduct
Are not on the level of other beings,
Of śrāvakas, or of pratyekabuddhas.
Who would not aspire to that realization? {23}
6.28
“If I were to have a lifespan that continued
For as many millions of eons as there are sands in the Ganges,
I would not even be able to finish reciting the praises
Of as little of the Buddha’s wisdom as a tiny pore. {24}
6.29
“Therefore, having heard the benefits [F.20.a]
That have been taught by the unsurpassable Jina,
You should quickly become instructed in this samādhi.
And then the attainment of supreme enlightenment will not be difficult.” {25}
6.30
Conclusion of the sixth chapter, “Cultivation of the Samādhi.”
