The Fifth Practice of Virtue - Freedom From Confusion and Disturbance - Dhyana Paramita
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5. The Practice of Freedom from Confusion or Disturbance (Meditation)
The Flower Garland (Avatamsaka) Sutra says:
Children of the Buddha: What is the Bodhisattva Mahasattva’s practice of freedom from disorder and confusion?
These Bodhisattvas realize Proper Mindfulness (Presence of Mind). They are not distracted or disturbed. They are strong, firm and steadfast, pure of heart, broadminded, generous, and without confusion or delusion. By means of Proper Mindfulness they skillfully understand all the words and language of the world and are able to embrace the words and teachings about the spirituality that is beyond the world. This is being able to embrace the teachings about form and formlessness, about the physical form that establishes one’s own self-nature, and about the sensory feelings, conceptualizing thoughts, acts of will and consciousness that establish one’s own self-nature. The mind is without confusion or disorder in these things.
- In this world they die in one place and are born in another, and the mind is without confusion or disorder.
- They enter the womb and leave the womb, and the mind is without confusion or disorder.
- They inspire the Bodhi mind, and the mind is without confusion or disorder.
- They serve good spiritual acquaintances, and the mind is without confusion or disorder.
- They diligently cultivate the Buddhist teachings, and the mind is without confusion or disorder.
- They are awakened to and recognize the works of the devil, and the mind is without confusion or disorder.
- They are free from the works of the devil, and the mind is without confusion or disorder.
- They cultivate the practice of the Bodhisattvas for indescribable eons, and the mind is without confusion or disorder.
These Bodhisattvas realize limitless kinds of Proper Mindfulness like this, having spent countless eons enquiring into listening to the true spirituality of the Dharma from the Buddhas, the Bodhisattvas and good spiritual acquaintances. This is the spirituality of the Dharma that is very deep and broad, that is adorned with various kinds of adornments, that is taught and explained with various kinds of words and verse, that is adorned with the Bodhisattvas, that has the supreme brilliance of the Buddha’s spiritual power, that is properly sought out with pure and resolute understanding, that is free from all that is of this world, that distinguishes all that is of this world, that is very broad and great in scope, that is free from the blinds of stupidity and illuminates all living beings, that distinguishes what it has in common with the world and what it does not, that has the supreme wisdom of the Bodhisattvas, and that grants the mastery that is the wisdom of all. With the Bodhisattvas having enquired into and listened to the Dharma for countless eons like this without forgetting it or losing it, they will always keep it in their hearts and be unceasingly mindful of it. Why is this? When Bodhisattva Mahasattvas have cultivated these practices like this for limitless eons, they will not distress or disturb a single living being or make them lose proper mindfulness. They will not destroy the True Dharma and they will not cut off their good spiritual roots. Their minds will ever be progressing in the broad and great wisdom.
And further these Bodhisattvas cannot be confused or disturbed by the various kinds of sounds and voices. These are voices that are very loud, coarse, frightening, pleasant, unpleasant, shouting, disturbing to the ear, and destructive to the six senses. These Bodhisattvas hear the sound of limitless, countless good and evil voices like this, and even though they fill up the countless worlds they do not yet have a single thought of distraction or disturbance. This is the non-disturbance of Proper Mindfulness, the sphere of the spiritual realm, Samadhi, entering into the very deep spirituality, practicing the Bodhi practice, inspiring the Bodhi mind, remembering and being mindful of the Buddhas, observing the absolute reality of the Dharma, the wisdom that influences living beings, the pure wisdom of living beings and the resolute understanding of the very deep significance.
- In not making any evil karmic deeds, they are without the obstacle of karma.
- In not raising up emotional distress, they are without the obstacle of emotional distress.
- In being without the slightest spiritual conceit, they are without the obstacle of conceit in the Dharma.
- In not slandering the intent of the True Dharma, they are without the obstacle of retribution.
Children of the Buddha: Even if each of the voices described above filled countless worlds endlessly for a limitless and countless number of eons and were able to disturb and damage the mindss and sense faculties of all living beings, they would not be able to damage these Bodhisattvas. These Bodhisattvas enter into Samadhi and abide in the noble spirituality of the Dharma. Upon reflecting on and observing the sounds of all the voices, they skillfully recognize the aspects and nature of their origination, their continuity and their extinction. Having heard the voices like this, they do not give rise to greed or anger. Without losing mindfulness, they skillfully understand its aspects but they do not become attached to them. They recognize that all the voices do not exist anywhere and that they are in reality impossible to grasp. Not being created, they are without an origin, they are consistent with the spiritual realm and they cannot be divided up and distinguished. Like this, the Bodhisattvas realize that the actions of the body, the speech and the thinking mind are serene and still and they attain the wisdom of all, never turning and retreating.
- Skillfully entering into all the doors of meditation, they recognizing that all Samadhis have one and the same nature and embodiment.
- Understanding that all things spiritual are without bounds, they attain the absolutely real wisdom and insight of all things spiritual.
- Attaining the very deep Samadhi of freedom from all sounds and voices, they attain the countless doors of Samadhi, and progress in the limitless great mind of compassion.
At this time the Bodhisattvas attain countless hundreds of thousands of Samadhis in a single thought. Hearing all the voices like this, their minds are without any disturbance or confusion and their Samadhi gradually increases in scope. They think like this:
- “I must make all living beings peacefully abide in the supreme pure mindfulness and never turn and retreat from it so that they may attain the wisdom of all and completely realize Nirvana without a trace.”
This is called the fifth practice of the Bodhisattva Mahasattvas, the practice Without Confusion or Disturbance.
