Bodhisattva at Ease in Majestic Virtue a great city has four gates. People coming from different directions have more than one entrance. broadly expound to us all the expedient methods and stages as well as how many types of practitioners “Virtuous man, unsurpassable wondrous enlightenment pervades all ten directions. From it arise the Tathagatas and all dharmas, which are equal and identical to one another and of the same substance. Likewise, the various methods of cultivation are, in reality, not different from one another. Though there are countless expedient methods for becoming attuned to the nature of enlightenment, if one categorizes them according to their different natures, there are three kinds. “Virtuous man, if, after awakening to pure Complete Enlightenment, bodhisattvas with pure enlightened minds engage in the cultivation of stillness, they will cleanse and settle all thoughts. Becoming aware of the agitation and restlessness of consciousness, they will cause their wisdom of stillness to manifest. Their bodies and minds, which will be realized as adventitious guests and dust will be permanently extinguished. Inwardly they will experience lightness and ease in quiescence and stillness. Because of this quiescence and stillness, the minds of all Tathagatas in all ten directions will be revealed like reflections in a mirror. This expedient is called samatha. “Virtuous man, if, after awakening to pure Complete Enlightenment, bodhisattvas with pure enlightened minds realize the nature of mind and realize that the six sense faculties and sense objects are illusory projections, they will then generate illusion as a means to eliminate illusion. Causing transformations and manifestations among illusions, they will enlighten illusory sentient beings. By generating illusions, they will experience lightness and ease in great compassion. All bodhisattvas who practice in such a manner will advance gradually. That which contemplates illusion is different from illusion itself. Nevertheless, contemplating illusion is itself an illusion. When all illusions are permanently left behind, the wondrous cultivation completed by such bodhisattvas may be compared to the sprouting of seeds from soil. This expedient is called samapatti. “Virtuous man, if, after awakening to pure Complete Enfightenment, bodhisattvas with pure, enlightened minds grasp on to neither illusory projections nor states of stillness, they will understand thoroughly that both body and mind are hindrances. Awakening from ignorance, their minds will be illuminated. Without depending on all sorts of hindrances, they will permanently transcend the realms of hindrance and nonhindrance and make full use of the world as well as the body and mind. They will manifest in the phenomenal world without any obstructions, just as the sound of a musical instrument can travel beyond the body of the instrument. Vexations and nirvana will not hinder each other. Inwardly, they will experience lightness and ease in quiescent-extinction. They will accord with the realm of quiescent-extinction in wondrous enlightenment, which is beyond the reach of body and mind and the reach of self and others. All sentient beings and all life are only drifting thoughts. This expedient method is called dhyana. “Virtuous man, if in his practice on the holy path, a person teaches, delivers, and succeeds in guiding hundreds of thousands of millions of people into arhatship and pratyekabuddhahood, he cannot be compared with someone who, upon hearing these Dharma methods of the unhindered Complete Enlightenment, practices accordingly for even an instant.” At that time, the World Honored One, wishing to clarify his meaning, proclaimed these gathas: Majestic Virtue, you should know that the unsurpassable mind of great enlightenment is intrinsically nondual. Even though the various expedients that accord with it are limitless in number, the teachings of the Tathagata are altogether three in kind. Quiescent and still in samatha, the mind is like a mirror reflecting myriad images. Samapatti, wherein all is seen as an illusion, is like a bud growing gradually. Dhyana is quiescent-extinction, yet, its functions are like the sound of a musical instrument. These three wondrous Dharma methods are all in accordance with enlightenment. The Tathagatas in all ten directions and the great bodhisattvas achieve Buddhahood through them. Perfect actualization of these three is called ultimate nirvana. Hearing this, the Bodhisattva of Sound Discernment “Virtuous man, being pure, the Complete Enlightenment of all Tathagatas is originally without cultivation and cultivator. All bodhisattvas and sentient beings in the Dharma Ending Age, while unenlightened, rely on illusory effort in their cultivation. Thus there are twenty-five kinds of pure samadhis. 1. “If bodhisattvas engage only in utter stillness, through the power of stillness, they can permanently sever vexations and accomplish the ultimate. Without arising from their seats, they enter nirvana. These bodhisattvas solely practice samatha. 2. “If bodhisattvas engage only in contemplating all things as being like an illusion, through the power of the Buddhas they can transform and manifest things in the world into all sorts of functions and fulfill all their pure, wondrous practices as bodhisattvas. While maintaining dharani, they do not lose mindfulness in quiescence, nor do they lose wisdom derived from stillness. These bodhisattvas solely practice samapatti. 3. “If bodhisattvas engage only in extinguishing illusions without getting involved in functions, they will singly sever all vexations. When vexations are completely severed they will actualize Absolute Reality. These bodhisattvas solely practice dhyana. 4. “If bodhisattvas first engage in utter stillness and then, with the wisdom mind begotten by stillness, clearly illuminate all illusions and perform bodhisattva deeds, they practice samatha first, followed by samapatti. 5. “If bodhisattvas, with the wisdom begotten by stillness, fully actualize the nature of utter stillness and then sever vexations and transcend birth and death permanently, they practice samatha first, followed by dhyana. 6. “If bodhisattvas, with the wisdom begotten by quiescence and stillness, manifest the power of illusions and create all sorts of transformations and manifestations for the purpose of liberating sentient beings, after which they sever vexations and enter quiescent-extinction, they practice samatha first, followed by samapatti, ending in dhyana. “If bodhisattvas, with the power of utter stillness, sever vexations and then perform the wondrous pure practices of a bodhisattva to liberate sentient beings, they practice samatha first, followed by dhyana and ending in samapatti. “If bodhisattvas, with the power of utter stillness, sever the vexations in the mind, liberate sentient beings and establish the world, they practice samatha first, followed by both samapatti and dhyana. “If bodhisattvas, with the power of utter stillness as a support, generate transformations and manifestations, and then sever vexations, they practice both samatha and samapatti first, followed by dhyana. “If bodhisattvas, with the power of utter stillness as a support, attain quiescent-extinction, then give rise to functions in manifesting in and transforming the world, they practice both samatha and dhyana first, followed by samapatti. “If bodhisattvas, with the power of transformations and manifestations to accord with all sorts of sentient beings, then attain utter stillness, they practice samapatti first, followed by samatha. “If bodhisattvas, with the power of transformations and manifestations, create various realms, then attain quiescent-extinction, they practice samapatti first, followed by dhyana. “If bodhisattvas, with the power of transformations and manifestations, first perform Buddha works, then peacefully abide in quiescence and stillness, and then sever vexations, they practice samapatti first, followed by samatha, ending in dhyana. “If bodhisattvas, with the power of transformations and manifestations, perform bodhisattva functions without hindrances, then sever vexations and peacefully abide in utter stillness, they practice samapatti first, followed by dhyana, ending in samatha. “If bodhisattvas, with the power of transformations and manifestations, expediently perform bodhisattva functions, then accord with utter stillness as well as quiescent-extinction, they practice samapatti first, followed by both samatha and dhyana. “If bodhisattvas, with the power of transformations and manifestations, give rise to bodhisattva functions to engage in utter stillness, then sever vexations, they practice both samapatti and samatha first, followed by dhyana. “If bodhisattvas, with the power of transformations and manifestations as a support, cultivate quiescent-extinction, then abide in the pure, uncontrived stillness, they practice both samapatti and dhyana first, followed by samatha. “If bodhisattvas, with the power of quiescent-extinction, give rise to utter stillness and abide in purity, they practice dhyana first, followed by samatha. “If bodhisattvas, with the power of quiescent-extinction, give rise to bodhisattva functions, yet accord with both quiescence and functions in all circumstances, they practice dhyana first, followed by samapatti. “If bodhisattvas, with the power of quiescent-extinction, abide in the contemplation of stillness amidst the distinct nature of all phenomena, then give rise to transformations and manifestations, they practice dhyana first, followed by samatha, ending in samapatti. “If bodhisattvas, with the power of quiescent-extinction, from the uncontrived intrinsic nature of all dharmas give rise to the function of manifesting pure realms, then return to the contemplation of stillness, they practice dhyana first, followed by samapatti, ending in samatha. “If bodhisattvas, with the power of quiescent-extinction, with various purities abide in stillness, yet give rise to transformations and manifestations, they practice dhyana, first, followed by both samatha and samapatti. “If bodhisattvas, with the power of quiescent-extinction as a support, engaging in utter stillness, then give rise to transformations and manifestations, they practice both dhyana and samatha first, followed by samapatti. “If bodhisattvas, with the power of quiescent-extinction as a support, engaging in performing transformations and manifestations, then give rise to utter stillness and pure luminous wisdom, they practice both dhyana and samapatti, followed by samatha. “If bodhisattvas, with the wisdom of Complete Enlightenment, perfectly harmonize all dualities and never depart from the nature of enlightenment in relating to the diverse dharma natures or phenomena, they are perfect in the threefold practice of according with the intrinsic nature of pure samadhi. “Virtuous man, these are called the twenty-five practices of bodhisattvas. All bodhisattvas practice in this way. If bodhisattvas and sentient beings in the Dharma Ending Age wish to rely on these practices, they should uphold practices of purity, quietly contemplate and wholeheartedly repent. At the end of twenty-one days, after placing a numbered tally for each of the twenty-five methods, they should wholeheartedly pray and seek divination by picking a tally at random. The number picked will indicate whether the method is gradual or sudden. However, a single thought of doubt or regret will cause them to fail in accomplishment.” At that time, the World Honored One, wishing to clarify his meaning, proclaimed these gathas: Sound Discernment, you should know that the unhindered, pure wisdom of all bodhisattvas arises from samadhi: the so-called samatha, samapatti, and dhyana. The gradual or sudden practice of this threefold Dharma has twenty-five variations. All Tathagatas in the ten directions and the practitioners in the past, present, and future achieve bodhi through this Dharma, with the only exceptions being those of sudden enlightenment and those who do not follow the Dharma. All bodhisattvas and sentient beings in the Dharma Ending Age should ever practice diligently in accordance with these methods. Relying on the Buddha’s power of great compassion, they will before long attain nirvana.