I have this memory that we moved quite a bit through the text last time, and that we got to this section about the four intentions and the four aims that the teachings of the Buddhas should be, according to which the teachings of the Buddha may be interpreted. Is that true? Do you share that memory? And did we get all the way through that section 31? Do we get to 32 then and stop? That would be today. Yeah. All right. Okay, so Buddhas have these four intentions and four aims. And now we have this section 32.

[01:01]

Would someone read... Why don't someone just read the whole section? And then we can go back over it. One desires to interpret the overall doctrine of the great vehicle in summary. He should treat the three themes. One, he should elucidate the character of dependent co-arising. Two, he should elucidate the true character of dependent co-arisen states of being. And three, he should elucidate the meaning of what has been taught in the scriptures in light of . The elucidation of the character of dependent co-arising is as the verse declares. All things arise from the permeations of language, and these permeations from those things, that is, the maturing consciousness and the actively evolving consciousnesses, are causes one of the other.

[02:06]

The elucidation of the true character of dependently co-arisen states of being means that the nature of all things being characterized as active evolutions of consciousness is conscious construction endowed with image and insight. Furthermore, all states of being are characterized as support, imagined, and reality. In these words, the nature of all states of being is elucidated within the context of the three patterns. We present the verse. Visually, from that which has both image and insight, one knows that all states of being have the three patterns. How can one elucidate the characters of these states Within the other dependent pattern, the imagined pattern lacks any reality whereby it might exist.

[03:10]

But the true reality pattern really does exist therein. It is in virtue of this non-being and this being that at the same time spontaneously perfected suchness is realized or not, seen already or not yet seen. For in the other dependent pattern, the imagined pattern does not exist, but the true reality pattern does exist. If one sees one, one does not see the other. We present a verse. In the other dependent, the imagined does not exist, but true reality does exist. Therefore, the absence of realization and realization are both equally present in it. The elucidation of what has been taught consists of explaining and analyzing texts that have previously been taught by the Buddha in light of later commentaries, whether concerning the assemblage of good qualities of the Buddha or the various aims of practice of bodhisattvas.

[04:19]

Back to the first paragraph. The three themes are the character of dependant-co-arising, the character of dependantly-co-arisen states of being. Well, it's interesting, it says elucidate the character, it didn't say true character in the first case, but anyway, elucidating the character of dependent co-arising and then elucidating the true character of dependently co-arising the states and then elucidate how this meaning or true meaning of what has been taught in the scriptures The first, then, the elucidation of the character of dependent co-arising is in this verse. All things arise from permeations of language and those permeations from those things.

[05:43]

That is, the material consciousness an actively evolving consciousness's cause or causes one of the other. So the language permeations, so it's hard to say where it starts, is the language permeations, the permeations which go into the container consciousness, and then the container consciousness then supports more language, which creates language permeations, or the language permeations in the container consciousness supporting the language, which then permeates the container consciousness. Something like that is what we're talking about. This process of supporting linguistic activity in active consciousness, the consequences of which are the container consciousness.

[06:53]

And we learned before that that's simultaneous. They're simultaneously supporting each other. That's the dependent core rising taught in this text. which this text thinks was taught, I think, in the sutra. So that's the dependent co-arising. Any questions about that at this time? This is what we talked a lot about in chapter one. Then comes now the states. What is the true character of these states that have dependently co-arisen? Well, what are the states that are dependently co-arisen? Well, there's the active states of consciousness and there's also the, what do you call it, the container consciousness is also a dependently co-arisen state. I would say. Anybody disagree with that?

[07:55]

Does that make sense? So the elucidation of the true character of dependable cores and states of being means that the nature of all things being characterized as active evolutions of consciousness is conscious construction endowed with image and insight. So in terms of what is coming up next, I'm struck by what image and insight might be. What do you think image and insight is? Imagined image has something to do with the imagined quality, character.

[09:12]

Insight has something to do with the ultimate. Yeah. So again, the ultimate is an insight. It's not just an ultimate thing out there. It's an insight. It's a cognitive attainment. Reality is a cognitive attainment. It's not something like we're over here and reality is over there. Unless we're over here means that we are the imagined and the accomplished state is separate from us in some ways. So all phenomena are evolutions of consciousness. All dependently coercive things are evolution of consciousness. All things depend on mind, and there are different evolutions of it. And at the beginning of the Thirty Verses it says, you know, whatever there are in terms of self and objects or self and phenomena, they all occur within the evolutions, within the transformations of consciousness, and the transformations of consciousness are threefold.

[10:26]

So this is a way of accepting that insight into reality, in the ultimate sense, is still an active evolution of consciousness, but not construction in the imagined sense. Not construction in the imagined sense, no. But it's also conscious construction because it isn't something existing. And it's conscious construction in the sense that it is the fruit of lots of conscious construction evolving with lots of conscious construction. It's this great fruit. But in a sense, it's a conscious construction too. It's this wonderful construction called realization of wisdom. Wisdom is a conscious construction, too. But it is the realization of reality. So this is making a, Alan, if you're making a distinction between a conscious construction in the

[11:37]

realization of insight or in the expression of insight, or both, making a difference between that and the conscious construction that is from the imagined realm. Yeah, and also the thing that is the base of the imagined and the insight is the conscious construction called the other dependent character or the container consciousness. So it's all conscious construction. Furthermore, all states of being are characterized as support, imagined, and reality. That's what I just said. And the support is the other dependent character.

[12:40]

or the results of all past activity. In these words, the nature of all states of being is elucidated within the context of the three patterns. And now we present a verse issuing from that which has both image and insight. What's that? It says, issuing from that which has both image and insight, what's that? Yes, but which one? There's different kinds of conscious construction. Well, from what do the image and insight issue? Yes, they issue from conscious construction, and they are conscious constructions, but what do they issue from?

[13:52]

The true character of dependent equanimity states. No. They issue from the other dependent character. One is not. So the other dependent character has these two aspects. One is the reality and it has built to that. So the other dependent character has a defiled and a purified or imagined and a wisdom aspect. The imagined side and the wisdom side both issue from this other dependent storehouse consciousness. Without storehouse consciousness, there's no phenomena. Phenomena depend on mind, and particularly mind that gets into active consciousness. How can one elucidate the character of these states? within the other dependent pattern, the imagined pattern lacks any reality whereby it might exist.

[15:01]

But the true reality pattern really does exist therein. It is in virtue of this non-being and this being that at the same time spontaneously perfected suchness is realized or not. So at the same time it's realized and not. Seen already or not yet seen. For in the other dependent pattern, the imagined pattern does not exist, but the true reality pattern does exist. If one sees one, one does not see the other. But the other dependent pattern, although if you see one, you don't see the other, the other dependent pattern supports both.

[16:10]

In the other dependent pattern, the imagined pattern does not exist, but there is the production of this thing that doesn't exist. But in true reality, the true reality does exist. Therefore, the absence of realization and realization are both equally present. So the absence of realization is this thing that doesn't exist, but the absence of realization is present with the presence of the realization. So this teaching is really kind of amazingly tricky. It's very much like that, yeah. So we have this support of something that doesn't exist in the support, and we have the support of something that does exist, and we have the support of the lack of realization and the realization.

[17:17]

And so that's how these three characters are used to elucidate the situation of the three characters, but also of dependent core arising and dependent core arising phenomena. So this takes care of all dependent core arising phenomena. This describes how defilement or affliction occurs and how purification occurs and how it's all conscious construction, evolution, evolving conscious construction. When it says that the Buddha can see both at the same time, that ancient beings can only see one at a time, is that this? Is that related to this? Yeah. But except that this said you can only see one at a time, and it hasn't said, but there's an exception to this, it hasn't said that yet. But I think it will say it either in this or in the Mahayana Sutralankara.

[18:25]

I understand the point that's being made, but the logic of this verse doesn't work for me. Can you articulate what... Yeah, well, I'm having a hard time with the fact that the imagined does not exist in the other dependent means that the absence of realization does exist in the other dependent. I just don't get the logical consequence of one from the other. It was clear in the paragraph preceding it. Isn't a verse sort of a summary? Yeah, right. So maybe it's not meant to be a, maybe it's, yeah, meant to kind of summarize the prose elucidation.

[19:27]

So anyway, as I said, I understand the point, and I got it in the prose, but that as a, that's meant to be an argument. Yeah, I might have a nice computer here to look at the other translations, see how that put it. I have the other translations. You do? Okay. Okay. The elucidation of what has been taught consists of explaining and analyzing texts that have previously been taught in light of later commentaries. So the later commentaries could be this or some other ones, or this along with this. I get the feeling that this, we don't know, but I get the feeling that this was written after

[20:31]

the Mahayana Sutralankara and Bodhisattva Bhumi and these other texts that Asangar received through the inspiration of relationship with Maitreya. I don't think he wrote these things before that. That doesn't make sense because he was looking for this inspiration. And so he got it, and then after he received it, then he works on his own with some support or consultation with Maitreya, is the story. So it seems like this is one of the texts that he wrote after the initial education process, which he took notes on and produced these amazing, these five amazing texts. In the dependent the imaginary is absent, but the absolute is present there.

[21:34]

That is why in the dependent these two natures, imaginary and absolute, not perceived and perceived are the same. Independent, the imaginary is absent, but the absolute is present there. That is why in the dependent these two natures, imaginary and absolute, non-perceived and perceived, are the same. That's the verse. That's the verse. Yeah, perceived and realization is really different. I think, you know, yeah, I don't know what the original is.

[22:48]

Yeah, I think perceived is not a good translation of whatever, but I don't know what the original is, so I can't say it's not a good translation, because maybe it is, but I don't think we're talking about perception here. I think we're talking about realization. Do you have some Sanskrit here? We have a perception. We have a perception which is not a realization, and we have a realization which is not a perception. They do have the Sanskrit word for perceived, what they're translating as perceived, which is upalabdha. If that helps. Yeah, I don't know what to do with it. Sounds pretty bad. I mean, just before the verse it says, if one sees one, one does not see the other. So that seems to correlate with, therefore, the absence of realization and realization. Because if you've seen the imaginary, then you're not... Yeah.

[24:08]

So it seemed like that with the correlation. Yeah, I mean, I think that's right. And I'm not questioning the translation. I'm just questioning the logic. So this term seems like it makes sense. I understand the point is trying to be made, but just as a logical, it's not a successful argument. I think it's a successful summary of something else. Asanga, you know, it's hard to express enough gratitude for his work, but his successors, like Dignaga, worked from here to develop a more logical presentation than this. the ground upon which a more logical presentation was finally developed. Maybe Asanga, and maybe even Maitreya is not originally presenting this out of a logical presentation.

[25:19]

I think If I look at the reason in the story of Asanga making contact with Maitreya, it was because he felt that the spirit of love and compassion was not being understood properly in the teaching. And so he looked for this kind of thing. So this may be more of a great gift to be worked on later. So maybe it has logical fallacies. Yeah. And could you read the next paragraph? Because it says, in light of later commentaries, I wonder what that one says. Right after the verse. It says, what is the explanation of the meaning of the phrases It consists of explaining a phrase spoken first by means of the phrases that follow when dealing with the qualities of the Buddha or when dealing with the aims of the Bodhisattva.

[26:30]

That's really different. What is the explanation of the meaning of the phrases It consists of explaining a phrase spoken first by means of the phrases that follow when dealing with the qualities of the Buddha or when dealing with the aims of the Bodhisattva. So what we're being told here, it looks like, is that the elucidation of what has been taught is by means of looking at what was previously taught in terms of later things, and that's what's going on here. Can I take another stab at Jerry's question about the logic? Yeah, sure. So in the other dependent, the imagined does not exist. The imagined does not exist is the same as the absence of realization.

[27:36]

But true reality does exist, which is the same as realization. So it's actually tautological. In the other dependent, these two characteristics are equally present in the other dependent, or these two states, or whatever you want to call it. Thank you. I don't know if it works for Jim. Well, I mean, I guess that may be right. Maybe it's not to be a topology. You know, so then the issue of equality the quality of the imagined not existing and the absence of realization existing, essentially, you know. Oh, I see. Oh, no, it doesn't say it exists. Well, it says it's present. Well, so what does... Yeah, so what does that mean? Anyway, so it's just... I think you're right, I think it's close to its totality, but I still have that same, that's the question, what is the equality of those two things?

[28:43]

Oh, I see. How is it that... How is an absence present? Yeah, how is an absence a present, precisely, yeah. By the way, this other translation also used the word present, didn't it? No, it said the same or something. The same. The same. Can you say present in it? Are the same. It says absent. Oh, yes, here it is. In the dependent, the imaginary is absent, but the absolute is present. I was noticing... And this one says they're both equally present. It says the absence is present. That one says that one is absent and the other is present. This says both the absence of the one and the absence of the one is present, and that which is absent is present.

[29:50]

Well, the absence is presence in the sense that this absence is a realization. That's not the absence we're talking about here. I know, but I'm just saying. There's an absence, which is a realization, which is present. Then there's an absence, which is also the absence of realization. And the absence of realization is not the absence of the realization. The absence of the realization is the absence of the imagined. It's the presence of the realization is the absence of the imagined. Right. So there's still the logical consequence of the absence of realization. There's nothing to support that logical consequence. Well, the imagine does not exist, but it's there in the other dependent. Oh, I...

[31:03]

The imagined does not exist. It appears in the other dependent. But it is part of the other dependent, in a sense, because the other dependent has this lack of realization right along with the realization. I can see what you're saying, that you can't deduct it from the verse itself. I feel like it is supported by the sentence from before. Yeah, and that's the closest that we've got. It's right there. So you need to set out a kind of, it's still good. Raising the question, actually, the logical question, makes it like, well, it's not just clearer, it's like it gets more into where it's hard to get a hold of. Yeah, but it's good. Good answer. The lead up to the verse in this translation, I think, makes the most logical sense, because it uses the same words. But it says, can I read it? Thus, by someone who does not see the truth and by someone who does see it, the two natures, imaginary and absolute, are simultaneously not perceived or perceived as existent and nonexistent, respectively.

[32:19]

In the dependent nature, the imaginary is absent, but the absolute is present. That is why when it arises, if one perceives its imaginary nature, one does not perceive its absolute nature. If one perceives its absolute nature, one does not perceive its imaginary nature. What else? A little clearer. Shall we read another section? How about note 17 first? Oh yeah, note 17 is really good, yeah. Note 17 says this section, in this section the entire hermeneutic is outlined. First, understand the structure of the mind and how language permeates it. It's on page 123 of this book here. So first understand the structure of mind and how language permeates it.

[33:27]

Then how it functions in three patterns that arise in dependence on that structure. And finally, apply that understanding of consciousness to the interpretation of the scriptures as exemplified in the next two sections, 33 and 34, wherein given structural terms are read in terms of later commentaries. These two examples are not very exciting perhaps, and it may be difficult to discern the import of the critical hermeneutic. But perhaps it is enough for the Yogacara scholar to inculcate the principle, which can then be applied with vigor and zest to other more controversial readings. It's kind of interesting that this is footnote 17, and for the rest of the book, there's only five or six more footnotes for all that comes.

[34:47]

They're important ones, but it's interesting. OK, does that make sense to everybody? Now we're going to practice this hermeneutic here, this interpretation. Hermeneutic and hermeneutics and what are some other words? It's related to the word hermes. to name Hermes, which is a Greek god of kind of like, you know, somehow representing messages and kind of like transformation of things. So hermeneutics kind of refer to how to interpret texts, how to look at the text and see how it works to understand its meaning. And this text is kind of a hermeneutic text in the sense that it's trying to help us understand the Buddha's teaching in some new ways.

[35:55]

Yeah, and Buddhism was always open to being interpreted and criticized. Okay, let someone read 33, please. The study of good qualities, which is an elucidation of the world-honored Buddha's good qualities, as presented in the scriptures, consists of the purest wisdom. First, his non-dual action. Second, his unmarked state of being the highest refuge. Third, his arrival at the Buddha abode. Fourth, his realization of the quality with all Buddhas, his attainment of unhindered activity. 6. His unerring and unopposable doctrine 7. His unchanging sphere 8. His inconceivable establishment of doctrine 9. His equality in regard to the three times Ten, his manifestation of bodies in all world realms.

[37:01]

Eleven, his unhindered wisdom in all things. Twelve, his wisdom joined with all his practices. Thirteen, his wisdom without doubt in regard to all things. 14. His unimaginable bodies. 15. His wisdom as that which is to be experienced by all bodhisattvas. 16. The perfection of his non-dual Buddha-world. 17. His attainment of the undifferentiated liberation wisdom of the Tathagata. the finality of his attainment of equality in all Buddha lands, the ultimacy of his reality realm, and his extension to the limit of the realm of empty space. Just as the initial phrase... Would you wait one second? Could you stand for Girdhara to read another translation of this? So what are we reading?

[38:04]

We're hearing about the Buddha's good qualities, right? As presented in scriptures. Well, in terms of hermeneutic drama, this isn't just controversial material. That's what I mean. Can you find it, Deirdre? Okay. treatise on the qualities, that is, the presentation of the qualities of the Buddha. And in parentheses, it has something in Ramana Sutra. The Buddha's intellect is very pure. He moves in non-duality, penetrates the Dharma without nature. He dwells in the abodes of the Buddha. has attained identity with all Buddhas, all Vabuddhas. He has arrived at the absence of obstacles.

[39:05]

His doctrine is without decline. His domain cannot be reduced. His system is inconceivable. He penetrates the identity of the three times. Their bodies extend throughout all the universes. His wisdom bears on all things without any doubt. His intellect is endowed with all the practices. His knowledge of the dharmas is free from error. Their bodies are unimaginable. His wisdom is the object of the vows of all bodhisattvas. His image? His wisdom is the object of the vows of all bodhisattvas. He has reached the summit of the abode of the Buddhas free of duality. He has reached the summit of the unmixed liberating wisdom of the Tathagata. He has reached the identity of the Buddha Realms, free from center and periphery.

[40:09]

He has risen to the fundamental element. He exhausts space. He reaches the ultimate end. It should be noted that the phrase, the Buddhist intellect is very pure, has the other twenty-one phrases as its commentary. Thus the nature of the Buddha is well explained. Yeah, so this says twenty-one. That one counts as the first one, consists of the purest wisdom, and then that's number one on that one. That's how they get twenty-one. So we can see We can see what they're talking about, but they're quite different in some cases. Particularly, I noticed the one where it says, His wisdom is that which is to be experienced by all bodhisattvas. Oh, I guess, which is to be experienced. In other words, it's the object of their vow. It's not that which is, but that which is to be.

[41:12]

Yeah. Okay, so in this translation, just as the initial phrase, purest wisdom, is interpreted later by commentarial explanation, so one must in turn distinguish and interpret each of the following phrases. Okay, shall we go on? Someone read the next one? If one would correctly explain the meaning of the doctrine he must expand upon the purest wisdom by explaining that the wisdom of the Buddha and Tathagata is pure and without misunderstanding in regard to all things. In this basic union are comprised all 21 good qualities. One, the quality of arising without any obstacle to knowledge whatsoever. Two, the quality of causing entrance into the highest purity of true conscience without duality in regard to being and non-being.

[42:17]

Three, the quality of the Buddha abode wherein the Tathagata's activity is effortless and uninterrupted. Four, the quality of the absence of differentiation in support, intention, and action in the Dharma body. Five, the quality of countering all obstacles to practice. Six, the quality of suppressing all heretical doctrines. 7. Equality arising in the world without being defiled by world peace states. Eight, the quality of true doctrine validly established. Nine, the quality of responding to the questions of others through the four skillful answers. 10, the quality of manifesting enjoyment bodies in all world realms. 11, the quality of resolving the doubts of others. 12, the quality of introducing others to various practices. 13, the quality of understanding the arising of future things. Fourteen, the quality of manifestation in accord with the aspirations of sentient beings.

[43:21]

Fifteen, the quality of attaining sentient beings by the true doctrine through convening unlimited assemblies. Sixteen, the quality of the fullness of perfection of the equal Dharma body. Seventeen, the quality of manifesting Pure Buddha-length in accord with the aspirations of sentient beings. Eighteen, the quality of the inseparability and undifferentiation of the three Buddha-bodies. Nineteen, the quality of engendering benefit and gladness for all sentient beings to the limit of the cycle of birth and death. And twenty, the quality of inexhaustibility. So what did we just read? What was that all about? What is the quality of the other one? It seems like it. What's the relationship between the two? One is the way that the Buddha qualities have been expressed perhaps in the Samadhi Nirmacana Sutra and other Mahayana sutras.

[44:30]

And then this could be seen as a way of looking at those in terms of later commentaries, after the sutras, in other words. Or, this is the way I, Asanga, look at those qualities that are in the sutra, given what I've learned from Maitreya. That's one way to look at what we just read. Yeah. A little bit hard, but let's do so. The number one consists of purest wisdom. The Buddhists could call that sort of a base, right? That's the base. Well, it says, the first one here says, if one would correctly explain the meaning of the doctrine, he must expand upon purest wisdom, explaining that the wisdom of the Buddhas is pure without misunderstanding in regard to all things.

[45:54]

So that corresponds to what was before number one previously, right? In this basic meaning are comprised all 21 qualities which includes the basic meaning. So non-dual action is now looked at as the quality of arising without obstacle. Without obstacle to knowledge. So non-dual action is because we can now interpret that in terms of later teachings of a quality that arises without the obstacle to knowledge. You know what it's called in Sanskrit? Nyaya avarana, probably. The obstacle to knowledge.

[46:59]

When the obstacle of knowledge is removed, there's non-dual action. And an obstacle to knowledge is the intellect that separates into subject and object. Obstacle of knowledge. This is obstacle to knowledge. Obstacle to knowledge. Yeah, it's interesting, you know, the way Kant used to translate it was the obstacle of the knowable. And that's what he used to do it. In other words, that's one side, object of the knowable. how knowable things are obstacles. When you know something, that gets in the way of realization. The other one is, and that obstacle of the knowable is also an obstacle to correct knowledge.

[48:04]

So I think the Tibetans, when they translate it, they usually go over on the side, object, obstacle to omniscience, or obstacle to ultimate understanding. In Kansa translated, object of, but you see that that's kind of the same thing. This one says obstacle in the knowable. Interesting. It's just sort of in between. But the thing here is that the first it says non-dual action and now the interpretation is non-dual action is the quality of arising without any obstacles to knowledge whatsoever. That's a different slant. What's the other translation say for that one? For number one? Number one in terms, yeah. Moving in the absolute sense without obstacle in the knowable.

[49:05]

And that says moving, which goes a little bit more closely with non-dual action. This one says the quality of arising, but maybe that's where the moving comes. The quality of arising. the quality of participating in the illusion of, you know, of activity, of movement or of production. So that sounds like moving without obstacle in the realm of the knowable? Is that? And this one sounds more like It's not moving in the realm of knowable. It's moving without the obstacle in the realm of the knowable. It's moving without the obstacle that's in the knowable. It's like somehow moving in such a way that you don't present as an object to others' knowledge. That would be nice, but I think it's for the actor that there's no obstacle. But see, there's this illusion of how can you act, how can there be an action without some duality of doing it and not doing it?

[50:22]

Well, the way you do it is because you've removed the obstacle to correct understanding or you've removed knowing You're arising and ceasing without knowing rising and ceasing. That's not a knowable thing. So then there can be this illusion, this activity, which is non-dual because it isn't obstructed by arising and ceasing. It is obstructed by knowing the action. So non-dual action is free of knowing the action, like whether it happened or not. So I can see that that's an interpretation of the previous one. It's an elucidation of what non-dual action would be like. In terms of what you were saying, so this is... So these definitions are maybe Asanga's understanding of his previous teachings, given his further study.

[51:32]

So what is the study that got him from A to B, or why the shift in that? I'm sorry. I feel like I'm not being very clear. Are all these kind of reformulations of the 20 or 21 good qualities based on the study that we've been doing here? Is it because of this emphasis on the three characters that he's now interpreting action in the non-dual as action that's free from the obstacle of the non-dual? I'm not sure how many later commentaries he's using, he could be using Prajnaparamita also, because his qualities might be sort of floating all over the place, or they might be in Asambhya-mrishana, so he might be using what he learned from Asanga and this text, but he also might be using, like this last one, he might be using Prajnaparamita texts which deal in this obstacle of the knowable.

[52:33]

That's a big thing for them. So he might be using more than just what he received recently from his relationship with this Maitreya meditation. And it's also, the sources that he's drawing on are more broad than just the Samdhinamacchana sutra. Yeah, I think so. That is what I think, but they had parentheses over there. Well, actually, they had parentheses that the sutra was the Samdhinamacchana. So are these 20 or 21 people, they're from the Samdhinamacchana sutra? That's what that person said, and I wouldn't be surprised if they are, because the Buddha qualities are listed. Yeah. Could somebody get the sutra? I think I probably could find them. There are lists of qualities of Buddhas in the sutra, and maybe all twenty of these are in the sutra, but I have the impression from this translation that it could be coming from many sutras.

[53:41]

Huh? It says chapter two of the sutra? I think so. It's a different translation, though. I think the question I'm asking probably is related to this footnote that we just read, that these reformulations of these qualities is based on the fundamental hermeneutic that's being presented. Which, again, is why he's saying it's not so exciting in this case, because they're kind of, you know, the qualities themselves aren't that controversial, and maybe the reformulation of them is relatively straightforward, but it's kind of an example of using this protocol in this case. Right. But maybe not strictly. Maybe he ranges a little bit beyond it. I don't think it's listed in Chapter 2.

[55:09]

Okay. Well, the place I think would be listed. Translation of the Citra by Bodhi Ruchi. It says, Edep Translation by Boli Ruchi, Taisho No. 675, page... Of the Samdhi Nirmacana. Mm-hmm. I did not find this list.

[56:31]

If any place, I thought it would be in chapter 10, but I didn't find it. Should we do the next one? The quality of causing entrance in... Maybe it's better to read the other one first. Two, his unmarked state of being the highest reference. quality of cause the entrance into the highest purity of true suchness without duality in regard to being and non-being. I didn't sort of feel some strong connection there in that one. Anybody else have any comment on that? Yes, his unmarked state of being the highest refuge. The unmarked state goes nicely with highest purity of true suchness without duality in regard to being and non-being.

[57:43]

But how that's the highest refuge didn't particularly strike me. What came up for me was that this is about... I'm not saying this is... No, this is what came up, yes. To the extent that Zaza and his direction are taking refuge, and this causing entrance into the purity of perception to capture out in regard to being a non-human, seem to come together in that way. Okay. Yes? Is this in Chapter 1? Chapter 1? Yeah. And there's a note there, 9, where it says something about it in the back. So in Chapter 1, the Tathagata is endowed with... Well, let's look at it. The Tathagata is endowed with a mind of good understanding and did not possess the two negative behaviors, perfectly absorbed in the teaching of signlessness, abiding in the Buddha way, having attained the sameness of all Buddhas, having full realization without obscuration.

[58:50]

He's endowed with... irreversible qualities, not captivated by the objects of activity, positing are doctrines inconceivably thoroughly penetrating the sameness of the three times. The bhagavata is endowed with the five types of embodiments and abide in every worldly realm, having attained knowledge that has no doubts with regard to phenomena, having attained intelligence possessing all capabilities. He was unperplexed with regard to knowledge of dharma, endowed with unimaginable embodiments, having fully given rise to the wisdom of all bodhisattvas. endowed with nondual abiding of Buddha and supreme perfections, he has reached the limit of the uniquely liberating and exalted wisdom of Tathagata. He has realized full equality with the state of the Buddha without end, middle, wholly permeating the dharmadhatu, extending... It looks pretty similar. Yeah, it is.

[59:51]

It was hard at the beginning. Yeah, but it looks pretty close. So that, I guess, maybe that's it. Thank you, Kathy. Kambhira artha. Yeah, so it looks like that's it. That's one place. Yeah, so what you said, Catherine, now I'm seeing that maybe this causing entrance is like refuge. Yeah. So that does work pretty well then. And connecting it to zazen as a Buddha quality. Yeah. And then three is arrival at the Buddha abode, and that's the quality of the Buddha abode wherein the Tathagata's activity is effortless and unimpeded, uninterrupted. That's just a little bit of an extension of what it's like arriving at the Buddha abode.

[60:57]

We'll do the next one, number four. Realization of equality of all Buddhas. the quality of the absence of differentiation in support, intention, and action in the dharma body. Well, number one, it means that all Buddhists are into this. But we're talking about what they're all into, right? They're all equally into this activity that's support, intention, and action. What's your transition to your book? Possessing the identity of the supports, intention and actions in the Dharmakaya. Nothing about absence of differentiation?

[61:57]

Well, it's like identity, right? Identity would be... Oh, you said identity. Yes, lifting the identity. In support, intention? Intentions and actions in the dharmakaya. And the first one, it says, he has attained identity with all the buddhas. thing would The meaning of this will become clear quite soon, don't worry. Number five. I've never heard those terms with respect to the Dharmakaya support.

[63:21]

Yeah, well, you didn't hear those words, those three words. I haven't heard them before. In relationship to Dharmakaya. Is this identity action? I haven't either. But now you have. That's something every day. Now we have it to keep it well. Number five, attainment of unhindered activity, the quality of countering all obstacles to practice. That's pretty much the same thing, not so different. Unhindered activity, unhindered practice activity.

[64:31]

Six. The absence of obstacles and interpretation is actually the quality of countering a lot. So there are obstacles, but you're just able to counter them all. You don't quite read that in the original foundation. Unhindered activity does what? There are no obstacles. Yeah, it could say, it doesn't say, attainment of being unhindered by all hindrances. The next one says, if there's any hindrances, they won't be hindering. So it's kind of complimentary. Six, his unerring and unopposable doctrine. That other translation was not declined. You can't decline it in the sense of, you know, say, no, thank you. Well, I even took the climate like... Yeah, like over time it's not as good, you know, because there's a new and better theory around or something.

[65:44]

Yeah, I took it more like you can't refuse it. Oh, interesting. But I didn't take it in the grammatical sense. Although that would be cool too. Yeah, I took it you can't refuse. However, the Buddha also has the ability of not offering to anybody who might. The elucidation, I would say. Yeah. OK, number. No, the elucidation is the quality of suppressing all the rightful content. The quality of suppressing. Number six. Number six. unerring and unopposable doctrine, the quality of suppressing all heretical doctrine. That's a hard one. What does the other translation say, Rick? Escaping. Escaping from the attacks of all heretics. Well, that's quite different. Didn't we just say it? Didn't we just say it?

[66:45]

I think we're more into the kind of like, what do you call it, Aikido school, right? In Judo, rather than like, oh, somebody's attacking me. We're more like, you know, just avoid harmful interactions. Suppressing cells. Escaping the obstacle, but not destroying it. But there is an element in a lot of texts, you know, there's a lot of warlike imagery in Indian culture, right? And so Buddhism, and Prajnaparamita has all these martial symbols, you know, like banners and that kind of stuff, of kind of like assembly of... So there's a warrior element in the description of the bodhisattva. But it doesn't mean what we take it from, from this angle.

[67:55]

There is that language. It doesn't need to say destroy, it says suppress. It has a whole other kind of meaning. It's there, but you're holding it down or something. It does make me think of those places where there's harsh words for heretical doctrines, like in the Lotus Sutra or in building. Suppressing a revolution and escaping a revolution. Suppressing an attack and escaping an attack. Quite different. Number seven. In his unchanging fear, seer, the quality of arising in the world without being defiled by worldly states. Other translation for the commentary? While dwelling in the world, not being confined by human relationships. And what's the number seven? That was seven.

[68:59]

In the original, in the upper... The first one? Yeah. His domain cannot be reduced. Not be reduced is quite different from unchanging. Number eight, inconceivable establishment of doctrine. The quality of true doctrine validly established. The inconceivable establishment is the really valid way of establishing. Number nine, equality in regard to the three times. Equality of responding to the questions of others through the four skillful answers.

[70:06]

I don't know what the four skillful answers are. I don't know. I don't know. This one is a little bit hard to see the relationship. This one translates very differently. What does it say? Explaining the past and future. I think we need to find out what the four scope answers are. That translation doesn't say anything about four scope answers. No, just past and future. It says three times, which is past and future. But that one says three times, doesn't it? Yeah, the first report says he penetrates the identity of the three times, explaining the past and the future. No past, no present, no future. No past, present, and future. Number ten, manifestation of bodies in all world realms.

[71:28]

Equality of manifesting enjoyment bodies in all world realms. You say you cannot jump over it? Well, but that is not in the original list it's in the commentary so and there's no footnote Oh, you mean maybe it's in the glossary Four. All kinds of four things, but I don't see... I see four inquiries, but it doesn't have four... Ah, what are the four inquiries? We can... Wait for it here. We'll find out. Oh, yeah? Yeah, on page 58, we'll find out what the four inquiries are.

[72:33]

Yeah, well... Okay. But we have to respond skillfully to the four inquiries. You mentioned... So the four inquiries are on page 58. It says they are, but it doesn't say that it's going to have to find them now that I see what it says. The four inquiries are the four correct final insights into names, objects, essences, and differences. What page are you on? I'm in the glossary. But it doesn't have the four? It does not. Well, how dare he? We should send him an email. Well, actually, I'm sure he would be happy to receive an email from us. Ana, would you send him an email and tell him that you're stuck in the library and you won't let the class go on until he answers this question? Would you? Occupy. Occupy library. Occupy summary. until... He probably would be happy to receive this.

[73:40]

He might say he's busy, so he might take some time, but he likes to be questioned about his translations. Have you communicated with him before? I think you have. Didn't you communicate with him about the book? So tell him we're now studying this and as he may remember, we're studying this and we're on this point at it, whatever the four skillful answers turn out to be, you could also ask him what the relationship is between the four skillful answers and his quality in regard to the three times. Because of all the ones we've gone through, this is the one that seems the least related. And oddly, the other translation doesn't go that direction. It says explaining past and future.

[74:42]

Oh, it doesn't go in this direction. Explaining the past and future. Well, you could imagine explaining might have something to do with it. Do it with four skillful answers? Yeah, right. And so maybe the four skillful answers have to do with past and future. They have to do with time, but we don't know. You could say we're imagining that the four skillful answers might be four skillful answers in relationship to time. since this section is supposed to be an elucidation of the equality with regard to the three times. And we usually don't get into this stuff, but you're sort of interested in it and you want to hear about it now. Okay, number ten. Can we go on now? Number 10.

[75:43]

Manifestation of bodies in all world realms and that is elucidated as the quality of manifesting enjoyment bodies in all world realms. He gave an understanding of the enjoyment body, which I hadn't, maybe it's obvious, maybe everyone knows this, but I hadn't heard it before, which is the body of the bodhisattva over there, kind of the current rebirth. So it's the whole trajectory of the bodhisattva's path to Buddhahood was his understanding of the enjoyment body. The trajectory of the bodhisattva and their evolution. Yeah, so you talked about nirmanakaya being the manifest body in this particular lifetime, and the dharmakaya, of course, kind of the ultimate reality, and the sambhogakaya as the whole path of succeeding lifetimes that we'd want to... It was a starting point, but no end.

[76:44]

That's how it was related to... Yeah, it was very interesting. I really appreciated that elucidation. Pardon? I always thought of it as the the actual practice life. Like now? Yeah, like our life together, practicing together, which at a certain point, it starts when we actually start to really enjoy it, because we understand that this is the enjoyment of the Dharma, as it's manifesting in this form. So it's not exactly this form, but it's when we start to really enjoy this form. But you can see that there's this moment, and then there's the next moment of it, and the next moment of it.

[77:48]

But I would see each moment of when the song is like practicing together, that moment. There could be a first one. That's the dharmakaya. That's the bliss body. That's the reward body. Because we practice and practice, suddenly we realize, oh, our practice that we're doing, that had a form, is connected to this body of Buddha, which is beyond all the forms that we're doing. But we kind of feel as though we're connecting this form to the actual Buddha. Even without noticing or realizing that practicing Self with enjoyment or not has to be filled Well, some people practice, but they don't feel that the practice is connected to the dharmakaya. They don't appreciate that. They don't feel rewarded by the happiness of that understanding. So when the understanding of our practice that we're doing in this apparent world, when we understand the apparent practice, or even when we understand how the historical Buddha is related to the

[78:55]

Buddha, which is free of time, that's a very enjoyable thing. And it's a reward for lots of study and practice. So people are practicing along, practicing along. They're working with the form. In some sense, they're working with the dharmakaya. They're working with the nirmanakaya. They're working with the nirmanakaya. They're working with the nirmanakaya. They're reading the Buddhist teachings. They're doing the Buddhist practices in terms of form. But these are like just forms, you know. And the Buddha says, but these forms, these appearances are not the actuality of the Buddha's life. Buddha doesn't really get born and die. That's just a form that Buddha offers for people to say thank you and try to practice. So reward bodies, another translation, Sambhogakaya, sambhogakaya doesn't really mean, usually not translated as reward, but the Chinese translate it as reward and bliss. So in one sense it's a reward for your faith in the practice.

[80:00]

Like I sometimes would say, you know, some people would see Sukhriyoshi and think that he's just kind of an old man, you know. with wrinkles on his face, and so on and so forth. But the students who practice get the reward of saying, oh, what a wonderful teacher. How fortunate we are to practice with him. But not everybody saw Sri Yukteswar as a wonderful teacher. I think to be able to see how wonderful a teacher is, is kind of a reward, or is a very happy thing. Like Amida Buddha, you know, most people do not see Amida Buddha. But some people do. They actually like to see. It's as though they see this great Buddha. That's Sambhogakaya. They're very happy to see the Buddha. And maybe they don't actually see the shape of the Buddha.

[81:05]

They just see everybody's face, they see the Buddha. Everybody's leg, they see the Buddha. And that's a reward or a bliss. And that could be, he could think of it as the whole list, all of them, and the fact that it just keeps going on forever. That side too. So I agree with it has a beginning but no end. But I used to think of it as each moment a practice rather than the whole trajectory. But I guess in the Self-Receiving and Employment Samadhi? Yeah. I would sometimes say I think there's a translation where that's self-enjoyment. Is that the same in joy? Is that the same idea? I think that the idea there, particularly according to menzan, the self-enjoyment samadhi refers to the samadhi that the Buddha is in in that period of time after enlightenment, where the Buddha sat for like seven times seven weeks and just reviewed the Dharma and enjoyed the bliss

[82:16]

In early texts, too, they say that the Buddha sat and enjoyed the taste of liberation, the taste of the sweetness of liberation. That's Jiju Yuzanmai. It's before the teaching. It's before the teaching. Yes, before the teaching, right. And then it could be, I think then there's tad-ju, tad-ju-ju samadhi, which I think is when the Buddha starts teaching. Enjoying and receiving and employing the dharma rather than receiving and Or maybe it's ji-ju-yu is enjoyment, and then ta-ju, I think it's ta-ju, no, ta-yu, maybe ta-yu, which is self-receiving.

[83:30]

No, it's ji-ju-yu, so it's ta-ju-yu, so it's other-receiving and employing. And so that's the actual Zazen practice. And that seems to be Sambhogakaya. But also it could be Sambhogakaya that you would teach. Is that the same Ta as in Tathagata? No. Tathagata is a Sanskrit word. This is the Ta of a Chinese character. So Ji is a Chinese character which means self. Ju is a Chinese character which means to receive. It's also the Chinese character they use for feeling. which means to receive. And then yu is to employ. But ju-yu together can be translated as fulfillment or enjoyment, the compound.

[84:38]

But the two parts are to receive and employ. So it's the self-enjoyment concentration or the self-fulfillment concentration of the Buddha. And then the other one, I think, is other fulfillment or other enjoyment, samadhi. But tathagata is Sanskrit, and tatha means thus. And then agata means gone, and gata, agata means come, and gata means gone. So the Sanskrit tathagata is interesting because it could be understood as gone to the dustness or come from suchness. And the Chinese chose come from suchness. They didn't want to to figure out a character that could mean go or come.

[85:44]

But the Sanskrit, when you put tathagata, put tatha together with agatha, you get tathagata. If you put tatha together with gatha, you get tathagata. So you can't tell when you look at the character, I mean at the word, whether it means gone to thusness or come from thusness. So Sanskrit has that quality. The Chinese Jews are emphasizing it's the important thing that the Buddha came back. The Buddha comes from this realization of truth rather than, not so important that they went to it, it's that they came back. And that this, what we're working with, is the thus come one. So in the Chinese texts they translate it usually the thus come one, but Sanskrit you could translate it as the thus gone one. Shall we proceed?

[86:47]

I think we're at number 11. Excuse me. His unhindered wisdom in all things, the quality of resolving doubts of others. Is wisdom bears on all things without any doubt, cutting through doubt? Yes, so this translation doesn't say doubt, it says unhindered, and that one says undoubting. But doubting goes with doubting better than unhindered goes with resolving doubts. It also has no doubts. Having attained the knowledge, it has no doubts regarding all things. Okay. Number 12. His wisdom joined with all practices.

[87:49]

The quality of introducing others to various practices. Wisdom without doubt with regard to all things. The quality of understanding the arising of future things. Do you want to stay here for a while, Anna? No? Unimaginable bodies, the quality of manifesting in accord with the aspiration of sentient beings. Does that work for you? I'd like to hear the other translation of 13, or that future 13. The first part is, his knowledge of the dharmas is free from error.

[88:55]

The second part, cognizing the arising of dharmas to come. So it's in both that sense of the come and the future. Except the first one, instead of saying doubt, says error, without error, without doubt and without error. Yeah, that goes with future. Things that are to come, the future. Dhamma exists in the future. Hmm? Dhamma exists in the future. Big D or little D? Little D. Little D. Just meaning things. Fifteen, wisdom as that which is to be experienced by all bodhisattvas, the quality of taming sentient beings by true doctrine through convening unlimited assemblies.

[90:11]

That's very interesting. Unlimited assemblies. To be experienced by all bodhisattvas, I thought you have to convene an unlimited assembly. Yeah, bodhisattvas are really into convening unlimited assemblies. They only appear occasionally to be practicing by themselves, waiting for the assembly to gather. The perfection of non-dual Buddha abode. quality of the fullness of perfection of the equal dharma body." Maybe the other translation? The first one is, he has reached the summit of the abode of the Buddhas free of duality

[91:20]

attaining to the perfection of the virtues in an equalized Dharmakaya. That's kind of the same. Seventeen, his attainment of the undifferentiated liberation wisdom of the Tathagata, the equality of manifesting pure Buddha lands in accord with aspirations of sentient beings. So there's a connection here between undifferentiated liberation wisdom and manifesting Buddha lands in accord with the aspirations of beings.

[92:24]

Eighteen, the finality of his attainment of equality in all Buddha lands goes with the quality of the inseparability and undifferentiation of the three bodies of Buddha. That's really quite different. What does the other translation say? He has reached the identity of the Buddha realms free from center and periphery and then unlimited extension of the three bodies of the Buddha. Those got better together in a way. Extension and periphery probably was what led him to the translation of lands. I'm going to check the sutra. Did you look in the sutra? Do you have the sutra right there? You want to see what it says for that one? he had realized full equality with the state of a Buddha without ends or middle.

[93:36]

Yeah, so maybe lands was his interpretation of ends and middle. Maybe it had the quality of, when you say ends and middle, a kind of a land. But it looks like, do you say extension and, This one says he has reached the identity of Buddha realms free from center and periphery. Does anybody have a pencil? Pencil? So, did you say center and periphery? Because the Buddha land doesn't have any extensions. It's limitless, right? And what does the other, what does the sutra say? Well, here's, it's one sentence, but I'm thinking that it includes, um, 18 and I think, anyway, it's a little, it's a little ambiguous to me how, how it relates.

[94:44]

Oh, because it's one sentence? Yeah, it's one sentence. The whole sentence is, he had realized full equality with the state of a Buddha without ends or middle, wholly permeated by the dharma datu, extending to the limit of the realm of space. Well, the reality realm is probably Dharmadatta. Right. Oh, yeah. Yes. So what's the first part? 18, 19, and 20 are all wrapped up in that one. Yeah. So what's the first part? He had realized full equality with the state of a Buddha without ends or middle. Oh, ends or middle. Oh, my God. Me too. You're feeling sick, too? Do you want to go? Do you want to go on? We're almost done. We can stop. We can stop. Okay? It took about eight grams.

[95:59]

OK. So we're almost done with this list. And then there's just one more section. Amazing. I'm sorry. OK. The ultimacy of his reality realm goes with the quality of engendering benefits and gladness for all sentient beings to the limit of the cycle of birth and death. Sounds good. 20. Extension of the limit of the realm of empty space.

[97:02]

Extension to the limit of the realm of empty space goes with the quality of inexhaustibility. Okay. I don't think that's so clear how it gets from one to the other either. Yeah, this reality realm. I guess the way I read it was that the finality of the reality realm is that it, which is not different from the exaltability, but just that it has this quality of engendering. The reality realm is that which engenders benefit and gladness to all sentient beings without limit. The first part is saying the finality of the reality realm, and this one seems to be emphasizing the function of the Dharmakaya, the second one. And although it does have the quality of engendering benefit and gladness to all sentient beings, to the limit of birth and death, as we know, some sentient beings are not aware that they're receiving this extension.

[98:21]

So I see that is the point of the finality of the reality realm, of the finality of the truth. Thank you. You're welcome. Now, shall we stop or shall we read this next huge section? What do you say, folks? I want to go next. What? I want to go next. You want to go ahead? That's one vote for going ahead? It would be interesting to get to the end. Okay, just in case we never ever see each other again. Okay, would someone read section 34, the whole thing? The various themes of practice are expressed in the scripture as, if a bodhisattva has thirty-two qualities, he is called a bodhisattva.

[99:36]

They embrace the intention to bestow benefit and gladness upon sentient beings. 1. Their intention to lead sentient beings to enter the wisdom of omniscience. 2. Their wisdom to accord with their present situation. 3. Their abandonment of pride. 4. The firmness of their good intentions. 5. Their intention to be with benevolent without simulation, of not calling favor, of being equally impartial to friend and of all, and of always being good teachers until they enter final cessation.

[100:37]

their quality of speaking in good measure and gently smiling before beginning to talk. Seven, their compassion for all second things without differentiation. Eight, they are not haughty or glowing and red. faint-hearted in carrying out their tasks. 9. Their quality of not becoming bored. 10. Their quality of never being authenticated with hearing doctrine, rather than their cruelty over confessing their own thoughts.

[101:39]

While disregarding and not Censuring the faults of others. 12. Their quality of maintaining an awakened mind in all their deportment. 13. Their quality of baptism. is interested shall be of not displaying fear in any destiny, of maintaining discipline, of being unerringly patient to all sentient beings over the zealously engendering all good state and practices of cultivating contemplation except those of the world of formlessness and their wisdom joined to skillful new

[102:59]

attire that is yoked to the four enticements. Did you wonder what those were? That I know. I know what they are. That's interesting. Those are what we usually call the four methods of bodhisattvas, the four methods of gathering some bodhisattvas. In some ways they say the four methods of gathering students. Another translation? And the Chinese character, you know, is that character, the four methods of, and it has a character which means, we translate it, embrace and sustain. But embrace, that character, setsu, which means embrace and sustain, also means to gather or collect.

[104:05]

And it's the character in Sashin. So it's the four, in Chinese, it's the four methods of this gathering. It also means, that character also means to embrace and support and nurture and guide. But in the translations from Sanskrit, the sutras often say the four methods of gathering or attracting students, which sounds really bad, right? But anyway, that's what those four are. It was before. Living, kind speech, beneficial action, and what's sometimes called identity action, or cooperative action. Right? That's what these four enticements are. I feel enough to live. Okay, so you got up to the four enticements.

[105:09]

Number 14, their quality of being good friends to both the disciplined and the undisciplined without distinction. For example, like me, I do that. I'm good friends to people who are disciplined and my grandson. He's such a good boy, but discipline sometimes we don't see. Of being respectful and serving good teachers, of being respectful in hearing doctrine, of enjoying dwelling in the forest, of not being fond of worldly fads, of taking no joy in lesser vehicle, of appreciating the great vehicle, of avoiding evil friends and respecting and serving good friends.

[106:11]

Fifteen. It falls a little off the wagon here at the end. It does sound a little wetter. It differentiates between old friends and good friends. The wagon, it falls off the wagon. And one differentiation comes to open the door. Sure, doesn't it? Well, you have a problem here? Yes. Before I finish the paragraph, you have a problem? No. This... their quality of constantly maintaining the four Brahma-viharas, the four Brahma-vodas, of maintaining unlimited purity of mind, of sporting the five supernatural powers, and taking refuge in wisdom. Sixteen, the quality of not abandoning people of either proper or improper conduct, of including everybody, of speaking in a definitive manner, of revering truth, and of prioritizing and respecting action. So that was 16, and now we should have 16 more coming up down there, see?

[107:28]

So it'll be 32. So should we stop here and deal with falling off the wagon, or should we finish it? Anna? Finished. Finished. OK. The word bodhisattva is a story. Yes? . You want to do what? Like, why was that a choice? You said going forward or what? Yeah, we can go forward and finish this chapter. And other choices? Other choices, we can discuss the first sixteen. If you want to. Well, I heard another choice, which was to hear Ana's concern. That's part of the discussion of the first sixteen. We couldn't resist stopping for the four enticements. The third one is beneficial action. And also, I keep meaning to gather together the different translations I've seen in different sutras, because they're a little bit different, especially the last two.

[108:39]

The first two are almost always, that's how you can tell, it's pretty clear, generosity and kind speech. But the next two kind of jump around and do various interesting things. This identity action, cooperative action, in the same boat kind of thing, that one, and the beneficial action. The last one really is different in different translations. But it is in the Sanskrit sutras. So the name, the way it's named is quite very different in different situations. And another nice thing about the Chinese is I mentioned before that word satsu. When it's in a sentence, you know, in Chinese it comes, it doesn't just sit by itself, it comes with a marker, a grammatical marker so you know whether it's active or passive. But the character itself, even without the marker, can be understood as passive or active.

[109:52]

So it can be gathering or gathered. It can be embracing or embraced. And the Sanskrit doesn't have that. And it's hard to translate it both simultaneously, but the Chinese character means both to receive Buddha's compassion and give compassion, to receive Buddha's support and give Buddha's support. but definitely understood both directions in Chinese. And if it was in a sentence, they would probably have a marker. But the word by itself, if you look in a Buddhist dictionary particularly, but even in a regular, I think maybe even in a regular Chinese dictionary, that word is particularly associated with receiving Buddha's wisdom, Buddha's compassion. What do you mean by a marker? Well, like, there's a character, one character, like Hui Nung, The nung means capable of or acting, so it's capable of wisdom.

[110:53]

There's another word which is shwa, which means like receiving wisdom. And also you can put the actives with teaching, and it's teaching, and the other one is taught to, or what is taught. Teaching and what is taught. And put it with mind, and to put it together with mind means what is thought of, and the other one is thought. One is like thinking, and the other what's thought of, depending on whether you put the passive marker to make it passive or the active. Mark, it indicates it's passive or active. Yeah, it's a character. You put it together with some word, a verb, and it can mean the active form of the verb or the passive form of the verb. But this word that the Chinese used to translate these four methods, these four bodhisattva methods, that character, setsu, or shu,

[111:56]

by itself it has both active and passive aspects. But the Sanskrit doesn't say, the Bodhisattva's Four Methods of being embraced And the four methods of being embraced is you're embraced by generosity, you're embraced by kind speech, you're embraced by beneficial action, you're embraced by identity action, and you embrace beings or support beings or attract beings by these methods, too. The Sanskrit doesn't, as far as I know, have that dynamic. But do you want to go back and deal with this thing about the equality of not associating with avoiding evil friends and respecting and serving good friends? Is that part of what you want to deal with? That one?

[112:59]

I'm just surprised that this kind of discrimination appears here. After they talk about non-discrimination? Well, the one place that I was struck by this is in the Lotus Sutra. One translation is, what's it called? Oh, so it has this chapter 14 about the bodhisattva's joyful practices or comfortable practice, and then it talks about the practices they do with their body, and the first one they do is this practice of which I've said to you many times, you practice being generous, non-violent, patient, not overbearing, and so on, and you act in such a way as to not create attachment, and then you actually become free of discrimination.

[114:03]

That's the first one. And then the second part of the first one is the bodhisattva's mode of association is one translation, but the other one is the bodhisattva's mode of intimacy. And it basically says bodhisattvas are not intimate basically with anybody. There's almost everybody you can think of. But then after it left, it lists some people and then it says, but if they want to study the Dharma, the Bodhisattva totally engages them. And it lists a bunch of other people. But if they want to study the Dharma, the Bodhisattva So basically bodhisattvas do not associate with or become intimate with people unless they want to study dharma. Otherwise, they're devoted to everybody, but they don't actually get involved with people intimately unless the people are interested in dharma. And almost everybody is listed there, except bodhisattvas who, of course, are interested in dharma. They list all these different things.

[115:05]

This is the way they're intimate, is that they avoid all these people. And then it says, but if they want to study Dharma, then... So bodhisattvas are intimate and associate with people who want to study. Other people they're not really associated with, they're not really close to. That's what that sutra says. And this sounds like, to me, I interpret it the same way. I think actually it says that it's not making distinctions. What is she saying? If you're not making distinctions, how do you... Isn't there distinctions being made here? When somebody doesn't want to study, don't you make the distinction up there? It starts without distinction, and by the time you get to the end of the long list, it includes all the other things. It depends on how they make the distinction. Well, that depends on the distinction. By not abandoning either proper or... No, we're not on that. Also, in the Lotus Sutra, the first part, at the conclusion of the first part, is also that by doing this practice and not attaching to anything, you make no distinctions.

[116:11]

And then it goes into the next thing of talking about their associations, where it looks like they're making distinctions. So they're not making distinctions, and yet it looks like they're making distinctions, which is similar to these actions we talked about before, but they're not involved in the actual duality of these actions arising and ceasing. I mean, you could also say that the quality of being a good friend to an evil friend, I mean, it's interesting that those words are joint, first of all, evil friend, to the person's fellow friend, even though there's something going on which isn't wholesome. And it may be that the quality of being a good friend to them is to avoid them. You know, so actually you are being a good friend to them without distinction, you're being a good friend to them, but the way to be a good friend And that could be because if you offer them the Dharma, they may reject it, which isn't good for them. It's support by not enabling. There could be a number of ways in which that's actually the skillful response. And so in the big picture of this person's evolution towards freedom, you walk away.

[117:23]

And like again in Lotus Sutra, the Buddha did not, the Buddha says, you don't really want to hear this stuff. And the people left. He didn't leave, but they left. So the Bodhisattvas are definitely devoted to the welfare of all beings, but some people they don't say anything to because they don't want It's not good to say things to people if they don't want certain things. It's not good to say to them if they don't want to. But they do say some things sometimes to people, but again, you can understand that they only say what might be appropriate in any case. And in some cases what's appropriate is nothing. And in some cases what's appropriate is not to hang around with them. So bodhisattvas can sometimes go into very difficult situations and other times they don't. I wonder if the disciplined and the undisciplined is related to precept receiving, or if it's just being wooly and unwooly.

[118:33]

It's still 14, and then later about the avoiding evil friends. What evil, what concept is there that's translated as evil? What's that actually pointing to? Okay. We can discuss this. Yes, go ahead. This is translated honest and dishonest, but the word śīla is in the... In disciplined and undisciplined? Śīla is in the Sanskrit. And they're translating it honest and dishonest, but the word śīla and ashīla. How is it translated? Śīla and ashīla? Honest and dishonest. Yeah. But śīla usually is translated as disciplined. But does it mean literally in terms of the sangha discipline and the rule of the... I don't know. I think if you look at the example of the Buddha, the Buddha did teach people who hadn't received the precepts of the sangha, because he hadn't made them yet, but they were disciplined.

[119:35]

His first students were quite disciplined. So maybe they were disciplined in some other sila, the sila of jhana. because they were good at dhyana, so they had that shila, but they didn't have his shila for monks. And then later... Actually, I don't know if those guys ever became ordained as monks. I don't know the story of them after they were awakened. And I think I've told you this story too. Which guys? The first five. Yeah, they were ordained. Afterwards. Or right at that time. Yeah. But it doesn't say in the sutra that they were ordained. It said that... It says one of them woke up. Yes, so if he woke up, then I think he had to ordain. So doesn't the Buddha later say, you can't wake up to that? The first one became aha, right? No, he didn't become... The... The Vinaya said... Just the Vinaya commenting on the story.

[120:36]

In the story, One translation, one version of the thing, it doesn't say that anybody woke up. Another translation, it says that he woke up and the earth shook, right? That's a longer version of that text. But it doesn't say he became an arhat. The commentary says that after further education he became an arhat. So I think the sutra looks like he became a stream-enterer. and the other four didn't. But then in the Vinaya it says that he did become an arhat over the next very short period of time, and within two months, I think, all five became arhats. But they all went through stream entry, never returner, I mean, once returner, never returner arhat. They all went through that process in like a month or so. And the first one went through faster. But even in that commentary, he didn't attain arhatship in one leap at that first hearing. He attained stream entry, and the other four did not.

[121:37]

And then he kept teaching other, you know, probably said, maybe said the same thing over and over. and then all four became stream-enterers and so on. But the sutra doesn't say that. And also, they may have become, it seems reasonable that they have become monks, but I don't know where it says that they became monks. And in the story of, what is it, Pukasati, he apparently awoke And then he said he wanted to become ordained. And Bahiya apparently awoke, and then he said he wanted to enter the way. So there's a number of stories where people awaken and then they say, now I want to become a monk. Other cases, they're already monks, they've already entered the Sangha, and then they become awake. So there's stories of non-monks becoming awake and requesting ordination, and monks already ordained already having entered, becoming awake. But in that case, in that story, I don't know.

[122:39]

I haven't heard the story of when they asked to join the Sangha or if they did. I just don't know. If somebody showed me that people say that they did, I say, well, I see the story now of those five asking for ordination. And the ordination at the beginning was really simple. He just said, come monk, and they came forward and that was it. There were no precepts given. And even after Shariputra had joined him, which is like quite a few years after the Sangha had been going, when Shariputra and Mahamalgaliana came, he was talking to Sariputra and some other people and he was talking about those six Buddhas and he explained that three of them had a long life of their Dharma and three of them had a short life. And I think Sariputra said, what's the difference? And he said, well, in both cases they would meet people

[123:41]

and they would teach and they would be effective. They would benefit beings if they were awakened. But in one case they gave precepts, in the other case they didn't. So they're walking around, the three of them are walking around meeting beings, giving the teaching appropriate to their needs, they would awake, and then they would just carry on, that would be it. The three of them actually at a certain point, in addition to doing that, they actually made precepts for the Sangha. And theirs lasted longer. And he used the example of putting three poles up. I think it was like stocks of Grain leaning them against each other to make in which you can do says if you just they'll hold up like that But if you tie a rope around they'll stay up much longer. That's like the precepts and then Shariputra says Well, the Lord will give him the precepts then right and the booty said I will decide when to give them and he says the conditions under which I will give them are the following and

[124:50]

And when those were met, he did start giving them. But it wasn't until after Sariputra came that he actually gave precepts for Sangha life. And one of the conditions was, when the Sangha gets really big, gets to a certain size, I will have to give precepts. Just like, you know, because the students will be too far away, you know. When you're near the teacher, you're not going to like... There are certain things you won't do right in front of the teacher. And for some people, if they get far away, they'll do things which aren't appropriate if they have a big group. Or if you were, you'd kind of feel like... Like I told the story too about one of Suzuki Roshi's students. And I saw this person with Suzuki Roshi, and when he was with Suzuki Roshi, he was the most darling, docile. He was the most what? He was the most darling, docile. energetic, enthusiastic, you know, just brimming with joy of being practicing with Suzuki Roshi.

[125:56]

And so Suzuki Roshi actually suggested to the administrators at Tassajara that this person be made director of Tassajara. And the people said, oh no, Roshi, that wouldn't be a good idea. He said, really? Why not? And they said, well, because he did such and such. And Roshi said, he did? Oh, well, he shouldn't be director then. But this person would do things at Tassajara that Sukershi would never see and he would never do in Sukershi's presence. And even though there were precepts, he still did them. This person actually robs Zen Center of many thousands of dollars when he was working at the bakery. So, but when he was a suzuki roshi, there was no need for precepts. It just was obvious what was appropriate. And so he did it.

[126:57]

Some people, even with suzuki roshi, they wouldn't go along. But this guy was very good with suzuki roshi and not too far away, he would do things that he wouldn't do if he were 50 feet closer. So the Buddha said, when the group gets big, I'll make precepts. And he did, because the group got too big for people to pick up the vibe of what was appropriate. It's really just do what's appropriate when you're with a Buddha, really. That's what it's all about, right? But when you are distant from Buddha, it may not be clear. So here's some guidelines. And so he gave them. But anyway, so we may meet again someday. Maybe next week. But you won't be here. I'm sorry. So maybe we won't meet if several people can't come. And then if that's the case, we may be sad.

[128:00]

Thank you very much.

[128:08]

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