At that time, the spiritual power of the Buddha caused the great earth to shake in six directions, with the manifestation of impermanence. Sixteen thousand people attained the Dharma Patience of Non-arising, and seven hundred bhikṣus, three thousand upāsakas, forty thousand upāsikās, and sixty countless myriads of beings from the Six Heavens of Desire left the dust and dirt far behind, and attained the pure Dharma Eye regarding all dharmas.
Dharma Patience of Non-arising: attuned with the inconceivable nature of impermanence; even those beings in the Six Heavens of Desire shake the dirt from their impermanent realms; hence all phenomena arise and consequently are extinguished due to dependent origination; patience is won through the understanding that all phenomena is self-empty.
pure Dharma Eye: seeing through prajñā the clear and undivided nature of śūnyatā.
At that time, Ānanda arose from his seat, bared his right shoulder, and knelt with his right knee to the ground. He addressed the Buddha, saying, “Bhagavān, from what causes and conditions did the ground shake in six directions? The Buddha said to Ānanda, “I spoke of the field of merit that is without characteristics of distinction, and that is the reason for this auspicious sign. The buddhas of the past also spoke here of the appearance of the field of merit to benefit sentient beings, and every world realm shook in six directions.” Śāriputra addressed the Buddha, saying, “Bhagavān, Mañjuśrī is inconceivable! Why? His exposition of the characteristics of the Dharma is inconceivable!” The Buddha said to Mañjuśrī, “Thusly, thusly! As Śāriputra says, your explanation is truly inconceivable.” Mañjuśrī addressed the buddha, saying, “Bhagavān, the inconceivable is unable to be spoken, and the conceivable is also unable to be spoken. As such, the conceivable and inconceivable natures are both unable to be spoken. All characteristics of sound are likewise neither conceivable nor inconceivable.”
There are neither conceivable nor inconceivable natures in Mañjuśrī’s Dharma-field; it is a Dharma that is void of principles in the conventional sense. No-thing can be compared to it as it is inexpressible. All that can be discerned here is that even discernment itself, in this ineffable-field, is a quality that belongs exclusively to the domain of supra-essential wisdom in the Tathatic-Mind.
The Buddha said, “Do you enter into the inconceivable samādhi?” Mañjuśrī said, “No, Bhagavān, I am the inconceivable itself, perceiving neither the existence of a mind, nor one who is able to have thoughts, so how could I be said to enter the inconceivable samādhi? When I was beginning, I developed the aspiration and entered this samādhi, but now there is truly no thought for entering this samādhi. This is like a person who is learning archery. After a long time of practice this person is skillful, and due to this long practice, without thought, his arrows strike the center of their target. It is just like this for myself, and when I began learning the inconceivable samādhi, I focused my mind on a single point. After a long time of practice, although there is no thought of it, I am always completely in this samādhi.”
The inconceivable samādhi is the Inconceivable State of Tathāgatas. It is the bodhi of all Buddhas because they continuously are attuned in it. Mañjuśrī is privileged to be in this inconceivable samādhi because he IS the inconceivable-principle par-excellence. Like a skilled archer, his Bodhi-mind is perpetually focused in Deep-Samadhis—he and the single-point are undividedly-ONE.
Śāriputra spoke to Mañjuśrī, saying, “Does there exist any higher and more wondrous samādhi of extinction?” Mañjuśrī said, “If there were one who had the inconceivable samādhi, then you would be able to ask, ‘does there exist a more wondrous samādhi of extinction?’ As my mind has been extinguished, the inconceivable samādhi is unable to be obtained, so how could one then ask about the existence of a samādhi of extinction?” Śāriputra said, “The inconceivable samādhi is unable to be obtained?” Mañjuśrī said, “One in a samādhi that is conceivable is able to attain its manifestation; however, one in the inconceivable samādhi is unable to attain its manifestation. All sentient beings have truly attained the inconceivable samādhi, and this is the reason all characteristics of sentient beings, as well as the characteristics of the inconceivable samādhi, are equal and without difference.” The Buddha praised Mañjuśrī, saying, “Excellent, excellent! You have long planted good roots with the buddhas through the pure practice of Brahmacarya, to be capable of expounding this extremely profound samādhi. You are now peacefully abiding in Prajñāpāramitā.”
Mañjuśrī states that the inconceivable-samādhi is not something to be attained; this is the same for any other samādhis bearing quiescent characteristics. Hence, being the quintessential-essence of the Bodhi-mind Mañjuśrī perpetually abides in Prajñāpāramitā.
Mañjuśrī said, “If I were abiding in Prajñāpāramitā, and able to speak of it, then this would be the existence of thought and abiding in the idea of a self. If one is abiding in the existence of thought and the idea of a self, then Prajñāpāramitā has a location. If one is not abiding in this, that is also the idea of a self, which also has a location. Apart from these two places, abiding without abiding, the abiding of the buddhas, is the inconceivable and peaceful realm of Nirvāṇa. As such, the inconceivable is called the abode of Prajñāpāramitā. In this location of Prajñāpāramitā, all dharmas are without characteristics, and all dharmas are without creation. Prajñāpāramitā is itself the inconceivable, the inconceivable is itself the Dharma Realm, the Dharma Realm itself is without characteristics, that which is without characteristics is inconceivable, and the inconceivable itself is Prajñāpāramitā. Prajñāpāramitā and the Dharma Realm are without duality and without division, that which is without duality and division is itself the Dharma Realm, the Dharma Realm itself is without characteristics, and that which is without characteristics is itself the realm of Prajñāpāramitā. The realm of Prajñāpāramitā is itself the inconceivable realm, the inconceivable realm itself is without birth and without death, and that which is without birth and without death is itself the inconceivable realm.”
Mañjuśrī assures the assembly that the Prajñāpāramitā is locationless; it is itself the inconceivable Dharma-realm bearing no-characteristics. He is articulating here that it is Supreme-Deathlessness itself.
Mañjuśrī said, “The Tathāgata Realm as well as the realm of the self, are not of two characteristics. As such, one who cultivates Prajñāpāramitā does not seek Bodhi. Why? Bodhi, being apart from all characteristics, is itself Prajñāpāramitā. Bhagavān, knowing the characteristics of the self, one will not be affected by it. Without knowing and without being affected by anything, this is the awareness of the buddhas. The inconceivable, without awareness and without suffering, is itself the awareness of the buddhas. Why? Knowledge of the body of fundamental nature is without the actual existence of characteristics, so what is then capable of transforming the Dharma Realm? If one is aware that the fundamental nature is without form and without one who suffers, then it is itself nothingness. If there is no existence of any object, then there is no location, no dependence and no abiding. The absence of dependence and abiding is itself the absence of birth and death, and the absence of birth and the absence of death are themselves the merits of the conditioned and unconditioned. If one is aware thusly, then there is no mind or thought. Without one who has mind or thought, what is it that knows the merits of the conditioned and unconditioned? This absence of knowing is itself the inconceivable, and that which is inconceivable is the true awareness of the Buddha, with neither grasping nor non-grasping, not perceiving the characteristics of coming and going of the Triple Realm, not grasping birth and death or the various arising fabrications, and neither permanent nor impermanent. Such knowledge is called true wisdom. Inconceivable wisdom is like emptiness, without this or that, incomparable, with neither good nor bad, incomparable, and without characteristics or appearance.” The Buddha told Mañjuśrī, “If one is aware thusly, then this is called the wisdom of non-regression.”
There is a total absence of knowing here in the conventional-sense. The Unconditional Bodhi-realm is a Dharma-field of no known characteristics. It can only be Self-realized by the Tathatic-Spirit and as such is the True-Wisdom store of the Tathagatas.
Mañjuśrī said, “The wisdom without fabrications is called the wisdom of nonregression. It is similar to a gold ingot before it is hammered, to know whether it is good or bad. Without being hammered, one is unable to know this. The characteristic of the wisdom of non-regression is also such as this. In the essential realm of practice, neither mindful nor suffering, without arising and without fabrication, endowed with the unmoving, with neither birth nor death, then it manifests.”
The supra-essential nature of the Tathagatas’ Wisdom store is endowed with the Unmoving Principle (Mind resting in Its True Unborn Essential Stature) yet capable of manifesting Itself at will.
At that time, the Buddha spoke to Mañjuśrī, saying, “As the tathāgatas thus speak of self-wisdom, what is that ability of belief?” Mañjuśrī said, “Such wisdom is neither a dharma of Nirvāṇa nor a dharma of birth and death; it is the practice of silence, the practice of stillness; it neither severs desires, hatred, and delusion, nor does it not sever them. Why? It is without creation and without destruction; it is neither apart from birth and death, nor with it; it is neither the cultivation path, nor different from the cultivation path. Such understanding is called right belief.” The Buddha spoke to Mañjuśrī, saying, “Excellent, excellent! Thus have you explained the profound meaning of this principle.”
The Wisdom Store of the Tathagata is Unborn and thus undivided. It is expressed as the Quintessential-Silence on the deathless terrain of imagelessness.
Most auspicious sublimeness. _/\_