Purification of the Buddha-field, cont’d
Their mindfulness, intelligence, realization, meditation, incantation, and eloquence all were perfected. They were free from all obscurations and emotional involvement, living in liberation without impediment. They were totally dedicated through the transcendences of generosity, subdued, unwavering, and sincere morality, tolerance, effort, meditation, wisdom, skill in liberative technique, commitment power, and gnosis. They had attained the intuitive tolerance of the ultimate incomprehensibility of all things. They turned the irreversible wheel of the Dharma. They were stamped with the insignia of signlessness.
Incantation: Once again we encounter this term for dharani (see recent blog, The Buddhasoul). Thurman makes reference to the fact that these are no mere “magical-charms”…but rather the very “quintessence of their attainments.” In this light, the Maha-Bodhisattvas, whenever invoking the sacred dharanis do so out of sheer productiveness of their mystical attainments…or highly potent bodhipower. They are no longer emotionally attached to the Kleshas (all potentially destructive and draining mental states) and thus their dharanis are not made haphazardly and/or perfumed by any lingering skandhic triggers from the darkest corners of the Alaya.
Gnosis: fully attuned with apperceptive as well as ante-cognitive abilities and discernment as procured from proper bodhi-attunement—hence, Buddhagnosis (originating from the buddhi-seed of the Tathagatas). With this as a backdrop, they can indeed intuitively see into the incomprehensibility of all things.
Turning the irreversible wheel of Dharma: the karmic-spin of samsara is reversible through acquired merit and inconceivable aid from the Dharma-protectors; whereas, once instilled with the Buddhadharma, its wheel of Truth is an irreversible cultivation of the self-realization of Noble Wisdom…anyone who should attempt to reverse its course (by turning one’s back on it and sliding back into the template of samsara), is, in the words of the Bodhisattva Jesus the Christ, not fit for kingdom of Selfhood (Dharmakaya).
Signlessness: freed from all appearances and thus projections of the Mind when obstructed by Its own phenomenal outflows.
They were expert in knowing the spiritual faculties of all living beings. They were brave with the confidence that overawes all assemblies. They had gathered the great stores of merit and of wisdom, and their bodies, beautiful without ornaments, were adorned with all the auspicious signs and marks. They were exalted in fame and glory, like the lofty summit of Mount Sumeru. Their high resolve as hard as diamond, unbreakable in their faith in Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, they showered forth the rain of ambrosia that is released by the light rays of the jewel of the Dharma, which shines everywhere.
Knowing the spiritual faculties of all living beings…love the emphasis here on “all living beings”…think of it—are human beings alone capable of spiritual awareness and abilities? All animated reality is bestowed with prior-life-force energy (en-soul-ment) that animates all sentient beingness. They all are thus animated spiritual-beings and the Maha-Bodhisattvas are keenly aware of their unique energy-signatures and propensities—in this vein, they are able to, as Charles Luk states, surpass them all in fearlessness.
Signs and Marks: refers to the 32 auspicious signs and 80 marks of an advanced Buddha-being.
Their voices were perfect in diction and resonance, and versatile in speaking all languages. They had penetrated the profound principle of relativity and had destroyed the persistence of the instinctual mental habits underlying all convictions concerning finitude and infinitude. They spoke fearlessly, like lions, sounding the thunder of the magnificent teaching. Unequaled, they surpassed all measure. They were the best captains for the voyage of discovery of the treasures of the Dharma, the stores of merit and wisdom.
Principle of relativity: highlights that there is no essential thing-ness, i.e., no-thing exists in and of itself but is rather inter-dependent with other fixations in the matrix of defiled-garbha.
Best captains for the voyage of discovering the treasures within the Dharma: Lest we forget, this is an inner-voyage of Self-discovery…a Mind Voyage…and the Bodhisattvas are best suited to be entrusted with the keys that engage this mystery that leads to the inexhaustible treasure of the beloved Mani-pearl of the Unborn Buddha Mind.
They were expert in the way of the Dharma, which is straight, peaceful, subtle, gentle, hard to see, and difficult to realize. They were endowed with the wisdom that is able to understand the thoughts of living beings, as well as their comings and goings. They had been consecrated with the anointment of the peerless gnosis of the Buddha. With their high resolve, they approached the ten powers, the four fearlessnesses, and the eighteen special qualities of the Buddha.
Having been consecrated with the anointment of the peerless gnosis of the Buddha (as wondrously relayed in the Lanka), the Maha-Bodhisattva is well endowed with unparalleled Buddha-gnosis to discern the proclivities of sentient beings…thus they:
They had crossed the terrifying abyss of the bad migrations, and yet they assumed reincarnation voluntarily in all migrations for the sake of disciplining living beings. Great Kings of medicine, understanding all the sicknesses of passions, they could apply the medicine of the Dharma appropriately.
Indeed, they are the great physicians—able to now diagnosis and prescribe the best Dharma-medication that is appropriate for each being…once again, fearlessly wading through the great abyss of the bad migrations again and again until all Sentienticity is able to reach parinirvana.
They were inexhaustible mines of limitless virtues, and they glorified innumerable buddha-fields with the splendor of these virtues. They conferred great benefit when seen,heard, or even approached. Were one to extol them for innumerable hundreds of thousands of myriads of aeons, one still could not exhaust their mighty flood of virtues.
Like those “other voices” in “other rooms” who are able to hear the Buddhadharma from infinitesimally diverse quarters, such are the Bodhisattvas whose Noble Achievements are recognized and celebrated within each of those diverse Buddha-fields…their own Mind-fields bearing bodhi-seeds are inexhaustible across myriads of aeons.
This section concludes with quite an epiphany of celestial appearances, accompanied with a wide panoply of assorted beings from the ten quarters—a multitudinous reality of many diverse voices coming from many different-rooms-indeed to reverence and bask in the Buddha’s Dharma. For those with an ear for the Buddhadharma—this is also a reflection of the all pervasiveness of the Dharmakaya.