Illuminating the Intent

If asked, “Why is it called The Luminous?”

It is true to the meaning of this name.

When the bodhisattva attains the third ground, the fire of gnosis burning off all the fuels of phenomena — a fire that has the capacity to pacify all dualistic elaborations within meditative equipoise — produces light here.

Here at this point, the child of the Tathāgata who has generated the third ground of the awakening mind perceives the light of gnosis with a copper-colored glow like the glow that appears at sunrise.

That is to say, during post-meditation periods on this ground, the bodhisattva experiences the dawning of pervasive red or orange lights.

Thus the Precious Garland states:

The way it comes to be superior is this: The bodhisattva achieves excellence in the practice of forbearance to an extent he does not for the other remaining seven perfections.

The bodhisattva of the third ground is characterized here as being innocent — an inappropriate object for anger — because he guards others’ minds, because he possesses pacifying gnosis as described in the lines “. . . the fire burning off all fuels of knowable objects,” and because he does not exhibit with his body, speech, or thoughts such concerns as “He harmed me and my kin in the past,” “He is causing harm now,” or the suspicion that “He might do so in future,” which fuel antipathy toward others.