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1. The Knowledge of All Aspects

DETAILED EXPLANATION OF THE SUBTOPICS

The fourth [part of Haribhadra’s furnishing of the explanation], the detailed explanation of division into the [seventy] subtopics (1.19–8.40), has eight parts. First is the division of the subtopics of the knowledge of all aspects.

DETAILED EXPLANATION OF THE SUBTOPICS OF THE KNOWLEDGE OF ALL ASPECTS

As already explained, the knowledge of all aspects is taught by an arrangement of ten practices⁷² that cause it (1.19–73). The ten practices that cause it are the “production of the thought” to start practicing the knowledge of all aspects up to the final “emergence” practice. They are, again, in four categories: practicing person, objective support of the practice, aim of the practice, and actual practice. The first four features specify the person. The four specifying features are intention, advice, practice, and lineage. These are “production of the thought, [advice, penetrating knowledge,]” and the “foundation.”

DETAILED EXPLANATION OF THE SUBTOPIC THAT IS THE PRODUCTION OF THE THOUGHT

This is explained by:

This production of the thought section has to be understood in three parts: general defining mark, specific features of the objects, and detailed explanation of the examples.

GENERAL DEFINING MARK

The general defining mark is “To produce the thought is to want perfect, [complete enlightenment for others’ sake]” (1.19ab). The presentation of the defining-mark topic is taught by “to want,” in the sense of a yearning desire-to-do, a commitment to a particular aim. It says there is a particular aim and object with “perfect, complete enlightenment for others’ sake,” preventing the unwelcome consequence that the yearning could be for any object. It is saying the object wanted is “complete enlightenment,” but wanting to gain it for one’s own sake is not the production of the thought. The production of the thought wants it “for others’ sake.” [15]

What is the difference between the motivating aim and the object? That which causes the thought to be produced is the motivating aim—which is to say, compassion. The object is bodhicitta’s actual own object in and of itself; that is to say, it is [enlightenment as] the means to [bring about] the welfare of others, the objective of the yearning that is fueled by compassion. First those with compassion want others to be free from suffering. Then, realizing that their own enlightenment is the means to that end, they yearn for enlightenment. Therefore it says, “It is asserted it is rooted in compassion.”⁷⁴

ELIMINATING OBJECTIONS TO THE DEFINING MARK

[Haribhadra] teaches the argument and the response to it:

The first response⁷⁵ is that the simple desire-to-do that is a yearning [for the qualities of a buddha] is in the nature of just taking refuge but still just that is not the production of the thought. Nevertheless [Maitreya] teaches the production of the thought having simply labeled it desire-to-do [what is necessary for the qualities of a buddha] for a reason and for a purpose.

The second response is that it is true that the simple desire-to-do is the defining mark of going for refuge, but the production of the thought is going for refuge without error. So when the thought has been produced, taking refuge is also necessarily present. Therefore the defining mark of taking refuge—[namely, the desire-to-do]—is used to refer obliquely to the defining mark of the [ultimate] production of the thought to indicate [the production of the thought] is without error.

SPECIFIC FEATURES OF THE OBJECTS

The specific objects are taught with, “It [enlightenment] and it [the welfare of others], respectively, [are described in brief and in detail in the sūtra]” (1.19cd). There is nothing to explain.

DETAILED EXPLANATION OF THE EXAMPLES

The examples are taught in “The earth and gold” and so on (1.20–21). These, too, are taught in four parts: the presentation of the meanings, examples, correlations between the two, and concluding summary. These [four] are already clear in the master Haribhadra’s text:

Alternatively,⁷⁶ to summarize: the three accompanied by desire-to-do, aspiration, and practice are included in the small, medium, and big paths of accumulation; the one accompanied by surpassing aspiration is included in the path of preparation; and the six accompanied by the perfections, from giving to wisdom, are included in [16] the [first six bodhisattva] levels, from Joyful up to Manifest.

Then [there are the five:] accompanied by the four immeasurables,⁷⁷ accompanied by the five extrasensory powers, accompanied by the four ways to gather a retinue, accompanied by the four detailed and thorough knowledges,⁷⁸ and accompanied by the four reliances. These five are the perfection of skillful means, which is included in the seventh [level], because they are the means not to forsake beings, the means that govern the result,⁷⁹ the means to bring beings to maturity, the means to liberate beings, and the means to prevent effort being squandered.

Then [there are three:] accompanied by the two accumulations, accompanied by the thirty-seven qualities conducive to awakening, and accompanied by the pair (calm abiding and insight). These are included in the eighth level, accompanied by the perfection of prayer, because the two causes for reaching the full awakening to all aspects and the elimination of obscurations together with residual impressions are (1) what are prayed for and (2) the dual-path mind, which is what does the supreme praying,⁸⁰ so it is the perfect prayer.

There are [two]—accompanied by recall⁸¹ and confidence that inspires eloquence, and accompanied by the four summaries of doctrine⁸²—included in the ninth level, accompanied by the perfection of power. This is because, through the power of one’s own realization and through the power to outshine others, it is capable of eliminating both the side opposing one’s own interests and the side opposing the interests of others.

Thus, four levels—two [the eighth and ninth] included in the causal level, 62and two, the tenth and eleventh, included in the result level—are accompanied by “the universal passage,” a phenomenon they share in common. This is because the transcendent knowledge, foundation, and activity are indivisible, so the ones included at that level are like the Gaṅgā River in which various streams are collected into one, because a river in its essence is indivisibly water, foundation, and action.

Then the two—accompanied by the perfection of transcendent knowledge that is the supreme skillful means for training beings, bringing them to maturity, and liberating them included in the tenth level and, at the Dharma body stage, in the eleventh level—are like a cloud. This is because all ordinary and extraordinary riches depend on them as a foundation, just as cultivated crops and [crops] other than those that come up and ripen are dependent on rain clouds.

ADVICE FEATURE

Having thus explained the nature of the intention feature specifying the practicing person, [Haribhadra] teaches the feature specifying the advice and instruction [17] the practicing person receives:

BRIEF TEACHING

From among the four topics in the advice section, the statement in the root text (1.22–23) sets out a brief teaching. These ten pieces of advice, furthermore, teach the basic nature of a complete achieving-practice free from basic immorality (this being the topic on which the advice is being given). Thus the advice is one,⁸⁴ and it is simply divided into ten based on its defining features. Even though that advice with ten defining features is a single entity that has ten defining features, it still is not ten. Nevertheless, there are many [pieces of advice] in different contexts. This is just like the advice with ten defining features [bodhisattvas] get for the great path of accumulation in order to reach the very first level, Joyful, and the advice with ten defining features 63they will get in order to enter into the tenth level—they are different. The advice with ten defining features is one, but still you can understand from Ārya-Vimuktisena’s statement in the section summarizing this topic that it is a Dharma teaching through particular distinctive features of a practice that is just one: “The practice of the perfection of wisdom has not apprehending anything as its aspect, the four noble truths are its objective support,”⁸⁵ and so on.

What is the difference between the practice in the advice section and the four practices⁸⁶ of armor and so on (1.44–74) that will be explained below?

Even though the actual practice is entered into as one, here it is a specific piece of advice because that [advice] is the subject under discussion. In the section where [armor practice and so on] will be explained, the explanation is to conclusively determine a defining feature of the practice, so it is not needless repetition.

Alternatively, armor and so on are strongly associated with wanting to reach the knowledge of all aspects, so they are the practice of the knowledge of all aspects, while here it is strongly associated with wanting to attain the nondegeneration and the fresh production of good qualities—the production of the thought and so on—during the causal period, so it is the practice of the cause’s good qualities.

Similarly, the defining marks of the four uniting practices—the clear realization of all aspects and so on—is practice where [nondual] yogic practice is principal through the basic nature of the perfection of wisdom, while this and the armor and so on are where [a bodhisattva’s] spiritual activity is principal. Hence it is not needless repetition.

Alternatively, this and [18] armor and so on are taught as the cause of the knowledge of all aspects, while the full awakening to all aspects and so on have been arranged as having the three all-knowledges as their object. So, as explained above, they are different as universal and particulars, so there is no needless repetition.⁸⁷

DETAILED EXPLANATION

The second [topic of the advice section] is the detailed explanation.

ADVICE ABOUT ACHIEVING PRACTICE

Here it is taught in two parts: the aspect of the achieving practice and its feature of being unshared with śrāvakas and so on.

The first is taught by connecting that does not transgress the ultimate and conventional truths with to train to set in motion by not apprehending anything. Furthermore, in the sūtra⁸⁸ in response to the question “How then should bodhisattvas practice the perfection of wisdom?” having taught that [bodhisattvas] should set out without transgressing conventional truth with “Śāriputra, here when bodhisattva great beings are practicing the perfection of wisdom,” it refutes “‘a bodhisattva’ and ‘the word’” for it, a bodhisattva’s “‘practice’ and ‘the perfection of wisdom’” and the word for it, the four—“‘practice,’ ‘do not practice,’” both, and neither—and says, “they do not see” the aggregates.⁸⁹ In justification of that, it says it is because “‘a bodhisattva’ and ‘the word’” for it “are empty of an intrinsic nature.” Again, in justification of that, it teaches that they are in their nature empty, saying that ultimately they do not apprehend anything. Again, “‘awakening’ is just a name” and so on⁹⁰ says setting out [into the practice] exists conventionally. “Bodhisattva great beings practicing the perfection of wisdom like that do not see production” and so on⁹¹ says ultimately they do not apprehend anything.

About the distinguishing feature of that practice—that it is not shared by śrāvakas and so on—it says, “Śāriputra, if this Jambudvīpa were filled with monks similar in worth to Śāriputra and Maudgalyāyana, their wisdom—like a thicket of naḍa reeds, or a thicket of bamboo, or a thicket of sugar cane, or a thicket of rushes, or a thicket of rice, [19] or a thicket of sesame—would not approach the wisdom of a bodhisattva, a great being practicing the perfection of wisdom, even by one hundredth part,” and so on.⁹² Similarly, it says even the cultivation of a bodhisattva’s wisdom for a single day is superior were this to have happened in a four-continent thousand, medium [millionfold], or great billionfold world system, even “as many world systems as the sand particles in the Gaṅgā River” in each of the ten directions. To justify this, it says the aim, practice, and realization are superior.⁹³

The six examples—of naḍa reeds and so on—exemplify the six realization dharmas,⁹⁴ respectively, because (1) it cannot withstand the attack of even a few actions and afflictive emotions, (2) even a sharp onslaught by action 65and afflictive emotion has difficulty severing its wholesome roots, (3) it does not lose the supreme sweet taste suited for cultivating the Dharma even as it changes states, (4) it penetrates [true reality] swiftly, (5) it is the best harvest, and (6) though similar [to the path of seeing], it will later be a special realization.

ADVICE ABOUT THE TRUTHS

THE TRUTH OF SUFFERING

Second, from the advice about the truths, the detailed explanation of the truth of suffering is:

Taking the empty result as primary, based on seven emptinesses—the emptiness of aggregates, sense fields, elements, truths, dependent origination, all conditioned and unconditioned phenomena, and basic nature—it [the sūtra] again says, “Śāriputra, bodhisattva great beings practicing the perfection of wisdom engaged with these seven emptinesses are ‘engaged.’”⁹⁵ In regard to those emptinesses and the perfection of wisdom having, from the point of view of suchness, just the same basic nature, it says, “[Furthermore, Śāriputra, when those bodhisattvas are] practicing the perfection of wisdom with these seven emptinesses, you cannot say that they are engaged or are not engaged. And why? Because they do not see form as ‘engaged’ or as ‘not engaged.’”⁹⁶ It intends that from the perspective of suchness, they do not see [anything]. It intends that just as [they do not see] form and so on, similarly [they do not see] the perfection of wisdom.

THE TRUTH OF ORIGINATION

The detailed explanation of the truth of origination is: [20]

In the statement that form and so on are not qualified by origination, cessation, defilement, and purification, [the sūtra’s] “form” and so on “are not in confluence” with each other, and do not have the defining mark of form and so on, has to be added. The sūtra says, “It is because they do not see form as qualified by production or qualified by stopping,”⁹⁷ and it says the same about defilement and purification. It says they “do not see ‘form is in a confluence with feeling,’” and, again in justification of that, says all phenomena “are the emptiness of a basic nature,” and says form and so on and their defining marks do not exist in emptiness.⁹⁸ Form and so on in the form of causes is not distinguishable from emptiness is the justification in the explanation that follows immediately after this. The sūtra says, “And why? It is because, Śāriputra, form is not one thing and emptiness another; emptiness is not one thing and form another. Form is itself emptiness, and emptiness is form,”⁹⁹ and so on, speaking about the aggregates in detail.

THE TRUTH OF CESSATION

The detailed explanation of the truth of cessation is:

This is describing the basic nature of cessation as an emptiness that is a separation from production, stopping, defilement, purification, degeneration, increase (the and so on brings in past, present, and future). The sūtra for this is “And why? It is because, Śāriputra, that emptiness is not produced and does not stop . . . does not decrease and does not increase, is not past,”¹⁰⁰ and so on. There is no form up to . . . no enlightenment is the refutation of the marks of form and so on in cessation. Again, the sūtra for this is “In that which is not produced, does not stop, up to, is not present, there is no form,”¹⁰¹ and so on, refuting the aggregates, sense fields, six elements, and also the eighteen elements, dependent origination, the truths, and the results of the secluded religious life “up to there is no enlightenment.”¹⁰²

THE TRUTH OF THE PATH

The detailed explanation of the truth of the path is:

Again, this teaches three things: the path entity, the absence of conceptualization, [21] and that [the path] brings about a definite escape.

THE PATH ENTITY

The first is the instruction that the path is a practice where the self neither has nor does not have the perfection of giving and so on.¹⁰³ It teaches [this] by [the neither has nor does not have that comes at the end of the sentence] being connected [with the perfection of giving and so on that comes at the beginning]. Similarly, the sūtra says, “They do not see the practice of the perfection of wisdom as either ‘having’ or ‘not having’” the objects of knowledge (the aggregates, the sense fields, the constituents, also the six elements, and dependent origination); the path (the six perfections that are the essence of the conduct, the emptiness that is the essence of the view, and the applications of mindfulness and so on that are the essence of the yoga); both the nonfinal (meditative stabilizations and dhāraṇīs) and final (ten powers and so on) that are the essence of the result. Alternatively, read it as refuting joining to and not joining to those objects.

ABSENCE OF CONCEPTUALIZATION

The second absence of conceptualization is taught with the emptiness of a subject and so on, with the emptiness of an object and so on. The words and so on indicate that emptiness does not engage with either emptiness or the yogic practice of emptiness. The statement [in the sūtra] also refutes in the same way engaging with signlessness and wishlessness.¹⁰⁴

BRING ABOUT A DEFINITE ESCAPE

The fact that the path brings about a definite escape is taught where the sūtra says [that bodhisattvas] “do not join form, up to, the knowledge of all aspects” to the three, “the prior limit” and so on, and “do not cause the prior limit” and so on, “to join” with each other, and it refutes that [bodhisattvas] “join the knowledge of all aspects with” the three time periods.¹⁰⁵ Here the beginning and end with each other is just as an illustration.

ADVICE ABOUT THE THREE JEWELS

Next is the detailed explanation of advice about the Three Jewels.

THE BUDDHA JEWEL

From [among those], the detailed explanation of the advice about the Buddha Jewel is:

This teaches three things: the basic nature of the qualities that make up a buddha; that it is transcendent knowledge knowing sameness; and the justification for that.

BASIC NATURE OF THE QUALITIES THAT MAKE UP A BUDDHA

The defining marks of the qualities that make up a buddha is given that you cannot find a knowledge of all aspects marked as a buddha-producing dharma, that [knowledge of all aspects] does not engage with form and so on. The sūtra for this is from “Furthermore, Śāriputra, when bodhisattva great beings are practicing the perfection of wisdom, they do not join form with the knowledge of all aspects because they do not even see form itself, and if they do not even see form itself, [22] how could they ever join form with, or separate it from, the knowledge of all aspects?” connecting this up to “[they do not join] the knowledge of all aspects [with enlightenment].”¹⁰⁶

TRANSCENDENT KNOWLEDGE KNOWING SAMENESS

Having discussed the knowledge of all aspects in that way, the establishment of [a buddha] as being in its basic nature a transcendent knowledge knowing sameness is knowledge of the sameness of the support and the supported. The sūtra says, “Furthermore, Śāriputra, bodhisattva great beings practicing the perfection of wisdom do not join a buddha with and separate it from the knowledge of all aspects, and do not join the knowledge of all aspects with 69and separate it from a buddha,” and it speaks about enlightenment in the same way.¹⁰⁷

ITS JUSTIFICATION

This is, buddha and enlightenment have the same mark. The sūtra passage for this is “And why? It is because a buddha is itself the knowledge of all aspects and because the knowledge of all aspects is itself a buddha as well. It is because enlightenment itself is the knowledge of all aspects and because the knowledge of all aspects is itself enlightenment as well. Thus they do not see enlightenment itself. Thus they do not see the knowledge of all aspects itself.”¹⁰⁸ It means that it is because both [buddha and enlightenment] have the same mark as the knowledge of all aspects.

THE DHARMA JEWEL

The detailed explanation of the instructions about the Dharma Jewel is the instruction

[Every basis and so on] is related to the three all-knowledges. They are made known as an object by the three transcendent knowledges. They are a compendium of every basis, antidote, and aspect—that is, those three are the total. Brought together as those means those three are pervasive, in the sense that they cover every existent thing as a summation of the objects of the three transcendent knowledges. The phenomena here are all holding¹⁰⁹ their own defining mark. They, furthermore, are in their intrinsic nature the entity of suchness; so the main one is the realization Dharma,¹¹⁰ the truth of cessation.

There, teaching that the objects of the knowledge of bases have no intrinsic nature the sūtra negates that all phenomena, from form up to the knowledge of all aspects, are existent things or nonexistent things in their intrinsic nature, saying, “They do not associate physical forms with ‘entities.’”¹¹¹ In exactly the same way, by negating permanent, [23] pleasure, self, not calm, and their opposites, it negates the four summaries of doctrine and their opposites; it negates the three gateways to liberation, their opposites, and their production and cessation. It [also] negates the three time periods, weak 70and strong, is and is not, and the four possibilities—they are practicing and so on.¹¹²

Teaching that the objects of the knowledge of paths have no intrinsic nature by explaining that because the Dharma¹¹³ is separated from attachment, it is its antidote, the sūtra, starting from “Furthermore, Śāriputra, bodhisattva great beings practicing the perfection of wisdom do not practice the perfection of wisdom for the sake of the perfection of giving,”¹¹⁴ says they do not train in the perfection of wisdom for the sake of any perfection, or for the sake of the emptinesses, reaching the level of irreversibility, ripening beings, purifying the buddhafield, success in the path of yogic practice (the applications of mindfulness and so on), or for the sake of nonfinal results (meditative stabilizations and dhāraṇī) and final results (ten powers and so on). In justification of that, it says that they do not view in all phenomena “any differentiation, variation, and distinction,” and it negates that they train in the perfection of wisdom for the sake of the six extrasensory powers and their objects.

[Next is the] teaching that the objects of the knowledge of all aspects have no intrinsic nature by [teaching] the aspects of the good qualities acquired by practicing those, together with the justification. The sūtra, starting from “Furthermore, Śāriputra, the māras trying to find a way to infiltrate and looking for an opportunity to hurt do not find any opportunity, so all ordinary and extraordinary actions are harmoniously accomplished spontaneously and without mental construction,”¹¹⁵ says ordinary afflictive emotions are destroyed; the buddhas, śrāvakas, and the classes of gods guard [the bodhisattvas]; with love [that extends to all beings] as cause, they purify the result, the karmic obscuration in this very life; they come face to face with the dhāraṇī and meditative stabilization doors with little difficulty; and in all their births up until the seat¹¹⁶ of enlightenment, they please the buddhas. It negates that phenomena have united or separated¹¹⁷ because they cannot be apprehended, and it negates that they “will quickly fully awaken to the dharmadhātu” because it cannot be apprehended. [It says a dharmadhātu] that realizes and [a dharmadhātu] that has to be realized cannot be apprehended because there is nothing to make variation. [24] It negates that they “join the dharmadhātu to empty and to not empty,” [and it says they] do not join the eighteen—eye and so on—constituents to emptiness. Because it is the cause of passing beyond the śrāvaka level, of purifying a buddhafield, of bringing beings to maturity, and of reaching perfect complete enlightenment, it praises “the yogic practice of emptiness” as the highest, and it says 71they are not conceited about all their realizations and they do not entertain miserly thoughts detrimental to the six perfections.¹¹⁸

THE SANGHA JEWEL

Since a detailed explanation of the topic of Sangha is given below, I do not give an explanation here.

[ADVICE ABOUT] NONATTACHMENT

“Nonattachment” is not viewing an ultimately real entity in physical, verbal, and mental actions or in dharmas.¹¹⁹ Hence it is a method to avoid weakening the practice of the perfection of wisdom. This is why Ārya-Vimuktisena says, “There, when they have no attachment, they do not weaken; when they are indefatigable, they go as far as they have to go.”¹²⁰ Some can become fixated on the experience of physical ease and so on because they grasp at physical perseverance and so on—its antidote—as an entity when they become attached to physical pleasure and so on as ultimates.

[ADVICE ABOUT NOT TIRING]

“Not giving rise to conceit.”¹²¹ This is the elimination of the pride that arises from realizing and becoming habituated to conventionally real existence and nonexistence, even while not becoming fixating on them as ultimates. This is because, even though false projection does not weaken the practice of the perfection of wisdom, it also does not strengthen it, so it blocks the strengthening of the continuum.

[ADVICE ABOUT] FULL ACCEPTANCE OF THE WAY

“Full acceptance of the way”: even when seeing buddhas standing in the ten directions with their retinues and with their distinct buddhafields and listening to the Dharma, still [bodhisattvas] with skillful means do not construct thoughts about those and are not separated from that transcendent knowledge. Were that not the case, they could lose self-confidence, because of their inability to follow the paths necessary for each goal.

[ADVICE ABOUT] THE FIVE EYES, SIX EXTRASENSORY POWERS, AND PATH OF SEEING