Perfect Enlightenment 31: Universal Enlightenment Inquires On Conduct

by envba · June 28, 2024

Show scripture (Chinese).Show less.

Chinese:

於是普覺菩薩在大眾中即從座起，頂禮佛足右遶三匝，長跪叉手而白佛言：「大悲世尊！快說禪病！令諸大眾得未曾有，心意蕩然獲大安隱。世尊！末世眾生去佛漸遠，賢聖隱伏邪法增熾，使諸眾生求何等人？依何等法？行何等行？除去何病？云何發心令彼群盲不墮邪見？」作是語已五體投地，如是三請終而復始。

Show scripture (English).Show less.

English:

Then the bodhisattva Universal Enlightenment arose from his seat in the great assembly. He bowed to the Buddha’s feet and circumambulated three times to the right. He then knelt down with hands clasped and addressed the Buddha, saying: “Greatly Compassionate World-Honoured One. You have explained clearly the meditation maladies, allowing the bodhisattvas to attain that which they have not yet experienced, so that their consciousnesses are stilled to attain great tranquillity. World Honoured One, as the sentient being’s departure from the age of the Buddha becomes gradually more distant, the sages and worthies conceal themselves, while the mistaken dharma grows and spreads. What kind of person should we have the sentient beings seek? On what kind of teachings should they rely? What kind of practice should they do? What kind of maladies should they remove, and what kind of resolution should we make, so as to prevent the blind multitude from falling into mistaken views?” Having said this, he prostrated himself to the ground. He asked this question three times in succession.

Commentary:

The tenth inquiring bodhisattva is Universal Enlightenment, in terms of the practice, the ninth.

To answer Purifier of All Karmic Hinderances, Buddha pointed out the kind of meditation sicknesses a practitioner may have. Objectifying realizations, understanding, insight, enlightenment, these are all meditation sicknesses, which led to the request of Universal Enlightenment, “Greatly Compassionate World-Honoured One. You have explained clearly the meditation maladies, allowing the bodhisattvas to attain that which they have not yet experienced, so that their consciousnesses are stilled to attain great tranquillity.” Then he asked, “What kind of person should we have the sentient beings seek? On what kind of teachings should they rely? What kind of practice should they do? What kind of maladies should they remove, and what kind of resolution should we make?” He asked a total of five questions, all of them concern with one’s conduct, which come in stages.

To seek the genuine dharma is to seek the genuine teacher, hence the question of “what kind of person.”
To seek the genuine teacher is to seek their teaching, hence the question of “what kind of teachings.”
Knowing the kind of teachings, then one is to follow it in one’s conduct, hence the question of “what of practice should one make.”
The purpose of the practice is to remove one’s sickness, hence the question of “what kind of maladies to remove.”
To commit to a practice is to cultivate one’s bodhicitta, hence the question of “what kind of resolution to make.”

Stay tuned for the next post for Buddha’s answer.