16.1 Bliss Heartland
In "Treatise of Establishing Sense-Only", Tang Tripitaka said: “Having proved the two emptiness-es (2), initially attained the holy nature (3), aroused bodhicitta, can benefit oneself and others, so give rise to great joy, hence the Bliss Heartland (1).
Annotation 16.1-1, What are the ten lands? Mahayana teachings use these ten lands to generally assimilate have-as law and none-as law (see section 11.6.4 Off-is Fruit) fortune virtues as self nature, to be victorious dependence and base for study and cultivation, to have them to be born and grow, hence name lands.
Annotation 16.1-2, what the two emptiness? The two emptiness is human emptiness and law emptiness. Human being has no I, then human being is empty; law has no I, then law is empty. I mean ego, executive, lord, also known as Seth view, translocation body view (see section 11.4.4.1.4). Law means track, rail (see section 11.1).
Annotation 16.1-3, what is the holy nature? That is, the nature of a sage, God, Buddha, is reason of all sentients’ equality, is nirvana talked in section 15.1, also known as Correct Equality Light, Empty After All.
16.1.1 Donation Ark
The first land bodhisattva studies and practices Donation Ark. Ark, Paramita in Sanskrit, is called Ark by Europeans, Chinese calls it Ferry. There are six Arks or ten Arks in total. The six Arks are Donation Ark, Precept Ark, Countenance Ark, Diligently Advance Ark, Meditation Ark, and Gnosis Ark. The ten Arks are unfolding Gnosis Ark into five: Gnosis Ark, Convenience Ark, Will Ark, Strength Ark, Intelligence Ark. These ten Arks are in sequence, and the former can lead to, trigger to the latter.
The practice of Donation Ark begins with donation because the unconscious (God-sense) only corresponds to Renunciative Acceptance. Renunciative Acceptance is nature of equality, that is, holy nature. There are three types of donations: asset donation, fearlessness donation, and law donation. Fearlessness donation means encouraging others with loving words to face difficulties and adversities bravely. Law donation is to preach Tree of Life and the Four Victorious Cruxes, etc. principles and arts of life.
16.1.2 Severance of Mutant Nature Hindrance
First land Bodhisattva breaks off the hindrances of mutant nature. Mutant nature is a synonym for mortal nature, is established by its seeds of annoyances and knows. Annoyances and knows hinder mortals from departing from their own natures, so the two are also called the annoyance hindrance and know hindrance.
Annoyance hindrances are mean annoyances, also known as mean muddles, such as greed, irritation, ignorance, arrogance, suspicion, Seth view, edge view, heresy, view fetch, precept fetch, and so on. Know hindrances are view annoyances, also known as view muddles, such as Seth view, edge view, heresy, view fetch, precept fetch, greed, irritation, ignorance, arrogance, suspicion, etc. Annoyance and know hindrances are interdependent and pairs; Annoyance is recognized by know and know is felt by annoyance, so the two have the same numbers and names. Annoyance hindrances are foolishness, ignorance, which can hinder quietness and nirvana. The know hindrance is like intelligence but not intelligence, and can obstruct intelligence and enlightenment, so it is also called the intelligence hindrance.
First land Bodhisattva proved human empty and law empty in person. Seeing path breaks the darkness of ignorance. The darkness of ignorance is the ignorance (aka. non-light) in fundamental annoyances (see section 11.4.4.1.4), means fool, unknowing which should be known. When a bodhisattva understands Seth views, edge views, and heresies, these Know Hindrances are eliminated. Know Hindrances and Annoyance Hindrances are interdependent, and when the 112 positions fundamental View Muddles (i.e., Know Hindrances; see section 13.3.2) are annihilated, the Annoyance Hindrances are also annihilated or weakened. Thus, it is said that the first land Bodhisattvas break off hindrances of mutant nature and gain the real human nature or holy nature.
The ten folds of Annoyance Hindrances in the Path Crux are the ten types of human’s ignorance, fools, idiocies. Although after Bodhisattvas see path, they also severed those ferocious interests, now we say that what cause annoyances are the fundamental annoyances, therefore we say, the first land Bodhisattva has cut off the following two kinds of fools and their Rough and Heavy. (1) Fool of I obsession, that is the said Mutant Nature Hindrances. (2) Fool of ferocious interests miscellaneously dyed, such as hell interest, livestock interest, and hungry ghost interest, etc. ferocious interests, and karmic fruits.
Readers should know that all idiocies, ignorance, non-light are generally called fool. After seeing path, idiot fool’s head is cut off, but its roots or seeds are still there. Those are not qualified to perform their duties, seeds that are not presently in performances, but those still cause the heart and body rough heavy, therefore names of Rough and Heavy. For example, entering the second meditation (see section 12.2), bitter roots are cutting off; the broken bitter roots are not presently in performance, not present seeds, hence Rough Heavy.
16.1.3 Omnipresent True Suchness
First land Bodhisattva testifies and gains Omnipresent True Suchness. Tang Tripitaka says, “Omnipresent True Suchness manifests when I and Law are empty. No one law does not exist”.
What is the Omnipresent True Suchness? Buddha means perception, and Buddhism studies the contemporary mind (heart). Readers can understand from the fact that the body and the external world are both projections of the heart, so the heart is the support of everything. Laws and illegalities coexist with the heart, and so are the past, present and future. Thus, why does Tang Tripitaka still say, "Omnipresent True Suchness manifests when I and Law are empty "? Because the world that mundane people see is a world in which quality and quantity are rendered by the preconscious, and it is not the true suchness.
Posted Jul 2, 2024, 4:42 PM UTC