中 文

 

Extracted from the website of Buddhist Vajrayana Charity Funds Association and translated (菩薩行) into English:

Bodhisattva Practice

Bodhisattvas, not only have the ability of self-awakening, they are sages who can make all sentient beings to become enlightened.
 
There are two types of Bodhisattvas:
1. Buddhist practitioners, who commit to protect the Dharma and to benefit others, are called ‘Initial heart-giving Bodhisattvas’.  These types of cultivators possess the ordinary human body and cannot avoid life and death.
 
2. Practitioners, who have attained the forbearance that is based on the cognition of the nonarising of all phenomena, have understood the nature of the Dharma Realm, and hence manage to detach from the cyclic existence (remark: cycle of life and death), are sages who have already been released from the ordinary human bodyInitial heart-giving Bodhisattvas, who are ordinary human beings, have not eliminated the confusion and karma of the three realms and have the ‘Fragmentary Cyclic Existence’/‘Fragmentary of Life and Death’/‘fragmentary saṃsara’ (remark: 分段生死fragmentary saṃsara, saṃsara means cyclic existence).  Bodhisattvas, who have attained the forbearance that is based on the cognition of the non-arising of all phenomena (Note 1), also have cyclic existence which is known as ‘Inconceivable Transformation of Life and Death’.
Due to cultivation of the Buddha Path, Bodhisattvas find that confusion (or bewilderment) will gradually lessen, realisation and accomplishment will gradually increase.  This change from confusion (or bewilderment) to realisation represents one cycle of life and death and is also called ‘Inconceivable Transformation of Life and Death’/‘Inconceivable Transformation of Saṃsara’ (simply known as Transformation of Life and Death).  This type of transformation can be classified into ten stages and is known as ‘Ten Bhumis/Ten-Ground’ (remark: ‘Bhumi’ is the Sanskrit term, literally means ‘ground’ or ‘foundation’.  Each stage represents a level of attainment, and serves as a basis for the next one.  From the position of Bodhisattva to become a Buddha, one must go through the ten bhumis, or grounds.) Within the fifty-two ranks of Mahayana, the Tenth-Ground Bodhisattva belongs to the fiftieth place.
 
Bodhisattva, who becomes a Buddha from an ordinary human body, must undergo fifty-two ranks: starting from a ‘Initial heart-giving Bodhisattva’, then passing through ten faiths, ten abodes, ten practices, ten merit-transferences, up till here passes through forty ranks which is known as ‘Pre-Ground Bodhisattva’; and then passes through ten grounds, totally passes through fifty ranks and the 50th rank is called ‘Ten-Ground Bodhisattva’; the 51st rank is called ‘Equal Awakening Bodhisattva’(also known as Eleven-Ground Bodhisattva)(Note 2), the 52nd rank is called ‘Marvellous Awakening Bodhisattva’(also known as Twelve-Ground Bodhisattva/Buddha rank) (Note 3).  The final rank of Bodhisattva is the rank of Marvellous Awakening Bodhisattva.  When this Bodhisattva becomes Buddha, then will not be in the rank of Bodhisattva.
 
Bodhisattvas cultivate thirty-seven aspects of the path to Enlightenment (Thirty-seven Elements of Bodhi Way) which are is regarded as the steps towards liberation and acquiring the Enlightenment Path.  If proceeding along the thirty-seven kinds of concepts and ways to practice cultivation, Bodhisattvas can sequentially tend to become and approach Bodhi, ascend Ten-Ground Bodhisattva and finally attain Buddhahood.
 
Thirty-seven Aspects of Enlightenment are:
 
Four Dwellings in
Mindfulness
  Body (contemplating the body as impure)
  Feeling (contemplating all sensations (feelings) as suffering)
  Mind (contemplating thoughts as impermanent)
  Dharma (contemplating all things(dharmas)as being selfless)
Four Right Efforts   Termination and Termination(terminating and terminating again the
     unwholesome thoughts from arising, that means terminating permanently)
  Vinaya precepts and Termination (cultivating precepts and putting an end to
     existing unwholesome thoughts and actions)
  Protection and Termination (continuing the existing wholesome thoughts and
     good deeds so as to prevent non-virtue from arising)
  Cultivation and Termination (bringing forth that uncultivated wholesome
     thoughts and actions)
Four Bases of Meditative Power (Note 4)   Desire Base of Meditative Power (the generation of desire to become a
     Buddha, intensify such desire to acquire meditation)
  Diligence Base of Meditative Power (cultivating diligently to acquire
     meditation)
  Mind Base of Meditative Power (increasing and understanding the conscious
     mind to acquire meditation)
  Visualisation Base of Meditative Power (with concentration of thoughts
     (visualisation) to acquire meditation)
Five Roots
(meaning of five increments)
  The Root of Faith(having meditative power to gain deep faith and
     understanding)
  The Root of Diligence (having deep faith and understanding to become more
     diligent)
  The Root of Mindfulness (maintaining a calm and peaceful mind)
  The Root of Samadhi (having an undisturbed mind)
  The Root of Wisdom (acquisition of spiritual world wisdom/transmundane
     wisdom)
Five Powers   The Power of Faith (the ability to dispel evil belief)
  The Power of Diligence (the ability to dispel slackness)
  The Power of Mindfulness (the ability to dispel evil thoughts)
  The Power of Samadhi (the ability to dispel chaos)
  The Power of Wisdom (the ability to dispel three poisons and to acquire right
     wisdom)
Seven Factors of Enlightenment
(bodhyanga)
Factors of Enlightenment, the method of realising and analyzing phenomena in detail.
Eightfold Noble Paths Right View, Right Thought, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Diligence, Right Mindfulness, Right Meditation (Zen/Samadhi).
 
(Note 1): Place one's mind calmly and firmly on the principle of neither arising nor ceasing (non-birth and non-extinction).
(Note 2): Equality Awakening, the mid-stage of acclaiming Buddhahood.  Equality means fair and equal, Awakening means awakened or enlightened.
(Note 3): Marvellous Awakening, the awakened self and the awakening of others, the perfection of awakened practice (Great Enlightenment), being the Supreme Perfect Enlightenment of Buddhahood.
(Note 4): Traverse within Wonderland at ease.

 

 

button