The Tenth Stage

Part 12

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Introduction

Stages of the Mahayana Bodhisattva Path are similar to the Theravada idea of the Noble Eight-fold Path, although not the same in the order of the stages, as well as the aim of the various stages that comprise the total trajectory that the Bodhisattva has to traverse. The idea of the Bodhisattva path is linked to the idea of bodhicitta, the aspiration of becoming enlightened, and this aim is for the benefit of all sentient beings—when compared to the Arahant idea it is distinguished by the fact, that the Bodhisattva holds off on attaining final non-returning Nirvana until all sentient beings are brought along the journey of the Bodhisattva path towards Enlightenment.

Mahayana Texts

Various Mahayana texts discuss the stages of the path in varying detail and order. For this twelfth and final article in the series, I’ve mainly followed the stages of the Path as explained in the Dasa Bhumika Sutra. Dasa bhumika in Sanskrit means ten stages.

I’ve also consulted the abhidharma-samuccaya text of Asanga, the prajna-paramita abhi-samaya-lankara, the Maha-vastu, and the Mahayana-sutralamkara text. The Avatamsaka Sutra (Flower Ornament Scripture) has great details on the 10 stages of the path as well, including the Gandavyuha commentary. For cross-reference purposes I’ve used the yogacara-bhumi text, which incorporates the Bodhisattva path into an even greater 17 stages, to verify Sanskrit terminology. The ‘Materials for a Dictionary of The Prajnaparamita Literature’ by Edward Conze has been very useful, in verifying Sanskrit terms as they are used in the various Prajna Paramita texts.

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In this article, I’ll cover the tenth and final stage of the 10 Stages of the Mahayana Bodhisattva Path. I’m also including a ‘bonus’ stage, that is being mentioned in some of the texts.

As we are on the last stage, I’d like to quote a passage from the Samdhinirmochana Sutra, concerning the Eight kinds of Excellence to be purified by a Bodhisattva:

Avalokiteshvara then went on to ask the Buddha, “In these stages, how many kinds of excellence are defined?”

The Buddha replied, “In brief, there are eight.

First is purity of strong determination (ava-dharana)
Second is purity of mind (citta)
Third is purity of compassion (karuna)
Fourth is purity of transcendence (samatikrama)
Fifth is purity of seeing Buddhas and offering service (buddha-darsana upasthana-paricarya)
Sixth is purity of maturing sentient beings (pari-paka sattva)
Seventh is purity of (re-)birth (samcintya-bhava-pratikanksi)
Eighth is purity of spiritual powers (adhisthana / maharddhika)

“These purities in the first stage increase and improve from stage to stage, to the purities of Buddhahood, except that there is no purity of birth in the stage of Buddhahood.”

“Also, the virtues in the first stage all exist equally in the higher stages, so you should know that the virtues of each stage are excellent, but the virtues of the ten stages of all enlightening beings all have something above them. The virtues of the stage of Buddhahood, in contrast, have nothing above them.”

Summary

Stage 10. The ‘Highest’ Doctrine stage (dharma megha bhumi)

The tenth and final stage is called the ‘Highest’ Doctrine, because the highest of perfection by the Bodhisattva is attained in the perfection of knowledge (jnana paramita). The literal translation of megha could be considered ‘up in the cloud’. The Bodhisattva now has the qualities of a full-fledged Buddha. Having mastered the entire path, they are now considered and recognized by all prior Buddhas. They have now completed the absorption and embodiment of the eternal doctrine (dharmakaya) in full.

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In detail

This tenth stage is called dharma mega, because in this stage the Bodhisattva causes the Dharma to rain down on beings from the highest cloud, like rain from the sky. It is called cloud of teaching, because the gross body is as vast as space and the spiritual body of the Bodhisattva is fulfilled and purified, like a great cloud that can cover all.

Various types / levels of ignorance have been purified in the first nine stages, and in each subsequent stage the ignorance that is to be purified is more subtle and difficult to address than in the previous stage.

In the first stage, the ignorance of clinging to person and things, and the ignorance of the defilement of wrong tendencies and actions have been purified.
In the second stage, the ignorance of minute errors and transgressions, and the ignorance of what various actions lead to have been purified.
In the third stage, the ignorance of greed, and the ignorance of complete mental control to retain what is learned have been purified.
In the fourth stage, the Bodhisattva addressed the ignorance of attachment to attainments in concentration, and the ignorance of attachment to religion.
In the fifth stage, the Bodhisattva addressed the ignorance of one-sided thought rejecting life and death, and the ignorance of one-sided thought heading for nirvana.
In the sixth stage, the Bodhisattva addressed the ignorance of observing the flux of events at the moment, and the ignorance of elaborate active mental patterns.
In the seventh stage, the Bodhisattva addressed the ignorance of subtle active mental patterns, and the ignorance of method in one-sided formless awareness.
In the eighth stage, the Bodhisattva addressed the ignorance of making effort toward the formless, and the ignorance of control over forms.
In the ninth stage, the Bodhisattva addressed the ignorance of control of the intellectual powers and mental command of ultimate understanding of infinite expressions of truth, and the ignorance of free command of special knowledge of comprehension and communication.
In the tenth stage, the Bodhisattva addresses the ignorance of great mystic powers (dharani), and the ignorance of awakening to subtle mysteries.

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A Bodhisattva, on completion of the tasks of the ninth stage, arrives at the tenth stage. The Bodhisattva attains countless great concentrations, and completely understands how the world and its dharmas arise and cease, and how to perform the many tasks of a Buddha. His memory to retain the teachings is unsurpassed in skillful means, so that he can retain all dharmas that rain on him by infinite Buddhas.

Practitioners in the tenth stage have the ability to teach like clouds showering rain. In this stage—which is also called the stage of anointment or coronation, symbolizing anointment or coronation with the crown of all knowledge of all modes of reality—practitioners attain innumerable amounts of special concentrations and gain access to the higher knowledges characteristic of the enlightened. They attain inconceivable liberation; infinite powers of recollection; and ability to receive, absorb, and hold the revelations of the mysteries of complete enlightenment.

Having arrived at the tenth stage, how should a Bodhisattva, a great being be called a Tathagata (Buddha)?

When in a Bodhisattva, the ten perfections and the eighteen special Buddha-dharmas are fulfilled, and when there is the cognition of the knowledge of all modes, and a forsaking of all defilements and of the residues relating to them, and when the great compassion and all Buddha-dharmas have been fulfilled—it is then that a Bodhisattva, a great being, after the tenth Bodhisattva-stage, is verily to be called a Tathagata.

Which are the ten stages of a Bodhisattva, a great being?

A Bodhisattva, coursing through skillful means in all the perfections, having been trained in the thirty-seven wings of enlightenment, coursing in the Unlimited, the trances, and the formless attainments, coursing in the ten powers of a Tathagata, the analytical knowledges, the eighteen special Buddha-dharmas, having passed beyond nine stages, i.e.:

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the stage of becoming one of the clan,
the eighth-lowest stage,
the stage of vision,
the stage of refinement,
the stage of him who has done,
the stage of a Solitary Buddha (pratyeka-buddha),
the stage of a Bodhisattva,
is established on the Buddha-stage—this is the tenth stage of a Bodhisattva, a great being.

The Mahayana-sutralankara explains that this stage is so called, because it is all-pervading and far-reaching by the modes of Concentration and protective spells, as space is occupied by clouds. A Bodhisattva now enters on the Stage of consecration (abhiseka) and experiences many great concentrations (maha-samadhi). He acquires a glorious body (samanta-prabhata-kaya), which is seen in a celestial lotus adorned with jewels. He emits some rays of purifying light, which destroy the suffering and misery of all living beings. He performs many miracles and creates many magical bodies of himself (buddha-adhisthanam karoti = literally make ‘apparitional Buddha-body doubles’). The Bodhisattva attains the ten emancipations (vimukti / vimoksa), and especially cultivates the perfection of wisdom (jnana-paramita = prajna-paramita) without neglecting the other perfections.

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The eleventh ’bonus’ stage

According to some Mahayana texts, there is an eleventh stage in the Mahayana Bodhisattva path. The Lankavatara Sutra, the Samdhinirmochana Sutra, and the Avatamsaka Sutra refer to this stage as the ‘final’ Buddha stage (tathagata-bhumi). These text differentiate between the tenth and eleventh stage, in saying that the tenth stage is ‘nirvana with remainder’ (sopadhika), and only the eleventh stage is considered ‘nirvana without remainder’ (nirupadhika).

The eleventh stage is called the stage of Buddhahood, because of permanently stopping the most subtle barriers of afflictions and knowledge, being unattached and unobstructed in dealing with all kinds of objects of knowledge, and realizing true enlightenment.

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In the eleventh stage of Buddhahood, the Bodhisattva addresses the ignorance of extremely subtle attachment to objects of knowledge, and the ignorance of extremely subtle hindrances.

The Gandavyuha (avatamsaka sutra commentary) explains the eleventh stage, as the practice of Universal Good. Universally Good, the name of the supernal Bodhisattva Samantabhadra, who represents the active manifestation of the totality of all enlightening practice, is the fifty-third and final benefactor visited by the pilgrim Sudhana in the tale of the Gandavyuha. These teachers of the eleventh stage transmit ten major aspects of this totality:

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1. Producing knowledge from compassion.

2. Consistently remembering all truths through mastery of knowledge and compassion.

3. Teaching worldly principles everywhere.

4. Penetrating the mysteries of writing and higher knowledge of arts.

5. Helping people by both conventional and mystical arts and sciences.

6. Pure liberation by being in the world without clinging thoughts.

7. Illumination by pure knowledge working in the world.

8. Finding infinite forms in formlessness.

9. Speaking so as to reveal truth.

10. Living in the world with complete knowledge and compassion.

This was the final article in this series, I hope you have enjoyed the entire series as much as I have enjoyed writing it!

References for research:

Boin-Webb, Sara — Abhidharmasamuccaya, The Compendium of the Higher Teaching (Philosophy) by Asanga, 2000, Asian Humanities Press.
Cleary, Thomas — Buddhist Yoga a Comprehensive Course, The Samdhinirmochana Sutra, 1995, Shambhala Publications.
Cleary, Thomas — The Flower Ornament Scripture, A Translation of the Avatamsaka Sutra, 1993, Shambhala Publications.
Conze, Edward — Materials for a Dictionary of The Prajnaparamita Literature,1973, Suzuki Research Foundation.
Conze, Edward — The Large Sutra on Perfect Wisdom with the Divisions of the Abhisamayalankara, 1975, University of California Press.
Conze, Edward — The Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines and Its Verse Summary second printing, 1975, Four Seasons Foundation.
Dayal, Har — The Bodhisattva Doctrine in Buddhist Sanskrit Literature, 1932, Motilal Banarsidass.
Dutt, Nalinaksha — Mahayana Buddhism, 1978, Motilal Banarsidass.
Jones, J. J. — The Mahavastu Volume 1, 1949, Luzac & Company Ltd.
Kimura, Ryukan — A Historical Study of the Terms Hinayana and Mahayana and the Origin of Mahayana Buddhism, 1927, University of Calcutta.
Sparham, Gareth — Abhisamayalamkara with Vrtti and Aloka in Three Volumes, 2008—2011, Jain Publishing.
Wayman, Alex — Analysis of the Sravakabhumi Manuscript, 1961, University of California Press.
Williams, Paul — Altruism and Reality, Studies in the Philosophy of the Bodhicaryavatara, 1998, Curzon Press.
Williams, Paul — Mahayana Buddhism, The Doctrinal Foundations, second edition, 2009, Routledge.
Wogihara, Unrai — Bodhisattvabhumi, 1930, Tokyo.

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