52 Stages of Bodhisattva Cultivation
-
As you have already said, there is still a difference between 'Fan' and 'Sheng' even though they live together, so how can it be said that everyone is 8th bhumi? Even though everyone may share the abilities of 8th Bhumi, there is definitely differences still in terms of wisdom, for example.yes,
'Attain Amitabha PL', i mean attaining rebirth in Amitabha PL.
So even if in the lotus, there's no condition for our thoughts to retrogress. Our thoughts of attaining Buddhahood only go up due to the Dharma preaching environment of Amitabha PL, and never will the beings think of desire and hatred. hence the Amitabha vow 1 also say, there's no 3 lower realms.
[/quote]
I see, so you're saying that Pure Land has a Pure environment which does not allow greed or hatred from arising. I agree with this.
However don't you think it is difficult to be completely pure prior to realising prajna wisdom/attaining awakening? (i.e realising non-birth). In terms of wisdom, there is a difference.
[quote]Originally posted by sinweiy:http://www.anzwers.org/free/chinkung/largersutra1.html
what's non-retrogressive bodhisattvas ? It's 8th bhumi.
oso another link:
http://v168.anyp.cn/050523014953375/articles/050523155645968.aspx?z=520356&m=955964
the lowest inferior is also a non-retrogressive bodhisattva.
that say which is the most wonderful among the 4 abodes in Amitabha PL. it's not really Ji guang jing tu, of coz Ji guang jing tu is good. but it's actually the 1st abode of ordinary people and saint living together(fan shen tong ju tu) that is most unique! As fan shen tong ju tu is able to link with Ji guang jing tu. it's inconcievable. that mean beings in fan shen tong ju tu although their karma is still intact, yet they enjoy the abilities of 8th bhumi!
/\
Anyway reminds me of some something. If a person's self-power is not strong, he will have to rely on other-power. However to rely on other-power implies that at death, there is still Antara-bhava (7th consciousness) to be delivered by Amitabha Buddha. On the other hand, a person who's self-power is enough, who is able to liberate from birth and death, may enter instantaneously into Ji guang jing tu - his antarabhava (7th consciousness) dissolves like a drop of rainwater enters the great ocean. Is there possibility of coming back? Yes, in both case, they may come back as Bodhisattvas out of their vows, but not as sentient beings undergoing samsaric rebirth. -
btw what you mean by 'karma still intact'?
From my understanding both Pure Land and Ji Guang Jing Tu is all pure karma, not affected by unwholesome nor wholesome karma. -
because Amitabha PL is a land of Equanimity and non-dualism. that's it's most unique , inconcievable and cannot use our common sense to think about it.Originally posted by An Eternal Now:
However don't you think it is difficult to be completely pure prior to realising prajna wisdom/attaining awakening? (i.e realising non-birth). In terms of wisdom, there is a difference.
As you have already said, there is still a difference between 'Fan' and 'Sheng' even though they live together, so how can it be said that everyone is 8th bhumi? Even though everyone may share the abilities of 8th Bhumi, there is definitely differences still in terms of wisdom, for example.btw what you mean by 'karma still intact'?
From my understanding both Pure Land and Ji Guang Jing Tu is all pure karma, not affected by unwholesome nor wholesome karma.
http://www.chzhy.cn/wlsj/0317.htm
para 2:
Grand Master Oyi said even though one who attain rebirth in Amitabha PL is a fan fu(ordinary beings), but their ability of samathi, prajna, spiritual powers, virtue are as closed to above 7th bhumi. if one say they are bodhisattva, yet not even one piece of their afflictions(karma) are severed. that's Amitabha PL's most unique qualilty.
http://amtfamtf.nease.net/jtzj/wlsjj3/21.htm
para 30:
reason is because due to Amitabha's ban yuan wei shen, Original Vow Power, which He cultivated in boundless time. beings will automatically obtain, samathi, prajna, spiritual powers, virtue as that of 8th bhumi.
i'm think as in Diamond sutra. Wisdom/prajna cannot be seek. seek is don't seek, don't seek is seek is true prajna per se.
oso another point is in vow 22:
"Provided I become a Buddha, the Bodhisattvas whose activities have surpassed the stage of ordinary beings, who practice the universal virtue of Universal Worthy Boddhisatva, and who come to be born in my land will be subject to one birth only, and then will become Buddha-elect (ekajatipratibuddhas), with the exception of those who, by their own free will, wish to remain in the stage of Bodhisattvahood to serve the Buddhas of ten quarters for the sake of delivering various beings. Then they will wear the armor of their vows and will travel to all worlds, performing their Bodhisattva duties and accumulating their stock of merit, converting the various beings whose numbers are as great as the grains of sand of the River Ganges to the highest perfect knowledge. Otherwise may I not attain enlightenment.
for that period of time one can reached ekajatipratibuddhas = (yi shen bu zhu) = Last stage bodhisattva like Kuan Yin and Maitreya Bodhisattva is even more unconcievable!
prajna cannot use common sense wan. that's also the quality of 8th Bhumi, let go of one's common sense.
/\ -
Originally posted by sinweiy:
Oh I see, yes, Amitabha's vows are indeed inconceivable.
because Amitabha PL is a land of Equanimity and non-dualism. that's it's most [b]unique , inconcievable and cannot use our common sense to think about it.
http://www.chzhy.cn/wlsj/0317.htm
para 2:
Grand Master Oyi said even though one who attain rebirth in Amitabha PL is a fan fu(ordinary beings), but their ability of samathi, prajna, spiritual powers, virtue are as closed to above 7th bhumi. if one say they are bodhisattva, yet not even one piece of their afflictions(karma) are severed. that's Amitabha PL's most unique qualilty.
http://amtfamtf.nease.net/jtzj/wlsjj3/21.htm
para 30:
reason is because due to Amitabha's ban yuan wei shen, Original Vow Power, which He cultivated in boundless time. beings will automatically obtain, samathi, prajna, spiritual powers, virtue as that of 8th bhumi.
i'm think as in Diamond sutra. Wisdom/prajna cannot be seek. seek is don't seek, don't seek is seek is true prajna per se.
oso another point is in vow 22:
"Provided I become a Buddha, the Bodhisattvas whose activities have surpassed the stage of ordinary beings, who practice the universal virtue of Universal Worthy Boddhisatva, and who come to be born in my land will be subject to one birth only, and then will become Buddha-elect (ekajatipratibuddhas), with the exception of those who, by their own free will, wish to remain in the stage of Bodhisattvahood to serve the Buddhas of ten quarters for the sake of delivering various beings. Then they will wear the armor of their vows and will travel to all worlds, performing their Bodhisattva duties and accumulating their stock of merit, converting the various beings whose numbers are as great as the grains of sand of the River Ganges to the highest perfect knowledge. Otherwise may I not attain enlightenment.
for that period of time one can reached ekajatipratibuddhas = (yi shen bu zhu) = Last stage bodhisattva like Kuan Yin and Maitreya Bodhisattva is even more unconcievable!
prajna cannot use common sense wan. that's also the quality of 8th Bhumi, let go of one's common sense.
/\
[/b]
-
to added, from 11st to 52nd, there are 42 stages which is associated with the 42 ping wu2 ming2. hence 11st Dwelling had already sever 1 piece of wu2ming2(avidya). That's dwelling in Yi Zhen Fa Jie(Avatamsaka World) already or escape the tenth realms and can also be consider "Buddha" in a sense per se. There's no need to 'practice' anymore. The rest of the severing of 41 pieces of wu2ming2 is automatic.Originally posted by sinweiy:1st Asamkhyeya to cultivate from 11st Dwelling to 40th Transference stage.
2nd Asamkhyeya to cultivate from 41st Stage to 47th Stage.
3rd Asamkhyeya to cultivate from 48th Stage to 51th Samyaksambodhi (Absolute Universal Enlightenment).
51th Samyaksambodhi (Absolute Universal Enlightenment) to lastly the Wonderful Enlightenment, might take a least 1 more Asamkhyeya!
And before all this, it is countless Asamkhyeya(10^59), due to retrogression.
/\
Like for example masters gave a similie of a boat landing onto the jetty. when the boat is almost reaching the jetty, you let the boat "glide" into position. there's no need to do anything. and this 'no-need-to-do-anything' also need 3 Asamkhyeya kalpa! wow.
/\