QUALITIES 30cd OF THE KNOWINGS Why? Because his powers cannot be hindered W hy are only the Buddhas ten knowings called powers? The listeners and selfbuddhas also have them, so why are theirs not called powers? you ask Because theirs are hindered, they are not called powers Therefore, only his, the Bud dhas, are presented as powers The reason they are said to be powers is because they engage all knowable phenom ena and cannot be hindered The others’ knowings are not like that, but the Buddhas are ii Powers of the body 31 His body has Narayana power Some say his joints It is the power O f elephants times ten seven times This is the sensory base o f touch Well then, if his powers o f m ind are infinite, how m uch power does his body have? His, the Buddhas, body has Narayana power Narayana is the name of a power, like for example calling a number with sixty digits uncountable There fore, Narayana is the power, and one who has that is called Narayana Alter natively, the power o f people of the first aeon is also called Narayana power Some say that he has the Narayana power in each of his bones’ joints Some venerable Darstantika elders say that the power o f his body is infinite, like the power of his mind, because if that were not the case, the body would not be able to bear the infinite power o f his mind If it could not bear that, the Bud dha would not have inner nature of forbearance The Master also gives the same explanation The joints o f buddhas, self-buddhas, and wheel-wielding emperors are respectively as strong as the most exalted knot o f nagas, a chain, and driven nails As for the measure of what it, Narayana power is, the power o f ten ordinary elephants is one elephant chief Likewise there are the seven powers o f great quantity, completely overcoming, supreme limbs, supreme power, and Narayana power.307 The power of the previous times ten is the power of the next in succession, so it is multiplied seven times Some say that ten supreme powers are half of Narayana power The essence of this sort o f power is the sensory base o f touch This is a fea ture o f only the great sources; it is not source-derived Some say that power is an eighth touch that is different from the seven that were explained before.308 b Explanation of the four fearlessnesses T h i s h a s t w o p o i n t s 5i9 YOUTHFUL PLAY # AREA VII i Overview 32a There are four types of fearlessness There are four types o f fearlessness: the Tathagata proclaimed aloud, “I myself have completely, perfectly awakened I have extinguished the defilements.” W hen teaching the listeners, he proclaimed “These obstruct liberation These are the paths that definitely deliver one from samsara.” As he sees no true rea son that anyone could say, “It is not like that,” and defeat him in accord with the Dharma, he has attained fearlessness ii Explanation 32bc They’re similar to the first, tenth, Second, and seventh of the powers W hat are their natures? you ask T hey are similar to the powers The fearless ness to proclaim the benefit for himself of perfect realization is like the first power o f knowing the possible and impossible The fearlessness to proclaim the benefit for himself o f perfect abandonm ent is just like the ten th power of knowing the extinction o f defilements The fearlessness of teaching the dharmas that obstruct for benefit of others is just like the second power o f knowing karma and its fully ripened result And the fearlessness of teaching the dharmas of emancipation for the benefit of others is just like the seventh o f the powers, knowing the paths that lead everywhere c Explanation of the three foundations of mindfulness 32d The three are mindfulness, awareness There are three foundations o f mindfulness taught in the sutras W hen the Tathagata teaches the Dharma, if the beings gathered are respectful and wish to listen, he is neither pleased nor attached; if they are not respectful and not wish to listen, he is neither displeased nor angry; and if some are respectful and some not, he does not become in part pleased and in part displeased, but abides in equanimity with mindfulness and awareness The essence o f these is mindfulness and awareness, but they are taught as three because of distinc tions in the gathering Well then, the listeners and self-buddhas also have this quality, so it is not appropriate to be unshared, you say T hat is not the case, because the listeners and self-buddhas have not abandoned the imprints, but the buddhas have In this context, imprints are features that out o f the power o f prior training in 520 QUALITIES OF THE KNOWINGS afflictions have the ability to move the body and speech These are in the mind, the authors of the tïkas explain.309 Some others say they are features of a neutral mind d Explanation of great compassion 33 The great compassion, relative mind, Is greater from its gathering, Its aspect, sphere, and being equal There are eight ways that it is different T he great compassion is inherently relative knowing or m ind If it were not, not only would it be proven not to focus on all sentient beings, it would be proven not to have as aspects the three sufferings, as compassion does W hy is it called great compassion? you ask It is greater because it is per fectly created by the great gathering accumulation o f merit and wisdom, be cause its aspect is consideration of the three sufferings, because its focus and sphere are the focus on all sentient beings o f the three realms, and because it is equal in the way it engages beings, remembering that all sentient beings of the three realms have the suffering of formation, and because it is full knowing by nature, so it is extremely sharp, and there is nothing greater than that H ow many things make compassion and great compassion different? you ask There are eight ways they are different in essence and so forth The eight are: In In In In essence, nonhatred, nondelusion focus, one realm or three realms aspect, one suffering or three level, four dhyanas, the fourth In beings, the listeners, the Victor, Attainment, detached or Peak In meaning, don’t fully protect, fully In deed, partial, or impartial.310 Summary This has two points 52 YOUTHFUL PLAY * AREA VII a How the buddhas are equal in some features 34a—c All buddhas are the equal in Accumulation, dharma body, And acts for wanderers’ benefit, Are all buddhas equal in all aspects? you ask All buddhas are the equal in three ways: the excellent cause, having completed gathering the two accum u lations; the excellent result, acquiring the transformation of the undefiled ac cum ulations, the dharm a body; and the excellent benefit, acting for wanderers’ benefit to place them in the higher realms and the liberation of enlightenment Otherwise some buddhas would be better or worse, which is impossible b How they are unequal 34d But not in life span, caste, or size B ut however, they are no t equal or comparable in their life span, caste, or body size, because they display those variously in accord with those who need taming Three qualities’ classifications: Four each, gathered in sets of four Four causes: all of two accumulations, Familiarized for a long time W ith no interruptions, respectfully Four results are of wisdom and also Abandonment, power, Form Body Four wisdoms: knowing everything, All aspects, untaught, without effort Four abandonments: all the afflictions, Forever, all imprints as well, And all obscurations o f absorption Four powers are mastery to emanate And bless and transform outside objects; And mastery to bless or discard life; And mastery to go where obscured, 522 QUALITIES OF THE KNOWINGS To the sky or far off, or make smaller; And constant display o f amazements Four of Form Body: marks major, and signs; The powers, relics hard as a vajra Four benefits: deeds o f emancipating From three lower realms and samsara; Three vehicles and bringing to high realms As proofs and rebuttals are prom inent, These last are in two sets o f four These are just in brief: no one other than the Buddha could possibly recite them in full, because the tathagatas possess infinite marvelous qualities Those without merit could not hear of his qualities, and even if they heard of some, fools measure things against themselves and feel neither sincerity nor belief W hoever has great sincerity and belief in the Buddha and his features, such a being is wise B Shared qualities This has two topics: Overview, and Explanation Overview This has two points a Brief teaching 35ab The dharmas com m on with the learners And ordinary beings N ot including the eighteen unshared qualities, other dharmas are held in com m on w ith listener and self-buddha learners, and some dharmas o f qualities are com m on w ith ordinary beings b Short explanation b -d are The unprovocative, the knowledge from Aspiring, unhindered, clairvoyance, et cetera W hat are those dharmas? you ask They are the unprovocative samadhi, the knowledge from aspiration, the four unhindered knowledges, six clairvoy ances, et cetera, including four dhyanas, four immeasurables, eight emanci pations, eight overpowering sense bases, ten all-encompassing sense bases, 52 ... training in 520 QUALITIES OF THE KNOWINGS afflictions have the ability to move the body and speech These are in the mind, the authors of the tïkas explain.309 Some others say they are features of a... result And the fearlessness of teaching the dharmas of emancipation for the benefit of others is just like the seventh o f the powers, knowing the paths that lead everywhere c Explanation of the three... are the equal in three ways: the excellent cause, having completed gathering the two accum u lations; the excellent result, acquiring the transformation of the undefiled ac cum ulations, the