SUTRA:

GOOD AT KNOWING THE ATTAINMENT AND CULTIVATION OF THE GROUNDS, GOOD AT KNOWING THE PURIFICATION OF THE DHARMAS OF THE GROUNDS, GOOD AT KNOWING THE PRACTICES IN TURN FOR EACH GROUND, GOOD AT KNOWING WHAT HOLDS AND DOES NOT HOLD FOR EACH GROUND, GOOD AT KNOWING THE MOST SUPREME WISDOM FOR EACH GROUND, GOOD AT KNOWING THE IRREVERSIBILITIES OF EACH GROUND, GOOD AT KNOWING HOW TO PURIFY AND REGULATE ALL THE BODHISATTVAS' GROUNDS, UP TO AND INCLUDING IN TURN ENTERING THE GROUND OF THE THUS COME ONE.

DISCIPLES OF THE BUDDHA, THE BODHISATTVA IN THAT WAY IS GOOD AT KNOWING THE MARKS OF THE GROUNDS. STARTING WITH THE FIRST GROUND, HE GIVES RISE TO PRACTICE WHICH IS UNINTERRUPTED. HE CONTINUES IN THAT WAY UNTIL HE ENTERS THE TENTH GROUND, WITHOUT INTERRUPTION. DUE TO THE LIGHT OF WISDOM OF ALL THOSE GROUNDS, HE ACCOMPLISHES THE THUS COKE ONE'S LIGHT OF WISDOM.

DISCIPLES OF THE BUDDHA, HE IS LIKE A MERCHANT LEADER WHO IS SKILLED IN EXPEDIENT METHODS. WHEN HE IS ABOUT TO LEAD A GROUP OF MERCHANTS TO VISIT A GREAT CITY, BEFORE THEY HAVE SET OUT, HE FIRST INQUIRES ABOUT THE MERITS AND DRAWBACKS OF THE ROUTE, THE HALTING PLACES ALONG IT, AND WHETHER IT IS SAFE OR NOT. AFTERWARDS, EQUIPPED WITH PROVISIONS FOR THE ROAD, HE DOES WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE. DISCIPLES OF THE BUDDHA, THAT GREAT MERCHANT LEADER, ALTHOUGH HE HAS NOT YET TAKEN A STEP, IS ABLE TO KNOW ALL MATTERS CONCERNING SAFETY ON THE ROAD. HE SKILLFULLY USES WISDOM TO PLAN, ESTIMATE, AND CONSIDER, AND PREPARES WHAT IS REQUIRED SO THAT THEY WILL NOT RUN SHORT. HE THEN LEADS THE GROUP OF MERCHANTS UNTIL THEY SAFELY REACH THAT GREAT CITY. HE AND THE GROUP OF PEOPLE COMPLETELY AVOID ALL DISASTERS.

DISCIPLES OF THE BUDDHA, THE BODHISATTVA, THAT MERCHANT LEADER, IS ALSO THAT WAY. WHILE DWELLING ON THE FIRST GROUND, HE IS GOOD AT KNOWING REMEDIES FOR OBSTRUCTIONS TO ALL GROUNDS, UP TO AND INCLUDING BEING GOOD AT KNOWING HOW TO PURIFY ALL THE BODHISATTVAS' GROUNDS, AND IN TURN ENTER THE GROUND OF THE THUS COME ONE. AFTERWARDS, EQUIPPED WITH THE PROVISIONS OF BLESSINGS AND WISDOM, HE LEADS ALL LIVING BEINGS THROUGH THE WILDERNESS OF BIRTH AND DEATH WITH ITS PLACES OF DANGER UNTIL THEY SAFELY ARRIVE AT THE CITY OF SARVAJNA. HE AND ALL THE LIVING BEINGS DO NOT EXPERIENCE DISASTERS.

THEREFORE, THE BODHISATTVA SHOULD NEVER BE LAX, AND SHOULD CULTIVATE THE MOST SUPREME, PURE KARMA OF ALL GROUNDS, UP TO AND INCLUDING TENDING TOWARDS AND ENTERING THE GROUND OF THE THUS COME ONE'S WISDOM.

DISCIPLES OF THE BUDDHA, THIS IS CALLED A SUMMARY DISCUSSION OF THE BODHISATTVA MAHASATTVA'S ENTRY TO THE DOOR OF THE FIRST BODHISATTVA GROUND. IF DISCUSSED AT LENGTH, THERE ARE LIMITLESS AND BOUNDLESS HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF ASAMKHYEYAS OF PARTICULARS.

COMMENTARY:

GOOD AT KNOWING THE ATTAINMENT AND CULTIVATION OF THE GROUNDS/The Bodhisattva who has certified to the First Ground, the Ground of Happiness, is good at knowing how to cultivate each Ground. GOOD AT KNOWING THE PURIFICATION OF THE DHARMAS OF THE GROUNDS/He is also good at knowing how the dharmas of each Ground can become purified. GOOD AT KNOWING THE PRACTICES IN TURN FOR EACH GROUND/He is also good at knowing for all the Ten Grounds how one goes in turn from the First Ground to the Second Ground, from the Second Ground in turn to the Third Ground, up to and including how to cultivate the Tenth Ground. GOOD AT KNOWING WHAT HOLDS AND DOES NOT HOLD FOR EACH GROUND/He is skilled as well at knowing what is right and what is wrong for each Ground. GOOD AT KNOWING THE HOST SUPREME WISDOM FOR EACH GROUND/Each Ground has its own particular wisdom, its own particular doors of practice. GOOD AT KNOWING THE IRREVERSIBILITIES OF EACH GROUND/He is also good at knowing the dharmas of irreversibility for each of the Grounds. GOOD AT KNOWING HOW TO PURIFY AND REGULATE ALL THE BODHISATTVAS' GROUNDS/He is also well able to know how to purify and regulate every one of the Bodhisattva Grounds, UP TO AND INCLUDING IN TURN ENTERING THE GROUND OF THE THUS COME ONE/Up to and including what one goes through in order to obtain entry to certification to the fruit of the Ground of the Thus Come One.

DISCIPLES OF THE BUDDHA/Vajra Store Bodhisattva again calls out, "All of you disciples of the Buddha, THE BODHISATTVA IN THAT WAY IS GOOD AT KNOWING THE MARKS OF THE GROUNDS/He is good at knowing the characteristics of the Ground for each Ground. STARTING WITH THE FIRST GROUND/He starts out from the First Ground, and HE GIVES RISE TO PRACTICE/He gives rise to the doors of practice of cultivation, WHICH IS UNINTERRUPTED. HE CONTINUES IN THAT WAY UNTIL HE ENTERS THE TENTH GROUND/to the Tenth Ground, WITHOUT INTERRUPTION/There is no interruption. DUE TO THE LIGHT OF WISDOM OF ALL THOSE GROUNDS/The light of wisdom, HE ACCOMPLISHES THE THUS COME ONE'S LIGHT OF WISDOM/He is able to obtain, the light of wisdom of a Buddha.

Vajra Store Bodhisattva again calls out, "All you DISCIPLES OF THE BUDDHA, HE IS LIKE A MERCHANT LEADER/He says, "Now I'll give you an analogy. He is like a merchant leader WHO IS SKILLED IN EXPEDIENT METHODS/He is skilled in knowing all expedient dharma doors. WHEN HE IS ABOUT TO LEAD A GROUP OF MERCHANTS/When he is going to head up a party of merchants TO VISIT A GREAT CITY/To visit a metropolis on business, BEFORE THEY HAVE SET OUT/In advance of their trip, HE FIRST INQUIRES ABOUT THE MERITS AND DRAWBACKS OF THE ROUTE/In which places the road is easy to traverse, and in which places passage is not easy; which places are dangerous and which places are safe--he wants to know all that. THE HALTING PLACES ALONG IT/What places there are where one can stop for the night, AND WHETHER IT IS SAFE OR NOT/Whether they are safe or not, all of those situations. AFTERWARDS, EQUIPPED WITH PROVISIONS FOR THE ROAD/Afterwards they all prepare the provisions, that is, the money to be used. HE DOES WHAT HAS TO BE DONE/And he does the things that have to be done.

DISCIPLES OF THE BUDDHA/Vajra Store Bodhisattva again says, "All you disciples of the Buddha, THAT GREAT MERCHANT LEADER/That great entrepreneur who does business on a large scale, ALTHOUGH HE HAS NOT YET TAKEN A STEP/Even though he has not yet set out on the road, IS ABLE TO KNOW ALL MATTERS CONCERNING SAFETY ON THE ROAD/He can know all the safety factors and dangers along the route. HE SKILLFULLY USES WISDOM TO PLAN, ESTIMATE, AND CONSIDER/He uses his own wisdom to plan, reckon, and contemplate, AND PREPARES WHAT IS REQUIRED/He prepares a sufficient quantity of the things that they will need to use, SO THAT THEY WILL NOT RUN SHORT/So that they will not run short at any time. HE THEN LEADS THE GROUP OF MERCHANTS/He leads all the merchants UNTIL THEY SAFELY REACH THAT GREAT CITY/To the great metropolis to which they wish to go. HE AND THE GROUP OF PEOPLE/He himself, along with all those people, COMPLETELY AVOID ALL DISASTERS/They safely reach the place to which they want to go.

DISCIPLES OF THE BUDDHA/Vajra Store Bodhisattva again says, "All you disciples of the Buddha, THE BODHISATTVA, THAT MERCHANT LEADER/The Bodhisattva is like a merchant leader, IS ALSO THAT WAY/He is like that too. WHILE DWELLING ON THE FIRST GROUND/At the time when he is dwelling on the First, the Ground of Happiness, HE IS GOOD AT KNOWING THE REMEDIES FOR OBSTRUCTIONS TO ALL GROUNDS/He is good at knowing what methods to use to counteract any obstacles to cultivation that may arise on any one of the Grounds, UP TO AND INCLUDING BEING GOOD AT KNOWING HOW TO PURIFY ALL THE BODHISATTVAS' GROUNDS/How all of the Bodhisattvas of the Ten Grounds can attain to purity, AND IN TURN ENTER THE GROUND OF THE THUS COME ONE/And how in turn enter the Ground of the Thus Come One. AFTERWARDS, EQUIPPED WITH THE PROVISIONS OF BLESSINGS AND WISDOM/Equipped with blessings and virtue and with wisdom, those provisions, HE LEADS ALL LIVING BEINGS THROUGH THE WILDERNESS OF BIRTH AND DEATH/He guides all living beings through the wilderness of the revolving wheel of birth and death WITH ITS PLACES OF DANGER/The very dangerous areas, UNTIL THEY SAFELY ARRIVE AT THE CITY OF SARVAJNA/So they can arrive at the City of All Wisdom. HE AND ALL THE LIVING BEINGS DO NOT EXPERIENCE DISASTERS/The Bodhisattva himself, and all the living beings with him, have no disasters.

THEREFORE, THE BODHISATTVA SHOULD NEVER BE LAX/As a consequence of this, therefore the Bodhisattva should at all times never be lax, AND SHOULD CULTIVATE THE MOST SUPREME, PURE KARMA OF ALL GROUNDS/Diligently cultivating the dharma doors of the Ten Grounds, that pure and most supreme Way karma, UP TO AND INCLUDING TENDING TOWARDS AND ENTERING THE GROUND OF THE THUS COME ONE'S WISDOM/Until he reaches the fruit position of Buddhahood.

DISCIPLES OF THE BUDDHA/Vajra Store Bodhisattva again says, "All you disciples of the Buddha, THIS IS CALLED A SUMMARY DISCUSSION OF THE BODHISATTVA MAHASATTVA'S ENTRY TO THE DOOR OF THE FIRST BODHISATTVA GROUND/This is the Bodhisattva Mahasattva's entry to the dharma door of the First Ground. IF DISCUSSED AT LENGTH, THERE ARE LIMITLESS AND BOUNDLESS HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF ASAMKHYEYAS OF PARTICULARS/If expanded upon, it has a great many different aspects.