When the mind and the Buddha are two and yet the same, he has well obtained the Middle Way. He is like someone who endures something when it seems impossible to either hold it in or let it out. This is called the Level of Patience.

When the mind and the Buddha are two and yet the same, he has well obtained the Middle Way. The mind is the Buddha; the Buddha is the mind. Although they are said to be two, they come together as one. What is the mind is the Buddha. There is no Buddha outside the mind; there is no mind outside the Buddha. The mind and the Buddha are a single suchness. They are fused into one. At this point, he has genuinely obtained the principle and substance of the Middle Way.  He has realized the Middle Way. He is like someone who endures something when it seems impossible to either hold it in or let it out. It is as if a situation arises which a person must forbear: he’d like to keep it contained, but that is impossible; at the same time, he cannot let it out. So he bears with it. He’d like to keep it in his mind, and yet he’d like to release it. He’d like to release it, and yet he also wants to keep it in his mind. He can’t decide which would be the better thing to do. This is called the Level of Patience. He’d like to let it go, but he can’t give it up. He wants to keep it in, and yet he’d still like to let it go. He must be patient. He must have mental forbearance. This is the level of patience. It is the third of the four additional practices. There is also the Level of Being First in the World, which is discussed below.

Disciple: What does “as if relying and yet not” mean?
Venerable Master: It’s as if he has something to depend upon, a cause to rely upon, and yet he does not.

When numbers are destroyed, there are no such designations as the Middle Way or as confusion and enlightenment. This is called the Level of Being First in the World.

When numbers are destroyed: Earlier in the Sutra, the measure of the Dharma Realm was destroyed. Now all numbers and measures are destroyed. When all numbers are gone, what is this? It’s the zero. I’ve talked about zero before. It is the absence of numbers. At that point, there are no such designations as the Middle Way or as confusion and enlightenment.Confusion, enlightenment, and the Middle Way are left nameless. There is nothing whatsoever. At that moment, perfection is total and the light brilliant. It is more perfect than anything, and the light is brighter than any other light. There are no designations left to speak of because it’s simply zero. There’s nothing that can be said about zero. Zero means the absence of everything. And yet everything inside and outside the zero is contained within it. The zero is the mother of all things. But it is not designated as a mother, because there isn’t anything there. To understand what I’m saying right now is enlightenment.

There isn’t any confusion; there isn’t any enlightenment. Why isn’t there any confusion? Because he is not confused. Why isn’t there any enlightenment? He’s already enlightened; what further enlightenment could there be? For there to be no confusion and no enlightenment is zero. All the mountains, the rivers, the great earth, the plants, and all the myriad appearances come forth from it.

There is no designation for enlightenment and confusion, or for the Middle Way. Even though there’s no name for this state, we still have to call it something, so we force the issue and call itthe Level of Being First in the World. It’s first in the world because there is no second. This is the last of the additional practices.

Ananda, these good men have successfully penetrated through to great Bodhi. Their enlightenment is entirely like the Thus Come One’s. They have fathomed the state of Buddhahood. This is called the Ground of Happiness.

Tonight we’re talking about the grounds, not about the heavens. Ananda, these good men have successfully penetrated through to great Bodhi. The “good men” are the Bodhisattvas who have obtained the Level of Being First in the World. Although the text says he has successfully penetrated through to great Bodhi, there really isn’t anything that’s been penetrated through to.Their enlightenment is entirely like the Thus Come One’s. Their enlightenment is the Thus Come One; the Thus Come One is enlightenment. They have become enlightened to that which the Thus Come One is enlightened to. They can be called a Thus Come One when they have enlightened to that zero. And yet the zero isn’t anything at all, so don’t get attached to it!

They have fathomed the state of Buddhahood.True Emptiness is the state of being nothing at all. But when they fathom the state of a Buddha, then within True Emptiness arises Wonderful Existence. That Wonderful Existence is happiness. “Oh, so originally it’s just that way!” That’s the arising of happiness. “I didn’t understand before, but now I do.” They are inexpressibly happy. This is called the Ground of Happiness. It’s the first ground.

To be continued