This is the first installment of seven with my new translation of the Treatise. Brackets indicate material inserted by me as the English translator to aid the reader. GW
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TREATISE on the GREAT VEHICLE’S AROUSING of FAITH
Composed by Bodhisattva Asvaghosa
and translated in the Liang dynasty
by Tripitaka Dharma Master Paramartha of Western India.
Adoration to the Utmost One In The Ten Directions,
To the Thoroughly Knowing One Who Conquers Karma,
To the Sovereign One Unobstructed by Form,
To the One Whose Great Compassion Saves the World,
To the Essential Characteristic That Extends to a Future Body,
To the Ocean of the True Suchness of Dharma-nature,
To the Immeasurable Storehouse of Meritorious Virtues, and
To the One Equal to Cultivating Practices of the Reality of Suchness.
May the multitude of beings be induced
To get rid of doubts, to renounce the grasp of perverted views,
And to arouse the correct faith of the Great Vehicle,
Because then the Buddha-seed is not cut off.
[Table of Contents: THE FIVE PARTS]
The Treatise states there is a Dharma able to arouse the Mahayana’s root of faith, and it is for this reason it should be articulated. The articulation has five parts. What are said to be the five?
That which is first is the Part of the Causes and Conditions.
That which is second is the Part of The Meanings Set Forth.
That which is third is the Part of Explanations.
That which is fourth is the Part of Faith in Mind and Cultivating Practice.
That which is fifth is the Part of Exhorting the Benefits of Cultivation.
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[ONE:] THE BEGINNING PART ARTICULATING THE CAUSES AND CONDITONS
[SECTION ONE: Eight Causes and Conditions]
A question states, “What causes and conditions are there to then create this treatise?”
The answer states, “Indeed, there are eight kinds of causes and conditions.”
“What are said to be the eight?”
[I. To Be Free From Unease and Attain Ease]
“That which is first, as the general characteristic of the causes and conditions, actually designates inducing the multitude of beings to be free from every unease (dukkha) and attain ultimate ease (sukkha), because of not seeking mundane fame, benefits, or veneration.
[II. To Expound the Tathagata’s Meaning]
“That which is second is for the desire to expound the Tathagata’s meaning of the fundamental, because it induces the various multitudes of beings to the correct understanding that does not deceive.
[III. To Ripen Good Roots]
“That which is third is because it is for inducing the multitude of beings with ripened good roots to the Mahayana Dharma to effect that they do not backslide from faith.
[IV. To Cultivate the Habit of Faith in Mind]
“That which is fourth is because it is for inducing the multitude of beings with slight good roots to cultivate the habit of faith in the mind.
[V. To Reveal Skillful Means]
“That which is fifth, is because it is for revealing the skillful means to alleviate the hindrances of evil karmic-actions, to well guard their mind, to keep foolish pride at a distance, and to come forth from the net of errors.
[VI. To Cultivate Quietude and Contemplation]
“That which is sixth, is because it is for revealing cultivating the habit of quietude (rest) and contemplation as a pair to control the transgressions of mind of the common people and [the followers of] the Two Vehicles.
[VII. To Reveal Single-pointed Recollection]
“That which is seventh, is because it is for revealing the skillful means of single-pointed recollection to be born in front of the Buddha and necessarily be firmly settled and not backsliding from faith in the mind.
[VIII. To Reveal the Benefits of Cultivation]
“That which is eighth, is because it is for revealing the benefits of and encouraging cultivation.
“As such, these are the categories of the causes and conditions actually used to make this treatise.”
[SECTION TWO: Necessity for the Treatise]
A question states, “The Sutras have this Dharma possessed within them. Why is it necessary to repeat the articulation?”
The answer states, “Although there is this Dharma within the Sutras, in using it, the roots and practices of the multitude of beings are not equal, and their conditions of receiving and understanding it are different. It actually designates that when the Tathagata was in the world, the multitude of beings had keen roots, and as a person of capable articulation with excellence of form, mind, and karmic-actions, by his round voice in a single expounding the different classes equally understood. Consequently, they did not need treatises.
“Supposing after the extinction of the Tathagata, perhaps there are in the multitude of beings those who are able to use their own extensive power of listening, and then receive understanding;
or there are in the multitude of beings, likewise, those who use their own small power of listening, and then many understand;
or there are in the multitude of beings those who have no power by their own mind and by the cause of the extensive treatises, then they attain understanding;
and on their own, there are in the multitude of beings those who return to the extensive use of the many writings of the treatises as an annoyance, and whose minds enjoy assembling and holding a few writings, and then by absorbing the many meanings are able to receive understanding.
“Thus is this treatise, because it is for the desire to assemble and absorb the infinite meanings of the Tathagata’s extensive and greatly profound Dharma that this treatise should be articulated.”
The end of the part articulating the causes and conditions.
[TWO:] THE NEXT PART ARTICULATING THE MEANING THAT IS SET FORTH
That which is the Great Vehicle generally has two kinds of articulation.
What are said to be the two?
That which is first is the Dharma.
That which is second is the meaning.
[SECTION ONE: The Dharma of the Great Vehicle ]
Actually, to declare that which is the Dharma designates the Mind of the multitude of beings. It is the mind that as a rule includes every mundane thing and transmundane thing. By relying on this Mind, the meaning of the Great Vehicle is revealed. Because why? Because it is the characteristic of the True Suchness of Mind that immediately shows the essence of the Great Vehicle, and because it is the Mind’s characteristics of the causes and conditions of birth and extinction that are able to show the Great Vehicle’s own essence, characteristics, and function.
[SECTION TWO: The Meaning of the Great Vehicle]
[I. The Three Meanings of Great]
Actually, to declare that which is the meaning [of “Great/Maha”], as a rule, has three kinds.
What are said to be the three?
[A. The Greatness of Essence]
That which is first is the greatness of its essence, because it designates that the True Suchness of everything is everywhere the same and does not increase or decrease.
[B. The Greatness of Characteristics]
That which is second is the greatness of its characteristics, because it designates the Inner Tathagata that is endowed with the meritorious virtues of an immeasurable nature.
[C. The Greatness of Function]
That which is third is the greatness of its function, because it is able to give birth to every mundane and transmundane good cause and fruit (effect).
[II. The Meaning of Vehicle]
[“Vehicle/Yana” is declared] because the root of all the various Buddhas is actually the vehicle, and because every Bodhisattva in each and every vehicle will arrive at the Tathagata stage (bhumi) by this Dharma.
The end of the part articulating the established meanings.
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Study Group Schedule
#1. 1/27 – Table of Contents, with historical introduction and overview of the scope and outline, with reference to the provenance controversies and translation issues regarding title and faith.
#2. 2/03 – Translation: The First Part “Articulating the Causes and Conditions,” and the Second Part “Articulating the Meanings Set Forth.”
#3. 2/10 – Translation 2/7: The Third Part “Articulating the Explanations,” Section One to One.I.B.1.a.
#4. 2/17 - The first part of Part Three was so full of the focus on True Suchness that we added another meeting. Therefore, Meeting 4 took up the second part of the Meeting 3 translation.
#5. 2/24 – Translation 3/7: The Third Part “Articulating the Explanations,” Section One.I.B.1.b. to 2.b.
#6 3/03 – Translation 4/7: The Third Part “Articulating the Explanations,” Section One, I,B.3.
#7. 3/10 – Translation 5/7: The Third Part “Articulating the Explanations,” Section One, II. and Section Two.
#8. 3/17 – Translation 6/7: The Third Part “Articulating the Explanations,” Section Three.
#9. 3/24 – Translation 7/7: The Fourth Part “Articulating Faith in Mind and Cultivating Practice.” and the Fifth Part “Articulating and Exhorting the Benefits of Cultivation.”
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