Overall Teaching

Jayottama teaches businessmen and the elders of the city, and also points out practices that goes everywhere.

Summary

1. With his mind filled with love for the infinite realm of life, having eliminated countless bad mental qualities, facing the entrance of the imperishable city of omniscience, Sudhana proceeded to Nandihāra^[1] seeking the grandee^[2] Jayottama.^[3]

2. Jayottama was found in a grove of ‘sorrowless’ (Asoka) trees in the east of the city surrounded by thousands of businessmen and elders,^[4] instructing them in the affairs of the city, and also teaching them how to overcome defilements and attain pure faith in the Dharma, getting them to accept the Dharma so that they may seek awakening. Seeing him, Sudhana asked him how to practice Bodhisattva conduct.

3. In reply, Jayottama praised Sudhana’s search. He said he is purifying awakening practice that goes everywhere⁵ by the power of attainment of non-doing based on non-being. By means of this method of purification, he teaches beings how to avoid hostility and teach them both practical and liberating qualities in worlds as countless as the atoms of the world. He also teaches the various realms and how to enter them.

a. He explains that thus he teaches the law, formation, decline, pain, and emancipation of the world.

b. He teaches bodhisattva practice in order to point out the happiness and misery of beings’ actions and to show the progress of the Dharma Wheel.

c. Despite knowing the awakening practice that goes everywhere, how can he teach the practice or virtues of bodhisattvas who have all mystic knowledge? Thus Sudhana must go south to Śroṇāparānta in the city Kaliṅgavana where he can enquire of bodhisattva practice with the nun Siṃhavijṛmbhitā.

4. Having heard this, Sudhana paid his respects and left.

[1] Meaning “City of Happiness because the eminent grandee Jayottama skillfully examined truths, to the delight of the people.

“Jayottama was called Supreme Victor because of the supremacy of his practice of patience.”

[2] “The reason these last three teachers are lay people is to represent dedication directed from the absolute to the mundane.”

[3] Representing the third dedication: Equal to All Buddhas.

[4] “He was seen in a grove of ‘Sorrowless’ trees east of the city lecturing to a group of innumerable businessmen and city elders: east of the city symbolizes development of goodness by knowledge; the grove of ‘sorrowless’ trees represents protection from anxiety through knowledge; the businessmen symbolize exchanging ignorance for knowledge, bad for good; the city elders represent education of the populace by means of virtue.” ⁵ Because “the practice of dedication equal to all buddhas reaches everywhere.” (1597)