17. The Entranceway to the Samādhi that is Taught by Many Buddhas

Overall Teaching

The Buddha returns to Vulture's Peak Mountain and, upon request, teaches that (1) patience, (2) morality, (3) renunciation, and (4) yearning for Dharma are crucial for attaining Samādhi. 

He shares a story of past Buddhas, focusing on Buddha Narendraghoṣa and King Śirībala. Śirībala renounces his throne to practice Samādhi, is reborn as the son of King Dṛḍhabala, and continues his pursuit of enlightenment. Śākyamuni Buddha reveals he was Śirībala, emphasising the importance of these practices for aspiring Buddhas.

Summary

• Intro

  • The Buddha returns to Vulture's Peak Mountain (Gṛdhrakūṭa) from Rājagṛha [after being invited by Maitreya (not in the Chinese version)].

  • Candraprabha and other disciples followed shortly thereafter, and after making offerings out of respect, requested a Dharma teaching on what dharmas a bodhisattva should cultivate to attain this Samādhi.

• The Four Dharmas

  • The Buddha explained that there are four such dharmas:

    1. Patience—including being able to endure suffering, slander, and not developing arrogance.

    2. Morality—primarily manifest in pure and unbroken precepts, praised by the wise.

    3. Renunciation—wishing to abandon the three realms, but also having a mind of great compassion to help other beings be free from the three realms.

    4. Yearning towards the Dharma—seeking much learning in the Dharma without being satisfied, not seeking material benefits for themselves or their relatives in learning or teaching the Dharma, and prioritising how one can enable other beings to also quickly attain awakening.

• The Past Life Story

  • The Buddha points out that this Samādhi as been praised and practised by countless buddhas in the past. As an illustration, in verse:

    2. • The Buddha relates the names and lifespans of various past buddhas with their distinct qualities and teachings, all of whom taught this Samādhi.

       •  Among these was the Buddha Narendraghoṣa, who lived for seventy-six thousand years. During his time, a king named Śirībala heard his teachings on the supreme Samādhi, which inspired him to renounce his throne and worldly attachments. Śirībala, along with his family and retinue, embraced monastic life and practiced diligently.

       • Śirībala was reborn as the son of King Dṛḍhabala and Queen Mahāmatī. In this new life, he continued to seek out and uphold the supreme Samādhi, and in an extremely lengthy set of questions, inquires of his parents if the Buddha is still in the world and still teaching the same Samādhi, showcasing his relentless pursuit of enlightenment. 

         • His parents say that the Buddha is still in the world, so they go to him and practice among him once again.

       • King Śirībala and his retinue family practiced virtues such as renunciation, diligence, patience, pure precepts, generosity, and meditation. They maintained their faith and devotion to the Dharma, ultimately leading to their attainment of Buddhahood. Dṛḍhabala his father, will eventually became Padmottara Buddha after many kalpas of practice [but is now Śuddhodana (not in the Chinese)].

       • Śākyamuni Buddha reveals that he was King Śirībala, emphasising the importance of these practices for those aspiring to Buddhahood. 

Commentary

In Thrangu Rinpoche's commentary, he points the following points:

• Earlier, Candraprabha requested how to attain awakening, and the Buddha said it was this Samādhi. Now, Candraprabha is asking about the qualities one must cultivate in order to attain the Samādhi. The Buddha highlights four qualities:

  1. Patience—being able to respond to and deal with people gently and kindly.

  2. Morality—behaving in a way that is not in disharmony with anyone; morality (śīla) is a kind of coolness, and it helps one's mind to find rest.

  3. Renunciation—this means, determining to turn away from repeated saṃsāric existence and resolving upon awakening. Attachment to saṃsāra prevents us from progressing to awakening.

  4. Yearning towards the Dharma (bodhicitta)—the aspiration to learn and share the Dharma in order to benefit other beings. Currently we are obscured by afflictions, so we must learn the Dharma to overcome affliction and then teach others to do the same.

• Moreover, we should develop gratitude for attaining a human rebirth, which allows us to cultivate these four qualities. This also requires us to develop awareness of impermanence:

  1. Knowledge of impermanence spurs us on to practice the Dharma more.

  2. Impermanence spurs us on to have diligence and exert more.

  3. Impermanence helps us to be more aware of the defects of saṃsāra and the disadvantages of karmic misdeeds (i.e. desire and attachment to things leads to suffering, and karmic seeds will not remain dormant forever but will sprout when the conditions are present).

  4. Impermanence also implies we are able to reach the stage of fruition (i.e. suffering cannot last forever).

• Finally, the Buddha, in this chapter, likens the Samādhi to a great highway that allows us to progress towards full awakening. This is emphasised by the long list of past buddhas who taught it—this highlights how it is a crucial practice.

Discussion

1. What are some takeaways from the fact that these bodhisattvas sought the same Samādhi across multiple lives?

2. What are some challenges to practising the four dharmas for attaining the Samādhi?

3. As lay people, in what way can we balance our spiritual practice with everyday responsibilities in light of the amount of renunciation implied here?