4.

Chapter 4

Samādhi
4.1 Then the youth Candraprabha [F.12.b] rose from his seat, removed his robe
from one shoulder, and, kneeling on his right knee with palms placed
together, he bowed toward the Bhagavān and made this request: “If the
Bhagavān will give me an opportunity to seek answers to them, I have a few
questions for the Bhagavān, the tathāgata, the arhat, the perfectly
enlightened Buddha.”
4.2 The Bhagavān addressed the youth Candraprabha, saying, “Young man,
the Tathāgata will always give you that opportunity. Ask whatever question
you wish of the Tathāgata, the arhat, the perfectly enlightened Buddha.”
4.3 As the Bhagavān had given him the opportunity, the young man
Candraprabha asked the Bhagavān,249 “The Bhagavān says, ‘samādhi,
samādhi.’ What kind of Dharma does this word designate?”
The Bhagavān replied to Candraprabha, “Young man, when I say ‘samādhi,
samādhi,’ it means the profound realization of the mind.
4.4 “[1] It is the absence of arising.250 [2] It is the absence of continuation.251
[3] It is the knowledge of continuation.252 [4] It is putting down253 the
burden.254 [5] It is the wisdom of the tathāgatas. [6] It is having the
preeminence of a buddha. [7] It is the healing of desire, the pacifying of
anger,255 and the elimination of ignorance. 256
“[8] It is engaging in what should be engaged in. [9] It is rejecting that
which should not be engaged in. [10] It is the aspiration to good qualities.257
[11] It is the wish to be free from saṃsāra.
4.5 “[12] It is practicing with a higher motivation. [13] It is remaining
awake.258 [14] It is not abandoning renunciation.259 [15] It is maintaining
good qualities.
“[16] It is not relying on rebirth.260 [17] It is not accumulating karma. [18]
It is not paying attention to the internal āyatanas.261 [19] It is not engaging
with the external āyatanas.
4.6 “[20] It is not praising oneself. [21] It is not criticizing others. [22] It is
having no attachment to family. [23] It is not placing one’s trust in ordinary
people. 262
“[24] It is the natural result of good conduct. [F.13.a] [25] It is that which is
difficult to approach. [26] It is great majesty.263 [27] It is self-knowledge.
4.7 “[28] It is the absence of inconstancy. [29] It is maintaining perfect
behavior. [30] It is the absence of malice. [31] It is the absence of aggression.
[32] It is not harming others. [33] It is taking care of companions. 264 [34] It
is guarding secret mantras.
“[35] It is being nonviolent.265 [36] It is not being harmful to those with
good conduct. [37] It is speaking gently.
4.8 “[38] It is not remaining anywhere in the three realms. [39] It is the
patience that accords with the emptiness of all phenomena.266 [40] It is the
aspiration to omniscient wisdom.267
“That, young man, is what is meant by ‘samādhi.’ Young man, practicing
those qualities and not practicing their opposite is what is meant by
‘samādhi.’ ”
4.9 Then the Bhagavān taught the samādhi, the revealed equality of the nature
of all phenomena, and at that time gave a detailed teaching by chanting the
following extensive verses to the youth Candraprabha.268

4.10 “I have opened the door to the elixir.

I have explained what the nature of phenomena is.
I have taught what births are.
I have explained nirvān ̣a and its benefits. {1}

4.11 “Always avoid sinful companions,

Be in the company of good companions,
Dwell in the forest, avoiding crowds,
And always meditate with a loving mind. {2}

4.12 “Always protect pure conduct,

Gain the prosperity of renunciation,
Be familiar with generosity and wisdom,
And this samādhi will not be difficult to attain. {3}

4.13 “This is not the level of the numerous śrāvakas.

When you have attained269 this level of peace,
You will have the direct perception of the Sugata’s Dharma
And you will attain the inconceivable buddha qualities. {4}

4.14 “When you see wise men who are worthy vessels,
Bring them to the aspiration for enlightenment,
 Establish them in the highest knowledge,
And then this king of samādhis will not be difficult to attain. {5}

4.15 “This samādhi is not difficult to attain

For those who understand the natural results
That come270 to those who become envious of wealth271
And to those who seek and enjoy it.272 {6} [F.13.b]

4.16 “The meditation of this king of samādhis, emptiness,

Is at the summit of pure conduct.
The continuous meditation on the nature of phenomena
Is unknown to the foolish who practice incorrectly. {7}

4.17 “The one who longs for this for this samādhi of peace
Will never have fear arise in his mind.273
Those who are on this level of peace
Will always see the supreme men.274 {8}

4.18 “Whoever brings to mind the image of the Tathāgata’s body,

His senses will be at peace and his mind at peace.
His mind, free of error, will always be at rest.
What he has heard and what he knows will be like an ocean. {9}

4.19 “Remaining in this samādhi,

Wherever the bodhisattva treads
He will see ten thousand million buddhas
And even more, as numerous as the Ganges sands. {10}

4.20 “A man aiming to take the measure

Of the Buddha’s Dharma will go insane.
One cannot measure that which is immeasurable;
The qualities of the guides in their entirety are inconceivable. {11}

4.21 “There is no being in the ten directions

Who can equal the Lord of the World, let alone be greater.
You should long for and attain the wisdom of the buddhas,
Who possess all the qualities of omniscience. {12}

4.22 “The Lord of the World is completely beautiful,

With a body that is the color of gold.
The bodhisattva will rest in meditation
When his mind is focused upon that image. {13}

4.23 “A wise man who understands the composite and noncomposite275

Has ceased conceptualizing attributes.276
 He remains in that meditation of the absence of attributes
And knows the emptiness of all phenomena. {14}

4.24 “The one who remains in the dharmakāya

Knows that all things are nothing.
He who has ceased conceptualizing things277
Does not see the Lord of Jinas as a rūpakāya. {15}

4.25 “I proclaim to you and make it known to you

That to the extent that a man contemplates this,
To that extent his mind will be fixed upon it,
Through that contemplation that dwells upon it. {16}

4.26 “The man who remembers in that way the appearance

And immeasurable wisdom of the Lord of Sages, [F.14.a]
He will have his mind completely focused upon him
Through constant meditation on that recollection. {17}

4.27 “When walking, sitting, or standing,

He desires the wisdom of the best of beings,
And prays for enlightenment, wishing to become
A jina who is unsurpassable in this world. {18}

4.28 “He will know the buddhas and see the buddhas;
He will realize the nature of the buddhas.
Remaining in this samādhi,
He will pay homage to the buddhas who have great might.278 {19}

4.29 “With serene body, speech, and mind,

He constantly recites praises to the buddhas.
In that way, through the mind’s continuum of meditation,
Day and night he sees the Lord of the World. {20}

4.30 “When the time comes that he is sick and unwell

And experiences the suffering of dying,
He will not lose his recollection of the Buddha,
And it will not be stolen away by the experience of suffering.279 {21}

4.31 “Having analyzed with wisdom in that way,

He knows all present, past, and future phenomena280 to be empty.
He remains in that nature of phenomena
And performs bodhisattva conduct without being disheartened. {22}

4.32 “Therefore, having heard these benefits,

You should long for unequaled enlightenment.
 It is difficult to see the sublime Sugata,
So do not have cause for regret in the future. {23}

4.33 “I have taught this excellent Dharma

But if you do not practice it well
You will be like a sick man holding a bag281 of medicine—
That alone will not cure his illness.282 {24}

4.34 “Therefore, the wise and the realized

Are always aspiring to this samādhi.
And if they practice good conduct, learning, and generosity
It will not be difficult for them to attain this samādhi.” {25}

4.35 Conclusion of the fourth chapter, “Samādhi.”283