THE MATRIX AND DIAMOND WORLD

MANDALAS IN SHINGON BUDDHISM

ADRIAN SNODGRASS
INTERNATIONAL ACADEMY OF INDIAN CULTURE
and ADITY A PRAKASHAN, NEW DELHI
728
APPENDIX 1: THE FIFfY TWO BOD IDS A TTV A STAGES
The exoteric schools of the Mahayana teach that there are fifty two Bodhisattva stages
( gojuni-i)
1
, which are the successive steps taken by the sadhaka in his ascent to Buddha-
hood, the levels he traverses to eliminate delusion and gain Wondrous Enlightenment
(myogaku). The fifty two stages are divided into two phases. The first forty stages, called
the "prior stages" (jizen), culminate in the attainment of Awakening; the next stages,
called the "superior stages" (jijo) include the "ten stations" (jiiji), which are stages in
which the Buddha Wisdom (prajnii, chie) acquired with the attainment of Awakening, is
increased and perfected, and two stages of Enlightenment.
There are several lists of the fifty two stages, differing from each other in minor
details. A typical list, given in the Tendai teaching, is:
A. The Prior Stages
1-10. The Ten Stages of Faith (jusshin), those of aspiration, remembrance, endeavour,
concentration of mind, wisdom, keeping the precepts, transference of one's merits to
others, protection of the Dharma, giving unsparingly, and the making of vows.
11-20. The Ten Stages of Security (juju), those of the attainment of the truth, seeing the
Void (siinyata, kii), the performance of good deeds, the seeing of selflessness, doing
good, obtaining wisdom, never sliding back, having no more illusions, becoming a son
of a Buddha, and annihilating life and death.
21-30. The Ten Stages of Practice (jugyo), those of joyful service, beneficial service,
non-resentment, dauntlessness, no misconduct, appearing in any form at will, attachment
to the Voidness of existence, acquisition of the root of virtue, preaching the Dharma, and
attainment of the Middle Way (chiidO).
1. The doctrine of the fifty two stages derives from the
(Myoho-renge-kyi5) and the Niokyi5.
7'29
31-40. The Ten Stages of the Transference of Merit (jueko), those of saving others in
secret, seeing the non-substantiality of all things without analyzing them, propagating the
teachings of all the Buddhas, making oblations to all the Buddhas, giving the
Buddha-Nature to others, seeing the Middle Way, leniency towards evil persons, seeing
everything as the Dharma World, seeing that all thip.gs are equal, seeing that all things are
the Middle Way.
B. The Superior Stages
41-50. The Ten Stations juji). These are ten stages in the development of
the Buddha Wisdom, the cutting away of the hindrances of delusion and the realization of
the supreme fruition of Buddhahood. Each station is the attainment of a Paramita. Entry
into the tenth station, the completion of the Paramita of Knowledge (jniina-piiramitii,
hannya-haramitsu), is the perfection of Buddhahood. The Ten Stations are:
1. The Station of Joy (pramudita-bhumi, kangiji). This is the perfection of the Pliramita
of Giving ( diina-paramita, dan-haramitsu). A great spiritual joy arises in the Bodhisattva
because he has cut away all deluded views, attained the single thought (ichinen) of
non-discriminating Knowledge (mufumbetchi) and realized Suchness (tathatii, shinnyo)
and the Middle Way of the Buddha Wisdom.
2. The Station of Freedom from Defilements (vimala-bhumi, rikuji). The Pliramita of
the Precepts ( sila-piiramitii, kai-haramitsu) is perfected, the delusions of practice
(gyowaku) cut away, all the defilements of improper action stemming from beginningless
time are removed, and purity of body and mind are attained.
3. The Station of Manifesting Light (prabhiikari-bhumi, hakkoji). This is the station of
the perfection of the Paramita of Patience ninniku-haramitsu), in which
the delusions of practice are cut away.
2
The Bodhisattva attains the "patience to assess the
2. Following the Mikkyo-daijiten, op. cit., p. 864, s.v., fuji, where the cutting
away of the delusions of practice is given as a characteristic of both the second and third
stations.
730
dharmas truly" (taisatsilhoninP and manifests his supreme Knowledge by shining with a
radi:mt light.
4. The Station of Blazing Wisdom enneji). This is the station of the
perfection of the Paramita of Exertion (vfrya-piiramitii, shojin-haramitsu), in which the
light of supreme Knowledge shines with ever-increasing brilliance and, reaching its
greatest intensity, bums away the last vestiges of illusion.
5. The Station of Overcoming the Supremely Difficult (sudurjayii-bhilmi, gokunan-
shoji). This is the station of the perfection of the Paramita of Meditation ( dhyiina-
piiramitii, zenjo-haramitsu), in which the non-duality of the two truths, mundane and
absolute
4
, is effected. The station derives its name from the extreme difficulty in unifying
the two truths.
6. The Station of Being Face to Face (with Wisdom) (abhimukhi-bhilmi, genzenji).
This is the station of the perfection of the Paramita of Wisdom (prajnii-piiramitti,
hannya-haramitsu). It is also called the "Station of the Immediate Presence of Wisdom"
(genzaiji) because it is the station in which the Bodhisattva perceives, "before his eyes';,
the absolute identity ofthe worlds of defllement and purity.
7. The Station of Far-reaching Practice (dilrangama-bhilmi, ongyoji). This is the station
of the perfection of the Paramita of Method (upiiya-piiramitii, hi5ben-haramitsu), in which
the Mind of Great Compassion is manifested and all the attachments to the concept of
self-benefit (jiri) as expounded in the doctrines of the Two Vehicles (nijo) are cut away.
The Bodhisattva enlarges his spiritual aims to encompass the good of all beings; he
perfects the practices of Great Compassion and the use of Expedient Means -(upiiya,
hOben) for the sake of all beings.
3. This is one of the three types of patience (sannin): 1. the patience to endure
persecution without anger or thought of revenge; 2. the patience to endure suffering, the
attainment of a mind that remains unmoved in sickness, calamity, attack, and so on; 3. the
patience that understands the essence of the dharmas, the patient acceptance of the truth
that the dharmas do not come into .or go out of existence.
4. Seep. 763, note 1.
731
8. The Station of Immovability (acalii-bhumi,fudoji). In this station the Bodhisattva
perfects the Paramita of the Vows (pralJidhiina-piiramitii, gan-haramitsu) and fulfills the
vows to liberate all beings. He abides immovably in the formless, immutable and eternal
Wisdom, which manifests the great practices that liberate all sentient beings.
9. The Station of the Wisdom of Skills (siidhumatz-bhiimi, zenneji). In this the
Paramita of Power (bala-piiramitii, riki-haramitsu) is perfected. The ten powers
5
and the
four kinds of unhindered eloquence
6
are mastered. With this mastery of skills the
Bodhisattva has complete freedom to aid and rescue all beings in the worlds of the ten
directions. He can preach the Dharma everywhere with compelling force and great
versatility.
10. The Station of the Dharma Cloud (dharmamegha-bhiimi, hounji). This is the
perfection ,of the Paramita of Knowledge (jfliina-piiramitii, chi-haramitsu) and is the
station in which, Wisdom and Compassion having both been perfected, the immeasurable
virtues of the Bodhisattva permeate, like a cloud, the whole of the Dharma World. It is
the stage in which the Bodhisattva becomes like a great and all-pervading cloud of
knowledge that rains down the Elixir of the Dharma ( dharma-amrta, ho-kanro) to irrigate
and nourish all the beings of the Dharma World.
Beyond these Ten Stations there are two more stages, called the stages of "similar
Awakening" (togaku) and of "wondrous Awakening" (myogaku). The latter is the
supreme stage of Buddhahood and the former differs from it to a very small degree, and
hence is called "similar".
5. Namely, profundity of mind (shinjin), profundity of faith (jinshin), great
compassion ( daihi ), great love ( daiji ), dharaQ.Is ( soji ), discrimination (benzai ), the
Paramitas (haramitsu), the great vows (daigan), supernatural faculties (jinzii) and kaji
with the Buddha.
6. See p. 360, note 70.