瑜伽師地論 菩薩地 · 究竟瑜伽處 · 攝受品

In one line: To deliver sentient beings is not one vague wish, but six concrete relationships that can be made good item by item (all-at-once universal / dominant / gathering-in / long-time / short-time / final embracing) + twelve real costs that must be borne (the twelve difficulties) + counter-practices matched one to one — the treatise refuses to let compassion rest as a slogan.

Three points of the eye:

1. All-at-once universal embracing = at the very instant of arousing the mind, the whole relationship is established (eye): "when they first arouse the mind, they embrace the whole realm of sentient beings, taking them all as kinsfolk … whatever they have thus thought, they do accordingly" 〔0563c04-08〕 — the relational face of the first right vow of the Chapter on Arousing the Mind; the moment the vow is aroused, all sentient beings are already kinsfolk.

2. Long-time / short-time / final embracing = an embracing-timetable keyed to the three firing-times of the Chapter on Maturation (eye): for the lower grade of maturity, "only after a long stretch of time do they become fit for purity"; for the middle, "without a long stretch of time"; for the higher, "in this very life they become fit for purity" 〔0564b01-09〕 — fastening directly onto the lower, middle, and higher grades of maturity of the Chapter on Maturation (15-01-06); one charges each person's fire with its own measure of fuel, not by even, side-by-side progress.

3. The case-file of matching lines to the twelve difficulties (eye): Kuiji lists a matching but leaves it undecided, recording "if one follows the Bodhisattvabhūmi Sūtra, the counter-practice here has only nine lines, one cannot collate against it" 〔T43n1829 0166c21-22〕; Dunlun sets aside the various matchings and judges for himself, "both the new and the old treatises alike have, in due order, twelve lines that counter the foregoing twelve difficulties," collating Dharmakṣema's old translation line by line to establish twelve lines each countering one difficulty 〔T42n1828 0580c23-0581a13〕 — where the parsing is in doubt, go back to the alternate translation and collate; do not guess from doctrine. Kuiji's matching and Dunlun's judgment are set side by side, recorded only.

Appended pointers:

• Dominant embracing = two lay-ethics checklists, householder / king (of bondservants, "looks upon, respects, and nurtures them as he would his own body"; of the king, "does not use violent force to invade and plunder the territory of others," "looks upon the multitude of beings as a father upon his sons"); gathering-in embracing = a charter for rightly governing a following (a mind free of taint · not keeping a teacher's [closed] fist · sharing bitterness and ease · bearing questioning and challenge · teaching and learning advancing together · "ought not to be gathering in a following at all times, nor yet never gathering, nor yet inconstant and changeable") — see the full Vernacular.
• More than half of the twelve difficulties are dilemma structures (punish-or-let-go / expound-or-abandon / teach-each-or-abandon-all), the rest being gaps between the ideal and the actual (goods few, seekers many; one body, many requests) and the phase-bound fragility of one who has not yet realized the pure resolve (fear of losing mindfulness and dying; the most-loved thing begged away) — the treatise does not prettify the cost of benefiting others.
• Alternate translations: Dharmakṣema's Chapter on Embracing (all-at-once / dominant / gathering / long / short / final) · Guṇavarman's Chapter on Gathering-In (wholehearted / augmenting / grasping / ultimate / non-final / final gathering-in; the twelve difficulties much varied in the telling); Dunlun cites the old treatise's 「行於非」 against the present Taishō Bodhisattvabhūmi Sūtra's 「行於悲」, a one-character difference — see Apparatus Heading II.
• Next comes the Chapter on the Grounds (the third) — birth and embracing are practice, and practice must rest on a position; next the thirteen abidings are set forth, gathered as the seven grounds.

Overall Heading: The Six [Ways of] Embracing

Within the practice of the bodhisattva in all his phases of abiding, one should know that the bodhisattva, stated briefly, has six ways by which he undertakes, toward sentient beings, an embracing free of error. Which six? First, all-at-once universal embracing; second, dominant embracing; third, gathering-in embracing; fourth, long-time embracing; fifth, short-time embracing; sixth, final embracing.

One · All-at-Once Universal Embracing

What is the bodhisattva's all-at-once universal embracing of sentient beings? It means that when bodhisattvas first arouse the mind [of awakening], they all at once and universally embrace the whole realm of sentient beings, taking them all as their own kinsfolk, and think in this way: "I ought, toward them, according to my ability and according to my strength, to do every kind of thing that benefits, gives ease, and enriches." Whatever they have thus thought, they do accordingly. This is the bodhisattva's all-at-once universal embracing of sentient beings.

Two · Dominant Embracing

What is the bodhisattva's dominant embracing of sentient beings? It means that bodhisattvas act either as the head of a household, embracing parents, wife and children, bondservants, servant-boys, and hired workers; or as a king, embracing all the officials and common folk under their rule. After the bodhisattva has aroused this notion of dominant embracing, he acts, toward those he embraces, according to the duty of embracing and according to the duty of a bodhisattva:

If acting as a householder — toward his parents, by every kind of skillful means he urges them to cultivate what is good; he supports them at all times, never slackening or neglecting; he well recognizes their kindness and well knows how to repay it; toward his parents' intentions he is well able to accord; and in matters of the Dharma and of principle he goes along, letting them turn freely as they will. Toward wife, children, bondservants, and the like, he gives at all times, according to their wishes, food and clothing in accord with the Dharma; in the various labors he never presses or is harsh; even when they have faults and transgressions, he is able to bear with them; when they fall ill, he tends and treats them himself; in the various good deeds, he guides them to cultivate and practice; from time to time he bestows on them excellent goods, and with loving words he comforts and instructs them; he does not give rise, toward them, to such contemptuous notions as "bondservant" or "hired worker," but cares for, respects, and nurtures them as he would his own body.

If acting as a king — he does not carry out demotion or punishment, does not resort to blade and staff, yet is able to govern by the right way; with Dharma and with wealth he enriches the people; relying on the fields and produce of his own homeland he provides for himself, and does not use violent force to invade and plunder the territory of other realms; according to his ability, he guides sentient beings to cease the various evil deeds and to cultivate the various good deeds; he looks upon the multitude of beings as a father upon his sons; toward unrelated sentient beings he yet delights in giving equally — how much more toward his own kin, that there should be any lack of impartial relief; he practices no deceit, and what he says is truthful and true; he keeps far from all such things as killing, binding, beating, punishment, oppression, and the severing of limbs.

This is the bodhisattva's dominant embracing of sentient beings.

Three · Gathering-In Embracing

What is the bodhisattva's gathering-in embracing of sentient beings? It means that bodhisattvas govern their following in accord with the Dharma — this is stated briefly. If stated in full, the bodhisattva rightly embraces his following by two conditions, and only then is it named gathering-in embracing. Which two? First, with a mind free of taint he rightly embraces his following; second, in what is of true benefit to the following themselves he rightly teaches them to cultivate and practice, and does not, by crooked devices, ensnare and cajole them.

Further: toward all whom he ought to embrace, he holds his mind in evenness, not falling into favoritism and factions; nor is he stingy toward them with the right Dharma, nor does he keep [it in] a teacher's [closed] fist; he does not crave their service, reverence, and offerings; yet if, loving and delighting in wholesome dharmas, they come of their own will to take up duties, neither does he forbid it — for the sake of letting their store of merit grow; and at times, when other conditions arise, the bodhisattva on the contrary himself serves and makes offerings to them. For those who have not yet understood the meaning, he opens their understanding; those who have already understood, he makes still more clear and pure. When doubt arises, he cuts it off for them at once; when regret arises, he well resolves it. The deep meaning-phrases, penetrated by his wisdom, he from time to time rightly makes plain for them. In bitterness and in ease, he shares with them in common. For the sake of others' wealth and gain, he accomplishes management and handling of the highest order, striving even beyond his own affairs. For others' faults and transgressions, he from time to time in accord with the Dharma brings them to light, making them aware; and, in due season and in accord with principle, he reproves, expels, and disciplines. When they have illness, when they have grief and sorrow, he never abandons them, but well employs expedient skillful means to cure their illness and dispel their grief. Toward those lower in form and appearance, in memory, in vigor, in the power of wit, and the like, he never slights or bullies them. From time to time he perceives their weariness, and in what is suited to them expounds the right Dharma. From time to time, so as to let them bind their attention to the object, he gives them the right instruction. He is able to bear questioning and challenge without giving rise to anger. His own observance of the precepts is equal to, or greater than, his following's, never lower and inferior; nor does he crave gain and reverence; he is furnished with pity and compassion; he is neither restless nor agitated; his precepts, his views, his rules of conduct, and his right livelihood are all complete; his countenance is open, his gaze level toward others, far from frowning and knitting the brows, his speech gentle and pleasing to the ear, he speaks first of his own accord in greeting, with a smile going before. In the various good qualities he cultivates and practices constantly, not acting with negligence, keeping far from the various forms of indolence. And, teaching and training his following by these very things, he also makes his own practice advance still further.

The bodhisattva ought not to be gathering in a following at all times, nor yet is he never gathering, nor yet is he inconstant and changeable. This is the bodhisattva's gathering-in embracing of sentient beings.

Four · Long-Time Embracing

What is the bodhisattva's long-time embracing of sentient beings? It means that bodhisattvas, in embracing and enriching sentient beings who abide in the lower grade of maturity, should be known to perform what is named long-time embracing, because it is only after a long stretch of time that [such beings] become fit for purity.

Five · Short-Time Embracing

What is the bodhisattva's short-time embracing of sentient beings? It means that bodhisattvas, in embracing and enriching sentient beings who abide in the middle grade of maturity, should be known to perform what is named short-time embracing, because without a long stretch of time [such beings] become fit for purity.

Six · Final Embracing

What is the bodhisattva's final embracing of sentient beings? It means that bodhisattvas, in embracing and enriching sentient beings who abide in the higher grade of maturity, should be known to perform what is named final embracing, because in this very life [such beings] become fit for purity.

These are the six ways of embracing free of error by which the bodhisattva, stated briefly, embraces sentient beings. By these six ways of embracing, the bodhisattvas of the past, of the future, and of the present have rightly embraced, will rightly embrace, and are rightly embracing sentient beings — and beyond this there is nothing exceeding or added.

The Twelve Difficulties

When the bodhisattva, embracing sentient beings free of error by these six ways of embracing, does so, one should know that he will meet with, stated briefly, twelve difficulties; and the wise and clear-sighted bodhisattva should rightly perceive and know these twelve difficulties. Which twelve?

One: toward sentient beings who abide again and again in transgression, to punish is not right, and to let go is not right — this is a difficulty the bodhisattva meets. Two: toward sentient beings of evil nature, in order to tame them he cannot but, by expedient means, bring into play severe and painful applications, while at the same time guarding his own intent and letting no affliction arise — this is a difficulty the bodhisattva meets. Three: the goods present and available to give are exceedingly few, while those who come present to beg are exceedingly many — this is a difficulty the bodhisattva meets. Four: he has but a single body, yet the various tasks of many sentient beings present themselves all at once, and all at once they come to ask the bodhisattva to join them as helper — this is a difficulty the bodhisattva meets. Five: dwelling in a place of negligence — abiding either in the lovely and excellent concentrations of the world, or born into the ease and joy of the heavens above — he must still make his mind well-tuned and good — this is a difficulty the bodhisattva meets. Six: constantly wishing to do the work of benefiting sentient beings everywhere, yet in this work being without strength and without ability — this is a difficulty the bodhisattva meets. Seven: toward sentient beings foolish, fawning-and-deceitful, and obstinate, both to expound the Dharma is hard and to abandon [them] is hard — this is a difficulty the bodhisattva meets. Eight: constantly seeing great faults within birth-and-death, yet, for the sake of delivering sentient beings, not abandoning birth-and-death — this is a difficulty the bodhisattva meets. Nine: not having yet realized the pure and dominant resolve, for the most part worried and afraid lest he lose right mindfulness and die — this is a difficulty the bodhisattva meets. Ten: not having yet realized the pure and dominant resolve, while others come to beg of him the foremost, most excellent, most cherished thing — this is a difficulty the bodhisattva meets. Eleven: toward sentient beings of various different views and various convictions, both to teach and admonish each one by one is hard, and to abandon [them] all together is hard — this is a difficulty the bodhisattva meets. Twelve: constantly practicing the conduct of the utmost non-negligence, yet not being obliged to exhaust and cut off all the afflictions — this is a difficulty the bodhisattva meets.

The Counter-Practice: Meeting Difficulty Without Faltering

If bodhisattvas meet with such various difficulties as the above: in some of them, they should observe what is grave and what is light, and act by expedient means as is fitting; in some, they should carefully discern and select the person; in some, they course along by grasping the cause of embracing with valor, or arouse a right vow; in some, they curb and govern their own mind, not letting it scatter; in some, they settle their mind, discern with fierce sharpness, give rise to no weariness, and of themselves practice patient endurance; in some, they practice letting-go; in some, they arouse diligent vigor, blazing without slackening; in some, by skillful expedient means they rightly cultivate and practice.

The bodhisattva, being thus skilled in the expedient means of the right counter-practice, though all the difficulties present themselves right before him, is without any faltering, and is himself able rightly to escape them.

From Taking Birth to Embracing: You Have the Body — Now What Do You Use It For?

The Chapter on Birth taught how the bodhisattva, by the power of his vow, chooses to take birth; this chapter follows straight upon it and asks: having received this body, what does one do with it? Dunlun states the relation of the two chapters bluntly: "the first sets forth the practice of the five births that benefit sentient beings; the latter sets forth the practice of the six [ways of] embracing that gather in sentient beings" — the five births are the acquiring of a standing, the six embracings the putting of that standing to use. The definition Kuiji gives beneath the chapter-title points the same way: "having received the excellent birth and completed the fulfilling of one's own benefit, next there is the benefiting of others." Embracing, then, is the whole set of ways in which the bodhisattva builds a relationship with sentient beings and, within that relationship, brings them to fulfillment — and the treatise gathers it into six kinds.

All-at-Once Universal Embracing: At the Very Instant of Arousing the Mind, the Relationship Is Already Wholly Established

The first kind of embracing is the most unexpected — it happens earliest, yet reaches the widest. "It means that when bodhisattvas first arouse the mind, they embrace the whole realm of sentient beings, taking them all as their kinsfolk": at the very instant of first arousing the mind, all sentient beings are already, every one, the bodhisattva's "kinsfolk." Note that this is no mere posture; the treatise at once supplies its workable content: he thinks in this way — I ought, toward them, according to my ability and according to my strength, to do every kind of thing that benefits, gives ease, and enriches — and then "whatever he has thus thought, he does accordingly." Thought of, and done.

Why is it called "all-at-once" and "universal"? Because it does not wait for the relationship to be nurtured slowly: the content of arousing the mind is itself, in a single stroke, a total taking-in of the whole body of sentient beings. The Chapter on Arousing the Mind taught the first right vow; the first embracing of this chapter is precisely the relational face of that right vow — the moment the vow is aroused, the relationship between all the world's beings and myself has already been rewritten.

Dominant Embracing: Household and Realm — Two Practice-Checklists for the Lay Bodhisattva

The second kind of embracing comes down to the two most everyday standings: the householder and the king. This passage is a rare stretch of writing in the Bodhisattva Stage that clings entirely to worldly human relations, and it deserves a line-by-line reading.

As householder: toward his parents he "by every kind of skillful means urges them to cultivate what is good; supports them at all times, never slackening or neglecting; well recognizes their kindness, well knows how to repay it," and, within the bounds of Dharma and principle, accords with their intent. Toward wife, children, bondservants, and servant-boys: he gives at all times food and clothing in accord with the Dharma as they wish, "in the various labors never presses or is harsh," bears with their faults, tends them himself when ill, urges them to cultivate good deeds, bestows goods and comforts them with loving words, and even "gives rise to no such notions as 'bondservant' or 'hired worker,' but looks upon, respects, and nurtures them as he would his own body" — he does not see servants as servants, but cares for them as for his own body.

As king: "he does not carry out demotion or punishment, does not resort to blade and staff, yet is able to govern rightly"; with Dharma and with wealth he enriches the people; "relying on the fields of his own homeland he provides for himself, and does not use violent force to invade and plunder the territory of others" — self-sufficient, launching no aggression; he urges the people to cease evil and cultivate good; "he looks upon the multitude of beings as a father upon his sons"; and by extension — toward unrelated sentient beings he yet gives equally, how much more toward his own subjects; his word is kept, and he "keeps far from all such things as killing, binding, beating, punishment, oppression, and the severing of limbs."

The meaning of these two checklists lies in this: embracing need not wait until one has donned the Dharma-robe. When a person, within a standing he already holds — as a son, as a master, as a sovereign — performs that standing to the bodhisattva's measure, that standing is itself an embracing.

Gathering-In Embracing: The Complete Rule for Leading a Following

The third kind of embracing is "rightly governing one's following" — leading students. The treatise first sets up two baselines: "first, with a mind free of taint he rightly embraces his following; second, in what is of true benefit to the following themselves he rightly teaches them to cultivate and practice, and does not, by crooked devices, ensnare and cajole them." Taking in students is not for oneself (a mind free of taint); what is taught must be of true benefit to the students themselves (in what is of their own benefit); and no crooked device may be used to cajole or ensnare them.

Beneath the baselines is a long string of particulars that reads like a thousand-year-old charter of the teacher's way: hold the mind even, without favoritism and faction; "be not stingy toward them with the right Dharma, nor keep a teacher's [closed] fist" — do not clench the Dharma in one's grip and hold something back; do not crave students' service and offerings, yet do not bar students who come of their own will to draw near and do good (for the growth of their merit); teach the not-yet-understanding into understanding, the already-understanding into greater clarity and purity; cut off doubt as it arises; "in bitterness and in ease, share with them in common"; strive at the students' affairs beyond one's own; reprove in accord with principle when reproof is due, discipline in due season when discipline is due; when students fall ill or grieve, "never abandon them"; toward the poorly endowed, "never slight or bully them"; when weary, expound the Dharma in accord with their state; be "able to bear questioning and challenge without giving rise to anger" — when a student stumps the teacher, the teacher takes no offense; one's own observance of the precepts must be equal to or higher than the students', "never lower and inferior"; and finally, "teaching and training the following by these very things, he also makes his own practice advance still further" — teaching and learning advancing together, not one item omitted.

The closing line is especially clear-eyed: "the bodhisattva ought not to be gathering in a following at all times, nor yet is he never gathering, nor yet is he inconstant and changeable" — not gathering students at every moment, nor never gathering, and still less gathering and casting off by turns. The taking-in of students is itself a thing that calls for discernment.

Long-Time, Short-Time, Final: Three Embracings Are Really Three Firing-Times

The last three embracings come off in a single breath, on a single criterion: the other's grade of maturity. For sentient beings abiding in the lower grade of maturity, "because it is only after a long stretch of time that they become fit for purity," long-time embracing is required; for those in the middle grade, short-time embracing suffices; for those in the higher grade, "because in this very life they become fit for purity," it is final embracing — this very life can bring it to a close.

These three embracings fasten directly onto the lower, middle, and higher grades of maturity already established in the Chapter on Maturation (the sixth chapter of the first section): the Chapter on Maturation speaks of the firing-time of beings themselves; this chapter speaks of the embracing-schedule that matches the firing-time. Delivering beings is no assembly-line of even, side-by-side progress; it is slow work, charging each person's fire with its own measure of fuel — some must be walked a long way, some are only a last mile short.

The Twelve Difficulties: The Treatise Does Not Prettify the Cost of Benefiting Others

The six embracings told, the treatise turns its edge and lists the twelve difficulties the bodhisattva meets when embracing sentient beings. This passage is the most honest writing in the whole chapter — it admits that benefiting others is exceedingly hard, and it counts out the hardships one by one for you to see:

Those who transgress again and again — to punish is not right, to let go is not right (one); to tame evil people one cannot but come down hard, while still guarding oneself against affliction (two); the goods too few, those who come to beg too many (three); one has but a single body, yet requests come all at once from everywhere (four); dwelling in a place of ease, one must still keep the mind unnegligent (five); wishing to benefit all beings, yet one's strength falls short (six); the foolish, fawning-deceitful, and obstinate — to teach is hard, to abandon is hard (seven); seeing clearly the faults of birth-and-death, yet, to deliver beings, unable to depart from it (eight); the pure resolve not yet realized, one fears to lose mindfulness and die (nine); the pure resolve not yet realized, and someone comes to beg the very thing one is most loath to give (ten); beings of divergent views and convictions — to teach each one is hard, to abandon them all is hard (eleven); practicing the utmost non-negligence, yet not obliged to cut off all the afflictions (twelve).

Look closely, and one sees that more than half of the twelve difficulties have the "hard-at-both-ends" structure of a dilemma (punish-or-let-go, expound-or-abandon, teach-each-or-abandon-all); a few others are gaps between the ideal and the actual (goods few, seekers many; one body, many requests; the vow present, the strength absent); and two more are the phase-bound fragility that belongs to one "who has not yet realized the pure resolve" (fear of losing mindfulness and dying; the most-loved thing begged away). The treatise writes these out not to deter but to inoculate the practitioner: these difficulties are not something you meet because you have practiced poorly — this road is simply built this way.

The Counter-Practice: How the Twelve Lines Match the Twelve Difficulties — A Case-File Left by the Ancient Masters

The difficulties listed, the treatise gives the counter-practice passage: observing the grave and the light and acting by expedient means; carefully discerning and selecting the person; coursing along by grasping the cause of embracing with valor; arousing a right vow; curbing and governing one's mind so it does not scatter; settling one's mind; discerning with fierce sharpness; giving rise to no weariness; of oneself enduring with patience; practicing letting-go; arousing diligent vigor, blazing without slackening; rightly cultivating by skillful expedient means (this segmentation follows Dunlun's reading into twelve lines) — the conclusion being that "though all the difficulties present themselves right before him, he is without any faltering, and is himself able rightly to escape them."

Just how do these lines of counter-practice match, one to one, the twelve difficulties before them? Here the ancient masters left a case-file of textual study. Kuiji first sets up one matching (eleven lines against twelve difficulties, the last line serving to explain both the eleventh and the twelfth), then honestly records another master's divergent matching, and finally says: if one follows the Bodhisattvabhūmi Sūtra (Dharmakṣema's old translation), the counter-practice has only nine lines — "one cannot collate against it" — the recensions do not line up. Dunlun records all of this, then hands down his own judgment: "though there are many statements, none is decisive; now I explain it further. Both the new and the old treatises alike have, in due order, twelve lines that counter the foregoing twelve difficulties" — he goes back and re-counts the old translation, reading out that both new and old have twelve lines, matched one to one: the new translation's "one should observe the grave and the light" answers the old's "not observing the grave and the light, one acts by expedient means" to counter the first difficulty; "carefully discern and select the person" answers "examining the person" to counter the second difficulty… and collating the twelve lines through one by one, line answers to line.

Kuiji's matching and Dunlun's judgment are here set side by side without adjudication (see Heading III of the Apparatus). What this case-file leaves behind is Dunlun's very method of work: where the phrasing-and-parsing is in doubt, go back to the alternate translation and collate line by line — he does not guess from doctrine, but counts it out by cross-checking two translations against each other. Which matching is correct is still left as two standing options.

The One Meaning This Chapter Brings to Light

The Chapter on Embracing runs from the total embrace of arousing the mind, through the daily life of household and realm, through the charter of the teacher's gate, all the way to the discernment of firing-times and the reckoning of difficulties — it looks fine-grained and trivial, but it establishes in fact a single meaning: to deliver sentient beings is not one vague wish, but a set of concrete relationships that can be, and must be, made good item by item, at a cost paid item by item. The treatise takes "embracing" apart into six kinds, counts the hardships out as twelve, and matches the counter-practices one to one — this refusal to spare detail is itself the greatest respect paid to the two words "benefiting others": it refuses to let compassion rest as a slogan, and insists on translating it into a daily practice that can be done, and can be borne.

Carrying Forward

The Chapter on Embracing comes on from the Chapter on Birth (the five births receive a body, the six embracings put the body to use; Dunlun's outline places the two chapters together as the "right exposition of one's own portion of practice"); the three embracings of long-time, short-time, and final take directly for their criterion the lower, middle, and higher grades of maturity established in the Chapter on Maturation (the sixth of the first section); all-at-once universal embracing points back to the first right vow of the Chapter on Arousing the Mind; and the third and tenth difficulties echo the teaching of the Chapter on Giving, on giving away the most-cherished and most-excellent thing. Next comes the Chapter on the Grounds (the third) — birth and embracing are "practice," and practice must have a "position" on which it rests, so the seven grounds are set forth next.