The Ten Abodes: From the Sutra of the Garland of the Bodhisattva’s Primary Karmas

「佛子！汝先言云何心所行法者？所謂十心：

Jinaputra! You asked earlier, “what are the Minds that Practice Dharma?” These are namely the Ten Minds of:

一、發心住；

二、治地心住；

三、修行心住；

四、生貴心住；

五、方便心住；

六、正心住；

七、不退心住；

八、童真心住；

九、法王子心住；

十、灌頂心住。

The Abode of the Mind of Aspiration;
The Abode of the Mind of Discipline;
The Abode of the Mind of Practice;
The Abode of the Mind of Noble Birth;
The Abode of the Mind of Skilful Means;
The Abode of the Mind of Uprightness;
The Abode of the Mind of Non-Retrogression;
The Abode of the Mind of Child-Like Purity;
The Abode of Mind of the Dharma Prince;
The Abode of the Mind of Abhiṣeka.

「復次，即十觀心所觀法者：一、厚集一切善根，所謂四弘誓，未度苦諦令度苦諦、未解集諦令解集諦、未安道諦令安道諦、未得涅
槃令得涅槃。

Next, the dharmas that are contemplated by the Ten Contemplations of the Minds are as follows:

First, is the Thorough Gathering of Wholesome Roots, which are namely the Four Vast Vows:

Those not liberated by the Truth of Suffering, I will ferry over to the Truth of Suffering,
Those who do not understand the Truth of the Cause of Suffering, I will cause to understand the Truth of the Cause of Suffering,
Those without peace from the Truth of the Path Out of Suffering, I will comfort with peace of the Truth of the Path Out of Suffering,
Those who have not attained Nirvāṇa I will cause to attain Nirvāṇa.

「佛子！二、修習無量善行，所謂四念處，觀身、受、心、法。若四皆空，四倒則無。不壞假名，一切法故。皆如幻化者，五陰色識
受想行、六大識空、四大一切法，無自相、無他相，如虛空故。

Jinaputra! Second, is the Conduct of Immeasurably Wholesome Practice, and these are namely the Four Bases of Mindfulness:

Contemplation of the body,
Desires,
The Mind, and
Dharmas.

When the four are all [seen as] empty, then the Four Distorted Views [become] nonexistent. The provisionally named are not destroyed because all dharmas [are thus]. All are [seen as] illusory, including the Five Aggregates:

Form,
Consciousness,
Feeling,
Perception, and
Habituation;

The Six Great Elements are understood to be empty, because the Four Great Elements, and all [other] dharmas hold the characteristic of nonexistence, are without characteristics of difference, and are like the characteristics of empty space.

「佛子！三、善習佛道法，所謂觀十一切入：四大、四色、空處、識處，皆如實相故。

Jinaputra! Third, is the Wholesome Cultivation of the Dharma-Path of the Buddhas, these are namely the contemplation of the Eleven Entrances:

The Four Great [Elements],
The Four Colours,
The Sphere of Emptiness, and
The Sphere of Consciousness,

Because all are [seen] as [holding] the True Characteristic [of Dharmas].

「佛子！四、一切佛前受法而行，所謂八勝處：內實五陰中廣相略相二勝處、外假眾生法中廣相略相二勝處、四大法廣略四勝處。如
是觀一切法空，無相故。

Jinaputra! Fourth, is Receiving the Dharma and Practicing it in the Presence of all the Buddhas, which are namely the Eight Spheres of Overcoming:

The two spheres of overcoming the entrance into the truth of the Five Aggregates in both their broad and subtle characteristics,
The two spheres of overcoming the External and Provisional Dharmas of Sentient Beings in both their broad and subtle characteristics, and
The four spheres of overcoming the Four Great Elements in both their broad and subtle characteristics.

Contemplating all dharmas to be empty like this is because they are [seen as] devoid of characteristics.

「佛子！五修諸清白法，所謂八大人覺：少欲、知足、寂靜、精進、正念、正定、正慧、不諍論，順一切法故。

Jinaputra! Fifth, are the Various Practices of Pure and Undefiled Dharmas, these are namely the Eight Bodhis of Great Beings:

Few desires,
Contentment,
Tranquility,
Diligence,
Right Mindfulness,
Right Śamathā,
Right Wisdom, and
Non-Contention.

Because all are [seen as being] in accordance with dharmas.

「佛子！六為諸佛所護，所謂八解脫觀：聞慧得內假外假二相不可得故，一解脫思慧。內五法外一切法不可得故，二解脫修慧。六觀具足色界五陰空，三解脫、四空、五陰及滅定觀皆不可得故。五解脫如相故。

Jinaputra! Sixth, is the Practice Protected by the Buddhas, these are namely the Eight Vimokṣas:

[Through] the Wisdom [Gained by] Hearing (śrutamayīprajñā), one grasps that both the provisionally internal and the provisionally external characteristics [of dharmas] are unattainable, this is the first liberation of the Wisdom [Gained by] Reflection (Cintamayīprajñā).
The five internal dharmas, and all the external dharmas are unattainable, this is the second liberation of the Wisdom [Gained by] Practice (Bhāvanāmayīprajñā).
The six [remaining] contemplations are the complete emptiness of the five aggregates in the Rūpadhātu, [which] is the third liberation,
The fourth is the contemplation of emptiness, and
Because the Five Aggregates and Nirodha-Samāpatti are all unattainable, the fifth liberation is the realisation that All Dharmas are Merely Appearances.

「佛子！七、廣正法，所謂六和敬：三業同戒、同見、同行，同入此法和，畢竟空故、住不退位故。

Jinaputra! Seventh, is the Vast and Correct Dharma, that is namely the Six Harmonies and Mutual Respects which are the three karmas of:

Mutual Precepts,
Mutual Views, and
Mutual Practice,

[Which] jointly enter this dharma of harmony; and because all is [seen as] ultimately empty, one [then] abides in the Stage of Non-Retrogression.

「佛子！八、信喜大法，所謂三空：一切因空故無作，一切果空故無相，因空果空復空故空空。如是法，如虛空故。

Jinaputra! Eighth, is Faith and Delight in the Mahayana, this is namely the Threefold Emptiness:

Because all causes are empty, they are unproduced,
Because all effects are empty, they have no characteristics,
Because the emptiness of causes and the emptiness of effects are also empty, emptiness is empty.

[All] dharmas are like this, because they are like empty space.

「佛子！九、心住四等法，所謂化眾生教四諦法，三界非樂為苦，
無明習因受生無窮，三空道品無為寂滅。四諦無二，一合相故。

Jinaputra! Ninth, is the Mentality of the Four Equal Dharmas, this is namely teaching sentient beings the Four Noble Truths:

The Three Realms are not joyful, but suffering,
Ignorance and Habituation cause endless rebirths,
The Threefold Emptiness is the path, and
The unconditioned is Nirvāṇa.

The Four Noble Truths are Non-Dual, because they are of a single and composite mark.

「佛子！十、好求佛功德，所謂六念：佛、法、僧、戒、捨、天，
得一切佛功德。念念入不幻三昧，常所習現前修故。佛子！吾先忉
利天說十觀名，初十住凡夫行。若一切菩薩，無不入此門向薩婆若
海。

Jinaputra! Tenth, is the Wholesome Seeking of the Buddha’s Merits, these are namely the Six Remembrances:

The Buddha,

The Dharma,

The Saṃgha,

The Precepts,

Almsgiving, and

The Devas,

[Through these, one] obtains all the Merits of the Buddhas. With each mind-moment they enter into non-illusory Samadhi because of their constant manifesting of [this] practice.

Jinaputra! Previously, in the Trāyastriṃśa Heaven, I explained the names of these Ten Contemplations. They are the practices of the first Ten Abodes of Ordinary Beings. If all Bodhisattvas, without exception, enter this gate, they will proceed toward the Ocean of Sarvajñā.