The Bodhisattva's Ten Stages of Practice Sutra

Translated by Dharmarakṣa of the Western Jin Dynasty

Relying on the Buddha's majestic power, the Bodhisattva Tanmeimoti entered the state of Ananda Boyujia Samadhi before the Buddha. He saw all the Buddhas of the ten directions—their number equal to the dust motes in a thousand Buddha-realms. Each mote of dust represents one Buddha-realm, and each Buddha-realm extends throughout the ten directions in all four quarters. He saw all the Buddhas of the ten directions, and each of them said, "Excellent, excellent, Bodhisattva Tanmeimoti!" All the Buddhas of the ten directions bestowed wisdom upon him and said to Bodhisattva Tanmeimoti, "This is the result of the merit and majestic power accumulated through the past vows of Shakyamuni Buddha, which now benefits you. The benefit of all sutras is the benefit of the Buddha's majestic power. Deeply enter the essence of the sutras, fully reveal the Dharma of the ten directions and the void, without clinging to anything in the mind. Fully enter the state of no obstruction, fully enter the Great Path, swiftly approach and attain Buddhahood. Fully understand all sutras and the thoughts of all beings in the ten directions. Fully learn and know all the sutras taught in the ten directions, and understand how to apply them. Therefore, for the sake of all Bodhisattvas, expound the ten abodes of Bodhisattvas, fully relying on and upholding the Buddha's majestic power, and be able to teach them completely."

At that time, the words spoken by the Bodhisattva Tanmeimoti were without obstruction and without difficulty; they had no end, no one could measure them, and they had no ultimate limit; no one could reach them, no one could determine their length or brevity; they were never forgotten, and all who heard them attained clarity, all equally without distinction; they were never lax or negligent, and the multitude could not match them. By the power of this samadhi, all the Buddhas of the ten directions each extended their right hands and placed them upon the head of Bodhisattva Tanmeimoti, causing him to awaken from within the samadhi. Then they spoke to the bodhisattva, saying: "All you children of the Buddhas, listen. The abode of a bodhisattva is exceedingly vast, like empty space itself. Why is the abode of a bodhisattva so vast? Because all past Buddhas were born from it, all future Buddhas will be born from it, and all present Buddhas are born from it. Why does a bodhisattva enter the great path? From what causes and conditions does one enter this great path? Why is it just so?"

The bodhisattva has ten abodes of practice, which are distinguished according to what the Buddhas of the past, future, and present have taught. What are these ten abodes of the bodhisattva?