Dharma Wheel

Nirvana is the true Dharma jewel. It is entered through many different gates. Harivarman

within the dharma body's enlightenment is not a single thing.

As for the dharma of nirvāṇa, there are many paths of entry into it.
However, if we discuss those which are crucially essential, they do
not go beyond the two dharmas of calming and insight.

How is this so? Calming (śamatha) constitutes the initial method
through which one is able to suppress the fetters (saṃyojana).
Insight (vipaśyanā) is the primary essential through which one is
able to cut off the delusions. Calming then is the wholesome provision
with which one kindly nurtures the mind and consciousness.
Insight then is the marvelous technique which stimulates the development
of spiritual understanding. Calming is the supreme cause
for the manifestation of dhyāna absorption. Insight is the origin of
wisdom. Zhiyi Meditation Essentials

The guiding master subdues the multitudes of demons,
He is courageous, strong, and invincible.
Within the light he proclaims the wonderful meaning.
He is this way because of his kindness and compassion.
Avatamsaka Sutra, ch. 9

Disciple of the Buddha, when all Buddhas first bring forth Bodhicitta, they do not do so merely for the sake of making offerings of all kinds of musical instruments to all the living beings in the asamkhyeya world systems in the ten directions, doing so for a hundred kalpas, up to and including a hundred thousand nayuta million kalpas. They do not bring forth the Bodhi mind merely to teach all of those living beings to cultivate the five precepts, the ten paths of good karma or to teach them to dwell in the four dhyanas, the four unlimited minds, the four formless concentrations, or to teach them to attain the Srotaapanna fruit, the Sakridagamin fruit, the Anagamin fruit, the Arhat fruit, or the Pratyeka Buddha path.”

“But it is for the sake of causing the seed nature of the Thus Come Ones to never be cut off. It is for the sake of pervading all world systems. It is for the sake of crossing over and liberating the living beings in all world systems. It is for the sake of totally knowing the coming into being and destruction of all world systems. It is for the sake of totally knowing the defilement and purity of living beings within all world systems. It is for the sake of totally knowing the purity of the self nature of all world systems. It is for the sake of totally knowing the likes, afflictions, and habits in the minds of all living beings. It is for the sake of totally knowing how all living beings die here are reborn elsewhere. It is for the sake of totally knowing all living beings’ roots and expedient methods.”

“It is for the sake of totally knowing the activities in the minds of all living beings; it is for the sake of totally knowing all living beings’ wisdom in the three periods of time; and it is for the sake of totally knowing all Buddhas’ state of equality, that they bring forth the Unsurpassed Bodhi mind.”

Disciple of the Buddha, the Bodhisattva has no uniform limit. In order to know those living beings’ understandings he brings forth the mind for Anuttarasamyaksambodhi. He brings forth the mind for Anuttarasamyaksambodhi in order to exhaustively know the various different understandings of all living beings in all world systems.”

“That is to say, because he desires to know all the different understandings without boundary; because he desires to know a single living beings’ understanding is equal to countless living beings’ understandings; because he desires to attain the light of expedient wisdom of ineffable different understandings; because he desires to totally know each of the different understandings of the ocean of living beings, exhaustively without remainder; because he desires to know living beings’ various limitless understandings of the past, present, and future, whether good or bad; because he desires to totally know their similar understandings and their dissimilar understandings; because he desires to totally know that understanding all is just understanding one, and understanding one is just understanding all; because he desires to obtain the Thus Come Ones’ powers of understanding.”

“It is because he desires to totally know the understanding which is surpassed and the unsurpassed understanding; the understanding which has a remainder and the understanding which has no remainder; the differences of the equalled understanding and the unequalled understanding; it is because he desires to totally know the understanding which relies on something and the understanding which has no reliance; the understanding which is common and the uncommon understanding; the understanding which has a boundary and the understanding which has no boundary; discriminatory understandings and non-discriminatory understandings; good understandings and the understandings which are not good; and worldly understanding and the understandings which are beyond the world.”

“It is because he desires to obtain the unobstructed wisdom of the Thus Come Ones’ liberation of all wondrous understandings, great understandings, limitless understanding and the understanding of the proper position; it is because he desires to use limitless expedients to totally know the realm of all living beings in the ten directions, and each living beings’ pure understandings, defiled understandings, broad understandings, general understandings, detailed understandings, and coarse understandings, exhaustively without remainder.”

“It is because he desires to totally know profound, esoteric understandings; understanding of expedient methods; discriminating understandings; spontaneous understandings; understandings which arise in accordance with cause; understandings which arise according to conditions; and the net of all understandings, totally without remainder, that he brings forth the mind for Anuttarasamyaksambodhi.”

Desiring to know all Buddhadharmas,
One should quickly bring forth the Bodhi mind!
This mind amongst all merit and virtue, is the most supreme.
One will certainly obtain the Thus Come One’s unobstructed wisdom.

The activities in the minds of living beings can be calculated and known;
Lands’ particles of dust are the same way.
The limits of space can readily be measured,
Yet the merit and virtue from bringing forth the mind cannot be fathomed.

It produces all Buddhas of the three periods of time;
It achieves all the happiness of the worlds.
Increasing all supreme merit and virtue,
It forever cuts off all doubts and delusions.

Revealing and proclaiming all wondrous states,
Exhaustively doing away with all obstructions,
It brings to completion all pure kshetras,
And produces the wisdom of all Thus Come Ones.

If one wishes to see all Buddhas of the ten directions,
If one wishes to give an inexhaustible treasury of merit and virtue,
And if one wants to put an end to living beings’ sufferings and afflictions,
One should quickly bring forth the Bodhi mind!

In taking refuge with the Buddha,
I vow that sentient beings
Will perpetuate the Buddhas’ lineage,
And bring forth the unsurpassed resolve.
Avatamsaka Sutra ch. 11

In taking refuge with the Dharma,
I vow that sentient beings
Will deeply enter the Sutra Treasury,
And have wisdom like the sea.
Avatamsaka Sutra ch. 11

In taking refuge with the Sangha,
I vow that sentient beings
Will unite and lead the great assembly,
All without obstruction.
Avatamsaka Sutra ch. 11

The path of the perfections is like the center post for the path that
leads to buddhahood. Hence, it is unsuitable to cast it aside. As this
is said many times even in the Vajrayana, the path of the perfections
is the path common to both sutra and tantra.
Je Tsongkhapa, Great Treatise, vol. 1:49

BUDDHA-NATURE

We need to attain unsurpassable enlightenment by freeing ourselves from the confused state of samsara. But, is it possible for inferior persons like ourselves to achieve enlightenment even if we make the effort? Why wouldn’t we attain enlightenment if we made the effort! All sentient beings, including ourselves, already possess the primary cause for enlightenment, the Essence of the Well-gone One.

As is stated in the King of Meditative Absorption Sutra:
The Essence of the Well-gone One pervades all migrators.

The Small Parinirvana Sutra says:
All sentient beings have the Essence of the Thus-gone One.

Also, the Sutra of the Great Parinirvana says: For example, as butter permeates milk, likewise the Essence of the Thus-gone One pervades all sentient beings.

And in the Ornament of Mahayana Sutra:
Even though suchness is not different for any being,
One is called “Thus-gone One” when it is fully purified.
Therefore, all beings are of its essence.

If you ask, " What are the causes and conditions of the final fruit of omniscience?" I, who am like a blind man, may not be in a position to explain (by myself), but I shall employ the Buddha`s own words just as he spoke them to his disciples after his enlightenment. He said, "Vajrapani, Lord of Secrets, The transcendental wisdom of omniscience has its root in compassion, arises from a cause - the altruistic thought, the awakening mind of bodhicitta and the perfection of skilful means."

Therefore, if you are interested in achieving omniscience, you need to practice these three: compassion, the awakening mind of bodhicitta and skilful means.

“When, Mahānāma, a lay follower is himself accomplished in faith [in the Triple Gem] and also encourages others to accomplish faith;
(2) when he is himself accomplished in virtuous behavior [of the 5 lay precepts] and also encourages others to accomplish virtuous behavior;
(3) when he is himself accomplished in generosity and also encourages others to accomplish generosity;
(4) when he himself wants to see bhikkhus and also encourages others to see bhikkhus;
(5) when he himself wants to hear the good Dhamma and also encourages others to hear the good Dhamma;
(6) when he himself retains in mind the teachings he has heard and also encourages others to retain the teachings in mind;
(7) when he himself examines the meaning of the teachings that have been retained in mind and also encourages others to examine their meaning;
(8) when he himself understands the meaning and the Dhamma and then practices in accordance with the Dhamma, and also encourages others to practice in accordance with the Dhamma:
it is in this way, Mahānāma, that a lay follower is practicing for his own welfare and also for the welfare of others.”