Category Archives: Eyes

The Hinayāna Path

In the Hinayāna teachings the attainment of buddhahood is not presented as the goal of Buddhist practice, so the bodhisattva vehicle is also not presented as something that can be taken up by ordinary people. The Hinayāna teachings state that there can only be one buddha on any given world at a time. Furthermore, the time between the appearances of a buddha is vast. Each time a buddha appears they set in motion the Wheel of the Dharma (i.e. they expound the Buddha Dharma), and after a buddha’s final nirvāṇa the teachings may last for a period of time known as the Age of the True Dharma, linger on in a corrupted form during a period of time known as the Age of the Semblance of the Dharma, and finally they begin to disappear during a Latter Age of Degeneration that can last for ten thousand years or more until the Dharma is completely forgotten. There may then be a period of millions of years before another buddha rolls the Wheel of Dharma again. The Hinayāna teachings do not speak of buddhas in other regions of the universe. The only two bodhisattvas who are recognized are the bodhisattva who became Śākyamuni Buddha, and Maitreya Bodhisattva who resides in the Tushita Heaven awaiting his time to become the next buddha in the distant future after Śākyamuni Buddha’s Dharma has completely disappeared. Bodhisattvas are therefore rare and extraordinary beings. What all of this means is that the attainment of buddhahood is not presented as an even remotely realistic goal. The Hinayāna teaches that the only feasible way to attain cessation from suffering and escape saṃsāra is to take up one the two vehicles of the śrāvaka or pratyekabuddha, with the former being the easier as the śrāvakas can rely upon the four noble truths and the Middle Way taught by Śākyamuni Buddha.

Open Your Eyes, p168-169

Reducing the Body to Ashes and Annihilating Consciousness

Once one sees the true nature of life and the futility of craving, the next step is to realize that if craving were given up then one would be free from suffering. This is the true meaning of nirvāṇa, the extinguishing of the flames of passionate greed or craving. Zhiyi spoke of this as the elimination of deluded views and attitudes that puts an end to transmigration within the six lower realms. From the perspective of the Hinayāna teachings, the arhats, pratyekabuddhas and even the buddhas who accomplish this are not reborn anywhere after death, not even in a pure land. They are simply gone, beyond the reach of conditioned existence and suffering. In life they attain nirvāṇa, the extinction of the greed, hatred, and delusion, and upon death they are said to attain parinirvāṇa or “final nirvana” whereby they are no longer even subject to physical pain and infirmity. While there may be śrāvakas, pratyekabuddhas, bodhisattvas, and buddhas as individuals, they have no lands or worlds of their own, but simply live in the human world (or some of the others in the case of bodhisattvas) until they attain final nirvāṇa. Then they are gone forever. This is why the attainment of final nirvāṇa is referred to as reducing the body to ashes and annihilating consciousness and also why the Hinayāna teachings are only said to expound the six lower realms and not the realms of the four noble states.

Open Your Eyes, p168

Craving Suffering

The second noble truth teaches that the true root of suffering is the craving for happiness itself. This craving is the result of the unrealistic expectation that life should be a source of unchangeable happiness as discussed under the first noble truth. Craving is what transforms the occasionally painful process of life into an ongoing cycle of agony and unbearable suffering at worst or a life of subtle agitation and anxiety at best. Thus, while external circumstances can indeed bring about uncomfortable or tragic experiences, it is the internal craving that turns mere pain into suffering. Indeed, craving can even spoil pleasant circumstances with its incessant demands and impoverished outlook on life. All of this is not to deny or denigrate the experiences of those who have or are experiencing affliction, exploitation, or tragedy. The point is that when one lets craving compound painful circumstances with emotional suffering or lets craving spoil even pleasant circumstances, then one has truly given up one’s power and is destined for a life determined by the forces of greed, anger and ignorance which are naturally generated in reaction to suffering.

Open Your Eyes, p166-167

The Middle Way Between Self-Indulgence and Self-Denial

The Middle Way as taught here by Śākyamuni Buddha is the Middle Way between self-indulgence and self-denial, both of which perpetuate the self-absorption that generates craving for worldly and otherworldly gain and is reinforced by deluded views. The Middle Way is in fact none other than the eightfold path that is the fourth of the four noble truths that the Buddha then proceeds to expound. Here is the first of the four:

“Now this, monks, is the noble truth of suffering: birth is suffering, aging is suffering, illness is suffering, death is suffering; union with what is displeasing is suffering; separation from what is pleasing is suffering; not to get what one wants is suffering; in brief, the five aggregates subject to clinging are suffering.”

The first noble truth of suffering means that conditioned phenomena are incapable of providing real lasting happiness. This does not mean that there is no happiness at all, but it does mean that even when we do get what we hoped for the happiness never lasts. In terms of the six lower realms, the worlds of the hell-dwellers, hungry ghosts, animals, and fighting demons are full of pain, ceaseless torment, and strife. Human life is naturally subject to old age, sickness, and death as well as the other sufferings enumerated. Even those who make wholesome causes and find themselves in heavenly circumstances will find that eventually the causes and conditions that put them there will change and they will find themselves forced to take birth into a new situation. In the six lower realms happiness is rare and fleeting whereas painful circumstances are abundant and insecurity is pervasive.

Open Your Eyes, p165

Hinayāna vs. Mahāyāna

I would like to clarify here what is meant by the term “Hinayāna.” The term means “Small Vehicle” whereas Mahāyāna means “Great Vehicle.” The Mahāyānists referred to those Buddhists who rejected the Mahāyāna sūtras as Hinayāna Buddhists. The so-called Hinayāna Buddhists believed that the Buddha’s teachings could only be found in a closed canonical collection called the Three Baskets (S. tripiṭaka) composed of the sūtras that are the Buddha’s discourses, the monastic rules and procedures (S. vinaya), and the “Higher Dharma” (S. abhidharma) treatises that systematized the teachings in the discourses. The southern recension of these discourses is called the Pāli canon, since it was recorded in the Pāli language. It is composed of five Nikāyas or “Collections.” The northern recension of these discourses was in Sanskrit. They were called the Āgamas or “Sources” and exist now in Chinese translation. Today the Theravādin schools of Southeast Asia and Sri Lanka continue to uphold the Pāli canon as the only authoritative canonical collection of the Buddha’s teachings. The Sarvāstivādin and other northern schools that upheld the Āgama sūtras have long since disappeared in India. Because the term Hinayāna is a disparaging epithet and not the proper name of a school, it is best to use the term Theravāda and not Hinayāna when referring to the Buddhism of Southeast Asia. Calling the Āgama sūtras, their teachings, and the schools that rely upon them Hinayāna, as they are by East Asian Buddhists to this day, is problematic for a couple of reasons. The first is that, as Nichiren points out, those who study these teachings or who belong to these schools may have actually adopted Mahāyāna views. The second problem is that, according to Zhiyi, the teachings introduced in the Āgama sūtras can themselves express the perspective of the Mahāyāna if understood more deeply. Nevertheless, the term Hinayāna can be understood to refer to those teachings and schools that confine themselves to pre-Mahāyāna teachings, perspectives, and motivations, for that is how Nichiren uses the term in Kaimoku-shō.

Open Your Eyes, p163

The single thought-moment

When each of the ten realms is multiplied by the ten realms again due to the mutual possession of the ten realms one arrives at a hundred realms. Since each of the hundred realms has ten suchnesses there are said to be one thousand realms. In addition to all this, Zhiyi taught that there are three categories of existence that must be taken into account. These categories are the five aggregates (form, feeling, perception, mental formations, and consciousness); the sentient beings of the ten realms; and the environments in which they live. These three categories show that the one thousand realms are present in and manifest themselves in terms of the components of each beings, the sentient beings themselves as a whole, and the environments inhabited by them. The one thousand realms multiplied by the three categories brings the final total up to three thousand realms that are operative in every single thought-moment.

The single thought-moment is nothing other than each singular moment of conscious awareness that comprises the here and now of our life. Each moment of awareness contains all three thousand realms. The single thought-moment and the three thousand realms arise simultaneously. There is never a single moment of awareness without all the realms present within and all the realms are always united in a single moment of awareness. In support of this

Open Your Eyes, p157

Summary of the Ten Suchnesses

  1. Appearance refers to external or objective phenomena. That which is seen, heard, smelled, touched, or tasted is included in this factor. Appearance involves the way phenomena are encountered in their various changing expressions and objective relations. For instance, the hell-dwellers have the appearance of undergoing various painful experiences such as being boiled in oil; on the other hand, heavenly beings have the appearance of pleasure and ease in their palaces and gardens. The two vehicles of the śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas have peaceful demeanors as they have transcended suffering by realizing nirvāṇa. The bodhisattvas can be observed cultivating the six perfections, realizing nirvāṇa, and attaining virtuous qualities. The liberating activities of a buddha are the appearance of a buddha.
  2. Nature refers to internal or subjective phenomena. This factor focuses on inner thoughts and feelings. Nature is about the subjective side of life, the conscious and felt nature of experience. It also refers to the inner qualities that remain for a time even as external appearances, expressions, and relations change. For instance, hell-dwellers are constantly dwelling on the perpetration of unwholesome actions that they believe will benefit them, whereas heavenly beings dwell on the performance of wholesome actions in order to gain benefit. The two vehicles are no longer attached to notions of gaining benefit through wholesome or unwholesome actions. The nature of a bodhisattva is either that of heavenly deeds or undefiled wisdom or the determination to remain in the six lower realms to save all sentient beings. The wisdom that illuminates the true nature of reality is the nature of a buddha.
  3. Entity is the causal nexus that expresses itself in both internal and external phenomena. Internal and external can never really be separated because both are nothing more than partial aspects of an integral whole. The integral whole is the contingent entity whose qualities have an objective and subjective dimension. For instance, the entity of hell-dwellers is characterized by torment, but the entity of heavenly beings is characterized by the temporary transcendence of disturbance. The entity of the two vehicles is the fivefold Dharma-body of morality, concentration, wisdom, liberation, and knowledge of liberation manifest in their actions and attitudes. The entity of the bodhisattvas is that of the 32 marks of greatness and later the ability to transform into whatever is needed to save sentient beings. The entity of the buddha is the true nature of reality.
  4. Power is the ability of phenomena to effect and undergo change. Whereas the first three factors analyze phenomena in terms of internal and external relations and their integral unity, this factor and the next point out that phenomena do not stand still as they are actually not static things but causes and conditions in a constant process of mutual influence and transformation. Any phenomenon is a causal entity that has the power to affect the world in myriad ways. For instance, hell-dwellers have the power to enter into states of suffering while the heavenly beings have the power to attain pleasure. The power of the two vehicles is to be in the world but no longer of it. The power of the buddhas and bodhisattvas is expressed in the four great vows.
  5. Activity is the actual change brought about through the function of the aforementioned power. It should be pointed out that phenomena depend upon cooperative conditions in order to have an actual effect on the world. Just because something or someone has the power to do something doesn’t mean that it will actually exert that power. When the right circumstances are met with, then that power will be activated. For instance, the hell-dwellers actively commit the ten evil acts, whereas the heavenly beings are generous and actively abide by the ten good acts. The activity of the two vehicles is to strive diligently to progress on the path to liberation. The performance of the six perfections is the activity of buddhas and bodhisattvas.
  6. Causes are those intentional actions of moral import made in the present. This factor and the next three directly refer to the moral law of cause and effect or karma. Cause, in this context, refers to all of our thoughts, words, and deeds, which become karmic seeds in the depths of our lives. These seeds are the habit-patterns that determine the ways in which our life will unfold. In fact, the dominant realm or state of mind that is our usual state of being is the fruition of these very seeds. Therefore, it is very important that we plant as many goods seeds in our life as possible. For instance, the hell-dwellers make bad causes of unwholesome thoughts, words, and deeds; the heavenly beings make good causes through wholesome thoughts, words, and deeds. The two vehicles make the cause of coming to know for themselves nondefilement. As the bodhisattvas progress, they initially make the same causes as the heavenly beings, then the same causes as the two-vehicles, and then the perfecting of wisdom becomes their primary cause. The perfection of wisdom is the cause made by the buddhas.
  7. Conditions are the secondary or environmental causes that allow the primary causes to bear fruit. The seeds we have planted in our life through our own actions require the proper circumstances before they come to fruition. Even when they do come to fruition, the exact ways in which they manifest can be influenced by the conditions that surround them. The causes we have made can be inhibited, distorted, modified, mitigated, or even amplified, depending upon the other causes that we have planted and the circumstances in which we find ourselves. For instance, the hell dwellers find themselves in wretched circumstances and have unwholesome views and attitudes that drive them to greater desperation and even worse evils; whereas the heavenly beings find themselves in pleasant circumstances that put them at ease and inspire wholesome past times and benevolent attitudes. The two vehicles have as their conditions the practice of eliminating defilements. The bodhisattvas initially take the passions that bind beings to rebirth as their conditions but then move on to the practices and contemplations that reveal the truths of emptiness, provisional existence, and the Middle Way. The buddhas have the adornment of virtuous qualities as their conditions.
  8. Effects are the immediate consequences of the causes we make. Whenever we act, speak, or even think about something, there is an immediate effect upon our lives. That effect might be so minuscule as to be hardly noticeable. However, effects primarily refer to the planting of a new karmic seed in the depths of our lives, not just the immediate change in our consciousness or external circumstances. The importance of this is that everything we do has, at the very least, a subtle effect on our lives, and even more importantly contributes to the formation of our whole character. For instance, the hell-dwellers fall into bad habits as the effect of the causes they have made, whereas the heavenly beings cultivate good habits because they strive to make good causes. The two vehicles progressive elimination of the fetters that bind them to rebirth and their attainment of nirvāṇa is the effect resulting from the causes and conditions, though nirvāṇa is not actually the effect of a cause but what is realized when the fetters are undone. The bodhisattvas initially eliminate deluded views and attitudes and later eliminate the delusions as innumerable as grains of sand as the effects of their continuing efforts. The buddhas realize perfect and complete awakening as the effect of the perfection of wisdom.
  9. Recompenses are the future manifest results of present causes. This refers to the perhaps unforeseen long-term effects of the causes we have set in motion. In one manner or another the karmic seeds planted in the depths of our lives come to fruition under the right conditions. For instance, the unwholesome actions of the hell-dwellers will lead to future rebirths in the lower realms, whereas the wholesome actions of the heavenly beings will lead to future rebirths in the heavens or at least the human realm. The two vehicles believe that there will be no future suffering of recompense for past karma because they have ended the process of rebirth, but from the perspective of the One Vehicle they are still subject to “transmigration of change and advance” until they overcome fundamental ignorance and attain buddhahood. The bodhisattvas likewise do not suffer the consequences of karmic recompense after they have matured in their practice and cultivation, but they do engage in “transmigration with change and advance” in accordance with their vows. The realization of the true nirvāṇa of purity, bliss, eternity, and self that is neither identical to nor distinct from saṃsāra can be said to be the result enjoyed by the buddhas as a recompense of their cultivation of the One Vehicle.
  10. Beginning and end ultimately equal refers to the non-duality of all phenomena despite these differing aspects. Even though the ten realms can be distinguished due to their differing appearances, natures, and so on, they are all united and equal in that these differing aspects are all empty of any fixed independent substance, all temporary manifestations of causes and conditions, and all exemplify the Middle Way that embraces both emptiness and provisional existence.

Summary of the Ten Realms

  1. The realm of the hell-dwellers is the lowest of the realms. Those who willfully commit the ten evil acts are reborn as hell-dwellers as the fruition of their deeds. Likewise, those who commit one of the five grave offences (killing one’s father, killing one’s mother, killing an arhat, injuring the Buddha, causing a schism in the Sangha) will immediately be reborn in the lowest hell in their next life. The hot hells and cold hells (perhaps for the passionately unrestrained and the cold-hearted respectively) are the abode of those so consumed with hatred, bitterness, and despair that their only wish is to destroy themselves and others out of spite and the desire to end their miserable existence.
  2. The realm of the hungry ghosts is only slightly better. Those who commit the ten evil acts primarily motivated by selfish craving are reborn as hungry ghosts as the fruition of their deeds. Hungry ghosts are said to have large mouths and bellies, but only tiny throats. Hungry ghosts can never be satisfied and are consumed by craving. This is the state of those who suffer from addictions that control and dominate their lives. These addictions can be to drugs, alcohol, sex, gambling, power, work, entertainment, or even religion.
  3. The realm of animals is the state of cunning, primitive aggression, and instinctive desires. Those who unthinkingly commit the ten evil acts are reborn as animals. It is a state of mind that does not look beyond immediate gratification and pays no heed to consequences or long-term benefit. Here, pleasure and pain reign supreme over reason amid the brute struggle for survival as the strong prey upon the weak. Though not as inherently painful as the two previous worlds, those who are in this state will inevitably meet with frustration and confusion, if not outright pain and suffering.
  4. The realm of the fighting demons is the realm of arrogant demons who are obsessed with issues of status and power and whose ambition is to overthrow the gods of heaven. Those who follow the five precepts or even the five constant virtues (of Confucianism) but with ulterior motives and in a spirit of hypocrisy and self-righteousness are reborn as fighting demons. Those in this state are full of pride and arrogance and are extremely competitive and envious. They can never rest or feel secure because they must constantly strive to maintain and improve their position and prestige, no matter how well off they may actually be.
  5. The realm of humanity is, of course, the realm we are most familiar with. Those who follow the five constant virtues or who take refuge in the Three Treasures (Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha) and follow the five precepts are able to be reborn as humans. In the human world, suffering is recognized for what it is, and morality and reason are called upon to improve the human condition. At this point, civilized life can truly begin. The human state is considered a very fortunate one, because the suffering and striving of the previous four realms does not overcome reason, nor is there the complacency brought about by the pleasures of the heavens. From this realm of humanity, one can find the opportunity to encounter the Three Treasures, take up the teachings, put them into practice, and attain liberation.
  6. The realm of the heavenly beings is where the gods make their abode. Those who take refuge in the Three Treasures, follow the ten good acts, and give generously to worthy people and causes are able to be reborn in the heavens of desire. Those who follow the ten good acts and also go on to cultivate states of meditative absorption to overcome all inner disturbance and negativity are able to be reborn in the more refined heavens of form or formlessness, which correspond to the states of concentration they attained. The heavens are temporary (though long lasting) realms of spiritual bliss of increasing subtlety and refinement.
  7. The realm of the śrāvakas is the first of the four noble states. Śrāvakas are those who hear the teachings of the Buddha, specifically the four noble truths, and put them into practice by becoming monks or nuns and taking up a life of strict discipline and rigorous contemplative practices in order to awaken to the fact that all conditioned things are ultimately unsatisfactory, impermanent, selfless, and empty of any fixed unchanging essence. This awakening is their attainment of nirvärpa. Nirväna, for them, is the elimination of the fetters of greed, hatred, and false views that bind them to rebirth among the six lower realms. Upon attaining nirvāṇa, śrāvakas are known as arhats (lit. worthy ones), who are worthy to receive offerings. Though this is called a realm, arhats do not exist in a separate realm apart from the world of humanity. Arhats are invariably human beings who attain nirvāṇa and upon their deaths (which is called final nirvāṇa) they are no longer to be found anywhere, much like a fire that has been extinguished.
  8. The realm of the pratyekabuddhas is the second of the four noble states. Pratyekabuddhas are the ascetics and hermits who live in a time and place where Buddhism is unknown but attain liberation by contemplating causes and conditions and awakening to the unsatisfactory, impermanent, selfless, and empty nature of all conditioned phenomena. Unlike buddhas, they do not afterwards try to teach others how to awaken. Like the arhats they are invariably human beings who have eliminated greed, hatred, and false views. They too have realized nirvāṇa and are no longer bound to be reborn among the six lower realms. Sometimes pratyekabuddhas are not viewed as hermits who awaken on their own apart from Buddhism. Sometimes they are thought to be those Buddhist practitioners who live as forest-hermits and attain nirvāṇa by contemplating the twelve-fold chain of dependent origination taught by the Buddha to provide a deeper understanding of causes and conditions. In this case they are known as “cause-knowers” (J. engaku).
  9. The realm of the bodhisattvas is the third of the four noble states. Bodhisattvas are those who aspire to attain buddhahood so that they too can lead all sentient beings to liberation. To do this they make vows, for instance the four great vows of the bodhisattva (to save all being, quench all defilements, know all the teachings, and attain the path to buddhahood), and take up the practice of the six perfections (of generosity, morality, patience, energy, meditative absorption, and wisdom). Bodhisattvas sometimes reside in the pure lands of the buddhas of the ten directions but can just as often be found taking rebirth among those in the six worlds in accordance with their vows so that they can help sentient beings, cultivate wisdom, and accrue the merit needed to attain buddhahood.
  10. The realm of the buddhas is the fourth of the four noble states. Buddhahood is the state characterized by purity, bliss, eternity, and self (or authenticity). With perfect wisdom and great compassion, the buddhas spontaneously and unselfconsciously respond to the spiritual needs of all sentient beings. They reside in the pure lands but also appear in the world of humanity as a person who attains buddhahood, teaches the Dharma, and establishes the Sangha.

Each of these ten realms contains the causes and conditions of all ten within themselves. This means that any of the ten contains the potential to manifest any of the others. This is the mutual possession of the ten realms. One might say that the lower realms contain the higher realms as seeds of their future growth and maturity, while the higher realms embrace the lower realms insofar as they are perspectives that have been outgrown and yet assimilated. These are not ten separate realms lined up alongside each other, but rather ten different subjective modes of the interplay of causes and conditions. This means that if you change the causes and conditions you can also change the kind of realm that is or will be experienced. This also means that the realm of buddhahood is accessible to all the other realms and conversely the realm of buddhahood is able to compassionately interact with the lower realms.

Open Your Eyes, p148-151

Ten Wonders of the Original Gate

As for the ten wonders of the Original Gate they involve the causes and effects of buddhahood from the perspective of the Eternal Buddha and are as follows:

  1. The Wonder of Original Cause: The Eternal Buddha’s practice of the bodhisattva path occurred in the incalculably remote past and thereby puts the previous wonders of knowledges, practices, and stages of the Trace Gate in a timeless perspective.
  2. The Wonder of Original Effect: Likewise the Eternal Buddha’s attainment of buddhahood occurred in the remote past, and thus the wonder of the threefold Dharma is put into this timeless perspective.
  3. The Wonder of the Original Land: Since the time of the Eternal Buddha’s attainment of buddhahood in the remote past he has remained in this world of Endurance (Skt. sahā) teaching sentient beings. This world is, therefore, the true Pure Land of Eternally Tranquil Light of the Eternal Buddha.
  4. The Wonder of Original Receptivity and Response: The wonder of receptivity and response is now shown to have begun in the remote past.
  5. The Wonder of Original Supernatural Powers: The wonder of the Eternal Buddha’s use of supernatural powers is now shown to have begun in the remote past.
  6. The Wonder of the Original Expounding of the Dharma: The wonder of the Eternal Buddha’s expounding of the Dharma is now shown to have begun in the remote past.
  7. The Wonder of Original Attendants: The wonder of the Eternal Buddha’s relationship with sentient beings and fostering of bodhisattvas is now shown to have begun in the remote past.
  8. The Wonder of the Original Nirvāṇa: This is the wonder of the Eternal Buddha’s actual abiding in nirvāṇa since the remote past, though he repeatedly displays the attainment of nirvāṇa with remainder (the extinction of greed, hatred, and delusion in life) and final nirvāṇa or nirvāṇa without remainder (physical extinction) in order to inspire sentient beings.
  9. The Wonder of the Original Lifespan: This is the wonder of the Eternal Buddha’s unborn and deathless lifespan, though he takes on various transient lives in the world in order to teach, guide, and inspire sentient beings.
  10. The Wonder of Original Benefits: The wonder of the Eternal Buddha’s merit and beneficial influence on sentient beings is now shown to have begun in the remote past.
Open Your Eyes, p143-145

Ten Trace Wonders

As for the ten wonders of the Trace Gate they involve the causes and effects of buddhahood understood from the perspective of the teaching of the historical Buddha and are as follows:

  1. The Wonder of Objects: The wondrous objective realities that the Buddha taught such as the four noble truths, the twelve-fold chain of dependent origination, the ten suchnesses from chapter two of the Lotus Sūtra, the two truths (the conventional and the ultimate), the threefold truth (of the empty, the provisional and the Middle Way), and the one truth of ultimate reality itself are all wondrous because they lead to and express the subtle and perfect teaching of the Lotus Sūtra.
  2. The Wonder of Knowledges: The deepening knowledge (or gnosis) of ordinary beings, śrāvakas, pratyekabuddhas, and bodhisattvas who awaken to the aforementioned objects are wondrous because they all ultimately lead to buddhahood.
  3. The Wonder of Practices: All practices, including concentration and insight; the threefold training of morality, concentration, and wisdom; and the six perfections of the bodhisattva, are wondrous because they all lead ultimately to buddhahood.
  4. The Wonder of Stages: All the stages of attainment that ultimately lead to buddhahood, from the stage of those who only strive for rebirth as a human being or in the heavens, to those stages of śrāvaka practice leading to arhatship, all the way up to the advanced stages of bodhisattva practice are wondrous.
  5. The Wonder of the Threefold Dharma: All of the above leads to buddhahood, which is the wondrous fulfillment of the threefold Dharma or three tracks: the track of real nature, the track of contemplative illumination of wisdom, and the track of fulfilling potential as the accomplishment of meritorious deeds.
  6. The Wonder of Receptivity and Response: The Buddha’s wholesome influence and assistance given in response to the needs of sentient beings in accord with their receptivity to his teachings is wondrous.
  7. The Wonder of Supernatural Powers: The power of the Buddha to assist sentient beings with supernatural mastery over his own body, clairaudience, mind reading, past-life recall, clairvoyance, and knowledge of the destruction of the taints is wondrous.
  8. The Wonder of Expounding the Dharma: The Buddha’s ability to expound the Dharma in the form of sūtras (prose discourses), verse restatements of the prose (S. gāthā), original verse teachings (S. geya), expansive discourses (S. vaipulya), prophecies to his disciples concerning their attainment of buddhahood, short sayings, tales of causality, parables, stories of his disciples past lives, stories of his own past lives, tales of auspicious occasions, and dialogues is wondrous.
  9. The Wonder of Attendants: The variety of relationships that sentient beings have with the Buddha depending on either the universality of buddha-nature or specific causes or the vows they have made is wondrous.
  10. The Wonder of Merits and Benefits: The final wonder of the Trace Gate is the boundless merit enjoyed by the Buddha and the great benefit he confers upon all sentient beings when they encounter the Buddha, hear the Dharma, and put it into practice so that they also may attain buddhahood.
Open Your Eyes, p142-143