AN OVERVIEW OF “THE PRECIOUS KEY TO THE SECRET TREASURY”
Kobo Daishi Kukai’s Ten Level’s of Mind and Path of Spiritual Development
(A collection of relevant materials, recommended readings and some sporadic comments)
Level Six
"The Compassionate Mahayana Mind (taen daido-shin). At this level of mind, compassion for all living beings wells forth. Although realizing that objects are void, this mind still considers the self-nature of the storehouse consciousness (which recognizes the objects) to be real. (The doctrine of Consciousness-Only belongs here. This and the following levels describe Mahayana Buddhism.) (Yamasaki, p. 96)
When they cherish unconditional compassion for others and deny the existence of the world of objects with the view that what exists is mind only, they extirpate both affectional and intellectual impediments and transform [their Eightfold Consciousness] into the Fourfold Wisdom. [Hosso or Yogacara of Mahayana] (Hakeda, p. 159)
"Compassion arises unconditionally; this is the first instance of great compassion. Recognizing phenomena as illusory shadows of mind, [a student of Yogacara who believes that] what exists is mind only negates the validity of the world of objects. The doctrine of subjective idealism characteristic of Hosso, or Yogacara, discusses the mind in terms of five sense perceptions, mind (mental faculty), ego-consciousness, and alaya-consciousness (the subconsciousness). (Hakeda, p. 71)
"In the sixth stage , which is the first of the Mahayana stages, he altruistically seeks to aid others. The compound "taen" in the name of this stage translates the Sanskrit word "aparaptatyaya", which has two meanings: "welfare for the sake of others", and "the supreme welfare of others". It is striving for the benefit of all other beings and not merely for one's own welfare, the ideal of the Bodhisattva, who vows not to enter Nirvana until all others have been guided to Liberation." (Snodgrass, p. 8)
"The sea of Mind is forever tranquil
Without even a single ripple;
Stirred by the storm of discriminations,
Billows rage to and fro.
Men in the street are deluded;
They are fascinated by phantom like men and women.
Heretics are crazed;
They adhere to the grand tower of mirage.
They do not know
That heaven and hell are fabricated by their own minds.
Do they come to realize
That "mind-only" will free them from their tragedies?
Be that as it may,
By practicing the Six Paramitas for three aeons,
By practicing the fifty-two stages of enlightenment,
They will uncover One Mind.
When they become pure hearted,
Cutting off their emotional and mental obstacles,
They will find their own Treasury -
Enlightenment, or Nirvana.
(Hakeda, p. 199-200)
Recommended Readings:
Kukai: Major Works by Yoshito Hakeda, Part Three pages 197 - 201
The Way of the Bodhisattva (Shantideva, Shambhala, 2008)
The Awakening of Faith (Asvaghosha, Columbia University Press, 1967)
Bibliography
Shingon: Japanese Esoteric Buddhism, Taiko Yamasaki, Shambhala, 1988
Kukai: Major Works, Y.S.Hakeda, Columbia University Press, 1972
The Matrix and Diamond World Mandalas in Shingon Buddhism, A. Snodgrass, International Academy of Indian Culture and Aditya Prakashan, New Delhi, 1988
