Shingon's Ninth Level of Mind

Kukai gives the name, "The Profoundest Exoteric Buddhist Mind that is Aware of its Nonimmutable Nature" to his ninth level of mind. (p. 211) Kukai identifies the mythic origin of this level of mind in the following passage:

"Vairocana Buddha preached extensively for two weeks the meaning of this [mind], after having attained enlightenment for the first time, to the great Bodhisattva Samantabhadra and to others. He was residing, as it were, in a lotus-adorned abode of glorious enlightenment in the country called the World of Dharma. He manifested himself in seven places and held eight assemblies to unfold the Avatamsaka Sutra. He first entered the concentration known as the sagaramudra samadhi and meditated on the complete diffusion of the Nature of Dharma (dharmata). (p. 212 - 213)

The reference to the Avatamsaka Sutra links this mind to the Hua-yen (Kegon in Japanese) School of Buddhism.

(Quotations are from "Kukai: Major Works", Hakeda, 1972)

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Unconditioned and signless...

 

"The One Way, unconditioned and signless, is spotless;

It unfolds the teaching of nonduality of neither being nor nonbeing.

When both the seeing and the seen are negated, the eternal ground of quiescence will be found;

When all thought determinations are exhausted, one will meet with Mahavairocana."

Excerpted from the verse conclusion of Kukai's eighth level of mind, "The Mind that is Truly in Harmony with the One Way".  (Kukai: Major Works, Hakeda, 1972, p. 73 or 210)

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Kukai's Ninth Level of Mind...

 

"That which is near to us and yet difficult to perceive is our Mind. He who is infinitesimal and yet who pervades all space is our Buddha. Our Buddha is suprarational and our Mind is boundless... What is really mysterious and unfathomable is the Buddha which is our Mind."

From Kukai's description of the ninth level of mind ("Kukai: Major Works", Hakeda, 1972, p. 211)

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