Well, friends, this has been a really educational ten months for me. I started this little project in the hopes that learning about and practicing these ten paramitas would teach me something deeper about them. And I do believe it did.
Today, in this final post, I wanted to share with you another list of ten: the ten bhumis. Mahayana Buddhism teaches that every bodhisattva makes her way through ten stages. These stages along the journey take the bodhisattva further and further up the mountain, until the summit of enlightenment is reached. Each of these ten bhumis, or stages, correlates with one of the ten paramitas. So we can see the stages as the natural outgrowth of each of these virtues. Travel with me as we wander up the mountain of ten bhumis!
THE TEN BHUMIS
- THE JOYFUL LAND: When we practice dana, generosity, our hearts overflow with joy. Generosity naturally opens our hearts, which gently moves us past any fear or grasping. We become joyous.
- THE LAND OF PURITY: Shila, discipline, clears our minds, bodies, and hearts from all that seeks to defile it. When we accept the responsibility of our own faults, we actually find great freedom. True purity is selfless compassion.
- THE RADIANT LAND: A patient person is a radiant person. As we practice kshanti, patience, our inner light shines steadily- and others benefit! That’s why this is sometimes called the Light-Maker Land.
- THE LUMINOUS LAND: Heroic perseverance, virya, provides us the gift of luminosity. When we are wise enough to stay the course, to keep going when the going gets tough, we burn away the doubts, sorrows, and obstacles.
- THE LAND THAT IS DIFFICULT TO CONQUER: The veil of ignorance is thick, but by practicing meditation, dhyana, a bodhisattva will prevail. By learning to train the mind, we can overcome even the most difficult parts of spiritual growth and life.
- THE LAND LOOKING FORWARD TO WISDOM: With our eyes set firmly ahead, we continue our journey toward wisdom, prajna. We come to realize that the truth lies beyond either/or, here/there, being/nonbeing. We gain clarity and discernment.
- THE FAR-REACHING LAND: With all that we’ve cultivated, we can now apply these practices and this knowledge wisely. Skillful means, upaya, allows us to put our experience to work, for the benefit of all.
- THE IMMOVABLE LAND: The bodhisattva rests firmly in faith and trust. Spiritual aspiration, pranidhana, makes us steady as a rock. We are immovable.
- THE LAND OF GOOD THOUGHTS: This far up the mountain, we have learned so much and are now able to pass this wisdom to others. This is where spiritual power, siddhi, becomes available to us. We move beyond our own knowing.
- THE CLOUD OF DHARMA: Here, in the final stage, the bodhisattva becomes like a cloud, permeating time and space. We reach enlightenment, but not for our own benefit. With this awakened awareness, jnana, we can truly be of service for the good of the world.
Of course, if you’ve practiced with me at all, you know the journey to enlightenment does not go in a direct line. We zigzag, we backtrack, we falter and begin again. Like any good hiking expedition, the simplest goal is to keep going and reach the top.
With that in mind, I want to offer you a blessing, if I may. I am so grateful for those of you who have read along, sent me emails, and journeyed alongside me these ten months. And I pray- and trust!- our collective efforts will be of benefit to us and to others.
SO:
Dearest bodhisattvas,
May your heart be filled with the joy of generosity.
May your whole being become pure and stainless as you maintain discipline.
May your patience be a radiant light both within you and to all around you.
May your commitment to meditation prevail, even in the deepest shadows.
May wisdom become whole and true within you.
May you employ skillful means in all your endeavors, that every good intention would reach its fullest expression.
May your faith and trust be immovable in the face of all obstacles.
May spiritual power rest within you and take you beyond what you thought possible.
And may awakened awareness reside within you like a jewel, whose brilliance brings warmth and light to the whole world.
Also: I’m grateful for these three books, who were my constant companions. I highly recommend them!
Buddha Is As Buddha Does by Lama Surya Das
Becoming Bodhisattvas by Pema Chodron (formerly published as No Time To Lose)
The Practice of Perfection by Robert Aitken
And LASTLY, I will be taking a break from the blog for the rest of the summer. I plan to return in the fall with a new project, so stay tuned!
