Professor Lin Chong'an: "The Path to Buddhahood in the Āgama Sūtras"

Selected Essays on Buddhist Studies

The Path to Buddhahood in the Āgama Sūtras

Lin Chong'an (1997)

The path the Āgama Sūtras reveals isn't limited to the śrāvaka path alone. For example, in Saṃyuktāgama 393, the Buddha says:

1. "With the three fetters exhausted, one attains the stage of a Stream-enterer (Sotāpanna), and one fully knows the Four Noble Truths." (The three fetters are clinging to wrong views of precepts and practices, doubt, and the view of self. When one has exhausted these three, one attains the fruit of Sotāpanna and knows the Four Noble Truths as they really are.)

2. "If the three fetters are exhausted and greed, hatred, and delusion are attenuated, one attains the stage of a Once-returner (Sakadāgāmī), for all of them know the Four Noble Truths as they really are." (One who has exhausted the three fetters and weakened greed, hatred, and delusion attains the fruit of Sakadāgāmī and knows the Four Noble Truths as they really are.)

3. "With the five lower fetters exhausted, one attains final nirvāṇa in the intermediate existence and becomes a Non-returner (Anāgāmī) who does not return to this world; they all know the Four Noble Truths." (One who has exhausted the five fetters—clinging to wrong views of precepts and practices, doubt, the view of self, hatred, and sensual desire—is reborn in the form realm, attains nirvāṇa there, and reaches the fruit of Anāgāmī without further rebirth in the desire realm; they know the Four Noble Truths as they really are.)

4. "If all the outflows are exhausted, one is free from outflows, liberated in mind, liberated by wisdom, having personally witnessed the Dharma and attained self-realization: 'My birth is exhausted, the holy life is established, what had to be done is done, and I know for myself that I will receive no further existence,' they all know the Four Noble Truths as they really are." (Outflows here mean afflictions. One who, having heard the Buddha's teaching, exhausts all afflictions, attains liberation of mind and liberation by wisdom, sees the truth, and realizes the fruit of the śrāvaka Arhat, knows through self-realization: "My birth is exhausted, the holy life is established, what had to be done is done, I shall no longer be driven by karmic forces into future rebirth," and knows the Four Noble Truths as they really are.)

5. "If one has attained the path and realization of a Pratyekabuddha, this too is because one knows the Four Noble Truths as they really are." (One who realizes the fruit of a Pratyekabuddha knows the Four Noble Truths as they really are.)

6. "If one has attained supreme perfect enlightenment (Anuttarā-samyak-saṃbodhi), this too is because one knows the Four Noble Truths as they really are. What are the four? The noble truth of suffering, the noble truth of the origin of suffering, the noble truth of the cessation of suffering, and the noble truth of the path leading to the cessation of suffering." (One who realizes the fruit of supreme perfect enlightenment knows the Four Noble Truths as they really are. What are the four? They are the truths that suffering exists, that suffering arises, that suffering ceases, and that there is a path leading to the cessation of suffering—the four truths of the noble ones.)

These six passages point to six kinds of noble beings—the Stream-enterer, the Once-returner, the Non-returner, the śrāvaka Arhat, the Pratyekabuddha, and the Buddha—all of whom must know the Four Noble Truths. Put differently, the Āgama Sūtras make clear that knowing the Four Noble Truths is indispensable for attaining Buddhahood. The Buddha goes further in these sūtras, teaching that observing the five aggregates, observing feelings, and the like are all essential to the path. He also calls the Four Foundations of Mindfulness, the Six Things, and similar teachings the "One Vehicle Path"—the single road that śrāvaka-bodhi, pratyekabodhi, and anuttarā-bodhi must all travel. What follows draws on the Āgama Sūtras, together with the Saṃgraha section of the Yogācārabhūmi-śāstra and the Mahāvibhāṣā, to explain what the path to Buddhahood involves.

1. What It Takes to Attain Buddhahood

What does it take to attain Buddhahood, according to the Āgama Sūtras? The answer can be divided into two parts: cultivating concentration and cultivating wisdom.

On the side of concentration, one practice the Buddha particularly emphasized is mindfulness of breathing (ānāpāna-smṛti). Saṃyuktāgama 807 says:

The Buddha told the bhikṣus: If someone speaks rightly of the "Holy Abiding, the Heavenly Abiding, the Brahmā Abiding, the Abiding of Training, the Abiding of the Trained One, and the Abiding of the Tathāgata"; of what is "not yet attained by the trainee but to be attained, not yet reached but to be reached, not yet realized but to be realized"; and of "the present abiding in bliss of the Trained One"—it is mindfulness of breathing that is rightly spoken of. Why is this? Because mindfulness of breathing is the Holy Abiding, the Heavenly Abiding, the Brahmā Abiding, up to and including the present abiding in bliss of the Trained One.

A corresponding passage and its explanation appear in the Abhidharma Mahāvibhāṣā-śāstra, Volume 26:

The Buddha told the bhikṣus: "If someone asks, 'What is the Holy Abiding? What is the Heavenly Abiding? What is the Brahmā Abiding? What is the Buddha's Abiding? What is the Abiding of Training? What is the Abiding of the Trained One?' one should answer correctly: It is the retention of the breath. Why? Because this retention of the breath enables the trainee to realize what has not yet been realized, and enables the Trained One to attain present abiding in bliss." This retention of the breath, being unmixed with afflictions, is called the Holy Abiding; by nature luminous and pure, it is called the Heavenly Abiding; by nature tranquil, it is called the Brahmā Abiding; being the frequent abiding of all Buddhas, it is called the Buddha's Abiding; attained through training, it is called the Abiding of Training; attained by one beyond training, it is called the Abiding of the Trained One. Through it the trainee gains the supreme direct realization and cuts off afflictions, hence it is called realizing what has not yet been realized; through it the Trained One attains the unmoving liberation of mind, hence it is called attaining present abiding in bliss.

From these passages we can see that mindfulness of breathing—also called retention of the breath or mindfulness of the in-and-out breath—lets the trainee realize what hasn't yet been realized, grants the Trained One present abiding in bliss, and is the frequent abiding of all Buddhas. Hence it's called the Abiding of Training, the Abiding of the Trained One, and the Buddha's Abiding (the Tathāgata's Abiding). Through mindfulness of breathing one cultivates the four dhyānas and eight concentrations and so attains present abiding in bliss. Since the path to Buddhahood requires wide study of methods for cultivating concentration, mindfulness of breathing is one indispensable practice.

What about cultivating wisdom—what's indispensable there? The Āgama Sūtras spell it out. Saṃyuktāgama 13 has the Buddha saying:

Bhikṣus! If I had not known truly, with respect to these five aggregates of clinging, that gratification is gratification, danger is danger, and escape is escape, then among the gods, Māra, Brahmā, śramaṇas, brāhmaṇas, and gods and humans, I would not have been freed, would not have emerged, would not have been released, would have remained forever in inverted views, and could not have attained Anuttarā-samyak-saṃbodhi for myself. Bhikṣus! Because I have known truly that with respect to these five aggregates of clinging, gratification is gratification, danger is danger, and escape is escape, therefore among the gods, Māra, Brahmā, śramaṇas, brāhmaṇas, and gods and humans, I have attained freedom for myself, emergence for myself, release for myself, liberation (from the bonds), I no longer abide in inverted views, and I am able to attain Anuttarā-samyak-saṃbodhi for myself.

Here the Buddha makes clear that achieving Anuttarā-samyak-saṃbodhi requires observing the five aggregates of clinging as they really are—looking into form, feeling, perception, mental formations, and consciousness for their attractive qualities, their dangers, and the way out. So observing the five aggregates as they are is one requirement for attaining Buddhahood, and this observation is the study of wisdom.

A passage of the same kind appears with regard to the feeling aggregate. In Saṃyuktāgama 479, the Buddha says:

If I had not known truly, with respect to feelings—the arising of feelings, the cessation of feelings, the path leading to the arising of feelings, the path leading to the cessation of feelings, the gratification of feelings, the danger of feelings, and the escape from feelings—then among the gods of the world, Māra, Brahmā, śramaṇas, brāhmaṇas, and gods and humans, I would not have attained liberation, emergence, release from inverted views, nor would I have attained Anuttarā-samyak-saṃbodhi. Because I have known truly, with respect to feelings—the arising of feelings, the cessation of feelings, the path leading to the arising of feelings, the path leading to the cessation of feelings, the gratification of feelings, the danger of feelings, and the escape from feelings—therefore among the gods of the world, Māra, Brahmā, śramaṇas, brāhmaṇas, and gods and humans, I have attained freedom, emergence, release from inverted views, and Anuttarā-samyak-saṃbodhi.

Here the Buddha singles out the feeling aggregate as the object of true observation. One must look into: (1) feelings themselves—pleasant, painful, and neither pleasant nor painful; (2) the arising of feelings—the arising of contact; (3) the cessation of feelings—the cessation of contact; (4) the path to the arising of feelings—delighting in, praising, becoming attached to, and holding fast to feelings; (5) the path to the cessation of feelings—not delighting in, not praising, not becoming attached to, and not holding fast to feelings; (6) the gratification of feelings—joy and pleasure arising from conditions; (7) the danger of feelings—their impermanence and changeability; (8) the escape from feelings—cutting off desire and attachment toward them and going beyond them. So observing one's own feelings is one indispensable requirement.

Another similar passage appears in Saṃyuktāgama 379, where the Buddha says:

Bhikṣus! If, with respect to the Four Noble Truths, I had not generated the eye, wisdom, light, and insight through the three turnings and twelve aspects, I would never have attained, among the gods, Māra, Brahmā, śramaṇas, brāhmaṇas, and those who have heard the Dharma, liberation, emergence, and release, nor would I have attained Anuttarā-samyak-saṃbodhi for myself. Because I have generated the eye, wisdom, light, and insight with respect to the Four Noble Truths through the three turnings and twelve aspects, I have, among the gods, Māra, Brahmā, śramaṇas, brāhmaṇas, and those who have heard the Dharma, attained emergence and freedom, and have realized Anuttarā-samyak-saṃbodhi for myself.

Here the Buddha teaches that one must observe the Four Noble Truths—the truth of suffering, of origin, of cessation, and of the path—to attain Buddhahood. Through three successive turnings, the twelve aspects of right knowledge unfold: in the first turning, four aspects—"This is the noble truth of suffering, this is the noble truth of origin, this is the noble truth of cessation, this is the noble truth of the path"; in the second, four more—"The unknown suffering is to be fully known, the unsevered origin is to be cut off, the unrealized cessation is to be realized, the unpracticed path is to be cultivated"; in the third, four more—"Suffering has been fully known, origin has been cut off forever, cessation has been fully realized, the path has been fully cultivated." Through such practice one realizes supreme perfect enlightenment. So observing the Four Noble Truths is one requirement.

A similar passage also appears in Saṃyuktāgama 650, where the Buddha says:

Bhikṣus! If I had not known truly, with respect to the faculty of faith, the arising of the faculty of faith, the cessation of the faculty of faith, and the path leading to the cessation of the faculty of faith, I would never have attained, among the gods, Māra, Brahmā, śramaṇas, and brāhmaṇas, emergence, release, freedom from inverted views, nor would I have attained Anuttarā-samyak-saṃbodhi. The same is said for the faculties of faith, vigor, mindfulness, concentration, and wisdom.

Bhikṣus! Because I have observed with right wisdom, as they really are, the faculty of faith, its arising, its cessation, and the path leading to its cessation, I have, among the gods, Māra, Brahmā, śramaṇas, and brāhmaṇas, attained emergence, release, freedom from inverted views, and Anuttarā-samyak-saṃbodhi. The same is said for the faculties of faith, vigor, mindfulness, concentration, and wisdom.

Here the Buddha teaches that one must observe with right wisdom, as they really are, the five spiritual faculties—faith, vigor, mindfulness, concentration, and wisdom—together with their arising, their cessation, and the path to their cessation. Saṃyuktāgama 651 likewise speaks of observing the arising, passing, gratification, danger, and escape of the five faculties as they really are. So observing the five faculties is one requirement, and it makes clear that on the path one must fully cultivate these five essential qualities of mind.

Turning to the twelve links of dependent origination, in Saṃyuktāgama 287 the Buddha says:

I recall that in the past, before I had attained complete enlightenment, I was alone in a quiet place, concentrating single-mindedly in dhyāna contemplation, and made the following reflection: "Because of what does old age and death exist? By what condition does old age and death exist?" Upon right reflection, true knowledge arose without interval: because there is birth, old age and death exist; because there is birth as a condition, old age and death exist. Likewise, there is becoming, grasping, craving, feeling, contact, the six sense bases, name and form.... At that time I reflected: "Because of the absence of what is there no old age and death? With the cessation of what does old age and death cease?"... Upon right reflection, true knowledge arose without interval: because of the absence of ignorance, there is no formation; with the cessation of ignorance, formations cease; with the cessation of formations, consciousness ceases; with the cessation of consciousness, name and form cease; with the cessation of name and form, the six sense bases cease; with the cessation of the six sense bases, contact ceases; with the cessation of contact, feeling ceases; with the cessation of feeling, craving ceases; with the cessation of craving, grasping ceases; with the cessation of grasping, becoming ceases; with the cessation of becoming, birth ceases; with the cessation of birth, old age, sickness, death, sorrow, lamentation, suffering, anxiety, and distress cease; thus this entire great mass of suffering ceases.... Now I have found the path of the ancient ṛṣis, the road of the ancient ṛṣis, the footsteps of the ancient ṛṣis, the destination of the ancient ṛṣis, and I have followed them. This is the Noble Eightfold Path: right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration. Through that path, I have seen old age and death, the arising of old age and death, the cessation of old age and death, and the path leading to the cessation of old age and death; ... formations, the arising of formations, the cessation of formations, and the path leading to the cessation of formations. In this Dharma, I have known and realized for myself, and have attained perfect enlightenment.

From this we see that, before attaining Buddhahood, the Buddha traced the forward and reverse workings of the twelve links of dependent origination, found the path of the ancient ṛṣis—which is the Noble Eightfold Path—and through it personally saw the twelve links together with their arising, cessation, and path to cessation, thereby attaining Buddhahood. Observing the twelve links of dependent origination and practicing the Noble Eightfold Path are therefore indispensable requirements.

The Buddha also observed his own mind's habits before attaining Buddhahood. Saṃyuktāgama 211 says:

In the past, before I had attained complete enlightenment, I was alone in a quiet place, contemplating in dhyāna: "Where does my own mind incline toward most often?" I observed that my mind often pursued past sensual gratifications.... After I observed the mind that pursues past sensual gratifications, I exerted great skillful means, diligently guarding myself, and no longer allowed it to follow past sensual gratifications. By this diligent self-guarding, I gradually drew near to Anuttarā-samyak-saṃbodhi.

This passage shows that for the five sensual gratifications of the past—form, sound, scent, taste, and touch—toward which greed easily arises, one must guard oneself diligently and live in the present to attain Buddhahood.

In Saṃyuktāgama 727, the Buddha tells Ānanda:

Only through diligent cultivation and frequent cultivation can Anuttarā-samyak-saṃbodhi be attained.

So diligence is one requirement for attaining Buddhahood.

To summarize: to realize supreme enlightenment, one must observe the gratification, danger, and escape of the five aggregates—especially the arising, cessation, path, gratification, danger, and escape of the feeling aggregate; one must observe the Four Noble Truths; one must observe the arising, cessation, and path of the five faculties; and one must observe the twelve links of dependent origination as they really are. These items have different names, but their substance is the same: observe the present nature of one's own body and mind, the five aggregates, and see clearly their arising, cessation, path, gratification, danger, and escape; then practice the bodhi path with the power of diligence. That's all.

2. The One Vehicle Path

In the Pali parallels, the "One Vehicle Path" (ekayāna-mārga) of the Āgama Sūtras means "the one path"—the single road that śrāvaka-bodhi, pratyekabodhi, and anuttarā-bodhi all share and must travel. What does this path consist of? Saṃyuktāgama 607 says:

There is a One Vehicle Path that purifies sentient beings, helps them transcend sorrow and grief, extinguish affliction and suffering, and attain the Dharma as it really is. This is the Four Foundations of Mindfulness. What are the four? The contemplation of the body in the body, the contemplation of feelings in feelings, of mind in mind, and of dharmas in dharmas.

So cultivating the Four Foundations of Mindfulness is indispensable for attaining Buddhahood. In Saṃyuktāgama 635 the Buddha also says:

If a bhikṣu cultivates and frequently cultivates the Four Foundations of Mindfulness, sentient beings who are not yet purified are made pure, and those already purified are further refined.... Just as sentient beings are purified, so those who have not yet crossed to the other shore are caused to cross over; and those who attain the Arhat, those who attain the Pratyekabuddha, and those who attain Anuttarā-samyak-saṃbodhi, are all as stated above.

Therefore, the Four Foundations of Mindfulness are a shared practice for attaining the states of an arhat, a pratyekabuddha, and a fully awakened supreme Buddha. In the Saṃyuktāgama (Sutra 563), Venerable Ānanda tells the Licchavi elder Mahānāma:

The Tathāgata, the Worthy One, the Fully and Perfectly Awakened One teaches three paths for extinguishing the fires of affliction, paths of purity and transcendence—all a single vehicle that purifies sentient beings, frees them from sorrow and grief, transcends suffering, and attains the true Dharma. What are these three? A noble disciple abides in pure morality, undertakes the Prātimokṣa precepts, and is upright in conduct,… gradually casts off accumulated karma, and in this very life, free from the fires of affliction, without waiting for a later time, realizes the Dharma directly, penetrating it with wisdom known to himself. Mahānāma, this is what the Tathāgata, the Worthy One, the Fully and Perfectly Awakened One teaches from his own direct knowledge: the first path for extinguishing the fires, of purity and transcendence, a single vehicle that purifies beings, ends suffering, transcends sorrow and grief, and attains the true Dharma. Furthermore, Mahānāma, when a practitioner is fully established in pure morality and has let go of desire and unwholesome states, they abide in turn in the first, second, third, and fourth dhyānas. This is the second path the Tathāgata teaches for extinguishing the fires, leading all the way to realizing the true Dharma. Moreover, one enters meditative absorption, and therein directly and clearly knows the noble truth of suffering, the noble truth of suffering’s origin, the noble truth of suffering’s cessation, and the noble truth of the path leading to the cessation of suffering. Endowed with such wisdom, one no longer creates new karma, and past karma is gradually eliminated. One realizes the true Dharma in this very life, is free from all fires of affliction, without waiting for a later time, penetrates it fully, sees it directly, and gives rise to wisdom realized through one’s own direct experience. Mahānāma, this is the third path the Tathāgata teaches from his own direct knowledge: a path for extinguishing the fires, of purity and transcendence, a single vehicle that purifies beings, frees them from suffering, ends sorrow and grief, and attains the true Dharma.

This passage indicates that the three trainings of morality, concentration, and wisdom make up the single vehicle—the right path common to the awakening of a śrāvaka, the awakening of a pratyekabuddha, and the supreme awakening of a fully enlightened Buddha. Its defining features are: (1) direct seeing (realized in this very life), (2) freedom from the fires of affliction, (3) not bound by time (no waiting for a specific season or future life), (4) direct penetration of the truth, (5) immediately observable here and now, and (6) inwardly realized through self-arising wisdom. When one is grounded in morality, concentration, and wisdom, one truly knows the Four Noble Truths, creates no new karma, and dissolves past karma, thereby extinguishing suffering—this is the essential path to attaining Buddhahood.

In the Saṃyuktāgama (Sutra 550), Mahākātyāyana tells the monks:

The Buddha, the World-Honored One, the Tathāgata, the Worthy One, the Fully and Perfectly Awakened One teaches six Dharmas from his own direct knowledge: paths that lead beings out of suffering and up to higher states, a single vehicle that purifies sentient beings, frees them from suffering and distress, utterly extinguishes sorrow and grief, and grants realization of the true Dharma. What are these six? A noble disciple recollects the Buddha: the Tathāgata, the Arhat, the Fully and Perfectly Awakened One, the one of perfect wisdom and conduct, the Well-Gone One, the Knower of the World, the Supreme One, the Tamer of those ready to be tamed, the Teacher of gods and humans, the Buddha, the World-Honored One… Furthermore, a noble disciple recollects the Dharma: the teaching of the World-Honored One, well-expounded, free from the heat of affliction, to be realized in this very life, to be known directly by oneself, and leading to liberation… Furthermore, a noble disciple recollects the Saṅgha: the community of noble ones who have entered the good, upright, direct, and balanced path, and who practice in accordance with it… Furthermore, a noble disciple recollects the virtue of the precepts: unbroken, uncorrupted, solid, never abandoned, not able to be stolen by others, well-fulfilled, worthy of praise, and in no way contrary to the holy life… Furthermore, a noble disciple recollects the practice of giving, rejoicing inwardly: “I am now free from the stain of stinginess. Even as a householder, my mind gives freely: I give constantly, let go without hesitation, delight in giving, give fully, and give equally to all.”… Furthermore, a noble disciple recollects the qualities of the heavenly realms: the Four Heavenly Kings, the Thirty-Three Gods, the Yāma Gods, the Tuṣita Gods, the Gods Who Delight in Their Own Creations, and the Gods Who Enjoy the Creations of Others. With pure faith, knowing that those who die with faith, morality, generosity, learning, and wisdom are reborn in these heavens, the noble disciple thinks: “I too possess these qualities, and will be reborn in these realms after this life.” When they recollect the virtues of the heavens, thoughts of desire, anger, and harm do not arise in their mind.

This passage makes clear that the six recollections—of the Buddha, Dharma, Saṅgha, precepts, giving, and heavens—can eradicate the unwholesome mental states of desire, anger, and harm, guiding beings away from suffering and toward higher states. They are therefore part of the single vehicle, and practicing them is also essential on the path to Buddhahood. Taken together, the six recollections, the three trainings of morality, concentration, and wisdom, and the Four Foundations of Mindfulness are all indispensable for progressing toward supreme awakening.

III. The Bodhisattva with a Final Existence: The Path to Buddhahood

As recorded in the Abhidharma Mahāvibhāṣā Śāstra (vol. 177), which cites the Āgama Sūtras, it is said: “A bodhisattva must pass through three incalculable aeons (asaṃkhyeya kalpas) cultivating the four pāramitās before they are fully perfected.” Here, the Blessed One Śākyamuni first aroused the mind of awakening before the Buddha called Śākyamuni, vowing that when he attained full Buddhahood in the future, he would take that same name. After making this vow, the Blessed One practiced the path until he met the Buddha Ratnacūḍa, known as the Jewel-Topknoted Tathāgata, marking the end of the first incalculable aeon; from that meeting until he encountered the Buddha Dīpaṃkara, the Lamp-Bearing Tathāgata, was the second incalculable aeon; from that meeting until he encountered the Buddha Praśāntadarśin, the Serene-Visioning Tathāgata, was the third incalculable aeon. During this long span, he cultivated the four pāramitās—generosity, pure morality, diligence, and wisdom—to full perfection, then spent ninety-one kalpas cultivating the karmic actions that give rise to the distinctive marks of a Buddha. In this latter period, he was in the presence of six Buddhas, the first being Praśāntadarśin, and the last being Kāśyapa (Kāśyapa Buddha). He was then reborn in the Tuṣita Heaven as a bodhisattva in the stage of successor, poised to become a Buddha in his next life.

At what point, after first arousing the mind of awakening, was the Blessed One considered a true bodhisattva? The Mahāvibhāṣā (vol. 176) states:

Even after completing the first incalculable aeon, though the bodhisattva had practiced many difficult and arduous ascetic practices, he still could not be certain he would become a Buddha. After completing the second incalculable aeon, he could be certain of his future Buddhahood, but still did not dare to make the fearless proclamation: “I shall become a Buddha.” Only after completing the third incalculable aeon, while cultivating the karmic actions that produce the Buddha’s distinctive marks, did he know with certainty that he would become a Buddha, and he made the fearless lion’s roar: “I shall become a Buddha.”

This means he was only considered a true bodhisattva once he began cultivating the karmic actions that produce the Buddha’s distinctive marks.

Finally, the Blessed One took birth in the human world. As the bodhisattva with a final existence, the Saṃyuktāgama (Sutra 1177) explains the final stage of his cultivation with the following simile:

Imagine a river of ash, with searing hot banks, countless sharp thorns, situated in a dark place, where many beings burdened by negative karma drift in the river, swept along by the current. Among them is one being who is not deluded or foolish, but sharp and wise. They love ease and recoil from suffering, love life and recoil from death, and think to themselves: “What karma has brought me to this river of ash, with searing hot banks and countless sharp thorns, drifting in this dark place? I will use my hands and feet skillfully to swim upstream against the current.” Gradually, they see a faint glimmer of light, and think to themselves: “I am growing stronger now, for I see this light.” Again, they press on with diligent, skillful effort, and eventually reach level ground. They stand and look in all four directions, and see a great stone mountain: unbroken, indestructible, with no cracks or holes. They climb to its peak. They then see cool water with eight excellent qualities: cool, clear, light, smooth, fragrant, pure, easy to drink without choking, and soothing to the throat. After drinking it, their body is comforted and at ease. They enter the water, bathing and drinking, and are freed from all distress and searing heat. They continue upward, and on the great mountain see seven kinds of flowers… They climb further up the stone mountain, and find a four-tiered terrace, where they sit. They see a five-pillared canopy, enter inside, settle their body, and sit upright. The space is filled with soft cushions and pillows, scattered with flowers, beautifully adorned. There, they sit or recline at ease, cool breezes blowing from all four sides, while they rest beneath the lofty trees. Then they call out loudly: “Beings in the river of ash! Wise and worthy ones! This river of ash has searing hot banks, countless sharp thorns, and is a dark, dim place—seek to escape from it!”

After sharing this simile, the Blessed One explains its meaning: the “ash” represents the three unwholesome mental states of desire, anger, and harm; the “river” represents the three types of craving: craving for sensuality, craving for form, and craving for formlessness; the “searing hot banks” represent the six internal and external sense bases (eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, mind, and their corresponding objects of form, sound, smell, taste, touch, and mental phenomena); the “sharp thorns” represent the five objects of desire; the “dark place” represents the obstruction of ignorance; the “many beings” represent deluded ordinary people; “drifting with the current” represents the cycle of birth and death; the “wise person in the river” represents a bodhisattva mahāsattva; “using their hands and feet skillfully to swim upstream” represents diligent practice and study. “Seeing a faint light” represents attaining patience in the Dharma; “level ground” represents upholding the precepts; “looking in the four directions” represents seeing the four noble truths; the “great stone mountain” represents right view; the “cool water with eight qualities” represents the Noble Eightfold Path; the “seven kinds of flowers” represent the seven factors of enlightenment; the “four-tiered terrace” represents the four bases of spiritual power (iddhipādas); the “five-pillared canopy” represents the five faculties (faith, diligence, mindfulness, concentration, and wisdom); “settling the body to sit upright” represents nirvāṇa without remainder; the “flowers scattered everywhere” represent the dhyānas (meditative absorptions), liberations, samādhis (meditative equipoise), and highest meditative attainments; the “cool breezes from four sides” represent the four elevated mental states that bring ease and happiness in this very life; “calling out loudly” represents turning the Dharma wheel.

The Yogācārabhūmi Śāstra, in its section on the “Compendium of Topics,” elaborates on this passage as follows:

This passage teaches that the bodhisattva with a final existence fully integrates all correct practices and their fruits, surpassing the śrāvaka vehicle with nothing above it. This is understood through eight key aspects: 1) compassion; 2) inner courage; 3) the arising of patient acceptance of truth; 4) the capacity to emerge from affliction; 5) self-initiated contemplation of the truths; 6) the present arising of a broadly cultivated, correct worldly view; 7) attaining the coolness of the undefiled factors of awakening; and 8) diligent cultivation of the supreme, utterly pure path, perfected through the cultivation of six foundations, which yields six supreme, unsurpassed perfect virtues.

This passage makes clear that the path and fruits cultivated by the “bodhisattva with a final existence” have eight distinct aspects, all surpassing the ordinary śrāvaka vehicle. Below is an explanation drawn from the “Compendium of Topics”:

(1) Compassion: Through enduring compassion for all sentient beings, the bodhisattva’s mind is trained and refined. Seeing all deluded beings fall into the river of craving, swept along by the current and tormented by five types of suffering, profound great compassion arises in them. These five sufferings are: (a) the three unwholesome deliberations and the three cravings of the three realms, like the water of the ash river; (b) the six internal and external sense bases, like the searing hot riverbanks; (c) the various sufferings of the desire realm, like thorns at the river’s bottom; (d) the form realm, which lacks the eye of wisdom, like a dark, blind space one dwells in; and (e) the formless realm, which lacks the eye of holy wisdom, like murky darkness one resides above.

(2) Inner Courage: Even before leaving home to renounce the household life, inner courage arises: “I will certainly penetrate the wondrous path, take up the holy life, and never turn back.”

(3) Patient Acceptance of Truth Arising Within: Before renouncing the household life, while sitting alone in contemplation, the bodhisattva is able to enter the first dhyāna. They correctly examine the phenomena of aging, sickness, and death in themselves and others, and are able to accept these truths with certainty.

(4) Capacity for True Emergence: The bodhisattva is able to abandon all wondrous, desirable objects, leaves home with pure faith, naturally upholds the pure precepts, and, taking the precepts as their foundation, gradually attains the sphere of neither-perception-nor-non-perception.

(5) Self-Initiated Contemplation of the Truths: Going to the Bodhi tree, the bodhisattva contemplates in sequence aging and death, the origin of aging and death, the cessation of aging and death, and the path leading to the cessation of aging and death. Supported by right deliberation and the long accumulation of vast merit, they awaken directly to the nature of all phenomena with their innate wisdom.

(6) Present Arising of Broadly Cultivated Right View: The bodhisattva brings forth the knowledge of recollecting past lives, recalling that in previous lives they accumulated learning and reflection on the path to the exhaustion of defilements under many Buddhas. This brings a correct worldly view to the present moment. Guided by this right view as if by a teacher, the bodhisattva is established in a single seated posture until they ultimately attain the complete ending of all defilements.

(7) Attaining the Coolness of the Undefiled Factors of Awakening: Progressing gradually with right view as their guide, when the bodhisattva directly perceives the noble truths, they immediately attain the undefiled factors of awakening; this is what is meant by attaining “coolness.”

(8) Cultivating the Supreme Path, Perfecting Practice of the Six Foundations, and Attaining Six Kinds of Mastery and Perfection: To forever cut the defilements bound to the highest form realm, the bodhisattva cultivates the supreme factors of enlightenment. First, they cultivate the divine spiritual powers (iddhipādas). Second, they cultivate the pure five faculties. Third, they attain complete freedom from the bondage of defilements and habitual tendencies (nirvāṇa without remainder). Fourth, they attain the four types of present-life happiness and ease. Fifth, they attain worldly dhyānas, liberations, samādhis, and highest meditative attainments. Sixth, they attain mastery of terms, phrases, and language, and can expound the Dharma with ease exactly as they wish (turning the great Dharma wheel). When these six foundations are fully perfected, they then attain six kinds of consummate merit: first, great wealth; second, a vast, splendid abode; third, every kind of comfortable seat and resting place; fourth, a vast, undisturbed state of peace and happiness; fifth, the ability to act skillfully and freely for the true benefit of all sentient beings; and sixth, becoming the Dharma King, sharing the fruit of awakening equally with all beings.

IV. Conclusion

Drawing on the Āgama Sūtras and their related commentaries, the above has first explored the core teachings on attaining Buddhahood and the single vehicle taught directly by the Blessed One, and concluded with the path and fruits of the “bodhisattva with a final existence.” It’s clear from this that the Āgama Sūtras contain a complete “Path to Buddhahood,” summarized as follows:

1. First, arouse the mind of awakening, with the aspiration to become a Buddha.
2. Over three incalculable aeons (three asaṃkhyeya kalpas), accumulate the pāramitās of generosity, pure morality, diligence, and wisdom.
3. Upon completing the third incalculable aeon, while cultivating the karmic actions that produce the Buddha’s distinctive marks, one knows with certainty that one will become a Buddha, and makes the fearless proclamation: “I shall become a Buddha.” At this point, one is a “true bodhisattva.”
4. When reborn in the Tuṣita Heaven, one becomes a “bodhisattva poised for final descent,” teaching the gods there.
5. Finally, when descending into the human world, one becomes a “bodhisattva with a final existence.” Beneath the Bodhi tree, they cultivate mindfulness of breathing while discerning the Five Aggregates, the Twelve Links of Dependent Origination, and the Four Noble Truths, thereby entering the path of seeing and becoming a “saintly bodhisattva.” Then, through the path of cultivation, they attain full Buddhahood, realize the six kinds of mastery and perfection, and turn the great Dharma wheel to widely liberate sentient beings.

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