TANTRIC BUDDHISM (INCLUDING CHINA AND JAPAN)sentence. In Buddhaguhya's system, adhimukticaryii-bhz7mi (mas pas spyad pahi
sa ~MrJ:!ill), which usually means the ten stage of the badhisattvas ( iiiii+:!ill ),
is the stage just prior to the first stage of the badhisattvas (:W:!ill) which is
referred to by the word yeses hyi sa (jiiiina-bhiimi? ~:!ill) in this passage.
Therefore, when one exterminates the ninth layer of one hundred and sixty
minds, the obstruction of which is the minute of the minute, corresponding to
the stage just prior to "the stage of wisdom" (ye ses hyi sa), one enters into "the
stage of wisdom" of one hundred and sixty minds in which there are no obstruc-
tions still to be exterminated. This layer of one hundred and sixty minds thus
completely purified is nothing other than 'substance' of the mind of enlighten-
ment of the first stage of the badhisattvas (:W:!ill~!liH.') or "the completely char-
acterless mind" (~~ El 'l!•t)) (see p. 181 ).
Applying this understanding to the sentence chwi nuhi hbrin Ia brgyad span,
we obtain the meaning of the sentence as follows: "when (the obstruction of the
one hundred and sixty minds is) the medium of the minute, (the mind of) the
eighth (stage) exterminates (these one hundred and sixty minds)". The above
passage should be translated accordingly.
This idea of overcoming the layers of the horizontal one hundred and sixty
minds appears also as an exception in the commentary^27 of Subhakarasimha in
the well-known passage of his 'secret interpretation' demonstrating the possibil-
ity of attaining enlightenment quickly. He translates the passage which corres-
ponds to the last part of the above quotation, viz. de !tar na gcig giiis gsum bshi
Ina giiis su bsgyur ba byas pas I hjig rten pahi sems brgya drug cu bshal pa
gsum gyis hdas nasI hjig rten pas hdas pahi sems skye ste I as follows:
He explains this sentence as follows:illl!tr!ill=:*tilt±:iltrs,,l.,~:ii. ::E'ti.~%!H~·Mi~t±liltr..1•L.'. ~O~JtiUI~=:~~$!;fr. :J!tii;
~~. ~=~. -~~~. =~*~· ::E'~~~m~. ~=~~~~~~k~.::E'
~w~. ~--j;IJ~ii4\:rr. 13U~s/\-t-·L.·•-m:Mi*~· ;g-~fiii41:~. ~=~~~
rr. X~-s/\i-•C.'~-l!Hill*~· ;g=llPJftf~~. JI:~F~fr*· m:~-~. ~~
s/\-t-·t·•-m;ti~~~. m~ffl!•:w.c... ;~t~:ii;=:l!ii.JfiWdl;~~f~IHP.. ::5-~~Jlt.::::
~til. JlU-~.Qll;ffl!. foJ~~7.1liB.^29"The meaning of the passage 'overcoming three kinds of mundane
kalpas the supermundane mind occures' is as follows: if this 'super-
mundane mind' is the pure mind of enlightenment, it requires yogic
practice (of unimaginably long period) over the three aeons (halpa).
The Sanskrit word halpa means two things, that is, firstly, duration of
time, and secondly, misleading attachment. If we rely on an ordinary
interpretation, it means that one attains enlightenment only after the
long period of three uncountable aeons. If we rely on the secret inter-
pretation, the meaning is as follows: to exceed the practice of the first