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十明

Pronunciations

Basic Meaning: ten cognitive abilities

Senses:

  • Ten supranormal cognitive abilities as articulated in the early translation of the Flower Ornament Sutraʼs 舊華嚴經 chapter on the topic 十明品 in its twenty-eighth fascicle, and the analogous chapter in the later translationʼs 新華嚴經 forty-fourth chapter 十通品. These cognitive powers are possessed by bodhisattvas in the ten grounds 十地. Also called 十種神通, 十種通, 十通, etc.:
    1. the ability to know the thoughts of others 他心智明.
    2. unobstructed clairvoyance 天眼智明， by which the bodhisattvas are able to see the future lives of sentient beings, and what kinds of retribution they will receive according to their past and present activities.
    3. the ability to see into the immemorial past lives of oneself and others 宿命智明, wherein the bodhisattvas obtain vision into the nine time periods , understanding the causes and effects of the activities of all buddhas, being able to recall everything.
    4. the ability to see endlessly into the future without obstruction 未來際智明， by which the bodhisattvas fully know the retribution for the activities of all sentient beings as well as the causal and result aspects of all future buddhas.
    5. the unobstructed ability of hearing 天耳智明, whereby the bodhisattvas are unobstructed in their ability to hear the sounds from far and near throughout the ten directions, thus enhancing their ability to respond to the cries of suffering sentient beings.
    6. the ability to abide fearlessly 神力智明, whereby the bodhisattvas are able to effortlessly accord with the powers of the twelve deities 十二神, are able to unimpededly go to the abodes of the buddhas throughout the worlds of the universe , make offerings, perform rituals, and carry out limitless practices.
    7. the ability to discriminate all sounds 分別言音智明, whereby the bodhisattvas are able to discern the meanings of the words of all ethnic groups in the human world, as well as those of the devas, nāgas, and nonhumans of all types living out on the periphery.
    8. the ability to take birth in physical bodies throughout limitless kalpas and to adorn such bodies 色身莊嚴智明; the bodhisattvas have full awareness of all kinds of materiality and at the same time are able to enter deeply into the formless Dharma realm, maintain and manifest limitless physical bodies in order to save all sentient beings.
    9. the ability to understand all aspects of concrete actualities 眞實智明; the bodhisattvas have knowledge of the actual state of all individual phenomena; they are unattached to the conventional truth, and also unattached to the ultimate truth; they do not abandon their original vow, and thus gather in all sentient beings, always fully unimpeded.
    10. fully awareness of perfect extinction of thought 滅定智明; abiding in perfect extinction of thought, they are quiescent, unmoving; yet they do not abandon their great vow and great compassion in fully carrying out all bodhisattva practices.
    〔舊華嚴經, 華嚴經探玄記〕 [Charles Muller; source(s): FGD]
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    [Dictionary References]

    Fo Guang Dictionary 447

    Index to the Bussho kaisetsu daijiten (Ono) 300

    Bukkyō daijiten (Mochizuki) (v.1-6)2379c

    Copyright provisions

    The rights to textual segments (nodes) of the DDB are owned by the author indicated in the brackets next to each segment. For rights regarding the compilation as a whole, please contact Charles Muller. Please do not reproduce without permission. And please do not copy into Wikipedia without proper citation!

    Entry created: 2012-10-09