The Easy Method o Entering th Stage o Non-Retrogression by Hisao Inagaki INTRODUCTION iig arjuna, the First Patriarch of Pure Land B ~ d d h i s m and Mahayana Buddhism ' s greatest philosopher, presents the Easy Method of entering avaivartikabhiimi in his reputed commentary on the Dasabhiimikasiitra (Dasabhiimika-vibhii.ii) . A vaivartika-bhiimi is the stage at which bodhisattvas are assured o f reaching enlightenment and never thereafter falling out of it, that is , retrogressively . Until they reach this stage, they are liable to regress to the selfsatisfied stage o f srl1vaka or pratyekabuddha which Ndgarjuna rates as worse than falling into hell.' Mahayana scriptures often divide bodhisattvas into two classes: those liable to regression and those firmly set for enlightenment without regression. I n the Mahiiprajiltipiiramitii- s iitra , there is a chapter en titled Retrogression and Non-retrogression , in which it is explained that the bodhisattvas o f non-retrogression are those who will not fall back to the stage o f a sriivaka or pratyekabuddha and will certainly reach the highest, perfect enlightenment.' The Dasabhiimika-vibhiisii is intended primarily t o present the essen tials of bodhisattva practice based on the 'Ten Stages' o f the Gar/and Sutra, but Nagarjuna is seen in the Chapter on Easy Prac tice as an advocate of an easy method o f entering the First BhOmi, the Stage o f Non-Retrogression. While recommending reciting the names o f the Buddhas, especially Amitdbha, as the easy method of entering the Stage of Non-Retrogression, he 24 professes his reverence for Amitdbha and other Buddhas o f the past, present and future. Furthermore , at the end of this chapter, he mentions 43 bodhisattvas and urges us to worshop and remember them in order to reach the Stage o f Non-Retrogression . NON-RETROGRESSION IN EARLY BUDDHISM The concept o f non-retrogression is not restricted to Mahayana Buddhism. For instance, Abhidharma discourses , such as Abhidharmakosa and M a h l i v i b h ~ l 1 . state that when practitioners reach the Stage o f K.iinti (Insightful Patience), or the third of the four stages before that of S rotapanna Stream Winner, they are no longer liable to commit the grave offenses called {jnantarya karma and so will not fall into those evil realms o f samsara to which those offenses would consign them. Hence, the Stage of K iinti is also unretrogressive . Further, the Mahiivastu, a discourse o f the Lokottaraviida school which entertained certain Mahayanistic ideas, divides the careers o f bodhisattvas into four stages:' I . prakrti-carYii (nature-based practice), 2 pra[lidhiina-carya (resolution practice), 3 . anu/oma-carya (conforming practice), 4 avivarta-caryii (perseverance practice).
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Land B ~ d d h i s m and Mahayana Buddhism's greatest philosopher, presents theEasy Method of entering avaivartika
bhiimi in his reputed commentary on the
Dasabhiimikasiitra (Dasabhiimika-vibhii.ii) .
A vaivartika-bhiimi is the stage at whichbodhisattvas are assured of reaching
enlightenment and never thereafter falling outof it, that is , retrogressively. Until they reachthis stage, they are liable to regress to the selfsatisfied stage of srl1vaka or pratyekabuddhawhich Ndgarjuna rates as worse than fallinginto hell.' Mahayana scriptures often dividebodhisattvas into two classes: those liable toregression and those firmly set for enlighten
ment without regression. In theMahiiprajiltipiiramitii-siitra, there is a chapteren titled Retrogression and Non-retrogression , in which it is explained that thebodhisattvas of non-retrogression are thosewho will not fall back to the stage of a sriivakaor pratyekabuddha and will certainly reachthe highest, perfect enlightenment.'
The Dasabhiimika-vibhiisii is intendedprimarily to present the essentials of bodhisattva practice based on the 'Ten Stages' of theGar/and Sutra, but Nagarjuna is seen in theChapter on Easy Practice as an advocate of
an easy method of entering the First BhOmi,the Stage of Non-Retrogression. While recommending reciting the names of the Buddhas,especially Amitdbha, as the easy method of
entering the Stage of Non-Retrogression, he
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professes his reverence for Amitdbha andother Buddhas of the past, present and future.Furthermore , at the end of this chapter, hementions 43 bodhisattvas and urges us toworshop and remember them in order to reach
the Stage of Non-Retrogression.
NON-RETROGRESSIONIN EARLY BUDDHISM
The concept of non-retrogression is notrestricted to Mahayana Buddhism. For instance, Abhidharma discourses , such asAbhidharmakosa and M a h l i v i b h ~ l 1 . statethat when practitioners reach the Stage of
K.iinti (Insightful Patience), or the third of
the four stages before that of S rotapanna
Stream Winner, they are no longer liable tocommit the grave offenses called {jnantaryakarma and so will not fall into those evilrealms of samsara to which those offenseswould consign them. Hence, the Stage of
K iinti is also unretrogressive .
Further, the Mahiivastu, a discourse of
the Lokottaraviida school which entertainedcertain Mahayanistic ideas, divides the careersof bodhisattvas into four stages:'
Vivarta-caryii means that bodhisattvasfall away and go again through theround of rebirths. Avivarta-carya meansthat they are unwaveringly set forenlightenment. J
NON-RETROGRESSIONIN MAHAYANA
In Mahayana Buddhism, the Stage ofNon-Retrogression is usually identified withthe First Bhumi. Before reaching the FirstBhumi, bodhisattvas have imperfect anddefiled wisdom and so they are not basically
different from ordinary people. Entering theFirst Bhumi after a long period of practicemarks the transformation of bodhisattvas intosages. They are now rid of the nature of ordinary people (prthagjanatva) and have acquired the nature of righteous people(samyaktva). For this reason, they are calledthose who are firmly set for righteousness(samyaktvaniyatarasl); righteousness heremeans Nirvana or Bodhi. They are also calledthose who have been born into the Tathiigatafamily for it is certain that they will reach thehighest, perfect enlightenment.
In the ordinary course of bodhisattvahood, a bodhisattva must work diligentlyfor a long time to reach the Stage of NonRetrogression. Nagarjuna says in the
D a s a b h u m i k a - v i b h i i ~ i iChapter on EasyPractice :
If a bodhisattva has not yet entered theStage of Non-Retrogression,
He should always strive and be diligentas if putting out a fire on his head.
According to a widely accepted view, ittakes one asa ,khya ka/pa of practice for abodhisattva to reach this stage. t is hardlypossible for ordinary people to keep on prac
ticing over many lives.
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BUDDHA-VISUALIZATION AS AMETHOD OF ATTAINING THE
STAGE OF NON-RETROGRESSION
However, in the D a s a b h u m i k a - v i b h ~ i iwe find much easier methods of reaching thisstage. In Chapter 5,' Naglirjuna explains thatthe Stage of Non-Retrogression is attainableby visualizing a Buddha or by hearing a Buddha s Name. Buddha-visualizing, as explainedin later chapters, refers particularly to two
Samiidhis: 1 the Buddha-ManifestationSamiidhi (Pratyutpanna Samiidhl) and 2. theBuddha-Remembering-Samiidhi (Buddhaanusmrti samiidhl).
The first entails concentrating on a particular Buddha, especially on Amitabha. According to the Pratyutpanna-samadhi Sutrawhich explains this practice, if we perform itsingle-heartedly for one to seven days, we
shall see the Buddha, thus entering thisSamiidhi. The same sutra explains that thepractice of concentrating on the Buddha forthree months enables us to enter this samiidhi.Since we enter this samiidhi by the Buddha spower a d h i ~ / h i i n a ) , it is much easier to thenpractice the usual bodhisattva practices whichare based on our own power. Nagiirjuna ex-
plains this samiidhi fully in Chapters 20 and25.
The Buddha-Remembering Samiidhi is
threefold: (a) meditation on the Buddha s
glorious physical characteristics; b) (for advanced bodhisattvas) meditation on the Buddha s 40 special qualities, and c) meditationon Thusness (tathatiij which only the mostcapable bodhisattvas can practice. The firstpart of the Buddha-Remembering Samiidhi,therefore, is basically the same as the BuddhaManifestation Samiidhi and is distinguishedfrom the latter in that in the former the practitioner contemplates the Buddha s thirty-twomajor physical characteristics and eightyminor ones. Further, it is taught that when the
complished, one sees all the Buddhas, as indicated by the full Sanskrit name of this sutra,'pratyutpa a-buddha-sammukha-avasthitasamiidhi' (Samiidhi in which one stands in thepresence of the Buddhas of the present).
RECITATION OF THE HOLY NAMEAS THE EASIEST METHOD
The method described in Chapter 9 of theDasabhumika-vibhi¥lJ, entitled Easy Practice , is more important than the Buddhavisualisation practices because it is mucheasier and more practicable for ordinary people. The Easy Practice entails reciting theName of any Buddha or Great Bodhisattva
with firm faith, although Amitabha's Name isspecially mentioned together with his OriginalVow. A 32-stanza hymn in his praise is added,in which Nagarjuna professes his faith in theadoration of Amitabha. t is clear that Niigarjuna's intention was to present Amitabha'ssalvation as the most relevant path of Easy
Practice for all who seek a quick way to theStage of Non-Retrogression and subsequentlyto the Stage of Buddhahood.
Although he does not mention it,
presumably Naglrjuna based his recitationpractice exposition on the Pure Land(SukhiivatTvyuha) group of sutras, becausemost of the 1 7 Buddhas mentioned in thetext appear in the Sanskrit LargerSukhiivatrvyuha Sutra and several verses inthis chapter suggest strong connections withit u
t should be noted that reciting theNames of the Buddhas is not supposed to be amere oral practice or mechanical repetition
without heartfelt awareness or mindfulnessbut should be based on 'faith' and accompanied by reverential acts such as 'joiningone's hands: 'howing down,' 'prostratingoneselr and 'worshipping.' The relation between 'faith' and recitation may be gaugedfrom the following quotations:
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The practitioner should reverentially hold the Name close to the heartand recite it.
He should recite the Name withsingleness of heart.
He should recite the Name andremember it single-heartedly.
He should remember me (Le.,AmiUibha), recite my Name and takerefuge in me.
Deep and continuous Buddha-remembering as the basis of reciting is mentioned by Nagarjuna to be the cause of
reaching the Stage of Non-Retrogression:
Therefore, you should always
remember (Amitabha).If anyone remembers this Bud
dha's (Le., Amitiibha's) infinite powerand merit, he will instantly enter theStage of Assurance.
You should remember all (thesebodhisattvas), revere and worship themand thereby seek to reach the Stage of
Non-Retrogression.' ,
The act of Hearing the Name, or the ex-planation of its merit etc., naturally precedes
its recitation or remembrance and so themerit of hearing the Name is often mentioned.Nagarjuna even asserts that hearing the Nameensures that the aspirants will reach the Stageof Non-Retrogression:
If a man is able to hear the exposition of the Name of these Buddhas, hewill acquire immeasurable merit. t
If a man hears the Buddha'sName, he will become unretrogressive.
Those who hear the Buddha'sName will attain the Stage of NonRetrogression.'
CONCLUSION
The 'Easy Practice' for entering the Stageof Non-Retrogression may be summarized
1 Name- or sound-based practicewhich consists of hearing and recitingthe Name of Buddhas and bodhisattvaswhile continuously remembering them.
2. Image- or form-based practicewhich consists of visualizing the Buddha's physical characteristics or 4
special qualities or meditating on True
Thusness. The first is fully discussed inChapter 9 of the D a S a b h i i m i k a v i b h i i ~ i iand the second, which includes theBuddha-Manifestation Samiidhi and
Buddha-Remembering Samiidhi, is
presented in other chapters.
In the later development of Pure Landthought in China, the first is called nien-fo(nembutsu, remembering the Buddha) and thesecond is called kuan-fo (kanbutsu, visualising the Buddha). Niigiirjuna uses the term
'Buddha-Remembering Samiidhi for the se-cond but nien-fo in its wide sense includesboth recitation and meditation practices.
Visualising Amitiibha creates a strongbond between Amitiibha and us which keepsus from falling back to lower and less securestates, but what assurance is given to those
who just recite the Name, and when does it occur? In the Chapter on 'Easy Practice,'Niigiirjuna says that 'as soon as' (chi or chishih; Skt. tiivat) we hear or recite the
Buddha's Name, we enter the Stage of NonRetrogression which means we need not waituntil we die and are born in the Pure Land tobecome a non-retrogressive bodhisattva.Niigiirjuna's reference to 'faith' indicates thatthe firm and pure faith that comes in thecourse of, and as a result of, hearing andreciting the Buddha's Name sure evidence thatwe have reached this stage. Faith awakened byspiritual contact with the Buddha throughhearing his Name, opens up the treasury of
merit and power that it embodies and enablesus to proceed towards Buddhahood
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unretrogressively. This faith places us underthe influence of the Buddha from which thereis no falling back.
Speaking in terms of temporal sequencein our spiritual experience of the Nembutsu,hearing the Name comes first, then acceptingit in deep faith, and finally reciting it. Sincethese three are joined in an organic whole, onecannot be taken up separately from the rest.Hearing in the true sense o the term is, s
Shinran explains throughout his writings,nothing but 'true faith ', i.e., acceptance of theName. When accepted in us, the Name ex-
presses itself as the Nembutsu recitation.
To repeat, the Stage of Non
Retrogression is the most important turningpoint in the bodhisattva's career. Before we
enter this Stage, our practice is based on ourlimited power and imperfect insight. At thatpoint, self-attachment is discarded along withour 'defiled' and discriminative wisdom. Our
spiritual eye is opened to the Buddha'sboundless merit and to his universal and eternal activity. Therefore, Nagiirjuna describesthis spiritual change as birth into theTathiigiita family. As this change can bebrought about quickly and safely by the nien o (nembutsu) practice, it is called the EasyPractice. )'
FOOTNOTES:
I. TaishO Tripifaka (abbreviated T l 26,41a.
2. TT. 7, 264.
3 M a h i i v i b h i i ~ i i TT. 27, 30c; Abhidharmakosa, TT. 29, 120b.
4 Mahiivastu, Vol. I, 46-63. J.J. Jonestranslated the terms as follows: (I) naturalpractices, 2) resolving career, 3) conformingcareer and 4) persevering career.
5 Ibid., I, 63.6. For example, Vasubandhu's commen-
7. IT.26, 41a: for an English translation,H. Inagaki, The Path of Easy Practice,Ryukokudoigoku ronshu, No. 422, 1983,
p.38.8. IT. 26, 32c.9. IT. 26, 68c, ff., 86a, and 71c, ff.10. H [nagaki, The Path of Easy Prac
tice, pp. 54-55. 143 Bodhisattvas' names arepresented, of which the last 49 correspondvery closely to the Bodhisattvas mentioned inthe opening part of the Vimolokirti-sutro.
[ I [bid., pp. 46-47. For a study onChinese and Sanskrit correspondents of the
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proper names which appear in the ChapterThe Easy Practke/' see H Inagaki, U
Glossary of the Proper Names which Appearin the Chapter on Easy Practice of the Jujubiboshoron, J6doky6 no kenkyu, Kyoto,
1982, pp. 43-71.. Ibid., pp. 47-50.
[3. Tsung-mi (78()'840), for example,distinguished four types of nien-fo: I)
sh6myo nembutsu, recitation of the Buddha'sname, 2) konzo nembutsu, contemplation of
the Buddha's statue, picture, etc., (3) konsonembutsu, visualization of the Buddha'sfigure and 4) jisso nembutsu, meditation onTrue Thusness.