Toh 44-32Chapter 32: The Teaching of Samantabhadra

Exposition of Chapter 32: The Teaching of Bodhisattva Samantabhadra

Context

This Chapter 32 belongs to the final section of the Great and Vast Prajnaparamita Sutra (Avataṃsaka Sūtra), the most foundational scripture of the Mahayana tradition of the Northern Canon. This is the profound teaching of Bodhisattva Samantabhadra, the bodhisattva seated upon a six-tusked white elephant, a symbol of perfect power and compassion in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition.

This chapter continues the preceding Dharma teachings. At this point, the Buddha has completed his instruction to the bodhisattvas concerning the Buddhadharma. Samantabhadra appears with the final teachings, intended to guide bodhisattvas and sentient beings toward the great, sublime aspiration and the completion of the path to awakening. Here, the Buddha’s compassion is expressed through the image of the archetypal Mahayana bodhisattva.

Principal Content

The teaching of Samantabhadra (Samantabhadracāryānirdeśa) focuses on the fulfillment of the ten great vows (dasa mahāpranidhāna). These are not minor vows, but vows as vast as the dharmadhatu, encompassing all boundless sentient beings.

First, Samantabhadra teaches that cause and result are inseparable. Every wholesome intention gives rise to innumerable wholesome results. A bodhisattva must cultivate with an immeasurable mind, without expecting karmic reward, while resolving to “dedicate completely” (anumodanā) all merit to all sentient beings.

Second is the Dharma method of “boundless correspondence” (ananta-pratikrīyā). When a bodhisattva acts out of compassion, its effect does not come to an end and is not limited by space or time. Every compassionate action performed here spreads throughout the ten directions and the three times.

Third, Samantabhadra emphasizes that the path to buddhahood is not confined to a single world. A bodhisattva must direct the mind toward teaching and transforming sentient beings throughout the universe, seeking not merely one’s own wisdom, but the wisdom of all.

This chapter also teaches the “awakening to the entire dharmadhatu”