Buddhist-Meditation-Systematic-and-Practical

produced. This will continue to be his position until the
eighth stage is reached, when a bodhisattva gains the
patience of the unborn sunyata and may then do all
these things easily. The new bodhisattva is one in name
only, or rather in great good will and determination only,
even though he has bodhicitta. Bodhisattvas who are
nowhere near the eighth stage, indeed not yet attained to
the first, are too inexperienced to accommodate the
"three wheels" closely with the three paramitas. Their
meditation force is not strong enough, and this makes
the wisdom-beings' faring a long one, very long.
While recounting this aspect of bodhisattvas'
progress, Mr. Chen wept, evidently recalling this
not merely as facts learned from books, but from his
own experience. "We come, then," he said, "to the
fourth circle."
d. Fourth Circle. In this, the foundations of salvation are
enlarged and the five poisons are used,
well-accompanied by the five wisdoms (see also "vajra"
diagram). One who seeks the functions of Full
Enlightenment must take a progressive way and come to
the Vajrayana. The time taken to achieve perfection is
lessened and the way of salvation, to final success, is
shortened.
Knowing the above progressions of sunyata and
practicing them, there can no longer be any sense of
"abstract." From successful practice will come a
344