Buddhist-Meditation-Systematic-and-Practical

away and completely unobtainable by them. Fearing
these two extremes, they cannot practice the
Bodhi-branches of upaya (skillful deeds) so they should
strive onwards to the fifth stage.
5. When bodhisattvas get there, they cannot abide in the
meditation of no-form which they used to rid
themselves of the two extremes. They must make efforts
to pass on to the next bhumi.
6. When they practice non-form in the sixth stage,
sometimes they are rid of that difficulty and sometimes
not. They fall between non-form and lack of non-form.
They must progress again.
7. At this stage, bodhisattvas manage to get rid of the
function of non-form without forcing, but then come to
the freedom of form and they cling on to this. Therefore,
they should go on to the eighth stage.
8. Though they do not now cling to the freedom from
form, still they are not yet skilled in distinguishing all
forms, sentient beings, and doctrines. These three they
cannot properly discriminate—and so cannot be good
preachers of Dharma. For this, they should make
progress to the ninth bhumi.
9. Thus they come to next to the last stage, in which
they are very skilled in preaching, but the Dharmakaya
is not yet perfected and realized face-to-face. Hence
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