Commentary on the Ten Stages Sutra

Overview

According to tradition, Nāgārjuna received the Buddhāvataṃsaka Sūtra (which contains the Daśabhūmika-sūtra) from the palace of the Naga king under the ocean. He then composed a great treatise on it.

Though traditionally attributed to Nāgārjuna, scholars are unsure of authenticity of the Treatise on the Ten Stages and there has been some debate over this issue. This is due to a lack of a Sanskrit original and also due to the fact that it is unknown in the Indo-Tibetan tradition. Nevertheless, Christian Lindtner in his study of Nāgārjuna's writings considers that it is likely authentic. Chinese catalogues also note that an earlier Chinese translation was completed by Dharmarakṣa in the 3rd century, but this translation is now lost. The Chinese scholar Yinshun also supported the authenticity of the Treatise.

Internal evidence from the surviving translation also indicates that the original work may have been longer (and discussed the other bodhisattva stages). However, according to a colophon in the text, the reciter Buddhayaśas "did not recite it" and so it was not included in Kumārajīva's edition.

Overview of the chapters

Nāgārjuna's Dababhūmika-vibhāṣā consists of 35 chapters in 17 fascicles, offering a detailed exposition on the principles and practices essential for entering the bodhisattva path and the stages (bhūmis). It focuses on the first two bodhisattva stages taught in the Daśabhūmika Sūtra: The Stage of Joyfulness (pramuditā-bhūmi 歡喜地) and The Stage of Stainlessness (vimalā-bhūmi 離垢地).

The basic structure of the Daśabhūmika Treatise's chapters is as follows:

Chapter 1 provides an introduction, explaining the author's motivations and the purpose of the treatise.

Entering the First Stage (Chapter 2): Introduction to the ten bodhisattva grounds and the significance of The Ground of Joyfulness.

Characteristics of the First Stage Bodhisattva (Chapter 3): Discusses the joyful nature and fearlessness of bodhisattvas on this level.

Purification of the First Stage (Chapter 4): The 27 dharmas involved in its purification.

Bodhisattva Vows (Chapter 5): A detailed explanation of the ten great bodhisattva vows.

Generating Bodhicitta (Chapter 6): Causes and conditions leading to bodhicitta.

Obstacles and Stability on the Path (Chapters 7–8): Discusses challenges to maintaining bodhicitta, transgressions on the path, and the qualities of an irreversible bodhisattva (avaivartika).

Easy Practice (Chapter 9): A very influential section which discusses the "Easy Practice" way to achieve the stage of irreversibility or non-retrogression (see below)

Karmic Purification and Merit (Chapters 10–13): Repentance, merit transference, and distinctions in the two main types of giving (giving things and giving of the Dharma).

Eight key practices for entering the first stage

In chapter 2, Nāgārjuna discusses eight key Dharmas or practices for entering the first bodhisattva stage, they are:

Densely Planting One’s Roots of Goodness

Cultivating and accumulating all meritorious qualities in accordance with Dharma.

Avoiding the influences of greed, hatred, and delusion.

Thoroughly Practicing the Practices

Upholding ethical precepts.

Practicing in the correct sequence with seven essential dharmas (shame, dread of blame, extensive learning, vigor, mindfulness, wisdom, and pure livelihood).

Utilizing dhyāna (meditative absorption) as a supporting practice.

Well Accumulating All the Provisions

Gathering all necessary factors for the path, including the seven essential dharmas and fundamental good practices.

Cultivating additional virtues such as giving, patience, endurance, courage. satisfaction and fondness for solitude and avoiding bad ones like flattery, resentment, attachment, cruelty, negligence, arrogance, and self-praise.

Thoroughly Making Offerings to All Buddhas

Making offerings in two ways: Listening well to the Mahayana Dharma and Offering the four requisites (food, clothing, medicine, and shelter) to Buddhas with reverence and service.

Being Protected by the Good Spiritual Friend

Ten bodhisattva vows

The Treatise contains its own set of bodhisattva vows:

"I vow to make offerings to, supply the needs of, and extend reverence to all buddhas."

"I vow that in every case I shall protect and uphold the Dharma of all buddhas.", also "I should guard and protect the Dharma of all past, future, and present buddhas of the ten directions."

"From that time when all buddhas depart from the Tuṣita Heaven and come back to abide in the world, on forward to the conclusion of their teaching and their eternal entry into the realm [of nirvāṇa] without residue...I vow that in all cases I shall completely devote my mind to making offerings to them [the Buddhas]".

"I vow to engage in the transformative teaching of beings, causing them all to enter the paths."

"I vow to enable all beings’ complete realization of the Buddha’s bodhi even where there are those tending toward śrāvaka-disciple or pratyekabuddha paths."

"Through resolute faith, I vow to cause all dharmas to enter [a state of] uniform equality." This means that "one causes all of these dharmas to enter into the gates of emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness so that they are realized to be uniformly equal and beyond duality."

"Having vowed to purify the buddhalands, I shall therefore extinguish all the various forms of evil."

"When joining together with others in doing any single endeavor, I vow that there will be no enmity or contentiousness."

"I vow to practice the bodhisattva path and set turning the irreversible wheel, thereby enabling the dispelling of all afflictions and the entry into faith that is pure."

Buddha contemplation

The Dashabhūmika-vibhāṣā is also known for its contribution to the development of the practice of Buddha recollection (Buddhānusmṛti), which is said to lead to the visionary experience of pratyutpanna samādhi ("the samādhi in which the Buddhas of the present appear before one") which allows a bodhisattva to see "right before one’s very eyes...the buddhas of the ten directions" and "listen to the Dharma of the sutras being taught by those buddhas."

The practice of Buddha recollection has a special role in the Treatise, since according to the third chapter, it is one of the main reason why the Buddhas at the first bodhisattva stage (the stage of joy) are joyful:He is always mindful of the Buddhas, of the great dharmas of the Buddhas, of those at the station of certain success, and of their rare practices. It is because of this that he is for the most part joyful. As for his “being mindful of the Buddhas,” he is mindful of Burning Lamp and the other buddhas of the past, is mindful of Amitābha and the other buddhas of the present, and is mindful of Maitreya and the other buddhas of the future. He “is always mindful” of them just as if they were appearing directly in front of him and realizes that, throughout the three realms of existence, there is no one able to be superior to them. It is for this reason that he is mostly joyful.Aside from the discussion in the "Easy Path" chapter (9), the Treatise discusses the practice of Buddha recollection in numerous other chapters, including chapter 18 on shared practices (which discusses Contemplation of the Buddha's thirty two marks of a great man), and chapters 20 to 25 of the Treatise discuss various aspects of Buddhānusmṛti.

The Treatise explains the practice of Buddha recollection in depth, offering a structured and progressive approach to cultivating mindfulness of the Buddha. Nāgārjuna outlines four primary methods of Buddha recollection: reciting the Buddha’s name (chiming nianfo), visualizing the Buddha’s marks (guanxiang nianfo), contemplating the Buddha’s virtues (guanxiang nianfo), and realizing the Buddha’s true reality (shixiang nianfo). Each method serves as a skillful means to purify the mind, deepen concentration, and ultimately lead practitioners toward the realization of the Buddha’s Dharma body, the true nature of reality. In the Treatise, these practices are interlinked, with each method building upon the previous one to guide practitioners from coarse to subtle levels of understanding.

The first method (reciting Buddha names), involves the vocal or mental repetition of the names of the Buddhas. This practice is particularly suited to beginners, as it uses sound to focus the mind and gather scattered thoughts. Nāgārjuna emphasizes that reciting the Buddha’s name is not merely a mechanical repetition but should be accompanied by faith and reverence. By recollecting the Buddha’s virtues and merits through his name, practitioners cultivate a pure mind and accumulate merit, which helps them progress toward the stage of non-retrogression (avaivartika). This method is accessible and effective, making it a cornerstone of the “easy path” to enlightenment, as discussed in the Chapter on Easy Practice.

The chapter on the Easy Path

The Treatise on the Ten Stages contains an influential chapter entitled “Chapter on Easy Practice” (yìxíng pǐn 易行品, chapter nine), which discusses Amitābha Buddha and his Pure Land as an "easy" method for attaining non-retrogression on the path for bodhisattvas discouraged by the more traditional bodhisattva path which lasts many eons (kalpas).

The Treatise begins its discussion of the "easy" path with the following:There are innumerable gates to the buddha-dharma. Just as there are difficult and easy paths in this world, going over land being wearying while taking a boat over water is pleasant, just so are the bodhisattva paths.The Treatise acknowledges the difficulty of attaining liberation through the traditional bodhisattva path, emphasizing the vast obstacles bodhisattvas face on the ten-stage path and the great risk of falling from the path in a future life, which would entail losing one's spiritual gains. For frail and timid bodhisattvas who do not feel able to accomplish the long traditional path, the Treatise recommends the “path of easy practice”:If a bodhisattva wishes to attain to the stage of non-retrogression in this body and accomplish supreme highest enlightenment, he should contemplate (niàn 念) all the buddhas of the ten directions and invoke their names.The Treatise then discusses various named Buddhas and their buddhalands which can be recited by a bodhisattva following this practice. It then singles out Amitābha Buddha and discusses that Buddha's land and qualities. Nāgārjuna then provides a set of verses in praise of Amitābha Buddha.

This perspective laid the foundation for later Chinese Pure Land thought, where the "Path of Sages" was deemed impractical for most beings in the degenerate age (末法, mòfǎ). Instead, reliance on Amitābha Buddha's compassionate vows was presented as an expedient means accessible to all. The chapter on easy practice was widely cited by Chinese Pure Land Buddhists who used it to establish the doctrinal distinction between the "Path of Sages" (聖道門, shèngdào mén) and the "Easy Path" (易行道, yìxíng dào). This framework later emphasized by figures such as Tánluán (曇鸞, 476–542), Dàochuò (道綽, 562–645) and Shàndǎo (善導, 613–681). For these major Pure Land thinkers, the "Path of Sages" refers to the arduous practice of self-powered (自力, zìlì) cultivation through wisdom, meditation, and moral discipline, leading to enlightenment over countless lifetimes. In contrast, the "Easy Path" entails reliance on the Other power (他力, tālì) of Amitābha Buddha, enabling rebirth in the Pure Land through faith and invocation of Amitābha's name (nianfo, 念佛).

Corrupt bodhisattvas and true bodhisattvas

A key theme in the Treatise is the distinction between different types of bodhisattvas, particularly those who are only nominally bodhisattvas (敗壞菩薩, "corrupt bodhisattvas" or "defective bodhisattvas") and those who genuinely embody the path (真實菩薩, "true bodhisattvas"). The corrupt bodhisattvas, despite having aroused bodhicitta (the intent to become a Buddha for the sake of all living beings), lack actual practice and embodiment of the path. Nāgārjuna likens them to horses that bear the name "horse" but lack the capacity to walk or function as such. These bodhisattvas fail to uphold the conduct expected of them and instead engage in actions such as teaching profound Dharma to those incapable of receiving it, giving inferior teachings to those who seek greater wisdom, showing disrespect to those who uphold moral discipline, and placing faith in untrustworthy individuals while forming close bonds with those who break precepts.

The Treatise also discusses false bodhisattvas (像菩薩, "semblance bodhisattvas") who engage in superficial acts of virtue but lack genuine dedication to contemplation, moral discipline, and the cultivation of wisdom. They are preoccupied with personal gain, social recognition, and attachment to worldly relationships, failing to embody the detachment and compassionate commitment of a true bodhisattva. In contrast, true bodhisattvas exhibit four harmonious qualities that define their path. They cultivate an equal mind toward all beings, instruct others with beneficial teachings, expound the Dharma universally, and uphold right conduct in all interactions. These bodhisattvas are committed to self-discipline, practice, and altruistic action. They avoid the mistakes of false corrupt bodhisattvas by ensuring that their teachings and relationships align with the path of enlightenment. The Treatise emphasizes that a true bodhisattva must sincerely engage in practices such as renouncing personal desires, cultivating great compassion, and seeking liberation for all beings while maintaining faith in karma and dependent origination.