To indicate how, when realising complete awakening, the Illustrious One in a single instant attained the wisdom of omniscience, it was said:

Just as there is no difference in the space within the different jars,
No difference is there in existent things in true reality.
Thus, when you came to realise that things are of a single taste,
O wise one, in a single instant you knew all which can be known. (11.11)

For example, although jars, bowls and so forth are different, in its non-obstructive quality the space enclosed by them isn’t different. Similarly, although existent things – forms, feelings and so forth – are different, the actual reality pertaining to them, their characteristic unborn nature, is not different, and actual reality should thus be known to be only of a single taste. And the single moment that the Illustrious One understands this, in that moment he gains the wisdom of omniscience.

It might be objected:

‘If true reality is peace, the mind cannot engage with it.
If mind cannot engage it, then the knowing subject makes no sense.
Without a knowing it’s absurd for something to be known at all.
And who is that non-knower teaching others, “This is how it is”?’ (11.12)

‘It is established that, “Non-production is the actual reality of forms and so forth,” and that, “This is what is known.” But when it is established that true reality of things is pacification, one must then necessarily accept that this is not actually something with which the conceptual mind can engage. If the mind could engage with the actual nature of unborn reality, how would it appear to be? Hence, not having any aspects, the actual reality cannot be mentally engaged with. And when it cannot be mentally engaged with, a knowing subject certainly makes no sense. How so? As it says: Without a knowing it’s absurd for something to be known at all. If no knowing at all is taking place, how can something be known? If mind is unarisen there can be no knower of things, and who are you then imagining is telling others, “The actual reality of things that I have understood has these characteristics”? This does not make sense.’

To reply to this:

Reality is unborn, and the mind as well is free from birth.
Thus, when relating to this it’s as if it knows reality.
For just as it is when the mind takes on the aspects of something
That it can know the object, this makes sense from the conventional stance. (11.13)

This is saying that, when it takes on its concordant aspects, consciousness knows the object. For example, one can say that, when in the consciousness there is a grasping of blueness, then blue is known. Similarly, when the consciousness adopts an aspect that conforms with actual reality, one can designate that it knows actual reality. And to indicate that consciousness takes on its aspect we find here, reality is unborn, and the mind as well is free from birth; thus, when relating to this it’s as if it knows reality, establishing thus that it relates to its aspects. And when saying, for just as it is when the mind takes on the aspects…, this is then confirmed by referring to an example that is commonly accepted. Hence it is established that actual reality is known through designation, and not because there is actually something known by someone, as both the knower and the known are in fact non-arisen.

And to reply to the statement, and who for you is that non-knower teaching others, ‘This is how it is’?, although it is true that the mind is unborn in actual reality, it is not impossible to teach reality within the world. How so? To explain:

Through their enjoyment bodies, brought by merit’s force,
And through their powers – emanations, space and more –
The Dharma’s sounds of true reality emerge,
And so reality is known within the world. (11.14)

Dwelling in a physical form, the tathāgatas take on inconceivable and multifareous bodies that make the dharmadhātu evident, brought on through vast merit. These make possible, in different forms, the bodhisattvas’ enjoyment of the Dharma. And through such verbal utterances that come about through the blessings of the tathāgatas, born through vast merit – which can help one also in the present reach an understanding of the various conventions of the scriptures, such as in the statement, ‘O Mañjuśrī, the expression unborn and unceasing is an epithet for the Tathāgata’¹ – those in the world who are prospective vessels for such teachings can come to an unmistaken certainty about the actual reality of things. And let alone through bodies that are formed through merit, when emanations appear through their blessings they can make clarifying utterances about the reality of things, and the world finds certainty about actual reality. Their power can operate in other ways apart from that displayed by emanations – ways not encompassed by mind and mental states – such as space, grass, trees, walls, stones and so forth, whose sounds can make the world see reality.

When there is no such conceptual activity happening at the present, seeing as there is no mind or mental factors involved, how can the aforementioned activity occur? To demonstrate this, an external example is used:

As when a master potter plies his wheel
And labours long to get it spinning well,
The wheel will then keep turning without toil
And pots and other things can be produced. (11.15)

It is the same for dharmakāya lords
Who make no effort at the present time,
Yet truly marvellous things do happen in
Response to beings’ merit and great aims. (11.16)

Although there are no concepts involved, they work for the benefit of the limitless realms of beings in ways that suit those to be trained. In the past they made prayers such as, ‘Just as the illustrious buddhas, without conceptual ideas, assiduously work in the most beneficial way for the betterment of beings – like wish-fulfilling jewels or trees of plenty – and whilst not departing from the dharmadhātu even for an instant, never miss an opportunity to train beings, I shall do the same.’ And through the power of these, excellent manifestations appear to carry out the activity of maturing those to be trained, by creating such opportunities to learn the Dharma. Thus one should understand, that although they do not at present make any conscious effort in this regard, the actual reality of things is being taught and the benefit of beings accomplished.

Now, in terms of the dharmakāya, it was said:

When all the brittle twigs of what is known
Are burned, peace comes – the Victor’s dharma form.
And then there is no birth and no decay,
The mind will cease, the kāya manifest. (11.17)

The wisdom-nature kāya completely burns up the brittle firewood of knowable things, and since knowable things are unborn, that property of being unborn is the dharmakāya of the buddhas. In terms of this reality of things (dharmatā), it is stated:

The buddhas see the reality of things,
And the guides are the body of dharma.
There is no so-called reality of things,
It is not something that can be known.²

In the body of dharma (dharmakāya) there is no birth and no decay, and in terms of this reality it is said, ‘O Mañjuśrī, the expression unborn and unceasing is an epithet for the Tathāgata.’³ And since mind and mental factors cannot in any way whatsoever take this actual reality, that is within the sphere of wisdom, as an object, that it manifests in bodily form (kāya) is something conventionally posited.

And this:

The peaceful kāya, lucid like the bounteous tree,
Without conceptual thought just like the wishing-jewel,
Grands lasting riches on the world till all are free,
Appearing just to those free from complexity. (11.18)

This body, said to be the manifestation of actual reality, is held to have the nature of peace since it is free from mind and mental factors. But although its nature is peace, it is lucid in its activities for the benefit of beings, just like the clarity of the bounteous tree. And like the wishing-jewel has no conceptual thought, meaning that, although it is free from conceptual ideas, it makes that which is desired come to be, just like the bounteous tree and the wish-fulfilling jewel do. And this body remains to bestow riches on the world for as long as samsara exists. The word lasting indicates that it remains for an extensive period of time. This is thus conveying that the buddhas remain in this form to carry out the benefit of beings for as long as the world exists, for as long as space remains. This body ornamented with symbols of hundreds of merits only appears to exist for bodhisattvas who are free from the complexities of thought, who have attained the stainless mirror-like intelligence, the result of their accumulations of merit and wisdom, and it does not appear to those encumbered by the complexities of conceptual thought.

To describe the incredible ability they have, in terms of making concordant bodies other than those described above, appear to train beings – whether produced from the dharmakāya or through the power of the form kāya – it was said:

The mighty sages can within a single form
And in a single instant demonstrate all past
Existences relating to them, though they’re gone,
Complete, in detail, and with flawless clarity. (11.19)

They are able to spontaneously demonstrate the past existences they had throughout beginningless samsara before they reached the wisdom of omniscience and can show these clearly and unmistakenly in their totality without confusing the order in which they occurred, and can do so completely in an instant and in a single concordant body, like an image appearing completely clearly in a mirror.

To express what occurs when they spontaneously display in a single body all the bodhisattva activities undertaken, and where, how and why these came about, it was said:

They demonstrate completely in a single form
How buddha realms and mighty sages did appear;
And how their forms, acts, strengths and powers were;
The size and manner of the groups of hearers there, (11.20)