Hardayal's comments

Upon reaching this eighth of the ten bhumis (stages) listed in the Dashabhumika Sutra, Hardayal says of the bodhisattva, “The Buddhas initiate him into infinite Knowledge, otherwise he would enter into nirvana instead of persevering in his efforts to gain bodhi for the good of all. He understands the process of the evolution and involution of the Universe. He knows the exact number of atoms in the different elements of which the Universe is composed. He assumes different bodies and shows them to the people as he thinks fit. He acquires the ten vashitas (Powers). This bhumi is so important that it is called the Stage of Perfection, of Birth, of Finality. A bodhisattva especially cultivates the Perfection of Aspiration (pranidhana) without neglecting the others, and he pervades the whole world with the feeling of Friendliness” (The Bodhisattva Doctrine in Sanskrit Literature, p. 290).

Regarding “unexcelled, perfect enlightenment,” Hardayal says, “The simple root-perception, shorn of all accretions and amplifications, is Omniscience. It has been described as incomprehensible for the ratiocinative intellect. It is infinite, because the qualities that produce it are infinite. It is pure and perfect Knowledge of all things, free from uncertainty and obscurity.” (ibid. p. 19)

Hardayal says, “The perception of punya (merit) is one of the central concepts of Buddhism. Every act, which is inspired by charity, or by charity and morality (sila), produces some punya, which leads to welfare in this life and also secures happy rebirths. But a unit of punya confers a certain kind of happiness on earth or in a heaven only for a certain period of time, after which it is exhausted. Still, all that is noble, beautiful, auspicious, glorious, and desirable in the world is the result of punya. Punya is thus a wonderful Power, and it is exalted and glorified in Mahayanist literature to such an extent that it was finally regarded almost as the equivalent of prajna and bodhi, as the increasing appreciation of active altruism in social life gave rise to the new conception that punya by itself could lead to Enlightenment.” (The Bodhisattva Doctrine in Buddhist Sansrkit Literature p. 188- 189)