..续本文上一页. Maitreyanatha compared these unprecedented qualities with space in The Uttaratantrashastra. As it is, there are the five elements of earth, water, fire, air, and space. Space is distinct because it has capacities that the other elements do not have. Likewise, a Buddha”s eighteen qualities are unprecedented and distinct because no one else has them.

　　It is on account of possessing the ten strengths and four types of fearlessness that the eighteen invaluable qualities of a Buddha manifest clearly. The eighteen meaningful qualities are , pided into four groups: six qualities of behaviour, six of realization, three of activity, and three of ultimate wisdom.

　　Six wonderful qualities of virtuous behaviour

　　(1) No error: The six qualities of perfect behaviour pertain to values manifested through body, speech, and mind. Although Shravakas and Pratyekabuddhas are very mindful and aware, they can make mistakes. A Buddha never errs nor falters and does not engage in deceptive or misleading events. A Buddha never does anything that is useless and therefore his activities are sincere, meaningful, and beneficial.

　　(2) No empty chatter: A Buddha never speaks without a reason. His or her speech is a spoken value and not a single word he spoke or speaks is useless.

　　(3) No forgetfulness: The mindfulness and awareness of a Buddha never decline or sway. He or she never forgets anything that has passed through time.

　　(4) Continuous meditation: There is never any decline in his or her mind that is held in meditation at all times. A Bodhisattva, in comparison, can rest in a state of meditation for a while but often loses his countenance when not meditating. The ability to carry the meditative state into everyday activities is won on the eighth, ninth, and tenth Bodhisattva bhumis. At Buddhahood, the meditative and post-meditative states irreversibly blend so that a Buddha never forfeits his meditation. In fact, a Buddha always remains in meditative equipoise during all four activities, while travelling, while moving about, while sitting, and while sleeping.

　　(5) The absence of a variety of identifications means that there is never any deception in the mind of a Buddha. Variety of identifications is particularly in reference to the extremes of samsara and nirvana, rejection and acquisition.

　　(6) The absence of an undiscriminating neutrality means that a Buddha has analysed the dharma perfectly and sees that everything is like a reflection in a mirror. A Buddha never gives in to indifference that is non-discriminative since he or she sees depth in all things, and depth is warmth when knowledge and wisdom are not separated from love and compassion.

　　Six invaluable qualities of realization

　　(7) The possession of an undeteriorating aspiration: A Buddha continuously aspires to teach the dharma to students in accordance with their capabilities. It is never the case that a Buddha wishes to help sometimes and hesitates on other occasions. At all times, he tirelessly wishes to help and guide all those he sees laden with suffering and pain.

　　(8) Diligence means that a Buddha always has the perfect motivation and therefore is ever so ready to teach others how to accomplish freedom from samsara, the centre of worldly ways.

　　(9) Mindfulness means that a Buddha always keeps his or her pupils in mind and continuously invokes and upholds them through knowledge and sympathy, the power of the spirit and the tact of the heart. Without being separated by dualism of subject and object, he or she knows where students stand, what they need, and recognizes in which way they are ready and receptive for generous gifts of advice.

　　The Sanskrit term for “mindfulness” is smrti, the Tibetan is dren-pa. The Sanskrit can have the meaning of “remembering, keeping in mind…

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