Fifth is the stage difficult to conquer. Practitioners enter this stage by impartial attention to purity of the teachings of past, present, and future buddhas; to purity of conduct, to purity of mind; to purity of removal of opinion, doubt, uncertainty, and perplexity; to purity of knowledge of what to apply and what to relinquish; to purity of the final discernment and realization of all the elements of enlightenment; and to purity of perfecting all people. They attain unwavering attention and become familiar with both conventional and ultimate truths. As they meditate on all truths, practitioners also develop skill in practical arts and sciences, according to the needs of the people of the time. (pp. 1560-1561)
Excerpted from "Commentary on Book 39 by Li Tongxuan: Translator's Introduction" in The Flower Ornament Scripture: A Translation of the Avatamsaka Sutra
by Thomas Cleary
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