Attachment to an ability that is not actually an ability

J2 Attachment to an ability that is not actually an ability.
K1 When formations are gone, consciousness appears.

Sutra:

Further, Ananda, the good person has thoroughly seen the formations skandha as empty. He has ended production and destruction, but he has not yet perfected the subtle wonder of ultimate serenity.

Commentary:

Further, Ananda, the good person who is cultivating samadhi has thoroughly seen the formations skandha as empty. He has thoroughly investigated and put an end to the formations skandha; it is empty for him. He has already ended the states of production and destruction, but he has not yet perfected the subtle wonder of ultimate serenity. He has not completely attained the bliss of ultimate serenity, because consciousness has not been ended yet. Consciousness and true suchness differ by only a little bit.

Consciousness is subject to production and destruction, whereas true suchness is not. Right now, the eighth consciousness, which still has tiny traces of production and destruction, joins with true suchness, which is without production and destruction, and becomes what is called "the joined consciousness." Since the consciousness is in extremely close proximity to true suchness, they merge to form the joined consciousness. Since it is still a "joined" consciousness, the subtle wonder of ultimate serenity has not been perfected.

K2 A wrong understanding leads to a mistake.

Sutra:

He may regard that to which he is returning as his own body and may see all beings in the twelve categories throughout space as flowing forth from his body. If he interprets this as a supreme state, he will fall into the error of maintaining that he has an ability which he does not really have. Maheshvara, who manifests his boundless body, will become his companion. Confused about the Bodhi of the Buddhas, he will lose his knowledge and understanding.

Commentary:

He, the cultivator, may regard that to which he is returning as his own body. The place he is headed for is still within the production and destruction of the eighth consciousness. It is not actually his own body, but he thinks it is. And he has another false attachment which is that he may see all beings in the twelve categories, from egg-born beings to beings not entirely lacking thought, throughout space as flowing forth from his body. "Do you know where living beings come from?" he asks. "They all come from my own body. I gave birth to them all."

It is like an earlier state in which the cultivator said, "All beings are my children, even the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and Arhats, I created them all. I can create Buddhas; I can create Bodhisattvas; and I can create Arhats." See what an egomaniac he is.

If he interprets this as a supreme state. He thinks it's supreme, but it really isn't. It's based on wrong knowledge and views and can hardly be called supreme. If it were truly supreme, it would accord with the Buddhadharma. So as you cultivate the Way and read the sutras, make sure you understand them clearly. He will fall into the error of maintaining that he has an ability which he does not really have. He says he is able to create all living beings, but in fact he has no such ability. That's just a speculation he makes with his false consciousness. He doesn't really have the ability, but he becomes attached to the idea that he does.

Who has this kind of attachment? It's the God Maheshvara, the Lord of the Heaven of Great Sovereignty, which is the highest heaven in the form realm. Maheshvara is also called the Great Sovereign God. He has three flesh eyes which he was born with, and he also has the Buddha eye in the middle of his forehead How many hands does he have? He has eight hands, four in front and four in back. The ones in front are good for picking things up, and the ones in back are handy for stealing things. Since one hand isn't enough, and two hands still aren't that powerful for picking up or stealing things, he has eight hands. He can pick up a lot of things, too. If he went into a department store, I'm sure the security officers who watch for shoplifters would have a hard time keeping an eye on him, because he has so many hands. He rides upon a magnificent white ox and carries a white whisk in one hand. He travels around with the greatest freedom. He says, "Take a look at me. I'm utterly at ease. You're nothing by comparison. I have total self-mastery." That is why he's called the Great Sovereign God.

The Great Sovereign God, who manifests his boundless body, will become his companion. This god is attached to the idea that he can manifest a boundless body, and he claims that all living beings are manifested by him. Now this person is cultivating the same dharma-door. He has the same attachment. He says that all living beings are manifested by him. Tell me, how can someone who has not accomplished Buddhahood create living beings? This is a false attachment; he thinks he has an ability that he doesn't really have. He makes friends with the Great Sovereign God and goes off to the Heaven of Great Sovereignty.

Confused about the Bodhi of the Buddhas, he will lose his knowledge and understanding. He fails to recognize the genuine enlightenment. He doesn't have any genuine wisdom, and so he joins the demons of the heavens and the external sects.

K3 Giving its name and instructions to awaken.

Sutra:

This is the second state, in which he draws conclusions about the workings of an ability based on idea that he has such an ability. He strays far from perfect penetration and turns his back on the City of Nirvana, thus sowing the seeds for being born in the Heaven of Great Pride where the self is considered all-pervading and perfect.

Commentary:

This is the second state, in which he draws conclusions about the workings of an ability based on the idea that he has such an ability. Based on the idea that he is able to create living beings, he attains a fruition that seems all-pervasive and perfect. He strays far from perfect penetration. What he has done goes against the dharma-door of cultivating perfect penetration through the ear, of directing the hearing inward to listen to the inherent nature.

And he turns his back on the City of Nirvana. He also goes against the truth of the unproduced and undestroyed, thus sowing the seeds for being born in the Heaven of Great Pride where the self is considered all-pervading and perfect. He will eventually be reborn in the Heaven of Great Pride, which is the Heaven of Great Sovereignty.

Great pride means he looks down on everyone else. He is always up on his white ox, with his three eyes and eight arms, thinking he is quite marvelous. Riding freely about on his white ox, he feels smug and satisfied. Because he feels his lifestyle is so superb, he becomes arrogant. He claims, "I completely pervade everything, and I can accomplish everything."