大般若波羅蜜多經般若理趣分述讚 1.19

1.19

Question: The Buddha possesses ten epithets; why at the beginning of the sutra did the Buddha instruct Ānanda to state this name? Answer: Because this single name is universally revered by the world; all non-Buddhists also refer to their own primary teachers by the name Bhagavat. Moreover, this single name encompasses all virtues, whereas the other names do not; therefore, this name is placed at the beginning of all sūtras. However, although the beginning of each sūtra indicates the lord of the teaching, they differ from one another. For instance, in the newly translated Sutra Praising the Virtues of the Mahāyāna, [the Buddha] abides in the Dharmadhātu Treasury, in the land of the nature of phenomena (dharmatā) within the Great Palace of Great Merit adorned with various jewels where all Buddhas travel; this is taught by the dharmakāya. The Buddhabhūmi-sūtra is set in a great palace established by a great king of precious lotuses, adorned with seven jewels of supreme radiance, and so forth at length; this is taught by the reward body (saṃbhogakāya) within the pure land of eighteen completions. Now, although the beginning of this sūtra reveals the Buddha's real virtues, it differs slightly from other sūtras: his dwelling is within the maṇi-gem palace in the palace of the king of the Paranirmitavaśavartin Heaven, taught by the nirmāṇakāya. Yet although only Buddhas dwell in the land of the nature of phenomena, Bodhisattva Vyūhālaṅkāra, who exemplifies virtue, is also present in that assembly. And although the pure land contains only bodhisattvas, the sūtra also states that devas and nāgas are present. Although this sūtra only describes the assembly gathered in the Paranirmitavaśavartin palace and only lists the great bodhisattvas who have completed the ten grounds, all of this illustrates that a single reality is seen differently. The Vajracchedikā-śāstra states: 'The responsive transformation [body] is not the real Buddha, nor is it the preacher of the Dharma. Expounding the Dharma does not grasp at duality; having no preaching, it is free from verbal signs.' Tracing the function back to the source, the dharmakāya is taken as the [true] body, and the other bodies are not [true] bodies. The dharmakāya is the [true] expounding, and the two [other] preachings are not [true] preachings. The substance acting as a locus of aggregation is collectively termed 'body'. The dharmakāya is the overall basis of body and preaching, the source of body and preaching; only then do the two bodies arise, and they are neither permanent bodies nor non-permanent preachings. Prajñā takes only the nature of phenomena as its principal theme, aiming at extinguishing signs; because the two bodies and two preachings both have signs, they are called 'not bodies and not preachings'. In reality, these two bodies also possess body and preaching; wishing to reveal that the names and principles of the Mahāyāna are profound and far-reaching, and that only by realizing the principle of the two emptinesses can one know and expound them, sublime lands are provisionally employed to display the profundity of the sūtras. In the land of the nature of phenomena, where the Sutra Praising the Virtues of the Mahāyāna is spoken, in actual principle Vyūhālaṅkāra dwells only in the pure land, not in the land of the nature of phenomena. In the land of the nature of phenomena there is neither body nor preaching; how could a bodhisattva hear it and so forth? Furthermore, to reveal that correct wisdom internally realizes true emptiness, it is termed 'dwelling in the land of the nature of phenomena'; when subsequent wisdom gives rise to compassion to transform beings, it is termed 'dwelling in the pure land and so forth'; there is no fault in this. The eight classes of devas and nāgas see him dwelling in a transformation land. As for the Buddhabhūmi-sūtra, wishing to reveal the characteristics of the pure land of eighteen completions, the five dharmas and the real virtues of the Tathāgata that it expounds are framed in terms of the pure land to display the profundity of the sūtra. In truth, when the bodhisattva's correct wisdom tallies with reality, he also dwells in the nature of phenomena, while devas and nāgas hearing the Dharma also dwell in a transformation land. This Prajñā contemplates and realizes the real mark; for all bodhisattvas and the Tathāgata, extinguishing signs is the fundamental basis. In reality they all dwell in the dharmatā-kāya and presently abide in the pure land; yet to reveal the depth of compassion and the thickness of kindness, praising the virtues of the reward body, it is said that he dwells in a transformation land to expound it. Those who listen to the Dharma are also designated only as superior persons matching the Buddha's real virtues, framed within the transformation land to make them manifest. The distinct intent will be explained below. Now, stating Bhagavat as is appropriate reveals that all three bodies can expound the Dharma, and that the retinues all possess the meaning of abiding in the three lands, while only the virtues of the reward body are marked. However, one does not see the sūtra text stating that he dwells in his own reward land to preach; from this one should infer the Buddha-land based on the Buddha's virtues and location. Here, this Bhagavat, judged according to the distinct virtues below, represents the real virtues of the reward body, while the place where he dwells is a transformation land: displaying the superior body to reveal the superiority of the Dharma, and mentioning the transformation place to reveal the profundity of the sūtra, wishing to show that compassion and wisdom are both conditioned phenomena produced through cultivation, without speaking of the body and land of the nature of phenomena.