金剛般若波羅蜜經略疏 1.20

1.20

Within the first section, which sets forth the thesis, there are broadly five parts: First, praising the question with "Excellent!"; second, that the speaker of this praise possesses virtues—Vasubandhu's Commentary says: "'Well-protects and remains mindful' refers to bodhisattvas whose faculties are mature, protecting and perfecting virtues for self and others; 'well-entrusts' refers to bodhisattvas whose faculties are not yet mature, bringing to completion what is uncompleted and bringing to the ultimate what is completed, owing to the superior capacity of well-entrusting." Third, admonishing them to listen and promising to expound; fourth, briefly raising four meanings to answer the questions above; fifth, from "Subhūti said to the Buddha" onward, revealing his fine aspiration to give rise to the subsequent detailed explanation. Now, to clarify the arising of the bodhicitta within the Mahāyāna, there are briefly ten meanings: 1. exhausting the quest for the fruit of buddhahood; 2. exhausting the manifestation of the dharmadhātu; 3. exhausting the clarification of practice; 4. exhausting the clarification of severing the three kinds of hindrances; 5. exhausting the deliverance of sentient beings; 6. exhausting the seeking of good spiritual friends; 7. exhausting the fulfillment of good vows; 8. exhausting the sudden arising of stages; 9. exhausting the good responsiveness of cause and effect; 10. exhausting the sovereign integration and mutual interpenetration of all meritorious marks. As for the statement "should abide thus," this is true-mark prajñā. It clarifies that the tathatā of the dharmadhātu, originally enlightened and quiescent, is clear wisdom free from thought, manifested by non-conceptual wisdom; once attained, it does not regress, so it is called "abiding." As for the statement "should practice thus," it reveals the cultivation that accomplishes right wisdom, where the primary and auxiliary practices are fulfilled, responding to karmic activities with an active mind—this is called "practice." As for the statement "should subjugate one's mind thus," the mental consciousness of ordinary beings is false, licentious, and has cycled in transmigration for a long time; now, relying on skillful means, it is attuned so as to correspond with the Dharma, and hence it is called "subjugating."