仁王般若經疏 2.27

2.27

From "said to the Buddha" onward, this answers the second topic: the characteristics of practice to benefit others. In the question there are two parts: first, taking up the previous question. Since King Candraprabha's earlier question was already far removed, it is now raised once again. "How does the purification of a bodhisattva's fundamental karma": the ten grounds are the fundamental karma of a bodhisattva. A bodhisattva, through compassion and wisdom, is undefiled in both places—birth-and-death and nirvāṇa; this is called the purification of fundamental karma. From "the Buddha said" onward, this directly answers the question to reveal the characteristics of practice to benefit others. There are three parts: first, briefly answering the previous question; second, from "if a bodhisattva abides in a hundred buddhas" onward, answering in detail; third, from "scattering immeasurable" onward, celebrating the receipt of the Dharma's benefit, offering, and praising. In the first passage, "from one ground up to the subsequent ground" refers to from the first ground up to the Buddha ground. "The places traversed by oneself" refers to the causal ground. "And the places traversed by the buddhas" refers to the fruition ground. The illumination devoid of conditions illuminates both cause and fruit simultaneously; hence it is said: "complete knowledge and vision." From "if a bodhisattva abides in a hundred buddhas" onward, the second part answers in detail regarding the ten grounds, divided into ten sections. Regarding the first ground, the text has five clauses: first, from "abides in a hundred buddhas" onward, clarifying the lands to be transformed. Second, from "acts as a king of Jambū[dvīpa]" onward, clarifying the subsumed rank, meaning acting as the four kinds of wheel-turning kings among humans and the four heavenly kings. According to the Daśabhūmika-sūtra, on the first ground one acts as an iron-wheel-turning king. The Yingluo jing says: "Cultivating the ten faiths: cultivating the ten good practices of faith for one kalpa, two kalpas, or three kalpas, there are three grades: superior good, an iron-wheel-turning king, transforming one world under heaven; middling good, a scattered millet king; lower good, a king among men. On the ten abodes, a copper-wheel-turning king; on the ten practices, a silver-wheel-turning king; on the ten dedications, a gold-wheel-turning king; from the first ground upward, lapis lazuli jewel necklaces." On the first ground, there are necklaces of a hundred jewels, seven-jeweled wheels of marks, and the ten thousand sons of the four heavenly kings as retinue, whereas on the ten abodes one is a copper-wheel-turning king. If so, the rank of the ten abodes would already exceed the first ground; how could one cling to a single sūtra as a definitive explanation? Therefore that sūtra states: "These various grounds have no name and no mark; they are only spoken of as existing in accordance with response and transformation." Third, from "a hundred dharma-gates" onward, distinguishing the understood dharma-gates: this means understanding a hundred dharma-gates in a single thought-moment. Fourth, from "the two truths" onward, clarifying the personal realization of the principle: the ultimate and conventional being markless is termed "a mind of equality." Fifth, "transforming all sentient beings" clarifies the characteristics of practice to benefit others. From the second ground to the tenth ground, by analogy there are four clauses each. For the second ground, the four are: first, from "if a bodhisattva abides in a thousand buddhas" onward, clarifying the land to be transformed. Second, from "acts as the king of Trāyastriṃśa Heaven" onward, clarifying the characteristics of superior rebirth. The Daśabhūmika-sūtra says: "On the second ground one acts as a gold-wheel-turning king"; the Yingluo jing agrees with this sūtra in acting as the king of Trāyastriṃśa. From "cultivates a thousand dharma-gates" onward, clarifying the understood dharma-gates. From "transforms all sentient beings with the path of the ten virtuous actions" onward, clarifying the characteristics of practice to benefit others. For the third ground, the four are: first, from "if a bodhisattva abides in a hundred thousand" onward, clarifying the land to be transformed. Second, from "acts as the king of Yāma Heaven" onward, clarifying the characteristics of superior rebirth. Thus the Daśabhūmika-sūtra says: "acts as the king of Trāyastriṃśa"; the Yingluo jing agrees with this sūtra in acting as the king of Yāma Heaven. Third, from "cultivates a hundred thousand dharma-gates" onward, clarifying the understood dharma-gates. From "transforms all sentient beings with the dhyāna concentrations" onward, clarifying the characteristics of practice to benefit others, benefiting beings by means of dhyāna concentrations.