仁王般若經疏 3.98

3.98

From “the Jñāna ground” onward explains the fourth bhūmi. The text has four parts: first, identifying the name; second, establishing the name of the patience; third, leaving behind obstacles; fourth, progressive practice. First, identifying the name: the text says “the noble, awakened, and penetrating Bodhisattva Jñāna.” “Jñāna (eryan)” is translated here as “mother of wisdom”; having advanced to eradicate discursive thought, they are called “awakened and penetrating.” The object is able to generate wisdom; taking the object as the mother of wisdom. Another explanation: The Daśabhūmika Sūtra calls it the “Radiant Ground (arciṣmatī)”; this is an illustrative explanation. Second, establishing the name of the patience: “cultivates the patience of conformity to Dharma” refers to the inferior grade of the patience of conformity. Third, leaving behind obstacles, the text has three sub-clauses: first, going against the stream of views; second, abiding in the first fruit; third, concluding the departure from obstacles. First, “going against the stream of the five views” clarifies that the bodhisattva of the fourth bhūmi can extinguish the afflicted residual impressions of the five views. The Daśabhūmika Sūtra says: “With the view of self at their head, all are completely abandoned.” The Mahāyānasaṃgraha says: “The fourth bhūmi eradicates the innate ignorance of the view of individuality.” The Tripiṭaka Master states: The Mahāyāna separately has five views: 1. the view of arising and perishing, equivalent to the Hīnayāna's extreme view; 2. the view of the four applications of mindfulness, which damages correct mindfulness; correct mindfulness is the antidote, equivalent to the Hīnayāna's wrong view; 3. the view of wholesome and unwholesome, which damages right effort; right effort is able to practice all without discrimination; if a bodhisattva discriminates wholesome dharmas, they cannot be diligent; this is equivalent to the Hīnayāna's attachment to rules and rituals; 4. the view of sentient beings, which is the bodhisattva's antidote; the bodhisattva does not see sentient beings as distinct from the bodhisattva; 5. the view of the True Dharma; correct giving is the antidote to not seeing any dharma as existent. A bodhisattva practices nine kinds of paths, able to go against the stream of these five views, and only then enters the bodhisattva's stage of a srotāpanna. The nine kinds of paths are: 1. traversing saṃsāra like taking bitter medicine for an illness; 2. being close to sentient beings like a great physician, not reckoning the patient's agitation; 3. urging on one's physical strength like a servant without avoiding cold and suffering, because one's strength is endurant; 4. entering defilements and desires like a merchant fearing the loss of wealth: for the benefit of sentient beings, though dwelling in worldly pleasures, one does not overly receive retribution; 5. purifying the three karmas like a washerman, who does not rest until they are pure; 6. not afflicting others; 7. cultivating roots of goodness like someone drilling for fire, stopping only after obtaining fire; 8. cultivating concentration, like having a servant; 9. relying on wisdom, like a magician among a crowd of illusions not conceiving them as real. Not yet having seen where this is derived, this should be investigated separately. Second, “abides in the stage of a srotāpanna” is explained with two meanings: First, in terms of the stage of the path of cultivation, on the second and third bhūmis one cultivates the contaminated path to suppress afflictions, while on the fourth bhūmi one cultivates the uncontaminated path to eradicate afflictions forever; first attaining the cultivation of the uncontaminated is called a srotāpanna. The second meaning: below the third bhūmi one generates contaminated karma—the first bhūmi practices giving, the second bhūmi keeps the precepts, the third bhūmi cultivates the contaminated concentration of the eight dhyānas—while from the fourth bhūmi upward one cultivates the uncontaminated path, cuts off the three realms, and goes against the stream of saṃsāra, which is called a srotāpanna. It may also be that this person eradicates the causal obstacle of the mark of a person and self, resembling the Hīnayāna's first fruit, and the name is established based on this resemblance.