仁王護國般若波羅蜜多經疏 3.435

3.435

The commentary explains: However, regarding equal enlightenment, there are initial and subsequent stages; this refers to the subsequent stage. That is to say, this bodhisattva abides in the palace of Maheśvara in the fourth dhyāna, where there is a wondrous pure land. As the first fascicle of the Buddhabhūmi-śāstra states: "There are two pure lands transformed by the tenth-ground bodhisattva's own mind: If it is the pure land transformed by the eighth consciousness, because it is subsumed under the objective aspect of tainted consciousness, even though perfumed and assisted by the power of untainted wholesome [roots], its pure and wondrous marks are subsumed under the truth of suffering. If it is the image of a pure land transformed by the subsequent untainted mind, because it is untainted, it is born from untainted wholesome seeds, and its essence is subsumed under the untainted truth of the path." The awakened state cultivated while dwelling in this land is as the Yingluo jing says: "A bodhisattva of equal enlightenment, through the power of great vows, lives for a hundred kalpas cultivating a thousand samādhis, for a thousand kalpas learns the Buddha's deportment, and for ten thousand kalpas learns the Buddha's transformed manifestations. Prior to this, it explains the practices cultivated in the stage of equal enlightenment." Regarding the arising of the adamantine samādhi on the verge of attaining right awakening, both the twelfth fascicle of the Daśabhūmika-śāstra and the thirty-ninth fascicle of the Avataṃsaka Sūtra state: "When the bodhisattva mahāsattva enters the stage of receiving coronation, he has already attained one million asaṃkhyeya samādhis, all manifesting before him. The very last samādhi is called the supreme coronation stage of omniscience. When this samādhi appears, a great jeweled lotus suddenly springs forth; that flower is vast, equal in measure to one million trichiliocosms, adorned with an interweaving of numerous wondrous jewels, transcending all worldly realms, born from supramundane wholesome roots, constantly emitting radiance that illuminates the dharmadhātu everywhere, accompanied by lotuses as numerous as the dust motes of a trichiliocosm as its retinue. At that time, the bodhisattva's body is exceedingly wondrous; sitting upon this flower seat, the size of his physical marks precisely corresponds to it. An immeasurable assembly of bodhisattvas serves as his retinue, each seated upon the other lotuses, surrounding him completely, each having attained one million samādhis, gazing reverently with single mind upon the great bodhisattva. All the radiance and vocal sounds of this great bodhisattva and his retinue completely fill the dharmadhātu of the ten directions. All worlds tremble and shake, the evil destinies cease, the lands are adorned and purified, and fellow practitioners gather without exception. This great bodhisattva emits light from the soles of his feet illuminating the hells; emits light from his kneecaps illuminating the animals; emits light from his navel illuminating the realm of Yama; emits light from his flanks illuminating the human realms; emits light from his hands illuminating the devas and asuras; emits light from his shoulders illuminating the śrāvakas everywhere; emits light from the back of his neck illuminating the pratyekabuddhas; emits light from his mouth illuminating bodhisattvas from the initial aspiration up to the ninth bhūmi; emits light from between his eyebrows illuminating crowned bodhisattvas throughout the ten directions; and emits light from his crown illuminating the bodhimaṇḍas of all buddhas throughout all worlds in the ten directions. Circling them ten times to the right, it abides in empty space, forming a net of light, raining down ornamental accoutrements as offerings. Circling ten times again, it enters beneath the feet of all the tathāgatas. At that time, all buddhas and bodhisattvas know that in a certain world a certain bodhisattva mahāsattva has arrived at the stage of receiving coronation. Those bodhisattvas all come to observe, each obtaining ten thousand samādhis. All the buddhas emit light from between their eyebrows, illuminating all worlds in the ten directions everywhere; circling ten times to the right, manifesting buddha-works, they come to this bodhisattva's assembly, circle to the right, and having manifested various ornamental deeds, enter through the crown of the great bodhisattva's head. He attains one million samādhis never attained before; this is called having attained the stage of receiving coronation. Just as the prince born to a wheel-turning king, whose mother is the primary queen and whose physical marks are fully complete, is seated by the king upon a throne of white elephant jewels and wondrous gold, with nets, canopies, banners, and pennants, scattering flowers and playing music; the king takes water from the four great oceans, places it in a golden flask, holds this flask, and anoints the prince's crown—at that moment, it is called receiving the royal station." As fully explained there. However, "when the adamantine samādhi appears before him" refers to the very last samādhi among the million samādhis never attained before mentioned in the earlier sūtra. Relying on this supreme concentration, he generates the unhindered path and severs subtle obscurations. There are two interpretations of this. Some say: this severs the obscurations of the eleventh bhūmi, the tathāgata bhūmi, which has two avidyamāna, as the Suvarṇaprabhāsa states: First, the subtle ignorance obstructing all objects that constitutes the cognitive obscuration, which is the subtle cognitive obscuration here; second, the extremely subtle ignorance of moral heaviness that constitutes the affliction obscuration, which is all seeds of spontaneous affliction obscurations here. These two ignorances obstruct the buddha-ground; they are severed and abandoned at the time of the unhindered path, regarding the seeds and actual states of the fundamental consciousness. If different times are admitted, it is because these seeds are abandoned; if simultaneous, it is because they are not yet abandoned. Some say: severing is as in the Awakening of Faith: only the marks of the mind are extinguished, not the essence of the mind; extinction is severing. The mental essence of its self-nature as a whole is aroused by that ignorance; this is stimulating quiescence into movement, not bringing something into existence from nonexistence. The cause of the mind's movement is ignorance arising as the karmic mark. Now in the position of equal enlightenment, original ignorance is severed; when ignorance is exhausted, the moving marks are extinguished accordingly—only the mental marks are extinguished, while the mental essence is not extinguished. The distinction between these two is: the former severs the evolving consciousnesses, while the latter severs the fundamental consciousness; combining both passages makes the meaning harmonious and compliant. As for "he is still not yet equal to the unequalled," because this position is still inferior, he cannot yet equal the Buddha. The Buddha transcends this stage; hence he is called "unequalled." The paths of all buddhas are equal; hence "equal to the unequalled." Here begins the second part, adducing an analogy to explain and establish it.