妙法蓮華經玄贊 3.28

3.28

The commentary states: This is the third phrase. The treatise states in the first round: "Furthermore, 'various mindful contemplations' is as the sūtra states: 'Śāriputra! The Tathāgata's knowledge and vision are vast, great, deep, and far-reaching, unimpeded and unhindered; the powers, fearlessnesses, unshared dharmas, faculties, powers, limbs of awakening, dhyānas, concentrations, liberations, samādhis, and samāpattis are all already fulfilled.'" The textual purport is broadly the same, with minor differences in quantity. Here, speaking of knowledge and vision: "vast" means boundless; "great" means unsurpassable; "deep" means unfathomable; "far-reaching" means enduring for an extensive period, exhausting the future. The above is the general phrase for all merits. Because they have the two cognitions as their nature, they are called "knowledge and vision"; moreover, because these merits are also subsumed as the retinue of the two cognitions, they are called "knowledge and vision." From "immeasurable" downward are the specific phrases for the merits. According to this sūtra text, "immeasurable" refers to the four immeasurables; this corresponds to "unimpeded" where the treatise cites the sūtra. "Unhindered" refers to the four unhindered understandings. "Powers" refers to the ten powers. "Fearlessnesses" refers to the four fearlessnesses. The "unshared dharmas" cited in the text of the treatise refers to the eighteen unshared dharmas. "Faculties" refers to the five faculties. "Powers" refers to the five powers. "Limbs of awakening" refers to the thirty-seven [factors of awakening]; these four above are absent in the [present] sūtra text. "Dhyāna" refers to the four dhyānas of the form realm. "Concentration" refers to the four formless concentrations. "Liberation" refers to the eight liberations. "Samādhi" refers to the three samādhis. "Samāpatti" refers to the nine attainments; this single item is also absent in the [present] sūtra text. In the sūtra cited by the treatise there are thirteen categories; here in this sūtra there are altogether eight categories of merit termed "mindful contemplation," the substance of which is discerning understanding that clearly recollects; hence it cannot be explained at length. Each doctrinal category should be briefly differentiated. The four immeasurables are differentiated through five categories: first, listing their names; second, explaining their names; third, distinguishing their cognitive modes; fourth, identifying their intrinsic nature; fifth, distinguishing their varieties. Listing their names: they are the immeasurable of benevolence, the immeasurable of compassion, the immeasurable of joy, and the immeasurable of equanimity. Explaining their names: first, taking an immeasurable objective realm as focus, because these four are generated with respect to all sentient beings; second, giving rise to immeasurable practice, because the practice and understanding are also extremely vast; third, evoking an immeasurable fruition, because one attains the great Brahma-merit and becomes a Tathāgata, they are termed "immeasurable"; fourth, it is a numeral, an explanation that carries a number. Distinguishing their cognitive modes: sentient beings of the Dharma-realm are classified generally into three types: first, those without suffering and without joy; non-erroneously giving joy is called benevolence, having non-anger as its substance. Second, those with suffering; eliminating suffering is called compassion, having non-harming as its substance. Third, those with joy; rejoicing with them is called joy, having the wholesome root of non-jealousy as its substance. Furthermore, toward those without suffering and without joy one gives rise to the thought of parting from delusion; toward those with suffering one gives rise to the thought of parting from anger; toward those with joy one gives rise to the thought of parting from greed; wishing equanimously to cause them to depart from all evils is called equanimity. Because it causes them to abandon evil, wholesome equanimity is its substance. Identifying their intrinsic nature: combined, they consist of three dharmas, namely non-anger, non-harming, and equanimity; non-jealousy in substance is simply non-anger, as there is no separate dharma. Distinguishing their varieties: each of these has three types: first, taking sentient beings as object, conceiving them as sentient beings; second, taking dharmas as object, not seeing sentient beings and only conceiving them as dharmas; third, objectless, further departing from discriminative thoughts regarding all dharmas and conceiving them as tathatā, hence called objectless; or the immeasurable of dharmas takes the various scriptural teachings as object. Among these three, the first is shared with non-Buddhists, the second is shared with the two vehicles, and the last belongs solely to bodhisattvas. The first three bring peace and joy; the last one brings benefit; the fruition evoked can be understood. Their difference from the great benevolence, great compassion, great joy, and great equanimity is that those are solely realistic contemplations generated only by the Buddha, taking beings of the three realms as object, and conjoined with non-delusion; whereas these [four immeasurables] extend to both the nominal and the real, are generated by both ordinary beings and noble ones, have indeterminate realms as objects, and are not conjoined with non-delusion.