觀音玄義 2.4

2.4

If one says that the mark of extinction of all phenomena cannot be spoken of in words, the Mahāparinirvāṇa-sūtra says: 'Arising-arising cannot be spoken of, up to non-arising-non-arising cannot be spoken of either.' Even one teaching cannot be spoken of; how could there be four? Answer: In principle this is indeed so—all cannot be spoken of. But responding to conditions to benefit beings, because there are causes and conditions, it can also be spoken of. Not only can arising-arising be spoken of, up to non-arising-non-arising can also be spoken of, so that through the gates of the Buddha's teachings one escapes the suffering of saṃsāra. As for the Tripiṭaka teaching: as the Dàzhìdù lùn cites Kātyāyanīputra to clarify the meaning of a bodhisattva, Śākyamuni was originally a potter who encountered the past Śākyamuni Buddha and made his vow; from that time onward he first generated the bodhisattva aspiration, which is the bodhi sought by the practitioner, termed the 'dharma.' Deeply revulsed by suffering and its origin, eagerly seeking cessation and the path, he gave rise to the mind of benevolence and compassion, vowing to deliver all, practicing the six perfections, practices and vows supporting one another to eradicate suffering and grant joy. Why is this? Stinginess is called origin; falling among hungry ghosts is called suffering; practicing giving is called the path; the cessation of stinginess is called cessation. The bodhisattva himself subdues stinginess and greed, his compassionate mind perfuming beings, so that when sentient beings call upon his name they can escape suffering; he himself practices giving, his benevolent mind perfuming beings, so that when beings are ready to be delivered, he can manifest to make them attain peace and happiness. One should know that it is to fulfill the great vows that he cultivates the practice of giving. Up to: ignorance is called origin; being born in heaven is called suffering; cultivating wisdom is called the path; subduing ignorance is called cessation. When cultivating the perfection of wisdom, he personally destroys suffering and its origin in order to accomplish the mind of compassion to perfume sentient beings, so that when sentient beings call upon his name they attain liberation; he personally realizes the path and cessation to accomplish the mind of benevolence to perfume sentient beings, so that when sentient beings have a stimulus, responding to their capacity they attain deliverance. Hence we know that practice fulfills vows. In practicing these six perfections, each has its period: Śibi substituting for the dove was the fulfillment of giving; Sumati not speaking falsely was the fulfillment of morality; King Kali dismembering him without his wavering was the fulfillment of patience; Mahātyāgavat bailing the sea was the fulfillment of vigor; the śramaṇera sitting in dhyāna was the fulfillment of concentration; Minister Govinda dividing the land was the fulfillment of prajñā. Cultivating thus until the first asaṃkhyeya-kalpa, he did not know whether he would become a buddha or not; in the second asaṃkhyeya, he mentally knew he would become a buddha, but did not speak it aloud; in the third asaṃkhyeya, he mentally knew it and spoke it aloud. After passing the three asaṃkhyeyas, there were another hundred kalpas planting the marks: for the hundred merits, a total of 3,200 merits were used; when cultivating to completion the manifestation of the thirty-two marks of a great person, he was then called a bodhisattva-mahāsattva, but he only subdued afflictions without severing them, like a fat sheep without tallow; taking worldly wisdom as prajñā is precisely this intention. Using these bodhisattva practices to correspond to the stages of śrāvaka practice: the first asaṃkhyeya can correspond to the general and specific stations of mindfulness; the second asaṃkhyeya can correspond to the heat stage; the third asaṃkhyeya can correspond to the summit stage; the hundred kalpas planting the marks can correspond to the patience stage; sitting at the site of enlightenment can correspond to the worldly supreme stage; severing bonds and becoming a buddha with thirty-four minds corresponds to generating the truth with sixteen minds up to the nine liberations of the non-trainee. At that time, sitting upon the site of enlightenment, severing afflictions with thirty-four minds, primary [defilements] and habit-energies are both exhausted, called the Buddha of the Tripiṭaka. Hence Śākyamuni was vigorous and his disciples were fully ripened; because of his vigor, he transcended nine kalpas to accomplish buddhahood with the eight marks. This is the teaching gate preached by the master of the Tripiṭaka teaching. The one bound to succession here is at the stage of the hundred kalpas planting the marks; subduing afflictions and abiding in his final body, his practice of the six perfections completed, his vows about to be fulfilled, benevolence and compassion perfume sentient beings, eradicating suffering and granting joy. If analyzed in this regard, it is merely phenomena produced by causes and conditions, and contemplation illuminated by worldly wisdom; this is the meaning of Avalokiteśvara in the Tripiṭaka teaching.