觀音玄義記 4.3

4.3

Second, from "Question: In the present..." downward, clarifying the possession of the ten dharmas of the nine realms, which has two parts: First, questioning based on the difficulty of possessing the Buddha-dharma. The realms have definite divisions; how could they mutually possess one another? The Buddha-dharma is free from defilement and abruptly transcends the ordinary and the noble; how could hell possess these ten dharmas? Second, from "Answer: The Great..." downward, clarifying that the ordinary mind is identical to the Buddha, the answer having two parts: First, directly clarifying that hell possesses the ten dharmas of a Buddha, which are ten: First, the Buddha-nature. King Xianyu wished to convert non-Buddhists, and for twelve years made offerings to an assembly of five hundred brahmins. Later he urged them to take refuge in and believe the Mahāyāna Vaipulya; those who did not believe slandered it, saying it did not exist. Hearing the slander, Xianyu killed the five hundred. When the five hundred fell into hell, they immediately gave rise to three thoughts: The first thought was, "What place is this?" and they knew it was hell. The second thought was, "Where did we come from?" and they knew it was the human path. The third thought was, "For what cause did we fall into hell?" and they knew it was slandering the Vaipulya. Due to this they repented their fault, were immediately reborn in a Buddha-land, and ultimately attained the Buddha-body. This was because Xianyu knew that people in hell possess Buddha-nature; therefore, killing them to make them fall, it was aroused within these three thoughts. In the past, Vasu killed living beings to sacrifice to heaven, and because of this fell into hell; in hell he converted ninety billion people, and emerged from hell to arrive at the Vaipulya assembly. The Buddha said: "'Va' means good. 'Su' means high. How could a person of good and high fall into hell?" He also said: "'Va' means firm. 'Su' means gentle. How could a person of firm and gentle fall into hell?" This was a great expedient manifesting an evil appearance, demonstrating that in hell there is Buddha-nature. Second, the Buddha-appearance. Third, the Buddha-substance: because the supreme evil mind is identical to the Middle Way. Fourth, the Buddha-power: the great functioning inherently included in the nature, namely the eight sovereign masteries. Fifth, the Buddha-function: here, saying "from the root of non-abiding all dharmas are established" is meant to clarify that compliant cultivation is the function of the Buddha realm. The causes and effects of the nine realms are all established in contradiction to the root; only the Buddha's cause and effect act in compliance with the root. Because the nature of original enlightenment is fundamentally free from attachment and abiding, it is the root of non-abiding. If one does not act in compliance with the root of non-abiding, it is not the cause, condition, effect, or retribution of the Buddha realm. This is marvelous cultivation. When this cultivation arises, it completely cuts off the activities of the wisdom and practice of the seven expedient stages; hence the metaphors of the lion's sinew-string breaking the sinew-strings of the hundred beasts when plucked, and a drop of lion's milk curdling the milk of the hundred beasts. One must know that the mind of hell inherently possesses the nature of cultivation and nature of the Buddha realm; as in the Great Text, appearance, nature, and substance are taken as the three of Buddha-nature, while from power and function onward are the cultivation of the Buddha realm. These aspects of cultivation and nature are all possessed by the ordinary mind; once this intention of function is attained, one understands that all cultivations arise in compliance with the nature. Sixth, cause: this is the principle revealed by compliant cultivation, hence called the direct cause. Seventh, condition: this is the wisdom and practice that can aid compliant cultivation, hence called conditional and revealing [causes]. And speaking of "inherent virtue" is because it is inherently possessed by the mind of hell. Eighth, effect, and ninth, retribution: these are the two effects attained by the previous conditional and revealing [causes], which the mind of hell possesses without exception. Tenth, the Buddha's beginning-and-end-ultimate-equality: explained in terms of the mutual presence of cultivation and nature, no different from the hell described earlier. Second, from "The Great Sūtra..." downward, using the Buddha realm to illustrate the ten dharmas of the remaining realms. The "Snowy Mountains" refers to the mind-ground of extreme evil. The "wondrous herbs and poisonous plants" refer to the first and last two realms. The Buddha-dharma is transcendent and supreme, yet hell still possesses it; how could it fail to possess the remaining eight realms? Second, from "Hell..." downward, the remaining nine are each identical to the ten realms. Hell possessing the nine has already been explained above; that the nine realms each possess the remaining nine realms can be understood through this meaning.