觀音義疏 1.45

1.45

Answer: The bodhisattva's dharma gates are immeasurable, but they do not go beyond the two contemplations of the Separate and Perfect. Because compassion originally arose, [the bodhisattva] is able to descend in resonance across the ten turns. Why is this? When the bodhisattva initially aroused the aspiration for awakening, seeing the fire of retributive result burning sentient beings, compassion arose immediately and [the bodhisattva] vowed to deliver them. When receiving and upholding the prohibitive precepts, compassion also arose to rescue them from all fires of karma. When cultivating the contemplation of the uncontaminated—when the white bones shed light and produce the fire-light samādhi, or within the fire master-station among the eight stations of mastery, or within the fire totality-station among the ten totalities—compassion arose in all cases to extinguish the fire of affliction for sentient beings. Furthermore, contemplating that all fires are phenomena produced by causes and conditions, realizing their substance is emptiness; then from the emptiness of fire contemplating the provisional nature of fire to discern causes and conditions; and then contemplating within fire to see the true mark of fire—in this manner, at each successive stage there is compassion and a vow to benefit beings. Now abiding as a Candidate for Buddhahood, their functioning power is inexhaustible; perfuming sentient beings with the power of their original vows, never abandoning them, they descend in resonance whenever there is a spiritual capacity that evokes them. If a concrete fire arises and one recites the name seeking rescue, [the bodhisattva] responds with the compassion on the level of result from the original time to eradicate suffering and grant joy; if the fire of evil karma arises, [the bodhisattva] uses the compassion within upholding precepts and cultivating concentration; if the fire of affliction arises, [the bodhisattva] uses the compassion of uncontaminated entry into emptiness, entry into the provisional, and entry into the middle. Each stage is interrelated. If numerous capacities arise simultaneously and evoke [the response] all at once, compassion responds universally and all attain liberation. As the fortieth fascicle of the Huayan jing says: 'Sudhana went to the country of Jinqiu and saw the brāhmaṇa Jayoṣmāyatana practicing austerities in search of all-knowledge. There was a great sword-mountain with fires blazing on all four sides, and from atop the sword-mountain he threw himself into the fire, saying to Sudhana: "One who can enter this is practicing the bodhisattva path." Sudhana gave rise to doubt, thinking this was a false teaching. A voice in the sky said to Sudhana: "Do not think this; this is a person of adamantine great wisdom who wishes to dry up the ocean of craving." The Parinirmita-vaśavartin deva said: "When this bodhisattva scorches his body with the five fires, he causes me to extinguish wrong views and leave behind all māras in my mind." It also says: "When the bodhisattva scorches his body, our palaces become like heaps of ink, and I thereupon arouse the aspiration for awakening—up to Parinirmita-vaśavartin devas attaining the dharma gate of sovereignty within afflictions, and even dragons, ghosts, and Avīci [beings] all arousing the aspiration for awakening and abandoning their original evil thoughts." After Sudhana heard the voice in the sky, he immediately repented his fault, ascended the sword-mountain, and entered the great heap of fire. Before reaching it, he attained the bodhisattva's secure-abiding samādhi; upon entering the fire, he attained the bodhisattva's peaceful, joyful, illuminating samādhi. This fire-mountain is named the inexhaustible dharma gate; if one enters this gate, one can know all dharmas.' Thus, citing that sūtra's dharma gate of fire in this way proves the Avalokiteśvara dharma gate of fire, which rescues from suffering through compassion with tenfold benefits.