觀音義疏 2.10

2.10

Next, explaining the contemplation of the three poisons by reverse exposition: all sentient beings are called those of few desires, little hatred, and little ignorance. Why? They only hate the suffering of the three paths and covet the pleasures of humans and devas. The two vehicles only hate birth and death and desire to attain the bliss of nirvāṇa; these are all termed 'few'. Bodhisattvas are not like this: they joyfully seek the Buddha-Dharma—not merely seeking one Buddha-Dharma, but seeking everywhere all ineffable Buddha-Dharmas, like the ocean swallowing numerous streams yet still not full; not only do they not receive birth and death, but they also do not receive nirvāṇa; hence the Dapin speaks of the 'five non-receptions'—this is great hatred. The power of fundamental ignorance is great, and only the Buddha's wisdom can sever it; for bodhisattvas, this delusion of great power still remains. Furthermore, ignorance is inexhaustible like space, up to old age and death being inexhaustible like space. Such three poisons constitute three dharma gates: first, grasping; second, relinquishing; third, neither grasping nor relinquishing. Great kindness and great compassion, the four means of embracing, the ten powers, fearlessnesses, samādhis, liberations, unsurpassed awakening, purifying Buddha-lands, and transforming and saving sentient beings are called the gate of grasping, which is great greed. All dharmas are empty and nonexistent, not abiding and not clinging. Prajñā is like a great mass of fire, impossible to seize from all four sides. Great nirvāṇa is empty, the city of Kapilavastu is empty, the path of words is cut off, the place of mental activity is extinguished; awakening is not attained through the four propositions, and there is neither attainment nor realization—this is the gate of relinquishing, which is called great hatred. The middle way is neither grasping nor relinquishing, neither hating nor loving, neither annihilated nor eternal, without coming or going, without arising or ceasing; like an image in a mirror, invisible yet visible, visible yet invisible, neither visible nor invisible, because it excludes both extremes, it cannot be expressed in words—the silence of Vimalakīrti is called the middle way, and this is great ignorance. Thus Mañjuśrī said: 'I am the Śrī of greedy lust, the Śrī of hatred, and the Śrī of false views'—this is its clear proof. Desiring to fulfill these three dharma gates, if one constantly practices mindfulness of Avalokiteśvara, one immediately attains fulfillment of all wishes. As for noble beings' own practice and transforming of others, there are none who do not enter through these three gates; apart from this, there is no other path. Hence the Wuxing jing says: 'Greedy lust is itself the path; hatred and ignorance are also like this. Within these three dharmas, all Buddha-Dharmas are fully contained.' All Buddha-Dharmas do not go beyond the ten thousand practices of pāramitā, the vast application of the samādhi of non-reception, and the true mark of the middle way. These three dharma gates cannot be declared; yet out of pity for sentient beings, they are either expounded directly or expounded reversely, with mutual discarding and adopting; this is the intention of the four siddhāntas to benefit according to conditions. As the forty-second [fascicle] of the Huayan explains: 'In the city of Ratnavyūha in the country of Vibhūṣaṇa, the woman Vāsumitrā explained the dharma gate of the limit of detachment from lust: "All sentient beings see me according to their kind, and I manifest as a female form for them all. Those who see me attain the delight samādhi; those who speak with me attain the unhindered wonderful sound samādhi; those who hold my hand attain the samādhi of going to all Buddha lands; those who stay with me attain the liberation radiance samādhi; those who gaze at me attain the tranquility dharma gate; those who see me yawn attain the dharma gate of shattering non-Buddhists; those who embrace me attain the samādhi of embracing all sentient beings; those who kiss me attain the secret treasury of all merits; abiding in this dharma gate of detachment from lust, I broadly benefit [beings]."' Is this not the dharma gate of reverse and direct lust guiding and benefiting all kinds of beings? Furthermore, in the forty-first [fascicle]: 'King Anala of the city of Sasadhvaja exercised royal law in his main palace. Those who broke the law were beheaded, dismembered, burned, boiled, split apart, slaughtered, glared at, and reprimanded, punishing their crimes with bitter torment. Sudhana gave rise to doubt. After the king concluded the proceedings, he took Sudhana's hand and entered his palace, where Sudhana saw an inconceivable realm beyond comparison. The king said to Sudhana: "I know the dharma gate of magical phantom; I manifest as sentient beings and torment them, in order to discipline all beings; those who see and hear it arouse the aspiration for awakening."' Is this not the dharma gate of hatred? The five-heat mortification by the Brahmin Jayoṣmīṣa is the dharma gate of ignorance, as discussed previously. Next, one should clarify the contemplation of the three poisons through the two contemplations of the Separate and Perfect [teachings] regarding the capacity for compassion; the response can be known by analogy, so it is not recorded in full.