大方廣佛華嚴經搜玄分齊通智方軌 1.38

1.38

第三頌上二大段文，有七十偈，大分為九：初二十頌上成壞世界海、次二頌上莊嚴及住世界、次十八頌清淨世界、次五頌體世界、次五頌起具因緣世界、次六頌形世界、次二頌劫世界、次五頌佛出世界、餘七頌說世界。就初二十句內，初十一法說、次九喻說。又此結對染器世界交絡結之。所以者？為欲引下信心顯入上法方便，故此準之。次第二文辨得果之因緣，答前二十三問中一切菩薩所修行兩問。論土因者，如經可知。文中分四：一舉往世佛及土是起因緣；二「佛子彼焰光城中」下辨因人，即童子也；三明見佛得定，即為自分正因；四「彼佛滅後」下明復見佛得定，有二可知，即為勝進因。此文具彰因門理教行事、因果三世、自他主伴、人法因緣、本生記別、普賢法門等具成，可準前取之。又此等何以無重頌偈者？答：凡頌有二，一少攝多義、二異時為後來者。此等若頌，即無上二義，此可思之。初文分四：一明久遠劫數、二「爾時有世界」下明土處、三「時彼林中」下明有道場華座、四「過百歲」下明佛出世。第三見佛得定有四：一「時彼童子」明得定，有二可知；二「時普莊嚴童子」下以定力說偈；三「爾時善慧王」下明王聞偈喜，復更說偈；四「爾時善慧王」下明與勸大眾往佛所。童子偈文有三：初生起、二正頌、三明音分齊。偈中，初四讚佛難聞、次三頌佛慈光益世、次一勸眾詣佛供養。王九偈中，初生起；二正頌偈，初一總勸眾詣佛、次七教令嚴供具、次一教令與眷屬俱供見佛。四往詣佛所，文分四：一往佛所，有二可知；二「爾時如來」下佛為說經；三「爾時童子」下明獲益，即自分中勝進也；四「爾時功德」下辨佛壽命，起後說文。三聞經得定獲益，文分四：一明得定、二童子偈讚令眾得益、三「說是偈時」下正明益相；四佛說偈印成，令發心者心堅固。就童子十偈，初二讚佛法身、次七明佛久修願行今令眾見、後一舉佛德勸菩薩修行。佛偈，文分四：初三歎童子有勇猛力；次四歎普莊嚴大精進力；次一授記，由供佛故成佛；次一引證，勸令勇猛遍諸世界。此中因得定其位者，童子第一見佛，當十信滿心自分；第二聞法，當十信滿心勝進；第三見佛，當解位初心自分；第四聞法，當解位初心增上也。所以知者，以童子所得三昧用比上下諸位經文，是以得知耳。此略無頌。何以竟會不明得益者，有二意：一此經佛初成道總顯法輪體，但表佛有法益在後時，未即利也；二如日初出光照高原，此八會次第益菩薩令其勝進，即是益也。由無中下根故，不別辨益相耳。初會竟訖。

The third section summarizes the two major passages above with seventy verses, broadly divided into nine: the first twenty summarize the oceans of worlds in formation and destruction above; the next two summarize the adorned and abiding worlds above; the next eighteen summarize the pure worlds; the next five summarize the worlds in substance; the next five summarize the worlds of originating conditions; the next six summarize the worlds in shape; the next two summarize the worlds in kalpas; the next five summarize the worlds of Buddhas' appearances; the remaining seven summarize the worlds spoken of. Within the first twenty lines: the first eleven are expositions of Dharma, and the next nine are expositions through metaphors. Furthermore, this conclusion is intertwined with the defiled container world. Why? In order to attract the faith of those below and reveal the expedients for entering the higher Dharma; therefore, it should be judged accordingly. Next, the second text distinguishes the causes and conditions for attaining the fruit, answering the two questions regarding the practice performed by all bodhisattvas among the twenty-three preceding questions. The causes of the lands can be understood from the sūtra. The text is divided into four: 1. citing the Buddha and land of a past age as the originating condition; 2. from 'O sons of the Buddha, in that city of Flaming Radiance' onward, distinguishing the causal person, who is the youth; 3. explaining that seeing the Buddha and attaining samādhi serves as the proper cause for his own stage; 4. from 'After that Buddha passed away' onward, explaining that seeing the Buddha again and attaining samādhi has two parts, as can be known, which serve as the cause for supreme progress. This text fully displays the causal gate's principle, teaching, practice, and phenomena, cause and fruit across the three times, self and other, host and companion, persons, dharmas, causes, and conditions, jātaka prophecies, Samantabhadra's Dharma gate, and so on, all fully established; this may be taken as before. Furthermore, why are there no repeating verses for these? Answer: Generally, verses have two purposes: 1. to subsume many meanings in brief; 2. for those who arrive later at a different time. If these were versified, they would lack the above two meanings; this should be considered. The first text has four parts: 1. explaining the number of distant kalpas; 2. from 'At that time, there was a world' onward, explaining the location of the land; 3. from 'At that time, in that grove' onward, explaining the presence of the bodhimanda and the flower seat; 4. from 'After a hundred years' onward, explaining the Buddha's appearance in the world. The third, on seeing the Buddha and attaining samādhi, has four parts: 1. 'At that time, that youth' explains the attainment of samādhi, which has two parts, as can be known; 2. from 'At that time, the youth Universal Adornment' onward, he speaks verses through the power of samādhi; 3. from 'At that time, King Good Wisdom' onward, it explains that the king rejoiced upon hearing the verses and spoke further verses; 4. from 'At that time, King Good Wisdom' onward, it explains that he encouraged the great assembly to go to the Buddha's dwelling. The youth's verses have three parts: 1. introduction, 2. the verses proper, 3. explaining the scope of the voice. Among the verses, the first four praise the Buddha as difficult to hear; the next three praise the Buddha's compassionate light benefiting the world; the next one encourages the assembly to go to the Buddha and make offerings. Among the king's nine verses: 1. the introduction; 2. the verses proper: the first one generally encourages the assembly to go to the Buddha; the next seven instruct them to prepare offering implements; the next one instructs them to make offerings and see the Buddha together with their retinues. The fourth, on going to the Buddha's dwelling, is divided into four: 1. going to the Buddha's dwelling, which has two parts, as can be known; 2. from 'At that time, the Tathāgata' onward, the Buddha preaches the sūtra for him; 3. from 'At that time, the youth' onward, it explains the attainment of benefit, which is supreme progress within his own stage; 4. from 'At that time, Merit' onward, it distinguishes the Buddha's lifespan, giving rise to the subsequent discourse. The third, attaining samādhi and benefits upon hearing the sūtra, is divided into four: 1. explaining the attainment of samādhi; 2. the youth's verses praising [the Buddha] to cause the assembly to attain benefit; 3. from 'When these verses were spoken' onward, directly explaining the aspects of benefit; 4. the Buddha speaks verses to confirm and seal it, making the minds of those who have resolved firm. Regarding the youth's ten verses: the first two praise the Buddha's dharmakāya; the next seven explain that the Buddha's long-cultivated vows and practices are now made visible to the assembly; the last one cites the Buddha's virtues to encourage bodhisattvas to practice. The Buddha's verses are divided into four: the first three praise the youth for his valiant power; the next four praise Universal Adornment's great power of energetic striving; the next one gives a prophecy of becoming a Buddha due to making offerings to the Buddha; the next one cites proof, encouraging him to be valiant throughout all worlds. Here, regarding the stages in which they attain samādhi through causes: the youth's first seeing of the Buddha corresponds to his own stage at the culmination of the ten faiths; his second hearing of the Dharma corresponds to supreme progress at the culmination of the ten faiths; his third seeing of the Buddha corresponds to his own stage at the initial mind of the stage of understanding; his fourth hearing of the Dharma corresponds to further advance at the initial mind of the stage of understanding. How is this known? It is known by comparing the function of the samādhi attained by the youth with the sūtra texts of the various higher and lower stages. Here there are no verses. Why does the assembly not explicitly explain the attainment of benefit at its conclusion? There are two reasons: 1. At the Buddha's initial attainment of enlightenment, this sūtra generally reveals the substance of the wheel of Dharma, merely indicating that the Buddha possesses the Dharma's benefit in a later period, rather than providing immediate benefit; 2. Just as when the sun first rises its light illuminates the high mountains, these eight assemblies sequentially benefit the bodhisattvas, causing them to make supreme progress, which is itself the benefit. Because there are no middling or inferior faculties, the aspects of benefit are not separately distinguished. The first assembly is concluded.