大方廣佛華嚴經搜玄分齊通智方軌 1.27.2

1.27.2

The reason light is not emitted in the seventh and eighth assemblies is that emitting light originally served to assemble the retinue and manifest the teaching; these latter two teachings had already been manifested earlier, and now one relies on cultivation and practice, so it is not required. However, emitting light during the main exposition in that eighth assembly is to clarify the scope of the fruition-virtues' gathering and benefiting, not for the sake of assembling the retinue. Furthermore, the teaching of the realm of realized practice in the seventh assembly is determined solely through mutual resonance, and faith cannot be verified and established through worldly matters [of speech], so there is neither light nor the assembly of a retinue. Furthermore, the light of the first assembly was for gathering the retinue and verifying the sūtra; second, the chapter “Illumination and Awakening” manifests the depth and shallowness of that upon which one relies, universally serving as a standard for what follows; third, the light in the three assemblies from the third assembly onward is to reveal the scope of attaining the principle corresponding to the respective stages. Question: Why is it that in the sixth assembly there is neither the emitting of light nor the assembling of a retinue? It is because one wishes to show that the stage of uncontaminated virtue cannot be manifested through phenomenal affairs. The text on emitting light is divided into two: first, from the face, which is bodily karma; second, producing sound within the light to speak verses, which is verbal karma. The ocean of the Lotus Treasury cannot be reached by those on the causal stage; therefore, it requires the empowerment of light before it can be seen. The reason it is emitted from the face is to signify facing directly toward the path of teaching, so that it is vastly spoken. Saying “the face” refers to the upright countenance of the face, not specifically the mouth. The reason it comes from each individual tooth is to signify that the capacity to respond assists in establishing success. Within the text on emitting light, there are five parts: first, distinguishing that upon which it relies; next, generally enumerating the ten gates; third, from “such as these” onward, setting forth the practices of the retinue of the light; fourth, from “thereafter, each ray of light” onward, explaining their functions; fifth, revealing the benefits gathered by the light. The ten gates of the light are divided into three: the first six are the marks of the primary reward of the dharmakāya; the next two clarify the marks of the dependency of the pure land; the next two clarify the marks of gathering and converting. The verse text of nineteen gāthās has three parts: the first ten praise the Buddha’s virtuous practices as being skilled at opening awakening; the next seven encourage going to the Guide, raising offerings to him, and proceeding to the Buddha’s place; the next two re-praise the Buddha’s virtuous functions, internally realizing the ocean of truth and generating sublime aspirations in sentient beings. Regarding the second text on assembling a new retinue, first it clarifies presence and absence across the assemblies; next, dividing the text into presence and absence, there are four points: first, presence and absence; second, the distance of the places from which they come; third, the varying Buddha names and bodhisattva names in their original places; fourth, the quantity of offerings. As for presence and absence, only when the ten bhūmis are spoken in the Heaven of Free Enjoyment of Others' Emanations and in the repeated assembly—these two have no new retinue. There are four purposes for the retinue gathering: first, to represent the capacities to be gathered; second, to bear witness to the Dharma; third, to make offerings; fourth, to show the perfect assembly of the retinue, and so forth, the reasons for which can be understood. That which gathers after the samādhi in the eighth assembly represents the skillful means of the spiritual companions causing oneself and others to enter the dharmadhātu, not for the purpose of manifesting the Dharma. Alternatively, it can be to manifest the function of gathering others, not to verify one's own meaning; it is still a gathering of the retinue to bear witness to the Dharma. Second, distinguishing the distance of the arriving retinue: tens, hundreds, thousands, etc., are as in the text; the remaining meanings are explained against the text. The assembly of the retinue has four marks: first, the name of the place manifests the marks of the Dharma; second, the Buddha’s name reveals understanding; third, the bodhisattvas’ names clarify the beginning and end of the stages; fourth, the names of the seats explain the beneficial functions of gathering the teaching. These are restricted to the new retinue; the rest are general. Regarding the new retinue from the ten directions, the text has five parts: first, the complete retinue arrives here; second, from “such as these” onward, a general conclusion; third, from “the bodhisattvas sat in sequence” onward, each displays the Dharma-gates they have attained, showing that they possess the virtues of conversion; fourth, from “in thought after thought, in each world” onward, clarifying the sovereign conversion of beings through the power and function of dependent origination; fifth, speaking verses. In the first text, among the ten directions, each has seven parts: first, the ocean of places; second, the buddha-kṣetra; third, the Buddha’s name; fourth, that bodhisattva’s name being awakened by that Buddha; fifth, coming together with attendants; sixth, bringing offering implements to make offerings to the Buddha; seventh, each taking a seat according to their respective direction. Second, in the concluding text, where ten billion bodhisattvas arrive from ten billion buddha-kṣetras and so on, this is because the substance of the ocean of lands is identical and not distinct. That the names of these sentient beings and lands are different is to represent that the fruition-virtues are universal, and the manifested phenomena of gathering and benefiting differ. The third has six: first, having sat; second, light emitting from the pores; third, bodhisattvas emerging from the light; fourth, the bodhisattvas pervading all dust motes through skillful means; fifth, in each dust mote there being a buddha-kṣetra; sixth, in each kṣetra there being a buddha manifested. These are actual occurrences, not provisional transformations. Next, the fourth text has three parts: first, distinguishing the sentient beings to be converted; second, from “through the sovereign Dharma-gate of dreams” onward, distinguishing the methods capable of converting, first distinguishing and next concluding; third, from “in a single thought-moment” onward, distinguishing the resulting benefits of conversion. Regarding the resulting benefits, the text has six clauses: first, benefiting humans and devas; second, benefiting internal ordinary beings; third, benefiting by bringing about the ten orientations to fruition; fourth, benefiting by causing the fulfillment of the ten dedications and below; fifth, benefiting by causing the attainment of the seventh bhūmi and below; sixth, benefiting by bringing about the eighth bhūmi and above. Fifth, the verse text has two parts: the first ten verses praise the aforementioned bodhisattvas of the ten directions for having long cultivated sublime practices and arriving here; the latter ten verses praise the previous text from “sitting in sequence” downward and that on benefiting beings. In the first ten, there are three divisions: the first two verses distinguish the bodhisattvas’ own virtues; next, five verses distinguish their ability to pull sentient beings out of suffering; next, three verses show that because virtue is perfected, they can universally roam to the Buddhas' places in the ten directions, displaying their extraordinary capabilities; the latter ten verses universally praise the Dharma-gates attained and conversion virtues in the text from “having sat” onward; the remaining marks can be understood. Third, the Buddha showing Samantabhadra and causing him to know how to expound the Dharma is to cause the assembly to respectfully request it; the text has four parts: first, distinguishing the intent of the benefit of emitting light; next, the actual emitting of light, which has five clauses that can be understood; third, directly showing the places illuminated by the light; fourth, entering from under the feet and gathering functions back to the source, revealing the interpenetration of cause and fruit. Fourth, within bringing forth the lotus flower and the bodhisattvas to show the ritual of exposition, there are three parts: first, the flower emerging at the site, which can also be the wheel of marks, having seven clauses, manifesting the scope of gathering and converting; second, a great bodhisattva emerging from between the Buddha’s eyebrows, manifesting the teaching in reference to persons; third, speaking verses of praise, clarifying the scope of the teaching. Within the second part on the emergence of the bodhisattva, there are seven points: first, distinguishing the place; second, clarifying the person who emerges; third, listing the name; fourth, the retinue; fifth, having emerged, respectfully circumambulating and sitting; sixth, withdrawing and sitting, having two parts; seventh, from “accomplished” onward, praising the virtues of the person who emerges, which has four clauses. The third, the verses, has two parts: first, Victorious Voice speaks six verses praising the sovereign responsiveness of the Buddha’s transformation body to capacities and revealing the scope of the teaching, which manifests the virtuous sound of the teaching. Second, Lion Flame Light Swift speaks seventeen verses, generally praising Vairocana and Samantabhadra as able to be identical with all buddhas and explaining the marks of turning the wheel of the Dharma, which manifests the awe-inspiring majesty of the teaching. The first verses are divided into three: the first two clarify the transformation body filling the dharmadhātu and appearing before sentient beings; the next two present functions to expound the Dharma, also the scope of the teaching; the next two are inconceivable majesty and virtue. Within the second set of verses by the Bodhisattva Swift Sound, the first three distinguish Vairocana’s sovereign turning of the wheel of the Dharma; the next fourteen verses clarify the turning through the three karmas, which is the completeness of conditions, clarifying the manifestation of the three kinds of Dharma wheels in reference to conditions.