大方廣佛華嚴經搜玄分齊通智方軌 3.39

3.39

Second, distinguishing according to the commentary (Daśabhūmivyākhyāna), there are three [aspects]: first, revulsion toward the conditioned; second, conformity through great compassion; third, the knowledge of all aspects. Regarding the first, revulsion toward the conditioned: in understanding it is forward, while in practice it is reverse. Within understanding, taking the three aspects of emptiness as forward, it is broadly divided into three: first, the aspect of answering to completion; second, the ultimate truth (paramārtha-satya); and third, distinguishing the conventional truth (saṃvṛti-satya) so as to know. Because no person accomplishes [anything in] the world, and worldly conditioned phenomena are faulty, the first is required. Once faults are known, not yet knowing what principle to tend toward, the second is therefore present. Although one knows the Dharma to be entered, not knowing what it relies upon to be attained, the conventional truth is therefore adduced to distinguish the contemplated gate upon which one relies. Hence the commentary states: "Conformably contemplating the conventional truth, one immediately enters the ultimate truth." The first explanation of the text is as before. Question: If this characteristic is precisely the conventional truth, why does the third need to clarify the conventional truth further? Answer: Here, clarifying the conventional truth is for apprehending faults. The second, the ultimate truth, explains the reason for attaining liberation. Contemplating the ultimate truth with respect to those causes and conditions, one attains liberation from causes and conditions; this takes the first half of the gate in the contemplation of reliance. As for the contemplation of the conventional truth: 'world' means time, and 'truth' means the reality of phenomena within time; this combines the latter eight and a half gates of the sūtra into a contemplation of six gates: the first half makes one; taking two makes one; the next three make one each; the last three make one. The first is named the contemplation of reliance of defilement: 'defilement' is that which relies, and 'reliance' is that which is relied upon. Among these six gates, the first gate clarifies the reliance of defilement; the next two establish the characteristics of defilement; the next one demonstrates faults with respect to defilement; the next two are the correct contemplation preventing error; the last one distinguishes the scope of the contemplation. Furthermore, why is it defilement? Thus it clarifies the characteristics of defilement. What does defilement rely on? It relies on the ultimate truth. Why is it said to rely? False phenomena rely on the real, because one wishes to seek the real with respect to them. The second is called the contemplation of cause, which contemplates the cause of defilement. Question: The author of the commentary combines the two original contemplations into a single contemplation of cause; the sūtra text originally takes the first as self-cause, while the author of the commentary calls it other-cause; the sūtra text states "not abandoning one another," while the author of the commentary calls it self-cause. What does this mean? Answer: The master of the sūtra speaks of 'self' to differentiate from non-Buddhists. When the commentary speaks of 'other,' within the four conditions it selects the predominant condition (adhipati-pratyaya) to establish the meaning of the twelve links of dependent origination. Following the intent of the author of the commentary to interpret that sūtra text, it adduces the intimate to distinguish the remote. Taking its remote condition and not taking the intimate one is because it does not conform to the twelve links of dependent origination. How does it not conform? Among the twelve links, only the two links of conditioning factors and existence clearly exhibit the meaning of karmic cause; the others are abbreviated and incomplete. Furthermore, separately taking the predominant condition, it differentiates it, which is why it is called a remote condition. Making it an other-cause is because the predominant condition is remote with respect to the intimate cause, but intimate with respect to the predominant condition's own result; here, speaking of that predominant condition in relation to the intimate cause, it is therefore called an other-cause, or conversely, one may take its otherness. The sūtra names it "not abandoning one another," which, as explained in the preceding contemplation, also applies to both the intimate and the remote. When the commentary speaks of self-cause, taking the intimate cause-and-condition within the predominant condition means they are mutually causes, precisely because being mutually causes pervades all the links. The third, the contemplation of subsuming faults, subsumes the twelve links into the three paths to contemplate and observe them, which are solely the faults of suffering and origination. The fourth, guarding against faults, guards against the faults of ordinary beings' wrong views. The fifth, revulsion through non-revulsion, prevents and departs from the faults of the two vehicles' conceit. Subtle suffering is not loathed by the two vehicles, but can be loathed by bodhisattvas; hence it is called revulsion through non-revulsion. The sixth, profound contemplation: contemplative practice exhaustively investigates the profound principle of causes and conditions, wonderfully surpassing conceptual thought; hence it is called profound. What are the characteristics of the contemplation? The author of the commentary divides the three original contemplations into four dharmas to tend toward its profound principle: First, it is not made by another, because it is produced from its own causes; this establishes that self-causes possess superior power, departing from the conception of causelessness. Second, it is not made by oneself, because it is produced from conditions; this reveals that remote conditions possess superior power, departing from the fault of a single cause producing a result without relying on conditions. These two meanings depart from attachment to intrinsic nature; because one conforms to conventional truth, the perceiving mind does not cease. Question: Why not say that each possesses minor power to jointly constitute major power? Answer: If minor, the major is not constituted. Third, it is not made by both, but merely produced in conformity; this eliminates the previous views. Causes and conditions follow one another; as for what is produced in conformity, existence and non-existence cannot be grasped: because it follows existence, it cannot be non-existent; because it conforms to existence, it is not self-existent. Furthermore, conforming to existence, it is not definitely produced from a cause; hence it departs from existence and non-existence and cannot be grasped. Fourth, it is not made without a cause. Because it conforms to existence, one immediately departs from the mental stage, meaning non-discrimination. Its dharmas are subsumed under the ten equalities as above. This is precisely the wonderful purport of the profound contemplation. Question: Is this contemplation a reverse contemplation or a forward contemplation? Answer: This applies to both reverse and forward. Conformably contemplating the conventional truth is forward; immediately entering the ultimate truth is therefore reverse. This contemplation universally cures all afflictions, without separately clarifying that which is cured. It takes the unproduced consciousness-only of a single dependent origination as the substance of this contemplation. Question: The various meanings above are all forward contemplation; what is the reverse contemplation? Answer: The two truths of real and conventional are not known through conceptual discrimination; but opposite to habitual views, two aspects are differentiated. If one wishes to know reverse and forward: solely transcending habitual views, reverse and forward then correspond. How does one apply expedient means? Just as the various gates of contemplation mutually define and eliminate, one directly embodies their principle and can extinguish all views. The remaining points can be known [from this].