華嚴經探玄記 4.51

4.51

四定位者，此十信法於始教中自是位，如梁《攝論》云「如須陀桓道前四位謂燸等，菩薩地前四位亦如是，謂十信、十解、十行、十迴向。」又彼論及《佛性論》等皆云：地前修四行，謂十信修信樂大乘行，十解般若行，十行三昧行，十迴向大悲行。又為除四黑障正使故，謂初除闡提不信障，二除外道我執障，三除聲聞畏苦障，四除獨覺捨大悲障。又信成淨德因種，解成我德因種，行成樂德因種，迴向成常德因種。又《仁王經》寄四輪王報，謂鐵、銅、銀、金。以此教義故知，十信亦是位也。若約終教，此信但是十住位之方便，自無別位，故《本業經》云「未上住前有此十心名字，謂一信心、二念心、三精進心、四慧心、五定心、六不退心、七迴向心、八護心、九戒心、十願心。增修是心一劫二劫三劫，乃得入初住中。心心有十，增成百法明門，名入習種性中。」故知無位，但是方便行也。又准六種性、六忍、六慧等文故，亦是成證。又《仁王》但言三賢十聖，不言四也。又此經中後四位皆有入定，出已列十名、辨十義等，唯信中無此，故得知也。又《本業經》但有四十二賢聖，不說五十二，故知。問：若爾，何故《仁王經》十信為種性位，仍只立三賢位耶？答：此有相攝故如是。何者？義准有四句：一以本位攝方便故，唯有三賢，則沒信名，唯論住位。引文可知。二以方便攝本位，故即十住名十信，沒十住名也，故《仁王經》云「十信十止十堅心。」則不論十住，但名十信也。三開方便異本位故，則如住前有此十心為方便等。四於方便處假說正位，如前始教。若約圓教，有二義：若依普賢自法，一切皆無位；若約寄法，則同終教。然信滿入位之際，通攝一切後諸位皆在此中，無不具足，此則約行攝位故也。問：信既實無正位，何故始教說為位耶？答：為始教機麁智淺、行位不分，影似小乘教，故說四位。終教機細智深，剋實分異故也。

Four, determining the stages: this dharma of the ten faiths is itself a stage within the initial teaching, as the Liang Mahāyānasaṃgraha says: "Just as the four stages prior to the path of the srotāpanna are heat and so forth, the four stages of a bodhisattva prior to the bhūmis are also like this, namely the ten faiths, the ten understandings, the ten practices, and the ten dedications." Furthermore, that treatise, the Buddha-Nature Treatise, and others all say: prior to the bhūmis, one cultivates four practices, namely the ten faiths cultivate the practice of faithful aspiration for the Mahāyāna, the ten understandings cultivate the practice of prajñā, the ten practices cultivate the practice of samādhi, and the ten dedications cultivate the practice of great compassion. Furthermore, they serve to eliminate the active defilements of the four dark obstacles: the first eliminates the icchantika's obstacle of disbelief; the second eliminates the non-Buddhists' obstacle of grasping at a self; the third eliminates the śrāvakas' obstacle of fearing suffering; the fourth eliminates the pratyekabuddhas' obstacle of abandoning great compassion. Furthermore, faith accomplishes the causal seed of the pure virtue; understanding accomplishes the causal seed of the self virtue; practice accomplishes the causal seed of the bliss virtue; dedication accomplishes the causal seed of the permanence virtue. Furthermore, the Renwang jing allocates them to the retribution of the four cakravartins, namely iron, copper, silver, and gold. By these doctrinal meanings, we know that the ten faiths are also a stage. If in terms of the final teaching, this faith is merely a preliminary for the stages of the ten abodes and does not itself have a distinct stage; hence the Benye jing says: "Before ascending to the abodes, there are the names of these ten minds: first, the mind of faith; second, the mind of mindfulness; third, the mind of vigor; fourth, the mind of wisdom; fifth, the mind of concentration; sixth, the mind of non-retrogression; seventh, the mind of dedication; eighth, the mind of protection; ninth, the mind of precepts; tenth, the mind of vows. Increasingly cultivating these minds for one kalpa, two kalpas, or three kalpas, one then attains entry into the first abode. Each mind has ten [aspects], multiplying to become the illumination gates of the hundred dharmas, called entering into the lineage of practice." Thus we know there is no [independent] stage, but only preliminary practice. Furthermore, based on passages on the six lineages, the six patiences, the six wisdoms, and so forth, this is also confirmed. Furthermore, the Renwang jing only speaks of the three worthies and ten sages, not speaking of four. Furthermore, in this sūtra, the latter four stages all have entering into samādhi, and upon emerging they enumerate ten names and distinguish ten meanings, whereas only in faith is this absent; hence we know this. Furthermore, the Benye jing only has forty-two worthies and sages, not speaking of fifty-two; hence we know. Question: If so, why does the Renwang jing take the ten faiths as the lineage stage and still only establish the stages of the three worthies? Answer: Because they subsume one another, it is like this. How so? Deducing the meaning, there are four propositions: 1. Because the primary stages subsume the preliminaries, there are only the three worthies; the name of faith is suppressed, and only the stages of the abodes are discussed. Citing the text makes this clear. 2. Because the preliminaries subsume the primary stages, the ten abodes are called the ten faiths, suppressing the name of the ten abodes; hence the Renwang jing says: "the ten faiths, the ten halts, and the ten firm minds." It does not discuss the ten abodes, but calls them only the ten faiths. 3. Because opening the preliminaries distinguishes them from the primary stages, it is like having these ten minds prior to the abodes as preliminaries. 4. Provisionally stating a standard stage at the place of preliminaries, as in the previous initial teaching. If in terms of the round teaching, there are two meanings: if relying on Samantabhadra's own dharma, all are entirely without stages; if in terms of provisional teachings, it is identical to the final teaching. However, at the moment when faith is fulfilled and one enters the stages, it comprehensively subsumes all subsequent stages within this, lacking nothing; this is subsuming the stages according to practice. Question: Since faith in reality has no standard stage, why does the initial teaching state it as a stage? Answer: Because the faculties of the initial teaching are coarse and their wisdom shallow, practice and stages are not differentiated, mirroring the Hīnayāna teaching; therefore it speaks of four stages. In the final teaching, the faculties are subtle and the wisdom deep, precisely differentiating them.