華嚴經探玄記 4.91

4.91

就初文中有五頌半，分二：初明業用、後顯所依。前中五，初一偈明現佛說法。次二一偈顯無功成事，謂不作功用，故云斷希望也。又釋：以因位滿故更無希求，故云斷。次三一偈明現八相。次四一偈明現三乘。次五一偈現雜類。後二句結用所依。海印者，從喻為名。如修羅四兵列在空中，於大海內印現其像。菩薩定心猶如大海，應機現異，如彼兵像故。《大集經》第十四云「喻如閻浮提一切眾生身及餘外色，如是等色海中皆有印像，以是故名大海印。菩薩亦復如是，得大海印三昧已，能分別見一切眾生心行，於一切法門皆得慧明。是為菩薩得海印三昧，見一切眾生心行所趣。」解云：此中「見」字亦「現」字，謂由見故現也，通二應知。問：此中既是十信菩薩現成佛者，為是暫時化現？為實成耶？答：若三乘初教中，總無化現成佛，以未得不退故。若終教，十信滿心勝進分上入十住初，則得不退，故能暫時化現成佛，如《起信論》說。若一乘圓教中，實則不依位，寄終教位相以辨之。於信滿不退之際，則明得彼普賢法界行德，具攝因果圓融無礙，若以因門取，則常是菩薩；若果門取，則恒是佛。由此鎔融，有其四句，或唯是菩薩、或唯是佛、或俱、不俱等，思準之。問：此中果門成佛，與終教化現何別？答：彼但於一位，依一世界化現一佛，此中具十地等攝一切位也。十方世界者，一切處也。念念中者，一切時也。問：此中既言示現，只應暫現，同上終教。答：如文「無悕望之功用，能一念頃遊十方。」若斯之德，自非因位窮滿，孰能具此？故知定是實行滿也，不同彼是劣位人也。又一切諸佛，於諸世界為物成道皆是示現，以廢機約自無成不成等故也。又《大集經》第十四云「得灌頂正位，於一切諸菩薩行得次佛神力。若菩薩成就如是等法者，能於無佛世界示現八相成佛。」乃至廣說。

Within the first passage there are five and a half verses, divided into two: first, explaining the karmic function; second, revealing that on which it relies. In the former are five: first, one verse explains manifesting as a Buddha expounding the Dharma. Second, one verse reveals accomplishing tasks without effort—that is, without applying effort; hence it says "cutting off expectations." Another explanation: because the causal stage is fulfilled, there are no further expectations or seeking; hence it says "cutting off." Third, one verse explains manifesting the eight phases. Fourth, one verse explains manifesting the three vehicles. Fifth, one verse explains manifesting miscellaneous classes. The concluding two lines summarize that on which the function relies. "Ocean-reflection" takes its name from a metaphor: just as the asura's four armies are lined up in the sky and their images are reflected within the great ocean, the bodhisattva's concentrated mind is like the great ocean, manifesting differences in response to capacities like those images of the armies. The Mahāsaṃnipāta Sūtra, fascicle fourteen, says: "It is like the bodies of all sentient beings in Jambudvīpa and other external forms; all such forms have their reflections within the ocean. For this reason it is named the great ocean-reflection. The bodhisattva is also like this: having attained the great ocean-reflection samādhi, he is able to see distinctly the mental actions of all sentient beings and attain luminous wisdom in all Dharma gates. This is the bodhisattva attaining the ocean-reflection samādhi, seeing the destinations of the mental actions of all sentient beings." Explanation: here the character "see" is also "manifest"; that is, because of seeing, it manifests. It should be understood as applying to both. Question: Since here it is a bodhisattva of the ten faiths who manifests the attainment of Buddhahood, is it a temporary transformation, or an actual attainment? Answer: In the initial teaching of the three vehicles, there is no manifestation of attaining Buddhahood at all, because non-retrogression has not yet been attained. In the final teaching, at the advanced stage of the concluding mind of the ten faiths upon entering the beginning of the ten abodes, one attains non-retrogression; therefore one can temporarily manifest the attainment of Buddhahood, as expounded in the Awakening of Faith. In the One Vehicle's perfect teaching, in reality it does not depend on stages, but borrows the characteristics of the stages of the final teaching to distinguish it. At the point where faith is fulfilled and non-retrogressing, it explains attaining the practices and virtues of Samantabhadra's dharmadhātu, completely subsuming cause and effect with perfect interpenetration and freedom from obstruction: if taken from the causal gate, one is always a bodhisattva; if taken from the fruitional gate, one is constantly a Buddha. Due to this fusion, there are four propositions: either only a bodhisattva, or only a Buddha, or both, or neither, etc.; one should reflect and deduce accordingly. Question: Here, what is the difference between attaining Buddhahood through the fruitional gate and the transformation manifestation in the final teaching? Answer: That [final teaching] only manifests one Buddha in one world based on a single stage; here, it is endowed with the ten bhūmis and so forth, subsuming all stages. "Worlds of the ten directions" means all places. "In thought-instant after thought-instant" means all times. Question: Since it speaks of "manifestation" here, it should only be temporary manifestation, identical to the final teaching above. Answer: As the text says: "With an effortless function free of expectation, he can travel the ten directions in a single thought-instant." For virtues such as these, unless the causal stage were exhaustively fulfilled, who could possess them? Therefore, one knows that actual practices are definitely fulfilled; it is not like that person of an inferior stage. Furthermore, all Buddhas achieving awakening in various worlds for the sake of beings are all manifestations, because when examining oneself without regard to capacities, there is neither attainment nor non-attainment. Moreover, the Mahāsaṃnipāta Sūtra, fascicle fourteen, says: "Attaining the proper stage of consecration, one attains the supernatural power second only to a Buddha among all bodhisattva practices. If a bodhisattva accomplishes such dharmas, he can manifest the eight phases of attaining Buddhahood in worlds without Buddhas," and so on at length.