華嚴經探玄記 11.73

11.73

Second, within the precept of collecting wholesome qualities (kuśala-dharma-saṃgraha-śīla), there are four aspects: first, cognition; second, vows; third, contemplation; fourth, practice. First, the text stating: 'making this reflection: sentient beings fall into evil destinies because of the ten unwholesome paths of action' is cognition, which has three meanings: First, what is known? Knowing sentient beings' suffering as both cause and effect. Second, by what cause is it known? Because of having previously personally abandoned the ten unwholesome actions oneself, one then reflects that sentient beings are unable to abandon evil. Third, for what reason is it known? Knowing that beings possess evil, one personally practices wholesome karma in order to transform others, which is out of great compassion. In the treatise, 'riding on evil,' and so forth, explains 'destinies' (gati). It is also called 'the physical realm of suffering in which one goes to suffering,' which explains 'evil.' 'Always falling' explains 'falling.' The above explains the effect of suffering. Below, it explains the cause of suffering: that is, because the ten unwholesome karmas encompass and arrive at all the numbers of evil fruits. In the treatise, 'number' encompasses the 'ten' in the sūtra. 'Evil' encompasses 'unwholesome.' 'Fruit' encompasses the 'three paths [of misery].' 'Arrive' encompasses their karma, because karma can arrive at the place of the fruit. 'Receive' explains the meaning of 'accumulation' (samudaya): gathering fruits is called 'accumulation,' and taking in fruits is called 'receiving'; their meanings are similar. 'Practice' explains the meaning of 'cause' (hetu): producing fruits is called 'cause,' and heading toward fruits is called 'practice'; their meanings are similar.
Second, below 'I shall abide personally,' the explanation of vows also has three meanings: First, what is vowed? Vowing to personally abide in the wholesome and also cause others to abide in it. Second, by what cause is it vowed? Because of previously knowing that beings fall into evil on account of karma. Third, for what reason is it vowed? Because with the mind of great compassion, one does not abandon or leave them; thus one's own practice is entirely for the sake of sentient beings. In the text, there are two parts: first, it generally presents the matters of the vow; second, below 'Why is this so?' it questions, censures, and explains to establish it, which can be understood. The verses in the Mahāyānasaṃgraha are as stated therein.
Third, below 'further deeply contemplating,' contemplation is explained. That is to say, generally contemplating the ten wholesome actions as having five tiers; this meaning also has three aspects: First, what is contemplated? Generally contemplating the ten unwholesome actions as the hindrances to be counteracted, and the five tiers as the counteragents. Second, by what cause is it contemplated? Because of previously vowing to personally abide in the wholesome and also cause others to abide in it; if one does not recognize the wholesome, how would one know what to abide in? Third, for what reason is it contemplated? One contemplates the wholesome in order to collect and arouse practice. In the text, there are two parts: First, contemplating that the ten unwholesome actions lead to falling into evil destinies—this is the hindrance to be counteracted. Second, below 'practicing the ten wholesome actions,' explaining the five tiers of the ten wholesome actions—this is the practice that serves as the counteragent.
Question: What is the difference between the ten wholesome actions here and the ten wholesome actions of the precept of restraining behavior above? Answer: The former looks to stopping evil, while the present one concerns doing good; because stopping and doing are not the same, they are distinguished into two positions.
Question: The ten wholesome actions overturn the ten unwholesome actions. Since the ten unwholesome actions are only single, how can the ten wholesome actions have five tiers? Answer: By reckoning, overturning the unwholesome should also be single; however, because the wholesome conforms to the absence of wisdom, it is called mundane, and depending on whether wisdom is superior or inferior, there are the four transmundane stages.
Question: Since the wholesome has five tiers, the overturned ten unwholesome actions should also have five. How so? Namely, the human and deva ten wholesome actions overturn the ten unwholesome actions of the evil destinies; the śrāvaka ten wholesome actions overturn the human and deva ten unwholesome actions; and so on up to the tathāgatas' ten wholesome actions overturning the bodhisattvas' ten unwholesome actions—should it be like this? Answer: It is not so. Evil that is overturned by the wholesome goes against principle and harms beings; the characteristics of the unwholesome are coarse and do not penetrate to the higher stages, and therefore there is only one kind. Wholesome actions that reverse evil accord with principle and benefit beings; merit follows wisdom and penetrates to the higher stages, and therefore there are five kinds. For this reason, because the evil abandoned across the five stages is equal, there is only one kind; because the wholesome accomplished differs, there are five tiers. This means stopping is identical, but doing is distinct. Therefore, this bhūmi concerns the bodhisattva's ten wholesome actions, which do not even belong to the two vehicles, much less are identical to the ordinary worldly stages. If discussed in terms of provisionally applied words, they also encompass the ordinary worldly stages.
Question: Unwholesome karma is coarse and does not penetrate to the higher stages, so one cannot speak of five tiers with respect to what is above; but looking downward, can unwholesome karma also be known to have gradations or not? Answer: In terms of the mind and the object, there are also five kinds. First, extremely grave: as the Tathāgataguhya Sūtra says, 'If a father attains the path of a pratyekabuddha and the son takes his father's life, this is the gravest among killing living beings.' The rest is as spoken above. Second, slightly grave: such as killing a human being, and so forth, as spoken in the vinaya sūtras. Third, grave: such as killing an animal, and so forth, as spoken here. Fourth, light: as spoken subsequently in the Guhya Sūtra. Fifth, non-offense: as spoken in the Bodhisattva Precepts, taking another's life in order to save many lives or to save someone from unremitting (āvīci) karma is not an infraction, and so forth. All are fully as stated in the previous chapter on the ten unwholesome actions.
Among the five tiers, first, human and deva can be understood. Second, within the śrāvaka, the treatise's mention of the 'contemplation of true reality' refers to generally contemplating the ten unwholesome actions and the human and deva ten wholesome actions as being complete with the four truths; thus it is called 'true reality.' Below, the distinct presentation of the two gates of the contemplation of the four truths can be understood as in the treatise. Harmonizing and combining with the cognitive insight of this contemplation of the four truths to cultivate the śrāvaka practices, the treatise states: 'Wisdom contemplates together; cultivation and practice are without distinction.' This has two meanings: First, in terms of the object: contemplating together and cultivating equally without difference with respect to the two kinds of four truths, wholesome and unwholesome; thus it is called 'without distinction.' Second, in terms of cognition: that is, because this śrāvaka cognitive insight that contemplates the truths harmonizes with the ten wholesome paths of action, it is called 'contemplating together and practicing together without distinction.' The above general phrase reveals superiority in contrast to what follows; below there are five specific phrases that show inferiority in contrast to what precedes. Among the five in the treatise, the first three explain inferiority to bodhisattvas; the latter two contrast inferiority with pratyekabuddhas. Among the five, the first, the accumulation of causes, has two meanings: first, causal nature; second, causal habituation. Here in this treatise, it temporarily cites causal habituation: that is, the narrow and inferior roots of wholesome qualities habituated in the past, based on which one accumulates and arouses the practices accomplished now. Thus, the accumulation of causes is also accumulating and bringing about the disposition (gotra), which is called the accumulation of causes; as the sūtra says: 'If the mind is inferior,' and so forth, which can be understood. The remaining four are self-evident in the treatise text and can be understood.
Third, within the pratyekabuddha's ten wholesome actions, there are two parts: first, general; second, below 'not from another,' distinct presentation, which has three points: First, not hearing from another and knowing naturally on one's own is called 'the meaning of self-awakening' in the Daśabhūmika-śāstra, meaning not relying on the teaching of Buddhas and bodhisattvas. In the thirty-fourth fascicle of the Yogācārabhūmi, in the Pratyekabuddha-bhūmi, among the three characteristics explaining the pratyekabuddha disposition, the third characteristic states: 'The innate pratyekabuddha, before having realized that bodhi, has a middling faculty disposition and belongs to the type that acts with pride; due to this condition, with a deep mind of aspiration, they realize bodhi without a teacher and without an adversary.' Second, being unable to fulfill great compassion and skillful means (upāya): in the Daśabhūmika-śāstra this is the meaning of being unable to teach the Dharma, meaning not arousing the intention to preach the Dharma explains not fulfilling great compassion. Inability to preach the Dharma explains not having skillful means; the Yogācārabhūmi calls this the 'scant-compassion disposition.' Due to this condition, their mind takes no delight in expounding the true Dharma to benefit sentient beings, but takes deep delight in few affairs and dwelling in quiescence. Third, the words 'yet able to deeply enter... up to the pratyekabuddha vehicle': in the Daśabhūmika-śāstra this is called the meaning of contemplating a small realm, meaning practicing the contemplation of the realm of subtle causes and conditions. In this, 'small realm' has two meanings: first, in terms of the twelve links of dependent origination, there are only the two dharmas of suffering and accumulation, hence it is called 'small'; second, conditioned arising is profound and subtle, hence it is called 'small.' Here we take the latter meaning. The Yogācārabhūmi states: 'Having a disposition with scant defilement, due to this condition their mind takes no delight in noisy gatherings,' and so forth. In the Yogācārabhūmi there are five characteristics: first, disposition; second, path; third, habituation; fourth, dwelling; fifth, practice; they are extensively explained therein. When the Daśabhūmika-śāstra says: 'Accumulation of causes, fearing suffering, abandoning sentient beings,' and so forth, it explains the similarities and differences with the śrāvaka: that is, among the five characteristics of the śrāvaka, three are identical and two are different. As for the two differences: this [pratyekabuddha] does not rely on a teacher, so the reliance is superior; and being able to contemplate the profound and subtle dharma of causes and conditions, the contemplation is superior.
Question: What is the difference between this 'inability to preach the Dharma' and 'abandoning sentient beings'? Answer: Śrāvakas also have the power of eloquence to preach, but because they lack great compassion, they abandon beings and incline toward quiescence. Now, pratyekabuddhas also lack the power to preach. The Yogācārabhūmi states: 'Or they deliver others who are base, inferior, and ignorant, delivering them through their physical body and not through language. Why is this so? Because they only manifest bodily postures to teach the Dharma to them, without uttering words. They display various realms of spiritual powers, and so on, to cause those whose minds slander to produce refuge.' However, there are two types of these: first, those who become pratyekabuddhas, called the rhinoceros-horn metaphor; second, those who become individually supreme, called the flocking-traveler metaphor. The rest is as explained in the Yogācārabhūmi.
Fourth, within the bodhisattva's ten wholesome actions, among the four aspects in the Daśabhūmika-śāstra: the first is the causal practice; the next two are the characteristics of practice; the last is the stage of practice. First, the statement 'practicing these ten wholesome actions... up to immeasurable and boundless' is the accumulation of causes, meaning roots of wholesome qualities habituated in past lives, based on which one arouses practice. The treatise explains this with three meanings: first, arousing practice based on all wholesomeness explains the causal practice of benefiting oneself; second, based on all sentient beings, and so forth, explains the causal practice of benefiting others; third, the Mahāyāna mind, and so forth, reveals the essence of the cause, meaning this vast mind is immeasurable, and so forth. Another explanation: the first explains the great mind; the second, the vast mind; the third, the immeasurable mind; which can be understood. Second, the words below 'toward sentient beings' explain function, meaning that because the mind of benefiting others focuses on suffering, it is able to provide benefit. Seeing sentient beings habituating causal suffering and experiencing the fruit of suffering, arousing kindness and compassion is the bodhisattva's function. Third, the statement 'possessing the power of skillful means' explains that this power is the practice of benefiting others; that is, the skillful means of the four means of embracing (saṃgrahavastu), which are aroused based on the aforementioned compassion, hence they are that power. Fourth, below 'aspiration,' the grounds (bhūmi) are explained, meaning the stages upon which practice relies. Divided within this are three, meaning where each of the three asaṃkhyeyas is fulfilled constitutes one, hence there are three stages. The text and meaning are fully explained as in the treatise and should be understood. As for the statement 'purifying the various bhūmis,' and so forth: because of purifying the various bhūmis with higher and higher purity, and because of purifying the pāramitās with foremost purity, they cause that third, vastly accomplished practice to achieve completion. The questions, answers, and explanations in the treatise can be understood.
Fifth, within the Buddha's ten wholesome actions, the treatise and sūtra have both general and specific parts; here there is only the specific, without the general. Within the four specific parts: the first three are precisely the Buddha fruit, and the last is the practice on this bhūmi. In the former, the statement 'attains Buddhahood' means that only because the latencies of those ten unwholesome actions are extinguished together does one then attain Buddhahood. Second, below 'ten powers,' the distinct virtues of the Buddha are revealed, explaining that wholesome qualities are accomplished with mastery, abandoning the two vehicles. Third, the statement 'accumulating all Buddha dharmas' means that based on the bodhisattva vehicle's skillful means, one gathers all Buddha dharmas to cause them to be completed. The contemplation above is now concluded.
Fourth, below 'therefore' is the fourth: practice. There are two meanings in the explanation: First, looking closely toward the Buddha's wholesome qualities to conclude the seeking mind, it is therefore called 'without satiety.' The treatise relies on this explanation, subsuming it under the Buddha's wholesome qualities. Second, having above generally contemplated the five tiers of wholesome qualities, one now concludes that the ten wholesome actions one should practice seek only the Buddha's wholesome qualities. The precept of collecting wholesome qualities is concluded.