華嚴經探玄記 13.67

13.67

Third, the passage beginning "The bodhisattva dwelling in the Stage of Presence" clarifies the excellence of samādhi. Within this there are two parts: first, clarifying the samādhi of emptiness; next, clarifying the remaining two. In the former, it first adduces the ten emptinesses as foremost, and next concludes with many gates. The "ten thousand" here is called "hundreds of thousands of myriads" in the Treatise Sūtra. Among the first ten emptinesses, the treatise subsumes them under four: 1. contemplation, which is contemplative understanding; 2. non-heedlessness, which means initiating practice based on understanding and is named after separation from faults; 3. attaining the superior, which means that through cultivation virtue is accomplished and higher merit is attained; 4. based on facts, which means initiating function based on virtue. Since samādhi is the root of great function, it is named "based on facts." In the first [category], excluding the fourth samādhi, the other five are called contemplation: first, the contemplation of the emptiness of sentient beings; second, the contemplation of the emptiness of phenomena; third, taking the two emptinesses together, called the ultimate truth; fourth, contemplation based on the fundamental consciousness: between the two kinds of tathāgatagarbha, it is the empty tathāgatagarbha, hence called great emptiness; fifth, contemplating that the seven evolving consciousnesses arise in conjunction without departing from the tathāgatagarbha, all lacking intrinsic essence, hence called combined emptiness. The Laṅkāvatāra states: "The seven consciousnesses are also like this; they arise conjoined together with the mind." It also states: "The eight have indestructible characteristics; signless, they are also without signs." This is what it means. Second, non-heedlessness: discriminating and cultivating well is one's own share; practicing without weariness is superior progress; the fulfillment of both cultivations is why it says "ultimate." Third, attaining superior merit: superior virtues arise and become manifest relying on emptiness, hence it is called "emptiness of arising." Fourth, based on facts: the remaining three samādhis. First, relying on this samādhi of emptiness causes the cognitive hindrance to be purified; because of this matter, it is called "separation from delusion in accordance with reality." Second, relying on emptiness, one gives rise to compassion and does not abandon sentient beings, which is why the Treatise Sūtra calls it "emptiness of not abandoning." Third, relying on the samādhi of emptiness, one vows to be in all existences yet stay far away from defiled clinging, which is called "separation from discrimination"; however, according with existence, one separates without discriminating. The rest of the text can be understood.