華嚴經探玄記 17.8

17.8

In the Introductory Section, there are three parts: first, clarifying the perfection of the vessel-world; second, revealing the perfection of the world of the enlightened cognition; third, [clarifying] the perfection of the world of sentient beings. The first meaning is explained as before. In the second, "attained samyaksaṃbuddha" and so forth refer to the twenty-one kinds of virtues of the saṃbhogakāya, as the fifth fascicle of the Saṃgraha (Mahāyānasaṃgraha) and the second fascicle of the Buddhabhūmi-śāstra both elaborate upon this passage. Now, relying on those two treatises, I will briefly indicate a small portion. The first phrase is general, and the remaining twenty phrases are specific. In the first, because it possesses the latter twenty extraordinary virtues, it is called "samyaksaṃbodhi"; that is, one awakens in accord with the correct principle. Furthermore, it is so named because it is awakening free from perverse hindrances. Again, "samyak-" refers to the cognition of principle, and "saṃbodhi" refers to quantitative cognition, as is known. The treatise names it "non-dual active manifestation." Among the specific ones: Second, "non-dual thought" is the extraordinary virtue of absolute unobstructedness, because it is free from the two hindrances and differs from ordinary beings and small [vehicles] dwelling in two extremes. Another explanation: because regarding objects in distant times, directions, and so forth, there are no two thoughts of knowing and not knowing; it is precisely through this that he is named samyaksaṃbuddha. Third, "signless thought": that treatise names it "tending toward the signless"; it is the virtue of upāya for subduing and transforming, causing others to tend toward and realize signless nirvāṇa. Another explanation: it is named the virtue of being able to enter the non-dual, meaning that oneself is able to enter pure suchness free from the characteristics of existence and non-existence, and also causes others to enter it. Fourth, "dwelling in the dwelling of the Buddha" is the virtue of observing those who are to be subdued and transformed, meaning that abiding in great compassion, he constantly observes the world. Furthermore, it is the virtue of untiring, spontaneous Buddha-work, constantly abiding in the holy dwelling, the heavenly dwelling, and the brahma dwelling. Fifth, "equal to all Buddhas" is the virtue of attaining activities similar to all Buddhas. Furthermore, it is the virtue of having no difference in the fundamental intention and activities within the dharmakāya, meaning that the fundamental cognition is the same, the intention to benefit sentient beings is the same, and the activities of retribution and transformation are the same; hence it says "equal." Sixth, "reaching the unobstructed path" is the virtue of eternally severing what is to be countered, meaning that one realizes the cessation of the habit-energies of the two hindrances, and that one's cultivation of their antidotal path is accomplished and manifested before one. Seventh, "attaining the irrevertible Dharma" is the virtue of subduing non-Buddhists, meaning that having realized the taught Dharma, they cannot overturn it, subduing them to manifest one's own path of the correct Dharma. Eighth, "unobstructed realm" is the virtue of subduing the enmity of Māra, meaning that adverse and favorable conditions in the middle cannot obstruct the mind, and the eight worldly dharmas cannot bind it. Ninth, "dwelling in the inconceivable" is the virtue of establishing the Dharma and teachings, meaning that the supreme teachings transcend discursive thought and cannot be measured by others. Tenth, "free from the three times": the treatise names it "coursing in the equal dharmatā of the three times"; it is the virtue of prophesying the three times, meaning that prophesying the past and future are both as such, and the present is distinct and non-erroneous; hence it is called "equal." Here, "free from" means being free from unclear prophecy regarding the three times. Eleventh, "manifesting bodies everywhere in all worlds" is the virtue of simultaneously manifesting the saṃbhogakāya and nirmāṇakāya everywhere in all worlds. Twelfth, "knowing all dharmas": the treatise names it "cognition having no doubt or hesitation regarding all dharmas"; it is the virtue of severing all doubts, meaning that regarding all dharmas, oneself severs doubts and attains decisive cognition, causing others to attain it as well. Thirteenth, "fully accomplishing all wondrous practices": the treatise names it "accomplishing great awakening in all practices"; it is the virtue of entering various practices, meaning that in accordance with what is suitable for the sentient beings to be transformed, he manifests bodies of their same kind to cause them to enter. Fourteenth, "eternally extinguishing hesitation and doubt": it is the virtue of generating cognition that penetrates future dharmas, meaning that regarding the subtle good seeds that surpass the scope of the two vehicles—like subtle seeds of gold in tiles and stones—he universally knows such realms without error. Fifteenth, "free from a false body": the treatise names it "inconceivable through conceptual differentiation"; it is the virtue of one's own body being undefiled, meaning that it is not produced by the defiled conceptual differentiation of affliction, karma, and suffering. Furthermore, according to their inclinations he manifests bodies as appropriate; like a maṇi pearl, which although without conceptual differentiation, through predominant power manifests a golden body and so forth. Sixteenth, "able to bestow immeasurable wisdom upon bodhisattvas": the treatise names it "the cognition correctly sought by all bodhisattvas"; it is the virtue of the upāya of maintaining the Buddha lineage without interruption, meaning that the bodhisattvas, relying on the upāyas of subduing sentient beings, all by the predominant power of the Tathāgata, are able to hear the Dharma, reflect, and cultivate, progressively attaining wondrous wisdom, and bodhisattvas of different classes take hold of and are entrusted with it, successively continuing without interruption. Seventeenth, "dwelling on the non-dual other shore of the Buddha": the treatise names it "attaining the supreme other shore of the Buddha's non-dual dwelling"; it is the virtue of the ultimate perfection of all bodies and all pāramitās, meaning that the dharmakāya is non-dual and the pāramitā practices are complete. Eighteenth, "fully possessing... dharma gates": the treatise names it "not mutually mingled." The Tathāgata's ultimate wondrous wisdom of liberation is the saṃbhogakāya and pure lands manifesting in response to faculties without mutually mingling, and so forth. This cannot be destroyed; this is what is meant by "not mutually mingled." Nineteenth, "ultimately immeasurable and boundless": the treatise names it "realizing the equality of the Buddhabhūmi without middle or boundary"; it is the virtue of the three bodies having no limits of direction or place. Furthermore, it is because realizing suchness is free from the characteristics of middle and boundary of the conditioned and unconditioned, and is far removed from the characteristics of middle and boundary of directions and locations. This Buddhabhūmi is in the latter clause. Another explanation: because worlds have no middle or boundary, the Buddha's manifestations also have no middle or boundary; because they have no middle or boundary, they are universally boundless. Twentieth, "equal to the dharmadhātu...": the treatise names it "reaching the utmost limit of the dharmadhātu"; it is the virtue of realizing the characteristics of the fruit, meaning exhausting the pure dharmadhātu. Furthermore, it exhausts the limit of saṃsāra, constantly manifesting and producing the virtue of benefiting and bringing joy to all sentient beings, meaning that relying on the pure realm, he pours forth sūtras and teachings to benefit sentient beings. Twenty-first, "equal to space...": the treatise names it "exhausting the nature of space and exhausting the limits of the future"; though passing through the formations and disintegrations of kalpas, space is constantly inexhaustible. This corresponds to his own real virtue. The limit of the future being inexhaustible means that his supreme function of benefiting others is constantly without cessation. At the beginning of the second assembly there are only the first ten phrases; understand it by analogy to this explanation. Question: The Buddhabhūmi-sūtra and the Sandhinirmocana Sūtra, in distinguishing the eighteen perfections of the saṃbhoga-land, praise the saṃbhogakāya as possessing these twenty-one virtues. Now this Buddha body is in the country of Magadha, which is a transformation [body]; by what reason does it also come to possess these virtues? If this transformation body, viewed in terms of those above the bhūmis, is seen to possess these virtues, why is the Buddha seen while the land is not seen? Furthermore, if this seeing of the transformation [body] is considered the saṃbhoga[kāya], could it be that bodhisattvas above the bhūmis cannot simultaneously see the transformation body? Answer: One must understand that here, in terms of the virtues of the ten Buddhas, the seeing extends across the five stages and the locations encompass the defiled and pure. Because within the two thousand dharmas there are also the forty stages prior to the bhūmis, because those prior to the bhūmis and those above the bhūmis share the same perception, and because Magadha and Padmagarbha interpenetrate without duality. The rest is as explained before.