華嚴經探玄記 18.34

18.34

Second, under accomplishing the activities of transformation, there are three assemblies, which form three sections. In the initial assembly of gathering the monks, there are two parts: first, explaining how bodily comportment gathers and benefits, thereby causing their faculties to ripen and generating aspiration; second, from 'At that time Mañjuśrī addressed the...' onward, explaining how verbal karma gathers and benefits, which is the direct conferral of the Dharma-gate. In the first part there are seven items: 1. beholding the superior conditions; 2. generating superior thoughts; 3. gathering superior capacities; 4. showing superior spheres; 5. attaining superior benefits; 6. going to the superior person; 7. receiving superior gathering. Under the first: Śāriputra was like one blind facing the assembly, so why is it said here that he was able to see? Explanation: because he had left the original assembly, and because he relied on the Buddha's power. Second, 'having seen...', and so on: because his faculties had ripened, he gave rise to these superior thoughts. Third, from 'At that time...' onward, gathering superior capacities. Therein, first, general distinction: the six thousand monks are the capacities being influenced. 'Coming forth from their own rooms' represents abandoning the small nirvāṇa. 'Heading toward Mañjuśrī' represents directing oneself toward the One Vehicle path. Furthermore, Mañjuśrī left the pavilion, took leave of the Buddha, and journeyed south as the master of conversion; Śāriputra left his room, took leave of the Buddha, and journeyed south as an assistant to conversion. Guiding and gathering the six thousand is precisely for those being converted. Question: If so, Śāriputra is also a great bodhisattva; why was he not together in the pavilion? Answer: By lodged trace he is a śrāvaka, hence he was not there. Second, from 'These six thousand...' onward, specifically reveals the capacities being influenced, within which there are three points: first, indicating the number and position. 'Those who practiced together': they shared Śāriputra's practice; just as with the bodhisattvas traveling with Mañjuśrī above, this is also like that. Another explanation: like Śāriputra, their outward sign showed a śrāvaka, but their virtue was in truth the practice of a bodhisattva; hence it says 'together'. 'Newly gone forth': because they had not yet attained the arhat fruit. Their defiled habituations were not yet deep, showing they were easy to turn around. Another explanation: they had newly gone forth from the home of the Hīnayāna discriminative mind and had already entered the stages of the three vehicles; because Śāriputra was the Dharma-general among the three vehicles, he led them newly forth. Mañjuśrī is the Dharma-general of this One Vehicle and used upāya to guide them. Second, from 'Their names were...' onward, lists the names. 'Bhikṣu': in Sanskrit there are three names, spoken as bihu, bicu, or bhikṣu. There is no direct translation for this; its semantic translations are threefold: scaring Māra, breaking evil, and mendicant. The characteristics of the explanation can be known. Third, from 'Having already...' onward, praises their virtues, within which there are eight clauses: the first two clauses explain that in the past they had great causes; third, from 'by nature taking delight...' onward, that at present they have deep faith; 4. currently practicing great vows; 5. contemplating the Buddha's superior sphere; 6. understanding the true characteristic of dharmas; 7. benefiting beings with great compassion; 8. joyfully seeking the Buddha fruit. From 'These are all...' onward, concludes the virtues by their conditioning causes, explaining that in the past they had already received Mañjuśrī's gathering and protection, and therefore at present he returns to rescue them. Fourth, from 'At that time...' onward, shows the superior spheres, within which there are two parts: first, encouraging the contemplation of their own stage's sphere, which has six aspects: 1) causing them to contemplate the superiority of his bodily light, 2) the superiority of his retinue, 3) the superiority of his comportment, 4) the superiority of the places he frequents, 5) the superiority of his environmental fruit, and 6) the superiority of his offerings. Second, from 'Ocean of Wisdom...' onward, encouraging contemplation of the sphere of superior advancement, namely the superiority of empowerment. Fifth, from 'At that time...' onward, explains attaining superior benefits. Therein, hearing the praises and all rejoicing is the general clause; below there are thirteen specific clauses of benefit, hence their rejoicing. This is divided into five parts: the first five clauses explain the benefit of leaving obstacles; second, from 'directly seeing...' onward, two clauses on the benefit of generating the mind [for bodhi]; third, from 'attaining...' onward, two clauses on the benefit of becoming vessels; fourth, from 'nurturing...' onward, three clauses on the benefit of increasing practice; fifth, from 'completely seeing...' onward, one clause on the benefit of seeing the Buddha. Sixth, from 'At that time the monks...' onward, explains going to the superior person, within which there are two parts: first, speaking to the venerable one and so on, giving rise to superior desire and joy; second, proceeding to go, and so on, announcing the purpose of coming. Seventh, from 'At that time Mañjuśrī...' onward, explains receiving superior gathering, within which there are three points: first, turning like an elephant and gazing, which explains the characteristic of gathering and accepting; second, the monks bowing at his feet explains the characteristic of taking refuge in sincerity, and standing with joined palms explains the characteristic of waiting to hear the exposition; third, from 'forming such a thought...' onward, reveals that superior vows perfume the mind before one is competent to receive the Dharma. First, they vow to know the Dharma in order to attain nirvāṇa; later, they vow for the bodily characteristics and so on in order to attain bodhi. In the former, 'like Śāriputra' is in terms of the true characteristic of the emptiness of persons; 'Śākyamuni' is in terms of the true characteristic of the emptiness of dharmas. Another explanation: 'like the Śākyamuni upon whom Śāriputra relies'—this adduces Śāriputra to take Śākyamuni. The above concludes Mañjuśrī's bodily comportment gathering and transforming. Next, in the second section, verbal karma conferring the Dharma, the text has two parts: first, conferring the Dharma of one's own stage; second, from 'At that time Mañjuśrī...' onward, conferring the Dharma of superior advancement. The first also has two parts: first, conferring the Dharma; second, from 'Those monks...' onward, explaining the benefits. The first has three parts: 1. warning and general indication; 2. from 'What are...' onward, specifically indicating the practices; 3. from 'If good sons...' onward, adducing benefits to encourage cultivation. Within the specific presentation, ten gates reveal the inexhaustible, grouped into five pairs: the first two form one pair, namely revering the Buddha with a great mind; the next two form one pair, namely seeking Dharma and cultivating practice; the next two form one pair, namely arising function based on samādhi—'function' being great compassion and upāya, whereby taking birth wherever one does not lose right mindfulness and can dwell long in saṃsāra to gather sentient beings, which counters the view of the two vehicles who fear saṃsāra; the next two form one pair, namely purifying the land and gathering sentient beings; the final two form one pair, namely cultivating practice for oneself and transforming others. Another explanation: the first eight are one's own stage, and the last two are superior advancement, as can be known. Third, in adducing benefits to encourage cultivation, ten kinds of benefits are cited to encourage cultivation and study: 1) the benefit of generating goodness; 2) the benefit of leaving defilement; 3) the benefit of transcending, which is transcending the Small; 4) the benefit of being born in the Tathāgata's [family], which is entering the Great; 5) the benefit of possessing, which is the great vows; 6) the benefit of practicing bodhisattva practices, which is perfecting practice; 7) the benefit of dwelling in stages; 8) the benefit of achieving results; 9) the benefit of subduing Māra; 10) the benefit of curbing non-Buddhists. Second, from 'Those...' onward, directly explaining attaining benefits upon hearing the Dharma, has two parts: first, explaining the benefit of attaining samādhi through hearing the Dharma; second, from 'Having attained this...' onward, explaining the benefit of practice being established through samādhi. The first also has two parts: first, explaining the essence of the attained samādhi, where because what is seen penetrates through, it is called 'unobstructed', and because the faculty of vision is free from cataracts, it is called 'pure eyes'. Below, explaining the karmic function also has two parts: first, seeing the present without obstruction; later, from 'Furthermore, able to...' onward, seeing past and future without obstruction. In the first, first is seeing the Samyaksaṃbuddha and sentient beings; second is seeing the receptacle world, explaining that the sphere of vision is vast and boundless, hence called 'the sphere of the Tathāgata's ten eyes'; third is hearing the expositions of the buddhas previously seen; fourth is the supernormal power of knowing others' minds and so forth, knowing the faculties and desires of the sentient beings previously seen; fifth is knowing their rebirths and so forth with the supernormal knowledge of death and rebirth. Second, in knowing past and future, stating 'ten' for each of the eight positions is to correspond to the round number to reveal inexhaustibility. Second, explaining that because of attaining this samādhi, practice is established. The initial clause indicates the attained mind; possessing ten is because it is boundless in breadth, and reality is because it is bottomless in depth; second, master and companion samādhis; third, master and companion precepts; fourth, master and companion wisdom; fifth, the ten clarities are the functions of wisdom, as explained in the 'Chapter on the Ten Clarities'—this is because the Round Teaching gathers capacities to instantaneously accomplish great benefits. At the initial establishment of the great mind, one directly attains the functions of the ten clarities belonging to after the ten bhūmis, gathering the final by the initial, as explained above in the 'Chapter on the Merit of Generating the Mind' and the 'Chapter on Minor Characteristics', and so on; in other teachings there is no such matter. In the second part, superior advancement, there are also two parts: first instruction and encouragement, then attaining benefits. The 'deathless supernormal clarity' takes great compassion as its cause, because it is free from the bondage of karma. Another explanation: because it is free from portioned [birth and death]. Another explanation: because the function of supernormal clarity is without cessation. 'Not leaving this place', and so forth, has two aspects: 1) without moving from this cause, it produces the fruit, hence it says 'giving birth to the Tathāgata', and so on; 2) without leaving one place, it can emanate Buddha bodies filling the worlds of the ten directions—this is the power of the deathless supernormal clarity. 'Possessing all Buddha dharmas' explains the dharmas of the resultant virtues. The above concludes the single assembly of gathering the monks to enter the dharmadhātu. Here, explaining the meaning of the two vehicles turning their minds briefly creates three gates: 1) explaining the existence or non-existence of turning; 2) explaining the bodily stage of turning the mind; 3) distinguishing the attainment of turning the mind (and so forth).