華嚴經探玄記 2.41

2.41

From here below is the second major section: the fulfillment of offerings. Differentiating the eighteen assemblies from distant to near: previously, among the thirty-four, among the four heavenly kings, south and north were briefly raised, while the various deities were fully listed. Now, among these offering-initiators, from the bodhimaṇḍa deities up to the mahoragas, these eighteen are omitted, while the four kings are fully revealed. Why is it so? The explanation is: previously, the dragons and others belonged to the western direction, and the remaining kinds were mostly subsumed under the eastern direction. Because the retinues governed by these two kinds were numerous, the kings were divided to follow the assemblies, omitting those two kings and fully revealing the eighteen. Now, wishing to clarify the leaders praising the Buddha, subsuming the assemblies to follow the kings, east and west are fully encompassed; therefore those eighteen are omitted and two kings are added to the list. Since what is governed by the south and north is not extensive in the text and not analogous to east and west, there is no expanding or combining. Therefore, among the thirty-four, omitting eighteen leaves only sixteen, and further adding two kings makes eighteen. Among them, previously the common came first and the different came later; now the different comes first and the common comes later. Why is it so? Previously it expressed emerging from the root to produce the branches; now it clarifies subsuming the branches to return to the root. Furthermore, among the worldly-born, previously the inferior came first and the superior came later; now the superior comes first and the inferior comes later. Why is it so? Previously it expressed the increase and subtlety of dharmas; now it displays the hierarchy of noble stations. Another explanation: all these universally reveal the conditioned arising of the dharmadhātu, forward and reverse, unhindered and unobstructed, completely combined into one great assembly of the dharmadhātu; therefore this statement is made. Since it says 'initiating offerings', why does it not list offerings of material things? Explanation: material offerings are not extraordinary and insufficient to display supremacy. The sūtra says: 'Among all offerings, the offering of Dharma is supreme.' Therefore it only reveals the offering of Dharma. If so, why do Sāgaramati and the newly gathered assemblies below both present material offerings? Explanation: Sāgaramati and other assemblies emerge from their seats and additionally hold material offerings in order to reveal what is extraordinary; guest assemblies from other directions each bring those material offerings from their own lands, not being analogous to these assemblies of constant attendants. Just as Śākyamuni's body takes Śāriputra and others as his constant retinue, who only perform Dharma offerings by practicing and transforming people, and do not further differentiate other material offerings. This retinue of Rocana's body is also like this: among them, each entering a dharmamukha and attaining thorough penetration with mastery constitutes the mental karma offering; uttering verses to praise the Buddha constitutes the vocal karma offering; being reverently present in the assembly constitutes the physical karma offering. Furthermore, when discussing Dharma offerings, there are two kinds: 1. practicing in accordance with the teaching and attaining mastery in the Dharma; 2. praising and making it manifest, spreading and communicating the Dharma's transformation. Now these three karmas possess these two practices. In the text there are two parts: first, there is one line generally stating the heading, thus saying: 'each attaining mastery in the Buddha's dharmamukha.' Below, in the specific differentiation, there are two: first, in the seventeen assemblies, each having mastery in one dharmamukha divides the universal to form the particular, termed 'worldly-born'; later, Samantabhadra as one individual having mastery in all dharmamukhas subsumes the particular to form the universal, gathering the different to return to the universal, termed 'commonly born'. Therefore, the two assemblies share the same conditioned arising; ponder this. In the text, the eighteen assemblies constitute eighteen sections; each individually has two parts: first, the prose on attaining the Dharma, which is the sūtra compiler's arrangement; next, the verses of praise, which are the words spoken at that time.