華嚴經探玄記 20.5

20.5

Fourth, from 'replied, saying' onward, she shows her own dharmadhātu. Here there are five parts: 1. revealing the meaning of the dharma; 2. establishing the name of the dharma; 3. clarifying the karmic function; 4. discerning the depth and shallowness of roots; 5. concluding with her own scope. In the first part, there are two: first, clarifying the practice of bringing peace and happiness to sentient beings. Rescuing sentient beings in the night with light means emitting light in the night when the sun has set, etc.; this is the meaning of a night goddess, causing them to escape perilous worldly paths and seek the path to omniscient knowledge. Rescuing sentient beings in difficulties on mountains, etc., explains the meaning of light. Second, from 'Furthermore, son of good family' onward, clarifies the practice of benefiting sentient beings: first, transforming negligent sentient beings to cultivate the practice of contentment; next, bestowing the ten pāramitās to break through the ten obstructions; its explanation fulfilling the practice of joy is understandable. Second, from 'I have already attained' onward, establishes the name of the dharma; this name is established based on the three meanings above. In the Indian text, it is named the Bodhisattva Liberation of the Radiance of Contentment at the Place of Producing Vast Joy. In the third [part], karmic function, there is first a question and then an answer. Because it is the measure of karmic function, it is called a sphere. In the answer, there are two: first, adducing the Buddha-fruit's power and function in benefiting beings to display what she has studied, in which general is first and specific is second, as can be known; second, from 'When I enter this dharma-gate' onward, clarifies knowing the karmic function of the bodhisattva's causal practices to show that she has equally accomplished them; in this, there are two: first, a general display, and second, from 'I know' onward, a specific discernment. In the specific discernment, there are three: first, knowing Rocana Buddha's practice of benefiting beings when he originally produced the mind [for bodhi]; second, knowing his practice of benefiting beings when cultivating the bodhisattva practices; third, universally concluding all that he cultivated. In the first part, there are five: first, clarifying the practice of great compassion in rescuing beings, in which first he sees the suffering of sentient beings, second raises compassion to rescue and gather them, and third concludes with benevolence and compassion; second, from 'Through the dharma of contentment' onward, clarifies the practice of great wisdom in benefiting beings; third, from 'Accomplishing the bodhisattva' onward, accomplishes the practice of spiritual powers to benefit beings; fourth, from 'Through supreme pure dharmas' onward, the practice of adorning lands and expounding the Dharma to benefit beings; fifth, from 'Distinguishing all the future' onward, extensively gathers times and places to cultivate the practice of gathering beings. Second, from 'Son of the Buddha, when Rocana' onward, clarifies the practice of benefiting beings when cultivating the bodhisattva practices, in which there are two: first, seeing sentient beings possessing causes of suffering and fruits of suffering, where the initial part shows the causes of accumulation, and 'always in saṃsāra', etc., are the fruits of suffering; second, giving rise to great compassion, etc., clarifies rescuing them to attain departure and bestowing the causes and fruits of happiness, where the initial part teaches cultivating the causes of the path, and from 'extinguishing unwholesomeness' onward causes them to attain the fruit of cessation. Third, from 'Son of the Buddha, with such' onward, is the conclusion, in which there are two: first, concluding the previous benefit to beings when first producing the mind; second, from 'with such' onward, concluding the benefit to beings when cultivating the bodhisattva practices; both can be known. Fourth, from 'Sudhana said' onward, clarifies the meaning of the depth and shallowness, thick and thin, of the roots of the dharma; in this, there is first a question and then an answer. In the answer, there are two: first, praising its depth as difficult to discern, and promising to speak by receiving [the Buddha's] power; second, from 'In the past' onward, directly reveals the dharma spoken by receiving [the Buddha's] power. In the former, there are also two: first, prose, and second, verses. In the prose, there are three: first, praising the sphere as difficult to discern; not only because it was long ago is it difficult to know, but also because she attained the profound dharma immediately upon producing the mind at that time and fulfilled the Buddha's sphere, it is therefore difficult to know. The difficulties here are: 1. it cannot be known by wisdom from hearing; 2. it cannot be believed by wisdom from thinking; 3. it cannot be entered by wisdom from cultivation—the above pertains to the cessation of the places of mental activity; 4. the path of speech is cut off; 5. it cannot be realized by the wisdom of the two vehicles. If so, could it be that Sudhana also cannot come to know it? Second, from 'Except through the Buddha's spiritual power' onward, clarifies that through conditions it can also be known. The first sentence takes the empowerment of the Buddha's power as the external condition, and relying on good spiritual friends, etc., clarifies the lofty superiority of inner practice as the cause, by which it can then be known. Sudhana is precisely such a person, hence it says 'able.' Needing the Buddha's power to be able to have faith, etc., overturns the difficulty. Third, from 'Why is that?' onward, reproves: for what reason must one rely on the Buddha's power to be able to know? The explanation is: because it is the Buddha's sphere. If so, how can the night goddess speak of it? The explanation is: I also speak relying on the Buddha's power. In the verses, there are twenty-one and a half stanzas, with five parts: first, one stanza adduces the extreme profundity of the sphere, versifying the previous difficulty of speaking, etc.; second, there are four stanzas clarifying those who do not know, versifying the previous point that gods and others cannot know; third, there are fourteen and a half stanzas versifying the previous 'except through the Buddha's spiritual power,' etc., in which the first two versify the previous Buddha's spiritual power and relying on good spiritual friends to accomplish roots of goodness; the next one versifies the previous pure and upright mind; the next one versifies the previous pitying of sentient beings, etc.; the next six versify the practices of the six pāramitās and versify the previous uprooting of the tree of afflictions, etc.; the next two and a half versify the previous extinguishing of all defilements to attain universal illumination, etc.; the next two versify attaining the Tathāgata's joy and entering the Buddha's virtues, etc.; fourth, there is one stanza exhorting Sudhana to learn; fifth, there is one stanza on the previous 'I shall speak by receiving power.' Second, in directly speaking of the duration of producing the mind, there are two: first, prose, and second, verses. In the former, there are three: first, clarifying the past great king's initiating practice, which is the original event; second, from 'There was a maiden' onward, clarifies the night goddess's past life cultivating superior practices together [with him]; third, concluding by joining past and present. In the first part, there are five sections: 1. generally adducing the time and place where dust-atom-numbered Buddhas arose; 2. from 'Son of the Buddha, in that ocean of worlds there was a world system' onward, specifically adduces the original place to clarify the wheel-turning king's arising to transform beings; because he was an iron-wheel-turning king, it says 'that Jambudvīpa'; 3. from 'In that great kalpa' onward, clarifies the arising of an evil kalpa. Therein, 'the five turbidities blazed furiously' is a general statement, referring to the kalpa turbidity, view turbidity, affliction turbidity, sentient-being turbidity, and life-span turbidity, fully treated as in the separate chapter. Practicing the ten unwholesome actions, etc., creates the causes of suffering. Dying and entering evil destinies clarifies receiving the fruit of maturation. Shortness of life, etc., clarifies receiving the fruit of uniform outflow. From 'Through various cravings' onward, clarifies the dominant fruit; 4. from 'At that time the people' onward, clarifies the suffering people appealing to the king to seek rescue, serving as the object of great compassion; 5. from 'Then that great king, hearing' onward, facing the object, he aroused his mind, completing the practice of great compassion. In this, there are three: first, his mind attained the dharma of great compassion, referring to 'a million asaṃkhyeyas,' etc.; second, his mouth uttered words of great compassion, referring to 'ten kinds of compassionate words,' etc., because of pitying the ten kinds of suffering of sentient beings: 1. the suffering of hells; 2. the suffering of afflictions; 3. the suffering of old age, sickness, and death; 4. the suffering of fear; 5. the suffering of views and doubt; 6. the suffering of ignorance; 7. the suffering of stinginess and jealousy; 8. the suffering of saṃsāra; 9. the suffering of being born blind; 10. the suffering of hindrances; the ten antidotes can be understood from the text; third, from 'Then that great king' onward, clarifies his physical enactment of the deeds of great compassion, in which there are five: first, issuing an edict to announce universally; second, from 'At that time, east of the city' onward, establishing a great assembly of giving; third, from 'At that time, all in Jambudvīpa' onward, the great assembly gathers universally; fourth, from 'Then the king, having seen' onward, clarifies seeing the beggars appear before him, and the king greatly rejoiced, which is the pleasure of delight, in which there are four: 1. explaining through dharma and weighing; 2. simile; 3. application; 4. from 'Why is that?' onward, explains the reason for the great joy; the text of all these can be understood; fifth, from 'Furthermore, son of the Buddha, then that great king' onward, directly generating superior thoughts to give universally whatever was needed. Second, from 'At that time, in that assembly there was a maiden' onward, clarifies her past-life body cultivating superior practices together. In this, there are six: first, praising the maiden's superior virtue; second, from 'Formed such a thought' onward, following the good spiritual friend to relinquish possessions. Making the same vow and removing her adornments shows turning away from worldly glory and retribution. Placing them before the king and making vows seeks to share the transcendent bodhisattva's great practice; third, from 'Then that great king told this' onward, the king's giving them back to the woman clarifies the bodhisattva's gathering and embracing companions in practice; fourth, the woman speaking verses to praise the king's virtue is to return thanks for kindness; fifty-two verses are divided into two: the first twenty-five verses generally reveal the benefit of the great king's arising in the world, and the latter twenty-seven specifically clarify the forms of benefit in the past life. In the former, there are four: the first six verses clarify the harm when the king had not yet arisen; the next two verses clarify the benefit of the king's arising; the next ten verses show the king's arising in the world reversing loss and turning it into virtue; the next seven verses clarify the benefit of the great king's voiced teachings. Second, from 'The king's father was named Śuddha' onward, twenty-seven verses specifically reveal the past life, in which there are five: the first four verses clarify the end of the previous king's age; the next eight verses clarify the portents of the king's arising; the next three verses clarify the father-king touring the pool; the next five verses clarify the benefit of the prince's birth; the final seven verses clarify the benefit of the king's emergence; fifth, 'at that time,' etc., clarifies that after praising, the maiden performed obeisance; sixth, the king praises the maiden's virtue and confers garments upon her, master and companion sharing common benefit. Third, in concluding by joining past and present, it omits concluding with 'at that time, that maiden was now my very self.' In the second [section], the restated verses, there are ten stanzas: the first two are the divine eye; the next one is the divine ear; the next one is knowledge of others' minds; the next one is knowledge of past lives; the next four extensively know the causes, fruits, and affairs of all Buddhas; the final one concludes with an exhortation to cultivate and study. Fifth, from 'I only' onward, concludes with her own scope, which is understandable.