華嚴經探玄記 4.19

4.19

In the fourth part, investigating the essence to distinguish the characteristics, first it investigates the essence, saying: "How is it known that the distinctions are boundless? Because they are coextensive with the dharmadhātu." Then it distinguishes the characteristics, saying: Not to mention the worlds exhausting empty space in the ten directions, just in terms of this one Sahā world, ten kinds are briefly distinguished to reveal the inexhaustible. The other boundless worlds should be known by analogy to this. These "various bodies" and so forth have been interpreted by some masters as the Buddha's bodies and so on; thus below, distinguishing that their names are different is interpreted as various names. Now, carefully examining this text and taking the Dousha jing as a standard, these are sentient beings to be transformed, not the Buddha who can transform. Because this sentence is long, being Sanskrit syntax, it should say: teaching and transforming all sentient beings of various bodies and so on down to different kinds forms one sentence, and what they see is also different forms a separate sentence; then the meaning can be understood. Only because the Buddha-land is impartial, with nothing distinct that can be distinguished, does it draw upon the distinctions of the sentient beings to be transformed to distinguish the characteristics of the sea of lands. Among the ten phrases: 1. generally raising the differences of bodies of the five aggregates; 2. the differences in establishing names based on bodies; 3. bodies being in all places; 4. according with various places, there are various shapes and colors, namely white, black, and so forth; 5. according to having bodies, lifespans have length and shortness; 6. consciousness being able to apprehend various realms, or the limits attained through practice and realization; 7. the essence of realms entering sense faculties, or wisdom being able to enter phenomena, or the entry gates of awakening being different; 8. briefly only six faculties, broadly twenty-two faculties, or the five faculties such as faith, or sharp, dull, immature, mature, and so forth, as expounded below in the section on the sea of faculties in the ninth dedication; 9. the distinctions of the various destinies, or the four modes of birth and five destinies, such as the dense forest of modes of birth; 10. different karmas and distinct retributions, such as the dense forest of karmic actions. According to the Sanskrit text and the Dousha jing, each and every one of these phrases has the word "various"; it is only omitted here for brevity; therefore it concludes by saying "sentient beings of various differences." "What they see is also different": not only are the distinctions of their karmic retributions, dependencies, and primaries boundless, but the views and expectations cherished in their minds are also each different. In the Dousha [jing], it is called each hearing the Buddha's voice. Furthermore, the first nine phrases distinguish retributions, the tenth clarifies karma, and this reveals the distinctions of views. Moreover, explaining these distinctions and limits of sentient beings as the characteristics of the sea of lands has three interpretations, as distinguished above under "inconceivable" in the thesis; one may reflect upon and apply them here.