華嚴經探玄記 4.91

4.91

Within the first passage there are five and a half verses, divided into two: first, explaining the karmic function; second, revealing that on which it relies. In the former are five: first, one verse explains manifesting as a Buddha expounding the Dharma. Second, one verse reveals accomplishing tasks without effort—that is, without applying effort; hence it says "cutting off expectations." Another explanation: because the causal stage is fulfilled, there are no further expectations or seeking; hence it says "cutting off." Third, one verse explains manifesting the eight phases. Fourth, one verse explains manifesting the three vehicles. Fifth, one verse explains manifesting miscellaneous classes. The concluding two lines summarize that on which the function relies. "Ocean-reflection" takes its name from a metaphor: just as the asura's four armies are lined up in the sky and their images are reflected within the great ocean, the bodhisattva's concentrated mind is like the great ocean, manifesting differences in response to capacities like those images of the armies. The Mahāsaṃnipāta Sūtra, fascicle fourteen, says: "It is like the bodies of all sentient beings in Jambudvīpa and other external forms; all such forms have their reflections within the ocean. For this reason it is named the great ocean-reflection. The bodhisattva is also like this: having attained the great ocean-reflection samādhi, he is able to see distinctly the mental actions of all sentient beings and attain luminous wisdom in all Dharma gates. This is the bodhisattva attaining the ocean-reflection samādhi, seeing the destinations of the mental actions of all sentient beings." Explanation: here the character "see" is also "manifest"; that is, because of seeing, it manifests. It should be understood as applying to both. Question: Since here it is a bodhisattva of the ten faiths who manifests the attainment of Buddhahood, is it a temporary transformation, or an actual attainment? Answer: In the initial teaching of the three vehicles, there is no manifestation of attaining Buddhahood at all, because non-retrogression has not yet been attained. In the final teaching, at the advanced stage of the concluding mind of the ten faiths upon entering the beginning of the ten abodes, one attains non-retrogression; therefore one can temporarily manifest the attainment of Buddhahood, as expounded in the Awakening of Faith. In the One Vehicle's perfect teaching, in reality it does not depend on stages, but borrows the characteristics of the stages of the final teaching to distinguish it. At the point where faith is fulfilled and non-retrogressing, it explains attaining the practices and virtues of Samantabhadra's dharmadhātu, completely subsuming cause and effect with perfect interpenetration and freedom from obstruction: if taken from the causal gate, one is always a bodhisattva; if taken from the fruitional gate, one is constantly a Buddha. Due to this fusion, there are four propositions: either only a bodhisattva, or only a Buddha, or both, or neither, etc.; one should reflect and deduce accordingly. Question: Here, what is the difference between attaining Buddhahood through the fruitional gate and the transformation manifestation in the final teaching? Answer: That [final teaching] only manifests one Buddha in one world based on a single stage; here, it is endowed with the ten bhūmis and so forth, subsuming all stages. "Worlds of the ten directions" means all places. "In thought-instant after thought-instant" means all times. Question: Since it speaks of "manifestation" here, it should only be temporary manifestation, identical to the final teaching above. Answer: As the text says: "With an effortless function free of expectation, he can travel the ten directions in a single thought-instant." For virtues such as these, unless the causal stage were exhaustively fulfilled, who could possess them? Therefore, one knows that actual practices are definitely fulfilled; it is not like that person of an inferior stage. Furthermore, all Buddhas achieving awakening in various worlds for the sake of beings are all manifestations, because when examining oneself without regard to capacities, there is neither attainment nor non-attainment. Moreover, the Mahāsaṃnipāta Sūtra, fascicle fourteen, says: "Attaining the proper stage of consecration, one attains the supernatural power second only to a Buddha among all bodhisattva practices. If a bodhisattva accomplishes such dharmas, he can manifest the eight phases of attaining Buddhahood in worlds without Buddhas," and so on at length.