華嚴經探玄記 6.27

6.27

Second, within the section on empowerment, there are three [parts]: first, generally showing those capable of empowering; second, explaining what the empowerment is for; third, properly distinguishing the characteristics of empowerment. Within the first, there are five: 1. explaining the buddhas' manifestation of bodies; 2. revealing that the buddhas share the same name; 3. praising his attainment of this samādhi; 4. explaining that he attained the samādhi due to empowerment; 5. those buddhas themselves explaining the causes for effecting empowerment. Within the first, question: Are all these buddhas gathered together in one place beyond the dust motes of ten thousand buddha-kṣetras, or are they scattered across different locations? Answer: They are scattered across different locations. How are they scattered? For instance, in the eastern direction, beyond kṣetras as numerous as dust motes of ten thousand buddha worlds, there is a Guṇāraṇya Buddha; going east from there, again beyond kṣetras as numerous as dust motes of ten thousand buddha worlds, there is another Guṇāraṇya Buddha; counting onward toward the east in this manner up to ten thousand buddha worlds, the distance between each and every one of the buddhas as numerous as dust motes is also the same as before. As in the eastern direction, so it is in the other nine directions. Furthermore, the empowerment by multiple buddhas is to increase the assembly's reverence for the persons and respect for the Dharma, and also to reveal that the buddhas unite their power to speak in unison. Second, as for the buddhas having the same name, there are four reasons, as explained previously: 1. to make Guṇāraṇya rejoice even more; 2. because those buddhas have equally attained this teaching; 3. to reveal that both causal and resultant virtues are fully present in this stage; 4. because they are the empowering buddhas for this gate. By dharmatā they all receive the name Guṇāraṇya, by virtue of the power of the Dharma. Third, regarding praising his attainment of this samādhi, "actually able to" (nai neng) is an expression of rare transcendence, showing that he was able to enter this rare samādhi. Why is this so? Because Guṇāraṇya entered this samādhi in silence; since the assembly did not know what was entered, they lacked a mind of thirst and longing and could not be taught, so the buddhas had to praise and reveal it to arouse the assembly's yearning. Fourth, attaining the samādhi due to empowerment means that those buddhas of other regions spoke themselves, revealing that they had already effected empowerment so as to cause him to attain the samādhi. Fifth, in explaining the reasons why they themselves effected empowerment, there are three phrases: first, they effected empowerment due to the power of Rocana's past vows. Why so? The Daśabhūmika-śāstra explains: In the past, Rocana once saw a Rocana Buddha empower a bodhisattva to explain these teachings of the ten practices, and the empowering buddhas were equally named Guṇāraṇya. At that time he made a vow: "May it be so when I attain buddhahood as well." Now it has been fulfilled according to his original [vow], and therefore they empower him. Second, it says that it is also because they are mutually moved by Rocana's present majestic power to empower him together; hence they empower him. Third, it says that it is also because the power of the wholesome roots of the bodhisattvas ought to hear this teaching, moving the buddhas to empower him together. Furthermore, previously when the ten abodes were taught, it said, "by the power of Dharmamati's wholesome roots"; here it says "the bodhisattvas," revealing that the former was inferior and this is superior, and thus they are many. Moreover, the former revealed the increase of the benefit of oneself, while this reveals the breadth of the benefit of others. Furthermore, these are stylistic variations that mutually reflect and imply one another; in actual principle, both are present equally. Second, in explaining what the empowerment is for, the first phrase is general: namely, desiring to cause you to broadly teach the dharmadhātu of Samantabhadra's ten practices, wherein all preceding and following stages and all causal practices without exception culminate here and are embraced here; therefore it is said to be "profound." "Profound" has nine aspects: 1. Deep in nurturing results: that is, nourishing innate causes to bring about the result; this is spoken in terms of one's own wisdom. 2. Deep in illuminating nature: that is, analyzing the distinct classes and natures of sentient beings, and also knowing the differences among natures and lineages, and further revealing and explaining the tathāgatagarbha nature of sentient beings; hence it is called "distinguishing." Also, knowing that a single sentient being is endowed with all Dharma gates, and distinguishing all sentient beings because their nature is harmoniously merged. As the text below in the eighth practice says: "Without abandoning one sentient being, one does not attach to many sentient beings; without abandoning many sentient beings, one does not attach to one sentient being; one does not increase the realm of sentient beings, nor decrease the realm of sentient beings"; up to: "The bodhisattva deeply understands that the realm of sentient beings and the dharmadhātu are non-dual; in non-dual phenomena there is neither increase nor decrease, neither arising nor ceasing, and the dharmatā is real." And so forth; this is spoken in terms of the known. 3. Deep in eliminating obstacles: "obstacles" refers to afflictions, and "hindrances" refers to the cognitive [hindrance]; neither seeds nor actual manifestations, neither primary [afflictions] nor latent propensities, remain unexhausted; hence it says "transcending all," and so forth. If according to the three vehicles, this provisionally represents subduing the actual manifestation of the śrāvakas' dark obstacle of fearing suffering. 4. Deep in entering phenomena: that is, realizing and entering the realm of the true principle where objects do not obstruct the mind; hence it is called "unobstructed." The verses below say: "Fully entering all dharmadhātus, / Complying and arriving at the other shore, / Ultimately attaining sovereignty: / This is the realm traversed by the sun of the Dharma." Also, being able to enter the unobstructed realm of the mutual identity and mutual penetration, perfect interpenetration, and sovereignty of the Indra's net dharmadhātu; as the text below says: "Entering the Indra's net dharmadhātu, sovereignly accomplishing the tathāgata's unobstructed liberation"—this is what is meant. 5. Deep in skillful means: that is, skillfully embracing all phenomena with a single phenomenon, and skillfully embracing all things with each single practice and each single stage; one body responding to everything, unobstructed by either existence or non-existence; with such many gates of skillfulness, it is said to "accomplish all upāya"; as it says below: "because of fully exhausting the great ocean of all buddhas' upāya." 6. Deep in accomplishing results: that is, being able to accomplish the result of the all-inclusive wisdom (sarvākārajñatā). The former nurturing was in terms of the beginning, while this accomplishing is in terms of the culmination. This is wisdom of the extent [of things] (yāvadbhāvikatājñāna), because it knows distinct categories. 7. Deep in principle-wisdom: that is, wisdom of the nature [of things] (yathāvadbhāvikatājñāna), because it awakens to the fact that all phenomena share the same single nature. 8. Deep in knowing faculties: that is, knowing well the differences among the capacities of sentient beings, knowing the differences between mature and immature, knowing their identical nature of suchness, and knowing that one faculty is all faculties, as taught in the ocean of faculties. 9. Deep in retaining what is heard: that is, accomplishing the ten great dhāraṇīs, as taught below in the ninth practice. The next single phrase concludes: that is, broadly explaining as above. As for these ten general and specific profound teachings, what stage's teachings are they? Namely, they are the ten practices of a bodhisattva.