華嚴經探玄記 7.58

7.58

In the fourth, the dedication that reaches all places, there are also prose and verses. In the former there are also two parts: first the practices of the stage, and next the fruits of the stage. The former also has three parts, namely the statement, the explanation, and the conclusion. In the explanation there are three: first, dedication to sentient beings and bodhi; second, from "when the mahāsattva dedicates such roots of goodness, there is utterly nothing..." onward, dedication to the ultimate reality (bhūta-koṭi); third, from "when the mahāsattva dedicates such roots of goodness, he causes sentient beings..." onward, the concluding praise of the benefits. In the first there are three: first, dedicating the roots of goodness as offerings to the Triratna; second, from "such adornments..." onward, explaining the purpose of the offerings to directly show pervasive dedication; third, from "just as selflessness..." onward, explaining the superior functioning of those roots of goodness in gathering virtues. In the first of these there are two: first briefly explaining it, and second, from "the mahāsattva again thinks as follows..." onward, explaining it at length. In the former there are three: first the Dharma, second the simile, and third the application. In the first, "such dedication" is general, bringing forth the power of virtue. "Reaching all" points out its characteristics, meaning that all places are what is reached, and the roots of goodness are what can reach them; being able to reach them, they are called a "power," which is brought about by dedication. In the simile, ultimate reality reaches everywhere; ten places are briefly discussed to show its inexhaustibility, which uses principle to illustrate practice. "All realms of existence" refers to the three realms of existence, the twenty-five realms of existence, and so on; the rest may be understood by analogy. In the application there are two: first generally showing making offerings to the Buddhas of the three times; second, from "past..." onward, individually showing making offerings to the three times: first causing the undertakings of the past Buddhas' original vows to be completely fulfilled; next causing future Buddhas to swiftly be endowed with the Buddha-adornments; and last, from "empty space..." onward, making offerings to all present Buddhas and the great assemblies, which explains this bodhisattva's universal offerings to them. "Like the devas" means that just as what devas do is accomplished in accordance with their thought, the bodhisattva's pervading [all places] in a single instant of thought is also like this, showing mastery in making offerings. From "vast..." onward, it shows the reason for the accomplishment of the offerings, meaning that by the power of dedication of one's own vast merit and wisdom, it causes the supreme offerings to be made to the Buddhas. In the second, the extensive explanation, there are two: first, making offerings to present Buddhas in all realms; second, from "again thinking as follows..." onward, making offerings to the Buddhas of the three times throughout all kalpas. In the former there are three: first, citing the Buddhas offered to; second, from "the mahāsattva..." onward, explaining the raising of offerings; third, from "with all these..." onward, directly dedicating with deep resolve. In the first there are two: first, the Buddhas of all realms; next, from "there are bodhisattvas there..." onward, explaining that there are bodhisattvas whose deeds are equal to the Buddhas', meaning that the Buddhas offered to are of two kinds: first, actual saṃbhogakāya Buddhas; second, bodhisattvas of the utmost stage who are able to manifest becoming Buddhas in the ten directions. Since these two are both present Buddhas, both are included among the present ones offered to; hence they are discussed. The text has ten phrases: 1. depth of understanding; 2. vastness of manifestation; 3. pervasiveness of body; 4. realization of the source of dharmas; 5. equality with the Buddha-body; 6. skillful and perfect response; 7. arising from principle; 8. solidity of essence; 9. duration of upholding and function; 10. birth from virtue. In the second, raising offerings, offerings are made to present Buddhas, and after their parinirvāṇa, offerings are made to images and stūpas. Third, from "with these..." onward, it explains dedicating with deep resolve. In this there are ten resolves. As for "how does one dedicate? With a single mind...", "with" means using. After each "single mind," there should be the word "dedicate," but the author abbreviated it, placing it at the beginning and end, and the middle should be understood accordingly: 1. focused concentration; 2. non-distraction of mindfulness; 3. not obstructed by conditions; 4. deep veneration; 5. joyously delighting in practice; 6. not stagnating; 7. not defiled or attached; 8. absence of an agent, which is also freedom from an object; 9. uprightness free from harm; 10. proper accord with nirvāṇa. From here, the second is making offerings to the Buddhas of the three times throughout all kalpas. In this there are two: first, setting forth the field offered to, namely the saṃbhogakāyas adorned with characteristics, the dharmakāyas adorned with principle, and the many assemblies across many times and many Buddhas; second, from "I, with..." onward, directly dedicating to raise offerings, meaning that by the dedication with the ten resolves of the previous roots of goodness, one re-accomplishes these offerings. In this, first there are ten offerings: 1. incense, 2. flowers, 3. garlands, 4. ointments, 5. powdered incense, 6. robes, 7. jewels, 8. lamps, 9. adornments, 10. maṇis. Furthermore, within these ten there are twenty categories each, such as incense canopies, thus making two hundred; within each of these there are again ten categories, such as asaṃkhyeya railings, thus making two thousand categories; each with an asaṃkhyeya, combined with the previous two tiers, there are in total 2,210 categories, all said to be ineffable or without boundary, and so forth. Another interpretation: first offering to the primary retribution of the Buddhas; second, from "in each and every realm..." onward, explaining the adornment of the dependent fruit of the Buddhas. Third, from "such adornments..." onward, it explains the purpose of the offerings. In this there are two: first generally showing the purpose, namely causing sentient beings to leave birth and death and reach the Buddha-ground. Second, from "in all..." onward, it analyzes it separately into three: first, causing them to fulfill transformative practices, in which the illumination of Dharma is the transformative teaching, teaching and transforming and so forth are transformative actions, the immeasurable mind and so forth are vast teachings of the transformative mind, having nowhere to reach is the cessation of effort in transformation, and giving forth goodness is the virtue accomplished through transformation; second, from "causing them to see the Buddhas..." onward, causing them to complete their own virtues, in which seeing the Buddhas is the condition for practice, abiding and so forth are what is accomplished, entering universally and so forth are the accomplishment of practice, and dedicating roots of goodness that enter principle and so forth are the accomplishment of practice heading toward the fruit; third, from "causing them because of this..." onward, causing the cause to be completed and the fruit obtained. Third, from "just as..." onward, it explains the superior functioning of the roots of goodness reaching all places in gathering virtues. In this, first the simile, then the application. First, raising the simile to reveal the Dharma. "My goodness is also like this" explains the Dharma as matching the simile. This also uses principle to illustrate practice, meaning that since this root of goodness is like selflessness pervading all places, one therefore gathers those dharmas to increase one's own practice. The text has twenty phrases: the first twelve gather and accomplish the practice of benefiting oneself; the latter eight phrases gather and accomplish the practice of benefiting others. In the former, the first three gather and accomplish veneration and obedience to the Triratna; the fourth accomplishes practice; the fifth accomplishes understanding; the sixth gathers the Buddha's superknowledges to accomplish one's own goodness; the seventh gathers transformative virtues to accomplish the practicing mind; the eighth gathers causal virtues to accomplish understanding of principle; the ninth gathers skillful means to manifest the functioning of the fruit; the tenth gathers the functioning of the fruit to accomplish the raising of offerings; the eleventh gathers lands as adornments; the twelfth gathers kalpas as the time of practice. Below, explaining the benefit of others: 1. manifesting bodies for beings; the next two, transforming to cause them to accomplish virtue: 1. the virtue of practice, 2. the virtue of eradication; the next four, transforming and benefiting according to their capacity: 1. transforming in accord with capacities, 2. purifying in response to desires, 3. manifesting bodies to tame them, 4. causing them to understand; and the last one, protecting the Dharma. From here, the second is dedication to ultimate reality. In this there are three: first, exhausting phenomena to return to principle; second, not obstructing phenomena while revealing principle, and not obstructing principle while accomplishing phenomena; third, principle being extinguished while phenomena function. Because the above three meanings blend into a single plane, therefore principle is extinguished while phenomena alone [appear], yet phenomena have never not been principle; phenomena are exhausted while principle alone [appears], yet principle has never not been phenomena. This is truly because phenomena, being insubstantial, embrace principle, so there are no phenomena without principle; principle, being real, responds to conditions, so there is no principle obstructing phenomena. Thus, among these three gates, either non-existence is revealed by breaking through existence, while existence has never been diminished; or existence is established relying on emptiness, while existence has never truly subsisted. Therefore, in terms of principle it is neither hidden nor manifest, and in terms of phenomena it neither subsists nor is destroyed; this can be known by contemplation. In the first section, "such dedication" refers to the preceding; "utterly nothing" generally explains entering ultimate reality. Below, analyzing it individually, there are two: first, abandoning what is grasped, and next, abandoning the grasper, meaning not positing the fruit within the cause nor positing the cause within the fruit; hence it says "not grasping in karma," and so forth. Another interpretation: karma being empty, one does not see what can produce retribution; retribution being empty, one does not see it arising from karma. The above is abandoning delusion; the below explains entering truth. "Superior goodness" is the goodness of principle. From "leaving far behind..." onward, it explains the marks of benefit, namely practicing goodness apart from distraction. Because one illuminates the emptiness of what is grasped, toward the dharmas that exist in emotion one does not have faith and enter, and seeking the existence of those delusional dharmas, one does not see their intrinsic nature. From "and yet accomplishing..." onward, it explains and reveals [this], because both the agent and the destroyer are unobtainable; this explains freedom from both accomplishment and destruction. Below it explains that the grasper is also empty: because one knows what is grasped is empty, one therefore comprehends that the grasper also has no perceiver, and so on. The treatise says: "Only when free from grasper and grasped is it true emptiness." This is what it means. The above completes the first part, exhausting phenomena to return to principle. From here, the second explains establishing the unobstructedness of principle and phenomena: through gradual maturation, phenomena are still preserved. That is, comprehending principle without obstructing the preservation of phenomena is alone the complete understanding. Why does it not obstruct preservation? Because one attains the ground of causes and conditions; this explains the root-consciousness of dependent origination as the ground. How does one again illuminate principle? That is, precisely at this locus of the ground of causes and conditions, one sees the tathāgatagarbha, the limit of the dharmakāya, and so forth. How do principle and phenomena attain unobstructedness? Because one illuminates with equal contemplation. Furthermore, why do these phenomena match principle without obstructing preservation? Because one understands the world as like an illusion; therefore illusory phenomena appear matching principle. "Comprehending sentient beings..." and so forth explains the blending of principle and phenomena, completely encompassing each other without obstruction; hence it says "one dharma without duality." Furthermore, because these phenomena are not dual with principle, these phenomenal activities cannot be abandoned. Below, it re-explains and reveals this: phenomena are exhausted and reveal principle, yet phenomena are not diminished, hence it says "in the conditioned..."; principle is extinguished and phenomena appear, yet principle is not hidden, hence it says "in the unconditioned...". This means without diminishing phenomena, principle is completely revealed; without hiding principle, phenomena appear extinguishedly; therefore conditioned and unconditioned are neither two nor not two. From here, the third explains that principle is extinguished to accomplish phenomena. In this, first it generally explains observing principle to give rise to phenomenal practices. Second, from "diligently..." onward, it specifically gives rise to great practices based on phenomena that accord with principle. There are three: first, accomplishing the practice of wisdom; second, from "with empty space..." onward, accomplishing the practice of merit; third, from "attaining freedom from delusion..." onward, concluding both practices together. The above completes dedication to ultimate reality. From here, the third concludes the benefits. In this there are two: first, concluding the benefits to beings, in which there are ten: 1. causing the vessel world to be purified; 2. attaining the wisdom of proper awakening; 3. being able to transform the world of sentient beings; 4. attaining great dhāraṇīs; 5. becoming a field of merit for the world; 6. gathering the jewels of merit for beings; 7. causing the sun of wisdom to emerge for the world; 8. filling the dharmadhātu with goodness; 9. rescuing sentient beings; 10. causing them to accomplish pure virtues. Second, from "the mahāsattva..." onward, concluding the accomplishment of one's own virtues, in which there are ten phrases: the first is general, meaning that accomplishing all practices and being able to serve as the cause of Buddhahood is called the tathāgata-nature, and firmly gathering and accomplishing it is called "guarding" and "holding"; below, it individually shows the fruit-virtues accomplished, each contrasted with the cause, hence all are called "nature"; "nature" means cause. 1. The cause of accomplishing the Buddha-fruit to transform beings; 2. the cause of purifying lands; 3. because the karmic functions of the Buddha-ground are inexhaustible, it is said to be "indestructible," and causing that cause to be accomplished is called "nature"; 4. the cause of accomplishing quantitative wisdom; 5. the cause of wisdom of principle; 6. the cause of superknowledges of the body; 7. the cause of eloquence of speech; 8. the cause of nirvāṇa; 9. the cause of bodhi; the above two are karma of the mind. From "this is named..." onward is the third, concluding the name. The above completes the first part, explaining the practices of the stage.