華嚴經探玄記 8.14

8.14

From here below is the second [part], gathering and dedicating. In this there are four: first, gathering good roots in terms of the bodhicitta; second, from "The bodhisattva mahāsattva further has this thought: 'If such good roots have a retribution'" downwards, dedicating the preceding good roots to become the requisites of practice, meaning that when cultivating practice, various conditions are not lacking, matching the original aspiration to accomplish the great practice; third, from "Dedicates with these good roots in every thought-moment" downwards, dedicating these good roots arising from practice to sentient beings to cause them to attain bodhi; fourth, from "When cultivating such dedication, not attaching to karma" downwards, explaining that practice supremely accords with the true: practicing without that which is practiced, dedicating without that which is dedicated. The former is the dedication to sentient beings and bodhi, while the latter is the dedication to reality-limit (bhūtakoṭi). Furthermore, the former uses wisdom to follow compassion, accomplishing the vast dedication; the latter uses compassion to follow wisdom, accomplishing the profound dedication. In the first, it initially presents the good roots gathered by the great mind. From "has this thought" downwards, it reveals the marks of the gathered good roots, in which there are ten phrases: the first five concern arising good from the essence of the mind, and the latter five concern accomplishing good through the karmic function of the mind. In the former, the first is general; the latter four are particular: 1. the beginning of one's own stage, 2. the culmination of one's own stage, 3. the beginning of superior progression, 4. the culmination of superior progression. In the karmic function, the first is that this mind takes great compassion as its basis, giving rise to good out of pity for beings; the next two seek the Buddha's fruit-wisdom for the sake of sentient beings—1. the beginning, 2. the culmination; the latter two gather and give rise to those causes—1. because the practice is vast and matches the dharmadhātu, 2. because the practice is firm and non-retrogressing. From here below is the second, dedicating the preceding good roots to accomplish the requisites of practice. In this, it first generally presents the essential vow: if the good roots gathered by this bodhicitta definitely have an unfailing fruit, I shall practice the bodhisattva path throughout future kalpas, not abandoning sentient beings, etc. This has two meanings: 1. because using these good roots according to my wish produces fruit that benefits beings; 2. because the dependent fruit attained by these good roots causes no conditions to be lacking when I cultivate practice to gather sentient beings, therefore I can cultivate the bodhisattva path throughout the future. This text adopts the latter meaning. Second, from "causing countless worlds" downwards, it separately reveals the accomplished requisites of practice, in which there are two: first, dedicating to accomplish the giving of material wealth; second, from "Furthermore" downwards, causing the accomplishment of giving that generates wealth. Question: Why is it not dedicated to accomplish other practices, but also accomplishes this practice of giving wisdom? Answer: Here the bodhisattva practices the bodhisattva path to benefit sentient beings. By virtue of this practice of giving, three meanings are complete: 1. wealth, etc., presently benefits them, causing them to leave suffering; 2. through giving, gathers them, causing them to enter the Dharma and accomplish practice; 3. dedicates the good produced to give to sentient beings. Other practices are not complete [in this way], hence it is only this one. In the first, giving material wealth, there are four: 1. the wealth is vast, having eleven items; 2. explaining that the suppliants are vast, being all sentient beings; 3. explaining that the mind of giving is vast; 4. the time of giving is vast, exhausting the future. In the mind of giving, there are eleven: 1. not selecting against enemies is called the impartial mind; 2. not clinging to relatives is called the unpartisan mind; 3. not for worldly reputation; 4. feelings of delight are not forced, hence called without distress; 5. having given, one is joyful, hence without intermediate regret; 6. focusing thought on bodhi; 7. not mixed with ignorance, hence said to be pure; 8. feelings without divergent thoughts, hence said to be single-minded; 9. great compassion appears before [one]; 10. subduing and leaving the conditioned; 11. abiding and entering the unconditioned. In the second, giving that generates wealth, there are three: first, the vast wealth also has ten items. As for the 'Bālahā horse king', the Tripiṭaka master says: the proper pronunciation in full is Bālahā, which is called 'Cloud Horse', meaning roaming swiftly and without hindrance in the sky and clouds, hence named on this basis. He also says there is an island within the great sea called Bhadra; this horse always dwells within it, and constantly calls out: 'Who wishes to cross the sea? I shall escort them.' This must be a dragon-horse, yet having a compassionate mind, or it is transformed by a bodhisattva. Second, from 'cultivates' downwards, explaining the vastness of the practice of giving in terms of time, place, and persons. Third, from 'The bodhisattva mahāsattva further has this thought' downwards, explaining the purity of the mind of giving, having fourteen kinds of minds: 1. not attaching to the causes of giving, 2. not seeking the fruits of giving, 3. roaming in emptiness and free from ties, 4. broad, pervasive, and universally covering, 5. in accord with the principle—the above five are the mind entering the principle; 6. skillfully giving to gather beings, 7. giving equally without bias, 8. disregarding body and life, 9. miserliness already broken is called the well-harmonized mind, 10. the resolute mind benefiting beings, 11. not troubling sentient beings—the above six are the mind gathering beings; the latter three are the mind seeking the fruit; 12. seeking the fruit without abandoning is called abiding peacefully, etc., 13. contemplative understanding illuminating phenomena, 14. proceeding into the Buddha-fruit. Furthermore, the first five are the mind leaving the conditioned, the next six are the mind gathering sentient beings, and the latter three are the mind seeking the Buddha-fruit. Furthermore, the first five protect against defilements, the next six protect against the narrow mind of the two vehicles, and the latter three protect against the small mind of the two vehicles. Furthermore, the first five are the straightforward mind, the next six are the great compassionate mind, and the latter three are the profound mind. Above, dedicating to accomplish the requisites of practice is completed. Third, dedicating to sentient beings to cause them to attain bodhi: this is the giving of relinquishment. The Dà zhìdù lùn, fascicle fourteen, says: 'There are two kinds: 1. worldly people can relinquish wealth, but cannot relinquish the giving; 2. transworldly people can relinquish wealth, and can relinquish the giving.' The text here is long and its boundaries difficult to discern, yet each and every phrase is a single practice and cannot be further separated. For now, following Master Huiyuan, it is divided into two sections: first, explaining dedication with a loving mind; second, from 'The bodhisattva, having thus pitied' downwards, explaining dedication with a compassionate mind. In the former, there are one hundred and eighteen phrases in total, divided into two: first, eighty phrases dedicating to sentient beings to cause them to cultivate causes and proceed toward the fruit; second, from 'causing sentient beings to go to the dwellings of the buddhas to hear the Dharma' downwards, thirty-eight phrases dedicating to sentient beings to cause causes to be perfected and fruits fulfilled. Alternatively, the former explains one's own stage, and the latter superior progression. In the former, there are six: 1. causing them to cultivate good and proceed to the practice of the virtuous leader stage; 2. from 'causing them to attain an indestructible and upright mind' downwards, causing them to accomplish practice in the lineage stage; 3. from 'causing them to be endowed with the bodhisattva's immeasurable purity' downwards, causing them to accomplish practice in the understanding-and-practice stage; 4. from 'causing them to accomplish pure and equal giving' downwards, causing them to cultivate the practices such as the ten pāramitās in the ten bhūmis; 5. from 'causing them to cultivate equal practice and be endowed with all good' downwards, causing them to cultivate practice in the stage of equal enlightenment; 6. from 'causing them to manifest all adornments and purifications' downwards, causing them to accomplish the practice of the Buddha-fruit. In the second, superior progression where causes are perfected and fruits fulfilled, there are four: 1. causing sentient beings to perfect causal practice in the lineage stage; 2. from 'causing them to attain freedom from delusion among all dharmas' downwards, causing them to perfect causal practice in the understanding-and-practice stage; 3. from 'causing all to attain the bodhisattva's non-retrogression' downwards, causing them to perfect causal practice in the ten bhūmis; 4. from 'causing them to attain sarvajñatā and achieve equal [enlightenment]' downwards, explaining the fulfillment of the Buddha-fruit. Above, dedication with a loving mind is completed. In the second, dedication with a compassionate mind, there are three: 1. causing them to leave afflictions and karma to accomplish ascetic practices; 2. from 'causing sentient beings to abide peacefully' downwards, causing them to leave noise and attain tranquility, accomplishing the practice of an impartial mind; 3. from 'with such as these' downwards, concluding generally with the marks of the benefits of dedication, which can be understood. Above, the vast dedication is completed.