華嚴經探玄記 8.6.3

8.6.3

Regarding "such as the Bodhisattva Great Compassion, etc.": Bodhisattvas such as this take primary charge of this gate, constantly practising this practice in all places and at all times. The bodhisattvas cited in the remaining gates below are also all like this. Regarding "substituting one's own body for a condemned prisoner": this is relinquishing one's body and life, immensely surpassing the previous gifts of material goods. As in the Sūtra on the Bodhisattva's Past Practices, in the past there were five hundred sons of elders, each bringing out rare jewels, elephants, horses, carriages, clothing, bedding, and food and drink, giving whatever was lacking. A poor man, seeing this, asked them: "In giving these gifts to gain merit, what vow do you seek [to fulfill]?" They answered: "We wish to seek the Buddha-path." He asked again: "What is meant by the Buddha-path?" In their answer, they extensively praised the virtues of the Buddha. Having heard this, the poor man thought to himself: "I now wish to train in and learn this vow, extensively delivering all beings. Moreover, being poor and having no wealth to practise giving, I must take my own body and bestow it in giving." Having thought this, he sought honey, smeared it on his body, and lay down in a charnel ground, [vowing:] "I now bestow my body in giving to all beings; if they need blood, flesh, skin, head, eyes, marrow, or brain, I give it entirely to them, and by means of this merit I seek the Buddha-path to extensively deliver all beings." Having made this vow, the great trichiliocosm at once shook greatly, and the devas were terrified. Śakra, with his divine eye, saw the bodhisattva lying in the charnel ground giving his body in charity, and descended wishing to test him. He magically transformed into a pack of dogs, birds, and beasts, which came approaching, wishing to eat him. Seeing them wanting to come and devour his body, the bodhisattva's heart was joyful, without any thought of regression or wavering. The lord of devas resumed his form, and in praise asked what he sought: "Do you seek to be a wheel-turning king, Śakra, or Brahmā?" He answered: "Not so. I only seek the Buddha-path to extensively deliver sentient beings." Śakra and the devas together praised him, "Excellent!", and said to the bodhisattva: "This vigor of yours exceeds the giving of those five hundred bodhisattvas by a hundred thousand koṭis of times, by incalculable times; you shall become a Buddha first." That poor man was I myself at that time. The five hundred sons of elders were Maitreya and these five hundred bodhisattvas. Because of the power of my vigorous exertion, I surpassed the merit created by those bodhisattvas and achieved Buddhahood first. Regarding "giving the hair on the crown together with the scalp and the bright jewel in the topknot": there are two matters. First, cutting and flaying the scalp together with the hair and giving it. Second, according to the noble castes of the Western Countries, at birth they always open the skin of the crown with a knife, insert a divine jewel, and seal it with medicinal ointment, after which the jewel remains under the skin. Now, when someone begged for it, he took a knife, cut it open, and gave it. The Sanskrit word cūḍā is translated here as "topknot." In the thirtieth, giving the eyes: according to Yogācāra[bhūmi], fascicle 49, internal giving by a bodhisattva has two kinds: first, generally seeking the bodhisattva's body, wherein he gives his body to serve as a servant, which has three intentions: 1. to swiftly realize bodhi, 2. for the benefit and peace of sentient beings, and 3. so that the dāna-pāramitā may be swiftly perfected; second, specifically seeking the eyes, hands, feet, head, eyes, limbs, blood, flesh, sinews, bones, or even marrow, wherein he gives everything in accordance with whatever they desire. Furthermore, according to the Dà zhìdù lùn, fascicle 14, Śāriputra practiced the bodhisattva path for sixty kalpas wishing to cross the river of giving, but when met by a beggar asking for his eye, he regressed and did not reach the other shore. In the dedication, causing sentient beings to attain the ten kinds of eyes, and also things such as threading a needle for another or pointing out the way, are all the utility of giving the eyes. One should also make dedications in this manner, and later one will gradually be able to relinquish everything entirely. The utility of giving ears and nose should also be understood as corresponding similarly. Regarding the "mouth-gate": someone explained it as the mouth. Preceptor Guangtong said: the pillar directly under the nose is the mouth-gate; could one obtain a well-formed mouth by giving the nose? Among the giving of teeth, the elephant king is as spoken in the Daśacakra Sūtra. Furthermore, Dà zhìdù lùn, fascicle 14, says: "As the elephant king giving its tusks, it was a dharmakāya bodhisattva." It also cites a dharmakāya bodhisattva transforming his body into an elephant, befriending monkeys and elephants, maintaining benevolence and respect to transform humans and beasts, and so forth. In giving the tongue, there is also its utility in giving. In giving the head, as in the Sūtra on the Bodhisattva's Past Practices, King Candraprabha wished to relinquish his head to a brahman, and the ministers remonstrated with the king: "The king's body is held in common by all of us, like a marvelous gem shared by everyone; how could one person use it alone?" The king said to the brahman: "Why did you not ask in a secluded place? Go away for a little while now, and I will comfort the ministers." He said to the ministers: "This person has an old grievance against me; if I do not repay it now, when else will it be repaid?" Later, dismissing the ministers, he called the brahman: "Wait in the woods for me to arrive later, and I will have you cut off and take my head." He then tied the king's hair to a tree and struck with the knife, erroneously cutting off a tree branch. The brahman thought he had already finished beheading him, and immediately rejoiced. By the power of the devas, he was prevented from seeing the king's body and head. The tree spirit scolded the brahman, but the brahman, thinking he had truly cut off the head, had the resentment in his heart resolved, and thereupon departed. Hands and feet are given together. Question: When a bodhisattva gives his limbs and bodily parts, does he give to everything that is sought, or are there times when he does not give? Answer: Yogācāra[bhūmi], fascicle 39, says: "If a bodhisattva has pure intention regarding the giving he practices, but sees that immeasurable deeds beneficial to sentient beings are currently presenting themselves, even if someone comes begging for his bodily limbs, he should not give them. If that bodhisattva, in order to make his intention regarding giving pure, had to abandon the present deeds beneficial to sentient beings and give parts of his body, [that would be improper]. If the hosts of Māra's devas and beings dispatched by Māra come to beg for the bodhisattva's bodily parts and limbs, he should not give them, for out of Māra's evil intention, it is feared that they would incur supreme guilt. If an insane person comes begging for the bodhisattva's bodily parts and limbs, he should not give them, because that person does not abide in their intrinsic mind, does not beg for the sake of benefit, and because their mind is madly deranged and not in control, having only vain and erratic speech; therefore he should not give bodily parts. Except for the above-mentioned, when someone comes begging for the bodhisattva's bodily parts and limbs, he gives all in accordance with what they desire. This is called what can be given and what is not given internally by a bodhisattva." Mutilating the body to draw blood, together with giving marrow and flesh, are given together. In Dà zhìdù lùn, fascicle 14, Prince Candraprabha went out of the city and saw a leper, and asked a physician: "Can this be treated?" The physician said: "It can be treated. But the medicine is hard to obtain; one requires the blood and marrow of a person who has never been angry since birth, and blending it with medicine and smearing it will bring cure." The bodhisattva recalled of himself that he did not remember ever being angry since birth, and immediately drew blood and marrow to rescue him and bring about his cure, vowing to attain the dharmakāya to cure the sickness of his mind. This giving of flesh is the fortieth. Among the five viscera, the heart is given separately, while the intestines, kidneys, liver, and lungs, the four viscera, are given together. Furthermore, Dà zhìdù lùn, fascicle 14, states that giving has three kinds: giving food and drink is inferior giving; clothing and precious jewels is intermediate giving; and head, eyes, and the five viscera are superior giving. It extensively cites the past practices of Śākyamuni, and these three acts of giving are as spoken there.