華嚴經探玄記 9.4

9.4

First, explaining the names also has two: First, explaining the name of the assembly: The Assembly in the Heaven of Paranirmitavaśavartin is named according to the place. This means that others manifest objects of pleasure while one enjoys them oneself, revealing that it is not through one's own power; it signifies that the true suchness realized upon entering the bhūmis is not created by conditions, hence it is so named. Second, regarding the chapter title: this chapter has four names: 1. A separate translation is titled 'Sūtra on the Gradual Preparation of All Gnosis and Virtue'; 2. below in the text it is called 'Chapter on the Dharma-Door of Gathering the Gnosis of All Gnosis'—these two establish their names in terms of function, meaning that the causal practices of the ten bhūmis can gather and generate all the gnosis and virtues of the Buddha, yet as the ten virtues gradually increase, it is called 'gradually preparing'. 3. Still another separate translation is titled 'Daśabhūmika Sūtra' (Ten Abidings Sūtra); 4. here it is titled 'Ten Bhūmis'—these two receive their names in terms of meaning while bearing numbers, where 'ten' is the complete number of a cycle, and 'bhūmi' takes its name in terms of meaning based on metaphor, signifying the generation and sustaining of buddha-gnosis. The remaining explanations of the general and specific names and so forth will be distinguished below in the section on the text proper.