華嚴經探玄記 9.7

9.7

Fourth, explaining the text also has two parts: first, outlining and differentiating; second, explaining the text. First, outlining and differentiating: in this assembly there are eleven chapters. Question: What is the difference between this assembly and the preceding second, third, fourth, and fifth assemblies? Answer: There are five differences. First, the preceding ones have outflow; this one has no outflow. Second, the preceding ones are the branch; this one is the root. Third, the preceding ones are uncommon—meaning they are the virtues of Samantabhadra; this one is common—meaning these ten bhūmis are commonly harvested by the three vehicles, humans, devas, and so forth, as the Di lun states: "It can also generate the practices of the paths of humans and devas," as is known. Fourth, the preceding ones only treat causal practice, whereas this assembly completely includes the fruit. Fifth, the preceding ones concern the stages of comparative [understanding]; this one clarifies the stages of realization. Question: Why does this assembly lack a preface such as ascending to the heavens and gathering the assembly? Answer: To express that the realized Dharma of this assembly is non-dual, its profound purport cannot be marked by phenomenal signs. Thus the preceding is coarse and the latter is subtle. Second, because prior to the bhūmis the distinctive teaching of the One Vehicle, the Dharma of Samantabhadra, is encompassed, there are ascending to the heavens and gathering the assembly, expressing superiority before preaching; above the bhūmis the imputed stages are identical to the three vehicles, and therefore that aspect of sovereignty is concealed, being preached identically to other sūtras. Thus the preceding is subtle and the latter is coarse. This text divides into two: first, nine chapters clarify conditioned cultivation of cause and effect; second, two chapters distinguish the cause and effect of nature-virtue. The first also has two parts: first, six chapters reveal the fullness of virtue in the causal stages; second, three chapters clarify the manifestation of virtue in the fruitional stages. Within the former there are also two parts: first, the one chapter of the "Ten Bhūmis" reveals its stages of realization; second, five chapters clarify the practices and functions within the stages. The former also has two parts: first, prose expounding in detail; second, gāthās summarily gathering [it]. The former also has two parts: first, clarifying the ten bhūmis that are expounded; second, bodhisattvas from other directions coming to verify this exposition. The former also has two parts: first, revealing the ten bhūmis expounded in this world; second, concluding with the ten bhūmis expounded in inexhaustible worlds of the ten directions. Regarding the former, expounded in this region: it is either unified as one, divided into two, into three, four, five, up to ten, or into forty-eight sections. As for "one": it means it is entirely a single Dharma-gate of the ten bhūmis. As for "two": first, correctly expounding the ten bhūmis; second, the shaking of the earth, raining down of flowers, and so forth, clarifying the resonance of auspicious signs revealing the real. Or it is divided into three: namely, the introductory, the main, and the propagation [sections]. What is distinguished here essentially rests on the difference between teaching and realization, so the three sections also differ. Regarding the three of the teaching: from the beginning up to the Section on Arising is its introductory section, because it gives rise to and initiates the correct preaching; from the Fundamental Section onward is its main section, in which, though later there are expansions and abridgements, since they equally preach the bhūmi dharmas, they are judged as the main section; from the Section on the Benefits of the Bhūmis downward, distinguishing the resonant benefits of the Dharma's power, it is judged as the propagation section. Second, regarding the three of realization: the first, the Introductory Section, is judged as the introductory section. Second, the Section on Samādhi is the main section of realization; because entering this samādhi directly reveals actual realization, the Di lun states: "This samādhi is the substance of the Dharma." Third, the meaning of propagation is explained in two ways: First, taking one's own virtue and allowing it to flow and cover the bhūmis of faith is called propagation. According to this meaning, from the Section on Empowerment onward, all are propagation, because by preaching what one has attained oneself, one causes bodhisattvas of the bhūmis of faithful practice to realize and enter the bhūmis. Second, revealing the benefits of the Dharma flowing down to future generations; according to this meaning, only the Section on the Benefits of the Bhūmis is propagation. Here it is expounded according to the former meaning. Or it is divided into four: within the correct preaching it divides itself into two: first, the Dharma preaching revealing the bhūmis; second, the Section on Images relying on similes to illustrate the bhūmis; teaching and realization follow the above, hence making four. Or it is divided into five: including the subsequent concluding verses of verification, added to the previous to make five. Or it is divided into six: dividing in accordance with practice: from the beginning to the Section on Arising is the reason for initiating transformation to produce faith in beings; second, in the Fundamental Section, summarily preaching the bhūmi dharmas and praising their distinct superiority to give rise to the assembly's joyful desire; third, within the Section on Request, clarifying that the bhūmis bring forth speech to produce correct understanding; fourth, in the Section on Preaching, extensively explaining the aspects of practice to cause beings to initiate action; fifth, in the Section on Images, relying on similes to reveal virtue; sixth, in the Section on the Benefits of the Bhūmis, clarifying the completion of virtue and realization of the real, where resonant transformation thus appears, hence the Di lun states: "Through obtaining the power of the Dharma, the great earth shook," and so forth. Or it is divided into seven: from the beginning to the request constitutes six sections, and the Section on Preaching encompassing all ten is the seventh. Or it is divided into eight: distinguishing the subsequent Section on the Benefits of the Bhūmis from the preceding, thus making eight. Or into nine: dividing the Section on Images as the eighth, and the Section on Benefits as the ninth. Or into ten: adding its verses. These ten in sequence have three meanings: first, in terms of the aspects of transformation, they collectively serve to initiate preaching; second, in terms of the intent of transformation, they collectively serve to reveal realization; third, in accordance with the essential doctrine, realization and teaching are both distinguished. First, initiating preaching: as the Tathāgata is about to preach, he first records the time and place, manifests signs to gather the assembly, and initiates what is to be preached, taking this as the prologue. The prologue having been established, being about to preach for the assembly, at that time Vajragarbha silently enters samādhi, revealing that his own realization can preach for the assembly, and also in order to receive empowerment. Next, second, clarifying the Section on Samādhi: because of entering samādhi, the Buddhas of the ten directions praise him and bestow power. Next, third, clarifying its Section on Empowerment: having obtained the holy power, he wishes to preach for the assembly; but since samādhi has no speech, he should arise from quiescence. Next, fourth, clarifying its Section on Arising: having arisen from samādhi, he summarily proclaims the characteristics of the bhūmis to initiate the subsequent extensive preaching. Next, fifth, clarifying its Fundamental Section: yet in that fundamental section, he summarily preaches the names of the bhūmis without extensive distinction; the great assembly, thirsting and looking up, hearing the names desires the meaning, and mutually addresses requests. Next, sixth, clarifying its Section on Request: the assembly having requested, he properly presents it extensively. Next, seventh, revealing its Section on Preaching: up to the ten bhūmis is also generally called preaching; since preaching the Dharma is difficult to understand, it should be revealed through similes. Next, eighth, clarifying the Section on the Images of the Bhūmis: the preaching having finished, one should reveal the Dharma's superior benefits to encourage faith and dissemination. Next, ninth, clarifying the Section on the Benefits of the Bhūmis: having expounded in prose in detail, it should be summarized with verses to make it easy to accept and uphold. Next, tenth, clarifying the Verses. Second, revealing realization: the intent of transformation centrally aims to reveal realization, wherein the first section reveals the prologue of realization, and the subsequent nine directly reveal the characteristics of realization. Among the nine, the first three reveal realization in terms of signs; the next four reveal realization in terms of speech; the next one reveals realization in terms of benefits; the last one restates the virtues of realization. Among the first three, the first, the Section on Samādhi, relies on entering to reveal realization; the second, the Section on Empowerment, relies on empowerment to reveal the aspect of attaining realization—the Di lun states: "Why is empowerment bestowed? Because of obtaining the Dharma of the Mahāyāna Radiance Samādhi"; third, relying on emerging to reveal quiescence; preaching must arise, which reveals that what was entered is quiescence free from speech—the Di lun states: "In samādhi there is no speech, therefore one must arise." Among the next four, first, the Fundamental Section summarily preaches to reveal realization; second, the Section on Request sweeps away signs to reveal quiescence; preaching and images rely on signs to express virtue: the Section on Preaching relies on cultivation to express virtue, the Section on the Images of the Bhūmis borrows similes to reveal virtue, and the Section on the Benefits of the Bhūmis regards the beings gathered and transformed to reveal the benefits of the bhūmis—hence the Di lun states: "Through obtaining the power of the Dharma, the earth shook and flowers rained down," and so forth; the verses are understood accordingly. Third, in accordance with the essential doctrine, realization and teaching are both distinguished: the first is its prologue; the latter nine directly reveal the aspects of realization and teaching, wherein the first enters samādhi to reveal correct realization, and the latter eight in sequence clarify arising speech to reveal teaching, distinguished identically to the first gate. Furthermore, it can be divided into ten in accordance with the differences of the bhūmis. Or it is divided into forty-eight: the first bhūmi and the tenth each have eight sections, the second bhūmi has two sections, the third, fourth, and ninth each have four sections, the fifth and sixth each have three sections, the seventh bhūmi has five sections, and the eighth bhūmi has seven sections, thus combining to make forty-eight. Question: The treatise says: "Those encompassed by the first bhūmi have eight sections, just as the Introductory Section and so forth are the introduction to the ten bhūmis." Why does the treatise master judge them as included within the first bhūmi? Answer: The Di lun's division of the text has four paradigms of encompassing: First, the paradigm of the latter encompassing the former: because the former introduction and so forth are immediately adjacent to the first bhūmi that follows, the subsequent first bhūmi encompasses the preceding introduction and so forth, and thus it is named as encompassed by the first bhūmi; yet in reality, the introduction and so forth belong to the ten bhūmis, not solely to the first. Second, the paradigm of the former encompassing the latter: because the Section on Images and the Section on the Benefits of the Bhūmis are immediately adjacent to the preceding Dharmameghā-bhūmi, the preceding Dharmameghā encompasses the subsequent; yet in reality, those two belong to the ten bhūmis, not solely to Dharmameghā. Third, the paradigm of dividing the text in accordance with its specific aspect: meaning not encompassing the former or latter, as with the intermediate bhūmis, either two sections, three sections, etc., all encompassed in accordance with their specific aspects. Fourth, the paradigm of revealing that the bhūmis completely encompass [all]: meaning revealing that the ten bhūmis are the Dharma of dhāraṇī; therefore, dividing the texts of the various bhūmis, altering the disposition, setting aside or establishing, concealing or revealing, moving forward or backward, each single bhūmi possesses forty-eight sections. Just as the Introductory Section and so forth, since they are completely encompassed by the first bhūmi, one knows that they can also belong to the encompassment of the second bhūmi, and the other bhūmis are likewise by analogy. The division of the text of the other bhūmis is entirely present in the first; thus one can infer accordingly. Within the ten kinds of bhūmis, there are four hundred and eighty sections in total, as is known. Second,