大方廣佛華嚴經疏 32.4

32.4

第二「爾時大智」下法深難受止。文中二：先敘意、後偈酬前中令眾歡喜，是總酬答相。謂說偈本為除前疑惱、得心喜故。酬答有二：一堪酬答，自有大智故。二不怯弱酬答，不畏大眾之不堪故。論云「此二示現自他無過故。故後偈意明法難說，非己無智而不能說。但言難聞，非斥大眾全不堪聞。」偈中，五偈分四：初二頌明法難說，遣上何因之疑，成上有智；次頌顯法難聞，遣上何緣之疑，成前無畏；三一偈喻難說聞；後一偈舉難結默。初中分二：前偈顯難說之法、後偈彰難說所以。今初。偈末難字即是總相，謂難得故。難得所以，後偈明之。此難有二種：一最難，體出名相故，經云第一；二未曾有難，在相所無故，經云希有。上二明難相。何者是難法體？即偈初二句。菩薩行者是出世間智，謂即是證道。證心涉境，故名為行地。事者，謂十地事行，即是教道，相差別故。最上者，通說上二勝故。諸佛本者，釋上證智得菩薩行名所以。行是因義。覺於佛智所以名佛，今此證智亦覺佛智，故為彼本。本即因也。此之教證於何處成難？謂顯示分別說，證道亡心故難顯示，教道依證亦難分別。

Second, under [the line], "At that time, Great Wisdom...", is the cessation [caused by] the Dharma being deep and difficult to receive. Within the text there are two parts: first is the narration of the intent, and then the gāthās reply to what came before.

In [the phrase], "causing the assembly to rejoice," this is the general character of the reply. That is to say, the gāthās were originally spoken to eliminate the previous doubt and affliction and cause their minds to attain joy. The reply has two [aspects]: first, being competent to reply, because he himself possesses great wisdom; second, replying without trepidation, because he does not fear that the great assembly would be incapable [of receiving it]. The Treatise states: "These two demonstrate that oneself and others are free of fault." Therefore, the meaning of the later gāthās explains that the Dharma is difficult to preach, not that he himself lacks wisdom and is unable to preach it. It merely says that it is difficult to hear, not rebuking the great assembly as being entirely incapable of hearing it.

Among the gāthās, the five gāthās are divided into four [sections]:
First, the initial two verses explain that the Dharma is difficult to preach, which dispels the previous doubt of "for what reason" (nāma-hetu) and establishes that he possesses wisdom above.
Next, one verse reveals that the Dharma is difficult to hear, which dispels the previous doubt of "through what condition" (pratyaya) and establishes his prior fearlessness.
Third, one verse uses an analogy for the difficulty of preaching and hearing.
Fourth, the final verse adduces the difficulty to conclude with remaining silent.

In the first [section], there are two parts: the preceding verse reveals the Dharma that is difficult to preach, and the subsequent verse clarifies the reason why it is difficult to preach.

Now, the first. The word "difficult" at the end of the verse is precisely the general characteristic, meaning that it is difficult to obtain. The reason why it is difficult to obtain is clarified in the subsequent verse.
This difficulty is of two kinds: first, the most difficult, because its essence transcends names and marks, hence the sūtra says "foremost"; second, unprecedentedly difficult, because it is absent in phenomenal marks, hence the sūtra says "rare". The above two clarify the characteristics of difficulty.
What is the essence of this difficult Dharma? It is precisely the first two lines of the verse. "Bodhisattva conduct" is supramundane wisdom; that is, the path of realization (adhigama-mārga). The realizing mind engages with its sphere, hence it is named "conduct stage". "Matters" refers to the phenomenal practices of the ten stages, which are the path of teaching (deśanā-mārga), because their marks have distinctions. "Supreme" generally speaks of the excellence of the above two. "The root of all Buddhas" explains why the above wisdom of realization receives the name of bodhisattva conduct. Conduct has the meaning of cause. Being awakened to the Buddha's wisdom is why one is called a Buddha; now, this wisdom of realization also awakens to the Buddha's wisdom, and therefore serves as their root. Root is cause.
Where do this teaching and realization constitute a difficulty? That is, in revealing and analytically explaining them: because the path of realization extinguishes the mind, it is difficult to reveal; and because the path of teaching relies on realization, it is also difficult to analyze.