大方廣佛華嚴經疏 51.15

51.15

大文第五「爾時普慧」下請分，分三：初總標問意、二「佛子」下正顯問端、三「善哉佛子」下結請願說。今初。當機眾集說法時至，此為問意。何以前來諸會先問後定，今乃翻？此此有二意：一說儀無定。前表重法，感而後應；此明悲深，觀機欲說。眾既已集，故先入定，令知說主。二約所表，則前明從相入實，以成正解；此中依體起用，以成正行，故不同也。普慧問者，稱法界慧，能發行故。一人問者，行獨已成，非如解故。第二正顯問端中有二百句，其別行《度世經》別作六番問答，番番之中皆先問、次答、後動地現瑞，顯益證成。古來諸德皆依彼文用科此經，以為六段：初二十句問十信行、二從「發普賢心」下二十句問十住行、三從「力持」下三十句問十行之行、四從「如寶住」下二十九句問十迴向行、五從「身業」下五十句問十地行、六從「觀察」下五十一句問因圓果滿行。其第四段中，句雖三十，以無礙用一句是總標虛句，故此有二十九句。此經總三遍說六位，此當第二約行說也，以普賢行該六位故。故《度世經》初請云「唯願解說諸菩薩行，從始至終令無疑故。」彼經雖不配於信等，既云從始至終，末後復明成佛，則知決是六位之行。此經所以不問答相間者，意取位中之行，不取位故，如下圓融。若剋定約位，何殊差別因果？此經上下及《本業經》等判於六位，皆以信未入位，十住為首，謂三賢十聖等妙覺故。今何以不開等覺而取信耶？此有深意。彼及此前意在於位，取位成說；今此意明於行，故十信之行正居行始。等覺之位有其三義，或攝屬前十地勝進；或攝屬後，即名佛故；或別開位，無垢地故。今為說行攝屬因圓之中故，五十一句唯後四句屬妙覺位，餘皆等覺。若爾，此中依言依菩提心等，豈非發心住耶？此難尤非。第二段初發普賢心，豈非發心住耶？十信之初豈無發心耶？故賢首云：「菩薩發意求菩提，非是無因無有緣等，正是發心所依。」不究斯旨，空張援據。

The fifth major section, from "At that time Samantamati" below, is the section on requesting [the teaching], which has three parts: first, a general indication of the intent of the questions; second, from "Disciples of the Buddha" below, the actual presentation of the topics of inquiry; and third, from "Excellent, disciples of the Buddha" below, the concluding request expressing the wish for it to be spoken. Now, regarding the first part: the assembly suited to the capacity had gathered and the time to preach the Dharma had arrived; this is the intent of the questions. Why is it that in the preceding assemblies, questions came first and entering samādhi came afterward, whereas here it is reversed? There are two meanings here: First, the ritual of preaching is not fixed. Previously, it indicated respect for the Dharma, where response followed upon resonance; here, it makes clear deep compassion, observing the capacities and desiring to preach. Since the assembly had already gathered, [Samantabhadra] first entered samādhi to make known who was the master of the teaching. Second, in terms of what is symbolized: previously it made clear entering reality from marks to achieve correct understanding; here it is based on essence giving rise to function to achieve correct practice, hence they are not the same. That Samantamati asks the questions is because wisdom corresponding to the dharmadhātu is able to initiate practice. That a single person asks is because practice is uniquely accomplished within oneself, unlike understanding. In the second part, which actually presents the topics of inquiry, there are two hundred phrases. The separate translation, the Dushijing, arranges them into six rounds of questions and answers, and in each round there are first questions, next answers, and afterward the earth quakes and omens appear to reveal the benefit and provide verification. Past masters have all relied on that text to divide this sūtra, making six sections: the first twenty phrases ask about the practices of the ten faiths; the second twenty phrases, from "giving rise to the mind of Samantabhadra" below, ask about the practices of the ten abodes; the third thirty phrases, from "holding by power" below, ask about the practices of the ten practices; the fourth twenty-nine phrases, from "dwelling like a jewel" below, ask about the practices of the ten dedications; the fifth fifty phrases, from "bodily karma" below, ask about the practices of the ten stages; and the sixth fifty-one phrases, from "contemplation" below, ask about the practices of the perfection of causes and fulfillment of fruits. In that fourth section, although there are thirty phrases, because the phrase "unobstructed function" is an empty phrase serving as a general heading, there are therefore twenty-nine phrases. This sūtra speaks of the six stations across three complete cycles, and this corresponds to the second cycle speaking in terms of practice, because the practice of Samantabhadra encompasses the six stations. Therefore the initial request in the Dushijing says: "We only pray that you explain the practices of the bodhisattvas from beginning to end, so that there may be no doubts." Although that sūtra does not correlate them with the faiths and so forth, since it says "from beginning to end" and at the very end also makes clear the attainment of Buddhahood, one knows they are definitely the practices of the six stations. As for why this sūtra does not alternate between questions and answers, the intent is to take the practices within the stations rather than taking the stations themselves, as with the perfect interpenetration explained below. If one were to fix them strictly according to stations, how would they differ from distinct causes and fruits? In the preceding and following parts of this sūtra as well as the Benye jing and others, when determining the six stations, they all take the ten faiths as not yet entering the stations and the ten abodes as the foremost, meaning the three classes of worthies, the ten classes of sages, equal awakening, and wondrous awakening. Why then does it not open equal awakening here, but instead includes the faiths? There is a profound meaning here. Those texts and earlier passages were focused on the stations, adopting the stations to form their explanations; here the intent is to clarify practice, hence the practice of the ten faiths stands precisely at the beginning of practice. The station of equal awakening has three meanings: it may be subsumed under the superior advancement of the preceding ten stages; it may be subsumed under what follows, namely being called "Buddha"; or a distinct station may be opened, the Stage of Freedom from Defilement. Here, because it speaks of practice subsumed within the perfection of causes, among the fifty-one phrases only the last four phrases belong to the station of wondrous awakening, and the rest all belong to equal awakening. If so, does not "relying on words," "relying on bodhicitta," and so forth here constitute the abode of giving rise to the [bodhi-]mind? This objection is especially mistaken. Does not the initial "giving rise to the mind of Samantabhadra" in the second section constitute the abode of giving rise to the mind? Could the beginning of the ten faiths lack the arising of the mind? Thus Xianshou said: "When a bodhisattva gives rise to the aspiration to seek bodhi, it is not without causes and conditions... this is precisely that on which the arising of the mind relies." Failing to fathom this import, one vainly marshals citations.