大方廣佛華嚴經疏 55.33

55.33

第三「爾時善財」下，上根隨逐同餐妙旨，獨穎眾流重法隨師，說偈求度。文中二：先總序說因、二正陳偈頌。今初。由已發心故，此菩提心為當何位？善財童子為聖為凡？有古多釋。一云：即地上菩薩。言發心者，證發心也。一云：是地前實報凡夫，但有宿善，信根現熟。有云：古不足依，自引安住地神處眾神相謂云「此人已生法王種中」。斯文可定，然自為二解：一謂智契法性生在佛家，名法王種，即已入地。二謂據多聞熏習勝解真性成就佛種，名生法王種中，即三賢內種性菩薩。然此師解依於前義，不異初師；依於後義，未殊次解，何足異焉？又以此文為證者，則慈氏云「一生淨菩薩行，見普賢處，等諸佛等」，復云何通？無執一文自相矛盾。賢首云：「應是善趣信行中人。依圓教宗，有其三位：一見聞位，即是善財次前生身，見聞如是普賢法故，成解脫分善根，如前歎德中辨。二是解行位，頓修如此五位行法，如善財此生所成，至普賢位是。三證入生，即因位窮終沒同果海，善財來生是也。若爾，定是何位？謂以在信是信位、在住是住位，一身歷五位，隨在即彼收，以遍一切故如普賢位。」此之一解甚順經宗。但更有一理，謂歷位而修，得見普賢，一時頓具。地獄天子尚三重頓圓，何以善財剋定初地等？又定初地言，為是未見文殊前耶？為是已見普賢竟耶？一生有增進耶？始末定耶？無得管見以害經宗。二正陳偈辭。三十四頌，分二：初四頌，傷己沈溺，自勉不能；後三十頌，仰德依人，請垂拔濟。前中亦二：前二明依果起因。長迷不出故，喻之以城。後二明依因趣果。生死無窮故，喻乘惡乘。又初二迷於苦集，後二失於滅道。今初文也。三有悅情即起惑之處，愚迷三世即起惑之因，魔王即起惑之緣，童蒙乃起惑之者，餘皆所起之惑。然三界受生皆由著我起，依我起高而難踰故，六趣門中出入不息。餘可思準。後二中，初偈失正行邪道，後偈入苦無涅槃。徽者束也，纏者索也。又三股曰徽，四股為纏。盈者緩也懈也。

Third, from "at that time Sudhana" downward, those of superior faculties follow along, sharing the wondrous intent, standing out singularly from the multitudes, revering the Dharma and following the master, uttering verses to seek deliverance. In the text there are two parts: first, an overall preface explaining the cause; second, directly presenting the verses. Now regarding the first: since he has already generated the aspiration, to what station does this bodhicitta belong? Is the youth Sudhana a sage or an ordinary person? There were many ancient explanations. One says: he is a bodhisattva of the stages (bhūmi), and that "generating the aspiration" means the aspiration of realization. Another says: he is an ordinary person of actual retribution before the stages, who merely has past goodness, whose roots of faith are presently mature. Someone said: the ancients are not worth relying on, and himself cited the occasion of the Earth Goddess Sthāvarā, where the gathered deities said to one another, "This person has already been born into the lineage of the Dharma King." This text can settle it, yet he himself made two interpretations: first, he held that wisdom tallying with the dharmatā and being born in the Buddha's family is called the lineage of the Dharma King, which is already having entered the stages; second, he held that based on the permeation of extensive hearing and superior understanding of the true nature, the Buddha-seed is accomplished, which is called being born into the lineage of the Dharma King, which is a bodhisattva of the gotra-state within the three worthy levels. Yet this master's interpretation, relying on the former meaning, is no different from the first master; relying on the latter meaning, it is not distinct from the second interpretation—how is it worthy of being considered different? Furthermore, if taking this text as proof, then how can one harmonize what Maitreya said: "In one lifetime purifying the bodhisattva practices, where he sees Samantabhadra, equaling the various Buddhas, and so forth"? One should not cling to a single text and contradict oneself. Xianshou said: "He should be a person among those of faith-practice in the good destinies. Relying on the doctrine of the Perfect Teaching, there are three stations: first, the station of seeing and hearing, which was Sudhana's physical body in the immediate past lifetime, wherein because of seeing and hearing such Samantabhadra Dharma, he accomplished the roots of goodness conducive to liberation, as analyzed above in praising his virtues. Second, the station of understanding and practice, suddenly cultivating such practice-dharmas of the five stations, as accomplished in Sudhana's present life, culminating in the station of Samantabhadra. Third, the lifetime of realization and entry, which is the final consummation of the causal station merging into the ocean of fruition, which is Sudhana's future lifetime. If so, which station is it definitively? It means that when in faith he is in the station of faith, when in the abodes he is in the station of the abodes; in one body traversing the five stations, wherever he is, he is subsumed by it, because pervading everything, it is like the station of Samantabhadra." This single explanation accords very well with the sūtra's doctrine. But there is yet another principle, namely, cultivating through the successive stations and attaining the sight of Samantabhadra, simultaneously and suddenly complete. If even the divine son in hell was suddenly complete across the three levels, why should Sudhana be strictly fixed to the first bhūmi and so forth? Furthermore, as for speaking of fixing him to the first bhūmi, was this before he saw Mañjuśrī? Or was it after he had already seen Samantabhadra? Was there progress in one lifetime? Or was it fixed from beginning to end? One must not let narrow views do harm to the sūtra's doctrine. Second, directly presenting the verses. Thirty-four verses, divided into two: the first four verses lament his own drowning and his inability to encourage himself; the latter thirty verses revere virtue, rely upon the person, and entreat him to deign to pull him out and deliver him. In the former there are also two: the first two clarify giving rise to causes based on effects. Being long confused without emerging, it is compared to a city. The latter two clarify proceeding toward effects based on causes. Saṃsāra being endless, it is compared to riding a bad carriage. Furthermore, the first two are confusion regarding suffering and origination, and the latter two are missing cessation and the path. Now this is the first text. The pleasing objects of the three existences are the places where afflictions arise, foolish confusion about the three times is the cause of arising afflictions, the demon king is the condition for arising afflictions, the child/immature one is the person who arises afflictions, and the rest are the afflictions that are arisen. But taking birth in the three realms all arises from grasping at a self; rising high based on the self and being difficult to surmount, coming and going within the gates of the six destinies never ceases. The rest may be inferred accordingly. In the latter two [verses], the first verse is losing the right and practicing the deviant path, and the latter verse is entering suffering without nirvāṇa. Hui means binding; chan means rope. Furthermore, a three-strand rope is called hui, and four strands are called chan. Ying means relaxed or sluggish.