大方廣佛華嚴經疏 56.40

56.40

第三「休捨告言善男子」下稱讚授法，略無稱讚，但有正示法界。於中四：一舉法門體用、二窮因淺深、三顯果久近、四彰法名字。今初，分二：先總舉體用，名下當顯用約不空；二「善男子若有」下別明勝用，於中三：一明益物不空用，先反、後順。見皆不退者，顯若得方便，至不退住故。二「善男子東方」下諸佛被益用，以與三寶同住故，與我住皆悉不空。三「善男子我此」下引證不空，現與同住皆不退故。亦表方便入俗，則八萬塵勞皆成波羅蜜故。二窮因淺深中，先問、後答。答中二：先約因緣答。婆樓那者，此云水也。總三十六恒者，近佛既多，發心已久。而要言三十六者，顯已過前六位，位位具修六度，六六三十六，皆是恒沙性德，故云爾耳。《涅槃》亦有此數。後「善男子菩薩初發心」下約心量答，意顯發心稱法界故。亦等眾生，眾生亦無初際，從癡有愛；而菩薩發心，癡愛無初，心亦無終故。三顯果久近中，亦先問、後答。答中明無齊限故，不應作久近之問。文中三：初反釋無齊限。於中，先別明二十四句，初八化生、次六供佛、次四嚴剎、後六持法；後「如是略說」下總顯。二「欲教化調伏一切眾生」下順釋無齊限，亦有別有總，可知。三「善男子菩薩行普入」下總結無盡。此同初地十無盡句，眾生無盡故成佛無期。若爾，豈都無成耶？因此略辨成不成義，勒為四句：一以向約因緣厚薄對今無盡，則有始而無成，此約悲門得果不捨因故。二以稱法界發心故，不見初相方為真成，則無始而有終，此約智說。三悲智合明，不壞相故不妨始終，前後諸文其例非一。四約稱性之談則無終無始，故。天女云：「但以世俗文字數故說有三世，非謂菩提有去來今。」故下大願精進夜神云：「不可以生死中長短劫數分別菩薩智輪」等，喻斯四句無有障礙，欲成即念念成，常成常不成無有障礙。四彰法名字，先問、後答。答云離憂安隱幢者，此有二義：一以大悲高顯，所以稱幢。其有見者，離業惑苦，不退菩提，是謂離憂安隱。二者即智之悲涉苦安隱，即悲之智多劫無憂，雙摧生死涅槃，特出凡小之外，故名幢矣。

Third, from "Xiu-she told him, saying: 'Good man...'" onward, praising and conferring the Dharma. It omits praise and merely directly points out the dharmadhātu. Within this are four: 1. presenting the essence and function of the Dharma door; 2. fathoming the depth of the cause; 3. revealing the duration of the fruit; 4. making known the name of the Dharma. In the first are two parts: first, generally presenting the essence and function—the function will be shown under the name as having not-in-vain [effect]; second, from "Good man, if there are..." onward, specifically clarifying the superior function. Within this are three: 1. clarifying the function of benefiting beings not in vain, first negatively and then positively—"those who see all attain non-retrogression" reveals that if one attains expedients, one reaches the Non-retrogression Abode; 2. from "Good man, in the eastern direction..." onward, the function of being benefited by all buddhas—because she abides together with the Triratna, abiding with me is entirely not in vain; 3. from "Good man, in this [palace] of mine..." onward, adducing proof of it being not in vain, because those presently abiding with her are all non-retrogressing. It also represents entering the mundane through expedients, so that the eighty thousand defilements all become pāramitās. In the second, fathoming the depth of the cause, first there is a question, then an answer. In the answer are two: first, answering in terms of causes and conditions—Varuṇa translates here as "water"; the total of thirty-six Ganges [sands] means that having been close to many buddhas, she brought forth the aspiration long ago. Specifying thirty-six reveals that she has already passed through the previous six stations, each station fully practicing the six perfections, six times six being thirty-six, all of which are nature-virtues like the sands of the Ganges, which is why it is stated thus; the Nirvāṇa [Sūtra] also has this number. Next, from "Good man, when the bodhisattva first brings forth the mind..." onward, answering in terms of the capacity of mind, the intent being to show that bringing forth the mind matches the dharmadhātu. It is also equal to sentient beings: sentient beings also have no initial limit, having craving from delusion; yet when the bodhisattva brings forth the mind, delusion and craving have no beginning, and the mind also has no end. In the third, revealing the duration of the fruit, there is also first a question, then an answer. The answer clarifies that because it has no boundary, one ought not ask about duration. In the text are three parts: first, explaining the lack of boundary negatively. Within this, first it specifically clarifies twenty-four phrases: the first eight are transforming beings, the next six are making offerings to buddhas, the next four are purifying buddha-fields, and the last six are upholding the Dharma; next, from "summarily speaking in this way..." onward, it shows this generally. Second, from "wishing to educate and tame all sentient beings..." onward, explaining the lack of boundary positively; this also has specific and general [aspects], as can be known. Third, from "Good man, the bodhisattva's practice universally enters..." onward, concluding with endlessness. This is the same as the ten endless phrases of the first stage: because sentient beings are endless, attaining Buddhahood has no appointed time. If so, could it be that there is no attainment at all? Because of this, the meaning of attainment and non-attainment is briefly distinguished and formulated into four propositions: 1. Setting the previous depth of causes and conditions against the present endlessness, there is a beginning but no attainment; this is stated in terms of the gate of compassion, where one attains the fruit without abandoning the cause. 2. Because one brings forth the mind matching the dharmadhātu, not seeing an initial mark is precisely true attainment; thus there is no beginning but there is an end; this is stated in terms of wisdom. 3. Explaining compassion and wisdom together, because marks are not destroyed, beginning and end do not conflict; the instances in the preceding and following texts are more than one. 4. Speaking in terms of matching the nature, there is neither end nor beginning. Therefore the devī said: "It is only due to the reckoning of conventional words that the three times are said to exist, not that bodhi has past, future, or present." Hence, the night goddess Great Vow Vigour below says: "One cannot distinguish the bodhisattva's wisdom-wheel by long or short kalpas in birth and death," and so forth, illustrating that these four propositions are free of obstruction: wishing to attain, it is attained thought after thought; constantly attaining and constantly not attaining without obstruction. Fourth, making known the name of the Dharma, first there is a question, then an answer. The answer says "The Banner of Freedom from Sorrow and of Peace," which has two meanings: first, because it is lofty and prominent through great compassion, it is called a banner; whoever sees it departs from the suffering of karma and affliction and does not retrogress from bodhi—this is called "freedom from sorrow and peace." Second, compassion identical with wisdom traverses suffering with peace; wisdom identical with compassion is without sorrow for many kalpas, simultaneously crushing birth-and-death and nirvāṇa and standing out far beyond ordinary beings and Hinayāna; hence it is called a "banner."