大方廣佛華嚴經疏 1.18

1.18

Tenth, benefiting the present and the future: since they equally share in it, the broad benefit is boundless. This also has two kinds: first, benefiting the present, namely those present before the Buddha; second, benefiting the future, namely those who see and hear it now. The 'Arousing the Mind' chapter states: 'We, the Buddhas, protect and maintain this Dharma, so that all bodhisattvas of future ages who have never heard it shall hear it.' This benefit again has two aspects: first, causing them to see and hear it to serve as an indestructible seed. The 'Manifestation' chapter says: 'Like a person eating a tiny piece of vajra, in the end it never digests,' and so forth. Second, causing them to initiate practice, achieve realization, and enter. The 'Manifestation' chapter also says: 'Suppose there is a bodhisattva who, for immeasurable hundreds of thousands of koṭis of nayutas of kalpas, practices the six pāramitās and cultivates various factors of bodhi; yet if they have not heard this inconceivable, greatly majestic Dharma-gate of the Tathāgata, or having heard it, do not believe, understand, accord, or enter, they cannot be called a true bodhisattva, because they cannot be born into the Tathāgata's family. If they hear this Dharma, believe and understand, accord with, and awaken to and enter it, one should know that this person is born into the Tathāgata's family, and will go on to enter deeply into the Tathāgata's immeasurable realm.' Indeed, deliberate cultivation across many kalpas ultimately results in decay; without mind, embodying the ultimate, in a single thought one accords with the Buddha's family. The 'Bhadraśrī' chapter says: 'If one served Tathāgatas equal in number to the dust motes of ten lands for an entire kalpa, yet can recite and hold this chapter, their merit would surpass that,' and so forth. Furthermore, this benefit, when specifically paired with the preceding nine, forms ten kinds of benefit: first, hearing of nature-as-such, one knows it is constant and pervasive, accomplishing the benefit of seeing and hearing; second, hearing of fundamental practice, one vows to emulate the Buddha's arising, accomplishing the benefit of arousing the mind; third, hearing of capacity and resonance, one knows that the Dharma arises from goodness, accomplishing the benefit of cultivating practice; fourth, hearing that it is the foundation, one knows its meaning is complete, accomplishing the benefit of sudden attainment; fifth, hearing of the fruit's virtues, faith, joy, and aspiration align, accomplishing the benefit of eradicating hindrances; sixth, hearing of the stations, one aspires to realize them, accomplishing the benefit of subsuming the stations; seventh, hearing of practice, one resolves to cultivate, accomplishing the benefit of initiating practice; eighth, hearing of the Dharma, one must definitively comprehend it, accomplishing the benefit of matching the nature; ninth, hearing of the cause, one knows all are identical, accomplishing the benefit of transforming benefit; tenth, fully possessing the preceding nine, one accomplishes the benefit of swift realization. Therefore, the preceding nine causes all become the present benefits. It can also be understood that each of the previous gates accomplishes all ten benefits. It was due to the ten meanings above that this teaching arose. In the 'Arousing the Mind' chapter there are ten causal conditions, which say: 'By the Buddha's spiritual power, by the Bhagavat's fundamental vow-power,' and so forth, where causes and conditions interlace. By collating these causes and conditions, one can understand the meaning.