大方廣佛華嚴經疏 1.32

1.32

Third, the abhidharma collection. Abhi means "facing" (dui), and dharma means "phenomena" or "teaching" (fa). Dharmas are of two kinds: first, ultimate dharmas, namely nirvāṇa, which is good and permanent, and hence called ultimate; second, mark dharmas, which encompass the four noble truths. "Marks" means natures and characteristics; both are called marks. Since dharmas are of two kinds, "facing" also has two meanings: first, facing toward, meaning heading toward the aforementioned nirvāṇa; second, facing in contemplation, contemplating the aforementioned four truths. That which is capable of facing is always uncontaminated pure wisdom and its associated mental factors, etc.; through facing the fruit and facing the object, two meanings of "facing" are distinguished. Wisdom is merely that which faces and is not the dharma, because it is not that which is faced. "Facing dharmas" (abhidharma) means the facing of dharmas; hence the abhidharma collection is specifically named the treatise on wisdom. The older translation was "incomparable dharmas" (wubi fa), because it expounds the excellence of wisdom. Vasubandhu's Commentary on the Mahāyānasaṃgraha states: "Abhidharma has four meanings: namely, facing, enumerating, subduing, and penetrating." The meaning of facing is the same as above. Enumerating means repeatedly explaining, interpreting words, and detailing the innumerable distinctions of self-nature and common characteristics for each and every dharma. Subduing means that because this treatise is fully equipped with loci of debate and so on, it can overcome and subdue the treatises of others. Penetrating means that this can thoroughly explain the meanings of the sūtras. It is also called upadeśa, which here means "discussion/commentary"; it is also called mātṛkā, which here means "matrix/original mother" (benmu), meaning that it serves as the foundation and mother for the teachings and their meanings. It is also said that understanding arises in dependence on the collection, and the collection is the mother of understanding; the foundation is itself the mother. It is also called mayi, which here means "mother of practice," because practice is accomplished in dependence on the collection; it is the mother of practice.