大方廣佛華嚴經疏 13.16

13.16

Second, distinguishing the names of the truths in the ten directions. (1) "Secret Instruction" is the eastern world. For suffering, being called "analytical inspection reveals all to be powerless" means that when traced back to conditions, there is no real entity. "Material forms" means that all with form are suffering. For arising, "source of illness" means having grasping at conditions. For cessation, it is called "one portion": afflictions arise from delusion, hence their divisions are like dust and sand; noumenon cannot be divided, hence it is called "one portion." For the path, it says "superior conduct" because where it goes is cessation. To say "contemplating the directions" means contemplating the four truths. There are four other directions, as in the "Chapter on the Ten Samādhis." (2) The world "Most Excellent" is the southern direction. Formerly named "Abundant and Overflowing"; "Abundant and Overflowing" is the correct translation, while "Most Excellent" is merely a translation by meaning. For suffering, being called "having great power" means that birth, old age, sickness, and death are like four mountains bearing down upon people; though one may be wise and mighty in the world, one has no strength to contend with them. For arising, being called "not one's own property" means that one's own nature is originally pure; what business do false afflictions have with it? For cessation, being called "meaning within meaning" means that phenomenal goodness has meaning, but the noumenon of cessation is especially superior, being the meaning within meaning. The path is named "Burning Blazes" because it burns afflictions with the fire of wisdom. (3) The western world "Free from Defilement." For suffering, being called "boundless" is because the three periods of time have no boundary. For arising, being called "increasing" is because from delusion, delusion and karma are produced. For cessation, being called "accordant convergence" is because the cessation of phenomena accords and converges with the cessation of noumenon. "Breaking the seal": worldly suffering of the aggregates is like a wax seal impressing mud; when the seal breaks, the character is formed; as soon as this aggregate ceases, that aggregate arises in succession. Now saying "breaking the seal" means never arising again. For the path, being called "the edge of all existences" means that by illuminating reality, birth and death can be brought to an end. Thus the Madhyamaka-śāstra says: "Because the true Dharma, the expounder, and the listener are difficult to obtain, therefore birth and death have neither an edge nor no edge." It means that the three things are difficult to obtain, hence it does not have an edge. "Difficult to obtain" means there is the possibility of obtaining them; when obtained, birth and death have an edge. "Completely entrusted": when karma is entrusted to arising, it is temporarily received and then lost again; when karma is entrusted to the path, it can never be lost. (4) The northern world "Abundant and Overflowing": "Abundant and Overflowing" is properly the name of the southern world. In the previous chapter, this direction was named "Abundant and Joyful"; in Sanskrit it is vibhūti (pronounced ti-yi), and "Abundant and Joyful" captures the sense. The translator was careless, and the two names became confused. For suffering, being called "a portion of the ocean of existence" means that each of the twenty-five existences has one portion. "Constructed by aggregates" means that the essence of calculation/number is arising, being constructed by arising. For arising, being called "fractions" means that lacking a single principle to string them together, afflictions and karma become myriad in their differences. "Seizing and biting": seizing means grasping and striking, and biting means gnawing; the harm done by arising is like vicious birds and beasts. For cessation, being called "having nothing to cultivate" is because cultivation has reached its ultimate. The path is named "Immeasurable Life" (Amitāyus), which means realizing cessation is eternal and constant. Here the effect's name is assigned to the cause. (5) The north-eastern world "Embraced and Gathered." For suffering, being called "the nature of hell" means that before entering [the stage of] forbearance, one always has the nature to fall. "Root is empty" is spoken in terms of nature as being universally pure, called the five aggregates of grasping being thoroughly empty. In arising, due to false afflictions, the rākṣasas of craving and views erratically seize upon them. Since the essence of delusion is originally empty, there is nothing that can be grasped. The Madhyamaka-śāstra says: "That which is deceptively and falsely grasped—what is there to grasp in it? The Buddha taught such Dharma desiring to demonstrate the meaning of emptiness." For cessation and the path, both are named "Transcending Words": the nature of cessation transcends words, and the path causes words to be transcended. (6) The south-eastern world "Beneficial." For suffering, being called "like a thief" means that the suffering of the five grasping aggregates robs and harms oneself. For arising, being called "powerless" means having no power or ability to escape birth and death; when wholesome dharmas counter it, it can no longer resist. For cessation, being called "abandoning the cause" is because the unconditioned has no cause, yet its essence is the fruit; relative to this, the path of bodhi is also a cause; only quietude and nirvāṇa can be called the fruit of fruits, hence it is said to abandon the cause. The path is named "All Seals" because there is nothing it does not ascertain and determine. The meaning of "seal" will be explained later. (7) The south-western world "Scarce." For suffering, being called "deviant conduct" means its essence is not the correct path, but is of the nature of conditioned activity. For arising, being called "broad land" is because it produces the great tree of suffering. "Master of the house" is ignorance itself. For cessation, being called "where activity is severed" is because the path of the mind is severed. For the path, being called "vast road" is because past sages and later worthies travel it without wearying. (8) In the north-western world "Joyful," among the truths of suffering, one is missing: the Jin translation lacks "arising," and the Tang translation lacks "loss of benefit." For arising, being called "bottomless" is because afflictions are deep; without cultivating study of the path, one continually floats and sinks. For cessation, being called "destroying the basis": body and afflictions serve as bases for each other, turning endlessly; only by realizing the noumenon of cessation can this be permanently destroyed. For the path, being called "vast nature" is because there is nowhere it does not exist. (9) The nadir world "Bolted Gate." For suffering, being called "constructed by self" is because of the existence of the self-view. For arising, "my mind" is craving based on the self-view. For cessation, "enlightenment factor" is because it is the locus of awakening. For the path, "entering the meaning" is because it can enter the paramārtha-satya of the truth of cessation. (10) The zenith world "Vibrating Sound." For suffering, being called "concealed blemish" is because the body is the hiding place for the illnesses of affliction. "Arrogance": arrogance makes producing suffering its activity, so the effect takes the name of the cause. "Tainted nature": its nature causes taint, just like pleasant feeling is the suffering of change—who would call it suffering? "Swift current": because it is momentary by nature, which is the suffering of conditioning. "Unpleasant": the suffering of suffering. "Concealment": because it conceals the causes of suffering, pleasant feelings conceal the suffering of change, and neither-painful-nor-pleasant feelings conceal the suffering of conditioning. "Quickly perished": the suffering of saṃsāra. "Hard to tame": who does not wish to abandon it, yet none can escape it; only by not fearing exhaustion and suffering can one tame it. For arising, being called "reaching the final limit" is because it is unending and inexhaustible. "Gate": because it enters the destinies of suffering. For cessation, being called "ungraspable": if grasped, it is not cessation. At its smallest, it has no interior, not admitting a single thing; at its greatest, it has no exterior, being the nature of the dharmadhātu. For the path, being called "hard to match": whenever there is affliction it must be destroyed, and it cannot be destroyed by affliction. Like light capable of destroying darkness, there is no darkness it does not destroy. Darkness cannot destroy light; how could they match each other?