大方廣佛華嚴經疏 15.4

15.4

Seventh, the profundity of correct practice. The reason he questions Fashou (Dharmāgra) is because of practicing the Dharma. Second, in setting forth the formulation of the question, there are three parts: First, citing the sacred teaching: "receptively accepting" means the mind grasps the meaning and principles; "upholding" means recollecting without forgetting. Second, from "for what reason" onward expresses his doubt. The Buddha said that it can sever them, yet now there are those who do not sever them, which is a contradiction between teaching and practice. First he indicates the contradiction; from "following craving" onward, he brings out what is not severed. From "power" onward concludes that they are not severed. This means that there are those who uphold the Dharma who not only do not eliminate old afflictions, but also, following their understanding, newly give rise to the power of eleven kinds of afflictions and are turned by them; the first four are root afflictions, and the latter seven are secondary afflictions. The reason all say "following" is that the seventh fascicle of the *Abhidharmasamuccaya-bhāṣya* says that all afflictions are secondary afflictions, and there are secondary afflictions that are not [root] afflictions. Through this it is shown that root afflictions may also be termed "secondary" (following), because they arise following others. General explanations of craving and so forth are as in the nine stages. Here it is explained in terms of those newly arising by relying on the Dharma: that is, greedily seeking fame and gain, anger at what one does not understand, delusion regarding one's own practice, relying on the Dharma to elevate oneself, concealing one's own shortcomings, giving rise to anger during debates, harboring resentment and intending to retaliate, being jealous of those superior to oneself, being stingy with what one knows, claiming to understand what one does not understand, and abandoning the Dharma to pursue worldly feelings. Third, from "being able to accept and uphold" onward concludes the objection: the Buddha said that accepting the Dharma can sever afflictions, yet now when accepted they arise again; what is the reason for this? The reply's intention says: the Dharma is Dharma-medicine; the essential lies in taking and practicing it. Between taking it and not taking it, there is severing and not severing; it is not the physician's fault. Therefore the "Ten Practices Chapter" says: "As one speaks, one can practice; as one practices, one can speak." The *Mahāprajñāpāramitā-upadeśa* says: "Being able to practice what is spoken is correct; if one does not practice, what does one speak? If one speaks but cannot practice, one is not called wise." Therefore, only when one practices according to what is spoken does one obtain the Buddha's Dharma; it is not by words of the mouth that one can become pure. The ten verses are divided into two: the first one is an exhortation and praise that speaks briefly. The first line exhorts listening: only when one is free from the three kinds of defilements of pride, contempt, and timidity is it called listening well, because one seeks awakening and understanding. Focusing the mind in single-pointed direction, lending one's ear to hear the voice, cleansing one's mind, and gathering all thoughts—only this is called listening attentively. The next line praises the question: it reveals that practice conforms to noumenon, hence it is called "in accordance with reality." The second half speaks briefly. In saying "not merely," it must be combined with practice; relying solely on much learning cannot lead to entry into realization. Therefore the verses below all say: "If one does not practice in the Dharma, much learning is also like this." This is termed the fault of non-practice, not a denigration of much learning. If there were no much learning, practice would have nothing to rely upon; thus non-practice is a fault, as in Devadatta and Sunakṣatra; practicing it brings gain, as in Ānanda and Śāriputra. Therefore the practices of benefiting oneself and benefiting others both require clear comprehension. One vows to exhaust the ocean of Dharma as the cause for all-inclusive wisdom; one should merely be skilled in meaning and not cling to words. Fascicle forty-two of the *Mahāvibhāṣā* says: "Much learning can know the Dharma; much learning can depart from transgressions; much learning renounces what is meaningless; much learning attains nirvāṇa." The *Vimalakīrti-nirdeśa* says: "Much learning increases wisdom, serving as the voice of self-awakening." In the subsequent sūtra, when inferring the skillful means of delivering sentient beings, it goes so far as not being apart from skillful, extensive learning. Above, hearing alone is shown as the proximate cause for the four matters of nirvāṇa; this praises both hearing and practice. Thus the *Mahāprajñāpāramitā-upadeśa* says: "Much learning and broad wisdom bring beautiful words; skillfully explaining all dharmas turns people's hearts. Practicing the Dharma with a correct mind has nowhere to rely, like a great cloud and thunder showering torrential rain." Such teachings and principles are immeasurable and boundless; fearing wordiness, we stop for now. The nine verses explain through analogies, all having the first half as an illustrative analogy and the second half as the Dharma matching it. First, the analogy of fearing drowning and dying of thirst illustrates the fault of craving following texts and meanings: meaning that the waves of doctrinal approaches toss one's mind about, and fearing drowning and drowning others, one has no leisure for practice, cutting off one's own life of wisdom; hence it is called dying of thirst. Second, the analogy of preparing food but starving oneself illustrates the fault of following speech while abandoning reflection: explaining the Dharma to give to others, one mostly seeks fame and gain, not contemplating the flavor of the Dharma and diminishing the dharmakāya. Third, the analogy of a physician not saving himself illustrates being skilled in knowing the remedies yet not curing oneself. Fourth, the analogy of a poor person counting another's treasures illustrates explaining the merits of buddhas and bodhisattvas yet being unable to seek them within one's own body and mind, hence having no share in them. Fifth, the analogy of a prince suffering hunger and cold means that a prince violates the king's laws and teachings, giving rise to offenses from within, and so suffers hunger and cold. Practitioners are also like this: born in the doctrinal palace of the Dharma King, their practice violates the Buddha's teachings, giving rise to evil afflictions and karma, and so lacking the garments of shame, conscience, and forbearance, how could they partake of the flavor of Dharma-joy and dhyāna-bliss? Hence they suffer hunger and cold. Sixth, the analogy of a deaf person playing music to please others illustrates the fault of speaking oneself without understanding: indeed, one who truly speaks and hears must forget speaking and hearing; pursuing words to speak means that one does not hear oneself. Seventh, the analogy of a blind person drawing to show others illustrates the fault of not seeing the meaning oneself. Eighth, the analogy of a ferryman drowning in the sea means that while leading the multitude to travel in the ocean of the Buddha's Dharma, one relies on one's own understanding and is not careful in bodily conduct, being submerged by the Dharma. Ninth, the analogy of clever speech without virtue means that one also speaks of practice or talks of one's own virtue, yet within there is no real virtue, only empty words. Only in this verse are three lines the analogy, and the matching text merely says "non-practice is also like this," which all the more reveals that much learning is not denigrated. Furthermore, these nine verses can also be specifically correlated with the meanings of following craving and so forth; one should reflect on this in accordance with principle.