大方廣佛華嚴經疏 15.5

15.5

Eighth: The Profundity of the Factors Contributing to the Path. Asking Jñānaśrī is done to reveal that wisdom is the essence of the noble path and commands its auxiliary [factors]. Second, within the direct presentation of the starting points of the questions, there are three [parts]: First, he adduces the doctrine to establish the premise. That is, that severing affliction, realizing noumenon, guiding practice, and attaining the fruit is exclusively [the work of] great wisdom is mutually agreed upon by both sides. Second, from "The Tathāgata…" onwards, he directly sets forth the doubt and objection. That is, since wisdom is the foremost, one should praise only wisdom; why does he also praise the others? This is the objection regarding the contradiction between the primary and the auxiliary. Third, from "Yet never…" onwards, he concludes the former point. The previous objection said: Since wisdom is already the foremost, it should not be fitting to praise the others. Furthermore, since one does not accomplish Buddhahood through a single practice, it is certainly inappropriate to praise [one] one-sidedly. Does it necessarily rely on many? Or does it use only wisdom? Or does one attain Buddhahood by following any single practice? If it is accomplished by following any single one, this also contradicts wisdom being the foremost; whether advancing or retreating, both are obstructed. In the meaning of the answer below, he affirms both the beginning and the end, and explains what lies between them. That wisdom is the foremost is truly as stated. Wisdom is like an enlightened king, the commander of the multitude; hence the *Pañcaviṃśatisāhasrikā-prajñāpāramitā Sūtra* says: "Prajñā is like the eyes; the [other] five pāramitās are like the blind." Affirming the latter point, [he says]: There has never been [attainment] solely through a single practice; indeed, the Tathāgata praises the Buddhas of the three periods of time as all having taught them in full, because the remaining myriad practices support wisdom. Explaining what lies between them: praising them individually has many purposes—namely, to cause joy according to [different] minds, to generate goodness according to the time, because the obscurations to be counteracted are different, because the eight gates are not the same, and because sentient beings cannot receive them all at once; these will be correlated with the text below. Moreover, the *Mahāprajñāpāramitā-śāstra* says: "Prajñā must possess all practices." Therefore, praising one is praising the rest, and praising the rest is praising wisdom. The ten verses are divided into two parts: The first single [verse] praises the question and consents to speak; the remaining nine directly answer the objection. These are briefly divided into two: First, two verses introduce the two topical headings; next, seven verses jointly explain the two headings. As for the first: The first verse presents the heading on the myriad practices bringing about the fruit. It means that the primary and auxiliary mutually rely on each other and must cultivate the myriad practices in unison; hence all Buddhas teach them alike. Saying that "none teach a single one" means that they must teach them fully. The second verse presents the heading on praising them separately according to capacity. The text fully contains the four conformities of the *Dhyāna-sūtra*: the first line is conforming to inclination, because it protects their intentions and pleases their minds. "Dispositions are different" refers to conforming to suitability, adapting to former habitual tendencies to make them easy to accept and practice, since habit becomes nature. "Portions are different" refers to conforming to the antidote, observing the lightness or gravity of the illness and dispensing more or less medicine—such as teaching impurity to those with an excess of greed. "According to how they should be delivered" refers to conforming to meaning, because when their capacity for the path is ripe in due season, upon hearing it they immediately awaken. In the detailed explanation below, there are two parts: The first three explain the heading on praising separately according to capacity; the latter four explain the heading on the myriad practices bringing about the fruit. Within the former, there are two: The first two and a half verses separately explain conforming to the antidote; the latter two lines conclude the preceding and introduce the subsequent. As for the first: Now, the six pāramitās accomplish their practice, and the four immeasurables broaden their minds. The four immeasurables mostly concern benefiting others, while the six pāramitās mostly clarify benefiting oneself. The six pāramitās are like [those explained in] the first assembly; the four immeasurables are as explained below. Yet both pervade the four conformities; here he merely adduces one antidote. The *Mahāparinirvāṇa-sūtra* says: "Before a stingy person, one must not praise giving"—this is the intention of conforming to inclination. In the second part, concluding the preceding and introducing the subsequent: the upper line concludes the preceding, and the lower line introduces the subsequent. In the latter four verses explaining how the myriad practices bring about the fruit, each upper half is a simile and the lower half is the application. However, there are two meanings: First, following the preceding sense of gradual completion, it then serves to explain why wisdom is the foremost; second, it directly clarifies that what they apply to is different, so they must be combined. Now, the ninth chapter of the *Mahāyānasaṃgraha* clarifies the establishment of the six pāramitās as having three general purposes: first, to eliminate afflictions; second, to generate the Buddha-dharma; third, to mature sentient beings. The preceding section possessed the first purpose; this section fully possesses all three: the pairing two by two is due to the difference in antidotes; foundation first and chambers later is gradual completion; and their all being for the sake of benefiting others is maturation. In the text, the two pāramitās in the first verse counteract the causes for not giving rise to practice; hence they are collectively called the "foundation of practice." That is, attachment to wealth prevents the giving rise to giving, and attachment to family prevents the giving rise to morality. "Foundations and walls" has two meanings: First, the foundation is the wall; giving is the beginning of advancing in goodness, and morality is the start of guarding against evil, both being termed "foundations." Second, "wall" means an encircling wall; thus dāna is the foremost foundation of the myriad practices. Morality guards before [evils] arise, so it is the wall. "Palaces and chambers" means liberation. The two pāramitās in the next verse, once the mind for cultivation has arisen, counteract the causes of a retreating and weak mind. That is, being unable to endure the sufferings of saṃsāra, one becomes weary and indolent in cultivating the auxiliary wholesome factors over a long period. Now, the fortress of patience defends against the advancing enemy of external afflictions, and [vigor] increases the host of internal practices. Broadly speaking, both of these can defend against the external and nourish the internal. The two pāramitās in the next verse counteract the causes of a ruined and lost mind. That is, distraction ruins quiet contemplation, and wrong view ruins right understanding. Now, it clarifies that the bodhisattva calms delusion and turmoil through samādhi, and observes the myriad phenomena through wisdom, being at ease in both movement and tranquility. Relying on them, the bodhisattva gives rise to supernormal knowledges and insight, and depending on them, realizes the noumenal fruit. This is like a powerful king who pacifies the four seas and clearly perceives the myriad affairs; hence all across the realm people bear his grace, and all under heaven look up to him as their model. In the final verse, the four immeasurables are the cause, bringing peace and happiness to oneself and others, and procuring inexhaustible fruits.