大方廣佛華嚴經疏 16.22

16.22

Third, in the major section, from "the foremost wisdom" below, nine verses form the section evaluating and urging upholdance. All people have a share in this vast function; to see it and not cultivate it is truly to deceive oneself, hence middling people can be urged to advance. This is divided into two parts: first, one verse concludes what was explained before, concluding it briefly in terms of six wisdoms. First is 'foremost', because nothing surpasses it. Second is 'vast', referring to its extent which transcends the two vehicles. Third is 'real', clarifying that its essence is internally realized without falsity. Fourth is 'boundless', which has two meanings: first, wisdom of measure universally knows; second, it is free from the various dual extremes; that is, the wisdom of the middle way. Fifth is 'superior', because it transcends the stages. Sixth is 'distinctly superior', because it is identical with Samantabhadra. Second, from "this Dharma" below, eight verses clarify that faith and acceptance are difficult to attain. Within this, the first verse generally manifests it, and the remaining seven distinguish it in detail. In the first part, 'rare' means that a Buddha's appearance is so remote that it is already difficult to encounter, and this is preached all at once only upon his initial awakening; thus it is rare. 'Extraordinary' means that the initial can fully possess the final; 'unique' means that it towers far above all vehicles. This phrase is praise, whereas the text below urges [practice]. 'Hearing' means encountering the sūtra. 'Acquiescence' means the cause of faith; when there is faith, the mind is pure. 'Acceptance' means receiving the text and receiving the meaning. 'Praise' applies to both speech and writing; 'expounding' applies only to speech. The above are all things to be done, and generally speaking, all are difficult. In the subsequent detailed explanation, there are three parts: first, two verses and a half clarify the difficulty of faith; next, half a verse illustrates other practices by comparison; finally, four verses adduce matters for evaluation. In the first part, the first verse clarifies that for the vessels of humans and devas, faith is extremely difficult. If so, why is it that some can have faith today? It is due to two powers: first, presently cultivating pure merit that accords with what is sought; second, having received perfuming through hearing in the past, seeds are now brought forth. For those who do not believe today, our wish is that they listen even a little, so that like a poison-smeared drum, it will ultimately form an indomitable seed. The following verse and a half adduces the progressive difficulty of attaining the faith of the three vehicles to illustrate that of the Ekayāna; the text is crystal clear, with provisional and real each having their proof. In the second part, the half-verse illustrating other practices by comparison, faith and acquiescence are already difficult, let alone being endowed with the remaining practices—the most difficult among the difficult. As for 'real understanding', there are also those who speak of practice but do not believe in the purport of perfect interpenetration; that is not real understanding. May all scholars carefully discern knowledge and vision! In the third part, four verses adduce matters for evaluation. The first three evaluate the difficulty of faith: the first two adduce two difficulties to illustrate the difficulty of faith; the last one adduces superior merit to reveal the excellence of faith. The last verse evaluates the difficulty of the remaining practices, mentioning only reciting and upholding, while omitting the rest. It also shows that the true understanding of cultivation is beyond evaluation. Among these four matters, each subsequent one surpasses the preceding; skillfully eloquent, profound, and superior.