大方廣佛華嚴經疏 16.9

16.9

Second, the seven verses beginning with "Faith is the primary source of the Way" briefly show its superior capabilities. Within this, the first verse is a general presentation, the next five verses are a distinct explanation, and the final verse is a general summary. Now for the first. The first line also indicates that "the Way" has two meanings: first, the fruit, which refers to bodhi and nirvāṇa; second, the cause, which refers to the three stages of the worthy and the ten stages of the noble. One mounts the single straight path. "Primary source" (yuan) also has two meanings: first, the sense of "root" (ben), because it is the root of bodhi, just as surging waters begin from a cup-filling trickle; second, the sense of "head" (shou), for yuan is the foremost of virtues, namely the initial merit of the single cause. Both meanings apply across cause and fruit. "Mother" has two meanings: giving birth to and nurturing. The lower three lines jointly explain the first line: "nurturing" conveys the two meanings of mother and also the meaning of the primary source of the Way; "all good dharmas" and the second line convey causal merit; the single third line conveys fruitional merit. "The unexcelled Way" is great bodhi: through faith cultivating goodness, one attains this bodhi; through faith severing doubts and transcending craving, one realizes nirvāṇa. If one does not believe that body and mind have the Tathāgata's knowledge and vision, how could bodhi and nirvāṇa ever be disclosed?

Next, within the distinct explanation beginning with "Faith is free from defilement and turbidity," there are twenty lines, with each line distinguishing one superior capability: 1. Having purity of mind as its nature, it can overturn the turbidity of disbelief; 2. Because it believes in the noumenon and universally respects, it overturns pride; 3. Among the ten treasures, faith is itself the treasure, and among the seven noble riches, faith is the first; 4. Only through faith does one receive, accept, and put into practice; 5. It believes wealth is like a dream, and so is without stinginess; 6. The *Upadeśa* says: "In the great ocean of the Buddhadharma, faith is what enables entry"; 7. It increases the causes of merit and wisdom; 8. It leads to the fruit of the two adornments; 9 & 10. It is at the beginning of each of the five faculties and five powers; 11. Faith is originally without delusion, and only then severs the root of delusion; 12. If it is directed toward other virtues, it is not called pure faith; 13. It believes that the object is originally empty, and so has no attachment; 14. A person of correct faith is not born in the eight difficulties; 15. It is free from non-correct faith; 16. It correctly believes in liberation; 17. It accomplishes the indestructible root; 18. It serves as the root of bodhi; 19. It increases the Buddha's superior wisdom; 20. It ultimately sees the Buddha—meaning that believing in one's own mind, one's own Buddha appears; believing in the external Buddhas, the Buddhas appear before one. A later text of the sūtra states: "All Buddhas arise from the mind of faith."

Three, the single verse beginning with "Therefore" concludes by summarizing the superior capabilities, the first part in terms of the Dharma, the second through metaphor. "Joyful faith" means believing in the nature of the Triratna and already wishing to cultivate through skillful means and the various pāramitās. The two characters "joyful faith" represent the correct intention of a bodhisattva; through these two, one possesses capability in all practices, and thus it is called "the most supreme." None but Buddhas are not believed in, hence it is said to be "rare to obtain." It is likened to a wish-fulfilling jewel, which briefly has five meanings: 1. Superiority, because it is the king among Dharma-treasures; 2. Rarity, because none possess it except Buddhas and wheel-turning kings; 3. Purity, because it can cleanse the turbidity of disbelief; 4. Preciosity, because the treasures of practices produced through the stages are inexhaustible; 5. Containment, because it contains the substances of all virtues without obstruction.

Third, the fifty and a half verses beginning with "If one constantly has faithful devotion" broadly explain the practices and stages contained within faith. Yet there are two aspects: 1. orderly progression; 2. perfect interpenetration. The ancients proceeded in terms of perfect interpenetration, and hence called it "contained within faith." Within this are three parts: first, explaining the practices contained; next, distinguishing the stages contained; third, concluding with praise of the merit. Now, the first eight and a half verses are divided into two: first, five verses explain having faith in the Triratna to accomplish the various practices; next, three and a half verses explain faith unfolding progressively to accomplish the various practices.

In the former, the first three verses concern faith in the Buddha accomplishing practices: the first two lines present the topic, holding precepts being the cessation of evil, and cultivating the training rules being wholesome action. The *Yogācārabhūmi* states: "Having generated the mind [for bodhi], one should cultivate training in seven domains, hence they are called training rules (śikṣāpada): 1. domain of self-benefit; 2. domain of benefiting others; 3. domain of the real meaning; 4. domain of power and majesty; 5. domain of maturing sentient beings; 6. domain of maturing one's own buddha-dharmas; 7. domain of unexcelled, correct, and complete bodhi." The next verse and a half jointly show the two virtues. If one does not keep the precepts, one cannot even attain the body of a mangy jackal, much less bodhi. When precepts halt false transgressions, inherently pure bodhi opens up; causal and fruitional merits are all born based on the training rules, hence it is called "the earth." The last verse separately explains accomplishing the practice of making offerings: namely, offerings of material goods and of the Dharma, hence it says "great." The next verse concerns faith in the Dharma, and the subsequent verse concerns faith in the Saṃgha; the texts may both be understood.

Second, the three and a half verses accomplish the unfolding of practices: progressively relying on the previous ones, the merit returns to faith.

Second, the thirty-nine verses beginning with "If one, for the sake of the Buddhas" explain the various stages contained. Within this, accomplishing the latter four stations constitutes four sections: First, three verses explain the station of the ten abodes, having six lines: the first line is the abode of initial aspiration; the next line is the two abodes of clearing the ground and practice; the next line is the abode of noble birth; the next line is the abode of fulfillment of skillful means; the next line is the abode of correct mind; the last line, "ever-increasing" is the non-retrogressing abode, and "the most supreme mind" refers to the latter three abodes, to be explained accordingly below.

Second, the two and a half verses beginning with "If one attains the ever-increasing [mind]" explain the station of the ten practices. "Pāramitā" is the general name for the ten practices; "Mahāyāna" is the practice distinct from the two vehicles. The first two lines subsume offerings made according with the Dharma, which are practices conforming to noumenon. The next two lines subsume the unmoving mind of recollecting the Buddha and constantly seeing the Buddha; these are all practices of concentration and wisdom, and therefore belong to the latter six practices. The characteristics of the explanation can be understood.

Third, the three verses beginning with "If one constantly beholds" explain the station of the ten dedications (pariṇāmanā), universally showing the three kinds of dedication. The Buddha's essence being eternally abiding is dedication to bodhi; the Dharma never being extinguished is dedication to the limit of reality (bhūtakoṭi); the rest is dedication to sentient beings.

Fourth, the thirty and a half verses beginning with "If one attains firmness" explain the station of the ten stages (bhūmi). The first half-verse is the first stage: the "profound Dharma" is the tathatā that is realized, and "delight and joy" is another name for Extreme Joy (Pramuditā). The second half-verse is the Immaculate Stage (Vimalā), because it departs from the faults of breaking precepts and conditioned states. The third single verse, departing from pride and so on, refers to the second and third stages: because in the third stage one is unattached to dhyāna, there is no pride; also, because one seeks the Dharma without indolence, it is also called departing from pride. In the fourth stage, one attains the factors of the path that transcend the world, hence it says "without negligence"; yet not abandoning the gathering of beings, it says "further benefit." The fourth single verse explains the fifth stage: namely, although one has attained transcendence of the world, one still abides in saṃsāra, and thus is "without weariness." Ultimate and conventional contradict each other and are hard to unite, yet one is able to unite them; other stages cannot surpass this, hence it says "valorous and unexcelled"—this is the name of "Difficult to Conquer" (Sudurjayā). The fifth single verse explains the sixth stage, where compassion and wisdom do not abide and prajñā appears before one: using spiritual superknowledges to gather beings is the practice of great compassion; knowing the actions of sentient beings as the twelve links of dependent origination is the practice of great wisdom. The sixth, two and a half verses, explains the seventh stage: the first verse explains the superior practice within existence; the latter verse and a half explains the expedient wisdom within emptiness; this can be understood according to the explanation.

Seventh, the three verses beginning with "If one is endowed with the most supreme" explain the eighth stage, briefly distinguishing six meanings: 1. Superiority of the path, referring to the path of non-exertion, hence called "valorous and unexcelled"; 2. Superiority of power, referring to the power of wisdom destroying Māra; 3. Superiority of function, referring to transcending the realm of the four māras—abandoning delimited transmigration, there is no māra of the skandhas; having no abandoning of life, there is no māra of death; afflictions not being active, one transcends the māra of defilement; realizing the Buddha's ten powers, one transcends Devaputra-māra; 4. Superiority of stage, referring to the Immovable Stage (Acalā), hence called "non-retrogressing"; 5. Superiority of practice, referring to attaining the acceptance of the non-arising of dharmas (anutpattika-dharma-kṣānti); 6. Superiority of cause, referring to this stage being the stage of great prophecy.

Eighth, the two verses explain the ninth stage, serving as a great dharmabhāṇaka. They briefly distinguish four meanings: 1. Empowered by all Buddhas, called the Buddha appearing before one; 2. Comprehending the profound and esoteric Dharma of all Buddhas; 3. Being held in the memory of all Buddhas, increasing one's power of wisdom; 4. Self-adorned with the Buddha's virtues, preaching the Dharma for the assembly.

Ninth, the nineteen verses beginning with "If by the Buddha's virtues" explain the station of the tenth stage, divided into five: First, eight verses on the superior virtues of the three karmas. The first five and a half verses concern bodily karma: within these, the previous three verses explain the bodily virtues as superior, while the latter two and a half verses explain the great function of bodily karma; next, one and a half verses of exposition concern the superiority of speech karma, preaching the Dharma to benefit beings; the last two verses concern the superiority of mental karma, because wisdom leads the way. Second, the four verses beginning with "If with wisdom as the forerunner" explain the vast merit of the three karmas and the virtues of the three wheels in gathering beings: the first verse concerns bodily karma, the next concerns speech karma, and the latter two concern mental karma. Third, the two verses beginning with "If one knows afflictions" distinguish the attainment of the Dharma concluding the stage. Fourth, the three verses beginning with "If one attains the ten stages" explain the share of samādhi, the share of the great end, and the share of receiving the rank, all of which are clearly evident. Fifth, the two verses beginning with "If receiving..." explain that the great function is difficult to fathom, and also explain the matter of the name: namely, with the great Dharma cloud of wisdom containing the waters of all virtues, it can cover heavy defilements that are like space. Furthermore, the two verses beginning with "If receiving..." also signify entering into the Buddha stage.