大方廣佛華嚴經疏 18.9

18.9

Fourth is the Abode of Noble Birth. In the self-division, there are five parts: explaining the name, presenting the theme, inquiring, listing, and concluding. Being born from the noble teaching means that through the perfuming of broad learning, the outflow of uncontaminated teachings gives birth to their wisdom. Moreover, a later verse states: 'The Buddha's children contemplate dharmas in this way; born directly from the Buddha, they are called Buddha's children'—this is in terms of the person who can speak. Another verse states: 'Completely understanding all existences as non-existent, surpassing those dharmas, they are born into the dharmadhātu'—this is in terms of the noumenon. The above three meanings can all give birth to the subsequent single meaning, and concurrently reveal the place of birth. Furthermore, the expounder and the expounded, the signifier and the signified constitute these three differences; being born from these three, they are all venerable and noble. The ten items in the list are the same as the ten kinds of dharma-knowledge in the fourth stage, differing only in division and combination. Having been born from the noble teaching, they accomplish four kinds of wisdom to teach and transform sentient beings: first, the wisdom of one's own abiding place, because of non-retrogression, which is also what is born; second, the wisdom of common veneration, because of pure faith in the Buddha, which is also capable of giving birth; third, the wisdom of tathatā, because of skillfully observing dharmas, which is also the place of birth, dharma being the dharmadhātu; fourth, the wisdom of discriminating what is spoken, which is the remaining seven phrases, meaning understanding sentient beings as empty and existent, Buddha-lands as provisional and real, worlds as defiled and pure, karmic actions as wholesome and unwholesome, and fruit-retributions as suffering and pleasant. The two kinds of saṃsāra and four kinds of nirvāṇa are fully explained as usual. In the subsequent ten of the superior progression, the first three are understanding and comprehension, extending through teaching, principle, practice, and fruit; the next three are cultivating and collecting the dharmas of practice; the next three are vowing to fulfill the fruit; the last one is specifically understanding the principle and dharmas. Later is the inquiry and explanation: the intention is to advance to the subsequent station, because the true and conventional are equal. Only when universally contemplating the three times as not different does one know equality.