大方廣佛華嚴經疏 19.24

19.24

Third, the central theme and purpose: taking the initial mind subsuming virtues as the central theme, and causing beings to thoroughly investigate the generation of the mind as the purpose. However, the generation of the mind in the assembly of the abidings is definitely subsumed under the perfection of faith; understanding, practice, and realization naturally follow in the later text. "Being born into the Tathāgata's household" is naturally explained in terms of understanding; one should not say that this is already subsumed under realization. If one says: "Having long practiced ignorance, how could one suddenly accomplish great wisdom?", has one not heard that the darkness of a thousand years in a dark room is suddenly eliminated by a single lamp in an instant? If one says: "How can one know the Buddhadharma of the three times?", has one not heard that an ordinary person bound with all fetters can know the Tathāgata's secret treasury? The remaining meanings will be explained as we come to the text. Now, the capacities are varied and the teachings distinct; the sage's intent is deep and abstruse. Together not having realized tathatā and dwelling together in the station of trainees, to jointly detail the sage's wisdom is truly said to be difficult. Moreover, taking the shallow as deep brings the benefit of conforming to the principle; taking the deep as shallow incurs the fault of slandering the Dharma. Taking the distant as near benefits the practitioner; taking the near as distant makes the Dharma seem not one's share. In expounding the teaching, the Buddhas value stooping to accommodate beings' capacities; if later students wish to push the sage's realm excessively high, they might lose great benefit—would that not be lamentable? Furthermore, fishing in Panxi in the evening and ascending to the prime minister's seat in the morning—how can this be compared in superiority to those who pass regular examinations through classical studies? How much more so is being born in a royal palace and excelling ministers and advisors in nobility—how could it be the same as fighting a hundred battles to wipe out Xiang [Yu], undergoing every hardship? How much more so the high merit of ten thousand kalpas—it is by no means that of an ordinary person. Therefore, speaking of its wisdom, it is equal to empty space yet has no peer; discussing its virtue, even crushing dust motes and kṣetras it would be hard to measure. Exhausting the perfect interpenetration of thought-moments and kalpas, exhausting the repeated manifestation of Dharma-gates, the initial mind tallies with the ocean of wisdom—how could it have boundaries? Just like a tiny droplet entering the heavenly pond, it is equal without beginning or end. Therefore the sūtra says: "Generating the mind and the ultimate [fruit] are not different; between these two minds, the prior mind is difficult." That Dharmamati looked up and extolled it is truly due to this. If one does not yet understand, the *Śrīmālādevī Sūtra* has a passage deferring to the Buddha's ability to know; these words are without error. The rest is as in the "Chief of the Virtuous Chapter."