大方廣佛華嚴經疏 23.4

23.4

Eighth, the practice of that which is difficult to attain; its essence is vow. In explaining its characteristics, the text divides into two parts: first, explaining the practices of its own station, and second, explaining the practices of superior progress. However, these two practices each subsume the vows to seek [bodhi] above and convert [sentient beings] below, briefly omitting supernatural powers. Now, for the first part, it divides into four: first, explaining one's own practice; second, distinguishing benefiting others; third, jointly concluding that the two practices are unobstructed between movement and stillness; fourth, jointly negating the two practices, brushing away traces to enter the profound. In the first part, there are three subdivisions: 1. explaining the perfection of kuśala-mūla through cultivation; 2. revealing the active characteristics of the kuśala-mūla; 3. the benefits when the practices are perfected. Now for the first subdivision: this is that upon which the initiation of practice relies. 'Good' means according with principle and benefiting things; 'roots' means sovereign growth; attaining them in oneself is called 'perfection'. The text contains ten clauses: the first is general, and the rest are specific. The general contains the subsequent nine, receiving the name 'difficult to attain'. Second, from 'this bodhisattva' onward, revealing the active characteristics of the kuśala-mūla, there are also ten clauses, sequentially corresponding to the preceding. That is to say, because of obtaining the most supreme understanding, one receives the name 'difficult to attain', and so forth. Alternatively, having roots difficult to attain enables one to have supreme understanding. Also, using each subsequent practice to complete the ten preceding goods, each preceding good is equipped with the ten subsequent practices, clearly distinguished and paired. Third, from 'this bodhisattva' onward, the benefits when the practices are perfected. In the text, it first summarizes the preceding and then, from 'in thought after thought' onward, reveals the benefits. Therein, first are the self-benefits: being able to turn saṃsāra into the benefit of great wisdom, and not abandoning the great vow into the benefit of great compassion. From 'if there are' onward, it reveals the ability to benefit others: due to the preceding self-practice, this ability to benefit is perfected, which is truly benefiting others. Second, from 'this bodhisattva' onward, distinguishing the practice of benefiting others. The text divides into three parts, namely, doctrine, metaphor, and application. Now for the first. That is to say, having great wisdom, one understands that sentient beings are non-existent, and thus does not abide in saṃsāra; having great compassion, one does not abandon the realm of sentient beings, and thus does not abide in nirvāṇa. Great compassion and prajñā support each other, completing the path of non-abiding. Second, in the metaphor: the first clause is a metaphor for the person capable of transforming; the next three clauses are metaphors for the active characteristics of non-abiding through compassion and wisdom; the subsequent three clauses from 'and can' onward are metaphors for the function of non-abiding: the first two clauses directly symbolize the function, while the clause 'going back and forth without resting' concludes with the reason why they can ferry across. Third, in the application to doctrine, there are two parts: first, the direct application, and second, an interrogation and explanation. In the first part, all three sections are matched: saṃsāra corresponds to this shore, nirvāṇa corresponds to that shore; matching the midstream above also speaks of saṃsāra because after generating the aspiration [for bodhi] and before attaining Buddhahood, those of the ten stages and the three ranks of the worthy still reside in the two kinds of death; therefore the midstream is itself saṃsāra, hence it says 'the midstream of saṃsāra', not that between saṃsāra and nirvāṇa is called the midst of saṃsāra. The import of the text is obvious; the Jin translation missed the point and should not be extensively cited. Some consider the defilements to be the midstream, regarding being tossed and drowned, speaking from the cause. Some consider the noble and worthy ones to be the midstream, regarding the persons who undergo saṃsāra. Some consider the middle way to be the midstream, speaking in terms of contemplation practice, neither of which should be dwelled in. From 'peaceful' onward are the virtues of nirvāṇa: because it is permanent, it is peaceful; because it is blissful, it is fearless; because it is self, it is free of sorrow; because it is pure, it has no distress. From 'nor does...' onward, it extensively explains guiding compassion with wisdom, matching the earlier meaning of 'going back and forth without resting'. That is to say, because of not abiding and clinging, one goes back and forth ferrying across without resting. It also reveals the meaning in the doctrine of 'non-existence yet not abandoning'—meaning not only does one not abandon out of compassion, but also by understanding their non-existence, there is nothing that can be abandoned; thus, one ferries across all day long yet there is no ferrying across. The first clause explains generally; from 'not abandoning' onward is specific, having five pairs and ten clauses. First, the pair of one and many: both the already transformed and the not yet transformed contain the two senses of abandoning and clinging; reflect upon this. Second, the pair of increase and decrease: transforming them to attain the Path does not decrease the realm of sentient beings; those who do not follow the transformation do not increase the realm of sentient beings; this is viewed with respect to multiple persons. Third, viewing with respect to one person: the arising of the fruit is not birth; the exhaustion of delusion is not extinction. Fourth, considering emptiness to be exhaustion, considering existence to be increase. Fifth, one pair summarizing in conclusion: if the four pairs are not obliterated, they are all called 'two'; now, being without conceptual discrimination, one tallies with the fundamental non-duality. In the second part, the interrogation and explanation, there are two rounds: the first round directly investigates non-clinging; the second round reinvestigates the previous meaning. Now for the first: first, the intention of the question says: 'Visibly transforming sentient beings has increase and decrease, yet you say there is no clinging; what is the reason?' The explanation says: 'Because the bodhisattva deeply contemplates that the realm of sentient beings is identical to the dharmadhātu without increase, etc., there is therefore no clinging.' In the text, the first two clauses are general: the upper clause conveys the meaning of non-difference, hence saying 'as'; the lower clause conveys the meaning of mutual identity, hence saying 'non-dual'. Next, from 'within non-dual dharmas' onward, it specifically displays the marks of non-duality, which correspond to the text above. 'Without grasping or relying' explains 'without conceptual discrimination'. The rest of the text is obvious. This text is lucid and prominent, yet students of later generations merely claim that one portion of sentient beings does not attain Buddhahood, which is why it is called 'not decreasing the realm of sentient beings'—how profoundly lamentable! The second round of reinvestigation asks: 'Why is the realm of sentient beings identical to the dharmadhātu?' The explanation says: 'All dharmas are identical to the dharmadhātu; how could sentient beings alone not be identical?' Third, from 'the bodhisattva like this' onward, jointly concluding that the two practices are unobstructed between movement and stillness, also called 'the inexhaustible mind and practice', has doctrine, metaphor, and application. In the doctrine, there are ten clauses: the first two repeat the preceding to introduce what follows. Having entered deeply with skillful means, nature and marks are unobstructed. From 'dwelling in' onward, there are the remaining eight pairs, directly displaying the active characteristics: 1. regarding the body that initiates practice; 2. understanding the Dharma-medicine; 3. recognizing faculties and conditions; 4. roaming through Buddha-lands; 5. penetrating the Buddhadharma; 6. deeply tallying with the ineffable while not abandoning verbal expression; 7. without seeking and detached from desire, yet the myriad practices are thereby cultivated—the first seven explain the function identical to stillness; 8. the pair from 'always diligently' onward explains the stillness identical to function, and also comprehensively reveals the reason: by diligent cultivation, one engages with the provisional; by entering the dharmadhātu, one is always still. In the metaphor: wood symbolizes the dharmadhātu, fire symbolizes the perfected body and wisdom, the activity of fire symbolizes compassionate transformation, and the inexhaustible original fire not being extinguished symbolizes the body and wisdom being constantly profound and still. The application can be understood. Fourth, from 'not ultimate' onward, jointly negating the two practices, brushing away traces to enter the profound: however, the initial self-practice says one can turn saṃsāra without abandoning the great vow, which already possessed the dual practice of provisional and real, yet is considered to mostly clarify the great wisdom that illuminates the essence. Next, in benefiting others, since it says non-abiding ferrying across, then compassion and wisdom guide each other, yet it seems mostly to initiate functional great compassion. Next, using the wisdom that guides compassion to dispatch that mind of clinging, it again seems that the two mental practices of compassion and wisdom have a sequence. The third section distinguishes the dual practice of movement and stillness, where the principle is fully exhausted. Yet still fearing that beings might think the two matters are not interfused, this section clarifies that form and deprivation are both obliterated, and provisional and real have no resting place—how could it merely be the skillful practice of the bodhisattvas of the ten practices? It all the more displays the depth of Guṇaprabha's compassionate salvation. The text has five pairs and ten clauses. However, the dharmas negated are precisely the preceding two practices of the provisional and real. For example, 'ultimate' is the real, and 'not ultimate' is the provisional; now jointly negating them, because the real is identical to the provisional, it is 'not ultimate'; because the provisional is identical to the real, it is 'not non-ultimate'. Furthermore, merely saying 'not ultimate' does not mean there is 'non-ultimate', hence it is also negated. Thus, one borrows the provisional to discard the real, and once the real is gone, the provisional perishes; one borrows the real to break the provisional, and once the provisional perishes, the real is not established. Words are exhausted and thoughts terminated: what is real and what is provisional? The essence is fundamentally desolate and empty: what is wrong and what is right? Only in being desolate with nowhere to abide does the principle naturally and profoundly tally. Therefore, distinguishing the joint negation does not mean there is a joint negation to be established. However, joint negation is refutation, and joint affirmation is illumination; being illumination precisely within refutation, joint negation is itself dual practice; being refutation precisely within illumination, dual practice is itself dual discarding—summarizing the preceding sections, the principle reaches its culmination here. The subsequent clauses are all modeled on this. The second pair concerns those transformed: since subject and object grasp stillness, it is 'not grasping'; because one completely knows their mental practices, it is 'not non-grasping'. The third is regarding the place of transformation: not clinging to worlds, it is 'not relying'; relying on lands to manifest bodies, it is 'not non-relying'. It also concerns the wisdom of what is realized being non-discriminative and entering skillfully. The fourth is regarding the Dharma of transformation: deeply penetrating the meaning and principle, it is 'not worldly dharma'; according with worldly language, it is 'not Buddhadharma'. Fifth, realizing the limit of detachment from desire, one is 'not an ordinary person'; not severing bodhisattva practices, one has 'not attained the fruit'.