大方廣佛華嚴經疏 29.3

29.3

Forty-seven: In the giving of the great earth, it is only spoken of in general terms. In the initial practice of giving, various fields are briefly listed, but in truth they encompass all. The phrase "other people" refers to those who possess material wealth, as they are neither [fields of] reverence nor compassion. "Bodhisattvas" applies broadly to all spiritual friends, the essential point being that they benefit oneself. Among them, stupas of the Buddha, bodhisattvas, spiritual friends, and parents are both fields of gratitude and fields of reverence; the Saṅgha and the two vehicles are both fields of virtue and fields of reverence; the poor and orphaned are both fields of compassion and fields of suffering. All these can produce merit, like fields in the world. If a field of reverence is sick, then it is both [a field of] reverence and compassion, thus forming four propositions. Therefore, the Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa, fascicle fourteen, says: "First, giving out of pity, namely to the poor, base, and animals. Second, giving out of reverence, namely to Buddhas and dharmakāya-bodhisattvas, etc. Third, giving out of pity and reverence, namely to the aged, sick, and poor arhats and pratyekabuddhas, etc. Synthesized, they become two, namely compassion and reverence. That which is neither reverence nor compassion is also subsumed under the field of compassion, because there is no virtue to revere." However, regarding these two fields, when one directs the mind with noumenon, they are equal without superiority or inferiority; hence the Vimalakīrti[-nirdeśa] says: "The lowliest beggar is no different from the Tathāgata's field of merit." Free from distinctions, it is equal to great compassion. If one discusses it purely in terms of the object, then reverence is strong and compassion is weak, because their gratitude is deep and their virtue is profound, as explained in the Sūtra on Weighing Merit. If viewed in terms of the mind, then the field of compassion is superior, as it directly induces compassion. Thus, with reverence the field is strong while the compassionate mind is weak; with compassion the field is weak while the compassionate mind is strong. Each has its own beauty, and both are fertile fields. If they are equally fields of reverence, gratitude surpasses virtue; hence the Sūtra on Weighing [Merit] says: "Making offerings to a hundred arhats is not as good as to one's parents who gave birth to one's body." The Āgamas state that making offerings to one's parents has merit equal to that of a bodhisattva bound to one last birth. If they are equally fields of gratitude, for a layperson the gratitude toward parents is greater, while for a renunciant the gratitude toward teachers and monks is greater, as spoken in the Śāriputra-paripṛcchā-sūtra. Or, in terms of giving birth to the physical body and giving birth to the dharmakāya, the superiority and inferiority may be understood. If they are equally fields of virtue, the specific is not as good as the universal; hence the Brahma Net Sūtra states: "Specially inviting five hundred arhat and bodhisattva monks is not as good as one ordinary monk in the monastic order's sequence." Moreover, because of differences in the master, the wealth, and the field, the retributions brought about differ in various ways in terms of superiority and inferiority; fearing prolixity, they are not recorded. Now, herein the bodhisattva's mind of giving has compassion and wisdom that are equal to empty space, phenomena and objects that exhaust the dharmadhātu, and the fields of giving, both ordinary and noble, that exhaust the ten directions; therefore, the three matters are empty in their nature, unfathomably deep; the three matters are distinctive and peerlessly superior; the three matters are vast and boundless without shore; the three matters are interpenetrating and unobstructed. In the second [part], the practice of pariṇāmanā: the first is the stage of the fruit, and the remaining nine are the stages of the cause, each having analogous meanings, which should be contemplated according to principle.