大方廣佛華嚴經疏 32.2

32.2

Sixth, from "At that time Vajragarbha Bodhisattva said..." downward is the section of requesting, which has three parts: first, having spoken, he remains silent; second, from "at this time" downward, the three parties make five requests; third, from "at that time Vajragarbha observed..." downward, he grants the extent of what will be explained. The reason he is silent is that when one is about to expound it, one must firmly maintain silence, wishing to cause the great assembly to thirst with yearning and request the explanation. The reason he waits for a request has, briefly, two senses: first, to increase the various bodhisattvas' respect and veneration for the Dharma; second, in the preceding foundational section, setting forth the stages and praising their excellence was to increase their joy, and [he now] wishes to cause correct understanding to arise within this request. How does understanding arise? Through the request, the reason for the silence can be explained, revealing that the essence of the stages is extremely profound and beyond words and thoughts, causing the assembly first to understand; later, when they hear the section of explanation, they will not grasp [it] merely according to the sounds, thereby departing from erroneous understanding. It is precisely due to this that there is the third part, showing the extent of what is to be explained. The initial silence can be understood. In the second part, the requests, the requests of the three parties are distinct, so it is divided into three sections: first, the request of Vimukticandra; second, the request of the great assembly; third, the request of the Tathāgata. The reason three parties are required is to reveal that the Dharma is profound and wondrous, so that hearing it, they understand. When the leader of the assembly praises and reveals [it], those appropriately receptive thirst with yearning, and the lord of transformation adds his encouragement, only then is the matter complete. The great Way excludes nothing, and the Dharma ought to be requested. To comply with the master of the request, this assembly is capable of hearing, so the words are not in vain. To accomplish [the purpose of] the requesters, the Tathāgata's mindful protection causes them to generate faith and acceptance, so the words have evidence. This is based on the cause of the request and the arising of the request; it is also the sequence. Furthermore, the Buddha's request is called empowerment: although the assembly has already requested, it must rely on the majesty and radiance of the host Buddha before one is capable of speaking. It is also called instruction: the Tathāgata instructs the explanation to show that Vajragarbha's explanation transmits the Buddha's teaching. Furthermore, the requests of the first two parties show that the Dharma of these stages is cultivated by practitioners; the request of the latter party shows that the Dharma of these stages is realized by the Buddha. The former two requests may be present in other sūtras; the latter request is absent from other sūtras. In the Lotus Sūtra, the three requests are by only one party, precisely because the Dharma of the stages is extremely profound and, lodged in the stations, difficult to explain. Furthermore, regarding the sequence of the three requests: first is Vimukticandra, because he is the leader of that assembly; if others questioned, it would be chaotic. Why did the great assembly not question chaotically? Because the assembly was subdued, and through the two preceding cessations and three requests, the assembly was modulated and tempered. Next, the assembly's request expresses sincere devotion, yet they did not vie to rise: following the ritual of the preceding request, they requested together in one voice, so it was also not chaotic. Finally, the principle of listening to the explanation was exhausted, so the Tathāgata encouraged the explanation. Now, within the first request by the leader of the assembly, there are three requests in all. The reason there are three is to accord with worldly etiquette: fewer would lack earnest gravity, while more would be cumbersome and chaotic; this attains the exact mean. Because there are three cessations, modulating the contemporary [assembly] and subduing their faculties. The other two parties assist and complete, each with only a single request. However, according to the three requests, it should be divided into three sections; if combined with the three cessations, it should be divided into six. But because the cessation of the initial remaining silent serves as the root for all five requests and cannot belong solely to the first, taking the cessations and requests together, there are tentatively five sections: 1. the request marveling at the silence and expressing doubt; 2. the cessation [stating that] the Dharma is profound and difficult to receive; 3. the request praising the assembly as capable of hearing; 4. the cessation [stating that] the incapable would be harmed—meaning that although there are capable ones, there are also incapable ones; 5. the request praising both persons and Dharma—meaning that even those incapable of hearing, because the Dharma is profound, will also receive the Buddha's protection, so he should firmly expound it for them; upon this, Vajragarbha's reasoning was exhausted, and he had no further refusal of the request.