大方廣佛華嚴經疏 34.2

34.2

From here below, the third major section of the text, from 'Sons of the Buddha, this bodhisattva, with great compassion [as foremost]' downwards, is the section on stably abiding in the stage. Within this there are three [parts]: first, an overall explanation of stably abiding; second, from 'that is to say' downwards, a specific demonstration of stably abiding; third, from 'Sons of the Buddha, when the bodhisattva has accomplished' downwards, a concluding summary of stably abiding. Now for the first. The text has three clauses: First, 'great compassion as foremost' is the cause of stably abiding; whatever the bodhisattva practices is entirely for sentient beings, and since compassion is the root of practice, it is therefore said to be 'foremost'. Second, 'vast aspiration cannot be crushed or destroyed' is the contemplation of stably abiding. The Treatise states: 'Because afflictions and the Hinayāna cannot destroy this contemplation.' That is, the profound mind attuned to noumenon is 'great', hence afflictions cannot destroy it; compassion converting and embracing beings is 'vast', hence the Hinayāna cannot destroy it. Third, 'further, diligently cultivating all kuśala-mūla and achieving accomplishment' is the practice of stably abiding. In relation to the first clause, this is wisdom guiding compassion; in relation to the second clause, it is practice fulfilling vows. These virtues cultivated are demonstrated by the thirty clauses below. Second, the specific demonstration of stably abiding demonstrates the preceding third item, the diligent cultivation of kuśala-mūla. How does one cultivate diligently? Here there are thirty clauses demonstrating three kinds of accomplishment: 1. accomplishment of faith; 2. accomplishment of cultivation-practice; 3. accomplishment of pariṇāmanā. Faith is the beginning of practice; next, relying on faith, one arouses practice; afterwards, dedicating practice accomplishes virtue, serving as the sequence of cultivation and practice. Now for the first. There are ten clauses on faith: the first is general, the rest are specific. The general clause says that 'faith is predominant': conforming to whatever objects there are—meaning having deep and decisive faith in the realms such as the truths and the [Three] Jewels listed below—is called 'predominant'. Among the specific ones, there are nine: the first six are the initial arising of the mind of faith; the latter three are faith increasing to form aspiration. Among the former, the first two are benefiting oneself, and the latter four are benefiting others. Among those benefiting oneself: 1. 'Predominant in reverent faith': meaning universally having faith in the Triratna, termed 'abundant pure faith'. 2. 'Predominant in pure faith': because of self-realizing truly pure wisdom and understanding. Both of the above two are said to be 'pure', which is the nature of faith. 3. 'Predominant in decisive faith': because of distinguishing so as to cause others to realize pure wisdom, which is the practice of benefiting others. 4. Compassion, 5. Loving-kindness, and 6. Absence of weariness: these three predominant factors are all minds that benefit others; loving-kindness and compassion clarify the greatness of the mind, and absence of weariness clarifies the constancy of the mind. Among the latter three: 7. 'Predominant in faith with modesty and shame' is the substance of the accomplished practice; that is, because one has modesty and shame, one remedies hindrances such as stinginess, does not cling to the worldly realm, and accomplishes perfections such as dāna. 8. 'Predominant in gentle faith' is gaining equal companions, because one does not trouble or disrupt fellow practitioners. 9. 'Predominant in faith revering the Dharma': because one increasingly reveres and trusts the Dharma into which one has entered. Second, within the accomplishment of cultivation-practice below 'day and night', there are nine clauses: the first is general, the rest are specific. The general clause says 'without satiety', which is practice without interruption. Specifically, there are eight collections; the first seven are practices of teaching, and the last one is the practice of realization. Among the former, the first two are skillful means for gathering the Dharma: 1. The collection of drawing close: drawing close to good spiritual friends with the intention of not forgetting phenomena. 2. The collection of delighting in the Dharma: because one's mind rejoices in explaining the meaning of doctrine within questions and answers. The subsequent five clauses are sequential cultivation and practice. Among them, the first three are practices of inner contemplation conforming to noumenon: 1. The collection of extensive learning, which is the wisdom of hearing; 2. The collection of correct contemplation, which is the wisdom of reflection; 3. The collection of non-attachment, which is the wisdom of cultivation, because one has no relying attachment within samādhi. The latter two are practices of leaving attachment in accord with conditions: namely, 6. The collection of non-greed is the practice of contentment, not being greedy for what is already obtained; 7. The collection of non-seeking is the practice of few desires, not seeking what has not yet been obtained; 8. The collection of a mind like a jewel: namely, the practice of realization being completely luminous and constantly present. Moreover, having the power of being difficult to obtain and free from defilement, being adorned, supreme, and having an unaltering mind of realization—it shares these six meanings. The above has finished explaining according to the Treatise. Regarding the sixth and seventh collections, there is yet another rationale: namely, the sixth mind is cultivation of detachment, cultivating an antidotal mind to be free from three faults. Those who teach the Dharma have three faults: 1. Clinging to material gain, because of seeking the four requisites; having few desires and knowing contentment can remedy this. 2. Grasping at fame, because of seeking to surpass others; correct mindfulness, concentration, and wisdom can remedy this. 3. The fault of being subjugated by others, because of affairs of affection and respect; detachment and vigor can remedy this. What can remedy these here is precisely the awareness of great persons. The seventh clause is cultivation through observing faults: the eight kinds of impure things are the so-called requisites of life; seeking nothing at all because of seeing them as impure. Comparing this to the Treatise's explanation, there are differences in breadth and specificity. Third, accomplishment of pariṇāmanā below 'seeking all-knowledge': seeking all-knowledge means pariṇāmanā toward bodhi. There are twelve clauses: the first is general, the rest are specific. The general is the matter sought, named 'home', because the stage of all-knowledge is the place sought. The specific are the causes capable of seeking, consisting of eleven seekings: the first reveals the contemplation capable of seeking, named 'relying on home', because within the aforementioned home one distinctly contemplates being endowed with the ten powers, fearlessnesses, and so forth; the remaining ten are practices capable of seeking; together with the general, there are three seekings in all. Within the practices of seeking, they are again divided into general and specific: the general is called seeking without obstruction, meaning that because one seeks the phenomena of non-attachment across the perfections, one can eliminate hindrances; the nine clauses below are specific, because they specifically remedy various hindrances. The first two remedy two defilements within dāna: 1. 'Detached seeking' remedies flattery and crookedness: seeing a supplicant, one deceitfully displays skillful means while entirely lacking the intention to give. 2. 'Seeking to act according to one's word' remedies not following one's prior words, promising but not giving, or promising much and superior, but giving little and inferior. Furthermore, the former is flattery, while the latter is falsehood. 3. 'Guarding seeking' remedies one defilement of morality: namely, not guarding truthful speech, violating what was originally received, and concealing it after committing an infraction. 4. 'Unsoiled seeking' remedies one defilement of patience: namely, actions that distress others, which soil the family of the Tathāgata that brings benefit. 5. 'Non-abandoning seeking' remedies one defilement of vigor: namely, thinking that the bodhisattva's moral precepts are immeasurable and cannot be fully maintained, that the number of kalpas is exceedingly long and they cannot be constantly maintained, that the moral precepts are subtle and difficult to maintain and practice, and that since they cannot be well maintained, a mind of retrogression arises. Originally not abandoning the bodhisattva precepts, fully able to maintain them because of not abandoning the rules of deportment; being able to maintain what is difficult to maintain, not abandoning the three collections of precepts, and being able to practice what is difficult to practice. In spurring all practices, it is specifically explained in terms of morality because of three reasons: 1. Morality is the foremost of the three trainings; 2. Morality is complete with the three collections; 3. Morality pervades phenomena and noumenon, is difficult to practice, and easy to fail in, so it is used here as an occasion to spur them on. 6. 'Immovable seeking' remedies two defilements of meditation: 1. A distracted mind reaching outward, remedied by [being firm] like a mountain; 2. An inability to subdue memory-conceptions and discrimination, remedied by the mind of all-knowledge. The subsequent three clauses remedy three defilements of prajñā, which are the three path-obstructions: 7. 'Seeking accomplishment without abandoning' remedies the defilement obstructing the non-abiding path; that is, without skillful means, inclining solely toward nirvāṇa is remedied by manifesting non-abandonment of the worldly realm; inclining solely toward the worldly realm is remedied by manifesting accomplishment of the supramundane. Differing from ordinary persons and the Hinayāna, it accomplishes the non-abiding path. 8. 'Accumulating seeking' remedies the defilement obstructing the auxiliary path. 9. 'Constant seeking' remedies the defilement obstructing the path of realization, because within the supreme and wondrous Dharma of realization, one's mind of aspiration is weak. The above finishes the accomplishment of pariṇāmanā. Third, as for the concluding summary: the thirty clauses above elaborate on diligent practice. Complete accomplishment of this diligent practice has four [factors]: 1. Faith; 2. Aspiration; 3. Vigor; 4. Skillful means. Faith means receptive conviction and decision. Aspiration means yearning, so as to advance toward those practices. Among the first ten clauses, the first seven are faith and the last three are aspiration. The next ten are vigor, applied in carrying out cultivation regarding practice. The last ten are practices of skillful means, because they accomplish skillful seeking. This is named stably abiding within the spoken section of this stage; hence it says: 'Accomplishing such phenomena that purify the stage is called stably abiding.' The above has been explained according to the Treatise, but there is yet another rationale. The abundant pure faith above can already permanently sever the icchantika's hindrance of non-faith; giving rise to compassion, respect for the Dharma of the teaching, and so forth, can also permanently sever the ordinary person's hindrance of grasping at self; diligently cultivating day and night without fatigue can also permanently sever the śrāvaka's hindrance of fearing suffering; seeking all-knowledge up to constantly seeking the supreme path can also permanently sever the pratyekabuddha's hindrance of abandoning compassion. Therefore it is called 'phenomena that purify the stage'. The section on stably abiding in the stage concludes.