大方廣佛華嚴經疏 35.2

35.2

Third, within the superiority of the benefit of the fruit of receiving retribution, there are two parts: first, clarifying the fruit of being a householder; second, from 'if this bodhisattva wishes...' onward, the fruit of leaving home. Within the former, there are again two: first, the supreme physical body demonstrates the superiority of his retribution; second, from 'capable through great giving...' onward, clarifying the supreme fruit demonstrates the superiority of his practice. Now for the first: the king of Jambudvīpa is an iron-wheel-turning king. However, in the Yingluo jing and the Renwang jing, the four stations before the stages are already matched to the four wheels; now he only becomes an iron-wheel king on the first stage, which directly shows that all these are temporary allocations and must not be grasped rigidly. Constantly protecting the true Dharma should be a superiority of practice; why does the author of the Treatise assign it to the superiority of the body? There are two kinds of protecting the Dharma: 1. protecting the state's true dharma, which means bestowing reward and punishment appropriately; 2. protecting the Buddha's true Dharma, which means protecting teachings and principles by establishing [the good] and expelling [the bad]. The Treatise relies on the first meaning. Second, regarding the supreme fruit: giving rise to superior practices based on the preceding royal retribution is the fruit of the body. Within it are two: first, practice; second, aspiration. Within the former are also two: 1. great compassion benefiting others, meaning either giving or gathering. 2. From 'all such...' onward, not losing self-benefit: precisely when performing the deeds of benefiting others, he does not depart from recollecting the Buddha and so forth. That is, within deeds of benefiting others, by dedicating toward bodhi, accomplishing acts of great reverence, and not generating conceptual discrimination, he removes all false thoughts and harmonizes with the essence in accord with noumenon; hence it says 'does not depart.' There are eleven items to be recollected, which the Treatise divides into four: 1. The first three are the superior recollection of the Triratna, because they are above oneself and because one does not depart from the three wheels. Next, one is the recollection of those of identical Dharma. Next, three are recollections of merits: (1) bodhisattva practices of one's own body and other bodies, (2) the intrinsic essence of the practice of the pāramitās, (3) the progressive transcendence of the various stages. The last four are recollecting the Buddha with respect to the sought-after meaning, because the powers and the like are the true, ultimate meaning and what one seeks for oneself. Second, from 'further making...' onward, clarifying the aspirations has eleven phrases: the first seven are one's own virtues, and the last four are gathering and transforming [sentient beings]. Within the former, here it says 'distinguished,' whereas the Treatise Sūtra calls it 'great'; the rest of the names are all identical. 'Foremost' is solely general, meaning that the station of great bodhi is venerated and lofty. 'Wondrous' and the rest are solely particular. 'Superior' and 'great' are both general and particular. 'Foremost' has two kinds: 1. superior foremost, due to the merits of radiance; 2. distinguished foremost, because it is unique and without a second. 'Superior' is also of two kinds: 1. wondrous, due to the superiority of wisdom's mastery; 2. subtly wondrous, due to the superiority of mastery free from all afflictions. 'Distinguished' is also of two kinds: 1. highest, because nothing is equal to it; 2. unsurpassed, because nothing can surpass it. Among the last four, the first one concerns the teaching, meaning that a guide explains and properly speaks the Dharma and its meanings within the Āgamas; the remaining three show realization, a leader causing others to realize the meaning and extinguishing all afflictions. This concerns the virtue of severance. The last two concern wisdom, the former being cause and the latter fruit. A master teaches and causes them to enter the right path. The final phrase is teaching and transforming by means of great bodhi.