大方廣佛華嚴經疏 36.5

36.5

Second, within the section on the practice of revulsion, from 'Sons of the Buddha, when a bodhisattva-mahāsattva abides in the third [stage]' down, there are three parts: (1) practicing the conduct of guarding against afflictions, because [the bodhisattva] contemplates conditioned phenomena as revulsive and distressing; (2) from 'seeing such' down, practicing the conduct of guarding against the Hinayana, because [the bodhisattva] seeks all-knowledge, deeply contemplates sentient beings, and abandons a narrow and inferior mind; (3) from 'The bodhisattva thus revulsed and detached' down, practicing the conduct of gathering through expedient means, because [the bodhisattva] wishes to gather sentient beings and does not depart from unobstructed knowledge and ultimate expedient means, and so forth. Furthermore, these three passages subsume the preceding three stations: the first and half of the second subsume the station of cultivation; from 'guarding against the Hinayana's narrow mind' down subsumes the practice of non-anger, through kindness and compassion; the final section subsumes the pariṇāmanā equal to all Buddhas, by contemplating the Buddha's wisdom to liberate sentient beings. Now to explain the first [part]: the twenty phrases divide into two. The first ten contemplate impermanence, which is knowing the essential nature of conditioned phenomena; the latter ten contemplate being without a savior, which reveals the faults of persons. Now for the first [ten], there are three parts: first, revealing the time of contemplation, which refers to having already dwelled in the stage, distinguishing it from the preceding entry; next, from 'contemplates all' down, generally discerning what is contemplated. As for 'the true mark', this has two meanings: first, the truth of phenomena, namely impermanence and so forth; second, the truth of noumenon, namely being unarisen and so forth. The present text contains both. Later, from 'that is to say' down, the marks are specifically demonstrated; the text has ten phrases, the first being general, the remainder specific. The general statement 'impermanent' is explained in the commentary (Śāstra): 'Here, because the vital formations do not abide.' This means the two words 'vital formations' are the dharmas that are impermanent, and the two words 'do not abide' are the meaning of impermanence. Continuity is called 'vital', and flux is called 'formations'. 'Vital' is raised regarding the internal; 'formations' applies to both internal and external; therefore, in the specific explanation below, the dependent [environment] and proper [retribution] are distinguished. In the specific nine phrases, the first five phrases show *how* this is impermanent, which is the aforementioned 'vital formations'; the latter four phrases show *what* is impermanent, which is the aforementioned 'does not abide'. In the first [group of five], there are two meanings: first, according to phenomena, the first three show impermanence via internal retribution, and the latter two show impermanence via external retribution; second, according to the doctrinal meaning, the five phrases together reveal impermanence through the four contemplations of suffering and so forth. The first phrase is suffering; the commentary says, 'because based on the power of the body's transformation, three kinds of suffering are generated.' That is, the three sufferings rely on the three feelings, and the three feelings arise from contact; therefore, only when relying on the body's transformation can suffering arise, which is impermanence. The second is not relying on the power of food and drink, because physical appearance increases and decreases. The third, 'insecure', relies on the power of not guarding against various evils, such as premature death and the like. The fourth, 'decaying', relies on the power of the world's formation, because what is formed must perish. The fifth, 'not abiding long', relies on selflessness, meaning that the supports for living and their masters have no fixed power, belong to the five houses, do not abide in one place, and are not definitively 'mine', which conversely reveals the absence of a self. As for the latter four showing *what* is impermanent: impermanence is of two kinds: first, short-duration impermanence, which is instantaneous arising and ceasing; second, impermanence of self-nature not being truly established, meaning that conditioned arising across the three times is entirely devoid of self-nature, and thus does not form a real entity. This is shown by the following three phrases: (1) 'not arising from the past', because the past has already ceased; (2) 'not going toward the future', because the present ceases immediately, and cannot transfer from the present to the future; (3) 'not abiding in the present', because it changes and passes away from moment to moment, and looking for its mark of abiding is impossible. Regarding the change and perishing of the three times, looking for marks of arising and the like are all impossible; entering non-arising and non-ceasing is precisely the meaning of impermanence. Here, the three times are discussed in terms of the approach of continuity, as when the present body exists based on the past body, and so forth. If relying on the approach of arising and ceasing, it would flow from the storehouse of the future into the present and transition to the past; the two approaches are different. Second, from 'further contemplates' down clarifies the lack of a savior. The first phrase reveals it generally. The phrase 'these dharmas' refers to the aforementioned impermanence. Now contemplating it further, it does not go beyond birth, old age, sickness, and death; like mountains coming from the four directions, there is nowhere to flee, and no one can save them. Specifically there are nine phrases, based on birth, old age, sickness, and death. The first four reveal the lack of a savior in terms of death; because this mark is obvious, it is explained first. (1) 'Helpless', meaning before impermanence arrives, there is nowhere to turn to plead for rescue so that it does not arrive. (2) 'Accompanied by grief', meaning once impermanence arrives, there is no one who can save them, and because the mind fears death, it harbors grief. (3) 'Accompanied by lamentation', meaning the skandhas of life deteriorate, the marks of death appear before them, and in the meantime tears and sobs ever increase. (4) 'Dwelling together with suffering and affliction', meaning at the very moment of giving up life, the four great elements disperse, amidst the painful afflictions of the five sense organs, their strength is feeble, and furthermore pursued by grief and lamentation, sorrow and suffering intensify and burning anguish arises in the mind. The next two are about things supporting life: not knowing they are suffering, one falsely conceives them as pleasure, and antidotes cannot penetrate, hence there is no savior; that is, (5) pursuing the objects supporting life encounters agreeable and disagreeable conditions, and thus one is bound by love and hatred. (6) At the time of experiencing them, suffering is much and pleasure is little, called 'sorrow and dejection ever increase', meaning if received without dispersing, all calamities gather; if used and damaged, it is like damaging one's life, hence suffering is said to be much. (7) When the body ages, prime years and vigorous looks cannot be saved to remain accumulated. The last two are based on sickness. The first is the cause of sickness: (8) in youth and vigor, possessing the three feelings of pleasure and so forth, greed and other defilements constantly burn, not allowing the water of the Dharma, blazing and hard to rescue. (9) In declining years, entangled by myriad afflictions, like a rotting tree, day and night increasing, with no one able to deliver them. Sickness, however, runs from beginning to end, but because it is frequent in old age, the commentary speaks particularly of old age. Old age is the condition for sickness; hence the commentary says, 'The last three phrases all clarify matters of bodily affliction.' Why are they not stated at the beginning? To show that bodily afflictions occur frequently and can strike suddenly. 'Like an illusion, not real' summarizes the preceding nine.