大方廣佛華嚴經疏 37.2

37.2

Second, from "Sons of the Buddha..." downward, attaining the five superknowledges explains the fruit of the practice's functional efficacy. Previously, internally one harbored the mind of benevolent salvation; here, externally one manifests the function of rescuing sentient beings. Speaking from the majority case, it is merely for delivering those of erroneous reliance. Wondrous function that is difficult to fathom is called "supernatural" (shen); mastery without impediment is called "knowledge" (tong). In the text there are five: 1. supernatural power, 2. divine ear, 3. knowing the minds of others, 4. recollection of past abodes, and 5. divine eye. Being lodged in conformity with the worldly, only five are attained. External forms and internal bodies are all the domains of the supernatural; transforming into manifold kinds, they exclusively receive the name "supernatural." It is also called the "base of supernatural power" (ṛddhipāda), because it is accomplished through the support of desire, diligence, mind, and contemplation. It is also called "as-one-wishes" (r̥ddhi), because it is accomplished according to one's wish. The other names are easy to understand. If we speak of their essence, the superknowledges are mental factors of wisdom; specifically, the first four are gnosis (jñāna), and the last one is vision (dṛṣṭi). Vision is also gnosis, but because seeing clearly conforms to the meaning of the eye, it is specifically designated as vision. Elsewhere, the divine eye is placed after supernatural power. This is to show that for one's own cultivation, one first perfects the superior function of one's own faculties, next knows the minds of others, and later knows past karma. Here, it is explained with reference to the three karmic activities of benefiting others, which is why the divine eye is placed last: the first is physical karma, arriving at the place of those ready for transformation; the next two are verbal karma, as the divine ear hears the Buddha preaching the Dharma and hears the local dialects of the multitudes, and through the knowledge of others' minds, having fully known all their various sounds and speeches, one takes the Dharma previously heard and adapts it to the differences of their local dialects, further imparting it to them in whichever differing words are suitable; the last two are mental karma: recollection of past abodes knows what realm and lineage they belonged to in the past; the divine eye sees their distant or near attainment of benefit in the future, adapting to transform them accordingly. The rest is as analyzed in the "Chapter on the Ten Superknowledges." Now, the first, the superknowledge of physical power, has two parts in the text: first, a general explanation; later, from "able to shake..." downward, specific revelations. In the general part, saying "attains" refers to general cultivation and general attainment. Following fascicle thirty-three of the Yogācārabhūmi, after attaining the four dhyānas, cultivating each separately involves imaginative designations, which means separate cultivation and separate attainment. Since this is lodged in the sequence of stages, separation does not conflict either; however, the superknowledges rely on the four dhyānas, mostly relying on the fourth. In the later specific part, three kinds of mastery are attained: first, worldly mastery, shaking the great earth; second, from "with one body..." downward, mastery over the body; third, from "stone walls..." downward, mastery over activities. Second, the superknowledge of the divine ear. First, it generally identifies its essence, saying the divine ear is purified. "Purified" has two meanings: first, being free from desire-realm dharmas and attaining the dhyānas, it is created from the pure great elements induced thereby; second, being free from obstacles, it hears thoroughly and accurately. Because of this, it is said to "surpass the human ear." From "hears all..." downward reveals its function, explaining the meaning of surpassing humans, because it knows both the distant and the subtle. Third, in the superknowledge of knowing the minds of others, there are three parts: first, generally knowing the minds of others, which extends to the king [mind] and mental factors; next, from "namely..." downward, specific kinds; later, from "the bodhisattva thus..." downward, the conclusion. In the specific part, twenty-six mental dispositions are each different; however, excluding the four minds of "small" and so forth, the rest are all alternating explanations of obstacles and remedies, with wholesome and unwholesome shown in contrast. Generally they are subsumed into nine: 1. With the first six minds, secondary afflictions are explained; that is, arising presently in accordance with conditions and being associated with affliction, they are called "secondary" (sui), not termed "secondary" on account of minor defilements. Saying "having greed" means being bound by the entanglement of greed regarding pleasing objects; "free from greed" means being far removed from such entanglement of greed. The four below are understood by analogy. These are precisely the three unwholesome roots and the three wholesome roots functioning as their remedies. The treatise now regards the remedies as also arising because of afflictions, so they are all called secondary afflictions; the latencies below are also like this. 2. Two minds, "having affliction" and so on, explain the latencies, which are precisely the dormant afflictions (anuśaya). 3. Four minds, "small" and so on, are called "arising," explained with reference to indeterminate retribution minds. The human mind is small, the desire devas' is extensive, the form devas' is great, and the two liberations of the formless realm are immeasurable, because they produce the mental characteristics of boundless space and consciousness. The upper two do not do this, hence they are not immeasurable. That the treatise does not explain the upper two formless spheres is because it means to clarify that they are "nothingness" and "obscure/inferior," or they are subsumed under abbreviated and non-abbreviated. 4. Four minds study the practice of samādhi. "Abbreviated" means that through the practice of calming, one binds one's mind to an internal object. "Non-abbreviated" means it is overly sunken and obscure, or not fixed on a single object. "Distracted" means overly elevated, scattering along with the five wondrous sensory desires. "Non-distracted" means clearly manifest regarding a wondrous object. The first two concern concentration, the latter two concern wisdom; when concentration and wisdom are equal, it is called samāhita. The treatise's sūtra combines them into two, named "gathered" and "ungathered"; hence the treatise explains them as distracted and non-distracted. 5. Two minds explain attaining samādhi: "concentrated" means directly entering the fundamental concentration; "unconcentrated" means before entering and when emerging. 6. Two minds explain attaining liberation: having bondage and being free from bondage. 7. Two minds: other ordinary beings with excessive pride are analogized by the preceding; others, having attained the four dhyānas, think they are the four fruits, which is coarse habitual practice and is called "surpassable" (sa-uttara); being without this is subtle habitual practice and is called "unsurpassable" (anuttara). 8. Two minds, false practice and correct practice; the treatise's sūtra names them "seeking" and "not seeking." The mind seeking fame is precisely defilement; the opposite of this is non-defilement. 9. Two minds: Mahāyāna attainment and loss; combining both compassion and wisdom is "broad"; lacking either is not broad. The treatise lacks these two. The above nine categories do not go beyond three kinds: the first two are afflictions; the next one is suffering; the rest are all karma, karma being simply wholesome or unwholesome. They are also the four noble truths, opening liberation as cessation and wholesome karma as the path. Knowing them all "as they really are" means being accurate regarding phenomenal facts because of seeing the truth of noumenon. Nor is it seeing dharmas outside the mind, nor is it that there is no object to be known. If the characteristics of self and other are eliminated, then one is of the same single essence with the minds of sentient beings, so there is nothing outside the mind. Not destroying subject and object, one is therefore able to know. Furthermore, others' minds is general, while the rest are specific. With the six characteristics perfectly interpenetrating, this is the true knowing of the Ekayāna. Fourth, the superknowledge of the recollection of past abodes. First, it generally identifies what can recollect, which is the gnosis of past abodes; next, from "namely..." downward, specific revelations; later, from "such past..." downward, the general conclusion. In the specific part, first, what matters are recollected? That is, matters during one life up to many kalpas; this reveals the time period of recollection. Next, from "I once..." downward, how are they recollected? That is, the differentiated characteristics recollected. Recollecting their different names in the causal stage; "clan name" refers to the surname of the father and mother's house, like Kāśyapa and so forth; "caste" refers to high or low, such as kṣatriya, etc.; the rest can be known. Fifth, the superknowledge of the divine eye. The treatise names it the superknowledge of the gnosis of birth and death, differentiating them based on faculty and object. First, generally revealing what can see. What can see? The divine eye. "Purified" means seeing accurately. "Surpassing humans" means seeing far. Next, from "sees all..." downward, specifically revealing what is seen. First, seeing the fruit of the fundamental existence of birth and death, and the cause of following karma. From "if those sentient beings..." downward, how are they seen? Specifically seeing the differences of cause and fruit, as analyzed under the second stage regarding the precepts that gather wholesome dharmas. From "the bodhisattva..." downward is the conclusion.