大方廣佛華嚴經疏 37.4

37.4

Second is the result of the station. The three results constitute three distinctions. First, within the result of flexibility there are three: first, the essence of the flexible practice; second, from "This bodhisattva, regarding the four means of embracing..." onward, the distinct characteristics of the practice on this stage; third, from "O sons of the Buddha, this is called..." onward, the concluding explanation of the stage's characteristics. In the former, there are the statement of principle, the simile, and the application. In the statement of principle, there are three parts: first, the conditions for refining practice; second, from "All with..." onward, explaining that which can refine practice; third, from "The fetter of views..." onward, explaining the purity that is refined. In the second, there is first the practice of merit, next the practice of dedication, and finally the cultivation of the practice of wisdom. The statement "contemplating all dharmas as unarising and unceasing" refers to the contemplation of dharmatā. Because in pure dharmas one does not see an increase, afflictions do not arise; because in false conceptualizations one does not see a decrease, they do not cease to exist through causes and conditions. This has two meanings: first, it establishes the above: since pure dharmas arise from conditions, there is nothing that can increase; since false dharmas cease from conditions, there is nothing that can decrease. Second, in terms of not destroying phenomenal marks: although the essence does not arise or cease, it does not obstruct arising and ceasing; because afflictions and false conceptualizations cease in reliance upon the causes and conditions of the antidotes, they cease; because progressively superior, pure prajñā manifests before them, it arises. Since all dharmas do not arise, prajñā arises; thus one knows that because all dharmas do not cease, false conceptualizations cease. Applying this to what follows, the cessation of the fetter of views and so on is the cessation of non-cessation. Furthermore, because worldly [qualities] are fulfilled in this third stage, within meditative absorption one performs this real contemplation, generating the wisdom of the unarising practice for the subsequent stage, which is precisely the wisdom of skillful, definitive observation. Third, in the purity that is refined: first it explains severing delusions, and later it distinguishes the subtle from the coarse. In the former, the five fetters are the afflictions of the five entrenchments; if the forms and existence are combined, they are the four fetters, because they bind sentient beings. They are also called the four floods. "The fetter of views is first extinguished" because the path of seeing of the first stage has already severed discriminative delusions. "All desires and so forth": the commentary says, "All three fetters on the path of cultivation and their causes, together with the latent impressions of ignorance, are all rendered slight and weak." This refers to the active manifestations and seeds of the three fetters of the affliction obstacle, which is why it says "their causes". They are extinguished together with the seeds of the obstacle to knowables of that stage, which is why it says "together with the latent impressions of ignorance". "Latent impressions" means the seeds; *Yogācārabhūmi*, fascicle 48, says: "Because desire and greed are abandoned, there is no fetter of desire; because dhyāna and equipoise are relinquished, the fetter of existence is severed." Later, from "in immeasurable..." onward, it distinguishes the subtle from the coarse. This means that the subtle is severed: because for many kalpas one does not accumulate the three unwholesome roots, the subtle seeds are gradually severed, and the wholesome roots become increasingly purified. "Many kalpas": the *Humane King Sūtra* states that the first stage passes through four asaṃkhyeya kalpas, the second stage five, and the third stage six; because the subtle obstacles are difficult to sever, the kalpas passed through become increasingly numerous; because they are not accumulated over many kalpas, wrong greed and the like are severed. However, it only severs subtle latent impressions, not coarse ones; coarse obstacles of the path of seeing are already severed on the first stage, and coarse obstacles of cultivation are already severed on the second stage. The wholesome roots becoming increasingly purified refers to the aforementioned faith and so forth. In the simile, "not diminishing in weight" means that revulsion toward the worldly exceeds that of the previous stage, and faith and so forth enter into the fire of revulsion, so that mastery is neither lost nor diminished. In the third, the application, there are two parts: first, properly applying the purity of the previous practice; second, from "This bodhisattva..." onward, specifically revealing the purity of patience. On this stage patience increases, so it is specifically explained. There are thirteen minds. The first two phrases are the summary: first, being able to endure when others inflict evil and insults upon oneself; second, skillfully guarding the minds of others—that is, when others oppress me with hardness and stubbornness, I treat them with softness and harmony. The subsequent phrases explain these two in detail. First, two minds explain skillfully guarding the minds of others: first, the harmoniously compliant mind—when others commit evil toward the bodhisattva, they suspect the bodhisattva harbors anger, so the bodhisattva appears as their companion and harmonizes with them; second, the pleasing mind—using loving words to instruct and entice them. Next, three minds explain enduring the infliction of evil: namely, when evil is inflicted physically one does not become angry; when verbally disgraced one's mind is unmoved; and when envied and harmed, grief and affliction cannot pollute one, because one's capacity is compared to a reservoir of ten thousand qing. Next, three minds set forth the causes for the above two. "Without high or low": because one has long been free from arrogance in the past, one does not elevate oneself or demean the other, and thereby one can gently and harmoniously guard others. The last two are the causes for not altering [one's forbearance] when evil is inflicted: first, not expecting repayment of kindness, one benefits others and endures when insulted; second, always mindful of kindness received, one repays small kindnesses greatly; sentient beings have been kind to me, so as a matter of principle one ought to endure. The last three minds reveal the above two minds: although compliant in freedom from obstacles and guarding others, one is not flattering, for it is genuinely for their benefit; with an undeceptive mind, there is no concealing, flattery, or deceit, and thus no hypocrisy. Hypocrisy means flattery and crookedness. The rest can be understood.