大方廣佛華嚴經疏 40.4

40.4

In the third section, on mutual assistance of one's own activity, there are also three parts. First, concerning the contemplation in terms of the truth of marks, the two gates below correspond to the contemplation of cause. The contemplation of cause has two kinds: first, the contemplation of other-cause; second, the contemplation of self-cause. Master Yuan said: 'Because formations differ when compared to ignorance, this is termed "other-cause"; generating subsequent ignorance from previous ignorance is termed "self-cause". Other-cause makes a little sense, but self-cause has difficulties. For the treatise says, "As for the contemplation of self-cause, apart from the prior limb there is no posterior limb," and the sūtra states, "Ignorance as condition is able to generate formations."' Now I say: 'other-cause' means completely depending on a prior limb to give rise to a posterior limb; this is to exclude svabhāva (self-nature). In the contemplation of great compassion, it excludes the primordial nature (pradhāna); in the contemplation of all marks, it is called skillful means. Being generated only from ignorance giving rise to formations is called 'self-cause'; this excludes other causes being able to generate formations. It is just like curd definitely being produced from milk and not coming from a stone. The contemplation of great compassion refutes causes such as Īśvara, while the wisdom of all marks reveals the characteristics of causes and conditions. The intention of the three contemplations differs slightly, but the gist of the text is largely identical; the past masters did not consult the treatise text and arbitrarily made differing explanations. Now, this one gate is precisely the contemplation of other-cause. The sūtra explains that each [limb] has two activities: one is its own activity, and the other is assisting and completing. As for both being called 'other': it is especially because ignorance is deluded about its intentional object that it becomes the cause of formations; if one understood the intentional object, how could one produce deluded formations? Furthermore, first explaining one's own activity reveals the meaning of 'other'; second, explaining the generation of what follows reveals the meaning of 'cause'. The remaining eleven limbs are to be understood in imitation of this. Now, the cause of arising is precisely the predominant condition (adhipati-pratyaya); naming conditions as 'causes' is spoken from a general sense, since among the four conditions, between each limb and the next, the predominant condition is definitely present. In the Pratītyasamutpāda-sūtra and in this text, it only explains that this one exists; the presence or absence of the other three conditions is indefinite, so it is briefly omitted. That is, craving with respect to grasping, and existence with respect to birth, have the meaning of cause-condition (hetu-pratyaya), because an increase of craving becomes grasping, and an increase of consciousness becomes existence. If it is said that the limb of consciousness is the seed of karma, then formations with respect to consciousness also act as a cause-condition; among the other limbs, there is no meaning of cause-condition. When the Abhidharmasamuccaya says that ignorance with respect to formations has a cause-condition, it is spoken based on the karmic habit-energy at the time of ignorance being conjoined with ignorance; metaphorically speaking of ignorance, it is actually the seed of formations. When the Yogācārabhūmi says that the limbs mutually have no cause-condition, it is spoken based on present craving and grasping being solely karmic existence. Mutually comparing the above four positions explains the presence of cause-conditions: the first two are definite and real, the next one is indefinite, and the last is metaphorical. Ignorance with respect to formations, craving with respect to grasping, and birth with respect to aging-and-death have the other two conditions, all because their active manifestations are related to each other, bringing them about without interval, and because the mind of volition in formations and so on can reciprocally cognize an object. Existence with respect to birth, and feeling with respect to craving, lack the equal-immediate condition but have the object-condition, because seeds are compared to active manifestations, and the generated active manifestation turns back to take the seed as its object. Comparing the other limbs, neither exists. Here, it is provisionally explained according to immediate adjacency in forward order without mutual confusion, in terms of actual conditioned arising. When compared differently from this, their acting as conditions is indefinite, because the reverse and forward orders each have regular succession as well as skipping over intervals. Since acting as conditions has many different senses, the sūtra speaks from what is definitely present by selecting the essentials; furthermore, speaking in terms of 'cause' already contains the other three. The initial self-activity of each of the twelve limbs does not differ from the previous two gates. The treatise master only explained the two activities of aging-and-death because, this being difficult, he cited one to exemplify the rest. However, ignorance has no cause and aging-and-death has no fruit; therefore the preceding eleven each act as the cause of arising for the subsequent limb. If aging-and-death has no fruit, for what does it act as a cause? The purport of the sūtra text reveals that it acts as the cause for ignorance, in which case ignorance is not without a cause, and aging-and-death is not without a fruit; hence it says that because of not being aware, continuity is unbroken. 'Not being aware' is precisely ignorance. Therefore, the twelve links of conditioned arising are like a continuous ring or a well-wheel, without interruption, inversely showing that if one is able to be aware, there is no more birth and death. The treatise master generally takes the two activities as the cause of future birth; hence he says that destroying the body of the five aggregates can act as the cause of future birth because of not seeing and knowing. Acting as the cause of future birth means that once the previous aggregates perish, the subsequent aggregates arise, so the first serves as a cause. The subsequent meaning of not knowing is precisely ignorance; with ignorance as cause, the twelve limbs continue without interruption. Those who do not see this meaning speak in vain. Second, concerning the contemplation of great compassion in accord with [the world]: among the four contemplations, the four sections below explain the third, seeking liberation in divergent paths. The treatise says: 'There are three kinds of inverted causes: cause in nature, cause in Īśvara, and cause in ascetic practice, as well as uncausedness.' Here there are four causes, which are refuted in turn by the four gates. The first three are erroneous causes, so they are together called 'inverted'. First, 'nature' is the primordial nature (pradhāna); the Sāṃkhyas posit this as the cause to be known, claiming that knowing this primordial nature brings liberation. Earlier it was said that seeking liberation in an alien place reveals its principle to be erroneous; although here it is called 'what is known', the intention lies in the error of their practice. Second, Kakuda [Kātyāyana] posits the god Īśvara as the cause to be sought, claiming that when Īśvara is angry, sentient beings experience suffering, and when Īśvara is pleased, sentient beings experience happiness; thus one seeks his pleasure. Third, Sañjaya posits ascetic practice as the cause to be cultivated, claiming that merely cultivating ascetic practice to repay past karma brings liberation. Fourth, 'uncausedness', which is Ajita [Kesakambalī] positing that sentient beings do not attain things through causes and that all phenomena are spontaneous; if one knows this, one attains liberation. Sentient beings seek in the divergent paths of the above erroneous causes and uncausedness. The sūtra wishes to crush the erroneous with the correct, so it raises the four gates to make them seek within them, and not seek within the above erroneous views. This gate precisely refutes the primordial nature: the limbs of existence in conditioned arising, each having two kinds of activity, are able to generate those affairs of conditioned arising and do not originate from the primordial nature; hence, if one severs the condition of a prior limb, the posterior limb will not continue, and in a single lifetime one attains liberation. Even if you understand your primordial nature for eighty thousand kalpas, there is no time of liberation. Third, concerning the contemplation of the wisdom of all marks: this corresponds to the third, the contemplation of skillful means. The limbs of existence in conditioned arising each have two activities as the skillful means for raising what follows; if one eliminates each preceding one, each subsequent one will not arise, which is the skillful means for liberation.