大方廣佛華嚴經疏 42.4

42.4

Second, concerning the benefit of the exhortation, there are the statement of dharma, simile, and application. In the statement of dharma there are three: 1. Reiterating the preceding granting of wisdom to demonstrate the cause of the benefit; hence the treatise says, 'Because the cause of gathering merit in that practice is supreme. Why is it supreme? Because all Buddhas together offer instructional speech.' 2. From 'in a single...' onward, the swiftness of giving rise to practice. 3. From 'Why is this so?' onward, explaining the reason for the swiftness, meaning previously there was only a single body, so over a long period it was inferior; but in this stage, the body in a single thought-moment equals immeasurable [bodies]. For single-thought sudden transcendence there are eleven phrases: the first ten explain distinctly, and the last one concludes generally. Among the ten: the first six are based on teaching and transforming sentient beings; the next two are based on self-accumulating aids to the path; the last two are based on the purification of hindrances. Among the ten: 1. Multiple bodies appearing in accordance [with needs]. The reason they are multiple is that the treatise says, 'Because all bodhisattvas' bodies are resolved in faith to be like one's own single body.' This means wisdom tallies with the identical essence, and thus one can turn one into many. This is what the real retribution [body] can do, unlike the apparitions of previous stages. This is in contrast to the single body before. The remaining voices and so forth, in contrast to the previous arising of practice, are similarly immeasurable. 2. Perfect sounds preaching in accordance; 3. Wisdom according to what is known; 4. Taking birth according to which class [of beings]; 5. According to which land is appropriate; 6. According to which class of sentient beings is to be transformed; 7. According to making offerings to amass the aids to the path of merit; 8. According to which Dharma portal is entered to amass the aids to the path of wisdom; 9. According to the purification of hindrances to supernormal powers; 10. According to the purification of hindrances to wisdom; thus one can abide in immeasurable assemblies to preach the Dharma in accordance with faculties. All say 'in accordance with' because acting according to what is fitting is not single, explaining the word 'immeasurable'. The meaning of 'in accordance with time' is grand indeed! In the concluding explanation of the last one: first it concludes, meaning the arising of practices is manifold and does not depart from the three karmas; then, by saying 'because of the unmoving dharma', it explains. Because of having no marks, no effort, and no interruption, marks and functions are unmoving and spontaneously assembled. In the simile, the ship illustrates the swiftness of that practice. The treatise says: 'One should know it manifests the supremacy of the cause,' explaining the reason for the swiftness. A ship is swift because it enters the ocean; practice is swift because it enters non-arising. In the application: first, applying the ship not yet reaching the ocean corresponds to the previous seven stages. Next, from 'reaching the bodhisattva...' onward applies reaching the ocean, which is the wisdom of non-arising of the eighth stage. Because it is also practice, it is called the ocean of practice. Moreover, being suddenly able to arise everywhere, being both profound and vast, it can also be called an ocean. Effortless wisdom is applied to the wind above. The realm of all-knowing knowledge shows its tending toward the fruit. What was absent in the previous simile was that the wisdom of non-arising is identical with the ocean of Buddha's wisdom, so the simile makes no distinction. From 'originally having' onward, it applies to the preceding comparison.