大方廣佛華嚴經疏 42.5

42.5

Regarding the fourth main section, the Division on Purifying Lands: Question: The sūtra merely says, "With great wisdom of expedient means, observing all, he knows in accordance with reality," and expounds extensively on the functions of transforming births and responding with forms. In the *Yogācāra-bhūmi-śāstra*, among the ten masteries, the gate of wisdom is first initiated, and thereafter it only says that one obtains the wisdom of multiplying bodies. Why does the treatise master designate this as the Division on Purifying Lands? Answer: Purifying lands has two aspects: first, the cause that can purify; second, the fruit that is purified. Here there are two pairs: 1. The fruit of pure marks—meaning jewel adornments and the like—takes the practice of karmic actions as its cause, meaning a straightforward mind and so forth; 2. The fruit of pure mastery—meaning the perfect interpenetration of the three realms and so forth—takes the actions of virtue as its cause, meaning the samādhi of pure lands and so forth. Here it is understood according to the latter pair. Now, the karmic practice of a pure land first arises in an ordinary person and is perfected in the ten stages; the virtuous practice of a pure land first arises in the Immovable [Stage] and concludes in the Tathāgata. The text is divided into three parts: 1. the practice of mastery over the container realm; 2. the practice of mastery over the realm of sentient beings; 3. the practice of mastery over the realm of wisdom and sambodhi. The first is the locus of transformation, the next is those who are transformed, and the last is that which can transform. Only when possessing the latter two purities is it called a pure land. However, the first is mostly treated according to that which can purify, while the latter two are mostly treated according to that which is purified; the text merely implies each in the other. In the first part, there are two: First, a general identification. Effortless wisdom is the observing wisdom, and the sphere traversed by wisdom is the observed; skill in expedient means is the cause of effortless [activity]. Cultivating effortlessness in the seventh stage, one now attains mastery. Next, from "That is to say" onward, its marks are specifically revealed. There are five kinds of mastery: 1. according to the mind's desire; 2. according to what is desired; 3. according to the time desired; 4. according to the desire for breadth or narrowness; 5. according to the quantity of the mind's desire. As for the first: observing the formation and destruction of the world, the treatise says "according to what the mind desires." Because of "his being able to manifest or not manifest," this is explained in terms of that which can purify. In the treatise, "following" [refers to] following one's own mind's desire; "knowing" means being able to know, hence it is explained in terms of that which is purified. In the treatise, according to sentient beings' mental predilections, for those who wish to see, [the land] manifests formation or manifests destruction; for those who do not wish to see, it does not manifest. Therefore, when the sūtra speaks of "observing and knowing," it pertains solely to the cause. The treatise master wishes to reveal that the meaning embraces the fruit as well; hence he says "manifesting in accordance," which is mastery of transformation. The four passages below on manifesting in accordance are to be understood by analogy. Second, from "By this karma" onward, it explains [mastery] according to what is desired: that is, according to whatever karma creatures desire to know formation and destruction by, he is able to manifest it all. Third, from "In how long a time it is formed" onward, it explains [mastery] according to the time desired: that is, according to the length or brevity of the time, he is able to manifest it. If considered in terms of that which can purify, this is the wisdom of conforming to time. For instance, this world is formed over twenty kalpas: in the first kalpa the container [realm] is formed, and in the remainder sentient beings are formed. Its destruction also takes twenty: first sentient beings are destroyed, and in the last one the container [realm] is destroyed. Both correspond to phenomena and correspond to noumenon; this is called knowing in accordance with reality. Fourth, from "He also knows the earth" onward, it is according to the desire for breadth or narrowness, because he is able to manifest them. Within the text there are three: first, knowing the distinctions among the four great elements, which are the broad marks; second, from "knowing subtle dust" onward, which is knowing the narrow marks; third, from "According to whatever earth and water exist in a world" onward, knowing that which forms and that which is formed, which doubly clarifies the broad and narrow marks. In the first: small marks are not the realm of the retribution-consciousness of the stage of meditative absorption. Great marks are the realm of the stage of meditative absorption, up to the fourth dhyāna's cognizing of the trichiliocosm. Immeasurable [marks] are the realm of the Tathāgata. The above three are divisions of phenomena, all known by the wisdom of the objective sphere. As for the marks of distinction, being divisions of phenomena, they are known by the wisdom of marks, knowing the distinctions between their specific marks and common marks. The rest can be easily understood by analogy. Second, in knowing dust: the subtle dust is that which penetrates gold. In the treatise text it next speaks of coarse marks, which are dust in sunbeams. The distinctions are as above. As for immeasurable distinctions: because a single mote of dust contains many phenomena. Coarseness and subtlety of dust apply to both the concentrated and the distracted, hence it does not say small and large. Third, in knowing that which forms and that which is formed, there are two: first, generally knowing the internal and external; second, from "knowing hells" onward, specifically explaining the six destinies. This is what the *Laṅkāvatāra-sūtra* reproached as not being questioned, meant to show the exhaustion of the profound; moreover, it says they are without self-nature. Fifth, from "He also knows the desire realm" onward, it explains [mastery] according to the quantity of the mind's desire, being able to manifest it. In the text there are two: first, in terms of mastery through knowing by wisdom. Above, large and small were discussed by comparing the three realms to one another; now, large and small are distinguished within a single realm itself. In the desire realm, the human sphere is small and the deva sphere is large; in the form realm, initial and sustained thought are small, and freedom from initial and sustained thought is large; in the formless realm, the treatise says that in the Buddha-Dharma the ordinary sphere is small, while that of śrāvakas and bodhisattvas is large—this specifically says "in the Buddha-Dharma" in order to distinguish it from non-Buddhists who falsely grasp it as nirvāṇa. All three realms as known by the Tathāgata are called immeasurable marks.