大方廣佛華嚴經疏 44.17

44.17

Second, in the mountain simile for the pre-eminent virtue, there are four parts: first, generally raising the Dharma; next, below 'Just as, relying on...', generally revealing the simile; third, below 'Sons of the Buddha, just as the Snow Mountain...', the mutual revelation of Dharma and simile; fourth, below 'Sons of the Buddha, these ten jewel [mountains]...', the general conclusion of Dharma and simile. Now the first: saying 'relying on the Buddha's wisdom' means that for the sake of cultivating the impartial wisdom of the Buddha, various practices are initiated; since cultivation is not yet exhausted, each one becomes predominant according to the practice of the ten stages. This is indeed cultivating the non-differentiated to accomplish differentiation, using the root to govern the branches so they are not entirely segregated. Second, generally revealing the simile: the meaning of the simile can be understood. 'Bhidāra' (鞞陀黎) is translated here as 'Holding Various'. 'Yugaṃdhara' (由乾陀) is translated here as 'Holding Pairs'; reversing the words, it is 'Pair-Holding'. 'Nimiṃdhara' (尼民陀羅) is translated here as 'Holding the Rim'. 'Cakravāḍa' (斫迦羅) is called 'Enclosing Ring'. 'Ketumatī' (計都末底) is translated here as 'Wisdom of Banners'. Third, in the mutual revelation of Dharma and simile, speaking of the substance of the mountains: the first two are earthen mountains, and the remaining eight are made of jewels; hence the Treatise says, 'Herein, the purely clean jewel mountains illustrate the eight stages.' As the third stage is worldly, why is it called 'pure'? The Treatise says, 'Because the stage of revulsion is well purified; that is, being able to cultivate good to revile and subdue afflictions can also be considered pure, so it is illustrated by a jewel mountain.' If speaking of what is within the mountains, it clarifies that each has a predominant sense: for the first stage, the Dharma-medicine of noble wisdom; for the second stage, the fragrance of morality; for the third stage, dhyāna and the like are precious like jewels; for the fourth stage, world-transcending like ṛṣis; for the fifth stage, skillful and sovereign like yakṣas; for the sixth stage, because the cultivation of the four noble truths in the fifth stage resembles śrāvakas in cause-characteristics and has not yet surpassed them, the sixth stage surpasses them as the inexhaustible fruit; for the seventh stage, skillful means are like those nāga spirits, surpassing the previous cause of pratītyasamutpāda, which is called the fruit of a pratyekabuddha; for the eighth stage, the non-purposive mind is sovereign, so this host of sovereign beings is precisely the Guhyaka spirits; for the ninth stage, skillfully gathering sentient beings through marks of great power; for the tenth stage, the Buddha's virtues are like devas, being already purely refined. The Treatise says: 'The first three and the sixth are not in the category of sentient beings; the remainder are all in the category of sentient beings.' Regarding those not in the category of sentient beings, there are two kinds of affairs: first, the first two and the sixth are matters of enjoyment, sustaining the internal retribution. The third, jewels, is the matter of guarding and accumulating. Within enjoyment there are two: first, medicine is the remedy for the increase and decrease of the four great elements; second, fragrance and fruit nourish sentient beings, because gandharvas always feed on fragrance. Among the category of sentient beings, there are again six kinds of difficulties to be remedied: first, the five-superknowledges field of merit remedies the difficulty of poverty, because making offerings to those ṛṣis can produce merit; second, yakṣas remedy the difficulty of death, because their majestic authority restrains their retinue from harming humans; third, nāgas remedy the difficulty of famine, because they send down timely rains; fourth, the various sovereign beings remedy the difficulty of being untamed, because they tame those difficult to tame; fifth, asuras remedy the difficulty of bad karma, because by the power of incantations they restrain their retinues from committing evil deeds; sixth, devas of great majesty and virtue remedy the difficulty of asura enemies, because the Four Heavenly Kings and the Trāyastriṃśa devas dwell together on this mountain. The Treatise only shows the simile, whose meaning embraces the Dharma; now I briefly correlate them: the Dharma-medicine of the first stage, because it first shatters ignorance; the morality of the second stage and the undefiled wisdom of the sixth stage, because they sustain the dharmakāya; the dhyāna and the like of the third stage, because they can be accumulated; the aids to the path of the fourth stage, because they can produce merit; cultivating non-abiding in the fifth stage, because there is no permanent extinction; fulfilling effort in the seventh stage, because there is nothing lacking; attaining sovereignty in transforming the three realms in the eighth stage; well knowing the thickets and attaining unobstructed eloquence to shatter delusion and karma in the ninth stage; and being like the Buddha in subduing the four Māras in the tenth stage. That they are all said to be 'gathered therein' is because, like the things spoken of, they can produce all things. That they are 'inexhaustible' is because following in cultivation is never permanently severed and never pauses for a moment. Fourth, the general conclusion of Dharma and simile concludes the original intent. The original intent is twofold: first, since they together obtain distinct names within the one ocean of wisdom, differentiation is non-differentiation. Second, they mutually reveal each other: those ten great mountains obtain their pre-eminent names because of the ocean, for were they in another place, they would not suffice to be lofty. The great ocean also obtains its name of deep and vast because of the great mountains, for it contains these great meanings. The ten stages are also like this: because of cultivating the Buddha's wisdom they obtain high pre-eminence, and the Buddha's wisdom is also shown to be deep and vast only because the ten stages cannot exhaust it. Hence the Treatise says, 'Cause and fruit mutually reveal each other.' Previously it was said to 'rely on the earth', namely because the stage of all-knowledge generates, grows, and sustains. Here it is said to 'rely on the ocean', namely because the ocean of all-knowledge is deep and vast; because the mountains rely on two places and the Dharma contains two meanings, it is further revealed. Furthermore, the earth is merely relied upon, whereas the ocean additionally clarifies entry: each mountain plunges deeply into the great ocean, and each stage-wisdom enters the Buddha's wisdom. Furthermore, beneath each mountain there is earth, so within each stage there is the Buddha-stage. Furthermore, when mountains are in the ocean, the ocean is not the mountains; if mountains rely on the earth, the mountains are the earth. The correlation of the Dharma reveals the meaning of neither one nor different; contemplate this. Furthermore, when mountains emerge above the ocean, their heights differ; but if they enter into the ocean, their measures are all equal. The teaching and practice of the ten stages differ vastly in superiority and inferiority; but if they realize tathatā and enter wisdom, their measures are all equal.