大方廣佛華嚴經疏 47.23

47.23

Third, the central theme and purport: first general, then specific. In general, taking the exposition of the essence and function of the Buddha's fruition virtues—which transcend thought and speech—as the central theme; and causing one to completely forget words and cut off thoughts, swiftly fulfilling [them], as the purport. Specifically, within the central theme, there are three gates of differentiation: First, comprehensively discerning the Buddha's virtues. If one speaks of the one hundred and forty unshared Buddha-dharmas, this pertains commonly to the provisional and the Hinayāna; if the five dharmas subsume the nature of great awakening, this still pertains to the provisional; if one says there is only a single flavor of actual virtue, that is spoken abruptly in terms of noumenon. If one says that it is endowed with inexhaustible virtues, this is what is clarified here. Thus, later in the text, it first sets forth ten questions, the answers are endowed with many gates, by analogy extending throughout the ten directions, each and every one inexhaustible. Second, specifically revealing the aspects of their meaning. The merits of the Buddhas do not go beyond two kinds: first, arisen through cultivation; second, fundamentally existing. The first means that faith and so forth fundamentally did not exist and now exist; the latter means that tathatā is endowed with nature-merits. These two are unobstructed, forming four propositions: 1. Only arisen through cultivation; 2. Only fundamentally existing—because nature and marks are distinct domains; 3. Arisen through cultivation of what fundamentally exists—meaning the tathāgatagarbha awaits the revealing cause, being fundamentally hidden and now made manifest; 4. What fundamentally exists arisen through cultivation—because non-conceptual wisdom is secretly identical with noumenon. If clarified according to the provisional teachings, the two virtues are not mixed, and the four propositions on the dharma[kāya] and reward [kāya] also have discrepancies. Relying on the tenets of this sūtra, although there are four meanings, there are not four separate things: what fundamentally exists is like pure gold, and what is arisen through cultivation is like ornate adornments; yet it is only through the ornate adornments that the virtue of the gold is revealed, and the ornate adornments have no substance of their own, being completely composed of gold. Therefore, gold alone does not obstruct ornate adornments, and the dharmakāya alone does not obstruct the reward and transformation [bodies]; the same is true for the ornate adornments alone. Since they mutually subsume each other entirely, the ten bodies are unobstructed, the eight marks encompass the dharmadhātu, and the sixteen-foot body pervades the ten directions. The faculties and hair-pores are each limitless and yet do not obstruct limit, limit and limitlessness having no obstruction. Third, revealing the meaning of the inconceivable. Generally, there are four: 1. Noumenon is subtle and hard to fathom; 2. Phenomena are vast and hard to know; 3. Practice is deep and transcends the world; 4. Fruition and function surpass conventional sentiments. The present text encompasses all four, but primarily discerns the latter one. Within the latter one, it is further divided into four: 1. What is inconceivable? Briefly discerning ten kinds: 1) Wisdom transcends the worldly sphere; 2) Compassion surpasses ordinary sentiments; 3) Accomplishing phenomena without conceptualization; 4) Being identical with defilement yet eternally pure; 5) Deeds that are esoteric; 6) Activities and functions that are vast; 7) Few and many are immediately entering; 8) Freedom in the partial and the complete; 9) Non-obstruction between the circumstantial and direct [rewards]; 10) Noumenon and phenomena having a single flavor. The text contains all of these; fearing verbosity, I do not cite them. 2. In what respect is it inconceivable? Here there are four stations: 1) Surpassing the mundane world; 2) Transcending the provisional and Hinayāna; 3) Surpassing the stage of the cause; 4) Revealing the own-essence of the Dharma. 3. How is it inconceivable? There are also four kinds, meaning it is not the cognitive domain of hearing, contemplation, cultivation, or reward-wisdom. 4. For what purpose is it inconceivable? There are also four kinds, meaning to cause faith and orientation; to give rise to practice and seeking; to realize according to one's capacity; and to attain in full completion. All the preceding constitute the central theme. Only 'for what purpose' constitutes the purport. It is through this central theme and purport that the title may be explained.