大方廣佛華嚴經疏 48.32

48.32

Explicating the text has two parts: this chapter analyzes the cause, and the subsequent chapter clarifies the fruit. The former also has two parts: first, a direct clarification in prose; later, a re-elucidation in verse. The former also has two: first, the orthodox exposition; later, auspicious verification. The first also has two: first, clarifying the cause of the teaching; later, from 'O sons of the Buddha, I do not see...' onward, directly presenting the present meaning. The former also has two: first, indicating the brief exposition that preceded; later, investigating and explaining the reason. Now the first. That Samantabhadra speaks is because the person expresses the Dharma. The phrase 'as previously' has three meanings: First, it points closely to the preceding chapter on 'Minor Marks', where a minor portion of the functions of the minor marks was briefly spoken for sentient beings with heavy obstacles in the hells, an extensive exposition being inconceivable. Second, it refers generally to the fruit spoken of previously as a realm of minor portions, because the ocean of the fruit transcends words. Third, it distantly refers generally to differentiated causes and effects: although there is the meaning of perfect interpenetration, because the five stations are gradual and causes and effects are distinctly divided, following capacities to treat illnesses without exhausting the source of Dharma, they are called a minor portion; this then reveals that the cause and effect of equality below are spoken in accordance with the dharmatā, with cause and effect perfectly interpenetrating, which is called an extensive exposition. In the second, the investigation and explanation, the sense of the inquiry is: Why was what came before called a brief exposition? The explanatory text has two meanings: First, it completes the above: the reason the Buddhas, the Bhagavats, appear in the world is that sentient beings have the ten faults such as ignorance and it was not yet appropriate to speak extensively; hence they first clarified differentiations and so forth. Second, it gives rise to what follows: since the faults of sentient beings are manifold and their encumbering obstacles inexhaustible, one cure is all cures, and one manifestation is all manifestations; as sentient beings are inexhaustible, cause and effect also exhaust the future. What was accommodated previously was because they had not yet been exhausted. As for the ten faults: 1. Ignorance; 2. Performing evil actions—the Jin sūtra calls this 'various entanglements', which are also afflictions; these two are general. The next six are all ignorance: 3. Grasping at self and what belongs to self; 4. Clinging to the view of selfhood—hence the sixth stage says that receiving a body in the world is all due to clinging to self; 5. Inability to resolve the three inversions, four inversions, and so on; 6. Perversely straying from the correct principle; 7. Conceptual discrimination (parikalpa); 8. Fetters constantly accompanying them; 9. Flowing along the current of saṃsāra, which applies to both karma and suffering, as flowing along causes and flowing along effects; 10. Being distant from the Tathāgata's path, because of traveling on deviant paths; this concludes their failure. The names of fetters and so on are as usually analyzed.