大方廣佛華嚴經疏 55.35

55.35

Fourth, from "At that time, the bodhisattva Mañjuśrī, like an elephant king" onward, the Great Sage instructs him again to accomplish his practice of superior progress. The text divides into four parts: 1. briefly praising and briefly instructing; 2. extensively questioning and extensively answering; 3. pointing toward the subsequent friend; 4. recollecting kindness and taking leave. Now, the first: first, praising. First, praising the initial resolve: the initial resolve occurred in the preceding prose. Second, praising approaching friends: the questioning on practice occurred in the preceding verses. Then, from "Good man, approaching" onward, he instructs him to go and approach friends. Why is approaching friends the primary cause of the knowledge of all modes (sarvākārajñatā)? Without people to propagate the Dharma, even with wisdom one cannot understand it; therefore, below in [the meeting with] Desheng, its characteristics are extensively revealed. The Mahāparinirvāṇa-sūtra, scroll 20, states: "Among the proximate causes and conditions for all sentient beings to attain anuttarasamyaksaṃbodhi, none comes before good friends," and it goes on extensively to take this as the full share, and so forth. None does not have a beginning, but few can see it through to the end; having served through much time, one should therefore not grow remiss. Second, from "Sudhana addressed" onward, in extensively questioning and extensively answering, first is questioning, then answering. Now, the first has eleven phrases. Compared to the preceding verses, the text has two aspects: first, the former was specific and this is general, meaning that one generally cultivates and learns the specific practices such as the preceding compassion and wisdom; second, the former was horizontal and this is vertical, meaning that practices such as compassion and wisdom are cultivated alike in stage after stage, proceeding toward fulfillment and so forth, from beginning to end. Regarding these phrases, the first two are general; therefore, among the subsequent friends below, mostly only these are cited. That is, whether studying understanding or studying practice, beginning cultivation or ending cultivation, all are called "cultivating and studying" (xiuxue), because only when causes are perfected is there no more study (aśaikṣa), and when fruition is full is there no more cultivation. Furthermore, "studying" subsumes understanding, and "cultivating" subsumes practice; the two phrases have already encompassed understanding and practice completely. The remaining nine phrases are specific: 1. initially proceeding toward; 2. undertaking cultivation in immediate engagement with phenomena; 3. remedying hindrances and leaving faults behind; 4. distinctly penetrating and realizing; 5. attaining completely; 6. according with persons and Dharmas; 7. uninterrupted throughout prolonged periods; 8. cultivating without remainder; 9. ultimate fulfillment. If matched vertically: the ten abodes can proceed because of understanding; the ten practices are correct practice; the ten dedications can purify hindrances through Samantabhadra's compassionate vows; the first stage is initial entry into tathatā; the second, third, and fourth stages accomplish mundane and supramundane practices alike; the fifth, sixth, and seventh stages are able to accord with the mundane; the eighth stage is without effort, without thought, and without interruption; the ninth stage understands the thickets of mentalities to bring vast benefit; and the tenth stage and equal enlightenment finally reach fulfillment. Being unobstructed horizontally and vertically is the intent of the questions. Second, from "At that time, Mañjuśrī" onward is the answer. Within it are two parts: first, praising specifically and instructing specifically through verses; second, praising generally and instructing generally in the prose. Now, the first: the ten verses divide into five: First, two verses praise his resolve. Within these, the first two lines praise generally; the next three lines indicate the essence of this resolve, which is three kinds of mind: compassion to rescue below, wisdom to seek above, and great vows as master. Thus Maitreya says: "In the lamp of bodhicitta, great compassion is the oil, great vows are the wick, and its light illuminates the dharmadhātu." The last three lines reveal the inclination of the resolve, stating that he does not seek the five desires, royal rank, and the like, but solely acts for the sake of sentient beings. Second, one verse gives brief instruction, stating that if one is averse to suffering and turns toward quiescence, the Great Way will not be complete and will be destroyed by Māra and the Hīnayāna; but if one can understand the true reality of birth-and-death and rest the fatigue of craving and views, one will take all Māras as attendants and will not drown in the sea of the actual limit (bhūtakoṭi), so that nothing can destroy it. Third, one verse repeatedly praises the virtues of his resolve, because the merit of resolving for the sake of beings is supreme: merit endowed with wisdom is the radiance of merit; merit indestructible by ordinary beings and the Hīnayāna is majestic power; being able to generate all merits is the place of merit; and being free from hindrances, deep and vast, is the pure ocean. Fourth, five verses provide extensive instruction, completely answering the eleven-phrase question: The first verse answers the two general phrases, stating that if one sees many Buddhas and hears the Dharma, one can accept and study it, upholding understanding and putting it into practice. The next verse answers the next three phrases, stating that if one proceeds toward seeing Buddhas and accomplishes great vows, one can completely practice, and being complete, one's practice is pure. The next two lines answer entry and accomplishment, stating that realizing entry into true emptiness without obstructing involvement in existence, and clearly comprehending wondrous existence without being confused by emptiness, are the skillful means of entry; if one enters thus, one abides in bodhi—what practice would not be accomplished? The next two lines answer the question on according, stating that if one accords with the Buddhas and trains, that is true according, naturally according with the Dharma of all-knowledge. The next verse answers mindfulness, stating that continuous cultivation across dust-mote kalpas is mindfulness. The final verse answers the last two phrases, stating that cultivating across many times and places expands and fulfills it. Here, the Great Sage generally teaches all Dharmas, manifesting that within the ten faiths one generally trusts; below, the various good friends each specifically teach and instruct, manifesting that after entering the stages one specifically cultivates and realizes. Fifth, one verse concludes with the benefit. Second, in the prose generally praising and generally instructing, first is praising: merely mentioning the resolve already contains the specific meanings above; later, from "Good man, if you wish" onward is instruction, stating that if only one can seek friends and leave faults behind, all the preceding questions will be fulfilled. Within this, it first determines the above, commanding him to seek friends without hesitation. "Good friend" (kalyāṇamitra) means one who can cause one to know unknown good Dharmas and recognize uncomprehended evil Dharmas. Or the two characters are mutually interchangeable: "recognize" pertains to clear understanding, and "know" pertains to decisive comprehending; the genuine is selected to sift out the semblance. However, there are five kinds of friends: 1. friends who understand mundane good and evil causes and effects and cause one to cultivate and sever them; 2. those who are averse to mundane pleasure and aspire to nirvāṇa; 3. those who possess a compassionate mind and a mind of marks, cultivating the pāramitās; 4. those who use signless wisdom to cause beings to practice; 5. those who cause unobstructed cultivation to fulfill Samantabhadra's practices. Among these five, the earlier ones are not genuine; genuinely, only the fifth kind can practice, and this is a human good friend. In terms of Dharma friends, teachings, noumena, practices, and fruitions are all good friends. Later, from "Good man, in seeking a good friend" onward are admonitions and exhortations: according with them is the exhortation; the rest are all admonitions. Even if there were real faults, one would still adopt the Dharma and disregard the wrongdoing, much less when provisional and ultimate are varied and hard to fathom whether raw or ripe.