大方廣佛華嚴經疏 57.3

57.3

Second, from "Seeing that Jayoṣmīya..." onward, seeing, paying respects, and inquiring, which has three parts: first, seeing the ascetic practices. The fire blazing on four sides, with the addition of the sun overhead, constitutes the five heats scorching the body. The text mentions only the four sides here because the four propositions of prajñā burn away the fuel of delusion. In their midst is a mountain of swords, because non-conceptual wisdom abides centrally in the middle way, severing everything without exception; being loftily supreme, it is difficult to ascend. Thus the Dazhidulun states: "Prajñāpāramitā is like a great mass of fire, which cannot be grasped from any of its four sides." It stays far from the four propositions—the four propositions are the four sides: grasping it burns a person, while staying free of them perfects wisdom. Moreover, fire has four meanings: 1. burning the fuel of afflictions; 2. shattering the darkness of fundamental ignorance; 3. maturing good roots; and 4. illuminating the directly realized noumenon. Throwing oneself into the fire represents, from non-conceptual wisdom, entering ubiquitously into the four propositions without any obstruction. Another interpretation: swords represent the virtue of severance, because they cut through all things without exception. Fire represents the virtue of wisdom, because it illuminates all things without exception. Casting oneself down represents exhausting hindrances and realizing the noumenon. Thus the mountain of swords is the subject that realizes, and the mass of fire is the object realized; therefore, this fire and the rest are themselves the dharma-gate. There is no need to assign another symbolic representation; this is because of what is presently applied, and because phenomena accord with the nature [of reality]. This is profoundly deep and difficult to understand, and must not be taken lightly. Second, paying respects, and third, inquiring, can both be understood from the text.