大方廣佛華嚴經疏 57.35

57.35

Second, from "Seeing from afar..." onward, within seeing, paying reverence, and inquiring: first, seeing has four aspects: 1. Seeing the supreme dependent and direct [retributions]; 2. From "Before and behind him there were..." onward: seeing his wrathful conversion [through punishment]; 3. From "After Sudhana saw this..." onward: failing to understand and giving rise to doubts; 4. From "When he had this thought..." onward: celestial devas in the sky enlightening him. Therein are two parts: first, causing him to remember that the previous teaching was true, so that he does not give rise to doubt; later, from "Good man, the skillful expedients of the bodhisattva..." onward, explaining that the subsequent practice is profound and mysterious, causing him to enter with faith. Now, although Sudhana constantly remembered the teachings, he gave rise to doubt because wrathful practice is difficult to comprehend. Greedy attachment benefits this world, so he did not doubt Vasumitrā; wrath and delusion visibly bring harm, which is why he gave rise to doubt and wonder with both Jayoṣmāyatana and this king. The phrase "profound and mysterious" means penetrating non-paths. In the Liang [translation of the] Mahāyānasaṃgraha's [chapter on] the study of morality, it explains that a bodhisattva's inverse practices such as killing produce immeasurable merit and attain unsurpassable bodhi. It requires a great bodhisattva to be capable of this matter. There are two kinds of this: 1. Real practice; 2. Transformation. Real practice: knowing fully that the other person will definitely commit uninterrupted (ānantarya) karma and there is no other expedient means to cause them to abandon this evil, one can only terminate their life to prevent them from doing it. Moreover, one knows that if this person relinquishes their life, they will definitely be born in a good realm. Furthermore, the bodhisattva thinks to himself: "After I carry out the killing, I will definitely fall into hell to endure suffering on their behalf. Although they presently endure slight suffering, they will definitely attain a blissful fruit." The Precepts Chapter of the Bodhisattvabhūmi in the Yogācārabhūmi also speaks in the same way. What is called "transformation" refers to this present text, as the king himself explains below. Second, from "At that time, Sudhana..." onward, paying reverence and inquiring, can be understood.