大方廣佛華嚴經疏 6.4

6.4

Second, concerning "generally revealing the causes and conditions of virtuous conduct": whereas in the listings above praise was spoken individually according to appropriateness, here only now is it generally revealed that their virtuous conduct is equal and uniform. From "and furthermore with..." downward, their individually obtaining dharma-gates is taken as the general [statement], because the earlier [mention of] gathering kuśala-mūla together among the identically-born assembly was also individual. Furthermore, the earlier gathering together explained the reason for host and companion; here, their having been gathered and embraced reveals the cause of their retinue, implicitly complementing the text. This text has many aspects and may be provisionally divided into three: first, it explains leaving behind hindrances to see purity; second, from "in this way" downward, their capacity for receiving transformation is profound; third, from "planting immeasurable" downward, their virtuous conduct is fully perfected. The first and the last are causes, and the middle one is a condition. When causes override conditions, the great assembly sees by themselves; when conditions override causes, the Buddha's power enables them to see. Causes and conditions coalesce with no fixed distinction between close and distant, so causes and conditions are explained alternately. Furthermore, the first section shows their present virtuous conduct to be profound, while the latter two show their causes and conditions of past attachments and long-term gathering. Now seeing is condition becoming cause, and because the response between resonance and guidance accords with the Dao, they constantly dwell in the Buddha's assembly.

Now, the first: "Leaving behind hindrances to see purity"—affliction is the affliction obstacle (kleśāvaraṇa). Impurity of mind is the cognitive obstacle (jñeyāvaraṇa); this obstacle obscures the mind because it deludes one regarding what is to be known. When it says "all", this refers to both the conceptually differentiated and the co-emergent, whether as seeds or manifest activity. When it says "residual propensities", this refers to the coarse, burdensome energy-traces of the two obstacles, like Pilindavatsa's residual pride or Mahākāśyapa's fidgeting. Now they are all bodhisattvas at the culmination of the stages; wisdom manifests and emotional delusion has perished; they verify noumenon and penetrate phenomena, and their mind-mirror is clear and bright; therefore it says "already left behind". If one considers the perfect interpenetration of the stages, where when one is cut off all are cut off, this also applies to the initial station.

When it says "destroying the mountain of heavy obstacles", this is explained broadly by way of metaphor: because the path capable of destroying destroys the mountain of the two obstacles, whose substance is solid, thick, towering, and steep like a mountain. Furthermore, specifically, cognitive obstacles obstruct bodhi, and delusion-obstacles obstruct complete quiescence (nirvāṇa); broadly, they both obstruct [these] as well as all Buddha-dharmas; therefore they are called "heavy".

When it says "seeing the Buddha unobstructed", this is the fruit of severing obstacles. Yet it has two meanings: first, explaining unobstructedness in terms of what is capable of seeing. Due to severing the two obstructions, wisdom is bright and noumenon is revealed; because noumenon is revealed, they see the dharmatā-body; because wisdom is bright, they see the Buddha's wisdom-body. Noumenon and wisdom merge into oneness, seeing the unobstructed body, and unobstructedness is itself nirvāṇa. Second, explaining unobstructedness in terms of what is seen: possessing the ten unobstructednesses, as already explained above.

Second, from "in this way" downward, their capacity for receiving transformation is profound. Within this, first is a general [statement] and then the particulars. In the first, "in this way" points to the aforementioned assembly that severed obstacles. "Oceans of kalpas" explains that the time of their being gathered and embraced was vast and distant. When it says "the four ways of gathering", these are the methods of gathering and transforming, namely: giving (dāna), loving words (priyavādita), beneficial action (arthacaryā), and cooperation (samānārthatā). Giving is the condition of gathering, because it provides material support to them. Loving words are the substance of gathering, because they directly demonstrate detriment and benefit. Beneficial action is the locus of gathering, because it establishes them in wholesome states. Cooperation means resolving doubts, causing them to attain certainty.

Afterward, from "at each and every" downward, it specifically shows the marks of gathering. In this: earlier it was said they were gathered across oceans of kalpas; where were they gathered? It means at the dwelling of each and every Buddha. When were they gathered? When planting kuśala-mūla. With what dharma were they gathered? It means with various expedient means. What were the marks of gathering? It means teaching and maturing them; "teaching" refers to the beginning, and "maturing" applies to the end. What was the intention behind gathering? Causing them to firmly abide in the path of omniscient knowledge. "Path" is cause, meaning they cultivated the Buddha-cause solely for the sake of the Buddha-fruit.