大方廣佛華嚴經疏 60.5

60.5

Second, from "At that time, the youth Sudhana, joining his palms..." onwards is the inquiry, which has two parts: first, he personally explains his having produced the thought [of bodhi]; second, from "yet I do not know..." onwards is the actual questioning on the essentials of the Dharma. Within this, there are three parts: first, he states what is asked. Next, from "Great Holy One, all Tathāgatas..." onwards praises Maitreya's virtue of being able to answer, which uses this virtue as the pretext for the inquiry; first general, then specific. Specifically, there are fifty phrases, all of which are virtues of completed causes and perfected fruits. Third, from "Great Holy Bodhisattva..." onwards concludes the inquiry and requests the teaching, also revealing the intent of the question. Third, from "At that time, Maitreya Bodhisattva..." onwards is the praise and bestowal of the Dharma. Within this, there are two parts: first the praise, and then the bestowal of the Dharma. In the former, there are also two parts: first, he praises Sudhana for the sake of the great assembly, which is praising the person; later, he praises the bodhicitta for Sudhana, which is praising the Dharma. In the former, there are also two parts: first, he points out the person and indicates him to the assembly; later, from "Virtuous ones, this son of a householder..." onwards properly praises his virtues. Within this, there are four parts: 1. Explaining the diligence in seeking friends; 2. Explaining the vastness of the vehicle he mounts; 3. Explaining that he is complete in virtue without deficiency; 4. Explaining that he quickly realizes [the fruit] and surpasses provisional [teachings]. In the first, there are two parts: first, generally showing his diligence. Later, from "Virtuous ones..." onwards specifically indicates the marks of diligence, meaning that diligence of a single moment is not yet worthy of praise; from beginning to end without a single thought of slackness, hence it is praiseworthy. Regarding the statement "one hundred and ten good friends", there have been many explanations since ancient times. One says: In principle they should all be present, but the text is missing some. Xianshou says: "The friends before and after total fifty-four stations; dividing them into De-sheng and You-de makes fifty-five persons. Each having their own stage and superior advancement, there are therefore one hundred and ten." If one relies on this interpretation, it contradicts the word "already" here. Since it says that having already passed one hundred and ten, he only then arrives at Maitreya, it is clear that Maitreya and the other three are not within the count of one hundred and ten. Some say: It is only a reduction of the number ten, in reality there are only one hundred and eight persons. That is to say, before this, excluding Bian-you, there are only fifty-one persons; each possessing host and companion makes one hundred and two persons. Bian-you points out Zhong-yi; although he is not a host friend, he is a companion friend, making one hundred and three. Adding further the place of King Wu-yan-zu, the place of the heavenly goddess Gopā, the place of the goddess Wu-you-de-shen Māyā, the bodily gods of Lian-hua-fa-de, as well as the goddess Miao-hua-guang-ming and the rākṣasa Shan-yan who protects the Dharma hall, joining with the previous ones totals one hundred and eight. Because the celestial gods and others engaged in mutual questions and answers, they are able to be in the number of friends. Because they are not host friends named and pointed out previously, they are not host friends but merely named companion friends. If so, it would contradict the subsequent mention of "the remaining cities". Below, it explains itself: "Previously arriving at the boy and girl, he had already passed one hundred and ten." Now, going further to the later place of Mañjuśrī, it therefore says "remaining". That is to say, if this is one hundred and eight, adding Maitreya would only be one hundred and nine, and joining with the later Mañjuśrī it would just be one hundred and ten; how could there be "remaining"? If one harmonizes them, each of the three explanations has its merit; taking the previous and adding further the Awakened Bodhisattva at the place of Acala and the Heavenly Messenger of the Tathāgata, it fills out one hundred and ten, and then the meaning of "remaining" also stands. Because those two sages also taught Sudhana, they are able to be companion friends. As for the rest, the word "already" is merely the intention of the translator. The Jin version of the sūtra does not have the word "already"; thus taking both before and after comprehensively causes no hindrance to the meaning. Furthermore, below it speaks again of "one hundred and ten cities", and also speaks of "passing beyond one hundred and ten yojanas"; all mentioning one hundred and ten because they symbolize something. That is to say, excluding the Buddha stage, taking his realization and entry into the ten stages and equal enlightenment makes one hundred and ten, because within one there are ten. It also reveals that station by station, the tens are mutually integrated; even if there are the three ranks of worthies, they also possess only ten. If equal enlightenment is combined and subordinated to the superior advancement of the ten stages, then the ten faiths are unfolded as one; therefore, whether advancing or retreating, sequential arrangement or perfect interpenetration, all correspond to the words "one hundred and ten"; why must one strictly determine before and after? Second, from "Virtuous ones, this son of a householder is exceedingly rare..." onwards explains the vastness of the vehicle he mounts. Within this, there are three parts: first, generally praising the rarity. Second, from "Such a person..." onwards specifically explains the difficulty of encountering him. Within this, there are two parts: first stating and raising it, and later, from "Why is that?..." onwards investigating and explaining it. The intent of the explanation says: Because his compassionate salvation is profound and vast, this unfolds the saving and protecting of sentient beings in the previous general statement. Within this, there are two parts: first, generally protecting all; later, from "for the sake of those covered by the four currents..." onwards specifically explaining according to categories. "Gu" is the appearance of swift rushing water. As for "the city of the realms", these are the eighteen dhātus, because within each single sense-base, object, and consciousness, there is individual liberation. As for "the ground of the realms", these are the four elements such as earth; the six sense-fields are an empty village, ignorant and dark without people; if one does not lead them with the light of wisdom, they will certainly be plundered by the thieves of dust and defilement. Third, from "Virtuous ones, this son of a householder constantly..." onwards summarizes what he has done. Third, from "Virtuous ones, if there are sentient beings..." onwards explains that he is complete in virtue without deficiency. There are thirteen phrases; having even one in oneself is already rare, how much more so having two, three, or even all of them complete; hence it is said to be progressively rare. Moreover, the latter ones are more difficult than the former ones; hence it is said to be progressive. Fourth, from "Virtuous ones, the other..." onwards explains that he quickly realizes and surpasses provisional [teachings], because he cultivates according to the real teaching. That is to say, even within the single lifetime of an ordinary body, understanding and practice also arise. A thousand-year-old bird cannot equal a phoenix born this morning, because the stations of birth of Samantabhadra mutually interpenetrate and encompass one another. All who cultivate according to the real can do likewise; why not exert oneself? The text has ten phrases: the first two generally explain the fulfillment of the practices of the various stages; the third enters the ten abodes; the fourth and fifth enter the ten practices; the sixth enters pariṇāmanā. Furthermore, the above four phrases are also all the practices of the ten stages; moreover, the above four meanings contain both the general and the specific. The lower four phrases pervade the various stages and stations. Second, from "At that time, Maitreya..." onwards praises the bodhicitta for Sudhana. The text is divided into two: first, concluding the preceding and introducing the subsequent; second, from "addressed Sudhana..." onwards properly praises it. Within this, there are four parts: 1. Indicating and praising the production of the thought; 2. From "You have obtained great benefit..." onwards praises the vessel of his producing the thought as accomplishing benefit; 3. From "Why is that?..." onwards extensively raises the virtues of the bodhicitta to explain and establish it; 4. From "Good son, the bodhicitta accomplishes such..." onwards concludes and explains what it pertains to. The first two can be known. In the third, it first investigates the intent, saying: For what reason does he praise "Well done, you have obtained great benefit"? The intent of the explanation says: Because the bodhicitta is complete in virtues. The text has two hundred and twenty-one phrases, all pervading the three kinds of producing the thought, suddenly possessing the merits of the various stations. It is provisionally divided into two: the first one hundred and eighteen phrases explain that the bodhicitta completely covers the various stages; the subsequent one hundred and three phrases from "obtaining the medicine of fearlessness" onwards explain that the bodhicitta suddenly possesses the merits of the various stations. Furthermore, the former section mostly explains the production of the thought through fulfillment of faith as well as understanding and practice, while the latter section mostly explains the production of the thought at the realized stations; hence the text often says "obtains". Moreover, the former section explains the extraordinary merits of the bodhicitta as being as high as the Buddha fruit, while the latter section uses metaphors for the unobstructed, sovereign merits of the bodhicitta as being vast and immeasurable. Now, within the first section, it is divided into two: first, specifically explaining; second, summarizing. In the former part, the text pervades both horizontal and vertical: horizontally, every single production of the thought is complete with the virtues of the various phrases; vertically, they are specifically correlated to the production of the thought in the various stations, because from the bodhisattva lineage to the ultimate, it does not go beyond the three kinds of producing the thought. Guangtong correlates them to the twelve abodes: the first three phrases are the lineage abode, hence saying "like a seed, like a field and earth", which are all the meanings of seed and growth. Second, the six phrases from "like pure water" onwards explain the benefits in the abode of superior understanding and practice. Third, the sixteen phrases from "pure eyes" onwards are the abode of supreme joy, because these are all meanings within the first stage. Fourth, the seven phrases from "like the great ocean" onwards are the abode of superior morality. Fifth, the ten phrases from "taming the elephant of wisdom" onwards are the abode of superior mind. Sixth, in the ten phrases from "the medicine of good sight" onwards on the abode of superior wisdom corresponding to the factors of awakening, it says "vigama", which is translated here as "completely gone". Seventh, the ten phrases from "wish-fulfilling jewel" onwards are the superior abode corresponding to the truths. Eighth, the ten phrases from "sharp sword" onwards explain the superior abode corresponding to the cessation of the cycle of dependent origination. Ninth, the ten phrases from "bedding" onwards explain the signless abode with effort. Tenth, the ten phrases from "life faculty" onwards explain the signless abode without effort. Eleventh, the ten phrases from "good lineage" onwards explain the abode of unobstructed comprehension. As for "longevity practice", the Sanskrit text says it is a lodestone, because it does not attract the fruit of liberation of the śrāvakas. Twelfth, the sixteen phrases from "pure lapis lazuli" onwards explain the abode of the supreme bodhisattva. The Sanskrit text says Indra's net, because it captures the asuras of affliction in a net. The Varuṇa wind is translated here as the swift and fierce wind. The text and meaning within these all correspond to those stations, but out of fear of prolixity they will not be detailed. Beginning from the seed and ending with the latent afflictions, the vertical meaning is clearly shown. However, cutting off latent afflictions and the like attributes the merit back to the root, arising from the initial production of the thought; thus, that it horizontally possesses the various virtues is clear in principle. Second, the summary from "Good son..." onwards means that the accomplishment of merit arises from the first basket of earth. The initial mind is complete with the various virtues, how much more so the perfect interpenetration of beginning and end. Second, the one hundred and three phrases from "Good son, for example..." onwards explain the sovereign merits of the bodhicitta. In the text, each has a metaphor and an application; because what is seen by the speaker and listener is deep and far-reaching, the metaphors cited are mostly beyond ordinary realms. This also reveals the uncommon bodhicitta. Although it pervades both horizontal and vertical, it is provisionally divided vertically into five sections: first, there are seven phrases encompassing the virtues of the ten abodes, because the nature of the awakened mind is free from evil thoughts, and so forth. Second, the ten metaphors from "the unproduced root" onwards encompass the virtues of the ten practices. Third, the nine phrases from "Śakra wearing the mani" onwards encompass the virtues of the ten pariṇāmanās. Fourth, the sixty metaphors from "there is a jewel named Pure Radiance" onwards encompass the virtues of the ten stages, which are divided into ten: the first four encompass the virtues of the first stage; second, the three metaphors from "like the sovereign king" onwards encompass the virtues of the second stage, because of pure virtues such as keeping precepts and dhūta austerities; third, the four metaphors from "the method of skillfully taming dragons" onwards encompass the virtues of the third stage, because of entering various dhyāna-concentrations and leaving the heat of afflictions; fourth, the four metaphors from "Mount Sumeru" onwards encompass the virtues of the fourth stage, because of matching the flames of all-knowledge and attaining the undefiled; fifth, the four metaphors from "coconut tree" onwards encompass the virtues of the fifth stage, because of benefiting others without being defiled by the worldly; sixth, the six metaphors from "a single lamp" onwards encompass the virtues of the sixth stage, because prajñā appears before one and suddenly shatters darkness; seventh, the five phrases from "kalaviṅka" onwards encompass the virtues of the seventh stage, because of skillfully entering skillful means and attaining mastery; eighth, the fourteen metaphors from "like a person learning archery" onwards encompass the virtues of the eighth stage, because effortless production of the thought can eliminate sign-based delusions and the like; ninth, the ten metaphors from "taking the medicine that prolongs life" onwards encompass the virtues of the ninth stage, because of prolonging life and benefiting sentient beings; tenth, the six metaphors from "for example, there is a medicine held by a mantra" onwards encompass the virtues of the tenth stage, because of profoundly eliminating latent afflictions and accomplishing all Buddha Dharmas. Fifth, the seventeen metaphors from "adamantine is not an inferior vessel" onwards encompass the merits of the station of equal enlightenment, because with adamantine wisdom one ultimately accomplishes bodhi. The Sanskrit terms among them are fully explained as in the Sounds and Meanings. Fourth, from "Good son, the bodhicitta..." onwards concludes and explains what it pertains to, meaning that the numerous virtues mentioned above explain the words "having obtained great benefit".