大方廣佛華嚴經疏 9.17

9.17

Second, from "Having sat thus" onward, they manifest sovereign functions, which is to praise their virtues, meaning that in every atom they are near the Buddha, and in every thought-moment they benefit sentient beings. The text has eight parts: (1) explaining that rays of light appear from the pores of the bodhisattvas; (2) the light manifests bodhisattvas; (3) the bodhisattvas enter atoms; (4) the atoms contain vast kṣetras; (5) the kṣetras have Tathāgatas; (6) the bodhisattvas go to make offerings; (7) they assist the Buddha in proclaiming the transformation; and (8) those transformed attain benefit. The first two can be understood. In the third, as for the words "all the paramāṇus of the established ocean," there are briefly two meanings: First, because each and every atom of all posited dependent and proper [rewards] accords with the real. Second, in terms of contemplating the mind, the object of sentient beings' mental consciousness is itself the dharmadhātu; normally functioning in discrimination according to names and marks, this is called "establishment"; being false, they are atoms; their essences are all that upon which one can rely, hence called "great kṣetras"; all possessing awakened nature, they are called "Tathāgatas." This clarifies that bodhi realizes and enters the ocean of sentient beings' natures. The fourth can be understood. In the fifth, because of following the worldly convention, they are spoken of as having the three times; because of fully according with the nature, they are all within an atom. In the sixth, "making offerings" encompasses both material wealth and Dharma. Seventh, from "In thought-moment after thought-moment" onward, they assist the Buddha in proclaiming the transformation. And as for the eighth, from "Within thought-moment after thought-moment" onward, those transformed attain benefit. Therein, Fazang (Xianshou), matching them with the preceding awakenings, explains them with three meanings: first, an individual-matching explanation; second, a perfect-interpenetration explanation; and third, a distinct-individual explanation. As for the first: matching the previous ten dharma-doors with the ten benefits accomplished later, each door attains one benefit. The second and third are transposed; the rest are all in order. (1) Through the sovereign door of dreams, in dreams they awaken sentient beings who create evil, causing them to attain the benefit of severing evil and escaping suffering. (2) Through the door of bodhisattva practice, they cause people to attain right concentration. (3) Through the door of manifesting the death and rebirth of the devas, they cause them to be born in heaven and experience pleasure, because through heedlessness they die, and upon restraining thoughts they are instantly reborn. The above three are the vehicle of humans and devas. (4) Through shaking the kṣetras and manifesting impermanence, they cause them to feel revulsion, and through praising the Buddha's spiritual transformations, they cause them to rejoice, accomplishing the benefits of the two vehicles. The following are all the Great Vehicle. (5) Through the great vows to adorn kṣetras, they cause them to cultivate merit and seek pariṇāmanā. (6) Through words that gather sentient beings, they cause them to generate the great resolve [for bodhi], because the Buddha's voice is itself great compassion of identical substance. (7) Through the Buddha's clouds raining down the Dharma, they cause them to enter the bodhisattva stage of non-retrogression. The above three stations belong to the three kinds of worthies prior to the stages. (8) Through illuminating the lands that pervade the dharmadhātu and the spiritual transformations, they cause them to attain the eye of wisdom of the first stage and above to see the equal Dharma. (9) Through the Buddha's power of liberation universally manifesting throughout the dharmadhātu, they cause them to attain the great power, great vows, inexhaustible wisdom, and purified lands of the eighth stage and above. (10) Through Samantabhadra establishing the bodhimanda, they cause them to abide in the ocean of great vows of the Buddha-fruit. As for the words "born into the family of the Tathāgata," they are born because of entering the station of the Buddha-fruit; it does not mean being born into the Buddha's family from the first stage and above. Second, as for "perfect interpenetration": these ten dharmas universally interpenetrate each of these ten benefits, meaning that either one dharma accomplishes ten benefits, or ten dharmas accomplish one benefit; thus extending everywhere, they are unobstructed. Third, as for "distinct-individual": the previous ten dharma-doors each awaken sentient beings as numerous as the paramāṇus of an ocean of worlds—this takes the Dharma as the benefit. The latter ten benefits only speak of the number of Sumeru-atoms, without speaking of lands as numerous as kṣetra-atoms; this is oneself taking persons as the benefit. Since they are explained distinctly, the sovereign door of dreams also reveals that all things are like dreams. Lengthening and shortening are unobstructed, hence called "sovereign." The rest can all be understood. The above bodhisattva dharma-transformations, beginning from the emission of light and ending with attaining benefit, are eight sections when counted in forward order. If traced in reverse, they are twelvefold golden tiers without end: (1) The benefit attained by sentient beings as numerous as ten Sumeru-atoms is only in a single land; all other lands are also like this; hence it says "each land is caused to be equal." (2) This benefit in all lands is within the time of a single thought-moment; the time of all other thought-moments is also like this; hence it says "within thought-moment after thought-moment." (3) Such benefit in thought-moment after thought-moment is only for a single dharma-door; each and every dharma-door awakened is also like this. (4) Those multiple dharma-doors are only employed in a single thought-moment; the dharma-doors employed in all other thought-moments are also like this. (5) Those dharma-doors of multiple thought-moments only discuss a single vast kṣetra; as with one vast kṣetra, so it is with vast kṣetras as numerous as ten kṣetra-atoms. (6) Those multiple vast kṣetras are only discussed within a single atom; as with one atom, so it is with all atoms in all establishments. (7) The atoms as above are only in a single established ocean; as with one established ocean, so it is with all established oceans pervading the dharmadhātu. (8) The operations within the established oceans pervading the dharmadhātu are only transformed by a single transformation-bodhisattva; as with one transformation-bodhisattva, so it is with each of the transformation-bodhisattvas of the oceans of ten worlds. (9) All those transformation-bodhisattvas are only manifested by a single ray of light; as with one ray of light, so it is with each and every ray of light. (10) Those rays of light as numerous as ten kṣetra-atoms are only manifested from a single pore; as with one pore, so it is with each and every pore across the entire body. (11) Those pores across the entire body belong only to a single bodhisattva; as with one bodhisattva, so there are bodhisattvas as numerous as the paramāṇus of ten billion Buddha-kṣetras, each as numerous as the paramāṇus of oceans of worlds, whose pores across their entire bodies are all like this. (12) The elevenfold functions explained above only discuss coming to this single assembly; as with this assembly, so it is also in the other assemblies of the Buddhas. This last section is detailed in the verse text. Furthermore, if each of the twelve folds above is expanded into two, they become twenty-four folds. Taking a single thought-moment against all thought-moments, for instance, these are two meanings; grouping similar categories combines them into one, and the remaining eleven folds may be inferred on this basis. Thus overlapping endlessly, each pervading the dharmadhātu, they are contemplated all at once solely by wisdom and are not an object of the mind or consciousness; the great function of the ocean-assembly of the Avataṃsaka is entirely like this.