大方廣佛華嚴經隨疏演義鈔 53.15

53.15

疏「九約詮就實相對」等者下，引論云「字身住處證智所攝，非無地智名句字身」者，即下示說分齊中鳥跡喻也。經云「如空中鳥跡，難說難可示。如是十地義，心意不能了。」論云「此偈是何義？如鳥行空中，跡處不可說，相亦不可見。何以故？虛空處鳥跡相，不可分別故，非無虛空行跡。如是鳥跡住處，名句字身住處，菩薩地智所攝，不可得說、不可得見、不可得聞。何以故？非如聲性故，非無地智名句字身。此中深故，示義大踴悅。」釋曰：空處之跡喻教，跡處之空喻證也。然上九重教證，前五前教、後證，後四前證，後教。又前五教則後後漸寬，證則後後漸狹。後四中證則後後漸寬，教則後後漸狹。

Regarding the commentary’s “Ninth: the contrast between relying on expression and accessing reality” and so forth below, citing the treatise: “The resting place of the collection of syllables is subsumed by realized cognition; it is not that there are no names, phrases, and collections of syllables of ground-cognition”: this refers to the metaphor of the bird's tracks in the section showing the scope of preaching below. The sūtra says: “Like the tracks of a bird in the sky, / Difficult to express and difficult to indicate, / So too are the meanings of the ten grounds: / Heart and mind cannot comprehend them.” The treatise says: “What is the meaning of this verse? Just as when a bird flies in the sky, the place of its tracks cannot be expressed, nor can their marks be seen. Why is this? Because the mark of a bird's tracks in empty space cannot be distinguished; yet it is not that there were no tracks of flying through empty space. In this way, the resting place of bird tracks, the resting place of names, phrases, and collections of syllables, is subsumed by the bodhisattva’s ground-cognition; it cannot be expressed, seen, or heard. Why is this? Because it is not of the nature of sound; yet it is not that there are no names, phrases, and collections of syllables of ground-cognition. Because it is profound herein, he demonstrates the greatness of meaning and rejoices exceedingly.” Exposition: the tracks in space allegorize the teaching, and the space where the tracks are allegorizes realization. However, in the ninefold teaching and realization above, the first five place the teaching first and realization second; the last four place realization first and teaching second. Furthermore, among the first five, the teaching progressively broadens while realization progressively narrows; among the last four, realization progressively broadens while the teaching progressively narrows.