大方廣佛華嚴經隨疏演義鈔 83.26

83.26

疏「十方各行七步」者，即《涅槃》第四〈如來性品〉云「善男子！此閻浮提林微尼園，示現從母摩耶而生。生已即能東行七步，唱如是言：『我於人天阿修羅中最尊最上。』父母人天見以驚喜，生希有心。而諸人等謂見嬰兒，而我此身無量劫來久離染法，如是身者即是法身，非是肉血筋脈骨髓之所成立，隨順世間眾生法故示為嬰兒。南行七步，示現欲為無量眾生作上福田。西行七步，示現生盡，永斷老死，是最後身。北行七步，示現已度諸有生死。東行七步，示為眾生而作導首。四維七步，示現斷滅種種煩惱四魔種性，成於如來、應供、正遍知。上行七步，示現不為不淨之物而所染污，猶如虛空。下行七步，示現法雨滅地獄火，令彼眾生受安隱樂。毀禁戒者，示作霜雹。」

The commentary's 'taking seven steps in each of the ten directions' is as stated in the fourth fascicle of the Mahāparinirvāṇa-sūtra, 'Chapter on the Tathāgata-Nature': 'Good sons! In this Jambudvīpa, in the Lumbinī Grove, he manifested birth from his mother Māyā. Having been born, he was immediately able to walk seven steps to the east and make this declaration: "Among humans, devas, and asuras, I am the most honored and most supreme." Seeing this, his parents, devas, and humans were astonished and delighted, conceiving a sense of wonder. But people thought they saw an infant; yet this body of mine has long been free from defiled phenomena for immeasurable kalpas. Such a body is precisely the dharmakāya, not something formed of flesh, blood, sinews, vessels, bones, and marrow; conforming to the worldly phenomena of sentient beings, he manifested as an infant. Walking seven steps to the south manifests the desire to serve as a supreme field of merit for immeasurable sentient beings. Walking seven steps to the west manifests that birth is exhausted and old age and death are forever ended; this is the final body. Walking seven steps to the north manifests having already crossed over the saṃsāra of all realms of existence. Walking seven steps to the east manifests acting as a leader for sentient beings. Walking seven steps in the four intermediate directions manifests the eradication of the lineages of various defilements and the four māras, becoming a Tathāgata, Arhat, Samyaksambuddha. Walking seven steps upward manifests being unstained by impure things, like empty space. Walking seven steps downward manifests the rain of Dharma extinguishing the fires of hell, causing those sentient beings to experience peace and happiness; to those who break the precepts, it manifests as frost and hail.'