大方廣佛華嚴經隨疏演義鈔 2.11

2.11

Regarding the commentary's statement below, "As for its height, it cannot be looked up to: thus bodhisattvas of accumulated practice expose their gills and scales at the Dragon Gate": this is the seventh [section], the sudden transcendence in attaining benefit. The text has ten meanings. The first two generally reveal its height and depth, explaining that the provisional and the lesser cannot fathom it; the latter eight directly explain that the attainment of benefit is sudden and complete. Furthermore, the first two, height and depth, inversely reveal the attainment of benefit, explaining that the provisional and lesser do not fathom it because in the past they lacked the cause, thereby inversely exhorting sentient beings to have faith; the latter eight directly reveal the attainment of benefit, stating that it can be sudden and complete, causing them necessarily to accept it. Now, the first is the first, explaining its height and distance. Like Mounts Tai and Hua leaning against the sky, or Min and E brushing the Milky Way, their peaks are difficult to look up to; thus the Lunyu says: "Looking up to it, it is all the higher; boring into it, it is all the harder." As for "bodhisattvas of accumulated practice," the chapter "Appearance [of the Tathāgata]" says: "Suppose there is a bodhisattva who for immeasurable hundreds of thousands of koṭis of nayutas of kalpas cultivates the six pāramitās and trains in the various factors of bodhi. If he has not heard this teaching of the Tathāgata's inconceivable great awe-inspiring virtue, or having heard it at times, does not have faith, does not understand, does not accord with it, and does not enter it, he cannot be called a true bodhisattva, because he cannot be born into the family of the Tathāgata. If one is able to hear this teaching of the Tathāgata's immeasurable, inconceivable, unobstructed, and unhindered wisdom, and having heard it, believes, understands, accords with, and awakens and enters it, one should know that this person is born into the family of the Tathāgata, and so forth." It is like fish ascending the Dragon Gate: if they succeed in ascending, they transform into dragons, which is like the capacities that enter the Avataṃsaka. If they ascend but cannot cross over, they expose their gills and scales below the Dragon Gate, like nominal bodhisattvas—namely, those who cultivate gradually in the provisional teachings.