大方廣佛華嚴經隨疏演義鈔 3.45

3.45

Regarding the Commentary's 'Furthermore, in these benefits...' below: first, it distinguishes the differences in contrast to what preceded. The reason for distinguishing the differences is also to preclude confusion. The meaning of benefiting present and future seems to accord with the capacity of sentient beings and their responsiveness, and the capacity and responsiveness also pertain to the capacities of two lifetimes; thus, the earlier text's clear division into two according to practice was already different from what preceded, as it was only based on time. Furthermore, 'according with capacity' mostly concerns the object, while 'benefit' mostly concerns the agent. In addition, 'according with capacity' is merely a particular meaning, whereas 'benefit' extends through all ten meanings—that is the difference between general and particular. Thus, in contrast to the previous nine particular [causes], these ten benefits are formed. In this there are two parts: first, distinguishing them individually in contrast to what preceded; and second, from 'Alternatively...' onward, fully explaining the fundamental meaning. First: these ten benefits in the text derive from the Zhigui, but their sequence is different. Its sequence states: 'First, the benefit of seeing and hearing; second, the benefit of arousing the mind; third, the benefit of initiating practice; fourth, the benefit of subsuming the stages; fifth, the benefit of rapid realization; sixth, the benefit of eradicating obstacles; seventh, the benefit of progressive transformation; eighth, the benefit of engaging in cultivation; ninth, the benefit of sudden attainment; and tenth, the benefit of matching the nature.' This took as its sequence [the progression] from shallow to deep, self-benefit and benefiting others, and so on. Now the Commentary follows the nine preceding gates generating one another in turn, where what follows can establish what precedes, to serve as the sequence. However, seeing and hearing and the like actually extend through all ten causes; wishing to reveal the particular meanings, it matches them individually according to convenience and preeminence. First, because [the teaching] is naturally always expounded and universally expounded, whatever meets the eye and encounters an object is, at all times, constantly seen in accordance with the Dharma. The sūtra passage cited is as in the general section above. Moreover, the 'Manifestation Chapter' says: 'O son of the Buddha! Just as on the Snow Mountains there is a medicinal king tree named Good Vision, if there is anyone who sees it, their eyes become purified; if there is anyone who hears of it, their ears become purified, etc. O son of the Buddha! The Tathāgata, Arhat, and Samyaksaṃbuddha, the supreme medicinal king, is also like this, being able to perform all benefits for sentient beings. If there is anyone who is able to see the Tathāgata's physical body, their eyes become purified; if there is anyone who is able to hear the Tathāgata's voice, their ears become purified,' etc. It also says: 'O son of the Buddha! I now tell you: even if there are sentient beings who see or hear the Buddha, yet, shrouded by karmic obstacles, do not arouse faith and delight, they also plant good roots, none in vain, up to finally entering nirvāṇa.' Although the above explains seeing the Buddha, the Buddha is the Avataṃsaka Buddha; hence the tongue organ tastes the flavor of the Dharma. Thus the 'Xianshou Chapter' says: 'This Dharma is rare and extremely wonderful; / If a person, having heard it, can accept it with forbearance, / Can believe, uphold, praise, and explain it, / What is done like this is exceedingly difficult,' etc. The 'Tuṣita Gāthā Praise Chapter' says: 'Even if in thought after thought / One makes offerings to immeasurable Buddhas, / If one does not yet know the true Dharma, / It is not called making offerings. / If one hears such a Dharma as this, / The Buddhas are born from this; / Although experiencing immeasurable suffering, / One will not abandon the practice of bodhi. / Once one hears the great wisdom, / The Dharma into which the Buddhas enter, / Universally within the dharmadhātu, / One becomes a guide of the three times.' We know clearly that the benefit of seeing and hearing is profound indeed. As for the Commentary's 'benefit of arousing the mind': if one does not hear this, one cannot arouse the mind; even if one arousing the mind, one cannot attain preeminence, because at the moment of first arousing the mind, one immediately realizes correct awakening, and so on, the meaning being as cited above. As for the Commentary's 'benefit of engaging in cultivation': it means that upon hearing this universal Dharma, one can then engage in cultivation where one practice is all practices. As previously cited from the 'Manifestation Chapter': 'Cultivating for many kalpas without hearing this Dharma is not true cultivation.' As for the Commentary's 'benefit of sudden attainment': as in the case of the six thousand monks below who upon the word attained the ten eyes, the youth Sudhana who within a single lifetime could suddenly perfect all stages, and the bodhisattvas at the beginning of the 'Dharmadhātu Chapter' who suddenly realized, all are cited in the section on the traces of the teaching. As for the Commentary's 'benefit of eradicating obstacles': this is 'one severance is all severances,' as the heavenly drum's teaching in the 'Secondary Marks Chapter' states: 'You should arouse the mind of anuttarasamyaksaṃbodhi, and repent your errors with the three karmas equal to the dharmadhātu,' concluding with: 'If known in this way, it is true repentance; all evils and offenses will be entirely purified.' When this Dharma was spoken, devaputras of the Tuṣita Heaven in worlds as numerous as the dust motes of hundreds of thousands of koṭis of nayutas of Buddha-lands attained anutpattikadharmakṣānti. Moreover, the devaputras made offerings to the Buddha with incense, flowers, and so forth, achieving great benefit. It also says: 'Those clouds of incense universally rain down upon worlds as numerous as the dust motes of immeasurable Buddha-lands. If there are sentient beings whose bodies are touched by this incense, their bodies are at ease and blissful, like a monk entering the fourth dhyāna, and all their karmic obstacles are entirely melted away. If there are those who smell it, those sentient beings—who internally possess five hundred afflictions regarding sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and tangibles, and externally also possess five hundred afflictions, with twenty-one thousand in the case of predominant greed, and likewise for equal distributions of anger and delusion—understand and realize that these are entirely false and illusory. Having known this, they accomplish the pure good roots of the radiant unobstructed light of the incense-banner clouds,' and so forth; these are all the benefit of eradicating obstacles. As for the Commentary's 'benefit of subsuming the stages': it has been fully explained in the section on stages above. As for the Commentary's 'benefit of initiating practice': as the 'Samantabhadra's Practice Chapter' says, 'When a bodhisattva-mahāsattva gets to hear this Dharma, by applying a little upāya, they swiftly attain anuttarasamyaksaṃbodhi, because one practice is all practices.' This was fully cited in the section on practice above. As for the Commentary's 'benefit of matching the nature': it means that by relying on this universal Dharma, all sentient beings without exception match their fundamental nature. Within the ocean of Buddha-fruits, they have originally already received the benefit. Thus the 'Manifestation Chapter' says: 'When the Tathāgata realizes correct awakening, within his body he universally sees all sentient beings realize correct awakening, up to universally seeing all sentient beings enter nirvāṇa. They are all of one and the same nature, namely, having no nature.' If it did not match the nature, how could this be so? As for the Commentary's 'benefit of progressive transformation': as when the devaputras of the first tier of hell finished receiving benefit, it progressively generated three tiers of benefits, the latter two being progressive benefits. As the eradicating of obstacles above was the second tier, it was also a progressive benefit; because the perspective was different, it was counted as eradicating obstacles. The third tier says: 'If there are sentient beings who see its canopy, they plant good roots [equal to the sands of] one Ganges River for the rank of a pure golden-wheel-turning king. O son of the Buddha! A bodhisattva dwelling in this rank of a wheel-turning king teaches and transforms sentient beings in worlds as numerous as the dust motes of hundreds of thousands of koṭis of nayutas of Buddha-lands,' up to saying, 'If there are those who temporarily encounter this light, they will certainly attain the tenth bodhisattva stage, due to the power of previously cultivated good roots.' These are all progressive benefits. As for the Commentary's 'benefit of rapid realization': it is as described above in the traces of the teaching regarding perfecting the fruits of vast kalpas in a single lifetime. 'Therefore, the previous nine causes all become the present benefits': this is the conclusion.