大方廣佛華嚴經隨疏演義鈔 30.4

30.4

Regarding the commentary's phrase, 'The next [verse concerns] subduing Māra through the power of benevolence': The *Mahāyāna-upāyakauśalya-sūtra* states that Pāpīyas's army covered thirty-six yojanas, surrounding the Bodhi tree to create obstacles. The Bodhisattva, abiding in benevolence, compassion, and wisdom, touched the earth with his finger, whereupon the great multitude of eighty-four thousand beings of the eight classes all generated the great bodhicitta. Therefore it says, 'subduing Māra through the power of benevolence.' A sūtra says: 'The Guide subdues the hosts of Māra; it is thus on account of benevolence and compassion.' Fascicle two of the *Guanfo sanmei hai jing*, in explaining the merit of contemplating the white curl (ūrṇā-keśa), describes subduing Māra through benevolence and compassion; here, its meaning is cited in summary. Pāpīyas summoned all eight classes, as well as the wilderness ghosts and spirits, and King Yama together with the spirits of the eighteen hells. All the great hells such as Avīci arrived completely at the Buddha's place, and boundless terrifying phenomena simultaneously threatened the Bodhisattva. At that time, the Bodhisattva gently raised his right arm and extended his eyebrow-curl downward, aiming it toward the Avīci hell, causing all the sinners to see various streams of water flowing forth from the white curl, pouring down like cart-axles; the fires were extinguished, suffering ceased, and their minds attained coolness. The hell wardens saw the tips of their iron forks become like mountains of white silver, with tens of millions of niches containing white lions coiled to form seats; atop these seats bloomed white lotuses, where wondrous bodhisattvas entered the supreme benevolence samādhi. The lord of hell generated the mind [for bodhi], the sufferings of the numerous sinners ceased, and chanting 'Namo Buddhāya', they all attained liberation. The boundless evil occurrences had no means of approaching the Buddha. The Demon King, emaciated and distraught, retreated and lay upon his couch. There were three demon daughters who also harbored the intent to confuse and disorder the Bodhisattva; he likewise aimed the white curl at them, and the maidens all saw the thirty-six impure substances and the nine orifices of impurity; carrying an old mother on their backs and embracing a dead infant in their arms, their nine orifices overflowing with filth, they crawled away. The Demon King brandished his sword and advanced; the World-Honoured One again aimed the white curl at him, causing Māra's retinue to enjoy peace and bliss of body and mind as if in the third dhyāna. Hungry ghosts saw that at the tip of the curl there were hundreds of thousands of koṭis of great bodhisattvas entering the supreme benevolence samādhi. These are all instances of subduing Māra through the power of benevolence. As for the sūtra's phrase, 'Expounding wondrous meaning from within the light': this refers to the light from between his eyebrows. That is to say, when the demon Pāpīyas was unable to harm the Buddha, he suddenly returned to his palace; the white curl followed along, reaching directly up to the six desire heavens. In between, countless gods and goddesses saw that the hollow of the white curl's pore was entirely empty within, round and lovely like the banner of the god Brahmā. Within that space there were precious lotuses numbering as many as the dust motes in hundreds of thousands of Ganges sands; each lotus was immeasurable and boundless, with wondrous white curls forming their platforms, and atop the platforms were transformed buddhas and bodhisattvas emitting the light of the white-curl major mark, which was likewise so. On the crowns of the bodhisattvas were wondrous lotuses, golden in colour, upon which sat the seven Buddhas of the past. These transformed buddhas themselves proclaimed their names, which were no different from the sūtras. This is precisely 'expounding wondrous meaning from within the light'. However, this is the power of the benevolence samādhi; therefore it is collectively spoken of as 'subduing Māra through the power of benevolence'. As for the commentary's phrase, 'The next [verse concerns] wisdom and eradication bringing about functioning': the first line is wisdom, and the next line is eradication; this is precisely refining the meaning to enter the spirit, and thus being able to manifest all things suddenly in a single instant—this is 'bringing about functioning'. The *Yijing: Xici* states: 'The inchworm bends its body in order to stretch forth; dragons and serpents hibernate in order to preserve their lives; refining the meaning enters the spirit, in order to bring about functioning.' The commentary to that text states: 'Refining the meaning refers to the subtleties of principles of things. The spirit is tranquil and unmoving, yet responds and subsequently penetrates all. Therefore, one can take advantage of the subtleties beneath heaven, unifying and giving flow to their functions.' Here, this language is borrowed so that the profound communion of wisdom and eradication is taken as 'refining the meaning to enter the spirit'.