大方廣佛華嚴經隨疏演義鈔 30.6

30.6

Regarding the commentary's phrase, 'All stating "some see"': within these nine distinctions there are nine instances of 'some see'; the meaning is easily understood, yet people are still confused about it. Now, drawing by analogy upon seeking to see Mañjuśrī at the Five Terraces of Qingliang, to illustrate the differences in seeing the Buddha throughout the dharmadhātu, there are ten points in all. First, 'some multiple capacities in different places each have a corresponding perception and see': for instance, suppose there are five people, which is called 'multiple capacities', each on a terrace, which is called 'different places'. One person on the South Terrace sees a bodhisattva; one person on the West Terrace sees a lion; one person on the Central Terrace sees the myriad holy ones; one person on the East Terrace sees a transformed buddha; and one person on the North Terrace sees a holy monk. This is the first: each having a corresponding perception and seeing. Second, 'or in the same place, each seeing differently': five people together on the Central Terrace, hence 'the same place'; one sees a bodhisattva, one sees a lion, and so forth, hence 'each seeing differently'. Third, 'or at different times, seeing separately': one person in the morning sees a bodhisattva, and in the evening sees a transformed buddha, and so forth. Fourth, 'or at the same time, seeing differently': whereas the above 'at different times, seeing separately' was not restricted to one person or multiple people, here it must be multiple people; that is, two people at the same morning time, one seeing a transformed buddha and one seeing a bodhisattva. Fifth, 'or at the same time in different places, seeing': this also refers to multiple people, at the same morning dawn, one seeing on the East Terrace and one seeing on the North Terrace; the objects seen may be the same or different—either both seeing a bodhisattva is also seeing at the same time in different places, or one seeing a bodhisattva and one seeing a transformed buddha is likewise at the same time in different places. Sixth, 'or in the same place at different times, seeing': together on the Central Terrace, seeing in the morning and also seeing in the evening; the perceiving subjects may be one person or multiple people, and the perceived objects may also be one object or different objects; it merely takes the place as the same and the times as different. Seventh, 'or at different times in different places, seeing': the times are different as morning and evening, and the places are distinct as the East and West Terraces. The perceiving subjects may also be one person or multiple people; that is, either one person in the morning sees a bodhisattva on the Central Terrace and in the evening sees a bodhisattva on the North Terrace, while different people can be inferred. However, regarding one person, the objects seen may also be the same or different: both seeing a bodhisattva is as explained above; or one person in the morning on the Central Terrace sees a bodhisattva and in the evening on the North Terrace sees a lion; yet for the most part this is explained regarding one object. Eighth, 'or at the same time in the same place, seeing': this also refers to multiple people together on the Central Terrace, who at midday all see a bodhisattva; what is seen also allows for being the same or different, but is explained provisionally as the same. Ninth, 'or one person at mutually intersecting times and places seeing what multiple people see': 'mutually intersecting times and places' means the same time in different places, and different times in the same place, which are called intersecting times and places. Now, the same time in different places is the fifth case, and must involve multiple people; different times in the same place is the sixth case, applying to either one person or multiple people. Here, a single person suddenly sees that which the aforementioned multiple people saw; such a capacity is also an inconceivable person, because they are able to see at the same time in different places. That is to say, there is one person who, at morning time on the Central Terrace, sees what multiple people on the Central Terrace see, and also sees on the West Terrace what multiple people see; furthermore, on the Central Terrace, in both morning and evening, sees what multiple people see. Tenth, 'or one person at times and places that are both the same and different seeing what all people see': the same time in the same place, and different times in different places, are called 'times and places that are both the same and different'. Since this is one person, the time encompasses many times, the place pervades all places, and the vision penetrates all realms; therefore, this is the capacity of the Universal Eye.