大方廣佛華嚴經隨疏演義鈔 40.2

40.2

In the commentary, from 'Now, since capacities diverge and teachings differ' onwards, is the third part, which concludes and establishes the preceding meaning. Within this there are six sections: 1. praising the profound and deferring with humility; 2. establishing the principle through advance and retreat; 3. concluding and establishing detriment and benefit; 4. citing precedents for proof; 5. illustrating superior merit by comparison; and 6. citing texts to establish [the point]. Now for the first. First, it jointly clarifies the abstruse profundity of the doctrinal purpose, which is praising the teaching; next, it clarifies that one has not yet realized it, which is humility; thereafter, from 'let us jointly examine' onwards, it is deferring. In the commentary, from 'Moreover, taking the shallow' onwards, is the second section, establishing the principle through advance and retreat, clarifying that there is detriment and benefit. For the initial abode to suddenly possess the Buddha-Dharma in full is profound. Yet deferring it to the entry upon the bhūmis, as non-existent prior to the bhūmis, is shallow; hence it constitutes slandering the Dharma. The *Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa* states: 'There are two kinds of slanders: first, to state that this is not spoken by the Buddha, and so on, which is grave and causes one to fall into the great hells; second, to speak out of accord with the principle; both constitute slandering the Dharma.' That is, taking the profound as shallow is just this. Regarding 'Moreover, taking the shallow as profound,' and so on: explaining the shallowness of the initial abode as perfect interpenetration and comprehensive breadth is profound. How could this not accord with the principle? Because the principle is fundamentally complete. However, these two antitheses also broadly adduce all profound and shallow dharmas. As for 'taking the distant as near': to realize the first bhūmi only upon the completion of one asaṃkhyeya [kalpa] is distant. Now regarding it as the initial abode is near. Thus one has hope within a single lifetime; how could this not benefit practitioners? As for 'taking the near as distant': the initial abode is near. Yet deferring it to the entry upon the bhūmis makes it distant. Having not yet traversed an asaṃkhyeya [kalpa], by what means could one attain this? Therefore it says, 'The Dharma is not my portion.' In the commentary, from 'The Buddhas' onwards, is the third section, concluding and establishing detriment and benefit, which can be understood. In the commentary, from 'Moreover, in the evening fishing at Panxi' onwards, is the fourth section, citing precedents for proof, taking sovereign and minister as a pair. Panxi was precisely the place where Taigong fished; suddenly he became King Wu's prime minister—how could this require accumulating qualifications over time? A single matter is briefly adduced, yet its examples are very numerous. Zhuge Liang received the golden battle-axe from a thatched hut; Han Xin rose to the general's platform from a common foot-soldier; Cai Ze seized the seal of Fan Sui; Zhang Yi made dominant the prestige of the Qin ruler—all were commoners. 'Barely born in the royal palace' concerns the sovereign, and is also an external affair. In terms of the sūtra, it refers to chapter 78, where, for instance, when a prince is newly born, he is immediately revered by the elder ministers and retainers. This bodhicitta is also just like this. The 'Chapter on Arising' states: 'Just as the crown prince born to a wheel-turning king who possesses the marks of a king does not lose the seven treasures, and directly succeeds the wheel-turning king.' In terms of non-Buddhist classics, such matters are very numerous. For instance, King Cheng of Zhou and Duke Xian of Jin both became rulers of men from youth. 'Subduing Xiang [Yu] through a hundred battles' refers to Emperor Gaozu of Han. An ancient verse on history says: 'Only after a hundred battles did he subdue Xiang; with three articles [of law] he temporarily replaced Qin; the merit belonged to Prime Minister Xiao; the spirit expired in Consort Qi.' With ten years of campaigns and seventy-two wounds, he finally faced south and called himself sovereign; he was on the throne for but a short while—how could this be the same as the former? In the commentary, from 'How much more so after ten thousand kalpas' onwards, is the fifth section, illustrating superior merit by comparison. Because one enters the initial abode and accomplishes the stage of right determination only after cultivating practice for ten thousand kalpas, this is also not attained merely by generating a boundless mind. As for the statement 'not an ordinary person': 'ordinary' means brief and slight. Historical books describe the Duke of Zhou as the son of King Wen, the younger brother of King Wu, and the uncle of King Cheng—not an ordinary person. Now these words are borrowed and used here. In the commentary, from 'Therefore, to speak of its wisdom' onwards, are precisely the virtues accomplished by superior merit. 'Celestial pond' means the ocean.