大方廣佛華嚴經隨疏演義鈔 5.49

5.49

Regarding the commentary's "Received only at the ultimate stage, difficult for ordinary sentiments to plumb": This is the third part, concluding its inconceivability. "To plumb" (揖) means to measure. Below the ninth bhūmi, none can reach it by measurement; only bodhisattvas of the tenth bhūmi, whose stage is ultimate, are capable of receiving it. The Daśabhūmika-sūtra states: "Just as with the great rain poured down by the dragon king Sāgara, with the sole exception of the great ocean, no other place can rest in it, receive it, gather it, or hold it. The great Dharma illumination, great Dharma radiance, and great Dharma rain of the Tathāgata's secret treasury are also like this: with the sole exception of bodhisattvas of the tenth bhūmi who can rest in it, receive it, gather it, and hold it, all other sentient beings, śrāvakas, pratyekabuddhas, and even bodhisattvas up to the ninth bhūmi, are all incapable of resting in it, receiving it, gathering it, or holding it." The fifth fascicle of the sūtra states: "The assembly of Buddha-sons is vast and boundless, / wishing together to measure the wisdom of the Buddhas. / The dharma-doors of the Buddhas have no boundary; / to be able to fully understand them is exceedingly difficult." Ximu says: "The Dharma-ocean of the Buddhas has no boundary; / I am able at once to drink it entirely," and so forth. The citations above make this clear.