大方廣佛華嚴經隨疏演義鈔 52.63

52.63

Regarding the Commentary's statement: 'If viewed in terms of attaining concentration' downward, this is the third part, revealing the difference between unseen and manifest empowerment. The reason this is examined is that ancient masters considered the initial empowerment by the accompanying [Buddhas] to be the characteristic of manifest empowerment, and the subsequent three causes to be solely the causes of empowerment; thus, cause and empowerment were separate, and the sense of being a cause was established. Now, since the subsequent three are all common to the causes of concentration, and concentration has now already been attained, how could one say they are not the primary characteristics of empowerment? Because the characteristics of empowerment come afterward, there is this meaning. Clarifying empowerment has two aspects: first, unseen empowerment, which occurs before concentration to empower [one] to attain concentration; second, manifest empowerment, which requires having attained concentration before one is able to receive empowerment.