大方廣佛華嚴經隨疏演義鈔 7.58

7.58

Regarding the Commentary's passage from "Because the nature is solely one" onward, it cites two passages from it to clarify that there is solely one nature, thereby verifying and completing the one vehicle. This sentence as a whole uses the one nature to complete the one vehicle. If there were multiple natures, there could be multiple vehicles; since there is solely one nature and all equally become Buddhas, there is solely one vehicle. Regarding the Commentary's passage from "Therefore it says: 'The Buddhas, the Most Honoured among bipeds'" onward, it cites evidence. First, it cites the first passage on future Buddhas; hence that verse says: "Although the Buddhas of future ages / preach hundreds of thousands of koṭis / of countless Dharma gates, / in truth they are for the one vehicle. / The Buddhas, the Most Honoured among bipeds, / know that dharmas are ever devoid of own-nature; / the Buddha-seed arises from conditions, / therefore they preach the one vehicle. / These dharmas abide in the status of dharmas, / the characteristics of the world are constantly abiding; / having known this at the site of enlightenment, / the Guides preach it through upāya." Now it only cites two lines to show that all dharmas are devoid of own-nature, completing the meaning of the one nature. However, regarding the above three verses, various commentaries differ. Now directly explaining the sūtra text: the first verse clarifies that when future Buddhas disclose the provisional, they ultimately return to the one real; hence it says "in truth they are for the one vehicle." The next verse explains the reason for preaching the one vehicle, which is because there is solely one nature. That is to say, if there were two natures, there could be two vehicles; since there is solely one nature, they preach the one vehicle. "Know that dharmas are ever devoid of own-nature": "knowing" is the subjective realization and knowledge, "dharmas" refers to what is realized and known. Dharmas are all phenomena, such as form and mind. "Ever devoid of own-nature" is the principle realized: namely, the principle of tathatā being devoid of own-nature, awakening to all dharmas. Why "ever devoid of own-nature"? It means that form, mind, and so forth have from the beginning been empty and quiescent in their nature and characteristics, neither self nor other, neither identical nor separate, serenely and constantly quiescent; hence they are called "devoid of own-nature." And saying "ever" means that they are originally non-existent, not made non-existent by analysis; hence they are said to be "ever devoid of own-nature." "The Buddha-seed arises from conditions" has two meanings: First, in terms of the causal seed: the causal seed is the direct-cause Buddha-nature. Hence the Nirvāṇa [Sūtra] says: "The Buddha-nature is the seed of the middle path of anuttarabodhi." This seed is the aforementioned principle of being ever devoid of own-nature; hence the Nirvāṇa [Sūtra] says: "The Buddha-nature is the emptiness of the supreme meaning." Being devoid of own-nature is the meaning of emptiness. "Conditions" are the six perfections and myriad practices, which are the conditioning-cause Buddha-nature, activating that direct cause to bring about the attainment of Buddhahood. "Therefore they preach the one vehicle": solely using Buddha-nature to activate Buddha-nature, with no other nature; hence they preach the one vehicle, speaking in accordance with the principle. Sharing the same essence is called "nature"; similarity is called "seed." Hence Guanzhong says: "Just as rice produces rice of itself and does not produce other grains, this belongs to 'nature.' The sprouts, stalks, flowers, and grains have no variation in their kind; this belongs to 'seed.'" Second, the fruition seed-nature: Guanzhong says: "The Buddha's retribution is solely a Buddha, its principle without error; this is the meaning of 'nature.' Preaching the Dharma to save people, their kinds are all similar; this is the meaning of 'seed.'" The seed-nature of fruition arises in dependence on true principle; hence it says "arises from conditions." Therefore, explaining this verse, it says: "The Buddha arises in dependence on principle, and since principle is not two, therefore they preach the one vehicle." The import is: realizing principle to become a Buddha, they preach the one in accordance with principle. In this, the verse "know that dharmas are ever devoid of own-nature" is completely identical to the "Tathāgatotpattisaṃbhava" chapter. The "Tathāgatotpattisaṃbhava" chapter says: "When the Tathāgata attains perfect awakening, within his body he universally sees all sentient beings attaining perfect awakening, up to universally seeing all sentient beings entering nirvāṇa, all having the same nature, namely the absence of nature." Up to: "Because he knows that all dharmas are devoid of nature, he attains all-knowledge and, with uninterrupted great compassion, saves and delivers sentient beings." It means that knowing the absence of nature, the Buddha-nature is identical. Based on the subsequent sūtra, because of knowing the absence of nature, if one attains, all attain; how much more will they not fail to preach the one vehicle to deliver them! The subsequent verse also says: "These dharmas abide in the status of dharmas" and so forth, re-explaining the previous verse. "These dharmas" refers to the previously known dharmas. Why are they ever devoid of own-nature? Because they abide in the correct status of tathatā. Because conditions are devoid of own-nature, dependent origination is identical with the real; because it is identical with the real, the above says "devoid of own-nature." "Status of dharmas" refers to the correct status of tathatā. Hence the Dazhidulun says: "Dharmatā, dharmadhātu, the abiding of dharmas, and the status of dharmas are all different names for tathatā." Worldly dharmas are identical with tathatā, hence they are all constantly abiding. That is, because causes run contrary to the constant principle, the three realms are rendered impermanent. If one understands the reality of impermanence, then impermanence becomes constant. Then the two principles of permanence and impermanence are not one-sided; hence the Nirvāṇa Sūtra compares them to two birds. Now, at the site of enlightenment, realizing that all worldly impermanence is the principle of true permanence is like hanging a mirror in a high hall, where the myriad images are all reflected. Being two yet not two cannot be expressed in words, yet by the power of upāya, provisional words are employed. Even the "one" is a provisional preaching, how much more could there be two or three? Therefore, know that the former verse is a text on the one nature; the Commentary briefly extracts only a single line. Regarding the Commentary's passage from "Also, the third [fascicle]" onward: this cites the "Auṣadhīparivarta" to verify the meaning of the one nature. Hence that sūtra says: "Sentient beings abide on various grounds; only the Tathāgata sees them as they truly are, clearly and unobstructed. Just like those plants, trees, thickets, forests, and medicinal herbs, which do not themselves know their superior, intermediate, or inferior natures, the Tathāgata knows this dharma of a single characteristic and a single taste, namely the characteristic of liberation, the characteristic of detachment, the characteristic of cessation, the characteristic of ultimate nirvāṇa's constant quiescence, ultimately returning to emptiness." Now it only briefly cites two lines to verify and know this, clarifying that people of the three vehicles do not know that distinctions are identical with the one; only the Buddha investigates it to the end as having neither three nor two. Regarding "liberation," it is true liberation. Hence the verse in the second fascicle says: "For the sake of the truth of cessation, they practice the path; / freed from all bonds of suffering, this is called attaining liberation. / From what has this person attained liberation? / Merely being freed from falsehood is called liberation, / yet in truth they have not attained all-liberation." Explanation: "All-liberation" is true liberation; true liberation has the single taste of liberation, so there are not two tastes, how could there be three vehicles? Hence it also says: "The characteristic of constant quiescence is the intrinsically pure nirvāṇa." This is the "characteristics of the world are constantly abiding" mentioned above; hence all are of one nature.