大方廣佛華嚴經隨疏演義鈔 71.23

71.23

In the commentary's "Second, associated and unassociated": first it takes the treatise's intention to establish the names; below "Only with...", the commentary explains the characteristics of association, and so forth. Below "Hence the treatise says...", it quotes evidence to speak of them in terms of the realms. From "defilements of the formless realm are subtle" onward, the commentary explains the treatise's words "lower, middle, and upper": by inclusion taking the defilements of the form realm as middle, and the defilements of the desire realm as upper; this is in terms of the defilement-entities themselves. Master Yuan says: "Taking the desire realm as lower, etc., is in terms of the superiority or inferiority of the realms." From "Although latent defilements..." onward, it resolves an objection. That is, someone asks: in whichever single realm one resides, one possesses all latent defilements belonging to the three realms. For instance, when born in an upper realm, the defilement-seeds of the lower realm are also fully possessed. How can it be said that there are associated and unassociated? Therefore it now replies: the association of seeds is spoken of in terms of their active defilements, not that being born in an upper realm causes one to lose the seeds of the lower realm, and so on. However, examining the sūtra now, there are only the words "associated and unassociated," which is why this explanation is made. If following the sūtra text of the treatise, which says "the characteristic of being associated, unassociated, and not separated," then active defilements have association and non-association, while latent defilements are never separated.