大方廣佛華嚴經隨疏演義鈔 76.44

76.44

From the commentary's "representing our Great Sage" onward is the second part, demonstrating what it represents. Much of it comes from the Sarvatathāgatatattvasaṃgraha-tantra (Vajraśekhara), and some is analyzed through principle. "Great Sage" refers to Mañjuśrī. Without specifying his name, it directly says Great Sage; today, recitation in the mountain simply refers to the "Great Sage Bodhisattva," which cites the general title while specifically referring to the Auspicious One. Regarding the "five cognitions": according to the Buddhabhūmi-sūtra-śāstra, five dharmas subsume the nature of great awakening, namely the four cognitions of bodhi and the one true dharmadhātu. According to the Vajraśekhara, the one true dharmadhātu is named the cognition of the pure dharmadhātu, thus making five cognitions. Second, the five eyes are understood. Third, as for the "five families": first, the Buddha family; second, the Vajra family; third, the Ratna family; fourth, the Padma family; fifth, the Karma family. All mantras of the devas belong to the Ratna family; mantras of the ghosts and spirits belong to the Karma family. Fourth, the "five aggregates" refers to our five aggregates, representing that within these five terraces is great awakening, namely the Unshakable Cognition Buddha (Akṣobhya) possessing wondrous wisdom and sovereignty, who is Mañjuśrī. Fifth, as for "bearing on the head a crown of the five Buddhas": many great bodhisattvas possess this crown, but the Great Sage does not merely wear a crown. Sixth, he also constantly has five topknots. Now, the meanings of these various sets of five are largely analogous: the central topknot, represented by the Central Terrace, is where Vairocana Buddha resides, being the lord of the Buddha family, the cognition of the pure dharmadhātu, and also the Buddha eye. The eastern topknot is the Eastern Terrace, where Akṣobhya Buddha resides, being the lord of the Vajra family, the great round mirror-like cognition, and the wisdom eye. The southern topknot is the Southern Terrace, where Ratnasaṃbhava Tathāgata resides, being the lord of the Ratna family, the cognition of equality, and the divine eye. The western topknot is the Western Terrace, where Amitābha Tathāgata resides, being the lord of the Padma family, the wondrously observing cognition, and the Dharma eye. The northern topknot is the Northern Terrace, where Amoghasiddhi Tathāgata resides, being the lord of the Karma family, the cognition that accomplishes actions, and the fleshly eye. Seventh, if correlated with the five vehicles: the center is the Buddha vehicle, the east the bodhisattva vehicle, the south the pratyekabuddha vehicle, the west the śrāvaka vehicle, and the north the human and deva vehicle. If human and deva vehicles are separated, the north is the human vehicle, combining the Buddha and bodhisattva, with the rest following in order. Eighth, if purifying the five defilements, it merely takes the five differences without necessarily following the sequence. If correlated with the five aggregates: the center is the aggregate of consciousness, the east the aggregate of mental formations, the south the aggregate of perception, the west the aggregate of feeling, and the north the aggregate of form. They are ordered analogously to this sequence, because consciousness is primary. However, the five Tathāgatas all have seed-syllables, and each of their meditative visualizations is distinct; only those who study the Esoteric Teaching will know their essentials. Here, they are merely correlated in brief.