大方廣佛華嚴經隨疏演義鈔 80.55

80.55

Regarding the commentary's "Second, the essence turned: that is, indicating, exhorting, and witnessing," 1. is the turning that indicates characteristics, 2. is the turning that exhorts cultivation, and 3. is the turning that bears witness. First, the turning that indicates characteristics: All Buddhas and World-Honoured Ones directly realize all dharmas and indicate them according to the capacity of the vessel. Just as in turning the four noble truths, saying: "This body is suffering; karma and affliction are the origin; this cessation is cessation; that which can cause cessation is the path." Indicating the true principles and wondrous cognitions of dependent origination and so forth are all analogous to this. At that time, the noble eye of wisdom arises; because the indication has differences according to the past, future, and present times, in proper sequence one attains the eye, cognition, insight, and awakening. This single cognition is collectively named the eye; having three active aspects, it is named cognition, insight, and awakening—it is not that four distinct cognitions arise with respect to the four noble truths. Because the true path of seeing is a single instant, it is not like the separate upper and lower observations of the Small Vehicle. Realizing cessation based on the verbal explanation is said to extend through the three times, but it is not that the truth of cessation exists throughout the three times. Second, the turning that exhorts cultivation: just as when speaking of the four noble truths, one says, "This is suffering, you should know it; this is the origin, you should abandon it; this is cessation, you should realize it; this is the path, you should cultivate it." This also gives rise to the eye, cognition, insight, and awakening. If one turns the true Dharma of dependent origination and so forth, it can be understood by analogy to this. Third, the turning that bears witness: just as when turning the four noble truths, one says, "This is suffering, I have already known it; this is the origin, I have already abandoned it; this is cessation, I have already realized it; this is the path, I have already cultivated it." This also gives rise to the four active aspects of the eye, cognition, insight, and awakening. Turning the rest is analogous to these twelve active aspects. However, regarding the three turnings, the venerable Ghoṣaka held that the eightfold noble path constitutes the turning, which is solely the path of seeing, because when the path of seeing arose in Kauṇḍinya, it was said that it had already been turned. If spoken of in general characteristics, all noble paths are called the Dharma wheel. The Abhidharmanyāyānusāra-śāstra states that the three turnings are the three paths: the first is the path of seeing, the second is the path of cultivation, and the third is the path of no-learning; as for Kauṇḍinya being called one for whom it had already been turned, this was because the initial turning had been completed. The Mahāyāna master adopted that meaning. As for the Tattvasiddhi masters, the first turning generates the wisdom of hearing, the next generates the wisdom of contemplation, and the last generates the wisdom of cultivation; there are not twelve active aspects, but only a single period of active aspects. This statement is rather open to question: because it is said that Kauṇḍinya attained the first fruition right then, and without having passed through the path of cultivation, how could there be the first fruition? For the sixteenth cognition belongs to the path of cultivation. Moreover, although the first indicates suffering, origin, and so forth, if it has not yet exhorted knowing and abandoning, what would cause the fruition to be achieved? If the indicating and exhorting turnings have already obtained the fruition, what need is there to cite oneself as witness? Therefore, the path of seeing extending through the three turnings is indeed the superior interpretation. How much more so when extending through all dharmas there are indicating, exhorting, and witnessing! Therefore, in the present sūtra, when [the Buddha] first achieves right awakening, expounding the Great Avataṃsaka and turning the wheel of the One Vehicle, it also possesses all three. If the Mahāyāna path of seeing is only on the first bhūmi, then prior to that bhūmi it would not be the initial turning of the Dharma wheel. If separately matching them to the two paths: the second turning refers to the learner, who through wondrous wisdom truly penetrates: "I still have tasks to perform subsequently; I should comprehensively know the truth of suffering, I should forever abandon the truth of origin, I should realize the truth of cessation, and I should cultivate the uncultivated truth of the path." As there are these four kinds of active aspects, it should be understood as before. The third turning refers to no-learning, because of attaining the cognition of exhaustion and the cognition of non-arising. Saying: "All that was to be done I have already done; that is, I have comprehensively known the unknown truth of suffering," and so on up to the broad exposition of "I have cultivated the uncultivated truth of the path." There are also four active aspects, which can be understood by analogy to the preceding. Explanation: This is the separate allocation of the three turnings to the three paths by the various Mahāyāna masters. As for saying "witnessing," it is their own personal realization, not the Buddha's realization. However, the present sūtra text is the Dharma wheel of the Middle Way in three turnings, forever free from extreme views; it also fully speaks of knowing, abandoning, realizing, and cultivating, which is the Mahāyāna's non-active four truths already expressing the essence of the turning, and the four, including the attainment of fruition, can all be sought without obstruction.