大方廣佛華嚴經隨疏演義鈔 85.26

85.26

Regarding the Commentary's: "If a person is able to practice this, this person is a good friend": However, Xianshou has three meanings: first, personal spiritual benefactors; second, doctrinal spiritual benefactors; third, a combined explanation. Those listed in the Commentary above are five, and they are all persons; therefore it concludes: "If a person is able to practice this, they are a personal good friend." Second, as for doctrinal good friends, he has six positions: first, the teaching of humans and devas; second, the teaching of the Hinayana; and the latter four are the teachings of the four doctrines. Therefore, the present Commentary speaks comprehensively: "Teaching, principle, practice, and fruit are all good friends." Third, as for the combined explanation, he also has six, meaning that for each of the six teachings above, one gate is explained to bestow upon suitable capacities. The Commentary's intention does not preserve the third, because the third is not different from the first approach. Regarding the Commentary's: "Even if there are actual faults, one still takes the Dharma and ignores the flaws": Thus Master Kumārajīva often spoke the verse: "Just as in the mud / A blue lotus flower grows; / The wise person takes the lotus flower / And does not look at the mud"—which is this very matter. Regarding the Commentary's: "How much more so when the provisional and the real have many aspects, and the ripe and the raw are hard to fathom": This is also from the "Chapter on the Four Reliances" in the sixth fascicle of the Nirvāṇa [Sūtra], which says: "Like the āmra fruit, the ripe and raw are difficult to know." That is to say, harboring rot within while outwardly displaying the monastic rules is being ripe on the outside and raw on the inside; possessing profound Dharma within while outwardly showing the signs of violating precepts is being ripe on the inside and raw on the outside. This is taking people by their appearances, which would be to err regarding Ziyu. It is also said that there are the kālaka fruit and the tinduka fruit; the two fruits resemble each other, but the kālaka fruit is harmful poison to humans, whereas the tinduka fruit is beneficial to humans. This is a metaphor for how good friends and bad friends resemble each other in external appearance, and are thus hard to know. The provisional and the real have many aspects, which applies generally across the various sūtras. In this sūtra, the perverse practices of Vasumitrā, Jayoṣmāyatana, and Ananyagāmin are provisional manifestations—how could they be deemed faults? Hence they are difficult to fathom. The Book of Songs says: "When gathering turnip and radish, do not reject them for their lower parts." Therefore, great sages diminish their virtues and expose their blemishes, withholding their illumination and concealing their brilliance, and cannot be known.