大方廣佛華嚴經隨疏演義鈔 86.2

86.2

In the commentary, from "Now, at the beginning, saying 'wheel letters'" downwards: the commentary text has two parts: first, explaining the characteristics of meaning; second, analyzing the order. In the former, there are two: first, recounting the past; second, from "Now, relying further on Vairocana..." downwards, stating the present. In this there are three: first, recounting the intention; next, from "As at the very beginning..." downwards, directly analyzing the characteristics of the letters; last, from "The deep meaning beneath those letters..." downwards, analyzing the meaning of the letters; the text is understandable in all these cases. In the commentary, from "The reason for analyzing this following the previous one..." downwards: second, explaining the order. Above is the question, below is the answer; it secretly uses the intention of the Vairocana-sūtra. There is a verse there that says: / "The profound sign is signless, / Which inferior intelligence cannot endure. / In order to transform such beings, / It speaks while retaining both existence and non-existence." / Explanation: Entrusting to letters retains the sign of existence, while wisdom retains non-existence. As a verse says: / "The eight-petalled white lotus blossoms all at once, / Resplendently manifesting the pure radiant color of the letter A." / This is retaining existence; "A" expresses the meaning of non-arising, which is retaining non-existence; unifying them as non-dual is precisely the Middle Way. In the commentary, "furthermore, in order to maintain dāraṇī so it is not lost": because in adapting to worldly transformation and guidance, dhāraṇī preserves differences. From "Since he is a physician" downwards: it speaks directly with respect to existence. From "Born from the holy teaching": it speaks with respect to expressing the stage. In the commentary, "However, the letters are forty-two letters": as explained in the section on Śilpābhijña. The "fourteen vowels" have already been explained in the First Ground.