大方廣佛華嚴經隨疏演義鈔 90.22

90.22

In the commentary, from 'Now further' onward, it directly takes up the equality of the Buddhas to reveal that in reality it is our Fundamental Teacher interpenetrating everywhere, an intention that further surpasses equality. Within this, the text contains eight points beforehand: first, summarizing the main purport; second, from 'As this text says' onward, citing the text of this sūtra to examine and establish the correct meaning; third, from 'If one claims it praises separately' onward, refuting an attempted counter-defense and exposing its erroneous interpretation; fourth, from 'How much more so the Lotus Treasury' onward, citing preceding scripture to establish that they belong to our Teacher; fifth, from 'The Lotus and the Aṅgulimāla' onward, citing other sūtras to establish the present meaning; sixth, from 'Hence know that Dharmākara' onward, refuting their cited objections to resolve [apparent conflicts with] other scriptures; seventh, from 'Deducing it by reason' onward, concluding and establishing the correct meaning, interrogating them in return so that they may see it; eighth, from 'Yet this passage' onward, discerning what it encompasses and reaffirming the original meaning. Within the second, there are three points: first, that the Buddha of the east is said to be here clarifies that Akṣobhya is precisely our Fundamental Teacher; second, that Amitābha fills the ten directions means he must also pervade here, identical with the original direction, which is precisely Śākyamuni; third, comprehensively taking the various perceptions to clarify that he is the Fundamental Teacher, while some perceive him differently as various Buddhas such as Akṣobhya and Amitābha. In the third, the refutation of counter-defenses, it is feared an opponent might defend: 'Now when it clarifies that Akṣobhya and Amitābha pervade and so forth, it is naturally praising Amitābha and Akṣobhya separately; how can one cite this as being our Fundamental Teacher Buddha?' Therefore, it now refutes this, saying: If that were so, Samantabhadra originally intended to praise our Fundamental Teacher Śākyamuni Tathāgata; now if he says the Buddhas of east and west pervade here, how would that amount to praising our Fundamental Teacher? In the fourth, citing the Lotus Treasury: the Sahā world is on the thirteenth tier within the central ocean-seed of worlds, surrounded by worlds numbering as many as the dust motes of thirteen Buddha realms. The realm of the Buddha of Immeasurable Life is said merely to be past a hundred thousand koṭis of Buddha lands to the west of here, which could not even fill the dust of a single aggregate, let alone the dust motes of a realm, and even less the dust motes of thirteen Buddha realms. Those thirteen tiers are entirely realms of transformation. How much more so the oceanic world of the Lotus Treasury, which contains world-seeds numbering as many as the subtle dust motes of ten ineffable Buddha realms; each seed contains worlds numbering as many as the subtle dust motes of ineffable Buddha realms, all adorned and purified by our Fundamental Teacher, and within them Vairocana Tathāgata travels as divided bodies of transformation. Sukhāvatī lies closely within the tenth tier; how could it not be our Fundamental Teacher Śākyamuni? Hence it says: 'How could it not be this Buddha?' In the fifth, citing other sūtras for confirmation: the divided bodies in the two sūtras have already been cited above. Since all those in the ten directions are the divided-body Buddhas of Śākyamuni, how could Amitābha, Akṣobhya, and the others nearby not be so? In the sixth, refuting their cited objections: this refers to opponents citing two sūtras. First, they cite the *Qingjing pingdeng jue jing* speaking of the bhikṣu Dharmākara. However, the seventeenth assembly of the *Mahāratnakūṭa*, the *Immeasurable Life Assembly*, calls him the bhikṣu Dharmākara. When the Buddha was expounding on Mount Gṛdhrakūṭa, Ānanda arose, questioned, and said to the Buddha: 'Venerable World-Honoured One, the faculties of your physical form are entirely pure; your majestic radiance is dazzling like a heap of molten gold, and like a mirror concentrating and shining with bright light. Never before from the past to the present have I seen such a thing; rejoicing to gaze upon it, I give rise to a rare mind. The World-Honoured One has now entered the great tranquil concentration, has completely perfected the conduct of Tathāgatas, is well able to establish the conduct of a great man, and contemplates the Buddhas of the present, past, and future. For what reason does the World-Honoured One abide in this thought?' The Buddha praised his holy knowledge and then expounded for him: 'In the distant past, passing boundless asaṃkhyeyas of countless great eons, there appeared a Buddha named Dīpaṃkara.' Prior to him, he further successively enumerated various Buddhas, finally mentioning the Buddha Lokanātha. Boundless countless eons before that, a Buddha appeared in the world named Lokeśvararāja. In that Buddha's Dharma, there was a bhikṣu named Dharmākara who made an extraordinary vow, went to the Tathāgata, and praised the Buddha with verses. After he had praised him, the Buddha expounded for him the complete adornments of twenty-one hundred million pure Buddha lands. That bhikṣu received them all, and having received them, spent five full eons contemplating and cultivating them, whereupon he made forty-eight vows before that Buddha. After making the vows, he cultivated over many eons, fulfilling his merits, up to attaining Buddhahood.' Later Ānanda asked: 'Has this bhikṣu Dharmākara attained Buddhahood in the past, in the future, or in the present?' The Buddha told Ānanda: 'Passing a hundred thousand koṭis of Buddha lands to the west of here, there is a world named Sukhāvatī. The bhikṣu Dharmākara attained Buddhahood there, named Amitāyus, and is currently expounding the Dharma.' Thereafter, he expounded at length the adornments of that land. Commentary explains: Since the Tathāgata expounded his past causes and present effects, how could one determine that he is identical to our Fundamental Teacher? Second, they cite the sixteen princes of the *Lotus Sūtra*, namely [the sons of] the third Buddha, Mahābhijñājñānābhibhū. The sūtra says: 'Those sixteen novices, disciples of that Buddha, have all now attained anuttarasamyaksaṃbodhi, and are currently expounding the Dharma in lands throughout the ten directions, having immeasurable hundreds of thousands of myriads of koṭis of bodhisattvas and śrāvakas as their retinues. Two novices became Buddhas in the east: one named Akṣobhya in the land of Abhirati, and the second named Merukūṭa. Two Buddhas in the southeast: one named Siṃhaghosa, the second named Siṃhadhvaja. Two Buddhas in the south: one named Ākāśapratiṣṭhita, the second named Nityaparinirvṛta. Two Buddhas in the southwest: one named Indradhvaja, the second named Brahmadhvaja. Two Buddhas in the west: one named Amitābha, the second named Sarvalokadhātupadravodvegapratyakṣatva. Two Buddhas in the northwest: one named Tamālapatracandanagandha, the second named Merudhvaja. Two Buddhas in the north: one named Meghasvara, the second named Meghasvararāja. The Buddha in the northeast is named Sarvajagad-bhayāstambhitatvapraheṇa. The sixteenth is myself, Śākyamuni Buddha, who attained anuttarasamyaksaṃbodhi in the Sahā world.' Commentary explains: Since the first Buddha is named Akṣobhya, the ninth prince is Amitābha, and the sixteenth is Śākyamuni, their original causes being different and their attainment of Buddhahood also distinct, how can one confound them and say that all are the Fundamental Teacher? Hence the commentary explains: 'All are upāya.' Again it may be asked: Does the *Lotus Sūtra* determine this as upāya? We shall now cite the *Lotus Sūtra* in return to answer it. The 'Duration of the Tathāgata's Lifespan' chapter of the *Lotus Sūtra* says: 'In the interval, I spoke of Dīpaṃkara Buddha and others, and also spoke of their entering nirvāṇa; all such things were distinguished by upāya.' Thus the word 'and others' already includes the sixteen princes. It should further be asked: Dīpaṃkara was only one asaṃkhyeya ago from now, so he may be considered an upāya. Lokeśvararāja and Mahābhijñājñānābhibhū, having already passed immeasurable, boundless, inconceivable asaṃkhyeya eons—how could they be upāya? Therefore, one should reply: Although Dīpaṃkara was long ago, compared to the 'Lifespan' chapter, the number of eons is not large. For when speaking of Mahābhijñā, it only grinds the element of earth of the trichiliocosm into ink, dropping a single dot after passing a thousand realms to the east, using this as a measure; that Buddha's parinirvāṇa only passed immeasurable hundreds of thousands of asaṃkhyeya eons beyond that number. How could it be comparable to the 'Lifespan' chapter's account of the remote attainment of Buddhahood? The sūtra says: 'Suppose there were five hundred myriad koṭis of nayutas of asaṃkhyeyas of trichiliocosms; if someone ground them to fine dust, and passing five hundred thousand myriad koṭis of nayutas of asaṃkhyeyas of lands to the east, only then dropped one speck of dust. Traveling east in this manner until all the dust was exhausted, whether a speck fell on these worlds or not, all were pulverized into dust, each speck counting as an eon. The time since I attained Buddhahood exceeds this by hundreds of thousands of myriads of koṭis of nayutas of asaṃkhyeyas of eons.' Commentary explains: Taking this analogy and comparing it to Mahābhijñā, the ink dots of the trichiliocosm cannot be compared. All since these eons has been upāya, so the phrase 'Dīpaṃkara and others' leaves nothing unincluded. Therefore, the ancient said: 'The sixteen princes still conceal the beginning of his attainment of the Way.' These words are exceedingly apt. Thus one knows that Amitābha, Akṣobhya Buddha, and the rest are all events after our Fundamental Teacher's attainment of Buddhahood; the meaning is beyond doubt. Lokeśvararāja Buddha passed through many eons, but these were only explained through numerals; how could that compare to pulverized dust taken as eons?