大華嚴經略策 1.10

1.10

第四、處會法旨。問：說時方人為生物信，法身雖遍說必有方。未知此經於何而說？復幾會說？為佛獨說？為託他人？仰答事由使無惑也。答：法身無在而無不在，即體之用應必有方，略說七處不同，實則處窮法界。言七處者：第一會菩提場、第二會普光明殿、第三會忉利天、第四會夜摩天、第五會兜率天、第六會他化自在天、第七會逝多園林。而三會普光故會有九：第一會在菩提場說如來依報因果；第二會普光法堂說十信法門；第三會忉利天宮說十住法；第四會夜摩天宮說十行法；第五會兜率陀天說十迴向法；第六會他化自在天說十地法，賢聖有隔故越化樂；第七重會普光法堂說因圓果滿法，有十一品經，前六因圓、後五果滿；第八三會普光法堂說普賢大行法，六位頓成；第九會室羅伐城逝多園林說入法界法門，而第九會末歸菩提場，則十會圓明，頓彰玄極。言為佛獨說、為託他人者，此經欲表諸佛齊說故，於諸會多是十方諸佛加菩薩說，欲明一說一切說故。第一會十方諸佛加普賢菩薩說，普賢是華嚴海會主故、表普法故。第二會文殊為主而十首共談，表十信門萬德首故。第三會法慧菩薩說，表十住法慧心增故。第四會功德林菩薩說，表十行法行門森聳故。第五會金剛幢菩薩說，表十迴向高出歸向義故。第六會金剛藏菩薩說，表十地法含藏出生不可壞故。第七會亦普賢菩薩說，表因圓果滿普周法界行德皆普故。第八會亦普賢菩薩說，沒六位名收六位行為二千行法，舉一圓收，始自初心終極等覺皆共同修，乃至成佛不捨因故。第九會如來自入師子嚬申三昧，令諸大眾頓證法界示相而說，普賢、文殊二聖開發，百城善友竝皆同說，故此一會曲分為二：一即本會如來現相、二聖開顯頓證法界；二即六十一經末終盡八十，諸善知識為善財說，明漸證法界、漸頓該羅、本末交映，皆證法界故。略明會處，顯文若斯。若散取經文，總有十處：初此閻浮、二周百億、三遍十方、四盡塵道、五通異界、六該剎塵、七重攝剎、八復重收、九猶帝網、十餘佛同。則約會略舉三千界塵廣周法界無盡說主，通三種世間無不說也。束此九會以為四分：第一會從〈世主妙嚴品〉至〈毘盧遮那品〉有十一卷經文，名舉果勸樂生信分。第二從第二會〈如來名號品〉至〈如來出現品〉有三十一品四十一卷經文，名修因契果生解分。第三以第八會〈離世間〉一品有七卷經文，名託法進修成行分。第四以第九會〈入法界〉一品有二十一卷經文，名依人證入成德分。若展九會為三十九品，初會六品：一〈世主妙嚴品〉、二〈如來現相品〉、三〈普賢三昧品〉、四〈世界成就品〉、五〈華藏世界品〉、六〈毘盧遮那品〉。第二會亦有六品：一〈如來名號品〉、二〈四聖諦品〉、三〈光明覺品〉、四〈菩薩問明品〉、五〈淨行品〉、六〈賢首品〉。第三會亦有六品：一〈昇忉利天宮品〉、二〈忉利宮中偈讚品〉、三〈十住品〉、四〈梵行品〉、五〈初發心功德品〉、六〈明法品〉。第四會有四品：一〈昇夜摩天宮品〉、二〈夜摩宮中偈讚品〉、三〈十行品〉、四〈十藏品〉。第五會三品：一〈昇兜率天宮品〉、二〈兜率宮中偈讚品〉、三〈十迴向品〉。第六會一品：〈十地品〉。第七會有十一品：一〈十定品〉、二〈十通品〉、三〈十忍品〉、四〈阿僧祇品〉、五〈如來壽量品〉、六〈菩薩住處品〉，上六明等覺因圓，七〈佛不思議法品〉、八〈如來十身相海品〉、九〈隨好光明功德品〉、十〈普賢行品〉、十一〈如來出現品〉。第八會唯一品，即〈離世間品〉。第九會亦唯一品，即〈入法界品〉。初三會各六品為十八品，四、五兩會共有七品成二十五品，第七會十一品故有三十六品，六八九三會各唯一品故有三十九品。又束三十九品以為三分：初〈世主妙嚴品〉為序分，二〈現相品〉已下為正宗分，三從〈入法界品〉六十一經「爾時文殊從善住樓閣出」已下竟經，為流通分。三十九品調冠真宗，九會四分彰其大格。現文若此，具本難彰，尋其名題方知綱要。謹對。

Fourth: the locations, assemblies, and doctrine. Question: Mentioning the time, location, and persons inspires faith in sentient beings; although the dharmakāya is omnipresent, preaching must have a location. It is not yet known where this sūtra was preached. Furthermore, in how many assemblies was it preached? Was it preached by the Buddha alone, or was it entrusted to others? We respectfully request that you explain the circumstances so that no doubts remain. Answer: The dharmakāya is nowhere, yet nowhere is it not present; functioning as the manifestation of essence, its response must have a location. In brief, seven different places are spoken of, but in truth the locations exhaust the dharmadhātu. As for the seven locations: the first assembly is at the bodhimaṇḍa; the second assembly is at the Hall of Universal Light; the third assembly is in the Trāyastriṃśa heaven; the fourth assembly is in the Yāma heaven; the fifth assembly is in the Tuṣita heaven; the sixth assembly is in the Paranirmitavaśavartin heaven; the seventh assembly is in the Jetavana. But because there are three assemblies at Universal Light, there are altogether nine assemblies: the first assembly is at the bodhimaṇḍa, expounding the Tathāgata's environmental reward, causes, and effects; the second assembly is at the Dharma Hall of Universal Light, expounding the teaching of the ten faiths; the third assembly is in the palace of the Trāyastriṃśa heaven, expounding the teaching of the ten abodes; the fourth assembly is in the palace of the Yāma heaven, expounding the teaching of the ten practices; the fifth assembly is in the Tuṣita heaven, expounding the teaching of the ten dedications; the sixth assembly is in the Paranirmitavaśavartin heaven, expounding the teaching of the ten stages—because there is a separation between worthies and āryas, it skips the Nirmāṇarati heaven; the seventh assembly returns to the Dharma Hall of Universal Light, expounding the teaching of the perfection of causes and fulfillment of effects, comprising eleven chapters of the sūtra, of which the first six concern the perfection of causes and the latter five concern the fulfillment of effects; the eighth assembly meets a third time at the Dharma Hall of Universal Light, expounding the teaching of Samantabhadra's great practices, where the six ranks are suddenly accomplished; the ninth assembly is in the city of Śrāvastī, in the Jetavana, expounding the teaching of entering the dharmadhātu; and at the end of the ninth assembly it returns to the bodhimaṇḍa, so that the ten assemblies are perfectly clear, suddenly revealing the profound culmination. As for whether it was preached by the Buddha alone or entrusted to others: because this sūtra intends to show that all Buddhas preach simultaneously, in most assemblies it is through the empowerment of the Buddhas of the ten directions that the bodhisattvas preach, intending to make clear that when one preaches, all preach. In the first assembly, empowered by the Buddhas of the ten directions, Samantabhadra Bodhisattva preaches, because Samantabhadra is the lord of the oceanic assembly of the Avataṃsaka and signifies the universal Dharma. In the second assembly, Mañjuśrī is the principal and the ten heads speak together, signifying that the gate of the ten faiths is the head of all ten thousand virtues. In the third assembly, Dharmamati Bodhisattva preaches, signifying that in the teaching of the ten abodes, the mind of wisdom increases. In the fourth assembly, Guṇavyūha Bodhisattva preaches, signifying that in the teaching of the ten practices, the practices stand lofty like a forest. In the fifth assembly, Vajradhvaja Bodhisattva preaches, signifying the principle of soaring high and dedicating [merit] in the ten dedications. In the sixth assembly, Vajragarbha Bodhisattva preaches, signifying that the teaching of the ten stages contains, generates, and is indestructible. In the seventh assembly, Samantabhadra Bodhisattva also preaches, signifying that the causes are perfected, the effects fulfilled, universally pervading the dharmadhātu, and the virtues of practice are all universal. In the eighth assembly, Samantabhadra Bodhisattva also preaches; setting aside the names of the six ranks, he subsumes the practices of the six ranks into the two thousand teachings of practice, taking up one to encompass all completely, practiced together from the initial mind to the ultimate equal enlightenment, never abandoning the cause even up to attaining Buddhahood. In the ninth assembly, the Tathāgata himself enters the siṃhavikrīḍita-samādhi, causing the great assembly suddenly to realize the dharmadhātu and preaching by displaying marks; the two holy ones, Samantabhadra and Mañjuśrī, open and elucidate it, and the good friends of the hundred cities all preach alike. Thus this single assembly is subdivided into two: first, the fundamental assembly where the Tathāgata manifests signs and the two holy ones reveal and open sudden realization of the dharmadhātu; second, from the end of the sixty-first fascicle to the end of the eightieth, where the kalyāṇamitras preach to Sudhana, making clear gradual realization of the dharmadhātu, where gradual and sudden encompass each other, and root and branch reflect each other, because all realize the dharmadhātu. The assemblies and places are briefly explained, and their explicit text is as such. If we gather the sūtra text diffusely, there are ten places in all: first, this Jambudvīpa; second, pervading the hundred billion [worlds]; third, pervading the ten directions; fourth, exhausting the paths of dust-motes; fifth, penetrating different realms; sixth, encompassing the dust-motes of lands; seventh, re-subsuming the lands; eighth, repeatedly gathering them; ninth, like Indra's net; tenth, identical with other Buddhas. Thus, in terms of assemblies, briefly citing the dust-motes of the trichiliocosm and extensively pervading the dharmadhātu's inexhaustible preaching lords, it penetrates the three kinds of worlds without exception. Subsuming these nine assemblies into four divisions: the first assembly, from the Chapter on the Wondrous Adornments of the World Rulers to the Chapter on Vairocana, comprises eleven fascicles of text, named the Division of Presenting the Effect to Inspire Delight and Engender Faith. The second, from the Chapter on the Tathāgata's Names in the second assembly to the Chapter on the Tathāgata's Manifestation, comprises thirty-one chapters and forty-one fascicles of text, named the Division of Cultivating the Cause to Accord with the Effect and Engender Understanding. The third, taking the single chapter “Leaving the World” in the eighth assembly, comprises seven fascicles of text, named the Division of Relying on the Teaching to Advance in Cultivation and Accomplish Practice. The fourth, taking the single chapter “Entering the Dharmadhātu” in the ninth assembly, comprises twenty-one fascicles of text, named the Division of Relying on Persons to Realize and Enter, Accomplishing Virtue. If we expand the nine assemblies into thirty-nine chapters: the first assembly has six chapters: 1. Chapter on the Wondrous Adornments of the World Rulers, 2. Chapter on the Tathāgata's Manifest Marks, 3. Chapter on Samantabhadra's Samādhi, 4. Chapter on the Formation of Worlds, 5. Chapter on the Padmagarbha-lokadhātu, 6. Chapter on Vairocana. The second assembly also has six chapters: 1. Chapter on the Tathāgata's Names, 2. Chapter on the Four Noble Truths, 3. Chapter on Enlightenment through Light, 4. Chapter on Bodhisattvas Asking for Clarification, 5. Chapter on Pure Practice, 6. Chapter on the Worthy Leader. The third assembly also has six chapters: 1. Chapter on Ascending to the Palace of the Trāyastriṃśa Heaven, 2. Chapter on Verses of Praise in the Trāyastriṃśa Palace, 3. Chapter on the Ten Abodes, 4. Chapter on the Brahmacaryā, 5. Chapter on the Merits of the Initial Aspiration, 6. Chapter on Clarifying the Dharma. The fourth assembly has four chapters: 1. Chapter on Ascending to the Palace of the Yāma Heaven, 2. Chapter on Verses of Praise in the Yāma Palace, 3. Chapter on the Ten Practices, 4. Chapter on the Ten Inexhaustible Treasuries. The fifth assembly has three chapters: 1. Chapter on Ascending to the Palace of the Tuṣita Heaven, 2. Chapter on Verses of Praise in the Tuṣita Palace, 3. Chapter on the Ten Dedications. The sixth assembly has one chapter: the Chapter on the Ten Stages. The seventh assembly has eleven chapters: 1. Chapter on the Ten Samādhis, 2. Chapter on the Ten Supernormal Knowledges, 3. Chapter on the Ten Patiences, 4. Chapter on the Asaṃkhyeyas, 5. Chapter on the Tathāgata's Lifespan, 6. Chapter on Bodhisattvas' Dwelling Places (the above six clarify the perfection of the cause of equal enlightenment); 7. Chapter on the Inconceivable Dharmas of the Buddha, 8. Chapter on the Sea of Marks of the Tathāgata's Ten Bodies, 9. Chapter on the Merits of the Light of the Secondary Marks, 10. Chapter on Samantabhadra's Conduct, 11. Chapter on the Tathāgata's Manifestation. The eighth assembly has only one chapter, namely the Chapter on Leaving the World. The ninth assembly also has only one chapter, namely the Gaṇḍavyūha (Entering the Dharmadhātu). The first three assemblies each have six chapters, making eighteen chapters; the fourth and fifth assemblies together have seven chapters, making twenty-five chapters; the seventh assembly has eleven chapters, thus making thirty-six chapters; the sixth, eighth, and ninth assemblies each have only one chapter, thus making thirty-nine chapters. Furthermore, subsuming the thirty-nine chapters into three divisions: first, the Chapter on the Wondrous Adornments of the World Rulers is the introductory division; second, from the Chapter on Manifest Marks downward is the main doctrinal division; third, from the phrase in the sixty-first fascicle of the Gaṇḍavyūha, “At that time, Mañjuśrī emerged from the Good-Dwelling Pavilion,” downward to the end of the sūtra is the dissemination division. The thirty-nine chapters crown the true doctrine, and the nine assemblies and four divisions display its grand architecture. The present text is like this, but its full original is difficult to display; only by examining its title and headings can one know the essential guidelines. Respectfully answered.