大華嚴經略策 1.45

1.45

Thirty-eighth: The ocean of marks of the ten bodies. Question: What is the ocean of marks of the ten bodies? Answer: The meaning of the ten bodies—bodhi, vows, transformation, and so forth—has already been seen above. As for the 'ocean of marks', the Guanfo sanmei jing explains that the marks of the Tathāgata are briefly of three grades: First, the lower grade, which speaks of thirty-two marks and eighty secondary signs; second, the middle grade, which speaks of eighty-four thousand marks, each mark having eighty-four thousand secondary signs, each sign having eighty-four thousand rays of light; third, the upper grade, which speaks of marks possessing endless marks, as spoken for Samantabhadra in the Zahua jing. Zahua is the Avataṃsaka; the text of this sūtra lists ninety-seven marks of a great person. The concluding text says: 'There are marks as numerous as dust motes in ten oceans of worlds of the Padmagarbha, each essence adorned with myriad jewels, their function pervading the dharmadhātu, profound, vast, and inconceivable; therefore it is called an ocean.' It is explained at length in the original sūtra. Respectfully answered.