新華嚴經論 1.33

1.33

七龍女轉身成佛別者，如《法華經》，龍女於剎那之際，即轉女身具菩薩行，南方成佛。如《華嚴經》即不然，但使自無情見，大智逾明，即萬法體真，無轉變相。如《維摩經》中舍利弗謂天女曰：「何故不轉女身？」天女謂舍利弗：「我十二年來求女人相了不可得。當何所轉？」如菴提遮女謂舍利弗：「自男生我女。當知萬法本自體如，有何可轉？」如《華嚴經．入法界品》中，善財童子善知識，文殊、普賢、比丘、比丘尼、長者、童子、優婆夷、童女、仙人、外道五十三人，各各自具菩薩行、自具佛法，隨諸眾生見身不同，不云有轉。若以法眼觀，無俗不真；若以世間肉眼觀，無真不俗。以《法華經》對權教三根見未盡者令成信種，且將女相速轉成佛，令生奇特，方始發心趣真知見，不堪本法而起善根。此明且引三權令歸一實。又破彼時劫定執三僧祇，令於剎那證三世性本來一際，無始無終稱法平等，裂三乘之見網、撤菩薩之草菴、令歸法界之門、入佛之真實宅，故令龍女成佛。明非過去久修，年始八歲。又表今非舊學，轉女時分不逾剎那，具行佛果無虧毫念。法本如是，自體無時，權學三根自將見隔，自迷實法返稱為化，不知躬己事如斯，全處宅中猶懷滯見。云何界外玄指僧祇？此見不離，定乖永劫；迴心見謝，方始舊居。何如此時滅諸見業，徒煩多劫苦因方迴。《華嚴經》法界緣起門，明凡聖一真，猶存見隔，見在即凡，情亡即佛。稱性緣起，俯仰進退屈身謙敬皆菩薩行，無有一法可轉變相、有生住滅，是故不同龍女轉身成佛。

Seventh, the difference in the dragon girl transforming her body to attain Buddhahood: in the Saddharmapuṇḍarīka Sūtra, within a single kṣaṇa the dragon girl transformed her female body, perfected the bodhisattva practices, and attained Buddhahood in the southern direction. The Avataṃsaka Sūtra is not like this: so long as one is free from personal emotional views and great wisdom is ever more luminous, all phenomena are fundamentally true in their essence, devoid of marks of transformation. As in the Vimalakīrtinirdeśa Sūtra, where Śāriputra said to the goddess: 'Why do you not transform your female body?' The goddess said to Śāriputra: 'For twelve years I have sought the mark of a woman, yet it is completely unattainable. What should be transformed?' And just as the woman Āmrāpālī said to Śāriputra: 'From a man a woman was born to me. One should know that all phenomena are fundamentally suchness in essence; what is there to transform?' Furthermore, in the Avataṃsaka Sūtra's Chapter on Entering the Dharmadhātu, the fifty-three kalyāṇamitras of the youth Sudhana—Mañjuśrī, Samantabhadra, bhikṣus, bhikṣuṇīs, householders, youths, upāsikās, maidens, ṛṣis, and non-Buddhists—each inherently possess bodhisattva practices and inherently possess the Buddha Dharma; their bodies are perceived differently in accordance with sentient beings, without speaking of transformation. If viewed with the Dharma eye, there is nothing mundane that is not true; if viewed with worldly fleshly eyes, there is nothing true that is not mundane. Because the Saddharmapuṇḍarīka Sūtra addresses those of the three capacities of the provisional teaching whose views have not yet been exhausted, in order to establish in them the seed of faith, it temporarily had the female form swiftly transform to attain Buddhahood, causing them to consider it extraordinary and only then give rise to the resolve to tend toward true knowledge and vision, being unable to generate wholesome roots from the fundamental Dharma. This demonstrates provisionally guiding the three provisional [vehicles] to return to the single ultimate. Furthermore, to shatter their rigid attachment to time spans of three asaṃkhyeya kalpas, it caused them to realize in a kṣaṇa that the nature of the three periods is fundamentally a single limit, without beginning or end, equal in accordance with the Dharma; it tore through the net of views of the Three Vehicles, tore down the straw huts of the bodhisattvas, and caused them to return to the gate of the dharmadhātu and enter the true mansion of the Buddha; hence it caused the dragon girl to attain Buddhahood. It made clear that she had not cultivated for a long time in the past, her age being merely eight years old. It also symbolized that the present is not a matter of old learning, the time of transforming womanhood not exceeding a kṣaṇa, fully practicing the Buddha-fruit without lacking a single instant. The Dharma is fundamentally like this; its own essence is devoid of time. Those of the three capacities of provisional learning themselves create barriers with their views, themselves deluded about the ultimate Dharma, turning to call it a transformation; they do not know that their own affairs are already like this, dwelling entirely within the mansion yet still harboring obstinate views. Why point vaguely outside the realm to asaṃkhyeyas? If these views are not abandoned, they will surely be estranged for eternal kalpas; only when the mind turns back and views perish do they at last reach their old abode. How could this compare to extinguishing all karmic views at this very moment, rather than toiling fruitlessly through many kalpas of painful causes only to turn back? The Avataṃsaka Sūtra's gate of dharmadhātu pratītyasamutpāda clarifies that ordinary and sage are one truth; yet if the barrier of views still remains, where views exist one is ordinary, and when passions perish one is a Buddha. In pratītyasamutpāda that accords with the nature, looking up and down, advancing and retreating, bending the body in humility and respect are all bodhisattva practices; there is not a single phenomenon that has marks of transformation, or arising, abiding, and ceasing. Therefore, it is not like the dragon girl transforming her body to attain Buddhahood.