新華嚴經論 12.43

12.43

答曰：前明如來始成正覺，大眾賀佛及自皆得佛果之益，其益廣大，明位極行終，以此其地大動。此品答世主所問之疑，為成初信故，其地微動。於中菩薩示有疑問，寄同得益，皆是成其凡夫始信之心，是故名為舉果勸修生信分。仍是信他佛及菩薩得，然未是信自心得也。第二會中金色世界不動智佛已去，方明信自心得亦然也。至第十二卷中諸世間主，更作二十八問，方明信自心是佛不動智等，至文方明。此經直至〈法界品〉覺城東已來，菩薩及一切大眾，皆是寄法同迷，示行修證。唯覺城人間五百童子、童女、優婆塞、優婆夷，各具五百，一萬諸龍，寄位是凡，表其凡夫有得入者故。若無實得者，佛教豈有虛行者哉？聖者立樣，令凡實得，終不虛施。應如是知，不自欺誑。若有人言：此經非是凡夫境界，是菩薩所行。是人當知滅佛知見、破滅正法，令其正教世不流通，令其世間正見不生，斷滅佛種。諸有智者，不應如是不勸修行。設行不得，不失善種，猶成來世積習勝緣故。於此佛毛孔光明說頌中已下有兩段頌：於初二十行頌，明佛毛孔光明讚普賢德，如文具明。毛孔是萬行光，還歎普賢萬行。二「爾時一切諸菩薩」已下有二十行頌，明大眾歎普賢，并請說後三品之法，亦如文具明。

Answer: Previously it explained that the Tathāgata had just attained true awakening, and the great assembly congratulated the Buddha, and all themselves obtained the benefit of the fruit of buddhahood; because this benefit was vast and great, demonstrating the culmination of stages and the completion of practice, the earth on this account greatly quaked. This chapter resolves the doubts raised by the world rulers' questions; because it is for accomplishing initial faith, the earth quaked slightly. In it, the bodhisattvas manifested having doubts and, by lodging themselves [there], shared in obtaining the benefit, all of which serves to accomplish ordinary beings' initial mind of faith; therefore, it is termed the section that "brings up the fruition to encourage practice and generate faith." It is still having faith that another Buddha and bodhisattvas attain it, but not yet having faith that one's own mind attains it. Only from the Golden World and Akṣobhya Buddha in the second assembly onward is it explained that one has faith that one's own mind attains it likewise. In fascicle 12, the worldly rulers ask twenty-eight more questions, and only then is it explained that one has faith that one's own mind is the Buddha, Akṣobhya wisdom, and so forth, which will be clarified when reaching that text. In this sūtra, all the way until east of the City of Awakening in the "Chapter on the Dharmadhātu," the bodhisattvas and the entire great assembly all lodge in phenomena sharing in confusion to demonstrate the practice of cultivation and realization. Only the five hundred boys, five hundred girls, five hundred upāsakas, five hundred upāsikās, and ten thousand nāgas among the humans of the City of Awakening lodge their status as ordinary beings, in order to show that ordinary beings can enter. If none truly attained it, how could the Buddha's teaching be practiced in vain? The sages establish the pattern to enable ordinary beings to truly attain it; it is never bestowed in vain. One should know it thus and not deceive oneself. If someone says, "This sūtra is not the realm of ordinary beings, but what is practiced by bodhisattvas," one should know that such a person extinguishes the Buddha's knowledge and vision, destroys the true Dharma, prevents the true teaching from circulating in the world, causes right view not to arise in the world, and cuts off the seed of buddhahood. Those of wisdom should not, like this, fail to encourage cultivation. Even if in practicing one does not attain it, one does not lose the good seeds; it will still become a superior condition accumulated through practice in future lives. In the verses spoken by the light from the Buddha's pores, there are two sections of verses below: In the first twenty lines of verses, it explains that the light from the Buddha's pores praises Samantabhadra's virtues, as fully clarified in the text. The pores are the light of the myriad practices, which in turn praises Samantabhadra's myriad practices. Second, from "At that time all the bodhisattvas" onward for twenty lines of verses, it explains that the great assembly praises Samantabhadra and requests the exposition of the Dharma of the subsequent three chapters, as is also fully clarified in the text.