新華嚴經論 14.39

14.39

答曰？此問甚彰道理。如經所說，以信心為胎，至十住之位，名初生佛家。今以東方為金色世界者，明金正月胞、二月胎、三月成形、四月生於巳、五月養於午，六月冠帶於未，七月相，八月王。明十信如胎故，以東方金胎表之。以次南西北四維上下，表十信心修進增勝，故以託事況之，令易解故。如此品文殊師利云：「世尊昔為菩薩時，以種種談論方便及地位等而得成就，亦令眾生如是知見而為說法。」後諸學者，以能觀察皆是說此方隅以表法故。當知藉網求魚，魚非網也。若無網者，亦不可得魚故。以義思之，至理方成信也。又經云「一切處金色世界、一切處不動智佛、一切處文殊師利」者，明法身遍一切眾生身心故，總不動智佛、總文殊師利故。應如是知，如是信解也。明金色世界是信心者，所信之理以為世界之名，亦是因此信故。還當報得所生無染、所居無著，即如西方蓮華色世界是其義。如金色世界，此是舉十信初因。如南方妙色世界、西方蓮華色世界等，是十信進修之勝用故，此中有十因十果故。十果者，十智佛是。十因者，文殊師利、覺首等十菩薩是。修行之因，因中得益，即因中之果，即不動智等十箇智佛是。十箇世界是所修之法門。

Answer: This question makes the principle very manifest. As stated in the sūtra, with faith as the womb, reaching the stage of the ten abodes is called first being born into the house of the Buddha. Now, taking the east as the Golden World clarifies that gold is an embryo in the first month, a fetus in the second month, takes form in the third month, is born at si in the fourth month, is nourished at wu in the fifth month, is capped at wei in the sixth month, flourishes at shen in the seventh month, and reigns at you in the eighth month. Because it illustrates that the ten faiths are like a womb, it is represented by the golden embryo of the east. Successively, the south, west, north, the four intermediate directions, above, and below represent the progressive refinement and increase of the minds of the ten faiths; thus, matters are relied upon to illustrate this metaphorically, making it easy to understand. As Mañjuśrī says in this chapter: 'When the World-Honoured One was formerly a bodhisattva, he achieved fulfillment through various expedient means of discourse and stages of attainment, and he also expounded the Dharma to lead sentient beings to know and see in this way.' Later scholars, through being able to observe, will see that all these directions and regions are spoken of to represent the Dharma. One should know that although one relies on a net to seek fish, the fish is not the net; yet if there were no net, fish could not be obtained. When one reflects on this in terms of the meaning, faith in the ultimate principle is only then achieved. Furthermore, when the sūtra says 'everywhere is the Golden World, everywhere is the Immovable Wisdom Buddha, everywhere is Mañjuśrī,' it clarifies that because the dharmakāya pervades the bodies and minds of all sentient beings, it encompasses the Immovable Wisdom Buddha and encompasses Mañjuśrī. One should know and faithfully understand it in this way. Clarifying that the Golden World belongs to the person of faith means that the principle they have faith in is taken as the name of the world, and it is also on account of this faith that they will in retribution obtain birth free from defilement and dwelling free from attachment; this is the meaning of the Lotus-Color World of the west. The Golden World sets forth the initial cause of the ten faiths. The Wonderful-Color World of the south, the Lotus-Color World of the west, and so forth, are the superior functions of progressive practice in the ten faiths; hence there are ten causes and ten fruits here. The ten fruits are the ten wisdom Buddhas. The ten causes are the ten bodhisattvas, Mañjuśrī, Jñānaśrī, and the rest. The causes of cultivating practice, gaining benefit within the cause, are the fruits within the cause—namely, the ten wisdom Buddhas such as Immovable Wisdom. The ten worlds are the Dharma-gates that are cultivated.