新華嚴經論 2.6

2.6

二境界莊嚴別者，如說此《大涅槃經》時，娑羅雙樹吉祥福地，縱廣三十二由旬，大眾充滿其間，無空缺處。爾時四方無邊身菩薩，以其眷屬所坐之處，或如針鋒、或如錐頭，微塵十方如微塵等諸佛世界諸大菩薩悉來集會。又文云「爾時三千大千世界，以佛神力故地皆柔軟，無有丘墟沙土礫石、荊棘毒草，眾寶莊嚴，猶如西方無量壽佛極樂世界。是時大眾悉見十方如微塵等諸佛世界，如於明鏡自觀己身，觀諸佛土亦復如是。」又下文娑羅雙樹忽然變白，廣如經說。如說《華嚴經》時，有十蓮華藏世界海，又上下二十重，最下重中略言十佛世界微塵數廣大國周圍，一一國有十佛剎微塵數諸小國以為眷屬，以上倍增。如是十蓮華藏世界中，金剛為地，樹臺樓閣殿堂池海皆眾寶莊嚴，如經所說「如是我聞：一時佛在摩竭提國阿蘭若法菩提場中始成正覺，其地堅固，金剛所成，上妙寶輪及眾寶華清淨摩尼以為嚴飾，諸色相海無邊顯現。如是以下直至一切佛土不思議劫所有莊嚴，悉皆含容顯現。」中間兩紙已來經，是歎佛境界所有莊嚴。又下文〈華藏世界品〉廣說如此莊嚴，則是如來自身實報之所莊嚴，非如此《涅槃經》中以佛神力為眾生故暫化令淨。所以然者？為此《涅槃經》來眾三乘根眾雜故，若不以佛神力持，無功自見。如《華嚴經》中，一乘根純無有雜眾。如聲聞為根別故，在其會內元來不見。經中雖然還有以佛神力，下文還有法如是故。又言佛神者，應真曰神，非同實，是凡夫，加令暫見，名之曰神。當知華藏莊嚴本明實報，涅槃神力暫爾權施。又《涅槃經》推佛淨土在於西方過三十二恒河沙佛土之外，不在此處，故即明知是化，非為實故。

Second, the difference in the adornments of the realm: When this Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra was spoken, the auspicious and blessed ground of the twin śāla trees measured thirty-two yojanas in length and breadth, filled by the great assembly without any empty space. At that time, the Bodhisattvas of Boundless Body from the four directions, along with their retinues, occupied seats [measuring] perhaps like the point of a needle or the tip of an awl; great bodhisattvas from as many Buddha-worlds throughout the ten directions as fine dust motes all gathered and assembled. Furthermore, the text says: 'At that time, through the Buddha's spiritual power, the great trichiliocosm became completely supple and soft, free of hills, ruins, sand, earth, gravel, stones, thorns, and poisonous weeds, adorned with various jewels, just like the Sukhāvatī world of the Buddha of Immeasurable Life in the west. At that time the great assembly all saw the Buddha-worlds throughout the ten directions as numerous as fine dust motes, just as one observes one's own body in a bright mirror; observing all the Buddha-lands was also like this.' Furthermore, the later text says that the twin śāla trees suddenly turned white, as extensively recounted in the sūtra.
When the Avataṃsaka Sūtra was spoken, there were ten oceans of worlds of the Lotus Treasury, with twenty tiers above and below. In the lowest tier, to speak briefly, there is a circumference of vast lands as numerous as the fine dust motes of ten Buddha-worlds, each land having as its retinue small lands as numerous as the fine dust motes of ten Buddha-kṣetras, multiplying progressively above. In these ten worlds of the Lotus Treasury, diamond forms the ground; trees, terraces, towers, pavilions, palaces, halls, ponds, and oceans are all adorned with various jewels, as the sūtra says: 'Thus have I heard: At one time the Buddha was in the country of Magadha, in the bodhimaṇḍa of the Dharma of the araṇya, having first attained true awakening. The ground was firm and made of diamond, adorned with supreme, wondrous jewel wheels, various jewel flowers, and pure maṇi gems, with boundless oceans of forms and appearances manifest. Thus down to all the adornments of all Buddha-lands across inconceivable kalpas were completely contained and manifest.' The text spanning two sheets in between is praise of all the adornments of the Buddha's realm. Furthermore, the later text of the 'Chapter on the Flower Treasury World' extensively describes such adornments; these are precisely the adornments of the Tathāgata's own true saṃbhoga[kāya], not a temporary transformation brought about through the Buddha's spiritual power to purify it for the sake of sentient beings as in this Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra. Why is this so? Because the assembly that came for this Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra was a mixed assembly of the faculties of the three vehicles; if not sustained by the Buddha's spiritual power, they would lack the capacity to see it on their own. In the Avataṃsaka Sūtra, the faculties of the One Vehicle are pure, without any mixed assembly. Because the śrāvakas had different faculties, even though present within that assembly, they did not see it from the beginning. Although the sūtra also mentions [manifestations] 'through the Buddha's spiritual power', the later text also states 'because the Dharma is naturally so.' Furthermore, as for the expression 'the Buddha's spiritual power': responding to the genuine is called 'spiritual'; unlike what is real, it is for ordinary persons that he adds [power] to let them see temporarily—this is named 'spiritual'. One should know that the adornments of the Lotus Treasury fundamentally illuminate the true saṃbhoga[kāya], whereas the spiritual power of the Mahāparinirvāṇa [Sūtra] is a temporary, provisional application. Moreover, the Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra places the Buddha's pure land in the west, beyond Buddha-lands as numerous as thirty-two sands of the Ganges, and not in this place; thus one clearly knows it is a transformation and not the real.