新華嚴經論 37.7

37.7

第一正入當位法門中，從「爾時善財童子」已下至「一切處修菩薩行清淨法門無依無作神通之力」，於此段中約立五門：一念善知識教思惟昇進；二漸次經歷到於彼城；三見無上勝長者在其城東無憂林中，無量商眾百千居士之所圍遶；四投身於地禮敬而起；五正申所請。隨文釋義者，漸次經歷到彼城內見無上勝在其城內者，升進入位名內。見無上勝在城東者，明以智利生為東，表不住本位。東方表智，以就俗引眾生，發明生位也。西方表慈悲，如下以觀世音菩薩住金剛山之西阿，表慈悲位也。以是等一切諸佛迴向，佛者覺也。以角宿在東方之宿，以角主僧尼道士眾善之門，俗作此角計所主屬合作此覺也。為主眾善門故，角為天門眾善也。以此在城東，普賢智行以東表之，表明生眾善之首。觀音大慈悲行以西方表之，以西方是金，金為白虎，主秋主殺。以是經云「明練十方儀式主方神」。又主方神隨方迴轉，意明隨方法迴轉以度眾生。然實大象性自無形體虛融而非跡，隨方表法，法逐緣分。聖人垂訓於俗纏，還以俗緣中事物而表法。只如亡言之理不可以引蒙，絕像真原不可以益俗，是故以方隅而表法。執之者還非利俗啟迷，廢之者復失今者利俗啟迷，以城東是引迷，明生起眾善之義，亦以房為青龍，是世間福德之位。無憂林中者，此主忍波羅蜜，以忍成滿處，行無憂故。林者，以此長者行遍十方，隨形而廣蔭群品，以行廣多覆蔭故為林。亦以化他令無憂故，為無憂林也。無量商人百千居士之所圍遶者，是所化之眾，表以愚易智、以智易愚、以惡易善。亦為商人常處生死，以行仁德化利群品，名為居士。此約行釋。善財童子觀長者為眾說法已以身投地，表十迴向大體約迴真入俗，以大慈悲善忍為地。再云我是善財者，表求法深重也。亦明達我無我，以成忍也。已下長者告善財所行之行名成就，至一切處菩薩行，以明如一切諸佛迴向十方一切世界、一切眾生，所行無不遍故，如下文具明。如十住中，從初至第三住見三比丘，表從世間修出世間法。此從初迴向見三長者，是純俗流，合香、船師、無上勝等，明從真入俗名為迴向。此是等一切諸佛迴向中善知識，以忍波羅蜜為主，餘九為伴。約智門中，諸位通治；約位門中，治入生死海中忍不自在障，令得法忍自在。前十住、十行修出世間離苦忍，此位明入世間中成就慈悲餘饒益忍。以此十迴向中捨身肉手足國城妻子，有來乞者，無厭恨心，倍增歡喜。

First, within properly entering the teaching gate of the stage at hand, from "At that time the youth Sudhana" below down to "the pure teaching gate of cultivating bodhisattva practice in all places, through the unattached and unconditioned power of spiritual penetrations," within this passage five sections are established: first, recollecting the instructions of the kalyāṇamitra and contemplating advancement; second, gradually traveling and arriving at that city; third, seeing the elder Anupamarāga in the Sorrowless Grove east of that city, surrounded by immeasurable merchant retinues and hundreds of thousands of householders; fourth, prostrating his body upon the ground in veneration and rising; fifth, properly presenting what he sought. As for explaining the meaning in accordance with the text: 'gradually traveling and arriving inside that city and seeing Anupamarāga inside that city'—advancing and entering into the stage is called 'inside'. 'Seeing Anupamarāga to the east of the city' clarifies that benefiting sentient beings with wisdom constitutes the east, indicating that he does not abide in his original stage. The eastern direction represents wisdom; descending to the secular to guide sentient beings reveals the stage of arising. The western direction represents kindness and compassion, as below where Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva abides on the western slope of Mount Vajra, representing the stage of kindness and compassion. Because of the pariṇāmanā that equals all Buddhas—'Buddha' meaning awakening—and because the mansion Spica (Jiao) is a lunar mansion of the east, Spica governs the assembly of monks, nuns, Daoists, and the gates of all goods; what worldly custom counts as this 'horn' (jiao), according to what it governs and pertains to, properly matches this 'awakening' (jue). Because it is the master of all gates of good, Spica is the heavenly gate of all goods. Because this takes place east of the city, Samantabhadra's practice of wisdom is represented by the east, showing that it produces the foremost among all goods. Avalokiteśvara's practice of great kindness and compassion is represented by the western direction, because the west is metal; metal is the White Tiger, governing autumn and governing destruction. Hence the sūtra says: 'the direction-ruling spirits who are well versed in the rituals of the ten directions.' Furthermore, the direction-ruling spirits turn in accordance with the directions, the intention being to clarify turning in accordance with the method of each direction to save sentient beings. Yet in reality the great image is by nature formless; its essence is empty and interfused, not a trace; it represents phenomena according to the directions, and phenomena follow their appropriate conditions. The sage bestows teachings amidst worldly entanglements, and conversely relies on things and events within worldly conditions to represent phenomena. It is simply that the principle beyond words cannot be used to guide the naive, and the genuine source cut off from images cannot benefit the worldly; therefore, regions and quarters are used to represent phenomena. Those who grasp at them will fail to benefit the worldly and open the deluded; those who discard them will likewise forfeit this benefiting of the worldly and opening of the deluded. Since east of the city means guiding the deluded, it clarifies the meaning of generating all goods; also, because the mansion Room (Fang) is the Azure Dragon, it is the position of worldly blessed virtues. 'In the Sorrowless Grove': this governs the kṣāntipāramitā; where forbearance is perfected and fulfilled, one's practice is without sorrow. As for 'grove', because this elder's practices pervade the ten directions, broadly overshadowing all categories according to their forms, because of the vastness of his practices giving widespread shelter, it is called a 'grove'. Also, because he transforms others and frees them from sorrow, it is the 'Sorrowless Grove'. 'Surrounded by immeasurable merchants and hundreds of thousands of householders' are the assembly being transformed, representing exchanging foolishness for wisdom, exchanging wisdom for foolishness, and exchanging evil for good. Also, because merchants constantly abide in birth and death, practicing humaneness and virtue to transform and benefit all categories, they are called householders. This is an explanation based on practice. The youth Sudhana, having observed the elder expounding the Dharma for the assembly, threw his body to the ground, which represents the ten dedications generally turning from the genuine and entering into the secular, taking great kindness and compassion and good forbearance as the ground. Saying again, 'I am Sudhana,' represents the gravity of seeking the Dharma. It also clarifies thoroughly realizing self and selflessness in order to accomplish forbearance. Below, the elder tells Sudhana that the practice he cultivates is called 'bodhisattva practice that accomplishes reaching everywhere', to clarify that, like the pariṇāmanā of all Buddhas toward all worlds and all sentient beings in the ten directions, there is nowhere his practice does not pervade, as fully clarified in the text below. Just as in the ten abodes, from the first to the third abode he met three monks, representing cultivating the world-transcending Dharma from within the mundane, here, from the first dedication he meets three elders who are purely secular—the incense-blender, the ship's captain, and Anupamarāga—to clarify that entering the secular from the genuine is called pariṇāmanā. This is the kalyāṇamitra in the Dedication That Equals All Buddhas, taking kṣāntipāramitā as primary and the other nine as accompaniment. In terms of the gate of wisdom, it comprehensively cures all stages; in terms of the gate of stages, it cures the obstruction of not being at ease in forbearance when entering the ocean of birth and death, causing one to attain ease in the forbearance of dharmas. The preceding ten abodes and ten practices cultivate the forbearance of transcending the world and leaving behind suffering; this stage clarifies entering the mundane to accomplish kindness, compassion, and the forbearance of abundant benefit. Thus, within these ten dedications, when one renounces body, flesh, hands, feet, kingdoms, cities, wives, and children, if someone comes to beg for them, one has no weariness or resentment, but redoubles one's joy.