新華嚴經論 9.25

9.25

一釋經題目者，何故名為大方廣佛華嚴經世主妙嚴品第一？解云：大者無方義。方者法則義。廣者理智遍周義。佛者智體無依住義、智自在義。華者遍法界無盡行義，以行能開敷自他果故，華是感果義、開敷義。嚴是莊飾義，明初發心住位，以十信中有作行華，開敷十住位中妙理智慧果故，復生無作十種行華，常以法行互嚴，用淨自利利他之道故。行為嚴飾義。世主妙嚴者，以此初品有諸神天八部之眾，皆為世間主，各將十佛世界微塵數隨身部從，或但云無量，來嚴道場。此為依眾成名，故云世主妙嚴。又佛及菩薩皆為世間之主故，以能主導眾生，總為世間主故。亦此初品總標一部，都舉總有二百二十八眾，形狀不同、各各部類，或言一佛世界微塵、或言十佛世界微塵、或言無量，以嚴海會故，言世主妙嚴。或以佛福報境界妙嚴依正，亦得稱為世主妙嚴。為如來亦為世間主，主導眾生故，此為依主得名。品者，均別義，明五位及信心同異差降意類別敘，進修生熟各有條貫、次第分明，令後學者自識本行進修不惑故，為品類均別義也。第一者，非是次第前後之第一，為法界門中無前頭在後之次第，皆是一時無二念。同時顯著，諸品之第一；一多緣起，同時之第一，是名同時具足相應門、一多相容不同門，以十玄門及六相義通融，不可以如情所繫，故名第一。

First, as for explaining the title of the sūtra: why is it named 'Mahāvaipulya Buddhāvataṃsaka Sūtra, Chapter One on the Wondrous Adornments of the Rulers of the World'? An explanation states: 'Great' (mahā) means being without bounds. 'Vaipulya' (square/broad) means normative principles. 'Extensive' (guang) means principle and wisdom being omnipresent. 'Buddha' means the essence of wisdom having no resting place or reliance, and wisdom being sovereign. 'Avataṃsaka' (flower) means inexhaustible practices throughout the dharmadhātu, for practice is able to bloom into fruits for oneself and others; 'flower' thus means evoking the fruit and blossoming forth. 'Adornment' (alaṃkāra) means embellishment, clarifying that at the stage of the abode of initial aspiration, through the flower of active practice within the ten faiths, one causes the fruit of wondrous principle and wisdom within the stage of the ten abodes to bloom, thereby generating once more the ten kinds of flowers of non-active practice, constantly adorning one another with Dharma practices in order to purify the path of benefiting oneself and benefiting others; thus practice has the meaning of adornment. 'Wondrous Adornments of the Rulers of the World' is so named because in this initial chapter, there are the assemblies of various spirits, deities, and the eight classes of beings, all of whom are rulers of the world; each leads an entourage of attendants numbering as many as the dust motes in ten Buddha-worlds—or simply called immeasurable—to come and adorn the bodhimaṇḍa. This is naming based on the assembly, hence called 'Wondrous Adornments of the Rulers of the World.' Moreover, the Buddha and bodhisattvas are also rulers of the world, because they are able to guide sentient beings and thus collectively serve as rulers of the world. Furthermore, this initial chapter generally establishes the entire work, collectively citing a total of two hundred and twenty-eight assemblies of diverse forms and various categories, numbering as many as the dust motes in one Buddha-world, or ten Buddha-worlds, or immeasurable, to adorn the ocean-like assembly; hence it is called 'Wondrous Adornments of the Rulers of the World.' Or, it may also be termed 'Wondrous Adornments of the Rulers of the World' by virtue of the wondrously adorned circumstantial and primary fruitions of the Buddha's realm of karmic retribution. Because the Tathāgata is also a ruler of the world who guides sentient beings, this is naming based on the master. 'Chapter' (pin) means equal division and classification, explaining that the similarities, differences, gradations, intentions, and categories of the five stages and the faithful mind are distinguished and narrated so that advancement in cultivation, maturation, and unripeness each have their coherent order and clear succession, enabling later students to recognize their own foundational practices and advance in cultivation without confusion; thus it bears the meaning of equal division into categories. 'First' does not mean the first in sequential order of before and after, because within the gate of the dharmadhātu there is no sequence of earlier and later; all are at one time without a second thought. Being manifested simultaneously, it is the first of all chapters; pratītyasamutpāda of the one and the many is simultaneously first. This is called the gate of simultaneous completeness and mutual correspondence, and the gate of the one and the many mutually containing yet not being identical. Interpenetrated through the ten profound gates and the meaning of the six characteristics, it cannot be bound by ordinary human sentiment; hence it is called 'First.'