新華嚴經論 10.7

10.7

From the assembly within the Tathāgata's seat to the assembly emerging from the curl of white hair between the Tathāgata's eyebrows, there are four kinds of assemblies. What is their meaning? First, the assembly within the Tathāgata's seat explains the assembly that reveals fruition through the Tathāgata's past personal practice sharing the same cause with the ancients. Second is the assembly of bodhisattvas from the ten directions gathering and raising offerings. Third is the assembly of light from the pores of all the arriving bodhisattvas; this is the assembly of the dharmadhātu's unimpeded nature-origination, the sovereign mastery of the one and the many, identity and difference, and inexhaustible, inconceivable great compassion. This explains that the gate of this dharmadhātu is naturally so by rule, its essence being originally thus, wherein Dharma practice, circumstantial, and primary fruitions are multiply unimpeded, because the wisdom and realm of the dharmadhātu, as well as body and land, one and many, naturally contain one another. Fourth, the assembly from the hair between the Tathāgata's eyebrows is the assembly that manifests fruition to establish the cause, generating faith and benefiting sentient beings. This is the assembly of teaching-gates throughout the dharmadhātu from the stage of the ten faiths up to the ten abodes, ten practices, ten dedications of merit, ten grounds, and the eleventh ground after his attainment of Buddhahood; presenting this cause and fruition of his own cultivation, he again causes practitioners to imitate it. Correlating the above assemblies with the stages and their reasons for coming: together with the preceding assembly of light flowing within the tree and the assembly in the palaces and multistoried pavilions, there are eleven assemblies in all. Individually correlated according to the stages, there are forty-seven assemblies. Because within the five stages, the ten Samantabhadras are grouped together as one assembly, without dividing into ten classes within that stage. The assembly of Bodhisattva Sāgaracandraprabhāsamātura and the spirits and devas below have ten classes of retinues each for the ten abodes, ten practices, ten dedications of merit, and ten grounds, totaling forty. Including the ten Samantabhadras as one assembly, together with the forty above, makes forty-one. Adding the assembly radiating light within the bodhi tree, the assembly in the palace where the Tathāgata resides, the assembly within the Tathāgata's seat, the assembly of arriving bodhisattvas from the ten directions, the assembly of light from the bodhisattvas' pores, and the assembly from the hair between the Tathāgata's eyebrows, makes forty-seven assemblies in all. The general outline of the assemblies' meaning is provisionally thus; the meanings therein will be clarified when reaching the text. The assembly within the bodhi tree and the assembly within the Tathāgata's palace have already been explained above. The provisional outline of the assemblies in the initial assembly is concluded above; the rest awaits the text. The above collectively explains presenting fruition and practices pervading universally to establish the stage of faith.