新華嚴經論 25.4

25.4

Regarding the explanation of the meaning following the text, it explains that on this Ground of Emitting Light, having attained the mind that emerges from the three realms, one enters the door of the great unconditioned samādhi of the dharmadhātu's own essence. Although cultivating the four dhyānas and eight concentrations, one constantly accords with the Dharma-nature without any reliance, merely to smelt and polish away the habit-energies of the three realms so as to make wisdom bright and pure. One should progressively cultivate in this way; hence the analogy of properly smelting gold without losing a single grain. In this way, smelting and polishing repeatedly with precepts, concentration, and wisdom, one does not lose a single grain of the great, round, luminous wisdom of the dharmadhātu. Using these eight kinds of dhyāna concentrations to smelt and polish causes wisdom to become ever brighter and purer, and because the wisdom essence of the dharmakāya originally has neither increase nor decrease, it is called the Ground of Emitting Light. Bodhisattvas of the provisional teaching attain emergence from the eight concentrations, transcend the suffering of the three realms, and are born in pure lands; those who possess compassion retain defilements to moisten rebirth and abide in the world. After emerging from the eight concentrations, śrāvakas and arhats enter the ninth concentration, relying on emptiness wisdom ceases, and body and wisdom are completely absent. Whereas when a bodhisattva of the One Vehicle cultivates the eight concentrations, fully knowing that worldly dharmas lack self-nature, it forms the wondrous function of all-knowledge; and fully realizing that the essence of the three realms is naturally without arising or cessation, one emits great transcendent wisdom knowing worldly dharmas; therefore it is called the Ground of Emitting Light. On the first ground one cultivates giving and abides in the world; on the second ground one cultivates precepts, explaining being able to purify the world; on the third ground one cultivates the eight concentrations, explaining emerging from the world; on the fourth, fifth, and sixth grounds, it explains cultivating the wisdom of the world within the supramundane; on the seventh, eighth, and ninth grounds, it explains cultivating entry into the world to accomplish the harmonious fusion of compassion and wisdom; on the tenth ground, it explains cultivating the perfection of wisdom and compassion to accomplish the buddha stage. If one considers their principle and wisdom, there is no physical substance or hierarchy of grounds; it is only to treat habitual tendencies, to integrate compassion and wisdom from unripened to ripened, and because cultivating the worldly and supramundane discriminating wisdom has varying depths, that the grounds are established, setting up guidelines to allow practitioners to emulate them.