新華嚴經論 26.32

26.32

The second prose section has forty-four and a half lines of text, divided roughly into seven sections. First, from "At that time Vimukticandra" down to "also fully perfected" consists of two and a half lines of text, explaining the section where Vimukticandra asks whether all the grounds fully perfect all factors of awakening. Second, from "Vajragarbha Bodhisattva said" down to "the tenth, effortless practice" consists of about ten lines of text, explaining the section answering the previous question concerning the differences in understanding and practice of the grounds up to the ten grounds. Third, from "Sons of the Buddha, just as there are two worlds" down to "is only then able to cross over" consists of five and a half lines of text, explaining the section showing that the bodhisattva of this ground, by the power of vows, engages in both defiled and pure practices without abiding in either. Fourth, from "Vimukticandra Bodhisattva said" down to "surpassing the human stage" consists of eight and a half lines of text, explaining the section using a simile to show that the defiled and pure practices performed on this ground are neither pure nor defiled. Fifth, from "Sons of the Buddha, the bodhisattva is also like this" down to "because all is completely surpassed" consists of about six lines of text, explaining the section on the effortful practice of the seventh ground and the effortless practice of the eighth ground. Sixth, from "Sons of the Buddha, this seventh ground" down to "is not called being without" consists of three and a half lines of text, explaining the section showing that this ground is neither called having afflictions nor called lacking afflictions. Seventh, from "Sons of the Buddha, when a bodhisattva abides in this seventh ground" down to "increasingly superior and perfected" consists of nine and a half lines of text, explaining the section on delivering the world's Siddhārtha to become a great illuminating teacher. In these forty-four and a half lines of text, at the beginning, when Vimukticandra asks Vajragarbha Bodhisattva, "Sons of the Buddha, does a bodhisattva only in this seventh ground fully perfect all factors of awakening? Or can they also be fully perfected in each of the grounds?": if seen through the gate of sameness, all is collectively the one self-nature awakening of the Tathāgata's fundamental, universally illuminating great wisdom whose quiescence and function are unhindered. If viewed in terms of the practitioner's advancing superiority, then through the gate of difference there are altogether fifty kinds of awakening that differ according to practice. In general overall terms, it is simply based on the differentiated awakenings of these ten grounds that the general framework of advancement is established. Across the awakenings in these ten kinds of grounds, five kinds of awakening are taken as the general framework: 1. Awakening of emptiness and signlessness; 2. Awakening of universally illuminating, non-abiding wisdom; 3. Awakening whose great vows can give rise to great wisdom and great compassion to extensively benefit sentient beings; 4. Awakening that, through its great compassion, can follow defilement and purity without being defiled or purified; 5. Awakening of effortless action wherein wisdom, compassion, and the myriad practices are fully perfected. Now, as for 'awakening' (bodhi), it is translated here as 'enlightenment' (jue). 'Enlightenment' means universally pervading all phenomena without fault. It is called 'unexcelled' because it pertains only to the One Vehicle, not the Three Vehicles.