新華嚴經論 26.40

26.40

The fifth section comprises nine and a half lines of the sūtra text, broadly divided into five parts. First, from "O sons of the Buddha, when a bodhisattva abides in this ground" down to "although practicing the reality limit, they do not realize it" consists of two and a half lines of the sūtra, explaining the part where they do not abide in non-action, constantly practice the three karmas, and do not realize nirvāṇa. Second, from "Moon of Liberation" down to "can enter the concentration of cessation" consists of one line of the sūtra, being the part where the Moon of Liberation raises a question. Third, from "Vajragarbha Bodhisattva said" down to "because of not realizing it" comprises about two lines of the sūtra, explaining the part where bodhisattvas of this stage and of the sixth ground are able to enter the concentration of cessation without realizing it. Fourth, from "This bodhisattva is named 'achieving the inconceivable'" down to "practicing the reality limit and yet not realizing it" consists of two lines of the sūtra, explaining the part where this bodhisattva's three karmas are inconceivable and they do not realize quiescent cessation. Fifth, from "For example, a person" down for two lines of the sūtra adduces the analogy of boarding a ship to enter the sea without suffering disaster from the water. For bodhisattvas from the sixth ground onward and of the seventh ground, entering the concentration of cessation is not like extinguishing thoughts to realize cessation in the four dhyānas and four formless realms of the higher realms, nor is it like arhats who loathe suffering and cultivate emptiness, so that in accordance with the cessation of the nature of emptiness, compassion and wisdom do not arise, leaving them like vast empty space with nothing further to do, even passing kalpas without awareness, not hearing drums tied to their heads, or transforming into fire to cremate themselves and entering transformational birth-and-death. Nor is it like pratyekabuddhas contemplating the emptiness of the twelvefold conditioned arising, following the cessation of perceptions of emptiness where compassion and wisdom do not arise. Nor is it like provisional-teaching bodhisattvas cultivating the six pāramitās, where coarse consciousness is already gone while subtle consciousness still remains, so that by the power of vows they are born in pure lands, or claim that the reward land is above the form realm, possessing a body that transcends the three realms. Because the mind has a basis of reliance and pure karma serves as the condition, whatever their place of birth may be, it still has a basis of reliance. In this One Vehicle, the central mind of the sixth of the ten abodes is like the monk Sāgaradhvaja, who sat cross-legged by the side of the walking path, free of breathing in and out, manifesting bodily forms corresponding to every part of his body and generating transformations like clouds that pervaded the seas of realms. This pertains to the gate of the unlimited dharmadhātu wherein the essence of the fundamental, universally radiant wisdom is quiescent yet active, unlike the three vehicles which all have bases of reliance and locations for karmic retribution and birth, whose transformational activities, even when performed, all have limits. In this way, the sixth of the ten grounds uses the power of guarding all and increasing majesty to make clear that they are already capable of guarding the citadel of the mind, not being bound by concentration or distraction. The worldly matters they practice are what is required for the practice of shared identity, not arising from their own personal karma. The seventh ground has function and has unfolding, because they give rise to practices in accordance with the prior three emptinesses. Therefore, Sudhana's spiritual friend at this stage is named Samantagandharāja, illustrating that the three emptinesses constantly unfold the blossoms of practice. Therefore, being able to enter the concentration of cessation from the sixth ground onward takes the monk Sāgaradhvaja in the sixth abode of the ten abodes as the exemplar; from the ten practices, ten dedications of merit, ten grounds, and eleventh ground, every sixth mind is uniformly like this. Even when not entering concentration, it simply illustrates that Sāgaradhvaja in the ten abodes is the essence, and the rest thereafter is the great functioning within Sāgaradhvaja. The remaining meaning is clear in the sūtra itself. The above section clarifies the gate of not realizing nirvāṇa.