新華嚴經論 35.30

35.30

Second, within deferring virtue to advance to the next stage, from "Like all bodhisattva-mahāsattvas..." down to "bid farewell and departed," there are sixteen and a half lines of sūtra text, whose meaning is broadly divided into five gates: 1. deferring virtue to the next to cause him to advance; 2. indicating the kalyāṇamitra's place named Ocean Tide; 3. indicating his country named Nālīkera; 4. mentioning the kalyāṇamitra's name; 5. bowing with the head, weeping tears, bidding farewell and departing. Weeping tears here symbolizes that great compassion is vast and profound. Furthermore, it shows reverence for the Dharma and valuing entry into it, with feelings reaching the utmost depth. It also symbolizes sovereignty in wisdom and compassion: condescending with compassion to the mundane flow and lamenting the painful destinies, the holy mind broadly rescues while sorrowing over what is difficult to overcome. This place of the Ocean Tide in the south having the same name, Ocean Tide, as the previous stage symbolizes the joint convergence of compassion and wisdom: advancing the gate of loving-kindness and compassion of the previous stage to merge with the essence of wisdom, and using the eighth, the praṇidhāna-pāramitā, to initiate the activities of wisdom and merge them with its compassionate gate. If wisdom does not initiate and raise great vows to practice compassion, inclined toward tranquility, it has no way to give rise to functioning. For this reason, when reaching this eighth stage in the ten grounds, the Buddhas offer three empowerment additions and seven admonitions, urging mindfulness of the original vow so that great compassion can be produced. Therefore the two stages share the name Ocean Tide, clarifying that the eighth, the praṇidhāna-pāramitā, merges its compassion and wisdom into one essence; only then does one attain effortless, great, active practice, broadly benefiting without discursive thought, just as the ocean tide rolls in vast waves without deliberate action. This resembles the bodhisattva of this stage using effortless wisdom to transform all classes of beings, knowing their capacities without missing the proper time. Therefore both stages are named Ocean Tide, which unites wisdom and compassion as non-dual. The country being named Nālīkera translates here as 'not indolent.' Because the eighth abode enters effortless wisdom, according with fundamental wisdom to benefit beings everywhere without negligence, without a mind of fatigue or indolence. This stage is the model of the eighth of the ten grounds; from here the initial traces arise, and upon reaching the eighth ground it merges with the original model. Here, one portion corresponds to the eighth of the ten grounds; when the great function is of one essence and effortless wisdom pervades, it is perfected only at the Buddha stage, reaching fulfillment at the 'Chapter on the Manifestation of the Tathāgata.' Taking the 'Dharmadhātu Chapter' as the source and origin, fundamental wisdom is eternally effortless with vast functioning. Because those who initially generate the great bodhi mind originally rely on the essence of the dharmadhātu's universally illuminating wisdom, when the practice of generating the mind matures, it is identical to the original dharmadhātu; the sequence of stages is explained merely in terms of the raw, mature, broad, and narrow degrees of wisdom and compassion. The ṛṣi named Bhīṣmottaranirghoṣa translates here as 'Terrifying Sound,' because the eye of wisdom becomes increasingly bright, expertly destroying heterodox doctrines, and when his words are uttered they hit the mark, causing diverging doctrines to cease their thinking; hence he is named Terrifying Sound. Sudhana weeping and shedding tears contemplates ten difficult things, as the sūtra explains in detail.