新華嚴經論 35.35

35.35

Under the first [heading], directly entering the Dharma gate of this stage, from "At that time the youth Sudhana" down to "I have only attained this inexhaustible wheel liberation," this section of the sūtra is divided roughly into twenty-five points: first, being illuminated by the light of the unsurpassed banner Dharma and entering the inconceivable supernatural power of the Buddhas; second, recollecting the instructions of the kalyāṇamitra and walking south by stages; third, arriving at the settlement of Long and Straight and seeing that Jayoṣma practicing austerities, surrounded on four sides by fire like great mountains; fourth, in the midst thereof was a mountain of blades exceedingly lofty and sheer, where he climbed the mountain and threw his body into the fire; fifth, Sudhana prostrating and inquiring about what he seeks; sixth, the brahmin bidding Sudhana climb that mountain of blades and throw his body into the fire; seventh, Sudhana reflecting that a human body is difficult to obtain and conceiving doubt in his mind; eighth, ten thousand Brahmā gods in the sky urging him to reflect that this is the radiance of the diamond-flame samādhi; ninth, ten thousand Māras in the sky urging Sudhana to reflect and praising the brahmin's virtuous practice; tenth, further, ten thousand kings of the Paranirmitavaśavartin heaven in the sky telling Sudhana not to give rise to doubt; eleventh, further, ten thousand kings of the Nirmāṇarati heaven likewise in the sky praising the brahmin's virtue; twelfth, further, ten thousand kings of the Tuṣita heaven in the sky offering praise; thirteenth, further, ten thousand gods of the Trāyastriṃśa heaven raining heavenly māndārava flowers in the sky as an offering; fourteenth, ten thousand dragon kings; fifteenth, ten thousand yakṣa kings; sixteenth, ten thousand gandharva kings; seventeenth, ten thousand asura kings; eighteenth, ten thousand garuḍa kings; nineteenth, ten thousand kiṃnara kings; twentieth, immeasurable gods of the desire realm—these thirteen kinds of assemblies all in the sky praised the brahmin's virtue and urged Sudhana not to give rise to doubt; twenty-first, Sudhana repenting his fault; twenty-second, the brahmin reciting verses for Sudhana; twenty-third, Sudhana following the instruction, climbing the mountain of blades, and entering the great mass of fire; twenty-fourth, Sudhana gaining benefit upon entering the mass of fire; and twenty-fifth, from "I have only attained this bodhisattva inexhaustible wheel" onwards, deferring to the virtues [of others] and advancing onward. As shown above, when the brahmin manifested this practice, all sentient beings saw distinct practice gates according to their differences. In symbolic terms, the mountain of blades represents the power pāramitā in the Prince of the Dharma abode, which takes wisdom as its essence. When a practitioner accomplishes this, realizing the suffering and difficulties of saṃsāra, he sees only the liberation of the dharmadhātu nature; he must have no fear, able to exercise sovereign power and function. The blazing flames are the radiance of diamond wisdom, also named diamond samādhi, as the devas above have already spoken. The dragon king Elāpattra, due to breaking the precepts in the past, damaged an extremely foul-smelling tree, so that this foul tree grew on his head, hence he was named after it. Upāsaka means 'purified believer.' Nanda means 'joy' in this land, illustrating that this dragon heard the Dharma and rejoiced with faith and delight. The bodhisattva inexhaustible wheel liberation means that in the Prince of the Dharma abode, one attains the station of a Dharma master. Because this one practice accords with the differing desires of sentient beings, each seeing his preaching of Dharma and practice gates in inexhaustible distinctions, it clarifies that because it perfectly accords with the faculties of sentient beings, it is called the 'inexhaustible wheel.' This is the Prince of the Dharma abode, with the power pāramitā as primary and the remaining nine as companions. In terms of the wisdom gate, it applies across the five stages; in terms of the gate of stages, it remedies the obstacle of non-sovereignty in preaching the Dharma. This is equivalent to the ninth ground of the ten grounds: from this fruit-practice one cultivates, and when the effort ripens at the ninth, the Sādhumatī ground, it mirrors this. The fundamental fruition in the ten abodes still takes the universal radiant wisdom of the dharmadhātu essence as its great function.