新華嚴經論 37.4

37.4

In the second section, praising virtue and advancing, from "all bodhisattvas..." down to "taking his leave and departing," there are ten lines of sūtra text, divided into five gates: first, praising virtue and advancing; second, showing the kalyāṇamitra's location; third, presenting the name of the city where the kalyāṇamitra dwells, Pavilions; fourth, presenting the helmsman named Vairāma; fifth, prostrating and departing. In explaining the meaning according to the text: the meaning of the south is as explained initially. As for the city named Pavilions: being close to the southern sea and low and damp, people mostly build pavilions to dwell in. It also concerns discriminating wisdom, establishing the city's name on the basis of harmonizing the manifold phenomena in their general, particular, identical, different, and multi-layered aspects within the ten dedications of merit. The helmsman Vairāma: here translated as Sovereign, clarifying that he attains sovereignty in the ocean of birth and death. This means that in the ten dedications of merit, being able to enter the ocean of birth and death and practice great kindness and compassion is taken as the essence of the precepts. In the ten abodes, contemplating the twelve links of dependent origination in the ocean of birth and death is taken as the fundamentally pure nature itself, and only Buddha-wisdom is taken as the essence of the precepts. In the ten practices, manual arts, physiognomy, mathematics, and worldly crafts are clarified to benefit sentient beings, being taken as the essence of the precepts. In these ten dedications of merit, entering the conventional from the ultimate, residing in the ocean of birth and death to guide sentient beings and accomplish compassionate practice is taken as the essence of the precepts. In cultivating the precepts across these three stages, each has its similarities, differences, and rules of advancement. As for the helmsman: the master takes great kindness and compassion as the essence of the precepts, constantly dwelling in the ocean of birth and death, going back and forth to ferry sentient beings across, as fully clarified in praising his virtues. The general meaning is that he fully accomplishes the unattached precepts, like a helmsman ferrying people across, abiding neither on this shore nor on the other shore.