新華嚴經論 37.7

37.7

First, within properly entering the teaching gate of the stage at hand, from "At that time the youth Sudhana" below down to "the pure teaching gate of cultivating bodhisattva practice in all places, through the unattached and unconditioned power of spiritual penetrations," within this passage five sections are established: first, recollecting the instructions of the kalyāṇamitra and contemplating advancement; second, gradually traveling and arriving at that city; third, seeing the elder Anupamarāga in the Sorrowless Grove east of that city, surrounded by immeasurable merchant retinues and hundreds of thousands of householders; fourth, prostrating his body upon the ground in veneration and rising; fifth, properly presenting what he sought. As for explaining the meaning in accordance with the text: 'gradually traveling and arriving inside that city and seeing Anupamarāga inside that city'—advancing and entering into the stage is called 'inside'. 'Seeing Anupamarāga to the east of the city' clarifies that benefiting sentient beings with wisdom constitutes the east, indicating that he does not abide in his original stage. The eastern direction represents wisdom; descending to the secular to guide sentient beings reveals the stage of arising. The western direction represents kindness and compassion, as below where Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva abides on the western slope of Mount Vajra, representing the stage of kindness and compassion. Because of the pariṇāmanā that equals all Buddhas—'Buddha' meaning awakening—and because the mansion Spica (Jiao) is a lunar mansion of the east, Spica governs the assembly of monks, nuns, Daoists, and the gates of all goods; what worldly custom counts as this 'horn' (jiao), according to what it governs and pertains to, properly matches this 'awakening' (jue). Because it is the master of all gates of good, Spica is the heavenly gate of all goods. Because this takes place east of the city, Samantabhadra's practice of wisdom is represented by the east, showing that it produces the foremost among all goods. Avalokiteśvara's practice of great kindness and compassion is represented by the western direction, because the west is metal; metal is the White Tiger, governing autumn and governing destruction. Hence the sūtra says: 'the direction-ruling spirits who are well versed in the rituals of the ten directions.' Furthermore, the direction-ruling spirits turn in accordance with the directions, the intention being to clarify turning in accordance with the method of each direction to save sentient beings. Yet in reality the great image is by nature formless; its essence is empty and interfused, not a trace; it represents phenomena according to the directions, and phenomena follow their appropriate conditions. The sage bestows teachings amidst worldly entanglements, and conversely relies on things and events within worldly conditions to represent phenomena. It is simply that the principle beyond words cannot be used to guide the naive, and the genuine source cut off from images cannot benefit the worldly; therefore, regions and quarters are used to represent phenomena. Those who grasp at them will fail to benefit the worldly and open the deluded; those who discard them will likewise forfeit this benefiting of the worldly and opening of the deluded. Since east of the city means guiding the deluded, it clarifies the meaning of generating all goods; also, because the mansion Room (Fang) is the Azure Dragon, it is the position of worldly blessed virtues. 'In the Sorrowless Grove': this governs the kṣāntipāramitā; where forbearance is perfected and fulfilled, one's practice is without sorrow. As for 'grove', because this elder's practices pervade the ten directions, broadly overshadowing all categories according to their forms, because of the vastness of his practices giving widespread shelter, it is called a 'grove'. Also, because he transforms others and frees them from sorrow, it is the 'Sorrowless Grove'. 'Surrounded by immeasurable merchants and hundreds of thousands of householders' are the assembly being transformed, representing exchanging foolishness for wisdom, exchanging wisdom for foolishness, and exchanging evil for good. Also, because merchants constantly abide in birth and death, practicing humaneness and virtue to transform and benefit all categories, they are called householders. This is an explanation based on practice. The youth Sudhana, having observed the elder expounding the Dharma for the assembly, threw his body to the ground, which represents the ten dedications generally turning from the genuine and entering into the secular, taking great kindness and compassion and good forbearance as the ground. Saying again, 'I am Sudhana,' represents the gravity of seeking the Dharma. It also clarifies thoroughly realizing self and selflessness in order to accomplish forbearance. Below, the elder tells Sudhana that the practice he cultivates is called 'bodhisattva practice that accomplishes reaching everywhere', to clarify that, like the pariṇāmanā of all Buddhas toward all worlds and all sentient beings in the ten directions, there is nowhere his practice does not pervade, as fully clarified in the text below. Just as in the ten abodes, from the first to the third abode he met three monks, representing cultivating the world-transcending Dharma from within the mundane, here, from the first dedication he meets three elders who are purely secular—the incense-blender, the ship's captain, and Anupamarāga—to clarify that entering the secular from the genuine is called pariṇāmanā. This is the kalyāṇamitra in the Dedication That Equals All Buddhas, taking kṣāntipāramitā as primary and the other nine as accompaniment. In terms of the gate of wisdom, it comprehensively cures all stages; in terms of the gate of stages, it cures the obstruction of not being at ease in forbearance when entering the ocean of birth and death, causing one to attain ease in the forbearance of dharmas. The preceding ten abodes and ten practices cultivate the forbearance of transcending the world and leaving behind suffering; this stage clarifies entering the mundane to accomplish kindness, compassion, and the forbearance of abundant benefit. Thus, within these ten dedications, when one renounces body, flesh, hands, feet, kingdoms, cities, wives, and children, if someone comes to beg for them, one has no weariness or resentment, but redoubles one's joy.