新華嚴經論 4.13

4.13

The above are five kinds of ten grounds. Among them, three kinds of ten grounds belong to the provisional teaching: as in the Pañcaviṃśatisāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā, there are only the names of the ten grounds, with the eighth named the ground of the eight persons and the ninth named the ground of dry wisdom, where the names of the grounds differ slightly. In the Saṃdhinirmocana Sūtra, although the names of the ten grounds are the same as those in the Avataṃsaka Sūtra, from the first ground to the eleventh ground there are eleven kinds of coarse heaviness and twenty-two kinds of foolishness. In these two sūtras there are only the ten grounds, entirely lacking the four kinds of provisions prior to the grounds. In the Benevolent Kings Sūtra, although it speaks of the four kinds of provisions prior to the grounds—the ten faiths, ten abodes, ten practices, and ten dedications of merit—it explains the ten faiths as internal ordinary persons, which is not the same as in the ultimate teaching where the initial mind of the ten abodes directly ascends to the noble nature, its essence equal to all Buddhas. Within the ten faiths, if one does not believe that one's own body and the Buddha's body are non-dual in cause and effect, one does not accomplish faithful understanding. Therefore, the 'Chapter on the Manifestation of the Tathāgata' states: 'A bodhisattva-mahāsattva should know that within one's own mind, in a single thought, the Buddhas of the ten directions realize equal and right awakening and turn the wheel of the correct Dharma. Why is this? Because the Buddha's mind and one's own mind are non-dual; only such faithful mind is called faith.' How much less could the stage of the ten abodes fail to realize this mind? If one does not realize this mind, how could it be called 'abode'? By this principle, abiding in the Buddha's abode is called 'abode'; therefore, at the abode of initial resolve, one directly realizes right awakening.

Furthermore, when the ten grounds are spoken in the provisional teaching, there are no Buddhas of other directions bearing the same name as the speaker, nor do Buddhas of the same name come to verify and accomplish it to signify the identity of cause and effect. By this principle, the stages and doctrinal gates are all provisional provisions to receive sentient beings of lesser faculties. Let those with wisdom not linger among them, but aspire to ascend and advance. Therefore, when the Dharma gate of the five stages and ten grounds in the Avataṃsaka Sūtra is expounded: during the ten abodes, when Bodhisattva Dharmamati entered samādhi wishing to speak the Dharma gate of the ten abodes, from beyond a thousand Buddha worlds in the ten directions there came Buddhas as numerous as the dust motes of a thousand Buddha worlds, all named Dharmamati, who rubbed Bodhisattva Dharmamati's crown with their hands, praised him with vocal action, and bestowed upon Dharmamati the thirteen kinds of empowerment of wisdom-power. When the stage of the ten practices was expounded, Bodhisattva Guṇavana entered samādhi, and from beyond ten thousand Buddha worlds in the ten directions there came Buddhas as numerous as the dust motes of ten thousand Buddha worlds, all named Guṇavana, bestowing the thirteen kinds of empowerment upon Bodhisattva Guṇavana and the others. When the ten dedications of merit were expounded, from beyond a million Buddha worlds in the ten directions there came Buddhas as numerous as the dust motes of a million Buddha worlds, with the same name Vajradhvaja, likewise bestowing the thirteen kinds of empowerment upon Bodhisattva Vajradhvaja. The same is true of the ten grounds. That the Buddhas and the bodhisattvas share the same name clarifies that cause and effect are identical, as will be explained extensively later.

As for the Daśabhūmika-śāstra, it was composed by Bodhisattva Vasubandhu to explain the Daśabhūmika Sūtra, which is the 'Chapter on the Ten Grounds' in the Avataṃsaka Sūtra. Where it explains the meaning, the text and meaning communicate both the Three Vehicles and the One Vehicle; commentators mostly explain the meaning of the Three Vehicles, while many people do not understand the meaning of the One Vehicle, because the principle of the One Vehicle cannot be reached by conceptual understanding. Even if there are those who understand it through conception, the net of doubts is not removed; merely believing the Buddha's words, their own doubt remains unbroken. It can only be known by those who have long dwelt in non-thought, do not loathe suffering, do not linger in quiescence, and have awakened to eternity, bliss, self, and purity. Therefore, among the five kinds of ten grounds, three are provisional, and the remaining two kinds of ten grounds belong to the ultimate teaching. Therefore, the Yingluo jing says: 'In the Way and Dharma of ancient Buddhas, these ten grounds exist to transform sentient beings.' One should know that although the names of the ten grounds in the provisional teachings of the Three Vehicles are the same, the expedient means established by them to guide sentient beings' practice and understanding are completely different; in this context it is fully explained that there are no Buddhas of the same name who jointly verify and seal the concordant realization of cause and effect.