新華嚴經論 40

English (machine translation) 40

Language: English

Regarding the eleventh ground stage of the youth Sudhana's kalyāṇamitras, within the second [section], 'Praising Virtues to Advance', four gates are established. From this point downward, the kalyāṇamitras of the eleventh ground are explained: first, praising virtues to advance; second, pointing out where the good friend resides, stating that she is in this world; third, presenting the good friend's name, named Māyā; fourth, paying homage and taking leave. Stating that she is 'in this world' refers to the realm of the Buddha. Because Sudhana went to Lady Māyā's dwelling and obtained the wisdom that observes the Buddha's realm, 'this world' is the realm of the Buddha's wisdom. As for being named 'Māyā', here it is translated as 'Heavenly Queen' and also called 'Lady'; she is the great lady of the state. This is the eleventh ground, constantly abiding in the world, taking effortless great loving-kindness and compassion as its essence, and giving rise to the gate of Samantabhadra's practices.

First, for example, among the five stages, within the ten abodes: starting from the seventh abode stage with the upāsikā Āśā, who presides over cultivating the gate of wisdom from loving-kindness and compassion, up to the eighth abode where a portion of effortless wisdom manifests before one.
Second, arriving at the tenth abode with Princess Maitrāyaṇī, daughter of King Siṃhadhvaja, who presides over the gate of wisdom and compassion being completely interfused and fully equipped.
Third, in the ten practices, the seventh practice is King Anivartanaśrīsaṃbhava (Wuyanzu), who within the ten practices presides over the gate of loving-kindness, compassion, and skillful means for benefiting sentient beings.
Fourth, the eighth practice is King Mahāprabhā, who presides over the gate of practicing compassion through effortless action.
Fifth, in the ten dedications of merit, in the seventh and eighth dedications, Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara and Bodhisattva Ananyagāmin appear in the same assembly, presiding over the non-dual gate of the interfusion of compassion and wisdom.
Sixth, in the ten grounds, the seventh ground is the night goddess Vasantī (Kaifushuhua), who presides over the gate of generating practices with great compassion that universally pervade and manifest fruits.
Seventh, in the tenth ground is Gopā, who presides over the gate of the perfection of great compassion and wisdom universally conforming with the dharmadhātu.
Eighth, at the beginning of this eleventh ground, Lady Māyā is taken as the foremost of great loving-kindness, which is the perfection of effortless loving-kindness and compassion, in order to clarify that loving-kindness and compassion give rise to wisdom, illusory birth, the attainment of buddhahood, and all practice gates for teaching and transforming all sentient beings. Because this stage's Dharma-gate is named the Bodhisattva's Liberation Gate of Great Vows, Wisdom, and Illusory Manifestation, it clarifies that great compassion is foremost in this eleventh ground, and that relying on the compassionate mind of original vows, one gives rise to wisdom and illusory birth, manifesting the attainment of buddhahood, the work of benefiting sentient beings, and all the gates of all practices, pervading the dharmadhātu and the realm of empty space. The above eight gates harmonize and synthesize the differences and commonalities among the gradual cultivation, progressive advancement, and skillful means of cultivating loving-kindness and compassion across the five stages.

Furthermore, within this eleventh ground, ten gates are laid out in an extended outline to provide a general understanding of the sequence of practice aspects of this ground:
1. Lady Māyā, clarifying the gate of giving rise to wisdom from compassion, illusory birth in all practices, attaining buddhahood, and benefiting sentient beings;
2. The king of the Trāyastriṃśa Heaven named Samyag-smṛti (Zhengnian) and his daughter named Surendrābhā (Tianzhuguangming), possessing mastery in wisdom and compassion, [clarifying] the gate of correct mindfulness manifesting all dharmas of the ten directions without error;
3. The teacher of children, clarifying the gate of acting as a model in worldly teachings throughout the ten directions;
4. Muktaka (Shanzhi Zhongyi), clarifying the gate of the wisdom of letters pervading the ten directions;
5. The upāsikā Bhadrottamā (Xiansheng), clarifying the gate of presiding over worldly auspicious and inauspicious matters, both orthodox and heterodox, and mastering the crafts, sorcery, divination, and lore of all directions in order to benefit sentient beings;
6. The elder Dṛḍha (Jiangu), clarifying the gate of pristine liberation through dwelling in the world without clinging thought;
7. The elder Candramukha (Miaoyue), clarifying the gate of the radiant light of pure wisdom while dwelling in the world;
8. Aparājita (Wushengjun), clarifying the gate of attaining the exhaustiveness of characteristics amidst unconditioned phenomena;
9. The brāhmaṇa Sarvaśamanta (Zuijijing), clarifying the gate of speech of sincere vows;
10. The youth Śrīsaṃbhava (Desheng) and the maiden Śrīmatī (Youde), clarifying the gate of dwelling in the world like an illusion with perfection in wisdom and compassion, like the equal status of Mañjuśrī and Samantabhadra in the 'Chapter on Manifestation', signifying the equal fullness of the dharmakāya's wisdom and compassion.

The above ten gates are the practices of the eleventh ground. From this point down to Maitreya Tathāgata, it clarifies the completion of the fruit of buddhahood in a single lifetime. 'A single lifetime' means being born amidst the unborn; it is not birth in the sequence of the three times.

40.3

First, regarding the Dharma gate of directly entering this stage, the text from "At that time, the youth Sudhana" onward is extensively divided into eleven sections: 1. From "At that time, the youth Sudhana" down to "obtained the wisdom observing the realm of the Buddha" consists of one and a half lines of the sūtra, explaining the section on Sudhana's superior advancement into the gate of the eleventh ground. 2. From "He had this thought" down to "having had this thought" consists of eleven and a half lines of the sūtra, explaining the section on Sudhana praising the sovereign essence and characteristics of Lady Māyā's body. 3. From "There was a city-guarding deity named Jewel Eye" down to "up to definitely attaining Buddhahood" consists of thirty-six lines of the sūtra, explaining the section where the city-guarding deity expounds for Sudhana the Dharma gate of governing the city of the mind. 4. From "At that time there were deities of the host of physical bodies" down to "because of seeing the appearance of the Buddhas in all lands" consists of fourteen and a half lines of the sūtra, explaining the section where the deities of the physical body praise Lady Māyā's body, and Lady Māyā emits light from her earrings that enters Sudhana's body. 5. From "At that time there was a rākṣasa demon king who guarded the bodhisattva's Dharma hall, named Good Eye" down to "these are the ten," explaining the section where the rākṣasa king speaks of the ten ways of drawing close to a kalyāṇamitra for Sudhana. 6. From "Son of the Buddha" down to "When this speech was uttered" consists of eleven lines of the sūtra, explaining the section where the rākṣasa king expounds the thirteen samādhis for Sudhana, causing Sudhana to constantly draw close to kalyāṇamitras. 7. From "The youth Sudhana gazed upward into the sky" down to "the Tathāgata's inconceivable, subtle and wondrous merit" consists of twenty-seven lines of the sūtra, explaining the section where Sudhana sees the rākṣasa king speak of the method of paying homage to the ten directions and seeking kalyāṇamitras, and further expound the method of contemplating body and mind as dream-like and illusion-like, whereupon he beholds Lady Māyā's lotus flower and the adornment of the seat and tower. The three hosts of deities above serve as the preliminary expedients for entering this eleventh ground. The expedients are three: first, skillfully guarding the city of the mind; second, skillfully knowing that the nature of sound pervades the ten directions; third, that the rākṣasa king is named 'Guardian of the Hall' means that through the thirteen samādhi gates and the contemplation of knowing body and mind to be like dreams and illusions, this signifies guarding the hall of the dharmadhātu. 'Rākṣasa king' is translated here as 'fearsome'. 'King' means sovereignty. This refers to observing and guarding the Dharma hall of body and mind through samādhi, so that deceitful, evil spirits are broken and scattered. Lady Māyā's earrings emitting light into Sudhana's body explains the samādhi of entering the light of teaching. The ear governs the sound of teaching. Relying on these three dharmas as the preliminary expedients for the eleventh ground, one can then genuinely enter the gate of the eleventh ground. 8. From "At that time, Sudhana, seeing such a seat" down to "because of having already accomplished the quiescent body" consists of thirty-one and a half lines of the sūtra, explaining the section where Sudhana sees Lady Māyā's illusion-like form body pervading before all sentient beings in the ten directions. 9. From "At that time, the youth Sudhana saw Lady Māyā" down to "how does one train in the bodhisattva practice and attain accomplishment?" consists of thirty-seven and a half lines of the sūtra, explaining the section where Māyā manifests a body surpassing all physical forms that pervades the oceans of lands, and Sudhana also manifests an equal number of bodies before her, joining his palms, paying homage, requesting what he seeks, and obtaining entry into the gates of various samādhis. 10. From "She replied: 'Son of the Buddha, I have already accomplished the bodhisattva's liberation of the illusory birth of the great vow wisdom'" down to "if there are those who cultivate the practices and vows of Samantabhadra to transform all sentient beings, I manifest my body to be their mother in all cases" consists of one hundred and seven lines of the sūtra, generally explaining the Dharma gate that Māyā answered to Sudhana's question. 11. From "At that time, the youth Sudhana addressed Lady Māyā: 'How long has it been since you realized this liberation?'" down to "I only know this liberation gate of the bodhisattva's illusory birth through great vow wisdom" consists of twenty-seven lines of the sūtra, explaining the section answering Sudhana's question about how long ago she attained this liberation. In explaining the meaning following the text: Lady Māyā, in terms of general characteristics, is accomplished through three dharmas, while in terms of particular characteristics, she derives her name from the gates of practice equal in number to the Buddhas and sentient beings. The three dharmas are: 1. Taking the wondrous principle of the self-nature pure dharmakāya, which is equal and formless across all Buddhas and sentient beings, as the essence; 2. Taking the universally luminous, uncreated, non-abiding wisdom within the equal principle of all Buddhas and sentient beings as the essence; 3. Taking the uncreated nature within the uncreated principle and wisdom equal to all Buddhas and sentient beings—nurturing all sentient beings, benefiting them with great kindness and great compassion, originally of one essence with all sentient beings, where the distinction of self and other has vanished, constantly providing benefit without seeking recompense—as the essence. This is natural and inherent, possessed in common by sentient beings; if one acts in reliance on these three dharmas, one attains it. Although it is shared in common by sentient beings, because sentient beings are confused about it, they must possess the practical gates of expedient means to initiate and reveal it before it can be attained. What are the expedient means? The expedient means consist of ten gates of great vows, to be cultivated and learned according to the vows: 1. The vow that at the initial arousal of the aspiration, one gives rise to great vows of kindness and compassion equal in number to all sentient beings, to rescue and deliver all sentient beings, causing them to escape the suffering of the three realms and causing them all to attain Buddhahood. 2. The vow to serve, revere, and make offerings to all Buddhas in the ten directions without passing over any in vain. 3. The vow that in all places of rebirth throughout the realms, wherever there are those whose virtue and skills surpass one's own, one serves and learns from them; though learning various skills and wisdom that surpass humans and devas, one gives rise to no arrogance, constantly placing great kindness and great compassion foremost. 4. The vow to constantly heal according to illness through the contemplation of the four stations of mindfulness, and to establish the four right efforts to accomplish the faculties and powers. 5. The vow to constantly not let the seven factors of enlightenment depart from the head of the mind, nurturing all right wisdom, and illuminating the twelve links of dependent origination to form a great ocean of wisdom. 6. The vow to constantly practice the eightfold noble path, having no beginning and no end, constantly manifest before oneself. 7. The vow that with one's own noble path manifest, one constantly abides in the world to benefit humans, devas, and all sentient beings of the six destinies, without personally delighting in seeking other pure lands. Clearly seeing the gates of all dharmadhātus, one deeply understands that defilement and purity originally arise from delusion, and based on the true, they originally do not exist. 8. The vow to clearly know the rules and methods regarding the bodhisattva's five stages of practical gates, so that with respect to all expedients and various samādhis for benefiting humans and devas within the ten abodes, ten practices, ten dedications of merit, ten grounds, and the eleventh ground, one skillfully understands their import in a single thought and cultivates them in sequence. 9. The vow to constantly be mindful of the wind-wheel of original vows in order to sustain fundamental wisdom, stirring up boundless pāramitā practices, manifesting form bodies matching the realms of the ten directions, and guiding all sentient beings according to their capacities. 10. The vow to constantly give rise to all-knowledge through the body of great kindness and great compassion, the great wisdom that accords with principle and pervades the dharmadhātu, shining universally without omission, all equal Samantabhadra. These are the practices accomplished by Lady Māyā's body; if practitioners cultivate, they should cultivate like this. There is no Buddha who is not born from the ocean of great vows and the wisdom of great compassion. Therefore the sūtra says: 'Those who simply practice the vows of Samantabhadra are all born from me.' This indicates that in this eleventh ground, wisdom arises from compassion. Prior to the ten grounds, the practices of great kindness and great compassion were all based on the original vows and born from fundamental wisdom, involving cultivation, study, and nurturing; on the eleventh ground, when all effort ends, it is purely great compassion as the essence of the dharmadhātu. Using compassion to generate wisdom and illusory births equal to the number of sentient beings, constantly benefiting them without ever resting, is called 'giving birth to Buddhas'—it does not require obtaining the thirty-two marks up to the ninety-seven marks. Rather, if at the time of initial arousal of aspiration one accords with truth to some degree, wisdom and compassion arise together, and though one has not yet obtained the sovereign dharmas of supernatural transformations, it is because of identical insight into truth. Cultivating and learning like this, awakening and entering like this, is precisely called 'attaining right awakening at the very time of initial aspiration'. It is also called demonstrating and awakening sentient beings with the Buddha's vision and knowledge, wishing to lead sentient beings to enter the Buddha's vision and knowledge. From here, Lady Māyā represents the initial gate of the eleventh ground; the nine kalyāṇamitras thereafter collectively illustrate taking great compassion as the maternal essence, all proceeding from the mother's practice, where through the illusory birth of wisdom, compassion and wisdom universally pervade the ten directions and manifest everywhere, without constructing stages, sequences, or antidotes. Although the subsequent kalyāṇamitras also say, 'I only know this Dharma gate, and cannot know the rest,' this is to show that within identity there is distinction, representing Samantabhadra's discriminating wisdom pervading universally in accord with worldly conventions, not being blocked and hindered as before the ten grounds. This eleventh ground simply shows that practitioners who cultivate the practices of the eleventh ground fulfill this eleventh stage of Samantabhadra, manifesting that having perfected practices across the defiled world, they seek no world-transcendence. From King Right Mindfulness onward, they are all ordinary mortals in the world, not marked by divine signs or distinct forms, being identical to worldly people, only possessing the Dharma to benefit others. This clarifies that prior to the ten grounds, one cultivates compassion and wisdom as world-transcending noble path gates, whereas the eleventh ground is the gate of personally meeting conventions to save beings through great kindness and compassion. It represents that having perfected the world-transcending path, one no longer seeks liberation; although one is free from the mind of defilement and detachment, one merely rides the ship of the Dharma nature, unfurls the sail of great compassion, takes great wisdom as the helmsman, follows the wind of original vows to cast the net of the pāramitās, constantly wanders the ocean of saṃsāra, scoops up the attached fish of all sentient beings, places them on the shore of unattached universally luminous wisdom, and constantly gives birth to all illusion-abiding myriad-practice merits in the jewel hall of the unhindered dharmadhātu, like the tower in which Maitreya resides below. For example, when Sudhana encountered the rākṣasa king, who expounded for him the method of seeking kalyāṇamitras, causing Sudhana to pay universal homage to the ten directions, mindfully contemplate all realms, roam the ten directions boldly and sovereignly, and seek kalyāṇamitras by contemplating body and mind as like a dream, illusion, and shadow, at that time Sudhana received and practiced his teaching, and immediately contemplated and beheld a great jewel lotus emerging from the earth. Seeking kalyāṇamitras in the ten directions means examining with Dharma truth what essence one's own body and mind, internal and external, and the ten directions have, so as to tally with the dharmakāya. Furthermore, causing him to contemplate body and mind as like a dream and shadow means causing him to penetrate the teaching, penetrating nature and characteristics as like shadows, identical and non-dual, whereupon he enters the gate of the illusory birth of wisdom—this is seeing Lady Māyā. Initially seeing the lotus emerging from the earth means taking the naturally pure dharmakāya as the substance of the earth, from which the lotuses of all myriad practices are born. Taking diamond as the stem represents fundamental wisdom, explaining that all differentiated practices and differentiated wisdoms arise from the fundamental wisdom of the dharmakāya. Even if such adornment of the realm exists, it is also this circumstantial fruitions; there are ultimately no other retributions, nor any cause and effect of other retributions. The wondrous treasure storehouse is the fruition generated by the maternal nurturing of kindness and compassion. The mani jewels serving as leaves are the fruition generated by undefiled practice. The luminous jewel king serving as its dais is the fruition generated by the sovereign illumination and functioning manifested through fundamental wisdom. The scents and colors of varied jewels serving as its stamens are the fruition generated by the fragrance of precepts, concentration, wisdom, liberation, and the knowledge and vision of liberation. The countless jewel nets covering it above are the fruition generated by the capacity to bestow the net of teaching. The towers and pavilions above are the fruition generated by discriminating wisdom. Universally containing the treasury of the dharmadhātu of the ten directions is the fruition generated by the net of teaching pervading everywhere with great wisdom. The marvelous jewel ornaments are the fruition adorning wondrous practice. Taking diamond as the ground is the fruition born from the dharmakāya. The thousand pillars arranged in rows signify that the practices number in the thousands and tens of thousands. All being formed of mani jewels signifies that there is no defilement within practice after practice. Jambūnada gold serving as its walls is the fruition generated by gentle forbearance. The varied jewel necklaces hanging down on all four sides are the fruition generated by the practices of the four means of embracing extending kindness to receive beings. The rest should be understood by analogy with this; the teaching is vast and the text is extensive, so it cannot be detailed completely. Below, Lady Māyā manifesting bodies pervading the dharmadhātu, bodies identical to the activities of all sentient beings, and bodies giving birth to all Tathāgatas, is clear from the text itself.

40.4

As for Sudhana's asking Lady Māyā how long ago she attained this liberation, Māyā answered: 'Good man, it was in ancient times, beyond what can be known by the supernormal powers and divine eye of a bodhisattva in their final existence; it is known only to Buddhas.' The meaning is that it cannot be known by divisions of time, nor can it be measured by numbers of kalpas. One must use the seal of Buddha-wisdom silently to unify past and present, exhausting all measures and relinquishing views of beginning and end; only then can one know the length or brevity of her resolve and attainment of the Dharma. If one maintains views of beginning and end, even if one were to calculate a number by comparing dust motes of endless lands, there would be no way to comprehend it. Even if one were to compare dust motes of endlessly unfolding lands into a number, it could still not be comprehended. When numbers are forgotten and attachments exhausted, wisdom manifests and it is known. Thus, one cannot calculate its distance using quantitative reckoning. If one used reckoning methods to exhaust endless kalpas calculating the volume of empty space within a pore, one could never find its limits, because empty space cannot receive measurements. This measurelessness is taken as the time attained. As Mañjuśrī's gāthā says: 'In a single thought one universally contemplates immeasurable kalpas; / There is no going, no coming, and no abiding. / In this way one completely knows the events of the three periods of time, / Surpassing all expedients and accomplishing the ten powers.' This is the great reckoning of a bodhisattva in their final existence. At that time, the kalpa was named Pure Light, which indicates that the dharmakāya is the substance of the kalpa. The world was named Meru Virtue, meaning that attainment of the unshakeable is the substance of the world. Although there were mountains where the five destinies lived mixed together, yet the country was formed of many jewels, pure, adorned, and without defilement or evil—this is because when one's own mind alone is pure, all realms are pure, and the myriad phenomena are without defilement. If one forms views of pure and defiled, one's own mind perceives impurity. This shows that great compassion universally encompasses the five destinies and great wisdom is devoid of views of defiled and pure; hence it is named 'adorned with many jewels'. That there were one hundred thousand kotis of four-continent worlds indicates the stages of myriad practices benefiting sentient beings. That there was a four-continent world named Lion Banner indicates that great wisdom is all-pervading, and the ten directions are a single realm. Within it were eighty kotis of royal cities, and one royal city named Sovereign Banner, which indicates practicing the eightfold noble path and the ten pāramitās. The place where wisdom roams and abides is called the residence of the wheel-turning king, styled Sovereign Banner; the king's name was Great Majestic Virtue, which means that wisdom's sovereignty is able to govern saṃsāra without destroying itself. To the north of that royal city was a bodhimaṇḍa named Full Moon Radiance. To the north of the city: the north is the position of Kan, which is where the wisdom of teachers and rulers abides, the position that remedies confusion; hence it is styled a bodhimaṇḍa. Because it can remedy grasping and delusion, it is named Full Moon Radiance. The deity of that bodhimaṇḍa was named Compassionate Virtue, because wisdom's transforming of confusion takes compassion as its virtue. There was a bodhisattva named Free of Defilement Banner: initiating practice from the dharmakāya, his nature is spontaneously free of defilement. 'Sitting in the bodhimaṇḍa about to attain complete awakening': 'about to' means wishing to attain. There was an evil Māra named Golden Light, who came to the bodhisattva's place together with his retinue and troops. That wheel-turning king of Great Majestic Virtue, having already attained the bodhisattva's supernormal powers, sovereignly manifested troops several times more numerous, surrounding the bodhimaṇḍa, so that the host of Māras were panicked and terrified and all fled and scattered—the meaning is that the evil Māra named Golden Light represents the real and unreal having one identical mark and single orientation in the realm of dharmakāya wisdom. The bodhisattva Free of Defilement had not yet clarified the equality of mind and objects; he had to rely on the King of All-Wisdom to clearly contemplate that the principle of mind and objects thoroughly penetrates without duality. Mind and objects are like illusions: all realms are illusory wisdom and illusory births, whereupon one is not deluded by objects. The mind-māras of false marks and the entire dharmadhātu all become Buddha-activities, which is called 'fleeing and scattering'. That the bodhimaṇḍa deity felt compassionate joy means Dharma-delight. That the bodhimaṇḍa deity conceived the thought of a son toward that king shows that shattering views relies on wisdom, while initiating practice to transform the mundane relies on compassion. This shows that wisdom in this stage is born of compassion; hence wisdom is viewed like a son. Furthermore, bringing together the wheel-turning king as Vairocana and the bodhimaṇḍa deity as myself: this shows that, for fear that people might not understand the meaning, he relied on phenomena to represent it, making it easy to comprehend. Ultimately one must not take there to be external objects or Māras outside the mind. It simply clarifies that the mind has no inside, outside, or middle, and that the myriad phenomena, self and other, are of the same essence: the one is not single, and the other is not other. It is merely because the Dharma is profound and difficult to reveal that he borrowed phenomena to express it clearly; the wise gain understanding through parables. Furthermore, in all initial generation of the supreme mind of great awakening, one always first gives rise to great vows and a mind of great compassion to teach and transform sentient beings, and only then seeks the essential practices for liberation that benefit sentient beings. When one reaches the fulfillment of practice, this Dharma does not change. All Buddhas are like this, because they are born first from great compassion and great vowed practices. 'When immeasurable Buddhas of the worlds of the ten directions are about to attain Buddhahood, they all emit great light from their navels to illuminate my body, my palaces, halls, and houses': the palace of compassion and hall of wisdom, with nurturing as the house and the ocean of saṃsāra as the residence. It shows that the navel is in the center of the body, the juncture where all sentient beings grow and develop; this place is the storehouse where sentient beings grow and develop. Like the root-knurl of a tree, it grows stems, trunks, and branches upward, and sprouts roots downward into the earth; it is situated in the juncture between yin and yang, the origin of sprouting and arising. It is also like the Jiazi cycle, in which Xu is the Heavenly Knurl, giving rise to yang on the left and yin on the right. Now, the emission of light from the navel symbolizes the origin of taking birth, like the image of the Heavenly Knurl, the beginning of giving rise to compassion and the origin of generating great wisdom. Human life is also like this: from initial infancy gradually growing up, qi also arises from the navel-wheel, penetrating the upward and downward nature of growth, because this place is the origin of receiving qi and beginning life. Light emitted from here is also its Qian position, the juncture of beginning and end, the origin of growth; the navel is just this. It also symbolizes abiding in the juncture between wisdom and compassion. The center of accomplishing wisdom is the ūrṇā between the eyebrows; the center of accomplishing great compassion is the navel. This is the stage of Samantabhadra's abiding in the world to benefit sentient beings in the eleventh ground, remedying the obstruction in the ten grounds of world-transcending affinity with the real where benefiting sentient beings is not sovereign and practice is not vast. As in the 'Chapter on the Ten Samādhis', the bodhisattvas' three searchings for Samantabhadra take practicing the perfection of giving in accordance with great wisdom as chief, commanding the sea of pāramitās of the dharmadhātu. In sum, all Buddhas of the three periods of time take compassion as their initial birth. If one lacks compassion to benefit beings and is repulsed by saṃsāra, that is the two vehicles and Pure Land bodhisattvas; only after turning their minds can they return to reality. Those of fixed nature find it difficult to return for many kalpas. The rest is as fully stated in the sūtra itself. 'I only know this bodhisattva's liberation of the illusory arising of great vows and wisdom': this clarifies deferring to others' virtues to advance. Deferring to others' virtues to advance contains three gates: First, pointing out the kalyāṇamitra's dwelling, saying it is in the Trāyastriṃśa heaven. There was a king named Right Mindfulness, which indicates that wisdom is pure and sovereign like a heavenly king. Being named Right Mindfulness symbolizes that pure wisdom is without thought yet sovereign, acting in accordance with principle, doing nothing yet the myriad things are accomplished of themselves; this shows that the pure wisdom of the eleventh ground spontaneously manifests in response. In the stage of the ten abodes, he was merely called Right Mindfulness. The devaputra asked about his brahmacarya, but did not say he had a daughter. Arriving here at the eleventh ground he is called a king, and it also says he has a daughter, which shows generating compassion through wisdom. Having a daughter named Heavenly Lord Radiance symbolizes that within unproduced wisdom, the unsoiled nature of compassion spontaneously functions to benefit beings. This stage symbolizes that wisdom and its function are complete, without before and after. Taking the heavens symbolizes sovereign spiritual transformations without fixed direction while abiding in saṃsāra, not that it is strictly located in a physical place. Reverently stating what he sought, [the king] said: 'I have attained the bodhisattva liberation named Unhindered Mindfulness'—one attains unhindered wisdom of the three periods of time, in a single thought imprinting the three periods of time, past, present, and future, the kalpa-measures of all sentient beings' births and deaths, and the kalpa-measures of all Buddhas of the three periods of time achieving the Way; in a single thought knowing all completely without lack of clarity, just as if present before one now. Because wisdom free of false thoughts manifests before one, and all phenomena are originally like this, this clarifies the wisdom of right mindfulness free of false thoughts. Within it, the number of Buddhas across all kalpas, and whether across kalpas one makes offerings to many Buddhas or not, with increases and decreases being indeterminate—these are all the numbers of Buddhas of the three periods of time universally made offerings to by thought-free right wisdom in a single thought. This is the appearance of duration and brevity within what has neither duration nor brevity. The realm of the Great Round Mirror Wisdom completely devoid of time is inherently like this in its Dharma-nature; it does not depend on cultivation and realization. Cultivation is merely illuminating the twelve links of dependent origination by oneself, penetrating delusion to become wisdom. Wisdom has nothing to be cultivated; one merely resolves delusion by oneself. The real cannot be fabricated, nor does it have the nature of the three periods of time, past or present. This is the kalyāṇamitra of the second [sub-]ground in the eleventh ground. From the kalyāṇamitra of the second [sub-]ground in the eleventh ground downward, it generally clarifies the active body of the unhindered function of wisdom within right mindfulness, universally practicing the same practices and embracing sentient beings. This is uniformly true throughout all worlds of the ten directions, equally pervading the six destinies; all are born from Lady Māyā's ocean of great compassion, with the unproduced wisdom of right mindfulness as their substance. This is the moral discipline pāramitā in the eleventh ground: because it is the gate of generating compassion through wisdom, the daughter is named Heavenly Lord Radiance.

40.5

Third, the teacher of youth in Kapilavastu: this is the Yellow City. Yellow is the color of the central palace. It clarifies that this teacher of youth did not depart from the Middle Way in regulating mundane texts, like Confucius and his kind. This explains the gate of being a mundane teacher and model. For example, the top of Confucius's head was concave like an inverted roof, symbolizing the path of practicing humility while dwelling in the mundane. Expressing the Dharma with his body, he resembled Mount Niqiu, similar to the top of that mountain being sunken in the center, not that he was born because of prayers at that mountain; this mundane explanation is incorrect. As for the surname Kong: sages have no names or surnames; they take virtue as their name and surname, not taking a mundane surname as their surname. In terms of virtue, because he had the virtue of exhaustive investigation (qiuming), he took Kong as his surname, 'Kong' meaning 'exhaustive'. Because he transformed the ignorant through practice, he was named Qiu. 'Qiu' is a designation for hills and mountains: Gen represents mountain, young boys, and the ignorant youth. His name was established in accordance with his practices of transformation, hence he was named Qiu. He was also named Qiu because his virtue surpassed the mundane. His supreme virtue was also revered and heavy, with a nature that could not be shaken, hence he was named Qiu. His being born in Yanzhou belongs to the division of Gen, governing the position of transforming young boys and ignorant youth. Yanzhou aligns above with Jiao (the Horn); Jiao is the Heavenly Gate, governing the gate of all good, and also governing monks, nuns, and Daoist priests. Being born by boarding the qi of Jiao, this is not something ordinary worldly people can comprehend. When Sudhana reached here, [the teacher] Sarvamitra did not speak, but immediately had Sudhana go to Shilpābhijña. When the method of a teacher and model is correct, he does not personally transmit teachings, but refers matters that assist teaching and are undecided to the primary teacher, symbolizing that 'virtue does not stand alone; it must have neighbors,' joining in praise to accomplish his transformative practice.

40.6

Fourth, Sarvamitra said: 'Here there is a youth named Shilpābhijña (Well-Knowing the Arts) who is learning the bodhisattva's wisdom of phonemes (akṣaramukha).' This clarifies that Sarvamitra is the teacher and the youth is the student, with their names established according to the teachings. This is just like disciples of Confucius in this land, such as Yan Hui and his kind. Sudhana paid homage and stated his request. The youth Shilpābhijña said: 'I have attained the bodhisattva liberation named Well-Knowing the Arts. I constantly chant and uphold this syllabary. When chanting the letter A—which here means non-existence—I enter the prajñāpāramitā gate named the Bodhisattva's Mighty Power Entering the Non-Differentiated Realm, which clearly penetrates the gate of the emptiness of all dharmas. It is the bodhisattva's mighty power that cuts off all obstructions and enters unproduced wisdom, pervading the dharmadhātu and the realm of sentient beings. When chanting the letter Da, I enter the prajñāpāramitā gate named the Boundless Differentiation Gate, which clarifies that all existing things are discriminating wisdom and Samantabhadra's practices, universally knowing the methods, practices, understandings, and appropriate responses among sentient beings in the three realms and six destinies. In this way, there are forty-two prajñāpāramitā gates in all as the head, named the syllabary, entering immeasurable and countless prajñāpāramitā gates.' This is clear in the text itself.

40.7

Fifth, the laywoman Bhadrottamā shows that she is fully conversant in worldly medical formulas and various arts, as well as in both mundane and supramundane matters; there is no method for pacifying beings and sustaining life that she does not thoroughly understand. Abiding in the dust of the world, she skillfully benefits beings: at times passing down worldly occult divinations that were previously unmastered, at times acting as an excellent physician with good medicines to rescue the world from disease and distress; distinguishing treasures to determine the genuine and the false, and standardising terms to explain texts and meanings. There is no extraordinary talent or uncommon wisdom that she does not universally master, and she is able to subdue ghosts, demons, and all manner of heterodoxies. She embraces the wisdom-ocean of Samantabhadra and equals the dharmakāya of Mañjuśrī. The fruit of buddhahood is present in her person, spiritually transforming all that exists; there is no direction she does not reach, no world she does not encompass; there is no practice she does not cultivate, no being she does not deliver. Out of compassion, she manifests in a female form; with no wisdom that is not luminous, she is named Bhadrottamā ("Virtuous and Superior"). She presides over the gate of the pāramitā of dhyāna. As for the city named Vartana, which translates as "increasing joy," it is named after virtue, as she greatly benefits people and greatly increases joyful affairs. Her obtaining the bodhimaṇḍa without a resting place means that dharmas have no resting place and her body likewise has no resting place; because she encompasses the myriad practices, practice has no substantial essence. She resides in South India.

40.8

Sixth, in the south there is a city named "Fertile Field" (Pundravardhana), so designated with reference to this kalyāṇamitra who enriches and nourishes [beings] with the moisture of the virtue of wisdom. Because the people possess abundant virtue and great goodness, the name was established accordingly. The elder is named Sthiravimokṣa ("Firm Liberation"), which indicates unremitting pursuit of the Dharma, as he himself states below. At that time, Sudhana went to him, paid homage, and requested what he sought. The elder said, "I have attained the unattached, pure adornment of mindfulness," which indicates that the signless wisdom of the sixth [pāramitā], prajñā, adorns all dharmas; that is, in relation to all dharmas, mindfulness is naturally free from attachment.

40.9

Seventh, in this city there is an elder named Prabhūtamāla (Miyue), which indicates that the elder here integrates the signless wisdom gate of the sixth [ground] with the pāramitā of skillful means into a single essence. This shows that the signless wisdom gate of the three voids of the sixth ground prior to the ten grounds is supramundane liberation; while the serene wisdom gate of the three voids in the eleventh ground after the ten grounds is dwelling in the world, accomplishing the seventh pāramitā of skillful means, which is of one essence and non-dual with great compassion. It is born from the illusory wisdom of the mother of great compassion. In this ultimate ground, just as the sixth and seventh stages blend together within the ten abodes and ten grounds, so in this eleventh ground the sixth and seventh stages harmonize into one essence; one must understand that the pattern of advanced progress is like this. Sudhana went to him, paid homage, prostrated, and requested what he sought. The elder Prabhūtamāla said, "I only know this liberation of the radiance of pure wisdom," which is Prabhūtamāla named according to his virtue. The light of compassionate wisdom has the meaning of destroying delusion, because it destroys the delusions of mundane beings. He is named on account of destroying delusion to benefit beings through compassion; this indicates that the three voids, compassion, and pure wisdom are completely integrated in essence and function.

40.10

Eighth, "in the south" is explained as before. There is a city named Samudgata ("Born/Arisen"), which represents the eighth pāramitā of aspiration, because it gives rise to all dharmas and myriad practices. The elder is named Vijitāvin (Wushengjun), which represents conquering all ignorance and arrogance, erroneous views of birth and death, and the demonic armies of harmful bandits. Sudhana went to him, paid homage, and requested what he sought. The elder replied, "I have attained the bodhisattva liberation named 'inexhaustible marks'," which indicates that all mind and objects are entirely the marks of the Tathāgata, and at the tip of a single hair, inexhaustible marks are produced in thought after thought. When produced from the illusion of wisdom within the principle of non-thought, how could there be an end to marks?

40.11

Ninth, south of the city there is a settlement named Dharma. A place where many dwell is called a settlement; being without intrinsic nature, it is called Dharma; taking its tranquility, it is called [settlement]. Within it, there is a brāhmaṇa named Mahāpradāna (Zuijijing); both his dwelling and his name are entirely tranquil, representing the pāramitā of power which adapts to the mundane without being mundane, and is assembled without clamour—this is called the sovereignty of the function of power. Sudhana went to him, paid homage, prostrated, and requested what he sought. [The brāhmaṇa] said, "I have attained the bodhisattva liberation named 'words of true resolve'." "True" means genuine; this indicates that what he resolves upon is truthful and free from false words in accordance with his speech. This is the speech of a faithful person spoken from the aspirations of the mind; relying on the true, it is without deceptive words; the essence of the words is true, because all that he resolves upon is true. Names, phrases, sentences, vocal expressions, and everything spoken are inherently true; this is his liberation. This is the stage of a Dharma master, representing the dharmadhātu as a settlement. All speech is inherently true; persons and dharmas are both entirely so, representing that his words are not false.

40.12

Tenth, in this southern direction there is a city named Kusumasambhava (Miaoyihuamen), because the flowers of marvelous wisdom and practice are all perfected, representing the fulfillment of the ten dharmas of the eleventh ground. There is a boy named Indriyeśvara (Desheng), and also a girl named Prabhūta (Youde). This shows that the two practices of wisdom and compassion are equal and uniform, with neither taking precedence nor falling behind. Being a boy and a girl indicates that wisdom and compassion are equally fulfilled; although dwelling in the world, they are free from the marks of the five desires because they reside in illusory abiding. Sudhana went to them, prostrated, paid homage, and requested what he sought. They said, "We have realized the bodhisattva liberation named 'illusory abiding'." With respect to both the buddha realm and the sentient being realm being born of the illusion of wisdom, dwelling in an illusory realm, there is neither real nor unreal, and there is no conscious sentiment; mind and objects both perish, nature and marks are unhindered—all owing to the virtues of wisdom. Shadows and lights of bodies and lands arise illusory-like in multiple layers, just as the bodies and realms of Indra's net exist in multiple layers; the marks of bodies and lands in the ten directions interpenetrate without hindrance. In the worlds of the ten directions, wisdom and ordinary beings are penetrated in essence; without beginning and without end, unifying past and present into a single nature, they constantly abide in the world without any reliance. This indicates that mundane conditioned arising is by nature inherently detached. True thusness and falsity are both provisionally established. The essence of falsity is fundamentally non-existent, and the true is non-abiding. Wisdom has no reliance, like space. Because retribution-birth through wisdom is entirely illusory abiding, existence and non-existence are sovereign according to the function of wisdom. Although the essence of wisdom is identical with emptiness, it does not remain in tranquility. The body of wisdom is immeasurable, universally equal throughout the ten directions; its nature has no coming or going, because its marks are like shadows and light. Bodies and lands are manifold and layered, without great or small. The sūtra states: "The intrinsic nature of the illusory realm is inconceivable." From this eleventh ground onward, it synthesizes the gate of the fruit of buddhahood attained in a single lifetime by Maitreya. Within this gate, it is broadly divided into ten sections.

40.13

First, from "Good man, in this southern direction there is a land named Samudrakaccha" down to "took his leave and departed," occupying about half a fascicle of the sūtra, explains the section where the boy Indriyeśvara and the girl Prabhūta extol the virtues of the bodhisattva Maitreya to cause the youth Sudhana to draw close [to him] and make advanced progress.

40.14

Second, from "At that time, the youth Sudhana, having received the kalyāṇamitra's teaching, his mind was moisturized" down to "all this has been brought about by faithfully accepting the teachings of kalyāṇamitras," consisting of thirty lines of scripture, explains the section where the youth Sudhana reflects upon past causes, faults, and misdeeds, feels shame and remorse, and gives rise to reverence, offerings, and drawing close to the kalyāṇamitra.

40.15

Third, from "The youth Sudhana, with such respect and such offerings" down to "all flow forth from the bodhisattva's skillful means," consisting of thirty-two lines of scripture, explains the section where the youth Sudhana throws his whole body to the ground before the tower, briefly gathers his thoughts and contemplates, and gains immeasurable benefit.

40.16

Fourth, from "The youth Sudhana, having entered such wisdom, with an upright mind and purified thoughts" down to Sudhana's verse, this section of scripture explains the section where Sudhana praises the tower where the kalyāṇamitra dwells. The verses that follow are the youth Sudhana repeating in verse his earlier praise of the residence and tower where the bodhisattva Maitreya dwells, together with praising the virtues of the bodhisattva Maitreya, as the text fully explains.

40.17

Fifth, from "At that time, the youth Sudhana, through such immeasurable methods of praise and extolment of all bodhisattvas" onward is the section where Sudhana wishes to see the bodhisattva Maitreya arriving from outside.

40.18

Sixth, from "At that time, the youth Sudhana joined his palms in reverence" down to the end of this fascicle explains the section where Sudhana declares that he has already generated the great bodhicitta, and Maitreya praises the inconceivable power of the roots of goodness of bodhicitta for him.

40.19

Seventh, from "At that time, the youth Sudhana respectfully circumambulated the bodhisattva mahāsattva Maitreya to the right" down to the end of this fascicle explains the section where Sudhana enters Maitreya's tower, contemplates the fruit to know the cause, and [sees] the realms practiced across the three times—identical and different, general and particular, one and many—unhindered, sovereign, and simultaneously perfected.

40.20

Eighth, from "Good man, you should go to Mañjuśrī" downward, consisting of five and a half lines of scripture, explains the section where Maitreya has Sudhana return to see Mañjuśrī, illustrating that reaching the fruit is identical with the cause, representing that the fruit within the cause is fundamentally non-dual.

40.21

Ninth, from "At that time, the youth Sudhana, following the teaching of the bodhisattva Maitreya" down to the verses, this section explains that Sudhana, by means of the fruit of buddhahood in a single lifetime attained from Maitreya, universally stamps the Dharma gates of the one hundred and ten cities; and only then, upon the seat of the treasury of all precious lotuses before the lion throne of the Tathāgata Vairocana in the bodhimaṇḍa of vajragarbha-wisdom in the initial mind of faith, does he give rise to the vast ten kinds of mind equal to the realm of space, etc. This shows that passing through the one hundred and ten cities to reach the fruit of buddhahood in a single lifetime with Maitreya ultimately never departs from the central city within the marvelous principle of bodhi of the vajragarbha-wisdom of the Tathāgata Vairocana in the initial mind of faith; and right within the marvelous principle of bodhi of vajragarbha-wisdom, he arouses the wondrous practice of the dharmadhātu fruit of buddhahood that is constantly Samantabhadra's and universally encompasses the dharmadhātu. From this point downward, Sudhana cultivates the bodhisattva practices within the body of Samantabhadra, and Samantabhadra rubs the crown of the youth Sudhana's head; only then are the marks of the constant fruit of buddhahood and constant practice of Samantabhadra within the dharmadhātu, and their correspondence, fully realized. The past fruits already accomplished by all buddhas and the past practices of Samantabhadra: reaching the bodhisattva Maitreya reveals that this "single lifetime" within the timeless three times is the birth of the initial entry into the stage of the fruit of buddhahood through seeing the path and cultivating practice, whereas the future descent of the spirit into birth is the birth of becoming a buddha in the future—subsuming them through the teaching of the six characteristics. For Sudhana as well, this present lifetime is the birth in which seeing the path and cultivating practice reach fulfillment, while the future life is precisely explained as the birth of becoming a buddha. Using this fruit of buddhahood of a future single lifetime to integrate with the fruit attained by the Tathāgata Vairocana of the marvelous principle of bodhi of fundamental vajragarbha-wisdom, the past practices of Samantabhadra are fundamentally of one essence, fully possessing the three times, with past and present being non-dual, time not shifting, identity and difference being sovereign, abiding in the unhindered Dharma gate of the dharmadhātu Indra's net. From this single stage and Dharma gate of Maitreya, it is divided into six gates: first, the gate of presenting the fruit to accomplish the cause and arouse faith; second, the gate of having faith and undertaking preliminary application to accord with practice; third, the gate of preliminary application and cultivation according with the fruit; fourth, the gate of taking the fruit that has been accorded with to integrate with the cause; fifth, the gate of returning to rely on the fundamental cause and achieving complete interpenetration; sixth, the gate of the ultimate dharmadhātu's beginning and end, cause and effect, being non-dual, simultaneous, and unchanging. By harmonizing these six gates, their meaning can be seen.

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新華嚴經論 — Classical Chinese