新華嚴經論 5.7

5.7

Fifth, what is meant by the virtue of being a refuge for humans, dragons, birds, beasts, ghosts, and spirits? It is like a luxuriant forest: humans frequently gather [fruits and timber] from it, dragons frequently abide in it, and flocks of birds gather in it. This illustrates that the bodhisattva at this stage is also like this: by establishing the forest of the myriad practices, they become the refuge where all people gather to pluck their myriad virtues, where dragons and ghosts dwell and ever pay reverence, and where birds and beasts take refuge and are freed from fear. Furthermore, "forest" has the meaning of multiplicity, because the bodhisattvas at this stage establish numerous practices. Moreover, because their practices are many, their merits are also many; this means that they carry out the various practices with the compassion and wisdom of the dharmakāya, and their merits are like a forest. Therefore, the bodhisattvas [at this stage] all share the same second element of their names: they are called "Forest". Why do the lands from which they originally come all share the same second element of their names, called "Wisdom"? Ordinary people take the land in which they dwell as a land; the bodhisattvas at this stage take samādhi, wisdom, and liberation, which nurture self and others equally and cause all to be free from suffering, as their land. A land composed of earth, water, fire, and wind is a mere reflection of the karma of sentient beings, not something real. The wisdom and liberation of the dharmakāya are the land of the eternally abiding fundamental essence; they are not a land produced through karmic illusion. Therefore, the bodhisattvas take wisdom as their land. Furthermore, the bodhisattvas at this stage establish the myriad practices with practice and understanding to benefit sentient beings: through practice they are able to work together with them, and through wisdom they are able to set forth teachings to benefit and gladden humans and devas; this is called the land in which they dwell. Why do the Buddhas whom they originally served all share the same second element of their names, called "Eye"? In this Avataṃsaka Sūtra, concrete phenomena express the Dharma: the names of these Buddhas are identical to what the bodhisattvas have realized, and the realm of the Dharma they have realized is called "Buddha". The bodhisattvas at this stage benefit sentient beings through practice, being adept at observing faculties and preaching the Dharma in accordance with faculties without missing the proper timing and measure; this is called "Eye". The sūtra says: "At that time, the bodhisattva Guṇavana, through the Buddha's spiritual power, entered the bodhisattva samādhi of well-focused contemplation. Having entered this samādhi, in each of the ten directions, beyond worlds as numerous as the dust motes in ten thousand Buddha-lands, there appeared before him ten thousand Buddha-lands' dust motes of Buddhas, all named Guṇavana." As before, the thirteen kinds of empowerment were bestowed upon the bodhisattva Guṇavana. But for a bodhisattva within the stage of the Buddha-fruit, whose dharmakāya, compassion, and wisdom are constantly present before them, and whose dharmamukhas of concentration and wisdom are always fully complete, why is it necessary to enter samādhi and receive the empowerment of the Buddhas? It is in order to establish teachings and deliver sentient beings that the bodhisattvas must institute rules and norms: attributing it to the Buddha's spiritual power defers virtue to the Honoured One. Although the essence of the dharmadhātu is uniform and profoundly equal, for the sake of the teaching convention, teacher and pupil must be maintained. For the sake of the teaching convention, they enter samādhi to contemplate the Dharma, and only after emerging from samādhi do they speak. Samādhi is called "balanced concentration" (samāpatti), which brings forth correct understanding; hence it is called "well-focused contemplation". That within the ten abodes it exceeds a thousand Buddha-worlds, while within the ten practices it exceeds ten thousand Buddha-worlds, expresses the gradual expansion of the stages, the teaching conventions and rules, and the distinguishing features of the practices; the Dharma naturally accords with this, yet their true nature fully pervades the ten directions. That the Buddhas coming from other directions share the same name of Guṇavana with the bodhisattva who entered samādhi shows that cause and effect are equally aligned, and the Dharma and wisdom are of a single kind; for this reason, the Buddhas who come here share the same name as the bodhisattva who entered samādhi. As for the thirteen kinds of empowerment: first, verbal empowerment; second, manual empowerment by rubbing the crown of the head; third, bestowing the ten kinds of wisdom; and the Tathāgata of this world illuminating his body with light. Verbal empowerment signifies that the Dharma is not erroneous. Rubbing the crown of the head signifies that the dharmakāya, the wisdom-body, compassion and wisdom, knowledge and vision, and liberation extend to and touch one another. Furthermore, rubbing the crown of the head is a sign of comforting. Bestowing the ten wisdoms shows that the bodhisattva's wisdom is aligned with the Buddha-fruit; hence it is called "bestowing". Furthermore, by deferring virtue to the Honoured One, being modest, gentle, and free from arrogance, it is called the Buddha's "bestowing". When the sūtras state "because the Dharma is naturally so" and "because of one's own roots of goodness", these are all teaching conventions and rules; hence these words appear. For these stages of the ten practices, there are altogether four chapters of the sūtra that together establish the gateway of rules and models for this stage: first, the "Chapter on Ascending to the Suyama Deva Palace"; second, the "Chapter on Verses of Praise in the Suyama Deva Palace"; third, the "Chapter on the Ten Practices"; fourth, the "Chapter on the Ten Inexhaustible Treasuries". All the dharmamukhas within the gate of the ten practices should be cultivated in reliance upon these four chapters of the sūtra; principle and phenomena will both be fully complete.