新華嚴經論 8.22

8.22

Second, explaining which repository subsumes this sūtra: This sūtra is subsumed by what is called the Vairocana dharmadhātu repository, because it completely encompasses and stores all dharma gates of the ocean of the dharmadhātu, and because this sūtra does not permit the beings embraced by the provisional teachings of the nirmāṇabuddhas of the three vehicles to understand or comprehend it. Bodhisattvas and members of the two vehicles within the teachings of the nirmāṇabuddha cannot comprehend the saṃbhogabuddha dharma gate of the single true dharmadhātu, knowing only their own share of the dharmas of the three vehicles. Even if they are bodhisattvas, they only know a great trichiliocosm as the sphere of a single saṃbhogabuddha, with the hundreds of billions of Śākyamunis being nirmāṇakāyas; they do not comprehend the dharma gates expounded by the saṃbhogabuddha of the real reward dharmadhātu of this One Vehicle. Therefore, this sūtra is also designated as belonging to the Vairocana dharmadhātu, subsumed by the ocean of wisdom of the Buddha fruition, and is not the same as being subsumed under the provisional bodhisattva repository within the teachings of the nirmāṇabuddha for the bodhisattvas of the three vehicles. Therefore, in the subsequent 'Chapter on Entering the Dharmadhātu', the multi-storied pavilion in which Maitreya resides is called the Vairocana Adornment Repository; after Sudhana enters it, he sees only the immeasurable dharma repositories of all buddhas, the gates of practice, the adorned marks of reward, and the infinite marks of merit, all numbering in the asaṃkhyeyas, each fully as expounded in the sūtra. This is the reward of the palaces and multi-storied pavilions where one resides attained through the cause of practicing the Dharma in accordance with the Dharma taught by Vairocana Buddha—a cause and effect accomplished entirely in accordance with the practices of the dharmadhātu repository; so too are the cause and effect of the reward-attained adornments of all buddhas. 'Repository' means containment, because it contains all dharma gates and dharmas of cause and effect throughout the dharmadhātu, all being inexhaustible. The sūtras of the three vehicles mostly use the sands of the Ganges as a measure for the number of dharma gates to establish the meaning of vastness; this One Vehicle sūtra mostly uses the dust motes of a single buddha realm, the dust motes of ten buddha realms, up to the dust motes of immeasurable buddha realms as the measure for the number of dharmas. Furthermore, as for the dharma characteristics of the three vehicles, they take one, two, three, or seven, eight, nine, and ten as numbers; the dharma gates of this sūtra, however, each fully possess ten as their number, in order to clarify that the dharma gates of the Buddha fruition are consummate. Since the scope of the expressive names is different, the dharmas of the Dharma repository must certainly be distinguished. For this reason, this sūtra is subsumed by the Vairocana repository, not by the bodhisattva repository of the three vehicles. This sūtra always takes the Buddha fruition as the path-traces for advancing practice; it is the ancient trace of the Buddha's fundamental great wisdom. Because it cultivates discriminating wisdom, if there is advancing practice that diverges from the Buddha's ancient traces, there is no principle of attaining Buddhahood. As for the three vehicles, they merely escape one portion of the suffering of coarse saṃsāra; they do not cultivate the Buddha Vehicle by according with the ancient traces of the essence of the Buddha's wisdom. Therefore, this sūtra is subsumed by the Vairocana repository, not by the bodhisattva repository of the three vehicles.