新華嚴經論 8.60

8.60

The eighth assembly is in the Hall of Universal Light, where the teaching of the ten concentrations is spoken; this concentration is named "Entering the Limit of the Kṣaṇa." As the three vehicles explain, eighty arisings and ceasings make one kṣaṇa, and eighty kṣaṇas are called one thought; this clarifies the explanation of the three vehicles. In this One Vehicle, however, a kṣaṇa is simply that which is exceedingly brief, beyond the reach of thought and reflection; it never discusses any distinct arising and ceasing. This clarifies that the Tathāgata's appearance in the world, from beginning to end, never departs from the limit of a kṣaṇa, as spoken in the "Chapter on Leaving the World." The Tathāgata's residing in the womb, abiding in Tuṣita Heaven, initial birth, leaving home to practice the Way, attaining bodhi, turning the wheel of the Dharma, and entering nirvāṇa are all at a single time. While his body is still in the womb and has not emerged, it takes the nature of concentration as matching the fundamental nature of the dharmadhātu. Taking this as the substance of concentration, there are no longer long or short, beginning or end, and the three times collectively constitute a single limit. One must not allow worldly, deluded emotional thoughts to make long or short attachments regarding the Buddha's emergence, which contravenes true principle. This clarifies the ultimate limit of time, without discussing any separate arising and ceasing outside of the kṣaṇa. This is the purport of this scripture. Unlike the ancient masters who interpreted this assembly as a re-convening in the Universal Light Hall of the Dharma, the meaning is not like that; one should not, seeing the verbal teaching twice or thrice recount the Hall of Universal Light, therefore say that it is a re-convening or even a third assembly, and so on. Losing its true intent, how could one cause others to form notions of coming and going? According to the meaning of the sūtra: simply taking the Buddha's own substance of non-active great compassion as the mother, the wisdom of all modes as the Buddha, the absence of nature and absence of reliance in phenomena as the hours, days, months, and years, and the capacities of all sentient beings as the bright mirror, the Buddha in the ocean of mind of all sentient beings accords with beings so that they see on their own and each attain their own Dharma, causing them all to tend toward the good and attain bodhi—it is not that the Tathāgata has the marks of repeatedly coming and repeatedly going. It simply clarifies that this Hall of Universal Light is the central substance of the Tathāgata's own nature of all-knowledge and the wisdom of all modes, and serves as the dwelling of circumstantial retribution. This concentration of the limit of the kṣaṇa is the Dharma-nature of the Buddha's all-knowledge and wisdom of all modes; its intent lies in encompassing the overall substance of all ocean-like assemblies of the dharmadhātu, preventing students from forming notions of coming, going, self, or other. Now, to adopt instead the view of coming and going in repeated assemblies will simply not do. It clarifies as a whole that it is like a king's precious seal instantly impressing all at once; one must not hold the view of repeated assemblies with coming and going. The sūtra has no such intention.