勝鬘寶窟 2.17

2.17

From "World-Honoured One, it is just like when an eon first forms" downward is the second [section], which has three parts: first, the simile; second, the application; and third, the conclusion. "When an eon first forms" does not differ from the preceding explanation. Regarding "there is a great mass of water": when an eon first forms, there is a water-supporting wind that prevents the water from dispersing, and a water-depleting wind that gradually consumes the water so as to form the world. When the world is destroyed, it proceeds from below upward; when the world is formed, it proceeds from above to form downward. Hence the treatises say: "The place destroyed first is formed last; the place destroyed last is formed first." Therefore, the mass of water is used to produce the trisahasramahāsahasra-world. The light and subtle parts of the water form the palace-mansions of the heavens above; the gross and turbid parts of the water form the mountains, rivers, and great earth below. This mass of water can produce the store of the great trichiliocosm. Question: A body of the desire realm cannot touch objects of the higher realms; how then can the fire of the desire realm burn the dhyānas of the higher realms? Answer: The *Kośa-śāstra* says: "From the fire of the desire realm a separate fire emerges to burn the first dhyāna; the fire of the desire realm itself is not used to burn the first dhyāna." Question: What is meant by a trisahasramahāsahasra-world? Answer: As Nāgārjuna explained: taking one [system of] four continents as a single unit, counting them up to a thousand is called a minor chiliocosm. Taking a minor chiliocosm as a unit and counting them up to a thousand is called a medium chiliocosm. Taking a medium chiliocosm as a unit and counting them up to a thousand is called a trisahasramahāsahasra-world. The formation and destruction of this great chiliocosm occur simultaneously, so they are grouped as one. Because the three thousand are distinguished from one another, they are called "realms" (dhātu). Because the three thousand encompass sentient beings and material things, they are designated a "store" (garbha). Regarding "forty billion varieties of continents": within a trichiliocosm there are ten billion systems of four continents, which are separately termed forty billion. Their topographies vary, hence they are called "varieties." In the east there is a continent named Pūrvavideha; its shape is like a full moon, and human faces resemble it. In the south there is a continent named Jambudvīpa; its shape is broad above and pointed below, and human faces resemble it. In the west there is a continent named Aparagodānīya; its shape is like a half-moon, and human faces resemble it. In the north there is a continent named Uttarakuru; its shape is a square, and human faces resemble it. "Continent" (dvīpa) means an islet or continent; these are all high lands within the water, hence they are called continents. As for the text explaining the application of the simile, there are four schools altogether, which will now be fully recounted. The first school says: regarding "producing the immeasurable store of realms of the Great Vehicle," within the stages of the bodhisattva, if stated essentially there are ten, and if elaborated they are boundless; therefore they are called "the immeasurable store of realms of the Great Vehicle." This directly takes the stages and positions of the bodhisattva's ten stages to be the immeasurable realms, the store of realms of the Great Vehicle. "The supernormal powers of all bodhisattvas" corresponds above to the forty billion varieties of continents; the supernormal powers of the bodhisattvas are their practical application of practice. From "all worldly" downward clarifies the essence of their practice. Practice is divided into worldly and supramundane: from the third stage downward is called worldly, and from the fourth stage upward is called supramundane. Within these two there are differences between realized practice and textual practice (āgama practice), hence there are four clauses. "All worldly peace and bliss" is the essence of realized practice of the third stage. When realized practice is quietude, it is called "peace"; when the realized Dharma pleases the spirit, it is called "bliss." "All worldly mastery as one wishes" explains the textual practice from the third stage downward, referring to the eight dhyānas and so forth. "And the supramundane peace and joy formed in an eon" is the essence of realized practice from the fourth stage upward. The phenomenon is designated after the simile, hence it says "formed in an eon." "Up to what devas and humans have never before attained" is the textual practice from the fourth stage upward, referring to the factors of awakening and so forth. The textual practice from the third stage downward is the Dharma of ordinary beings, attained in common by humans and devas; the textual practice from the fourth stage upward is the Dharma of the worthy and the noble, which humans and devas cannot attain; hence it is called "what devas and humans have never before attained." All these emerge from the acceptance [of the true Dharma]. The second school: the rest of the meaning is identical, but it takes the path of realization to be the non-conceptual fundamental wisdom, and the textual practice to be the subsequently attained wisdom. This adopts the intent of the *Mahāyānasaṃgraha*. Someone says: The first simile clarifies the direct emergence of the human and deva vehicles, while the present simile clarifies that the true Dharma produces the three vehicles—meaning the bodhisattva and the [other] two vehicles. From "the supernormal powers of the bodhisattvas" downward matches the forty billion varieties of continents. In this there are two parts: first, matching them with the marks of the practice of the Great Vehicle; second, from "up to what devas and humans have not attained," matching them with the practice of the two vehicles. Within the marks of the practice of the bodhisattva there are four: "the supernormal powers of the bodhisattvas" is the extraordinary capacity and functioning of supramundane activity. "All worldly peace and bliss" is the practice yielding worldly karmic retribution, where the cause is "peace" and the fruit is "bliss." "Worldly mastery as one wishes" is the extraordinary capacity and functioning of worldly activity. "The supramundane peace and joy formed in an eon" is the expedient practice yielding supramundane karmic retribution; taking the simile for the phenomenon, it therefore says "peace and joy formed in an eon." The worldly and supramundane each possess both kinds of practice, though they are not stated in sequence in the text. "What devas and humans have never before attained" refers to the wholesome dharmas of śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas, which devas and humans have never originally attained. "All emerge from it" means they all emerge from the acceptance [of the true Dharma]. Question: Since this master says that this simile produces the three vehicles, how does it match the forty billion varieties of continents? Answer: He is not clear, but roughly matches them by taking the bodhisattva's worldly and supramundane, together with the two vehicles, as the four. We now hold that the explanations of these three schools, while adopting the ten stages, are over-elaborate in doctrinal stages but commit two errors with respect to the text: first, the meaning is too restricted; second, they break up the sentences. As for the meaning being too restricted: the simile of the great mass of water clarifies everything worldly and supramundane; how could it produce only the meaning of the ten stages? The breaking up of sentences will be demonstrated below. What is explained now has two meanings: first, general and particular; second, cause and fruit. Regarding general and particular: the great chiliocosm is general, and the forty billion varieties of continents are particular; thus the Great Vehicle is taken as general, and the differentiation of the four vehicles from within the Great Vehicle is taken as particular. Furthermore, in terms of general and particular: the Great Vehicle is general, and "the supernormal powers of the bodhisattvas" specifically clarifies the function of the bodhisattva's supernormal powers within the Great Vehicle. Second, taking the Great Vehicle as the fruit-vehicle, and the four vehicles as the causal vehicles. The reason we know this to be so is that, in explaining the four vehicles below, it only distinguishes the supernormal powers of the bodhisattva and does not clarify the Buddha Vehicle; hence we know that the great chiliocosm illustrates the fruit-vehicle, and the four hundred [continents] illustrate the causal vehicles. From "the supernormal powers of all bodhisattvas" downward matches the forty billion varieties of continents above. The fruitional retribution of the bodhisattva's supernormal powers is illustrated like one hundred billion varieties of continents. "The supernormal powers of the bodhisattvas" generally adduces the essentials of the Great Vehicle's causal practice in converting and guiding others. As the "Faith and Understanding" [chapter] of the *Lotus Sūtra* says: "In the dharmas of the bodhisattva, sporting with supernormal powers." "All worldly peace and bliss" is the fruitional retribution among humans. "All worldly mastery as one wishes" is the fruitional retribution of the devas; combining these humans and devas makes two hundred [billion]. The retribution of humans is inferior, so it directly says "peace and bliss"; the retribution of devas is superior, hence it says "mastery as one wishes." The reason we know these to be humans and devas is that both are termed "worldly." "And the supramundane peace and joy" refers to the persons of the two vehicles, which completes two hundred [billion], and combined with the preceding makes four. This is what was taught by the ancient teachers, and it is obvious in the phrasing of the text. However, the four vehicles each possess cause and fruit; the meaning of joy in the cause is not conspicuous, whereas in fruitional retribution the meaning of rejoice and bliss is conspicuous. Now, wishing to praise the true Dharma's ability to produce the blissful fruits of the four vehicles so that beings will practice the true Dharma, it specifically clarifies the fruit. Question: Why are all four called "bliss" (or joy)? Answer: The bodhisattva wields the five supernormal knowledges to liberate [beings in] the six destinies, fulfilling the aspiration of the great being; therefore it is called bliss, like worldly playful enjoyment. Moreover, if an action is difficult, it is called suffering; since the bodhisattva's functioning is unhindered, like play and not difficult, it is called bliss. The remaining three joys are obvious in the text. Regarding "formed in an eon, up to what devas and humans have never before attained, all emerge from it": the previous two schools attached "formed in an eon" upward to the supramundane, whereas the ancient teachers attached "formed in an eon" downward. Above there were three parts: the simile, the application, and the conclusion; now this is the third, the conclusion. Within the conclusion, it first concludes what is able to produce, and next concludes what is produced. "Formed in an eon" recaps "formed in an eon" above; that is, it clarifies that the meaning of the acceptance of the true Dharma is established, which is what is able to produce. From "up to devas and humans" downward concludes what is produced, clarifying that the vehicles of devas and humans emerge from the acceptance of the true Dharma. "What has never before been attained": the Great Vehicle and the two vehicles are not what the worldly can attain, and they also emerge from the true Dharma. This text not only concludes the simile of the water mass in particular, but also universally concludes the simile of clouds and rain. Because these two both universally cite the matter of the eon's formation, it universally concludes them.