維摩經略疏 1.86

1.86

二、別方所者，上通方所助證猶漫，今的舉所住則助信轉明。亦為三：一、約事者，肇師注云「菴羅是果樹之名，以菓目樹故云菴羅樹。」其菓似桃而非桃也，又云似㮈定非㮈也。又翻云難分別樹，其菓似桃非桃、似㮈非㮈，故名難分別也。此與《大經》意同，經云「如菴羅菓，生熟難分。具有四句，釋難分別。」有師云，此樹開華，華生一女，國人歎異，以園封之。園既屬女，女人守護，故云菴羅樹園。宿善冥薰，見佛歡喜，以園奉佛，佛即受之而為住所。次、對法門者，佛住道品總持之法，故云住菴羅樹園。何者？道品為樹，念處為種子，正勤為生長，如意為芽生，五根如根莖，五力如枝葉，七覺為華，八正為菓。從七覺華起慈悲心，為諸眾生興大誓願，因願勤行得發總持，故說總持以為園也。《大集》云「三十七品是名菩薩寶炬陀羅尼」，陀羅尼者此翻為總持，園持樹菓不致侵犯故表總持。華中生女者，即七覺華生慈悲女。女用奉佛者，表因中總持迴向佛果。佛受住者，由因成果，如佛所得佛於中住也。由本垂迹故居菴園，用迹顯本住菴羅園，說不思議總持之園苑也。難分別者，如來住園表居中道，三十七品雖非有無而似有無，如來住此難分別理，成於道品佛菩提果。如此妙果所依之土，七種方便之所莫測，表難分別之樹也。三、約觀心者，三觀觀心心性不動，而修道品因起悲誓，善根牢固成諸總持，即住園也。故《華嚴》說菩薩有十種園，即是道品園也。若約觀心解難分別者，如《大經》明具有四句。若修三觀觀不思議難分別理，亦有四種：一、自有觀心都無所以威儀麁獷，如菴羅菓內外俱生。二、自有威儀齊整似如柔和，內觀之心不證定慧，如菴羅菓外熟內生。三、自有威儀不足可觀，而觀行淳熟入諸法門，如菴羅菓外生內熟。四、自有修一心三觀調熟身口柔和似得道相，三觀開發入諸法門，或成觀行或成相似，如菴羅菓內外俱熟。是故行人難可分別，如菴羅菓也。

Second, as for the specific place: above, the general place assisted in certifying [the teaching], but was still broad; now, specifically identifying the dwelling place makes the assistance to faith all the clearer. This also has three points: First, in terms of worldly phenomena: Master Sēngzhào's commentary says: "Āmra is the name of a fruit tree; because the tree is named after the fruit, it is called the āmra tree." Its fruit resembles a peach but is not a peach; he also says it resembles a pear-apple but is certainly not a pear-apple. It is also translated as "tree difficult to distinguish"; because its fruit resembles a peach but is not a peach, and resembles a pear-apple but is not a pear-apple, it is named "difficult to distinguish." This agrees in meaning with the Great [Nirvāṇa] Sūtra, which says: "Like the āmra fruit, raw and ripe are hard to distinguish. It possesses four propositions explaining why it is difficult to distinguish." One master says that when this tree blossomed, a girl was born from the flower; the people of the country marveled at this and enfeoffed the grove to her. Since the grove belonged to the girl and the girl guarded it, it was called the Āmrapālī Tree Grove. Through the latent perfuming of past wholesome roots, seeing the Buddha she rejoiced, and offered the grove to the Buddha; the Buddha then accepted it as his dwelling place. Second, in terms of Dharma gates: the Buddha abides in the dharmas of the aids to awakening and dhāraṇī, hence he is said to abide in the Āmrapālī Tree Grove. How so? The aids to awakening are the tree, the applications of mindfulness are the seeds, the right efforts are the growth, the bases of psychic power are the sprouting shoots, the five faculties are like the roots and trunk, the five powers are like the branches and leaves, the seven factors of awakening are the flowers, and the eightfold noble path is the fruit. From the flowers of the seven factors of awakening, one gives rise to a mind of compassion, raising great vows for the sake of all sentient beings; because of the vows and diligent practice, one brings forth dhāraṇī; therefore dhāraṇī is said to be the grove. The Mahāsaṃnipāta Sūtra says: "The thirty-seven aids are called the Bodhisattva's Jewel Torch Dhāraṇī." Dhāraṇī is translated here as "total retention" (zǒngchí); just as a grove contains and protects trees and fruits from being violated, so it represents dhāraṇī. The girl born from within the flower represents the girl of compassion born from the flowers of the seven factors of awakening. The girl offering it to the Buddha represents dedicating the dhāraṇī of the causal stage toward the buddha-fruit. The Buddha accepting and dwelling in it means that through cause, fruit is accomplished; just as with what the Buddha has attained, the Buddha dwells within it. Manifesting traces from the fundamental is why he resides in the Āmra Grove; using traces to reveal the fundamental, he dwells in the Āmrapālī Grove to preach the park and grove of inconceivable dhāraṇī. As for "difficult to distinguish": the Tathāgata dwelling in the grove signifies residing in the Middle Way; although the thirty-seven aids are neither existent nor nonexistent, they seem existent and nonexistent; the Tathāgata dwells in this principle that is difficult to distinguish, accomplishing the buddha-bodhi fruit of the aids to awakening. The land upon which such a marvelous fruit relies cannot be fathomed by the seven kinds of expedients, representing the tree that is difficult to distinguish. Third, in terms of the contemplation of mind: when the threefold contemplation contemplates the mind, the nature of mind is unmoving, yet one cultivates the aids to awakening, consequently raising compassionate vows, so that the wholesome roots are firm and achieve all dhāraṇīs; this is dwelling in the grove. Thus the Avataṃsaka says that bodhisattvas have ten kinds of groves, which are precisely the grove of the aids to awakening. If one explains "difficult to distinguish" in terms of the contemplation of mind, it is like the Great [Nirvāṇa] Sūtra explaining that it possesses four propositions. If one cultivates the threefold contemplation to contemplate the inconceivable principle that is difficult to distinguish, there are also four kinds: 1. One may have a contemplation of mind that has no sound basis, with crude and coarse comportment, like an āmra fruit that is raw both inside and outside. 2. One may have dignified and neat comportment that seems gentle and harmonious, while the inner contemplation of mind does not verify concentration and wisdom, like an āmra fruit ripe outside and raw inside. 3. One may have comportment that is deficient to look upon, yet one's contemplative practice is fully ripened and enters the Dharma gates, like an āmra fruit raw outside and ripe inside. 4. One may cultivate the threefold contemplation in a single mind, mellowing body and speech with gentle harmony like the mark of having attained the path, while the threefold contemplation opens up and enters all Dharma gates, either achieving contemplative practice or achieving conformity; this is like an āmra fruit ripe both inside and outside. Therefore, practitioners are difficult to distinguish, just like āmra fruits.