維摩經略疏 1.86

1.86

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.