金光明經文句記 3.345

3.345

Second, from "Therefore" onwards, establishing the meaning, which has two parts: first, explaining the skillfulness of the praising wisdom; second, from "Now" onwards, explaining the depth of the praised virtues, which has two parts: first, differentiating across the teachings; second, based on round fusion and identity. These two meanings students should know: they encompass the profound texts of sūtras and treatises, establish the deep imports of teaching and contemplation, clarify that the traces of transformation are not confounded, and manifest the round faculty's sudden illumination. Why is this? Because by differentiation, [the body] is shown distinctly from the superior [perspective]; by fusion and identity, every sphere is universally embraced upon contact. One who attains the latter necessarily attains the former; one who attains the former does not attain the latter. Because one does not know the latter, the meaning proper to its portion is established; because one can know the former, the meaning that transcends stages becomes evident. If one can fully understand the two consciousnesses' perception of the Buddha through the stimulus and response of truth and middle, then the two present meanings encompass and select without remainder. Regarding the two consciousnesses, the Awakening of Faith says: "The Buddha's activity is of two kinds: first, relying on the discriminating consciousness of affairs. That which is seen by the minds of ordinary beings and [followers of] the two vehicles is called the transformation body. Because they do not know that it is manifested by the evolving consciousness, they see it as coming from outside, seize upon limits of physical form, and cannot fully comprehend it. Second, relying on the karmic consciousness. That which is seen by the minds of bodhisattvas, from the first arousal of the mind up to the bodhisattva's ultimate stage, is called the reward body. His body has immeasurable forms, each form has immeasurable marks, and each mark has immeasurable minor characteristics; the supporting retribution where he dwells is also immeasurable. The various adornments manifested according to [capacity] are boundless, inexhaustible, and free from characteristics of limitation; according to what is appropriate, they can always abide and be maintained without destruction or loss. They are all accomplished through the perfuming of uncontaminated practices of the pāramitās and the inconceivable perfuming. This is the mark of enjoying bliss, and is called the reward body (end of text)." This is the Tathāgata, by the activity of the Dharma realm, according with sentient beings' two consciousnesses of activity and karma to manifest the reward and transformation bodies: the transformation body is the present physical birth body, and the reward body is the present exalted-and-special body and Dharma-nature body. One who relies on the consciousness of affairs only sees the transformation body and cannot behold the reward [body], because it is coarse and shallow, not fathoming the profound. One who relies on the karmic consciousness, having beheld the reward body, can also see the transformation [body], because of knowing that true suchness gives rise to both activities. Practitioners should know that true suchness's activity manifesting the forms and marks of the Buddha's body broadly has three grades: first, as in the Avataṃsaka, speaking of the number of marks and minor characteristics as being like the dust motes of ten lotus-store worlds; second, as in the Contemplation of the Buddha of Immeasurable Life Sūtra, clarifying eighty-four thousand marks, minor characteristics, and rays of light; third, as in this sūtra, the Saddharmapuṇḍarīka, the Pratyutpanna, and so forth, speaking of thirty-two marks and eighty minor characteristics. Since these three grades of marks are the activity of the entire substance of true suchness, whether many or few, all are boundless; therefore all are called "oceans," and none are not exalted and special. However, there are the universal and the restricted: the world-dust and eighty-thousand [marks] are restricted to being seen by the karmic consciousness; the thirty-two are universally seen by the consciousness of affairs, called "birth" and "transformation." If seen by the karmic consciousness, then being boundless, inexhaustible, and free from characteristics of limitation, they are called "exalted and special" and pertain to the reward body. This is like this sūtra specifically praising the marks as thirty-two: because King Suvarṇaprabhāsa made a general praise of the Buddha's four virtues as subtle, wondrous, and quiescent, displaying the particular by means of the general, the thirty-two are therefore none other than the secret treasury. Thus each and every mark is free from limitations, like space boundless, permanently abiding and indestructible. The commentary relies on this to explain the three bodies as fused and identical, directly praising the exalted and special [body]. If one did not know that King Suvarṇaprabhāsa's general praise relied on the karmic consciousness seeing the transformation [body] as identical to the reward [body], how could the thirty-two [marks] and circular halo of one fathom be called "exalted and special"? Regarding the stimulus and response of truth and middle: truly, because the Tathāgata manifests the transformation body, shows an abiding in biased truth, and preaches the teachings of arising and ceasing as well as non-arising, covering the capacities of the Tripiṭaka and Shared [teachings]; he manifests the exalted-and-special body, abides in the Middle Way, and proclaims the immeasurable and uncreated teachings, covering the capacities of the Distinct and Round [teachings]. Therefore the Textual Commentary says: "The sixteen-foot body Buddha abides in the truth of principle." The combined sixteen-foot and exalted-and-special body Buddha abides equally in truth and middle; the exalted-and-special body Buddha abides equally in the conventional and middle; the Dharma body Buddha abides in the Middle Way. The commentary in six places clarifies the transformation and the exalted-and-special [bodies], all discerning them with reference to the stimulus and response of truth and middle. As when the Saddharmapuṇḍarīka praises the Buddha, the text of the sūtra explicitly says "thirty-two marks and eighty minor characteristics," because the Dharma body possesses them and they adorn the Dharma body, these are the exalted-and-special marks. For this reason Jingxi assimilates them to the Avataṃsaka: each mark and minor characteristic is equal to empty space. It also says: "Each mark is an ocean of the Dharma realm; each minor characteristic is none other than an ocean of names." In explaining the present text, the commentary calls both major and minor marks "oceans"; these major and minor marks are completely different from the ninety-seven names of the Avataṃsaka, each and every one being identical with the items of the thirty-two marks and eighty minor characteristics in the Gradual Order of the Dharma Realm. Furthermore, the "Chapter on Repentance" praises the Buddha's thirty-two marks and eighty minor characteristics; how could there be superior or inferior between the praise formerly made by King Suvarṇaprabhāsa and that now made by the golden drum? Therefore one should know that it is merely with reference to the stimulus and response of the Middle Way that it is called "exalted and special"; it is not that the number of marks and minor characteristics must be increased before it is called "exalted and special." Hence, in the Avataṃsaka, the ten kinds of bodies such as karmic retribution and sentient beings are all Rocana; is Rocana not the reward, and is the reward not exalted and special? Those who miss this point must not discuss our school! The body born of parents is the sixteen-foot body. That which is stimulated by the Tripiṭaka and the dull faculties of the Shared [teaching]—the exalted and special—is the reward [body] for the enjoyment of others. That which is stimulated by the sharp faculties of the Shared teaching and the Distinct [teaching]—the Dharma nature—is the Dharma body. That which is stimulated by people of the Round [teaching] is the great activity of the Tathāgata's Dharma realm. Manifesting three kinds of bodies corresponding to three kinds of faculties, the marks that can adorn them are likewise divided into three kinds. The powers and functions of the three bodies differ in superiority and inferiority: they not only show differences in the fruitional body and marks, but also show three kinds of distinctions in the causal practice. For seeing the Buddha today is in every case the faculty of having formed a connection in past ages. As in showing causal traces, discussing the marks of the four cultivations, practicing the six perfections, and so forth: either showing phenomenal cultivation, or cultivation as identical to emptiness, or gradual cultivation, or round and sudden cultivation. The displayed cultivations being unequal causes the connections formed by various faculties to differ, resulting today in their stimulated perceptions of the three bodies being different.