金光明最勝王經疏 4.488

4.488

Commentary: This is the answer. Because the characteristics of the practice are difficult to know, similes are adduced to illustrate them. Here there are four similes: First is the simile of the moon in the water, illustrating that there are no external objects, yet the sphere of practice of a concentrated mind is established. Just as with water as a condition, although there is no moon in the water, an image of the moon arises; I now am also like this: from a concentrated mind of vows all spheres appear, and although there is no real body and so forth, for the benefit of sentient beings an apparent body and sphere arise. Since the moon's image does not walk, my body also does not practice. This eliminates the imagined nature (parikalpita-svabhāva)—that is, [the view that] the objects grasped in concentration exist substantially apart from the mind; therefore the simile of the moon in the water is adduced: although there is no objective moon, [something] like a moon arises. Second is the simile of a dream sphere, illustrating that there are no objects of craving and aversion external to the mind, yet objects of craving and aversion increasingly arise. For instance, although one assumes desirable and undesirable bodies across the three realms and six destinies to practice the conduct of awakening, it is like practicing the conduct of awakening with the desirable and undesirable bodies seen in a dream—one does not apprehend them as real. Third is the simile of a mirage, [illustrating that] because the grasping mind and mental factors are confused, they take grasped objects as conditions; although they are not real, apparent objects arise, which are not genuinely real. With non-conceptual wisdom, a bodhisattva should understand the spheres of the three wheels in this manner, as having no genuine reality. Fourth is the simile of an echo in a valley, [illustrating that] when bodily actions of speech are produced to transform sentient beings, they are like the sound of an echo in a valley; a valley has no sound in reality, but produces an apparent echo merely out of one's own voiced sound. Thus one knows that when a bodhisattva expounds the Dharma for others, he views it like the sound of a valley: appearing due to other conditions, it is merely like the sound of a valley expounding the Dharma to benefit sentient beings, while in reality no sound is produced to expound the Dharma for others. Practicing the conduct of awakening in this way is as explained in the fourth [chapter] of Asabhāva's *Mahāyānasaṃgraha[-bhāṣya]*. As the sūtra explains, the similes of illusions and the like are stated with respect to the dependent nature (paratantra-svabhāva) in order to eliminate others' false doubts regarding the dependent nature. Why is it that, when there are no external referents, there is actual grasping of the spheres traversed by the various samādhis? To remove this doubt, the simile of the moon in the water is stated. Why is it that, when there are no external referents, there are diverse experiential enjoyments of the desirable and undesirable? To remove this doubt, the simile of the dream is stated. Why is it that, when there are no external referents, mind and mental dharmas function? To remove this doubt, the simile of the mirage is stated. Why is it that, when there are no external referents, various discursive proliferations and verbal expressions function? To remove this doubt, the simile of an echo in a valley is stated. They are correlated with the four in this sequence. That treatise has four more similes which are absent in this sūtra's text, so there is no need to cite them all. The general meaning of the eight similes in the fourth chapter of the *Mahāyānasūtrālaṃkāra* is similar. Why are the rest omitted? They are absent because this is an abridgement. Another explanation: Here, grasping at the signs of existence and non-existence is eliminated; seeming like an illusion, they are not non-existent. Hence the verse of the *Madhyāntavibhāga* states: 'Regarding immobility and non-perversion: that is, knowing that referents do not exist, yet are not non-existent like an illusion, etc., because of being unmoved by existence and non-existence.' The commentary states: Previously it was said that all referents are free from existence and free from non-existence; this is like an illusion and the like, being neither existent nor non-existent. That is to say, like magically created elephants, horses, and so forth, they do not genuinely have the nature of elephants and horses, nor are they entirely non-existent, because confused consciousness manifests resembling those elephants, horses, and so forth. In the same way, all referents do not have a determinately real nature of grasped and grasper as they appear, nor are they entirely non-existent, because confused consciousness manifests resembling that grasped and grasper. The intended meaning here is: just as with the moon in the water, because it lacks the real nature of a moon, it is not existent; yet because an appearance arises, it is not non-existent. My practicing the conduct of awakening is also like this: being a designation based on the harmony of causes and conditions, it is not existent; yet possessing the characteristics of a nominal harmony, it is not non-existent. Because the five aggregates do not exist, they can manifest the dharmadhātu; because they are not non-existent, the dharmadhātu is itself the five aggregates. This is what was spoken of earlier as being unmoved for one who attains peaceful abiding, because they are not moved by existence and non-existence. This is merely a general simile for freedom from the characteristics of existence and non-existence, not individually correlated with the skandhas. Moreover, based on seeing, perceiving, knowing, and hearing, the four similes illustrate respectively that the nature of grasped spheres is free from existence and non-existence, conforming to the subsequent question and answer which differentiate based on seeing and hearing.