大毘盧遮那成佛經疏 1.19

1.19

When the sūtra says, 'The Buddha told Vajrapāṇi: bodhicitta is the cause, mahākaruṇā is the root, and upāya is the culmination,' it is just like an ordinary seed in the world: relying on the four great elements and multiple conditions, it is able to take root, proceeding in this order until the fruit ripens, which is called the culmination. Yet when observed with intermediate insight, ultimately there is neither arising nor ceasing; therefore the meaning of cause and effect is established. If dharmas were otherwise, possessing marks of arising, ceasing, annihilation, or permanence, they would fall into prapañca, all of which can be refuted, and the meaning of cause and effect would not be established. Now, when the practitioner contemplates the dharmatā of the mind, it is likewise: transcending all prapañca, it is like pure empty space. Obtaining deep conviction in that which is realized internally, the mind of sarvajña is firm and unmoving, free from receiving rebirth through karma, bringing forth the realization of the true nature, and the myriad practices and virtues increase from this; therefore it is said that bodhicitta is the cause. This bodhicitta is the cause of the following two phrases; yet in relation to the wholesome roots cultivated within saṃsāra, it is called the fruit, because one has seen the signs presaging the Buddha-Dharma. For instance, suppose someone hears a spiritual friend say: 'There is inexhaustible treasure in your house; you must diligently cultivate upāya yourself to open it, which will provide for an entire nation so it is never in want.' Having heard this, that person immediately gives rise to sincere faith, acts as told, and through ceaseless effort gradually sees the presaging signs; at that time, free from doubt regarding the virtues of the treasure, they are capable of initiating superior application. Therefore, bodhicitta means pure, clear faith. The Commentary also says: 'In the great ocean of the Buddha-Dharma, faith is what enables entry.' As when the Brahmā king requested the turning of the wheel of the Dharma, the Buddha spoke this verse: 'I now open the gate of nectar; if there are those who generate faith, they shall attain joy.' In this verse he did not say that those with generosity, morality, broad learning, patience, vigor, meditation, or wisdom can attain joy, but spoke solely of those with faith; such was the Buddha's intention. My foremost, most profound Dharma is subtle, immeasurable, countless, inconceivable, unmoving, non-abiding, non-attached, and without attainment; no one other than an omniscient person can understand it, so the power of faith is taken as primary. It is not through wisdom and the like that one can initially enter the Buddha-Dharma. To make such pure faith solid and grow, the sūtra next says mahākaruṇā is the root. 'Root' means that which can hold and sustain, just as the roots of a tree sustain the stem, leaves, flowers, and fruit so that they are not uprooted. In Sanskrit, compassion is called karuṇā: ka means suffering, and ruṇā means cutting off. Loving-kindness is like broadly planting good sprouts; compassion is like weeding out filth; hence here, stating compassion also encompasses great loving-kindness. Moreover, when a practitioner cultivates offerings, if offering a single flower or scented paste, they raise clouds of offerings with the pure bodhicitta that pervades all places to universally perform the Buddha's work, giving rise to compassionate vows to dedicate to living beings, uprooting all suffering and granting immeasurable joy. By the power of their own wholesome roots and the Tathāgata's adhiṣṭhāna of the dharmadhātu, all the sublime deeds undertaken are accomplished. This is universally taking root across the ground of omniscience, down to the realm of sentient beings without remainder. In accordance with the myriad practices cultivated by the practitioner with a mind of non-abiding, they are held and sustained by the earth-element of mahākaruṇā, nurtured by the fire-element of mahākaruṇā, moistened by the water-element of mahākaruṇā, opened and brought forth by the wind-element of mahākaruṇā, and unimpeded by the space of mahākaruṇā. At that time, immeasurable gates of liberation naturally open, like the gradual adornment of sprouts, roots, branches, and leaves; this means all mental dharmas are fully equipped with causes and conditions. 'Upāya is the culmination' means that the myriad practices are fully perfected with nothing further to add. Meeting the needs of beings with skill exhausts all functions; this is the sublime fruit of ghee, the source of the three mysteries. Furthermore, the pure bodhicitta is like pure gold: its intrinsic nature is bright and clean, free from all faults. Mahākaruṇā is like mastering a craft: refining and smelting it with various herbs until it is mirror-bright, pliable, and expands or contracts freely. Upāya is like the accomplishment of skillful art: whatever is fashioned is completed at will, and its design and skill surpass all other arts. The subtlety of grasping its essence is difficult to transmit to others. As explained in the Mahāprajñāpāramitā, the six pāramitās, eighteen emptinesses, samādhis, factors of enlightenment, dhāraṇī gateways, and so forth are all subsumed under the phrase 'mahākaruṇā.' The fruit of sarvajñajñāna accomplished by those myriad practices is called upāya, because it internally possesses upāya. The activity of upāya is precisely benefiting others; hence the Sanskrit word upāya also means initiation—just as a fruit grows from a seed, and the fruit in turn becomes a seed, hence its name.