大毘盧遮那成佛經疏 3.25

3.25

The sūtra says: "At that time, because the Bhagavat Vairocana's original vow of old was to achieve the inexhaustible dharmadhātu and to deliver the remainderless realm of sentient beings, all tathāgatas assembled together and progressively realized and entered the samādhi of the emergence of the womb of great compassion." This is because when the Tathāgata originally practiced the bodhisattva path, he made such a vow: "I shall accomplish the dharmadhātu of all buddhas and deliver without remainder the realm of sentient beings." Now his vow has been fulfilled, yet the sentient beings to be saved are not exhausted; because sentient beings are inexhaustible, the dharmadhātu is also inexhaustible. There are three kinds of realms, namely the dharmadhātu, the mind realm, and the realm of sentient beings. Apart from the dharmadhātu, there is no separate realm of sentient beings—the realm of sentient beings is itself the dharmadhātu; apart from the mind realm, there is no separate dharmadhātu—the dharmadhātu is itself the mind realm. One should know that these three kinds are non-dual and without distinction. Because he wished to further elucidate the meaning of dharmadhātu, he next spoke of "the remainderless realm of sentient beings." Because the realm of sentient beings has not yet attained complete liberation, that means the dharmadhātu has not yet attained all-pervading accomplishment; therefore, the Tathāgata diligently practices his deeds without cessation. It is precisely due to the conditions of this fundamental vow that all tathāgatas assemble together. Just as when there is a major affair within the Saṅgha, such as demarcating a boundary (sīmā) or reciting the prātimokṣa, the assembly of monks gathers and together confirms it, and because they share one set of precepts and one view, they should not divide the assembly. Now, being about to expound the Dharma-gateway that fulfills sarvajñajñāna is also a major affair of the buddhas; because they share the same fundamental vow and the same dharmadhātu, they all assemble together and jointly empower it with spiritual power. "Progressively realizing and entering" is like practicing maṇḍala conduct through the contemplation of sounds and syllables at the initial fearlessness. At the second fearlessness, one practices maṇḍala conduct within contemplation of characteristics. At the third fearlessness, one practices maṇḍala conduct within the mind of mere skandhas and selflessness. At the fourth fearlessness, one practices maṇḍala conduct within the mind conditioned by phenomena. At the fifth fearlessness, one practices maṇḍala conduct within the unconditioned mind. At the sixth fearlessness, one practices maṇḍala conduct within the mind of equality. From the Vimalā-bhūmi onward, one practices maṇḍala conduct within the contemplative mind of each respective bhūmi. Dividing it briefly by stages of practice, it already forms sixteen layers differing in depth. Each of these individual stages possesses its own seed-mind of bodhi, its conditions for growth in the womb of great compassion, and the fruit of fruition resulting from the activities of wisdom and upāya, just as previously stated regarding the various gateways individually emanating from each single gateway. Therein, from cause to fruit, the upāya of the three mysteries differ progressively; only when fully reaching the great sea of the sovereign mind do they become of one single flavor without distinction. Now, when these buddhas of the ten directions originally practiced the bodhisattva path, each rode upon a single Dharma-gateway to reach the stage of all-knowledge. Because the causes and conditions for initiating the manifold practices of the universal gateway are about to be expounded, they jointly enter this samādhi of the womb of great compassion, and from their originally practiced path, progressively realize and enter, examining each one. Just as when a bodhisattva practices dhyāna, he enters and emerges in direct and reverse order throughout the nine successive absorptions, transcending and alternating between absorption and distraction, sporting freely and vigorously without hindrance. The tathāgatas' progressive realization and entry into the samādhi of the emergence of the womb of great compassion is also just like this: either contemplating the inexhaustible dharmadhātu, taking all minds as one mind and all gateways as one gateway; or contemplating the remainderless realm of sentient beings, taking one mind as all minds and one gateway as all gateways. If one takes these sixteen layers of profound meaning to vertically and horizontally encompass the twelve divisions of scriptures, their revolving transformations are inexhaustible.