首楞嚴義疏注經 3.536

3.536

The first line recounts wisdom, which is the vow: 'The Buddha Way is supreme, I vow to attain it.' Because he aspires to attain realization right within this body, he says 'I vow now.' The next line recounts compassion, which is the vow: 'Sentient beings are limitless, I vow to deliver them.' Below, it mentions eliminating delusions, which is the vow: 'Afflictions are endless, I vow to sever them.' The two dharmas of compassion and wisdom are the bodhicitta itself, which is truly the substance of the Way. Furthermore, holding them completely with an essential vow, the three dharmas are fully prepared and the four vows are complete; the generating of bodhicitta is concluded here. According to the Commentary on the Sūtra of Perfect Enlightenment, the causal ground of the sudden teaching has three folds in all: first, understanding and awakening to the nature of enlightenment, which is the aforementioned obtaining of the wondrous original mind and attaining the Dharmakāya; second, generating bodhicitta, which is the present two vows of compassion and wisdom; finally, cultivating bodhisattva practices, which is inquiring below about the expedient means of cultivation. It means that if one does not understand one's own mind, how could one know the correct path? Therefore, cultivating for many kalpas without it is not being a true bodhisattva. Next, without generating the great mind, there is no way to initiate practice; hence Sudhana first stated that he had already generated it and only then inquired about practice. Cultivation and realization in the perfect and sudden [teaching] does not surpass this.