梵網經菩薩戒本疏 1.52

1.52

In the first part, as for 'disciple of the Buddha' (fozi), the explanation has both a general and a specific sense. Within the general, there are two meanings: 1. Born from the Buddha-Dharma: namely, arousing the bodhicitta, receiving the bodhisattva precepts, and obtaining a portion of the Buddha-Dharma is called a disciple of the Buddha; just as when a person is born from father and mother and obtains a portion of their physical body, they are called a human child—here, the Buddha is the producer and the child is the produced. 2. 'Child' has the sense of a cause: namely, by cultivating the practices of a Buddha, one is able to produce the fruit of Buddhahood, hence being called a disciple of the Buddha; just as a seed produces fruit, here the child is the producer and the Buddha is the produced, taking the name from the fruit. Both of these are 'the child of the Buddha', hence it is a tatpuruṣa compound. Why is it so? If not born from the Buddha, there is no way to become a Buddha. Therefore, the Liang translation of the Mahāyānasaṃgraha states: 'There is none that does not flow from this dharmakāya, and none that does not return to realize this dharmakāya.' Within the specific, there are five meanings, as the Mahāyānasaṃgraha states: '1. Upāya is the father; 2. prajñā is the mother; 3. dhyāna is the womb; 4. loving-kindness and compassion are the nurturing; 5. faithful joy in the Mahāyāna is the seed.' There are also four meanings, as in the Fo xing lun: '1. Pure faith is the seed; 2. prajñā is the mother; 3. dhyāna is the womb; 4. loving-kindness and compassion are the nurturing.' In order, these should be known as the four ranks prior to the stages. Question: It is not yet known at what stage a bodhisattva obtains the name 'disciple of the Buddha'? Answer: The various sacred teachings speak of several kinds: 1. in terms of the cessation of effort, where one's actions are identical with the Buddha's function, one is called a disciple of the Buddha, as the Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra calls an eighth-stage bodhisattva the 'supreme son'; 2. in terms of realizing and obtaining a portion of the Buddha-Dharma, one is called a disciple of the Buddha, as the Fo xing lun calls the first stage a disciple of the Buddha; 3. in terms of non-retrogression from the Buddha-Dharma, one is called a disciple of the Buddha, as the Yingluo and other sūtras say that the ten abodes are immediately called disciples of the Buddha; 4. in terms of entering the Mahāyāna, arousing the bodhicitta, and receiving the bodhisattva precepts, one is immediately called a disciple of the Buddha, as stated in this sūtra; 5. in terms of entering the Buddha-Dharma, even if entering the Hīnayāna, one is called a disciple of the Buddha, as stated in the preface of the Dharmaguptaka Vinaya. Here, it encompasses the former four because all stages equally uphold this precept; and it encompasses the fifth because it gathers the Hīnayāna to cause them to turn back.