菩薩戒本疏 1.17

1.17

初序中有二：初偈頌為勸信序，餘長行文為結戒序。所以就二為序者，《本業經》云：「入三寶海以信為本，住在佛家以戒為本。」信戒為入住之本，故就之為序也。又信為受戒之本，故先序信；戒是宗之所明，故次序戒。勸信序中有十一行半，分為二意：初五行頌序教主本末，後六行半讚戒法勸受。初中復二：初二行半序現身本末，後二行半顯說教本末。序現身本末中，初二句顯臺中之本體，次二句顯華上之應身，次一頌顯樹下之化形，次半頌覆結本末。問：此三重身於三身中當云何配？答：異說云云，今述一釋。盧舍那者，義兼自他二受用身。所以知然？上卷云：「吾百阿僧祇劫中修行心地得成盧舍那」，故知通自受用。為千釋迦所將微塵菩薩眾說心地法，故知亦兼是他受用。此則對登地機所現身也。華上千釋迦者，是淨土中變化身也。所以知然？以華為器者，非穢土相故。又無性《攝論》云：變化身百俱，昵國各為主者，此是穢土中八相化身，即此所說百億釋迦。故知華上所現身者，非穢土中所現化身。又此偈中對新學云：「是盧舍那誦，我亦如是誦。」故知非是對地上穢，此則應是對彼三賢菩薩所現身也。次百億釋迦者，即是穢土四天下中為彼凡夫、二乘及初發心菩薩所現身也。有人解云：《十地經》說：二地菩薩於一念間入千世界，得見千佛。戒是二地之別行故，是故對彼二地菩薩現千佛身。二地菩薩正對千身之本盧舍那佛，其千釋迦即一念間所現化身。或當如是，於理無爽。

Within the initial preface, there are two parts: first, the verses form the preface urging faith; the remaining prose text forms the preface establishing the precepts. The reason these two are taken as the preface is that the Benye jing says: "Entering the ocean of the Three Jewels takes faith as its root; dwelling in the household of the Buddha takes precepts as its root." Since faith and precepts are the roots of entering and dwelling, they are taken as the preface. Furthermore, faith is the root of receiving precepts, so faith is prefaced first; precepts are what the central tenet clarifies, so precepts are prefaced next. Within the preface urging faith there are eleven and a half lines of verse, divided into two meanings: the first five lines of verse preface the origin and branches of the teacher of the doctrine; the latter six and a half lines praise the precept Dharma and urge its reception. Within the first there are again two: the first two and a half lines preface the origin and branches of the manifested bodies; the latter two and a half lines reveal the origin and branches of expounding the teaching. Within the preface to the origin and branches of the manifested bodies: the first two lines reveal the original body on the pedestal; the next two lines reveal the responsive bodies upon the petals; the next one verse reveals the transformation forms beneath the trees; and the next half verse concludes and sums up the origin and branches. Question: How should these three levels of bodies be correlated among the three bodies? Answer: There are diverse explanations; I now present one interpretation. Vairocana combines in meaning both the self-enjoyment body and the other-enjoyment body. How is this known to be so? The upper fascicle says: "I cultivated the mind ground for a hundred asaṃkhyeya kalpas and attained the completion of Vairocana"; thus we know it encompasses self-enjoyment. Because he expounded the Dharma of the mind ground for the subtle-dust bodhisattva assemblies brought by the thousand Śākyamunis, we know it also combines other-enjoyment. This, then, is the body manifested for capacities that have mounted the stages. The thousand Śākyamunis upon the petals are transformation bodies in the pure lands. How is this known to be so? Because taking a flower as a receptacle is not a mark of an impure land. Furthermore, Asvabhāva's Commentary on the Mahāyānasaṃgraha says: the transformation bodies are each masters in a hundred koṭi lands—these are the eight-phase transformation bodies in the impure land, which are the ten billion Śākyamunis spoken of here. Thus we know that the bodies manifested upon the petals are not transformation bodies manifested in impure lands. Furthermore, in these verses, speaking to new learners, it says: "This was recited by Vairocana, / And I also recite it thus." Therefore, we know it is not for the defilement of those on the stages; this, then, should be the body manifested for those bodhisattvas of the three ranks of the worthy. Next, the ten billion Śākyamunis are the bodies manifested in the four continents of the impure land for worldlings, followers of the two vehicles, and newly resolved bodhisattvas. Someone explained: The Daśabhūmika-sūtra says that a bodhisattva of the second stage enters a thousand worlds in a single thought-moment and gets to see a thousand buddhas. Because precepts are the distinct practice of the second stage, therefore the bodies of a thousand buddhas are manifested for those bodhisattvas of the second stage. Bodhisattvas of the second stage directly face the root of the thousand bodies, Vairocana Buddha, while the thousand Śākyamunis are transformation bodies manifested in a single thought-moment. This may perhaps be so; in principle it is unproblematic.