梵網經古迹記 1.48

1.48

The commentary states: Second, in the Mind of Compassion, "through the emptiness of compassion, and empty marklessness" introduces the chapter section. Because the nature of existence is empty, it says "empty"; because emptiness is also empty, it says "empty marklessness." Next, to clarify the characteristics of practice: "Through compassion conditioning the practice of the path, one naturally extinguishes all suffering" is the headline statement. "Conditioning" means taking as a cognitive object, as in the three kinds below: conditioning sentient beings, and so forth. How does one extinguish suffering? First, one generates wisdom within the suffering of sentient beings. What kind of wisdom is generated? There are three kinds: first, compassion conditioned on sentient beings, as in the Sūtra's "condition of not killing living beings"; second, compassion conditioned on dharmas, as in the Sūtra's "condition of not killing dharmas"; third, unconditioned compassion, as in the Sūtra's "condition of not clinging to a self." Thereby, one does not torment any sentient beings. Next, to clarify the characteristics of practice: Whenever one generates the mind of great compassion, one sees the true nature of all dharmas within emptiness. If one impairs the nature of emptiness, one loses the entire Mahāyāna. Therefore, "generating the mind of wisdom of the path in the practices of the gotra" points out the practice of this stage. As the Benevolent Kings [Sūtra] says: "The gotra nature of the three heavens of the silver wheel." The six good kinds such as fathers are "intimate" to oneself; reversing those, the six evils are "evil" to oneself. Those two each have superior, middling, and inferior grades; desiring to bestow superior happiness and eradicate their suffering, while the superior evil beings each obtain the nine grades of happiness according to their capacity, this is contemplating the emptiness of the fruit: desiring to bestow superior happiness yet with nine distinct grades, happiness still belongs to the capacity and has no intrinsic nature. The empty mark of the fruit of happiness manifests within the mind of loving-kindness, and through the single practice of happiness one induces great compassion.