金剛般若論會釋 3.9

3.9

Question: "Since the Buddha Stage is explained to cause them to seek higher, it is not yet known how many Buddha stages there are?" Answer: "According to the explanation in the second fascicle of the Qizheng dacheng gongde jing translated by the Tang Tripiṭaka Master Rizhao (Divākara): 'The Tathāgata has ten stages: the first is named the Stage of Supreme, Profound, Difficult to Comprehend, Vipula Radiance Wisdom Activity; the second is named the Stage of Immaculate Body Majestic Adornment Inconceivable Radiance Transformation; the third is named the Stage of the Ocean Treasury of Jewels for Producing Wondrous Radiance, Moon Banners, and Repentance; the fourth is named the Stage of Pure Wondrous Golden Light Virtue Supernormal Wisdom Transformation; the fifth is named the Stage of Radiance Taste Bodhimaṇḍa Majestic Illumination Activity; the sixth is named the Stage of Holding the Wick to Blossom in Exceedingly Pure and Immaculate Space; the seventh is named the Stage of Arising Radiance of the Treasury of the Exalted and Vast Dharmadhātu; the eighth is named the Stage of Wisdom Penetration Completely Illuminating and Purifying All Obscurations of the Most Supreme Wondrous Pure Buddha Wisdom Treasury; the ninth is named the Stage of Incalculable Adornment Koṭi-Vairocana Light Activity; the tenth is named the Stage of the Wisdom-Ocean Vairocana. Noble person! These are named the ineffable ten stages of the Tathāgata's wisdom.' When subsuming them within the text on the six perfections of the Tathāgata Stage in this sūtra: That sūtra further says: 'In the Tathāgata's first stage, the subtle habitual propensities are all thoroughly eradicated, and one attains sovereignty and unhinderedness in all dharmas.' This reveals entering the Tathāgata Stage upon the final subtle obscuration, and on this basis the Buddha Stage is said to sever the two types of delusion, having severed which one attains buddhahood; hence this is the general clause. That sūtra also says: 'In the Tathāgata's third stage, one establishes the śrāvaka admonitions and settles the three vehicles. In the Tathāgata's fourth stage, one expounds the eighty-four thousand dharma aggregates and subdues the four Māras.' These two stages are precisely the establishment of the great Dharma here; when establishing the great Dharma, one admonishes the three vehicles to cause them to cultivate the correct path and subdues the four Māras to cause them to abandon the heterodox. That sūtra also says: 'In the Tathāgata's fifth stage, one crushes all diverse treatises and even false views, thoroughly taming all who travel evil paths.' This is precisely the text in this sūtra under establishing great benefit that refutes external doubts and attachments; it is subsumed under the foundations of mindfulness here, because by abiding in the foundations of mindfulness, one brings down false views; furthermore, the purity of sight and wisdom here subsumes knowledge of others' minds and so forth, because it crushes diverse treatises. That sūtra also says: 'In the Tathāgata's sixth stage, one settles boundless sentient beings in the six supernormal powers and the six great penetrations, namely: manifesting boundless Buddha lands adorned and purified by the Buddha's virtues; manifesting boundless bodhisattvas attending and encircling; manifesting Buddha lands as vastly boundless; manifesting one's own body throughout boundless Buddha lands; manifesting parinirvāṇa down to the disappearance of expounding the Dharma; and manifesting boundless supernormal power and psychic transformations.' Those six supernormal powers are precisely the divine eye, mind transformation, and foundations of mindfulness here, for the foundations of mindfulness also subsume the supernormal power of the exhaustion of outflows; furthermore, this is sovereign practice and abiding in the contemplation of name-and-form, which is escaping the hindrances to supernormal powers and obtaining the base of psychic power. Those six great penetrations are produced only by Buddhas, and are therefore called 'great'. Among them, manifesting Buddha lands is precisely the purity of the land here. Manifesting bodhisattvas attending is precisely the establishment of the great benefit of the Dharma here, because when sentient beings hear the Dharma, they attend [upon the Buddha]; furthermore, this is non-abiding in nirvāṇa and saṃsāra, not being tainted in benefiting sentient beings, so that there is attendance; furthermore, in the pure land there is also attendance, because retinue and supporters are all complete. Manifesting Buddha lands as vastly boundless is also the purity of completion. Manifesting one's own body in boundless lands is precisely the physical marks, non-abiding nirvāṇa, and being untainted in saṃsāra, all manifesting the body. Manifesting parinirvāṇa means that the aforementioned manifested bodies all have manifestations of extinction. Manifesting supernormal power and psychic transformations is precisely the purity of sovereign practice and abiding in crushing name-and-form, because by contemplating name-and-form one attains sovereignty, and in accordance with what is fitting transforms and brings forth the function of supernormal power. Furthermore, that sūtra says: 'In the Tathāgata's seventh stage, one truly reveals the thirty-seven factors of awakening for the bodhisattvas through their lack of own-nature and non-attachment.' This is precisely the perfection of speech here, establishing the beneficial Dharma and expounding the Dharma without taint. It also says: 'In the Tathāgata's eighth stage, by means of the four modes of prophecy, one confers upon all bodhisattvas the prophecy of anuttarā-samyak-saṃbodhi.' (The four, as the Śūraṅgama says, are: first, prophecy when not present; second, when present; third, upon giving rise to the mind [of awakening]; fourth, the prophecy of the endurance of the unarisen.) This is precisely what is subsumed under the perfection of speech and so forth here. It also says: 'In the Tathāgata's ninth stage, one reveals [the Dharma] to all bodhisattvas through skillful means.' (This generally manifests the three karmas, and should be coordinated according to the meaning.) It also says: 'In the Tathāgata's tenth stage, by means of the non-nature of all dharmas, one instructs all bodhisattvas, releasing the sound of the great parinirvāṇa and expounding the ultimate parinirvāṇa bliss of all dharmas.' This explanation can be understood as fitting. However, that sūtra mostly speaks of the Tathāgata's ten stages on the basis of the external benefiting nirmāṇakāya, whereas here it generally speaks of the dharmakāya, saṃbhogakāya, and nirmāṇakāya; the doctrinal coordination with the three bodies will be known in detail below."