起信論疏筆削記 17.9

17.9

The treatise: "First, etc.": Indicating the name. The expedient means of practice is the root; this clarifies that this section serves as the root for the subsequent two practices of benefit. The treatise: "Meaning contemplating, etc.": Directly demonstrating, and the rest below follow this. The commentary: "Wisdom": If one sees dharmas as having arising and ceasing, that becomes the false consciousness of ordinary beings, which is abiding in saṃsāra. One should know that the opposite of this should be called wisdom, which is also cultivating the practice of calming (śamatha) in reliance on the unchanging meaning of tathatā. The treatise: "Causes and conditions, etc.": If defiled causes and conditions combine, then evil karma and painful results are not lost; if pure causes and conditions combine, then good causes and pleasant results are not lost. Thus, defiled evil and the like are confined to the three miserable destinies, whereas pure good and the like pervade humans, gods, the two vehicles, and the Buddha path. "Arousing great compassion": having seen the combination of causes and conditions as well as good and bad retributions, one can overturn delusion to achieve enlightenment and transform the ordinary into the sagely; hence one arouses great compassion, desiring to deliver all. "Cultivating merit, etc.": fully cultivating giving, morality, patience, diligence, and meditation to gather in sentient beings—namely, giving gathers in the impoverished, keeping the precepts gathers in those who violate prohibitions, and so forth. Because these five practices are the gates of merit and virtue, this means cultivating merit in order to transform sentient beings, and benefiting oneself by benefiting others. Therefore, the Vimalakīrti-sūtra says: "The categories of sentient beings are the bodhisattva's pure land," and so forth. From "Not abiding" below: if one abides in nirvāṇa, it is exclusively quietude. Since it speaks of transforming sentient beings and cultivating merit, one should know that non-abiding is also cultivating the practice of insight (vipaśyanā) in reliance on the meaning of tathatā according with conditions.