大乘起信論內義略探記 1.9

1.9

Second, in stating the intention of paying reverence, there are three intentions: first, to "benefit sentient beings"; second, so that "the lineage of the Buddhas will not be severed"; third, so that the Dharma will endure long. The four lines [of the verse] are divided into three parts: First, the persons intended: primarily those of the indeterminate group, and secondarily both those of the wrongly determined and rightly determined groups; moreover, all six stages are those who are intended, which corresponds to the first line. Second, the benefits accomplished are two: first, the benefit of leaving faults behind; second, the benefit of accomplishing practice, which corresponds to the next two lines. In the first of these, because of doubt, one is confused about the real and loses joy; because of grasping, one gives rise to the delusive and sows suffering. The *Daśabhūmika-śāstra* states: "Bodhisattvas observe sentient beings in three ways and give rise to great compassion: first, they are separated from the joy of the ultimate truth; second, they are endowed with all sufferings; third, they are inverted with respect to those two." The explanation says: True joy is innately present, yet they lose it and do not know it; delusive suffering is fundamentally empty, yet they obtain it and are unaware of it. With respect to that gain and loss, they are completely without awareness; therefore the Bodhisattva now gives rise to compassion and composes the treatise. That is, in the section 'Exposition of the Meaning' and under 'Revealing the Correct Meaning' below, by 'dispelling doubt' one awakens to the real, and by remedying grasping one departs from suffering; hence the 'Section on Causes and Conditions' says, 'so that they may leave behind ignorance and arrogance and escape the net of heterodoxy,' and so on, which is why it says, 'dispelling doubt and abandoning heterodox grasping.' As for the second, accomplishing practice: once one has no doubt about the real and does not grasp at the heterodox, one does not yet know in which vehicle to initiate practice. It is in the Mahāyāna, because it is the ultimate and fundamental teaching. One does not yet know what kind of practice to initiate in this Mahāyāna: it is initiating the practice of faith, because faith is the root of all practices. Therefore, one gives rise to correct faith in the Mahāyāna, and it is the sections 'Signs of Setting Out toward the Path' and 'Cultivating Practice and Faith' below that accomplish this practice. Third, the intention of accomplishing benefits: it means causing sentient beings to leave faults behind, fulfill faith, and accomplish practice and result; therefore it says that the lineage of the Buddhas will not be severed. Hence the *Avataṃsaka-sūtra* says: 'Sowing the Buddha-seed in the field of sentient beings, the sprout of correct awakening arises; therefore one can cause the buddharatna not to be severed,' and so on. 'Furthermore, causing the lineage of the Three Jewels not to be severed' is explained in detail in the section 'Exhortation to Cultivate Practice and the Benefits.' There is another explanation that says: The main intention of composing the treatise does not go beyond two kinds: the first half explains transforming sentient beings below, and the second half shows propagating the Buddha-way above. The reason sentient beings are perpetually submerged in the ocean of saṃsāra and do not proceed toward the shore of nirvāṇa is solely due to doubts and heterodox graspings. Those doubts are of two kinds: first, doubt about the Dharma, which obstructs the aspiration [for awakening]; second, doubt about the gates, which obstructs practice. As for the first: Is the essence of the Mahāyāna Dharma manifold or one? If it is one, then there are no different dharmas; because there are no different dharmas, there are no sentient beings—for whom then would a bodhisattva give rise to the great vow? If it is manifold dharmas, then they are not one essence; because they are not one essence, self and others are distinct—how could one give rise to great compassion of identical essence? Because of this, one cannot give rise to the aspiration. As for doubt about the gates: the gates of teaching established by the Tathāgata are numerous; relying on which gate should one initially initiate practice? If all can be relied upon, one cannot enter them all at once; if one relies on one or two, which should be rejected and which adopted? Because of this, one cannot initiate practice. Now, to dispel these two doubts, [the author] establishes the dharma of the One Mind and opens two kinds of gates. Establishing the One Mind dispels that first doubt, clarifying that the Mahāyāna Dharma is solely the One Mind, and outside of the One Mind there is no other dharma. There is only ignorance confusing one's own One Mind, giving rise to waves that transmigrate through the six destinies; although they give rise to the waves of the six destinies, they do not go beyond the ocean of the One Mind. Because the One Mind creates the six destinies, one gives rise to the great vow; because the six destinies do not go beyond the One Mind, one can give rise to great compassion of identical essence, and thus one is able to generate the aspiration. Opening the two gates dispels the second doubt. Although the gates of teaching are numerous, for initially entering practice there are only two gates: relying on the gate of tathatā to cultivate the practice of calm (śamatha), and relying on the gate of arising and ceasing to initiate the practice of contemplation (vipaśyanā); when calm and contemplation are operated together, the myriad practices are fully prepared. Entering these two gates, one reaches all gates, and therefore one is able to initiate practice. Abandoning heterodox grasping means [abandoning] grasping at a self and grasping at dharmas. Propagating the Buddha-way above means dispelling doubts about the two extremes, giving rise to determinate faith, and having faith and understanding that the Mahāyāna is solely the One Mind; therefore it is called correct faith in the Mahāyāna. Abandoning the discrimination of the two graspings, one attains non-discriminating gnosis, is born into the house of the Tathāgatas, and is certain to inherit the rank of Buddha; therefore it says that the lineage of the Buddhas will not be severed. As the *Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa* says: 'In the great ocean of the Buddhadharma, faith is that by which one enters, and wisdom is that by which one crosses over.' Therefore, citing faith and wisdom clarifies the propagation of the Buddha-way.