大乘法苑義林章 6.40

6.40

Seventh, regarding the distinctions of Dharma practices: there are ten Dharma practices. A verse in the third fascicle of the Madhyāntavibhāga says: / 'Namely copying, honoring, giving, / listening to others, reading, / upholding, correctly expounding, / reciting aloud, and reflection and cultivation. / One who practices the ten Dharma practices / obtains an immeasurable accumulation of merit; / because it is superior, because it is inexhaustible, / and because of gathering others without ceasing.' / Fascicle forty-two of the Mahāvibhāṣā records that some say: 'If one upholds, reads, recites, and thoroughly disseminates the three baskets and the twelve branches of teachings, it is called wisdom arisen from hearing; relying on this, wisdom arisen from reflection is produced; relying on this, wisdom arisen from cultivation is produced; this eradicates defilements and realizes nirvāṇa. Just as gold is produced from gold ore, and adamantine diamond is produced from gold, which can smash mountains, rocks, and the like.' The evaluation says: 'It should be stated thus: if one upholds, reads, recites, and thoroughly disseminates the three baskets and the twelve branches of teachings, it is innate wisdom; relying on this, wisdom arisen from hearing is produced; relying on this, wisdom arisen from reflection is produced; relying on this, wisdom arisen from cultivation is produced; this eradicates defilements and realizes nirvāṇa. Just as a sprout is produced from a seed, a stalk is produced from a sprout, and from the stalk there successively arise branches, leaves, flowers, and fruits.' According to fascicle thirteen of the Yogācārabhūmi: 'What is the ground arisen from hearing? In brief, with discerning intellect as the precursor regarding the immeasurable varieties of name-, phrase-, and syllable-groups among the five fields of knowledge, one listens, receives, reads, recites, and remembers them; furthermore, one accurately understands their meanings—this is called the ground arisen from hearing.' The meaning here is: regarding the immeasurable varieties of name-, phrase-, and syllable-groups in the five fields of knowledge, having discerning intellect as precursor is innate wisdom. Only when one listens, receives, reads, recites, remembers, and accurately understands their meanings is it called wisdom arisen from hearing, which reveals the general aspect. In the teachings of the five fields of knowledge, the wholesome minds of inferior and obscured discerning intellect are called innate wisdom; the distinct mental application and clear wholesome mind after hearing are called wisdom arisen from hearing. It is not necessarily the case that prior to the teachings of the three baskets, listening and receiving are all innate wisdom. Only the obscured and inferior wholesome minds of discerning intellect produced without exerting effort regarding the three baskets are called innate wisdom. Not conforming to transcendence, not arising through effort, being unclear in nature, and spontaneously reading and understanding the text and meaning are called innate wisdom. Therefore, even when upholding the teachings of the three baskets and so forth, there is innate [wisdom]. If, regarding the three baskets, it is an exertion of effort that produces a clear and superior wholesome mind of discerning intellect, it is called preparatory goodness. Capable of conforming to transcendence, arising from effort, being exceedingly clear in nature, and reading and understanding the text and meaning through preparatory effort—this is called wisdom arisen from hearing. Therefore, one knows that in upholding the teachings of the three baskets and so forth, there is also wisdom arisen from hearing. Otherwise, how could having discerning intellect as precursor regarding the five fields of knowledge be called innate wisdom, and listening and receiving be called wisdom arisen from hearing? The Madhyāntavibhāga says: 'Wisdom arisen from hearing, by contemplating the Mahāyāna, is able to cause the realm of wholesome roots to increase. Wisdom arisen from reflection, by contemplating the Mahāyāna, is able to correctly penetrate the true meaning sought. Wisdom arisen from cultivation, by contemplating the Mahāyāna, is able to bring to fruition the undertaking sought, meaning it is able to enter the grounds of purification.' These three sublime wisdoms take the ten Dharma practices as their companions, being embraced by the ten Dharma practices. The first eight Dharma practices are called wisdom arisen from hearing, the ninth Dharma practice is called wisdom arisen from reflection, and the tenth Dharma practice is subsumed under wisdom arisen from cultivation. Due to these three wisdoms, cultivating these Dharma practices in this Mahāyāna obtains the greatest fruit: first, because it is most superior; second, because it is inexhaustible. Because it can embrace and benefit other sentient beings, the Mahāyāna is therefore said to be most superior. Because even after realizing nirvāṇa without remainder, its acts of benefiting others never cease, the Mahāyāna is therefore said to be inexhaustible. The Lotus Sūtra says: 'One who upholds this sūtra, whether reading, reciting, explaining, or copying it, shall obtain eight hundred eyes' merits [...] up to one thousand two hundred minds' merits.' If upholding, reading, and reciting the three baskets were solely innate wisdom, how could one who practices the ten Dharma practices obtain a great accumulation of merit, or the five kinds of Dharma masters achieve the six thousand virtues? Preparatory wholesome qualities arise only through the expenditure of effort, as they are to be attained by a mind of clear understanding. Therefore, it should be as explained in the Mahāyāna.