大乘法苑義林章 7.23

7.23

Second, on identifying the essential nature: The essential nature body and land are the principle of tathatā itself. Although the essence of this body and land has no differentiation, it belongs to the Buddha Dharma. Because characteristics and nature are distinct, conceptual characteristics are taken as the body, and essential nature is taken as the land; the characteristic of awakening is taken as the body, and dharmatā is taken as the land. In essence, it possesses true-principle merits [as numerous as] the sands of the Ganges. This Buddha body and land are both not subsumed under form, nor are they mind or mental factors; they are merely expounded based on the differentiated meanings of the single suchness. The self-enjoyment body likewise relies on its own land, which refers to the pure consciousness associated with the mirror-like wisdom. Because the causes and conditions of the pure, anāsrava Buddha land for one's own benefit cultivated in the past have matured, from first attaining buddhahood to the end of future time, it continuously transforms into a purely clean Buddha land. It takes exclusively the anāsrava form aggregate—the continuous four sense-data of form, smell, taste, and touch, and discontinuously sound as well—the five sense-data, as its nature, and its essence possesses the merits of concrete form phenomena. What the *Abhidharmasamuccaya* describes as 'realized only by Buddhas, not even the realm of dhyāna for those who have attained dhyāna, let alone for those who engage in vitarka and vicāra,' is precisely this land. The other-enjoyment body likewise relies on its own land, which refers to the equality wisdom and the power of great compassion. Because the causes and conditions of the pure, anāsrava Buddha land for the benefit of others cultivated in the past have been achieved, it transforms into a pure land according to what is fitting for bodhisattvas of the ten grounds. The environmental land also takes the anāsrava form aggregate—the four or five sense-data—as its essential nature. For example, a worldly human king's realm takes the realm of sentient beings and the physical world as its essential nature, because apart from the two there is no separate king's realm. Due to this, the pure land possessed by the other-enjoyment body also takes the five aggregates constituting the bodhisattvas of the ten grounds, as well as the physical land composed of gold, silver, and the like comprising the four sense-data and so forth, as its essential nature. Fascicle One of the *Vimalakīrtinirdeśa-sūtra* says, 'The lands of sentient beings are the pure Buddha lands of the bodhisattva. In accordance with the development and benefit of sentient beings, all bodhisattvas embrace pure Buddha lands. Up to, extensively expounding, the land of the ten paths of wholesome karma is the bodhisattva's Buddha land; when the bodhisattva becomes a Buddha, sentient beings of great wealth, pure conduct, and even right view come to be born in his realm.' Thus we know that sentient beings and their physical realm are both called Buddha lands. When Śikhin said, 'I see the Buddha land of Śākyamuni is pure and adorned with immeasurable jeweled merits,' this was also an other-enjoyment land, for Śikhin was on the eighth ground. The *Lotus Sūtra* says, 'When sentient beings see the kalpa come to an end / and being burned by a great fire, / this land of mine is tranquil and secure, / constantly filled with devas and humans.' The *Brahmajāla-sūtra* says, 'I am now Rocana, / seated on a lotus pedestal; / on one flower are a hundred billion realms, / in each realm is one Śākyamuni.' These are precisely other-enjoyment lands. Bodhisattva Vasubandhu's *Treatise on the Pure Land* says, 'Women, those with defective faculties, and the lineage of the two vehicles are not born [there].' These are all other-enjoyment lands. Of this Buddha land, that which is transformed by the Buddha is definitely anāsrava alone; that transformed by bodhisattvas admits of both anāsrava and sāsrava. That transformed by the eighth and five [sensory] consciousnesses is solely sāsrava; the sixth mental consciousness, or the seventh consciousness and what they transform, admit of both anāsrava and sāsrava. As for its land of sentient beings, it generally takes the merits of the five aggregates as its nature. As for this environmental land, it possesses the eighteen perfections. The Buddha's transformation body likewise abides in its own land. That is to say, the duty-fulfilling wisdom and the power of great compassion, through the maturation of the causes and conditions of anāsrava pure and defiled Buddha lands cultivated in the past for the benefit of others, transform into a Buddha land according to what is fitting for sentient beings who have not yet ascended the grounds, either pure or defiled—like Maitreya's land being pure and Śākyamuni's land being defiled. Within Śākyamuni's land, before he pressed down his foot when expounding the *Vimalakīrtinirdeśa-sūtra*, it appeared defiled and not pure; after he pressed down his foot, he temporarily caused them to see it as pure. When expounding the *Lotus Sūtra*, when the Buddhas of the ten directions gathered, it was pure and not defiled; before they gathered, it was defiled and not pure. The *Mahāparinirvāṇa-sūtra* also says, 'At that time, by the Buddha's spiritual power, the great trichiliocosm became completely soft and smooth ground, without mounds, hills, earth, stones, sand, or gravel.' This is also subsumed under the transformation land, because the land is manifested according to those who should be born. This land also takes the five aggregates of sentient beings and the four sense-data of the physical world as its essential nature. What the Buddha transforms is exclusively anāsrava; what other sentient beings transform admits of both anāsrava and sāsrava; the sixth consciousness and what it transforms admit of both anāsrava and sāsrava; the remaining consciousnesses and what they transform are solely sāsrava. Although it has various adornments of many jewels, when identifying its essence according to Dharma: the external land is form alone, while the internal land extends to all five [aggregates], because it is constituted by the five aggregates of the sentient beings who are transformed; it may appear to have merit or appear to lack merit.