華嚴一乘教義分齊章 3.26

3.26

Eighth, provisionally assigning four obscurations to clarify four stages. This has two meanings. First, in terms of active defilements, it provisionally clarifies the four stages, four practices, four causes, and four retributions before the bhūmis. What are the four? First, when the active defilement of an icchantika's lack of faith is extinguished, it turns to reveal the stage of the ten faiths, perfecting the practice of faith and joy in the Mahāyāna, serving as the cause of the virtue of purity and the retribution of an iron-wheel-turning king. Second, the obscuration of non-Buddhists grasping at a self is provisionally used to turn and reveal the stage of the ten understandings, perfecting the practice of prajñā, serving as the cause of the virtue of self and the retribution of a copper-wheel-turning king. Third, the obscuration of a śrāvaka's fear of suffering is provisionally used to reveal the stage of the ten practices, perfecting the practice of the vessel-of-meditation samādhi that shatters empty space, serving as the cause of the virtue of bliss and the retribution of a silver-wheel-turning king. Fourth, the obscuration of a pratyekabuddha's abandonment of great compassion is provisionally used to reveal the stage of the ten dedications, perfecting the practice of great compassion, serving as the cause of the virtue of permanence and the retribution of a gold-wheel-turning king. Furthermore, by reversing the previous four obscurations, the four practices obtained constitute the four meanings of being a son of the Buddha: reversing the first obscuration accomplishes the seed of faith and joy in the Mahāyāna as the cause, which is like the father; second, prajñā serves as the condition, which is like the mother; third, revealing the samādhi that shatters empty space departs from Hīnayāna grasping and makes the Dharma body firm, like the womb; fourth, great compassion benefits sentient beings, like the wet nurse. Endowed with these four conditions, one can be born from before the bhūmis into the households of the buddhas on the first bhūmi and above; therefore, one is called a 'son of the Buddha.' Furthermore, the conjunction of these four is like the wheel of a cart capable of conveying and turning toward the place of liberation, just as a holy king's wheel is fully equipped with four things: the hub, rim, spokes, and axle; in this sequence, the four meanings should be understood. Second, using the traces of the four obscurations, it provisionally clarifies four stages, four samādhis, four virtues, and four retributions on the bhūmis. First, on the first, second, and third bhūmis, one eliminates the trace of an icchantika's lack of faith; this reveals that the characteristic of this stage is shared with the mundane world, and one also obtains the Mahāyāna radiance samādhi, perfecting the virtue of purity and eliminating the transformation retribution of conditioned birth and death. Second, on the fourth, fifth, and sixth bhūmis, one eliminates the trace of non-Buddhist self-grasping; this reveals that this stage is shared with the Two Vehicles, and one obtains the king of accumulated merit samādhi, perfecting the virtue of self and eliminating expedient birth and death. Third, on the seventh, eighth, and ninth bhūmis, one eliminates the trace of the śrāvaka's fear of suffering; this reveals that this stage is shared with the Mahāyāna, and one obtains the Bhadrapāla samādhi, perfecting the virtue of bliss and eliminating existent-becoming birth and death. Fourth, from the tenth bhūmi up to the buddha stage, one eliminates the trace of the pratyekabuddha's abandonment of great compassion; this reveals that at this stage cause is complete and fruit is full, and one obtains the Śūraṅgama samādhi, perfecting the virtue of permanence, with no birth and death. Because the four virtues are complete, birth and death are eternally exhausted, and so it is said to be 'non-existent.' The above meanings are detailed in the Anuttarāśraya-sūtra, the Benye jing, the Buddhadhātu-śāstra, the Ratnagotravibhāga, the Liang translation of the Mahāyānasaṃgraha, and so forth. Furthermore, among these four, the first two pertain to both obscurations, while the latter two pertain only to the cognitive obscuration. The active defilements are removed before the bhūmis, and the traces are purified on the bhūmis. This text is also authentic proof.