華嚴五十要問答 1.8

1.8

問：云何見佛及佛名數，一乘、三乘、小乘等教中不同義？答：依小乘教，見色身佛三十二相等，則是實見。眼根與境同時相應，見實色相，名為見佛。若依三乘，見佛實色身等三十二相，不名見佛，由與分別遍計合故。假使見可似之相，即是謂似，亦非見佛。若知無性、無來去相，即色是空、非色滅空等，不如所謂，是名見佛，由與佛體相應故。依一乘教，見聞已去乃至會知無生相，及應十數，見其十佛：一無著佛，安住世間成正覺故。二願佛，出生故。三業報佛，信故。四持佛，隨順故。五涅槃佛，永度故。六法界佛，無處不至故。七心佛，安住故。八三昧佛，無量無著故。九性佛，決定故。十如意佛，普覆故。名為見佛。由如是見順正理故，則能覩無上如來。何以故？是成菩提分法及解脫分法，麁細差別、對機生信、初始不同故。二、一乘等佛名數差別多少云何者，一乘教佛，名數有十，如《華嚴經》說：一無著佛、二願佛、三業報佛、四持佛、五涅槃佛、六法界佛、七心佛、八三昧佛、九性佛、十如意佛。三乘佛有三：一法身佛、二報身佛、三化身佛。小乘佛有二：一生身佛、二化身佛。法身佛亦名自性身，即本有，則本有真如也。二報身佛亦名應身、三化身佛亦名應身，則修生行德成也。若依小乘二佛，生身佛、化身佛竝修生，慈悲愛行成也。若歎佛德，若一若少。若多時者是三乘，若多歎少時乃至多時多歎是一乘也。

Question: How do the seeing of the Buddha and the names and numbers of the buddhas differ in meaning among the teachings of the Ekayāna, the triyāna, the Hīnayāna, and so forth?

Answer: According to the Hīnayāna teaching, seeing the Buddha's physical body with the thirty-two marks and so forth is genuine seeing. The visual faculty and the sense-object correspond simultaneously; seeing actual physical marks is called 'seeing the Buddha'. According to the triyāna, seeing the Buddha's actual physical body and other thirty-two marks is not called 'seeing the Buddha', because this accords with discriminative parikalpita[-svabhāva]. Even if one sees a semblance of the marks, this is merely called an approximation and is also not seeing the Buddha. If one knows non-nature and the marks of neither coming nor going—that form is emptiness itself and that emptiness is not the annihilation of form, and so forth—not being according to conventional designations, this is called 'seeing the Buddha', because it accords with the essence of the Buddha. According to the Ekayāna teaching, from seeing and hearing onward, up to fully understanding the mark of non-arising and corresponding to the number ten, one sees the ten buddhas: (1) the Non-attachment Buddha, because he abides in the world and realizes true awakening; (2) the Vow Buddha, because he takes birth; (3) the Karmic Retribution Buddha, because of faith; (4) the Preservation Buddha, because of compliance; (5) the Nirvāṇa Buddha, because of eternal liberation; (6) the Dharmadhātu Buddha, because there is nowhere he does not reach; (7) the Mind Buddha, because of abiding; (8) the Samādhi Buddha, because he is immeasurable and unattached; (9) the Nature Buddha, because of certainty; and (10) the Wish-Fulfilling Buddha, because he covers all universally. This is called 'seeing the Buddha'. Because such seeing accords with the correct principle, one can behold the unsurpassed Tathāgata. Why is this? Because the factors conducive to bodhi (bodhipakṣa-dharma) and the factors conducive to liberation (mokṣabhāgīya-dharma) have coarse and subtle distinctions, arouse faith in accordance with capacities, and are different at their initial stages.

Second, regarding the differences in the number and quantity of the Buddha's names in the Ekayāna and other teachings: In the Ekayāna teaching, the names and numbers of the Buddha are ten, as spoken in the Avataṃsaka-sūtra: (1) Non-attachment Buddha, (2) Vow Buddha, (3) Karmic Retribution Buddha, (4) Preservation Buddha, (5) Nirvāṇa Buddha, (6) Dharmadhātu Buddha, (7) Mind Buddha, (8) Samādhi Buddha, (9) Nature Buddha, and (10) Wish-Fulfilling Buddha. In the triyāna, there are three buddhas: (1) dharmakāya Buddha, (2) saṃbhogakāya Buddha, and (3) nirmāṇakāya Buddha. In the Hīnayāna, there are two buddhas: (1) janmakāya Buddha and (2) nirmāṇakāya Buddha. The dharmakāya Buddha is also called svabhāvakāya; it is fundamentally existent, which is fundamentally existent tathatā. Second, the saṃbhogakāya Buddha is also called nirmāṇakāya, and third, the nirmāṇakāya Buddha is also called nirmāṇakāya; these are accomplished through the virtues of practice arising through cultivation. In the case of the two buddhas of the Hīnayāna, the janmakāya Buddha and the nirmāṇakāya Buddha both arise through cultivation, accomplished through the practice of loving-kindness and compassion. As for praising the Buddha's virtues: praising one or few virtues for a long time belongs to the triyāna; praising many virtues for a short time, up to praising many virtues for a long time, belongs to the Ekayāna.