華嚴經內章門等雜孔目章 3.20

3.20

Regarding the ten vows: The first is the vow of offering, which means offering to all Buddhas without exception, providing all offerings and all veneration. It is complete in all aspects, based upon profound faith and purity, vast as the dharmadhātu, ultimate as empty space, and exhausting the limits of the future. Within this, the offering has six kinds of greatness: first, greatness of the field of merit, meaning all Buddhas; second, greatness of the offerings, meaning completely equipped with everything; third, greatness of mind, because of profound faith and purity; fourth, greatness of gathering merit, because it is vast as the dharmadhātu; fifth, greatness of the cause, because it is ultimate as empty space; sixth, greatness of time, because it exhausts the limits of the future. The second is the vow of upholding, in which upholding accomplishes three meanings: first, regarding the sutra teachings spoken by all Buddhas, sequentially causing the dharma wheel to turn without interruption; second, realizing the three kinds of right awakening, obtaining the accomplishment of realization; third, practicing in the causal places of the three right awakenings, causing each practice to accomplish the three Buddhas. 'Right awakening' refers also to śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas, as they are also called Buddhas. The third is the vow to be the foremost in upholding the Dharma: in the places where all Buddhas attain buddhahood, becoming the foremost body that gathers the Dharma. The fourth is the vow to know the mental conduct of sentient beings: teaching and transforming all, causing their minds to increase in the practices of a bodhisattva. The fifth is the vow to teach and transform sentient beings: according to those sentient beings' coarse and subtle distinctions subsumed within nāmarūpa, causing them to enter with faith into the teachings spoken by all Buddhas; having entered the Dharma, causing them to enter the bodhi of the two vehicles; having entered the bodhi of the two vehicles, causing them to enter anuttara-bodhi. The sixth is the vow to know the worlds: meaning knowing all characteristics, up to upright abidings and inverted abidings, and up to the real characteristic of distinctions like Indra's net, produced like a magical illusion through karma. As for the real characteristic, only wisdom can know it. Other characteristics can be visually perceived. The seventh is the vow to know the pure lands, which has seven kinds: first, purity of identical essence, as the sūtra says: 'All Buddha lands are one Buddha land, one Buddha land is all Buddha lands.' Second, purity of sovereignty, as the sūtra says: 'All Buddha lands are equally pure.' Third, purity of adornment, as the sūtra says: 'All Buddha lands are adorned with supernatural powers, complete with radiant marks'—because they are adorned with radiance, various jewels, and so forth. Fourth, purity of enjoyment, as the sūtra says: 'Free from all afflictions, accomplishing the pure path.' Fifth, purity of the sentient beings who abide there, as the sūtra says: 'Sentient beings of immeasurable wisdom completely fill them.' Sixth, purity of the cause, as the sūtra says: 'Because of entering the supreme, subtle, and equal realm of the Buddhas.' Seventh, purity of the fruit, as the sūtra says: 'Because of manifesting according to the pleasures of sentient beings' minds, displaying the supernatural powers of wisdom, and so on.' The eighth is the vow of identical mind and identical practice, which has ten kinds: first, jointly gathering roots of goodness without enemy or friend; second, equally regarding all bodhisattvas as one; third, constantly drawing close to Buddhas and bodhisattvas without departing; fourth, being able to manifest a Buddha's body at will; fifth, being able to completely understand and know in one's own mind the supernatural power and power of wisdom of all Buddhas; sixth, obtaining non-retrogressing sovereign supernatural powers; seventh, being able to travel through all worlds; eighth, manifesting physical forms in all Buddha assemblies; ninth, universally taking birth in all places of birth; tenth, accomplishing the inconceivable Mahāyāna, fully engaging in bodhisattva practice. The ninth is the vow that the three karmas not be in vain. Within this, 'not in vain' has two kinds: first, the undertaken karma is definitely not in vain, because that which is done by the karma of body, speech, and mind is not in vain; second, the beneficial acts are not in vain, because one's body is like the king of medicinal trees, and because one obtains a body like a wish-fulfilling jewel. The tenth is the vow to attain bodhi, as the sūtra says: 'Because of attaining anuttarā-samyak-saṃbodhi.' The undertaken karma has seven kinds: first, the karma of manifesting right awakening; second, the karma of expounding the precious truths; third, the karma of realization, teaching, and transforming; fourth, the karma of expounding various teachings; fifth, the karma of not severing the lineage of the Buddhas; sixth, the karma of making the dharma wheel abide again; seventh, the karma of sovereignty. These ten vows are accomplished from the first ground upward; before the grounds, they are practiced according to one's power and capacity. This is spoken with respect to the Triyāna. If according to the Ekayāna teaching, then in the final mind of the ten faiths, all vows are fully complete. The remaining meanings may be understood from this.