修華嚴奧旨妄盡還源觀 1.54

1.54

Sixth is the contemplation of principal and companion mutually manifesting like Indra's net. This means that taking oneself as the principal, one views others as companions; or taking one phenomenon as the principal, all phenomena are companions; or taking one body as the principal, all bodies are companions. Whichever single phenomenon is cited, principal and companions are both gathered in, layer upon layer without end. This symbolizes the dharma-nature reflecting like shadows layer upon layer, inexhaustible in all phenomena; it is also compassion and wisdom being inexhaustible layer upon layer. Just as the youth Sudhana gradually walked south from the Jeta Grove until he arrived before the great pavilion adorned by Vairocana, gathered his thoughts for a moment, and said to the Bodhisattva Maitreya: 'I only pray that the Great Holy One will open the door of the pavilion and allow me to enter.' Maitreya snapped his fingers, and the door immediately opened; after Sudhana entered, it closed again as before. He saw within the pavilion hundreds of thousands of pavilions; in front of each and every pavilion there was a Bodhisattva Maitreya, in front of each and every Bodhisattva Maitreya there was a youth Sudhana, and each and every youth Sudhana had his palms joined in front of Maitreya. This symbolizes that the dharma-realm is layer upon layer, inexhaustible like Indra's net. This clarifies that the youth Sudhana, cultivating according to this principle of the Avataṃsaka dharma-realm, reached the pinnacle of stages and suddenly realized the dharma-realm. Here, one pavilion is cited as the principal, and all pavilions are companions. Therefore it is called the contemplation of principal and companion mutually manifesting like Indra's net, which is also the contemplation of the unobstructed interpenetration among phenomena.