華嚴法界玄鏡 1.57

1.57

Explanation: The second [part] uses a metaphor to explain. Since there is nothing that can serve as a metaphor, why raise a metaphor? It borrows a partial metaphor to convey its profound meaning, so that those of thorough understanding may see the great through the small and grasp the purport beyond words. The text has a threefold non-obstruction: First, contrasting the great ocean with a single wave to clarify the non-obstruction of large and small; this completes the metaphor illustrating the two meanings of mutual pervasion of phenomena and principle above. The text only raises the metaphor, omitting the application to the dharma. If applied in general, using the ocean to illustrate principle and the wave to illustrate phenomena, aligning the text makes it intelligible. Yet the meaning is still difficult to see: How can the great ocean be entirely within a single wave? Because the ocean is not two. How can the single principle be entirely within a single phenomenon? Because principle is not two. Why does a single wave completely encompass the great ocean? Because it is identical to the ocean. Why does a single dust particle completely pervade principle? Because phenomena are identical to principle. Second, from "simultaneously completely pervading" downward, contrasting the one ocean with multiple waves to clarify the non-obstruction of unity and difference; in terms of dharma, this discusses non-obstruction by contrasting the single principle with manifold phenomena. Furthermore, the above was neither large nor small, while this is neither one nor different; the reasons for their characteristics of oneness and difference will be clarified naturally in the questions and answers below. Third, from "furthermore, when the great ocean completely pervades a single wave" downward, simultaneously contrasting the great ocean with both a single wave and all waves to mutually consider their equal pervasion without obstruction; in terms of dharma, this means contrasting the single principle with both a single phenomenon and multiple phenomena to mutually consider their equal pervasion without obstruction.