止觀輔行傳弘決 1.76

1.76

In the generation [of the chapters], regarding "How... converting those below": Although arousing the aspiration is first among the five chapters, it also takes sentient beings as the object of vows. Ordinary beings and Hinayānists are benighted and upside-down, not self-aware; the bodhisattva encourages them to abandon this, hence saying "bringing about awakening." Regarding "How... samādhis": Although their minds aspire toward the five hundred yojanas, looking at the road to the treasure trove they are unwilling to advance; therefore they are encouraged to practice the four kinds of samādhis. Regarding "How... its mind": Arousing the aspiration does not merely seek the fruit of the real reward; when the portions of ignorance are exhausted, this fruit is obtained naturally. Because those who arouse the aspiration often have minds benighted about the purport, the fruit and reward are stated to console and gladden them, so as to cause beginners to hear it and be spurred forward. Thus in the second fascicle of the Great Scripture [Nirvāṇa Sūtra], when Cunda challenges Mañjuśrī, he offers the parable of the poor woman, saying: "For example, a poor woman has no home or protector, and is moreover pressed by the pains of illness, hunger, and thirst. Wandering to beg, she stays at another's guest house and gives birth to a son. The master of this guest house drives her out, and she is bitten and eaten by many mosquitoes, horseflies, wasps, and venomous insects. Journeying along the Ganges River, she embraces her child to cross it, whereupon mother and child both drown together. By the virtue of this woman's compassionate thought, after her life ends she is born in the Brahmā heaven. Though she did not seek the Brahmā heaven, the Brahmā heaven naturally responded." Zhang'an explains: "The woman is an analogy for unconditioned compassion; giving birth to a son is an analogy for the perfect understanding. Considering its beginning and end, it should possess the six compassions; being born in heaven is partial-true and ultimate compassion." Zhang'an broadly correlates it with compassion and the like. If, in accordance with the meaning of that Great Scripture, one matches each detail: Having no wealth of merit and Dharma is called "poor"; the gentleness of rational compassion is called "woman"; not having joined with the real principle is called "having no home"; not yet having the ten thousand practices is called "having no protector"; being replete with the eight sufferings is called "the pains of illness"; furthermore, lacking concentration and wisdom is called "pressed by hunger and thirst"; seeking understanding in the five sense-objects is called "wandering to beg"; the arising of provisional understanding is called "staying at another's house"; giving rise to the perfect understanding due to this is called "giving birth"; the provisional not accepting the real is called "being driven out"; still possessing [the defilements of] views and thoughts is called "mosquitoes, horseflies, and the like"; journeying through the two deaths is called "journeying along the Ganges"; not abandoning the perfect understanding is called "embracing the child to cross"; when true understanding arises, the resemblance understanding first passes away, which is called "both drowning"; relying on the power of the original understanding is called "the virtue of compassion"; the opening and developing of true realization is called "being born in the Brahmā heaven." Regarding "wondrous reward": Generally speaking, it begins from the first abodement onward up to equal awakening; the present text provisionally points to the first abodement. There are also sentient beings who, not having heard of the merits of the wondrous reward of the first abodement, consider their efforts to be lost in vain; therefore the wondrous reward is spoken of to console and gladden them. Regarding "How tearing the great net... leaving the cage": "Tearing" means tearing open. Having obtained the fruit and reward, one establishes teachings to benefit others and tears open the net of their doubts; although originally intended to open the eye of wisdom in sentient beings, the real capacity is not yet manifested. Just like sentient beings prior to the Lotus, who are mutually deluded about provisional and real, emptiness and existence, phenomena and principle regarding the teachings. If one distinguishes them and then opens the provisional to reveal the real, so that provisional and real are not confused, one causes them to recognize the original intent of the teachings. This tears open the net of doubt that clings to the teachings, attains the single principle without exterior, understands the great substance of the Dharma-gates, and knows that the multitude of teachings has a single destination. Regarding "Hearing snow and thinking it is cold... moving" and so forth: This quotes evidence of those who cling to teachings and are confused about the purport. Thus the thirteenth fascicle of the Great Scripture states: "Stealing a small portion from within the Buddha-Dharma, they falsely reckon permanence, bliss, self, and purity. Like a person born blind who does not know the color of milk and asks another: 'What is milk like?' The other answers: 'Its color is white like a seashell.' The blind person asks again: 'Is the color of this milk like the sound of a seashell?' The answer is: 'No.' He asks again: 'What is it like?' The answer is: 'Like rice flour.' The blind person says again: 'Is it soft like the color of rice flour?' The answer is: 'No.' The blind person says again: 'What is rice flour like again?' The answer is: 'Like snow.' The blind person asks again: 'Is it cold like snow?' The answer is: 'No.' The blind person asks again: 'What is it like?' The answer is: 'Like a crane.' The blind person says again: 'Does it move like a crane?' The answer is: 'No.' Although the blind person hears these four explanations, in the end he cannot see the true color of milk. The non-Buddhists are also like this: although they hear the four names, in the end they cannot know the destination of the purport of the words permanence, bliss, self, and purity." Just as that blind person is confused about the true color of milk, those of today who are confused about the teachings may be understood by analogy. Regarding "Now harmonizing and integrating..." and so forth: The principle is originally without verbal exposition; an exposition must accommodate the capacities. The four siddhāntas, the four gates, the various contemplations, and the various truths are adapted to the time to benefit beings, not yet arriving at universal mastery; people then each cling to one corner, their emotional attachments not yet broken. Now when they are harmonized and integrated, the heavy doubts vanish like a gust of wind. Just like a bird tied in a cage with nowhere to go; untying the knot of clinging and opening the cage of the provisional teachings is like soaring in the great emptiness, vast and unobstructed. This causes the wise blind, even if they have not yet known the milk, not to cling separately to the seashell and the rest to give rise to disputes. Regarding "How returning to the great place... sovereign and free": The conversion of beings having been completed, one returns to the secret store; the essence of the secret store has neither beginning nor end. Without beginning yet beginning: one begins by cultivating the three contemplations; without end yet ending: one ends by arriving at the three virtues; without blockage yet blocked: this is provisionally named the three obstacles; without passage yet passing: this is provisionally named the three virtues. The initial text is the principle-dharma; from "if one knows" onward is attainment through practice. If one grasps this meaning, not only does one attain sovereign freedom upon reaching the fruit, but at the time of the cause, in essence and understanding, beginning and end are non-dual; to expound the grand intent, it is spoken of comprehensively. The text's meaning lies merely in the former two summaries; generating the five summaries to reveal the ten broad [chapters] is revelation by contrast. Generating the five summaries manifests the ten stages; the five and ten do not go beyond the cause and fruit of self-practice and the agent and object of converting others. The note "and so forth" (yunyun) indicates an unfinished appearance. Yun means to speak. The Shuowen states: "It resembles the whirling shape of cloud qi in the sky; speaking in the mouth is like clouds moistening things." The Guangya states: "Yun means to have." In the text below there are still words like clouds.