止觀輔行傳弘決 5.2.1

5.2.1

First, in explaining the correct contemplation, [the text] first clarifies the intention of its occurrence, which is also called concluding what precedes and giving rise to what follows. Within this, first [it is] brief, and next extensive. The first text concludes what precedes, and from "now relying on" onward it gives rise to what follows. Question: In the previous five summaries, there are practice and understanding, cause and effect; why is it only said that the six levels are understanding? Answer: The great purport crowns practice and understanding, self and other, cause and effect. Since the purport is difficult to manifest, it is in turn explained in terms of practice and understanding, cause and effect, etc.; it does not mean that one already possesses practice, fruit, and so on. Therefore, the great purport is general, and the remaining eight are specific; the specific is the specific explanation of practice and understanding, cause and effect. Just as the beginning of the ten chapters explaining the Dhyāna-pāramitā is also the great purport, the meaning of general and specific is also like this. If someone were to cultivate practice according to the previous five summaries, realize the fruit, and be able to benefit others, that is naturally one path, just as noted at the beginning of the third fascicle. If we discuss the purport of the text, it pertains only to understanding. Within pertaining to understanding, fearing that understanding might not be comprehensive, it is necessary to detail the names, substances, subsumption of dharmas, and so forth, before one is competent to form the ten objects and ten vehicles below. For example, although in the great purport it speaks of ten kinds of differences in arousing the aspiration [for awakening], and the four samādhis clarify distinctions in practice, it merely lists the items without fully distinguishing their aspects; therefore, it does not touch upon the ten objects and ten contemplations at all. Compared to the five [preceding chapters], the expedients somewhat resemble the beginning of practice, but compared to the correct contemplation, they do not discuss practice at all; they also run through the twenty-five methods to generate understanding with respect to phenomena, only then becoming competent as expedients for correct cultivation. Therefore, the previous six [chapters] all pertain to understanding, and all are established by relying on the teaching; hence it says "relying on the sūtras." To set aside the biased and crude, it says "wondrous understanding." Furthermore, the teaching relied upon does not distinguish between the differences of great and small, biased and perfect, because they together accomplish a single perfect understanding. In addition, the name sūtra encompasses the three pitakas, just as the Dharmottara speaks of the treatise root, which is also named sūtra. Furthermore, among the twelve [divisions], it is not limited to a single division; from beginning to end they are universally termed sūtras. Therefore, what was previously cited, whether treatises or vinaya, whether Mahāyāna or Hīnayāna, together accomplish wondrous understanding; hence it now universally refers to them saying "sūtras." Speaking of giving rise to what follows: one must use the previous understandings to be competent to advance in practice. As in explaining the names, first relative, next absolute; absolute is simply opening: universal virtue harmonizes differences to jointly accomplish the meaning of absolute. The four sections manifesting the substance all take first biased and then perfect as relative and absolute. The substance is what is expressed: since the name is opened and revealed, the substance also follows the name. Using the opened substance to universally subsume all dharmas, because the characteristics of dharmas are difficult to understand, it is still divided into six meanings, pervading phenomena and principle, cause and effect, self and other, each universally passing through within and outside the realm, in turn mutually containing one another with the six meanings. Further judging the subsumed dharmas with the five gates, one only then understands that what is subsumed within the substance is mutually merged. Further realizing that within the merging, the real and provisional are not confused, it further mutually manifests them through the four chapters on the provisional and real, so that the perfect understanding becomes somewhat sharper. Further using this understanding to guide the expedients, the merging and identity of phenomena and principle is precisely called wondrous understanding, and relying on this wondrous understanding, correct practice is established. When taking up the wondrous principle with such understanding and practice is still difficult, how much more so if one wishes to point exclusively to a single text within the work—by what means could one ascend to the wondrous stage of the perfect and true? One should know that such a person has not seen the intention of merging and penetrating. Therefore, one must be thoroughly clear about the interlocking and crowning of the preceding great chapters, gathering the text's purport and grasping it into a single mind; one still needs the ten dharmas harmonized to form the vehicle, attuning each one and investigating object after object; even if not yet awakened, it can serve as a wondrous cause. Take the śrāvakas whose stage reached the ultimate fruit: rebuked in the Vaipulya, augmented by the Prajñā, arriving at the Lotus they made three requests and received four refusals, yet it still required the broad and brief opening of the provisional by the five Buddhas. With dharmas, parables, and causes and conditions, earnest and solemn, there were still those who did not fully understand, arriving at the Nirvāṇa. How could someone of dull roots in the final age, secretly pointing to a single sentence, be able to discern the Buddha vehicle? One who marvelously penetrates in accordance with the sentence, if not at the [purification of the] six sense faculties, must be at the five grades. Therefore, the Guanxin lun says: "Those who can answer the question are allowed to be of the five grades." This is wondrous penetration of one's own mind—why depend on other texts? If one is still confused when reading the text, please do not exalt oneself. Therefore, the previous six levels are all wondrous understanding. Hence in each text, gradualness is used to reveal non-gradualness, opening the provisional, and so on; only in the contemplation of the mind in accordance with one's own intent, which briefly speaks of the ten realms and three truths, the correct intention is simply to have a single mind cultivate the wondrous contemplation with respect to the provisional and real; hence it says "establishing practice by relying on understanding." From "oil and lamp" onward, in extensively clarifying the intention of occurrence, it first clarifies the benefit for persons and dharmas. Within this, it first clarifies the benefit of one's own practice, matching the wondrous practice of correct contemplation with the wondrous understanding of the preceding six chapters. First, it uses a metaphor for the mutual reliance of understanding and practice: oil is able to sustain light, serving as a metaphor for the practice of contemplation; light can burn oil, serving as a metaphor for the understanding of contemplation; eyes can guide feet, serving as a metaphor for the understanding of calming; feet can take eyes [to their destination], serving as a metaphor for the practice of calming. Bringing up both metaphors together to jointly illustrate the two dharmas: "each other" and "further," "relying" and "benefiting"—though the stylistic phrasing varies, the meaning must interpenetrate. "Relying" means depending on; "benefiting" means aiding. Hence we know that without the previous six chapters, practice has no way to be complete. From "practice and understanding" onward, obstacles arise due to practice, clarifying the reason why obstacles arise. Regarding "three obstacles" and so forth, universally binding the ten objects into three or four is detailed below in the nine pairs and seven singles. Because of contemplating the aggregates, the various objects mutually arise, obstructing calming and contemplation and rendering them neither bright nor tranquil. The phrasing follows convenience, forming pairs across words: namely, heavy darkness obscures brightness, brightness being contemplation; vast distraction agitates concentration, concentration being calming. The character chong/zhong passes through both level and falling tones: sudden ignorance follows the level tone; deep and thick follows the falling tone. Ju means great. There are not two tones for da, and its meaning also passes through both. Frequent arising and thickness both get the name great, meaning that demonic obstacles come frequently, and their coming is always deep and heavy. Also, following the convenience of pairing, the name "demonic obstacles" is set aside, and it is spoken of as darkness and distraction. Darkness and distraction are what can obstruct; heavy and vast are the characteristics of the obstruction; obscuring and agitating are the functions of the obstruction; concentration and brightness are what is obstructed. Although what is obstructed is fundamentally present, the habituation in concentration and brightness is still slight. What can obstruct has beginningless habituation, hence the force of darkness and distraction is robust. Regarding "cannot" and so forth, it contemplates the substance and nature of demonic obstacles. If demonic obstacles arise, they will certainly hinder contemplation and cause one to fall into evil. Now, wishing to set up contemplation, one makes [the practitioner] neither follow nor fear them: fearing them completely hinders correct cultivation; following them still requires discerning whether to advance or not. If when obstacles arise they all pull one into evil, then all would head toward the evil destinies. The obstacles are not purely evil, so falling into the evil destinies is spoken of in terms of the majority. For instance, when the seven objects such as afflictions and illness arise, following them entirely leads to falling into birth-and-death; when the latter two arise, one falls into expedients. However, because the latter two objects are in the initial mind, and the former seven objects are fundamentally transmigration, both have the meaning of pulling one into the evil destinies; hence it says the majority pertain to transmigration. Furthermore, one must distinguish that illness is neutral or gives rise to good and evil. Afflictions exclusively increase evil; within karma, covering and pāramitā naturally divide into good and evil. Demons also cause people to fall into good or fall into evil. Although dhyāna is dull good, because it gives rise to slander, it is evil.