止觀輔行傳弘決 5.47

5.47

Fourth, concerning the "universal refutation of dharmas": First, in briefly explaining the purpose of its introduction, the initial segment poses a question, which is specifically raised in reference to the inconceivable object discussed above; thus it says, "The dharma-nature is pure, neither united nor dispersed," and so forth. This corresponds to the three thousand realms in a single moment of thought within the object, being free from the reckoning of the four natures; therefore it briefly says "neither united nor dispersed." "United" refers to the single moment of thought, while "dispersed" refers to the three thousand [realms]. From "Yet sentient beings..." downward, the import of the response is that, in terms of the inconceivable principle and delusion, one cannot speak of oneness or difference, of refuting or not refuting, and so on. Yet following their confusion and error, it is necessary to establish refutation. Sentient beings from beginningless time are completely inverted; who could speak of more or less? It is merely that they have previously understood the object, aroused the aspiration [for awakening], and calmed the mind, but because the mind has not yet become calm, it is called "slight." Because it has not yet been refuted at all, it speaks of "refutation" again. Previously, one placed samādhi and wisdom within the dharma-nature, which was termed "calming"; now, relying on the teaching, one scrutinizes the uncalm mind through the four propositions, which is termed "refutation." Refutation is not separate from what is uncalm, and calming is not separate from what is unrefuted; designations are acquired according to the specific matter, yet mind and object are one. From "The skillful... above" downward, whether there is refutation is discerned in relation to the calming of the mind above. If one has already become calm in the truths and samādhi and wisdom have already arisen, that itself is refutation—why would one need to speak further of refutation now? Next, from "If not yet..." downward, the purpose of refutation is directly explained, which is due to not having been calmed yet. If one has not yet refuted [delusions], one now discusses refutation further; thus it says, "If not yet resonant," and so forth. As for the phrase "wisdom endowed with samādhi" and so on: calming the mind and universal refutation are both absolute and consummate; each possesses both samādhi and wisdom. Now, based on the initial stage of practice where one desires to enter but has not yet entered, their application and employment differ according to their conditioning and ripening in relation to affairs: for some it is fitting to have samādhi endowed with wisdom, as in the previous calming of the mind; for others it is fitting to have wisdom endowed with samādhi, as in the present universal refutation. Thus designations are established according to practice, and the names are not applied in vain. Furthermore, in the previous calming, one first investigated the dharma-nature and largely followed samādhi, and therefore it was called "calming"; now in this refutation, one first relies on the gate of teaching and its meaning largely follows wisdom, and therefore it is called "refutation." Both passages possess both, and the dharma-essence has no partiality; therefore, in the previous [discussions of] faith and dharma, none were other than the calming and contemplation of the dharma-nature, and the present non-arising is also due to calming and contemplation of identical essence. From "However, regarding the refutation of dharmas..." downward, wishing to clarify the gate of the refutation of dharmas through non-arising, it first generally raises the differences among the various gates, proceeding from the broad to the narrow to point to non-arising. Therefore it first lists the various gates presented in the sūtras and treatises, namely: teaching, practice, wisdom, and principle. "Letters" means that teaching serves as the gate. The forty-two syllabic letters of the Dapin are extensively explained in the Dazhidulun. The Great Master of Nanyue divided them into two interpretations: first, generally in terms of the three vehicles; second, distinctly in terms of the perfect and sudden. Now, the general is set aside in favor of the sudden. The Dapin states: "The Mahāyāna of the bodhisattva consists in the so-called equality of speech and equality of letters. All letters enter the gate of the syllable A; the gate of the syllable A is complete with all dharmas, up to the syllable 荼 (ḍha), which exhausts the extremities of all dharmas, ultimately plumbing their depth, neither ending nor arising. Beyond ḍha, there are no letters that can be spoken; they are unspeakable and inexhaustible, and all dharmas are like space." From "Or contemplative practice..." downward, practice is explained as the gate. "Samādhi" is practice. The Dazhidulun states: "The bodhisattva's cultivation of the three samādhis is called the gate of the samādhis, which can lead through to the true mark." Therefore it can serve as a gate to the true mark. If the sixteen aspects of practice serve as the gate of the three samādhis, they merely serve as a gate to the true truth; this is not the meaning of the present text. From "Or wisdom..." downward, wisdom serves as the gate (and so on). From "Or principle..." downward, principle serves as the gate (and so on). From "Relying on the teaching..." downward, the sequence of the four gates of teaching and so forth listed above is provisionally generated. Since teaching stands at the beginning, one now relies on the teaching. Moreover, to make known that the teaching has efficacy and can lead through to contemplation, wisdom, principle, and so forth—which brings the teaching into radiant prominence—it is thus generated. From "The three gates..." downward, rejection and selection are explained. From "Tripiṭaka..." downward, among the teachings, the three teachings of the Tripiṭaka and so forth are further differentiated. Regarding "the Tripiṭaka first refuting views" and so forth: a disciple of the Buddha must first refute views; whether through the practice of wisdom feeling aspiration and revulsion, or becoming an arhat upon hearing "Welcome!", or the Buddha's thirty-four moments of thought, all are severed together. The shared teaching is largely the same, except that the statement of severing them together does not apply to the Buddha. The distinctive teaching merely proceeds sequentially from shallow to deep; hence it is called "vertically universal." This is provisionally posited in terms of the doctrinal track, and therefore is called vertically universal. According to reality, it merely severs twelve grades; vertically it is not yet universal, so how could it be horizontally so? Regarding "horizontally not universal": as in the initial contemplation of [the delusions of] views and thoughts fully subsuming all afflictions, the contemplating wisdom subsumes all wisdoms; this is true at every stage, and hence is called horizontally universal. The distinctive teaching is not like this, so it must be set aside. From "Now, the inconceivable..." downward, the characteristics of the perfect gate are revealed. "One object is all objects" refers to the inconceivable object explained earlier. "One mind is all minds" refers to the earlier arousing of the aspiration and calming of the mind. Discussing refutation based on this is therefore called universal refutation. From "The remaining gates..." downward, the intention to select and directly employ the perfect gate is made explicit. From "That is to say..." downward, the perfect gates are directly listed. Now, among the perfect gates, rejection and selection are again discussed. Although the principles are mutually identical, beginners proceed from what is easy, and in accord with what is convenient, non-arising is mostly used; therefore, among the perfect gates, three are set aside and one is retained. From "The gate of non-arising..." downward, the efficacy of non-arising in subsuming dharmas through horizontal and vertical universal refutation is directly revealed. Therein, it is first brief and then extensive. In the first part, in initially clarifying the vertical gate, it first marks the two meanings of leading through and bringing into radiant prominence. From "Why is this?" downward, it explains them. Explaining the two meanings together, it first explains reaching the cause. From "The Vimalakīrti..." downward, proof is cited. Both the Vimalakīrti and the Dapin use the gate of teaching to lead through to the cause, and both take non-arising as foremost. Thus, among the thirty-two bodhisattvas in that Vimalakīrti, the first, Dharmavyūha, says: "Arising and ceasing form a duality; non-arising and non-ceasing are non-duality." Non-arising and non-ceasing are precisely the perfect non-arising. In the forty-two letters of the Dapin, non-arising also stands as foremost, so it is also thus at present. Although the textual enumeration places the gate of existence first, in accordance with the aforementioned reasons, non-arising is provisionally employed. From "Calming and contemplation..." downward, it is explained that calming and contemplation can make it manifest. Although this teaching exists, it must be manifested through practice; thus the earlier generation said, "relying on the teaching leads through to practice." If there were no teaching, practice would have nothing to attain; because there is teaching, it causes the gates of practice and wisdom to lead through to the principle. In the initial stage of abiding, one sees the principle and external functioning is spontaneous, bringing the gate of non-arising into yet another layer of radiant prominence; thus it says, "unhindered vertically and horizontally, penetrating in all aspects." Hence it was said in the generation: "Although there is nowhere to penetrate, it penetrates all universally." From "Just as..." downward, an analogy is raised. "Person" refers to the practitioner; "stage" refers to entering the stage of abiding. If the gate merely existed in vain, to whom would the teaching be directed? If the person merely existed in vain, what would practice rely upon? Relying on the teaching, one practices the practice and is able to reach the principle; thus it says, "there is the person and there is the stage." Just as a person entering the ministership brings honor and glory to the family gate, so too is this gate made manifest. Next, regarding "leading through to the fruit": first, the fruit that is led through to is identified, which is the non-arising of nirvāṇa. Next, because samādhi and wisdom are both perfected, it is called non-arising; because wisdom and severing are both perfected, it is called non-arising; thus the two dharmas of samādhi and wisdom are only perfected upon reaching the fruit. As for the "passage of the Dapin": because the principle of non-arising is perfected, it says "neither coming nor going"; it is only upon reaching the Buddha that it is named non-arising. The import of the Lotus text can be understood by analogy with the Mahāparinirvāṇa. From "Calming and contemplation..." downward, it clarifies the ability to manifest the fruit. Because the fruit is perfected, self and other, primary and environmental [retribution], all are fully perfected. Regarding "lofty and towering" and so forth: "lofty" (weiwei) describes towering prominence. Regarding "towering" (tangtang): the Erya states, "Tangtang means appearance." The Baihu tong states, "Tangtang means radiant." Like the moon high and radiant, this is precisely the fruit wisdom. Foremost among all lights, like the moon amidst the stars. The Guanding jing states: "Lofty and towering, like the moon among the stars, dispelling the clouds of birth and death." Here it explains that the perfected fruit can benefit others. Regarding "illuminating the ten jewel mountains" and so forth: Chapter Twenty-one of the Avataṃsaka states: "Disciples of the Buddha! The ten grounds of the bodhisattva have their distinctions by relying on the Buddha's wisdom. Just as, relying on the great earth, there are ten jewel mountains—namely: Himavat, Gandhamādana, Kharīra, Ṛṣi-siddha, Yugandhara, Aśvakarṇa, Nimindhara, Cakravaḍa, Ketumat, and Mount Sumeru; each is called a king. Himavat gathers all medicinal herbs; Gandhamādana gathers all perfumes; Kharīra gathers flowers; Ṛṣi-siddha gathers the five superknowledges; Yugandhara gathers yakṣas; Aśvakarṇa gathers wondrous fruits; Nimindhara gathers nāgas; Cakravaḍa gathers sovereign mastery; Ketumat gathers asuras; Sumeru gathers all the devas." "Sovereign mastery" refers to great powers; that is, the efficacies gathered by the ten mountains correspond to the ten grounds. From the first ground upward, the mind's realization of the Buddha's wisdom has different gradations that only the Buddha can know. These grounds are also like this; hence it says that relying on the Buddha's wisdom there are the ten grounds. The use of the analogy in the present text differs slightly from the sūtra. The sūtra uses the ten mountains as an analogy for the ten grounds; the ten mountains rely on the earth, and the earth is an analogy for the fruit of wisdom. Now, the ten mountains are also used as an analogy for the ten grounds, the moon is an analogy for the Buddha's wisdom, and shining down upon the ten mountains is an analogy for the Buddha's fruit wisdom giving rise to the various grounds. Therefore, the application of the analogy says, "its efficacy rises above the ten grounds." "Reflecting in the four seas" is an analogy for giving rise to responsive manifestations. From "The fruit also..." downward, it is applied. "Drawing and guiding the four types of capacities": water is like the capacities, while the reflection is like the response; the four teachings, four gates, and four siddhāntas are all teachings established by condescending responses. Regarding "the Golden Light Sūtra where the Buddha bows to the bone reliquary": the tenth chapter of the new translation states: "At that time the World-Honoured One, having expounded to the great assembly the past conditions of the ten thousand devaputras, sat cross-legged upon his seat and addressed the monks: 'Do you wish to see the original body of the bodhisattva?' The monks said: 'We wish to see it.' At that time the World-Honoured One pressed the earth with his hand adorned with a hundred merits, whereupon it cracked open, and a caitya of seven treasures suddenly welled up, adorned with manifold jewels. At that time the World-Honoured One arose from his seat, paid homage, circumambulated it to the right, and returned to his original seat. He addressed Ānanda: 'Open the door of the stūpa.' Ānanda opened it according to instruction, and saw a casket of seven treasures containing relics as white as snow and mother-of-pearl. He addressed the monks: 'Bow down in veneration to the original body of the bodhisattva.' Ānanda said to the Buddha: 'The Tathāgata, the World-Honoured One, surpasses all and is revered by all sentient beings; for what cause and condition do you pay homage to the bones of this body?' The Buddha addressed Ānanda: 'Because of this, I was quickly able to realize bodhi. In order to repay the kindness of the Dharma, I now pay homage.' He then expounded to the great assembly the past conditions of Mahāsattva: 'That Mahāsattva was my very own body.'" Therefore, we know that the cause and fruit of the Buddha stage stem from the teaching of calming and contemplation; even after attaining the Buddha fruit, one reveres the body of teaching received, and for this reason the Buddha now pays homage to the bodily bones.