釋禪波羅蜜次第法門 1.59

1.59

If explaining distinctively: translating it as "cultivation of thought" can correspond to the cause. Why is this? Thought is the mental activity of deliberation, and cultivation is the name for dedicated study and practice; hence it corresponds to cultivating the cause. Translating *chan* as "concentration" can correspond to the result. Why is this? Concentration is named tranquil and still; the practitioner abandons scattering to seek tranquility, and once achieving tranquil abiding, it repays what was originally practiced; hence it corresponds to the result. Translating *chan* as "thicket of merits" can generally correspond to cause and result: merit (*gong*) is effort, and therefore corresponds to the cause; accumulating effort achieves virtue (*de*), and can correspond to the result. Just as myriad practices correspond to the cause, myriad virtues correspond to the result; translating cause and result combined, it is named "thicket of merits" to metaphorically reveal that merits are not single. Why is this? Just as many grasses gathering together are called a thicket (*cong*), and multiple trees depending on each other are called a forest (*lin*): because a clump of grass is small, it can be compared to the small effort in the cause; because forest trees are large, they can correspond to the great virtue in the result. Deducing from this, "thicket of merits" generally corresponds to both cause and result, which is fitting in meaning.