樂邦文類 2.106

2.106

For ordinary beings of the six destinies and sages and worthies of the three vehicles, their fundamental basis is entirely the spiritually luminous and pure single dharmadhātu mind. The precious radiance of their intrinsic awakening is fully complete in each of them; originally it is neither named 'Buddhas' nor named 'sentient beings.' Yet because this mind is wondrously spiritual and free, not abiding by its self-nature, it creates karma and undergoes suffering following conditions of delusion, and is then named 'sentient beings'; when it cultivates the Way and realizes the truth, it is thereupon named 'Buddhas.' Pitying sentient beings for their inverted delusive thoughts, grasping without realizing, the Buddha, in accord with the nature of the dharmadhātu, preached the *Avataṃsaka Sūtra*, wishing to cause sentient beings to know that all dharmas are the self-nature of the mind and to accomplish the body of wisdom without relying on another's awakening. When it came to Sudhana realizing and entering the dharmadhātu, he visited various spiritual friends: first, the bhikṣu Meghasvara taught him the buddha-mindfulness gateway of unobstructed wisdom; next, the elder Muktaka taught him the buddha-mindfulness gateway of mind-only; and the night goddess Sarvanagararakṣāsaṃbhavatejaḥśrī taught him the buddha-mindfulness gateway of contemplating the virtuous physical marks. Later, the various Huayan patriarchs, concerned that practitioners of buddha-mindfulness might fail to grasp the essential point, further established various gateways within the liberation gateways of the spiritual friends, intending to make all Buddhas and sentient beings mutually interpenetrate, the Pure Land and the defiled land thoroughly integrate, dharma and dharma subsume one another, and every dust mote completely encompass the entire dharmadhātu, mutually identifying and mutually interpenetrating without obstruction in perfect harmony. If one obtains this gateway, one will equal all the Buddhas in a single morning; if one fails to obtain this gateway, one will vainly cultivate causes for vast kalpas. Now, the medicine preventing chapped hands is one and the same: there were those who spent their entire lives bleaching silk in water, and there were those who were enfeoffed with land—this was because the application had its skill and clumsiness, and the benefit had its greatness and smallness. The dharma-gateway of buddha-mindfulness is one and the same: some take a long time and exert great effort, yet in ordinary times lose their orientation, and when approaching death, are forcibly overcome by other conditions, so that few can transcend. This is what is meant by not avoiding the bleaching of silk in water all one's life. Only the Huayan contemplative practice attains complete and ultimate merit in an instant and sees the realm of the Buddhas in a dust mote or hair-tip: within the minds of all Buddhas, sentient beings newly become Buddhas; within the minds of sentient beings, all Buddhas realize the truth in thought after thought—most simple and most easy. Although the Buddhas' mind of pulling out suffering and bestowing joy is one and the same, and their inconceivable power is one and the same, only the World-Honoured One Amitābha of the western direction has an especially weighty vow-power to receive and guide the sentient beings of the Sahā world, because he is their fundamental teacher. Therefore, in the circulation chapter of the sūtra, Samantabhadra's conduct and vows single-mindedly point to Amitābha, being extremely earnest. In my late years, I, Yihe, retired from my position at Nengren in Pingjiang and broadly searched the biographies and records of the Pure Land along with various treatises and verses of praise, yet there had never been a Huayan perfectly integrated buddha-mindfulness dharma-gateway. For vulgar tunes have many to join in, while songs of the white snow find few to respond; it is not worth speaking of. Alas! Inconceivable dharma-gateways are scattered across the great sūtra, its commentaries, and sub-commentaries, unheard of in the world. To depart from this and seek elsewhere, how is that different from heading north when traveling to the state of Chu? Thereupon I have completely compiled the dharma-gateways into a single volume, so that those who see and hear it may return to the Pure Land without taking a step, so how could they wait for gradual stages? Realizing Amitābha without conceptual thought, how could it retain words and thoughts? All Buddhas turn their backs on dust to unite with awakening, and thus are luminous; sentient beings turn their backs on awakening to unite with dust, and thus are darkened. Wishing to make all who are in darkness luminous, and that their luminosity be ultimately inexhaustible, I have therefore titled this work 'The Inexhaustible Lamp.' On the full moon of the ninth month of the first year of the Qiandao reign era [1165 CE], at Huiyin Monastery in Lin'an Prefecture, preface by Yihe of the Huayan doctrinal and contemplative tradition.