西方合論 2.9

2.9

二、宿因深者，有三：一者正因；二者正願；三者正行。一、正因者，即是三世諸佛與諸有情，自清淨體，如萬象依空、山川依地、穀依種子、花果依仁。若無此因，佛果不成。何以故？一切悲智，純依此因而得建立。故長者《合論》曰：「如來藏身，即法身也，諸福智海，莫不居中，故稱為藏。若不見法身，一切福智，大慈大悲，悉皆不辦，總屬生滅。」法身者，即正因是。二、正願者，如本經法藏比丘於自在王如來所，發四十八大願，一願不成不取菩提。此是依自性無量悲智，發如是不可思議願力，非是心外見有眾生，發願欲度，以眾生非心外故。三、正行者，如本經言：「發是願已，如是安住種種功德，修習如是菩薩行，經於無量無數億那由他百千劫」內。又如《一向出生菩薩經》云：「阿彌陀佛昔為太子，聞此微妙法門奉持精進，七千歲中脅不至席，不念愛欲財寶，不問他事，常獨處止意不傾動；復教化八千億萬那由他人得不退轉。」此是自性行持、自性精進，非是有作、有為功德；雖歷億劫，不離一念。以微妙法門，離一切行、一切劫故。是謂正因、正行、正願，如伊三點，缺一不成；非是作得，非不作得。故先德云：「根深果茂，源遠流長。宿因既深，教起亦大。」誠然乎哉！

Second, regarding 'past causes are deep', there are three: first, the right cause; second, the right vow; third, the right practice. First, the right cause: this is the inherently pure essence of the buddhas of the three times and of all sentient beings, just as the myriad phenomena rely on space, mountains and rivers rely on the earth, grain relies on seeds, and flowers and fruits rely on kernels. Without this cause, the fruit of buddhahood cannot be achieved. Why? All compassion and wisdom are established purely on the basis of this cause. Therefore the Elder's Helun says: 'The body of the tathāgatagarbha is the dharmakāya; the oceans of all blessings and wisdom dwell within it, hence it is called a garbha (treasury). If one does not see the dharmakāya, all blessings and wisdom, great kindness and great compassion, are entirely unaccomplished, and all belong to arising and ceasing.' The dharmakāya is precisely this right cause. Second, the right vow: as when Bhikṣu Dharmākara, in this sūtra, made forty-eight great vows before the Tathāgata Lokeśvararāja, not taking bodhi if even one vow were not fulfilled. This was giving rise to such inconceivable vow-power based on the immeasurable compassion and wisdom of the svabhāva; it was not that he saw sentient beings outside the mind and made vows wishing to deliver them, because sentient beings are not outside the mind. Third, the right practice: as this sūtra states, 'Having made these vows, he thus dwelt in various virtues and practiced such bodhisattva practices for immeasurable, incalculable, nayutas of hundreds of thousands of kalpas.' Furthermore, as the Yixiang chusheng pusa jing says: 'When Amitābha Buddha was a prince in the past, he heard this subtle Dharma gate and upheld it with vigor; for seven thousand years his ribs did not touch a mat, he did not think of lust or wealth, did not inquire into other matters, and always dwelled alone with an unshakeable mind; he further taught and transformed eighty thousand billion nayutas of people, causing them to attain non-retrogression.' This is the svabhāva's practice, the svabhāva's vigor, not an intentional or conditioned virtue; though passing through billions of kalpas, it does not depart from a single thought-moment, because this subtle Dharma gate transcends all practices and all kalpas. These are called the right cause, the right practice, and the right vow; like the three dots of the letter 'i', if one is missing, it is not formed; they are neither fabricated nor unfabricated. Thus an ancient worthy said: 'When roots are deep, the fruit is luxuriant; when the source is far, the stream flows long. Since the past causes are deep, the arising of the teaching is also great.' How true this is!