宗鏡錄 9.15.6

9.15.6

見聞於佛。 業障纏覆。 不生信樂。 亦種善根。 無空過者。 乃至究竟入於涅槃。 佛子。 菩薩摩訶薩應如是知。 於如來所。 見聞親近。 所種善根。 悉離一切諸不善法。 具足善法。 故知若見若聞。 若信不信。 皆得究竟無上善根。 以見圓覺之佛。 普門之法故。 以覺圓故。 無有缺減。 以法普故。 自然具足。 豈非究竟耶。 所以華嚴初發心功德品頌云。 菩薩發心功德量。 億劫稱揚不可盡。 以出一切諸如來。 獨覺聲聞安樂故。 十方國土諸眾生。 皆悉施安無量劫。 勸持五戒及十善。 四禪四等諸定處。 復於多劫施安樂。 令斷諸惑成羅漢。 彼諸福聚雖無量。 不與發心功德比。 又教億眾成緣覺。 獲無諍行微妙道。 以彼而校菩提心。 算數譬喻無能及。 一念能過塵數剎。 如是經於無量劫。 此諸剎數尚可量。 發心功德不可知。 又頌云。 所說種種眾譬喻。 無有能及菩提心。 以諸三世人中尊。 皆從發心而得生。 華嚴指歸云。 明經有十種益。 一見聞益。 謂此見聞如來。 及此遺法。 所種善根。 成金剛種不可破壞。 要心成佛。 如性起品云。 佛子。 乃至不信邪見眾生。 見聞佛者。 彼諸眾生。 於見聞中得種善根。 果報不虛。 乃至究竟涅槃等。 二發心益。 謂信位既滿。 稱彼佛懷發此大心。 此心即是普賢法攝。 是故融通。 即遍無盡時處等法界。 既入彼攝彼。 即全諸位。 悉皆成滿。 故經云。 初發心即是佛故。 悉與三世諸如來等。 三起行益。 謂若起一普賢行時。 即遍一切行。 一切位。 一切德。 一切法。 一切處。 一切時。 一切因。 一切果。 窮盡法界。 具足一切。 如帝網等。 故經云。 菩薩摩訶薩得聞此法。 以少方便。 疾得菩提。 四攝位益。 謂信等五位。 一一位中攝一切位。 然有二門。 一全位相是門。 即一切位是一位故。 十信滿處。 即便成佛。 二諸位相資門。 則一位中具一切位。 如十信中有十住。 乃至十地。 故經云。 住於一地普攝一切諸地功德。 如十玄門。 五速證益。 依此普門。 一證一切證。 如經明地獄眾生。 蒙光滅苦。 纔從地獄門出。 昇兜率天。 聞此普法。 即得十地者。 明是此法之深益。 六滅障益。 依此普法。 亦一斷一切斷。 如前兜率天子。 非直自身頓得十地。 亦乃毛孔香熏。 全示眾生。 頓滅無量煩惱。 並是普法之勝力。 七轉利益。 普行亦成。 即能頓益無邊眾生。 悉亦同得此十地法。 如前兜率天子。 得十地已。 毛孔中出蓋雲供養佛。 經云。 若有眾生見此蓋雲者。 彼諸眾生。 種一恒河沙轉輪王所植善根等。 八造修益。 如善財依此普法。 一得一切得。 以前生曾見聞普法。 成金剛種。 遂令今生頓成解行。 九頓得益。 如經明六千比丘。 頓見如來。 得十眼境界。 祇洹林中。 不可說塵數菩薩。 頓得無盡自在法海等。 十稱性益。 謂依此普法。 一切眾生。 無不皆悉稱其本性。 在佛果海中。 即是舊來益。 如經明於佛身中。 見一切眾生已成佛竟。 已涅槃竟。 是以此宗鏡錄中。 並是稱性而談。 約本而說。 因果皆實。 理事俱真。 以是圓滿之宗。 普門之法。 見普法故。 名為普眼。 普法者。 一具一切。 一一稱性。 同時具足。 眼外無法。 乃稱普眼。 亦名普眼經。 遂令見聞之人。 皆同性得。 以此性無盡。 則所益何窮。 故能總括無邊。 該通一切。 攝前則攝後。 如舉初步。 即到千里之程途。 得一則得餘。 猶觀天月。 即了一切之水月。 故知有教的有其位。 有法必有其人。 如地獄眾生。 見聞為種。 處八難內超十地階。 善財童子。 行解在躬。 於一生中。 圓多劫果。 文理有據。 果報非虛。 可示後賢。

“If they see or hear the Buddha, though wrapped and obstructed by karmic hindrances and failing to generate faith and joy, they nevertheless plant roots of goodness, none of which are in vain, until they ultimately enter nirvāṇa. Sons of the Buddha, bodhisattva-mahāsattvas should understand this: the roots of goodness planted through seeing, hearing, or drawing near to the Tathāgata are entirely freed from all unwholesome phenomena and fully endowed with wholesome phenomena.” Therefore, one knows that whether seeing or hearing, whether having faith or lacking faith, all ultimately attain unsurpassed roots of goodness, because they see the Buddha of perfect awakening and the teaching of the universal gate. Because awakening is perfect, there is no deficiency; because the teaching is universal, it is naturally complete. How could it not be ultimate? Therefore, the verse in the “Chapter on the Merit of the Initial Generation of the Mind” of the Avataṃsaka Sūtra says: “The measure of the merit of a bodhisattva generating the mind / cannot be fully praised throughout a hundred million kalpas. / Because it gives rise to all the Tathāgatas, / and the bliss of solitary realizers and śrāvakas. / To all sentient beings in the lands of the ten directions, / one may bestow peace for immeasurable kalpas, / encouraging them to uphold the five precepts and ten virtues, / and the states of concentration of the four dhyānas and the four immeasurables; / further, over many kalpas one may bestow peace and bliss, / causing them to cut off all afflictions and become arhats. / Although those masses of merit are immeasurable, / they cannot compare to the merit of generating the mind. / Further, one may teach a hundred million beings to become pratyekabuddhas, / obtaining the subtle path of non-contentious practice; / yet comparing that with the bodhimind, / no calculation or metaphor could ever reach it. / In a single thought-moment one can pass through dust-mote numbers of lands; / though passing through immeasurable kalpas like this, / the number of these lands can still be measured, / but the merit of generating the mind cannot be known.” Another verse says: “None of the various metaphors that are spoken / can ever reach the bodhimind, / for all the Honoured Ones among humans of the three times / are born from generating the mind.” The Huayan zhigui states: “It clarifies that this sūtra has ten kinds of benefits: First, the benefit of seeing and hearing. This means that the roots of goodness planted by seeing and hearing this Tathāgata and his remaining teachings become an adamantine seed that cannot be destroyed, guaranteeing the resolve to become a Buddha. As the ‘Chapter on the Arising of Nature’ says: ‘Sons of the Buddha, even sentient beings with lack of faith and wrong views who see or hear the Buddha—those sentient beings, within that seeing and hearing, plant roots of goodness; the retribution is not in vain, until ultimately reaching nirvāṇa, and so forth.’ Second, the benefit of generating the mind. This means that once the stage of faith is fulfilled, one accords with the Buddha’s intent and generates this great mind. This mind is subsumed by the Dharma of Samantabhadra, and therefore it is harmonious and pervasive, instantly pervading the dharmadhātu of inexhaustible time and place. Having entered it and subsumed it, all stages in their entirety are fulfilled. Hence the sūtra says: ‘The initial generation of the mind is itself the Buddha’; thus one is equal to all Tathāgatas of the three times. Third, the benefit of initiating practice. This means that when one initiates a single practice of Samantabhadra, it instantly pervades all practices, all stages, all virtues, all phenomena, all places, all times, all causes, and all fruits, exhausting the dharmadhātu and being complete with all, like Indra's net. Hence the sūtra says: ‘Bodhisattva-mahāsattvas who hear this teaching, with few skillful means, swiftly attain bodhi.’ Fourth, the benefit of subsuming the stages. This means that within each of the five stages, such as faith, all stages are subsumed. However, there are two approaches: First, the approach of the identity of all stages, which is because all stages are a single stage; where the ten faiths are fulfilled, one immediately becomes a Buddha. Second, the approach of all stages mutually assisting, wherein a single stage contains all stages, just as within the ten faiths there are the ten abodes, up to the ten grounds. Hence the sūtra says: ‘Dwelling in a single ground universally subsumes the merits of all grounds,’ as in the Ten Mysterious Gates. Fifth, the benefit of swift realization. Relying on this universal gate, one realization is all realization. As the sūtra explains, hell-beings who were touched by the light had their suffering extinguished; having just exited the gates of hell and ascended to Tuṣita Heaven, upon hearing this universal teaching they immediately attained the ten grounds; this illustrates the profound benefit of this teaching. Sixth, the benefit of extinguishing hindrances. Relying on this universal teaching, one severance is also all severance. Just like the Tuṣita devaputra mentioned before, not only did he directly and suddenly attain the ten grounds himself, but the fragrance of his pores completely revealed [the Dharma] to sentient beings, suddenly extinguishing immeasurable afflictions. All these are the superior power of the universal teaching. Seventh, the benefit of transforming and benefiting [others]. When the universal practice is perfected, one can instantly benefit boundless sentient beings, causing them all to equally attain this teaching of the ten grounds. Just as the Tuṣita devaputra mentioned before, having attained the ten grounds, clouds of canopies issued from his pores to make offerings to the Buddha. The sūtra says: ‘If any sentient beings see these canopy clouds, those sentient beings plant roots of goodness equal to those planted by a Ganges-sands of wheel-turning kings,’ and so forth. Eighth, the benefit of cultivation. Just as Sudhana, relying on this universal teaching, attained everything through attaining one, because in a former life he had seen and heard the universal teaching and formed an adamantine seed, it caused him in his present life to suddenly accomplish understanding and practice. Ninth, the benefit of sudden attainment. As the sūtra explains, six thousand monks suddenly saw the Tathāgata and attained the realm of the ten eyes; in the Jeta Grove, ineffable dust-mote numbers of bodhisattvas suddenly attained the inexhaustible, unobstructed ocean of teachings, and so forth. Tenth, the benefit of according with nature. This means that relying on this universal teaching, there are no sentient beings who do not accord with their original nature within the ocean of the fruit of buddhahood; this is the benefit inherent from the beginning. As the sūtra explains, within the Buddha’s body, one sees that all sentient beings have already completed buddhahood and have already entered nirvāṇa.” Therefore, in this Record of the Mirror of the Source, all discussions accord with nature and speak from the root. Cause and fruit are both real; principle and phenomena are both true. Because this is the perfect source and the teaching of the universal gate, seeing the universal teaching is called the universal eye. The universal teaching is where one contains all, each according with nature, simultaneously complete. Beyond the eye there is no phenomenon; hence it is called the universal eye; it is also named the Universal Eye Sūtra. Consequently, it causes those who see or hear it to all equally attain it by nature. Because this nature is inexhaustible, how could the benefit be limited? Therefore, it can comprehend the boundless and universally encompass all. Subsuming what precedes subsumes what follows, just as raising the first step reaches the journey of a thousand li; attaining one attains the rest, just as gazing at the moon in the sky discerns all water-moons. Hence one knows that where there is a teaching, there is certainly its stage; where there is a Dharma, there must be its person. As with the hell-beings who took seeing and hearing as a seed, dwelling within the eight difficulties they surpassed the steps of the ten grounds; with the youth Sudhana, practice and understanding embodied in himself, within a single life he rounded out the fruit of many kalpas. The text and principle have their basis; the fruit and retribution are not in vain. This can be shown to future worthies.