宗鏡錄 94.36

94.36

十住斷結經云。一切諸法。常自存在。眾生不達。為興莊嚴。法法自生。法法自滅。法法不生。法法不滅。法生法滅。性不移轉。斯是菩薩大士之道。非諸凡俗之所及也。釋曰。一切諸法常自存在者。真心不易。性相恒如。眾生不達為興莊嚴者。以外道執斷見。小乘證無常。菩薩為對治凡小故。不盡有為。常修福業。不住無為。深入智淵。廣大莊嚴雲興萬行。念念圓滿十波羅蜜。拔斷常外道之曲木。出邪見之稠林。拯偏真小果之矬身。昇解脫之坑底。所以華嚴經云。第七遠行地。當修十種方便慧殊勝道。所謂雖善修空無相無願三昧。而慈悲不捨眾生。雖得諸佛平等法。而樂常供養佛。雖入觀空智門。而勤修習福德。雖遠離三界。而莊嚴三界。雖畢竟寂滅諸煩惱焰。而能為一切眾生起滅貪瞋癡煩惱焰。雖知諸法如幻如夢。如影如響。如焰如化。如水中月。如鏡中像。自性無二。而隨心作業。無量差別。雖知一切國土。猶如虛空。而能以清淨妙行。莊嚴佛土。雖知諸佛法身。本性無身。而以相好莊嚴其身。雖知諸佛音聲。性空寂滅。不可言說。而能隨一切眾生。出種種差別清淨音聲。雖隨諸佛了知三世唯是一念。而隨眾生意解分別。以種種相。種種時。種種劫數而修行。釋曰。經云。雖善修空無相無願三昧者。是對治凡夫著有徇樂之見。而慈悲不捨眾生者。是對治二乘沈空畏苦之見。下諸句義。皆同此釋。故云。聲聞畏苦。緣覺無悲。俱失菩薩二利之行。

The Shizhu duanjie jing says: 'All phenomena eternally abide of themselves; sentient beings do not understand this, so for their sake [bodhisattvas] raise up adornments. Phenomenon after phenomenon arises of itself; phenomenon after phenomenon ceases of itself. Phenomenon after phenomenon does not arise; phenomenon after phenomenon does not cease. Phenomena arise and phenomena cease, but their nature does not shift or turn. This is the way of the great bodhisattva beings, beyond the reach of the worldly and ordinary.' / Exegesis: 'All phenomena eternally abide of themselves' means that the true mind does not change, and its nature and characteristics are eternally as they are. 'Sentient beings do not understand this, so for their sake [bodhisattvas] raise up adornments' means that because non-Buddhists cling to the view of annihilationism and the Hīnayāna realizes impermanence, bodhisattvas, in order to remedy ordinary beings and the Hīnayāna, do not extinguish the conditioned, constantly cultivating meritorious deeds, and do not abide in the unconditioned, deeply entering the abyss of wisdom. Raising up vast adornments like gathering clouds for the myriad practices, in thought after thought they consummate the ten pāramitās, pulling up the crooked wood of the non-Buddhists of annihilationism and eternalism, escaping the dense forest of wrong views, rescuing the dwarfed bodies of the biased, realization-of-the-real lesser fruition, and lifting them out of the bottom of the pit of liberation. Therefore the Avataṃsakasūtra says: 'On the seventh ground, the Ground of Far-Reaching Practice, one should cultivate the ten kinds of supreme paths of wisdom with expedient means. That is to say: although one skillfully cultivates the samādhis of emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness, through loving-kindness and compassion one does not abandon sentient beings. Although one attains the equal Dharma of all buddhas, one delights in constantly making offerings to the buddhas. Although one enters the wisdom gate of contemplating emptiness, one diligently cultivates merit. Although one is far removed from the three realms, one adorns the three realms. Although one has ultimately extinguished the flames of the kleśas, for the sake of all sentient beings one gives rise to and extinguishes the flames of the kleśas of rāga, dveṣa, and moha. Although one knows that all phenomena are like illusions, dreams, shadows, echoes, flames, transformations, the moon in water, and reflections in a mirror, their self-nature being non-dual, yet in accordance with the mind they produce karmic deeds of immeasurable differences. Although one knows that all realms are like empty space, yet through pure and wondrous practices one adorns the buddha realms. Although one knows that the dharmakāya of all buddhas is by original nature bodyless, yet through the major marks and secondary signs one adorns its body. Although one knows that the sounds of all buddhas are by nature empty, quiescent, and ineffable, yet in accordance with all sentient beings one emits various distinct, pure sounds. Although along with all buddhas one completely knows that the three periods of time are only a single thought, yet in accordance with the mental understandings and discriminations of sentient beings, one practices across various signs, various times, and various eons.' / Exegesis: When the sūtra says: 'Although one skillfully cultivates the samādhis of emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness', this is to remedy the ordinary person's view of clinging to existence and pursuing pleasure; and 'through loving-kindness and compassion one does not abandon sentient beings' is to remedy the Two Vehicles' view of sinking into emptiness and fearing suffering. The meanings of the lines that follow are all explained in the same way. Therefore it is said: 'Śrāvakas fear suffering, and pratyekabuddhas lack compassion; both lose the bodhisattva's practice of dual benefit.'