三教平心論 1.14

1.14

As for the teaching of Buddhism, when a single Buddha appears, he takes a trisāhasramahāsāhasradhātū as his reward kṣetra. Speaking provisionally of a single world: in the midst of a single world there is Mount Sumeru, towering out of the great ocean above the nine heavens. The sun and moon revolve around the waist of the mountain, dividing day and night. The four sides of Sumeru form four continents: the east is Pūrvavideha, the west is Aparagodānīya, the south is Jambudvīpa, and the north is Uttarakuru. In each of the four continents there are three thousand continents. The world today is Jambudvīpa. The Central Floriate Kingdom [China] today is one continent among the three thousand continents of the southern continent. Śākya descended to be born in Tianzhu, which is the exact center of the southern continent. The place around the four flanks of Sumeru that looks down upon the sun and moon is called Śakra's heaven. Further up, dwelling radiantly in the midst of empty space, four tiers of cloud heavens are collectively named the kāmadhātu. Further up, eighteen tiers of cloud heavens are collectively named the rūpadhātu. Further up, four tiers of space heavens are collectively named the ārūpyadhātu. In this way, the sentient beings in the traidhātuka undergo birth, old age, sickness, and death; this constitutes a single world. A thousand such worlds are called a minor-thousand [world system]. A thousand such minor-thousand world systems are called a medium-thousand [world system], which is one million. A thousand such medium-thousand world systems are called a great-thousand [world system], which is ten billion. Because 'thousand' is spoken three times, it is called a trisāhasramahāsāhasra; in reality, it is simply one great-thousand. Within one great-thousand there are ten billion Mount Sumerus, ten billion suns and moons, and ten billion four-continents. It is like one million strings of small coins: placing one coin for every world, it is only when these one million strings are exhausted that it constitutes a great-thousand world. This is the reward kṣetra of a single Buddha. When a single Buddha appears, he simultaneously manifests ten billion bodies in ten billion worlds. Therefore the Brahmā Net Sūtra says: 'A single flower holds ten billion lands, and in each land is a Śākya, each seated beneath a Bodhi tree, simultaneously attaining the Buddha path. Such are the hundreds of thousands of myriads [of manifestations] of the original body of Rocana; hundreds of thousands of myriads of Śākyas, each receiving dust-mote assemblies.' This is called the hundreds of thousands of myriads of nirmāṇakāyas. With these hundreds of thousands of myriads of nirmāṇakāyas, he transforms and delivers the womb-born, egg-born, moisture-born, miraculously born, the footless, two-footed, four-footed, many-footed, form, formless, with-thought, thoughtless, and even the neither-with-thought-nor-thoughtless in hundreds of thousands of myriads of worlds, causing all to attain deliverance. Such is the teaching of Buddhism. Therefore, those who study Buddhism realize that the pañca-skandhas are all empty and purify the ṣaḍ-indriyas; they distance themselves from the ten unwholesome deeds and cultivate the ten wholesome deeds; they contemplate the catuḥ-smṛtyupasthānas and practice the catuḥ-samyakprahāṇas; they eliminate the sixty-two wrong views so that what is perverse and false has nowhere to abide; they sever the ninety-eight anuśayas so that afflictions cannot cause disturbance; they scrupulously observe the three thousand dignified demeanors and eighty thousand subtle deeds; they constantly perfume and cultivate the catvāry apramāṇāni and the ṣaṭ-pāramitās. In the midst of this, in forgetting their bodies for the sake of the Dharma, they are like those who flay their skin and pierce their blood to write sūtras, or sever their arms and cast down their bodies to seek instruction, without fear or doubt. In forgetting themselves for the sake of other beings, they are like those who endure suffering to cut off flesh to feed a hawk, or abandon life to offer their bodies to feed a tigress, without terror or dread. Money, treasures, cities, wives, and children they cast away like worn sandals; limbs, hands, feet, head, eyes, marrow, and brain they relinquish like shed garments. From life to life through hundreds of thousands of myriads of koṭis of lives, this mind does not retrogress; from kalpa to kalpa through hundreds of thousands of myriads of koṭis of kalpas, this mind becomes ever more vigorous. As a result, when the fruits of the three asaṃkhyeyas are fulfilled and the merits of the myriad virtues are perfected, they depart from the catuṣkoṭi. The 'catuṣkoṭi' means that phenomena do not arise from themselves, nor do they arise from others, nor together, nor without cause; therefore it is said that they are unarisen, cutting off the hundred negations. They thoroughly penetrate immeasurable and boundless dharma-gates, skillfully enter immeasurable and boundless samādhis, accomplish the five faculties and five powers, fully possess the three masteries and three clarities, roundly manifest the four wisdoms and trikāya, transcendently realize the ṣaḍ-abhijñās and five eyes, attain the catasraḥ pratisamvidaḥ to preach boundlessly, and enter the catvāra ṛddhipādāḥ for unimpeded supernatural powers. The aṣṭāv abhibhv-āyatanāni and aṣṭau vimokṣāḥ constantly appear before them; the catvāri vaiśāradyāni and catvāri saṃgrahavastūni are inexhaustibly enjoyed. The āryāṣṭāṅgamārga and the aṣṭādaśāveṇikadharmāḥ are not on a par with the three vehicles. The thirty-two marks and eighty minor signs adorn the subtle and wondrous Dharmakāya. Through dust-mote kalpas of the past and dust-mote kalpas of the future, nothing is not clearly seen; in the dust-mote worlds of the present, the dust-mote minds of sentient beings are all known. Perfectly luminous as the Honoured One of the ten epithets, they transcend the traidhātuka; this is sarvākārajñatā, this is the God of Gods, this is the unexcelled Dharma King, this is samyaksaṃbodhi transcending all expedient means to accomplish the ten powers, returning to deliver all sentient beings in the realm of phenomena. The ultimate achievement of Buddhism is nothing more than this. The Lotus Sūtra says: 'It is for the sake of the one great cause that the Tathāgata appears in the world, universally desiring to cause all sentient beings to accomplish this path together.' For his great vow and great power swear that all sentient beings shall realize the wondrous fruit of unexcelled nirvāṇa. Therefore, those who distinguish the Three Teachings must not discuss them with selfish partiality, nor with hearts of love and hate. If one merely calms one's thoughts and examines their ultimate achievements, one will know that when those in the world who study Confucianism reach the harvest of causes and effects, it is merely leaving behind merit and fame. When those in the world who study Daoism reach the harvest of causes and effects, it is merely obtaining longevity. When those in the world who study Buddhism reach the harvest of causes and effects, they can extinguish life and death, attain ultimate nirvāṇa, and universally deliver all sentient beings to jointly accomplish right awakening. How could their relative superiority and inferiority not be clearly evident? Thus, by way of analogy: where Confucianism operates is China; where Daoism operates is heaven and the human world; where Buddhism operates is the entirety of space throughout the realm of phenomena. Confucianism is like governing a single family, where authority and orders are exercised within the boundary fence, but beyond the fence, it is impossible to summon anyone. Daoism is like presiding over a single town, where governance and instruction reach within its four borders, but beyond the four borders, it is impossible to exercise control. Buddhism is like possessing the four seas to become the lord of all under heaven, where across the entire realm all are subjects, and rites, music, and punitive expeditions all issue from oneself. This is the distinction between the broad and narrow of the Three Teachings. Those who study Confucianism stop only with death; this is a matter of a hundred years. Those who study Daoism strive for longevity; this is a matter of thousands or myriads of years. Those who study Buddhism wish to cut off life and death and dwell serenely forever; this spans dust-mote kalpas without end. Confucianism is like the light of a single lamp shining for a single night: when the bell sounds and the water clock runs out, the oil is exhausted and the lamp goes out. Daoism is like King Ajātaśatru making a hundred-year lamp to illuminate the relics of the Buddha: when the hundred years have passed, the lamp is extinguished. Buddhism is like the bright sun shining through countless kalpas, eternally luminous, setting in the west and rising in the east, revolving without rest. This is the distinction between the enduring and ephemeral of the Three Teachings.