金剛般若經旨贊 1.18

1.18

Sūtra: The Buddha told Subhūti […] up to: pacify their minds. Commentary: Next below is the third [division], the stations of practice (cāryā-pratiṣṭhā). These are the three kinds [of matters] presented earlier—abiding the mind, practicing, and pacifying—specifically their modes of practice; they are spoken of as the general basis, the loci of principles, and are termed 'stations of practice'. That is to say, relying upon these, practices are distinguished and explained individually, broadly divided into eighteen dharmas in which one should abide. Their texts and meanings subsume one another, condensed into eight kinds. Correlating practice with stages, they are briefly summarized as three. Regarding the eighteen: First, generating the mind, as in the sūtra from 'The Buddha told Subhūti' up to 'then is not bodhi' up to 'then is not a bodhisattva'. Second, practice corresponding to the pāramitās, as in the sūtra from 'Furthermore, Subhūti' up to 'abide as taught'. Third, desiring to obtain the form body, as in the sūtra from 'Subhūti, what do you think?' up to 'then he is not a bodhisattva who sees the Tathāgata'. Fourth, desiring to obtain the Dharma body, which is subdivided into three: first, the Dharma body of verbal exposition, as in the sūtra from 'Subhūti said to the Buddha, "World-Honoured One"' up to 'how much less non-Dharma'; next, the Dharma body characterized by wisdom, as in the sūtra from 'Subhūti, what do you think?' up to 'are distinguished'; last, the Dharma body characterized by merit, as in the sūtra from 'Subhūti, what do you think?' up to 'then are not Buddha-dharmas'. Fifth, absence of arrogance amid superior cultivated virtues, as in the sūtra from 'Subhūti, a srotāpanna' up to 'araṇā practice'. Sixth, not being parted from the times of the Buddhas' appearances, as in the sūtra from 'The Buddha told Subhūti' up to 'there was nothing attained'. Seventh, vowing to purify the Buddha lands, as in the sūtra from 'Subhūti, what do you think?' up to 'give rise to that mind'. Eighth, maturing sentient beings, as in the sūtra from 'Subhūti, suppose' up to 'is called a great body'. Ninth, being far removed from the distraction of following the treatises of outer paths, as in the sūtra from 'Subhūti, as in the Ganges' up to 'the Tathāgata has taught nothing'. Tenth, practice corresponding to contemplation that dismantles grasping at form and at the bodies of sentient beings, as in the sūtra from 'Subhūti, what do you think?' up to 'is called a world'. Eleventh, making offerings and attending upon the Tathāgata, as in the sūtra from 'Subhūti, can one by the thirty-two marks' up to 'are called thirty-two marks'. Twelfth, not giving up diligence nor backsliding because of being far removed from gain and from exhaustion and affliction, as in the sūtra from 'Subhūti, if a good son' up to 'is called the foremost pāramitā'. Thirteenth, enduring suffering, as in the sūtra from 'Subhūti, the pāramitā of forbearance' up to 'see manifold forms'. Fourteenth, departing from the taste of quiescence, as in the sūtra from 'Subhūti, in future ages' up to 'grasping the fruit is also inconceivable'. Fifteenth, departing from joyous agitation at the time of realizing the path, as in the sūtra from 'At that time, Subhūti' up to 'one of [anuttara-samyak-]sambodhi'. Sixteenth, seeking instruction, as in the sūtra from 'Subhūti, what do you think?' up to 'is called all Buddha-dharmas'. Seventeenth, realizing the path, as in the sūtra from 'Subhūti, suppose a person's body were huge' up to 'no sentient being, and no life-span'. Eighteenth, seeking above for the Buddha-stage, which is the text below. Within this, it is divided into six kinds of consummation: 1. Purification of the land, as in the sūtra from 'Subhūti, if a bodhisattva speaks thus' up to 'is called a true bodhisattva'. 2. Purification of unsurpassed seeing and knowing, as in the sūtra from 'Subhūti, what do you think?' up to 'the Tathāgata speaks of obtaining much merit'. 3. The body of secondary marks, as in the sūtra from 'Subhūti, can the Buddha be seen by means of the consummation of the form body or not?' up to 'is called the consummation of the form body'. 4. The marks, as in the sūtra from 'Subhūti, can the Tathāgata be seen by means of the consummation of all marks or not?' up to 'is called the consummation of all marks'. 5. Consummation of speech, as in the sūtra from 'Subhūti, you should not say that the Tathāgata' up to 'is called preaching the Dharma'. 6. Consummation of the kinds of mind, which is the text below. Within this are further opened six kinds of mind: (1) Mindfulness: this text is missing from this sūtra, but is present in other recensions, namely 'they are neither sentient beings nor non-sentient beings', etc., as will be known below. (2) True awakening, as in the sūtra from 'Subhūti said to the Buddha' up to 'called wholesome dharmas'. (3) Establishing dharmas of great benefit, as in the sūtra from 'Subhūti, if three thousand great thousands' up to 'then are not ordinary persons'. (4) Grasping the Dharma body, as in the sūtra from 'Subhūti, what do you think?' up to 'cannot obtain anuttara[-samyak-]sambodhi by means of the consummation of marks'. (5) Not abiding in saṃsāra or nirvāṇa, as in the sūtra from 'Subhūti, if you think' up to 'is said not to receive merit'. (6) Purity of abiding in practice, which is the text below. Within this, three purities of abiding in practice are revealed: i. Deportment, as in the sūtra from 'Subhūti, if someone' up to 'therefore is called Tathāgata'. ii. Mastery in dismantling the name-and-form body, as in the sūtra from 'Subhūti, if a good son' up to 'is called the mark of dharmas'. iii. Non-defilement, which is the text below. Within this, two kinds of non-defilement are revealed: (i) Preaching the Dharma, as in the sūtra from 'Subhūti, if someone' up to 'unmoved like suchness'. (ii) Transmigration, as in the sūtra from 'Why is this?' up to 'should contemplate in this way'. When text and meaning subsume one another, they are condensed into eight: 1. The station of gathering, which is the aforementioned generating of the mind, because in this text one gathers the bodhicitta and gathers sentient beings. 2. Purity of the pāramitās, which is the aforementioned practice corresponding to the pāramitās, because through signless wisdom corresponding with practice, purity is attained. 3. The station of desire, which combines the third and fourth aforementioned—the form body and Dharma body—because both are the fruit bodies of the Buddha that are sought. 4. Separation from obstacles, which combines the twelve aforementioned into a single station, from the fifth, superior cultivated virtue, up through the sixteenth, seeking instruction, because all these texts can separate one from those obstacles to be eliminated. 5. Pure mind, which is the seventeenth aforementioned, realizing the path, because at the time of realizing the path the mind is purified. 6. Ultimate, which is the eighteenth aforementioned, seeking above, because it is the ultimate fruit that is sought above. The seventh, 'vast', and eighth, 'profound', are the general meanings of the eighteen stations, because all possess vast and profound practice. Correlating practice with stages, they are summarized into three: 1. The stage of practice of faith, which comprises the first sixteen stations of the eighteen, because they are all practices relied upon prior to the [ten] grounds. 2. The stage of the pure mind, which is the seventeenth, the station of realizing the path, because it is the stage relied upon by the non-deficient mind. 3. The stage of the Tathāgata, which is the eighteenth, the station of seeking the Buddha-stage above, because it is the stage relied upon when seeking the fruit of the Tathāgata. Although the sūtra is analyzed in three ways—extensive, condensed, [and middling]—here we temporarily analyze it according to the three stages, as practice arises based on stage and the broader subsumes the narrower. The stations of practice are generally divided into three stages. Within the stage of practice of faith, it is divided into four, which are the first four stations among the eight stations; for in each of the thirty minds of the stage of practice of faith, all four practices of generating the mind, cultivating practice, seeking the fruit, and separating from obstacles are invariably generated. According to Asaṅga, throughout the text of the eighteen stations, the three questions are answered in each station. According to Vasubandhu, the three questions are answered simply in three distinct passages, while all the rest resolve doubts. While the sūtra text is one, the treatises differ because within a single assembly, faculties have sharp and dull, inclinations have extensive and brief, practices have concentrated and scattered, and obstacles have attachments and doubts. Therefore the sacred teaching has simple and compound expressions, meanings horizontal and vertical, principles concealed and revealed, and remedies that refute or dispel. Hence these two treatises each rely on one perspective to elucidate, fully revealing the profound tenet without contradicting each other. Asaṅga's first station of generating the mind is precisely the text where Vasubandhu answers the question on abiding. It clearly explains the locus of abiding by means of four minds: 1. The mind of vast benefit, which means being able to take all sentient beings universally as object and arouse compassion, thinking to pull them out of suffering; because it is without selection, it is called equal grace. 2. The mind of foremost benefit, which means arousing loving-kindness, graciously granting them joy and causing them to attain the foremost joyful fruit of nirvāṇa; because it grants only this, it is called the grace of no further bestowal. 3. The mind of constant benefit, which departs from the marks of sentient beings and does not grasp at marks of delivering them, yet constantly rejoices over all sentient beings; because the mind is unattached, it is called the grace of good intention. 4. The mind of non-inverted benefit, which does not see the marks of self, person, sentient being, life-span, etc., has no mind abiding in marks, and has the mark of equal equanimity; because it is without false grasping, it is called true grace. Because these are precisely the stations where a bodhisattva should abide, he elucidates the four minds to answer the question on abiding. According to Asaṅga, this and the subsequent stations all reveal three meanings to answer the three [questions]. Regarding the three meanings: 1. The seven semantic clauses; 2. The eight stations; 3. The five meanings. As for the seven semantic clauses, their texts are as listed earlier. The first six are the tenet directly elucidated, while the seventh explains the title of the sūtra. This one semantic clause has already been revealed in the title. With regard to the first six, the first three are individually correlated with the sūtra text, and their semantic aspects have already been explained along with the text. The latter three are general meanings across all the stations, because all stations possess the grounds of the antidotes, of what is realized, and of what is relied upon. Regarding these latter three, 'antidote' reveals the mode of practice as what counteracts; 'non-loss' reveals the mode of practice as what realizes; these are precisely the dharmas to be abided in, cultivated, and pacified in all stations. 'Ground' is the distinct stage of these two dharmas and has no separate substance, not being separate from them. The antidote is twofold: first, wrong practice; second, right practice accompanied by views. If one gives rise to a thought: 'I am able to practice like this, practice like this,' this is termed wrong practice. Although the bodhisattva practices, he does not give rise to such thoughts. If it is said that to counteract this wrong practice, though one performs all practices, one does not make a mark of practicing, this is called the antidote to wrong practice. Although called right practice, it still possesses two views—namely, [thinking] one can thus practice without abiding; practicing without abiding together with a view is called right practice accompanied by views. To depart from this view, one should abide neither in the mark of practicing nor in that of non-practicing; this is called the antidote to right practice accompanied by views. If these two views exist, they obstruct the signless mind; though one performs all practices, they do not accord with prajñā. Therefore, in all stations one should abide in and cultivate this path of antidotes to pacify them. Non-loss means departing from the two extremes of exaggeration and deprecation. That is, all dharmas ultimately reduce to the two truths: first, conventional truth, which is nominally existent through causes and conditions; second, ultimate truth, which is empty because of lacking inherent nature. These two truths are not different in their essence. Because the conventional is identical with the ultimate, it is existent yet not existent; because the ultimate is identical with the conventional, it is empty yet not empty. Being neither existent nor empty is the middle way principle. If one grasps dharmas as existent, that is the extreme of exaggeration; if one grasps dharmas as non-existent, that is the extreme of deprecation. Departing from these two extremes is true prajñā. Therefore, in all stations one should abide in and cultivate the pacification of the two extremes, so that the mind does not lose the middle way. Next, regarding the eight stations, they have text and meaning as listed earlier. The first six are individually correlated with the sūtra text. The latter two stations are general meanings: 'vast' and 'profound' generally apply to all stations as the loci where one abides the mind, cultivates practice, and pacifies [the mind]. Delivering all sentient beings, cultivating all wholesome dharmas, and departing from all marks is called vast practice. Although one performs vast practice, one does not see any mark of an agent of practice; because one realizes the profound principle of true emptiness, one's practice is also profound, and is called profound practice. As for the latter five meanings: 1. The meaning of basis (āśraya-artha), which is the dharmas to be counteracted in the various stations; that is, the obstacles to abiding, cultivating, pacifying, and so forth. Only on the basis of what is severed are the counteracting practices of abiding the mind, cultivating, and pacifying spoken of; hence what is counteracted is called the meaning of basis. 2. The characteristics of exposition (ākhyāna-lakṣaṇa), which are all the texts and meanings within a single station that encompass what can and cannot be severed and realized, the meaning of basis, grasping, establishment, and manifestation; this is called the characteristics of what is expounded. 3. Grasping (parigraha), which is the aspiration and vow to abide the mind in the various stations. Whenever one wishes to cultivate practice, at first one gives rise to aspiration and vows; only then are the superior practices of cultivating and pacifying accomplished. That is, grasping the subsequent practices in order to give rise to them, and maintaining the subsequent practices so that they do not regress; hence aspiration and vows are also called grasping. 4. Establishment (saṃsthāna), which is the ultimate truth in the various stations. The inwardly realized true principle is called non-established. Now, because it is set forth by means of verbal exposition, tathatā is called established. 5. Manifestation (abhivyakti), which is the direct perception of concentration and wisdom corresponding to the signless cultivated in the various stations; because it clearly and distinctly realizes tathatā, it is called clear and distinct. Subduing the scattered mind is also subsumed by this, because it restrains it to abide just as with the jñeya object. Thus the first, the meaning of basis, is the obstacle to be severed; the fourth, establishment, is the principle to be realized; grasping and manifestation are the counteracting practices. The three previous questions only asked about the counteracting practices; they asked in terms of what is preeminent and asked by way of synecdoche. Therefore the Buddha had to answer extensively, fully clarifying all three kinds, wishing to reveal that when one of the three—severing obstacles, realizing principle, and cultivation—occurs, the others are necessarily present. The previous seven semantic clauses and eight stations generally reveal the loci of abiding, cultivating, and pacifying, while these specifically reveal the dharmas of severing, cultivating, and realizing; hence the five meanings are spoken of to answer the three questions. Since these three meanings pervade all the stations, here too these three meanings answer the three questions. Within this there are two parts: first, a general statement; second, a specific explanation. This text is the first. Here it should say that the bodhisattvas and others 'should thus abide and pacify their minds'; taking up the end subsumes the beginning, so it merely says 'pacify', meaning that they should thus abide their minds, etc., which is the first of the five meanings, the meaning of basis, because it displays the counteracted [dharma] of non-pacification, and so forth.