金剛般若經旨贊 2.125

2.125

Sūtra: “Subhūti, [...] is not called a bodhisattva.”
Commentary: The second part above, clarifying the ground of pure mind, is concluded. Next below, the third part reveals the Tathāgata ground, which is the abiding place of seeking the Buddha ground above among the eighteen, and the sixth abiding place of ultimate consummation among the eight. Previously he clarified the stage prior to the grounds and subsequent mind grounds; now he distinguishes the fruit qualities to cause them to aspire to and pursue them. That is, by presenting the six kinds of complete endowments of the Buddha body, he causes bodhisattvas on the ten grounds to seek above. In terms of the person who can seek, it is called the abiding place of seeking the Buddha ground above; in terms of the sought fruit, it is called ultimate consummation. The six endowments of the Tathāgata ground are arranged as before, collectively revealing the two clingings to the environment and the person in the Buddha-fruit. Because the Buddha-fruit necessarily possesses environmental and personal retribution, the first one is environmental retribution, and the latter five are personal retribution. In order to accomplish environmental retribution, he first clarifies the pure land. Among personal retributions, because the three actions must take knowledge as their guide, he first clarifies knowledge and vision. Among the three actions, because the body is the basis, he first clarifies its marks and signs. The marks are to express virtue, causing people to revere virtue and encounter the Buddha; the signs are to adorn the body, causing people to cherish, admire, and approach him. Among the superior means of benefiting others, he first clarifies the wondrous body, because marks are the basis of signs. Later, he reveals marks and speech, because they are superior in benefiting others. He clarifies the mind first, because it is the root of benefit. In order to explain what follows: first, the first endowment of land purification, which serves to eliminate the previous doubt about practice not achieving buddhahood, causing them to cultivate the practices for the complete land of the Buddha-fruit. In the text, there are four divisions: 1. Presenting the clinging to reveal what is amiss; 2. Querying the reason for it being amiss; 3. Directly revealing the adorned land; 4. Concluding with the true bodhisattva. This is the first part. If a bodhisattva seeks the environmental retribution of the Buddha-fruit, they should properly cultivate signless concentration and wisdom, eliminate those two clingings, and effect true adornment. If one says “I shall [adorn]...”, this is the clinging to a personal self; “adorn Buddha lands” is the clinging to a dharma self. Once the two clingings arise, one does not realize the real; that is, the mind is not pure. How could one adorn lands? One who says “I adorn” is not a bodhisattva. Therefore the preceding verse says: “And purifying Buddha lands: to generate such a thought is precisely an inversion.”