金剛般若經旨贊 2.155

2.155

Sūtra: “Subhūti […] fully possessing the physical body?”

Praise: Next below, third, the endowment of the body with minor marks reveals the sixteenth doubt, [namely] the doubt that the marks and minor marks accord with the Buddha. It causes one to cultivate the perfection of the Buddha-body's bodily karma. Earlier, having trained in the Buddha's adornment and purification of the Buddha-land and cultivated superior wisdom-and-insight to illuminate principle and phenomena, one next adorns all the marks and minor marks of the Buddha. Yet the Buddha's marks and minor marks arise from the Dharmakāya; true virtues are boundless, and the marks and minor marks are unlimited, all pervading the Dharma realm like the true essence. Due to this, it is called the endowment with marks and minor marks. Therefore, it is said that if one does not achieve a body with immeasurable forms and so forth, one should contemplate the Dharmakāya; if the essential body is achieved, the marks and minor marks will also be accomplished. However, when emerging from contemplation, all bodhisattvas harbor grasping minds, and according to the marks and minor marks seen in their stages of practice, they grasp them as fixed and real. Once the true essence has been shown, they conversely give rise to doubts, thinking: “Since it is said that the Buddha takes his name from the unconditioned, how do the Buddhas accomplish marks and minor marks? Since they accomplish marks and minor marks, they should not be unconditioned. If the Buddha is unconditioned, then the marks and minor marks are not the Buddha. Why should one seek the marks and minor marks to contemplate the Dharmakāya?” Because they do not contemplate the truth, although they cultivate, they are not fully endowed; because they harbor doubt, they subsequently do not cultivate the marks and minor marks. Now, wishing to reveal their minds of doubt and grasping and cause them to contemplate the Dharmakāya, accomplish the essence of the marks and minor marks, and attain the true essence—whereupon the marks and minor marks will naturally [appear]—therefore [the sūtra] reveals that one does not see the Buddha by means of the marks and minor marks. Asaṅga, in terms of cultivating and training through the true essence, terms this “endowment with marks and minor marks”; Vasubandhu, with respect to clearing away doubt and seeking above, terms this “revealing the doubt that the marks and minor marks are not the Buddha.” Vasubandhu, because both are bodily karma, combines them to reveal the doubt; Asaṅga, because the major marks and minor marks differ, thereby divides them into two endowments. Here within the minor marks, the text is divided into four: question, answer, interrogation, and explanation. The intent of the initial question is: wishing to be endowed with the minor marks, one should contemplate the Dharmakāya. As the Dharmakāya mind follows along, is it seen as a physical body endowed with minor marks of the nirmitakāya? The answer and interrogation can be seen; there is no need to raise them again. The intent of the explanation says: as for the minor marks of the nirmitakāya stated by the Tathāgata being considered the endowment of the Buddha-way body, they are merely seen with a scattered mind according to that stage, which is not the Dharmakāya. The physical body endowed with minor marks arisen from the nature-virtues [numerous as] the sands of the Ganges—if one can contemplate the Buddha's Dharmakāya apart from signs, that which accomplishes the true, complete minor marks is then called the physical body that is fully endowed. Although both major and minor marks are physical bodies, assigning the minor marks to the physical body is using a general name for specific virtues, just like the form-sense-base (rūpāyatana): because it is not clearly delineated, it is merely named “form”; just as the [other] four aggregates are not expressive, they are merely called by general names, this should also be understood in the same way.