金剛般若經旨贊 2.17

2.17

Sūtra: 'Subhūti, […] are these many?' Praise says: Next is the sixth, departing from the characteristic of reflected images and lacking skillful means in sovereignty—the obstacle being the tenth among the eighteen: the abode of the practice corresponding to contemplating and breaking through the grasping of agglomeration in form and in the bodies of sentient beings. Within the comparison of material giving revealing the superiority of the sūtra, the third clarifies that the sūtra can remove afflictions, causing one to rely on the sūtra to initiate the practice of contemplative breakdown. Previously, he caused them to depart from the obstacle of delighting in external treatises, so that relying on the sūtra to receive and uphold it generates superior merit. However, one should realize the tathatā of twofold emptiness and initiate supernormal faculties to transform and guide the various kinds [of beings]. If one wishes to initiate superior supernormal faculties, one should contemplate the five aggregates as empty and nonexistent. When there are no obstructions, one is then able to manifest supernormal faculties. Because the physical body of the five aggregates is a reflected image of the mind, although it has conventional characteristics, its substance is not real. Yet bodhisattvas do not understand the emptiness of the aggregates and cling to them as truly existent—the composite characteristics of the aggregates. Once dharma-grasping arises, afflictions arise in its wake, producing various karmas and suffering various bitter fruits; hindered by this, they cannot manifest supernormal faculties. Since through this clinging they fail to attain skillfulness, this is the obstacle of lacking wisdom and skillful means. Now, in order to break through this obstacle of lacking skillful means and cause them to analytically contemplate the agglomerated characteristics of the five aggregates, he speaks of the fine dust particles in the world: the aggregates are a composite assemblage, just as the realm is an assemblage of dust particles; since dust and realm are both empty, how could the characteristics of the aggregates exist? Thus he cites dust particles and worlds to analogize the internal body, breaking through that grasping of agglomeration in the five aggregates. Since relying on the sūtra enables one to depart from afflictions, the previous verse said: 'That is a cause of habituating afflictions; / The sūtra can remove obstacles, so its merit is superior.' Therefore, bodhisattvas should rely on this sūtra to develop skillful wisdom, contemplate and break through the characteristics of grasping the agglomeration of the five aggregates, and manifest supernormal faculties. The word 'world' encompasses both the internal and the external: 'internal' refers to the bodily characteristics of sentient beings' five aggregates; 'external' refers to the characteristics of the physical vessel world of mountains and rivers. When the sūtra mentions the fine dust particles in the world, it has two intentions: first, as an analogy revealing that the merit of giving can produce many defilements, just as a realm gives rise to dust; second, for the contemplative breakdown of the bodily characteristics of sentient beings' internal composite aggregates. Since this text was spoken with two intentions, the commentators each clarify one meaning: Vasubandhu adopts the analogy to reveal the sūtra's name—his commentary says 'a cause of habituating afflictions'; Asaṅga takes the dharma to establish the name of the practice—'departing from the obstacle of lacking skillful means'. In the text there are three parts: first the question, next the answer, then the instruction. This is the first. Fine dust particles in the physical body and the world; giving is like the defiled dust produced in the world. Are the dust particles of these two realms many?