華嚴經疏 1.8

1.8

From here below, the third [part] concludes the request, within which there are two lines: first, requesting [him] to expound relying on the Buddha's power; next, praising the assembly for being capable of realizing and knowing [it]. In the second verse, the first verse presents the Dharma to request [its expounding]: the first half presents the Dharma and aspires for it to be expounded; the second half clarifies that expounding it is beneficial. The subsequent verse praises the sentient beings and makes the request: the first half verses the purity of the āgama, and the second half verses the purity of realization, as is evident. In the third request, there are two parts: first, clarifying that Vajragarbha presents the drawbacks in declining [to speak]; next, clarifying that Vimukticandra praises the benefits in repeating the request. In the former, there are two parts: first prose, and next verse. In the former [prose], there are two parts: first, receiving what was praised previously, he adduces virtues alongside faults, hence saying "although"; second, from "As for the rest who take pleasure in the lesser..." onward, he adduces the drawbacks in declining. Within this there are three lines: first, the drawback of altering the good; second, from "these persons..." onward, the drawback of losing joy—alternatively, the former constitutes the cause of suffering, and the latter incurs the fruit of suffering; third, from "I, out of compassion..." onward, concludes his intention in remaining silent. Furthermore, pointing to those lesser assemblies in other places at a later time as "the rest" means they are not in this assembly—there are no such lesser assemblies [here]. Moreover, these are individuals of indeterminate lineage prior to the grounds; because they cannot exclusively cultivate the bodhisattva path, they are said to "take pleasure in the lesser." In the śāstra's explanation, within the three lines, it first explains the intention in remaining silent: namely, not seeing sentient beings who take pleasure in the lesser as vessels for this Dharma; because they are not vessels for the Dharma, hearing it would increase their doubts and perplexities. Second, it explains the former first line: within it, doubts obstructing right practice and the mind being confused about the meaning refer to delusion obstructing understanding. Next, it reveals the faults: namely, because there is doubt, destroying what was previously cultivated is called "ruining wholesome dharmas"; because there is delusion, not practicing at all is called "keeping distant from wholesome dharmas." From "like this..." onward, it explains the second line: because of doubt, one does not accept right practice; because of delusion, one accepts retrograde practice. Taking this as cause, one thereby experiences the long night of saṃsāra, transmigrating without joy; hence it is "ruin." Having suffering, it is therefore "affliction." In the two verses, there are two parts: the first one and a half verses verse the previous receipt of the objection: namely, faith following the āgama is steadfast, like Mount Sumeru; the mind stabilized in realizing the principle is unperturbed, like the ocean. The latter one and a half verses verse the previous adducing of drawbacks in declining: within this, the first four lines verse the drawback of ruining the good. The sūtra says: grasping characteristics is called consciousness; not grasping characteristics is wisdom. Furthermore, conceptual discrimination is called consciousness, because it grasps the meaning following words; non-discrimination is called wisdom, because it deeply understands the Dharma of words. The next line verses ruin, affliction, and so on; the final line verses the intention in remaining silent, as is evident. In the second [part], Vimukticandra's request, there are two parts: namely prose and verse. In the former, there are also two parts: first the proper request, and next concluding the request. In the former, there are three parts: first, from "Aspiring to rely on the power..." onward, generally encouraging the exposition, overturning the previous intention in remaining silent; second, from "protected and kept in mind by the Buddhas..." onward, clarifying that through the Buddha's power people are caused to have faith and understanding, overturning the previous doubt and perplexity; third, from "all bodhisattvas..." onward, clarifying that the dharmas of the grounds are essential and supreme, so expounding them is bound to have many benefits, overturning the previous ruin and affliction. In the first part, encouraging him to expound relying on the power clarifies that the great assembly, relying on the power, is capable of hearing [it]. "Skillfully distinguishing" causes him to expound in accordance with the principle. "Inconceivable dharmas" clarifies that regarding this dharma of the grounds, even hearing it due to slander still protects and brings benefit, so it is difficult to conceive. In the second passage, there are two parts: first the presentation and next the explanation. In the presentation, it clarifies that although this dharma of the grounds is inconceivable, the empowerment and protection of the Buddha's power will surely cause it to be easily believed. In the explanation, the reason for naming this dharma of the grounds a matter protected and kept in mind by the Buddhas is explained: in the worlds of the ten directions, the ten grounds are expounded together, and all Buddhas of the ten directions naturally protect and keep them in mind, as in the additional section above, and so on. In the third passage, there are four parts: first, establishing the thesis: namely, because all bodhisattvas protect and maintain such matters of the ten grounds, they strive with diligence, as below with the corroborations by those from other directions, and so on; second, providing the reason—why do bodhisattvas together protect this Dharma? Because it is the supreme practice of the bodhisattvas; "supreme" means foremost, and foremost means the beginning, which the śāstra-sūtra calls the "initial practice," because it is the practice of āgama; "because it leads to all buddhadharmas" is because it is the practice of realization. Third, in adducing the analogy, the "first chapter" refers to the Siddhaṃ alphabet, the initial twelve vowels such as a, ā, or adding ṛ, ṝ, and so on to make fourteen vowels, which are the affixes of letters, serving as the verbal roots, as well as the thirty-four consonants such as ka, kha, and so on; by adding the vowels to the consonants, all names, phrases, and syllables are generated; therefore it is said that the first chapter is the root. However, all these syllables thus generated are never apart from the original first chapter; therefore it is said that "they are all subsumed under the first chapter." Fourth, from "like this..." onward, the application and conclusion: namely, the ten grounds correspond to the first chapter; all buddhadharmas correspond to all syllables. Up to this point, the request is completed. Second, from "therefore..." onward, concluding the request is evident. In the śāstra, why does it repeat the request again? Having previously repeated the request, here it repeats it yet again, hence it is called "repeating again." Doubts are of two kinds: first, indeterminate ones, which can be averted; second, determinate ones, which cannot be averted. Speaking here in terms of the determinate, it is therefore said that they "cannot be averted." That not speaking has many faults comprises, in brief, four faults: first, sentient beings with indeterminate doubt cannot be transformed so as to achieve faith and understanding; second, those who have already achieved faith and understanding cannot accomplish the practice of āgama; third, those who have accomplished the practice of āgama cannot enter into realization; fourth, those who have entered into realization cannot attain the buddhadharmas. Having these four defects, it is therefore said there are "many faults." "Not accomplishing all buddhadharmas" means that all the above four are not accomplished. Below, in resolving the doubt, it first asks: the Buddhas have the power to cause faith to arise; why would there still arise the intention to slander? This is asked on the basis of the aforementioned "cannot be averted." Below, in the explanation, because sentient beings have two kinds of determinacy, they cannot be averted: having increasingly created determinate karma, the retribution must be experienced, which is called determinacy in experiencing retribution; past sins perfuming the mind, causing evil necessarily to be created, is called determinacy in creating karma. Even with the Buddha's sovereignty, desiring to alter or lack conditions for those two determinacies so as to make them unaccomplished is ultimately impossible. The Mahāyānasaṃgraha says: