大方廣圓覺修多羅了義經 1.50

1.50

爾時，世尊告威德自在菩薩言：「善哉！善哉！善男子！汝等乃能為諸菩薩及末世眾生，問於如來如是方便。汝今諦聽！當為汝說。」時，威德自在菩薩奉教歡喜，及諸大眾默然而聽。

accord with enlightenment, thus causing bodhisattvas, their enlightened minds effulgent, to receive the Buddha’s perfect voice and gain excellent benefit without depending on practice. World-honored One, just as one may approach a great walled city, with four gates on the outside, from different directions without being limited to a single road, so all bodhisattvas’ adornment of their buddha lands as well as their realization of bodhi is not restricted to a single method. World-honored One, I pray that you will fully expound for us the gradual stages of all of the expedient methods together with all the different types of practitioners, so that the bodhisattvas gathered here as well as those sentient beings seeking the Great Vehicle in the final age may quickly develop their understanding and disport themselves in the Tathāgata’s great ocean of utter quiescence.” Having spoken these words, he prostrated himself fully. He made his request in this way three times in succession.

At that time the World-honored One addressed Mastery of Majestic Virtue Bodhisattva, saying, “Excellent! How excellent, son of good family, that, for the sake of bodhisattvas and sentient beings in the final age, you are thus able to inquire of the Tathāgata about such gradual stages. Now listen carefully to what I shall expound to you.” Then Mastery of Majestic Virtue Bodhisattva, delighted to receive the teaching, listened silently along with the great assembly.

“Son of good family, unsurpassed subtle enlightenment pervades all ten directions, produces Tathāgatas, and has the same essence as and is universally

equal with all dharmas. In reality there is no duality in regard to various

practices, but in accordance with expediency their number is without limit.

Fully encompassing the various inclinations of beings in accord with the dis-

tinctions in their natures, there are three general types.

[1] “Son of good family, if bodhisattvas have an insight into pure, perfect

enlightenment and, with their purely enlightened minds, take calming as their

practice, then, by letting their thoughts settle, they become aware of the agi-

tation of consciousness. When wisdom born of calmness is produced, the

objects of body and mind are accordingly extinguished forever, and then they

are able internally to generate tranquility and composure. Because of this tran-

quility, the mind of the Tathāgatas throughout the ten directions is manifest

within them as an image in a mirror. This expedient method is called śamatha.

[2] “Son of good family, if bodhisattvas have an insight into pure, per-

fect enlightenment and, with their purely enlightened mind, understand that

the nature of consciousness together with the senses and their objects are all

caused by illusory projections, then they will generate illusions in order to

remove what is illusory, and by transforming illusions they will enlighten

illusory beings. Because they generate illusions they are able internally to

develop great compassion and composure. All bodhisattvas will gradually

advance by following this practice of generating illusions. Because the view-

ing of illusions is not the same as the illusions, and because the viewing of

illusion is wholly an illusion, the characteristics of illusion are severed for-

ever. The subtle practice brought to perfection by those bodhisattvas is like

the earth germinating sprouts. This expedient method is called samāpatti.

[3] “Son of good family, if bodhisattvas have an insight into pure, per-

fect enlightenment and, with their purely enlightened minds, neither grasp

illusory projections nor the characteristic of calming, then they will clearly

understand that the body and mind are both obstructions. The illumination

that is without awareness does not depend on obstructions and attains for-

ever the sphere that goes beyond obstructions and non-obstructions. Freely