英語訳
[Right Page, Upper Section]
Question: When Bodhisattva Samantabhadra comes to this world, should he pay reverence to Tathāgata Prabhūtaratna?
Proceeding: The sutra shows no reverence. Regarding this, according to our school's position, the two Buddhas sit together, both present in the stupa. Why does he pay reverence to Śākyamuni but not to Prabhūtaratna? For this reason, other schools raise the difficulty: If Prabhūtaratna had not yet closed the stupa door, why doesn't Samantabhadra pay reverence to Prabhūtaratna? From this we know that the Entrustment Chapter is within the sutra. How should our school explain this?
Explanation: When Samantabhadra arrives, although he pays reverence to Śākyamuni, he does not pay reverence to Prabhūtaratna because the sutra text does not mention it. The actions of the great sage are not what ordinary beings can fathom. Why must we criticize this? Moreover, Śākyamuni is the teaching master while Prabhūtaratna is a guest Buddha. Honoring the host and setting aside the guest is not without reason. Other schools use the closing of the stupa as their reasoning, but this is not necessarily a serious difficulty. When the dragon girl came, although the two Buddhas sat together, she offered the precious jewel to Śākyamuni and did not make offerings to Prabhūtaratna. When Wonderous Sound arrived, other schools accept the closing of the door. Why would he pay reverence to both Buddhas? If one argues that although Wonderous Sound paid reverence to Prabhūtaratna Buddha's stupa, since reverence to the Buddha is not mentioned this serves as proof, then Samantabhadra also does not pay reverence to the Buddha's body and does not pay reverence to the stupa. If this serves as such proof, wouldn't it invite the same contradiction?
Question: In this chapter it says that people who accomplish the four dharmas obtain this sutra. How then should these four dharmas be assigned to the five stages of provisions, etc.? The Xuanzan assigns the four dharmas in order to provisions, preparation, path of seeing, and path of cultivation. Regarding this, the first is being protected and mindful by all Buddhas, and the fourth is generating the mind to save all sentient beings. These should broadly apply to all stages. Why say the first dharma is limited to the single stage of provisions and the fourth is in the path of cultivation of the ten grounds? Next, the second, planting roots of virtue, involves the dual cultivation of merit and wisdom - this most appropriately belongs to the stage of provisions. Why say it is in the preparatory stage? The third, entering the group of the correctly determined, also should not be limited to entering seeing and beyond. The Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra calls initial arousal of the aspiration "correctly determined group." The Yogācāra treatise broadly includes learners and post-learners. Therefore, from the desire for good dharma onward, how could this not be the learner stage?
[Right Page, Lower Section]
Explanation: The sutra explains four dharmas, and consequently there are four stages. Their numbers are adjacent - why not assign them accordingly? Moreover, that the correctly determined group is in the sage stage is already clarified in the fundamental treatise. Now assigning this to the beginning of the path of seeing, the power to save all sentient beings becomes increasingly superior and should be in the ten grounds. If the latter two dharmas correspond to the two paths of seeing and cultivation, how could the former two dharmas not be the two stages of provisions and preparation? The force of the objection is probably circuitous. The explanatory response does not require great labor. However, regarding the Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra's correctly determined group applying to initial arousal of aspiration, Master Puyangn has two explanations. First: the treatise applies to the three vehicles while the sutra is only for the great vehicle. The aspiration of the two vehicles often has regression - this is the first explanation. Second: when the sutra speaks of "arousal of aspiration," this is precisely the time of arousing the aspiration of realization at the first ground - this is the second explanation. Each has its reasoning. Next, although the correctly determined group explained in the fundamental treatise is not limited to the path of seeing, this sutra takes its beginning, as already established above. Next, the Abhidharma treatise applies to ordinary beings and takes the learner stage - this is originally a different establishment from the Yogācāra treatise.
The Xuanzan states: "First, being protected and mindful by all Buddhas; second, planting roots of many virtues; third, entering the correctly determined group - this is the determination of correct view; fourth, arousing the great compassionate mind to save and rescue sentient beings. The first is the provisions path's ability to hear and contemplate. The second is the preparatory path's ability to cultivate concentration and contemplation. The third is the path of seeing's ability to realize profound principle. The fourth is the path of cultivation's ability to cultivate and realize. This depends on each of these four stages being supreme. Also, externally surpassing Buddha's protection, internally cultivating roots of goodness, definitely not slandering, with compassion being vast - all being before the grounds, one can obtain both sutra teachings and principle. However, according to the Yogācāra, the correctly determined group necessarily enters the first ground. This explanation is not so."
[Left Page, Upper Section]
The Shechi states: "Regarding the commentary's 'However, according to Yogācāra the correctly determined group necessarily enters the first ground, etc.,' examining Yogācāra volume 100, it says: 'The group of wrong determination dharmas refers to the uninterrupted karma and cutting off roots of goodness. The group of correct determination dharmas refers to all dharmas possessed by learners and post-learners. The group of undetermined dharmas refers to the remaining non-learner, non-post-learner dharmas.' Question: Examining the Mahāprajñāpāramitā volume 394, it says: 'Whether initial arousal of aspiration, whether non-regression stage, whether final-body bodhisattvas, all dwell in the correctly determined group.' How can the treatise say that learners and post-learners are called correctly determined? Answer: Briefly providing two explanations. First: the treatise applies to the three vehicles while the sutra is only for the great vehicle. The aspiration of the two vehicles often has regression. Second: sutra and treatise are similar. When the sutra speaks of 'arousal of aspiration,' this is precisely the first ground's realization of arousal of aspiration. Therefore that sutra says: 'Bodhisattvas dwelling in correct determination no longer fall into the three evil paths and eight difficulties. They obtain the permanent non-birth from the three evil paths and eight difficulties. Because of entering seeing' - further consideration."
The Mirror Water Commentary states: "Saying 'However, according to Yogācāra correct determination, etc.' is the commentary master's citing as proof. From the correct position, the correctly determined group necessarily enters the first ground. Saying 'this explanation is not so' breaks with the ancient masters. Because they assign the four stages generally to before the grounds, it says 'this explanation is not so.'"
[Left Page, Lower Section]
Question: Regarding the meaning of Samantabhadra practitioners repenting karmic obstacles and seeing Bodhisattva Samantabhadra, should there be a category of those who see Samantabhadra through seven days of practice? Considering both sides: If there is no such category, since practitioners have different capacities and the excellence or inferiority of repentance is differentiated, why would there be no people who see the great being through seven days of cultivating causes? Based on this, in some sutras it mentions seeing Avalokiteśvara through seven days of practice. Following this example, it should be so. Therefore the Xuanzan says "initially seeing the inferior body is possible in seven days," and Zizhou says "Tathāgata and Samantabhadra, perhaps in one to twenty-one days." If following this, then in the Samantabhadra Sūtra five different grades are presented. Among these, seeing Samantabhadra in twenty-one days is taken as the extremely swift category. Moreover, in this chapter it says "After completing twenty-one days, I shall ride the six-tusked white elephant and appear before that person." This presents one category of swiftly seeing Samantabhadra.
Explanation: Seeing Samantabhadra's form body through practicing the five grades is not only in this sutra but also appears in the Samantabhadra Sūtra's explanation. Both sutras speak of seeing Samantabhadra after completing twenty-one days. This is indeed the superior grade of swift people. What other separate grade could there be? However, the Xuanzan's "initially seeing the inferior body is possible in seven days" refers to first seeing the inferior body before those twenty-one days. The five grades equally see the superior body. The superior body is the body described in the Samantabhadra Sūtra riding the great elephant of 450 yojanas. The inferior body does not reach that body's measurements and characteristics, gradually appearing before practitioners in the preliminary expedient means. Among practitioners' stages there should also be superior and inferior. The Lotus Sutra and Samantabhadra Sūtra take the four roots of goodness as sutra maintainers. That expedient means should be the provisions stage. Therefore, the meaning of the existing explanation that the Xuanzan refutes is that superior diligent people in one [seven-day period]...