論釋第五
Chapter 5: Commentary
婆羅頗密多三藏云。西國相。傳龍樹從龍宮。將經出已。遂造大不思議論。亦十萬頌。釋此經既冥機未啟。不測其指歸也。
The Tripitaka master Boluopomiduo said: In the Western Lands, it is passed down that after Nagarjuna brought the sutras out of the Dragon Palace, he composed the "Great Treatise on the Inconceivable," which also has one hundred thousand verses. His commentary on this sutra explained its profound meaning, yet as the subtle essence was not yet revealed, no one could fathom its ultimate intent.
十住毘婆沙論一十六卷 龍樹所造。釋十地品義。後秦耶舍三藏。口誦其文。共羅什法師譯出。釋十地品。內至第二地餘文。以耶舍不誦。遂闕解釋。相傳其論。是大不思議論中一分也。
A Treatise on the Ten Grounds, in sixteen scrolls, composed by Nāgārjuna. It elucidates the meaning of the Ten Grounds Chapter. The Tripiṭaka master Yaśas of the Later Qin dynasty orally recited the text, and together with Dharma Master Kumārajīva, translated it. Their commentary on the Ten Grounds Chapter, however, stops at the end of the second ground, lacking further explanation because Yaśas did not recite the remaining sections. It is traditionally considered that this treatise is one part of a larger, unproduced Great Treatise on Inconceivable [Liberation].
十住論一十卷 龍樹所造。後秦弘始年中羅什法師譯。
Ten Stages Treatise, Ten Scrolls. Composed by Nagarjuna. Translated by Master Kumarajiva in the Hongshi era of the Later Qin dynasty.
十地論一十二卷 婆藪般豆菩薩。此云天親。於山中釋十地品。疊本經文。依次消解。菩薩初造論成。感經放光明山振地動。其國主臣民。俱來慶賀。歎為希有瑞也。
The *Treatise on the Ten Grounds* (Daśabhūmika Śāstra), in twelve scrolls, was composed by the bodhisattva Vasubandhu, also known in translation as "Heavenly Kinsman." He explained the *Ten Grounds* chapter of the Avatamsaka Sutra while dwelling in the mountains, following the sutra’s original text and clarifying it passage by passage.
When the bodhisattva first completed the treatise, it moved the sutra’s light to shine forth from the mountain, and the earth trembled. The king, his ministers, and the people all came to offer congratulations, marveling that such a rare and auspicious event had occurred.
廣如本傳。至後魏。有北天竺三藏菩提留支。魏云希覺。來此翻譯。初譯之日。宣武皇帝親自筆受一日。又曰。中天竺三藏。勒那摩提。魏云寶意。來此共流支。於洛水南北。各譯一本。其後僧統慧光。請二賢。對詳挍同異。參成一本。又別傳云。天親造華嚴經論既未獲具本。此十地或是。隨得翻之。又云。無著菩薩往來都率。彌勒菩薩教以華嚴等經。自彼宣流。亦其力也。近問西來三藏梵僧。皆云。金剛軍菩薩。造十地釋論。有一萬二千頌。翻可成三十餘卷。又堅慧菩薩。亦造略釋。竝未傳此土。于闐國見有其本。實叉歸日。已附信索。如得亦擬翻出。又瑜伽菩薩地中住品內。廣寫此經十地品文。次第兼釋。良以此經三賢十聖位分最廣。既為諸部龜鏡。是以造釋者非一耳。
The full account is as recorded in the main biography. During the Later Wei dynasty, the Tripitaka master from Northern India, Bodhiruci (known in Wei as "Xijue"—meaning "Rare Enlightenment"), came to translate scriptures. On the day he began translating, Emperor Xuanwu personally transcribed the text.
There is also a record that a Tripitaka master from Central India, Ratnamati (known in Wei as "Baoyi"—meaning "Precious Intention"), arrived and, together with Bodhiruci, produced separate translations—one on the north bank of the Luo River and another on the south. Later, the monk official Huiguang invited both masters to compare their versions, resolve discrepancies, and merge them into a single text.
Another tradition states that Vasubandhu composed a commentary on the Avatamsaka Sutra but never obtained the complete text. The "Ten Grounds" (Dashabhumi) chapter may have been translated from whatever portions were available. It is also said that Asanga, while frequently visiting the Tushita Heaven, received instruction on the Avatamsaka and other sutras from Maitreya Bodhisattva. The dissemination of these teachings through Asanga was thus largely due to Maitreya’s inspiration.
Recently, when asked, some Indian Tripitaka masters who came from the West stated that the Bodhisattva Vajrasena composed a commentary on the Ten Grounds in 12,000 verses, which would fill over thirty volumes when translated. Another Bodhisattva, Sthiramati, also composed an abbreviated commentary. However, neither of these works has yet reached China—they exist as manuscripts in the kingdom of Khotan. When the translator Shikshananda returned, he sent a letter requesting these texts, and if they are obtained, we will translate them as well.
Furthermore, within the Bodhisattva Bhumi section of the Yoga Shastra, there is an extensive presentation of the Ten Grounds chapter of this sutra, with sequential commentary. This is because this sutra covers in the greatest detail the stages of the Three Wise (Shravaka) and Ten Holy (Bodhisattva) positions. Since it serves as the mirror and guide for all texts, it has naturally been the subject of a multitude of commentaries.
華嚴論六百卷 昔北齊大和初年。第三王子。於清涼山。求文殊師利菩薩。燒身供養。其王子有閹官劉謙之。既自慨形餘。又覩王子焚軀之事。乃奏乞入山修道。有勅許焉。遂齎此經一部。晝夜精懃。禮懺讀誦并心祈妙德。以希冥祐。絕粒飲水。垂三七日。形氣雖微而丹抱彌著。忽感髮鬢盡生復丈夫相。神彩超悟。洞斯幽指。於是覃思研精。爰造前論。始終綸綜。還以奏聞。高祖信敬由來。更增常日。華嚴一經於斯轉盛。
Among the many commentaries on the *Avatamsaka Sutra*, the *Huayan Lun* in six hundred fascicles was composed under the following circumstances:
In the first year of the Dahe era of the Northern Qi dynasty, the third prince went to Mount Qingliang to seek the bodhisattva Mañjuśrī. There he burned his own body as an offering. A eunuch named Liu Qianzhi, who had accompanied the prince, lamented his own incomplete physical form. Witnessing the prince’s act of self-immolation, he petitioned the emperor for permission to enter the mountains and pursue the Way. His request was granted.
He took with him a copy of the *Avatamsaka Sutra* and devoted himself with unwavering diligence day and night, practicing repentance, recitation, and sincere prayer to the magnificent and virtuous Mañjuśrī, hoping for invisible aid. He abstained from food, drinking only water, for nearly twenty-one days. Though his body grew weak, his earnest aspiration only intensified. Suddenly, his hair and beard regrew completely, and he once again took on the full appearance of a man. His spiritual radiance and understanding surpassed the ordinary, penetrating the subtle meaning of the sutra.
Reflecting deeply and studying with great precision, he then composed the aforementioned commentary. He carefully wove together all essential points from beginning to end and eventually presented his work to the emperor. The emperor, who had long been devoted to the faith, grew even more devout than before. As a result, the *Avatamsaka Sutra* flourished ever more widely.
隋淨影寺慧遠法師。晚年造此經疏。至廻向品。忽覺心痛。視之乃見當心毛孔流血外現。又夢。持鎌登大山。次第芟剪。至半力竭。不復能起。覺已謂門人曰。吾夢此疏必不成。於是而止。相州休法師。聽華嚴五十餘遍。研諷文理。轉加昏漠。乃自喻曰。斯固上聖至言。豈下凡所抑度哉。詳二賢博贍。宏富振古罕儔。於此陶埏。莫能窮照。而謙之尋閱。未盡數旬。注茲鴻論。何其壯哉。蓋是大聖冥傳。不足多怪。案此經菩薩住處品云。東北有菩薩住處。名清涼山。現有菩薩。名文殊師利。與一萬菩薩。常住說法。故今此山下。有清涼府。山之南面小峯。有清涼寺。一名五臺山。以五山最高其上竝不生林木。事同積土故。謂之臺也。山周迴四百餘里。東連恒岳。中臺上有大華池。湛然清徹。蒸多徵感。又有精屋石塔。北臺上有鐵浮圖二并舍利。及文殊形像。中臺東南下三十餘里。有大浮寺。漢明所立。既年代久遠荒涼彌甚。遺基餘趾。尚能可識。中有東西二堂。像設存焉。前在華薗二三頃。綺繢交錯。百種千名。爛同舒錦。赫如霞照。至於超常絕聽之類。世所希聞者。至七月十五日。萬品齊發。次北八九里。是前王子捨身之地。現有表塔。昔北齊之日。大敝玄門。於此山中。置伽藍二百餘所。又割恒定等八洲之稅。以供山眾衣藥之資焉。今神居寶地。往往而在。案別傳云。文殊師利菩薩。常於彼講華嚴經故。自古以來迄乎唐運。西域梵僧。時有不遠數萬里。而就茲頂謁者。及此土道俗。亦塵軌相接。或遇神僧聖眾。仙閣珍臺。靈光暐曄。妙香芬馥。空鐘自響。寶偈遙聞。倏忽俄頃。抑揚千變。如清涼山記具之。山去京一千六百里代州之界。然地居邊壤。特甚寒烈。故四月已前。七月以後。堅氷積雪。暠皓彌布。自非盛夏之日。無由登踐。勗哉懷道之士。可不庶幾一往乎。
Master Huiyuan of the Jingying Temple in the Sui Dynasty composed a commentary on this sutra in his later years. When he reached the chapter on Dedication of Merits, he suddenly felt a pain in his heart and saw blood seeping from his pores in that area. He also dreamed of climbing a great mountain with a scythe, cutting away vegetation step by step until he exhausted himself halfway and could no longer continue. Upon waking, he told his disciples, "My dream indicates that this commentary will never be completed." And so he stopped. Master Xiu of Xiangzhou listened to the Avatamsaka Sutra over fifty times, but his study and recitation left him increasingly confused. He reflected, "This is indeed the supreme sacred teaching, how could a lowly ordinary person presume to fathom it?"
Given the profound erudition of these two masters—both rare talents even in ancient times—they could not fully illuminate the truth when trying to refine it. Yet their humility in searching and examining did not cover even a few decades. To write such a grand commentary is truly remarkable. Perhaps it was secretly transmitted by the great sage, so no wonder it seems extraordinary.
According to the chapter on the Abodes of Bodhisattvas in this sutra, in the northeast there is a residence of bodhisattvas called Mount Qingliang (Cool Mountain). There resides the bodhisattva Manjushri, who constantly teaches the Dharma together with ten thousand bodhisattvas. Hence, at the foot of this mountain today, there is Qingliang Prefecture. On a small peak to the south of the mountain stands Qingliang Temple. It is also known as Mount Wutai (Five-Terrace Mountain), because its five peaks are the highest and have no trees growing on them, resembling piled-up earth. The mountain spans over four hundred *li* in circumference, extending east to Mount Heng.
On the central peak, there is a large lotus pond, clear and pristine, often associated with miraculous responses. There are also refined huts and a stone pagoda. The northern peak features two iron stupas containing relics and an image of Manjushri. About thirty *li* southeast of the central peak lies Dafu Temple, established by Emperor Ming of the Han Dynasty. Since it's very old and desolate, only foundations and remnants remain, barely recognizable. It contains two halls, east and west, with statues still present. In front, there are two or three acres of flower gardens, woven with exquisite colors—hundreds of varieties and thousands of names—shining like spread brocade, brilliant as rosy clouds.
As for extraordinary and rare things seldom heard of in the world, on the fifteenth day of the seventh lunar month, countless varieties bloom together. About eight or nine *li* further north lies the site where a prince once sacrificed his life; a commemorative pagoda still stands there. During the Northern Qi Dynasty, the esoteric teachings flourished greatly, and over two hundred monasteries were built in these mountains. Taxes from eight prefectures, including Heng and Ding, were allocated to fund the monks' clothing and medicine.
Even now, divine dwellings and sacred grounds remain everywhere. According to a supplementary biography, Bodhisattva Manjushri often expounds the Avatamsaka Sutra there. Therefore, from ancient times through the Tang Dynasty, Indian monks sometimes traveled tens of thousands of *li* to pay homage atop that peak. Monastics and laypeople of this land also journeyed continuously. Some encountered divine monks and holy assemblies, celestial pavilions and jeweled terraces, brilliant spiritual lights, subtle fragrances, self-sounding empty bells, and distant recitations of sacred verses—all appearing or vanishing in an instant, with infinite variations, as recorded in the *Qingliang Mountain Chronicle*.
Mount Qingliang is located in Daizhou, 1,600 *li* from the capital. Since it lies on the frontier, it is exceptionally cold. Before the fourth month and after the seventh month, solid ice and accumulated snow cover the area extensively. Unless it is midsummer, there is no way to climb it. Aspiring truth-seekers, should you not make every effort to go there at least once?
華嚴論一百卷 後魏沙門釋靈辨所造也。法師大原晉陽人也。宿植妙因。久種勝善。幼而入道。長而拔俗。常讀大乘經。留心菩薩行。及見華嚴。偏加昧甞。乃頂戴此經。入清涼山清涼寺。求文殊師利菩薩哀護攝受。冀於此經義解開發。則頂戴行道。遂歷一年。足破血流。肉盡骨現。又膝步懇策。誓希冥感。遂聞。一人謂之曰。汝止行道。思惟此經。於是披卷。豁然大悟。時後魏熙平元年歲。次大梁正月。起筆於清涼寺。敬造華嚴論。演義釋文窮微洞奧。至二年初徙。居玄兌山嵩巖寺。注釋同前。時孝明帝靈大后胡氏。重道欽人。旨請就闕。法師辭疾。未見至夏首。重命固請。既辭不獲免。至十六日。進入東柏堂。尋遷式乾殿。後居徽音殿。緝論無輟。至神龜元年夏。詔曰。大法弘廣敷演待人。今徽音殿修論法師靈辨。德器淵雅。早傳令聞。可延屈趣宣光殿。講大品般若。於是四部交歡。十方延慶。講訖勅侍中大傅清河王允懌。安置法師式乾殿樓上。準前修論。夏則講華嚴。冬則講大品。法師與弟子靈源。候時緝綴。忘寢與食。神龜三年秋九月。其功乃畢。略經廣論。凡一百卷。首尾五年。成就十帙。後屬時多疊。法音中歇。法師息講全真。避時養道。以正光三年正月八日。在融覺寺。遷神化往。時年四十有六。於是孝明皇帝勅曰。其論是此土菩薩所造。付一切經藏。則上目錄。分布流行。弟子道昶．靈源．曇現等。慨先師夙逝。痛靈藉之將掩。乃與清信君子。敬寫淨本。流布道俗。此論雖盛傳汾晉。未流京洛。長安碩德每有延望。永淳二年。有至相寺沙門。釋通賢及居士玄爽房玄德寺。竝業此經。留心讚仰。遂結志同遊。詣清涼山。祈禮文殊聖者。因至并州童子寺。見此論本。乃慇懃固請。方蒙傳授。持至京師。帝輦髦彥。莫不驚挊。遂繕寫流通焉。
The *Huayan Treatise* in one hundred scrolls was composed by the Śramaṇa Shi Lingbian of the Later Wei dynasty. The Dharma Master was a native of Jinyang in Taiyuan. Having deeply planted excellent roots and long cultivated superior virtue, he entered the path of cultivation in his youth and transcended worldly life as he matured. He constantly recited Mahayana scriptures and devoted his mind to the practices of the Bodhisattva path. Upon encountering the *Huayan Sutra*, he developed a particular fondness for it and began to taste it deeply. Donning the sutra on his head, he entered Mount Qingliang’s Qingliang Temple, seeking the compassionate protection and guidance of Mañjuśrī Bodhisattva, hoping to gain insight into the meaning of this scripture. He practiced walking meditation while carrying the sutra for a full year. His feet split open and bled, his flesh wore away until his bones showed, and he knelt and crawled, urging himself on with utmost effort, vowing to gain profound spiritual response. Then he heard someone say to him, "Stop walking and contemplate this sutra instead." So he opened the scroll and experienced a great awakening.
This occurred in the first year of the Xiping era of the Later Wei dynasty (516 CE), in the first month, at Qingliang Temple, where he respectfully began composing the *Huayan Treatise*. He expounded the meaning, explained the text, delved into the subtle, and penetrated the profundity. By the beginning of the second year, he moved to the Songyan Temple on Mount Xuanzhen and continued his annotations in the same manner. At that time, Empress Dowager Hu, mother of Emperor Xiaoming, revered the Dharma and admired the man. She issued an imperial summons inviting him to the capital. The Dharma Master declined on grounds of illness and did not go. In early summer, he was again summoned with earnest insistence. Unable to refuse, he entered the Eastern Cypress Hall on the sixteenth day, later moved to the Shigan Hall, and afterwards resided at the Huiyin Hall, where he continued compiling the treatise without pause.
In the summer of the first year of the Shengui era, an imperial edict proclaimed, "The vast and expansive Dharma requires capable people to expound it. The Dharma Master Lingbian, currently composing the treatise at Huiyin Hall, possesses profound virtue and a refined character, and his excellent reputation has long been known. Extend invitations to him to come to the Xuanguang Hall and deliver lectures on the *Greater Perfection of Wisdom Sutra*." Thus, the four assemblies rejoiced, and the ten directions celebrated. After the lectures, the emperor commanded his chief minister and prince, Yuanyi, to arrange for the Dharma Master to reside upstairs at the Shigan Hall to continue his work on the treatise as before. In summer, he taught the *Huayan Sutra*; in winter, he taught the *Greater Perfection of Wisdom*. The Dharma Master and his disciple Lingyuan ceaselessly compiled and edited, forgetting sleep and food.
In the autumn of the third year of the Shengui era (520 CE), the work was completed. A concise summary of the sutra's vast teachings was produced in one hundred scrolls, spanning a total of five years and forming ten bundles. Later, during a time of turmoil, the voice of Dharma was silenced. The Dharma Master ceased his lectures, preserved his integrity, and withdrew from the world to nurture the path. On the eighth day of the first month of the first year of the Zhengguang era, he passed away at Rongjue Temple at the age of forty-six. Emperor Xiaoming then issued an edict stating, "Since this treatise was composed by a Bodhisattva of this land, it shall be placed in the complete canon of scriptures, entered into the catalogue, and distributed far and wide."
His disciples Daochang, Lingyuan, and Tanxian, lamenting their teacher’s untimely death and grieving that his spiritual legacy might be obscured, joined with pure-hearted laypeople to respectfully copy a clean edition for circulation among monastics and laity. Although the treatise flourished in the Fen and Jin regions, it had not yet spread to the capital Luoyang. Elderly monks in Chang’an had long hoped to see it. In the second year of the Yongchun era (683 CE), a monk from Xiangxiang Temple named Śramaṇa Tongxian, together with lay practitioners Xuan Shuang and Fang Xuande, were similarly devoted to this sutra. They earnestly studied and praised it. Uniting in purpose, they travelled together to Mount Qingliang to pay homage to the holy Mañjuśrī. While passing by Tongzi Temple in Bingzhou, they encountered the original text of this treatise. After fervent and persistent requests, they were finally granted the transmission. They brought it back to the capital, where it astonished the wise and talented people of the imperial court. Subsequently, it was copied and circulated widely.
華嚴經傳記卷第一
Biography of the Avatamsaka Sutra, Volume 1
文永十二年乙亥正月中旬之候。為聽聞五教章三十講。暫拪息栂尾高山寺之處。自彼寺住侶惠日房辨清之手。借得華嚴傳五卷點本之間。喜悅銘肝之餘。下向南都之後。誂能書之輩令書寫。此傳之內。當卷者。表誂中川玄蓮房。裏託春日山麓四恩院願忍房覺玄。令書寫之彼院家院主如圓房朝海令付假名并指姓等。此假名姓裏書者。土御門大納言入道顯定卿之所記錄也。即以彼禪門自筆點本寫之可為無雙之證本也而已。
文永十二年也。
This occurred in the twelfth year of the Bun'ei era.
建治元年乙亥五月二十六日未時於當院尊勝院新彌勒堂。合寫本等奉讀之畢。前權僧正宗性。聽眾。良曉得業。慶實法師。賢性法師。談義之後。即於當院家新學問所。為後覽記之。古筆華嚴宗未學愚老僧宗性。年齡七十四。夏[萉-巴+(日/(句-口+匕))]六十二。
抑此料紙者去文永三年之曆暮九月之候。後嵯峨天皇所降賜也。不慮之朝恩。面目頓餘身之間。漸漸取出之。以寫如此要書。以資前院之御菩提。以祈法皇之御得脫。冥眾必垂哀愍。所願畢得成就矣。