入道方便門第十
Gateway to the Path, Chapter 10
作入道緣起要有三義。一識病。二揀境。三定智。初中有二。一麁謂求名利等。二細存見趣理等。二揀境中二。一對境。謂情謂之境在邊等。二真境有二。一三乘境。謂空有不二融通等。二一乘境。謂共盡緣起具德圓融等。三定智中亦二。一解謂能生正解。仍解知解行別者是也。二行謂不如所解。以解不能至故。無分別心行順法妄情等。又此行依解成。亦行現前其解必絕。又約境。以三空亂意揀之。約行以無分別智互相揀之。其義即見。又入道方便略作四門。一懺除宿障門。二發菩提心門。三受菩薩戒門。四造修勝行門。造修勝行有二途。一始二終。初中有三門。一捨緣門。二隨緣門。三成行門。初中有六重。一捨作惡業。二捨親眷屬。若出家捨門徒及生緣眷屬。三捨名聞利養。四捨身命。五捨心念。六捨。此捨令絕能所無寄故。二隨緣門者。有四重。一還隨前六事而守心不染。二凡於一切堪情下至微少堪處。皆應覺知不受勿有少染。三於一切違境。乃至斷命等怨。皆應守心歡喜忍受。四凡所作行遠離巧偽虛詐。乃至一念亦不令有。三成行門者。一起六波羅蜜行(一一云云)。二四無量行(一一云云)。三十大願行(一一云云)。願行有二。一諸未起行策令起。二已起行持令不退。皆由願力即通法行也。二終者亦三門。初捨門者。即止行也。觀諸法平等一相。諸緣皆絕云云。二隨緣門者即觀行也。還就事中起大悲大願等行云云。三成行門者。即止觀俱行雙融無礙。成無住行。真俗境不殊悲智心不別。又此境而不別也。又明菩薩住不住行。說有二門。一開二合。開中亦二。初不住。後明住不住亦二。一不住生死。二不住涅槃。初中亦二。一由見生死過患故不可住。二生死見本空故無可住。二不住涅槃亦二。一見涅槃本自有。故不待住。二由不異生死故不住。又智理無別故。能所絕故無能住也。二明住亦二。初住生死者亦二。一由見過患起大悲故。住為除纏故也。二見空故住不怖故也又二。一見過生厭故住。二見空則涅槃住。此即常在生死恒住涅槃也。二住涅槃者亦二。一常證理故住。二常化眾生故住。以所化眾生即涅槃故。第二合中有四。初合生死涅槃以無二故。無偏住。故云無住。又即住此無二之處。故亦云住。二合住不住二行者。良由以不住為住住為不住。唯一無分別行。故無二也。三合行境二門者。以法界法門絕能所故。平等法性唯一味故。無境行之異也。四合前開與此合無二無別唯一無礙法門。是故不礙開而恒合。不壞合而恒開無二相故。且言說所不能至也。若更以句數分別。有四重四句。一唯不住生死即是。二唯不住涅槃亦是。三俱不住亦是。四俱非不住亦是。二唯住亦四句。返上思之。三唯住生死唯不住生死。俱不俱皆是可知。四唯住涅槃唯不住涅槃。俱不俱亦唯之。此上十六門門皆全得。
To enter the path, the conditions for its arising must include three principles: first, recognizing the illness; second, distinguishing the objects; third, settling the wisdom. The first has two aspects: the coarse, which is seeking fame and profit, and the subtle, which is clinging to views and seeking truth. The second, distinguishing the objects, has two parts: first, relative objects—the objects as perceived by sentiment, which are one-sided; second, true objects, also twofold: the objects of the three vehicles—emptiness and existence, non-duality, fusion, and so on—and the objects of the one vehicle—the dependent origination of the totality, with full virtues and perfect harmony. The third, settling the wisdom, also has two parts: first, understanding—that which gives rise to correct understanding, while also recognizing that understanding and practice are distinct; second, practice—not being as one understands, because understanding cannot reach it; the mind without discrimination, in accordance with the dharma and free from deluded grasping. Moreover, this practice is accomplished based on understanding, and when practice manifests, understanding is necessarily cut off. Again, with regard to objects, one distinguishes them through the three kinds of emptiness and confused intentions; with regard to practice, one mutually distinguishes through non-discriminating wisdom. Their meaning is then apparent.
Furthermore, for the convenience of entering the path, there are roughly four gates: 1. The gate of repentant removal of past hindrances. 2. The gate of arousing bodhicitta. 3. The gate of receiving the bodhisattva precepts. 4. The gate of cultivating superior practices.
Cultivating superior practices has two paths: first, the beginning; second, the end. In the beginning, there are three gates: 1. The gate of renouncing conditions. 2. The gate of following conditions. 3. The gate of accomplishing practice.
In the first, there are six levels: 1. Renouncing the creation of evil deeds. 2. Renouncing relatives and companions—if a monk, renouncing disciples and those bound by birth connections. 3. Renouncing fame and profit. 4. Renouncing body and life. 5. Renouncing thoughts and mental states. 6. Renunciation itself—this renunciation brings about the cessation of subject and object, with nothing on which to rely.
The second, the gate of following conditions, has four levels: 1. Returning to follow the previous six matters while guarding the mind and remaining undefiled. 2. For everything that one can tolerate, down to the slightest degree, one should be aware and not accept it, not allowing even a trace of defilement. 3. For all adverse conditions, even to the point of losing life and facing enemies, one should guard the mind, gladly endure, and bear with patience. 4. Whatever practice one does, one should distance oneself from cleverness, falsehood, and deceit—even in a single thought, not allowing it to arise.
The third, the gate of accomplishing practice, includes: 1. Cultivating the six paramitas ((each one as described)). 2. Cultivating the four immeasurables ((each one as described)). 3. Cultivating the ten great vows ((each one as described)). Vows and practice have two aspects: first, for practices not yet arisen, to spur them into arising; second, for practices already arisen, to sustain them so they do not retreat. Both are accomplished through the power of vows, which pervade both dharma and practice.
For the end, there are also three gates: 1. The gate of renunciation—this is the practice of cessation. Contemplating all dharmas as equal and of one mark, with all conditions brought to an end, and so on. 2. The gate of following conditions—this is the practice of contemplation. Returning to the midst of affairs, one arouses great compassion and great vows, and so on. 3. The gate of accomplishing practice—this is the practice where cessation and contemplation operate together, fused and unobstructed, accomplishing the non-abiding practice. True and conventional realms are not separate, and compassion and wisdom are not different. Moreover, this realm itself is not different.
Again, clarifying the bodhisattva's practice of non-abiding and abiding, two gates are taught: first, distinction; second, unity. In the distinction, there are also two: first, non-abiding; then, clarifying abiding and non-abiding. Non-abiding is also twofold: 1. Non-abiding in birth and death—because one sees its faults, it cannot be abided in. 2. Non-abiding in birth and death—because one sees that birth and death are originally empty, there is nothing to abide in. This second non-abiding in nirvana is also twofold: 1. Seeing that nirvana is originally present, so there is no need to abide in it. 2. Because it is not different from birth and death, one does not abide in it. Moreover, because wisdom and principle are not separate, and subject and object are cut off, there is no one who abides.
Clarifying abiding, it is also twofold: First, abiding in birth and death is also twofold: 1. Because one sees the faults and arouses great compassion, one abides to remove the entanglements. 2. Because one sees emptiness, one abides without fear. Further, it is twofold: 1. Seeing faults, one gives rise to renunciation, therefore abiding. 2. Seeing emptiness, then nirvana abides—this is being constantly in birth and death while always abiding in nirvana. Second, abiding in nirvana is also twofold: 1. Because one constantly realizes the principle, one abides. 2. Because one constantly transforms sentient beings, one abides—because the beings to be transformed are themselves nirvana.
In the second, unity, there are four points: 1. Unifying birth and death and nirvana—because they are non-dual, there is no one-sided abiding, hence it is called non-abiding. Yet one also abides in this non-dual place, hence it is also called abiding. 2. Unifying the two practices of abiding and non-abiding—because through non-abiding as abiding, and abiding as non-abiding, there is only the single non-discriminating practice, hence there is no duality. 3. Unifying the two gates of practice and object—because the dharma realm gate cuts off subject and object, and the equality of dharma nature is of a single flavor, so there is no difference between object and practice. 4. Unifying the previous distinction with this unity—they are non-dual and non-different, only a single unobstructed dharma gate. Therefore, it does not hinder distinction while always being unified, nor does it destroy unity while always being distinct—because there is no dual mark. Moreover, this cannot be reached by words.
If one further distinguishes by number of phrases, there are four sets of four statements: 1. Only non-abiding in birth and death—this is so. 2. Only non-abiding in nirvana—this is also so. 3. Non-abiding in both—this is also so. 4. Non-abiding in neither—this is also so.
Second, only abiding, with four statements—reverse the above and consider it. Third, only abiding in birth and death and only not abiding in birth and death, both or neither—all are understandable. Fourth, only abiding in nirvana and only not abiding in nirvana, both or neither—likewise. In the above sixteen gates, each gate fully attains.
得一即不假餘。餘門仍不壞。是故無障無礙。多即多一即一。隨智取捨思之。
Attaining the One requires no reliance on the others. Yet the other approaches remain intact. Thus, there is no obstruction or barrier. The many remain many, and the one remains one. Let wisdom guide your choice and reflection.
華嚴經明法品內立三寶章卷下
Huayan Sutra, Clear Dharma Chapter: Establishing the Three Jewels, Scroll Two