華嚴經 品二十六 十地品 · 第七地 遠行地Avataṃsaka Sūtra · The Ten Grounds · The Seventh Ground, Far-Reaching
最難走的一段，不是最髒的那頭，是快要乾淨的那條界。
前六地一路把空觀修到極處，到這一地，病反而是耽空——所以要學十個「雖……而……」：雖修空無相無願，而慈悲不捨眾生；雖遠離三界，而莊嚴三界。『空中不住空，有中不住有』，兩邊互得，才叫方便慧。
他已能念念入滅盡定，卻念念起而不作證，如人乘船入海，善巧故不遭水難。他盡超多貪等煩惱，經文卻說他『不名有煩惱者，不名無煩惱者』——不名有，因為煩惱不現行；不名無，因為「求如來智心未滿」。連那個「求」，在這一地都算動相。
用力用到了盡頭，才知道下一步不能再靠用力。且入此地。
The hardest stretch to walk is not the filthiest end of the road; it is that border where things are nearly clean.
The first six grounds carried the contemplation of emptiness to its furthest point; on this ground the illness is the opposite one — dwelling upon emptiness. And so ten sentences of the shape “though … yet …” must be learned: though he cultivates emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness, yet in kindness and compassion he does not forsake sentient beings; though he is far removed from the three realms, yet he adorns the three realms. ‘Within emptiness he does not abide in emptiness; within existence he does not abide in existence’ — when each of the two sides gains the other, that is what is called the wisdom of skillful means.
He is already able to enter the concentration of cessation in thought after thought, and yet in thought after thought he rises from it and does not make realization of it, like a man who boards a ship and enters the sea and, being skilled, meets with no disaster in the water. He has surpassed in full the host of afflictions, much greed and the rest, and yet the sūtra says of him that he ‘is not called one who has afflictions, nor called one who is without afflictions’ — not called having them, because the afflictions do not actively operate; not called without them, because “his mind that seeks the wisdom of the Tathāgata is not yet fulfilled.” Even that “seeking”, on this ground, counts as a stirring.
Exertion has been carried to its very end, and only then does one know that the next step can no longer be taken by exertion. Enter this ground.
〔T10 0195〕
是時天眾心歡喜，散寶成雲在空住，
普發種種妙音聲，告於最勝清淨者：
「了達勝義智自在，成就功德百千億，
人中蓮華無所著，為利群生演深行。」
自在天王在空中，放大光明照佛身，
亦散最上妙香雲，普供除憂煩惱者。
爾時天眾皆歡喜，悉發美音同讚述：
「我等聞斯地功德，則為已獲大善利。」
天女是時心慶悅，競奏樂音千萬種，
悉以如來神力故，音中共作如是言：
「威儀寂靜最無比，能調難調世應供，
已超一切諸世間，而行於世闡妙道。
雖現種種無量身，知身一一無所有，
巧以言辭說諸法，不取文字音聲相。
往詣百千諸國土，以諸上供供養佛，
智慧自在無所著，不生於我佛國想。
雖勤教化諸眾生，而無彼己一切心；
雖已修成廣大善，而於善法不生著。
以見一切諸世間，貪恚癡火常熾然，
於諸想念悉皆離，發起大悲精進力。」
一切諸天及天女，種種供養稱讚已，
悉共同時默然住，瞻仰人尊願聞法。
時解脫月復請言：「此諸大眾心清淨，
第七地中諸行相，唯願佛子為宣說！」
〔T10 0196〕
爾時，金剛藏菩薩告解脫月菩薩言：
「佛子！菩薩摩訶薩具足第六地行已，欲入第七遠行地，當修十種方便慧起殊勝道。何等為十？所謂：雖善修空、無相、無願三昧，而慈悲不捨眾生，雖得諸佛平等法，而樂常供養佛；雖入觀空智門，而勤集福德；雖遠離三界，而莊嚴三界；雖畢竟寂滅諸煩惱焰，而能為一切眾生起滅貪、瞋、癡煩惱焰；雖知諸法如幻、如夢、如影、如響、如焰、如化、如水中月、如鏡中像、自性無二，而隨心作業無量差別；雖知一切國土猶如虛空，而能以清淨妙行莊嚴佛土；雖知諸佛法身本性無身，而以相好莊嚴其身；雖知諸佛音聲性空寂滅不可言說，而能隨一切眾生出種種差別清淨音聲；雖隨諸佛了知三世唯是一念，而隨眾生意解分別，以種種相、種種時、種種劫數而修諸行。菩薩以如是十種方便慧起殊勝行，從第六地入第七地；入已，此行常現在前，名為：住第七遠行地。
「佛子！菩薩摩訶薩住此第七地已，入無量眾生界，入無量諸佛教化眾生業，入無量世界網，入無量諸佛清淨國土，入無量種種差別法，入無量諸佛現覺智，入無量劫數，入無量諸佛覺了三世智，入無量眾生差別信解，入無量諸佛示現種種名色身，入無量眾生欲樂諸根差別，入無量諸佛語言音聲令眾生歡喜，入無量眾生種種心行，入無量諸佛了知廣大智，入無量聲聞乘信解，入無量諸佛說智道令信解，入無量辟支佛所成就，入無量諸佛說甚深智慧門令趣入，入無量諸菩薩方便行，入無量諸佛所說大乘集成事令菩薩得入。此菩薩作是念：『如是無量如來境界，乃至於百千億那由他劫不能得知，我悉應以無功用無分別心成就圓滿。』
「佛子！此菩薩以深智慧如是觀察，常勤修習方便慧起殊勝道，安住不動，無有一念休息廢捨；行、住、坐、臥乃至睡夢，未曾暫與蓋障相應，常不捨於如是想念。此菩薩於念念中，常能具足十波羅蜜。何以故？念念皆以大悲為首，修行佛法，向佛智故。所有善根，為求佛智，施與眾生，是名：檀那波羅蜜；能滅一切諸煩惱熱，是名：尸羅波羅蜜；慈悲為首，不損眾生，是名：羼提波羅蜜；求勝善法，無有厭足，是名：毘梨耶波羅蜜；一切智道常現在前，未甞散亂，是名：禪那波羅蜜；能忍諸法無生無滅，是名：般若波羅蜜；能出生無量智，是名：方便波羅蜜；能求上上勝智，是名：願波羅蜜；一切異論及諸魔眾無能沮壞，是名：力波羅蜜；如實了知一切法，是名：智波羅蜜。佛子！此十波羅蜜，菩薩於念念中皆得具足；如是，四攝、四持、三十七品、三解脫門，略說乃至一切菩提分法，於念念中皆悉圓滿。」
爾時，解脫月菩薩問金剛藏菩薩言：「佛子！菩薩但於此第七地中滿足一切菩提分法，為諸地中亦能滿足？」
金剛藏菩薩言：「佛子！菩薩於十地中皆能滿足菩提分法，然第七地最為殊勝。何以故？此第七地功用行滿，得入智慧自在行故。佛子！菩薩於初地中，緣一切佛法願求故，滿足菩提分法；第二地離心垢故，第三地願轉增長得法光明故，第四地入道故，第五地順世所作故，第六地入甚深法門故，第七地起一切佛法故，皆亦滿足菩提分法。何以故？菩薩從初地乃至第七地，成就智功用分。以此力故，從第八地乃至第十地，無功用行皆悉成就。佛子！譬如有二世界，一處雜染，一處純淨，是二中間難可得過，唯除菩薩有大方便神通願力。佛子！菩薩諸地亦復如是，有雜染行，有清淨行，是二中間難可得過，唯除菩薩有大願力方便智慧乃能得過。」
解脫月菩薩言：「佛子！此七地菩薩，為是染行？為是淨行？」
金剛藏菩薩言：
「佛子！從初地至七地，所行諸行皆捨離煩惱業，以迴向無上菩提故，分得平等道故，然未名為超煩惱行。佛子！譬如轉輪聖王乘天象寶遊四天下，知有貧窮困苦之人，而不為彼眾患所染，然未名為超過人位；若捨王身，生於梵世，乘天宮殿，見千世界，遊千世界，示現梵天光明威德，爾乃名為超過人位。佛子！菩薩亦復如是，始從初地至於七地，乘波羅蜜乘遊行世間，知諸世間煩惱過患，以乘正道故，不為煩惱過失所染，然未名為超煩惱行；若捨一切有功用行，從第七地入第八地，乘菩薩清淨乘遊行世間，知煩惱過失不為所染，爾乃名為超煩惱行，以得一切盡超過故。佛子！此第七地菩薩盡超過多貪等諸煩惱眾住此地，不名有煩惱者，不名無煩惱者。何以故？一切煩惱不現行故，不名有者；求如來智心未滿故，不名無者。
〔T10 0197〕
「佛子！菩薩住此第七地，以深淨心，成就身業，成就語業，成就意業。所有一切不善業道——如來所訶，皆已捨離；一切善業——如來所讚，常善修行。世間所有經書、技術，如五地中說，皆自然而行，不假功用。此菩薩於三千大千世界中為大明師，唯除如來及八地已上其餘菩薩，深心妙行無與等者，諸禪三昧、三摩鉢底、神通解脫皆得現前。然是修成，非如八地報得成就。此地菩薩於念念中具足修習方便智力及一切菩提分法，轉勝圓滿。
「佛子！菩薩住此地，入菩薩善觀擇三昧、善擇義三昧、最勝慧三昧、分別義藏三昧、如實分別義三昧、善住堅固根三昧、智慧神通門三昧、法界業三昧、如來勝利三昧、種種義藏生死涅槃門三昧，入如是等具足大智神通門百萬三昧，淨治此地。是菩薩得此三昧，善治淨方便慧故，大悲力故，超過二乘地，得觀察智慧地。
「佛子！菩薩住此地，善淨無量身業無相行，善淨無量語業無相行，善淨無量意業無相行故，得無生法忍光明。」
解脫月菩薩言：「佛子！菩薩從初地來所有無量身、語、意業，豈不超過二乘耶？」
金剛藏菩薩言：「佛子！彼悉超過，然但以願求諸佛法故，非是自智觀察之力；今第七地自智力故，一切二乘所不能及。譬如王子，生在王家，王后所生，具足王相，生已即勝一切臣眾，但以王力，非是自力；若身長大，藝業悉成，乃以自力超過一切。菩薩摩訶薩亦復如是，初發心時，以志求大法故，超過一切聲聞、獨覺；今住此地，以自所行智慧力故，出過一切二乘之上。佛子！菩薩住此第七地，得甚深遠離無行、常行身語意業，勤求上道而不捨離，是故菩薩雖行實際而不作證。」
解脫月菩薩言：「佛子！菩薩從何地來，能入滅定？」
金剛藏菩薩言：
「佛子！菩薩從第六地來，能入滅定。今住此地，能念念入，亦念念起，而不作證。故此菩薩名為：成就不可思議身、語、意業，行於實際而不作證。譬如有人乘船入海，以善巧力不遭水難；此地菩薩亦復如是，乘波羅蜜船行實際海，以願力故而不證滅。
「佛子！此菩薩得如是三昧智力，以大方便，雖示現生死，而恒住涅槃；雖眷屬圍遶，而常樂遠離；雖以願力三界受生，而不為世法所染；雖常寂滅，以方便力而還熾然，雖然不燒；雖隨順佛智，而示入聲聞、辟支佛地；雖得佛境界藏，而示住魔境界；雖超魔道，而現行魔法；雖示同外道行，而不捨佛法；雖示隨順一切世間，而常行一切出世間法；所有一切莊嚴之事，出過一切天、龍、夜叉、乾闥婆、阿脩羅、迦樓羅、緊那羅、摩睺羅伽、人及非人、帝釋、梵王、四天王等之所有者，而不捨離樂法之心。
「佛子！菩薩成就如是智慧，住遠行地，以願力故，得見多佛。所謂：見多百佛，乃至見多百千億那由他佛。於彼佛所，以廣大心、增勝心，供養恭敬，尊重讚歎，衣服、飲食、臥具、醫藥，一切資生悉以奉施，亦以供養一切眾僧，以此善根迴向阿耨多羅三藐三菩提。復於佛所恭敬聽法，聞已受持，獲如實三昧智慧光明，隨順修行。於諸佛所護持正法，常為如來之所讚喜，一切二乘所有問難無能退屈，利益眾生，法忍清淨。如是經無量百千億那由他劫，所有善根轉更增勝。譬如真金，以眾妙寶間錯莊嚴，轉更增勝，倍益光明，餘莊嚴具所不能及；菩薩住此第七地所有善根亦復如是，以方便慧力轉更明淨，非是二乘之所能及。佛子！譬如日光，星月等光無能及者，閻浮提地所有泥潦悉能乾竭；此遠行地菩薩亦復如是，一切二乘無有能及，悉能乾竭一切眾生諸惑泥潦。此菩薩，十波羅蜜中，方便波羅蜜偏多；餘非不行，但隨力隨分。
〔T10 0198〕
「佛子！是名：略說菩薩摩訶薩第七遠行地。菩薩住此地，多作自在天王，善為眾生說證智法，令其證入。布施、愛語、利行、同事——如是一切諸所作業，皆不離念佛，乃至不離念具足一切種、一切智智。復作是念：『我當於一切眾生中為首、為勝，乃至為一切智智依止者。』此菩薩若發勤精進，於一念頃，得百千億那由他三昧，乃至示現百千億那由他菩薩以為眷屬；若以菩薩殊勝願力自在示現，過於此數，乃至百千億那由他劫不能數知。」
爾時，金剛藏菩薩欲重宣此義而說頌曰：
「第一義智三昧道，六地修行心滿足，
即時成就方便慧，菩薩以此入七地。
雖明三脫起慈悲，雖等如來勤供佛，
雖觀於空集福德，菩薩以此昇七地。
遠離三界而莊嚴，滅除惑火而起焰，
知法無二勤作業，了剎皆空樂嚴土，
解身不動具諸相，達聲性離善開演，
入於一念事各別，智者以此昇七地。
觀察此法得明了，廣為群迷興利益，
入眾生界無有邊，佛教化業亦無量。
國土諸法與劫數，解欲心行悉能入，
說三乘法亦無限，如是教化諸群生。
菩薩勤求最勝道，動息不捨方便慧，
一一迴向佛菩提，念念成就波羅蜜。
發心迴向是布施，滅惑為戒不害忍，
求善無厭斯進策，於道不動即修禪，
忍受無生名般若，迴向方便希求願，
無能摧力善了智，如是一切皆成滿。
初地攀緣功德滿，二地離垢三諍息，
四地入道五順行，第六無生智光照，
七住菩提功德滿，種種大願皆具足，
以是能令八地中，一切所作咸清淨。
此地難過智乃超，譬如世界二中間，
亦如聖王無染著，然未名為總超度。
若住第八智地中，爾乃逾於心境界，
如梵觀世超人位，如蓮處水無染著。
此地雖超諸惑眾，不名有惑非無惑，
以無煩惱於中行，而求佛智心未足。
世間所有眾技藝，經書詞論普明了，
禪定三昧及神通，如是修行悉成就。
菩薩修成七住道，超過一切二乘行，
初地願故此由智，譬如王子力具足。
成就甚深仍進道，心心寂滅不取證；
譬如乘船入海中，在水不為水所溺。
方便慧行功德具，一切世間無能了，
供養多佛心益明，如以妙寶莊嚴金。
此地菩薩智最明，如日舒光竭愛水，
又作自在天中主，化導群生修正智。
若以勇猛精勤力，獲多三昧見多佛，
百千億數那由他，願力自在復過是。
此是菩薩遠行地，方便智慧清淨道，
一切世間天及人，聲聞獨覺無能知。」
〔卷38〕
The canonical text stands in Chinese only. This edition renders the essence, the plain reading, the exposition and the apparatus into English — never the sūtra itself. Switch to 漢讀本 or 並行雙語 above to read it.
天眾散寶：讚人中蓮華
這時候，諸天大眾心中歡喜，散下珍寶化成雲，停住在虛空中；普遍發出種種美妙的音聲，向那最殊勝清淨的人稟告說：
「通達了勝義諦的智慧自在無礙，成就的功德有百千億之多；他是人中的蓮華，處世而無所染著，為了利益眾生而演說這甚深之行。」
自在天王在虛空之中，放出大光明照著佛身，也散下最上等的妙香雲，普遍供養那位除去憂苦煩惱的人。這時候諸天大眾都很歡喜，全都發出美妙的音聲一同稱讚述說：
「我們聽聞了這一地的功德，就等於已經獲得了大善利。
天女奏樂：讚寂用無礙之行
天女們這時候心中慶悅，競相奏起千萬種樂音；全都是承如來神力的緣故，樂音之中共同作出這樣的話語：
「他的威儀寂靜，最是無可比擬，能調伏那些難調伏的人，值得世間供養；已經超越了一切諸世間，卻仍在世間中運行、闡揚妙道。
「雖然示現種種無量之身，卻了知那一一之身都無所有；善巧地以言辭宣說諸法，卻不執取文字與音聲之相。
「他前往百千諸佛國土，以種種上等供品供養諸佛；智慧自在而無所染著，不生起『這是我的佛國』這樣的想法。
「雖然勤加教化一切眾生，心中卻沒有『他』與『我』的任何分別；雖然已經修成廣大的善法，對善法卻不生執著。
「因為看見一切諸世間，貪、瞋、癡三種火恆常熾燃，所以對種種想念全都遠離，發起大悲與精進之力。
大眾默然：解脫月請說第七地
一切諸天以及天女，作了種種供養、稱讚之後，全都同時默然而住，瞻仰人中之尊，願聞說法。這時候解脫月菩薩再度請問說：
「這些大眾心地清淨，第七地當中的種種行相，唯願佛子為大家宣說。
十種方便慧：空中不住空，有中不住有
這時候，金剛藏菩薩告訴解脫月菩薩說：
「佛子！菩薩摩訶薩具足了第六地之行以後，想要進入第七遠行地，應當修習十種方便慧，以發起殊勝之道。哪十種呢？就是所謂：
「雖然善於修習空、無相、無願這三種三昧，卻以慈悲而不捨棄眾生；雖然證得了諸佛的平等之法，卻樂於恆常供養諸佛；雖然入於觀空的智慧之門，卻勤加積集福德；雖然遠離三界，卻莊嚴三界；雖然畢竟寂滅了種種煩惱之火，卻能為一切眾生生起熄滅貪、瞋、癡煩惱之火的行門；雖然了知諸法如幻、如夢、如影、如響、如陽焰、如變化、如水中之月、如鏡中之像，自性無二，卻隨著眾生之心作種種無量差別的事業；雖然了知一切國土猶如虛空，卻能以清淨妙行莊嚴佛土；雖然了知諸佛的法身本性無身，卻以相好莊嚴其身；雖然了知諸佛的音聲性空寂滅、不可言說，卻能隨順一切眾生而發出種種差別的清淨音聲；雖然隨順諸佛而了知三世只是一念，卻隨著眾生的意解而分別，以種種相狀、種種時節、種種劫數來修習諸行。
「菩薩以這樣的十種方便慧發起殊勝之行，從第六地進入第七地；入了以後，這樣的行恆常現在眼前，這就名為：安住第七遠行地。
住此地已：二十種『入無量』
「佛子！菩薩摩訶薩安住這第七地之後，入於無量的眾生界，入於無量諸佛教化眾生的事業，入於無量的世界之網，入於無量諸佛的清淨國土，入於無量種種差別之法，入於無量諸佛的現覺之智，入於無量的劫數，入於無量諸佛覺了三世之智，入於無量眾生的差別信解，入於無量諸佛所示現的種種名色之身，入於無量眾生欲樂與諸根的差別，入於無量諸佛的語言音聲令眾生歡喜，入於無量眾生的種種心行，入於無量諸佛了知廣大之智，入於無量聲聞乘的信解，入於無量諸佛宣說智慧之道令人信解，入於無量辟支佛之所成就，入於無量諸佛宣說甚深智慧之門令人趣入，入於無量諸菩薩的方便之行，入於無量諸佛所說大乘集成之事令菩薩得以趣入。
「這位菩薩心裡這樣想：『這樣無量的如來境界，乃至經過百千億那由他劫也不能得知；我都應當以無功用、無分別之心去成就圓滿。』
念念不斷：十波羅蜜於一念中具足
「佛子！這位菩薩以深邃的智慧這樣觀察，恆常勤加修習方便慧而發起殊勝之道，安住不動，沒有一念休息廢捨；行、住、坐、臥乃至睡夢之中，不曾暫時與蓋障（覆蓋心性的障礙）相應，恆常不捨離這樣的想念。這位菩薩在念念之中，恆常能具足十波羅蜜。為什麼呢？因為念念都以大悲為先導，修行佛法，趣向佛的智慧。
「所有的善根，為了求佛的智慧而施與眾生，這名為：檀那波羅蜜（布施）；能滅除一切煩惱的熱惱，這名為：尸羅波羅蜜（持戒）；以慈悲為先導，不損害眾生，這名為：羼提波羅蜜（忍辱）；追求殊勝的善法，沒有厭足，這名為：毘梨耶波羅蜜（精進）；一切智之道恆常現在眼前，不曾散亂，這名為：禪那波羅蜜（靜慮）；能安忍諸法無生無滅，這名為：般若波羅蜜（智慧）；能出生無量之智，這名為：方便波羅蜜；能追求上上殊勝之智，這名為：願波羅蜜；一切不同的議論以及諸魔之眾都不能沮壞，這名為：力波羅蜜；如實了知一切法，這名為：智波羅蜜。
「佛子！這十種波羅蜜，菩薩在念念之中都能具足；同樣地，四攝（布施·愛語·利行·同事）、四持、三十七品、三解脫門，略說乃至一切菩提分法，在念念之中也都圓滿。
解脫月問：只有七地滿足菩提分法嗎
這時候，解脫月菩薩問金剛藏菩薩說：
「佛子！菩薩只是在這第七地當中滿足一切菩提分法呢，還是在諸地當中也都能滿足？
金剛藏答：十地皆滿，七地最勝
金剛藏菩薩說：
「佛子！菩薩在十地當中都能滿足菩提分法，然而第七地最為殊勝。為什麼呢？因為這第七地功用之行已滿，得以進入智慧自在之行的緣故。
「佛子！菩薩在初地當中，緣念一切佛法而發願求取的緣故，滿足菩提分法；第二地是因為遠離心中之垢的緣故，第三地是因為願轉增長而得法之光明的緣故，第四地是因為入於道的緣故，第五地是因為隨順世間所作的緣故，第六地是因為入於甚深法門的緣故，第七地是因為生起一切佛法的緣故——這些地也都同樣滿足菩提分法。
「為什麼呢？菩薩從初地乃至第七地，成就的是有智的功用這一分；以這樣的力量，從第八地乃至第十地，無功用之行才全都成就。
「佛子！譬如有兩個世界，一處雜染，一處純淨，這兩者的中間很難通過，唯有菩薩具足大方便、神通與願力才能通過。佛子！菩薩的諸地也是這樣：有雜染之行，有清淨之行，這兩者的中間很難通過，唯有菩薩具足大願力、方便與智慧才能通過。
解脫月問：七地是染行還是淨行
解脫月菩薩說：
「佛子！這第七地的菩薩，是染行呢，還是淨行？
金剛藏答：轉輪王與梵王之喻
金剛藏菩薩說：
「佛子！從初地到第七地，所修的種種行都捨離了煩惱之業，因為迴向無上菩提的緣故、因為分證平等之道的緣故；然而還不能名為超越煩惱之行。
「佛子！譬如轉輪聖王乘著天象之寶遊行四天下，知道有貧窮困苦的人，卻不被那些眾患所染污，然而還不能名為超過人的地位；若是捨了王身，生在梵世，乘著天上宮殿，得見千個世界、遊行千個世界，示現梵天的光明威德，這才名為超過人的地位。
「佛子！菩薩也是這樣：從初地開始一直到第七地，乘著波羅蜜之乘遊行世間，知道諸世間煩惱的過患，因為乘的是正道，所以不被煩惱的過失所染污，然而還不能名為超越煩惱之行；若是捨離一切有功用之行，從第七地進入第八地，乘著菩薩清淨之乘遊行世間，知道煩惱的過失而不被它所染，這才名為超越煩惱之行，因為得到了一切都全然超過的緣故。
「佛子！這第七地的菩薩，已經全然超過了多貪等種種煩惱之眾而安住此地，卻不名為有煩惱的人，也不名為沒有煩惱的人。為什麼呢？因為一切煩惱都不現行的緣故，所以不名為有；因為求如來智慧之心尚未圓滿的緣故，所以不名為無。
三業清淨：於大千世界為大明師
「佛子！菩薩安住這第七地，以深淨之心，成就身業，成就語業，成就意業。所有一切不善的業道——如來所呵責的——都已經捨離；一切善業——如來所稱讚的——恆常善加修行。世間所有的經書、技術，就像第五地中所說的那樣，都自然而然地通行，不必假借功用。
「這位菩薩在三千大千世界之中作大明師，除了如來以及第八地以上的其餘菩薩之外，深心與妙行沒有能與他相等的；種種禪、三昧、三摩鉢底（等至）、神通、解脫都能現前。然而這是修習而成的，不像第八地是報得而成就的。這一地的菩薩在念念之中具足修習方便智力以及一切菩提分法，轉而更加殊勝圓滿。
十種三昧：入百萬三昧淨治此地
「佛子！菩薩安住此地，入於菩薩善觀擇三昧、善擇義三昧、最勝慧三昧、分別義藏三昧、如實分別義三昧、善住堅固根三昧、智慧神通門三昧、法界業三昧、如來勝利三昧、種種義藏生死涅槃門三昧，入於這樣具足大智神通門的百萬三昧，以此淨治這一地。這位菩薩得了這些三昧，因為善能治淨方便慧的緣故、因為大悲之力的緣故，超過了二乘之地，得到能觀察的智慧之地。
「佛子！菩薩安住此地，因為善加淨治無量身業的無相之行、善加淨治無量語業的無相之行、善加淨治無量意業的無相之行的緣故，得到無生法忍的光明。
解脫月問：初地以來的三業豈不超過二乘
解脫月菩薩說：
「佛子！菩薩從初地以來所有的無量身、語、意業，難道不是已經超過二乘了嗎？
金剛藏答：王子喻——王力與自力
金剛藏菩薩說：
「佛子！那些都已經超過了，然而那只是因為願求諸佛之法的緣故，並不是自己智慧觀察之力；如今在第七地，是憑自己智慧之力的緣故，一切二乘都不能企及。
「譬如王子，生在王家，是王后所生，具足王者之相，一生下來就勝過一切臣眾，但那只是憑著王的力量，並不是自己的力量；若是身體長大，技藝學業全都成就，這才是以自己的力量超過一切人。菩薩摩訶薩也是這樣：初發心的時候，因為立志求取大法的緣故，超過一切聲聞、獨覺；如今安住此地，是憑自己所行的智慧之力的緣故，出過一切二乘之上。
「佛子！菩薩安住這第七地，得到甚深的遠離無行、恆常運行的身語意業，勤求上道而不捨離，所以菩薩雖然行於實際（諸法的真實邊際）而不取證。
解脫月問：從哪一地起能入滅定
解脫月菩薩說：
「佛子！菩薩從哪一地以來，能夠入於滅定（滅盡定）？
金剛藏答：乘船入海喻——念念入而不作證
金剛藏菩薩說：
「佛子！菩薩從第六地以來，就能入於滅定。如今安住此地，能夠念念入定，也能念念出定，卻不取證。所以這位菩薩名為：成就不可思議的身、語、意業，行於實際而不取證。譬如有人乘船入海，憑著善巧之力不遭水難；這一地的菩薩也是這樣，乘著波羅蜜之船航行於實際之海，因為願力的緣故而不證入寂滅。
雙行之德：雖……而……
「佛子！這位菩薩得了這樣的三昧智力，以大方便：雖然示現生死，卻恆常安住涅槃；雖然有眷屬圍繞，卻恆常樂於遠離；雖然以願力在三界受生，卻不被世法所染；雖然恆常寂滅，卻以方便之力而重新熾然，雖然熾然卻不被燒；雖然隨順佛的智慧，卻示現進入聲聞、辟支佛之地；雖然得了佛境界的寶藏，卻示現安住於魔的境界；雖然超越魔道，卻示現運行魔法；雖然示現同於外道之行，卻不捨棄佛法；雖然示現隨順一切世間，卻恆常運行一切出世間之法。所有一切莊嚴之事，超過一切天、龍、夜叉、乾闥婆、阿脩羅、迦樓羅、緊那羅、摩睺羅伽、人與非人、帝釋、梵王、四天王等所擁有的，卻不捨離樂法之心。
見多佛·真金喻·日光喻：方便波羅蜜偏多
「佛子！菩薩成就這樣的智慧，安住遠行地，因為願力的緣故，得以見到很多佛。所謂：見到多百位佛，乃至見到多百千億那由他位佛。在那些佛的處所，以廣大之心、增勝之心，供養恭敬，尊重讚歎，衣服、飲食、臥具、醫藥，一切生活所需全都奉獻布施，也用來供養一切僧眾，把這樣的善根迴向無上正等正覺。又在佛的處所恭敬聽法，聽了以後受持，獲得如實的三昧智慧光明，隨順修行。在諸佛的處所護持正法，恆常被如來所讚歎歡喜；一切二乘所有的問難都不能使他退屈；利益眾生，法忍清淨。
「這樣經過無量百千億那由他劫，所有的善根轉而更加增勝。譬如真金，用眾多妙寶間錯莊嚴，轉而更加增勝，倍加光明，其餘的莊嚴之具都比不上；菩薩安住這第七地所有的善根也是這樣，以方便慧之力轉而更加明淨，不是二乘所能企及。
「佛子！譬如日光，星月等光都比不上，閻浮提大地上所有的泥潦（污泥積水）都能被曬乾；這遠行地的菩薩也是這樣，一切二乘沒有能企及的，能夠乾竭一切眾生種種迷惑的泥潦。這位菩薩在十波羅蜜當中，方便波羅蜜偏多；其餘的並非不修，只是隨力隨分而已。
結地與果報：多作自在天王
「佛子！以上名為：略說菩薩摩訶薩的第七遠行地。菩薩安住此地，多半作自在天王，善於為眾生宣說證智之法，令他們證入。布施、愛語、利行、同事——像這樣一切所作的事業，都不離念佛，乃至不離念具足一切種、一切智智。
「他又這樣想：『我應當在一切眾生之中為首、為勝，乃至作一切智智的依止者。』這位菩薩若是發起勤加精進，在一念之間，能得百千億那由他三昧，乃至示現百千億那由他菩薩作為眷屬；若是以菩薩殊勝的願力自在示現，超過這個數目，乃至百千億那由他劫也數不清楚。
重頌（一）：以十妙行入第七地
這時候，金剛藏菩薩想要重新宣說這個義理而說偈頌說：
「第一義智的三昧之道，六地的修行心已滿足，當即成就方便之慧，菩薩以此進入第七地。
「雖然明了三解脫門卻起慈悲，雖然等同如來卻勤供養佛，雖然觀於空卻積集福德——菩薩以此上昇第七地。
「遠離三界卻莊嚴三界，滅除惑火卻生起法焰，知法無二卻勤作事業，了達佛剎皆空卻樂於嚴淨佛土；解了佛身不動卻具足諸相，通達音聲性離卻善於開演，入於一念而事事各別——智者以此上昇第七地。（十妙行頌攝）
重頌（二）：入無量·念念成就波羅蜜
「觀察此法而得明了，廣為群迷興起利益；入於眾生之界而沒有邊際，佛的教化事業也是無量。
「國土、諸法與劫數，信解、欲樂、心行都能入；宣說三乘之法也沒有限量，如此教化種種群生。（二十入頌攝）
「菩薩勤求最殊勝之道，動與息都不捨方便之慧；一一迴向佛的菩提，念念成就波羅蜜。
「發心迴向就是布施，滅除迷惑為戒、不害為忍，求善無厭就是精進之策，於道不動就是修禪，安忍無生名為般若；迴向為方便、希求為願，無能摧壞為力、善能了知為智——如此十度一切都得圓滿。（十度頌攝）
重頌（三）：十地地德一覽與八地之超越
「初地攀緣一切佛法而功德滿，二地離垢，三地諍息，四地入道，五地順行，第六地無生智光照耀，第七地安住菩提而功德滿，種種大願全都具足；以此能令第八地中，一切所作都清淨。（十地地德一覽）
「此地難過，要有大智才能超越，譬如二個世界的中間；也像那位聖王雖然無所染著，卻還不能名為完全超度。
「若是安住第八智地之中，這才逾越了心的境界；如同梵王觀看世間而超過人的地位，如同蓮華處在水中而無所染著。（二國中間喻·輪王梵王喻·蓮處水喻）
重頌（四）：非有非無惑·世技·超二乘
「此地雖然超越了諸惑之眾，卻不名為有惑，也不是無惑；因為沒有煩惱而在其中運行，而求佛智之心尚未滿足。
「世間所有的種種技藝，經書與辭論都普遍明了；禪定、三昧以及神通，這樣的修行全都成就。
「菩薩修成第七住之道，超過一切二乘之行；初地是憑願力，此地則是憑智慧，譬如王子力量具足。（王子喻）
重頌（五）：不取證·供佛·果報與結說
「成就甚深之法而仍然進道，心心寂滅而不取證；譬如乘船入於海中，身在水裡卻不被水所淹沒。（乘船入海喻）
「方便慧行的功德具足，一切世間無人能了知；供養多佛而心更加明淨，如同以妙寶莊嚴真金。（真金喻）
「此地菩薩的智慧最為明亮，如同太陽舒展光明曬乾愛水；又作自在天中之主，化導群生修習正智。（日光喻·果報）
「若是以勇猛精勤之力，獲得許多三昧、見到許多佛，多到百千億那由他之數；以願力自在示現，還要超過這個數目。
「這就是菩薩的遠行地，是方便智慧的清淨之道；一切世間的天與人、聲聞與獨覺，都無法了知。」（結地）
The Host of Devas Scatter Jewels: In Praise of the Lotus Among Men
At that time the great host of devas rejoiced in their minds and scattered down precious jewels that turned into clouds and rested in empty space; everywhere they sent forth all kinds of lovely sounds, and announced to that most excellent and pure one, saying:
“His wisdom that penetrates the ultimate truth is free and unobstructed; the merits he has perfected are hundreds of thousands of koṭis in number; he is the lotus among men, dwelling in the world and yet stained by nothing, and for the benefit of sentient beings he expounds this most profound practice.”
The Sovereign Heaven King, in the midst of empty space, sent forth a great radiance that shone upon the Buddha’s body, and scattered down clouds of the finest wondrous incense, making offerings everywhere to that one who removes sorrow, suffering, and affliction. At that time the great host of devas all rejoiced, and every one of them sent forth lovely sounds and together praised and declared:
“Having heard the merits of this ground, we have thereby gained a great good benefit.
The Goddesses Make Music: In Praise of the Practice Where Stillness and Function Do Not Obstruct
The goddesses at that time were glad in their minds and vied with one another in playing ten million kinds of music; all of this was by the spiritual power of the Tathāgata, and within the music they together made these words:
“His deportment is still and quiet, beyond all comparison; he can tame those hard to tame, and is worthy of the offerings of the world; he has already transcended every world, and yet he still moves within the world and sets forth the wondrous path.
“Though he manifests all kinds of measureless bodies, he knows that each single body is nothing at all; with skill he proclaims the dharmas in words, and yet he does not grasp at the marks of letters and sounds.
“He goes to hundreds of thousands of buddha-lands and makes offerings to the buddhas with all kinds of fine gifts; his wisdom is free and stained by nothing, and he does not give rise to the thought, ‘This is my buddha-land.’
“Though he diligently teaches and transforms all sentient beings, in his mind there is no discrimination whatever between ‘him’ and ‘me’; though he has already brought vast wholesome dharmas to completion, he gives rise to no attachment toward wholesome dharmas.
“Because he sees that in every world the three fires of greed, hatred, and delusion blaze without ceasing, he is far removed from every kind of notion, and gives rise to the power of great compassion and of vigor.
The Assembly Falls Silent: Vimukticandra Requests the Teaching of the Seventh Ground
All the devas and the goddesses, having made their various offerings and praises, all at the same time remained silent, gazing up at the honored one among men, wishing to hear the Dharma. At that time the bodhisattva Vimukticandra asked once again, saying:
“The minds of this great assembly are pure; as for the various marks of practice within the seventh ground, we only pray that the Son of the Buddha will proclaim them for all.
The Ten Kinds of Wisdom in Skillful Means: Within Emptiness Not Abiding in Emptiness, Within Existence Not Abiding in Existence
At that time the bodhisattva Vajragarbha told the bodhisattva Vimukticandra, saying:
“Sons of the Buddha! When a bodhisattva-mahāsattva has completed the practice of the sixth ground and wishes to enter the seventh, the Far-Reaching Ground, he should cultivate ten kinds of wisdom in skillful means, and thereby give rise to the surpassing path. Which ten? They are, namely:
“Though he well cultivates the three samādhis of emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness, yet in kindness and compassion he does not forsake sentient beings; though he has realized the dharma of the equality of the buddhas, yet he delights in constantly making offerings to the buddhas; though he enters the gate of the wisdom that contemplates emptiness, yet he diligently amasses merit; though he is far removed from the three realms, yet he adorns the three realms; though he has utterly extinguished in himself the various fires of the afflictions, yet for all sentient beings he can give rise to the gate of practice that extinguishes the fires of the afflictions of greed, hatred, and delusion; though he knows that the dharmas are like an illusion, like a dream, like a shadow, like an echo, like a mirage, like a magical transformation, like the moon in water, like an image in a mirror, without duality in their own nature, yet he follows the minds of sentient beings and does measureless and various kinds of work; though he knows that all lands are like empty space, yet he can adorn a buddha-land with pure and wondrous practice; though he knows that the dharma-body of the buddhas is by nature bodiless, yet he adorns his body with the marks and signs; though he knows that the voice of the buddhas is empty and quiescent in nature and cannot be spoken, yet he can send forth all kinds of distinct and pure sounds in accord with all sentient beings; though he follows the buddhas in knowing that the three times are but a single thought, yet in accord with the understanding of sentient beings he discriminates, and cultivates the practices with all kinds of marks, all kinds of seasons, and all kinds of numbers of kalpas.
“By ten kinds of wisdom in skillful means such as these the bodhisattva gives rise to surpassing practice and passes from the sixth ground into the seventh; and once he has entered, this practice is constantly present before him — and this is called: dwelling on the seventh ground, the Far-Reaching.
Having Dwelt on This Ground: The Twenty ‘Enterings of the Measureless’
“Sons of the Buddha! When a bodhisattva-mahāsattva dwells on this seventh ground, he enters the measureless realms of sentient beings; enters the measureless work of the buddhas in teaching and transforming sentient beings; enters the measureless net of worlds; enters the measureless pure lands of the buddhas; enters the measureless dharmas of every kind and distinction; enters the measureless wisdom by which the buddhas awaken in the present; enters the measureless numbers of kalpas; enters the measureless wisdom by which the buddhas comprehend the three times; enters the measureless distinctions in the faith and understanding of sentient beings; enters the measureless bodies of name and form that the buddhas manifest; enters the measureless distinctions in the desires, delights, and faculties of sentient beings; enters the measureless speech and sounds of the buddhas that gladden sentient beings; enters the measureless workings of mind of every kind in sentient beings; enters the measureless vast wisdom that the buddhas comprehend; enters the measureless faith and understanding of the vehicle of the śrāvakas; enters the measureless proclaiming by the buddhas of the path of wisdom that brings beings to faith and understanding; enters the measureless attainments of the pratyekabuddhas; enters the measureless proclaiming by the buddhas of the gates of profound wisdom that brings beings to enter in; enters the measureless practices of skillful means of the bodhisattvas; enters the measureless matters of the assembling of the Great Vehicle spoken by the buddhas, whereby bodhisattvas are able to enter in.
“This bodhisattva thinks in his mind: ‘Such measureless realms of the Tathāgata cannot be known even on through hundreds of thousands of koṭis of nayutas of kalpas; I should bring them all to fulfillment with a mind free of exertion and free of discrimination.’
Unbroken in Thought After Thought: The Ten Perfections Complete Within a Single Thought
“Sons of the Buddha! This bodhisattva contemplates in this way with profound wisdom, constantly and diligently cultivating the wisdom of skillful means and giving rise to the surpassing path, dwelling unshaken, without a single thought of rest or of putting it aside; walking, standing, sitting, lying down, and even in sleep and dream, he never for a moment consorts with the covering obstructions (the obstructions that cover over the nature of the mind), and constantly does not forsake this recollection. In thought after thought this bodhisattva is constantly able to complete the ten perfections. Why is this so? Because in thought after thought he takes great compassion as his forerunner, practices the Buddha’s Dharma, and turns toward the wisdom of a buddha.
“All his roots of goodness, given to sentient beings for the sake of seeking the wisdom of a buddha — this is called: the perfection of dāna (giving); the ability to extinguish the burning of every affliction — this is called: the perfection of śīla (discipline); taking kindness and compassion as forerunner and doing no harm to sentient beings — this is called: the perfection of kṣānti (patience); seeking the surpassing wholesome dharmas without ever having enough — this is called: the perfection of vīrya (vigor); the path of omniscience constantly present before him and never scattered — this is called: the perfection of dhyāna (meditative concentration); the ability to accept that the dharmas neither arise nor cease — this is called: the perfection of prajñā (wisdom); the ability to bring forth measureless wisdom — this is called: the perfection of skillful means; the ability to seek the higher and ever more surpassing wisdom — this is called: the perfection of vows; that no divergent doctrine whatever and no host of Māra can break him down — this is called: the perfection of power; knowing all dharmas as they really are — this is called: the perfection of knowledge.
“Sons of the Buddha! These ten perfections the bodhisattva is able to complete in thought after thought; and in the same way the four means of gathering (giving · kindly speech · beneficial conduct · the sharing of tasks), the four holdings, the thirty-seven factors, and the three gates of liberation — stated briefly, on up to all the factors of awakening — are likewise brought to fullness in thought after thought.
Vimukticandra Asks: Is It Only the Seventh Ground That Fulfills the Factors of Awakening?
At that time the bodhisattva Vimukticandra asked the bodhisattva Vajragarbha, saying:
“Son of the Buddha! Is it only within this seventh ground that a bodhisattva brings all the factors of awakening to fullness, or is he able to bring them to fullness within the other grounds as well?
Vajragarbha Answers: All Ten Grounds Fulfill Them, and the Seventh Is the Most Excellent
The bodhisattva Vajragarbha said:
“Sons of the Buddha! Within all ten grounds a bodhisattva is able to bring the factors of awakening to fullness; and yet the seventh ground is the most excellent. Why is this so? Because on this seventh ground the practice of exertion is complete, so that he gains entry into the practice in which wisdom is free.
“Sons of the Buddha! On the first ground a bodhisattva brings the factors of awakening to fullness because he takes all the Buddha’s dharmas as his object and vows to seek them; the second ground because he is far from the stains of the mind; the third because his vows increase further and he gains the radiance of the Dharma; the fourth because he enters the path; the fifth because he accords with what is done in the world; the sixth because he enters the profound gate of the Dharma; the seventh because he gives rise to all the Buddha’s dharmas — these grounds too bring the factors of awakening to fullness in the same way.
“Why is this so? From the first ground up to the seventh a bodhisattva accomplishes that one portion which is exertion possessed of wisdom; and by the power of this, from the eighth ground up to the tenth, practice without exertion is accomplished in its entirety.
“Sons of the Buddha! Suppose there were two worlds, one of them defiled and one of them wholly pure: the space between the two is hard to pass through, and only a bodhisattva who is furnished with great skillful means, spiritual powers, and the power of vows can pass through it. Sons of the Buddha! So it is with the grounds of a bodhisattva: there is defiled practice and there is pure practice, and the space between the two is hard to pass through; only a bodhisattva furnished with the power of great vows, with skillful means, and with wisdom can pass through it.
Vimukticandra Asks: Is the Seventh Ground Defiled Practice or Pure Practice?
The bodhisattva Vimukticandra said:
“Son of the Buddha! Is this bodhisattva of the seventh ground one of defiled practice, or one of pure practice?
Vajragarbha Answers: The Simile of the Wheel-Turning King and the Brahmā King
The bodhisattva Vajragarbha said:
“Sons of the Buddha! From the first ground to the seventh, all the practices he cultivates have forsaken the deeds that are afflictions, because he dedicates and directs them toward unsurpassed awakening and because he has gained a portion of the path of equality; and yet they still cannot be called practice that has surpassed the afflictions.
“Sons of the Buddha! It is like a wheel-turning sage king who rides the jewel that is the heavenly elephant and travels the four continents, and who, knowing that there are people poor and in distress, is not defiled by those many troubles — and yet he still cannot be called one who has surpassed the station of a human. But if he casts off the body of a king and is born in the Brahmā world, riding a celestial palace, gaining sight of a thousand worlds and travelling a thousand worlds, and manifesting the radiance and majestic virtue of the Brahmā heaven — this is what is called surpassing the station of a human.
“Sons of the Buddha! So it is with the bodhisattva: from the first ground up to the seventh he rides the vehicle of the perfections and travels the world, and knows the faults and troubles of the afflictions of the worlds; because what he rides is the right path, he is not defiled by the faults of the afflictions — and yet he still cannot be called one whose practice has surpassed the afflictions. But if he forsakes every practice that has exertion and passes from the seventh ground into the eighth, riding the pure vehicle of the bodhisattva and travelling the world, knowing the faults of the afflictions and yet undefiled by them — this is what is called practice that has surpassed the afflictions, because he has gained a surpassing of them that is complete in every respect.
“Sons of the Buddha! This bodhisattva of the seventh ground has already surpassed in full the host of afflictions, much greed and the rest, and dwells on this ground; and yet he is not called one who has afflictions, nor is he called one who is without afflictions. Why is this so? Because none of the afflictions actively operate, he is not called one who has them; because his mind that seeks the wisdom of the Tathāgata is not yet fulfilled, he is not called one who is without them.
The Three Kinds of Action Made Pure: A Great Illumining Master in the Great-Thousand World-System
“Sons of the Buddha! A bodhisattva who dwells on this seventh ground, with a deep and pure mind, perfects the action of body, perfects the action of speech, and perfects the action of mind. Every unwholesome course of action — those that the Tathāgata reproves — he has already forsaken; every wholesome deed — those that the Tathāgata praises — he constantly and well cultivates. All the books and arts there are in the world, just as was said within the fifth ground, he carries out of themselves, without needing recourse to exertion.
“Within the three-thousandfold great-thousand world-system this bodhisattva acts as a great illumining master; apart from the Tathāgata and the other bodhisattvas of the eighth ground and above, there is none whose deep mind and wondrous practice can equal his; the various dhyānas, samādhis, samāpattis (attainments), spiritual powers, and liberations are all able to appear before him. And yet these are accomplished by cultivation; they are not like the eighth ground, which accomplishes them by recompense. In thought after thought the bodhisattva of this ground completes his cultivation of the power of the wisdom of skillful means and of all the factors of awakening, so that they turn ever more excellent and full.
The Ten Samādhis: Entering a Million Samādhis and Purifying This Ground
“Sons of the Buddha! A bodhisattva who dwells on this ground enters the bodhisattva samādhi of well discerning and selecting, the samādhi of well selecting the meaning, the samādhi of supreme wisdom, the samādhi of distinguishing the treasury of meaning, the samādhi of distinguishing the meaning as it really is, the samādhi of well abiding in firm faculties, the samādhi of the gate of wisdom and spiritual powers, the samādhi of the action of the Dharma realm, the samādhi of the excellent benefit of the Tathāgata, and the samādhi of the gate of the manifold treasury of meaning, of birth-and-death and nirvāṇa; he enters a million samādhis such as these, furnished with the gate of great wisdom and spiritual powers, and thereby purifies this ground. Having gained these samādhis, because he is well able to purify the wisdom of skillful means and because of the power of great compassion, this bodhisattva surpasses the ground of the two vehicles and gains the ground of discerning wisdom.
“Sons of the Buddha! Because a bodhisattva who dwells on this ground well purifies the signless practice of measureless action of body, well purifies the signless practice of measureless action of speech, and well purifies the signless practice of measureless action of mind, he gains the radiance of the acceptance that dharmas do not arise.
Vimukticandra Asks: Have the Three Kinds of Action Since the First Ground Not Already Surpassed the Two Vehicles?
The bodhisattva Vimukticandra said:
“Son of the Buddha! Have not all the measureless actions of body, speech, and mind that a bodhisattva has had since the first ground already surpassed the two vehicles?
Vajragarbha Answers: The Simile of the Prince — the King’s Power and His Own Power
The bodhisattva Vajragarbha said:
“Sons of the Buddha! Those have all surpassed them; and yet that was only because he vowed to seek the dharmas of the buddhas, and not by the power of his own wisdom in discerning. Now, on the seventh ground, it is by the power of his own wisdom, and so none of the two vehicles can come up to him.
“It is like a prince born into the house of a king, born of the queen, furnished with the marks of a king, who from the moment he is born surpasses all the host of ministers — and yet that is only by the power of the king and not by his own power. But when his body has grown up and his arts and studies are all complete, then it is by his own power that he surpasses everyone. So it is with the bodhisattva-mahāsattva: at the time when he first gives rise to the mind, because he sets his will on seeking the great Dharma he surpasses all śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas; now, dwelling on this ground, it is by the power of the wisdom of his own practice that he passes out beyond all the two vehicles.
“Sons of the Buddha! A bodhisattva who dwells on this seventh ground gains the action of body, speech, and mind that is profound, far removed, without practice, and constantly coursing, and he diligently seeks the higher path without forsaking it — and therefore the bodhisattva, though he courses in the real limit (the true limit of the dharmas), does not take realization of it.
Vimukticandra Asks: From Which Ground Onward Can He Enter the Concentration of Cessation?
The bodhisattva Vimukticandra said:
“Son of the Buddha! From which ground onward is a bodhisattva able to enter the concentration of cessation (the concentration of complete cessation)?
Vajragarbha Answers: The Simile of Boarding a Ship and Entering the Sea — Entering in Thought After Thought Without Making Realization of It
The bodhisattva Vajragarbha said:
“Sons of the Buddha! From the sixth ground onward a bodhisattva is able to enter the concentration of cessation. Now, dwelling on this ground, he is able to enter it in thought after thought and also to rise from it in thought after thought, and yet he does not take realization of it. Therefore this bodhisattva is called: one who has perfected inconceivable action of body, speech, and mind, who courses in the real limit and does not take realization of it. It is like a man who boards a ship and enters the sea and, by the power of his skill, meets with no disaster in the water; so it is with the bodhisattva of this ground, who rides the ship of the perfections and sails the sea of the real limit, and who, by the power of his vows, does not realize quiescent cessation.
The Virtue of the Twofold Practice: Though … Yet …
“Sons of the Buddha! Having gained the power of the wisdom of samādhis such as these, this bodhisattva, with great skillful means: though he manifests birth-and-death, yet he constantly dwells in nirvāṇa; though he is surrounded by a retinue, yet he constantly delights in solitude; though by the power of vows he takes birth in the three realms, yet he is not defiled by the dharmas of the world; though he is constantly in quiescent cessation, yet by the power of skillful means he blazes up again, and though he blazes he is not burned; though he accords with the wisdom of a buddha, yet he manifests entering the grounds of the śrāvaka and the pratyekabuddha; though he has gained the treasury of the realm of a buddha, yet he manifests dwelling in the realm of Māra; though he has passed beyond the path of Māra, yet he manifests carrying out the dharmas of Māra; though he manifests conduct in common with the outsiders, yet he does not forsake the Buddha’s Dharma; though he manifests according with every world, yet he constantly carries out all the dharmas that transcend the world. All the affairs of adornment that are his surpass whatever belongs to the devas, the dragons, the yakṣas, the gandharvas, the asuras, the garuḍas, the kiṃnaras, the mahoragas, humans and nonhumans, Śakra, the Brahmā kings, and the four heaven kings; and yet he does not forsake the mind that delights in the Dharma.
Seeing Many Buddhas · The Simile of True Gold · The Simile of Sunlight: The Perfection of Skillful Means Preeminent
“Sons of the Buddha! A bodhisattva who has perfected wisdom such as this and dwells on the Far-Reaching Ground gains, by the power of his vows, the sight of many buddhas. That is: he sees many hundreds of buddhas, on up to seeing many hundreds of thousands of koṭis of nayutas of buddhas. In the presence of those buddhas, with a vast mind and a mind of increasing excellence, he makes offerings and pays reverence, honors and praises them, and presents as gifts clothing, food and drink, bedding, and medicine — everything needed to support life — and with these he makes offerings to the whole assembly of monks as well, dedicating and directing such roots of goodness toward unsurpassed perfect awakening. Again, in the presence of the buddhas he reverently listens to the Dharma, and having heard it he receives and upholds it, gaining the radiance of the wisdom of samādhi as it really is, and practices in accord with it. In the presence of the buddhas he guards and upholds the true Dharma, and is constantly praised and delighted in by the tathāgatas; no question or challenge that the two vehicles may raise can make him fall back; he benefits sentient beings, and his acceptance of the dharmas is pure.
“In this way, through measureless hundreds of thousands of koṭis of nayutas of kalpas, all his roots of goodness turn ever more excellent. It is like true gold that is adorned with many wondrous jewels set in among it, so that it turns ever more excellent and its radiance is doubled, and none of the other ornaments can come up to it; so it is with all the roots of goodness of a bodhisattva who dwells on this seventh ground: by the power of the wisdom of skillful means they turn ever brighter and purer, and the two vehicles cannot come up to them.
“Sons of the Buddha! It is like sunlight, which the light of the stars and the moon cannot come up to, and which can dry up all the mire and standing water (mud and pooled water) upon the great earth of Jambudvīpa; so it is with the bodhisattva of this Far-Reaching Ground, whom none of the two vehicles can come up to, and who is able to dry up every kind of deluding mire and standing water in all sentient beings. Among the ten perfections this bodhisattva has the perfection of skillful means preeminent; it is not that he does not practice the rest, but only that he does so according to his power and his portion.
The Conclusion of the Ground and Its Fruit of Recompense: He Mostly Becomes a Sovereign Heaven King
“Sons of the Buddha! What has been said above is called: a brief statement of the bodhisattva-mahāsattva’s seventh ground, the Far-Reaching. A bodhisattva who dwells on this ground mostly becomes a Sovereign Heaven King, and is skilled at proclaiming for sentient beings the dharma of realizing wisdom, causing them to enter into realization. Giving, kindly speech, beneficial conduct, and the sharing of tasks — every work he does in this way does not depart from the recollection of the Buddha, on up to not departing from the recollection of the perfect possession of all modes and of the wisdom of omniscience.
“He further thinks in this way: ‘I should be, among all sentient beings, the foremost and the most excellent, on up to being the one upon whom they rely for the wisdom of omniscience.’ If this bodhisattva gives rise to diligent vigor, then in the space of a single thought he can gain hundreds of thousands of koṭis of nayutas of samādhis, on up to manifesting hundreds of thousands of koṭis of nayutas of bodhisattvas as his retinue; and if by the surpassing power of a bodhisattva’s vows he manifests freely, then he surpasses even this number, so that through hundreds of thousands of koṭis of nayutas of kalpas it could not be counted and known.
Verses in Repetition (1): Entering the Seventh Ground by the Ten Wondrous Practices
At that time the bodhisattva Vajragarbha, wishing to proclaim this meaning once again, spoke in verse, saying:
“The samādhi path of the wisdom of the ultimate meaning: on the sixth ground the mind of practice is fulfilled, and at once the wisdom of skillful means is perfected — by this the bodhisattva enters the seventh ground.
“Though he understands the three gates of liberation, yet he gives rise to kindness and compassion; though he is equal to the Tathāgata, yet he diligently makes offerings to the buddhas; though he contemplates emptiness, yet he amasses merit — by this the bodhisattva ascends to the seventh ground.
“Far removed from the three realms, yet adorning the three realms; extinguishing the fire of delusion, yet giving rise to the flame of the Dharma; knowing that the dharmas are without duality, yet diligently doing works; comprehending that the buddha-lands are all empty, yet delighting to adorn and purify a buddha-land; understanding that the body of a buddha is unmoving, yet furnished with all the marks; penetrating that the nature of sound is apart, yet skilled at setting it forth; entering into a single thought, yet each matter distinct — by this the wise one ascends to the seventh ground. (the verses gathering the ten wondrous practices)
Verses in Repetition (2): Entering the Measureless · Perfecting the Perfections in Thought After Thought
“Contemplating this Dharma he gains clear understanding, and raises up benefit widely for the deluded multitudes; he enters the realm of sentient beings, which has no bound, and the work of the buddhas in teaching and transforming is measureless as well.
“Lands, dharmas, and the numbers of kalpas; faith and understanding, desires and delights, and the workings of mind — into all of these he can enter; his proclaiming of the dharmas of the three vehicles is without limit as well, and thus he teaches and transforms the manifold multitudes of beings. (the verses gathering the twenty enterings)
“The bodhisattva diligently seeks the most surpassing path, and in motion and in rest he does not forsake the wisdom of skillful means; each and every one he dedicates and directs toward the awakening of a buddha, and in thought after thought he perfects the perfections.
“To give rise to the mind and to dedicate it is giving; to extinguish delusion is discipline, and to do no harm is patience; to seek the good without weariness is the spur of vigor; to be unmoved upon the path is the cultivation of dhyāna; to accept in peace what does not arise is called prajñā; to dedicate and direct is skillful means, and to long for is the vow; that none can crush is power, and to be well able to comprehend is knowledge — thus all ten perfections are brought to fullness. (the verses gathering the ten perfections)
Verses in Repetition (3): A Conspectus of the Virtues of the Ten Grounds and the Transcendence of the Eighth
“The first ground takes all the Buddha’s dharmas as its object and its merit is full; the second is free of stain, the third has contention stilled, the fourth enters the path, the fifth accords in its practice, the sixth shines with the light of the wisdom of non-arising, the seventh dwells in awakening and its merit is full, and all the great vows are complete in every kind; and by this it can bring it about that within the eighth ground everything done is pure. (a conspectus of the virtues of the ten grounds)
“This ground is hard to pass; only great wisdom can cross beyond it, as with the space between two worlds; and it is also like that sage king who, though stained by nothing, still cannot be called one who has crossed over entirely.
“Only when he dwells within the eighth, the ground of wisdom, has he leapt beyond the realm of mind; like the Brahmā king who looks upon the world and surpasses the station of a human, like the lotus that rests in the water and is stained by nothing. (the simile of the space between two worlds · the simile of the wheel-turning king and the Brahmā king · the simile of the lotus in the water)
Verses in Repetition (4): Neither Having Nor Lacking Delusions · The Arts of the World · Surpassing the Two Vehicles
“Though on this ground he has surpassed the host of delusions, he is not called one who has delusions, nor is he one without them; because he is without afflictions and yet courses within them, while the mind that seeks the wisdom of a buddha is not yet fulfilled.
“All the many arts there are in the world, the books and the discourses, he understands throughout; meditative concentration, samādhi, and the spiritual powers — such cultivation is accomplished in its entirety.
“The bodhisattva brings to completion the path of the seventh dwelling, surpassing every practice of the two vehicles; the first ground was by the power of vows, while this ground is by wisdom — as with the prince whose strength is complete. (the simile of the prince)
Verses in Repetition (5): Not Taking Realization · Offerings to the Buddhas · The Fruit of Recompense and the Concluding Words
“He perfects the profound Dharma and still advances upon the path; thought after thought is quiescent, and yet he does not take realization of it; it is like boarding a ship and entering the midst of the sea, where the body is in the water and yet is not drowned by the water. (the simile of boarding a ship and entering the sea)
“The merit of the practice of the wisdom of skillful means is complete, and no one in any world can comprehend it; making offerings to many buddhas, his mind grows brighter and purer, as when true gold is adorned with wondrous jewels. (the simile of true gold)
“The wisdom of the bodhisattva of this ground is the brightest of all, as the sun spreads its radiance and dries up the water of craving; and he becomes the lord among the Sovereign devas, transforming and guiding the multitudes of beings to cultivate right wisdom. (the simile of sunlight · the fruit of recompense)
“If by the power of valorous and diligent vigor he gains many samādhis and sees many buddhas, as many as hundreds of thousands of koṭis of nayutas; and manifesting freely by the power of vows, he surpasses even this number.
“This is the bodhisattva’s Far-Reaching Ground, the pure path of the wisdom of skillful means; none in any world, neither devas nor humans, neither śrāvakas nor pratyekabuddhas, is able to comprehend it.” (the conclusion of the ground)
「遠行」二字，遠在哪裡
十地走到第七，地名忽然變了口氣。前六地的名字說的是所得——歡喜、離垢、發光、焰慧、難勝、現前，一地比一地亮；到這一地，名字說的卻是路程：遠行。遠在哪裡？經文自己沒有直接解釋這個名字，只在地末說一句「是名：略說菩薩摩訶薩第七遠行地」，把名字放在那裡讓行相自己去說。古德便從行相上補這個名字。
澄觀說「言遠行者，通有四義」，舉了四家之說，最後歸成兩義：一是從前面一路遠遠走來，走到功用的邊上；二是站在功用的最後邊，能夠遠遠地去到後面的位次。一個回頭看，一個向前看——遠行地是路的中點被說成了兩頭都遠。法藏在《探玄記》裡舉三釋，第一釋就是「約功用後邊」，說此地於功用之行已到究竟，雖然一切相都不能動搖他了，可是對於「無相」他仍然算是「有行」——這一句要緊：不是他還著相，是他還在『用力保持無相』，用力本身就還是行。世親《十地經論》則從經文的釋名句立義，說「修行功用盡至故，名為遠行地」：功用走到頭了，所以叫遠行。李通玄的讀法最不同，他不從功用說，從遍周說：此地行方便波羅蜜，以無作智慧入一切世間，隨眾生之行普令遍周，「為入世間行遍周廣大故，名遠行地」——遠不是離得遠，是走得遍。
四家所指不一，卻都圍著同一件事：這一地是「用力」的最後一站。記住這個總相，下面每一段經文都能落位。
十個「雖……而……」：空中不住空，有中不住有
入地的第一段，經文給了十句同一形狀的話：「雖善修空、無相、無願三昧，而慈悲不捨眾生」——上半句觀空，下半句涉有。這十句合稱十種方便慧，是從第六地跨進第七地的橋。
先問一個容易被跳過的問題：第六地已經是「般若現前」的地，觀空觀到極處，為什麼還要換一座橋？澄觀答得很直：正因為觀空觀得太好，「樂著般若觀空」本身成了此地所離的障。前地的病不是著有，是著空——耽在無相裡不肯出來作事。所以第七地的對治，不是再教一遍空，是教『空中怎麼起有』。澄觀判這十句的句法說：「即有修空故不住空，是空中方便慧；即空涉有故不住有，是有中殊勝道。」上句得下句，空就不成死空；下句得上句，有就不成染有。兩句互得，才叫方便慧。
十句逐一看，正是把『怕落有』的十種顧慮一一破掉。第一句怕慈悲壞了空觀，經文說雖修三三昧而慈悲不捨眾生；第二句怕證了平等法便無佛可供，經文說雖得諸佛平等法而樂常供養佛；第三句怕修福有相，經文說雖入觀空智門而勤集福德；第四句怕莊嚴三界即是戀三界，經文說雖遠離三界而莊嚴三界——澄觀在此點明：這是願力受生，不是業惑受生，所以說遠離。第五句更奇：雖畢竟寂滅了自己的煩惱焰，卻能為眾生起「滅貪瞋癡煩惱焰」的行門——不是去點火，是為了滅火而示現有火可滅。第六句列八喻：如幻、如夢、如影、如響、如焰、如化、如水中月、如鏡中像，自性無二，而隨心作業無量差別——八個喻都在說「有而非實」，正因為非實，所以作業才無礙。第七句雖知國土猶如虛空而莊嚴佛土，第八句雖知法身本性無身而以相好莊嚴其身，第九句雖知佛音聲性空寂滅不可言說而隨眾生出種種清淨音聲——依報、正報、教法三輪，一一是『知空而作』。第十句最深：雖隨諸佛了知三世唯是一念，而隨眾生意解分別，以種種相、種種時、種種劫數而修諸行——時間在他這裡已經是一念，可他仍然肯陪著眾生走劫數。
錯讀常在這裡發生：把「雖……而……」讀成勉強、讀成委屈，好像菩薩明知是空還得裝作有。不是的。澄觀說十句「不滯空有，並致雖言」——「雖」字不是讓步，是標記兩邊都不落。經文收束說：「菩薩以如是十種方便慧起殊勝行，從第六地入第七地；入已，此行常現在前，名為：住第七遠行地」——注意「常現在前」四字，入地的標記不是得了什麼新東西，是這種雙行成了他的常態。落到自己身上，這一段是問：我的空觀，出得了觀門嗎？出了觀門還在不在？
二十個「入無量」：把整個法界當作作業面
住地之後，經文一口氣排了二十句「入無量」：入無量眾生界，入無量諸佛教化眾生業，入無量世界網，入無量諸佛清淨國土，入無量種種差別法，入無量諸佛現覺智，入無量劫數，入無量諸佛覺了三世智，入無量眾生差別信解，入無量諸佛示現種種名色身，入無量眾生欲樂諸根差別，入無量諸佛語言音聲令眾生歡喜，入無量眾生種種心行，入無量諸佛了知廣大智，入無量聲聞乘信解，入無量諸佛說智道令信解，入無量辟支佛所成就，入無量諸佛說甚深智慧門令趣入，入無量諸菩薩方便行，入無量諸佛所說大乘集成事令菩薩得入。
二十句排開，會發現它們是兩兩相對的：一句說眾生邊的無量，一句說諸佛邊的無量——眾生界對佛的教化業，眾生信解對佛的三世智，眾生心行對佛的廣大智。這正是上一段十妙行的展開：既然空中能起有，那麼所「入」的就不再是一個一個的境，而是整片無量。李通玄釋地名時所引的正是這幾句：以無作智慧入一切世間，「等眾生行普令遍周」——他把「遠行」直接讀成這二十入的遍周。
經文接著給了一句菩薩的自語：「如是無量如來境界，乃至於百千億那由他劫不能得知，我悉應以無功用無分別心成就圓滿。」這句話裡藏著全地的轉折。前面二十入是何等的廣大作為，這裡卻說要用「無功用無分別心」去成就——他自己已經看見了：靠用力是算不完這筆帳的。世親釋此段（論經作「自然不以分別得成」）說「自然者，自性勝無分別故」。一個人用力到極處，才會真正知道用力有邊；願心在這裡開始指向第八地。
念念之中，十度俱滿
接著是此地最著名的一段：「此菩薩於念念中，常能具足十波羅蜜。」
先問：十度行相各別，布施是捨、持戒是止、忍辱是受、精進是策，一念之中怎麼可能同時圓滿？經文自己設了這一問並自答：「念念皆以大悲為首，修行佛法，向佛智故。」澄觀順此判為「一念頓具十度之行，義利廣故」——關鍵不在動作，在心之所向。同一念心以大悲為首、迴向佛智，這一念便已具足十度之義；十度不是十件事排隊做完，是一念之中的十個面向。
經文於是逐一給出這十個面向的定義，都不是儀軌上的定義，而是心相上的：所有善根為求佛智而施與眾生，是檀那波羅蜜——布施的定義落在「施與眾生」而不落在財物；能滅一切煩惱熱，是尸羅波羅蜜——戒的功能被說成滅熱；慈悲為首、不損眾生，是羼提波羅蜜——忍的根是慈悲，不是硬忍；求勝善法無有厭足，是毘梨耶波羅蜜——精進的相是不厭足；一切智道常現在前、未曾散亂，是禪那波羅蜜——定的相是不散亂而非入靜；能忍諸法無生無滅，是般若波羅蜜——般若在這裡也用「忍」字，安得下無生才是智；能出生無量智，是方便波羅蜜；能求上上勝智，是願波羅蜜；一切異論及諸魔眾無能沮壞，是力波羅蜜；如實了知一切法，是智波羅蜜。澄觀又於中分配悲智：「檀通悲智，忍唯約悲，餘皆約智」——十度不是平均的十份。
而這一段的門檻其實在它前面那幾句：「安住不動，無有一念休息廢捨；行、住、坐、臥乃至睡夢，未曾暫與蓋障相應。」世親釋此為「一念中奢摩他、毘婆舍那二行雙現前」——止與觀在同一念中並起，這就是此地的「雙行」。澄觀補一句：舉睡夢者，「以昧況審」——連最昏昧的時候都不斷，何況清醒。經文最後把範圍再擴：四攝、四持、三十七品、三解脫門，略說乃至一切菩提分法，念念圓滿。澄觀釋「四持」為四家所住處：般若家能照、諦家所照、捨煩惱家、苦清淨家。落到自己身上：所謂「念念不斷」不是逼自己不休息，是那一念的方向從未換過。
七地為什麼最殊勝：功用與無功用的分水嶺
解脫月在這裡插問：菩提分法是只有第七地滿足，還是諸地都能滿足？這一問問得極好——若是諸地都滿，說七地殊勝豈不虛設？
金剛藏的答分兩層。第一層：十地都能滿足菩提分法，並且逐地給了理由——初地是緣一切佛法願求故，二地是離心垢故，三地是願轉增長得法光明故，四地是入道故，五地是順世所作故，六地是入甚深法門故，第七地是起一切佛法故。七個理由排下來，前六地各有各的側面，唯第七地是「起一切佛法」——總起。第二層才是分水嶺：「菩薩從初地乃至第七地，成就智功用分。以此力故，從第八地乃至第十地，無功用行皆悉成就。」前七地是有功用的一段，後三地是無功用的一段，而第七地是有功用那一段的滿處，所以說「此第七地功用行滿，得入智慧自在行故」。殊勝不在它比別地高，在它是一整段的收尾。
於是經文給了二國中間喻：譬如有二世界，一處雜染，一處純淨，這二者中間難可得過，唯除菩薩有大方便神通願力。世親論本牒此喻作「一、染淨世界；二、純淨世界」。喻意要看準：難過的不是雜染世界，也不是純淨世界，是那條界。修行最險的地方從來不是最髒的地方，是快要乾淨而還沒乾淨的地方——用力用到極處，再往前不能靠用力，這一步才難。澄觀正是以此顯「此第七雙非染淨」，成其中間之義。
染行還是淨行：輪王與梵王
解脫月接著問得更尖：這第七地菩薩，是染行還是淨行？
金剛藏沒有直接選邊。他說從初地到七地，所行諸行都已捨離煩惱業，因為迴向無上菩提、分得平等道——這是淨的一面；「然未名為超煩惱行」——這是還不能算淨的一面。然後給喻：轉輪聖王乘天象寶遊四天下，見有貧窮困苦之人而不被眾患所染，可是他還沒有超過「人」的地位；若捨王身生於梵世，乘天宮殿、見千世界、遊千世界，示現梵天光明威德，這才叫超過人位。合到法上：初地到七地乘波羅蜜乘遊行世間，知煩惱過患而不被染，卻仍未名超煩惱行；若捨一切有功用行，從第七地入第八地，乘菩薩清淨乘遊行世間，這才名為超煩惱行。澄觀繫此喻極明白：輪王喻七地，梵王喻八地——輪王之不染是『在人中而不染』，梵王之超是『換了一個身』。
錯讀常在此處：以為菩薩到七地還沒乾淨，是修得不好。不是。經文緊接著給了最精準的一句：「此第七地菩薩盡超過多貪等諸煩惱眾住此地，不名有煩惱者，不名無煩惱者。」為什麼不名有？「一切煩惱不現行故。」為什麼不名無？「求如來智心未滿故。」——這第二句最耐讀：他的「未滿」不是還有貪瞋，是還有那個「求」。澄觀把話說到底：「功用即是煩惱，以有起動故。」求佛智的那一念用力，在這一地的標準下已經算作動相了。這不是苛責，是尺度往上抬了一階：初地的乾淨是離我見的乾淨，七地的乾淨是連『用力求』都要放下的乾淨。澄觀又列諸地超惑之序——初地超貪、二三超瞋、三亦超癡、四地超慢、五地超疑、六地超見，至此總超隨惑——所以叫「盡超」；而經文說「多貪等」，加一個「多」字，正是留下那個未超的細者。
三業清淨·大明師·百萬三昧
從這裡起是此地的果分。世親判為五相中的「彼果」，澄觀分作四果：業清淨、得勝三昧、得過地、得勝行。
第一是業清淨。經文說菩薩住此第七地，「以深淨心，成就身業，成就語業，成就意業」——如來所訶的不善業道都已捨離，如來所讚的善業常善修行；世間所有經書、技術，如第五地中所說，皆自然而行，不假功用。五地菩薩學世間技藝是要用心學的，七地已經不用了——「不假功用」四字在此地處處出現，是這一地的暗線。世親釋業清淨為四相，首舉戒淨勝。
接著說地位：此菩薩於三千大千世界中為大明師，唯除如來及八地已上其餘菩薩，深心妙行無與等者；諸禪、三昧、三摩鉢底、神通、解脫皆得現前。澄觀於此辨三摩鉢底有五種——四無色、八勝處、十遍處、滅盡定、無想定，前四菩薩多入為化眾生，無想定則不入，非聖法故。而經文自己補了一句極重要的限制：「然是修成，非如八地報得成就。」同樣是神通三昧現前，七地是修來的，八地是報得的——這一句是七、八二地之別的又一面，也為後文滅定不作證埋了伏筆。
第二是得勝三昧。經文列十種三昧之名：善觀擇三昧、善擇義三昧、最勝慧三昧、分別義藏三昧、如實分別義三昧、善住堅固根三昧、智慧神通門三昧、法界業三昧、如來勝利三昧、種種義藏生死涅槃門三昧，並說入「如是等具足大智神通門百萬三昧，淨治此地」。十名之中，「善擇」「分別義」「如實分別義」三名反覆標出擇與義——這一地的定不是不分別的定，是在定中善能分別的定，正應方便慧之名。得此三昧而後，「善治淨方便慧故，大悲力故，超過二乘地，得觀察智慧地」；世親釋超二乘為二相：一修行方便智力、二大悲力。過二乘靠的是方便與大悲，不是靠定深。
第三段說三業無相：善淨無量身業無相行、語業無相行、意業無相行故，「得無生法忍光明」。世親釋「無量三業無相行」為入定遠離相——二乘也有淨業遠離之相，但不是「無量」。無生法忍在此地得的是「光明」，尚非八地之得忍自體，這也是留給下一地的。
願力與自智力：王子喻
解脫月再問：菩薩從初地以來所有無量身語意業，難道不是已經超過二乘了嗎？
金剛藏答：那些都已超過，「然但以願求諸佛法故，非是自智觀察之力；今第七地自智力故，一切二乘所不能及」。同一件「超過」，前後兩種憑藉：初地靠的是願，七地靠的是自智。譬如王子生在王家、王后所生，具足王相，一生下來就勝過一切臣眾，但那是憑王的力量；等到身體長大、藝業悉成，才是以自力超過一切。這個喻極平實，卻把修行裡一件常被混淆的事分清了：憑立志得來的地位，與憑實力得來的地位，外相可以一樣，內裡不同。初發心時說「超過一切聲聞獨覺」不是誇口，那是王家血脈；到七地說「出過一切二乘之上」，才是藝業悉成。
答末給出此地的定相：「菩薩住此第七地，得甚深遠離無行、常行身語意業，勤求上道而不捨離，是故菩薩雖行實際而不作證。」世親逐字釋這三個詞：甚深者遠入故，遠離者彼障滅故，無行者彼餘出世間世間地不能行故。澄觀補「常行者，此無間故」，並指出二乘也有離相之業，卻得少為足、不能上求菩提——所以七地之過，過在「勤求上道而不捨離」。
念念入滅定而不作證：乘船入海
於是有了全地最險的一問：菩薩從何地來，能入滅定？
金剛藏答：從第六地來就能入滅定；如今住此地，「能念念入，亦念念起，而不作證」。滅盡定是二乘所趣的寂滅門，入得深便有取證之險——一取證，菩薩道就在這裡斷了。所以經文特別說『念念入、念念起』：入而能起，才是不作證。因此這位菩薩名為成就不可思議身語意業，「行於實際而不作證」。世親釋其所以，只五個字：「以不捨有故。」不捨有，所以不落證。
喻曰：譬如有人乘船入海，以善巧力不遭水難；此地菩薩亦復如是，乘波羅蜜船行實際海，以願力故而不證滅。澄觀釋喻中「善巧力」為知行船法、知水相；合文中「波羅蜜船」即般若等，而「以願力者，是方便不捨有因」。水是可以淹死人的，船是可以行水的——實際不是不可入，是不可無船而入。
接著是十句雙行之德：雖示現生死而恒住涅槃，雖眷屬圍遶而常樂遠離，雖以願力三界受生而不為世法所染，雖常寂滅以方便力而還熾然、雖然不燒，雖隨順佛智而示入聲聞辟支佛地，雖得佛境界藏而示住魔境界，雖超魔道而現行魔法，雖示同外道行而不捨佛法，雖示隨順一切世間而常行一切出世間法；所有莊嚴之事出過一切天龍八部乃至帝釋梵王四天王之所有，而不捨離樂法之心。這十句與入地的十妙行同一句法而位次不同：入地的十句是『知空而能起有』，此處的十句是『起有而不失空』。世親攝此十句為八種行共對治，澄觀釋其相攝之理：能治與所治二行共俱，如示生死為所治、恒住涅槃為能治，能治攝所治故不為生死所染；反過來也成立，示現生死為能治而不證涅槃。這不是文字遊戲，是雙行之所以為雙行——兩邊互為對治，才誰也不落。
供佛·真金·日光：方便波羅蜜偏多
果分之末說調柔。菩薩成就如是智慧住遠行地，以願力故得見多佛，乃至見多百千億那由他佛；於彼佛所以廣大心、增勝心供養恭敬，衣服飲食臥具醫藥一切資生悉以奉施，也供養一切眾僧，以此善根迴向無上菩提；又於佛所恭敬聽法、聞已受持，獲如實三昧智慧光明，隨順修行；於諸佛所護持正法，常為如來讚喜，「一切二乘所有問難無能退屈」，利益眾生，法忍清淨。世親釋名正取此段：論云「守護諸佛正法者，於三千大千世界中得為大師故、修方便行滿足故」，又牒經「利益眾生故、法忍轉淨故、修行功用盡至故，名為遠行地」——地名的根據，原來就在這一段果相裡。
兩個喻收束：譬如真金以眾妙寶間錯莊嚴，轉更增勝、倍益光明，餘莊嚴具所不能及——世親釋真金喻為菩提分法方便行功用滿足，故善根轉勝明淨。前地也有鍊金之喻，那時是『金師鍊金·數數入火』，說的是治；到此地說的是『間錯眾寶』，說的是嚴——金已鍊淨，加的是莊嚴。再一喻：譬如日光，星月等光無能及者，閻浮提地所有泥潦悉能乾竭；此地菩薩一切二乘無有能及，悉能乾竭一切眾生諸惑泥潦。澄觀辨日月二光之異：月光清涼如般若，日光用廣如方便——六地般若如月，七地方便如日，喻換得極準。所以經文最後說：此菩薩十波羅蜜中，方便波羅蜜偏多；餘非不行，但隨力隨分。李通玄釋此地修何行門，也正落在方便波羅蜜：以出生死的三解脫門，能入世間同眾生之萬行，「然不離世間、不隨生死，長大慈悲故，名方便波羅蜜」。
結地與果報：多作自在天王
經文以「佛子！是名：略說菩薩摩訶薩第七遠行地」結說，然後說果報身：菩薩住此地多作自在天王，善為眾生說證智法，令其證入。他化自在天是欲界之頂——這一地的菩薩不是隱入定中，是坐在世間最頂處說法，正合「入世間行遍周」之義。所作一切業，布施、愛語、利行、同事，皆不離念佛，乃至不離念具足一切種、一切智智——四攝是向外的手，三念是向內的線，手伸得再遠，線不斷。他又發願：「我當於一切眾生中為首、為勝，乃至為一切智智依止者。」這一願句諸地皆同，不是爭高，是自認擔子。末說精進之量：若發勤精進，於一念頃得百千億那由他三昧，乃至示現百千億那由他菩薩以為眷屬；若以殊勝願力自在示現，過於此數，乃至百千億那由他劫不能數知。
重頌把長行再走一遍，其中有一句是長行所無的：十地地德一覽——「初地攀緣功德滿，二地離垢三諍息，四地入道五順行，第六無生智光照，七住菩提功德滿，種種大願皆具足，以是能令八地中，一切所作咸清淨。」十地一句一德排下來，末了歸到八地清淨——這是把『七地是收尾』這件事，用一張總表再說一次。頌末以蓮處水為喻說八地之無染，並以「此是菩薩遠行地，方便智慧清淨道，一切世間天及人，聲聞獨覺無能知」作結。
唯識鏡對讀：有加行有功用無相住·細相現行障
此地在唯識一系有一個更技術的名字與定位。澄觀釋來意時，直引《瑜伽》之說為證：前地雖然已能多住無相作意，卻還不能令無相作意「無間無缺」，為了令它圓滿，所以有此地來——在瑜伽菩薩住的分位裡，這一地即是「有加行有功用無相住」：無相已經是常態，但維持它還要加行、還要功用。經文說「此第七地功用行滿」，與此正合。
所離之障，澄觀說是「細相現行障」，並開為二愚：一是細相現行愚，執有緣生流轉的細生相；二是純作意求無相愚，執有還滅的細滅相。第二愚尤其要看清——它不是著有，是「純作意於無相勤求，未能空中起有勝行」。所斷既是這個，所證便是「法無差別真如」：了知種種教法同真無相，故能空中起有，成就方便度。法藏在《探玄記》裡也依《地論》說此地離「細相習障」，並引《唯識》之文相參。至於地名，澄觀所舉四家，第一家即《成唯識》之義：「至無相住功用後邊，出過世間二乘道故」；《解深密》則說「能遠證入無缺無間無相作意，與清淨地共相隣接，故名遠行」；《攝大乘》世親釋更點出關節：雖一切相不能動搖，「而於無相猶名有行」。
華嚴這邊說的是『二國中間難可得過』，唯識那邊說的是『斷純作意求無相愚』——一邊是行路人的難處，一邊是所斷之惑的名字，說的是同一步。兩鏡並照，這一地的分量才看得足。
承衍
此地之文，後世兩軸各有所承。華嚴宗方面：澄觀以「純無相不礙起行」為此地別義，以『空中方便慧·有中殊勝道』判十妙行之句法——理事無礙之談落在地位上，此處是最見骨的一段；李通玄則以善財於此位所參之善知識表法，說「開敷樹華」表無相妙慧之樹開敷普賢行華，並以「不居染淨，故名為解脫」讀此地之廣大歡喜——十地與五十三參對配，是表法一軌。
古德於此地之異釋，並錄如下而不判：釋名之數，澄觀舉四義而歸二義，法藏舉三釋，李通玄以入世間遍周為釋，世親以修行功用盡至為釋；《十住論》之地名，澄觀引作「遠地」，法藏引作「身遠地」；讚請之頌數，澄觀作十二頌，法藏所疏六十本作十四頌；五相之配位，澄觀配入心、住出心、地滿，法藏配加行道、無間道、解脫道、勝進道；重頌之數，澄觀作二十一頌，李通玄作四十二行頌。諸說各有所本，誌錄之。
唯識軸方面：世親《十地經論》為此品逐文之釋，五相科即出其手；所離細相現行障、所證法無差別真如、以及「有加行有功用無相住」之對位，皆承此地之文而立論。功用之極與無功用之始，在華嚴是二國中間的一條界，在唯識是十障十真如之第七——一段經文，東流成華嚴之行相，西流成唯識之階位。
The Two Words “Far-Reaching”: Far in What Respect?
When the ten grounds reach the seventh, the name of the ground suddenly changes its tone. The names of the first six grounds speak of what is gained — Joyful, Stainless, Luminous, Flaming-Wisdom, Hard-to-Conquer, Manifest, each brighter than the last; on this ground the name speaks instead of the road travelled: Far-Reaching. Far in what respect? The sūtra itself gives no direct explanation of this name; at the end of the ground it says only the one sentence, “this is called: a brief statement of the bodhisattva-mahāsattva’s seventh ground, the Far-Reaching”, setting the name down there and letting the marks of practice speak for it. The ancient worthies therefore supplied the name from the marks of practice.
Chengguan says, “as for the words ‘far-reaching’, there are in general four senses”, and raises the accounts of four houses, drawing them at last into two senses: first, that he has come far from what lies behind, all the way to the edge of exertion; second, that standing at the last edge of exertion he is able to go far into the stations that lie ahead. The one looks back, the other looks forward — and the Far-Reaching Ground, the midpoint of the road, is spoken of as far at both ends. Fazang, in the Tanxuan ji, raises three explanations, and the first of them is “taking it as the last edge of exertion”: on this ground the practice of exertion has reached its ultimate, and although no sign whatever can shake him any longer, with respect to signlessness he is still counted as “having practice” — and this sentence is the crucial one. It is not that he still clings to signs; it is that he is still ‘holding signlessness in place by exertion’, and exertion itself is still practice. Vasubandhu’s Shidi jing lun establishes its sense from the sūtra’s own sentence explaining the name, saying, “because the exertion of practice is carried through to the end, it is named the Far-Reaching Ground”: exertion has walked to its end, and so it is called far-reaching. Li Tongxuan’s reading differs most of all; he speaks not from exertion but from pervasion: on this ground one practices the perfection of skillful means, entering all worlds with a wisdom free of doing, and in accord with the practice of sentient beings causing it to pervade everywhere — “because he enters the practice of the world, pervading everywhere and vast, it is named the Far-Reaching Ground.” Far is not being distant from things; far is going everywhere.
What the four houses point to is not one and the same, and yet they all circle a single matter: this ground is the last station of ‘exertion’. Hold on to this general mark, and every passage of the sūtra below can be set in its place.
The Ten “Though … Yet …”: Within Emptiness Not Abiding in Emptiness, Within Existence Not Abiding in Existence
For the first passage of entering the ground the sūtra gives ten sentences of one and the same shape: “though he well cultivates the samādhis of emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness, yet in kindness and compassion he does not forsake sentient beings” — the upper half of the sentence contemplates emptiness, the lower half goes out into existence. These ten sentences together are called the ten kinds of wisdom in skillful means, and they are the bridge by which one strides from the sixth ground into the seventh.
First a question that is easily skipped over: the sixth ground is already the ground where “prajñā is manifest”, where the contemplation of emptiness has been carried to its furthest point — why should another bridge be needed? Chengguan answers very directly: precisely because the contemplation of emptiness has been done so well, “delighting in and clinging to the prajñā that contemplates emptiness” has itself become the obstruction that this ground departs from. The illness of the ground before is not clinging to existence but clinging to emptiness — lingering within signlessness and unwilling to come out and do anything. And so the counteragent of the seventh ground is not to teach emptiness over again; it is to teach ‘how to raise existence within emptiness’. Chengguan judges the syntax of these ten sentences thus: “thus, because it is within existence that he cultivates emptiness, he does not abide in emptiness, and this is the wisdom of skillful means within emptiness; because it is from emptiness that he goes out into existence, he does not abide in existence, and this is the surpassing path within existence.” When the upper clause gains the lower, emptiness does not become a dead emptiness; when the lower clause gains the upper, existence does not become a defiled existence. Only when the two clauses each gain the other is it called the wisdom of skillful means.
Taken one by one, the ten sentences are exactly the demolishing of ten misgivings about ‘falling into existence’. The first fears that kindness and compassion will spoil the contemplation of emptiness, and the sūtra says that though he cultivates the three samādhis, in kindness and compassion he does not forsake sentient beings; the second fears that once the dharma of equality is realized there is no buddha left to make offerings to, and the sūtra says that though he has realized the dharma of the equality of the buddhas, he delights in constantly making offerings to the buddhas; the third fears that cultivating merit has signs, and the sūtra says that though he enters the gate of the wisdom that contemplates emptiness, he diligently amasses merit; the fourth fears that to adorn the three realms is to be enamored of the three realms, and the sūtra says that though he is far removed from the three realms, he adorns the three realms — and here Chengguan points out that this is birth taken by the power of vows, not birth taken through deeds and delusions, and that this is why it says “far removed”. The fifth is stranger still: though he has utterly extinguished the flames of his own afflictions, he can raise for sentient beings the gate of practice that “extinguishes the flames of the afflictions of greed, hatred, and delusion” — it is not that he goes to light a fire, but that for the sake of putting out fire he manifests a fire there to be put out. The sixth lists eight similes: like an illusion, like a dream, like a shadow, like an echo, like a mirage, like a magical transformation, like the moon in water, like an image in a mirror, without duality in their own nature, and yet he does work in accord with mind in measureless distinction — all eight similes say “existent and yet not real”, and it is precisely because they are not real that the work is unobstructed. The seventh: though he knows the lands are like empty space, he adorns a buddha-land; the eighth: though he knows the dharma-body is by nature bodiless, he adorns his body with the marks and signs; the ninth: though he knows the voice of the buddhas is empty and quiescent in nature and cannot be spoken, he sends forth all kinds of pure sounds in accord with sentient beings — the environing recompense, the direct recompense, and the teaching, three wheels, each one of them a case of ‘knowing emptiness and yet doing’. The tenth is deepest of all: though he follows the buddhas in knowing that the three times are but a single thought, he discriminates in accord with the understanding of sentient beings and cultivates the practices with all kinds of signs, all kinds of seasons, all kinds of numbers of kalpas — time for him is already a single thought, and yet he is still willing to walk the numbers of kalpas alongside sentient beings.
The misreading commonly arises here: to read “though … yet …” as reluctance, as grievance, as though the bodhisattva knew it to be empty and still had to put on a show of existence. It is not so. Chengguan says that the ten sentences “do not stagnate in emptiness or in existence, and so in each the word ‘though’ is used” — the word “though” is not a concession; it is the mark that neither side is fallen into. The sūtra closes the passage: “by ten kinds of wisdom in skillful means such as these the bodhisattva gives rise to surpassing practice and passes from the sixth ground into the seventh; and once he has entered, this practice is constantly present before him, and it is called: dwelling on the seventh ground, the Far-Reaching” — note those words “constantly present before him”: the mark of entering the ground is not that something new has been gained, but that this twofold practice has become his ordinary state. Brought home to oneself, this passage asks: can my contemplation of emptiness get out of the gate of contemplation? And once out, is it still there?
The Twenty “Enterings of the Measureless”: Taking the Whole Dharma Realm as the Surface of One’s Work
After dwelling on the ground, the sūtra sets out in one breath twenty sentences of “entering the measureless”: entering the measureless realms of sentient beings, entering the measureless work of the buddhas in teaching and transforming sentient beings, entering the measureless net of worlds, entering the measureless pure lands of the buddhas, entering the measureless dharmas of every kind and distinction, entering the measureless wisdom by which the buddhas awaken in the present, entering the measureless numbers of kalpas, entering the measureless wisdom by which the buddhas comprehend the three times, entering the measureless distinctions in the faith and understanding of sentient beings, entering the measureless bodies of name and form that the buddhas manifest, entering the measureless distinctions in the desires, delights, and faculties of sentient beings, entering the measureless speech and sounds of the buddhas that gladden sentient beings, entering the measureless workings of mind of every kind in sentient beings, entering the measureless vast wisdom that the buddhas comprehend, entering the measureless faith and understanding of the vehicle of the śrāvakas, entering the measureless proclaiming by the buddhas of the path of wisdom that brings beings to faith and understanding, entering the measureless attainments of the pratyekabuddhas, entering the measureless proclaiming by the buddhas of the gates of profound wisdom that brings beings to enter in, entering the measureless practices of skillful means of the bodhisattvas, entering the measureless matters of the assembling of the Great Vehicle spoken by the buddhas whereby bodhisattvas are able to enter in.
Spread out, the twenty sentences turn out to be paired two by two: one sentence tells the measurelessness on the side of sentient beings, the next the measurelessness on the side of the buddhas — the realms of sentient beings against the buddhas’ work of teaching and transforming, the faith and understanding of sentient beings against the buddhas’ wisdom of the three times, the workings of mind of sentient beings against the buddhas’ vast wisdom. This is just the unfolding of the ten wondrous practices of the passage before: since existence can be raised within emptiness, what is “entered” is no longer one object and then another, but a whole expanse of the measureless. It is these very sentences that Li Tongxuan cites when he explains the name of the ground: entering all worlds with a wisdom free of doing, “equalling the practice of sentient beings and causing it to pervade everywhere” — he reads “far-reaching” straight off as the pervasion of these twenty enterings.
The sūtra then gives a sentence of the bodhisattva speaking to himself: “such measureless realms of the Tathāgata cannot be known even on through hundreds of thousands of koṭis of nayutas of kalpas; I should bring them all to fulfillment with a mind free of exertion and free of discrimination.” Within this sentence is hidden the turning point of the whole ground. What comes before it, the twenty enterings, is action of what vastness — and here it says that they are to be brought to fulfillment with “a mind free of exertion and free of discrimination”. He has seen it for himself: this account cannot be settled by relying on exertion. Vasubandhu, explaining this passage (where the sūtra as cited in the treatise reads “spontaneously, and not accomplished through discrimination”), says, “as for spontaneously: because its own nature is excellently free of discrimination.” Only a man who has exerted himself to the utmost truly knows that exertion has an edge; and it is here that the vow-mind begins to point toward the eighth ground.
Within Thought After Thought, the Ten Perfections Are Full Together
Then comes the most famous passage of this ground: “in thought after thought this bodhisattva is constantly able to complete the ten perfections.”
First a question: the marks of practice of the ten perfections are each distinct — giving is relinquishing, discipline is stopping, patience is receiving, vigor is spurring; how could they possibly be brought to fullness all at once within a single thought? The sūtra sets up this question itself and answers it itself: “because in thought after thought he takes great compassion as his forerunner, practices the Buddha’s Dharma, and turns toward the wisdom of a buddha.” Chengguan follows this and judges it to be “a single thought all at once furnished with the practice of the ten perfections, because the benefit of its meaning is wide” — the crux lies not in the action but in what the mind is turned toward. One and the same thought, taking great compassion as its forerunner and dedicating itself toward the wisdom of a buddha, already has the meaning of the ten perfections complete within it; the ten perfections are not ten separate matters queuing up to be finished, but ten facets within a single thought.
The sūtra then gives the definitions of these ten facets one by one, and none of them is a definition drawn from ritual observance; each is drawn from the mark of the mind. All his roots of goodness given to sentient beings for the sake of seeking the wisdom of a buddha is the perfection of dāna — the definition of giving falls upon “giving to sentient beings” and not upon goods and property; the ability to extinguish the burning of every affliction is the perfection of śīla — the function of discipline is spoken of as the extinguishing of burning; taking kindness and compassion as forerunner and doing no harm to sentient beings is the perfection of kṣānti — the root of patience is kindness and compassion, not gritted endurance; seeking the surpassing wholesome dharmas without ever having enough is the perfection of vīrya — the mark of vigor is never having enough; the path of omniscience constantly present before him and never scattered is the perfection of dhyāna — the mark of concentration is being unscattered and not the entering of stillness; the ability to accept that the dharmas neither arise nor cease is the perfection of prajñā — prajñā too is spoken of here with the word “acceptance”: only when one can settle down into non-arising is it wisdom; the ability to bring forth measureless wisdom is the perfection of skillful means; the ability to seek the higher and ever more surpassing wisdom is the perfection of vows; that no divergent doctrine and no host of Māra can break him down is the perfection of power; knowing all dharmas as they really are is the perfection of knowledge. Chengguan further apportions compassion and wisdom among them: “dāna runs through both compassion and wisdom; patience is taken with respect to compassion alone; the rest are all taken with respect to wisdom” — the ten perfections are not ten equal shares.
And the threshold of this passage really lies in the few sentences before it: “dwelling unshaken, without a single thought of rest or of putting it aside; walking, standing, sitting, lying down, and even in sleep and dream, he never for a moment consorts with the covering obstructions.” Vasubandhu explains this as “within a single thought the two practices, śamatha and vipaśyanā, are manifest together” — stopping and contemplating arise together within one and the same thought, and this is the “twofold practice” of this ground. Chengguan adds a line: that sleep and dream are raised is “to make the dim serve as a measure for the alert” — even in the most benighted state it is unbroken, how much more when awake. At the end the sūtra widens the range once more: the four means of gathering, the four holdings, the thirty-seven factors, the three gates of liberation, stated briefly on up to all the factors of awakening, are brought to fullness in thought after thought. Chengguan explains the “four holdings” as the places where four houses dwell: the house of prajñā, which is that which illumines; the house of the truths, which is that which is illumined; the house of relinquishing the afflictions; and the house of the purity of suffering. Brought home to oneself: what is called “unbroken in thought after thought” is not forcing oneself never to rest; it is that the direction of that one thought has never once been changed.
Why the Seventh Ground Is the Most Excellent: The Watershed of Exertion and Its Absence
Vimukticandra breaks in here with a question: is it only the seventh ground that fulfills the factors of awakening, or can all the grounds fulfill them? The question is extremely well put — if all the grounds fulfill them, is not the excellence of the seventh set up for nothing?
Vajragarbha’s answer has two layers. The first: all ten grounds are able to fulfill the factors of awakening, and he gives the reason ground by ground — the first because it takes all the Buddha’s dharmas as its object and vows to seek them, the second because it is free of the stains of the mind, the third because its vows increase further and it gains the radiance of the Dharma, the fourth because it enters the path, the fifth because it accords with what is done in the world, the sixth because it enters the profound gate of the Dharma, the seventh because it gives rise to all the Buddha’s dharmas. Seven reasons set out in a row: the first six grounds each have their own facet, and the seventh alone “gives rise to all the Buddha’s dharmas” — it raises them all together. The second layer is the watershed itself: “from the first ground up to the seventh a bodhisattva accomplishes the portion that is exertion possessed of wisdom; and by the power of this, from the eighth ground up to the tenth, practice without exertion is accomplished in its entirety.” The first seven grounds are one stretch that has exertion, the last three a stretch that has none, and the seventh ground is the place where the stretch that has exertion is full — hence “because on this seventh ground the practice of exertion is complete, he gains entry into the practice in which wisdom is free.” Its excellence is not that it stands higher than the other grounds; it is that it is the closing of a whole stretch.
And so the sūtra gives the simile of the space between two worlds: suppose there were two worlds, one defiled and one wholly pure; the space between the two is hard to pass through, save only for a bodhisattva who has great skillful means, spiritual powers, and the power of vows. Vasubandhu’s treatise, citing this simile, gives it as “first, the defiled-and-pure world; second, the wholly pure world.” The point of the simile must be seen exactly: what is hard to pass is neither the defiled world nor the pure world; it is that border. The most dangerous place in practice has never been the filthiest place; it is the place that is nearly clean and not yet clean — when exertion has been carried to its utmost, the next step forward cannot be taken by exertion, and just this one step is hard. It is precisely by this that Chengguan brings out that “this seventh is doubly neither defiled nor pure”, establishing its sense as the middle.
Defiled Practice or Pure Practice: The Wheel-Turning King and the Brahmā King
Vimukticandra then asks something sharper still: is this bodhisattva of the seventh ground one of defiled practice, or one of pure practice?
Vajragarbha does not choose a side outright. He says that from the first ground to the seventh all the practices carried out have already forsaken the deeds that are afflictions, because they are dedicated toward unsurpassed awakening and because a portion of the path of equality has been gained — this is the pure side; “and yet they still cannot be called practice that has surpassed the afflictions” — this is the side that still cannot be counted as pure. Then he gives the simile: a wheel-turning sage king rides the jewel that is the heavenly elephant and travels the four continents, and seeing that there are people poor and in distress is not defiled by those many troubles; and yet he has not surpassed the station of a “human”. But if he casts off the body of a king and is born in the Brahmā world, riding a celestial palace, seeing a thousand worlds and travelling a thousand worlds, manifesting the radiance and majestic virtue of the Brahmā heaven — this is what is called surpassing the station of a human. Joined to the Dharma: from the first ground to the seventh he rides the vehicle of the perfections and travels the world, knowing the faults and troubles of the afflictions and undefiled by them, and yet is still not named practice that has surpassed the afflictions; if he forsakes every practice that has exertion and passes from the seventh ground into the eighth, riding the pure vehicle of the bodhisattva and travelling the world, this at last is named practice that has surpassed the afflictions. Chengguan attaches the simile with perfect clarity: the wheel-turning king figures the seventh ground and the Brahmā king the eighth — the wheel-turning king’s freedom from defilement is ‘undefiled while still among humans’, and the Brahmā king’s surpassing is ‘a change of body’.
The misreading commonly arises here: to suppose that the bodhisattva is not yet clean at the seventh ground because his practice has gone badly. Not so. The sūtra follows immediately with the most precise of sentences: “this bodhisattva of the seventh ground has surpassed in full the host of afflictions, much greed and the rest, and dwells on this ground; he is not called one who has afflictions, nor called one who is without afflictions.” Why not called having them? “Because none of the afflictions actively operate.” Why not called without them? “Because his mind that seeks the wisdom of the Tathāgata is not yet fulfilled.” This second sentence bears the most reading: his “not yet fulfilled” is not that greed and hatred remain, but that the “seeking” remains. Chengguan carries the matter through to the end: “exertion is itself an affliction, because there is a stirring in it.” That one thought of exertion that seeks the wisdom of a buddha counts, by the standard of this ground, as a stirring. This is no harsh reproach; it is that the measure has been raised a notch: the cleanness of the first ground is a cleanness free of the view of a self, while the cleanness of the seventh is a cleanness in which even ‘seeking by exertion’ must be set down. Chengguan further lists the order in which the grounds surpass the delusions — the first ground surpasses greed, the second and third surpass hatred, the third also surpasses delusion, the fourth surpasses conceit, the fifth surpasses doubt, the sixth surpasses views, and at this point the secondary afflictions are surpassed in the whole — and so it is called “surpassed in full”; while the sūtra says “much greed and the rest”, and that one added word “much” is precisely what leaves standing the subtle ones not yet surpassed.
Purity of the Three Kinds of Action · The Great Illumining Master · A Million Samādhis
From here on is the fruit portion of this ground. Vasubandhu judges it to be “the fruit thereof” among the five aspects; Chengguan divides it into four fruits: purity of action, the gaining of excellent samādhis, the gaining of the surpassing of the grounds, and the gaining of excellent practice.
The first is purity of action. The sūtra says that a bodhisattva dwelling on this seventh ground, “with a deep and pure mind, perfects the action of body, perfects the action of speech, perfects the action of mind” — the unwholesome courses of action that the Tathāgata reproves have all been forsaken, and the wholesome deeds that the Tathāgata praises are constantly and well cultivated; all the books and arts there are in the world, as was said within the fifth ground, he carries out of themselves, without recourse to exertion. The bodhisattva of the fifth ground has to study the arts of the world with an applied mind; on the seventh he no longer needs to — those words “without recourse to exertion” appear everywhere on this ground, and they are its hidden thread. Vasubandhu explains purity of action as having four aspects, and the first he raises is the excellence of purity in discipline.
Then the station is spoken of: within the three-thousandfold great-thousand world-system this bodhisattva acts as a great illumining master, and apart from the Tathāgata and the other bodhisattvas of the eighth ground and above there is none whose deep mind and wondrous practice can equal his; the various dhyānas, samādhis, samāpattis, spiritual powers, and liberations are all able to appear before him. Chengguan here distinguishes five kinds of samāpatti — the four formless attainments, the eight bases of mastery, the ten universals, the concentration of complete cessation, and the concentration of non-perception; the first four the bodhisattva often enters, for the sake of transforming sentient beings, while the concentration of non-perception he does not enter, because it is not a noble dharma. And the sūtra itself supplies a most important restriction: “and yet these are accomplished by cultivation; they are not like the eighth ground, which accomplishes them by recompense.” The same spiritual powers and samādhis appear, but on the seventh ground they are gained by cultivation and on the eighth by recompense — this sentence is one more face of the difference between the seventh ground and the eighth, and it also lays the ground for what follows, that he does not make realization of the concentration of cessation.
The second is the gaining of excellent samādhis. The sūtra lists the names of ten samādhis: the samādhi of well discerning and selecting, the samādhi of well selecting the meaning, the samādhi of supreme wisdom, the samādhi of distinguishing the treasury of meaning, the samādhi of distinguishing the meaning as it really is, the samādhi of well abiding in firm faculties, the samādhi of the gate of wisdom and spiritual powers, the samādhi of the action of the Dharma realm, the samādhi of the excellent benefit of the Tathāgata, and the samādhi of the gate of the manifold treasury of meaning, of birth-and-death and nirvāṇa; and it says that he enters “a million samādhis such as these, furnished with the gate of great wisdom and spiritual powers, and thereby purifies this ground.” Among the ten names, “well selecting”, “distinguishing the meaning”, and “distinguishing the meaning as it really is” mark out selecting and meaning again and again — the concentration of this ground is not a concentration without discrimination, but a concentration well able to discriminate within concentration, which answers exactly to the name of the wisdom of skillful means. Having gained these samādhis, “because he is well able to purify the wisdom of skillful means and because of the power of great compassion, he surpasses the ground of the two vehicles and gains the ground of discerning wisdom”; Vasubandhu explains the surpassing of the two vehicles as having two aspects: first, the cultivation of the power of the wisdom of skillful means; second, the power of great compassion. What surpasses the two vehicles is skillful means and compassion, not depth of concentration.
The third passage speaks of the signlessness of the three kinds of action: because he well purifies the signless practice of measureless action of body, of speech, and of mind, he “gains the radiance of the acceptance that dharmas do not arise”. Vasubandhu explains the “signless practice of measureless action in the three” as the mark of remoteness in entering concentration — the two vehicles too have the mark of remoteness in purified action, but it is not “measureless”. What is gained of that acceptance on this ground is its “radiance”, not yet the substance of the acceptance itself, which belongs to the eighth ground; this too is left over for the ground that follows.
The Power of Vows and the Power of His Own Wisdom: The Simile of the Prince
Vimukticandra asks again: have not all the measureless actions of body, speech, and mind that a bodhisattva has had since the first ground already surpassed the two vehicles?
Vajragarbha answers: those have all surpassed them, “and yet that was only because he vowed to seek the dharmas of the buddhas, and not by the power of his own wisdom in discerning; now, on the seventh ground, it is by the power of his own wisdom, and so none of the two vehicles can come up to him.” One and the same “surpassing”, and two different things relied upon before and after: the first ground relies on the vow, the seventh on his own wisdom. It is like a prince born into the house of a king, born of the queen, furnished with the marks of a king, who from the moment he is born surpasses all the host of ministers — but that is by the power of the king; only when his body has grown up and his arts and studies are all complete does he surpass everyone by his own power. The simile is plain in the extreme, and yet it sorts out one thing in practice that is constantly confused: a station gained by setting one’s will and a station gained by actual strength can look the same from outside and are not the same within. To say at the first raising of the mind that one “surpasses all śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas” is no boast — that is the blood of the royal house; to say at the seventh ground that one “passes out beyond all the two vehicles” — that is arts and studies all complete.
The end of the answer gives the settled mark of this ground: “a bodhisattva who dwells on this seventh ground gains the action of body, speech, and mind that is profound, far removed, without practice, and constantly coursing, and he diligently seeks the higher path without forsaking it — and therefore the bodhisattva, though he courses in the real limit, does not make realization of it.” Vasubandhu explains these three words one by one: profound, because it enters far; far removed, because those obstructions are extinguished; without practice, because the other grounds, world-transcending and worldly, cannot practice it. Chengguan adds “constantly coursing, because this is without interval”, and points out that the two vehicles too have action apart from signs, yet they take a little and are satisfied and cannot seek awakening above — and so the surpassing of the seventh ground lies in “diligently seeking the higher path without forsaking it”.
Entering the Concentration of Cessation in Thought After Thought Without Making Realization of It: Boarding a Ship and Entering the Sea
And so comes the most dangerous question of the whole ground: from which ground onward is a bodhisattva able to enter the concentration of cessation?
Vajragarbha answers: from the sixth ground onward he is able to enter the concentration of cessation; and now, dwelling on this ground, he is “able to enter it in thought after thought and also to rise from it in thought after thought, and yet he does not make realization of it”. The concentration of complete cessation is the gate of quiescent cessation to which the two vehicles go; enter it deeply and there is the danger of taking realization of it — and once realization is taken, the bodhisattva path is cut off right there. And so the sūtra says expressly ‘entering in thought after thought, rising in thought after thought’: to enter and be able to rise is what it is not to make realization. Therefore this bodhisattva is called one who has perfected inconceivable action of body, speech, and mind, “coursing in the real limit and not making realization of it”. Vasubandhu explains the reason for it in five graphs only: “because he does not forsake existence.” Because he does not forsake existence, he does not fall into realization.
The simile says: it is like a man who boards a ship and enters the sea and by the power of his skill meets with no disaster in the water; so it is with the bodhisattva of this ground, who rides the ship of the perfections and sails the sea of the real limit, and by the power of his vows does not realize cessation. Chengguan explains the “power of skill” in the simile as knowing the method of sailing a ship and knowing the marks of water; and in the joining of the simile the “ship of the perfections” is prajñā and the rest, while “by the power of his vows” is “the cause of skillful means that does not forsake existence”. Water is what can drown a man, and a ship is what can travel upon water — the real limit is not something that cannot be entered; it is something that cannot be entered without a ship.
Then come ten sentences on the virtue of the twofold practice: though he manifests birth-and-death, he constantly dwells in nirvāṇa; though a retinue surrounds him, he constantly delights in solitude; though by the power of vows he takes birth in the three realms, he is not defiled by the dharmas of the world; though constantly in quiescent cessation, by the power of skillful means he blazes up again, and though he blazes he is not burned; though he accords with the wisdom of a buddha, he manifests entering the grounds of the śrāvaka and the pratyekabuddha; though he has gained the treasury of the realm of a buddha, he manifests dwelling in the realm of Māra; though he has passed beyond the path of Māra, he manifests carrying out the dharmas of Māra; though he manifests conduct in common with the outsiders, he does not forsake the Buddha’s Dharma; though he manifests according with every world, he constantly carries out all the dharmas that transcend the world; and all the affairs of adornment that are his pass beyond whatever belongs to the devas, the dragons, and the eight classes, on up to Śakra, the Brahmā kings, and the four heaven kings, and yet he does not forsake the mind that delights in the Dharma. These ten sentences have the same syntax as the ten wondrous practices of entering the ground, but they stand at a different station: the ten sentences of entering the ground are ‘knowing emptiness and being able to raise existence’, while these ten are ‘raising existence and not losing emptiness’. Vasubandhu gathers these ten sentences into eight kinds of practice that counteract in common, and Chengguan explains the principle by which they gather one another: the counteracting and the counteracted, the two practices, go together, as when manifesting birth-and-death is what is counteracted and constantly dwelling in nirvāṇa is what counteracts, so that because what counteracts gathers in what is counteracted he is not defiled by birth-and-death; and the reverse holds as well, manifesting birth-and-death being what counteracts, so that he does not realize nirvāṇa. This is no play of words; it is the very reason that the twofold practice is twofold — each side being the counteragent of the other, neither of them falls.
Offerings to the Buddhas · True Gold · Sunlight: The Perfection of Skillful Means Preeminent
The end of the fruit portion speaks of pliancy. A bodhisattva who has perfected wisdom such as this and dwells on the Far-Reaching Ground gains by the power of his vows the sight of many buddhas, on up to seeing many hundreds of thousands of koṭis of nayutas of buddhas; in the presence of those buddhas, with a vast mind and a mind of increasing excellence, he makes offerings and pays reverence, presenting clothing, food and drink, bedding, and medicine, everything that supports life, and making offerings to the whole assembly of monks as well, and dedicating these roots of goodness toward unsurpassed awakening; again in the presence of the buddhas he reverently listens to the Dharma, and having heard it receives and upholds it, gaining the radiance of the wisdom of samādhi as it really is and practicing in accord with it; in the presence of the buddhas he guards and upholds the true Dharma and is constantly praised and delighted in by the tathāgatas, “no question or challenge that the two vehicles may raise can make him fall back”, he benefits sentient beings, and his acceptance of the dharmas is pure. Vasubandhu takes precisely this passage for his explanation of the name: the treatise says, “as for the one who guards the true Dharma of the buddhas: because within the three-thousandfold great-thousand world-system he gets to be a great master, and because his cultivation of the practice of skillful means is brought to fullness”, and it cites the sūtra, “because he benefits sentient beings, because his acceptance of the dharmas turns purer, and because the exertion of practice is carried through to the end, it is named the Far-Reaching Ground” — the grounds for the name of this ground lie, after all, within this very passage of the marks of its fruit.
Two similes close it. It is like true gold adorned with many wondrous jewels set in among it, turning ever more excellent and its radiance doubled, so that none of the other ornaments can come up to it — Vasubandhu explains the simile of true gold as the bringing to fullness of the exertion of the practice of skillful means among the factors of awakening, so that the roots of goodness turn more excellent and pure. The ground before also had a simile of refining gold, but there it was ‘a goldsmith refining gold, putting it into the fire again and again’, which speaks of treating; on this ground it is ‘jewels set in among it’, which speaks of adorning — the gold has been refined clean, and what is added is adornment. And one simile more: it is like sunlight, which the light of the stars and the moon cannot come up to and which can dry up all the mire and standing water upon the earth of Jambudvīpa; so with the bodhisattva of this ground, whom none of the two vehicles can come up to and who can dry up all the deluding mire and standing water of sentient beings. Chengguan distinguishes the two lights of sun and moon: moonlight is cool, like prajñā; sunlight is wide in its function, like skillful means — the prajñā of the sixth ground is like the moon and the skillful means of the seventh like the sun, and the simile is exchanged with perfect precision. And so the sūtra says at the last: among the ten perfections of this bodhisattva the perfection of skillful means is preeminent; it is not that he does not practice the rest, but only that he does so according to his power and his portion. Li Tongxuan, explaining what gate of practice this ground cultivates, also lands precisely upon the perfection of skillful means: by the three gates of liberation that go forth from birth-and-death he is able to enter the world and share the myriad practices of sentient beings, “and yet he does not depart from the world and does not follow after birth-and-death, and because he makes great kindness and compassion grow, it is named the perfection of skillful means.”
The Conclusion of the Ground and Its Fruit of Recompense: He Mostly Becomes a Sovereign Heaven King
The sūtra concludes with “Sons of the Buddha! This is called: a brief statement of the bodhisattva-mahāsattva’s seventh ground, the Far-Reaching”, and then speaks of the body of recompense: a bodhisattva who dwells on this ground mostly becomes a Sovereign Heaven King, well proclaiming for sentient beings the dharma of realizing wisdom and causing them to enter into realization. The Heaven of Free Enjoyment of Others’ Emanations is the summit of the realm of desire — the bodhisattva of this ground does not hide away in concentration; he sits at the very top of the world and preaches, which answers just to the sense of “entering the practice of the world and pervading everywhere”. All the works he does — giving, kindly speech, beneficial conduct, the sharing of tasks — do not depart from the recollection of the Buddha, on up to not departing from the recollection of the perfect possession of all modes and of the wisdom of omniscience: the four means of gathering are the hands that reach outward and the three recollections the thread that runs inward, and however far the hands reach the thread is not broken. He further makes a vow: “I should be, among all sentient beings, the foremost and the most excellent, on up to being the one upon whom they rely for the wisdom of omniscience.” This sentence of vowing is the same on every ground; it is not a contending for height but an acknowledging of the load. At the end the measure of his vigor is stated: if he gives rise to diligent vigor, then in the space of a single thought he gains hundreds of thousands of koṭis of nayutas of samādhis, on up to manifesting hundreds of thousands of koṭis of nayutas of bodhisattvas as his retinue; and if by the surpassing power of vows he manifests freely, it exceeds even this number, so that through hundreds of thousands of koṭis of nayutas of kalpas it could not be counted and known.
The verses in repetition walk the prose through once more, and among them is one sentence that the prose does not have: the conspectus of the virtues of the ten grounds — “the first ground takes its object and its merit is full, the second is free of stain and the third has contention stilled, the fourth enters the path and the fifth accords in its practice, the sixth shines with the light of the wisdom of non-arising, the seventh dwells in awakening and its merit is full, and all the great vows are complete in every kind; and by this it can bring it about that within the eighth ground everything done is pure.” The ten grounds are set out with one virtue to a clause, and at the end it comes back to the purity of the eighth — this is to say once more, by way of a single table, that ‘the seventh ground is the closing’. The verses end with the lotus resting in water as a simile for the freedom from defilement of the eighth ground, and close with “this is the bodhisattva’s Far-Reaching Ground, the pure path of the wisdom of skillful means; none in any world, neither devas nor humans, neither śrāvakas nor pratyekabuddhas, is able to comprehend it.”
A Reading Against the Mirror of Consciousness-Only: The Abiding in Signlessness with Applied Practice and with Exertion · The Obstruction of the Active Operation of Subtle Signs
This ground has, within the line of consciousness-only, a more technical name and placement. Chengguan, explaining the reason for its coming, directly cites the words of the Yuqie as his authority: on the ground before, although he was already able much to abide in attention to signlessness, he was not yet able to make that attention “without interval and without lack”, and in order to bring it to fullness this ground comes — and within the divisions of the bodhisattva abidings of the Yuqie, this ground is precisely “the abiding in signlessness that has applied practice and has exertion”: signlessness is already his ordinary state, but the maintaining of it still requires applied practice and still requires exertion. The sūtra’s words, “on this seventh ground the practice of exertion is complete”, answer exactly to this.
As for the obstruction departed from, Chengguan says it is “the obstruction of the active operation of subtle signs”, and opens it into two follies: the first is the folly of the active operation of subtle signs, which grasps at a subtle sign of arising in the flowing on of conditioned arising; the second is the folly of seeking signlessness by sheer attention, which grasps at a subtle sign of cessation in the returning to stillness. The second folly especially must be seen clearly — it is not a clinging to existence, but “diligently seeking signlessness by sheer attention, not yet able to raise the surpassing practice of existence within emptiness”. Since this is what is cut off, what is realized is “the suchness of the non-differentiation of dharmas”: knowing that the manifold teachings are alike true and signless, he is therefore able to raise existence within emptiness and to perfect the perfection of skillful means. Fazang too, in the Tanxuan ji, following the Di lun, says that this ground departs from “the obstruction that is the habit of subtle signs”, and cites the text of the Weishi alongside it. As for the name of the ground, of the four houses Chengguan raises, the first is the sense given in the Cheng weishi: “because he comes to the last edge of exertion in the abiding in signlessness, and passes out beyond the world and the path of the two vehicles”; while the Jieshenmi says, “because he is able far to realize and enter attention to signlessness that is without lack and without interval, and is adjacent to the pure grounds, it is named far-reaching”; and Vasubandhu’s commentary on the She dacheng points out the joint still more exactly: although no sign whatever can shake him, “with respect to signlessness he is still said to have practice”.
What Huayan says here is ‘the space between two worlds is hard to pass through’, and what consciousness-only says is ‘cutting off the folly of seeking signlessness by sheer attention’ — the one is the difficulty of a man on the road, the other the name of a delusion to be cut off; both speak of one and the same step. Only when the two mirrors shine together is the weight of this ground fully seen.
Lineage
The text of this ground is carried on along two axes in later times. On the side of the Huayan school: Chengguan takes “sheer signlessness not obstructing the raising of practice” as the distinguishing sense of this ground, and judges the syntax of the ten wondrous practices by ‘the wisdom of skillful means within emptiness · the surpassing path within existence’ — the talk of the unobstructed interpenetration of principle and phenomena, landed upon a station, and this is the passage where the bone shows most plainly; Li Tongxuan, for his part, takes the good friend whom Sudhana visits at this station as a figure, saying that “the one named Blossoming Tree-Flowers figures the tree of the wondrous wisdom of signlessness blossoming into the flower of the practice of Samantabhadra”, and reads the vast joy of this ground by “not dwelling in the defiled or the pure, and therefore named liberation” — the matching of the ten grounds with the fifty-three visits is one line of figurative reading.
The divergent explanations of the ancient worthies concerning this ground are set down together without adjudication: as to the number of senses in explaining the name, Chengguan raises four senses and draws them into two, Fazang raises three explanations, Li Tongxuan explains it as entering the world and pervading everywhere, and Vasubandhu explains it as the exertion of practice carried through to the end; as to the name of the ground in the Shizhu lun, Chengguan cites it as “the Far Ground” and Fazang cites it as “the Ground of the Far Body”; as to the number of verses of praise and request, Chengguan gives twelve verses, while the sixty-fascicle text upon which Fazang comments gives fourteen; as to the assignment of the five aspects, Chengguan assigns the mind of entering, the mind of abiding and issuing, and the fullness of the ground, while Fazang assigns the path of applied practice, the uninterrupted path, the path of liberation, and the path of advancing further; as to the number of the verses in repetition, Chengguan gives twenty-one verses and Li Tongxuan gives forty-two lines of verse. Each of these accounts has its own grounds; they are set down on record.
On the side of the axis of consciousness-only: Vasubandhu’s Shidi jing lun is the explanation of this chapter passage by passage, and the outline of the five aspects came from his hand; the obstruction of the active operation of subtle signs that is departed from, the suchness of the non-differentiation of dharmas that is realized, and the placement as “the abiding in signlessness that has applied practice and has exertion” are all doctrines established upon the text of this ground. The utmost of exertion and the beginning of what is without exertion: in Huayan they are one border between two worlds, in consciousness-only the seventh of the ten obstructions and ten suchnesses — one passage of scripture, flowing east into the marks of practice of Huayan and west into the stations of consciousness-only.
考據Apparatus
第七地＝有功用行之最後邊：十種方便慧『空中不住空·有中不住有』，念念具足十波羅蜜，盡超多貪等煩惱眾而「不名有煩惱者，不名無煩惱者」；能念念入滅定而不作證，行實際而不取證。功用與無功用之分水嶺在此——七地已前皆有功用，八地已去無功用行自然成就，故有二世界中間難過之喻。世親《十地經論》以五相科釋此地，澄觀《疏》承其科，法藏《探玄記》配四道，李通玄以「入世間行遍周廣大」釋地名；十度中方便波羅蜜偏多。
一、科判定位
| 科判系統 | 此地之位 |
|---|---|
| 底本 T279 三十九品 | 品二十六 十地品（第六會 他化自在天宮）；第七地 遠行地＝〔T10n0279 0195c22〕起–〔0198c05 前〕訖（卷三十七尾–三十八） |
| 澄觀《華嚴經疏》 | 第七遠行地科起〔T35n1735 0814b08〕；正釋文三分（讚請·正說·重頌）〔0814c10 起〕；訖界＝第八不動地科起〔0818c16〕前 |
| 《演義鈔》 | 第七遠行地鈔〔T36n1736 0544c27 起〕 |
| 世親《十地經論》 | 遠行地第七＝卷之九〔T26n1522 0173c16 起–0178c27 卷題訖〕；五相科〔0173c20〕；次地卷題〔0179a02〕 |
| 法藏《探玄記》（六十華嚴疏） | 第七遠行地〔T35n1733 0354a12 起〕；釋文三分·讚請十四頌〔0354c11〕 |
| 李通玄《新華嚴經論》 | 遠行地第七〔T36n1739 0899c06 起〕；五門如前〔0899c07〕；長行偈頌分十段〔0900a17–0900b03〕 |
來意——澄觀繫於寄位之次第：
「第七遠行地。所以來者，已說緣起相應慧住，寄於緣覺；次說有加行有功用無相住，寄菩薩地，故次來也。」〔T35n1735 0814b08–10〕
澄觀復引《瑜伽》為證：
「前地雖能多住無相作意，而未能令無相作意無間無缺，多修習住為令滿故，次有此來。」〔T35n1735 0814b10–12〕
所離障——
「所離障離細相現行障，謂六地執生滅細相現行故。此生滅相即是二愚：一細相現行愚，謂執有緣生流轉細生相故；二純作意求無相愚，即執有細還滅相故。」〔T35n1735 0814b29–0814c03〕
「以常在無相故不執生，更不作意勤求無相，故能證得法無差別真如」〔T35n1735 0814c05–07〕；「故知以純無相不礙起行，為此地別義。」〔0814c09–10〕
五相科（世親立·澄觀承）——
「論曰：第七地中有五種相差別：一、樂無作行對治差別；二、彼障對治差別；三、雙行差別；四、前上地勝差別；五、彼果差別。」〔T26n1522 0173c20–22〕
「第二正說分，中二：先行、後果。行中有五種相差別：一樂無作行對治差別、二彼障對治差別、三雙行勝差別、四前上地勝差別、五彼果差別。五中，初一是趣地方便，即當入心；餘四為住出心在果。」〔T35n1735 0814c17–21〕
科文四分（樂無作行對治分內）——澄觀分此為四：「今初分中有四：初結前標後」〔T35n1735 0814c29〕，次徵顯其相、三結行功能、四彰其分齊〔0815a01–03〕。
彼果分四果——「文分四果：一業清淨、二得勝三昧、三得過地、四得勝行。」〔T35n1735 0817a23–24〕澄觀復引遠公配五相：「初即彼障對治果；二即雙行果；三即前上地勝果，勝行轉增故；四即樂無作行對治果，以彼方便及起勝行滿足在此故。」〔T35n1735 0817a25–28〕
二、術語
| 漢 | 古德傳梵（羅馬字·發音輔助） | 所徵 | 精義 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 遠行地 | —（音寫從闕） | 澄觀：「言遠行者，通有四義。」〔T35n1735 0814b13〕 | 十地之七；通有二義立名：「一從前遠來至功用邊、二此功用行邊能遠去後位故」〔0814b25–26〕。異名：《十住論》「遠地」〔0814b27〕·《仁王》「遠達地」〔0814b28〕 |
| 方便波羅蜜 | 波羅蜜＝pāramitā（音寫即古傳） | 本地「方便波羅蜜偏多」〔T10n0279 0197c29〕 | 十度之七；此地增上者。李通玄：「此地修方便波羅蜜。以出生死空無相無願解脫門，能入世間同眾生之萬行」〔T36n1739 0899c14–16〕 |
| 滅定（滅盡定） | —（音寫從闕） | 本地「菩薩從第六地來，能入滅定。今住此地，能念念入，亦念念起，而不作證」〔T10n0279 0197b23〕 | 六地已能入·七地能念念入而不取證；論作「寂滅定」〔T26n1522 0177c07〕 |
| 三摩鉢底 | samāpatti（音寫即古傳） | 本地「諸禪三昧、三摩鉢底、神通解脫皆得現前」〔T10n0279 0197a24〕 | 等至。澄觀開五：「三摩鉢底有其五種：一四無色、二八勝處、三十遍處、四滅盡定、五無想定。前四菩薩多入，為化眾生；後一不入，非聖法故。」〔T35n1735 0817b12–15〕 |
| 無生法忍光明 | —（音寫從闕） | 本地「善淨無量身業無相行……得無生法忍光明」〔T10n0279 0197b07〕 | 三業無相行之所成。論釋：「無量三業無相行者，入定遠離相是。」〔T26n1522 0177b17〕 |
| 功用行／無功用行 | —（音寫從闕） | 本地「若捨一切有功用行，從第七地入第八地」〔T10n0279 0197a10〕 | 七地為功用之極、八地為無功用之始。澄觀：「功用即是煩惱，以有起動故。」〔T35n1735 0817a19–20〕 |
| 實際 | —（音寫從闕） | 本地「菩薩雖行實際而不作證」〔T10n0279 0197b21〕 | 所行之真際；論釋：「行實際行而不證寂滅定，以不捨有故。」〔T26n1522 0177c16–17〕 |
| 菩提分法（助菩提分法） | —（音寫從闕） | 本地「四攝、四持、三十七品、三解脫門，略說乃至一切菩提分法」〔T10n0279 0196c08〕 | 澄觀釋四持四家：「一般若家，此是能照；二者諦家，即是所照；三捨煩惱家；四苦清淨家。」〔T35n1735 0816b14–16〕 |
| 那由他 | nayuta（音寫即古傳） | 本地「百千億那由他三昧」〔T10n0279 0198a08〕 | 大數名；此地果報與見佛之量詞 |
| 他化自在天王 | —（音寫從闕） | 本地「多作自在天王」〔T10n0279 0198a03〕；60 譯作「住是地多作，他化自在王」〔T09n0278 0563c22〕 | 此地調柔果報位 |
三、譬喻·修辭
(一) 二世界中間喻——「譬如有二世界，一處雜染，一處純淨，是二中間難可得過，唯除菩薩有大方便神通願力」〔T10n0279 0196c23〕：
- 喻依：染淨二世界之間有難越之際。
- 喻體：菩薩諸地有雜染行、有清淨行，二者中間難過。
- 所顯義：七地為染淨交界之難關；澄觀以之顯「此第七雙非染淨故，成前第七是中間義」〔T35n1735 0817a01–02〕。論牒經作「一、染淨世界；二、純淨世界」〔T26n1522 0176a22〕。
(二) 轉輪聖王喻·梵王對顯——「譬如轉輪聖王乘天象寶遊四天下，知有貧窮困苦之人，而不為彼眾患所染，然未名為超過人位」〔T10n0279 0197a03〕·「若捨王身，生於梵世」〔0197a05〕·「爾乃名為超過人位」〔0197a07〕：
- 喻依：輪王遊四天下不染眾患，然身猶在人位；捨王身生梵世乃超人位。
- 喻體：初地至七地乘波羅蜜乘遊行世間，不為煩惱所染而未名超煩惱行；捨有功用行入八地乃名超煩惱行。
- 所顯義：澄觀繫喻：「輪王喻七地，隨分捨功用道故。梵王喻於八地，報得初禪游千界故。」〔T35n1735 0817a05–07〕
(三) 王子喻——「譬如王子，生在王家，王后所生，具足王相，生已即勝一切臣眾，但以王力，非是自力」〔T10n0279 0197b13〕·「若身長大，藝業悉成，乃以自力超過一切」〔0197b15〕：
- 喻依：王子初生以王力勝眾·長大以自力勝眾。
- 喻體：初發心時以志求大法故超二乘（願力）·今住此地以自所行智慧力故出過二乘（自智力）。
- 所顯義：願求之勝與自智之勝二分；論牒經同此喻〔T26n1522 0177b11–16〕。
(四) 乘船入海喻——「譬如有人乘船入海，以善巧力不遭水難」〔T10n0279 0197b26〕·「此地菩薩亦復如是，乘波羅蜜船行實際海，以願力故而不證滅」〔0197b27〕：
- 喻依：善知行船、善知水相者，入海不為水難所害。
- 喻體：乘波羅蜜船行實際海而不證滅。
- 所顯義：澄觀釋喻與合：「喻云善巧力者，知行船法，知水相故。」〔T35n1735 0818a21–22〕「合云波羅蜜船，即般若等也。以願力者，是方便不捨有因。」〔0818a23–24〕
(五) 真金間寶喻——「譬如真金，以眾妙寶間錯莊嚴，轉更增勝，倍益光明，餘莊嚴具所不能及」〔T10n0279 0197c22〕：
- 所顯義：此地善根以方便慧力轉更明淨。論釋：「真金喻者，示現一切菩提分法方便行功用滿足故，此地中諸善根轉勝明淨示現。」〔T26n1522 0178c21–23〕
(六) 日光乾泥潦喻——「譬如日光，星月等光無能及者，閻浮提地所有泥潦悉能乾竭」〔T10n0279 0197c26〕：
- 所顯義：此地智明過二乘，能乾竭眾生諸惑泥潦。論云：「日光喻者，如前地說，此地勝故」〔T26n1522 0178c24–25〕；澄觀辨日月二光之別：「而此日光盛，故勝彼月光。以月光清涼如般若故，日光用廣如方便故。」〔T35n1735 0818c07–08〕
(七) 蓮處水喻（重頌獨有）——「如梵觀世超人位，如蓮處水無染著」〔T10n0279 0198b09〕：長行未出此喻，重頌以蓮華在水顯八地之無染；60 頌同作「菩薩罪不污，如蓮華在水」〔T09n0278 0563b26〕。
四、異譯對勘
本單元要句之漢譯校本：實叉難陀 T279（底本）· 佛馱跋陀羅 T278（晉譯六十華嚴）· 世親《十地經論》T1522 牒經（別行《十地經》文）。
句一 入地起句
| 校本 | 逐字 | 出處 |
|---|---|---|
| 實叉 T279 | 佛子！菩薩摩訶薩具足第六地行已，欲入第七遠行地，當修十種方便慧起殊勝道 | T10n0279 0196a18 |
| 佛馱 T278 | 佛子！菩薩摩訶薩已具足第六地，欲入第七地，從方便慧，起十妙行 | T09n0278 0561a16–18 |
| 《十地經論》牒經 | 爾時金剛藏菩薩言：諸佛子！若菩薩善具足六地行已，欲入第七菩薩地者，是菩薩當以十種方便智發起殊勝行入 | T26n1522 0173c24–27 |
異文所繫：(甲) 80「十種方便慧起殊勝道」↔ 60「從方便慧，起十妙行」↔ 論「十種方便智發起殊勝行入」（慧／智·道／行）。(乙) 60 獨標「十妙行」之名目，80 與論牒經無此名。(丙) 60 呼格作「佛子」，論牒經作「諸佛子」。
句二 十妙行第六（諸喻句）
| 校本 | 逐字 | 出處 |
|---|---|---|
| 實叉 T279 | 雖知諸法如幻、如夢、如影、如響、如焰、如化、如水中月、如鏡中像、自性無二，而隨心作業無量差別 | T10n0279 0196a25 |
| 佛馱 T278 | 隨順諸法如幻、如夢、如水中月不二相，而起分別種種煩惱及不失業果報 | T09n0278 0561a22–24 |
| 《十地經論》牒經 | 隨順幻、夢、影、響、化、水中月、鏡中像自性不二，而起作業無量差別心 | T26n1522 0174a03–05 |
異文所繫：(甲) 喻數：80 列八（幻·夢·影·響·焰·化·水中月·鏡中像）· 論牒經列七（無「焰」）· 60 列三（幻·夢·水中月）。(乙) 下句：80「隨心作業無量差別」· 論「起作業無量差別心」· 60 作「起分別種種煩惱及不失業果報」（60 兼舉煩惱與業果報）。
句三 非有非無煩惱
| 校本 | 逐字 | 出處 |
|---|---|---|
| 實叉 T279 | 佛子！此第七地菩薩盡超過多貪等諸煩惱眾住此地，不名有煩惱者，不名無煩惱者 | T10n0279 0197a13 |
| 佛馱 T278 | 菩薩住七地，過貪欲等諸煩惱垢，在此七地不名有煩惱，不名無煩惱 | T09n0278 0562a11–13 |
| 《十地經論》牒經 | 佛子！菩薩住是第七菩薩地，過多貪欲等諸煩惱眾。是菩薩住此菩薩遠行地中，不名有煩惱者、不名無煩惱者 | T26n1522 0176b13–15 |
異文所繫：(甲) 80 作「多貪等諸煩惱眾」·論牒經作「多貪欲等諸煩惱眾」·60 作「貪欲等諸煩惱垢」（眾／垢）。(乙) 釋所以：80「求如來智心未滿故，不名無者」·60「貪求如來智慧未滿願故，不名無煩惱」〔T09n0278 0562a14〕·論「貪求如來智慧未滿足故，不名無煩惱者」〔T26n1522 0176b16–17〕。
句四 三昧名列與數目
| 校本 | 逐字 | 出處 |
|---|---|---|
| 實叉 T279 | 入菩薩善觀擇三昧、善擇義三昧、最勝慧三昧、分別義藏三昧、如實分別義三昧、善住堅固根三昧、智慧神通門三昧、法界業三昧、如來勝利三昧、種種義藏生死涅槃門三昧，入如是等具足大智神通門百萬三昧，淨治此地 | T10n0279 0197a28 |
| 《十地經論》牒經 | 入名善擇智菩薩三昧、善思義三昧、益意三昧、分別義藏三昧、擇一切義三昧、善住堅根三昧、智神通門三昧、法界業三昧、如來利益三昧，入名種種義藏世間涅槃門菩薩三昧。菩薩如是大智通門，滿足上首十三昧，能入百千菩薩三昧門，淨治此地 | T26n1522 0177a01–07 |
| 佛馱 T278 | 〔查無逐字·此段未取得逐字文·據實標闕〕 | T09n0278 0562a15 以下 |
異文所繫：(甲) 十三昧名目兩本互異（80「善觀擇／最勝慧／如實分別義／如來勝利／生死涅槃門」↔ 論「善擇智／益意／擇一切義／如來利益／世間涅槃門」）。(乙) 總數：80 作「百萬三昧」· 論作「滿足上首十三昧，能入百千菩薩三昧門」（百萬／百千）。論復立十相釋之：「論曰：得勝三昧者有十種相：一、依未觀義，二、依已觀義」〔T26n1522 0177a08–09〕。
句五 地名結說與釋名
| 校本 | 逐字 | 出處 |
|---|---|---|
| 實叉 T279 | 佛子！是名：略說菩薩摩訶薩第七遠行地 | T10n0279 0198a01 |
| 《十地經論》牒經 | 是菩薩復能利益眾生故、法忍轉淨故、修行功用盡至故，名為遠行地，一切眾寶具足莊嚴 | T26n1522 0178c19–21 |
異文所繫：80 於地末唯作結說之語，未別出釋名句；論牒經本有「修行功用盡至故，名為遠行地」之釋名文，論即據以釋名：「彼守護上首故、利益眾生故，法忍轉顯。此地釋名應知。」〔T26n1522 0178c17–19〕。60 對位段落之逐字未取得〔查無·據實標闕〕。
十地地德一覽句（重頌獨有）——80 頌「初地攀緣功德滿，二地離垢三諍息，四地入道五順行，第六無生智光照，七住菩提功德滿」〔T10n0279 0198b02〕；60 頌作「初地中功德，名之為具足，第二地名為，除諸心垢惡，第三願增明，第四地入道，第五隨世行，第六入深法」〔T09n0278 0563b10–13〕（60 十地逐地列句較密·80 併句而略第三地）。
五、宗義之經據〔眼〕
(一) 空中方便慧·有中殊勝道——十妙行十句皆「雖……而……」之雙句式，澄觀判其句法：
「是則即有修空故不住空，是空中方便慧；即空涉有故不住有，是有中殊勝道。」〔T35n1735 0815a09〕
「二徵顯中……義各二句，皆上句觀空、下句涉有。上句得下句，即成空中方便慧；下句得上句，即成有中殊勝行。不滯空有，並致雖言。」〔T35n1735 0815a17–20〕
(二) 止觀雙行·一念不休——經「無有一念休息廢捨；行、住、坐、臥乃至睡夢，未曾暫與蓋障相應」〔T10n0279 0196b23〕。論云：「是中一念中奢摩他、毘婆舍那二行雙現前故。」〔T26n1522 0175b21–22〕澄觀釋：「無有一念休息廢捨者，正顯雙行無間之義。謂不捨前不動之止、觀察之觀，為止觀。二行雙行，一念不休，即無間義。」〔T35n1735 0816a12–14〕
(三) 一念頓具十度——經「此菩薩於念念中，常能具足十波羅蜜」〔T10n0279 0196b25〕。澄觀：「三作大義者，一念頓具十度之行，義利廣故，念念修起，故名為作。」〔T35n1735 0816a19–20〕；配悲智云「檀通悲智，忍唯約悲，餘皆約智」〔0816a23〕。
(四) 功用／無功用之分水嶺——經「菩薩從初地乃至第七地，成就智功用分。以此力故，從第八地乃至第十地，無功用行皆悉成就」〔T10n0279 0196c21〕；與「此第七地功用行滿，得入智慧自在行故」〔0196c15〕相貫，即二世界中間喻之義所繫。
(五) 雙非染淨——經「不名有煩惱者，不名無煩惱者。何以故？一切煩惱不現行故，不名有者；求如來智心未滿故，不名無者」〔T10n0279 0197a14〕。澄觀釋雙非：「常在觀故，惑不現行，即過前也。有功用行，名求未滿，即劣後也。功用即是煩惱，以有起動故。」〔T35n1735 0817a17–20〕；復配十地超惑：「又初地超貪，檀度滿故；二三超瞋，尸忍滿故……此地總超隨惑等，常在觀故，故云盡超。」〔0817a11–16〕
(六) 唯識橋（七地＝有加行有功用無相住·斷細相現行障）——澄觀引《成唯識》釋地名：「至無相住功用後邊，出過世間二乘道故。」〔T35n1735 0814b13–15〕；引《解深密》：「能遠證入無缺無間無相作意，與清淨地共相隣接，故名遠行。」〔0814b15–17〕；引《攝大乘》世親釋：「雖一切相不能動搖，而於無相猶名有行者，此解功用之言，謂起功用住無相故。」〔0814b21–23〕。所離「細相現行障」與所證「法無差別真如」〔0814c06–07〕即唯識十障十真如之第七——出處對位見目七。
六、諸家異釋（古德·標宗）
澄觀《華嚴經疏》T35n1735 ·《演義鈔》T36n1736（八十華嚴逐文·主）
釋名總舉四義：「言遠行者，通有四義。」〔0814b13〕——《成唯識》三義·《解深密》二義·《攝大乘》一義·《十住論》「去三界遠，近法王位，故名遠地」〔0814b26–27〕；復云《金光明經》同《深密》初義·《莊嚴論》同《深密》後義〔0814b23–24〕。總結云：
「雖有四義，然通有二義立遠行名：一從前遠來至功用邊、二此功用行邊能遠去後位故。」〔T35n1735 0814b24–26〕
《鈔》釋疏之來意：「第七遠行地。初來意有二：一正釋約慧，寄位雙辨」〔T36n1736 0544c27–28〕，次引證約慧〔0544c28〕；釋名分三，謂標、釋、結〔0544c29–0545a01〕；並釋《唯識》三義：「一善修無相到無相邊，故名遠行；二功用至極，故名遠行；三望前超過，故名遠行。」〔T36n1736 0545a02–05〕
科文：「次正釋文，亦有三分：初讚請中有十二頌，前十讚、後二請。」〔T35n1735 0814c10–11〕；重頌科：「第三重頌。二十一頌分三：初十七頌半頌位行、次二頌半頌位果、後一頌歎勝結說。」〔0818c09–11〕
發起勝行十句：「經有十句，論為八種共對治攝，謂後三為一故。能治所治二行共俱，互相攝故，如示生死為所治，以恒住涅槃為能治。」〔T35n1735 0818a28–0818b02〕
世親《十地經論》T26n1522（逐文之本釋）
五相科〔0173c20〕如目一；業清淨四相：「論曰：業清淨者有四種相：一、戒淨勝」〔0176c18–19〕；過二乘二相：「論曰：過聲聞辟支佛地者，有二種相：一、修行方便智力；二、大悲力故。」〔0177a27–28〕；甚深遠離無行三釋：「論曰：甚深者，遠入故。遠離者，彼障滅故。無行者，彼餘出世間世間地不能行故。」〔0177c01–02〕；發起殊勝行「有八種行共對治攝」〔0178a03〕。
義疏所引諸家逐字之補錄：澄觀「舉睡夢者，以昧況審。」〔T35n1735 0816a15〕· 「又初地超貪，檀度滿故；二三超瞋，尸忍滿故；三亦超癡，得聞持故；四地超慢，道品離我相故；五地超疑，了諸諦故；六地超見，入般若故。」〔0817a11〕· 「常行者，此無間故。」〔0818a09〕「故二乘亦有離彼相業，而得少為足，不能上求菩提」〔0818a10〕；世親「是中自然者，自性勝無分別故」〔T26n1522 0175a22〕· 「守護諸佛正法者，於三千大千世界中得為大師故、修方便行滿足故。」〔0178c16〕；李通玄「然不離世間、不隨生死，長大慈悲故，名方便波羅蜜。」〔T36n1739 0899c16〕。
法藏《探玄記》T35n1733（六十華嚴疏·判釋淵藪）
釋名三釋：
「第七遠行地者，釋有三：一約功用後邊」〔T35n1733 0354a12–13〕——所引《攝大乘》之語為「至功用行最後邊故。」〔0354a13〕，世親釋云「謂此地中於功用行得至究竟，雖一切相不能動搖，而於無相猶名有行。」〔0354a13–15〕
二約二義引《解深密》，自解云：「無缺無間遠於前六、隣接淨地、近後第八。」〔0354a17–18〕；三約三義引《成唯識論》，並云「此同《十地論》」〔0354a20〕；復引《金光明》「無流無間無相思惟解脫三昧，遠修行故，是地清淨無障無礙，名遠行地」〔0354a21–22〕、《莊嚴論》「菩薩於七地中近一乘道，名為遠行。問：誰是遠去？答：功用方便究竟，此遠能去，由此遠去故名遠行地」〔0354a22–25〕；引《十住論》作「去三界遠，近法王位，故名身遠地」〔0354a25–26〕。
來意三義：「一前寄二乘，合顯菩薩次第轉勝，是故須來。二於無相觀前地未純，今此進入純無相，是故須來。三前功用未滿，此地中滿，是故來也。」〔T35n1733 0354a26–0354b01〕
所離障：「三所離障者，依《地論》，離細相習障。」〔0354b01–02〕；「以第六地有相觀少名為細相礙，於第七純無相觀，故以為障。」〔0354b02–04〕
科文與配道：「第七釋文者，亦三分同前。初讚請分中有十四頌，分五：初三天眾供讚、二有一頌天王供養、三有一頌半餘天王等歎法作樂、四有七頌半天女讚得。於中，初二頌半歎佛身業利益、次一歎佛語業利益、次三歎佛意業利益。次一歎已默住悕聞後地。下一眾首請說。」〔T35n1733 0354c10〕；「第二正顯地體中，論分為五：初一趣地方便，是加行道；次一初住地，是無間道；次一正住地，是解脫道；次一義該始終，說在正地；後一地滿是，勝進道。」〔0354c17–20〕
李通玄《新華嚴經論》T36n1739（表法異軌）
釋地名目：
「一釋地名目者，何故名為遠行地？以此地行方便波羅蜜，以六地之中三空三昧，現無量無作智慧門，能入無量眾生界，入無量教化眾生業，入無量世界網。以無作智慧入一切世間，等眾生行普令遍周，故名遠行地。為入世間行遍周廣大故，名遠行地。」〔T36n1739 0899c08–13〕
善財表法：「名開敷樹華者，表於無相妙慧之樹開敷普賢行華，亦是開敷一切眾生無明行樹華令成普賢行華故，為表第七地成世間行成慈悲門令圓滿故。」〔0899c19–23〕；「善財得菩薩廣大歡喜解脫者，明此地菩薩成就大慈悲行，普能方便教化眾生，歡喜無厭故。不居染淨，故名為解脫。」〔0899c26–29〕
分段科：長行偈頌開為十段〔0900a17–0900b03〕，末云「第十段中有四十二行頌，重頌前法分」〔0900b02–03〕。
誌錄不判
- 釋名之數：澄觀舉四義而歸二義〔T35n1735 0814b13·0814b24〕· 探玄記舉三釋〔T35n1733 0354a12〕· 李通玄以「入世間行遍周廣大」為釋〔T36n1739 0899c12–13〕· 世親以「修行功用盡至」為釋〔T26n1522 0178c20〕。
- 《十住論》地名之引形：澄觀引作「遠地」〔0814b27〕· 探玄記引作「身遠地」〔0354a25–26〕。
- 讚請頌數：澄觀作十二頌（前十讚後二請）〔0814c10–11〕· 探玄記作十四頌（分五）〔0354c11–16〕（探玄記所疏為六十本）。
- 五相之配位：澄觀配入心·住出心·地滿〔0814c20–23〕· 探玄記配加行道·無間道·解脫道·勝進道〔0354c17–20〕。
- 重頌行數：澄觀作二十一頌〔0818c09〕· 李通玄作四十二行頌〔0900b02〕。
- 十妙行之攝數：世親論本五相科〔0173c20〕· 澄觀云「論主攝十為四種功德，謂前三各一、後七為一故」〔0815a21–22〕。
四家並錄，皆古德成說，誌錄之。
七、互讀·承衍
- 華嚴宗軸：澄觀以「純無相不礙起行」為此地別義〔T35n1735 0814c09–10〕，以『空中方便慧·有中殊勝道』判十妙行句法〔0815a10–12〕——即華嚴一宗理事無礙之行相在地位上之落點。李通玄以善財所參「開敷樹華」表無相妙慧開普賢行華〔T36n1739 0899c19–23〕，以十地與五十三參對位——表法一軌。
- 唯識軸：所離「細相現行障」·所證「法無差別真如」〔T35n1735 0814c02–07〕即唯識十障十真如之第七；地名釋據《成唯識》「至無相住功用後邊，出過世間二乘道故」〔澄觀引·0814b13–15〕。成唯識論十地簡列處〔T31n1585 0051a29〕· 攝大乘論十地列名句〔T31n1594 0145b23〕· 瑜伽師地論「有加行有功用無相住」段〔T30n1579 0559c19·0560c01〕，皆本地寄位之對讀出處。
- 《瑜伽》之對位：澄觀來意即引《瑜伽》「前地雖能多住無相作意，而未能令無相作意無間無缺，多修習住為令滿故，次有此來」〔T35n1735 0814b10–12〕——七地＝有加行有功用無相住之經論互證。
- 他經旁證（古德所引）：澄觀引《淨名》釋入生死之功德行：「生死畏中當依如來功德之力。不入生死海，不得無價寶珠，何有功德。」〔T35n1735 0818b07–09〕；探玄記引《金光明》《莊嚴論》釋名〔T35n1733 0354a21–25〕——皆隨古德所引誌錄，不別立宗。
八、校本定位
- 實叉 T279（底本）：第七地遠行地〔T10n0279 0195c22〕起–〔0198c05 前〕訖（卷三十七尾–三十八）。天眾天女讚請 0195c22 起 · 十妙行 0196 起 · 二十「入無量」0196 · 十波羅蜜 0196 · 七地殊勝辯與二世界中間喻 0196 末 · 染淨辯與轉輪王梵王喻 0196 末 · 三業清淨 0197 · 十三昧與百萬三昧 0197 · 無生法忍光明 0197 · 王子喻 0197 · 滅定問答與乘船入海喻 0197 · 雙行十句 0197 · 見多佛與真金喻 0197 末 · 日光喻與方便偏多 0198 前 · 結地與果報 0198 · 重頌 0198。
- 佛馱 T278（晉譯主對校）：第七地科題〔T09n0278 0560c15〕起 · 天眾讚 0560c16 起 · 解脫月請 0561a14–15 · 入地起句 0561a16 · 二十入 0561b05 起 · 十波羅蜜 0561b26 起 · 七地殊勝辯 0561c09 起 · 二世界喻 0561c23 起 · 染淨辯 0561c27 起 · 轉輪王喻 0562a02 起 · 非有非無煩惱 0562a11–14 · 深淨三業 0562a15 · 地名結說 0562c15 · 重頌 0563a 起 · 結頌 0563c27。
- 《十地經論》T1522（世親）：遠行地第七＝卷之九〔T26n1522 0173c16〕起。五相科 0173c20 · 牒經入地句 0173c24 · 二十入牒經 0174b29 · 念念十度牒經 0175a29 起（十度訖 0175b20）· 七地殊勝問答牒經 0175c19 · 二世界喻與染淨辯牒經 0176a19 · 非有非無煩惱 0176b13–17 · 深淨三業牒經 0176c06（業清淨四相 0176c18）· 十三昧牒經 0177a01（勝三昧十相 0177a08）· 過二乘 0177a24–28 · 無生法忍光明與王子喻牒經 0177b03 起（論釋 0177b17）· 甚深遠離無行 0177b27–0177c02 · 滅定牒經 0177c06（論釋 0177c16）· 雙行十句牒經 0177c21（八行對治 0178a03）· 見多佛牒經 0178a21 · 釋地名 0178c16–26 · 卷題訖 0178c27（次地卷題 0179a02）。
- 澄觀《疏》T35n1735：第七遠行地 0814b08 起（來意 0814b08–12 · 釋名四義 0814b13–29 · 所離障 0814b29–0814c10 · 科文三分 0814c10–17 · 五相 0814c17–25 · 四分科 0815a01–03 · 空中方便慧 0815a10–12 · 攝四功德 0815a21–22 · 雙行無間 0816a12–14 · 一念具十度 0816a19–23 · 四持四家 0816b13–16 · 染淨與雙非 0817a01–20 · 四果與遠公釋 0817a23–28 · 三摩鉢底五種 0817b12–15 · 甚深遠離無行 0818a06–09 · 船喻釋合 0818a21–24 · 十句八對治 0818a28–0818b02 · 淨名引 0818b07–09 · 日月二光 0818c07–08 · 重頌科 0818c09–16）；訖界＝第八不動地科起 0818c16。《鈔》T36n1736：第七遠行地鈔 0544c27 起（釋名三分 0544c29 · 唯識三義 0545a02–05）。
- 法藏《探玄記》T35n1733（六十疏）：第七遠行地 0354a12 起（釋名三釋 0354a12–26 · 來意三義 0354a26–0354b01 · 所離障 0354b01–15 · 所成行 0354c03–10 · 釋文三分·讚請十四頌 0354c11–16 · 正顯地體五道 0354c17–20）。〔誌錄：0479a14／0480b14／0480b15「遠行地知識」「不動地知識」字樣經核屬《入法界品》五十三參對位段，非本〈十地品〉釋文，不採入；探玄記本地釋文之訖界未窮盡搜索〔查無·據實標闕〕。〕
- 李通玄《論》T36n1739：遠行地第七 0899c06 起（五門 0899c07 · 釋地名目 0899c08–13 · 修何行門 0899c14–17 · 善財表法 0899c18–0900a01 · 三界解脫 0900a02–10 · 分十段科 0900a17–0900b03 · 隨文釋義起 0900b04）。
- 承衍軸出處：成唯識論十地簡列 T31n1585 0051a29 · 攝大乘論十地列名 T31n1594 0145b23（該窗內查無別釋遠行地之獨立長段，唯十地並列名目一句——誠實記）· 瑜伽師地論有加行有功用無相住 T30n1579 0559c19 起–0560c01。
- 異讀：本單元 T279 範圍〔0195c22〕–〔0198c04〕內大正校記 13 條，逐條照錄不判（底本【大】｜他本異讀；多本異讀以／分列）：〔0195c22〕第七地【大】｜無此字【宋】【元】【明】【宮】【聖】 · 〔0195c27〕王【大】｜主【聖】 · 〔0196a04〕比【大】｜上【宮】 · 〔0196a05〕闡【大】｜間【聖】 · 〔0196c22〕地【大】｜無此字【宋】【元】【明】【宮】 · 〔0197a26〕習【大】｜集【宋】【元】【宮】 · 〔0197c06〕超【大】｜起【南藏】（明註曰超南藏作起） · 〔0198a01〕行【大】｜修【宋】【元】【明】【宮】 · 〔0198a03〕令【大】｜今【北藏-CB】（明註曰令北藏作今） · 〔0198a12〕此【大】｜其【宋】【元】【明】 · 〔0198b08〕逾【大】｜踰【宋】【元】【明】【宮】 · 〔0198b12〕詞【大】｜辭【宋】【元】【明】 · 〔0198b15〕故【大】｜成【宋】【元】【明】【宮】。
- 原印注存目：1 條（大正原印注／CBETA 編者按語·無
<app>校異·不入上列大正校記之數）：〔0198b15＋〕〔大…佛〕西福寺本卷首缺。
The seventh ground is the last edge of practice with exertion: by ten kinds of wisdom in skillful means, ‘within emptiness not abiding in emptiness · within existence not abiding in existence’, the ten perfections are complete in thought after thought; having surpassed in full the host of afflictions, much greed and the rest, he is 「不名有煩惱者，不名無煩惱者」 tr. “not called one who has afflictions, nor called one who is without afflictions” ; he can enter the concentration of cessation in thought after thought without making realization of it, and course in the real limit without taking realization of it. The watershed between exertion and the absence of exertion lies here — through the seventh ground there is exertion throughout, and from the eighth ground onward practice without exertion is accomplished of itself; hence the simile of the space between two worlds being hard to pass. Vasubandhu’s Shidi jing lun explains this ground by the outline of five aspects, Chengguan’s Shu carries on that outline, Fazang’s Tanxuan ji assigns the four paths, and Li Tongxuan explains the name of the ground by 「入世間行遍周廣大」 tr. “entering the practice of the world, pervading everywhere and vast” ; among the ten perfections the perfection of skillful means is preeminent.
I. Doctrinal Outline and Placement
| Outline system | The place of this ground within it |
|---|---|
| The base text T279, in thirty-nine chapters | Chapter 26, The Ten Grounds (the sixth assembly, in the palace of the Heaven of Free Enjoyment of Others’ Emanations); the seventh ground, Far-Reaching = from 〔T10n0279 0195c22〕 up to just before 〔0198c05〕 (the end of fascicle thirty-seven through fascicle thirty-eight) |
| Chengguan, Huayan jing shu | The outline of the seventh ground, Far-Reaching, begins 〔T35n1735 0814b08〕; the direct explanation of the text in three parts (praise and request · the exposition proper · the verses in repetition) from 〔0814c10〕; the limit of its close = just before the outline of the eighth ground, Immovable, begins 〔0818c16〕 |
| Yanyi chao | The subcommentary on the seventh ground, Far-Reaching, from 〔T36n1736 0544c27〕 |
| Vasubandhu, Shidi jing lun | The Far-Reaching Ground, the seventh = fascicle nine, from 〔T26n1522 0173c16〕 to the end of the fascicle title at 〔0178c27〕; the outline of the five aspects 〔0173c20〕; the fascicle title of the next ground 〔0179a02〕 |
| Fazang, Tanxuan ji (commentary on the sixty-fascicle Avataṃsaka) | The seventh ground, Far-Reaching, from 〔T35n1733 0354a12〕; the explanation of the text in three parts · fourteen verses of praise and request 〔0354c11〕 |
| Li Tongxuan, Xin Huayan jing lun | The Far-Reaching Ground, the seventh, from 〔T36n1739 0899c06〕; five gates as before 〔0899c07〕; the prose and the verses divided into ten sections 〔0900a17–0900b03〕 |
The reason for its coming — Chengguan attaches it to the sequence of lodging in stations:
「第七遠行地。所以來者，已說緣起相應慧住，寄於緣覺；次說有加行有功用無相住，寄菩薩地，故次來也。」 tr. “The seventh ground, Far-Reaching. As for the reason for its coming: the abiding in the wisdom that accords with dependent origination has already been spoken of, lodged in the pratyekabuddha; next is spoken the abiding in signlessness that has applied practice and has exertion, lodged in the bodhisattva ground — and therefore it comes next.” 〔T35n1735 0814b08–10〕
Chengguan further cites the Yuqie as his authority:
「前地雖能多住無相作意，而未能令無相作意無間無缺，多修習住為令滿故，次有此來。」 tr. “Although on the ground before he was able much to abide in attention to signlessness, he was not yet able to make attention to signlessness without interval and without lack; because he abides in cultivating it much so that it may be brought to fullness, this next comes.” 〔T35n1735 0814b10–12〕
The obstruction departed from —
「所離障離細相現行障，謂六地執生滅細相現行故。此生滅相即是二愚：一細相現行愚，謂執有緣生流轉細生相故；二純作意求無相愚，即執有細還滅相故。」 tr. “The obstruction departed from is the departing from the obstruction of the active operation of subtle signs, that is, because on the sixth ground there is a grasping at the active operation of the subtle signs of arising and ceasing. These signs of arising and ceasing are just the two follies: first, the folly of the active operation of subtle signs, because it grasps at there being a subtle sign of arising in the flowing on of conditioned arising; second, the folly of seeking signlessness by sheer attention, that is, because it grasps at there being a subtle sign of returning to cessation.” 〔T35n1735 0814b29–0814c03〕
「以常在無相故不執生，更不作意勤求無相，故能證得法無差別真如」 tr. “because he is constantly within signlessness he does not grasp at arising, and no longer by attention diligently seeks signlessness, and therefore he is able to realize the suchness of the non-differentiation of dharmas” 〔T35n1735 0814c05–07〕; 「故知以純無相不礙起行，為此地別義。」 tr. “Know therefore that taking sheer signlessness as not obstructing the raising of practice is the distinguishing sense of this ground.” 〔0814c09–10〕
The outline of the five aspects (established by Vasubandhu · carried on by Chengguan) —
「論曰：第七地中有五種相差別：一、樂無作行對治差別；二、彼障對治差別；三、雙行差別；四、前上地勝差別；五、彼果差別。」 tr. “The treatise says: within the seventh ground there are five kinds of differentiation in aspect: first, the differentiation of the counteragent for the delight in practice without doing; second, the differentiation of the counteragent for that obstruction; third, the differentiation of twofold practice; fourth, the differentiation of the excellence of the earlier and of the higher ground; fifth, the differentiation of the fruit thereof.” 〔T26n1522 0173c20–22〕
「第二正說分，中二：先行、後果。行中有五種相差別：一樂無作行對治差別、二彼障對治差別、三雙行勝差別、四前上地勝差別、五彼果差別。五中，初一是趣地方便，即當入心；餘四為住出心在果。」 tr. “The second, the part of the exposition proper, has two within it: first the practice, then the fruit. Within the practice there are five kinds of differentiation in aspect: first, the differentiation of the counteragent for the delight in practice without doing; second, the differentiation of the counteragent for that obstruction; third, the differentiation of the excellence of twofold practice; fourth, the differentiation of the excellence of the earlier and of the higher ground; fifth, the differentiation of the fruit thereof. Among the five, the first is the expedient for approaching the ground, which corresponds to the mind of entering; the remaining four are the mind of abiding and issuing, since they lie within the fruit.” 〔T35n1735 0814c17–21〕
The outline of the text in four parts (within the part of the counteragent for the delight in practice without doing) — Chengguan divides this into four: 「今初分中有四：初結前標後」 tr. “Now within the first part there are four: first, the tying off of what precedes and the marking out of what follows” 〔T35n1735 0814c29〕, second, the questioning that displays its marks; third, the tying off of the capacity of the practice; fourth, the making plain of its bounds 〔0815a01–03〕.
The four fruits of the part of the fruit thereof — 「文分四果：一業清淨、二得勝三昧、三得過地、四得勝行。」 tr. “The text divides into four fruits: first, purity of action; second, the gaining of excellent samādhis; third, the gaining of the surpassing of the ground; fourth, the gaining of excellent practice.” 〔T35n1735 0817a23–24〕 Chengguan further cites Master Yuan, who assigns them to the five aspects: 「初即彼障對治果；二即雙行果；三即前上地勝果，勝行轉增故；四即樂無作行對治果，以彼方便及起勝行滿足在此故。」 tr. “The first is the fruit of the counteragent for that obstruction; the second is the fruit of twofold practice; the third is the fruit of the excellence of the earlier and of the higher ground, because excellent practice increases further; the fourth is the fruit of the counteragent for the delight in practice without doing, because that expedient and the raising of excellent practice are brought to fullness here.” 〔T35n1735 0817a25–28〕
II. Terminology
| Term | Sanskrit as transmitted by the ancient worthies (roman letters · pronunciation aid) | Attestation | Essential sense |
|---|---|---|---|
| the Far-Reaching Ground | — (no transliteration transmitted) | Chengguan: 「言遠行者，通有四義。」 tr. “In saying ‘far-reaching’, there are in general four senses.” 〔T35n1735 0814b13〕 | The seventh of the ten grounds; in general the name is established in two senses: 「一從前遠來至功用邊、二此功用行邊能遠去後位故」 tr. “first, that he has come far from what precedes, up to the edge of exertion; second, that at this edge of the practice of exertion he is able to go far into the stations that follow” 〔0814b25–26〕. Other names: the Shizhu lun has 「遠地」 tr. “the Far Ground” 〔0814b27〕 · the Renwang has 「遠達地」 tr. “the Ground of Reaching Far Through” 〔0814b28〕 |
| the perfection of skillful means | the perfection = pāramitā (the transliteration is itself what was transmitted) | this ground: 「方便波羅蜜偏多」 tr. “the perfection of skillful means is preeminent” 〔T10n0279 0197c29〕 | The seventh of the ten perfections; the one that is ascendant on this ground. Li Tongxuan: 「此地修方便波羅蜜。以出生死空無相無願解脫門，能入世間同眾生之萬行」 tr. “On this ground one cultivates the perfection of skillful means. By the gates of liberation that go forth from birth-and-death — emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness — he is able to enter the world and share the myriad practices of sentient beings” 〔T36n1739 0899c14–16〕 |
| the concentration of cessation (the concentration of complete cessation) | — (no transliteration transmitted) | this ground: 「菩薩從第六地來，能入滅定。今住此地，能念念入，亦念念起，而不作證」 tr. “from the sixth ground onward the bodhisattva is able to enter the concentration of cessation; now, dwelling on this ground, he is able to enter it in thought after thought and also to rise from it in thought after thought, and yet he does not make realization of it” 〔T10n0279 0197b23〕 | On the sixth ground he is already able to enter it · on the seventh he can enter it in thought after thought without taking realization of it; the treatise has 「寂滅定」 tr. “the concentration of quiescent cessation” 〔T26n1522 0177c07〕 |
| samāpatti | samāpatti (the transliteration is itself what was transmitted) | this ground: 「諸禪三昧、三摩鉢底、神通解脫皆得現前」 tr. “the various dhyānas, samādhis, samāpattis, spiritual powers, and liberations are all able to appear before him” 〔T10n0279 0197a24〕 | Attainment. Chengguan opens five: 「三摩鉢底有其五種：一四無色、二八勝處、三十遍處、四滅盡定、五無想定。前四菩薩多入，為化眾生；後一不入，非聖法故。」 tr. “Samāpatti has five kinds: first, the four formless attainments; second, the eight bases of mastery; third, the ten universals; fourth, the concentration of complete cessation; fifth, the concentration of non-perception. The first four the bodhisattva often enters, for the sake of transforming sentient beings; the last he does not enter, because it is not a noble dharma.” 〔T35n1735 0817b12–15〕 |
| the radiance of the acceptance that dharmas do not arise | — (no transliteration transmitted) | this ground: 「善淨無量身業無相行……得無生法忍光明」 tr. “well purifying the signless practice of measureless action of body … he gains the radiance of the acceptance that dharmas do not arise” 〔T10n0279 0197b07〕 | What is brought about by the signless practice of the three kinds of action. The treatise explains: 「無量三業無相行者，入定遠離相是。」 tr. “As for the signless practice of measureless action in the three: it is the mark of remoteness in entering concentration.” 〔T26n1522 0177b17〕 |
| practice with exertion / practice without exertion | — (no transliteration transmitted) | this ground: 「若捨一切有功用行，從第七地入第八地」 tr. “if he forsakes every practice that has exertion and passes from the seventh ground into the eighth” 〔T10n0279 0197a10〕 | The seventh ground is the utmost of exertion · the eighth is the beginning of its absence. Chengguan: 「功用即是煩惱，以有起動故。」 tr. “Exertion is itself an affliction, because there is a stirring in it.” 〔T35n1735 0817a19–20〕 |
| the real limit | — (no transliteration transmitted) | this ground: 「菩薩雖行實際而不作證」 tr. “though the bodhisattva courses in the real limit, he does not make realization of it” 〔T10n0279 0197b21〕 | The true limit in which he courses; the treatise explains: 「行實際行而不證寂滅定，以不捨有故。」 tr. “He carries out the practice of the real limit and yet does not realize the concentration of quiescent cessation, because he does not forsake existence.” 〔T26n1522 0177c16–17〕 |
| the factors of awakening (the factors that aid awakening) | — (no transliteration transmitted) | this ground: 「四攝、四持、三十七品、三解脫門，略說乃至一切菩提分法」 tr. “the four means of gathering, the four holdings, the thirty-seven factors, the three gates of liberation, stated briefly on up to all the factors of awakening” 〔T10n0279 0196c08〕 | Chengguan explains the four houses of the four holdings: 「一般若家，此是能照；二者諦家，即是所照；三捨煩惱家；四苦清淨家。」 tr. “First, the house of prajñā, which is that which illumines; second, the house of the truths, which is that which is illumined; third, the house of relinquishing the afflictions; fourth, the house of the purity of suffering.” 〔T35n1735 0816b14–16〕 |
| nayuta | nayuta (the transliteration is itself what was transmitted) | this ground: 「百千億那由他三昧」 tr. “hundreds of thousands of koṭis of nayutas of samādhis” 〔T10n0279 0198a08〕 | A name of a great number; the measure-word for the fruit of recompense of this ground and for the seeing of buddhas |
| the Sovereign Heaven King of the Heaven of Free Enjoyment of Others’ Emanations | — (no transliteration transmitted) | this ground: 「多作自在天王」 tr. “he mostly becomes a Sovereign Heaven King” 〔T10n0279 0198a03〕; the sixty renders it 「住是地多作，他化自在王」 tr. “dwelling on this ground he mostly becomes a king of Free Enjoyment of Others’ Emanations” 〔T09n0278 0563c22〕 | The station of the fruit of recompense of this ground |
III. Similes and Rhetoric
(1) The simile of the space between two worlds — 「譬如有二世界，一處雜染，一處純淨，是二中間難可得過，唯除菩薩有大方便神通願力」 tr. “Suppose there were two worlds, one of them defiled and one of them wholly pure: the space between the two is hard to pass through, save only for a bodhisattva who has great skillful means, spiritual powers, and the power of vows” 〔T10n0279 0196c23〕:
- The vehicle of the simile: between the two worlds, the defiled and the pure, there is a border hard to cross.
- What it figures: among the grounds of a bodhisattva there is defiled practice and there is pure practice, and the space between the two is hard to pass.
- The meaning shown: the seventh ground is the hard pass at the border of the defiled and the pure; Chengguan uses it to bring out 「此第七雙非染淨故，成前第七是中間義」 tr. “because this seventh is doubly neither defiled nor pure, it establishes the earlier sense that the seventh is the middle” 〔T35n1735 0817a01–02〕. The sūtra as cited in the treatise gives it as 「一、染淨世界；二、純淨世界」 tr. “first, the defiled-and-pure world; second, the wholly pure world” 〔T26n1522 0176a22〕.
(2) The simile of the wheel-turning sage king · the Brahmā king set against it — 「譬如轉輪聖王乘天象寶遊四天下，知有貧窮困苦之人，而不為彼眾患所染，然未名為超過人位」 tr. “It is like a wheel-turning sage king who rides the jewel that is the heavenly elephant and travels the four continents, and who, knowing that there are people poor and in distress, is not defiled by those many troubles, and yet still cannot be called one who has surpassed the station of a human” 〔T10n0279 0197a03〕 ·「若捨王身，生於梵世」 tr. “if he casts off the body of a king and is born in the Brahmā world” 〔0197a05〕 ·「爾乃名為超過人位」 tr. “then at last he is called one who has surpassed the station of a human” 〔0197a07〕:
- The vehicle of the simile: the wheel-turning king travels the four continents undefiled by the many troubles, yet his body is still in the station of a human; casting off the body of a king and being born in the Brahmā world, he then surpasses the station of a human.
- What it figures: from the first ground to the seventh he rides the vehicle of the perfections and travels the world, undefiled by the afflictions and yet not called practice that has surpassed the afflictions; forsaking practice with exertion and entering the eighth ground, he is then called practice that has surpassed the afflictions.
- The meaning shown: Chengguan attaches the simile: 「輪王喻七地，隨分捨功用道故。梵王喻於八地，報得初禪游千界故。」 tr. “The wheel-turning king figures the seventh ground, because according to his portion he forsakes the path of exertion. The Brahmā king figures the eighth ground, because by recompense he gains the first dhyāna and travels a thousand worlds.” 〔T35n1735 0817a05–07〕
(3) The simile of the prince — 「譬如王子，生在王家，王后所生，具足王相，生已即勝一切臣眾，但以王力，非是自力」 tr. “It is like a prince born into the house of a king, born of the queen, furnished with the marks of a king, who from the moment he is born surpasses all the host of ministers — but that is only by the power of the king and not by his own power” 〔T10n0279 0197b13〕 ·「若身長大，藝業悉成，乃以自力超過一切」 tr. “when his body has grown up and his arts and studies are all complete, then it is by his own power that he surpasses everyone” 〔0197b15〕:
- The vehicle of the simile: the prince at birth surpasses the host by the power of the king · grown up, he surpasses the host by his own power.
- What it figures: at the time of first raising the mind he surpasses the two vehicles because he set his will on seeking the great Dharma (the power of vows) · now, dwelling on this ground, he passes out beyond the two vehicles by the power of the wisdom of his own practice (the power of his own wisdom).
- The meaning shown: the two divisions, the excellence of vowing to seek and the excellence of his own wisdom; the sūtra as cited in the treatise has the same simile 〔T26n1522 0177b11–16〕.
(4) The simile of boarding a ship and entering the sea — 「譬如有人乘船入海，以善巧力不遭水難」 tr. “it is like a man who boards a ship and enters the sea and, by the power of his skill, meets with no disaster in the water” 〔T10n0279 0197b26〕 ·「此地菩薩亦復如是，乘波羅蜜船行實際海，以願力故而不證滅」 tr. “so it is with the bodhisattva of this ground, who rides the ship of the perfections and sails the sea of the real limit, and who, by the power of his vows, does not realize cessation” 〔0197b27〕:
- The vehicle of the simile: one who well knows how to sail a ship and well knows the marks of water enters the sea and is not harmed by disaster in the water.
- What it figures: riding the ship of the perfections he sails the sea of the real limit and does not realize cessation.
- The meaning shown: Chengguan explains the simile and its joining: 「喻云善巧力者，知行船法，知水相故。」 tr. “As for what the simile calls the power of skill: it is because he knows the method of sailing a ship and knows the marks of water.” 〔T35n1735 0818a21–22〕 「合云波羅蜜船，即般若等也。以願力者，是方便不捨有因。」 tr. “As for what the joining calls the ship of the perfections: it is prajñā and the rest. As for ‘by the power of his vows’: it is the cause of skillful means that does not forsake existence.” 〔0818a23–24〕
(5) The simile of true gold with jewels set in among it — 「譬如真金，以眾妙寶間錯莊嚴，轉更增勝，倍益光明，餘莊嚴具所不能及」 tr. “it is like true gold adorned with many wondrous jewels set in among it, so that it turns ever more excellent and its radiance is doubled, and none of the other ornaments can come up to it” 〔T10n0279 0197c22〕:
- The meaning shown: the roots of goodness of this ground turn brighter and purer by the power of the wisdom of skillful means. The treatise explains: 「真金喻者，示現一切菩提分法方便行功用滿足故，此地中諸善根轉勝明淨示現。」 tr. “As for the simile of true gold: it shows that because the exertion of the practice of skillful means among all the factors of awakening is brought to fullness, it is shown that the roots of goodness within this ground turn more excellent, bright, and pure.” 〔T26n1522 0178c21–23〕
(6) The simile of sunlight drying up mire and standing water — 「譬如日光，星月等光無能及者，閻浮提地所有泥潦悉能乾竭」 tr. “it is like sunlight, which the light of the stars and the moon cannot come up to, and which can dry up all the mire and standing water upon the earth of Jambudvīpa” 〔T10n0279 0197c26〕:
- The meaning shown: the brightness of the wisdom of this ground surpasses the two vehicles, and it can dry up the mire and standing water of the delusions of sentient beings. The treatise says: 「日光喻者，如前地說，此地勝故」 tr. “as for the simile of sunlight: it is as was said on the preceding ground, because this ground is more excellent” 〔T26n1522 0178c24–25〕; and Chengguan distinguishes the two lights of sun and moon: 「而此日光盛，故勝彼月光。以月光清涼如般若故，日光用廣如方便故。」 tr. “But this sunlight is abundant, and therefore surpasses that moonlight; for moonlight is cool, like prajñā, while the function of sunlight is wide, like skillful means.” 〔T35n1735 0818c07–08〕
(7) The simile of the lotus resting in water (found in the verses in repetition alone) — 「如梵觀世超人位，如蓮處水無染著」 tr. “like the Brahmā who looks upon the world and surpasses the station of a human, like the lotus that rests in the water and is stained by nothing” 〔T10n0279 0198b09〕: the prose does not bring out this simile; the verses in repetition use the lotus in the water to show the freedom from defilement of the eighth ground; the verses of the sixty likewise have 「菩薩罪不污，如蓮華在水」 tr. “the bodhisattva is not soiled by fault, like a lotus flower in water” 〔T09n0278 0563b26〕.
IV. Collation with Parallel Translations
The Chinese witnesses collated for the key sentences of this unit: Śikṣānanda T279 (the base text) · Buddhabhadra T278 (the Jin-dynasty sixty-fascicle Avataṃsaka) · the sūtra as cited in Vasubandhu’s Shidi jing lun T1522 (the text of the separately circulating Sūtra of the Ten Grounds).
Sentence 1 · The opening sentence of entering the ground
| Witness | Verbatim, rendered | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Śikṣānanda T279 | Sons of the Buddha! When a bodhisattva-mahāsattva has completed the practice of the sixth ground and wishes to enter the seventh, the Far-Reaching Ground, he should cultivate ten kinds of wisdom in skillful means and give rise to the surpassing path | T10n0279 0196a18 |
| Buddhabhadra T278 | Sons of the Buddha! When a bodhisattva-mahāsattva has already completed the sixth ground and wishes to enter the seventh ground, then from the wisdom of skillful means he raises the ten wondrous practices | T09n0278 0561a16–18 |
| The Shidi jing lun, citing the sūtra | At that time the bodhisattva Vajragarbha said: All you sons of the Buddha! If a bodhisattva has well completed the practice of the six grounds and wishes to enter the seventh bodhisattva ground, this bodhisattva should by ten kinds of knowledge in skillful means give rise to and enter surpassing practice | T26n1522 0173c24–27 |
Where the variants lie: (a) The eighty has 「十種方便慧起殊勝道」 tr. “ten kinds of wisdom in skillful means, giving rise to the surpassing path” ↔ the sixty has 「從方便慧，起十妙行」 tr. “from the wisdom of skillful means, raising the ten wondrous practices” ↔ the sūtra as cited in the treatise has 「十種方便智發起殊勝行入」 tr. “by ten kinds of knowledge in skillful means giving rise to and entering surpassing practice” (wisdom / knowledge · path / practice). (b) The sixty alone marks out the name 「十妙行」 tr. “the ten wondrous practices”; neither the eighty nor the sūtra as cited in the treatise has this name. (c) The sixty has the vocative 「佛子」 tr. “Sons of the Buddha”, while the sūtra as cited in the treatise has 「諸佛子」 tr. “All you sons of the Buddha”.
Sentence 2 · The sixth of the ten wondrous practices (the sentence of the similes)
| Witness | Verbatim, rendered | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Śikṣānanda T279 | though he knows that the dharmas are like an illusion, like a dream, like a shadow, like an echo, like a mirage, like a magical transformation, like the moon in water, like an image in a mirror, without duality in their own nature, yet he does work in accord with mind in measureless distinction | T10n0279 0196a25 |
| Buddhabhadra T278 | following the dharmas as like an illusion, like a dream, like the moon in water, in the mark of non-duality, and yet giving rise to the discriminating of all kinds of afflictions and to the not losing of the fruits of recompense of deeds | T09n0278 0561a22–24 |
| The Shidi jing lun, citing the sūtra | following illusion, dream, shadow, echo, magical transformation, the moon in water, and the image in a mirror as being of a nature not dual, and yet giving rise to a mind that does work in measureless distinction | T26n1522 0174a03–05 |
Where the variants lie: (a) The number of similes: the eighty lists eight (illusion · dream · shadow · echo · mirage · magical transformation · the moon in water · the image in a mirror) · the sūtra as cited in the treatise lists seven (without 「焰」 tr. “the mirage”) · the sixty lists three (illusion · dream · the moon in water). (b) The lower clause: the eighty has 「隨心作業無量差別」 tr. “he does work in accord with mind in measureless distinction” · the treatise has 「起作業無量差別心」 tr. “he gives rise to a mind that does work in measureless distinction” · the sixty has 「起分別種種煩惱及不失業果報」 tr. “he gives rise to the discriminating of all kinds of afflictions and to the not losing of the fruits of recompense of deeds” (the sixty raises both the afflictions and the fruits of recompense of deeds).
Sentence 3 · Neither having nor lacking afflictions
| Witness | Verbatim, rendered | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Śikṣānanda T279 | Sons of the Buddha! This bodhisattva of the seventh ground, having surpassed in full the host of afflictions, much greed and the rest, dwells on this ground, and is not called one who has afflictions, nor called one who is without afflictions | T10n0279 0197a13 |
| Buddhabhadra T278 | The bodhisattva dwelling on the seventh ground has passed beyond the stains of the afflictions, greed and desire and the rest, and while on this seventh ground is not called one having afflictions, nor called one without afflictions | T09n0278 0562a11–13 |
| The Shidi jing lun, citing the sūtra | Sons of the Buddha! The bodhisattva dwelling on this seventh bodhisattva ground has passed beyond the host of afflictions, much greed and desire and the rest. This bodhisattva, dwelling within this bodhisattva Far-Reaching Ground, is not called one who has afflictions, nor called one who is without afflictions | T26n1522 0176b13–15 |
Where the variants lie: (a) The eighty has 「多貪等諸煩惱眾」 tr. “the host of afflictions, much greed and the rest” · the sūtra as cited in the treatise has 「多貪欲等諸煩惱眾」 tr. “the host of afflictions, much greed and desire and the rest” · the sixty has 「貪欲等諸煩惱垢」 tr. “the stains of the afflictions, greed and desire and the rest” (host / stains). (b) The explanation of the reason: the eighty has 「求如來智心未滿故，不名無者」 tr. “because his mind that seeks the wisdom of the Tathāgata is not yet fulfilled, he is not called one who is without them” · the sixty has 「貪求如來智慧未滿願故，不名無煩惱」 tr. “because his vow to seek with longing the wisdom of the Tathāgata is not yet fulfilled, he is not called one without afflictions” 〔T09n0278 0562a14〕 · the treatise has 「貪求如來智慧未滿足故，不名無煩惱者」 tr. “because his seeking with longing for the wisdom of the Tathāgata is not yet brought to fullness, he is not called one who is without afflictions” 〔T26n1522 0176b16–17〕.
Sentence 4 · The list of the names of the samādhis and their number
| Witness | Verbatim, rendered | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Śikṣānanda T279 | he enters the bodhisattva samādhi of well discerning and selecting, the samādhi of well selecting the meaning, the samādhi of supreme wisdom, the samādhi of distinguishing the treasury of meaning, the samādhi of distinguishing the meaning as it really is, the samādhi of well abiding in firm faculties, the samādhi of the gate of wisdom and spiritual powers, the samādhi of the action of the Dharma realm, the samādhi of the excellent benefit of the Tathāgata, the samādhi of the gate of the manifold treasury of meaning, of birth-and-death and nirvāṇa; he enters a million samādhis such as these, furnished with the gate of great wisdom and spiritual powers, and purifies this ground | T10n0279 0197a28 |
| The Shidi jing lun, citing the sūtra | he enters the samādhi named well selecting knowledge of the bodhisattva, the samādhi of well pondering the meaning, the samādhi of benefiting the mind, the samādhi of distinguishing the treasury of meaning, the samādhi of selecting all meanings, the samādhi of well abiding in firm faculties, the samādhi of the gate of the spiritual powers of knowledge, the samādhi of the action of the Dharma realm, the samādhi of the benefit of the Tathāgata, and he enters the bodhisattva samādhi named the gate of the manifold treasury of meaning, of the world and nirvāṇa. The bodhisattva in this way, by the gate of great knowledge and spiritual powers, brings to fullness the ten samādhis that stand at the head, is able to enter a hundred thousand gates of bodhisattva samādhi, and purifies this ground | T26n1522 0177a01–07 |
| Buddhabhadra T278 | 〔查無逐字·此段未取得逐字文·據實標闕〕 tr. 〔not found: the verbatim text of this passage has not been obtained; the gap is marked as it stands〕 | T09n0278 0562a15 and following |
Where the variants lie: (a) The lists of the names of the ten samādhis differ between the two texts (the eighty has 「善觀擇／最勝慧／如實分別義／如來勝利／生死涅槃門」 tr. “well discerning and selecting / supreme wisdom / distinguishing the meaning as it really is / the excellent benefit of the Tathāgata / the gate of birth-and-death and nirvāṇa” ↔ the treatise has 「善擇智／益意／擇一切義／如來利益／世間涅槃門」 tr. “well selecting knowledge / benefiting the mind / selecting all meanings / the benefit of the Tathāgata / the gate of the world and nirvāṇa”). (b) The total number: the eighty has 「百萬三昧」 tr. “a million samādhis” · the treatise has 「滿足上首十三昧，能入百千菩薩三昧門」 tr. “brings to fullness the ten samādhis that stand at the head, and is able to enter a hundred thousand gates of bodhisattva samādhi” (a million / a hundred thousand). The treatise further establishes ten aspects to explain them: 「論曰：得勝三昧者有十種相：一、依未觀義，二、依已觀義」 tr. “The treatise says: the gaining of excellent samādhis has ten aspects: first, with respect to the meaning not yet contemplated; second, with respect to the meaning already contemplated” 〔T26n1522 0177a08–09〕.
Sentence 5 · The concluding statement of the name of the ground and the explanation of the name
| Witness | Verbatim, rendered | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Śikṣānanda T279 | Sons of the Buddha! This is called: a brief statement of the bodhisattva-mahāsattva’s seventh ground, the Far-Reaching | T10n0279 0198a01 |
| The Shidi jing lun, citing the sūtra | Because this bodhisattva is further able to benefit sentient beings, because his acceptance of the dharmas turns purer, and because the exertion of practice is carried through to the end, it is named the Far-Reaching Ground, adorned with the full array of all the many jewels | T26n1522 0178c19–21 |
Where the variants lie: at the end of the ground the eighty has only the words of the concluding statement and does not set out a separate sentence explaining the name; the sūtra as cited in the treatise does have the text explaining the name, 「修行功用盡至故，名為遠行地」 tr. “because the exertion of practice is carried through to the end, it is named the Far-Reaching Ground”, and the treatise explains the name upon it: 「彼守護上首故、利益眾生故，法忍轉顯。此地釋名應知。」 tr. “Because he guards it and stands at the head, and because he benefits sentient beings, his acceptance of the dharmas turns more manifest. The explanation of the name of this ground is to be known thus.” 〔T26n1522 0178c17–19〕. The verbatim text of the corresponding passage in the sixty has not been obtained 〔查無·據實標闕〕 tr. 〔not found; the gap is marked as it stands〕.
The sentence of the conspectus of the virtues of the ten grounds (found in the verses in repetition alone) — the verses of the eighty have 「初地攀緣功德滿，二地離垢三諍息，四地入道五順行，第六無生智光照，七住菩提功德滿」 tr. “the first ground takes its object and its merit is full, the second is free of stain and the third has contention stilled, the fourth enters the path and the fifth accords in its practice, the sixth shines with the light of the wisdom of non-arising, the seventh dwells in awakening and its merit is full” 〔T10n0279 0198b02〕; the verses of the sixty have 「初地中功德，名之為具足，第二地名為，除諸心垢惡，第三願增明，第四地入道，第五隨世行，第六入深法」 tr. “the merit within the first ground is named complete; the second ground is named the removing of the evil stains of the mind; the third is the vow grown bright, the fourth ground enters the path, the fifth follows the practice of the world, the sixth enters the profound Dharma” 〔T09n0278 0563b10–13〕 (the sixty lists the grounds clause by clause more densely · the eighty joins clauses and passes over the third ground).
V. Scriptural Grounds of Sectarian Doctrine (the doctrinal eye)
(1) The wisdom of skillful means within emptiness · the surpassing path within existence — the ten sentences of the ten wondrous practices are all of the paired form 「雖……而……」 tr. “though … yet …”, and Chengguan judges their syntax:
「是則即有修空故不住空，是空中方便慧；即空涉有故不住有，是有中殊勝道。」 tr. “Thus, because it is within existence that he cultivates emptiness, he does not abide in emptiness, and this is the wisdom of skillful means within emptiness; because it is from emptiness that he goes out into existence, he does not abide in existence, and this is the surpassing path within existence.” 〔T35n1735 0815a09〕
「二徵顯中……義各二句，皆上句觀空、下句涉有。上句得下句，即成空中方便慧；下句得上句，即成有中殊勝行。不滯空有，並致雖言。」 tr. “Second, within the questioning that displays them … each sense has two clauses, the upper clause in every case contemplating emptiness and the lower clause going out into existence. When the upper clause gains the lower, the wisdom of skillful means within emptiness is thereby established; when the lower clause gains the upper, the surpassing practice within existence is thereby established. Because he stagnates in neither emptiness nor existence, in every case the word ‘though’ is used.” 〔T35n1735 0815a17–20〕
(2) The twofold practice of stopping and contemplating · a single thought without rest — the sūtra has 「無有一念休息廢捨；行、住、坐、臥乃至睡夢，未曾暫與蓋障相應」 tr. “without a single thought of rest or of putting it aside; walking, standing, sitting, lying down, and even in sleep and dream, he never for a moment consorts with the covering obstructions” 〔T10n0279 0196b23〕. The treatise says: 「是中一念中奢摩他、毘婆舍那二行雙現前故。」 tr. “Herein, within a single thought the two practices, śamatha and vipaśyanā, are manifest together.” 〔T26n1522 0175b21–22〕 Chengguan explains: 「無有一念休息廢捨者，正顯雙行無間之義。謂不捨前不動之止、觀察之觀，為止觀。二行雙行，一念不休，即無間義。」 tr. “As for ‘without a single thought of rest or of putting it aside’: this shows exactly the sense that the twofold practice is without interval. That is, not forsaking the unmoving stopping of what precedes and the contemplating that discerns, these are stopping and contemplating. The two practices practiced together, without rest for a single thought — this is the sense of being without interval.” 〔T35n1735 0816a12–14〕
(3) A single thought all at once furnished with the ten perfections — the sūtra has 「此菩薩於念念中，常能具足十波羅蜜」 tr. “in thought after thought this bodhisattva is constantly able to complete the ten perfections” 〔T10n0279 0196b25〕. Chengguan: 「三作大義者，一念頓具十度之行，義利廣故，念念修起，故名為作。」 tr. “Third, as for the sense of great doing: a single thought is all at once furnished with the practice of the ten perfections, because the benefit of its meaning is wide, and in thought after thought it is cultivated and raised, and therefore it is named doing.” 〔T35n1735 0816a19–20〕; and in assigning compassion and wisdom he says 「檀通悲智，忍唯約悲，餘皆約智」 tr. “dāna runs through both compassion and wisdom; patience is taken with respect to compassion alone; the rest are all taken with respect to wisdom” 〔0816a23〕.
(4) The watershed of exertion and its absence — the sūtra has 「菩薩從初地乃至第七地，成就智功用分。以此力故，從第八地乃至第十地，無功用行皆悉成就」 tr. “from the first ground up to the seventh a bodhisattva accomplishes the portion that is exertion possessed of wisdom; and by the power of this, from the eighth ground up to the tenth, practice without exertion is accomplished in its entirety” 〔T10n0279 0196c21〕; this runs together with 「此第七地功用行滿，得入智慧自在行故」 tr. “because on this seventh ground the practice of exertion is complete, he gains entry into the practice in which wisdom is free” 〔0196c15〕, and it is to this that the sense of the simile of the space between two worlds attaches.
(5) Doubly neither defiled nor pure — the sūtra has 「不名有煩惱者，不名無煩惱者。何以故？一切煩惱不現行故，不名有者；求如來智心未滿故，不名無者」 tr. “he is not called one who has afflictions, nor called one who is without afflictions. Why is this so? Because none of the afflictions actively operate, he is not called one who has them; because his mind that seeks the wisdom of the Tathāgata is not yet fulfilled, he is not called one who is without them” 〔T10n0279 0197a14〕. Chengguan explains the double negation: 「常在觀故，惑不現行，即過前也。有功用行，名求未滿，即劣後也。功用即是煩惱，以有起動故。」 tr. “Because he is constantly within contemplation the delusions do not actively operate, and this is his surpassing of what precedes. Because he has practice with exertion, it is named a seeking not yet fulfilled, and this is his falling short of what follows. Exertion is itself an affliction, because there is a stirring in it.” 〔T35n1735 0817a17–20〕; and he further assigns the surpassing of the delusions to the ten grounds: 「又初地超貪，檀度滿故；二三超瞋，尸忍滿故……此地總超隨惑等，常在觀故，故云盡超。」 tr. “Again, the first ground surpasses greed, because the perfection of dāna is full; the second and third surpass hatred, because the perfections of śīla and kṣānti are full … this ground surpasses the secondary afflictions and the rest in the whole, because he is constantly within contemplation, and therefore it says ‘surpassed in full’.” 〔0817a11–16〕
(6) The bridge to consciousness-only (the seventh ground = the abiding in signlessness that has applied practice and has exertion · the cutting off of the obstruction of the active operation of subtle signs) — Chengguan cites the Cheng weishi in explaining the name of the ground: 「至無相住功用後邊，出過世間二乘道故。」 tr. “Because he comes to the last edge of exertion in the abiding in signlessness, and passes out beyond the world and the path of the two vehicles.” 〔T35n1735 0814b13–15〕; he cites the Jieshenmi: 「能遠證入無缺無間無相作意，與清淨地共相隣接，故名遠行。」 tr. “Because he is able far to realize and enter attention to signlessness that is without lack and without interval, and is adjacent to the pure grounds, it is named far-reaching.” 〔0814b15–17〕; he cites Vasubandhu’s explanation of the She dacheng: 「雖一切相不能動搖，而於無相猶名有行者，此解功用之言，謂起功用住無相故。」 tr. “As for ‘although no sign whatever can shake him, yet with respect to signlessness he is still said to have practice’ — this explains the word exertion, that is, because he raises exertion in order to abide in signlessness.” 〔0814b21–23〕. The 「細相現行障」 tr. “obstruction of the active operation of subtle signs” that is departed from and the 「法無差別真如」 tr. “suchness of the non-differentiation of dharmas” that is realized 〔0814c06–07〕 are just the seventh of the ten obstructions and ten suchnesses of consciousness-only — for the matching of sources see rubric VII.
VI. Divergent Interpretations of the Commentators
Chengguan, Huayan jing shu T35n1735 · Yanyi chao T36n1736 (following the eighty-fascicle text phrase by phrase · the principal commentary)
The general raising of four senses in the explanation of the name: 「言遠行者，通有四義。」 tr. “In saying ‘far-reaching’, there are in general four senses.” 〔0814b13〕 — three senses from the Cheng weishi · two senses from the Jieshenmi · one sense from the She dacheng · the Shizhu lun, 「去三界遠，近法王位，故名遠地」 tr. “being far from the three realms and near the station of the Dharma king, it is named the Far Ground” 〔0814b26–27〕; and he further says that the Jinguangming jing agrees with the first sense of the Shenmi and the Zhuangyan lun with its latter sense 〔0814b23–24〕. He sums up:
「雖有四義，然通有二義立遠行名：一從前遠來至功用邊、二此功用行邊能遠去後位故。」 tr. “Although there are four senses, yet in general the name far-reaching is established in two senses: first, that he has come far from what precedes, up to the edge of exertion; second, that at this edge of the practice of exertion he is able to go far into the stations that follow.” 〔T35n1735 0814b24–26〕
The Chao explains the reason for the coming of the commentary’s section: 「第七遠行地。初來意有二：一正釋約慧，寄位雙辨」 tr. “The seventh ground, Far-Reaching. First, the reason for its coming has two parts: first, the direct explanation with respect to wisdom, in which the lodging in stations is set out alongside it” 〔T36n1736 0544c27–28〕, and second, the citing of authority with respect to wisdom 〔0544c28〕; the explanation of the name divides into three, namely the marking out, the explaining, and the tying off 〔0544c29–0545a01〕; and it explains the three senses of the Weishi: 「一善修無相到無相邊，故名遠行；二功用至極，故名遠行；三望前超過，故名遠行。」 tr. “First, because he well cultivates signlessness and comes to the edge of signlessness, it is named far-reaching; second, because exertion has come to its utmost, it is named far-reaching; third, because with respect to what precedes he has surpassed it, it is named far-reaching.” 〔T36n1736 0545a02–05〕
The outline of the text: 「次正釋文，亦有三分：初讚請中有十二頌，前十讚、後二請。」 tr. “Next, the direct explanation of the text likewise has three parts: within the first, praise and request, there are twelve verses, the first ten of praise and the last two of request.” 〔T35n1735 0814c10–11〕; the outline of the verses in repetition: 「第三重頌。二十一頌分三：初十七頌半頌位行、次二頌半頌位果、後一頌歎勝結說。」 tr. “Third, the verses in repetition. The twenty-one verses divide into three: the first seventeen and a half repeat the practice of the station, the next two and a half repeat the fruit of the station, and the last one praises its excellence and ties off the exposition.” 〔0818c09–11〕
The ten sentences on the raising of excellent practice: 「經有十句，論為八種共對治攝，謂後三為一故。能治所治二行共俱，互相攝故，如示生死為所治，以恒住涅槃為能治。」 tr. “The sūtra has ten clauses, and the treatise gathers them as eight kinds of counteracting in common, since the last three are made one. The counteracting and the counteracted, the two practices, go together, because they gather one another — as when manifesting birth-and-death is what is counteracted and constantly dwelling in nirvāṇa is what counteracts.” 〔T35n1735 0818a28–0818b02〕
Vasubandhu, Shidi jing lun T26n1522 (the root explanation, phrase by phrase)
The outline of the five aspects 〔0173c20〕 is as under rubric I; the four aspects of purity of action: 「論曰：業清淨者有四種相：一、戒淨勝」 tr. “The treatise says: purity of action has four aspects: first, the excellence of purity in discipline” 〔0176c18–19〕; the two aspects of surpassing the two vehicles: 「論曰：過聲聞辟支佛地者，有二種相：一、修行方便智力；二、大悲力故。」 tr. “The treatise says: the surpassing of the grounds of the śrāvaka and the pratyekabuddha has two aspects: first, the cultivation of the power of the wisdom of skillful means; second, the power of great compassion.” 〔0177a27–28〕; the three explanations of profound, far removed, and without practice: 「論曰：甚深者，遠入故。遠離者，彼障滅故。無行者，彼餘出世間世間地不能行故。」 tr. “The treatise says: profound, because it enters far. Far removed, because those obstructions are extinguished. Without practice, because the other grounds, world-transcending and worldly, cannot practice it.” 〔0177c01–02〕; and the raising of surpassing practice 「有八種行共對治攝」 tr. “is gathered as eight kinds of practice that counteract in common” 〔0178a03〕.
Supplementary verbatim record of the passages of the commentators cited in the exposition: Chengguan, 「舉睡夢者，以昧況審。」 tr. “Sleep and dream are raised so that the dim may serve as a measure for the alert.” 〔T35n1735 0816a15〕 · 「又初地超貪，檀度滿故；二三超瞋，尸忍滿故；三亦超癡，得聞持故；四地超慢，道品離我相故；五地超疑，了諸諦故；六地超見，入般若故。」 tr. “Further, the first ground surpasses greed, because the perfection of giving is full; the second and third surpass hatred, because discipline and patience are full; the third also surpasses delusion, because retention of what is heard is gained; the fourth ground surpasses conceit, because the factors of the path are free of the sign of self; the fifth ground surpasses doubt, because the truths are understood; the sixth ground surpasses views, because prajñā is entered.” 〔0817a11〕 · 「常行者，此無間故。」 tr. “As for constantly coursing: because this is without interval.” 〔0818a09〕 「故二乘亦有離彼相業，而得少為足，不能上求菩提」 tr. “therefore the two vehicles too have action apart from those signs, yet they take a little and are satisfied and cannot seek awakening above” 〔0818a10〕; Vasubandhu, 「是中自然者，自性勝無分別故」 tr. “Herein, as for spontaneously: because its own nature is excellently free of discrimination” 〔T26n1522 0175a22〕 · 「守護諸佛正法者，於三千大千世界中得為大師故、修方便行滿足故。」 tr. “As for the one who guards the true Dharma of the buddhas: because within the three-thousandfold great-thousand world-system he gets to be a great master, and because his cultivation of the practice of skillful means is brought to fullness.” 〔0178c16〕; Li Tongxuan, 「然不離世間、不隨生死，長大慈悲故，名方便波羅蜜。」 tr. “And yet he does not depart from the world and does not follow after birth-and-death, and because he makes great kindness and compassion grow, it is named the perfection of skillful means.” 〔T36n1739 0899c16〕.
Fazang, Tanxuan ji T35n1733 (commentary on the sixty-fascicle Avataṃsaka · a deep source of judgments and explanations)
Three explanations of the name:
「第七遠行地者，釋有三：一約功用後邊」 tr. “As for the seventh ground, Far-Reaching, there are three explanations: first, with respect to the last edge of exertion” 〔T35n1733 0354a12–13〕 — the words he cites from the She dacheng are 「至功用行最後邊故。」 tr. “because he comes to the very last edge of the practice of exertion.” 〔0354a13〕, and Vasubandhu explains, 「謂此地中於功用行得至究竟，雖一切相不能動搖，而於無相猶名有行。」 tr. “That is, within this ground he attains the ultimate in the practice of exertion; although no sign whatever can shake him, yet with respect to signlessness he is still said to have practice.” 〔0354a13–15〕
Second, with respect to two senses, he cites the Jieshenmi, explaining it himself thus: 「無缺無間遠於前六、隣接淨地、近後第八。」 tr. “Without lack and without interval, far from the first six, adjacent to the pure grounds, and near to the eighth that follows.” 〔0354a17–18〕; third, with respect to three senses, he cites the Cheng weishi lun, and says 「此同《十地論》」 tr. “this agrees with the Shidi lun” 〔0354a20〕; he further cites the Jinguangming, 「無流無間無相思惟解脫三昧，遠修行故，是地清淨無障無礙，名遠行地」 tr. “because he cultivates far the samādhi of liberation that is the pondering of signlessness, undefiled and without interval, this ground is pure, without obstruction and without hindrance, and is named the Far-Reaching Ground” 〔0354a21–22〕, and the Zhuangyan lun, 「菩薩於七地中近一乘道，名為遠行。問：誰是遠去？答：功用方便究竟，此遠能去，由此遠去故名遠行地」 tr. “within the seventh ground the bodhisattva draws near to the path of the One Vehicle, and this is named far-reaching. Question: what is it that goes far? Answer: exertion and skillful means have reached the ultimate, and this is what is able to go far; because of this going far it is named the Far-Reaching Ground” 〔0354a22–25〕; and he cites the Shizhu lun as 「去三界遠，近法王位，故名身遠地」 tr. “being far from the three realms and near the station of the Dharma king, it is named the Ground of the Far Body” 〔0354a25–26〕.
Three senses of the reason for its coming: 「一前寄二乘，合顯菩薩次第轉勝，是故須來。二於無相觀前地未純，今此進入純無相，是故須來。三前功用未滿，此地中滿，是故來也。」 tr. “First, what precedes was lodged in the two vehicles, and it is fitting to show that the bodhisattva turns more excellent by stages, and therefore it must come. Second, in the contemplation of signlessness the preceding ground was not yet sheer, and here he advances into sheer signlessness, and therefore it must come. Third, exertion was not yet full before, and within this ground it is full, and therefore it comes.” 〔T35n1733 0354a26–0354b01〕
The obstruction departed from: 「三所離障者，依《地論》，離細相習障。」 tr. “Third, as for the obstruction departed from: following the Di lun, it is the departing from the obstruction that is the habit of subtle signs.” 〔0354b01–02〕; 「以第六地有相觀少名為細相礙，於第七純無相觀，故以為障。」 tr. “Because on the sixth ground there is a little contemplation possessed of signs, it is named the hindrance of subtle signs; on the seventh the contemplation is sheerly signless, and therefore it is taken as the obstruction.” 〔0354b02–04〕
The outline of the text and the assignment of the paths: 「第七釋文者，亦三分同前。初讚請分中有十四頌，分五：初三天眾供讚、二有一頌天王供養、三有一頌半餘天王等歎法作樂、四有七頌半天女讚得。於中，初二頌半歎佛身業利益、次一歎佛語業利益、次三歎佛意業利益。次一歎已默住悕聞後地。下一眾首請說。」 tr. “As for the explanation of the text of the seventh, it likewise has three parts, the same as before. Within the first part, praise and request, there are fourteen verses, dividing into five: the first three are the offerings and praise of the host of devas; second, one verse on the offering of the heaven king; third, one and a half verses on the other heaven kings and the rest praising the Dharma and making music; fourth, seven and a half verses on the praise of the goddesses at what has been gained. Within these, the first two and a half praise the benefit of the Buddha’s bodily action, the next one the benefit of his verbal action, and the next three the benefit of his mental action; the next one praises him and then dwells silent, longing to hear the ground that follows. The last one is the request to speak by the head of the assembly.” 〔T35n1733 0354c10〕; 「第二正顯地體中，論分為五：初一趣地方便，是加行道；次一初住地，是無間道；次一正住地，是解脫道；次一義該始終，說在正地；後一地滿是，勝進道。」 tr. “Second, within the direct display of the substance of the ground, the treatise divides it into five: the first is the expedient for approaching the ground, which is the path of applied practice; the next is the first dwelling on the ground, which is the uninterrupted path; the next is the proper dwelling on the ground, which is the path of liberation; the next is a sense that covers beginning and end, spoken of within the ground proper; the last is the fullness of the ground, which is the path of advancing further.” 〔0354c17–20〕
Li Tongxuan, Xin Huayan jing lun T36n1739 (a different track, that of figurative reading)
The explanation of the name of the ground:
「一釋地名目者，何故名為遠行地？以此地行方便波羅蜜，以六地之中三空三昧，現無量無作智慧門，能入無量眾生界，入無量教化眾生業，入無量世界網。以無作智慧入一切世間，等眾生行普令遍周，故名遠行地。為入世間行遍周廣大故，名遠行地。」 tr. “First, as for the explanation of the name of the ground: why is it named the Far-Reaching Ground? Because on this ground one practices the perfection of skillful means; because with the three samādhis of emptiness that are within the sixth ground he manifests measureless gates of the wisdom that is free of doing, and is able to enter measureless realms of sentient beings, to enter the measureless work of teaching and transforming sentient beings, and to enter the measureless net of worlds. Because with a wisdom free of doing he enters all worlds, equalling the practice of sentient beings and causing it to pervade everywhere, it is named the Far-Reaching Ground. Because he enters the practice of the world, pervading everywhere and vast, it is named the Far-Reaching Ground.” 〔T36n1739 0899c08–13〕
The figurative reading of Sudhana: 「名開敷樹華者，表於無相妙慧之樹開敷普賢行華，亦是開敷一切眾生無明行樹華令成普賢行華故，為表第七地成世間行成慈悲門令圓滿故。」 tr. “As for the one named Blossoming Tree-Flowers: he figures the tree of the wondrous wisdom of signlessness blossoming into the flower of the practice of Samantabhadra, and he is also the blossoming of the flowers on the tree of the practice of ignorance in all sentient beings so that they become the flower of the practice of Samantabhadra; and thus he figures the seventh ground’s bringing to completion the practice of the world and the gate of kindness and compassion, so that they are made full.” 〔0899c19–23〕; 「善財得菩薩廣大歡喜解脫者，明此地菩薩成就大慈悲行，普能方便教化眾生，歡喜無厭故。不居染淨，故名為解脫。」 tr. “As for Sudhana’s gaining the bodhisattva liberation of vast joy: it makes clear that the bodhisattva of this ground perfects the practice of great kindness and compassion and is able everywhere by skillful means to teach and transform sentient beings, joyfully and without weariness. He does not dwell in the defiled or the pure, and therefore it is named liberation.” 〔0899c26–29〕
The outline of the sections: the prose and the verses are opened out into ten sections 〔0900a17–0900b03〕, and at the end he says 「第十段中有四十二行頌，重頌前法分」 tr. “within the tenth section there are forty-two lines of verse, repeating in verse the part of the Dharma that precedes” 〔0900b02–03〕.
Recorded without Adjudication
- The number of senses in the explanation of the name: Chengguan raises four senses and draws them into two 〔T35n1735 0814b13·0814b24〕 · the Tanxuan ji raises three explanations 〔T35n1733 0354a12〕 · Li Tongxuan explains it by 「入世間行遍周廣大」 tr. “entering the practice of the world, pervading everywhere and vast” 〔T36n1739 0899c12–13〕 · Vasubandhu explains it by 「修行功用盡至」 tr. “the exertion of practice carried through to the end” 〔T26n1522 0178c20〕.
- The form in which the name of the ground in the Shizhu lun is cited: Chengguan cites it as 「遠地」 tr. “the Far Ground” 〔0814b27〕 · the Tanxuan ji cites it as 「身遠地」 tr. “the Ground of the Far Body” 〔0354a25–26〕.
- The number of verses of praise and request: Chengguan gives twelve verses (the first ten of praise, the last two of request) 〔0814c10–11〕 · the Tanxuan ji gives fourteen verses (dividing into five) 〔0354c11–16〕 (what the Tanxuan ji comments upon is the sixty-fascicle text).
- The assignment of the five aspects: Chengguan assigns the mind of entering · the mind of abiding and issuing · the fullness of the ground 〔0814c20–23〕 · the Tanxuan ji assigns the path of applied practice · the uninterrupted path · the path of liberation · the path of advancing further 〔0354c17–20〕.
- The number of lines of the verses in repetition: Chengguan gives twenty-one verses 〔0818c09〕 · Li Tongxuan gives forty-two lines of verse 〔0900b02〕.
- The number under which the ten wondrous practices are gathered: the treatise itself has the outline of five aspects 〔0173c20〕 · Chengguan says 「論主攝十為四種功德，謂前三各一、後七為一故」 tr. “the master of the treatise gathers the ten as four kinds of virtue, that is, the first three each as one and the last seven as one” 〔0815a21–22〕.
The four houses are set down side by side; all are settled accounts of the ancient worthies, and they are recorded on record.
VII. Cross-Reading and Lineage
- The axis of the Huayan school: Chengguan takes 「純無相不礙起行」 tr. “sheer signlessness not obstructing the raising of practice” as the distinguishing sense of this ground 〔T35n1735 0814c09–10〕, and judges the syntax of the ten wondrous practices by ‘the wisdom of skillful means within emptiness · the surpassing path within existence’ 〔0815a10–12〕 — that is, the landing point, upon a station, of the unobstructed interpenetration of principle and phenomena that is the school’s own mark of practice. Li Tongxuan uses the 「開敷樹華」 tr. “Blossoming Tree-Flowers” whom Sudhana visits to figure the tree of the wondrous wisdom of signlessness blossoming into the flower of the practice of Samantabhadra 〔T36n1739 0899c19–23〕, matching the ten grounds with the fifty-three visits — one track of figurative reading.
- The axis of consciousness-only: the 「細相現行障」 tr. “obstruction of the active operation of subtle signs” that is departed from and the 「法無差別真如」 tr. “suchness of the non-differentiation of dharmas” that is realized 〔T35n1735 0814c02–07〕 are the seventh of the ten obstructions and ten suchnesses of consciousness-only; the explanation of the name of the ground rests upon the Cheng weishi, 「至無相住功用後邊，出過世間二乘道故」 tr. “because he comes to the last edge of exertion in the abiding in signlessness, and passes out beyond the world and the path of the two vehicles” 〔as cited by Chengguan · 0814b13–15〕. The place where the Cheng weishi lun briefly lists the ten grounds 〔T31n1585 0051a29〕 · the clause listing the names of the ten grounds in the She dacheng lun 〔T31n1594 0145b23〕 · the passage of the Yuqie shidi lun on 「有加行有功用無相住」 tr. “the abiding in signlessness that has applied practice and has exertion” 〔T30n1579 0559c19·0560c01〕 are all sources for the cross-reading of the station in which this ground is lodged.
- The correspondence of the Yuqie: for the reason for its coming Chengguan cites the Yuqie, 「前地雖能多住無相作意，而未能令無相作意無間無缺，多修習住為令滿故，次有此來」 tr. “although on the ground before he was able much to abide in attention to signlessness, he was not yet able to make attention to signlessness without interval and without lack; because he abides in cultivating it much so that it may be brought to fullness, this next comes” 〔T35n1735 0814b10–12〕 — the mutual attestation of sūtra and treatise that the seventh ground is the abiding in signlessness that has applied practice and has exertion.
- Corroboration from other scriptures (as cited by the ancient worthies): Chengguan cites the Jingming in explaining the virtue of the practice of entering birth-and-death: 「生死畏中當依如來功德之力。不入生死海，不得無價寶珠，何有功德。」 tr. “In the fear of birth-and-death one should rely upon the power of the Tathāgata’s virtue. If one does not enter the sea of birth-and-death, one does not obtain the priceless jewel — where then would virtue be?” 〔T35n1735 0818b07–09〕; the Tanxuan ji cites the Jinguangming and the Zhuangyan lun in explaining the name 〔T35n1733 0354a21–25〕 — all recorded as the ancient worthies cite them, without setting up any separate doctrine.
VIII. Edition Location Register
- Śikṣānanda T279 (the base text): the seventh ground, Far-Reaching, from 〔T10n0279 0195c22〕 up to just before 〔0198c05〕 (the end of fascicle thirty-seven through fascicle thirty-eight). The praise and request of the host of devas and the goddesses from 0195c22 · the ten wondrous practices from 0196 · the twenty 「入無量」 tr. “enterings of the measureless” 0196 · the ten perfections 0196 · the debate on the excellence of the seventh ground and the simile of the space between two worlds, the end of 0196 · the debate on the defiled and the pure and the simile of the wheel-turning king and the Brahmā king, the end of 0196 · the purity of the three kinds of action 0197 · the ten samādhis and the million samādhis 0197 · the radiance of the acceptance that dharmas do not arise 0197 · the simile of the prince 0197 · the questions and answers on the concentration of cessation and the simile of boarding a ship and entering the sea 0197 · the ten clauses of twofold practice 0197 · the seeing of many buddhas and the simile of true gold, the end of 0197 · the simile of sunlight and the preeminence of skillful means, the earlier part of 0198 · the conclusion of the ground and the fruit of recompense 0198 · the verses in repetition 0198.
- Buddhabhadra T278 (the Jin translation, the principal witness for collation): the outline title of the seventh ground from 〔T09n0278 0560c15〕 · the praise of the host of devas from 0560c16 · the request of Vimukticandra 0561a14–15 · the opening sentence of entering the ground 0561a16 · the twenty enterings from 0561b05 · the ten perfections from 0561b26 · the debate on the excellence of the seventh ground from 0561c09 · the simile of the two worlds from 0561c23 · the debate on the defiled and the pure from 0561c27 · the simile of the wheel-turning king from 0562a02 · neither having nor lacking afflictions 0562a11–14 · the deep and pure three kinds of action 0562a15 · the concluding statement of the name of the ground 0562c15 · the verses in repetition from 0563a · the closing verses 0563c27.
- The Shidi jing lun T1522 (Vasubandhu): the Far-Reaching Ground, the seventh = fascicle nine, from 〔T26n1522 0173c16〕. The outline of the five aspects 0173c20 · the citation of the sūtra for the sentence of entering the ground 0173c24 · the citation of the sūtra for the twenty enterings 0174b29 · the citation of the sūtra for the ten perfections in thought after thought from 0175a29 (the ten perfections ending 0175b20) · the citation of the sūtra for the questions and answers on the excellence of the seventh ground 0175c19 · the citation of the sūtra for the simile of the two worlds and the debate on the defiled and the pure 0176a19 · neither having nor lacking afflictions 0176b13–17 · the citation of the sūtra for the deep and pure three kinds of action 0176c06 (the four aspects of purity of action 0176c18) · the citation of the sūtra for the ten samādhis 0177a01 (the ten aspects of excellent samādhis 0177a08) · the surpassing of the two vehicles 0177a24–28 · the citation of the sūtra for the radiance of the acceptance that dharmas do not arise and for the simile of the prince from 0177b03 (the treatise’s explanation 0177b17) · profound, far removed, and without practice 0177b27–0177c02 · the citation of the sūtra for the concentration of cessation 0177c06 (the treatise’s explanation 0177c16) · the citation of the sūtra for the ten clauses of twofold practice 0177c21 (the eight practices that counteract 0178a03) · the citation of the sūtra for the seeing of many buddhas 0178a21 · the explanation of the name of the ground 0178c16–26 · the end of the fascicle 0178c27 (the fascicle title of the next ground 0179a02).
- Chengguan, Shu T35n1735: the seventh ground, Far-Reaching, from 0814b08 (the reason for its coming 0814b08–12 · the four senses in the explanation of the name 0814b13–29 · the obstruction departed from 0814b29–0814c10 · the outline of the text in three parts 0814c10–17 · the five aspects 0814c17–25 · the outline of the four parts 0815a01–03 · the wisdom of skillful means within emptiness 0815a10–12 · the gathering of the four virtues 0815a21–22 · the twofold practice without interval 0816a12–14 · a single thought furnished with the ten perfections 0816a19–23 · the four houses of the four holdings 0816b13–16 · the defiled and the pure and the double negation 0817a01–20 · the four fruits and Master Yuan’s explanation 0817a23–28 · the five kinds of samāpatti 0817b12–15 · profound, far removed, and without practice 0818a06–09 · the explanation and joining of the ship simile 0818a21–24 · the ten clauses as eight counteractings 0818a28–0818b02 · the citation of the Jingming 0818b07–09 · the two lights of sun and moon 0818c07–08 · the outline of the verses in repetition 0818c09–16); the limit of its close = the outline of the eighth ground, Immovable, beginning 0818c16. The Chao T36n1736: the subcommentary on the seventh ground, Far-Reaching, from 0544c27 (the explanation of the name in three parts 0544c29 · the three senses of the Weishi 0545a02–05).
- Fazang, Tanxuan ji T35n1733 (the commentary on the sixty): the seventh ground, Far-Reaching, from 0354a12 (the three explanations of the name 0354a12–26 · the three senses of the reason for its coming 0354a26–0354b01 · the obstruction departed from 0354b01–15 · the practice brought about 0354c03–10 · the explanation of the text in three parts · fourteen verses of praise and request 0354c11–16 · the five paths within the direct display of the substance of the ground 0354c17–20). 〔Recorded: the wordings 「遠行地知識」 tr. “the good friend of the Far-Reaching Ground” 「不動地知識」 tr. “the good friend of the Immovable Ground” at 0479a14／0480b14／0480b15 have on examination been found to belong to the passages matching the fifty-three visits of the Chapter on Entering the Dharma Realm, and not to the explanatory text of this Chapter on the Ten Grounds; they are not taken in. The limit at which the Tanxuan ji closes its explanatory text for this ground has not been exhaustively searched 〔not found; the gap is marked as it stands〕.〕
- Li Tongxuan, Lun T36n1739: the Far-Reaching Ground, the seventh, from 0899c06 (the five gates 0899c07 · the explanation of the name of the ground 0899c08–13 · the gate of practice cultivated 0899c14–17 · the figurative reading of Sudhana 0899c18–0900a01 · the liberation of the three realms 0900a02–10 · the outline in ten sections 0900a17–0900b03 · the explanation of the meaning following the text, beginning 0900b04).
- Sources on the axis of lineage: the brief list of the ten grounds in the Cheng weishi lun T31n1585 0051a29 · the list of the names of the ten grounds in the She dacheng lun T31n1594 0145b23 (within that span no separate extended passage explaining the Far-Reaching Ground is met with, only the one clause listing the names of the ten grounds side by side — honestly recorded) · the abiding in signlessness that has applied practice and has exertion in the Yuqie shidi lun T30n1579, from 0559c19 to 0560c01.
- Variant readings: within the range of T279 covered by this unit, 〔0195c22〕–〔0198c04〕, the Taishō base text carries 13 collation notes, recorded one by one without adjudication (base reading 【大】｜variant readings of other witnesses, several witnesses separated by ／): 〔0195c22〕第七地【大】｜無此字【宋】【元】【明】【宮】【聖】 · 〔0195c27〕王【大】｜主【聖】 · 〔0196a04〕比【大】｜上【宮】 · 〔0196a05〕闡【大】｜間【聖】 · 〔0196c22〕地【大】｜無此字【宋】【元】【明】【宮】 · 〔0197a26〕習【大】｜集【宋】【元】【宮】 · 〔0197c06〕超【大】｜起【南藏】（明註曰超南藏作起） · 〔0198a01〕行【大】｜修【宋】【元】【明】【宮】 · 〔0198a03〕令【大】｜今【北藏-CB】（明註曰令北藏作今） · 〔0198a12〕此【大】｜其【宋】【元】【明】 · 〔0198b08〕逾【大】｜踰【宋】【元】【明】【宮】 · 〔0198b12〕詞【大】｜辭【宋】【元】【明】 · 〔0198b15〕故【大】｜成【宋】【元】【明】【宮】.
- Notes of the original printing, recorded for the record: 1 item (notes of the original Taishō printing / CBETA editorial remarks, carrying no
<app>collation and not counted among the Taishō collation notes listed above): 〔0198b15＋〕〔大…佛〕西福寺本卷首缺.