大智度論 發趣品初地（歡喜地） · 卷四十九Dazhidulun — Mahāprajñāpāramitā-upadeśa · Setting Out, Part 2 of 6
初地（歡喜地）：深心治地業十事（經＋論）
如果一切法本來不來不去，菩薩怎能從一地走到一地？〈發趣品〉一開頭就把修行最難的矛盾放在面前：地不可得，卻仍須治地；沒有一個實在的我向上搬動，戒、忍、聞法、布施與度生卻一項也不能少。龍樹菩薩以馬、象、龍作譬：前一乘把人載到能力邊界，便換更大的承載；不是否定走過的路，而是不把已得當作終點。於是十地成為十次更深的放下與承擔。歡喜地使願心不向名利分流，離垢地讓它經得起恩怨，有光地把多聞轉成法施，增曜地在出離中不取出離相，難勝地守住親近、閒談、瞋慢等細微入口，現在地在求者真正出現時仍能施而不悔。到了深入地，先連我、眾生、界入乃至依佛法僧戒之見都不著，再使空、悲、忍、智、定、慧逐一具足；無生法忍不是說萬事皆無，而是對諸法不生不滅能信受、通達、無礙、不退。其後不動地能隨根機現身說法，善根地使願成為眾生可遇見的語言、家庭、眷屬與世界，法雲地才像大雲普雨，把地地所修轉成無礙佛事。讀此品，不必先替自己安上一個地位；只須在每一次取捨中，看所得是否變輕、承擔是否變深，並以當下的一念、一語、一行檢驗所願。真正的發趣因此不是追問自己站得多高，而是每向前一步，少一分可占有的所得，多一分不肯捨棄的眾生。無人移動而善法日深，無地可取而大悲日廣——這正是般若所開的十地之路。
If all dharmas from the first neither come nor go, how can a bodhisattva walk from one ground to another? The Chapter on Setting Out puts the hardest contradiction of practice before us at its very opening: the grounds cannot be found, yet the grounds must still be cultivated; there is no real self that moves upward, yet not one of morality, patience, hearing the Dharma, giving, and delivering beings can be left out. The Bodhisattva Nāgārjuna gives the simile of horse, elephant, and dragon: when the earlier mount has carried a person to the edge of its strength, one changes to a greater bearer; this is not to deny the road already travelled, but not to take what has already been gained as the end. So the ten grounds become ten deeper acts of letting go and taking up. The Ground of Joy keeps the vow-mind from draining away toward fame and gain; the Ground Free of Stain lets it withstand kindness and enmity; the Ground Possessing Light turns wide learning into the gift of Dharma; the Ground of Increasing Radiance grasps no mark of renunciation within renunciation; the Ground Hard to Conquer guards the subtle points of entry such as intimacy, idle talk, anger, and pride; the Ground of Manifest Presence is still able to give without regret when the one who asks truly appears. Coming to the Ground of Deep Entry, first one clings to no view even of self, beings, the elements and sense-fields, or of reliance on the Buddha, the Dharma, the Saṅgha, and the precepts, and then makes emptiness, compassion, patience, knowledge, concentration, and wisdom complete one by one; the acceptance of the non-arising of dharmas does not say that all things are nothing, but that toward the non-arising and non-ceasing of dharmas one can believe and accept, penetrate, be unobstructed, and not turn back. Thereafter the Unmoving Ground can manifest a body and teach the Dharma according to capacity; the Ground of Roots of Goodness makes the vow into a language, a family, a retinue, and a world that beings can meet; and only the Ground of the Dharma Cloud, like a great cloud raining everywhere, turns what was cultivated ground by ground into unobstructed Buddha-work. In reading this chapter there is no need first to assign oneself a rank; one need only see, in every choice, whether what is gained grows lighter and what is taken up grows deeper, and test one's vow by the present thought, word, and deed. True setting out is therefore not asking how high one stands, but that with every step forward there is one part less of gain that can be possessed and one part more of beings one will not abandon. No one moves and yet wholesome dharmas deepen day by day; no ground can be grasped and yet great compassion widens day by day. This is the path of the ten grounds that prajñā opens.
爾時，慧命須菩提白佛言：「世尊！云何菩薩摩訶薩深心治地業？」 佛言：「菩薩摩訶薩應薩婆若心，集諸善根，是名菩薩摩訶薩深心治地業。」 「云何菩薩於一切眾生中等心？」 佛言：「若菩薩摩訶薩應薩婆若心，生四無量心，所謂慈、悲、喜、捨。是名於一切眾生中等心。」 「云何菩薩修布施？」 佛言：「菩薩施與一切眾生無所分別，是名修布施。」 「云何菩薩親近善知識？」 佛言：「能教入薩婆若中住，如是善知識，親近、諮受、恭敬、供養，是名親近善知識。」 「云何菩〔T25 0411a〕薩求法？」 佛言：「若菩薩應薩婆若心求法，不墮聲聞、辟支佛地，是名求法。」 「云何菩薩常出家治地業？」 佛言：「菩薩世世不雜心，佛法中出家，無能障礙者，是名常出家治地業。」 「云何菩薩愛樂佛身治地業？」 佛言：「若菩薩見佛身相，乃至阿耨多羅三藐三菩提，終不離念佛，是名愛樂佛身治地業。」 「云何菩薩演出法教治地業？」 佛言：「菩薩，若佛現在、若佛滅度後，為眾生說法，初、中、後善，妙義好語，淨潔純具，所謂修妬路乃至優婆提舍，是名演出法教治地業。」 「云何菩薩破於憍慢治地業？」 佛言：「菩薩破是憍慢故，終不生下賤家，是名破於憍慢治地業。」 「云何菩薩實語治地業？」 佛言：「菩薩如所說，隨說行，是名實語治地業。 「是為菩薩摩訶薩住初地中，修行十事治地業。」 【論】 釋曰： 須菩提上問「摩訶衍」，佛種種答「摩訶衍相」；上又問「發趣大乘」者，今答「發趣大乘相」。菩薩摩訶薩乘是乘，知一切法從本已來不來不去、無動無發，法性常住故；又以大悲心故、精進波羅蜜故、方便力故，還修諸善法；更求勝地而不取地相，亦不見此地。 問曰： 應答「發趣大乘」，何以說「發趣地」？ 答曰： 大乘即是地。地有十分，從初地至二地，是名「發趣」；譬如乘馬趣象，捨馬乘象，乘象趣龍，捨象乘龍。 問曰： 此中是何等十地？ 答曰： 地有二種：一者、但菩薩地，二者、共地。共地者，所謂乾慧地乃至佛地。但菩薩地者，歡喜地、離垢地、有光地、增曜地、難勝地、現在地、深入地、不動地、善根地、法雲地。此地相，如《十地〔T25 0411b〕經》中廣說。 入初地菩薩應行十法：深心乃至實語。 須菩提雖知，為斷眾生疑故，問世尊：「云何是深心？」佛答：「應薩婆若心，集諸善根。」 「薩婆若心」者，菩薩摩訶薩初發阿耨多羅三藐三菩提意，作是願：「我於未來世當作佛！」是阿耨多羅三藐三菩提意，即是應薩婆若心。「應」者，繫心願我當作佛。若菩薩利根，大集福德，諸煩惱薄，過去罪業少，發意即得深心。「深心」者，深樂佛道，世世於世間心薄。是名「應薩婆若心」。所作一切功德，若布施、若持戒、若修定等，不求今世後世福樂、壽命、安隱，但為薩婆若。譬如慳貪人無因緣，乃至一錢不施，貪惜積聚，但望增長；菩薩亦如是，福德若多若少，不向餘事，但愛惜積集，向薩婆若。 問曰： 是菩薩未知薩婆若，不得其味，云何能得深心？ 答曰： 我先已說：此人若利根，諸煩惱薄，福德純厚，不樂世間，雖未聞讚歎大乘，猶不樂世間，何況已聞！如摩訶迦葉，娶金色女為妻，心不愛樂，棄捨出家。又如耶舍長者子，中夜見眾婇女皆如死狀，捨直十萬兩金寶屐於水岸邊，直渡趣佛。如是等諸貴人、國王，厭捨五欲者無數，何況菩薩聞說佛道種種功德因緣，而不即時發心深入！如後〈薩陀波崙品〉中，長者女聞讚歎佛功德，即時捨家，詣曇無竭所。 復次，信等五根成就純熟故，能得是深心。譬如小兒，眼等五情根未成就故，不別五塵，不識好醜；信等五根未成就，亦復如是，不識善惡，不知縛解，愛樂〔T25 0411c〕五欲，沒於邪見。信等五根成就者，乃能識別善惡。十善道、聲聞法猶尚愛樂，況無上道而不深念！初發無上道心，已於世間最上，何況成就！ 復次，菩薩始得般若波羅蜜氣味故，能生深心。如人閉在幽闇，微隙見光，心則踊躍，作是念言：「眾人獨得見如是光明！」欣悅愛樂，即生深心，念是光明，方便求出！菩薩亦如是，宿業因緣故，閉在十二入無明黑闇獄中，所有知見，皆是虛妄；聞般若波羅蜜，少得氣味，深念薩婆若：「我當云何於此六情獄得出，如諸佛聖人？」 復次，發阿耨多羅三藐三菩提心，隨願所行，以是故生深心。 「深心」者，一切諸法中愛，無如愛薩婆若；一切眾生中愛，無如愛佛。又深入悲心，利益眾生。如是等名深心相，初地菩薩應常行是心。 「於一切眾生等心」者，菩薩得是深心已，等心於一切眾生。眾生常情，愛其所親，惡其所憎；菩薩得深心故，怨親平等，視之無二。 此中佛自說：「等心者，四無量心是。」菩薩見眾生受樂，則生慈、喜心，作是願：「我當令一切眾生皆得佛樂！」若見眾生受苦，則生悲心愍之，作是願：「我當拔一切眾生苦！」若見不苦不樂眾生，則生捨心，作是願：「我當令眾生捨愛憎心！」四無量心餘義，如先說。 「捨心」者，捨有二種：一者、捨財行施，二者、捨結得道。此以除慳為捨，與第二捨結作因緣；至七地中乃能捨結。 問曰： 捨相有種種：內外、輕重，財施、法施，世間、出世間等，佛何以故但說無分別憶想出世間〔T25 0412a〕施？ 答曰： 布施雖有種種相，但說大者不取相。 復次，佛於一切法不著，亦以此教菩薩布施，令如佛法不著。此中應廣說無分別布施；餘布施相，處處已種種說。 「近善知識」義，如先說。 「求法」者，「法」有三種：一者、諸法中無上，所謂涅槃；二者、得涅槃方便——八聖道；三者、一切善語、實語助八聖道者，所謂八萬四千法眾，十二部經，四藏——所謂阿含、阿毘曇、毘尼、雜藏，《摩訶般若波羅蜜》等諸摩訶衍經，皆名為「法」。 此中「求法」者，書寫、誦讀、正憶念，如是等，治眾生心病故，集諸法藥，不惜身命。 如釋迦文佛，本為菩薩時，名曰樂法。時世無佛，不聞善語，四方求法，精勤不懈，了不能得。爾時，魔變作婆羅門而語之言：「我有佛所說一偈，汝能以皮為紙，以骨為筆，以血為墨，書寫此偈，當以與汝！」樂法即時自念：「我世世喪身無數，不得是利。」即自剝皮曝之令乾，欲書其偈，魔便滅身。是時，佛知其至心，即從下方踊出，為說深法，即得無生法忍。 又如薩陀波崙苦行求法。如釋迦文菩薩，五百釘釘身，為求法故。又如金堅王割身五百處為燈炷；投巖、入火。如是等種種苦行難行，為眾生求法。 復次，佛自說求法相：「為薩婆若，不墮聲聞、辟支佛地。」 「常出家」者，菩薩知在家有種種罪因緣：「我若在家，自不能得行清淨行，何能令人得諸淨行？若隨在家法，則有鞭杖等苦惱眾生；若隨善法行，則破居家法。」籌量二事：「我今不出家者，死時俱亦當捨；今自〔T25 0412b〕遠離，福德為大！」 復次，菩薩作是念：「一切國王及諸貴人力勢如天，求樂未已，死強奪之。我今為眾生故捨家，持清淨戒，求佛道，具足尸羅波羅蜜因緣。」 此中佛自說：「菩薩世世不雜心出家。」「不雜心」者，不於九十六種道中出家，但於佛道中出家。所以者何？佛道中有二種正見：世間正見、出世間正見故。 「愛樂佛身」者，聞種種讚佛功德：十力、四無所畏、大慈大悲、一切智慧；又見佛身三十二相、八十種隨形好，放大光明，天人供養，無有厭足。自知：「我當來世，亦當如是。」假令無得佛因緣，猶尚愛樂，何況當得而不愛樂！得是深心愛樂佛故，世世常得值佛。 「演出法教」者，菩薩如上求法已，為眾生演說。 菩薩在家者，多以財施；出家者，愛佛情重，常以法施。若佛在世、若不在世，善住持戒，不求名利，等心一切眾生而為說法。 讚歎檀義故，名為「初善」；分別讚歎持戒，名為「中善」；是二法果報，若生諸佛國、若作大天，名為「後善」。 復次，見三界、五受眾身多苦惱，則生厭離心，名為「初善」；棄捨居家，為身離故，名為「中善」；為心離煩惱故，名為「後善」。 解說聲聞乘，名為「初善」；說辟支佛乘，名為「中善」；宣暢大乘，名為「後善」。 「妙義好語」者，三種語：雖復辭妙而義味淺薄，雖義理深妙而辭不具足，以是故說「妙義好語」。 離三毒垢故，但說正法，不雜非法，是名「清淨」。 八聖道分、六波羅蜜備故，名為「具足」。 修多羅十二部經，如先說。 「破憍慢」者，是菩薩出家、持戒、說法、能〔T25 0412c〕斷眾疑，或時自恃而生憍慢；是時應作是念：「我剃頭著染衣，持鉢乞食，此是破憍慢法，我云何於中生憍慢？」又此憍慢在人心中則覆沒功德，人所不愛，惡聲流布；後身常生弊惡畜生中，若生人中卑鄙下賤——知是憍慢有如是無量過罪。破是憍慢，為求阿耨多羅三藐三菩提故；如人求財，猶尚謙遜下意，何況求無上道！以破憍慢故，常生尊貴，終不在下賤家生。 「實語」者，是諸善之本，生天因緣，人所信受。行是實語者，不假布施、持戒、學問，但修實語，得無量福。實語者，如說隨行。 問曰： 口業有四種，何以但說實語？ 答曰： 佛法中貴實故，說實餘皆攝；四諦實故，得涅槃。 復次，菩薩與眾生共事，惡口、綺語、兩舌，或時有；妄語罪重故，初地應捨。是菩薩行初地，未能具足行此四業故，但說實語；第二地中則能具足。 問曰： 初地中何以但說十事？ 答曰： 佛為法王，諸法中得自在，知是十法，能成初地；譬如良醫，善知藥草種數，若五、若十，足能破病，是中不應難其多少。
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.
那時，慧命須菩提對佛說：『世尊！菩薩摩訶薩怎樣深心治地業？』
佛說：『菩薩摩訶薩應薩婆若心，集諸善根，這就稱為菩薩摩訶薩深心治地業。』
『菩薩怎樣於一切眾生中等心？』
佛說：『菩薩以一切智心生起四無量心，也就是慈、悲、喜、捨，這便是在一切眾生中保持平等心。』
『菩薩怎樣修布施？』
佛說：『菩薩施與一切眾生無所分別，這就稱為修布施。』
『菩薩怎樣親近善知識？』
佛說：『能教人安住一切智的善知識，應當親近、諮受、恭敬、供養，這就稱為親近善知識。』
『菩薩怎樣求法？』
佛說：『如果菩薩應薩婆若心求法，不落入聲聞、辟支佛地，這就稱為求法。』
『菩薩怎樣常出家治地業？』
佛說：『菩薩世世專心在佛法中出家，不雜其他道路，無能障礙者，這就稱為常出家治地業。』
『菩薩怎樣愛樂佛身治地業？』
佛說：『如果菩薩見佛身相，一直到阿耨多羅三藐三菩提，終不離念佛，這就稱為愛樂佛身治地業。』
『菩薩怎樣演出法教治地業？』
佛說：『菩薩無論值佛在世或佛已滅度，為眾生說法，初、中、後善，妙義好語，淨潔純具，所謂修妬路一直到優婆提舍，這就稱為演出法教治地業。』
『菩薩怎樣破於憍慢治地業？』
佛說：『菩薩破除憍慢，因而終不生於下賤之家，這便是破憍慢的治地業。』
『菩薩怎樣實語治地業？』
佛說：『菩薩依自己所說而實行，這就稱為實語治地業。』
『這就是菩薩摩訶薩住初地中，修行十事治地業。』
到這裡，初地十項已逐一說明：深心把善根專向一切智，等心以四無量平視怨親，布施不分別眾生，善知識引入一切智，求法不落二乘，常在佛法出家，念佛身而不離，於佛在世或滅後演法，破慢而不自恃，實語則使言行相應。
原論次第第28則
以下是論釋。
論主解釋說：
須菩提先前問摩訶衍，佛已從多方面回答大乘之相；他又問怎樣向大乘發趣，現在佛便回答發趣大乘之相。菩薩乘此大乘，知道一切法從本以來不來不去、沒有移動也沒有發起，因為法性常住；同時又因大悲、精進波羅蜜與方便力，仍回來修集一切善法，更求勝地而不取地相，也不見有一個實在的地。
因此，本品所說的『從一地到一地』不是一個固定自我在實有階梯上移動。法性沒有來去，地也不可見；可是大悲使菩薩不離眾生，精進使修行不停止，方便使他能在無所得中修善法。無來去與進修不是互相否定，而是同一發趣的兩面。
有人問：
應答『發趣大乘』，為什麼說『發趣地』？
回答說：
大乘本身就是地。地分為十層，從初地進向二地便叫發趣；譬如先乘馬前往象處，捨馬乘象，再乘象前往龍處，捨象乘龍。
有人問：
這裡是什麼樣十地？
回答說：
地有兩類：一是只屬菩薩的地，二是三乘共地。共地是乾慧地一直到佛地；但菩薩地是歡喜地、離垢地、有光地、增曜地、難勝地、現在地、深入地、不動地、善根地、法雲地。這些地的行相，在《十地經》中有廣說。
入初地菩薩應行十法：深心一直到實語。
須菩提雖然已經知道，仍為斷除眾生的疑惑而問世尊：『什麼叫深心？』佛答：『以一切智心積集一切善根。』
所謂薩婆若心，是菩薩初發無上正等菩提心，立願未來成佛；『應』是把心繫在成佛之願。利根、福厚、煩惱薄、宿罪少的人，發心便能深入。深心就是深深愛樂佛道，世世淡薄世間之心。布施、持戒、修定等一切功德，都不求今生後世的福樂、壽命與安穩，只向一切智。譬如慳者把一錢也愛惜積聚，只望財富增長；菩薩也把大小福德專一積向一切智。
有人問：
這位菩薩未知薩婆若，不得其味，怎樣能得深心？
回答說：
這類人若根利、煩惱薄、福德厚，本來就不樂世間；沒有聽過大乘讚歎時尚且如此，聽聞後更會深入。摩訶迦葉娶金色女而心不愛著，便捨家出家；耶舍長者子夜見眾婇女如死屍，捨下貴重寶屐渡水向佛；後文薩陀波崙品的長者女一聞佛德，也立即捨家求法。
信、進、念、定、慧五根成熟，所以能生深心。小兒五種感官未成熟，不能分別五塵好醜；五根未成的修行人也不能辨善惡、縛解，容易沉沒於五欲邪見。五根成熟，連十善與聲聞法都會愛樂，何況無上佛道。
菩薩初嘗般若氣味，所以生深心。像人被關在黑暗中，從細縫看見光便踊躍，想辦法出離；菩薩被困在十二入與無明的黑暗牢獄，知道舊有知見虛妄，稍聞般若便深念一切智，思索怎樣走出六情牢獄，如諸佛聖人一樣。
再者，發阿耨多羅三藐三菩提心，隨願所行，因此生深心。
深心的相，是對一切法的愛樂沒有勝過一切智，對一切眾生的敬愛沒有勝過佛；又深深進入悲心而利益眾生。初地菩薩應常修這樣的心。
所謂在一切眾生中保持平等心，是菩薩有了深心以後，對一切眾生一律平等。眾生通常愛自己的親友、厭惡所憎的人；菩薩因深心而平等看待怨親，不作兩樣分別。
佛親自說，等心就是四無量心。見眾生得樂，生慈心與喜心，願他們都得佛樂；見眾生受苦，生悲心而願拔苦；見不苦不樂者，生捨心而願他們離開愛憎。
捨有兩種：一是捨財布施，二是捨除煩惱而得道。這裡以除慳為捨，它又是後一種捨結的因緣；到七地才能捨除細結。
有人問：
捨相有種種：內外、輕重，財施、法施，世間、出世間等，佛為什麼只是說無分別憶想出世間施？
回答說：
布施雖有許多樣貌，這裡只說其中最大的，也就是不取相的布施。
佛對一切法都不執著，也用這一原則教菩薩布施，使其如佛法一樣不著。無分別布施本應廣說，其餘布施相已在別處反覆說明。
『近善知識』義，如前文所說。
求法所求的法有三層：諸法中最高的是涅槃；通往涅槃的方便是八聖道；一切能助八聖道的善語與實語，包括八萬四千法眾、十二部經、阿含、阿毘曇、毘尼、雜藏以及各種大乘經，也都稱為法。
所謂求法，包括書寫、誦讀、正確憶念；為了醫治眾生心病而搜集各種法藥，甚至不惜身命。
釋迦文佛過去作樂法菩薩時，世間無佛，四方求法而不可得。魔化作婆羅門，說若以皮作紙、骨作筆、血作墨，便給他佛所說的一偈。樂法想到自己生生世世失身無數，從未換得這樣的利益，便剝皮曝乾準備書寫；魔忽然消失。佛知道他心意至誠，從下方涌出為他說深法，他便得無生法忍。
又如薩陀波崙以苦行求法；釋迦文菩薩曾為求法而以五百釘釘身；金堅王曾把身體割成五百處作燈炷，又投崖入火。這些難行苦行，都是為眾生求法。
再者，佛自說求法相：『為薩婆若，不落入聲聞、辟支佛地。』
所謂『常出家』，是指菩薩知在家有種種罪因緣：『我若在家，自不能得行清淨行，何能令人得諸淨行？如果隨在家法，就有鞭杖等苦惱眾生；如果隨善法行，就破居家法。』籌量二事：『我今不出家者，死時一同也當捨；今自遠離，福德為大！』
再者，菩薩這樣想：『一切國王及諸貴人力勢如天，求樂未已，死強奪之。我今為眾生故捨家，持清淨戒，求佛道，具足尸羅波羅蜜因緣。』
世世不雜心出家，是不在九十六種外道中出家，只在佛道中出家；因為佛道具足世間正見與出世間正見。
所謂愛樂佛身，是聽聞佛的十力、四無所畏、大慈大悲與一切智慧等功德，又見佛有三十二相、八十種隨形好，放大光明，受天人供養，心中無有厭足。菩薩知道自己未來也應成就如此功德；即使沒有成佛因緣，佛身功德仍值得愛樂，何況自己將來能得。因為深心愛樂佛，菩薩世世常能值遇佛。
所謂『演出法教』，是指菩薩如上求法已，為眾生演說。
菩薩在家者，多以財施；出家者，愛佛情重，常以法施。如果佛在世、若不在世，善住持戒，不求名利，等心一切眾生而為說法。
讚歎布施是初善，分別讚歎持戒是中善，說兩者生佛國或生大天等果報是後善。
見三界五受眾身多苦而生厭離，是初善；離家使身遠離，是中善；使心離煩惱，是後善。
解說聲聞乘是初善，解說辟支佛乘是中善，宣說大乘是後善。
妙義好語是義與辭兩面都具足：只辭句優美而義理淺薄不夠，只義理深妙而言辭殘缺也不夠。
遠離貪瞋癡三毒的污垢，只說正法而不混雜非法，就叫清淨。
八聖道分與六波羅蜜都完備，所以叫具足。
修多羅十二部經，如前文所說。
所謂破除憍慢，是菩薩雖已出家、持戒、說法並能斷除眾人疑惑，有時仍可能自恃而生慢心。這時應當想：『我剃髮、穿染衣、持鉢乞食，本來就是破慢的方法，怎能反在其中生慢？』憍慢會掩沒人的功德，使人不喜，惡名流傳；後世可能生在惡劣畜生中，即使生而為人也卑微下賤。知道憍慢有無量過患，便為求無上正等菩提而破除它。世人求財尚且要謙遜下心，何況求無上道。由於破除憍慢，便常生尊貴之家，終不生於下賤之家。
真實語是一切善法的根本，也是生天和取得信任的因緣。即使不另憑布施、持戒與學問，只專修真實語，也有無量福德。真實語就是說什麼便照著所說去行。
有人問：
口業有四種，為什麼只是說實語？
回答說：
佛法尊重真實，所以舉真實語便能攝其餘三種善口業；四諦真實，所以由此得涅槃。
菩薩與眾生共事時，惡口、綺語、兩舌有時還會出現；妄語罪重，所以初地先捨妄語。初地尚未能把四種口業全都修圓滿，到二地才能具足。
有人問：
初地中為什麼只是說十事？
回答說：
佛是法王，於諸法得自在，知道這十法足以成就初地。譬如良醫知道五種或十種藥便足以治病，不應只從數目多少責難。
At that time the venerable Subhūti said to the Buddha: ‘World-Honored One! How does a bodhisattva-mahāsattva carry out the work of preparing the ground with the profound mind?’
The Buddha said: ‘The bodhisattva-mahāsattva, with a mind in accord with sarvajñā (omniscience), gathers all roots of goodness; this is called the bodhisattva-mahāsattva's work of preparing the ground with the profound mind.’
‘How is the bodhisattva even-minded toward all beings?’
The Buddha said: ‘With the mind of omniscience the bodhisattva gives rise to the four immeasurable minds, namely loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity; this is keeping an even mind toward all beings.’
‘How does the bodhisattva cultivate giving?’
The Buddha said: ‘The bodhisattva gives to all beings without making any discrimination among them; this is called cultivating giving.’
‘How does the bodhisattva draw near the good friend?’
The Buddha said: ‘The good friend who is able to teach people to abide in omniscience should be drawn near, consulted and received from, revered, and given offerings; this is called drawing near the good friend.’
‘How does the bodhisattva seek the Dharma?’
The Buddha said: ‘If the bodhisattva seeks the Dharma with a mind in accord with sarvajñā, and does not fall into the grounds of the śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas, this is called seeking the Dharma.’
‘How does the bodhisattva carry out the work of preparing the ground by constantly leaving home?’
The Buddha said: ‘The bodhisattva, life after life, single-mindedly leaves home within the Buddha's Dharma, not mixing it with any other path, and there is none able to obstruct him; this is called the work of preparing the ground by constantly leaving home.’
‘How does the bodhisattva carry out the work of preparing the ground by loving and delighting in the Buddha's body?’
The Buddha said: ‘If the bodhisattva sees the marks of the Buddha's body and, all the way up to anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi, never departs from recollecting the Buddha, this is called the work of preparing the ground by loving and delighting in the Buddha's body.’
‘How does the bodhisattva carry out the work of preparing the ground by setting forth the teaching of the Dharma?’
The Buddha said: ‘Whether the bodhisattva meets a Buddha in the world or after the Buddha has passed into extinction, he preaches the Dharma for beings, good in the beginning, good in the middle, and good at the end, of wondrous meaning and fine words, pure, unmixed, and complete—namely, from sūtra up to upadeśa; this is called the work of preparing the ground by setting forth the teaching of the Dharma.’
‘How does the bodhisattva carry out the work of preparing the ground by breaking arrogance?’
The Buddha said: ‘The bodhisattva breaks arrogance, and because of this is never born into a lowly and base family; this is the work of preparing the ground by breaking arrogance.’
‘How does the bodhisattva carry out the work of preparing the ground by true speech?’
The Buddha said: ‘The bodhisattva practises in accordance with what he himself has said; this is called the work of preparing the ground by true speech.’
‘This is the bodhisattva-mahāsattva, abiding in the first ground, cultivating the work of preparing the ground in ten matters.’
Up to this point the ten items of the first ground have been explained one by one: the profound mind turns the roots of goodness wholly toward omniscience; the even mind, through the four immeasurables, looks upon enemy and kin alike; giving makes no discrimination among beings; the good friend leads one into omniscience; seeking the Dharma does not fall into the two vehicles; one constantly leaves home within the Buddha's Dharma; one recollects the Buddha's body and does not depart from it; one sets forth the Dharma whether the Buddha is in the world or after his extinction; one breaks arrogance and does not rely on oneself; and true speech makes words and deeds correspond.
Item 28 in the Order of the Original Treatise
What follows is the treatise's explanation.
The treatise-author explains:
Subhūti had earlier asked about the Mahāyāna, and the Buddha had already answered the marks of the Great Vehicle from many sides; he asked further how one sets out toward the Great Vehicle, and now the Buddha answers the marks of setting out toward the Great Vehicle. The bodhisattva, riding this Great Vehicle, knows that all dharmas from the very beginning neither come nor go, neither move nor are set in motion, because the dharma-nature abides constantly; and at the same time, because of great compassion, the perfection of vigour, and the power of skilful means, he still comes back to cultivate and gather all wholesome dharmas, seeking further a superior ground while not grasping the mark of a ground, nor seeing any real ground at all.
Therefore the ‘from one ground to another ground’ spoken of in this chapter is not a fixed self moving along a really existent ladder. The dharma-nature has no coming or going, and the ground is not to be seen; yet great compassion keeps the bodhisattva from leaving beings, vigour keeps his practice from ceasing, and skilful means enables him to cultivate wholesome dharmas amid nothing to be attained. No-coming-and-going and advancing in practice do not negate each other; they are two sides of one and the same setting out.
Question:
One should answer ‘setting out toward the Great Vehicle’; why does it say ‘setting out through the grounds’?
Answer:
The Great Vehicle itself is the ground. The ground is divided into ten levels, and advancing from the first ground to the second ground is called setting out; it is like first riding a horse to where the elephant is, leaving the horse and riding the elephant, then riding the elephant to where the nāga is, leaving the elephant and riding the nāga.
Question:
What kind of ten grounds are these?
Answer:
There are two classes of ground: the first is the grounds belonging only to bodhisattvas, the second is the grounds shared by the three vehicles. The shared grounds are from the ground of dry wisdom up to the Buddha ground; but the bodhisattva grounds are the Ground of Joy, the Stainless Ground, the Ground Possessing Light, the Ground of Increasing Radiance, the Ground Hard to Conquer, the Ground of Manifest Presence, the Ground of Deep Entry, the Unmoving Ground, the Ground of Roots of Goodness, and the Ground of the Dharma Cloud. The features of these grounds are spoken of at length in the Sūtra of the Ten Grounds.
The bodhisattva entering the first ground should practise ten dharmas: from the profound mind up to true speech.
Although Subhūti already knew, he still asked the World-Honored One in order to cut off the doubts of beings: ‘What is called the profound mind?’ The Buddha answered: ‘To gather all roots of goodness with the mind of omniscience.’
As for the mind of sarvajñā: it is the bodhisattva's first arousing of the mind toward unsurpassed, right, and complete awakening, vowing to become a Buddha in the future; ‘in accord with’ means binding the mind to the vow of becoming a Buddha. For a person of sharp faculties, thick merit, thin afflictions, and few past offences, arousing the mind is able to go deep. The profound mind is to love and delight profoundly in the Buddha way, and, life after life, to hold the worldly mind lightly. Giving, keeping the precepts, cultivating concentration, and every merit—none of them seek the blessings and pleasures, the lifespan, or the security of this life or later lives; they turn only toward omniscience. It is like a miser who cherishes and hoards even a single coin, hoping only that his wealth will grow; the bodhisattva likewise gathers merit great and small wholly and single-mindedly toward omniscience.
Question:
This bodhisattva does not yet know sarvajñā and has not obtained its taste; how can he obtain the profound mind?
Answer:
If a person of this kind has sharp faculties, thin afflictions, and thick merit, he from the first does not delight in the world; even before hearing the praises of the Great Vehicle he is already so, and after hearing them he goes still deeper. Mahākāśyapa married a woman of golden complexion, yet his mind was not attached to her, and he left the household and went forth; Yaśas, the elder's son, seeing at night the many courtesans like corpses, left behind his precious jewelled sandals and crossed the water toward the Buddha; and the elder's daughter in the Sadāprarudita chapter later on, as soon as she heard of the Buddha's virtues, likewise at once left the household to seek the Dharma.
Because the five faculties—faith, vigour, mindfulness, concentration, and wisdom—are ripe, one is able to give rise to the profound mind. A small child's five senses are not yet ripe, and he cannot distinguish the fair and foul among the five sense-objects; a practitioner whose five faculties are not yet complete likewise cannot tell good from evil, bondage from release, and easily sinks into the five desires and wrong views. When the five faculties are ripe, one loves and delights even in the ten wholesome deeds and the Dharma of the śrāvakas—how much more the unsurpassed Buddha way.
The bodhisattva first tastes the flavour of prajñā, and so gives rise to the profound mind. Like a person shut in darkness who, seeing light through a thin crack, leaps for joy and seeks a way to get out, the bodhisattva, trapped in the dark prison of the twelve sense-fields and ignorance, knows that his old knowledge and views are false; hearing a little of prajñā, he thinks profoundly on omniscience and considers how to get out of the prison of the six faculties, as the Buddhas and sages have done.
Furthermore, one arouses the mind of anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi and practises in accordance with the vow; for this reason the profound mind arises.
The mark of the profound mind is this: among all dharmas there is none he loves and delights in more than omniscience, and among all beings there is none he reveres and loves more than the Buddha; and further, he enters deeply into the mind of compassion and benefits beings. The bodhisattva of the first ground should constantly cultivate such a mind.
As for keeping an even mind toward all beings: once the bodhisattva has the profound mind, he is equal toward all beings. Beings ordinarily love their own relatives and friends and loathe those they hate; the bodhisattva, because of the profound mind, looks upon enemy and kin equally, making no twofold discrimination.
The Buddha himself says that the even mind is the four immeasurable minds. Seeing beings obtain happiness, he gives rise to the mind of loving-kindness and the mind of sympathetic joy, wishing that they all obtain the Buddha's happiness; seeing beings undergo suffering, he gives rise to the mind of compassion, wishing to pull out their suffering; seeing those who feel neither suffering nor happiness, he gives rise to the mind of equanimity, wishing that they leave behind love and hatred.
There are two kinds of relinquishing: the first is relinquishing wealth in giving; the second is relinquishing the afflictions and attaining the path. Here removing stinginess is taken as relinquishing, and it is also the cause and condition for the latter kind, relinquishing the fetters; only at the seventh ground can one relinquish the subtle fetters.
Question:
The marks of relinquishing are of all kinds: inner and outer, light and heavy, the giving of wealth and the giving of Dharma, worldly and world-transcending, and so on; why does the Buddha speak only of world-transcending giving without discriminating recollection?
Answer:
Although giving has many aspects, here only the greatest among them is spoken of, namely giving that does not grasp at marks.
The Buddha does not cling to any dharma, and by this same principle he teaches the bodhisattva to give, so that it is without clinging just as the Buddha's Dharma is. Giving without discrimination should properly be spoken of at length; the other marks of giving have already been explained again and again elsewhere.
The meaning of ‘drawing near the good friend’ is as said earlier.
The Dharma sought in seeking the Dharma has three layers: the highest among all dharmas is nirvāṇa; the skilful means that leads to nirvāṇa is the eightfold noble path; and all good words and true words that are able to assist the eightfold noble path—including the eighty-four thousand collections of dharma, the twelve divisions of scripture, the Āgamas, the Abhidharma, the Vinaya, the Miscellaneous Canon, and the various Great Vehicle sūtras—are also called the Dharma.
Seeking the Dharma includes writing out, reciting and reading, and rightly recollecting; and, in order to cure the mental sicknesses of beings, gathering all kinds of Dharma-medicine, even to the point of not sparing body and life.
When Śākyamuni Buddha was in the past the Bodhisattva Delighting-in-Dharma, there was no Buddha in the world, and he sought the Dharma in the four directions without being able to find it. Māra transformed himself into a brahmin and said that if he would make paper of his skin, a brush of his bone, and ink of his blood, he would give him one verse spoken by the Buddha. Delighting-in-Dharma reflected that life after life he had lost bodies beyond counting and had never exchanged them for a benefit such as this, and so he flayed his skin and dried it, preparing to write; Māra suddenly vanished. The Buddha, knowing that his intention was utterly sincere, welled up from below and preached the profound Dharma for him, and he then attained the acceptance of the non-arising of dharmas.
Again, it is like Sadāprarudita seeking the Dharma through ascetic practice; Śākyamuni as a bodhisattva once, for the sake of seeking the Dharma, drove five hundred nails into his body; King Gold-Firm once cut his body in five hundred places to make lamp-wicks, and also threw himself from a cliff and into fire. These hard practices and ascetic practices were all seeking the Dharma for the sake of beings.
Furthermore, the Buddha himself states the mark of seeking the Dharma: ‘For the sake of sarvajñā, not falling into the grounds of the śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas.’
As for ‘constantly leaving home’: this means the bodhisattva knows that dwelling at home has all kinds of causes and conditions of offence: ‘If I stay at home, I myself cannot practise the pure practice—how could I enable others to attain the pure practices? If I follow the way of the household, there are whips and staves and the like that torment beings; if I follow the practice of wholesome dharmas, I break the way of the household.’ He weighs the two matters: ‘If I do not leave home now, at the time of death I shall have to relinquish it all the same; to distance myself from it now of my own accord—the merit is great!’
Furthermore, the bodhisattva thinks thus: ‘All kings and nobles, with power and might like the gods, have not yet finished seeking pleasure when death seizes it from them by force. Now, for the sake of beings, I leave home, keep the pure precepts, and seek the Buddha way, fulfilling the causes and conditions of the perfection of morality (śīlapāramitā).’
Leaving home life after life with an unmixed mind means not leaving home among the ninety-six kinds of outside paths, but leaving home only within the Buddha way; because the Buddha way is complete with both worldly right view and world-transcending right view.
As for loving and delighting in the Buddha's body: this is hearing of the Buddha's merits—the ten powers, the four fearlessnesses, great loving-kindness and great compassion, all wisdom, and the rest—and further seeing that the Buddha has the thirty-two marks and the eighty minor excellences, emits great radiance, and receives the offerings of gods and humans, and the mind has no satiety. The bodhisattva knows that he too in the future ought to accomplish such merits; even if he had no causes and conditions for becoming a Buddha, the merits of the Buddha's body would still be worthy of love and delight—how much more when he himself will be able to attain them in the future. Because he loves and delights in the Buddha with the profound mind, the bodhisattva, life after life, is always able to meet the Buddha.
As for ‘setting forth the teaching of the Dharma’: this means that the bodhisattva, having sought the Dharma as described above, expounds it for beings.
Bodhisattvas who dwell at home mostly give wealth; those who have left home, their love for the Buddha being deep, constantly give the Dharma. Whether the Buddha is in the world or not in the world, they keep the precepts well, do not seek fame or profit, and with an even mind toward all beings preach the Dharma for them.
Praising giving is good in the beginning; distinguishing and praising the keeping of precepts is good in the middle; speaking of the recompense of these two—birth in a Buddha-land, birth in the great heavens, and the like—is good at the end.
Seeing that the bodies of the five aggregates of clinging in the three realms are full of suffering and giving rise to revulsion is good in the beginning; leaving home so that the body is distanced is good in the middle; making the mind leave the afflictions is good at the end.
Explaining the śrāvaka vehicle is good in the beginning; explaining the pratyekabuddha vehicle is good in the middle; proclaiming the Great Vehicle is good at the end.
Wondrous meaning and fine words means that both sides, meaning and wording, are complete: fine wording with shallow meaning is not enough, and profound meaning with defective wording is not enough either.
To be far from the defilement of the three poisons of greed, hatred, and delusion, speaking only the right Dharma and not mixing in what is not the Dharma, is called pure.
The limbs of the eightfold noble path and the six perfections are all complete, and so it is called complete.
The twelve divisions of the sūtra scripture are as said earlier.
As for breaking arrogance: although the bodhisattva has left home, keeps the precepts, preaches the Dharma, and is able to cut off the doubts of the assembly, he may still at times rely on himself and give rise to a mind of pride. At such a time he should think: ‘Shaving my head, wearing dyed robes, holding the bowl and begging for food—these are in themselves the means of breaking pride; how could I instead give rise to pride within them?’ Arrogance buries a person's merits, makes others displeased, and spreads a bad name; in later lives one may be born among vile animals, and even if born as a human one is humble and base. Knowing that arrogance has immeasurable faults, he breaks it for the sake of seeking unsurpassed, right, and complete awakening. Worldly people seeking wealth must still be modest and lower their minds—how much more one who seeks the unsurpassed path. Because he breaks arrogance, he is always born into a noble family and is never born into a lowly and base family.
True speech is the root of all wholesome dharmas, and also the cause and condition for being born in heaven and for gaining trust. Even without relying further on giving, keeping the precepts, and learning, merely cultivating true speech single-mindedly has immeasurable merit. True speech is doing just as one says.
Question:
Verbal deeds are of four kinds; why is only true speech spoken of?
Answer:
The Buddha's Dharma honours what is true, so naming true speech is able to include the other three kinds of wholesome verbal deeds; the four truths are true, and so through them nirvāṇa is attained.
When the bodhisattva shares affairs with beings, harsh speech, frivolous speech, and divisive speech may still at times appear; the offence of false speech is heavy, so in the first ground he first relinquishes false speech. The first ground is not yet able to cultivate all four kinds of verbal deeds to fullness; only at the second ground can they be complete.
Question:
Why are only ten matters spoken of in the first ground?
Answer:
The Buddha is the Dharma king, sovereign over all dharmas, and knows that these ten dharmas are sufficient to accomplish the first ground. It is like a good physician who knows that five or ten kinds of medicine are enough to cure a sickness; one should not find fault merely on the basis of the number being many or few.
第二弧 歡喜地：深心如何成為十種治地業
在問什麼
初地的問題是起點是否可靠。發心可以很熱烈，卻可能向現世福樂、名聲、長壽或安穩分流；也可能愛佛而輕眾生，求法而生自高，說法而言行不一。因此經列深心、等心、布施、善知識、求法、出家、愛佛身、演法教、破憍慢、實語十事。它們不是十件裝飾，而是從願心、關係、資糧、生活方式、所學所說到人格可信度，逐層檢驗發心。
逐段解明
第一，深心堅固。佛以一切智心集善根為深心；論說把成佛之願繫在心上，所作布施、持戒、修定等，不向今後世福樂，只向一切智。『深』不是情緒強烈，而是方向不分叉；同時又深入悲心，願利益眾生。論用慳者積財作反譬：慳者連一錢也不肯讓它流向別處，菩薩則把大小福德都不使流離無上道。
問者說，尚未知道一切智、未嘗其味，怎能如此深信？論從四面答。根利、煩惱薄、福厚而厭世的人，本就不易被五欲繫住；摩訶迦葉與耶舍的出離、長者女聞佛德求法，顯示未見終點也能由宿習與聞熏轉向。信、進、念、定、慧五根成熟，又使人像感官長成的孩子，能辨善惡、縛解。初嘗般若則像幽暗中從微隙見光；論把十二入與無明比作黑暗牢獄，把從縫隙看見的微光比作初得般若氣味，雖只見一線，已知牢獄之外有路。最後，發願後隨願而行，行又反過來加深願，深心不是先要全知才可能生起。
第二，一切眾生中等心。眾生常愛親憎怨，深心若只愛佛道而不轉成平等，仍不完整。佛以慈、悲、喜、捨四無量說等心：見樂者，願其得佛樂而隨喜；見苦者，願拔其苦；見不苦不樂者，願其離愛憎。這不是把眾生差別抹平，而是不讓自己的親疏決定誰值得被救。
第三，布施。經只取無分別布施，因本品要說最大的一面：施與眾生而不立施者、受者之相。論承認布施可分內外、輕重、財法、世出世等許多門，卻說佛自己於法不著，也教菩薩以不著布施。這裡的『捨』先是捨財除慳，為後來捨結得道作因；初地不把較後的斷結冒充現在已成。
第四，親近善知識。善知識不是只給安慰的人，而是能教人安住一切智方向的人。親近包括請問、領受、恭敬、供養；『亦不自高』說明求法的器必須放低，否則再好的法也不能進入。
第五，求法。論把法分三層：最高的法是涅槃，通往涅槃的方便是八聖道，助成此道的一切善語、實語與經藏教法也都是法。求法因此包括書寫、誦讀、正憶念，像搜集治眾生心病的藥。樂法菩薩願以皮作紙、骨作筆、血作墨，魔消失後佛現身說法，使他得無生忍；又列薩陀波崙、五百釘釘身、金堅王割身作燈，以及投巖入火等事。這些故事的共同點不是讚美身體受苦，而是說求法不能只在不費代價時才成立，其目的始終是為眾生得法藥。
第三層中，論又明列八萬四千法眾、十二部經與四藏；四藏是阿含、阿毘曇、毘尼、雜藏，並舉摩訶般若等大乘經。這一列舉把能助道的善語實語展成可書寫、誦讀、憶持的教法範圍。經文在演法教處又以修妬路乃至優婆提舍總舉十二部，表示所演不只是隨口勸善，而須承受佛所說教的多種體裁；論說十二部義如前，故本品不在此重開每一部名義。
第六，常出家。論比較在家牽連與出家清淨，說世世只在佛道出家，不雜入九十六種異道；並以佛道具世間正見、出世間正見，說明何以專在佛法中出家。外相的剃髮染衣指向更深的選擇：國王貴人尚會被死強行奪走家業，菩薩不待死來奪，便主動把生命轉成持戒求道的因緣。
第七，愛樂佛身。所愛不只是外形，而是十力、無畏、大慈悲與一切智慧，也包括相好光明所顯的成佛可能。菩薩見佛身便想到自己未來也應如此，念佛不離，使願有具體方向；然而相好仍不可得，故愛樂不轉成對色相的占有。
第八，演出法教。菩薩求法後便向眾生說，佛在世或滅後都如此。論又分工說，在家菩薩多作財施，出家菩薩因愛佛情重而常作法施；兩者都須持戒、不求名利、平等為眾生說法。論為『初中後善』保留三組解法：由布施、持戒到其果報；由厭苦、身離到心離；由聲聞、辟支佛到大乘。『妙義好語』要求義深與辭足兼備，只有華辭而義淺、只有深義而言殘，都不圓滿。離三毒雜垢叫清淨，八聖道與六度具備叫具足。
第九，破憍慢。出家、持戒、能說法、能解疑，反而都可能成為自恃的材料。論教他想到自己剃髮、染衣、持鉢乞食，本是破慢之法，怎可在其中再生慢？求世間財尚須謙下，求無上道更不能以高心覆沒功德。
論也直列憍慢的後果：它覆沒已有功德，使人不愛、惡名流布，後世或墮弊惡畜生，生在人中也卑鄙下賤；破慢則常生尊貴。這不是以出身反證人格，而是依本段業果語境說明，高舉自己反會毀壞求道所需的敬信因緣。
第十，實語。它不只是不說錯誤事實，而是『如說隨行』，使語言與身行相應。論甚至說，專修實語，不另憑布施、持戒、學問，也能得無量福；這是為顯實語為諸善之本。問者問口業有四，為何初地只舉實語？論答佛法貴實，實能攝其餘，四諦以真實而通向涅槃；妄語罪重，初地先斷最重者，到二地才更完整地清淨四種口業。最後又問為何恰是十事，論以良醫選五藥或十藥足以破病作答：法數以能治地病為準，不以數字本身為神聖。
不要讀錯
不要把歡喜地理解為只要心中歡喜。它之所以名歡喜，是大願初有住處；本品實際給它的內容非常嚴格：方向專一、怨親平等、能捨、肯受教、肯付代價求法、轉換生活、愛佛德、能說清淨法、破慢、言行相應。也不要把不取相當成省略這十事；每一項後面的不可得，正是使此項不被我慢污染。
修行作用
初地可作一張發心自省圖。問自己：所修是否暗向名利？對不喜歡的人能否保留慈悲？求法是否只求確認己見？說法是否先在生活中可見？十問若仍有缺口，就知道應修的是哪一塊地，而不是急著宣稱站在哪一地。
Second Arc — The Ground of Joy: How the Deep Mind Becomes the Ten Works of Preparing the Ground
What Is Being Asked
The question of the first ground is whether the starting point can be relied upon. The arousing of the mind can be very ardent, and yet it may branch off toward the blessings and happiness of this life, toward fame, long life, or security; or one may love the Buddha yet slight beings, seek the Dharma yet grow self-exalting, expound the Dharma yet have words and deeds that do not match. Therefore the sūtra lists ten things: the deep mind, the equal mind, giving, the good friend, seeking the Dharma, leaving home, loving the Buddha’s body, expounding the teaching of the Dharma, breaking arrogance, and true speech. They are not ten ornaments; rather, from the mind of the vow, relationships, and provisions, through one’s way of life and what one learns and what one speaks, up to the trustworthiness of one’s character, they test the arousing of the mind layer by layer.
Passage by Passage
First, the deep mind that is firm. The Buddha calls the gathering of roots of goodness with the mind of omniscience the deep mind; the treatise explains it as binding the vow to become a buddha to the mind, so that whatever one does—giving, keeping the precepts, cultivating concentration, and so on—is directed not toward happiness in this or later lives but only toward omniscience. ‘Deep’ does not mean an intense emotion; it means a direction that does not fork; at the same time it goes deep into the compassionate mind, vowing to benefit beings. The treatise uses the miser hoarding wealth as a counter-simile: the miser will not let even a single coin flow elsewhere, while the bodhisattva lets no merit, great or small, stray away from the unsurpassed path.
The questioner says: not yet knowing omniscience, never having tasted its flavour, how can one have such deep faith? The treatise answers from four sides. A person whose faculties are sharp, whose afflictions are thin, whose merit is thick, and who is weary of the world is by nature not easily bound by the five desires; the going forth of Mahākāśyapa and of Yaśas, and the elder’s daughter who sought the Dharma on hearing of the Buddha’s virtues, show that even without having seen the destination one can turn by way of past habituation and by the perfuming of hearing. The ripening, too, of the five faculties—faith, vigour, mindfulness, concentration, and wisdom—makes a person like a child whose senses have grown up, able to tell good from evil and bondage from release. The first taste of prajñā is like seeing light through a tiny crack in the darkness; the treatise likens the twelve sense-fields and ignorance to a dark prison, and the faint light seen through the crack to first gaining the flavour of prajñā: though only a single thread is seen, one already knows there is a way out beyond the prison. Finally, having made the vow, one practises according to the vow, and the practice in turn deepens the vow; the deep mind is not something that becomes possible only after one first knows everything.
Second, the equal mind toward all beings. Beings always love their kin and hate their enemies; if the deep mind loves only the path of the Buddha and does not turn into equality, it is still incomplete. The Buddha speaks of the equal mind by way of the four immeasurables of kindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity: seeing those who are happy, one wishes that they gain the happiness of a buddha and rejoices with them; seeing those who suffer, one wishes to pull out their suffering; seeing those who neither suffer nor are happy, one wishes that they be free of love and hatred. This is not to flatten the differences among beings; it is not letting one’s own nearness and distance decide who deserves to be saved.
Third, giving. The sūtra takes only giving without discrimination, because this chapter means to speak of its greatest side: giving to beings without setting up the mark of a giver or a receiver. The treatise acknowledges that giving can be divided into many gates—inner and outer, light and heavy, of wealth and of Dharma, worldly and world-transcending—yet says that the Buddha himself is unattached to dharmas and also teaches the bodhisattva to give without attachment. The ‘relinquishing’ here is first the relinquishing of wealth to remove stinginess, as a cause for later relinquishing the fetters and attaining the path; the first ground does not pass off a later cutting of the fetters as something already accomplished now.
Fourth, drawing near to the good friend. The good friend is not someone who only gives comfort, but someone able to teach a person to abide in the direction of omniscience. Drawing near includes asking, receiving, revering, and making offerings; ‘and yet not exalting oneself’ shows that the vessel that seeks the Dharma must be set low, or else even the best Dharma cannot enter it.
Fifth, seeking the Dharma. The treatise divides Dharma into three levels: the highest Dharma is nirvāṇa; the skilful means leading to nirvāṇa is the eightfold noble path; and every good word, every true word, and the teaching of the sūtra-collections that help to accomplish this path are also Dharma. Seeking the Dharma therefore includes writing out, reciting, and right recollection, like gathering medicines to cure the illness of beings’ minds. The bodhisattva Delight-in-Dharma vowed to take his skin as paper, his bone as a pen, and his blood as ink; after Māra vanished the Buddha appeared and expounded the Dharma, enabling him to gain the acceptance of non-arising; the treatise further lists Sadāprarudita, the five hundred nails driven into the body, King Golden-Firm cutting his body to make a lamp, and throwing oneself from a cliff or into fire, and other such deeds. What these stories share is not praise of bodily suffering, but the point that seeking the Dharma cannot hold only when it costs nothing, and that its aim throughout is for beings to obtain the medicine of the Dharma.
Within the third level, the treatise also expressly lists the eighty-four thousand collections of dharma, the twelve divisions of scripture, and the four collections; the four collections are the Āgama, the Abhidharma, the Vinaya, and the Miscellaneous Collection, and it names Great Vehicle sūtras such as the Mahāprajñāpāramitā. This enumeration spreads the good words and true words that help the path out into a range of teachings that can be written out, recited, and held in memory. Where the sūtra speaks of expounding the teaching of the Dharma, it again sums up the twelve divisions, from sūtra up to upadeśa, showing that what is expounded is not merely offhand exhortation to goodness, but must carry the many genres of the teaching the Buddha spoke; the treatise says the meaning of the twelve divisions is as given earlier, so this chapter does not here reopen the name and meaning of each division.
Sixth, always leaving home. The treatise compares the entanglements of the household with the purity of leaving home, and says that life after life one leaves home only on the path of the Buddha, not mixing into the ninety-six kinds of other paths; and it explains why one leaves home only within the Buddha’s Dharma by the fact that the path of the Buddha is complete with worldly right view and world-transcending right view. The outward signs of the shaven head and the dyed robe point to a deeper choice: even kings and nobles have their household possessions forcibly seized by death; the bodhisattva does not wait for death to seize them, but of his own accord turns his life into causes and conditions for keeping the precepts and seeking the path.
Seventh, loving and delighting in the Buddha’s body. What is loved is not only the outward form, but the ten powers, the fearlessnesses, great kindness and compassion, and all wisdom, as well as the possibility of becoming a buddha that the radiance of the marks and minor marks displays. On seeing the Buddha’s body, the bodhisattva thinks that he too should in the future be like this, and his mindfulness of the Buddha does not leave him, giving the vow a concrete direction; yet the marks and minor marks are still unfindable, so love and delight do not turn into a possessing of form and appearance.
Eighth, expounding the teaching of the Dharma. Having sought the Dharma, the bodhisattva then speaks it to beings, whether the Buddha is in the world or after his extinction. The treatise further divides the labour: householder bodhisattvas mostly give the gift of wealth, while home-leaving bodhisattvas, because their love for the Buddha is weighty, constantly give the gift of Dharma; both must keep the precepts, not seek fame or gain, and expound the Dharma equally for beings. For ‘good in the beginning, the middle, and the end’ the treatise retains three sets of readings: from giving and keeping the precepts to their fruits and recompense; from weariness of suffering to separation of the body and separation of the mind; and from the śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas to the Great Vehicle. ‘Wondrous meaning and fine words’ requires both depth of meaning and sufficiency of wording; flowery wording with shallow meaning, or deep meaning with broken speech, are neither of them complete. Being apart from the mixed defilement of the three poisons is called pure; having the eightfold noble path and the six perfections complete is called complete.
Ninth, breaking arrogance. Leaving home, keeping the precepts, being able to expound the Dharma, being able to resolve doubts—all of these can, on the contrary, become material for self-reliance. The treatise teaches him to reflect that shaving the head, dyeing the robe, and holding the bowl to beg for food are in themselves dharmas for breaking arrogance; how could arrogance arise again within them? Even seeking worldly wealth requires humility; still less, in seeking the unsurpassed path, may one smother one’s merits with a lofty mind.
The treatise also states directly the consequences of arrogance: it smothers the merits one already has, makes one unloved, and spreads an evil name; in later lives one may fall among vile and wicked animals, and even when born among humans one is base and lowly; breaking arrogance, one is always born noble. This is not to prove character in reverse from one’s birth; rather, within the context of karma and fruit in this passage, it shows that exalting oneself in fact destroys the causes and conditions of reverence and faith that seeking the path requires.
Tenth, true speech. It is not only not stating mistaken facts, but ‘practising as one speaks’, so that one’s words correspond to one’s bodily conduct. The treatise even says that by cultivating true speech alone, without relying besides on giving, keeping the precepts, or learning, one can also gain immeasurable merit; this is to show that true speech is the root of all goodness. The questioner asks: verbal action is of four kinds, why does the first ground cite only true speech? The treatise answers that the Buddha’s Dharma values truth, that truth can gather in the rest, and that the four truths lead to nirvāṇa by being true and real; the offence of false speech is heavy, so at the first ground one first cuts off the heaviest, and only at the second ground purifies the four kinds of verbal action more completely. Finally it is asked why there are exactly ten things; the treatise answers with a good physician who chooses five medicines or ten medicines, enough to break the illness: the number of dharmas is set by what can cure the illness of the ground, and the number itself is not held sacred.
Do Not Misread
Do not understand the Ground of Joy as merely having joy in one’s mind. It is named joy because the great vow first has a place to abide; the content this chapter actually gives it is very strict: a single-minded direction, equality toward enemy and kin, the ability to relinquish, willingness to be taught, willingness to pay the price to seek the Dharma, a changed way of life, love for the Buddha’s virtues, the ability to expound a pure Dharma, the breaking of arrogance, and the correspondence of words and deeds. Nor should not grasping at marks be taken as omitting these ten things; the unfindability behind each item is precisely what keeps that item from being defiled by self-conceit.
Bearing on Practice
The first ground can serve as a map for examining one’s arousing of the mind. Ask yourself: is what I cultivate secretly directed toward fame and gain? Toward people I do not like, can I keep kindness and compassion? In seeking the Dharma, do I seek only confirmation of my own views? When I expound the Dharma, is it first visible in my life? If these ten questions still show gaps, one knows which ground it is that needs cultivating, rather than hurrying to proclaim which ground one stands on.