金剛般若經疏論纂要 1.38

1.38

"Elder" means possessing superior virtue and advanced age. The Tang translation says "possessing longevity" (āyuṣmat), where longevity is life. The Wei translation says "wisdom-life," taking wisdom as life. "Subhūti" has three translated meanings: Shanji (Well Auspicious), Shanxian (Well Appearing), and Kongsheng (Born of Emptiness). When he was born, the room became empty, and the auspicious signs of understanding emptiness appeared; the physiognomist divined: "Exclusively good, exclusively auspicious." "Arose from his seat" and below all describe the arranging of bodily deportment, the marks of cultivating reverence. "Rare" means non-existent in the world. "Tathāgata" means coming from tathatā. The treatise says: "'Skillfully protects and is mindful of' is said with respect to bodhisattvas whose faculties are mature, meaning giving them the power of wisdom to cause them to accomplish the Buddha-dharma, and giving them the power of teaching and transforming to cause them to gather sentient beings. 'Skillfully entrusts and charges' is said with respect to bodhisattvas whose faculties are not yet mature, out of fear that they might fall back." "Entrusts" means conferring to those with wisdom. "Entrusts" means handing over the lesser to the greater; "charges" means charging the greater with transforming the lesser. "Bodhisattva" is translated here as "awakened sentient being"; there are three explanations: (1) in terms of the object, what is sought and what is delivered; (2) in terms of the mind, having the wisdom of awakening while having remaining consciousness of conceptual thought; (3) in terms of the capable and the objective, that which is sought and that which is capable of seeking. All three match "awakened" and "sentient being" in sequential order.