妙法蓮華經文句 10.82

10.82

《觀經》曰「昔名星光，從尊者日藏聞說佛慧，以雪山上藥供養眾僧，願我未來能治眾生身心兩病，舉世歡喜號曰藥王。」此文明一切眾生喜見，頓捨一身復燒兩臂，輕生重法命殞道存，舉昔顯今，故言「本事品」也。若推此義，星光應在喜見之後，從捨藥發誓已來名藥王故（云云）。此下五品皆是化他流通，今品明化他之師，唯願大法大得弘宣，大願眾生獲大饒益，所以竭其神力盡其形命，殷殷虔虔志猶未已，庶令弟子宗法如師，我傳爾明、爾復傳明，明明無已師之志也，故知此品勗弘法之師也。下如〈妙音〉、〈觀音〉兩品，明他方大士奉命弘經，普現色身形無定準，不可牛羊眼看，不可以凡庸識度，於所聞處勿生輕想，輕想則法不染心，故知下品勗受法弟子也。有人言，上諸品諸佛為佛事，此品下菩薩為佛事。此一往耳，上品亦有菩薩，此下品亦有諸佛（云云）。今明〈方便品〉開三顯一圓因已竟，〈安樂行品〉明乘乘之法，〈壽量〉明乘果已竟，此品下明乘乘之人，故《十二門論》云「大乘者，普賢、文殊大人之所乘也」，〈藥王〉以苦行乘乘，〈妙音〉、〈觀音〉以三昧乘乘，〈陀羅尼〉以總持乘乘，〈妙莊嚴〉以誓願乘乘，〈普賢〉以神通乘乘，作此解者，於化他流通義便也。

The Sūtra on Contemplation states: "Formerly named Starlight, having heard the Buddha's wisdom expounded by Venerable Sūryagarbha, he made offerings to the Saṅgha with superior medicine from the Snowy Mountains and vowed, 'May I in the future be able to cure both physical and mental illnesses of sentient beings'; the entire world rejoiced and called him Bhaiṣajyarāja." This text explains that Sarvasattvapriyadarśana relinquished an entire body at once and again burned both arms, treating life lightly and valuing the Dharma, his life ending while the Way remained; adducing the past reveals the present, hence it is called the "Ancient Accounts Chapter". Deducing this meaning, Starlight must have come after Priyadarśana, since he has been called Bhaiṣajyarāja ever since relinquishing medicine and making vows (and so forth). The five chapters from here downward all concern the transmission of converting others. The present chapter explains the teachers who convert others: wishing only for the Great Dharma to be widely propagated and sentient beings of great vows to obtain great abundance of benefit, they exhaust their supernatural powers and expend their physical lives, earnest and devout with aspirations unceasing, longing for disciples to honor the Dharma as their teachers do; 'I transmit light to you, and you in turn transmit light, radiating continuously without end' is the teacher's aspiration; hence we know this chapter exhorts the teachers who propagate the Dharma. The two chapters below, such as Gadgadasvara and Avalokiteśvara, explain the great beings of other regions who receive the command to propagate the sūtra, universally manifesting physical bodies with no fixed form, not to be viewed with the eyes of oxen and sheep, nor measured with ordinary mundane consciousness; one must not generate feelings of contempt toward the places where one hears [the Dharma], for if contempt arises, the Dharma will not permeate the mind; hence we know the lower chapters exhort the disciples who receive the Dharma. Someone said: in the preceding chapters, the Buddhas perform Buddha-activities; from this chapter downward, the bodhisattvas perform Buddha-activities. This is merely a preliminary observation: the upper chapters also have bodhisattvas, and these lower chapters also have Buddhas (and so forth). Now, it is explained that the Expedient Means Chapter concludes the perfect causes of opening the three and revealing the one; the Easy Practices Chapter explains the dharma of mounting the vehicle; the Lifespan Chapter concludes the fruits of the vehicle; from this chapter downward explains the persons who mount the vehicle. Thus the Dvādaśanikāya-śāstra states: "The Mahāyāna is what is mounted by great beings such as Samantabhadra and Mañjuśrī." Bhaiṣajyarāja mounts the vehicle through ascetic practices; Gadgadasvara and Avalokiteśvara mount the vehicle through samādhi; the Dhāraṇī Chapter mounts the vehicle through dhāraṇī; Śubhavyūha mounts the vehicle through vows; Samantabhadra mounts the vehicle through supernatural powers. Making this explanation accords suitably with the meaning of the transmission of converting others.