法華玄論 10.96

10.96

答：眾生無始，今悲此無始，故無始有悲也。《淨名》云「從癡有愛則我病生」，所以悲心拔癡愛。既其無始，悲心亦無始，故無始亦有悲也。普門謂悲事者，雖有悲心若無悲事則是假相悲，以無實益故非實悲也。今悲心既通、悲事亦普，遍拔三世十方之苦，悲事普也。又題名釋名一雙，觀世音者謂標菩薩名并歎菩薩名用，謂眾生起於三業免脫眾難。普門者則是釋免難，菩薩所以能拔難者，良由有三普故也。

Answer: Sentient beings are without beginning; now, [the bodhisattva] has compassion for this beginninglessness, and therefore there is compassion from the beginningless [past]. The Vimalakīrtinirdeśa says: "From ignorance there is craving, and thus my sickness arises"; therefore the mind of compassion uproots ignorance and craving. Since these are beginningless, the mind of compassion is likewise beginningless; hence there has also been compassion from the beginningless [past]. As for "Universal Gate" meaning the activities of compassion: although there might be a mind of compassion, if there were no activities of compassion, it would be a compassion of mere appearances; because it lacks real benefit, it is not real compassion. Now, since the mind of compassion is pervasive, the activities of compassion are also universal; universally uprooting the suffering of the three times and ten directions is the universality of the activities of compassion. Furthermore, there is the pair of the title's name and the explanation of the name: "Guanshiyin" designates the bodhisattva's name and praises the function of the bodhisattva's name, meaning that sentient beings arouse the three karmas and are delivered from numerous perils. "Universal Gate" explains the deliverance from perils: that the bodhisattva is able to uproot perils is truly because he possesses the three universalities.