妙法蓮華經玄贊 2.29

2.29

釋第二攝取勝功德者，示現依何處？依何心？依何智？依何等境界行？依何等能辨故？此有五句，論為初標，下自別釋依何處攝三句：供養無量百千諸佛，於諸佛所植眾德本，常為諸佛之所稱歎。論云依善知識處所故。依何心者攝一句，以慈修身，論云我依度眾生心教化，畢竟利益一切眾生故。諸菩薩所作皆云我以度眾生為心故。言我依眾生心，由畢竟能利益一切諸眾生故。依何智者攝三句，善入佛慧、通達大智，到於彼岸。論云依三種智：一授記密智，為眾生說深密義智，記者記別、解釋之義，即佛慧也。二諸通智，以大神通利益眾生智，即通達大智。三真實智，證真如智，即到於彼岸，彼岸即真理故，能到者智證之義。依何等境界行者，名稱普聞無量世界一句也。諸世界有二：一器、二有情，皆是菩薩修行所行之境界。依何等能辦者，能度無數百千眾生。菩薩以三智於彼界中能辦何等事，謂能度眾生，隨合別配後之二句，論乃解云依何等境界行，依何等能辦者，即三種智攝應知者，文意謂以三智於世界境中能辦利益眾生事用故，言三種智攝。此翻意略不能具顯，其意必爾。

In explaining the second [heading], 'gathering superior merits', it reveals: depending on what place? Depending on what mind? Depending on what knowledge? Depending on what kind of sphere of practice? Depending on what capability of accomplishment? There are five clauses here, which the treatise sets forth in the initial statement, and below it separately explains them. 'Depending on what place' subsumes three clauses: 'making offerings to immeasurable hundreds of thousands of buddhas', 'planting roots of myriad virtues in the presence of buddhas', and 'constantly being praised by the buddhas'. The treatise says it is 'due to the place of good spiritual friends'. 'Depending on what mind' subsumes one clause: 'cultivating oneself with loving-kindness'. The treatise says, '"I rely on the mind to liberate sentient beings to teach and transform them, because I ultimately benefit all sentient beings." Everything bodhisattvas do is expressed as "taking the liberation of sentient beings as my mind." Saying "I rely on the mind [for] sentient beings" is because one is ultimately able to benefit all sentient beings.' 'Depending on what knowledge' subsumes three clauses: 'well entering the Buddha's wisdom', 'penetrating great knowledge', and 'reaching the other shore'. The treatise says it relies on three kinds of knowledge: first, the secret knowledge of prophecy, which is the knowledge of explaining profound and secret meanings for sentient beings, 'prophecy' meaning prediction and explanation, which is the Buddha's wisdom; second, the knowledge of supernatural powers, which is the knowledge of benefiting sentient beings through great supernatural powers, which is penetrating great knowledge; third, the knowledge of reality, which is the knowledge realizing tathatā, which is reaching the other shore—the other shore being the true principle, so 'able to reach' means realization by knowledge. 'Depending on what kind of sphere of practice' is the single clause: 'their fame widely resounded through immeasurable worlds'. There are two kinds of worlds: first, the container [world]; second, sentient beings; both are the spheres in which bodhisattvas carry out their practices. 'Depending on what capability of accomplishment' is 'able to liberate countless hundreds of thousands of sentient beings'. What kind of tasks can a bodhisattva accomplish within those realms by means of the three kinds of knowledge? That is, being able to liberate sentient beings. Matching these respectively with the latter two clauses, the treatise then explains: '"depending on what kind of sphere of practice" and "depending on what capability of accomplishment" should be known as being subsumed by the three kinds of knowledge.' The intent of the text is that because through the three kinds of knowledge one can accomplish the functions of benefiting sentient beings in the sphere of the worlds, it says they are 'subsumed by the three kinds of knowledge'. This translation was brief and could not fully reveal it, but its meaning must be so.