妙法蓮華經玄贊 2.111

2.111

Eulogy: Below is the fifth [section], the fulfillment of the cause for preaching based upon which [the Dharma is taught]. The treatise gives two explanations: The first says that when the great assembly sees before them unusual marks and inconceivable events, [they think,] "The Tathāgata ought to preach for me," and longing with thirst and desiring to hear, they give rise to a rare mind; this is called the fulfillment of the cause for preaching based upon which [the Dharma is taught]. Therefore, he emits great light to display various matters in all world-systems. Whenever a buddha preaches the Dharma, it must be to save sentient beings; when sentient beings give rise to a mind of rare longing, that is called the cause for preaching. This is the underlying cause for the impending preaching of the Dharma, for it is because of the thirst of sentient beings that he preaches. When he emits light shining afar, the unusual marks are difficult to fathom; when the great assembly beholds the light, they give rise to right mindfulness, and as the Buddha is about to preach for them, they long with thirst hoping to hear. Once they have given rise to a rare mind, next he ought to preach the Dharma for them; therefore, emitting light can give rise to the longing mind of sentient beings, and hence it is called the cause for preaching. The second says that first he displays external matters such as the six kinds of shaking, and later he displays this Dharma-door of the profound and secret Dharma realized internally. Therefore, he first displays the external matters of spiritual superknowledges to show that the Buddha's preaching of this Dharma-door is precisely due to the profound and secret Dharma realized internally. Furthermore, because he has realized the profound and secret internally, he manifests spiritual transformations externally. Once the spiritual transformations are made manifest, they show that the Buddha is about to preach the Dharma he has realized; hence it is called the cause for preaching. Although the raining of flowers and the shaking of the earth happened first, they were not yet peerless abilities; now the emission of spiritual light is even more extraordinary and rare: because he has realized the profound and secret internally, he manifests the unfathomable externally. Due to this cause for preaching, this auspicious sign is exclusively singled out. Within this there are three parts: first, emitting light; second, illuminating the realms; third, what is seen. This is the first. "Eyebrows" are the charm of the face and head, representing that what is preached is the supreme Great Vehicle, which is complete and charming. "Between" means between the two, representing the preaching of the Middle Way. "White" is the root of all colors, revealing that this Dharma is the source of the three vehicles, which is why it is compared to the white lotus flower and the driving of the white ox cart. "Curl" (hao) is a long hair; it is also written as a fine hair. The first fascicle of the Guanfo sanmei hai jing says: "When he was crown prince, when stretched out it was five feet long; under the tree, it was fourteen feet and five inches long; after attaining buddhahood, it was fifteen feet long. Ten ridges appear; it is empty both inside and outside, and coiled circularly like the autumn full moon, with a clear, gleaming color mirroring snow and white jade, three inches in circumference." The light has seven meanings: first, to cause pure faith to arise, knowing that he is a superior person; second, to destroy darkness, utterly sweeping away delusion and ignorance; third, to be able to guide with illumination, leading beings out of the world; fourth, to represent the inner emission of the light of wisdom; fifth, to rescue from all sufferings, for because the emitted light shines, all sufferings cease and are eliminated; sixth, to alert the minds of the multitude, so that by beholding the light all those with affinity arrive; seventh, to cause revulsion toward physical objects: all sentient beings, coveting the objects of birth and death, have long sunk in birth and death, and upon beholding the Buddha's light, they come to loathe the forms of birth and death; hence the Buddha emits light. In the Nirvāṇa [Sūtra] he emits four lights from his mouth; in the Shangsheng [jing] he raises the Buddha's body and casts a golden color; now he emits this white light from between his eyebrows, each having its own symbolic meaning. The superknowledge of psychic power (ṛddhividhijñāna) has eighteen transformations: first, shaking; second, blazing; third, pervading; fourth, displaying; fifth, changing; sixth, going and coming; seventh, contracting; eighth, expanding; ninth, entering the body with myriad forms; tenth, going to similar types; eleventh, disappearing; twelfth, appearing; thirteenth, mastery of actions; fourteenth, controlling others' superknowledges; fifteenth, being able to bestow eloquence; sixteenth, being able to bestow mindfulness; seventeenth, being able to bestow ease and bliss; eighteenth, emitting great light. Raining the four flowers is the transformation of mastery; shaking the six kinds is the transformation of shaking; this emission of light is the transformation of pervading; seeing the six destinies and so forth is the transformation of displaying; they will be fully shown below in the Supernatural Powers Chapter.