妙法蓮華經玄贊 2.215

2.215

The Commentary says: Below, the seventh section concerns the accomplishment of Mañjuśrī's answer. The Treatise states: "Mañjuśrī, through the knowledge of past lives (pūrvenivāsānusmṛti-jñāna), directly sees that the causes and effects of the past have accomplished ten matters as though they were right before his eyes; therefore he is able to answer, and it is not through inference or fabrication that he can answer." The Treatise states: "Regarding the mark of causes: Mañjuśrī personally saw that in those various Buddha-fields he himself practiced various practices; these are the causes of the present, the causal practices of bodhi. The effect refers to his past personal basis (āśraya/svabhāva)." The Treatise states: "Mañjuśrī personally saw that his own person was in the past the Dharma Master Varaprabha (Miaoguang), who heard this Dharma-gate at the place of that Buddha and expounded it for sentient beings; this is the past effect of earlier lifetimes. 'Effect' means the personal basis, not the effect of the causes seen [above]. Those causes are the causes for the fruit of Buddhahood at present, while that effect is the effect of the causes of countless past lives." It is broadly divided into three parts: first, stating the names and generally addressing them; next, directly answering what was inquired; and finally, two verses addressing the assembly to urge them to know and describing what the Buddha will preach now. This is the first.