妙法蓮華經玄贊 2.29

2.29

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.