觀音玄義 2.52

2.52

問：觀音利物廣大如此，為已成佛？猶是菩薩？答：本地難知，而經有兩說。如《觀音受記經》明觀音、勢至得如幻三昧，周旋往返十方化物，昔於金光師子遊戲如來國，王名威德，化生二子，左名寶意，即是觀音，右名寶尚，即是勢至，往問佛何供養勝，佛言：「當發菩提心。」從如來初發菩提心，次阿彌陀佛後當成正覺，觀音名普光功德山王，勢至名善住功德寶王。又，《如來藏經》亦云「觀音、文殊皆未成佛。」若《觀音三昧經》云「先已成佛，號正法明如來，釋迦為彼佛作苦行弟子。」二文相乖，此言云何？乃是四悉檀化物，不可求其實也。

Question: Avalokiteśvara's benefiting of beings is so vast: has [Avalokiteśvara] already attained Buddhahood, or is [he] still a bodhisattva? Answer: The original ground is difficult to know, and the sūtras have two accounts. For instance, the Avalokiteśvara Prediction Sūtra explains that Avalokiteśvara and Mahāsthāmaprāpta attained the māyopama-samādhi and travel back and forth in the ten directions to transform beings. In the past, in the land of the Tathāgata Suvarṇaprabhāsasiṃhavikrīḍita, there was a king named Tejas; two sons were born to him by transformation: the one on the left named Ratnacitta was Avalokiteśvara, and the one on the right named Ratnottama was Mahāsthāmaprāpta. They went to ask the Buddha what offering is supreme, and the Buddha said: 'You should give rise to the bodhi-mind.' From that Tathāgata they first gave rise to the bodhi-mind; following Amitābha, they will attain right awakening: Avalokiteśvara will be named Samantaprabhāsapuṇyaparvatarāja, and Mahāsthāmaprāpta will be named Supratiṣṭhitapuṇyaratnarāja. Furthermore, the Tathāgatagarbha Sūtra also says: 'Neither Avalokiteśvara nor Mañjuśrī has yet attained Buddhahood.' But the Avalokiteśvara Samādhi Sūtra says: '[Avalokiteśvara] previously already attained Buddhahood, named Saddharmaprabhāsa Tathāgata, and Śākyamuni was that Buddha's ascetic disciple.' These two passages conflict; how is this to be understood? It is simply the transforming of beings through the four siddhāntas; one cannot seek their literal reality.