觀音玄義記 1.9

1.9

Question: The sūtra says, "If one should be saved by a Buddha body, he immediately manifests a Buddha body." Why does it now say nine? Answer: The body of the Buddha realm has general and specific senses. Specifically, it is confined to the body with the marks of wisdom of marvelous enlightenment, because the true mark of the three thousand realms has been thoroughly exhausted. It cannot be perceived even by the mind's eye of equal enlightenment, so how much less by lower stages or ordinary persons and the Hinayāna? Generally, it refers to the appearances at the culmination of the fruit in the Three Teachings, as well as what is seen by the ordinary and holy of the Perfect Teaching; although distinguished as crude and marvelous, they are all called Buddha bodies. Yet these are appearances manifested in accord with capacity, being what is seen by the consciousness of affairs or the consciousness of karma; therefore, although they are Buddha bodies, they are included within the realms of the two vehicles and bodhisattvas. The sūtra text follows the general sense, hence speaks of manifesting ten; the present text follows the specific sense, hence speaks of the nine realms.