觀音義疏 1.86

1.86

Now it is said that since Avalokiteśvara's might is great and the protection extended is vast, how could it be limited to the seven perils alone? One should know that he can rescue and protect throughout the entire dharma realm, hence it is said 'towering' (weiwei). 'Towering' is an expression of repeatedly clarifying lofty accumulation. It clarifies that Avalokiteśvara's power transcends fragmentary [birth and death] and responds vertically to the two lands, hence it says 'repeatedly clarifying'; repeatedly receiving his spiritual response, hence it says 'lofty accumulation'. By this meaning, it is said 'towering like this'. Second, according with factual evidence: The Accounts of Efficacy says: 'In the second year of the Long'an era of the Jin, Huida was digging licorice on the northern ridge. At that time, the Qiang were starving and captured people to eat them. Huida was captured by the Qiang and locked inside a palisade, where they selected the fat ones to eat first. In desperate straits, Huida single-mindedly recited the name and chanted the sūtra. The remaining people having been nearly all consumed, only Huida and a young child remained, scheduled next for the following day. Huida chanted throughout the night, still hoping for a spiritual resonance. Towards dawn, the Qiang came to fetch him, when suddenly they saw a tiger leap out from the grass roaring; the Qiang scattered and fled. The tiger then gnawed the palisade, made a hole, and left. Huida took the young child, escaped, and was spared. Furthermore, Pei Anqi rebelled against the barbarians and was returning; arriving south at the riverbank, he was unable to cross. Seeing the pursuing cavalry behind him, death was only moments away. Thereupon he recited Avalokiteśvara and saw a white wolf; Anqi leapt and embraced it, and in a single bound he was over to the southern bank, where the wolf immediately vanished. The pursuing cavalry looked on together from the northern bank, endlessly sighing in marvel. Daoming was robbed on the boat route at Wuyuan, and on his path encountered the peril of bandits, etc.'