大方廣佛華嚴經搜玄分齊通智方軌 5.50

5.50

第四夜天名妙德救護眾生，即四地菩薩位也，入教化眾生菩薩法門。初勸教、二「時善財」下依教趣入、三「爾時夜天」下證也。初勸教中三，同前。二依入中有三：辭念、前法、往見，略無禮問耳。三正入有二：初說自分、二「諸大菩薩」下仰推。初自分中有四：初天為現法門令善財得自分法體、二「即得此三昧」下明三昧力用、三「白言」下明得法因緣。四「我唯」下結自分所知。初中有四：初辨所依菩薩法門、二現身光、三辨所趣、四得益。二三昧力用，文中有三：初明所化眾生處中自在，此中有四：一依；二處；三知；四益，此文中有四：一六道、二四生、三約相、四「滿足大願」下釋成化意。二「善財見彼」下善財得益起敬。三「即捨相好」下化窮息用引動行心，令善財偈讚也。長行及偈二也。此偈文有二十偈半，有三：初十半略歎夜天化用自在、二「喜目」下三偈歎得見因由、次七廣歎夜天化諸眾生成其勝行。三得法因緣中有二：初善財略歎法門，即作三問；二「善男子」下天神廣答，答中初歎法深、二「諦聽」下正答得法因緣及時劫久近，名在第四結中答也。初文有三：初總歎；二「一切人天」下非小心境界；三「何以故」下釋成，有二可知。正答有二：初長行、次偈頌。長行有二：初誡眾聽、二辨。辨中有二：初值一佛得聞正法；二「其後劫已」下有五百佛出世，作種種形而往供養，此文有二：初釋、次結利益也。初值一佛，文有八：初時劫中佛出；二「時彼城」下明所屬王；三「彼有女」下明本身修行；四「時彼城北」下明佛施化；五「時女即解」下明受化獲益初緣；六「爾時妙德乃至於大眾中」下正明得益，此有四：初佛說經、二女得定、三得勝心、四獲勝法門；七「復於是前」下轉釋往昔緣起；八「爾時明淨妙王等」下結會古今，有四句可知。四施化，文中有二：初明佛普化說法、二「爾時普賢菩薩」下別為當機。初文內有四文：初辨菩提樹莊嚴；二最初佛成道放十二種光養眾生根器，即十二住也；三「滿七日」下，知受道時，動地出聲，及隨所應器為轉法輪，即為三也；四「何以故」下釋成也。轉法輪中有二十句，初二利外凡夫等、次一利小乘、次十利十信、四「立無量」下利十解、五「立無量住菩薩」下利十行、六「無量清淨」下利迴向令迴向入初地、七乃至九地入十地、八「立無量眾生已」下使十地人入安住分究竟處、九成普賢行位也。二當機，文有三：初普賢察機、二王人等知說偈正告、三興供養具也。聖王十偈讚佛中有二：初長行、次偈。偈中，初一歎佛勸眾往詣、次六歎難值遇、次二示光令喜、次一勸人速往。二天重頌中有二：初長行生起、次偈。偈文有三十八半，有四：初二勅聽許說；次三十三半略明百一十佛，總頌上塵等諸佛；次二依佛得法門；下一勸發善財應速修滿。仰推中，初釋、次結。

The fourth night goddess, named Samantamattatrāṇo virājapraṇidhānā (Miaode Jiuhu Zhongsheng), corresponds to the stage of a fourth-bhūmi bodhisattva, who enters the bodhisattva teaching-gate of transforming and educating sentient beings. First, the instruction and urging; second, from 'At that time Sudhana...' onward, proceeding and entering in accord with the instruction; third, from 'At that time the night goddess...' onward, realization. First, within the instruction and urging, there are three parts, the same as before. Second, within proceeding and entering in accord [with instruction], there are three: taking leave and recollecting, the preceding dharma, and going to see, briefly omitting the bow and inquiry. Third, the actual entry has two parts: first, expounding her own portion; second, from 'The great bodhisattvas...' onward, deferring to the superior stages. First, within her own portion, there are four: first, the goddess manifesting the teaching-gate for him, causing Sudhana to attain the essence of her own portion of the dharma; second, from 'Immediately attaining this samādhi...' onward, clarifying the power and function of the samādhi; third, from 'He said...' onward, clarifying the causes and conditions of attaining the dharma; fourth, from 'I only [know]...' onward, concluding with what is known in her own portion. Within the first, there are four: first, distinguishing the bodhisattva teaching-gate relied upon; second, manifesting bodily light; third, distinguishing where one proceeds; fourth, obtaining benefit. Second, regarding the power and function of the samādhi, the text has three parts: first, clarifying sovereignty amidst the places of sentient beings to be transformed; here there are four: 1. reliance; 2. places; 3. knowing; 4. benefiting. In this text there are four: 1. the six destinies; 2. the four modes of birth; 3. in terms of characteristics; 4. from 'Fulfilling the great vow...' onward, explaining and establishing the intention of transformation. Second, from 'Sudhana saw her...' onward, Sudhana obtains benefit and gives rise to reverence. Third, from 'She immediately relinquished the major and minor marks...' onward, the transformation reaches its end and pauses its function, stirring the practicing mind and prompting Sudhana to praise in verse. The prose and verses make two. In these verses there are twenty and a half verses, which have three parts: the first ten and a half briefly praise the sovereign transformative functions of the night goddess; second, from 'Pramuditanayanā...' onward, three verses praise the causes and reasons for obtaining the vision; next, seven verses extensively praise the night goddess transforming all sentient beings to accomplish their superior practices. Third, within the causes and conditions of attaining the dharma, there are two: first, Sudhana briefly praises the teaching-gate and poses three questions; second, from 'Good son...' onward, the goddess answers extensively. In the reply, first she praises the profundity of the dharma; second, from 'Listen attentively...' onward, she directly answers the causes and conditions of attaining the dharma as well as the length of time in eons; the name is answered in the fourth conclusion. The first text has three parts: first, a general praise; second, from 'It is not the sphere of all humans and devas...' onward, it is not the sphere of those of small mind; third, from 'Why is that?' onward, explaining and establishing it, which has two parts as can be known. The direct answer has two parts: first, prose; next, verses. The prose has two: first, admonishing the assembly to listen; second, distinguishing [the matter]. Within distinguishing, there are two: first, encountering one Buddha and hearing the true Dharma; second, from 'After that eon...' onward, there were five hundred Buddhas appearing in the world, and she assumed various forms to go and make offerings, this text having two: first, the explanation, and next, concluding with the benefits. Regarding the first encounter with one Buddha, the text has eight parts: first, the Buddha appearing in that eon; second, from 'At that time in that city...' onward, clarifying the king to whom it belonged; third, from 'He had a daughter...' onward, clarifying her own cultivation; fourth, from 'At that time to the north of that city...' onward, clarifying the Buddha bestowing transformation; fifth, from 'The daughter immediately understood...' onward, clarifying the initial conditions of receiving transformation and obtaining benefit; sixth, from 'At that time Miaode, up to within the great assembly...' onward, directly clarifying the attainment of benefit, which has four: 1. the Buddha expounding the sūtra; 2. the maiden attaining samādhi; 3. attaining the superior mind; 4. obtaining the superior teaching-gate; seventh, from 'Furthermore, before this...' onward, further explaining the past causal conditions; eighth, from 'At that time the pure and wonderful king and others...' onward, concluding and collating past and present, having four clauses as can be known. Fourth, bestowing transformation; the text has two parts: first, clarifying the Buddha universally transforming and preaching the Dharma; second, from 'At that time Samantabhadra Bodhisattva...' onward, specifically for those of matching capacity. Within the first text there are four texts: first, distinguishing the adornments of the bodhi tree; second, when the Buddha first achieved enlightenment, emitting twelve kinds of light to nurture the faculties of sentient beings, which are the twelve abodes; third, from 'After seven days were completed...' onward, knowing the time of receiving the Way, quaking the earth and emitting sounds, and turning the wheel of Dharma in accordance with appropriate faculties, which makes three; fourth, from 'Why is that?' onward, explaining and establishing it. In turning the wheel of Dharma, there are twenty clauses: the first two benefit external ordinary beings and so on; the next one benefits the hīnayāna; the next ten benefit the ten faiths; fourth, from 'Establishing immeasurable...' onward, benefits the ten understandings; fifth, from 'Establishing immeasurable dwelling bodhisattvas...' onward, benefits the ten practices; sixth, from 'Immeasurable pure...' onward, benefits dedication, causing dedication to enter the first bhūmi; seventh, up to the ninth bhūmi entering the tenth bhūmi; eighth, from 'Having established immeasurable sentient beings...' onward, causing people of the tenth bhūmi to enter the culmination of the stage of secure dwelling; ninth, accomplishing the stage of Samantabhadra's practice. Second, for those of matching capacity, the text has three parts: first, Samantabhadra observing capacities; second, the king, people, and others understanding and reciting verses to directly address [them]; third, raising offering utensils. In the holy king's ten verses praising the Buddha, there are two parts: first, prose; next, verses. Among the verses, the first one praises the Buddha and urges the assembly to go; the next six praise the difficulty of encountering him; the next two show the light to bring joy; the next one urges people to go quickly. In the goddess's repeated verses, there are two parts: first, prose giving rise to the next; next, verses. The verse text has thirty-eight and a half verses, having four parts: the first two permit the discourse upon being requested to listen; the next thirty-three and a half briefly clarify the one hundred and ten Buddhas, generally praising the Buddhas numerous as dust motes mentioned above; the next two clarify attaining teaching-gates relying on the Buddhas; the last one urges Sudhana that he should quickly cultivate to fulfillment. In deferring to the superior stages, first is the explanation, and next is the conclusion.