大方廣佛華嚴經隨疏演義鈔 17.73

17.73

Regarding the commentary’s statement, “or through attaining deep samādhi, he naturally understood completely”: the Jin’gang hua jing says, “Because Ānanda attained the Dharmatā-Awakening Sovereign King Samādhi, he was able to remember and retain all the sūtras the Tathāgata had previously preached, no different from having personally heard them.” The Nirvāṇa Sūtra also says, “Ānanda is a learned scholar; whether present or absent, he can naturally understand the meaning of permanence and impermanence.” In the Lotus Sūtra, having received his prediction, he says: “The World-Honoured One is extremely rare, / causing me to recall the Dharma / of immeasurable past Buddhas, / just as heard today. / I now have no further doubts, / dwelling peacefully in the Buddha path, / as an upāya serving as attendant, / protecting and upholding the Buddhas’ Dharma.” Since it says he awakened only after receiving the prediction, this still carries an expedient. Relying on “as an upāya serving as attendant,” it secretly reveals the actual.