勝鬘寶窟 1.18

1.18

第二說經緣起門。問：《淨名經》歎諸菩薩云「其見聞者無不蒙益，諸有所作悉不唐捐。」今勝鬘既是法身大士，隨感以現形、適機而演教。如肇公云：「法身無像，物感則形；冥權無謀，動與事會。」今有何等大因緣故演說此經？答：意乃多途，略明二種。一為踰闍國內七歲已上男女之流，宿昔共勝鬘結大乘眷屬，今欲使其善根成就，故假仰請佛起諸願行，乃至承佛神力說斯經。二者通為一切學大乘人，使稟教之流識大乘法十五條義，則疑無不滅、解無不生，但有進路而無退道，究竟一乘得成佛也。是以第十六名云此經斷一切疑決定了義，即其明證。問：以何義故知有通別二種意耶？答：佛於踰闍國內像現虛空，勝鬘對佛演說斯教。佛去已後，勝鬘與王各化國內所有人民，令七歲已上皆學大乘法，是故當知有別為也。佛還舍衛，告命阿難及以帝釋，令於天上人間廣弘斯教，是故當知有通為也。

Second, the section on the conditions for the preaching of the sūtra. Question: The Vimalakīrtinirdeśa-sūtra praises the bodhisattvas, saying, "Those who see or hear them never fail to receive benefit, and all that they undertake is never in vain." Now, since Śrīmālā is a great being of the dharmakāya who manifests her form in response to resonance and expounds the teaching in accordance with capacities—as Sengzhao said, "The dharmakāya has no image, yet forms when beings resonate; dark expedience is without premeditation, yet its movements accord with events"—now for what great causes and conditions was this sūtra expounded? Answer: The intentions are manifold, but we may briefly explain two. First, for the men and women of seven years of age and older in the kingdom of Ayodhyā, who in past lives formed a Mahāyāna kinship with Śrīmālā: wishing now to bring their good roots to maturation, she used the occasion of respectfully inviting the Buddha to give rise to vows and practices, and even expounded this sūtra by relying on the Buddha's supernatural power. Second, generally for all people who study the Mahāyāna: to enable those who receive the teaching to recognize the fifteen articles of meaning of the Mahāyāna Dharma, so that no doubt remains unextinguished and no understanding fails to arise, leaving only a path of advance with no way of regression, ultimately achieving Buddhahood through the ekayāna. Therefore, the sixteenth title says that this sūtra severs all doubts and is of definitive meaning (nītārtha), which is its clear proof. Question: On what basis is it known that there are these two intentions, general and specific? Answer: The Buddha manifested his image in the empty sky within the kingdom of Ayodhyā, and Śrīmālā expounded this teaching facing the Buddha. After the Buddha departed, Śrīmālā and the king each transformed all the people of the country, causing all those aged seven and above to study the Mahāyāna Dharma; therefore one should know there was a specific purpose. When the Buddha returned to Śrāvastī, he commanded Ānanda and Śakra to broadly propagate this teaching in the heavens and the human realm; therefore one should know there was a general purpose.