勝鬘寶窟 1.40

1.40

「我以作功德」下，此第三明請護事。就文為二：一者口請、二者身請。就初有二：初三句牒三世善、第四句請佛攝受。就初又二：兩句別明三世善、次一句總牒三世善。「我已作功德」者，領佛前世以開覺之言也。佛所以前世開覺我者，良由我過去世已曾種功德故也。現在者，現世也。及餘世者，未來也。「如是眾善本」者，總牒三世之善也，故云眾善也。善雖三世，其理冥同，故總言如是眾善本。本亦因也，欲以此善為菩提根，故名為本。「唯願見攝受」者，明我過去已生善、現生善、當生善，攝此三善，一者令莫向三有、二者令莫向二乘、三者令莫取相。次將此眾善亦有三事：一者令此善與眾生共、二者令我與眾生共成佛、三者以此善同入實相。今請佛攝受如此之善，故言唯願見攝受也。「爾時勝鬘」下，古注云：既頌美已畢，則法供理同。今標寄歸誠，欲化洽親屬。此意明禮佛，佛既授記，則引親屬修淨土之因也。今明上來口請，今身請也。眾師解云：上是口請乞記，今是身請乞。今謂不爾，此乃是請佛攝受。上是口請攝受三世之善為菩提基，今是身請三世之善為菩提基。夫善向菩提是為理之中極，必須心形俱至，故上口請，今明身請，而心通二處。問：何故口禮？何故身禮？答：為歎故口禮，為敬故身禮。又於暗處則須口禮，於明處則須身禮。又盲人故即須口禮，為聾人故即身禮。又生自他身業善故明身禮，生自他口業善故明口禮。又師徒相去遠故即身禮，相去近故即口禮。問：敬與禮何異？答：凡有四句。一者禮而不敬，如惡心禮也；二者敬而不禮，如善心歎佛及念佛也；三亦敬亦禮，謂善心禮佛也；四不禮不敬，謂敬無所敬禮無所禮。又有四句：一心禮而身不禮，如須菩提端坐念佛，名真禮佛；二身禮而心不禮，如調達禮佛，密欲害傷；三身心俱禮，即是勝鬘；四身心俱不禮，謂外道見佛。將口對心亦有四句，義推可知。

From "By the merit I have created" onwards, this third [part] clarifies the matter of requesting protection. In the text there are two [parts]: first, verbal request; second, bodily request. Regarding the first, there are two: the first three lines review the wholesome [deeds] of the three times; the fourth line requests the Buddha to gather and receive [her]. Regarding the first [of these], there are again two: two lines separately clarify the wholesome [deeds] of the three times, and the next line summarises the wholesome [deeds] of the three times. "The merit I have created": this accepts the Buddha's words of having awakened [her] in previous lifetimes. The reason why the Buddha awakened me in previous lifetimes is truly because in past lifetimes I had already planted roots of merit. "The present": the present life. "And other lives": the future. "Such roots of all wholesome [deeds]": this summarises the wholesome [deeds] of the three times, hence she says "all wholesome [deeds]". Although wholesome [deeds] span the three times, their principle is darkly identical; therefore she summarises them as "such roots of all wholesome [deeds]". "Roots" also means causes: she wishes to make these wholesome [deeds] the root of bodhi, hence they are called "roots". "I only pray that you look upon and gather and receive [me]": this clarifies that having produced good in the past, producing good in the present, and to produce good in the future, gathering these three goods [means]: first, causing them not to turn toward the three realms of existence; second, causing them not to turn toward the two vehicles; third, causing them not to grasp at marks. Next, taking these various wholesome [deeds] also involves three matters: first, causing this goodness to be shared with sentient beings; second, causing myself and sentient beings to accomplish buddhahood together; third, using this goodness to enter tathatā together. Now she requests the Buddha to gather and receive such wholesome [deeds], hence she says "I only pray that you look upon and gather and receive [me]". From "At that time, Śrīmālā" onwards, an ancient commentary states: Having finished singing praises, the Dharma offering is identical in principle. Now she signals and entrusts her sincere devotion, wishing that her conversion pervade her relatives. The meaning here clarifies that she pays homage to the Buddha, and once the Buddha bestows the prediction (vyākaraṇa), she then leads her relatives to cultivate the causes of the pure land. Now we clarify: above was verbal request, and now it is bodily request. Various masters explain: Above was a verbal request seeking a prediction, and now is a bodily request seeking it. Now I say it is not so: this is requesting the Buddha to gather and receive [her]. Above was verbally requesting the gathering and receiving of the wholesome [deeds] of the three times as the foundation of bodhi; now it is bodily requesting the wholesome [deeds] of the three times as the foundation of bodhi. Indeed, turning wholesome [deeds] toward bodhi is the ultimate extremity of principle; both mind and form must arrive together. Thus above was verbal request, and now bodily request is clarified, while the mind pervades both places. Question: Why pay homage verbally? Why pay homage bodily? Answer: For praising, one pays homage verbally; for revering, one pays homage bodily. Furthermore, in dark places one must pay homage verbally; in bright places one must pay homage bodily. Furthermore, for blind persons one must pay homage verbally; for deaf persons one pays homage bodily. Furthermore, to generate wholesome bodily karma of oneself and others, bodily homage is clarified; to generate wholesome verbal karma of oneself and others, verbal homage is clarified. Furthermore, when master and disciple are far apart, one pays homage bodily; when they are close, one pays homage verbally. Question: How does revering differ from paying homage? Answer: There are four propositions in all. First, paying homage without revering, like paying homage with an evil mind. Second, revering without paying homage, like praising the Buddha and being mindful of the Buddha with a wholesome mind. Third, both revering and paying homage, meaning paying homage to the Buddha with a wholesome mind. Fourth, neither paying homage nor revering, meaning revering nothing to be revered and paying homage to nothing to be paid homage. There are also four propositions: first, the mind pays homage while the body does not, like Subhūti sitting upright and being mindful of the Buddha, which is called truly paying homage to the Buddha; second, the body pays homage while the mind does not, like Devadatta paying homage to the Buddha while secretly wishing to harm him; third, both body and mind pay homage, which is Śrīmālā; fourth, neither body nor mind pays homage, which refers to non-Buddhists seeing the Buddha. Matching speech against mind also yields four propositions, which can be deduced by reasoning.