勝鬘寶窟 3.62

3.62

「爾時世尊」下，第三大段，次明流通。就文為四：一明如來為化既周，還歸舍衛；二「時勝鬘」下，明勝鬘瞻覩起戀仰心；三「還入城」下，勝鬘以法傳化流通；四「入祇洹」下，如來以法付屬流通。又合四以為二：初一勝鬘流通、次佛流通也。勝鬘流通一國，佛流通十方。初中，「世尊放光普照大眾」者，一示將別相故放光。又初放光明令勝鬘正說，今放光明使其流通。「身昇虛空」者，初應從空而來，今說經竟還乘空而去。乘空而來，蓋不來而來，來無所來；乘空而去，此是不去而去，去無所去也。「去地七多羅樹」者，彰去分齊。前說經時，佛雖在空，去地不遠，欲使空地交接，得申禮歎。今示說經既竟，將欲迴還，故昇空轉高。多羅樹，此無別翻。餘處或翻為肘，從肘盡中指。七多羅樹，則七十肘，亦言四十九尺。又言一多羅樹去地七仞，一仞七尺，一樹合有四十九尺，七樹合有三百四十三尺。林公云：「從肘盡中指，名毘陀私多。此方無名字翻，處處多翻為肘。」「足步虛空還舍衛」者，現勝神力，令物敬也。

"At that time the World-Honoured One ..." and below is the third major section, which next explains propagation. In the text there are four parts: first, explaining that as the Tathāgata's transformation [of beings] was complete, he returned to Śrāvastī; second, from "Then Śrīmālā ..." below, explaining that Śrīmālā gazed upon him and gave rise to yearning and longing; third, from "returning into the city ..." below, Śrīmālā transmitting and propagating the Dharma; fourth, from "entering the Jetavana ..." below, the Tathāgata entrusting the Dharma for propagation. Furthermore, combining the four into two: first, Śrīmālā's propagation; next, the Buddha's propagation. Śrīmālā propagates it in one country; the Buddha propagates it throughout the ten directions. In the first part, "The World-Honoured One emitted light that illuminated the great assembly everywhere": first, he emits light to manifest the mark of impending departure. Furthermore, initially he emitted light to cause Śrīmālā to expound properly; now he emits light to cause her to propagate it. "His body ascended into the sky": initially, responding [to her], he came from the sky; now, having finished expounding the sūtra, he returns riding the sky. Coming by riding the sky is coming without coming, coming from nowhere; leaving by riding the sky is leaving without leaving, leaving to nowhere. "Seven tāla trees above the ground" reveals the measure of departure. Previously when expounding the sūtra, although the Buddha was in the sky, he was not far from the ground, wishing to let sky and ground connect so that homage and praise could be expressed. Now, showing that the exposition of the sūtra is finished and he is about to return, he ascends higher into the sky. Tāla tree: there is no distinct translation for this here. Elsewhere it is sometimes translated as a cubit, from the elbow to the tip of the middle finger. Seven tāla trees would then be seventy cubits, or also said to be forty-nine feet. It is also said that one tāla tree above the ground is seven ren, one ren being seven feet, so one tree is forty-nine feet, and seven trees are three hundred and forty-three feet. Master Lin said: "From the elbow to the tip of the middle finger is called a vitasti. In this land there is no exact word to translate it; everywhere it is mostly translated as a cubit." "Walking through the sky with his feet, he returned to Śrāvastī": displaying superior spiritual power to cause beings to revere him.