勝鬘寶窟 3.64

3.64

第三段中，還入城傳化方便。勝鬘住宮，與王別城。今欲化王，須詣王所，故入城中也。又解：勝鬘出城送佛。今送佛竟，還歸入城。「向友稱歎大乘」者，王為地主，一為化易、二為化廣，故云以上化下如風靡草，故前化王也。王及夫人各化男女者，各化同類也。而言化七歲男女者，此土八歲入禮，外國多以七為數，故云化七歲已上人也。如前高七多羅樹等，天竺七歲許為沙彌，七是一數之滿。

In the third section, returning to enter the city to propagate [the Dharma] is the expedient means. Śrīmālā dwelt in a palace in a city separate from the king's. Now, wishing to convert the king, she needed to go to the king's place; hence she entered the city. Another explanation is: Śrīmālā had gone out of the city to see off the Buddha. Now having finished seeing off the Buddha, she returned to enter the city. Regarding "praising the Mahāyāna to King Youyou (Mitrasena)": the king was the lord of the land, and [converting him] first made conversion easy, and second made conversion widespread; thus it is said that the transformation of inferiors by a superior is like the wind bending the grass, which is why she first converted the king. The king and the queen each converting men and women means that each converted those of their own kind. As for mentioning the conversion of boys and girls of seven years old: in this land one enters ritual propriety at eight years of age, whereas in foreign countries seven is mostly taken as the standard number; hence it says converting people aged seven and above. Just as with the aforementioned height of seven tāla trees and so forth, in India one is permitted to become a novice monk at seven years of age; seven is the fulfillment of a single number.