勝鬘寶窟 1.40

1.40

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.