無量壽經連義述文贊 1.30

1.30

經曰「靈禽翼從往詣道場」者，述云：第二、行詣道場也。菩薩澡浴身體、後食乳糜，氣力平全，正念向彼菩提之樹。從尼連河至菩提樹，掃灑令淨。三千世界諸樹諸山若大若小，無不低枝低峯同菩提樹。欲界諸天各化七寶多羅之樹，二間有七寶池，池之四邊七寶階道，即有迦陵頻伽、鳧鴈、鴛鴦、命命諸鳥出和雅音。詣菩提樹時，其身普放無量光明。又有無量鸚鵡、舍利、拘只羅鳥、迦陵頻伽、鳧雁、鴛鴦、孔雀、翡翠、共命諸鳥，翻翔圍遶出和雅音。菩薩欲坐菩提座夜，大梵天王以神通力令三千界除諸砂鹵瓦礫荊棘，地平如掌無有丘墟，皆以七寶而嚴飾之。有十六天子，所謂轉進、無勝、施與、受欲等，守護菩提場，皆證無生忍。復有四神護菩提樹，毘留、薄瞿、蘇摩那等，各以神力變菩提樹高廣莊嚴姝好，各長八十多羅之樹。菩薩為欲降伏魔怨，故以大人相西面而行詣菩提場也。有說：如經云「五百青雀隨從佛後」，故名禽翼從，皆神鳥故，亦云靈。此必不盡，非唯青雀，如前引故。今即翼亦從，從者隨也。寄表而言，天按樹者，即表眾生感既發也。攀出池者，即表佛應赴于機也。靈禽者，即表同行眷屬。不爾，便違《無垢稱》云「所有進止施為皆是佛事」故。

The sūtra says: "Miraculous birds flanked and followed him as he went to the bodhimaṇḍa." Commentary: This is the second [part], going to the bodhimaṇḍa. After bathing his body and eating the milk-rice, the Bodhisattva's strength was completely restored, and with right mindfulness he headed toward that bodhi tree. From the Nairañjanā River to the bodhi tree, [the path] was swept, sprinkled, and made clean. All trees and mountains throughout the trichiliocosm, whether large or small, without exception bent their branches and bowed their peaks toward the bodhi tree. The gods of the desire realm each transformed seven-jeweled tāla trees; between every two trees were seven-jeweled ponds, and on the four sides of the ponds were seven-jeweled stairways and paths. Kalaviṅkas, wild ducks, geese, mandarin ducks, and jīvañjīvaka birds emitted harmonious and elegant sounds. When he proceeded to the bodhi tree, his body universally radiated immeasurable light. Furthermore, there were immeasurable parrots, śārikās, kokilas, kalaviṅkas, wild ducks, geese, mandarin ducks, peacocks, kingfishers, and jīvañjīvaka birds, soaring, circling, and uttering harmonious and elegant sounds. On the night when the Bodhisattva was about to sit on the bodhi-seat, the Great Brahmā King used his spiritual powers to cause the trichiliocosm to be purged of all sand, gravel, shards, rubble, thorns, and briars; the ground became as flat as the palm of a hand, without any mounds or hills, and all was adorned with the seven treasures. There were sixteen deva-princes—namely, Progression, Invincible, Generosity, Receiver of Desires, and so forth—who guarded the bodhimaṇḍa, all having attained the tolerance of the non-arising of dharmas. Furthermore, there were four spirits guarding the bodhi tree—Virūḍha, Bhagu, Sumanas, and so forth—each using their spiritual powers to transform the bodhi tree to be lofty, broad, adorned, and exquisitely fair, each [spirit causing it to] grow by eighty tāla trees [in height]. Because the Bodhisattva wished to subdue the demonic foes, bearing the marks of a Great Man, he walked facing westward and proceeded to the bodhimaṇḍa. Some say: as the sūtra states, "five hundred blue sparrows followed behind the Buddha," they are thus called birds flanking and following; because they were all miraculous birds, they are also called "spiritual" (ling). This certainly does not exhaust [the meaning], for it was not merely blue sparrows, as cited previously. Here, "flanked" also means "followed," and "followed" means "accompanied." Speaking metaphorically: the devas pressing down the trees symbolizes that sentient beings' capacity has already been awakened; grasping [the branch] to emerge from the pool symbolizes the Buddha responding to their potential; the miraculous birds symbolize the retinue of fellow practitioners. If it were not so, it would contradict the *Vimalakīrti-nirdeśa*, which says: "All movements, stops, and actions are Buddha-works."