無量壽經連義述文贊 1.13

1.13

The sūtra says: "Samantabhadra Bodhisattva..." down to "...and all the bodhisattvas." The commentary states: The second section lists their names. It has two parts; this is the first, the bodhisattvas of the Bhadrakalpa. "Samanta" means universal, which is the wisdom that realizes truth. "Bhadra" means worthy and good, which is the practice that engages with phenomena. Inner virtue is universal, and outer transformation is worthy and good, hence the name Samantabhadra. Miaode ("Wondrous Virtue") should be called Miaojixiang (Mañjuśrī). "Jixiang" (auspicious / śrī) has the sense of merit and virtue, hence translated as "Wondrous Virtue." As for "Ci-shi" (Maitreya, "the Benevolent One"), he first generated the mind of bodhi in the presence of Maitreya Buddha and was also born into the Maitrī clan, hence called "Ci-shi." The Sanskrit says Veda (or Bhadra?), translated here as "Good"; hence it is also called the "Good Kalpa," with its meaning explained as in the Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa. Saying "Worthy" (Bhadrakalpa) follows the current designation. The length of the kalpa and the number of buddhas are explained in detail in the Commentary on the Maitreya Sūtra.