阿彌陀經通贊疏 1.65

1.65

As for Revata, in Sanskrit it is Raivata, which means in Chinese "the star Revatī," a northern constellation; praying to it yielded a son, hence it was taken as his name. Or it is said to mean "comet," a comet being an omen star; because he was born when this star appeared, it was taken as his name. "Libuoduo" is an error. Or it means "temporary combination." The *Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa* says: A man encountered rain and lodged overnight in a shrine. In the depths of the night he saw a ghost carrying a corpse, wanting to eat it. Shortly after, a large ghost came to contest the corpse to eat it, each saying: "I brought it myself." The large ghost was stronger and seized the corpse to eat it. The smaller one said: "The man on the beam fully witnessed the sequence of events." In extreme fear, he stated the truth: "The small ghost brought it." Hearing this, the large ghost became enraged, seized that man, tore off one of his legs, ate it, and departed. The small ghost was grateful for his clear testimony, so he took a leg of the dead corpse and attached it. The witness appeared just as his former body, and he thought to himself: "This body is unreal and illusory." Therefore he went to the Buddha's dwelling and asked the World-Honoured One: "The paths of life and death differ, our forms are distinct; how is it with this temporarily combined body?" The World-Honoured One told him: "Temporarily combined from the four great elements, a wondrous blossom of the five aggregates—what is there to be bewildered about in awakening?" That man thereupon awakened, turned to the Buddha to leave the household, and gradually attained the noble fruit. This Venerable One's mind was without deceit, his mouth without empty words; the cause of injuring one foot at the spirit shrine led him to realize the century of illusion at the Buddha's assembly. Hence he is called "knowing illusion."