本願藥師經古迹 1.7

1.7

述曰：自下對問廣說分。此有五義：一菩薩請問成就、二法王讚許成就、三大眾樂聞成就、四如來說法成就、五夜叉報恩成就。此初也。於此有三：一請因緣門，如經「曼殊室利法王子承佛威神」故。曼殊室利，唐云妙吉祥。從法化生、得佛法分，稱法王子。二請威儀門，如經「從座而起乃至合掌」故。從座而起者，表從真際起。偏袒一肩者，表作利樂事。右膝著地，住世間故。向薄伽梵者，趣出世故。曲躬者，離慢故。合掌者，專心故。三正開請門，如經「白言世尊乃至諸有情故」故。略問三事：一問佛名號、二問因大願、三問果功德。令諸聞者已下，舉說之利。言像法轉時者，《大集經》云「有六種堅固：一法身得住堅固、二解脫得住堅固、三禪定得住堅固、四多聞得住堅固、五福德得住堅固、六鬪諍得住堅固。」此中初一佛在世時、後五滅後，如其次第各五百年。總言三時：一者正法，謂彼五中初二堅固；二者像法，即次二堅固；三者末法，即後一堅固。如次具有教、行、果三；有二無果；有教無二。今為利樂千年之後像法有情，發此問也。

The commentary states: From here downward is the section on the extensive exposition in response to questions. This has five facets: 1. the fulfillment of the bodhisattva's request; 2. the fulfillment of the Dharma King's praise and assent; 3. the fulfillment of the great assembly's joyful listening; 4. the fulfillment of the Tathāgata's exposition of the Dharma; 5. the fulfillment of the yakṣas' repayment of kindness. This is the first. Within this there are three gates: 1. the gate of the causes and conditions of the request, as in the sūtra's words: "the Dharma Prince Mañjuśrī, assisted by the Buddha's spiritual power." "Mañjuśrī" in the language of the Tang is Miaojixiang (Wondrous Auspiciousness). Being apparitionally born from the Dharma and obtaining the lineage of the Buddha's Dharma, he is called "Dharma Prince." 2. The gate of the deportment of the request, as in the sūtra's words: "arose from his seat […] down to […] joined palms." "Arose from his seat" symbolizes arising from the ultimate limit of reality. "Bared his right shoulder" symbolizes undertaking the task of benefiting and gladdening. "Knelt on his right knee" is because he abides in the mundane world. "Toward the Bhagavat" is because he inclines toward transcendence of the world. "Bent forward" is to abandon pride. "Joined palms" is to focus the mind. 3. The gate of opening the formal request, as in the sūtra's words: "addressed him, saying: 'World-Honoured One!' […] down to […] 'all sentient beings.'" He briefly asks about three matters: 1. he asks about the names of the Buddhas; 2. he asks about the great vows of the causal stage; 3. he asks about the merits of the fruitional stage. From "so that those who hear them" onward presents the benefits of the exposition. Regarding "when the Semblance Dharma turns," the Mahāsaṃnipāta-sūtra states: "There are six periods of solidity: 1. solidity in the abiding of the Dharma-body; 2. solidity in the abiding of liberation; 3. solidity in the abiding of meditative absorption; 4. solidity in the abiding of broad learning; 5. solidity in the abiding of merit; 6. solidity in the abiding of strife." Here, the first one was during the Buddha's lifetime; the latter five are after his parinirvāṇa, each lasting five hundred years in proper sequence. In general, they comprise three periods: 1. the True Dharma, meaning the first two solidities among those five; 2. the Semblance Dharma, namely the middle two solidities; 3. the Latter Dharma, namely the final solidity. In sequence, [the first period] has all three: teaching, practice, and fruit; [the second] has two, lacking the fruit; [the third] has the teaching, lacking the [other] two. Now, to benefit and gladden the sentient beings of the Semblance Dharma after one thousand years, he made this request.