本願藥師經古迹 1.7

1.7

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.