觀彌勒上生兜率天經贊 1.38

1.38

Question: Why does this sūtra emit light to gather the assembly, whereas other sūtras do not? Answer: Maitreya's ascent to birth has deep causes and far-reaching fruits; if those with affinities are not alerted and summoned, they would have no way to hear or see it. Furthermore, in the dark night of ignorance, awakening illumination is difficult to arise; without alerting the various capacities, they would have no way to awaken on their own. Therefore, he emits light to summon and gather them, unlike other sūtras. Within the gathering of the assembly there are three parts: first, emitting light; second, raining down flowers; third, transformed Buddhas speaking. This is the first. Within this there are six aspects: first, explaining the converting master, the World-Honoured One; second, explaining the time, in the first watch of the night; third, explaining the place, the entire body; fourth, explaining the spiritual transformation, emitting light; fifth, explaining the appearance, golden in color; sixth, explaining the transformed realm, circling the Jeta Grove and illuminating Sudatta's house. In the Vimalakīrtinirdeśa Sūtra, the Buddha told Ānanda: "In brief, all the deportment, bodily movements, reception, and actions of all Buddhas cause the sentient beings to be transformed to be subdued; therefore, all are called Buddha-deeds." As the Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra states, "The Buddha entered parinirvāṇa on the fifteenth day of the second month, and so forth, which the Buddha himself spoke of, each having what it symbolizes." Therefore, the text of this sūtra all has symbolic meaning. The converting master is understood. Second, regarding the time of emitting light: the Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra is at dawn; the Saddharmapuṇḍarīka Sūtra is in daylight; the Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra is at midday; this sūtra is in the first watch of the night. Each has what it symbolizes. Śākyamuni appeared in the five defilements, when the afflictions of sentient beings were already heavy, and those not yet delivered were even more steeped in folly; therefore, it was emitted in the first watch of the night. It had to be the first watch of the night because beginningless ignorance is extremely dark. Now the Buddha emits great light in the first watch of the night, symbolizing the teaching of a profound sūtra, desiring to cause sentient beings who were not delivered under Śākyamuni to see Maitreya, attain the light of noble wisdom, and break through heavy ignorance. 'Entire' means completely; light was emitted from the entire body. In the Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra it was from his face; in the Saddharmapuṇḍarīka Sūtra it emerged from the white curl between his eyebrows; in the Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra it was emitted sequentially from the entire body. Now emitting light from the entire body shows that the Buddha's compassion universally and broadly rescues, shows that practitioners are all delivered, and shows that compassion and wisdom illuminate universally throughout the dharma-realm of the ten directions. It had to be emitting light to guide lost followers, to break through [the darkness of] all sentient beings dwelling in obscurity, and to illuminate the foolish and blind so that their eye of wisdom may open. Making it golden: the Saddharmapuṇḍarīka Sūtra had white light; the Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra had four colors; here it is golden, symbolizing that it should be treasured and esteemed, as the foremost rare treasure to rescue sentient beings of the end-age. Circling the Jeta Grove alerts the monastic assembly. Illuminating Sudatta's house alerts the lay assembly, as he is the great donor. It intends to manifest the hearing of the sūtra. Startling and gathering the two assemblies, so that the two assemblies hear the sūtra and are universally delivered in the future in the presence of Maitreya Buddha. Saying 'seven times' symbolizes causing those who have gone forth to destroy the seven latent afflictions (anuśaya) in the present and future, eliminate the seven bad karmas of body and speech, uphold the seven-branch precepts, and transcend seven rebirths to attain the seven factors of awakening; such is the Dharma's principle.