金光明經玄義 1.3

1.3

This Suvarṇaprabhāsa is profoundly deep and measureless. Even empty space cannot serve as an analogy for its height and breadth, so how could the weight of mountains or drops of the ocean ever fathom its limits? The blazing splendor of the solar disk is not something an infant can gaze up at; the oars and rudders of a great vessel—how could a newborn infant take hold of them? The realm traversed by the buddhas surpasses the purity traversed by all bodhisattvas, so how could the minds and mouths of those of the two vehicles ever conceive of or speak of it? If worldlings in vain wish to speak of it, to speak is to compromise its reality; if they in vain wish not to speak of it, silence leads to error. Both are untenable. If one wishes to speak of it, speaking is also impossible; if one wishes to keep silent, silence is also impossible. Therefore, in the *Pañcaviṃśatisāhasrikā-prajñāpāramitā*, a brahmacārin says: “It is not by internal contemplation that one attains this bodhi; it is not by external contemplation that one attains this bodhi; nor is it by both internal and external contemplation that one attains this bodhi.” The sūtra says: “All are beyond thought and speech. Furthermore, production of production cannot be spoken of; production of non-production cannot be spoken of; non-production of production cannot be spoken of; non-production of non-production cannot be spoken of.” Yet because there are causes and conditions, it can also be spoken of: taking “gold” as its title, this title surpasses all precious gems. Taking dharmatā as its substance, its meaning takes the profound and wondrous merits of the bodhisattva adorned by the Tathāgata's wanderings as its gist, and illuminating all the gods so that they give rise to joy in their minds as its function. Hence the text is entitled the king of sūtras, and its teaching subsumes all scriptures. Therefore it is solely precious as a title, solely ultimate as substance, solely profound as gist, solely vast as function, and solely kingly as teaching. For this reason, its non-dual substance is ever protected and maintained by the four Buddha World-Honoured Ones, and the same is true of the three periods of time and the ten directions. All bodhisattvas throughout other realms pay homage from afar; tree deities and virtuous women personally weep tears as they praise it. The gods cover it with divine majesty; the earth spirits moisten it with terrestrial richness; the deity of Great Eloquence augments it with the path of eloquence; the deity of Merits enriches it with wealth and jewels; all states of existence are completely dried up; and the three evil destinies are freed from burning torments. In short, all unprecedented phenomena throughout the worlds entirely manifest. Therefore, King Suvarṇaprabhāsagarbha praised it throughout the three periods of time, and the earth deity made a vow to protect those who expound it. Since supreme sages do so, how much more so should human beings? Daring to rely on this meaning, I venture to raise my voice, hoping that a drop of dew entering the sea or birds flying toward the mountain may truly depend on this slight condition to share equally in the salty flavor.