金光明經文句記 3.344

3.344

First, dividing the text. The major marks refer to the thirty-two marks; the minor marks refer to the eighty minor characteristics. They are all called "ocean" because, whether major or minor, all are boundless; they are all full manifestations of the Dharma-realm, and therefore each individual mark is none other than the Dharma ocean. Based on the general praise, all Buddhas are pure, subtle, wondrous, and quiescently ceased; using the general to reveal the specific, each and every mark and characteristic is the secret repository. Because the Great Master grasped that underlying insight, in explaining the marks and characteristics, he established the designation "ocean" for all of them.