金光明經文句記 5.27

5.27

Second, protecting the state through the Dharma. That is, explaining the reason for protecting the state. Without the Dharma, how could one protect and preserve the country? And that reason includes both an internal and an external: the external is worldly dharmas, and the internal is mental dharmas. If one only practiced and preached the dharmas of the mundane world, it would cause this sūtra not to be a Fangdeng (Vaipulya) teaching. The heavenly kings are wholly ordinary beings in mind and speech; one must know that every passage contains both mundane and supramundane meanings. It is only because this sentence conveniently reveals the internal meaning that it says it directly corresponds to the contemplation of the mind. Just as in the various passages below in the "Chapter on the Spirits of Samjñāya", it temporarily explicates in accordance with mundane dharmas. But when it comes to his own explanation of the origin of his name, phenomenal interpretations are entirely discarded; thus it says, "He directly sees the sphere of inconceivable wisdom, the light of inconceivable wisdom," and further says, "I am able to abide securely in the suchness-nature of all dharmas, containing and receiving all dharmas within all dharmas." When sphere and wisdom are like this, it is therefore called esoteric; only then can he outwardly manifest as a great general of spirits. How could it not be that because there is the esoteric of principle, there is consequently the esoteric of phenomena? Although the present text of the sūtra does not reveal it, the Great Master grasped the meaning and thus took practicing and preaching the Dharma of the truths and wisdom as the reason for protecting the world and pacifying the people. Regarding "the mental factors do not function," etc.: the entire substance of the mind and its mental factors is itself expedients and prajñā. When the king of the mind is corrupt, its factors constantly engage corrupt spheres; now, since the king has guided them properly to make them not function, not functioning is itself functioning, functioning in profound prajñā to reach the other shore.