金光明經文句記 6.93

6.93

Second, principle. Just in the four phenomena, they understood the four virtues; thus the benefit of principle was accomplished. Because the ten thousand fish had been lax in precepts, they received bodies with scales and shells; because they had been earnest in the vehicle, they now encountered a true good spiritual friend of the Great Vehicle, and were therefore able to deeply understand the wondrous principle in phenomena. Receiving food and gaining life represents true eternity; receiving water and gaining bliss represents the bliss of nirvāṇa; regarding the briar patch of the twelve [links], they understood sovereign selfhood; relying on the Dharma of the ten epithets, they obtained the retribution wealth of heaven; regarding worldly pure livelihood, they understood the virtue of innate purity. These four Dharma-benefits were obtained on account of Jalavāhana; therefore, they held forty thousand genuine pearl necklaces to repay his kindness, making offerings of the four phenomena of food and the rest. Since they represent the benefit of principle, how could the forty thousand pearl necklaces merely be a phenomenal offering? They represent the thousand realms and ten thousand suchnesses, these phenomena each and all possessing eternity, bliss, self, and purity. That is, the forty thousand genuine pearl necklaces, being unadorned yet adorned, adorned the Dharma-body; this is a material offering turning into an offering of the Dharma. Were it not so, how could they be said to have wondrous good roots as the condition for receiving the prediction?