金光明最勝王經疏 1.11

1.11

Furthermore, there are six causes, as explained in Asaṅga's *Commentary on the Prajñāpāramitā*. Why did the elder Subhūti ask? The explanation gives six reasons: to sever doubt, to arouse faith, to enter into profound phenomena, to attain non-retrogression, to produce joy, and to cause the saddharma to abide for a long time; therefore, the World-Honoured One's reply was also for these six. The intention of that treatise's explanation is: for those who have doubt, to sever their doubt; for those whose doubt is severed, who delight in merit yet whose minds are not yet fulfilled—when bodhisattvas and others hear of great merit, they arouse faith and understanding regarding the *Prajñāpāramitā-sūtra*; for those whose minds are fulfilled, to enter profound meanings; for those who do not despise themselves, by coveting the great merit of upholding and practicing, they do not retrogress; for those who have attained concordant absorption and a pure mind, through entering phenomena themselves and seeing [others do so], joy is produced; and to cause the Mahāyāna teaching to abide for a long time in the future. This meaning is that for those with doubt regarding abiding, practice, and subjugation, one asks for teaching to remove doubt; although their doubt is removed, their minds delight in merit but their faculties are not yet mature: they think that upholding and reciting this sūtra has no great merit, so a comparative measurement is stated that upholding the sūtra has much merit, to cause them to produce faith and understanding. Having produced faith and understanding with fulfilled minds, they are able to enter and understand profound meanings. Having entered profound meanings, they know their own capability to practice and attain the fruit, do not despise themselves, covet great merit, and upholding and practicing, they do not retrogress. Not retrogressing for a long time, reaching the stage of definitive discernment, they gradually enter the path of vision, which is termed attaining concordant absorption and a pure mind. Enlightened to phenomena themselves, and seeing others enter, joy arises, and thereby they can cause the Dharma to abide long without vanishing. Now this sūtra also has these six meanings. In the chapter 'Span of the Tathāgata's Life', the Bodhisattva Ruciraketu says: 'I also reflected upon the measureless virtues of Śākyamuni Tathāgata, yet concerning his lifespan alone, doubt arose in my mind: why is it so brief, only eighty years?' The four Buddhas explained it for him: this is to cause those with doubt to sever doubt. Furthermore, the subsequent text states: 'Practicing the six pāramitās for hundreds of thousands of great kalpas without upāya is not as fruitful as the merit produced by hearing this sūtra.' Also, the chapter 'Dhāraṇī of Non-Attachment' states: 'If one fills asamphyeya three-thousand-great-thousand worlds with the seven jewels and offers them to all Buddhas, and offers supreme clothing, food, and drink of various kinds for countless kalpas; yet if another person can uphold even one verse of this dhāraṇī, the merit produced is twice as great as that.' This means: for those whose minds delight in merit but whose faculties are not mature, who think upholding this sūtra has no great merit, comparative measurement is stated to show that upholding the sūtra has much merit, causing them to generate faith and understanding to uphold, read, and recite it. As the chapter 'Emptiness' states: 'Then the great assembly, hearing the Buddha preach this profound emptiness, were countless sentient beings who all fully understood that the nature of the four great elements and five skandhas are all empty, and the six sense faculties and six sense objects falsely produce bondage', and so forth; this is being able to enter and understand profound meanings. The chapter 'Fulfilling Vows by Relying on Emptiness' states: 'Three hundred billion bodhisattvas attained non-retrogression in anuttarasamyaksambodhi'; this means having entered profound phenomena, knowing one's own capability to practice and attain the fruit, not despising oneself, coveting great merit, and upholding without retrogression. The chapter 'Emptiness' states: 'We vow to renounce saṃsāra, correctly cultivate transcendence, rejoice with profound mind, and uphold it according to the Dharma'; this is termed having attained concordant absorption within the four roots of good. How is this known? Since it says 'vow to renounce saṃsāra', it is clear they have not yet ascended the bhūmis. And saying 'correctly cultivate transcendence and rejoice with profound mind' means seeking to abide in the true, supreme nature of vijñaptimātra is called correctly cultivating transcendence; because of much joy and diligence, they rejoice with profound mind. The chapter 'Dhāraṇī of the Purified Bhūmi' states: 'When this Dharma was expounded, thirty billion bodhisattva mahāsattvas attained anutpattikadharmakṣānti.' The chapter 'Fulfilling Vows by Relying on Emptiness' states: 'Countless kings and ministers left dust and defilement behind and attained dharmacakṣurviśuddhi'; this is entering the purified bhūmi. Through this, one rejoices oneself and also rejoices upon seeing others enter, and therefore can also cause the saddharma to abide for a long time. The vows for dissemination in the various chapters below are all subsumed under this. Through this, the meaning of turning the wheel of Dharma is also accomplished. How so? Having heard the Dharma oneself, severed doubt, and gained entry, up to attaining sainthood, this constitutes the initial turning; seeing others gain entry, joy arises in the mind, and further causing the saddharma to abide long and spread abroad, which is causing others to sever doubt, enter the Dharma, and even attain sainthood—therefore it is called turning the wheel of Dharma. Moreover, in terms of the eight meanings, namely wishing to expound the great Dharma and so forth, by analogical interpretation brief citations are pointed out, and the rest may be known accordingly. The above is the general arising cause.