請觀音經疏闡義鈔 3.45

3.45

「非是自請」者，佛居至極，毒害已盡故。既云覆護一切重請觀世音，即知是為他護法也。「若作淨語可施於下」者，即受下之朝請也。「如天」下，引證也。漢制，諸侯春朝天子曰朝，秋朝曰請，故漢官儀有朝請大夫。則佛如天子，觀音如百官，請百官即朝百官也。臣赴君曰朝，以觀音之法臣，朝釋迦之法王，故云請觀音也。「又經」下，示經題亦通淨音。「可施凡」下者，凡下即月蓋及舍離人，朝於觀音也。若準前喻，則天子喻觀音，百官喻凡下。前是佛受觀音之朝，故單言下。今是觀音受眾生之朝，故言凡下。「請語重」者，咨尊曰請，依字音也。「隨意消息」者，正約經中重請之言也。若作咨尊義，即佛為眾生請於觀音也。若作淨音，即佛重受觀音之朝，證彼說呪也。

"It is not asking for oneself": because the Buddha abides at the utmost ultimate, where poisonous afflictions have already been exhausted. Since it says "shielding and protecting all, he again requests Avalokiteśvara," one knows that it is to protect the Dharma for the sake of others. "If treated as pure speech, it may be applied to subordinates": that is, receiving an audience-request from subordinates. "As the emperor..." and so forth cites proof. According to the Han dynasty system, when the feudal lords held an audience with the Son of Heaven in spring, it was called chao; when they held an audience in autumn, it was called qing. Therefore, the Han official regulations had the title Grandee of Audience and Request (chaoqing dafu). Thus, the Buddha is like the Son of Heaven, and Avalokiteśvara is like the hundred officials; to "request" (qing) the hundred officials means the hundred officials holding an audience (chao). A minister going before his sovereign is called chao; because Avalokiteśvara, as a minister of the Dharma, has an audience with Śākyamuni, the King of the Dharma, it is called "invoking (qing) Avalokiteśvara." "Moreover, the sūtra..." and so forth indicates that the title of the sūtra also admits the reading of pure sound. "It may be applied to ordinary mortals..." and so forth means that ordinary subordinates—that is, Candraprabha and the people of Vaiśālī—have an audience with Avalokiteśvara. If compared according to the previous analogy, then the Son of Heaven is an analogy for Avalokiteśvara, and the hundred officials are an analogy for the ordinary subordinates. Previously, it was the Buddha receiving Avalokiteśvara's audience, so it simply said "subordinates." Here, it is Avalokiteśvara receiving the audience of sentient beings, so it says "ordinary subordinates." "The word 'qing' is weighty": consulting a superior is called qing, following the character's pronunciation. "Deduce appropriately according to context": this directly addresses the phrase "again requests" in the sūtra. If taking the meaning of consulting a superior, it means the Buddha requests Avalokiteśvara on behalf of sentient beings. If taking it as pure sound, it means the Buddha again receives Avalokiteśvara's audience and bears witness to his uttering the dhāraṇī.