肇論新疏 2.19

2.19

Out of modesty, the King did not call himself Emperor, but only compared his steps to the Three Kings, following the Spring and Autumn Annals which honored Zhou as Heavenly King. "Hundred kings" merely refers generally to sovereigns of past generations. "Deftly maneuvering" comes from the Zhuangzi, where Cook Ding butchered an ox, moving his blade with practiced subtlety, hence called "deftly maneuvering the blade". That text says: "In deftly maneuvering the blade, there is bound to be room to spare." This means that the Qin King personally attends to myriad affairs daily, judging and settling them appropriately, just like skillfully maneuvering a blade. Moreover, he propagates and elucidates the Buddha-Dharma throughout the day. "Populace" (cangsheng) means sentient beings, meaning they are born in vast profusion (cangcang). Alternatively, "cang" is heaven, as they are born from heaven. This follows common usage. "Looks up to as heaven" means that the king's virtue matches heaven, and all things are sheltered under his shade. Formerly, by the Golden River (Hiraṇyavatī), the Buddha gave his final testament, commanding kings and ministers to propagate and protect [the Dharma]; now the King observes and practices it, and the Dharma gate relies upon him.