四明尊者教行錄 4.35

4.35

Answer: Expositions of sūtras have their respective reasons for being shallow or deep. In the present sūtra, joyful praise possesses two kinds: internal understanding and external affairs. External affairs may well be interpreted shallowly, but internal understanding must be made deeply clear. As for the 'Chapter on Encouragement', since Samantabhadra came from afar to request the expounding of the sūtra again, and the Tathāgata based on this briefly expounded the four dharmas, if it did not summarize the whole sūtra with opening, displaying, awakening to, and entering, how could it fulfill his request? Since the rank of the petitioner is high, how could the attained sūtra be shallow? Therefore, it must not be understood merely as holding the sūtra scroll in hand. As for that Prajñā Sūtra, since holding it in hand and hearing it with the ears constitute the seed of bodhi, how could anyone without roots of goodness encounter this? If it constitutes an indestructible seed, then there is an appointed time for liberation; hence there is the statement of swiftly sitting and being certain to attain. How much less should holding it in hand and hearing it with the ears be exclusively understood as shallow affairs? Furthermore, propagating the sūtra is fundamentally for generating goodness; if one does not spur it with the practice of principle, how could that be attained?