金光明懺法補助儀 1.7

1.7

One should know that this practice is identical to the Qing Guanyin [ritual], taking invocation as the practice; across the seven days and six intervals of the day and night, one must reverently invoke at every single interval. The Bailu, the Vaipulya Ritual, and the Saddharmapuṇḍarīka Samādhi all conclude by stating: 'In the subsequent six intervals, omit the invocation of the Buddhas. The other nine practices are all practiced without difference.' Only the Qing Guanyin and the Suvarṇaprabhāsa texts (which lack this concluding statement, as can be known by inference), as well as an examination of the dhāraṇī ritual procedures of Sarasvatī, Dṛḍhā, Saṃjñāya, and so on in the new sūtra, all exclusively take invocation and summoning as their gateway. Furthermore, the Chapter on the Devī says: 'For my sake, praise the names of the Three Jewels three times each day, ... speak true words to invite Mahāśrī, ... and even up to the time you recite the dhāraṇī to invoke and summon me; when I hear the dhāraṇī invoking and summoning me, I will immediately arrive at that place.' If this is so for the three [intervals] of the day, the three [intervals] of the night are to be understood accordingly. Moreover, the subsequent text says: 'And in the late afternoon, ... recite the previous dhāraṇī, hoping that I arrive.' The meaning of invocation is clear. Often in the Guanyin ritual, those without understanding also wish to omit the invocation; this is a great failure to understand the reason. Here, I have merely condensed and summarized the text of invocation in the Bailu, making it into five positions altogether; it is only a matter of combining and dividing, and thus not an excision. The reason for combining them is that preparing food in the morning is easy, and outside of the time past midday, it should not matter to make an extensive invocation. The Qing Guanyin lacks this, so it should not be abridged at will.