念佛三昧寶王論 3.29

3.29

對曰：「如帝王行幸，萬乘千官，步卒已來，皆帶御字，犯之天仗，死在斯須。若鑾輅還宮，步卒放散，歸乎村墅，苟稱於御字，亦死在斯須。且步卒是同，而生、死有異，蓋為緣起之殊，有茲寵辱也。向若華、蓋、香、燈，不遇《法華經》王命之天仗，實亦報在天宮。今逢三昧寶王，猶當扈從，乃至獻一華，皆已成佛道。斯則佛種從緣起，理教然耳！亦猶鳥向須彌，皆同一色；水朝巨海，無復異名。故《大寶積經．文殊普門會》，會天龍八部，地獄、畜生，色、聲、香等，一切萬法皆三昧者，亦猶毛容巨海，芥納須彌，豈毛芥之神乎？蓋神者神之耳。則知，解猶於目，行類於足，解正即行正，解邪即行邪，魔、佛淺深，俱憑於解。故《涅槃》曰：『於戒緩者，不名為緩；於乘緩者，乃名為緩。』乘者即慧解之稱也，一行既爾，萬行皆然。法華三昧者，即念佛三昧也。是以如來名此勝定，為三昧寶王、為光明藏、為除罪珠，為邪見燈、迷衢者導、王子金印、貧夫寶藏，空三昧、聖三昧，陀羅尼真思惟，最勝觀如意珠，佛性、法性、僧性，無盡藏勝方便，大慧光明，消惡觀法三昧等。故知，教、理、行、果，八萬四千波羅蜜門，皆是念佛三昧之異名也。夫如是則獻一華，遍奉於三世塵剎，念一佛體，通於未來世雄，如大地而為射的，豈有箭發而不中者哉？不然，則違《思益經》畏空、捨空，行空、索空之誚耳。」

I replied: "When an emperor travels in state, with ten thousand carriages and a thousand officials, down to the foot soldiers, all bear the character 'Imperial'; anyone who offends the imperial guard faces instant death. But when the imperial carriage returns to the palace and the foot soldiers are dismissed, returning to their villages, if one of them should claim the character 'Imperial', he likewise faces instant death. The foot soldiers are the same, yet life and death differ; it is because of the distinction in dependent origination that there is such favor or disgrace. Previously, if flowers, canopies, incense, and lamps had not encountered the imperial guard of the Saddharmapuṇḍarīka Sūtra's royal decree, their retribution would indeed have been in the heavenly palaces. But now, encountering the Jewel King of Samādhi, they serve as its royal escort, and even presenting a single flower ensures that all have already realized the Buddha Way. This is because the buddha-seed arises from conditions; principle and teaching make it so! It is also like birds flying toward Sumeru, which all take on the same color, or waters flowing to the great ocean, having no further distinct names. Therefore, in the 'Assembly of Mañjuśrī’s Universal Gate' of the Mahāratnakūṭa Sūtra, when gods, dragons, and the eight classes, along with those in hell, animals, forms, sounds, scents, and all the myriad phenomena are gathered, all are samādhi; this is like a hair tip containing the great ocean, or a mustard seed admitting Mount Sumeru—is it the spiritual power of the hair or the mustard seed? Rather, it is the spirit that spiritualizes them. Thus we know that understanding is like the eyes, while practice is like the feet: when understanding is correct, practice is correct; when understanding is false, practice is false. The shallow and deep of māra and buddha both depend on understanding. Therefore the Nirvāṇa [Sūtra] says: 'One who is lax in precepts is not called lax; one who is lax in the vehicle is called lax.' 'Vehicle' is the name for wisdom and understanding. If one practice is like this, the myriad practices are all the same. The Lotus samādhi is none other than the buddhānusmṛti-samādhi. For this reason the Tathāgata named this superior concentration the Jewel King of Samādhi, the Storehouse of Light, the Pearl of Eradication of Transgressions, the Lamp for False Views, the Guide for Those Lost on the Road, the Golden Seal of the Prince, the Treasure Trove of the Poor Man, the Samādhi of Emptiness, the Noble Samādhi, the True Contemplation of Dhāraṇī, the Wish-Fulfilling Jewel of the Supreme Contemplation, Buddha-Nature, Dharma-Nature, Saṅgha-Nature, the Superior Expedient of the Inexhaustible Treasury, the Light of Great Wisdom, the Samādhi of Contemplating Dharmas to Extinguish Evil, and so on. Thus we know that teaching, principle, practice, and fruit—the eighty-four thousand pāramitā gates—are all alternative names for the buddhānusmṛti-samādhi. When it is thus, presenting a single flower universally serves the dust-mote lands of the three times, and being mindful of a single Buddha-essence pervades the heroes of future worlds. It is like using the great earth as a shooting target—how could an arrow be released without hitting the mark? If it were not so, one would incur the rebuke in the Viśeṣacintibrahmaparipṛcchā Sūtra of fearing emptiness while abandoning emptiness, and practicing emptiness while seeking emptiness."