緇門警訓 4.30

4.30

As for the manifestation triratna: it refers to Śākyamuni Tathāgata as the buddharatna, the truth of cessation spoken by him as the dharmaratna, and the elimination of suffering through prior wisdom as the saṅgharatna. This manifestation triratna is also called the distinct aspect; its substance is impermanent, undergoing transition and extinction through the four marks. Over a thousand years have passed; one can only gaze back into the distant past, thereby increasing reverent awe. Since the three buddhas of the Bhadrakalpa had already passed, without our fourth, upon whom would living beings rely? Perpetually sunk in the ocean of suffering, there was no road to liberation. Therefore, the Capable and Benevolent One appeared in the world in response to the opportune time; over three asaṃkhyeya kalpas of cultivation, his myriad practices achieved perfection. When the slightest flaw was removed, his Dharma nature congealed in purity; when every fraction of goodness was fulfilled, his recompense and transformation forms became subtle and wondrous. Thereafter, he was born above in Tuṣita, descended into the royal palace, sat beneath the Bodhi tree at the age of thirty to achieve Buddhahood, and lived in the world for forty-nine years teaching and transforming, preaching the Dharma three hundred and fifty times and proclaiming eighty-four thousand gates. Kings and ministers provided external protection across the four seas and the nine provinces; masters and monks transmitted it internally among humans and devas. Its benefits are vast and the transmission of the Dharma is inconceivable. Therefore, a gāthā says: