法華傳記 10.34

10.34

往昔久遠難稱限。爾時有佛。號藥王如來。世界名大清。劫曰淨除。藥王如來壽二十中劫。諸聲聞眾三十六億菩薩大士。有十二億。時轉輪聖王。名曰寶蓋。典主四域。王有千子。其王供養藥王如來具五中劫。與眷屬俱。一切施安。奉敬藥王。過五中劫已。告其千子。吾以供侍如來。君等亦當順遵前儲。於時千子聞父王教。復以五劫。供養藥王如來。進以上妙。不違所安。彼第一太子。名曰善蓋。閑居獨處。靜然思念。我等今者供養如來。寧有殊超彼者乎。承佛威神。虛空有天。而語之曰。族姓子豈欲知耶。有法供養。最尊無極。又問曰。何謂法之供養。天曰。爾當往問藥王如來。普當為君分別說之。善蓋即起。詣藥王如來所。稽首于地。白藥王如來曰。法之供養奉順典者。為何儲乎。世尊告曰。法供養者。順如來所說經典。開化一切。是為法之供養。王子善蓋。從藥王佛。聞法供養。應時逮得柔順法忍。出家修道。得五神通。欲知時王寶蓋。豈異人乎。今見在佛寶㷿如來是也。其王千子。此仁賢劫中。千佛興者是。太子善蓋。今我子釋迦牟尼是也。是故當知。一切所供。無過法供養。去來今佛。皆從是出。欲得供養十方諸佛。即當受正法華經持諷誦讀。宣示一切。分別一乘。無有三道。頌曰。假使有人欲供養者。當受持此正法華經（出正法華經焉）又如華手偈云。若以華塗香衣服及湯藥。以此供養佛。不名為真供。如來坐道場。所得微妙法。若能修行者。是為真供養。應知供養法華。為最供養而已。

In the distant past, immeasurable and beyond limit, at that time there was a Buddha named Bhaiṣajyarāja Tathāgata. His world was named Daqing (Great Purity), and the kalpa was called Jingchu (Pure Removal). Bhaiṣajyarāja Tathāgata's lifespan was twenty intermediate kalpas. His assembly of śrāvakas numbered thirty-six hundred million, and his great bodhisattvas numbered twelve hundred million. At that time there was a wheel-turning sage king named Ratnachatra who governed the four domains. The king had a thousand sons. For a full five intermediate kalpas, this king, together with his retinue, made offerings to Bhaiṣajyarāja Tathāgata, bestowing all comforts and revering Bhaiṣajyarāja. When five intermediate kalpas had passed, he told his thousand sons, "I have served and attended upon the Tathāgata; you all should also follow and observe what has been established." Thereupon the thousand sons heard their father the king's instruction, and for another five kalpas they made offerings to Bhaiṣajyarāja Tathāgata, presenting the most exquisite [gifts] without neglecting any comfort. The eldest crown prince among them was named Succhatra. Staying in quiet solitude, he contemplated in silence: "Now that we have made offerings to the Tathāgata, is there anything superior to this?" Supported by the Buddha's spiritual power, there was a deva in the sky who spoke to him, saying: "Son of good family, do you wish to know? There is a Dharma offering (dharma-pūjā), the most supreme and boundless." He asked again, saying: "What is called an offering of the Dharma?" The deva said: "You should go and ask Bhaiṣajyarāja Tathāgata; he will explain it in detail for you." Succhatra then arose, went to Bhaiṣajyarāja Tathāgata, touched his head to the ground, and addressed Bhaiṣajyarāja Tathāgata: "As for making an offering of Dharma and following the scriptures, what is it?" The World-Honoured One told him: "The Dharma offering consists of following the scriptures spoken by the Tathāgata and transforming all beings. This is the Dharma offering." Prince Succhatra heard about the Dharma offering from Bhaiṣajyarāja Buddha and immediately attained the ānulomikī dharma-kṣānti; he went forth from home to cultivate the Path and attained the five abhijñās. If you wish to know who King Ratnachatra was at that time, could he have been anyone else? He is the present Buddha Ratnāgni Tathāgata. The king's thousand sons are the thousand Buddhas who arise in this Bhadrakalpa. Crown Prince Succhatra was none other than me, Śākyamuni. Therefore, you should know that of all offerings, none surpasses the Dharma offering. The Buddhas of the past, future, and present all emerge from this. If one wishes to make offerings to the Buddhas of the ten directions, one should uphold, keep, chant, and read the Zheng fahua jing, proclaim it to all, and explain the one vehicle (eka-yāna), there being no three paths. The verse says: "If there is someone who wishes to make offerings, / They should uphold this Zheng fahua jing." (Drawn from the Zheng fahua jing.) Furthermore, as a verse in the Kuśalamūlasaṃparigraha-sūtra says: "If with flowers, smeared incense, clothing, and medicinal broths / One makes offerings to the Buddha with these, it is not called true offering. / The subtle and wondrous Dharma that the Tathāgata obtained / When seated at the site of enlightenment— / If one is able to practice it, this is true offering." One should know that offering to the Lotus Sūtra is simply the supreme offering.