金剛般若經旨贊 1.9

1.9

[Sūtra:] At that time, the World-Honoured One […] having spread his seat, sat down. / Commentary: Above, the verification of faith was clarified; below, the initiation [of the teaching] is revealed. "Initiation" means symbolic revelation. It means that to reveal the internal truth, one first accords with the external transformation, symbolizing the meaning of the main body and enacting the phenomenal signs of initiation. In explaining this text, there are altogether two meanings: first, individually clarifying the transformative signs, and second, revealing their collective meaning. Within this, ten kinds of transformative signs are revealed. / "At that time, the World-Honoured One": this is the master of conversion. Pointing to and introducing [the event] is called "at that time," namely, when the World-Honoured One was about to speak the sūtra. Being endowed with the six meanings and complete with the three virtues, having none equal to him, and being revered by the world, he is called "the World-Honoured One." This is the tenth of the ten epithets. Thus the Buddhabhūmi-śāstra states in a verse on the six meanings: / "Sovereignty, flourishing, / alongside dignity, fame, / auspiciousness, and nobility— / endowed with these six, / the most supreme meaning is accomplished." / The title of the Bhagavān's virtues, or the name bhagavat, is no different from this. / "Mealtime": this is the time of transformation. That is, the chen hour (7–9 a.m.). At this time, households' food is either freshly cooked or it is the very time for meals; seeking it, one easily obtains it without troubling oneself or others. If, having begged, he returns to his original place before the midday meal, he will not miss the proper time. If it were later than this, it would be the mealtime of non-Buddhists, evil ghosts and spirits, and beasts. Now, to reveal the pure and supreme Dharma of the renunciant, he goes begging at this time. / "Put on his robes, etc.": this reveals the implements of conversion. He put on the three initial robes, the pure robes of renunciants. Initially they had no field-like pattern; later they became so. Now, according to the renunciant rules, everyone keeps three robes: when walking the path or performing labor, one wears the antarvāsa, the five-strip robe; when among the great assembly or expounding the Dharma, one wears the uttarāsaṅga, the seven-strip robe; when entering royal palaces or begging for food, one wears the saṅghāṭī, the nine-strip (or more) robe. Collectively they are called kaṣāya, a name based on color. It is also called the robe of merit, because it accomplishes supreme merits; it is also called the emaciation robe, because it diminishes all hindrances; it is also called the field-of-merit robe, because it is the world's field of merit; it is also called the seal of nirvāṇa, because wearing it is essential for attaining crossing-over; it is also called the Buddha's emblem, because it is the ceremonial attire of the Buddhas. / Carrying the stone bowl held up by the Four Heavenly Kings, together with the three robes and monk's staff, each has its location; through the Tathāgata's prior prophecy, passed on according to conditions, they reached the land of Han—unlike Confucianism and Daoism, which have only empty names. Here, he puts on robes to enter the city, and carries the bowl to beg for food. / "Entered the great city of Śrāvastī": this reveals the place of conversion. The city covers more than ten leagues, with nine hundred million households; because the area is vast and the people numerous, it is called "great." Going from outside to inside is called "entering." / "Begging for food": this reveals the condition for conversion. Now, the Buddha's body has vajra as its substance; how could he depend on food to go begging? There are multiple causes and conditions for manifesting the pursuit of food: the Ratnamālā-sūtra speaks of twenty benefits, and the Yogācārabhūmi-śāstra states it is due to ten causes and conditions. Now, combining them generally, there are ten intentions: / 1. To attract and gather those who have already begged and those who have not yet begged, causing them to abide in the meritorious Dharma of dhūta; / 2. To serve as a great illumination for the future, avoiding slander regarding begging for food; / 3. To rescue and guide coarse and degraded non-Buddhists who, not yet submitting, may be transformed through this practice; / 4. To correct those who give rise to slander upon hearing rumors, manifesting wondrous physical marks and deportment to make them feel awe and faith; / 5. For sentient beings of middling status without faith, to obtain much merit with little effort; / 6. For sentient beings who, though faithful, are heedless, to give rise to shame and cultivate practice; / 7. For sentient beings lacking the six sense faculties, so that their various disasters and afflictions may all be quelled; / 8. For the six kinds of hindered, suffering people, seeing the Buddha to plant merit and leave behind suffering and hindrances; / 9. Because the eight classes [of beings] guide and follow the World-Honoured One, causing worldly people to take deep refuge and learn; / 10. To cause the eight classes [of beings] to admire worldly people and diligently protect them, so that guests and guards suffer no calamities. / "In its [midst, etc.]": this clarifies the equality of conversion. That is, because of internally realizing the principle of equality, his mind of compassion rescues without partiality; because he makes no discrimination between rich and poor, noble and lowly; because he has neither love nor hate toward delicious or bad [food]; because he possesses great majesty and virtue and has nothing to fear; because he is eternally free from faults and has no suspicion or slander; because he humbles the partial rescue of the two vehicles; and because he halts the doubts and suspicions of non-Buddhists. Being endowed with these eight meanings, having begged successively in the city, he returned to his original place. / "Returned to his original place": this clarifies the end of conversion. Previously knowing contentment, his begging did not exceed the measure; here [it reveals] having few desires, showing his delight in quiescence. Originally coming from the Jeta Grove to enter the city to beg for food, having begged equally, he returned to his original place. / "Having finished his meal": this reveals the completion of conversion. Originally stating that it was to benefit sentient beings that he entered the city to beg for food, if he did not eat now, it would seem fabricated; to fulfill the field of merit, he manifested eating. Although his vajra body truly has no need for food, to bring the merit to completion, he finished eating. / "Put away his robes and bowl": this reveals the cessation of conversion. Originally, because he entered the city to beg for food, he relied on putting on the robes and holding the bowl. Now, the matter being ended and the meal finished, he must gather up the robes and bowl, which are provisions and conditions. If not put away, thoughts directed toward external objects would arise, increasing toil and anxiety; how then could he sit peacefully in dhyāna? Although the Buddha is free from a scattered mind, to serve as a model for posterity, he had to put them away. That is, folding the great saṅghāṭī robe, he once again wore the seven-strip uttarāsaṅga, washed his bowl, and placed it in its usual location; therefore it says "put away his robes and bowl." / "Having washed his feet": this reveals the purity of conversion. Because all Tathāgatas observe the rule of walking on foot, walking barefoot on the road, they must wash their feet. Yet when the Buddha walks, lotus flowers spring up beneath his feet; how could there be dust and grime requiring washing? To symbolize the meaning of purity, it says "having washed his feet." / "Spread his seat and sat down": this reveals the deportment of conversion. That is, about to expound the Dharma, he personally arranged the seating out of respect for the Mother of Buddhas, not having others spread it. Then upon this seat, he sat cross-legged, straightened his body, righted his mindfulness, with mind single and undistracted, facing the true realm. Although across the four deportments the Buddha is ever in samādhi, to serve as a model for posterity, he spread his seat and sat down. / The phenomenal signs of initiation have been clarified above. Since it is "initiation," which means symbolic revelation, it symbolizes how sentient beings are originally pure and subsequently defiled, and how, through the preaching of the sūtra, they reverse movement and return to quiescence. That is, the minds of sentient beings are fundamentally pure and endowed with virtues numerous as the sands of the Ganges; this is the true Dharmakāya. Veiled and defiled by ignorance, they consequently enter birth-and-death, taste attachment to the five desires, transmigrate through the four modes of birth, cycle through the six destinies, and undergo repeatedly the eight sufferings. Because the Buddha expounds the sūtra, they reflect back upon the source of the mind, eternally leave behind craving and attachment, eradicate ignorance, reveal the pure Dharmakāya, and abide eternally in ease and joy. / "At that time, the World-Honoured One" symbolizes the true Dharmakāya of sentient beings. / "At mealtime putting on robes and holding the bowl" symbolizes the time of being veiled and defiled by ignorance. / "Entering the great city of Śrāvastī" symbolizes entering the great suffering destinies of birth-and-death. / "Begging for food" symbolizes defiled attachment to the six sensory objects of the world. / "Having begged successively in that city" symbolizes fully undergoing transmigration in the six destinies. / "Returning to his original place" symbolizes, through the power of prajñā, reflecting upon the source of the mind. / "Having finished his meal" symbolizes eternally leaving behind craving and attachment. / "Putting away robes and bowl" symbolizes eradicating ignorance. / "Having washed his feet" symbolizes revealing the pure Dharmakāya. / "Spreading his seat and sitting down" symbolizes ease, joy, and the unconditioned. / From beginning to end, these meanings are symbolized; therefore, these phenomenal events of initiation are manifested.