維摩經疏卷第三．第六 6.68

6.68

From “The Buddha told” below is the fourth part, citing the past to verify and substantiate [the teaching]. Within this there are three parts: first, explaining that material offerings do not equal the offering of Dharma; second, from “Was the King Ratnachattra at that time anyone different?” below, connecting and harmonising the past and the present; third, from “Thus, Śakra, you should know that this” below, concluding with praise and encouraging study. Within the first there are two parts: 1. adducing the material offerings; 2. from “At that time the prince named Candracchattra” below, contrasting them with the offering of Dharma to show that they fall short. Within the preceding section on material offerings, the text is divided into three parts: in the first, he first explains the Buddha who was offered to; next, from “At that time there was a wheel-turning king named Ratnachattra” below, he reveals the person capable of making the offering; afterwards, from “At that time Ratnachattra together with his retinue” below, he explains the acts of making offerings. In the first [part], regarding the Buddha who was offered to, he first explains the complete endowment of Bhaiṣajyarāja's ten titles; next, he reveals the name of the world; afterwards, he explains the number of his assembly of disciples. “Past, immeasurable asaṃkhyeya kalpas ago” explains the distance of time. “At that time in that world there was a Buddha named Bhaiṣajyarāja,” and so forth, directly lists the individual name of the offered Bhaiṣajyarāja. The ten titles such as Tathāgata are the general designations of Buddhas. Regarding the Buddha's ten titles: First, Tathāgata (Thus-Come). According to the Ratnagotravibhāga-śāstra, he is called Tathāgata because he has come from the intrinsic nature to the nature of the fruit. The Vajracchedikā Prajñāpāramitā states: “As for Tathāgata, he does not come from anywhere, nor does he go anywhere; therefore he is called Tathāgata.” The Nirvāṇa Sūtra states: “He is called Tathāgata because he comes to nirvāṇa from the six pāramitās, the thirty-seven factors [of awakening], and the eleven kinds of emptiness.” The Yogācārabhūmi-śāstra states: “He is called Tathāgata because his words are not false or vain.” The Satyasiddhi-śāstra states: “He is called Tathāgata because he mounted the path of suchness to come and achieve perfect awakening.” Second, Arhat (Worthy of Offerings): endowed with wisdom and abandonment, he is worthy of offerings from worldly beings. The Nirvāṇa Sūtra states: “Those worldly dharmas that ought to be eliminated are all called enemies. Because the Buddha should eliminate them, he is called ‘Worthy’ (ying).” It also states: “The four māras are the enemies of bodhisattvas. When the buddhas and tathāgatas were bodhisattvas, they were able by means of wisdom to destroy the four māras, so they are named ‘Worthy’.” The Yogācārabhūmi-śāstra states: “Because he has obtained all the meanings that ought to be obtained, he is called ‘Worthy’.” Third, Samyaksambuddha (Correct and Universally Awakened): through mūla-jñāna he realizes suchness free from characteristics, which is called ‘correct’; through pṛṣṭhalabdha-jñāna there is no phenomenon he does not know, hence he is called ‘universally knowing’. According to the Nirvāṇa Sūtra, ‘correct’ means non-inverted; ‘universally knowing’ means that regarding the four inversions, there is nothing he has not penetrated. According to the Yogācārabhūmi-śāstra, regarding ‘equally and correctly awakened’ (samyak-sambuddha): ‘equal’ means equality; ‘correct’ means correct understanding; ‘awakened’ means awakening. Because the Buddha is equally awakened to all dharmas, he is called ‘equally and correctly awakened’. Fourth, Vidyācaraṇasaṃpanna (Endowed with Knowledge and Conduct): ‘knowledge’ refers to the three vidyās; ‘conduct’ refers to the practice of the six pāramitās. Both the three vidyās and the six pāramitās are fully perfected. According to the Nirvāṇa Sūtra, ‘knowledge’ means attaining immeasurable wholesome fruits; ‘conduct’ refers to the name of bodhisattva conduct, which is the vehicle of morality and wisdom; because morality and wisdom are sufficient to attain the fruit of bodhi, he is called ‘endowed with knowledge and conduct’. According to the Yogācārabhūmi-śāstra, ‘knowledge’ refers to the three vidyās, and ‘conduct’ is śamatha and vipaśyanā; because he is thoroughly able to fulfill both qualities, he is called ‘endowed with knowledge and conduct’. If one follows the Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa, ‘knowledge’ is the three vidyās, and ‘conduct’ designates bodily and vocal [actions]; since only the Buddha’s body and speech are complete while all others have faults, it is called ‘endowed’. Fifth, Sugata (Well Gone): ‘su’ means well; ‘gata’ means gone. Within saṃsāra, he has gone well and does not return to the three realms. According to the Nirvāṇa Sūtra, ‘su’ means high, and ‘gata’ means not high. ‘High’ refers to the fruit of great bodhi; ‘not high’ refers to the Tathāgata's mind. If the Buddha's mind were lofty, he would not be called a Tathāgata; therefore the Tathāgata is called Sugata. Sixth, Lokavid (Knower of the World): there are three kinds of worlds: 1. the world of sentient beings; 2. the receptacle world; 3. the world of correct wisdom and awakening. Because the Tathāgata's wisdom illuminates and knows that the nature of the world is empty, he is called ‘knower of the world’. The Yogācārabhūmi-śāstra states: “Because the Tathāgata thoroughly knows the characteristics of defilement and purity of all classes of the world and of the realm of sentient beings, he is called Lokavid.” According to the Nirvāṇa Sūtra, in the immeasurable asaṃkhyeya worlds of the eastern direction, all śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas neither know, see, nor understand them, but the buddhas completely know, see, and understand them; and the southern, western, northern directions, the four intermediate directions, the zenith, and the nadir are also like this; hence he is the ‘knower of the world’. Seventh, Anuttara-puruṣadamyasārathi (Unsurpassable Leader of Persons to Be Tamed): ‘puruṣa’ means a person; being the highest among persons, he is called the ‘unsurpassable person’. According to the Bodhisattvabhūmi-śāstra (Dichi lun), there are seven kinds: 1. unsurpassability of body, being fully endowed with the major and minor marks; 2. unsurpassability of the path, possessing the two paths of benefiting oneself and benefiting others; 3. unsurpassability of rectitude, endowed with the four rectitudes: right view, right morality, right deportment, and right livelihood; 4. unsurpassability of wisdom, endowed with the four unhindered knowledges; 5. unsurpassability of supernormal power, possessing the six abhijñās; 6. unsurpassability of abandonment, namely, abandoning both the affliction and cognitive obstacles; 7. unsurpassability of dwelling, namely, the supreme dwelling among the three dwellings of the brahma-dwelling, divine dwelling, and noble dwelling. Endowed with the above seven meanings, he is called ‘unsurpassable person’. The Tathāgata disciplines his own body and mind, and also tames persons; therefore he is called ‘leader of persons to be tamed’. According to the Nirvāṇa Sūtra, ‘eminent person’ is named after elimination; one who has nothing to eliminate is called ‘unsurpassable person’; because buddhas and tathāgatas have no afflictions, they have nothing to eliminate, and for this reason he is named ‘unsurpassable person’. Eighth, Śāstādevamanuṣyāṇām (Teacher of Gods and Humans): among gods he is the teacher of gods; among humans he is the teacher of humans. In truth, the Bhagavat is neither god nor human, but since he is above gods and humans, he is called ‘teacher of gods and humans’. The Buddha is the teacher of the six destinies, but he receives this name solely because his benefits to gods and humans are superior. Ninth, Buddha: this is rendered ‘awakened’. Awakened to oneself, awakening others, and having the practice of awakening completely perfected; possessing the above three meanings, he is called Buddha. Tenth, Bhagavat (World-Honoured One): endowed with the above nine virtues, he is honoured by the world, and is therefore called Bhagavat. Second, “The world was [named] Great Adornment, and the kalpa was called Adornment” clarifies the kalpa and the country. “The Buddha's lifespan was twenty small kalpas” clarifies the length of the lifespan. Regarding “twenty small kalpas”: according to the Abhidharmakośa-śāstra, there are three kinds of kalpas; beginning from eighty thousand years down to ten years, and from ten years gradually increasing back to eighty thousand years—this one rise and one fall is called a small kalpa. Forty small kalpas are called an intermediate kalpa, and eighty intermediate kalpas are called a great kalpa. Third, “His saṅgha of śrāvakas numbered thirty-six nayutas,” and so forth, explains the quantity of the assembly. Among [the passages on] the person capable of making offerings, “at that time there was a wheel-turning king” marks his status; “named Ratnachattra” lists his personal name; “fully endowed with the seven treasures” reveals what he possessed. Regarding the “seven treasures”: first is the jewel treasure; [second is the wheel treasure;] these two are inanimate. Third is the elephant treasure; fourth is the horse treasure; these two are animals. Fifth is the treasure of the minister who oversees the treasury; Nāgārjuna states that this is a night spirit who interacts with humans. Sixth is the treasure of the minister of the military; seventh is the treasure of the woman; these three are humans. Their forms and functions are fully as explained in the sūtra. “Ruling the four continents” clarifies his realm of sovereignty. In the great ocean surrounding the four sides of Mount Sumeru, there are four island-continents called the four continents. In the eastern direction there is a continent named Pūrvavideha; its shape is like a half-moon, and human faces resemble it. In the southern direction there is a continent named Jambudvīpa; its shape is pointed and slanted, and human faces resemble it. In the western direction there is a continent named Aparagodānīya; its shape is like a full moon, and human faces resemble it. In the northern direction there is a continent named Uttarakuru; its shape is a square, and human faces resemble it. A gold-wheel-turning holy king rules universally over all these four continents. A silver-wheel king rules three continents, excluding Uttarakuru. A copper-wheel king rules two continents, excluding the eastern and northern ones. An iron-wheel king only rules Jambudvīpa. In order to distinguish him from the latter three, it is said that Ratnachattra ruled the four continents. According to the Kāruṇikarāja Sūtra, among the four kinds of wheel-turning kings, the position of the iron-wheel king is in the wholesome destinies, or perhaps in the ten faiths. The position of the copper-wheel king is in the ten abodes, or it is said, in the ten faiths. The position of the silver-wheel king is in the ten practices. The position of the gold-wheel king is in the ten dedications. This Ratnachattra ruled the four continents; he is a gold-wheel king, a bodhisattva of the ten dedications. Therefore a verse in this sūtra says: “Bodhisattvas of the ten virtues produce the great mind, / Long departing the ocean of suffering's wheel in the three realms. / Lower and middling virtues make millet-scattering kings; / Upper-grade ten virtues make iron-wheel kings. / In the lineage of practice, copper-wheel [kings rule] two continents; / Silver-wheel [kings rule] three continents in the essential lineage. / The gold-wheel king of firm virtue belongs to the path-lineage, / With the seven treasures and golden light [ruling] the four continents.” “The king had a thousand sons, upright and brave,” and so on, reveals his offspring. 3. Below explains the matter of offerings. Within this, it first explains that the king himself made offerings to Bhaiṣajyarāja Tathāgata for five full kalpas. Below, regarding instructing the princes to make offerings, the king first commands them; afterwards it explains that the princes obeyed the command and made offerings. The above is the first [part], explaining the material offerings.