淨名經關中釋抄 2.27

2.27

"Dharma" refers to the Mahāyāna middle way true mark Dharma. Therefore, the text states, "the profound sūtras spoken by all Buddhas." Regarding "offering," the text contains two kinds: first, reciting and liberated [understanding]—this is called shallow; second, practicing in accordance with the teaching and attaining forbearance of non-arising dharmas—this is called profound. According to the Lotus Sūtra, flowers, incense, necklaces, copying, and rejoicing in accord are all Dharma offerings. Question: Is this an offering to the Buddha or an offering to the Dharma? Answer: It is an offering to the Buddha made with a mind that protects and maintains the true Dharma. Therefore, the text states: "Those who accept, uphold, read, recite, and make offerings to this sūtra thereby make offerings to the Buddhas of past, present, and future." Furthermore, at the end of the chapter, the concluding exhortation states: "Therefore, Heavenly Sovereign, you should make offerings to the Buddha with the offering of the Dharma." In these two chapters of the dissemination section, this chapter first praises the Dharma's truth and great benefit to encourage making offerings; only in the subsequent chapter does [the Buddha] earnestly and diligently entrust its propagation. "Hundreds of thousands of sūtras" refers to the small vehicle sūtras of the Āgamas. "Unimpeded supernormal powers" praises the power and function of that which can realize. "Definite true mark" praises the truth of the Dharma that is realized. "Śarīra" is the Sanskrit sound, newly rendered as śarīra (śarīra-dhātu); here it is called bodily relics. There are whole ones and fragmented ones; here, "whole" is taken to mean possessing abundant merit. "Precious stupa": it should be said that across various sūtras and treatises it is written variously as shusoubi, or huatapo, or doupo, or toupo, or sutoupo, or zhidifudou, or zhiti futu, and newly called stūpa. Here it is translated as "ancestral shrine" (miao). The Baihu tong says: "A miao is appearance (mao); it represents the appearance of prior honored ancestors." Master Hong says: "A stupa is a Buddha hall." "Biaosha" is also written with the character sha, having the same sound. Sha is the Sanskrit sound, also called chadaoluo (kṣetra), translated here as "land/field." Those that say "chatu" (kṣetra) preserve both phonetic transliterations. It means erecting a pole to house the Buddha's relics; the support for the Buddha's relics is synonymous with the field/earth. Therefore, the sūtra states that kṣatriya is translated here as "black," which also bears this meaning. The word "biao" (manifest) means placing it in a high and prominent position so that it is displayed and made manifest. "Bhaiṣajyarāja Tathāgata, Arhat," and so forth are the ten epithets. "Tathāgata" is the epithet for practicing in accordance with reality. The Mahā[parinirvāṇa] Sūtra says: "All World-Honoured Ones, from the six pāramitās and the thirty-seven aids to awakening […] come to great nirvāṇa." Therefore, the treatise says: "I have come along the path of reality to achieve right awakening." Second, "Arhat" is the epithet for being worthy of performing the two benefits. The Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra says: "Worthy of crushing the four Māras (that is, as the four divisions state, without attachment), worthy of saving sentient beings, and worthy of receiving offerings; hence it is said." Third, "Samyaksaṃbuddha" is the epithet for truly knowing and exhausting the source. The Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra says: "'Right' means non-perverted; fully knowing, there is nothing in perversion that is not penetrated; hence it is said." Fourth, "Vidyācaraṇasampanna" is the epithet for having fulfilled the cultivation of causes. The sense of the Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra is: "'Vidya' (knowledge) is the Buddha-fruit; 'caraṇa' (conduct) is the complete cultivation of morality, concentration, and wisdom; hence it is said." Fifth, "Sugata" is the epithet for proceeding straight to bodhi without retrogressing. The Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra says: "Not relinquishing the initial aspiration, one attains great nirvāṇa (meaning non-retrogression)." Sixth, "Lokavid" is the epithet for provisional wisdom being completely bright. The Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa says: "'Knowing the world': understanding is just knowing." The Yogācārabhūmi says: "Skillfully knowing the characteristics of defilement and purity of all types in the world of containers and the realm of sentient beings." Seventh, "Anuttara" is the epithet for transcending all worthies and sages. The Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra says: "The Tathāgata is truly not a hero; because he tames heroes without being a hero, he is so named." These two epithets, according to the Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra, are divided into two; the Yogācāra Treatise says "unexcelled hero." Ninth, "Śāstā devamanuṣyāṇām" is the epithet for skillfully guiding sentient beings. The Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra says: "Truly a teacher of the Dharma realm, because gods and humans have increased in number; hence it is said." Tenth, "Buddha" is the epithet for supreme awakening without a teacher. It illuminates self-awakening without a teacher, which all afflictions cannot obscure. "World-Honoured One" (Bhagavat), according to the Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa, is an epithet outside of the ten epithets. The seven treasures and one thousand sons are of the gold-wheel-turning king: first, the wheel treasure; second, the jewel treasure; third, the woman treasure; fourth, the elephant treasure; fifth, the horse treasure; sixth, the treasury minister treasure; seventh, the military minister treasure. "Sealed with the dhāraṇī seal": the treatise says that small vehicle sūtras have three Dharma seals: impermanence, suffering, and non-self. The Mahāyāna elucidates sealing with the single jewel-mark seal; that is, being skillfully able to distinguish the characteristics of all dharmas, yet remaining unmoved regarding the ultimate truth. The four propositions and hundred negations cannot move it. That which is sealed by this seal is entirely the perfect and sudden Mahāyāna. The Mahāratnakūṭa Sūtra, "Pure Dhāraṇī Chapter," says: "Sealing all dharmas with space; by means of the signless seal, being able to manifest that signlessness of space." Furthermore, a verse says: "All Buddhas have nothing existent; / they are neither born nor do they die. / There is no existent that grasps this; / how could it be universally maintained? / If one can understand in this way that all is in accordance with reality, / then without discrimination one can attain universal maintenance." "Definite non-self" is the emptiness of self. "Causes, conditions, and karmic retributions are separated from what belongs to self" is the emptiness of dharmas. Regarding the "four reliances," the thirty-ninth chapter of the Mahāsaṃnipāta states: "words" refers to stating samsāra; [meaning] is knowing that samsāra has no abiding; "words" refers to speaking of the flavor of nirvāṇa; [meaning] is knowing that nirvāṇa is non-[existent]; "words" refers to speaking of that in which the sentiments of the various vehicles find rest; [meaning] is knowing that the various vehicles enter the single-mark gate of wisdom; "words" refers to speaking of the cultivation and accumulation of the merits of vast adornment from the initial aspiration up to sitting on the bodhimaṇḍa; [meaning] is awakening to all dharmas in a single thought-moment of wisdom. To state the essential: being able to explain the eighty-four thousand aggregates of Dharma—this is called "words"; knowing that all words and syllables cannot be proclaimed—this is called "[meaning]." Furthermore, consciousness is being conscious of the four great elements; wisdom is abiding in the essencelessness of the four great elements. Consciousness is being conscious of the six sense faculties and six consciousnesses; wisdom is inner and outer tranquility. The same applies to arising and non-arising, grasping and non-grasping, having an objective referent and lacking an objective referent. Furthermore, the non-definitive […] sūtras speak of the suffering and distress of saṃsāra; [the definitive] speak of saṃsāra and nirvāṇa as one mark. The non-definitive speak of self, person, and various dharmas; the definitive speak of the three emptinesses and non-self. Furthermore, relying on the person grasps at personal views; relying on the Dharma understands that there is no person and no view. "Person" refers to ordinary beings, sages, and persons of the three vehicles; "Dharma" refers to dharmatā. Decisively knowing that all dharmas have no difference and no variation, like empty space, views no longer arise. The commentary states: "Above, one contemplates causes and conditions, impermanence, and non-self." "All views" refers back to the previously mentioned gate of leaving behind all wrong views and attaining forbearance of non-arising dharmas. "Attaining compliant forbearance": in the Pañcaviṃśatisāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā, the three forbearances—external ordinary beings have dry-wisdom subjugating forbearance; internal ordinary beings of the nature [stage have] compliant forbearance; from the eight persons of seeing-[path] onwards, it is called forbearance of non-arising dharmas. Although the three vehicles practice together, the two vehicles realize the fruit and do not receive the name of forbearance; bodhisattvas do not realize [the final limit] and therefore receive the name of forbearance. If based on the Benevolent King Sūtra, in the Dharma gate of five forbearances, the thirty persons before the stages are collectively called subjugating forbearance; the first, second, and third bhūmis are faith forbearance; the fourth, fifth, and sixth bhūmis are compliant forbearance; the seventh, eighth, and ninth bhūmis are forbearance of non-arising dharmas; the tenth bhūmi and Buddha-fruit are quiescent cessation forbearance. Now, following the Benevolent King Sūtra, it is entering the fourth bhūmi. Attaining the five supernormal powers is the function of bodily karma; attaining dhāraṇī is the function of mental karma; eloquence is the function of vocal karma. Because these three are the wondrous gates for transforming beings and functioning, and the true treasury of accumulated good karma, they are separately designated. "Krakucchanda" is also called Juliusun, who is the fourth Buddha among the seven Buddhas and the first of the thousand Buddhas of the Auspicious Kalpa. "Rocana" (Ruci) is also called Luzhi; translated here as "shedding tears" (tīqi). That is, the initial one thousand persons who aspired would all immediately attain Buddhahood and save sentient beings. Ruci, attaining Buddhahood last, then said: "All those who previously achieved the Way have saved all sentient beings; when I achieve the Way later, what will there be to save?" and wept tears. Master Zhao's verse says: "Now in this Auspicious Kalpa, / it is precisely during the ninth decline. / In this very increase and decrease, / there are Krakucchanda and the four [Buddhas]. / At the time of sixty, forty, and twenty thousand years, / Śākyamuni appears at one hundred years. / Decreasing to thirty, / famines will arise in that era. / At twenty, epidemics; at ten, weapons. / The child doubles the father up to eighty thousand. / In that single increase and decrease, / Maitreya will next arise. / From this tenth decline, / up to the fifteenth decline, / in that single increase and decrease, / nine hundred and ninety-four / Great Sages will arise in succession." Regarding "Auspicious Kalpa" (bhadrakalpa): at the beginning of this kalpa, a thousand-petaled lotus flower appeared upon the water; the gods all said, "Excellent! In this kalpa, there shall be one thousand worthies appearing in the world." It was named accordingly on this basis.