Nine Causes for Great Wisdom
Vaira's own answer praises Good-Wealth's question itself before answering it — nine distinct causes for reaching the great treasure-isle of all-knowing wisdom — then turns to describe his own practice on this very shore, giving first worldly goods and then the treasure of dharma to the poor of Jambudvīpa.
Nine Causes for the Great Treasure-Isle
Vaira's own praise of Good-Wealth's question doubles as the answer itself — nine distinct causes, each one a pure and unobstructed path leading toward the ocean of all-knowing wisdom.
船師告言：「善哉善哉！善男子！汝已能發阿耨多羅三藐三菩提心，今復能問生大智因、斷除一切生死苦因、往一切智大寶洲因、成就不壞摩訶衍因、遠離二乘怖畏生死住諸寂靜三昧旋因、乘大願車遍一切處行菩薩行無有障礙清淨道因、以菩薩行莊嚴一切無能壞智清淨道因、普觀一切十方諸法皆無障礙清淨道因、速能趣入一切智海清淨道因。
The navigator said: "Excellent, excellent! Good son, you have already been able to give rise to the mind of anuttara-samyak-sambodhi, and now you have further been able to ask about the cause of giving rise to great wisdom, the cause of cutting off every suffering of birth and death, the cause of journeying to the great treasure-isle of all-knowing wisdom, the cause of accomplishing the indestructible Great Vehicle, the cause of leaving behind the two vehicles' own fear of birth and death and abiding in every tranquil samādhi-whirl, the pure and unobstructed cause of the path of riding the carriage of great vows to universally carry out the bodhisattva practices everywhere, the pure cause of the path of adorning oneself with the bodhisattva practices' own unassailable wisdom, the pure cause of the path of universally observing every dharma throughout the ten directions without any obstruction, and the pure cause of the path of swiftly being able to enter the ocean of all-knowing wisdom.
The Banner of Great Compassion, on the Shore
Vaira's own practice begins with the poor of Jambudvīpa themselves — worldly goods given first to satisfy their immediate need, and only then the treasure of dharma, unfolding into a chain of fifteen further causes leading all the way to the ocean of all-knowing wisdom.
「善男子！我在此城海岸路中，淨修菩薩大悲幢行。善男子！我觀閻浮提內貧窮眾生，為饒益故，修諸苦行，隨其所願悉令滿足。先以世物，充滿其意；復施法財，令其歡喜，令修福行，令生智道，令增善根力，令起菩提心，令淨菩提願，令堅大悲力，令修能滅生死道，令生不厭生死行，令攝一切眾生海，令修一切功德海，令照一切諸法海，令見一切諸佛海，令入一切智智海。善男子！我住於此，如是思惟，如是作意，如是利益一切眾生。
"Good son, here on this city's own shore road, I purely cultivate the bodhisattva's own practice of the Banner of Great Compassion. Good son, I observe the poor and destitute beings within Jambudvīpa, and for the sake of enriching them, I cultivate every kind of arduous practice, causing every one of their wishes to be entirely fulfilled. First, with worldly goods, I satisfy their intentions; then I bestow the treasure of dharma, causing them to rejoice, causing them to cultivate meritorious practice, causing them to give rise to the path of wisdom, causing them to increase the power of their own wholesome roots, causing them to give rise to the mind of bodhi, causing them to purify their own vow of bodhi, causing them to strengthen the power of great compassion, causing them to cultivate the path that extinguishes birth and death, causing them to give rise to a practice that does not weary of birth and death, causing them to gather in the ocean of every being, causing them to cultivate the ocean of every merit, causing them to illuminate the ocean of every dharma, causing them to behold the ocean of every buddha, and causing them to enter the ocean of the wisdom of all-knowing wisdom. Good son, dwelling here, I reflect in this way, direct my mind in this way, and benefit every being in this way.
先以世物，充滿其意；復施法財 — first, with worldly goods, I satisfy their intentions; then I bestow the treasure of dharma. Vaira's own sequence matches Enlightened Wisdom's rain of provisions from many parts ago — material need addressed first, without hesitation or moralizing, before the deeper teaching is ever offered.
Part 1048 Complete
This continues chapter thirty-nine, 入法界品, in fascicle sixty-seven. Part 1049 turns to Vaira's own mastery of the sea itself — every treasure-isle, every current, every star's own movement, and the seaworthiness of his ship down to its very timbers.