The Dragon Princess's Instant

Commentary on the Words of the Sūtra of the Lotus Blossom of the Wondrous Dharma, Fascicle Eight, Upper Part

Expounded by the Great Master Zhiyi of Tiantai

From "gradually becoming complete as a bodhisattva" onward is, second, the bestowal of the prediction. The text has seven parts: first, making clear the fullness of the cause; second, from "measureless" onward, making clear the completeness of the fruit; third, making clear the vastness and purity of the land; fourth, making clear the names of the land and the kalpa; fifth, making clear the buddha's lifespan; sixth, making clear the long duration of the Dharma's abiding; and seventh, making clear the offerings made to the relics after the buddha's parinirvāṇa. Within the third, the vastness and purity of the land, there are, again, five parts: first, making clear the land's great adornment and purity. As for "the ground level as a palm": the sūtra says simply "as a palm," not "as a palm of the hand" — for the palm of a hand is not perfectly level, and so it would not be the fitting reference; there is, at the bottom of the sea, a stone called a "palm," and this stone does not have so much as a single mote of dust's worth of unevenness, and this must be the kind of "palm" meant, the sea's palm. The Bhadrakalpika Sūtra, moreover, makes clear that it means truly the palm of the buddha's own hand, not a citation of a human's palm. Second, making clear that it is purely the good destinies. Third, making clear that the merit and wisdom of humans and devas there are complete — the ninth fascicle of the Candragarbha speaks of the food of the Dharma, the food of joy, and the food of dhyāna, while the sūtra text here speaks of them together simply as "the joy of the Dharma and the delight of dhyāna," though, distinguished separately, there ought to be these three kinds of distinction. Fourth, making clear that the numbers of bodhisattvas and śrāvakas there are very great. Fifth, the general conclusion.

The fifth fascicle of the Candragarbha says: "Not killing brings ten kinds of merit: first, gaining freedom from fear toward every sentient being, and so on up to the tenth, that at the end of one's life one is born into a good destiny and afterward becomes a buddha, in a land without weapons for doing harm, whose people live long lives. Not stealing brings ten kinds of merit: first, one's karmic reward is ample and great, one is decisive in one's affairs and meets with no obstruction, and so on up to the tenth, that at death one is born into a good destiny and afterward becomes a buddha whose land is filled with flowers and jeweled adornments. Not engaging in sexual misconduct brings ten kinds of merit: first, one's faculties are disciplined and one is decisive in one's affairs, and so on up to death and birth into a good destiny, afterward becoming a buddha whose land has no women. Not speaking falsely brings ten kinds of merit: first, beings trust one's word, and so on up to death and birth into a good destiny, so that when one afterward becomes a buddha the land has no foulness and is forever filled with jeweled flowers. Not speaking divisively brings ten kinds of merit: first, one's body cannot be destroyed, and so on up to death and birth into a good destiny, afterward becoming a buddha whose land no demon can destroy the retinue of. Not speaking harshly brings ten kinds of merit: first, gentle and soft speech, and so on up to death and birth into a good destiny, becoming a buddha whose land is filled with the sound of the Dharma. Not speaking idly brings ten kinds of merit: first, being loved and honored by devas and humans, and so on up to death and birth into a good destiny, becoming a buddha whose land's beings have strong memory and do not forget. Not being covetous brings ten kinds of merit: first, one's bodily faculties are never lacking, and so on up to death and birth into a good destiny, becoming a buddha whose land has no demons or non-Buddhist paths. Not harboring anger brings ten kinds of merit: first, being free of every anger, and so on up to death and birth into a good destiny, becoming a buddha whose land's people attain samādhi. And not holding false views brings ten kinds of merit: first, a nature of mind that is gentle and good, and so on up to death and birth into a good destiny, becoming a buddha whose land's people hold right faith."

The verses have twenty-one-and-a-half lines, versifying, above, the disclosing of the trace and the bestowal of the prediction. First, fourteen lines versify the disclosing of the trace; next, seven-and-a-half lines versify the bestowal of the prediction. The first, again, has two parts: the first seven lines disclose, generally, the traces of the various śrāvakas, versifying the sense of "we," above; the last seven lines versify, above, the disclosing of Pūrṇa's trace. Within the general part there are five subparts: first, one line generally sets forth that the buddha's sons have practiced what is hard to conceive of, and have already attained the dharma of manifesting a trace. Next, from "knowing that the assembly delighted in the lesser Dharma" onward, second, one line makes clear the reason for manifesting a trace. Next, from "by means of measureless skillful means" onward, third, two lines make clear the benefit of manifesting a trace. Next, from "inwardly kept secret" onward, fourth, two lines make clear his inwardly holding the great path while outwardly manifesting the lesser deficiency. Next, from "were I to speak in full" onward, fifth, one line points to what is brief and holds back what is extensive. As for "of little desire": this shows him seeking the lesser vehicle; "indolent" shows him withdrawing from the Great Vehicle. It is not only that he manifested as a śrāvaka — he also acted as a follower of other paths, and as one of the three poisons, an ordinary being. Śāriputra manifested anger, Nanda manifested greed, and Devadatta manifested delusion (and so on).

From "this Pūrṇa here" onward, second, seven lines versify the disclosing of Pūrṇa's trace and his fundamental origin. The text above had three parts, and here, in brief, only two are versified: first, five lines versify revealing the past origin; next, from "in the future he shall likewise make offerings" onward, second, two lines versify the causal practice of the buddha across the three periods of time — omitting, in brief, the versifying of the seven buddhas and the present buddha.

From "making offerings to the various tathāgatas" onward, seven-and-a-half lines versify the bestowal of the prediction. The text above had seven parts, and here four are versified: first, half a line versifies the fullness of the cause; next, half a line versifies the completeness of the fruit; from "its land, called Pure" onward, three phrases versify, out of order, the names of the land and the kalpa; and from "the bodhisattva assembly, very numerous" onward, five lines and three phrases versify the vastness and purity of the land — omitting, in brief, the versifying of the lifespan, the abiding of the Dharma, and the raising of a stūpa after the parinirvāṇa.

Second, the bestowal of the prediction on the twelve hundred: first, their silent request; second, the bestowal of the prediction; third, their receiving and understanding. The request and the bestowal are as the text has them. The text bestowing the prediction has both a prose section and a verse section. The prose has three parts: first, generally granting the prediction to the twelve hundred; second, separately bestowing it on Kauṇḍinya — since Kauṇḍinya was the very first to awaken to the path and holds the foremost seat, he is separately given the prediction; and third, separately bestowing it on the five hundred — since the five hundred share a single name, they must be separately given the prediction.

Question:
Only the five hundred are seen to receive the prediction — the twelve hundred are nowhere to be seen.

Answer:
These five hundred are themselves among the number of the twelve hundred; in the verses, the last line-and-a-half generally bestows the prediction on the remaining seven hundred, and this is why it comes to twelve hundred.

Moreover, the "Encouraging Devotion" chapter says, "I have already, in general, given the prediction to every śrāvaka" — this refers precisely to the present line-and-a-half, and does not mean that the prediction was bestowed only on the seven hundred śrāvakas.

The verses have eleven lines, in two parts: first, nine-and-a-half lines versify the prediction given to Kauṇḍinya and the five hundred; second, the last line-and-a-half generally bestows the prediction on every śrāvaka. The receiving and understanding of the five hundred has both a prose section and a verse section. The prose first has the sūtra's own narrator recount their joy, and next has them themselves declare their own receiving and understanding. The narrator first celebrates their now gaining understanding and their joy, and next their shame at their former lack of understanding, for which they reproach themselves. Within the celebration, it first makes clear their inward joy of celebration, and afterward the outward form of their reverence. Their repenting of their fault and reproaching themselves is precisely what makes clear their shame at their former lack of understanding.

From "World-Honored One, we" onward, second, is their own declaring of their receiving and understanding, which has two parts: first, the dharma-teaching; second, the parable-teaching. Within the dharma-teaching, they first repent of having taken the little for enough, and next reproach themselves for the dullness of their faculties, so hard to awaken. From "World-Honored One" up through "parinirvāṇa" is their repenting and reproaching themselves for the past delusion of taking the lesser for enough and not knowing to seek the greater; from "only now do we know it" is their reproaching themselves for the dullness of their faculties, having only now, for the first time, awakened to it, not knowing it sooner — now knowing that the lesser is not the ultimate, and the greater is the true and real. Within the parable there are two parts: first, in brief; next, the direct raising of the parable. "Like one lacking wisdom" briefly raises the parable's likeness. From "for what reason" onward explains the sense of lacking wisdom.

The parable-teaching has two parts: first, the parable of drunkenness, which illustrates the dharma-teaching's self-reproach for taking the little as enough and not knowing to seek the greater, receiving the earlier dharma-parable's sense of bestowing the provisional in ages past; second, the parable of the awakening friend, which illustrates the dharma-teaching's self-reproach for the dullness of faculties, so hard to awaken, only now knowing it, receiving the earlier dharma-parable's revealing of the real in ages past. Within the first, again, there are three senses: first, the parable of the sewn-in jewel, receiving, above, the bond formed with the prince; second, the parable of lying drunk and unaware, receiving, above, his encountering the retreat from the great; and third, the parable of rising and wandering off, receiving, above, his being received with the lesser.

As for "suppose there were a man": this is precisely a person of the two lesser vehicles. As for "a close friend": this is the sixteenth prince of former days. As for "house": this is the Great Vehicle teaching taken as a house. As for "grew drunk on wine and lay down": at that very time, the great capacity briefly stirred and ignorance was briefly subdued, so that, on hearing the sūtra taught, there was a faint understanding within the heart — yet, because the ignorance was heavy, they fell back once more into delusion. Drunkenness carries two senses: first, heavy drunkenness, in which there is no awareness at all; second, light drunkenness, in which there is a faint awareness that is soon forgotten, likewise called unawareness. Though there are these two senses, in the end it comes to the sewing-in of the jewel, just as with the drum smeared with poison.

As for "having official business, he had to go": this makes clear that, elsewhere, the prince's capacity stirred with beings, and he went to respond to the connection, and this is why it says "had to go." Proclaiming the Dharma and transforming others is not a private affair, and this is why it says "official business." As for "a priceless jewel": this is the jewel of the wisdom of the one-vehicle real mark, true suchness. As for "sewed it into the lining of his robe": shame, self-reproach, and forbearance, able to block anger and guard against outward evil, are precisely the outer robe; and the mind of faith and delight, the wholesome root within the lining, is precisely the inner robe. The faint faith, delight, and aspiration that arose at that time on hearing the Dharma are precisely the seed of the revealing cause, the wisdom-vow.

Second, as for "lying drunk and unaware": the mind of ignorance, being heavy, soon forgets again, and this receives the retreat and unwillingness to accept the Great Dharma, in the interval, above. Third, as for "rising, he wandered off to another country": this receives, above, his being received with the lesser in the interval, undergoing the transformation of the three vehicles; as his wholesome root sought to arise, weary of suffering and seeking ease, and this is why it says "rising, he wandered off." Covered by ignorance and understanding not to seek the clothing and food of the Great Vehicle at his own root, it is therefore said that he sought, in another country, the clothing and food of the lesser vehicle. If Māra and the Buddha are set against each other, then the realm of Māra, birth-and-death, is "another country," while the Buddha's Dharma, whether lesser or great, is all "his own country"; but if the lesser and the great are set against each other, then the lesser vehicle has not yet escaped birth-and-death, and is still "another country," while the Great Vehicle forever escapes birth-and-death, and is thus "his own land."

This is, in the end, returning to the source — it makes clear his turning his back on the country of the Great Vehicle and going to the land of the lesser vehicle, not knowing to draw upon the jewel for his provision, but instead hiring himself out to support himself, earning a single day's wage, and taking the little as enough.

From "later, meeting by chance" onward, second, is the parable of the friend's awakening, receiving, above, "by reason of this original bond, I now teach the Lotus" and so on, and the bestowal of the great cart. This has three parts: first, reproach; second, showing the jewel; third, urging him to trade it in. The reproach illustrates, above, the stirring of attachment and the arising of doubt; showing the jewel illustrates the bond formed in past lives; urging him to trade it in illustrates receiving the prediction of buddhahood — all three of the periods of teaching carry these same three senses. Within the dharma-teaching, "I made you free of the bonds of suffering" is precisely the reproach; the chapter of the five buddhas is precisely the disclosure; and Śāriputra's receiving the prediction is precisely the urging to trade it in. Within the parable-teaching, "I did not at first say that it was all for the sake of awakening" is precisely the reproach; the three carts becoming one cart is precisely the showing of the jewel; and the middling capacity's receiving the prediction is precisely the urging to trade it in. For the lowest capacity, "listen well to the karmic bond of past lives" is precisely the reproach; the relay-teaching that formed the bond and now again teaches the great is precisely the showing of the jewel; and the lowest capacity's receiving the prediction is precisely the urging to trade it in.

As for how the three senses within the sewing-in of the jewel correspond to the three periods of teaching: at the very beginning, beneath the bodhi tree, gauging beings with the Great Vehicle is precisely the sewing-in of the jewel; lacking the capacity for it, and the transformation coming to rest, is precisely the drunken sleep; and the subsequent bestowal of skillful means is precisely the rising and setting out. Within the "Parable" chapter, the presence of the twenty thousand koṭis of buddhas is precisely the sewing-in of the jewel; sending someone after him, who faints away and will not accept it, is precisely the drunken sleep; and being drawn in by the three carts is precisely the rising and setting out. Within the "causes and conditions" teaching, the presence of Mahābhijñājñānābhibhū Buddha is precisely the sewing-in of the jewel; retreating and growing weary partway along the road is precisely the drunken sleep; and being received with the lesser is precisely the rising and setting out. All of these are called receiving the provisional. As for "in such-and-such a year, on such-and-such a day": this points to the presence of Mahābhijñājñānābhibhū Buddha.

From "the Buddha, too, is likewise so" onward, second, is the matching of the parable. The original parable had two parts, and here each, again, has three senses: from "taught and transformed us" onward matches the first, the sewing-in of the jewel; "and yet we soon forgot it" matches the second, the drunkenness and lack of awareness; and from "having already attained arhatship" onward matches the third, the rising and wandering off. From "the wish for all wisdom" onward matches the latter, the parable of the friend's awakening and showing. Above there were three parts, and here, too, there are three: from "the wish for wisdom is not lost" matches the first, the reproach; from "I long ago caused you" onward matches the second, the showing of the jewel; and from "only now do I know" onward matches the third, the urging to trade in for what is needed.

Second, the verses have twelve-and-a-half lines, in two parts: first, one-and-a-half lines versify their gaining understanding within the heart, which is again in two parts: first, one line versifies their joy and celebration; next, half a line versifies their reproaching themselves. Next, from "toward the measureless treasure of the buddhas" onward, second, eleven lines versify their own declaring of their receiving and understanding. The text above had two parts, and here, first, half a line versifies their reproaching themselves for taking the little as enough, omitting, in brief, the versifying of the dullness so hard to awaken, only now knowing it. "Like one without wisdom, a foolish person," half a line, versifies the brief raising of the parable. "And so took it, of himself, to be enough" versifies the explaining of the sense of lacking wisdom. Next, ten lines versify the opening and matching of the parable-teaching, the first six lines versifying the opening, and the last four lines versifying the matching. Above, the opening had two parts, and here, first, four lines versify casting aside the treasure without knowing it, and the last two lines versify the friend's awakening.

The remaining text is easy to understand.

Explaining the chapter "Prediction for Those in Training and Beyond Training."
To study the truth and sever the afflictions is called "in training"; for the truth to be exhausted and the afflictions ended is called "beyond training." To study and cultivate the true principle, aspiring to and seeking the finest vision, is called being "in training." The stage of training lies within the true, undefiled wisdom of the three lower fruits and the four approaches; the fruit of arhatship, where the study of the principle is already exhausted and the finest vision already reached its limit, with nothing further to study, is called "beyond training." Explaining the chapter in terms of the teachings: to analyze dharmas and study the truth is called "in training," and for the afflictions to be ended and the truth exhausted is called "beyond training" — this is the sense of the Tripiṭaka teaching. To embody dharmas and study the truth is called "in training," and to be without truth and without affliction is called "beyond training" — this is the sense of the shared teaching. To proceed from the shallow to the deep is called "in training," and for the shared and distinct afflictions to be ended, the principle of the provisional and the real exhausted, is called "beyond training" — this is the sense of the distinct teaching.

To study the tathāgata-garbha is to have both "in training" and "beyond training"; but dharma-nature, the real mark, is neither "in training" nor "beyond training," and yet is both "in training" and "beyond training" (and so on). These are the two thousand people, some in training and some beyond training, who together form a single stream, receiving the prediction all at the same time under a single, shared name, and this is why they are made into a separate chapter. This chapter is the second section within the text bestowing predictions. Within this text there are two parts: first, the request for the prediction; second, the bestowal of the prediction. Within the request there are, again, two parts: first, the request made by the two individuals; second, the request made by the two thousand. The two individuals' request for the prediction has, again, two parts: first, silent contemplation; second, voicing aloud the request for the prediction. Voicing aloud the request has, again, two parts: first, citing precedent, that they, too, ought to have a share; second, citing the expectations of others. The two individuals were the closest to the Buddha and were what the assembly at that time looked to: Rāhula, as the Buddha's own son, was closest and most valued in worldly terms, while Ānanda, upholding the Buddha's Dharma-treasury, was closest and most excellent on the path; if these two, the most excellent and the most valued, did not receive a separate prediction, then the expectations of the assembly would be left unfulfilled.

Question:
If they are the most valued and the most excellent, they ought to belong among the earlier stream — why, then, are they here instead? And if it is as in the listing of the assembly, where these two were among the foremost number, why do they now receive their prediction so far down the line?

Answer:
In the general bestowal of the prediction on the twelve hundred, these two were already included in that earlier stream; now they seek, further, a separate prediction of their own. Ānanda is one in training, and Rāhula holds the rank of a disciple, and this is why they are placed within the chapter on those in training and beyond training. In the two thousand's request for the prediction there is only silent contemplation and the citing of precedent — since these two senses are the same, it is said that it is "just as Ānanda wished." There is no voicing aloud of the request, since there is no matter of being the most valued or most excellent to raise. The bestowal of the prediction again has two parts: first, the prediction given first to the two individuals, and after that to the two thousand. Within Ānanda's prediction there are, again, five parts: first, the prose; second, the verses; third, the eight thousand bodhisattvas' arising doubt; fourth, the Tathāgata's disclosing of the trace to resolve the doubt; and fifth, Ānanda's revealing of his origin and his own praise. As for the doubt: it is a general doubt as to why śrāvakas who only set their minds on awakening today should at once receive the Buddha's prediction of so pure a land as this, when, in the Vaipulya teachings of the past, the bodhisattvas recorded there had to practice for measureless kalpas before receiving the buddha's prediction. The Buddha at once discloses his trace to resolve the doubt: in days past, Ānanda set his mind on the great path together with me, and we were fellow students; because of my diligence I surpassed him and attained buddhahood first, while because of his broad learning he has continued, all along, to uphold the sūtra — his trace being that of an attendant, while his fundamental ground is such as this — so how, now that he receives so wondrous a prediction, could there be any cause for doubt? The rest of the prediction can all be understood from the text itself.

Explaining the chapter "The Teacher of the Dharma."

This chapter speaks of five kinds of teachers of the Dharma: first, receiving and upholding; second, reading; third, reciting; fourth, explaining; and fifth, copying out. The Great Treatise makes clear six kinds of teachers of the Dharma: by the power of faith, one receives; by the power of mindfulness, one upholds; looking at the text is reading; not forgetting it is reciting; proclaiming it to others is explaining — since the sages' scriptures are hard to understand, explanation is required. Of these six kinds of teachers of the Dharma, the present sūtra joins receiving and upholding into one, joins explaining and expounding into one, opens reading and reciting into two, and, with copying out added, makes five in all. Distinguished separately, four of these are one's own practice, and one is transforming others.

The Nirvāṇa Sūtra divides these into nine grades: the first four kinds, without understanding, hold the rank of disciple, while the last five, with understanding, hold the rank of teacher. Taken in general, if one takes these five dharmas as one's own standard, one is a teacher of the Dharma through one's own practice; if one teaches these five dharmas to others, one is a teacher of the Dharma through transforming others. Because one takes them as one's own standard, one is, in general, called a disciple; because one transforms others with them, one is, in general, called a teacher of the Dharma. Here the chapter follows this general sense, and is thus titled "The Teacher of the Dharma."

If one speaks of a reduced count, the five are bundled into four, namely, the four peaceful practices, as explained later; and if the four are bundled into three: receiving and upholding is the karma of mind; reading, reciting, and explaining are the karma of speech; and copying out is the karma of body. Distinguished separately, the karma of speech is transforming others, while the karma of body and mind is one's own practice; taken in general, taking the three karmas as one's own standard is precisely being a teacher of the Dharma through one's own practice, and instructing others through the three karmas is precisely being a teacher of the Dharma through transforming others — and this is why it is called "The Teacher of the Dharma."

Again, these are three gates: practicing these five dharmas to cultivate and perfume oneself is the gate of merit; proclaiming these five dharmas widely, for the benefit of others, is the gate of transforming others; and cultivating oneself while benefiting others, both in accord with the Buddha's teaching, is the gate of repaying kindness. Distinguished separately, cultivating oneself and repaying kindness are called one's own practice, while benefiting others is transforming others; taken in general, both taking oneself as the standard and taking others as the standard are alike called being a teacher of the Dharma, and this is why it is called "The Teacher of the Dharma."

Again, reading, reciting, and copying out are outward practice, precisely the Tathāgata's robe; receiving and upholding is inward practice, precisely the Tathāgata's seat; and explaining, expounding, and benefiting others is precisely the Tathāgata's room. Distinguished separately, the Tathāgata's room is instructing others, while the robe and the seat, distinguished separately, are instructing oneself; but taken in general, it is not so — compassion covering over beings, its benefit and gain returning to oneself, is called being like the room; blocking the evil of others and guarding against one's own ugliness is called being the robe; settling the mind in emptiness so as, thereby, to be able to settle others, settling others and settling oneself, is called being the seat — and this, then, is taking these three dharmas as one's own standard, which is likewise called being a teacher of the Dharma.

Benefiting beings must take compassion, entering the room, as the foremost matter; engaging with existence takes forbearance as its foundation; and saving others takes the forgetting of self as its root. One who can practice these three dharmas so that the great teaching is proclaimed and made to flow becomes what the world may depend upon, and this is why he is called a teacher of the Dharma. Again, these may be bundled into two — one's own practice and transforming others — and this is easy to understand, and need not be further recorded. Again, they may be bundled into one, namely, the Tathāgata's own practice, which is complete with every practice: compassion draws out every suffering — the suffering of the four evil destinies, the three realms, and the two lesser vehicles and bodhisattvas alike; loving-kindness bestows every joy — the joy of humans and devas, of nirvāṇa, and of constant abiding; the gentle robe guards against every ugliness — the ugliness of the four kinds of dwelling-afflictions, of not-knowing, of ignorance; and the empty seat forgets every mark — the mark of having marks, of being without marks, of neither having marks nor being without marks. This, then, is the general sense.

The particular sense is this: compassion gives rise to every good, gentleness blocks every evil, and the empty seat sweeps away every mark. Again, compassion and forbearance establish every merit, and the empty seat perfects every wisdom — wisdom is the eyes, namely, the five eyes, and merit is the feet, namely, the six pāramitās. Again, compassion surpasses every śrāvaka and pratyekabuddha; gentleness surpasses every ordinary being and follower of other paths; and the empty seat surpasses the bodhisattvas of the analytical and embodying, and the partial teachings. And so the Vimalakīrti Sūtra says, "It is only by defeating one's enemy that one may be called brave." Again, compassion breaks the deva-māra, gentleness breaks the māra of the aggregates, and emptiness breaks the māra of affliction and the māra of death; the Great Perfection of Wisdom Sūtra says, "Transforming every sentient being, contemplating everything as empty, māra finds no opening" (and so on).

Again, because of compassion and forbearance, one is able to question; because of the empty seat, one is able to answer — thus fulfilling both adornments. Again, contemplating emptiness, one is able to question; through compassion and forbearance, one is able to answer; through compassion and forbearance, one is able to plant, establish, and provide; and through the wisdom of emptiness, one is able to weed, break through, and guide. Again, because of compassion, what is there to keep apart? Because of gentleness, what is there to obstruct? Because of the empty seat, what is there to contend over? Rising above the three truths, it is called the victorious banner; embracing and gathering in universally, it is called the Mahāyāna; and, being the Tathāgata's own practice, it is called the king of samādhis. The sūtra says, "Loving-kindness is the root of every wholesome dharma; forbearance is the foremost path; the markless is supreme" — and, were one to discuss the perfect practice in full, it could never be exhausted (and so on).

Question:
Why is the teacher of the Dharma made clear in terms of three dharmas?

Answer:
Considered, first, in terms of the concrete matter: one must mount the hall, straighten one's robe, and sit upon the seat before one may set forth and proclaim the teaching, and this is why it is put in terms of three. Again, considered by joining the concrete matter and the principle together: delusion, in the end, does not exceed three kinds — first, delusion arising with regard to the fruit of suffering; second, delusion arising with regard to karmic bondage; and third, delusion arising with regard to the principle of the truths — and so these three gates are used to point the way and guide beings. Again, in terms of the principle: being deluded about the true, one falls into suffering, and so the gate of compassion is used; being deluded about the conventional, one sinks into emptiness and receives only a lesser ease, and so the gate of gentleness and forbearance is used; and being deluded about the middle, one forms the obstruction of the wise, and so the gate of emptiness is used (and so on).

As for "dharma": it means a standard, a rule. As for "teacher": it means one who trains and instructs. Though the Dharma can serve as a standard, its substance does not, of itself, spread abroad — its being made to flow depends on persons; all five ways of mastering the sūtra may alike be called "teacher." Raising up the Dharma to accomplish one's own practice — taking the wondrous Dharma, in every case, as one's teacher, being a teacher with regard to the wondrous Dharma, and thereby perfecting one's own practice — is why it is called "teacher of the Dharma." Again, these five kinds of persons are able, by means of the wondrous Dharma, to train and instruct others, and so, raising up the Dharma, they are named "teacher," and this is why it is called "The Teacher of the Dharma." Whether one takes the Dharma as one's own standard, or instructs others by means of the Dharma, calling both alike "teacher of the Dharma" is the explanation of the chapter in terms of causes and conditions. As for the many kinds of explanation generally, all explain the chapter in terms of the dharma-gate of the perfect teaching.

The three preceding periods of teaching belong to the trace gate, where the direct teaching of receiving, understanding, and the bestowal of the prediction has now come to its end; the five chapters that follow are the trace gate's transmission and flow — not merely for the benefit of that present assembly, but wishing, further, to moisten ages yet to come, and this is why there are these five chapters of transmission and flow. The two chapters "The Teacher of the Dharma" and "The Jeweled Stūpa" make clear that the merit of proclaiming the sūtra runs deep and its blessing weighs heavy, transmitting and making flow the vast benefit not yet heard of; the single chapter "Devadatta" cites his proclaiming the sūtra in a former age, benefiting both himself and others together, in order to bear witness to how deep and heavy this merit is; in the "Encouraging Devotion" chapter, the eighty thousand great beings who accomplish the power of forbearance proclaim the sūtra in this world, while those newly given the prediction proclaim it in other worlds; and as for the single chapter "Peaceful Practices" — the old explanation says it is meant to receive and transmit those who might retreat, though this may or may not be entirely so. Those still outside the ranks of the sages, of newly initial resolve, delight in this excellent blessing, but, seeing śrāvakas fearful and hesitant, and hearing that bodhisattvas are cast out and reviled, they look back upon their own weak strength, of no benefit to themselves or others, and so give rise to retreat and sinking down; the Buddha, for the sake of such people, teaches the peaceful practices, so that, relying upon them, the Dharma may be proclaimed without fear of danger or hardship.

Again, in "The Teacher of the Dharma," Śākyamuni himself speaks of the merit and blessing of proclaiming the sūtra and calls for its transmission and flow; in "The Jeweled Stūpa," Prabhūtaratna and the emanation-bodies at once bear witness and assist in urging on its transmission and flow. In "The Teacher of the Dharma," the opening prose and verses praise the five kinds of teachers of the Dharma, the persons who are able to uphold it; the latter prose and verses praise the Dharma that is upheld. It also shows the method and standard for proclaiming the sūtra, and this, again, has two parts: first, with regard to the gate of the disciples who receive the path, the merit of which runs deep and the blessing of which weighs heavy; second, with regard to the gate of the teachers who transmit the path, the merit of which runs deep and the blessing of which weighs heavy. The gate of disciples, again, has two parts: first, disciples in the Buddha's own age; second, disciples after his parinirvāṇa. First, as for "on account of this he told Bhaiṣajyarāja, before the eighty thousand": as for "on account of": this means to entrust to and rely upon — wishing to entrust the wondrous Dharma to Bhaiṣajyarāja, so that he might receive it and proclaim it to the eighty thousand, all of them thereby transmitting and making it flow. Pointing to particular persons and asking whether they were seen matches precisely those persons who uphold the sūtra and gain its blessing.

In the Buddha's own age, there are, again, two parts: first, from "told Bhaiṣajyarāja" onward, distinguishing the kinds of persons; second, from "all before the Buddha" onward, distinguishing the circumstance of receiving the prediction. As for those before the Buddha whose capacity meets the moment in wondrous awakening — these are precisely the twenty-five hundred of broad learning and deep understanding, all of whom have already, in what came before, received the general and the separate predictions; those now distinguished as kinds are, whether the classes of the eightfold host or the classes of the fourfold assembly and the three vehicles, all bound to this Lotus assembly. As for "all before the Buddha": this makes clear the occasion — that they encountered the Buddha there on his seat. As for "a single phrase, a single verse": this is hearing the Dharma to the very least degree. As for "even a single thought-moment": this is the occasion of the very briefest span. As for "all receive the prediction that they shall attain awakening": this makes clear that, though what was heard was of the very least, and the occasion of the very briefest span, the merit of their rejoicing brought them, in the end, to the buddha-fruit — how much more so, then, for one who hears it in full and upholds it his whole life through, with the five kinds of transmission and flow and offerings of the three karmas! (And so on.) As for "hearing a single phrase, a single verse": those of little hearing and shallow understanding all now receive the prediction — if even the least receive it, how much more those of much and of deep understanding? Taking the least to imply the most, its reach is universal and broad, just so. Since the lower period of teaching is thus, the middling and highest are likewise so, and this may be known by inference, without need of further explanation.

The Sūtra on the Samādhi of Seeing Reality separately bestows the prediction on the Four Heavenly Kings, all under the same name, Fire-Upholder; on the Heaven of the Thirty-Three, all under the same name, Indra's Banner King; on Kauśika, under the name Unattached; on the Heaven of Flame, under the name Pure Wisdom; and on the Tuṣita Heaven, under the name Śakra, the Dharma-King; the two heavens named above also generally receive the prediction, without its distinct name being given; and the Brahmā Heaven is named Great Power of Wisdom — these are the class of those who have heard much and understood deeply, whereas here it is those who have heard little and understood shallowly who are being given the prediction. The old explanation says pratyekabuddhas and bodhisattvas do not receive predictions in this way — but the present text bestows the prediction on all three vehicles alike, and there is no need for doubt on this point.

As for "a single verse, a single phrase": the Ekottarāgama Compilation says, "Whatever essential verse is taken up from the sūtra, of the kind such as the four truths, this is what is meant." The Daśabhūmikavibhāṣā says, "To loathe and despise is called weariness; not to seek is called freedom from desire; a mind without defilement is called liberation; and to set down the carrying-pole is called nirvāṇa — to loathe and despise is with regard to accumulation, not to seek is with regard to suffering, being without defilement is the path, and setting down the carrying-pole is cessation."

It also says, "The Buddha told Pūrṇaka, 'I have four phrases,' namely the four truths, the four foundations of mindfulness," and so forth. As for the contemplation of mind: it is that, with regard to each and every phrase, each and every verse, there is no phrase and no verse that is not itself the one reality (and so on). If one takes up the essential phrases within the trace gate — "opening, showing, awakening to, and entering," "riding this jeweled vehicle, roaming the four directions," the four peaceful practices, the encouragement of the four resolves, and so on — this is what is meant.

As for "a single thought-moment of rejoicing": though one has not yet, oneself, undertaken the practice, but only rejoices in the Dharma and in the person, the reward of this merit is already great — how much more so, then, once the practice is fully carried through? The mind of rejoicing has two senses. If, on hearing of the opening of the provisional to reveal the real, one deeply understands, within a single thought-moment, the principle that is neither provisional nor real, believing in the Buddha's own knowledge and vision, and, further, is able to understand together, in their perfect fusion, both the provisional and the real, both the concrete matter and the principle — though still possessed of the nature of affliction, being able to know the Tathāgata's own secret treasury — this is rejoicing discussed vertically. Again, if, on hearing the sense of the opening of the provisional to reveal the real, one broadly understands, within a single mind, every mind, and that every dharma is, without exception, the Buddha-dharma, without any obstruction — so that, were one to wish to distinguish and expound it, it could never be exhausted, turning on, month after month, four months, a year, without end — though one has not yet attained the true mind of rejoicing, being able to understand in this way, since the Dharma is thus, the person, too, is thus: this is rejoicing discussed horizontally. It is precisely the horizontal that is the vertical, and precisely the vertical that is the horizontal, and this is why the Nirvāṇa Sūtra says, "I would rather hear little and understand much of its meaning and flavor" — this is precisely this same sense, to be further explained later.

From "told Bhaiṣajyarāja: 'moreover, after the Tathāgata's parinirvāṇa'" onward makes clear the disciples after the Buddha's parinirvāṇa, likewise in two parts: first, setting forth the class of disciples, briefly raising the persons — following the pattern above, this can be understood; next, it says "I, too, will give them the prediction," the merit and reward being as explained above.

From "if, further, there is a person" onward, second, is the gate of the teacher, which has both a prose section and a verse section. The prose has two parts: first, the particular; second, the general. The particular is what comes below "person"; above, it speaks of the present and the future in terms of time. The general is what comes below "without regard to"; above, it covers both the present and the future together, making generally clear the incurring of blame by opposing it and the gaining of blessing by according with it. Within the particular, again, there are two parts: first, making clear the present age; second, making clear the age to come. Within the present age, again, there are two parts: first, making clear the lower grade of teacher; second, making clear the higher grade of teacher. The lower grade of teacher has two parts: first, making clear the teacher's characteristics; next, making clear the teacher's merit and reward. The teacher's characteristics are precisely the five kinds of teacher of the Dharma and the ten kinds of offering.

Next, from "Bhaiṣajyarāja, you should know that these people have already made offerings" onward makes clear the reward of the lower grade. As for "already made offerings": this is the depth of their former cause. "Out of pity for sentient beings, they are born among humankind" makes clear the greatness of their present merit. From "if there is anyone who asks" onward makes clear the weight of their future reward. From "how much more, then, one who can uphold it in full" makes clear the higher grade of teacher, likewise in two parts: first, arguing a fortiori to bring out the characteristics of the higher grade of teacher; next, "Bhaiṣajyarāja, you should know that this person forgoes of himself the reward of a pure karmic destiny," which makes clear the higher grade's merit and reward.

From "if such a good son or good daughter, after my parinirvāṇa, is able to, in secret, for even a single person" onward makes clear that the teacher after the parinirvāṇa likewise has a lower and a higher grade. The lower grade, too, has two parts: first, setting forth the lower-grade person — one who has grasped only the vertical sense of it, possessed of wisdom but not of broad learning, fit only to speak of it in secret and not yet able to take his place before an assembly, and this is why he is the lower grade of teacher. As for "in secret, for a single person, speaking a single phrase": though he has grasped the understanding of a single phrase, since he has not broadly heard and widely studied its various meanings, he cannot speak of it before an assembly, for there would be points in every question and challenge that he could not resolve, and this would cause the correct principle to fail of being proclaimed abroad — just as the Treatise makes clear, having wisdom without broad learning is like a light rain without thunder; if he wishes to set forth this single correct phrase, he ought, for now, only to speak of it in secret.

As for "know that this person is precisely the Tathāgata's envoy": this makes clear his merit and reward. The sūtra is spoken by wisdom-in-accord-with-suchness, and speaks of principle-in-accord-with-suchness; the practitioner of today, upholding this teaching-in-accord-with-suchness and proclaiming it as principle-in-accord-with-suchness, is precisely one sent by the Tathāgata. As for "carrying out the Tathāgata's work": wisdom-in-accord-with-suchness illuminating principle-in-accord-with-suchness is the work; the practitioner of today, relying on the teaching-in-accord-with-suchness and practicing the principle-in-accord-with-suchness, is precisely carrying out the Tathāgata's work. One wisdom-in-accord-with-suchness, one principle-in-accord-with-suchness, and transforming sentient beings, is the work; the practitioner of today, able to hold great compassion, taking the principle of true suchness within this sūtra and teaching it for the sake of sentient beings so that they gain benefit, is likewise called carrying out the Tathāgata's work. Taken as the contemplation of mind: as for "the Tathāgata's envoy" — the mind of wisdom contemplates its object, and the object is precisely true suchness; the object comes and gives rise to wisdom, and wisdom is thus made the envoy of suchness. As for "sent by the Tathāgata": the contemplating wisdom comes from within suchness. As for "carrying out the Tathāgata's work": passing through every dharma, there is none that is not true suchness, and true suchness is itself the buddha's work.

From "how much more, then, in the midst of a great assembly" onward makes clear the higher-grade person, in brief without weighing and measuring the merit and reward — this sense may be understood. From "if there is an evil person" onward, second, generally makes clear that, of the five kinds of teacher of the Dharma, opposing them incurs blame and according with them gains blessing. Here, blame and blessing are not discussed in terms of whether the field of blessing is rich or meager, but only in terms of the beginning and later mind, making clear their weight and lightness. The beginning student, already possessed of afflictions, has the matter of his study ruined if obstruction is added to it, and so incurs much blame; the Buddha, being impartial, cannot possibly be obstructed by any evil pressing in upon him, and so it is said his blame is light. Making offerings is likewise so: this person is one with need, and if he receives offerings, the matter of his cultivation is accomplished, and so the blessing bestowed upon him is great; the Buddha is one without need, every matter already fulfilled, and though offerings are made to him, they bring him no further benefit, and so it is said his reward is slight.

It is like a prince in distress: to provide and furnish what he needs is a merit very great, while, should one insult the royal line, the blame incurred is not light — so blame and blessing are, in this case, both heavy. But to offer the great king his robes and food, when the matter is not pressing, is of little consequence, and should one try to encroach and insult him, it could bring him no real harm — so blame and blessing are, in this case, both slight. From "Bhaiṣajyarāja" onward makes clear that reading and reciting, adorning oneself as the Buddha is adorned, is precisely according with it and gaining blessing — the Buddha adorns himself with concentration and wisdom, because this person is able to cultivate concentration and wisdom.

As for "borne on the Tathāgata's shoulder": to bear on the back is to carry, and to bear on the shoulder is to shoulder; cultivating the substance of the dharma-body, which is neither provisional nor real, is precisely carrying the Tathāgata, while the function of the twin wisdom, able to plant and able to bear fruit, is precisely shouldering the Tathāgata. As for "in whatever direction he faces, one should turn toward him and bow": above, it made clear taking the Dharma as one's teacher, and now it makes clear being fit to be the teacher of beings. This person, in whatever direction he turns, is everywhere in accord with the real mark, and so is everywhere to be reverenced and followed — to follow is precisely to turn toward, and to reverence is precisely to bow; reverencing and following him, and making offerings to him, and so on (and so on).

The verses have sixteen lines, in three parts: first, two verses, not versifying the prose, separately encourage one's own practice and benefiting others; next, thirteen lines versify, above, the gate of the teacher, both particular and general; and last, one line praises the sūtra. Within versifying the particular and the general there are, again, two parts: first, seven lines versify the particular, and last, six lines versify the general. Above, the particular gate had the present and the future, and here, first, four lines versify the present, and last, three lines versify the future. Above, in both the present and the future, each single teacher had a lower and a higher grade. Here, first, from "if there is one able to" onward, one line versifies the lower grade — the first half sets forth the teacher of the Dharma, and from "know that where the Buddha" onward, the second half sets forth the merit and reward.

"Whoever is able to receive and uphold it," these three lines onward versify the higher grade of teacher in the present age — the first half-line sets forth the higher-grade teacher; from "forgoing a pure land" onward, second, two-and-a-half lines versify the merit and reward. From "after my parinirvāṇa" onward, these three lines versify the future — the first two lines, out of order, versify the a fortiori bringing-out of the higher grade, in two parts: here, first, from "after my parinirvāṇa" onward, half a line versifies the teacher of the Dharma — the prose originally lacked the merit and reward here, but the verse now supplies it. From "should join his palms" onward, second, one-and-a-half lines make clear the merit and reward.

From "if, able, in an age to come" onward, second, one line versifies, in retrospect, the lower-grade teacher — the first half versifies the setting forth of the person, and next, from "I send" onward, second, the half-line versifies the merit and reward. From "if, for the space of a kalpa" onward, second, six lines generally versify, above, the general gate. Above, the general gate likewise had two parts: first, two lines versify incurring blame by opposing it; from "if there is a person seeking the buddha-path" onward, second, four lines versify gaining blessing by according with it. From "Bhaiṣajyarāja, I now tell you" onward, third, one line praises the sūtra's honored and wondrous nature.

From "at that time the Buddha again told" onward, second, praises both the Dharma that is upheld and the method for proclaiming the sūtra. The Dharma that is upheld is the dharma of taking oneself as the standard; the method for proclaiming the sūtra is the dharma of taking others as the standard. This has both a prose section and a verse section. Within the prose, first, it praises the sūtra's Dharma, and next, the method and standard.

The praise is fivefold: first, praise in terms of the Dharma, which is also praise by way of comparative measure; second, praise in terms of the person; third, praise in terms of the place; fourth, praise in terms of the cause; and fifth, praise in terms of the fruit. Because the Dharma is wondrous, the person is precious; because the person is precious, the place is honored; because the place is honored, the cause is full; and because the cause is full, the fruit reaches its utmost. First, in praising the Dharma: among what has already been taught, is now being taught, and shall be taught, this sūtra is foremost. One master explains that "already" refers to the Prajñāpāramitā and "shall" refers to the Nirvāṇa Sūtra — before the Lotus, the lesser and the greater stood apart from each other, and after the Lotus, they have already come to be joined together, and this sūtra is precisely the beginning of the joining of the three and the start of the return to the one, and this is why it is called foremost. But the sūtra praises the Lotus as standing outside of the already-taught, the now-being-taught, and the shall-be-taught — this master's explanation is missing this one point (and so on). Here, first, as for "already": this refers to every gradual and sudden teaching from the Great Perfection of Wisdom on. As for "now": this refers to what shares the very same seat, namely the Sūtra of Measureless Meanings.

As for "shall": this refers to the Nirvāṇa Sūtra. The gradual and sudden teachings of the Great Perfection of Wisdom and the rest all carry skillful means along with them, and so faith in them comes easily; the Sūtra of Measureless Meanings, where one gives rise to measureless teachings, and the measureless has not yet returned to the one, is likewise easy to believe. But now, in discussing the Dharma, the Lotus takes every distinction, fused and interpenetrating, and returns it to the one Dharma, while, in discussing persons, teacher and disciple, trace and origin, are all shown to reach back into the far distant past — both of these gates run entirely counter to what was believed before, and are hard to believe, hard to understand. Once this most difficult matter has already been taught in the Lotus, the Nirvāṇa Sūtra, coming after it, becomes easy to believe. As for "the secret and essential treasury": to be hidden and left unspoken is "secret"; to gather everything together is "essential"; and true suchness, the real mark, embraced and contained within, is "treasury." As for "not to be spread abroad": the Dharma being wondrous and hard to believe, it may be given to one of deep wisdom, but benefits one without wisdom only with blame, and so it must not be spoken of carelessly.

As for "from the past until now, it has never yet been openly taught": within the Tripiṭaka teaching, it is not taught that the two lesser vehicles become buddhas, nor is teacher-and-disciple, trace-and-origin, made clear; the Vaipulya teachings and the Prajñāpāramitā, though they teach the treasury of the real mark, likewise do not yet teach that the five vehicles become buddhas, nor do they yet disclose the trace and reveal the origin — the sudden and gradual sūtras, none of them, have yet been fused and joined together, and this is why it is called "secret." This sūtra fully teaches what was, in the past, kept secret, and this is precisely the opening of the secret treasury, and is likewise itself the secret treasury. Such a secret treasury has never yet been openly taught. As for "even while the Tathāgata dwelt in the world, there was still much resentment and jealousy": for more than forty years he could not simply teach it; and now, though he wishes to teach it, the five thousand at once rise from their seats and withdraw — if even in the Buddha's own age it was thus, how much more so in ages to come! The principle here lies in how hard beings are to transform.

From "after the Tathāgata's parinirvāṇa, one who is able to copy it out and uphold it" onward, second, is praise in terms of the person. This Dharma, present in a person, makes that person precious.

As for "covered by the Tathāgata's robe": this is precisely cultivating and studying great forbearance, taken as the robe — the text above calls this "the Tathāgata's adornment."

As for "guarded and kept in mind by the buddhas": the real mark is the buddha, and real wisdom is the child; to honor and revere the real mark, giving rise to real wisdom, is precisely to be guarded and kept in mind by every buddha. The four faiths are "the power of faith"; the four great vows are "the power of aspiration"; and great wisdom is "the power of the wholesome root." Faith is faith in the principle, and the principle is precisely the dharma-body; aspiration and vow establish the practice, and the practice is precisely liberation; and the wholesome root, its root firm and hard to shake, is precisely the perfection of wisdom. One should know that these three powers are precisely the secret treasury of the three virtues; for one of beginning mind to dwell here is no different from the Buddha, and this is why it is called "lodging together with the Tathāgata." Again, the power of faith cultivates the Tathāgata's wisdom of ultimate emptiness, and the Tathāgata dwells in ultimate emptiness as his abode; this person's power of faith likewise studies ultimate emptiness, and so he lodges together with the Tathāgata. As for "his hand strokes his head": this person, by the power of his vow and the power of his goodness, takes his own practice of the provisional and the real to be the stirring of capacity — the stirring of capacity is called "the head"; the Tathāgata, by the twin wisdom of the provisional and the real that transforms others, is called "the hand" — opening and drawing forth this person's own head of practice in the provisional and the real, response meeting stimulus, is why it is called "stroking the head," and this stroking of the head is itself the bestowal of the prediction.

From "wherever it is, in every place" onward, third, is praise in terms of the place. This Dharma, present in a place, makes that place precious. Now, wherever the Buddha is born, attains the path, turns the Dharma wheel, or enters nirvāṇa, and every place where the Dharma King has traveled, a stūpa ought to be raised. This sūtra is the birthplace of the dharma-body, the site of attaining the path, the very substance of the Dharma wheel, and the cave of great nirvāṇa, and wherever this sūtra is present requires a stūpa and offerings. As for "there is no further need to enshrine relics": the Treatise says, "Broken bones are the relics of the physical body; the sūtra scroll is the relic of the dharma-body" — this sūtra is the relic of the dharma-body, and there is no further need to enshrine the relics of the physical body. The physical body and the dharma-body each have their whole and their broken form, and this can all be understood (and so on).

From "if one leaves the household" onward, fourth, is praise raised up in terms of the cause. As for "if one has not yet skillfully practiced the bodhisattva path": to receive the three prior teachings is precisely the broken and scattered relics of the dharma-body, not yet able to skillfully cross over; to enter the perfect teaching is precisely the whole-body relics, and this is skillful crossing-over — skillful crossing-over is skillful practice. From "there are sentient beings who" onward, fifth, is praise raised up in terms of the fruit. The text has five parts: first, making clear the near fruit; second, opening the parable; third, matching the parable; fourth, explaining "near"; and fifth, distinguishing what is not so. Here, first, making clear the near fruit.

As for "know that one shall surely draw near to the fruit of the threefold awakening": in "Peaceful Practices" this is called "the near place." This fruit of awakening, taking as its substance the place of the buddha-eye's and the buddha-wisdom's own knowledge and vision, has two kinds: first, the awakening of the beginning mind; second, the awakening of the final mind. Here, speaking of "near" refers precisely to being near the awakening of the first abode. Again, looking toward the perfect fruit while cultivating the perfect cause, and thereby attaining an approximate understanding, is likewise called "near." Earlier, in the praise given in terms of the cause, cultivating the shared or the distinct cause is precisely "not yet good," being far from the perfect fruit; cultivating the perfect cause is precisely "good practice," being near to the perfect fruit. Here, taking the perfect, real wisdom-in-accord-with-suchness as the cause, this is, in turn, taken as the fruit: true suchness before the path is precisely the correct cause; true suchness in the midst of the path is precisely the conditioning cause, also called the revealing cause; and true suchness after the path is precisely the perfect fruit. And so the Samantabhadra Contemplation Sūtra says, "The cause of the Great Vehicle is precisely the real mark, and the fruit of the Great Vehicle is likewise the real mark." The Treatise says, "To first contemplate the real mark is called the cause; when the contemplation is complete, it is called the fruit." Considered in terms of the principle, true suchness, the real mark, has, properly speaking, no cause and fruit, nor any before and after; but considered in terms of sentient beings' cultivation and practice, then there is a before and after, and a cause and fruit.

From "suppose there were a man" onward, second, is the opening of the parable, explained in two ways: first, in terms of the gate of contemplation; second, in terms of the gate of the teachings. As for the gate of contemplation: the mind of sentient beings, possessed of every affliction, is called "the high plateau"; cultivating the wisdom of contemplation is called "digging and excavating"; and the direct realization of the flavor of the principle is like obtaining clear water. According to the shared contemplation, the stage of dry wisdom is like "dry earth," the stage of inner nature is "wet earth, mud," and seeing the truths is obtaining clear water. In the distinct contemplation, proceeding from the provisional into emptiness, one sees only emptiness and does not see the non-empty; severing the four dwelling-afflictions is like digging into dry earth, still far from the water; proceeding from emptiness out into the provisional, first knowing what is not provisional and now knowing what is not empty, by means of these two contemplations one is able to enter the middle way, able to subdue ignorance, coming, in turn, to see wet earth — now the water is near.

The perfect contemplation of the middle way, neither empty nor provisional, and yet illuminating both the empty and the provisional, is like gradually reaching wet mud — the four dwelling-afflictions already ended, ignorance already subdued, one has already attained an approximate, perfect understanding of the middle way, and this is why it is said to be "like mud"; and if one enters the first abode and gives rise to the true understanding of the middle, this is precisely breaking through ignorance, like mud settling clear, attaining a vision of the middle way like seeing clear water. The Lotus Treatise speaks of "the water of buddha-nature," and one should understand this same progression.

Next, as for the gate of the teachings: earth illustrates the teaching of the sūtras, and water illustrates the middle way; the teaching's expounding of the middle way is like earth containing water. The gate of the Tripiṭaka teaching, not yet expounding the middle way, is still like dry earth; the Vaipulya teachings and the Prajñāpāramitā, carrying skillful means along with them in teaching the sense of the middle way, are like seeing wet earth; and the Lotus teaching, directly and openly teaching the unsurpassed path, is like seeing mud. Giving rise to hearing, reflection, and cultivation by means of the Lotus teaching is precisely awakening to the middle way and truly seeing buddha-nature — the true wisdom thereby brought forth no longer depends on the written word, like obtaining clear water with no trace of earth left in it any more. And so the Avataṃsaka Sūtra says, "Whatever wisdom-body the bodhisattvas of the ten abodes possess, it does not come from another's awakening."

Some say that the first teachings are like the high plateau's dry earth, the Great Perfection of Wisdom is like wet earth, the Lotus is like mud, and the buddha-fruit is like water. Some say that the Vimalakīrti and the Sūtra on Resolving Doubts through Contemplation are like dry earth, the Sūtra of Measureless Meanings is like wet earth, the Lotus is like mud, and the buddha-fruit is like water. Some say that the Great Perfection of Wisdom is like dry earth, the Sūtra of Measureless Meanings is like wet earth, the Lotus is like mud, and the buddha-fruit is like water. All three of these schools speak in terms of the five periods. Master Daosheng says, "Receiving, upholding, and seeking the buddha-path through the Lotus is to wish for it as one thirsts; that the three vehicles find the one vehicle hard to believe, and seek to understand it in the Lotus, is like the high plateau; receiving, upholding, reading, and reciting is the digging; not yet being able to understand as one hears is 'not yet having heard,' like dry earth; and being able to understand is reaching the mud." The annotator-master agrees with this.

Some say that one of these explanations places things far from the buddha and one places things near to the buddha — the first three masters make clear that the other teachings are far from the buddha and the Lotus is near to the buddha, while the last two explanations discuss near and far only within the Lotus itself. Examining the sūtra, there ought to be two senses: first, raising the other sūtras against the Lotus to make clear the far and the near; second, discussing the far and the near within the Lotus itself. These various masters have missed the sūtra's intent.

Question:
Why are the other sūtras far from the buddha?

Answer:
Not yet having opened the provisional, those who seek buddhahood are not yet resolved in their aim; the Lotus alone has no separate three, forever freeing them from a retreating mind, and this is why it is near to the buddha — the text says, "resolving and making plain the śrāvaka's Dharma."

Question:
How is the Prajñāpāramitā far from the buddha?

Answer: Not yet having opened the provisional, its edges remain far off; the bodhisattvas newly setting out in practice do not perceive the Prajñāpāramitā's secret transformation and its entrusting of the treasure to them, and it is in this respect that it is far off. Now, the Prajñāpāramitā's real wisdom and skillful means are the father and mother of the dharma-body of the buddhas of the three periods of time; one who seeks buddhahood is like an old and sick person — supported by two strong companions, he is able to travel the whole distance — and so one should know that the Prajñāpāramitā is most excellent. The Lotus's opening of the provisional is no different from the Prajñāpāramitā's revealing of the real; it is not that, outside of the Prajñāpāramitā, there is some separate Lotus — the Lotus and the Prajñāpāramitā are simply different names for the same thing. Since these are various masters' differing explanations, they are recorded here.

Next, from "bodhisattvas, too, are likewise so" onward, third, is the matching of the parable. Gaining hearing, reflection, and cultivation within the Lotus is precisely the perfect contemplation's three wisdoms, and only thus is one able to draw near to the fruit — it is not the hearing, reflection, and cultivation found within the teachings of dry and wet earth and the rest.

From "for what reason" onward, fourth, explains the sense of drawing near. As for "every bodhisattva": this makes clear the various provisional causes. As for "the threefold awakening": this makes clear every provisional fruit. Both the provisional causes and the provisional fruits are, in every case, gathered in and belong to this sūtra, just as the dry earth, the wet earth, and the rest all depend upon the water — and this is why it is said that they are gathered in and belong to it.

As for "opening the gate of skillful means and showing the mark of the real": Guangzhai says, "In the past, at the Deer Park, the capacities of the assembly were mixed, and the Tripiṭaka teaching was expounded at length without yet making the single principle clear; at that time, the provisional was used to conceal the real, and the single principle was shut in by the provisional teaching; now, at the royal city, meeting the great capacity, the real is revealed, and once the real is revealed, the former teaching is done away with — since the former teaching is done away with, the gate of skillful means is opened, and, the single principle now made manifest, the mark of the real is revealed." My own view is that this explanation is, in fact, breaking apart skillful means, not opening it.

Daolang of Hexi says, "Simply naming the three as skillful means — this is itself the opening of the gate of skillful means. In the past, it was not said that the three were skillful means, and so the gate of skillful means was shut; now, the three are named as skillful means, and this itself shows the one as the real." My own view is that this explanation accords with the text. Some explain it as opening both the teaching and the body as twofold skillful means, and showing both the teaching and the body as twofold real — the buddhas of the three periods of time have only their visible form, their voice, the provisional, and the real, and, taken in terms of this opening and showing, then the twelve years and the eighty thousand teachings all become brilliantly plain. My own view is that the first two masters explain the opening and showing in terms of the teaching, while this last person adds to it the body — this steals the sense of Sengzhao's Dragon's Seal and presents it as his own explanation, and this, too, is really breaking apart skillful means, not the sense of opening it.

Question: Is skillful means, in its own substance, itself the gate? Or does it become the gate by leading through to the real mark? My own answer: it has both senses. That it is the gate to the real mark can be understood; that it is, in its own substance, itself the gate is as in the Avataṃsaka Sūtra, where seeking out good friends yields every kind of dharma-gate, such as counting grains of sand or contemplating the ocean, and so on.

Each of these two gates has both its opening and its shutting: in the past, it was not said that the three were skillful means, and so this gate was shut; now it is said that the three are skillful means, and so this gate is opened. In the past, it was not said that the one was the real, and so the gate of the real was shut; now it is said that the one is the real, and so the gate of the real is opened. Second, this skillful means, moreover, leads through to the real mark, and so the skillful means of the three vehicles is the gate to the one vehicle. The real mark, too, has two senses: first, being, in its own substance, empty and unobstructed, it is thus named the gate — as with the Vimalakīrti's "gate of non-duality" and the Avataṃsaka's "gate of the dharma-realm," and so forth; second, being able to lead through to skillful means, it is made into a gate. Liu Qiu says, "The achievement of leading beings through belongs to the one, and so the one is the gate of skillful means; the effect of drawing them onward relies considerably upon the three, and so the three are the mark of the real. To say that it is not the three is for the gate of skillful means to be opened; to speak of only the one is for the mark of the real to be shown."

Some say that, discussed in full, there are three senses: first, taking the three as skillful means and the one as the real; second, taking both the three and the one as skillful means, and what is neither three nor one as the real; third, taking the three and the one together as "the two," and what is neither three nor one as "the non-dual" — the two and the non-dual are both provisional, and what is neither the two nor the non-dual is the real. These three formulations can all serve as the gate. Just as taking the three as the gate to the one is using the provisional to lead through to the real, so taking the one as the gate to the three is using the real to raise up the provisional, and so on up through the two and the non-dual, likewise — each may serve, in turn, as the gate, and each may serve, in turn, as the mark, but they may not, in turn, serve as each other's provisional and real.

My own view is this: as for taking the three as the gate to the one — do the three vehicles lead through to the real mark, or not? If they do not lead through, then they are not the gate; the three would first have to be opened before they could become the gate. But once the three are opened, they are no longer the three — so how could the three, as such, be the gate to the real mark? And, further, the three are not the buddha's own cause, so how could they be the gate to the real mark? Refuting this one sense, the other two follow the same pattern (and so on).

Question: Skillful means and the real, in turn, become each other's gate — but can skillful means, in turn, be the gate to skillful means, and the real mark be the gate to the real mark? This yields four propositions, of which two are as before; the third is the real mark being the gate to the real mark, and the fourth is skillful means being the gate to skillful means. It is like a name being the gate to its meaning, and the meaning being the gate to its name — because the name of skillful means makes manifest the meaning of skillful means, the name is the gate to the meaning; and because the meaning of skillful means corresponds to the name of skillful means, the meaning is the gate to the name. The real mark is likewise so; the preface to the Middle Treatise says, "Without a name, the real cannot be awakened to, and so it is entrusted to the middle to be proclaimed" — this is precisely this same matter.

Question: Can the three, in turn, reveal the three, and the one, in turn, reveal the one? This, too, yields four propositions, of which two are as before. As for the three revealing the three: to say that the three of the past differ from the one of now, this three lying outside the one, and that the one of now differs from the three of the past, this one lying outside the three, so that the one is not the one-of-the-three, and the three are not the three-of-the-one — all of this is clinging to views. To break through this fault, within the one buddha-vehicle the three are distinguished and spoken of, and so the three are the three-of-the-one; and "what you practice is the bodhisattva path," and so the one is the one-of-the-three. Since the three and the one, then, are not different from each other, this is the sense of causes and conditions: by means of the causally-conditioned three-and-one, the intrinsic-nature three-and-one is revealed, and likewise, by means of the intrinsic-nature three-and-one, the causally-conditioned three-and-one is revealed, and this is why it is said that the three reveal the one, and the one reveals the three.

Some cite fifteen passages that speak of "the gate": two in "Skillful Means," six in the "Parable" chapter, three in "Faith and Understanding," two in the "Phantom City" chapter, one in "The Teacher of the Dharma," and one in the "Avalokiteśvara" chapter. As for the two in "Skillful Means": the gate of wisdom — the provisional wisdom is the gate to the real wisdom; Master Daosheng says, "The verbal teaching is the gate; the verbal teaching expounds the real wisdom, and this is why the verbal teaching is the gate to the real wisdom." The Lotus Treatise agrees with this. The next passage speaks of proclaiming and showing the buddha-path by means of every kind of dharma-gate, and this uses the Great Vehicle teaching as the gate. As for the six in the "Parable" chapter: first, the house being vast and having but a single door, this, too, takes the Great Vehicle teaching as the gate; second, the passage on the door that is burning, this takes the confines of the three realms as the gate, calling the house itself the gate; third, having but a single door, and this narrow and small besides, this, too, is the Great Vehicle teaching taken as the gate;

Fourth, the three carts standing outside the gate, this, too, takes the three realms as the gate; fifth, being led out of the suffering of the three realms through the gate of the Buddha's teaching, this takes the lesser teaching as the gate; sixth, standing outside the gate — according to the Great Vehicle, this takes the confines of the two kinds of death as the gate, while according to the lesser vehicle, it is that every affliction, both fundamental and habitual, is already exhausted and left behind, and this is called "standing outside the gate." In "Faith and Understanding": "stood at the side of the gate" — the Great Vehicle's principle and teaching is the gate here; second, "still remaining outside the gate" is likewise as before; and third, "within the elder's gate" is as before.

In "Phantom City": "beseeching him to open the gate of ambrosia" is likewise the gate of both the lesser and the greater teachings; "the layered gates and towering pavilions" likewise use the lesser vehicle's three gates of emptiness as the gate. The gate in "Skillful Means" is explained as before. In "Avalokiteśvara" too, the great teaching is taken as the gate. Now, explaining "opening the gate of skillful means": what was not spoken of in the past is now all spoken of. In the past, it was taught that every worldly means of livelihood and every trade — how could this ever have been skillful means? Now all of this is opened up, and it is precisely the real mark, in no way contrary to it.

In the past, the lesser vehicle's skillful means, or the lesser vehicle's fruit, was taught — yet the lesser vehicle's fruit is not itself the gate to the real mark, so how much less could the lesser vehicle's skillful means properly be the gate? Now all of this is opened up, and it is precisely the real mark: "what you practice is the bodhisattva path," "resolving and making plain the śrāvaka's Dharma," is the king of all sūtras. In the past, the two lesser vehicles were taught as the gate of skillful means; now all of this is opened up, and it is precisely the real mark — how, then, could it still be merely a gate? It causes every sentient being to open, show, awaken to, and enter the Buddha's own knowledge and vision; every form, every scent, is nothing but the Buddha-dharma — whether gate or not-gate, all of it is opened up, showing the real mark and revealing the water of buddha-nature. If it is not opened, then it remains deeply hidden and far removed, with no one able to reach it; but now that it is opened, one at once obtains the sight of the water, with no trace of dry earth left. Again, this may be explained in terms of the three wisdoms: that everything belongs to this sūtra is precisely the perfect wisdom of hearing; that this sūtra opens skillful means is precisely the perfect wisdom of reflection; and that it shows the real mark is precisely the perfect wisdom of cultivation.

These three, deeply hidden and far removed, the Buddha now opens and shows, so that one at once obtains a vision of the real.

From "Bhaiṣajyarāja, if there is a bodhisattva who, hearing" onward, fifth, is distinguishing what is not so. If a bodhisattva, hearing this teaching, is startled and doubts, or a śrāvaka is overweeningly proud, these are, in every case, still dry earth — not even wet earth, let alone seeing the water!

From "if there is a good son or good daughter, after the Tathāgata's parinirvāṇa" onward, second, briefly shows the method for proclaiming the sūtra. This, again, has two parts: first, showing the method; second, making clear the benefit. The method has three parts: first, setting forth the heading; second, explaining it; third, urging its cultivation. Cultivating the Tathāgata's room is great compassion — with regard to the substance shared in common, it is precisely the dharma-body; with regard to what is extended to sentient beings, it is precisely liberation; and being able to bring sentient beings to that shared substance is precisely the perfection of wisdom. As for cultivating the Tathāgata's robe: with regard to what it covers, it is precisely the dharma-body; with regard to its covering and adorning the body, it is precisely the forbearance of quiescent cessation; and with regard to tempering one's light to benefit beings, it is precisely liberation.

With regard to the one who sits, it is precisely the perfection of wisdom; with regard to what is sat upon, it is precisely the dharma-body; and the body and the seat, silently corresponding to each other, are precisely liberation. Again, great loving-kindness and peaceful ease are precisely the adornment that brings things to completion; gentleness, subduing anger, and severing the afflictions are precisely contemplative illumination; and sitting upon the seat is precisely the dharma-body. In "Peaceful Practices," these three dharmas are further expanded upon — the text above's "the Tathāgata's adornment" is precisely the robe, and the text above's "borne on the Tathāgata's shoulder" is precisely this seat, while "shouldering" is precisely the carrying-through that is entering the room. From "I, in other lands" onward, second, raises up five benefits to encourage its transmission and flow: first, sending an emanated person; second, sending emanated members of the fourfold assembly; third, sending the eightfold host; fourth, letting him see the buddha's body; and fifth, granting him dhāraṇī. If the beginning mind is not yet pure, one may only send an emanated person, and not yet an emanated fourfold assembly or eightfold host; for were he to see devas and dragons, he might rely on this to grow conceited, harming his own path, and so he must not be allowed to see them; but once his mind is without any such reliance and attachment, he becomes fit to see the buddha — how much more so devas and dragons, and how much more so attaining dhāraṇī and its self-realized benefit!

The verses have eighteen-and-a-half lines, in three parts: first, one line generally exhorts, not versifying the prose; next, sixteen-and-a-half lines versify the prose above; and last, one line concludes the exhortation. Above, the text of praise in terms of the fruit had five parts, and here, first, one-and-a-half lines versify the opening of the parable; next, "Bhaiṣajyarāja, you should know," second, two-and-a-half lines versify the matching of the parable — omitting, in brief, the versifying of the other three: the near fruit, the explanation, and the distinguishing of what is not so. Above, within the method and standard for proclaiming the sūtra there were two parts — the method and standard, and the benefit — and here twelve-and-a-half lines versify them: the first three-and-a-half lines versify the method and standard, which had three parts within it, and here, too, three senses are versified. From "I, in a thousand myriad koṭis" onward, the next nine lines versify the benefit. The first line generally makes clear the Tathāgata's intent in benefiting through these five matters — precisely because his response-body fills the ten directions completely, he is able, through these five matters, to guard and protect the practitioner. From "if, after my parinirvāṇa" onward, one-and-a-half lines versify the second, sending the fourfold assembly.

From "guiding and leading" onward, one-and-a-half lines versify the first, sending an emanated person. From "if the person who teaches the Dharma" onward, two lines versify the fifth, granting him dhāraṇī. From "if a person is complete with these virtues" onward, one line versifies the fourth, letting him see the buddha. And from "if a person, dwelling in a quiet and empty place" onward, two lines versify the third, sending the eightfold host (and so on).

Explaining the chapter "The Jeweled Stūpa." In Sanskrit it is called stūpa, which translates as "square mound," and is also called a "spirit shrine." It is also called a caitya, a term for a memorial that holds no bodily relics. Since this particular stūpa holds an entire, undissolved body, it cannot properly be called a caitya. The Āgamas set out "the four relic-sites" (a term glossed in the text with a pronunciation note): the place of birth, the place of attaining the path, the place of turning the Dharma wheel, and the place of entering extinction — stūpas are raised at these four places, and the jeweled stūpa here is the relic-site of a former buddha's entry into extinction. The sūtra says that the Buddha's three bodies are born from this very sūtra: every buddha sits in the place of enlightenment by means of it, every buddha turns the Dharma wheel by means of it, and every buddha enters parinirvāṇa by means of it — so this Lotus Sūtra itself is precisely the fourfold relic-site of the buddhas of the three periods of time.

His buddhahood is already established, the present buddha is seated beside him, and buddhas yet to come will do likewise. The stūpa's emergence makes this fact manifest, seen by the entire fourfold assembly, and this is why it is called the chapter "The Jeweled Stūpa." The Yingluo Sūtra ("Jeweled Necklace") records Subhūti asking, "Are the merits of a living body, an entire body-relic, and a fragmented body-relic equal?" The Buddha answers, "They are not equal. The physical body speaks and teaches and instructs, its three karmic activities entirely pure, and by it sentient beings are brought to the place of enlightenment; whole or fragmented relics can only shine with awe-inspiring light, and making offerings to them earns merit — for this reason they are not equal." Subhūti then asks about the Tathāgata Crown-King: "Across twelve nayutas of kalpas he taught and transformed beings by preaching the Dharma, and his relics did the same — should not these, then, be equal?" The Buddha answers, "All of this was simply the working of the Tathāgata Crown-King's own spiritual power." That sūtra measures whole and fragmented relics entirely by the power of the living buddha; the present sūtra, by contrast, measures the living body, the whole or fragmented relics, and the partial or perfect relics of the dharma-body as all issuing from the sūtra itself, making clear that the merit and the power to uphold and transmit this sūtra are vast — and it is precisely to bear this out that the stūpa rises from the earth, seen by the entire fourfold assembly, and this is why it is called "The Jeweled Stūpa."

A Northern master says: "When the Buddha was teaching this sūtra for Śāriputra's sake, the jeweled stūpa had already appeared to bear witness — so once the teaching of the sūtra was finished, what more was there left for it to confirm? It must be that the compilers of the sūtra simply arranged the sequence of the text, and placed it after the three rounds of teaching." This, however, is merely a matter of human opinion and cannot be trusted. Here we rely instead on the Sarvajñā-puṇḍarīka Sūtra, an early alternate translation of the Lotus, which says: "While the Buddha was speaking the countless verses of the Lotus, a stūpa of the seven treasures rose up out of the earth. Within it was a golden couch, and upon the couch a buddha, whose name, rendered into Chinese, is 'Great Treasure.' He praised the World-Honored Śākyamuni, saying: 'I have come especially to make offerings — I beg you to sit upon my golden couch, and speak for me, once more, the Sarvajñā-puṇḍarīka.'" According to the testimony of this sūtra, then, this occurs precisely at the point of the three rounds of teaching, after which comes the further request concerning the Buddha's lifespan — the plain wording of the sage's own teaching is right here, and yet it is simply not made use of. How can anyone's forced, private reading of the text be trusted over this? This stūpa arises from the earth precisely to bear witness to what came before and to open the request for what is to follow, seen by the entire fourfold assembly, and this is why it is called "The Jeweled Stūpa."

A Northern master says that Prabhūtaratna is the dharma-body buddha; the Mahāprajñāpāramitā-śāstra says that Prabhūtaratna is a transformation-body who comes, by the power of his own vow, to bear witness to the sūtra — and the present text agrees with this. My own teacher says: the dharma-body neither comes nor goes; the reward-body is towering and majestic; the response-body responds universally to all — and to say simply that Prabhūtaratna is any one of these three bodies fails to exhaust what he truly is. This is, rather, only a matter of symbolic representation: Prabhūtaratna represents the dharma-buddha, Śākyamuni represents the reward-buddha, and the emanation-buddhas represent the response-buddha. Though the three buddha-bodies are three, they are neither strictly one nor strictly different — this is how the matter ought to be stated, and this is how it ought to be received in faith and understanding.

These four accounts correspond to the four siddhāntas' explanation of the jeweled stūpa's appearance, and so on. The stūpa's emergence serves two purposes: first, its emitting a great sound bears witness to what came before; second, its opening initiates what is to follow. As to bearing witness to what came before: it bears witness that the teaching given across the three rounds is, in every case, true and real. Stated briefly, "true and real" means being in accord with the true mark of reality; stated at length, it means being free of the four propositions and cut off from the hundred negations; stated in a middle way, it means the eight negations themselves constitute the true and real. The stūpa's rising from the earth shows non-extinction; the sharing of the seat shows non-arising; entering the stūpa shows non-permanence; the stūpa's own appearing shows non-severance; the emanation-buddhas show non-oneness; the whole, undissolved body shows non-difference; Prabhūtaratna's yielding of his seat shows non-coming; Śākyamuni's sitting on half the seat shows non-departing — the eight negations stand out plainly here, and this is why it is true and real.

Further, it bears witness to the flowing-forth transmission of the trace gate, showing that the merit of upholding the sūtra runs deep and that the power of proclaiming it abroad is vast — all of this, too, is true and real. As for "equal and impartial great wisdom" — how does this relate to the perfection of wisdom? The Mahāprajñāpāramitā-śāstra, fascicle seventy-nine, says, "The perfection of wisdom is the wondrous Dharma of the buddhas of the three periods of time, like a single city gate through which entry is possible from all four directions" — from which it may be known that the perfection of wisdom, too, is called the "wondrous Dharma," just as this sūtra is called "equal and impartial great wisdom"; these two texts point to one another, and their meaning may thereby be understood.

As for initiating what is to follow: to open the stūpa requires first gathering the emanation-buddhas and setting forth the profound entrustment; the sound must reach down to summon the Buddha's own original disciples from below, so that the matter of his lifespan may be discussed; and it is the vast, ancient stūpa's rising up out of the earth that opens the power of sovereign spiritual penetration and reveals how past ages were benefited. The emitting of the great sound opens the power of the lion's vigorous exertion and reveals, in the present, throughout the ten directions, the opening of the provisional to reveal the real. The great vow — that in whatever place, in future ages, any buddha should teach this sūtra, this very stūpa of his will arrive there to bear witness — opens the power of great, fierce majesty and reveals the eternal, unextinguished abiding of the future. Further, the stūpa's standing suspended in the air likewise both bears witness to what came before and initiates what is to follow: for the seven kinds of expedient practitioners, the principle stored within remains unopened, hidden beneath ignorance, just as the stūpa was, at first, within the earth; and hearing, across the three rounds, the opening of the three to reveal the one and the opening of the Buddha's own knowledge and vision, and seeing the dharma-body come forth, is like the stūpa's rising into the sky — this is precisely the bearing witness to what came before. That the dharma-body, once attained through cultivation, has long since been made manifest is like the stūpa standing in the sky with none able to open it, signifying that the fundamental ground, long since accomplished, remains unrecognized by the multitude. Only when the trace is disclosed and the origin revealed, understood thoroughly and without any remaining doubt, is this, precisely, the initiating of what is to follow. And if the stūpa is taken as rising from the earth, signifying the manifesting of the dharma-body, this is both the same as and different from what is found in other sūtras: where bodhisattvas manifest the dharma-body it is the same, but where the two lesser vehicles manifest the dharma-body it is different.

But if the stūpa's standing in the sky and its door opening to reveal the buddha within signify the disclosing of the trace and the revealing of the origin, this is utterly unlike anything found in other sūtras. Where the stūpa's coming bears witness, the matter that came before is already made manifestly clear, and there is really no need for doubt; where the stūpa's coming initiates what follows, there is a hidden intent in it not yet known to the assembly — and to take up this latter sense here, offering this explanation in advance, likewise involves no fault. As for the interpretation through the contemplation of mind: cultivating contemplation in accordance with the sūtra, the contemplating wisdom and its object, the dharma-body, must inevitably meet — just as the stūpa's coming bears witness to the sūtra. Once wisdom and its object have met, the great reward-body is thereby perfected and complete — just as Śākyamuni and Prabhūtaratna sit together upon a single seat. Because the great reward-body is complete, it responds according to capacity and issues forth in manifestation — just as the emanation-buddhas all gather together. Because Prabhūtaratna has come forth, the three buddha-bodies are thereby made manifest; and because the sūtra is upheld, the three bodies are thereby possessed in full. The Samantabhadra Contemplation Sūtra says, "The buddhas' three kinds of bodies are born from the Vaipulya teachings" — this is precisely this same meaning. Some divide this chapter and the eleven chapters following it as belonging to the wheel of spiritual bodily power, opening the origin and the trace, and take everything from "Maitreya's question" onward as belonging to the wheel of verbal teaching, opening the origin and the trace — but the sense of the trace and the origin has not yet been made plain at this point, and to divide the text in this way here is far too early, and so on.

This chapter has both a prose section and a verse section. The prose has three parts: first, setting forth Prabhūtaratna's rising up; second, setting forth the emanation-buddhas' gathering from afar; third, setting forth Śākyamuni's call for volunteers. The first part has six divisions: first, the mark of the stūpa's appearing; second, the devas' offerings; third, Prabhūtaratna's praise; fourth, the assembly's wonder and doubt; fifth, Mahāpratibhāna's question; sixth, the Tathāgata's answer. "A stūpa of the seven treasures" makes clear that the ground of the dharma-body, by its very nature, possesses the seven factors of enlightenment and the seven kinds of noble wealth as its treasures; the stūpa is the domain of the true mark of reality, the very place on which the dharma-body rests. "Five hundred yojanas high" is twenty thousand li, expressing vertically the myriad practices within the cause and the myriad virtues within the fruit. "Two hundred fifty yojanas across" is ten thousand li, expressing horizontally its being adorned with the myriad forms of goodness. "The earth" is the ground of the mind of ignorance: by having nothing to break through, it breaks through ignorance; by having nowhere to abide, it abides in the emptiness of ultimate meaning.

"Every kind of jewel" means the many forms of concentration and wisdom that adorn it. The "railings" are the dhāraṇīs. The "thousand myriad niches and chambers" are the measureless chambers of compassion, which are likewise the measureless chambers of emptiness. The "banners" are the superior marks of spiritual penetration. The "hanging jeweled garlands" are the merit of the forty bodhisattva grounds, adorning the dharma-body above and reaching down to cover sentient beings below.

The "myriads of koṭis of jeweled bells" are the eight buddha-voices and the four unhindered eloquences. That "fragrance issues from every side" means that the wind of the path of the four noble truths blows forth the fragrance of the four virtues of nirvāṇa. That it "rises as high as the palace of the Four Heavenly Kings" means it reaches to the very limit of the principle of the four noble truths.

From "the Trāyastriṃśa heaven" onward is, second, the devas' offerings — its literal sense may be understood on its own, but it may further be taken in terms of principle. The thirty stages of mind make thirty, the ten grounds make one, equal enlightenment makes one, and wondrous enlightenment makes one, together making thirty-three — all alike resting on the domain of the true mark of reality. The "raining down of heavenly māndārava flowers" means that the initial stage of mind, too, is complete with the merit of all forty-two grounds, and so, too, is the final stage — in every case the causal flowers possessed by all forty grounds turn and return toward the dharma-body. From "the rest of the devas and dragons" onward refers to the inner and outer classes of ordinary beings, likewise cultivating the cause, in reliance on the true mark of reality, so as to move toward the fruit.

From "at that time, from within the jeweled stūpa" onward is, third, Prabhūtaratna's praise, which directly bears witness that the earlier opening of the provisional to reveal the real is not false.

"Equal and impartial great wisdom" is precisely the wisdom of the buddhas, in the same sense as the earlier "walking with an even and upright gait." "Equal" has two senses: first, the equality of the Dharma, which is the principle of the middle way; second, the equality of sentient beings, in that all sentient beings equally attain the wisdom of buddhahood. "Great" carries the same sense of height and breadth as before. In terms of the contemplation of mind: the contemplation of emptiness is equal vertically, the contemplation of the provisional is equal horizontally, and the contemplation of the middle is equal both vertically and horizontally — and the equal, twofold illumination of these is precisely "equal and impartial great wisdom." "It is so, it is so" has two senses: first, that it accords with the mark of the Dharma; second, that it accords with the hearers' own capacities and natures. "Everything is entirely true" — because it is spoken in accordance with the mark of the Dharma, it is said to be true.

From "at that time the fourfold assembly saw" onward is, fourth, the assembly's wonder and doubt. The text has two parts: first, their gaining the joy of the Dharma; second, their wonder and puzzlement.

From "at that time there was a bodhisattva" onward is, fifth, Mahāpratibhāna's questioning, prompted by this doubt. Judged against the sense of the answer that follows, it should be taken as three questions in one: first, for what cause does this stūpa exist? Second, why has the stūpa risen from the earth? Third, why has it emitted this sound?

From "at that time the Buddha told" onward is, sixth, the Buddha's answer. This, too, has three parts: first, he answers the second question first — this buddha made a vow to bear witness to the Lotus, and this is why he has risen up out of the earth. From "that buddha, upon attaining the path" onward, he goes back and answers the first question — it was by that buddha's own command that this stūpa was made. Next, from "that buddha, by his spiritual power" onward is, third, the answer to the third question — it is in order to bear witness that this sound is emitted. The Mahāprajñāpāramitā-śāstra states that the Buddha Prabhūtaratna was unable to teach the Dharma and so took extinction; my own teacher explains this differently. That buddha addressed his own monks, and monks are precisely those who receive his teaching — how, then, could it be said that he did not teach? It must be, rather, that Prabhūtaratna, too, was able to open the three vehicles but unable to reveal the real — and this is why the Śāstra says he was "unable to teach the Dharma." For this reason, although he has indeed entered extinction, wherever the Lotus Sūtra is taught, he comes, in joyful sympathy, to bear witness to it.

From "Mahāpratibhāna, by the Tathāgata's own spiritual power" onward is, second, setting forth the emanation-buddhas' gathering from afar. Within this there are seven parts: first, Mahāpratibhāna's request to see Prabhūtaratna; second, the response, gathering the emanation-buddhas; third, Mahāpratibhāna's request that they be gathered; fourth, the emission of light to summon them from afar; fifth, the buddhas' arriving together; sixth, the purifying and adorning of the buddha-lands; seventh, the granting of consent to open the stūpa. Explaining the first request: it says "by relying on the Buddha's spiritual power," because to open the stūpa the buddhas must first be gathered, and gathering the buddhas means the entrustment, and the entrustment means summoning the disciples from below — and once those from below emerge, it is fitting that the near be opened to reveal the distant. This is the very reason for so great a matter — how could it not be the Buddha's own spiritual power that prompts this question? The remaining sections may be understood from the text itself. From "at that time the Buddha emitted a ray from the tuft of white hair" onward is, fourth, the emission of light to summon them from afar. As for the threefold transformation of the land into purity: this arises precisely from samādhi, and the samādhi has three aspects — the first transformation of the Sahā world is the liberation of turning away, able to transform defilement into purity; the second transformation, of two hundred myriads of koṭis of nayutas of worlds, is the mastery, sovereign and unobstructed, of the sphere of superiority; the third transformation, of a further two hundred myriads of koṭis of nayutas, is the unobstructed reach into every sphere whatsoever. Again, the first transformation into purity signifies the purifying-away of the four fundamental afflictions; the second signifies the purifying-away of the dust-and-sand-like afflictions; the third signifies the purifying-away of ignorance itself. "At that time the buddhas, seated upon lion thrones" — seventh, the granting of consent to open the stūpa — has, again, five parts: first, the buddhas' greeting one another and stating their consent; second, Śākyamuni's opening of the stūpa; third, the fourfold assembly's seeing and hearing together; fourth, the two buddhas' dividing the seat and sitting together; fifth, the fourfold assembly's request for empowerment. That the buddhas together grant their consent to open the stūpa is like the granting of consent within a monastic assembly's formal procedure. The Mahāsaṃnipāta Sūtra speaks of a certain number of buddhas granting consent; the Avataṃsaka likewise speaks of a certain number of buddhas of the ten directions together teaching the Avataṃsaka; the Mahāprajñāpāramitā likewise speaks of a thousand buddhas together teaching the Prajñāpāramitā — yet none of these say that these are Śākyamuni's own emanation-buddhas. Measured against the present sūtra, however, they, too, ought to be emanation-buddhas — it is only that, being expressed there by way of expedient means, this was not made explicit at the time. The present sūtra not only gives their number, but states outright that these are emanation-buddhas, all of them coming to grant their consent.

From "at that time Śākyamuni, seeing" onward is, second — the opening of the stūpa is precisely the opening of the provisional, and the seeing of the buddha within is precisely the revealing of the real; this, too, bears witness to what came before while also being on the verge of opening what is to follow. "As one draws back a bolt and key" means removing the obstruction that blocks the capacity of beings from stirring. From "with a great sound" onward is, second, Śākyamuni's calling for volunteers to seek out those who will transmit the sūtra, which itself has three parts: first, the great call for volunteers. From "the Tathāgata will not be here much longer" onward is, second, making clear that the time for entrustment has arrived. From "the Buddha wishes to" onward is, third, making clear that the entrustment has a destination. As for "having a destination": while the Buddha remains in the world, he benefits beings according to their capacities and teaches the true Dharma himself, without needing to rely on anyone else; but now that his conditions for transforming beings are exhausted, and he wishes this Dharma to benefit beings without limit, he must therefore entrust it for its continued transmission. As for "the entrustment having a destination," this carries two senses: first, giving it a near destination — entrusting it to the eighty thousand bodhisattvas and twenty thousand more who have long dwelt in this world, to proclaim it abroad in this land; second, giving it a distant destination — entrusting it to his own original disciples, as numerous as the motes of dust in a thousand worlds below, so that it may be transmitted everywhere they reach — and this, too, sets in motion the matter of his lifespan.

The verse section has forty-eight lines, versifying the three senses given above: the first three and a half lines versify Prabhūtaratna's entering extinction; the next eight and a half lines versify the gathering of the emanation-buddhas; the remaining thirty-six lines versify Śākyamuni's entrustment. The first two of these may be understood from the text itself. From "he told the great assembly" onward is, third, and this itself has two parts: the first eight and a half lines raise up the three buddhas so as to exhort the sūtra's transmission; the next twenty-seven and a half lines raise up the difficulty of upholding this sūtra so as to exhort its transmission. Within the first part there are three divisions: the first line and a half calls for volunteers to seek out such a person; next, from "as for Prabhūtaratna" onward is, second, three lines, directly raising up the three buddhas so as to exhort the upholding of the sūtra; next, from "whoever is able to protect" onward is, third, four lines — to be able to uphold this sūtra is precisely to make offerings to the three buddhas and to behold the three buddhas, explaining thereby the sense of the exhortation. From "you good sons" onward is, second, twenty-seven and a half lines, raising up the difficulty of upholding the sūtra so as to exhort its transmission, which itself has two parts: the first twenty lines directly set forth the exhortation; the next seven and a half lines explain the sense of the exhortation. Within the first part there are, again, three divisions: the first line is an admonishing exhortation; next, from "every other sūtra" onward is, second, seventeen lines, directly raising up the difficulty of upholding this sūtra so as to exhort its transmission. From "hereafter, for the sake of the buddha-path" onward is, third, two lines, explaining the sense of this difficulty — if there is one able to uphold it, this is precisely to uphold the Buddha's own body, and how could this sense be an easy one? Second, from "you good sons, in my own" onward, seven and a half lines make clear that being able to uphold what is difficult to uphold accomplishes a surpassing virtue, thereby explaining the sense of the exhortation. Within this there are, again, three divisions: the first line and a half again calls for volunteers to uphold the sūtra; next, from "this sūtra is difficult to uphold" onward is, second, a line and a half, making clear that being able to uphold what is difficult to uphold brings the buddhas' own joyful praise; next, from "this, then, is courage" onward is, third, four and a half lines, making clear that being able to uphold what is difficult to uphold accomplishes a surpassing practice, a surpassing practice that benefits both oneself and others. As for "the fearful age": in India it is called Sahā, which here means "the fearful world," and in India it is called Bhadra, which here means, by a different name, "the auspicious eon."

Explaining the chapter "Devadatta" (at his birth, gods and humans alike felt their hearts grow hot, and it is from this that his name is taken — this is the explanation of the name through causes and conditions; that his conduct was rebellious while the principle behind it was in accord with the Dharma is the sense proper to the perfect teaching alone, not the sense of any of the other teachings — his fundamental ground is cool and untroubled, while his trace displays this "heat in the heavens," sharing in the sickness of sentient beings so as to lead them out of it). The Baochang Catalogue of Sūtras says: "The Lotus has, in all, four translations, of which two survive and two are lost. Dharmarakṣa — this name means 'protector of the Dharma' — translated it in Chang'an under the Western Jin, under the title Zhengfahua, the 'True Dharma Lotus.' Dharmarakṣa himself went on to lecture on it, and it is this version that the masters Dao'an and Fatai received and transmitted.

"Kumārajīva — this name translates as 'Youthful Longevity' — was a native of Kucha. In the fifth year of Hongshi under the illegitimate Later Qin, on the twenty-third day of the fourth month, he finished translating the Larger Perfection of Wisdom Sūtra in the Xiaoyao Garden at Chang'an, and by the summer of the eighth year, at Caotang Monastery, he translated this Wonderful Dharma Lotus Flower Sūtra, and had Sengrui lecture on it; Sengrui divided it into nine tracks. At that time it had twenty-eight chapters, but the palace attendants of Chang'an requested that this chapter be kept back within the palace, and so what was transmitted to the region east of the river had, in the end, only twenty-seven chapters. Under the Liang there was Dharma Master Man, who lectured on the sūtra a hundred times and, in Changsha commandery, burned his own body as an offering; he placed this chapter before the 'Upholding' chapter, though this was his own private arrangement, never widely known throughout the empire. Under the Chen there was the Chan master of Nanyue [Huisi], who placed this chapter after 'The Jeweled Stūpa'; comparing this, late in his life, against the Zhengfahua, he found it agreed very closely. Now the four streams have been merged together, and, examining the old text from Chang'an, one may know that these two masters had deeply grasped the sūtra's own intent."

Devadatta is also called Devadhūta, which here translates as "heat in the heavens." He broke apart the saṃgha and led five hundred monks away; Śāriputra grew weary of it. While the breakaway monks slept soundly, Mahāmaudgalyāyana raised them up and led them back. When Devadatta awoke, he vowed to avenge this grudge: he lifted a stone thirty cubits long and fifteen cubits wide and hurled it at the Buddha; a mountain spirit's hand deflected it, but a splinter struck and wounded the Buddha's foot, drawing blood. He induced King Ajātaśatru to loose a drunken elephant upon the Buddha; he struck the nun Utpalavarṇā, and she died; and he hid poison beneath his ten fingernails, intending, as he bowed at the Buddha's feet, to wound him — these together make the five grave transgressions. Taken as only the three most serious transgressions, they are counted as inciting the king, the poisoned nails, and the wounding of the Buddha together. Because he was, by nature, bound to carry out such rebellious acts, at his very birth the hearts of gods and humans alike grew hot — and it is from this that his name is taken, called "heat in the heavens"; this is his trace. Taken according to the origin, however: because sentient beings suffer from affliction, the bodhisattva displays this very "heat," sharing in their sickness so as to lead them out of it. The reason this chapter comes here is to draw on the ancient example of one who transmitted the sūtra and thereby brought benefit, showing this to be no falsehood, and to make clear that the evidence of teaching and transformation in the present is likewise no empty claim — raising up the past so as to exhort the present, that the sūtra's transmission may continue.

The text has two parts: first, down through "was born, transformed, before the Buddha, from within a lotus flower," making clear how, in ages past, Devadatta transmitted the sūtra and Śākyamuni attained the path; second, from "at that time, a bodhisattva who had accompanied Prabhūtaratna up from below" onward, making clear how, in the present, Mañjuśrī transmits the sūtra and the Dragon Princess becomes a buddha. If simply receiving the teaching already brings this much benefit, how could the merit of proclaiming and transmitting it not be greater still! And so, from Devadatta's own receiving of the prediction of buddhahood, Mañjuśrī's may likewise be inferred, and so on.

The first part has three divisions: first, setting forth the mark of teacher and disciple upholding the sūtra in ages past; second, tying together past and present; third, exhorting faith.

The first part has both a prose section and a verse section. The prose has four divisions: first, setting forth the time and season of his seeking the Dharma; second, from "throughout many kalpas" onward, directly setting forth his seeking the Dharma; third, from "at that time there was a seer" onward, setting forth his seeking out and obtaining a teacher of the Dharma; fourth, from "the king, having heard" onward, setting forth his receiving the Dharma and practicing it in accord with it. The first division may be understood from the text itself. From "throughout many kalpas" onward is, second, and this itself has two parts: first, setting forth the arousing of the vow; second, from "wishing to bring to fulfillment" onward, setting forth the practice, which itself has two parts: first, setting forth his wish to bring generosity to fulfillment through diligent giving, as the text has it; second, from "at that time the people of the world" onward, setting forth his seeking the wondrous Dharma in order to bring the perfection of wisdom to fulfillment. The verse section has seven and a half lines, versifying the prose section above. The first two phrases versify the first division, the time and season of his seeking the Dharma; next, from "though he acted" onward is, second, a line and a half, versifying the second division, his directly seeking the Dharma; next, from "at that time there was Asita" onward is, third, a line and a half, versifying the third division, his obtaining a teacher who spoke the Dharma; from "at that time the king, having heard the seer's words" onward is, fourth, two and a half lines, versifying his receiving the Dharma and practicing in accord with it; from "afterward, too, not for his own sake" onward is, fifth, a line and a half, concluding with testimony that exhorts faith.

From "he told the assembled monks: this king" onward is, second, tying together past and present, which itself has two parts: first, directly tying together past and present, as the text has it; from "because of Devadatta" onward is, second, making clear that the merit and its reward are, for both teacher and disciple, alike fulfilled. This fulfillment, again, has two parts: first, setting forth the disciple's own causal merit as already fulfilled; next, from "the Buddha told the fourfold assembly" onward is, second, setting forth the teacher's own wondrous fruit as soon to be accomplished. Within the disciple's own case there are, again, three divisions: first, setting forth the fulfillment of the cause; next, from "the thirty-two marks" onward, setting forth the perfection of the fruit; and afterward, from "entirely on account of Devadatta" onward, concluding with testimony to the benefit that comes from transmitting the sūtra. First, as to "complete with the six perfections": the sense of this "crossing over" is extremely rich. As the Mahāprajñāpāramitā-śāstra explains it: relinquishing both dependent and direct retribution is called generosity; guarding against the seven wrong branches of conduct is called moral discipline; enduring blows and abuse without retaliation is called forbearance; carrying a task through from beginning to end is called diligence; the four dhyānas and the eight meditative absorptions are called meditative concentration; and discerning each ground of practice so as to bring disputes to rest is called the perfection of wisdom. Or again, if the ten good deeds are gathered into six: from not killing through not speaking falsely is generosity; not speaking divisively is moral discipline; not speaking harshly is forbearance; not speaking idly is diligence; not being greedy or hateful is meditative concentration; and not holding wrong views is the perfection of wisdom. The Bodhisattva-śīla treatise, fascicle ten, says: "The six perfections are of three kinds. The first is the countering kind, countering stinginess, malice, hatred, sloth, distraction, and delusion, respectively, and so on. The second is the kind that generates one another in sequence: relinquishing one's household leads to upholding moral discipline, which, when insulted, calls for forbearance; having forborne, one applies diligence; having applied diligence, one brings the five faculties into balance; and once the faculties are balanced, one comes to know the dharma-realm. The third is the kind that bears fruit as reward: wealth, physical beauty, strength, longevity, peace, and eloquence." And another sūtra says: giving is rewarded with wealth, moral discipline with a good rebirth, forbearance with an upright appearance, diligence with spiritual powers, meditative concentration with rebirth in the heavens, and wisdom with the breaking of affliction. Examples such as these are, in every case, the Tripiṭaka teaching's own account of the marks of the six perfections.

If the giver, the receiver, and the wealth given — all three — are seen as empty, this is called generosity; not perceiving any duality of keeping or breaking precepts is called moral discipline; the one who forbears and that which is forborne both being unobtainable is called forbearance; body and mind unmoved is called diligence; neither being scattered nor being caught in meditative flavor is called meditative concentration; and being neither wise nor foolish is called the perfection of wisdom. Examples of this kind are the shared teaching's own account of the marks of the six perfections.

Suppose it is said that generosity brings ten benefits: it subdues the affliction of stinginess; the mind of relinquishing continues on; one shares one's own wealth with sentient beings; one is born into a wealthy and noble family; life after life, the mind of giving stands manifest before one; the fourfold assembly loves and delights in one; one dwells among the assembly without fear or timidity; a superior reputation spreads far and wide; one's hands and feet become soft and supple; and, in the end, one arrives at the place of enlightenment, forever encountering good spiritual friends. As for moral discipline bringing ten benefits: one becomes complete in all wisdom, just as the Buddha himself learned; the wise do not slander one; one's vows do not regress; one abides securely in one's own conduct; one relinquishes birth-and-death and longs for the joy of nirvāṇa; one attains a mind free of entanglement; one attains a surpassing samādhi; and one is never lacking in the wealth of faith. As for forbearance bringing ten benefits: fire, blade, poison, and water are none of them able to harm one; one is protected by non-human beings; one's bodily form is adorned; one is closed off from the evil destinies and born in the Brahmā heavens; one is at peace both day and night; and one's body never departs from joy and happiness. As for diligence bringing ten benefits: others are unable to subdue one; one is gathered in by the Buddha; one is protected by non-human beings; what one has heard of the Dharma is never forgotten; what one has not yet heard, one comes to hear; one's eloquence continually increases; one attains the nature of samādhi; one suffers little illness or affliction; whatever food one takes is easily digested; and one flourishes like the utpala flower. As for meditative concentration bringing ten benefits: one abides securely within the proper forms of conduct, practicing within the domain of loving-kindness; one is free of regret and vexation; one guards and protects the faculties; one attains the joy of needing no food; freed from craving and desire, one's cultivation of meditation is never empty; one is freed from Māra's snare and abides securely within the buddhas' own domain; and liberation itself comes to full ripeness. As for the perfection of wisdom bringing ten benefits: one does not grasp at any mark of giving; one does not rely upon moral discipline as a mark; one does not dwell in the power of forbearance as a mark; one is inseparable from bodily and mental diligence; meditative concentration abides nowhere, and Māra is unable to disturb it; the arguments of others are unable to move one; one penetrates to the very depths of birth-and-death and gives rise to an ever-increasing loving-kindness; and one no longer delights in the ground of the two lesser vehicles.

There are four grounds on which generosity ought to be cultivated: first, because the one who cultivates the path thereby breaks through stinginess and greed; second, because it adorns the path to awakening; third, for the benefit of both oneself and others — for in wishing to give, in the act of giving, and once the giving is done, one is filled with joy, and this is called benefiting oneself, while removing hunger and thirst from those in need is called benefiting others; and fourth, because it obtains, in future lives, a great and excellent fruit, so that in future lives one attains great honor and abundant wealth. There are four grounds on which moral discipline ought to be upheld: it cultivates good dharmas and extinguishes evil in oneself; discipline adorns the path to awakening and gathers in sentient beings; one is at peace whether lying down or waking, free of remorse, and holds no thought of harm toward any being; and afterward one receives, among gods and humans, the equal joy of nirvāṇa. There are four grounds on which forbearance ought to be cultivated: cultivating forbearance removes the failure to forbear; it adorns the path to awakening and gathers in sentient beings; both parties are freed from fear, one is free of anger in future lives, one's family and companions are not broken apart, and one does not suffer distress; and one attains, among gods and humans, the joy of nirvāṇa. There are four grounds on which diligence must be cultivated: diligence breaks through indolence; it adorns the path to awakening and gathers in sentient beings; increasing good dharmas is benefiting oneself, and not troubling others is benefiting others; and afterward one attains great strength and arrives at awakening. There are four grounds on which meditative concentration ought to be cultivated: concentration breaks through a scattered mind; it adorns the path to awakening and gathers in sentient beings; body and mind at peace and still is benefiting oneself, and not troubling sentient beings is benefiting others; and afterward one receives a pure body and attains nirvāṇa in security. There are four grounds on which the perfection of wisdom ought to be cultivated: wisdom breaks through ignorance; it adorns the path to awakening and gathers in sentient beings; wisdom's own joy is benefiting oneself, and being able to teach sentient beings is benefiting others; and being able to destroy affliction and the obstruction of the knowable is a great fruit indeed. Examples of this kind are the distinct teaching's own account of the marks of the six perfections.

The Candragarbha Sūtra, fascicle one, says: "If sentient beings rely only on reading and reciting in seeking awakening, such a person is thereby attached to the world's own conventions — unable even to bring his own afflictions into balance, how could he bring another's into balance? Such a person, attached to jealousy, fame, profit, and wealth, arrogant and self-satisfied, looking down on and slandering others, cannot attain even the roots of goodness proper to the desire realm — how much less those of the form and formless realms? How much less the awakening of the two lesser vehicles? How much less unsurpassed awakening? It is like a spark of fire unable to dry up the ocean, a breath of air unable to move a mountain, a strand of lotus fiber unable to weigh down a great peak. Why is this so? Because worldly convention is unable to bring awakening to fulfillment. What, then, is the meaning of ultimate truth? It means accomplishing every kind of blessed act — cultivating the body, cultivating the mind, cultivating wisdom — and, by being suffused with ultimate truth, one swiftly brings the six perfections to fulfillment: whether walking or sitting, relinquishing the thought that clings to conditions is generosity; relinquishing this clinging without transgression is moral discipline; not giving rise to any blemish with regard to one's circumstances is forbearance; not relinquishing this effort and not departing from it is diligence; within one's activity, not being negligent is meditative concentration; and seeing the nature of every dharma as non-arising is the perfection of wisdom. Again: relinquishing the aggregates is generosity; not fixating in thought upon the aggregates is moral discipline; the thought of no-self with regard to the aggregates is forbearance; giving rise to a sense of them as an enemy is diligence; not being inflamed by the aggregates is meditative concentration; and ultimately abandoning the aggregates is the perfection of wisdom. Relinquishing the elements is generosity; not being disturbed or clouded with regard to the elements is moral discipline; relinquishing the causes and conditions of the elements is forbearance; relinquishing them again and again is diligence; not stirring up attachment with regard to the elements is meditative concentration; and seeing the elements as illusion-like is the perfection of wisdom. Teachings such as these are called the profound essentials of skillful means according to the truth of ultimate meaning, able to bring the six perfections to fulfillment." By means of this Dharma, for one's own sake and for the sake of others, the bodhisattvas of the three periods of time all cultivate this very Dharma and accomplish awakening — and so it is not merely worldly convention. This Dharma is able to bring to rest sentient beings' own path of affliction and path of suffering, and to establish them upon the path of awakening. The Avataṃsaka, at the seventh ground, explains further how, thought after thought, the bodhisattva is complete with the ten pāramitās, cultivating and practicing the entire Dharma of the buddhas: taking the root of goodness that seeks the buddha-path and sharing it with every sentient being is generosity; being able to extinguish every heat of affliction is moral discipline; bringing no harm whatsoever to any sentient being is forbearance; seeking what is good without ever tiring is diligence; the mind of cultivating the path remaining undistracted, ever turned toward all-knowing wisdom, is meditative concentration; forbearing the gate of the non-arising of all dharmas is the perfection of wisdom; being able to give rise to the gate of measureless wisdom is skillful means; seeking ever more excellent wisdom is the vow; being unobstructed by demonic and deviant forces is power; and speaking of the mark of every dharma exactly as it truly is, is knowledge. Because the ten pāramitās are thus complete, the four means of gathering beings, the factors of the path, the three gates of liberation, and every dharma that assists awakening are, thought after thought, entirely complete — every ground possessing, thought after thought, this same completeness, since this ground surpasses the others. An example of this kind is the perfect teaching's own account of the marks of the six perfections.

Next, from "the thirty-two marks" onward, this makes clear the perfection of the fruit. As for the thirty-two marks: soles level like the bottom of a jewel-case, and insteps arched like a tortoise's back — these two marks together are cultivated by firm and steadfast generosity; the thousand-spoked wheel on the sole alone is cultivated by comforting those in fear; long heels, long fingers and toes, and an upright, rounded body — these three marks together are cultivated by upholding the precept against killing; fullness in the seven places, and the shoulders, neck, arms, and legs — cultivated by constantly acting as a donor; webbed and soft hands and feet — these two marks are cultivated by the four means of gathering beings; straight heels, ankles that do not protrude, and hair that curls to the right — these three marks together are cultivated by constantly benefiting sentient beings through good dharmas; the mark of calves like a deer's is cultivated by teaching others from the sūtra texts without stinginess; the mark of skin that does not gather dust or dirt is cultivated by answering just as one is asked; the mark of golden-hued skin is cultivated by the gift of fine clothing given in patient endurance; the mark of the concealed male organ, like a horse's, is cultivated by reconciling quarrels and disputes; the mark of a body perfectly round like Brahmā's, together with the mark of hands that reach down past the knees, are cultivated by teaching and guiding with a mind of loving-kindness and the like; rounded shoulders, a halo at the nape of the neck, and a chest like a lion's — these three marks together are cultivated by continually causing one's giving to increase; the mark of the svastika on the chest is cultivated by not troubling sentient beings; dark-blue eyes and eyelashes like a bull-king's — these two marks together are cultivated by regarding sentient beings without hatred or excessive fondness; the crown protuberance and dark hair — these two marks together are cultivated by causing every merit to stand foremost among people; a single hair growing from each pore, and the tuft of white hair between the brows — these two marks together are cultivated by not speaking falsely; forty teeth, white and even — these two marks together are cultivated by not speaking divisively; a broad, long tongue and a voice like Brahmā's — these two marks together are cultivated by not speaking harsh or coarse words; the lion's cheeks are cultivated by not speaking idly; and the four eyeteeth are cultivated by keeping free of wrong livelihood. The merit of all sentient beings together equals that of a single hair of the Buddha's; the merit of all the Buddha's hairs together equals that of a single excellent mark; all the excellent marks together equal a single major mark; and all the major marks together equal the tuft of white hair and the crown protuberance — the white tuft and crown protuberance, multiplied a hundred thousand myriad koṭi times, then become his voice like Brahmā's. Though the causes of the thirty-two marks are each distinct, if one examines what is truly their cause, it is upholding moral discipline together with diligence — for diligence without moral discipline cannot even obtain a human or heavenly body, how much less these marks? This, then, is the Tripiṭaka teaching's own root of the marks. Emptiness and non-arising is the shared teaching's own root of the marks; the wisdom of the paths is the distinct teaching's own root of the marks; and the true mark of reality is the perfect teaching's own root of the marks. As for the eighty minor marks: twenty on the fingers and toes, front and back, make eight places of evenness and fullness; the ankles, knees, and thighs make six places of excellence; the shoulders, elbows, and wrists, wondrously formed, make six places of fullness; the two hips, in their contours, make three places of excellence; the haunches and buttocks make two places, the concealed organ one; the two upper arms make two, the waist two; the sides, armpits, and breast make six; the belly, chest, back, and nape make four; the upper and lower teeth, the upper and lower lips and palate, the two cheeks, the two temples, the two eyes, the two brows, the two nostrils, the forehead, the two temple hollows, the two ears, and the roundness of the head — should one wish to distinguish the sense of these four groupings of minor marks, it may be known by comparison with the major marks.

From "he told the fourfold assembly" onward is, second, making clear that the teacher's own wondrous fruit is soon to be accomplished. Within the teacher's case there are, again, three divisions: first, making clear the accomplishing of the true fruit of buddhahood. The Puṇḍarīka Sūtra says: "Devadatta becomes a buddha named Devarāja — in Chinese, 'Heavenly King' — in a land named Devāvatī — in Chinese, 'Heaven and Earth.'" From "at that time the Buddha Devarāja dwelt in the world for twenty thousand kalpas" onward is, second, making clear his transforming and delivering of beings.

From "when the Buddha Devarāja entered parinirvāṇa" onward is, third, making clear the benefit that follows after his extinction.

From "the Buddha told the monks" onward is, third, exhorting cultivation, as the text has it. As for "transformed and born within a lotus flower": the Garbha Sūtra says, "Being born within a lotus is not the 'birth by transformation' of the fourfold mode of birth" — egg-born, womb-born, moisture-born, and transformation-born — meaning that it is spoken of as transformation without truly being transformation; it is not, in fact, the same as the birth by transformation among the four modes. The Sūtra of Petitioning Avalokiteśvara says, "To be born by transformation within a lotus is to have the lotus itself as father and mother," and the Contemplation of Amitāyus Sūtra says, "One who dwells long within the lotus calyx is, in that respect, called womb-born, though this is not, in fact, a womb; by the same reasoning, one born within a lotus may also be called moisture-born, and yet is not, in fact, moisture-born," and so on.

"From below" — this is, second, making clear the benefit of Mañjuśrī's transmitting the sūtra in the present, which itself has two parts: first, making clear Mañjuśrī's transmitting the sūtra; second, from "Mañjuśrī said, within the ocean I" onward, making clear the benefit. The first part, again, has five divisions: first, making clear Prajñākūṭa's request to withdraw. The Puṇḍarīka Sūtra says, "The bodhisattva who had accompanied the buddha from below is named, in Sanskrit, Prajñākūla — in Chinese, Prajñākūṭa," Wisdom Accumulated. Second, from "Śākyamuni" onward, making clear how the World-Honored One restrained him, so that he might wait for the proof of the benefit of the sūtra's transmission. Prajñākūṭa supposed that Prabhūtaratna had come forth only in order to bear witness to the sūtra, and, this exhortation to its transmission now finished, requested leave to return. As for Śākyamuni's restraining him: although the matter of the trace gate was already concluded, that of the origin gate had not yet been made plain, and so he made this a pretext to detain Prabhūtaratna by way of Mañjuśrī — the Buddha's own hidden intent, not something the bodhisattva himself could know. From "at that time Mañjuśrī" onward is, third, Mañjuśrī's arrival, sought out. Fourth, from "the bodhisattva Prajñākūṭa" onward, Prajñākūṭa's asking how many beings he had transformed. Fifth, from "Mañjuśrī said" onward, Mañjuśrī's answer that this cannot be told by word of mouth. Within this fifth division there are, again, seven parts: first, answering that the beings benefited are exceedingly many. From "what has been said is not yet" onward is, second, those who received this benefit gathering to bear witness. From "these bodhisattvas" onward is, third, stating that all of them were transformed by Mañjuśrī. From "originally śrāvakas" onward is, fourth — those who were originally śrāvakas had, at first, received the provisional teaching and dwelt within the path of the two lesser vehicles. The Puṇḍarīka Sūtra says: "Those for whom a lotus rises up from the pond, who had originally set forth the bodhisattva's own mind, have that flower, suspended in the air, speak of the Great Vehicle's own affairs; but for those who had originally set forth the mind of a śrāvaka, the flower, suspended in the air, speaks only of the cutting off of birth-and-death." From "now, all of them, cultivating and practicing" onward is, fifth — now, hearing the real teaching, they all dwell within the Dharma of the Great Vehicle. From "Mañjuśrī said to Prajñākūṭa" onward is, sixth, Mañjuśrī's summing up of the benefit. From "at that time" onward is, seventh, Prajñākūṭa's verse of praise.

From "Mañjuśrī said, within the ocean I" onward is, second, making clear the benefit. The text has nine parts: first, Mañjuśrī's own account; second, Prajñākūṭa's question; third, the answer; fourth, Prajñākūṭa's holding to the distinct teaching, giving rise to doubt; fifth, the Dragon Princess's resolving the doubt by way of the perfect teaching; sixth, Śāriputra's raising the provisional objection of the Tripiṭaka teaching; seventh, the Dragon Princess's dispelling the doubt by means of the one real teaching; eighth, the assembly of that time hearing and seeing, and gaining benefit; ninth, Prajñākūṭa and Śāriputra falling silent, believing and yielding. Fifth, the Dragon Princess's resolving the doubt by way of the perfect teaching: first, the sūtra narrates her appearing and paying reverence. Next comes a verse of three and a half lines, in three parts: the first half-line makes clear that upholding the sūtra brings understanding; the next two lines make clear the accomplishing of the two bodies; the last line cites the Buddha as witness. As for "offense and merit": measured against the seven kinds of expedient practitioners, this is a matter of transmitted teaching, but the present verse penetrates deeply to the truth that there is neither offense nor merit, entering the one true mark of reality — and this is why it is called "penetrating deeply." "The ten directions" means the ten dharma-realms, equally illuminated by the true wisdom — and this is why it says "shining everywhere." As for "complete with the thirty-two marks": having deeply attained the principle of the dharma-body, one is thereby complete with its excellent marks as well — just as the Larger Perfection of Wisdom Sūtra explains, one who wishes to attain every dharma should study the perfection of wisdom, as one who obtains a wish-fulfilling jewel obtains everything with it; the two lesser vehicles attain only emptiness, and emptiness has no excellent marks, and so on. Sixth, Śāriputra raises his objection once more, first doubting the claim as a whole, then setting out, specifically, the five obstructions. Seventh, the Dragon Princess's manifest accomplishment offers clear proof, which itself has two parts: first, her offering of the jewel signifies her attainment of perfect understanding. The perfect jewel signifies the perfect cause she has cultivated and attained; her offering it to the Buddha is taking the cause and bringing it to bear on the fruit, and the Buddha's swift acceptance of it means that the fruit, too, is swiftly obtained — this is precisely a single thought sitting in the very place of enlightenment, and becoming a buddha is no empty claim. Second is her directly demonstrating the cause perfect and the fruit fulfilled. The Garbha Sūtra says, "Māra, Brahmā, Śakra, and women all alike, without relinquishing their present body and without taking on any other, attain complete buddhahood within this very body." The verse says: "The nature of the Dharma is like a great ocean — it does not speak of this as right and that as wrong; ordinary beings and sages alike are equal, with neither high nor low; it lies only in whether the mind's own defilement is extinguished — realization, then, is as easy as turning over one's own hand." Eighth, from "at that time, in the Sahā world" onward, makes clear the assembly of that time hearing and seeing, which itself has two parts: first, making clear their hearing and seeing; second, gods and humans rejoicing, each side receiving benefit. Where conditions in the south had matured, it was fitting to accomplish the path through the eight aspects of a buddha's life; here, in this land, where conditions are thin, it is simply through the Dragon Princess's own teaching and transformation — and this, too, is the power of skillful expedients. To attain one body that is, at once, every body, is precisely the samādhi of universally manifesting a physical body.

Explaining the chapter "Upholding." Twenty thousand bodhisattvas receive the command to proclaim the sūtra abroad, and this is why it is named the "Upholding" chapter; and eighty myriad koṭis of nayutas of others are further exhorted to proclaim the sūtra abroad, and this is why it is named "Encouraging the Upholding of This Sūtra."

Question: Why should this be so?

Answer: The twenty thousand are the number specifically commanded at the start of the "Teacher of the Dharma" chapter, and so they receive and uphold this charge directly; the eighty myriad koṭis of nayutas and the rest had received no such specific command before this, and were only sought out in general. Now the Buddha simply gazes upon them with his eyes, causing them to vow, of their own accord, to transmit the sūtra in this land — the sūtra's transmission thus bears witness to how deep and earnest the Buddha's own intent truly is, and this is why they receive this exhortation and go on to proclaim it. Hence there are these two distinct senses.

Within the text there are two parts: first, making clear the receiving and upholding of the charge; second, making clear the encouraging of its upholding. The first part, again, has three divisions: first, the twenty thousand bodhisattvas receiving the command to uphold the sūtra in this land; second, the five hundred and eight thousand śrāvakas vowing to transmit it in other lands; third, the nuns' requesting their own predictions of buddhahood.

Question: These śrāvakas have already become great bodhisattvas — why, then, are they unable to proclaim the sūtra in this land?

Answer: This is in order to draw forward beginning bodhisattvas of initial resolve and early practice, who are not yet able to endure the hardships of transmitting the sūtra amid an evil age — and it is also, further, in order to open the way for the "Peaceful Practices" chapter.

The second, encouraging the upholding of the sūtra, has both a prose section and a verse section. The prose has five divisions: first, the Buddha's gazing with his eyes; second, the bodhisattvas' request and declaration; third, the Buddha's silence; fourth, the bodhisattvas' understanding his intent; fifth, their vowing to transmit the sūtra. As to why he only gazes upon them in silent exhortation, without speaking any word: although no specific command has been given before this, the merit of upholding the sūtra has already been raised up, deep and abundant, and its proof made plain; Prabhūtaratna and the emanation-buddhas have come from afar to exhort this very undertaking — this earnest concern, in both its matter and its meaning, is already sufficient, and if there is one willing to answer the charge, he ought simply to vow at once, with no need for further words; moreover, he wishes to show consideration for the śrāvakas' own vow concerning other lands, and so does not openly proclaim a command to this land. The verse has twenty lines requesting to guard and uphold the sūtra, and need not be divided in further detail — its sense may be grasped by reading the text itself. The first seventeen lines concern being clothed in the armor of forbearance to proclaim the sūtra abroad; the next, second, one line concerns entering the room to proclaim the sūtra; the next, third, one line concerns sitting in the seat to proclaim the sūtra; the next, fourth, one line concludes by requesting empowerment as a whole. The Madhyama Āgama, fascicle six, says: "Araṇya here translates as 'without worldly affairs,' and dhūta here translates as 'shaking off' the defilements." The Ratnamegha Sūtra, fascicle six, says: "When a monk dwelling in an araṇya place sees a king, a prince, a brāhmaṇa, or anyone at all approaching, the monk calls out, 'Welcome — please, sit here,' and sits down together with him; if the visitor does not sit, the monk, too, does not sit, but teaches the Dharma for him so as to bring him joy." After the Buddha's extinction, in the final, evil age, a monk ought not to be merely formal — though he may state the rules of discipline and thereby sustain his own livelihood, if he takes no delight in actually practicing those rules, he passes through the five divisions of the dharma-body only in name, and every other path and dharma is likewise empty — it is like a man with a blocked nose speaking of sandalwood: he himself has no fragrance of it, nor does he himself smell it. Gods, humans, dragon spirits, and kumbhāṇḍas will, in the end, make no offerings to one without moral discipline, and the remaining four divisions of the dharma-body are spoken of in just the same way — there is no one able to bring the wondrous Dharma to others except by way of pure moral discipline, and the remaining four are likewise so. Should one encounter the gravest illness, on the verge of death, tormented by pain beyond any cure, if one never relinquishes the samādhi of mindfulness of the Buddha even as every torment seizes hold of the mind, that person understands this Dharma of himself, and thereby comes to know that every dharma is empty.

As for "the armor of forbearance": the Madhyama Āgama, fascicle five, says: "The monk Kāḷadanta complained to the Buddha, saying, 'Śāriputra insulted and slandered me.' The Buddha swiftly summoned Śāriputra: 'Is this true — did you insult and slander him?' Śāriputra said: 'One whose mind is not settled may speak in insult — but my mind is already settled; how could I speak in insult? Like an ox whose horns are broken, who no longer gores and troubles others; like a young outcast, ashamed, who no longer troubles others — my mind is like earth, water, fire, and wind, receiving what is clean and what is unclean, urine, excrement, spittle, and mucus alike, without any insult in return; my mind is like a broom, sweeping away the clean and the unclean together; and again, it is like a broken vessel filled with oil and set out in the sun, dripping constantly — I contemplate my own nine orifices as constantly leaking what is unclean, so how could I speak in insult against another? And again, it is like a dead snake or dog tied about the neck of a pure child — ashamed and mortified of himself, he would not speak in insult against another.' The Buddha asked: 'How, then, do you regard so wicked a person as this?' He answered: 'People are of five kinds. First, one whose body is good but whose speech and mind are not — one thinks only of his goodness and does not dwell on what is not good, just as a monk in a rag robe, seeing a heap of refuse and soiled cloth, takes it up in his left hand and spreads it with his right, cutting away and discarding what is unclean while taking what is clean — thinking to make use of the purity of his body to correct my own body, and setting aside his speech and mind so as to admonish my own speech and mind. Again, one whose speech is pure but whose body and mind are not — one likewise thinks only of his speech and sets aside his body and mind, just as one parched with heat and thirst, coming upon a pond thick with grass, parts the grass and scoops up the water to cool his body and quench his thirst. Again, one whose mind is pure but whose body and speech are not — one likewise thinks only of his mind and makes no use of his body or speech, just as one traveling a hot, parched road finds only a little water in an ox's hoofprint — were I to scoop it up with cupped hands, it would only grow muddy, and so, kneeling on both knees, I bend down and draw it up directly with my mouth to relieve the heat and thirst. Again, one whose three karmic activities are all impure — though there is nothing in him to make use of, one ought still to feel for him with pain, just as, seeing a sick man on the road, one settles him so that he may rest secure, thinking of his impurity so that he may come to encounter a good spiritual friend who can treat his three karmic activities, lest he fall into the three evil destinies. And again, one whose three activities are all pure — one constantly thinks of such a person so as to train and compare oneself by him, matching his thought and matching his vow, just as one parched with heat and thirst, entering a cool pond thick with many flowers and plants, revives and refreshes himself there — one should constantly bear such an example in mind, so as to remove one's own evil.'" This is the Tripiṭaka teaching's own use of suffering, impermanence, impurity, non-self, and emptiness as armor.

The Vibhāṣā, fascicle eight, says: "To recall the insult is one kind of speech; every other sound is simply a cry — what, then, is a cry, however constant, to me? Moreover, what is a base word in this place may be a word of praise elsewhere — were I to dwell on this base word, there would be nowhere I could find peace. Again, consider this very word of insult: reverse its characters, and it becomes a word of praise. Again, the insult is only a small part of one element, a small part of one sense-field, a small part of one aggregate — the part not insulted is greater than the part insulted. Again, who is it that accomplishes the insult? The one who insults accomplishes it, and this accomplishment belongs to him — what, then, is it to me? Again, the insult consists of a single syllable, and a single syllable alone does not make an insult; it takes two syllables to make an insult, and there is never a moment when both syllables are spoken at once — by the time the second is spoken, the first has already ceased. Again, the one who insults and the one insulted arise and perish together, in the very same instant — what, then, is it to me?" Considerations such as these use emptiness as armor.

Fascicle seventeen says: "Ordinary beings and sages alike experience the three kinds of feeling — how, then, do they differ? For an ordinary being, painful feeling has two aspects: first, bodily pain; second, mental sorrow and grief — like being struck by the three poisoned arrows, so that losing what is pleasant brings anger, gaining what is pleasant brings delight, and what is neither painful nor pleasant brings delusion. A sage has only bodily feeling and no mental feeling — with regard to pain, no anger; with regard to pleasure, no craving; with regard to what is neither painful nor pleasant, no delusion; the three afflictive tendencies are unable to employ him, and he attains liberation from their employment — and this is the difference between the ordinary being and the sage." Considerations of this kind, marking a difference where there is, and is not, affliction present, use the distinct teaching as armor.

As for how the present sūtra explains the armor: it takes mindfulness of the Buddha as the armor, which is mindfulness of the dharma-buddha, the ultimate meaning, since the Buddha himself is precisely the Dharma. The text speaks of being mindful of the Buddha's own charge, which is precisely the Dharma; and the Buddha is precisely the saṃgha, the saṃgha being where phenomenal conduct and principle are together in harmony, Vairocana pervading every place. An armor such as this — one armor that is every armor — is precisely the armor of the perfect teaching.

Explaining the chapter "The Peaceful Practices." This chapter may be explained in three ways: according to the literal matter, according to the text of the preceding chapter, and according to the dharma-gate. As to the matter: the body free of danger is why it is called "peace," the mind free of anxiety is why it is called "ease," and the body at peace and the mind at ease are why one is able to advance in practice. As to the text: being clothed in the robe of the Tathāgata is the reason the dharma-body is at peace; entering the room of the Tathāgata is the reason liberation brings ease to the mind; and sitting in the seat of the Tathāgata is the reason the perfection of wisdom guides one's advance in practice — this simply follows the text of the preceding chapter in its explanation. Abiding in the ground of forbearance is why the body is at peace; not being hasty or violent is why the mind is at ease; and contemplating the true mark of all dharmas is why one advances in practice. As to the dharma-gate: "peace" is named "unmoving," "ease" is named "without receiving," and "practice" is named "without doing." "Unmoving" means that neither birth-and-death within the six destinies nor the nirvāṇa of the two lesser vehicles as sages is able to move it — since it clings to neither of these two extremes, the body has no agitation. The text above says, "the body and its very limbs, still, at peace, unmoving, the mind ever calm and settled, never once scattered" — this is abiding, unmoving, like the summit of Mount Sumeru, the dharma-gate of constant, unmoving abiding. "Ease" means not receiving the vast function even of samādhi itself, not receiving the five kinds of feeling proper to an ordinary being, and, further, not receiving even the arising of any view concerning the five kinds of feeling as found within the perfect teaching — for where there is receiving, there is suffering, and where there is no receiving, there is no suffering; and being free of both suffering and ordinary pleasure is what is called "great bliss." "Without doing" means that where there is something received, there is something done, and where there is no receiving, there is nothing done — not doing what an ordinary being does, and not doing what a sage does, is why it is called "without doing"; and yet, in walking the middle way, this is precisely why it is called "doing" — this, too, is the dharma-gate.

Now, explaining the matter still more broadly: "peace and ease" is precisely great nirvāṇa, its name given from the standpoint of the fruit; "practice" is precisely the path to nirvāṇa, its name obtained from the standpoint of the cause. In every other case, cause and fruit are both suffering — as when an eternalist outside the path practices painful austerities and, in the end, obtains only a painful fruit; or the cause is pleasure and the fruit suffering, as when an annihilationist outside the path indulges his every desire and, in the end, receives only a painful retribution; or the cause is suffering and the fruit pleasure, as when the two lesser vehicles, through the crude method of analysis and impermanence, apply painful effort until, at last, they enter nirvāṇa. Here, however, what is called the peaceful and blissful practice has cause and fruit both blissful — this is precisely the skillful, genuine method spoken of in the Larger Perfection of Wisdom Sūtra. The Nirvāṇa Sūtra says, "Those fixed in painful practice are ordinary beings; those whose practice is sometimes painful, sometimes blissful, are śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas; those fixed in blissful practice are the bodhisattvas." All the crude causes and crude fruits belonging to the seven kinds of expedient practitioners are, none of them, this peaceful and blissful practice — only this wondrous cause and wondrous fruit deserve the name "the peaceful and blissful practice."

Explaining still more broadly according to the text of the sūtra: the peaceful and blissful practice is the path to nirvāṇa, and nirvāṇa carries three meanings — namely, the secret treasury of the three virtues; the practice, too, carries three meanings — namely, the practice of calming, the practice of contemplation, and the practice of compassion. As for the practice of calming: the three karmic activities made gentle and harmonious, and both what runs contrary and what accords brought equally to rest — this is precisely the embodiment of the practice of the dharma-body, precisely the "robe of the Tathāgata" spoken of above. As for the practice of contemplation: the wisdom of the one true mark of reality, its light free of discrimination — this is precisely the embodiment of the practice of the perfection of wisdom, precisely the "seat of the Tathāgata" spoken of above. As for the practice of compassion: the four great vows, broadly delivering every being — this is precisely the embodiment of the practice of liberation, precisely the "room of the Tathāgata" spoken of above. Taking these three practices together as the path to nirvāṇa, and the three virtues together as the domain of that practice — the domain is named "peace and ease," and the path is named "practice." The Mahāprajñāpāramitā-śāstra says, "From the very first arousing of the mind, the bodhisattva constantly contemplates nirvāṇa; walking the path, in the time of cause, he makes use of these three practices, guiding his three karmic activities into practice — and because these three activities are purified, the six faculties, too, are thereby purified; and once the six faculties are purified, an understanding resembling true insight arises, and he thereby enters the truth — and in the time of the fruit, this is named the buddha-eye, the buddha-ear, and so on." In the time of cause it is named the practice of calming, and in the time of fruit it is named the virtue of severance; in the time of cause it is named the practice of contemplation, and in the time of fruit it is named the virtue of wisdom; in the time of cause it is named the practice of compassion, and in the time of fruit it is named the virtue of grace. Again, in the time of cause these are named the three karmic activities, and in the time of fruit they are named the three mysteries; in the time of cause, compassion guides the three activities for the benefit of others, and in the time of fruit this is named the inconceivable transformation of the three wheels.

Contemplated in this way, there is no longer any discrimination at all: within every single dharma there is entirely the nature of peace and bliss, and every sentient being is itself great nirvāṇa, never again to be extinguished — walking the very path that is not the path, one penetrates through to the buddha-path itself. This is precisely the explanation of the peaceful and blissful practice through the absolute, beyond all relative comparison, and this practice accords, in its very meaning, with nirvāṇa itself.

That Nirvāṇa Sūtra likewise says that there is, further, a single practice that is the Tathāgata's own practice: the Tathāgata is the person, and peace and bliss is the dharma; the Tathāgata is the person of peace and bliss, and peace and bliss is the Tathāgata's own dharma — taken altogether, their meaning is no different, and taken separately, it is likewise no different. Here, the forbearance of extinction, the dharma of emptiness, and the seat are spoken of together with the room of the Tathāgata; there, in the Nirvāṇa Sūtra, trees of gold and silver are spoken of — these jeweled trees are precisely the undefiled, jeweled grove, and the undefiled corresponds to emptiness and the forbearance of extinction; the great river of golden sand flowing directly into the western sea is precisely the one true wisdom corresponding to the emptiness of all dharmas; and the woman who attains the path, free of all flattery and crookedness, corresponds to the great compassion that clings to nothing, and to the room of the Tathāgata. What that sūtra calls "the meaning of the remainderless," this sūtra calls "the unsurpassed path." The sense of the five practices, too, accords in just the same way with the robe, the seat, and the room.

Question: The Nirvāṇa Sūtra describes drawing close to kings, bearing bow and arrow, and subduing wicked men by force; this sūtra, by contrast, speaks of keeping far from the powerful, of humility, and of loving-kindness — one is hard, the other soft, utterly at odds — how, then, can they be said to be no different?

Answer: The Nirvāṇa Sūtra emphasizes subjugation, yet, in the same passage, abides in the ground of regarding all beings as an only child — when has it ever been without a gathering, sheltering compassion? This sūtra emphasizes gathering and sheltering, yet also speaks of a head split into seven pieces — it, too, is not without subjugation. Each simply raises up one aspect suited to its own occasion, but the underlying principle must, of necessity, include all four siddhāntas. Why is this so? Being fitted and suited to the occasion is precisely the sense of the mundane siddhānta; gathering and sheltering is the sense of the individual siddhānta; subjugation is the sense of the therapeutic siddhānta; and awakening to the path is the sense of the siddhānta of ultimate meaning.

As for the broader explanation through the dharma-gate: one should make clear the gate of unmoving, the gate of not-receiving, and the gate of not-doing — but this is abbreviated here and not set down in full. This chapter is the fourth sense in which the trace gate flows forth in transmission. If the twenty thousand and the eighty koṭis of nayutas of bodhisattvas, having received the command to proclaim the sūtra, deeply understand the provisional and the real, broadly know both the gradual and the sudden, and, further, have mastered the right conditions and the sovereign freedom of spiritual power, then the disturbances of a corrupt age present no obstacle to their transmitting the sūtra, and there is no need to show them any further method. But if one of initial resolve and early practice, wishing to cultivate the perfect practice and proclaim the sūtra amid corruption, is troubled by that very corruption, unable to establish his own practice and so accomplishing no work of transformation — for the sake of such a person, a method must be shown, making clear the peaceful and blissful practice, and this is why this chapter comes here. What order, then, does this peaceful and blissful practice follow? Yet the Lotus's own perfect practice is one practice that is measureless practice, inconceivable — how could any fixed order of before and after be established for it? Here, however, taking up one single thread: the "Teacher of the Dharma" chapter briefly showed the proclaiming of the sūtra, taking the benefiting of others as its root, and first made clear the entering of the room; and here, in discussing how one proclaims the sūtra amid an evil age, secure against every affliction, it first speaks of being clothed in the robe of the Tathāgata — the two orders simply appear interchangeably. If one takes up the actual order of the practice: all dharmas, from the very beginning, are, of themselves, marked by quiescent extinction — but should one depart from this stillness and give rise to any distinguishing mark, one should first use the perfection of wisdom to sweep such entanglements away, and this is why the seat is sat in first; dharmas do not arise, and yet the perfection of wisdom itself arises, and, sharing the very same body as compassion, one pities beings and so walks the path, and this is why one next enters the room of the Tathāgata; and since it is by compassion that one transforms the world, one must inevitably encounter both what accords and what runs contrary, and must therefore, of necessity, be secure in forbearance, and this is why one next puts on the robe of the Tathāgata. Though this order is given here, when one actually speaks it is not yet the time of practice — and at the time of practice, entering emptiness is already to be complete with every dharma at once, how much more compassion and forbearance?

As for the four peaceful practices: the old masters said: first, the emptiness of both the provisional and the real as their essence; second, teaching the Dharma as their essence; third, being free of transgression as their essence; fourth, compassion as their essence. Master Ji says: first, emptiness; second, being free of arrogance; third, removing jealousy; fourth, great compassion. Elder Long of Mount Lu says: first, the body kept far from every evil, drawing gradually near to the principle of emptiness; second, removing faults of speech; third, removing the jealousy of the mind; fourth, arousing compassion. Master Nanyue says: first, unattached, true wisdom; second, the mouth speaking no fault; third, reverence for those above and consideration for those below; fourth, great compassion. The Tiantai Master says: calming, contemplation, and compassion guide the three karmic activities and the vow. Bodily action has calming, and so it is free of the coarse activity of the body; it has contemplation, and so does not grasp the body as real, and, not grasping bodily action as real, is not merely able to be free of it — and, having nothing that is grasped, it does not fall into the state of an ordinary being. Having compassion, it diligently cultivates bodily action to benefit all broadly, and does not fall into the ground of the two lesser vehicles. Having the practice of calming, one is clothed in the robe of forbearance; having the practice of contemplation, one sits in the seat of the Tathāgata; having compassion, one enters the room of the Tathāgata. Calming's freedom from fault accomplishes precisely the virtue of severance; contemplation's freedom from attachment accomplishes precisely the virtue of wisdom; compassion's benefiting of others accomplishes precisely the virtue of grace — the virtue of grace nourishes and brings to completion the virtue of wisdom, and the virtue of wisdom is able to penetrate through to the virtue of severance. This is named the peaceful and blissful practice of bodily action; the remaining practices of speech, mind, and vow are likewise so.

The chapter's text contains both a question and an answer. Within the question, Mañjuśrī first praises the bodhisattvas of deep practice spoken of in the preceding chapter, who are able to proclaim the sūtra in this way, and afterward asks how a bodhisattva of shallow practice ought to expound this sūtra amid an evil age. From "the Buddha told" onward is, second, the answer, which itself has three parts: first, setting forth the section on the four practices; second, explaining the method of cultivating this practice; third, generally making clear the mark of the practice's accomplishment. The first, setting forth the section, may be understood from the text itself.

From "first, abiding securely" onward is, second, explaining the method, which is itself divided into four. The first part, again, has two divisions: first, explaining the method; second, concluding with the accomplishment of the practice. The cultivation of the practice has both a prose section and a verse section. The prose, again, has two parts: the first, from "first" onward, sets forth the practice-ground and the approach-ground together; the next, from "Mañjuśrī" onward, explains the practice-ground and the approach-ground in turn. The first, the joint setting-forth, may be understood from the text itself. Next, the explanation, again, has two parts: namely, the practice-ground and the approach-ground. Some say that the initial practice of an ordinary being still within the seven expedient stages is named the practice-ground, and that, once long habituated and matured, gradually able to draw near to the principle, this is named the approach-ground — citing, as an example, the practice that draws near to the fruit spoken of in the preceding chapter. Others say that the practice-ground concerns the cause and the approach-ground concerns the fruit, that the practice-ground makes clear wisdom and the approach-ground makes clear its object. Master Yao of Jiangdong says: "From the seventh abode upward, the substance of mind, with regard to principle, is the practice-ground, having already passed beyond the stage of segmented birth-and-death; from this point on, the truth of non-arising has not yet become fully manifest, and drawing gradually near to principle is the approach-ground. Since both remain within segmented birth-and-death, these two together are only the beginning of the practice, and, taken together, form a single peaceful and blissful practice." My own view is this: the first school takes "practice" as the shallower of the two — yet the Nirvāṇa Sūtra says, "Bodhisattvas of the ten grounds still see the truth, through practice, imperfectly" — from which it should be known that "practice" is, in fact, not shallow at all. The second school takes "approach" as the shallower — yet the Vimalakīrti Sūtra says, "drawing near to the peerless, unequaled wisdom of the buddhas, sovereign and free" — by which "approach," rather, becomes something deeper still. If both practices are taken as equally deep, then this becomes the practice of proclaiming the sūtra proper to the bodhisattva of the preceding chapter, and has nothing to do with the method for one of initial resolve; and if both are taken as equally shallow, then this is simply what the seven kinds of expedient practitioners already practice, and what, then, does it have to do with the method of the perfect practice? For this reason, one cannot lean one-sidedly on either "deep" or "shallow" to distinguish them. And in fact, "practice" means advancing forward, while "approach" means becoming closely habituated — becoming closely habituated is precisely what allows one to advance forward, and advancing forward is precisely what allows one to become closely habituated — so how, then, could there be any difference of depth between them? Again, "practice" and "approach" together are the method spoken of above in the sūtra; the practice-ground is the robe of the Tathāgata, and the approach-ground is the seat of the Tathāgata — and since the seat and the robe carry no difference of depth, how could "practice" and "approach" admit any difference of superiority between them? Again, forbearance necessarily means holding fast, inwardly, to the ultimate principle, enduring circumstance after circumstance and bearing every matter through — this is what is meant by "practice"; the empty seat necessarily means embodying and penetrating outward conditions, dwelling securely within the true domain — this is what is meant by "approach." Since phenomenal conduct and principle manifest each other in turn in this way, how, again, could there be a difference of depth? If this is so, then why divide "practice" from "approach" at all? It is only that, reaching directly for principle and speaking of it briefly, this is named the practice-ground, while attaching to the phenomenal matter and speaking of it at length, this is named the approach-ground — the manner of speaking of it may be brief or extended, but principle itself admits no difference of depth.

Now, in terms of three successive approaches to a single dharma, the practice-ground may be explained. First: directly taking hold of the one truth — the one truth to which all things return, and which serves as the very root of all things, while remaining, throughout, free of discrimination. "That to which all things return" is precisely the ground of forbearance: the ground is the middle way, to which every dharma returns, and this is why it is called "the ground"; and every practice comes to rest within it, and this is why it is called "forbearance." This, then, is the practice that is the practice of not practicing. "That which serves as the root of all things" means that, just as the myriad things obtain the earth and thereby are born, so every practice obtains this principle and thereby is accomplished — and once one has obtained this root, this principle, then in what is rigid one is able to be gentle, in what is contrary one is able to accord, in what is violent one is able to bring order, and in what is alarming one is able to bring peace: measureless merit is born from the ground of the middle way, and the ground, though it gives birth to nothing at all, gives birth to this very merit — this, then, is the practice of not-practicing that is nonetheless practice. "Remaining, throughout, free of discrimination" means not discriminating between the mark of not-practicing and that of practicing — hence it says, further, "not practicing and not discriminating," and so on — this is precisely neither practice nor non-practice. Having no three practices, and yet being three practices, is why it is named "practice"; being one and the same true truth is why it is named "the ground." This practice-ground, matched to the sūtra text given above, corresponds: the resting of every practice corresponds to the robe of the Tathāgata; merit born as a consequence corresponds to the room of the Tathāgata; and being throughout free of discrimination corresponds to the seat of the Tathāgata — this is what is meant by explaining the practice-ground through a single dharma, and it is the very compass and bearing by which the sūtra is transmitted.

Second, in terms of two dharmas: namely, the forbearance concerning sentient beings and the forbearance concerning dharmas, which are, in turn, precisely the two emptinesses of self and of dharmas. These two emptinesses differ from those of the two lesser vehicles. Why is this? The two emptinesses of person and of dharma, measured against the true, the conventional, and the provisional and the real, make clear that both the two emptinesses and the two forbearances alike see the middle way — and this is why they are not the same as those of the two lesser vehicles.

Opened further still, these become the four forbearances; made into five forbearances, the character "good" is taken to name the forbearance of faith; made into six, the character "harmony" is taken to name the forbearance of harmonious accord. Matched against the bodhisattva grounds, these open out into forty-two forbearances — for if a single ground already possesses the merit of the other forty-one grounds, how could a single forbearance lack the dharma of the other forty-one forbearances? Here, however, we simply explain the text in terms of the four forbearances: namely, the forbearance of subduing, of according, of non-arising, and of extinction. These four forbearances differ from those of the distinct teaching: there, the first two forbearances are the forbearance concerning sentient beings, and their stage is shallow, while the latter two are the forbearance concerning dharmas, and their stage is deep. Here, in the perfect teaching, sentient-being and dharma are both, throughout, interpenetrating, and the four forbearances, too, are throughout interpenetrating. Why is this? The principle of the two emptinesses is itself the middle way — from the very first abode, cultivating the four forbearances, one enters the middle and sees the principle of the two emptinesses, and, all the way to the very last stage of mind, one still fully fathoms this same principle of the two emptinesses. The Nirvāṇa Sūtra says, "Between the arousing of the mind and its ultimate completion, the two are not different." If the four forbearances are judged without regard to depth or shallowness: from the very first arousing of the mind, perfectly subduing the five fundamental afflictions all the way up to the very summit of the vajra stage — all of this is named the forbearance of subduing; from beginning to end never contrary to the true mark of reality is named the forbearance of according; from beginning to end never giving rise to a mind fixed on either of the two extremes is named the forbearance of non-arising; and from beginning to end bringing every practice to rest is named the forbearance of extinction. Hearing of birth-and-death, one is not hastily overcome with dread of suffering; hearing of nirvāṇa, one does not hastily rush to realize its bliss; hearing that the Buddha is both eternal and impermanent, that the two lesser vehicles both become buddhas and do not become buddhas, that birth-and-death and nirvāṇa are both different and not different, that the buddha-path is both long and short, both difficult and easy, and neither long nor short, neither difficult nor easy — hearing all such things, one is, in every case, undismayed. One who practices this practice, from beginning to end, forbears every dharma by means of the principle of the two emptinesses, and this is precisely being clothed in the robe of the Tathāgata; abiding securely in the principle of the two emptinesses is precisely sitting in the seat of the Tathāgata; and pitying every sentient being is precisely entering the room of the Tathāgata. The two emptinesses and the four forbearances are named "the practice," and the principle itself is precisely "the ground" — this is what is meant by explaining the practice-ground in terms of two dharmas, and it, too, is the compass and bearing by which the sūtra is transmitted.

Third, in terms of three dharmas: the three dharmas are precisely the inconceivable three truths. "Abiding in the ground of forbearance" speaks of the three truths as a whole, as though there were a ground on which one may rely, and only then is one able to forbear. "Gentle, harmonious, and skillfully according" means according skillfully with the truth of the ultimate, able to forbear the false views and cravings, the cold and the heat, and the rest — and this is why it says "skillfully according." "Not being hasty or violent, the mind unafraid" means being secure within the truth of the conventional, forbearing every root and condition of sentient beings and according with what fits their capacity — and this is why it says "not hasty or violent"; embodying forbearance toward both what accords and what runs contrary is why "the mind is unafraid." "With regard to dharmas, having nothing whatsoever to do," and the rest, means being secure within the truth of the middle, able to forbear both extremes, and this is why it says "having nothing to do." Abiding rightly in the middle way is why it says "contemplating the true mark of reality"; and yet not grasping even this middle truth is why it says "without discriminating." This, then, takes the ground of the three truths as "the ground," and forbearing the disgrace that comes from the five fundamental afflictions as "the practice." The practice, too, is threefold: the practice of calming is precisely the practice that is not practicing; the practice of contemplation is precisely neither practice nor non-practice; and the practice of compassion is precisely the not-practicing that is practice — matching, above, the robe, the seat, and the room, and so on. This is what is meant by explaining the practice-ground in terms of three dharmas, discerning thereby the compass and bearing by which the sūtra is transmitted.

Elder Long of Mount Lu says: "Abiding in the ground of forbearance raises up, as a whole, the two forbearances concerning sentient beings and concerning dharmas; what follows explains these two forbearances separately: 'gentle and skillfully according' makes clear bodily action, 'not hasty or violent' is verbal action, and 'the mind, too, unafraid' is mental action — this, in terms of the three karmic activities, makes clear the cultivating of the forbearance concerning sentient beings. 'With regard to every dharma, having nothing to do' is not doing what has marks; 'and contemplating things as their true mark' is practicing the equality of emptiness; 'nor doing, nor discriminating' is not doing what is markless — both being and non-being alike set aside, meeting in the middle way: these three phrases make clear the cultivating of the forbearance concerning dharmas. Attaining these two forbearances is concluded as the practice-ground." It is not clear, however, in terms of what teaching he explains these two forbearances.

If taken according to the two forbearances of the three lesser teachings, this is entirely contrary to the meaning of the Lotus; and if taken according to the perfect teaching, it ought not to be set apart, unfused with the rest — and so on.

From "what is meant by 'approach'" onward is, second, the approach-ground. The text has three parts: keeping far from the ten disturbances is "distance" spoken of as "approach" — this, too, is a matter of assisting contemplation by way of the gate of moral discipline; cultivating and gathering in one's own mind is "nearness" spoken of as "approach" — this, too, is a matter of assisting contemplation by way of the gate of concentration; and contemplating the emptiness of every dharma is "neither distance nor nearness" spoken of as "approach" — this, too, is a matter of assisting contemplation by way of the gate of wisdom. Above, the practice-ground directly took hold of principle, abiding in the ground of forbearance; here, the gate of moral discipline broadly sets forth the conditions of every disgrace, teaching that one ought to cultivate keeping one's distance from them — not by taking up sword or staff, nor yet by abandoning them outright, but by keeping one's distance from them through right wisdom alone — and one should know that this "distance" broadly extends what the practice above did not practice. Above, the practice-ground simply made clear not being hasty or alarmed; here, the gate of concentration broadly sets forth the cultivating of a settled mind, a settled place, and the essential gateways of settled concentration — by the power of concentration, one brings order to what is violent and peace to what is alarming — and one should know that this is precisely "nearness" spoken of as "approach," broadly extending the not-doing-that-is-doing spoken of above. Above, the practice-ground simply made clear having nothing to do; here, one broadly contemplates the emptiness of all things, passing through every circumstance without measure, without bound, without hindrance, and without obstruction — and one should know that this is precisely "neither distance nor nearness," broadly extending the neither-doing-nor-not-doing spoken of above. Within the first part there are ten things one ought to keep at a distance: first, the powerful and mighty; second, persons and teachings that are deviant; third, dangerous and violent games and shows; fourth, caṇḍālas, the outcastes; fifth, the company of the two lesser vehicles; sixth, thoughts of desire, to be kept at a distance; seventh, eunuchs, to be kept at a distance; eighth, danger and harm, to be kept at a distance; ninth, occasion for mockery, to be kept at a distance; and tenth, the raising of animals and the like, to be kept at a distance. "Lokāyata" here means "evil discourse," also called "discourse that overturns." As for "contrary discourse": this means discourse contrary to one's sovereign or father. Again, "discourse" is called "good discourse," also named a teacher's refuting his own disciple; "contrary discourse" is named "evil discourse," also named a disciple's refuting his own teacher. As for "Nārāyaṇa": this refers to superior forms of entertainment, also called painting and coloring, changing and transforming one's own body, or, again, climbing poles and turning somersaults, and things of that kind. Dividing these ten into two extremes: nine belong to birth-and-death, and one to nirvāṇa — and keeping equally far from both is simply another name for quiescent extinction. The interpretation of these ten through the contemplation of mind, and so on — the approach and the approach-ground carry, in all, three senses, and so on.