Sympathetic Response, Spiritual Powers, Teaching, and the Retinue

Sixth, clarifying the wondrous of sympathetic response: the four wondrous aspects treated above are named the perfect cause; the secret treasury of the three dharmas is named the perfect fruit. The wondrous of the object, its ultimate manifestation, is named Vairocana; the wondrous of wisdom, its ultimate fulfillment, is named Locana; the wondrous of practice, its ultimate fulfillment, is named Śākyamuni. The three buddhas, neither one nor different, neither vertical nor horizontal, are hence named the wondrous fruit. The Treatise says: "I bow my head to the buddha of wisdom's perfection, who has no further child" — the ground of the fruit, perfect and ultimate, is no longer the stage of the cause, and hence is named "without a child." The fruit's own wisdom, quiescent and yet illuminating, wherever there is a capacity to respond to, invariably manifests — hence, the wondrous of sympathetic response is here clarified. This is treated under six headings: first, explaining the name "sympathetic response"; second, clarifying its mark; third, clarifying sameness and difference; fourth, clarifying mutual correspondence; fifth, clarifying the coarse and the wondrous; sixth, the contemplation of mind.

Explaining the name is itself further treated under three headings: first, explaining the name itself; second, matching it against the four siddhāntas; third, resolving doubts. As for explaining the name: the Saddharmapuṇḍarīka, in its earlier translation, says, "Throughout countless worlds, the sūtra's dharma is broadly proclaimed" — the World-Honored One's own undertaking is precisely this kind of sympathetic response, and this is accordingly used as the name here. Within the sūtra, the word "capacity" and the word "condition" are both alike alternate terms for "that which is responded to," and both alike refer to sentient beings — for now, taking up the explanation in terms of "capacity" makes the sense easiest to see, and "condition" and "responding to" may be understood by the same pattern.

"Capacity" carries three senses. First, capacity carries the sense of the subtle. Hence the Book of Changes says: "The subtle is the very first stirring of movement, appearing before the auspicious sign itself." And the Āgama says: "When sentient beings possess the capacity of a wholesome dharma, the sage comes and responds." When a sentient being possesses a wholesome quality about to arise, this wholesome quality, ever so subtly about to stir, is what constitutes the capacity. If "about to arise" alone were taken as the capacity, this would draw the sense too narrow; here, clarifying it instead as "able to arise," this wording is broader. It is like a crossbow possessing a trigger able to release it — the archer releases it, and, once released, the arrow moves; unreleased, it does not advance — sentient beings possess a wholesome quality able to arise, and so, when the sage responds, this wholesome quality arises, and, unresponded to, it does not arise. Hence it is said that capacity carries the sense of the subtle. Second, the Ancient Commentary on the Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra says: "Capacity carries the sense of a hinge." Why is this? Sentient beings possess both good and evil, hinging upon the sage's own compassion — hence capacity carries the sense of a hinge. Third, capacity carries the sense of what is fitting. As, wishing to draw out the suffering of ignorance, precisely compassion is fitting; wishing to bestow the bliss of the dharma-nature, precisely loving-kindness is fitting — hence capacity carries the sense of what is fitting.

Next, clarifying "response": this, too, carries three senses. First, response carries the sense of hastening toward. Since it has already been said that capacity possesses the principle of being able to arise, and, the capacity subtly about to stir, the sage hastens toward it, and its wholesome quality is thereby able to arise — hence "hastening toward" is used to explain "response." Second, response carries the sense of correspondence. It is like people engaged in trade, each corresponding to the other as principal parties — if one wishes to sell while the other has no wish to buy, then the two do not correspond as principal parties; if buyer and seller are both in agreement, then the exchange is settled, and neither the higher nor the lower price is regretted. Here, sentient beings are compared to the buyer, and the Tathāgata to the seller — discussed in terms of capacity, this is spoken of as a hinge; discussed in terms of response, this is spoken of as correspondence — hence "correspondence" is used to explain "response." Third, response carries the sense of responding. Since it has already been said that capacity lies in what is fitting, fitting for what kind of dharma? One responds with the dharma of loving-kindness and compassion, since this is what is fitting for both good and evil alike: compassion is fitting for rescuing from suffering, and loving-kindness is fitting for bestowing bliss. Responding with whatever dharma fits what is called for — hence "responding" is used to explain "response."

Second, clarifying the matching against the four siddhāntas: capacity and response each carry three senses, and these are precisely the sense of the four siddhāntas. If "the subtle" explains capacity and "hastening toward" explains response, this is hastening toward the mind's own delight and desire. Why should only a mind possessing goodness be said to be capable of arising? Grass and trees, too, though without mind, are equally spoken of as able to arise, desiring to arise, about to arise — one should therefore know that hastening toward this arising of goodness accords with delight and desire, and this is precisely the mundane siddhānta clarifying capacity and response. If "the hinge" explains capacity and "correspondence" explains response, each corresponds precisely to the other: compassion corresponding to the capacity for suffering, and loving-kindness corresponding to the capacity for goodness — this is precisely clarifying capacity and response by way of the therapeutic siddhānta. Next, "what is fitting" explaining capacity and "responding" explaining response — this is precisely the individual siddhānta together with the siddhānta of ultimate meaning. What is fitting is a dharma of this same kind, fitting to the capacity being responded to: fitting to give rise to phenomenal goodness is precisely the individual siddhānta; fitting to give rise to goodness in principle is precisely the siddhānta of ultimate meaning.

Third, resolving doubts.

Question: Why is it that goodness in principle alone is named the siddhānta of ultimate meaning?

Answer: When goodness in principle arises and becomes manifest, darkness in principle is thereby necessarily extinguished — it is never the case that evil in principle is first extinguished, and only afterward does goodness in principle arise; hence, goodness in principle alone is named the siddhānta of ultimate meaning. If phenomenal goodness arises, phenomenal evil is not thereby necessarily removed; if phenomenal evil is removed, phenomenal goodness is not thereby necessarily arisen. Phenomena are divided and set apart from one another, and the therapeutic siddhānta is precisely a matching of remedy against disease — hence, the siddhānta of ultimate meaning is not opened up within it. This is the very sense intended here.

Question: The capacity of sentient beings and the response of the sage — are they one, or are they different? If one, then there would be no capacity and response at all; if different, how could they possibly hinge upon one another, such that capacity and response could even be discussed?

Answer: Neither one nor different. Discussed in terms of principle, they are one and the same suchness — hence, not different. Discussed in terms of the phenomenal, there is capacity and there is response — hence, not one. It is comparable to father and son, related by their very nature, sharing the same flesh and bone — being different is impossible; yet, were they the same, the father would be the son and the son the father — being the same, too, is impossible; it is simply that father and son are discussed as neither one nor different. Sentient beings' own principle-nature is no different from the Buddha's — hence, not different; yet sentient beings remain hidden while the Tathāgata stands revealed — hence, not one — capacity and response are discussed as neither one nor different in just this way. Again, both being neither phenomenal nor principle, they are not different; sentient beings attain the phenomenal while the sage attains principle; and, again, the sage attains the phenomenal while the ordinary being possesses principle — hence, they are discussed as different, and so on.

Question: Is it the Dharma-body that responds, or is it the response-body that responds? If it is the response-body that responds, then, the response-body having no root of its own, how could it possibly respond? If it is the Dharma-body that responds, then this response would no longer be dharma-like at all.

Answer: In the ultimate discussion, no dharma is past, future, or present, neither response nor non-response, and yet is able to have a response; one may equally say that it is the Dharma responding, or equally say that it is the response-body responding. The Dharma responding is a hidden benefit; the response-body responding is a manifest benefit. Distinguishing the hidden from the manifest carries four further senses, as explained below, and so on.

Second, clarifying the mark of capacity and response: capacity's own mark is clarified in terms of good and evil, while response's own mark is discussed in terms of loving-kindness and compassion. As to whether good and evil, taken as capacity, are single or joint — interpreters differ. Some say that evil alone is the capacity, citing the sūtra: "I am for the sake of severing the grave illness of every sentient being's own festering wound." And again: "It is like a father with seven children — yet his mind grows especially heavy toward whichever child is sick; the Tathāgata, too, is exactly the same — toward every sentient being, he is not without equal regard, and yet his mind grows especially heavy toward the guilty one." And again: "The Tathāgata does not abide in the world for the sake of those without any deed left undone." Again, the indeterminate is itself ignorance, and, in the end, belongs to the category of evil — this is precisely taking evil alone as the capacity. Others take good alone as the capacity, citing the Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra: "I regard sentient beings without regard to old or young, middle-aged, poor or wealthy, humble or noble — whoever possesses a wholesome mind, I am accordingly moved with loving-kindness toward them." This takes good alone as the capacity. Others say that neither good nor evil, taken alone, can serve as the capacity. Why is this? As the final thought-moment of the vajra-like concentration is itself already buddhahood, every wholesome quality gathered together in full, with no goodness surpassing this — how, then, could this possibly serve as a capacity? Though it is said that buddha reflects upon buddha, this is a general statement, and carries neither a suffering to be drawn out nor a bliss to be bestowed — one should therefore know that good alone cannot serve as the capacity.

Nor can evil alone serve as the capacity: as the icchantika, given over to the most extreme evil, is unable to move a buddha to response — the Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra says, "Even a single hair alone cannot lift the whole body," which is precisely the inherent virtue of goodness in principle. This is a capacity in the general sense only, and, in the end, cannot bring about any actual response. Others take good and evil bound together as the capacity: from the icchantika's very first arising of a mind of repentance, all the way up through equal enlightenment, good and evil are, throughout, bound together — hence, this alone is able to serve as the capacity.

The mark of capacity is hence clarified in terms of good and evil in just this way, and so on.

Next, clarifying the mark of response in terms of loving-kindness and compassion: some take loving-kindness alone as the response — the sūtra says, "The power of loving-kindness's own wholesome root causes an elephant to appear as a lion," discussed at length as in the Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra, and so on. Some take compassion alone as the response, as in the Sūtra on Invoking Avalokiteśvara, where great compassion sports even within the hells, suffering in another's place. Others take loving-kindness and compassion jointly as the response. Why is this? It is precisely because a mind of compassion, perfuming wisdom, is able to draw out another's suffering, and a mind of loving-kindness, perfuming concentration, is able to bestow bliss upon another. The text below says: "Adorned with the power of concentration and wisdom, using this to deliver sentient beings." A treatise says: "Mercury blended with true gold is able to coat every kind of image" — merit blended with the Dharma-body responds and manifests everywhere — how, then, could mercury or true gold, each alone, possibly coat an image? One should therefore know that loving-kindness and compassion are discussed jointly as the response.

Question: Sentient beings' own good and evil span the three time periods — which period, then, constitutes the capacity? The sage's own dharma likewise spans the three time periods — which period, then, constitutes the response? The past has already passed away, the present does not abide, and the future has not yet arrived — none of them, then, can serve as capacity, nor can any serve as response — how, then, could capacity and response even be discussed at all?

Answer: If, in terms of the ultimate principle, the three time periods are thoroughly examined, none of them can be found at all — hence, there is neither capacity nor response. Hence the sūtra says: "It is not that bodhi possesses a past, a future, and a present — this is spoken of merely by means of the conventional written word and its enumeration." Speaking of the existence of the three time periods is done by the power of the four siddhāntas, accommodating and according with sentient beings. Some take past goodness as the capacity, hence it is said: "Through the blessing of our own past merit, we now come to encounter the World-Honored One." Again, as with the five kinds of expedient practitioners: those who have habituated themselves to the expedient means in the past find giving rise to the real easy, while those who have not find it difficult — hence, past goodness is taken as the capacity. Others may take present goodness as the capacity, hence it is said: "At the very moment this thought arose, the Buddha manifested within the sky." Others may take future goodness as the capacity, since the not-yet-arisen wholesome dharma is thereby caused to arise — and, again, as the taintless itself, without any habituated cause, is nonetheless able to move a buddha to response. Hence the Treatise says: "It is like a lotus flower within the water — some already blossomed, some just beginning to blossom, some not yet blossomed — without the sunlight, they would, without doubt, wither and die; sentient beings' own goodness across the three time periods, without encountering a buddha, has no way to be brought to completion, and so on." Evil is exactly the same: some, with respect to past transgressions, now repent of them fully; some, presently committing every kind of evil, likewise now repent of it. With respect to future transgressions, severing the mind's own continuity, blocking the future itself — this is named "rescue."

Why is this? Evil committed in the past obstructs present goodness from being able to arise — for the sake of removing this evil, the Buddha is accordingly entreated. Again, the fruit of present suffering, its retribution pressing hard, causes sentient beings to seek rescue and protection. Again, future evil, once it meets its due time, is blocked from arising at all — hence, the evil of all three time periods is taken together as the capacity. Response is exactly the same: some take past loving-kindness and compassion as the response, hence it is said, "Long ago, I established this very vow, wishing to cause them to attain this dharma." Some take present loving-kindness and compassion as the response: every god, human, and asura alike ought to arrive here, for the sake of hearing the dharma, so that whoever is not yet delivered may be delivered. Again, some take the future as the response — this is precisely the "Life Span" chapter's own benefiting of beings in future ages. This, too, is as the "Peaceful Practices" chapter says: "When I attain the threefold bodhi, I shall draw them onward, causing them to attain and abide within this very dharma." Discussed in general, the goodness and evil of all three time periods alike serve as the capacity; discussed in particular, only future goodness and evil are taken as the true capacity. Why is this? The past has already passed away, and the present is already fixed — it is precisely for the sake of drawing out future evil and giving rise to future goodness alone.

Question: If the future alone constitutes the true capacity, then what of the sense of the four right exertions?

Answer: This already belongs to the general sense! Answering now in the particular sense: it is precisely because past evil blocks future goodness that one exerts oneself in severing past evil; it is precisely because past goodness has not yet increased and grown that one exerts oneself, and this very increase and growth is itself future goodness. Hence, within the four right exertions, though the words speak of the past, the sense intended is truly the future, and so on.

Question: The future does not yet exist — how, then, does the Buddha perceive it?

Answer: The Tathāgata's own wisdom and perception are able to know it in just this way — this is not something the lower stages can know. One can only look up to it and place one's faith in it — how could it possibly be further distinguished and analyzed!

Question: Is it that sentient beings, of themselves, are able to move the Buddha to respond? Or is it because of the Buddha that they are so moved? Is it that the Tathāgata, of himself, is able to respond? Or is it because of sentient beings that he responds?

Answer: This ought to be treated as a tetralemma: self, other, both together, without any cause — refuting each of these as possessing any fixed nature is, in every case, impossible to sustain. Since none of these four propositions can be sustained, there is accordingly no fixed nature here at all. Since there is no fixed nature, it is simply by means of worldly names, within the four siddhāntas, that being-moved-to-respond and its own agent and object are discussed. The agent of response belongs to the Buddha; the object responded to belongs to sentient beings; the agent of moving-to-response belongs to sentient beings; the object moved-to-response belongs to the Buddha. If one turns these terms over yet again into further layers of language, the conventional truth's own names grow confused, and can no longer be distinguished at all. Though names of this kind are used, these very names do not abide, and these very names possess nothing of their own — like a dream, like an illusion, and so on.

Question: Since good and evil, taken together, both alike constitute the capacity, who, then, is entirely without good or evil? Does this mean everyone, without exception, ought to obtain this benefit?

Answer: It is like a sick person in the world summoning a physician — some are cured, and some are not. Capacity is exactly the same: it is either ripened or unripened, and, accordingly, the response is either near at hand or far off.

Third, clarifying the non-sameness of capacity and being-moved-to-respond: this is treated under three headings — first, discussed in terms of a tetralemma; second, discussed in terms of thirty-six propositions; third, discussed in terms of the ten dharma-realms. Sentient beings' own faculties and natures number in the hundreds and thousands, and the buddhas' own skillful responses are without measure, according with each one's differing manner of being delivered — hence the text says: "Each differing in name and form, of however many kinds, like the roots, stems, and leaves of the superior, middling, and inferior plants, each according to its own kind and nature, grows accordingly" — this is precisely the sense of capacity and response not being all the same.

Here, this is stated briefly as four kinds: first, hidden capacity with hidden response; second, hidden capacity with manifest response; third, manifest capacity with manifest response; fourth, manifest capacity with hidden response. What are their marks? If, in the past, the three karmic actions were wholesomely cultivated, and, in the present, body and speech have not yet been set in motion, relying on the power of that past goodness — this is named hidden capacity. Though no numinous response is presently seen, one is secretly benefited by the Dharma-body nonetheless. Neither seen nor heard, and yet perceived and known — this is named hidden benefit. Second, hidden capacity with manifest benefit: goodness planted in the past, the hidden capacity already accomplished, one then comes to encounter a buddha and hear the dharma, obtaining benefit here and now — this is manifest benefit. As with the very first people delivered when a buddha first appears in the world — what cultivation, after all, had they undertaken in the present? The buddhas, perceiving their own capacity accumulated of old, go themselves to deliver them — this is precisely this same sense. Third, manifest capacity with manifest response: body and speech in the present, diligent and unflagging, are able to move a response down. As with Sudatta kneeling at length, and the Buddha going to Jetavana; or Candracchattra bowing low, and the sage taking up residence at his very gate — comparably, the practitioner bowing and repenting at the place of practice, able to move a numinous sign — this is precisely manifest capacity with manifest response. Fourth, manifest capacity with hidden response: as when a person, though laboring diligently for a single lifetime, present goodness accumulating thick and deep, and yet no manifest response occurs — the benefit is hidden nonetheless — this is manifest capacity with hidden benefit.

If these four senses are understood, then every bow of the head and every raising of the hand — no merit is ever wasted, and, though a whole day passes with no response perceived, one need never regret it for a whole day either. Seeing one who delights in killing yet lives long, or one fond of giving to the poor yet destitute, no distorted view need arise; if one fails to understand this, one supposes one's own effort squandered and one's calculations lost, grieving and regretting for no true reason. The Treatise says: "My present illness and suffering are entirely due to the past; the merit cultivated in this present life shall bear its fruit in the future — correct mindfulness is thereby free of any distorted view." This is precisely grasping these same four senses.

Second, clarifying the non-sameness of capacity and response in terms of thirty-six propositions: the previous discussion of hidden and manifest, taken together, gave only the broad outline of four propositions. If distinguished in full: taking the four kinds of capacity as the root — namely, hidden capacity, manifest capacity, both hidden and manifest capacity, and neither hidden nor manifest capacity —

hidden is the past, manifest is the present, both hidden and manifest is past-and-present together, and neither hidden nor manifest is the future — as when the Buddha teaches the icchantika, and so on. Within each single proposition, there are, again, four further propositions — namely, hidden capacity with hidden response, hidden capacity with manifest response, hidden capacity with both hidden and manifest response, hidden capacity with neither hidden nor manifest response; the remaining three kinds of capacity are exactly the same, and four times four accordingly makes sixteen propositions. Since capacity summons a response, response, too, has its own sixteen propositions. A single capacity may move four kinds of response, and a single response may hasten toward four kinds of capacity — capacity and response, each having sixteen, together make thirty-two propositions. Adding the four root propositions given before, this accordingly makes thirty-six propositions of capacity and response altogether.

Third, clarifying the non-sameness of capacity and response in terms of the ten dharma-realms: simply in terms of a single person's own bodily karma alone, the capacity already comes to thirty-six; in terms of the three kinds of karma, this makes one hundred and eight kinds of capacity. In terms of the three time periods and the three kinds of karma together, this makes three hundred and twenty-four. If this is so for a single realm alone, then the ten dharma-realms together make three thousand two hundred and forty non-identical kinds of capacity and response. As this holds for one's own practice, so, too, it holds for the transformation of others — combined together, this makes six thousand four hundred and eighty kinds of capacity and response — this discussed in terms of the ten dharma-realms taken separately. If, further, the ten dharma-realms are discussed in their mutual interpenetration with one another, this increases ninefold again, coming to a total of sixty-four thousand eight hundred kinds of capacity and response altogether.

Fourth, clarifying the mutual correspondence of capacity and response: this carries four senses — first, clarifying the mutual correspondence between the suffering and bliss of every state of existence and the samādhis of loving-kindness and compassion.

Second, the mutual correspondence of the hinge and the rest. Third, the mutual correspondence of the thirty-six propositions. Fourth, the mutual correspondence of the distinct and the perfect.

As for the mutual correspondence of the samādhis: every capacity, numerous as they are, never exceeds the twenty-five states of existence; every response, numerous as they are, never exceeds the twenty-five samādhis.

The state of existence that is hell possesses both a good and an evil capacity, hinging upon the response of the stainless samādhi's own loving-kindness and compassion. Discussing its evil: there is the evil of dark karma, the evil of wrong views, the evil of thought, the evil of dust-and-sand, and the evil of ignorance. Discussing its good: there is the good of pale karma — namely, the good of emptiness, the good of the provisional, and the good of the middle — this is named the capacity belonging to hell. As for the stainless samādhi's own loving-kindness and compassion serving as the response: one first cultivates the stainless samādhi, contemplating the realm of hell — the compassion of the contemplation of dependent origination, the compassion of the contemplation of emptiness, the compassion of the contemplation of the provisional, the compassion of the contemplation of the middle. During the contemplation of dependent origination, compassion draws out the suffering of hell's own dark karma; during the contemplation of dependent origination, loving-kindness bestows the bliss of pale karma.

During the contemplation of emptiness, compassion draws out the suffering of views and thought; during the contemplation of emptiness, loving-kindness bestows the bliss of the taintless. During the contemplation of the provisional, compassion draws out the suffering of dust-and-sand; during the contemplation of the provisional, loving-kindness bestows the bliss of the wisdom of the paths. During the contemplation of the middle, compassion draws out the suffering of ignorance; during the contemplation of the middle, loving-kindness bestows the bliss of the dharma-nature. This, then, is hell's own good and evil capacity, hinging upon the response of the stainless samādhi's own loving-kindness and compassion — the sense of their mutual correspondence in drawing out suffering and bestowing bliss.

Second, as for the mutual correspondence of the hinge, and the rest: the evil of dark karma within the realm of hell carries the sense of the subtle, the sense of the hinge, and the sense of what is fitting. Corresponding to these same three aspects of capacity, at the very moment of hinging upon the stainless samādhi, loving-kindness and compassion carry the sense of hastening toward, the sense of correspondence, and the sense of responding.

Hell's own pale karma likewise carries these same six senses in mutual correspondence, matched to emptiness, to views and thought, to dust-and-sand, to ignorance, and the rest. Both good and evil are alike complete with these six senses in mutual correspondence, and so on.

Third, as for the mutual correspondence of the thirty-six propositions: hell's own dark and pale karma are each complete with hidden capacity/hidden response, hidden capacity/manifest response, manifest capacity/manifest response, and manifest capacity/hidden response — hinging upon the stainless samādhi's own loving-kindness and compassion, hidden and manifest in four kinds of response, hastening toward hell. Views-and-thought matched to emptiness, dust-and-sand matched to the wisdom of the paths, ignorance matched to the middle way, and the rest — each is alike complete with these four kinds of capacity and four kinds of response in mutual correspondence, and so on. Again, hell possesses thirty-six kinds of hidden-and-manifest capacity, matched precisely to the stainless samādhi's own thirty-six kinds of response, and so on.

Fourth, as for the mutual correspondence of the distinct and the perfect: if hell possesses a capacity that is sequentially distinct, the samādhi's own response is likewise sequentially distinct. If it possesses a capacity that is perfectly universal, the samādhi's own response is likewise perfectly universal. If a sequentially distinct capacity arises, the samādhi responds distinctly: once one state of existence's karma is set aside, the karma of the remaining states is not thereby necessarily set aside as well; once the three evil states' own thought is exhausted, the thought of the remaining states is not thereby necessarily exhausted as well; once hell's own wisdom of the paths becomes clear, the remaining states' own is not thereby necessarily clear as well; once hell's own buddha-nature is fully and clearly seen, the remaining states' own is not thereby necessarily fully and clearly seen as well. If, however, this is made a perfect capacity and a perfect response: hell's own sovereign freedom over karma not yet ultimate, the remaining states' own is likewise not yet ultimate; one state's own views and thought not yet exhausted, the remaining states' own are likewise not yet exhausted; one state's own wisdom of the paths not yet clear, the remaining states' own are likewise not yet clear; one state's own buddha-nature not yet fully and clearly seen, the remaining states' own are likewise not yet fully and clearly seen; and, once one state's own is fully and clearly seen, the remaining states' own are likewise fully and clearly seen — down through: once one state's own sovereign freedom over karma is attained, the remaining states' own karma likewise attains this same sovereign freedom. The mutual correspondence of hell's own capacity and response, thus distinguished, is exactly as explained above; the mutual correspondence of capacity and response for the remaining twenty-four states of existence follows this same pattern.

Question: Is there ever a good capacity met with an evil response, or an evil capacity met with a good response? A one-sided capacity met with a perfect response, or a perfect capacity met with a one-sided response?

Answer: Adapting without any fixed method to the occasion at hand, this sense, too, is present. The Vimalakīrti Sūtra says: "At times, wind and fire are manifested, illuminating things so as to make impermanence known" — this is precisely an evil response met to a good capacity. King Shubhavyuha, given over in faith to wrong and evil views, his own queen and two sons — three bodhisattvas — responding by becoming his own wife and children — this is precisely a good response met to an evil capacity. A perfect capacity met with a one-sided response: the vow of omniscience remains present, never lost — this never-lost quality is itself the perfect capacity — yet he was taught the śrāvaka's own dharma, which is precisely a one-sided response. A one-sided capacity met with a perfect response: first the three carriages were held out, and only afterward the single great one bestowed — the disciples' own understanding, once received, says, "This unsurpassed heap of treasure, sought for by none of us, has nonetheless been obtained of itself" — this is precisely this same sense. Drawing out suffering and bestowing bliss may be understood by this same pattern, and so on.

Fifth, clarifying the coarse and the wondrous: this carries three senses — first, clarifying the coarse and the wondrous of capacity; second, clarifying the coarse and the wondrous of response;

third, clarifying opening the coarse to reveal the wondrous.

First, as for the coarse and the wondrous of capacity: as with the pleasurable respite within hell — this pleasure arises from a subtle wholesome cause. The Treatise on the Establishment of the World says: "A person who raises the six domestic animals, feeding and watering them, warming and cooling them as needed, obtains, within the hot hells, a respite of coolness, and, within the cold hells, a respite of warmth." Following this same sense, this pleasurable respite may be used to discuss the capacity present within all ten dharma-realms. Avīci, having no pleasurable respite, would seem to have no phenomenal goodness at all — how, then, could it possess all ten? And yet Avīci does possess an unbroken goodness of nature. And, though there is no phenomenal goodness to be found in recent time, there may be some present from a distant eon — evil being strong and goodness weak, lying hidden and dormant, not yet manifest — yet, should it meet the right condition, when it manifests is hardly fixed. Hence, Avīci, too, is able to possess all ten kinds of capacity. Judging the coarse and the wondrous accordingly: the capacity of the nine realms is coarse, while the capacity of the buddha-realm is wondrous. The coarse capacity summons an expedient response — this capacity is either ripened or unripened, and the expedient response is either shallow or deep. When capacity is ripened, it is met with a response; when unripened, it is not yet met with one. As for the response being shallow or deep: as when one is drawn from the uninterrupted hell to a hell with respite, or emerges from hell into the animal realm, or emerges from the animal realm into the realm of hungry ghosts, or emerges from the three evil destinies into the human and heavenly realms, or emerges from the human and heavenly realms into the two vehicles, and so forth — all of this is precisely the capacity's own arising and ripening, and the response's own shallowness and depth, all belonging to the coarse capacity.

The wondrous capacity summons the ultimate, wondrous response; the wondrous capacity, too, has its own arising and ripening, and the wondrous response, too, has its own shallowness and depth. As with the compassionate youth Maitrakanyaka, who, within hell, took another's punishment upon himself and thereby immediately attained rebirth in heaven — this is precisely a wondrous capacity, shallow yet already ripened, its response near at hand, in heaven itself. The remaining cases may be understood by this same pattern.

Second, as for clarifying the coarse and the wondrous of response: the sage's own compassion and the vow sustaining it, the vow upholding the practice, is like glue on an object — spontaneously adhering to whatever capacity it meets. Hence the power of loving-kindness's own wholesome root causes a lion to emerge from one's own hand. Without the vow, though one contemplates suffering and bliss, one would be unable to draw out or bestow either. It is by the power of loving-kindness that, according with the capacity, whether coarse or wondrous, whichever ripens first is responded to first, and whichever ripens later is responded to later. The sages of the Tripiṭaka and shared teachings, too, are able to possess a response, but this is merely deliberate spiritual power — comparable to a painted portrait, which, however carefully composed, in the end has no genuine basis in reality.

Why is this? Ashes of the body and the extinguishing of cognition leave no eternally abiding root — on what basis, then, could a response even arise? If received from the distinct teaching into the shared, the distinct teaching's own confusion has not yet been severed, and a response, too, cannot yet be had — even should one hasten toward beings regardless, this, too, is entirely named a coarse response. As for the distinct and perfect teachings: at the initial mind, confusion is only subdued, and a response is not yet possible. Only once the initial ground or initial abiding is reached, the three contemplations manifest before one, and the twenty-five samādhis are realized. The Dharma-body, pure, untainted, like empty space, quiescent and yet illuminating, responds to everything, without deliberation and without conceptual thought, corresponding to whatever capacity is present at once. It is like a single moon that never descends, and a hundred bodies of water that never ascend to meet it, and yet, according with each river's own length, and fitting each vessel's own shape and measure, without before and without after, manifests everywhere all at once — this is precisely the inconceivable, wondrous response. Again, it is like a bright mirror, clear through and through, inside and out — a single image or a thousand images, with nothing selected or excluded, requiring no exertion of effort at all, spontaneously resembling whatever stands before it — this is named the wondrous response. This is the wondrous of sympathetic response discussed in the relative sense.

Third, as for opening the coarse to reveal the wondrous: if the capacity of the nine realms is coarse and the capacity of the one buddha-realm alone is wondrous; if the response of one not yet having attained the Dharma-body is coarse and the response of one who has attained it is wondrous — then, in every great Mahāyāna sūtra, the Avataṃsaka and the rest, the coarse and the wondrous are clarified as mutually set apart, and the two vehicles neither hear nor understand it, as if mute or deaf. The Sūtra of Innumerable Meanings clarifies the coarse and the wondrous as the immeasurable capacities and responses, coarse and wondrous, issuing forth from a single principle — the single principle being the wondrous, and what issues forth, immeasurable, being the coarse. This, then, is issuing the coarse from the wondrous, set apart from it and not yet joined to it. In the present sūtra, however, the immeasurable is returned once more to the one — this, then, is opening the provisional to reveal the real, so that the coarse itself is simply the wondrous. Why is this? What was originally manifesting the one principle produces every expedient means; and the expedient means is itself already the real. Hence it is said: whatever is undertaken is done for the sake of this one matter alone, never for even a moment set aside. It is comparable to the three kinds of grasses and the two kinds of trees — all alike growing from this same single ground — this is precisely their sharing one and the same source of capacity. Moistened by this same single rain — this is precisely their receiving one and the same response. The foolish, not yet understanding, suppose the grass and trees' own four subtle elements to be forever other than the ground itself; the wise fully comprehend that the arising of these four subtle elements is simply the ground's own transformation, and their ceasing is simply the ground's own return — how, then, could there possibly be any grass or tree that is not itself the very ground? This is precisely opening the provisional to reveal the real, fully resolving the śrāvaka's own dharma, this being the king of every sūtra. The capacity of the nine dharma-realms is, every one, already the capacity of the buddha-realm; the response of the four kinds of sages is, without exception, already the wondrous response.

Sixth, the contemplation of mind, and so on.

Seventh, clarifying the wondrous of spiritual powers: this carries four senses — first, clarifying its sequence; second, its names and number; third, sameness and difference; fourth, the coarse and the wondrous. As for why this comes next: the discussion of capacity and response given above merely distinguished the mark of what is able to arise and what is able to be hastened toward; the direct discussion of the transformative function that benefits others is precisely the three wheels of inconceivable transformation — namely, the wheel of the body, the wheel of speech, and the wheel of another's mind. The "Universal Gate" chapter contains only two passages of text, and yet, together, they yield all three senses. "Wandering throughout the sahā world" is precisely the wheel of the body; "and expounding the Dharma for them" is precisely the wheel of speech. As one sees a lotus flower's own great size and thereby knows the pool's own depth, so, too, seeing the greatness of the dharma expounded, one thereby knows the greatness of the wisdom behind it — hence, these two wheels together also show forth the wheel of another's mind. Moreover, in transforming others, the two wheels are shown most often, while the wheel of mind is shown least — following the majority, only these two are named, and hence the wheel of mind goes unmentioned. The sūtra says: "Whoever sees or hears him is, every one, thereby delivered." As for showing forth the wheel of the body: this is precisely showing the body of the king of medicine trees, the body of the king of wish-fulfilling jewels. As for showing forth the wheel of speech: this is precisely showing the poison drum and the heavenly drum. This is compassion perfuming body and speech, and hence there are these two bodies manifested and these two drums proclaimed. As for showing forth the wheel of mind: this is precisely showing according with one's own intent and according with another's intent, and the rest — this, too, is the same as the practice of the sick and the practice of the infant. The discussion above clarified how capacity and being-moved-to-respond hinge upon one another, and yet this wondrous principle is difficult to manifest — one must therefore rely upon spiritual power to set it into motion, manifesting auspicious signs, secretly signifying this same principle. Ordinary people in the world take a spider hanging down as a sign that joyful news is coming, and a magpie's cry as a sign that a traveler is arriving — if even such small things carry their own signs, how, then, could something as great as this be without any auspicious sign at all? Signifying the far-off by means of the near at hand ought likewise to be understood in just this way.

Second, as for names and number: the various sūtras give differing names and numbers. Here, for now, six kinds are followed: namely, the deva-eye, the deva-ear, the knowledge of others' minds, the recollection of past lives, the power of miraculous transformation according to one's wish, and the taintless, and the rest. All six of these are named "spiritual powers" — as the Yingluo Sūtra says: "'Spiritual' is named the heavenly mind; 'power' is named the nature of wisdom." The heavenly mind is the mind that is spontaneously so of itself; the nature of wisdom is penetrating through without obstruction. The Abhidharma likewise says: once the obstruction to spiritual power, namely ignorance, is removed, the nature of wisdom is thereby brought forth. One should therefore know that the heavenly mind's own spontaneous nature of wisdom, corresponding to these six dharmas, is thereby able to transform freely at will — hence, this is named spiritual power. The Yogācārabhūmi's own "Chapter on Powers" says: "'Spiritual' means what is difficult to fathom and know; 'power' means what is free of any hindrance or obstruction." This explanation is the same as the Yingluo Sūtra's own: the heavenly mind is precisely the sense of being difficult to fathom and know; the nature of wisdom is precisely the sense of being free of hindrance or obstruction. And yet, among these six dharmas, their cultivation follows no fixed order, their realization follows no fixed sequence, and their function, too, is exercised as the occasion allows — hence, the various sūtras list them in differing orders. The Treatise says: "The affair of an illusionist's trick is an empty, deceptive dharma — performed with grass and wood, it deceives and confuses the onlooker's own eye, while the thing itself is never truly changed at all." Spiritual power is not like this — it truly transforms the dharma itself, causing the thing itself to be genuinely changed: just as earth carries the principle of becoming water, and water carries the sense of becoming earth. Gold or silver, meeting fire, melts; water, meeting cold, solidifies — fire and cold are the very dharmas of melting and solidifying. What solidifies is genuinely solidified, and what melts is genuinely melted; and, once the heavenly mind's own spontaneous nature of wisdom is attained, one is genuinely able to transform and function with this same freedom. The water or fire thus transformed causes others to genuinely make use of it, though this is not their own karmic fruit — it is simply what spiritual power accomplishes for that one occasion alone.

Third, as for clarifying the non-sameness of spiritual power: those in the realm of hungry ghosts obtain spiritual power by way of karmic retribution; humans who ingest certain herbs likewise obtain spiritual power; non-Buddhist practitioners, through the root dhyānas, likewise bring forth spiritual power; the devas obtain spiritual power by way of karmic retribution; the two vehicles, relying on the liberations, the bases of mastery, and the totalities, cultivating the fourteen kinds of transformation, bring forth spiritual power; the bodhisattva of the six pāramitās, through dhyāna, attains five spiritual powers, and, upon sitting at the place of enlightenment, is able to attain all six; the bodhisattva of the shared teaching attains five spiritual powers through dhyāna, and attains the taintless spiritual power by relying on the wisdom that directly embodies dharmas; the distinct teaching, prior to the grounds, brings forth five spiritual powers by relying on dhyāna, and, upon ascending to a ground, brings forth the correct, taintless spiritual power, illuminating constantly and spontaneously, seeing every buddha-land without recourse to either of the two marks. As for the spiritual power belonging to the perfect teaching: relying on the present sūtra and the Samantabhadra Meditation Sūtra, the nose and tongue faculties, too, are taken together to make up the six. The Sūtra on the Bodhisattva Dwelling in the Womb agrees: the knowledge of others' minds and the recollection of past lives are subsumed within the faculty of mind. And yet the sūtra's own text explains "the power of the nose" in the greatest detail, taking its mutual interchangeability, free of any obstruction, as its point. As for the tongue faculty: this takes the four unimpeded eloquences, able through a single wondrous sound to fill the whole trichiliocosm, and does not take the knowledge of flavor, since knowledge of flavor is a matter of karmic retribution. The sūtra says: "Every faculty penetrating and sharp, wisdom clear and bright" — the six faculties are, every one, wisdom itself, which is precisely the sense of their mutual interchangeability.

Here, the spiritual power belonging to the six faculties, spoken of now, is not brought forth by relying on any conditioned dhyāna at all — this is precisely the true reality of the middle way itself. The real possesses spiritual power of itself, spontaneously accomplished, requiring no deliberate exertion at all — hence, this is named the dhyāna of unrecorded transformation upon transformation. Since no separate deliberate exertion is required, it is named unrecorded; spontaneously and constantly luminous, it is like the asura's own harp; transforming, and yet still able to transform again, hence it is called transformation upon transformation. The middle way's own true spiritual power, spontaneous in just this way, differs from every other kind of spiritual power. Discussing its cultivation: this relies entirely on the eternally abiding principle of the real mark itself. The text says: "Attaining this eternal purity of the eye-faculty." Since this is already called eternal, it is precisely one's own original nature's own purity — an eternal nature free of any taint or defilement. The Vibhāṣā says: "The six sense-gates' own excellence is simply so of itself, from the very beginning." The Aṅgulimālīya Sūtra says: "What is meant is that this very eye-faculty, with respect to every tathāgata, is eternal, complete and entire, its cultivation undiminished, seeing fully and clearly." And so on through the ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind — every one of them, with respect to every tathāgata, is eternal, complete and entire, its cultivation undiminished, hearing and knowing fully and clearly, and the rest. "That" refers to what, for the Buddha, is his own, while, for sentient beings, it is other than themselves; sentient beings suppose it impermanent, while, for the Tathāgata, it is eternal. As for "diminished cultivation": cultivation relying on dhyāna is named diminished cultivation; cultivation relying on the real mark is named undiminished cultivation. Not seeing buddha-nature is named seeing that is not full and clear; seeing buddha-nature is named seeing that is full and clear. Again, seeing the principle of the real mark is named "full and clear"; knowing the very affairs of the dharma-realm is named "clear and distinct."

Seeing is of two kinds: first, seeing in resemblance; second, seeing in a portion of the truth. Seeing in resemblance is as distinguished within the purification of the six faculties.

Discussing the true seeing itself: this is as clarified in the Avataṃsaka Sūtra — the buddha's own eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind. This present sūtra, too, clarifies the true mark of bodily spiritual power: namely, universally manifesting a form-body, showing every sentient being the body they themselves most delight to see — this is precisely bodily spiritual power manifested outwardly; manifesting a body like beryl, with every buddha throughout the ten directions manifesting within this very body — this is precisely bodily spiritual power manifested inwardly. The eye, ear, nose, tongue, and the rest, manifested both inwardly and outwardly, follow this same pattern. This, then, is the spiritual power belonging to the perfect teaching, differing from every account given before, and so on.

Question: If the six faculties are taken as the six spiritual powers, why is it that their own merit differs in increase and decrease?

Answer: The Treatise, in its fortieth fascicle, says: "The nose, tongue, and body are alike named 'sensing'; the eye is named 'seeing'; the ear is named 'hearing'; the mind is named 'knowing.'" What these three kinds of consciousness know may be taken as one, or may be taken as distinct. Since these three kinds of consciousness carry many dharmas that assist the path, they are discussed separately; the other three do not, and hence are discussed together. Again, these three kinds of consciousness know only worldly affairs, and hence are discussed together; those three know both the worldly and the world-transcending, and hence are discussed separately. Again, these three kinds of consciousness pertain only to the unrecorded dharma, while those three may take good, evil, or the unrecorded alike as their object; and, again, those three are able to give rise to the causes and conditions of the three kinds of karma, and hence are discussed separately. Following this same sense: three faculties, their own sense especially strong in various ways, thereby possess twelve hundred units of merit. As for why the other three faculties, their power weaker, possess only eight hundred units of merit — this is merely one particular account, and not the sūtra's own perfect sense. The Saddharmapuṇḍarīka, in its earlier translation, says: "The merit is, in fact, equal, equally reaching a thousand for each."

The present sūtra reveals the mutual interchangeability of the six faculties, taking the three faculties that possess only two hundred and applying them, through this mutual interchangeability, to the other three faculties as well. Their sovereign freedom, unobstructed, being thereby equal, as the Saddharmapuṇḍarīka's earlier translation itself explains. They are able to contract, as with the eight hundred belonging to the body, eye, and nose; and they are able to expand fully, as with the twelve hundred belonging to the ear, tongue, and mind. The sūtra says: "If one is able to uphold this sūtra, its merit shall then be immeasurable, like empty space, boundless — its blessing cannot be limited." The sense of their mutual interchangeability is thereby made manifest!

Fourth, clarifying the coarse and the wondrous: as for saying that spiritual power delivers beings, it does not merely transform one's own body to match another's direct retribution — it also transforms one's own land to match another's dependent retribution. As the Yingluo Sūtra says: "Bringing forth a response matched to every land; bringing forth a response matched to every sentient being."

As for responding to match another's direct retribution: this is precisely showing forth an image belonging to each of the ten dharma-realms. As for responding to match another's dependent retribution: this is precisely matching the very place each of the ten realms depends upon. As for responding to match the four evil destinies: this uses the compassion born of contemplating evil karma, perfuming the dhyāna of unrecorded transformation upon transformation, and responds by taking on the form and substance of hell and the rest — bodies wrapped in black hair, monkeys, apes, deer, horses, great vultures and grouse, asuras, and the like — each and every one of them genuinely seen, sharing fully in that same karmic condition. As for responding with a human or heavenly body: this uses the compassion born of contemplating wholesome karma, perfuming the dhyāna of unrecorded transformation upon transformation, and takes on a body belonging to a wholesome destiny — as with the bodhisattva in his final body, whose correct wisdom takes rebirth in the womb, who, upon touching the ground, takes seven steps, washes his own hands and feet, cleanses himself with a willow twig, takes a consort and fathers a child, grows weary of the world and goes forth from home; and, likewise, the very form of a deva follows this same pattern — each and every one of them genuinely seen, sharing fully in that same karmic condition. As for responding by becoming a Tripiṭaka-teaching follower of the two vehicles: this uses the compassion of the analytical emptiness, perfuming the dhyāna of unrecorded transformation upon transformation, taking on the image of an aged bhikṣu, observing the poṣadha together with the assembly and its own rules of discipline — each and every one of them genuinely seen, sharing fully in that same karmic condition. As for responding as a follower of the shared teaching: this uses the compassion of emptiness-as-such, perfuming the dhyāna of unrecorded transformation upon transformation, taking on a response through the embodying of dharmas — contemplating the habituation of no-generation, responding as suffering and emptiness and the rest, none of them ultimately to be found — each and every one of them genuinely seen, sharing fully in that same karmic condition.

As for responding as a follower of the distinct teaching: this uses the compassion of the provisional-as-such and the middle-as-such, perfuming the dhyāna of unrecorded transformation upon transformation, bringing forth a response both gradual and sudden — showing the cultivation of dharmas as numerous as the sands of the Ganges — each and every one of them genuinely seen, sharing fully in that same karmic condition. As for responding as a follower of the perfect teaching: this uses the compassion of the middle-as-such, perfuming the dhyāna of unrecorded transformation upon transformation, bringing forth a perfect and sudden response — showing the cultivation of the immeasurable within the one and the one within the immeasurable — each and every one of them genuinely seen, sharing fully in that same karmic condition. Responses matching another's direct retribution such as these cannot be reckoned or counted at all — they can be grasped in the mind, but cannot be exhausted in words, and so on. Grasping this same sense, one may look forward, from here, to the gradual and the sudden.

As for the use of spiritual power within the five-flavor teachings: whatever spiritual power is used within the milk teaching, whether much or little, signifies only two senses — one coarse, one wondrous. Whatever spiritual power is used within the Tripiṭaka teaching, whether much or little, is only ever coarse. Whatever spiritual power is used within the vaipulya teachings, whether much or little, is three coarse and one wondrous. Whatever spiritual power is used within the perfection-of-wisdom teachings, whether much or little, is two coarse and one wondrous. Whatever spiritual power is used within the present sūtra, whether much or little, is solely wondrous. This is why the ten auspicious signs within the "Introduction" chapter, every one, without exception, signify the wondrous: "the ground everywhere adorned and pure" signifies the wondrous of the object. "Emitting light from between his brows" signifies the wondrous of wisdom. "Entering samādhi" signifies the wondrous of practice.

"Heavenly rain of four kinds of flowers" signifies the wondrous of stage. "The fragrant wind of sandalwood" signifies the wondrous of the vehicle. "The four assemblies, every one, filled with doubt" signifies capacity, and "beholding eighteen thousand lands" signifies response — these two together clarify the wondrous of sympathetic response. "The ground shaking in six ways" signifies the wondrous of spiritual powers. "The heavenly drum sounding of itself" and "expounding the Dharma" signify the wondrous of teaching the Dharma. "The devas, the nāgas, and the great assembly rejoicing together" signifies the wondrous of the retinue. "And further beholding the buddha's own children cultivating every kind of practice" signifies the wondrous of merit and benefit. This use of spiritual transformation, whether little or much, alike signifies the wondrous throughout. The text says: "The Buddha now enters samādhi — this is inconceivable! Manifesting a rare and extraordinary event!" Manifesting this rare and extraordinary event is precisely the wondrous spiritual power.

As for responding to match another's dependent retribution, this carries two senses: if a land's own suffering or bliss is due to sentient beings themselves, and not something the Buddha has made, then the Buddha merely responds by matching it. If this is instead done as an act of subduing or of gathering in, then the Buddha, perceiving the capacity and condition at hand, makes either a land of suffering or a land of bliss accordingly — the suffering or bliss then being due to the Buddha, and having nothing to do with sentient beings themselves.

Here, the first sense is explained for now: the Treatise says: "There are lands whose saṅgha is purely made up of śrāvakas, and lands whose saṅgha is purely made up of bodhisattvas, and lands whose saṅgha is a mixture of bodhisattvas and śrāvakas together." Some pure, some impure — why this difference? It is entirely due to how urgently or laxly the vehicle and the precepts are each held.

If the precepts are held laxly while the vehicle is held both urgently and laxly, this is precisely an impure land, with bodhisattvas and śrāvakas together making up the saṅgha. Since the precepts are held laxly, the land is impure with the five turbidities; since the vehicle, too, is held laxly, the three vehicles are opened; and since the vehicle is also held urgently, the one vehicle is revealed — the sahā world is exactly this. If the precepts are held urgently while the vehicle is held both laxly and urgently, this is a pure land. Since the precepts are held urgently, the land is free of the five turbidities; since the vehicle is held laxly, the three vehicles are opened; and, being also held urgently, the one is revealed — the land of Sukhāvatī is exactly this. If the vehicle is held laxly while the precepts are held urgently, this is precisely a pure land with a saṅgha purely made up of śrāvakas — this may be understood accordingly. If the precepts are held laxly while the vehicle is held urgently, this is precisely an impure land with a saṅgha purely made up of bodhisattvas — this, too, may be understood accordingly. The difference between the pure and the impure is entirely due to sentient beings themselves; the difference between the elevated and the lowly, between suffering and bliss, has nothing to do with the Buddha.

As for the sense of this being done as an act of subduing or gathering in: the land is then due to the Buddha, and has nothing to do with sentient beings themselves. The Buddha, through the compassion born of contemplating evil, joined with the dhyāna of unrecorded transformation upon transformation, brings forth an impure land, subduing and gathering in the sentient beings of the four evil destinies. Through the compassion born of wholesome karma, joined with the dhyāna of unrecorded transformation upon transformation, he subdues and gathers in the sentient beings of the remaining two destinies. The Buddha, through the compassion of the analytical emptiness and the six pāramitās, and the rest, joined with the dhyāna of unrecorded transformation upon transformation, brings forth either an impure land or a pure land, subduing and gathering in the sentient beings of the śrāvaka and bodhisattva realms. The Buddha, through the compassion of emptiness-as-such, joined with the dhyāna of unrecorded transformation upon transformation, brings forth either a pure land or an impure land, subduing and gathering in the sentient beings of the shared teaching's own śrāvaka and bodhisattva realms. The Buddha, through the compassion of the sequentially distinct, joined with the dhyāna of unrecorded transformation upon transformation, brings forth either an impure land or a pure land, subduing and gathering in the sentient beings of the distinct teaching's own bodhisattva realm. The Buddha, through the compassion of the middle-as-such, joined with the dhyāna of unrecorded transformation upon transformation, brings forth either a pure land or an impure land, subduing and gathering in the sentient beings of the perfect teaching's own bodhisattva realm. Every such difference in the making of a land is entirely due to the Tathāgata's own transformation through spiritual power.

Here, matching this transformation of direct and dependent retribution against the three provisional teachings' own deliberate spiritual power, every one of these is named coarse. It is comparable to a painted portrait — however much thought and effort is exhausted upon it, it never truly resembles the real thing, and hence is named coarse. As for a bright mirror reflecting a face — this resembles it spontaneously, and hence is named wondrous. Expedient spiritual power is comparable to a coarse painting; the middle way's own spontaneous spiritual power, corresponding and responding at once, is comparable to a clear mirror — hence, it is named wondrous.

As for the spiritual transformation accomplished by the dhyāna of unrecorded transformation upon transformation, its own coarse and wondrous may be further discussed. If, for the sake of the nine realms' own sentient beings, expedient spiritual power is used, making a land pure or impure, broad or narrow, this is, every time, named coarse. If, for the sake of the buddha-realm's own sentient beings, real spiritual power is used, making a land pure or impure, broad or narrow, this is, every time, named wondrous. As with the sūtra's own emitting light from between the brows, illuminating eighteen thousand lands, and the threefold transformation of the land — compared to the spiritual power of every other sūtra, how could this possibly be considered abundant? It is simply for the sake of opening up this one great matter that it alone is called wondrous.

Again, discussed in terms of the Five Flavors, coarse and wondrous: the milk teaching has one coarse and one wondrous; the cream teaching has one coarse; the curdled-butter teaching has three coarse and one wondrous; the clarified-butter teaching has two coarse and one wondrous; the Lotus Sūtra has one wondrous alone.

Again, though every sūtra's own wondrous is the same, their own coarse differs — coarse is of two kinds: first, coarse that is difficult to transform; second, coarse that is easy to transform. What is easy to transform has already, within the other sūtras, been made wondrous. What is difficult to transform is, here, within the Lotus Sūtra, no longer present as either kind of coarse at all — only the one wondrous remains. There is but a single great matter, the one buddha's own undertaking, and never, in truth, any other matter at all — the nine realms' own spiritual power is only ever borrowed and provisional. Sentient beings themselves suppose it to be some other matter; for the Buddha, it is, throughout, always this one same undertaking. The hired laborer supposes himself of humble birth; the elder himself knows for certain that he is his own child. This is precisely the wondrous of spiritual power discussed in the relative sense.

Again, as for every other sūtra's own coarse spiritual power being set apart from the wondrous spiritual power: the present sūtra opens every one of them, revealing the real, making them one with the wondrous spiritual power — this is named the wondrous of spiritual power clarified in the absolute sense. This is recorded only in brief, and is not treated exhaustively here.

Eighth, the wondrous of teaching the Dharma: no dharma can be pointed to directly, the mark of every word and phrase being itself quiescent cessation; and yet, given the right cause and condition, it may still be spoken of and pointed to. The two bodies of medicine and jewel, treated above, first set things into motion through concentration; now, the two drums of poison and heaven draw beings out afterward through wisdom, proclaiming the one vehicle, with no difference among the three, every one of them arriving at the ground of omniscience. What is thereby taught is, in every case, real and never empty — hence, the wondrous of teaching the Dharma is next clarified. This is treated under six headings: first, explaining the name of the Dharma; second, distinguishing the great and the small; third, clarifying its difference according to the condition it meets; fourth, judging what it expresses; fifth, clarifying the coarse and the wondrous; sixth, the contemplation of mind.

As for explaining the name of the Dharma: though the buddha-dharma of the three time periods is many, beyond measure, the twelve divisions of the scriptures gather it in fully, with nothing left out. First, Dharmottara's own account is given, distinguishing seven senses: first, the essence, which is one; second, the form, which is two; third, how the name is fixed, which is three; fourth, the settled names, which is four; fifth, their differences, which is five; sixth, their mutual inclusion, which is six; seventh, resolving doubts, which is seven.

As for the essence being one: the sūtra takes names, words, and passages of text as its own essence — every sūtra, without exception, is exactly this — hence, the essence is one.

As for the form being two: there is the direct prose exposition, and there is verse composed in praise and eulogy — these two forms are distinct from one another. Why is this? Since people's own dispositions and delights differ, some favoring plain, straightforward language, others favoring beautifully wrought speech — hence, the form is distinguished as two.

As for the naming method being three: sūtra proper, geya, and gāthā — these three divisions are named directly from their own wording, not from what they point to. The eight remaining divisions beginning with vyākaraṇa are named neither from what they point to nor from their own wording, but take their name from the matter itself. Vaipulya alone is named from what it points to. Why is this? Sūtra proper and the other two directly state the very mark of the dharma, and so their name may point directly to what they signify — as with suffering, its arising, cessation, and the path: the name itself directly shows what it signifies, and hence they are named from their own wording. As for vyākaraṇa and the rest: what these dharmas signify cannot be shown by mere words alone, but must be manifested through a particular matter before it can appear at all. As with the sūtra of prediction: it is named from the matter itself, showing only the principle that practicing the cause yields the fruit — the principle being manifested through the matter, and the matter being distinguished through words. As in the Lotus Sūtra, where the śrāvakas are given their own prediction of buddhahood, manifesting that every one of them shall, without exception, attain buddhahood — relying on this bestowal of prediction to manifest what is signified, hence it is named the sūtra of prediction. As for the sūtra of spontaneous, unprompted utterance: the sage's own teaching of the Dharma always awaits a request or a question, and yet, for the sake of sentient beings, he also serves as a teacher unbidden — hence, spontaneous, unprompted utterance. Again, the buddha-dharma is difficult to know, and no one is able to ask about it; were it not spoken of spontaneously, the assembly would have no way to know it. Whether to speak or not to speak, and, further, not knowing which dharma to speak of even if one did — hence, spontaneous, unprompted utterance is precisely what manifests what is taught. Since it is profound beyond measure, known only through direct realization, it relies on spontaneous, unprompted utterance to manifest what it signifies. As for the sūtra of causal narrative: wishing to clarify the dharma of the precepts, one must, by way of some transgression, manifest the fault involved — the fault's own mark must be manifested before the rule can be established at all — this, too, relies on cause and condition to clarify what it signifies. As for the sūtra of parable: the mark of the dharma is subtle and hidden, and requires borrowing what is near at hand to illustrate what is far off — hence, words are borrowed as an analogy, relying on this analogy to manifest the principle. As for the sūtras of past events and of birth-stories: past events speak of another's own past deeds, while birth-stories speak of one's own past births — relying on a present matter to speak of a past matter, relying on past events to manifest what is signified is named the sūtra of past events; relying on past births to manifest what was practiced is named the sūtra of birth-stories. As for the sūtra of the marvel: this speaks of a rare and extraordinary matter, one never before present — hence, marvel. Showing that the dharma possesses great power, possesses great benefit, relying on this marvelous matter to manifest what is signified. As for the sūtra of doctrinal discussion: within the various divisions, where the words and their sense lie hidden and obscured, going back and forth in analysis brings what is signified to light — relying on this discussion to clarify the principle.

Hence, the eight divisions beginning with vyākaraṇa take their name from the matter itself. As for vaipulya alone taking its name from what it points to: the principle of vaipulya, though it may be spoken of through a name, is wondrous, transcending name and word altogether. Though it, too, relies on some matter to be manifested, it cannot simply be grasped through that matter as such — hence, it is named neither from its own wording nor from the matter, but takes its name from what it points to.

As for the settled names being four: sūtra proper is named "thread sūtra" — the sūtra's own substance is names and words, yet the name itself is drawn from a metaphor. Geya and gāthā are each named directly from their own substance. Vyākaraṇa, spontaneous unprompted utterance, and doctrinal discussion — these three sūtras are each named jointly by their own substance together with the matter involved. The rest are named from the matter alone.

As for their differences being five: sūtra proper is of nine kinds. The sūtra says: from "thus have I heard" down to "received it with reverence and practiced accordingly," every part is named sūtra proper — this, then, is sūtra proper taken in the general sense, its own substance taken as a whole, every one of the twelve divisions alike named a sūtra, and hence named "general." Distinguished according to the written words that make up the sūtra's own substance, it is divided into the twelve divisions — hence, its substance is taken as a whole.

Second, within sūtra proper taken as a whole, eleven divisions are distinguished out according to the matter involved; matched against these eleven divisions, whatever remains, directly stating the mark of the dharma, is the particular sūtra proper.

Third, the sūtra of doctrinal discussion explains the eleven divisions — the eleven divisions are thereby the very root text of the sūtra. One should therefore know that whatever a treatise explains, the eleven divisions that come before it, are, every one, sūtra proper. Again, the "Chapter on Sūtra Proper" within the Saṃyuktābhidharmahṛdaya likewise matches sūtra against treatise, taking the sūtra as sūtra proper. Again, as when Vasubandhu explains Āryadeva's own Śataśāstra, the treatise itself is taken as the root text, and the treatise, too, is named sūtra proper. Again, the sūtra says: apart from sūtra proper, the remaining four-line verses are taken as gāthā-sūtra — matched against this four-line gāthā-sūtra, whatever is stated in prose is sūtra proper. Again, it is said: geya is named the verse that restates sūtra proper — matched against this geya restated verse, what is restated is itself sūtra proper. Again, as when the Tripiṭaka is distinguished, laying out its own principle and teaching is taken as sūtra proper, matched against the vinaya and abhidharma taken separately. Again, as the sūtra itself says: from the Buddha issue the twelve divisions, and from the twelve divisions issues sūtra proper — matched against the twelve particular teachings, the shared teaching is taken as sūtra proper; and, among the nine, this includes the first two, verse included.

Gāthā is of four kinds. As it is said, the Lotus Sūtra contains verses such as the Akṣobhya verses, and the Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra contains twenty-five thousand verses — this, then, is gāthā-sūtra, taken again in the general sense. If four lines make a verse, then a single word or a single line, too, may be named a sūtra; what is not a single word or a single line is, in every case, named a gāthā. It is simply that, by the sage's own skillful, wondrous speech, sections and passages are brought to completion, and several lines together make a verse — hence, in the general sense, this is named gāthā. Second, apart from sūtra proper, the remaining four-line verses are gāthā. Third, whatever restates a verse already given is named geya; one should therefore know that a verse not restating anything is named gāthā-sūtra. Fourth, just as sūtra proper, taken in the general sense as a whole, is distinguished according to the particular matter into the several divisions, with direct prose statement taken as sūtra proper — one should therefore know that verse, too, is distinguished according to the particular matter: whatever concerns prediction, causal narrative, and the rest is distinguished into its own separate division; whatever does not follow any particular matter, but is simply stated directly in verse, is named gāthā-sūtra.

Geya is named restated verse. Restatement is of three kinds: first, restating the sense; second, restating the matter; third, restating the words.

Restating the sense means restating the very dharma-mark and matter that the sage's own mind has in view. If what the mind has in view, the dharma-mark itself, is restated, this is named gāthā-sūtra. If what the mind has in view, a matter such as prediction and the rest, is restated, this is, according to the matter, distinguished as a separate sūtra. Restating the matter means restating a matter such as prediction and the rest, likewise distinguished, according to the matter restated, as a separate sūtra. Restating the words means restating the words belonging to some particular matter, distinguished, according to that matter, as a separate sūtra. If what is restated is sūtra proper's own direct prose statement, this is named the sūtra of restated verse, geya.

As for vyākaraṇa: the fruit, held in mind as an expectation, is named "prediction"; the sage's own word, given in speech, is named "bestowal." Vyākaraṇa is of two kinds: bestowing upon the various bodhisattvas the prediction of buddhahood is vyākaraṇa within the Mahāyāna; predicting a nearby cause or a nearby fruit is prediction within the Hīnayāna.

Spontaneous, unprompted utterance is of two kinds: first, the principle is so profound and its sense so far-reaching that no one is able to ask about it. Second, it is not that it cannot be asked about, but rather that it is fitting for the listener to hear it spoken; the Buddha, serving as an unbidden teacher, an unbidden teacher does not wait to be asked before speaking of his own accord.

Vaipulya is of two kinds: first, broad in its own language; second, broad in its own principle.

As for their mutual inclusion: within sūtra proper, the eleven remaining divisions may be distinguished out. If verse and direct prose statement are set against one another and discussed: within sūtra proper, nine divisions may be distinguished out, only lacking the two forms of verse; within gāthā, ten divisions may be distinguished out, only lacking sūtra proper's own direct prose statement; within geya, nine divisions may be distinguished out, lacking both sūtra proper and gāthā-sūtra.

Resolving doubts over their presence or absence, and so on.

As for explaining the name of the Dharma: this has already been discussed above, within the arising of the teachings. Here, the names given differ from one another, and their translation varies considerably. Following the Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa's own naming, they are as follows: first, sūtra, rendered "the root of the Dharma," also "concordant scripture," also "thread sūtra." Second, geya, rendered "restated verse," since it restates sūtra proper in verse. Third, vyākaraṇa, rendered "bestowing a prediction."

Fourth, gāthā, rendered "unrestated verse," also spoken of briefly as simply "verse" — four lines making a stanza, comparable to the poetry and verse found here in this land.

Fifth, udāna, rendered "spontaneous, unprompted utterance." Sixth, nidāna, rendered "causal narrative." Seventh, avadāna, rendered "parable." Eighth, itivṛttaka, rendered "thus it was said," also "past events." Ninth, jātaka, rendered "birth-story." Tenth, vaipulya, rendered "expanded teaching." Eleventh, adbhutadharma, rendered "the marvel." Twelfth, upadeśa, rendered "doctrinal discussion."

As for "division": each division has its own particular kind, gathered together accordingly. As for "sūtra": in the foreign land it is called sūtra, and here it is rendered "thread sūtra." A thread is able to run through and connect; a sūtra is able to weave warp and weft; words are able to sustain the Dharma — like a thread, like a woven fabric. And yet, within the Saṃyuktābhidharmahṛdaya's own account of the five senses of "sūtra," this is that treatise's own author's explanation of the sense, not a rendering of the name itself. In common worldly usage, too, "sūtra" is paired with "weft," and "sūtra" is glossed as meaning "the constant." As a thing runs its course from beginning to end, beginning and end differing in time, and yet the thing itself undergoes no alteration or change — being unaltered and unchanged, it is accordingly named "constant."

As for sūtra proper: whatever, among the various sūtras, is stated directly — namely, the four Āgamas, and the two hundred and fifty precepts, together with whatever, among the Mahāyāna sūtras beyond the Tripiṭaka, is likewise stated directly — is, every one, named sūtra proper.

As for geya: whatever verse, among the various sūtras, in lines of four, five, seven, or nine words, however many or few, restates what has already been given above, is, every one, named geya.

As for vyākaraṇa: teaching that the three vehicles, the six destinies, and the nine paths, after so many eons, shall attain buddhahood; or that, after so many further years, one shall attain śrāvakahood or pratyekabuddhahood; or that, after so many further years, one shall receive retribution within the six destinies — every one of these is named a prediction. As for the very method of bestowing a prediction: from the face, five-colored light is emitted; from the two upper teeth it issues, illuminating the three evil destinies; from the two lower teeth it issues, illuminating the human and heavenly realms. Within this light, the teaching of impermanence, no-self, and the peaceful security of nirvāṇa is proclaimed. Whoever encounters this light and hears the Dharma — those within the three lower destinies find body and mind at peace; the crippled and disabled among humans are healed; the six heavens of desire grow weary and disgusted with the pleasures of desire; the form-realm heavens grow weary of the pleasure of dhyāna. The light illuminates the ten directions, performing the Buddha's own work universally, then circles back sevenfold and enters beneath the Buddha's own feet — this predicts the destiny of hell. Entering the sole of the foot, the thigh, the navel, the chest, the mouth, between the shoulders, or the crown of the head, each in turn predicts the path to buddhahood. The Treatise does not mention the light predicting the asura — this must be because the destiny of the hungry ghost, once opened, already includes the asura, its own position lying casually somewhere between the thigh and the navel.

As for gāthā: every four-word, five-word, seven-word, or nine-word verse and the rest, whatever does not restate anything already given, is, every one, named gāthā.

As for udāna: there is a dharma the Buddha must inevitably speak of, and yet no one has asked about it — the Buddha himself briefly opens the very occasion for the question. As when the Buddha, at Śrāvastī, in the hall of Viśākhā, walking back and forth in a shaded place, spontaneously spoke this udāna: "There is no self, and nothing belonging to a self — this matter is excellent!" — this is named udāna. Again, as within the perfection-of-wisdom teachings, the devas' own sons, praising what Subhūti had said: "Excellent! Excellent! O rare World-Honored One, O World-Honored One so difficult to encounter!" — this, too, is named udāna. And, further, after the Buddha's own final nirvāṇa, the disciples gathered together the essential verses, compiling the verses on impermanence into the "Chapter on Impermanence," down through the "Chapter on Brahmins" — every one of these, too, is named udāna.

As for nidāna: this speaks of the buddhas' own original causal narrative — for what cause and condition did the Buddha speak of this matter? Within sūtra proper, someone asked a question, and this matter was accordingly taught; within the vinaya, someone committed this act, and this precept was accordingly established. Every account of the Buddha's own words' causal arising is named nidāna.

As for avadāna: this resembles worldly speech, gentle and accessible in its own language. As with the extended parables of the Madhyama Āgama, the great parables of the Dīrgha Āgama, the parables of Koṭīviṃśa and Koṭīviṃśatikoṭi, and the rest — every immeasurable parable of this kind is named avadāna.

Itivṛttaka is of two kinds: first, a closing statement — saying, "what I promised to speak of before has now been fully spoken." Second, there is a further sūtra, named the Ekottarika. Some say: the terms itaka and itivṛttaka issue from both the Tripiṭaka and the Mahāyāna — what, then, is meant? As when King Śuddhodana forcibly compelled a thousand of the Śākya clan to go forth from home, the Buddha selected five hundred of them capable of attaining the path, and led them to Śrāvastī, causing them to be separated from their own kin. Taught and transformed by Śāriputra and Maudgalyāyana, throughout the first, middle, and last watches of the night, they applied themselves single-mindedly and did not sleep, finding the night long. Once they had attained the path and returned to their own homeland, entering the city to beg for alms fifty li from the Kapilavastu grove, they found the road long. At that time, there was a lion who came and bowed at the Buddha's feet, and, for three causal reasons, the Buddha spoke verses, and so on — speaking of the original causal narrative of these three matters, this is accordingly named ekottarika.

As for jātaka: this speaks of the bodhisattva's own past lives — once, as a lion, taking in a monkey who had come to him for refuge, and, when seized by the flank, offering his own flesh in exchange to ransom the monkey's child. During an age of sickness, becoming a red-eyed fish and giving himself to those who were sick. Or becoming a flying bird, saving those drowning and sinking. Every immeasurable birth-story of this kind, bringing benefit to many, is named jātaka.

As for vaipulya: this refers to the Mahāyāna Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra, the Sūtra of the Six Pāramitās, the Kusumasaṃbhava, the Lotus Sūtra, the Buddha's Own Arising, the Cloud of Causal Narrative, the Cloud of the Dharma, the Great Cloud, and every immeasurable sūtra of this kind — spoken for the sake of attaining unsurpassed, perfect enlightenment — this is named vaipulya.

As for adbhutadharma: as when the Buddha manifests every kind of spiritual power, and sentient beings marvel at what has never before been seen — emitting light, shaking the earth, every extraordinary sign of this kind is named adbhutadharma.

As for upadeśa: answering every questioner, explaining the reason for the answer, expounding every kind of meaning at length — every question-and-answer explanation of meaning of this kind is named upadeśa. The Buddha's own self-spoken sūtra of doctrinal discussion, what Kātyāyana himself explained, and, down through the semblance-dharma age, whatever an ordinary person expounds in accordance with the Dharma, is likewise named the sūtra of upadeśa.

Second, clarifying the division of the Dharma into great and small: this present sūtra points to the nine divisions as the very root by which one enters the great vehicle, taking the nine divisions as small and the remaining three as great — yet this is merely a particular way of speaking. Discussed in the general sense, the small vehicle, too, possesses the prediction of cause and fruit across the six destinies. Again, within the Āgamas, too, Maitreya is given the prediction that he shall become a buddha — how, then, could this not be a sūtra of prediction? There is likewise self-proclaimed praise — "excellent!" — spoken without being asked. Within the śrāvaka's own sūtras, the emptiness of dharmas is taken as the great emptiness — hence the Tattvasiddhi says: "This is precisely intended to clarify the real sense within the Tripiṭaka." The real sense is emptiness — this is what the Abhidharma does not fully expound, while the Tattvasiddhi does fully expound emptiness. Emptiness is itself vaipulya. One should therefore know that the Hīnayāna, too, is generally complete with all twelve divisions. Hence the Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra says: "Though I formerly had the chance to hear the twelve divisions of the scriptures, I heard only their names, and did not hear their sense; now, because of the Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra, I have come to hear their sense." And again: "Though I formerly had the chance to hear the twelve divisions of the scriptures, my own mind still supposed they were not equal to this Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra." The Larger Perfection of Wisdom Sūtra likewise says: "Māra, disguised as a bhikṣu, teaches the bodhisattva the śrāvaka's own twelve divisions of scripture." A certain sūtra says: "The Mahāyāna and Hīnayāna each are complete with all twelve divisions. If one accepts that six divisions run through both the Mahāyāna and Hīnayāna, one does not accept that the other six fail to run through both alike." Examining this passage, both the great and the small alike possess all twelve divisions — it is simply that, spoken of from within the Hīnayāna's own standpoint, this is not the sense intended by the Mahāyāna. Hence, in the particular sense, three are set aside and nine retained.

Why is this? The Hīnayāna, its ashes and cessation final, has no wish-fulfilling-jewel body, and hence has no vaipulya text. Even granting that the emptiness of dharmas could be taken as an expanded teaching in its own right, the Hīnayāna's own dull faculties mean its teaching always requires some occasioning condition, with no heavenly drum sounding of itself, little spontaneous unprompted utterance, and, though prediction is present, prediction of buddhahood is rare. Again, the Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra, in its seventh fascicle, says: "Among the nine divisions, buddha-nature is not clarified — such a person bears no fault for this." By this same pattern, then: among the twelve divisions, buddha-nature is not clarified — such a person does bear fault for this. Some say: the Mahāyāna's own nine divisions exclude causal narrative, parable, and doctrinal discussion, since the Mahāyāna practitioner's own sharp faculties require none of these three. This, too, is a particular account. Discussed in the general sense, the Mahāyāna, how could it possibly lack these three sūtras? A certain sūtra says: "The Hīnayāna sets aside only vaipulya, and possesses eleven divisions." As for lacking vaipulya: the Mahāyāna teaches that the Tathāgata is eternal, and that every sentient being possesses buddha-nature — correct principle is "square," and abundant inclusiveness is "broad." Again, principle fused without duality is likewise named "equal." What the śrāvaka's own teaching lacks is only these eleven divisions. If it were said that the Hīnayāna definitely possesses only nine, it ought not, then, possess these eleven divisions as well; and, since eleven is granted, twelve, too, is generally possessed. According to the differing conditions being addressed, sometimes three are set aside, sometimes only one — this is how the great and the small vehicles are judged, and so on.

Third, clarifying the differences according to the condition met: "condition" here refers to the sentient beings brought about by the ten links of dependent origination, and these sentient beings all possess the roots and natures of all ten dharma-realms — whichever is ripened is responded to first. The Buddha, knowing which is ripened and which is not yet ripened, responds without ever missing the moment. If a sentient being's own condition for liberation is not yet ripened, they cannot simply be abandoned entirely — matched against this particular capacity and condition, only the human-and-heavenly vehicle is taught, without using the name "sūtra proper" and the rest at all. Hence, the non-Buddhist texts of India possess no name for the twelve divisions, nor any sense of them; and the Confucian and Daoist traditions here in this land, too, possess no such name, both the name and the sense entirely lacking. Even where the Dharma-body, acting as a king, teaches the ten wholesome paths, this name, too, is not applied indiscriminately. Hence the Bodhisattvabhūmi speaks of the bodhisattva of lineage-nature, able both to ripen himself and to ripen others. Whoever possesses the lineage-nature of the two vehicles or of buddhahood is ripened according to that same dharma; whoever possesses no lineage-nature at all is ripened through the wholesome destinies. Being ripened through the wholesome destinies is precisely this same sense; being ripened through the lineage-nature is as explained below. If one contemplates and practices deeply, wondrously grasping this same sense, one may enter the correct mark by way of the deviant mark, and, with unobstructed eloquence, construct the sense of the twelve divisions even from deviant scriptures and non-Buddhist texts — why should this not be possible? Yet this is not the correct teaching matched directly against the condition itself.

Next, in terms of the sentient beings brought about by the ten links of dependent origination who possess the Hīnayāna's own roots and nature: matched against this capacity, taught in the general sense, this makes twelve; taught in the particular sense, this makes either nine or eleven, and so on. As for the sentient beings brought about by the ten links of dependent origination who possess the bodhisattva's own capacity: no particular account is given for them — only the twelve divisions of scripture in general are clarified.

Here, discussing in general how the Tathāgata, matched against the four kinds of condition, teaches the twelve-fold dharma: there are two differing fourfold schemes of teaching involved.

First, discussed jointly in terms of the hidden and the revealed, as a fourfold scheme: the hidden is the esoteric teaching, and the revealed is the sudden, the gradual, and the indeterminate teachings. Since the esoteric teaching is hidden, and not circulated openly in the world, it is set aside here and not discussed. Matched against sentient beings of all four dharma-realms, the twelve divisions are taught in the general sense, while, in the particular sense, either nine or eleven divisions are taught — this is named the gradual teaching. Matched against sentient beings of only two dharma-realms, the twelve divisions are taught in the general sense — this is the sudden teaching. Whether matched against four dharma-realms or against only two, whether taught in the particular sense or only in the general sense — this is the indeterminate teaching.

Second, discussed directly within the revealed, gradual teaching, further clarifying its own fourfold scheme: this is precisely the Tripiṭaka, shared, distinct, and perfect teachings. The Tripiṭaka teaching is matched directly against three dharma-realms, taught in the particular sense as either nine or eleven. The shared teaching is matched against four dharma-realms, teaching the twelve divisions in the general sense. The distinct teaching is matched against two dharma-realms, teaching the twelve divisions in the general sense. The perfect teaching is matched against a single dharma-realm, teaching the twelve divisions in the general sense. Discussed above, the dhyāna of unrecorded transformation upon transformation, joined with every form of compassion, manifests the wheel of the body — becoming, at times, a state preceptor, a Daoist master, a leading figure among Confucian scholars, a parent, a sibling, and even a monkey, an ape, a deer, or a horse, sharing in the same undertaking to bring benefit in ways beyond enumeration. As for what is spoken through the wheel of speech: following this same pattern as before, every form of compassion, perfuming the dhyāna of unrecorded transformation upon transformation, differs in kind without end — a hundred thousand myriad dharmas, beyond what words can express. Being beyond expression, though the dragon-palace's own elephant-borne scriptures, and the drop taken from the ocean, the speck ground from the mountain, and the eighty-four thousand stores of the Dharma, can never be exhausted — even without any limit, gathered together by means of the twelve divisions, they are fully collected, with nothing left out.

Fourth, judging what is expressed: were this sense examined in full detail, it belongs within the discussion of the meaning of the Four Teachings; here, only its expressive sense is briefly introduced. If the human-and-heavenly vehicle is taught, this expresses only the conceivable conventional truth within the three realms, and never expresses the real truth at all. As for those taught by the gradual teaching, whether particularly through nine or eleven divisions, or generally through all twelve: at the outset, it correctly expresses the conceivable conventional truth, and incidentally expresses the conceivable real truth; in the middle, it correctly expresses the conceivable real truth, and incidentally expresses the conceivable conventional truth; toward the end, it correctly expresses the inconceivable real truth, and incidentally expresses the inconceivable conventional truth — down through jointly expressing both the inconceivable real and conventional truths together, and so on. As for those taught the twelve divisions through the sudden teaching, this correctly expresses the inconceivable real, and incidentally expresses the inconceivable conventional. As for those taught through the indeterminate teaching, what is expressed here cannot be fixed and judged at all.

As for clarifying what is expressed in terms of the Four Teachings within the gradual teaching itself: the Tripiṭaka teaching correctly expresses the conceivable real, and incidentally expresses the conceivable conventional. As for the Tripiṭaka teaching's own bodhisattva, it correctly expresses the conceivable conventional, and incidentally expresses the conceivable real. As for the shared teaching's own two vehicles, it correctly expresses the conceivable real, and incidentally expresses the conceivable conventional. As for the shared teaching's own bodhisattva at the initial mind, this is the same as the two vehicles; as for the bodhisattva at the later mind, it correctly expresses the conventional, and incidentally expresses the real. As for the distinct teaching's own initial mind, it correctly expresses the real and conventional within the three realms, and incidentally expresses the real and conventional beyond the three realms. As for the middle mind, it correctly expresses the real and conventional beyond the three realms, and incidentally expresses the real and conventional within the three realms. As for the later mind, it jointly expresses the real and conventional both within and beyond the three realms together. As for the perfect teaching, at the initial, middle, and later mind alike, it perfectly expresses the inconceivable real and conventional beyond the three realms, and so on.

Fifth, clarifying the coarse and the wondrous: this carries five senses — first, in terms of principle; second, in terms of language; third, in terms of what is expressed; fourth, in terms of every other sūtra; fifth, in terms of the present sūtra directly.

First, as for the wondrous in terms of principle: not a single dharma is anything other than the middle way, and there is no liberation spoken of apart from the written word itself. The written word's own nature, once free of itself, is itself already liberation — everything taught is itself principle, and is itself wondrous. It is comparable to the dragon's own rain, falling everywhere differently — here as water, there as fire, elsewhere as swords and staves — principle is exactly the same: principle is fully present throughout, yet feeling either turns against it or accords with it — turning against it is why it is coarse, and according with it is why it is wondrous.

Second, as for language: as the Buddha, from the very night of attaining the path through the very evening of final nirvāṇa, constantly taught the prajñā-teaching and constantly taught the middle way, and yet expounded the Dharma with a single sound, understood differently according to each kind of listener — this single sound, skillfully proclaimed, is itself the wondrous; the differing kinds of listeners, understanding it differently, carry their own distinction of coarse and wondrous.

Third, as for what is expressed: if the human-and-heavenly vehicle is taught to sentient beings of the six destinies, this expresses only the conditioned, and both what expresses and what is expressed are coarse alike. If, for dull-faculty practitioners, the Tripiṭaka's own five gates express the principle of the Four Noble Truths of generation-and-extinction, this, too, has both what expresses and what is expressed coarse alike. If the shared teaching's own five gates of embodying dharmas, compared to the Tripiṭaka's own gate of analysis, though what expresses is more skillful, what is expressed still remains the real truth alone — what is expressed, too, remains coarse. If the distinct teaching's own five gates, what expresses is coarse, while what is expressed, the middle way, is wondrous. If the perfect teaching's own five gates, both what expresses and what is expressed are, alike, wondrous.

Fourth, as for every other sūtra: the Avataṃsaka expresses the distinct and expresses the perfect. The Tripiṭaka expresses only the one-sided. The vaipulya teachings express in four ways.

The perfection-of-wisdom teachings express in three ways. The Lotus Sūtra expresses in a single way alone. Again, though what every other sūtra expresses as wondrous is no different from the Lotus Sūtra's own, it carries an admixture of the coarse alongside what it expresses, and this coarse expression cannot be joined to the wondrous — hence, it remains coarse. The Lotus Sūtra is not like this: the Buddha teaches with perfect equality, like a single rain falling with one flavor. Directly and without any expedient means, only the unsurpassed path is taught, purely a single expression alone. Again, it is said: formerly, the śrāvaka was disparaged, and yet the Buddha, in truth, always taught through the Mahāyāna. Again, it is said: "What you yourselves have practiced is itself the bodhisattva path" — this, then, is fusing the coarse and making it wondrous. These two senses together differ from every other sūtra — hence, it alone is called wondrous. It is comparable to a skilled physician, able to transform poison itself into medicine. The two vehicles' own roots being ruined, unable to be reversed, this is named poison. The present sūtra's bestowing of prediction is precisely transforming poison into medicine. Hence the Treatise says: "Every other sūtra is not the secret treasury; the Lotus Sūtra alone is the secret treasury." There is, further, the origin-ground's own perfect teaching, which every other sūtra lacks, to be broadly clarified later on, and so on.

Fifth, directly clarifying, in terms of this present sūtra, the wondrousness of all twelve divisions: as sūtra proper is named for its own direct statement, the present sūtra directly states the middle way, the Buddha's own wisdom — it does not teach the dharma of the six destinies, the two vehicles, or the bodhisattva as such, but teaches the buddha-dharma alone — hence, its own direct statement is wondrous.

As for geya being wondrous: this simply restates in verse the same teaching of the middle way already given in prose — one should therefore know that geya, too, is wondrous.

As for gāthā: as when the dragon girl offers her jewel, and Sarvasattvapriyadarśana speaks a verse, arising all on its own, unprompted — this verse clarifies attaining correct enlightenment within the very span of a single instant, praising the Buddha's own accomplishment of bodhi. Sarvasattvapriyadarśana's verse arising unprompted, praising the Buddha's own countenance as truly rare and wondrous — one should therefore know that gāthā arising unprompted is wondrous.

As for past events being wondrous: this is precisely the twenty thousand buddhas who taught only the unsurpassed path, and taught nothing else at all — this is precisely past events being wondrous.

As for birth-stories being wondrous: clarifying the sixteen princes — their birth-body born as princes, and their Dharma-body born as buddha's children — this is precisely birth-stories being wondrous.

As for causal narrative: forming a bond, hidden within an earlier lecture on the Mahāyāna, sewing a jewel into the robe, without discussing any Hīnayāna, human, or heavenly condition — this is named causal narrative being wondrous.

As for the marvel being wondrous: heavenly flowers, the earth shaking, light from between the two brows, the threefold transformation of the land, and the rest — these are the wondrous, inconceivable, marvelous matters.

As for parable being wondrous: the sūtra's own title takes its name from a dharma and a parable together, illustrating the opening of the three to reveal the one — when has it ever illustrated anything else at all? This is precisely parable being wondrous.

As for upadeśa being wondrous: Śāriputra questions the Buddha, and the Buddha answers concerning the very gateway of every buddha's own wisdom. The dragon girl and Prajñākūṭa question and answer one another, discussing the very matter of the Lotus Sūtra itself. Prajñākūṭa says: "I have seen Śākyamuni cultivate for immeasurable eons before finally accomplishing bodhi — I do not believe this girl could attain buddhahood in a mere instant." This clings to the distinct teaching, doubting the perfect. The dragon girl says: "The Buddha himself bears witness and knows" — offering her round jewel to the Buddha, this answers the distinct teaching by means of the perfect. This is precisely upadeśa being wondrous.

As for spontaneous, unprompted utterance being wondrous: as the text says, "Without being asked, he spoke of his own accord, praising the path he himself had practiced, rising calmly from his own samādhi, addressing Śāriputra, and teaching the Buddha's own wisdom." And again: "The causal narrative of past ages — I shall now speak of it" — this is precisely spontaneous, unprompted utterance being wondrous.

As for prediction being wondrous: bestowing upon all three roots of capacity the prediction of buddhahood, every one of them abiding securely within real wisdom, honored by devas and humans alike — this is precisely prediction being wondrous.

As for vaipulya being wondrous: "this carriage, tall and broad," "wisdom, deep and far-reaching," and the rest — this is precisely vaipulya being wondrous.

One should therefore know that this present sūtra, from its own direct statement at the outset all the way through upadeśa, is complete in all twelve senses, every one of them wondrous — this is precisely clarifying the wondrous of teaching the Dharma in the relative sense, set against the coarse.

As for opening the coarse to reveal the wondrous: the twelve, eleven, and nine divisions of former times did not teach the real; here, there is no separate real apart from them, differing from their former unreality. Formerly, only the expanded was spoken of, without clarifying the expanded in principle; here, the expanded already spoken of is opened, and is itself already the expanded in principle. Opening the difference of former times, revealing the sameness of the present — this is precisely clarifying the wondrous of teaching the Dharma in the absolute sense.

Sixth, the contemplation of mind is lacking, and so on.

Ninth, clarifying the wondrous of the retinue: this is treated under five headings — first, clarifying why this comes next; second, clarifying the retinue itself; third, clarifying the coarse and the wondrous; fourth, clarifying the Dharma-gate; fifth, distinguishing the contemplation of mind.

As for what is meant by "sequence": if there were no teaching at all, this would be the end of the matter, but teaching necessarily reaches some condition, and this condition is precisely the person who receives the path. Having already received the path, this person accordingly becomes a member of the retinue. It is comparable to a parent and child, sharing the very substance passed down, taken up to form the body — this becomes their very nature. Being close through nature is why it is named "kin"; being, further, mutually deferential is why it is named "belonging." The practitioner is exactly the same: at the moment of receiving the precepts, this precept-dharma is taught, bestowed upon the person before one, and the person before one, hearing it, thereby brings forth the precepts — this is how teacher and disciple come to arise. Dhyāna is exactly the same: bestowing the method for settling the mind, and, practicing as taught, one thereby brings forth concentration — this one becomes my teacher, and I become the disciple. Wisdom is exactly the same: teaching the various Dharma-gates, turning and entering into another's mind — through the Dharma, closeness is formed. Being close, trust follows; trust following, deference follows — this is named the retinue.

In other lands, every other faculty, too, is sharp, and, according to whichever sense-object is used, this benefit is likewise brought forth for others. In this land, the ear-faculty alone is sharp, and hence sound is used preferentially. Hence, at the time of the twenty thousand buddhas, the unsurpassed path was taught; the sixteen princes, restating the Lotus Sūtra, have, from that time onward, constantly remained this same retinue, life after life born together with their own teacher — sometimes as a retinue of humans and devas, sometimes as a retinue of the three vehicles, sometimes as a retinue of the one vehicle. Hence Śāriputra says: "Only today do I know that I am truly a child of the Buddha." Formerly, the five men were taught and attained the real, taintless state, and were named children of the Buddha; the bodhisattvas, not yet having given rise to the real, were named outsiders. Within the Lotus Sūtra, giving rise to Mahāyāna understanding, they themselves proclaim that, in former times, they were not truly children of the Buddha. Here, the path of the one reality is taught: from hearing, awakening, and understanding, the Dharma-body is thereby brought forth. Born from the Buddha's own mouth, this is the Dharma-body born within the wisdom of hearing. Born through the Dharma's own transformation, this is the Dharma-body born within the wisdom of reflection. Attaining a share of the buddha-dharma, this is the Dharma-body born within the wisdom of cultivation. The three kinds of wisdom accomplished, this is the true child of the Buddha, fixed within this very nature, thereby coming to form the retinue. Hence, following directly after teaching the Dharma, the wondrous of the retinue is next clarified.

Second, clarifying the retinue itself: this is further of five kinds — first, clarifying the retinue in principle; second, clarifying the retinue born through karma; third, clarifying the retinue born through vow; fourth, clarifying the retinue born through spiritual power; fifth, clarifying the retinue born through response.

First, as for the retinue in principle: sentient beings' own suchness and the Buddha's own suchness are the identical suchness, one suchness without a second — hinging on this same principle-nature, one is spontaneously already his child. Hence it is said: "I, too, am exactly this way — honored among every sage, father to the whole world — every sentient being, without exception, is my own child." This is spoken of in terms of principle-nature, and has nothing to do with whether a bond has been formed or not — every one, alike, is a child of the Buddha.

Second, as for the retinue born through karma: though, discussed in terms of principle, every sentient being is already his child, they have drunk another's own poison, and some have thereby lost their own minds, while others have not. Those who have not lost their minds bow and kneel, inquire and pay respect, seek out rescue and protection, and, given the medicine, take it at once — hence, at the time of Mahābhijñājñānābhibhū, restating and teaching the wondrous Lotus Dharma, they formed the very bond of father and child within the Mahāyāna. Those who have lost their minds, though given the excellent medicine, refuse to take it, wandering adrift through birth-and-death, fleeing into another land. The Buddha thereupon sets forth skillful means: sometimes forming a bond through the Tripiṭaka teaching, teaching the dharma of generation-and-extinction; sometimes forming a bond through the shared teaching, teaching the dharma of no-generation; sometimes forming a bond through the distinct teaching, teaching dharmas as numerous as the sands of the Ganges through generation-without-generation; sometimes forming a bond through the perfect teaching, teaching the one real mark's dharma of generation-without-generation-without-generation. Whether through faith or through slander, whether through being overturned or through being raised up — as with Priyaṅkara, who, though he slandered the Dharma, was in the end still delivered — once the bond has been formed, the twenty-five samādhis are matched to the twenty-five states of existence, and the dharma of the three truths is taught, ripening them accordingly. Some are delivered somewhere in between, and some remain undelivered even now — yet, whether already delivered or not yet delivered, all alike are this same retinue. The present Tripiṭaka buddha, within a land of segmented birth-and-death, goes forth from home and attains the path. Those bonded with him through the Tripiṭaka teaching in former days are either already delivered or not yet delivered. Those already delivered, their ashes and cognition extinguished, are no longer discussed in terms of any further birth-condition. Those not yet delivered continue to be drawn along through segmented birth-and-death: those who, formerly, believed and deferred earnestly, now receive the path as close kin; those who, formerly, believed and deferred only casually, now receive the path as distant outsiders; those who, formerly, resisted and slandered, now receive the path as enemies. The sweet dew, first descending, is tasted first by them — cutting off segmented birth-and-death early, they are thereby able to emerge from birth-and-death itself. Like the great elephant leading its own herd, all together bearing witness to liberation — as with the lineage of the five children of the Buddha, though of a different clan-name, they are nonetheless kin within the Dharma, the inner retinue. If they do not attain the path, though they belong to the same lineage, they are named the outer retinue — for such a person, the Buddha's own teaching brings no benefit. Once he enters final extinction, never to be reborn again, this person's own bond is exhausted, and is handed on to a later buddha.

Third, as for the retinue born through vow: having formed a bond in a former life, though suffering has not yet been severed, one vows to be born within this retinue, whether as close kin or even as an enemy, and, through this, receives the path. Whoever attains the path becomes the inner retinue within the Dharma; whoever does not attain it becomes the outer retinue of the Dharma. Once the Buddha enters final extinction, this person receives no further benefit, and is handed on to a later buddha.

Fourth, as for the retinue born through spiritual power: if, in a former life, one encountered the Buddha, gave rise to the real, seeing the truths directly, and yet one's own births are not yet exhausted, whether in the higher realms or in another region — the present buddha, becoming a buddha within segmented birth-and-death, either through the power of vow or through the power of spiritual transformation, comes to be born within the lower realm — becoming, as close kin, middling acquaintance, or enemy, assists the Buddha's own teaching and transformation, severing whatever residual confusion remains, and thereby emerges from the three realms. If residual confusion is not yet exhausted upon encountering the Buddha's own entry into extinction, one is nonetheless able to sever it oneself, or else awaits a later buddha, and so on. The Tripiṭaka teaching does not speak of birth beyond the three realms — here, this is viewed through the Mahāyāna's own sense. Those who, formerly, encountered a buddha and were delivered, their own births within the three realms exhausted, receive a body of transformational birth-and-death, and are drawn along by this same condition into segmented birth-and-death — this is not birth through karma, but simply through vow or through spiritual power. How, then, does vow differ from spiritual power? Named in terms of one's own retributive power, this is spiritual power; named in terms of the teaching itself, this is the vow. As for birth through spiritual power: within the very place one's own retribution was originally received, a reward-body still remains, and, through this body's own transformative power, one's own form is divided and comes here. As for birth through vow: within the place of retribution, no body remains at all, and, through the power of the vow alone, one descends to be born here. The Tripiṭaka teaching does not speak of severing the fetters through a vow to receive a body of birth-and-death — the vow is not discussed in terms of this teaching at all; the shared teaching, however, does have the vow to sustain what residual habituation remains and thereby be born within segmented birth-and-death — relying on the shared teaching to clarify the vow fits the sense well. Since these teachings have not yet attained the Dharma-body, they entirely lack any retinue born through response at all. This closes the Tripiṭaka teaching's own retinue.

As for those who, in former times, formed a bond through the dharma of no-generation: whether they have already attained the path or not yet attained it, the Buddha becomes a buddha within segmented birth-and-death. As for those not yet having attained the path: right where they are, there is birth through karma; and, from the higher realms descending, there is birth through both vow and spiritual power. The distinction between vow and spiritual power is as explained before. Coming horizontally from another land, there is birth through vow and spiritual power; coming vertically from the expedient-means realm, there is likewise birth through vow and spiritual power. Since the shared teaching has not yet attained the Dharma-body, it, too, lacks any retinue born through response.

As for those who, in former times, formed a bond through the distinct teaching: in the interval, sharing in the same undertaking, teaching the Dharma, giving every kind of instruction, some ripened and some not yet ripened. The Buddha now becomes a buddha within segmented birth-and-death. As for those not yet having attained the path: right where they are, there is birth through karma; from the higher realms descending, there is birth through vow and spiritual power; coming horizontally from another region, there is birth through vow and spiritual power; coming vertically from the expedient-means realm, there is likewise birth through vow and spiritual power. As for those coming vertically from the realm of real reward: there is, further, birth through response — ignorance already broken through beforehand, the very root of the Dharma-body already attained, one is able to give rise to a response and enter birth-and-death. This differs from what came before, and so on.

As for those who, in former times, formed a bond through the perfect teaching: in the interval, brought to maturity, whether they have already attained the path or not yet attained it, the Buddha now becomes a buddha within segmented birth-and-death.

Drawn along by this same former bond, the differences are not all the same. As for those not yet having attained the path: right where they are, there is one kind. From the higher realms descending, there are two kinds. Coming horizontally from another region, there are two kinds. Coming from the expedient-means realm, there are likewise two kinds. Coming from the realm of real reward, there is one kind. This follows the same pattern as before, and so on.

Question: Once confusion is removed and principle is revealed within the Dharma-body, why does one still take on birth?

Answer: The response-body's own taking on of birth carries three senses: first, for the sake of ripening others; second, for the sake of ripening oneself; third, for the sake of one's own original bond.

First, as for ripening others: it is simply that, since birth through karma comes with a wholesome root too feeble to bring itself forth, various bodhisattvas, though already delivered themselves, take pity on that same confusion and darkness, and, through the power of compassion, give rise to a response, entering the twenty-five states of existence, serving as a guiding teacher, drawing beings toward genuine practice, and turning them toward the Buddha's own presence. If one attains the real path through this, one becomes the inner retinue, the same as birth through response; if one attains only a resembling path, this is the same as birth through vow or spiritual power; and, if one attains neither the real nor its resemblance, one is still caused to advance further in excellent karma. All of this, without exception, brings benefit, none of it ever wasted. As the Avataṃsaka says, when the Buddha first took rebirth in the womb, bodhisattvas of the Dharma-body all attended and guarded his own descent into birth, like a shadowy cloud enveloping the moon, scattering and descending into the remaining wombs as well, becoming close kin, middling acquaintance, or enemy, drawing along those bound by karma. One should therefore know that these members of the retinue are not, in truth, persons caught in birth-and-death at all. Māyā is the mother of a thousand buddhas; Śuddhodana is the father of a thousand buddhas; Rāhula is the child of a thousand buddhas. The various śrāvakas, too, are all, inwardly, secretly accomplished while, outwardly, manifesting an ordinary appearance, showing the assembly the three poisons, while, in reality, purifying their own buddha-land of themselves — every one of these kinsmen and relatives belongs to the great skillful means of the Dharma-body's own higher stage. How, then, could an ordinary being possibly conceive a bodhisattva as mighty as Nārāyaṇa?

Again, the non-Buddhist outsider's own enmity and evil, resisting and slandering — one should know that this, too, is entirely the Dharma-body's own doing. Why is this? Even the small goodness of a wheel-turning king brings no enemy when he goes forth into the world — how, then, could the unsurpassed Dharma-king possibly have enemies filling the very road before him? If someone truly gives rise to hostility against the Buddha, they would receive punishment in an evil destiny — how, then, could there possibly be, so blatantly, life after life of mutual torment? The dragon-elephant's own trampling is not something a mere donkey could ever bear. Devadatta is the bodhisattva Piṅgala, a great spiritual friend from a former life. Ajātaśatru is the bodhisattva Acala. Satyaka Nirgrantha is the bodhisattva of great skillful means. Māra Pāpīyas abides within the inconceivable liberation. Hence, the Avataṃsaka's own listing of the assembly clarifies that every deva, nāga, and spirit alike abides within the inconceivable Dharma-gate. All of these — whether close kin, middling acquaintance, or enemy, whether good, evil, contrary, or compliant — are, every one, the Dharma-body: formerly the inner retinue within the Dharma, now forming the retinue born through response. Whoever, whether close kin, middling acquaintance, or enemy, whether good, evil, contrary, or compliant, has not yet attained the Dharma-body — though a bond was formed with them formerly — remains still outside the Dharma, alike named the retinue of vow, karma, and the rest. Every other sūtra, too, is not without clarifying that this expedient means benefits the assembly, yet each supposes it to be truly inner, truly outer, truly good, truly evil, truly contrary, or truly compliant — hence the sūtra says: "Never before, to anyone, have I spoken of a matter such as this." The present sūtra alone has the Buddha himself open the nearby provisional and reveal the far-off real, opening every member of the retinue's own provisional trace and revealing their own real origin. Hence the text says: "I shall now speak to you of the most real matter." This is named the retinue born through response, come for the sake of ripening others.

Second, as for coming for the sake of ripening oneself: the bodhisattva of the Dharma-body has no fixed path of advancement, sometimes advancing along the path from within the birth-body, sometimes advancing along the path from within the Dharma-body. Hence, below, the bodhisattvas who have sprung up from the earth say: "We, too, of our own accord, wish to attain this same real, pure, great Dharma." Within the "Distinguishing Merit" chapter, clarifying the advancement of the path and the diminishing of birth, is precisely this same sense.

Third, as for being drawn along by one's own original bond: originally, it was through this very buddha that one first gave rise to the mind of the path, and, likewise, through this very buddha that one came to abide within the stage of non-retrogression. If the Buddha himself still enters segmented birth-and-death to carry out the buddha's own undertaking, how could one who is bonded to him possibly fail to come? Just as every one of the hundred rivers must, in the end, pay homage to the ocean — being drawn along by this bond to be born through response is exactly the same.

If discussed in the particular sense: birth through karma belongs to segmented birth-and-death; birth through vow and birth through spiritual power belong to the expedient-means realm; birth through response belongs to the realm of quiescent light. Discussed together within a single place, all four kinds are alike complete, according with the real reward — already having attained the Dharma-body, one is able to give rise to a response, forming all four kinds of retinue. As for those bonded through the perfect teaching: though confusion is not yet severed, three kinds of retinue are naturally present of themselves; as for those who have attained the path, all four are present. The distinct teaching's own retinue, too, may likewise be understood as fourfold. Those bonded through the shared and Tripiṭaka teachings may be understood as threefold. Though lacking a response that comes as a response, there remains the response discussed as sympathetic response — named according to what is being responded to, the sense of these four is fully complete.

Question: The bodhisattvas springing up from below, the bodhisattva Wonderful Sound coming from the east — as in the Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra, where the great bodhisattvas of the ten directions are summoned to gather at the śāla grove, the great lion's roar sounded forth — with respect to the four kinds of retinue, what kind is this?

Answer: This is a coming through spiritual power, not a birth through spiritual power. This is a coming through response, not a birth through response. This is bound up with the great vow, not a birth through vow. This is a mutual summoning through cause and condition — as with those from below hearing the sound, and Wonderful Sound seeing the light — this is every buddha's own great undertaking coming forth, not a birth through karma. Birth through karma is unable to come as karma; coming as karma is not birth through karma. Birth through vow and spiritual power is unable to come as vow and spiritual power; coming as vow and spiritual power is, however, also able to be born through vow and spiritual power, and is also able to come as response. Coming as response is likewise able to be born through response, and so on.

Third, clarifying the coarse and the wondrous: if the Tripiṭaka teaching's own retinue, of an inferior root-nature, formed this bond formerly, this bond, too, is shallow and slight, and, ripened by the Dharma in the interval, this ripening amounts to very little. If they come to be born within the buddha-land, forming the inner and outer retinue, through karma, vow, spiritual power, and the rest, even down through those who come as a mere echo in response to a Tripiṭaka buddha, every one of these is a coarse retinue. The shared and distinct teachings' own root-nature, and even the inner and outer retinue, though more skillfully distinguished, differ in the same way — following this same pattern, every one of these, too, is a coarse retinue. This present sūtra teaches that every sentient being, without exception, is already his own child, never a mere hired hand — discussed in terms of principle-nature, none of them is anything other than his child — this is named the wondrous of the retinue in principle. In former times, restating and teaching, forming a bond and sewing a jewel into the robe, across twenty thousand koṭis of buddhas, the unsurpassed path was taught. The sūtra says: "Whenever I encounter sentient beings, I teach them, every one, the buddha-path in its entirety." If sentient beings possessed no buddha-nature, teaching them the buddha-path would be a fault belonging to the Buddha; but since every sentient being possesses buddha-nature, and it is only their own confusion that refuses this teaching, the fault belongs to sentient beings themselves. Every being that possesses a mind whatsoever shall, without exception, become a buddha — even the icchantika's own mind is never severed, and still has the capacity to be reversed — how, then, could becoming a buddha be difficult? The two vehicles, their own ashes and extinction final — extinguishing cognition exhausts the mind, and reducing the body to ashes exhausts form — form and mind both ruined, no longer capable of anything with respect to the five desires — and yet, life after life, encountering the Buddha, they are taught the buddha-path in its entirety nonetheless — this, then, is the wondrous of ripening carried out across the interval. Now, within the Lotus Sūtra, universally attaining buddhahood — this rare and extraordinary matter, the supreme physician-king transforming poison itself into medicine, able to cure even ruined seeds into buddhahood though they possessed no mind for it at all — this, then, is the wondrous of the inner and outer retinue.

It is comparable to contending for merit on the field of battle, where the vanguard alone claims first place. The Buddha's every teaching gathers in sentient beings, and yet the two vehicles, their minds turned to ashes, find no entry anywhere at all — until, within the Lotus Sūtra, they suddenly find entry — hence, the Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra points toward this from afar, noting that the eight thousand śrāvakas received their own prediction of buddhahood, like the autumn harvest stored away for winter, with nothing further left to accomplish. If the Lotus Sūtra had not awakened them to buddha-nature, the Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra ought not to have pointed toward it from afar at all. If sentient beings originally possessed no buddha-nature, then the bond formed with them in former times ought not to have taught them the buddha-path at all. Tracing this from its very beginning through to its very end, the sense of buddha-nature is made clear, and may be grasped directly.

Here, a question is put to the masters of the Avataṃsaka's own sudden, ultimate teaching: does it teach that every sentient being possesses buddha-nature, or not? If it does, then why do the two vehicles never hear this sūtra's own prediction of buddhahood at all, suddenly as if deaf or mute? If it is said that the two vehicles do originally possess buddha-nature, yet hastily took up the small vehicle instead, like a root already castrated — is this original root then curable, or incurable? If curable, why is it not cured? If incurable, then how could it still be said that every sentient being possesses buddha-nature? One should therefore know that what the Avataṃsaka is unable to cure is spoken of there only as an expedient means; what the Lotus Sūtra is able to cure is spoken of there as the real, as things truly are. Being able to cure what is otherwise difficult to cure — this is precisely where the wondrous lies.

This is named the wondrous of forming a bond, the wondrous of ripening, the wondrous of birth through karma, the wondrous of birth through vow, the wondrous of birth through response, the wondrous of the inner retinue, the wondrous of the outer retinue, being able to receive the wondrous path, echoing the wondrous undertaking — hence, this is named wondrous. Taking up this same sense in terms of the Five Flavors: the milk teaching has both the distinct and perfect teachings' own retinue, one coarse and one wondrous; the cream teaching has only one coarse; the curdled-butter teaching has three coarse and one wondrous; the clarified-butter teaching has two coarse and one wondrous; the Lotus Sūtra has no coarse at all, only the wondrous. This is named clarifying the wondrous of the retinue in the relative sense.

Again, as for opening the coarse to reveal the wondrous: every other sūtra's own account of the coarse retinue fails, in every case, to see buddha-nature. The present Lotus Sūtra alone fixes this nature and confirms father and child as genuinely so, never merely hired hands — hence, Never-Disparaging deeply grasped this same sense, knowing that every sentient being's own correct cause is never extinguished, and so dared not treat anyone with contempt. Among every buddha of the past, whether present now or already passed into extinction, whoever has heard even a single phrase attains, every one, the path to buddhahood — this is precisely the revealing cause never extinguished; every bow of the head and every raising of the hand, every one, accomplishes the path to buddhahood — this is precisely the conditioning cause never extinguished. Every sentient being, without exception, is already complete with these three virtues — this is precisely opening the coarse to reveal the wondrous, clarifying the wondrous of the retinue in the absolute sense.

Fourth, clarifying the retinue of the Dharma-gate: this is as when the bodhisattva Puxian Seshen, "Manifesting Every Form," asks the layman Vimalakīrti: "Your father, mother, wife, children, relatives, retinue, officials, subjects, and spiritual friends — who, in truth, are they? Your servants, attendants, elephants, horses, carriages, and carts — where, in truth, are they to be found?" And Vimalakīrti answers: "Skillful means is my father; the perfection of wisdom is my mother — every guiding teacher throughout the world is, without exception, born from these two. The joy of the Dharma is my wife; compassion is my daughter; a good, sincere mind is my son; ultimate empty quiescence is my dwelling; the disciples are the very dust and toil of the world, turned according to my own intent; the factors of the path are my spiritual friends — through these, correct enlightenment is accomplished." This Dharma-gate is here taken as the retinue.

If this is so, then the Dharma-gate differs according to teaching, its depth or shallowness not all the same.

As for the Tripiṭaka teaching's own Dharma-gate: contemplating the real as ultimate and the provisional as expedient, once these two kinds of wisdom are fulfilled, this alone is named buddhahood. The Buddha himself is the guiding teacher; compassion toward the six destinies is precisely his daughter; causing others to accord well with the real truth is named his son. Attaining this dharma, delighted at the moment, is named his wife. Within this same mind, cultivating the pāramitās and the factors of the path is precisely his spiritual friend.

As for the shared teaching's own retinue of the Dharma-gate: contemplating every dharma as illusory, as a mere transformation, embodying and penetrating through to emptiness-as-such as the ultimate; distinguishing the four gates, their sameness and difference, as the expedient. Giving rise to understanding through these two kinds of wisdom is named the guiding teacher. Compassionate love toward sentient beings is his daughter; causing a good, upright mind to arise is his son; practicing the six pāramitās and the factors of the path is his spiritual friend. This is the shared teaching's own retinue of the Dharma-gate, and so on.

As for the distinct teaching's own Dharma-gate, its retinue as numerous as the sands of the Ganges: the real and the conventional joined together are the expedient — wisdom is the father, and the principle of the middle's own reality is the mother. Immeasurable loving-kindness and goodness, immeasurable factors of the path, every pāramitā penetrated through without obstruction, the wisdom of the paths made clear and distinct, discerning capacity and knowing the fitting remedy — this is precisely the retinue within the distinct teaching. Hence the Sūtra of Innumerable Meanings says: "Every buddha, the Dharma-king, is the father; the sūtra's own teaching, the consort, is the mother; joined together, they bring forth the bodhisattva children." The Daśabhūmikavibhāṣā says: "The pratyutpanna-samādhi is the father; great compassion, free of generation, is the mother — every tathāgata is born from these two dharmas." The Ratnagotravibhāga says: "Faith in the Mahāyāna is the child; prajñā is the mother; the womb of dhyāna and great compassion is the wet-nurse — every buddha is a child born of the real."

The icchantika's own slander of the Mahāyāna is an obstruction; the non-Buddhist outsider's own deluded reckoning of a self within the body is an obstruction; the śrāvaka's own dread of birth-and-death is an obstruction; the pratyekabuddha's own turning away from benefiting sentient beings is an obstruction. The bodhisattva cultivates four dharmas as their antidote: cultivating faith, cultivating prajñā, cultivating the samādhi of empty space and the Śūraṅgama samādhi, and cultivating great compassion — thereby attaining the pure dharma-realm, arriving at the far shore, seeing the Tathāgata's own nature, and being born within the Tathāgata's own household — this is a child of the Buddha. Since it is said that one sees the Tathāgata's own nature and is born within the Tathāgata's own household, one should therefore know that the Tathāgata himself is taken as the father. Dharma-gates beyond measure, beyond even what can be spoken of, every one, without exception, is able to give birth to a child of the Buddha, and so on.

As for the perfect teaching's own Dharma-gate, clarifying the retinue: one's own practice takes the three truths and the one truth as the real. Transforming others takes the one truth and the three truths as the expedient.

According with sentiment, the one truth and the three truths are the expedient; according with wisdom, the three truths and the one truth are the real. From this, understanding arises inconceivably — a single mind complete with the goodness of every myriad practice is his son; compassion without any object is his daughter. Opening the Buddha's own knowledge and vision, joy arising, is his wife; the middle way, neither pure nor defiled and the rest, the factors of the path, and the six pāramitās are his spiritual friends. The real mark, thus understood, the ultimate perfect Dharma-gate, is taken here as the retinue. Within the very initial abiding, correct enlightenment is already accomplished; able to transform beings through the eight aspects of a buddha's life, this alone is the guiding teacher. Since every Dharma-gate that came before was coarse, the guiding teacher born from it, too, is coarse. Now that this Dharma-gate's own retinue is wondrous, the guiding teacher born from it, too, is wondrous.

Taking up this same sense across the Five Flavors: the milk teaching has one coarse and one wondrous. The cream teaching has only one coarse. The curdled-butter teaching has three coarse and one wondrous. The clarified-butter teaching has two coarse and one wondrous. The Lotus Sūtra has only the one wondrous alone. This closes the sense of the relative reading, set against the coarse.

Every other sūtra's own wondrous is wondrous by itself, and its own coarse is coarse by itself. The present sūtra, however, is not merely wondrous as wondrous, but is also entirely without any coarse remaining at all — every coarse element that came before is, without exception, fully resolved, becoming a single, equal, great wisdom's own wondrous Dharma-gate. This closes the sense of the absolute reading.

Fifth, as for the retinue in the contemplation of mind: this is treated under six headings — first, the mind of craving; second, the mind of views; and then four more, which are the Four Teachings themselves.

As for the retinue of the mind of craving: ignorance is the father, and delusion-craving is the mother, giving birth to the very children and grandchildren of affliction. Through attachment and fixed imagining, wishing to attain some Dharma-gate within the mind, demonic influence thereupon enters. It is like a seductive woman's own fantasies, her own deviant charm charming another — the practitioner is exactly the same: fixed imagining turned deviant, a deviant influence gains entry, and, through this demonic power, either a provisional understanding or a real understanding arises. Once a deviant understanding arises, a demonic guiding teacher arises accordingly, giving rise to a demonic compassion, becoming attached to a deviant joy in the Dharma, practicing a deviant version of the six pāramitās and the factors of the path, attaining a deviant eloquence — the mind sharp and the mouth quick, expounding every kind of Dharma-gate — this is precisely the retinue of the mind of craving. Once this deviant mark has sharpened, the four views are brought forth, and the mind of views, reasoning things out, constructs every kind of Dharma-gate: whatever the mind sees is taken as real, and whatever accords with another is taken as provisional. The mind's own arising craving is his daughter; the mind's own discrimination is his son. Within a mind such as this, cultivating the six pāramitās as the factors of the path — this is named the retinue of the mind of views.

Why is this? This same craving-and-views, not recognizing one's own mind's own suffering and its arising, falsely supposes it to be the path and cessation instead! Not knowing the difference between what is genuine and what is not, like an insect gnawing through wood and, by chance, tracing out a character — obtaining only the mere name of a Dharma-gate, with the name present but its sense absent — how could this be anything other than craving and views? If one is able to contemplate the mind, recognizing that the mind of craving and the mind of views are both, alike, dharmas born through causes and conditions, impermanent, arising and ceasing, there are accordingly four rounds of the retinue in the contemplation of mind. As the Mūlamadhyamakakārikā's own verse says: "A dharma born through causes and conditions is at once empty, at once provisional, at once the middle." Within these same four contemplations, each in turn clarifies its own retinue, understood by the same pattern as before.

The first five contemplations of mind are judged coarse, and the final, sixth contemplation of mind alone is wondrous. Again, resolving the coarse to discuss the wondrous: a person who cannot even recognize that his own mind of craving and views is born through causes and conditions — how could he possibly recognize the mind of dependent origination as at once empty, at once provisional? Not even recognizing emptiness and the provisional, how could he possibly recognize Māra's own realm as itself already the buddha-realm, remaining unmoved with respect to views while cultivating the thirty-seven factors of enlightenment? Here, contemplating that craving is itself already the dharma-nature, contemplating views without being moved, cultivating the thirty-seven factors of enlightenment — Māra's own realm and the realm of views are themselves already the buddha-realm; within what is not the genuine character, one is nonetheless able to know the genuine character; walking amid what is not the path, one thoroughly penetrates through to the buddha-path — with respect to every dharma whatsoever, there is nothing that is not the wondrous.

Clarifying the retinue in phenomena subdues and instructs those who study the mere written word; clarifying the retinue of the Dharma-gate subdues and instructs those who practice and teach; clarifying the retinue in the contemplation of mind subdues and instructs those who contemplate the mind, seated in meditation. These three Dharma-gates each, in turn, surpass what came before them in what they hear and see, and so on.

Tenth, clarifying merit and benefit: merit and benefit, taken simply as such, are one and the same, without distinction; if distinguished, benefiting oneself is named merit, and benefiting others is named benefit, and so on. This is treated under four headings: first, why benefit comes next; second, benefit within the correct teaching; third, benefit within the propagation section; fourth, benefit within the contemplation of mind.

First, as for why benefit comes next: every buddha's own undertaking is never carried out in vain. The Treatise says: "The Buddha enters the king of samādhis, emitting light to deliver those in front first, then emitting light to deliver those behind." It is comparable to netting fish — those caught first and those caught later — seeing the light and hearing the Dharma is, in every case, never wasted. The Vimalakīrti Sūtra says: "The jeweled Dharma illuminates everywhere, and rains down the sweet dew" — this is precisely the twin benefit of body and speech. The Avataṃsaka and the Viśeṣacintibrahma-paripṛcchā Sūtra both alike say: emitting light breaks through stinginess, breaks through anger, breaks through delusion, and the rest — fully as explained in those same sūtras. The present sūtra's own four great disciples receive the benefit of the Buddha's opening the three to reveal the one. The Buddha says: the Tathāgata possesses, further, immeasurable merit, which you yourselves could never fully describe even in speaking of it. It is comparable to a great cloud rising up throughout the world — this illustrates the benefit of form; thunder rolling and lightning flashing — this illustrates the benefit of spiritual powers; its rain falling everywhere, equally — this illustrates the benefit of teaching the Dharma; and every kind of grass and tree, each thereby growing — this is precisely the four kinds of retinue, every one moistened by these seven benefits. Hence, the wondrous of merit and benefit is next clarified.

Second, correctly teaching benefit: this, too, is treated under three headings — first, discussing distant benefit; second, discussing near benefit; third, discussing benefit within the present text.

As for distant benefit: this refers precisely to the sixteen princes at the place of Mahābhijñājñānābhibhū Buddha, assisting in the transformation and proclamation, sounding both the poison drum and the heaven drum together. Wholesome growth carries both shallow and deep degrees; the death of confusion carries both the drawn-out and the swift. Beginning with the goodness of humans and devas and ending at the great tree is shallow benefit; beginning with the initial mind's own most real state and ending at the later mind's own most real state is deep benefit. Beginning by breaking through what is unwholesome and ending by breaking through dust-and-sand is the drawn-out death; beginning by breaking through ignorance and ending, likewise, by breaking through ignorance is the swift death. The drawn-out or swift nature of this death is the poison drum's own power; the shallow or deep degree of wholesome growth is the heaven drum's own power. Hence the text says: the Dharma-king who breaks through existence appears in the world, and, according with sentient beings' own desire, teaches the Dharma for them — this is precisely the sense of the two drums' own text. The sense of "breaking through existence" is as already explained before.

The sense of the benefit of teaching the Dharma shall now be explained, given briefly as seven benefits: first, the benefit of the fruit and retribution of the twenty-five states of existence, also named the benefit of coolness upon the ground; second, the benefit of the twenty-five states of existence' own cause blossoming open, also named the benefit of the small grass; third, the benefit of the real truth's own samādhi analyzing dharmas, also named the benefit of the middling grass; fourth, the benefit of the conventional truth's own samādhi and the five spiritual powers, also named the benefit of the superior grass; fifth, the benefit of the real truth's own samādhi embodying dharmas, also named the benefit of the small tree; sixth, the benefit of the conventional truth's own samādhi and the six spiritual powers, also named the benefit of the great tree; seventh, the benefit of the middle way's own king of samādhis, also named the benefit of the most real matter. As for the benefit of the twenty-five states of existence' own cause and fruit: this is fit to become the retinue born through karma. As for the benefit of the real truth's own samādhi, embodying or analyzing: this is fit to become the retinue born through vow. As for the benefit of the conventional truth's own samādhi, the five or six spiritual powers: this is fit to become the retinue of spiritual power. As for the benefit of the middle way's own king of samādhis: this is fit to become the retinue born through response. Privately, it might be supposed that there ought to be four pairs, eight benefits — this is simply opening what came before and combining what comes after, and hence it is spoken of as seven benefits. If what comes after is opened and what came before is combined, this, too, makes seven benefits; if both before and after are opened, this makes eight benefits — namely, the middle way taken sequentially, and the middle way taken non-sequentially. If both before and after are combined, this makes six benefits, and so on.

The seven benefits have now been briefly explained; here, they are further broadly opened into ten benefits: first, the benefit of the fruit; second, the benefit of the cause; third, the benefit of the śrāvaka; fourth, the benefit of the pratyekabuddha; fifth, the benefit of the six pāramitās; sixth, the benefit of the shared teaching; seventh, the benefit of the distinct teaching; eighth, the benefit of the perfect teaching; ninth, the benefit of transformational birth-and-death; tenth, the benefit of the realm of real reward.

As for the benefit of the fruit: this refers precisely to the benefit of the fruit and retribution of the twenty-five states of existence. There are eight great hells: namely, Avīci, Reviving, Black Rope, Crushing, Screaming, Great Screaming, Heating, and Great Heating. Each of these, in turn, has sixteen minor hells as its own retinue, making one hundred and thirty-six in total. These are the direct hells, lying twenty thousand yojanas beneath the ground. Their adjoining hells lie either upon the ground or between the iron encircling mountains. The adjoining hells are lighter, and the direct hells heavier — the heaviest passes through all one hundred and thirty-six in full; the middling does not pass through all of them; and the lowest is fewer still. The sentient beings within them are constantly pressed by the suffering of heat, beyond what can be fully described — whoever hears of it is struck with terror. The Sūtra of the Four Liberations names this the path of fire; at the very moment of entering and the very moment of leaving, these two moments alone allow for transformation. Among those undergoing punishment there, whoever possesses a wholesome root from a former life may bring forth an occasion fitting for this — and the sage, hastening toward them, responds accordingly: some are graced with illuminating light, some have rain poured down to extinguish the fire, some have Devadatta or Vasu open and expound the Dharma for them — the heat and suffocation revived, the body made cool — obtaining both the hidden and the manifest benefit, every suffering brought to rest. The eight cold hells of ice, such as Apapa and the rest, likewise number one hundred and thirty-six, and, obtaining both the hidden and the manifest benefit in the same way, warmth suits the body once more — this is the benefit of coolness obtained upon the fruit of hell.

As for animals: there are, broadly, three kinds — of water, of land, and of air. Those of land are of three grades: the heaviest dwell within the earth, never seeing any light at all; the middling dwell within mountains and forests; the lightest are raised and kept by humans. The strong subdue the weak, drinking blood and devouring flesh, terror present in every direction. The Sūtra of the Four Liberations names this the path of blood. Among these beings, whoever possesses a wholesome root from a former life may bring forth an occasion fitting for this; the sage, hastening toward them, responds accordingly, and they attain freedom from fear, obtaining both the hidden and the manifest benefit — this is the benefit of coolness upon the fruit of the animal realm.

As for hungry ghosts: some dwell upon islands in the sea, some among the mountains and forests of the human realm, some resembling a human form, some resembling an animal form. The heaviest are consumed by the very flame of hunger, never even hearing the word "drink" or "water"; the middling seek out only filth to be washed away, pus, blood, and excrement; the lightest occasionally have a single, meager fill, yet, further, are driven and pressed by knife and staff, filling the very sea and the rivers with their own number. The Sūtra of the Four Liberations names this the path of the knife. Among these beings, whoever possesses a wholesome root from a former life may bring forth an occasion fitting for this; the sage, hastening toward them, responds accordingly, his own hand bringing forth fragrant milk, bestowed to fill them, obtaining both the hidden and the manifest benefit — this is the benefit of coolness upon the fruit of the hungry-ghost realm.

As for the asuras: some dwell within caverns halfway up Sumeru, some at the edge of the great ocean, some at the very bottom of the great ocean. Bearing enmity toward the devas, they constantly harbor fear and dread — thunder, to them, is heard as the heavenly drum, and the rain of the dragon transforms, to them, into swords and blades. Among these beings, whoever possesses a wholesome root from a former life may bring forth an occasion fitting for this; the sage, hastening toward them, responds accordingly, with gentle words subduing and taming them, obtaining both the hidden and the manifest benefit — this is the benefit of coolness upon the fruit of the asura realm.

As for the people of the four continents: though their own fruit and retribution differ in excellence or inferiority, all alike possess birth, old age, sickness, and death, being alike a lighter form of hellish retribution. Among these beings, whoever possesses a wholesome root from a former life may bring forth an occasion fitting for this; the sage, hastening toward them, responds accordingly, causing whatever ought to be departed from to be departed from, and whatever ought to be sought to be sought, obtaining both the hidden and the manifest benefit.

As for the six heavens of desire: the earth-bound devas alone have the further calamity of battling the asuras; and all alike carry the suffering of the five signs of decline at death, comparable to a hell of their own. Among the devas there, whoever possesses a wholesome root from a former life may bring forth an occasion fitting for this; the sage, hastening toward them, responds accordingly, causing them to obtain both the hidden and the manifest benefit.

As for the form-realm heavens of the four dhyānas, the Brahmā kings, the heaven of no-thought, and the non-returners' own heavens: though free of the sufferings of the lower realms, they remain confined by form itself. When their own lifespan comes to its end, and they take no delight in entering dhyāna, the wind of contact blows upon the body — apart from the eye-consciousness alone, every other consciousness carries suffering. Among the devas there, whoever possesses a wholesome root from a former life may bring forth an occasion fitting for this; the sage, hastening toward them, responds accordingly, causing them to obtain both the hidden and the manifest benefit.

As for the four formless heavens: though free of the sufferings of the desire and form realms, they are like a boil, like an abscess, like delusion, like an arrow lodged within the body, accomplishing only a subtle affliction of their own. Among the devas there, whoever possesses a wholesome root from a former life may bring forth an occasion fitting for this; the sage, hastening toward them, responds accordingly, causing them to obtain both the hidden and the manifest benefit.

This benefit of coolness, discussed together, is due to the power of the wholesome root of loving-kindness shared by ordinary being and sage alike; discussed separately, it is originally due to the bodhisattva's own first contemplating the evil that the twenty-five states of existence must guard against, giving rise to compassion, and contemplating the goodness able to guard against them, giving rise to loving-kindness — through this very loving-kindness and compassion, perfuming the king of samādhis, never abandoning sentient beings, hastening toward and responding to whatever occasion is fitting, causing them to obtain this benefit.

The Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra's own account of the twenty-five samādhis breaking through the twenty-five states of existence, the first of ten rounds — the sense is, in brief, exactly this.

Second round, as for the benefit of cultivating the cause across the twenty-five states of existence: as for cause and fruit in terms of self and other, each may be raised according to whichever sense is more convenient, and it is easier to discuss taking up one side at a time. In the previous discussion of the benefit of the fruit, the places and occasions involved differed, and no single body could fully treat every benefit at once — this is easier to show through many different people in many different places. In clarifying the benefit of the cause, however, a single person's own mind gives rise to karma beyond measure, and this sense is easy to show directly — hence, this discusses the benefit of the cause across the twenty-five states of existence in terms of a single person. What, then, is the benefit of the cause? Four causes are broken as benefit; twenty-one causes are accomplished as benefit; or, alternatively, one cause is broken as benefit, one cause is accomplished as benefit, and twenty-three are both accomplished and broken as benefit.

If, without any precept to restrain oneself, one gives free rein to body and speech, committing the karma of the four evil destinies, this is named a person of hell. If one abandons evil and upholds the precepts, this is named a person who beholds the heavens. Yet if the precepts, however strict, are shaken and retreat upon meeting some condition, evil karma rises up once more. Or, committing one of the four grave offenses or the five acts of unmediated retribution, burning down a stūpa or a temple — at the very moment this mind arises, evil is aroused and the precepts sink away, this karma ripening to completion, one is bound to fall into an evil destiny. Wishing to be free of this mind, and to accomplish the precepts and goodness instead, there is here an occasion fitting to be brought forth, moving the response of the stainless samādhi, hastening toward and responding accordingly. The evil mind broken through completely, the cause of hell is thereby put to rest, and one obtains both the hidden and the manifest benefit, and so on. People today, though entering the place of practice and repenting, if their evil mind is not turned, their evil karma is not thereby broken. If evil karma is not broken, the very knot obtained is not severed, and the offense cannot be extinguished.

If one is stingy, greedy, flattering, and fawning, seeking after fame and renown, possessing no real virtue within while wishing others to praise and admire one — this evil, once aroused, subdues the precepts, and one falls among the hungry ghosts. If, without any sense of shame or conscience, one fails to repay a debt, harbors no reverent mind, and is arrogant, contemptuous, wrathful, and greedy, gorging oneself without restraint — this evil, once aroused, subdues the precepts, and one falls into the animal path. If one is envious of the worthy and jealous of the capable, cultivating merit only for the sake of surpassing others, a mind of maggot-like poison and evil, scheming to bring another down, striking terror into them — this evil, once aroused, subdues the precepts, and one falls into the karma of the asura. Wishing to be free of these three evil minds, and to accomplish the precepts and goodness instead, there is goodness here that carries an occasion fitting to be brought forth, and the sage responds to it accordingly. The evil mind broken through completely, the precepts and goodness fully complete — this is named the cause of the four evil destinies broken and the cause of the human and heavenly realms accomplished, obtaining both the hidden and the manifest benefit. This explanation is given in terms of cultivating the cause within the human path specifically.

As for the other destinies: wishing to emerge from hell and enter the animal realm, wishing to emerge from the animal realm and enter the hungry-ghost realm, wishing to emerge from the hungry-ghost realm and enter the asura realm, wishing to emerge from the asura realm and enter the human path — each, in turn, has its own cause. The cause accomplished, karma turns accordingly — this same pattern may be understood, and so on.

If one firmly upholds the five precepts, together with practicing benevolence and righteousness, filial piety toward one's own parents, faith, reverence, shame, and conscience, this is precisely human karma. Human karma is of four grades: superior, middling, inferior, and inferior of the inferior. Discussed in terms of fruit and retribution, Jambudvīpa is the inferior of the inferior; discussed in terms of entering the path, Uttarakuru is the inferior of the inferior. At times, the wholesome mind grows faint and fails, while evil thoughts alone remain strong; goodness may still be accomplished, and evil may still be extinguished — the occasion fitting to be brought forth, the sage responds to it accordingly. The four evil destinies broken through, the four grades of goodness accomplished, one obtains both the hidden and the manifest benefit, and so on.

If one cultivates and upholds the ten wholesome actions, spontaneously and without interruption, the wholesome mind ripened to maturity, this is precisely heavenly karma. Hence it is said: a mind of purely evil thought, with no interval of wholesome thought at all, is the karma of an evil destiny, since its fruit is then purely suffering. Good and evil arising in alternation with one another is human karma, since the human realm's own fruit and retribution alternate between suffering and pleasure. The ten wholesome actions accomplished spontaneously is heavenly karma, since the heavenly realm's own fruit and retribution arise of themselves. If one cultivates the ten wholesome actions, together with giving rise to a mind that protects the Dharma, this is the karma of the Four Heavenly Kings. If one cultivates the ten wholesome actions, together with loving-kindness toward and transforming others, this is the karma of the Thirty-Three Devas. If one cultivates the ten wholesome actions, with a mind subtle and fine, spontaneously ripened, never troubling sentient beings whether walking, standing, sitting, or lying down, skillful means continuing purely without break, this is the karma of Yama. If one cultivates the ten wholesome actions, together with cultivating dhyāna concentration and gathering the mind, whether in a coarse or a subtle abiding, this is the karma of Tuṣita; concentration belonging to the desire realm is the karma of Nirmāṇarati; the concentration of the threshold, breaking through the obstruction of phenomena, is the karma of Paranirmitavaśavartin; the fourth dhyāna is the karma of the form realm; together with loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity, attaining concentration within the mental factors, this is the karma of the Brahmā king; extinguishing the mind and cultivating the concentration of no-mind is the karma of the heaven of no-thought.

Question: The heaven of no-thought is a heaven of wrong views — how, then, could it possibly involve capacity and response?

Answer: The Mahāsaṃnipāta Sūtra says: the bodhisattva subdues and tames sentient beings in many different ways, whether deviant or correct, walking amid what is not the path, thoroughly penetrating through to the buddha-path, and so on.

As the old masters used to say: the sage, taking two portions of the taintless, perfumes a single portion of the tainted between them, refining it into the taintless. Here, it is said: the nine sequential concentrations, perfuming and cultivating the tainted into the taintless, is the karma of the non-returner. The four formless concentrations are the karma of the formless realm.

Among these twenty-one states of existence such as these, troubled by the coarse suffering of their own realm, wishing to cultivate a way out, yet what is sought is not attained, and what ought to be relinquished is not left behind — at that very moment, this is named the occasion fitting to be brought forth, moving the compassionate power of the twenty-one samādhis, breaking through the cause being cultivated, causing what ought to be departed from to be departed from, and what is sought to be accomplished, drawing out suffering and bestowing bliss, obtaining both the hidden and the manifest benefit. This is as the sūtra's own text says: "The small grasses, their small roots, small stems, small twigs, and small leaves, thereby grow and flourish" — this is precisely this same benefit. Discussed together, this is due to the power of the wholesome root of loving-kindness shared by ordinary being and sage alike; discussed separately, it is originally due to the bodhisattva's own first upholding the two hundred and fifty precepts, cultivating the root dhyānas and the rest, and, within each and every dharma able to guard wholesomeness, giving rise to loving-kindness and compassion. This loving-kindness and compassion, the original vow, perfuming the king of samādhis, never abandoning sentient beings, hastening toward and responding to whatever occasion is fitting, each thereby obtains this benefit. The Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra's own account of the twenty-five samādhis breaking through the twenty-five states of existence, the second of ten rounds — the sense is, in brief, exactly this, and so on.

Third round, as for the benefit of the śrāvaka: if a person, weary of and troubled by birth-and-death, takes on birth through death and returns to death through birth, wearing down their own spirit, revolving without end, deluded by their own desire, like a yak clinging to its own tail, unable to attain liberation — hence it is said: if a person meets with suffering, weary of old age, sickness, and death, the Buddha teaches nirvāṇa for their sake, bringing every suffering fully to an end. Having, within, resolved a mind of weariness, aspiring to seek release, for the sake of this same matter, one cultivates the śrāvaka's own path. Yet, at the very time of upholding the precepts, if the rākṣasa of craving and views damages the very float one clings to, this causes the precepts to become impure. Since the precepts are impure, samādhi does not manifest before one. Without precepts and concentration, the taintless is not brought forth — hence, one cultivates precepts, concentration, and wisdom with a single mind, and there is here an occasion fitting to be brought forth, moving the power of the stainless and the other three samādhis to assist one, causing the karma of the four evil destinies not to arise, and the precepts to become pure. If concentration and wisdom are cultivated equally — wisdom, when accompanied by concentration, is not wild and unruly; concentration, when accompanied by wisdom, is not blind and foolish — this is named the worthy, and the worthy is named neighbor to the sage. Cultivating this same concentration and wisdom with a single mind, diligent as though saving one's own head from fire, longing for dhyāna and wisdom as one thirsting longs for drink — and yet troubled by the twenty-one tainted forms of karma — if one obtains the power of these same samādhis to assist one, concentration brings forth a clear contemplation, the four good roots are accomplished, the path of subduing matures fully, and, in a single instant, one is transformed and brings forth the real at once, becoming a stream-enterer, breaking through the affliction of the twenty-five states of existence' own views of the truths, the eighty-eight kinds of latent tendency. This is the twenty-five samādhis' own general assistance, causing the affliction of views of the truths to be severed, while, further, also removing the four kinds of thought. Hence it is said: the sixteenth mind already enters the path of cultivation — this is precisely this same sense. Next, entering the path of cultivation: if one is a person who leaps ahead, the power of thirteen samādhis is used all at once to assist one, breaking through the five lower fetters' own afflictions of thought. If one is a dull-faculty person, according with each portion severed of the affliction of thought, the samādhis are used, portion by portion, to assist one, exhausting the affliction of all three realms, the ultimate benefit of the real truth's own samādhi. This is the benefit of the middling grass. Discussed together, this is due to the power of the wholesome root of loving-kindness shared by ordinary being and sage alike; discussed separately, it is due to the original loving-kindness and compassion, first contemplating, among the ten dharma-realms, the goodness of analytical emptiness that extinguishes form, giving rise, through this cause, to the great vow, perfuming the king of samādhis, never abandoning sentient beings, bringing about this benefit of the middling grass. The Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra's own account of the twenty-five samādhis breaking through the twenty-five states of existence, the third of ten rounds — the sense is, in brief, exactly this.

Fourth round, as for the benefit of the pratyekabuddha: if a person's own former goodness is deep and sharp, and, in an age without a buddha, weary of and troubled by birth-and-death, delights in solitary, wholesome quiescence, contemplating the depths of dependent origination — the text says: "Having formerly made offering to buddhas, aspiring to seek the supreme dharma, the Buddha teaches pratyekabuddhahood for their sake." This person's own great merit is able to bring forth an occasion fitting for this, and the sage, hastening toward them, responds accordingly, causing flowers to fly and bracelets to stir of themselves, obtaining both the hidden and the manifest benefit, awakening to the pratyekabuddha's own path. This, too, still belongs to the benefit of the middling grass.

Fifth round, as for the bodhisattva of the six pāramitās, contemplating the Four Noble Truths and practicing the six pāramitās' own practice: at the very time of practicing giving, when someone comes asking for one's own head, one's own eyes, one's kingdom, or one's wife and children, the mind, at times, wavers, and the pāramitā of giving fails to be accomplished — one knows of oneself that this is an evil. Wishing to accomplish the goodness of giving, there is here an occasion fitting to be brought forth, and, graced by the power of samādhi, the obstruction of stinginess is subdued — this is breaking through the state of existence that is the hungry ghost. Once this obstructing mind has departed, one delights in giving as though drinking the sweet dew itself — knowing every conditioned dharma to be precarious, fragile, and impermanent — this is graced by the samādhi of the mind's own joy, the benefit both hidden and manifest. If moral discipline is accomplished, this subdues the obstruction of breaking the precepts, breaking through the state of existence that is hell — this is the benefit of the stainless samādhi. If patience is accomplished, this subdues the obstruction of anger, breaking through the state of existence that is the animal realm — this is the benefit of the non-retrogressing samādhi. If meditative concentration is accomplished, this subdues the obstruction of a scattered mind, breaking through the state of existence that is the human realm — this is the benefit of the fourth samādhi. If diligence is accomplished, this subdues the obstruction of laziness, breaking through the state of existence that is the asura — this is the benefit of the samādhi of joy. If wisdom is accomplished, this subdues the obstruction of stupidity and delusion, breaking through the state of existence that is the heavens — this is the benefit of the seventeenth samādhi. These six obstructions are the karma of the six destinies, fully set out within the bodhisattva's own precept-text. Since the karma of the six destinies is subdued, one is no longer troubled by any of these obstructions, attaining the five spiritual powers, roaming freely through the six destinies, and accomplishing the practice of the six pāramitās. This is precisely the benefit of the superior grass. This applies generally as before; discussed separately, it is due to the bodhisattva's own original contemplation of the good and evil present within the affairs of the ten dharma-realms, giving rise, through this, to the great vow, perfuming the three samādhis, never abandoning sentient beings, and so on.

Sixth round, as for the benefit of the shared teaching's own practitioner: this is the practitioner shared in study by all three vehicles. At the ground of dry wisdom, the ground of nature, and the ground of the eight kinds of person and the ground of seeing, this is precisely the benefit using the twenty-five samādhis. From the ground of thinning onward through the tenth ground, the twenty-one samādhis are used, assisting in breaking through the affliction of thought. Further encroaching upon and removing ignorance, this is named the benefit of the small tree. Loving-kindness and compassion, both general and particular, follow this same pattern as before, and so on.

Seventh round, as for the benefit of the distinct teaching's own practitioner: this is the sequential mind binding its own attention to the dharma-realm — a single thought-moment of the dharma-realm entering the ten abidings obtains the benefit of the real truth's own samādhi; entering the ten practices and ten dedications obtains the benefit of the conventional truth's own samādhi; entering the ten grounds obtains the benefit of the middle truth's own samādhi. This is precisely the benefit of the great tree. Loving-kindness and compassion, both general and particular, follow this same pattern as before, and so on.

Eighth round, as for the benefit of the perfect teaching's own practitioner: this is cultivating the three truths as a single, real principle. A single thought-moment of the dharma-realm binds its own attention to the dharma-realm. Whether passing through conditions or facing objects, every step taken, whether raised or set down, is nowhere but the very place of enlightenment; the mind, moment after moment, corresponds to every pāramitā, cultivating the four samādhis and contemplating the ten kinds of objects. An occasion fitting to be brought forth may arise, and the sage, hastening toward it, responds accordingly, awakening suddenly and completely — whether in resemblance or in reality, obtaining both the hidden and the manifest benefit. This is the perfect teaching's own use of the twenty-five samādhis, perfectly assisting in breaking through the twenty-five states of existence, revealing one's own true nature, and obtaining the ultimate benefit of the most real matter.

Ninth round, as for the benefit of transformational birth-and-death: this is the benefit belonging to those within the land of expedient means with residue remaining. Among the preceding eight rounds, there are, in general, four cases, or perhaps nine, namely: the śrāvaka, the pratyekabuddha, the shared teaching's own bodhisattva, the distinct teaching's own thirty minds, and the perfect teaching's own resembling understanding — each of these merely breaks through views and thought, without yet removing ignorance; ignorance moistens the taintless, and they thereby receive a birth within the expedient-means realm. Hence, the text below says: "I, in other lands, become a buddha, bearing a further, different name; and, within that land, seeking the Buddha's own wisdom, one comes to hear this very sūtra — this is precisely that land's own entry into the one vehicle." The Śrīmālā Sūtra says: "Three kinds of persons are born within the land of transformational birth-and-death — namely, the arhat of great power, the pratyekabuddha, and the bodhisattva." The Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra speaks of three kinds of mind-made body: first, the mind-made body of peaceful bliss and the Dharma, corresponding to the two vehicles' own intent to enter the peaceful bliss of nirvāṇa; second, the mind-made body of samādhi, corresponding to the shared teaching's own intent, emerging into the provisional to transform beings, using the very intent of the samādhi of spiritual power; third, the mind-made body of one's own nature, corresponding to the distinct teaching's own intent, cultivating the middle way as one's own nature. Spoken of in the general sense, "mind" here means: peaceful bliss takes emptiness as its own intent; samādhi takes the provisional as its own intent; and one's own nature takes the middle as its own intent. The distinct and perfect teachings' own resembling understanding, not yet having brought forth the real, are both alike named "made by intent." Hence a treatise says: "At this time, one has passed beyond the ground of intent, and abides within the very karma of wisdom." If the real has been brought forth, this may be called the karma of wisdom; if the real has not yet been brought forth, one remains still within the ground of intent.

As for persons born within that land: the analytical practitioner is dull-facultied; the embodying practitioner is sharp-facultied; the distinct teaching's own practitioner, having already habituated the provisional, is a little sharper still; the perfect teaching's own practitioner, from the outset already at the middle, is the sharpest of all. Since there is this distinction of sharp and dull faculties, within their own cultivation and study there, there are accordingly two benefits — the sequential and the non-sequential. And this same sequential and non-sequential distinction uses the two responses of the twenty-five samādhis. This, then, is the ninth: persons born within the expedient-means land, beginning, within that same land, to see that every state of existence possesses this same nature of self, obtaining the most real benefit. Discussed in the particular sense, the expedient-means land is said to lie beyond the three realms; yet, taken directly in terms of the phenomenal as itself the real, it need not lie so far off at all. The text below says: "If one is able, with a deeply sincere mind, to believe and understand, one shall then behold the Buddha constantly present upon Vulture Peak, surrounded by great bodhisattvas and the assembly of śrāvakas, teaching the Dharma" — this is precisely the sense of the expedient-means land.

Tenth round, as for the benefit of the realm of real reward: this is the benefit belonging to persons within the realm of real reward. Among the eight rounds above, two kinds of persons are born within the expedient-means land; and there are, further, two kinds of persons who have entirely broken through ignorance and seen the real mark, who alone are able to be born within this realm. Yet, since ignorance carries so very many layers, though the three worthy stages and the ten sage stages abide within the realm of real reward, this reward is not yet exhausted, and residual confusion still remains — the king of samādhis is used once more, across forty-one further rounds, to benefit them. Arriving at wondrous enlightenment, vertically exhausted and horizontally pervading everywhere, neither arising nor ceasing — being neither arising nor ceasing, ignorance is permanently exhausted, and wisdom is perfectly complete, hence it is said "neither arising nor ceasing." Again, capacity and response are both fully satisfied, and benefit reaches its ultimate end, hence it is likewise said "neither arising nor ceasing." Discussed in the particular sense, the realm of real reward is said to lie beyond the expedient-means realm; yet this, too, taken directly in terms of the phenomenal as itself the real, is not so far off either. The text says: "Beholding the sahā world, its ground made of beryl, level and smooth, its every tower and pavilion formed of every kind of jewel, filled purely with bodhisattvas, every one of them dwelling within it" — this is precisely the sense of the realm of real reward.

Whether coarse or wondrous capacity, whether distinct or perfect response, whether a pure or impure land, whether shallow or deep benefit — none of these lies beyond these same ten rounds, which together gather in the entire dharma-realm, benefit brought around in broad outline, its overall sense already apparent, without needing any further elaborate text. This, then, is the poison drum's own diminishing of birth at the place of Mahābhijñājñānābhibhū Buddha — being heard near at hand or far off, death being drawn out or swift; and the heaven drum's own increasing of the path — being heard near at hand or far off. Hence, benefit carries both depth and shallowness, bringing about karma, spiritual power, and vow, and the benefit of every kind of retinue born through response.

Question: Once the first round has already broken through the twenty-five states of existence and obtained its own benefit, there would seem to be nothing further left to break through, and no further benefit left to discuss — why, then, is it necessary to proceed all the way to ten rounds?

Answer: The first breaks through the suffering of the twenty-five states of existence' own fruit and retribution, obtaining the benefit of the fruit. The second breaks through the suffering of their own cause, obtaining the benefit of cultivating the cause. The next breaks through the suffering of views and thought within the twenty-five states of existence, obtaining the benefit of the real truth's own samādhi. The next breaks through the emptiness of the twenty-five states of existence, causing one to emerge from the provisional nature of the twenty-five states of existence, obtaining the benefit of the conventional truth's own samādhi. The next breaks through both extremes, existence and emptiness, within the twenty-five states of existence, revealing the benefit of the middle way's own king of samādhis. The next breaks through the expedient-means land with residue remaining, emerging from the twenty-five states of existence' own provisional nature, obtaining the benefit of both the conventional and king samādhis. The next breaks through the realm of real reward, deeply revealing only the benefit of the king of samādhis. So long as the three truths are not yet fully and clearly realized, the sense of benefit does not come to rest — hence, there are ten rounds, and their sense is exactly this.

Question: Do the three truths, present solely at the ultimate stage, likewise apply generally to the ordinary being as well?

Answer: As the Larger Perfection of Wisdom Sūtra says: "Sentient beings' own form, sensation, perception, formation, and consciousness." And again: "Form, sensation, perception, formation, and consciousness, unequaled and yet equal." The Sūtra for Humane Kings says: "The form of the dharma-nature; the sensation, perception, formation, and consciousness of the dharma-nature." The Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra says: "Through the extinction of this cause, form, the eternal form is obtained; sensation, perception, formation, and consciousness are exactly the same." This, then, from the ordinary being all the way to the sage, is, without exception, existent — this is precisely the conventional truth. The Vimalakīrti Sūtra says: "Sentient beings' own suchness, Maitreya's own suchness, the suchness of every worthy and sage — one suchness, without a second suchness." The Larger Perfection of Wisdom Sūtra says: "Form is empty; sensation, perception, formation, and consciousness are empty. Were there even a single dharma surpassing nirvāṇa itself, this, too, would be like an illusion, like a mere transformation." This, then, is the ordinary being and the sage both alike empty — this is precisely the real truth. The Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra says: "Do the twenty-five states of existence possess a self, or not? Answer: they do possess a self — this self is precisely buddha-nature, and buddha-nature is precisely the middle way. A dharma born through causes and conditions, a single form, a single fragrance — none of it is anything other than the middle way." This, then, is from the ordinary being all the way to the sage, all, without exception, the middle way, the truth of ultimate meaning.

Question: Discussing distant benefit, the sūtra's own words offer still more to draw upon. The first passage says: "Since a vast, distant eon, I have praised and shown the path of nirvāṇa, the suffering of birth-and-death permanently ended — this is what I have constantly taught." The second says: "I, long ago, at the place of twenty thousand koṭis of buddhas, taught the unsurpassed path." The third says: "The causal narrative of past ages — I shall now speak of it." Upon which text, precisely, should this be settled?

Answer: The first passage speaks directly only of "since a vast, distant eon" — the words "vast and distant," though genuinely trustworthy, remain hazy and indistinct, not yet revealing the very origin-ground itself, and perhaps refer only to some interval in between. The second speaks directly only of "formerly, at the place of twenty thousand koṭis of buddhas" — without settling the very number of eons involved, its distance or nearness remains difficult to determine, and, measured against the text that follows, it seems to refer to something comparatively near at hand. Here, in discussing distant benefit, the third passage is instead taken up: "Grinding the ink of three thousand worlds, passing a thousand worlds to the east before setting down a single dot; whether dotted or undotted, all ground down into dust, a single mote of dust for a single eon, and then passing beyond even this number, immeasurable and boundless, hundreds of thousands of myriads of koṭis of asaṃkhyeya eons." Using this explicit text, measured against the place of the twenty thousand koṭis of buddhas, that time is, by comparison, no more than yesterday. From that time onward, this forms the very head of the bond with the Mahāyāna — that buddha taught the sūtra across eight thousand eons, and the sixteen princes restated it across eighty-four thousand further eons. That sūtra's own text, broad, and its own time, deep, the assembly listening at that time — some, perhaps, already awakened right there in their seats; some, perhaps, transformed and attained it somewhere in the interval; some, perhaps, transformed and attained it only recently — all alike arriving at the place of treasure, receiving the body of the dharma-nature, becoming the retinue born through response. Inwardly secret, outwardly manifest, together ripening sentient beings, and thereby carrying out the buddha's own undertaking. The Vimalakīrti Sūtra says: "Though having already accomplished the path and turned the wheel of the Dharma, one still practices the bodhisattva path" — this is precisely this same sense.

At that time, the assembly listening had not yet attained the real benefit; as for the benefit of resemblance, once separated by another birth, this is not forgotten; as for the benefit in name and in contemplative practice, once separated by another birth, this may be forgotten, or, in some cases, may not be forgotten. As for those who forget: if they encounter a good spiritual friend, their own former goodness arises once more; if they encounter an evil companion, they lose their own original mind — hence, in the interval, various kinds of soothing and remedy are applied. Some are, for the most part, ripened through the Mahāyāna; some are, for the most part, ripened through the Hīnayāna. Those born within the expedient-means realm, though taught every kind of path, are, in reality, taught for the sake of the one vehicle alone, likewise all caused to arrive at the place of treasure, receiving the body of the dharma-nature. And, within that same land, they are covered by the ninth and tenth rounds' own real benefit — as with the bodhisattvas numerous as motes of dust across a thousand worlds, this is precisely this same kind.

These, having already reached their own ultimate conclusion before this point, are named the distant benefit. Among these same sentient beings, whoever, even now, still abides at the stage of the śrāvaka, is discussed further, in terms of the near benefit, as explained below, and so on.