Casting Aside a Heavenly Household to Seek a Good Friend
Maitreya's hymn continues: Sudhana raises the banner of the true Dharma, revealing the buddha's own merit, destroying the suffering of the evil destinies, and opening the gate to every good realm; he is able to approach every guide, behold the buddha's own wondrous body, hearing and upholding their secret teaching, seeking only a wise and skillful master. Because of measureless merit accumulated in ages past, Mañjuśrī caused him to raise the mind of bodhi — and following his teaching and command, Sudhana casts aside his heavenly palace, household, parents, and every kinsman, and every worldly pleasure, enduring hardship to seek a good friend.
Following Mañjuśrī's Teaching, Sudhana Cast Aside Every Worldly Pleasure
「建立正法幢， 顯現佛功德，
除滅惡道苦， 開諸善趣門。
能詣諸導師， 覩見佛妙身，
聞持彼密教， 專求黠慧師。
欲具妙智色， 託生種姓家，
究竟諸功德， 故來至我所。
無比正直心， 親近善知識，
聞其所說教， 皆悉能奉行。
因昔無量德， 文殊令發心，
隨順其教命， 專求佛菩提。
捨天宮家屬， 父母諸親戚，
世間一切樂， 謙苦求知識。」
"He raises the banner of the true Dharma, revealing the buddha's own merit,
Destroying the suffering of the evil destinies, opening the gate to every good realm.
He is able to approach every guide, and behold the buddha's own wondrous body,
Hearing and upholding their secret teaching, seeking only a wise and skillful master.
Wishing to be endowed with a wondrous, wise form, entrusting his birth to a lineage-household,
To consummate every merit — and so he has come to where I am.
With an incomparable, upright mind, he draws near to a good friend,
And whatever teaching he hears spoken, he is able to carry out in full.
Because of measureless merit accumulated in ages past, Mañjuśrī caused him to raise the mind of bodhi,
And following his teaching and command, he seeks only the buddha's own bodhi.
He cast aside his heavenly palace and household, his parents and every kinsman,
And every worldly pleasure, enduring humble hardship to seek a good friend."
Maitreya here credits Mañjuśrī directly and by name as the one who "caused him to raise the mind of bodhi" — the first time in this entire hymn that another teacher besides himself is named, and a deliberate gesture back toward the very figure Sudhana has just been told he must return to. Fazang reads "he cast aside his heavenly palace and household" not as literal biography (Sudhana's origins are never described as heavenly) but as hyperbolic praise, the stock language of renunciation applied to whatever comforts a person of Sudhana's station would have possessed, now abandoned for the sake of the pilgrimage.
Part 327 In Progress
Maitreya's hymn continues without pause. Part 328 turns to Sudhana's own compassion at seeing beings suffer birth, old age, and death, and his cultivation of the vajra-wheel of wisdom to shatter the wheel of the five destinies.
Continue to Part 328 →