藥師琉璃光如來本願功德經 · 名相Glossary

the Medicine Buddha (*Medicine Master*)Taken by simile from the physician of the world, who can draw out the suffering of sickness, to name the Tathāgata who can draw out the suffering of beings; the line-by-line lens says outright that it is a simile — 「能拔眾苦喻名藥師」—“Able to draw out the multitude’s suffering, he is named by simile the Medicine Master.”

Bhaiṣajyaguru Vaiḍūryaprabha TathāgataThe buddha of the eastern world of Pure Beryl, the one to whom this sūtra turns; the ten epithets stand in a single row, and the four translations differ in their wording — 「佛號藥師琉璃光如來、應、正等覺、明行圓滿、善逝、世間解、無上丈夫、調御士、天人師、佛、薄伽梵」—“The buddha is named the Medicine Buddha, Beryl Radiance Tathāgata, Worthy One, Perfectly and Fully Awakened, Complete in Knowledge and Conduct, Well-Gone, Knower of the World, Unsurpassed Great Man, Tamer and Guide, Teacher of Devas and Humans, Buddha, Bhagavān”

Beryl RadianceTaken from the way beryl is clear through, outside and in, to figure a light that reaches everywhere — 「無緣不徹稱琉璃光」—“There being no condition it does not pass through, it is called Beryl Radiance.”

original vow · meritThe original vows belong to the cause and the merits to the fruit; by this the four phrases of the sūtra’s title divide into two stretches, cause and fruit — 「所修妙行名為本願，所證勝果名為功德」—“The wondrous practice cultivated is named the original vows; the surpassing fruit realized is named the merits.”

The theme and aim of the whole sūtra: the cause and fruit of the Tathāgata as what it takes for its theme, the exhorting of beings to take refuge and come out of suffering as what it takes for its aim — 「即以如來因果為宗，勸物歸依出苦為趣」—“It takes the cause and fruit of the Tathāgata as its theme, and the exhorting of beings to take refuge and to come out of suffering as its aim.”

the part on the occasion of the teaching / the part of question-and-extensive-exposition / the part on hearing the name, rejoicing, and practicingThe line-by-line lens divides the whole sūtra into three parts; the first falls in the earlier half of this unit, the third in unit 09 — 「本文有三，一說經因起分、二對問廣說分、三聞名喜行分」—“The text proper has three: first, the part on the occasion of the teaching; second, the part of question-and-extensive-exposition; third, the part on hearing the name, rejoicing, and practicing.”

The five sections that stand under 「對問廣說分」—“the part of question-and-extensive-exposition”; the fifth passes over a whole sūtra’s length and appears only in unit 08 — 「此有五義：一菩薩請問成就、二法王讚許成就、三大眾樂聞成就、四如來說法成就、五夜叉報恩成就」—“This has five senses: first, the accomplishment of the bodhisattva’s asking; second, the accomplishment of the Dharma King’s praise and assent; third, the accomplishment of the great assembly’s gladness to hear; fourth, the accomplishment of the Tathāgata’s teaching of the Dharma; fifth, the accomplishment of the yakṣas’ requital of kindness.”

BhagavānThe six senses are sovereign freedom · blazing intensity · dignity · renown · auspiciousness · nobility; the base text has both 「薄伽梵」—“Bhagavān” and 「世尊」—“World-Honored One”, and this edition renders the two separately and does not conflate them — 「薄伽梵者，含六義名：一自在義，永不繫屬諸煩惱故」—“As for Bhagavān, the name holds six senses: first, the sense of sovereign freedom, because he is never bound to the afflictions.”

VaiśālīThe city where the sūtra was spoken; the Chinese name takes the sense of 「眾德圓滿」—“the multitude of qualities complete”. The Sui recension writes simply the country of Vaiśālī — 「言廣嚴者，梵云毘舍離或云毘耶離，表眾德滿」—“As for the name rendered ‘broad and dignified,’ in Sanskrit it is Vaiśālī, or else Vaiyālī; it signifies that the multitude of qualities is complete.”

the Tree of Musical SoundThe place where the sūtra was spoken; the wind stirs it and elegant notes come forth, whence the name — 「住樂音樹，微風歷動，宮商雅音從而出故，名樂音樹」—“He stayed beneath the Tree of Musical Sound: because a light breeze passes and stirs it, and elegant notes of the scale come forth therefrom, it is named the Tree of Musical Sound.”

The outline by which the introductory part lists the assembly — 「眾有三種：一聲聞眾、二菩薩眾、三世間眾」—“The assembly is of three kinds: first, the assembly of śrāvakas; second, the assembly of bodhisattvas; third, the worldly assembly.”

householderOne of the worldly assembly; a man who dwells at home and yet has the conduct of a gentleman — 「就中居士，居家士也」—“Among them, the householder is a gentleman who dwells at home.”

yakṣaOne of the worldly assembly; the name carries two senses. The twelve yakṣa generals are of this kind — 「夜叉，可畏或威勢義」—“Yakṣa: the sense is ‘to be feared,’ or ‘of awesome power.’”

MañjuśrīThe one who asks in this sūtra; in Chinese Wondrous Auspiciousness, and there is a reason for his being called Prince of the Dharma — 「曼殊室利，唐云妙吉祥。從法化生、得佛法分，稱法王子」—“Mañjuśrī, in the Tang tongue Wondrous Auspiciousness. Born from the transformation of the Dharma and receiving a share of the Buddha’s Dharma, he is called Prince of the Dharma.”

The bodily bearing of the section on asking, each item in turn signifying a dharma; the fullest stretch of gloss in the whole introductory part — 「從座而起者，表從真際起。偏袒一肩者，表作利樂事。右膝著地，住世間故。向薄伽梵者，趣出世故。曲躬者，離慢故。合掌者，專心故」—“That he rises from his seat signifies rising from the true limit. That he bares one shoulder signifies the doing of what benefits and gladdens. That he sets his right knee to the ground is because he abides in the world. That he faces the Bhagavān is because he tends toward the transcending of the world. That he bends his body is because he departs from pride. That he joins his palms is because his mind is single.”

Mañjuśrī asks after three matters, and the Buddha’s answer likewise falls into three, running through units 01 to 04 — 「略問三事：一問佛名號、二問因大願、三問果功德」—“In brief he asks three matters: first, he asks after the names of the buddhas; second, he asks after the great vows that are the cause; third, he asks after the merits that are the fruit.”

The two occurrences of 「善哉」—“excellent” each have their own referent; 「諦聽」—“listen attentively” belongs to the letter and 「善思惟」—“ponder it well” to the sense — 「所聞可記，初言善哉。應時宜故，重言善哉。欲令審文，故言諦聽。令解義故，言善思惟」—“Because what is heard is worth recording, the first ‘excellent’ is spoken. Because it accords with what the time requires, ‘excellent’ is spoken again. Because he would have him examine the letter, ‘listen attentively’ is spoken. Because he would have him understand the sense, ‘ponder it well’ is spoken.”

Pure BerylThe name of that buddha’s land — the basis is the citation immediately above.

the Twelve Great VowsThe main body of the sūtra; it answers the second question, and its outline runs in three sections — brief statement · extensive exposition · summing up — 「本行菩薩道時，發十二大願，令諸有情，所求皆得」—“when he was formerly walking the bodhisattva path, he made twelve great vows, that sentient beings might obtain all they sought”

the six paired gatesThe line-by-line lens reads the twelve vows as six pairs, two vows to a pair; the six pairs agree with the boundaries of this edition’s three units, and no pair is cut across — 「廣說門中有六對門」—“Within the gate of extensive exposition there are six paired gates.”

gate of benefiting pure and defiledPair one, matched to vows one and two; what vow one benefits belongs to the pure (「淨土一切如我身」), what vow two benefits belongs to the defiled (「幽冥眾生」) — the order “pure and defiled” in the gate’s name follows this — 「一饒益淨穢門，即初二願，淨土一切如我身故，乃至世界中間幽冥眾生皆逐意故」—“First, the gate of benefiting pure and defiled, that is, the first two vows: because in the pure land all are as my own body, and because even the beings in gloom and darkness in the interstices of the worlds all follow their intention.”

gate of mundane and supramundanePair two, matched to vows three and four; vow three belongs to the worldly provision of livelihood, vow four to the supramundane three vehicles — 「二世出世間門，即次二願，以人天乘無所乏故，乃至行邪道者隨其種姓安住三乘菩提道中，不定二乘皆以大乘而安立故」—“Second, the gate of mundane and supramundane, that is, the next two vows: because in the vehicle of humans and devas there is no lack, and because those who walk wrong paths are settled, each according to his lineage, within the path of awakening of the three vehicles, while those of the two vehicles who are of indeterminate lineage are all established in the Great Vehicle.”

unsurpassed perfect awakeningOnly in vow one does the base text use the full name; the remaining vows abbreviate it to 「得菩提時」—“when I have attained awakening”〔T14n0450 0405a11〕 — 「第一大願：願我來世得阿耨多羅三藐三菩提時」—“The first great vow: I vow that in an age to come, when I have attained unsurpassed perfect awakening”

the thirty-two marks of a great man and the eighty accompanying excellencesThe adornment of the buddha-body pledged in vow one. The four translations differ in wording, and the Dunhuang witness reads 「八十隨形好」—“the eighty excellences that follow upon the form” — 「以三十二大丈夫相、八十隨好，莊嚴其身」—“and with the thirty-two marks of a great man and the eighty accompanying excellences shall adorn my body”

beings in gloom and darknessThe capacity vow two addresses. The base text says only gloom and darkness; Yijing’s recension points further to the interstices of the iron encircling mountains — 「幽冥眾生，悉蒙開曉」—“beings in gloom and darkness shall all receive opening and awakening”

wrong pathsOne of the capacities vow four addresses; the Sui recension reads 「行異道者」—“those who walk other paths” — 「若諸有情行邪道者」—“if among sentient beings there are any who walk wrong paths”

the vehicle of the śrāvakas or of the pratyekabuddhasThe second of the capacities vow four addresses; 「皆以大乘而安立之」—“I shall establish them all in the Great Vehicle”〔T14n0450 0405a20〕 — 「若行聲聞獨覺乘者」—“if there are any who walk the vehicle of the śrāvakas or of the pratyekabuddhas”

gate of preserving precepts and preserving the bodyPair three, matched to vows five and six — 「三存戒存身門，即次二願，不缺重戒，具三聚故、六根之身皆得淨故」—“Third, the gate of preserving precepts and preserving the body, that is, the next two vows: because the grave precepts are unbroken and the threefold precepts complete, and because the body of the six faculties is wholly made pure.”

gate of removing inner and outer sufferingPair four, matched to vows seven and eight; the outer conditions are illness and poverty, the inner what the body undergoes — 「四除內外苦門，即次二願，一能除外緣逼切苦」—“Fourth, the gate of removing inner and outer suffering, that is, the next two vows: the first is able to remove the suffering pressed on by outer conditions.”

the holy lifeThe capacity vow five addresses — 「於我法中修行梵行，一切皆令得不缺戒，具三聚戒」—“who practice the holy life within my Dharma, I shall cause them all to obtain precepts unbroken, and to be complete in the threefold precepts”

The general heading over the thirteen terms of vow six, and not separate items of the list. 「此中下劣，不具標句也」—“Here ‘lowly’ and ‘not complete’ are the sentences of general heading.”〔T38n1770 0258b26〕; 「雖具諸根，不勝妙故及有缺故」—“Though the faculties be complete, they are not fine and excellent; or else something is lacking.”

Ugliness belongs to the body, dullness and stupidity to the mind — 「言醜陋者，釋身下劣。言頑愚者，釋意下劣」—“‘Ugly’ glosses lowliness of body; ‘dull and stupid’ glosses lowliness of mind.”

Blind is matched to the eye, deaf to the ear, mute and speechless to the tongue, and crippled, unable to walk, hunchbacked and leprous to the body — 「盲聾等下，釋眼耳舌身根不具」—“From ‘blind and deaf’ onward glosses the incompleteness of the faculties of eye, ear, tongue, and body.”

It belongs to the incompleteness of the faculty of mind; Yijing’s recension writes 「瘨狂」—“deranged” — 「癲狂，釋意根不具」—“‘Deranged’ glosses the incompleteness of the faculty of mind.”

The nose alone has no item of its own, and is gathered in under this — 「種種病苦，攝鼻等病」—“‘Every kind of illness’ gathers in the illnesses of the nose and the rest.”

upright and keen-wittedThe four phrases of the fruit reverse the four classes of the cause one by one: well-formed reverses ugly, keen-witted reverses dull and stupid, faculties whole reverses blind and deaf and the rest, free of illness reverses every kind of illness — four answering to four, and not a loose manner of speaking — 「端正等四，如次翻上」—“The four beginning with ‘well-formed’ reverse the above in order.”

none to save · nowhere to turnThe two phrases of vow seven; the sūtra’s next line, 「無醫無藥，無親無家」—“without physician or medicine, without kin or home”, is precisely their unfolding — 「無救者，標無醫藥也。無歸者，標無親等也」—“‘None to save’ heads what follows about having no physician or medicine. ‘Nowhere to turn’ heads what follows about having no kin and the rest.”

The Buddha as physician, the Dharma as medicine, the noble wealth as provision — matched to the fruit of vow seven — 「今得佛醫法藥聖財，故除病等乃至豐足」—“Now they obtain the Buddha as physician, the Dharma as medicine, and the noble wealth; and so illness and the rest are removed, on to ampleness.”

upon hearing my nameFrom vow five onward 「聞名」—“hearing the name” becomes a standing phrase of the vows (four occurrences across vows five through eight, three of them reading 「聞我名已」—“upon hearing my name” while vow seven reads the sentence cited in this column; three occurrences again in vows ten through twelve; vow nine alone lacks it), and it foreshadows the long passage on the benefits of hearing the name that follows — 「我之名號，一經其耳，病悉得除」—“let my name but once pass their ear, and their illnesses shall all be removed”

gate of loosing inner and outer bondsPair five, matched to vows nine and ten; vow nine looses the inner (evil views and the demon’s snare), vow ten the outer (the bonds of punishment under the king’s law) — 「五內外解縛門，即次二願，攝置正見，解惡見縛。證無上道，出魔羂故。以威神力，出刑縛故」—“Fifth, the gate of loosing inner and outer bonds: that is, the next two vows. Gathering beings in and placing them in right view, it looses the bond of evil views; realizing the unsurpassed way, they go out from the demon’s snare; by awesome spiritual power, they go out from the bonds of punishment.”

gate of intent upon food and clothingPair six, matched to vows eleven and twelve — 「六志食與衣門，即次二願，以食法味而建立故、以妙衣等而令滿足故」—“Sixth, the gate of intent upon food and clothing: that is, the next two vows — because it establishes them by food and by the savor of Dharma, and because it satisfies them by fine garments and the rest.”

the demon’s snare and netWhat vow nine departs from; among the twelve vows this one alone figures by simile the thing departed from — 「魔羂網」—“the demon’s snare and net”

the dense forest of evil viewsThe same; the dense forest figures the bewilderment worked by evil views — 「惡見稠林」—“the dense forest of evil views”

The capacity vow ten addresses; this sentence carries three variant readings in the collation notes (see Topic IX of that unit) — 「王法所錄，縲縛鞭撻，繫閉牢獄，或當刑戮，及餘無量災難凌辱，悲愁煎迫，身心受苦」—“taken up by the king’s law, bound with cords, beaten with the rod and the whip, shut fast in prison, or about to be put to death, together with measureless further calamities and humiliations, scorched and pressed by grief and sorrow, suffering in body and mind”

the Twelve Sublime and Supreme VowsThe words that sum up the twelve vows; with this the answer to the second question is complete — 「是為彼世尊藥師琉璃光如來、應、正等覺，行菩薩道時，所發十二微妙上願」—“these are the twelve sublime and supreme vows that the World-Honored Bhaiṣajyaguru Vaiḍūryaprabha Tathāgata, Worthy One, Perfectly Awakened One, made when he practiced the bodhisattva path”

the eight perfections of meritThe outline of the adornments of that buddha-land: first, nothing defiled adhering · second, free of what is feared and evil · third, the support pure · fourth, the roads patterned · fifth, the palaces adorned · sixth, the great sages without break · seventh, benefit and gladness unceasing · eighth, the vow for birth there unobstructed. From absence to presence, from the land to its people, from its people to the exhortation — 「略說其土則有八種功德成就」—“stated in brief, that land has eight perfections of merit”

the position of successionIt glosses the two bodhisattvas as 「大聖無絕」—“the great sages without break”: the place of the foremost is unbroken, and so it is said to be without break. The Dunhuang witness has here a variant of four graphs, 「次補佛處」—“next in succession to the buddha-place”, which points to the same thing as this gloss — 「即補處故」—“because they are in the position of succession”

Sunlight Universally Shining · Moonlight Universally ShiningThe two great bodhisattvas of that land, foremost among its measureless bodhisattva assembly — 「一名日光遍照，二名月光遍照」—“the first named Sunlight Universally Shining, the second named Moonlight Universally Shining”

Vow, land, and body run through as one; because the cause is without bound the fruit too is without bound — the place where the sūtra’s taking of cause and fruit for its theme comes to ground — 「顯如大願果亦無邊。身應準願」—“It discloses that as the great vows are, so too the fruit is without bound. The body should be reckoned according to the vows.”

the perfection of the merits of hearing the name in other quartersIt stands opposite 「本處莊嚴功德成就」—“the perfection of the merits of adornment in that very place” of unit 04, the two together being the gates that answer the later question — 「此即第二外方聞名功德成就」—“this is the second, the perfection of the merits of hearing the name in other quarters”

five kinds of obstructionThe five obstructions — to giving · to precepts · to cultivation · to the path of the ten wholesome deeds · to birth in a place of joy — are the outline of the five sections of this passage. The two commentaries gloss different recensions, and yet their division into sections agrees entirely — 「於中有五，令諸聞者除施戒修十善業道往生樂處五種障故」—“within it there are five, because they cause those who hear to remove five kinds of obstruction: to giving, to precepts, to cultivation, to the path of the ten wholesome deeds, and to birth in a place of joy”

gate disclosing the obstruction’s own nature / showing its harm / the benefit of hearing the Buddha’s nameDisclosing the obstruction’s own nature — showing its harm — the benefit of hearing the Buddha’s name; all five sections use this one pattern — 「此有三門：一顯障自性門」—“this has three gates: first, the gate disclosing the obstruction’s own nature”

Miserliness and greed obstruct loving-kindness, envy obstructs sympathetic joy, self-praise and disparagement obstruct compassion, and the three together obstruct equanimity — three obstructions matched severally to three of the immeasurables, and jointly to the fourth — 「此中慳貪能障修慈，不與樂故。嫉妬障喜，不隨喜故。讚毀障悲，能惱害故。三通障捨性，染污故」—“here miserliness and greed can obstruct the cultivation of loving-kindness, because they do not give joy. Envy obstructs sympathetic joy, because it does not rejoice with others. Self-praise and disparagement obstruct compassion, because they can vex and injure. And the three together obstruct the nature of equanimity, because they are defiled.”

śīlaThe first of the five layers of breaking the precepts — 「雖於如來受諸學處，而破尸羅」—“though they have received the several points of training from the Tathāgata, they break the śīla”

rules of deportmentThe second layer; kept distinct from śīla and not conflated with it — 「有雖不破尸羅，而破軌則」—“some, though they do not break the śīla, break the rules of deportment”

overweening prideThe fifth layer; the five layers pass from the marks of keeping precepts into view, into learning, into pride, and at the last reach the leading of others astray — 「有雖多聞而增上慢，由增上慢覆蔽心故，自是非他，嫌謗正法，為魔伴黨」—“some, though of wide learning, give rise to overweening pride, and because overweening pride covers over their minds they hold themselves right and others wrong, dislike and slander the true Dharma, and become companions of the demon”

koṭi(s)A name of number — 「復令無量俱胝有情，墮大險坑」—“and cause measureless koṭis of beings to fall into the great pit of peril”

the great pit of perilThe pit figures the fall into wrong views; this sentence belongs to the obstruction to the precepts embracing sentient beings, and is the last fruit of the five layers of breaking the precepts — 「墮大險坑」—“falling into the great pit of peril”

the recollection of former livesWhat is gained on returning from the evil destinies to birth among human beings, by the power of having once briefly heard the buddha’s name in a former life — 「得宿命念」—“they gain the recollection of former lives”

the shell of ignoranceThe graph is that of an eggshell: the shell figures the covering of ignorance, the river the stream of the afflictions — 「破無明㲉，竭煩惱河」—“breaking the shell of ignorance, drying up the river of the afflictions”

the eight-precept fastThe practice of the section on birth in a place of joy; the line-by-line lens explains here the number of its days — a year meaning six days in every month, three months meaning the three long months, the first, the fifth, and the ninth — 「有能受持八分齋戒，或經一年，或復三月」—“able to receive and keep the eight-precept fast, whether for a year or for three months”

The two assemblies who have left the household and the two who remain in it; the English of this edition reads bhikṣu · bhikṣuṇī and their two counterparts — 「苾芻、苾芻尼、鄔波索迦、鄔波斯迦」—“bhikṣus, bhikṣuṇīs, upāsakas, and upāsikās”

The capacity addressed is one who vows birth in the West and whose mind is not yet settled, not whoever vows birth in general — 「願生西方極樂世界無量壽佛所，聽聞正法，而未定者」—“vowing to be born in the Western World of Ultimate Bliss, before the Buddha of Measureless Life, there to hear the true Dharma, but not yet settled”

The base text gives only their number and not their names; the Dunhuang witness has a long variant here that brings out the eight names one by one (Mañjuśrī · Avalokiteśvara · Mahāsthāmaprāpta · Inexhaustible Intent · Precious Sandalwood Flower · Bhaiṣajyarāja · Medicine Superior · Maitreya), recorded side by side and not adjudicated — 「臨命終時，有八菩薩，乘神通來，示其道路」—“at the time of death eight bodhisattvas will come by their spiritual powers and show him the road”

gate of exhorting people to benefitFive gates stand under it: the first three in this unit, the last two in unit 07 — 「大段第二勸物利益門」—“the great section, second: the gate of exhorting people to benefit”

gate of the pledge that wakensGate one; matched to Mañjuśrī’s 「我當誓於像法轉時」—“I pledge that in the age when the Semblance Dharma turns”〔T14n0450 0406b22〕 and what follows — 「此有五門：一誓願警覺門」—“this has five gates: first, the gate of the pledge that wakens”

gate of the Tathāgata’s confirmationGate two; the two commentaries give this gate the same name, and though what they gloss is not the same recension their readings agree — 「此即第二如來述成門」—“this is the second, the gate of the Tathāgata’s confirmation”

offering of goods / of right practice / of the three deedsGoods, then right practice, then the three deeds: from the outer inward. 「供養有三：一財物供養」—“offering is of three kinds: first, offering of goods”〔T38n1770 0260c23〕; 「二正行供養」—“second, offering of right practice”〔T38n1770 0260c25〕; 「三三業供養」—“third, offering of the three deeds”

What is sought being granted is matched to 「隨所樂願，一切皆遂」—“whatever they wish for and vow, all of it will be granted”; what is loathed being extinguished is matched to evil dreams and evil signs and the terrors of water, fire, sword, and poison; parting from the suffering of broken precepts is matched to two matters — that one who has broken the precepts and single-mindedly calls the name does not fall into the evil destinies, and the hardship of a woman in childbirth. 「獲益有三：一所求稱遂門」—“benefit is of three kinds: first, the gate in which what is sought is granted”〔T38n1770 0260c27〕; 「二所厭消滅門」—“second, the gate in which what is loathed is extinguished”〔T38n1770 0260c28〕; 「三毀戒離苦門」—“third, the gate of parting from the suffering of broken precepts”

gate of the loss and gain of slighting or believingGate three; the four gates under it are the certainty of the Buddha’s word · the decline and loss that come of slander · the benefit gained by reverent faith · the exhorting of people to believe and receive — 「此第三毀信損益門。此有四門：一佛語決定門」—“this is the third, the gate of the loss and gain of slighting or believing. It has four gates: first, the gate of the certainty of the Buddha’s word”

five-colored silk bagThe bag that holds the sūtra; it uses the five colors, as do the life-prolonging banners of unit 07 and the five-colored cord of unit 08 — 「以五色綵，作囊盛之」—“take silk of five colors and make a bag to hold it in”

the four great heavenly kingsThey guard the place where this sūtra is; set beside the twelve generals of unit 08, who guard the person that holds the name, the one guards a place and the other a person — 「爾時，四大天王與其眷屬」—“at that time the four great heavenly kings, together with their retinues”

loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimityThat is, the four immeasurable minds; they belong to the offering of right practice, and stand as the positive counterpart to the obstructions to the four immeasurables in unit 05 — 「於一切有情，起利益安樂，慈、悲、喜、捨，平等之心」—“toward all sentient beings raise up benefit and ease, and the even mind of loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity”

Sumeru the Wondrously HighThe Wondrously High is Sumeru. What can be moved is set against what cannot, and the force of the simile lies in the concession — 「此日月輪，可令墮落；妙高山王，可使傾動，諸佛所言，無有異也」—“these orbs of sun and moon could be made to fall, the king of mountains, Sumeru the Wondrously High, could be made to topple, but what the buddhas say is never otherwise”

the bodhisattva bound by one more birthThat is, the bodhisattva of one more birth to the position of succession. The sūtra itself fixes the boundary of belief and understanding for this Dharma — 「一切聲聞、獨覺，及未登地諸菩薩等，皆悉不能如實信解」—“all śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas, and the bodhisattvas who have not yet ascended the grounds, are none of them able to believe and fathom it as it is”〔T14n0450 0407b02〕; the gate of practice is set very low and the gate of understanding very high — 「惟除一生所繫菩薩」—“save only the bodhisattva bound by one more birth”

gate of setting out images and rendering aidGate four; the two gates under it are what the aid is done for, and the benefit of the aid — 「此是第四開像資助門」—“This is the fourth, the gate of setting out images and rendering aid”

gate of question and answer resolving difficultiesGate five; the section on the nine untimely deaths belongs here — 「自下第五問答釋難門」—“from here below is the fifth, the gate of question and answer resolving difficulties”

Bodhisattva Rescue-and-DeliveranceThe one who sets out the method of the banners and lamps for prolonging life; Ānanda’s two questions are both put to this bodhisattva — 「眾中有一菩薩摩訶薩，名曰救脫」—“in the assembly there was a bodhisattva-mahāsattva named Rescue-and-Deliverance”

Yama (the Dharma King)In Chinese, quiescing; he is so named because he can bring the guilty to awareness and so still all their evil — and therefore, though he belongs to the realm of ghosts, he may yet be called a Dharma King — 「言琰魔者，唐云靜息，曉悟罪人止眾惡故」—“as for Yama, in Tang speech quiescing, for he brings the guilty to awareness so that they cease from all evil”

image-objectsThe line-by-line lens judges the four things the sūtra narrates to be image-objects manifested by the sick person’s own mind-consciousness, and not four outward things — a plain instance of reading the dark road with the eye of consciousness-only — 「病人意識現四相分：一琰魔使、二己神識、三琰魔王、四俱生神」—“the sick person’s mind-consciousness manifests four image-objects: first the messenger of Yama, second his own consciousness, third King Yama, fourth the co-born spirit”

They match exactly the five matters of the sūtra text — 「此中資緣有五，歸佛、請僧、轉法、燃燈及懸幡故」—“the supporting conditions here are five: taking refuge in the Buddha, inviting the saṅgha, turning the Dharma, lighting lamps, and hanging banners”

life-prolonging banner(s)The chief object of the method of prolonging life; the line-by-line lens takes the sense of the two graphs — 「燈者明也，幡者將也。救闇沈故，須幡燈也」—“the lamp is light; the banner is leading. Because darkness and sinking are what must be rescued, banner and lamp are needed”〔T38n1770 0261c06〕 — 「請諸眾僧，轉讀此經，然七層之燈，懸五色續命神幡」—“invite the assembly of monks to recite this sūtra through, light lamps of seven tiers, hang up five-colored life-prolonging banners”

The sūtra does not say why, and the line-by-line lens does not speak in its place; it marks 「若以義推」—“if one reasons it out by sense” and only then brings out the explanation by the seven branches and the five directions — one who reasons says of himself that he is reasoning — 「七層五色者，無說所以。若以義推，伏七支罪、調五方故」—“as for seven tiers and five colors, no reason is stated. If one reasons it out by sense, it is for subduing the offenses of the seven branches and harmonizing the five directions”

spanA name of measure, the reach of an outstretched hand — 「造五色綵幡，長四十九搩手」—“make a banner of five-colored silk forty-nine spans long”

kṣatriya anointed kingThe person addressed in the section on the calamities of a realm; seven calamities are listed under it — 「若剎帝利灌頂王等，災難起時」—“when calamities arise for kṣatriya anointed kings and the like”

The items of the calamities of a realm, given in full by the base text — 「所謂人眾疾疫難，他國侵逼難，自界叛逆難，星宿變怪難，日月薄蝕難，非時風雨難，過時不雨難」—“namely the calamity of pestilence among the people, the calamity of invasion by another country, the calamity of revolt within their own borders, the calamity of portents among the stars, the calamity of eclipse of sun and moon, the calamity of wind and rain out of season, the calamity of rain withheld past its season”

the nine untimely deathsNine kinds of death out of their time; the first alone is given in full and takes up half the passage on the nine, while the remaining eight run one sentence each — 「汝豈不聞如來說有九橫死耶」—“have you not heard the Tathāgata say that there are nine untimely deaths”

the twelve yakṣa generalsThe names of the twelve generals are transliterations, and the four translations differ in wording; none of the three commentaries gives a Sanskrit form, and so the Chinese sound is kept and no reconstruction is attempted — 「眾中有十二藥叉大將，俱在會坐」—“in the assembly there were twelve yakṣa generals, all seated in the gathering”

the accomplishment of the yakṣa generals’ gaining benefit and requiting kindnessThe fifth of the five accomplishments set up in unit 01, appearing only at this place; with it the second part of the whole sūtra closes — 「此下第五藥叉大將獲益報恩成就」—“from here below is the fifth, the accomplishment of the yakṣa generals’ gaining benefit and requiting kindness”

For this passage the line-by-line lens brings out only these three divisions and says that the shape of the text can be known of itself; it does not gloss the names one by one — 「此中有三：初經家列名、次藥叉誓願、後如來讚許」—“there are three within this: first the compiler’s listing of the names, next the yakṣas’ vow, last the Tathāgata’s approval”

Twelve times seven thousand, the largest number of Dharma-guardians in the whole sūtra — 「此十二藥叉大將，一一各有七千藥叉以為眷屬」—“each one of these twelve yakṣa generals has seven thousand yakṣas as his attendants”

five-colored cordKnotted and then untied, the one method of knotting a cord in this sūtra; the 「結」—“knot” in the sūtra’s second name, 「結願神呪」—“the Spirit-Spell of the Knotted Vow”, points precisely here — 「以五色縷，結我名字，得如願已，然後解結」—“with a five-colored cord, knot our names; and when the wish has been obtained, then untie the knot”

to shoulderThe yakṣas’ pledge; of the same shape as Mañjuśrī’s pledge in unit 06, the one foremost among devas and humans, the other in the ranks of ghosts and spirits — 「誓當荷負一切有情，為作義利饒益安樂」—“we vow to shoulder all sentient beings, working for their good, their benefit and their ease”

the part on hearing the name, rejoicing, and practicingThe third of the three parts of the whole sūtra, joining with the three parts set up in unit 01 — 「此下第三聞名喜行分」—“from here below is the third, the part on hearing the name, rejoicing, and practicing”

The three names the Buddha himself brings out. The titles of the three translations each take one of these three, and their source is here. 「此法門名說藥師琉璃光如來本願功德」—“this Dharma-gate is named Setting Forth the Original Vows and Merits of Bhaiṣajyaguru Vaiḍūryaprabha Tathāgata”〔T14n0450 0408b18〕; 「亦名說十二神將饒益有情結願神呪」—“it is also named Setting Forth the Twelve Spirit Generals’ Benefiting of Sentient Beings, the Spirit-Spell of the Knotted Vow”〔T14n0450 0408b19〕; 「亦名拔除一切業障；應如是持」—“it is also named The Uprooting of All Karmic Obstructions; thus should it be upheld”

thus should it be upheldĀnanda asks two things; the Buddha brings out the three names to answer the first, and these four graphs answer the second — a name is not merely an appellation but the cord by which the thing is held — 「言應如是持者，答第二問。應如三名所詮之法而受持故」—“as for the words ‘thus should it be upheld,’ they answer the second question; for one should uphold it in accordance with the dharma that the three names set forth”

gandharva · asura · garuḍa · kiṃnara · mahoragaXuanzang’s translating practice; the other translations mostly use the older transliterations Qiantapo, Axiuluo, Jialouluo, Jinnaluo, and Mohouluojia. The assembly of the closing passage is given more fully than that of the introductory part, all eight classes complete — 「揵達縛、阿素洛、揭路荼、緊捺洛、莫呼洛伽」—“gandharva, asura, garuḍa, kiṃnara, mahoraga”