華嚴經 品一 世主妙嚴品 · 異生眾三·諸神眾Avataṃsaka Sūtra · The Wondrous Adornments of the Rulers of the Worlds · The Assemblies of Different Birth, Part Three: The Spirit Hosts
一百四十一道門，沒有一道開在世間之外。
這一卷讀起來像一份長得驚人的名單：十四類神，火、水、海、河、稼、藥、林、山、地、城、道場、足行、身眾、執金剛，十三類各十位、道場神十一位，各得一道解脫門，首座說偈。你若當名單讀，讀到第三類就想跳過去。
但看門與神扣得多緊。主火神得的是除暗，主河神得的是雨法，足行神得的是舉足下足調伏眾生。澄觀在道場神那一段把這個扣法說破：既然是道場之神，所以得的是道場事中的解脫。不是神先高明，才配得法門；是他一直在做的那件事，就是他的門。
所以這一百四十一道門不是一百四十一種佛法，是一百四十一個入口。法藏替讀者問過：這些雜類憑什麼與普賢同在果海？他答：乘著一道門就入了整片海。
十四類裡十三類是十，唯道場神十一——經自己就不整齊。法數是為了好記，不是為了整齊。
你今天做的那件事，就是門。
One hundred and forty-one gates, and not one of them opens anywhere outside the world.
This fascicle reads like an astonishingly long roster: fourteen classes of spirits — fire, water, sea, river, crops, herbs, forest, mountain, earth, city, the place of awakening, going on foot, the bodily host, the vajra-bearers — thirteen classes of ten each and the spirits of the place of awakening eleven, each gaining one gate of liberation, and the foremost of each class speaking verses. If you read it as a roster, by the third class you will want to skip ahead.
But look how tightly the gate is fastened to the spirit. What the presiding spirits of fire gain is the removing of darkness; what the presiding spirits of rivers gain is the raining down of the Dharma; what the spirits that go on foot gain is the taming of sentient beings in the lifting and the setting down of a foot. Chengguan lays this fastening bare in the passage on the spirits of the place of awakening: since they are the spirits of the place of awakening, what they gain is liberation within the affairs of that place. It is not that a spirit is exalted first and so becomes fit for a Dharma-gate; it is that the very thing he has been doing all along is his gate.
So these one hundred and forty-one gates are not one hundred and forty-one kinds of Buddha-dharma; they are one hundred and forty-one ways in. Fazang put the question on the reader’s behalf: by what right do these miscellaneous classes stand in the ocean of the fruit together with Samantabhadra? His answer: riding a single gate, one has entered the whole ocean.
Of the fourteen classes thirteen are tens, and only the spirits of the place of awakening are eleven — the sūtra itself is not tidy. Numbered lists of dharmas are for the sake of remembering, not for the sake of tidiness.
The thing you did today is the gate.
〔T10 0015〕
復次，普光焰藏主火神，得悉除一切世間闇解脫門；普集光幢主火神，得能息一切眾生諸惑漂流熱惱苦解脫門，大光遍照主火神，得無動福力大悲藏解脫門；眾妙宮殿主火神，得觀如來神通力示現無邊際解脫門；無盡光髻主火神，得光明照耀無邊虛空界解脫門；種種焰眼主火神，得種種福莊嚴寂靜光解脫門；十方宮殿如須彌山主火神，得能滅一切世間諸趣熾然苦解脫門；威光自在主火神，得自在開悟一切世間解脫門；光照十方主火神，得永破一切愚癡執著見解脫門；雷音電光主火神，得成就一切願力大震吼解脫門。
〔T10 0016〕
爾時，普光焰藏主火神，承佛威力，遍觀一切主火神眾而說頌言：
「汝觀如來精進力，廣大億劫不思議，
為利眾生現世間，所有暗障皆令滅。
眾生愚癡起諸見，煩惱如流及火然，
導師方便悉滅除，普集光幢於此悟。
福德如空無有盡，求其邊際不可得，
此佛大悲無動力，光照悟入心生喜。
我觀如來之所行，經於劫海無邊際，
如是示現神通力，眾妙宮神所了知。
億劫修成不可思，求其邊際莫能知，
演法實相令歡喜，無盡光神所觀見。
十方所有廣大眾，一切現前瞻仰佛，
寂靜光明照世間，此妙焰神所能了。
牟尼出現諸世間，坐於一切宮殿中，
普雨無邊廣大法，此十方神之境界。
諸佛智慧最甚深，於法自在現世間，
能悉闡明真實理，威光悟此心欣慶。
諸見愚癡為暗蓋，眾生迷惑常流轉，
佛為開闡妙法門，此照方神能悟入。
願門廣大不思議，力度修治已清淨，
如昔願心皆出現，此震音神之所了。」
復次，普興雲幢主水神，得平等利益一切眾生慈解脫門；海潮雲音主水神，得無邊法莊嚴解脫門；妙色輪髻主水神，得觀所應化方便普攝解脫門；善巧漩澓主水神，得普演諸佛甚深境界解脫門；離垢香積主水神，得普現清淨大光明解脫門；福橋光音主水神，得清淨法界無相無性解脫門；知足自在主水神，得無盡大悲海解脫門；淨喜善音主水神，得於菩薩眾會道場中為大歡喜藏解脫門；普現威光主水神，得以無礙廣大福德力普出現解脫門；吼聲遍海主水神，得觀察一切眾生發起如虛空調伏方便解脫門。
爾時，普興雲幢主水神，承佛威力，遍觀一切主水神眾而說頌言：
「清淨慈門剎塵數，共生如來一妙相，
一一諸相莫不然，是故見者無厭足。
世尊往昔修行時，普詣一切如來所，
種種修治無懈倦，如是方便雲音入。
佛於一切十方中，寂然不動無來去，
應化眾生悉令見，此是髻輪之所知。
如來境界無邊量，一切眾生不能了，
妙音演說遍十方，此善旋神所行處。
世尊光明無有盡，充遍法界不思議，
說法教化度眾生，此淨香神所觀見。
如來清淨等虛空，無相無形遍十方，
而令眾會靡不見，此福光神善觀察。
佛昔修習大悲門，其心廣遍等眾生，
是故如雲現於世，此解脫門知足了。
十方所有諸國土，悉見如來坐於座，
朗然開悟大菩提，如是喜音之所入。
如來所行無罣礙，遍往十方一切剎，
處處示現大神通，普現威光已能悟。
修習無邊方便行，等眾生界悉充滿，
神通妙用靡暫停，吼聲遍海斯能入。」
復次，出現寶光主海神，得以等心施一切眾生福德海眾寶莊嚴身解脫門；不可壞金剛幢主海神，得巧方便守護一切眾生善根解脫門；不雜塵垢主海神，得能竭一切眾生煩惱海解脫門；恒住波浪主海神，得令一切眾生離惡道解脫門；吉祥寶月主海神，得普滅大癡暗解脫門；妙華龍髻主海神，得滅一切諸趣苦與安樂解脫門；普持光味主海神，得淨治一切眾生諸見愚癡性解脫門；寶焰華光主海神，得出生一切寶種性菩提心解脫門；金剛妙髻主海神，得不動心功德海解脫門；海潮雷音主海神，得普入法界三昧門解脫門。
爾時，出現寶光主海神，承佛威力，普觀一切主海神眾而說頌言：
「不可思議大劫海，供養一切諸如來，
普以功德施群生，是故端嚴最無比。
一切世間皆出現，眾生根欲靡不知，
普為弘宣大法海，此是堅幢所欣悟。一切世間眾導師，法雲大雨不可測，消竭無窮諸苦海，此離垢塵入法門。
一切眾生煩惱覆，流轉諸趣受眾苦，
為其開示如來境，普水宮神入此門。
佛於難思劫海中，修行諸行無有盡，
永截眾生癡惑網，寶月於此能明入。
佛見眾生常恐怖，流轉生死大海中，
示彼如來無上道，龍髻悟解生欣悅。
諸佛境界不思議，法界虛空平等相，
能淨眾生癡惑網，如是持味能宣說。
佛眼清淨不思議，一切境界悉該覽，
普示眾生諸妙道，此是華光心所悟。
魔軍廣大無央數，一剎那中悉摧滅，
心無傾動難測量，金剛妙髻之方便。
普於十方演妙音，其音法界靡不周，
此是如來三昧境，海潮音神所行處。」
〔T10 0017〕
復次，普發迅流主河神，得普雨無邊法雨解脫門；普潔泉澗主河神，得普現一切眾生前令永離煩惱解脫門；離塵淨眼主河神，得以大悲方便普滌一切眾生諸惑塵垢解脫門；十方遍吼主河神，得恒出饒益眾生音解脫門；普救護眾生主河神，得於一切含識中恒起無惱害慈解脫門；無熱淨光主河神，得普示一切清涼善根解脫門；普生歡喜主河神，得修行具足施令一切眾生永離慳著解脫門；廣德勝幢主河神，得作一切歡喜福田解脫門；光照普世主河神，得能令一切眾生雜染者清淨瞋毒者歡喜解脫門；海德光明主河神，得能令一切眾生入解脫海恒受具足樂解脫門。
爾時，普發迅流主河神，承佛威力，遍觀一切主河神眾而說頌言：
「如來往昔為眾生，修治法海無邊行，
譬如霈澤清炎暑，普滅眾生煩惱熱。
佛昔難宣無量劫，以願光明淨世間，
諸根熟者令悟道，此普潔神心所悟。
大悲方便等眾生，悉現其前常化誘，
普使淨治煩惱垢，淨眼見此深歡悅。
佛演妙音普使聞，眾生愛樂心歡喜，
悉使滌除無量苦，此遍吼神之解脫。
佛昔修習菩提行，為利眾生無量劫，
是故光明遍世間，護神憶念生歡喜。
佛昔修行為眾生，種種方便令成熟，
普淨福海除眾苦，無熱見此心欣慶。
施門廣大無窮盡，一切眾生咸利益，
能令見者無慳著，此普喜神之所悟。
佛昔修行實方便，成就無邊功德海，
能令見者靡不欣，此勝幢神心悟悅。
眾生有垢咸淨治，一切怨害等生慈，
故得光照滿虛空，普世河神見歡喜。
佛是福田功德海，能令一切離諸惡，
乃至成就大菩提，此海光神之解脫。」
復次，柔軟勝味主稼神，得與一切眾生法滋味令成就佛身解脫門；時華淨光主稼神，得能令一切眾生受廣大喜樂解脫門；色力勇健主稼神，得以一切圓滿法門淨諸境界解脫門；增益精氣主稼神，得見佛大悲無量神通變化力解脫門；普生根果主稼神，得普現佛福田令下種無失壞解脫門；妙嚴環髻主稼神，得普發眾生淨信華解脫門；潤澤淨華主稼神，得大慈愍濟諸眾生令增長福德海解脫門；成就妙香主稼神，得廣開示一切行法解脫門；見者愛樂主稼神，得能令法界一切眾生捨離懈怠憂惱等諸惡普清淨解脫門；離垢光明主稼神，得觀察一切眾生善根隨應說法令眾會歡喜滿足解脫門。
爾時，柔軟勝味主稼神，承佛威力，遍觀一切主稼神眾而說頌言：
「如來無上功德海，普現明燈照世間，
一切眾生咸救護，悉與安樂無遺者。
世尊功德無有邊，眾生聞者不唐捐，
悉使離苦常歡喜，此是時華之所入。
善逝諸力皆圓滿，功德莊嚴現世間，
一切眾生悉調伏，此法勇力能明證。
佛昔修治大悲海，其心念念等世間，
是故神通無有邊，增益精氣能觀見。
佛遍世間常現前，一切方便無空過，
悉淨眾生諸惑惱，此普生神之解脫。
佛是世間大智海，放淨光明無不遍，
廣大信解悉從生，如是嚴髻能明入。
如來觀世起慈心，為利眾生而出現，
示彼恬怡最勝道，此淨華神之解脫。
善逝所修清淨行，菩提樹下具宣說，
如是教化滿十方，此妙香神能聽受。
佛於一切諸世間，悉使離憂生大喜，
所有根欲皆治淨，可愛樂神斯悟入。
如來出現於世間，普觀眾生心所樂，
種種方便而成熟，此淨光神解脫門。」
復次，吉祥主藥神，得普觀一切眾生心而勤攝取解脫門；栴檀林主藥神，得以光明攝眾生俾見者無空過解脫門；離塵光明主藥神，得能以淨方便滅一切眾生煩惱解脫門；名稱普聞主藥神，得能以大名稱增長無邊善根海解脫門；毛孔現光主藥神，得大悲幢速赴一切病境界解脫門；破暗清淨主藥神，得療治一切盲冥眾生令智眼清淨解脫門；普發吼聲主藥神，得能演佛音說諸法差別義解脫門；蔽日光幢主藥神，得能作一切眾生善知識令見者咸生善根解脫門；明見十方主藥神，得清淨大悲藏能以方便令生信解解脫門；普發威光主藥神，得方便令念佛滅一切眾生病解脫門。
〔T10 0018〕
爾時，吉祥主藥神，承佛威力，遍觀一切主藥神眾而說頌言：
「如來智慧不思議，悉知一切眾生心，
能以種種方便力，滅彼群迷無量苦。
大雄善巧難測量，凡有所作無空過，
必使眾生諸苦滅，栴檀林神能悟此。
汝觀諸佛法如是，往悉勤修無量劫，
而於諸有無所著，此離塵光所入門。
佛百千劫難可遇，若有得見及聞名，
必令獲益無空過，此普稱神之所了。
如來一一毛孔中，悉放光明滅眾患，
世間煩惱皆令盡，此現光神所入門。
一切眾生癡所盲，惑業眾苦無量別，
佛悉蠲除開智照，如是破暗能觀見。
如來一音無限量，能開一切法門海，
眾生聽者悉了知，此是大音之解脫。
汝觀佛智難思議，普現諸趣救群生，
能令見者皆從化，此蔽日幢深悟了。
如來大悲方便海，為利世間而出現，
廣開正道示眾生，此見方神能了達。
如來普放大光明，一切十方無不照，
令隨念佛生功德，此發威光解脫門。」
復次，布華如雲主林神，得廣大無邊智海藏解脫門；擢幹舒光主林神，得廣大修治普清淨解脫門；生芽發耀主林神，得增長種種淨信芽解脫門；吉祥淨葉主林神，得一切清淨功德莊嚴聚解脫門；垂布焰藏主林神，得普門清淨慧恒周覽法界解脫門；妙莊嚴光主林神，得普知一切眾生行海而興布法雲解脫門；可意雷聲主林神，得忍受一切不可意聲演清淨音解脫門；香光普遍主林神，得十方普現昔所修治廣大行境界解脫門；妙光迴耀主林神，得以一切功德法饒益世間解脫門；華果光味主林神，得能令一切見佛出興常敬念不忘莊嚴功德藏解脫門。
爾時，布華如雲主林神，承佛威力，普觀一切主林神眾而說頌言：
「佛昔修習菩提行，福德智慧悉成滿，
一切諸力皆具足，放大光明出世間。
悲門無量等眾生，如來往昔普淨治，
是故於世能為益，此擢幹神之所了。
若有眾生一見佛，必使入於深信海，
普示一切如來道，此妙芽神之解脫。
一毛所集諸功德，劫海宣揚不可盡，
諸佛方便難思議，淨葉能明此深義。
我念如來於往昔，供養剎塵無量佛，
一一佛所智漸明，此焰藏神之所了。
一切眾生諸行海，世尊一念悉了知，
如是廣大無礙智，妙莊嚴神能悟入。
恒演如來寂妙音，普生無等大歡喜，
隨其解欲皆令悟，此是雷音所行法。
如來示現大神通，十方國土皆周遍，
佛昔修行悉令見，此普香光所入門。
眾生譣詖不修德，迷惑沈流生死中，
為彼闡明眾智道，此妙光神之所見。
佛為業障諸眾生，經於億劫時乃現，
其餘念念常令見，此味光神所觀察。」
復次，寶峯開華主山神，得入大寂定光明解脫門；華林妙髻主山神，得修集慈善根成熟不可思議數眾生解脫門；高幢普照主山神，得觀察一切眾生心所樂嚴淨諸根解脫門；離塵寶髻主山神，得無邊劫海勤精進無厭怠解脫門；光照十方主山神，得以無邊功德光普覺悟解脫門；大力光明主山神，得能自成熟復令眾生捨離愚迷行解脫門；威光普勝主山神，得拔一切苦使無有餘解脫門；微密光輪主山神，得演教法光明顯示一切如來功德解脫門；普眼現見主山神，得令一切眾生乃至於夢中增長善根解脫門；金剛堅固眼主山神，得出現無邊大義海解脫門。
爾時，開華匝地主山神，承佛威力，普觀一切主山神眾而說頌言：
「往修勝行無有邊，今獲神通亦無量，
法門廣闢如塵數，悉使眾生深悟喜。
眾相嚴身遍世間，毛孔光明悉清淨，
大慈方便示一切，華林妙髻悟此門。
佛身普現無有邊，十方世界皆充滿，
諸根嚴淨見者喜，此法高幢能悟入。
歷劫勤修無懈倦，不染世法如虛空，
種種方便化群生，悟此法門名寶髻。
眾生盲暗入險道，佛哀愍彼舒光照，
普使世間從睡覺，威光悟此心生喜。
昔在諸有廣修行，供養剎塵無數佛，
令眾生見發大願，此地大力能明入。
見諸眾生流轉苦，一切業障恒纏覆，
以智慧光悉滅除，此普勝神之解脫。
一一毛孔出妙音，隨眾生心讚諸佛，
悉遍十方無量劫，此是光輪所入門。
佛遍十方普現前，種種方便說妙法，
廣益眾生諸行海，此現見神之所悟。
法門如海無邊量，一音為說悉令解，
一切劫中演不窮，入此方便金剛目。」
〔T10 0019〕
復次，普德淨華主地神，得以慈悲心念念普觀一切眾生解脫門；堅福莊嚴主地神，得普現一切眾生福德力解脫門；妙華嚴樹主地神，得普入諸法出生一切佛剎莊嚴解脫門；普散眾寶主地神，得修習種種諸三昧令眾生除障垢解脫門；淨目觀時主地神，得令一切眾生常遊戲快樂解脫門；金色妙眼主地神，得示現一切清淨身調伏眾生解脫門；香毛發光主地神，得了知一切佛功德海大威力解脫門；寂音悅意主地神，得普攝持一切眾生言音海解脫門；妙華旋髻主地神，得充滿佛剎離垢性解脫門；金剛普持主地神，得一切佛法輪所攝持普出現解脫門。
爾時，普德淨華主地神，承佛威力，普觀一切主地神眾而說頌言：
「如來往昔念念中，大慈悲門不可說，
如是修行無有已，故得堅牢不壞身。
三世眾生及菩薩，所有一切眾福聚，
悉現如來毛孔中，福嚴見已生歡喜。
廣大寂靜三摩地，不生不滅無來去，
嚴淨國土示眾生，此樹華神之解脫。
佛於往昔修諸行，為令眾生消重障，
普散眾寶主地神，見此解脫生歡喜。
如來境界無邊際，念念普現於世間，
淨目觀時主地神，見佛所行心慶悅。
妙音無限不思議，普為眾生滅煩惱，
金色眼神能了悟，見佛無邊勝功德。
一切色形皆化現，十方法界悉充滿，
香毛發光常見佛，如是普化諸眾生。
妙音普遍於十方，無量劫中為眾說，
悅意地神心了達，從佛得聞深敬喜。
佛毛孔出香焰雲，隨眾生心遍世間，
一切見者皆成熟，此是華旋所觀處。
堅固難壞如金剛，不可傾動逾須彌，
佛身如是處世間，普持得見生歡喜。」
復次，寶峯光耀主城神，得方便利益眾生解脫門；妙嚴宮殿主城神，得知眾生根教化成熟解脫門；清淨喜寶主城神，得常歡喜令一切眾生受諸福德解脫門；離憂清淨主城神，得救諸怖畏大悲藏解脫門；華燈焰眼主城神，得普明了大智慧解脫門；焰幢明現主城神，得普方便示現解脫門；盛福威光主城神，得普觀察一切眾生令修廣大福德海解脫門；淨光明身主城神，得開悟一切愚暗眾生解脫門；香幢莊嚴主城神，得觀如來自在力普遍世間調伏眾生解脫門；寶峯光目主城神，得能以大光明破一切眾生障礙山解脫門。
爾時，寶峯光耀主城神，承佛威力，普觀一切主城神眾而說頌言：
「導師如是不思議，光明遍照於十方，
眾生現前悉見佛，教化成熟無央數。
諸眾生根各差別，佛悉了知無有餘，
妙嚴宮殿主城神，入此法門心慶悅。
如來無量劫修行，護持往昔諸佛法，
意常承奉生歡喜，妙寶城神悟此門。
如來昔已能除遣，一切眾生諸恐怖，
而恒於彼起慈悲，此離憂神心悟喜。
佛智廣大無有邊，譬如虛空不可量，
華目城神斯悟悅，能學如來之妙慧。
如來色相等眾生，隨其樂欲皆令見，
焰幢明現心能悟，習此方便生歡喜。
如來往修眾福海，清淨廣大無邊際，
福德幢光於此門，觀察了悟心欣慶。
眾生愚迷諸有中，如世生盲卒無覩，
佛為利益興於世，清淨光神入此門。
如來自在無有邊，如雲普遍於世間，
乃至現夢令調伏，此是香幢所觀見。
眾生癡暗如盲瞽，種種障蓋所纏覆，
佛光照徹普令開，如是寶峯之所入。」
復次，淨莊嚴幢道場神，得出現供養佛廣大莊嚴具誓願力解脫門；須彌寶光道場神，得現一切眾生前成就廣大菩提行解脫門；雷音幢相道場神，得隨一切眾生心所樂令見佛於夢中為說法解脫門；雨華妙眼道場神，得能雨一切難捨眾寶莊嚴具解脫門；清淨焰形道場神，得能現妙莊嚴道場廣化眾生令成熟解脫門；華纓垂髻道場神，得隨根說法令生正念解脫門；雨寶莊嚴道場神，得能以辯才普雨無邊歡喜法解脫門；勇猛香眼道場神，得廣稱讚諸佛功德解脫門；金剛彩雲道場神，得示現無邊色相樹莊嚴道場解脫門；蓮華光明道場神，得菩提樹下寂然不動而充遍十方解脫門；妙光照耀道場神，得顯示如來種種力解脫門。
〔T10 0020〕
爾時，淨莊嚴幢道場神，承佛威力，普觀一切道場神眾而說頌言；
「我念如來往昔時，於無量劫所修行，
諸佛出興咸供養，故獲如空大功德。
佛昔修行無盡施，無量剎土微塵等，
須彌光照菩提神，憶念善逝心欣慶。
如來色相無有窮，變化周流一切剎，
乃至夢中常示現，雷幢見此生歡喜。
昔行捨行無量劫，能捨難捨眼如海，
如是捨行為眾生，此妙眼神能悟悅。
無邊色相寶焰雲，現菩提場遍世間，
焰形清淨道場神，見佛自在生歡喜。
眾生行海無有邊，佛普彌綸雨法雨，
隨其根解除疑惑，華纓悟此心歡喜。
無量法門差別義，辯才大海皆能入，
雨寶嚴具道場神，於心念念恒如是。
於不可說一切土，盡世言辭稱讚佛，
故獲名譽大功德，此勇眼神能憶念。
種種色相無邊樹，普現菩提樹王下，
金剛彩雲悟此門，恒觀道樹生歡喜。
十方邊際不可得，佛坐道場智亦然，
蓮華步光淨信心，入此解脫深生喜。
道場一切出妙音，讚佛難思清淨力，
及以成就諸因行，此妙光神能聽受。」
復次，寶印手足行神，得普雨眾寶生廣大歡喜解脫門；蓮華光足行神，得示現佛身坐一切光色蓮華座令見者歡喜解脫門；最勝華髻足行神，得一一心念中建立一切如來眾會道場解脫門；攝諸善見足行神，得舉足發步悉調伏無邊眾生解脫門；妙寶星幢足行神，得念念中化現種種蓮華網光明普雨眾寶出妙音聲解脫門；樂吐妙音足行神，得出生無邊歡喜海解脫門；栴檀樹光足行神，得以香風普覺一切道場眾會解脫門；蓮華光明足行神，得一切毛孔放光明演微妙法音解脫門；微妙光明足行神，得其身遍出種種光明網普照耀解脫門；積集妙華足行神，得開悟一切眾生令生善根海解脫門。
爾時，寶印手足行神，承佛神力，遍觀一切足行神眾而說頌言：
「佛昔修行無量劫，供養一切諸如來，
心恒慶悅不疲厭，喜門深大猶如海。
念念神通不可量，化現蓮華種種香，
佛坐其上普遊往，紅色光神皆覩見。
諸佛如來法如是，廣大眾會遍十方，
普現神通不可議，最勝華神悉明矚。
十方國土一切處，於中舉足若下足，
悉能成就諸群生，此善見神心悟喜。
如眾生數普現身，此一一身充法界，
悉放淨光雨眾寶，如是解脫星幢入。
如來境界無邊際，普雨法雨皆充滿，
眾會覩佛生歡喜，此妙音聲之所見。
佛音聲量等虛空，一切音聲悉在中，
調伏眾生靡不遍，如是栴檀能聽受。
一切毛孔出化音，闡揚三世諸佛名，
聞此音者皆歡喜，蓮華光神如是見。
佛身變現不思議，步步色相猶如海，
隨眾生心悉令見，此妙光明之所得。
十方普現大神通，一切眾生悉開悟，
眾妙華神於此法，見已心生大歡喜。」
復次，淨喜境界身眾神，得憶佛往昔誓願海解脫門；光照十方身眾神，得光明普照無邊世界解脫門；海音調伏身眾神，得大音普覺一切眾生令歡喜調伏解脫門；淨華嚴髻身眾神，得身如虛空周遍住解脫門；無量威儀身眾神，得示一切眾生諸佛境界解脫門；最勝光嚴身眾神，得令一切飢乏眾生色力滿足解脫門；淨光香雲身眾神，得除一切眾生煩惱垢解脫門；守護攝持身眾神，得轉一切眾生愚癡魔業解脫門；普現攝化身眾神，得普於一切世主宮殿中顯示莊嚴相解脫門；不動光明身眾神，得普攝一切眾生皆令生清淨善根解脫門。
爾時，淨喜境界身眾神，承佛威力，普觀一切身眾神眾而說頌言：
「我憶須彌塵劫前，有佛妙光出興世，
世尊於彼如來所，發心供養一切佛。
如來身放大光明，其光法界靡不充，
眾生遇者心調伏，此照方神之所見。
如來聲震十方國，一切言音悉圓滿，
普覺群生無有餘，調伏聞此心歡慶。
佛身清淨恒寂滅，普現眾色無諸相，
如是遍住於世間，此淨華神之所入。
導師如是不思議，隨眾生心悉令見，
或坐或行或時住，無量威儀所悟門。
佛百千劫難逢遇，出興利益能自在，
令世悉離貧窮苦，最勝光嚴入斯處。
如來一一齒相間，普放香燈光焰雲，
滅除一切眾生惑，離垢雲神如是見。
眾生染惑為重障，隨逐魔徑常流轉，
如來開示解脫道，守護執持能悟入。
我觀如來自在力，光布法界悉充滿，
處王宮殿化眾生，此普現神之境界。
眾生迷妄具眾苦，佛在其中常救攝，
皆令滅惑生喜心，不動光神所觀見。」
〔T10 0021〕
復次，妙色那羅延執金剛神，得見如來示現無邊色相身解脫門；日輪速疾幢執金剛神，得佛身一一毛如日輪現種種光明雲解脫門；須彌華光執金剛神，得化現無量身大神變解脫門；清淨雲音執金剛神，得無邊隨類音解脫門；妙臂天主執金剛神，得現為一切世間主開悟眾生解脫門；可愛樂光明執金剛神，得普開示一切佛法差別門咸盡無遺解脫門；大樹雷音執金剛神，得以可愛樂莊嚴具攝一切樹神解脫門；師子王光明執金剛神，得如來廣大福莊嚴聚皆具足明了解脫門；密焰吉祥目執金剛神，得普觀察險惡眾生心為現威嚴身解脫門；蓮華摩尼髻執金剛神，得普雨一切菩薩莊嚴具摩尼髻解脫門。
爾時，妙色那羅延執金剛神，承佛威力，普觀一切執金剛神眾而說頌言：
「汝應觀法王，法王法如是，
色相無有邊，普現於世間。
佛身一一毛，光網不思議，
譬如淨日輪，普照十方國。
如來神通力，法界悉周遍，
一切眾生前，示現無盡身。
如來說法音，十方莫不聞，
隨諸眾生類，悉令心滿足。
眾見牟尼尊，處世宮殿中，
普為諸群生，闡揚於大法。
法海漩澓處，一切差別義，
種種方便門，演說無窮盡。
無邊大方便，普應十方國，
遇佛淨光明，悉見如來身。
供養於諸佛，億剎微塵數，
功德如虛空，一切所瞻仰。
神通力平等，一切剎皆現，
安坐妙道場，普現眾生前。
焰雲普照明，種種光圓滿，
法界無不及，示佛所行處。」
〔卷5〕
The canonical text stands in Chinese only. This edition renders the essence, the plain reading, the exposition and the apparatus into English — never the sūtra itself. Switch to 漢讀本 or 並行雙語 above to read it.
主火神：暗一除，苦就息了
再者，普光焰藏主火神，證得了能夠完全除去一切世間黑暗的解脫門（解脫門，指一道證入解脫的門路，一位神各證得一道）；普集光幢主火神，證得了能夠止息一切眾生種種迷惑漂流不定、燥熱苦惱之苦的解脫門，大光遍照主火神，證得了不動的福德之力所成的大悲寶藏的解脫門；眾妙宮殿主火神，證得了觀見如來以神通之力示現而沒有邊際的解脫門；無盡光髻主火神，證得了光明照耀無邊虛空界的解脫門；種種焰眼主火神，證得了種種福德所莊嚴的寂靜之光的解脫門；十方宮殿如須彌山主火神，證得了能夠滅除一切世間各道熾熱燃燒之苦的解脫門；威光自在主火神，證得了自在地開啟一切世間之悟的解脫門；光照十方主火神，證得了永遠破除一切愚癡執著之見的解脫門；雷音電光主火神，證得了成就一切願力而發大震吼的解脫門。
這時候，普光焰藏主火神，承受著佛的威神之力，普遍觀察一切主火神大眾，而說出偈頌來：
「你們看如來的精進之力，廣大到億劫之久也不可思議，為了利益眾生而出現在世間，所有的黑暗障蔽全都被他滅除了。眾生因為愚癡而生起種種邪見，煩惱像水流一般奔湧、像火一般燃燒，導師以種種方便把它們全都滅除，普集光幢就在這裡悟入。
「福德像虛空一樣沒有窮盡，想尋求它的邊際是不可能的，這位佛的大悲有著不動之力，大光遍照被那光一照，悟入而心生歡喜。我觀察如來所行之事，歷經劫海而沒有邊際，就這樣示現神通之力，眾妙宮殿神所了知的正是這個。
「億劫修成而不可思量，想尋求它的邊際沒有人能夠知道，演說諸法實相而令人歡喜，無盡光髻神所觀見的正是這個。十方所有的廣大會眾，一切都現前瞻仰著佛，寂靜的光明照耀世間，這是種種焰眼神所能了達的。
「牟尼出現在種種世間，安坐在一切宮殿之中，普遍降下無邊的廣大法雨，這是十方宮殿如須彌山神的境界。諸佛的智慧最為甚深，對於諸法自在而示現於世間，能夠完全闡明真實之理，威光自在悟入於此而心中欣慶。
「種種邪見與愚癡成了遮蔽的黑暗，眾生迷惑而常在生死中流轉，佛為他們開啟闡明微妙的法門，這位光照十方神能夠悟入。願的門路廣大而不可思議，以力度化修治而已經清淨，如同往昔的願心全都出現了，這是雷音電光神所了達的。」
主水神：慈心平等，法界無相
再者，普興雲幢主水神，證得了平等利益一切眾生的慈心的解脫門；海潮雲音主水神，證得了無邊法門所成莊嚴的解脫門；妙色輪髻主水神，證得了觀察所應教化者而以方便普遍攝受的解脫門；善巧漩澓主水神，證得了普遍演說諸佛甚深境界的解脫門；離垢香積主水神，證得了普遍示現清淨大光明的解脫門；福橋光音主水神，證得了清淨法界無相無性的解脫門；知足自在主水神，證得了無有窮盡的大悲之海的解脫門；淨喜善音主水神，證得了在菩薩大眾集會的道場之中作大歡喜寶藏的解脫門；普現威光主水神，證得了以無所罣礙的廣大福德之力普遍出現的解脫門；吼聲遍海主水神，證得了觀察一切眾生而發起如虛空一般調伏方便的解脫門。
這時候，普興雲幢主水神，承受著佛的威神之力，普遍觀察一切主水神大眾，而說出偈頌來：
「清淨的慈門多如剎土的微塵之數，共同生成如來的一種妙相，每一種相無不都是這樣，所以看見的人怎麼看也不厭足。世尊往昔修行的時候，普遍走到一切如來的處所，種種修治而沒有懈怠疲倦，這樣的方便正是海潮雲音所悟入的。
「佛在一切十方之中，寂然不動而無來無去，隨應教化眾生使他們全都得見，這是妙色輪髻所知道的。如來的境界沒有邊際數量，一切眾生都不能了知，以妙音演說而遍及十方，這是善巧漩澓神所行之處。
「世尊的光明沒有窮盡，充滿遍布法界而不可思議，說法教化而度脫眾生，這是離垢香積神所觀見的。如來清淨得如同虛空，無相無形而遍在十方，卻能讓與會大眾沒有一個看不見，這是福橋光音神所善於觀察的。
「佛往昔修習大悲的門路，那顆心廣大普遍而等同眾生，所以就像雲一樣出現於世間，這一道解脫門是知足自在所了達的。十方所有的種種國土，都看見如來安坐在座位上，朗然開悟大菩提，這樣的境界是淨喜善音所悟入的。
「如來所行沒有罣礙，普遍前往十方一切剎土，處處示現大神通，普現威光已經能夠悟入。修習無邊的方便之行，等同眾生界而全都充滿，神通的妙用不曾暫時停歇，吼聲遍海這位就能悟入。」
主海神：等心布施，煩惱海竭
再者，出現寶光主海神，證得了以平等之心布施一切眾生、以福德之海與眾寶莊嚴其身的解脫門；不可壞金剛幢主海神，證得了以善巧方便守護一切眾生善根的解脫門；不雜塵垢主海神，證得了能夠使一切眾生的煩惱之海乾竭的解脫門；恒住波浪主海神，證得了令一切眾生離開惡道的解脫門；吉祥寶月主海神，證得了普遍滅除大愚癡黑暗的解脫門；妙華龍髻主海神，證得了滅除一切諸道之苦而給與安樂的解脫門；普持光味主海神，證得了淨治一切眾生種種邪見與愚癡之性的解脫門；寶焰華光主海神，證得了出生一切寶貴種性之菩提心的解脫門；金剛妙髻主海神，證得了不動搖之心的功德之海的解脫門；海潮雷音主海神，證得了普遍證入法界三昧之門的解脫門。
這時候，出現寶光主海神，承受著佛的威神之力，普遍觀察一切主海神大眾，而說出偈頌來：
「不可思議的大劫海之中，供養一切諸佛如來，普遍把功德布施給眾生，所以端正莊嚴到無可比擬。一切世間都示現出來，眾生的根性與意欲無不知曉，普遍為他們宣說廣大的法海，這是不可壞金剛幢所欣然悟入的。一切世間的眾位導師，法雲降下大雨而不可測量，消竭無有窮盡的種種苦海，這是不雜塵垢所證入的法門。
「一切眾生被煩惱覆蓋，在種種道中流轉而承受眾苦，佛為他們開示如來的境界，恒住波浪神證入了這一道門。佛在難以思量的劫海之中，修行種種行而沒有窮盡，永遠斷截眾生愚癡迷惑之網，吉祥寶月在這裡能夠明白地悟入。
「佛看見眾生常懷恐怖，在生死大海之中流轉，就指示他們如來的無上之道，妙華龍髻悟解而心生欣悅。諸佛的境界不可思議，法界與虛空是平等一相，能夠淨除眾生愚癡迷惑之網，這樣的義理是普持光味所能宣說的。
「佛眼清淨而不可思議，一切境界全都看盡，普遍指示眾生種種妙道，這是寶焰華光心中所悟的。魔軍廣大而數目無央，在一剎那中全被摧滅，那顆心毫無傾動而難以測量，這是金剛妙髻的方便。
「普遍在十方演說妙音，那聲音在法界無處不周遍，這是如來三昧的境界，也是海潮雷音神所行之處。」
主河神：法雨一霈，熱惱皆清
再者，普發迅流主河神，證得了普遍降下無邊法雨的解脫門；普潔泉澗主河神，證得了普遍出現在一切眾生面前、令他們永遠離開煩惱的解脫門；離塵淨眼主河神，證得了以大悲方便普遍洗滌一切眾生種種迷惑塵垢的解脫門；十方遍吼主河神，證得了恒常發出饒益眾生之音的解脫門；普救護眾生主河神，證得了在一切有識之類中恒常生起無惱害之慈的解脫門；無熱淨光主河神，證得了普遍指示一切清涼善根的解脫門；普生歡喜主河神，證得了修行具足布施、令一切眾生永遠離開慳吝執著的解脫門；廣德勝幢主河神，證得了作一切歡喜福田的解脫門；光照普世主河神，證得了能夠令一切眾生中雜染的得清淨、瞋毒的生歡喜的解脫門；海德光明主河神，證得了能夠令一切眾生證入解脫之海、恒常領受具足之樂的解脫門。
這時候，普發迅流主河神，承受著佛的威神之力，普遍觀察一切主河神大眾，而說出偈頌來：
「如來往昔為了眾生，修治法海而行無邊際，就譬如一場大雨澆熄了炎暑，普遍滅除眾生的煩惱熱惱。佛往昔難以宣說的無量劫中，以誓願的光明淨化世間，讓諸根成熟的人悟道，這是普潔泉澗神心中所悟的。
「大悲方便等同眾生，全都出現在他們面前而常加化導誘引，普遍使他們淨治煩惱之垢，離塵淨眼看見這一點而深深歡悅。佛演說妙音而普遍使人聽聞，眾生愛樂而心生歡喜，全都使他們滌除無量之苦，這是十方遍吼神的解脫。
「佛往昔修習菩提之行，為了利益眾生經歷無量劫，所以光明遍照世間，普救護眾生神憶念起來而心生歡喜。佛往昔修行是為了眾生，以種種方便令他們成熟，普遍淨化福海而除去眾苦，無熱淨光看見這一點而心中欣慶。
「布施的門路廣大而沒有窮盡，一切眾生全都得到利益，能夠使看見的人沒有慳吝執著，這是普生歡喜神所悟的。佛往昔修行真實的方便，成就了無邊的功德之海，能夠使看見的人無不欣悅，這是廣德勝幢神心中所悟而歡悅的。
「眾生有垢全都為他淨治，一切怨害都同樣生起慈心，所以得到光明照滿虛空，光照普世河神看見而歡喜。佛是福田、是功德之海，能夠使一切眾生離開種種惡，乃至於成就大菩提，這是海德光明神的解脫。」
主稼神：法味一嘗，佛身可成
再者，柔軟勝味主稼神，證得了給與一切眾生法的滋味、令他們成就佛身的解脫門；時華淨光主稼神，證得了能夠令一切眾生領受廣大喜樂的解脫門；色力勇健主稼神，證得了以一切圓滿的法門淨化種種境界的解脫門；增益精氣主稼神，證得了得見佛的大悲與無量神通變化之力的解脫門；普生根果主稼神，證得了普遍示現佛的福田、令人下種而不失壞的解脫門；妙嚴環髻主稼神，證得了普遍開發眾生清淨信心之華的解脫門；潤澤淨華主稼神，證得了以大慈悲憐憫救濟眾生、令他們增長福德之海的解脫門；成就妙香主稼神，證得了廣泛開示一切修行之法的解脫門；見者愛樂主稼神，證得了能夠令法界一切眾生捨離懈怠憂惱等種種惡而普遍清淨的解脫門；離垢光明主稼神，證得了觀察一切眾生的善根、隨其所應而說法、令與會大眾歡喜滿足的解脫門。
這時候，柔軟勝味主稼神，承受著佛的威神之力，普遍觀察一切主稼神大眾，而說出偈頌來：
「如來有著無上的功德之海，普遍示現如明燈照耀世間，一切眾生全都得到救護，全都給與安樂而沒有遺漏。世尊的功德沒有邊際，眾生聽聞的不會白費，全都使他們離苦而常常歡喜，這是時華淨光所悟入的。
「善逝的種種力都圓滿了，功德莊嚴而示現於世間，一切眾生全被調伏，這是色力勇健所能明白證得的。佛往昔修治大悲之海，那顆心念念都等同世間，所以神通沒有邊際，增益精氣能夠觀見。
「佛遍在世間而常常現前，一切方便沒有一次空過，全都淨除眾生的種種迷惑苦惱，這是普生根果神的解脫。佛是世間的大智之海，放出清淨光明而無所不遍，廣大的信心與理解全從此而生，這樣的境界是妙嚴環髻所能明白悟入的。
「如來觀察世間而生起慈心，為了利益眾生而出現，指示他們那條恬靜怡悅的最勝之道，這是潤澤淨華神的解脫。善逝所修的清淨之行，在菩提樹下全都宣說出來，這樣的教化充滿十方，這是成就妙香神所能聽受的。
「佛在一切種種世間，全都使人離開憂愁而生大歡喜，所有的根性意欲全被治淨，見者愛樂神就在這裡悟入。如來出現在世間，普遍觀察眾生心中所樂，以種種方便令他們成熟，這是離垢光明神的解脫門。」
主藥神：一念佛，病即滅
再者，吉祥主藥神，證得了普遍觀察一切眾生之心而勤加攝取的解脫門；栴檀林主藥神，證得了以光明攝受眾生、使看見的人不空過的解脫門；離塵光明主藥神，證得了能夠以清淨方便滅除一切眾生煩惱的解脫門；名稱普聞主藥神，證得了能夠以廣大名稱增長無邊善根之海的解脫門；毛孔現光主藥神，證得了以大悲之幢迅速趕赴一切病苦境界的解脫門；破暗清淨主藥神，證得了療治一切盲昧眾生、令他們智慧之眼清淨的解脫門；普發吼聲主藥神，證得了能夠演出佛的音聲、宣說諸法差別義理的解脫門；蔽日光幢主藥神，證得了能夠作一切眾生的善知識、令看見的人都生起善根的解脫門；明見十方主藥神，證得了清淨大悲寶藏、能夠以方便令人生起信解的解脫門；普發威光主藥神，證得了以方便令人憶念佛、滅除一切眾生病苦的解脫門。
這時候，吉祥主藥神，承受著佛的威神之力，普遍觀察一切主藥神大眾，而說出偈頌來：
「如來的智慧不可思議，完全知曉一切眾生的心，能夠以種種方便之力，滅除那些迷者無量的苦。大雄的善巧難以測量，凡有所作沒有一次空過，必定使眾生的種種苦滅除，栴檀林神能夠悟入這一點。
「你們看諸佛的法就是這樣，往昔全都勤修了無量劫，而對於種種存在沒有一絲執著，這是離塵光明所證入的門。佛百千劫難得一遇，若有人得以見到或聽到名號，必定令他獲益而不空過，這是名稱普聞神所了達的。
「如來每一個毛孔之中，全都放出光明滅除眾多禍患，世間的煩惱全都令它窮盡，這是毛孔現光神所證入的門。一切眾生被愚癡所盲蔽，迷惑、業行、眾苦有無量差別，佛全都蠲除而開啟智慧之照，這樣的境界是破暗清淨所能觀見的。
「如來的一種音聲沒有限量，能夠開啟一切法門之海，眾生聽聞的全都了知，這是普發吼聲的解脫。你們看佛的智慧難以思議，普遍示現於種種道中救度眾生，能夠使看見的人都隨之受化，這是蔽日光幢所深深悟了的。
「如來的大悲方便之海，為了利益世間而出現，廣泛開啟正道而指示眾生，這是明見十方神所能了達的。如來普遍放出大光明，一切十方無不照到，令人隨著憶念佛而生起功德，這是普發威光的解脫門。」
主林神：智海含藏，信芽自長
再者，布華如雲主林神，證得了廣大無邊智慧之海寶藏的解脫門；擢幹舒光主林神，證得了廣大修治而普遍清淨的解脫門；生芽發耀主林神，證得了增長種種清淨信心之芽的解脫門；吉祥淨葉主林神，證得了一切清淨功德所莊嚴之聚的解脫門；垂布焰藏主林神，證得了以普門清淨之慧恒常周覽法界的解脫門；妙莊嚴光主林神，證得了普遍了知一切眾生行為之海而興布法雲的解脫門；可意雷聲主林神，證得了忍受一切不合意之聲而演出清淨之音的解脫門；香光普遍主林神，證得了在十方普遍示現往昔所修治廣大行境界的解脫門；妙光迴耀主林神，證得了以一切功德之法饒益世間的解脫門；華果光味主林神，證得了能夠令一切眾生見佛出興、常懷敬念而不忘失、莊嚴功德寶藏的解脫門。
這時候，布華如雲主林神，承受著佛的威神之力，普遍觀察一切主林神大眾，而說出偈頌來：
「佛往昔修習菩提之行，福德與智慧全都圓滿了，一切種種力都具足了，於是放出大光明而出現世間。悲的門路無量而等同眾生，如來往昔普遍加以淨治，所以能夠在世間作為利益，這是擢幹舒光神所了達的。
「若有眾生只要見佛一次，必定使他進入深深的信心之海，普遍指示一切如來之道，這是生芽發耀神的解脫。一個毛孔所聚集的種種功德，用劫海的時間去宣揚也說不完，諸佛的方便難以思議，吉祥淨葉能夠明白這一層深義。
「我憶念如來在往昔，供養了多如剎土微塵之數的無量諸佛，在每一位佛的處所智慧漸漸明朗，這是垂布焰藏神所了達的。一切眾生種種行為之海，世尊一念之間全都了知，這樣廣大而無所罣礙的智慧，妙莊嚴光神能夠悟入。
「恒常演出如來寂靜微妙的音聲，普遍生起無可等比的大歡喜，隨著他們的理解與意欲全都令其開悟，這是可意雷聲所行之法。如來示現大神通，十方國土全都周遍，佛往昔的修行全都使人得見，這是香光普遍所證入的門。
「眾生諂媚邪佞而不修德行，迷惑沉淪流轉於生死之中，為他們闡明種種智慧之道，這是妙光迴耀神所見的。佛為了那些有業障的眾生，經歷億劫才示現一次，其餘的則念念常令他們得見，這是華果光味神所觀察的。」
主山神：入大寂定，夢中亦長善根
再者，寶峯開華主山神，證得了證入大寂定光明的解脫門；華林妙髻主山神，證得了修集慈心善根而成熟不可思議數目眾生的解脫門；高幢普照主山神，證得了觀察一切眾生心中所樂而莊嚴淨化他們諸根的解脫門；離塵寶髻主山神，證得了在無邊劫海中勤加精進而無厭倦懈怠的解脫門；光照十方主山神，證得了以無邊功德之光普遍覺悟眾生的解脫門；大力光明主山神，證得了能夠自己成熟又令眾生捨離愚迷之行的解脫門；威光普勝主山神，證得了拔除一切苦而毫無餘剩的解脫門；微密光輪主山神，證得了演說教法光明而顯示一切如來功德的解脫門；普眼現見主山神，證得了令一切眾生乃至在夢中也增長善根的解脫門；金剛堅固眼主山神，證得了出現無邊大義之海的解脫門。
這時候，開華匝地主山神，承受著佛的威神之力，普遍觀察一切主山神大眾，而說出偈頌來：
「往昔所修的殊勝之行沒有邊際，如今所獲的神通也沒有限量，法門廣為開闢多如微塵之數，全都使眾生深深地悟入而歡喜。眾多妙相莊嚴其身而遍及世間，毛孔的光明全都清淨，以大慈方便指示一切，華林妙髻悟入了這一道門。
「佛身普遍示現而沒有邊際，十方世界全都充滿，諸根莊嚴清淨而見者歡喜，這一法是高幢普照所能悟入的。歷經長劫勤加修行而不懈怠疲倦，不被世間之法所染就如同虛空，以種種方便教化群生，悟入這一法門的名叫離塵寶髻。
「眾生盲昧黑暗而走入險道，佛哀憐他們而舒展光明照耀，普遍使世間從睡夢中醒覺，光照十方悟入此門而心生歡喜。往昔在種種存在之中廣泛修行，供養了多如剎土微塵無數的佛，令眾生見了而發起大願，這一地上的大力光明能夠明白悟入。
「看見種種眾生在流轉之苦中，一切業障恒常纏縛覆蓋，以智慧之光全都滅除，這是威光普勝神的解脫。每一個毛孔中發出妙音，隨著眾生的心讚歎諸佛，全都遍及十方而歷無量劫，這是微密光輪所證入的門。
「佛遍在十方普遍現前，以種種方便宣說妙法，廣泛利益眾生種種行為之海，這是普眼現見神所悟的。法門像大海一樣沒有邊際數量，以一種音聲為人宣說而令人全都理解，在一切劫中演說不盡，證入這一方便的是金剛堅固眼。」
主地神：慈悲一念，得金剛身
再者，普德淨華主地神，證得了以慈悲之心念念普遍觀察一切眾生的解脫門；堅福莊嚴主地神，證得了普遍示現一切眾生福德之力的解脫門；妙華嚴樹主地神，證得了普遍證入諸法而出生一切佛剎莊嚴的解脫門；普散眾寶主地神，證得了修習種種三昧、令眾生除去障垢的解脫門；淨目觀時主地神，證得了令一切眾生常常遊戲快樂的解脫門；金色妙眼主地神，證得了示現一切清淨之身而調伏眾生的解脫門；香毛發光主地神，證得了了知一切佛功德之海與大威力的解脫門；寂音悅意主地神，證得了普遍攝持一切眾生言音之海的解脫門；妙華旋髻主地神，證得了充滿佛剎而離垢之性的解脫門；金剛普持主地神，證得了為一切佛法輪所攝持而普遍出現的解脫門。
這時候，普德淨華主地神，承受著佛的威神之力，普遍觀察一切主地神大眾，而說出偈頌來：
「如來往昔在念念之中，大慈悲的門路多到不可說，就這樣修行而沒有停止過，所以得到堅牢不壞之身。三世的眾生以及菩薩，所有一切眾多的福德之聚，全都顯現在如來的毛孔之中，堅福莊嚴見了而心生歡喜。
「廣大寂靜的三摩地，不生不滅而無來無去，莊嚴淨化國土以指示眾生，這是妙華嚴樹神的解脫。佛在往昔修習種種行，是為了令眾生消除重重障礙，普散眾寶主地神，見了這一解脫而心生歡喜。
「如來的境界沒有邊際，念念之間普遍示現於世間，淨目觀時主地神，見到佛之所行而心中慶悅。妙音沒有限量而不可思議，普遍為眾生滅除煩惱，金色妙眼神能夠了悟，見到佛無邊的殊勝功德。
「一切色相形貌全都變化示現，十方法界全都充滿，香毛發光常常得見於佛，就這樣普遍教化種種眾生。妙音普遍遍及十方，在無量劫中為眾生宣說，寂音悅意地神心中了達，從佛那裡聽聞而深生敬重歡喜。
「佛的毛孔中湧出香焰之雲，隨著眾生的心而遍及世間，一切看見的人都得以成熟，這是妙華旋髻所觀之處。堅固難壞就像金剛，不可傾動而勝過須彌，佛身就是這樣處在世間，金剛普持得以見到而心生歡喜。」
主城神：破障礙山，開愚暗心
再者，寶峯光耀主城神，證得了以方便利益眾生的解脫門；妙嚴宮殿主城神，證得了了知眾生根性而教化成熟的解脫門；清淨喜寶主城神，證得了恒常歡喜而令一切眾生領受種種福德的解脫門；離憂清淨主城神，證得了救度種種怖畏的大悲寶藏的解脫門；華燈焰眼主城神，證得了普遍明了大智慧的解脫門；焰幢明現主城神，證得了普遍以方便示現的解脫門；盛福威光主城神，證得了普遍觀察一切眾生、令他們修習廣大福德之海的解脫門；淨光明身主城神，證得了開悟一切愚昧黑暗眾生的解脫門；香幢莊嚴主城神，證得了觀見如來自在之力普遍遍及世間而調伏眾生的解脫門；寶峯光目主城神，證得了能夠以大光明破除一切眾生障礙之山的解脫門。
這時候，寶峯光耀主城神，承受著佛的威神之力，普遍觀察一切主城神大眾，而說出偈頌來：
「導師就是這樣不可思議，光明遍照於十方，眾生現前全都見到佛，教化成熟的數目無有央盡。種種眾生的根性各有差別，佛全都了知而沒有遺漏，妙嚴宮殿主城神，證入這一法門而心中慶悅。
「如來在無量劫中修行，護持往昔諸佛之法，心意常常承奉而生歡喜，清淨喜寶這位城神悟入了這一道門。如來往昔已經能夠除遣一切眾生種種恐怖，而且恒常對他們生起慈悲，這是離憂清淨神心中所悟而歡喜的。
「佛的智慧廣大而沒有邊際，譬如虛空不可測量，華燈焰眼城神在這裡悟入而歡悅，能夠學得如來的微妙智慧。如來的色相等同眾生，隨著他們的愛樂意欲全都令其得見，焰幢明現心中能夠悟入，修習這一方便而生歡喜。
「如來往昔修習眾多福德之海，清淨廣大而沒有邊際，盛福威光在這一道門上，觀察了悟而心中欣慶。眾生愚迷在種種存在之中，就像世間生來就盲的人終究看不見，佛為了利益而興起於世，淨光明身神證入了這一道門。
「如來的自在沒有邊際，就像雲一樣普遍遍及世間，乃至示現於夢中而令人調伏，這是香幢莊嚴所觀見的。眾生愚癡黑暗如同盲瞽，被種種障蔽所纏繞覆蓋，佛光照徹而普遍令他們開解，這樣的境界正是寶峯光目所證入的。」
道場神：十一位神，十一首偈
再者，淨莊嚴幢道場神，證得了出現而供養佛的廣大莊嚴之具的誓願之力的解脫門；須彌寶光道場神，證得了出現在一切眾生面前而成就廣大菩提之行的解脫門；雷音幢相道場神，證得了隨著一切眾生心中所樂、令他們在夢中見佛為之說法的解脫門；雨華妙眼道場神，證得了能夠降下一切難以捨棄的眾寶莊嚴之具的解脫門；清淨焰形道場神，證得了能夠示現微妙莊嚴的道場、廣泛教化眾生令其成熟的解脫門；華纓垂髻道場神，證得了隨著根性說法而令人生起正念的解脫門；雨寶莊嚴道場神，證得了能夠以辯才普遍降下無邊歡喜之法的解脫門；勇猛香眼道場神，證得了廣泛稱讚諸佛功德的解脫門；金剛彩雲道場神，證得了示現無邊色相之樹而莊嚴道場的解脫門；蓮華光明道場神，證得了在菩提樹下寂然不動而充滿遍及十方的解脫門；妙光照耀道場神，證得了顯示如來種種力的解脫門。
這時候，淨莊嚴幢道場神，承受著佛的威神之力，普遍觀察一切道場神大眾，而說出偈頌來：
「我憶念如來在往昔的時候，在無量劫中所修的行，諸佛出興全都加以供養，所以獲得如同虛空一般的大功德。佛往昔修行無盡的布施，多到無量剎土的微塵之數，須彌寶光這位菩提場神，憶念善逝而心中欣慶。
「如來的色相沒有窮盡，變化周流於一切剎土，乃至在夢中也常常示現，雷音幢相見了這一點而生歡喜。往昔修捨的行歷經無量劫，能夠捨掉難捨的眼目多如大海，這樣的捨行是為了眾生，這是雨華妙眼神所能悟入而歡悅的。
「無邊色相的寶焰之雲，示現於菩提場而遍及世間，清淨焰形這位道場神，見到佛的自在而生歡喜。眾生的行為之海沒有邊際，佛普遍瀰漫綜理而降下法雨，隨著他們的根性理解而除去疑惑，華纓垂髻悟入此門而心中歡喜。
「無量法門的差別義理，辯才的大海全都能夠悟入，雨寶莊嚴這位道場神，在心中念念常常如此。在不可說的一切國土之中，用盡世間的言辭來稱讚佛，所以獲得名譽的大功德，這是勇猛香眼神所能憶念的。
「種種色相的無邊之樹，普遍示現於菩提樹王之下，金剛彩雲悟入了這一道門，恒常觀看道樹而生歡喜。十方的邊際不可得，佛坐在道場中智慧也是如此，蓮華光明以清淨的信心，證入這一解脫而深深生起歡喜。
「道場中一切都發出妙音，讚歎佛難以思量的清淨之力，以及成就菩提的種種因行，這是妙光照耀神所能聽受的。」
足行神：舉足下足，皆是佛事
再者，寶印手足行神，證得了普遍降下眾寶而生起廣大歡喜的解脫門；蓮華光足行神，證得了示現佛身安坐在一切光色蓮華座上、令見者歡喜的解脫門；最勝華髻足行神，證得了在每一個心念之中建立一切如來大眾集會道場的解脫門；攝諸善見足行神，證得了舉足邁步之間都能調伏無邊眾生的解脫門；妙寶星幢足行神，證得了在念念之中變化示現種種蓮華網光明、普遍降下眾寶而發出妙音聲的解脫門；樂吐妙音足行神，證得了出生無邊歡喜之海的解脫門；栴檀樹光足行神，證得了以香風普遍覺醒一切道場大眾集會的解脫門；蓮華光明足行神，證得了一切毛孔放出光明而演說微妙法音的解脫門；微妙光明足行神，證得了他的身體遍發種種光明之網而普遍照耀的解脫門；積集妙華足行神，證得了開悟一切眾生、令他們生起善根之海的解脫門。
這時候，寶印手足行神，承受著佛的神力，普遍觀察一切足行神大眾，而說出偈頌來：
「佛往昔修行了無量劫，供養一切諸佛如來，那顆心恒常慶悅而不疲倦厭煩，歡喜的門路深廣得就像大海。念念之間的神通不可測量，變化示現種種芬香的蓮華，佛安坐在上面普遍遊行往來，蓮華光神全都看見了。
「諸佛如來的法就是這樣，廣大的會眾遍及十方，普遍示現神通而不可思議，最勝華髻神全都明白地看到。十方國土的一切處所，在其中舉起腳或是放下腳，全都能夠成就種種群生，這是攝諸善見神心中所悟而歡喜的。
「如同眾生的數目那樣普遍示現其身，這每一個身充滿法界，全都放出清淨之光而降下眾寶，這樣的解脫是妙寶星幢所證入的。如來的境界沒有邊際，普遍降下法雨而全都充滿，會眾見到佛而生起歡喜，這是樂吐妙音所見的。
「佛的音聲量等同虛空，一切音聲全都在其中，調伏眾生無所不遍，這樣的境界是栴檀樹光所能聽受的。一切毛孔中發出變化之音，闡揚三世諸佛的名號，聽到這聲音的人都生歡喜，蓮華光明神就是這樣見的。
「佛身的變現不可思議，一步一步的色相就像大海，隨著眾生的心全都令其得見，這是微妙光明所得的。十方普遍示現大神通，一切眾生全都得以開悟，積集妙華神對於這一法，見到了以後心生大歡喜。」
身眾神：憶佛昔願，身如虛空
再者，淨喜境界身眾神，證得了憶念佛往昔誓願之海的解脫門；光照十方身眾神，證得了光明普遍照耀無邊世界的解脫門；海音調伏身眾神，證得了以大音聲普遍覺醒一切眾生、令他們歡喜而受調伏的解脫門；淨華嚴髻身眾神，證得了身如虛空一般周遍安住的解脫門；無量威儀身眾神，證得了指示一切眾生諸佛境界的解脫門；最勝光嚴身眾神，證得了令一切飢餓匱乏的眾生氣色體力滿足的解脫門；淨光香雲身眾神，證得了除去一切眾生煩惱之垢的解脫門；守護攝持身眾神，證得了轉去一切眾生愚癡魔業的解脫門；普現攝化身眾神，證得了普遍在一切世間之主的宮殿中顯示莊嚴之相的解脫門；不動光明身眾神，證得了普遍攝受一切眾生、全都令他們生起清淨善根的解脫門。
這時候，淨喜境界身眾神，承受著佛的威神之力，普遍觀察一切身眾神大眾，而說出偈頌來：
「我憶起須彌微塵劫以前，有一位佛名叫妙光而出興於世，世尊在那位如來的處所，發起道心而供養一切佛。如來身上放出大光明，那光在法界中無處不充滿，眾生遇到的心就受調伏，這是光照十方神所見的。
「如來的音聲震動十方國土，一切言音全都圓滿，普遍覺醒群生而沒有遺漏，海音調伏聽到這聲音而心中歡慶。佛身清淨而恒常寂滅，普遍示現種種色相而沒有諸相，就這樣遍住於世間，這是淨華嚴髻神所證入的。
「導師就是這樣不可思議，隨著眾生的心全都令其得見，或坐、或行、或有時安住，這是無量威儀所悟入之門。佛百千劫難以逢遇，出興於世而能夠自在地作利益，令世間全都離開貧窮之苦，最勝光嚴證入了這一處。
「如來每一顆牙齒之間，普遍放出香燈的光焰之雲，滅除一切眾生的迷惑，淨光香雲神就是這樣見的。眾生被染污迷惑作為重重障礙，隨逐著魔的路徑而常常流轉，如來為他們開示解脫之道，守護攝持能夠悟入。
「我觀見如來的自在之力，光明布滿法界而全都充滿，處在王的宮殿中教化眾生，這是普現攝化神的境界。眾生迷惑妄想而具受眾苦，佛在其中常常救度攝受，全都令他們滅除迷惑而生歡喜之心，這是不動光明神所觀見的。」
執金剛神：色相無邊，普現世間
再者，妙色那羅延執金剛神，證得了得見如來示現無邊色相之身的解脫門；日輪速疾幢執金剛神，證得了佛身每一根毛都像日輪一般顯現種種光明雲的解脫門；須彌華光執金剛神，證得了變化示現無量之身的大神變的解脫門；清淨雲音執金剛神，證得了無邊隨類之音的解脫門；妙臂天主執金剛神，證得了示現為一切世間之主而開悟眾生的解脫門；可愛樂光明執金剛神，證得了普遍開示一切佛法差別之門而全都窮盡無所遺漏的解脫門；大樹雷音執金剛神，證得了以可愛樂的莊嚴之具攝受一切樹神的解脫門；師子王光明執金剛神，證得了對如來廣大福德莊嚴之聚都具足明了的解脫門；密焰吉祥目執金剛神，證得了普遍觀察險惡眾生之心而為他們示現威嚴之身的解脫門；蓮華摩尼髻執金剛神，證得了普遍降下一切菩薩莊嚴之具與摩尼寶髻的解脫門。
這時候，妙色那羅延執金剛神，承受著佛的威神之力，普遍觀察一切執金剛神大眾，而說出偈頌來：
「你們應當觀察法王，法王之法就是這樣，色相沒有邊際，普遍示現於世間。佛身每一根毛，光明之網不可思議，譬如清淨的日輪，普遍照耀十方國土。
「如來的神通之力，法界全都周遍，在一切眾生面前，示現無有窮盡之身。如來說法的音聲，十方沒有聽不到的，隨著種種眾生之類，全都令他們心滿意足。
「大眾見到牟尼世尊，處在世間的宮殿之中，普遍為了種種群生，闡揚廣大之法。法海漩流迴澓之處，一切差別的義理，以種種方便之門，演說而沒有窮盡。
「無邊的大方便，普遍應現於十方國土，遇到佛的清淨光明，全都見到如來之身。供養於諸佛，多如億剎的微塵之數，功德如同虛空，一切都來瞻仰。
「神通之力平等，一切剎土都示現，安坐在微妙的道場，普遍示現在眾生面前。光焰之雲普遍照明，種種光明圓滿，法界沒有照不到的，顯示佛之所行處。」
The Presiding Spirits of Fire: Once the Darkness Is Removed, the Suffering Subsides
Furthermore, the presiding spirit of fire Universal Light Flame Treasury realized the gate of liberation of being able to remove utterly all the darkness of every world (a gate of liberation means one gateway by which liberation is realized and entered, and each spirit realizes one of them); the presiding spirit of fire Universally Gathered Light Banner realized the gate of liberation of being able to still the suffering of all sentient beings’ manifold delusions that sweep them adrift without fixity and of their parching distress, the presiding spirit of fire Great Light Pervading Illumination realized the gate of liberation of the treasury of great compassion formed by the unshakable power of merit; the presiding spirit of fire Manifold Wondrous Palaces realized the gate of liberation of beholding how the Tathāgata manifests by the power of spiritual penetration without any bound; the presiding spirit of fire Inexhaustible Light Topknot realized the gate of liberation of light shining upon the boundless realm of space; the presiding spirit of fire Manifold Flame Eyes realized the gate of liberation of the still light adorned by manifold merits; the presiding spirit of fire Palaces of the Ten Directions Like Mount Sumeru realized the gate of liberation of being able to extinguish the blazing, burning suffering of every destiny in all the worlds; the presiding spirit of fire Majestic Light and Sovereign Freedom realized the gate of liberation of opening up, in sovereign freedom, the awakening of all the worlds; the presiding spirit of fire Light Illuminating the Ten Directions realized the gate of liberation of forever demolishing all views of delusion and attachment; the presiding spirit of fire Thunder Sound and Lightning Light realized the gate of liberation of accomplishing the power of every vow and letting out a great roar.
At that time the presiding spirit of fire Universal Light Flame Treasury, sustained by the awesome spiritual power of the Buddha, surveyed everywhere the whole host of the presiding spirits of fire and uttered these verses:
“Look at the Tathāgata’s power of vigor, so vast that through a koṭi kalpas it is beyond conceiving; for the benefit of sentient beings he appeared in the world, and every shrouding darkness he extinguished. Sentient beings, out of delusion, give rise to all manner of wrong views; their afflictions surge like water and burn like fire, and the Guide extinguishes them all by every kind of skillful means — here Universally Gathered Light Banner awakened and entered.
“Merit is inexhaustible as space, and to seek out its limit is not possible; the great compassion of this Buddha has an unshakable power, and Great Light Pervading Illumination, once touched by that light, awakened and entered, and joy arose in his mind. I observe what the Tathāgata does, passing through oceans of kalpas without any bound, and just so he manifests the power of spiritual penetration — what the spirit Manifold Wondrous Palaces understands is precisely this.
“Perfected through a koṭi kalpas and past all measuring, and as for seeking out its limit, no one is able to know it; he expounds the real character of all dharmas and makes beings rejoice — what the spirit Inexhaustible Light Topknot beholds is precisely this. All the vast assemblies of the ten directions are present before him, gazing up at the Buddha, and the still light shines upon the world — this is what the spirit Manifold Flame Eyes is able to fathom.
“The Muni appears in world after world and sits at ease within every palace, raining down everywhere the boundless and vast rain of Dharma — this is the domain of the spirit Palaces of the Ten Directions Like Mount Sumeru. The wisdom of the buddhas is the most profound of all; sovereign over all dharmas, he manifests in the world and is able to set forth in full the principle of what is real — Majestic Light and Sovereign Freedom awakened and entered here, and in his mind there was gladness.
“All manner of wrong views and delusion have become a shrouding darkness, and sentient beings, deluded, turn constantly in birth and death; the Buddha opens and sets forth for them the subtle Dharma-gates — this spirit Light Illuminating the Ten Directions is able to awaken and enter. The gateway of vows is vast and beyond conceiving; by the power that ferries and transforms it has been cultivated and is already pure, and just as the vow-mind of former times, it has all come forth — this is what the spirit Thunder Sound and Lightning Light fathoms.”
The Presiding Spirits of Water: Kindness Is Impartial, and the Dharma Realm Is Without Marks
Furthermore, the presiding spirit of water Universally Rising Cloud Banner realized the gate of liberation of the kindness that benefits all sentient beings impartially; the presiding spirit of water Sea-Tide Cloud Sound realized the gate of liberation of the adornment formed by boundless Dharma-gates; the presiding spirit of water Wondrous Form Wheel Topknot realized the gate of liberation of observing those who ought to be taught and transformed and gathering them all in by skillful means; the presiding spirit of water Skillful Whirlpool realized the gate of liberation of expounding everywhere the profound domain of the buddhas; the presiding spirit of water Stainless Amassed Fragrance realized the gate of liberation of manifesting everywhere the pure great light; the presiding spirit of water Merit Bridge Light Sound realized the gate of liberation of the pure Dharma realm that is without marks and without nature; the presiding spirit of water Contentment and Sovereign Freedom realized the gate of liberation of the inexhaustible ocean of great compassion; the presiding spirit of water Pure Joy Good Sound realized the gate of liberation of being a treasury of great joy within the place of awakening where the great host of bodhisattvas assembles; the presiding spirit of water Universally Manifesting Majestic Light realized the gate of liberation of appearing everywhere by the vast power of merit that is without any obstruction; the presiding spirit of water Roaring Sound Pervading the Sea realized the gate of liberation of observing all sentient beings and arousing means of taming that are like space.
At that time the presiding spirit of water Universally Rising Cloud Banner, sustained by the awesome spiritual power of the Buddha, surveyed everywhere the whole host of the presiding spirits of water and uttered these verses:
“Gates of pure kindness as many as the dust motes of the lands together produce one wondrous mark of the Tathāgata, and every one of the marks is likewise, so that those who see him can never look their fill. When the World-Honored One practiced in former times he went everywhere to the places of all the tathāgatas, cultivating in every way without slackness or fatigue — such skillful means are what Sea-Tide Cloud Sound awakened and entered.
“The Buddha is within all the ten directions, still and unmoving, neither coming nor going, and he teaches beings as is fitting so that all of them may see him — this is what Wondrous Form Wheel Topknot knows. The domain of the Tathāgata is without bound or measure, and no sentient being can fathom it; he expounds with wondrous sound reaching throughout the ten directions — this is where the spirit Skillful Whirlpool ranges.
“The light of the World-Honored One is inexhaustible, filling and pervading the Dharma realm beyond conceiving; he preaches the Dharma, teaches, and ferries sentient beings across — this is what the spirit Stainless Amassed Fragrance beholds. The Tathāgata is pure as space, without mark and without shape, pervading the ten directions, and yet he lets not one of the assembly fail to see him — this is what the spirit Merit Bridge Light Sound observes so well.
“The Buddha in former times cultivated the gateway of great compassion, and that mind was vast and pervasive, equal to sentient beings, and so he appears in the world like a cloud — this gate of liberation is what Contentment and Sovereign Freedom fathoms. In all the lands of the ten directions they see the Tathāgata seated upon his seat, brightly awakening to the great awakening — such a domain is what Pure Joy Good Sound awakened and entered.
“What the Tathāgata does is unobstructed; he goes everywhere to all the lands of the ten directions and in every place manifests great spiritual penetration — Universally Manifesting Majestic Light has been able to awaken and enter. He cultivates boundless practices of skillful means, equal to the realm of sentient beings and filling it all, and the wondrous function of his spiritual penetration has never paused for a moment — Roaring Sound Pervading the Sea is the one who can awaken and enter.”
The Presiding Spirits of the Sea: With an Impartial Mind He Gives, and the Ocean of Afflictions Runs Dry
Furthermore, the presiding spirit of the sea Manifesting Jewel Light realized the gate of liberation of giving to all sentient beings with an impartial mind and adorning his body with an ocean of merit and with the many jewels; the presiding spirit of the sea Indestructible Vajra Banner realized the gate of liberation of guarding the roots of goodness of all sentient beings by skillful means; the presiding spirit of the sea Unmixed with Dust and Defilement realized the gate of liberation of being able to make the ocean of afflictions of all sentient beings run dry; the presiding spirit of the sea Ever Abiding in the Waves realized the gate of liberation of making all sentient beings leave the evil destinies; the presiding spirit of the sea Auspicious Jewel Moon realized the gate of liberation of extinguishing everywhere the darkness of great delusion; the presiding spirit of the sea Wondrous Flower Dragon Topknot realized the gate of liberation of extinguishing the suffering of all the destinies and bestowing peace and happiness; the presiding spirit of the sea Universally Upholding Light and Savor realized the gate of liberation of purifying the manifold wrong views and the nature of delusion in all sentient beings; the presiding spirit of the sea Jewel Flame Flower Light realized the gate of liberation of bringing forth the mind of awakening, that lineage precious as jewels, in all; the presiding spirit of the sea Vajra Wondrous Topknot realized the gate of liberation of the ocean of merit of the unshaken mind; the presiding spirit of the sea Sea-Tide Thunder Sound realized the gate of liberation of entering everywhere the gate of the samādhi of the Dharma realm.
At that time the presiding spirit of the sea Manifesting Jewel Light, sustained by the awesome spiritual power of the Buddha, surveyed everywhere the whole host of the presiding spirits of the sea and uttered these verses:
“Within oceans of great kalpas beyond conceiving he made offerings to all the buddhas, the tathāgatas, and gave his merit everywhere to sentient beings, and so his upright adornment is beyond compare. He manifests within every world and knows the faculties and inclinations of sentient beings without exception, expounding for them everywhere the vast ocean of Dharma — this is what Indestructible Vajra Banner gladly awakened and entered. All the guides of every world let the cloud of Dharma rain down immeasurably and dry up the inexhaustible oceans of suffering — this is the Dharma-gate that Unmixed with Dust and Defilement entered.
“All sentient beings are covered over by afflictions and turn about in the various destinies undergoing manifold suffering; the Buddha reveals to them the domain of the Tathāgata, and the spirit Ever Abiding in the Waves entered this gate. Through oceans of kalpas past measuring the Buddha cultivates all manner of practices without end and forever cuts through the net of delusion and confusion in sentient beings — here Auspicious Jewel Moon was able to awaken and enter with clarity.
“The Buddha sees that sentient beings live constantly in dread, turning about in the great ocean of birth and death, and so he shows them the unsurpassed path of the Tathāgata — Wondrous Flower Dragon Topknot understood this, and joy arose in his mind. The domains of the buddhas are beyond conceiving; the Dharma realm and space are equal and of one mark, and he is able to purify away the net of delusion and confusion in sentient beings — such a meaning is what Universally Upholding Light and Savor is able to declare.
“The Buddha’s eye is pure and beyond conceiving; it sees to the end of every domain, and he shows sentient beings everywhere the manifold wondrous paths — this is what Jewel Flame Flower Light awakened to in his mind. The armies of Māra are vast and numberless, and in a single instant they are all crushed and destroyed, and that mind is without the least tremor and hard to fathom — this is the skillful means of Vajra Wondrous Topknot.
“He expounds the wondrous sound everywhere in the ten directions, and that sound pervades the Dharma realm without exception — this is the domain of the Tathāgata’s samādhi, and it is where the spirit Sea-Tide Thunder Sound ranges.”
The Presiding Spirits of Rivers: Once the Rain of Dharma Pours Down, the Burning Distress Is All Cooled
Furthermore, the presiding spirit of rivers Universally Sending Forth Swift Currents realized the gate of liberation of raining down everywhere the boundless rain of Dharma; the presiding spirit of rivers Universally Cleansing Springs and Streams realized the gate of liberation of appearing everywhere before all sentient beings and making them leave afflictions forever; the presiding spirit of rivers Dust-Free Pure Eyes realized the gate of liberation of washing away everywhere, by the skillful means of great compassion, the manifold dust of delusion in all sentient beings; the presiding spirit of rivers Roaring Throughout the Ten Directions realized the gate of liberation of constantly sending forth the sound that benefits sentient beings; the presiding spirit of rivers Universally Rescuing and Protecting Sentient Beings realized the gate of liberation of constantly giving rise, among all that has consciousness, to the kindness that does no harm; the presiding spirit of rivers Unburning Pure Light realized the gate of liberation of showing everywhere all cooling roots of goodness; the presiding spirit of rivers Universally Producing Joy realized the gate of liberation of cultivating giving to the full and making all sentient beings leave stinginess and attachment forever; the presiding spirit of rivers Vast Virtue Supreme Banner realized the gate of liberation of being a field of merit that gives joy to all; the presiding spirit of rivers Light Illuminating the Whole World realized the gate of liberation of being able to make those among all sentient beings who are defiled become pure and those who are poisoned with anger become joyful; the presiding spirit of rivers Ocean Virtue Light realized the gate of liberation of being able to make all sentient beings enter the ocean of liberation and constantly receive happiness in full.
At that time the presiding spirit of rivers Universally Sending Forth Swift Currents, sustained by the awesome spiritual power of the Buddha, surveyed everywhere the whole host of the presiding spirits of rivers and uttered these verses:
“The Tathāgata in former times, for the sake of sentient beings, cultivated the ocean of Dharma and practiced without bound, just as a great rain quenches the blazing heat, extinguishing everywhere the burning distress of the afflictions in sentient beings. Through measureless kalpas past telling the Buddha purified the world with the light of his vows, letting those whose faculties were ripe awaken to the path — this is what the spirit Universally Cleansing Springs and Streams awakened to in his mind.
“Great compassion and skillful means equal to sentient beings appear before every one of them and constantly guide and draw them on, purifying everywhere the defilement of their afflictions — Dust-Free Pure Eyes saw this and rejoiced deeply. The Buddha expounds the wondrous sound and lets all hear it everywhere; sentient beings delight in it and joy arises in their minds, and it washes away for all of them measureless suffering — this is the liberation of the spirit Roaring Throughout the Ten Directions.
“The Buddha in former times cultivated the practices of awakening and passed through measureless kalpas for the benefit of sentient beings, and so his light shines upon the world everywhere — the spirit Universally Rescuing and Protecting Sentient Beings recalled this, and joy arose in his mind. The Buddha practiced in former times for the sake of sentient beings, ripening them by every kind of skillful means, purifying everywhere the ocean of merit and removing the manifold sufferings — Unburning Pure Light saw this, and in his mind there was gladness.
“The gateway of giving is vast and inexhaustible, and all sentient beings gain the benefit of it, and it can make those who see it free of stinginess and attachment — this is what the spirit Universally Producing Joy awakened to. The Buddha in former times cultivated real skillful means and accomplished a boundless ocean of merit, and he can make all who see him rejoice — this is what the spirit Vast Virtue Supreme Banner awakened to in his mind and delighted in.
“Wherever sentient beings have defilement he purifies it for them, and toward all enmity and harm he alike gives rise to kindness, and so he gains a light that shines and fills all space — the river spirit Light Illuminating the Whole World saw this and rejoiced. The Buddha is a field of merit and an ocean of merit, and he can make all sentient beings leave every evil behind and even accomplish the great awakening — this is the liberation of the spirit Ocean Virtue Light.”
The Presiding Spirits of Crops: Once the Savor of Dharma Is Tasted, the Body of a Buddha Can Be Accomplished
Furthermore, the presiding spirit of crops Soft and Supreme Savor realized the gate of liberation of giving all sentient beings the savor of Dharma and making them accomplish the body of a buddha; the presiding spirit of crops Seasonal Flower Pure Light realized the gate of liberation of being able to make all sentient beings receive vast joy and happiness; the presiding spirit of crops Form, Strength, and Valorous Vigor realized the gate of liberation of purifying the manifold objective realms by all the perfect Dharma-gates; the presiding spirit of crops Increasing Vital Essence realized the gate of liberation of seeing the Buddha’s great compassion and the measureless power of his spiritual transformations; the presiding spirit of crops Universally Producing Roots and Fruits realized the gate of liberation of showing everywhere the Buddha’s field of merit and making what is sown there never be lost or spoiled; the presiding spirit of crops Wondrously Adorned Ringed Topknot realized the gate of liberation of opening out everywhere the flower of pure faith in sentient beings; the presiding spirit of crops Moistening Pure Flower realized the gate of liberation of pitying and succoring sentient beings with great kindness and compassion and making their ocean of merit increase; the presiding spirit of crops Accomplished Wondrous Fragrance realized the gate of liberation of setting forth at large all the dharmas of practice; the presiding spirit of crops Loved by Those Who See realized the gate of liberation of being able to make all sentient beings in the Dharma realm cast off sloth, sorrow, distress, and the manifold evils and become pure everywhere; the presiding spirit of crops Stainless Light realized the gate of liberation of observing the roots of goodness of all sentient beings, preaching the Dharma as is fitting for each, and making the assembly joyful and satisfied.
At that time the presiding spirit of crops Soft and Supreme Savor, sustained by the awesome spiritual power of the Buddha, surveyed everywhere the whole host of the presiding spirits of crops and uttered these verses:
“The Tathāgata has an unsurpassed ocean of merit and manifests everywhere like a bright lamp illuminating the world; all sentient beings gain his rescue and protection, and to all he gives peace and happiness, leaving none out. The merit of the World-Honored One is without bound, and sentient beings who hear of it do not hear in vain, for he makes them all leave suffering and rejoice constantly — this is what Seasonal Flower Pure Light awakened and entered.
“The manifold powers of the Well-Gone One are all perfected, and adorned with merit he manifests in the world, and all sentient beings are tamed — this is what Form, Strength, and Valorous Vigor is able clearly to realize. The Buddha in former times cultivated the ocean of great compassion, and that mind in thought after thought was equal to the world, and so his spiritual penetration is without bound — Increasing Vital Essence is able to behold it.
“The Buddha pervades the world and is constantly present, and not one of his skillful means is ever spent in vain, for he purifies away the manifold delusions and distress of sentient beings — this is the liberation of the spirit Universally Producing Roots and Fruits. The Buddha is the ocean of great wisdom for the world; he sends forth a pure light that pervades all without exception, and vast faith and understanding are all born from it — such a domain is what Wondrously Adorned Ringed Topknot is able clearly to awaken and enter.
“The Tathāgata observes the world and gives rise to kindness, appearing for the benefit of sentient beings, and shows them that most supreme path of tranquil delight — this is the liberation of the spirit Moistening Pure Flower. The pure practices cultivated by the Well-Gone One were all declared beneath the tree of awakening, and such teaching and transforming fills the ten directions — this is what the spirit Accomplished Wondrous Fragrance is able to hear and receive.
“In every kind of world the Buddha makes beings leave sorrow behind and give rise to great joy, and all their faculties and inclinations are purified — here the spirit Loved by Those Who See awakened and entered. The Tathāgata appears in the world and observes everywhere what sentient beings delight in within their minds, ripening them by every kind of skillful means — this is the gate of liberation of the spirit Stainless Light.”
The Presiding Spirits of Herbs: Recollect the Buddha in a Single Thought, and the Sickness Is Extinguished
Furthermore, the presiding spirit of herbs Auspicious realized the gate of liberation of observing everywhere the minds of all sentient beings and diligently gathering them in; the presiding spirit of herbs Sandalwood Grove realized the gate of liberation of gathering in sentient beings by light and making those who see him not see in vain; the presiding spirit of herbs Dust-Free Light realized the gate of liberation of being able to extinguish the afflictions of all sentient beings by pure skillful means; the presiding spirit of herbs Renown Universally Heard realized the gate of liberation of being able to increase the boundless ocean of roots of goodness by his vast renown; the presiding spirit of herbs Light Appearing from the Pores realized the gate of liberation of hastening by the banner of great compassion to every realm where there is the suffering of sickness; the presiding spirit of herbs Breaking Darkness and Purifying realized the gate of liberation of healing all blind and benighted sentient beings and making the eye of their wisdom pure; the presiding spirit of herbs Universally Sending Forth a Roar realized the gate of liberation of being able to send forth the voice of a buddha and declare the differentiated meanings of all dharmas; the presiding spirit of herbs Sun-Veiling Light Banner realized the gate of liberation of being able to act as a good friend to all sentient beings and make those who see him give rise to roots of goodness; the presiding spirit of herbs Clearly Seeing the Ten Directions realized the gate of liberation of the pure treasury of great compassion, able by skillful means to give rise to faith and understanding; the presiding spirit of herbs Universally Sending Forth Majestic Light realized the gate of liberation of making beings recollect the Buddha by skillful means and extinguishing the sickness and suffering of all sentient beings.
At that time the presiding spirit of herbs Auspicious, sustained by the awesome spiritual power of the Buddha, surveyed everywhere the whole host of the presiding spirits of herbs and uttered these verses:
“The wisdom of the Tathāgata is beyond conceiving; he knows utterly the minds of all sentient beings and is able, by every kind of power of skillful means, to extinguish the measureless suffering of those who are deluded. The skillfulness of the Great Hero is hard to fathom, and nothing he does is ever spent in vain, for he surely makes the manifold sufferings of sentient beings be extinguished — the spirit Sandalwood Grove is able to awaken and enter here.
“Look, the dharma of the buddhas is just so: in former times they diligently cultivated for measureless kalpas, and yet toward the manifold existences they have not a trace of attachment — this is the gate that Dust-Free Light entered. A buddha is hard to meet in a hundred thousand kalpas, and if anyone gets to see him or hear his name, he surely makes that one gain benefit and not be spent in vain — this is what the spirit Renown Universally Heard fathoms.
“Within every single pore of the Tathāgata a light is sent forth that extinguishes manifold calamities, and the afflictions of the world are all made to run out — this is the gate that the spirit Light Appearing from the Pores entered. All sentient beings are blinded by delusion, and their confusion, their deeds, and their sufferings have measureless distinctions, and the Buddha removes them all and opens the shining of wisdom — such a domain is what Breaking Darkness and Purifying is able to behold.
“The single voice of the Tathāgata is without limit and can open the ocean of all the Dharma-gates, and the sentient beings who hear it all understand — this is the liberation of Universally Sending Forth a Roar. Look, the wisdom of the Buddha is hard to conceive; he manifests everywhere among the various destinies to ferry sentient beings across and can make those who see him be transformed accordingly — this is what Sun-Veiling Light Banner deeply understood.
“The ocean of the Tathāgata’s great compassion and skillful means appears for the benefit of the world, opening at large the right path and showing it to sentient beings — this is what the spirit Clearly Seeing the Ten Directions is able to fathom. The Tathāgata sends forth everywhere a great light, and there is nowhere in the ten directions it does not illumine, making beings give rise to merit as they recollect the Buddha — this is the gate of liberation of Universally Sending Forth Majestic Light.”
The Presiding Spirits of Forests: The Ocean of Wisdom Holds All Within, and the Sprout of Faith Grows of Itself
Furthermore, the presiding spirit of forests Spreading Flowers Like Clouds realized the gate of liberation of the treasury of the vast and boundless ocean of wisdom; the presiding spirit of forests Rising Trunk Unfurling Light realized the gate of liberation of vast cultivation and universal purification; the presiding spirit of forests Sprouting Buds Sending Out Brilliance realized the gate of liberation of increasing the manifold sprouts of pure faith; the presiding spirit of forests Auspicious Pure Leaves realized the gate of liberation of the mass adorned by all pure merits; the presiding spirit of forests Down-Spreading Flame Treasury realized the gate of liberation of constantly surveying the Dharma realm with the pure wisdom of the universal gate; the presiding spirit of forests Wondrously Adorned Light realized the gate of liberation of knowing everywhere the ocean of the conduct of all sentient beings and spreading out the cloud of Dharma; the presiding spirit of forests Agreeable Thunder Sound realized the gate of liberation of bearing all disagreeable sounds and sending forth a pure voice; the presiding spirit of forests Fragrant Light Universally Pervading realized the gate of liberation of manifesting everywhere in the ten directions the domain of the vast practice cultivated in former times; the presiding spirit of forests Wondrous Light Circling in Brilliance realized the gate of liberation of benefiting the world with all the dharmas of merit; the presiding spirit of forests Flower and Fruit, Light and Savor realized the gate of liberation of being able to make all sentient beings see the Buddha arise, keep him constantly in reverent recollection without forgetting, and adorn the treasury of merit.
At that time the presiding spirit of forests Spreading Flowers Like Clouds, sustained by the awesome spiritual power of the Buddha, surveyed everywhere the whole host of the presiding spirits of forests and uttered these verses:
“The Buddha in former times cultivated the practices of awakening, and merit and wisdom were both brought to fullness, and all the manifold powers were complete in him, and so he sent forth a great light and appeared in the world. The gateway of compassion is measureless and equal to sentient beings, and the Tathāgata cultivated it everywhere in former times, and so he is able to act for the benefit of the world — this is what the spirit Rising Trunk Unfurling Light fathoms.
“If any sentient being but sees the Buddha once, he surely makes that one enter the deep ocean of faith and shows everywhere the path of all the tathāgatas — this is the liberation of the spirit Sprouting Buds Sending Out Brilliance. The manifold merits gathered in a single pore could not be told out fully in oceans of kalpas of proclaiming, and the skillful means of the buddhas are beyond conceiving — Auspicious Pure Leaves is able to understand this deep meaning.
“I recall that the Tathāgata in former times made offerings to measureless buddhas as many as the dust motes of the lands, and in the presence of each buddha his wisdom grew brighter — this is what the spirit Down-Spreading Flame Treasury fathoms. The manifold oceans of the conduct of all sentient beings the World-Honored One knows utterly in a single thought, and such vast and unobstructed wisdom the spirit Wondrously Adorned Light is able to awaken and enter.
“He constantly sends forth the still and subtle sound of the Tathāgata and gives rise everywhere to a great joy beyond compare, and following upon their understanding and inclination he makes them all awaken — this is the dharma where Agreeable Thunder Sound ranges. The Tathāgata manifests great spiritual penetration, pervading all the lands of the ten directions, and lets the practice of the Buddha in former times be seen by all — this is the gate that Fragrant Light Universally Pervading entered.
“Sentient beings are fawning and crooked and do not cultivate virtue; deluded, they sink and turn about within birth and death, and he sets forth for them the manifold paths of wisdom — this is what the spirit Wondrous Light Circling in Brilliance sees. For the sake of those sentient beings who have obstructions from their deeds, the Buddha passes through a koṭi kalpas and manifests but once; for the rest he lets them see him constantly in thought after thought — this is what the spirit Flower and Fruit, Light and Savor observes.”
The Presiding Spirits of Mountains: Entering the Great Concentration of Stillness, Roots of Goodness Grow Even in Dreams
Furthermore, the presiding spirit of mountains Jewel Peak Opening Flowers realized the gate of liberation of entering the light of the great concentration of stillness; the presiding spirit of mountains Flower Grove Wondrous Topknot realized the gate of liberation of gathering and cultivating the roots of goodness of kindness and ripening sentient beings past conceiving in number; the presiding spirit of mountains Lofty Banner Universally Illuminating realized the gate of liberation of observing what all sentient beings delight in within their minds and adorning and purifying their faculties; the presiding spirit of mountains Dust-Free Jewel Topknot realized the gate of liberation of diligent vigor through boundless oceans of kalpas without weariness or sloth; the presiding spirit of mountains Light Illuminating the Ten Directions realized the gate of liberation of awakening sentient beings everywhere by the light of boundless merit; the presiding spirit of mountains Great Power Light realized the gate of liberation of being able to ripen himself and also to make sentient beings cast off deluded conduct; the presiding spirit of mountains Majestic Light Universally Supreme realized the gate of liberation of pulling out all suffering so that nothing at all is left; the presiding spirit of mountains Subtle and Secret Light Wheel realized the gate of liberation of expounding the light of the teaching and revealing the merit of all the tathāgatas; the presiding spirit of mountains Universal Eye Manifestly Seeing realized the gate of liberation of making all sentient beings increase their roots of goodness even within a dream; the presiding spirit of mountains Vajra Firm Eye realized the gate of liberation of bringing forth the boundless ocean of great meaning.
At that time the presiding spirit of mountains Opening Flowers Encircling the Earth, sustained by the awesome spiritual power of the Buddha, surveyed everywhere the whole host of the presiding spirits of mountains and uttered these verses:
“The excellent practices cultivated in former times were without bound, and the spiritual penetration now obtained is likewise without limit; Dharma-gates are opened out as many as the dust motes, and all of them make sentient beings deeply awaken and enter with joy. The manifold wondrous marks adorn his body and reach throughout the world, and the light of his pores is pure through and through, and by great kindness and skillful means he shows all things — Flower Grove Wondrous Topknot awakened and entered this gate.
“The body of the Buddha manifests everywhere without bound, filling all the worlds of the ten directions, and his faculties are adorned and pure so that those who see him rejoice — this dharma is what Lofty Banner Universally Illuminating is able to awaken and enter. Through long kalpas he practiced diligently without slackness or fatigue, unstained by the dharmas of the world as space is unstained, and taught the multitude of the living by every kind of skillful means — the one who awakened and entered this Dharma-gate is named Dust-Free Jewel Topknot.
“Sentient beings, blind and benighted, walk into perilous paths, and the Buddha pities them and unfurls his light to shine upon them, making the world awaken everywhere out of its sleep and dreaming — Light Illuminating the Ten Directions awakened and entered this gate, and joy arose in his mind. In former times he practiced at large within the manifold existences and made offerings to buddhas numberless as the dust motes of the lands, letting sentient beings see it and give rise to great vows — Great Power Light upon this ground is able clearly to awaken and enter.
“Seeing the manifold sentient beings within the suffering of their turning about, all bound and covered constantly by the obstructions of their deeds, he extinguishes them utterly with the light of wisdom — this is the liberation of the spirit Majestic Light Universally Supreme. From every single pore a wondrous sound is sent out that praises the buddhas in accord with the minds of sentient beings, reaching throughout the ten directions and passing through measureless kalpas — this is the gate that Subtle and Secret Light Wheel entered.
“The Buddha pervades the ten directions and is present everywhere, declaring the wondrous Dharma by every kind of skillful means and benefiting at large the manifold oceans of the conduct of sentient beings — this is what the spirit Universal Eye Manifestly Seeing awakened to. The Dharma-gates are like an ocean, without bound or measure, and he declares them with a single voice so that all understand, and through all the kalpas he expounds them without end — the one who entered this skillful means is Vajra Firm Eye.”
The Presiding Spirits of the Earth: One Thought of Kindness and Compassion, and He Gains the Vajra Body
Furthermore, the presiding spirit of the earth Universal Virtue Pure Flower realized the gate of liberation of observing all sentient beings everywhere in thought after thought with a mind of kindness and compassion; the presiding spirit of the earth Firm Merit Adornment realized the gate of liberation of manifesting everywhere the power of merit of all sentient beings; the presiding spirit of the earth Wondrous Flower Adorned Tree realized the gate of liberation of entering everywhere into all dharmas and bringing forth the adornments of all buddha-lands; the presiding spirit of the earth Universally Scattering Many Jewels realized the gate of liberation of cultivating the manifold samādhis and making sentient beings remove the defilement of their obstructions; the presiding spirit of the earth Pure Eyes Observing the Season realized the gate of liberation of making all sentient beings constantly disport themselves in happiness; the presiding spirit of the earth Golden Wondrous Eyes realized the gate of liberation of manifesting every pure body and taming sentient beings; the presiding spirit of the earth Fragrant Hair Emitting Light realized the gate of liberation of knowing the ocean of merit and the great majestic power of all the buddhas; the presiding spirit of the earth Still Sound Delighting the Mind realized the gate of liberation of holding and sustaining everywhere the ocean of the speech and sounds of all sentient beings; the presiding spirit of the earth Wondrous Flower Spiraling Topknot realized the gate of liberation of filling the buddha-lands with the nature that is free of defilement; the presiding spirit of the earth Vajra Universally Upholding realized the gate of liberation of being held and sustained by all the wheels of the Buddha’s Dharma and manifesting everywhere.
At that time the presiding spirit of the earth Universal Virtue Pure Flower, sustained by the awesome spiritual power of the Buddha, surveyed everywhere the whole host of the presiding spirits of the earth and uttered these verses:
“The Tathāgata in former times, in thought after thought, had gateways of great kindness and compassion past telling in number, and just so he practiced without ever stopping, and so he gained a body firm and indestructible. The sentient beings of the three times together with the bodhisattvas, and all the manifold masses of merit there are, all appear within the pores of the Tathāgata — Firm Merit Adornment saw this, and joy arose in his mind.
“The vast and still samādhi is unarisen and unceasing, neither coming nor going, and it adorns and purifies the lands to show them to sentient beings — this is the liberation of the spirit Wondrous Flower Adorned Tree. The Buddha in former times cultivated the manifold practices in order to make sentient beings dissolve away obstruction upon obstruction, and the presiding spirit of the earth Universally Scattering Many Jewels saw this liberation, and joy arose in his mind.
“The domain of the Tathāgata is without bound, and thought after thought he manifests everywhere within the world — the presiding spirit of the earth Pure Eyes Observing the Season saw what the Buddha does, and in his mind there was gladness. The wondrous sound is without limit and beyond conceiving, and it extinguishes the afflictions of sentient beings everywhere — the spirit Golden Wondrous Eyes was able to understand it and saw the boundless excellent merit of the Buddha.
“All forms and shapes are transformed and manifested, and the Dharma realms of the ten directions are entirely filled — Fragrant Hair Emitting Light constantly gets to see the Buddha, and just so teaches and transforms the manifold sentient beings everywhere. The wondrous sound reaches everywhere throughout the ten directions and declares to sentient beings through measureless kalpas — the earth spirit Still Sound Delighting the Mind fathomed this in his mind, and hearing it from the Buddha he gave rise to deep reverence and joy.
“From the Buddha’s pores there wells up a cloud of fragrant flames that reaches throughout the world in accord with the minds of sentient beings, and all who see it are ripened — this is what Wondrous Flower Spiraling Topknot beholds. Firm and hard to break as vajra, unshakable and surpassing Sumeru — just so does the body of the Buddha abide in the world, and Vajra Universally Upholding got to see it, and joy arose in his mind.”
The Presiding Spirits of Cities: Breaking the Mountain of Obstruction, Opening the Mind of Delusion and Darkness
Furthermore, the presiding spirit of cities Jewel Peak Radiance realized the gate of liberation of benefiting sentient beings by skillful means; the presiding spirit of cities Wondrously Adorned Palace realized the gate of liberation of knowing the faculties of sentient beings and teaching and ripening them; the presiding spirit of cities Pure Joy Jewel realized the gate of liberation of constant joy that makes all sentient beings receive the manifold merits; the presiding spirit of cities Free of Sorrow and Pure realized the gate of liberation of the treasury of great compassion that rescues from the manifold dreads; the presiding spirit of cities Flower Lamp Flame Eyes realized the gate of liberation of understanding everywhere the great wisdom; the presiding spirit of cities Flame Banner Brightly Appearing realized the gate of liberation of manifesting everywhere by skillful means; the presiding spirit of cities Abundant Merit Majestic Light realized the gate of liberation of observing all sentient beings everywhere and making them cultivate the vast ocean of merit; the presiding spirit of cities Pure Radiant Body realized the gate of liberation of awakening all sentient beings who are benighted in darkness; the presiding spirit of cities Fragrant Banner Adornment realized the gate of liberation of beholding how the sovereign power of the Tathāgata reaches everywhere throughout the world and tames sentient beings; the presiding spirit of cities Jewel Peak Light Eyes realized the gate of liberation of being able to break the mountain of obstruction of all sentient beings with a great light.
At that time the presiding spirit of cities Jewel Peak Radiance, sustained by the awesome spiritual power of the Buddha, surveyed everywhere the whole host of the presiding spirits of cities and uttered these verses:
“The Guide is just so, beyond conceiving; his light shines everywhere throughout the ten directions, and sentient beings all see the Buddha present before them, and those he teaches and ripens are numberless. The faculties of the manifold sentient beings each differ, and the Buddha knows them all without exception — the presiding spirit of cities Wondrously Adorned Palace entered this Dharma-gate, and in his mind there was gladness.
“The Tathāgata cultivated through measureless kalpas and upheld the dharma of the buddhas of former times, and his intent was constantly to serve them and rejoice — this city spirit Pure Joy Jewel awakened and entered this gate. The Tathāgata in former times was already able to dispel the manifold dreads of all sentient beings, and moreover he constantly gives rise to kindness and compassion toward them — this is what the spirit Free of Sorrow and Pure awakened to in his mind and rejoiced in.
“The wisdom of the Buddha is vast and without bound, like space it cannot be measured — the city spirit Flower Lamp Flame Eyes awakened and rejoiced here and is able to learn the subtle wisdom of the Tathāgata. The forms of the Tathāgata are equal to sentient beings, and following their love and inclination he lets them all see him — Flame Banner Brightly Appearing was able to awaken and enter within his mind and cultivated this skillful means and rejoiced.
“The Tathāgata in former times cultivated the manifold oceans of merit, pure and vast and without bound — Abundant Merit Majestic Light, upon this gate, observed and understood, and in his mind there was gladness. Sentient beings are deluded amid the manifold existences, like those born blind in the world who never in the end can see, and the Buddha arose in the world for their benefit — the spirit Pure Radiant Body entered this gate.
“The sovereign freedom of the Tathāgata is without bound, and like a cloud it reaches everywhere throughout the world, and he even manifests within dreams and tames beings there — this is what Fragrant Banner Adornment beholds. Sentient beings are deluded and dark as the blind, wrapped and covered by the manifold obstructing veils, and the Buddha’s light shines through and opens them all up — such a domain is precisely what Jewel Peak Light Eyes entered.”
The Spirits of the Place of Awakening: Eleven Spirits, Eleven Verses
Furthermore, the spirit of the place of awakening Pure Adornment Banner realized the gate of liberation of the power of the vow to bring forth the vast adornments with which the Buddha is served; the spirit of the place of awakening Sumeru Jewel Light realized the gate of liberation of appearing before all sentient beings and accomplishing the vast practices of awakening; the spirit of the place of awakening Thunder Sound Banner Mark realized the gate of liberation of following what all sentient beings delight in within their minds and making them see the Buddha preach the Dharma to them in a dream; the spirit of the place of awakening Raining Flowers Wondrous Eyes realized the gate of liberation of being able to rain down all the manifold jeweled adornments that are hard to give away; the spirit of the place of awakening Pure Flame Form realized the gate of liberation of being able to manifest a subtly adorned place of awakening and teach sentient beings at large and ripen them; the spirit of the place of awakening Flower Tassel Hanging Topknot realized the gate of liberation of preaching the Dharma according to their faculties and making them give rise to right recollection; the spirit of the place of awakening Raining Jewels Adornment realized the gate of liberation of being able to rain down everywhere the boundless dharma of joy by eloquence; the spirit of the place of awakening Valorous Fragrant Eyes realized the gate of liberation of praising at large the merit of the buddhas; the spirit of the place of awakening Vajra Coloured Clouds realized the gate of liberation of manifesting boundless trees of forms and adorning the place of awakening; the spirit of the place of awakening Lotus Radiance realized the gate of liberation of being still and unmoving beneath the tree of awakening and yet filling and pervading the ten directions; the spirit of the place of awakening Wondrous Light Shining realized the gate of liberation of revealing the manifold powers of the Tathāgata.
At that time the spirit of the place of awakening Pure Adornment Banner, sustained by the awesome spiritual power of the Buddha, surveyed everywhere the whole host of the spirits of the place of awakening and uttered these verses:
“I recall the Tathāgata in the time of old and the practices he cultivated through measureless kalpas, making offerings to all the buddhas who arose, and so he obtained a great merit like space itself. The Buddha in former times cultivated inexhaustible giving, as much as the dust motes of measureless lands — Sumeru Jewel Light, this spirit of the seat of awakening, recalled the Well-Gone One, and in his mind there was gladness.
“The forms of the Tathāgata are inexhaustible; transformed, they flow throughout all the lands and even within a dream are constantly manifested — Thunder Sound Banner Mark saw this, and joy arose. In former times he cultivated the practice of relinquishing through measureless kalpas and was able to give away what is hard to give, eyes as many as an ocean, and such relinquishing was for the sake of sentient beings — this is what the spirit Raining Flowers Wondrous Eyes was able to awaken and enter and rejoice in.
“Clouds of jeweled flames of boundless forms are manifested at the seat of awakening and reach throughout the world — Pure Flame Form, this spirit of the place of awakening, saw the sovereign freedom of the Buddha and rejoiced. The oceans of the conduct of sentient beings are without bound, and the Buddha spreads over them everywhere, ordering them and raining down the Dharma, and following their faculties and understanding removes their doubts — Flower Tassel Hanging Topknot awakened and entered this gate, and in his mind there was joy.
“The differentiated meanings of measureless Dharma-gates, the whole ocean of eloquence, he is able to awaken to and enter — Raining Jewels Adornment, this spirit of the place of awakening, is constantly so in thought after thought within his mind. Within all the lands past telling, exhausting the words of the world in praising the Buddha, he thereby obtains the great merit of renown — this is what the spirit Valorous Fragrant Eyes is able to recall.
“Boundless trees of manifold forms are manifested everywhere beneath the king of the trees of awakening — Vajra Coloured Clouds awakened and entered this gate and constantly gazes upon the tree of the path and rejoices. The bounds of the ten directions cannot be found, and so it is with the wisdom of the Buddha seated within the place of awakening — Lotus Radiance, with a pure mind of faith, entered this liberation and gave rise to deep joy.
“Within the place of awakening all things send forth a wondrous sound praising the pure power of the Buddha past measuring and the manifold practices that are the causes of accomplishing awakening — this is what the spirit Wondrous Light Shining is able to hear and receive.”
The Spirits That Go on Foot: Lifting the Foot and Setting It Down, All of It Is the Buddha’s Work
Furthermore, the spirit that goes on foot Jewel Seal Hand realized the gate of liberation of raining down the manifold jewels everywhere and giving rise to vast joy; the spirit that goes on foot Lotus Light realized the gate of liberation of manifesting the body of the Buddha seated upon lotus seats of every light and color and making those who see him rejoice; the spirit that goes on foot Supreme Flower Topknot realized the gate of liberation of establishing within every single thought all the assemblies of the tathāgatas and their places of awakening; the spirit that goes on foot Gathering In All Good Seeing realized the gate of liberation of being able to tame boundless sentient beings in the lifting of a foot and the taking of a step; the spirit that goes on foot Wondrous Jewel Star Banner realized the gate of liberation of transforming and manifesting in thought after thought the manifold nets of lotus flowers and their light, raining down the manifold jewels everywhere and sending forth wondrous sounds; the spirit that goes on foot Delighting to Utter Wondrous Sounds realized the gate of liberation of bringing forth the boundless ocean of joy; the spirit that goes on foot Sandalwood Tree Light realized the gate of liberation of awakening everywhere by a fragrant wind all the assemblies at the place of awakening; the spirit that goes on foot Lotus Radiance realized the gate of liberation of sending forth light from every pore and expounding the subtle and wondrous sound of the Dharma; the spirit that goes on foot Subtle and Wondrous Radiance realized the gate of liberation in which his body sends out everywhere the manifold nets of light and illumines all things; the spirit that goes on foot Amassing Wondrous Flowers realized the gate of liberation of awakening all sentient beings and making them give rise to the ocean of roots of goodness.
At that time the spirit that goes on foot Jewel Seal Hand, sustained by the spiritual power of the Buddha, surveyed everywhere the whole host of the spirits that go on foot and uttered these verses:
“The Buddha in former times practiced through measureless kalpas, making offerings to all the buddhas, the tathāgatas, and that mind was constantly glad without weariness or aversion, and the gateway of his joy was deep and vast as an ocean. His spiritual penetration in thought after thought is past fathoming; he transforms and manifests the manifold fragrant lotus flowers, and the Buddha sits upon them and roams everywhere — the spirit Lotus Light saw it all.
“The dharma of the buddhas, the tathāgatas, is just so: their vast assemblies reach throughout the ten directions, and they manifest everywhere a spiritual penetration beyond conceiving — the spirit Supreme Flower Topknot saw it all with clarity. In all the places of the lands of the ten directions, when a foot is lifted there or set down, all of it is able to accomplish the manifold living beings — this is what the spirit Gathering In All Good Seeing awakened to in his mind and rejoiced in.
“He manifests his body everywhere in numbers like the numbers of sentient beings, and each of these bodies fills the Dharma realm, and all of them send forth a pure light and rain down the manifold jewels — such a liberation is what Wondrous Jewel Star Banner entered. The domain of the Tathāgata is without bound; he rains down the rain of Dharma everywhere and fills all things, and the assembly sees the Buddha and gives rise to joy — this is what Delighting to Utter Wondrous Sounds saw.
“The sound of the Buddha is equal in measure to space, and every sound is contained within it, and it tames sentient beings everywhere without exception — such a domain is what Sandalwood Tree Light is able to hear and receive. From every pore a transformed sound is sent forth proclaiming the names of the buddhas of the three times, and those who hear that sound give rise to joy — this is how the spirit Lotus Radiance saw it.
“The transformations manifested by the Buddha’s body are beyond conceiving, and the forms of step after step are like an ocean, and following the minds of sentient beings he lets them all see it — this is what Subtle and Wondrous Radiance obtained. He manifests great spiritual penetration everywhere in the ten directions, and all sentient beings are able to awaken — the spirit Amassing Wondrous Flowers, toward this dharma, saw it and great joy arose in his mind.”
The Spirits of the Bodily Host: The Body Is Like Space, and Also Like a Good Field
Furthermore, the spirit of the bodily host Pure Joy Domain realized the gate of liberation of recalling the ocean of the Buddha’s vows of former times; the spirit of the bodily host Light Illuminating the Ten Directions realized the gate of liberation of light shining everywhere upon boundless worlds; the spirit of the bodily host Ocean Sound Taming realized the gate of liberation of awakening all sentient beings everywhere with a great sound and making them rejoice and be tamed; the spirit of the bodily host Pure Flower Adorned Topknot realized the gate of liberation of the body abiding pervasively like space; the spirit of the bodily host Measureless Deportment realized the gate of liberation of showing all sentient beings the domains of the buddhas; the spirit of the bodily host Supreme Light Adornment realized the gate of liberation of making the color and strength of all hungry and destitute sentient beings be satisfied; the spirit of the bodily host Pure Light Fragrant Clouds realized the gate of liberation of removing the defilement of the afflictions of all sentient beings; the spirit of the bodily host Guarding and Sustaining realized the gate of liberation of turning about the deluded work of Māra in all sentient beings; the spirit of the bodily host Universally Manifesting and Transforming realized the gate of liberation of revealing the marks of adornment everywhere within the palaces of all the rulers of the worlds; the spirit of the bodily host Unshakable Radiance realized the gate of liberation of gathering in all sentient beings everywhere and making them all give rise to pure roots of goodness.
At that time the spirit of the bodily host Pure Joy Domain, sustained by the awesome spiritual power of the Buddha, surveyed everywhere the whole host of the spirits of the bodily host and uttered these verses:
“I recall that kalpas ago, as many as the dust motes of Sumeru, there was a buddha named Wondrous Light who arose in the world, and in the presence of that tathāgata the World-Honored One gave rise to the mind of the path and made offerings to all the buddhas. From the body of the Tathāgata a great light is sent forth, and that light fills the Dharma realm without exception, and the sentient beings it meets are tamed within their minds — this is what the spirit Light Illuminating the Ten Directions saw.
“The voice of the Tathāgata shakes the lands of the ten directions, and every speech and sound is complete in it, and it awakens the multitude of the living everywhere without exception — Ocean Sound Taming heard that sound, and in his mind there was gladness. The body of the Buddha is pure and constantly still, and it manifests every form everywhere and yet is without marks, and just so it abides pervasively within the world — this is what the spirit Pure Flower Adorned Topknot entered.
“The Guide is just so, beyond conceiving; following the minds of sentient beings he lets them all see him, whether sitting, or walking, or at times abiding — this is the gate that Measureless Deportment awakened and entered. A buddha is hard to encounter in a hundred thousand kalpas; arising in the world he is able to act for their benefit in sovereign freedom, making the world leave behind the suffering of poverty — Supreme Light Adornment entered this place.
“Between each and every tooth of the Tathāgata clouds of fragrant lamps and flames are sent forth everywhere that extinguish the delusion of all sentient beings — this is how the spirit Pure Light Fragrant Clouds saw it. Sentient beings take defilement and delusion for their heavy obstruction and follow after the paths of Māra and turn about constantly, and the Tathāgata reveals to them the path of liberation — Guarding and Sustaining is able to awaken and enter.
“I behold the sovereign power of the Tathāgata: his light spreads over the Dharma realm and fills it entirely, and dwelling within the palaces of kings he teaches and transforms sentient beings — this is the domain of the spirit Universally Manifesting and Transforming. Sentient beings are deluded and imagine falsely and undergo the manifold sufferings, and the Buddha within their midst constantly rescues and gathers them in, making them all extinguish delusion and give rise to a mind of joy — this is what the spirit Unshakable Radiance beholds.”
The Vajra-Bearing Spirits: Seeing the Body of Boundless Forms
Furthermore, the vajra-bearing spirit Wondrous Form Nārāyaṇa realized the gate of liberation of seeing how the Tathāgata manifests a body of boundless forms; the vajra-bearing spirit Sun-Wheel Swift Banner realized the gate of liberation in which every single hair of the Buddha’s body reveals manifold clouds of light like a sun-wheel; the vajra-bearing spirit Sumeru Flower Light realized the gate of liberation of the great spiritual transformation of manifesting measureless bodies; the vajra-bearing spirit Pure Cloud Sound realized the gate of liberation of the boundless sound that accords with each kind; the vajra-bearing spirit Wondrous Arm Lord of Gods realized the gate of liberation of manifesting as the ruler of every world and awakening sentient beings; the vajra-bearing spirit Lovely Radiance realized the gate of liberation of setting forth everywhere the gates of the distinctions among all the dharmas of the Buddha and exhausting them all with nothing left out; the vajra-bearing spirit Great Tree Thunder Sound realized the gate of liberation of gathering in all the tree spirits with lovely adornments; the vajra-bearing spirit Lion King Radiance realized the gate of liberation of being fully and clearly aware of the mass of the vast merit and adornment of the Tathāgata; the vajra-bearing spirit Secret Flame Auspicious Eyes realized the gate of liberation of observing everywhere the minds of dangerous and evil sentient beings and manifesting for them a body of awesome dignity; the vajra-bearing spirit Lotus Maṇi Topknot realized the gate of liberation of raining down everywhere all the adornments of the bodhisattvas and the maṇi jeweled topknot.
At that time the vajra-bearing spirit Wondrous Form Nārāyaṇa, sustained by the awesome spiritual power of the Buddha, surveyed everywhere the whole host of the vajra-bearing spirits and uttered these verses:
“You should observe the King of Dharma; the dharma of the King of Dharma is just so: his forms are without bound, and he manifests everywhere within the world. Of the body of the Buddha, every single hair — the net of its light is beyond conceiving, like a pure sun-wheel it shines everywhere upon the lands of the ten directions.
“The power of the Tathāgata’s spiritual penetration pervades the whole Dharma realm; before every sentient being he manifests a body that is never exhausted. The voice of the Tathāgata preaching the Dharma — there is nowhere in the ten directions it is not heard; following upon the manifold kinds of sentient beings, he satisfies the minds of them all.
“The assembly sees the Muni, the World-Honored One, dwelling within the palaces of the world, and everywhere, for the sake of the manifold living, setting forth the vast Dharma. In the place where the ocean of Dharma whirls and eddies, all the differentiated meanings, by every kind of gate of skillful means, he expounds without ever exhausting them.
“The boundless great skillful means responds and appears everywhere in the lands of the ten directions; those who meet the pure light of the Buddha all see the body of the Tathāgata. Making offerings to the buddhas as many as the dust motes of a koṭi lands, his merit is like space, and all come to gaze upon it.
“The power of his spiritual penetration is impartial; he manifests within all the lands and, sitting at ease within the subtle place of awakening, manifests everywhere before sentient beings. Clouds of flames shine and illumine everywhere, and the manifold lights are complete; there is nothing in the Dharma realm they do not reach, revealing the place where the Buddha ranges.”
先看清楚這一卷在做什麼
這一卷的體例極整齊：十四類神眾，每一類先由經家一口氣敘完十位神各自證得的一道解脫門，然後由這一類的首座承著佛的威神之力，普遍觀察同類大眾而說十首偈，一首偈對應一位神。十四類之中十三類都是十位神十首偈，唯有道場神是十一位神十一首偈——澄觀在《疏》裡沒有把它當成錯漏，而是逐字標明道場神一段是十一法、十一偈。本卷的整齊之中共有三處例外，這是第一處；另二處是主山神一則的說偈者不是該類長行的首座，以及足行神一則的套語作承佛神力而不是承佛威力——此一則之神字，宋元明三本作威，與常式同，見考據之校記（詳見承衍）。讀的時候要記住。
先要立一個分際。本卷所屬的『稱揚讚德分』、以及「異生眾」「同生眾」這一對名目，經文裡一個字也沒有。這些全是澄觀科判本經時所立的科名。澄觀在本卷之末結了一句「上來異生眾竟」，其下才進入同生眾也就是普賢等菩薩眾。所以讀到「異生」二字，要知道那是疏家為了讓你看出結構而安的標籤，不是經自己給這些神取的身分。
第二個分際更要緊。這些神是什麼？很容易讀成一份神祇名冊——火有火神，水有水神，山有山神，連走路都有足行神。若這樣讀，這一卷就只是一段冗長的與會名單。但看經文的句式：每一位神所證得的那道門，都和他所主的那件事扣得死緊。主火神所得的第一門是除世間之暗，主河神所得的第一門是普雨法雨，足行神所得的是舉足下足調伏眾生。澄觀在道場神一段的末尾把這個扣法一句說破：既然是道場之神，所以得的是道場事中的解脫。事與法不是兩截，主什麼事就從什麼事入。
還有一層排誤。這一百四十一道門不是一百四十一種不同的佛法，也不是階梯。它們是一百四十一個入口。法藏在解六十本相應段時，替讀者問過一個很重的問題：普賢菩薩與佛同在果海，這些神既然是雜類卑微之流，憑什麼也算在果海之中？他自己給的答覆分兩面：一面是果能攝因，因為是佛成就了他們，所以並無分別；一面是因能入果，乘著解脫門這個因就入了果，乘著別就入了總，乘著一道門就入了整片海。這個答覆正是本卷讀法的鑰匙——不是要你數清一百四十一道門，是要你認得任何一道門進去，走到的是同一片海。
以下逐類逐門說。凡是澄觀、法藏、李通玄所釋，都逐處標明是誰的話。
主火神十門：火所表的是除暗與成熟
澄觀科這一類為第六。他先給了這一類一個總的取義：以精進之力現於世間，除去眾生的無明，因為是十四類之首，所以偏取火的義涵。法藏在六十本處把火的義涵列得更細，說火是成熟義、照明義、焚燒義、除闇義，前兩義成就福慧二種莊嚴，後兩義滅除煩惱所知二種障。這兩重取義合起來，就是本類十門的骨架。
第一門「悉除一切世間闇」，是本卷開卷第一句，也是全類之綱——火之為火，最直接的用處就是照破黑暗。第二門息眾生諸惑漂流熱惱苦，澄觀點明惑有兩種作用，一是漂、二是惱，能善巧迴轉就能止息它。這個分法很要緊：迷惑之害不只是熱惱難受，還在於它把人沖走。第三門無動福力大悲藏，澄觀說這是稱合法性的福，相與惑都動搖不了它，與大悲合起來則自利也不動；能攝持無盡功德，所以叫作藏。第四門觀如來神通力示現無邊際，這是十門中唯一有異本問題的一門，澄觀誌了梵本與諸本的出入（詳見承衍）。第五門光明照耀無邊虛空界，澄觀在此處大開，用日與空的關係立了十義來辨其難思：日與空非即非離、非住非不住、日是破暗的良緣而顯出空、雖滅暗顯空而空無損益、暗除而空性不增卻萬象皆現、空性雖淨無日則暗起、空不能自己除暗必須假日、日無空則無所照空無日則暗不自除、暗性無來去而日之體相不生滅、有日照空則乾坤洞曉。這十義說完，他把喻回扣到修行上：以智慧之日照心性之空，也有十義，照著這個喻去想。並且特別聲明，這十義不只是解釋這一句，是可以遠通眾經、貫串前後的。
第六門種種福莊嚴寂靜光，澄觀說是體性寂靜而發出照用，所以名寂靜光，以此成就福德所莊嚴的身相。第七門滅諸趣熾然苦、第八門自在開悟一切世間，澄觀在此只說可知——意思是這兩門的義涵，前面幾門的讀法已經夠用：熾然之苦仍是火義的反面，開悟世間仍是照明之用。第九門永破愚癡執著見，澄觀分兩層：分別法相就永離不了之愚癡，悟入法之實性就沒有執著之見——愚與見是兩病，要用兩藥。第十門成就一切願力大震吼，澄觀說是以行扶願，所以能現於世間作師子吼；願若沒有行撐著，是吼不出聲的。
排誤：不要把火讀成毀滅。這一類十門裡沒有一門是燒掉什麼，全都落在照、除、滅苦、開悟上。落地處在第十門——你若有願而發不出聲音，缺的不是願，是行。
主水神十門：慈是水，法界無相也是水
澄觀科為第七。這一類的線索在水的兩種性質：潤與流。
第一門平等利益一切眾生慈，澄觀直斷為無緣大慈，所以叫平等——慈若還挑對象，就不平等。第二門無邊法莊嚴，是以無邊的行法莊嚴自身也莊嚴他人。第三門觀所應化方便普攝，澄觀說是寂然不動來觀察根機，感應而通達來隨順攝受，並補了一個水喻：冬天則積雪凝白，夏天則無處不流——不動與遍流是同一水。第四門普演諸佛甚深境界，是以妙音演說佛的深旨，令人悟入妙法的漩澓。第五門普現清淨大光明，澄觀說是身光智光二種光遍覺開化，充滿法界而清淨無垢。
第六門清淨法界無相無性，這一門最須留意，因為它與前後諸門的體例不同——前面說的都是作用，這一門說的是體。澄觀的話很省：清淨法界性與相都絕待，德無所不見則大用不亡。他要遮的是一種誤讀：既然無相無性，是不是就什麼都沒有了？不是，正因為性相俱絕，大用才不會落空。第七門無盡大悲海，澄觀說眾生不窮盡所以大悲無窮盡，滿而不溢，這裡有知足之義——這位神名叫知足自在，知足不是少要一點，是滿到不溢。第八門於菩薩眾會道場中為大歡喜藏，是處處見佛所以大喜無窮，喜從佛生所以佛就叫作藏。第九門以無礙廣大福德力普出現，澄觀說是性相無礙之福，所以能普現神通。第十門觀察眾生發起如虛空調伏方便，說調生之行廣如虛空無邊，用而不曾暫停如虛空無盡。
澄觀對本類偈頌另有一段釋，落在第一偈上：前半辨一相的因果，次句類推其餘，末句辨其利益。他說以慈為因得妙相之果，以相為因得無厭之果；並在此處放進一句華嚴義理極重的話——純與雜無礙、因與果相融，是圓滿地成就而不是分份地成就，佛的一相一毛就等同法界而沒有分量，這位神只是從一道慈門入了無盡的相。落地：你若只修得一種心，不必嫌少，門就是從那一種心開的。
主海神十門：海表容納，也表不動
澄觀科為第八，並在科首就註明本類偈頌脫了第三首（詳見承衍）。
第一門以等心施眾生福德海眾寶莊嚴身，澄觀說是為眾生而供佛，這是平等布施之福，所以得眾寶之相莊嚴其身。第二門巧方便守護眾生善根，是善巧隨順根性意欲而說法護持其善，使它長成。第三門能竭眾生煩惱海，是演說深廣之法，體達煩惱本空。第四門令眾生離惡道，澄觀說若見佛的境界則惑亡苦息。第五門普滅大癡暗，一句話：以智滅癡。第六門滅諸趣苦與安樂，澄觀說為行所遷則一切皆苦，菩提之因一起則生滅之苦亡，就得涅槃寂滅之樂——這一門把苦樂的分界說得極清楚，不在境上，在因上。
第七門淨治眾生諸見愚癡性，這一門要與第五門對讀。澄觀說：拿智慧去滅愚癡，還免不了落在見上；了達愚癡與見的體性，愚癡與見自己就亡了。真與妄平等而觀，這才是佛的境界。第五門是滅，第七門是了——先滅後了，次第分明。第八門出生一切寶種性菩提心，澄觀說一切眾生都有佛的種性，圓明可貴、具德所以稱寶；佛眼普觀、佛智普示，正因由此而顯，如同從地下取出金藏；大心一起就像種子生芽，所以說出生。第九門不動心功德海，是了達真如而不執取則心不搖動，湛然如同停止的海；萬德所歸，所以須彌可以傾倒而魔不能相擾。第十門普入法界三昧門，是入了法界之定，就如法界一般周遍。
排誤：海在這一類裡不只表容量。第九門的海是「停海」，是不動；第三門的海是要被竭盡的煩惱海。同一個字，一處作所喻、一處作所破，不可混看。
主河神十門：十道門，十種水
澄觀科為第九。這一類是全卷用喻最密的一段——澄觀幾乎逐門都配一種水象，等於用十種水講十道門。
第一門普雨無邊法雨，他說是行成而雨法，如霈然大雨滅惑生德，如懸河迅流而無所滯礙。第二門普現眾生前令永離煩惱，是現身息惱，如泉澗洗心。第三門大悲方便普滌諸惑塵垢，是真實滌垢而慈智相資，如碧沼澄潭空色交映——所以這位神名叫離塵淨眼。第四門恒出饒益眾生音，是圓音遍益，如崩浪發響。第五門於含識中恒起無惱害慈，一句：拯救漂溺。第六門普示一切清涼善根，是善根無惑可謂清涼，如阿耨達池永無熱惱。第七門修行具足施令永離慳著，是施門無量令彼無慳，如蘊藻菱蓮普令人喜。第八門作一切歡喜福田，是行福契合真實所以見者無不欣悅，如深湖廣陂，這叫廣德。第九門令雜染者清淨瞋毒者歡喜，是方便慧力使雜染皆淨，慈的力量讓怨害瞋恨反而成為歡喜，如萬頃波澄而光映天下。第十門令眾生入解脫海恒受具足樂，是總收萬善令歸會於涅槃，如百川全都會歸大海；能會歸大海是靠智，所以這位神名叫海德光明。
排誤：這十種水象不是修辭的花樣，是十種不同的作用方式。急流是無滯，泉澗是洗，澄潭是照，崩浪是聲，冷池是無熱，蓮藻是可喜，廣陂是能容，波澄是映天，百川是歸海。你要利益一個人，先看該用哪一種水。落地：第九門最難——讓怨恨你的人反而歡喜，澄觀說靠的是慈，不是辯。
主稼神十門：法有滋味，種下去要能結果
澄觀科為第十。稼是田禾，法藏在六十本處作穀神，說是資持義，養育黎民令其歡喜。
第一門與眾生法滋味令成就佛身，澄觀說是功德與智慧兩種法味資養而成佛身。第二門令受廣大喜樂，說喜樂由於苦除——樂不是外加的，是苦去了以後本來的樣子。第三門以圓滿法門淨諸境界，說眾生就是所淨之境。第四門見佛大悲無量神通變化力，說悲深所以神通廣——通不是本事大，是悲夠深。第五門普現佛福田令下種無失壞，說下種在眾生之田，必定至於結果而不壞。第六門普發眾生淨信華，說是智開發眾生的信，獲得果實所以稱華。第七門大慈愍濟諸眾生令增長福德海，說以慈眼看待眾生所以福聚無量，慈則恬和怡悅，所以偈裡稱之為勝道。第八門廣開示一切行法，說以行成佛，所以始成正覺就宣說行法——這一句正扣本經始成正覺的場景。第九門令捨離懈怠憂惱等諸惡普清淨，說懈於修習則憂惱生，勤策諸根則眾惡清淨；憂惱的根不在境遇，在懈怠。第十門觀察善根隨應說法令歡喜滿足，說隨著根性宣說，遂了他所求所以歡喜。
落地：這一類的邏輯是農事的邏輯——先有味，才吃得下；先除苦，才有樂；先下種，才有果；先勤，才不憂。次第不能跳。
主藥神十門：治病的十種手法
澄觀科為第十一，並註明是十法十頌。藥主治，法藏在六十本處說藥神是對治義，法藥遣除迷惑是悲門。
第一門普觀眾生心而勤攝取，澄觀說順情的容易攝受、逆意的難以調伏，所以要普遍觀察——攝眾的第一步是先看清楚誰難調。第二門以光明攝眾生俾見者無空過、第三門以淨方便滅眾生煩惱，澄觀說二三可知，這兩門的義涵就是攝與滅的字面：光明所到不空過，方便所到煩惱滅。第四門以大名稱增長無邊善根海，澄觀在此下了一句很重的分判：初學的人把名聲當作實在的賓從，大士則把名聲當作佛事——同一個名，凡夫用來自重，菩薩用來度人。第五門大悲幢速赴一切病境界，說是以慈善根之力放出月愛等光，身病心病一經憶念就滅。第六門療治盲冥眾生令智眼清淨，澄觀分兩種愚：迷於理與迷於果報，兩種愚昧盲冥而起惑造業，備受眾苦；佛以正法的金針開他的智眼，令他明見三諦，所以說清淨。
第七門能演佛音說諸法差別義、第八門作善知識令生善根，澄觀說七八可知。第九門清淨大悲藏能以方便令生信解，說是沒有愛見夾雜的大悲，能生眾生之德所以名藏——大悲若還帶著愛與見，就不是藏。第十門方便令念佛滅眾生病，澄觀在此處說得最長也最落地：世間的醫療雖然治好還會再生病，要永遠滅除而生起功德，沒有比念佛更先的；因病而念、因光而念，都是方便。他接著解釋念佛何以有效：佛有無邊的相，相有無邊的好，好放出無邊的光，光攝受無邊的眾生。又說隨念的意思是佛德齊平均等，隨你的因緣所樂稱念哪一尊佛，三昧都容易成就；敬一尊而心力濃，其餘也就都是如此了。
排誤：不要把第十門讀成念佛可以取代醫藥。澄觀說的是世醫治的是「雖瘥還生」的那一層，念佛治的是病之所從生的那一層，兩層不相妨。落地：他還補了一句——何況心凝定在覺路上，就是在黑暗中也踩著大道。
主林神十門：一毛之德，劫海說不盡
澄觀科為第十二，十法十頌。林在六十本作樹神，法藏說樹是建立義，德樹高聳所以歡喜。
第一門廣大無邊智海藏，澄觀說佛德無邊都依於智海，含藏功德而流出光明所以名藏。第二門廣大修治普清淨，說等同眾生之悲叫作廣大，一一離障叫作普清淨。第三門增長種種淨信芽，說一切殊勝之因都為著佛道，各各心淨則種種芽生。第四門一切清淨功德莊嚴聚，這一門是本類的義理眼——澄觀說一切功德莊嚴一根毛，每一根毛都是如此，所以佛是德之聚；接著說出理由：佛果與因都是圓滿地成就而非分份地成就，所以一個因生一切果、一個果收攝一切因，全都圓融無礙。這是華嚴宗義在本卷最明白的一處落腳，繫屬澄觀。
第五門普門清淨慧恒周覽法界，說智通萬法叫普門，客塵不生叫清淨；並分悟與功兩面——悟如日照頓時周遍法界，修功如拂鏡而智慧漸漸明朗，明是本來的明，漸是圓滿之中的漸。第六門普知眾生行海而興布法雲，說是知遍趣之行而如所應地布法。第七門忍受不可意聲演清淨音，說了達音聲的體性都同於佛音，所以沒有什麼是不可意的；能令世間都聽到佛音才叫清淨。第八門十方普現昔所修治廣大行境界，說往昔之行稱合周遍法界，這是廣大之境；神通普遍是要讓人見了而效法它。第九門以功德法饒益世間，澄觀說眾生諂佞、自己不修德，哪裡會有薦舉賢者之心？如今以福智利益他人，就是物我兼利。第十門令見佛出興常敬念不忘莊嚴功德藏，說敬念則佛興，佛興則莊嚴德藏；障重的人不念也不見，佛難道有不常在的時候嗎？所以應當見常見。
落地：第十門那一問極重——不是佛時有時無，是你的敬念時有時無。
主山神十門：定的十種樣子，連夢裡都算數
澄觀科為第十三。山表不動，這一類十門幾乎都繞著定與不動說。
第一門入大寂定光明，澄觀說寂而常照，所以光無所不闡。第二門修集慈善根成熟不可思議數眾生，說是相好之光成熟根機，都是慈善根力。第三門觀察眾生心所樂嚴淨諸根，說修因莊嚴諸根本是為了順應眾生，所以人見了蓮花般的眼目而欣樂、見了滿月般的容顏而歡心；也可以說諸根一一都周遍法界，那樣的喜益就更深了。第四門無邊劫海勤精進無厭怠，說如虛空不染，所以長劫無有懈怠——不厭的祕訣是不染。第五門以無邊功德光普覺悟，說因為癡所以長眠，唯有福與智能夠喚醒。第六門能自成熟復令眾生捨離愚迷行、第七門拔一切苦使無有餘、第八門演教法光明顯示如來功德，澄觀說次三可知：自熟而後熟人、拔苦而不留餘、演法而顯佛德，字面即義。
第九門令眾生乃至於夢中增長善根，這一門澄觀特別開講：無論睡著或醒著都令他聞法而進修，這就是佛事。他引《大瓔珞經》說過去有佛凡要說法就讓大眾入睡，在夢中說法，令他們增長善根，醒來得道果；又引《涅槃》所說夢中見羅剎之像，說這也是表明萬法皆如夢。末了他說了一句極好的話：大夢的長夜之中，必定有大覺的光明。第十門出現無邊大義海，說稱合法性的法門有無邊大義，一種音聲就能演說，這就是出現。
排誤：第九門不是在教人求感夢。澄觀的重點在「若睡若寤」——不是夢比醒殊勝，是連你以為是空白的時段，佛事也沒有停。
主地神十門：能載，所以堅
澄觀科為第十四。地表運載與含藏，法藏在六十本處說地神居下，是運載之義。
第一門以慈悲心念念普觀一切眾生，澄觀說念念無間、平等普觀，修慈護法，所以得金剛之體；並補一句——金剛就是內照的實體。這一門是本類之綱：地之所以堅，是因為它一直在載。第二門普現眾生福德力，說一根毛的福力頓時顯現眾福。第三門普入諸法出生一切佛剎莊嚴，說證入無生而不妨礙莊嚴佛剎——無生與嚴剎不相礙，這是本門的眼。第四門修習種種三昧令眾生除障垢，說是一向為他；三昧不是自受用。第五門令眾生常遊戲快樂，說是觀機出現，名為遊戲。第六門示現一切清淨身調伏眾生，說示現無惑之身，才調得動眾生之惑。第七門了知佛功德海大威力，說內具德海而現威力之身，如同大地含藏水潤而發生百穀，百穀苗稼都是大地的香毛——這位神正名香毛發光。
第八門普攝持一切眾生言音海，澄觀在此對照長行與偈頌：長行以一句話盡攝而無餘，偈頌則以一句話普遍而無極。第九門充滿佛剎離垢性，說焰雲普遍，令眾生離垢是它的體性。第十門一切佛法輪所攝持普出現，說法能攝持心行，如同金剛之輪；佛則不動而現於世，如須彌出海。澄觀在本類末尾另提示一條讀偈之法：以下偈頌之中，也有兩句是把法歸結到人身上的，可以用意會得——這正是本卷十四類偈頌共通的收尾方式。
落地：地不揀擇所載之物。第四門說三昧一向為他，第五門說出現叫遊戲——修定的人若覺得吃力，多半是把定修成了自己的東西。
主城神十門：城是護，護的是法
澄觀科為第十五，並註明有人說本類脫了第九法而十首偈是具足的（詳見承衍）。城主防護，本類十門都落在護、開、破三個字上。
第一門方便利益眾生，澄觀說光明等種種方便，都為成熟利益。第二門知眾生根教化成熟，說是應病與藥，令他得以服行——知根不是為了分別高下，是為了配藥。第三門常歡喜令眾生受諸福德，說護法則法存，法存則眾生受福德；並補一句，教、理、行、果四者都有護——這是本門最要緊的擴充，護法不只是護經卷。第四門救諸怖畏大悲藏，說悲救無有窮盡所以名藏。第五門普明了大智慧，一句：了佛大智。第六門普方便示現，一句：方便現身。第七門普觀察眾生令修廣大福德海，一句：同修佛德。第八門開悟愚暗眾生，澄觀說迷於真諦俗諦之理所以叫愚暗，佛出世開示令他悟入；本來的迷惑無始以來就有，就像生來眼盲的人，雖然聽人譬喻終究不認得乳是什麼樣子，唯有佛出世才能讓他明白。
第九門觀如來自在力普遍世間調伏眾生，這一門澄觀依梵本另出一個門名與門義（詳見承衍），並就那個異文講了一段香臭之喻。他又就本門偈頌中的「夢」字作釋：夢是神識之遊，也是見聞的氣分所化；夢中尚且能夠調伏，何況覺醒之時。第十門能以大光明破一切眾生障礙山，說二障五蓋重疊如山，不是智慧的光明沒有能破得了的——這一門與本類城之為城的取義扣得最緊：城牆是護，障礙山也是牆，一破一立，看是誰的牆。
道場神十一門：本卷三處例外之一
澄觀科為第十六，並逐字標明這一類是十一法、十一偈。全卷十四類，只有這一類不是十。
第一門出現供養佛廣大莊嚴具誓願力，澄觀先解字：「出現」二字在這一句裡用了兩次，意思是有佛出現，就出現莊嚴之具而作供養；佛往昔如此，這位神以大願效法之。第二門現一切眾生前成就廣大菩提行，說是對著眾生成就其行，令眾生效法；布施是諸行之先，所以偈中偏舉布施。第三門隨眾生心所樂令見佛於夢中為說法，說夢與覺都能教化，那麼時與處就都周遍了。第四門能雨一切難捨眾寶莊嚴具，說外財之寶與內身之眼，重重都是難捨；為眾生說捨行，所以說能雨。第五門能現妙莊嚴道場廣化眾生令成熟，澄觀在此註明：清淨焰形神在前面列名之中沒有出現過——這正是本類多出一位的所在。第六門隨根說法令生正念，澄觀就正念說了一段極精的話：疑於境界的人，以唯心為正念；疑於法性的人，以無所得為正念。而究實說來，無正也無邪才稱得上正，不念也不是不念才是真念；種種念不生，正念才生。所以隨根雨法，斷疑而生智。
第七門能以辯才普雨無邊歡喜法，說辯才雨法，稱合根性所以生喜。第八門廣稱讚諸佛功德，說深廣地讚佛，所以名與實兩美。第九門示現無邊色相樹莊嚴道場，說樹王的眷屬，就如本經開卷所說。第十門菩提樹下寂然不動而充遍十方，說就是前面所講的身遍十方而沒有來往，智慧入於諸相而了達法性空寂——不動與充遍是同一件事。第十一門顯示如來種種力，說佛有無量之力，所以因中之行也是無量，全都以莊嚴之具顯示出來。末了澄觀把整類一句收住：既然是道場之神，所以得的是道場事中的解脫。
排誤：不要把十一當成錯漏而想把它讀回十。澄觀既標十一法十一偈，又指出清淨焰形神前列中無，是把這個例外據實留著的。落地：法數整齊是為了好記，不是為了整齊本身；經自己就有不整齊的地方。
足行神十門：走路這件事
澄觀科為第十七。這一類最見本卷『即事入法』之意——連舉步落步都是一道門。
第一門普雨眾寶生廣大歡喜、第二門示現佛身坐光色蓮華座令見者歡喜，澄觀說初二可知：雨寶生喜、現座生喜，字面即義。第三門一一心念中建立一切如來眾會道場，說在內則念念安住於理與事，在外則處處建立道場——念與場是一件事的兩面。第四門舉足發步悉調伏無邊眾生，這是本類的眼，澄觀說舉足下足之間海印發出光輝，一切威儀沒有一樣不是佛事。第五門念念中化現蓮華網光明普雨眾寶出妙音聲，說是以華以光而雨寶雨法。第六門出生無邊歡喜海，說眾生無邊是佛所化之境，見佛聞法所以生歡喜。第七門以香風普覺一切道場眾會，說圓音警醒眾生，等同栴檀的香風，只要一經熏修，就覺得身心調順。第八門一切毛孔放光明演微妙法音、第九門其身遍出種種光明網普照耀、第十門開悟一切眾生令生善根海，澄觀說餘三可知：毛孔演法、身出光網、開悟生善，都不出前面已立的義。
落地：第四門是這一類給行人的話。你不必等到有法可說才算作佛事，走路的樣子已經在說法了。
身眾神十門：身如虛空，也如良田
澄觀科為第十八。本類首神的名字，澄觀出了異說（詳見承衍）。
第一門憶佛往昔誓願海、第二門光明普照無邊世界、第三門大音普覺眾生令歡喜調伏，澄觀說初三可知：憶願、放光、發聲，即字見義。第四門身如虛空周遍住，澄觀在此開講：相就是無相，所以如虛空一般遍住；虛空並不是單單的空虛，它也遍在色之中，遍住也不是分了一份住在一粒微塵上，而是周遍。就像一粒芥子中的空也不可窮盡，因為身與法性不可分開。這一門是本類的義理眼。第五門示一切眾生諸佛境界，說威儀施化而無心頓現，這就是佛境，難以言說思量。第六門令飢乏眾生色力滿足，澄觀說佛是良田，出世難逢，只要興起一點點微小的供養，果報就獲得五種常；經文略舉色與力，其實還有壽命、安樂、辯才，這五種都是常，才叫作滿足；受報無盡，所以全都離開貧窮。第七門除眾生煩惱垢，說是齒間之光除垢，表示所說之法清淨。
第八門轉一切眾生愚癡魔業，澄觀在此把魔講透：對五塵有染、對六趣無慈，就是愚癡魔業；體達五欲的體性，虛掉自己也一併忘掉，那個業就轉了，所以名為守護。所謂攝持，是善守根門、收攝散亂而任持功德，這樣就遠離了魔。他又說魔事與迷惑不出三毒與慢；魔惱亂眾生不出三件事——上妙的五欲、種種苦具、為他說邪法；三毒因此而生，三毒在內執著就成了魔業。如今守護覺察，魔還能怎麼樣？這就是偈中所說的解脫之道。第九門普於一切世主宮殿中顯示莊嚴相，澄觀給了三層意思：一是身雖周遍法界而多示現為王，因為攝御自在；二是八相成道處於王宮，是為了俯身接引眾生；三是法界菩提樹下就是法王之宮。第十門普攝一切眾生皆令生清淨善根，說迷於本來的空所以有虛妄之苦，無漏是本來就有的，那才是清淨善根。
排誤：第八門不是教人與魔對打。澄觀說的轉法是體性與守護——認得五欲的體性、守住根門，魔就無處著力。
執金剛神十門：見無邊色相身
澄觀科為第十九，是本卷最後一類。執金剛神是佛的近侍護法，這一類十門全落在『見佛之身』與『說佛之法』上。
第一門見如來示現無邊色相身，澄觀說見如來之身是普現而非別現，哪裡只是為凡夫而現？所處之處就是無邊之相，而且隨著每一種色相也都是無有邊際。第二門佛身一一毛如日輪現種種光明雲、第三門化現無量身大神變、第四門無邊隨類音、第五門現為一切世間主開悟眾生，澄觀說次四可知；唯獨第五位神的名字他另有話說（詳見承衍）。第六門普開示一切佛法差別門咸盡無遺，說法海深奧而枝節差別，善巧宣說令它顯現而沒有遺漏。第七門以可愛樂莊嚴具攝一切樹神，澄觀在此作了一個對比：就神這一邊說，姑且說是以寶飾為莊嚴，善巧地攝受自己的部眾；就佛這一邊說，則是以方便相好為莊嚴，沒有攝受不到的。第八門如來廣大福莊嚴聚皆具足明了，說因深所以大福能為莊嚴，果勝所以德相都明白具足。
第九門普觀察險惡眾生心為現威嚴身，澄觀解字：惡是說十惡，險是惡的因，因為它能陷害自他又是險道。所以對險惡的眾生現威嚴身，不是恐嚇，是止其險。第十門普雨一切菩薩莊嚴具摩尼髻，澄觀出兩讀：若依現在的經文，則摩尼髻是所雨之物；若依義取，這位神名叫摩尼髻，也可以說髻是能雨，一切菩薩的莊嚴之具是所雨，表示菩薩的智光圓滿。
本類偈頌之中，澄觀另釋了第六首的「漩澓」二字：漩澓是水漩流迴繞之處，有三義——一是甚深、二是迴轉、三是難渡。法海的漩澓也是如此：一是唯有佛能窮究，二是真與妄互相循環而難以窮盡其初後，三是聽到說空就以為是空，就沉沒在漩澓裡了，聽到說有就以為是有等等，都可以照這樣推知。所以偈裡說是一切差別之義。澄觀釋畢，即以一句結住整個異生眾：上來異生眾已竟。
落地：第十門的兩讀值得留意——同一句經文，把神看作能雨或所雨，讀出來的義理都成立。這正是本卷十四類一百四十一門的讀法：門在哪一邊，看你從哪一邊進去。
承衍
「異生眾」之科屬疏家——本卷的分名「稱揚讚德分」與「異生眾」「同生眾」之對舉，都是澄觀科判本經時所立，經文無此名。澄觀於本卷末結「上來異生眾竟」，其下入同生眾。法藏於六十本亦用此語而通辨其德，並自設一疑：普賢同生同在果海，此異生眾既是雜類卑末，如何也在果海中攝？其釋分果能攝因與因能入果二門。此一問答繫屬法藏，所釋為六十本。
譯本脫漏之誌——澄觀於本卷五處誌譯本之出入，皆繫「有云」「準梵本」「古德云」而不自斷。主火神第四門，有人說依梵本此處脫了第四，梵本的神名作勝上蘂光普照、法門名普能除煩惱塵；澄觀又說諸本多半沒有，或有的本節則具足作眾妙宮殿主火神得大慈悲廣蔭眾生解脫門，恐怕是傳寫脫漏；而於偈頌處說是頌加了第四。主海神一類，澄觀在科首即說十法而頌脫了第三，並引梵本之偈四句；澄觀所引的這四句「一切世間眾導師，法雲大雨不可測，消竭無窮諸苦海，此離垢塵入法門」，本節底本現存，就在主海神的第三首偈，並非底本所無；澄觀辨曰若依此文則是竭盡苦海；又說依現在的經文，第三是煩惱、第四是苦，若依梵本則前是苦、後是惑，因為譯人脫漏，致使文義參差，所以古德說是脫了第四頌，而結名既然相同，可知脫的是第三。主城神一類，澄觀說有人講脫了第九法而十首偈具足，並出梵本作香幢莊嚴髻主城神得破一切煩惱臭氣出生一切智性香氣解脫門，就此講了臭與香的一段——正使是臭物、殘習是臭氣，智性是香體、利物是香氣；香氣如高山出雲，稱合智性而無盡，臭氣如香風卷霧，等同性空而無邊。又說有的本節也具足作香髻莊嚴主城神得開發眾生清淨妙智解脫門，斷曰恐怕也是傳寫脫漏，義理不異於前。身眾神首神之名，澄觀說初次列名之處作華髻莊嚴，或者是名字較長而此處略舉其半，或者是梵音相類而譯者之誤，並老實說自己未曾勘對梵本的法門。執金剛神第五位神，澄觀說初卷之中名叫諸根美妙，如今只作妙臂，文與義都有缺；又加天主二字，是因為現為世主的緣故。以上諸誌，皆古德所出，並錄不判。
道場神十一之數——十四類中唯此一類十一法十一偈，澄觀逐字標其數，並指出第五位清淨焰形神在前面列名之中沒有出現。此為本卷三處例外之一，餘二處見次節，據實錄之。
說偈者之一處異形——十四則偈讚，說偈者皆是該類長行之首座，唯主山神一則例外：長行首座作寶峯開華主山神，而說偈者作開華匝地主山神。又承佛之套語，十三則作承佛威力，唯足行神一則作承佛神力；此一則之神字，宋元明三本作威，與常式同，見考據之校記。二處皆照經文原句錄之，不改不判。
諸家科序之異——八十本經文的類序是火、水、海、河、稼、藥、林、山、地、城、道場、足行、身眾、執金剛；六十本於會眾列名段的類序是道場、龍、地、樹、藥草、穀、河、海、火、風、虛空、主方、主夜、主晝，且不分十解脫門與偈讚，只作單段列名而繫一句總德。澄觀依八十本逐文而科第六至第十九，法藏依六十本逐類而釋，且釋法亦異——澄觀多逐門釋其解脫門之義，法藏則先逐類釋神名之義（居上、居下、居中、對治、資持、流潤、具德、成熟）而後及德。李通玄又別出一軌，不用類序而以十行配位：主海神配無違逆行忍波羅蜜，主水神配無屈撓行精進波羅蜜，主火神配無癡亂行禪波羅蜜；他並就位次前後說了一句——這是無前後之中的次第、一性無差別之中的同與異，不可以用情識作前後之解。三家所科全異，並錄不判。
與〈入法界品〉之相涉——本卷『得某某解脫門』的句式，與〈入法界品〉五十三參中善財逐一參學解脫門的句式，是同一語彙系統。本卷是諸神眾各證一門的總集展示，入法界品則是因位次第的逐一展開。二處句式相涉，其繫屬深淺誌錄不判。
闕錄——智儼《搜玄記》於本卷諸神眾段無對應釋文，其「地神」「道場神」之命中皆在〈入法界品〉五十三參段，非本品之釋。華嚴宗諸論（《一乘教義分齊章》《十玄門》《法界玄鏡》《妄盡還源觀》）檢本卷諸神名皆未見，四論引本經多取〈十地品〉與十玄六相段。以上據實標闕，不以他處之文充之。
First, Be Clear About What This Fascicle Is Doing
The form of this fascicle is extremely regular: fourteen classes of spirit hosts, and for each class the narrator first tells through in one breath the one gate of liberation that each of ten spirits has realized, and then the foremost of that class, sustained by the awesome spiritual power of the Buddha, surveys the host of his own kind everywhere and speaks ten verses, one verse answering to one spirit. Of the fourteen classes, thirteen have ten spirits and ten verses; only the spirits of the place of awakening have eleven spirits and eleven verses — and Chengguan, in his commentary, does not treat this as an error or an omission but marks out word for word that the passage on the spirits of the place of awakening has eleven dharmas and eleven verses. Within the regularity of this fascicle there are three exceptions in all, and this is the first; the other two are that in the case of the presiding spirits of mountains the speaker of the verses is not the foremost of that class in the prose passage, and that in the case of the spirits that go on foot the set phrase reads sustained by the spiritual power of the Buddha rather than sustained by the awesome power of the Buddha — and in this one instance the Song, Yuan, and Ming witnesses read the regular form, see the collation notes in the textual apparatus (see the section on lineage). Keep this in mind as you read.
First a distinction has to be set up. The part to which this fascicle belongs, ‘the part of extolling and praising the virtues,’ and the paired names ‘the assemblies of different birth’ and ‘the assembly of the same birth,’ do not occur even by a single word in the text of the sūtra. These are all outline-names that Chengguan established when he laid out the structure of this sūtra. At the end of this fascicle Chengguan closes with the sentence that the assemblies of different birth are herewith finished, and only after that does he enter the assembly of the same birth, that is, the host of bodhisattvas beginning with Samantabhadra. So when you read the words ‘different birth,’ know that this is a label affixed by the commentator so that you can see the structure; it is not an identity that the sūtra itself gave to these spirits.
The second distinction matters even more. What are these spirits? It is very easy to read this as a register of deities — fire has fire spirits, water has water spirits, mountains have mountain spirits, and even walking has spirits that go on foot. Read that way, this fascicle is nothing but a tediously long roster of those in attendance. But look at the sentence pattern of the text: the gate that each spirit has realized is fastened to the very matter he presides over, and fastened tight. The first gate the presiding spirits of fire obtain is the removing of the darkness of the world; the first gate the presiding spirits of rivers obtain is the raining down everywhere of the rain of Dharma; what the spirits that go on foot obtain is the taming of sentient beings in the lifting and the setting down of a foot. At the end of the passage on the spirits of the place of awakening Chengguan lays this fastening bare in one sentence: since they are the spirits of the place of awakening, what they obtain is liberation within the affairs of that place. Affair and Dharma are not two separate lengths; whatever matter you preside over is the matter you enter by.
There is a further layer of correcting a misreading. These one hundred and forty-one gates are not one hundred and forty-one different kinds of Buddha-dharma, nor are they a staircase. They are one hundred and forty-one ways in. When Fazang was explaining the corresponding passage of the sixty-fascicle version, he put a very weighty question on the reader’s behalf: Samantabhadra stands in the ocean of the fruit together with the Buddha; these spirits are a lowly and miscellaneous sort, so by what right are they too reckoned within the ocean of the fruit? The answer he himself gave has two sides: on one side the fruit is able to gather in the cause, for it is the Buddha who accomplished them, and so there is no difference; on the other side the cause is able to enter the fruit, for by riding the gate of liberation as one’s cause one has entered the fruit, by riding the particular one has entered the whole, by riding a single gate one has entered the entire ocean. That answer is precisely the key to how this fascicle is to be read — you are not being asked to count the one hundred and forty-one gates but to recognize that by whichever gate you go in, where you arrive is the same one ocean.
What follows explains class by class and gate by gate. Wherever the explanation is Chengguan’s, or Fazang’s, or Li Tongxuan’s, it is marked at each place as whose word it is.
The Ten Gates of the Presiding Spirits of Fire: What Fire Stands For Is Removing Darkness and Ripening
Chengguan places this class sixth in his outline. He first gives the class as a whole its import: by the power of vigor they manifest in the world and remove the ignorance of sentient beings, and because this class stands at the head of the fourteen, the import of fire is taken in a one-sided way. Fazang, on the sixty-fascicle version, sets out the import of fire in more detail, saying that fire is the import of ripening, the import of illuminating, the import of burning up, and the import of removing darkness, the first two of which accomplish the two adornments of merit and wisdom, and the latter two of which extinguish the two obstructions of the afflictions and of what is knowable. These two layers of import taken together are the skeleton of the ten gates of this class.
The first gate, removing utterly all the darkness of every world, is the opening sentence of this whole fascicle and the guiding thread of the class as well — for what fire is as fire, the most direct use of it is to shine through darkness. The second gate is stilling the suffering of sentient beings’ manifold delusions that sweep them adrift and of their burning distress, and Chengguan points out that delusion has two operations, one being the sweeping adrift and the other the distress, and that if one can skillfully turn them about one can still them. This division matters a great deal: the harm of delusion is not merely that the burning distress is hard to bear, but that it washes a person away. The third gate is the treasury of great compassion formed by the unshakable power of merit, and Chengguan says that this is a merit that accords with the nature of things, which neither marks nor delusions can shake; joined with great compassion, one’s own benefit too is unshaken; and because it can gather in and hold inexhaustible merit it is called a treasury. The fourth gate is beholding how the Tathāgata manifests by the power of spiritual penetration without any bound, and this is the one gate among the ten that has a variant-edition problem, on which Chengguan recorded the discrepancy between the Sanskrit and the various editions (see the section on lineage). The fifth gate is light shining upon the boundless realm of space, and here Chengguan opens out at length, setting up ten meanings from the relation of sun to space in order to distinguish how it is past conceiving: sun and space are neither identical nor apart; neither abiding nor not abiding; the sun is the good condition for breaking darkness and so reveals space; though it extinguishes darkness and reveals space, space is neither diminished nor increased; when darkness is removed the nature of space does not increase, and yet all the images appear; though the nature of space is pure, without the sun darkness arises; space cannot remove darkness of itself but must borrow the sun; if the sun had no space it would have nothing to shine on, and if space had no sun the darkness would not remove itself; the nature of darkness neither comes nor goes, and the substance and mark of the sun neither arise nor cease; and where there is a sun shining on space, then heaven and earth are lit up clear through. Having finished these ten meanings, he hooks the simile back onto practice: shining the sun of wisdom upon the space of the nature of mind also has ten meanings, and one should think them through by following the simile. And he states expressly that these ten meanings are not an explanation of this one line only but can reach far into many scriptures and string together what comes before and after.
The sixth gate is the still light adorned by manifold merits, and Chengguan says that the substance-nature is still and yet sends out its illuminating function, and so it is named still light, and that by this is accomplished the bodily mark adorned by merit. As to the seventh gate, extinguishing the blazing suffering of the destinies, and the eighth gate, opening up in sovereign freedom the awakening of all the worlds, here Chengguan says only that they may be known — meaning that for the import of these two gates the way of reading already established by the earlier gates is enough: blazing suffering is still the reverse side of the import of fire, and awakening the world is still the function of illuminating. The ninth gate is forever demolishing all views of delusion and attachment, and Chengguan divides it into two layers: discriminating the marks of dharmas is what forever leaves behind the delusion of not understanding, and awakening into the real nature of dharmas is what leaves no view of attachment — delusion and view are two illnesses, and two medicines are needed. The tenth gate is accomplishing the power of every vow and letting out a great roar, and Chengguan says that it is by practice that the vow is propped up, and therefore one can manifest in the world and make the lion’s roar; a vow with no practice holding it up cannot roar out any sound at all.
Correcting a misreading: do not read fire as destruction. Not one of the ten gates of this class is about burning anything up; every one of them falls upon illuminating, removing, extinguishing suffering, and awakening. The place where this comes down to the ground is the tenth gate — if you have a vow and no sound comes out of it, what is missing is not the vow but the practice.
The Ten Gates of the Presiding Spirits of Water: Kindness Is Water, and the Markless Dharma Realm Is Water Too
Chengguan places this class seventh. The thread running through this class lies in two properties of water: moistening and flowing.
The first gate is the kindness that benefits all sentient beings impartially, and Chengguan judges it outright to be the great kindness that has no object, and therefore it is called impartial — for if kindness still picks and chooses its objects, it is not impartial. The second gate is the adornment of boundless dharmas, which is to adorn oneself and adorn others by boundless dharmas of practice. The third gate is observing those who ought to be transformed and gathering them in everywhere by skillful means, and Chengguan says that it is being still and unmoving in order to observe their capacity, and being stirred and thereby penetrating in order to accord with them and gather them in; and he adds a simile of water: in winter it piles up as snow congealed and white, in summer there is nowhere it does not flow — the unmoving and the flowing everywhere are one and the same water. The fourth gate is expounding everywhere the profound domain of the buddhas, which is to expound the deep purport of the Buddha with a wondrous sound and make beings awaken into the whirlpool of the wondrous Dharma. The fifth gate is manifesting everywhere the pure great light, and Chengguan says that it is the two lights, of the body and of wisdom, awakening and opening beings everywhere, filling the Dharma realm, pure and without defilement.
The sixth gate is the pure Dharma realm that is without marks and without nature, and this gate most needs attention, because its form differs from that of the gates before and after it — what those speak of is function, whereas what this one speaks of is substance. Chengguan’s words here are very sparing: in the pure Dharma realm both nature and marks are utterly cut off, and since there is no virtue that is not seen, the great function is not lost. What he wants to block is a misreading: since it is without marks and without nature, does that mean there is nothing at all? No — it is precisely because nature and marks are both cut off that the great function does not come to nothing. The seventh gate is the inexhaustible ocean of great compassion, and Chengguan says that because sentient beings are not exhausted, great compassion is not exhausted, full and yet never brimming over, and that here lies the import of contentment — this spirit is named Contentment and Sovereign Freedom, and contentment is not asking for a little less; it is being full to the point of not brimming over. The eighth gate is being a treasury of great joy within the place of awakening where the host of bodhisattvas assembles: it is because the Buddha is seen everywhere that the great joy is inexhaustible, and because the joy is born from the Buddha, the Buddha is what is called the treasury. The ninth gate is appearing everywhere by the vast power of merit that is without obstruction, and Chengguan says that it is a merit in which nature and marks are unobstructed, and therefore he can manifest spiritual penetration everywhere. The tenth gate is observing sentient beings and arousing means of taming that are like space, said to be that the practice of taming beings is as broad as space is boundless, and that it functions without pausing for a moment as space is inexhaustible.
Chengguan has a separate explanation of the verses of this class, which falls upon the first verse: the first half distinguishes the cause and fruit of a single mark, the next line extends this to the rest, and the last line distinguishes the benefit. He says that with kindness as cause one gains the fruit of the wondrous marks, and with the marks as cause one gains the fruit of never looking one’s fill; and here he places a sentence of the utmost weight in the doctrine of the Huayan school — the unmixed and the mixed are unobstructed, cause and fruit are fused, and it is a perfect accomplishing and not an accomplishing by portions, so that a single mark and a single hair of the Buddha is identical with the Dharma realm and has no measure, and this spirit has simply entered the inexhaustible marks by way of one gate of kindness. Coming down to the ground: if you have cultivated only one kind of mind, do not despise it as too little; the gate opens from just that one kind of mind.
The Ten Gates of the Presiding Spirits of the Sea: The Sea Stands for Holding All, and Also for Not Moving
Chengguan places this class eighth, and at the head of the outline he notes that the verses of this class have lost the third (see the section on lineage).
The first gate is giving to sentient beings with an impartial mind, an ocean of merit, and a body adorned with the many jewels, and Chengguan says that it is making offerings to the Buddha for the sake of sentient beings, which is the merit of impartial giving, and so one obtains the mark of the many jewels adorning one’s body. The second gate is guarding the roots of goodness of sentient beings by skillful means, which is skillfully according with their faculties and inclinations in preaching the Dharma so as to guard their goodness and let it grow to maturity. The third gate is being able to dry up the ocean of the afflictions of sentient beings, which is expounding a deep and broad Dharma and penetrating the emptiness of the afflictions. The fourth gate is making sentient beings leave the evil destinies, of which Chengguan says that if one sees the domain of the Buddha then delusion perishes and suffering ceases. The fifth gate is extinguishing everywhere the darkness of great delusion, in a single sentence: by wisdom delusion is extinguished. The sixth gate is extinguishing the suffering of the destinies and bestowing peace and happiness, of which Chengguan says that what is shifted about by conditioned activity is all suffering, and that once the cause of awakening arises the suffering of arising and ceasing perishes and one gains the peace and happiness of the stillness of nirvāṇa — this gate states the dividing line between suffering and happiness with the utmost clarity: it does not lie in the objects but in the cause.
The seventh gate is purifying the manifold wrong views and the nature of delusion in sentient beings, and this gate should be read against the fifth. Chengguan says: to take wisdom and extinguish delusion with it still does not escape falling into a view; to penetrate the very nature of delusion and of the view, and delusion and view perish of themselves. To observe the true and the false as equal — this is the domain of a buddha. The fifth gate is extinguishing; the seventh gate is penetrating — first extinguish, then penetrate, and the sequence is clearly marked. The eighth gate is bringing forth the mind of awakening, that lineage precious as jewels, and Chengguan says that all sentient beings have the lineage of a buddha, perfectly luminous and worth prizing, complete with virtue and so called jewel-like; the Buddha’s eye observes it everywhere and the Buddha’s wisdom shows it everywhere, and thus the cause that was already there is made manifest, as when a hoard of gold is taken out from under the ground; and once the great mind arises it is like a seed putting out a sprout, and so it is said to bring forth. The ninth gate is the ocean of merit of the unshaken mind, which is that penetrating suchness without grasping at it, the mind does not waver, but is limpid as a sea come to rest; and since the myriad virtues have their home there, Sumeru may topple and yet Māra cannot trouble it. The tenth gate is entering everywhere the gate of the samādhi of the Dharma realm, which is that having entered the concentration of the Dharma realm, one pervades as the Dharma realm pervades.
Correcting a misreading: in this class the sea does not stand for capacity alone. The sea of the ninth gate is a sea come to rest, an unmoving one; the sea of the third gate is the ocean of afflictions that is to be dried up. The same word, in one place the thing likened to and in another the thing to be destroyed — they must not be read as one.
The Ten Gates of the Presiding Spirits of Rivers: Ten Gates, Ten Kinds of Water
Chengguan places this class ninth. This class is the passage in the whole fascicle where similes are used most densely — Chengguan matches nearly every gate with an image of water, which comes to explaining ten gates by ten kinds of water.
The first gate is raining down everywhere the boundless rain of Dharma, of which he says that practice being accomplished one rains the Dharma, like a torrential rain extinguishing delusion and producing virtue, like a river hung aloft rushing down with nothing to block it. The second gate is appearing everywhere before sentient beings and making them leave afflictions forever, which is manifesting the body and stilling distress, like springs and streams washing the mind. The third gate is washing away everywhere by the skillful means of great compassion the manifold dust of delusion, which is a real washing away of defilement in which kindness and wisdom aid one another, like a jade-green pool of clear water where emptiness and form reflect each other — and so this spirit is named Dust-Free Pure Eyes. The fourth gate is constantly sending forth the sound that benefits sentient beings, which is the perfect voice benefiting all everywhere, like crashing waves giving out their sound. The fifth gate is constantly giving rise, among all that has consciousness, to the kindness that does no harm, in one sentence: saving those adrift and drowning. The sixth gate is showing everywhere all cooling roots of goodness, which is that roots of goodness with no delusion in them may be called cooling, like Lake Anavatapta where there is never any burning distress. The seventh gate is cultivating giving to the full and making beings leave stinginess and attachment forever, which is that the gate of giving is measureless and makes them free of stinginess, like water plants, caltrops, and lotuses that gladden everyone. The eighth gate is being a field of merit that gives joy to all, which is that the merit of one’s practice accords with what is real and so none who see it fail to be delighted, like a deep lake and a broad pond — and this is what is called vast virtue. The ninth gate is making those who are defiled become pure and those poisoned with anger become joyful, which is that the power of skillful means and wisdom makes all that is defiled pure, and the strength of kindness turns enmity, harm, and anger into joy instead, like ten thousand acres of stilled waves whose light is mirrored under heaven. The tenth gate is making sentient beings enter the ocean of liberation and constantly receive happiness in full, which is gathering up the myriad good things entirely and making them come home to nirvāṇa, like the hundred rivers all coming home to the great sea; and it is by wisdom that one can come home to the sea, and so this spirit is named Ocean Virtue Light.
Correcting a misreading: these ten images of water are not a flourish of rhetoric; they are ten different modes of operation. The rushing current is being unblocked; springs and streams are washing; the clear pool is reflecting; crashing waves are sound; the cold lake is being without heat; lotuses and water plants are being delightful; the broad pond is being able to hold; stilled waves are mirroring the sky; the hundred rivers are coming home to the sea. If you want to benefit someone, first look at which kind of water is called for. Coming down to the ground: the ninth gate is the hardest — to make the one who hates you rejoice instead, and what it depends on, Chengguan says, is kindness, not argument.
The Ten Gates of the Presiding Spirits of Crops: The Dharma Has a Savor, and What Is Sown Must Be Able to Bear Fruit
Chengguan places this class tenth. Crops are grain in the field; Fazang, on the sixty-fascicle version, has them as grain spirits and says that this is the import of supplying and sustaining, nourishing the common people and making them rejoice.
The first gate is giving sentient beings the savor of the Dharma and making them accomplish the body of a buddha, of which Chengguan says that the two savors of the Dharma, merit and wisdom, nourish and so form the body of a buddha. The second gate is making them receive vast joy and happiness, said to be that joy and happiness come about through the removal of suffering — happiness is not something added from outside; it is the way things already are once the suffering is gone. The third gate is purifying the manifold objective realms by the perfect Dharma-gates, said to be that sentient beings are the realms to be purified. The fourth gate is seeing the Buddha’s great compassion and the measureless power of his spiritual transformations, said to be that because compassion is deep, spiritual penetration is broad — penetration is not having great capability; it is having compassion deep enough. The fifth gate is showing everywhere the Buddha’s field of merit and making what is sown never be lost or spoiled, said to be that what is sown in the field of sentient beings must surely come to fruit and not be spoiled. The sixth gate is opening out everywhere the flower of pure faith in sentient beings, said to be that wisdom opens out the faith of sentient beings, and because a fruit is obtained it is called a flower. The seventh gate is pitying and succoring sentient beings with great kindness and making their ocean of merit increase, said to be that regarding beings with an eye of kindness makes the mass of merit measureless, and that kindness is calm and delightful, so that in the verse it is called the supreme path. The eighth gate is setting forth at large all the dharmas of practice, said to be that it is by practice that buddhahood is accomplished, and so at the very first accomplishing of right awakening he declares the dharmas of practice — this line hooks exactly onto the scene of the first accomplishing of right awakening in this sūtra. The ninth gate is making beings cast off sloth, sorrow, distress, and the manifold evils and become pure everywhere, said to be that slackness in cultivation is where sorrow and distress arise, and that when the faculties are diligently urged on, the manifold evils become pure; the root of sorrow and distress is not in one’s circumstances but in sloth. The tenth gate is observing their roots of goodness, preaching the Dharma as is fitting, and making them joyful and satisfied, said to be that preaching in accord with their faculties fulfills what they seek and so they rejoice.
Coming down to the ground: the logic of this class is the logic of farming — first there is savor, and only then can it be eaten; first the suffering is removed, and only then is there happiness; first the seed is sown, and only then is there fruit; first there is diligence, and only then is there no sorrow. The sequence cannot be skipped.
The Ten Gates of the Presiding Spirits of Herbs: Ten Ways of Treating Illness
Chengguan places this class eleventh, and notes that it is ten dharmas and ten verses. Herbs are for treating; Fazang, on the sixty-fascicle version, says that the herb spirits are the import of counteraction, the Dharma-medicine that dispels delusion being the gate of compassion.
The first gate is observing everywhere the minds of sentient beings and diligently gathering them in, of which Chengguan says that those who go along with one’s intent are easy to gather in and those who go against it are hard to tame, and therefore one observes them everywhere — the first step in gathering in a multitude is to see clearly who is hard to tame. As to the second gate, gathering in sentient beings by light so that those who see him do not see in vain, and the third gate, extinguishing the afflictions of sentient beings by pure skillful means, Chengguan says that the second and third may be known; the import of these two gates is just what the words say: where the light reaches, nothing is in vain; where the skillful means reaches, the afflictions are extinguished. On the fourth gate, increasing the boundless ocean of roots of goodness by his vast renown, Chengguan lays down a very weighty judgment: the beginner takes renown for a real retinue, while the great being takes renown for the Buddha’s work — one and the same renown, which an ordinary person uses to weight himself and a bodhisattva uses to ferry others across. The fifth gate is hastening by the banner of great compassion to every realm where there is the suffering of sickness, said to be that by the power of the roots of goodness of kindness he sends forth the moon-love light and the rest, and bodily sickness and mental sickness are extinguished the moment he is recollected. The sixth gate is healing blind and benighted sentient beings and making the eye of their wisdom pure, and Chengguan distinguishes two kinds of delusion: being deluded about principle and being deluded about the retribution of deeds, these two delusions being blind and benighted so that one gives rise to defilement and creates deeds and undergoes manifold suffering in full; and the Buddha opens the eye of their wisdom with the golden lancet of the right Dharma and lets them see the three truths clearly, and so it is called purifying.
As to the seventh gate, being able to send forth the voice of a buddha and declare the differentiated meanings of the dharmas, and the eighth gate, being a good friend and making beings give rise to roots of goodness, Chengguan says the seventh and eighth may be known. The ninth gate is the pure treasury of great compassion, able by skillful means to give rise to faith and understanding, said to be a great compassion with no admixture of craving or view, able to produce the virtue of sentient beings and therefore named a treasury — a great compassion still carrying craving and view along with it is no treasury. The tenth gate is making beings recollect the Buddha by skillful means and extinguishing the sicknesses of sentient beings, and here Chengguan speaks at his greatest length and most concretely: the world’s medical treatment, though it cures, is followed by sickness again, and for extinguishing forever and producing virtue nothing comes before recollecting the Buddha; recollecting on account of sickness and recollecting on account of light are both skillful means. He goes on to explain why recollecting the Buddha is effective: the Buddha has boundless marks, the marks have boundless excellences, the excellences send forth boundless light, and the light gathers in boundless sentient beings. He also says that following one’s recollection means that the virtues of buddhas are level and equal, so that whichever buddha you invoke as your conditions and inclination lead you, the samādhi is easy to accomplish; revere one, and the strength of mind is concentrated, and it is likewise with all the rest.
Correcting a misreading: do not read the tenth gate as saying that recollecting the Buddha can take the place of medicine. What Chengguan says is that the world’s physician treats the layer where, though it is cured, it arises again, and that recollecting the Buddha treats the layer from which the sickness arises in the first place; the two layers do not get in each other’s way. Coming down to the ground: he adds one more line — how much more so when the mind is settled fast upon the road of awakening, for then even in the dark one is treading the great highway.
The Ten Gates of the Presiding Spirits of Forests: The Virtue in a Single Hair Cannot Be Told Out in Oceans of Kalpas
Chengguan places this class twelfth, ten dharmas and ten verses. Forest is tree spirit in the sixty-fascicle version, and Fazang says that a tree is the import of establishing, the tree of virtue standing tall and so there is joy.
The first gate is the treasury of the vast and boundless ocean of wisdom, of which Chengguan says that the boundless virtues of a buddha all rest upon the ocean of wisdom, which holds merit within and lets light stream out, and so it is named a treasury. The second gate is vast cultivation and universal purification, said to be that a compassion equal to sentient beings is what is called vast, and that being freed of obstruction one by one is what is called universally pure. The third gate is increasing the manifold sprouts of pure faith, said to be that all excellent causes are for the sake of the path of buddhahood, and that as each mind becomes pure, the manifold sprouts come up. The fourth gate is the mass adorned by all pure merits, and this gate is the doctrinal eye of the class — Chengguan says that all merits adorn a single hair, and that every hair is likewise, and therefore the Buddha is a mass of virtue; and then he gives the reason: the fruit and the cause of buddhahood are both a perfect accomplishing and not an accomplishing by portions, and therefore one cause produces all fruits and one fruit gathers in all causes, all of them perfectly fused and unobstructed. This is the plainest place in this fascicle where the doctrine of the Huayan school comes to rest, and it belongs to Chengguan.
The fifth gate is constantly surveying the Dharma realm with the pure wisdom of the universal gate, said to be that a wisdom penetrating the myriad dharmas is called the universal gate and that adventitious dust not arising is called pure; and he divides it into the two sides of awakening and of effort — awakening is like the sun shining, all at once pervading the Dharma realm, while the effort of cultivation is like polishing a mirror, the wisdom growing gradually brighter, the brightness being the brightness that was always there and the gradualness being a gradualness within what is already perfect. The sixth gate is knowing everywhere the ocean of the conduct of sentient beings and spreading out the cloud of Dharma, said to be knowing the conduct that goes through every destiny and spreading the Dharma as is fitting. The seventh gate is bearing disagreeable sounds and sending forth a pure voice, said to be that having penetrated the nature of sound as being all the same as the Buddha’s voice, there is nothing that is disagreeable; and only being able to let the world hear the Buddha’s voice is what is called pure. The eighth gate is manifesting everywhere in the ten directions the domain of the vast practice cultivated in former times, said to be that the practice of former times accorded with pervading the Dharma realm, and this is the vast domain, and that his spiritual penetration is everywhere so that people may see it and take it as their model. The ninth gate is benefiting the world with the dharmas of merit, and Chengguan says that sentient beings are fawning and crooked and do not cultivate virtue themselves — how should they have a mind to recommend the worthy? And now, benefiting others with merit and wisdom, this is to benefit both others and oneself. The tenth gate is making beings see the Buddha arise, keep him constantly in reverent recollection without forgetting, and adorn the treasury of merit, said to be that reverent recollection makes the Buddha arise, and the Buddha arising, the treasury of virtue is adorned; those whose obstructions are heavy neither recollect nor see — could the Buddha ever be other than constantly present? Therefore one ought to see him and to see him constantly.
Coming down to the ground: that question in the tenth gate is very weighty — it is not that the Buddha is sometimes there and sometimes not; it is that your reverent recollection is sometimes there and sometimes not.
The Ten Gates of the Presiding Spirits of Mountains: Ten Faces of Concentration, and Even What Happens in Dreams Counts
Chengguan places this class thirteenth. A mountain stands for not moving, and nearly all ten gates of this class turn upon concentration and upon not moving.
The first gate is entering the light of the great concentration of stillness, of which Chengguan says that being still it constantly illumines, and so there is nothing the light does not open out. The second gate is gathering and cultivating the roots of goodness of kindness and ripening sentient beings past conceiving in number, said to be that the light of the marks and excellences ripens their capacities, all of it by the power of the roots of goodness of kindness. The third gate is observing what sentient beings delight in and adorning and purifying their faculties, said to be that cultivating the causes that adorn the faculties was from the start for the sake of according with sentient beings, and so people see eyes like lotuses and are gladdened, and see a face like the full moon and their hearts rejoice; and one may also say that each and every faculty pervades the Dharma realm, in which case the joy and benefit are deeper still. The fourth gate is diligent vigor through boundless oceans of kalpas without weariness or sloth, said to be that being unstained as space is unstained, through long kalpas there is no slackening — the secret of not wearying is not being stained. The fifth gate is awakening beings everywhere by the light of boundless merit, said to be that because of delusion there is long sleep, and only merit and wisdom can wake one. As to the sixth gate, being able to ripen himself and also to make sentient beings cast off deluded conduct, the seventh gate, pulling out all suffering so that nothing is left, and the eighth gate, expounding the light of the teaching and revealing the merit of the Tathāgata, Chengguan says that the next three may be known: ripening oneself and thereafter ripening others; pulling out suffering and leaving no remainder; expounding the Dharma and thereby revealing the Buddha’s virtue — the words are the meaning.
The ninth gate is making sentient beings increase their roots of goodness even within a dream, and on this gate Chengguan opens out especially: whether asleep or awake, they are made to hear the Dharma and advance in practice, and this is the Buddha’s work. He cites the Da yingluo jing as saying that in the past there was a buddha who, whenever he was about to preach the Dharma, would let the great assembly fall asleep and preach to them in their dreams, making their roots of goodness increase, so that when they woke they obtained the fruit of the path; and he cites what the Nirvāṇa says about seeing the image of a rākṣasa in a dream, saying that this too shows that all dharmas are like a dream. And at the end he says a very fine thing: within the long night of the great dream there must surely be the brightness of the great awakening. The tenth gate is bringing forth the boundless ocean of great meaning, said to be that the Dharma-gate that accords with the nature of things has boundless great meaning and a single voice can expound it, and this is the bringing forth.
Correcting a misreading: the ninth gate is not teaching people to seek out significant dreams. Chengguan’s emphasis is on whether asleep or awake — it is not that dreaming is superior to waking; it is that even in the stretch of time you took for a blank, the Buddha’s work has not stopped.
The Ten Gates of the Presiding Spirits of the Earth: It Can Carry, and Therefore It Is Firm
Chengguan places this class fourteenth. Earth stands for carrying and for holding within; Fazang, on the sixty-fascicle version, says that the earth spirits dwell below and are the import of carrying.
The first gate is observing all sentient beings everywhere in thought after thought with a mind of kindness and compassion, of which Chengguan says that thought after thought without a gap, observing everywhere impartially, cultivating kindness and guarding the Dharma, one obtains the substance of vajra; and he adds a line — vajra is the very substance of the inward illumination. This gate is the guiding thread of the class: the reason the earth is firm is that it has been carrying all along. The second gate is manifesting everywhere the power of merit of sentient beings, said to be that the power of merit in a single hair manifests the manifold merits all at once. The third gate is entering everywhere into all dharmas and bringing forth the adornments of all buddha-lands, said to be that realizing and entering the unarisen does not get in the way of adorning buddha-lands — the unarisen and the adorning of lands do not obstruct each other, and this is the eye of this gate. The fourth gate is cultivating the manifold samādhis and making sentient beings remove the defilement of their obstructions, said to be that it is wholly for the sake of others; samādhi is not for one’s own enjoyment. The fifth gate is making sentient beings constantly disport themselves in happiness, said to be that appearing in accord with their capacity is what is called disporting. The sixth gate is manifesting every pure body and taming sentient beings, said to be that only by manifesting a body free of delusion can one tame the delusion of sentient beings. The seventh gate is knowing the ocean of the Buddha’s merit and his great majestic power, said to be that having the ocean of virtue complete within, he manifests a body of majestic power, as the great earth holds the moisture of the sea within and brings forth the hundred grains, the hundred grains and the standing crops all being the fragrant hair of the earth — and this spirit is named precisely Fragrant Hair Emitting Light.
The eighth gate is holding and sustaining everywhere the ocean of the speech and sounds of all sentient beings, and here Chengguan sets the prose passage against the verse: the prose gathers all in without remainder in a single phrase, while the verse pervades without limit in a single phrase. The ninth gate is filling the buddha-lands with the nature that is free of defilement, said to be that the cloud of flames pervades everywhere, and making beings free of defilement is its very nature. The tenth gate is being held and sustained by all the wheels of the Buddha’s Dharma and manifesting everywhere, said to be that the Dharma can hold and sustain the conduct of the mind, like the wheel of vajra; and the Buddha, unmoving, manifests in the world, like Sumeru rising out of the sea. At the end of this class Chengguan gives one further hint about how to read the verses: in the verses below there are also two lines that bring the dharma home to the person, and this may be grasped by intent — and this is exactly the shared way in which the verses of all fourteen classes in this fascicle come to a close.
Coming down to the ground: the earth does not pick and choose what it carries. The fourth gate says samādhi is wholly for others; the fifth gate says appearing is called disporting — if a person cultivating concentration finds it hard going, it is most often because he has made the concentration into a thing of his own.
The Ten Gates of the Presiding Spirits of Cities: A City Is Protection, and What Is Protected Is the Dharma
Chengguan places this class fifteenth, and notes that some say this class has lost its ninth dharma while the ten verses are complete (see the section on lineage). A city presides over defense, and all ten gates of this class fall upon three words: protecting, opening, and breaking.
The first gate is benefiting sentient beings by skillful means, of which Chengguan says that light and the rest, every kind of skillful means, are all for ripening and benefiting. The second gate is knowing the faculties of sentient beings and teaching and ripening them, said to be matching the medicine to the illness so that he can take and use it — knowing the faculties is not for the sake of ranking people high and low but for the sake of matching the medicine. The third gate is constant joy that makes sentient beings receive the manifold merits, said to be that when the Dharma is protected the Dharma survives, and the Dharma surviving, sentient beings receive merit; and he adds a line, that all four — the teaching, the principle, the practice, and the fruit — have their protection, which is the most important expansion in this gate, for protecting the Dharma is not only protecting the scrolls of scripture. The fourth gate is the treasury of great compassion that rescues from the manifold dreads, said to be that the rescuing of compassion is inexhaustible and so it is named a treasury. The fifth gate is understanding everywhere the great wisdom, in one sentence: penetrating the Buddha’s great wisdom. The sixth gate is manifesting everywhere by skillful means, in one sentence: manifesting the body by skillful means. The seventh gate is observing sentient beings everywhere and making them cultivate the vast ocean of merit, in one sentence: cultivating the Buddha’s virtue together with them. The eighth gate is awakening sentient beings who are benighted in darkness, of which Chengguan says that being deluded about the principle of the true and the conventional is what is called benighted in darkness, and that the Buddha appears in the world and reveals it and makes them awaken and enter; the original delusion has been there from beginningless time, like a man blind from birth who, though he hears it compared to this and that, never in the end recognizes what milk is like, and only a buddha’s appearing in the world can make him understand.
The ninth gate is beholding how the sovereign power of the Tathāgata reaches everywhere throughout the world and tames sentient beings; and on this gate Chengguan brings out, on the authority of the Sanskrit, a different gate-name and gate-meaning (see the section on lineage), and upon that variant reading gives a passage on the simile of stench and fragrance. He also explains the word ‘dream’ in the verse of this gate: a dream is the roaming of the spirit-consciousness, and it is also what the residual force of what one has seen and heard produces; if he can tame beings even in a dream, how much more when they are awake. The tenth gate is being able to break the mountain of obstruction of all sentient beings with a great light, said to be that the two obstructions and the five hindrances are piled up like a mountain, and nothing but the light of wisdom can break them — and this gate is fastened most tightly to what a city is taken to mean in this class: a city wall is protection, and the mountain of obstruction is also a wall; one is broken and one is raised, and it depends on whose wall it is.
The Eleven Gates of the Spirits of the Place of Awakening: One of the Three Exceptions in This Fascicle
Chengguan places this class sixteenth, and marks out word for word that this class is eleven dharmas and eleven verses. Of the fourteen classes of the whole fascicle, this alone is not ten.
The first gate is the power of the vow to bring forth the vast adornments with which the Buddha is served, and Chengguan first explains the wording: the words ‘bring forth’ are used twice in this one line, meaning that when there is a buddha who comes forth, there come forth the adornments that are used to make offerings; the Buddha did so in former times, and this spirit takes it as his model with a great vow. The second gate is appearing before all sentient beings and accomplishing the vast practices of awakening, said to be accomplishing one’s practice in the face of sentient beings so that they take it as their model; and giving comes first among all practices, and so the verse singles out giving. The third gate is following what sentient beings delight in and making them see the Buddha preach the Dharma to them in a dream, said to be that dreaming and waking can both be occasions of transforming, and then time and place are both pervaded. The fourth gate is being able to rain down all the manifold jeweled adornments that are hard to give away, said to be that outward wealth and the eyes of one’s own body are, layer upon layer, hard to give away; and it is for sentient beings that the practice of relinquishing is preached, and therefore it says he can rain them down. The fifth gate is being able to manifest a subtly adorned place of awakening and teach sentient beings at large and ripen them, and here Chengguan notes that the spirit Pure Flame Form did not appear in the earlier list of names — and this is precisely where the extra one in this class lies. The sixth gate is preaching the Dharma according to their faculties and making them give rise to right recollection, and on right recollection Chengguan says something extremely fine: for one who doubts about the objective realm, mind-only is the right recollection; for one who doubts about the nature of dharmas, the unobtainable is the right recollection. And speaking truly, only when there is neither right nor wrong can it be called right, and only what is neither recollecting nor not recollecting is true recollection; when the manifold recollections do not arise, right recollection then arises. Therefore he rains the Dharma according to their faculties, cutting off doubt and giving rise to wisdom.
The seventh gate is being able to rain down everywhere the boundless dharma of joy by eloquence, said to be that eloquence rains the Dharma and, according with their faculties, gives rise to joy. The eighth gate is praising at large the merit of the buddhas, said to be that praising the Buddha deeply and broadly, name and reality are both fair. The ninth gate is manifesting boundless trees of forms and adorning the place of awakening, said to be the retinue of the king of trees, just as was stated at the opening of this sūtra. The tenth gate is being still and unmoving beneath the tree of awakening and yet filling and pervading the ten directions, said to be just what was spoken of before, the body pervading the ten directions without coming or going, and wisdom entering into all marks and penetrating the emptiness and stillness of the nature of dharmas — being unmoving and filling everywhere are one and the same thing. The eleventh gate is revealing the manifold powers of the Tathāgata, said to be that the Buddha has measureless powers, and so the practices in the causal state are measureless as well, and all of them are revealed by the adornments. At the end Chengguan closes the whole class in one line: since they are the spirits of the place of awakening, what they obtain is liberation within the affairs of that place.
Correcting a misreading: do not take the eleven for an error and try to read it back into ten. Chengguan both marked it as eleven dharmas and eleven verses and pointed out that the spirit Pure Flame Form is not in the earlier list — he left this exception standing as it is. Coming down to the ground: the tidiness of numbered lists of dharmas is for the sake of remembering, not for the sake of tidiness itself; the sūtra itself has places where it is not tidy.
The Ten Gates of the Spirits That Go on Foot: This Business of Walking
Chengguan places this class seventeenth. This class shows most plainly what this fascicle means by ‘entering the Dharma by way of the affair at hand’ — even lifting a foot and setting it down is a gate.
As to the first gate, raining down the manifold jewels everywhere and giving rise to vast joy, and the second gate, manifesting the body of the Buddha seated upon lotus seats of every light and color and making those who see him rejoice, Chengguan says the first two may be known: raining jewels gives rise to joy, manifesting the seat gives rise to joy, and the words are the meaning. The third gate is establishing within every single thought all the assemblies of the tathāgatas and their places of awakening, said to be that inwardly one abides in thought after thought upon principle and upon affairs, and outwardly one establishes places of awakening in place after place — thought and place are two sides of one thing. The fourth gate is taming boundless sentient beings in the lifting of a foot and the taking of a step, and this is the eye of the class, of which Chengguan says that in the lifting and the setting down of a foot the ocean-seal sends out its radiance, and that of all the modes of deportment there is not one that is not the Buddha’s work. The fifth gate is transforming and manifesting in thought after thought the nets of lotus flowers and their light, raining down the manifold jewels everywhere and sending forth wondrous sounds, said to be that by flowers and by light he rains jewels and rains the Dharma. The sixth gate is bringing forth the boundless ocean of joy, said to be that boundless sentient beings are the realm the Buddha transforms, and seeing the Buddha and hearing the Dharma, joy arises. The seventh gate is awakening everywhere by a fragrant wind all the assemblies at the place of awakening, said to be that the perfect voice rouses sentient beings, being the same as a fragrant wind of sandalwood: let one be perfumed by it but once, and one feels body and mind grow harmonious. As to the eighth gate, sending forth light from every pore and expounding the subtle sound of the Dharma, the ninth gate, his body sending out everywhere the nets of light and illumining all things, and the tenth gate, awakening all sentient beings and making them give rise to the ocean of roots of goodness, Chengguan says the remaining three may be known: the pores expound the Dharma, the body sends out nets of light, and awakening produces goodness — none of these go outside the import already established above.
Coming down to the ground: the fourth gate is what this class has to say to one who practices. You do not have to wait until you have a Dharma to preach before it counts as the Buddha’s work; the very way you walk is already preaching.
The Ten Gates of the Spirits of the Bodily Host: The Body Is Like Space, and Also Like a Good Field
Chengguan places this class eighteenth. On the name of the foremost spirit of this class Chengguan brings out a divergent account (see the section on lineage).
As to the first gate, recalling the ocean of the Buddha’s vows of former times, the second gate, light shining everywhere upon boundless worlds, and the third gate, awakening sentient beings everywhere with a great sound and making them rejoice and be tamed, Chengguan says the first three may be known: recalling the vows, sending forth light, giving out sound — the meaning is seen in the very words. The fourth gate is the body abiding pervasively like space, and here Chengguan opens out: marks are precisely marklessness, and so it abides pervasively like space; and space is not a bare emptiness, for it also pervades within form, and abiding pervasively is not that a portion of it abides upon a single dust mote, but that it pervades. Just as the space within a mustard seed cannot be exhausted, because the body and the nature of dharmas cannot be divided from each other. This gate is the doctrinal eye of the class. The fifth gate is showing all sentient beings the domains of the buddhas, said to be that deportment and the giving of transformation manifest all at once without a mind that does so, and this is the domain of a buddha, hard to speak of and hard to think. The sixth gate is making hungry and destitute sentient beings satisfied in color and strength, of which Chengguan says that the Buddha is a good field, hard to encounter in the world, and that if one but raises the slightest offering, the retribution obtained is five things that are constant; the text of the sūtra names only color and strength for brevity, but there are in fact also long life, ease, and eloquence, and these five are all constant, and only that is called being satisfied; and since the retribution received is inexhaustible, all of them leave poverty behind. The seventh gate is removing the defilement of the afflictions of sentient beings, said to be that the light between the teeth removes defilement, showing that what he preaches is pure.
The eighth gate is turning about the deluded work of Māra in sentient beings, and here Chengguan explains Māra through and through: to be stained toward the five dust-objects and without kindness toward the six destinies is the deluded work of Māra; penetrate the nature of the five desires, empty yourself and forget yourself along with them, and that work is turned about, and so it is named guarding. What is called sustaining is guarding the gates of the senses well, gathering in what is scattered and thereby holding merit — and thus one is far from Māra. He also says that the work of Māra and delusion do not go outside the three poisons and conceit, and that Māra’s troubling of sentient beings does not go outside three things — the finest of the five desires, the manifold instruments of suffering, and preaching wrong dharmas to them; the three poisons are born from these, and the three poisons within, once grasped at, become the work of Māra. Now that one guards and is aware, what can Māra still do? This is the path of liberation spoken of in the verse. The ninth gate is revealing the marks of adornment everywhere within the palaces of all the rulers of the worlds, and Chengguan gives three layers of meaning: first, that though the body pervades the Dharma realm, he mostly manifests as a king, because in gathering in and governing he is sovereign; second, that the eight phases of accomplishing the path take place in a royal palace, in order to stoop down and draw sentient beings in; third, that beneath the tree of awakening in the Dharma realm is itself the palace of the King of Dharma. The tenth gate is gathering in all sentient beings everywhere and making them all give rise to pure roots of goodness, said to be that being deluded about original emptiness there is the suffering of false imagining, and that the uncontaminated is what was there all along, and that is the pure root of goodness.
Correcting a misreading: the eighth gate is not teaching people to fight it out with Māra. What Chengguan says the turning about consists in is the nature of things and guarding — recognize the nature of the five desires and hold the gates of the senses, and Māra has nowhere to get a grip.
The Ten Gates of the Vajra-Bearing Spirits: Seeing the Body of Boundless Forms
Chengguan places this class nineteenth, the last class of this fascicle. The vajra-bearing spirits are the Buddha’s close attendants and Dharma-protectors, and all ten gates of this class fall upon ‘seeing the body of the Buddha’ and ‘preaching the Dharma of the Buddha.’
The first gate is seeing how the Tathāgata manifests a body of boundless forms, of which Chengguan says that seeing the body of the Tathāgata is a universal manifesting and not a particular one — how should it be a manifesting for the sake of ordinary persons alone? The place where he is is itself boundless marks, and moreover each and every form he accords with is likewise without bound. As to the second gate, every single hair of the Buddha’s body revealing manifold clouds of light like a sun-wheel, the third gate, the great spiritual transformation of manifesting measureless bodies, the fourth gate, the boundless sound that accords with each kind, and the fifth gate, manifesting as the ruler of every world and awakening sentient beings, Chengguan says the next four may be known; only on the name of the fifth spirit does he have something further to say (see the section on lineage). The sixth gate is setting forth everywhere the gates of the distinctions among all the dharmas of the Buddha and exhausting them with nothing left out, said to be that the ocean of Dharma is deep and abstruse and its branchings differ, and he skillfully declares them and makes them appear with nothing left over. The seventh gate is gathering in all the tree spirits with lovely adornments, and here Chengguan draws a contrast: speaking from the side of the spirits, one may provisionally say that jeweled ornaments are the adornment, with which he skillfully gathers in his own retinue; speaking from the side of the Buddha, then skillful means and the marks and excellences are the adornment, and there is nothing that is not gathered in. The eighth gate is being fully and clearly aware of the mass of the vast merit and adornment of the Tathāgata, said to be that because the cause is deep, great merit can serve as adornment, and because the fruit is excellent, the marks of virtue are all clear and complete.
The ninth gate is observing everywhere the minds of dangerous and evil sentient beings and manifesting for them a body of awesome dignity, and Chengguan explains the wording: evil refers to the ten evils, and dangerous is the cause of that evil, because it can entrap oneself and others and is a perilous road. So manifesting a body of awesome dignity for dangerous and evil sentient beings is not intimidation; it is stopping their danger. The tenth gate is raining down everywhere all the adornments of the bodhisattvas and the maṇi topknot, and Chengguan brings out two readings: if one goes by the present text, then the maṇi topknot is what is rained down; if one takes it by the meaning, since this spirit is named Lotus Maṇi Topknot, one may also say that the topknot is what does the raining and the adornments of all the bodhisattvas are what is rained, showing that the light of the bodhisattvas’ wisdom is complete.
Among the verses of this class Chengguan separately explains the words ‘whirling eddy’ in the sixth verse: a whirling eddy is the place where water spirals and swirls around, and it has three meanings — first, being very deep; second, turning about; third, being hard to cross. And the whirling eddy of the ocean of Dharma is likewise: first, only a buddha can plumb it; second, the true and the false circle round one another so that their beginning and end are hard to exhaust; third, one hears emptiness spoken of and takes it for emptiness, and then one is sunk in the eddy, and one hears existence spoken of and takes it for existence, and so on — all of which may be inferred in the same way. Therefore the verse speaks of all the differentiated meanings. Having finished his explanation, Chengguan closes the whole of the assemblies of different birth with a single line: the assemblies of different birth are herewith finished.
Coming down to the ground: the two readings of the tenth gate are worth noticing — one and the same line of scripture, and whether one takes the spirit as the one who rains or as the thing rained, the doctrine that comes out holds either way. This is exactly how the one hundred and forty-one gates of the fourteen classes of this fascicle are to be read: which side the gate is on depends on which side you come in from.
Lineage
‘The assemblies of different birth’ is an outline-name belonging to the commentator — the divisional name ‘the part of extolling and praising the virtues’ and the paired terms ‘the assemblies of different birth’ and ‘the assembly of the same birth’ were all established by Chengguan when he laid out the structure of this sūtra; the text of the sūtra has no such names. At the end of this fascicle Chengguan closes with ‘the assemblies of different birth are herewith finished,’ and below that enters the assembly of the same birth. Fazang, on the sixty-fascicle version, also uses this phrase and distinguishes their virtue in general, and sets up a doubt of his own: Samantabhadra is of the same birth and stands together in the ocean of the fruit; these assemblies of different birth are a miscellaneous and lowly sort — how are they also gathered into the ocean of the fruit? His explanation divides into the two gates of the fruit being able to gather in the cause and the cause being able to enter the fruit. This question and answer belong to Fazang, and what is explained is the sixty-fascicle version.
The record of omissions in the translations — Chengguan records discrepancies among the translations in five places in this fascicle, all of them attributed to ‘some say,’ ‘according to the Sanskrit,’ or ‘the ancient worthies say,’ without judging on his own account. On the fourth gate of the presiding spirits of fire, some say that according to the Sanskrit the fourth has been lost here, the spirit’s name in the Sanskrit being Supreme Stamen Light Universally Illuminating and the Dharma-gate being universally able to remove the dust of the afflictions; and Chengguan further says that most of the editions do not have it, while some editions have it complete as the presiding spirit of fire Manifold Wondrous Palaces obtaining the gate of liberation of great kindness and compassion that broadly shelters sentient beings, and that this is likely an omission in the copying; and at the verses he says that the verses have added the fourth. For the class of the presiding spirits of the sea, Chengguan says at the head of the outline that there are ten dharmas but the verses have lost the third, and he quotes four lines of verse from the Sanskrit; and these four lines that Chengguan quotes — that all the guides of every world let the cloud of Dharma rain down immeasurably, drying up the inexhaustible oceans of suffering, and that this is the Dharma-gate that Unmixed with Dust and Defilement entered — are present in the base text of this unit, precisely as the third verse of the presiding spirits of the sea, and are not absent from the base text; Chengguan argues that if one goes by this text then it is the drying up of the ocean of suffering; and he further says that if one goes by the present text, the third is the afflictions and the fourth is suffering, whereas if one goes by the Sanskrit, the former is suffering and the latter is delusion, and that because the translator made an omission the wording and the sense are thrown out of line, and therefore the ancient worthies say that the fourth verse was lost, but since the concluding names are the same, one knows that what was lost is the third. For the class of the presiding spirits of cities, Chengguan says that some hold that the ninth dharma was lost while the ten verses are complete, and he brings out the Sanskrit as reading the presiding spirit of cities Fragrant Banner Adorned Topknot obtaining the gate of liberation of breaking the stench of all afflictions and bringing forth the fragrance of the nature of omniscience, and upon this gives a passage on stench and fragrance — the active defilements are the stinking thing and the residual habits are its stench, while the nature of wisdom is the substance of fragrance and benefiting beings is its scent; the scent is like clouds coming out of a high mountain, according with the nature of wisdom and inexhaustible, and the stench is like a fragrant wind rolling up a fog, equal to the emptiness of nature and boundless. He also says that some editions likewise have it complete as the presiding spirit of cities Fragrant Topknot Adornment obtaining the gate of liberation of opening out the pure and wondrous wisdom of sentient beings, and judges that this too is likely an omission in the copying, the sense not differing from the former. On the name of the foremost spirit of the bodily host, Chengguan says that in the place where the names were first listed it reads Flower Topknot Adornment, and that either the name is longer and only half of it is cited here, or else the Sanskrit sounds are similar and it is the translator’s error, and he says honestly that he has not himself collated the Dharma-gate against the Sanskrit. On the fifth of the vajra-bearing spirits, Chengguan says that in the first fascicle the name is Beautiful and Wondrous Faculties, whereas here it reads only Wondrous Arm, and both wording and sense are deficient; and the two words Lord of Gods were added because he manifests as a ruler of the world. All these records are what the ancient worthies brought out, and they are set down together without judgment.
The number eleven of the spirits of the place of awakening — of the fourteen classes only this one is eleven dharmas and eleven verses; Chengguan marks the number word for word and points out that the fifth spirit, Pure Flame Form, does not appear in the earlier list of names. This is one of the three exceptions in this fascicle; the other two are in the next paragraph, and they are set down as they stand.
One divergent form in the speaker of the verses — in all fourteen sets of verses of praise, the speaker is the foremost of that class in the prose passage, with the single exception of the presiding spirits of mountains: the foremost in the prose reads the presiding spirit of mountains Jewel Peak Opening Flowers, while the speaker of the verses reads the presiding spirit of mountains Opening Flowers Encircling the Earth. Likewise in the set phrase for being sustained by the Buddha, thirteen read sustained by the awesome power of the Buddha and only the set for the spirits that go on foot reads sustained by the spiritual power of the Buddha; and in this one instance the Song, Yuan, and Ming witnesses read the regular form, see the collation notes in the textual apparatus. Both places are recorded following the original wording of the sūtra, neither altered nor judged.
The divergence in the outlines of the several houses — the order of the classes in the text of the eighty-fascicle version is fire, water, sea, river, crops, herbs, forest, mountain, earth, city, the place of awakening, going on foot, the bodily host, and the vajra-bearers; the order of the classes in the sixty-fascicle version, in the passage listing the names of the assembly, is the place of awakening, dragons, earth, trees, herb-plants, grain, rivers, sea, fire, wind, space, the presiding spirits of the directions, the presiding spirits of night, and the presiding spirits of day, and it does not divide into ten gates of liberation and verses of praise but makes a single passage listing the names with one line of general virtue attached. Chengguan follows the eighty-fascicle version, going through the text and numbering the outline from the sixth to the nineteenth; Fazang follows the sixty-fascicle version, explaining class by class; and their manner of explaining differs too — Chengguan mostly explains the import of the gate of liberation gate by gate, while Fazang first explains the import of each spirit’s name class by class (dwelling above, dwelling below, dwelling between, counteraction, supplying and sustaining, flowing and moistening, being complete in virtue, ripening) and only then treats their virtue. Li Tongxuan takes yet another track of his own, not using the order of the classes but matching them to the ten practices by position: the presiding spirits of the sea to the practice of non-opposition and the perfection of patience, the presiding spirits of water to the practice of not shrinking back and the perfection of vigor, the presiding spirits of fire to the practice of freedom from delusion and confusion and the perfection of meditation; and about the sequence of positions before and after he says one thing — this is sequence within what has no before and after, sameness and difference within a single nature that has no distinctions, and it must not be construed as before and after by the sentiments of ordinary understanding. The outlines of all three houses differ entirely, and they are set down together without judgment.
Its bearing upon the chapter on entering the Dharma realm — the sentence pattern of this fascicle, ‘obtained such and such a gate of liberation,’ belongs to the same system of vocabulary as the sentence pattern by which Sudhana studies one gate of liberation after another in the fifty-three visits of the chapter on entering the Dharma realm. This fascicle is a collected display in which each of the spirit hosts realizes one gate, while the chapter on entering the Dharma realm is the unfolding one by one of the sequence of the causal positions. The two sentence patterns bear upon each other, and how deep or shallow that relation is, is set down without judgment.
What is not found — Zhiyan’s Souxuan ji has no corresponding explanation for the passages on the spirit hosts of this fascicle; his occurrences of ‘earth spirit’ and ‘spirit of the place of awakening’ all fall in the passage of the fifty-three visits in the chapter on entering the Dharma realm, and are not explanations of this chapter. Searching the treatises of the Huayan school — the Huayan yisheng jiaoyi fenqi zhang, the Shixuan men, the Fajie xuanjing, and the Wangjin huanyuan guan — the names of the spirits of this fascicle are nowhere to be seen; where these four treatises cite this sūtra they mostly take the chapter on the ten grounds and the passages on the ten mysteries and the six characteristics. The above is marked as absent according to the facts, and nothing from elsewhere is used to fill it in.
考據Apparatus
卷四一卷，十四類神眾。每一類先由經家並敘十位神各得一解脫門，次由該類之首承佛威力說十偈，一偈頌一神。說偈者亦有一則異形：十三則皆該類長行之首神，唯主山神一則長行首神作「寶峯開華主山神」而說偈者作「開華匝地主山神」。十四類中十三類皆十神十偈，唯道場神十一神十一偈——澄觀《疏》於此逐字標曰「第十六道場神，十一法、十一偈」〔T35n1735 0554c22〕。承佛之套語亦有一則異形：十三則作「承佛威力」，足行神一則作「承佛神力」。此一則之神字，大正校記〔0020b19：神【大】｜威【宋】【元】【明】〕——宋元明三本與常式同，此異形唯底本。澄觀於本段科次作「第六主火神」以下至「第十九金剛神」，訖於「上來異生眾竟」〔T35n1735 0555b24〕——科序自主風神以前之雜類數起，故第六至第十九共十四科，正當本節十四眾。六十華嚴此段不作十解脫門與偈讚之分段體例，但於會眾雲集處單段列名，詳略與八十本互異。
一、科判定位
| 科判系統 | 此段之位 |
|---|---|
| 底本 T279 三十九品 | 品一 世主妙嚴品·稱揚讚德分異生眾三·諸神眾（第一會 菩提場·卷四〔T10 0015c28〕–〔0021b23〕）；起句「復次，普光焰藏主火神，得悉除一切世間闇解脫門」〔T10n0279 0015c28〕，訖句「法界無不及，示佛所行處。」〔0021b23〕；次段〈同生眾·菩薩眾得法讚佛〉起於卷五〔0021c02〕後，即次子位之界 |
| 澄觀《華嚴經疏》 | 科起「第六主火神長行十法」〔T35n1735 0553a01〕，訖「上來異生眾竟」〔0555b24〕。逐科：第六主火神〔0553a01〕·第七主水神〔0553b02〕·第八主海神〔0553b28〕·第九主河神〔0553c19〕·第十主稼神〔0554a02〕·第十一主藥神〔0554a09〕·第十二主林神〔0554a22〕·第十三主山神〔0554b11〕·第十四主地神〔0554b22〕·第十五主城神〔0554c03〕·第十六道場神〔0554c22〕·第十七足行神〔0555a09〕·第十八身眾神〔0555a15〕·第十九金剛神〔0555b07〕 |
| 澄觀科序與本節眾數 | 疏之科序起於「第六」而非「第一」——第一至第五為主空神·主風神等在前之雜類，屬前子位；第六至第十九凡十四科，與本節十四類神眾逐一相當 |
| 法藏《探玄記》（六十華嚴疏） | 釋六十本會眾列名，諸神類之序與八十本異：「第三道場神者，在樹下近，故次列之耳」〔T35n1733 0134b24〕·「第五地神居下，運載義，多現女身」〔0134c02〕·「第六樹神居中，建立義」〔0134c03〕·「第七藥神，是對治義」〔0134c04〕·「第八穀神，是資持義」〔0134c05〕·「第九河神，是流潤義」〔0134c07〕·「第十海神，是具德義」〔0134c08〕·「第十一火神，是成熟義、照明義、焚燒義、除闇義」〔0134c09〕 |
| 李通玄《新華嚴經論》 | 以十行配神眾：「第三主海神，明無違逆行」〔T36n1739 0789a01〕·「第四主水神，明無屈撓行，主精進波羅蜜」〔0789a13〕·「第五主火神，明無癡亂行，主禪波羅蜜」〔0789b11〕。其序與八十本經文之序不同，亦與探玄記異 |
| 智儼《搜玄記》 | 〔查無〕。『地神』『道場神』於 T35n1732 之命中皆在〈入法界品〉五十三參段〔T35n1732 0097a20〕–〔0097c10〕，非本品諸神眾段之對應釋文。本考據據實標闕，不以他處之文充之 |
| 六十華嚴 T278 對位 | 品一 世間淨眼品·會眾列名段〔T09n0278 0395c16〕–〔0396b10〕；體例簡，不分十解脫門與偈讚（詳目四） |
「異生眾」之名所從來——本節之「稱揚讚德分」「異生眾」皆澄觀之科名，經文無此二語。疏於本段之末結曰：
「上來異生眾竟」〔T35n1735 0555b24〕
法藏於六十本亦用此語而通辨其德：「通辨上來異生眾德便即釋疑」〔T35n1733 0136b25〕，其所釋之疑為「前普賢同生同在果海，此異生眾既雜類卑末，如何亦在果海中攝」〔T35n1733 0136b26〕。故「異生」與「同生」之對舉，是疏家之科，非經之自名。
二、術語
| 漢 | 古德傳梵（羅馬字·發音輔助） | 所徵 | 精義 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 解脫門 | — | 「得悉除一切世間闇解脫門」〔T10n0279 0015c28〕 | 本節一百四十一句之通式：一神各得一門。澄觀於道場神末句繫其義曰「既是道場之神，故得道場事中解脫」〔T35n1735 0555a08〕——所得之門與神所主之事相稱 |
| 承佛威力 | — | 「爾時，普光焰藏主火神，承佛威力，遍觀一切主火神眾而說頌言」〔T10n0279 0016a10〕〔T10n0279 0016〕 | 說偈者之發語套語。本節十四則中十三則作「承佛威力」，足行神一則作「承佛神力」〔T10n0279 0020b19〕〔T10n0279 0020〕 |
| 遍觀·普觀 | — | 「遍觀一切主火神眾」〔T10n0279 0016a10〕〔T10n0279 0016〕·「普觀一切主海神眾」〔T10n0279 0016c20〕〔T10n0279 0016〕 | 同一套語之二形。本節十四則中作「遍觀」者六則（主火·主水·主河·主稼·主藥·足行），作「普觀」者八則（主海·主林·主山·主地·主城·道場·身眾·執金剛）；主火神一則之遍字，大正校記〔0016a10：遍【大】｜普【宋】【元】【明】〕，二形之分佈亦繫底本用字 |
| 異生眾 | — | 疏語，非經文。「上來異生眾竟」〔T35n1735 0555b24〕 | 對「同生眾」（普賢等菩薩眾）而立之科名；法藏釋其疑云雜類卑末而亦在果海中攝〔T35n1733 0136b26〕 |
| 道場神 | — | 「復次，淨莊嚴幢道場神」〔T10n0279 0019c24〕〔T10n0279 0019〕 | 法藏出二釋：「又道場之神，此依主釋。或道場即神，持業釋。一乘通二釋，以竝法門故；三乘唯依主，人法別故」〔T35n1733 0134b27〕 |
| 足行神 | — | 「復次，寶印手足行神」〔T10n0279 0020b05〕〔T10n0279 0020〕 | 澄觀釋其第四門曰「舉足下足海印發輝，諸有威儀無非佛事」〔T35n1735 0555a11〕 |
| 身眾神 | — | 「復次，淨喜境界身眾神」〔T10n0279 0020c12〕〔T10n0279 0020〕 | 澄觀於首神之名出異說：「初列處名華髻莊嚴。或是名廣，略舉其半。或梵音相類，譯者之誤，未勘梵本法門」〔T35n1735 0555a16〕 |
| 漩澓 | — | 「善巧漩澓主水神」〔T10n0279 0016b06〕〔T10n0279 0016〕·偈「法海漩澓處」〔T10n0279 0021b14〕〔T10n0279 0021〕 | 澄觀釋曰「水之漩流洄澓之處，一甚深故、二迴轉故、三難渡故」〔T35n1735 0555b20〕，並以三義配法海 |
| 譣詖 | — | 偈「眾生譣詖不修德」〔T10n0279 0018c04〕〔T10n0279 0018〕 | 澄觀直釋曰「譣詖即諂佞」〔T35n1735 0554b08〕 |
| 稼 | — | 「復次，柔軟勝味主稼神」〔T10n0279 0017b17〕〔T10n0279 0017〕 | 田禾之屬。法藏於六十本作「穀神」〔T35n1733 0134c05〕而釋曰「是資持義，育養黎元令喜故也」〔T35n1733 0134c05〕 |
| 愚癡魔業 | — | 「守護攝持身眾神，得轉一切眾生愚癡魔業解脫門」〔T10n0279 0020c20〕〔T10n0279 0020〕 | 澄觀釋曰「有染於五塵、無慈於六趣者，愚癡魔業也」〔T35n1735 0555a25〕，又曰「然魔事惑，不出三毒及慢」〔0555a29〕 |
| 阿耨達池 | — | 疏語。澄觀釋主河神第六門「若阿耨達池永無熱惱」〔T35n1735 0553c24〕（疏文在〔0553c24〕，所釋經文在〔0017a17〕） | 以無熱之池釋「無熱淨光主河神」之名與門 |
三、譬喻·修辭
本節之喻有二源：一在經文偈頌之內，二在澄觀《疏》之釋。今分三類錄之。
（一）經文偈頌內之喻——十四則偈皆讚佛，喻語多取本類神所主之物：
- 雲雨喻——主水神偈「佛昔修習大悲門，其心廣遍等眾生，是故如雲現於世」〔T10n0279 0016b29〕〔T10n0279 0016〕；主河神偈「譬如霈澤清炎暑，普滅眾生煩惱熱」〔T10n0279 0017a27〕〔T10n0279 0017〕。喻依為雲雨之普霑，喻體為悲門之普被。
- 虛空喻——主水神偈「如來清淨等虛空，無相無形遍十方」〔T10n0279 0016b27〕〔T10n0279 0016〕；主城神偈「佛智廣大無有邊，譬如虛空不可量」〔T10n0279 0019c12〕〔T10n0279 0019〕；主火神偈「福德如空無有盡，求其邊際不可得」〔T10n0279 0016a16〕〔T10n0279 0016〕。
- 金剛·須彌喻——主地神偈「堅固難壞如金剛，不可傾動逾須彌」〔T10n0279 0019b18〕〔T10n0279 0019〕。
- 日輪喻——執金剛神偈「佛身一一毛，光網不思議，譬如淨日輪，普照十方國」〔T10n0279 0021b06〕〔T10n0279 0021〕。
- 盲瞽喻——主城神偈「眾生癡暗如盲瞽，種種障蓋所纏覆」〔T10n0279 0019c22〕〔T10n0279 0019〕；主藥神偈「一切眾生癡所盲」〔T10n0279 0018a21〕〔T10n0279 0018〕。
- 海喻——主火神偈「我觀如來之所行，經於劫海無邊際」〔T10n0279 0016a18〕〔T10n0279 0016〕；主藥神偈「如來大悲方便海」〔T10n0279 0018a27〕〔T10n0279 0018〕；足行神偈「喜門深大猶如海」〔T10n0279 0020b22〕〔T10n0279 0020〕、「步步色相猶如海」〔T10n0279 0020c08〕〔T10n0279 0020〕。
（二）澄觀《疏》之喻釋——疏於本段用喻極密，多以本類神所主之物反釋其門：
- 日空十義——釋主火神第五門「光明照耀無邊虛空界」〔T10n0279 0016a03〕，澄觀先立「日光合空等空無際，智符實相稱實無邊」〔T35n1735 0553a12〕，繼曰「今略申十義，以辯難思」〔0553a15〕，逐條為「一謂日與空非即非離」〔0553a16〕·「二非住非不住」〔0553a16〕·「三而日善作破闇良緣，顯空之要」〔0553a17〕·「四雖復滅闇顯空，空無損益」〔0553a18〕·「五理實無損，事以推之，闇蔽永除，性乃無增，空界所含萬像皆現」〔0553a18〕·「六而此虛空性雖清淨，若無日光則有闇起」〔0553a20〕·「七非以虛空空故自能除闇，闇若除者必假日光」〔0553a21〕·「八日若無空，無光無照；空若無日，闇不自除」〔0553a22〕·「九然此闇性無來無去，日之體相亦不生不滅」〔0553a23〕·「十但有日照空則乾坤洞曉」〔0553a24〕。末繫其用曰「以智慧日照心性空，亦有十義，準喻思之」〔0553a25〕，並曰「非唯釋此文，亦乃遠通眾經、該羅前後」〔0553a26〕。
- 水之四時——釋主水神第三門，「若冬則積雪凝白，夏則無處不流」〔T35n1735 0553b04〕。
- 停海·須彌——釋主海神第九門，「湛如停海；萬德攸歸故須彌可傾，魔豈能嬈」〔T35n1735 0553c16〕。
- 河之十喻——釋主河神十門，逐門繫一水象：「若霈然洪霔滅惑生德，若懸河迅流無所滯礙」〔T35n1735 0553c20〕·「若泉㵎洗心」〔0553c21〕·「若碧沼澄潭空色交映」〔0553c22〕·「若崩浪發響」〔0553c23〕·「若阿耨達池永無熱惱」〔0553c24〕·「若蘊藻菱蓮普令物喜」〔0553c25〕·「若深湖廣陂是為廣德」〔0553c27〕·「若萬頃波澄光映天下」〔0553c28〕·「若彼百川咸會大海」〔0553c29〕。
- 地含海潤——釋主地神第七門，「如地含海潤發生百穀，百穀苗稼皆地香毛故」〔T35n1735 0554b27〕。
- 拂鏡——釋主林神第五門，「悟如日照頓周法界，功如拂鏡說智漸明。明是本明，漸為圓漸」〔T35n1735 0554b01〕。
- 夢覺——釋主山神第九門，引《大瓔珞經》夢中說法事與《涅槃》羅剎夢像之文，結曰「大夢之夜，必有大覺之明」〔T35n1735 0554b20〕。
- 香風卷霧——釋主城神第九門所據梵本異文，「香氣若高山之出雲，稱智性而無盡；臭氣若香風之卷霧，等性空之無邊」〔T35n1735 0554c14〕。
（三）句式之修辭——本節二體交替十四番，體例極整：
長行一體五節——復次·神名·『得某某解脫門』·十句並列·無結數句。經家一次敘畢，十神之間唯以分號相承，不另起「爾時」。十四類中十三類各十神，唯道場神十一神〔T10n0279 0019〕。
偈讚一體三節——爾時·某神承佛威力／神力，遍觀／普觀一切某神眾而說頌言·十偈（道場神十一偈）。十四則之首句，說偈者皆該類長行之首神，唯主山神一則例外：長行首神作「寶峯開華主山神」〔T10n0279 0018c08〕〔T10n0279 0018〕，而說偈者作「開華匝地主山神」〔T10n0279 0018c21〕〔T10n0279 0018〕。
偈之對位——每偈末句多以該神之略名收之，如「普集光幢於此悟」〔T10n0279 0016a15〕〔T10n0279 0016〕·「眾妙宮神所了知」〔T10n0279 0016a19〕〔T10n0279 0016〕·「此十方神之境界」〔T10n0279 0016a25〕〔T10n0279 0016〕。澄觀於主地神處明其法屬人之例曰「此下頌中，亦有二句結法屬人，可以意得」〔T35n1735 0554c02〕。
四、異譯對勘
本段之漢譯校本二：實叉難陀 T279（底本·品一 世主妙嚴品）·佛馱跋陀羅 T278（晉譯六十華嚴·品一 世間淨眼品）。四十華嚴 T293 唯譯品三十九，於本段無對校。
體例之異
八十本於本段作十四類神眾各十神（道場神十一神）得一解脫門並各說十偈之逐類展開；六十本於會眾雲集段但作單段列名，每類神列名數位而繫一句總德，不分解脫門，不附偈讚。二本詳略互異，全錄不判。
六十本會眾列名段（逐字·〔T09n0278 0395c16〕–〔0396b10〕）
〔0395c16〕「佛世界微塵數諸道場神，其名曰：淨莊嚴神、寶積光明神、吼音聲神、雨眾華神、莊嚴寶光神、善超香神、金色雲神、樂華樹神、莊嚴光神，與如是等道場神俱，皆於先佛造立願行。」〔T09n0278 0395c16〕
〔0395c20〕「復與佛世界微塵數諸龍神俱，其名曰：摩尼光龍、雜莊嚴龍、喜寶光龍、淨身光龍、香莊嚴龍、寶目光龍，如是一切，皆於過去不可思議阿僧祇劫，常為如來莊嚴法堂。」〔T09n0278 0395c20〕
〔0395c23〕「復與佛世界微塵數諸地神俱，其名曰：淨華光神、善思光明神、雜華莊嚴神、散寶焰神、隨時樂觀神、金眼勝神、毛孔散香神、應時和音神，如是一切，皆同德本，於過去佛所普修願行。」〔T09n0278 0395c23〕
〔0395c27〕「復與不可思議諸樹神俱，其名曰：雜華雲神、雜種光神、淨勝光神、垂莊嚴神、莊嚴光神、樂和音神、普勝等神、華果味神，如是一切，皆悉成就大喜普照。」〔T09n0278 0395c27〕
〔0396a02〕「復與無邊藥草神俱，其名曰：光焰神、栴檀香神、淨光神，普稱神、普力神、普淨神、普光神、愛香神、勝現神，如是一切，皆悉成就大悲普照。」〔T09n0278 0396a02〕
〔0396a05〕「復與無量諸穀神俱，其名曰：勝味神、華淨神、善力神、勢味神、根果神、淨華神、樂淨神、淨光神，如是一切，大喜成就。」〔T09n0278 0396a05〕
〔0396a08〕「復與無量諸河神俱，其名曰：普流神、勝洄澓神、洪流聲神、養水性神、淨海光神、普愛神、妙幢神、勝水神、海具光神，如是一切，常能精勤利益眾生。」〔T09n0278 0396a08〕
〔0396a11〕「復與不可思議諸海神俱，其名曰：寶勝光明神、金剛慧神、普涌浪神、雜華龍勝神、寶華光明神、須彌莊嚴神、海音聲神，如是一切，以佛無量功德之海而自充滿。」〔T09n0278 0396a11〕
〔0396a15〕「復與無量阿僧祇諸火神俱，其名曰：熾然光藏神、熾然光輪神、廣明耀神、無盡神、雜寶勝神、照除諸冥神、焰雲光明神，如是一切，悉為眾生照除闇冥。」〔T09n0278 0396a15〕
〔0396a18〕「復與無量諸風神俱，其名曰：無礙照明虛空神、遍超勝神、散須彌神、焰淨味神、淨除味神、發行大音神、樹峯華林神、持世界神，如是一切，皆能和合眾生，令不分散。」〔T09n0278 0396a18〕
〔0396a22〕「復與無邊虛空神俱，其名曰：普光淨勝神、無邊深廣神、起風神、離一切障神、廣超神、無對光焰神、無礙力勝神、最上妙音神、示現十方神，如是一切，心皆無垢，堅固淨妙。」〔T09n0278 0396a22〕
〔0396a26〕「復與無量主方神俱，其名曰：善住神、充滿神、無量現光神、光莊嚴神、普轉漸行神、不惑轉神、淨遊虛空神、普行世間神、行甚深神，如是一切，皆能善照一切眾生。」〔T09n0278 0396a26〕
〔0396a29〕「復與無量主夜神俱，其名曰：妙光神、淨光神、善觀眾生神、靜時堅固神、方便勝具神、生一切樹果神、無盡眷屬神、主知樂淨遊戲神、和諍神、淨福具神，如是一切，於助道法深重愛樂。」〔T09n0278 0396a29〕
〔0396b05〕「復與無量主晝神俱，其名曰：現宮殿神、善解安立戰場神、樂莊嚴普勝神、喜華香神、普集勝藥神、樂見王神、淨目高顯普勝神、大悲豔光神、光明善照神、普勝垂華神，如是一切，皆悉信樂正法莊嚴。」〔T09n0278 0396b05〕
逐類對位（全錄不判）
| 八十本（本節） | 六十本相應列名 | 開合之異 |
|---|---|---|
| 主火神十神十偈 | 諸火神七位·總德「悉為眾生照除闇冥」〔T09n0278 0396a18〕 | 六十本無十解脫門與偈；總德一句與八十本首門「悉除一切世間闇」〔T10n0279 0015c28〕語脈相近 |
| 主水神十神十偈 | 〔查無〕獨立主水神類目；「勝水神」一名在諸河神列內〔T09n0278 0396a10〕；李通玄論則別立「第四主水神」〔T36n1739 0789a13〕 | 六十本此段無獨立水神類 |
| 主海神十神十偈 | 諸海神七位·總德「以佛無量功德之海而自充滿」〔T09n0278 0396a14〕 | — |
| 主河神十神十偈 | 諸河神九位·總德「常能精勤利益眾生」〔T09n0278 0396a11〕 | — |
| 主稼神十神十偈 | 諸穀神八位·總德「大喜成就」〔T09n0278 0396a07〕 | 名異：八十本作「稼」，六十本作「穀」 |
| 主藥神十神十偈 | 藥草神九位·總德「皆悉成就大悲普照」〔T09n0278 0396a05〕 | 名異：八十本作「主藥神」，六十本作「藥草神」 |
| 主林神十神十偈 | 諸樹神八位·總德「皆悉成就大喜普照」〔T09n0278 0396a01〕 | 名異：八十本作「林」，六十本作「樹」 |
| 主山神十神十偈 | 〔查無〕獨立山神類目於本段列名內 | — |
| 主地神十神十偈 | 諸地神八位·總德「皆同德本，於過去佛所普修願行」〔T09n0278 0395c27〕 | — |
| 主城神十神十偈 | 〔查無〕獨立主城神類目 | — |
| 道場神十一神十一偈 | 諸道場神九位·總德「皆於先佛造立願行」〔T09n0278 0395c19〕 | 六十本列道場神於此段之首，八十本列之於主城神後 |
| 足行神十神十偈 | 〔查無〕獨立足行神類目 | — |
| 身眾神十神十偈 | 〔查無〕獨立身眾神類目 | — |
| 執金剛神十神十偈 | 〔查無〕於本段列名內 | — |
| — | 諸龍神·諸風神·虛空神·主方神·主夜神·主晝神 | 六十本此段所有而八十本本節所無之類 |
六十本之類序——道場神·龍神·地神·樹神·藥草神·穀神·河神·海神·火神·風神·虛空神·主方神·主夜神·主晝神。法藏《探玄記》釋此序而各繫一義（見目一）。八十本本節之序為火·水·海·河·稼·藥·林·山·地·城·道場·足行·身眾·執金剛。二本類序全異，全錄不判。
法藏所敘之開合——探玄記於供養圓滿段辨十八眾之開合曰：「從遠向近辨十八眾中，前三十四內於四天中略舉南北，具列諸神」〔T35n1733 0137a02〕，又曰「以南北所領文中不廣，不類東西，故無開合」〔0137a09〕。此為六十本內部之開合，誌錄不判。
五、宗義之經據〔眼〕
（一）一神一門，門與所主之事相稱——本節之體例，每一神所得之解脫門與其名、與其所主之物事相稱。此一分際澄觀於道場神末句說得最直：
「既是道場之神，故得道場事中解脫。」〔T35n1735 0555a08〕
法藏於六十本亦逐類繫一義以顯此稱：火神「是成熟義、照明義、焚燒義、除闇義」〔T35n1733 0134c09〕·河神「是流潤義」〔0134c07〕·海神「是具德義」〔0134c08〕·藥神「是對治義，法藥遣惑是悲門也」〔0134c04〕。二疏所繫雖異其目，其以事顯法之讀法則同。
（二）雜類與果海——「異生眾」既是雜類，何以與普賢同在一會？此問法藏自設而自答，其疑辭曰：
「前普賢同生同在果海，此異生眾既雜類卑末，如何亦在果海中攝？」〔T35n1733 0136b26〕
其釋分二門：「初果能攝因、二因能入果」〔T35n1733 0136c15〕。前門曰「以佛成彼，故不別也」〔0136c17〕；後門曰「謂乘解脫等，即乘因入果故、乘別入總故、乘門入海故」〔0136c25〕，並繫之曰「乘此力故得因果圓滿同一際也，是故於佛果海中法門悉得自在」〔0136c27〕。此段所釋為六十本，繫屬法藏。
（三）一因一果之圓融——澄觀於主林神第四門「一切清淨功德莊嚴聚」〔T10n0279 0018b05〕下出一斷語：
「良以佛果纜因，皆圓成非分成，是故一因生一切果、一果收一切因，皆圓融無礙耳。」〔T35n1735 0554a27〕
又於主水神第一偈之相好處曰「純雜無礙因果相融，圓成非分成故」〔T35n1735 0553b20〕，並曰「佛一相一毛即同法界無有分量，今此神從一慈門入無盡相耳」〔0553b21〕。此二處為本節之內，澄觀以華嚴宗義釋經之最明處，繫屬澄觀。
（四）李通玄之十行配位——李通玄不以「異生眾」科之，而以十行配神眾：主海神配無違逆行忍波羅蜜，「以法性大悲以為忍體，是故如海含潤，處其下流能容一切」〔T36n1739 0789a04〕；主水神配無屈撓行精進波羅蜜，「以法性之水，常勤精進教化眾生，一一知根而益，而無屈撓」〔0789a14〕；主火神配無癡亂行禪波羅蜜，「即明普智照而恒寂故，即以火神為定體，即寂而常照、即事而恒理」〔0789b13〕。其於位次之前後，別出一語曰「是無前後中次第，是一性無差別中同異，不可以情作前却解也」〔T36n1739 0789a26〕。此軌與澄觀《疏》、法藏《探玄記》皆不同，繫屬李通玄。
（五）脫文之誌——澄觀於本段屢誌譯本脫漏，皆繫「有云」「準梵本」「古德云」而不自斷：主火神「有云：準梵本，此脫第四」〔T35n1735 0553a02〕，其下復云「然諸本多無，或有本則具云眾妙宮殿主火神，得大慈悲廣蔭眾生解脫門，恐是傳寫脫漏耳」〔0553a09〕，而於偈處曰「頌加第四」〔0553b01〕；主海神「第八主海神十法，頌脫第三」〔0553b28〕——澄觀所引梵本之偈四句「一切世間眾導師，法雲大雨不可測，消竭無窮諸苦海，此離垢塵入法門」〔T35n1735 0553c02〕，本節底本現存，即主海神第三偈〔T10n0279 0016c25〕，非底本所無——其辨曰「既譯人脫漏，致使文義參差。故古德云：脫第四頌。結名既同，故知脫第三」〔0553c06〕；主城神「有云：脫第九法，十頌具足」〔0554c04〕，並出梵本異文「香幢莊嚴髻主城神，得破一切煩惱臭氣出生一切智性香氣解脫門」〔0554c11〕，又出「有本亦具云：香髻莊嚴主城神，得開發眾生清淨妙智解脫門」〔0554c17〕而斷曰「亦恐傳寫之脫漏耳，義不異前」〔0554c18〕；身眾神首神之名「或梵音相類，譯者之誤，未勘梵本法門」〔0555a17〕；執金剛神第五神「初卷中名諸根美妙，今但云妙臂，文義俱闕」〔0555b10〕。以上諸誌，皆古德所出，誌錄不判。
（六）道場神之十一——十四類中唯道場神十一神十一偈，澄觀不作脫誤看而逐字標其數：「第十六道場神，十一法、十一偈」〔T35n1735 0554c22〕，並於第五神下注其列名之異曰「五清淨焰形神，前列中無」〔0554c28〕。此為本節內三處例外之一，餘二處（主山神說偈者之異形·足行神承佛神力之異形）併見目一，據實錄之。
（七）四法界·觀門典據——〔查無〕。《華嚴一乘教義分齊章》T45n1866·《十玄門》T45n1868·《法界玄鏡》T45n1883·《妄盡還源觀》T45n1876 檢「主火神」「主水神」「主海神」「執金剛神」皆所檢未見，四論引本經多取〈十地品〉與十玄六相段，未見引本節。據實標闕，不強繫。
六、諸家異釋（古德·標宗）
澄觀《華嚴經疏》T35n1735（八十華嚴逐文·主）
主火神十門〔0553a01〕——「一以進力現世，除物無明。以最初故，偏從火義」〔0553a02〕·「二惑有二義：一漂、二惱，善巧迴轉則能息之」〔0553a03〕·「三稱性之福，相惑不動。與大悲合，自利不動。俱能攝德無盡名藏」〔0553a05〕·第四出梵本異名「神名勝上蘂光普照，法門名普能除煩惱塵」〔0553a06〕·第五為日空十義（見目三）·「六體寂發照名寂靜光，以斯成福莊嚴身相」〔0553a27〕·「七八可知」〔0553a28〕·「九分別法相，永離不了愚癡；悟法實性，便無執著之見」〔0553a28〕·「十以行扶願，故能現世作師子吼」〔0553a29〕。
主水神十門〔0553b02〕——「一無緣大慈，是曰平等」〔0553b02〕·「二無邊行法，莊嚴自他」〔0553b03〕·「三寂然不動以觀機，感而遂通以隨攝」〔0553b03〕·「四妙音演佛深旨，令悟妙法旋澓」〔0553b05〕·「五身智二光遍覺開化，大充法界清淨無垢」〔0553b06〕·「六清淨法界性相俱絕，德無不見則大用不亡」〔0553b07〕·「七眾生不窮故大悲無盡，滿而不溢有知足義焉」〔0553b08〕·「八處處見佛，故大喜無窮。喜從佛生，即佛名藏」〔0553b10〕·「九性相無礙之福，故能普現神通」〔0553b12〕·「十調生行廣，如空無邊；用靡暫停，如空無盡」〔0553b13〕。偈釋別出第一偈之三分「第一偈前半辯一相因果，次句例餘，後句辯益」〔0553b14〕，並曰「以慈為因得妙相果，以相為因得無厭果」〔0553b17〕。
主海神十門〔0553b28〕——「一為物供佛，是等施福，得眾寶相以莊嚴身」〔0553b28〕·「二巧隨根欲說法護善，使其長成」〔0553c01〕·「三謂演深廣法，體煩惱空」〔0553c01〕·「四若見佛境則惑亡苦息」〔0553c05〕·「五以智滅癡」〔0553c09〕·「六為行所遷，一切皆苦。菩提因起則生滅苦亡，便得涅槃寂滅安樂」〔0553c09〕·「七將智滅癡，未免於見；了癡見性，癡見自亡。真妄等觀，是佛境也」〔0553c11〕·「八一切眾生有佛種性，圓明可貴具德稱寶」〔0553c12〕·「九了如不取則心不搖動」〔0553c16〕·「十入法界定，如法界遍」〔0553c18〕。其於第四門下辨梵本前後之異曰「準現經文，三是煩惱、四是於苦；若依梵本，前苦、後惑」〔0553c05〕。
主河神十門〔0553c19〕——逐門以水象繫之（見目三），其第十門結曰「總收萬善令會涅槃，若彼百川咸會大海。會海由智，名海德光明」〔0553c29〕。
主稼神十門〔0554a02〕——「一功德智慧二種法味資成佛身」〔0554a02〕·「二喜樂由於苦除」〔0554a03〕·「三眾生為所淨之境」〔0554a03〕·「四悲深故通廣」〔0554a04〕·「五下種物田，必至果無壞」〔0554a04〕·「六智敷物信，獲果稱華」〔0554a05〕·「七慈眼視物故福聚無量」〔0554a05〕·「八以行成佛，故始成即宣」〔0554a07〕·「九懈於修習憂惱是生，勤策諸根眾惡清淨」〔0554a07〕·「十隨根為說，遂求故喜」〔0554a08〕。
主藥神十門〔0554a09〕——「一順情則易攝、逆意則難調，故普觀之」〔0554a10〕·「二三可知」〔0554a11〕·「四始學者以名為實賓，大士以名為佛事」〔0554a11〕·「五以慈善根力，放月愛等光，身心兩病纔念便滅」〔0554a12〕·「六迷理迷報，二愚盲冥起惑造業，備受眾苦」〔0554a13〕·「七八可知」〔0554a15〕·「九無愛見之大悲生物德故名藏」〔0554a16〕·「十世醫療治，雖瘥還生。永滅生德，無先念佛」〔0554a17〕，其下釋念佛之所以曰「謂佛有無邊相，相有無邊好，好放無邊光，光攝無邊眾」〔0554a18〕，又曰「佛德齊均，隨緣隨樂趣稱一佛，三昧易成。敬一心濃，餘盡然矣」〔0554a20〕。
主林神十門〔0554a22〕——「一佛德無邊皆依智海，含德流光所以名藏」〔0554a23〕·「二等眾生悲是為廣大，一一離障名普清淨」〔0554a24〕·「三一切勝因皆為佛道，各各心淨則種種芽生」〔0554a25〕·「四一切功德莊嚴一毛，一一皆然，故佛為德聚」〔0554a26〕·「五智通萬法是曰普門，客塵不生故曰清淨」〔0554a29〕·「六知遍趣行，如應布法」〔0554b03〕·「七了音聲性皆同佛音，故無不可意」〔0554b03〕·「八昔行稱周法界，是廣大境」〔0554b05〕·「九眾生諂佞，自不修德，寧有進賢之心」〔0554b07〕·「十敬念則佛興，佛興則莊嚴德藏。障重者不念不見，於佛豈無常哉？故應見常見也」〔0554b09〕。
主山神十門〔0554b11〕——「一寂而常照，故光無不闡」〔0554b11〕·「二相光熟機，皆慈善根力」〔0554b12〕·「三修因嚴根，本為順物，故矚蓮目而欣樂、覩月面而歡心」〔0554b13〕·「四如空不染，故長劫無怠」〔0554b15〕·「五癡故長眠，唯福智之能覺」〔0554b16〕·「次三可知」〔0554b16〕·「九若睡若寤皆令聞法進行，斯為佛業」〔0554b16〕·「十稱性法門無邊大義一音能演，是出現也」〔0554b21〕。第九門引二經：《大瓔珞經》「過去有佛，凡欲說法，令大眾眠，夢中說法，令增善根，覺得道果」〔0554b18〕與《涅槃》「其人夢中見羅剎像」〔0554b20〕。
主地神十門〔0554b22〕——「一念念無間平等普觀，修慈護法，故得金剛之體。金剛，即內照之實也」〔0554b23〕·「二一毛福力頓現眾福」〔0554b24〕·「三證入無生，不礙嚴剎」〔0554b25〕·「四一向為他」〔0554b25〕·「五觀機出現，名為遊戲」〔0554b26〕·「六現淨惑身，方調物惑」〔0554b26〕·「七內具德海，現威力身」〔0554b27〕·「八長行一言盡攝無餘，偈頌則一言普遍無極」〔0554b28〕·「九焰雲普遍，令物離垢為性」〔0554b29〕·「十法能攝持心行，如金剛之輪」〔0554c01〕。
主城神十門〔0554c03〕——「一光等方便，成熟利益」〔0554c05〕·「二應病與藥，令得服行」〔0554c05〕·「三護法法存則物受福德，教理行果皆有護也」〔0554c06〕·「四悲救無盡名藏」〔0554c07〕·「五了佛大智」〔0554c07〕·「六方便現身」〔0554c08〕·「七同修佛德」〔0554c08〕·「八迷真俗理故云愚闇，佛出開示令其悟入」〔0554c08〕·第九出梵本異文（見目五）·「十二障五蓋重疊如山，非智光明莫之能破」〔0554c21〕。其釋偈中夢字曰「夢是神遊，亦見聞之氣分也。夢中尚調，況於覺悟」〔0554c19〕。
道場神十一門〔0554c22〕——一者，疏釋『出現』一詞兩用曰「字兩用，謂有佛出現，即出現莊嚴具而為供養」〔0554c23〕·「二對物成行，令物倣之。施為行先，故偈偏舉」〔0554c25〕·「三夢覺皆化，則時處俱遍」〔0554c26〕·「四外寶內眼，重重難捨」〔0554c27〕·「五清淨焰形神，前列中無」〔0554c28〕·「六疑境界者，以唯心為正念。疑法性者，以無得為正念」〔0554c29〕，並曰「實則無正無邪方稱曰正，無念不念是真念矣。諸念不生，正念方生耳」〔0555a02〕·「七辯才雨法，稱根故喜」〔0555a04〕·「八深廣讚佛，故名實雙美」〔0555a04〕·「九樹王眷屬，並如經初」〔0555a05〕·「十即前身遍十方而無來往，智入諸相了法空寂也」〔0555a06〕·「十一種種力者，佛有無量力故，因行亦然，皆嚴具顯示」〔0555a07〕。
足行神十門〔0555a09〕——「初二可知」〔0555a09〕·「三內則念念安於理事，外則處處建立道場」〔0555a10〕·「四舉足下足海印發輝，諸有威儀無非佛事」〔0555a11〕·「五以華以光雨寶雨法」〔0555a12〕·「六眾生無邊是佛化境，見佛聞法故生歡喜」〔0555a12〕·「七圓音警物，等栴檀之香風；暫一熏修，覺身心之調順」〔0555a13〕·「餘三可知」〔0555a15〕。
身眾神十門〔0555a15〕——首神之名出異說（見目二）·「初三可知」〔0555a18〕·「四相即無相，故如空遍住。空非獨虛亦遍於色，住非分住一塵亦周」〔0555a18〕·「五威儀施化無心頓現，斯即佛境，難以言思」〔0555a21〕·「六佛為良田，出世難遇，一興微供，果獲五常」〔0555a22〕·「七齒光除垢，表所說淨故」〔0555a25〕·「八有染於五塵、無慈於六趣者，愚癡魔業也」〔0555a25〕，並辨魔曰「魔惱眾生不出三事，謂上妙五欲及諸苦具、為說邪法」〔0555a29〕·「九有三意：一身雖周於法界，多示為王，攝御自在故。二八相處於王宮，俯接物故。三法界菩提樹下，法王宮故」〔0555b03〕·「十迷於本空，故有妄苦。無漏本有，是淨善根」〔0555b06〕。
執金剛神十門〔0555b07〕——「一見如來身普現非別，豈唯凡現之？處即無邊相，亦隨一一色相皆無有邊」〔0555b08〕·「次四可知」〔0555b09〕，唯第五神之名出異（見目五）·「六法海深奧槃節差別，巧說令現無有遺餘」〔0555b12〕·「七約神且說寶飾為嚴，巧攝己眾；約佛方便相好為嚴，無不攝也」〔0555b13〕·「八因深故大福為能嚴，果勝故德相皆明足」〔0555b14〕·「九惡謂十惡，險者惡之因也，能陷自他及險道故」〔0555b15〕·「十若以現文則摩尼髻是所雨，若以義取此神名摩尼髻，亦得髻是能雨」〔0555b16〕。偈中漩澓三義見目二。末結曰「餘並可知。上來異生眾竟」〔0555b24〕。
法藏《探玄記》T35n1733（六十華嚴疏·判釋淵藪）
諸神類之逐一釋名〔0134b24〕–〔0134c21〕——道場神「在樹下近，故次列之耳」〔0134b25〕並出依主·持業二釋〔0134b27〕·龍「居上，蔭覆義故，云嚴法堂」〔0134c01〕·地神「居下，運載義，多現女身」〔0134c02〕·樹神「居中，建立義，德樹高情故喜也」〔0134c03〕·藥神「是對治義，法藥遣惑是悲門也」〔0134c04〕·穀神「是資持義，育養黎元令喜故也」〔0134c05〕·河神「是流潤義。德中勤是流義，益是潤義」〔0134c07〕·海神「是具德義」〔0134c08〕·火神「是成熟義、照明義、焚燒義、除闇義，初二成二嚴、後二滅二障」〔0134c09〕·風神「是聚散義」〔0134c11〕·空神「有七義：一無邊、二無礙、三一味、四含攝、五顯示、六離染、七堅固」〔0134c19〕。
異生眾之德與果海〔0136b24〕——出二釋「一但顯此眾德、二通辨上來異生眾德便即釋疑」〔0136b25〕，釋疑之文見目五。其辨德曰「初二句總標，謂內修離相、外預勝流，故在緣起果海中也」〔0136b28〕，又曰「初三業殊勝、二同佛所乘、三斷德離染、四照燭真源」〔0136c02〕。
下諸神名之通則——「下諸神名，二釋準之。」〔T35n1733 0134b29〕
李通玄《新華嚴經論》T36n1739
以十行波羅蜜配神眾（見目五）。其於主火神下別出一節論定體之義：「若其世間事也，即南方离神是也。若其人也，是其心也，离法心故。若其法也，是虛無之智也」〔T36n1739 0789b15〕，並曰「明無癡亂行，以火神能破闇故、不迷惑故、無闇障故。此一段約用而為定也」〔0789b20〕。又於十住十行之精進門辨其異曰「如十住中精進門，樂勤觀法性為體。此十行中精進門，處世益生，以行潤物為體」〔0789a19〕。
智儼《搜玄記》T35n1732
〔查無〕。本段無對應釋文可徵（見目一）。據實標闕。
誌錄不判
諸神類之序，三家全異：八十本經文作火·水·海·河·稼·藥·林·山·地·城·道場·足行·身眾·執金剛；六十本列名段作道場·龍·地·樹·藥草·穀·河·海·火·風·虛空·主方·主夜·主晝〔T09n0278 0395c16〕–〔0396b09〕；李通玄之配位作海·水·火之次〔T36n1739 0789a01〕〔0789a13〕〔0789b11〕。澄觀依八十本逐文而科第六至第十九〔T35n1735 0553a01〕〔0555b07〕，法藏依六十本逐類而釋第三至第十六〔T35n1733 0134b24〕〔0134c25〕，李通玄則不用類序而用十行位次〔T36n1739 0789a01〕。
釋神之法，二疏亦異：澄觀逐門釋其解脫門之義而少釋神名之所以〔T35n1735 0553a02〕，法藏則逐類先釋神名之義（居上·居下·居中·對治·資持·流潤·具德·成熟）而後及德〔T35n1733 0134c01〕–〔0134c11〕。
脫文之判，澄觀出三處而皆繫「有云」「古德云」「準梵本」〔T35n1735 0553a02〕〔0553c07〕〔0554c03〕，於身眾神首名則兩存其說「或是名廣，略舉其半。或梵音相類，譯者之誤」〔0555a16〕而終曰「未勘梵本法門」〔0555a17〕。
以上諸異，皆古德成說，並錄不判。
七、互讀·承衍
- 本品內互讀：本節為稱揚讚德分異生眾之第三段。前承〈異生眾二·八部眾〉（參見本帙〈異生眾二·八部及五神眾〉），後接〈同生眾·菩薩眾得法讚佛〉（參見本帙〈同生眾·菩薩眾得法讚佛〉，起句「復次，普賢菩薩摩訶薩，入不思議解脫門方便海」〔T10n0279 0021c06〕後）。澄觀科文以「上來異生眾竟」相接〔T35n1735 0555b24〕，其下即入同生眾。
- 與〈入法界品〉互讀：本節之『得某某解脫門』句式與〈入法界品〉五十三參之解脫門句式同一語彙系統。〈入法界品〉內「修諸三昧禪定解脫門」〔T10n0279 0330a14〕與善財求法之語「超諸世間者，示我解脫門」〔T10n0279 0333a11〕，二處逐字繫錨。本節為諸神眾各證一門之總集，入法界品則為善財逐一參學之次第展開；二處句式相涉，誌錄不判其繫屬深淺。
- 與〈十地品〉互讀：本節澄觀所立「一因生一切果、一果收一切因」〔T35n1735 0554a28〕之語，於本編品二十六諸地單元之因果相攝段可對讀。
- 法藏所引之典：探玄記於本段引《婆沙》《佛地論》《阿含經》《正法念經》《海龍王經》《涅槃經》《增一經》《智論》《雜心》《俱舍論》《長阿含經》《三法度經》《寶性論》《正法華經》諸典以釋諸類眾〔T35n1733 0134c27〕–〔0136b23〕，此為古德自引，非本目所繫。澄觀於本段引《大瓔珞經》《涅槃》二典〔T35n1735 0554b17〕〔0554b19〕。
- 承衍之闕：《華嚴一乘教義分齊章》T45n1866·《十玄門》T45n1868·《法界玄鏡》T45n1883·《妄盡還源觀》T45n1876 檢本節諸神名皆未見〔查無〕；唯識諸論（成唯識 T31n1585·攝論 T31n1594·瑜伽 T30n1579）於本節未檢，據實標闕，不強繫。
八、校本定位
- 實叉 T279（底本）：品一 世主妙嚴品·稱揚讚德分 異生眾三·諸神眾，卷四〔T10n0279 0015c28〕起–〔0021b23〕訖（卷五題起於 0021c02）。逐類所在行：主火神〔0015c28〕· 主水神〔0016b03〕· 主海神〔0016c08〕· 主河神〔0017a11〕· 主稼神〔0017b17〕· 主藥神〔0017c24〕· 主林神〔0018b02〕· 主山神〔0018c08〕· 主地神〔0019a14〕· 主城神〔0019b20〕· 道場神〔0019c24〕· 足行神〔0020b05〕· 身眾神〔0020c12〕· 執金剛神〔0021a17〕。
- 佛馱 T278（晉譯主對校）：品一 世間淨眼品·會眾列名段〔T09n0278 0395c16〕–〔0396b10〕。逐類起處：道場神 0395c16 · 龍神 0395c20 · 地神 0395c23 · 樹神 0395c27 · 藥草神 0396a02 · 穀神 0396a05 · 河神 0396a08 · 海神 0396a11 · 火神 0396a15 · 風神 0396a18 · 虛空神 0396a22 · 主方神 0396a26 · 主夜神 0396b01 · 主晝神 0396b05 · 阿修羅神 0396b09。
- 澄觀《疏》T35n1735：本節科起 0553a01 – 訖 0555b24。第六主火神 0553a01（日空十義 0553a15）· 第七主水神 0553b02（偈釋 0553b14）· 第八主海神 0553b28（梵本偈 0553c02·脫頌之辨 0553c06）· 第九主河神 0553c19 · 第十主稼神 0554a02 · 第十一主藥神 0554a09 · 第十二主林神 0554a22 · 第十三主山神 0554b11（夢中說法 0554b17）· 第十四主地神 0554b22 · 第十五主城神 0554c03（梵本異文 0554c11）· 第十六道場神 0554c22 · 第十七足行神 0555a09 · 第十八身眾神 0555a15 · 第十九金剛神 0555b07（漩澓三義 0555b19）· 結 0555b24。
- 澄觀《演義鈔》T36n1736：本考據未收對應窗，〔查無〕據實標闕。
- 法藏《探玄記》T35n1733：諸神類釋名 0134b20–0134c21 · 阿修羅以下諸類 0134c27–0136b23 · 歎德與果海之釋 0136b24–0136c29 · 供養圓滿開合之辨 0137a01–0137a10。
- 李通玄《論》T36n1739：主海神 0789a01 · 主水神 0789a13 · 主火神 0789b11（訖 0789b22）。
- 智儼《搜玄記》T35n1732：〔查無〕逐文釋（見目一·目六）。
- 四十華嚴 T293：〔查無〕。該譯唯品三十九，於本段無對校。
- 世親《十地經論》T26n1522：〔查無〕。唯釋〈十地品〉，不涉本品。
- 異讀：本單元 T279 範圍〔0015c24〕–〔0021c01〕內大正校記 18 條，逐條照錄不判（底本【大】｜他本異讀；多本異讀以／分列）：〔0016a03〕耀【大】＊｜曜【宋】【元】【明】【宮】＊（＊同校並繫〔0018b12〕〔0019b20〕〔0019c01〕〔0020a08〕〔0020b17〕之耀字） · 〔0016a10〕遍【大】＊｜普【宋】【元】【明】＊（＊同校並繫〔0016b15〕〔0017a25〕〔0017c02〕〔0018a09〕〔0020b19〕之遍字） · 〔0016b24〕旋【大】｜漩【宋】【元】【明】【宮】 · 〔0017c25〕攝【大】｜攝取【宮】 · 〔0018a15〕悉【大】｜昔【元】【明】【宮】 · 〔0018b05〕芽【大】｜牙【宮】 · 〔0018b17〕習【大】｜集【宋】 · 〔0018c04〕迷【大】｜業【宮】 · 〔0018c22〕言【大】｜曰【明】 · 〔0019b06〕消【大】｜銷【宮】 · 〔0019c13〕目【大】｜城【宮】 · 〔0020a02〕纓【大】＊｜瓔【宋】【元】【明】【宮】＊（＊同校並繫〔0020a23〕之纓字） · 〔0020a26〕辭【大】｜訶【宮】 · 〔0020b19〕神【大】｜威【宋】【元】【明】 · 〔0020b24〕覩【大】｜觀【宮】 · 〔0020b26〕矚【大】｜囑【宮】 · 〔0021a15〕攝【大】｜護【宋】【元】【明】 · 〔0021b20〕現【大】｜見【宮】。（＊＝大正星號同校，該校並繫本文其餘同字處；T279 XML 於此類未出 corresp 重出位，故只呈星號、不另造錨）
- 異讀補記：CBETA 回改 3 條（不入上列大正校記之數）：〔0016a02〕門；眾妙宮殿……際解脫門（凡23字）【CB】｜門【大】／門眾妙宮殿主……生解脫門（凡19字）【元】／門眾妙宮殿主……生解脫門（凡19字）【南藏】／門眾妙宮殿主……際解脫門（凡23字）【明】【宮】（明註曰南藏亦同） · 〔0016c25〕悟。一切世間……入法門。（凡29字）【CB】｜悟【大】／悟一切世間眾……塵入法門（凡29字）【元】【明】【宮】 · 〔0019b29〕門；香幢莊嚴……生解脫門（凡26字）【CB】｜門【大】／門香幢莊嚴髻……氣解脫門（凡28字）【元】／門香幢莊嚴髻……氣解脫門（凡28字）【南藏】／門香幢莊嚴主……生解脫門（凡26字）【明】／門香髻莊嚴主……生解脫門（凡26字）【宮】（明註曰南藏亦同，門香髻莊嚴主城神得觀如來自在力普遍世間調伏眾生解脫門【宮】）。
- 異讀補記：夾注已於原典層剝除誌錄。經文標點之異形三處據實錄之：道場神偈引句末作分號「而說頌言；」〔T10n0279 0019〕，餘十三則作冒號；主火神長行第二三神間作逗號「熱惱苦解脫門，大光遍照主火神」〔T10n0279 0016a01〕〔T10n0279 0015〕，餘皆分號；主海神第三偈嵌於第二偈之行內而無換行「此是堅幢所欣悟。一切世間眾導師」〔T10n0279 0016c25〕〔T10n0279 0016〕，餘偈皆各自成行。
One fascicle, fascicle four; fourteen classes of spirit hosts. In each class the narrator first tells together the one gate of liberation obtained by each of ten spirits, and then the foremost of that class, sustained by the awesome power of the Buddha, speaks ten verses, one verse praising one spirit. The speaker of the verses likewise has one divergent form: in thirteen sets it is the foremost spirit of that class in the prose passage, and only in the set for the presiding spirits of mountains does the foremost of the prose read 「寶峯開華主山神」 tr. “the presiding spirit of mountains Jewel Peak Opening Flowers” while the speaker of the verses reads 「開華匝地主山神」 tr. “the presiding spirit of mountains Opening Flowers Encircling the Earth” . Of the fourteen classes thirteen are ten spirits and ten verses, and only the spirits of the place of awakening are eleven spirits and eleven verses — Chengguan’s Huayan jing shu marks this here word for word, saying 「第十六道場神，十一法、十一偈」 tr. “the sixteenth, the spirits of the place of awakening: eleven dharmas, eleven verses” 〔T35n1735 0554c22〕. The set phrase for being sustained by the Buddha also has one divergent form: thirteen sets read 「承佛威力」 tr. “sustained by the awesome power of the Buddha” and the one set for the spirits that go on foot reads 「承佛神力」 tr. “sustained by the spiritual power of the Buddha” . In this one instance the graph carries the Taishō collation note 〔0020b19：神【大】｜威【宋】【元】【明】〕 — the Song, Yuan, and Ming witnesses agree with the regular form, and this divergent form is the base text’s alone. In numbering the outline of this passage Chengguan writes from 「第六主火神」 tr. “the sixth, the presiding spirits of fire” on down to 「第十九金剛神」 tr. “the nineteenth, the vajra spirits” , ending at 「上來異生眾竟」 tr. “the assemblies of different birth are herewith finished” 〔T35n1735 0555b24〕 — the numbering of the outline counts from the miscellaneous classes standing before the presiding spirits of wind, so that the sixth through the nineteenth make fourteen outline-sections in all, exactly answering to the fourteen hosts of this unit. In this passage the sixty-fascicle Avataṃsaka does not adopt the sectional form of ten gates of liberation together with verses of praise, but lists the names in a single passage at the point where the assembly gathers in clouds, and the two versions differ from each other in fullness and brevity.
I. Doctrinal Outline and Placement
| Outline system | The place of this passage within it |
|---|---|
| The base text T279, in thirty-nine chapters | Chapter 1, The Wondrous Adornments of the Rulers of the Worlds · the part of extolling and praising the virtues, the assemblies of different birth, part three: the spirit hosts (the first assembly, at the seat of awakening · fascicle 4 〔T10 0015c28〕–〔0021b23〕); the opening sentence is 「復次，普光焰藏主火神，得悉除一切世間闇解脫門」 tr. “Furthermore, the presiding spirit of fire Universal Light Flame Treasury obtained the gate of liberation of removing utterly all the darkness of every world” 〔T10n0279 0015c28〕, and the closing sentence is 「法界無不及，示佛所行處。」 tr. “there is nothing in the Dharma realm it does not reach, revealing the place where the Buddha ranges.” 〔0021b23〕; the next passage, The Assembly of the Same Birth: The Bodhisattvas Attain the Dharma and Praise the Buddha, begins after 〔0021c02〕 in fascicle 5, which is the boundary of the next sub-position |
| Chengguan, Huayan jing shu | The outline opens at 「第六主火神長行十法」 tr. “the sixth, the presiding spirits of fire: the prose passage, ten dharmas” 〔T35n1735 0553a01〕 and ends at 「上來異生眾竟」 tr. “the assemblies of different birth are herewith finished” 〔0555b24〕. Section by section: the sixth, the presiding spirits of fire 〔0553a01〕 · the seventh, the presiding spirits of water 〔0553b02〕 · the eighth, the presiding spirits of the sea 〔0553b28〕 · the ninth, the presiding spirits of rivers 〔0553c19〕 · the tenth, the presiding spirits of crops 〔0554a02〕 · the eleventh, the presiding spirits of herbs 〔0554a09〕 · the twelfth, the presiding spirits of forests 〔0554a22〕 · the thirteenth, the presiding spirits of mountains 〔0554b11〕 · the fourteenth, the presiding spirits of the earth 〔0554b22〕 · the fifteenth, the presiding spirits of cities 〔0554c03〕 · the sixteenth, the spirits of the place of awakening 〔0554c22〕 · the seventeenth, the spirits that go on foot 〔0555a09〕 · the eighteenth, the spirits of the bodily host 〔0555a15〕 · the nineteenth, the vajra spirits 〔0555b07〕 |
| Chengguan’s outline numbering and the number of hosts in this unit | The numbering of the commentary’s outline begins at 「第六」 tr. “the sixth” and not at 「第一」 tr. “the first” — the first through the fifth are the miscellaneous classes that stand before, the presiding spirits of space, the presiding spirits of wind and the rest, which belong to the preceding sub-position; the sixth through the nineteenth are fourteen outline-sections in all, answering one by one to the fourteen classes of spirit hosts in this unit |
| Fazang, Tanxuan ji (commentary on the sixty-fascicle Avataṃsaka) | Explaining the listing of the assembly in the sixty-fascicle version, the order of the classes of spirits differs from that of the eighty-fascicle version: 「第三道場神者，在樹下近，故次列之耳」 tr. “as for the third, the spirits of the place of awakening, they are near beneath the tree, and so they are listed next” 〔T35n1733 0134b24〕 · 「第五地神居下，運載義，多現女身」 tr. “the fifth, the earth spirits, dwell below, being the import of carrying, and mostly manifest female bodies” 〔0134c02〕 · 「第六樹神居中，建立義」 tr. “the sixth, the tree spirits, dwell between, being the import of establishing” 〔0134c03〕 · 「第七藥神，是對治義」 tr. “the seventh, the herb spirits, are the import of counteraction” 〔0134c04〕 · 「第八穀神，是資持義」 tr. “the eighth, the grain spirits, are the import of supplying and sustaining” 〔0134c05〕 · 「第九河神，是流潤義」 tr. “the ninth, the river spirits, are the import of flowing and moistening” 〔0134c07〕 · 「第十海神，是具德義」 tr. “the tenth, the sea spirits, are the import of being complete in virtue” 〔0134c08〕 · 「第十一火神，是成熟義、照明義、焚燒義、除闇義」 tr. “the eleventh, the fire spirits, are the import of ripening, the import of illuminating, the import of burning up, and the import of removing darkness” 〔0134c09〕 |
| Li Tongxuan, Xin Huayan jing lun | He matches the spirit hosts to the ten practices: 「第三主海神，明無違逆行」 tr. “the third, the presiding spirits of the sea, set forth the practice of non-opposition” 〔T36n1739 0789a01〕 · 「第四主水神，明無屈撓行，主精進波羅蜜」 tr. “the fourth, the presiding spirits of water, set forth the practice of not shrinking back, presiding over the perfection of vigor” 〔0789a13〕 · 「第五主火神，明無癡亂行，主禪波羅蜜」 tr. “the fifth, the presiding spirits of fire, set forth the practice of freedom from delusion and confusion, presiding over the perfection of meditation” 〔0789b11〕. His order differs from the order of the text of the eighty-fascicle version, and differs from the Tanxuan ji as well |
| Zhiyan, Souxuan ji | 〔not found〕. The occurrences of ‘earth spirit’ and ‘spirit of the place of awakening’ in T35n1732 all fall in the passage of the fifty-three visits in the chapter on entering the Dharma realm 〔T35n1732 0097a20〕–〔0097c10〕, and are not the corresponding explanation of the passages on the spirit hosts of this chapter. The present register marks the absence according to the facts and does not use text from elsewhere to fill it in |
| Correspondence in the sixty-fascicle Avataṃsaka T278 | Chapter 1, The Pure Eye of the World · the passage listing the assembly 〔T09n0278 0395c16〕–〔0396b10〕; the form is spare, and it does not divide into ten gates of liberation and verses of praise (see register IV) |
Where the name 「異生眾」 tr. “the assemblies of different birth” comes from — both 「稱揚讚德分」 tr. “the part of extolling and praising the virtues” and 「異生眾」 tr. “the assemblies of different birth” in this unit are outline-names of Chengguan’s, and the text of the sūtra has neither phrase. At the end of this passage the commentary concludes:
「上來異生眾竟」 tr. “the assemblies of different birth are herewith finished” 〔T35n1735 0555b24〕
Fazang too uses this phrase on the sixty-fascicle version and distinguishes their virtue in general: 「通辨上來異生眾德便即釋疑」 tr. “distinguishing in general the virtues of the foregoing assemblies of different birth, he then resolves a doubt” 〔T35n1733 0136b25〕, and the doubt he resolves is 「前普賢同生同在果海，此異生眾既雜類卑末，如何亦在果海中攝」 tr. “Samantabhadra before is of the same birth and stands together in the ocean of the fruit; these assemblies of different birth are a miscellaneous and lowly sort — how are they too gathered into the ocean of the fruit?” 〔T35n1733 0136b26〕. Therefore the pairing of 「異生」 tr. “different birth” with 「同生」 tr. “same birth” is an outline of the commentators and not a name the sūtra gives itself.
II. Terminology
| Term | Sanskrit as transmitted by the ancient worthies (roman letters · pronunciation aid) | Attestation | Essential sense |
|---|---|---|---|
| gate of liberation | — | 「得悉除一切世間闇解脫門」 tr. “obtained the gate of liberation of removing utterly all the darkness of every world” 〔T10n0279 0015c28〕 | The common formula of the one hundred and forty-one clauses of this unit: each spirit obtains one gate. At the closing line of the spirits of the place of awakening Chengguan attaches its sense, saying 「既是道場之神，故得道場事中解脫」 tr. “since they are the spirits of the place of awakening, what they obtain is liberation within the affairs of that place” 〔T35n1735 0555a08〕 — the gate obtained answers to the matter over which the spirit presides |
| sustained by the awesome power of the Buddha | — | 「爾時，普光焰藏主火神，承佛威力，遍觀一切主火神眾而說頌言」 tr. “At that time the presiding spirit of fire Universal Light Flame Treasury, sustained by the awesome power of the Buddha, surveyed the whole host of the presiding spirits of fire throughout and uttered these verses” 〔T10n0279 0016a10〕〔T10n0279 0016〕 | The set opening phrase for the speaker of the verses. Of the fourteen sets in this unit thirteen read 「承佛威力」 tr. “sustained by the awesome power of the Buddha” and the one set for the spirits that go on foot reads 「承佛神力」 tr. “sustained by the spiritual power of the Buddha” 〔T10n0279 0020b19〕〔T10n0279 0020〕 |
| surveying throughout · surveying everywhere | — | 「遍觀一切主火神眾」 tr. “surveyed the whole host of the presiding spirits of fire throughout” 〔T10n0279 0016a10〕〔T10n0279 0016〕 · 「普觀一切主海神眾」 tr. “surveyed everywhere the whole host of the presiding spirits of the sea” 〔T10n0279 0016c20〕〔T10n0279 0016〕 | Two forms of one and the same set phrase. Of the fourteen sets in this unit, six read 「遍觀」 tr. “surveyed throughout” (fire · water · rivers · crops · herbs · going on foot) and eight read 「普觀」 tr. “surveyed everywhere” (the sea · forests · mountains · earth · cities · the place of awakening · the bodily host · the vajra-bearers); and in the fire set the graph for ‘throughout’ carries the Taishō collation note 〔0016a10：遍【大】｜普【宋】【元】【明】〕, so that the distribution of the two forms also hangs upon the base text’s graph |
| the assemblies of different birth | — | The commentator’s phrase, not the sūtra’s. 「上來異生眾竟」 tr. “the assemblies of different birth are herewith finished” 〔T35n1735 0555b24〕 | An outline-name set up over against 「同生眾」 tr. “the assembly of the same birth” (the host of bodhisattvas beginning with Samantabhadra); Fazang, resolving the doubt about them, says that though a miscellaneous and lowly sort they too are gathered into the ocean of the fruit 〔T35n1733 0136b26〕 |
| spirit of the place of awakening | — | 「復次，淨莊嚴幢道場神」 tr. “Furthermore, the spirit of the place of awakening Pure Adornment Banner” 〔T10n0279 0019c24〕〔T10n0279 0019〕 | Fazang brings out two explanations: 「又道場之神，此依主釋。或道場即神，持業釋。一乘通二釋，以竝法門故；三乘唯依主，人法別故」 tr. “Again, the spirit of the place of awakening — this is the dependent-determinative explanation. Or else the place of awakening is itself the spirit, the appositional explanation. The One Vehicle admits both explanations, because both alike are Dharma-gates; the three vehicles admit only the dependent-determinative, because person and dharma are separate” 〔T35n1733 0134b27〕 |
| spirit that goes on foot | — | 「復次，寶印手足行神」 tr. “Furthermore, the spirit that goes on foot Jewel Seal Hand” 〔T10n0279 0020b05〕〔T10n0279 0020〕 | Chengguan explains its fourth gate, saying 「舉足下足海印發輝，諸有威儀無非佛事」 tr. “in the lifting of a foot and the setting down of a foot the ocean-seal sends out its radiance, and of all the modes of deportment there is none that is not the Buddha’s work” 〔T35n1735 0555a11〕 |
| spirit of the bodily host | — | 「復次，淨喜境界身眾神」 tr. “Furthermore, the spirit of the bodily host Pure Joy Domain” 〔T10n0279 0020c12〕〔T10n0279 0020〕 | On the name of the foremost spirit Chengguan brings out a divergent account: 「初列處名華髻莊嚴。或是名廣，略舉其半。或梵音相類，譯者之誤，未勘梵本法門」 tr. “where the names were first listed it is named Flower Topknot Adornment. Either the name is the longer one and only half of it is cited here; or else the Sanskrit sounds are similar and it is the translator’s error. I have not collated the Dharma-gate against the Sanskrit text” 〔T35n1735 0555a16〕 |
| whirling eddy | — | 「善巧漩澓主水神」 tr. “the presiding spirit of water Skillful Whirlpool” 〔T10n0279 0016b06〕〔T10n0279 0016〕 · the verse 「法海漩澓處」 tr. “the place where the ocean of Dharma whirls and eddies” 〔T10n0279 0021b14〕〔T10n0279 0021〕 | Chengguan explains it, saying 「水之漩流洄澓之處，一甚深故、二迴轉故、三難渡故」 tr. “the place where water spirals and swirls around: first, because it is very deep; second, because it turns about; third, because it is hard to cross” 〔T35n1735 0555b20〕, and matches the three meanings to the ocean of Dharma |
| fawning and crooked | — | the verse 「眾生譣詖不修德」 tr. “sentient beings are fawning and crooked and do not cultivate virtue” 〔T10n0279 0018c04〕〔T10n0279 0018〕 | Chengguan explains it outright, saying 「譣詖即諂佞」 tr. “fawning and crooked means flattering and sycophantic” 〔T35n1735 0554b08〕 |
| crops | — | 「復次，柔軟勝味主稼神」 tr. “Furthermore, the presiding spirit of crops Soft and Supreme Savor” 〔T10n0279 0017b17〕〔T10n0279 0017〕 | Grain in the field. Fazang, on the sixty-fascicle version, has 「穀神」 tr. “grain spirits” 〔T35n1733 0134c05〕 and explains them, saying 「是資持義，育養黎元令喜故也」 tr. “they are the import of supplying and sustaining, because they nourish the common people and make them rejoice” 〔T35n1733 0134c05〕 |
| the deluded work of Māra | — | 「守護攝持身眾神，得轉一切眾生愚癡魔業解脫門」 tr. “the spirit of the bodily host Guarding and Sustaining obtained the gate of liberation of turning about the deluded work of Māra in all sentient beings” 〔T10n0279 0020c20〕〔T10n0279 0020〕 | Chengguan explains it, saying 「有染於五塵、無慈於六趣者，愚癡魔業也」 tr. “to be stained toward the five dust-objects and without kindness toward the six destinies — this is the deluded work of Māra” 〔T35n1735 0555a25〕, and again 「然魔事惑，不出三毒及慢」 tr. “yet the work of Māra and delusion do not go outside the three poisons and conceit” 〔0555a29〕 |
| Lake Anavatapta | — | The commentary’s phrase. Chengguan, explaining the sixth gate of the presiding spirits of rivers, says 「若阿耨達池永無熱惱」 tr. “like Lake Anavatapta, where there is never any burning distress” 〔T35n1735 0553c24〕 (the commentary lies at 〔0553c24〕; the scriptural text it explains lies at 〔0017a17〕) | By the lake that is without heat he explains the name and the gate of 「無熱淨光主河神」 tr. “the presiding spirit of rivers Unburning Pure Light” |
III. Similes and Rhetoric
The similes of this unit have two sources: one lies within the verses of the sūtra text, the other in the explanations of Chengguan’s Huayan jing shu. They are set down here under three heads.
(1) Similes within the verses of the sūtra text — all fourteen sets of verses praise the Buddha, and the language of simile mostly takes the thing over which that class of spirits presides:
- The simile of cloud and rain — the verse of the presiding spirits of water, 「佛昔修習大悲門，其心廣遍等眾生，是故如雲現於世」 tr. “The Buddha in former times cultivated the gateway of great compassion, and that mind was vast and pervasive, equal to sentient beings, and so he appears in the world like a cloud” 〔T10n0279 0016b29〕〔T10n0279 0016〕; the verse of the presiding spirits of rivers, 「譬如霈澤清炎暑，普滅眾生煩惱熱」 tr. “just as a torrential downpour cools the blazing heat, extinguishing everywhere the burning of the afflictions in sentient beings” 〔T10n0279 0017a27〕〔T10n0279 0017〕. The ground of the simile is the universal moistening of cloud and rain; the body of the simile is the universal covering of the gateway of compassion.
- The simile of space — the verse of the presiding spirits of water, 「如來清淨等虛空，無相無形遍十方」 tr. “The Tathāgata is pure as space, without mark and without shape, pervading the ten directions” 〔T10n0279 0016b27〕〔T10n0279 0016〕; the verse of the presiding spirits of cities, 「佛智廣大無有邊，譬如虛空不可量」 tr. “The wisdom of the Buddha is vast and without bound, like space it cannot be measured” 〔T10n0279 0019c12〕〔T10n0279 0019〕; the verse of the presiding spirits of fire, 「福德如空無有盡，求其邊際不可得」 tr. “Merit is inexhaustible as space, and to seek out its limit is not possible” 〔T10n0279 0016a16〕〔T10n0279 0016〕.
- The simile of vajra and Sumeru — the verse of the presiding spirits of the earth, 「堅固難壞如金剛，不可傾動逾須彌」 tr. “Firm and hard to break as vajra, unshakable and surpassing Sumeru” 〔T10n0279 0019b18〕〔T10n0279 0019〕.
- The simile of the sun-wheel — the verse of the vajra-bearing spirits, 「佛身一一毛，光網不思議，譬如淨日輪，普照十方國」 tr. “Of the body of the Buddha, every single hair — the net of its light is beyond conceiving, like a pure sun-wheel it shines everywhere upon the lands of the ten directions” 〔T10n0279 0021b06〕〔T10n0279 0021〕.
- The simile of the blind — the verse of the presiding spirits of cities, 「眾生癡暗如盲瞽，種種障蓋所纏覆」 tr. “sentient beings are deluded and dark as the blind, wrapped and covered by the manifold obstructing veils” 〔T10n0279 0019c22〕〔T10n0279 0019〕; the verse of the presiding spirits of herbs, 「一切眾生癡所盲」 tr. “all sentient beings are blinded by delusion” 〔T10n0279 0018a21〕〔T10n0279 0018〕.
- The simile of the ocean — the verse of the presiding spirits of fire, 「我觀如來之所行，經於劫海無邊際」 tr. “I observe what the Tathāgata does, passing through oceans of kalpas without any bound” 〔T10n0279 0016a18〕〔T10n0279 0016〕; the verse of the presiding spirits of herbs, 「如來大悲方便海」 tr. “the ocean of the Tathāgata’s great compassion and skillful means” 〔T10n0279 0018a27〕〔T10n0279 0018〕; the verses of the spirits that go on foot, 「喜門深大猶如海」 tr. “the gateway of joy is deep and vast as an ocean” 〔T10n0279 0020b22〕〔T10n0279 0020〕 and 「步步色相猶如海」 tr. “the forms of step after step are like an ocean” 〔T10n0279 0020c08〕〔T10n0279 0020〕.
(2) Chengguan’s explanations by simile in the Huayan jing shu — in this passage the commentary uses simile very densely, mostly explaining a gate back through the very thing over which that class of spirits presides:
- The ten meanings of sun and space — explaining the fifth gate of the presiding spirits of fire, 「光明照耀無邊虛空界」 tr. “light shining upon the boundless realm of space” 〔T10n0279 0016a03〕, Chengguan first sets up 「日光合空等空無際，智符實相稱實無邊」 tr. “sunlight joins with space and is boundless as space; wisdom tallies with the real character and, according with the real, is without bound” 〔T35n1735 0553a12〕, and continues 「今略申十義，以辯難思」 tr. “now let ten meanings be set out in brief, so as to distinguish how it is past conceiving” 〔0553a15〕, item by item as 「一謂日與空非即非離」 tr. “first, sun and space are neither identical nor apart” 〔0553a16〕 · 「二非住非不住」 tr. “second, neither abiding nor not abiding” 〔0553a16〕 · 「三而日善作破闇良緣，顯空之要」 tr. “third, and yet the sun serves well as the good condition for breaking darkness, and is the essential for revealing space” 〔0553a17〕 · 「四雖復滅闇顯空，空無損益」 tr. “fourth, though it extinguishes darkness and reveals space, space is neither diminished nor increased” 〔0553a18〕 · 「五理實無損，事以推之，闇蔽永除，性乃無增，空界所含萬像皆現」 tr. “fifth, in principle there is truly no diminishing, but pushing it through in terms of the affair: the shrouding darkness is removed forever, the nature is not increased, and all the images contained in the realm of space appear” 〔0553a18〕 · 「六而此虛空性雖清淨，若無日光則有闇起」 tr. “sixth, and though the nature of this space is pure, if there were no sunlight then darkness would arise” 〔0553a20〕 · 「七非以虛空空故自能除闇，闇若除者必假日光」 tr. “seventh, it is not that space, being empty, can remove darkness of itself; if darkness is to be removed it must borrow sunlight” 〔0553a21〕 · 「八日若無空，無光無照；空若無日，闇不自除」 tr. “eighth, if the sun had no space there would be no light and no shining; if space had no sun the darkness would not remove itself” 〔0553a22〕 · 「九然此闇性無來無去，日之體相亦不生不滅」 tr. “ninth, yet the nature of this darkness neither comes nor goes, and the substance and mark of the sun likewise neither arise nor cease” 〔0553a23〕 · 「十但有日照空則乾坤洞曉」 tr. “tenth, let there only be a sun shining upon space, and then heaven and earth are lit up clear through” 〔0553a24〕. At the end he attaches its use, saying 「以智慧日照心性空，亦有十義，準喻思之」 tr. “shining the sun of wisdom upon the space of the nature of mind likewise has ten meanings; think them through according to the simile” 〔0553a25〕, and adds 「非唯釋此文，亦乃遠通眾經、該羅前後」 tr. “not only does it explain this passage; it also reaches far into many scriptures and gathers up what comes before and after” 〔0553a26〕.
- Water in the four seasons — explaining the third gate of the presiding spirits of water, 「若冬則積雪凝白，夏則無處不流」 tr. “as in winter it piles up as snow congealed and white, and in summer there is nowhere it does not flow” 〔T35n1735 0553b04〕.
- The sea come to rest, and Sumeru — explaining the ninth gate of the presiding spirits of the sea, 「湛如停海；萬德攸歸故須彌可傾，魔豈能嬈」 tr. “limpid as a sea come to rest; since the myriad virtues have their home there, Sumeru may topple, but how could Māra trouble it?” 〔T35n1735 0553c16〕.
- The ten similes of rivers — explaining the ten gates of the presiding spirits of rivers, he attaches an image of water to each gate: 「若霈然洪霔滅惑生德，若懸河迅流無所滯礙」 tr. “like a torrential flooding downpour that extinguishes delusion and produces virtue, like a river hung aloft rushing down with nothing to block it” 〔T35n1735 0553c20〕 · 「若泉㵎洗心」 tr. “like springs and streams washing the mind” 〔0553c21〕 · 「若碧沼澄潭空色交映」 tr. “like a jade-green pool and a clear pond where emptiness and form reflect each other” 〔0553c22〕 · 「若崩浪發響」 tr. “like crashing waves giving out their sound” 〔0553c23〕 · 「若阿耨達池永無熱惱」 tr. “like Lake Anavatapta, where there is never any burning distress” 〔0553c24〕 · 「若蘊藻菱蓮普令物喜」 tr. “like water plants, caltrops, and lotuses that gladden all beings everywhere” 〔0553c25〕 · 「若深湖廣陂是為廣德」 tr. “like a deep lake and a broad pond — this is what vast virtue is” 〔0553c27〕 · 「若萬頃波澄光映天下」 tr. “like ten thousand acres of stilled waves whose light is mirrored under heaven” 〔0553c28〕 · 「若彼百川咸會大海」 tr. “like the hundred rivers all coming home to the great sea” 〔0553c29〕.
- The earth holding the moisture of the sea — explaining the seventh gate of the presiding spirits of the earth, 「如地含海潤發生百穀，百穀苗稼皆地香毛故」 tr. “as the earth holds the moisture of the sea within and brings forth the hundred grains, for the hundred grains and the standing crops are all the fragrant hair of the earth” 〔T35n1735 0554b27〕.
- Polishing a mirror — explaining the fifth gate of the presiding spirits of forests, 「悟如日照頓周法界，功如拂鏡說智漸明。明是本明，漸為圓漸」 tr. “awakening is like the sun shining, all at once pervading the Dharma realm; the effort is like polishing a mirror, of which it is said that wisdom grows gradually bright. The brightness is the brightness that was always there; the gradualness is a gradualness within what is already perfect” 〔T35n1735 0554b01〕.
- Dreaming and waking — explaining the ninth gate of the presiding spirits of mountains, he cites from the Da yingluo jing the matter of preaching the Dharma within a dream and from the Nirvāṇa the passage on the dream-image of a rākṣasa, concluding 「大夢之夜，必有大覺之明」 tr. “in the night of the great dream there must surely be the brightness of the great awakening” 〔T35n1735 0554b20〕.
- A fragrant wind rolling up a fog — explaining the variant Sanskrit reading upon which the ninth gate of the presiding spirits of cities rests, 「香氣若高山之出雲，稱智性而無盡；臭氣若香風之卷霧，等性空之無邊」 tr. “the scent is like clouds coming out of a high mountain, according with the nature of wisdom and inexhaustible; the stench is like a fragrant wind rolling up a fog, equal to the emptiness of nature and boundless” 〔T35n1735 0554c14〕.
(3) The rhetoric of the sentence patterns — in this unit two forms alternate through fourteen rounds, and the pattern is extremely regular:
The prose form has five members — Furthermore · the spirit’s name · ‘obtained such and such a gate of liberation’ · ten clauses set side by side · no closing clause giving the number. The narrator tells it through at one stroke, the ten spirits being linked only by semicolons, with no fresh start at 「爾時」 tr. “at that time”. Of the fourteen classes, thirteen have ten spirits each, and only the spirits of the place of awakening have eleven 〔T10n0279 0019〕.
The verse form has three members — at that time · such and such a spirit, sustained by the awesome power / the spiritual power of the Buddha, surveyed throughout / surveyed everywhere the whole host of such and such spirits and uttered these verses · ten verses (eleven verses for the spirits of the place of awakening). In the opening sentence of the fourteen sets, the speaker of the verses is in every case the foremost spirit of that class in the prose passage, with the single exception of the set for the presiding spirits of mountains: the foremost of the prose reads 「寶峯開華主山神」 tr. “the presiding spirit of mountains Jewel Peak Opening Flowers” 〔T10n0279 0018c08〕〔T10n0279 0018〕, while the speaker of the verses reads 「開華匝地主山神」 tr. “the presiding spirit of mountains Opening Flowers Encircling the Earth” 〔T10n0279 0018c21〕〔T10n0279 0018〕.
The pairing of the verses — the closing line of each verse mostly ends with the abbreviated name of that spirit, as in 「普集光幢於此悟」 tr. “here Universally Gathered Light Banner awakened” 〔T10n0279 0016a15〕〔T10n0279 0016〕 · 「眾妙宮神所了知」 tr. “what the spirit Manifold Wondrous Palaces understands” 〔T10n0279 0016a19〕〔T10n0279 0016〕 · 「此十方神之境界」 tr. “this is the domain of the spirit of the Ten Directions” 〔T10n0279 0016a25〕〔T10n0279 0016〕. At the passage on the presiding spirits of the earth Chengguan makes clear this pattern of bringing the dharma home to the person, saying 「此下頌中，亦有二句結法屬人，可以意得」 tr. “in the verses below there are likewise two lines that bring the dharma home to the person, and this may be grasped by intent” 〔T35n1735 0554c02〕.
IV. Collation with Parallel Translations
There are two Chinese collation witnesses for this passage: Śikṣānanda’s T279 (the base text · chapter 1, The Wondrous Adornments of the Rulers of the Worlds) and Buddhabhadra’s T278 (the Jin translation, the sixty-fascicle Avataṃsaka · chapter 1, The Pure Eye of the World). The forty-fascicle Avataṃsaka T293 translates only chapter 39 and offers no collation for this passage.
Divergence in form
For this passage the eighty-fascicle version unfolds class by class, fourteen classes of spirit hosts with ten spirits each (eleven for the spirits of the place of awakening) obtaining one gate of liberation and each class speaking ten verses; the sixty-fascicle version, in the passage where the assembly gathers in clouds, makes only a single passage listing the names, listing several names for each class of spirits with one line of general virtue attached, without dividing into gates of liberation and without appending verses of praise. The two versions differ from each other in fullness and brevity, and both are set down without judgment.
The passage listing the assembly in the sixty-fascicle version (verbatim · 〔T09n0278 0395c16〕–〔0396b10〕)
〔0395c16〕 「佛世界微塵數諸道場神，其名曰：淨莊嚴神、寶積光明神、吼音聲神、雨眾華神、莊嚴寶光神、善超香神、金色雲神、樂華樹神、莊嚴光神，與如是等道場神俱，皆於先佛造立願行。」 tr. “spirits of the place of awakening as many as the dust motes of the buddha-worlds, whose names were: Pure Adornment, Jewel Heap Light, Roaring Sound, Raining Many Flowers, Adorned Jewel Light, Well-Surpassing Fragrance, Golden Clouds, Delighting in Flowering Trees, and Adorned Light; together with spirits of the place of awakening such as these, all of whom had set up vows and practices under former buddhas.” 〔T09n0278 0395c16〕
〔0395c20〕 「復與佛世界微塵數諸龍神俱，其名曰：摩尼光龍、雜莊嚴龍、喜寶光龍、淨身光龍、香莊嚴龍、寶目光龍，如是一切，皆於過去不可思議阿僧祇劫，常為如來莊嚴法堂。」 tr. “Furthermore, together with dragon spirits as many as the dust motes of the buddha-worlds, whose names were: Maṇi Light Dragon, Varied Adornment Dragon, Joyful Jewel Light Dragon, Pure Body Light Dragon, Fragrant Adornment Dragon, and Jewel Eye Light Dragon; all such as these had, through inconceivable asaṃkhyeya kalpas in the past, constantly adorned the Dharma hall for the Tathāgata.” 〔T09n0278 0395c20〕
〔0395c23〕 「復與佛世界微塵數諸地神俱，其名曰：淨華光神、善思光明神、雜華莊嚴神、散寶焰神、隨時樂觀神、金眼勝神、毛孔散香神、應時和音神，如是一切，皆同德本，於過去佛所普修願行。」 tr. “Furthermore, together with earth spirits as many as the dust motes of the buddha-worlds, whose names were: Pure Flower Light, Good Thought Light, Varied Flower Adornment, Scattering Jewel Flames, Observing with Delight in Season, Golden Eye Supreme, Pores Scattering Fragrance, and Harmonious Sound in Season; all such as these shared the same root of virtue and had cultivated vows and practices everywhere in the presence of the buddhas of the past.” 〔T09n0278 0395c23〕
〔0395c27〕 「復與不可思議諸樹神俱，其名曰：雜華雲神、雜種光神、淨勝光神、垂莊嚴神、莊嚴光神、樂和音神、普勝等神、華果味神，如是一切，皆悉成就大喜普照。」 tr. “Furthermore, together with inconceivably many tree spirits, whose names were: Varied Flower Clouds, Varied Kinds of Light, Pure Supreme Light, Hanging Adornment, Adorned Light, Delighting in Harmonious Sound, Universally Supreme and Equal, and Flower and Fruit Savor; all such as these had accomplished the universal shining of great joy.” 〔T09n0278 0395c27〕
〔0396a02〕 「復與無邊藥草神俱，其名曰：光焰神、栴檀香神、淨光神，普稱神、普力神、普淨神、普光神、愛香神、勝現神，如是一切，皆悉成就大悲普照。」 tr. “Furthermore, together with boundless herb-plant spirits, whose names were: Light Flame, Sandalwood Fragrance, Pure Light, Universal Renown, Universal Power, Universal Purity, Universal Light, Beloved Fragrance, and Supreme Manifesting; all such as these had accomplished the universal shining of great compassion.” 〔T09n0278 0396a02〕
〔0396a05〕 「復與無量諸穀神俱，其名曰：勝味神、華淨神、善力神、勢味神、根果神、淨華神、樂淨神、淨光神，如是一切，大喜成就。」 tr. “Furthermore, together with measureless grain spirits, whose names were: Supreme Savor, Flower Purity, Good Power, Potent Savor, Root and Fruit, Pure Flower, Delight in Purity, and Pure Light; all such as these had accomplished great joy.” 〔T09n0278 0396a05〕
〔0396a08〕 「復與無量諸河神俱，其名曰：普流神、勝洄澓神、洪流聲神、養水性神、淨海光神、普愛神、妙幢神、勝水神、海具光神，如是一切，常能精勤利益眾生。」 tr. “Furthermore, together with measureless river spirits, whose names were: Universal Flowing, Supreme Eddy, Flood-Current Sound, Nourishing the Nature of Water, Pure Sea Light, Universal Love, Wondrous Banner, Supreme Water, and Sea-Complete Light; all such as these were constantly able to strive diligently for the benefit of sentient beings.” 〔T09n0278 0396a08〕
〔0396a11〕 「復與不可思議諸海神俱，其名曰：寶勝光明神、金剛慧神、普涌浪神、雜華龍勝神、寶華光明神、須彌莊嚴神、海音聲神，如是一切，以佛無量功德之海而自充滿。」 tr. “Furthermore, together with inconceivably many sea spirits, whose names were: Jewel Supreme Light, Vajra Wisdom, Universally Surging Waves, Varied Flower Dragon Supreme, Jewel Flower Light, Sumeru Adornment, and Sea Sound; all such as these were filled full by the ocean of the measureless merit of the Buddha.” 〔T09n0278 0396a11〕
〔0396a15〕 「復與無量阿僧祇諸火神俱，其名曰：熾然光藏神、熾然光輪神、廣明耀神、無盡神、雜寶勝神、照除諸冥神、焰雲光明神，如是一切，悉為眾生照除闇冥。」 tr. “Furthermore, together with measureless asaṃkhyeyas of fire spirits, whose names were: Blazing Light Treasury, Blazing Light Wheel, Vast Bright Radiance, Inexhaustible, Varied Jewels Supreme, Illuminating and Removing All Gloom, and Flame Cloud Light; all such as these, for the sake of sentient beings, shone upon and removed the gloom of darkness.” 〔T09n0278 0396a15〕
〔0396a18〕 「復與無量諸風神俱，其名曰：無礙照明虛空神、遍超勝神、散須彌神、焰淨味神、淨除味神、發行大音神、樹峯華林神、持世界神，如是一切，皆能和合眾生，令不分散。」 tr. “Furthermore, together with measureless wind spirits, whose names were: Unobstructed Illumining of Space, Pervading and Surpassing, Scattering Sumeru, Flame Pure Savor, Purifying and Removing Savor, Sending Forth a Great Sound, Tree-Peak Flower Grove, and Upholding the Worlds; all such as these were able to bring sentient beings into concord and keep them from being scattered apart.” 〔T09n0278 0396a18〕
〔0396a22〕 「復與無邊虛空神俱，其名曰：普光淨勝神、無邊深廣神、起風神、離一切障神、廣超神、無對光焰神、無礙力勝神、最上妙音神、示現十方神，如是一切，心皆無垢，堅固淨妙。」 tr. “Furthermore, together with boundless space spirits, whose names were: Universal Light Pure Supreme, Boundlessly Deep and Broad, Raising Wind, Free of All Obstruction, Vastly Surpassing, Unmatched Light Flame, Unobstructed Power Supreme, Highest Wondrous Sound, and Manifesting in the Ten Directions; the minds of all such as these were without defilement, firm, pure, and subtle.” 〔T09n0278 0396a22〕
〔0396a26〕 「復與無量主方神俱，其名曰：善住神、充滿神、無量現光神、光莊嚴神、普轉漸行神、不惑轉神、淨遊虛空神、普行世間神、行甚深神，如是一切，皆能善照一切眾生。」 tr. “Furthermore, together with measureless presiding spirits of the directions, whose names were: Good Abiding, Filling, Measureless Manifesting Light, Light Adornment, Universally Turning and Gradually Going, Turning Without Delusion, Purely Roaming in Space, Universally Going Through the World, and Going Very Deep; all such as these were able to shine well upon all sentient beings.” 〔T09n0278 0396a26〕
〔0396a29〕 「復與無量主夜神俱，其名曰：妙光神、淨光神、善觀眾生神、靜時堅固神、方便勝具神、生一切樹果神、無盡眷屬神、主知樂淨遊戲神、和諍神、淨福具神，如是一切，於助道法深重愛樂。」 tr. “Furthermore, together with measureless presiding spirits of night, whose names were: Wondrous Light, Pure Light, Well Observing Sentient Beings, Firm in the Still Hours, Supreme Instruments of Skillful Means, Producing All Tree-Fruits, Inexhaustible Retinue, Presiding Over Knowing, Delight, Purity and Play, Reconciling Strife, and Instruments of Pure Merit; all such as these deeply and gravely delighted in the dharmas that aid the path.” 〔T09n0278 0396a29〕
〔0396b05〕 「復與無量主晝神俱，其名曰：現宮殿神、善解安立戰場神、樂莊嚴普勝神、喜華香神、普集勝藥神、樂見王神、淨目高顯普勝神、大悲豔光神、光明善照神、普勝垂華神，如是一切，皆悉信樂正法莊嚴。」 tr. “Furthermore, together with measureless presiding spirits of day, whose names were: Manifesting Palaces, Well Understanding the Setting Up of the Battlefield, Delighting in Adornment and Universally Supreme, Joyful Flower Fragrance, Universally Gathering Supreme Herbs, Delightful to See the King, Pure Eyes Lofty and Manifest and Universally Supreme, Great Compassion Glowing Light, Light Well Illuminating, and Universally Supreme Hanging Flowers; all such as these had faith in and delighted in the adornment of the right Dharma.” 〔T09n0278 0396b05〕
Correspondence class by class (all set down without judgment)
| The eighty-fascicle version (this unit) | The corresponding listing in the sixty-fascicle version | Divergence in grouping |
|---|---|---|
| The presiding spirits of fire, ten spirits and ten verses | Fire spirits, seven of them · general virtue 「悉為眾生照除闇冥」 tr. “for the sake of sentient beings they shone upon and removed the gloom of darkness” 〔T09n0278 0396a18〕 | The sixty-fascicle version has no ten gates of liberation and no verses; the one line of general virtue is close in wording to the first gate of the eighty-fascicle version, 「悉除一切世間闇」 tr. “removing utterly all the darkness of every world” 〔T10n0279 0015c28〕 |
| The presiding spirits of water, ten spirits and ten verses | 〔not found〕 as an independent class of presiding spirits of water; the single name 「勝水神」 tr. “Supreme Water” stands within the listing of river spirits 〔T09n0278 0396a10〕; Li Tongxuan’s treatise, for its part, sets up a separate 「第四主水神」 tr. “fourth, the presiding spirits of water” 〔T36n1739 0789a13〕 | This passage of the sixty-fascicle version has no independent class of water spirits |
| The presiding spirits of the sea, ten spirits and ten verses | Sea spirits, seven of them · general virtue 「以佛無量功德之海而自充滿」 tr. “they were filled full by the ocean of the measureless merit of the Buddha” 〔T09n0278 0396a14〕 | — |
| The presiding spirits of rivers, ten spirits and ten verses | River spirits, nine of them · general virtue 「常能精勤利益眾生」 tr. “they were constantly able to strive diligently for the benefit of sentient beings” 〔T09n0278 0396a11〕 | — |
| The presiding spirits of crops, ten spirits and ten verses | Grain spirits, eight of them · general virtue 「大喜成就」 tr. “great joy accomplished” 〔T09n0278 0396a07〕 | Divergence of name: the eighty-fascicle version writes 「稼」 tr. “crops” and the sixty-fascicle version writes 「穀」 tr. “grain” |
| The presiding spirits of herbs, ten spirits and ten verses | Herb-plant spirits, nine of them · general virtue 「皆悉成就大悲普照」 tr. “all of them had accomplished the universal shining of great compassion” 〔T09n0278 0396a05〕 | Divergence of name: the eighty-fascicle version writes 「主藥神」 tr. “presiding spirits of herbs” and the sixty-fascicle version writes 「藥草神」 tr. “herb-plant spirits” |
| The presiding spirits of forests, ten spirits and ten verses | Tree spirits, eight of them · general virtue 「皆悉成就大喜普照」 tr. “all of them had accomplished the universal shining of great joy” 〔T09n0278 0396a01〕 | Divergence of name: the eighty-fascicle version writes 「林」 tr. “forest” and the sixty-fascicle version writes 「樹」 tr. “tree” |
| The presiding spirits of mountains, ten spirits and ten verses | 〔not found〕 as an independent class of mountain spirits within the listing of this passage | — |
| The presiding spirits of the earth, ten spirits and ten verses | Earth spirits, eight of them · general virtue 「皆同德本，於過去佛所普修願行」 tr. “they shared the same root of virtue and had cultivated vows and practices everywhere in the presence of the buddhas of the past” 〔T09n0278 0395c27〕 | — |
| The presiding spirits of cities, ten spirits and ten verses | 〔not found〕 as an independent class of presiding spirits of cities | — |
| The spirits of the place of awakening, eleven spirits and eleven verses | Spirits of the place of awakening, nine of them · general virtue 「皆於先佛造立願行」 tr. “all of whom had set up vows and practices under former buddhas” 〔T09n0278 0395c19〕 | The sixty-fascicle version lists the spirits of the place of awakening at the head of this passage, whereas the eighty-fascicle version lists them after the presiding spirits of cities |
| The spirits that go on foot, ten spirits and ten verses | 〔not found〕 as an independent class of spirits that go on foot | — |
| The spirits of the bodily host, ten spirits and ten verses | 〔not found〕 as an independent class of spirits of the bodily host | — |
| The vajra-bearing spirits, ten spirits and ten verses | 〔not found〕 within the listing of this passage | — |
| — | Dragon spirits · wind spirits · space spirits · presiding spirits of the directions · presiding spirits of night · presiding spirits of day | Classes that this passage of the sixty-fascicle version has and that this unit of the eighty-fascicle version does not |
The order of the classes in the sixty-fascicle version — the place of awakening · dragons · earth · trees · herb-plants · grain · rivers · sea · fire · wind · space · the presiding spirits of the directions · the presiding spirits of night · the presiding spirits of day. Fazang’s Tanxuan ji explains this order and attaches an import to each (see register I). The order of this unit in the eighty-fascicle version is fire · water · sea · rivers · crops · herbs · forests · mountains · earth · cities · the place of awakening · going on foot · the bodily host · the vajra-bearers. The orders of the classes in the two versions differ entirely, and both are set down without judgment.
The grouping as Fazang states it — in the passage on the completeness of the offerings the Tanxuan ji distinguishes the grouping of the eighteen hosts, saying 「從遠向近辨十八眾中，前三十四內於四天中略舉南北，具列諸神」 tr. “within the eighteen hosts distinguished from the far toward the near, in the first thirty-four, among the four heavens south and north are cited in brief, while the spirits are listed in full” 〔T35n1733 0137a02〕, and again 「以南北所領文中不廣，不類東西，故無開合」 tr. “because what south and north govern is not treated at length in the text, unlike east and west, there is no grouping and dividing here” 〔0137a09〕. This is a grouping internal to the sixty-fascicle version, and it is set down without judgment.
V. Scriptural Grounds of Sectarian Doctrine (the doctrinal eye)
(1) One spirit, one gate, and the gate answers to the matter presided over — the form of this unit is that the gate of liberation obtained by each spirit answers to his name and to the thing and matter over which he presides. Chengguan states this distinction most directly in the closing line on the spirits of the place of awakening:
「既是道場之神，故得道場事中解脫。」 tr. “Since they are the spirits of the place of awakening, what they obtain is liberation within the affairs of that place.” 〔T35n1735 0555a08〕
Fazang too, on the sixty-fascicle version, attaches one import to each class in order to display this answering: the fire spirits 「是成熟義、照明義、焚燒義、除闇義」 tr. “are the import of ripening, the import of illuminating, the import of burning up, and the import of removing darkness” 〔T35n1733 0134c09〕 · the river spirits 「是流潤義」 tr. “are the import of flowing and moistening” 〔0134c07〕 · the sea spirits 「是具德義」 tr. “are the import of being complete in virtue” 〔0134c08〕 · the herb spirits 「是對治義，法藥遣惑是悲門也」 tr. “are the import of counteraction, the Dharma-medicine that dispels delusion being the gate of compassion” 〔0134c04〕. Though the two commentaries attach different headings, their way of reading — displaying the Dharma by way of the affair — is the same.
(2) The miscellaneous classes and the ocean of the fruit — since 「異生眾」 tr. “the assemblies of different birth” are a miscellaneous sort, how is it that they are in one assembly together with Samantabhadra? Fazang sets up this question himself and answers it himself, and the wording of his doubt runs:
「前普賢同生同在果海，此異生眾既雜類卑末，如何亦在果海中攝？」 tr. “Samantabhadra before is of the same birth and stands together in the ocean of the fruit; these assemblies of different birth are a miscellaneous and lowly sort — how are they too gathered into the ocean of the fruit?” 〔T35n1733 0136b26〕
His explanation divides into two gates: 「初果能攝因、二因能入果」 tr. “first, the fruit is able to gather in the cause; second, the cause is able to enter the fruit” 〔T35n1733 0136c15〕. Of the former gate he says 「以佛成彼，故不別也」 tr. “because the Buddha accomplished them, there is no difference” 〔0136c17〕; of the latter gate he says 「謂乘解脫等，即乘因入果故、乘別入總故、乘門入海故」 tr. “that is, riding upon liberation and the rest — for it is riding the cause and entering the fruit, riding the particular and entering the whole, riding the gate and entering the ocean” 〔0136c25〕, and attaches to it 「乘此力故得因果圓滿同一際也，是故於佛果海中法門悉得自在」 tr. “by riding upon this power, cause and fruit are made perfect and of one and the same limit, and therefore within the ocean of the Buddha’s fruit the Dharma-gates are all obtained in sovereign freedom” 〔0136c27〕. What is explained in this passage is the sixty-fascicle version, and it belongs to Fazang.
(3) The perfect fusion of one cause and one fruit — under the fourth gate of the presiding spirits of forests, 「一切清淨功德莊嚴聚」 tr. “the mass adorned by all pure merits” 〔T10n0279 0018b05〕, Chengguan brings out a judgment:
「良以佛果纜因，皆圓成非分成，是故一因生一切果、一果收一切因，皆圓融無礙耳。」 tr. “It is precisely because the fruit of buddhahood gathers up the cause, and both are a perfect accomplishing and not an accomplishing by portions, that one cause produces all fruits and one fruit gathers in all causes, all of them perfectly fused and unobstructed.” 〔T35n1735 0554a27〕
And again, at the marks and excellences in the first verse of the presiding spirits of water, he says 「純雜無礙因果相融，圓成非分成故」 tr. “the unmixed and the mixed are unobstructed and cause and fruit are fused, because it is a perfect accomplishing and not an accomplishing by portions” 〔T35n1735 0553b20〕, and adds 「佛一相一毛即同法界無有分量，今此神從一慈門入無盡相耳」 tr. “a single mark and a single hair of the Buddha is identical with the Dharma realm and has no measure; and now this spirit has simply entered the inexhaustible marks by way of one gate of kindness” 〔0553b21〕. These two places are, within this unit, where Chengguan explains the sūtra by the doctrine of the Huayan school most plainly, and they belong to Chengguan.
(4) Li Tongxuan’s matching to the positions of the ten practices — Li Tongxuan does not lay out the outline by 「異生眾」 tr. “the assemblies of different birth” but matches the spirit hosts to the ten practices: the presiding spirits of the sea are matched to the practice of non-opposition and the perfection of patience, 「以法性大悲以為忍體，是故如海含潤，處其下流能容一切」 tr. “taking the great compassion of the nature of dharmas as the substance of patience, and therefore, like the sea holding moisture within and lying in the lowest current, able to contain everything” 〔T36n1739 0789a04〕; the presiding spirits of water are matched to the practice of not shrinking back and the perfection of vigor, 「以法性之水，常勤精進教化眾生，一一知根而益，而無屈撓」 tr. “with the water of the nature of dharmas, constantly and diligently vigorous in teaching and transforming sentient beings, knowing each one’s faculties and benefiting them, and never shrinking back” 〔0789a14〕; the presiding spirits of fire are matched to the practice of freedom from delusion and confusion and the perfection of meditation, 「即明普智照而恒寂故，即以火神為定體，即寂而常照、即事而恒理」 tr. “that is, setting forth that universal wisdom shines and is yet constantly still, and so taking the fire spirits as the substance of concentration — being still and yet constantly shining, being the affair and yet constantly the principle” 〔0789b13〕. On the sequence of the positions, before and after, he brings out a separate remark: 「是無前後中次第，是一性無差別中同異，不可以情作前却解也」 tr. “this is sequence within what has no before and after; it is sameness and difference within a single nature that has no distinctions, and it must not be construed as before and behind by the sentiments” 〔T36n1739 0789a26〕. This track differs from both Chengguan’s Huayan jing shu and Fazang’s Tanxuan ji, and it belongs to Li Tongxuan.
(5) The record of lost text — Chengguan repeatedly records omissions in the translations in this passage, in every case attributing them to 「有云」 tr. “some say”, 「準梵本」 tr. “according to the Sanskrit text”, or 「古德云」 tr. “the ancient worthies say”, without judging on his own account: on the presiding spirits of fire, 「有云：準梵本，此脫第四」 tr. “some say: according to the Sanskrit text, the fourth has been lost here” 〔T35n1735 0553a02〕, and below that he further says 「然諸本多無，或有本則具云眾妙宮殿主火神，得大慈悲廣蔭眾生解脫門，恐是傳寫脫漏耳」 tr. “yet most of the editions lack it, while some editions have it in full as: the presiding spirit of fire Manifold Wondrous Palaces obtained the gate of liberation of great kindness and compassion that broadly shelters sentient beings — it is likely an omission in the copying” 〔0553a09〕, and at the verses he says 「頌加第四」 tr. “the verses add the fourth” 〔0553b01〕; on the presiding spirits of the sea, 「第八主海神十法，頌脫第三」 tr. “the eighth, the presiding spirits of the sea: ten dharmas, and the verses have lost the third” 〔0553b28〕 — and the four lines of the Sanskrit verse Chengguan quotes, 「一切世間眾導師，法雲大雨不可測，消竭無窮諸苦海，此離垢塵入法門」 tr. “All the guides of every world let the cloud of Dharma rain down immeasurably and dry up the inexhaustible oceans of suffering; this is the Dharma-gate that Unmixed with Dust and Defilement entered” 〔T35n1735 0553c02〕, are present in the base text of this unit, namely as the third verse of the presiding spirits of the sea 〔T10n0279 0016c25〕, and are not absent from the base text — his argument being 「既譯人脫漏，致使文義參差。故古德云：脫第四頌。結名既同，故知脫第三」 tr. “since the translator made an omission, the wording and the sense are thrown out of line. Therefore the ancient worthies say that the fourth verse was lost; but since the concluding names are the same, one knows that what was lost is the third” 〔0553c06〕; on the presiding spirits of cities, 「有云：脫第九法，十頌具足」 tr. “some say: the ninth dharma has been lost, while the ten verses are complete” 〔0554c04〕, and he brings out the variant Sanskrit reading 「香幢莊嚴髻主城神，得破一切煩惱臭氣出生一切智性香氣解脫門」 tr. “the presiding spirit of cities Fragrant Banner Adorned Topknot obtained the gate of liberation of breaking the stench of all afflictions and bringing forth the fragrance of the nature of omniscience” 〔0554c11〕, and brings out further 「有本亦具云：香髻莊嚴主城神，得開發眾生清淨妙智解脫門」 tr. “some editions likewise have it in full as: the presiding spirit of cities Fragrant Topknot Adornment obtained the gate of liberation of opening out the pure and wondrous wisdom of sentient beings” 〔0554c17〕 and judges 「亦恐傳寫之脫漏耳，義不異前」 tr. “this too is likely an omission in the copying, and the sense does not differ from the former” 〔0554c18〕; on the name of the foremost spirit of the bodily host, 「或梵音相類，譯者之誤，未勘梵本法門」 tr. “or else the Sanskrit sounds are similar and it is the translator’s error; I have not collated the Dharma-gate against the Sanskrit text” 〔0555a17〕; on the fifth of the vajra-bearing spirits, 「初卷中名諸根美妙，今但云妙臂，文義俱闕」 tr. “in the first fascicle the name is Beautiful and Wondrous Faculties; here it says only Wondrous Arm, and both wording and sense are deficient” 〔0555b10〕. All these records are what the ancient worthies brought out, and they are set down without judgment.
(6) The eleven of the spirits of the place of awakening — of the fourteen classes only the spirits of the place of awakening are eleven spirits and eleven verses, and Chengguan does not regard this as an omission or an error but marks the number word for word: 「第十六道場神，十一法、十一偈」 tr. “the sixteenth, the spirits of the place of awakening: eleven dharmas, eleven verses” 〔T35n1735 0554c22〕, and under the fifth spirit he notes the divergence in the listing of names, saying 「五清淨焰形神，前列中無」 tr. “the fifth, the spirit Pure Flame Form, is not in the earlier listing” 〔0554c28〕. This is one of the three exceptions within this unit; the other two (the divergent form in the speaker of the verses for the presiding spirits of mountains · the divergent form of being sustained by the spiritual power of the Buddha for the spirits that go on foot) are given together in register I, and are set down according to the facts.
(7) Textual authority for the four Dharma realms and the contemplation gates — 〔not found〕. Searching the Huayan yisheng jiaoyi fenqi zhang T45n1866 · the Shixuan men T45n1868 · the Fajie xuanjing T45n1883 · the Wangjin huanyuan guan T45n1876 for 「主火神」 tr. “presiding spirits of fire”, 「主水神」 tr. “presiding spirits of water”, 「主海神」 tr. “presiding spirits of the sea”, and 「執金剛神」 tr. “vajra-bearing spirits”, none were found in what was searched; where these four treatises cite this sūtra they mostly take the chapter on the ten grounds and the passages on the ten mysteries and the six characteristics. The absence is marked according to the facts, and no attachment is forced.
VI. Divergent Interpretations of the Commentators (the ancient worthies, marked by lineage)
Chengguan, Huayan jing shu T35n1735 (the eighty-fascicle Avataṃsaka, phrase by phrase · principal)
The ten gates of the presiding spirits of fire 〔0553a01〕 — 「一以進力現世，除物無明。以最初故，偏從火義」 tr. “First: by the power of vigor they manifest in the world and remove the ignorance of beings. Because this class is the very first, the import of fire is taken one-sidedly.” 〔0553a02〕 · 「二惑有二義：一漂、二惱，善巧迴轉則能息之」 tr. “Second: delusion has two operations, first sweeping adrift and second distressing; turn them about skillfully and they can be stilled.” 〔0553a03〕 · 「三稱性之福，相惑不動。與大悲合，自利不動。俱能攝德無盡名藏」 tr. “Third: a merit that accords with the nature, which marks and delusions cannot shake. Joined with great compassion, one’s own benefit too is unshaken. Since both can gather in inexhaustible virtue, it is named a treasury.” 〔0553a05〕 · for the fourth he brings out the divergent name of the Sanskrit text, 「神名勝上蘂光普照，法門名普能除煩惱塵」 tr. “the spirit’s name is Supreme Stamen Light Universally Illuminating, and the name of the Dharma-gate is being universally able to remove the dust of the afflictions” 〔0553a06〕 · the fifth is the ten meanings of sun and space (see register III) · 「六體寂發照名寂靜光，以斯成福莊嚴身相」 tr. “Sixth: the substance is still and sends out illumination, and so it is named still light; by this the bodily mark adorned by merit is accomplished.” 〔0553a27〕 · 「七八可知」 tr. “The seventh and eighth may be known.” 〔0553a28〕 · 「九分別法相，永離不了愚癡；悟法實性，便無執著之見」 tr. “Ninth: discriminating the marks of dharmas, one forever leaves behind the delusion of not understanding; awakening to the real nature of dharmas, one then has no view of attachment.” 〔0553a28〕 · 「十以行扶願，故能現世作師子吼」 tr. “Tenth: by practice the vow is propped up, and so one can manifest in the world and make the lion’s roar.” 〔0553a29〕.
The ten gates of the presiding spirits of water 〔0553b02〕 — 「一無緣大慈，是曰平等」 tr. “First: the great kindness that has no object — this is what is called impartial.” 〔0553b02〕 · 「二無邊行法，莊嚴自他」 tr. “Second: boundless dharmas of practice adorn oneself and others.” 〔0553b03〕 · 「三寂然不動以觀機，感而遂通以隨攝」 tr. “Third: still and unmoving, so as to observe their capacity; stirred and thereby penetrating, so as to accord with them and gather them in.” 〔0553b03〕 · 「四妙音演佛深旨，令悟妙法旋澓」 tr. “Fourth: with a wondrous sound he expounds the deep purport of the Buddha and makes them awaken to the whirlpool of the wondrous Dharma.” 〔0553b05〕 · 「五身智二光遍覺開化，大充法界清淨無垢」 tr. “Fifth: the two lights of body and of wisdom awaken and open all everywhere, greatly filling the Dharma realm, pure and without defilement.” 〔0553b06〕 · 「六清淨法界性相俱絕，德無不見則大用不亡」 tr. “Sixth: in the pure Dharma realm nature and marks are both utterly cut off; since there is no virtue not seen, the great function is not lost.” 〔0553b07〕 · 「七眾生不窮故大悲無盡，滿而不溢有知足義焉」 tr. “Seventh: because sentient beings are not exhausted, great compassion is inexhaustible; full and yet not brimming over — herein lies the import of contentment.” 〔0553b08〕 · 「八處處見佛，故大喜無窮。喜從佛生，即佛名藏」 tr. “Eighth: because the Buddha is seen everywhere, the great joy is inexhaustible. The joy is born from the Buddha, and so the Buddha is what is named the treasury.” 〔0553b10〕 · 「九性相無礙之福，故能普現神通」 tr. “Ninth: a merit in which nature and marks are unobstructed, and so he can manifest spiritual penetration everywhere.” 〔0553b12〕 · 「十調生行廣，如空無邊；用靡暫停，如空無盡」 tr. “Tenth: the practice of taming beings is broad, boundless as space; its functioning never pauses for a moment, inexhaustible as space.” 〔0553b13〕. For the verses he separately brings out the threefold division of the first verse, 「第一偈前半辯一相因果，次句例餘，後句辯益」 tr. “In the first verse the first half distinguishes the cause and fruit of a single mark, the next line extends this to the rest, and the last line distinguishes the benefit” 〔0553b14〕, and says 「以慈為因得妙相果，以相為因得無厭果」 tr. “with kindness as cause one gains the fruit of the wondrous marks; with the marks as cause one gains the fruit of never looking one’s fill” 〔0553b17〕.
The ten gates of the presiding spirits of the sea 〔0553b28〕 — 「一為物供佛，是等施福，得眾寶相以莊嚴身」 tr. “First: making offerings to the Buddha for the sake of beings — this is the merit of impartial giving, and one gains the mark of the many jewels with which to adorn the body.” 〔0553b28〕 · 「二巧隨根欲說法護善，使其長成」 tr. “Second: skillfully according with their faculties and inclinations in preaching the Dharma, he guards their goodness and lets it grow to maturity.” 〔0553c01〕 · 「三謂演深廣法，體煩惱空」 tr. “Third: that is, expounding a deep and broad Dharma and penetrating the emptiness of the afflictions.” 〔0553c01〕 · 「四若見佛境則惑亡苦息」 tr. “Fourth: if one sees the domain of the Buddha, then delusion perishes and suffering ceases.” 〔0553c05〕 · 「五以智滅癡」 tr. “Fifth: by wisdom delusion is extinguished.” 〔0553c09〕 · 「六為行所遷，一切皆苦。菩提因起則生滅苦亡，便得涅槃寂滅安樂」 tr. “Sixth: what is shifted about by conditioned activity is all suffering. Once the cause of awakening arises, the suffering of arising and ceasing perishes, and one gains the peace and happiness of the stillness of nirvāṇa.” 〔0553c09〕 · 「七將智滅癡，未免於見；了癡見性，癡見自亡。真妄等觀，是佛境也」 tr. “Seventh: to take wisdom and extinguish delusion does not yet escape falling into a view; penetrate the nature of delusion and of the view, and delusion and view perish of themselves. To observe the true and the false as equal — this is the domain of a buddha.” 〔0553c11〕 · 「八一切眾生有佛種性，圓明可貴具德稱寶」 tr. “Eighth: all sentient beings have the lineage of a buddha, perfectly luminous and worth prizing, complete with virtue and so called a jewel.” 〔0553c12〕 · 「九了如不取則心不搖動」 tr. “Ninth: penetrating suchness without grasping at it, the mind does not waver.” 〔0553c16〕 · 「十入法界定，如法界遍」 tr. “Tenth: entering the concentration of the Dharma realm, one pervades as the Dharma realm pervades.” 〔0553c18〕. Under the fourth gate he distinguishes the divergence of order in the Sanskrit text, saying 「準現經文，三是煩惱、四是於苦；若依梵本，前苦、後惑」 tr. “Going by the present text of the sūtra, the third is the afflictions and the fourth is suffering; if one follows the Sanskrit text, the former is suffering and the latter delusion” 〔0553c05〕.
The ten gates of the presiding spirits of rivers 〔0553c19〕 — he attaches an image of water to each gate (see register III), and concludes the tenth gate with 「總收萬善令會涅槃，若彼百川咸會大海。會海由智，名海德光明」 tr. “gathering up the myriad good things entirely and making them come home to nirvāṇa, like the hundred rivers all coming home to the great sea. That one can come home to the sea is by wisdom, and so he is named Ocean Virtue Light” 〔0553c29〕.
The ten gates of the presiding spirits of crops 〔0554a02〕 — 「一功德智慧二種法味資成佛身」 tr. “First: the two savors of the Dharma, merit and wisdom, nourish and so form the body of a buddha.” 〔0554a02〕 · 「二喜樂由於苦除」 tr. “Second: joy and happiness come about through the removal of suffering.” 〔0554a03〕 · 「三眾生為所淨之境」 tr. “Third: sentient beings are the realm to be purified.” 〔0554a03〕 · 「四悲深故通廣」 tr. “Fourth: because compassion is deep, spiritual penetration is broad.” 〔0554a04〕 · 「五下種物田，必至果無壞」 tr. “Fifth: the seed sown in the field of beings must surely come to fruit and not be spoiled.” 〔0554a04〕 · 「六智敷物信，獲果稱華」 tr. “Sixth: wisdom opens out the faith of beings, and because a fruit is obtained it is called a flower.” 〔0554a05〕 · 「七慈眼視物故福聚無量」 tr. “Seventh: because he regards beings with an eye of kindness, the mass of merit is measureless.” 〔0554a05〕 · 「八以行成佛，故始成即宣」 tr. “Eighth: it is by practice that buddhahood is accomplished, and so at the very first accomplishing he declares it.” 〔0554a07〕 · 「九懈於修習憂惱是生，勤策諸根眾惡清淨」 tr. “Ninth: slackness in cultivation is where sorrow and distress arise; urge the faculties on diligently and the manifold evils become pure.” 〔0554a07〕 · 「十隨根為說，遂求故喜」 tr. “Tenth: preaching in accord with their faculties fulfills what they seek, and so they rejoice.” 〔0554a08〕.
The ten gates of the presiding spirits of herbs 〔0554a09〕 — 「一順情則易攝、逆意則難調，故普觀之」 tr. “First: those who go along with one’s intent are easy to gather in, those who go against it are hard to tame, and so he observes them everywhere.” 〔0554a10〕 · 「二三可知」 tr. “The second and third may be known.” 〔0554a11〕 · 「四始學者以名為實賓，大士以名為佛事」 tr. “Fourth: the beginner takes renown for a real retinue; the great being takes renown for the Buddha’s work.” 〔0554a11〕 · 「五以慈善根力，放月愛等光，身心兩病纔念便滅」 tr. “Fifth: by the power of the roots of goodness of kindness he sends forth the moon-love light and the rest, and the two sicknesses of body and mind are extinguished the moment he is recollected.” 〔0554a12〕 · 「六迷理迷報，二愚盲冥起惑造業，備受眾苦」 tr. “Sixth: being deluded about principle and deluded about retribution — these two delusions, blind and benighted, give rise to defilement and create deeds, and one undergoes the manifold sufferings in full.” 〔0554a13〕 · 「七八可知」 tr. “The seventh and eighth may be known.” 〔0554a15〕 · 「九無愛見之大悲生物德故名藏」 tr. “Ninth: a great compassion without craving or view produces the virtue of beings, and so it is named a treasury.” 〔0554a16〕 · 「十世醫療治，雖瘥還生。永滅生德，無先念佛」 tr. “Tenth: the world’s physician treats and cures, but though it is cured it arises again. For extinguishing forever and producing virtue, nothing comes before recollecting the Buddha.” 〔0554a17〕, and below that he explains why recollecting the Buddha works, saying 「謂佛有無邊相，相有無邊好，好放無邊光，光攝無邊眾」 tr. “that is, the Buddha has boundless marks, the marks have boundless excellences, the excellences send forth boundless light, and the light gathers in boundless beings” 〔0554a18〕, and again 「佛德齊均，隨緣隨樂趣稱一佛，三昧易成。敬一心濃，餘盡然矣」 tr. “the virtues of the buddhas are level and equal; following your conditions and your inclination, invoke whichever buddha you turn to, and the samādhi is easily accomplished. Revere one and the strength of mind is concentrated, and it is so with all the rest” 〔0554a20〕.
The ten gates of the presiding spirits of forests 〔0554a22〕 — 「一佛德無邊皆依智海，含德流光所以名藏」 tr. “First: the boundless virtues of a buddha all rest upon the ocean of wisdom, which holds virtue within and lets light stream out, and so it is named a treasury.” 〔0554a23〕 · 「二等眾生悲是為廣大，一一離障名普清淨」 tr. “Second: a compassion equal to sentient beings is what is vast; being freed of obstruction one by one is what is called universally pure.” 〔0554a24〕 · 「三一切勝因皆為佛道，各各心淨則種種芽生」 tr. “Third: all excellent causes are for the sake of the path of buddhahood; as each mind becomes pure, the manifold sprouts come up.” 〔0554a25〕 · 「四一切功德莊嚴一毛，一一皆然，故佛為德聚」 tr. “Fourth: all merits adorn a single hair, and every one of them is likewise, and therefore the Buddha is a mass of virtue.” 〔0554a26〕 · 「五智通萬法是曰普門，客塵不生故曰清淨」 tr. “Fifth: a wisdom penetrating the myriad dharmas is what is called the universal gate; adventitious dust not arising is why it is called pure.” 〔0554a29〕 · 「六知遍趣行，如應布法」 tr. “Sixth: knowing the conduct that goes through every destiny, he spreads the Dharma as is fitting.” 〔0554b03〕 · 「七了音聲性皆同佛音，故無不可意」 tr. “Seventh: having penetrated the nature of sound as all the same as the Buddha’s voice, there is nothing disagreeable.” 〔0554b03〕 · 「八昔行稱周法界，是廣大境」 tr. “Eighth: the practice of former times accorded with pervading the Dharma realm — this is the vast domain.” 〔0554b05〕 · 「九眾生諂佞，自不修德，寧有進賢之心」 tr. “Ninth: sentient beings are fawning and sycophantic and do not cultivate virtue themselves — how should they have a mind to recommend the worthy?” 〔0554b07〕 · 「十敬念則佛興，佛興則莊嚴德藏。障重者不念不見，於佛豈無常哉？故應見常見也」 tr. “Tenth: reverent recollection makes the Buddha arise, and the Buddha arising, the treasury of virtue is adorned. Those whose obstructions are heavy neither recollect nor see — could the Buddha ever be other than constantly present? Therefore one ought to see him and to see him constantly.” 〔0554b09〕.
The ten gates of the presiding spirits of mountains 〔0554b11〕 — 「一寂而常照，故光無不闡」 tr. “First: still and yet constantly illumining, and so there is nothing the light does not open out.” 〔0554b11〕 · 「二相光熟機，皆慈善根力」 tr. “Second: the light of the marks ripens their capacities, all by the power of the roots of goodness of kindness.” 〔0554b12〕 · 「三修因嚴根，本為順物，故矚蓮目而欣樂、覩月面而歡心」 tr. “Third: cultivating the causes that adorn the faculties was from the start for the sake of according with beings, and so they gaze on eyes like lotuses and are gladdened, and behold a face like the moon and their hearts rejoice.” 〔0554b13〕 · 「四如空不染，故長劫無怠」 tr. “Fourth: unstained as space is unstained, and so through long kalpas there is no slackening.” 〔0554b15〕 · 「五癡故長眠，唯福智之能覺」 tr. “Fifth: because of delusion there is long sleep, and only merit and wisdom can wake one.” 〔0554b16〕 · 「次三可知」 tr. “The next three may be known.” 〔0554b16〕 · 「九若睡若寤皆令聞法進行，斯為佛業」 tr. “Ninth: whether asleep or awake, he makes them hear the Dharma and advance in practice — this is the Buddha’s work.” 〔0554b16〕 · 「十稱性法門無邊大義一音能演，是出現也」 tr. “Tenth: the Dharma-gate that accords with the nature has boundless great meaning, and a single voice can expound it — this is the bringing forth.” 〔0554b21〕. Under the ninth gate he cites two scriptures: the Da yingluo jing, 「過去有佛，凡欲說法，令大眾眠，夢中說法，令增善根，覺得道果」 tr. “in the past there was a buddha who, whenever he was about to preach the Dharma, would let the great assembly fall asleep and preach the Dharma within their dreams, making their roots of goodness increase, so that on waking they obtained the fruit of the path” 〔0554b18〕, and the Nirvāṇa, 「其人夢中見羅剎像」 tr. “that person sees the image of a rākṣasa within a dream” 〔0554b20〕.
The ten gates of the presiding spirits of the earth 〔0554b22〕 — 「一念念無間平等普觀，修慈護法，故得金剛之體。金剛，即內照之實也」 tr. “First: thought after thought without a gap, observing everywhere impartially, cultivating kindness and guarding the Dharma, and so he obtains the substance of vajra. Vajra is the very reality of the inward illumination.” 〔0554b23〕 · 「二一毛福力頓現眾福」 tr. “Second: the power of merit in a single hair manifests the manifold merits all at once.” 〔0554b24〕 · 「三證入無生，不礙嚴剎」 tr. “Third: realizing and entering the unarisen does not get in the way of adorning the lands.” 〔0554b25〕 · 「四一向為他」 tr. “Fourth: it is wholly for others.” 〔0554b25〕 · 「五觀機出現，名為遊戲」 tr. “Fifth: appearing in accord with their capacity is what is called disporting.” 〔0554b26〕 · 「六現淨惑身，方調物惑」 tr. “Sixth: only by manifesting a body free of delusion can he tame the delusion of beings.” 〔0554b26〕 · 「七內具德海，現威力身」 tr. “Seventh: having the ocean of virtue complete within, he manifests a body of majestic power.” 〔0554b27〕 · 「八長行一言盡攝無餘，偈頌則一言普遍無極」 tr. “Eighth: the prose passage gathers all in without remainder in a single phrase; the verse pervades without limit in a single phrase.” 〔0554b28〕 · 「九焰雲普遍，令物離垢為性」 tr. “Ninth: the cloud of flames pervades everywhere, and making beings free of defilement is its nature.” 〔0554b29〕 · 「十法能攝持心行，如金剛之輪」 tr. “Tenth: the Dharma can gather in and sustain the conduct of the mind, like the wheel of vajra.” 〔0554c01〕.
The ten gates of the presiding spirits of cities 〔0554c03〕 — 「一光等方便，成熟利益」 tr. “First: light and the rest, every kind of skillful means, are for ripening and benefiting.” 〔0554c05〕 · 「二應病與藥，令得服行」 tr. “Second: matching the medicine to the illness, so that he can take and use it.” 〔0554c05〕 · 「三護法法存則物受福德，教理行果皆有護也」 tr. “Third: when the Dharma is protected the Dharma survives, and then beings receive merit; the teaching, the principle, the practice, and the fruit all have their protection.” 〔0554c06〕 · 「四悲救無盡名藏」 tr. “Fourth: the rescuing of compassion is inexhaustible, and so it is named a treasury.” 〔0554c07〕 · 「五了佛大智」 tr. “Fifth: penetrating the great wisdom of the Buddha.” 〔0554c07〕 · 「六方便現身」 tr. “Sixth: manifesting the body by skillful means.” 〔0554c08〕 · 「七同修佛德」 tr. “Seventh: cultivating the Buddha’s virtue together with them.” 〔0554c08〕 · 「八迷真俗理故云愚闇，佛出開示令其悟入」 tr. “Eighth: being deluded about the principle of the true and the conventional is why it says benighted in delusion; the Buddha appears and reveals it, making them awaken and enter.” 〔0554c08〕 · for the ninth he brings out the variant Sanskrit reading (see register V) · 「十二障五蓋重疊如山，非智光明莫之能破」 tr. “Tenth: the two obstructions and the five hindrances are piled up like a mountain, and nothing but the light of wisdom can break them.” 〔0554c21〕. His explanation of the word for dream in the verse runs 「夢是神遊，亦見聞之氣分也。夢中尚調，況於覺悟」 tr. “a dream is the roaming of the spirit, and it is also the residual force of what has been seen and heard. If he tames them even within a dream, how much more when they are awake” 〔0554c19〕.
The eleven gates of the spirits of the place of awakening 〔0554c22〕 — for the first, the commentary explains the twofold use of the term ‘bring forth’, saying 「字兩用，謂有佛出現，即出現莊嚴具而為供養」 tr. “the word is used twice: that is, when there is a buddha who comes forth, then the adornments come forth and are used as offerings” 〔0554c23〕 · 「二對物成行，令物倣之。施為行先，故偈偏舉」 tr. “Second: accomplishing one’s practice in the face of beings, so that beings take it as their model. Giving comes first among practices, and so the verse singles it out.” 〔0554c25〕 · 「三夢覺皆化，則時處俱遍」 tr. “Third: dreaming and waking are both occasions of transforming, and then time and place are both pervaded.” 〔0554c26〕 · 「四外寶內眼，重重難捨」 tr. “Fourth: outward wealth and the inward eyes are, layer upon layer, hard to give away.” 〔0554c27〕 · 「五清淨焰形神，前列中無」 tr. “Fifth: the spirit Pure Flame Form is not in the earlier listing.” 〔0554c28〕 · 「六疑境界者，以唯心為正念。疑法性者，以無得為正念」 tr. “Sixth: for one who doubts about the objective realm, mind-only is the right recollection; for one who doubts about the nature of dharmas, the unobtainable is the right recollection.” 〔0554c29〕, and he says 「實則無正無邪方稱曰正，無念不念是真念矣。諸念不生，正念方生耳」 tr. “truly, only when there is neither right nor wrong can it be called right, and only what is neither recollecting nor not recollecting is true recollection. When the manifold recollections do not arise, right recollection then arises” 〔0555a02〕 · 「七辯才雨法，稱根故喜」 tr. “Seventh: eloquence rains the Dharma, and because it accords with their faculties there is joy.” 〔0555a04〕 · 「八深廣讚佛，故名實雙美」 tr. “Eighth: praising the Buddha deeply and broadly, name and reality are both fair.” 〔0555a04〕 · 「九樹王眷屬，並如經初」 tr. “Ninth: the retinue of the king of trees, all as at the opening of the sūtra.” 〔0555a05〕 · 「十即前身遍十方而無來往，智入諸相了法空寂也」 tr. “Tenth: this is the earlier point that the body pervades the ten directions without coming or going, and that wisdom enters into all marks and penetrates the emptiness and stillness of dharmas.” 〔0555a06〕 · 「十一種種力者，佛有無量力故，因行亦然，皆嚴具顯示」 tr. “Eleventh: as for the manifold powers — the Buddha has measureless powers, and so it is with the practices in the causal state, and all of them are revealed by the adornments.” 〔0555a07〕.
The ten gates of the spirits that go on foot 〔0555a09〕 — 「初二可知」 tr. “The first two may be known.” 〔0555a09〕 · 「三內則念念安於理事，外則處處建立道場」 tr. “Third: inwardly, thought after thought he rests in principle and in affairs; outwardly, in place after place he establishes places of awakening.” 〔0555a10〕 · 「四舉足下足海印發輝，諸有威儀無非佛事」 tr. “Fourth: in the lifting of a foot and the setting down of a foot the ocean-seal sends out its radiance, and of all the modes of deportment there is none that is not the Buddha’s work.” 〔0555a11〕 · 「五以華以光雨寶雨法」 tr. “Fifth: by flowers and by light he rains jewels and rains the Dharma.” 〔0555a12〕 · 「六眾生無邊是佛化境，見佛聞法故生歡喜」 tr. “Sixth: boundless sentient beings are the realm the Buddha transforms; seeing the Buddha and hearing the Dharma, joy arises.” 〔0555a12〕 · 「七圓音警物，等栴檀之香風；暫一熏修，覺身心之調順」 tr. “Seventh: the perfect voice rouses beings, being the same as a fragrant wind of sandalwood; let one be perfumed by it but once, and one feels body and mind grow harmonious.” 〔0555a13〕 · 「餘三可知」 tr. “The remaining three may be known.” 〔0555a15〕.
The ten gates of the spirits of the bodily host 〔0555a15〕 — on the name of the foremost spirit he brings out a divergent account (see register II) · 「初三可知」 tr. “The first three may be known.” 〔0555a18〕 · 「四相即無相，故如空遍住。空非獨虛亦遍於色，住非分住一塵亦周」 tr. “Fourth: marks are precisely marklessness, and so it abides pervasively like space. Space is not a bare emptiness but also pervades within form; abiding is not a portion abiding upon a single dust mote but is likewise all-pervading.” 〔0555a18〕 · 「五威儀施化無心頓現，斯即佛境，難以言思」 tr. “Fifth: deportment and the giving of transformation manifest all at once without any mind that does so — this is the domain of a buddha, hard to speak of and hard to think.” 〔0555a21〕 · 「六佛為良田，出世難遇，一興微供，果獲五常」 tr. “Sixth: the Buddha is a good field, hard to encounter in the world; raise but a slight offering, and the fruit obtained is the five things that are constant.” 〔0555a22〕 · 「七齒光除垢，表所說淨故」 tr. “Seventh: the light of the teeth removes defilement, because it shows that what he preaches is pure.” 〔0555a25〕 · 「八有染於五塵、無慈於六趣者，愚癡魔業也」 tr. “Eighth: to be stained toward the five dust-objects and without kindness toward the six destinies — this is the deluded work of Māra.” 〔0555a25〕, and he distinguishes Māra, saying 「魔惱眾生不出三事，謂上妙五欲及諸苦具、為說邪法」 tr. “Māra’s troubling of sentient beings does not go outside three things: the finest of the five desires, the manifold instruments of suffering, and preaching wrong dharmas to them” 〔0555a29〕 · 「九有三意：一身雖周於法界，多示為王，攝御自在故。二八相處於王宮，俯接物故。三法界菩提樹下，法王宮故」 tr. “Ninth: there are three intents. First, though the body pervades the Dharma realm, he mostly manifests as a king, because in gathering in and governing he is sovereign. Second, the eight phases take place in a royal palace, because he stoops to draw beings in. Third, beneath the tree of awakening in the Dharma realm is itself the palace of the King of Dharma.” 〔0555b03〕 · 「十迷於本空，故有妄苦。無漏本有，是淨善根」 tr. “Tenth: being deluded about original emptiness, there is the suffering of falsity. The uncontaminated was there all along, and that is the pure root of goodness.” 〔0555b06〕.
The ten gates of the vajra-bearing spirits 〔0555b07〕 — 「一見如來身普現非別，豈唯凡現之？處即無邊相，亦隨一一色相皆無有邊」 tr. “First: seeing the body of the Tathāgata is a universal manifesting and not a particular one — how should it be manifested for ordinary persons alone? The place is itself boundless marks, and moreover each and every form he accords with is likewise without bound.” 〔0555b08〕 · 「次四可知」 tr. “The next four may be known.” 〔0555b09〕, only on the name of the fifth spirit does he bring out a divergence (see register V) · 「六法海深奧槃節差別，巧說令現無有遺餘」 tr. “Sixth: the ocean of Dharma is deep and abstruse and its knots and branchings differ; he declares them skillfully and makes them appear with nothing left over.” 〔0555b12〕 · 「七約神且說寶飾為嚴，巧攝己眾；約佛方便相好為嚴，無不攝也」 tr. “Seventh: speaking from the side of the spirits, one may provisionally say that jeweled ornaments are the adornment, with which he skillfully gathers in his own retinue; speaking from the side of the Buddha, skillful means and the marks and excellences are the adornment, and there is nothing not gathered in.” 〔0555b13〕 · 「八因深故大福為能嚴，果勝故德相皆明足」 tr. “Eighth: because the cause is deep, great merit serves as what adorns; because the fruit is excellent, the marks of virtue are all clear and complete.” 〔0555b14〕 · 「九惡謂十惡，險者惡之因也，能陷自他及險道故」 tr. “Ninth: evil means the ten evils, and dangerous is the cause of that evil, because it can entrap oneself and others and is a perilous road.” 〔0555b15〕 · 「十若以現文則摩尼髻是所雨，若以義取此神名摩尼髻，亦得髻是能雨」 tr. “Tenth: if one goes by the present text, then the maṇi topknot is what is rained down; if one takes it by the meaning, since this spirit is named Maṇi Topknot, one may also say that the topknot is what does the raining.” 〔0555b16〕. The three meanings of the whirling eddy in the verses are in register II. At the end he concludes 「餘並可知。上來異生眾竟」 tr. “The rest may all be known. The assemblies of different birth are herewith finished.” 〔0555b24〕.
Fazang, Tanxuan ji T35n1733 (commentary on the sixty-fascicle Avataṃsaka · the deep source of judgments and explanations)
Explaining the name of each class of spirits one by one 〔0134b24〕–〔0134c21〕 — the spirits of the place of awakening 「在樹下近，故次列之耳」 tr. “are near beneath the tree, and so they are listed next” 〔0134b25〕, and he brings out the two explanations, the dependent-determinative and the appositional 〔0134b27〕 · the dragons 「居上，蔭覆義故，云嚴法堂」 tr. “dwell above, being the import of sheltering and covering, and so it says that they adorn the Dharma hall” 〔0134c01〕 · the earth spirits 「居下，運載義，多現女身」 tr. “dwell below, being the import of carrying, and mostly manifest female bodies” 〔0134c02〕 · the tree spirits 「居中，建立義，德樹高情故喜也」 tr. “dwell between, being the import of establishing; the tree of virtue lifts the feelings high, and so there is joy” 〔0134c03〕 · the herb spirits 「是對治義，法藥遣惑是悲門也」 tr. “are the import of counteraction, the Dharma-medicine that dispels delusion being the gate of compassion” 〔0134c04〕 · the grain spirits 「是資持義，育養黎元令喜故也」 tr. “are the import of supplying and sustaining, because they nourish the common people and make them rejoice” 〔0134c05〕 · the river spirits 「是流潤義。德中勤是流義，益是潤義」 tr. “are the import of flowing and moistening; within their virtue, diligence is the import of flowing and benefiting is the import of moistening” 〔0134c07〕 · the sea spirits 「是具德義」 tr. “are the import of being complete in virtue” 〔0134c08〕 · the fire spirits 「是成熟義、照明義、焚燒義、除闇義，初二成二嚴、後二滅二障」 tr. “are the import of ripening, the import of illuminating, the import of burning up, and the import of removing darkness; the first two accomplish the two adornments and the latter two extinguish the two obstructions” 〔0134c09〕 · the wind spirits 「是聚散義」 tr. “are the import of gathering and scattering” 〔0134c11〕 · the space spirits 「有七義：一無邊、二無礙、三一味、四含攝、五顯示、六離染、七堅固」 tr. “have seven imports: first, boundlessness; second, unobstructedness; third, being of one savor; fourth, holding and gathering in; fifth, revealing; sixth, freedom from defilement; seventh, firmness” 〔0134c19〕.
The virtue of the assemblies of different birth and the ocean of the fruit 〔0136b24〕 — he brings out two explanations, 「一但顯此眾德、二通辨上來異生眾德便即釋疑」 tr. “first, merely to display the virtue of these hosts; second, to distinguish in general the virtues of the foregoing assemblies of different birth and thereupon resolve a doubt” 〔0136b25〕, the text resolving the doubt being given in register V. Distinguishing their virtue he says 「初二句總標，謂內修離相、外預勝流，故在緣起果海中也」 tr. “the first two lines are the general statement: that inwardly they cultivate freedom from marks and outwardly they take part in the excellent current, and therefore they are within the ocean of the fruit of dependent arising” 〔0136b28〕, and again 「初三業殊勝、二同佛所乘、三斷德離染、四照燭真源」 tr. “first, the three kinds of action are excellent; second, they share what the Buddha rides; third, by the virtue of cutting off they are free of defilement; fourth, they illumine the true source” 〔0136c02〕.
The general rule for the names of the spirits below — 「下諸神名，二釋準之。」 tr. “For the names of the spirits below, the two explanations are to be applied accordingly.” 〔T35n1733 0134b29〕
Li Tongxuan, Xin Huayan jing lun T36n1739
He matches the spirit hosts to the ten practices and the perfections (see register V). Under the presiding spirits of fire he brings out a separate passage discussing the import of the substance of concentration: 「若其世間事也，即南方离神是也。若其人也，是其心也，离法心故。若其法也，是虛無之智也」 tr. “If it is taken as a matter of the world, it is the spirit of li in the south. If it is taken as a person, it is the mind, because li is the dharma of mind. If it is taken as a dharma, it is the wisdom that is void and empty.” 〔T36n1739 0789b15〕, and he says 「明無癡亂行，以火神能破闇故、不迷惑故、無闇障故。此一段約用而為定也」 tr. “setting forth the practice of freedom from delusion and confusion, because the fire spirits can break darkness, because they are not deluded, because they have no obstruction of darkness. This passage takes function and makes it concentration.” 〔0789b20〕. And distinguishing the gate of vigor in the ten abodes from that in the ten practices he says 「如十住中精進門，樂勤觀法性為體。此十行中精進門，處世益生，以行潤物為體」 tr. “as for the gate of vigor in the ten abodes, its substance is delighting in diligently observing the nature of dharmas. The gate of vigor in these ten practices dwells in the world and benefits the living, taking as its substance the moistening of beings by practice.” 〔0789a19〕.
Zhiyan, Souxuan ji T35n1732
〔not found〕. There is no corresponding explanation to be attested for this passage (see register I). The absence is marked according to the facts.
Set down without judgment
The order of the classes of spirits differs entirely among the three houses: the text of the eighty-fascicle version reads fire · water · sea · rivers · crops · herbs · forests · mountains · earth · cities · the place of awakening · going on foot · the bodily host · the vajra-bearers; the passage listing the names in the sixty-fascicle version reads the place of awakening · dragons · earth · trees · herb-plants · grain · rivers · sea · fire · wind · space · the presiding spirits of the directions · the presiding spirits of night · the presiding spirits of day 〔T09n0278 0395c16〕–〔0396b09〕; Li Tongxuan’s matching by position reads in the order sea · water · fire 〔T36n1739 0789a01〕〔0789a13〕〔0789b11〕. Chengguan follows the eighty-fascicle version and lays out the outline phrase by phrase from the sixth to the nineteenth 〔T35n1735 0553a01〕〔0555b07〕; Fazang follows the sixty-fascicle version and explains class by class from the third to the sixteenth 〔T35n1733 0134b24〕〔0134c25〕; Li Tongxuan does not use the order of the classes but the positional sequence of the ten practices 〔T36n1739 0789a01〕.
The manner of explaining the spirits also differs between the two commentaries: Chengguan explains the import of the gate of liberation gate by gate and says little about why the spirit is so named 〔T35n1735 0553a02〕, whereas Fazang first explains the import of each spirit’s name class by class (dwelling above · dwelling below · dwelling between · counteraction · supplying and sustaining · flowing and moistening · being complete in virtue · ripening) and only then treats their virtue 〔T35n1733 0134c01〕–〔0134c11〕.
As for judgments about lost text, Chengguan brings out three places and in each attaches it to 「有云」 tr. “some say”, 「古德云」 tr. “the ancient worthies say”, or 「準梵本」 tr. “according to the Sanskrit text” 〔T35n1735 0553a02〕〔0553c07〕〔0554c03〕; and on the name of the foremost spirit of the bodily host he lets both accounts stand, 「或是名廣，略舉其半。或梵音相類，譯者之誤」 tr. “either the name is the longer one and only half of it is cited here, or else the Sanskrit sounds are similar and it is the translator’s error” 〔0555a16〕, ending with 「未勘梵本法門」 tr. “I have not collated the Dharma-gate against the Sanskrit text” 〔0555a17〕.
All the divergences above are established accounts of the ancient worthies, and they are set down together without judgment.
VII. Cross-Reading and Lineage
- Cross-reading within this chapter: this unit is the third passage of the assemblies of different birth within the part of extolling and praising the virtues. Before it comes The Assemblies of Different Birth, Part Two: The Eight Classes (see 〈The Assemblies of Different Birth, Part Two: The Eight Classes and the Five Spirit Hosts〉 in this volume), and after it comes The Assembly of the Same Birth: The Bodhisattvas Attain the Dharma and Praise the Buddha (see 〈The Assembly of the Same Birth: The Bodhisattvas Attain the Dharma and Praise the Buddha〉 in this volume, after the opening sentence 「復次，普賢菩薩摩訶薩，入不思議解脫門方便海」 tr. “Furthermore, the bodhisattva-mahāsattva Samantabhadra entered the ocean of skillful means of the inconceivable gate of liberation” 〔T10n0279 0021c06〕). In the text of his outline Chengguan joins them with 「上來異生眾竟」 tr. “the assemblies of different birth are herewith finished” 〔T35n1735 0555b24〕, and below that enters the assembly of the same birth.
- Cross-reading with the chapter on entering the Dharma realm: the sentence pattern of this unit, ‘obtained such and such a gate of liberation,’ belongs to the same system of vocabulary as the sentence pattern of the gates of liberation in the fifty-three visits of the chapter on entering the Dharma realm. Within that chapter, 「修諸三昧禪定解脫門」 tr. “cultivating the gates of liberation of the manifold samādhis and meditative concentrations” 〔T10n0279 0330a14〕 and Sudhana’s words in seeking the Dharma, 「超諸世間者，示我解脫門」 tr. “you who transcend all the worlds, show me the gate of liberation” 〔T10n0279 0333a11〕, are the two places anchored verbatim. This unit is the collected display in which each of the spirit hosts realizes one gate, while the chapter on entering the Dharma realm is the sequential unfolding of the causal positions one by one; the two sentence patterns bear upon each other, and how deep or shallow that relation is, is set down without judgment.
- Cross-reading with the chapter on the ten grounds: the phrase Chengguan sets up in this unit, 「一因生一切果、一果收一切因」 tr. “one cause produces all fruits and one fruit gathers in all causes” 〔T35n1735 0554a28〕, may be read against the passages on the mutual gathering of cause and fruit in the units of the grounds in chapter 26 of the present edition.
- The texts Fazang cites: in this passage the Tanxuan ji cites the Vibhāṣā, the Treatise on the Buddha-Ground, the Āgamas, the Zhengfa nian jing, the Hailongwang jing, the Nirvāṇa Sūtra, the Ekottara, the Treatise on the Great Perfection of Wisdom, the Zaxin, the Abhidharmakośa, the Dīrgha Āgama, the Sanfadu lun, the Ratnagotravibhāga, and the Zhengfahua jing in explaining the several classes of hosts 〔T35n1733 0134c27〕–〔0136b23〕; these are the ancient worthy’s own citations and are not attached under the present register. In this passage Chengguan cites the two texts of the Da yingluo jing and the Nirvāṇa 〔T35n1735 0554b17〕〔0554b19〕.
- What is absent in the lineage: searching the Huayan yisheng jiaoyi fenqi zhang T45n1866 · the Shixuan men T45n1868 · the Fajie xuanjing T45n1883 · the Wangjin huanyuan guan T45n1876 for the names of the spirits of this unit, none are to be seen 〔not found〕; the treatises of the consciousness-only line (the Cheng weishi lun T31n1585 · the She dacheng lun T31n1594 · the Yuqie shidi lun T30n1579) were not searched for this unit. The absence is marked according to the facts, and no attachment is forced.
VIII. Edition Location Register
- Śikṣānanda T279 (the base text): chapter 1, The Wondrous Adornments of the Rulers of the Worlds · the part of extolling and praising the virtues, the assemblies of different birth, part three: the spirit hosts, fascicle 4, beginning at 〔T10n0279 0015c28〕 and ending at 〔0021b23〕 (the title of fascicle 5 begins at 0021c02). The line where each class stands: the presiding spirits of fire 〔0015c28〕 · the presiding spirits of water 〔0016b03〕 · the presiding spirits of the sea 〔0016c08〕 · the presiding spirits of rivers 〔0017a11〕 · the presiding spirits of crops 〔0017b17〕 · the presiding spirits of herbs 〔0017c24〕 · the presiding spirits of forests 〔0018b02〕 · the presiding spirits of mountains 〔0018c08〕 · the presiding spirits of the earth 〔0019a14〕 · the presiding spirits of cities 〔0019b20〕 · the spirits of the place of awakening 〔0019c24〕 · the spirits that go on foot 〔0020b05〕 · the spirits of the bodily host 〔0020c12〕 · the vajra-bearing spirits 〔0021a17〕.
- Buddhabhadra T278 (the Jin translation, principal collation witness): chapter 1, The Pure Eye of the World · the passage listing the assembly 〔T09n0278 0395c16〕–〔0396b10〕. Where each class begins: the spirits of the place of awakening 0395c16 · the dragon spirits 0395c20 · the earth spirits 0395c23 · the tree spirits 0395c27 · the herb-plant spirits 0396a02 · the grain spirits 0396a05 · the river spirits 0396a08 · the sea spirits 0396a11 · the fire spirits 0396a15 · the wind spirits 0396a18 · the space spirits 0396a22 · the presiding spirits of the directions 0396a26 · the presiding spirits of night 0396b01 · the presiding spirits of day 0396b05 · the asura spirits 0396b09.
- Chengguan, Huayan jing shu T35n1735: the outline of this unit begins at 0553a01 and ends at 0555b24. The sixth, the presiding spirits of fire 0553a01 (the ten meanings of sun and space 0553a15) · the seventh, the presiding spirits of water 0553b02 (the explanation of the verses 0553b14) · the eighth, the presiding spirits of the sea 0553b28 (the Sanskrit verse 0553c02 · the argument about the lost verse 0553c06) · the ninth, the presiding spirits of rivers 0553c19 · the tenth, the presiding spirits of crops 0554a02 · the eleventh, the presiding spirits of herbs 0554a09 · the twelfth, the presiding spirits of forests 0554a22 · the thirteenth, the presiding spirits of mountains 0554b11 (preaching the Dharma within a dream 0554b17) · the fourteenth, the presiding spirits of the earth 0554b22 · the fifteenth, the presiding spirits of cities 0554c03 (the variant Sanskrit reading 0554c11) · the sixteenth, the spirits of the place of awakening 0554c22 · the seventeenth, the spirits that go on foot 0555a09 · the eighteenth, the spirits of the bodily host 0555a15 · the nineteenth, the vajra spirits 0555b07 (the three meanings of the whirling eddy 0555b19) · the conclusion 0555b24.
- Chengguan, Yanyi chao T36n1736: no corresponding window has been taken up in the present register; 〔not found〕, marked as absent according to the facts.
- Fazang, Tanxuan ji T35n1733: the explanation of the names of the classes of spirits 0134b20–0134c21 · the classes from the asuras onward 0134c27–0136b23 · the praise of virtues and the explanation of the ocean of the fruit 0136b24–0136c29 · the argument about the grouping in the completeness of the offerings 0137a01–0137a10.
- Li Tongxuan, Xin Huayan jing lun T36n1739: the presiding spirits of the sea 0789a01 · the presiding spirits of water 0789a13 · the presiding spirits of fire 0789b11 (ending at 0789b22).
- Zhiyan, Souxuan ji T35n1732: 〔not found〕 for a phrase-by-phrase explanation (see registers I and VI).
- The forty-fascicle Avataṃsaka T293: 〔not found〕. That translation covers only chapter 39 and offers no collation for this passage.
- Vasubandhu, Shidi jing lun T26n1522: 〔not found〕. It explains only the chapter on the ten grounds and does not touch this chapter.
- Variant readings: within the range of T279 covered by this unit, 〔0015c24〕–〔0021c01〕, the Taishō base text carries 18 collation notes, recorded one by one without adjudication (base reading 【大】｜variant readings of other witnesses, several witnesses separated by ／): 〔0016a03〕耀【大】＊｜曜【宋】【元】【明】【宮】＊（＊同校並繫〔0018b12〕〔0019b20〕〔0019c01〕〔0020a08〕〔0020b17〕之耀字） · 〔0016a10〕遍【大】＊｜普【宋】【元】【明】＊（＊同校並繫〔0016b15〕〔0017a25〕〔0017c02〕〔0018a09〕〔0020b19〕之遍字） · 〔0016b24〕旋【大】｜漩【宋】【元】【明】【宮】 · 〔0017c25〕攝【大】｜攝取【宮】 · 〔0018a15〕悉【大】｜昔【元】【明】【宮】 · 〔0018b05〕芽【大】｜牙【宮】 · 〔0018b17〕習【大】｜集【宋】 · 〔0018c04〕迷【大】｜業【宮】 · 〔0018c22〕言【大】｜曰【明】 · 〔0019b06〕消【大】｜銷【宮】 · 〔0019c13〕目【大】｜城【宮】 · 〔0020a02〕纓【大】＊｜瓔【宋】【元】【明】【宮】＊（＊同校並繫〔0020a23〕之纓字） · 〔0020a26〕辭【大】｜訶【宮】 · 〔0020b19〕神【大】｜威【宋】【元】【明】 · 〔0020b24〕覩【大】｜觀【宮】 · 〔0020b26〕矚【大】｜囑【宮】 · 〔0021a15〕攝【大】｜護【宋】【元】【明】 · 〔0021b20〕現【大】｜見【宮】. (＊ ＝ a Taishō asterisked collation: the same note also governs the remaining occurrences of that graph in the text; for notes of this class the T279 XML supplies no corresp for the recurrences, so the asterisk alone is shown and no second anchor is created.)
- A further note upon the variant readings: 3 CBETA emendations (not counted among the Taishō collation notes listed above): 〔0016a02〕門；眾妙宮殿……際解脫門（凡23字）【CB】｜門【大】／門眾妙宮殿主……生解脫門（凡19字）【元】／門眾妙宮殿主……生解脫門（凡19字）【南藏】／門眾妙宮殿主……際解脫門（凡23字）【明】【宮】（明註曰南藏亦同） · 〔0016c25〕悟。一切世間……入法門。（凡29字）【CB】｜悟【大】／悟一切世間眾……塵入法門（凡29字）【元】【明】【宮】 · 〔0019b29〕門；香幢莊嚴……生解脫門（凡26字）【CB】｜門【大】／門香幢莊嚴髻……氣解脫門（凡28字）【元】／門香幢莊嚴髻……氣解脫門（凡28字）【南藏】／門香幢莊嚴主……生解脫門（凡26字）【明】／門香髻莊嚴主……生解脫門（凡26字）【宮】（明註曰南藏亦同，門香髻莊嚴主城神得觀如來自在力普遍世間調伏眾生解脫門【宮】）.
- Supplementary note on variant readings: the interlinear notes were recorded and stripped away at the level of the source text. Three divergent forms in the punctuation of the sūtra text are set down according to the facts: in the verses of the spirits of the place of awakening the end of the introductory clause is a semicolon, 「而說頌言；」 tr. “and uttered these verses;” 〔T10n0279 0019〕, while the other thirteen sets have a colon; in the prose of the presiding spirits of fire there is a comma between the second and third spirits, 「熱惱苦解脫門，大光遍照主火神」 tr. “the gate of liberation of the suffering of burning distress, the presiding spirit of fire Great Light Pervading Illumination” 〔T10n0279 0016a01〕〔T10n0279 0015〕, while the rest are semicolons; and the third verse of the presiding spirits of the sea is embedded within the line of the second verse with no line break, 「此是堅幢所欣悟。一切世間眾導師」 tr. “this is what Firm Banner gladly awakened to. All the guides of every world” 〔T10n0279 0016c25〕〔T10n0279 0016〕, while the other verses each stand on their own line.