華嚴經 品三十九 入法界品 · 彌勒菩薩（二）見敬諮問（攝德成因相）Avataṃsaka Sūtra · Entering the Dharma Realm · Maitreya, Part Two: Seeing, Paying Respect, and Inquiring (The Mark of Gathering Virtue and Accomplishing the Cause)
善財走到第五十一位，這一位見了他，沒有問他，也沒有先答他。
他向大眾指出善財，說：「汝等觀善財。」
然後說了一百一十三首偈，把這個孩子從發心到當果誇了一遍。澄觀說，這樣當眾誇人是有用意的——「指示者，令眾同覩，倣而行故」。這一篇既讓大眾看著善財學，也直對善財讚德慰勉。
一百一十三首之中，前面數的是他已經有的，後面數的是他將要成的；中間那個轉折只有一個字——「當」。
而最後一首偈，這位老師沒有把人留下：「汝當往大智，文殊師利所。」
善財答的兩首偈裡，也只念一個人：「我以文殊故，見諸難見者。」
走了五十一站，讚到最頂上，話卻回到了那位發起之友身上。
『這條路若真走通了，會回到起點。』
且看到此地。
Sudhana has walked as far as the fifty-first friend, and this one, on seeing him, did not question him, nor did he first answer him.
He pointed Sudhana out to the assembly, and said: 「汝等觀善財。」 tr. “All of you, look upon this Sudhana.”
Then he spoke a hundred and thirteen verses, praising this boy the whole way from the bringing forth of the mind to the fruit that is to come. Chengguan says that praising a person before an assembly like this has a purpose to it — 「指示者，令眾同覩，倣而行故」 tr. “as for pointing him out, it is so that the assembly may see him together and, imitating him, may practice.” The praise both lets the assembly look upon Sudhana and learn from him, and addresses him directly to encourage and gladden him.
Within the hundred and thirteen verses, what is counted first is what he already has, and what is counted afterward is what he is to accomplish; and the turn between them is a single graph — 「當」 tr. “is to.”
And in the last verse, this teacher does not keep the student with him: 「汝當往大智，文殊師利所。」 tr. “You should go to the place of Mañjuśrī, the one of great knowledge.”
In the two verses Sudhana answers with, he too calls only one person to mind: 「我以文殊故，見諸難見者。」 tr. “It is because of Mañjuśrī that I have seen those who are hard to see.”
Fifty-one stations walked, praise carried to the very summit — and yet the words go back to that friend who set him out.
‘If this road is truly walked through, it comes back to where it began.’
Let it stand here for now.
〔T10 0425〕
爾時，善財童子以如是等一切菩薩無量稱揚讚歎法，而讚毘盧遮那莊嚴藏大樓閣中諸菩薩已，曲躬合掌，恭敬頂禮，一心願見彌勒菩薩親近供養；乃見彌勒菩薩摩訶薩從別處來，無量天、龍、夜叉、乾闥婆、阿脩羅、迦樓羅、緊那羅、摩睺羅伽王，釋、梵、護世，及本生處無量眷屬、婆羅門眾，及餘無數百千眾生，前後圍遶而共來向莊嚴藏大樓觀所。善財見已，歡喜踊躍，五體投地。
時，彌勒菩薩觀察善財，指示大眾，歎其功德，而說頌曰：
「汝等觀善財，智慧心清淨，
為求菩提行，而來至我所。
善來圓滿慈，善來清淨悲，
善來寂滅眼，修行無懈倦。
善來清淨意，善來廣大心，
善來不退根，修行無懈倦。
善來不動行，常求善知識，
了達一切法，調伏諸群生。
善來行妙道，善來住功德，
善來趣佛果，未曾有疲倦。
善來德為體，善來法所滋，
善來無邊行，世間難可見。
善來離迷惑，世法不能染，
利衰毀譽等，一切無分別。
善來施安樂，調柔堪受化；
諂誑瞋慢心，一切悉除滅。
善來真佛子，普詣於十方，
增長諸功德，調柔無懈倦。
善來三世智，遍知一切法，
普生功德藏，修行不疲厭。
文殊德雲等，一切諸佛子，
令汝至我所，示汝無礙處。
具修菩薩行，普攝諸群生；
如是廣大人，今來至我所。
為求諸如來，清淨之境界，
問諸廣大願，而來至我所。
去來現在佛，所成諸行業，
汝欲皆修學，而來至我所。
汝於善知識，欲求微妙法，
欲受菩薩行，而來至我所。
汝念善知識，諸佛所稱歎，
令汝成菩提，而來至我所。
汝念善知識，生我如父母，
養我如乳母，增我菩提分，
如醫療眾疾，如天灑甘露，
如日示正道，如月轉淨輪，
如山不動搖，如海無增減，
如船師濟渡，而來至我所。
汝觀善知識，猶如大猛將，
亦如大商主，又如大導師，
能建正法幢，能示佛功德，
能滅諸惡道，能開善趣門，
能顯諸佛身，能守諸佛藏，
能持諸佛法，是故願瞻奉。
欲滿清淨智，欲具端正身，
欲生尊貴家，而來至我所。
汝等觀此人，親近善知識，
隨其所修學，一切應順行。
以昔福因緣，文殊令發心，
隨順無違逆，修行不懈倦。
父母與親屬，宮殿及財產，
一切皆捨離，謙下求知識。
淨治如是意，永離世間身，
當生佛國土，受諸勝果報。
善財見眾生，生老病死苦，
為發大悲意，勤修無上道。
善財見眾生，五趣常流轉，
為求金剛智，破彼諸苦輪。
善財見眾生，心田甚荒穢，
為除三毒刺，專求利智犁。
眾生處癡暗，盲冥失正道；
善財為導師，示其安隱處。
忍鎧解脫乘，智慧為利劍，
能於三有內，破諸煩惱賊。
善財法船師，普濟諸含識，
令過爾焰海，疾至淨寶洲。
善財正覺日，智光大願輪，
周行法界空，普照群迷宅。
善財正覺月，白法悉圓滿，
慈定清涼光，等照眾生心。
善財勝智海，依於直心住，
菩提行漸深，出生眾法寶。
善財大心龍，昇於法界空，
興雲霔甘澤，生成一切果。
善財然法燈，信炷慈悲油，
念器功德光，滅除三毒暗。
覺心迦羅邏，悲胞慈為肉，
菩提分肢節，長於如來藏。
增長福德藏，清淨智慧藏，
開顯方便藏，出生大願藏。
如是大莊嚴，救護諸群生；
一切天人中，難聞難可見。
如是智慧樹，根深不可動，
眾行漸增長，普蔭諸群生。
欲生一切德，欲問一切法，
欲斷一切疑，專求善知識。
欲破諸惑魔，欲除諸見垢，
欲解眾生縛，專求善知識。
當滅諸惡道，當示人天路，
令修功德行，疾入涅槃城。
當度諸見難，當截諸見網，
當枯愛欲水，當示三有道。
當為世依怙，當作世光明，
當成三界師，示其解脫處。
亦當令世間，普離諸想著，
普覺煩惱睡，普出愛欲泥。
當了種種法，當淨種種剎；
一切咸究竟，其心大歡喜。
汝行極調柔，汝心甚清淨，
所欲修功德，一切當圓滿。
不久見諸佛，了達一切法，
嚴淨眾剎海，成就大菩提。
當滿諸行海，當知諸法海，
當度眾生海，如是修諸行。
當到功德岸，當生諸善品，
當與佛子等，如是心決定。
當斷一切惑，當淨一切業，
當伏一切魔，滿足如是願。
當生妙智道，當開正法道，
不久當捨離，惑業諸苦道。
一切眾生輪，沈迷諸有輪；
汝當轉法輪，令其斷苦輪。
汝當持佛種，汝當淨法種，
汝能集僧種，三世悉周遍。
當斷眾愛網，當裂眾見網，
當救眾苦網，當成此願網。
當度眾生界，當淨國土界，
當集智慧界，當成此心界。
當令眾生喜，當令菩薩喜，
當令諸佛喜，當成此歡喜。
當見一切趣，當見一切剎，
當見一切法，當成此佛見。
當放破暗光，當放息熱光，
當放滅惡光，滌除三有苦。
當開天趣門，當開佛道門，
當示解脫門，普使眾生入。
當示於正道，當絕於邪道；
如是勤修行，成就菩提道。
當修功德海，當度三有海；
普使群生海，出於眾苦海。
當於眾生海，消竭煩惱海，
令修諸行海，疾入大智海。
汝當增智海，汝當修行海；
諸佛大願海，汝當咸滿足。
汝當入剎海，汝當觀眾海；
汝當以智力，普飲諸法海。
當覲諸佛雲，當起供養雲，
當聽妙法雲，當興此願雲。
普遊三有室，普壞眾惑室，
普入如來室，當行如是道。
普入三昧門，普遊解脫門，
普住神通門，周行於法界。
普現眾生前，普對諸佛前，
譬如日月光，當成如是力。
所行無動亂，所行無染著，
如鳥行虛空，當成此妙用。
譬如因陀網，剎網如是住；
汝當悉往詣，如風無所礙。
汝當入法界，遍往諸世界，
普見三世佛，心生大歡喜。
汝於諸法門，已得及當得，
應生大喜躍，無貪亦無厭。
汝是功德器，能隨諸佛教，
能修菩薩行，得見此奇特。
如是諸佛子，億劫難可遇；
況見其功德，所修諸妙道！
汝生於人中，大獲諸善利，
得見文殊等，無量諸功德。
已離諸惡道，已出諸難處，
已超眾苦患，善哉勿懈怠。
已離凡夫地，已住菩薩地，
當滿智慧地，速入如來地。
菩薩行如海，佛智同虛空，
汝願亦復然，應生大欣慶。
諸根不懈倦，志願恒決定，
親近善知識，不久悉成滿。
菩薩種種行，皆為調眾生，
普行諸法門，慎勿生疑惑。
汝具難思福，及以真實信；
是故於今日，得見諸佛子。
汝見諸佛子，悉獲廣大利，
一一諸大願，一切咸信受。
汝於三有中，能修菩薩行；
是故諸佛子，示汝解脫門。
非是法器人，與佛子同住，
設經無量劫，莫知其境界。
汝見諸菩薩，得聞如是法，
世間甚難有，應生大喜慶。
諸佛護念汝，菩薩攝受汝，
能順其教行，善哉住壽命。
已生菩薩家，已具菩薩德，
已長如來種，當昇灌頂位。
不久汝當得，與諸佛子等，
見苦惱眾生，悉置安隱處。
如下如是種，必獲如是果，
我今慶慰汝，汝應大欣悅。
無量諸菩薩，無量劫行道，
未能成此行，今汝皆獲得。
信樂堅進力，善財成此行；
若有敬慕心，亦當如是學。
一切功德行，皆從願欲生；
善財已了知，常樂勤修習。
如龍布密雲，必當霔大雨；
菩薩起願智，決定修諸行。
若有善知識，示汝普賢行；
汝當好承事，慎勿生疑惑。
汝於無量劫，為欲妄捨身；
今為求菩提，此捨方為善。
汝於無量劫，具受生死苦，
不曾事諸佛，未聞如是行。
汝今得人身，值佛善知識，
聽受菩提行，云何不歡喜！
雖遇佛興世，亦值善知識；
其心不清淨，不聞如是法。
若於善知識，信樂心尊重，
離疑不疲厭，乃聞如是法。
若有聞此法，而興誓願心；
當知如是人，已獲廣大利。
如是心清淨，常得近諸佛，
亦近諸菩薩，決定成菩提。
若入此法門，則具諸功德，
永離眾惡趣，不受一切苦。
不久捨此身，往生佛國土，
常見十方佛，及以諸菩薩。
往因今淨解，及事善友力，
增長諸功德，如水生蓮華。
樂事善知識，勤供一切佛，
專心聽聞法，常行勿懈倦。
汝是真法器，當具一切法，
當修一切道，當滿一切願。
汝以信解心，而來禮敬我，
不久當普入，一切諸佛會。
善哉真佛子，恭敬一切佛，
不久具諸行，到佛功德岸。
汝當往大智，文殊師利所；
彼當令汝得，普賢深妙行。」
〔T10 0428〕
爾時，彌勒菩薩摩訶薩在眾會前，稱讚善財大功德藏。善財聞已，歡喜踊躍，身毛皆豎，悲泣哽噎；起立合掌，恭敬瞻仰，遶無量匝。以文殊師利心念力故，眾華、瓔珞、種種妙寶不覺忽然自盈其手；善財歡喜，即以奉散彌勒菩薩摩訶薩上。
時，彌勒菩薩摩善財頂，為說頌言：
「善哉善哉真佛子！普策諸根無懈倦，
不久當具諸功德，猶如文殊及與我。」
時，善財童子以頌答曰：
「我念善知識，億劫難值遇；
今得咸親近，而來詣尊所。
我以文殊故，見諸難見者；
彼大功德尊，願速還瞻覲。」
〔卷78〕
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.
見正報·設敬儀身心敬禮（澄觀科）：善財一心只願見他，他卻從別的地方來
那時候，善財童子用上面所說的這許多一切菩薩無量稱揚讚歎的法門，讚歎過毘盧遮那莊嚴藏大樓閣中的諸位菩薩之後，就彎下身子、合起手掌，恭恭敬敬地頂禮，一心一意只願見到彌勒菩薩，親近他、供養他；這才見到彌勒菩薩摩訶薩從別的地方走來——無量的天、龍、夜叉、乾闥婆、阿脩羅、迦樓羅、緊那羅、摩睺羅伽這些眾王，還有帝釋、梵天、護世四天王，以及他受生之處的無量眷屬、婆羅門大眾，加上其餘無數百千的眾生，前前後後圍繞著，一同朝著莊嚴藏大樓觀的所在走來。善財見到了，歡喜得跳躍起來，五體投地。
讚德記別（澄觀科）：他向大眾指出善財，當眾讚歎
那時候，彌勒菩薩看著善財，指示給大眾看，讚歎善財的功德，而說出偈頌：
指眾總歎（澄觀科）：第一偈
「你們大家看看這位善財，他的智慧之心清淨；他是為了求菩提之行，才走到我這裡來的。
直對善財歎（澄觀科）之一 讚德善來：第二至第十偈
「歡迎你，圓滿的慈；歡迎你，清淨的悲；歡迎你，寂滅的眼——修行從來沒有懈怠疲倦。
「歡迎你，清淨的意；歡迎你，廣大的心；歡迎你，不退的根——修行從來沒有懈怠疲倦。
「歡迎你，不動搖的行；你常常尋求善知識，通達一切法，調伏眾多的群生。
「歡迎你，行於微妙之道；歡迎你，安住於功德；歡迎你，趣向於佛果——不曾有過疲倦。
「歡迎你，以德為體；歡迎你，被法所滋養；歡迎你，行無有邊際——這是世間難以見到的。
「歡迎你，離開了迷惑；世間之法染不到你；利、衰、毀、譽這些世間之法，你一概沒有分別。
「歡迎你，施給人安樂；你調柔而堪能受教化；諂曲、欺誑、瞋恚、憍慢這些心，一概都已除滅。
「歡迎你，真正的佛子；你普遍前往十方，增長諸多功德，調柔而沒有懈怠疲倦。
「歡迎你，通於三世的智；你遍知一切法，普遍生出功德之藏，修行不會疲厭。
直對善財歎之二 明來因緣：第十一·第十二偈
「文殊、德雲這些人，一切諸位佛子，使你來到我這裡，指示你那沒有障礙之處。
「你已經具足地修習菩薩之行，普遍地攝受眾多群生；像這樣廣大的人，今天來到我這裡。
直對善財歎之三 明來所為：第十三至第二十三偈
「為了求取諸位如來那清淨的境界，為了請問那些廣大的願，你才來到我這裡。
「過去、未來、現在諸佛所成就的種種行業，你想要一一都修學，才來到我這裡。
「你在善知識這裡，想要求取微妙之法，想要領受菩薩之行，才來到我這裡。
「你憶念善知識——那是諸佛所稱歎的，能使你成就菩提——才來到我這裡。
「你憶念善知識：他生我如同父母，養我如同乳母，增長我的菩提之分，
「如同醫生療治眾多的疾病，如同天上灑下甘露，如同太陽指示正道，如同月亮轉出清淨之輪，
「如同高山不動搖，如同大海不增不減，如同船師濟渡於人——你這樣憶念著，才來到我這裡。
「你觀看善知識，就像大猛將，也像大商主，又像大導師，
「他能建立正法之幢，能顯示佛的功德，能滅除諸多惡道，能開啟善趣之門，
「能顯現諸佛之身，能守護諸佛之藏，能住持諸佛之法——因此你發願瞻仰奉事他。
「想要圓滿清淨之智，想要具足端正之身，想要生在尊貴之家，才來到我這裡。
對眾令勸讚（澄觀科）之一 總讚：第二十四至第二十七偈
「你們大家看看這個人，他親近善知識；他所修學的一切，你們都應當隨順而行。
「因為往昔的福德因緣，文殊使他發起了心；他隨順而不違逆，修行沒有懈怠疲倦。
「父母與親屬、宮殿以及財產，他一概都捨離了，謙下地尋求善知識。
「他這樣淨治自己的心意，永遠離開世間之身，將來當生在佛的國土，領受種種殊勝的果報。
對眾令勸讚之二 即智之悲：第二十八至第三十一偈
「善財見到眾生有生老病死之苦，為此發起大悲之意，勤修無上之道。
「善財見到眾生在五趣之中常常流轉，為此求取金剛之智，要破除他們那些苦之輪。
「善財見到眾生的心田非常荒穢，為了除去貪瞋癡三毒之刺，專一地求取那把銳利的智慧之犁。
「眾生處在愚癡的黑暗裡，眼盲心冥而失了正道；善財作他們的導師，指示他們安隱之處。
對眾令勸讚之三 即悲之智：第三十二至第三十八偈
「以忍辱為鎧甲，以解脫為車乘，以智慧為銳利的劍——他能夠在欲、色、無色這三有之內，破除諸多煩惱之賊。
「善財是法的船師，普遍濟度一切含識，使他們渡過所知的大海，快速到達清淨的寶洲。
「善財是正覺之日，智慧之光就是他的大願之輪，周遍運行於法界的虛空，普遍照亮群迷所住的屋宅。
「善財是正覺之月，白淨之法全都圓滿，慈心之定放出清涼的光，平等照徹眾生的心。
「善財是殊勝的智慧之海，依止於正直之心而住；菩提之行漸漸加深，出生眾多的法寶。
「善財是大心之龍，昇上法界的虛空，興起雲來降下甘美的雨澤，長成一切果實。
「善財燃起法的燈：信心是燈炷，慈悲是燈油，正念是燈器，功德是燈光——滅除貪瞋癡三毒的黑暗。
對眾令勸讚之四 總歎諸德：第三十九至第四十四偈
「覺悟之心是胎中最初的凝滑，悲是胞衣、慈是血肉，菩提之分是四肢關節——所長成的是如來之藏。
「他增長福德之藏，清淨智慧之藏，開顯方便之藏，出生大願之藏。
「像這樣大的莊嚴，救護眾多的群生；在一切天與人之中，這是難以聽聞、難以見到的。
「像這樣的智慧之樹，根深而不可動搖，種種行持漸漸增長，普遍蔭覆眾多群生。
「想要生出一切德，想要問遍一切法，想要斷盡一切疑——就專一地尋求善知識。
「想要破除諸多惑之魔，想要除去諸多見之垢，想要解開眾生的繫縛——就專一地尋求善知識。
對眾令勸讚之五 妙果當成：第四十五至第四十九偈
「他當滅除諸多惡道，當指示人天之路，令人修功德之行，快速進入涅槃之城。
「他當度過諸多見的難處，當截斷諸多見的羅網，當枯竭愛欲之水，當指示三有之道。
「他當作世間的依怙，當作世間的光明，當成為三界之師，指示眾生解脫之處。
「他也當使世間普遍離開種種想的執著，普遍喚醒煩惱之睡，普遍走出愛欲之泥。
「他當了達種種法，當清淨種種剎；一切都究竟圓滿，他的心大大歡喜。
重對善財讚（澄觀科）之一 歎當果德：第五十至第七十五偈
「你的行極為調柔，你的心非常清淨；你所想要修的功德，一切都當圓滿。
「不久你將見到諸佛，通達一切法，莊嚴清淨眾多的剎海，成就大菩提。
「你當圓滿諸行之海，當了知諸法之海，當度脫眾生之海——像這樣修習諸行。
「你當到達功德的彼岸，當生出諸多善品，當與佛子們同等——像這樣心得決定。
「你當斷除一切惑，當清淨一切業，當降伏一切魔，滿足像這樣的願。
「你當生出微妙的智慧之道，當開啟正法之道，不久當捨離惑、業與諸苦之道。
「一切眾生之輪，沉迷在諸有之輪裡；你當轉起法輪，令他們斷除苦輪。
「你當住持佛的種姓，你當清淨法的種姓，你能夠集起僧的種姓——三世都周遍。
「你當斷除眾多愛的羅網，當撕裂眾多見的羅網，當救出眾多苦的羅網，當成就這個願的羅網。
「你當度脫眾生之界，當清淨國土之界，當集起智慧之界，當成就這個心之界。
「你當令眾生歡喜，當令菩薩歡喜，當令諸佛歡喜——當成就這樣的歡喜。
「你當見到一切趣，當見到一切剎，當見到一切法——當成就這樣的佛見。
「你當放出破暗之光，當放出息熱之光，當放出滅惡之光，洗除三有之苦。
「你當開啟生天之門，當開啟佛道之門，當指示解脫之門，普遍使眾生進入。
「你當指示正道，當斷絕邪道；像這樣勤修行，成就菩提之道。
「你當修習功德之海，當度過三有之海；普遍使群生之海，走出眾苦之海。
「你當在眾生之海裡，消竭煩惱之海，令他們修習諸行之海，快速進入大智之海。
「你當增長智慧之海，你當修習行持之海；諸佛的大願之海，你當一一都滿足。
「你當進入剎海，你當觀察眾會之海；你當用智慧之力，普遍飲盡諸法之海。
「你當往見諸佛之雲，當興起供養之雲，當諦聽妙法之雲，當興起這樣的願雲。
「你當普遍遊於三有之室，普遍破壞眾惑之室，普遍進入如來之室——當行像這樣的道。
「你當普遍進入三昧之門，普遍遊於解脫之門，普遍住於神通之門，周遍運行於法界。
「你當普遍現身在眾生面前，普遍面對諸佛之前，就像日月之光那樣——當成就這樣的力。
「你的所行沒有動亂，你的所行沒有染著，就像鳥飛行於虛空——當成就這樣的妙用。
「就像帝釋殿上的因陀羅網那樣，剎的羅網也是這樣安住；你當一一都前往拜詣，如同風一樣無所障礙。
「你當進入法界，遍往諸多世界，普遍見到三世諸佛，心中生起大歡喜。
重對善財讚之二 雙歎當現德：第七十六至第八十二偈
「你對於諸多法門，已經得到的與將要得到的，都應當生起大歡喜踊躍——沒有貪著，也沒有厭倦。
「你是功德之器，能夠隨順諸佛的教導，能夠修習菩薩之行，才得以見到這樣奇特之事。
「像這樣的諸位佛子，億劫之久也難以相遇；何況見到他們的功德、他們所修的種種妙道！
「你生在人道之中，大大獲得了種種善利，得以見到文殊等人與無量的功德。
「你已經離開諸多惡道，已經走出諸多難處，已經超越眾多苦患——很好，不要懈怠。
「你已經離開凡夫之地，已經住於菩薩之地，當圓滿智慧之地，快速進入如來之地。
「菩薩之行如同大海，佛的智慧同於虛空；你的願也是這樣，應當生起大歡欣慶幸。
重對善財讚之三 讚遇友德：第八十三至第九十偈
「你的諸根不懈怠疲倦，志願恆常決定，親近善知識——不久都會成滿。
「菩薩種種的行，都是為了調伏眾生；你普遍修行諸多法門，千萬不要生起疑惑。
「你具足難以思議的福，以及真實的信；因此在今天，得以見到諸位佛子。
「你見到諸位佛子，全都獲得廣大的利益；他們一一的大願，你一切都信受。
「你在三有之中，能夠修習菩薩之行；因此諸位佛子，指示你解脫之門。
「不是法器的人，即使與佛子同住，縱然經過無量劫，也不會知道那個境界。
「你見到諸位菩薩，得以聽聞這樣的法——世間非常難有，應當生起大歡喜慶幸。
「諸佛護念你，菩薩攝受你；你能夠隨順他們的教而行——很好，就這樣安住壽命。
重對善財讚之四 歎速成位行德：第九十一至第九十五偈
「你已經生在菩薩之家，已經具足菩薩之德，已經長養如來的種姓，當昇上灌頂之位。
「不久你將得以與諸位佛子同等，見到苦惱的眾生，全都安置在安隱之處。
「像這樣下了這樣的種子，必定獲得這樣的果；我今天慶賀安慰你，你應當大大歡悅。
「無量的諸位菩薩，經無量劫修行道業，還不能成就這樣的行；今天你全都獲得了。
「以信樂與堅固精進之力，善財成就了這樣的行；若有人心生敬慕，也應當像這樣學。
重對善財讚之五 總明諸德結歎令欣：第九十六至第一百一十二偈
「一切功德之行，都從願欲而生；善財已經了知這一點，所以常常樂於勤加修習。
「就像龍布下濃密的雲，必定當降下大雨；菩薩發起了願智，就決定會修習諸行。
「若有善知識指示你普賢之行，你應當好好承事，千萬不要生起疑惑。
「你在無量劫裡，為了欲望而虛妄地捨過身；今天為了求菩提而捨，這樣的捨才叫作善。
「你在無量劫裡，具足領受過生死之苦，卻不曾奉事諸佛，也未曾聽聞這樣的行。
「你今天得到人身，值遇了佛與善知識，聽受菩提之行——怎麼能不歡喜！
「雖然遇到佛出興於世，也值遇了善知識，若他的心不清淨，仍然聽不到這樣的法。
「若對於善知識，信樂而心存尊重，離開疑惑而不疲厭，才聽得到這樣的法。
「若有人聽聞此法而興起誓願之心，要知道這樣的人，已經獲得廣大的利益。
「像這樣心得清淨，就常常得以親近諸佛，也親近諸位菩薩，決定成就菩提。
「若進入這個法門，就具足種種功德，永遠離開眾多惡趣，不受一切苦。
「不久捨去這個身，往生佛的國土，常常見到十方諸佛以及諸位菩薩。
「往昔的因加上今日清淨的解，再加上奉事善友之力，增長種種功德，就像水中生出蓮華。
「樂於奉事善知識，勤加供養一切佛，專心聽聞法，常常這樣行而不要懈怠疲倦。
「你是真正的法器，當具足一切法，當修習一切道，當圓滿一切願。
「你以信解之心，前來禮敬我；不久你當普遍進入一切諸佛的法會。
「很好啊，真正的佛子！你恭敬一切佛，不久就具足諸行，到達佛的功德彼岸。
略示後友（澄觀科）：第一百一十三偈
「你應當前往大智者文殊師利那裡；他將使你得到普賢深妙之行。」
重申敬儀（澄觀科）：他哭了，而華與瓔珞自己滿在手裡
那時候，彌勒菩薩摩訶薩在大眾會前，稱讚善財的大功德之藏。善財聽了以後，歡喜踊躍，身上的毛都豎了起來，悲切地哭泣而哽咽；他起身站立、合起手掌，恭敬地瞻仰，繞行了無量匝。因為文殊師利心念之力的緣故，種種華、瓔珞、種種微妙的寶物，不知不覺忽然自己盈滿在他手中；善財歡喜，就把這些奉獻散灑在彌勒菩薩摩訶薩身上。
再讚再記（澄觀科）：彌勒摩他的頭頂
那時候，彌勒菩薩摩了摩善財的頭頂，為他說出偈頌：
「很好啊很好啊，真正的佛子！你普遍策勵諸根而沒有懈怠疲倦；不久你當具足種種功德，就如同文殊以及我一樣。」
慶遇念恩（澄觀科）：他答的兩首偈裡，只念一個人
那時候，善財童子用偈頌回答說：
「我憶念善知識，億劫之久也難以值遇；今天得以一一親近，才走到您這位尊者的所在。
「我是因為文殊的緣故，才見到了那些難以見到的人；那位大功德的尊者，願他早早回來，讓我得以瞻仰拜見。」
Seeing the Direct Recompense · Setting Out the Form of Reverence, Paying Respect with Body and Mind (Chengguan’s Outline): Sudhana Wished with a Single Mind Only to See Him, and He Came from Somewhere Else
At that time Sudhana the youth, having praised the bodhisattvas within the great storeyed pavilion Vairocana Adornment Treasury with all these many gateways of the measureless extolling and praise of all the bodhisattvas that were spoken of above, then bent down his body and joined his palms, and with all reverence bowed to the ground, wishing with a single mind and a single intent only to see the bodhisattva Maitreya, to draw near to him and to make offerings to him; and only then did he see the bodhisattva-mahāsattva Maitreya coming from somewhere else — with measureless devas, dragons, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kiṃnaras, and mahoragas, these kings, and with Śakra, Brahmā, and the four deva kings who guard the world, and with the measureless retinue of the place where he had taken birth, and the great host of brahmins, and, besides these, numberless hundreds of thousands of sentient beings, encircling him before and behind, all coming together toward the place where the great storeyed observatory Adornment Treasury stood. Sudhana saw it, and was so glad that he leapt up, and cast his five limbs to the ground.
Praising His Virtue and Declaring His Destiny (Chengguan’s Outline): He Points Sudhana Out to the Assembly and Praises Him Before Them
At that time the bodhisattva Maitreya looked upon Sudhana, pointed him out for the great assembly to see, praised the merit and virtue of Sudhana, and spoke these verses:
The General Praise That Points Him Out to the Assembly (Chengguan’s Outline): The First Verse
“All of you, look upon this Sudhana: his mind of wisdom is pure; it is for the sake of seeking the practice of awakening that he has come here to me.
Praise Addressed Directly to Sudhana (Chengguan’s Outline), Part One: Praising His Virtue with ‘Welcome’ — Verses Two through Ten
“Welcome, perfect and complete kindness; welcome, pure compassion; welcome, eye of quiescence — in cultivation you have never been slack or weary.
“Welcome, pure intent; welcome, vast mind; welcome, faculties that do not turn back — in cultivation you have never been slack or weary.
“Welcome, practice that is unshaken; you constantly seek out good friends, penetrate all dharmas, and tame the many kinds of beings.
“Welcome, you who walk the subtle and wondrous path; welcome, you who abide in merit and virtue; welcome, you who go toward the fruit of buddhahood — you have never known weariness.
“Welcome, you who take virtue as your very body; welcome, you who are nourished by the Dharma; welcome, you whose practice has no bound — this the world can hardly see.
“Welcome, you who have left delusion behind; the dharmas of the world cannot stain you; gain, loss, blame, and praise, these dharmas of the world — you make no distinction among them at all.
“Welcome, you who give others peace and joy; you are pliant and fit to be taught and transformed; flattery and crookedness, deceit, anger, and arrogance — such states of mind are all already extinguished.
“Welcome, true son of the Buddha; you go everywhere throughout the ten directions, increasing much merit and virtue, pliant and without slackness or weariness.
“Welcome, knowledge that penetrates the three times; you know all dharmas everywhere, and everywhere bring forth the treasury of merit and virtue — cultivating without weariness or aversion.
Praise Addressed Directly to Sudhana, Part Two: Setting Forth the Causes and Conditions of His Coming — Verses Eleven and Twelve
“Mañjuśrī, Cloud of Virtue, and the rest, all these sons of the Buddha, have made you come here to me, pointing you toward that place where there is no obstruction.
“You have fully cultivated the bodhisattva practice, and have everywhere gathered in the many kinds of beings; a person as vast as this comes today here to me.
Praise Addressed Directly to Sudhana, Part Three: Setting Forth What He Has Come For — Verses Thirteen through Twenty-Three
“To seek out that pure realm of the tathāgatas, to ask about those vast vows, you have come here to me.
“The many kinds of practice and work accomplished by the buddhas of the past, the future, and the present — these you wish to study one by one, and so you have come here to me.
“Here, with a good friend, you wish to seek the subtle and wondrous Dharma, you wish to receive the bodhisattva practice, and so you have come here to me.
“You call to mind good friends — they whom the buddhas praise, they who can make you accomplish awakening — and so you have come here to me.
“You call to mind good friends: they bear me as father and mother do, they rear me as a wet-nurse does, they increase in me the limbs of awakening,
“as a physician heals many diseases, as the sky sprinkles down sweet dew, as the sun points out the right road, as the moon turns forth a pure wheel,
“as a high mountain does not shake, as the great sea neither increases nor decreases, as a ferryman carries people across — calling them to mind in this way, you have come here to me.
“You look upon good friends as upon a great and valiant general, and as upon a great caravan leader, and again as upon a great guide,
“who can raise up the banner of the right Dharma, who can display the merit and virtue of the buddhas, who can extinguish the many evil destinies, who can open the gate of the good destinies,
“who can make manifest the bodies of the buddhas, who can guard the treasuries of the buddhas, who can uphold the dharmas of the buddhas — and therefore you vow to look up to them and serve them.
“Wishing to make full and complete a pure knowledge, wishing to be fully endowed with an upright body, wishing to be born into a noble house, you have come here to me.
The Praise That Exhorts the Assembly (Chengguan’s Outline), Part One: The General Praise — Verses Twenty-Four through Twenty-Seven
“All of you, look upon this person: he draws near to good friends; all that he studies and cultivates, you should all follow and put into practice.
“Because of the causes and conditions of merit in former times, Mañjuśrī caused him to bring forth the mind; he follows along and does not go against them, and cultivates without slackness or weariness.
“Father and mother and kinsfolk, palace halls and property — all these he has left behind, humbling himself to seek good friends.
“Purifying his own intent in this way, he leaves the body of the world behind forever, and is to be born in a buddha-land, receiving many kinds of surpassing recompense.
The Praise That Exhorts the Assembly, Part Two: The Compassion That Is Knowledge Itself — Verses Twenty-Eight through Thirty-One
“Sudhana sees that sentient beings have the suffering of birth, old age, sickness, and death, and for this he brings forth the intent of great compassion, and diligently cultivates the unsurpassed path.
“Sudhana sees that sentient beings constantly turn about within the five destinies, and for this he seeks the adamantine knowledge, to break the wheel of their suffering.
“Sudhana sees that the field of the minds of sentient beings is exceedingly rank and overgrown, and in order to take away the thorns of the three poisons — greed, anger, and delusion — he seeks with a single mind that sharp plough of knowledge.
“Sentient beings dwell in the darkness of delusion, their eyes blind and their minds obscured, and they have lost the right road; Sudhana acts as their guide, pointing them toward the place of peace and safety.
The Praise That Exhorts the Assembly, Part Three: The Knowledge That Is Compassion Itself — Verses Thirty-Two through Thirty-Eight
“With patience under insult for armor, with liberation for a vehicle, with wisdom for a sharp sword — he is able, within the three kinds of existence, that of desire, that of form, and that of no form, to break the many bandits that are the afflictions.
“Sudhana is a ferryman of the Dharma, carrying across everywhere all that bear consciousness, making them cross the great sea of the knowable and swiftly reach the pure isle of jewels.
“Sudhana is the sun of right awakening: the light of his knowledge is the wheel of his great vow, moving everywhere throughout the empty space of the Dharma realm, illuminating everywhere the dwellings where the deluded multitude live.
“Sudhana is the moon of right awakening: the white and pure dharmas are all made full and round in him, and the concentration that is kindness sends out a cool light, illuminating the minds of sentient beings equally.
“Sudhana is a sea of surpassing knowledge, resting and abiding upon a straight and upright mind; the bodhisattva practice deepens by degrees, and brings forth many jewels of the Dharma.
“Sudhana is a dragon of great mind, rising into the empty space of the Dharma realm, raising up clouds and sending down a sweet and moistening rain, ripening all fruits.
“Sudhana kindles the lamp of the Dharma: faith is the wick, kindness and compassion are the oil, right mindfulness is the vessel, merit and virtue are the light — extinguishing the darkness of the three poisons, greed, anger, and delusion.
The Praise That Exhorts the Assembly, Part Four: The General Praise of His Many Virtues — Verses Thirty-Nine through Forty-Four
“The mind of awakening is the first coagulation within the womb, compassion is the caul and kindness the blood and flesh, the limbs of awakening are the limbs and joints — and what grows there is the treasury of the tathāgatas.
“He increases the treasury of merit, purifies the treasury of wisdom, opens and displays the treasury of skillful means, and brings forth the treasury of great vows.
“An adornment as great as this rescues and protects the many kinds of beings; among all devas and humans this is hard to hear of and hard to see.
“A tree of wisdom such as this has roots so deep it cannot be shaken; its many kinds of conduct grow greater by degrees, and it gives shade everywhere to the many kinds of beings.
“Wishing to bring forth every virtue, wishing to ask about every dharma, wishing to cut off every doubt — seek out good friends with a single mind.
“Wishing to break the many demons of delusion, wishing to remove the many defilements of views, wishing to loose the bonds of sentient beings — seek out good friends with a single mind.
The Praise That Exhorts the Assembly, Part Five: The Wondrous Fruit That Is to Be Accomplished — Verses Forty-Five through Forty-Nine
“He is to extinguish the many evil destinies, he is to point out the road of devas and humans, causing people to cultivate the practice of merit and virtue and swiftly to enter the city of nirvāṇa.
“He is to cross over the many difficulties of views, he is to cut through the many nets of views, he is to dry up the waters of craving and desire, he is to point out the road of the three kinds of existence.
“He is to become the refuge of the world, he is to become the light of the world, he is to become the teacher of the three realms, pointing sentient beings toward the place of liberation.
“He is also to make the world everywhere leave behind the grasping at the many kinds of perception, to awaken everywhere those asleep in the afflictions, and to bring them everywhere out of the mire of craving and desire.
“He is to penetrate the many kinds of dharmas, he is to purify the many kinds of lands; all is brought to its utmost fullness, and his mind greatly rejoices.
Praise Addressed Again to Sudhana (Chengguan’s Outline), Part One: Praise of the Virtue of His Fruit to Come — Verses Fifty through Seventy-Five
“Your conduct is exceedingly pliant, your mind is very pure; the merit and virtue you wish to cultivate is all to be made full and complete.
“Before long you will see the buddhas, penetrate all dharmas, adorn and purify many seas of lands, and accomplish great awakening.
“You are to fill up the sea of the many practices, you are to know the sea of the many dharmas, you are to liberate the sea of sentient beings — cultivating the many practices in this way.
“You are to reach the far shore of merit and virtue, you are to bring forth the many good qualities, you are to be the equal of the sons of the Buddha — and in this way your mind becomes settled.
“You are to cut off every delusion, you are to purify every deed, you are to subdue every demon, fulfilling vows such as these.
“You are to bring forth the path of subtle and wondrous knowledge, you are to open up the path of the right Dharma, and before long you are to cast away the path of delusion, of deeds, and of the many sufferings.
“The wheel that is all sentient beings sinks lost within the wheel of the many kinds of existence; you are to turn the wheel of the Dharma, and make them cut off the wheel of suffering.
“You are to uphold the lineage of the Buddha, you are to purify the lineage of the Dharma, you are able to gather up the lineage of the Saṃgha — throughout the three times, everywhere.
“You are to cut off the many nets of craving, you are to tear apart the many nets of views, you are to draw beings out of the many nets of suffering, you are to accomplish this net of vows.
“You are to liberate the realm of sentient beings, you are to purify the realm of lands, you are to gather up the realm of wisdom, you are to accomplish this realm of the mind.
“You are to make sentient beings rejoice, you are to make bodhisattvas rejoice, you are to make the buddhas rejoice — you are to accomplish rejoicing such as this.
“You are to see every destiny, you are to see every land, you are to see every dharma — you are to accomplish a buddha’s seeing such as this.
“You are to send forth the light that breaks the darkness, you are to send forth the light that stills the heat, you are to send forth the light that extinguishes evil, washing away the suffering of the three kinds of existence.
“You are to open the gate of birth among the devas, you are to open the gate of the buddha-path, you are to point out the gate of liberation, making sentient beings enter it everywhere.
“You are to point out the right road, you are to cut off the wrong roads; cultivating diligently in this way, you accomplish the road of awakening.
“You are to cultivate the sea of merit and virtue, you are to cross the sea of the three kinds of existence; and everywhere you are to make the sea of the many kinds of beings come forth from the sea of the many sufferings.
“You are, within the sea of sentient beings, to dry up the sea of the afflictions, to make them cultivate the sea of the many practices and swiftly enter the sea of great knowledge.
“You are to increase the sea of knowledge, you are to cultivate the sea of practice; the sea of the great vows of the buddhas — these you are to fulfill one by one.
“You are to enter the sea of lands, you are to contemplate the sea of the assemblies; you are, with the power of knowledge, to drink up everywhere the sea of the many dharmas.
“You are to go and behold the clouds that are the buddhas, you are to raise up the clouds of offerings, you are to listen attentively to the clouds of the wondrous Dharma, you are to raise up clouds of vows such as these.
“You are to roam everywhere the chamber of the three kinds of existence, to destroy everywhere the chamber of the many delusions, to enter everywhere the chamber of the tathāgatas — and to practice a path such as this.
“You are to enter everywhere the gate of samādhi, to roam everywhere the gate of liberation, to abide everywhere in the gate of spiritual power, moving throughout the Dharma realm.
“You are to make your body appear everywhere before sentient beings, to appear everywhere before the buddhas, just as the light of the sun and the moon does — and you are to accomplish a power such as this.
“What you practice is without disturbance, what you practice is without stain, just as a bird moves through empty space — and you are to accomplish a wondrous function such as this.
“Just as with the net of Indra upon the palace of Śakra, so too do the nets of the lands abide; you are to go and pay a visit to each one of them, unobstructed as the wind is.
“You are to enter the Dharma realm, going everywhere to the many worlds, seeing everywhere the buddhas of the three times, and in your mind great joy will arise.
Praise Addressed Again to Sudhana, Part Two: The Twofold Praise of Virtue Present and to Come — Verses Seventy-Six through Eighty-Two
“As for the many Dharma gateways — those you have already gained and those you are yet to gain — you should bring forth great joy and exultation over all of them, with neither craving nor weariness.
“You are a vessel of merit and virtue, able to follow along with the teaching of the buddhas, able to cultivate the bodhisattva practice, and so you have been able to see a thing as rare as this.
“Sons of the Buddha such as these are hard to meet with even in a hundred million kalpas — how much more so to see their merit and virtue and the many wondrous paths they cultivate!
“You are born among humankind, and you have gained great and many benefits, having been able to see Mañjuśrī and the rest, and measureless merit and virtue.
“You have already left the many evil destinies, you have already come out of the many difficult places, you have already gone beyond the many sufferings and troubles — it is good; do not be slack.
“You have already left the ground of ordinary beings, you have already come to abide upon the ground of bodhisattvas, you are to make full and complete the ground of wisdom, and swiftly to enter the ground of the tathāgatas.
“The bodhisattva practice is like the great sea, and the knowledge of a buddha is the same as empty space; your vow is just so, and you should bring forth great gladness and rejoicing.
Praise Addressed Again to Sudhana, Part Three: Praise of the Virtue of Meeting with Friends — Verses Eighty-Three through Ninety
“Your faculties are without slackness or weariness, your aspiration is constant and settled, and you draw near to good friends — before long all of this will be brought to fullness.
“The many kinds of bodhisattva conduct are all for the taming of sentient beings; you cultivate the many Dharma gateways everywhere — by no means give rise to doubt.
“You are fully endowed with merit beyond conceiving, and with true faith as well; and therefore today you have been able to see the sons of the Buddha.
“You see the sons of the Buddha, and gain vast benefit from every one of them; their great vows, each and every one, you receive in faith entirely.
“Within the three kinds of existence you are able to cultivate the bodhisattva practice; and therefore the sons of the Buddha point out to you the gate of liberation.
“One who is not a vessel for the Dharma, though he dwell together with a son of the Buddha, though measureless kalpas pass, will not come to know that realm.
“You have seen the bodhisattvas, and have been able to hear a Dharma such as this — it is very rare in the world, and you should bring forth great joy and rejoicing.
“The buddhas guard you in mind, and the bodhisattvas gather you in; you are able to follow their teaching and practice it — it is good; abide out your lifespan just so.
Praise Addressed Again to Sudhana, Part Four: Praise of the Swift Accomplishment of the Virtue of Station and Practice — Verses Ninety-One through Ninety-Five
“You have already been born into the family of the bodhisattvas, you are already fully endowed with the virtue of the bodhisattvas, you have already grown up the lineage of the tathāgatas, and you are to ascend to the station of consecration.
“Before long you will be able to be the equal of the sons of the Buddha, and, seeing sentient beings in suffering and distress, will set them all in a place of peace and safety.
“One who has sown such a seed as this will surely obtain such a fruit as this; I today congratulate and console you, and you should greatly rejoice.
“Measureless bodhisattvas, cultivating the work of the path for measureless kalpas, are still not able to accomplish a practice such as this; today you have gained the whole of it.
“By the power of faith and delight and of firm and vigorous effort, Sudhana has accomplished a practice such as this; if there be one whose mind reveres and admires this, he too should study in this way.
Praise Addressed Again to Sudhana, Part Five: Setting Forth His Many Virtues Together and Concluding in Praise So That Gladness May Arise — Verses Ninety-Six through One Hundred and Twelve
“Every practice of merit and virtue is born from vow and aspiration; Sudhana has already understood this, and therefore constantly delights in cultivating diligently.
“Just as when a dragon spreads out thick clouds a great rain is sure to fall, so when a bodhisattva brings forth the knowledge of vow, he will assuredly cultivate the many practices.
“If a good friend points out to you the practice of Samantabhadra, you should serve him well, and by no means give rise to doubt.
“Through measureless kalpas you have cast away the body in vain for the sake of desire; today you cast it away for the sake of seeking awakening, and only such a casting away is called good.
“Through measureless kalpas you have received in full the suffering of birth and death, and yet you never served the buddhas, nor did you ever hear of a practice such as this.
“Today you have gained a human body, you have met with buddhas and with good friends, and you hear and receive the practice of awakening — how could you not rejoice!
“Even should one meet a buddha arising in the world, and meet with good friends too, if his mind be not pure he still will not hear a Dharma such as this.
“Only if toward good friends one has faith and delight and holds them in reverence, leaving doubt behind and never wearying, does one get to hear a Dharma such as this.
“If someone hears this Dharma and raises up a mind of vowing, know that such a person has already gained vast benefit.
“When the mind is made pure in this way, one constantly draws near to the buddhas, and draws near to the bodhisattvas too, and assuredly accomplishes awakening.
“If one enters this Dharma gateway, one is fully endowed with the many kinds of merit and virtue, leaves the many evil destinies forever, and does not undergo any suffering.
“Before long one casts away this body and is born into a buddha-land, constantly seeing the buddhas of the ten directions and the bodhisattvas as well.
“Causes laid down in former times, together with a pure understanding today, and together with the power of serving good friends, increase the many kinds of merit and virtue, just as a lotus flower is born within water.
“Delight in serving good friends, make offerings diligently to all buddhas, listen to the Dharma with a concentrated mind, and constantly practice thus without slackness or weariness.
“You are a true vessel for the Dharma; you are to be fully endowed with every dharma, you are to cultivate every path, you are to make full and complete every vow.
“With a mind of faith and understanding you have come to pay respect to me; before long you are to enter everywhere the Dharma assemblies of all the buddhas.
“It is good indeed, true son of the Buddha! You revere all buddhas, and before long you will be fully endowed with the many practices and will reach the far shore of the merit and virtue of a buddha.
Briefly Pointing Out the Next Friend (Chengguan’s Outline): The Hundred and Thirteenth Verse
“You should go to the place of Mañjuśrī, the one of great knowledge; he will make you gain the deep and wondrous practice of Samantabhadra.”
Setting Out the Form of Reverence Again (Chengguan’s Outline): He Wept, and Flowers and Strings of Jewels Filled His Hands of Themselves
At that time the bodhisattva-mahāsattva Maitreya, before the great assembly, praised the great treasury of merit and virtue of Sudhana. When Sudhana had heard it, he was glad and exultant, the hairs of his body all stood on end, and he wept with grief and choked upon his sobs; he rose and stood, joined his palms, looked up with reverence, and circled him measureless times. Because of the power of Mañjuśrī’s mindful intent, many kinds of flowers, strings of jewels, and many kinds of subtle and wondrous treasures, without his being aware of it, all at once filled his hands of themselves; and Sudhana, rejoicing, offered these up and scattered them over the bodhisattva-mahāsattva Maitreya.
Praising Again and Declaring His Destiny Again (Chengguan’s Outline): Maitreya Strokes the Crown of His Head
At that time the bodhisattva Maitreya stroked the crown of Sudhana’s head, and spoke a verse for him:
“It is good indeed, it is good indeed, true son of the Buddha! You urge on all your faculties everywhere without slackness or weariness; before long you will be fully endowed with the many kinds of merit and virtue, just as Mañjuśrī is, and as I am.”
Rejoicing at the Meeting and Calling to Mind His Kindness (Chengguan’s Outline): In the Two Verses He Answers With, He Calls Only One Person to Mind
At that time Sudhana the youth answered with verses, saying:
“I call good friends to mind — even in a hundred million kalpas they are hard to meet with; today I have been able to draw near to them one by one, and so I have come to the place of you, the venerable one.
“It is because of Mañjuśrī that I have seen those who are hard to see; that venerable one of great merit and virtue — may he return soon, that I may look up to him and behold him.”
善財走了五十趟，遇見第一位不先開口問他的人
善財從德雲比丘起，一路南行，到彌勒這裡是第五十一位。前面五十位的規矩大體一樣：善財到了，禮敬、陳白、發問，善友答法。到彌勒這裡，規矩變了——善財「一心願見彌勒菩薩親近供養」，而彌勒不在樓閣裡等他，是「從別處來」，帶著天龍八部、釋梵護世、本生處的眷屬與婆羅門眾，前後圍繞而來。善財一見，「歡喜踊躍，五體投地」。然後彌勒開口了，卻不是對善財開口。
要排一個誤解：這不是彌勒架子大、不理人。澄觀就「從別處來」一句立了三義，說「言別處來者，攝化就機故，還來歸本故」，又補一句「亦顯慈氏應念而至不著處故」——他不在一處等人，是因為他不住在任何一處；他來，是因為有人念他。
落到地上：這一節從頭到尾，善財沒有發過一問，直到末後才以兩首偈作答；他所做的只有投地與哭。要學的東西不一定從問答裡來。
為什麼是「指示大眾」，不是對善財說
經文說得很清楚：彌勒「觀察善財，指示大眾，歎其功德」。當著一大群人的面誇一個人，這在世間是很尷尬的事。澄觀在這裡下了一句話，把整篇長頌的用意定了下來——他釋「指示」二字說「指示者，令眾同覩，倣而行故」。
也就是說，這篇長頌開口先對大眾：既讓大眾見善財而效學，也直對善財讚德慰勉——澄觀於中間諸偈判「初二十二偈直對善財歎」，於末判「總明諸德結歎令欣」。所以開篇第一句就是「汝等觀善財」，第二十四偈又再來一次「汝等觀此人」——澄觀判前者為「初一指眾總歎」，後者為對眾令勸讚一段之起。
排一個誤解：以為這是彌勒在給善財發獎狀。若是發獎狀，何必當眾、何必說到一百多首。落到地上：一個修行人被人當眾稱說，若聽成了獎狀，這一段就白讀了；若聽成了『原來這條路是這樣走的』，那你就站在大眾那一邊，而大眾正是彌勒說話的對象。
九個「善來」：迎的到底是什麼
第二偈起，連續九首都以「善來」開頭，澄觀判為「初九讚德善來」。「善來」是迎客之語，而彌勒所迎的一樣也不是人的身分。他迎的是：圓滿慈、清淨悲、寂滅眼；清淨意、廣大心、不退根；不動行；行妙道、住功德、趣佛果；德為體、法所滋、無邊行；離迷惑；施安樂；真佛子；三世智。
這裡有一個次第。前三首迎的是心地——慈悲眼、意心根，都在內；第四首起轉到行——不動行、常求善知識；第五、六首說行之所向與所依——趣佛果、以德為體、被法所滋；第七首說行之不染——「世法不能染，利衰毀譽等，一切無分別」；第八首說行之對治——諂誑瞋慢一切除滅；末二首說行之遍與久——普詣十方、遍知一切法而「修行不疲厭」。
排一個誤解：以為「善來」是客套。九首之中「修行無懈倦」「未曾有疲倦」「不疲厭」反覆出現三型，所迎的正是這個「不倦」。落到地上：人常問自己修得對不對，這九首給的是另一把尺——問你倦了沒有。
你來得了，是因為外有善友、內有德行
第十一、十二兩偈，澄觀判為「次二明來因緣」，並釋其所以是「以外由善友、內具德行故」。經文兩偈正是這樣分的：前一首說外緣——「文殊德雲等，一切諸佛子，令汝至我所，示汝無礙處」；後一首說內因——「具修菩薩行，普攝諸群生」，所以「如是廣大人，今來至我所」。
這兩首擺在這裡有一件要緊的事：它把善財之所以能站在這裡，一半歸給了別人。文殊是發起之友，德雲是第一位，中間四十九位一個也沒有白遇——彌勒用一個「等」字全收了。
排一個誤解：以為修行到後來就用不著人了。到第五十一位、快到頭的時候，彌勒說的仍是「令汝至我所」，主語是那些人。落到地上：走得遠的人，回頭數得出名字；數不出名字的遠，多半是走岔了。
你來做什麼：十一首「來所為」，與善知識的九喻三職
第十三至二十三偈，澄觀判為「後十一偈明來所為」。十一首之中，「而來至我所」一句六見。前四見連下：為求如來清淨境界與廣大願、為修三世佛所成行業、為求微妙法與受菩薩行、為念善知識；其後第十九偈九喻之末一見，第二十三偈之末又一見。
而其中最長的一氣，是第十七至十九偈的九個比喻。彌勒代善財說出他心裡的善知識是什麼：「生我如父母，養我如乳母」——這是生與養；「如醫療眾疾，如天灑甘露」——這是治與潤；「如日示正道，如月轉淨輪」——這是照與轉；「如山不動搖，如海無增減」——這是不動與不變；「如船師濟渡」——這是送過去。九喻自生養而至度脫，一路推到彼岸。
第二十至二十二偈換了一組：「猶如大猛將，亦如大商主，又如大導師」——猛將能破敵、商主能致寶、導師能引路，接著七句「能」字排比：建正法幢、示佛功德、滅諸惡道、開善趣門、顯諸佛身、守諸佛藏、持諸佛法，末句收在「是故願瞻奉」。第二十三偈則說所求之報：清淨智、端正身、尊貴家。
排一個誤解：以為「欲生尊貴家」是求人天福報。它與「欲滿清淨智」同在一偈，是成就法器所須之依身，不是所求之果。落到地上：這十一首是一份自問清單——你到一位善知識那裡去，是為了什麼而去的。
對眾令勸讚之一：他捨了什麼，你們照著做
第二十四偈起，稱呼又轉回大眾——「汝等觀此人，親近善知識，隨其所修學，一切應順行」。澄觀判此下二十六偈為對眾令勸讚，段內先四首總讚。
這四首說了三件事。一是所由：「以昔福因緣，文殊令發心」——往昔的福加上當機的一位人。二是所行：「隨順無違逆」——彌勒在善財身上單挑出來的第一個德，是不違逆。三是所捨：「父母與親屬，宮殿及財產，一切皆捨離，謙下求知識」；捨之後所得，是「淨治如是意，永離世間身，當生佛國土」。
排一個誤解：以為這四首在勸人出家棄產。經文的次序是先「淨治如是意」而後「永離世間身」——所捨的是意中之著，形上之捨是它的結果，不是它的替代品。落到地上：這一段是給旁觀者的，話說得最實在——你們看的不是他多會問法，是他捨得下、不違逆。
即智之悲：三首「善財見眾生」與一首「眾生處癡暗」
第二十八至三十一偈，澄觀判為「次四讚其即智之悲」。前三首句式全同，皆以「善財見眾生」起：見眾生生老病死苦，所以發大悲意；見眾生五趣常流轉，所以求金剛智；見眾生心田甚荒穢，所以求利智犁。第四首不從善財之見說起，先寫眾生之境——「眾生處癡暗，盲冥失正道」——然後說「善財為導師，示其安隱處」。
要緊的是這四首的因果方向：不是先有悲心再去看，是先看見了才起悲。而所起的又不是單純的憐憫——第二首求的是「金剛智」，第三首求的是「利智犁」，都是智。澄觀把這四首標作「即智之悲」，正是這個意思：這種悲裡面裝的是智，所以它不停在感慨上，它去要工具。
排一個誤解：以為悲心是一種情緒。若是情緒，見苦只會難過；經文四首，前三首見苦、第四首直陳眾生之暗，而四首所接的都是一個動詞——發、求、求、為。落到地上：檢驗自己的悲，看它有沒有變成一件具體要學的事。
即悲之智：從忍鎧到法燈，七首都是工具
第三十二至三十八偈是「次七歎即悲之智」。七首之中六首以善財自身為喻體：忍辱作鎧、解脫作乘、智慧作劍，於三有內破煩惱賊；作法船師，令眾生「令過爾焰海，疾至淨寶洲」；作正覺日，以智光為大願之輪普照群迷；作正覺月，以慈定之清涼光等照眾生心；作勝智海，依直心而住；作大心龍，昇法界空而興雲降澤；作法燈，「信炷慈悲油，念器功德光」，滅三毒暗。
其中「爾焰」一詞須先解。澄觀釋此云「爾焰者此云所知」，並引論說爾焰地是第十地，是約盡斷十種所知障而言。所以「過爾焰海」不是渡過知識，是渡過所知之障。
排一個誤解：以為這七首是在鋪陳文采。看那盞燈——信是炷、慈悲是油、念是器、功德是光；四樣缺一樣，燈就不亮。這是把一件事拆到可以檢查。落到地上：這七首每一首都可以當作一次自檢——初首並舉忍鎧、解脫乘與智慧劍，其下依次是船、日、月、海、龍、燈，你身上現在有哪一件。
總歎諸德：一顆心是怎麼長大的
第三十九至四十四偈是「次六偈總歎諸德」。前兩首是全篇最奇的一組比喻。第一首把菩提心比作入胎：「覺心迦羅邏，悲胞慈為肉，菩提分肢節」——迦羅邏是受生之初凝滑之位，悲是包著它的胞衣，慈是長出來的血肉，菩提分是四肢關節，而所長成的是「如來藏」。第二首接著說長成之後所具：福德藏、智慧藏、方便藏、大願藏，四藏而動詞各異——增長、清淨、開顯、出生。
後四首轉為外顯：如是大莊嚴能救護群生而天人中難聞難見；如是智慧樹根深不可動而普蔭群生；末二首收回到因——欲生一切德、欲問一切法、欲斷一切疑，欲破惑魔、除見垢、解眾生縛，兩首的結句都是同一句「專求善知識」。
排一個誤解：以為胎藏之喻只是修辭。它回答的是一個很難回答的問題——菩提心發了之後在哪裡。答案是：它在長，而且長法與胎兒一樣，先有位、後有形、再有肢節。落到地上：發心之後看不見進展是常事；胎裡的東西本來就看不見。
妙果當成：語氣轉成一個「當」字
第四十五至四十九偈，澄觀判為「後五偈讚妙果當成」。「當」字並非到這裡才出現——第二十七偈已有「當生佛國土」一句；但自這五首起，「當」才成了通篇的骨，五首之中連下十二次。當滅諸惡道、當示人天路；當度諸見難、當截諸見網、當枯愛欲水、當示三有道；當為世依怙、當作世光明、當成三界師；當令世間普離想著、普覺煩惱睡、普出愛欲泥；當了種種法、當淨種種剎。
「當」是未來，而且是決定的未來——不是『或許會』，是『將要是』。彌勒在這裡做的事，古德稱為記別：不是預言吉凶，是就一個人現前的因說出他必至之果。前面四十四首說的是善財已有的，這五首起說的是善財將成的。
排一個誤解：以為授記是給特殊的人的特殊待遇。這一段的聽眾是大眾，而彌勒緊接著就說「若有敬慕心，亦當如是學」。落到地上：一個「當」字之所以敢說，是因為前面那些「已」字是真的。
重對善財讚之一：二十六首「當」，把當來之果鋪成一張圖
第五十偈起，稱呼第三次轉——回到善財本人。澄觀判此下六十三偈為重對善財讚，其中「初二十六偈歎其當果德」，並說「初二總、餘皆別」。總的二首是「汝行極調柔，汝心甚清淨」與「不久見諸佛，了達一切法」；其下二十四首全是別。
這二十四首多用排比：有的一偈之中同一個字連下四次，有的只疊三次。行海、法海、眾生海；功德岸、諸善品、佛子等；一切惑、一切業、一切魔；妙智道、正法道、諸苦道；然後是輪——「一切眾生輪，沈迷諸有輪；汝當轉法輪，令其斷苦輪」。其下十五首一首一字，逐首各有所指：
種——「汝當持佛種」，佛種是所持、法種是所淨、僧種是所集，三寶在此成了三件要做的事。
網——「當斷眾愛網」，愛網、見網、苦網三者是所破，而末句「當成此願網」把網翻過來作所成之物。
界——「當度眾生界」，眾生界是所度、國土界是所淨、智慧界是所集，末句收在「當成此心界」。
喜——「當令眾生喜」，所令喜者眾生、菩薩、諸佛三重，而後「當成此歡喜」。
見——「當見一切趣」，趣、剎、法三處皆是所見，所成者是「此佛見」。
光——「當放破暗光」，破暗、息熱、滅惡三光各對一病，所滌者是「三有苦」。
門——「當開天趣門」，天趣門、佛道門、解脫門次第而開，末句「普使眾生入」點出開門是為人開。
道——「當示於正道」，一示一絕：示正道、絕邪道，而後「成就菩提道」。
海之一——「當修功德海」，功德海是所修、三有海是所度，而所濟者是「普使群生海，出於眾苦海」。
海之二——「消竭煩惱海」，於眾生海中竭其煩惱海，「令修諸行海」而「疾入大智海」。
海之三——「汝當增智海」，智海與行海並增，所滿足者是「諸佛大願海」。
海之四——「汝當入剎海」，入剎海、觀眾海之後，是「普飲諸法海」。
雲——「當覲諸佛雲」，覲佛、起供、聽法三事，皆歸於「當興此願雲」。
室——「普遊三有室」，三有室是所遊、眾惑室是所壞、如來室是所入。
門之再出——「普入三昧門」，三昧、解脫、神通三門並入，而所至是「周行於法界」。
末四首之中三首取喻收束：日月光、鳥行虛空、因陀羅網；第四首則不取喻而直說「汝當入法界，遍往諸世界，普見三世佛，心生大歡喜」。
排一個誤解：以為這是同義反覆。細看那個「輪」字四見而義各不同——眾生自身是輪、諸有是輪、法是輪、苦是輪；同一個字被放在四個位置上，正是要顯這四者本是一事之轉。落到地上：華嚴的重疊句法不是修辭上的鋪張，是要人在一個字上停久一點。
雙歎當現德：已得的與當得的，同時算
第七十六至八十二偈，澄觀判為「二「汝於」下七偈雙歎當現德」——所謂雙，是現在與當來一併說。第一首就把兩頭放在一句裡：「汝於諸法門，已得及當得」，而所應生的是大喜躍，且「無貪亦無厭」。以下六首：你是功德器，能隨佛教、能修菩薩行，所以得見此奇特；如是佛子億劫難遇，何況見其功德所修妙道；你生於人中大獲善利，得見文殊等無量功德；已離惡道、已出難處、已超苦患；已離凡夫地、已住菩薩地，當滿智慧地、速入如來地；菩薩行如海、佛智同虛空，你的願也一樣。
第八十一首最值得停：前兩句說已然，後兩句說當來——已離凡夫地、已住菩薩地是現，當滿智慧地、速入如來地是當。一首偈就是一張完整的地圖。
排一個誤解：以為「無貪亦無厭」是勸人淡然。它是接在「應生大喜躍」之後的——喜是要喜的，只是喜之中不加貪、不轉厭。落到地上：法上的歡喜若帶著想多要一點的心，那個喜就開始變質了。
讚遇友德：法器與非法器，差在哪裡
第八十三至九十偈是「三「諸根」下八偈讚其遇友德」。八首說的是同一件事的兩面。正面：諸根不懈倦、志願恆決定，所以親近善知識而「不久悉成滿」；具難思福及真實信，所以今日得見諸佛子；於三有中能修菩薩行，所以諸佛子肯示你解脫門；諸佛護念你、菩薩攝受你。
反面只有一首，卻是全篇最冷的一句：「非是法器人，與佛子同住，設經無量劫，莫知其境界。」同住而不知——這句話把「遇見」和「得到」徹底分開了。彌勒又交代了一句：「菩薩種種行，皆為調眾生，普行諸法門，慎勿生疑惑」——不疑，是器與非器之間那道最要緊的界。
排一個誤解：以為遇不遇是運氣。經文說得明白，非器之人即使同住無量劫也無所知；所以問題不在遇不遇，在是不是器。落到地上：能不能從一個人身上學到東西，多半不取決於那個人。
歎速成位行德：灌頂位，與那顆種子
第九十一至九十五偈是「四有五偈歎速成位行德」。第一首把位說到頂：「已生菩薩家，已具菩薩德，已長如來種，當昇灌頂位」——灌頂是王子紹位之禮，用在此處是說菩薩位之極。第二首說用：與佛子等，見苦惱眾生悉置安隱處。
第三首是全篇最平實的一句道理：「如下如是種，必獲如是果」——種什麼得什麼，所以「我今慶慰汝」。第四首拿它與人比：無量菩薩無量劫行道尚未能成此行，而今你都得到了。第五首說明何以如此——「信樂堅進力，善財成此行」，並立刻把話遞給聽眾：「若有敬慕心，亦當如是學」。
排一個誤解：以為第四首在說善財超過了那些菩薩。緊接著的第五首就給了理由——信樂與堅進，都是可學的東西，所以彌勒才敢說「亦當如是學」。落到地上：這一段從最高的位（灌頂）落回最低的因（信與進），中間只隔了一顆種子。
總明諸德結歎令欣：從願欲生的那一切
第九十六至一百一十二偈是「五有十七偈總明諸德結歎令欣」，是全頌最長的一段。開頭一句立宗：「一切功德行，皆從願欲生」，隨後以龍布密雲必霔大雨為喻——雲起則雨決定，願智起則行決定。
其下轉入一組很重的對照。你在無量劫裡為了欲望虛妄捨過身，今日為菩提而捨才叫作善；你在無量劫裡受盡生死苦，卻不曾事佛、未聞此行；今日得人身、值佛與善知識，「云何不歡喜」。再往下三首層層加一道篩：雖遇佛出世、亦值善知識，若心不清淨仍不聞此法；若於善知識信樂尊重、離疑不疲厭，才聞得到；若聞而興誓願心，已獲廣大利。
末後幾首說果與行並進：心清淨則常近諸佛菩薩而決定成菩提；入此法門則具諸功德、永離惡趣；不久捨身往生佛國常見十方佛。而所以能如此，是「往因今淨解，及事善友力」三事合成，其增長「如水生蓮華」。最後回到當下要做的四件事：樂事善知識、勤供一切佛、專心聽聞法、常行勿懈倦。
排一個誤解：以為「云何不歡喜」是修辭上的反問。它前面兩首列的是無量劫的白費，這一問是拿那個對比逼出來的。落到地上：這十七首是把一生的難得寫成一道一道的篩子——遇佛、遇友、心淨、離疑、興願，缺一道都到不了下一道。
末後一偈：他把人送回文殊那裡
一百一十三首偈的最後一首，彌勒不把善財留下：「汝當往大智，文殊師利所；彼當令汝得，普賢深妙行。」澄觀判此為「末後一偈略示後友」。
這一偈的位置很重。彌勒是攝德成因相所寄之人，澄觀立其名曰「明攝德成因相」——攝前諸位之德以成當果之因。而攝德之人不留學人，他把人送回發起之友那裡去，再由文殊而入普賢之行。善財之後的答頌也只念一個人：「我以文殊故，見諸難見者」。
排一個誤解：以為這是禮讓。發起之友與末後之友是同一人，這是本會結構上的一個圓——從文殊出發，見遍五十餘友，再回到文殊，然後入普賢。落到地上：一條路若真走通了，會回到起點；回不去的，多半還在半路。
善財哭了，而華自己盈滿在他手裡
長頌之後，經文寫善財的反應：「歡喜踊躍，身毛皆豎，悲泣哽噎」。歡喜與悲泣同時發生。本節寫善財的內裡共兩處：初見彌勒時是「歡喜踊躍，五體投地」，聞讚之後則是「歡喜踊躍，身毛皆豎，悲泣哽噎」——同是歡喜踊躍，這一次多了身毛皆豎與悲泣。澄觀科此為重申敬儀，分三：初辨敬因，是聞讚德故；次身心悲敬；後華供展誠。
供養的一段更奇：善財身上沒有帶供具，而「以文殊師利心念力故，眾華、瓔珞、種種妙寶不覺忽然自盈其手」。澄觀就此逐物出表，說文殊心念力是「表由信智故」，又說「華因德立，瓔珞行成」，而「云盈手者，信智滿故」，末說「散彌勒者，攝成因故，辦當果故」。
排一個誤解：以為「不覺忽然自盈其手」是神通表演。澄觀的解讀方向正相反——供具之所以自具，是因為信智已滿；華是德、瓔珞是行，本來就是他自己修出來的東西。落到地上：到了一個地步，供養不必另外準備，因為手裡拿的就是自己這些年做成的。
摩頂與答頌：兩首偈裡只念一個人
彌勒摩善財的頂，說了一首偈：「善哉善哉真佛子！普策諸根無懈倦，不久當具諸功德，猶如文殊及與我。」一百一十三首說完之後，親口的那一首只有四句，而末句把善財放在文殊與自己這一列裡。
善財答了兩首。第一首說遇：善知識億劫難值遇，今得咸親近，而來詣尊所。第二首說念：「我以文殊故，見諸難見者；彼大功德尊，願速還瞻覲」——他站在第五十一位善知識面前，所發的願卻是希望早日再見文殊。澄觀科此為慶遇念恩。
排一個誤解：以為善財在此處分心。經文之意正是念恩——所以澄觀科名用「念恩」二字。落到地上：走到最遠的地方仍記得是誰讓你出發的，這叫作念恩；本節把它放在最後一句，是給整條路作結。
承衍
本節之文，向上所承與向後所開有三條線。
其一是寄位之線。彌勒寄「攝德成因相」，此名非經文自標，是古德之科。孔目章立「攝德成因相知識」，澄觀承之而立末會五相之第三，探玄記與搜玄記亦各出其語——四家異名而同指一事。而配位一事，澄觀自有持平之語，他說「二皆有理，謂隨一一位具多法門，豈容凡心不得習求善友之法，故不配有理。然無次位中不礙次位，顯位是常規，配亦無失。橫竪無礙，且依古德配為五相」。既取古德之配，又不以配為定，二意並存。
其二是科判之線。本節之科，澄觀就八十本逐文而立見敬諮問一科，於見正報下開設敬儀五事，復判長頌為「有百一十三頌」而分「初一指眾總歎」「末後一偈略示後友」「中間諸偈別歎勝德」三分，中間又析為三段五段——其數與底本逐偈實計悉合。法藏與智儼所科之經為六十本，故其牒句於八十本多無所對：法藏判見正報為欲見、遙見、歎德三分，別以授己法界總攝說頌以下；智儼判見正報相為五，別以辨入法界開為四。李通玄以十段科判之第五段標目本節起句，段下未展隨文之釋。四家分數與所依之骨互異，誌錄不判。
其三是異譯之線。此讚頌八十本一百一十三偈，六十本六十八偈，四十本則與八十本近乎逐字同構，所核抽文中見二偈為八十本所無；中段未逐字實計，未能窮舉。六十本首偈不作呼眾之語而直舉其名，故澄觀「初一指眾總歎」之科於六十本無所繫；八十本所有的彌勒摩頂與善財答頌一小段，六十本亦未見逐字對應之文。三本並存，據實錄之。
一位老師見了學生，先把他誇了一百一十三首，然後把他送回起點——這一節的次第，全在那個『送』字上。
Sudhana Has Made Fifty Journeys, and Meets the First Person Who Does Not Question Him First
From the monk Cloud of Virtue onward Sudhana journeyed southward the whole way, and Maitreya is the fifty-first. With the fifty before him the pattern was much the same: Sudhana arrives, pays respect, states his case, asks his question, and the good friend answers with Dharma. With Maitreya the pattern changes — Sudhana “wished with a single mind to see the bodhisattva Maitreya, to draw near to him and to make offerings to him,” and Maitreya is not waiting for him inside the pavilion but comes “from somewhere else,” bringing with him the devas, dragons, and the rest of the eight kinds of beings, Śakra and Brahmā and the guardians of the world, the retinue of the place where he had taken birth and the host of brahmins, encircling him before and behind. As soon as Sudhana saw him, he “was glad and exultant, and cast his five limbs to the ground.” And then Maitreya opened his mouth — but not to Sudhana.
A misreading must be set aside: this is not Maitreya standing on his dignity and ignoring the boy. Chengguan sets up three meanings upon the one clause “from somewhere else,” saying that “as for coming from somewhere else, it is because he transforms beings by going to meet what suits them, and because he returns to his own root,” and then adds one further clause: “and it also shows that Maitreya arrives with the thought that calls him, having no place he clings to.” He does not wait for people in one place because he does not dwell in any place; and he comes because someone has called him to mind.
Brought down to the ground: from beginning to end of this section Sudhana asks not one question, and only at the very last does he answer with two verses; all he does is cast himself to the ground and weep. What is to be learned does not necessarily come by way of question and answer.
Why It Is “Pointing Him Out to the Assembly” and Not Speaking to Sudhana
The scripture text says it plainly: Maitreya “looked upon Sudhana, pointed him out for the great assembly to see, and praised his merit and virtue.” To praise one person to the face of a large crowd is, in the world, a very awkward thing. Here Chengguan sets down one sentence that settles the intent of the whole long poem — glossing the two graphs “pointing out,” he says: “as for pointing him out, it is so that the assembly may see him together and, imitating him, may practice.”
That is to say: this long poem opens by addressing the assembly, and the praise both invites the assembly to see Sudhana and follow his example, and addresses him directly to encourage and gladden him — Chengguan judges the middle verses to open with “the first twenty-two verses, praise addressed directly to Sudhana,” and the close to be “summing up his many virtues and concluding the praise so as to gladden him.” And so the opening clause is “All of you, look upon this Sudhana,” and at the twenty-fourth verse it comes round again with “All of you, look upon this person” — Chengguan judges the former to be “the first verse, the general praise that points him out to the assembly,” and the latter to be the opening of the passage of praise that exhorts the assembly.
A misreading to be set aside: taking this to be Maitreya handing Sudhana a certificate of merit. If it were a certificate, why do it before everyone, and why go on for more than a hundred verses? Brought down to the ground: when a practitioner is spoken well of before others, if he hears it as a certificate this passage has been read for nothing; if he hears it as ‘so this is how the road is walked,’ then he stands on the side of the assembly — and the assembly is exactly whom Maitreya is speaking to.
The Nine ‘Welcomes’: What Is It That Is Being Welcomed
From the second verse, nine verses in a row open with “welcome,” and Chengguan judges them to be “the first nine, praising his virtue with ‘welcome.’” “Welcome” is a word for greeting a guest, and yet not one of the things Maitreya greets is a person’s standing. What he greets is: perfect and complete kindness, pure compassion, the eye of quiescence; pure intent, a vast mind, faculties that do not turn back; practice that is unshaken; walking the wondrous path, abiding in merit and virtue, going toward the fruit of buddhahood; taking virtue as one’s body, being nourished by the Dharma, practice without bound; leaving delusion behind; giving peace and joy; a true son of the Buddha; the knowledge that penetrates the three times.
There is an order here. The first three verses greet the ground of the mind — the eye of kindness and compassion, the intent and the mind and the faculties, all of them inward; from the fourth verse it turns to practice — unshaken practice, the constant seeking of good friends; the fifth and sixth speak of what practice moves toward and what it rests upon — going toward the fruit of buddhahood, taking virtue as one’s body, being nourished by the Dharma; the seventh speaks of practice unstained — “the dharmas of the world cannot stain you; gain, loss, blame, and praise — you make no distinction among them at all”; the eighth speaks of what practice counters — flattery, deceit, anger, and arrogance, all extinguished; and the last two speak of practice as everywhere and as long-enduring — going everywhere throughout the ten directions, knowing all dharmas everywhere, and “cultivating without weariness or aversion.”
A misreading to be set aside: taking “welcome” for a courtesy. Within the nine verses three forms of one thing recur — “cultivating without slackness or weariness,” “never having known weariness,” “without weariness or aversion” — and it is exactly this untiring quality that is being welcomed. Brought down to the ground: people constantly ask themselves whether they are cultivating rightly; these nine verses hand them another measure — ask yourself whether you have grown tired.
You Were Able to Come Because Outwardly There Were Good Friends and Inwardly There Was Virtue
The eleventh and twelfth verses Chengguan judges to be “next, two verses setting forth the causes and conditions of his coming,” glossing the reason for it as “because outwardly it is by good friends, and inwardly he is endowed with virtue and practice.” The two verses of the scripture text are divided exactly so: the former speaks of the outward condition — “Mañjuśrī, Cloud of Virtue, and the rest, all these sons of the Buddha, have made you come here to me, pointing you toward that place where there is no obstruction”; the latter speaks of the inward cause — “you have fully cultivated the bodhisattva practice, and have everywhere gathered in the many kinds of beings,” and therefore “a person as vast as this comes today here to me.”
There is one thing of importance in the placing of these two verses here: they assign half of Sudhana’s ability to be standing where he stands to other people. Mañjuśrī is the friend who set him out, Cloud of Virtue is the first, and of the forty-nine in between not one was met in vain — Maitreya gathers them all up in the single graph “and the rest.”
A misreading to be set aside: supposing that far along in cultivation one has no more use for people. At the fifty-first friend, near the very end, what Maitreya still says is “have made you come here to me,” and the subject of that sentence is those people. Brought down to the ground: one who has walked far can look back and name the names; a distance with no names to it has most likely gone astray.
What You Came For: Eleven Verses on “What He Has Come For,” with the Nine Similes and Three Offices of a Good Friend
The thirteenth through twenty-third verses Chengguan judges to be “the last eleven verses, setting forth what he has come for.” Within these eleven, the clause “and so you have come here to me” occurs six times. The first four come one upon another: to seek the pure realm of the tathāgatas and their vast vows; to cultivate the practices and works accomplished by the buddhas of the three times; to seek the wondrous Dharma and to receive the bodhisattva practice; to call good friends to mind. Then it occurs once at the close of the nine similes in the nineteenth verse, and once again at the close of the twenty-third.
And the longest single breath among them is the nine similes of the seventeenth through nineteenth verses. Maitreya speaks in Sudhana’s stead what a good friend is in his heart: “they bear me as father and mother do, they rear me as a wet-nurse does” — this is bearing and rearing; “as a physician heals many diseases, as the sky sprinkles down sweet dew” — this is healing and moistening; “as the sun points out the right road, as the moon turns forth a pure wheel” — this is illuminating and turning; “as a high mountain does not shake, as the great sea neither increases nor decreases” — this is not moving and not changing; “as a ferryman carries people across” — this is sending one over. The nine similes run from bearing and rearing all the way to liberation, driving the whole way through to the far shore.
The twentieth through twenty-second verses change to another set: “as upon a great and valiant general, and as upon a great caravan leader, and again as upon a great guide” — a valiant general can break the enemy, a caravan leader can procure the treasure, a guide can lead the road; and there follow seven clauses in parallel, each opening with “can”: raise up the banner of the right Dharma, display the merit and virtue of the buddhas, extinguish the many evil destinies, open the gate of the good destinies, make manifest the bodies of the buddhas, guard the treasuries of the buddhas, uphold the dharmas of the buddhas — the last clause gathering it in with “and therefore you vow to look up to them and serve them.” The twenty-third verse then speaks of the recompense sought: pure knowledge, an upright body, a noble house.
A misreading to be set aside: taking “wishing to be born into a noble house” for the seeking of the merit-reward of devas and humans. It stands in the same verse as “wishing to make full and complete a pure knowledge,” and it is the body one must depend upon in order to be a vessel for the Dharma — not a fruit that is being sought for itself. Brought down to the ground: these eleven verses are a list to put to oneself — what have you gone to a good friend for?
The Praise That Exhorts the Assembly, One: What He Has Cast Away, and You Are to Do Likewise
From the twenty-fourth verse the address turns back to the assembly again — “All of you, look upon this person: he draws near to good friends; all that he studies and cultivates, you should all follow and put into practice.” Chengguan judges the twenty-six verses from here on to be the praise that exhorts the assembly, and within the passage the first four are a general praise.
These four verses say three things. First, what it came from: “because of the causes and conditions of merit in former times, Mañjuśrī caused him to bring forth the mind” — merit laid down in the past, together with the one person who met him at the right moment. Second, what he does: “he follows along and does not go against them” — the first virtue Maitreya singles out in Sudhana is that he does not go against them. Third, what he casts away: “father and mother and kinsfolk, palace halls and property — all these he has left behind, humbling himself to seek good friends”; and what is gained after the casting away is “purifying his own intent in this way, he leaves the body of the world behind forever, and is to be born in a buddha-land.”
A misreading to be set aside: taking these four verses to be urging people to leave home and abandon their property. The order of the scripture text is “purifying his own intent in this way” first and “he leaves the body of the world behind forever” after — what is cast away is the clinging within the intent, and the outward casting away is its result, not its substitute. Brought down to the ground: this passage is addressed to the onlookers, and its words are the plainest of all — what you are looking at is not how well he asks about the Dharma, but that he can let go and does not go against them.
The Compassion That Is Knowledge Itself: Three Verses of “Sudhana Sees Sentient Beings” and One of “Sentient Beings Dwell in Darkness”
The twenty-eighth through thirty-first verses Chengguan judges to be “next, four verses praising the compassion that is knowledge itself.” The first three are identical in construction, each opening with “Sudhana sees that sentient beings”: he sees that sentient beings have the suffering of birth, old age, sickness, and death, and therefore brings forth the intent of great compassion; he sees that sentient beings constantly turn about within the five destinies, and therefore seeks the adamantine knowledge; he sees that the field of the minds of sentient beings is exceedingly rank and overgrown, and therefore seeks the sharp plough of knowledge. The fourth does not begin from Sudhana’s seeing but first writes the condition sentient beings are in — “sentient beings dwell in the darkness of delusion, their eyes blind and their minds obscured, and they have lost the right road” — and then says, “Sudhana acts as their guide, pointing them toward the place of peace and safety.”
What matters is the direction of cause and effect in these four verses: it is not that compassion is there first and then one goes to look, but that one has seen and then compassion arises. And what arises is not mere pity either — what the second verse seeks is the adamantine knowledge, and what the third seeks is the sharp plough of knowledge, and both are knowledge. Chengguan labels these four verses the compassion that is knowledge itself, and this is exactly the point: such compassion has knowledge packed inside it, and so it does not come to rest in lamenting; it goes and gets tools.
A misreading to be set aside: taking compassion for a kind of emotion. If it were emotion, seeing suffering would only make one sorry; but in the four verses of the scripture text three see suffering and the fourth states outright the darkness of sentient beings, and what all four run on to is a verb — brings forth, seeks, seeks, acts as. Brought down to the ground: test your own compassion by whether it has turned into some definite thing you must go and learn.
The Knowledge That Is Compassion Itself: From the Armor of Patience to the Lamp of the Dharma, Seven Verses of Tools
The thirty-second through thirty-eighth verses are “next, seven verses praising the knowledge that is compassion itself.” Six of the seven take Sudhana himself as the thing likened: patience under insult for armor, liberation for a vehicle, wisdom for a sword, breaking within the three kinds of existence the bandits that are the afflictions; he acts as a ferryman of the Dharma, making sentient beings “cross the great sea of the knowable and swiftly reach the pure isle of jewels”; he acts as the sun of right awakening, taking the light of knowledge as the wheel of his great vow to shine everywhere upon the deluded multitude; he acts as the moon of right awakening, illuminating equally the minds of sentient beings with the cool light of the concentration that is kindness; he acts as a sea of surpassing knowledge, abiding in reliance upon a straight and upright mind; he acts as a dragon of great mind, rising into the empty space of the Dharma realm to raise clouds and send down moisture; he acts as the lamp of the Dharma — “faith is the wick, kindness and compassion are the oil, right mindfulness is the vessel, merit and virtue are the light” — extinguishing the darkness of the three poisons.
One term here must be glossed first. Chengguan glosses it thus: “as for eryan, it means here the knowable,” and cites a treatise saying that the ground of eryan is the tenth ground, spoken of with reference to the exhausting and cutting off of the ten kinds of obstruction to the knowable. So “crossing the sea of the knowable” is not crossing over knowledge; it is crossing over the obstruction that is the knowable.
A misreading to be set aside: taking these seven verses for a display of literary ornament. Look at that lamp — faith is the wick, kindness and compassion the oil, mindfulness the vessel, merit and virtue the light; let one of the four be missing and the lamp does not burn. This is taking a single matter apart into what can be inspected. Brought down to the ground: every one of these seven verses can serve as a self-examination — the first sets side by side the armor of patience, the vehicle of liberation, and the sword of wisdom, and after it come in order the boat, the sun, the moon, the sea, the dragon, and the lamp; which of them do you have about you now?
The General Praise of His Many Virtues: How a Mind Grows Up
The thirty-ninth through forty-fourth verses are “next, six verses in general praise of his many virtues.” The first two are the strangest set of similes in the whole poem. The first likens the mind of awakening to entering the womb: “the mind of awakening is the jialuoluo within the womb, compassion is the caul and kindness the flesh, the limbs of awakening are the limbs and joints” — the jialuoluo is the stage of the beginning of conception, compassion is the caul that wraps it, kindness is the flesh that grows upon it, the limbs of awakening are the limbs and the joints, and what grows there is “the treasury of the tathāgatas.” The second goes on to what is possessed once it has grown: the treasury of merit, the treasury of wisdom, the treasury of skillful means, the treasury of great vows — four treasuries, each with its own verb: increases, purifies, opens and displays, brings forth.
The last four turn to what is outwardly manifest: an adornment as great as this can rescue and protect the many kinds of beings, and is hard to hear of and hard to see among devas and humans; a tree of wisdom such as this has roots so deep it cannot be shaken and gives shade everywhere to the many kinds of beings; and the last two gather back to the cause — wishing to bring forth every virtue, to ask about every dharma, to cut off every doubt; wishing to break the demons of delusion, to remove the defilements of views, to loose the bonds of sentient beings — and the closing clause of both verses is the very same clause, “seek out good friends with a single mind.”
A misreading to be set aside: taking the simile of the womb for mere rhetoric. It answers a question very hard to answer — where is the mind of awakening once it has been brought forth? The answer is: it is growing, and it grows in the same manner as a child in the womb, first the stage, then the form, then the limbs and joints. Brought down to the ground: it is an ordinary thing to see no progress after bringing forth the mind; what is in the womb was never visible to begin with.
The Wondrous Fruit That Is to Be Accomplished: The Tone Turns upon the Graph “Is To”
The forty-fifth through forty-ninth verses Chengguan judges to be “the last five verses, praising the wondrous fruit that is to be accomplished.” The graph “is to” does not first appear here — the twenty-seventh verse already has the clause “is to be born in a buddha-land”; but from these five verses onward “is to” becomes the bone of the whole poem, coming twelve times over within the five. Is to extinguish the many evil destinies, is to point out the road of devas and humans; is to cross over the difficulties of views, is to cut through the nets of views, is to dry up the waters of craving and desire, is to point out the road of the three kinds of existence; is to become the refuge of the world, is to become the light of the world, is to become the teacher of the three realms; is to make the world everywhere leave the grasping at perception, everywhere awaken those asleep in the afflictions, everywhere come out of the mire of craving and desire; is to penetrate the many kinds of dharmas, is to purify the many kinds of lands.
“Is to” is the future, and a settled future at that — not ‘it may perhaps be’ but ‘it shall be.’ What Maitreya does here the ancient worthies call the declaring of a destiny: not the foretelling of good or ill fortune, but the stating, from the causes a person has before him now, of the fruit he must necessarily arrive at. The forty-four verses before spoke of what Sudhana already has; from these five onward they speak of what Sudhana is to accomplish.
A misreading to be set aside: taking the conferring of a prediction for special treatment given to a special person. The hearers of this passage are the assembly, and Maitreya immediately goes on to say, “if there be one whose mind reveres and admires this, he too should study in this way.” Brought down to the ground: the reason one dares to say “is to” is that all those “already”s before it are true.
Praise Addressed Again to Sudhana, One: Twenty-Six Verses of “Is To,” Laying the Fruit to Come Out as a Map
From the fiftieth verse the address turns a third time — back to Sudhana himself. Chengguan judges the sixty-three verses from here on to be the praise addressed again to Sudhana, of which “the first twenty-six verses praise the virtue of his fruit to come,” and he says that “the first two are general and the rest are all particular.” The two general ones are “your conduct is exceedingly pliant, your mind is very pure” and “before long you will see the buddhas, penetrate all dharmas”; and the twenty-four beneath them are all particular.
These twenty-four make much use of parallel clauses: in some, within a single verse, one and the same graph comes four times running; in others it comes three times. The sea of practice, the sea of dharmas, the sea of sentient beings; the far shore of merit and virtue, the many good qualities, the equal of the sons of the Buddha; every delusion, every deed, every demon; the path of wondrous knowledge, the path of the right Dharma, the path of the many sufferings; and then the wheel — “the wheel that is all sentient beings sinks lost within the wheel of the many kinds of existence; you are to turn the wheel of the Dharma, and make them cut off the wheel of suffering.” The fifteen verses that follow take one graph each, and each has its own reference:
Lineage — “you are to uphold the lineage of the Buddha”: the lineage of the Buddha is what is upheld, the lineage of the Dharma is what is purified, the lineage of the Saṃgha is what is gathered up; the Three Jewels here become three things to be done.
Net — “you are to cut off the many nets of craving”: the net of craving, the net of views, and the net of suffering are the three that are broken, while the closing clause, “you are to accomplish this net of vows,” turns the net over into a thing to be accomplished.
Realm — “you are to liberate the realm of sentient beings”: the realm of sentient beings is what is liberated, the realm of lands is what is purified, the realm of wisdom is what is gathered up, and the closing clause gathers it in with “you are to accomplish this realm of the mind.”
Rejoicing — “you are to make sentient beings rejoice”: those made to rejoice are threefold, sentient beings, bodhisattvas, and the buddhas, and then “you are to accomplish rejoicing such as this.”
Seeing — “you are to see every destiny”: destinies, lands, and dharmas, all three are what is seen, and what is accomplished is “a buddha’s seeing such as this.”
Light — “you are to send forth the light that breaks the darkness”: the light that breaks darkness, the light that stills heat, and the light that extinguishes evil each answer to one sickness, and what is washed away is “the suffering of the three kinds of existence.”
Gate — “you are to open the gate of birth among the devas”: the gate of birth among the devas, the gate of the buddha-path, and the gate of liberation are opened one after another, and the closing clause, “making sentient beings enter it everywhere,” brings out that the opening of a gate is done for others.
Road — “you are to point out the right road”: one pointing out and one cutting off — pointing out the right road, cutting off the wrong roads — and then “you accomplish the road of awakening.”
Sea, the first — “you are to cultivate the sea of merit and virtue”: the sea of merit and virtue is what is cultivated, the sea of the three kinds of existence is what is crossed, and what is carried across is “everywhere making the sea of the many kinds of beings come forth from the sea of the many sufferings.”
Sea, the second — “to dry up the sea of the afflictions”: within the sea of sentient beings their sea of afflictions is dried up, “to make them cultivate the sea of the many practices” and “swiftly enter the sea of great knowledge.”
Sea, the third — “you are to increase the sea of knowledge”: the sea of knowledge and the sea of practice increase together, and what is fulfilled is “the sea of the great vows of the buddhas.”
Sea, the fourth — “you are to enter the sea of lands”: after entering the sea of lands and contemplating the sea of the assemblies comes “to drink up everywhere the sea of the many dharmas.”
Cloud — “you are to go and behold the clouds that are the buddhas”: beholding the buddhas, raising up offerings, and listening to the Dharma, three matters, all of them returning to “you are to raise up clouds of vows such as these.”
Chamber — “to roam everywhere the chamber of the three kinds of existence”: the chamber of the three kinds of existence is what is roamed, the chamber of the many delusions is what is destroyed, the chamber of the tathāgatas is what is entered.
Gate, appearing a second time — “to enter everywhere the gate of samādhi”: the gates of samādhi, of liberation, and of spiritual power are entered together, and what is reached is “moving throughout the Dharma realm.”
Of the last four verses, three take similes to close: the light of the sun and the moon, a bird moving through empty space, the net of Indra; and the fourth takes no simile but says outright, “you are to enter the Dharma realm, going everywhere to the many worlds, seeing everywhere the buddhas of the three times, and in your mind great joy will arise.”
A misreading to be set aside: taking this for saying the same thing over again. Look closely at that graph “wheel,” which occurs four times with a different sense each time — sentient beings themselves are a wheel, the many kinds of existence are a wheel, the Dharma is a wheel, suffering is a wheel; one and the same graph is set in four positions precisely to show that these four are at root the turning of one thing. Brought down to the ground: the repeating construction of this sūtra is not extravagance of style; it means to make a person stay a little longer upon one graph.
The Twofold Praise of Virtue Present and to Come: What Is Already Gained and What Is to Be Gained, Counted Together
The seventy-sixth through eighty-second verses Chengguan judges to be “second, the seven verses beneath ‘as for the many Dharma gateways,’ which twofoldly praise virtue present and to come” — twofold meaning that the present and the coming are spoken of together. The first verse puts both ends into a single clause: “as for the many Dharma gateways — those you have already gained and those you are yet to gain,” and what should be brought forth is great joy and exultation, and that “with neither craving nor weariness.” The six that follow: you are a vessel of merit and virtue, able to follow the teaching of the buddhas, able to cultivate the bodhisattva practice, and so you have seen a thing so rare; sons of the Buddha such as these are hard to meet with in a hundred million kalpas, how much more so to see their merit and virtue and the wondrous paths they cultivate; born among humankind, you have gained great benefit and have seen Mañjuśrī and the rest and measureless merit and virtue; you have already left the evil destinies, already come out of the difficult places, already gone beyond the sufferings and troubles; you have already left the ground of ordinary beings and already come to abide upon the ground of bodhisattvas, and are to make full the ground of wisdom and swiftly to enter the ground of the tathāgatas; the bodhisattva practice is like the sea and the Buddha’s knowledge is the same as empty space, and your vow is just so.
The eighty-first is the one most worth pausing over: its first two clauses speak of what is already done and its last two of what is to come — already left the ground of ordinary beings and already come to abide upon the ground of bodhisattvas is the present; is to make full the ground of wisdom and swiftly to enter the ground of the tathāgatas is the coming. One verse and it is a complete map.
A misreading to be set aside: taking “with neither craving nor weariness” for an exhortation to be indifferent. It follows upon “you should bring forth great joy and exultation” — the joy is to be had; only, within the joy, one adds no craving to it and does not let it turn to weariness. Brought down to the ground: if the gladness one has in the Dharma carries with it a wish to have a little more, that gladness has begun to spoil.
Praise of the Virtue of Meeting with Friends: Where the Difference Lies Between a Vessel for the Dharma and One Who Is Not
The eighty-third through ninetieth verses are “third, the eight verses beneath ‘your faculties,’ praising the virtue of his meeting with friends.” The eight speak of the two sides of one and the same matter. On the near side: his faculties are without slackness or weariness and his aspiration is constant and settled, and so he draws near to good friends and “before long all of this will be brought to fullness”; he is endowed with merit beyond conceiving and with true faith, and so today he has been able to see the sons of the Buddha; within the three kinds of existence he is able to cultivate the bodhisattva practice, and so the sons of the Buddha are willing to point out to him the gate of liberation; the buddhas guard him in mind and the bodhisattvas gather him in.
On the far side there is only one verse, and it is the coldest clause in the whole poem: “one who is not a vessel for the Dharma, though he dwell together with a son of the Buddha, though measureless kalpas pass, will not come to know that realm.” Dwelling together and yet not knowing — this clause separates ‘meeting’ and ‘getting’ once and for all. And Maitreya adds a further clause: “the many kinds of bodhisattva conduct are all for the taming of sentient beings; you cultivate the many Dharma gateways everywhere — by no means give rise to doubt.” Not doubting is the most important boundary between being a vessel and not being one.
A misreading to be set aside: taking whether one meets a teacher for a matter of luck. The scripture text says it plainly: one who is not a vessel knows nothing even dwelling together for measureless kalpas; so the question is not whether one meets, but whether one is a vessel. Brought down to the ground: whether you can learn anything from a person mostly does not depend upon that person.
Praise of the Swift Accomplishment of the Virtue of Station and Practice: The Station of Consecration, and That One Seed
The ninety-first through ninety-fifth verses are “fourth, the five verses praising the swift accomplishment of the virtue of station and practice.” The first carries the station to its very summit: “you have already been born into the family of the bodhisattvas, you are already fully endowed with the virtue of the bodhisattvas, you have already grown up the lineage of the tathāgatas, and you are to ascend to the station of consecration” — consecration is the rite by which a prince succeeds to the throne, and used here it says the utmost of the bodhisattva stations. The second speaks of its function: to be the equal of the sons of the Buddha, and, seeing sentient beings in suffering and distress, to set them all in a place of peace and safety.
The third is the plainest statement of principle in the whole poem: “one who has sown such a seed as this will surely obtain such a fruit as this,” and therefore “I today congratulate and console you.” The fourth sets him against others: measureless bodhisattvas cultivating the work of the path for measureless kalpas are still not able to accomplish this practice, and today he has gained the whole of it. The fifth explains why this is so — “by the power of faith and delight and of firm and vigorous effort, Sudhana has accomplished a practice such as this” — and at once hands the words over to the hearers: “if there be one whose mind reveres and admires this, he too should study in this way.”
A misreading to be set aside: taking the fourth verse to be saying that Sudhana has surpassed those bodhisattvas. The fifth verse, coming straight after, gives the reason — faith and delight and firm effort are both of them things that can be studied, and this is why Maitreya dares to say “he too should study in this way.” Brought down to the ground: this passage falls from the highest station, consecration, back to the lowest cause, faith and effort, and between them lies nothing but a single seed.
Setting Forth His Many Virtues Together and Concluding in Praise So That Gladness May Arise: All That Is Born from Vow and Aspiration
The ninety-sixth through hundred and twelfth verses are “fifth, the seventeen verses setting forth his many virtues together and concluding in praise so that gladness may arise,” the longest passage in the whole poem. It opens by setting up the theme: “every practice of merit and virtue is born from vow and aspiration,” and then takes as its simile a dragon spreading thick clouds from which a great rain must surely fall — where the clouds rise the rain is settled, and where the knowledge of vow rises the practice is settled.
From there it turns into a very weighty set of contrasts. Through measureless kalpas you cast away the body in vain for the sake of desire, and only today, casting it away for awakening, is the casting called good; through measureless kalpas you received in full the suffering of birth and death, and yet never served the buddhas nor heard of this practice; and today you have gained a human body and met with buddhas and with good friends — “how could you not rejoice!” Three verses further on lay down sieve after sieve: even meeting a buddha arisen in the world and meeting good friends too, if the mind be not pure one still does not hear this Dharma; only with faith and delight and reverence toward good friends, leaving doubt behind and never wearying, does one get to hear it; and if one hears and raises up a mind of vowing, one has already gained vast benefit.
The last several verses speak of fruit and practice advancing together: with a pure mind one constantly draws near to buddhas and bodhisattvas and assuredly accomplishes awakening; entering this Dharma gateway one is endowed with the many merits and virtues and leaves the evil destinies forever; before long one casts away the body and is born into a buddha-land, constantly seeing the buddhas of the ten directions. And what makes this possible is three things put together — “causes laid down in former times, together with a pure understanding today, and together with the power of serving good friends” — whose increase is “just as a lotus flower is born within water.” At the last it comes back to the four things to be done now: delight in serving good friends, make offerings diligently to all buddhas, listen to the Dharma with a concentrated mind, and constantly practice thus without slackness.
A misreading to be set aside: taking “how could you not rejoice!” for a rhetorical question. The two verses before it set out the wasted labor of measureless kalpas, and this question is forced out by that contrast. Brought down to the ground: these seventeen verses write the rarity of a single lifetime out as one sieve after another — meeting a buddha, meeting a friend, purity of mind, leaving doubt, raising a vow — and if one sieve is missing one does not reach the next.
The Last Verse: He Sends the Man Back to Mañjuśrī
In the last of the hundred and thirteen verses Maitreya does not keep Sudhana with him: “you should go to the place of Mañjuśrī, the one of great knowledge; he will make you gain the deep and wondrous practice of Samantabhadra.” Chengguan judges this to be “the last one verse, briefly pointing out the next friend.”
The placing of this verse weighs much. Maitreya is the person to whom the mark of gathering virtue and accomplishing the cause is assigned, and Chengguan sets up his name as “setting forth the mark of gathering virtue and accomplishing the cause” — gathering the virtue of all the stations before in order to accomplish the cause of the fruit to come. And the one who gathers virtue does not keep the student: he sends him back to the friend who set him out, and from Mañjuśrī he is to enter the practice of Samantabhadra. Sudhana’s answering verses afterward also call one person only to mind: “it is because of Mañjuśrī that I have seen those who are hard to see.”
A misreading to be set aside: taking this for a courteous deferral. The friend who set him out and the friend at the end are the same person, and this is a circle in the very structure of this assembly — setting out from Mañjuśrī, seeing more than fifty friends everywhere, coming back to Mañjuśrī, and then entering Samantabhadra. Brought down to the ground: a road that has truly been walked through comes back to where it began; one that cannot come back is most likely still halfway.
Sudhana Wept, and the Flowers Filled His Hands of Themselves
After the long poem the scripture text writes Sudhana’s response: “he was glad and exultant, the hairs of his body all stood on end, and he wept with grief and choked upon his sobs.” Gladness and weeping happen at the same moment. This section writes Sudhana’s inward state in two places: on first seeing Maitreya it was “glad and exultant, and cast his five limbs to the ground,” and after hearing the praise it is “glad and exultant, the hairs of his body all stood on end, and he wept with grief and choked upon his sobs” — the same gladness and exultation, only that this time the hairs standing on end and the weeping are added. Chengguan outlines this as the setting out of the form of reverence again, in three parts: first, distinguishing the cause of the reverence, which is the hearing of the praise of his virtue; next, the grieving reverence of body and mind; last, the offering of flowers that displays his sincerity.
The passage of the offering is stranger still: Sudhana carried no offerings upon him, and yet “because of the power of Mañjuśrī’s mindful intent, many kinds of flowers, strings of jewels, and many kinds of subtle and wondrous treasures, without his being aware of it, all at once filled his hands of themselves.” Chengguan brings out what each thing stands for, saying that Mañjuśrī’s power of mindful intent “shows that it is by faith and knowledge,” and further that “the flowers are established by virtue, and the strings of jewels are accomplished by practice,” and that “as for saying they filled his hands, it is because faith and knowledge are full,” and last that “as for scattering them over Maitreya, it is because the cause is gathered and accomplished, and because the fruit to come is brought about.”
A misreading to be set aside: taking “without his being aware of it, they all at once filled his hands of themselves” for a display of spiritual power. Chengguan’s reading runs exactly the other way — the offerings are there of themselves because faith and knowledge are already full; the flowers are virtue and the strings of jewels are practice, and they were from the first the very things he had cultivated into being himself. Brought down to the ground: at a certain point offering needs no separate preparation, because what is in one’s hands is just what one has made of these years.
The Stroking of the Crown and the Answering Verses: In Two Verses He Calls Only One Person to Mind
Maitreya strokes the crown of Sudhana’s head and speaks one verse: “it is good indeed, it is good indeed, true son of the Buddha! You urge on all your faculties everywhere without slackness or weariness; before long you will be fully endowed with the many kinds of merit and virtue, just as Mañjuśrī is, and as I am.” After a hundred and thirteen verses have been spoken, the one spoken with his own mouth to him has only four clauses, and the last clause sets Sudhana in the same row as Mañjuśrī and himself.
Sudhana answers with two. The first speaks of the meeting: good friends are hard to meet with in a hundred million kalpas, and today he has been able to draw near to them one by one and so has come to the place of the venerable one. The second speaks of calling to mind: “it is because of Mañjuśrī that I have seen those who are hard to see; that venerable one of great merit and virtue — may he return soon, that I may look up to him and behold him” — he stands before the fifty-first good friend, and yet the vow he brings forth is the wish to see Mañjuśrī again soon. Chengguan outlines this as rejoicing at the meeting and calling to mind his kindness.
A misreading to be set aside: supposing that Sudhana is distracted here. The intent of the scripture text is precisely the calling to mind of kindness — and this is why Chengguan’s outline uses those two graphs, calling to mind kindness. Brought down to the ground: to remember, having walked to the farthest place, who it was that started you out is what is called calling to mind kindness; and this section sets it in the very last clause, as the conclusion of the whole road.
Lineage
In the text of this section there are three lines of what it receives from before and what it opens out afterward.
The first is the line of the assigning of stations. Maitreya is assigned the mark of gathering virtue and accomplishing the cause; the name is not one the scripture text sets up for itself but an outline of the ancient worthies. The Huayan jing kongmu zhang sets up “the friend of the mark of gathering virtue and accomplishing the cause,” and Chengguan receives it and sets it up as the third of the five marks of the last assembly, while the Tanxuan ji and the Souxuan ji each bring out their own wording — four houses with differing names all pointing at one and the same matter. And as for the assigning of stations, Chengguan has even-handed words of his own, saying: “both have their reason. Since each single station is endowed with many Dharma gateways, how could an ordinary mind be barred from studying and seeking the dharma of good friends? — and so not to match them has its reason. Yet within the absence of sequence of stations the sequence of stations is not obstructed, and to display the stations is the ordinary rule, so that to match them is also without fault. The crosswise and the lengthwise being unobstructed, for now I follow the ancient worthies in matching them as five marks.” He takes the matching of the ancient worthies and yet does not take the matching as fixed; the two intents stand together.
The second is the line of the outlines. As for the outlining of this section, Chengguan follows the eighty-fascicle text clause by clause and sets up the one outline of seeing, paying respect, and inquiring, opening beneath the seeing of the direct recompense the five matters of setting out the form of reverence, and further judging the long poem to “have a hundred and thirteen verses” and dividing it into three, “the first one verse, the general praise that points him out to the assembly,” “the last one verse, briefly pointing out the next friend,” and “the verses in between, praising his surpassing virtue in particular” — the middle being further analyzed into three passages and five passages, and their numbers agreeing throughout with a verse-by-verse counting of the base text. Fazang and Zhiyan outlined the sixty-fascicle text, and so their citation-clauses mostly have nothing to answer to in the eighty: Fazang divides the seeing of the direct recompense into three, wishing to see, seeing at a distance, and praising his virtue, and gathers everything from the speaking of the verses onward under conferring his own Dharma realm; Zhiyan divides the mark of seeing the direct recompense into five, and separately opens the distinguishing of the entering of the Dharma realm into four. Li Tongxuan takes the opening clause of this section as the heading of the fifth passage of his outline in ten passages, and beneath that passage he unfolds no clause-by-clause gloss. The four houses differ in their numbers and in the bone they rely upon. Recorded without adjudication.
The third is the line of the parallel translations. This poem of praise has a hundred and thirteen verses in the eighty, sixty-eight verses in the sixty, and the forty is nearly identical to the eighty graph for graph, with two verses seen in the extract collated that the eighty does not have; the middle portion has not been counted graph by graph, and so the account cannot be made exhaustive. The first verse of the sixty is not a clause of calling out to the assembly but names him directly, and so Chengguan’s outline of “the first one verse, the general praise that points him out to the assembly” has nothing to fasten to in the sixty; and the short passage of Maitreya’s stroking of the crown and Sudhana’s answering verses, which the eighty has, is likewise not seen in the sixty as a graph-for-graph correspondence. The three witnesses stand together, and are recorded as they are.
A teacher saw his student, praised him first in a hundred and thirteen verses, and then sent him back to where he began — and the whole order of this section lies in that one graph, ‘sending.’
考據Apparatus
善財第五十一友彌勒菩薩，於本節所見，是『先當眾讚學人、後才受學人問』之一例。本節三千一百餘字，長行只有起結兩小段，其餘全是一篇一百一十三首的長頌——彌勒先不為善財說法，而是向大眾指出善財，把他從發心到當果一路讚了一遍。澄觀於此頌逐段分科，判為「初一指眾總歎、末後一偈略示後友、中間諸偈別歎勝德」，中間又析為直對善財歎二十二偈、對眾令勸讚二十六偈、重對善財讚六十三偈三大段，段內復分——其數與底本逐偈實計悉合。頌畢有彌勒摩頂一偈、善財答頌二偈，是本節長頌之外僅有的對答。六十本此讚頌六十八偈，四十本則與底本近乎逐字同構，所核抽文中見二偈為底本所無（餘偈未逐字實計）。彌勒寄「攝德成因相」，澄觀承古德之配，而於配位一事自存持平之語。
一、科判定位
| 科判系統 | 此節經文 之位 |
|---|---|
| 底本 T279 三十九品 | 品三十九 入法界品（第九會 逝多林）；彌勒菩薩（二）見敬諮問＝卷七十七末–卷七十七訖〔T10 0425b07〕–〔0428b06 前〕 |
| 澄觀《華嚴經疏》 | 「見敬諮問」科〔T35n1735 0955c16〕起，訖於「諮問」科〔0956c12〕前；本節所收＝該科「見正報」以下 |
| 澄觀《演義鈔》 | 釋「攝德成因」之名及疏之總說語〔T36n1736 0693a20〕以下 |
| 法藏《探玄記》（六十華嚴疏） | 「二見正報中三」〔T35n1733 0487b14〕起；「第四『爾時彌勒』下授己法界」〔0487b19〕 |
| 李通玄《新華嚴經論》 | 十段科判之第五段標目〔T36n1739 1005a09〕；本段未見隨文逐句釋 |
| 智儼《搜玄記》 | 「七見正報相中有五」〔T35n1732 0103c26〕；「三『爾時彌勒觀察大眾』下辨入法界」〔0103c29〕 |
攝德成因相之總起——彌勒一人自為一相，澄觀立其名：
「自下大文第三慈氏一人，明攝德成因相」〔T35n1735 0955c07〕
見敬諮問之科：
「第二「善財童子以如是」下見敬諮問。於中二：初見敬、後諮問。前中亦二：先見依、後見正，各有申敬。」〔T35n1735 0955c16–0955c18〕
子界之誌——本節之界依字數分帙而立，非澄觀科界。澄觀此科之牒句「善財童子以如是」同形於前子〔T10n0279 0422c15〕「善財童子以如是尊重、如是供養」，故其科實起於前節中段：見依一分（入定申敬、出定敬讚，含大樓閣長行與讚頌）全屬前子，本節所收唯「見正」以下。疏於見依之讚頌判云：
「第三偈以言讚中，五十五偈，分二：前三十四偈七言舉德歎處、後二十一偈五言指處明德。」〔T35n1735 0956b03–0956b05〕
此五十五偈之科文雖落於本節起句之後，所詠者乃前節之大樓閣讚頌——古德科判單位與本帙分子單位非一一對應，據實誌錄，非碎割之失。
見正報之科（本節正身）：
「第二「爾時」下見正報，中二：一見、二敬。見中二：先翹心願覩、後「乃見」下正覩慈尊。」〔T35n1735 0956b13–0956b14〕
「第二「善財見已」下明設敬儀。於中五：一身心敬禮、二「時彌勒」下讚德記別、三「爾時彌勒」下重申敬儀、四「時彌勒」下再讚再記、五「時善財」下慶遇念恩。」〔T35n1735 0956b16–0956b19〕
設敬儀五事，正是本節之骨：①五體投地〔T10n0279 0425b14〕②彌勒指示大眾說一百一十三頌〔0425b15〕③善財悲泣華供〔0428a11〕④彌勒摩頂再讚〔0428a16〕⑤善財答頌〔0428a20〕。
一百一十三頌之分科——本節之主體：
「二中有二：先長行。指示者，令眾同覩，倣而行故。後偈正讚，有百一十三頌，分三：初一指眾總歎、末後一偈略示後友、中間諸偈別歎勝德。」〔T35n1735 0956b20–0956b23〕
中間諸偈復分三段，段內又分：
| 疏之科段 | 偈數 | 底本起偈 | 段內細分 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 初一 指眾總歎 | 1 | 「汝等觀善財」〔T10n0279 0425b17〕 | — |
| 一 直對善財歎 | 22 | 「善來圓滿慈」〔0425b19〕 | 初九讚德善來·次二明來因緣·後十一明來所為 |
| 二 對眾令勸讚 | 26 | 「汝等觀此人」〔0426a05〕 | 初四總讚·次四讚即智之悲·次七歎即悲之智·次六總歎諸德·後五讚妙果當成 |
| 三 重對善財讚 | 63 | 「汝行極調柔」〔0426b28〕 | 初二十六歎當果德·次七雙歎當現德·次八讚遇友德·次五歎速成位行德·後十七總明諸德結歎令欣 |
| 末後一偈 略示後友 | 1 | 「汝當往大智」〔0428a09〕 | — |
疏之逐字：
「於中三：初二十二偈直對善財歎，於中亦三：初九讚德善來；次二明來因緣，以外由善友、內具德行故；後十一偈明來所為。」〔T35n1735 0956b23–0956b26〕
「二「汝等觀」下二十六偈對眾令勸讚。於中五：初四總讚；次四讚其即智之悲；次七歎即悲之智，爾焰者此云所知，入大乘論云「爾焰地者是第十地」，此約盡斷十種所知障故；次六偈總歎諸德；後五偈讚妙果當成。」〔T35n1735 0956b26–0956c02〕
「三「汝行」下重對善財讚。於中分五：初二十六偈歎其當果德，初二總、餘皆別；二「汝於」下七偈雙歎當現德；三「諸根」下八偈讚其遇友德；四有五偈歎速成位行德；五有十七偈總明諸德結歎令欣。」〔T35n1735 0956c02–0956c06〕
一與二十二與二十六與六十三與一，合為一百一十三，與底本偈行實計（本節偈行二百三十二，內彌勒讚頌二百二十六行即一百一十三偈、摩頂頌二行、善財答頌四行）悉合；疏所舉之起偈「汝等觀」「汝行」「汝於」「諸根」四句，亦與底本第二十四、五十、七十六、八十三偈之首句逐字相應。
重申敬儀以下：
「第三重申敬儀，中三：初辨敬因，聞讚德故；次「善財聞」下身心悲敬；後「以文殊」下華供展誠。」〔T35n1735 0956c06–0956c08〕
「第四再讚再記、第五慶遇念恩，文並可知。」〔T35n1735 0956c11–0956c12〕
二、術語
| 漢 | 古德傳梵（羅馬字·發音輔助） | 所徵 | 精義 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 攝德成因相 | — | 疏「自下大文第三慈氏一人，明攝德成因相」〔T35n1735 0955c07〕 | 澄觀末會五相之第三，唯彌勒一人當之；攝前諸位之德以成當果之因 |
| 慈氏 | — | 疏「亦顯慈氏應念而至不著處故」〔T35n1735 0956b15〕 | 彌勒之義譯；本節疏文於彌勒到來一節用此稱 |
| 見敬諮問 | — | 疏「第二「善財童子以如是」下見敬諮問」〔T35n1735 0955c16〕 | 善財參友六段科之第二·第三合稱；先見而敬，敬已而問 |
| 別處來 | — | 經「乃見彌勒菩薩摩訶薩從別處來」〔T10n0279 0425b10〕 | 不從樓閣中出而從他處來；疏立三義釋之 |
| 本生處 | — | 經「及本生處無量眷屬、婆羅門眾」〔T10n0279 0425b12〕 | 彌勒受生之處所；其俗家眷屬與婆羅門眾同來 |
| 五體投地 | — | 經「善財見已，歡喜踊躍，五體投地」〔T10n0279 0425b14〕 | 二肘二膝及頂五處著地；疏科為設敬儀之第一事「身心敬禮」 |
| 善來 | — | 經「善來圓滿慈，善來清淨悲」〔T10n0279 0425b19〕 | 迎人之語；本節頌中十七見，疏判首九偈為「讚德善來」 |
| 利衰毀譽 | — | 經「利衰毀譽等，一切無分別」〔T10n0279 0425c01〕 | 世間八法之四；於此不起分別，即頌所謂「世法不能染」 |
| 爾焰 | — | 經「令過爾焰海」〔T10n0279 0426a24〕；疏「爾焰者此云所知」〔T35n1735 0956b28〕 | 所知；疏引《入大乘論》「爾焰地者是第十地」，約盡斷十種所知障 |
| 迦羅邏 | — | 經「覺心迦羅邏，悲胞慈為肉」〔T10n0279 0426b06〕 | 胎中初凝滑之位；此以胎藏次第喻菩提心之成長，四十本音寫作「羯邏藍」 |
| 因陀網 | — | 經「譬如因陀網，剎網如是住」〔T10n0279 0427a18〕 | 帝釋殿網；本節以之喻剎海之相涉相入 |
| 灌頂位 | — | 經「已長如來種，當昇灌頂位」〔T10n0279 0427b24〕 | 菩薩位之極；如王子受灌頂而紹王位 |
| 法器 | — | 經「非是法器人，與佛子同住」〔T10n0279 0427b17〕·「汝是真法器」〔0428a03〕 | 堪受法之根器；本節以「是器／非器」判能聞不能聞 |
| 摩頂 | — | 經「時，彌勒菩薩摩善財頂，為說頌言」〔T10n0279 0428a16〕 | 以手摩其頂，印可與加被之相 |
三、譬喻·修辭
(一) 善知識九喻——第十七至十九偈一氣連下，喻詞皆用「如」，喻善知識之於學人：
「汝念善知識，生我如父母，養我如乳母，增我菩提分，如醫療眾疾，如天灑甘露，如日示正道，如月轉淨輪，如山不動搖，如海無增減，如船師濟渡，而來至我所。」〔T10n0279 0425c18–0425c25〕
父母·乳母·醫·天灑甘露·日·月·山·海·船師，凡九喻。前二喻生養，中四喻療與示，後三喻不動·無增減·濟渡——自受生而至度脫，序自淺入深。
(二) 善知識三職喻與七「能」句——第二十至二十二偈：
「汝觀善知識，猶如大猛將，亦如大商主，又如大導師，能建正法幢，能示佛功德，能滅諸惡道，能開善趣門，能顯諸佛身，能守諸佛藏，能持諸佛法，是故願瞻奉。」〔T10n0279 0425c26–0426a02〕
猛將·商主·導師三喻之後，接七句以「能」起之排比（建幢·示德·滅惡道·開善門·顯佛身·守佛藏·持佛法），末以「是故願瞻奉」收。
(三) 善財自身之喻群——第三十至四十二偈，以善財為喻體，一偈一喻或一偈數喻：利智犁〔T10n0279 0426a18〕·導師〔0426a20〕·忍鎧與解脫乘與智慧利劍〔0426a21〕·法船師〔0426a23〕·正覺日〔0426a25〕·正覺月〔0426a27〕·勝智海〔0426a29〕·大心龍〔0426b02〕·法燈〔0426b04〕·迦羅邏〔0426b06〕·四藏〔0426b08〕·大莊嚴〔0426b10〕·智慧樹〔0426b12〕。其中法燈一偈四物並舉：
「善財然法燈，信炷慈悲油，念器功德光，滅除三毒暗。」〔T10n0279 0426b04〕
信為炷、慈悲為油、念為器、功德為光——一燈之四分皆有所配。次偈轉為胎藏之喻：
「覺心迦羅邏，悲胞慈為肉，菩提分肢節，長於如來藏。」〔T10n0279 0426b06〕
覺心為初凝之位、悲為胞、慈為肉、菩提分為肢節，所長者為如來藏——以入胎至成形之次第喻菩提心之長養。
(四) 「當」字之排比——「當」字全子八十六見，首見於第二十七偈「當生佛國土」〔T10n0279 0426a12〕；自第四十五偈「當滅諸惡道」〔T10n0279 0426b18〕以下，句首用「當」者連綿不絕。其中數偈更以同一字為韻腳而四句相疊，如輪：
「一切眾生輪，沈迷諸有輪；汝當轉法輪，令其斷苦輪。」〔T10n0279 0426c11〕
四疊同型者尚有網〔0426c15〕·界〔0426c17〕·喜〔0426c19〕·見〔0426c21〕·海〔0426c29·0427a02〕·雲〔0427a08〕，通此偈凡八；種〔0426c13〕·光〔0426c23〕·門〔0426c25〕·道〔0426c27〕·海〔0427a04·0427a06〕·室〔0427a10〕·門〔0427a12〕則三疊。一字疊用，是本頌最顯之修辭。
(五) 四喻收尾——長頌末段轉用四個世間之喻收其勸勉：鳥行虛空喻無染〔T10n0279 0427a17〕·因陀羅網喻剎網〔0427a18〕·種果喻因果不失〔0427b27〕·龍布密雲必霔大雨喻願智決定〔0427c06〕。又以「如水生蓮華」〔0427c29〕喻善根之增長。
(六) 長行之對句——善財聞讚一段，四字句連下：「歡喜踊躍，身毛皆豎，悲泣哽噎；起立合掌，恭敬瞻仰，遶無量匝。」〔T10n0279 0428a12–0428a13〕形之動與心之感並列而下，與其後「不覺忽然自盈其手」〔0428a14〕之無作相對。
四、異譯對勘
本節經文要句之漢譯校本：實叉難陀 T279（底本·卷七十七）· 佛馱跋陀羅 T278（晉譯六十華嚴〈入法界品第三十四〉·卷五十八）· 般若 T293（貞元四十華嚴〈入法界品〉）。
偈數之異：底本此讚頌一百一十三偈〔T10n0279 0425b17–0428a10〕；六十本此讚頌一百三十六行、六十八偈〔T09n0278 0773c14–0775b04〕。四十本此段與底本近乎逐字同構，所據抽文中段從略，其偈數未逐字實計，據實標闕。
句一 讚頌之標起
| 校本 | 逐字 | 出處 |
|---|---|---|
| 實叉 T279 | 時，彌勒菩薩觀察善財，指示大眾，歎其功德，而說頌曰 | T10n0279 0425b15 |
| 佛馱 T278 | 爾時，彌勒菩薩摩訶薩觀察善財，指示大眾，歎其功德，以偈頌曰 | T09n0278 0773c12 |
| 般若 T293 | 時，彌勒菩薩觀察善財，指示大眾，歎其真實無量功德，而說偈言 | T10n0293 0820c01 |
異文所繫：三本此句同構。(甲) 六十本作「爾時」「摩訶薩」「以偈頌曰」，底本作「時」「而說頌曰」。(乙) 四十本於「功德」上加「真實無量」四字，餘與底本全同。誌錄不判。
句二 讚頌之首偈
| 校本 | 逐字 | 出處 |
|---|---|---|
| 實叉 T279 | 汝等觀善財，智慧心清淨，為求菩提行，而來至我所 | T10n0279 0425b17 |
| 佛馱 T278 | 善財童子者，淨直心智慧，專求菩薩行，而來至我所 | T09n0278 0773c14 |
| 般若 T293 | 汝等觀善財，智慧心清淨，為求菩提行，而來親近我 | T10n0293 0820c03 |
異文所繫：(甲) 六十本首句不作呼眾之語（「汝等觀」）而直舉其名，故澄觀所判「初一指眾總歎」之科於六十本無所繫。(乙) 六十本「菩薩行」，底本與四十本作「菩提行」。(丙) 四十本末句作「而來親近我」，底本作「而來至我所」——底本此句於本節七見。誌錄不判。
句三 善來諸偈
| 校本 | 逐字 | 出處 |
|---|---|---|
| 實叉 T279 | 善來離迷惑，世法不能染，利衰毀譽等，一切無分別 | T10n0279 0425b29 |
| 佛馱 T278 | 善來平等者，利衰及毀譽，苦樂世間法，其心無所染 | T09n0278 0773c26 |
| 般若 T293 | 善來離迷惑，處世如蓮華，利衰毀譽等，一切無分別 | T10n0293 0820c15 |
| 實叉 T279 | 善來不動行，常求善知識，了達一切法，調伏諸群生 | T10n0279 0425b23 |
| 佛馱 T278 | 善來無壞行，常求善知識，了達一切法，教化諸群生 | T09n0278 0773c20 |
| 般若 T293 | 善來不動行，常求善知識，了世心無染，調伏諸群生 | T10n0293 0820c09 |
異文所繫：(甲) 三本皆用「善來」之呼，而所配之德多異：底本「離迷惑」／六十本「平等者」；底本「不動行」／六十本「無壞行」。(乙) 第二句之對，四十本作「處世如蓮華」，底本作「世法不能染」，六十本則將此意併入末句「其心無所染」。(丙) 「了達一切法」一句四十本作「了世心無染」。(丁) 六十本另有底本所無之「善來大悲雲，能雨甘露法，具足三淨眼，菩薩行無厭」〔T09n0278 0773c16〕一偈。誌錄不判。
句四 胎藏喻與法燈喻
| 校本 | 逐字 | 出處 |
|---|---|---|
| 實叉 T279 | 善財然法燈，信炷慈悲油，念器功德光，滅除三毒暗 | T10n0279 0426b04 |
| 佛馱 T278 | 淨信心為炷，慈悲為香油，正念為寶器，然彼耀世燈 | T09n0278 0774c07 |
| 實叉 T279 | 覺心迦羅邏，悲胞慈為肉，菩提分肢節，長於如來藏 | T10n0279 0426b06 |
| 佛馱 T278 | 道心迦羅邏，慈悲為胞段，菩提分肢節，長養如來藏 | T09n0278 0774c09 |
| 般若 T293 | 覺心羯邏藍，悲胞慈為肉，菩提分肢節，長於如來藏 | T10n0293 0821b21 |
異文所繫：(甲) 法燈一偈，底本以善財為能然之人（「善財然法燈」），六十本則不出人而唯列四物，末句方出燈。(乙) 胎藏一偈，底本作「覺心」，六十本作「道心」；底本「悲胞慈為肉」二分，六十本併作「慈悲為胞段」一句而無「肉」。(丙) 胎位之音寫，底本與六十本作「迦羅邏」，四十本作「羯邏藍」。誌錄不判。
句五 四十本所核抽文中多出之二偈
| 校本 | 逐字 | 出處 |
|---|---|---|
| 般若 T293 | 當脫諸苦處，當與安樂處，斷除諸繫著，永滅三有趣 | T10n0293 0821c06 |
| 般若 T293 | 汝今入此行，最勝難思議，善來於人中，功德必成滿 | T10n0293 0823a14 |
異文所繫：此二偈底本無對應之文。前者在「當滅諸惡道」與「當度諸見難」二偈之間，後者在「若有聞此法」與「如是心清淨」二偈之間——四十本此段既與底本近乎逐字同構，而此二處各多一偈，據實錄之；所據抽文中段從略，未逐字實計，此二偈之外四十本此段是否更有底本所無之偈，據實標闕。誌錄不判。
句六 彌勒摩頂與善財答頌
| 校本 | 逐字 | 出處 |
|---|---|---|
| 實叉 T279 | 爾時，彌勒菩薩摩訶薩在眾會前，稱讚善財大功德藏 | T10n0279 0428a11 |
| 般若 T293 | 爾時，彌勒菩薩摩訶薩在眾會前，稱讚善財無著境界圓滿莊嚴大功德藏 | T10n0293 0823b05 |
| 實叉 T279 | 時，善財童子以頌答曰 | T10n0279 0428a20 |
| 般若 T293 | 時，善財童子聞是讚已，以偈答曰 | T10n0293 0823b15 |
異文所繫：(甲) 稱讚之語，四十本於「大功德藏」上加「無著境界圓滿莊嚴」八字。(乙) 六十本此讚頌訖處直接轉入下段「爾時，彌勒菩薩以如是等，讚歎善財諸妙功德」〔T09n0278 0775b12〕（卷五十九首），本節所有『彌勒稱讚·善財華供·彌勒摩頂說偈·善財答頌』一段，六十本未見逐字對應之文，據實標闕，不強配。(丙) 四十本善財答頌之標起多「聞是讚已」四字。誌錄不判。
五、宗義之經據〔眼〕
(一) 攝德成因之立名。彌勒一人自為末會五相之第三，四家各出其語而同指一事：
「自下大文第三慈氏一人，明攝德成因相」〔T35n1735 0955c07〕
「自下攝德成因相知識。約一乘別教」〔T45n1870 0585b26〕
《演義鈔》釋疏此語之次第：
「疏「自下大文第三慈氏一人」者，先來意；後「故辦一生」下，釋攝德成因之名。」〔T36n1736 0693a18–0693a20〕
(二) 寄位之判與澄觀之持平語。善友配位一事，澄觀承古德而不作定判，於末會十門之「五相分別」門下自陳其所以：
「二皆有理，謂隨一一位具多法門，豈容凡心不得習求善友之法，故不配有理。然無次位中不礙次位，顯位是常規，配亦無失。橫竪無礙，且依古德配為五相」〔T35n1735 0918b04–0918b07〕
「攝德成因相」之名既屬此五相之一，其配位之性質亦由此語所定——是古德之科，非經文自標。
(三) 「指示」之義——讚不為譽人。彌勒之讚是對大眾說的，疏於長行一句下明其所以：
「先長行。指示者，令眾同覩，倣而行故。」〔T35n1735 0956b20〕
一百一十三偈之中，開口第一偈與第二十四偈皆作「汝等觀」，正是此義之經據。
(四) 「從別處來」之三義。彌勒不從樓閣中出而從他處來，疏立三義：
「言別處來者，攝化就機故，還來歸本故，亦顯慈氏應念而至不著處故。」〔T35n1735 0956b14–0956b15〕
(五) 爾焰即所知。頌中「令過爾焰海」〔T10n0279 0426a24〕之爾焰，疏出其義並引論為證：
「爾焰者此云所知，入大乘論云「爾焰地者是第十地」，此約盡斷十種所知障故」〔T35n1735 0956b28–0956c01〕
疏判此偈所屬之七偈為「歎即悲之智」，而其前四偈為「讚其即智之悲」〔0956b27〕——悲智互舉而各不離，是此二十六偈之骨。
(六) 華供之表法。善財散華一段，疏逐物出表：
「言文殊心念力者，表由信智故。華因德立，瓔珞行成。云盈手者，信智滿故。散彌勒者，攝成因故，辦當果故。」〔T35n1735 0956c08–0956c11〕
華不自求而「不覺忽然自盈其手」〔T10n0279 0428a14〕，其所以然繫於文殊之心念力——信智滿則供具自具。
(七) 末偈之指歸。一百一十三偈之末，彌勒不留學人於己，而遣其還歸文殊：
「汝當往大智，文殊師利所；彼當令汝得，普賢深妙行。」〔T10n0279 0428a09〕
疏判此為「末後一偈略示後友」〔T35n1735 0956b22〕。善財答頌之末亦唯念文殊：「我以文殊故，見諸難見者」〔T10n0279 0428a23〕——一參之始與一參之終同繫於一人。
六、諸家異釋（古德·標宗）
澄觀《華嚴經疏》T35n1735 ·《演義鈔》T36n1736（八十華嚴逐文·主）
科：「第二「善財童子以如是」下見敬諮問。於中二：初見敬、後諮問。」〔T35n1735 0955c16–0955c17〕
設敬儀五事：「第二「善財見已」下明設敬儀。於中五：一身心敬禮、二「時彌勒」下讚德記別、三「爾時彌勒」下重申敬儀、四「時彌勒」下再讚再記、五「時善財」下慶遇念恩。」〔T35n1735 0956b16–0956b19〕
頌之三分：「後偈正讚，有百一十三頌，分三：初一指眾總歎、末後一偈略示後友、中間諸偈別歎勝德。」〔T35n1735 0956b21–0956b23〕
重申敬儀之三：「第三重申敬儀，中三：初辨敬因，聞讚德故；次「善財聞」下身心悲敬；後「以文殊」下華供展誠。」〔T35n1735 0956c06–0956c08〕
末二事：「第四再讚再記、第五慶遇念恩，文並可知。」〔T35n1735 0956c11–0956c12〕
法藏《探玄記》T35n1733（六十華嚴疏）
見正報三分：「二見正報中三：初欲見、二遙見、三歎德。」〔T35n1733 0487b14–0487b15〕
從外來之二義：「言從外來者，攝化就機故、還來歸本故。」〔T35n1733 0487b15–0487b16〕
歎德四分：「「威德」下歎德中，初挺特普照、二超世魔染、三「深入」下德齊因果、四「住大智」下歎受位灌頂。」〔T35n1733 0487b16–0487b18〕
授己法界之科：「二致敬、三請問，竝可知。第四「爾時彌勒」下授己法界。於中二：初歎善財法器利益、二正令入己法界。」〔T35n1733 0487b18–0487b21〕
歎德利益六分：「前中有六：初為己眷屬歎善財德，令人倣習；二正為善財歎德令喜；三勸歸文殊、彌勒攝受；四善財自慶，重請彌勒；五彌勒以偈重歎善財；六具歎無盡大菩提心。」〔T35n1733 0487b21–0487b24〕
初段八分及百十城之三釋：「就初段中文有八：初指示大眾。二歎善財精進德。頻陀伽羅，是猶覺城也。百十者，古師有三釋。一云：上來至此應有一百一十，但文中脫漏，故不具列也。」〔T35n1733 0487b24–0487b28〕（此段所釋為六十本讚德長行之文，底本此處無「頻陀伽羅」「百十」之語）
李通玄《新華嚴經論》T36n1739（表法異軌）
十段科判之第五段標目：「第五「爾時善財童子以如是等一切菩薩無量稱揚讚歎法」已下，是善財欲見彌勒菩薩從外而來分。」〔T36n1739 1005a09–1005a11〕
通玄於本段唯出此一標目句，未見隨文逐句釋義之文——據實標闕。
智儼《搜玄記》T35n1732
見正報五分：「七見正報相中有五：初起方便求見法身、二「遙見」下隣而未即也、三「與無量天龍」下辨其眷屬、四「從外而來」顯眾行緣集也、五「威德特尊」下歎德也。」〔T35n1732 0103c26–0103c29〕
辨入法界四分：「三「爾時彌勒觀察大眾」下辨入法界，文有四：初廣歎發心德、二「汝先所問」下正入自體法門、三「大聖此行」下辨法門名、四「白言」下窮緣顯實也。」〔T35n1732 0103c29–0104a04〕
初文五分：「初文有五：初歎具功德者；二「告善財汝可往詣」下會位從實；三「善財五體敬禮」下攝」〔T35n1732 0104a04–0104a05〕
誌錄不判
本節之科，澄觀立「見敬諮問」一科而於見正報下開設敬儀五事，復於讚頌立一百一十三頌之三分五分；法藏就六十本判見正報為欲見·遙見·歎德三分，別以「授己法界」總攝彌勒說頌以下，開歎德利益為六、初段為八；智儼就六十本判見正報相為五（起方便求見法身·隣而未即·辨其眷屬·顯眾行緣集·歎德），別以「辨入法界」開為四而初文復五；李通玄以十段科判之第五段標目本節起句，段下未展隨文之釋。四家之分數與所依之骨互異：澄觀就八十本逐文而科，法藏與智儼所科之經為六十本，故其「威德特尊」「頻陀伽羅」「百十」等牒句於底本無所對；通玄之體例本以分段通論見長。彌勒之寄位，孔目章作「攝德成因相知識」〔T45n1870 0585b26〕，澄觀作「明攝德成因相」〔T35n1735 0955c08〕，探玄記與搜玄記亦各出其語——四家異名而同指一事，皆繫「攝德成因」於彌勒。此諸異釋皆古德成說，誌錄之。
七、互讀·承衍
本節之文，承衍繫鏈皆自古德已行之互讀直回，零新考據：
- 智儼《華嚴經孔目章》T45n1870：以「攝德成因相知識」為彌勒一位之總判——「自下攝德成因相知識。約一乘別教」〔T45n1870 0585b26〕。此屬寄位序次之總說，非釋本節逐句之文，澄觀承其名而立五相之第三。
- 《演義鈔》T36n1736：本節所繫之鈔文〔T36n1736 0693a18〕以下，所釋為疏之總說語（攝德成因之名、契法性之真源、三觀一心等），其疏文本體落於見敬諮問科之前段；鈔隨疏連注而未於見敬諮問一科別起。據實誌錄，非缺陷。
- 《入大乘論》句：澄觀釋「爾焰」所引——「入大乘論云「爾焰地者是第十地」」〔T35n1735 0956b28–0956b29〕。
- 華嚴宗論：《華嚴經旨歸》T45n1871 ·《華嚴一乘教義分齊章》T45n1866 ·《華嚴一乘十玄門》T45n1868 ·《華嚴法界玄鏡》T45n1883 四典檢「彌勒」雖各有命中，經查皆屬教相判釋泛引一生補處之義或善知識總表列名，非本節逐段相涉〔查無〕。
- 唯識軸：十地經論 T26n1522 · 成唯識論 T31n1585 · 攝大乘論 T31n1594 · 瑜伽師地論 T30n1579 · 解深密經 T16n0676 五典檢「汝等觀善財」「攝德成因」皆 0 命中〔查無〕。本節非〈十地品〉，不另立唯識繫鏈。
- 李通玄《論》T36n1739：全檔檢「汝等觀善財」0 命中——通玄第五段唯出標目而未逐句牒經〔查無〕。
- 疏窗自舉他典：見敬諮問科本身〔T35n1735 0955c16–0956c12〕之內，除「入大乘論」一引外，未另舉他經他論〔查無〕。
八、校本定位
- 實叉 T279（底本）：本節〔T10n0279 0425b07〕起（卷七十七）–〔0428b06 前〕訖。願見彌勒 0425b07–b10 · 彌勒從別處來與眷屬 0425b10–b14 · 五體投地 0425b14–b15 · 讚頌標起 0425b15–b16 · 讚頌一百一十三偈 0425b17–0428a10（指眾總歎一偈 0425b17 · 直對善財歎二十二偈 0425b19–0426a04 · 對眾令勸讚二十六偈 0426a05–0426b27 · 重對善財讚六十三偈 0426b28–0428a08 · 略示後友一偈 0428a09）· 彌勒稱讚與善財華供 0428a11–a16 · 摩頂標起 0428a16 · 摩頂頌一偈 0428a18 · 答頌標起 0428a20 · 善財答頌二偈 0428a21–a24 · 卷末題記與次子界標 0428b01–b06。偈行二百三十二。
- 佛馱 T278（晉譯主對校）：本節對位段〔T09n0278 0773c12〕起（卷五十八）–〔0775b04〕訖。讚頌標起 0773c12–c13 · 讚頌一百三十六行六十八偈 0773c14–0775b04 · 卷五十八訖 0775b05 · 卷五十九首與次段起 0775b08–b12。六十本此段之讚德長行〔0772b02〕「爾時，彌勒觀察大眾，指善財言」以下，場景近於前節之末，不入本窗。
- 般若 T293（貞元本對校）：本節對位段〔T10n0293 0820c01〕起–〔0823b20〕訖（次子界標）。讚頌標起 0820c01–c02 · 讚頌 0820c03–0823b04 · 彌勒稱讚與善財華供 0823b05–b12 · 摩頂頌 0823b13–b14 · 答頌標起 0823b15 · 善財答頌 0823b16–b19。四十本此段與底本近乎逐字同構，所據抽文中段從略，其偈數未逐字實計，據實標闕。
- 澄觀《疏》T35n1735：攝德成因相總起 0955c07 · 見敬諮問科起 0955c16 · 見依諸科 0955c17–0956b12（含大樓閣五十五偈之判 0956b03–b12·所詠屬前子）· 見正報 0956b13–b16 · 設敬儀五事 0956b16–b19 · 讚德記別之長行與頌分科 0956b20–0956c06 · 重申敬儀 0956c06–c11 · 再讚再記與慶遇念恩 0956c11 · 諮問科起 0956c12。寄位持平語別在末會十門之五相分別門 0918b02–0918b08。
- 澄觀《鈔》T36n1736：本節相涉段 0693a18–0693c14（釋攝德成因之名 0693a18–a20 · 釋契法性之真源十句 0693a20–a26 · 釋三觀一心 0693a26–a29 · 釋契無性十一句 0693b05–b22 · 釋會歸中道 0693b22–0693c14）。此段所注之疏文本體落於見敬諮問科之前，據實誌錄。
- 法藏《探玄記》T35n1733：本節相涉 0487b14–0487c04（見正報三分 0487b14–b16 · 歎德四分 0487b16–b18 · 致敬請問 0487b18–b19 · 授己法界二分 0487b19–b21 · 歎德利益六分 0487b21–b24 · 初段八分與百十城三釋 0487b24–0487c04）。所科之經為六十本。
- 李通玄《論》T36n1739：本節相涉唯 1005a09–1005a11（十段科判第五段標目）。段下未見隨文釋。
- 智儼《搜玄記》T35n1732：本節相涉 0103c26–0104a05（見正報相五分 0103c26–c29 · 辨入法界四分 0103c29–0104a04 · 初文五分 0104a04–a05）。所科之經為六十本。
- 異讀：本單元 T279 範圍〔0425b07〕–〔0428b05〕內大正校記 26 條，逐條照錄不判（底本【大】｜他本異讀；多本異讀以／分列）：〔0425b27〕善來德為體，……無分別。（凡40字）【大】｜無此字【聖乙】 · 〔0425c26〕汝觀善知識，……應順行。（凡100字）【大】｜無此字【聖乙】 · 〔0426a23〕善財法船師，……淨寶洲。（凡20字）【大】｜無此字【聖乙】 · 〔0426a29〕善財勝智海，……眾法寶。（凡20字）【大】｜無此字【聖乙】 · 〔0426b02〕昇【大】＊｜升【宋】【元】【明】＊（＊同校並繫〔0427b24〕之昇字） · 〔0426b04〕善財然法燈，……大菩提。（凡280字）【大】｜無此字【聖乙】 · 〔0426b07〕肢【大】｜支【宮】【聖】 · 〔0426c11〕一切眾生輪，……此心界。（凡80字）【大】｜無此字【聖乙】 · 〔0426c27〕當示於正道，……大智海。（凡60字）【大】｜無此字【聖乙】 · 〔0427a06〕汝當入剎海，……於法界。（凡80字）【大】｜無此字【聖乙】 · 〔0427a16〕所行無動亂，……諸妙道！（凡120字）【大】｜無此字【聖乙】 · 〔0427a20〕諸【大】｜詣【聖】 · 〔0427b09〕菩薩種種行，……咸信受。（凡60字）【大】｜無此字【聖乙】 · 〔0427c02〕信樂堅進力，……勤修習。（凡40字）【大】｜無此字【聖乙】 · 〔0427c08〕若有善知識，……方為善。（凡40字）【大】｜無此字【聖乙】 · 〔0427c18〕若於善知識，……如是法。（凡20字）【大】｜無此字【聖乙】 · 〔0427c24〕若入此法門，……諸佛會。（凡120字）【大】｜無此字【聖乙】 · 〔0428a16〕薩【大】｜薩摩訶薩【聖】 · 〔0428a25〕大方廣佛華嚴經卷第七十七（凡12字）【大】｜無此字【聖乙】 · 〔0428b02〕第【大】｜無此字【聖】 · 〔0428b02〕大方廣佛華嚴經卷第七十八（凡12字）【大】｜大方廣佛華嚴……，七十八（凡21字）【聖乙】 · 〔0428b04〕三藏【大】｜三藏沙門【宋】【元】【明】／三藏法師【宮】 · 〔0428b04〕奉制【大】｜無此字【宋】【元】【明】【宮】 · 〔0428b04〕于闐國三藏實叉難陀奉制譯（凡12字）【大】｜新譯【聖】／無此字【聖乙】 · 〔0428b05〕界【大】｜無此字【明】 · 〔0428b05〕入法界品第三十九之十九（凡11字）【大】｜無此字【聖乙】。（＊＝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 1 條（不入上列大正校記之數）：〔0425c05〕倦【CB】【麗-CB】｜惓【大】。
- 異讀補記：夾注已於原典層剝除誌錄。
- 查無條目：十地經論 T26n1522 · 成唯識論 T31n1585 · 攝大乘論 T31n1594 · 瑜伽師地論 T30n1579 · 解深密經 T16n0676——五部檢「汝等觀善財」「攝德成因」皆 0 命中；《華嚴經旨歸》T45n1871 ·《華嚴一乘教義分齊章》T45n1866 ·《華嚴一乘十玄門》T45n1868 ·《華嚴法界玄鏡》T45n1883——四典「彌勒」之命中皆屬泛引，非本節逐段相涉；李通玄 T36n1739 全檔「汝等觀善財」0 命中。
Sudhana’s fifty-first friend, the bodhisattva Maitreya, is here seen in an instance of ‘first praising the student before the assembly, and only afterward receiving the student’s question.’ This section runs to something over three thousand one hundred graphs, of which the prose is only two small passages at the beginning and the end, all the rest being a single long poem of a hundred and thirteen verses — Maitreya does not first expound the Dharma to Sudhana but points him out to the assembly, praising him the whole way from the bringing forth of the mind to the fruit that is to come. Chengguan outlines this poem passage by passage, judging it to be 「初一指眾總歎、末後一偈略示後友、中間諸偈別歎勝德」 tr. “the first one verse, the general praise that points him out to the assembly; the last one verse, briefly pointing out the next friend; and the verses in between, praising his surpassing virtue in particular,” and analyzing the middle further into three great passages — twenty-two verses of praise addressed directly to Sudhana, twenty-six verses of praise that exhorts the assembly, and sixty-three verses of praise addressed again to Sudhana — with further divisions within each; and these numbers agree in every case with a verse-by-verse counting of the base text. When the poem is done there is one verse of Maitreya stroking his crown and two answering verses of Sudhana, which are the only exchange outside this section’s long poem. The sixty has sixty-eight verses in this poem of praise; the forty is nearly identical in structure to the base text graph for graph, and in the extract collated two verses are seen that the base text does not have (the remaining verses have not been counted graph by graph). Maitreya is assigned 「攝德成因相」 tr. “the mark of gathering virtue and accomplishing the cause,” and Chengguan follows the matching of the ancient worthies while keeping words of his own that are even-handed upon the matter of the matching itself.
I. Doctrinal Outline and Placement
| Outline system | The place of this section’s scripture text within it |
|---|---|
| The base text T279, in thirty-nine chapters | Chapter 39, Entering the Dharma Realm (the ninth assembly, in the Jeta Grove); the bodhisattva Maitreya, Part Two: the meeting, the reverence, and the inquiry = from the end of fascicle seventy-seven to the close of fascicle seventy-seven 〔T10 0425b07〕–〔0428b06 前〕 |
| Chengguan, Huayan jing shu | The outline of 「見敬諮問」 tr. “seeing, paying respect, and inquiring” begins 〔T35n1735 0955c16〕 and ends before the outline of 「諮問」 tr. “inquiring” 〔0956c12〕; what this section takes in is that outline from 「見正報」 tr. “seeing the direct recompense” onward |
| Chengguan, Yanyi chao | Glossing the name 「攝德成因」 tr. “gathering virtue and accomplishing the cause” and the general statement of the Shu 〔T36n1736 0693a20〕 onward |
| Fazang, Tanxuan ji (the commentary upon the sixty-fascicle Avataṃsaka) | 「二見正報中三」 tr. “second, within the seeing of the direct recompense there are three” begins 〔T35n1733 0487b14〕; 「第四『爾時彌勒』下授己法界」 tr. “fourth, beneath ‘at that time Maitreya,’ conferring his own Dharma realm” 〔0487b19〕 |
| Li Tongxuan, Xin Huayan jing lun | The heading of the fifth passage of the outline in ten passages 〔T36n1739 1005a09〕; beneath this passage no clause-by-clause gloss following the text is seen |
| Zhiyan, Souxuan ji | 「七見正報相中有五」 tr. “seventh, within the mark of seeing the direct recompense there are five” 〔T35n1732 0103c26〕; 「三『爾時彌勒觀察大眾』下辨入法界」 tr. “third, beneath ‘at that time Maitreya contemplated the great assembly,’ distinguishing the entering of the Dharma realm” 〔0103c29〕 |
The general opening of the mark of gathering virtue and accomplishing the cause — Maitreya alone constitutes one mark by himself, and Chengguan sets up its name:
「自下大文第三慈氏一人，明攝德成因相」 tr. “from here on, the third great division of the text: the Kind One, one person, setting forth the mark of gathering virtue and accomplishing the cause” 〔T35n1735 0955c07〕
The outline of seeing, paying respect, and inquiring:
「第二「善財童子以如是」下見敬諮問。於中二：初見敬、後諮問。前中亦二：先見依、後見正，各有申敬。」 tr. “Second, beneath ‘Sudhana the youth, with such,’ seeing, paying respect, and inquiring. Within this there are two: first the seeing and paying respect, afterward the inquiring. Within the former there are again two: first the seeing of the dependent recompense, afterward the seeing of the direct, each with its setting out of reverence.” 〔T35n1735 0955c16–0955c18〕
A record of the boundary of the sub-unit — the boundary of this section is set up according to the division by graph count, and is not Chengguan’s outline boundary. The citation-clause of this outline of Chengguan’s, 「善財童子以如是」 tr. “Sudhana the youth, with such,” is identical in form to 「善財童子以如是尊重、如是供養」 tr. “Sudhana the youth, with such reverence and such offering” 〔T10n0279 0422c15〕 in the preceding sub-unit, and so his outline in fact begins in the middle of the preceding section: the whole portion of the seeing of the dependent recompense (entering samādhi and setting out reverence, coming out of samādhi and reverently praising, together with the prose of the great storeyed pavilion and the verses of praise) belongs to the preceding sub-unit, and what this section takes in is only what follows 「見正」 tr. “the seeing of the direct.” Upon the verses of praise within the seeing of the dependent recompense the Shu judges:
「第三偈以言讚中，五十五偈，分二：前三十四偈七言舉德歎處、後二十一偈五言指處明德。」 tr. “Third, within the praising in words by verse, fifty-five verses, divided into two: the first thirty-four verses, in seven graphs to the line, raise up the virtue and praise the place; the last twenty-one verses, in five graphs to the line, point out the place and set forth the virtue.” 〔T35n1735 0956b03–0956b05〕
Although this outline-text of the fifty-five verses falls after the opening clause of this section, what those verses sing of is the great storeyed pavilion of the preceding section — the units of the outlines of the ancient worthies and the units by which this edition divides its sub-units do not correspond one to one; this is recorded as it stands, and is not a fault of fragmentation.
The outline of the seeing of the direct recompense (the very body of this section):
「第二「爾時」下見正報，中二：一見、二敬。見中二：先翹心願覩、後「乃見」下正覩慈尊。」 tr. “Second, beneath ‘at that time,’ the seeing of the direct recompense; within it there are two: first the seeing, second the reverence. Within the seeing there are two: first raising up the mind and wishing to behold, afterward, beneath ‘and only then did he see,’ directly beholding the Kindly Honored One.” 〔T35n1735 0956b13–0956b14〕
「第二「善財見已」下明設敬儀。於中五：一身心敬禮、二「時彌勒」下讚德記別、三「爾時彌勒」下重申敬儀、四「時彌勒」下再讚再記、五「時善財」下慶遇念恩。」 tr. “Second, beneath ‘Sudhana, having seen him,’ setting forth the form of reverence. Within it there are five: first, paying respect with body and mind; second, beneath ‘then Maitreya,’ praising his virtue and declaring his destiny; third, beneath ‘at that time Maitreya,’ setting out the form of reverence again; fourth, beneath ‘then Maitreya,’ praising again and declaring his destiny again; fifth, beneath ‘then Sudhana,’ rejoicing at the meeting and calling to mind his kindness.” 〔T35n1735 0956b16–0956b19〕
The five matters of the setting out of the form of reverence are exactly the bone of this section: (a) casting the five limbs to the ground 〔T10n0279 0425b14〕; (b) Maitreya pointing him out to the great assembly and speaking a hundred and thirteen verses 〔0425b15〕; (c) Sudhana weeping in grief and offering flowers 〔0428a11〕; (d) Maitreya stroking his crown and praising him again 〔0428a16〕; (e) Sudhana’s answering verses 〔0428a20〕.
The outline of the hundred and thirteen verses — the main body of this section:
「二中有二：先長行。指示者，令眾同覩，倣而行故。後偈正讚，有百一十三頌，分三：初一指眾總歎、末後一偈略示後友、中間諸偈別歎勝德。」 tr. “Within the second there are two: first the prose. As for pointing him out, it is so that the assembly may see him together and, imitating him, may practice. Afterward the verses that praise him directly, a hundred and thirteen verses in all, divided into three: the first one verse, the general praise that points him out to the assembly; the last one verse, briefly pointing out the next friend; and the verses in between, praising his surpassing virtue in particular.” 〔T35n1735 0956b20–0956b23〕
The verses in between divide further into three passages, and within each passage there are further divisions:
| The outline-passage of the Shu | Number of verses | The opening verse in the base text | Subdivision within the passage |
|---|---|---|---|
| The first one, the general praise that points him out to the assembly | 1 | 「汝等觀善財」 tr. “All of you, look upon this Sudhana” 〔T10n0279 0425b17〕 | — |
| One, praise addressed directly to Sudhana | 22 | 「善來圓滿慈」 tr. “Welcome, perfect and complete kindness” 〔0425b19〕 | the first nine, praising his virtue with ‘welcome’ · the next two, setting forth the causes and conditions of his coming · the last eleven, setting forth what he has come for |
| Two, the praise that exhorts the assembly | 26 | 「汝等觀此人」 tr. “All of you, look upon this person” 〔0426a05〕 | the first four, the general praise · the next four, praising the compassion that is knowledge itself · the next seven, praising the knowledge that is compassion itself · the next six, the general praise of his many virtues · the last five, praising the wondrous fruit that is to be accomplished |
| Three, praise addressed again to Sudhana | 63 | 「汝行極調柔」 tr. “Your conduct is exceedingly pliant” 〔0426b28〕 | the first twenty-six, praising the virtue of his fruit to come · the next seven, the twofold praise of virtue present and to come · the next eight, praising the virtue of his meeting with friends · the next five, praising the swift accomplishment of the virtue of station and practice · the last seventeen, setting forth his many virtues together and concluding in praise so that gladness may arise |
| The last one verse, briefly pointing out the next friend | 1 | 「汝當往大智」 tr. “You should go to the one of great knowledge” 〔0428a09〕 | — |
The Shu graph for graph:
「於中三：初二十二偈直對善財歎，於中亦三：初九讚德善來；次二明來因緣，以外由善友、內具德行故；後十一偈明來所為。」 tr. “Within it there are three: the first twenty-two verses praise Sudhana directly, and within these there are again three: the first nine praise his virtue with ‘welcome’; the next two set forth the causes and conditions of his coming, since outwardly it is by good friends and inwardly he is endowed with virtue and practice; the last eleven verses set forth what he has come for.” 〔T35n1735 0956b23–0956b26〕
「二「汝等觀」下二十六偈對眾令勸讚。於中五：初四總讚；次四讚其即智之悲；次七歎即悲之智，爾焰者此云所知，入大乘論云「爾焰地者是第十地」，此約盡斷十種所知障故；次六偈總歎諸德；後五偈讚妙果當成。」 tr. “Second, beneath ‘all of you, look upon,’ twenty-six verses of the praise addressed to the assembly that exhorts them. Within these there are five: the first four are the general praise; the next four praise the compassion that is knowledge itself; the next seven praise the knowledge that is compassion itself — as for eryan, it means here the knowable, and the Ru dasheng lun says, ‘the ground of eryan is the tenth ground,’ this being spoken of with reference to the exhausting and cutting off of the ten kinds of obstruction to the knowable; the next six verses are the general praise of his many virtues; the last five verses praise the wondrous fruit that is to be accomplished.” 〔T35n1735 0956b26–0956c02〕
「三「汝行」下重對善財讚。於中分五：初二十六偈歎其當果德，初二總、餘皆別；二「汝於」下七偈雙歎當現德；三「諸根」下八偈讚其遇友德；四有五偈歎速成位行德；五有十七偈總明諸德結歎令欣。」 tr. “Third, beneath ‘your conduct,’ praise addressed again to Sudhana. Within it there are five divisions: the first twenty-six verses praise the virtue of his fruit to come, the first two being general and the rest all particular; second, beneath ‘as for you,’ seven verses that twofoldly praise virtue present and to come; third, beneath ‘your faculties,’ eight verses praising the virtue of his meeting with friends; fourth, five verses praising the swift accomplishment of the virtue of station and practice; fifth, seventeen verses setting forth his many virtues together and concluding in praise so that gladness may arise.” 〔T35n1735 0956c02–0956c06〕
One and twenty-two and twenty-six and sixty-three and one together make a hundred and thirteen, and this agrees throughout with an actual counting of the verse lines of the base text (the verse lines of this section are two hundred and thirty-two, of which Maitreya’s poem of praise is two hundred and twenty-six lines, that is, a hundred and thirteen verses, the verse of the stroking of the crown is two lines, and Sudhana’s answering verses are four lines); and the opening clauses the Shu cites, 「汝等觀」 tr. “all of you, look upon,” 「汝行」 tr. “your conduct,” 「汝於」 tr. “as for you,” and 「諸根」 tr. “your faculties,” correspond graph for graph with the first clauses of the twenty-fourth, fiftieth, seventy-sixth, and eighty-third verses of the base text.
From the setting out of the form of reverence again onward:
「第三重申敬儀，中三：初辨敬因，聞讚德故；次「善財聞」下身心悲敬；後「以文殊」下華供展誠。」 tr. “Third, setting out the form of reverence again; within it there are three: first, distinguishing the cause of the reverence, which is the hearing of the praise of his virtue; next, beneath ‘Sudhana, having heard,’ the grieving reverence of body and mind; last, beneath ‘because of Mañjuśrī,’ the offering of flowers that displays his sincerity.” 〔T35n1735 0956c06–0956c08〕
「第四再讚再記、第五慶遇念恩，文並可知。」 tr. “Fourth, praising again and declaring his destiny again; fifth, rejoicing at the meeting and calling to mind his kindness — the text of both may be understood as it stands.” 〔T35n1735 0956c11–0956c12〕
II. Terminology
| Chinese | The Sanskrit transmitted by the ancient worthies (in roman letters, as an aid to pronunciation) | Where it is attested | The essential sense |
|---|---|---|---|
| the mark of gathering virtue and accomplishing the cause | — | the Shu: 「自下大文第三慈氏一人，明攝德成因相」 tr. “from here on, the third great division of the text: the Kind One, one person, setting forth the mark of gathering virtue and accomplishing the cause” 〔T35n1735 0955c07〕 | the third of Chengguan’s five marks of the last assembly, borne by Maitreya alone; the gathering of the virtue of the stations before in order to accomplish the cause of the fruit to come |
| the Kind One | — | the Shu: 「亦顯慈氏應念而至不著處故」 tr. “and it also shows that the Kind One arrives with the thought that calls him, having no place he clings to” 〔T35n1735 0956b15〕 | the rendering of the sense of the Kind One’s name; in this section the Shu uses this appellation in the passage of his coming |
| seeing, paying respect, and inquiring | — | the Shu: 「第二「善財童子以如是」下見敬諮問」 tr. “second, beneath ‘Sudhana the youth, with such,’ seeing, paying respect, and inquiring” 〔T35n1735 0955c16〕 | the second and third together of the six outline-passages of Sudhana’s visiting of friends; first he sees and pays respect, and having paid respect he inquires |
| coming from somewhere else | — | the scripture: 「乃見彌勒菩薩摩訶薩從別處來」 tr. “and only then did he see the bodhisattva-mahāsattva Maitreya coming from somewhere else” 〔T10n0279 0425b10〕 | he does not come out of the pavilion but comes from another place; the Shu sets up three meanings to gloss it |
| the place where he had taken birth | — | the scripture: 「及本生處無量眷屬、婆羅門眾」 tr. “and the measureless retinue of the place where he had taken birth, and the host of brahmins” 〔T10n0279 0425b12〕 | the place where Maitreya received his birth; the retinue of his lay household and the host of brahmins come together with him |
| casting the five limbs to the ground | — | the scripture: 「善財見已，歡喜踊躍，五體投地」 tr. “Sudhana, having seen him, was glad and exultant, and cast his five limbs to the ground” 〔T10n0279 0425b14〕 | the two elbows, the two knees, and the crown, five places touching the ground; the Shu outlines it as the first of the five matters of the setting out of the form of reverence, 「身心敬禮」 tr. “paying respect with body and mind” |
| welcome | — | the scripture: 「善來圓滿慈，善來清淨悲」 tr. “welcome, perfect and complete kindness; welcome, pure compassion” 〔T10n0279 0425b19〕 | a word for greeting a person; it occurs seventeen times in the verses of this section, and the Shu judges the first nine verses to be 「讚德善來」 tr. “praising his virtue with ‘welcome’” |
| gain, loss, blame, and praise | — | the scripture: 「利衰毀譽等，一切無分別」 tr. “gain, loss, blame, and praise, and the rest — among all of them there is no distinguishing” 〔T10n0279 0425c01〕 | four of the eight worldly dharmas; to raise no distinction among them is what the verse calls 「世法不能染」 tr. “the dharmas of the world cannot stain” |
| eryan | — | the scripture: 「令過爾焰海」 tr. “making them cross the sea of eryan” 〔T10n0279 0426a24〕; the Shu: 「爾焰者此云所知」 tr. “as for eryan, it means here the knowable” 〔T35n1735 0956b28〕 | the knowable; the Shu cites the Ru dasheng lun, 「爾焰地者是第十地」 tr. “the ground of eryan is the tenth ground,” spoken of with reference to the exhausting and cutting off of the ten kinds of obstruction to the knowable |
| jialuoluo | — | the scripture: 「覺心迦羅邏，悲胞慈為肉」 tr. “the mind of awakening is the jialuoluo, compassion is the caul and kindness the flesh” 〔T10n0279 0426b06〕 | the stage of the first coagulation within the womb; here the sequence of gestation likens the growing of the mind of awakening, and the forty transcribes it as 「羯邏藍」 tr. “jieluolan” |
| the net of Indra | — | the scripture: 「譬如因陀網，剎網如是住」 tr. “just as with the net of Indra, so too do the nets of the lands abide” 〔T10n0279 0427a18〕 | the net upon the palace of Śakra; here it likens the mutual involving and mutual entering of the sea of lands |
| the station of consecration | — | the scripture: 「已長如來種，當昇灌頂位」 tr. “he has already grown up the lineage of the tathāgatas, and is to ascend to the station of consecration” 〔T10n0279 0427b24〕 | the utmost of the bodhisattva stations, as a prince receives consecration and succeeds to the throne |
| a vessel for the Dharma | — | the scripture: 「非是法器人，與佛子同住」 tr. “one who is not a vessel for the Dharma, though he dwell together with a son of the Buddha” 〔T10n0279 0427b17〕 · 「汝是真法器」 tr. “you are a true vessel for the Dharma” 〔0428a03〕 | the capacity fit to receive the Dharma; this section judges the ability and inability to hear by 「是器／非器」 tr. “being a vessel and not being a vessel” |
| stroking the crown | — | the scripture: 「時，彌勒菩薩摩善財頂，為說頌言」 tr. “then the bodhisattva Maitreya stroked the crown of Sudhana’s head, and spoke a verse for him” 〔T10n0279 0428a16〕 | to stroke his crown with the hand, the mark of sanction and of adding one’s power |
III. Similes and Rhetoric
(a) The nine similes of the good friend — the seventeenth through nineteenth verses run down in a single breath, the simile-word being in every case 「如」 tr. “as,” likening what a good friend is to one who studies:
「汝念善知識，生我如父母，養我如乳母，增我菩提分，如醫療眾疾，如天灑甘露，如日示正道，如月轉淨輪，如山不動搖，如海無增減，如船師濟渡，而來至我所。」 tr. “You call good friends to mind: they bear me as father and mother do, they rear me as a wet-nurse does, they increase in me the limbs of awakening; as a physician heals many diseases, as the sky sprinkles down sweet dew, as the sun points out the right road, as the moon turns forth a pure wheel, as a high mountain does not shake, as the great sea neither increases nor decreases, as a ferryman carries people across — and so you have come here to me.” 〔T10n0279 0425c18–0425c25〕
Father and mother · wet-nurse · physician · the sky sprinkling sweet dew · sun · moon · mountain · sea · ferryman: nine similes in all. The first two liken bearing and rearing, the middle four liken healing and pointing out, the last three liken not shaking, neither increasing nor decreasing, and carrying across — from the receiving of birth all the way to liberation, an order that goes from the shallow inward to the deep.
(b) The three-office simile of the good friend and the seven clauses of 「能」 tr. “can” — the twentieth through twenty-second verses:
「汝觀善知識，猶如大猛將，亦如大商主，又如大導師，能建正法幢，能示佛功德，能滅諸惡道，能開善趣門，能顯諸佛身，能守諸佛藏，能持諸佛法，是故願瞻奉。」 tr. “You look upon good friends as upon a great and valiant general, and as upon a great caravan leader, and again as upon a great guide, who can raise up the banner of the right Dharma, who can display the merit and virtue of the buddhas, who can extinguish the many evil destinies, who can open the gate of the good destinies, who can make manifest the bodies of the buddhas, who can guard the treasuries of the buddhas, who can uphold the dharmas of the buddhas — and therefore you vow to look up to them and serve them.” 〔T10n0279 0425c26–0426a02〕
After the three similes of valiant general · caravan leader · guide come seven clauses in parallel, each beginning with 「能」 tr. “can” (raising the banner · displaying the virtue · extinguishing the evil destinies · opening the gate of the good · making manifest the buddhas’ bodies · guarding the buddhas’ treasuries · upholding the buddhas’ dharmas), gathered in at the last by 「是故願瞻奉」 tr. “and therefore you vow to look up to them and serve them.”
(c) The cluster of similes upon Sudhana himself — the thirtieth through forty-second verses take Sudhana as the thing likened, one simile to a verse or several similes to a verse: the sharp plough of knowledge 〔T10n0279 0426a18〕 · the guide 〔0426a20〕 · the armor of patience and the vehicle of liberation and the sharp sword of wisdom 〔0426a21〕 · the ferryman of the Dharma 〔0426a23〕 · the sun of right awakening 〔0426a25〕 · the moon of right awakening 〔0426a27〕 · the sea of surpassing knowledge 〔0426a29〕 · the dragon of great mind 〔0426b02〕 · the lamp of the Dharma 〔0426b04〕 · the jialuoluo 〔0426b06〕 · the four treasuries 〔0426b08〕 · the great adornment 〔0426b10〕 · the tree of wisdom 〔0426b12〕. Among these, the verse of the lamp of the Dharma raises four things side by side in one verse:
「善財然法燈，信炷慈悲油，念器功德光，滅除三毒暗。」 tr. “Sudhana kindles the lamp of the Dharma: faith is the wick, kindness and compassion are the oil, mindfulness is the vessel, merit and virtue are the light — extinguishing the darkness of the three poisons.” 〔T10n0279 0426b04〕
Faith as the wick, kindness and compassion as the oil, mindfulness as the vessel, merit and virtue as the light — the four parts of one lamp are each matched to something. The next verse turns to the simile of gestation:
「覺心迦羅邏，悲胞慈為肉，菩提分肢節，長於如來藏。」 tr. “The mind of awakening is the jialuoluo, compassion is the caul and kindness the flesh, the limbs of awakening are the limbs and joints — and what grows there is the treasury of the tathāgatas.” 〔T10n0279 0426b06〕
The mind of awakening as the stage of first coagulation, compassion as the caul, kindness as the flesh, the limbs of awakening as the limbs and joints, and what grows there the treasury of the tathāgatas — the sequence from entering the womb to taking form likens the growing up of the mind of awakening.
(d) The parallelism of the graph 「當」 tr. “is to” — the graph 「當」 tr. “is to” occurs eighty-six times in the whole sub-unit, first appearing in the twenty-seventh verse at 「當生佛國土」 tr. “is to be born in a buddha-land” 〔T10n0279 0426a12〕; and from the forty-fifth verse, 「當滅諸惡道」 tr. “is to extinguish the many evil destinies” 〔T10n0279 0426b18〕, onward, clauses opening with 「當」 tr. “is to” run on without a break. Among these, several verses go further and pile up four clauses upon one and the same graph as their rhyme-foot, as with ‘wheel’:
「一切眾生輪，沈迷諸有輪；汝當轉法輪，令其斷苦輪。」 tr. “The wheel that is all sentient beings sinks lost within the wheel of the many kinds of existence; you are to turn the wheel of the Dharma, and make them cut off the wheel of suffering.” 〔T10n0279 0426c11〕
Of the same fourfold type there are further net 〔0426c15〕 · realm 〔0426c17〕 · rejoicing 〔0426c19〕 · seeing 〔0426c21〕 · sea 〔0426c29 · 0427a02〕 · cloud 〔0427a08〕, eight verses in all counting this one; lineage 〔0426c13〕 · light 〔0426c23〕 · gate 〔0426c25〕 · road 〔0426c27〕 · sea 〔0427a04 · 0427a06〕 · chamber 〔0427a10〕 · gate 〔0427a12〕 repeat the graph three times. One graph repeated is the most conspicuous figure in this poem.
(e) Four similes to close — the last passage of the long poem turns to four worldly similes to close its exhortation: a bird moving through empty space likening freedom from stain 〔T10n0279 0427a17〕 · the net of Indra likening the nets of the lands 〔0427a18〕 · seed and fruit likening the non-losing of cause and effect 〔0427b27〕 · the dragon spreading thick clouds from which a great rain must fall likening the settledness of the knowledge of vow 〔0427c06〕. And further it takes 「如水生蓮華」 tr. “just as a lotus flower is born within water” 〔0427c29〕 to liken the increase of the roots of good.
(f) The parallel clauses of the prose — in the passage of Sudhana hearing the praise, clauses of four graphs run down one after another: 「歡喜踊躍，身毛皆豎，悲泣哽噎；起立合掌，恭敬瞻仰，遶無量匝。」 tr. “He was glad and exultant, the hairs of his body all stood on end, and he wept with grief and choked upon his sobs; he rose and stood, joined his palms, looked up with reverence, and circled him measureless times.” 〔T10n0279 0428a12–0428a13〕 The motion of the form and the feeling of the mind are set side by side and run down together, standing over against the absence of doing in what follows, 「不覺忽然自盈其手」 tr. “without his being aware of it, they all at once filled his hands of themselves” 〔0428a14〕.
IV. Collation with Parallel Translations
The Chinese witnesses collated for the essential clauses of this section’s scripture text: Śikṣānanda T279 (the base text · fascicle seventy-seven) · Buddhabhadra T278 (the Jin rendering, the sixty-fascicle Avataṃsaka, 〈Entering the Dharma Realm, the thirty-fourth〉 · fascicle fifty-eight) · Prajñā T293 (the Zhenyuan forty-fascicle Avataṃsaka, 〈Entering the Dharma Realm〉).
The difference in the number of verses: this poem of praise in the base text has a hundred and thirteen verses 〔T10n0279 0425b17–0428a10〕; in the sixty this poem of praise has a hundred and thirty-six lines, that is, sixty-eight verses 〔T09n0278 0773c14–0775b04〕. This passage of the forty is nearly identical in structure to the base text graph for graph; in the extract relied upon the middle portion is abridged, and its number of verses has not been counted graph by graph, so the lack is recorded as it stands.
Clause One The Heading of the Poem of Praise
| Witness | Verbatim | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Śikṣānanda T279 | Then the bodhisattva Maitreya looked upon Sudhana, pointed him out for the great assembly, praised his merit and virtue, and spoke these verses | T10n0279 0425b15 |
| Buddhabhadra T278 | At that time the bodhisattva-mahāsattva Maitreya looked upon Sudhana, pointed him out for the great assembly, praised his merit and virtue, and in verse said | T09n0278 0773c12 |
| Prajñā T293 | Then the bodhisattva Maitreya looked upon Sudhana, pointed him out for the great assembly, praised his true and measureless merit and virtue, and spoke these verses, saying | T10n0293 0820c01 |
What the variation is fastened to: the three witnesses are identical in structure in this clause. (a) The sixty has 「爾時」 tr. “at that time,” 「摩訶薩」 tr. “mahāsattva,” and 「以偈頌曰」 tr. “and in verse said,” where the base text has 「時」 tr. “then” and 「而說頌曰」 tr. “and spoke these verses.” (b) The forty adds above 「功德」 tr. “merit and virtue” the four graphs 「真實無量」 tr. “true and measureless,” and for the rest is wholly the same as the base text. Recorded without adjudication.
Clause Two The First Verse of the Poem of Praise
| Witness | Verbatim | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Śikṣānanda T279 | All of you, look upon this Sudhana: his mind of wisdom is pure; it is for the sake of seeking the practice of awakening that he has come here to me | T10n0279 0425b17 |
| Buddhabhadra T278 | As for Sudhana the youth, his mind is pure and straight and he has wisdom; single-mindedly seeking the bodhisattva practice, he has come here to me | T09n0278 0773c14 |
| Prajñā T293 | All of you, look upon this Sudhana: his mind of wisdom is pure; it is for the sake of seeking the practice of awakening that he has come to draw near to me | T10n0293 0820c03 |
What the variation is fastened to: (a) the first clause of the sixty is not a clause calling out to the assembly (「汝等觀」 tr. “all of you, look upon”) but names him directly, and so Chengguan’s judgment of 「初一指眾總歎」 tr. “the first one verse, the general praise that points him out to the assembly” has nothing to fasten to in the sixty. (b) The sixty has 「菩薩行」 tr. “the bodhisattva practice,” where the base text and the forty have 「菩提行」 tr. “the practice of awakening.” (c) The last clause of the forty is 「而來親近我」 tr. “he has come to draw near to me,” where the base text has 「而來至我所」 tr. “he has come here to me” — a clause that occurs seven times in this section of the base text. Recorded without adjudication.
Clause Three The Verses of ‘Welcome’
| Witness | Verbatim | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Śikṣānanda T279 | Welcome, you who have left delusion behind; the dharmas of the world cannot stain you; gain, loss, blame, and praise, and the rest — among all of them there is no distinguishing | T10n0279 0425b29 |
| Buddhabhadra T278 | Welcome, you who are equal-minded; gain and loss and blame and praise, suffering and pleasure, the dharmas of the world — by none of them is your mind stained | T09n0278 0773c26 |
| Prajñā T293 | Welcome, you who have left delusion behind; you dwell in the world as a lotus flower does; gain, loss, blame, and praise, and the rest — among all of them there is no distinguishing | T10n0293 0820c15 |
| Śikṣānanda T279 | Welcome, practice that is unshaken; you constantly seek out good friends, penetrate all dharmas, and tame the many kinds of beings | T10n0279 0425b23 |
| Buddhabhadra T278 | Welcome, practice that cannot be destroyed; you constantly seek out good friends, penetrate all dharmas, and teach and transform the many kinds of beings | T09n0278 0773c20 |
| Prajñā T293 | Welcome, practice that is unshaken; you constantly seek out good friends, understand the world and your mind is unstained, and you tame the many kinds of beings | T10n0293 0820c09 |
What the variation is fastened to: (a) all three witnesses use the greeting 「善來」 tr. “welcome,” but the virtues matched to it mostly differ: the base text 「離迷惑」 tr. “you who have left delusion behind” against the sixty’s 「平等者」 tr. “you who are equal-minded”; the base text 「不動行」 tr. “practice that is unshaken” against the sixty’s 「無壞行」 tr. “practice that cannot be destroyed.” (b) In the pairing of the second clause, the forty has 「處世如蓮華」 tr. “you dwell in the world as a lotus flower does,” the base text 「世法不能染」 tr. “the dharmas of the world cannot stain you,” while the sixty folds this sense into its last clause, 「其心無所染」 tr. “by none of them is your mind stained.” (c) For the clause 「了達一切法」 tr. “penetrate all dharmas,” the forty has 「了世心無染」 tr. “understand the world and your mind is unstained.” (d) The sixty further has a verse the base text does not have: 「善來大悲雲，能雨甘露法，具足三淨眼，菩薩行無厭」 tr. “Welcome, cloud of great compassion, able to rain down the Dharma of sweet dew, fully endowed with the three pure eyes, unwearying in the bodhisattva practice” 〔T09n0278 0773c16〕. Recorded without adjudication.
Clause Four The Simile of Gestation and the Simile of the Lamp
| Witness | Verbatim | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Śikṣānanda T279 | Sudhana kindles the lamp of the Dharma: faith is the wick, kindness and compassion are the oil, mindfulness is the vessel, merit and virtue are the light — extinguishing the darkness of the three poisons | T10n0279 0426b04 |
| Buddhabhadra T278 | The mind of pure faith is the wick, kindness and compassion are the fragrant oil, right mindfulness is the jewelled vessel — and thereby is kindled that lamp which lights the world | T09n0278 0774c07 |
| Śikṣānanda T279 | The mind of awakening is the jialuoluo, compassion is the caul and kindness the flesh, the limbs of awakening are the limbs and joints — and what grows there is the treasury of the tathāgatas | T10n0279 0426b06 |
| Buddhabhadra T278 | The mind of the path is the jialuoluo, kindness and compassion are the caul-mass, the limbs of awakening are the limbs and joints — and what is grown up there is the treasury of the tathāgatas | T09n0278 0774c09 |
| Prajñā T293 | The mind of awakening is the jieluolan, compassion is the caul and kindness the flesh, the limbs of awakening are the limbs and joints — and what grows there is the treasury of the tathāgatas | T10n0293 0821b21 |
What the variation is fastened to: (a) in the verse of the lamp, the base text makes Sudhana the one who kindles it (「善財然法燈」 tr. “Sudhana kindles the lamp of the Dharma”), while the sixty brings forward no person and only lists the four things, bringing out the lamp in the last clause. (b) In the verse of gestation, the base text has 「覺心」 tr. “the mind of awakening,” the sixty 「道心」 tr. “the mind of the path”; the base text’s two members, 「悲胞慈為肉」 tr. “compassion is the caul and kindness the flesh,” the sixty folds into the single clause 「慈悲為胞段」 tr. “kindness and compassion are the caul-mass,” without 「肉」 tr. “flesh.” (c) In the transcription of the stage within the womb, the base text and the sixty have 「迦羅邏」 tr. “jialuoluo,” the forty 「羯邏藍」 tr. “jieluolan.” Recorded without adjudication.
Clause Five The Two Verses in the Extract Collated That the Forty Has in Addition
| Witness | Verbatim | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Prajñā T293 | He is to release beings from the many places of suffering, he is to give them the place of peace and joy, cutting off the many bonds and attachments and extinguishing forever the three destinies of existence | T10n0293 0821c06 |
| Prajñā T293 | You have now entered this practice, most surpassing and beyond conceiving; welcome among humankind — your merit and virtue must surely be brought to fullness | T10n0293 0823a14 |
What the variation is fastened to: for these two verses there is no answering text in the base text. The former stands between the verses 「當滅諸惡道」 tr. “he is to extinguish the many evil destinies” and 「當度諸見難」 tr. “he is to cross over the many difficulties of views”; the latter between the verses 「若有聞此法」 tr. “if someone hears this Dharma” and 「如是心清淨」 tr. “when the mind is made pure in this way.” Since this passage of the forty is nearly identical to the base text graph for graph, and yet at these two places has one verse more in each, they are recorded as they stand; the middle portion of the extract relied upon is abridged and has not been counted graph by graph, and whether beyond these two verses this passage of the forty has yet further verses that the base text does not have — that lack is recorded as it stands. Recorded without adjudication.
Clause Six Maitreya’s Stroking of the Crown and Sudhana’s Answering Verses
| Witness | Verbatim | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Śikṣānanda T279 | At that time the bodhisattva-mahāsattva Maitreya, before the great assembly, praised the great treasury of merit and virtue of Sudhana | T10n0279 0428a11 |
| Prajñā T293 | At that time the bodhisattva-mahāsattva Maitreya, before the great assembly, praised the great treasury of merit and virtue of Sudhana, of unattached realm and of round and full adornment | T10n0293 0823b05 |
| Śikṣānanda T279 | Then Sudhana the youth answered with verses, saying | T10n0279 0428a20 |
| Prajñā T293 | Then Sudhana the youth, having heard this praise, answered in verse, saying | T10n0293 0823b15 |
What the variation is fastened to: (a) in the words of praise, the forty adds above 「大功德藏」 tr. “the great treasury of merit and virtue” the eight graphs 「無著境界圓滿莊嚴」 tr. “of unattached realm and of round and full adornment.” (b) Where this poem of praise ends, the sixty passes straight into the next passage, 「爾時，彌勒菩薩以如是等，讚歎善財諸妙功德」 tr. “at that time the bodhisattva Maitreya, with such words as these, praised the many wondrous merits and virtues of Sudhana” 〔T09n0278 0775b12〕 (the beginning of fascicle fifty-nine); for the whole passage of this section — ‘Maitreya’s praise · Sudhana’s offering of flowers · Maitreya’s stroking of the crown and speaking a verse · Sudhana’s answering verses’ — no graph-for-graph answering text is seen in the sixty, and the lack is recorded as it stands, without forcing a match. (c) The heading of Sudhana’s answering verses in the forty has four graphs more, 「聞是讚已」 tr. “having heard this praise.” Recorded without adjudication.
V. Scriptural Grounds of Sectarian Doctrine (the doctrinal eye)
(a) The setting up of the name of gathering virtue and accomplishing the cause. Maitreya alone constitutes the third of the five marks of the last assembly, and four houses each bring out their own wording while pointing at one and the same matter:
「自下大文第三慈氏一人，明攝德成因相」 tr. “from here on, the third great division of the text: the Kind One, one person, setting forth the mark of gathering virtue and accomplishing the cause” 〔T35n1735 0955c07〕
「自下攝德成因相知識。約一乘別教」 tr. “from here on, the friend of the mark of gathering virtue and accomplishing the cause. Taken with reference to the distinct teaching of the one vehicle” 〔T45n1870 0585b26〕
The Yanyi chao glosses the order of these words of the Shu:
「疏「自下大文第三慈氏一人」者，先來意；後「故辦一生」下，釋攝德成因之名。」 tr. “As for the Shu’s ‘from here on, the third great division of the text: the Kind One, one person’ — first comes the intent of its coming; afterward, beneath ‘and therefore he brings about one more birth,’ it glosses the name of gathering virtue and accomplishing the cause.” 〔T36n1736 0693a18–0693a20〕
(b) The judgment of the assigning of stations, and Chengguan’s even-handed words. Upon the matter of matching good friends to stations, Chengguan follows the ancient worthies and makes no fixed judgment, and beneath the gate of 「五相分別」 tr. “the distinguishing of the five marks” among the ten gates of the last assembly he states the reason of it himself:
「二皆有理，謂隨一一位具多法門，豈容凡心不得習求善友之法，故不配有理。然無次位中不礙次位，顯位是常規，配亦無失。橫竪無礙，且依古德配為五相」 tr. “Both have their reason. That is: since each single station is endowed with many Dharma gateways, how could an ordinary mind be barred from studying and seeking the dharma of good friends? — and so not to match them has its reason. Yet within the absence of sequence of stations the sequence of stations is not obstructed, and to display the stations is the ordinary rule, so that to match them is also without fault. The crosswise and the lengthwise being unobstructed, for now I follow the ancient worthies in matching them as five marks.” 〔T35n1735 0918b04–0918b07〕
The name 「攝德成因相」 tr. “the mark of gathering virtue and accomplishing the cause” belongs to these five marks, and so the character of its assignment of a station is settled by these words as well — it is an outline of the ancient worthies, not something the scripture text sets up for itself.
(c) The sense of 「指示」 tr. “pointing out” — the praise is not for the honoring of a person. Maitreya’s praise is spoken to the great assembly, and beneath the one clause of the prose the Shu sets forth the reason of it:
「先長行。指示者，令眾同覩，倣而行故。」 tr. “First the prose. As for pointing him out, it is so that the assembly may see him together and, imitating him, may practice.” 〔T35n1735 0956b20〕
Within the hundred and thirteen verses, both the very first verse and the twenty-fourth read 「汝等觀」 tr. “all of you, look upon,” and this is precisely the scriptural ground of that sense.
(d) The three meanings of 「從別處來」 tr. “coming from somewhere else”. Maitreya does not come out of the pavilion but comes from another place, and the Shu sets up three meanings:
「言別處來者，攝化就機故，還來歸本故，亦顯慈氏應念而至不著處故。」 tr. “As for saying he comes from somewhere else: it is because he gathers and transforms beings by going to meet what suits them; because he comes back and returns to his own root; and it also shows that the Kind One arrives with the thought that calls him, having no place he clings to.” 〔T35n1735 0956b14–0956b15〕
(e) Eryan is the knowable. The eryan of 「令過爾焰海」 tr. “making them cross the sea of eryan” 〔T10n0279 0426a24〕 in the verses is glossed by the Shu, which also cites a treatise in proof:
「爾焰者此云所知，入大乘論云「爾焰地者是第十地」，此約盡斷十種所知障故」 tr. “As for eryan, it means here the knowable; the Ru dasheng lun says, ‘the ground of eryan is the tenth ground,’ this being spoken of with reference to the exhausting and cutting off of the ten kinds of obstruction to the knowable.” 〔T35n1735 0956b28–0956c01〕
The Shu judges the seven verses to which this verse belongs to be 「歎即悲之智」 tr. “praising the knowledge that is compassion itself,” and the four verses before them to be 「讚其即智之悲」 tr. “praising the compassion that is knowledge itself” 〔0956b27〕 — compassion and knowledge raised up together and neither apart from the other, which is the bone of these twenty-six verses.
(f) What the offering of flowers stands for. In the passage of Sudhana scattering flowers, the Shu brings out what each thing stands for:
「言文殊心念力者，表由信智故。華因德立，瓔珞行成。云盈手者，信智滿故。散彌勒者，攝成因故，辦當果故。」 tr. “As for saying ‘the power of Mañjuśrī’s mindful intent,’ it shows that it is by faith and knowledge. The flowers are established by virtue, and the strings of jewels are accomplished by practice. As for saying they filled his hands, it is because faith and knowledge are full. As for scattering them over Maitreya, it is because the cause is gathered and accomplished, and because the fruit to come is brought about.” 〔T35n1735 0956c08–0956c11〕
The flowers are not sought after and yet 「不覺忽然自盈其手」 tr. “without his being aware of it, they all at once filled his hands of themselves” 〔T10n0279 0428a14〕, and the reason for this is fastened to the power of Mañjuśrī’s mindful intent — when faith and knowledge are full, the things of offering are of themselves at hand.
(g) Where the last verse points. At the close of the hundred and thirteen verses Maitreya does not keep the student with himself but sends him back to Mañjuśrī:
「汝當往大智，文殊師利所；彼當令汝得，普賢深妙行。」 tr. “You should go to the place of Mañjuśrī, the one of great knowledge; he will make you gain the deep and wondrous practice of Samantabhadra.” 〔T10n0279 0428a09〕
The Shu judges this to be 「末後一偈略示後友」 tr. “the last one verse, briefly pointing out the next friend” 〔T35n1735 0956b22〕. And the close of Sudhana’s answering verses too calls only Mañjuśrī to mind: 「我以文殊故，見諸難見者」 tr. “it is because of Mañjuśrī that I have seen those who are hard to see” 〔T10n0279 0428a23〕 — the beginning of one round of visiting and the end of it fastened alike to one person.
VI. Divergent Interpretations of the Commentators (the ancient worthies · with their houses marked)
Chengguan, Huayan jing shu T35n1735 · Yanyi chao T36n1736 (following the eighty-fascicle text clause by clause · the principal witness)
The outline: 「第二「善財童子以如是」下見敬諮問。於中二：初見敬、後諮問。」 tr. “Second, beneath ‘Sudhana the youth, with such,’ seeing, paying respect, and inquiring. Within this there are two: first the seeing and paying respect, afterward the inquiring.” 〔T35n1735 0955c16–0955c17〕
The five matters of the setting out of the form of reverence: 「第二「善財見已」下明設敬儀。於中五：一身心敬禮、二「時彌勒」下讚德記別、三「爾時彌勒」下重申敬儀、四「時彌勒」下再讚再記、五「時善財」下慶遇念恩。」 tr. “Second, beneath ‘Sudhana, having seen him,’ setting forth the form of reverence. Within it there are five: first, paying respect with body and mind; second, beneath ‘then Maitreya,’ praising his virtue and declaring his destiny; third, beneath ‘at that time Maitreya,’ setting out the form of reverence again; fourth, beneath ‘then Maitreya,’ praising again and declaring his destiny again; fifth, beneath ‘then Sudhana,’ rejoicing at the meeting and calling to mind his kindness.” 〔T35n1735 0956b16–0956b19〕
The threefold division of the verses: 「後偈正讚，有百一十三頌，分三：初一指眾總歎、末後一偈略示後友、中間諸偈別歎勝德。」 tr. “Afterward the verses that praise him directly, a hundred and thirteen verses in all, divided into three: the first one verse, the general praise that points him out to the assembly; the last one verse, briefly pointing out the next friend; and the verses in between, praising his surpassing virtue in particular.” 〔T35n1735 0956b21–0956b23〕
The three parts of the setting out of the form of reverence again: 「第三重申敬儀，中三：初辨敬因，聞讚德故；次「善財聞」下身心悲敬；後「以文殊」下華供展誠。」 tr. “Third, setting out the form of reverence again; within it there are three: first, distinguishing the cause of the reverence, which is the hearing of the praise of his virtue; next, beneath ‘Sudhana, having heard,’ the grieving reverence of body and mind; last, beneath ‘because of Mañjuśrī,’ the offering of flowers that displays his sincerity.” 〔T35n1735 0956c06–0956c08〕
The last two matters: 「第四再讚再記、第五慶遇念恩，文並可知。」 tr. “Fourth, praising again and declaring his destiny again; fifth, rejoicing at the meeting and calling to mind his kindness — the text of both may be understood as it stands.” 〔T35n1735 0956c11–0956c12〕
Fazang, Tanxuan ji T35n1733 (the commentary upon the sixty-fascicle Avataṃsaka)
The threefold division of the seeing of the direct recompense: 「二見正報中三：初欲見、二遙見、三歎德。」 tr. “Second, within the seeing of the direct recompense there are three: first, wishing to see; second, seeing at a distance; third, praising his virtue.” 〔T35n1733 0487b14–0487b15〕
The two meanings of coming from outside: 「言從外來者，攝化就機故、還來歸本故。」 tr. “As for saying he comes from outside: it is because he gathers and transforms beings by going to meet what suits them, and because he comes back and returns to his own root.” 〔T35n1733 0487b15–0487b16〕
The fourfold division of the praising of his virtue: 「「威德」下歎德中，初挺特普照、二超世魔染、三「深入」下德齊因果、四「住大智」下歎受位灌頂。」 tr. “Within the praising of his virtue beneath ‘majestic virtue’: first, standing out singly and shining everywhere; second, going beyond the staining of the world and of Māra; third, beneath ‘deeply entering,’ virtue equal in cause and fruit; fourth, beneath ‘abiding in great knowledge,’ praising his receiving of the consecration of station.” 〔T35n1733 0487b16–0487b18〕
The outline of conferring his own Dharma realm: 「二致敬、三請問，竝可知。第四「爾時彌勒」下授己法界。於中二：初歎善財法器利益、二正令入己法界。」 tr. “Second, offering reverence; third, requesting and asking — both may be understood as they stand. Fourth, beneath ‘at that time Maitreya,’ conferring his own Dharma realm. Within it there are two: first, praising the benefit of Sudhana’s being a vessel for the Dharma; second, directly causing him to enter his own Dharma realm.” 〔T35n1733 0487b18–0487b21〕
The sixfold division of the praise and the benefit: 「前中有六：初為己眷屬歎善財德，令人倣習；二正為善財歎德令喜；三勸歸文殊、彌勒攝受；四善財自慶，重請彌勒；五彌勒以偈重歎善財；六具歎無盡大菩提心。」 tr. “Within the former there are six: first, for the sake of his own retinue he praises Sudhana’s virtue, that people may imitate and study it; second, he praises his virtue directly for Sudhana’s own sake, to gladden him; third, he exhorts him to return to Mañjuśrī, and Maitreya gathers him in; fourth, Sudhana rejoices for himself and requests Maitreya again; fifth, Maitreya praises Sudhana again in verse; sixth, he praises in full the inexhaustible great mind of awakening.” 〔T35n1733 0487b21–0487b24〕
The eightfold division of the first passage and the three glosses upon ‘a hundred and ten’: 「就初段中文有八：初指示大眾。二歎善財精進德。頻陀伽羅，是猶覺城也。百十者，古師有三釋。一云：上來至此應有一百一十，但文中脫漏，故不具列也。」 tr. “Taking the text within the first passage, there are eight: first, pointing him out to the great assembly. Second, praising Sudhana’s virtue of vigorous effort. Pintuojialuo is the city of awakening. As for ‘a hundred and ten,’ the ancient masters have three glosses. One says: from above down to here there should be a hundred and ten, but the text has dropped some, and so they are not listed in full.” 〔T35n1733 0487b24–0487b28〕 (What this passage glosses is the prose of the praising of his virtue in the sixty; the base text has here no words 「頻陀伽羅」 tr. “Pintuojialuo” or 「百十」 tr. “a hundred and ten.”)
Li Tongxuan, Xin Huayan jing lun T36n1739 (a differing track of interpretation by way of what the text stands for)
The heading of the fifth passage of the outline in ten passages: 「第五「爾時善財童子以如是等一切菩薩無量稱揚讚歎法」已下，是善財欲見彌勒菩薩從外而來分。」 tr. “Fifth, from ‘at that time Sudhana the youth, with all these many gateways of the measureless extolling and praise of all the bodhisattvas’ onward, is the portion in which Sudhana wishes to see the bodhisattva Maitreya, who comes from outside.” 〔T36n1739 1005a09–1005a11〕
In this passage Tongxuan brings out this one heading-clause only, and no text glossing the sense clause by clause following the scripture is seen — the lack is recorded as it stands.
Zhiyan, Souxuan ji T35n1732
The fivefold division of the seeing of the direct recompense: 「七見正報相中有五：初起方便求見法身、二「遙見」下隣而未即也、三「與無量天龍」下辨其眷屬、四「從外而來」顯眾行緣集也、五「威德特尊」下歎德也。」 tr. “Seventh, within the mark of seeing the direct recompense there are five: first, raising up skillful means and seeking to see the Dharma body; second, beneath ‘seeing at a distance,’ being near and yet not yet arrived; third, beneath ‘with measureless devas and dragons,’ distinguishing his retinue; fourth, ‘coming from outside,’ which displays the gathering of the conditions of the practice of the multitude; fifth, beneath ‘of majestic virtue and singularly honored,’ praising his virtue.” 〔T35n1732 0103c26–0103c29〕
The fourfold division of the distinguishing of the entering of the Dharma realm: 「三「爾時彌勒觀察大眾」下辨入法界，文有四：初廣歎發心德、二「汝先所問」下正入自體法門、三「大聖此行」下辨法門名、四「白言」下窮緣顯實也。」 tr. “Third, beneath ‘at that time Maitreya contemplated the great assembly,’ distinguishing the entering of the Dharma realm; the text has four parts: first, praising at length the virtue of the bringing forth of the mind; second, beneath ‘what you asked about before,’ directly entering the Dharma gateway of his own substance; third, beneath ‘great sage, this practice,’ distinguishing the name of the Dharma gateway; fourth, beneath ‘he said,’ exhausting the conditions and displaying the real.” 〔T35n1732 0103c29–0104a04〕
The fivefold division of the first portion of the text: 「初文有五：初歎具功德者；二「告善財汝可往詣」下會位從實；三「善財五體敬禮」下攝」 tr. “Within the first portion of the text there are five: first, praising him as one endowed with merit and virtue; second, beneath ‘he told Sudhana, you may go and visit,’ gathering the stations and following the real; third, beneath ‘Sudhana paid respect with his five limbs,’ gathering” 〔T35n1732 0104a04–0104a05〕
Recorded without adjudication
As for the outlining of this section: Chengguan sets up the one outline of 「見敬諮問」 tr. “seeing, paying respect, and inquiring” and beneath the seeing of the direct recompense opens the five matters of the setting out of the form of reverence, and further sets up for the verses the threefold and fivefold divisions of the hundred and thirteen verses; Fazang, going by the sixty, judges the seeing of the direct recompense to be three, wishing to see · seeing at a distance · praising his virtue, and separately gathers everything from Maitreya’s speaking of the verses onward under 「授己法界」 tr. “conferring his own Dharma realm,” opening the praise and the benefit into six and the first passage into eight; Zhiyan, going by the sixty, judges the mark of seeing the direct recompense to be five (raising up skillful means and seeking to see the Dharma body · being near and yet not yet arrived · distinguishing his retinue · displaying the gathering of the conditions of the practice of the multitude · praising his virtue), and separately opens 「辨入法界」 tr. “distinguishing the entering of the Dharma realm” into four with a further five within the first portion; Li Tongxuan takes the opening clause of this section as the heading of the fifth passage of his outline in ten passages, and beneath that passage unfolds no gloss following the text. The numbers of the four houses and the bone each relies upon differ from one another: Chengguan outlines the eighty clause by clause, while the scripture Fazang and Zhiyan outline is the sixty, and so their citation-clauses such as 「威德特尊」 tr. “of majestic virtue and singularly honored,” 「頻陀伽羅」 tr. “Pintuojialuo,” and 「百十」 tr. “a hundred and ten” have nothing to answer to in the base text; and Tongxuan’s manner is by its own rule strongest in discussing whole passages. As for Maitreya’s assigned station, the Huayan jing kongmu zhang has 「攝德成因相知識」 tr. “the friend of the mark of gathering virtue and accomplishing the cause” 〔T45n1870 0585b26〕, Chengguan has 「明攝德成因相」 tr. “setting forth the mark of gathering virtue and accomplishing the cause” 〔T35n1735 0955c08〕, and the Tanxuan ji and the Souxuan ji each bring out their own wording as well — four houses with differing names all pointing at one and the same matter, all of them fastening 「攝德成因」 tr. “gathering virtue and accomplishing the cause” to Maitreya. These divergent interpretations are all settled sayings of the ancient worthies, and are recorded as such.
VII. Cross-Reading and Lineage
For the text of this section, the chains of lineage all return directly from the cross-readings the ancient worthies already made, with no new textual research:
- Zhiyan, Huayan jing kongmu zhang T45n1870: it takes 「攝德成因相知識」 tr. “the friend of the mark of gathering virtue and accomplishing the cause” as the general judgment upon the one station of Maitreya — 「自下攝德成因相知識。約一乘別教」 tr. “from here on, the friend of the mark of gathering virtue and accomplishing the cause. Taken with reference to the distinct teaching of the one vehicle” 〔T45n1870 0585b26〕. This belongs to the general statement of the order and sequence of the assigned stations, and is not a text glossing this section clause by clause; Chengguan receives the name from it and sets it up as the third of the five marks.
- The Yanyi chao T36n1736: the text of the Chao fastened to this section, from 〔T36n1736 0693a18〕 onward, glosses the general statement of the Shu (the name of gathering virtue and accomplishing the cause, the true source that accords with the nature of dharmas, the three contemplations of one mind, and so on), the body of that Shu text falling in the passage before the outline of seeing, paying respect, and inquiring; the Chao annotates the Shu continuously and does not begin separately upon the one outline of seeing, paying respect, and inquiring. This is recorded as it stands, and is not a fault.
- The clause of the Ru dasheng lun: what Chengguan cites in glossing 「爾焰」 tr. “eryan” — 「入大乘論云「爾焰地者是第十地」」 tr. “the Ru dasheng lun says, ‘the ground of eryan is the tenth ground’” 〔T35n1735 0956b28–0956b29〕.
- The treatises of the Huayan house: in the Huayan jing zhigui T45n1871 · the Huayan yisheng jiaoyi fenqi zhang T45n1866 · the Shixuan men T45n1868 · the Fajie xuanjing T45n1883, four texts in all, a search for 「彌勒」 tr. “Maitreya” gives hits in each, but upon examination all of them belong to a general citing of the sense of one bound to one more birth within the judging of the marks of the teachings, or to a name listed in a general table of good friends, and none bears upon this section passage by passage 〔查無〕 — nothing found.
- The axis of consciousness-only: in the Shidi jing lun T26n1522 · the Cheng weishi lun T31n1585 · the She dasheng lun T31n1594 · the Yogācārabhūmi T30n1579 · the Jieshenmi jing T16n0676, five texts in all, a search for 「汝等觀善財」 tr. “all of you, look upon this Sudhana” and 「攝德成因」 tr. “gathering virtue and accomplishing the cause” gives no hits at all 〔查無〕 — nothing found. This section is not the chapter of the Ten Grounds, and no separate chain to consciousness-only is set up.
- Li Tongxuan, Lun T36n1739: a search of the whole text for 「汝等觀善財」 tr. “all of you, look upon this Sudhana” gives no hits — in his fifth passage Tongxuan brings out the heading only and does not cite the scripture clause by clause 〔查無〕 — nothing found.
- Other texts cited by the Shu within its own window: within the outline of seeing, paying respect, and inquiring itself 〔T35n1735 0955c16–0956c12〕, apart from the single citation of 「入大乘論」 tr. “the Ru dasheng lun,” no further scripture or treatise is brought forward 〔查無〕 — nothing found.
VIII. Edition Location Register
- Śikṣānanda T279 (the base text): this section begins 〔T10n0279 0425b07〕 (fascicle seventy-seven) and ends 〔0428b06 前〕. Wishing to see Maitreya 0425b07–b10 · Maitreya coming from somewhere else, with his retinue 0425b10–b14 · casting the five limbs to the ground 0425b14–b15 · the heading of the poem of praise 0425b15–b16 · the poem of praise, a hundred and thirteen verses 0425b17–0428a10 (the general praise that points him out to the assembly, one verse 0425b17 · praise addressed directly to Sudhana, twenty-two verses 0425b19–0426a04 · the praise that exhorts the assembly, twenty-six verses 0426a05–0426b27 · praise addressed again to Sudhana, sixty-three verses 0426b28–0428a08 · briefly pointing out the next friend, one verse 0428a09) · Maitreya’s praise and Sudhana’s offering of flowers 0428a11–a16 · the heading of the stroking of the crown 0428a16 · the verse of the stroking of the crown, one verse 0428a18 · the heading of the answering verses 0428a20 · Sudhana’s answering verses, two verses 0428a21–a24 · the colophon at the end of the fascicle and the boundary-marking of the next sub-unit 0428b01–b06. The verse lines are two hundred and thirty-two.
- Buddhabhadra T278 (the Jin rendering, the principal witness collated against): this section’s corresponding passage begins 〔T09n0278 0773c12〕 (fascicle fifty-eight) and ends 〔0775b04〕. The heading of the poem of praise 0773c12–c13 · the poem of praise, a hundred and thirty-six lines, sixty-eight verses 0773c14–0775b04 · the close of fascicle fifty-eight 0775b05 · the beginning of fascicle fifty-nine and the opening of the next passage 0775b08–b12. The prose of the praising of his virtue in this passage of the sixty, from 〔0772b02〕 「爾時，彌勒觀察大眾，指善財言」 tr. “at that time Maitreya contemplated the great assembly and, pointing to Sudhana, said” onward, is in its setting nearer to the end of the preceding section, and does not enter this window.
- Prajñā T293 (the Zhenyuan witness collated against): this section’s corresponding passage begins 〔T10n0293 0820c01〕 and ends 〔0823b20〕 (the boundary-marking of the next sub-unit). The heading of the poem of praise 0820c01–c02 · the poem of praise 0820c03–0823b04 · Maitreya’s praise and Sudhana’s offering of flowers 0823b05–b12 · the verse of the stroking of the crown 0823b13–b14 · the heading of the answering verses 0823b15 · Sudhana’s answering verses 0823b16–b19. This passage of the forty is nearly identical to the base text graph for graph; in the extract relied upon the middle portion is abridged, and its number of verses has not been counted graph by graph, so the lack is recorded as it stands.
- Chengguan, Huayan jing shu T35n1735: the general opening of the mark of gathering virtue and accomplishing the cause 0955c07 · the beginning of the outline of seeing, paying respect, and inquiring 0955c16 · the outlines of the seeing of the dependent recompense 0955c17–0956b12 (including the judgment upon the fifty-five verses of the great storeyed pavilion 0956b03–b12, what they sing of belonging to the preceding sub-unit) · the seeing of the direct recompense 0956b13–b16 · the five matters of the setting out of the form of reverence 0956b16–b19 · the outlining of the prose and the verses of the praising of his virtue and the declaring of his destiny 0956b20–0956c06 · setting out the form of reverence again 0956c06–c11 · praising again and declaring his destiny again, and rejoicing at the meeting and calling to mind his kindness 0956c11 · the beginning of the outline of inquiring 0956c12. The even-handed words upon the assigning of stations stand separately in the gate of the distinguishing of the five marks among the ten gates of the last assembly 0918b02–0918b08.
- Chengguan, Chao T36n1736: the passage bearing upon this section is 0693a18–0693c14 (glossing the name of gathering virtue and accomplishing the cause 0693a18–a20 · glossing the ten clauses upon the true source that accords with the nature of dharmas 0693a20–a26 · glossing the three contemplations of one mind 0693a26–a29 · glossing the eleven clauses upon according with the absence of nature 0693b05–b22 · glossing the gathering and returning to the middle way 0693b22–0693c14). The body of the Shu text that this passage annotates falls before the outline of seeing, paying respect, and inquiring; this is recorded as it stands.
- Fazang, Tanxuan ji T35n1733: what bears upon this section is 0487b14–0487c04 (the threefold division of the seeing of the direct recompense 0487b14–b16 · the fourfold division of the praising of his virtue 0487b16–b18 · offering reverence and requesting and asking 0487b18–b19 · the twofold division of conferring his own Dharma realm 0487b19–b21 · the sixfold division of the praise and the benefit 0487b21–b24 · the eightfold division of the first passage and the three glosses upon ‘a hundred and ten’ 0487b24–0487c04). The scripture he outlines is the sixty.
- Li Tongxuan, Lun T36n1739: what bears upon this section is only 1005a09–1005a11 (the heading of the fifth passage of the outline in ten passages). Beneath that passage no gloss following the text is seen.
- Zhiyan, Souxuan ji T35n1732: what bears upon this section is 0103c26–0104a05 (the fivefold division of the mark of seeing the direct recompense 0103c26–c29 · the fourfold division of the distinguishing of the entering of the Dharma realm 0103c29–0104a04 · the fivefold division of the first portion of the text 0104a04–a05). The scripture he outlines is the sixty.
- Variant readings: within the range of T279 covered by this unit, 〔0425b07〕–〔0428b05〕, the Taishō base text carries 26 collation notes, recorded one by one without adjudication (base reading 【大】｜variant readings of other witnesses, several witnesses separated by ／): 〔0425b27〕善來德為體，……無分別。（凡40字）【大】｜無此字【聖乙】 · 〔0425c26〕汝觀善知識，……應順行。（凡100字）【大】｜無此字【聖乙】 · 〔0426a23〕善財法船師，……淨寶洲。（凡20字）【大】｜無此字【聖乙】 · 〔0426a29〕善財勝智海，……眾法寶。（凡20字）【大】｜無此字【聖乙】 · 〔0426b02〕昇【大】＊｜升【宋】【元】【明】＊（＊同校並繫〔0427b24〕之昇字） · 〔0426b04〕善財然法燈，……大菩提。（凡280字）【大】｜無此字【聖乙】 · 〔0426b07〕肢【大】｜支【宮】【聖】 · 〔0426c11〕一切眾生輪，……此心界。（凡80字）【大】｜無此字【聖乙】 · 〔0426c27〕當示於正道，……大智海。（凡60字）【大】｜無此字【聖乙】 · 〔0427a06〕汝當入剎海，……於法界。（凡80字）【大】｜無此字【聖乙】 · 〔0427a16〕所行無動亂，……諸妙道！（凡120字）【大】｜無此字【聖乙】 · 〔0427a20〕諸【大】｜詣【聖】 · 〔0427b09〕菩薩種種行，……咸信受。（凡60字）【大】｜無此字【聖乙】 · 〔0427c02〕信樂堅進力，……勤修習。（凡40字）【大】｜無此字【聖乙】 · 〔0427c08〕若有善知識，……方為善。（凡40字）【大】｜無此字【聖乙】 · 〔0427c18〕若於善知識，……如是法。（凡20字）【大】｜無此字【聖乙】 · 〔0427c24〕若入此法門，……諸佛會。（凡120字）【大】｜無此字【聖乙】 · 〔0428a16〕薩【大】｜薩摩訶薩【聖】 · 〔0428a25〕大方廣佛華嚴經卷第七十七（凡12字）【大】｜無此字【聖乙】 · 〔0428b02〕第【大】｜無此字【聖】 · 〔0428b02〕大方廣佛華嚴經卷第七十八（凡12字）【大】｜大方廣佛華嚴……，七十八（凡21字）【聖乙】 · 〔0428b04〕三藏【大】｜三藏沙門【宋】【元】【明】／三藏法師【宮】 · 〔0428b04〕奉制【大】｜無此字【宋】【元】【明】【宮】 · 〔0428b04〕于闐國三藏實叉難陀奉制譯（凡12字）【大】｜新譯【聖】／無此字【聖乙】 · 〔0428b05〕界【大】｜無此字【明】 · 〔0428b05〕入法界品第三十九之十九（凡11字）【大】｜無此字【聖乙】. (＊ ＝ 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: 1 CBETA emendation (not counted among the Taishō collation notes listed above): 〔0425c05〕倦【CB】【麗-CB】｜惓【大】.
- A further note upon the variant readings: the interlinear notes have already been stripped and recorded at the layer of the source text.
- Entries not found: the Shidi jing lun T26n1522 · the Cheng weishi lun T31n1585 · the She dasheng lun T31n1594 · the Yogācārabhūmi T30n1579 · the Jieshenmi jing T16n0676 — in these five texts a search for 「汝等觀善財」 tr. “all of you, look upon this Sudhana” and 「攝德成因」 tr. “gathering virtue and accomplishing the cause” gives no hits at all; in the Huayan jing zhigui T45n1871 · the Huayan yisheng jiaoyi fenqi zhang T45n1866 · the Shixuan men T45n1868 · the Fajie xuanjing T45n1883 — in these four texts the hits for 「彌勒」 tr. “Maitreya” all belong to general citation and do not bear upon this section passage by passage; and in Li Tongxuan T36n1739 a search of the whole text for 「汝等觀善財」 tr. “all of you, look upon this Sudhana” gives no hits.