妙法蓮華經 如來神力品第二十一
前面幾品，佛歷數了持經的功德。到這一品，後半要收束了：佛要把這部經正式付囑出去，交給那些從地涌出、久遠所化的菩薩。而付囑之前，佛先現了大神力。
那些地涌菩薩先發願：願在佛滅後廣說此經。於是佛在一切大眾前現起一連串不可思議的相：吐廣長舌上至梵天，毛孔放光遍照十方，滿百千歲然後攝舌；謦欬彈指，二音遍傳十方，大地六種震動；十方眾生皆見娑婆二佛（釋迦與多寶）並坐、菩薩四眾圍繞，諸天空中唱「南無釋迦牟尼佛」，散華成寶帳遍覆諸佛，十方世界通達無礙如一佛土。這些神變不是炫奇——要交出一部深法，先得讓人親眼見佛出言諦實、從不妄語，先取信，而後才好託付。
神力現罷，佛把整部經收到最要處——「以要言之」，只四句：如來一切所有之法、自在神力、祕要之藏、甚深之事，皆於此經宣示顯說。如來所有的法、神力、祕藏、深事，全在這一部經裡。這是把整部經的樞紐撮到一處，交到弟子手裡：是故你們於如來滅後，應一心受持讀誦解說書寫、如說修行。
而佛最後說了一句極重的話：凡有此經之處——園林樹下、僧坊白衣舍、乃至山谷曠野——是中皆應起塔，『當知是處即是道場，諸佛於此得菩提、轉法輪、般涅槃』。這就是這一品的心：經在，即佛在。一卷經所在的荒野樹下，與菩提樹下的金剛座，等無差別。你手中這部經，就是道場。
且入此品，看佛怎樣以一場神變，把整部經交到弟子手裡；下一品〈囑累品〉，佛還要以手摩諸菩薩頂，把這付囑最後按定。
In the preceding chapters, the Buddha set forth the qualities of upholding the sutra. With this chapter, the latter half draws toward its close: the Buddha is about to entrust this sutra formally to the bodhisattvas who emerged from the earth and whom he had taught in the distant past. Before entrusting it, however, the Buddha first displays great supernormal powers.
Those bodhisattvas first make their vow: after the Buddha’s passing, they will proclaim this sutra far and wide. The Buddha then displays before the entire assembly a succession of inconceivable signs: his broad, long tongue reaches the Brahmā heaven; light streams from his pores throughout the ten directions; a full hundred thousand years pass before the tongue is retracted; he clears his throat and snaps his fingers, the two sounds reach throughout the ten directions, and the earth quakes in six ways. Beings in the ten directions see the two buddhas, Śākyamuni and Many Treasures (Prabhūtaratna), seated together in Sahā, with bodhisattvas and the fourfold assembly surrounding them. Devas proclaim “Homage to Śākyamuni Buddha” from the sky; scattered flowers transform into a jeweled canopy covering the buddhas; and the worlds of the ten directions open into one another without obstruction, as though they were a single buddha-land. These supernormal transformations are not a display for wonder’s sake. To entrust a profound Dharma, the Buddha first lets people see for themselves that his words are true and that he never speaks falsely. He first establishes trust; only then can he entrust the Dharma.
Once the display is complete, the Buddha gathers the entire sutra into its most essential point—four statements alone: all the Tathāgata’s dharmas, free and unobstructed supernormal powers, treasuries of secret essentials, and exceedingly profound matters are proclaimed, revealed, made clear, and taught in this sutra. All the Tathāgata’s dharmas, powers, secret treasuries, and profound matters are present in this one sutra. Its pivot is gathered into one place and put into the disciples’ hands: therefore, after the Tathāgata’s passing, they should single-mindedly receive and uphold it, read and recite it, explain it, copy it, and practice as taught.
The Buddha then speaks a final sentence of immense weight. Wherever this sutra is present—in a garden or forest, beneath a tree, in the dwellings of the monastic community or a layperson’s home, even in a mountain valley or the open wilderness—a stūpa should be raised there: that very place is the place of awakening, where the buddhas attain awakening, turn the Dharma-wheel, and enter parinirvāṇa. This is the heart of the chapter: where the sutra is present, the Buddha is present. A wilderness tree beneath which a single scroll rests is without difference from the adamantine seat beneath the tree of awakening. The sutra in your hands is the place of awakening.
Enter this chapter and see how, through one display of supernormal powers, the Buddha places the entire sutra in his disciples’ hands. In the following Chapter on Entrustment, he will stroke the bodhisattvas’ crowns with his hand and set this entrustment firmly in place.
後秦龜茲國三藏法師鳩摩羅什奉詔譯《妙法蓮華經》卷六〈如來神力品第二十一〉· 大正藏 T09n0262〔起 T09 0051c09〕。段/行首〔T09 …〕＝大正藏頁·欄·行錨。
〔T09 0051c09〕爾時，千世界微塵等菩薩摩訶薩，從地踊出者，皆於佛前一心合掌，瞻仰尊顏，而白佛言：「世尊！我等於佛滅後，世尊分身所在國土滅度之處，當廣說此經。所以者何？我等亦自欲得是真淨大法，受持、讀誦、解說、書寫，而供養之。」
爾時世尊，於文殊師利等無量百千萬億舊住娑婆世界菩薩摩訶薩，及諸比丘、比丘尼、優婆塞、優婆夷，天、龍、夜叉、乾闥婆、阿修羅、迦樓羅、緊那羅、摩睺羅伽、人非人等，一切眾前，現大神力，出廣長舌上至梵世，一切毛孔放於無量無數色光，皆悉遍照十方世界。眾寶樹下、師子座上諸佛，亦復如是，出廣長舌，放無量光。釋迦牟尼佛及寶樹下諸佛現神力時，滿百千歲，然後還攝舌相。一時謦欬、俱共彈指，是二音聲，遍至十方諸佛世界，地皆六種震動。其中眾生，天、龍、夜叉、乾闥婆、阿修羅、迦樓羅、緊那羅、摩睺羅伽、人非人等，以佛神力故，皆見此娑婆世界，無量無邊百千萬億眾寶樹下、師子座上諸佛；及見釋迦牟尼佛共多寶如來，在寶塔中、坐師子座；又見無量無邊百千萬億菩薩摩訶薩及諸四眾，恭敬圍繞釋迦牟尼佛。既見是已，皆大歡喜，得未曾有。即時諸天、於虛空中、高聲唱言：「過此無量無邊百千萬億阿僧祇世界，有國名娑婆，是中有佛名釋迦牟尼，今為諸菩薩摩訶薩說大乘經，名妙法蓮華，教菩薩法，佛所護念。汝等當深心隨喜，亦當禮拜供養釋迦牟尼佛。」彼諸眾生，聞虛空中聲已，合掌向娑婆世界作如是言：「南無釋迦牟尼佛！南無釋迦牟尼佛！」以種種華、香、瓔珞、幡蓋，及諸嚴身之具、珍寶妙物，皆共遙散娑婆世界。所散諸物，從十方來，譬如雲集，變成寶帳，遍覆此間諸佛之上。于時十方世界，通達無礙，如一佛土。
〔T09 0052a13〕爾時，佛告上行等菩薩大眾：「諸佛神力如是，無量無邊、不可思議，若我以是神力，於無量無邊百千萬億阿僧祇劫，為囑累故，說此經功德，猶不能盡。以要言之，如來一切所有之法、如來一切自在神力、如來一切祕要之藏、如來一切甚深之事，皆於此經宣示顯說。是故汝等於如來滅後，應一心受持、讀誦、解說、書寫、如說修行。所在國土，若有受持、讀誦、解說、書寫、如說修行，若經卷所住之處，若於園中、若於林中、若於樹下、若於僧坊、若白衣舍、若在殿堂、若山谷曠野，是中皆應起塔供養。所以者何？當知是處、即是道場，諸佛於此得阿耨多羅三藐三菩提，諸佛於此轉于法輪，諸佛於此而般涅槃。」
爾時世尊欲重宣此義，而說偈言：
「諸佛救世者，住於大神通，
為悅眾生故，現無量神力，
舌相至梵天，身放無數光，
為求佛道者，現此希有事。
諸佛謦欬聲，及彈指之聲，
周聞十方國，地皆六種動。
以佛滅度後，能持是經故，
諸佛皆歡喜，現無量神力。
囑累是經故，讚美受持者，
於無量劫中，猶故不能盡。
是人之功德，無邊無有窮，
如十方虛空，不可得邊際。
能持是經者，則為已見我，
亦見多寶佛，及諸分身者，
又見我今日，教化諸菩薩。
能持是經者，令我及分身，
滅度多寶佛，一切皆歡喜。
十方現在佛，并過去未來，
亦見亦供養，亦令得歡喜。
諸佛坐道場，所得祕要法，
能持是經者，不久亦當得。
能持是經者，於諸法之義，
名字及言辭，樂說無窮盡，
如風於空中，一切無障礙。
於如來滅後，知佛所說經，
因緣及次第，隨義如實說，
如日月光明，能除諸幽冥。
斯人行世間，能滅眾生闇，
教無量菩薩，畢竟住一乘。
是故有智者，聞此功德利，
於我滅度後，應受持斯經，
是人於佛道，決定無有疑。」
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.
地涌菩薩請宣此經
那時候，如同千個世界碾成微塵那樣多的菩薩摩訶薩（就是大菩薩），也就是先前從大地之中踊身而出的那些菩薩，全都在佛陀面前一心一意地合起雙掌，仰望著世尊尊貴的容顏，而向佛陀稟白說：「世尊啊！我們在佛陀滅度之後，凡是世尊的分身佛所在的國土、以及世尊滅度的地方，都要廣泛地演說這部法華經。為什麼呢？因為我們自己也想要得到這真實清淨的大法，去受持它、讀誦它、解說它、書寫它，並且供養它。」
如來現大神力·舌相放光地動
那時候，世尊就在文殊師利菩薩等無量百千萬億久已居住在娑婆世界的菩薩摩訶薩，以及眾多的比丘、比丘尼、優婆塞、優婆夷（出家的男眾、女眾與在家的男居士、女居士），還有天眾、龍、夜叉、乾闥婆（尋香的樂神）、阿修羅、迦樓羅（金翅鳥）、緊那羅（歌詠的樂神）、摩睺羅伽（大蟒神）、人以及非人等等——這一切大眾的面前，示現廣大的神通力：吐出廣大長遠的舌相，向上一直伸展到梵天的世界；周身一切的毛孔，都放射出無量無數種顏色的光明，全都遍照著十方的世界。那眾多寶樹之下、師子座之上的諸佛，也同樣如此，吐出廣長的舌相，放射無量的光明。釋迦牟尼佛以及寶樹之下的諸佛，示現這神力的時候，滿滿地經過了百千年，然後才收攝回舌相。他們又在同一時候輕咳出聲，一齊彈動手指，這兩種音聲，遍傳到十方諸佛的世界，那裡的大地都起了六種的震動。
十方眾見二佛·諸天唱而歸敬
那些十方世界之中的眾生——天眾、龍、夜叉、乾闥婆、阿修羅、迦樓羅、緊那羅、摩睺羅伽、人以及非人等等——因為承蒙佛陀神力的緣故，全都望見了這娑婆世界，望見那無量無邊百千萬億眾寶樹下、師子座上的諸佛；並且望見釋迦牟尼佛與多寶如來，一同在寶塔之中，安坐在師子座上；又望見那無量無邊百千萬億的菩薩摩訶薩，以及在家出家的四眾弟子，恭恭敬敬地圍繞著釋迦牟尼佛。他們見到這番景象之後，全都生起大大的歡喜，得到從未曾有過的稀有之感。就在這時候，諸天神眾在虛空之中，高聲地唱誦說：「越過這裡無量無邊百千萬億阿僧祇（無央數）的世界之外，有一個國土名叫娑婆，這國土之中有一尊佛，名叫釋迦牟尼，如今正為眾位菩薩摩訶薩宣說大乘的經典，名叫妙法蓮華，是教導菩薩的法門，是諸佛所護持憶念的。你們應當以深切的心隨喜讚歎，也應當禮拜供養釋迦牟尼佛。」那些眾生，聽到虛空之中的聲音之後，都合起雙掌，朝向娑婆世界這樣說道：「南無釋迦牟尼佛！南無釋迦牟尼佛！」（南無就是歸命、皈依的意思。）他們又以種種的華、香、瓔珞、幡蓋，以及種種莊嚴身體的飾具、珍寶妙好的物品，一齊遙遙地散向娑婆世界。所散出的種種物品，從十方而來，好比雲彩聚集一般，變化成為寶飾的帳幕，遍遍覆蓋在這娑婆世界諸佛的上方。這時候，十方的世界彼此通達、毫無障隔，宛如同一個佛的國土。
四句要法囑累·滅後如說修行
那時候，佛陀告訴上行菩薩等一眾菩薩大眾說：「諸佛的神通力就像這樣，無量無邊、不可思議。假使我用這樣的神力，在無量無邊百千萬億阿僧祇劫那麼長遠的時間裡，為了囑咐付託（把弘揚此經之責交付你們）的緣故，宣說這部經的功德，尚且說不能盡。若簡要地說：如來一切所擁有的法、如來一切自在無礙的神力、如來一切祕密精要的寶藏、如來一切甚為深奧的事理，全都在這部經中宣布開示、顯明演說了。因此你們在如來滅度之後，應當一心一意地受持它、讀誦它、解說它、書寫它，並且依照經中所說的去修行。
經卷所住之處即是道場
「無論在哪一處國土，只要有人受持、讀誦、解說、書寫這部經，並依照經中所說去修行；只要是這部經卷所安住的地方——不論是在園林之中、在樹林之中、在樹木之下、在僧眾的房舍、在在家白衣的居所、在殿堂之內、還是在山谷曠野之間——這些地方都應當建起寶塔來供養。為什麼呢？應當知道：這樣的地方，就是道場，諸佛在這裡證得阿耨多羅三藐三菩提（無上正等正覺），諸佛在這裡轉動法輪（宣說正法），諸佛在這裡進入般涅槃（圓滿寂滅）。」
佛偈重宣
那時候，世尊想要把這番義理再宣說一遍，就用偈頌說道：
「諸佛是救度世間的聖者，安住在廣大的神通之中，為了使眾生歡悅的緣故，示現出無量的神力；舌相伸展直到梵天，周身放射出無數的光明，為了那些希求佛道的人，示現這稀有難逢的事。
「諸佛輕咳的聲音，以及彈指的聲音，遍傳到十方的國土，那裡的大地都起了六種的震動。因為在佛滅度之後，有人能夠受持這部經的緣故，諸佛都生起歡喜，示現無量的神力。
「為了囑咐付託這部經的緣故，讚美那受持經典的人，即使在無量劫那麼長的時間裡讚歎，仍舊說不能窮盡。這樣的人所具的功德，無邊無際、沒有窮盡，就像十方的虛空一樣，尋不到它的邊際。
「能夠受持這部經的人，就等於已經見到了我，也見到了多寶佛，以及我的種種分身佛，又見到了我今天正在教化眾位菩薩的景象。能夠受持這部經的人，能使我以及我的分身佛，還有已經滅度的多寶佛，一切都生起歡喜。十方現在的諸佛，連同過去、未來的諸佛，這人也都能見到、也都能供養，也都能使他們歡喜。
「諸佛安坐道場之時所證得的祕密精要之法，能夠受持這部經的人，不久之後也將會證得。能夠受持這部經的人，對於種種法的義理，還有它們的名稱字句與言辭，都能歡喜演說、沒有窮盡，就像風在虛空之中吹行，一切都毫無障礙。
「在如來滅度之後，這人了知佛陀所說經典的因緣以及先後次第，順著義理如實地宣說，就像日月的光明，能夠除去種種的幽暗。這樣的人行走在世間，能夠滅除眾生心中的黑暗，教化無量的菩薩，使他們究竟安住於一佛乘。
「因此有智慧的人，聽到這受持的功德利益，在我滅度之後，應當受持這部經；這樣的人對於佛道，必定沒有疑惑。」
Kumārajīva's Chinese root text (T09n0262) is retained as a visual anchor for bilingual readers; the English below renders it in plain, continuous prose.
The Bodhisattvas Emerging from the Earth Ask to Proclaim This Sutra
爾時，千世界微塵等菩薩摩訶薩，從地踊出者，皆於佛前一心合掌，瞻仰尊顏，而白佛言：「世尊！我等於佛滅後，世尊分身所在國土滅度之處，當廣說此經。所以者何？我等亦自欲得是真淨大法，受持、讀誦、解說、書寫，而供養之。」
At that time, great bodhisattvas as numerous as the dust produced by grinding a thousand worlds—those who had previously emerged from the earth—all joined their palms single-mindedly before the Buddha. Gazing up at the World-Honored One’s honored countenance, they addressed the Buddha: “World-Honored One! After the Buddha’s passing, throughout the lands where the World-Honored One’s emanation buddhas abide and wherever the World-Honored One has passed into extinction, we shall proclaim this sutra far and wide. Why is this? We ourselves also wish to attain this true and pure great Dharma, to receive and uphold it, read and recite it, explain it, copy it, and make offerings to it.”
The Tathāgata Displays Great Supernormal Powers · His Tongue Extends, Light Shines, and the Earth Quakes
爾時世尊，於文殊師利等無量百千萬億舊住娑婆世界菩薩摩訶薩，及諸比丘、比丘尼、優婆塞、優婆夷，天、龍、夜叉、乾闥婆、阿修羅、迦樓羅、緊那羅、摩睺羅伽、人非人等，一切眾前，現大神力，出廣長舌上至梵世，一切毛孔放於無量無數色光，皆悉遍照十方世界。眾寶樹下、師子座上諸佛，亦復如是，出廣長舌，放無量光。釋迦牟尼佛及寶樹下諸佛現神力時，滿百千歲，然後還攝舌相。一時謦欬、俱共彈指，是二音聲，遍至十方諸佛世界，地皆六種震動。
At that time, before the entire assembly, the World-Honored One displayed great supernormal powers. Those present included Mañjuśrī and immeasurable hundreds of thousands of millions of great bodhisattvas who had long dwelt in the Sahā world; monks, nuns, male lay followers, and female lay followers; devas, dragons, yakṣas, gandharvas (celestial musicians who seek fragrance), asuras, garuḍas (golden-winged birds), kiṃnaras (celestial singers), mahoragas (great serpent deities), humans, nonhumans, and others. The World-Honored One extended his broad, long tongue upward until it reached the Brahmā world. From every pore of his body he emitted immeasurable and innumerable rays of colored light, all of which shone throughout the worlds of the ten directions. The buddhas seated upon lion seats beneath the many jeweled trees did the same: they extended their broad, long tongues and emitted immeasurable light. When Śākyamuni Buddha and the buddhas beneath the jeweled trees displayed these supernormal powers, a full hundred thousand years passed before they retracted their tongues. Then, at the same moment, they lightly cleared their throats and together snapped their fingers. These two sounds reached everywhere throughout the buddha-worlds of the ten directions, and in all those worlds the earth quaked in six ways.
Beings throughout the Ten Directions See the Two Buddhas · The Devas Proclaim and Pay Homage
其中眾生，天、龍、夜叉、乾闥婆、阿修羅、迦樓羅、緊那羅、摩睺羅伽、人非人等，以佛神力故，皆見此娑婆世界，無量無邊百千萬億眾寶樹下、師子座上諸佛；及見釋迦牟尼佛共多寶如來，在寶塔中、坐師子座；又見無量無邊百千萬億菩薩摩訶薩及諸四眾，恭敬圍繞釋迦牟尼佛。既見是已，皆大歡喜，得未曾有。即時諸天、於虛空中、高聲唱言：「過此無量無邊百千萬億阿僧祇世界，有國名娑婆，是中有佛名釋迦牟尼，今為諸菩薩摩訶薩說大乘經，名妙法蓮華，教菩薩法，佛所護念。汝等當深心隨喜，亦當禮拜供養釋迦牟尼佛。」彼諸眾生，聞虛空中聲已，合掌向娑婆世界作如是言：「南無釋迦牟尼佛！南無釋迦牟尼佛！」以種種華、香、瓔珞、幡蓋，及諸嚴身之具、珍寶妙物，皆共遙散娑婆世界。所散諸物，從十方來，譬如雲集，變成寶帳，遍覆此間諸佛之上。于時十方世界，通達無礙，如一佛土。
The beings in those worlds—devas, dragons, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kiṃnaras, mahoragas, humans, nonhumans, and others—through the Buddha’s supernormal power all saw this Sahā world. They saw immeasurable and boundless hundreds of thousands of millions of buddhas seated upon lion seats beneath the many jeweled trees. They also saw Śākyamuni Buddha and Many Treasures Tathāgata (Prabhūtaratna) seated together upon a lion seat within the jeweled stūpa. They further saw immeasurable and boundless hundreds of thousands of millions of great bodhisattvas and the fourfold assembly respectfully surrounding Śākyamuni Buddha. When they had seen all this, they rejoiced greatly and experienced what they had never known before.
At that moment, devas proclaimed in loud voices from the sky: “Beyond immeasurable and boundless hundreds of thousands of millions of incalculable worlds from here is a land called Sahā. In it is a buddha named Śākyamuni. He is now teaching the great-vehicle sutra called the Sutra of the Lotus of the Wondrous Dharma to the great bodhisattvas—a Dharma that instructs bodhisattvas and is guarded and kept in mind by the buddhas. You should rejoice in it and praise it with a deeply sincere heart. You should also bow to and make offerings to Śākyamuni Buddha.”
When those beings heard the voice in the sky, they joined their palms toward the Sahā world and said: “Homage to Śākyamuni Buddha! Homage to Śākyamuni Buddha!” “Homage” means to entrust one’s life and take refuge. From afar they all scattered toward the Sahā world many kinds of flowers, incense, jeweled necklaces, banners and canopies, ornaments for adorning the body, precious treasures, and wondrous things. The many objects they scattered came from the ten directions like clouds gathering together. They transformed into a jeweled canopy that covered the buddhas throughout this Sahā world. At that time, the worlds of the ten directions opened into one another without obstruction, as though they were a single buddha-land.
The Fourfold Essential Teaching Is Entrusted · Practice as Taught after the Buddha’s Passing
爾時，佛告上行等菩薩大眾：「諸佛神力如是，無量無邊、不可思議，若我以是神力，於無量無邊百千萬億阿僧祇劫，為囑累故，說此經功德，猶不能盡。以要言之，如來一切所有之法、如來一切自在神力、如來一切祕要之藏、如來一切甚深之事，皆於此經宣示顯說。是故汝等於如來滅後，應一心受持、讀誦、解說、書寫、如說修行。
At that time, the Buddha addressed Superior Conduct (Viśiṣṭacāritra) and the great assembly of bodhisattvas: “The supernormal powers of the buddhas are thus immeasurable, boundless, and inconceivable. Even if, with these supernormal powers, I were to speak throughout immeasurable and boundless hundreds of thousands of millions of incalculable aeons about the qualities of this sutra for the sake of entrusting it to you, I still could not exhaust them. To state the essential point: all the dharmas possessed by the Tathāgata, all the Tathāgata’s free and unobstructed supernormal powers, all the Tathāgata’s treasuries of secret essentials, and all the Tathāgata’s exceedingly profound matters are proclaimed, revealed, made clear, and taught in this sutra. Therefore, after the Tathāgata’s passing, you should single-mindedly receive and uphold it, read and recite it, explain it, copy it, and practice as taught.
Wherever the Sutra Scroll Abides Is the Place of Awakening
所在國土，若有受持、讀誦、解說、書寫、如說修行，若經卷所住之處，若於園中、若於林中、若於樹下、若於僧坊、若白衣舍、若在殿堂、若山谷曠野，是中皆應起塔供養。所以者何？當知是處、即是道場，諸佛於此得阿耨多羅三藐三菩提，諸佛於此轉于法輪，諸佛於此而般涅槃。」
“In any land, wherever someone receives and upholds, reads and recites, explains, or copies this sutra and practices as taught—wherever the sutra scroll abides, whether in a garden, in a forest, beneath a tree, in the dwellings of the monastic community, in the home of a white-robed layperson, in a hall, in a mountain valley, or in the open wilderness—a stūpa should be raised there and offerings made to it. Why is this? You should know that this very place is the place of awakening. Here the buddhas attain unsurpassed, complete, perfect awakening (anuttarā-samyaksaṃbodhi); here the buddhas turn the Dharma-wheel (proclaiming the true Dharma); and here the buddhas enter parinirvāṇa (complete extinction).”
The Buddha Proclaims the Meaning Again in Verse
爾時世尊欲重宣此義，而說偈言： 「諸佛救世者，住於大神通，
為悅眾生故，現無量神力，
舌相至梵天，身放無數光，
為求佛道者，現此希有事。
諸佛謦欬聲，及彈指之聲，
周聞十方國，地皆六種動。
以佛滅度後，能持是經故，
諸佛皆歡喜，現無量神力。
囑累是經故，讚美受持者，
於無量劫中，猶故不能盡。
是人之功德，無邊無有窮，
如十方虛空，不可得邊際。
能持是經者，則為已見我，
亦見多寶佛，及諸分身者，
又見我今日，教化諸菩薩。
能持是經者，令我及分身，
滅度多寶佛，一切皆歡喜。
十方現在佛，并過去未來，
亦見亦供養，亦令得歡喜。
諸佛坐道場，所得祕要法，
能持是經者，不久亦當得。
能持是經者，於諸法之義，
名字及言辭，樂說無窮盡，
如風於空中，一切無障礙。
於如來滅後，知佛所說經，
因緣及次第，隨義如實說，
如日月光明，能除諸幽冥。
斯人行世間，能滅眾生闇，
教無量菩薩，畢竟住一乘。
是故有智者，聞此功德利，
於我滅度後，應受持斯經，
是人於佛道，決定無有疑。」
At that time, the World-Honored One wished to proclaim this meaning again, and spoke in verse:
“The buddhas, saviors of the world,
abide in great supernormal powers.
To bring joy to sentient beings,
they display immeasurable supernormal powers.
Their tongues extend as far as the Brahmā heaven;
their bodies emit innumerable rays of light.
For those who seek the buddha-way,
they display this rare and wondrous event.
“The sound of the buddhas clearing their throats
and the sound of their snapping fingers
are heard throughout the lands of the ten directions,
where the earth quakes in six ways.
Because, after the Buddha’s passing,
there are those able to uphold this sutra,
all the buddhas rejoice
and display immeasurable supernormal powers.
“For the sake of entrusting this sutra,
though one were to praise those who receive and uphold it
throughout immeasurable aeons,
one still could not finish speaking their praise.
The qualities of such people
are without bound and without end,
like the empty space of the ten directions,
whose limits cannot be found.
“Those able to uphold this sutra
have thereby already seen me.
They have also seen Many Treasures Buddha
and all my emanation buddhas,
and they see me today
teaching and transforming the bodhisattvas.
Those able to uphold this sutra
cause me and my emanation buddhas,
and Many Treasures Buddha, who has passed into extinction,
all to rejoice.
They also see and make offerings
to the present buddhas of the ten directions,
together with the buddhas of the past and future,
and cause them all to rejoice.
“The Dharma of secret essentials attained by the buddhas
when they sit at the place of awakening—
those able to uphold this sutra
shall also attain it before long.
Those able to uphold this sutra
will joyfully teach the meanings of all dharmas,
together with their names, expressions, and words,
without ever reaching an end.
Like wind moving through empty space,
they will be wholly unobstructed.
“After the Tathāgata’s passing,
they will know the sutras taught by the Buddha,
their causes and conditions and their sequence,
and teach them truly in accordance with their meaning.
Like the light of the sun and moon,
they will dispel every darkness.
As such people move through the world,
they will extinguish the darkness in sentient beings,
teach immeasurable bodhisattvas,
and cause them ultimately to abide in the One Vehicle.
“Therefore, people of wisdom,
having heard of these qualities and benefits,
should receive and uphold this sutra after my passing.
Such people will assuredly have no doubt
about the buddha-way.”
前面幾品，佛歷數了持經的功德——隨喜之福、六根之淨、常不輕的本生。到這一品，後半要收束了：佛要把這部經正式付囑出去，交給那些從地涌出、久遠所化的菩薩。而付囑之前，佛先做了一件事——現大神力。以下順經文次第，把這一品每一義講明；末後再以唯識一系的讀法，補一點旁照。
地涌菩薩請：我們願在佛滅後廣說此經
那如千世界微塵數的地涌菩薩——就是〈從地踊出品〉裡從大地踊出的那些菩薩——一心合掌，仰望佛顏，稟白說：世尊滅後，凡是世尊分身佛所在的國土、滅度的地方，我們都要廣說此經；因為我們自己也想得到這真淨大法，去受持、讀誦、解說、書寫、供養它。這是付囑的開端：不是佛硬派任務，是弟子先發願。他們求的不是別的，正是這部經本身。
佛現大神力：一連串不可思議的相
於是世尊在一切大眾面前，現起大神力。這神力是一連串的相：先是吐出廣長的舌相，向上一直伸到梵天;周身一切毛孔放出無量色光，遍照十方;寶樹下的分身諸佛也同樣出舌放光。這樣持續了滿百千歲，然後才收攝舌相。接著佛一時謦欬（輕咳出聲）、俱共彈指，這兩種音聲遍傳十方，十方大地都起六種震動。這些相不是炫奇。要把一部深法交出去，最怕交的人不信、受的人不重；所以佛先以身現出這不可思議之相，讓人親眼見世尊有大神通、出言諦實、從不妄語——先取信，而後才好託付。單那伸至梵天的廣長舌，古來就說：舌能覆面、上至髮際者不妄語；佛的舌相如此，所說豈有虛？
十方眾見二佛·諸天唱而歸敬
眾生因佛神力，都望見了娑婆世界：無量寶樹下師子座上的諸佛，尤其望見釋迦牟尼佛與多寶如來一同在寶塔中並坐——這是〈見寶塔品〉那一幕，如今十方共見。又見無量菩薩四眾恭敬圍繞釋迦。眾生見了大歡喜，得未曾有。就在這時，諸天在空中高聲唱：越過無量世界之外，有國名娑婆，有佛名釋迦牟尼，正說大乘經名妙法蓮華——你們當深心隨喜，當禮拜供養釋迦牟尼佛！那些眾生聞聲，合掌向娑婆而稱：「南無釋迦牟尼佛！南無釋迦牟尼佛！」（南無，就是歸命、皈依。）他們遙散華香瓔珞幡蓋，這些物從十方而來，如雲聚集，變成寶帳，遍覆娑婆諸佛之上。這時十方世界通達無礙，宛如一個佛土——本來隔絕的十方，在這一刻打通成了一。
四句要法：整部經的樞紐，交出去
神力現罷，佛告上行等菩薩，說出付囑的正文。佛說：諸佛神力如是無量無邊，我若用這神力、於無量劫中為囑累而說此經功德，尚且說不能盡。於是佛把話收到最要處——「以要言之」，只四句：如來一切所有之法、如來一切自在神力、如來一切祕要之藏、如來一切甚深之事，皆於此經宣示顯說。如來所有的法、所有的神力、所有的祕密寶藏、所有最深的事理，全在這一部經裡宣示顯說了。這四句，是把整部經的樞紐撮到一處，然後交出去：是故你們於如來滅後，應一心受持、讀誦、解說、書寫、如說修行。付囑至此落定——先發願（地涌請）、後取信（現神力）、終付法（四句要法）。
經卷所在，即是道場
佛最後說了一句極重的話。凡有人受持讀誦解說書寫此經、如說修行的所在，凡這部經卷所住之處——園中、林中、樹下、僧坊、白衣舍、殿堂、山谷曠野——是中皆應起塔供養。為什麼？「當知是處即是道場，諸佛於此得阿耨多羅三藐三菩提，諸佛於此轉于法輪，諸佛於此而般涅槃。」道場本指佛成道的金剛座；如今佛說，凡有此經之處就是道場——諸佛在那裡成道、在那裡轉法輪、在那裡入涅槃。經在，即佛在；一卷經所在的荒野樹下，與菩提樹下的金剛座，等無差別。偈頌重宣這一切，末後把話交給未來：能持是經者，即為已見我、見多寶、見分身；諸佛坐道場所得祕要之法，持經者不久亦當得。是故有智者，於我滅度後應受持斯經——「是人於佛道，決定無有疑。」
以唯識之眼：一場神變，怎樣讀
上來是如來神力品自身的義。所借的那面唯識鏡（慈恩窺基所傳），在此品照見的不多——這一品是神變事相與付囑科判，不談心性玄理，古疏於此著墨也淺。但有兩處值得一提。其一是定位：窺基把此品判為流通八品之首，也是「付囑」的頭一半——付囑分兩步，一是「作神通令信」，二是後品的「手摩頂令行」;此品正是前一步。付人深法而恐人不信，故先現神通令生信解，然後才以言相付。其二是那句「四句要法」:所有之法、自在神力、祕要之藏、甚深之事，窺基平平地釋為權實之道、神通之力、佛所藏理、智慧深事——沒有再往三身四智上配，據經而止。而這一品的神力之數，恰是幾副眼各不相同之處：窺基數八，天台智顗數「十神力」（把十相配上法華的教一、人一、行一、理一），三論吉藏數「五種神力」（依《法華論》判作身口意三業之瑞）。八、十、五，數各不同，因各家科判之眼不同；而三家同有一處交會——都依世親《法華論》來釋這神力的意義：出舌為令憶念、謦欬為說偈令聞、彈指為令覺悟。神變之相雖多，所為只一事：令人信而受此經。經自己那句話始終在那裡：是處即是道場，經在即佛在。此處並錄，不加裁斷，各還其位。
In the preceding chapters, the Buddha set forth the qualities of upholding the sutra—the merit of joyful acceptance, the purification of the six faculties, and the former life of the Bodhisattva Never Disparaging (Sadāparibhūta). With this chapter, the latter half draws toward its close: the Buddha is about to entrust this sutra formally to those bodhisattvas who emerged from the earth and whom he had taught in the distant past. Before entrusting it, however, the Buddha first does one thing—he displays great supernormal powers. What follows explains each meaning in the order of the sutra; at the end, a Consciousness-Only reading adds a brief light from the side.
The Bodhisattvas Emerging from the Earth Ask: We Vow to Proclaim This Sutra after the Buddha’s Passing
The bodhisattvas who emerged from the earth, as numerous as the dust of a thousand worlds—the very bodhisattvas who emerged from the earth in the Chapter on Emerging from the Earth—join their palms single-mindedly, gaze up at the Buddha’s countenance, and address him: after the World-Honored One’s passing, throughout the lands where his emanation buddhas abide and wherever the World-Honored One has passed into extinction, we shall proclaim this sutra far and wide; for we ourselves also wish to attain this true and pure great Dharma, to receive and uphold it, read and recite it, explain it, copy it, and make offerings to it. This is the beginning of the entrustment. The Buddha does not force an assignment upon them; the disciples first make their vow. What they seek is nothing else but this sutra itself.
The Buddha Displays Great Supernormal Powers: A Succession of Inconceivable Signs
The World-Honored One then displays great supernormal powers before the entire assembly. These powers unfold as a succession of signs. First, he extends his broad, long tongue upward until it reaches the Brahmā heaven. From every pore of his body, he emits immeasurable rays of colored light that shine throughout the ten directions. The emanation buddhas beneath the jeweled trees likewise extend their tongues and emit light. This continues for a full hundred thousand years before they retract their tongues. Then the buddhas lightly clear their throats at the same moment and together snap their fingers. These two sounds reach throughout the ten directions, and the earth in all those worlds quakes in six ways.
These signs are not a display for wonder’s sake. In entrusting a profound Dharma, the great danger is that those to whom it is given may not trust it and those who receive it may not treat it with due gravity. The Buddha therefore first displays these inconceivable signs with his own body, so that people may see for themselves that the World-Honored One possesses great supernormal powers, that his words are true, and that he never speaks falsely. He first establishes trust; only then can he entrust the Dharma. Concerning the broad, long tongue that reaches the Brahmā heaven, the ancient explanation says that even a tongue able to cover the face and reach the hairline marks one who does not speak falsely. How, then, could there be falsehood in the Buddha’s words when his tongue appears in this way?
Beings throughout the Ten Directions See the Two Buddhas · The Devas Proclaim and Pay Homage
Through the Buddha’s supernormal power, beings all see the Sahā world: the buddhas seated upon lion seats beneath immeasurable jeweled trees and, above all, Śākyamuni Buddha and Many Treasures Tathāgata (Prabhūtaratna) seated together within the jeweled stūpa. The scene from the Chapter on Beholding the Jeweled Stūpa is now seen throughout the ten directions. They also see immeasurable bodhisattvas and the fourfold assembly respectfully surrounding Śākyamuni. At the sight, they rejoice greatly and experience what they have never known before.
At that moment, the devas proclaim in loud voices from the sky: beyond immeasurable worlds lies a land called Sahā, where a buddha named Śākyamuni is now teaching the great-vehicle sutra called the Sutra of the Lotus of the Wondrous Dharma. You should rejoice in it with a deeply sincere heart and bow to and make offerings to Śākyamuni Buddha. On hearing the voice, those beings join their palms toward Sahā and call, “Homage to Śākyamuni Buddha! Homage to Śākyamuni Buddha!” Homage means to entrust one’s life and take refuge. From afar they scatter flowers, incense, jeweled necklaces, banners, and canopies. These offerings come from the ten directions like gathering clouds, transform into a jeweled canopy, and cover the buddhas throughout Sahā. At that moment, the worlds of the ten directions open into one another without obstruction, as though they were a single buddha-land. The ten directions that had been cut off from one another are opened into one.
The Fourfold Essential Teaching: The Pivot of the Entire Sutra Is Handed Over
Once the display of supernormal powers is complete, the Buddha addresses Superior Conduct (Viśiṣṭacāritra) and the other bodhisattvas and speaks the formal words of entrustment. He says that the supernormal powers of the buddhas are thus immeasurable and boundless. Even if, using these powers, he were to speak throughout immeasurable aeons about the qualities of this sutra for the sake of entrusting it, he still could not exhaust them. He therefore gathers his words into their most essential point—four statements alone: all the dharmas possessed by the Tathāgata, all the Tathāgata’s free and unobstructed supernormal powers, all the Tathāgata’s treasuries of secret essentials, and all the Tathāgata’s exceedingly profound matters are proclaimed, revealed, made clear, and taught in this sutra.
All the Tathāgata’s dharmas, all his supernormal powers, all his secret treasuries, and all his most profound matters are proclaimed and taught in this one sutra. These four statements gather the pivot of the entire sutra into one place and then hand it over. Therefore, after the Tathāgata’s passing, they should single-mindedly receive and uphold it, read and recite it, explain it, copy it, and practice as taught. Here the entrustment comes to rest: first the vow of those emerging from the earth, then the establishment of trust through supernormal powers, and finally the entrustment of the Dharma through the fourfold essential teaching.
Wherever the Sutra Scroll Abides Is the Place of Awakening
The Buddha ends with a statement of immense weight. Wherever someone receives and upholds, reads and recites, explains, or copies this sutra and practices as taught—wherever the sutra scroll abides, whether in a garden, a forest, beneath a tree, in the dwellings of the monastic community, in a layperson’s home, in a hall, in a mountain valley, or in the open wilderness—a stūpa should be raised there and offerings made to it. Why? That very place, the Buddha says, is the place of awakening. There the buddhas attain unsurpassed, complete, perfect awakening; there they turn the Dharma-wheel; and there they enter parinirvāṇa.
The place of awakening originally means the adamantine seat where a buddha attains the way. Here the Buddha says that wherever this sutra is present is the place of awakening: there the buddhas attain the way, turn the Dharma-wheel, and enter parinirvāṇa. Where the sutra is present, the Buddha is present. A wilderness tree beneath which a single scroll rests is without difference from the adamantine seat beneath the tree of awakening. The verse proclaims all this again and hands the words to the future: those able to uphold this sutra have thereby already seen the Buddha, Many Treasures, and the emanation buddhas; the Dharma of secret essentials attained by the buddhas at the place of awakening, they too shall attain before long. Therefore, people of wisdom should uphold this sutra after the Buddha’s passing. Such people will assuredly have no doubt about the buddha-way.
Seen through the Eyes of Consciousness-Only: How Should This Display of Supernormal Powers Be Read?
Everything above is the Chapter on the Supernormal Powers of the Tathāgata in its own meaning. The mirror borrowed from the Consciousness-Only tradition transmitted by Kuiji discloses little in this chapter: its axis is the concrete display of supernormal powers and the classification of entrustment, not abstruse teaching about the nature of mind, and the ancient commentary is correspondingly brief. The mirror is not the sutra. Consciousness-Only is not the source of the Lotus, only another set of eyes.
Two points deserve mention. First, Kuiji judges this chapter to be the first of the eight chapters of circulation and also the first half of the entrustment. Entrustment has two steps: first, displaying supernormal powers so that trust will arise; second, in the following chapter, stroking the bodhisattvas’ crowns with the hand so that they will practice. This chapter is the first step. When a profound Dharma is entrusted to others, there is a fear that they may not trust it. The Buddha therefore first displays supernormal powers so that they give rise to trust and understanding; only then does he entrust it in words.
Second, Kuiji explains the fourfold essential teaching—all the Tathāgata’s dharmas, free and unobstructed supernormal powers, treasuries of secret essentials, and exceedingly profound matters—plainly as the way of the provisional and the real, the power of supernormal activity, the principle treasured by the Buddha, and the profound matters of wisdom. He does not go on to correlate them with the three bodies or the four wisdoms, but stops with the sutra.
The number of supernormal powers in this chapter also shows how several exegetical eyes differ. Kuiji counts eight. Zhiyi of Tiantai counts ten, correlating the ten signs with the Lotus categories of one teaching, one person, one practice, and one principle. Jizang of Sanlun counts five, reading them through Vasubandhu’s Treatise on the Lotus Sutra as auspicious signs of bodily, verbal, and mental action. Eight, ten, and five differ because the three houses classify the passage differently. Yet all three meet at one point: each relies on Vasubandhu’s treatise to explain the meaning of the display—the extended tongue causes recollection, the clearing of the throat makes the verse heard, and the snapping of the fingers awakens beings. However many its signs, the display serves one purpose alone: to bring people to trust and receive this sutra. The sutra’s own statement remains where it has always stood: that very place is the place of awakening; where the sutra is present, the Buddha is present. These readings are recorded side by side without adjudication, each kept in its own place.
考據Apparatus
本品為本門付囑之始：佛以大神力勸信，將此經付囑地涌菩薩。地涌菩薩（〈從地踊出品⑮〉所出）請於佛滅後廣說此經；世尊即於一切眾前現大神力——出廣長舌上至梵世、一切毛孔放無量色光遍照十方，寶樹下諸佛亦然，滿百千歲然後還攝舌相；一時謦欬、俱共彈指，二音遍至十方，地皆六種震動；眾生以佛神力故皆見娑婆世界二佛（釋迦與多寶）並坐、菩薩四眾圍繞，諸天於空中唱「南無釋迦牟尼佛」，散華香瓔珞幡蓋變成寶帳遍覆諸佛之上，十方世界通達無礙如一佛土。佛告上行等菩薩：諸佛神力如是，為囑累故雖無量劫說此經功德猶不能盡；以要言之，「如來一切所有之法、如來一切自在神力、如來一切祕要之藏、如來一切甚深之事，皆於此經宣示顯說」（四句要法）；是故滅後應一心受持讀誦解說書寫如說修行，經卷所住之處（園林樹下僧坊白衣舍殿堂山谷曠野）皆應起塔——『當知是處即是道場，諸佛於此得菩提、轉法輪、般涅槃』。慈恩窺基《玄贊》判此品為流通八品之首、付囑二分之初「作神通令信付囑」（神力為囑累前方便）；判神力為八種（古德七＋加示現），配神境通能變十八變，世親《法華論》唯釋出舌謦欬彈指三種；四句要法平釋四目（權實之道・神通之力・佛所藏理・智慧深事）。天台智顗判本門付囑流通，立十神力（配教一・人一・行一・理一）、「結要付囑」（四句結妙名妙用妙體妙宗）；三論吉藏判讚歎流通門，立五種神力（依《法華論》身口意三業瑞）、略明四句——神力之數三家全異，並錄不判。
一、科判定位
| 科判系統 | 此品之位 |
|---|---|
| 羅什 T262 二十八品 | 第二十一 如來神力品（卷六；〔T09n0262 0051c09〕起）· 本門付囑之始·現神力勸信 |
| 窺基《玄贊》科文（主錨·慈恩） | 品段〔T34n1723 0841a06〕三門分別：一來意、二釋名、三解妨〔0841a07〕。來意三重:①「此下八品付受流通，示相付囑……付囑分二：一作神通令信付囑，二手摩頂令行付囑。今此即初」〔0841a10〕· ②序品序分・十九品正宗・自下八品流通〔0841a14〕· ③依《法華論》「修行力…第二說力…〈神力品〉中示現，顯佛世尊有此神力，故能說法皆實不虛」〔0841a19〕· 釋名：「分身能寂俱號如來，妙用無方曰神，威勢能摧為力」〔0841a21〕· 解妨：此經「祕密會二歸宗，餘經不然，故現神力」〔0841a30〕· 現神力分七（標現・出舌放光・謦欬彈指・地振動・彼見歸依・合蓋成帳・世界通一）〔0841b08〕 |
| 天台《文句》（旁證） | 〈釋如來神力品〉〔T34n1718 0141c05〕起 · 判本門付囑流通：「此中為付囑深法，現十種大力，故名神力品。自此品下凡有八品，是付囑、流通。今品明菩薩受命弘經，次品如來摩頂付累」〔0141c07〕·「今本門既竟」〔0141c28〕· 長行三分（菩薩受命・佛現神力・結要勸持）〔0141c10〕 |
| 三論《義疏》（旁證） | 〈如來神力品第二十一〉〔T34n1721 0618a04〕起 · 判讚歎流通門：「讚歎流通門有二：一者三品餘經正明歎法美人；二者明如來現神力」〔0618a05〕· 三會判：「此經始終凡有三會……三從神力品十方世界通達無礙，同為一土……從狹至廣」〔0618a16〕· 此品段不作付囑判（付囑俟囑累品）· 品開二分（菩薩發誓弘經・佛現大神力）〔0618a21〕 |
二、異譯·三譯對勘
本品三漢譯：羅什 T262〈如來神力品第二十一〉· 竺法護 T263《正法華經》〈如來神足行品第二十〉〔T09n0263 0124a03〕· 添品 T264〈如來神力品第二十〉〔T09n0264 0185c16〕。竺法護品名作「神足行」（羅什／添品作「神力」·全品以「神足」為軸·「神力」品段零命中）；品次差（羅什㉑·竺法護／添品⑳）。
句一 地涌菩薩請·受告者上行（上行專名竺法護缺）
| 版本 | 逐字（節） | 出處 |
|---|---|---|
| 羅什 T262 | 爾時，千世界微塵等菩薩摩訶薩，從地踊出者，皆於佛前一心合掌，瞻仰尊顏，而白佛言……佛告上行等菩薩大眾 | T09n0262 0051c09／0052a13 |
| 添品 T264 | 〔逐字同羅什〕 | T09n0264 0185c17／0186a21 |
| 竺法護 T263 | 爾時于彼三千世界塵數億百千姟諸菩薩等從地踊出者，一切皆悉住世尊前，僉然叉手白大聖曰……時彼世尊告諸異行，及佛前住諸菩薩眾 | T09n0263 0124a04／0124b12 |
異文所繫：添品逐字同羅什。竺法護——「一心合掌瞻仰尊顏」→「僉然叉手」·佛→「大聖」·受告者「上行」專名缺（作泛稱「諸異行」——未識為地涌四導師之首）·文殊師利→「溥首」〔0124a09〕。
句二 現大神力·廣長舌·毛孔放光（廣長舌散文竺法護缺）
| 版本 | 逐字（節） | 出處 |
|---|---|---|
| 羅什 T262 | 現大神力，出廣長舌上至梵世，一切毛孔放於無量無數色光，皆悉遍照十方世界……滿百千歲，然後還攝舌相 | T09n0262 0051c18／0051c22 |
| 添品 T264 | 〔逐字同羅什〕 | T09n0264 0185c26 |
| 竺法護 T263 | 如來皆為神足變化……為現瑞應，悉得柔順法忍……現其神足具足充滿，百千歲中有所興立〔偈：其舌神根，暢音梵天〕 | T09n0263 0124a12／0124a17／0124c01 |
異文所繫：添品逐字同羅什。竺法護——散文以「神足變化」括之，「廣長舌」「毛孔」散文零命中（舌相母題僅存於偈「其舌神根，暢音梵天」〔0124c01〕·梵世→梵天）·「還攝舌相」無對應（作「百千歲中有所興立」）。
句三 謦欬彈指·地震動（謦欬竺法護真缺·無二音）
| 版本 | 逐字（節） | 出處 |
|---|---|---|
| 羅什 T262 | 一時謦欬、俱共彈指，是二音聲，遍至十方諸佛世界，地皆六種震動 | T09n0262 0051c23 |
| 添品 T264 | 〔逐字同羅什〕 | T09n0264 0186a02 |
| 竺法護 T263 | 彈指之頃，自然有聲，靡不通達……十方佛國一切世界六反震動 | T09n0263 0124a19／0124a20 |
異文所繫：添品逐字同羅什。竺法護——「謦欬」品段零命中（無「二音聲」之立，僅存彈指單音「彈指之頃，自然有聲」）·「六種震動」→「六反震動」（種／反異）。
句四 諸天唱南無·散華寶帳·十方如一佛土（音寫義譯·如一佛土竺法護缺）
| 版本 | 逐字（節） | 出處 |
|---|---|---|
| 羅什 T262 | 合掌向娑婆世界作如是言：「南無釋迦牟尼佛！南無釋迦牟尼佛！」……變成寶帳，遍覆此間諸佛之上。于時十方世界，通達無礙，如一佛土 | T09n0262 0052a09／0052a12／0052a13 |
| 添品 T264 | 〔逐字同羅什〕 | T09n0264 0186a16 |
| 竺法護 T263 | 心當質直清淨，稽首歸命勸讚奉侍，供養彼能仁正覺……尋時合會為寶華蓋，在於虛空悉覆諸佛及菩薩上 | T09n0263 0124b05／0124b11 |
異文所繫：添品逐字同羅什。竺法護——「南無」音寫品段零命中（南無→「稽首歸命」·釋迦牟尼→「能仁」·娑婆→「忍界／忍土」義譯）·「寶帳」→「寶華蓋」（覆蓋對象加「及菩薩」）·『十方如一佛土』母題真缺（寶華蓋覆諸佛後直轉入付囑·無此句）。
句五 四句要法（竺法護非四句·乃六個四字·「祕要之藏」義取「諸佛閑居」）
| 版本 | 逐字（節） | 出處 |
|---|---|---|
| 羅什 T262 | 以要言之：如來一切所有之法、如來一切自在神力、如來一切祕要之藏、如來一切甚深之事，皆於此經宣示顯說 | T09n0262 0052a17 |
| 添品 T264 | 〔逐字同羅什〕 | T09n0264 0186a25 |
| 竺法護 T263 | 舉要言之，假令有人欲了斯經要，悉佛威神・普諸佛法・諸世尊界・諸佛精進・諸佛閑居・諸佛妙力，示現是經 | T09n0263 0124b17 |
異文所繫（關鍵）：添品逐字同羅什。竺法護——非羅什之四句、乃六個四字單位（悉佛威神・普諸佛法・諸世尊界・諸佛精進・諸佛閑居・諸佛妙力），與羅什四句不等距對映。傾向對勘（暫繫·非定判）：所有之法≈普諸佛法·自在神力≈悉佛威神／諸佛妙力·祕要之藏≈「諸佛閑居」（閑居＝隱靜之居·全無「祕」「藏」字）·甚深之事≈諸佛精進／諸世尊界（對應最鬆）。
句六 經卷所住起塔·是處即道場
| 版本 | 逐字（節） | 出處 |
|---|---|---|
| 羅什 T262 | 若經卷所住之處，若於園中、若於林中、若於樹下、若於僧坊、若白衣舍、若在殿堂、若山谷曠野，是中皆應起塔供養……當知是處、即是道場，諸佛於此得阿耨多羅三藐三菩提，諸佛於此轉于法輪，諸佛於此而般涅槃 | T09n0262 0052a20／0052a25 |
| 添品 T264 | 〔逐字同羅什〕 | T09n0264 0186a28 |
| 竺法護 T263 | 若在精舍・齋堂・室宅・大林樹下・水邊，當起塔廟……觀是道場佛所坐樹，則當察之，一切如來正覺所遊，群聖世雄轉法輪處，十方諸佛在中滅度，等無差特 | T09n0263 0124b22／0124b24 |
異文所繫：添品逐字同羅什。竺法護——起塔處所全異（精舍齋堂室宅・增「著於竹帛」）·起塔→「起塔廟」·三句對映：得阿耨多羅三藐三菩提→「道場佛所坐樹」（音寫無）·般涅槃→「滅度」（義譯）＋「等無差特」。
添品定位：添品 T264〈如來神力品第二十〉逐字承羅什（純漢字 1123＝1123·同長），實質字異僅一（偈「知佛所說經」〔T09n0262 0052b24〕作「如佛所說經」〔T09n0264 0186c03〕·另有校記），餘二為異體（阿修羅／阿脩羅・圍繞／圍遶）——羅什之校訂重刊。竺法護 T263 如來神足行品為真異譯軸:①品名「神足行」（神足非神力）②上行專名缺（諸異行）③謦欬・十方如一佛土 母題真缺④音寫系統義譯（南無→稽首歸命・釋迦牟尼→能仁・娑婆→忍土）⑤四句要法異構（六個四字・祕要之藏取「諸佛閑居」）⑥偈四言（羅什五言）。
三、唯識義之經據（眼）
本品玄贊唯識義薄——付囑事相軸，無三性賴耶落點。唯識-簽名形上語（三性・遍計・依他・圓成・阿賴耶・藏識・轉依・五性・種姓・二障・種子・十地・三身・報身・真如）機掃全段〔T34n1723 0841a06–0842b16〕皆零。全段義理骨幹＝科文＋神變分類＋《法華論》引；慈恩讀落點三，皆事相與付囑判：
(一) 付囑二分——神力為囑累之前方便〔T34n1723 0841a10〕:
「付囑分二：一作神通令信付囑，二手摩頂令行付囑。今此即初。付囑於他恐不生信，故作神通放光等示，令知世尊有大神通，久不妄語、出言諦實，令生信解方以言付。」〔T34n1723 0841a10〕
→ 神力品（作神通令信）→ 囑累品（手摩頂令行），二分而此為初。何以獨此經付囑要現神力？「此經祕密會二歸宗，餘經不然，故現神力」〔0841a30〕。何以地涌久信仍現通？「〈湧出〉久信不假神通，勸發初機須現神力……若不現通以付，恐付猶輕」〔0841a25·玄贊在地作「湧」〕。
(二) 八神力·神境通能變·世親唯釋三〔T34n1723 0841b18〕：古德傳七神力（出舌・放光・謦欬・彈指・地動・合蓋・變土），「今加為八，謂示現，即令他方遙見於此」〔0841b20〕；判屬六通中神境通之「能變」（轉換舊質·別於能化之無而忽有）〔0841b21〕，配十八變（出舌＝舒・放光＝放大光明・地動＝震動・合蓋＝卷・通一＝轉變等）〔0841c11〕。世親《法華論》唯釋三種:
「上表神力八種不同，論唯解三：出舌、彈指、謦咳之義，餘經有五，非勝不釋……又此三種正付囑用，所以偏釋。」〔T34n1723 0842a19〕
出舌表不妄語（引《法華論》婆羅城臭飯緣「凡舌至鼻際尚不妄語，況覆面輪」〔0841c21〕）·謦欬「說偈令聞」〔0842a06〕·彈指『令覺悟進修』〔0842a08〕。
(三) 四句要法——平釋四目（未配三身四智）〔T34n1723 0842a26〕：經四句〈所有之法・自在神力・祕要之藏・甚深之事〉，窺基平釋四目而已：
「一權實之道、二神通之力、三佛所藏理、四智慧深事。」〔T34n1723 0842a26〕
→ 所有之法＝權實之道・自在神力＝神通之力・祕要之藏＝佛所藏理・甚深之事＝智慧深事——未攝三身、四智、理智（機掃「四智」一見＝「四、智慧深事」枚舉序號之偽陽性，非唯識四智）。
（按：本品玄贊唯識義薄——付囑二分・神變分類・四句平釋，皆事相與科判，無三性賴耶。可掛之鏡點僅二微：出舌放光時節「報化之利有殊，聖凡之見有別」〔0841c30〕、「法身妙理此中具故」〔0842a30·法身一見〕。義疏末節據實極窄，勿為湊唯識義而強配三身四智。各品軸：⑲經力根用/⑳佛性如來藏/㉑付囑事相（義薄）/⑯三佛菩提。）
四、諸家異釋（古德·標宗·誌錄不判）
同一「現大神力」與「四句要法」，慈恩・天台・三論讀法各異——神力之數三家全異（八／十／五），並錄不判。本編義疏鏡＝慈恩窺基《玄贊》；天台、三論並錄，誌其異而不判。
約詞辨:①「別付囑」「總付囑」二連文，《文句》《義疏》全書皆零——係天台後世常語，非二疏之逐字；智顗實作「今品明菩薩受命弘經，次品如來摩頂付累」〔0141c09〕之概念分判，不以「別／總付囑」標之。②「結經」連文兩疏皆零；智顗作「結要」（「結要付囑」〔0142a23〕·智顗專語·全書二見）。③「十神力」為智顗專語（《文句》三見·《義疏》零）；「五種神力」為吉藏專語（《義疏》二見·《文句》零）。
慈恩·窺基《玄贊》T34n1723（鏡骨幹）
付囑二分（作神通令信／手摩頂令行·今此初）〔0841a10〕· 八神力（古七＋加示現）配神境通能變十八變〔0841b18／0841c11〕· 世親論唯釋三（出舌謦欬彈指·付囑用）〔0842a19〕· 四句要法平釋四目〔0842a26〕。詳目三。慈恩承衍：慧沼《法華玄贊義決》T34n1724。
天台·智顗《文句》T34n1718（旁證）
判本門付囑流通（八品之首）〔0141c08〕· 釋名「神名不測，力名幹用」〔0141c06〕· 十神力配本迹「一」義〔T34n1718 0141c21 起〕：吐舌＝開三顯一・毛孔放光＝智境（本門既竟照一切土）・謦欬＝將語付法・彈指＝隨喜・地動＝六番動無明・普見＝諸佛道同・空唱＝教一・南無歸命＝人一・散物雲聚＝行一・十方通同＝理一。結要付囑·四句結四妙〔T34n1718 0142a22〕:
「結要有四句：一切法者，一切皆佛法也，此結一切皆妙名也；一切力者，通達無礙具八自在，此結妙用也；一切秘藏者，遍一切處皆是實相，此結妙體也；一切深事者，因果是深事，此結妙宗也。」〔T34n1718 0142a25〕
四要四處起塔：「得菩提是法身，轉法輪是般若，入涅槃是解脫，三法成祕密藏」〔0142b08〕；引《阿含》「佛出世唯四處起塔：生處、得道處、轉法輪、入涅槃」〔0142b10〕。
三論·吉藏《法華義疏》T34n1721（旁證）
判讚歎流通門〔0618a05〕· 三會判（穢土一會・三變淨土・神力十方如一土·從狹至廣）〔0618a16〕· 五種神力（五瑞）依《法華論》三業瑞〔T34n1721 0618b03〕:
「正明現神力中，凡現五種神力：一、現舌相，表說二權二實無有虛妄……依《法華論》意，舌相謦咳屬口業瑞，放光、彈指屬身業瑞，動地謂意業瑞；而經文次第者，初二是色瑞，次兩是聲瑞，此四是謂正果瑞，動地是依果瑞。」〔T34n1721 0618b03／0618b27〕
略明四句〔0618c14〕：所有之法＝初分經乘權乘實・自在神力＝後分經身權身實短長適化・祕要之藏＝「此二攝義無不周故稱為要，昔所未說故名為祕」〔0618c18〕・甚深之事＝「授五乘人成佛之記為甚深事」〔0618c19〕。
三家並錄（誌·不判）
神力之數：慈恩八（古七＋示現·配神境通十八變·世親論唯釋三）、天台十神力（配本迹教人行理四一）、三論五種神力（配《法華論》身口意三業瑞）——三家數異，並錄不判。四句要法配義：慈恩平釋四目（權實道／神通力／佛所藏理／智慧深事）、天台結四妙（妙名／妙用／妙體／妙宗·撮樞柄授上行）、三論略明四句（乘權乘實／身權身實／祕要／授五乘成佛記）——同判四句配一經，配義各異，並錄不判。此品之位：慈恩「流通八品之首・付囑之初（作神通令信）」、天台『本門付囑流通』、三論「讚歎流通門（付囑俟囑累品）」。共法：三家皆倚世親《法華論》釋神力之義（出舌令憶念・謦欬說偈令聞・彈指令覺悟）。智顗（538–597）・吉藏（549–623）早於窺基（632–682），並錄不判。
五、術語
| 漢 | 傳梵（羅馬字·發音輔助） | 古德所徵 | 義 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 如來神力 | tathāgata-ṛddhi（系） | 〔本經 0051c18〕；窺基「妙用無方曰神，威勢能摧為力」〔T34n1723 0841a21〕·八神力〔0841b18〕；智顗「神名不測，力名幹用」·十神力〔T34n1718 0141c06〕；吉藏五種神力〔T34n1721 0618b03〕；竺法護作「神足」〔T09n0263 0124a12〕 | 佛現大神力以勸信付囑·數三家異（八／十／五） |
| 廣長舌 | — | 〔本經 0051c18〕；窺基引《法華論》婆羅城緣「凡舌至鼻際尚不妄語」〔T34n1723 0841c21〕；竺法護作「舌神根」〔T09n0263 0124c01〕 | 出舌上至梵世·表出言諦實不妄語 |
| 謦欬彈指 | — | 〔本經 0051c23〕；窺基「論云謦咳者說偈令聞·彈指令覺悟進修」〔T34n1723 0842a06〕；竺法護謦欬缺〔品段零〕 | 二音遍十方·將語付法之相（竺法護唯彈指單音） |
| 四句要法 | — | 〔本經 0052a17〕；窺基平釋四目〔T34n1723 0842a26〕；智顗結四妙〔T34n1718 0142a25〕；吉藏略明四句〔T34n1721 0618c14〕；竺法護六個四字〔T09n0263 0124b16〕 | 所有之法・自在神力・祕要之藏・甚深之事·三家配義異 |
| 南無 | namas（系） | 〔本經 0052a09〕；竺法護義譯「稽首歸命」〔T09n0263 0124b05〕 | 歸命・皈依·諸天向娑婆之唱（竺法護不用音寫） |
| 上行 | Viśiṣṭacāritra（系） | 〔本經 0052a13〕；地涌四導師之首；竺法護作「諸異行」〔T09n0263 0124b12·無專名〕 | 付囑正對之本化菩薩 |
六、譬喻·修辭
本品無法華七喻；修辭核在「神變之相」與「道場」之轉義。
(一) 神變十相（相為表法）——〔T09n0262 0051c18〕：出舌・放光・謦欬・彈指・地動・普見二佛・諸天唱・散華・寶帳・十方如一佛土——一連串神變非徒炫奇，相相表法（智顗判：吐舌表誠諦不虛・十方通同表理一〔T34n1718 0141c21〕）。修辭之力在「以事顯法」：欲付深法而恐人不信，故先以身現不可思議之相，令信而後付。
(二) 「是處即是道場」（處所之轉義）——〔T09n0262 0052a25〕：經卷所住之處，園林樹下乃至山谷曠野，『當知是處即是道場，諸佛於此得菩提、轉法輪、般涅槃』。修辭在「移尊於卑」：道場本指佛成道之金剛座，今凡有此經之處即是道場——經在即佛在，持經之地即成道、轉法、涅槃之地。智顗以四處起塔配得菩提／轉法輪／入涅槃三事〔T34n1718 0142b08〕。
(三) 虛空喻（功德無邊·偈中）——〔T09n0262 0052b06〕：持經功德「如十方虛空，不可得邊際」·樂說無窮「如風於空中，一切無障礙」·除闇「如日月光明，能除諸幽冥」——三喻皆以無際無礙者，喻持經者之德用。
七、互讀·承衍
(一) 本品所依論（窺基《玄贊》骨幹）:
- 世親《法華論》——「修行力・說力・〈神力品〉示現」〔T34n1723 0841a18〕· 神力唯釋三種（出舌令憶念・謦欬說偈令聞・彈指令覺悟）〔0842a06／0842a19〕。天台吉藏亦同引《法華論》釋神力（智顗・吉藏皆牒謦欬彈指動地之論義）——三家同宗。
- 窺基引《玉篇》（謦欬音訓）〔0842a09〕；智顗引《阿含》（四處起塔）〔T34n1718 0142b10〕；吉藏引《法華論》《涅槃經》〔T34n1721 0618b05／0618b19〕。
(二) 法華內互讀:
- 付囑序列 → 此品（作神通令信付囑）→〈囑累品㉒〉（手摩頂令行付囑）〔T34n1723 0841a10〕——付囑二分，神力為囑累之前方便。
- 地涌承接 → 請說者即〈從地踊出品⑮〉所出之地涌菩薩，付囑正對之首＝上行〔0052a13〕（⑮所立四導師之一）·久遠所化今受付囑。
- 二佛並坐遙承 → 眾生普見「釋迦牟尼佛共多寶如來在寶塔中坐師子座」〔0051c28〕——承〈見寶塔品⑪〉多寶全身塔・二佛並坐；三變淨土→此品『十方通達如一佛土』（吉藏三會判之第三·從狹至廣〔T34n1721 0618a16〕）。
- 四句要法遙攝全經 → 智顗以四句結一經『妙名妙用妙體妙宗』〔T34n1718 0142a25〕、吉藏以四句攝「初分乘權乘實・後分身權身實」〔0618c14〕——迹門開權（②）・本門顯遠（⑯）皆攝於此四句。
- 廣長舌遙承 → 出舌表不妄語，遙應〈方便品②〉『如來所說皆實不虛』·〈壽量品⑯〉「如來如實知見・無有虛妄」。
(三) 承衍：慈恩後學慧沼《法華玄贊義決》T34n1724;天台後學湛然《法華文句記》T34n1719;三論吉藏別有《法華玄論》T34n1720——各承其宗，誌不判。
八、校本定位
- 羅什 T262（底本）：〈如來神力品第二十一〉〔T09n0262 0051c09〕起（卷六）。地涌菩薩請 0051c09 · 現大神力 0051c18〔廣長舌毛孔放光 0051c18・還攝舌相 0051c22・謦欬彈指二音 0051c23・地六種震動 0051c24〕· 普見二佛 0051c26〔多寶並坐 0051c28〕· 諸天唱 0052a02〔南無釋迦牟尼佛 0052a09・散華寶帳 0052a12・十方如一佛土 0052a13〕· 佛告上行 0052a13〔四句要法 0052a17・經卷所住起塔 0052a22〔七處所 0052a22〕・是處即道場 0052a25〕· 偈頌 0052a29〔諸佛救世者 0052a29・能持是經者則為已見我 0052b12・應受持斯經 0052c01〕迄 0052c02（次品〈囑累品第二十二〉0052c03 起）。源檔：原典層（逐字校訖）。
- 竺法護 T263《正法華經》〈如來神足行品第二十〉〔T09n0263 0124a03〕起：地涌請 0124a04〔溥首 0124a09〕· 神足變化 0124a12〔百千歲 0124a17・彈指自然有聲 0124a19・六反震動 0124a20〕· 稽首歸命能仁 0124b05〔寶華蓋 0124b11〕· 告諸異行 0124b12〔六個四字 0124b16・起塔廟 0124b22・道場佛所坐樹 0124b24〕· 偈四言 0124b28〔舌神根暢音梵天 0124c01〕迄 0125a07。〔神力・廣長舌・謦欬・南無・上行・祕要 品段皆 0 命中〕
- 添品 T264〈如來神力品第二十〉〔T09n0264 0185c16〕起：地涌請 0185c17 · 現神力 0185c26〔謦欬彈指二音 0186a02〕· 諸天唱南無 0186a16 · 佛告上行 0186a21〔四句要法 0186a25・起塔 0186a28・是處道場 0186b03〕· 偈五言 0186b08〔如佛所說經 0186c03〕迄 0186c10。〔逐字近同羅什·純漢字 1123＝1123·實質字異一「知→如」〕
- 窺基《玄贊》T34n1723（義疏鏡）：〈如來神力品〉〔0841a06〕—〔0842b16〕。三門 0841a07／付囑分二今此初 0841a10／流通八品 0841a14／法華論說力 0841a18 · 釋名 0841a21／解妨祕密會二歸宗 0841a30／現神力分七 0841b08／佛告上行標 0841b12 · 古德七神力今加八 0841b18／神境通能變十八變 0841b21／八配十八變 0841c11 · 出舌不妄語 0841c21／報化利殊 0841c30／謦欬 0842a06／彈指 0842a08／論唯解三 0842a19／四句平釋四目 0842a26／法身妙理具此 0842a30。
- 智顗《文句》T34n1718（旁證）：〈釋如來神力品〉0141c05 起 · 神名不測 0141c06／付囑流通八品 0141c08／十神力配一義 0141c21／本門既竟 0141c28 · 結要付囑 0142a22／結四妙 0142a25／三法成祕密藏 0142b08／阿含四處起塔 0142b10 迄 0142b19。
- 吉藏《義疏》T34n1721（旁證）：〈如來神力品第二十一〉0618a04 起 · 讚歎流通門 0618a05／三會判 0618a16／五種神力 0618b03／三業瑞 0618b26／略明四句 0618c14／授五乘成佛記 0618c19 · 偈七門 0618c29 迄 0619a04。
- 成立史誌：品題羅什／添品「如來神力品」·竺法護「如來神足行品」（神足非神力）；品次羅什㉑・竺法護／添品⑳;竺法護異譯（神足・諸異行・謦欬缺・稽首歸命・六個四字・寶華蓋・如一佛土缺）；添品逐字近同羅什（實質字異一「知→如」）。「別付囑」「總付囑」「結經」兩疏全書零（後世約詞）·「十神力」智顗專語・「五種神力」吉藏專語。
This chapter begins the entrustment of the Origin Gate: through great supernormal powers, the Buddha encourages trust and entrusts this sutra to the bodhisattvas who emerged from the earth. These bodhisattvas—introduced in 〈從地踊出品⑮〉 “Chapter 15, Emerging from the Earth”—ask to proclaim this sutra widely after the Buddha’s passing. Before the entire assembly, the World-Honored One then displays great supernormal powers: his broad, long tongue extends upward to the Brahmā world; immeasurable rays of colored light stream from every pore and illumine the ten directions; the buddhas beneath the jeweled trees do the same; and only after a full hundred thousand years do they retract their tongues. At the same moment, they clear their throats and together snap their fingers. The two sounds reach throughout the ten directions, and the earth quakes in six ways. Through the Buddha’s supernormal power, beings see the two buddhas in the Sahā world—Śākyamuni and Many Treasures (Prabhūtaratna)—seated together, with bodhisattvas and the fourfold assembly surrounding them. Devas proclaim 「南無釋迦牟尼佛」 tr. “Homage to Śākyamuni Buddha” from the sky. The flowers, incense, jeweled necklaces, banners, and canopies scattered as offerings transform into a jeweled canopy covering the buddhas, while the worlds of the ten directions open into one another without obstruction, as though they were a single buddha-land. The Buddha tells Superior Conduct (Viśiṣṭacāritra) and the other bodhisattvas that, immeasurable though the supernormal powers of the buddhas are, even immeasurable aeons would not exhaust the qualities of this sutra spoken for the sake of entrustment. To state the essential point: 「如來一切所有之法、如來一切自在神力、如來一切祕要之藏、如來一切甚深之事，皆於此經宣示顯說」 tr. “All the dharmas possessed by the Tathāgata, all the Tathāgata’s free and unobstructed supernormal powers, all the Tathāgata’s treasuries of secret essentials, and all the Tathāgata’s exceedingly profound matters are proclaimed, revealed, made clear, and taught in this sutra.” This is the fourfold essential teaching. Therefore, after the Tathāgata’s passing, the bodhisattvas should single-mindedly receive and uphold, read and recite, explain, and copy the sutra, and practice as taught. Wherever the sutra scroll abides—in a garden, a forest, beneath a tree, in the dwellings of the monastic community, in a layperson’s home, in a hall, in a mountain valley, or in the open wilderness—a stūpa should be raised: 『當知是處即是道場，諸佛於此得菩提、轉法輪、般涅槃』 tr. “You should know that this very place is the place of awakening: here the buddhas attain awakening, turn the Dharma-wheel, and enter parinirvāṇa.” Kuiji of the Cien tradition, in the 《玄贊》 Fahua Xuanzan (Profound Praise of the Lotus), places this chapter first among the eight chapters of circulation and first within the two parts of entrustment: 「作神通令信付囑」 tr. “displaying supernormal powers so that trust will arise before entrusting the Dharma.” The supernormal powers prepare for entrustment. He counts eight powers—the seven transmitted by earlier masters plus “manifestation”—and correlates them with the eighteen transformations of the supernormal sphere; Vasubandhu’s 《法華論》 Treatise on the Lotus Sutra explains only three: extending the tongue, clearing the throat, and snapping the fingers. Kuiji explains the fourfold essential teaching plainly under four headings: the way of the provisional and the real, the power of supernormal activity, the principle treasured by the Buddha, and the profound matters of wisdom. Zhiyi of Tiantai places the chapter within the circulation of entrustment in the Origin Gate, counts ten supernormal powers, and reads the four statements as the four wondrous dimensions of name, function, substance, and purport. Jizang of Sanlun places it within the circulation of praise, counts five powers, and reads them through auspicious signs of bodily, verbal, and mental action. The numbers assigned by the three houses differ completely; their readings are recorded side by side without adjudication.
I. Doctrinal-Outline Placement
| Outline system | Placement of this chapter |
|---|---|
| 羅什 T262 二十八品 | 第二十一 如來神力品 — Chapter 21, The Supernormal Powers of the Tathāgata（卷六；〔T09n0262 0051c09〕起）· the beginning of the entrustment of the Origin Gate · displaying supernormal powers to encourage trust |
| 窺基《玄贊》科文（主錨·慈恩） | The chapter section at 〔T34n1723 0841a06〕 gives 三門分別：一來意、二釋名、三解妨 tr. “a three-gateway analysis: first, the reason for its coming; second, the explanation of its name; third, the resolution of a difficulty” 〔0841a07〕. The 來意三重 tr. “threefold reason for its coming” is: (1) 「此下八品付受流通，示相付囑……付囑分二：一作神通令信付囑，二手摩頂令行付囑。今此即初」 tr. “The following eight chapters constitute the circulation of giving and receiving the entrustment, displaying signs and entrusting the Dharma. … Entrustment is divided in two: first, displaying supernormal powers so that trust will arise before entrusting the Dharma; second, stroking their crowns with the hand so that they will practice after entrusting the Dharma. The present chapter is the first” 〔0841a10〕; (2) the introductory section is the Chapter on Introduction, the principal teaching comprises nineteen chapters, and the following eight chapters are circulation 〔0841a14〕; (3) according to the 《法華論》 Treatise on the Lotus Sutra, 「修行力…第二說力…〈神力品〉中示現，顯佛世尊有此神力，故能說法皆實不虛」 tr. “the power of practice … second, the power of teaching … is displayed in the Chapter on Supernormal Powers, showing that the Buddha, the World-Honored One, possesses these supernormal powers and therefore that all the Dharma he teaches is real and not false” 〔0841a19〕. Under 釋名 tr. “explanation of the name,” it states: 「分身能寂俱號如來，妙用無方曰神，威勢能摧為力」 tr. “The emanation bodies and the Able Quiescent One are both called Tathāgatas; wondrous functioning without fixed direction is called supernormal, and awe-inspiring power able to subdue is called strength” 〔0841a21〕. Under 解妨 tr. “resolution of a difficulty,” it says that this sutra 「祕密會二歸宗，餘經不然，故現神力」 tr. “secretly gathers the two back to their source; other sutras do not, and therefore these supernormal powers are displayed” 〔0841a30〕. The 現神力分七 tr. “display of supernormal powers is divided into seven”: announcing the display; extending the tongue and emitting light; clearing the throat and snapping the fingers; the earth quaking; beings elsewhere seeing and taking refuge; the canopies joining into a jeweled covering; and the worlds opening into one 〔0841b08〕. |
| 天台《文句》（旁證） | 〈釋如來神力品〉 “Explanation of the Chapter on the Supernormal Powers of the Tathāgata” begins at 〔T34n1718 0141c05〕. It 判本門付囑流通 tr. “places the chapter within the circulation of entrustment in the Origin Gate”: 「此中為付囑深法，現十種大力，故名神力品。自此品下凡有八品，是付囑、流通。今品明菩薩受命弘經，次品如來摩頂付累」 tr. “Here, in order to entrust the profound Dharma, ten kinds of great power are displayed; therefore it is named the Chapter on Supernormal Powers. From this chapter onward there are eight chapters in all, constituting entrustment and circulation. The present chapter shows the bodhisattvas receiving the command to propagate the sutra; in the next chapter, the Tathāgata strokes their crowns and entrusts it to them” 〔0141c07〕. It states 「今本門既竟」 tr. “Now that the Origin Gate has been completed” 〔0141c28〕 and divides the prose into three parts: the bodhisattvas receive the command; the Buddha displays supernormal powers; and the essential teaching is gathered and upholding encouraged 〔0141c10〕. |
| 三論《義疏》（旁證） | 〈如來神力品第二十一〉 “Chapter 21, The Supernormal Powers of the Tathāgata” begins at 〔T34n1721 0618a04〕. It 判讚歎流通門 tr. “places the chapter within the circulation of praise”: 「讚歎流通門有二：一者三品餘經正明歎法美人；二者明如來現神力」 tr. “The circulation of praise has two parts: first, the remaining text of the three chapters directly praises the Dharma and extols the person; second, it shows the Tathāgata displaying supernormal powers” 〔0618a05〕. Its judgment of the three assemblies states: 「此經始終凡有三會……三從神力品十方世界通達無礙，同為一土……從狹至廣」 tr. “From beginning to end this sutra has three assemblies in all … third, from the Chapter on Supernormal Powers, the worlds of the ten directions open into one another without obstruction and become a single land … proceeding from narrow to broad” 〔0618a16〕. This chapter section is not classified as entrustment; entrustment awaits the Chapter on Entrustment. It opens the chapter into two parts: the bodhisattvas vow to propagate the sutra; and the Buddha displays great supernormal powers 〔0618a21〕. |
II. Alternate Translations · Collation of the Three Translations
This chapter has three Chinese translations: Kumārajīva’s T262, 〈如來神力品第二十一〉 “Chapter 21, The Supernormal Powers of the Tathāgata”; Dharmarakṣa’s T263 《正法華經》 True Dharma Lotus, 〈如來神足行品第二十〉 “Chapter 20, The Tathāgata’s Practice of Supernormal Feet” 〔T09n0263 0124a03〕; and the supplemented edition T264, 〈如來神力品第二十〉 “Chapter 20, The Supernormal Powers of the Tathāgata” 〔T09n0264 0185c16〕. Dharmarakṣa’s chapter title uses 「神足行」 tr. “practice of supernormal feet,” whereas Kumārajīva and the supplemented edition use 「神力」 tr. “supernormal powers.” The entire chapter turns on 「神足」 tr. “supernormal feet,” while 「神力」 tr. “supernormal powers” does not occur in the chapter section. The chapter numbering also differs: Chapter 21 in Kumārajīva, but Chapter 20 in Dharmarakṣa and the supplemented edition.
Passage One · The Bodhisattvas Emerging from the Earth Make Their Request · Superior Conduct Is Addressed (The Proper Name Superior Conduct Is Absent from Dharmarakṣa)
| Version | Verbatim Chinese and translation | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 羅什 T262 | 爾時，千世界微塵等菩薩摩訶薩，從地踊出者，皆於佛前一心合掌，瞻仰尊顏，而白佛言……佛告上行等菩薩大眾 tr. “At that time, great bodhisattvas as numerous as the dust of a thousand worlds, those who had emerged from the earth, all joined their palms single-mindedly before the Buddha, gazed up at his honored countenance, and addressed him … The Buddha addressed Superior Conduct and the great assembly of bodhisattvas.” | T09n0262 0051c09／0052a13 |
| 添品 T264 | 〔逐字同羅什〕 tr. “[Identical word for word with Kumārajīva.]” | T09n0264 0185c17／0186a21 |
| 竺法護 T263 | 爾時于彼三千世界塵數億百千姟諸菩薩等從地踊出者，一切皆悉住世尊前，僉然叉手白大聖曰……時彼世尊告諸異行，及佛前住諸菩薩眾 tr. “At that time, millions of hundreds of thousands of myriads of great bodhisattvas as numerous as the dust of the three-thousandfold world, those who had emerged from the earth, all stood before the World-Honored One, unanimously crossed their hands, and addressed the Great Sage … Then the World-Honored One addressed those of different practices and the assembly of bodhisattvas standing before the Buddha.” | T09n0263 0124a04／0124b12 |
What the variants bear upon: the supplemented edition is identical word for word with Kumārajīva. In Dharmarakṣa, 「一心合掌瞻仰尊顏」 tr. “joined their palms single-mindedly and gazed up at his honored countenance” becomes 「僉然叉手」 tr. “unanimously crossed their hands”; 「佛」 tr. “the Buddha” becomes 「大聖」 tr. “the Great Sage”; and the proper name 「上行」 tr. “Superior Conduct” is absent from the addressee, replaced by the general designation 「諸異行」 tr. “those of different practices”—the figure is not identified as the foremost of the four leaders of the bodhisattvas emerging from the earth. 「文殊師利」 tr. “Mañjuśrī” becomes 「溥首」 tr. “Universal Head” 〔0124a09〕.
Passage Two · Display of Great Supernormal Powers · Broad, Long Tongue · Light from the Pores (The Prose Description of the Broad, Long Tongue Is Absent from Dharmarakṣa)
| Version | Verbatim Chinese and translation | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 羅什 T262 | 現大神力，出廣長舌上至梵世，一切毛孔放於無量無數色光，皆悉遍照十方世界……滿百千歲，然後還攝舌相 tr. “He displayed great supernormal powers: extending his broad, long tongue upward to the Brahmā world, he emitted immeasurable and innumerable rays of colored light from every pore, all of which shone throughout the worlds of the ten directions … After a full hundred thousand years, he then retracted his tongue.” | T09n0262 0051c18／0051c22 |
| 添品 T264 | 〔逐字同羅什〕 tr. “[Identical word for word with Kumārajīva.]” | T09n0264 0185c26 |
| 竺法護 T263 | 如來皆為神足變化……為現瑞應，悉得柔順法忍……現其神足具足充滿，百千歲中有所興立〔偈：其舌神根，暢音梵天〕 tr. “The Tathāgata performed transformations of supernormal feet … In order to manifest an auspicious response, all attained the patient acceptance of the gentle and compliant Dharma … He displayed his supernormal feet, complete and full, establishing these things throughout a hundred thousand years. [Verse: ‘The supernormal faculty of his tongue sent its sound freely to the Brahmā heaven.’]” | T09n0263 0124a12／0124a17／0124c01 |
What the variants bear upon: the supplemented edition is identical word for word with Kumārajīva. Dharmarakṣa’s prose gathers the display under 「神足變化」 tr. “transformations of supernormal feet.” In the prose, neither 「廣長舌」 tr. “broad, long tongue” nor 「毛孔」 tr. “pores” occurs. The motif of the tongue remains only in the verse, 「其舌神根，暢音梵天」 tr. “the supernormal faculty of his tongue sent its sound freely to the Brahmā heaven” 〔0124c01〕, where Kumārajīva’s Brahmā world becomes the Brahmā heaven. There is no corresponding 「還攝舌相」 tr. “retraction of the tongue”; Dharmarakṣa instead has 「百千歲中有所興立」 tr. “establishing these things throughout a hundred thousand years.”
Passage Three · Clearing the Throat and Snapping the Fingers · The Earth Quakes (Clearing the Throat Is Genuinely Absent from Dharmarakṣa · There Are Not Two Sounds)
| Version | Verbatim Chinese and translation | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 羅什 T262 | 一時謦欬、俱共彈指，是二音聲，遍至十方諸佛世界，地皆六種震動 tr. “At the same moment, they cleared their throats and together snapped their fingers. These two sounds reached throughout the buddha-worlds of the ten directions, and the earth in all those worlds quaked in six ways.” | T09n0262 0051c23 |
| 添品 T264 | 〔逐字同羅什〕 tr. “[Identical word for word with Kumārajīva.]” | T09n0264 0186a02 |
| 竺法護 T263 | 彈指之頃，自然有聲，靡不通達……十方佛國一切世界六反震動 tr. “At the moment of snapping the fingers, a sound arose spontaneously and reached everywhere … All the worlds in the buddha-lands of the ten directions quaked six times.” | T09n0263 0124a19／0124a20 |
What the variants bear upon: 「謦欬」 tr. “clearing the throat” does not occur anywhere in Dharmarakṣa’s chapter section. He does not establish 「二音聲」 tr. “two sounds,” preserving only the single sound of the fingers being snapped: 「彈指之頃，自然有聲」 tr. “at the moment of snapping the fingers, a sound arose spontaneously.” 「六種震動」 tr. “quaked in six ways” becomes 「六反震動」 tr. “quaked six times,” a difference between “ways” and “times.”
Passage Four · The Devas Proclaim Homage · Flowers Become a Jeweled Canopy · The Ten Directions Become One Buddha-Land (Transliteration and Translation Differ · The Single Buddha-Land Is Absent from Dharmarakṣa)
| Version | Verbatim Chinese and translation | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 羅什 T262 | 合掌向娑婆世界作如是言：「南無釋迦牟尼佛!南無釋迦牟尼佛!」……變成寶帳，遍覆此間諸佛之上。于時十方世界，通達無礙，如一佛土 tr. “They joined their palms toward the Sahā world and said: ‘Homage to Śākyamuni Buddha! Homage to Śākyamuni Buddha!’ … The offerings transformed into a jeweled canopy and covered the buddhas throughout this world. At that time, the worlds of the ten directions opened into one another without obstruction, as though they were a single buddha-land.” | T09n0262 0052a09／0052a12／0052a13 |
| 添品 T264 | 〔逐字同羅什〕 tr. “[Identical word for word with Kumārajīva.]” | T09n0264 0186a16 |
| 竺法護 T263 | 心當質直清淨，稽首歸命勸讚奉侍，供養彼能仁正覺……尋時合會為寶華蓋，在於虛空悉覆諸佛及菩薩上 tr. “Their minds should be upright and pure; bowing their heads and entrusting their lives, they praised and attended upon that Able Sage, the Perfectly Awakened One, and made offerings to him … At once the offerings joined into a jeweled flower canopy that stood in the sky and covered all the buddhas and bodhisattvas.” | T09n0263 0124b05／0124b11 |
What the variants bear upon: in Dharmarakṣa, the transliteration 「南無」 tr. “homage” does not occur anywhere in the chapter section; it becomes 「稽首歸命」 tr. “bowing the head and entrusting one’s life.” 「釋迦牟尼」 tr. “Śākyamuni” becomes 「能仁」 tr. “Able Sage,” and 「娑婆」 tr. “Sahā” becomes the translated 「忍界／忍土」 tr. “realm of endurance / land of endurance.” 「寶帳」 tr. “jeweled canopy” becomes 「寶華蓋」 tr. “jeweled flower canopy,” and the objects covered expand to include 「及菩薩」 tr. “and bodhisattvas.” The motif 『十方如一佛土』 tr. “the ten directions as one buddha-land” is genuinely absent: after the jeweled flower canopy covers the buddhas, Dharmarakṣa proceeds directly to the entrustment and has no corresponding sentence.
Passage Five · The Fourfold Essential Teaching (Dharmarakṣa Does Not Have Four Statements, but Six Four-Character Units · “Treasury of Secret Essentials” Draws in Meaning upon “the Seclusion of the Buddhas”)
| Version | Verbatim Chinese and translation | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 羅什 T262 | 以要言之：如來一切所有之法、如來一切自在神力、如來一切祕要之藏、如來一切甚深之事，皆於此經宣示顯說 tr. “To state the essential point: all the dharmas possessed by the Tathāgata, all the Tathāgata’s free and unobstructed supernormal powers, all the Tathāgata’s treasuries of secret essentials, and all the Tathāgata’s exceedingly profound matters are proclaimed, revealed, made clear, and taught in this sutra.” | T09n0262 0052a17 |
| 添品 T264 | 〔逐字同羅什〕 tr. “[Identical word for word with Kumārajīva.]” | T09n0264 0186a25 |
| 竺法護 T263 | 舉要言之，假令有人欲了斯經要，悉佛威神・普諸佛法・諸世尊界・諸佛精進・諸佛閑居・諸佛妙力，示現是經 tr. “To state the essential point: if someone wishes to understand the essentials of this sutra—all the buddhas’ awe-inspiring power, the universal Dharma of the buddhas, the spheres of the World-Honored Ones, the diligence of the buddhas, the secluded dwelling of the buddhas, and the wondrous powers of the buddhas—these are manifested in this sutra.” | T09n0263 0124b17 |
What the variants bear upon (crucial): the supplemented edition is identical word for word with Kumārajīva. Dharmarakṣa does not have Kumārajīva’s four statements, but six four-character units: 「悉佛威神・普諸佛法・諸世尊界・諸佛精進・諸佛閑居・諸佛妙力」 tr. “all the buddhas’ awe-inspiring power; the universal Dharma of the buddhas; the spheres of the World-Honored Ones; the diligence of the buddhas; the secluded dwelling of the buddhas; and the wondrous powers of the buddhas.” They do not align at equal intervals with Kumārajīva’s four statements. A tentative collation, provisionally attached and not adjudicated, is: 「所有之法」 tr. “all the dharmas possessed” approximately corresponds to 「普諸佛法」 tr. “the universal Dharma of the buddhas”; 「自在神力」 tr. “free and unobstructed supernormal powers” to 「悉佛威神／諸佛妙力」 tr. “all the buddhas’ awe-inspiring power / the wondrous powers of the buddhas”; 「祕要之藏」 tr. “treasury of secret essentials” to 「諸佛閑居」 tr. “the secluded dwelling of the buddhas,” where secluded dwelling means an abode of hidden quiet and neither 「祕」 tr. “secret” nor 「藏」 tr. “treasury” appears; and 「甚深之事」 tr. “exceedingly profound matters” to 「諸佛精進／諸世尊界」 tr. “the diligence of the buddhas / the spheres of the World-Honored Ones,” the loosest correspondence.
Passage Six · Raising a Stūpa Wherever the Sutra Scroll Abides · That Place Is the Place of Awakening
| Version | Verbatim Chinese and translation | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 羅什 T262 | 若經卷所住之處，若於園中、若於林中、若於樹下、若於僧坊、若白衣舍、若在殿堂、若山谷曠野，是中皆應起塔供養……當知是處、即是道場，諸佛於此得阿耨多羅三藐三菩提，諸佛於此轉于法輪，諸佛於此而般涅槃 tr. “Wherever the sutra scroll abides—whether in a garden, in a forest, beneath a tree, in the dwellings of the monastic community, in a white-robed layperson’s home, in a hall, in a mountain valley, or in the open wilderness—a stūpa should be raised there and offerings made to it … You should know that this very place is the place of awakening. Here the buddhas attain unsurpassed, complete, perfect awakening; here the buddhas turn the Dharma-wheel; and here the buddhas enter parinirvāṇa.” | T09n0262 0052a20／0052a25 |
| 添品 T264 | 〔逐字同羅什〕 tr. “[Identical word for word with Kumārajīva.]” | T09n0264 0186a28 |
| 竺法護 T263 | 若在精舍・齋堂・室宅・大林樹下・水邊，當起塔廟……觀是道場佛所坐樹，則當察之，一切如來正覺所遊，群聖世雄轉法輪處，十方諸佛在中滅度，等無差特 tr. “Whether in a monastery, a refectory, a dwelling, beneath a tree in a great forest, or by the water, a stūpa-shrine should be raised … Regard this place of awakening as the tree beneath which the Buddha sat. One should understand it as a place frequented by all tathāgatas, the Perfectly Awakened; a place where the sages, heroes of the world, turn the Dharma-wheel; and a place where the buddhas of the ten directions pass into extinction, all without distinction.” | T09n0263 0124b22／0124b24 |
What the variants bear upon: Dharmarakṣa’s locations for raising a stūpa differ throughout—「精舍齋堂室宅・增「著於竹帛」」 tr. “monastery, refectory, and dwelling, with the added phrase ‘written upon bamboo and silk.’” 「起塔」 tr. “raise a stūpa” becomes 「起塔廟」 tr. “raise a stūpa-shrine.” In the threefold correspondence, attaining unsurpassed, complete, perfect awakening becomes 「道場佛所坐樹」 tr. “the tree beneath which the Buddha sat at the place of awakening,” without a transliteration of unsurpassed, complete, perfect awakening; and parinirvāṇa becomes 「滅度」 tr. “passing into extinction,” followed by 「等無差特」 tr. “all without distinction.”
Placement of the supplemented edition: the supplemented edition T264, 〈如來神力品第二十〉 “Chapter 20, The Supernormal Powers of the Tathāgata,” follows Kumārajīva word for word. The pure-Han character counts are 1123 to 1123, with only one substantive character difference: in the verse, Kumārajīva’s 「知佛所說經」 tr. “know the sutras taught by the Buddha” 〔T09n0262 0052b24〕 becomes 「如佛所說經」 tr. “in accordance with the sutras taught by the Buddha” 〔T09n0264 0186c03〕; there is also a collation note. The other two differences are graphic variants: 「阿修羅／阿脩羅」 tr. “asura / asura” and 「圍繞／圍遶」 tr. “surrounding / surrounding.” It is a revised reprint of Kumārajīva’s text. Dharmarakṣa’s T263 Chapter on the Tathāgata’s Practice of Supernormal Feet is the axis of genuine alternate translation: (1) its title has 「神足行」 tr. “practice of supernormal feet,” not supernormal powers; (2) the proper name Superior Conduct is absent and replaced by a general designation; (3) clearing the throat and the motif of the ten directions becoming one buddha-land are genuinely absent; (4) its system translates rather than transliterates the names—homage becomes bowing the head and entrusting one’s life, Śākyamuni becomes Able Sage, and Sahā becomes the land of endurance; (5) its structure for the essential teaching comprises six four-character units; (6) its verse uses four-character lines, whereas Kumārajīva’s uses five-character lines.
III. Scriptural Grounds for the Consciousness-Only Meaning (the Point of the Eye)
The Consciousness-Only meaning in Kuiji’s 《玄贊》 Profound Praise of the Lotus is thin in this chapter: the axis is the concrete display of entrustment, with no point of application in the three natures or the store consciousness. A mechanical scan of the entire section 〔T34n1723 0841a06–0842b16〕 returns zero occurrences for the signature metaphysical terms of Consciousness-Only: the three natures, the wholly-imagined, the other-dependent, the perfectly-accomplished, the store consciousness, the transformation of the basis, the five lineages, lineage, the two obstructions, seeds, the ten grounds, the three bodies, the reward body, and suchness. The doctrinal skeleton of the entire section consists of the outline, the classification of supernormal transformations, and citations from the 《法華論》 Treatise on the Lotus Sutra. The Cien reading comes to rest at three points, all of them concerning concrete signs and the classification of entrustment:
(1) The entrustment in two parts—the supernormal powers prepare for entrustment 〔T34n1723 0841a10〕:
「付囑分二：一作神通令信付囑，二手摩頂令行付囑。今此即初。付囑於他恐不生信，故作神通放光等示，令知世尊有大神通，久不妄語、出言諦實，令生信解方以言付。」〔T34n1723 0841a10〕
tr. “Entrustment is divided in two: first, displaying supernormal powers so that trust will arise before entrusting the Dharma; second, stroking their crowns with the hand so that they will practice after entrusting the Dharma. The present chapter is the first. When the Dharma is entrusted to others, there is a fear that trust may not arise. Therefore supernormal powers, the emission of light, and other signs are displayed, so that they may know the World-Honored One possesses great supernormal powers, has long refrained from speaking falsely, and speaks words that are true. Only after causing trust and understanding to arise does he entrust it in words.”
→ The Chapter on Supernormal Powers—displaying supernormal powers so that trust will arise—leads to the Chapter on Entrustment—stroking their crowns with the hand so that they will practice. These are the two parts, and the present chapter is the first. Why must this sutra alone be entrusted through a display of supernormal powers? 「此經祕密會二歸宗，餘經不然，故現神力」 tr. “This sutra secretly gathers the two back to their source; other sutras do not, and therefore these supernormal powers are displayed” 〔0841a30〕. Why are the powers displayed when the bodhisattvas emerging from the earth have long possessed trust? 「〈湧出〉久信不假神通，勸發初機須現神力……若不現通以付，恐付猶輕」 tr. “Those of the Chapter on Emerging have long possessed trust and do not require supernormal powers; to exhort and inspire those of initial capacity, supernormal powers must be displayed … If it were entrusted without a display of such powers, there is a fear that the entrustment would still be taken lightly” 〔0841a25·玄贊在地作「湧」〕 tr. “[The Profound Praise of the Lotus uses the character ‘emerge’ here.]”
(2) Eight supernormal powers · the transformative capacity of the supernormal sphere · Vasubandhu explains only three 〔T34n1723 0841b18〕: the earlier masters transmitted seven powers—extending the tongue, emitting light, clearing the throat, snapping the fingers, the earth moving, the canopies joining, and the lands being transformed. Kuiji states, 「今加為八，謂示現，即令他方遙見於此」 tr. “I now add one to make eight: manifestation, namely causing those in other directions to see this place from afar” 〔0841b20〕. He assigns them to 「能變」 tr. “the transformative capacity” of the supernormal sphere among the six superknowledges: the transformation of a former substance, as distinct from 「能化」 tr. “the emanative capacity,” in which something suddenly appears where nothing had existed 〔0841b21〕. He correlates them with the eighteen transformations—extending the tongue with extension, emitting light with emitting great radiance, the earth moving with shaking, the canopies joining with gathering, the worlds opening into one with transformation, and so forth 〔0841c11〕. Vasubandhu’s 《法華論》 Treatise on the Lotus Sutra explains only three:
「上表神力八種不同，論唯解三：出舌、彈指、謦咳之義，餘經有五，非勝不釋……又此三種正付囑用，所以偏釋。」〔T34n1723 0842a19〕
tr. “Above, eight different kinds of supernormal powers were set out. The Treatise explains only three: the meanings of extending the tongue, snapping the fingers, and clearing the throat. The sutra has five others, but because they are not preeminent, the Treatise does not explain them … Moreover, these three are used directly in the entrustment; this is why they alone are explained.”
Extending the tongue signifies not speaking falsely. Kuiji cites from the 《法華論》 the account of foul rice in the city of Vārāṇasī: 「凡舌至鼻際尚不妄語，況覆面輪」 tr. “Even an ordinary person whose tongue reaches the tip of the nose does not speak falsely; how much less one whose tongue covers the whole face” 〔0841c21〕. Clearing the throat means 「說偈令聞」 tr. “speaking the verse so that it will be heard” 〔0842a06〕; snapping the fingers means 『令覺悟進修』 tr. “causing awakening so that they advance in practice” 〔0842a08〕.
(3) The fourfold essential teaching—a plain explanation under four headings, not correlated with the three bodies or four wisdoms 〔T34n1723 0842a26〕: for the sutra’s four statements—all the dharmas possessed, free and unobstructed supernormal powers, treasuries of secret essentials, and exceedingly profound matters—Kuiji offers only a plain explanation under four headings:
「一權實之道、二神通之力、三佛所藏理、四智慧深事。」〔T34n1723 0842a26〕
tr. “First, the way of the provisional and the real; second, the power of supernormal activity; third, the principle treasured by the Buddha; fourth, the profound matters of wisdom.”
→ All the dharmas possessed are the way of the provisional and the real; free and unobstructed supernormal powers are the power of supernormal activity; treasuries of secret essentials are the principle treasured by the Buddha; and exceedingly profound matters are the profound matters of wisdom. They are not gathered into the three bodies, the four wisdoms, principle, and wisdom. The mechanical scan finds one occurrence of 「四智」 tr. “four wisdoms,” but it is a false positive produced by the enumerating number in 「四、智慧深事」 tr. “fourth, the profound matters of wisdom,” not the four wisdoms of Consciousness-Only.
Editorial note: the Consciousness-Only meaning in the Profound Praise of the Lotus is thin in this chapter—its content is the two parts of entrustment, the classification of supernormal transformations, and the plain explanation of the four statements, all belonging to concrete signs and doctrinal outline. There is no point of application in the three natures or the store consciousness. Only two very slight mirror-points can be attached: during the display of the tongue and light, 「報化之利有殊，聖凡之見有別」 tr. “the benefits of reward and emanation differ, and the seeing of sages and ordinary beings is distinct” 〔0841c30〕; and 「法身妙理此中具故」 tr. “because the wondrous principle of the Dharma-body is complete herein” 〔0842a30·法身一見〕 tr. “[the sole occurrence of ‘Dharma-body’].” The exposition at the end must remain genuinely narrow; it must not force a correlation with the three bodies or four wisdoms merely to produce a Consciousness-Only meaning. The axes of the chapters are: Chapter 19, the functions of the faculties empowered by the sutra; Chapter 20, buddha-nature and the tathāgata-garbha; Chapter 21, the concrete signs of entrustment, where the meaning is thin; and Chapter 16, the three kinds of a buddha’s awakening.
IV. The Explanations of the Various Masters (the Ancients · Their Traditions Stated · Recorded without Adjudicating)
The Cien, Tiantai, and Sanlun traditions read the same 「現大神力」 tr. “display of great supernormal powers” and 「四句要法」 tr. “fourfold essential teaching” differently. The number of supernormal powers differs completely among the three houses—eight, ten, and five. Their readings are recorded side by side without adjudication. The expository mirror of this edition is Kuiji’s Cien 《玄贊》 Profound Praise of the Lotus; the Tiantai and Sanlun readings are recorded alongside it, their differences stated without adjudicating.
Caveat on later summary terms: (1) The paired expressions 「別付囑」「總付囑」 tr. “particular entrustment / general entrustment”—also summarized as 「別／總付囑」 tr. “particular / general entrustment”—return zero occurrences throughout both the 《文句》 Words and Phrases of the Lotus and the 《義疏》 Commentary on the Lotus. They are common terms of later Tiantai, not verbatim expressions in either commentary. Zhiyi’s actual conceptual division is 「今品明菩薩受命弘經，次品如來摩頂付累」 tr. “The present chapter shows the bodhisattvas receiving the command to propagate the sutra; in the next chapter, the Tathāgata strokes their crowns and entrusts it to them” 〔0141c09〕; he does not label it “particular / general entrustment.” (2) The paired expression 「結經」 tr. “gathering the sutra” likewise returns zero occurrences in both commentaries. Zhiyi uses 「結要」 tr. “gathering the essentials,” as in 「結要付囑」 tr. “gathering the essentials and entrusting them” 〔0142a23〕—Zhiyi’s own expression, occurring twice in the entire work. (3) 「十神力」 tr. “ten supernormal powers” is Zhiyi’s own expression, occurring three times in the 《文句》 and zero times in the 《義疏》; 「五種神力」 tr. “five kinds of supernormal powers” is Jizang’s own expression, occurring twice in the 《義疏》 and zero times in the 《文句》.
Cien · Kuiji’s 《玄贊》 T34n1723 (the Principal Mirror)
Kuiji divides entrustment in two—displaying supernormal powers so that trust will arise and stroking their crowns with the hand so that they will practice, of which the present chapter is the first 〔0841a10〕. He counts eight supernormal powers—the earlier seven plus manifestation—and correlates them with the eighteen transformations of the transformative capacity of the supernormal sphere 〔0841b18／0841c11〕. Vasubandhu’s treatise explains only three—extending the tongue, clearing the throat, and snapping the fingers—because they are used directly in entrustment 〔0842a19〕. Kuiji explains the fourfold essential teaching plainly under four headings 〔0842a26〕. See Heading III. The Cien line is carried forward by Huizhao’s 《法華玄贊義決》 T34n1724.
Tiantai · Zhiyi’s 《文句》 T34n1718 (Parallel Witness)
Zhiyi places the chapter within the circulation of entrustment in the Origin Gate, the first of eight chapters 〔0141c08〕. He explains its name as 「神名不測，力名幹用」 tr. “Supernormal means beyond fathoming; strength means effective functioning” 〔0141c06〕. He correlates ten supernormal powers with the Origin-and-Trace meaning of 「一」 tr. “‘one’” 〔T34n1718 0141c21 起〕 tr. “[beginning at T34n1718 0141c21]”: extending the tongue signifies opening the three to reveal the one; light from the pores signifies the sphere of wisdom, for the Origin Gate has been completed and all lands are illumined; clearing the throat signifies that the Buddha is about to speak and entrust the Dharma; snapping the fingers signifies joyful acceptance; the earth moving signifies the sixfold stirring of ignorance; universal seeing signifies that the way of the buddhas is the same; the proclamation from the sky signifies one teaching; taking refuge through “Homage” signifies one person; scattered objects gathering like clouds signifies one practice; and the ten directions opening into a single land signifies one principle.
Under 結要付囑·四句結四妙 tr. “gathering the essentials and entrusting them · the four statements gather the four wondrous dimensions” 〔T34n1718 0142a22〕, Zhiyi states:
「結要有四句：一切法者，一切皆佛法也，此結一切皆妙名也；一切力者，通達無礙具八自在，此結妙用也；一切秘藏者，遍一切處皆是實相，此結妙體也；一切深事者，因果是深事，此結妙宗也。」〔T34n1718 0142a25〕
tr. “The gathering of essentials has four statements. ‘All dharmas’ means that all are Buddha-dharmas; this gathers the wondrous name in which all is wondrous. ‘All powers’ means opening into all things without obstruction and possessing the eight masteries; this gathers wondrous function. ‘Every secret treasury’ means that everywhere is the true mark; this gathers wondrous substance. ‘All profound matters’ means that cause and fruit are the profound matter; this gathers the wondrous purport.”
Concerning the four essentials and the four places where a stūpa is to be raised, Zhiyi states: 「得菩提是法身，轉法輪是般若，入涅槃是解脫，三法成祕密藏」 tr. “Attaining awakening is the Dharma-body; turning the Dharma-wheel is wisdom; entering nirvāṇa is liberation. These three dharmas form the secret treasury” 〔0142b08〕. He cites the 《阿含》 Āgamas: 「佛出世唯四處起塔：生處、得道處、轉法輪、入涅槃」 tr. “When a buddha appears in the world, stūpas are raised in only four places: the place of birth, the place of attaining the way, the place of turning the Dharma-wheel, and the place of entering nirvāṇa” 〔0142b10〕.
Sanlun · Jizang’s 《法華義疏》 T34n1721 (Parallel Witness)
Jizang places the chapter within the circulation of praise 〔0618a05〕. His judgment of the three assemblies moves from the first assembly in the defiled land, through the three transformations that purify the land, to the Chapter on Supernormal Powers, where the ten directions become one land—proceeding from narrow to broad 〔0618a16〕. He establishes five supernormal powers—five auspicious signs—through the three kinds of action in the 《法華論》 beginning at 〔T34n1721 0618b03〕:
「正明現神力中，凡現五種神力：一、現舌相，表說二權二實無有虛妄……依《法華論》意，舌相謦咳屬口業瑞，放光、彈指屬身業瑞，動地謂意業瑞；而經文次第者，初二是色瑞，次兩是聲瑞，此四是謂正果瑞，動地是依果瑞。」〔T34n1721 0618b03／0618b27〕
tr. “In the direct explanation of the display of supernormal powers, five kinds of supernormal powers are displayed in all. First, the sign of the tongue is manifested, signifying that the teaching of the two provisional and the two real is without falsehood … According to the meaning of the Treatise on the Lotus Sutra, the sign of the tongue and the clearing of the throat belong to auspicious signs of verbal action; emitting light and snapping the fingers belong to auspicious signs of bodily action; and moving the earth is called an auspicious sign of mental action. As for the order of the sutra, the first two are visual auspicious signs and the next two are audible auspicious signs. These four are auspicious signs of the primary fruit, while the moving of the earth is an auspicious sign of the dependent fruit.”
In his 略明四句 tr. “brief explanation of the four statements” 〔0618c14〕, all the dharmas possessed are the provisional vehicle and the real vehicle in the first part of the sutra; free and unobstructed supernormal powers are the provisional body and the real body in the latter part of the sutra, short or long in accordance with those being transformed; and the treasury of secret essentials is explained as 「此二攝義無不周故稱為要，昔所未說故名為祕」 tr. “These two encompass every meaning without exception and are therefore called essential; because they were not taught in the past, they are called secret” 〔0618c18〕. Exceedingly profound matters are 「授五乘人成佛之記為甚深事」 tr. “bestowing upon people of the five vehicles predictions that they will become buddhas, which is an exceedingly profound matter” 〔0618c19〕.
The Three Houses Recorded Together (Stated · Not Adjudicated)
The number of supernormal powers: Cien counts eight—the earlier seven plus manifestation, correlated with the eighteen transformations of the supernormal sphere, while Vasubandhu’s treatise explains only three; Tiantai counts ten, correlated with the four kinds of oneness in the Origin and Trace—teaching, person, practice, and principle; Sanlun counts five, correlated through the 《法華論》 Treatise on the Lotus Sutra with auspicious signs of bodily, verbal, and mental action. The numbers assigned by the three houses differ; their readings are recorded side by side without adjudication.
The meanings assigned to the fourfold essential teaching: Cien gives a plain explanation under four headings—the way of the provisional and the real, the power of supernormal activity, the principle treasured by the Buddha, and the profound matters of wisdom; Tiantai gathers them as the four wondrous dimensions—wondrous name, wondrous function, wondrous substance, and wondrous purport, drawing together the pivot and entrusting it to Superior Conduct; Sanlun briefly explains the four statements through the provisional and real vehicles, the provisional and real bodies, the secret essential, and predictions that those of the five vehicles will become buddhas. All three houses take the four statements as gathering a single sutra, but they assign the meanings differently. Their readings are recorded side by side without adjudication.
The placement of this chapter: Cien reads it as 「流通八品之首・付囑之初（作神通令信）」 tr. “the first of the eight chapters of circulation and the beginning of entrustment, displaying supernormal powers so that trust will arise”; Tiantai reads it as 『本門付囑流通』 tr. “the circulation of entrustment in the Origin Gate”; Sanlun reads it as 「讚歎流通門（付囑俟囑累品）」 tr. “the circulation of praise, with entrustment awaiting the Chapter on Entrustment.”
Shared ground: all three houses rely upon Vasubandhu’s 《法華論》 Treatise on the Lotus Sutra in explaining the meaning of the supernormal powers—the extended tongue causes recollection, the clearing of the throat makes the verse heard, and the snapping of the fingers awakens beings. Zhiyi (538–597) and Jizang (549–623) precede Kuiji (632–682). Their readings are recorded side by side without adjudication.
V. Terminology
| 漢 | Ancient-transmitted Sanskrit (romanization · pronunciation aid) | Attestation by the ancient masters | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 如來神力 | tathāgata-ṛddhi (term-family) | 〔本經 0051c18〕 tr. “[the present sutra, 0051c18]”; Kuiji: 「妙用無方曰神，威勢能摧為力」 tr. “Wondrous functioning without fixed direction is called supernormal, and awe-inspiring power able to subdue is called strength” 〔T34n1723 0841a21〕; eight supernormal powers 〔0841b18〕; Zhiyi: 「神名不測，力名幹用」 tr. “Supernormal means beyond fathoming; strength means effective functioning,” and ten supernormal powers 〔T34n1718 0141c06〕; Jizang’s five kinds of supernormal powers 〔T34n1721 0618b03〕; Dharmarakṣa has 「神足」 tr. “supernormal feet” 〔T09n0263 0124a12〕 | The Buddha displays great supernormal powers to encourage trust and entrust the Dharma; the three houses assign different numbers—eight, ten, and five |
| 廣長舌 | — | 〔本經 0051c18〕 tr. “[the present sutra, 0051c18]”; Kuiji cites the 《法華論》 account from the city of Vārāṇasī: 「凡舌至鼻際尚不妄語」 tr. “Even an ordinary person whose tongue reaches the tip of the nose does not speak falsely” 〔T34n1723 0841c21〕; Dharmarakṣa has 「舌神根」 tr. “the supernormal faculty of the tongue” 〔T09n0263 0124c01〕 | The tongue extends upward to the Brahmā world, signifying that the words spoken are true and not false |
| 謦欬彈指 | — | 〔本經 0051c23〕 tr. “[the present sutra, 0051c23]”; Kuiji: 「論云謦咳者說偈令聞·彈指令覺悟進修」 tr. “The Treatise says that clearing the throat means speaking the verse so that it will be heard, while snapping the fingers causes awakening so that beings advance in practice” 〔T34n1723 0842a06〕; clearing the throat is absent from Dharmarakṣa 〔品段零〕 tr. “[zero occurrences in the chapter section]” | The two sounds reach throughout the ten directions; they are signs that the Buddha is about to speak and entrust the Dharma. Dharmarakṣa preserves only the single sound of snapping the fingers |
| 四句要法 | — | 〔本經 0052a17〕 tr. “[the present sutra, 0052a17]”; Kuiji’s plain explanation under four headings 〔T34n1723 0842a26〕; Zhiyi gathers the four wondrous dimensions 〔T34n1718 0142a25〕; Jizang briefly explains the four statements 〔T34n1721 0618c14〕; Dharmarakṣa has six four-character units 〔T09n0263 0124b16〕 | All the dharmas possessed, free and unobstructed supernormal powers, treasuries of secret essentials, and exceedingly profound matters; the three houses assign different meanings |
| 南無 | namas (term-family) | 〔本經 0052a09〕 tr. “[the present sutra, 0052a09]”; Dharmarakṣa translates the meaning as 「稽首歸命」 tr. “bowing the head and entrusting one’s life” 〔T09n0263 0124b05〕 | Entrusting one’s life and taking refuge; the devas’ proclamation toward Sahā. Dharmarakṣa does not use the transliteration |
| 上行 | Viśiṣṭacāritra (term-family) | 〔本經 0052a13〕 tr. “[the present sutra, 0052a13]”; foremost of the four leaders of the bodhisattvas emerging from the earth; Dharmarakṣa has 「諸異行」 tr. “those of different practices” 〔T09n0263 0124b12·無專名〕 tr. “[without the proper name]” | The principal bodhisattva to whom the entrustment is addressed |
VI. Similes · Rhetoric
This chapter contains none of the seven Lotus similes; its rhetoric centers upon 「神變之相」 tr. “the signs of supernormal transformation” and the transformed meaning of 「道場」 tr. “the place of awakening.”
(1) Ten signs of supernormal transformation (each sign manifests the Dharma) — 〔T09n0262 0051c18〕: extending the tongue; emitting light; clearing the throat; snapping the fingers; the earth moving; universal seeing of the two buddhas; the devas’ proclamation; the scattering of flowers; the jeweled canopy; and the ten directions becoming one buddha-land. The succession of transformations is not merely a display of marvels; each sign manifests the Dharma. Zhiyi judges that 「吐舌表誠諦不虛・十方通同表理一」 tr. “extending the tongue signifies sincerity and truth without falsehood; the ten directions opening into one signifies the oneness of principle” 〔T34n1718 0141c21〕. The rhetorical power lies in 「以事顯法」 tr. “manifesting the Dharma through events”: because the Buddha wishes to entrust a profound Dharma yet fears that people will not trust it, he first manifests inconceivable signs with his own body, causing trust to arise before entrusting the Dharma.
(2) 「是處即是道場」 tr. “This very place is the place of awakening” (the transformed meaning of place) — 〔T09n0262 0052a25〕: wherever the sutra scroll abides, from gardens and beneath trees to mountain valleys and the open wilderness, 『當知是處即是道場，諸佛於此得菩提、轉法輪、般涅槃』 tr. “You should know that this very place is the place of awakening: here the buddhas attain awakening, turn the Dharma-wheel, and enter parinirvāṇa.” Its rhetoric lies in 「移尊於卑」 tr. “moving the honored into the humble.” The place of awakening originally means the adamantine seat where a buddha attains the way; now, wherever this sutra is present is the place of awakening. 『經在即佛在』 tr. “Where the sutra is present, the Buddha is present”: the place where the sutra is upheld becomes the place of attaining the way, turning the Dharma-wheel, and entering nirvāṇa. Zhiyi correlates the four places where stūpas are raised with the three matters of attaining awakening, turning the Dharma-wheel, and entering nirvāṇa 〔T34n1718 0142b08〕.
(3) Similes of empty space (boundless qualities · in the verse) — 〔T09n0262 0052b06〕: the qualities of upholding the sutra are 「如十方虛空，不可得邊際」 tr. “like the empty space of the ten directions, whose limits cannot be found”; joyful teaching is inexhaustible, 「如風於空中，一切無障礙」 tr. “like wind moving through empty space, wholly unobstructed”; and the dispelling of darkness is 「如日月光明，能除諸幽冥」 tr. “like the light of the sun and moon, able to dispel every darkness.” All three similes draw upon what is boundless and unobstructed to illustrate the qualities and functioning of one who upholds the sutra.
VII. Cross-Reading · Carrying Forward
(1) The treatise upon which this chapter relies (the backbone of Kuiji’s 《玄贊》):
- Vasubandhu’s 《法華論》 Treatise on the Lotus Sutra — 「修行力・說力・〈神力品〉示現」 tr. “the power of practice; the power of teaching; manifestation in the Chapter on Supernormal Powers” 〔T34n1723 0841a18〕; the Treatise explains only three powers—extending the tongue so that beings will recollect, clearing the throat so that the verse will be heard, and snapping the fingers so that beings will awaken 〔0842a06／0842a19〕. Tiantai and Sanlun likewise cite the 《法華論》 in explaining the powers: both Zhiyi and Jizang cite the treatise-meaning of clearing the throat, snapping the fingers, and moving the earth. The three houses thus share the same treatise-source.
- Kuiji cites the 《玉篇》 Yupian for the pronunciation and gloss of clearing the throat 〔0842a09〕; Zhiyi cites the 《阿含》 Āgamas for the four places where stūpas are raised 〔T34n1718 0142b10〕; Jizang cites the 《法華論》 Treatise on the Lotus Sutra and the 《涅槃經》 Nirvāṇa Sutra 〔T34n1721 0618b05／0618b19〕.
(2) Cross-reading within the Lotus:
- The sequence of entrustment → the present chapter—displaying supernormal powers so that trust will arise before entrusting the Dharma—leads to 〈囑累品㉒〉 “Chapter 22, Entrustment”—stroking their crowns with the hand so that they will practice after entrusting the Dharma 〔T34n1723 0841a10〕. These are the two parts of entrustment; the supernormal powers prepare for the act of entrusting.
- Carrying forward the emergence from the earth → those who ask to proclaim the sutra are the very bodhisattvas who emerged from the earth in 〈從地踊出品⑮〉 “Chapter 15, Emerging from the Earth.” The principal addressee of the entrustment is Superior Conduct 〔0052a13〕, one of the four leaders established in Chapter 15. Those taught in the distant past now receive the entrustment.
- Carrying forward the two buddhas seated together → beings everywhere see 「釋迦牟尼佛共多寶如來在寶塔中坐師子座」 tr. “Śākyamuni Buddha and Many Treasures Tathāgata seated together upon a lion seat within the jeweled stūpa” 〔0051c28〕. This carries forward the whole body of Many Treasures within the stūpa and the two buddhas seated together in 〈見寶塔品⑪〉 “Chapter 11, Beholding the Jeweled Stūpa.” The three transformations of the purified lands lead to this chapter’s 『十方通達如一佛土』 tr. “ten directions opening into one buddha-land”—the third of Jizang’s three assemblies, proceeding from narrow to broad 〔T34n1721 0618a16〕.
- The fourfold essential teaching gathers the entire sutra from afar → Zhiyi uses the four statements to gather the entire sutra as 『妙名妙用妙體妙宗』 tr. “wondrous name, wondrous function, wondrous substance, and wondrous purport” 〔T34n1718 0142a25〕; Jizang uses them to gather 「初分乘權乘實・後分身權身實」 tr. “the provisional and real vehicles in the first part, and the provisional and real bodies in the latter part” 〔0618c14〕. Both the Trace Gate’s opening of the provisional in Chapter 2 and the Origin Gate’s revelation of the distant past in Chapter 16 are gathered into these four statements.
- The broad, long tongue carries earlier statements from afar → extending the tongue signifies not speaking falsely. It answers the Chapter on Skillful Means: 『如來所說皆實不虛』 tr. “Everything taught by the Tathāgata is real and not false”; and the Chapter on the Lifespan of the Tathāgata: 「如來如實知見・無有虛妄」 tr. “The Tathāgata knows and sees in accordance with reality; there is no falsehood.”
(3) Carrying forward: Huizhao’s 《法華玄贊義決》 T34n1724 carries forward the Cien line; Zhanran’s 《法華文句記》 T34n1719 carries forward the Tiantai line; and Jizang’s 《法華玄論》 T34n1720 stands as a further Sanlun work. Each carries forward the reading of its own tradition; the lines are recorded without adjudicating.
VIII. Placement of the Editions
- 羅什 T262 (base text): 〈如來神力品第二十一〉 “Chapter 21, The Supernormal Powers of the Tathāgata” begins at 〔T09n0262 0051c09〕（卷六）. The bodhisattvas emerging from the earth make their request at 0051c09 · the display of great supernormal powers at 0051c18 〔廣長舌毛孔放光 0051c18・還攝舌相 0051c22・謦欬彈指二音 0051c23・地六種震動 0051c24〕 tr. “[the broad, long tongue and light from the pores at 0051c18; retraction of the tongue at 0051c22; clearing the throat, snapping the fingers, and the two sounds at 0051c23; the earth quaking in six ways at 0051c24]” · universal seeing of the two buddhas at 0051c26 〔多寶並坐 0051c28〕 tr. “[Many Treasures seated together with Śākyamuni at 0051c28]” · the devas’ proclamation at 0052a02 〔南無釋迦牟尼佛 0052a09・散華寶帳 0052a12・十方如一佛土 0052a13〕 tr. “[Homage to Śākyamuni Buddha at 0052a09; scattered flowers becoming a jeweled canopy at 0052a12; the ten directions becoming one buddha-land at 0052a13]” · the Buddha addressing Superior Conduct at 0052a13 〔四句要法 0052a17・經卷所住起塔 0052a22〔七處所 0052a22〕・是處即道場 0052a25〕 tr. “[the fourfold essential teaching at 0052a17; raising a stūpa wherever the sutra scroll abides at 0052a22, with seven locations at 0052a22; that very place being the place of awakening at 0052a25]” · the verse at 0052a29 〔諸佛救世者 0052a29・能持是經者則為已見我 0052b12・應受持斯經 0052c01〕 tr. “[the buddhas, saviors of the world, at 0052a29; those able to uphold this sutra have thereby already seen me at 0052b12; should receive and uphold this sutra at 0052c01]” through 0052c02. The next chapter, 〈囑累品第二十二〉 “Chapter 22, Entrustment,” begins at 0052c03. Source file: the Source-Text layer (verified word for word).
- 竺法護 T263 《正法華經》 True Dharma Lotus, 〈如來神足行品第二十〉 “Chapter 20, The Tathāgata’s Practice of Supernormal Feet,” begins at 〔T09n0263 0124a03〕: the request of those emerging from the earth at 0124a04 〔溥首 0124a09〕 tr. “[Universal Head at 0124a09]” · transformations of supernormal feet at 0124a12 〔百千歲 0124a17・彈指自然有聲 0124a19・六反震動 0124a20〕 tr. “[a hundred thousand years at 0124a17; the spontaneous sound of snapping the fingers at 0124a19; quaking six times at 0124a20]” · bowing the head and entrusting one’s life to the Able Sage at 0124b05 〔寶華蓋 0124b11〕 tr. “[the jeweled flower canopy at 0124b11]” · the Buddha addressing those of different practices at 0124b12 〔六個四字 0124b16・起塔廟 0124b22・道場佛所坐樹 0124b24〕 tr. “[the six four-character units at 0124b16; raising a stūpa-shrine at 0124b22; the tree beneath which the Buddha sat at the place of awakening at 0124b24]” · the four-character verse at 0124b28 〔舌神根暢音梵天 0124c01〕 tr. “[the supernormal faculty of his tongue sent its sound freely to the Brahmā heaven at 0124c01]” through 0125a07. 〔神力・廣長舌・謦欬・南無・上行・祕要 品段皆 0 命中〕 tr. “[Within the chapter section, the terms supernormal powers, broad long tongue, clearing the throat, Homage, Superior Conduct, and secret essential all return zero occurrences.]”
- 添品 T264 〈如來神力品第二十〉 “Chapter 20, The Supernormal Powers of the Tathāgata,” begins at 〔T09n0264 0185c16〕: the request of those emerging from the earth at 0185c17 · the display of supernormal powers at 0185c26 〔謦欬彈指二音 0186a02〕 tr. “[clearing the throat, snapping the fingers, and the two sounds at 0186a02]” · the devas’ proclamation of homage at 0186a16 · the Buddha addressing Superior Conduct at 0186a21 〔四句要法 0186a25・起塔 0186a28・是處道場 0186b03〕 tr. “[the fourfold essential teaching at 0186a25; raising a stūpa at 0186a28; that very place being the place of awakening at 0186b03]” · the five-character verse at 0186b08 〔如佛所說經 0186c03〕 tr. “[in accordance with the sutras taught by the Buddha at 0186c03]” through 0186c10. 〔逐字近同羅什·純漢字 1123＝1123·實質字異一「知→如」〕 tr. “[It agrees nearly word for word with Kumārajīva: the pure-Han character counts are 1123 to 1123, with only one substantive difference, ‘know’ becoming ‘in accordance with.’]”
- 窺基《玄贊》T34n1723 (the expository mirror): 〈如來神力品〉 “Chapter on the Supernormal Powers of the Tathāgata” spans 〔0841a06〕—〔0842b16〕. The three gateways at 0841a07 / the entrustment divided in two, with the present chapter first, at 0841a10 / eight chapters of circulation at 0841a14 / the power of teaching in the 《法華論》 at 0841a18 · explanation of the name at 0841a21 / the resolution of the difficulty through secretly gathering the two back to their source at 0841a30 / the display of supernormal powers divided into seven at 0841b08 / the marker for the Buddha addressing Superior Conduct at 0841b12 · the seven powers of earlier masters, now increased to eight, at 0841b18 / the eighteen transformations of the transformative capacity of the supernormal sphere at 0841b21 / the correlations of the eight with the eighteen transformations at 0841c11 · the extended tongue signifying not speaking falsely at 0841c21 / the differing benefits of reward and emanation at 0841c30 / clearing the throat at 0842a06 / snapping the fingers at 0842a08 / the treatise explaining only three at 0842a19 / the plain explanation of the four statements at 0842a26 / the wondrous principle of the Dharma-body being complete herein at 0842a30.
- 智顗《文句》T34n1718 (parallel witness): 〈釋如來神力品〉 “Explanation of the Chapter on the Supernormal Powers of the Tathāgata” begins at 0141c05 · 「神名不測」 tr. “supernormal means beyond fathoming” at 0141c06 / eight chapters of the circulation of entrustment at 0141c08 / the ten supernormal powers correlated with the meaning of “one” at 0141c21 / completion of the Origin Gate at 0141c28 · gathering the essentials and entrusting them at 0142a22 / gathering the four wondrous dimensions at 0142a25 / the three dharmas forming the secret treasury at 0142b08 / the four places where stūpas are raised in the 《阿含》 at 0142b10, through 0142b19.
- 吉藏《義疏》T34n1721 (parallel witness): 〈如來神力品第二十一〉 “Chapter 21, The Supernormal Powers of the Tathāgata” begins at 0618a04 · the circulation of praise at 0618a05 / the judgment of the three assemblies at 0618a16 / the five kinds of supernormal powers at 0618b03 / the auspicious signs of the three kinds of action at 0618b26 / the brief explanation of the four statements at 0618c14 / bestowing predictions of buddhahood upon those of the five vehicles at 0618c19 · the seven gateways of the verse at 0618c29, through 0619a04.
- Record of formation: the chapter title is 「如來神力品」 tr. “Chapter on the Supernormal Powers of the Tathāgata” in Kumārajīva and the supplemented edition, but 「如來神足行品」 tr. “Chapter on the Tathāgata’s Practice of Supernormal Feet” in Dharmarakṣa—supernormal feet, not supernormal powers. It is Chapter 21 in Kumārajīva and Chapter 20 in Dharmarakṣa and the supplemented edition. Dharmarakṣa is a genuine alternate translation, marked by supernormal feet, a general designation instead of Superior Conduct, the absence of clearing the throat, bowing the head and entrusting one’s life instead of the transliteration “Homage,” six four-character units, a jeweled flower canopy, and the absence of the ten-directions-as-one-buddha-land motif. The supplemented edition agrees nearly word for word with Kumārajīva, with only one substantive difference, 「知→如」 tr. “‘know’ becomes ‘in accordance with.’” The paired expressions 「別付囑」「總付囑」「結經」 tr. “particular entrustment / general entrustment / gathering the sutra” all return zero occurrences throughout the two commentaries and are later summary terms. 「十神力」 tr. “ten supernormal powers” is Zhiyi’s own expression; 「五種神力」 tr. “five kinds of supernormal powers” is Jizang’s own expression.