妙法蓮華經 觀世音菩薩普門品第二十五
這一品，是《法華經》裡眾生最熟的一品，流傳最廣、最常被單獨誦持。前面說弘經之力——藥王以身、妙音以三昧；這一品說的是「護眾生諸難力」:一位菩薩，只要你一聲呼喚他的名字，苦就有人聽見、有人來救。
無盡意問：為什麼名叫觀世音？佛答：眾生受苦，一心稱名，觀世音菩薩「即時觀其音聲，皆得解脫」——名字本身就是他的行：世間有苦音發出，就有一位大士在觀、在應。於是佛一難一難地說：入大火不燒，遭大水得淺處，墮羅剎鬼國稱名皆脫，臨刑而刀杖段段壞，枷鎖繫身而斷壞得脫，滿路怨賊而稱名解脫——七難是人間最急的處境，救法卻簡單到只是一個名字。不只救外面的災，也解裡面的煩惱：多婬欲、多瞋恚、多愚癡，常念恭敬，便得離；求男得福德智慧之男，求女得端正有相之女。苦要救，願也要滿。佛又說這名號的分量：受持觀世音一個名號、乃至一時禮拜，其福與受持六十二億恒河沙菩薩名盡形供養相等——一個名號裡，含著與一切菩薩相等的功德海。
而觀世音怎樣度生？應以什麼身得度，就現什麼身：佛身、聲聞身、梵王帝釋、長者居士、婦女童男女、天龍八部乃至執金剛身——你是什麼樣的眾生，他就現什麼樣的身來對你說法。這叫「普門」:沒有一道門他不進，沒有一種眾生他不現身相就。於怖畏急難能施無畏，故號「施無畏者」。
所以這一品的心，是「稱名」與「普門」四個字：一聲呼喚，就有人聽見；一切門裡，都有他現身。這是佛法給苦難眾生最直接的一條路——不必深解義理、不必久修禪定，苦到極處，只要一心稱這個名字。而這名號之所以有這樣的力，是因為它接的是一位「弘誓深如海、歷劫不思議」的大悲者；你這一聲呼喚，喚的不是一個名字，是那片無盡的悲心。
且入此品，看一聲名號怎樣脫七難、怎樣現無量身；下一品〈陀羅尼品〉，諸菩薩與鬼子母等各說神咒，護持受持此經之人。
This is one of the most familiar chapters of the Lotus Sutra, the one most widely circulated and most often recited on its own. The preceding chapters speak of the power by which the sutra is propagated—Medicine King (Bhaiṣajyarāja) through his body, Wonderful Sound (Gadgadasvara) through meditative absorption. This chapter speaks of the power to protect sentient beings from many perils: call the name of one bodhisattva even once, and someone hears the suffering; someone comes to the rescue.
Inexhaustible Intention (Akṣayamati) asks why he is named Perceiver of the World's Sounds. The Buddha answers: when sentient beings suffer and single-mindedly call the name, the Bodhisattva Perceiver of the World's Sounds (Guanshiyin; Avalokiteśvara) immediately perceives the sounds of their voices, and they all gain liberation. The name itself is his practice. When the sounds of suffering arise in the world, a great being is perceiving and responding. The Buddha therefore names one peril after another. Enter a great fire, and it cannot burn you. Be swept away by a great flood, and you reach a shallow place. Be driven into the land of the rākṣasas, and when the name is called, all gain liberation. Face execution, and the knives and staves break apart, piece by piece. Be bound by cangues and chains, and they break as you gain liberation. Meet a road full of hostile bandits, and calling the name brings liberation. These seven perils are the most urgent situations in human life, yet the method of rescue is as simple as a single name. Nor does the name only rescue from calamities outside us. If sentient beings are burdened by sexual desire, anger, or delusion, constant mindfulness and reverence enable them to leave each one behind. If a woman wishes for a son, she gains a son endowed with merit and wisdom; if she wishes for a daughter, she gains a daughter upright and beautiful, endowed with excellent marks. Suffering is to be rescued, and wishes are also to be fulfilled. The Buddha then reveals the weight of this name: receiving and upholding Guanshiyin's one name, and bowing even for a single short period, brings merit equal to receiving and upholding the names of bodhisattvas as numerous as the sands of sixty-two koṭis of Ganges Rivers and making offerings to them for one's whole life. Within this one name lies an ocean of qualities equal to all bodhisattvas.
And how does Guanshiyin deliver sentient beings? Whatever body is needed for their deliverance, he manifests that body: a buddha, a śrāvaka, a Brahmā king or Śakra, an elder or householder, a woman, a boy or girl, one of the eight classes of devas and nāgas, or even a Vajra-Bearer. Whatever kind of sentient being you are, he manifests the kind of body through which he can teach you the Dharma. This is the “universal gateway”: there is no gateway he does not enter and no kind of sentient being for whom he does not manifest a fitting body. Because amid fear and urgent peril he can bestow fearlessness, he is called the Giver of Fearlessness.
The heart of this chapter therefore lies in four words: “calling the name” and “universal gateway.” One cry, and someone hears; within every gateway, he manifests. This is the Buddha-Dharma's most direct road for sentient beings in suffering. No deep understanding of doctrine is required, and no long cultivation of meditative absorption is required. When suffering reaches its extremity, only single-mindedly call this name. The name has such power because it connects with one whose vast vow is deep as the ocean and inconceivable across aeons. In your one cry, you are not calling a mere name; you are calling that boundless heart of compassion.
Enter this chapter and see how one name brings liberation from the seven perils and how one bodhisattva manifests immeasurable bodies. In the next chapter, the Chapter on Dhāraṇīs, bodhisattvas, the Mother of Demon Children (Hārītī), and others each speak a mantra to protect those who receive and uphold this sutra.
後秦龜茲國三藏法師鳩摩羅什奉詔譯《妙法蓮華經》卷七〈觀世音菩薩普門品第二十五〉· 大正藏 T09n0262〔起 T09 0056c03〕。段/行首〔T09 …〕＝大正藏頁·欄·行錨。
〔T09 0056c03〕爾時，無盡意菩薩即從座起，偏袒右肩，合掌向佛而作是言：「世尊！觀世音菩薩以何因緣名觀世音？」
佛告無盡意菩薩：「善男子！若有無量百千萬億眾生受諸苦惱，聞是觀世音菩薩，一心稱名，觀世音菩薩即時觀其音聲，皆得解脫。若有持是觀世音菩薩名者，設入大火，火不能燒，由是菩薩威神力故。若為大水所漂，稱其名號，即得淺處。若有百千萬億眾生，為求金、銀、琉璃、車𤦲、馬瑙、珊瑚、虎珀、真珠等寶，入於大海。假使黑風吹其船舫，飄墮羅剎鬼國，其中若有，乃至一人，稱觀世音菩薩名者，是諸人等皆得解脫羅剎之難。以是因緣，名觀世音。若復有人臨當被害，稱觀世音菩薩名者，彼所執刀杖尋段段壞，而得解脫。若三千大千國土滿中夜叉、羅剎欲來惱人，聞其稱觀世音菩薩名者，是諸惡鬼尚不能以惡眼視之，況復加害。設復有人，若有罪、若無罪，杻械、枷鎖檢繫其身，稱觀世音菩薩名者，皆悉斷壞，即得解脫。若三千大千國土滿中怨賊，有一商主將諸商人，齎持重寶經過嶮路。其中一人作是唱言：『諸善男子！勿得恐怖！汝等應當一心稱觀世音菩薩名號。是菩薩能以無畏施於眾生。汝等若稱名者，於此怨賊當得解脫。』眾商人聞，俱發聲言：『南無觀世音菩薩。』稱其名故，即得解脫。
「無盡意！觀世音菩薩摩訶薩威神之力，巍巍如是。若有眾生多於婬欲，常念恭敬觀世音菩薩，便得離欲。若多瞋恚，常念恭敬觀世音菩薩，便得離瞋。若多愚癡，常念恭敬觀世音菩薩，便得離癡。
〔T09 0057a05〕「無盡意！觀世音菩薩有如是等大威神力，多所饒益。是故眾生常應心念。若有女人，設欲求男，禮拜供養觀世音菩薩，便生福德智慧之男；設欲求女，便生端正有相之女。宿殖德本，眾人愛敬。
「無盡意！觀世音菩薩有如是力。若有眾生恭敬禮拜觀世音菩薩，福不唐捐。是故眾生皆應受持觀世音菩薩名號。
「無盡意！若有人受持六十二億恒河沙菩薩名字，復盡形供養飲食、衣服、臥具、醫藥。於汝意云何？是善男子、善女人，功德多不？」
無盡意言：「甚多，世尊！」
佛言：「若復有人受持觀世音菩薩名號，乃至一時禮拜、供養。是二人福，正等無異，於百千萬億劫不可窮盡。無盡意！受持觀世音菩薩名號，得如是無量無邊福德之利。」
無盡意菩薩白佛言：「世尊！觀世音菩薩云何遊此娑婆世界？云何而為眾生說法？方便之力，其事云何？」
佛告無盡意菩薩：「善男子！若有國土眾生應以佛身得度者，觀世音菩薩即現佛身而為說法；應以辟支佛身得度者，即現辟支佛身而為說法；應以聲聞身得度者，即現聲聞身而為說法；應以梵王身得度者，即現梵王身而為說法；應以帝釋身得度者，即現帝釋身而為說法；應以自在天身得度者，即現自在天身而為說法；應以大自在天身得度者，即現大自在天身而為說法；應以天大將軍身得度者，即現天大將軍身而為說法；應以毘沙門身得度者，即現毘沙門身而為說法；應以小王身得度者，即現小王身而為說法；應以長者身得度者，即現長者身而為說法；應以居士身得度者，即現居士身而為說法；應以宰官身得度者，即現宰官身而為說法；應以婆羅門身得度者，即現婆羅門身而為說法；應以比丘、比丘尼、優婆塞、優婆夷身得度者，即現比丘、比丘尼、優婆塞、優婆夷身而為說法；應以長者、居士、宰官、婆羅門婦女身得度者，即現婦女身而為說法；應以童男、童女身得度者，即現童男、童女身而為說法；應以天、龍、夜叉、乾闥婆、阿修羅、迦樓羅、緊那羅、摩睺羅伽、人非人等身得度者，即皆現之而為說法；應以執金剛身得度者，即現執金剛身而為說法。
「無盡意！是觀世音菩薩成就如是功德，以種種形，遊諸國土，度脫眾生。是故汝等應當一心供養觀世音菩薩。是觀世音菩薩摩訶薩於怖畏急難之中能施無畏，是故此娑婆世界皆號之為施無畏者。」
無盡意菩薩白佛言：「世尊！我今當供養觀世音菩薩。」即解頸眾寶珠、瓔珞，價直百千兩金，而以與之，作是言：「仁者！受此法施珍寶瓔珞。」時觀世音菩薩不肯受之。無盡意復白觀世音菩薩言：「仁者！愍我等故，受此瓔珞。」
爾時佛告觀世音菩薩：「當愍此無盡意菩薩及四眾，天、龍、夜叉、乾闥婆、阿修羅、迦樓羅、緊那羅、摩睺羅伽、人非人等故，受是瓔珞。」
即時觀世音菩薩愍諸四眾，及於天、龍、人非人等，受其瓔珞，分作二分，一分奉釋迦牟尼佛，一分奉多寶佛塔。
「無盡意！觀世音菩薩有如是自在神力，遊於娑婆世界。」
爾時無盡意菩薩以偈問曰：
「世尊妙相具，我今重問彼，
佛子何因緣，名為觀世音？
具足妙相尊，偈答無盡意：
『汝聽觀音行，善應諸方所，
弘誓深如海，歷劫不思議，
侍多千億佛，發大清淨願。
我為汝略說，聞名及見身，
心念不空過，能滅諸有苦。
假使興害意，推落大火坑，
念彼觀音力，火坑變成池。
或漂流巨海，龍魚諸鬼難，
念彼觀音力，波浪不能沒。
或在須彌峯，為人所推墮，
念彼觀音力，如日虛空住。
或被惡人逐，墮落金剛山，
念彼觀音力，不能損一毛。
或值怨賊繞，各執刀加害，
念彼觀音力，咸即起慈心。
或遭王難苦，臨刑欲壽終，
念彼觀音力，刀尋段段壞。
或囚禁枷鎖，手足被杻械，
念彼觀音力，釋然得解脫。
呪詛諸毒藥，所欲害身者，
念彼觀音力，還著於本人。
或遇惡羅剎、毒龍諸鬼等，
念彼觀音力，時悉不敢害。
若惡獸圍遶，利牙爪可怖，
念彼觀音力，疾走無邊方。
蚖蛇及蝮蠍，氣毒煙火燃，
念彼觀音力，尋聲自迴去。
雲雷鼓掣電，降雹澍大雨，
念彼觀音力，應時得消散。
眾生被困厄，無量苦逼身，
觀音妙智力，能救世間苦。
具足神通力，廣修智方便，
十方諸國土，無剎不現身。
種種諸惡趣，地獄鬼畜生，
生老病死苦，以漸悉令滅。
真觀清淨觀，廣大智慧觀，
悲觀及慈觀，常願常瞻仰。
無垢清淨光，慧日破諸闇，
能伏災風火，普明照世間。
悲體戒雷震，慈意妙大雲，
澍甘露法雨，滅除煩惱焰。
諍訟經官處，怖畏軍陣中，
念彼觀音力，眾怨悉退散。
妙音觀世音，梵音海潮音，
勝彼世間音，是故須常念，
念念勿生疑。觀世音淨聖，
於苦惱死厄，能為作依怙，
具一切功德，慈眼視眾生，
福聚海無量，是故應頂禮。』」
〔T09 0058b03〕爾時持地菩薩即從座起，前白佛言：「世尊！若有眾生聞是觀世音菩薩品自在之業、普門示現神通力者，當知是人功德不少。」
佛說是普門品時，眾中八萬四千眾生，皆發無等等阿耨多羅三藐三菩提心。
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.
無盡意啟問·稱名即得解脫
那時候，無盡意菩薩隨即從座位上起身，偏袒著右邊的肩膀（露出右肩，以表恭敬），合起雙掌朝向佛陀，這樣稟白說：「世尊啊！觀世音菩薩是由於什麼樣的因緣，而名叫『觀世音』的呢？」
佛陀告訴無盡意菩薩說：「善男子啊！倘若有無量百千萬億那麼多的眾生，正在遭受種種的苦惱，只要一聽聞這位觀世音菩薩的名號，一心一意地稱念祂的名字，觀世音菩薩當下就會觀照到他們的音聲，使他們全都能夠得到解脫。
稱名脫七難
「倘若有人持念這位觀世音菩薩的名號，即使進入了熊熊的大火之中，火也燒不著他，這是因為菩薩威神之力的緣故。倘若被滔滔的大水所漂流沖走，只要稱念祂的名號，立即就能到達水淺可以立足的地方。倘若有百千萬億那麼多的眾生，為了尋求金、銀、琉璃、車𤦲（似玉的美石）、馬瑙（瑪瑙）、珊瑚、虎珀（琥珀）、真珠等等珍寶，而進入到大海裡去；假使一陣黑風吹著他們的船舶，把船飄墮到羅剎鬼（食人的惡鬼）的國土去，這其中倘若有人——哪怕只是一個人——稱念觀世音菩薩名號的，這些人便全都能夠脫離羅剎的災難。由於這樣的因緣，所以名叫『觀世音』。倘若又有人正要遭人殺害，只要稱念觀世音菩薩名號，那加害者手中所拿的刀杖，當下就一段一段地折壞了，於是他便得以解脫。倘若三千大千國土之中，遍滿了夜叉（捷疾勇健的鬼）、羅剎，想要前來惱害人，一聽到那人稱念觀世音菩薩名號，這些惡鬼尚且不能用兇惡的眼光去瞪視他，更何況還能加害呢？倘若又有人，不論是有罪的、還是無罪的，被杻（手上的桎梏）、械（腳上的桎梏）、枷（頸上的木枷）、鎖（鎖鏈）拘檢繫縛住身體，只要稱念觀世音菩薩名號，這些刑具全都會斷裂毀壞，那人隨即便得解脫。倘若三千大千國土之中，遍滿了兇惡的怨賊（強盜仇敵），有一位商主帶領著眾多的商人，攜帶著貴重的財寶，經過險惡的道路；這其中有一個人這樣高聲唱言：『各位善男子啊！不要恐怖害怕！你們應當一心一意地稱念觀世音菩薩的名號。這位菩薩能夠把無畏（無所怖畏的安穩）布施給眾生。你們倘若稱念祂的名號，對於這夥怨賊，便當得以解脫。』眾位商人聽了，一齊發聲念道：『南無（歸命敬禮）觀世音菩薩。』由於稱念了祂名號的緣故，隨即便得解脫。
離三毒·應二求
「無盡意啊！觀世音菩薩摩訶薩（大菩薩）的威神之力，就是這樣巍巍高大。倘若有眾生婬欲之心偏多，只要時常憶念、恭敬觀世音菩薩，便能得以遠離貪欲。倘若瞋恚（忿怒怨恨）之心偏多，只要時常憶念、恭敬觀世音菩薩，便能得以遠離瞋恚。倘若愚癡（迷闇無明）之心偏多，只要時常憶念、恭敬觀世音菩薩，便能得以遠離愚癡。
「無盡意啊！觀世音菩薩有著像這樣的種種大威神力，能給予眾生眾多的饒益，所以眾生應當時常在心中憶念祂。倘若有女人，假使想要求得男孩，只要禮拜、供養觀世音菩薩，便能生下有福德、有智慧的男孩；假使想要求得女孩，便能生下相貌端正、眾相具足的女孩。這孩子由於前世久已種下福德的根本，所以能得眾人的愛護敬重。
受持名號·福德無異
「無盡意啊！觀世音菩薩有著像這樣的威力。倘若有眾生恭敬地禮拜觀世音菩薩，這份福報絕不會白白地虛耗棄捨。所以眾生都應當受持觀世音菩薩的名號。
「無盡意啊！倘若有人受持六十二億條恒河沙那樣多的菩薩名字，又終其一生地供養他們飲食、衣服、臥具（睡臥的用具）、醫藥。在你的意思怎麼樣？這位善男子、善女人，所得的功德多不多呢？」
無盡意菩薩回答說：「非常多，世尊！」
佛陀說：「倘若又有人，受持觀世音菩薩這一個名號，哪怕只是短短一個時辰的禮拜、供養——這兩個人所得的福報，正好相等而沒有差異，在百千萬億劫那麼長的時間裡也窮盡不了。無盡意啊！受持觀世音菩薩的名號，能得到像這樣無量無邊的福德利益。」
三十三身·普門示現
無盡意菩薩向佛陀稟白說：「世尊啊！觀世音菩薩是怎樣遊行於這娑婆世界（我們所居住的堪忍世界）的呢？是怎樣為眾生說法的呢？祂那方便化度的能力，情形又是如何呢？」
佛陀告訴無盡意菩薩說：「善男子啊！倘若有某個國土裡的眾生，應當用佛身來度化他才能得度的，觀世音菩薩就示現佛身來為他說法；應當用辟支佛（獨自覺悟的緣覺）身來度化的，就示現辟支佛身來為他說法；應當用聲聞（聽聞佛法而悟道的弟子）身來度化的，就示現聲聞身來為他說法；應當用梵王（色界的大梵天王）身來度化的，就示現梵王身來為他說法；應當用帝釋（忉利天主）身來度化的，就示現帝釋身來為他說法；應當用自在天（欲界的化樂天神）身來度化的，就示現自在天身來為他說法；應當用大自在天（色界頂的天神）身來度化的，就示現大自在天身來為他說法；應當用天大將軍（統領天兵的神將）身來度化的，就示現天大將軍身來為他說法；應當用毘沙門（多聞天王，北方的護世天王）身來度化的，就示現毘沙門身來為他說法；應當用小王（人間的國王）身來度化的，就示現小王身來為他說法；應當用長者（德高望重的大富紳）身來度化的，就示現長者身來為他說法；應當用居士（居家修道的清信士）身來度化的，就示現居士身來為他說法；應當用宰官（掌理政務的官員）身來度化的，就示現宰官身來為他說法；應當用婆羅門（印度掌管祭祀的淨行種姓）身來度化的，就示現婆羅門身來為他說法；應當用比丘（出家的男眾）、比丘尼（出家的女眾）、優婆塞（在家的男居士）、優婆夷（在家的女居士）身來度化的，就示現比丘、比丘尼、優婆塞、優婆夷身來為他說法；應當用長者、居士、宰官、婆羅門的婦女身來度化的，就示現婦女身來為她說法；應當用童男、童女身來度化的，就示現童男、童女身來為他說法；應當用天、龍、夜叉、乾闥婆（尋香而食的樂神）、阿修羅（好鬥的非天）、迦樓羅（金翅鳥）、緊那羅（似人而有角的歌神）、摩睺羅伽（大蟒之神）、人、非人等等的身來度化的，就一一示現他們的身形來為他說法；應當用執金剛（手持金剛杵的護法力士）身來度化的，就示現執金剛身來為他說法。
施無畏者·瓔珞分供二佛
「無盡意啊！這位觀世音菩薩成就了像這樣的功德，用種種不同的身形，遊行於各個國土之中，度脫一切眾生。所以你們大家都應當一心一意地供養觀世音菩薩。這位觀世音菩薩摩訶薩，能在眾生怖畏驚恐、危急苦難的時候施予無畏（使人心得安穩、不再恐懼），所以這娑婆世界的眾生都稱祂為『施無畏者』（布施無所畏懼的人）。」
無盡意菩薩向佛陀稟白說：「世尊啊！我如今應當供養觀世音菩薩。」隨即解下頸上眾寶所成的珠串、瓔珞（珠玉綴成的頸飾），價值抵得上百千兩黃金，拿來奉送給觀世音菩薩，這樣說道：「仁者（有德的尊者）啊！請接受這份以正法相贈的珍寶瓔珞。」那時候觀世音菩薩不肯接受它。無盡意菩薩又向觀世音菩薩稟白說：「仁者啊！但願您憐憫我們的緣故，接受這串瓔珞吧。」
那時候佛陀告訴觀世音菩薩說：「你應當憐憫這位無盡意菩薩以及在座的四眾（比丘、比丘尼、優婆塞、優婆夷），還有天、龍、夜叉、乾闥婆、阿修羅、迦樓羅、緊那羅、摩睺羅伽、人、非人等等大眾的緣故，接受這串瓔珞吧。」
觀世音菩薩隨即憐憫在座的四眾，以及天、龍、人、非人等等的緣故，接受了那串瓔珞，把它分成兩份：一份奉獻給釋迦牟尼佛，一份奉獻給多寶佛塔。
「無盡意啊！觀世音菩薩就有著像這樣自在無礙的神力，遊行於娑婆世界之中。」
偈頌重宣·觀音行願
那時候，無盡意菩薩用偈頌向佛陀請問道：
「世尊啊！您妙相圓滿具足，我如今再一次向您請問：這位佛子（觀世音菩薩），究竟是由於什麼因緣，而名叫『觀世音』的呢？」
妙相圓滿具足的世尊，用偈頌回答無盡意菩薩：
「你聽我說觀世音菩薩的德行吧——祂善巧地隨應一切方所（處處尋聲救度），所發下的宏大誓願深廣如海，經歷了長劫，不可思議；祂承事供養過千億那麼多的佛，發起了廣大清淨的誓願。我如今為你簡略地說一說：眾生若聽聞祂的名號，又見到祂的身形，只要心中憶念祂而不空過，便能滅除一切『有』（三界生死）之中的種種苦。
偈頌重宣·稱名脫諸難
「假使有人生起加害的惡意，把你推墮到熊熊的大火坑裡，只要憶念那觀世音菩薩的威力，火坑當下就化成一泓清涼的水池。
「倘若你漂流在浩瀚的大海裡，遭逢惡龍、大魚以及種種水鬼的災難，只要憶念那觀世音菩薩的威力，洶湧的波浪也不能把你淹沒。
「倘若你在須彌山（妙高山）的高峯上，被人推落下來，只要憶念那觀世音菩薩的威力，你便像太陽一般安住在虛空之中，安然而不墜落。
「倘若你被惡人追逐，墮落到金剛山（險峻的鐵圍山）下，只要憶念那觀世音菩薩的威力，那墜勢連你一根毫毛也損傷不了。
「倘若你遇上怨賊團團圍繞，各自拿著刀來加害，只要憶念那觀世音菩薩的威力，他們全都當下生起慈悲之心，放下加害的念頭。
「倘若你遭遇了官府刑罰的苦難，臨到行刑、性命就要終了，只要憶念那觀世音菩薩的威力，那行刑的刀當下就一段一段地折壞了。
「倘若你被囚禁在枷鎖之中，手腳都被杻械（手上腳上的桎梏）拘繫著，只要憶念那觀世音菩薩的威力，便能舒然鬆脫、得到解脫。
「倘若有人用咒詛（惡毒的符咒）、種種毒藥，想要加害你的身體，只要憶念那觀世音菩薩的威力，那禍害反而回到施害者本人的身上。
「倘若你遇上兇惡的羅剎、毒龍以及種種惡鬼等，只要憶念那觀世音菩薩的威力，牠們當下全都不敢加害於你。
「倘若你被兇惡的野獸團團圍住，牠們鋒利的牙齒、爪子十分可怖，只要憶念那觀世音菩薩的威力，牠們便疾速奔逃向無邊的遠方去了。
「倘若遇上蚖、蛇以及蝮、蠍（種種毒蟲），吐著毒氣像煙火一般熾燃逼人，只要憶念那觀世音菩薩的威力，牠們一聽到你稱念的聲音，便自行迴避退去了。
「倘若烏雲雷霆轟鳴、掣動閃電，降下冰雹、傾注大雨，只要憶念那觀世音菩薩的威力，這些便隨即得以消散止息。
偈頌讚歎·五觀梵音福聚
「眾生遭受著困厄，無量的苦楚逼迫著身心，觀世音菩薩微妙的智慧之力，能夠救拔世間的種種苦難。
「祂神通之力圓滿具足，廣泛地修習智慧與方便善巧，在十方的一切國土之中，沒有一個剎土（世界）不示現祂的身影。
「種種的惡道——地獄、餓鬼、畜生，以及生、老、病、死的苦楚，都因祂而逐漸地一一消滅。
「祂以真實之觀、清淨之觀、廣大的智慧之觀、悲憫之觀以及慈愛之觀，這五種觀照眾生的妙觀，恆常值得眾生發願瞻仰。
「祂那無垢清淨的光明，猶如智慧的太陽，破除種種的黑暗，能夠降伏災害、狂風、烈火，普遍地光明照耀著世間。
「祂那慈悲的體性猶如戒法的雷聲震動，慈憫的心意猶如微妙的大雲，傾注下甘露般的法雨，滅除眾生煩惱的火焰。
「在爭吵訴訟、對簿公堂的地方，在令人怖畏的兩軍對陣之中，只要憶念那觀世音菩薩的威力，一切的怨敵全都退卻潰散。
「祂的音聲微妙——是觀照世間之音，是清淨的梵音，是應時而至的海潮之音，勝過那一切世間的音聲，所以應當時常憶念，念念之間都不要生起疑惑。觀世音這位清淨的聖者，在苦惱與死亡的災厄之中，能夠作眾生的依靠與怙恃；祂具足一切的功德，以慈悲的眼目注視著眾生，所匯聚的福德浩瀚如海、無量無邊，所以應當向祂頂禮膜拜。」
持地讚歎·聞品發心
那時候，持地菩薩隨即從座位上起身，走向前來向佛陀稟白說：「世尊啊！倘若有眾生聽聞這一品——觀世音菩薩品——之中所說的自在化度之業，以及祂普門示現（普遍隨類化現種種身門）的神通之力，應當知道這個人所得的功德不會少。」
佛陀宣說這『普門品』的時候，大眾之中有八萬四千位眾生，都發起了無等等（無可比等、至高無上的）阿耨多羅三藐三菩提（無上正等正覺）的道心。
Kumārajīva's Chinese root text (T09n0262) is retained as a visual anchor for bilingual readers; the English below renders it in plain, continuous prose.
Inexhaustible Intention Asks · Calling the Name Brings Immediate Liberation
爾時，無盡意菩薩即從座起，偏袒右肩，合掌向佛而作是言：「世尊！觀世音菩薩以何因緣名觀世音？」 佛告無盡意菩薩：「善男子！若有無量百千萬億眾生受諸苦惱，聞是觀世音菩薩，一心稱名，觀世音菩薩即時觀其音聲，皆得解脫。
At that time, the Bodhisattva Inexhaustible Intention (Akṣayamati) rose at once from his seat, bared his right shoulder as a sign of reverence, joined his palms toward the Buddha, and said: “World-Honored One! For what cause and condition is the Bodhisattva Perceiver of the World's Sounds (Guanshiyin; Avalokiteśvara) named ‘Perceiver of the World's Sounds’?”
The Buddha told the Bodhisattva Inexhaustible Intention: “Good man! Suppose immeasurable hundreds of thousands of millions of sentient beings are undergoing many kinds of suffering and distress. If they hear of the Bodhisattva Perceiver of the World's Sounds and single-mindedly call his name, the Bodhisattva Perceiver of the World's Sounds will immediately perceive the sounds of their voices, and they will all gain liberation.
Calling the Name Brings Liberation from the Seven Perils
若有持是觀世音菩薩名者，設入大火，火不能燒，由是菩薩威神力故。若為大水所漂，稱其名號，即得淺處。若有百千萬億眾生，為求金、銀、琉璃、車𤦲、馬瑙、珊瑚、虎珀、真珠等寶，入於大海。假使黑風吹其船舫，飄墮羅剎鬼國，其中若有，乃至一人，稱觀世音菩薩名者，是諸人等皆得解脫羅剎之難。以是因緣，名觀世音。若復有人臨當被害，稱觀世音菩薩名者，彼所執刀杖尋段段壞，而得解脫。若三千大千國土滿中夜叉、羅剎欲來惱人，聞其稱觀世音菩薩名者，是諸惡鬼尚不能以惡眼視之，況復加害。設復有人，若有罪、若無罪，杻械、枷鎖檢繫其身，稱觀世音菩薩名者，皆悉斷壞，即得解脫。若三千大千國土滿中怨賊，有一商主將諸商人，齎持重寶經過嶮路。其中一人作是唱言：『諸善男子！勿得恐怖！汝等應當一心稱觀世音菩薩名號。是菩薩能以無畏施於眾生。汝等若稱名者，於此怨賊當得解脫。』眾商人聞，俱發聲言：『南無觀世音菩薩。』稱其名故，即得解脫。
“If someone upholds the name of the Bodhisattva Perceiver of the World's Sounds, then even if he enters a great fire, the fire cannot burn him, because of this bodhisattva's majestic supernormal power. If he is swept away by a great flood, then upon calling the bodhisattva's name he will immediately reach a shallow place where he can stand.
“Suppose hundreds of thousands of millions of sentient beings enter the great ocean in search of such treasures as gold, silver, lapis lazuli, a fine stone resembling jade, agate, coral, amber, and pearls. If a black wind blows upon their vessel and drives it into the land of the rākṣasas, man-eating evil spirits, and if among all those people even a single person calls the name of the Bodhisattva Perceiver of the World's Sounds, all of them will gain liberation from the peril of the rākṣasas. Because of this cause and condition, he is named Perceiver of the World's Sounds.
“Again, if someone is about to be killed and calls the name of the Bodhisattva Perceiver of the World's Sounds, the knives and staves held by the assailants will at once break apart, piece by piece, and that person will gain liberation. If a three-thousand-great-thousand world is filled with yakṣas, swift and powerful spirits, and rākṣasas who wish to come and torment people, then upon hearing those people call the name of the Bodhisattva Perceiver of the World's Sounds, these evil spirits will not even be able to glare at them with malicious eyes, much less inflict harm.
“Suppose, again, that someone—whether guilty or without guilt—has his body bound and confined by manacles on his hands, fetters on his feet, a wooden cangue upon his neck, and chains. If he calls the name of the Bodhisattva Perceiver of the World's Sounds, all these instruments of restraint will break apart, and he will immediately gain liberation.
“Suppose a three-thousand-great-thousand world is filled with hostile bandits. A caravan leader guides many merchants carrying precious treasure along a perilous road. One person among them cries out: ‘Good men! Do not be frightened! You should single-mindedly call the name of the Bodhisattva Perceiver of the World's Sounds. This bodhisattva can bestow fearlessness—the security of being without fear—upon sentient beings. If you call his name, you will gain liberation from these hostile bandits.’ When the merchants hear this, they all raise their voices together and say, ‘Homage to the Bodhisattva Perceiver of the World's Sounds!’ Because they call his name, they immediately gain liberation.
Leaving the Three Poisons · Fulfilling the Two Requests
「無盡意！觀世音菩薩摩訶薩威神之力，巍巍如是。若有眾生多於婬欲，常念恭敬觀世音菩薩，便得離欲。若多瞋恚，常念恭敬觀世音菩薩，便得離瞋。若多愚癡，常念恭敬觀世音菩薩，便得離癡。 「無盡意！觀世音菩薩有如是等大威神力，多所饒益。是故眾生常應心念。若有女人，設欲求男，禮拜供養觀世音菩薩，便生福德智慧之男；設欲求女，便生端正有相之女。宿殖德本，眾人愛敬。
“Inexhaustible Intention! The majestic supernormal power of the bodhisattva-mahāsattva (great bodhisattva) Perceiver of the World's Sounds is lofty and vast in just this way. If sentient beings are burdened by much sexual desire, then by constantly keeping the Bodhisattva Perceiver of the World's Sounds in mind and paying him reverence, they will be able to leave desire behind. If they are burdened by much anger and resentment, then by constantly keeping him in mind and paying him reverence, they will be able to leave anger behind. If they are burdened by much delusion, the darkness of ignorance, then by constantly keeping him in mind and paying him reverence, they will be able to leave delusion behind.
“Inexhaustible Intention! The Bodhisattva Perceiver of the World's Sounds possesses great majestic supernormal powers such as these and brings sentient beings many benefits. Therefore sentient beings should constantly keep him in mind. If a woman wishes to have a son, then by bowing to and making offerings to the Bodhisattva Perceiver of the World's Sounds, she will give birth to a son endowed with merit and wisdom. If she wishes to have a daughter, she will give birth to a daughter upright and beautiful, endowed with excellent marks. Because this child planted roots of merit in former lives, she will be loved and respected by many people.
Upholding the Name · Merit without Difference
「無盡意！觀世音菩薩有如是力。若有眾生恭敬禮拜觀世音菩薩，福不唐捐。是故眾生皆應受持觀世音菩薩名號。 「無盡意！若有人受持六十二億恒河沙菩薩名字，復盡形供養飲食、衣服、臥具、醫藥。於汝意云何？是善男子、善女人，功德多不？」 無盡意言：「甚多，世尊！」 佛言：「若復有人受持觀世音菩薩名號，乃至一時禮拜、供養。是二人福，正等無異，於百千萬億劫不可窮盡。無盡意！受持觀世音菩薩名號，得如是無量無邊福德之利。」
“Inexhaustible Intention! The Bodhisattva Perceiver of the World's Sounds possesses power such as this. If sentient beings reverently bow to him, their merit will never be wasted. Therefore all sentient beings should receive and uphold the name of the Bodhisattva Perceiver of the World's Sounds.
“Inexhaustible Intention! Suppose someone receives and upholds the names of as many bodhisattvas as there are grains of sand in sixty-two koṭis of Ganges Rivers, and throughout his whole life makes offerings to them of food and drink, clothing, bedding, and medicine. What do you think? Would this good man or good woman gain much merit?”
Inexhaustible Intention answered: “Very much, World-Honored One!”
The Buddha said: “Suppose, again, someone receives and upholds the one name of the Bodhisattva Perceiver of the World's Sounds and bows to him and makes offerings even for only a single short period. The merit of these two people is exactly equal, without difference, and cannot be exhausted through hundreds of thousands of millions of aeons. Inexhaustible Intention! Receiving and upholding the name of the Bodhisattva Perceiver of the World's Sounds brings immeasurable and boundless benefits of merit such as these.”
Thirty-Three Bodies · Manifestation through the Universal Gateway
無盡意菩薩白佛言：「世尊！觀世音菩薩云何遊此娑婆世界？云何而為眾生說法？方便之力，其事云何？」 佛告無盡意菩薩：「善男子！若有國土眾生應以佛身得度者，觀世音菩薩即現佛身而為說法；應以辟支佛身得度者，即現辟支佛身而為說法；應以聲聞身得度者，即現聲聞身而為說法；應以梵王身得度者，即現梵王身而為說法；應以帝釋身得度者，即現帝釋身而為說法；應以自在天身得度者，即現自在天身而為說法；應以大自在天身得度者，即現大自在天身而為說法；應以天大將軍身得度者，即現天大將軍身而為說法；應以毘沙門身得度者，即現毘沙門身而為說法；應以小王身得度者，即現小王身而為說法；應以長者身得度者，即現長者身而為說法；應以居士身得度者，即現居士身而為說法；應以宰官身得度者，即現宰官身而為說法；應以婆羅門身得度者，即現婆羅門身而為說法；應以比丘、比丘尼、優婆塞、優婆夷身得度者，即現比丘、比丘尼、優婆塞、優婆夷身而為說法；應以長者、居士、宰官、婆羅門婦女身得度者，即現婦女身而為說法；應以童男、童女身得度者，即現童男、童女身而為說法；應以天、龍、夜叉、乾闥婆、阿修羅、迦樓羅、緊那羅、摩睺羅伽、人非人等身得度者，即皆現之而為說法；應以執金剛身得度者，即現執金剛身而為說法。
The Bodhisattva Inexhaustible Intention said to the Buddha: “World-Honored One! How does the Bodhisattva Perceiver of the World's Sounds travel through this Sahā world, the world of endurance in which we dwell? How does he teach the Dharma to sentient beings? How does the power of his skillful means operate?”
The Buddha told the Bodhisattva Inexhaustible Intention: “Good man! For sentient beings in any land who should be delivered through the body of a buddha, the Bodhisattva Perceiver of the World's Sounds immediately manifests the body of a buddha and teaches them the Dharma. For those who should be delivered through the body of a pratyekabuddha, a solitary awakener, he manifests the body of a pratyekabuddha and teaches them the Dharma. For those who should be delivered through the body of a śrāvaka, a disciple who awakens by hearing the Buddha's teaching, he manifests the body of a śrāvaka and teaches them the Dharma. For those who should be delivered through the body of a Brahmā king, the great Brahmā lord of the form realm, he manifests the body of a Brahmā king and teaches them the Dharma. For those who should be delivered through the body of Śakra, lord of the Heaven of the Thirty-Three, he manifests the body of Śakra and teaches them the Dharma. For those who should be delivered through the body of Īśvara, a deity of the Heaven of Enjoying Emanations in the desire realm, he manifests the body of Īśvara and teaches them the Dharma. For those who should be delivered through the body of Maheśvara, a deity at the summit of the form realm, he manifests the body of Maheśvara and teaches them the Dharma. For those who should be delivered through the body of a great general of the devas, he manifests the body of a great general of the devas and teaches them the Dharma. For those who should be delivered through the body of Vaiśravaṇa, the Heavenly King Much-Hearing who guards the north, he manifests the body of Vaiśravaṇa and teaches them the Dharma.
“For those who should be delivered through the body of a lesser king (a human king), he manifests the body of a lesser king and teaches them the Dharma. For those who should be delivered through the body of an elder, a wealthy and honored man, he manifests the body of an elder and teaches them the Dharma. For those who should be delivered through the body of a householder devoted to the Dharma, he manifests the body of a householder and teaches them the Dharma. For those who should be delivered through the body of an official charged with affairs of government, he manifests the body of an official and teaches them the Dharma. For those who should be delivered through the body of a brāhmaṇa, a member of the Indian priestly class, he manifests the body of a brāhmaṇa and teaches them the Dharma. For those who should be delivered through the body of a monk, a nun, a male lay follower, or a female lay follower, he manifests the body of a monk, a nun, a male lay follower, or a female lay follower and teaches them the Dharma.
“For those who should be delivered through the body of a woman from the family of an elder, householder, official, or brāhmaṇa, he manifests the body of a woman and teaches them the Dharma. For those who should be delivered through the body of a boy or a girl, he manifests the body of a boy or a girl and teaches them the Dharma. For those who should be delivered through the body of a deva, nāga, yakṣa, gandharva—a heavenly musician who feeds upon fragrance—asura—a contentious non-deva—garuḍa—a great golden-winged bird spirit—kinnara—a singer with humanlike form and horns—mahoraga—a great serpent spirit—human, nonhuman, or other such being, he manifests each of those bodies and teaches them the Dharma. For those who should be delivered through the body of a Vajra-Bearer, a guardian warrior holding a vajra, he manifests the body of a Vajra-Bearer and teaches them the Dharma.
The Giver of Fearlessness · The Jeweled Necklace Divided and Offered to Two Buddhas
「無盡意！是觀世音菩薩成就如是功德，以種種形，遊諸國土，度脫眾生。是故汝等應當一心供養觀世音菩薩。是觀世音菩薩摩訶薩於怖畏急難之中能施無畏，是故此娑婆世界皆號之為施無畏者。」 無盡意菩薩白佛言：「世尊！我今當供養觀世音菩薩。」即解頸眾寶珠、瓔珞，價直百千兩金，而以與之，作是言：「仁者！受此法施珍寶瓔珞。」時觀世音菩薩不肯受之。無盡意復白觀世音菩薩言：「仁者！愍我等故，受此瓔珞。」 爾時佛告觀世音菩薩：「當愍此無盡意菩薩及四眾，天、龍、夜叉、乾闥婆、阿修羅、迦樓羅、緊那羅、摩睺羅伽、人非人等故，受是瓔珞。」 即時觀世音菩薩愍諸四眾，及於天、龍、人非人等，受其瓔珞，分作二分，一分奉釋迦牟尼佛，一分奉多寶佛塔。 「無盡意！觀世音菩薩有如是自在神力，遊於娑婆世界。」
“Inexhaustible Intention! The Bodhisattva Perceiver of the World's Sounds has accomplished qualities such as these. Through many different forms, he travels throughout many lands and delivers sentient beings. Therefore all of you should single-mindedly make offerings to the Bodhisattva Perceiver of the World's Sounds. In the midst of fear, danger, and urgent distress, this bodhisattva-mahāsattva Perceiver of the World's Sounds can bestow fearlessness, bringing security and freedom from fear. Therefore throughout this Sahā world he is called the Giver of Fearlessness.”
The Bodhisattva Inexhaustible Intention said to the Buddha: “World-Honored One! I will now make an offering to the Bodhisattva Perceiver of the World's Sounds.” He immediately removed from his neck a jeweled necklace made of many precious substances, worth hundreds of thousands of taels of gold, and presented it to the bodhisattva, saying: “Virtuous One! Please accept this precious jeweled necklace as a Dharma offering.” At that time, the Bodhisattva Perceiver of the World's Sounds would not accept it. Inexhaustible Intention again said to him: “Virtuous One! Out of compassion for us, please accept this necklace.”
At that time, the Buddha told the Bodhisattva Perceiver of the World's Sounds: “Out of compassion for this Bodhisattva Inexhaustible Intention and the fourfold assembly of monks, nuns, male lay followers, and female lay followers, and for the devas, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kinnaras, mahoragas, humans, nonhumans, and the rest, accept this necklace.”
The Bodhisattva Perceiver of the World's Sounds at once accepted the necklace out of compassion for the fourfold assembly and for the devas, nāgas, humans, nonhumans, and the rest. He divided it into two parts, offering one part to Śākyamuni Buddha and one part to the stūpa of Many Treasures Buddha (Prabhūtaratna).
“Inexhaustible Intention! The Bodhisattva Perceiver of the World's Sounds possesses free and unobstructed supernormal power such as this as he travels through the Sahā world.”
Proclaiming Again in Verse · Guanshiyin's Practice and Vow
爾時無盡意菩薩以偈問曰： 「世尊妙相具，我今重問彼，
佛子何因緣，名為觀世音？
具足妙相尊，偈答無盡意：
『汝聽觀音行，善應諸方所，
弘誓深如海，歷劫不思議，
侍多千億佛，發大清淨願。
我為汝略說，聞名及見身，
心念不空過，能滅諸有苦。
At that time, the Bodhisattva Inexhaustible Intention asked in verse:
“World-Honored One, complete in wondrous marks,
I now ask once more about him:
for what cause and condition is this son of Buddha (the Bodhisattva Perceiver of the World's Sounds)
named Perceiver of the World's Sounds?”
The Honored One, complete in wondrous marks, answered Inexhaustible Intention in verse:
“Listen to the practice of Perceiver of Sounds,
who skillfully responds in every place (seeking out voices everywhere to bring deliverance).
His vast vow is deep as the ocean;
through aeons its reach is inconceivable.
He has served many thousands of koṭis of buddhas
and has made a great and pure vow.
I shall now explain it briefly for you:
hearing his name and seeing his body,
if one keeps him in mind and does not let the thought pass in vain,
he can extinguish the sufferings of all modes of existence (birth and death within the three realms).
Proclaiming Again in Verse · Calling the Name Brings Liberation from Many Perils
假使興害意，推落大火坑，
念彼觀音力，火坑變成池。
或漂流巨海，龍魚諸鬼難，
念彼觀音力，波浪不能沒。
或在須彌峯，為人所推墮，
念彼觀音力，如日虛空住。
或被惡人逐，墮落金剛山，
念彼觀音力，不能損一毛。
或值怨賊繞，各執刀加害，
念彼觀音力，咸即起慈心。
或遭王難苦，臨刑欲壽終，
念彼觀音力，刀尋段段壞。
或囚禁枷鎖，手足被杻械，
念彼觀音力，釋然得解脫。
呪詛諸毒藥，所欲害身者，
念彼觀音力，還著於本人。
或遇惡羅剎、毒龍諸鬼等，
念彼觀音力，時悉不敢害。
若惡獸圍遶，利牙爪可怖，
念彼觀音力，疾走無邊方。
蚖蛇及蝮蠍，氣毒煙火燃，
念彼觀音力，尋聲自迴去。
雲雷鼓掣電，降雹澍大雨，
念彼觀音力，應時得消散。
“Suppose someone is bent on doing harm
and pushes you into a great pit of fire.
Keep in mind the power of Perceiver of Sounds,
and the pit of fire will turn into a pool.
Or suppose you drift upon a vast ocean,
imperiled by nāgas, great fish, and many spirits.
Keep in mind the power of Perceiver of Sounds,
and the waves will not be able to drown you.
Or suppose you are on the summit of Mount Sumeru (Mount Meru)
and someone pushes you down.
Keep in mind the power of Perceiver of Sounds,
and you will remain in the open sky like the sun.
Or suppose evil people pursue you
and you fall from an adamantine mountain, a sheer iron range.
Keep in mind the power of Perceiver of Sounds,
and not even a single hair will be harmed.
Or suppose hostile bandits surround you,
each taking up a knife to injure you.
Keep in mind the power of Perceiver of Sounds,
and all of them will immediately give rise to a compassionate heart.
Or suppose you suffer punishment at the hands of a ruler
and, facing execution, are about to lose your life.
Keep in mind the power of Perceiver of Sounds,
and the executioner's blade will at once break apart, piece by piece.
Or suppose you are imprisoned in a cangue and chains,
your hands and feet bound by manacles and fetters.
Keep in mind the power of Perceiver of Sounds,
and the restraints will fall freely away as you gain liberation.
Suppose curses and many kinds of poison are used
by someone who wishes to harm your body.
Keep in mind the power of Perceiver of Sounds,
and the harm will return to the person who caused it.
Or suppose you encounter evil rākṣasas,
venomous nāgas, and many other spirits.
Keep in mind the power of Perceiver of Sounds,
and at once none will dare to harm you.
Or suppose savage beasts surround you,
their sharp teeth and claws terrifying.
Keep in mind the power of Perceiver of Sounds,
and they will swiftly flee to a boundless distance.
Suppose venomous reptiles, snakes, vipers, and scorpions
breathe poison that blazes like smoke and fire.
Keep in mind the power of Perceiver of Sounds,
and on hearing the sound they will turn back of their own accord.
Suppose clouds and thunder roll and lightning flashes,
while hail falls and great rain pours down.
Keep in mind the power of Perceiver of Sounds,
and all will immediately disperse.
Praise in Verse · Five Contemplations, the Brahmā Voice, and the Accumulation of Merit
眾生被困厄，無量苦逼身，
觀音妙智力，能救世間苦。
具足神通力，廣修智方便，
十方諸國土，無剎不現身。
種種諸惡趣，地獄鬼畜生，
生老病死苦，以漸悉令滅。
真觀清淨觀，廣大智慧觀，
悲觀及慈觀，常願常瞻仰。
無垢清淨光，慧日破諸闇，
能伏災風火，普明照世間。
悲體戒雷震，慈意妙大雲，
澍甘露法雨，滅除煩惱焰。
諍訟經官處，怖畏軍陣中，
念彼觀音力，眾怨悉退散。
妙音觀世音，梵音海潮音，
勝彼世間音，是故須常念，
念念勿生疑。觀世音淨聖，
於苦惱死厄，能為作依怙，
具一切功德，慈眼視眾生，
福聚海無量，是故應頂禮。』」
“Sentient beings are beset by hardship,
and immeasurable sufferings press upon body and mind.
The wondrous wisdom-power of Perceiver of Sounds
can rescue them from the sufferings of the world.
Perfectly endowed with supernormal powers,
he widely cultivates wisdom and skillful means.
Throughout all the lands of the ten directions,
there is no world in which he does not manifest his body.
In the many evil destinies—
the hells, hungry ghosts, and animals—
he gradually brings every suffering
of birth, aging, illness, and death to extinction.
His is true contemplation, pure contemplation,
the contemplation of vast wisdom,
the contemplation of compassion and of loving-kindness:
may we constantly aspire to behold them.
His stainless, pure radiance
is a sun of wisdom that breaks through every darkness.
It can subdue calamity, wind, and fire,
and its universal brightness illumines the world.
His embodiment of compassion resounds like the thunder of precepts;
his loving intention is like a wondrous great cloud.
It pours down the Dharma rain of sweet dew
and extinguishes the flames of affliction.
In places of quarrels and lawsuits before officials,
and amid the terror of armies in battle,
keep in mind the power of Perceiver of Sounds,
and all hostility will withdraw and disperse.
Wondrous Voice, Perceiver of the World's Sounds,
Brahmā Voice, and Voice of the Ocean Tide—
his voice surpasses the voices of the world;
therefore you must constantly keep him in mind.
From thought to thought, do not give rise to doubt.
Perceiver of the World's Sounds, the pure sage,
can be a refuge and protector
amid the distress of suffering and the perils of death.
He is complete in all qualities
and looks upon sentient beings with compassionate eyes.
His accumulation of merit is measureless as the ocean;
therefore you should bow your head in homage.”
Earth-Holder Praises · Hearing the Chapter and Arousing the Resolve
爾時持地菩薩即從座起，前白佛言：「世尊！若有眾生聞是觀世音菩薩品自在之業、普門示現神通力者，當知是人功德不少。」 佛說是普門品時，眾中八萬四千眾生，皆發無等等阿耨多羅三藐三菩提心。
At that time, the Bodhisattva Earth-Holder (Dharaṇīdhara) immediately rose from his seat, went forward, and said to the Buddha: “World-Honored One! If sentient beings hear this chapter on the Bodhisattva Perceiver of the World's Sounds—his sovereign work and the supernormal power by which he manifests through the universal gateway (universally appearing in many different bodies according to each kind of being)—they should know that the merit of such a person will not be small.”
When the Buddha taught this chapter on the Universal Gateway, eighty-four thousand sentient beings in the assembly all aroused the unequalled resolve for unsurpassed, complete, perfect awakening.
這一品，是《法華經》裡眾生最熟的一品，也是流傳最廣、最被單獨誦持的一品。前面幾品說弘經之力——藥王以身、妙音以三昧；這一品說的是「護眾生諸難力」:一位菩薩，只要你一聲呼喚他的名字，苦就有人聽見、有人來救。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。
為什麼名叫觀世音
無盡意菩薩起座問佛：觀世音菩薩，是以什麼因緣，名叫觀世音？佛答得直截：若有無量眾生受諸苦惱，聞是觀世音菩薩、一心稱他的名，觀世音菩薩「即時觀其音聲，皆得解脫」。——這就是「觀世音」三字的來歷：眾生以音聲呼救，菩薩以慈悲觀照那音聲、隨即來救。名字本身就是他的行：世間有苦音發出，就有一位大士在觀、在應。
稱名脫七難
佛一難一難地說這稱名之力。設入大火，稱名，火不能燒；為大水所漂，稱名，即得淺處；入海求寶、黑風吹船飄墮羅剎鬼國，其中一人稱名，眾人皆脫羅剎之難——「以是因緣，名觀世音」。臨當被害，稱名，執刀杖者的刀杖尋即段段壞；三千大千國土滿中夜叉羅剎欲來惱人，聞其稱名，惡鬼尚不能以惡眼看他，何況加害；有罪無罪、杻械枷鎖繫身，稱名，枷鎖皆斷、即得解脫；滿路怨賊，商主教眾商人一心稱名——「是菩薩能以無畏施於眾生」——眾人齊聲「南無觀世音菩薩」，稱名之故，即得解脫。七難，是人世間最急最險的七種處境；而佛給的救法，簡單到只是一個名字、一聲呼喚。
離三毒·應二求
不只救外面的災難，也解裡面的煩惱。若有眾生多於婬欲，常念恭敬觀世音菩薩，便得離欲；多瞋恚、多愚癡，常念恭敬，也便得離瞋、離癡。這是心裡的三種火，稱名一樣能滅。還有求願：若有女人求男，禮拜供養觀世音，便生福德智慧之男；求女，便生端正有相、宿殖德本、眾人愛敬之女。苦要救、願也要滿——觀世音的悲，是連你想要一個孩子這樣的心願都照看的。
一聲名號的分量
佛再把這名號的分量說給無盡意聽：若有人受持六十二億恒河沙那樣多的菩薩名字，又盡形供養飲食衣服臥具醫藥，這福多不多？無盡意說：甚多。佛說：可是若有人受持觀世音菩薩一個名號、乃至只一時禮拜供養，這二人的福「正等無異」，於百千萬億劫也不可窮盡。受持那無量菩薩之名的福，與受持觀音一名的福，竟然相等——這不是說觀音勝過諸菩薩，是說這一個名號裡，含著與一切菩薩相等的功德海。
普門示現三十三身
無盡意又問：觀世音怎樣遊化娑婆、怎樣為眾生說法？佛答出這一品的另一半：應以什麼身得度的眾生，觀世音就現什麼身而為說法——應以佛身得度的，現佛身；應以辟支佛、聲聞身得度的，現彼身；乃至梵王、帝釋、自在天、大自在天、天大將軍、毘沙門、小王、長者、居士、宰官、婆羅門，比丘比丘尼優婆塞優婆夷，婦女、童男童女，天龍夜叉乾闥婆阿修羅迦樓羅緊那羅摩睺羅伽人非人，乃至執金剛身——你是什麼樣的眾生，他就現什麼樣的身來對你說法。這叫「普門」:沒有一道門是他不進的，沒有一種眾生是他不現身相就的。他於怖畏急難之中能施無畏，所以這娑婆世界都稱他為「施無畏者」。
瓔珞供養·分奉二佛
無盡意要供養觀世音，解下頸上價值百千兩金的眾寶瓔珞奉上，說：仁者，受此法施珍寶瓔珞。觀世音起初不肯受。無盡意再三請：仁者，愍我等故，受此瓔珞。佛也勸觀音：當愍此無盡意及四眾天龍人非人等故，受是瓔珞。觀世音這才受下，卻分作二分——一分奉釋迦牟尼佛，一分奉多寶佛塔。受了供養，隨即又轉供二佛；連受一份禮敬，也化作對佛的敬。
重頌：再把觀音行唱一遍
末後有一段長長的偈頌，把上面的義再唱一遍。無盡意以偈重問「佛子何因緣，名為觀世音」，佛以偈答：觀音的弘誓深如海、歷劫不思議，聞名見身、心念不空過，能滅諸有苦。偈中把七難重宣得極美：興害意推落大火坑，「念彼觀音力，火坑變成池」;漂流巨海，「念彼觀音力，波浪不能沒」;臨刑欲壽終，「念彼觀音力，刀尋段段壞」——一句一難，一難一「念彼觀音力」。末後讚歎觀音之德：「真觀清淨觀，廣大智慧觀，悲觀及慈觀」，五種觀照；「妙音觀世音，梵音海潮音」，五種音聲；收在一句「福聚海無量，是故應頂禮」。持地菩薩起座讚歎：聞是觀世音菩薩品自在之業、普門示現神通力者，功德不少。說是品時，八萬四千眾生皆發無上菩提之心。
以唯識之眼：那個名字，與那補上的偈
上來是觀世音菩薩品自身的義。所借的那面唯識鏡（慈恩窺基所傳），在此品照見的頗多——這是《玄贊》裡篇幅最長的一品之一，只是它的重量不在心性玄理，而在名號、通力與業道。先說名號：慈恩有一句要緊的判——「正義應云觀自在」;在玄奘一系，這菩薩的梵名正譯應是「觀自在」，「觀世音」是就眾生起音聲呼救、菩薩俯觀隨救這一面立的名。至於怎麼救，他理出一副乾淨的骨架：三業歸依配三種神通——口業（音聲）歸依，以天耳通尋聲救；意業（心念）歸依，以他心通觀心救；身業（禮拜）歸依，以天眼通觀色救。七難是口業之救、三毒是意業之救、二求是身業之救。而那普現的許多身，他不數作「三十三」，數作「十九種分為八類」。這現身之數，恰是幾副眼各不相同之處：慈恩數十九種八類，天台智顗就經文作「三十三身、十九說法」一句帶過，三論吉藏分作『現聖、示凡、示非凡非聖』三種方便；數各不同，而經自己那句始終在那裡：應以何身得度，即現何身。名號亦然，天台、三論各有其讀（天台簡「觀」唯取圓觀，吉藏立觀世音、觀世意、觀世身三名）。並錄於此，各還其位。
最後一事關乎這一品的本來面目，值得記下。這品末那段長偈——「世尊妙相具」以下——羅什的原譯本裡本是沒有的。窺基在《玄贊》玄義裡明說：「〈觀音普門品〉本皆無頌，或有安者後人添足……此乃經家結集為偈。」竺法護的《正法華》光世音品，至今也沒有這段偈；這偈是後來從隋代闍那崛多、達磨笈多的《添品法華》系補進羅什本的——添品的序自己也說，羅什與竺法護本所闕的「普門品偈」，是「先賢續出，補闕流行」。所以今天我們誦的這段偈，是後賢為補闕而續出附入的；古德不諱言此，明白記下它的來歷。這不減這偈的莊嚴，反見古人傳經之慎——一字一句，來歷分明。此處據實誌之，不加裁斷。
This is one of the most familiar chapters of the Lotus Sutra, the one most widely circulated and most often recited on its own. The preceding chapters speak of the power by which the sutra is propagated—Medicine King (Bhaiṣajyarāja) through his body, Wonderful Sound (Gadgadasvara) through meditative absorption. This chapter speaks of the power to protect sentient beings from many perils: if you call the name of one bodhisattva even once, someone hears your suffering and someone comes to rescue you. We will follow the sequence of the sutra and make each meaning clear; only at the end will we add a little reflected light from the reading of the Consciousness-Only tradition.
Why Is He Named Perceiver of the World's Sounds?
The Bodhisattva Inexhaustible Intention (Akṣayamati) asks the Buddha: for what cause and condition is the Bodhisattva Perceiver of the World's Sounds (Guanshiyin; Avalokiteśvara) named Perceiver of the World's Sounds? The Buddha's answer is direct. Suppose immeasurable sentient beings undergo many sufferings and distresses. If they hear of the Bodhisattva Perceiver of the World's Sounds and single-mindedly call his name, the bodhisattva immediately perceives the sounds of their voices, and they all gain liberation. This is the origin of the name. Sentient beings cry out for help in sound; the bodhisattva perceives that sound through compassion and immediately comes to rescue them. His name is itself his practice: wherever the sounds of suffering arise in the world, a great being is perceiving and responding.
Calling the Name Brings Liberation from the Seven Perils
The Buddha names one peril after another to show the power of calling the name. If someone enters a great fire and calls the name, the fire cannot burn him. If someone is swept away by a great flood and calls the name, he immediately reaches a shallow place. If people sail the sea in search of treasure and a black wind drives their vessel into the land of the rākṣasas, then when even one person among them calls the name, all gain liberation from the peril of the rākṣasas. Because of this cause and condition, he is named Perceiver of the World's Sounds. If someone is about to be killed and calls the name, the assailants' knives and staves at once break apart, piece by piece. If a three-thousand-great-thousand world is filled with yakṣas and rākṣasas who wish to torment people, then upon hearing the name being called, these evil spirits cannot even glare at them with malicious eyes, much less inflict harm. Whether a person is guilty or without guilt, if manacles and cangues bind his body, calling the name causes all the restraints to break, and he immediately gains liberation. When hostile bandits fill the road, a caravan leader tells the merchants to single-mindedly call the name, for this bodhisattva can bestow fearlessness upon sentient beings. The merchants cry together, “Homage to the Bodhisattva Perceiver of the World's Sounds!” Because they call the name, they immediately gain liberation. The seven perils are seven of the most urgent and dangerous situations in human life, yet the method of rescue given by the Buddha is as simple as one name, one cry.
Leaving the Three Poisons and Fulfilling the Two Requests
The name does not only bring rescue from disasters outside us; it also releases the afflictions within. If sentient beings are burdened by much sexual desire, constantly keeping the Bodhisattva Perceiver of the World's Sounds in mind and paying him reverence enables them to leave desire behind. If they are burdened by much anger or much delusion, constant mindfulness and reverence likewise enable them to leave anger and delusion behind. These are the three fires within the mind, and calling the name can extinguish them as well. The chapter also speaks of fulfilling wishes. If a woman wishes for a son, then by bowing to and making offerings to Guanshiyin she gives birth to a son endowed with merit and wisdom. If she wishes for a daughter, she gives birth to a daughter upright and beautiful, endowed with excellent marks, who planted roots of merit in former lives and is loved and respected by many. Suffering is to be rescued, and wishes are also to be fulfilled. Guanshiyin's compassion attends even to a wish as intimate as the hope for a child.
The Weight of a Single Name
The Buddha next tells Inexhaustible Intention the weight carried by this name. Suppose someone receives and upholds the names of bodhisattvas as numerous as the sands of sixty-two koṭis of Ganges Rivers and throughout his whole life offers them food and drink, clothing, bedding, and medicine. Is that merit great? Inexhaustible Intention answers that it is very great. The Buddha then says that if another person receives and upholds the single name of the Bodhisattva Perceiver of the World's Sounds and bows and makes offerings even for only a single short period, the merit of these two people is exactly equal, without difference, and cannot be exhausted through hundreds of thousands of millions of aeons. The merit of upholding the names of those immeasurable bodhisattvas is equal to the merit of upholding Guanshiyin's one name. This does not say that Guanshiyin surpasses the other bodhisattvas. It says that within this one name lies an ocean of qualities equal to all bodhisattvas.
Manifesting Thirty-Three Bodies through the Universal Gateway
Inexhaustible Intention asks again: how does Guanshiyin travel through the Sahā world, and how does he teach the Dharma to sentient beings? The Buddha answers with the other half of the chapter. Whatever body is needed to deliver particular sentient beings, Guanshiyin manifests that body and teaches them the Dharma. For those who should be delivered through the body of a buddha, he manifests a buddha-body; for those who should be delivered through the body of a pratyekabuddha or śrāvaka, he manifests that body. He may manifest as a Brahmā king, Śakra, Īśvara, Maheśvara, a great general of the devas, Vaiśravaṇa, a lesser king, an elder, a householder, an official, a brāhmaṇa, a monk, a nun, a male lay follower, a female lay follower, a woman, a boy or girl, one of the eight classes of devas and nāgas, a human or nonhuman, or even a Vajra-Bearer. Whatever kind of sentient being you are, he manifests the kind of body through which he can teach you the Dharma. This is called the “universal gateway”: there is no gateway he does not enter and no kind of sentient being for whom he does not manifest a fitting body. Amid fear and urgent peril, he can bestow fearlessness; therefore throughout this Sahā world he is called the Giver of Fearlessness.
The Jeweled-Necklace Offering Divided between Two Buddhas
Inexhaustible Intention wishes to make an offering to Guanshiyin. He removes from his neck a jeweled necklace worth hundreds of thousands of taels of gold and presents it, saying, “Virtuous One, accept this precious jeweled necklace as a Dharma offering.” At first, Guanshiyin will not accept it. Inexhaustible Intention asks again: “Virtuous One, out of compassion for us, accept this necklace.” The Buddha also urges him to accept it out of compassion for Inexhaustible Intention, the fourfold assembly, devas, nāgas, humans, nonhumans, and the rest. Only then does Guanshiyin accept it. Yet he divides it into two parts: one part he offers to Śākyamuni Buddha, and the other to the stūpa of Many Treasures Buddha (Prabhūtaratna). No sooner does he accept an offering than he turns it into offerings to two buddhas. Even when he receives an act of reverence, he transforms it into reverence for the buddhas.
Proclaimed Again in Verse: Singing Guanshiyin's Practice Once More
At the end comes a long verse that sings the preceding meanings once more. Inexhaustible Intention asks again in verse why this son of Buddha is named Perceiver of the World's Sounds. The Buddha answers in verse that Guanshiyin's vast vow is deep as the ocean and inconceivable across aeons; hearing his name, seeing his body, and keeping him in mind do not pass in vain, for they can extinguish the sufferings of all modes of existence. The verse proclaims the seven perils again with extraordinary beauty. If someone intent on harm pushes you into a great pit of fire, keep in mind the power of Perceiver of Sounds and the pit of fire will turn into a pool. If you drift upon a vast ocean, keep in mind that power and the waves will not be able to drown you. If you face execution and are about to lose your life, keep in mind that power and the blade will at once break apart, piece by piece. One line answers one peril; after each peril comes the same keeping in mind of Guanshiyin's power. The end praises Guanshiyin through five contemplations—true contemplation, pure contemplation, the contemplation of vast wisdom, the contemplation of compassion, and the contemplation of loving-kindness—and five voices—Wondrous Voice, Perceiver of the World's Sounds, Brahmā Voice, and Voice of the Ocean Tide—before gathering everything into the line that his accumulation of merit is measureless as the ocean, and therefore one should bow one's head in homage. The Bodhisattva Earth-Holder (Dharaṇīdhara) rises and offers praise: those who hear in this chapter of Guanshiyin's sovereign work and the supernormal power by which he manifests through the universal gateway possess no small merit. As this chapter is taught, eighty-four thousand sentient beings all arouse the resolve for unsurpassed awakening.
Seen Again Through the Eyes of Consciousness-Only: That Name, and the Verse That Was Supplied
Everything above is the meaning of the Chapter on the Bodhisattva Perceiver of the World's Sounds itself. The mirror is not the sutra. Consciousness-Only is not the source of the Lotus, only another set of eyes. The Consciousness-Only mirror used here, transmitted by Kuiji of Cien, sees a great deal in this chapter; indeed, this is one of the longest chapters in his commentary. Yet its weight does not lie in subtle theories of mind-nature, but in the name, supernormal power, and the paths of action.
Kuiji begins with the name. His crucial judgment is that the correct translation should be “Perceiver with Sovereign Freedom.” In the Xuanzang line, this is the proper rendering of the bodhisattva's Sanskrit name, whereas “Perceiver of the World's Sounds” is established from the side of sentient beings giving voice to their cries for help and the bodhisattva looking down, perceiving, and responding with rescue. Kuiji gives the work of rescue a clean structure: three acts of refuge paired with three superknowledges. Refuge through verbal activity, by voice, is met by the divine ear, which seeks out cries and rescues. Refuge through mental activity, by keeping him in mind, is met by knowledge of others' minds, which perceives the mind and rescues. Refuge through bodily activity, by bowing, is met by the divine eye, which perceives forms and rescues. The seven perils belong to rescue through verbal activity; the three poisons to rescue through mental activity; the two requests to rescue through bodily activity.
Kuiji also does not count the many manifested bodies as “thirty-three.” He counts “nineteen kinds divided into eight classes.” The differing counts reveal several different sets of eyes. Kuiji counts nineteen kinds in eight classes; Zhiyi of Tiantai passes briefly over the sutra's list as thirty-three bodies and nineteen teachings; Jizang of Sanlun divides it into three skillful manifestations—manifesting as a sage, appearing as an ordinary being, and appearing as neither ordinary nor sage. Their counts differ, while the sutra's own sentence remains unchanged: whatever body is needed for deliverance, he immediately manifests that body. So too with the name: Tiantai and Sanlun each have their own reading. Tiantai selects only perfect contemplation for “perceiving,” while Jizang establishes the three names Perceiver of the World's Sounds, Perceiver of the World's Intentions, and Perceiver of the World's Bodies. These readings are recorded side by side without adjudication, each kept in its own place.
One final matter concerning the chapter's original form is worth recording. The long verse at the end, beginning “World-Honored One, complete in wondrous marks,” was not present in Kumārajīva's original translation. Kuiji says explicitly in the general principles of his commentary that the Chapter on Guanshiyin's Universal Gateway originally had no verse in any text; where one had been placed, later people added what was lacking, and the compilers of the sutra collected it as verse. The Chapter on Radiance of the World's Sounds in Dharmarakṣa's True Dharma Lotus still has no such verse. It was later supplied to Kumārajīva's text from the line of the Supplemented Lotus Sutra translated in the Sui by Jñānagupta and Dharmagupta; that edition's own preface says that earlier worthies produced the verse in continuation, supplying what was missing and putting it into circulation. The verse we recite today was therefore produced in continuation by later worthies to supply what was lacking and was appended to the text. The ancient masters did not conceal this; they plainly recorded where it came from. This does not diminish the verse's majesty. It instead shows the care with which the ancients transmitted scripture: the origin of every word and line was made clear. The facts are recorded here without further adjudication.
考據Apparatus
本品為迹門流通第三品，明觀世音菩薩尋聲救苦、普門示現以護眾生諸難。無盡意菩薩問觀世音名號因緣；佛答：眾生受苦一心稱名，菩薩即時觀其音聲皆得解脫——稱名脫七難（大火・大水・羅剎鬼國・刀杖・夜叉羅剎・杻械枷鎖・怨賊），常念恭敬離三毒（貪欲・瞋恚・愚癡），禮拜供養應二求（求男得福德智慧男・求女得端正有相女）；受持觀世音名號一時禮拜供養，與受持六十二億恒河沙菩薩名盡形供養，二人福正等無異。無盡意再問觀音遊化娑婆、為眾生說法方便之力；佛答普門示現三十三身（佛・辟支佛・聲聞・梵王・帝釋・自在天・大自在天・天大將軍・毘沙門・小王・長者・居士・宰官・婆羅門・四眾・婦女・童男女・天龍八部・執金剛），應以何身得度即現何身；於怖畏急難能施無畏，故號「施無畏者」。無盡意解頸眾寶瓔珞供養，觀音受已分作二分，一分奉釋迦、一分奉多寶佛塔。次以重頌重宣（世尊妙相具偈——羅什原無此偈，後由添品系〔闍那崛多〕偈補入，詳目八）。持地菩薩讚歎，八萬四千眾生發菩提心。慈恩窺基《玄贊》判此品為《法華論》修行力七力之第五「護眾生諸難力」（統攝觀音・陀羅尼二品）；釋名判『觀自在為正義』（玄奘系），拔濟骨架為三業歸依×三通（語業-天耳-尋聲／意業-他心-觀心／身業-天眼-觀色）；現身作「十九種分為八類」（不用三十三之數），執金剛判「觀音異像」；重頌完整科釋，並於玄義明載此偈本無、後人添足。天台智顗判「普現三昧化他流通」，釋名通十雙、別五隻，「觀」簡三觀唯論圓觀，「普」十法明普，冥顯二益；三論吉藏判「護難弘經」，立三名（觀世音・觀世意・觀世身），『光世音或可是翻之不正』，普三普，現身三方便（現聖・示凡・示非凡非聖），「觀音前三後一」——名號・普門・現身判三家各異，並錄不判。
一、科判定位
| 科判系統 | 此品之位 |
|---|---|
| 羅什 T262 二十八品 | 第二十五 觀世音菩薩普門品（卷七；〔T09n0262 0056c03〕起）· 迹門流通第三·尋聲救苦普門示現 |
| 窺基《玄贊》科文（主錨·慈恩） | 品段〔T34n1723 0846c07〕三門分別：一來意、二釋名、三解妨〔0846c08〕。來意：引《法華論》「救眾生諸難力者謂觀世音，〈陀羅尼品〉示現。觀音救未發心眾生難，令離眾苦發心持經」〔0846c09〕· 釋名：「觀者察義，俯救悲慧……正義應云觀自在……普者平等遍滿義，門者入出之由處」〔0846c18〕· 解妨：大悲觀苦何待念方救（自發意悕緣群聖同範）〔0847a01〕· 品文分四（問答名因·問答化行·持地讚歎·結成時益·初二文有頌）〔0847a09〕。定位：《法華論》修行力七力之第五「護眾生諸難力」（統攝觀音普門・陀羅尼二品〔玄義 T34 0659b27／0734c04〕·陀羅尼品來意回指「如前已釋」0850a21）；此即自〈藥王〉起弘經六品之品序第三（藥王・妙音・觀音・陀羅尼・妙莊嚴・普賢）——力序第五、品序第三，二軸並存 |
| 天台《文句》（旁證） | 〈釋觀世音菩薩普門品〉〔T34n1718 0144c24〕起（別有《私記》兩卷·今略撮〔0144c26〕）· 判普現三昧化他流通：「此品猶是普現三昧化他流通也」〔0145c28〕（承妙音品同判）· 釋名「通有十雙、別有五隻」〔0144c27〕· 文為三（問·答·聞品得益）〔0145c29〕 |
| 三論《義疏》（旁證） | 〈觀世音菩薩普門品第二十五〉〔T34n1721 0623c05〕起 · 判護難弘經：「上二品明苦行弘經有功德智慧二業……今第二，次明護難弘經」〔0623c06〕· 一往分四雙（雙標·雙釋·雙嘆·雙益）〔0623c12〕 |
二、異譯·三譯對勘
本品三漢譯：羅什 T262〈觀世音菩薩普門品第二十五〉· 竺法護 T263《正法華經》〈光世音普門品第二十三〉〔T09n0263 0128c21〕· 添品 T264〈觀世音菩薩普門品第二十四〉〔T09n0264 0191b23〕。品名觀／光之異：羅什／添品作「觀世音」（觀照義·avalokita），竺法護作「光世音」（光明義·āloka;吉藏誌『光世音或可是翻之不正』〔T34n1721 0624c03〕）。三本問主同為無盡意菩薩；品次差（羅什㉕·竺法護㉓·添品㉔）。此品最重之異＝重頌之有無（詳目八）：羅什／添品有偈，竺法護無偈。
句一 名號因緣（觀／光異）
| 版本 | 逐字（節） | 出處 |
|---|---|---|
| 羅什 T262 | 觀世音菩薩以何因緣名觀世音？……若有無量百千萬億眾生受諸苦惱，聞是觀世音菩薩，一心稱名，觀世音菩薩即時觀其音聲，皆得解脫 | T09n0262 0056c04／0056c06 |
| 添品 T264 | 〔逐字同羅什〕以何因緣名觀世音？ | T09n0264 0191b26 |
| 竺法護 T263 | 所以名之光世音乎，義何所趣耶？……一心自歸，光世音菩薩即時觀其音聲，皆得解脫 | T09n0263 0128c23 |
異文所繫：添品逐字同羅什。竺法護——觀世音→「光世音」（全品 28 見·觀世音品段 0）·娑婆→忍界·恒河沙→江河沙·善男子善女人→族姓子族姓女·辟支佛→緣覺·八部音寫異系（揵沓和・阿須倫・迦留羅・真陀羅・摩睺勒）。
句二 七難·三毒·二求·校量福（校量福義異）
| 版本 | 逐字（節） | 出處 |
|---|---|---|
| 羅什 T262 | 設入大火，火不能燒……為大水所漂……飄墮羅剎鬼國……刀杖尋段段壞……夜叉羅剎……杻械枷鎖……怨賊……〔三毒〕常念恭敬觀世音菩薩，便得離〔貪瞋癡〕……〔二求〕設欲求男，便生福德智慧之男；設欲求女，便生端正有相之女……〔校量〕受持六十二億恒河沙菩薩名字盡形供養……受持觀世音菩薩名號乃至一時禮拜供養，是二人福正等無異 | T09n0262 0056c09／0057a01／0057a07／0057a12 |
| 添品 T264 | 〔逐字近同羅什·校量「二人福正等無異」同〕 | T09n0264 0191c18／0192a10 |
| 竺法護 T263 | 大火然其山野……身墮火中，得聞光世音名，火即尋滅……〔三毒〕稽首歸命光世音菩薩，婬怒癡休，觀於無常苦空非身，一心得定……〔校量〕供養六十二億江河沙諸菩薩……不如一歸光世音稽首作禮執持名號，福過於彼 | T09n0263 0128c28／0129b05／0129b22 |
異文所繫（校量福）：添品近同羅什。竺法護——七難開合異（刀杖併入怨賊首現・夜叉羅剎作「諸鬼神眾邪逆魅」・海難增魔竭魚黑山迴波・枷鎖增『閉在牢獄開獄門出』）·三毒增修觀語「觀於無常苦空非身一心得定」·校量福義異：羅什／添品作「二人福正等無異」（相等），竺法護作「福過於彼」（勝過）——實質義異。
句三 三十三身普現·施無畏（竺法護非定額三十三·施無畏無定名）
| 版本 | 逐字（節） | 出處 |
|---|---|---|
| 羅什 T262 | 應以佛身得度者，即現佛身而為說法……應以執金剛身得度者，即現執金剛身而為說法……於怖畏急難之中能施無畏，是故此娑婆世界皆號之為施無畏者 | T09n0262 0057a23／0057b18／0057b22 |
| 添品 T264 | 〔逐項同羅什序·唯末作「應以執金剛神得度者，即現執金剛神」〕 | T09n0264 0192a15／0192b09 |
| 竺法護 T263 | 〔約十六～十七形·非定額三十三：佛身・菩薩形像・緣覺・聲聞・梵天帝像・揵沓和・鬼神像・豪尊像・大神妙天像・轉輪聖王・殊特像・反足羅剎形像・將軍像・沙門梵志・金剛神・隱士獨處仙人・僮儒像〕……所可周旋有恐懼者，令無所畏，已致無畏 | T09n0263 0129b27／0129c09 |
異文所繫：添品逐項同羅什（末「執金剛身」作「執金剛神」·大正正文無校）。竺法護——現身非系統三十三之定額（約十六七形·增單列菩薩形像・轉輪聖王・反足羅剎・隱士仙人）·執金剛→「金剛神」·「施無畏者」無定名（作「令無所畏・已致無畏」·義存名異）。
句四 瓔珞供養分二（一佛一塔·一佛一佛）
| 版本 | 逐字（節） | 出處 |
|---|---|---|
| 羅什 T262 | 受其瓔珞，分作二分，一分奉釋迦牟尼佛，一分奉多寶佛塔 | T09n0262 0057c04 |
| 添品 T264 | 〔逐字同羅什〕一分奉釋迦牟尼佛，一分奉多寶佛塔 | T09n0264 0192b24 |
| 竺法護 T263 | 受其寶瓔輒作兩分，一分奉上能仁如來，一分供養眾寶如來、至真、等正覺 | T09n0263 0129c17 |
異文所繫：添品逐字同羅什。竺法護——釋迦牟尼佛→「能仁如來」·多寶佛塔→「眾寶如來、至真、等正覺」（羅什／添品作「一佛一塔」〔釋迦／多寶佛塔〕·竺法護作「一佛一佛」〔能仁／眾寶如來〕·有多寶而無「塔」）。
句五 重頌（文本史·羅什原無·後補自添品·詳目八）
| 版本 | 逐字（節） | 出處 |
|---|---|---|
| 羅什 T262（今本·後補） | 爾時無盡意菩薩以偈問曰：世尊妙相具，我今重問彼……真觀清淨觀……妙音觀世音，梵音海潮音……福聚海無量，是故應頂禮 | T09n0262 0057c07／0058a18／0058a26／0058b02 |
| 添品 T264（偈之源） | 爾時莊嚴幢菩薩問無盡意菩薩言……即說偈言：世尊妙相具，我今重問彼……福聚海無量，是故應頂禮 | T09n0264 0192b27／0192c03／0193a25 |
| 竺法護 T263 | 無偈（品終「至無等倫，尋發無上正真道意」直接接〈總持品〉） | T09n0263 0129c25 |
異文所繫（文本史）：羅什原〈普門品〉無偈，竺法護本亦無偈；今 T262 所載長偈，係後由添品系（闍那崛多）偈補入（三重印證·詳目八）。T262 偈與 T264 偈除偈前框架及四字級異外逐字全同（T264 偈之宋元明本與 T262 逐字同）。
添品定位：添品 T264〈觀世音菩薩普門品第二十四〉長行逐字近同羅什（>98%·實質字異三：求男段「禮拜供養」作「禮拜恭敬」〔0192a01·宋元明作供養〕·末身「執金剛身」作「執金剛神」〔0192b09〕·偈前增莊嚴幢菩薩 62 字框架〔0192b27·宋元明無〕），餘皆異體——羅什之隋代校刊。其偈即補入 T262 者（詳目八）。竺法護 T263 光世音普門品為真異譯軸:①品名「光世音」（光明義·翻之不正）②無偈③七難開合異・校量福作「福過於彼」④現身非定額三十三⑤施無畏無定名・瓔珞作一佛一佛（眾寶如來）⑥娑婆音譯全義譯（忍界・江河沙・族姓子・緣覺）。
三、唯識義之經據（眼）
本品玄贊為迄今最長段（約四欄），義豐——然重心在瑜伽行派業道論，唯識心性論（三性・賴耶）落點全零。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・變化身・受用身・三十三身）機掃全段〔T34n1723 0846c07–0850a18〕皆零（觀自在3・觀世音8・業76・異熟6・十九種1）。全段義理重量落在三業-三通拔濟框架＋瑜伽業道論（定/不定異熟・增長業・故思・悔愧）＋十地證法界真如法身。慈恩讀之落點四：
(一) 名號——正義應云觀自在（玄奘系）·三業×三通拔濟〔T34n1723 0846c18〕:
「觀者察義，俯救悲慧。世者可破壞義，體即生死有情世間。音謂音聲有情語業……名觀世音。正義應云觀自在。諸三業歸依，必六通垂化……名觀自在。」〔T34n1723 0846c18〕
→ 窺基判「觀自在為正義」（玄奘所立·avalokiteśvara），「觀世音」係就「有情起音聲以歸念，菩薩以大悲慧俯觀隨救」之語業機立名。全品拔濟骨架＝三業歸依×三通：語業歸依-天耳通-尋聲拔濟〔0847a30〕／意業歸依-他心通-觀心拔濟〔0848b20〕／身業歸依-天眼通-觀色拔濟〔0848b24〕——此為釋名「諸三業歸依必六通垂化」之落實，非三性義。
(二) 現身——十九種分為八類（不用三十三之數）〔T34n1723 0849a10〕:
「合十九種分為八類：應聖身有三，應天身有六，應君臣有五……應執金剛神有一。手執金剛，觀音異像。」〔T34n1723 0849a10〕
→ 窺基不用「三十三身」數，作「合十九種分為八類」，判為「身化說法」（自利＝神通／他利＝教化／方便＝智慧巧用〔0849a05〕），不引變化身／他受用身／五性差別任何唯識身論；執金剛判「觀音異像」〔0849a15〕。與〈妙音品㉔〉現身判之異：妙音作「十八類身」〔0846b21〕、觀音作『十九種八類』＋施無畏＋執金剛異像——兩品同以『現身說法拔苦』為判骨，皆不施三性/變化身/五性。
(三) 七難三毒二求·施無畏（業道論骨架）：七難「有七段分二：初三火水風三災，後四雜災」〔0848a24〕（羅剎在風難中）；三毒「意業歸依他心通……且舉三毒，非唯爾所，一切煩惱念皆滅故」〔0848b20〕（舉隅攝一切煩惱）；二求「身業歸依天眼通……非唯爾業，且逐情舉」〔0848b24〕；施無畏「檀度有三：一財，二無畏，三說法。說法，法施也；濟難，無畏施也」〔0849a18〕。業論引《瑜伽》（定/不定異熟）〔0847b07〕・《對法》（五故思）〔0847b17〕等釋「稱名即脫」之業道機理。
(四) 校量段——法界真如法身（初地/十地·最近唯識/瑜伽處）〔T34n1723 0848c20〕：「法界即法性，入初地菩薩能證一切佛菩薩等平等身故，平等身者謂真如法身。況十地滿」——以初地/十地證法界平等、真如法身立福等（受持觀音名與六十二億恒河沙佛功德無別），屬地上菩薩道法界義，非三性心識論。
（按：本品玄贊義豐而在瑜伽業道論・三業三通・法界真如——唯識心性論〔三性賴耶〕全零。名號『觀自在為正義』、現身『十九種八類』不用三十三，皆據玄奘系實讀。紅線：觀音尋聲救苦、普門示現＝經之凱唱，白話義疏正文如實傳之；窺基業道論之釋是末節一鏡，不令鏡蓋經。各品軸：㉓純科判/㉔義薄/㉕瑜伽業道論・三業三通（唯識心性論零）/⑯三佛菩提。）
四、諸家異釋（古德·標宗·誌錄不判）
同一「觀世音名」「普門」「三十三身」，慈恩・天台・三論讀法各異。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「三十三身」為經文自語〔T09n0262 之現身列（實三十三形）〕——窺基不用其數（作『十九種八類』）、智顗一見『凡有三十三身十九說法云云』〔T34n1718 0146b15〕、吉藏一見「別明三十三身十九說法」〔T34n1721 0628b05〕。②「十普門」「冥顯二益」二連文，《文句》《義疏》全書皆零——智顗以「十法明普」（慈悲普・弘誓普等〔0145b13〕）散文表之、以「冥作利益／顯作利益」〔0145a10〕表冥顯，非固定連文；吉藏作「密利益／顯利益」（用字冥/密別）。③「觀音前三後一」為吉藏語，在〈妙音品〉段末〔T34n1721 0623b21〕（對「妙音前一後三」），非普門品段。
慈恩·窺基《玄贊》T34n1723（鏡骨幹）
《法華論》護眾生諸難力之第五（統觀音陀羅尼二品）〔0846c09〕· 名號『觀自在為正義』·三業×三通〔0846c22〕· 現身『十九種八類』·執金剛觀音異像〔0849a10〕· 七難三毒二求業道論〔0848a24〕· 校量法界真如法身〔0848c21〕· 重頌完整科釋〔0849b06〕·文本史明載偈本無後補（玄義·詳目八）。引《瑜伽》《對法》《唯識》《法華論》《十輪經》《寶雲經》《攝論》《華嚴》等。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）
判普現三昧化他流通〔0145c28〕· 別有《私記》兩卷〔0144c26〕· 釋名「通有十雙、別有五隻」〔T34n1718 0144c27〕· 「觀」簡三觀唯論圓觀〔0145a25〕：「觀有多種，謂析觀・體觀・次第觀・圓觀……今簡三觀唯論圓觀，文云普門，觀若不圓，門不稱普」· 「普」十法明普〔0145b13〕：「慈悲普・弘誓普・修行普・離惑普・入法門普・神通普・方便普・說法普・成就眾生普・供養諸佛普」· 冥顯二益〔0145a10〕：「觀世音者，冥作利益……三毒七難皆離，二求兩願皆滿也；普門者，顯作利益，目覩三十三聖容，耳聞十九尊教也」· 三十三身極簡『凡有三十三身十九說法云云』〔0146b15〕。引《思益》《大品》《大集》《淨名》《涅槃》《入大乘論》。
三論·吉藏《法華義疏》T34n1721（旁證）
判護難弘經〔0623c06〕· 一往四雙〔0623c12〕· 釋名外國名「阿梨耶婆樓吉氐稅，此翻觀世音」·立三名「觀世音・觀世意・觀世身」〔T34n1721 0624b14〕· 『光世音或可是翻之不正』〔0624c03〕· 觀具三觀境備三境（三諦）〔0624c07〕· 普三普〔0624c24〕：「普義有三：一他心普・二神通普・三說法普」· 現身三方便〔0628b07〕：「一現聖方便・二示凡方便・三示非凡非聖方便」· 七難二（無情三火水風・有情四→命身財三）〔0626a12〕· 「觀音前三後一」（妙音品段末·對妙音前一後三）〔0623b21〕。引《大品》《華嚴》《雜心》《大集》《智度論》《請觀世音經》《觀音三昧經》《觀音授記經》等（極豐）·並引三驗記（謝敦《觀音驗記》・劉義慶《宣驗記》・王琰《冥祥記》）〔0626b16〕。
三家並錄（誌·不判）
名號釋：慈恩「觀自在為正義（玄奘系）·觀世音就語業機立名」、天台「通十雙別五隻·觀簡圓觀」、三論「三名觀世音/意/身·光世音翻之不正·境智三諦」——三家釋名各異，並錄不判。普門：慈恩「平等遍滿·入出由處·三輪為普門體」、天台「十法明普」、三論「三普（他心/神通/說法）」——並錄不判。現身：慈恩『十九種八類』、天台「三十三身十九說法（極簡）」、三論「三方便（現聖/示凡/示非凡非聖）」——現身之數/科三家全異（慈恩十九·天台三十三·三論三方便），並錄不判。冥顯：天台「冥/顯二益」、三論「密/顯二利」（用字別）、慈恩三業三通拔濟——並錄不判。共法：三家皆判此品迹門流通護難、皆以觀音尋聲救苦普現色身為化他之範。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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 觀世音菩薩 | Avalokiteśvara（系) | 〔本經 0056c04〕；窺基「正義應云觀自在」〔T34n1723 0846c22〕；吉藏三名「觀世音・觀世意・觀世身」·外國名阿梨耶婆樓吉氐稅〔T34n1721 0624b13〕；竺法護作「光世音」（吉藏「翻之不正」）〔T09n0263 0128c23〕 | 尋聲救苦・普門示現之菩薩（觀照義/光明義·觀自在為玄奘正義） |
| 普門 | samantamukha（系) | 〔本經 0056c02·品題〕；窺基「平等遍滿・入出由處・三輪為普門體」〔T34n1723 0846c27〕；智顗「十法明普」〔T34n1718 0145b13〕；吉藏「三普：他心・神通・說法」〔T34n1721 0624c24〕 | 平等普遍之門·出苦入樂所由（三家判各異） |
| 三十三身 | — | 〔本經 0057a23·現身列〕；窺基不用其數作『十九種八類』〔T34n1723 0849a10〕；智顗「三十三身十九說法」〔T34n1718 0146b15〕；吉藏「三方便」〔T34n1721 0628b07〕；竺法護非定額（約十六七形）〔T09n0263 0129b27〕 | 觀音應以何身得度即現何身（三家判數全異） |
| 施無畏者 | Abhayaṃdada（系) | 〔本經 0057b23〕；窺基「檀度三施之無畏施·配濟難」〔T34n1723 0849a18〕；竺法護無定名（令無所畏）〔T09n0263 0129c09〕 | 觀音於怖畏急難能施無畏之號 |
| 稱名脫難 | — | 〔本經 0056c06〕；窺基三業歸依×三通（尋聲/觀心/觀色）〔T34n1723 0847a30〕·業道論釋〔0848a24〕；竺法護稱名+修觀『觀無常苦空非身』〔T09n0263 0129b05〕 | 一心稱名·觀音觀音聲即得解脫七難三毒 |
| 重頌（世尊妙相具偈） | — | 〔本經 0057c09〕；窺基完整科釋·玄義明載「本皆無頌·後人添足·經家結集為偈」〔T34n1723 0660a07〕；添品序「先賢續出補闕流行」〔T09n0264 0134c12〕；竺法護無偈〔T09n0263〕 | 重宣觀音行願之偈（羅什原無·後補自添品系·詳目八） |
六、譬喻·修辭
本品修辭核在「尋聲救苦」之感應與「普現色身」之遍應。
(一) 稱名即應（尋聲救苦）——〔T09n0262 0056c06〕：眾生受苦一心稱名，「觀世音菩薩即時觀其音聲，皆得解脫」——修辭在「聲」與「觀」之相感：有情起音聲以歸念，菩薩以大悲慧俯觀隨救（窺基釋名〔0846c18〕）；火不能燒、水即淺處、刀杖段壞、枷鎖斷壞——七難隨稱名而解。偈中複沓「念彼觀音力」貫下（火坑變池・波浪不沒・刀尋段壞・咸起慈心）〔0057c18 起〕，一句一難，感應之切莫過於此。
(二) 普現色身（隨類現身）——〔T09n0262 0057a23〕：應以何身得度即現何身，佛身乃至執金剛身、婦女童男女、天龍八部——一菩薩而現無量身。喻大士度生之遍應（與〈妙音品㉔〉普現成對·吉藏「妙音前一後三、觀音前三後一」〔T34n1721 0623b21〕）。
(三) 福聚海無量（偈末讚歎）——〔T09n0262 0058b02·後補偈〕：「真觀清淨觀，廣大智慧觀，悲觀及慈觀」五觀・「妙音觀世音，梵音海潮音」五音・「福聚海無量，是故應頂禮」——以海喻福聚之無量、以音喻觀音之遍應。
七、互讀·承衍
(一) 本品所依論（窺基《玄贊》骨幹):
- 世親《法華論》——護眾生諸難力（統觀音陀羅尼二品）〔T34n1723 0846c09〕· 校量六十二億恒河沙佛「一信力二畢竟知」〔0848c08〕· 平等身真如法身〔0848c21〕。吉藏亦引《法華論》釋校量平等不二〔T34n1721 0628a09〕——三家同宗。
- 窺基引《瑜伽》（業道論多處）〔0847b07〕・《對法》〔0847b17〕・《成唯識論》〔0847c11〕・《顯揚》〔0847c12〕・《十輪經》〔0848c25〕・《寶雲經》（持地十法）〔0849b13〕・《攝論》《華嚴》（十自在）〔0850a05〕。智顗引《思益》《大品》《大集》《淨名》《入大乘論》；吉藏引《華嚴》《雜心》《觀音三昧經》《觀音授記經》《弘猛海慧經》及三驗記〔0626b16〕。
(二) 法華內互讀:
- 迹門流通遞進 → 藥王㉓（自行苦行力）→ 妙音㉔（教化眾生行苦行力）→ 觀音㉕・陀羅尼㉖（護眾生諸難力·共一力二品） → 妙莊嚴王㉗（功德勝力）→ 普賢㉘（護法力）〔T34n1723 0846c09〕。
- 普現色身成對 → 觀音普門示現與〈妙音品㉔〉妙音現身成對（吉藏「妙音前一後三、觀音前三後一」〔0623b21〕）；皆以『現身說法拔苦』為判骨。
- 多寶塔遙承 → 觀音瓔珞「一分奉多寶佛塔」〔0057c05〕——〈見寶塔品⑪〉多寶塔至此仍在（迹門流通諸品多寶仍證）。
- 稱名脫難遙接 → 稱觀音名脫七難，遙應〈方便品②〉「一稱南無佛，皆已成佛道」・持名之力。
(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（觀音玄義別出）；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):〈觀世音菩薩普門品第二十五〉〔T09n0262 0056c03〕起（卷七)。問名因緣 0056c04／稱名即脫 0056c06 · 七難 0056c09〔火 0056c09・水 0056c10・羅剎鬼國 0056c11・刀杖 0056c16・夜叉羅剎 0056c17・枷鎖 0056c20・怨賊 0056c22〕· 三毒 0057a01 · 二求 0057a07 · 校量六十二億恒河沙 0057a12 · 問化行 0057a20／三十三身 0057a23〔執金剛身 0057b18〕· 施無畏者 0057b22 · 瓔珞供養分二 0057c05〔奉釋迦/多寶佛塔 0057c05〕· 重頌〔後補〕：偈問 0057c07／世尊妙相具 0057c09／念彼觀音力 0057c18／真觀清淨觀 0058a18／妙音觀世音 0058a26／福聚海無量 0058b02 · 持地讚歎 0058b03 · 結成時益 迄 0058b06（次品〈陀羅尼品第二十六〉0058b08 起)。源檔：原典層（逐字校訖)。
- 竺法護 T263《正法華經》〈光世音普門品第二十三〉〔T09n0263 0128c21〕起：光世音名問 0128c23／稱名即脫 · 七難開合〔火 0128c28・水 0129a02・魔竭魚 0129a05・怨賊刀杖 0129a10・鬼神邪魅 0129a12・枷鎖牢獄 0129a15・盜賊 0129a21〕· 三毒+修觀 0129b05 · 二求 0129b06 · 校量江河沙「福過於彼」0129b22 · 現身非定額 0129b27 · 令無所畏 0129c09 · 瓔珞分奉能仁/眾寶如來 0129c17 · 無偈 · 迄「發無上正真道意」0129c25。〔觀世音/施無畏/執金剛 T263 全書皆 0·多寶/三十三 光世音品段 0（全書多寶18/三十三4·屬他品）·光世音品段 28·無偈確證〕
- 添品 T264〈觀世音菩薩普門品第二十四〉〔T09n0264 0191b23〕起：觀世音名問 0191b26 · 長行近同羅什〔求男禮拜恭敬 0192a01・執金剛神 0192b09〕· 瓔珞分二 0192b24 · 有偈〔莊嚴幢框架 0192b27／即說偈言 0192c02／世尊妙相具 0192c03／福聚海無量 0193a25〕迄 0193b01。〔長行 >98% 同羅什·實質字異三·偈即補入 T262 者〕
- 窺基《玄贊》T34n1723（義疏鏡):〈觀世音菩薩普門品〉〔0846c07〕—〔0850a18〕（後接〈陀羅尼品〉0850a19–0850b19·妙莊嚴王 0850b20）。三門 0846c08／護眾生諸難力觀音陀羅尼 0846c09／釋名觀自在為正義 0846c22／解妨 0847a01／品文分四 0847a09 · 語業天耳尋聲 0847a30／業道論瑜伽 0847b07／七難分二 0848a24／意業他心三毒 0848b20／身業天眼二求 0848b24／校量平等身真如法身 0848c21 · 化行答十九種八類 0849a10／執金剛觀音異像 0849a15／檀度三施施無畏 0849a18／奉獻七 0849a21 · 重頌科釋 0849b06〔十二頌正答名因 0849b16／七頌歎德五音 0849c01〕· 持地讚歎寶雲經 0849c12／十自在攝論華嚴 0850a05。重頌文本史（玄義·品外）：「〈觀音普門品〉本皆無頌，或有安者後人添足……此乃經家結集為偈」〔0660a07〕·隋崛多笈多添法華〔0659b25〕。
- 智顗《文句》T34n1718（旁證):〈釋觀世音菩薩普門品〉0144c24 起 · 通十雙別五隻 0144c27／觀簡圓觀 0145a25／十法明普 0145b13／冥顯二益 0145a10 · 普現三昧化他流通 0145c28／文為三 0145c29／七難口意身機應 0146a24／三十三身十九說法 0146b15 迄 0146b28。別有《私記》兩卷 0144c26。
- 吉藏《義疏》T34n1721（旁證):〈觀世音菩薩普門品第二十五〉0623c05 起 · 護難弘經 0623c06／四雙 0623c12 · 釋名阿梨耶婆樓吉氐稅三名 0624b14／光世音翻之不正 0624c03／三觀三境 0624c07／三普 0624c24 · 七難分無情有情 0626a12／三方便現身 0628b07／校量法華論 0628a09 · 持地雙嘆 0629a22 迄 0629b07。觀音前三後一（妙音品段末 0623b21）。
- 成立史誌（重頌文本史·三重印證）：品題羅什／添品「觀世音菩薩普門品」·竺法護「光世音普門品」；品次羅什㉕・竺法護㉓・添品㉔。羅什原〈普門品〉無重頌，三獨立證據坐實：①三本對勘——竺法護 T263 至今無偈、羅什 T262 之偈為後補，T264 添品偈之宋元明本與 T262 逐字同（含莊嚴幢框・龍魚/魚龍・詛/咀・還著本人/彼即轉迴去四異點），T262 今本偈即添品系偈之流通形；②添品序自道〔T09n0264 0134c07「什所闕者……〈普門品〉偈也……先賢續出，補闕流行」〕;③窺基《玄贊》玄義明載〔T34n1723 0660a07「〈觀音普門品〉本皆無頌，或有安者後人添足……此乃經家結集為偈」·0659b25 隋崛多笈多添法華〕。竺法護異譯（光世音・忍界・江河沙・緣覺・福過於彼・眾寶如來・金剛神・無偈）。
This is the third chapter in the transmission section of the Trace Gate. It reveals how the Bodhisattva Perceiver of the World's Sounds (Guanshiyin; Avalokiteśvara) seeks out cries and rescues beings from suffering, manifesting through the universal gateway to protect sentient beings from many perils. The Bodhisattva Inexhaustible Intention (Akṣayamati) asks about the cause and condition behind the name Perceiver of the World's Sounds. The Buddha replies that when sentient beings in suffering single-mindedly call the name, the bodhisattva immediately perceives the sounds of their voices and they all gain liberation. Calling the name brings liberation from seven perils—great fire, great flood, the land of the rākṣasas, knives and staves, yakṣas and rākṣasas, manacles and cangues, and hostile bandits. Constant mindfulness and reverence bring release from the three poisons—desire, anger, and delusion. Bowing and making offerings fulfill the two requests—a son endowed with merit and wisdom, or a daughter upright and beautiful, endowed with excellent marks. Receiving and upholding Guanshiyin's name, bowing and making offerings even for a single short period, produces merit exactly equal and without difference to receiving and upholding the names of bodhisattvas as numerous as the sands of sixty-two koṭis of Ganges Rivers and making offerings to them for one's whole life. Inexhaustible Intention next asks about Guanshiyin's travels through the Sahā world and the skillful means by which he teaches sentient beings. The Buddha replies with the universal manifestation of thirty-three bodies—buddha, pratyekabuddha, śrāvaka, Brahmā king, Śakra, Īśvara, Maheśvara, great general of the devas, Vaiśravaṇa, lesser king, elder, householder, official, brāhmaṇa, the fourfold assembly, women, boys and girls, the eight classes of devas and nāgas, and Vajra-Bearer. Whatever body is needed for deliverance, he manifests that body. Because he can bestow fearlessness amid fear and urgent peril, he is called 「施無畏者」 tr. “the Giver of Fearlessness.” Inexhaustible Intention removes a jeweled necklace from his neck and offers it; Guanshiyin accepts it, divides it in two, and offers one part to Śākyamuni and the other to the stūpa of Many Treasures Buddha (Prabhūtaratna). The teaching is next proclaimed again in verse, beginning 「世尊妙相具」 tr. “World-Honored One, complete in wondrous marks.” Kumārajīva's original had no such verse; it was later supplied from the supplemented-edition line associated with Jñānagupta 〔闍那崛多〕 (see Heading VIII). The Bodhisattva Earth-Holder (Dharaṇīdhara) offers praise, and eighty-four thousand sentient beings arouse the resolve for awakening. Kuiji's 《玄贊》 Fahua Xuanzan (Profound Praise of the Lotus) places the chapter fifth among the seven powers of practice in the 《法華論》 Treatise on the Lotus Sutra: 「護眾生諸難力」 tr. “the power to protect sentient beings from many perils,” encompassing both the Guanshiyin and Dhāraṇī chapters. It judges 『觀自在為正義』 tr. “that ‘Perceiver with Sovereign Freedom’ is the correct meaning” in the Xuanzang line; structures rescue as three acts of refuge paired with three superknowledges—speech with the divine ear and seeking out cries, thought with knowledge of others' minds and perceiving minds, and body with the divine eye and perceiving forms; counts the manifested bodies as 「十九種分為八類」 tr. “nineteen kinds divided into eight classes,” without using the number thirty-three; judges the Vajra-Bearer an 「觀音異像」 tr. “alternate form of Guanshiyin”; gives a complete analysis of the verse; and records in its general principles that the verse was originally absent and later added. Zhiyi of Tiantai judges the chapter 「普現三昧化他流通」 tr. “the transmission of teaching others through the samādhi of universal manifestation”; explains the name through ten paired general meanings and five particular meanings; among three modes of contemplation selects only perfect contemplation for 「觀」 tr. “perceiving”; for 「普」 tr. “universality,” explains through ten dharmas; and distinguishes unseen and manifest benefits. Jizang of Sanlun judges the chapter 「護難弘經」 tr. “the protection from perils through which the sutra is propagated”; establishes three names—Perceiver of the World's Sounds, Perceiver of the World's Intentions, and Perceiver of the World's Bodies; says that 『光世音或可是翻之不正』 tr. “‘Radiance of the World's Sounds’ may perhaps be an incorrect translation”; explains three kinds of universality and three skillful manifestations—manifesting as a sage, appearing as an ordinary being, and appearing as neither ordinary nor sage; and states 「觀音前三後一」 tr. “Guanshiyin has the first three and the last one.” The three houses differ on the name, the universal gateway, and the manifested bodies. 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 | 第二十五 觀世音菩薩普門品 — Chapter 25, The Universal Gateway of the Bodhisattva Perceiver of the World's Sounds（卷七；〔T09n0262 0056c03〕起）· the third chapter of transmission in the Trace Gate · seeking out cries, rescuing from suffering, and manifesting through the universal gateway |
| 窺基《玄贊》科文（主錨·慈恩） | At the chapter section 〔T34n1723 0846c07〕 it makes 三門分別：一來意、二釋名、三解妨 tr. “a three-gateway analysis: (1) the reason for its coming; (2) the explanation of its name; (3) the resolution of a difficulty” 〔0846c08〕. 來意 tr. “Reason for its coming”: citing the 《法華論》 Treatise on the Lotus Sutra, it says 「救眾生諸難力者謂觀世音，〈陀羅尼品〉示現。觀音救未發心眾生難，令離眾苦發心持經」 tr. “‘The power to rescue sentient beings from many perils’ means the Perceiver of the World's Sounds and is manifested in the Chapter on Dhāraṇīs. Guanshiyin rescues sentient beings who have not yet aroused the resolve from their perils, causing them to leave their many sufferings, arouse the resolve, and uphold the sutra” 〔0846c09〕. 釋名 tr. “Explanation of the name”: 「觀者察義，俯救悲慧……正義應云觀自在……普者平等遍滿義，門者入出之由處」 tr. “‘Perceiving’ means examining, the compassionate wisdom that looks down to rescue. … The correct meaning should be Perceiver with Sovereign Freedom. … ‘Universal’ means equality and pervasive fullness; ‘gateway’ means the place through which one enters and leaves” 〔0846c18〕. 解妨 tr. “Resolution of a difficulty”: if great compassion perceives suffering, why wait for mindfulness before rescuing? Beings must themselves give rise to aspiration and hope; this accords with the common pattern of the sages 〔0847a01〕. The chapter text is divided into four—question and answer on the cause of the name; question and answer on the practice of transformation; Earth-Holder's praise; and the concluding accomplishment and benefit at that time—with verses in the first two 〔0847a09〕. Placement: fifth among the seven powers of practice in the 《法華論》, 第五「護眾生諸難力」 tr. “the fifth, ‘the power to protect sentient beings from many perils’” (encompassing the chapters on Guanshiyin's Universal Gateway and Dhāraṇīs 〔玄義 T34 0659b27／0734c04〕; the reason for the Dhāraṇī chapter's coming refers back with 「如前已釋」 tr. “as already explained above” 0850a21). Within the six chapters on propagating the sutra beginning with 〈藥王〉, “Medicine King,” this is the third—Medicine King, Wonderful Sound, Guanshiyin, Dhāraṇīs, King Wonderful-Adornment, and Universally Worthy. Thus the fifth position in the sequence of powers and the third in the sequence of chapters coexist as two axes |
| 天台《文句》（旁證） | 〈釋觀世音菩薩普門品〉〔T34n1718 0144c24〕起 (with a separate 《私記》 in two fascicles, here summarized briefly 〔0144c26〕). It judges the chapter the transmission of teaching others through the samādhi of universal manifestation: 「此品猶是普現三昧化他流通也」 tr. “This chapter is still the transmission of teaching others through the samādhi of universal manifestation” 〔0145c28〕, continuing the same placement as the Chapter on Wonderful Sound. Its explanation of the name has 「通有十雙、別有五隻」 tr. “ten paired general meanings and five particular meanings” 〔0144c27〕. It divides the text into three: question, answer, and benefit gained upon hearing the chapter 〔0145c29〕 |
| 三論《義疏》（旁證） | 〈觀世音菩薩普門品第二十五〉〔T34n1721 0623c05〕起. It judges the chapter the protection from perils through which the sutra is propagated: 「上二品明苦行弘經有功德智慧二業……今第二，次明護難弘經」 tr. “The preceding two chapters clarify that the arduous practice of propagating the sutra has the two activities of merit and wisdom. … Now comes the second part, next clarifying the protection from perils through which the sutra is propagated” 〔0623c06〕. Provisionally, it divides the text into four pairs—paired statements, paired explanations, paired praises, and paired benefits 〔0623c12〕 |
II. Alternate Translations · Collation of the Three Translations
This chapter has three Chinese translations: Kumārajīva's T262 〈觀世音菩薩普門品第二十五〉 “Chapter 25, The Universal Gateway of the Bodhisattva Perceiver of the World's Sounds”; Dharmarakṣa's T263 《正法華經》 〈光世音普門品第二十三〉 “Chapter 23, The Universal Gateway of Radiance of the World's Sounds” 〔T09n0263 0128c21〕; and the supplemented T264 〈觀世音菩薩普門品第二十四〉 “Chapter 24, The Universal Gateway of the Bodhisattva Perceiver of the World's Sounds” 〔T09n0264 0191b23〕. Difference between Perceiver and Radiance in the chapter title: Kumārajīva and the supplemented edition have 「觀世音」 tr. “Perceiver of the World's Sounds,” with the sense of perceiving (avalokita); Dharmarakṣa has 「光世音」 tr. “Radiance of the World's Sounds,” with the sense of light (āloka). Jizang records 『光世音或可是翻之不正』 tr. “‘Radiance of the World's Sounds’ may perhaps be an incorrect translation” 〔T34n1721 0624c03〕. The interlocutor in all three is the Bodhisattva Inexhaustible Intention. The chapter numbers differ: Kumārajīva 25, Dharmarakṣa 23, and the supplemented edition 24. The chapter's weightiest variant is the presence or absence of the verse (see Heading VIII): Kumārajīva and the supplemented edition have the verse; Dharmarakṣa does not.
Passage One · Cause and Condition of the Name (Perceiver / Radiance)
| Version | Verbatim Chinese and translation | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 羅什 T262 | 觀世音菩薩以何因緣名觀世音？……若有無量百千萬億眾生受諸苦惱，聞是觀世音菩薩，一心稱名，觀世音菩薩即時觀其音聲，皆得解脫 tr. “For what cause and condition is the Bodhisattva Perceiver of the World's Sounds named Perceiver of the World's Sounds? … Suppose immeasurable hundreds of thousands of millions of sentient beings undergo many sufferings and distresses. If they hear of this Bodhisattva Perceiver of the World's Sounds and single-mindedly call his name, the bodhisattva immediately perceives the sounds of their voices and they all gain liberation.” | T09n0262 0056c04／0056c06 |
| 添品 T264 | 〔逐字同羅什〕以何因緣名觀世音？ tr. “[Identical word for word with Kumārajīva:] For what cause and condition is he named Perceiver of the World's Sounds?” | T09n0264 0191b26 |
| 竺法護 T263 | 所以名之光世音乎，義何所趣耶？……一心自歸，光世音菩薩即時觀其音聲，皆得解脫 tr. “Why is he named Radiance of the World's Sounds, and toward what meaning does this tend? … If they single-mindedly take refuge, the Bodhisattva Radiance of the World's Sounds immediately perceives the sounds of their voices and they all gain liberation.” | T09n0263 0128c23 |
What the variants bear upon: the supplemented edition agrees word for word with Kumārajīva. Dharmarakṣa has 「光世音」 tr. “Radiance of the World's Sounds” in place of 「觀世音」 tr. “Perceiver of the World's Sounds” (28 occurrences in the whole chapter; 0 occurrences of 觀世音 in the chapter section); 「忍界」 tr. “world of endurance” in place of 娑婆; 「江河沙」 tr. “sands of rivers” in place of 恒河沙; 「族姓子族姓女」 tr. “sons and daughters of good family” in place of 善男子善女人; and 「緣覺」 tr. “condition-awakened one” in place of 辟支佛. Its transcriptions for the eight classes belong to a different system: 揵沓和, 阿須倫, 迦留羅, 真陀羅, and 摩睺勒.
Passage Two · Seven Perils, Three Poisons, Two Requests, and the Comparison of Merit (Difference in the Meaning of the Comparison)
| Version | Verbatim Chinese and translation | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 羅什 T262 | 設入大火，火不能燒……為大水所漂……飄墮羅剎鬼國……刀杖尋段段壞……夜叉羅剎……杻械枷鎖……怨賊……〔三毒〕常念恭敬觀世音菩薩，便得離〔貪瞋癡〕……〔二求〕設欲求男，便生福德智慧之男；設欲求女，便生端正有相之女……〔校量〕受持六十二億恒河沙菩薩名字盡形供養……受持觀世音菩薩名號乃至一時禮拜供養，是二人福正等無異 tr. “Even if one enters a great fire, the fire cannot burn one … swept away by a great flood … driven into the land of the rākṣasas … knives and staves at once break apart piece by piece … yakṣas and rākṣasas … manacles and cangues … hostile bandits … [the three poisons:] constantly keep the Bodhisattva Perceiver of the World's Sounds in mind and pay him reverence, and one can leave [desire, anger, and delusion] … [the two requests:] if one wishes for a son, one gives birth to a son endowed with merit and wisdom; if one wishes for a daughter, one gives birth to a daughter upright and beautiful, endowed with excellent marks … [the comparison:] receiving and upholding the names of bodhisattvas as numerous as the sands of sixty-two koṭis of Ganges Rivers and making offerings throughout one's life … receiving and upholding the name of the Bodhisattva Perceiver of the World's Sounds, bowing and making offerings even for a single short period: the merit of these two people is exactly equal, without difference.” | T09n0262 0056c09／0057a01／0057a07／0057a12 |
| 添品 T264 | 〔逐字近同羅什·校量「二人福正等無異」同〕 tr. “[Nearly identical word for word with Kumārajīva; in the comparison it likewise says, ‘the merit of the two people is exactly equal, without difference.’]” | T09n0264 0191c18／0192a10 |
| 竺法護 T263 | 大火然其山野……身墮火中，得聞光世音名，火即尋滅……〔三毒〕稽首歸命光世音菩薩，婬怒癡休，觀於無常苦空非身，一心得定……〔校量〕供養六十二億江河沙諸菩薩……不如一歸光世音稽首作禮執持名號，福過於彼 tr. “A great fire burns the mountains and wilds … one's body falls into the fire, but upon hearing the name Radiance of the World's Sounds, the fire is immediately extinguished … [the three poisons:] bow one's head and take refuge in the Bodhisattva Radiance of the World's Sounds; lust, anger, and delusion cease; contemplate impermanence, suffering, emptiness, and non-self, and single-mindedly attain concentration … [the comparison:] making offerings to bodhisattvas as numerous as the sands of sixty-two koṭis of rivers … does not equal taking refuge once in Radiance of the World's Sounds, bowing the head in homage and holding the name; the merit surpasses theirs.” | T09n0263 0128c28／0129b05／0129b22 |
What the variants bear upon (comparison of merit): the supplemented edition nearly agrees with Kumārajīva. Dharmarakṣa opens and groups the seven perils differently: it joins the knives and staves to the first appearance of hostile bandits; renders yakṣas and rākṣasas as 「諸鬼神眾邪逆魅」 tr. “the many ghosts, spirits, malign and contrary specters”; adds makara fish, black mountains, and reversing waves to the sea peril; and adds 『閉在牢獄開獄門出』 tr. “confined in prison, the prison gate opens and one leaves” to the passage on restraints. To the three poisons it adds contemplative practice, 「觀於無常苦空非身一心得定」 tr. “contemplate impermanence, suffering, emptiness, and non-self, and single-mindedly attain concentration.” The meaning of the comparison differs: Kumārajīva and the supplemented edition say 「二人福正等無異」 tr. “the merit of the two people is exactly equal, without difference”; Dharmarakṣa says 「福過於彼」 tr. “the merit surpasses theirs.” This is a substantive difference in meaning.
Passage Three · Universal Manifestation through Thirty-Three Bodies and the Bestowal of Fearlessness (No Fixed Thirty-Three in Dharmarakṣa; No Fixed Title Giver of Fearlessness)
| Version | Verbatim Chinese and translation | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 羅什 T262 | 應以佛身得度者，即現佛身而為說法……應以執金剛身得度者，即現執金剛身而為說法……於怖畏急難之中能施無畏，是故此娑婆世界皆號之為施無畏者 tr. “For those who should be delivered through the body of a buddha, he manifests the body of a buddha and teaches them the Dharma … For those who should be delivered through the body of a Vajra-Bearer, he manifests the body of a Vajra-Bearer and teaches them the Dharma … Amid fear and urgent peril he can bestow fearlessness; therefore throughout this Sahā world he is called the Giver of Fearlessness.” | T09n0262 0057a23／0057b18／0057b22 |
| 添品 T264 | 〔逐項同羅什序·唯末作「應以執金剛神得度者，即現執金剛神」〕 tr. “[Item by item the sequence agrees with Kumārajīva; only the last says, ‘For those who should be delivered through a Vajra-Bearing spirit, he manifests a Vajra-Bearing spirit.’]” | T09n0264 0192a15／0192b09 |
| 竺法護 T263 | 〔約十六～十七形·非定額三十三：佛身・菩薩形像・緣覺・聲聞・梵天帝像・揵沓和・鬼神像・豪尊像・大神妙天像・轉輪聖王・殊特像・反足羅剎形像・將軍像・沙門梵志・金剛神・隱士獨處仙人・僮儒像〕……所可周旋有恐懼者，令無所畏，已致無畏 tr. “[Approximately sixteen or seventeen forms, not a fixed thirty-three: the body of a buddha; the form of a bodhisattva; condition-awakened one; śrāvaka; the form of a Brahmā or celestial lord; gandharva; the form of a ghost or spirit; the form of a powerful and honored person; the form of a great spirit or wondrous deva; wheel-turning sage king; distinctive form; the form of a rākṣasa with reversed feet; the form of a general; śramaṇa or brāhmaṇa; Vajra Spirit; hermit or solitary transcendent; and the form of a young student.] … Wherever beings move about in fear, he causes them to be without fear and to attain fearlessness.” | T09n0263 0129b27／0129c09 |
What the variants bear upon: item by item, the supplemented edition agrees with Kumārajīva except that 「執金剛身」 tr. “body of a Vajra-Bearer” becomes 「執金剛神」 tr. “Vajra-Bearing spirit”; the Taishō base text records no note for this reading. In Dharmarakṣa, the manifested bodies do not form a fixed and systematic total of thirty-three; there are approximately sixteen or seventeen forms, with the separately listed form of a bodhisattva, wheel-turning sage king, rākṣasa with reversed feet, and solitary hermit added. Vajra-Bearer becomes 「金剛神」 tr. “Vajra Spirit.” The designation 「施無畏者」 tr. “Giver of Fearlessness” is not fixed as a name; the translation instead says 「令無所畏・已致無畏」 tr. “causing them to be without fear; having attained fearlessness.” The meaning remains, but the name differs.
Passage Four · The Jeweled Necklace Divided as an Offering to Two (One Buddha and One Stūpa / One Buddha and One Buddha)
| Version | Verbatim Chinese and translation | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 羅什 T262 | 受其瓔珞，分作二分，一分奉釋迦牟尼佛，一分奉多寶佛塔 tr. “He accepted the jeweled necklace and divided it into two parts, offering one part to Śākyamuni Buddha and one part to the stūpa of Many Treasures Buddha.” | T09n0262 0057c04 |
| 添品 T264 | 〔逐字同羅什〕一分奉釋迦牟尼佛，一分奉多寶佛塔 tr. “[Identical word for word with Kumārajīva:] offering one part to Śākyamuni Buddha and one part to the stūpa of Many Treasures Buddha.” | T09n0264 0192b24 |
| 竺法護 T263 | 受其寶瓔輒作兩分，一分奉上能仁如來，一分供養眾寶如來、至真、等正覺 tr. “He accepted the jeweled necklace and immediately made it into two parts, offering one part to the Tathāgata Able Sage and one part to the Tathāgata Many Treasures, the Worthy and Perfectly Awakened.” | T09n0263 0129c17 |
What the variants bear upon: the supplemented edition agrees word for word with Kumārajīva. Dharmarakṣa has 「能仁如來」 tr. “Tathāgata Able Sage” in place of Śākyamuni Buddha, and 「眾寶如來、至真、等正覺」 tr. “Tathāgata Many Treasures, the Worthy and Perfectly Awakened” in place of the stūpa of Many Treasures Buddha. Kumārajīva and the supplemented edition have 「一佛一塔」 tr. “one buddha and one stūpa” 〔釋迦／多寶佛塔〕, whereas Dharmarakṣa has 「一佛一佛」 tr. “one buddha and one buddha” 〔能仁／眾寶如來〕. Many Treasures is present, but 「塔」 tr. “stūpa” is absent.
Passage Five · Proclaiming Again in Verse (Textual History: Absent from Kumārajīva's Original; Later Supplied from the Supplemented Edition; See Heading VIII)
| Version | Verbatim Chinese and translation | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 羅什 T262（今本·後補） | 爾時無盡意菩薩以偈問曰：世尊妙相具，我今重問彼……真觀清淨觀……妙音觀世音，梵音海潮音……福聚海無量，是故應頂禮 tr. “At that time, the Bodhisattva Inexhaustible Intention asked in verse: ‘World-Honored One, complete in wondrous marks, I now ask once more about him’ … ‘true contemplation, pure contemplation’ … ‘Wondrous Voice, Perceiver of the World's Sounds, Brahmā Voice, and Voice of the Ocean Tide’ … ‘the accumulation of merit is measureless as the ocean; therefore one should bow one's head in homage.’” | T09n0262 0057c07／0058a18／0058a26／0058b02 |
| 添品 T264（偈之源） | 爾時莊嚴幢菩薩問無盡意菩薩言……即說偈言：世尊妙相具，我今重問彼……福聚海無量，是故應頂禮 tr. “At that time, the Bodhisattva Banner of Adornment asked the Bodhisattva Inexhaustible Intention … who then spoke in verse: ‘World-Honored One, complete in wondrous marks, I now ask once more about him’ … ‘the accumulation of merit is measureless as the ocean; therefore one should bow one's head in homage.’” | T09n0264 0192b27／0192c03／0193a25 |
| 竺法護 T263 | 無偈（品終「至無等倫，尋發無上正真道意」直接接〈總持品〉） tr. “No verse. The chapter ends with ‘reaching the unequalled, they immediately aroused the resolve for unsurpassed true and perfect awakening’ and proceeds directly to the Chapter on Dhāraṇīs.” | T09n0263 0129c25 |
What the variants bear upon (textual history): Kumārajīva's original 〈普門品〉, “Chapter on the Universal Gateway,” had no verse, and Dharmarakṣa's text likewise has no verse. The long verse in the received T262 was later supplied from the supplemented-edition line associated with Jñānagupta (threefold confirmation; see Heading VIII). Apart from the frame preceding the verse and four variants at the level of individual characters, the T262 and T264 verses are identical word for word; the Song, Yuan, and Ming witnesses to the T264 verse agree word for word with T262.
Placement of the supplemented edition: in T264 〈觀世音菩薩普門品第二十四〉, the prose is nearly identical word for word with Kumārajīva (over 98%; three substantive character-level variants: in the request for a son, 「禮拜供養」 tr. “bow and make offerings” becomes 「禮拜恭敬」 tr. “bow and pay reverence” 〔0192a01·宋元明作供養〕; the final body, 「執金剛身」 tr. “body of a Vajra-Bearer,” becomes 「執金剛神」 tr. “Vajra-Bearing spirit” 〔0192b09〕; and a sixty-two-character frame concerning the Bodhisattva Banner of Adornment is added before the verse 〔0192b27·宋元明無〕). All other differences are graphic variants. It is a Sui-period revision of Kumārajīva. Its verse is the one supplied to T262 (see Heading VIII). Dharmarakṣa's T263 Chapter on the Universal Gateway of Radiance of the World's Sounds is the axis of genuine alternate translation: (1) the title 「光世音」 tr. “Radiance of the World's Sounds,” with the sense of light and judged an incorrect translation; (2) no verse; (3) different grouping of the seven perils and the merit comparison as 「福過於彼」 tr. “the merit surpasses theirs”; (4) no fixed total of thirty-three manifested bodies; (5) no fixed title Giver of Fearlessness and the necklace offered to one buddha and one buddha, the Tathāgata Many Treasures; and (6) all the Sahā transliterations rendered by meaning—world of endurance, sands of rivers, sons and daughters of good family, and condition-awakened one.
III. Scriptural Grounds for the Consciousness-Only Meaning (the Point of the Eye)
The treatment of this chapter in the 《玄贊》 is the longest thus far—about four columns—and rich in meaning. Yet its weight falls on Yogācāra analysis of action and its paths; the doctrines of mind-nature associated with consciousness-only—the three natures and ālaya—have no point of application at all. A machine scan of the entire passage 〔T34n1723 0846c07–0850a18〕 finds zero occurrences for the signature metaphysical terms of consciousness-only: the three natures, the wholly-imagined, the other-dependent, the perfectly-accomplished, ālaya, store consciousness, transformation of basis, the five lineages, lineage, the two obstructions, transformation body, enjoyment body, and thirty-three bodies 〔三性賴耶〕. It finds three occurrences of Perceiver with Sovereign Freedom, eight of Perceiver of the World's Sounds, seventy-six of action, six of ripening, and one of nineteen kinds. The doctrinal weight of the passage falls on the framework of three acts and three superknowledges for rescue; Yogācāra analysis of action—determinate and indeterminate ripening, action that increases, intentional action, regret and shame; and realization of the dharma-realm, suchness, and the Dharma-body on the ten grounds. Kuiji's reading has four points of application:
(1) The name—Perceiver with Sovereign Freedom as the correct meaning in the Xuanzang line; three acts paired with three superknowledges for rescue 〔T34n1723 0846c18〕:
「觀者察義，俯救悲慧。世者可破壞義，體即生死有情世間。音謂音聲有情語業……名觀世音。正義應云觀自在。諸三業歸依，必六通垂化……名觀自在。」〔T34n1723 0846c18〕
tr. “‘Perceiving’ means examining, the compassionate wisdom that looks down to rescue. ‘World’ means what can be broken down; its substance is precisely the world of sentient beings in birth and death. ‘Sounds’ means sounds and voices, the verbal activity of sentient beings. … Thus he is named Perceiver of the World's Sounds. The correct meaning should be Perceiver with Sovereign Freedom. Whenever beings take refuge through the three activities, he must extend transformation through the six superknowledges. … Thus he is named Perceiver with Sovereign Freedom.”
→ Kuiji judges 「觀自在為正義」 tr. “‘Perceiver with Sovereign Freedom’ to be the correct meaning,” as established by Xuanzang. 「觀世音」 tr. “Perceiver of the World's Sounds” is the name established in relation to the capacity of verbal activity: 「有情起音聲以歸念，菩薩以大悲慧俯觀隨救」 tr. “sentient beings give voice and turn to him in mindfulness; the bodhisattva looks down, perceives, and responds with rescue.” The chapter's entire framework of rescue is three acts of refuge paired with three superknowledges: refuge through verbal activity—the divine ear—seeking out cries and rescuing 〔0847a30〕; refuge through mental activity—knowledge of others' minds—perceiving minds and rescuing 〔0848b20〕; refuge through bodily activity—the divine eye—perceiving forms and rescuing 〔0848b24〕. This puts into practice the explanation of the name, 「諸三業歸依必六通垂化」 tr. “whenever beings take refuge through the three activities, he must extend transformation through the six superknowledges”; it is not an interpretation through the three natures.
(2) Manifested bodies—nineteen kinds divided into eight classes, without using the number thirty-three 〔T34n1723 0849a10〕:
「合十九種分為八類：應聖身有三，應天身有六，應君臣有五……應執金剛神有一。手執金剛，觀音異像。」〔T34n1723 0849a10〕
tr. “In all, nineteen kinds are divided into eight classes: three bodies responding as sages; six responding as devas; five responding as rulers and ministers … and one responding as a Vajra-Bearing spirit. Holding the vajra in his hand, this is an alternate form of Guanshiyin.”
→ Kuiji does not use the number 「三十三身」 tr. “thirty-three bodies.” He writes 「合十九種分為八類」 tr. “in all, nineteen kinds divided into eight classes,” and judges this 「身化說法」 tr. “teaching the Dharma through bodily transformation”: benefit for oneself is supernormal power, benefit for others is instruction and transformation, and skillful means is the skillful use of wisdom 〔0849a05〕. He does not invoke any consciousness-only theory of the transformation body, the enjoyment body for others, or the five lineages. He judges the Vajra-Bearer an 「觀音異像」 tr. “alternate form of Guanshiyin” 〔0849a15〕. This differs from the manifested-body analysis in 〈妙音品㉔〉, “Chapter 24, Wonderful Sound”: Wonderful Sound has 「十八類身」 tr. “eighteen classes of bodies” 〔0846b21〕; Guanshiyin has 『十九種八類』 tr. “nineteen kinds in eight classes,” together with the bestowal of fearlessness and the alternate form of the Vajra-Bearer. Both chapters take 『現身說法拔苦』 tr. “manifesting bodies, teaching the Dharma, and removing suffering” as the analytical frame, and neither applies the three natures, the transformation body, or the five lineages.
(3) The seven perils, three poisons, two requests, and the bestowal of fearlessness—the framework of analysis of action: the seven perils have 「有七段分二：初三火水風三災，後四雜災」 tr. “seven passages divided into two: first, the three calamities of fire, water, and wind; then four miscellaneous calamities” 〔0848a24〕, with the rākṣasa peril included under wind. Of the three poisons it says 「意業歸依他心通……且舉三毒，非唯爾所，一切煩惱念皆滅故」 tr. “refuge through mental activity is met by knowledge of others' minds … the three poisons are raised only by way of example; it is not limited to just these, because mindfulness extinguishes all afflictions” 〔0848b20〕: one corner is raised to encompass all afflictions. Of the two requests it says 「身業歸依天眼通……非唯爾業，且逐情舉」 tr. “refuge through bodily activity is met by the divine eye … it is not limited to just this action, which is raised provisionally in accord with the concern at hand” 〔0848b24〕. Of bestowing fearlessness it says 「檀度有三：一財，二無畏，三說法。說法，法施也；濟難，無畏施也」 tr. “The perfection of giving has three kinds: first, material gifts; second, fearlessness; third, teaching the Dharma. Rescuing from perils is the gift of fearlessness” 〔0849a18〕. Its analysis of the mechanics of 「稱名即脫」 tr. “calling the name and immediately gaining liberation” cites the 《瑜伽》—determinate and indeterminate ripening 〔0847b07〕—and the 《對法》—five kinds of intentional action 〔0847b17〕—among other texts.
(4) The comparison of merit—the dharma-realm, suchness, and Dharma-body on the first and tenth grounds; the closest point to Yogācāra and consciousness-only 〔T34n1723 0848c20〕: 「法界即法性，入初地菩薩能證一切佛菩薩等平等身故，平等身者謂真如法身。況十地滿」 tr. “The dharma-realm is precisely dharma-nature. Bodhisattvas who enter the first ground can realize the equal body shared by all buddhas and bodhisattvas; ‘equal body’ means the Dharma-body of suchness. How much more is this so when the ten grounds are fulfilled.” The equality of merit—between upholding the name of Guanshiyin and the qualities of buddhas as numerous as the sands of sixty-two koṭis of Ganges Rivers—is established through the realization, by bodhisattvas on the grounds, of the equality of the dharma-realm and the Dharma-body of suchness. This belongs to the meaning of the dharma-realm on the bodhisattva path above the first ground, not to a theory of the three natures or of mind and consciousness.
(Note: the treatment of this chapter in the 《玄贊》 is rich in meaning, but rich in Yogācāra analysis of action, the three acts and three superknowledges, and the dharma-realm and suchness; the consciousness-only doctrine of mind-nature—the three natures and ālaya 〔三性賴耶〕—is entirely absent. The judgment 『觀自在為正義』 tr. “‘Perceiver with Sovereign Freedom’ is the correct meaning” and the count 『十九種八類』 tr. “nineteen kinds in eight classes” rather than thirty-three both arise from a concrete reading in the Xuanzang line. Red line: Guanshiyin's seeking out cries and rescuing from suffering, and his manifestation through the universal gateway, are the sutra's triumphant proclamation and are transmitted faithfully in the Plain Reading and Exposition; Kuiji's analysis of the path of action is only one final mirror, and the mirror must not cover the sutra. The axes across chapters are: Chapter 23, outline placement alone / Chapter 24, thin in meaning / Chapter 25, Yogācāra analysis of action and the three acts with three superknowledges, with zero consciousness-only mind-nature doctrine / Chapter 16, the awakening of the three buddha-bodies.)
IV. The Explanations of the Various Masters (the Ancients · Their Traditions Stated · Recorded without Adjudicating)
On the same 「觀世音名」 tr. “name Perceiver of the World's Sounds,” 「普門」 tr. “universal gateway,” and 「三十三身」 tr. “thirty-three bodies,” Cien, Tiantai, and Sanlun offer different readings. The expository mirror for this edition is Kuiji's Cien 《玄贊》. Tiantai and Sanlun are recorded alongside it, their differences stated without adjudication.
Caveat on summary terms: (1) 「三十三身」 tr. “thirty-three bodies” is wording used by the sutra itself, in the list of manifested bodies 〔T09n0262 之現身列（實三十三形）〕. Kuiji does not use its number, instead counting 『十九種八類』 tr. “nineteen kinds in eight classes.” Zhiyi once says 『凡有三十三身十九說法云云』 tr. “in all there are thirty-three bodies and nineteen teachings, and so forth” 〔T34n1718 0146b15〕; Jizang once says 「別明三十三身十九說法」 tr. “separately clarifying thirty-three bodies and nineteen teachings” 〔T34n1721 0628b05〕. (2) The two linked expressions 「十普門」 tr. “ten universal gateways” and 「冥顯二益」 tr. “the two benefits, unseen and manifest” occur zero times across both the 《文句》 and the 《義疏》. Zhiyi expresses the former in prose as 「十法明普」 tr. “ten dharmas that clarify universality”—the universality of compassion, of vast vows, and so forth 〔0145b13〕—and expresses the latter as 「冥作利益／顯作利益」 tr. “working benefits unseen / working benefits manifest” 〔0145a10〕, not as a fixed linked phrase. Jizang uses 「密利益／顯利益」 tr. “hidden benefit / manifest benefit,” with a different character for unseen or hidden. (3) 「觀音前三後一」 tr. “Guanshiyin has the first three and the last one” is Jizang's wording at the end of the 〈妙音品〉, “Chapter on Wonderful Sound,” 〔T34n1721 0623b21〕, in contrast with 「妙音前一後三」 tr. “Wonderful Sound has the first one and the last three”; it is not in the section on the Chapter on the Universal Gateway.
Cien · Kuiji's 《玄贊》 T34n1723 (the Principal Mirror)
Following the 《法華論》, it places the chapter fifth under the power to protect sentient beings from many perils, encompassing the Guanshiyin and Dhāraṇī chapters 〔0846c09〕. It says 『觀自在為正義』 tr. “‘Perceiver with Sovereign Freedom’ is the correct meaning”; pairs the three acts with three superknowledges 〔0846c22〕; counts the manifested bodies as 『十九種八類』 tr. “nineteen kinds in eight classes”; judges the Vajra-Bearer an alternate form of Guanshiyin 〔0849a10〕; treats the seven perils, three poisons, and two requests through the analysis of action 〔0848a24〕; explains the comparison of merit through the dharma-realm, suchness, and the Dharma-body 〔0848c21〕; gives a complete analysis of the verse 〔0849b06〕; and records in its general principles that the verse was originally absent and later supplied (see Heading VIII). It cites the 《瑜伽》, 《對法》, 《唯識》, 《法華論》, 《十輪經》, 《寶雲經》, 《攝論》, and 《華嚴》, among other texts. The Cien line is carried forward by Huizhao's 《法華玄贊義決》 T34n1724.
Tiantai · Zhiyi's 《文句》 T34n1718 (Parallel Witness)
It judges the chapter 「普現三昧化他流通」 tr. “the transmission of teaching others through the samādhi of universal manifestation” 〔0145c28〕 and notes a separate 《私記》 in two fascicles 〔0144c26〕. Its explanation of the name has 「通有十雙、別有五隻」 tr. “ten paired general meanings and five particular meanings” 〔T34n1718 0144c27〕. For 「觀」 tr. “perceiving,” it selects only perfect contemplation from among three modes of contemplation 〔0145a25〕: 「觀有多種，謂析觀・體觀・次第觀・圓觀……今簡三觀唯論圓觀，文云普門，觀若不圓，門不稱普」 tr. “There are many modes of contemplation: analytical contemplation, embodied contemplation, sequential contemplation, and perfect contemplation. … Here, three contemplations are set aside and only perfect contemplation is discussed. The text says ‘universal gateway’; if the contemplation were not perfect, the gateway would not be called universal.” For 「普」 tr. “universality,” it clarifies universality through ten dharmas 〔0145b13〕: 「慈悲普・弘誓普・修行普・離惑普・入法門普・神通普・方便普・說法普・成就眾生普・供養諸佛普」 tr. “universality of compassion; universality of vast vows; universality of cultivation and practice; universality of leaving delusion; universality of entering Dharma gateways; universality of supernormal powers; universality of skillful means; universality of teaching the Dharma; universality of bringing sentient beings to accomplishment; universality of making offerings to the buddhas.” It presents two benefits, unseen and manifest 〔0145a10〕: 「觀世音者，冥作利益……三毒七難皆離，二求兩願皆滿也；普門者，顯作利益，目覩三十三聖容，耳聞十九尊教也」 tr. “‘Perceiver of the World's Sounds’ means working benefits unseen … the three poisons and seven perils are all left behind, and the two requests and two wishes are both fulfilled. ‘Universal Gateway’ means working benefits manifest: the eyes behold thirty-three venerable forms, and the ears hear nineteen honored teachings.” It treats the thirty-three bodies very briefly: 『凡有三十三身十九說法云云』 tr. “in all there are thirty-three bodies and nineteen teachings, and so forth” 〔0146b15〕. It cites the 《思益》, 《大品》, 《大集》, 《淨名》, 《涅槃》, and 《入大乘論》.
Sanlun · Jizang's 《法華義疏》 T34n1721 (Parallel Witness)
It judges the chapter 「護難弘經」 tr. “the protection from perils through which the sutra is propagated” 〔0623c06〕 and provisionally divides it into four pairs 〔0623c12〕. In explaining the name, it gives the foreign name 「阿梨耶婆樓吉氐稅，此翻觀世音」 tr. “‘Aliyepoloujidishui,’ translated here as Perceiver of the World's Sounds”; establishes three names, 「觀世音・觀世意・觀世身」 tr. “Perceiver of the World's Sounds, Perceiver of the World's Intentions, and Perceiver of the World's Bodies” 〔T34n1721 0624b14〕; and says 『光世音或可是翻之不正』 tr. “‘Radiance of the World's Sounds’ may perhaps be an incorrect translation” 〔0624c03〕. Perceiving is complete in three contemplations, and its objects are complete in the three objects, the three truths 〔0624c07〕. It gives three kinds of universality 〔0624c24〕: 「普義有三：一他心普・二神通普・三說法普」 tr. “The meaning of universality has three aspects: first, universality of knowing others' minds; second, universality of supernormal powers; third, universality of teaching the Dharma.” It gives three skillful manifestations 〔0628b07〕: 「一現聖方便・二示凡方便・三示非凡非聖方便」 tr. “first, the skillful means of manifesting as a sage; second, the skillful means of appearing as an ordinary being; third, the skillful means of appearing as neither ordinary nor sage.” It divides the seven perils in two—three involving insentient elements, fire, water, and wind; and four involving sentient beings, further grouped under life, body, and wealth 〔0626a12〕. 「觀音前三後一」 tr. “Guanshiyin has the first three and the last one” occurs at the end of the section on the Chapter on Wonderful Sound, in contrast with Wonderful Sound's first one and last three 〔0623b21〕. It cites the 《大品》, 《華嚴》, 《雜心》, 《大集》, 《智度論》, 《請觀世音經》, 《觀音三昧經》, 《觀音授記經》, and others in great abundance, and cites three records of verification: Xie Dun's 《觀音驗記》, Liu Yiqing's 《宣驗記》, and Wang Yan's 《冥祥記》 〔0626b16〕.
The Three Houses Recorded Together (Recorded without Adjudication)
Explanation of the name: Cien says 「觀自在為正義（玄奘系）·觀世音就語業機立名」 tr. “‘Perceiver with Sovereign Freedom’ is the correct meaning in the Xuanzang line; ‘Perceiver of the World's Sounds’ is a name established in relation to the capacity of verbal activity.” Tiantai has 「通十雙別五隻·觀簡圓觀」 tr. “ten paired general meanings and five particular meanings; for ‘perceiving,’ it selects perfect contemplation.” Sanlun has 「三名觀世音/意/身·光世音翻之不正·境智三諦」 tr. “the three names Perceiver of the World's Sounds, Intentions, and Bodies; Radiance of the World's Sounds as an incorrect translation; object and wisdom through the three truths.” The three houses explain the name differently; their readings are recorded side by side without adjudication. Universal gateway: Cien has 「平等遍滿·入出由處·三輪為普門體」 tr. “equality and pervasive fullness; the place through which one enters and leaves; the three wheels as the substance of the universal gateway.” Tiantai has 「十法明普」 tr. “ten dharmas that clarify universality.” Sanlun has 「三普（他心/神通/說法）」 tr. “three kinds of universality—knowing others' minds, supernormal powers, and teaching the Dharma.” These are recorded side by side without adjudication. Manifested bodies: Cien has 『十九種八類』 tr. “nineteen kinds in eight classes.” Tiantai has 「三十三身十九說法（極簡）」 tr. “thirty-three bodies and nineteen teachings, stated in the briefest terms.” Sanlun has 「三方便（現聖/示凡/示非凡非聖）」 tr. “three skillful manifestations—manifesting as a sage, appearing as an ordinary being, and appearing as neither ordinary nor sage.” All three differ in the number or classification of manifested bodies—Cien nineteen, Tiantai thirty-three, Sanlun three skillful manifestations. Their readings are recorded side by side without adjudication. Unseen and manifest: Tiantai has 「冥/顯二益」 tr. “two benefits, unseen and manifest”; Sanlun has 「密/顯二利」 tr. “two benefits, hidden and manifest,” using a different character; Cien gives the framework of three acts and three superknowledges for rescue. These are recorded side by side without adjudication. What they share: all three judge this a chapter of transmission in the Trace Gate that protects beings from perils, and all take Guanshiyin's seeking out cries, rescuing from suffering, and universally manifesting physical bodies as a paradigm of teaching others. Zhiyi (538–597) and Jizang (549–623) predate 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 觀世音菩薩 | Avalokiteśvara（系) | 〔本經 0056c04〕；Kuiji says 「正義應云觀自在」 tr. “the correct meaning should be Perceiver with Sovereign Freedom” 〔T34n1723 0846c22〕；Jizang's three names are 「觀世音・觀世意・觀世身」 tr. “Perceiver of the World's Sounds, Perceiver of the World's Intentions, and Perceiver of the World's Bodies,” and his foreign name is 阿梨耶婆樓吉氐稅 〔T34n1721 0624b13〕；Dharmarakṣa has 「光世音」 tr. “Radiance of the World's Sounds,” which Jizang calls 「翻之不正」 tr. “an incorrect translation” 〔T09n0263 0128c23〕 | The bodhisattva who seeks out cries, rescues from suffering, and manifests through the universal gateway (the sense of perceiving / the sense of radiance; Perceiver with Sovereign Freedom is the correct meaning in the Xuanzang line) |
| 普門 | samantamukha（系) | 〔本經 0056c02·品題〕；Kuiji: 「平等遍滿・入出由處・三輪為普門體」 tr. “equality and pervasive fullness; the place through which one enters and leaves; the three wheels as the substance of the universal gateway” 〔T34n1723 0846c27〕；Zhiyi: 「十法明普」 tr. “ten dharmas that clarify universality” 〔T34n1718 0145b13〕；Jizang: 「三普：他心・神通・說法」 tr. “three kinds of universality: knowing others' minds, supernormal powers, and teaching the Dharma” 〔T34n1721 0624c24〕 | The gateway of equality and universality, the way by which beings leave suffering and enter happiness; the three houses classify it differently |
| 三十三身 | — | 〔本經 0057a23·現身列〕；Kuiji does not use this number, counting 『十九種八類』 tr. “nineteen kinds in eight classes” 〔T34n1723 0849a10〕；Zhiyi: 「三十三身十九說法」 tr. “thirty-three bodies and nineteen teachings” 〔T34n1718 0146b15〕；Jizang: 「三方便」 tr. “three skillful manifestations” 〔T34n1721 0628b07〕；Dharmarakṣa has no fixed total, with approximately sixteen or seventeen forms 〔T09n0263 0129b27〕 | Whatever body is needed for deliverance, Guanshiyin manifests that body; the three houses differ entirely in their counts and classifications |
| 施無畏者 | Abhayaṃdada（系) | 〔本經 0057b23〕；Kuiji: 「檀度三施之無畏施·配濟難」 tr. “the gift of fearlessness among the three gifts of the perfection of giving, paired with rescue from perils” 〔T34n1723 0849a18〕；Dharmarakṣa has no fixed name, only 令無所畏 tr. “causing them to be without fear” 〔T09n0263 0129c09〕 | The title given to Guanshiyin because amid fear and urgent peril he can bestow fearlessness |
| 稱名脫難 | — | 〔本經 0056c06〕；Kuiji pairs the three acts of refuge with three superknowledges—seeking out cries, perceiving minds, and perceiving forms 〔T34n1723 0847a30〕—and explains it through the analysis of action 〔0848a24〕；Dharmarakṣa joins calling the name to contemplative practice, 『觀無常苦空非身』 tr. “contemplating impermanence, suffering, emptiness, and non-self” 〔T09n0263 0129b05〕 | Single-mindedly calling the name; Guanshiyin perceives the sounds of their voices, and they immediately gain liberation from the seven perils and three poisons |
| 重頌（世尊妙相具偈） | — | 〔本經 0057c09〕；Kuiji gives a complete analysis and records in the general principles 「本皆無頌·後人添足·經家結集為偈」 tr. “originally all had no verse; later people added what was lacking; the compilers of the sutra collected it as verse” 〔T34n1723 0660a07〕；the supplemented-edition preface says 「先賢續出補闕流行」 tr. “earlier worthies produced it in continuation, supplying what was missing and putting it into circulation” 〔T09n0264 0134c12〕；Dharmarakṣa has no verse 〔T09n0263〕 | A verse proclaiming Guanshiyin's practice and vow again; absent from Kumārajīva's original and later supplied from the supplemented-edition line; see Heading VIII |
VI. Similes · Rhetoric
The rhetorical core of this chapter lies in the resonance of 「尋聲救苦」 tr. “seeking out cries and rescuing from suffering” and the all-responsive reach of 「普現色身」 tr. “universally manifesting physical bodies.”
(1) Calling the name brings an immediate response—seeking out cries and rescuing from suffering — 〔T09n0262 0056c06〕: sentient beings in suffering single-mindedly call the name, and 「觀世音菩薩即時觀其音聲，皆得解脫」 tr. “the Bodhisattva Perceiver of the World's Sounds immediately perceives the sounds of their voices, and they all gain liberation.” The rhetoric lies in the mutual resonance of 「聲」 tr. “sound” and 「觀」 tr. “perceiving”: sentient beings voice their refuge in mindfulness, and the bodhisattva, through great compassionate wisdom, looks down, perceives, and responds with rescue, as Kuiji's explanation of the name states 〔0846c18〕. Fire cannot burn; flood brings one to a shallow place; knives and staves break apart; cangues and chains break. The verse repeats 「念彼觀音力」 tr. “keep in mind the power of Perceiver of Sounds” throughout—fire pit becomes a pool, waves cannot drown, the blade breaks apart, and all assailants give rise to a compassionate heart 〔0057c18 起〕. One line answers one peril; no image makes the immediacy of response more direct.
(2) Universally manifesting physical bodies—manifesting in accord with each kind — 〔T09n0262 0057a23〕: whatever body is needed for deliverance, he immediately manifests that body—bodies ranging from a buddha-body to the body of a Vajra-Bearer, as well as women, boys and girls, and the eight classes of devas and nāgas. One bodhisattva manifests immeasurable bodies. This figures the universal responsiveness with which the great being delivers sentient beings. It forms a pair with the universal manifestation in 〈妙音品㉔〉, “Chapter 24, Wonderful Sound.” Jizang says 「妙音前一後三、觀音前三後一」 tr. “Wonderful Sound has the first one and the last three; Guanshiyin has the first three and the last one” 〔T34n1721 0623b21〕.
(3) The accumulation of merit is measureless as the ocean—the final praise in verse — 〔T09n0262 0058b02·後補偈〕: 「真觀清淨觀，廣大智慧觀，悲觀及慈觀」 tr. “true contemplation, pure contemplation, contemplation of vast wisdom, contemplation of compassion, and contemplation of loving-kindness”—five contemplations; 「妙音觀世音，梵音海潮音」 tr. “Wondrous Voice, Perceiver of the World's Sounds, Brahmā Voice, and Voice of the Ocean Tide”—five voices; and 「福聚海無量，是故應頂禮」 tr. “the accumulation of merit is measureless as the ocean; therefore one should bow one's head in homage.” The ocean figures the immeasurable accumulation of merit; the voices figure Guanshiyin's universally responsive reach.
VII. Cross-Reading · Carrying Forward
(1) Treatises upon which this chapter relies—the framework of Kuiji's 《玄贊》:
- Vasubandhu's 《法華論》 — the power to protect sentient beings from many perils, encompassing the Guanshiyin and Dhāraṇī chapters 〔T34n1723 0846c09〕; the comparison involving buddhas as numerous as the sands of sixty-two koṭis of Ganges Rivers through 「一信力二畢竟知」 tr. “first, the power of faith; second, ultimate knowledge” 〔0848c08〕; and the equal body, the Dharma-body of suchness 〔0848c21〕. Jizang likewise cites the 《法華論》 to explain equality and nonduality in the comparison 〔T34n1721 0628a09〕. The three houses share this treatise-source.
- Kuiji cites the 《瑜伽》 for the analysis of action in several places 〔0847b07〕, the 《對法》 〔0847b17〕, the 《成唯識論》 〔0847c11〕, the 《顯揚》 〔0847c12〕, the 《十輪經》 〔0848c25〕, the 《寶雲經》 on Earth-Holder's ten dharmas 〔0849b13〕, and the 《攝論》 and 《華嚴》 on the ten kinds of sovereign freedom 〔0850a05〕. Zhiyi cites the 《思益》, 《大品》, 《大集》, 《淨名》, and 《入大乘論》. Jizang cites the 《華嚴》, 《雜心》, 《觀音三昧經》, 《觀音授記經》, 《弘猛海慧經》, and the three records of verification 〔0626b16〕.
(2) Cross-reading within the Lotus:
- Progression in the transmission section of the Trace Gate → Medicine King, Chapter 23—the power of one's own arduous practice → Wonderful Sound, Chapter 24—the power of arduous practice in teaching sentient beings → Guanshiyin, Chapter 25, and Dhāraṇīs, Chapter 26—the power to protect sentient beings from many perils, one power shared by two chapters → King Wonderful-Adornment, Chapter 27—the surpassing power of qualities → Universally Worthy, Chapter 28—the power to protect the Dharma 〔T34n1723 0846c09〕.
- Universal manifestations form a pair → Guanshiyin's manifestations through the universal gateway pair with Wonderful Sound's manifested bodies in 〈妙音品㉔〉, “Chapter 24, Wonderful Sound.” Jizang says 「妙音前一後三、觀音前三後一」 tr. “Wonderful Sound has the first one and the last three; Guanshiyin has the first three and the last one” 〔0623b21〕. Both take 『現身說法拔苦』 tr. “manifesting bodies, teaching the Dharma, and removing suffering” as the analytical frame.
- The stūpa of Many Treasures carried forward from afar → Guanshiyin offers 「一分奉多寶佛塔」 tr. “one part to the stūpa of Many Treasures Buddha” 〔0057c05〕. The stūpa of Many Treasures from 〈見寶塔品⑪〉, “Chapter 11, Beholding the Jeweled Stūpa,” is still present here; throughout the chapters of transmission in the Trace Gate, Many Treasures continues to bear witness.
- Calling the name and gaining liberation answers an earlier passage from afar → Calling Guanshiyin's name brings liberation from the seven perils. This answers from afar the line in 〈方便品②〉, “Chapter 2, Skillful Means,” 「一稱南無佛，皆已成佛道」 tr. “once calling ‘Homage to the Buddha,’ all have already accomplished the buddha-way”—the power of holding a name.
(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, with a separately transmitted Guanshiyin exegesis, carries forward the Tiantai line; and Jizang's separate 《法華玄論》 T34n1720 carries forward the Sanlun line. Each carries forward the reading of its own tradition; their lines are recorded without adjudication.
VIII. Placement of the Editions
- 羅什 T262 (base text): 〈觀世音菩薩普門品第二十五〉 begins at 〔T09n0262 0056c03〕（卷七). Question on the cause of the name 0056c04／calling the name and immediate liberation 0056c06 · seven perils 0056c09〔火 0056c09・水 0056c10・羅剎鬼國 0056c11・刀杖 0056c16・夜叉羅剎 0056c17・枷鎖 0056c20・怨賊 0056c22〕· three poisons 0057a01 · two requests 0057a07 · comparison with the sands of sixty-two koṭis of Ganges Rivers 0057a12 · question on the practice of transformation 0057a20／thirty-three bodies 0057a23〔執金剛身 0057b18〕· Giver of Fearlessness 0057b22 · jeweled-necklace offering divided in two 0057c05〔奉釋迦/多寶佛塔 0057c05〕· verse 〔後補〕 [later supplied]: question in verse 0057c07／「世尊妙相具」 tr. “World-Honored One, complete in wondrous marks” 0057c09／「念彼觀音力」 tr. “keep in mind the power of Perceiver of Sounds” 0057c18／「真觀清淨觀」 tr. “true contemplation, pure contemplation” 0058a18／「妙音觀世音」 tr. “Wondrous Voice, Perceiver of the World's Sounds” 0058a26／「福聚海無量」 tr. “the accumulation of merit is measureless as the ocean” 0058b02 · Earth-Holder's praise 0058b03 · concluding accomplishment and benefit through 0058b06 (followed by 〈陀羅尼品第二十六〉 at 0058b08). Source file: the Source-Text layer, verified word for word.
- 竺法護 T263 《正法華經》 〈光世音普門品第二十三〉 begins at 〔T09n0263 0128c21〕: question on the name Radiance of the World's Sounds 0128c23／calling the name and immediate liberation · the differently grouped seven perils 〔火 0128c28・水 0129a02・魔竭魚 0129a05・怨賊刀杖 0129a10・鬼神邪魅 0129a12・枷鎖牢獄 0129a15・盜賊 0129a21〕—fire, water, makara fish, hostile bandits with knives and staves, ghosts and malign specters, cangues with prison, and robbers · three poisons together with contemplative practice 0129b05 · two requests 0129b06 · comparison with the sands of rivers, 「福過於彼」 tr. “the merit surpasses theirs” 0129b22 · manifested bodies without a fixed total 0129b27 · causing beings to be without fear 0129c09 · jeweled necklace divided and offered to Able Sage and the Tathāgata Many Treasures 0129c17 · no verse · through 「發無上正真道意」 tr. “aroused the resolve for unsurpassed true and perfect awakening” 0129c25. 〔觀世音/施無畏/執金剛 T263 全書皆 0·多寶/三十三 光世音品段 0（全書多寶18/三十三4·屬他品）·光世音品段 28·無偈確證〕 tr. “Across the whole of T263, Perceiver of the World's Sounds, Giver of Fearlessness, and Vajra-Bearer each occur zero times. Many Treasures and thirty-three each occur zero times in the chapter section on Radiance of the World's Sounds; across the full text they occur eighteen and four times, in other chapters. Radiance of the World's Sounds occurs twenty-eight times in this chapter section. The absence of the verse is confirmed.”
- 添品 T264 〈觀世音菩薩普門品第二十四〉 begins at 〔T09n0264 0191b23〕: question on the name Perceiver of the World's Sounds 0191b26 · prose nearly identical with Kumārajīva 〔求男禮拜恭敬 0192a01・執金剛神 0192b09〕· jeweled necklace divided in two 0192b24 · verse present 〔莊嚴幢框架 0192b27／即說偈言 0192c02／世尊妙相具 0192c03／福聚海無量 0193a25〕 through 0193b01. 〔長行 >98% 同羅什·實質字異三·偈即補入 T262 者〕 tr. “The prose agrees with Kumārajīva at a rate above 98%; there are three substantive character-level variants; its verse is the one supplied to T262.”
- 窺基《玄贊》T34n1723 (the expository mirror): 〈觀世音菩薩普門品〉〔0846c07〕—〔0850a18〕 (followed by 〈陀羅尼品〉 0850a19–0850b19 and King Wonderful-Adornment 0850b20). Three gateways 0846c08／the power to protect sentient beings from many perils encompassing Guanshiyin and Dhāraṇīs 0846c09／explanation of the name, with Perceiver with Sovereign Freedom as the correct meaning 0846c22／resolution of a difficulty 0847a01／chapter text divided in four 0847a09 · verbal activity, divine ear, and seeking out cries 0847a30／analysis of action from the 《瑜伽》 0847b07／seven perils divided into two 0848a24／mental activity, knowledge of others' minds, and three poisons 0848b20／bodily activity, divine eye, and two requests 0848b24／comparison through the equal body and the Dharma-body of suchness 0848c21 · answer on the practice of transformation, nineteen kinds in eight classes 0849a10／Vajra-Bearer as an alternate form of Guanshiyin 0849a15／the three gifts of the perfection of giving and the gift of fearlessness 0849a18／seven kinds of offering 0849a21 · analysis of the verse 0849b06〔十二頌正答名因 0849b16／七頌歎德五音 0849c01〕· Earth-Holder's praise and the 《寶雲經》 0849c12／ten kinds of sovereign freedom in the 《攝論》 and 《華嚴》 0850a05. Textual history of the verse, in the general principles outside the chapter section: 「〈觀音普門品〉本皆無頌，或有安者後人添足……此乃經家結集為偈」 tr. “The Chapter on Guanshiyin's Universal Gateway originally had no verse in any text. Where one has been placed, later people added what was lacking. … This was collected as verse by the compilers of the sutra” 〔0660a07〕; Jñānagupta and Dharmagupta supplemented the Lotus in the Sui 〔0659b25〕.
- 智顗《文句》T34n1718 (parallel witness): 〈釋觀世音菩薩普門品〉 begins at 0144c24 · ten paired general meanings and five particular meanings 0144c27／selecting perfect contemplation 0145a25／ten dharmas clarifying universality 0145b13／two benefits, unseen and manifest 0145a10 · transmission of teaching others through the samādhi of universal manifestation 0145c28／text divided into three 0145c29／capacity and response in speech, thought, and body for the seven perils 0146a24／thirty-three bodies and nineteen teachings 0146b15 through 0146b28. Separate 《私記》 in two fascicles 0144c26.
- 吉藏《義疏》T34n1721 (parallel witness): 〈觀世音菩薩普門品第二十五〉 begins at 0623c05 · protection from perils through which the sutra is propagated 0623c06／four pairs 0623c12 · explanation of the name through 阿梨耶婆樓吉氐稅 and three names 0624b14／Radiance of the World's Sounds as an incorrect translation 0624c03／three contemplations and three objects 0624c07／three kinds of universality 0624c24 · seven perils divided between the insentient and sentient 0626a12／three skillful manifestations 0628b07／comparison through the 《法華論》 0628a09 · Earth-Holder's paired praise 0629a22 through 0629b07. Guanshiyin has the first three and the last one, at the end of the section on Wonderful Sound, 0623b21.
- Record of formation (textual history of the verse · threefold confirmation): the titles are Kumārajīva and the supplemented edition's 「觀世音菩薩普門品」 tr. “Chapter on the Universal Gateway of the Bodhisattva Perceiver of the World's Sounds,” and Dharmarakṣa's 「光世音普門品」 tr. “Chapter on the Universal Gateway of Radiance of the World's Sounds”; their chapter numbers are respectively 25, 23, and 24. Kumārajīva's original 〈普門品〉, “Chapter on the Universal Gateway,” had no verse. Three independent lines of evidence establish this: (1) collation of the three translations—Dharmarakṣa's T263 still has no verse; the verse in Kumārajīva's T262 was supplied later; the Song, Yuan, and Ming witnesses of the verse in the supplemented T264 agree word for word with T262, including the four variant points in the Banner of Adornment frame, nāgas-and-fish / fish-and-nāgas, the two forms of the character for curse, and returns to the person himself / that person then turns and goes back; the verse in the received T262 is the circulated form of the supplemented-edition verse; (2) the supplemented-edition preface states this itself 〔T09n0264 0134c07「什所闕者……〈普門品〉偈也……先賢續出，補闕流行」〕 tr. “What Kumārajīva lacked … was the verse of the Chapter on the Universal Gateway. … Earlier worthies produced it in continuation, supplying what was missing and putting it into circulation”; (3) Kuiji's 《玄贊》 explicitly records it in the general principles 〔T34n1723 0660a07「〈觀音普門品〉本皆無頌，或有安者後人添足……此乃經家結集為偈」·0659b25 隋崛多笈多添法華〕 tr. “The Chapter on Guanshiyin's Universal Gateway originally had no verse in any text. Where one has been placed, later people added what was lacking. … This was collected as verse by the compilers of the sutra”; Jñānagupta and Dharmagupta supplemented the Lotus in the Sui. Dharmarakṣa's alternate translation has Radiance of the World's Sounds, world of endurance, sands of rivers, condition-awakened one, merit surpassing theirs, the Tathāgata Many Treasures, Vajra Spirit, and no verse.