金光明最勝王經 妙幢菩薩讚歎品

This apparatus takes as its base Yijing’s Tang translation of The Sūtra of Golden Light, the Supreme King, fascicle ten, Chapter 28, Bodhisattva Wonderful Banner Offers Praise. It reads this text alongside the praise by Bodhisattva Faith-Mark in the Praise of the Buddha chapter of Dharmakṣema’s Sūtra of Golden Light and Baogui’s composite Sūtra of Golden Light, and records interpretations transmitted by Huizhao, Zhiyi, Zhili, and Jizang. Yijing’s recension divides the old Praise of the Buddha chapter into three chapters; the present chapter is the second segment after that division, namely Wonderful Banner’s praise. What follows records only the divisions and combinations, textual variants, and ancient masters’ outlines, without judging which is superior.

I. Doctrinal-Outline Placement

Chapter Body, Number of Stanzas, and Connection before and after

The base recension titles the chapter 「金光明最勝王經妙幢菩薩讚歎品第二十八」—“The Sūtra of Golden Light, the Supreme King: Bodhisattva Wonderful Banner Offers Praise, Chapter Twenty-Eight” 〔T16n0665 0454c28〕. The chapter body begins with 「爾時，妙幢菩薩即從座起，偏袒右肩，右膝著地，合掌向佛，而說讚曰：」—“At that time, Bodhisattva Wonderful Banner rose from his seat, bared his right shoulder, placed his right knee on the ground, joined his palms, faced the Buddha, and spoke this praise” 〔T16n0665 0454c29〕. It ends with the Buddha’s confirmation to Wonderful Banner, 「汝能如是讚佛，功德不可思議，利益一切，令未知者隨順修學。」—“You are able to praise the Buddha in this way. The merit is inconceivable: it benefits all and enables those who do not yet understand to follow, practice, and learn” 〔T16n0665 0455a19〕; the true last line is 0455a20. The chapter’s 294-character body consists of three containers in sequence: the protocol of rising from the seat, seventeen two-line display rows of seven-character praise (thirty-four metrical lines), and the Buddha’s confirmation. The base text establishes no internal subsections, so outline numbers have not been inserted.

At the end of the preceding chapter, the World-Honored One first confirms the bodhisattvas collectively: 「善哉！善哉！汝等善能如是讚佛功德，利益有情，廣興佛事，能滅諸罪，生無量福。」—“Excellent, excellent! You are well able to praise the Buddha’s qualities in this way, benefit sentient beings, extensively advance the work of the Buddha, extinguish every offense, and produce immeasurable merit” 〔T16n0665 0454c25〕. Wonderful Banner then offers his own praise in the present chapter. At its end the Buddha gives him an individual confirmation; the following chapter immediately continues, 「爾時，菩提樹神亦以伽他讚世尊曰：」—“At that time, the deity of the bodhi tree also praised the World-Honored One in verse” 〔T16n0665 0455a22〕. The word “also” explicitly links the sequence of praise across all three chapters.

Huizhao’s Three Divisions and Eight and a Half Stanzas

Huizhao’s Commentary on the Sūtra of Golden Light, the Supreme King begins its outline with 「下品文分三：初讚人儀軌」—“The following chapter is divided into three: first, the praiser’s protocol” 〔T39n1788 0338a29〕, followed by the praise properly stated and, finally, the World-Honored One’s commendation and confirmation. He further judges, 「下讚歎有八頌半，分三：初四頌讚變化佛」—“The following praise has eight and a half stanzas, divided into three: the first four praise the transformation buddha” 〔T39n1788 0338b09〕; the next three praise the enjoyment buddha, and the final stanza and a half praise both buddhas in common. This is an ancient commentary’s outline of continuous verse, not a set of headings established by the sūtra itself.

II. Alternate Translations · Collation of the Three Translations

Division and Combination in the Three Translations and Correspondence of the Praiser’s Name

The scene is the same in all three recensions. T663 reads, 「爾時信相菩薩，即於此會從座而起，偏袒右肩右膝著地，合掌向佛而說讚言：」—“At that time, Bodhisattva Faith-Mark rose from his seat in that assembly, bared his right shoulder, placed his right knee on the ground, joined his palms, faced the Buddha, and spoke this praise” 〔T16n0663 0357a25〕. T664 reads, 「爾時，信相菩薩即於此會從坐而起，偏袒右肩，右膝著地，合掌向佛而說讚言：」—“At that time, Bodhisattva Faith-Mark rose from his seat in that assembly, bared his right shoulder, placed his right knee on the ground, joined his palms, faced the Buddha, and spoke this praise” 〔T16n0664 0400a26〕. T665 reads, 「爾時，妙幢菩薩即從座起，偏袒右肩，右膝著地，合掌向佛，而說讚曰：」—“At that time, Bodhisattva Wonderful Banner rose from his seat, bared his right shoulder, placed his right knee on the ground, joined his palms, faced the Buddha, and spoke this praise” 〔T16n0665 0454c29〕. The corresponding names are therefore 「信相菩薩」—“Bodhisattva Faith-Mark” in T663 〔T16n0663 0357a25〕, 「信相菩薩」—“Bodhisattva Faith-Mark” in T664 〔T16n0664 0400a26〕, and 「妙幢菩薩」—“Bodhisattva Wonderful Banner” in T665 〔T16n0665 0454c29〕. Huizhao likewise explicitly records 「舊云信相」—“The old translation says Faith-Mark” 〔T39n1788 0338a23〕. The present apparatus makes a positive correspondence on the basis of scene and content; zero occurrences of one translated name in another recension are not turned into a claim that the figure is absent from its transmission.

Correspondence between T665’s Eight and a Half Stanzas and the Two Old Recensions

The three recensions differ in meter and number of stanzas. The table marks only the sequence of comparable content and does not convert the old recensions’ seventeen four-character stanzas into categories claimed by Yijing’s text itself.

Verbatim Text of the Seventeen Stanzas in T663 and T664

Complete Table of Character-Level Variants in T663 and T664

The comparison window is fixed from the first character of Faith-Mark’s rising in each recension to the last character of his praise. After markup and punctuation are removed, each window has 302 characters. There are two substitutions in the main text and twelve further groups of punctuation variants. The characters and punctuation are identical in groups not listed.

Position of the Buddha’s Confirmation after Division or Combination

Immediately after Faith-Mark’s praise, T663 continues, 「爾時道場菩提樹神，復說讚曰：」—“At that time, the deity of the bodhi tree at the place of awakening again spoke this praise” 〔T16n0663 0357b21〕. Only at the end of the complete Praise of the Buddha chapter does it say, 「爾時世尊，從三昧起，以微妙音，而讚歎言：」—“At that time, the World-Honored One rose from samādhi and praised them in a wondrous voice, saying” 〔T16n0663 0357c27〕. T664 likewise first continues, 「爾時，道場菩提樹神復說讚曰：」—“At that time, the deity of the bodhi tree at the place of awakening again spoke this praise” 〔T16n0664 0400b22〕, while only at the chapter’s end does it say, 「爾時世尊，從三昧起，以微妙音，而讚嘆言：」—“At that time, the World-Honored One rose from samādhi and praised them in a wondrous voice, saying” 〔T16n0664 0400c28〕. T665 instead gives Wonderful Banner an individual confirmation at the end of the present chapter and lets the deity of the bodhi tree continue the praise in the next. The three structures are set beside one another according to their respective recensions, without judging addition or omission.

III. Scriptural Grounds for the Consciousness-Only Meaning (the Point of the Eye)

What the Sūtra Itself Establishes

The chapter’s praise of the Buddha does more than list physical features. The first four stanzas join the marks produced by a hundred merits, immeasurable qualities, purity that delights the beholder, light, an assemblage of jewels, a golden mountain, extinction of suffering, and the giving of happiness. The fifth directly says, 「大喜大捨淨莊嚴，大慈大悲皆具足」—“Great sympathetic joy and great equanimity purify and adorn him; great loving-kindness and great compassion are complete” 〔T16n0665 0455a10〕, and says that the marks and excellent characteristics are 「菩提分法之所成」—“accomplished through the factors of awakening” 〔T16n0665 0455a11〕. The sixth and seventh stanzas again place together the giving of benefits, attainment of happiness, light illuminating many lands, and manifestation throughout the ten directions. At the end, the Buddha confirms three things: the merit is inconceivable, it benefits all, and it enables those who do not yet understand to follow, practice, and learn. Each point can be stated directly on the basis of the sūtra.

Huizhao’s Principal Commentary, Item by Item

Within the principal commentary on this chapter, no parallel interpretations are introduced by formulas equivalent to “some say,” “again,” “one explanation,” or “a second explanation.” Its enumerable internal question-and-answer concerns only why Wonderful Banner praises alone, followed by a continuous analysis of the name, buddha-bodies, body and light, marks and excellent characteristics, and benefit. This apparatus therefore records all of the question-and-answer and outline material without manufacturing a column for alternate explanations that do not exist.

There are two character-level differences between Huizhao’s cited sūtra and T665. The base recension reads 「如來光相極圓滿」—“The Tathāgata’s radiant marks are perfectly complete” 〔T16n0665 0455a14〕, while Huizhao cites 「如來光明極圓滿」—“The Tathāgata’s light is perfectly complete” 〔T39n1788 0338b19〕. The base reads 「光潤鮮白等頗梨」—“Glossy and soft, bright and pure white like crystal” 〔T16n0665 0455a18〕, while Huizhao cites 「光潤鮮白等玻瓈」—“Glossy and soft, bright and pure white like crystal” 〔T39n1788 0338b28〕. The original characters of each work remain distinct; the commentary’s citation is not used to alter the sūtra.

IV. Explanations of Various Masters

Huizhao’s Commentary on the Sūtra of Golden Light, the Supreme King

Huizhao’s principal commentary on this chapter occurs in fascicle six, from 0338a19–0338c03. Chapter names visible around 0181c, 0182c, and 0191c belong to tables of contents in earlier fascicles and are not the beginning of the principal commentary. His explanation of the name preserves an ancient transliteration and the old translated name; on the basis of Yijing’s eight and a half stanzas, he then distinguishes the transformation buddha, enjoyment buddha, and praise common to both. This is the consciousness-only mirror used by the exposition in this edition—the mirror is not the sūtra.

Zhiyi’s Words and Phrases on the Sūtra of Golden Light

Zhiyi’s outline heading is 「釋讚佛品」—“Explaining the Praise of the Buddha Chapter” 〔T39n1785 0082c13〕. In explaining the title he says, 「此品從能所得名，能讚是三番菩薩、所讚是一佛世尊」—“This chapter is named from the agent and object: those able to praise are three groups of bodhisattvas, while the one praised is the single Buddha, the World-Honored One” 〔T39n1785 0082c14〕. The combined old recension has sixty-five and a half four-character stanzas, divided as 「一二十行諸菩薩說、二十七行信相說、三二十八行半樹神說」—“First, twenty stanzas spoken by the bodhisattvas; second, seventeen stanzas spoken by Faith-Mark; third, twenty-eight and a half stanzas spoken by the tree deity” 〔T39n1785 0083a03〕. Zhiyi establishes a large-scale outline of the complete chapter here and does not explain Faith-Mark’s seventeen stanzas one by one.

Zhili’s Record on the Words and Phrases of the Sūtra of Golden Light

T1786 is Zhili’s line-by-line record on Zhiyi’s Words and Phrases. Its outline heading explicitly reads 「七、〈讚佛品〉。初、解題」—“Seven: The Praise of the Buddha Chapter. First, explaining the title” 〔T39n1786 0154c16〕. Zhili enumerates three groups capable of praise: the bodhisattva assembly at the beginning of the sūtra, Faith-Mark, and the good woman who is the tree deity 〔T39n1786 0154c18〕. He also reorganizes the textual divisions of the whole chapter and explains, 「恐新學者不曉，今粗科釋。」—“Fearing that new students may not understand, I will now give a rough outline and explanation” 〔T39n1786 0155b19〕. His line-by-line record of Faith-Mark’s praise follows:

Elsewhere in his divisions of the whole chapter, Zhili points out that Zhiyi included the three stanzas in which the Tathāgata rises from samādhi within the tree deity’s section. He proposes instead that the sixty-five and a half stanzas be divided into the bodhisattvas’ three rounds of speech and the Tathāgata’s speech after rising from samādhi 〔T39n1786 0155b12〕. This is the Record on the Words and Phrases carrying forward and re-outlining the Words and Phrases; it is not conflated with T1784 as a single work.

Jizang’s Commentary on the Sūtra of Golden Light

Jizang first locates the Praise of the Buddha chapter in the circulation division 〔T39n1787 0173c02〕, then says, 「就大段第二此間大士讚中有二：初信相讚、後樹神讚」—“Within the second major section, the praise by the great beings here has two parts: first, Faith-Mark’s praise; later, the tree deity’s praise” 〔T39n1787 0173c24〕. He further divides Faith-Mark’s praise into particular praise and general commendation. The particular praise is divided into physical body, merit and wisdom, and conclusion; physical body is further divided into substance and function, while the general commendation is further divided into merit and wisdom with physical body, outward transformation, and inner virtue. This outline is based on Dharmakṣema’s seventeen stanzas. It is recorded alongside Huizhao’s outline based on Yijing’s eight and a half stanzas, without converting one into the terms of the other.

Profound-Meaning Layer: Zhili’s Supplementary Record on the Profound Meaning

T1784 belongs to the profound-meaning layer explaining Zhiyi’s Profound Meaning; it is not a line-by-line record. Zhili recalls here, 「金龍尊王是過去讚，信相菩薩是現在讚」—“King Golden Dragon Venerable is praise in the past, while Bodhisattva Faith-Mark is praise in the present” 〔T39n1784 0014c13〕. He also establishes, 「讚有三種，謂讚丈六、尊特、法性」—“Praise is of three kinds: praise of the sixteen-foot body, the exalted body, and dharma-nature” 〔T39n1784 0044c01〕, using the sequence of three kinds of praise, repentance, and the three bodies as collateral illumination of the entire sūtra. These two passages serve only as collateral evidence on the profound-meaning layer. Zhili’s line-by-line material for the present chapter remains assigned to T1786, the Record on the Words and Phrases. The two works and their layers are kept distinct and are not collectively called Zhili’s line-by-line commentary.

Recorded without Adjudicating

On the basis of the eight and a half seven-character stanzas, Huizhao distinguishes the three bodies; on the basis of sixty-five and a half four-character stanzas, Zhiyi distinguishes three groups of bodhisattvas; Zhili then provides a rough outline of Faith-Mark’s successive passages for new students; Jizang analyzes physical body, merit and wisdom, outward transformation, and inner virtue. All four lines of reading follow the translation and commentarial form on which they rely. This apparatus preserves their original wording and levels, neither forcing them into one outline nor adjudicating the relative standing of their doctrines.

V. Terminology

VI. Similes · Rhetoric

Through light, color, mountains, jewels, bees, flowers, snow, and the moon, the chapter repeatedly renders the marks and excellent characteristics; twice it directly joins light to pervasion, extinction of suffering, and the giving of happiness. The similes do more than describe visible beauty: they carry the praised qualities outward toward what sentient beings receive.

VII. Cross-Reading · Carrying Forward

Yijing’s Chapters 27 through 29 divide the two old recensions’ single Praise of the Buddha chapter into three: the bodhisattvas’ praise, Wonderful Banner’s praise, and the bodhi-tree deity’s praise. The World-Honored One’s confirmations before and after the present chapter, together with the word “also,” carry the three passages forward as a sequence. T663 and T664 retain the tree deity’s praise immediately after Faith-Mark’s, and the World-Honored One rises from samādhi to respond only at the end of the whole chapter. The difference in division and combination illuminates the texts reciprocally and need not be ranked.

Carrying forward also appears in the ancient commentaries’ division of labor. Zhiyi’s Words and Phrases first establishes the large-scale outline of three groups of bodhisattvas. Zhili’s Record on the Words and Phrases, because he “feared that new students may not understand,” gives a rough outline of Faith-Mark’s praise passage by passage. Jizang divides the old translation through physical body, merit and wisdom, outward transformation, and inner virtue. Huizhao, on the basis of the new translation’s eight and a half stanzas, distinguishes transformation, enjoyment, and praise common to both buddhas. Sūtra remains sūtra and commentary remains commentary: the same verses praising the Buddha disclose their meanings through different translations and ancient readings without replacing one another.

VIII. Placement of the Editions

1. Base recension: T16n0665, The Sūtra of Golden Light, the Supreme King, fascicle ten; chapter title at 0454c28 and body at 0454c29–0455a20. It has thirty-four seven-character lines, judged by Huizhao to be eight and a half stanzas, and ends with an individual confirmation of Wonderful Banner by the Buddha.
2. First collated recension: T16n0663, Sūtra of Golden Light, Praise of the Buddha, Chapter 18; Faith-Mark’s praise at 0357a25–0357b20. It has sixty-eight four-character lines and is followed by the tree deity’s praise.
3. Second collated recension: T16n0664, composite Sūtra of Golden Light, Praise of the Buddha, Chapter 23; Faith-Mark’s praise at 0400a26–0400b21. It has sixty-eight four-character lines and is followed by the tree deity’s praise.
4. The comparison windows in T663 and T664 each contain 302 characters. There are two main-text substitutions, 座／坐 · seat / seat and 密／整 · closely set / orderly, together with twelve groups of punctuation variants, all listed under Topic II.
5. The Taishō text of this chapter in T665 has two recorded variants: “radiant marks” 〔0455a14〕, for which the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Palace editions read “light”; and the base character form for crystal 〔0455a18〕, for which the Ming edition uses the alternate form. Huizhao’s cited text correspondingly has “light” and the alternate form for crystal; the works remain separately recorded.
6. Huizhao’s Commentary on the Sūtra of Golden Light, the Supreme King, T39n1788: principal commentary on the chapter at 0338a19–0338c03 in fascicle six; the tables of contents in earlier fascicles are not treated as the principal commentary.
7. Zhiyi’s Words and Phrases on the Sūtra of Golden Light, T39n1785: outline heading at 0082c13; the large-scale outline of all verses begins at 0083a02 and the Faith-Mark section begins at 0083a03; based on Dharmakṣema’s recension.
8. Zhili’s Record on the Words and Phrases of the Sūtra of Golden Light, T39n1786: the Praise of the Buddha outline heading is at 0154c16. The line-by-line record of Faith-Mark’s speech begins with 「二、信相說」—“Second, Faith-Mark’s speech” in the latter half of 0156a21 〔0156a21〕 and ends with 「又比讚齒毫二大相」—“It further uses comparisons to praise the two major marks of the teeth and the tuft” in the first half of 0156b19 〔0156b19〕; the latter half of the same line turns to 「三、樹神說」—“Third, the tree deity’s speech” 〔0156b19〕. This work explains the Words and Phrases and belongs to the line-by-line record layer.
9. Jizang’s Commentary on the Sūtra of Golden Light, T39n1787: placement of the Praise of the Buddha chapter in the circulation division at 0173c02 and the outline of Faith-Mark’s praise beginning at 0173c24; based on Dharmakṣema’s recension.
10. Zhili’s Supplementary Record on the Profound Meaning of the Sūtra of Golden Light, T39n1784: 0014c13 and 0044c01 are collateral illumination on the profound-meaning layer, not a line-by-line record on this chapter; this work and T1786 remain separately identified by layer.