金光明最勝王經 菩提樹神讚歎品
菩提樹神一再說：我常憶念，我常樂見，我常頂禮；她悲泣流淚，願奉事而不知厭。佛陀明明就在眼前，她為何仍如此渴望見佛？她究竟想看見什麼？
她先看見智慧。智慧清淨，常求正法，能離非法，恆無分別。四次敬禮由清淨說到正法與非法，又由相對的取捨走向無分別。
她又看見希有。佛出世如優曇難遇，如海中山王，明亮逾日；祂說出寶經，為的是哀愍、利益群生。樹神所仰望的莊嚴，也朝向眾生。
可是，她所見的佛身又如虛空、幻、焰與水月。看得見，卻不能攫取；清淨明亮，卻沒有固定自體。這使渴望見佛不再是把佛留在自己眼前，而是讓執取鬆開——她所仰望的牟尼，正是能入寂靜涅槃城、能住寂靜等持門者。
因此，她的『見』逐漸成為願。願常遇如來，願三業無倦地奉事，願佛與聲聞眾普濟人天，願涅槃甘露法生起功德。她從想見佛的和顏，走到想見大悲身；從自己的渴仰，走到有情的救濟；從悲泣流淚，走到速出生死、歸於真際。
佛陀聽完，沒有把這場讚歎留在樹神一人身上。祂說，這份功德使她速證菩提，也使一切有情共同修習；凡得聽聞者，都入甘露無生法門。她所求的甘露，於佛語中成為聞者可以進入的門。
她如此渴望見佛，究竟想看見什麼？她想看見的，是清淨智慧如何顯為慈悲，是空寂之身如何利益群生，也是自己的身、口、意如何朝向大悲而不疲倦。見佛於是沒有停在眼前：它進入憶念，進入奉事，進入共同修習，也進入無生。
The deity of the bodhi tree says again and again: I constantly recollect, I constantly delight in seeing, I constantly bow my head. She weeps and sheds tears, aspiring to serve without weariness. The Buddha is plainly before her—why does she still long so deeply to see him? What, exactly, does she wish to behold?
She first sees wisdom: wisdom that is pure, constantly seeks the true Dharma, can leave what is contrary to Dharma, and is always free of discrimination. Four acts of homage move from purity to true Dharma and what is contrary to Dharma, then from relative acceptance and rejection toward nondiscrimination.
She also sees rarity. A buddha’s appearance is as hard to encounter as an udumbara flower; he is like a mountain king in the ocean, and his radiance surpasses the sun. He teaches the jewel-like sūtra out of compassion for sentient beings and in order to benefit them. The majesty to which the tree deity looks up is itself directed toward sentient beings.
Yet the buddha-body she sees is also like empty space, illusion, mirage, and the moon in water. It can be seen but not grasped; pure and luminous, it nevertheless has no fixed intrinsic nature. Longing to see the Buddha therefore ceases to mean keeping the Buddha before one’s own eyes and instead loosens grasping—for the Sage to whom she looks is precisely the one who can enter the serene city of nirvāṇa and abide at the serene gate of meditative stability.
Her “seeing” thus gradually becomes aspiration: aspiring always to encounter the Tathāgata, tirelessly to serve through the three activities, for the Buddha and the assembly of śrāvakas to bring universal aid to humans and gods, and for the nectar Dharma of nirvāṇa to give rise to qualities. She moves from wishing to see the Buddha’s gentle countenance to wishing to see the body of great compassion; from her own thirsting reverence to the rescue of sentient beings; and from weeping tears to swiftly leaving birth and death and returning to the true limit.
After hearing her, the Buddha does not confine the praise to the tree deity alone. He says that its merit will cause her swiftly to realize awakening, that all sentient beings will undertake the cultivation together, and that whoever hears it will enter the nectar gate of the unborn Dharma. In the Buddha’s words, the nectar she seeks becomes a gate through which hearers can enter.
What, then, does she so deeply long to see in the Buddha? She wishes to see how pure wisdom manifests as compassion, how a body that is empty and serene benefits sentient beings, and how her own body, speech, and mind may turn tirelessly toward great compassion. Seeing the Buddha therefore does not remain before the eyes: it enters recollection, service, shared cultivation, and the unborn.
唐義淨譯《金光明最勝王經》卷十〈菩提樹神讚歎品第二十九〉· 大正藏 T16n0665〔起 T16 0455a22〕。段/行首〔T16 …〕＝大正藏頁·欄·行錨。
〔T16 0455a22〕爾時，菩提樹神亦以伽他讚世尊曰：
「敬禮如來清淨慧！敬禮常求正法慧！
敬禮能離非法慧！敬禮恒無分別慧！
希有世尊無邊行，希有難見比優曇；
希有如海鎮山王，希有善逝光無量。
希有調御弘慈願，希有釋種明逾日；
能說如是經中寶，哀愍利益諸群生。
牟尼寂靜諸根定，能入寂靜涅槃城；
能住寂靜等持門，能知寂靜深境界。
兩足中尊住空寂，聲聞弟子身亦空；
一切法體性皆無，一切眾生悉空寂。
我常憶念於諸佛，我常樂見諸世尊；
我常發起慇重心，常得值遇如來日。
我常頂禮於世尊，願常渴仰心不捨；
悲泣流淚情無間，常得奉事不知厭。
惟願世尊起悲心，和顏常得令我見；
佛及聲聞眾清淨，願常普濟於人天。
佛身本淨若虛空，亦如幻焰及水月；
願說涅槃甘露法，能生一切功德聚。
世尊所有淨境界，慈悲正行不思議；
聲聞獨覺非所量，大仙菩薩不能測。
惟願如來哀愍我，常令覩見大悲身；
三業無倦奉慈尊，速出生死歸真際。」
爾時世尊聞是讚已，以梵音聲告樹神曰：「善哉！善哉！善女天！汝能於我真實無妄清淨法身，自利利他宣揚妙相，以此功德令汝速證最上菩提，一切有情同所修習，若得聞者，皆入甘露無生法門。」
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.
唐義淨譯《金光明最勝王經》卷十〈菩提樹神讚歎品第二十九〉白話譯。
這時，菩提樹神也用偈頌讚歎世尊。
十一頌，一頌一譯
第一頌
我敬禮如來清淨的智慧——這智慧遠離障礙而圓滿。我敬禮祂常使眾生尋求正法的智慧；敬禮祂能使眾生遠離非法的智慧；也敬禮祂恆常沒有分別的智慧。祂雖令眾生修善、捨惡，所行仍是清淨而無分別的。
第二頌
希有的世尊，所行無有邊際；祂出現世間，稀有難見，宛如優曇花。祂在大眾之中，像大海中的山王巍然安住；希有的善逝，光明無量。
第三頌
希有的調御者，懷抱廣大的慈悲誓願；出於釋迦族的祂，光明超過太陽。祂能宣說這部珍寶般的經典，哀愍並利益一切眾生。
第四頌
牟尼寂靜，諸根安定；祂能進入寂靜的涅槃城，能安住在寂靜的等持之門，也能了知那幽深寂靜的境界。
第五頌
兩足眾生中最尊貴的世尊安住於空寂；聲聞弟子的身也同樣是空。一切法的體性都不可得，一切眾生也全都空寂。
第六頌
我常常憶念諸佛，也常常歡喜得見諸位世尊；我總是發起深切而殷重的心，願自己常能值遇如同明日照世的如來。
第七頌
我常向世尊頂禮，願這份渴仰始終不從心中離去。我悲泣流淚，思慕之情沒有間斷；願自己總能侍奉世尊，永遠不知厭倦。
第八頌
只願世尊生起悲心，常以和悅的容顏讓我得見；願佛陀與清淨的聲聞大眾，常常廣泛救濟人與天。
第九頌
佛身本來清淨，如同虛空，也如幻、如焰，如水中之月。願祂宣說涅槃的甘露妙法，使一切功德聚得以生起。
第十頌
世尊清淨的境界，以及祂慈悲的正行，都不可思議；聲聞與獨覺不能衡量，即使是大仙菩薩——等覺位的大菩薩——也不能測知。
第十一頌
只願如來哀愍我，常使我得見祂的大悲之身。願我以身、口、意三業不知疲倦地侍奉慈尊，迅速超出生死，歸向真實的究竟之際。
佛陀印可
這時，世尊聽完這番讚歎，便以梵音告訴樹神：『善哉！善哉！善女天！你能把我真實、無妄、清淨法身自利利他的微妙之相宣揚出來。以這份功德，將使你迅速證得最上菩提，也使一切有情共同修習；凡是得以聽聞的人，都進入甘露無生法門。』
A vernacular translation of Yijing’s Tang translation of The Sūtra of Golden Light, the Supreme King, fascicle ten, Chapter 29, The Deity of the Bodhi Tree Offers Praise.
At that time, the deity of the bodhi tree also praised the World-Honored One in verse.
Eleven Stanzas, Translated One by One
First Stanza
I pay homage to the Tathāgata’s pure wisdom—wisdom free from obstruction and perfectly complete. I pay homage to his wisdom that constantly causes sentient beings to seek the true Dharma; to his wisdom that enables them to leave what is contrary to Dharma; and to his wisdom that is always free of discrimination. Although he leads sentient beings to cultivate good and abandon evil, his activity remains pure and nondiscriminating.
Second Stanza
Rare is the World-Honored One, whose practice has no bounds. His appearance in the world is rare and difficult to encounter, like an udumbara flower. Amid the great assembly he abides majestically, like the king of mountains within the ocean. Rare is the Well-Gone One, whose light is immeasurable.
Third Stanza
Rare is the Tamer, who bears vast vows of loving-kindness and compassion. Born among the Śākyas, his radiance surpasses the sun. He can proclaim this scripture, a jewel among sūtras, out of compassion for all sentient beings and in order to benefit them.
Fourth Stanza
The Sage is serene, his faculties composed. He can enter the serene city of nirvāṇa, abide at the serene gate of meditative stability, and know that profound, serene domain.
Fifth Stanza
The World-Honored One, most honored among two-footed beings, abides in empty serenity; the bodies of his śrāvaka disciples are likewise empty. The intrinsic nature of every dharma is unobtainable, and all sentient beings too are entirely empty and serene.
Sixth Stanza
I constantly recollect the buddhas, and I constantly delight in seeing the World-Honored Ones. I always arouse a deeply earnest and reverent mind, aspiring always to encounter the Tathāgata, who shines upon the world like the sun.
Seventh Stanza
I constantly bow my head to the World-Honored One, aspiring never to relinquish this thirsting reverence in my heart. I weep and shed tears, my longing uninterrupted; may I always serve the World-Honored One and never grow weary.
Eighth Stanza
I only ask that the World-Honored One arouse compassion and always let me behold his gentle, joyful countenance. May the Buddha and the pure assembly of śrāvakas always bring universal aid to humans and gods.
Ninth Stanza
The Buddha’s body is originally pure, like empty space; it is also like an illusion, a mirage, and the moon in water. May he teach the nectar Dharma of nirvāṇa and cause the whole accumulation of qualities to arise.
Tenth Stanza
The World-Honored One’s pure domain and his true practice of loving-kindness and compassion are inconceivable. Śrāvakas and solitary realizers cannot measure them; even great sage bodhisattvas—great bodhisattvas at the stage of equal awakening—cannot fathom them.
Eleventh Stanza
I only ask that the Tathāgata take compassion on me and always let me behold his body of great compassion. May I tirelessly serve the Loving-Honored One through body, speech, and mind, swiftly leave birth and death, and return to the true limit.
The Buddha Confirms the Praise
At that time, after the World-Honored One had heard this praise, he addressed the tree deity in a Brahmā voice: “Excellent, excellent, good goddess! You are able to proclaim the wondrous marks of my true, unerring, pure dharma-body—the marks of benefiting oneself and others. Through this merit, you will swiftly realize unsurpassed awakening, and all sentient beings will undertake this cultivation together. Whoever hears it will enter the nectar gate of the unborn Dharma.”
菩提樹下，曾有一位覺者成就菩提；如今，依止此樹而住的女神站在佛前，以十一頌說出她所見的智慧、寂靜與慈悲。她不是遠遠描述一位莊嚴的世尊。她一再說『我常憶念』『我常樂見』『我常頂禮』，把讚佛變成自己的願，把仰望變成身、口、意不知疲倦的奉事。
全品於是形成一條清楚的路：先看見佛陀何以值得敬禮，再說出自己為何渴望親近，最後由佛陀揭示這場讚歎如何使聞者同入甘露無生法門。一聲敬禮，不只向上仰望，也把讚者與聞者帶向同一扇門。
四次敬禮，從智慧開始
樹神開口，連說四次敬禮。她依次敬禮如來的清淨慧、常求正法慧、能離非法慧與恆無分別慧。
四句由清淨起，經過常求正法與能離非法，以恆無分別收束。正法與非法標出智慧所向與所離；無分別則使全頌沒有停在相對分判上。樹神一開口，先禮敬的就是這四面相連的智慧。
第一頌把全品安放在智慧上。後面所說的光明、慈願、寂靜、空與大悲，都不是離開智慧另立一端；樹神先禮清淨無分別之慧，隨後把智慧如何顯於世間逐步說開。
希有，不只因為難見
第二、第三頌接連讚歎希有。世尊之行無邊，出世難見如優曇；祂如海中山王，安定而巍然，光明又無有限量。祂懷著廣大的慈悲誓願，身出釋種而明逾日；祂所說的是經中珍寶，所為的是哀愍、利益群生。
優曇寫難得一見，大海與山王寫身處眾中而不動，太陽寫明照。這些譬喻沒有把佛陀封存在遙遠的奇觀裡。第三頌最後兩句接著說：祂能宣說這部寶經，哀愍利益群生。具行、出現、現身、光明、弘願、種姓、說經、利生，八個「希有」在頌中並列。
『經中寶』也讓讚佛與聞法相連。當讚歎由形容佛陀轉向祂為眾生所說的寶經，聽聞者已被帶入這場讚歎之中。
寂靜不是遠離眾生
第四頌反覆使用寂靜。牟尼的諸根寂靜安定；祂能入寂靜的涅槃城，住於寂靜的等持門，知寂靜的深境界。城讓人想到安穩而不可侵，門讓人想到可以進入；兩個意象共同指向涅槃與等持，而四句又由諸根、能入、能住、能知逐步展開。
第五頌把寂靜推向空。兩足尊安住空寂，聲聞弟子的身也是空；一切法的體性皆無，一切眾生悉皆空寂。這裡沒有把空限在某一類人或某一種法：佛、聲聞、諸法、眾生依次被說出，沒有一項可以執為固定不變的自體。
然而，寂靜與空並未使全品沉默。緊接著的六頌充滿憶念、渴仰、悲泣、奉事與救濟。佛陀安住空寂，樹神所求也不在占有一個可執的形體；諸法體性不可得，她的願也不收縮成只為一己。寂靜沒有切斷關係，反而讓憶念與慈悲不被固著封閉。
從『我常』到『惟願』
第六頌連說四個『常』：常憶念諸佛，常樂見諸世尊，常發殷重心，常值如來日。這不是一時感動。憶念使心不忘，樂見使心趨向，殷重使願不輕，如來如日則使相遇帶著明照之義。
第七頌讓心願進入身行。樹神常向世尊頂禮，渴仰之心不肯捨離；她悲泣流淚，情意相續，又願奉事而無厭。眼淚在這裡不是無望的哀傷。它與頂禮、奉事相連，是深切慕法之心流到身上的形狀。渴仰若只停在情緒，容易來去；她卻願以不厭的奉事使它延續。
到了第八頌，『我願見』向『願普濟』展開。她請世尊起悲心，以和悅面容常令自己得見；隨後又願佛與清淨聲聞眾普遍救濟人天。她沒有把見佛收為私人所得。所願的一端是親見，另一端是普濟。
這三頌反覆說常，不是宣告一種自動不變的狀態，而是把願的方向說得深長：心常憶念，身常頂禮，情常不斷，行常奉事。讚佛因此逐漸成為一種生活姿態。
如虛空，如幻，如焰，如水月
第九頌忽然把佛身比作虛空、幻、焰與水月。虛空無可把捉，幻與焰看似在前卻無實體，水月清楚可見而不可撈取。這些譬喻接在第五頌的空寂之後，使『見佛』不等於攀取一個牢固自體。
但樹神沒有因如幻而放棄求法。她隨即願佛宣說涅槃甘露法，使一切功德聚生起。水月之喻不是把佛法說成虛無；它鬆開執取，讓人能在不占有的情形下繼續聽聞、修習。虛空般的本淨與甘露般的法，在同一頌中相遇：一面不取著，一面能生功德。
甘露也回應前面的渴仰。渴者需要水，樹神所求卻不只是解除自己的焦灼；她所願的是涅槃之法，是能生一切功德聚的甘露。於是，情感中的渴逐漸轉成求法的渴。
不可測，而仍可親近
第十頌說，世尊的清淨境界與慈悲正行不可思議。聲聞、獨覺不能衡量，大仙菩薩也不能測知。不可測不是拒人於門外；本頌把『清淨境界』與『慈悲正行』並列，表示深境界同時顯為向眾生而行的慈悲。
人不能以現有尺度窮盡佛境，仍能由慈悲的行跡親近它。前面說佛出世、說寶經、利益群生、普濟人天，都讓不可思議有了可遇、可聞的方向。深不可測與悲心向人並不衝突：有限知見不能包圍佛境，樹神便以敬禮、憶念和奉事來回應。
第十一頌把這份回應收束成三業。樹神願如來哀愍，常令她見大悲身；她也願以身、口、意不知疲倦地奉事慈尊，迅速超出生死，歸向真際。前面頂禮是身，讚頌是口，憶念與殷重是意；到此，散布在各頌的行動被收進三業無倦。
她所求的『見』也在此轉深。開始時是樂見世尊、和顏得見；最後所願見的是大悲身，所願歸的是生死之外的真際。見佛不只是視線接觸，而是讓身口意都朝向大悲，讓生命的方向朝向出離。
一首頌裡，聲音如何轉向
十一頌的聲音有一個細微變化。開頭先說『敬禮如來』，接著反覆驚歎『希有世尊』，再由四句『寂靜』看佛陀所入、所住、所知的境界。到了第六頌，『我』開始密集出現。所讚已經說明，讚者於是走入自己的言語：我憶念，我樂見，我發殷重心，我頂禮，我渴仰，我悲泣，我奉事。
這個轉向使讚歎不只是列舉佛德。若佛陀的智慧清淨、所行無邊、慈願廣大，那麼看見這些的人如何回應？樹神沒有另造一套抽象答案。她用憶念回答難遇，用頂禮回答莊嚴，用奉事回答慈悲，用三業無倦回答無邊之行。佛德與願行在兩組聲音中彼此呼應。
反覆的字也推動這條路。『敬禮』使身心朝向佛，『希有』使人不把佛出世與說法視為平常，『寂靜』使目光由外在光明進入深境，『我常』使當下感動延伸為持續願行，『惟願』則承認自己仍在求、仍須佛陀哀愍。每次反覆都讓語氣更深一層，從讚其所有，走到願己所行。
而『願』並沒有只圍繞樹神自己。她願見佛，也願人天蒙濟；願自己奉事，也願功德聚生起。這使最後的三業不只是私人虔敬。身向慈尊、口讚佛德、意念大悲之時，眾生已在願中。出離生死與利益有情，也沒有被排成互相競逐的兩條路。
這一變化也為佛答預留了位置。樹神由所見說到所願，佛陀便能同時印可她所宣揚的妙相與她所積聚的功德；她把願伸向人天，佛陀再把修習伸向一切有情，把得益伸向聞者。讚者的聲音愈向外敞開，品末的回答便愈顯得自然。
佛陀如何回答這場讚歎
樹神說完，佛陀先兩稱善哉，稱她為善女天。祂指出，樹神所宣揚的是佛陀真實、無妄、清淨法身自利利他的妙相。這一句把前面的智慧、寂靜、空、慈悲與利生收在一起：樹神不是只說一組美麗譬喻，而是在宣揚法身自利利他的微妙之相。
佛陀接著說，以此功德，樹神將速證最上菩提，一切有情也共同修習。讚者所得沒有與他人分開；一位樹神的讚歎，向一切有情敞開。這與她先願普濟人天互相照應：她的願已越出一己，佛陀的印可又把共同修習明白說出。
最後一句把範圍再推向聞者：凡得聽聞者，都入甘露無生法門。前面樹神願佛說涅槃甘露法，末後佛語便以甘露無生收束；前面她一再渴仰，末後所入的是甘露之門。讚者的渴、佛陀所印的法、聞者所入的門，至此連成一線。
所以，一聲敬禮如何走入無生？它先由清淨無分別之慧辨明所向，再由希有與悲願看見佛陀為眾生說法；它在空寂中鬆開執取，在憶念、頂禮與奉事中堅固願行，又把求見轉成三業朝向大悲。佛陀的回答則讓這一切不止屬於讚者：有情共同修習，聞者同入甘露無生法門，前後相應。
以唯識之眼
慧沼把十一頌看成前五頌讚佛、後六頌發願；前五之中，第一頌顯智慧之體，後四頌顯智慧之用。他讀第一頌時先說，清淨慧是離障而智圓；常求正法是令眾生修善，離非法是令眾生捨惡，無分別則由三輪清淨而立。這條讀法使四句既各有作用，又不離無分別智。
同一首頌，慧沼還開出三條路。他可以把首句看成果，後三句看因，依次配加行智、根本智、後得智；也可以把四句讀成進善、離惡、順無為、無分別；又可以讓首句通法身、報身，其餘三句專屬報身，而把後續之用歸向化身。四種視角讓智慧之體、因果與佛身彼此映照。
第四、第五頌亦有多面。慧沼先從牟尼與聲聞之語看化相住寂，也許通於受用身的自利之用；他記下真諦將二頌視作法身的說法，又認為文勢稍疏。隨後一解把兩頌分為住寂之德、能住之由、結成所以；另一解則從後頌讀出法、眾生、所化、佛體四種平等。空寂於是通於佛身之用與平等之理。
後六頌在慧沼筆下成為六願：常見、常遇、供侍無厭、常蒙加護、利益有情、見證出離。佛身如虛空而又如幻、焰、水月，他以法身、受用身、變化身分照；大仙菩薩則被解作等覺菩薩。佛答末段又分成印可所讚與印可所願，使前面的智慧、悲願與最後得益相接。
依舊本讀誦的吉藏，把樹神讚細看為能讚之人與所歎之事，再由應化二身、法身、結請展開；其中又辨智慧與功德、外化與內證、聖道空與萬法空、眾生空，以及念佛、禮拜、修悲、渴仰等求見之行。智顗則由三番能讚開出佛陀所讚的第四段，並以身、口、意三業觀讚佛。知禮承此而說，讚雖發於口，身須恭謹、心須尊重，三業齊運，讚義方成；他又從樹神殷勤請見讀出請佛印成所說與求觀行增明兩重意向。
這些古德之鏡共同照向一件事：樹神的讚不是靜止的形容，而是智慧之體化為利生之用，仰望之情化為三業之行，個人的願又被佛陀開向共同修習與聞法入門。十一頌在譯本與疏記間不斷展開，最後仍回到經末的甘露無生，成為後世讀誦與行持的承衍。
Beneath the bodhi tree, an awakened one once attained awakening. Now the goddess who dwells in dependence upon that tree stands before the Buddha and, in eleven stanzas, speaks of the wisdom, serenity, and compassion she beholds. She is not describing a majestic World-Honored One from afar. Again and again she says, “I constantly recollect,” “I constantly delight in seeing,” and “I constantly bow my head.” She turns praise of the Buddha into her own aspiration, and turns looking upward into tireless service through body, speech, and mind.
The whole chapter thus forms a clear path. First it shows why the Buddha is worthy of homage; then it states why she longs to draw near; finally, the Buddha reveals how this praise leads hearers together into the nectar gate of the unborn Dharma. An act of homage does not only look upward: it also leads praiser and hearer toward the same gate.
Four Acts of Homage: Beginning with Wisdom
The tree deity opens with four successive acts of homage. In order, she pays homage to the Tathāgata’s pure wisdom, wisdom that constantly seeks the true Dharma, wisdom that can leave what is contrary to Dharma, and wisdom always free of discrimination.
The four lines begin with purity, pass through constantly seeking the true Dharma and leaving what is contrary to Dharma, and conclude with constant nondiscrimination. True Dharma and what is contrary to Dharma mark what wisdom approaches and leaves; nondiscrimination keeps the stanza from stopping at relative judgment. At the very opening, the tree deity pays homage to these four mutually connected aspects of wisdom.
The first stanza places the whole chapter upon wisdom. The light, compassionate vows, serenity, emptiness, and great compassion that follow do not stand apart from wisdom as another principle. The tree deity first venerates pure, nondiscriminating wisdom, then gradually unfolds the way wisdom appears in the world.
Rare—Not Merely Because Difficult to See
The second and third stanzas repeatedly praise what is rare. The World-Honored One’s practice has no bounds; his appearance is as difficult to encounter as an udumbara flower. He is like a mountain king in the ocean, settled and majestic, while his radiance has no limit. He bears vast compassionate vows, is born among the Śākyas, and shines more brightly than the sun. What he teaches is the jewel among sūtras, and he teaches it out of compassion for sentient beings and in order to benefit them.
The udumbara conveys how rarely he is seen; the ocean and mountain king convey immovability amid the assembly; the sun conveys illumination. These similes do not seal the Buddha within a distant spectacle. The last two lines of the third stanza immediately say that he proclaims this jeweled sūtra out of compassion for sentient beings and in order to benefit them. Practice, appearance, embodied presence, light, vast vows, lineage, teaching the sūtra, and benefiting beings are set side by side under the repeated word 「希有」—“rare.”
The “jewel among sūtras” also joins praise of the Buddha to hearing the Dharma. When praise turns from describing the Buddha to the jeweled scripture he teaches for sentient beings, the hearer has already been drawn into the praise.
Serenity Is Not Withdrawal from Sentient Beings
The fourth stanza repeats “serene.” The Sage’s faculties are serene and composed; he can enter the serene city of nirvāṇa, abide at the serene gate of meditative stability, and know the profound, serene domain. A city suggests security and inviolability, while a gate suggests something through which one may enter. Together the images point toward nirvāṇa and meditative stability, and the four lines progress through the faculties, entering, abiding, and knowing.
The fifth stanza carries serenity into emptiness. The Most Honored among Two-Footed Beings abides in empty serenity, and the bodies of his śrāvaka disciples are also empty. The intrinsic nature of every dharma is absent, and all sentient beings are empty and serene. Emptiness is not confined to one kind of person or one class of dharma: Buddha, śrāvakas, dharmas, and sentient beings are named in turn, and none can be grasped as a fixed, unchanging intrinsic nature.
Serenity and emptiness do not, however, silence the chapter. The six stanzas that immediately follow are filled with recollection, thirsting reverence, weeping, service, and rescue. The Buddha abides in empty serenity, and what the tree deity seeks is not possession of a graspable form. Because the intrinsic nature of dharmas is unobtainable, her aspiration does not contract into concern for herself alone. Serenity does not sever relationship; instead, it keeps recollection and compassion from being closed within fixation.
From “I Constantly” to “I Only Ask”
The sixth stanza says “constantly” four times: constantly recollecting the buddhas, constantly delighting in seeing the World-Honored Ones, constantly arousing an earnest mind, and constantly encountering the Tathāgata as sun. This is not a passing emotion. Recollection keeps the mind from forgetting; delight in seeing directs the mind; earnestness keeps aspiration from becoming slight; and the Tathāgata as sun makes encounter an act of illumination.
The seventh stanza carries the aspiration into bodily conduct. The tree deity constantly bows her head to the World-Honored One and refuses to abandon her thirsting reverence. She weeps and sheds tears, her feeling unbroken, and aspires to serve without weariness. The tears are not hopeless grief. Joined to bowing and service, they are the shape taken in the body by a profound longing for the Dharma. Thirsting reverence that remains only an emotion readily comes and goes; she instead aspires to sustain it through unwearying service.
By the eighth stanza, “I aspire to see” opens into “may they universally rescue.” She asks the World-Honored One to arouse compassion and let her constantly see his gentle countenance; she then aspires for the Buddha and the pure assembly of śrāvakas to bring universal aid to humans and gods. She does not turn seeing the Buddha into private possession. At one end of her aspiration is personal beholding; at the other is universal aid.
These three stanzas repeatedly say “constantly,” not to proclaim an automatically unchanging state, but to make the direction of aspiration deep and enduring: the mind constantly recollects, the body constantly bows, feeling continues without interruption, and conduct constantly serves. Praise of the Buddha gradually becomes a posture for living.
Like Empty Space, Illusion, Mirage, and the Moon in Water
The ninth stanza suddenly compares the Buddha’s body to empty space, illusion, mirage, and the moon in water. Empty space cannot be seized; illusion and mirage appear before us yet have no real substance; the moon in water is plainly visible yet cannot be scooped up. Coming after the fifth stanza’s empty serenity, these similes ensure that “seeing the Buddha” does not mean grasping a solid intrinsic nature.
The tree deity does not abandon seeking the Dharma because the body is like an illusion. She immediately asks the Buddha to teach the nectar Dharma of nirvāṇa and cause the entire accumulation of qualities to arise. The moon-in-water simile does not declare the Buddha’s teaching void; it loosens grasping so one can continue to hear and cultivate without possession. Original purity like empty space and Dharma like nectar meet in one stanza: on one side, no attachment; on the other, the production of qualities.
Nectar also answers the earlier thirsting reverence. One who thirsts needs water, but what the tree deity seeks is more than relief from her own distress. She aspires to the Dharma of nirvāṇa, the nectar capable of producing the whole accumulation of qualities. Emotional thirst thus gradually becomes thirst for the Dharma.
Unfathomable, Yet Still Approachable
The tenth stanza says that the World-Honored One’s pure domain and true compassionate practice are inconceivable. Śrāvakas and solitary realizers cannot measure them, and great sage bodhisattvas cannot fathom them. To be unfathomable is not to shut people outside the gate. The stanza places “pure domain” and “true compassionate practice” together, showing that the profound domain simultaneously appears as compassion directed toward sentient beings.
One cannot exhaust the Buddha-domain with one’s present measure, yet one can approach it through the traces of compassionate activity. The earlier descriptions of the Buddha’s appearance, his teaching of the jeweled sūtra, his benefiting sentient beings, and his universal aid to humans and gods all give the inconceivable a direction in which it may be encountered and heard. Unfathomable profundity does not conflict with compassion turning toward people. Because limited understanding cannot surround the Buddha-domain, the tree deity answers it through homage, recollection, and service.
The eleventh stanza gathers that response into the three activities. The tree deity asks the Tathāgata to take compassion upon her and constantly let her see the body of great compassion. She also aspires tirelessly to serve the Loving-Honored One through body, speech, and mind, swiftly leave birth and death, and return to the true limit. Bowing earlier in the poem is bodily activity; praise is verbal activity; recollection and earnestness are mental activity. Here, actions dispersed through the stanzas are gathered into tirelessness in the three activities.
Her desired “seeing” also deepens. At first she delights in seeing the World-Honored One and asks to behold his gentle countenance. At the end she aspires to see the body of great compassion and to return to the true limit beyond birth and death. Seeing the Buddha is no mere contact of the eyes: it directs body, speech, and mind toward great compassion and directs life toward liberation.
How the Voice within the Praise Turns
The voice of the eleven stanzas changes subtly. The opening first says, “Homage to the Tathāgata,” then repeatedly exclaims, “Rare is the World-Honored One,” and next looks through four uses of “serene” toward the domain that the Buddha enters, abides in, and knows. In the sixth stanza, “I” begins to appear densely. Once what is praised has been stated, the praiser enters her own words: I recollect, I delight in seeing, I arouse an earnest mind, I bow, I thirst, I weep, I serve.
This turn makes praise more than a list of the Buddha’s qualities. If the Buddha’s wisdom is pure, his practice boundless, and his compassionate vows vast, how should one who sees these things respond? The tree deity does not devise an abstract answer. She answers rarity with recollection, majesty with bowing, compassion with service, and boundless practice with tirelessness in the three activities. The Buddha’s qualities and the praiser’s aspirational conduct answer each other in two groups of voices.
Repeated words also propel the path. “Homage” directs body and mind toward the Buddha. “Rare” keeps one from taking a buddha’s appearance and teaching for granted. “Serene” leads the gaze from external light into the profound domain. “I constantly” extends present emotion into enduring aspirational conduct. “I only ask” acknowledges that she is still seeking and still needs the Buddha’s compassion. Each repetition deepens the tone, moving from praise of what the Buddha possesses toward aspiration for what she herself will practice.
Aspiration does not circle only around the tree deity. She aspires to see the Buddha and also for humans and gods to receive aid; she aspires to serve and also for the accumulation of qualities to arise. The final three activities are therefore more than private piety. When body turns toward the Loving-Honored One, speech praises the Buddha’s qualities, and mind recollects great compassion, sentient beings are already present within her aspiration. Leaving birth and death and benefiting sentient beings are not arranged as two competing roads.
This change also leaves a place for the Buddha’s reply. The tree deity moves from what she sees to what she aspires to; the Buddha can therefore confirm both the wondrous marks she proclaims and the merit she accumulates. She extends aspiration toward humans and gods, and the Buddha then extends cultivation to all sentient beings and benefit to all hearers. The more the praiser’s voice opens outward, the more natural the chapter’s concluding response becomes.
How the Buddha Answers This Praise
When the tree deity finishes, the Buddha twice says “Excellent” and calls her a good goddess. He explains that what she proclaims is the wondrous mark of his true, unerring, pure dharma-body—the mark of benefiting oneself and others. This statement gathers together the wisdom, serenity, emptiness, compassion, and benefit to beings that came before. The tree deity has not merely spoken a collection of lovely similes; she has proclaimed the wondrous mark through which the dharma-body benefits self and other.
The Buddha next says that, through this merit, the tree deity will swiftly realize unsurpassed awakening and all sentient beings will undertake the cultivation together. What the praiser receives is not separated from others. One tree deity’s praise opens toward every sentient being. This answers her earlier aspiration for humans and gods to receive universal aid: her aspiration has already moved beyond herself, and the Buddha’s confirmation now explicitly speaks of shared cultivation.
The final sentence extends the scope once more to hearers: whoever hears will enter the nectar gate of the unborn Dharma. Earlier, the tree deity asked the Buddha to teach the nectar Dharma of nirvāṇa; the Buddha’s final words conclude with nectar and the unborn. Earlier, she repeatedly thirsted; what is entered at the end is a gate of nectar. The praiser’s thirst, the Dharma confirmed by the Buddha, and the gate entered by hearers now form one line.
How, then, does a single act of homage enter the unborn? It first discerns its direction through pure, nondiscriminating wisdom; through rarity and compassionate vows it sees the Buddha teaching for sentient beings. In empty serenity it loosens grasping; in recollection, bowing, and service it makes aspirational conduct firm; then it turns the wish to see into the three activities directed toward great compassion. The Buddha’s answer ensures that none of this belongs only to the praiser: sentient beings cultivate together, and hearers together enter the nectar gate of the unborn Dharma. Beginning and end correspond.
Through the Lens of Consciousness-Only
Huizhao reads the eleven stanzas as the first five praising the Buddha and the latter six making aspirations; within the first five, the first stanza reveals the substance of wisdom and the next four reveal its function. Reading the first stanza, he first says that pure wisdom is wisdom made complete through freedom from obstruction; constantly seeking the true Dharma means causing sentient beings to cultivate good; leaving what is contrary to Dharma means causing them to abandon evil; and nondiscrimination is established through purity of the three spheres. This reading gives each of the four lines its own function without separating any from nondiscriminating wisdom.
Huizhao also opens three other paths through the same stanza. He can read the first line as fruit and the next three as causes, correlating them in turn with the wisdom of preparatory practice, fundamental wisdom, and subsequently attained wisdom. He can read the four lines as advancing in good, leaving evil, conforming to the unconditioned, and nondiscrimination. Or he can let the first line encompass the dharma-body and reward body, assign the other three exclusively to the reward body, and direct the functions that follow toward the transformation body. These four perspectives let the substance, causes and effects, and buddha-bodies of wisdom illuminate one another.
The fourth and fifth stanzas likewise have several aspects. Huizhao first reads the words “Sage” and “śrāvaka” as showing transformed forms abiding in serenity, perhaps also applying to the self-benefiting function of the enjoyment body. He records Paramārtha’s reading of the two stanzas as the dharma-body, but judges that it fits the textual progression somewhat loosely. One subsequent explanation divides them into the quality of abiding in serenity, the cause that enables such abiding, and a conclusion explaining why. Another reads from the latter stanza four kinds of equality: equality of dharmas, sentient beings, those transformed, and the Buddha’s substance. Empty serenity thus extends through both the function of buddha-bodies and the principle of equality.
In Huizhao’s reading, the latter six stanzas become six aspirations: always seeing, always encountering, serving without weariness, constantly receiving aid and protection, benefiting sentient beings, and seeing realization and liberation. He reads the Buddha’s body as like empty space, illusion, mirage, and the moon in water through the dharma-body, enjoyment body, and emanation body; he understands “great sage bodhisattvas” as bodhisattvas of equal awakening. The Buddha’s response at the end is further divided into confirmation of what was praised and confirmation of what was aspired to, joining the preceding wisdom and compassionate aspirations to the benefit that concludes the chapter.
Reading according to the old recension, Jizang closely analyzes the tree deity’s praise as the person able to praise and the matter praised, then unfolds it through the two bodies of response and transformation, the dharma-body, and the concluding request. Within these he distinguishes wisdom and qualities, external transformation and inward realization, emptiness of the noble path and emptiness of all dharmas, emptiness of sentient beings, and practices for seeing the Buddha such as recollecting the Buddha, bowing, cultivating compassion, and thirsting reverence. Zhiyi instead opens the Buddha’s praise as a fourth section after three groups able to praise, and contemplates praise of the Buddha through body, speech, and mind. Carrying this forward, Zhili says that although praise issues from the mouth, the body must be reverent and the mind respectful; only when all three activities operate together is the meaning of praise complete. From the tree deity’s earnest request to see, he further reads both a request that the Buddha confirm what has been said and a request that contemplative practice become more luminous.
These ancient masters’ lenses all illuminate one point. The tree deity’s praise is not a static description: the substance of wisdom becomes the function of benefiting beings; the feeling of looking upward becomes conduct through the three activities; and a personal aspiration is opened by the Buddha toward shared cultivation and a gate of hearing the Dharma. The eleven stanzas unfold repeatedly across translations and commentaries, yet in the end they return to the sūtra’s nectar of the unborn and find their carrying forward in later recitation and practice.
考據Apparatus
本篇以唐義淨譯《金光明最勝王經》卷十〈菩提樹神讚歎品第二十九〉為底本，對讀曇無讖譯《金光明經》與寶貴合《合部金光明經》〈讚佛品〉後段的菩提樹神讚，並錄慧沼、智顗、知禮、吉藏所傳之釋。三本有正面對應段；以下只誌分合、偈式、異存與古德科釋，不由分品推定分義。
一、科判定位
品身、頌數與真末行
底本品題為「金光明最勝王經菩提樹神讚歎品第二十九」〔T16n0665 0455a21〕。品身自「爾時，菩提樹神亦以伽他讚世尊曰：」〔T16n0665 0455a22〕起，經十一個七言四句單位，至佛答末句「聞者，皆入甘露無生法門。」〔T16n0665 0455b20〕止。正文共三百九十七字；起讚、單一偈頌容器與佛答相續成品，未另立子分節，故本篇不插科號。本品沒有陀羅尼或呪文。
佛答以「汝能於我真實無妄清淨法身，自利利他宣揚妙相」〔T16n0665 0455b17〕印可所讚，又以「以此功德令汝速證最上菩提，一切有情同所修習」〔T16n0665 0455b18〕印可功德與共修，末以聞者入甘露無生法門收束。
慧沼三分、五讚六願
慧沼《金光明最勝王經疏》以「下品文分三」〔T39n1788 0338c18〕總判：先出能讚人，次述讚詞，後為如來歎印；又判「下讚詞總有十一頌，大分為二：初五頌讚、後六頌發願。讚中，初一頌讚智體、後四頌讚智用。」〔T39n1788 0338c23〕這是疏家對連續經文的科釋，不是經中自立的節題。
二、舊本分合與異存
三本分合事實
| 本 | 樹神起讚 | 樹神讚本體 | 佛答或佛述 | 分合形態 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| T16n0663 | 「爾時道場菩提樹神，復說讚曰：」〔T16n0663 0357b21〕 | 0357b22–0357c26；一百零二個四字分句 | 0357c27–0358a01；十二個四字分句 | 樹神讚與佛述同在〈讚佛品第十八〉的一個偈頌容器內。 |
| T16n0664 | 「爾時，道場菩提樹神復說讚曰：」〔T16n0664 0400b22〕 | 0400b23–0400c28；一百零二個四字分句 | 0400c28–0401a02；八個四字分句 | 樹神讚跨兩個偈頌容器，佛述接在第二個容器內；佛述首字在 0400c28。 |
| T16n0665 | 「爾時，菩提樹神亦以伽他讚世尊曰：」〔T16n0665 0455a22〕 | 0455a23–0455b15；十一個七言四句單位 | 0455b16–0455b20；散文 | 樹神讚獨立為品二十九，品末另有佛答。 |
T663、T664 的對應段就在舊本〈讚佛品〉後段；三本場景與讚文正面相應，義淨本所見的是分合與偈式改變。
十一頌順序對位
下表依內容次序把兩舊本各一百零二個四字分句連續對到 T665 十一頌；舊本範圍全數覆蓋，但不把七言頌界倒作舊本原有頌界。
| 頌 | T665 七言頌 | T663 連續對應 | T664 連續對應 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 一 | 「敬禮如來清淨慧！敬禮常求正法慧！敬禮能離非法慧！敬禮恒無分別慧！」〔T16n0665 0455a23〕 | 0357b22–0357b25；南無清淨至本性清淨 | 0400b23–0400b26；南無清淨至本性清淨 |
| 二 | 「希有世尊無邊行，希有難見比優曇；希有如海鎮山王，希有善逝光無量。」〔T16n0665 0455a25〕 | 0357b25–0357b29；功德、大海、須彌、無邊行、優曇華 | 0400b27–0400c02；功德、大海、須彌、無邊行、優曇華 |
| 三 | 「希有調御弘慈願，希有釋種明逾日；能說如是經中寶，哀愍利益諸群生。」〔T16n0665 0455a27〕 | 0357b29–0357c02；大悲、人中日、利益眾生、妙寶經典 | 0400c02–0400c04；大悲、人中日、利益眾生、妙寶經典 |
| 四 | 「牟尼寂靜諸根定，能入寂靜涅槃城；能住寂靜等持門，能知寂靜深境界。」〔T16n0665 0455a29〕 | 0357c03–0357c05；諸根寂滅、善寂大城、甚深三昧、佛所行處 | 0400c04–0400c07；諸根寂滅、善寂大城、甚深三昧、佛所行處 |
| 五 | 「兩足中尊住空寂，聲聞弟子身亦空；一切法體性皆無，一切眾生悉空寂。」〔T16n0665 0455b02〕 | 0357c05–0357c09；聲聞身、世尊行處、諸法性相、眾生性相皆空 | 0400c07–0400c11；聲聞身、世尊行處、諸法性相、眾生性相皆空 |
| 六 | 「我常憶念於諸佛，我常樂見諸世尊；我常發起慇重心，常得值遇如來日。」〔T16n0665 0455b04〕 | 0357c09–0357c11；念佛、樂見、誓願、不離佛日 | 0400c11–0400c12；念佛、樂見、誓願、不離佛日 |
| 七 | 「我常頂禮於世尊，願常渴仰心不捨；悲泣流淚情無間，常得奉事不知厭。」〔T16n0665 0455b06〕 | 0357c11–0357c15；跪地合掌、戀慕、修大悲、哀泣雨淚、憂火 | 0400c12–0400c16；跪地合掌、戀慕、修大悲、哀泣雨淚、憂火 |
| 八 | 「惟願世尊起悲心，和顏常得令我見；佛及聲聞眾清淨，願常普濟於人天。」〔T16n0665 0455b08〕 | 0357c15–0357c19；法水滅火、常見佛、常護人天 | 0400c16–0400c20；法水滅火、常見佛、常護人天 |
| 九 | 「佛身本淨若虛空，亦如幻焰及水月；願說涅槃甘露法，能生一切功德聚。」〔T16n0665 0455b10〕 | 0357c19–0357c23；虛空、焰幻響化、水月、夢、琉璃、甘露法處 | 0400c20–0400c24；虛空、焰幻響化、水月、夢、琉璃、甘露法處 |
| 十 | 「世尊所有淨境界，慈悲正行不思議；聲聞獨覺非所量，大仙菩薩不能測。」〔T16n0665 0455b12〕 | 0357c23–0357c25；如來行處甚深，眾生、神仙、聲聞、緣覺不能知 | 0400c24–0400c27；如來行處甚深，眾生、神仙、聲聞、緣覺不能知 |
| 十一 | 「惟願如來哀愍我，常令覩見大悲身；三業無倦奉慈尊，速出生死歸真際。」〔T16n0665 0455b14〕 | 0357c25–0357c27；不疑佛所行處，請慈悲現身 | 0400c27–0400c28；不疑佛所行處，請慈悲現身 |
T663、T664 二十三項原字與標點異存
兩舊本對應的一百零二個四字分句中，七十九個連同標點相同；下列二十三項各守本字，不以一本補另一本。
| 次 | T663 | T664 | 異存 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 一 | 「隨順覺了，」〔T16n0663 0357b23〕 | 「隨願覺了。」〔T16n0664 0400b24〕 | 順／願；逗號／句號。 |
| 二 | 「非法非道，」〔T16n0663 0357b23〕 | 「非法、非道，」〔T16n0664 0400b24〕 | 頓號。 |
| 三 | 「成佛正覺。」〔T16n0663 0357b24〕 | 「成佛正覺，」〔T16n0664 0400b25〕 | 句號／逗號。 |
| 四 | 「知有非有，」〔T16n0663 0357b24〕 | 「知有、非有，」〔T16n0664 0400b25〕 | 頓號。 |
| 五 | 「本性清淨，」〔T16n0663 0357b25〕 | 「本性清淨。」〔T16n0664 0400b26〕 | 逗號／句號。 |
| 六 | 「希有希有，」〔T16n0663 0357b25〕 | 「希有希有，」〔T16n0664 0400b27〕 | T664 於此重開引號。 |
| 七 | 「希有如來，」〔T16n0663 0357b29〕 | 「希有希有，」〔T16n0664 0400c02〕 | 如來／希有。 |
| 八 | 「無量大悲。」〔T16n0663 0357b29〕 | 「無量大悲，」〔T16n0664 0400c02〕 | 句號／逗號。 |
| 九 | 「為人中日，」〔T16n0663 0357c01〕 | 「為人中日。」〔T16n0664 0400c03〕 | 逗號／句號。 |
| 十 | 「善哉如來，」〔T16n0663 0357c03〕 | 「善哉，如來！」〔T16n0664 0400c04〕 | 逗號與驚歎號。 |
| 十一 | 「所行之處；」〔T16n0663 0357c05〕 | 「所行之處。」〔T16n0664 0400c07〕 | 分號／句號。 |
| 十二 | 「身皆空寂，」〔T16n0663 0357c06〕 | 「身皆空寂；」〔T16n0664 0400c07〕 | 逗號／分號。 |
| 十三 | 「行處亦空。」〔T16n0663 0357c06〕 | 「行處亦空；」〔T16n0664 0400c08〕 | 句號／分號。 |
| 十四 | 「亦皆空寂；」〔T16n0663 0357c08〕 | 「亦皆空寂。」〔T16n0664 0400c09〕 | 分號／句號。 |
| 十五 | 「不離佛日。」〔T16n0663 0357c10〕 | 「不離佛日；」〔T16n0664 0400c12〕 | 句號／分號。 |
| 十六 | 「憂火熾然；」〔T16n0663 0357c14〕 | 「憂火熾然。」〔T16n0664 0400c16〕 | 分號／句號。 |
| 十七 | 「惟願世尊，」〔T16n0663 0357c15〕 | 「唯願世尊，」〔T16n0664 0400c16〕 | 惟／唯。 |
| 十八 | 「願賜我身，」〔T16n0663 0357c17〕 | 「願使我身，」〔T16n0664 0400c18〕 | 賜／使。 |
| 十九 | 「猶如虛空，」〔T16n0663 0357c19〕 | 「猶如虛空、」〔T16n0664 0400c21〕 | 逗號／頓號。 |
| 二十 | 「焰幻響化，」〔T16n0663 0357c19〕 | 「焰幻、響化、」〔T16n0664 0400c21〕 | 兩個頓號。 |
| 二十一 | 「五通神仙，」〔T16n0663 0357c24〕 | 「五通神仙、」〔T16n0664 0400c26〕 | 逗號／頓號。 |
| 二十二 | 「及諸聲聞，」〔T16n0663 0357c24〕 | 「及諸聲聞、」〔T16n0664 0400c26〕 | 逗號／頓號。 |
| 二十三 | 「惟願慈悲，」〔T16n0663 0357c26〕 | 「唯願慈悲，」〔T16n0664 0400c28〕 | 惟／唯。 |
品末佛答與佛述
T663 先作「爾時世尊，從三昧起，以微妙音，而讚歎言：」〔T16n0663 0357c27〕，佛語為「善哉善哉！樹神善女，汝於今日，快說是言，一切眾生，若聞此法，皆入甘露，無生法門。」〔T16n0663 0357c28〕
T664 先作「爾時世尊，從三昧起，以微妙音，而讚嘆言：」〔T16n0664 0400c28〕，佛語為「善哉善哉，樹神善女！汝於今日，快說是言。」〔T16n0664 0401a01〕
T665 先作「爾時世尊聞是讚已，以梵音聲告樹神曰：」〔T16n0665 0455b16〕，佛語為「善哉！善哉！善女天！汝能於我真實無妄清淨法身，自利利他宣揚妙相，以此功德令汝速證最上菩提，一切有情同所修習，若得聞者，皆入甘露無生法門。」〔T16n0665 0455b17〕
三本都以佛語承接樹神讚；T663、T664 作從三昧起，T665 作聞讚後以梵音告樹神。此處只記文本對位與分繫，不由長短判增刪，不由『從三昧起』推定分品義。
三、經據與慧沼正疏
慧沼正疏十三條
本品正疏範圍為 T39n1788 0338c04–0339b24；卷首目次不作正疏首見。
| 次 | 類別 | 位置 | 慧沼所傳 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 一 | 釋名、問答 | 0338c05 | 菩提樹本名畢鉢羅；佛坐其下成等正覺，因稱菩提樹；大地菩薩現為天女而主此樹。又問何以不明餘神，答以最先見佛、常不離佛。 |
| 二 | 牒經 | 0338c18 | 「經 爾時菩提樹神。」〔T39n1788 0338c18〕 |
| 三 | 三分 | 0338c18 | 「下品文分三」〔T39n1788 0338c18〕；先出能讚人，次由亦以伽他起述讚詞，後由爾時世尊起作如來歎印。 |
| 四 | 牒第一頌 | 0338c21 | 「敬禮如來清淨慧，敬禮常求正法慧，敬禮能離非法慧，敬禮恒無分別慧。」〔T39n1788 0338c21〕 |
| 五 | 五讚六願 | 0338c23 | 前五頌為讚，後六頌為願；第一頌讚智體，後四頌讚智用。第一頌另有四套讀法，詳下。 |
| 六 | 牒二、三頌 | 0339a06 | 「希有世尊無邊行，希有難見比優曇，希有如海鎮山玄，希有善逝光無量。」〔T39n1788 0339a06〕起，續至哀愍利益群生。 |
| 七 | 八希 | 0339a09 | 「利他中，初一句讚具行希。次一句讚出現希。次一句現身希」〔T39n1788 0339a10〕，續列光無量、弘願、種姓、說經、利生，共八希。 |
| 八 | 牒四、五頌 | 0339a16 | 「牟尼寂靜諸根定，能入寂靜涅槃城，能住寂靜等持門，能知寂靜深境界。」〔T39n1788 0339a16〕起，續至一切眾生悉空寂。 |
| 九 | 自利用 | 0339a19 | 先提出化相或通受用之讀法，另記真諦說，再列三分與四平等之解，詳下。 |
| 十 | 牒後六頌 | 0339b01 | 自憶念諸佛起，依次牒供侍、加護、利有情、見證與出離諸願，至「速出生死歸真際。」〔T39n1788 0339b10〕 |
| 十一 | 六願 | 0339b10 | 「下發願，有六：初半頌憶念願所住常見。次半頌慇重願所生常遇。次一頌供侍願恒供無厭。」〔T39n1788 0339b10〕後續加護、利有情與見證之願。 |
| 十二 | 牒佛答 | 0339b19 | 「經 爾時世尊聞是讚已，以梵音聲告樹神曰：」〔T39n1788 0339b19〕，疏牒原字作善女人，標點亦與底本有別，詳下表。 |
| 十三 | 歎印 | 0339b23 | 「下歎印。初歎；」〔T39n1788 0339b23〕其後以善女天以下印可所讚，以此功德以下印可所願。 |
慧沼內部九組異解
| 節點 | 慧沼逐字判語 |
|---|---|
| 樹神與大地神 | 「問：菩提樹神與大地神為一為別？答：有說是一，有說是別。」〔T39n1788 0338c15〕 |
| 第一頌之一 | 「體中，初一句總讚智體，離障智圓名清淨慧。次二句讚慧能，能令眾生修善故云常求正法。不爾，果滿更何所求？能令眾生捨惡，故云離非法慧。雖能如是，三輪淨故，恒無分別。」〔T39n1788 0338c25〕 |
| 第一頌之二 | 「或初一句讚果、後三句讚因。因中，初句加行智、次句本智、次句後得智。離邪分別，故云無分別。」〔T39n1788 0338c29〕 |
| 第一頌之三 | 「或如次常能進善能離諸惡，常順無為恒無分別。」〔T39n1788 0339a02〕 |
| 第一頌之四 | 「或初句通法報，餘三句唯讚報。讚用即化身」〔T39n1788 0339a03〕；又引舊經南無清淨無上正覺甚深妙法，說清淨慧通法身。 |
| 第四、五頌之身別 | 「化相住寂、能入涅槃等，以言牟尼及聲聞弟子故，或通受用自利之用。」〔T39n1788 0339a19〕 |
| 第四、五頌之他說 | 「然真諦三藏云讚法身者，文勢稍疎。」〔T39n1788 0339a21〕 |
| 第四、五頌之三分 | 「二頌分三：初一頌讚自利住寂德、次半頌讚能住寂所由、後半頌結成所以。」〔T39n1788 0339a22〕 |
| 第四、五頌之又解 | 「又解：初頌前讚住寂；後頌讚得四平等，一法平等、二眾生、三所化、四佛體。準文配知。」〔T39n1788 0339a27〕 |
慧沼牒經與 T665 底本異存全表
| 段 | 底本 T665 | 慧沼牒 T1788 | 異存 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 起讚 | 0455a22 | 0338c18、0338c21 | 爾時，／爾時；慧沼分牒；伽他／伽陀。 |
| 頌一 | 0455a23 | 0338c21 | 四個驚歎號／三逗號加句號；慧沼於此閉牒。 |
| 頌二 | 0455a25 | 0339a06 | 分號／逗號；山王／山玄；慧沼重開牒。 |
| 頌三 | 0455a27 | 0339a07 | 分號／逗號；慧沼於此閉牒。 |
| 頌四 | 0455a29 | 0339a16 | 分號／逗號；慧沼重開牒。 |
| 頌五 | 0455b02 | 0339a17 | 分號／逗號；慧沼於此閉牒。 |
| 頌六 | 0455b04 | 0339b01 | 分號／逗號；慇／殷；慧沼重開牒。 |
| 頌七 | 0455b06 | 0339b02 | 分號／逗號。 |
| 頌八 | 0455b08 | 0339b04 | 惟／唯；分號／逗號。 |
| 頌九 | 0455b10 | 0339b05 | 分號／逗號。 |
| 頌十 | 0455b12 | 0339b07 | 分號／逗號。 |
| 頌十一 | 0455b14 | 0339b08 | 惟／唯；分號／逗號；慧沼於此閉牒。 |
| 佛答 | 0455b16 | 0339b19 | 善哉！善哉！／善哉善哉！；善女天／善女人；疏牒無法身後、妙相後二逗號，而在功德後有逗號。 |
同疏內也有原字自異：牒經作「殷重」〔T39n1788 0339b02〕，判語作「慇重」〔T39n1788 0339b11〕；牒經作「善女人」〔T39n1788 0339b20〕，判語回指「善女天」〔T39n1788 0339b23〕。四處各守疏中原字，不據判語回改牒文。
四、諸家異釋
智顗《金光明經文句》逐文層
智顗先依舊本合科六十五行半，說「二正說偈，合六十五行半。文為三：一二十行諸菩薩說、二十七行信相說、三二十八行半樹神說〔云云〕。」〔T39n1785 0083a02〕又私謂其文有四——前三是能讚、後一是所讚，所讚與能讚互即〔0083a04〕。其後以佛從三昧起之讚為第四，又答佛於何處入定，說經首尾皆在法性中。三段與四段兩種計法同在一段內。
智顗另作觀心釋：「觀心者，諸菩薩三業讚佛，三業事可解。三觀心者，觀身不得身，身空但有名字。名字無量，或捨身名檀，乃至身空名智慧。六度十度、八萬塵沙法門，名字即空。說空不定空、假非定假，非空非有即顯中道。」〔T39n1785 0083a20〕後文再以三衣六物說事理俱成；這是智顗觀心層，不作本經直說。
知禮《金光明經文句記》逐文層
知禮本段真正起點是 T39n1786 0156b19：「三、樹神說，二：初、經家敘。」〔T39n1786 0156b19〕0156a21 尚在信相番，不作樹神段首。以下三十個實質節點依磁碟次第全列；摘錄皆繫該節點首字所在行，後欄保存其餘要義。
| 次 | 位置 | 節點與逐字起語 | 釋義內容 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 一 | 0156b19 | 「三、樹神說，二：初、經家敘。言道場菩提樹神者，即如來得道之場在此樹下。」〔T39n1786 0156b19〕 | 以畢鉢羅樹因佛於下得菩提智果而得名，女天依樹住亦以為名。 |
| 二 | 0156b28 | 「二、正說偈，四：」〔T39n1786 0156b28〕 | 正偈總開四段。 |
| 三 | 0156b28 | 「初、二句總讚。南無者，歸命之辭也。」〔T39n1786 0156b28〕 | 以性淨、相淨與法報應圓釋總讚。 |
| 四 | 0156c02 | 「二、別讚，二：初、廣讚能說教主，三：初、」〔T39n1786 0156c02〕 | 由甚深以下就所覺顯明讚佛法身，以法性融妙、圓智遍照與出纏法身釋遠離非法非道。 |
| 五 | 0156c13 | 「就能覺智行讚佛報身，三：初、約法。」〔T39n1786 0156c13〕 | 以有、非有、本性清淨配俗、真、中，並釋功德為助行。 |
| 六 | 0156c21 | 「即喻上報身智行也。大海，喻智也。」〔T39n1786 0156c21〕 | 又以須彌喻行。 |
| 七 | 0156c26 | 「智行契理，三法一如，故曰無邊行也。」〔T39n1786 0156c26〕 | 智、行與理合說。 |
| 八 | 0156c27 | 「就垂世形益讚佛應身。優曇花者」〔T39n1786 0156c27〕 | 以優曇鉢羅之瑞應與無量大悲釋佛出世。 |
| 九 | 0157a04 | 「略讚所說教法。如來將欲口輪說法」〔T39n1786 0157a04〕 | 以意業鑑機如日照物，承接利益眾生與妙寶經典。 |
| 十 | 0157a08 | 「就果佛讚所游定。諸根寂滅者」〔T39n1786 0157a09〕 | 釋諸根寂滅、善寂大城、甚深三昧與佛所行處。 |
| 十一 | 0157a19 | 「二、明三昧能空行相。」〔T39n1786 0157a19〕 | 詳辨性相二空、生法二空、真俗二諦與圓教中道觀。 |
| 十二 | 0158a19 | 「指凡愚不了請現。上讚佛所遊三昧空智」〔T39n1786 0158a20〕 | 說樹神明見性相俱空，悲愍凡迷而請佛出定。 |
| 十三 | 0158a24 | 「正敘昔願行請現。我常念佛者」〔T39n1786 0158a24〕 | 以念佛、誓願、跪地合掌、戀慕雨淚與無緣悲說正助合修；又開兩意：一為請佛出定、印三番所說並願未來見佛，二為久已分見真身而求觀行增明。 |
| 十四 | 0158b11 | 「二、約定具慈悲請現，三：」〔T39n1786 0158b11〕 | 既為自見，也愍他人不見佛真體。 |
| 十五 | 0158b15 | 「約聖凡未發性明。即樹神擊請今佛出定也。」〔T39n1786 0158b16〕 | 列虛空、煙焰、幻、谷響、神通化、水月六喻，又以夢喻眾生之性。 |
| 十六 | 0158b24 | 「三、就佛行處明見請現。」〔T39n1786 0158b24〕 | 以佛所入定具慈愍照，說請現使自他得樂。 |
| 十七 | 0158b26 | 「愍凡聖不知請現。樹神以凡夫小聖共迷佛所遊境界」〔T39n1786 0158b27〕 | 列五通神仙與二乘不知佛所遊境界。 |
| 十八 | 0158c04 | 「指已信不疑請現。樹神述已於佛行處明了無滯。」〔T39n1786 0158c04〕 | 三組問答：先答樹神何以知佛尚在定；次論新舊本定起次第，明言梵本與所見不同並列；末答心遊寂理、口出其言，說不妨定。 |
| 十九 | 0159a16 | 「明經家敘起定。爾時者」〔T39n1786 0159a16〕 | 以樹神請畢為起定之時，以微細妙好之音悅豫四眾。 |
| 二十 | 0159a19 | 「明佛定起能讚。佛讚樹神意合前二」〔T39n1786 0159a19〕 | 以佛讚合前三番，並以聞三法而解悟常住釋入甘露無生法門。 |
| 二十一 | 0159a24 | 「二、章安總釋，二：初、約義釋，二：」〔T39n1786 0159a24〕 | 章安把如來定起三行開作第四段。 |
| 二十二 | 0159b01 | 「二、示印成讚教。」〔T39n1786 0159b01〕 | 以三番先讚佛、次讚教，通攝一經體、智、用與菩薩修因。 |
| 二十三 | 0159b09 | 「二、讚通三業。」〔T39n1786 0159b09〕 | 由果佛讚因人，連到因人身口意三業。 |
| 二十四 | 0159b20 | 「初、明住法性定。」〔T39n1786 0159b20〕 | 問何以全經在定而說；答法性定無礙，說畢定起印成三番。 |
| 二十五 | 0159b29 | 「二、彰法性圓融。」〔T39n1786 0159b29〕 | 以法性含容說出入、說默、同處各處皆無障礙。 |
| 二十六 | 0159c10 | 「初、明事三業境。」〔T39n1786 0159c10〕 | 讚雖在口，身須恭謹、心須尊重，三業齊運。 |
| 二十七 | 0159c14 | 「初、明於事觀理。」〔T39n1786 0159c14〕 | 寄身等境示空假中三觀，續以十度名身、性相俱空而色心宛然。 |
| 二十八 | 0160a01 | 「初、明無觀俱失。」〔T39n1786 0160a01〕 | 身等為境、境能發觀，觀成則事理雙明。 |
| 二十九 | 0160a03 | 「二、以衣物為例。」〔T39n1786 0160a03〕 | 詳列三衣六物、四禪八定，以說解則事理俱明。 |
| 三十 | 0160a11 | 「三、得理俱成。」〔T39n1786 0160a11〕 | 理觀若成，身口意三成妙色心，事理俱成。 |
第十三節的兩意原文核心為：「今有二意。一者、如來入定本為說經，說經既畢要須出定，欲出其定須得其請。故佛出定，能印三番所說皆實。既一期事畢，乃樹神致請殷勤，故敘昔常願見復加願行，欲使未來亦得見佛，故云願使我身常得見佛。二者、樹神久已分見如來真身，欲增念佛之觀更求上證，故寄請佛出定，頻陳欲見。」〔T39n1786 0158b02〕
第十八節自 T39n1786〔0158c04〕起保存三問三答：樹神如何知佛未出定；新舊本何以分見定起前後；智顗依讖本何以又說入遊法性、出敘經王。知禮於第二答中原作「集經者或言定起方說、或云說畢定起」〔T39n1786 0158c29〕；這是知禮的傳本解說，不取代三譯本身的分合事實。
吉藏《金光明經疏》逐文層
吉藏先說七卷經有讚能說人德與弘所說教法二品，四卷本則同在〈讚佛品〉；此語只作他自己的分判，不推成樹神段缺席。其樹神段以「第二樹神讚中，初出能讚人」〔T39n1787 0174a04〕起科，再以南無以下為所歎事。全段細判如下：
- 樹神歎二十五行半，佛述二行；樹神歎又分合歎應化二身、別歎法身、結請。
- 應化二身一段，先正歎，後明渴仰；正歎先歎三身之體，再歎其用。
- 三身體中先歎智慧、後歎功德；吉藏以「知有」〔T39n1787 0174a14〕為知世諦，以「非有」〔T39n1787 0174a14〕為知真諦，以本性清淨為知一實諦。
- 用中先總表出世希有，再明外化、內證；內證又分能證智、所證理。
- 所證理分聖道空、萬法空、眾生空；吉藏疏文原作「行虛亦空」〔T39n1787 0174a25〕，T663 經文則作「行處亦空。」〔T16n0663 0357c06〕，兩者分書。
- 渴仰段先念佛、禮拜、修悲、渴仰求見，再願佛以法水滅憂火、現身常見；其後別歎法身深智與物不能知，末結法身、應身而請現化身。
吉藏把能讚人、所歎事、三身體用、法身與結請層層展開；這一科釋依四言舊本而立，不改成 T665 十一頌自有的標題。
玄義層旁照：智顗 T1783、知禮 T1784
下列只屬玄義旁照，不列作本品逐文疏。
| 書 | 位置 | 玄義層逐字材料 |
|---|---|---|
| 智顗《金光明經玄義》 | 0001a22 | 「一切菩薩，遍他方以遙禮；樹神善女，親雨淚以稱揚。」〔T39n1783 0001a22〕 |
| 智顗《金光明經玄義》 | 0006c02 | 以「無量大悲，宣說如是妙寶經典。」〔T39n1783 0006c02〕證妙寶本具光明，不借世金譬法。 |
| 智顗《金光明經玄義》 | 0011a07 | 牒「知有非有本性空寂」〔T39n1783 0011a07〕，說諸異名會入法性。 |
| 知禮《金光明經玄義拾遺記》 | 0014b14 | 牒「我常修行最上大悲，哀泣雨淚欲見於佛。」〔T39n1784 0014b15〕，其後以護持說聽、宗奉經王、流通方等承接。 |
| 知禮《金光明經玄義拾遺記》 | 0034a14 | 「此經樹神覩佛禮塔、為眾詢疑，及至讚佛哀泣雨淚請佛現身。此之經義，忽有一本無如是文，他必謂之後人擅加耳。」〔T39n1784 0034a14〕 |
| 知禮《金光明經玄義拾遺記》 | 0043a10 | 「〈讚佛品〉既讚果佛，知之一字即種智知。此知知下三諦之理，有即俗諦、非有即真諦、本性即中諦。」〔T39n1784 0043a10〕 |
| 知禮《金光明經玄義拾遺記》 | 0044b27 | 「讚有三種，謂讚丈六、尊特、法性。今正讚尊特，上冥法性、下現丈六。」〔T39n1784 0044c01〕 |
知禮只說有一未具名之本缺少相關文字；本段沒有給出該本身分、年代或優劣，故不代為命名。
五、術語
| 術語 | 經據與古德所傳 | 本篇取法 |
|---|---|---|
| 菩提樹神 | 底本作「菩提樹神」〔T16n0665 0455a22〕；舊本作道場菩提樹神。慧沼、知禮都以畢鉢羅樹因佛於下成菩提而得名。 | 依底本作菩提樹神；是否與大地神同一，保存慧沼兩說。 |
| 伽他／伽陀 | 底本作「伽他」〔T16n0665 0455a22〕，慧沼牒作「伽陀」〔T39n1788 0338c21〕。 | 各守原字。 |
| 四慧 | 第一頌依次作清淨慧、正法慧、離非法慧、無分別慧。 | 白話只依慧沼第一套解釋作有限釋義；其餘三套留在考據與義疏末章。 |
| 優曇 | 「希有難見比優曇」〔T16n0665 0455a25〕。知禮記優曇鉢羅為瑞應，佛出世時乃現。 | 指稀有難見，不另造植物學說。 |
| 涅槃城、等持門 | 「能入寂靜涅槃城；能住寂靜等持門」〔T16n0665 0455a29〕。 | 城與門皆依本頌語境；古德身別與定義留在署名釋中。 |
| 法身 | 佛答明說真實無妄清淨法身。 | 經直說法身；三身如何配頌屬古德科釋。 |
| 人天 | 樹神願佛與聲聞眾常普濟人天。 | 依經只作人天，不擴成未列之眾類。 |
| 大仙菩薩 | 「大仙菩薩不能測」〔T16n0665 0455b13〕；慧沼釋為等覺菩薩。 | 白話可據疏註明等覺菩薩，不推增位次。 |
| 甘露無生法門 | 佛答末句明說聞者皆入。 | 保留經中得益，不增數量、時限或唯一因果。 |
六、譬喻與修辭
| 譬喻 | 逐字經據 | 所在語勢 |
|---|---|---|
| 優曇 | 「希有難見比優曇」〔T16n0665 0455a25〕 | 寫佛出世難見。 |
| 海與山王 | 「希有如海鎮山王」〔T16n0665 0455a26〕 | 寫善逝在眾中巍然、安定。 |
| 日 | 「希有釋種明逾日」〔T16n0665 0455a27〕；又以如來日寫常遇。 | 寫光明與得見。 |
| 涅槃城、等持門 | 「能入寂靜涅槃城」〔T16n0665 0455a29〕；「能住寂靜等持門」〔T16n0665 0455b01〕 | 以城與門寫寂靜境界。 |
| 虛空、幻、焰、水月 | 「佛身本淨若虛空，亦如幻焰及水月」〔T16n0665 0455b10〕 | 寫本淨與無實可執。 |
| 甘露 | 「願說涅槃甘露法」〔T16n0665 0455b11〕；佛答末又說甘露無生法門。 | 由樹神所願轉入佛所印可的聞法得益。 |
本品的譬喻從難見、巍然與明亮，轉到寂靜、空與如幻，最後落在甘露。語勢也由前五頌的讚歎轉入後六頌反覆的憶念、渴仰、願見、奉事與出離。
七、互讀與承衍
義淨本把舊本〈讚佛品〉中的菩提樹神段分立為品二十九，並把舊本四言讚改作十一個七言四句單位；T663、T664 則讓樹神讚與佛述留在同一品內。三本在菩提樹神讚佛、願見、求法以及佛語承接的場景結構上正面相應，分合不同卻不因此預定義理高下。
古德的讀法亦形成承衍：智顗先依舊本立全品大科，知禮沿《文句》逐節解樹神讚並重開定起問答，吉藏以能讚人、所歎事、三身體用、法身與結請細分，慧沼則依義淨本判十一頌為五讚六願。玄義層又以樹神稱揚、三諦與三種讚旁照全經。經本、逐文疏與玄義各有層次；互讀所見，是同一場讚歎在譯本與古德間持續承衍。
八、校本定位
- 底本：T16n0665《金光明最勝王經》卷十；品題 0455a21，品身 0455a22–0455b20；三百九十七字，十一個七言四句單位，品末散文佛答，無呪。
- 對校本一：T16n0663《金光明經》〈讚佛品第十八〉；樹神讚 0357b21–0357c26，佛述 0357c27–0358a01；樹神讚一百零二個四字分句。
- 對校本二：T16n0664《合部金光明經》〈讚佛品第二十三〉；樹神讚 0400b22–0400c28，佛述首字在 0400c28，真末在 0401a02；樹神讚一百零二個四字分句。
- T663、T664 樹神讚共有二十三項原字、標點或引號異存，已全列於目二；十一頌對位覆蓋兩舊本各一百零二個四字分句。
- 慧沼《金光明最勝王經疏》T39n1788：本品正疏 0338c04–0339b24；十三條牒釋、九組內部異解及牒經異存均列於目三。
- 智顗《金光明經文句》T39n1785：樹神段大科與佛述問答起於 0083a02，觀心釋起於 0083a20；依曇無讖本。
- 知禮《金光明經文句記》T39n1786：樹神逐文記 0156b19–0160a14；0156a21 仍是信相番，未作本段起點。
- 吉藏《金光明經疏》T39n1787：分品旁記 0173c02，樹神讚逐段科釋 0174a04 起；依曇無讖本。
- 智顗《金光明經玄義》T39n1783 與知禮《金光明經玄義拾遺記》T39n1784 只作玄義層旁照；T1784 的樹神善女條起於 0014b14，不與 T1786 逐文記混書。
This apparatus takes as its base Yijing’s Tang translation of The Sūtra of Golden Light, the Supreme King, fascicle ten, Chapter 29, The Deity of the Bodhi Tree Offers Praise. It reads this text alongside the praise by the deity of the bodhi tree in the latter part of the Praise of the Buddha chapter in Dharmakṣema’s Sūtra of Golden Light and Baogui’s composite Sūtra of Golden Light, and records interpretations transmitted by Huizhao, Zhiyi, Zhili, and Jizang. The three recensions contain positively corresponding passages. What follows records only their divisions and combinations, verse forms, differences, and ancient masters’ outlines; it does not infer a division of meaning from the division into chapters.
I. Doctrinal-Outline Placement
Chapter Body, Number of Stanzas, and True Final Line
The base recension titles the chapter 「金光明最勝王經菩提樹神讚歎品第二十九」—“The Sūtra of Golden Light, the Supreme King: The Deity of the Bodhi Tree Offers Praise, Chapter Twenty-Nine” 〔T16n0665 0455a21〕. The chapter body begins with 「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〕. It proceeds through eleven four-line units of seven-character verse and ends with the Buddha’s final sentence, 「聞者，皆入甘露無生法門。」—“Whoever hears it will enter the nectar gate of the unborn Dharma” 〔T16n0665 0455b20〕. The main text has 397 characters. The opening of the praise, a single verse container, and the Buddha’s reply form the chapter in sequence. Because the base text establishes no internal subsections, this apparatus inserts no outline numbers. The chapter contains no dhāraṇī or formula.
The Buddha’s reply confirms what was praised with 「汝能於我真實無妄清淨法身，自利利他宣揚妙相」—“You are able to proclaim the wondrous marks of my true, unerring, pure dharma-body, which benefits oneself and others” 〔T16n0665 0455b17〕. It confirms the merit and shared cultivation with 「以此功德令汝速證最上菩提，一切有情同所修習」—“Through this merit, you will swiftly realize unsurpassed awakening, and all sentient beings will undertake this cultivation together” 〔T16n0665 0455b18〕. It concludes by saying that hearers enter the nectar gate of the unborn Dharma.
Huizhao’s Three Divisions, Five Stanzas of Praise, and Six Stanzas of Aspiration
Huizhao’s Commentary on the Sūtra of Golden Light, the Supreme King gives the general judgment 「下品文分三」—“The following chapter is divided into three” 〔T39n1788 0338c18〕: first, the person able to praise; second, the words of praise; and third, the Tathāgata’s commendation and confirmation. He further judges, 「下讚詞總有十一頌，大分為二：初五頌讚、後六頌發願。讚中，初一頌讚智體、後四頌讚智用。」—“The following words of praise comprise eleven stanzas in all and are broadly divided in two: the first five stanzas praise, and the latter six make aspirations. Within the praise, the first stanza praises the substance of wisdom and the latter four praise the function of wisdom” 〔T39n1788 0338c23〕. This is the commentator’s outline of continuous scripture, not a set of headings established by the sūtra itself.
II. Alternate Translations · Collation of the Three Translations
Facts of Division and Combination in the Three Recensions
| Recension | Opening of the Tree Deity’s Praise | Body of the Tree Deity’s Praise | Buddha’s Reply or Statement | Form of Division or Combination |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| T16n0663 | 「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〕 | 0357b22–0357c26; 102 four-character phrases | 0357c27–0358a01; twelve four-character phrases | The tree deity’s praise and the Buddha’s statement occupy one verse container in Praise of the Buddha, Chapter 18. |
| T16n0664 | 「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〕 | 0400b23–0400c28; 102 four-character phrases | 0400c28–0401a02; eight four-character phrases | The tree deity’s praise spans two verse containers, and the Buddha’s statement follows within the second; its first character is at 0400c28. |
| T16n0665 | 「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〕 | 0455a23–0455b15; eleven four-line units of seven-character verse | 0455b16–0455b20; prose | The tree deity’s praise forms independent Chapter 29, with a separate reply by the Buddha at its end. |
The corresponding passages in T663 and T664 occur in the latter part of the old Praise of the Buddha chapter. Scene and praise correspond positively across all three recensions; what changes in Yijing’s recension is the division and combination and the verse form.
Sequential Correspondence of the Eleven Stanzas
The table below continuously aligns the 102 four-character phrases in each old recension with the eleven stanzas of T665 according to their order of content. The entire old-recension range is covered, but the boundaries of the seven-character stanzas are not projected backward as if they were the old recension’s own stanza boundaries.
| Stanza | T665 Seven-Character Stanza | Continuous Correspondence in T663 | Continuous Correspondence in T664 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 「敬禮如來清淨慧！敬禮常求正法慧！敬禮能離非法慧！敬禮恒無分別慧！」—“Homage to the Tathāgata’s pure wisdom; homage to wisdom that constantly seeks the true Dharma; homage to wisdom that can leave what is contrary to Dharma; homage to wisdom always free of discrimination” 〔T16n0665 0455a23〕 | 0357b22–0357b25; from homage to purity through original purity of nature | 0400b23–0400b26; from homage to purity through original purity of nature |
| 2 | 「希有世尊無邊行，希有難見比優曇；希有如海鎮山王，希有善逝光無量。」—“Rare is the World-Honored One of boundless practice; rare and difficult to see, like an udumbara flower. Rare, like the mountain king settled in the ocean; rare is the Well-Gone One of immeasurable light” 〔T16n0665 0455a25〕 | 0357b25–0357b29; qualities, ocean, Sumeru, boundless practice, and the udumbara flower | 0400b27–0400c02; qualities, ocean, Sumeru, boundless practice, and the udumbara flower |
| 3 | 「希有調御弘慈願，希有釋種明逾日；能說如是經中寶，哀愍利益諸群生。」—“Rare is the Tamer of vast compassionate vows; rare is the scion of the Śākyas whose radiance surpasses the sun. He can teach this jewel among sūtras out of compassion for the many beings and in order to benefit them” 〔T16n0665 0455a27〕 | 0357b29–0357c02; great compassion, the sun among humans, benefiting sentient beings, and the wondrous jeweled scripture | 0400c02–0400c04; great compassion, the sun among humans, benefiting sentient beings, and the wondrous jeweled scripture |
| 4 | 「牟尼寂靜諸根定，能入寂靜涅槃城；能住寂靜等持門，能知寂靜深境界。」—“The Sage is serene, his faculties composed; he can enter the serene city of nirvāṇa, abide at the serene gate of meditative stability, and know the profound, serene domain” 〔T16n0665 0455a29〕 | 0357c03–0357c05; extinction of the faculties, the great city of excellent serenity, profound samādhi, and the Buddha’s sphere of practice | 0400c04–0400c07; extinction of the faculties, the great city of excellent serenity, profound samādhi, and the Buddha’s sphere of practice |
| 5 | 「兩足中尊住空寂，聲聞弟子身亦空；一切法體性皆無，一切眾生悉空寂。」—“The Most Honored among Two-Footed Beings abides in empty serenity; the bodies of his śrāvaka disciples are also empty. The intrinsic nature of every dharma is absent, and all sentient beings are empty and serene” 〔T16n0665 0455b02〕 | 0357c05–0357c09; śrāvaka bodies, the World-Honored One’s sphere of practice, and the nature and characteristics of all dharmas and sentient beings as empty | 0400c07–0400c11; śrāvaka bodies, the World-Honored One’s sphere of practice, and the nature and characteristics of all dharmas and sentient beings as empty |
| 6 | 「我常憶念於諸佛，我常樂見諸世尊；我常發起慇重心，常得值遇如來日。」—“I constantly recollect the buddhas and delight in seeing the World-Honored Ones; I constantly arouse an earnest mind and encounter the Tathāgata as sun” 〔T16n0665 0455b04〕 | 0357c09–0357c11; recollecting the Buddha, delighting in seeing, vows, and not leaving the Buddha as sun | 0400c11–0400c12; recollecting the Buddha, delighting in seeing, vows, and not leaving the Buddha as sun |
| 7 | 「我常頂禮於世尊，願常渴仰心不捨；悲泣流淚情無間，常得奉事不知厭。」—“I constantly bow my head to the World-Honored One and aspire never to relinquish thirsting reverence; weeping and shedding tears, my feeling is unbroken, and I constantly serve without weariness” 〔T16n0665 0455b06〕 | 0357c11–0357c15; kneeling and joining palms, longing, cultivating great compassion, weeping tears like rain, and the fire of sorrow | 0400c12–0400c16; kneeling and joining palms, longing, cultivating great compassion, weeping tears like rain, and the fire of sorrow |
| 8 | 「惟願世尊起悲心，和顏常得令我見；佛及聲聞眾清淨，願常普濟於人天。」—“I only ask the World-Honored One to arouse compassion and always let me behold his gentle countenance; may the Buddha and pure assembly of śrāvakas universally aid humans and gods” 〔T16n0665 0455b08〕 | 0357c15–0357c19; Dharma-water extinguishing the fire, constantly seeing the Buddha, and constantly protecting humans and gods | 0400c16–0400c20; Dharma-water extinguishing the fire, constantly seeing the Buddha, and constantly protecting humans and gods |
| 9 | 「佛身本淨若虛空，亦如幻焰及水月；願說涅槃甘露法，能生一切功德聚。」—“The Buddha’s body is originally pure, like empty space, illusion, mirage, and the moon in water. May he teach the nectar Dharma of nirvāṇa, which can produce the entire accumulation of qualities” 〔T16n0665 0455b10〕 | 0357c19–0357c23; empty space, mirage, illusion, echo, transformation, moon in water, dream, crystal, and the place of the nectar Dharma | 0400c20–0400c24; empty space, mirage, illusion, echo, transformation, moon in water, dream, crystal, and the place of the nectar Dharma |
| 10 | 「世尊所有淨境界，慈悲正行不思議；聲聞獨覺非所量，大仙菩薩不能測。」—“The World-Honored One’s pure domain and true compassionate practice are inconceivable; śrāvakas and solitary realizers cannot measure them, and great sage bodhisattvas cannot fathom them” 〔T16n0665 0455b12〕 | 0357c23–0357c25; the Tathāgata’s profound sphere of practice, which sentient beings, seers, śrāvakas, and solitary realizers cannot know | 0400c24–0400c27; the Tathāgata’s profound sphere of practice, which sentient beings, seers, śrāvakas, and solitary realizers cannot know |
| 11 | 「惟願如來哀愍我，常令覩見大悲身；三業無倦奉慈尊，速出生死歸真際。」—“I only ask the Tathāgata to take compassion on me and always let me behold the body of great compassion; may I tirelessly serve the Loving-Honored One through the three activities, swiftly leave birth and death, and return to the true limit” 〔T16n0665 0455b14〕 | 0357c25–0357c27; not doubting the Buddha’s sphere of practice and asking compassion to manifest the body | 0400c27–0400c28; not doubting the Buddha’s sphere of practice and asking compassion to manifest the body |
Twenty-Three Differences in Characters and Punctuation between T663 and T664
Among the corresponding 102 four-character phrases of the two old recensions, seventy-nine are identical in both characters and punctuation. Each of the following twenty-three differences retains the reading of its own recension; neither witness is supplied from the other.
| No. | T663 | T664 | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 「隨順覺了，」—“awakening in accord,” 〔T16n0663 0357b23〕 | 「隨願覺了。」—“awakening according to the vow.” 〔T16n0664 0400b24〕 | “Accord” / “vow”; comma / full stop. |
| 2 | 「非法非道，」—“contrary to Dharma and contrary to the path,” 〔T16n0663 0357b23〕 | 「非法、非道，」—“contrary to Dharma, contrary to the path,” 〔T16n0664 0400b24〕 | Enumeration comma. |
| 3 | 「成佛正覺。」—“accomplishing the Buddha’s perfect awakening.” 〔T16n0663 0357b24〕 | 「成佛正覺，」—“accomplishing the Buddha’s perfect awakening,” 〔T16n0664 0400b25〕 | Full stop / comma. |
| 4 | 「知有非有，」—“knowing existent and non-existent,” 〔T16n0663 0357b24〕 | 「知有、非有，」—“knowing existent, non-existent,” 〔T16n0664 0400b25〕 | Enumeration comma. |
| 5 | 「本性清淨，」—“originally pure in nature,” 〔T16n0663 0357b25〕 | 「本性清淨。」—“originally pure in nature.” 〔T16n0664 0400b26〕 | Comma / full stop. |
| 6 | 「希有希有，」—“rare, rare,” 〔T16n0663 0357b25〕 | 「希有希有，」—“rare, rare,” 〔T16n0664 0400b27〕 | T664 reopens quotation marks here. |
| 7 | 「希有如來，」—“rare is the Tathāgata,” 〔T16n0663 0357b29〕 | 「希有希有，」—“rare, rare,” 〔T16n0664 0400c02〕 | “Tathāgata” / “rare.” |
| 8 | 「無量大悲。」—“immeasurable great compassion.” 〔T16n0663 0357b29〕 | 「無量大悲，」—“immeasurable great compassion,” 〔T16n0664 0400c02〕 | Full stop / comma. |
| 9 | 「為人中日，」—“the sun among humans,” 〔T16n0663 0357c01〕 | 「為人中日。」—“the sun among humans.” 〔T16n0664 0400c03〕 | Comma / full stop. |
| 10 | 「善哉如來，」—“excellent Tathāgata,” 〔T16n0663 0357c03〕 | 「善哉，如來！」—“excellent, Tathāgata!” 〔T16n0664 0400c04〕 | Comma and exclamation mark. |
| 11 | 「所行之處；」—“the sphere of practice;” 〔T16n0663 0357c05〕 | 「所行之處。」—“the sphere of practice.” 〔T16n0664 0400c07〕 | Semicolon / full stop. |
| 12 | 「身皆空寂，」—“bodies are all empty and serene,” 〔T16n0663 0357c06〕 | 「身皆空寂；」—“bodies are all empty and serene;” 〔T16n0664 0400c07〕 | Comma / semicolon. |
| 13 | 「行處亦空。」—“the sphere of practice is also empty.” 〔T16n0663 0357c06〕 | 「行處亦空；」—“the sphere of practice is also empty;” 〔T16n0664 0400c08〕 | Full stop / semicolon. |
| 14 | 「亦皆空寂；」—“are also all empty and serene;” 〔T16n0663 0357c08〕 | 「亦皆空寂。」—“are also all empty and serene.” 〔T16n0664 0400c09〕 | Semicolon / full stop. |
| 15 | 「不離佛日。」—“never apart from the Buddha as sun.” 〔T16n0663 0357c10〕 | 「不離佛日；」—“never apart from the Buddha as sun;” 〔T16n0664 0400c12〕 | Full stop / semicolon. |
| 16 | 「憂火熾然；」—“the fire of sorrow blazes;” 〔T16n0663 0357c14〕 | 「憂火熾然。」—“the fire of sorrow blazes.” 〔T16n0664 0400c16〕 | Semicolon / full stop. |
| 17 | 「惟願世尊，」—“I only ask the World-Honored One,” 〔T16n0663 0357c15〕 | 「唯願世尊，」—“I only ask the World-Honored One,” 〔T16n0664 0400c16〕 | Alternate characters for “only.” |
| 18 | 「願賜我身，」—“I ask that you bestow upon my body,” 〔T16n0663 0357c17〕 | 「願使我身，」—“I ask that you cause my body,” 〔T16n0664 0400c18〕 | “Bestow” / “cause.” |
| 19 | 「猶如虛空，」—“like empty space,” 〔T16n0663 0357c19〕 | 「猶如虛空、」—“like empty space,” 〔T16n0664 0400c21〕 | Comma / enumeration comma. |
| 20 | 「焰幻響化，」—“mirage, illusion, echo, and transformation,” 〔T16n0663 0357c19〕 | 「焰幻、響化、」—“mirage, illusion, echo, transformation,” 〔T16n0664 0400c21〕 | Two enumeration commas. |
| 21 | 「五通神仙，」—“seers with the five supernormal powers,” 〔T16n0663 0357c24〕 | 「五通神仙、」—“seers with the five supernormal powers,” 〔T16n0664 0400c26〕 | Comma / enumeration comma. |
| 22 | 「及諸聲聞，」—“and the śrāvakas,” 〔T16n0663 0357c24〕 | 「及諸聲聞、」—“and the śrāvakas,” 〔T16n0664 0400c26〕 | Comma / enumeration comma. |
| 23 | 「惟願慈悲，」—“I only ask your compassion,” 〔T16n0663 0357c26〕 | 「唯願慈悲，」—“I only ask your compassion,” 〔T16n0664 0400c28〕 | Alternate characters for “only.” |
The Buddha’s Reply and Statement at the Chapter’s End
T663 first reads, 「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〕. The Buddha’s words are 「善哉善哉！樹神善女，汝於今日，快說是言，一切眾生，若聞此法，皆入甘露，無生法門。」—“Excellent, excellent, good woman who is the tree deity! Today you have well spoken these words. If any sentient being hears this Dharma, they will enter the nectar gate of the unborn Dharma” 〔T16n0663 0357c28〕.
T664 first reads, 「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〕. The Buddha’s words are 「善哉善哉，樹神善女！汝於今日，快說是言。」—“Excellent, excellent, good woman who is the tree deity! Today you have well spoken these words” 〔T16n0664 0401a01〕.
T665 first reads, 「爾時世尊聞是讚已，以梵音聲告樹神曰：」—“At that time, after the World-Honored One had heard this praise, he addressed the tree deity in a Brahmā voice” 〔T16n0665 0455b16〕. The Buddha’s words are 「善哉！善哉！善女天！汝能於我真實無妄清淨法身，自利利他宣揚妙相，以此功德令汝速證最上菩提，一切有情同所修習，若得聞者，皆入甘露無生法門。」—“Excellent, excellent, good goddess! You are able to proclaim the wondrous marks of my true, unerring, pure dharma-body, which benefits oneself and others. Through this merit, you will swiftly realize unsurpassed awakening, all sentient beings will undertake this cultivation together, and whoever hears it will enter the nectar gate of the unborn Dharma” 〔T16n0665 0455b17〕.
In all three recensions, the Buddha’s speech follows the tree deity’s praise. T663 and T664 say that he rises from samādhi; T665 says that after hearing the praise he addresses the tree deity in a Brahmā voice. This apparatus records only the textual correspondence and assignment. It does not judge addition or omission from relative length, nor infer the meaning of chapter division from the words “rises from samādhi.”
III. Scriptural Grounds for the Consciousness-Only Meaning (the Point of the Eye)
Thirteen Items from Huizhao’s Principal Commentary
The principal commentary on this chapter extends across T39n1788 0338c04–0339b24. The table of contents at the beginning of the fascicle is not treated as the first occurrence of the principal commentary.
| No. | Category | Location | Huizhao’s Transmission |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Explanation of the name and question-and-answer | 0338c05 | The bodhi tree was originally called the Biboluo tree, using a reversible reading of the transmitted Han name. Because the Buddha sat beneath it and attained complete perfect awakening, it came to be called the bodhi tree. A bodhisattva of the great earth appeared as a goddess and presided over this tree. Huizhao further asks why other deities are not mentioned and answers that she saw the Buddha first and constantly remained with him. |
| 2 | Cited sūtra | 0338c18 | 「經 爾時菩提樹神。」—“Sūtra: At that time, the deity of the bodhi tree” 〔T39n1788 0338c18〕. |
| 3 | Three divisions | 0338c18 | 「下品文分三」—“The following chapter is divided into three” 〔T39n1788 0338c18〕: first, the person able to praise; second, beginning with “also in verse,” the words of praise; and third, beginning with “at that time, the World-Honored One,” the Tathāgata’s commendation and confirmation. |
| 4 | Cited first stanza | 0338c21 | 「敬禮如來清淨慧，敬禮常求正法慧，敬禮能離非法慧，敬禮恒無分別慧。」—“Homage to the Tathāgata’s pure wisdom; homage to wisdom that constantly seeks the true Dharma; homage to wisdom that can leave what is contrary to Dharma; homage to wisdom always free of discrimination” 〔T39n1788 0338c21〕. |
| 5 | Five stanzas of praise and six of aspiration | 0338c23 | The first five stanzas praise, and the latter six make aspirations. The first stanza praises the substance of wisdom, and the next four praise the function of wisdom. The first stanza also has four distinct readings, detailed below. |
| 6 | Cited second and third stanzas | 0339a06 | Beginning with 「希有世尊無邊行，希有難見比優曇，希有如海鎮山玄，希有善逝光無量。」—“Rare is the World-Honored One of boundless practice; rare and difficult to see, like an udumbara flower; rare, like the mountain xuan settled in the ocean; rare is the Well-Gone One of immeasurable light” 〔T39n1788 0339a06〕, then continuing through compassion for and benefit to the many beings. |
| 7 | Eight rare qualities | 0339a09 | 「利他中，初一句讚具行希。次一句讚出現希。次一句現身希」—“Within benefit to others, the first line praises the rarity of possessing the practice; the next praises the rarity of appearing; the next praises the rarity of manifesting a body” 〔T39n1788 0339a10〕. It continues with immeasurable light, vast vows, lineage, teaching the sūtra, and benefiting beings, making eight rare qualities in all. |
| 8 | Cited fourth and fifth stanzas | 0339a16 | Beginning with 「牟尼寂靜諸根定，能入寂靜涅槃城，能住寂靜等持門，能知寂靜深境界。」—“The Sage is serene, his faculties composed; he can enter the serene city of nirvāṇa, abide at the serene gate of meditative stability, and know the profound, serene domain” 〔T39n1788 0339a16〕, then continuing through all sentient beings being empty and serene. |
| 9 | Function of self-benefit | 0339a19 | Huizhao first presents a reading in terms of transformed appearances, perhaps also applying to the self-benefiting function of the enjoyment body; he then records Paramārtha’s view before listing explanations in three divisions and through four equalities, detailed below. |
| 10 | Cited latter six stanzas | 0339b01 | Beginning with recollection of the buddhas, Huizhao successively cites aspirations for service, aid and protection, benefit to sentient beings, seeing realization, and liberation, through 「速出生死歸真際。」—“Swiftly leave birth and death and return to the true limit” 〔T39n1788 0339b10〕. |
| 11 | Six aspirations | 0339b10 | 「下發願，有六：初半頌憶念願所住常見。次半頌慇重願所生常遇。次一頌供侍願恒供無厭。」—“In the following aspirations there are six: the first half-stanza is the aspiration of recollection, always to see where one dwells; the next half-stanza is the earnest aspiration, always to encounter him wherever one is born; the next full stanza is the aspiration to serve, constantly to make offerings without weariness” 〔T39n1788 0339b10〕. Aspirations for aid and protection, benefiting sentient beings, and seeing realization follow. |
| 12 | Cited Buddha’s reply | 0339b19 | 「經 爾時世尊聞是讚已，以梵音聲告樹神曰：」—“Sūtra: At that time, after the World-Honored One had heard this praise, he addressed the tree deity in a Brahmā voice” 〔T39n1788 0339b19〕. Huizhao’s cited text reads “good woman” in its original characters and differs in punctuation from the base recension, as detailed in the table below. |
| 13 | Commendation and confirmation | 0339b23 | 「下歎印。初歎；」—“The following is commendation and confirmation: first, commendation” 〔T39n1788 0339b23〕. What follows from “good goddess” confirms what was praised; what follows from “through this merit” confirms what was aspired to. |
Nine Sets of Alternate Interpretations within Huizhao
| Node | Huizhao’s Verbatim Judgment |
|---|---|
| The tree deity and the earth deity | 「問：菩提樹神與大地神為一為別？答：有說是一，有說是別。」—“Question: Are the deity of the bodhi tree and the deity of the great earth the same or different? Answer: Some say they are the same; some say they are different” 〔T39n1788 0338c15〕. |
| First reading of the first stanza | 「體中，初一句總讚智體，離障智圓名清淨慧。次二句讚慧能，能令眾生修善故云常求正法。不爾，果滿更何所求？能令眾生捨惡，故云離非法慧。雖能如是，三輪淨故，恒無分別。」—“Within the substance, the first line generally praises the substance of wisdom. Wisdom complete through freedom from obstruction is called pure wisdom. The next two lines praise wisdom’s capacity: because it can cause sentient beings to cultivate good, it is called constantly seeking the true Dharma. Otherwise, when the fruit is complete, what remains to seek? Because it can cause sentient beings to abandon evil, it is called wisdom that leaves what is contrary to Dharma. Although it can act in these ways, because the three spheres are pure, it is always free of discrimination” 〔T39n1788 0338c25〕. |
| Second reading of the first stanza | 「或初一句讚果、後三句讚因。因中，初句加行智、次句本智、次句後得智。離邪分別，故云無分別。」—“Alternatively, the first line praises the fruit and the latter three praise the causes. Among the causes, the first line is the wisdom of preparatory practice, the next is fundamental wisdom, and the next is subsequently attained wisdom. Because it leaves erroneous discrimination, it is called nondiscriminating” 〔T39n1788 0338c29〕. |
| Third reading of the first stanza | 「或如次常能進善能離諸惡，常順無為恒無分別。」—“Alternatively, in sequence: constantly able to advance in good, able to leave every evil, constantly conforming to the unconditioned, and always free of discrimination” 〔T39n1788 0339a02〕. |
| Fourth reading of the first stanza | 「或初句通法報，餘三句唯讚報。讚用即化身」—“Alternatively, the first line applies to both the dharma-body and reward body, while the remaining three praise only the reward body. Praise of function is the emanation body” 〔T39n1788 0339a03〕. Huizhao further cites the old sūtra’s homage to the pure, unsurpassed, perfectly awakened, profound wondrous Dharma and says that pure wisdom applies to the dharma-body. |
| Body distinctions in the fourth and fifth stanzas | 「化相住寂、能入涅槃等，以言牟尼及聲聞弟子故，或通受用自利之用。」—“Transformed appearances abide in serenity and can enter nirvāṇa and so forth, because the text speaks of the Sage and his śrāvaka disciples; or it may also apply to the self-benefiting function of the enjoyment body” 〔T39n1788 0339a19〕. |
| Another view of the fourth and fifth stanzas | 「然真諦三藏云讚法身者，文勢稍疎。」—“Yet when Tripiṭaka Master Paramārtha says that these praise the dharma-body, the textual progression is somewhat loose” 〔T39n1788 0339a21〕. |
| Three divisions of the fourth and fifth stanzas | 「二頌分三：初一頌讚自利住寂德、次半頌讚能住寂所由、後半頌結成所以。」—“The two stanzas are divided into three: the first full stanza praises the self-benefiting quality of abiding in serenity; the next half-stanza praises the reason one can abide in serenity; and the final half-stanza concludes by explaining why” 〔T39n1788 0339a22〕. |
| Another explanation of the fourth and fifth stanzas | 「又解：初頌前讚住寂；後頌讚得四平等，一法平等、二眾生、三所化、四佛體。準文配知。」—“Another explanation: the first stanza previously praised abiding in serenity; the latter stanza praises attainment of four equalities: first, equality of dharmas; second, of sentient beings; third, of those transformed; fourth, of the Buddha’s substance. These can be assigned according to the text” 〔T39n1788 0339a27〕. |
Complete Table of Differences between Huizhao’s Cited Sūtra and the T665 Base
| Passage | T665 Base | Huizhao’s Citation in T1788 | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Opening of praise | 0455a22 | 0338c18, 0338c21 | Punctuation after “at that time” differs; Huizhao cites it in two portions; the two transmitted Han forms differ in their final character. |
| Stanza 1 | 0455a23 | 0338c21 | Four exclamation marks / three commas plus a full stop; Huizhao closes the citation here. |
| Stanza 2 | 0455a25 | 0339a06 | Semicolon / comma; mountain king / mountain xuan; Huizhao reopens the citation. |
| Stanza 3 | 0455a27 | 0339a07 | Semicolon / comma; Huizhao closes the citation here. |
| Stanza 4 | 0455a29 | 0339a16 | Semicolon / comma; Huizhao reopens the citation here. |
| Stanza 5 | 0455b02 | 0339a17 | Semicolon / comma; Huizhao closes the citation here. |
| Stanza 6 | 0455b04 | 0339b01 | Semicolon / comma; alternate character for “earnest”; Huizhao reopens the citation. |
| Stanza 7 | 0455b06 | 0339b02 | Semicolon / comma. |
| Stanza 8 | 0455b08 | 0339b04 | Alternate character for “only”; semicolon / comma. |
| Stanza 9 | 0455b10 | 0339b05 | Semicolon / comma. |
| Stanza 10 | 0455b12 | 0339b07 | Semicolon / comma. |
| Stanza 11 | 0455b14 | 0339b08 | Alternate character for “only”; semicolon / comma; Huizhao closes the citation here. |
| Buddha’s reply | 0455b16 | 0339b19 | Two separately punctuated acclamations / one; good goddess / good woman; the commentary’s citation has no commas after “dharma-body” and “wondrous marks,” but has a comma after “merit.” |
There are also differences of original characters within the same commentary. Its cited sūtra reads 「殷重」—“earnest” 〔T39n1788 0339b02〕, while the interpretive judgment reads 「慇重」—“earnest” 〔T39n1788 0339b11〕. The citation reads 「善女人」—“good woman” 〔T39n1788 0339b20〕, while the judgment refers back with 「善女天」—“good goddess” 〔T39n1788 0339b23〕. All four locations retain the original characters of the commentary; the wording of the judgment is not used to alter its cited text.
IV. Explanations of Various Masters
Zhiyi’s Words and Phrases on the Sūtra of Golden Light: Line-by-Line Layer
Zhiyi first outlines the old composite text as sixty-five and a half stanzas, saying, 「二正說偈，合六十五行半。文為三：一二十行諸菩薩說、二十七行信相說、三二十八行半樹神說〔云云〕。」—“Second, the verses properly spoken comprise sixty-five and a half stanzas. The text is in three parts: 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, and so forth” 〔T39n1785 0083a02〕. He privately adds that the text has four parts: the first three are those able to praise and the last is the one praised, and praiser and praised mutually include one another 〔0083a04〕. He later takes the Buddha’s praise after rising from samādhi as the fourth part and answers the question of where the Buddha entered concentration by saying that the beginning and end of the sūtra both remain within dharma-nature. The counts of three and four sections coexist in a single passage.
Zhiyi also gives a contemplation-of-mind interpretation: 「觀心者，諸菩薩三業讚佛，三業事可解。三觀心者，觀身不得身，身空但有名字。名字無量，或捨身名檀，乃至身空名智慧。六度十度、八萬塵沙法門，名字即空。說空不定空、假非定假，非空非有即顯中道。」—“In contemplating the mind, the bodhisattvas praise the Buddha through the three activities; the matters of the three activities can be understood. To contemplate the mind through the three contemplations: when one contemplates the body, no body is found; the body is empty and there are only names. Names are limitless: relinquishing the body may be named giving, while the emptiness of the body may be named wisdom, and so forth. The six perfections, ten perfections, and eighty-four thousand Dharma gates are names that are themselves empty. Emptiness as spoken is not fixed emptiness; provisional existence is not fixed provisional existence; neither empty nor existent reveals the middle way” 〔T39n1785 0083a20〕. The text later uses the three robes and six requisites to show that matters and principle are both fulfilled. This belongs to Zhiyi’s contemplation-of-mind layer and is not presented as a direct statement of the sūtra.
Zhili’s Record on the Words and Phrases of the Sūtra of Golden Light: Line-by-Line Layer
The true beginning of Zhili’s present section is T39n1786 0156b19: 「三、樹神說，二：初、經家敘。」—“Third, the tree deity’s speech, in two parts: first, the sūtra compiler’s narration” 〔T39n1786 0156b19〕. Line 0156a21 still belongs to Faith-Mark’s round and is not treated as the opening of the tree-deity section. The following thirty substantive nodes are listed completely in their order on disk. Each excerpt is assigned to the line containing the first character of that node, while the final column preserves the remaining import.
| No. | Location | Node and Verbatim Opening | Exegetical Content |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0156b19 | 「三、樹神說，二：初、經家敘。言道場菩提樹神者，即如來得道之場在此樹下。」—“Third, the tree deity’s speech, in two parts: first, the sūtra compiler’s narration. The phrase ‘deity of the bodhi tree at the place of awakening’ means that the place where the Tathāgata attained the path was beneath this tree” 〔T39n1786 0156b19〕. | The tree transmitted under the Han name Biboluo received the name “bodhi tree” because the Buddha attained the fruit of awakened wisdom beneath it; the goddess who dwells in dependence on the tree likewise takes her name from it. |
| 2 | 0156b28 | 「二、正說偈，四：」—“Second, the verses properly spoken, in four parts” 〔T39n1786 0156b28〕. | Four general divisions of the verses proper. |
| 3 | 0156b28 | 「初、二句總讚。南無者，歸命之辭也。」—“First, two lines of general praise. ‘Homage’ is a phrase for entrusting one’s life” 〔T39n1786 0156b28〕. | The general praise is explained through purity of nature, purity of characteristics, and the perfection of dharma-body, reward body, and responsive body. |
| 4 | 0156c02 | 「二、別讚，二：初、廣讚能說教主，三：初、」—“Second, particular praise, in two parts: first, extensive praise of the teaching lord able to speak, in three parts: first” 〔T39n1786 0156c02〕. | Beginning with “profound,” it praises the Buddha’s dharma-body through what is awakened; fusion in dharma-nature, perfect wisdom’s universal illumination, and the dharma-body freed from bondage explain leaving what is contrary to Dharma and the path. |
| 5 | 0156c13 | 「就能覺智行讚佛報身，三：初、約法。」—“In terms of the wisdom and practice able to awaken, praise of the Buddha’s reward body is in three parts: first, according to the Dharma” 〔T39n1786 0156c13〕. | Existent, non-existent, and original purity are correlated with conventional, true, and middle, while qualities are explained as supporting practices. |
| 6 | 0156c21 | 「即喻上報身智行也。大海，喻智也。」—“This is a simile for the preceding wisdom and practice of the reward body. The great ocean is a simile for wisdom” 〔T39n1786 0156c21〕. | Sumeru is further used as a simile for practice. |
| 7 | 0156c26 | 「智行契理，三法一如，故曰無邊行也。」—“Wisdom and practice accord with principle; the three dharmas are one suchness, and therefore it is called boundless practice” 〔T39n1786 0156c26〕. | Wisdom, practice, and principle are explained together. |
| 8 | 0156c27 | 「就垂世形益讚佛應身。優曇花者」—“In terms of the benefit of a form lowered into the world, this praises the Buddha’s responsive body. As for the udumbara flower” 〔T39n1786 0156c27〕. | The auspicious response of the udumbara flower and immeasurable great compassion explain the Buddha’s appearance in the world. |
| 9 | 0157a04 | 「略讚所說教法。如來將欲口輪說法」—“A brief praise of the teaching spoken. When the Tathāgata is about to teach the Dharma through the wheel of speech” 〔T39n1786 0157a04〕. | Mental activity discerning capacities as the sun illuminates things leads into benefiting sentient beings and the wondrous jeweled scripture. |
| 10 | 0157a08 | 「就果佛讚所游定。諸根寂滅者」—“In terms of the Buddha as fruit, this praises the concentration in which he ranges. As for the extinction of the faculties” 〔T39n1786 0157a09〕. | It explains extinction of the faculties, the great city of excellent serenity, profound samādhi, and the Buddha’s sphere of practice. |
| 11 | 0157a19 | 「二、明三昧能空行相。」—“Second, revealing the characteristics of the practice that samādhi can empty” 〔T39n1786 0157a19〕. | It distinguishes in detail the emptiness of nature and characteristics, of sentient beings and dharmas, the two truths of conventional and true, and contemplation of the middle way in the perfect teaching. |
| 12 | 0158a19 | 「指凡愚不了請現。上讚佛所遊三昧空智」—“Pointing to ordinary fools who do not understand and asking him to appear. Above, she praised the empty wisdom of the samādhi in which the Buddha ranges” 〔T39n1786 0158a20〕. | The tree deity clearly sees that nature and characteristics are both empty; out of compassion for confused ordinary beings, she asks the Buddha to emerge from concentration. |
| 13 | 0158a24 | 「正敘昔願行請現。我常念佛者」—“Properly narrating her former aspirational conduct and asking him to appear. As for ‘I constantly recollect the Buddha’” 〔T39n1786 0158a24〕. | Recollection of the Buddha, vows, kneeling and joining palms, longing and tears like rain, and compassion without conditions explain the joint cultivation of primary and supporting practices. Two intents are opened: first, to ask the Buddha to emerge from concentration, confirm the three rounds of speech, and grant that she see buddhas in the future; second, because she has long seen the true body in part, to seek greater clarity in contemplative practice. |
| 14 | 0158b11 | 「二、約定具慈悲請現，三：」—“Second, asking him to appear in terms of the compassion complete within concentration, in three parts” 〔T39n1786 0158b11〕. | She acts both to see for herself and out of compassion for others who do not see the Buddha’s true substance. |
| 15 | 0158b15 | 「約聖凡未發性明。即樹神擊請今佛出定也。」—“In terms of noble and ordinary beings whose nature has not yet become luminous. The tree deity presses her request that the present Buddha emerge from concentration” 〔T39n1786 0158b16〕. | Six similes are listed: empty space, smoke or mirage, illusion, an echo in a valley, transformation through supernormal powers, and the moon in water; dream is further used as a simile for sentient beings’ nature. |
| 16 | 0158b24 | 「三、就佛行處明見請現。」—“Third, in terms of the Buddha’s sphere of practice, clarifying her seeing and asking him to appear” 〔T39n1786 0158b24〕. | Because the concentration entered by the Buddha contains compassionate illumination, she asks him to appear so that self and other may attain happiness. |
| 17 | 0158b26 | 「愍凡聖不知請現。樹神以凡夫小聖共迷佛所遊境界」—“Out of compassion for ordinary and noble beings who do not know, she asks him to appear. The tree deity takes ordinary beings and lesser noble ones as both confused about the domain in which the Buddha ranges” 〔T39n1786 0158b27〕. | It lists seers with the five supernormal powers and the two vehicles as not knowing the domain in which the Buddha ranges. |
| 18 | 0158c04 | 「指已信不疑請現。樹神述已於佛行處明了無滯。」—“Pointing to one who already believes without doubt and asking him to appear. The tree deity states that she already understands the Buddha’s sphere of practice clearly and without obstruction” 〔T39n1786 0158c04〕. | Three sets of questions and answers: first, how the tree deity knows the Buddha remains in concentration; next, the order of emerging from concentration in old and new recensions, explicitly setting side by side differences in the Sanskrit texts and in what was witnessed; finally, why Zhiyi can speak of the mind ranging in serene principle while words issue from the mouth, explaining that this does not obstruct concentration. |
| 19 | 0159a16 | 「明經家敘起定。爾時者」—“Explaining the sūtra compiler’s narration of emerging from concentration. As for ‘at that time’” 〔T39n1786 0159a16〕. | The time after the tree deity finishes her request is the time of emerging from concentration, and the subtle, wondrous, excellent voice delights the fourfold assembly. |
| 20 | 0159a19 | 「明佛定起能讚。佛讚樹神意合前二」—“Explaining the Buddha’s praise after emerging from concentration. The intent of the Buddha’s praise of the tree deity joins the preceding two” 〔T39n1786 0159a19〕. | The Buddha’s praise joins the preceding three rounds, and entering the nectar gate of the unborn Dharma is explained as understanding permanent abiding after hearing the three dharmas. |
| 21 | 0159a24 | 「二、章安總釋，二：初、約義釋，二：」—“Second, Zhang’an’s general interpretation, in two parts: first, interpretation according to meaning, in two parts” 〔T39n1786 0159a24〕. | Zhang’an takes the Tathāgata’s three stanzas after emerging from concentration as a fourth section. |
| 22 | 0159b01 | 「二、示印成讚教。」—“Second, showing the confirmation that establishes praise of the teaching” 〔T39n1786 0159b01〕. | The three rounds first praise the Buddha and then the teaching, comprehensively gathering the sūtra’s substance, wisdom, and function and the bodhisattvas’ cultivation of causes. |
| 23 | 0159b09 | 「二、讚通三業。」—“Second, praise applies to all three activities” 〔T39n1786 0159b09〕. | From the fruit-buddha praising persons at the causal stage, it connects to the causal persons’ bodily, verbal, and mental activities. |
| 24 | 0159b20 | 「初、明住法性定。」—“First, explaining abiding in the concentration of dharma-nature” 〔T39n1786 0159b20〕. | Asked how the whole sūtra can be spoken while the Buddha is in concentration, Zhili answers that the concentration of dharma-nature is unobstructed; when the teaching is complete, emerging from concentration confirms the three rounds. |
| 25 | 0159b29 | 「二、彰法性圓融。」—“Second, revealing the perfect interfusion of dharma-nature” 〔T39n1786 0159b29〕. | The capaciousness of dharma-nature makes entering and emerging, speaking and silence, the same place and different places all unobstructed. |
| 26 | 0159c10 | 「初、明事三業境。」—“First, explaining the objects of the three activities at the level of matters” 〔T39n1786 0159c10〕. | Although praise is spoken by the mouth, the body must be reverent and the mind respectful; all three activities operate together. |
| 27 | 0159c14 | 「初、明於事觀理。」—“First, explaining contemplation of principle through matters” 〔T39n1786 0159c14〕. | Taking the body and other objects as occasions, it reveals the three contemplations of empty, provisional, and middle; it continues by naming the body through the ten perfections, while nature and characteristics are both empty yet form and mind remain vividly present. |
| 28 | 0160a01 | 「初、明無觀俱失。」—“First, explaining that without contemplation both are lost” 〔T39n1786 0160a01〕. | Body and the rest serve as objects, and objects can arouse contemplation; when contemplation is accomplished, both matters and principle are illuminated. |
| 29 | 0160a03 | 「二、以衣物為例。」—“Second, using robes and requisites as an example” 〔T39n1786 0160a03〕. | The three robes, six requisites, four dhyānas, and eight concentrations are listed in detail to show that, through understanding, both matters and principle become clear. |
| 30 | 0160a11 | 「三、得理俱成。」—“Third, when principle is attained, both are accomplished” 〔T39n1786 0160a11〕. | When contemplation of principle is accomplished, body, speech, and mind become wondrous form and mind, and both matters and principle are accomplished. |
The core text of the two intents in item thirteen reads: 「今有二意。一者、如來入定本為說經，說經既畢要須出定，欲出其定須得其請。故佛出定，能印三番所說皆實。既一期事畢，乃樹神致請殷勤，故敘昔常願見復加願行，欲使未來亦得見佛，故云願使我身常得見佛。二者、樹神久已分見如來真身，欲增念佛之觀更求上證，故寄請佛出定，頻陳欲見。」—“There are now two intents. First, the Tathāgata originally entered concentration in order to teach the sūtra. Once the teaching was complete, he had to emerge from concentration; to emerge, he needed her request. Thus, when the Buddha emerged, he could confirm that all three rounds of speech were true. Once the matter of that occasion was complete, the tree deity made her earnest request: she recounted her former constant aspiration to see him and added aspirational conduct so that in the future she too might see the Buddha. Therefore she said, ‘May my body constantly see the Buddha.’ Second, the tree deity had long seen the Tathāgata’s true body in part. Wishing to increase her contemplation of recollecting the Buddha and seek a higher realization, she entrusted her request to the Buddha’s emergence from concentration and repeatedly stated her wish to see him” 〔T39n1786 0158b02〕.
Beginning at T39n1786 〔0158c04〕, item eighteen preserves three questions and three answers: how the tree deity knew the Buddha had not emerged from concentration; why old and new recensions variously place the emergence before or after; and why Zhiyi, following Dharmakṣema’s recension, could also say that the mind entered and ranged in dharma-nature while speech narrated the king of sūtras. In the second answer, Zhili’s original wording is 「集經者或言定起方說、或云說畢定起」—“The compilers of the sūtra sometimes say that the teaching began only after emerging from concentration, and sometimes say that he emerged after the teaching was complete” 〔T39n1786 0158c29〕. This is Zhili’s explanation of the textual transmission; it does not replace the facts of division and combination in the three translations themselves.
Jizang’s Commentary on the Sūtra of Golden Light: Line-by-Line Layer
Jizang first says that the seven-fascicle sūtra has two chapters—one praising the qualities of the person able to teach and the other propagating the teaching spoken—whereas the four-fascicle text combines both in the Praise of the Buddha chapter. This is recorded only as Jizang’s own division; it is not turned into a claim that the tree-deity passage is absent. His outline begins, 「第二樹神讚中，初出能讚人」—“Second, within the tree deity’s praise, first comes the person able to praise” 〔T39n1787 0174a04〕, and takes the material beginning with homage as the matter praised. His detailed outline follows:
- The tree deity’s praise comprises twenty-five and a half stanzas and the Buddha’s statement two stanzas. The tree deity’s praise is further divided into combined praise of the responsive and emanation bodies, particular praise of the dharma-body, and the concluding request.
- The responsive- and emanation-body section first states the praise proper and then reveals thirsting reverence. The praise proper first praises the substance of the three bodies and then their function.
- Within the substance of the three bodies, wisdom is praised first and qualities second. Jizang takes 「知有」—“knowing the existent” 〔T39n1787 0174a14〕 as knowledge of the conventional truth, 「非有」—“non-existent” 〔T39n1787 0174a14〕 as knowledge of the true truth, and original purity of nature as knowledge of the single real truth.
- Within function, a general indication that appearance in the world is rare comes first, followed by external transformation and inward realization. Inward realization is further divided into the wisdom that realizes and the principle realized.
- The principle realized is divided into emptiness of the noble path, emptiness of all dharmas, and emptiness of sentient beings. Jizang’s commentary originally reads 「行虛亦空」—“the emptiness of practice is also empty” 〔T39n1787 0174a25〕, while the T663 sūtra reads 「行處亦空。」—“the sphere of practice is also empty” 〔T16n0663 0357c06〕. The two works remain distinct.
- The thirsting-reverence section begins with recollecting the Buddha, bowing, cultivating compassion, and thirsting to see him. It then asks the Buddha to extinguish the fire of sorrow with Dharma-water and manifest a body that can constantly be seen. Next comes particular praise of the dharma-body’s profound wisdom, which beings cannot know, and finally the concluding request that gathers dharma-body and responsive body and asks that the emanation body be manifested.
Jizang unfolds, level by level, the person able to praise, the matter praised, the substance and function of the three bodies, the dharma-body, and the concluding request. This outline is established according to the old four-character recension; it is not converted into headings belonging to T665’s eleven stanzas.
Collateral Illumination from the Profound-Meaning Layer: Zhiyi T1783 and Zhili T1784
The following belongs only to collateral illumination from the profound-meaning layer and is not listed as line-by-line commentary on the chapter.
| Work | Location | Verbatim Material from the Profound-Meaning Layer |
|---|---|---|
| Zhiyi’s Profound Meaning of the Sūtra of Golden Light | 0001a22 | 「一切菩薩，遍他方以遙禮；樹神善女，親雨淚以稱揚。」—“All bodhisattvas bow from afar throughout other directions; the good woman who is the tree deity personally sheds tears like rain and proclaims praise” 〔T39n1783 0001a22〕. |
| Zhiyi’s Profound Meaning of the Sūtra of Golden Light | 0006c02 | It uses 「無量大悲，宣說如是妙寶經典。」—“With immeasurable great compassion, he proclaims such a wondrous jeweled scripture” 〔T39n1783 0006c02〕 to prove that the wondrous jewel is itself endowed with light and does not borrow worldly gold as a simile for the Dharma. |
| Zhiyi’s Profound Meaning of the Sūtra of Golden Light | 0011a07 | It cites 「知有非有本性空寂」—“knowing existent and non-existent, originally empty and serene in nature” 〔T39n1783 0011a07〕 and says that the various names converge in dharma-nature. |
| Zhili’s Supplementary Record on the Profound Meaning of the Sūtra of Golden Light | 0014b14 | It cites 「我常修行最上大悲，哀泣雨淚欲見於佛。」—“I constantly cultivate supreme great compassion, weeping tears like rain and wishing to see the Buddha” 〔T39n1784 0014b15〕, followed by protecting teachers and listeners, honoring the king of sūtras, and carrying forward the vaipulya teaching. |
| Zhili’s Supplementary Record on the Profound Meaning of the Sūtra of Golden Light | 0034a14 | 「此經樹神覩佛禮塔、為眾詢疑，及至讚佛哀泣雨淚請佛現身。此之經義，忽有一本無如是文，他必謂之後人擅加耳。」—“In this sūtra the tree deity sees the Buddha, venerates the stūpa, asks questions for the assembly, and, on reaching the praise of the Buddha, weeps tears like rain and asks the Buddha to manifest his body. Yet suddenly there is one copy in which this scriptural meaning lacks such wording; others will surely say that later people inserted it without authority” 〔T39n1784 0034a14〕. |
| Zhili’s Supplementary Record on the Profound Meaning of the Sūtra of Golden Light | 0043a10 | 「〈讚佛品〉既讚果佛，知之一字即種智知。此知知下三諦之理，有即俗諦、非有即真諦、本性即中諦。」—“Because the Praise of the Buddha chapter praises the Buddha as fruit, the single word ‘know’ is the knowing of all-species wisdom. This knowing knows the principles of the three truths below: existent is the conventional truth, non-existent is the true truth, and original nature is the middle truth” 〔T39n1784 0043a10〕. |
| Zhili’s Supplementary Record on the Profound Meaning of the Sūtra of Golden Light | 0044b27 | 「讚有三種，謂讚丈六、尊特、法性。今正讚尊特，上冥法性、下現丈六。」—“Praise has three kinds: praise of the sixteen-foot body, the exalted body, and dharma-nature. Here the principal praise is of the exalted body, which above accords darkly with dharma-nature and below manifests the sixteen-foot body” 〔T39n1784 0044c01〕. |
Zhili says only that one unnamed copy lacks the relevant wording. The passage does not identify that copy, date it, or judge its standing; this apparatus therefore does not supply a name for it.
V. Terminology
| Term | Scriptural Ground and Ancient Transmission | Usage in This Apparatus |
|---|---|---|
菩提樹神 · deity of the bodhi tree | The base recension has 「菩提樹神」—“the deity of the bodhi tree” 〔T16n0665 0455a22〕; the old recensions have the deity of the bodhi tree at the place of awakening. Huizhao and Zhili both explain that the tree transmitted under the Han name Biboluo received its name because the Buddha attained awakening beneath it. | “Deity of the bodhi tree” follows the base recension. Whether she and the earth deity are the same remains preserved as Huizhao’s two views; no modern botanical identification is asserted. |
伽他／伽陀 · two transmitted Han forms for verse | The base recension has 「伽他」—“the first transmitted form for verse” 〔T16n0665 0455a22〕, while Huizhao’s citation has 「伽陀」—“the second transmitted form for verse” 〔T39n1788 0338c21〕. | Each work retains its original characters. No Sanskrit restoration is asserted. |
四慧 · four kinds of wisdom | The first stanza gives in order pure wisdom, wisdom of the true Dharma, wisdom that leaves what is contrary to Dharma, and nondiscriminating wisdom. | The vernacular uses only Huizhao’s first explanation for limited clarification. The other three explanations remain in the apparatus and at the end of the exposition. |
優曇 · udumbara | 「希有難見比優曇」—“Rare and difficult to see, like an udumbara flower” 〔T16n0665 0455a25〕. Zhili records the udumbara flower as an auspicious response that appears when a buddha emerges in the world. | It indicates rarity and difficulty of encounter; no botanical theory is supplied. |
涅槃城、等持門 · city of nirvāṇa and gate of meditative stability | 「能入寂靜涅槃城；能住寂靜等持門」—“He can enter the serene city of nirvāṇa and abide at the serene gate of meditative stability” 〔T16n0665 0455a29〕. | Both city and gate follow the context of the stanza; ancient masters’ body distinctions and definitions remain in attributed interpretation. |
法身 · dharma-body | The Buddha’s reply explicitly speaks of his true, unerring, pure dharma-body. | The dharma-body is directly stated by the sūtra; the correlation of the three bodies with the stanzas belongs to ancient masters’ outlines. |
人天 · humans and gods | The tree deity aspires for the Buddha and the assembly of śrāvakas constantly to aid humans and gods universally. | It remains “humans and gods” according to the sūtra and is not expanded to unlisted classes of beings. |
大仙菩薩 · great sage bodhisattvas | 「大仙菩薩不能測」—“Great sage bodhisattvas cannot fathom it” 〔T16n0665 0455b13〕; Huizhao explains these as bodhisattvas of equal awakening. | The vernacular may identify equal-awakening bodhisattvas on the commentary’s authority, without adding further stages. |
甘露無生法門 · nectar gate of the unborn Dharma | The final sentence of the Buddha’s reply explicitly says that all hearers enter it. | The benefit stated in the sūtra is preserved without adding a quantity, time limit, or unique causal condition. |
VI. Similes · Rhetoric
| Simile | Verbatim Scriptural Ground | Rhetorical Movement |
|---|---|---|
| Udumbara | 「希有難見比優曇」—“Rare and difficult to see, like an udumbara flower” 〔T16n0665 0455a25〕. | Describes how difficult it is to encounter a buddha’s appearance. |
| Ocean and mountain king | 「希有如海鎮山王」—“Rare, like the mountain king settled in the ocean” 〔T16n0665 0455a26〕. | Describes the Well-Gone One as majestic and settled amid the assembly. |
| Sun | 「希有釋種明逾日」—“Rare is the scion of the Śākyas whose radiance surpasses the sun” 〔T16n0665 0455a27〕; the Tathāgata as sun also expresses constant encounter. | Describes radiance and beholding. |
| City of nirvāṇa and gate of meditative stability | 「能入寂靜涅槃城」—“He can enter the serene city of nirvāṇa” 〔T16n0665 0455a29〕; 「能住寂靜等持門」—“He can abide at the serene gate of meditative stability” 〔T16n0665 0455b01〕. | City and gate describe the serene domain. |
| Empty space, illusion, mirage, and moon in water | 「佛身本淨若虛空，亦如幻焰及水月」—“The Buddha’s body is originally pure, like empty space, illusion, mirage, and the moon in water” 〔T16n0665 0455b10〕. | Describes original purity and the absence of a real substance that can be grasped. |
| Nectar | 「願說涅槃甘露法」—“May he teach the nectar Dharma of nirvāṇa” 〔T16n0665 0455b11〕; the Buddha’s reply again speaks of the nectar gate of the unborn Dharma. | Moves from the tree deity’s aspiration into the benefit to hearers confirmed by the Buddha. |
The chapter’s similes move from rarity, majesty, and brightness through serenity, emptiness, and illusion, and finally come to rest in nectar. Its rhetorical movement likewise turns from praise in the first five stanzas into the latter six stanzas’ repeated recollection, thirsting reverence, aspiration to see, service, and liberation.
VII. Cross-Reading · Carrying Forward
Yijing’s recension separates the tree-deity passage from the old Praise of the Buddha chapter as Chapter 29 and recasts the old four-character praise as eleven four-line units of seven-character verse. T663 and T664 keep the tree deity’s praise and the Buddha’s statement within the same chapter. All three recensions correspond positively in the scene structure of the tree deity praising the Buddha, aspiring to see him, seeking the Dharma, and receiving the Buddha’s response; differences of division and combination do not predetermine doctrinal superiority.
The ancient masters’ readings also form a carrying forward. Zhiyi first establishes a large-scale outline of the whole old-recension chapter. Zhili follows the Words and Phrases, explains the tree deity’s praise node by node, and reopens the questions and answers about emerging from concentration. Jizang distinguishes the person able to praise, the matter praised, the substance and function of the three bodies, the dharma-body, and the concluding request. Huizhao, following Yijing’s recension, divides the eleven stanzas into five of praise and six of aspiration. The profound-meaning layer further illuminates the whole sūtra through the tree deity’s praise, the three truths, and the three kinds of praise. Sūtra, line-by-line commentary, and profound meaning each have their own level. Cross-reading shows the continued carrying forward of one act of praise among translations and ancient masters.
VIII. Placement of the Editions
- Base text: T16n0665, The Sūtra of Golden Light, the Supreme King, fascicle ten; chapter title at 0455a21, chapter body at 0455a22–0455b20; 397 characters, eleven four-line units of seven-character verse, a prose reply by the Buddha at the chapter’s end, and no formula.
- First collated recension: T16n0663, Sūtra of Golden Light, Praise of the Buddha, Chapter 18; tree deity’s praise at 0357b21–0357c26 and Buddha’s statement at 0357c27–0358a01; 102 four-character phrases in the tree deity’s praise.
- Second collated recension: T16n0664, composite Sūtra of Golden Light, Praise of the Buddha, Chapter 23; tree deity’s praise at 0400b22–0400c28, first character of the Buddha’s statement at 0400c28, true end at 0401a02; 102 four-character phrases in the tree deity’s praise.
- The tree-deity praises in T663 and T664 contain twenty-three differences in original characters, punctuation, or quotation marks, all listed in Section II. The eleven-stanza correspondence covers all 102 four-character phrases in each old recension.
- Huizhao’s Commentary on the Sūtra of Golden Light, the Supreme King, T39n1788: principal commentary on the chapter at 0338c04–0339b24; the thirteen items of citation and interpretation, nine sets of internal alternate interpretations, and differences in its cited sūtra are all listed in Section III.
- Zhiyi’s Words and Phrases on the Sūtra of Golden Light, T39n1785: large-scale outline of the tree-deity section and question-and-answer about the Buddha’s statement beginning at 0083a02, contemplation-of-mind interpretation beginning at 0083a20; based on Dharmakṣema’s recension.
- Zhili’s Record on the Words and Phrases of the Sūtra of Golden Light, T39n1786: line-by-line record on the tree-deity section at 0156b19–0160a14; 0156a21 still belongs to Faith-Mark’s round and is not taken as the beginning of this section.
- Jizang’s Commentary on the Sūtra of Golden Light, T39n1787: collateral note on chapter division at 0173c02, line-by-line outline and explanation of the tree deity’s praise beginning at 0174a04; based on Dharmakṣema’s recension.
- Zhiyi’s Profound Meaning of the Sūtra of Golden Light, T39n1783, and Zhili’s Supplementary Record on the Profound Meaning of the Sūtra of Golden Light, T39n1784, provide only collateral illumination at the profound-meaning layer. The item on the good woman who is the tree deity in T1784 begins at 0014b14 and is not conflated with the line-by-line record in T1786.