英語訳
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[It] appears to interpret "contemplation as Puṣya." However, to reconcile the contradictions: in the Buddha's Past Actions Sūtra, "three billion buddhas share the same title Puṣya," and in the Saṃgāta Sūtra, "twenty billion buddhas share the same title Puṣya, and thirteen billion buddhas are all named Vipaśyin Tathāgata," and in the Rāmaga Sūtra, "countless Ganges sand particle numbers of world-ocean tathāgatas in the ten directions share the same name Buddha Vipaśyin," etc. Puṣya and Vipaśyin already number countless. Among them there are those with the same essence but different names, and also those with the same name but different essences. Therefore, the Puṣya and Vipaśyin Buddha encountered at the beginning of cultivating marks and characteristics karma are of the same essence. The others are separate buddhas, so their names are listed separately.
Details are as in Buddha Mother Commentary, third fascicle.
Asking again: Regarding separate-essence buddhas, the sūtras already have evidence. Regarding same-essence-different-names, is there any evidence? Does our patriarch explain it this way?
Question: In the sūtra it says "King Sujāta was born into the world and became a wheel-turning king," etc. {Composed by Shiki Kōgen} So was this an actual birth? There are two views. If it was an actual birth, King Sujāta was born into the world and became a wheel-turning king after Buddha Ratnaketu's extinction, etc. However, encountering Buddha Ratnaketu was the beginning of the second asaṃkhyeya. Śākyamuni was a wisdom-predominant bodhisattva who received a transformation body at the first ground. How could he receive an actual birth? If following this reasoning, looking at the sūtra text, the Past Assembly Sūtra explains "for ninety-nine koṭi billion eons, [he] was a wheel-turning king, and also in small countries was a human king," etc. If so, was the birth received a transformation manifestation? How is this?
【Lower section】
My view: Both positions are without fault. First, the meaning of actual birth follows the reasoning of the sūtra text. However, regarding the doubt, this present birth for ninety-nine koṭi billion eons is pre-ground birth, an actual birth. The birth after Buddha Ratnaketu's extinction is not the Buddha Ratnaketu encountered at the beginning of the second asaṃkhyeya. Same-name-different-essence is a common occurrence.
Or one should understand both expedient and real births comprehensively, because the numbers are many.
Question: According to our patriarch's view, bodhisattvas are divided into wisdom-predominant, compassion-predominant, and wisdom-compassion equal. So is Bodhisattva Śākyamuni a compassion-predominant bodhisattva or not? The commentary says "wisdom-predominant bodhisattva," etc. Regarding this, examining Bodhisattva Śākyamuni: in the past as Prince Sattva, he gave his body and flesh to a starving tiger; as Dharmākara Tathāgata in the past, he made numerous great vows. Generally, his ascetic practices of abandoning his body are incalculable. Should he most be called a great compassion bodhisattva? Moreover, in the Buddha-Land Sūtra Commentary, regarding Bodhisattva Śākyamuni attaining buddhahood before Maitreya, it says "because the sentient beings to be taught ripened first," etc. If not a great compassion bodhisattva, why would he conceal self-benefit practices? Following this, in the Mahāprajñāpāramitā Treatise, when contrasting great wisdom and great compassion and judging superiority and inferiority, it says Śākyamuni's compassion is superior, etc. How is this?
This is found in Buddha Mother Commentary, eighteenth fascicle.
The Buddha Mother Commentary says: Now examining Śākyamuni, he is a wisdom-predominant bodhisattva. Generally, wisdom-predominant bodhisattvas quickly achieve the buddha path; compassion-predominant ones dwell long in saṃsāra. Some types never attain buddhahood at all. Therefore, transcending eon teachings, they swiftly advance to buddha-fruition. Isn't this the type of great wisdom predominance? Following this, Bodhisattva Śākyamuni was formerly
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the Great Being Never Disparaging. In the good root stage, hearing Buddha Bhīṣmagarjitasvararāja's teaching, after entering the first ground, he attained transformation. This is because of wisdom predominance. However, regarding practicing body-abandoning practices and the difficulty that those to be taught ripen first: although great wisdom and great compassion have the meaning of predominance, they also mutually are not without compassion and wisdom. Wisdom-predominant means having the aspiration to entrust all cultivation to great wisdom; compassion-predominant means having the aspiration to entrust all practices to great compassion. Therefore, although Śākyamuni has practices like body abandoning, he aspires and relies on these practices to quickly achieve the buddha path. Thus it doesn't contradict the meaning of wisdom predominance.
Also says: There is a foolish speculation that says Bodhisattva Śākyamuni is compassion-predominant. Giving his body to a starving tiger and transcending many eons is the mark of great compassion predominance. Moreover, since the sentient beings to be taught ripen early while his own good roots ripen late, he puts benefiting beings first. This is the mark of great compassion. Therefore, at the eighth ground and above, compassion-predominant and wisdom-predominant have equal cultivation in the self-benefit gate, so there should be no transcending eons. In the other-benefit gate, compassion-predominant is superior and wisdom-predominant is inferior. Therefore compassion-predominant transcends wisdom-predominant. Since Śākyamuni already transcended Maitreya, we know Śākyamuni is a compassion-predominant bodhisattva. Following this, Master Jūhō Heibi considers Śākyamuni compassion-predominant, etc.
However, the Suvarṇaprabhāsa Commentary says "comparing wisdom to compassion, the predominant one is said to transcend" means that although compassion-predominant has no transcending eons within its own type, comparing wisdom-predominant to compassion-predominant, there is transcending eons. It doesn't say wisdom-predominant transcends compassion-predominant. The Lamp says "moreover wisdom-predominant transcends compassion-predominant" means wisdom-predominant is the transcended-over transcending, compassion-predominant is the able-to-transcend transcending. Therefore, reading the textual interpretation: "moreover wisdom-predominant is transcended by the compassion-predominant one." {Above from Buddha Mother Commentary.} The tenth volume has a different interpretation. They should be compared and evaluated.
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Question: Regarding the number of eons Bodhisattva Śākyamuni transcended, is it limited only to forty eons or not?
Answer: It is forty transcended eons. Regarding this, generally transcending eons depends on excellent practices. Śākyamuni's excellent practices are incalculable. How could transcending eons be limited to forty eons? Following this, the Lotus Sūtra says "Observing the three-thousand great thousand world system, down to not even a mustard seed's worth of space exists that was not a place where this bodhisattva abandoned body and life for sentient beings' sake, and only then was able to attain the bodhi path," etc. Abandoning his body for sentient beings already fills the great thousand worlds. How could he not transcend eons by relying on those and other excellent practices? Among them, King Śibi offering his body in place of a dove is in no way inferior to Prince Sattva's practice. Prince Mahādāna entering the ocean seeking jewels far surpasses the ascetic Mānava's practices. Additionally, becoming a one-yojana mountain of flesh, for ten thousand years giving to starving sentient beings, or becoming a red-eyed great fish, not begrudging body and life for sentient beings' sake. Now seeing these practices, they already surpass eon-transcending practices. How could he practice excellent practices yet vainly have no eon transcending? Additionally, in Mahāyāna sūtras, by admonishing evil bandits, he transcended six eons, etc. So why limit it to forty eons?
Someone says: Although cultivating excellent practices, when there is no reason for transcending eons, the practices of self-benefit and benefiting others merely become causes for advancing to buddha-fruition but don't reach eon transcending. If there is that great essential point of transcending eons, then intentionally aspiring to cultivate excellent practices transcends the number of eons. Just like Bodhisattva Śākyamuni: after Maitreya, there was arousal of aspiration forty eons later. However, Śākyamuni's sentient beings to be taught ripened before Maitreya's, so he cultivated excellent practices and transcended forty eons. Therefore, transcending eons depends on aspiration and follows essential matters. Other excellent practices have no