英語訳
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**Mahāyāna Yogācāra Research and Investigation Chapter, Volume 5**
**Upper Section:**
It is present. What offerings include this? Answer: Directly facing relics is present offering. If there are no relics, one only faces the caitya, which is non-present.
Question: When directly facing Buddha, seeing the Tathāgata's body and arising certain contemplations: "The dharma of one Buddha contains all Buddha-natures, and the dharma-nature of one caitya contains all caitya-natures. Therefore, I now make offerings. One Buddha has offerings of dharma-nature, and all Buddha caityas are likewise." What offerings include such offerings?
Answer: These are included in both present and non-present offerings.
Question: Regarding the merits and demerits between face-to-face offerings when directly confronting Buddha versus offerings to images created after parinirvāṇa, how do they compare?
Answer: The merits are equal, both having no superiority or inferiority. Those who establish offerings after parinirvāṇa in this way obtain immeasurable great merit-fruits and receive immeasurable vast brahma-merit.
Question: What differences exist in merit between those who make offerings only to present Buddha, those who make offerings to non-present [Buddha], and those who make offerings to both present and non-present?
Answer: Those who make offerings only to present Tathāgata and caitya should know they obtain vast merit-fruits. If one makes offerings only to non-present Buddha and caitya, one should know they obtain great-great merit-fruits. If one makes offerings to both present and non-present Buddha and caitya, one obtains the greatest merit-fruits, with nothing superior.
Question: What are the characteristics of self-performed and teaching-others offerings?
Answer: Only making with one's own hands, not having others make, is called self-performed offering. If one only teaches others without making oneself, this is called teaching-others offering. If when making oneself, one encourages others to act together, this is called self-and-others making.
Question: What are the relative merits of these three offerings?
Answer: If one only makes self-performed offerings, one should obtain vast merit-fruits.
**Lower Section:**
If one only teaches others, one should obtain great-great merit-fruits. If one does both self and others, one obtains the greatest merit-fruits, with nothing superior.
Question: What is called material-reverence offering?
Answer: Using immeasurable four-requisites materials, all worldly possessions, even the finest possessions for offering, five-limb prostration, circumambulation turning rightward, singing praise and laudation. Such offerings are called material-reverence offerings.
Question: What is called vast offering?
Answer: Whether abundant offerings, whether excellent offerings, whether present, whether non-present, whether self-created, whether teaching others to make, whether purely clean—such offerings are called vast offerings.
Question: What is called undefiled offering?
Answer: Not harboring contempt, not dwelling in negligence, not dwelling in laziness, not dwelling in disrespect, not applying yellow pigment, not anointing with butter. Such offerings are called undefiled offerings.
Question: What are the characteristics of correct-conduct offering?
Answer: For a brief moment, dwelling in non-discriminating, signless mind regarding true dharma-nature, and equally establishing mind united with loving-kindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity toward all sentient beings. This is called correct-conduct offering.
Question: Among vast, material-reverence, and undefiled offerings, the treatise states: "If one obtains sovereign power over requisites or obtains sovereign supernatural power and manifests immeasurable bodies from one body"—what does this mean?
Answer: From the first stage onward, one obtains the hundred dharma-illumination gates and sovereignly performs offerings. Such offerings do not exceed ten types, so there are only ten. Such bodhisattvas, just as they make offerings to Buddha and caitya, should likewise make offerings to Buddha-spoken dharma and Buddha's disciples.
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**Upper Section:**
When such bodhisattvas make offerings through ten characteristics at the Three Jewels, they generate six types of supreme aspirations connected to the Three Jewels: First, supreme great merit-field aspiration; Second, supreme great-kindness aspiration; Third, honor among sentient beings without feet, two feet, and many feet aspiration; Fourth, extremely rare encounter like udumbara wondrous flower aspiration; Fifth, once appearing in the three-thousand great-thousand world system in the turbid age aspiration; Sixth, worldly and supramundane merit-perfection all-meaning-support aspiration. Toward the Tathāgata, toward Tathāgata dharma, toward the Saṅgha, even contemplating briefly and making offerings still obtains immeasurable great merit-fruits. How much more so abundant offerings!
The dedication states: "I now take refuge in all Three Jewels known by the Tathāgata: supreme great merit, supreme great kindness, honor among sentient beings without feet, two feet and many feet, extremely difficult to encounter like udumbara wondrous flowers, uniquely appearing in the three-thousand great-thousand world system, worldly and supramundane merit-perfection all-meaning-support. Therefore we, according to our capacity, respectfully make offerings with various offering-materials. May [you] compassionately accept through great compassion. May we, in the future, through offerings of all types of supreme offering-materials to immeasurable boundless Three Jewels, in the future complete all bodhisattva correct-conduct vows, in the future quickly realize supreme great enlightenment-fruit. The cultivated merits we dedicate to all protective devas, world-guardians, dragons, spirits, and eight classes; dedicate to the sacred court, four kindnesses, and donors; dedicate to all sentient beings of the six paths. Together may we quickly enter initial asaṃkhyeya conduct, together quickly enter the initial two asaṃkhyeyas, together obtain the hundred dharma-illumination gates, together obtain supernatural
**Lower Section:**
sovereignty. In one body, manifesting immeasurable excellent-marks adorning the body; in immeasurable bodies, manifesting immeasurable as-you-wish hands. Every body and every hand holding countless supreme excellent offering-materials, making offerings to limitless buddhas and bodhisattvas. At every buddha-location obtaining to hear supreme boundless dharma-flavors. At every place obtaining fulfillment of boundless bodhisattva correct conduct. Together with six-path parents and relatives, together with four-birth wives, children and dependents, throughout the dharma-realm attaining equal enlightenment."
Question: For such mind-arousal and such offerings, what is the measure of merit?
The Avataṃsaka Sūtra verse states: "The merit of arousing mind is immeasurable, filling all realms of sentient beings. Even if sentient beings together speak, they cannot exhaust it. How much more so the remaining various wondrous gates. If a bodhisattva initially arouses mind, vowing to seek realization of buddha-bodhisattva, that merit is boundless, immeasurable, and without equal."
The Treatise on Arousing Bodhicitta states: "Like the initial mind-arousal of bodhisattvas, even the merit of one inferior moment, speaking of its fruit-results for hundreds of thousands of millions of eons cannot exhaust it. How much more so the merit-results of minds cultivated for one day, one month, one year, or even hundreds of thousands [of periods]. Why? Because bodhisattvas' conduct aims to cause all sentient beings to dwell in no-birth forbearance and supreme enlightenment."
The Mahāsaṃnipāta Sūtra states: "For example, even small fire-seeds should not be despised. Why? Such small fire-seeds can create great fires with much benefit. Bodhisattvas are likewise. When initially arousing mind, they also should not be despised. Just as all lesser kings belong entirely to the wheel-turning sage-king, all humans and devas likewise all come to belong to initially mind-arousing bodhisattvas. Without sugarcane seeds, there are no various rock-sugar flavors. If there is no bodhicitta, there are also no various Three Jewels flavors."
Question: Seeing worldly people arouse bodhicitta,