英語訳
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perish. What permanence does a country have? Birth, old age, sickness, death—transmigration has no end. Things go against our wishes, and sorrow and grief become harm. Desires are deep and calamities heavy, with sores and tumors everywhere. The three realms are all suffering—what can a country rely upon? Being originally comes from non-being, and various things arise through causes and conditions. What is prosperous must decline, what is substantial must become empty. Sentient beings live ignorantly, all like dwelling in illusion. Sounds and echoes are all empty, and countries are likewise. The consciousness-spirit has no form, temporarily riding the four snakes (earth, water, fire, wind), having no eyes yet cherishing and making it a pleasure vehicle. Form has no permanent master, spirit has no permanent home. Since form and spirit still separate, how can there be a country?" When this was explained, King Puṇyaraśmi 《Marginal note: [Investigation] The character "obtained" may be missing after "king"》 attained the emptiness samādhi and quickly returned to King Kalmāṣapāda of Devarāja country. He immediately told the 999 kings: "Though King Kalmāṣapāda will have our heads cut off, the time has now come. Everyone should lecture on the verses from the Benevolent Kings Prajñā Sutra of the past seven buddhas." At that time King Kalmāṣapāda asked: "What dharma do you permit to be lectured?" At that time King Puṇyaraśmi answered King Kalmāṣapāda with the above four verses on impermanence, saying: "The world is impermanent, countries are like dreams and illusions, spirit is originally void and empty, temporarily riding the four snakes of earth, water, fire, and wind. There is no permanent master and no permanent home. Since form and spirit still separate, what can a country rely upon?" King Kalmāṣapāda heard about worldly impermanence and emptiness 《Marginal note: indeed》 and immediately attained emptiness samādhi. The 999 kings also heard the dharma and all realized the samādhi of the three gates of emptiness. At that time King Kalmāṣapāda was extremely joyful and told the thousand kings: "I was misled by heretical teachers of non-Buddhist paths. You should all return to your original countries and each lecture on the Prajñā Sutra." When I, Śākyamuni Buddha, explained this matter, 500 million people attained the first ground of joy. 800,000 people from the six desire heavens attained the ground of nature's emptiness. The eighteen Brahmā heavens attained the forbearance of non-arising. Also, the eight classes of asura kings attained the ten samādhi gates. Up to countless sentient beings gaining benefit cannot be fully explained. 》《Marginal note: And so forth. Above》
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Śākyamuni's Influence Secret Dharma of the Benevolent Kings, Volume Five 【(sic)】 Complete
Śākyamuni's Influence Secret Dharma of the Benevolent Kings Sutra, Volume Six
Chapter on Scattering Flowers
In explaining this chapter there are three meanings. First, regarding the reason for its placement: the previous chapter clarified the standards for protecting countries. This chapter 《Marginal note: [Investigation] The character "clarifies" may be missing after "chapter"》 is due to scattering flowers as offerings, so the Chapter on Scattering Flowers comes after the Chapter on Protecting Countries. Next, explaining the chapter name: scattering various flowers reveals and proclaims the inner realization of prajñā. The lotus flower is the source of the Prajñā Sutra. The self-realization of the Lotus Treasury World titles itself the Chapter on Scattering Flowers. Next, entering the text for analysis and explanation: first, the sixteen great kings scatter 100 million practiced flowers. The 100 million practiced flowers transform into one seat in empty space. The influences of buddhas from the ten directions sit together on the flower platform explaining the Prajñā Sutra. Next, countless great assemblies hold golden net flowers and scatter them above Śākyamuni. They become 10,000 wheel flowers covering above the great assembly. Again scattering 84,000 prajñā flowers, they transform into white cloud platforms in empty space. In the white cloud platforms, Luminous King Buddha appears and explains the Prajñā Sutra. Next, the great assembly again holds thunder-roaring flowers and scatters them above Śākyamuni and the great assembly. Next, again scattering wonderful awakening flowers in empty space, they transform into vajra cities. In the cities, Lion Roar King Buddha explains the ultimate truth. Next, bodhisattvas again hold luminous flowers and scatter them above Śākyamuni, forming one flower platform. In the flower platform, buddhas from the ten directions gather and explain the non-dual dharma. Next, various heavens again scatter heavenly flowers above Śākyamuni. In empty space they form purple cloud platforms covering the three thousand worlds. Next, heavenly beings again scatter Ganges sand numbers of
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flowers, and the flowers descend from empty space like clouds. At this time the sixteen great kings finished scattering flowers as offerings to Buddha and wished that the buddhas of the three periods would explain the Prajñā Sutra and constantly practice according to their wishes. 《Marginal note: [Investigation] The five characters "Prajñāpāramitā" may be missing after "practice"》 Buddha told the great kings: "Exactly so. The Prajñā Sutra is the mother of all buddhas and bodhisattvas and should be explained and received." At that time Śākyamuni manifested five inconceivable things for the sixteen kings: one flower enters countless flowers, countless flowers enter one flower; one buddha-land enters countless buddha-lands, countless buddha-lands enter one buddha-land; countless buddha-lands enter one pore-land, one pore-land enters countless pore-lands; countless Mount Sumerus and countless great oceans enter one mustard seed; one buddha-body enters countless sentient beings' bodies, countless sentient beings' bodies enter one buddha-body; entering six-path bodies, entering earth-water-fire-wind bodies. In general, buddha-bodies are inconceivable, sentient beings' bodies are inconceivable, worlds are inconceivable. When Śākyamuni manifested the five inconceivable things, heavens in the ten directions attained Buddha-flower samādhi. Ten Ganges sand numbers of eight classes of spirit kings achieved the bodhisattva path. Ten thousand women in their present bodies attained spiritual power samādhi. Now, in the Chapter on Scattering Flowers of the Benevolent Kings Sutra, scattering various lotus flowers accomplishes prajñā buddha-activities. In the autumn at the end of the ninth month of the seventh year of Dajian of the Chen dynasty, Śākyamuni's influence explained to Zhiyi, the Great Master Zhizhe of Tiantai. The meditation master explained: "Among the 16 《Marginal note: [Investigation] The character "thousand" may be missing after "six"》 thousand dharma gates, when I explain the Benevolent Kings Sutra up to scattering various lotus flowers to manifest prajñā sutra buddha-activities, I see Buddha Jewel-Full on the thousand flower platforms. Buddhas on each flower-petal world explain the Prajñā Sutra. This is prajñā, the mother of buddhas of the three periods and ten directions. The mother of prajñā is the lotus flower. The lotus flower is the heart-lotus of all sentient beings. The lotus flower in sentient beings' chests forms eight-petal lotus flowers. In the world it forms the Lotus Treasury World. In buddha-seats it forms lotus seats.
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In buddha-sutras it forms the Lotus Sutra of the Wonderful Dharma. In secret mantras it 《Marginal note: [Investigation] The character "forms" may be missing after "mantras"》 becomes the lotus division. Among all great matters of buddhas, there is nothing that is not lotus flowers. Why is this so? When lotus flowers manifest the world, they form the Lotus Treasury World. This means when explaining the Prajñā Sutra, it manifests the reward-body Buddha Vairocana on a thousand lotus flowers. On the thousand petals, great and small Śākyamunis are formed, each explaining the Prajñā Sutra. This is the ritual when I explain the Avataṃsaka Sutra. Therefore the Brahmajāla Sutra says: 'My present Vairocana sits properly on a lotus platform. On the surrounding thousand flowers I again manifest a thousand Śākyamunis. One flower, 100 million countries; one country, one Śākyamuni. Each sits under a bodhi tree and simultaneously achieves perfect enlightenment.' This is the thousand-petal lotus flower. The Prajñā Sutra, thousand-petal lotus flower. One petal of the thousand-petal lotus flower is one three-thousand world system. This Sahā world is also a world on one petal among the thousand-petal flowers. This is the Wonderful Dharma Lotus Flower World, the great matter of buddhas' appearance in the world. All sentient beings are all wonderful dharma, and although they are all nurtured within lotus flowers, they are ungrateful sentient beings who do not know the great kindness of the Wonderful Dharma Lotus Flower. They should know that they are buddha-children of the Wonderful Dharma Lotus Flower being nurtured day and night on one petal of the Wonderful Dharma Lotus Flower. Observing one's own mind-nature, its self-nature is pure and clean like a lotus flower not being defiled by mud. One's own mind-nature is an eight-petal lotus flower. The eight-petal lotus flower with its eight petals and central platform has nine honored ones from beginningless time as original enlightenment. All honored ones are originally arrayed in the hearts of all sentient beings. I explain this fixed nature in order to make sentient beings repent. Therefore I take refuge and bow in reverence. The original enlightened honored ones in the one-thought mind of all sentient beings, the nine honored ones of original enlightenment of the wonderful dharma lotus flower of the true suchness eight-petal central platform of one's own mind, exist like moon and stars in the clouds of delusion. This is precisely the lotus source that sutras like the Avataṃsaka and Prajñā represent. At this time Zhiyi addressed him saying: "If Śākyamuni's entire lifetime teaching was all