英語訳
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If the eight-petal central platform lotus can accomplish buddha-activities, why do the Avataṃsaka and Prajñā manifest thousand-petal lotus flowers to form buddha assemblies?" Śākyamuni replied: "Exactly so. Then in the introductory chapter of the Benevolent Kings Prajñā, sitting on the nine-kalpa lotus accomplishes the great matter of the Prajñā Sutra. The nine-kalpa lotus with its eight-petal central platform nine-level lotus is the wonderful dharma lotus eight-petal central platform nine honored ones lotus. However, during the Avataṃsaka period, thousand-petal lotus flowers are manifested to explain the Brahmajāla mind-ground precepts chapter. Also, during the Benevolent Kings Prajñā Sutra period, thousand-petal lotus flowers are manifested. To protect countries and restrain sentient beings' minds of breaking precepts and creating chaos, one sits on thousand-petal lotus flowers. You should know that the ten grounds and ten pāramitās are: first ground is dāna pāramitā, second ground is śīla pāramitā, up to the tenth ground which is wisdom pāramitā. Also, the first ground is hundred-petal lotus, the second ground is thousand-petal lotus. Therefore, sitting on the thousand-petal lotus of the second ground bodhisattva, one explains śīla pāramitā. The Avataṃsaka mind-ground precepts and Benevolent Kings country-protecting precepts are what I explain sitting on the thousand-petal lotus of the second ground śīla pāramitā." Zhiyi again addressed him saying: "The Benevolent Kings Prajñāpāramitā is the mind-consciousness of all buddhas, bodhisattvas, and sentient beings—the foundation of consciousness-spirit. It is also called 'divine talisman' and also called 'country-protecting jewel.' The divine talisman means prajñā is a talisman 《Marginal note: indeed》. It corresponds to national chaos. When countries are chaotic, sentient beings' mind-consciousness becomes chaotic. When mind-consciousness is chaotic, the mind of breaking precepts becomes chaotic. However, prajñā is ultimately empty and originally unborn. Because wind sweeps away delusory clouds, because there is no disturbance to delusory clouds, it is the talisman 《Marginal note: indeed》 of the mind-spirit of unborn prajñā. The divine talisman is mind-ground precepts 《Marginal note: indeed》. Mind-ground precepts sit on thousand-petal lotus flowers to explain the Avataṃsaka Sutra mind-ground precepts. Also sitting on thousand-petal lotus flowers to explain the Prajñā Sutra divine talisman. 《Marginal note: Above》 Japan does not know the secret dharma of the Benevolent Kings Sutra Scattering Flowers chapter."
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Next, when the Benevolent Kings Prajñā scattered flowers, among the five inconceivable things that Śākyamuni manifested, countless buddha-lands enter one pore, countless Mount Sumerus and countless great oceans enter one mustard seed. Buddha-bodies are inconceivable, sentient beings are inconceivable, worlds are inconceivable. Why in the Benevolent Kings Prajñā do countries also interpenetrate inconceivably and do buddhas and sentient beings also fuse inconceivably? Regarding this unclear matter, Śākyamuni's influence proclaimed: "Prajñā is unborn, unborn is empty space, empty space is the dharma realm. The dharma realm has no two and no three. Therefore Mount Sumeru is the dharma realm, mustard seeds are the dharma realm. The dharma realm enters the dharma realm. Buddhas are the empty space dharma realm, sentient beings are the empty space dharma realm. Since countries and worlds are empty space, they fuse harmoniously without obstruction. Sentient beings have empty space that creates separation and降【畔胖㫠】, so kings are not free. Buddhas explain empty space as freedom, therefore there is no mental and spiritual disturbance. Without mental and spiritual disturbance, there is no national disturbance. Without national disturbance, buddhas use the power of prajñā to pacify countries." At the assembly of the Benevolent Kings Sutra, ten Ganges sand numbers of bodhisattvas awakened to their own empty space dharma realm and achieved buddhahood in their present bodies. 《Marginal note: Above》 The Scattering Flowers chapter is a precious abhiṣeka.
Śākyamuni's Influence Secret Dharma of the Benevolent Kings Sutra, Volume Six Complete
Śākyamuni's Influence Secret Dharma of the Benevolent Kings Sutra, Volume Seven
Chapter on Receiving and Upholding
In explaining this chapter there are three approaches. First, regarding the reason for its placement: in the previous Scattering Flowers chapter, various flowers were scattered as offerings to buddhas, accomplishing prajñā buddha-activities. Therefore in this Chapter on Receiving and Upholding, through the power of faith one receives prajñā,
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through the power of mindfulness one upholds prajñā. The Chapter on Receiving and Upholding comes after the Scattering Flowers chapter. Next, explaining the chapter name: without receiving the water of the prajñā dharma realm, one cannot have the oil of country protection. Without upholding the water of the prajñā dharma stream, one cannot 《Marginal note: [Investigation] The character "be able to" may be missing after "cannot"》 uphold the sea of wisdom and prajñā. Therefore it is called the Chapter on Receiving and Upholding. Third, entering the text for analysis and explanation: The Great Muni honored one says: "Receive and uphold the Benevolent Kings Prajñā and cultivate the thirteen contemplation gates. The thirteen contemplation gates are from acquired forbearance to the vajra summit—all become dharma teachers. The thirteen dharma teachers who establish this sutra are: bodhisattvas of acquired seed-nature, nature seed-nature, path seed-nature, good awakening, virtue and wisdom, luminous wisdom path, blazing sacred awakening, excellent attainment, constantly manifesting true reality, mysterious attainment, equal awakening forbearance, wisdom light spiritual transformation, and buddha contemplation, dwelling in extinction forbearance. From initial aspiration 《Marginal note: ten faiths acquired》 until now, passing through a million asaṃkhyeya kalpas and cultivating the merit of a million asaṃkhyeya kalpas, they ascend to the liberation of all dharmas and dwell on the vajra platform. These thirteen bodhisattvas should receive, uphold, read, and recite the Benevolent Kings Prajñā throughout the buddha-lands of the ten directions, comprehend true reality, and propagate the dharma." Immediately Śākyamuni told King Prasenajit, the great king of Śrāvastī country: "This sutra is entrusted to the sixteen great kings. Others do not have royal authority, so it is not entrusted to them. Great king, listen carefully. In this Sahā world of mine there are 100 million four continents. The 100 million four continents have 100 million Mount Sumerus. Around the 100 million Mount Sumerus there are 100 million suns and moons. South of each Mount Sumeru there is a Jambudvīpa. Each southern Jambudvīpa has sixteen great countries, 500 middle countries, and 10,000 small countries. Each country should have seven calamities. At that time the king should lecture and praise the Benevolent Kings Prajñā. Those seven calamities will immediately cease and seven blessings will
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immediately arise. What are the seven calamities? The first calamity is when the sun and moon lose their course and the seasons reverse. Either red suns appear, or black suns appear, or two, three, four, or five suns appear together, or solar eclipses occur with the sun having no light, or the sun's disk should manifest one-fold light, two-fold light, three-fold light, four-fold light, or five-fold wheel light. This is the first calamity. When the first calamity arises, if one reads the Benevolent Kings Sutra, the first calamity should immediately cease. Next, the second calamity is when the twenty-eight constellations lose their course, and Venus appears, comets appear, wheel stars, demon stars, Mars, Mercury, wind stars, sword stars, the Southern and Northern Dippers, the five town great stars, all sovereign stars, three duke stars, and hundred official stars appear. The appearance of such stars constitutes the second calamity. The third calamity is when great fires suddenly emerge and burn the country. Or demon fires, dragon fires, heavenly fires, mountain fires, human fires, tree fires, or bandit fires emerge and can burn the country. This is the third calamity. The fourth calamity is when great floods sweep away the people and the seasons reverse. Thunder and lightning in winter, snow and rain in the sixth month, red water and black water raining earth, raining stones, raining sand. Rivers and streams flow backwards, floating mountains and streaming stones. This is the fourth calamity. The fifth calamity is when great winds blow and kill countless people, causing countries, mountains, rivers, and vegetation to perish all at once. Black winds, blue winds, heavenly winds, earthly winds, fire winds, and water winds suddenly blow and should destroy countries. This is the fifth calamity. The sixth calamity is when blazing drought fires burn throughout heaven, earth, and countries. All grasses wither from drought, the five grains do not ripen, and countless people perish completely. This is the sixth calamity. The seventh calamity is when bandits come from the four directions and bandits arise internally and externally. Fire bandits, water bandits, wind bandits, and demon bandits arise and gather. The people become chaotic and troubled, and the kalpa of weapons and warfare arises. This is the seventh calamity. When such seven calamities arise, if one lectures and reads the Benevolent Kings Prajñā, the seven calamities will immediately cease and seven blessings will immediately arise. Now regarding lecturing and reading