Lotus Sutra Comprehensive Commentary (法華經綸貫)

Now, I will briefly present the Five Profound Meanings.

First, the title combines a Dharma and an Analogy. The two characters "Wonderful Dharma" refer to the Dharma, while the two characters "Lotus Flower" refer to the analogy. What is Dharma? Simply put, it is the Dharma of sentient beings, the Dharma of Buddhas, and the Dharma of the Mind. What is Wonderful? Briefly speaking, there is the Wonderful of Relative Comparison and the Wonderful of Absolute Transcendence.

The sutra says: "To cause sentient beings to open, show, realize, and enter the Buddha’s knowledge and vision." If sentient beings had no Buddha-knowledge, what opening would be discussed? We should know that the Buddha’s knowledge and vision are already within sentient beings. Therefore, the "Dharma of sentient beings" is Wonderful.

The "Dharma of Buddhas" is not beyond the provisional and the real. The sutra says: "This Dharma is profound and subtle, difficult to see and difficult to understand. No one among all types of sentient beings can know the Buddha," which praises the Wonderful of the Real Wisdom. It also says: "And the other dharmas of the Buddha are also beyond measurement," which praises the Wonderful of the Provisional Wisdom. Only the Buddhas can completely understand the true nature of all dharmas. "All dharmas" are the provisional within the real; "the true suchness" is the real within the provisional. Therefore, the "Dharma of Buddhas" is also Wonderful.

The “Peaceful Practices Chapter” says: "Cultivate and control the mind, observe all dharmas as unmoving and non-regressing." The "Universal Contemplation Sutra" says: "My mind is inherently empty; there is no owner of blessing or sin. Observe the mind, and there is no mind; dharmas do not abide in dharmas." Vimalakīrti says: "Observe the true nature of the body; observe the Buddha likewise." "The liberation of all Buddhas should be sought within the actions of sentient beings' minds." The Avataṃsaka says: "Mind, Buddha, and sentient beings—these three are without distinction." Therefore, the "Dharma of the Mind" is also Wonderful.

What is the Wonderful of Relative Comparison? Considering the Half-word path as coarse, the Full-word path is called Wonderful. The Tripiṭaka teachings are the Half-word path of the gate of arising and ceasing, which cannot penetrate the Full principle; therefore, they are coarse. The Full-word path is the gate of non-arising and non-ceasing, which can penetrate the Full principle; therefore, it is Wonderful. Furthermore, such practices as Vaipulya and Prajñā still provisionally guide one toward the Full principle; thus they are coarse. The present sutra directly reveals the Full principle, hence it is Wonderful.

What is the Wonderful of Absolute Transcendence? It speaks the Dharma of non-discrimination, where the conventional is exactly the ultimate; there is nothing that is not the Buddha-dharma. All is extinguished, pure, and without any dharma to be compared for relative comparison. With whom is it coarse? With whom is it Wonderful? There is nothing to be compared, nor anything to be transcended. Not knowing what to name it, one forcibly calls it "Transcendence." The name "Wonderful" is inconceivable; it is not called "Wonderful" because of the existence of the coarse.

If one claims that there is only the vast, singular, and transcendent Dharma Realm, this is simply possessing something within a greater existence. How can this be called "Transcendence"? The present Dharma Realm is pure and cannot be demonstrated by comparison, nor can it be shown by transcendence. Having extinguished both comparison and transcendence, it is called Quiescent Extinction. Using these two aspects of "Wonderful" (relative and absolute), the threefold Dharma is made sublime. The Dharma of sentient beings also possesses these two types of Wonderful; the Dharma of Buddhas and the Dharma of the Mind likewise both possess these two aspects. Hence it is called "Wonderful Dharma."

Furthermore, expanding on the meaning of Wonderful, there are the Ten Wonders of the Trace Gate, the Ten Wonders of the Original Gate, and the Ten Wonders of Contemplating Mind. What are the Ten Wonders of the Trace Gate? The first is the Wonder of the Realm, the second is the Wonder of Wisdom, the third is the Wonder of Practice, the fourth is the Wonder of Stages, the fifth is the Wonder of the Threefold Dharma, the sixth is the Wonder of Response and Supplication, the seventh is the Wonder of Supernatural Powers, the eighth is the Wonder of Teaching the Dharma, the ninth is the Wonder of the Retinue, and the tenth is the Wonder of Meritorious Benefits.

The Realm of Suchness is not created by Buddha or humans; it exists from the very beginning, not only arising now. Thus it occupies the first place. Delusion about the principle gives rise to afflictions; understanding the principle gives rise to wisdom. Wisdom is the root of practice; with the eye of wisdom and the foot of practice, using the three legs of the realm (eye, foot, and realm) as a vehicle, one rides this vehicle to enter the pure and cool pond, attaining all stages. What do these stages abide in? They abide in the threefold Dharmas within the secret treasury. Dwelling in this Dharma, one is quiescent yet ever-luminous, shining upon the capacities of the ten realms; responses and supplications arise inevitably. When responding to an opportunity, one first uses the body to perform supernatural powers to startle, then uses speech to proclaim and guide. Receiving the rain of Dharma, carrying out the teachings forms a Dharma retinue, uprooting the root of birth-and-death and opening the Buddha's knowledge and vision, attaining great benefit. The first five approach self-cultivation, covering cause and effect. The latter five approach benefiting others, encompassing the ability (of the teacher) and the recipient (of the teaching).

The sutra says: "Only Buddhas can comprehend all dharmas in their true nature—their marks, natures, substances, powers, actions, causes, conditions, effects, retributions, and the complete ultimate equality from beginning to end"—This is the Wonder of the Realm. "The wisdom I have attained is the most subtle and foremost; with this subtle wisdom, I seek the unsurpassed path"—This is the Wonder of Wisdom. "In the past, from countless Buddhas, I completely cultivated all paths. Having practiced these paths, I attained the fruit of the path at the site of enlightenment. The children of Buddha, having practiced the path, will realize Buddhahood in a future life"—This is the Wonder of Practice.

The raining of the four flowers represents the stages of abiding, practice, transfer-of-merit, and realization (the four flowers correspond to these stages); "opening, showing, realizing, and entering" also constitutes the meaning of stages. "Riding this jeweled vehicle, one circles in all directions until reaching the site of enlightenment"—the "four directions" represent stages within the path, and the "site of enlightenment" represents the fruition. This is the Wonder of Stages. "The Buddha naturally abides in the Great Vehicle, attaining the state as he has attained; the power of concentration and wisdom adorns the Great Vehicle"—the Great Vehicle being the Nature-reality Dharma, concentration the Resource-achieving Dharma, and wisdom the Insight-corresponding Dharma. These are the Threefold Dharma, which is the Wonder of the Threefold Dharma.

"Within the three seven-day periods, he pondered these matters. With his Buddha-eye, he viewed all beings within the six realms," which is the Wonder of Response and Supplication. "Entering samādhi, flowers rained, the earth shook, and light emanated," which is the Wonder of Supernatural Powers. "The Dharma that he taught universally reaches to the ground of all-knowing wisdom; the teaching of the past, present, and future is the most difficult to believe and understand," which is the Wonder of Teaching the Dharma. "But he taught only Bodhisattvas, with no Śrāvaka disciples," which is the Wonder of the Retinue. "Whether now or in the future, anyone who hears a single phrase or verse, I shall bestow upon them the prediction of attaining Anuttara-samyak-saṃbodhi. Whoever hears this for even a moment will realize ultimate Buddha-wisdom. None shall achieve extinction alone; all shall be extinguished by the Tathāgata’s extinction," which is the Wonder of Meritorious Benefits.

What are the Ten Wonders of the Original Gate? First is the Wonder of the Original Cause. Second is the Wonder of the Original Fruit. Third is the Wonder of the Original Land. Fourth is the Wonder of the Original Response and Supplication. Fifth is the Wonder of the Original Supernatural Powers. Sixth is the Wonder of the Original Teaching. Seventh is the Wonder of the Original Retinue. Eighth is the Wonder of the Original Nirvāṇa. Ninth is the Wonder of the Original Lifespan. Tenth is the Wonder of the Original Benefits.

The Wonder of the Original Cause refers to the initial generation of Bodhi-mind and the cultivation of the Bodhisattva path—the cause that was cultivated at the very beginning. When the sixteen princes propagated the sutras during the time of the Buddha Mahābhijñā (Great Universal Wisdom) and formed connections, all these were middle-stage deeds, not the original cause. The path that was cultivated inconceivable aeons before is called the Wonder of the Original Cause.

The Wonder of the Original Fruit refers to the perfect and sublime cause practiced at the beginning, which resulted in the attainment of ultimate Eternal Bliss, Self, and Purity—this is the original fruit. We do not take the Sāgara-body Buddha of the Silent Site as the original fruit, but rather the fruit originally proven upon becoming Buddha in the very distant past; this is called the Wonder of the Original Fruit.

The Wonder of the Original Land: Since the original fruit has been attained, there must be a land to rely on. Now, the Trace appears either in the Sahā world or in the Triple Land (the Land of Common Residence, the Land of Expedient Means, and the Land of Reward). In the middle-stage, the Four Lands also exist. The Original Buddha also possesses the Four Lands, but where is he located? The text says: "Since then, I have constantly dwelled in this Sahā world, teaching and transforming beings." According to this passage, this is not the Sahā world of the present trace, nor is it the provisional land of the middle-stage transformation; it is the original Sahā world—this is the Wonder of the Original Land.

The Wonder of the Original Response and Supplication: Since the fruit has been accomplished, there is the original attainment of the twenty-five kinds of Samādhi of the King. Compassion, vows, and supplications are mutually connected, and being able to respond from quiescence to illumination, this is called the Wonder of the Original Response.

The Wonder of the Original Supernatural Powers: These are also the past attainment of the non-indicative, transformative dhyāna, combined with the compassion of the original cause, performing transformations with supernatural powers to startle and move beings to be saved; this is called the Wonder of the Original Supernatural Powers.

The Wonder of the Original Teaching: This is the past when first sitting at the site of enlightenment, beginning to realize enlightenment, turning the wheel of Dharma for the first time, and the Dharma taught with the Four Unhindered Wisdoms; this is the Wonder of the Original Teaching.

The Wonder of the Original Retinue: The beings instructed by the Original teaching—like those dwelling below as spoken of by Maitreya not recognizing them—are the Wonder of the Original Retinue.

The Wonder of the Original Nirvāṇa: The quiescent-extinction of the virtue of the Original attainment, as well as when the Original was responding in the two lands of common residence and expedient means, amidst beings whose affinity was exhausted, announcing entry into Nirvāṇa—this is the Wonder of the Original Nirvāṇa.

The Wonder of the Original Lifespan: When entry into Nirvāṇa is declared, there is naturally a long or short, distant or near lifespan.

The Wonder of the Original Benefits: The meritorious virtues that the Original retinue attained.

As for the Ten Wonders of the Contemplative Mind: Both the Trace Gate and the Original Gate discuss Contemplation of the Mind. The Contemplation of the Mind through the Trace Gate is scattered throughout various texts.

Contemplation of the Mind through the Original Gate: The Buddha is one with Suchness; sentient beings are also one with Suchness; the One is not two. Since the Buddha, through contemplating the mind, attained this wonderful nature of both the Original and Trace, his functioning is vast and ineffable. I am also like the Buddha; the Buddha is also like me. So we, too, should contemplate the mind to bring forth this great benefit. May I also, like the Buddha, attain equal Buddhahood.

Thus, the text says: "Hearing the Buddha's immeasurable lifespan, even with deep faith for a moment, the blessings surpass that. May we, in the future, have a long life to save beings, as the World-Honored One, the Lord of the Śākya clan, roaring the lion's roar at the site of enlightenment, teaching without fear. May we, in the future, be honored by all, sit at the site of enlightenment, and speak of a lifespan like this." This shows the Wonderful principle of Contemplation of the Mind, which attains the aspect of benefiting beings in the six identifications.