次問真法身像類并答
Questions on the True Dharma Body and Its Forms, with Replies
遠問曰。眾經說佛形。皆云身相具足。光明徹照。端正無比。披服德式。即是沙門法像。真法身者。可類此乎。若類於此。即有所疑。何者。佛變化之形。託生於人。於人中之上。不過於轉輪聖王。是故世尊。表出家之形殊妙之體。以引凡俗。此像類大同。宜以精麁為階差耳。且如來真法身者。唯十住之所見。與群麁隔絕。十住無師。又非所須。縱使有待於來。足不俟之以進業。將何所引。而有斯形。若以功報。自然不期而後應。即菩薩不應標𢱈有位。以立德本。
Someone from afar asked: The scriptures describe the Buddha's appearance, saying his body is fully adorned with marks, radiating brilliant light, incomparably dignified and beautiful, dressed in virtuous style—this is the image of a wandering monk. Could the true Dharma body be compared to this? If it is like this, then doubt arises. Why? The Buddha's transformed body was born among humans, and among humans, nothing surpasses a wheel-turning sage king. Therefore, the World-Honored One manifested the extraordinary form of one who has left home to guide ordinary people. This image is broadly similar, so it should be distinguished by degrees of refinement and coarseness. Moreover, the Tathagata's true Dharma body is seen only by those at the tenth stage [of bodhisattva development], utterly separate from all coarse forms. Those at the tenth stage have no teacher, nor do they need one; even if they awaited something to come, they would not depend on it to advance their practice. What then would guide them, and why would such a form appear? If it arises naturally as a reward for merit, responding without prior intention, then bodhisattvas should not mark out fixed positions to establish the foundation of virtue.
什答曰。佛法身菩薩法身。名同而實異。菩薩法身雖以微結如先說。佛法身即不然。但以本願業行因緣。自然施作佛事。如密迹經說。佛身者無方之應。一會之眾生。有見佛身金色。或見銀色車渠馬瑙等種種之色。或有眾生見佛身與人無異。或有見丈六之身。或見三丈。或見千萬丈形。或見如須彌山等。或見無量無邊身。如以一音。而眾生隨意所聞。或有聞佛音聲。崇濡微妙。如迦陵頻伽鳥。白鵠之聲。如獅子吼聲。如野牛王聲。如打大鼓之聲。如大雷聲。如梵王聲等。種種不同。有於音聲中。或聞說布施。或聞說持戒禪定智慧解脫大乘等。各各自謂為我說法。是法身神力無所不能。若不爾者。何得一時演布種種音聲種種法門耶。當知可皆是法身分也。白淨王宮佛身。即是法身分。不得容有像類。何以故。釋迦牟尼佛身。能一時於千萬國土。皆作佛事。種種名號。種種之身。教化眾生。言十住無師者。為下凡夫二乘九住已還。可非於諸佛。言無師也。乃至坐道場菩薩。尚亦有師。何況十住。如十住經中說。菩薩坐道場欲作佛。爾時十方佛口中放光明。來入其頂。是菩薩即時深入無量三昧諸佛三昧陀羅尼解脫等。通達過去未來劫數。無量劫為一劫。一劫為無量劫。一微塵為無量色。無量色為一微塵。分別無量十方三世國土名號。及眾生名字行業因緣本末種種解脫道門次第。以一心相應慧。通達一切法。得無礙解脫。名之為佛。無礙解脫是佛法之根本。如經說。十住菩薩當知如佛。是佛讚歎十地功德。如讚誦法華者。即為是佛。又言。我以兩肩荷負此人。又如放鉢經中。文殊師利語彌勒大士。汝可取鉢彌勒不能取之。文殊師利。即申其臂。下方取鉢。爾時彌勒。語文殊師利。汝今雖有如是之力。我作佛時。如汝之比。無量無數。不能知我舉足下足之事。而此大菩薩。皆是十住。施佛法不可思議。皆不能及。又文殊彌勒等。於佛法中。處處多有所問。或為利益眾生故。或復自為利益。使得甚深佛法故。若然者。云何言十住無師耶。又諸大菩薩。不分別是麁是細。能觀一切法皆細。能觀一切法皆麁。如般若波羅蜜經中說。須菩提言。世尊般若波羅蜜甚深。佛言。菩薩觀般若波羅蜜。觀淺亦失。是故不得說。如眼所見為麁。心所見為細。大菩薩聞已。離於眼等諸根。但以法界。從佛聞法。如不可思議解脫經中說。文殊師利。與十方菩薩。在佛會中。共坐聽法。而能有身南國遊行。又大菩薩。常在定中。而能見佛聽法。聲所不能及。如思益中說。普華菩薩。問舍利弗。汝入滅盡定。能聽法不。答言不能。菩薩即能。如是法身菩薩所能行。無量不可思議。若有果報生身三根者。可有此難。精麁不同。然體平等者。身心無復差別之相。復有人言。法身菩薩。利益眾生故。以眼等見佛聞法施立供養。而有所聞。所以者何。欲為開引新發意菩薩故。
Question: What is the difference between the Dharma-body of a Buddha and the Dharma-body of a Bodhisattva?
Answer: The Dharma-body of a Buddha and the Dharma-body of a Bodhisattva share the same name, but their realities are different. Although the Bodhisattva's Dharma-body still has subtle defilements, as explained earlier, the Buddha's Dharma-body is not like that. It naturally carries out Buddha-work solely through the causes and conditions of his original vows and karmic actions. As the *Secret Trace Sūtra* says, the Buddha-body responds without limitation. Among a single assembly of beings, some see the Buddha's body as golden, others see it as silver, crystal, carnelian, or other colors. Some beings see the Buddha's body as no different from an ordinary person's. Some see a sixteen-foot body, some see a thirty-foot body, some see a thousand-foot or ten-thousand-foot body, some see a body as large as Mount Sumeru, and some see an immeasurable, boundless body.
Likewise, with a single voice, beings hear whatever they wish. Some hear the Buddha's voice as gentle and sublime, like the call of the kalaviṅka bird or the cry of a white swan. Some hear it like a lion's roar, like the bellow of a wild bull, like the beating of a great drum, like a mighty clap of thunder, or like the voice of Brahmā. The sounds are all different. Within the sound, some hear teachings on generosity, some hear teachings on moral discipline, meditation, wisdom, liberation, or the Great Vehicle. Each person thinks, "The Buddha is teaching specifically for me." Such is the miraculous power of the Dharma-body—there is nothing it cannot do. If this were not so, how could a single moment produce such a variety of sounds and teachings? You should know that all of this is an expression of the Dharma-body.
The physical body born in the palace of King Śuddhodana is also an expression of the Dharma-body. It cannot be considered a mere physical form. Why? Because Śākyamuni Buddha's body can simultaneously perform Buddha-work in countless lands, using various names and various bodies to teach beings.
As for the teaching that "ten-stage Bodhisattvas have no teacher," this refers to ordinary beings, the two vehicles, and those below the ninth stage. It does not mean they are no longer guided by the Buddhas. Even Bodhisattvas seated at the site of enlightenment still have teachers—how much more so those at the tenth stage! As the *Ten Stages Sūtra* says, when a Bodhisattva sits at the site of enlightenment and is about to become a Buddha, at that moment the Buddhas of the ten directions emit light from their mouths, which enters the crown of his head. The Bodhisattva immediately enters measureless meditations, Buddha-meditations, dhāraṇīs, and liberations. He penetrates past and future kalpas—countless kalpas become one kalpa, one kalpa becomes countless kalpas. One mote of dust becomes countless forms, countless forms become one mote of dust. He distinguishes the names of countless lands in the ten directions and the three times, along with the names of beings, their karmic actions, causes and conditions, origins and outcomes, and the various sequences of liberation paths. With the wisdom of one-pointed awareness, he penetrates all dharmas and attains unobstructed liberation. This is what is called becoming a Buddha. Unobstructed liberation is the root of the Buddha-dharma.
As the sūtras say, "A ten-stage Bodhisattva should be known as equal to a Buddha." This is the Buddha praising the merit of the ten stages. It is like the *Lotus Sūtra* saying that one who praises and recites it is already a Buddha. It also says, "I will carry such a person on my shoulders." Likewise, in the *Bowl-Offering Sūtra*, Mañjuśrī said to the great being Maitreya, "You may take the bowl." But Maitreya could not lift it. Then Mañjuśrī stretched out his arm and took the bowl from the lower realm. At that time, Maitreya said to Mañjuśrī, "Although you now have such power, when I become a Buddha, beings like you will be countless, and they will not be able to know the details of my lifting my foot or setting it down." Yet these great Bodhisattvas are all at the tenth stage. The inconceivable power of Buddha-work is beyond their reach. Furthermore, Mañjuśrī, Maitreya, and others often ask questions within Buddhism—sometimes for the benefit of beings, sometimes for their own benefit, to attain the profound Buddha-dharma. If this is so, how can it be said that ten-stage Bodhisattvas have no teacher?
Moreover, great Bodhisattvas do not discriminate between coarse and subtle. They can observe all dharmas as subtle, and they can observe all dharmas as coarse. As the *Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra* says, Subhūti said, "World-Honored One, prajñāpāramitā is extremely profound." The Buddha replied, "A Bodhisattva who regards prajñāpāramitā as shallow is also mistaken. Therefore, it cannot be spoken." What is seen by the eyes is considered coarse; what is seen by the mind is considered subtle. When great Bodhisattvas hear this, they transcend the sense faculties such as the eyes and, resting solely in the dharma-realm, hear the Dharma from the Buddha. As the *Inconceivable Liberation Sūtra* says, Mañjuśrī sat together with Bodhisattvas from the ten directions in the Buddha's assembly to listen to the Dharma, while his body could also travel to southern lands. Likewise, great Bodhisattvas are always in meditation, yet they can see the Buddha and hear the Dharma—something sound alone cannot reach.
As the *Sīmhāṣa* Sūtra says, Puhua Bodhisattva asked Śāriputra, "When you enter the concentration of cessation, can you hear the Dharma?" Śāriputra answered, "No." But a Bodhisattva can. Such are the immeasurable and inconceivable abilities of the Dharma-body Bodhisattva. If one had only the three faculties of a body born from karmic reward, such difficulties might arise—differences in coarse and subtle. But for those whose essence is equality, there is no longer any distinction between body and mind in their characteristics.
Some say that Dharma-body Bodhisattvas, for the benefit of beings, see the Buddha with their eyes and hear the Dharma with their ears, making offerings and thus receiving teachings. Why? Because they wish to guide and inspire those who have newly aroused the aspiration for enlightenment.