佛子 如來 應正等覺 出現於世 無量無邊 難信解事 所謂如來 以一音聲 覺悟一切諸衆生故 如來 無有出現 而出現故 如來 遍一切處 而無身故 如來 知一切衆生心 不生心故 如來 普照世間 而無所行故 佛子 如來出現 如大地出 普載一切 無有差別
fó zǐ rú lái yìng zhèng děng jué chū xiàn yú shì wú liàng wú biān nán xìn jiě shì suǒ wèi rú lái yǐ yī yīn shēng jué wù yī qiē zhū zhòng shēng gù rú lái wú yǒu chū xiàn ér chū xiàn gù rú lái biàn yī qiē chù ér wú shēn gù rú lái zhī yī qiē zhòng shēng xīn bù shēng xīn gù rú lái pǔ zhào shì jiān ér wú suǒ xíng gù fó zǐ rú lái chū xiàn rú dà dì chū pǔ zài yī qiē wú yǒu chā bié
Key Message
The appearance of the Tathāgata is a manifestation of wisdom and compassion that embraces all sentient beings equally, just as the great earth bears all things without discrimination.
▸Chapter 37, 'The Appearance of the Tathāgata' (如來出現品), illuminates the causes and merits of the Tathāgata's appearance in the world, revealing the Tathāgata's essence through ten similes and paradoxes.
Chapter 37, 'The Appearance of the Tathāgata' (如來出現品), illuminates the causes and merits of the Tathāgata's appearance in the world, revealing the Tathāgata's essence through ten similes and paradoxes. The Tathāgata awakens all beings with a single voice; the Tathāgata appears and yet has no appearance; the Tathāgata pervades all places and yet has no body; the Tathāgata knows the minds of all beings and yet generates no thoughts; the Tathāgata illuminates the world universally and yet performs no actions. These paradoxes are connected to the Avatamsaka's conception of the Buddha's body (佛身觀) — the trikāya doctrine of Dharmakāya, Saṃbhogakāya, and Nirmāṇakāya. The simile 'the appearance of the Tathāgata is like the appearance of the great earth' is especially significant: just as the great earth bears all things equally without discrimination, the Tathāgata equally embraces all sentient beings without distinction — a declaration of the principle of equanimous compassion.