法華經義記 4.30

4.30

「作是念已如所思惟具告諸子，汝等速出」此下，正明長者用誡教擬宜，內合正明如來用大乘誡教擬宜眾生也。「父雖憐愍」此下，是第二明眾生無有堪受誡教之機，自有二，第一「父雖憐愍善言誘喻」標牒上句，第二「而諸子等不肯信受，不驚不畏」以下正明無大機，即譬上眾生諸根鈍著樂癡所盲如斯諸等類，云何而可度？無有大乘機也。亦不為引證作譬也。「但東西走戲視父而已」，此是第三即息誡勅之教。南北是縱，東西為橫，若使眾生心用與大下道理相附，則如南北之縱，祇由眾生不會真理於生死之中，橫理用心譬如東西也。馳騁五塵之中呼之為走，雖復運動三業無善可冀，稱之為戲。唯有感見丈六之機，故言視父。無有感說大乘之機，故言而已。

From “Having had this thought, in accordance with what he had considered, he told all the children in full: ‘You all come out quickly!’” onwards properly explains that the elder tentatively adapts using the teaching of admonition, internally applied to properly explain that the Tathāgata tentatively adapts sentient beings using the Great Vehicle teaching of admonition. From “Although the father was compassionate” onwards is the second part, explaining that sentient beings have no capacity capable of receiving the teaching of admonition. It naturally has two parts: first, “although the father was compassionate and used good words to entice and guide them” registers and quotes the preceding sentence; second, from “yet the children were unwilling to believe and accept it, and were neither alarmed nor afraid” onwards properly explains the lack of capacity for the Great [Vehicle], which is the parable for [the statement] above: “Sentient beings’ faculties are dull, attached to pleasures and blinded by folly; such kinds as these, how could they be crossed over?” They have no capacity for the Great Vehicle. Neither is a parable made here for citing proof. “Only running east and west in play, looking at their father and nothing more”—this is the third part, which ceases the teaching of admonitory command. North and south are vertical; east and west are horizontal. If sentient beings’ mental functioning conformed to the ultimate principle of the Great Vehicle, it would be like the vertical of north and south; it is only because sentient beings do not accord with true principle within birth and death that their mental functioning in crooked ways is compared to east and west. Galloping about within the five sense-objects is called ‘running’; although they activate the three karmas, no good can be expected, which is called ‘play.’ They only have the capacity to resonate to seeing the sixteen-foot [body], hence it says ‘looking at their father.’ They have no capacity to resonate to preaching the Great Vehicle, hence it says ‘and nothing more.’”