法華經義記 7.25

7.25

第一將導譬者，此為上正明昔日結緣中兩階作譬，與火宅第一宅主總譬相應。上火宅中本有六義，今此譬中以義相從可有四義，略無一門及五百人也。「譬如五百由旬」者，是則依俙似火宅義，欲界如一百、色界如二百、無色界如三百，七地所斷三界餘習如四百，八地以上至金剛心所斷無明住地煩惱如五百也。「嶮難惡道曠絕無人怖畏之處」，是則宅中有火義，是皆生死之地，故言嶮難惡道。現見生死之中眾生餘蘊不可秖無，今何故言無人？解釋者言：「所以言無人者，但生死之中逆流去者蓋不足言，非不有一兩人能逆流者，此不可言以字詺，故言無人也。」「若有多眾」以下此即是三十子義，即譬上第三階言「一一皆度」下，明聽眾得利益者。「有一導師」此是長者義，即譬上第二覆講之主，知眾生聞法得解折伏煩惱即是知通義，既失正解更起煩惱即是塞義，于時令眾勿沒生死遠求佛果，即是將導眾人欲過此難也。

Regarding the first, the parable of guiding: this provides a parable for the two stages in directly explaining the past establishing of conditions above, corresponding to the first general parable of the master of the house in the burning house. In the burning house above, there were originally six meanings; now, following the meaning in this parable, there can be four meanings, omitting the single gate and the five hundred people. 'Suppose there is a [frightful way] of five hundred yojanas': this corresponds vaguely to the meaning of the burning house; the desire realm is like one hundred, the form realm is like two hundred, the formless realm is like three hundred, the remaining habit energy of the three realms severed on the seventh stage is like four hundred, and the afflictions of the ground of abiding ignorance severed from the eighth stage upward up to the vajra-mind are like five hundred. 'A perilous, bad road, desolate, without people, and a place of terror': this corresponds to the meaning of fire being in the house; these are all places of birth and death, hence it is called 'a perilous, bad road'. We visibly observe that among the remnants of the aggregates of sentient beings within birth and death, they cannot simply be absent; why then does it now say 'without people'? The explicator says: 'The reason it says without people is that within birth and death, those who go against the flow are hardly worth mentioning; it is not that there are not one or two people capable of going against the flow, but these cannot be designated by ordinary words, hence it says without people.' 'If there is a great multitude' and so on: this is the meaning of the thirty sons; that is, it illustrates the third stage above, the words 'each and every one was saved' downward, explaining the audience who obtained benefits. 'There is a guide': this is the meaning of the elder; that is, it illustrates the master of the repeat exposition in the second [stage] above; knowing that sentient beings hear the dharma, attain understanding, and subdue afflictions is the meaning of knowing what is open; losing correct understanding and giving rise to afflictions once again is the meaning of what is blocked; at that time causing the multitude not to sink into birth and death and to seek the buddha fruition from afar is guiding the multitude wishing to cross this hardship.