法華經義記 7.75

7.75

「而說偈言」舉通經軌。命覓通經人中，本自有二，即是長行與偈為二。此下是第二偈頌，凡有十八行半偈，自分為二：第一有一偈先總勸，此則不頌上長行；「如人渴須水」此下十七行半是第二正頌上長行。但上長行本有三：一者歎經，二者正出通經之軌，三者獎勸使通經。今此十七行半偈亦為三段：初四行頌第一，次四行半頌第二，下餘有九行頌第三。上第一歎經中有五種歎，今此四行唯頌第五據果為歎。上自有五重，今此四行中初一行半頌第二譬說，後二行半頌第五誡勸時眾，餘三重略不頌也。「若人說此經」此下四行半是第二，即頌第二正出通經軌則。上長行中本有三段，今者不頌第一假問出通經之經法，唯頌後兩段。初一行半頌通經之法三種章門，次餘有三行頌第三解釋。「若我滅度後」此下九偈頌上第三段。上本有五階，今亦頌盡，但小不次第，初一行半偈頌第二，第二從「引導諸眾生」下有一行半追頌第一第三，從「若說法之人」下有一行半超頌第四，第四從「若忘失章句」又有一行半仍頌第五，第五從「若人在空閑」有三行追頌上第三。

'And spoke in verse' presents the rules for propagating the sūtra. In seeking those who propagate the sūtra, there were originally two parts, namely prose and verse. What follows is the second, the verses, amounting to eighteen and a half stanzas, divided naturally into two: first, there is one stanza that generally exhorts first, which does not summarize the prose above; from 'Like a person who is thirsty and needs water' downward, the seventeen and a half stanzas are the second part, properly versifying the prose above. But the prose above originally had three [parts]: first, praising the sūtra; second, directly setting out the rules for propagating the sūtra; third, encouraging and exhorting [them] to propagate the sūtra. Now these seventeen and a half stanzas also form three sections: the first four stanzas versify the first [prose part]; the next four and a half stanzas versify the second; and the remaining nine stanzas below versify the third.

In the first part above, praising the sūtra, there were five kinds of praise; now these four stanzas only versify the fifth, praising on the basis of effect. While above there were originally five tiers, in these four stanzas the first stanza and a half versify the second [tier], the parable, and the latter two and a half stanzas versify the fifth [tier], admonishing and exhorting the assembly of the time, the remaining three tiers being omitted from the verse.

From 'If a person preaches this sūtra' downward, the four and a half stanzas are the second [section], which versifies the second [prose part], directly setting out the rules for propagating the sūtra. In the prose above there were originally three parts; now it does not versify the first, the hypothetical question presenting the method of the sūtra for propagation, but only versifies the latter two parts. The first stanza and a half versifies the three section headings of the method of propagating the sūtra, and the remaining three stanzas versify the third part, the explanation.

From 'If after my extinction' downward, the nine stanzas versify the third section above. Above there were originally five stages; now they are also versified completely, but slightly out of order: the first stanza and a half versifies the second; second, from 'Guiding all sentient beings' downward, there is a stanza and a half retroactively versifying the first and third; from 'If the person preaching the Dharma' downward, there is a stanza and a half jumping ahead to versify the fourth; fourth, from 'If they forget chapters and verses', there is another stanza and a half continuing to versify the fifth; fifth, from 'If a person is in a quiet place', there are three stanzas retroactively versifying the third above.