法華經義記 4.4

4.4

In the second part, repenting faults and reproaching oneself, there are two parts: first, "Yet this was our fault, not the World-Honoured One's", which properly and generally repents faults and reproaches oneself. Second, from "Why is this?" downward, adduces specific explanations of the general meaning of repenting faults. In the past, he constantly said, 'We equally enter into the dharma-nature; why did the Tathāgata save me with the Small Vehicle and save them with the Great Vehicle?' He was constantly resentful that the World-Honoured One did not have an impartial mind. Only today does he know: 'In the past, I myself had no mind capable of receiving the Great Vehicle, which caused the Tathāgata to teach the Small through skilful means.' However, in this explanation there are, following the precedent, two parts: first, it clarifies repenting the past failure to take up the Great; second, it clarifies repenting the taking up of the Small. Now the first is repenting the past failure to take up the Great: from "Why is this?" down to "would certainly have attained the Great Vehicle and attained deliverance". As for 'that upon which it is based', now, looking at the myriad practices from the standpoint of the unsurpassed fruition of buddhahood, the myriad practices are that upon which the fruition of buddhahood is based. Again, looking at the teaching of the Great Vehicle from the standpoint of the myriad practices, the teaching of the Great Vehicle is that upon which the myriad practices are based. How is this known to be so? It is simply due to the teaching of the Great Vehicle that the myriad practices are generated, and due to the myriad practices that the fruition of buddhahood is obtained. What is called 'that upon which it is based' here is simply designating the teaching of the Great Vehicle as the cause. However, the distinct teachings of the three vehicles were also expounded sequentially: in the Deer Park he expounded the Four Truths; in Rājagṛha he expounded the twelve links of dependent origination; and later he expounded the *Upāsakaśīla-sūtra*. Śāriputra himself said, 'Why did I not wait in the past for the Tathāgata to expound the teaching of the Great Vehicle and practice therein, whereby I could not have failed to attain the understanding of the Great Vehicle, rather than hastily receiving the inferior teaching of the three vehicles?' This is repenting the past failure to take up the Great. However, from "we did not understand skilful means" downward is the second, repenting the past taking up of the Small. If I had understood that the Tathāgata's past teaching was a skilful means, would I ever have taken up the Small? Simply because I had not yet understood the Tathāgata's past expedient, skilful teaching, I still faithfully accepted it therein. This is repenting the past taking up of the Small.