法華經義記 4.64

4.64

"Śāriputra, what do you think?": below this is the tenth [parable], the parable of non-falsehood. This corresponds above to the half-verse below the tenth [section] in the "Expedient Means" chapter: "Do not have any doubts; / I am the King of all dharmas," clarifying non-falsehood. Now, within this parable there are themselves three sections: first, the Tathāgata first frames the parable of non-falsehood to question Śāriputra; second, clarifying Śāriputra's respectful reply to the Tathāgata explaining non-falsehood; third, the Tathāgata confirms Śāriputra's [reply] to conclude non-falsehood. Now it clarifies: in the past the elder originally promised the sons three kinds of small carts to get them out the gate; now he impartially gives the sons the jewelled great cart—judging by sentiment and fact, is this falsehood or not falsehood? Internally, the application is: in the past he had sentient beings practice to sever the defilements of the three realms, promising to give sentient beings the knowledge of exhaustion and knowledge of non-arising beyond the three realms; today he ultimately confers prophecies impartially on sentient beings so that they equally attain the Buddha-fruition—is this method of transformation falsehood or not falsehood? "Śāriputra said": below this is the second, Śāriputra respectfully answering the Buddha to clarify non-falsehood. Now, within this reply there are themselves two sections: first, the words "No, World-Honoured One"—this first generally clarifies that the elder is not false. Second, clarifying non-falsehood. Within this second section there are themselves three [points]: first, clarifying non-falsehood through the weighty superseding the light; second, separately clarifying non-falsehood through matching the original intention; third, clarifying non-falsehood through exceeding their original hopes. Within the first point there are themselves three [steps]: first, the single sentence, "If this elder had merely caused his sons to escape the disaster of fire and preserved their bodies and lives, it would not be a falsehood"—directly clarifying non-falsehood through the weighty superseding the light. Second, the explanation below "Why is this? Because if their bodies and lives are preserved": among things cherished by humans, nothing surpasses the body and life; other external wealth and treasures are comparatively remote and minor matters. Yet this elder, out of compassion, enabled the sons to escape the suffering of burning; preserving their bodies and lives is already of a weight that is not false—how much less can light things like wealth and treasures be equated with it? As for the meaning applied internally: if the nirmanakāya Buddha did not guide and transform sentient beings through expedient means, they might widely give rise to defilements and extinguish the roots of goodness of the Great Vehicle; only through the Tathāgata's expedient enticement and transformation are the Great Vehicle's roots of goodness of wisdom and vow kept from being broken or severed, so that the cherished life of wisdom is preserved—how much more so [is it superior to] a slight, minor fruit! Third, "How much more so, since by expedient means he rescued them from that burning house": this sums up non-falsehood. It intends to clarify that the Tathāgata established the Small Vehicle teachings as a basis in order to give us the Great Vehicle's cause and effect; now that we have equally attained the understanding of the Great Vehicle, this matches the grand intention of the Tathāgata's appearance in the world—how could it be false? "World-Honoured One, if that elder": below this is the second [point], clarifying non-falsehood because it matches the original intention; it also has three tiers: first, the sentence below "If that elder" down to "did not give even the smallest single cart"—directly clarifying non-falsehood because it matches the original intention. Second, below "Why is this? Because this elder had previously thought", explaining that he guided sentient beings through expedient means and originally did not intend to give the small. Third, below "By these causes and conditions", the summation. From "How much more so when the elder knows his own wealth is limitless and desires to benefit the sons by giving them great carts" is the third [point], clarifying non-falsehood through exceeding their original hopes. What is meant by exceeding their original hopes is like formerly promising to give Person A a wooden table, but later presenting him with a jade table; although promising wood formerly and now suddenly receiving jade is contradictory between past and present and is factually a deception, the heavy treasure of today supersedes the light commodity of the past, and one's fondness for the treasure is so great that one does not deem it a breach; in the past he originally promised to give the knowledge of exhaustion and knowledge of non-arising beyond the three realms, but now that they have exited the three realms, he still confers prophecies on them to attain the Buddha's omniscience—how is this not exceeding their original hopes? Below "The Buddha told Śāriputra" is the third [section], clarifying the Tathāgata confirming Śāriputra's [reply] to conclude non-falsehood.