法華經義記 5.13

5.13

"And spoke in verse:"—the parabolic exposition that opens the three to reveal the one to convert people of intermediate faculties originally has four sections. But within the first, the exposition by the proper parable, there are two sections: first, explaining Śāriputra's request, and second, the Tathāgata's response to the earlier words. These two sections each have three parts; within the Buddha's response there are three parts, fully as recounted above. The first is the origin; the second, from "If in a state, city, or village" through the one hundred verses, is the exposition by the proper parable; the third, from "You, Śāriputra! This dharma seal of mine" downwards in sixty-five verses, is the encouragement and exhortation to accept and practice it. A previous explanation also said: each of these three sections is opened into two; the origin has two: first, rebuking, and second, granting. The exposition by the proper parable has two: first, prose, and second, verse; from here below, the one hundred verses are the second, the recapitulation in verse. Now, the prose above originally had two parts: first, the unfolding of the parable, and second, the application of the parable. Here, within the one hundred verses, it is also divided into two: first, sixty-five and a half verses versifying the unfolding of the parable above; second, from "He addressed Śāriputra: 'I am also like this'" downwards, thirty-four and a half verses versifying the application of the parable. Within the unfolding of the parable above, there were originally ten parables; here, only nine parables are versified, omitting the tenth parable of non-falsehood. Why is this so? An older interpretation states: "The reason why the tenth is not versified is that the earlier parable of non-falsehood was originally made by Śāriputra; now that it is the Buddha speaking in verse, how could the Buddha's verses be used to versify Śāriputra's words?" Our own tradition does not adopt this explanation: cases like this are indeed limitless, just as in the "Life Span of the Tathāgata" chapter where the Buddha made the parable of the physician's non-falsehood to ask Maitreya, Maitreya answered the Buddha explaining non-falsehood, and when coming below, the Buddha again versified Maitreya's parable of non-falsehood. Furthermore, as in the "Discrimination of Merits" chapter where the Buddha spoke in prose and Maitreya versified it, such analogies are truly not few. The reason it is not versified here is that the purpose of explaining non-falsehood is fundamentally to cause beings to attain real understanding; since the assembly at that time had already attained faithful understanding of the meaning of non-falsehood, the intention was self-evident, and for this reason the tenth parable of non-falsehood was omitted from the verses. Now, the sixty-five and a half verses that properly versify the nine parables are also opened into nine sections: first, thirty-three verses versifying the first parable of the master of the house, also called the general parable. Second, from "At that time the master of the house was standing outside the gate" downwards, two verses versifying the second parable of the elder seeing the fire. Third, "The elder, having heard, in alarm entered the burning house", six verses versifying the third parable of the elder being unable to rescue his sons. Fourth, from "At that time the elder had this thought: 'My sons being like this increases my grief and distress'" downwards, seven and a half verses versifying the fourth parable of the elder being able to rescue his sons. Fifth, from "The elder saw his sons escape the burning house" downwards, three lines of verse versifying the fifth parable of seeing the sons escape the peril. Sixth, from "Sitting on a lion throne and rejoicing within himself" downwards, four verses and one line versifying the sixth parable of the elder's joy. Seventh, from "At that time the sons knew their father was seated peacefully" downwards, three verses versifying the seventh parable of the sons asking for the carts. Eighth, from "The elder was greatly wealthy, with numerous storehouses" downwards, seven and a half verses versifying the eighth parable of bestowing the great cart. Ninth, from "The sons were then joyful and leaping with delight" downwards, one and a half verses versifying the ninth parable of the sons rejoicing because they obtained the carts. Thirty-three verses versify the first; two verses versify the second; six verses versify the third; seven and a half verses versify the fourth; three lines versify the fifth; four verses and one line versify the sixth; three verses versify the seventh; seven and a half versify the eighth; one and a half verses versify the ninth. In the general parable of the master of the house above, there were originally six meanings; now, it only versifies four meanings, omitting the third, the single gate, and the sixth, the thirty sons.