法華經義記 7.75

7.75

'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.