妙法蓮華經玄義 4.83

4.83

四嬰兒行者，若福慧轉增，實相彌顯。雖不作意利益眾生，任運能有冥、顯兩益。天行力有冥益，梵行力有顯益。眾生雖有小善之機，無菩薩開發，不得生長。慈善根力，如礠石吸鐵，和光利行，能令眾生得見菩薩，同其始學。漸修五戒、十善，人天果報，楊葉之行。又示二百五十戒，觀、練、熏、修，四諦、十二因緣、三十七品，同二乘嬰兒行。又示同習六度三阿僧祇，百劫種相好，柔伏煩惱，六度菩薩小善之行。又示同即色是空，無生無滅，通教小善之行。又示同別教歷別次第，相似中道，小善之行。皆是慈心之力，俯同群小，提引成就，從慈心與樂，起嬰兒行。《大經》云：「能說大字，所謂婆和」，此即六度小行而求作佛，故言大字。又云：「不見晝夜、親疏等相」，即同通教菩薩，即色是空意也。又云：「不能造作，大小諸事」「大事即五逆，小事即二乘心」，此即同別教。別教非生死，故無五逆；非涅槃，故無小乘心。又云：「楊樹黃葉」，即同人天五戒、十善嬰兒。又云：「非道為道，以能生道微因緣故。」即同二乘嬰兒也。慈善根力能出假化物，同小善方便，引入佛慧，作圓教嬰兒也。《經》云：「不能起住、來去、語言。」如《經》（云云）。又判麁妙、開麁顯妙，例可解（云云）。

Fourth, regarding infant practice: if blessings and wisdom continually increase, the real mark is made ever more manifest. Although one does not deliberately intend to benefit sentient beings, spontaneously there can be both hidden and manifest benefits. The power of divine practice yields hidden benefit, while the power of pure practice yields manifest benefit. Although sentient beings possess the spiritual capacity for lesser wholesome roots, without the bodhisattva developing them, they cannot grow. The power of pure wholesome roots is like a lodestone attracting iron; softening the light and benefiting practice, it enables sentient beings to see the bodhisattva and join in their initial learning. They gradually cultivate the five precepts and ten good deeds, the fruitional retribution of humans and devas—practices akin to [playing with] willow leaves. Furthermore, [the bodhisattva] displays the two hundred and fifty precepts, contemplating, refining, perfuming, and cultivating, as well as the four noble truths, the twelve links of dependent origination, and the thirty-seven factors of awakening, identical to the infant practice of the two vehicles. Furthermore, they display common practice of the six perfections for three asaṃkhyeya kalpas, planting the marks and characteristics for a hundred kalpas, subduing defilements, which is the practice of lesser wholesome roots of a six-perfections bodhisattva. Furthermore, they display identical understanding that form itself is emptiness, neither arising nor perishing, which is the practice of lesser wholesome roots of the shared teaching. Furthermore, they display identical practice of the sequential gradations and the semblance middle way of the distinctive teaching, which is a practice of lesser wholesome roots. All these are due to the power of a loving heart, bending down to conform with the lesser masses, elevating and guiding them to completion; from the loving heart giving joy, infant practice arises. The Great Sūtra states: 'Being able to speak great letters, namely bha and va'—this refers to seeking to become a Buddha through the lesser practice of the six perfections, and hence it is called 'great letters.' It also states: 'Not perceiving the characteristics of day and night, intimacy and estrangement, and so forth'—this is identical to the bodhisattva of the shared teaching realizing that form itself is emptiness. It also states: 'Unable to perform great or small deeds; great deeds are the five heinous crimes, and small deeds are the thoughts of the two vehicles'—this is identical to the distinctive teaching. In the distinctive teaching, because there is no birth-and-death, there are no five heinous crimes; because there is no nirvāṇa, there are no thoughts of the lesser vehicle. It also states: 'Yellow willow leaves'—this is identical to the infant practice of the five precepts and ten good deeds of humans and devas. It also states: 'Regarding the non-path as the path, because of subtle causes and conditions capable of generating the path'—this is identical to the infant of the two vehicles. The power of the wholesome roots of compassion can emerge from emptiness into the provisional to transform beings, conforming to the skillful means of lesser wholesome roots and leading them into Buddha-wisdom, acting as the infant of the perfect teaching. The sūtra states: 'Unable to arise, remain, come, go, or speak,' as described in the sūtra (and so on). Furthermore, classifying the crude and the subtle, and opening the crude to reveal the subtle, can be understood by analogy (and so on).