妙法蓮華經玄義 6.159

6.159

一熟他者，秖為業生，善根微弱，不能自發。諸菩薩等，先雖得度，愍彼迷闇，慈力起應入二十五有，而作師導，引諸實行，令向佛所。若得真道，成內眷屬，同於應生。若得似道，同於願通；不得真似，令增進勝業。皆使利益，無有唐捐。如《華嚴》中，說佛初託胎，法身菩薩皆侍衛下生，如陰雲籠月，散降餘胎，為親、中、怨，引諸業者。當知，諸眷屬非生死人。摩耶是千佛之母，淨飯是千佛之父，羅睺羅千佛之子。諸聲聞等，悉內祕外現，示眾有三毒，實自淨佛土，諸親族等，皆是大權法身上地。豈有凡夫，能懷那羅延菩薩耶？復次，外道怨惡，抗拒誹謗，當知皆是法身所為。何者？轉輪小善，出世無怨，豈有無上法王怨仇滿路？若於佛起惡，惡道受罪，何得灼然生生相惱？龍象蹴踏，非驢所堪。調達是賓伽羅菩薩，先世大善知識。阿闍世是不動菩薩。薩遮尼犍是大方便菩薩。波旬是住不思議解脫。故《華嚴》列眾，明諸天、龍、鬼神悉住不可思議法門。如是等，若親、中、怨、好、惡、逆、順，皆是法身，先是法內眷屬，今作應生眷屬。若親、中、怨、好、惡、逆、順，未得法身，先雖結緣，為猶在法外，同稱願業等眷屬。諸餘經典，非不明此權利益眾，咸謂是實內、實外、實好、實惡、實逆、實順，故經云：未曾向人，說如此事。今經，佛自開近權、顯遠實，開諸眷屬迹權、顯本實。故文云：「今當為汝說最實事。」是名應生眷屬，熟他故來也。

First, as for ripening others: it is simply because those with retributive birth have weak good roots and cannot initiate them on their own. Although the bodhisattvas were delivered in the past, pitying their delusion and darkness, by the power of compassion they give rise to responses, enter the twenty-five states of existence, and act as teachers and guides, leading those with true practice toward the Buddha's presence. If they attain the true Way, they become internal kin, equal to responsive birth. If they attain the semblance of the Way, they are equal to volitional and supernormal [births]; if they attain neither the true nor the semblance, they are caused to advance in superior karma. All are made to benefit, none in vain. As stated in the Avataṃsaka, when the Buddha first entered the womb, dharma-kāya bodhisattvas all accompanied and protected his descent into birth, like dark clouds enveloping the moon, scattering down into other wombs as relatives, neutrals, or enemies to guide those bound by karma. One should know that these kin are not people of birth and death. Māyā is the mother of a thousand buddhas; Śuddhodana is the father of a thousand buddhas; Rāhula is the son of a thousand buddhas. The śrāvakas all secretly hide [their virtue] within and manifest [defilements] without, demonstrating to the assembly the possession of the three poisons while actually purifying buddha-lands for themselves. The kinsmen and relatives are all great provisional manifestations, dharma-kāya beings of the higher grounds. How could an ordinary person bear a Nārāyaṇa-bodhisattva? Furthermore, when non-Buddhists show malice, defiance, and slander, one should know that these are all acts of the dharma-kāya. Why is this? Even with the minor good deeds of a wheel-turning king, his appearance in the world meets no enemies; how could the unsurpassable Dharma King find the road filled with foes? If they gave rise to evil toward the Buddha, they would suffer punishment in the evil destinies; how could they blatantly torment him life after life? The trampling of dragons and elephants is not something a donkey can bear. Devadatta is Pingala Bodhisattva, a great good spiritual friend of past lives. Ajātaśatru is Acala Bodhisattva. Saccaka the Nirgrantha is Great Expedient Bodhisattva. Pāpīyān abides in the inconceivable liberation. Therefore, when the Avataṃsaka lists the assembly, it explains that all the devas, nāgas, ghosts, and spirits abide in inconceivable dharma-gates. Such as these, whether relatives, neutrals, enemies, fond, hostile, rebellious, or compliant, are all the dharma-kāya; formerly internal kin of the Dharma, they now act as responsive kin. Those who are relatives, neutrals, enemies, fond, hostile, rebellious, or compliant but have not attained the dharma-kāya, though having formed connections in the past, remain outside the Dharma and are collectively called volitional and retributive kin. Other sūtras did not fail to make clear these provisional benefits for the assembly, yet all considered them to be truly internal, truly external, truly fond, truly hostile, truly rebellious, or truly compliant. Therefore a sūtra says: 'I have never spoken of such matters to anyone.' In the present sūtra, the Buddha himself opens the near provisional and reveals the distant real, opens the provisional traces of all kin and reveals the original real. Thus the text says: 'I will now speak for you the most real matter.' This is called responsive kin, who come in order to ripen others.