妙法蓮華經玄義 7.233

7.233

多分喻者，《釋論》解師子吼義，從深山谷種生長，身力手足，爪牙頭尾，震吼等譬，譬師子吼法門。亦如《大經》，明波利質多樹，黃嘴皰果等，遍喻行人。今亦如是，從初種子乃至蓮成，喻於妙法也。譬如石蓮，烏皮在外，白肉在內，四微為質，卷荷欲生，微細眾具，開華、布鬚、蓮實、房成，初後不異蓮華，始終十義具足。譬佛界眾生，始自無明，終至佛果，十如是法，無有缺減。總譬竟。

Regarding the extensive metaphor: The Treatise explains the meaning of the lion's roar through metaphors of its birth and growth from deep mountain valleys, its physical strength, hands and feet, claws and teeth, head and tail, and its quaking roar, to illustrate the dharma-gate of the lion's roar. It is also like the Mahāparinirvāṇa-sūtra illustrating the practitioner throughout by means of the pārijāta tree, the yellow-beaked fruit, and so forth. Here it is also like this: from the initial seed up to the completion of the lotus, it serves as a metaphor for the wondrous Dharma. For example, like a stone-hard lotus seed: with black skin on the outside, white meat within, having the four subtle elements as its substance, the curled lotus leaf about to sprout, all the subtle parts fully present, the opening of the flower, spreading of the stamens, and formation of the fruit within the receptacle—from beginning to end it is never other than the lotus flower, completely possessing the ten meanings throughout. This is a metaphor for the sentient beings of the buddha realm: from their initial ignorance to the final buddha-fruit, the teachings of the ten suchnesses are never deficient. The general metaphor is concluded.