妙法蓮華經玄義 9.112

9.112

二、本門因果永異眾經者，若三藏菩薩始行實因果，無權因果，乃至明佛道樹始成，非久遠本迹。通教菩薩亦始行因，神通變化而論本迹，非久遠本迹也。《大品》說菩薩有本迹，二乘則無，說佛始得生法二身本迹，不說久遠。《淨名》不說聲聞有本迹，但明菩薩住不思議之本迹。說佛有淨土，螺髻所見亦非久遠。《華嚴》說舍那釋迦為本迹，菩薩亦有本迹，聲聞尚不聞不解，云何自有本迹？今經發聲聞有本，本有因果，示為二乘迹中因果。發佛之迹，王宮生身生，道樹法身生，乃至中間生法二身，悉皆是迹。但取最初先得真應，名之為本。故師弟本因本果，與餘經永異。今經迹中師弟因果，與眾經有同有異，本中師弟因果，眾經所無，正以此之因果為經妙宗也。

Second, the cause and effect of the origin gate are eternally different from the various scriptures: if it is the Tripiṭaka bodhisattva's initial practice of real cause and effect, there is no provisional cause and effect, up to explaining the Buddha's initial attainment at the bodhi tree, which is not the long-distant original source and traces. The bodhisattva of the shared teaching also initially practices the cause, discussing origin and traces in terms of supernormal powers and transformations, which are not the long-distant original source and traces. The Pañcaviṃśati says that bodhisattvas have origin and traces, but the two vehicles do not; it speaks of the Buddha's initial attainment of the two bodies of physical form and dharma as origin and traces, but does not speak of the long-distant past. The Vimalakīrtinirdeśa does not say that śrāvakas have origin and traces, but only clarifies that bodhisattvas abide in the origin and traces of the inconceivable; it says the Buddha has a pure land, but what was seen by Śikhin is also not the long-distant past. The Avataṃsaka speaks of Vairocana and Śākyamuni as origin and traces, and bodhisattvas also have origin and traces; yet the śrāvakas did not even hear or understand, so how could they themselves possess origin and traces? The present scripture exposes that śrāvakas have an origin, and the origin has cause and effect, which are manifested as the cause and effect in the traces of the two vehicles. Exposing the Buddha's traces: his birth of the physical body in the royal palace, his birth of the dharma-kāya under the bodhi tree, and even the two bodies of physical form and dharma in between, are all traces. It takes only the very first, earliest attainment of the true and response [bodies] and names it the origin. Therefore, the original cause and original effect of master and disciples are eternally different from the other scriptures. The disciples' and master's cause and effect in the traces of the present scripture are both the same as and different from the various scriptures, whereas the disciples' and master's cause and effect in the origin are absent from the other scriptures; it is precisely this cause and effect that constitutes the wondrous central purport of the scripture.