妙法蓮華經玄義 9.115

9.115

夫經說因果，正為通益生法行人。若開權顯實，正令七種方便生身未入者入，傍令生、法二身已入者進。若說壽量長遠，傍令生身未入者入，正令生法已入者進。〈神力品〉云：「如來所有一切甚深之事」者，非因非果，是甚深之理，因果是甚深之事。從七種方便，初得入圓，登銅輪位，名之為因。乃至餘有一生在，若轉一生，即得妙覺，名之為果。從於二住至於等覺，中間名為亦因亦因因，亦果亦果果。用無礙道伏一分無明，名之為因；用解脫道斷一分無明，名之為果。約此解脫，復修無礙，故云因因；從此無礙，復得解脫，故言果果。

Now, when the sūtras speak of causes and effects, their primary purpose is to universally benefit practitioners of both birth-bodies and dharma-bodies. When [the sūtra] opens the provisional and reveals the real, it primarily causes those in the seven provisional stages who have physical birth-bodies and have not yet entered to enter; secondarily, it causes those who already have both birth- and dharma-bodies and have entered to advance. When it speaks of the vast length of the life span, it secondarily causes those with birth-bodies who have not entered to enter, and primarily causes those with birth- and dharma-bodies who have entered to advance. As the 'Chapter on Divine Transcendent Powers' says: 'All the most profound matters of the Tathāgata'—what is neither cause nor effect is the profound principle; cause and effect are the profound matters. Beginning from the seven provisional stages, when one first enters the perfect [teaching] and ascends to the stage of the copper wheel, this is called 'cause.' Up to the point where one birth remains, if one birth is transformed, one immediately attains wondrous awakening, which is called 'effect.' From the second abode up to equal awakening, the intermediate [stages] are called both cause and cause of causes, both effect and effect of effects. Using the unimpeded path to subdue one portion of ignorance is called 'cause'; using the path of liberation to sever one portion of ignorance is called 'effect.' In reliance upon this liberation, one again cultivates the unimpeded [path], hence it is called 'cause of causes'; from this unimpeded [path], one again attains liberation, hence it is called 'effect of effects.'