妙法蓮華經玄義 6.60

6.60

Second, in clarifying that responses have the crude and the subtle: the loving-kindness, compassion, and vows of the sages sustain their practices, like glue to an object, spontaneously adhering to the spiritual capacity. Therefore, by the power of the root of goodness of loving-kindness, lions emerge from their hands. If there were no vows, though they might contemplate suffering and joy, they would be unable to uproot or confer them. By the power of loving-kindness, in accordance with the crude or subtle nature of the capacity, those mature first are responded to first, and those mature later are responded to later. Sages of the tripiṭaka and shared teachings can also have responses, but these are only intentional supernormal powers; like drawing and painting, they are completed through deliberate management, but upon careful examination have no foundation. Why? Their bodies are reduced to ashes and their wisdom is extinguished; having no permanent foundation, on what basis could they give rise to responses? If the distinctive teaching incorporates the shared teaching, but distinctive afflictions are not yet severed, they also cannot have responses; even if they go out to beings, these are all termed crude responses. If in both the distinctive and perfect teachings, those at the initial mind merely subdue afflictions, they cannot yet have responses. When the three contemplations become manifest before those at the initial stage [of the distinctive teaching] and initial dwelling [of the perfect teaching], they realize the twenty-five samādhis. The dharma-kāya is pure, undefiled like empty space, serenely responding to all; without thought or conceptualization, it matches immediately according to capacity. Just as a single moon does not descend, and a hundred bodies of water do not ascend, yet according to the length of the river and the shape of the vessel, it manifests universally at once without before or after—this is the inconceivable subtle response. Moreover, it is like a bright mirror, clear inside and out; whether one reflection or a thousand reflections, it makes no distinctions, requires no effort, and spontaneously reflects them: this is called the subtle response. This is the subtlety of stimulus and response discussed in mutual relativity.