法華玄義釋籤 1.47

1.47

五以經旨釋者，一部之旨不出本迹。「蕩化城」者，譬前法譬，初蕩化城至記莂釋迹門也。從「又發眾聖」至「隣大覺」釋本門也。且就迹門三周攝盡。三周次第，法說居初，今從屬對二喻先說。言「化城」等者，化城是導師權說，故經云「今此大城可於中止」，是故屬教。草菴是行者所執，故經云「猶處門外止宿草菴」，是故屬情。蕩執教本為除其滯情，遣滯情本令不執權教。化城述昔、草菴譬現，時機不同，故互舉耳。「開方便」者，開於五乘。初文是開方便三乘。從「會眾善」去是會人天小善。蕩是廢之別名，開廢會三同異之相具如下文。本迹用中各有十義。又開方便近理故云「妙理」，對人天小行故云「大乘」，小行非不歸理，方便亦入一乘，綺文互對其意恒通。理者單從體說，乘者從事以明，事以體為所依，體必藉事方顯。人天本在於事，從事開事為便；三乘已證權理，從理開理易明。是以經開人天，但云佛道；若開三乘乃云實相。若爾，何故經文二乘却云菩薩道等耶？答：道名則通，義理則局，局故二乘開已授八相記，人天但約過去通論。又若按位開者，二乘得在似位，人天但在觀行，故授記二乘更經若干劫數供養，人天無此是故不同，同乘佛乘是故不異。「上中下根」等者，前蕩化城是為下根作宿世譬，前廢草菴是為中根作譬喻說，前開方便是為上根但作法說，三周說竟各授記莂，具如疏文。三根互轉得利鈍名，具如疏第四卷十門解釋。

Fifth, regarding the explanation using the sūtra's purport: the purport of the entire work does not go beyond the origin and traces. "Sweeping away the phantom city" corresponds to the preceding Dharma and metaphors; from initially sweeping away the phantom city up to the bestowal of predictions explains the gate of traces. From "furthermore, arousing the multitude of sages" to "neighboring the Great Enlightenment" explains the gate of origin. For the moment, taking the gate of traces, it is completely subsumed by the three cycles. In the sequence of the three cycles, the Dharma preaching comes first; now, following the correspondence to the two metaphors, they are spoken first. Regarding the phrase "phantom city" and so forth: the phantom city is the provisional preaching of the Guide, hence the sūtra says, "Now in this great city you may stop and dwell", and so it belongs to the teaching. The thatched hut is what the practitioner clings to, hence the sūtra says, "Still remaining outside the gate, stopping to spend the night in a thatched hut", and so it belongs to emotional clinging. Sweeping away the clung-to teaching is originally to remove their stagnant feelings; dispelling their stagnant feelings is originally to cause them not to cling to the provisional teaching. The phantom city narrates the past, and the thatched hut metaphorizes the present; because the time and capacities differ, they are mentioned alternately. "Opening the skillful means" means opening the five vehicles. The initial text is opening the provisional three vehicles. From "converging the multitude of good deeds" onwards, it converges the minor good deeds of humans and devas. "Sweeping away" is another name for abolishing; the characteristics of identity and difference among opening, abolishing, and converging are fully detailed in the text below. Within the functions of origin and traces, each has ten meanings. Furthermore, opening the skillful means approaches principle, hence it is called "subtle principle"; contrasting with the minor practices of humans and devas, it is called the "Great Vehicle". It is not that minor practices do not return to principle, and skillful means also enter the one vehicle; the woven phrasing forms mutual counterparts, and their sense is constantly continuous. "Principle" is spoken solely from the side of substance; "vehicle" is clarified from the side of phenomena. Phenomena rely on substance as their basis; substance must depend on phenomena before it is manifested. Humans and devas originally consist in phenomena, so opening phenomena from phenomena is expedient; the three vehicles have already realized provisional principle, so opening principle from principle is easy to clarify. Therefore, when the sūtra opens humans and devas, it only speaks of the Buddha path; when it opens the three vehicles, it speaks of the true mark. If so, why does the sūtra text instead speak of the bodhisattva path and so on for the two vehicles? Answer: The name "path" is general, but the doctrinal principle is specific; because it is specific, after the two vehicles are opened, they are bestowed the prediction of the eight phases [of attaining Buddhahood], whereas humans and devas are only discussed generally with respect to the past. Furthermore, if opened according to stages: the two vehicles can be at the stage of resemblance, while humans and devas are merely in contemplative practice. Therefore, the bestowal of predictions upon the two vehicles still involves going through a certain number of kalpas making offerings, whereas humans and devas have no such thing; therefore they are not the same. They ride the Buddha vehicle alike; therefore they are not different. "High, middle, and low faculties" and so forth: the preceding sweeping away of the phantom city is making the metaphor of past lives for those of low faculties; the preceding abolishing of the thatched hut is making the allegorical preaching for those of middle faculties; the preceding opening of skillful means is making solely the Dharma preaching for those of superior faculties. When the three cycles of preaching were completed, predictions were bestowed on each, fully as in the commentary text. The three faculties interchange to receive the names of sharp and dull, fully as explained under the ten headings in the fourth fascicle of the commentary.