法華玄義釋籤 1.58

1.58

從「發祕密」去次釋經題，初「妙法」兩字通詮本迹，「蓮華」兩字通譬本迹。今以久本喻蓮，會圓譬華。「發祕密等」者，「發」者開也。昔祕而不說，故部皆屬麁，昔權實相帶、權實隔異，是故不明權實正軌，本果久成但為迹覆，今但指本名之為顯。法是現在，受者計異故須會之。位猶在因，故名為道。聲為佛事且據佛世，義通滅後故名為經。色唯滅後故且置之。前大師序云「有翻無翻」指第八卷，初則唯在於色，次則遍於六塵，故大師序意一往似局而實通；章安序意一往似通而猶局。「圓詮之初」等者，且從迹說，具存應云本迹詮初。前大師序不釋序品第一者，雖在題名之下，自屬品之次第，非題中之義，故缺不論。故玄文末亦不釋之，至疏文初方乃略解；章安承便，故略論之。「序類相從」等者，一往亦且釋品所以，若有品之由具在文句，此不合論。「眾次」等者，二十八品生起不雜、生起非一，故云「眾次」。於中最初故云「之首」。「第一」可知。

From "revealing the secret" onward, next is the explanation of the sūtra title. First, the two characters "Wondrous Dharma" universally explain both origin and traces; the two characters "Lotus Flower" universally symbolize both origin and traces. Now, the ancient origin is compared to the lotus, and converging into the perfect is compared to the flower. In "revealing the secret and so forth": "to reveal" means to open. Formerly, it was secret and not preached, so all the teachings were coarse; formerly, the provisional and the real were co-present, and the provisional and the real were kept distinct and separate, and for this reason the correct trajectory of the provisional and the real was not clarified. The original fruit had been achieved long ago, but was merely covered by traces; now, merely pointing to the origin is called revealing. The Dharma is the present; because recipients conceptualized it differently, it must be converged. The stage is still in the cause, and so it is called the path. Voice serves as Buddha-work; provisionally relying on the Buddha's lifetime, its meaning extends to after the extinction, and so it is called a sūtra. Form pertains solely to after the extinction, and so it is set aside for now. The previous preface of the Great Master said, "with translation and without translation," referring to the eighth fascicle: the first is solely in form, and the second pervades the six dusts; thus, the intent of the Great Master's preface at first glance seems narrow but in truth is comprehensive; Zhang'an's preface at first glance seems comprehensive but remains narrow. In "the beginning of the perfect exposition" and so forth: this is spoken provisionally from the traces; if fully stated, it should say the beginning of the exposition of both origin and traces. That the previous preface of the Great Master did not explain "Introductory Chapter, Number One" is because, although it is beneath the title, it naturally belongs to the sequence of chapters and is not part of the meaning of the title; hence, it was omitted and not discussed. Therefore, the end of the Xuanyi also does not explain it, and only at the beginning of the commentary is it briefly explained; Zhang'an availed himself of the convenience, and so briefly discussed it. In "the categories of preface follow one another" and so forth: at first glance, this also provisionally explains the reason for the chapter; the reasons for having the chapters are fully in the Wenju, and it is not fitting to discuss them here. In "the sequence of the assembly" and so forth: the arising of the twenty-eight chapters is unmixed, and their arising is not singular, hence it says "the sequence of the assembly." Being the very first among them, it says "the head of." "Number one" can be understood.