法華玄義釋籤 9.25

9.25

第四嬰兒行者，在第十八文末，今文所列具如經文，但《大經》文先列不次第行，次明次第。今文先明次第者，為成前漸後頓故爾。雖前後不同，並是為顯不次第耳。於中為三：初正釋，次判，三開。初文為五：初正明行體，次「天行」下與天行對辨冥顯不同，三「眾生」下明用行意，四「慈善」下明機感之相，五「漸修」下正出行相。初文者，「福」謂梵行位位慈悲，「慧」謂天行地地觀照。二三四文可見。五行相者，彼經初列圓教，文云「言嬰兒者不能起住去來語言」，章安釋云：「不起即常，不住即淨，不去來即我，不語言即樂」，即最後文是。次明次第，具如此文，先漸、後頓。漸中二：先列，次引經釋成。初文二：先釋、次結。釋中初人天、次藏、次通、後別。結文中言「俯同群小」等者，肇云「仰攀玄根俯提弱喪」，初句是上求，下句是下化，理為道本，故云「玄根」。嬰兒失故鄉，故名為「弱喪」。方便善微名為嬰兒，本有真如名為故鄉。今用彼意，故云「俯提」。次引經釋成中，先藏、次通、次別等菩薩。又次人天後二乘，疏釋意同。後文又云又嬰兒者，厭生死苦則為說二乘樂，以是故知有斷不斷、真不真、得不得、脩不脩。後文無譬，觀文似如用前所釋隨機而說，故知乃取別教初地已前、圓教初住已前，皆名嬰兒。初言「嘙啝」者如前釋。次云「判開例可解」者，例前諸文，約教約味前麁後妙開麁即妙，亦應可解。慧聖行及梵天行不云判開，若至其位，即云用者何耶？聖行如前說，梵天竝是初證法無淺深，故無判開。若判者且約梵行從因為論，諸地慈悲遞判可爾。今云同小，既從人天終至圓教，初心行者同名嬰兒，故得於茲以用判等。

Fourth, regarding infant practice: it is found at the end of the text of the eighteenth [fascicle]. What is set out in the present text is completely in accordance with the sūtra text; however, the text of the *Great Sūtra* first sets out non-gradual practice and then explains the gradual. The present text explains the gradual first in order to establish the gradual before the sudden; hence it is so. Although before and after differ, both serve to reveal the non-gradual. There are three parts within this [section]: first, the correct explanation; second, classification; third, opening. The first part has five [sections]: first, directly clarifying the essence of the practice; second, from 'divine practice' onward, contrasting it with divine practice to differentiate the hidden and the manifest; third, from 'sentient beings' onward, clarifying the intention in employing the practice; fourth, from 'kind and good' onward, clarifying the aspect of capacity and response; fifth, from 'gradual cultivation' onward, directly setting forth the characteristics of the practice. Regarding the first section: 'merit' refers to the loving-kindness and compassion at each stage of the pure practice (brahma-cārikā); 'wisdom' refers to the contemplation at each stage of the divine practice. The second, third, and fourth sections are evident. As for the fifth, the characteristics of practice: that sūtra first lists the Perfect Teaching, the text stating, 'As for the term "infant," it cannot rise, stand, go, come, or speak.' Zhang'an explained: 'Not rising is permanence; not standing is purity; not going or coming is self; not speaking is bliss.' This is the final text. Next, it clarifies the gradual, completely matching the present text, with the gradual first and the sudden later. In the gradual there are two parts: first listing, then citing the sūtra to explain and corroborate. The first part has two sections: first the explanation, then the conclusion. In the explanation, human and heavenly beings come first, then the Tripiṭaka Teaching, then the Pervasive Teaching, and finally the Separate Teaching. In the conclusion, regarding 'stooping down to conform to the flock of young ones' and so forth: Sengzhao said, 'Reaching up to grasp the profound root, stooping down to lift up the helpless wanderers.' The first phrase is seeking above; the lower phrase is transforming below. Principle is the root of the Path, hence called the 'profound root.' The infant has lost its homeland, hence called 'helpless wanderer.' The subtle goodness of skillful means is called 'infant'; inherent true suchness is called the 'homeland.' Here, adopting that meaning, it says 'stooping down to lift up.' Next, in citing the sūtra to explain and corroborate, there are first the bodhisattvas of the Tripiṭaka, next the Pervasive, next the Separate, and so forth. Furthermore, following human and heavenly beings are the two vehicles; the commentary's explanation has the same meaning. The later text also says that for infants who abhor the suffering of birth and death, one preaches the bliss of the two vehicles; from this it is known that there are severance and non-severance, true and non-true, attainment and non-attainment, cultivation and non-cultivation. In the later text there is no metaphor; examining the text, it seems to apply the previous explanation to preach according to capacities. Thus we know that prior to the first bhūmi of the Separate Teaching and prior to the first abidance of the Perfect Teaching, all are called 'infants.' The initial 'pawa' is as explained before. Next, when it says 'the classification and opening can be understood by analogy': by analogy with the preceding passages, classifying according to teachings and flavors as crude before and subtle after, and opening the crude to be the subtle, this should also be understood. As for the wisdom noble practice and the brahma and divine practices, why is there no mention of classification and opening, but when reaching that stage it mentions application? Noble practice is as said before; brahma and divine are both the initial realization of the Dharma without shallowness or depth, hence there is no classification and opening. If one were to classify them, it would be tentatively discussing the brahma practice from the cause, and classifying the loving-kindness and compassion of the various bhūmis successively would be acceptable. Now, saying 'conforming to the small,' since it begins with humans and devas and reaches ultimately to the Perfect Teaching, practitioners at the initial stage of mind are all called infants; therefore, classification and opening can be applied here.