妙法蓮華經文句 2.145

2.145

此義今當辯。夫諸道升沈，由戒有持、毀；見佛、不見佛，由乘有緩、急。然持戒有麁細，故報有優、劣；持乘有小、大，見佛有權、實，且略判戒乘各為三品，依《涅槃》一句開為四句釋之，其義則顯：一、戒乘俱急，二、戒緩乘急，三、戒急乘緩，四、戒乘俱緩。若通論戒乘，一切善法，一切觀慧，皆得稱戒，亦皆是乘，人天五乘即是其義，道、共等戒悉是通意也。今就別判，三歸、五戒、十善、八齋、出家律儀，乃至定共、能防身口、遮惡道果、得人天報者，名之為戒。若聞經生解，觀智推尋四諦、十二緣、六度、生滅無生滅等，智能破煩惱，運出三界者，名之為乘。故《大品》云：「有相之善不動、不出，無相之善能動、能出。」即此義也。若戒乘俱急者，持下品戒，戒急報在人中，持小乘乘急，以人中身，於三藏教時見佛聞法；持中乘乘急，以人報身，於通教大乘乃至帶方便諸大乘經時，見佛聞法；持上乘乘急，以人報身於華嚴、法華等教及諸教中圓，見佛聞法，預列為同聞眾者是也。若持中品戒急，報在欲界天，持小乘乘急，以欲界天身，於三藏時見佛聞法，餘如上說。若持上品戒急，加修禪定報在色、無色天等，持小乘乘急，以色、無色天身，於三藏中見佛聞法，餘如上說。釋第一句竟。若戒緩乘急者，三品戒皆緩，報墮三途，持小乘乘急，以三途身，於三藏中見佛聞法，餘如上說。釋第二句竟。若戒急乘緩者，三戒急故，受欲界人天及色、無色天身，三乘緩故，佛雖出世說三乘法，愛著樂報耽荒五欲，不見佛、不聞法，舍衛三億家，及諸不見聞者，三界著樂諸天等是也。釋第三句竟。若戒乘俱緩者，受三途報，不見佛、不聞法也，釋第四句竟。此文不列地獄者，以其戒緩，苦重報隔；上乘又緩，不能於法華見佛聞法，餘經有列者，餘乘急耳。又不列無色天者，上戒急故受天身著定味，上乘緩故，不能於法華見佛聞法；餘經有列者，有餘乘急耳。若得此意，一一勘天龍八部，皆識本緣緩急，來、不來義悉可解，廣釋如《淨名疏》。又識權者引實，本迹義轉明，將此勘已觀行，三世因果朗然可識。

This meaning should now be distinguished. Ascent and descent among the various destinies depend on whether the precepts are upheld or broken; seeing the Buddha or not seeing the Buddha depends on whether the vehicle is pursued with urgency or laxity. However, because upholding the precepts has coarse and subtle aspects, the retributions have superior and inferior states; because upholding the vehicle has small and great aspects, seeing the Buddha has expedient and real aspects. For now, we briefly categorize the precepts and the vehicle into three grades each, and following one phrase of the Mahāparinirvāṇa-sūtra, open it into four propositions to explain them, whereby the meaning will become clear: first, both precepts and vehicle urgent; second, precepts lax and vehicle urgent; third, precepts urgent and vehicle lax; fourth, both precepts and vehicle lax. If we discuss precepts and vehicle broadly, all wholesome dharmas and all contemplative wisdom can be called precepts, and all are also the vehicle; the five vehicles of humans and devas convey this meaning, and precepts concurrent with the path or with absorption are all of this broad sense. Now distinguishing them specifically: the three refuges, the five precepts, the ten wholesome deeds, the eight fast-day precepts, the monastic vinaya, and even absorption-concurrence—those capable of guarding body and speech, blocking the fruit of the evil destinies, and obtaining retribution as humans and devas—are called precepts. If, hearing the sūtras, one produces understanding, and with contemplative wisdom investigates the Four Truths, the twelve links of dependent origination, the six pāramitās, arising and ceasing, non-arising and non-ceasing, and so forth, such wisdom being capable of destroying defilements and conveying one out of the three realms—this is called the vehicle. Thus the Pañcaviṃśatisāhasrikā-prajñāpāramitā-sūtra says: "Wholesomeness with characteristics cannot move and cannot convey one out; wholesomeness without characteristics can move and can convey one out." It is just this meaning. As for "both precepts and vehicle urgent": one who upholds the lower-grade precepts with urgency has retribution in the human realm; upholding the small vehicle with urgency, with a human body one sees the Buddha and hears the Dharma at the time of the Tripiṭaka teaching. Upholding the intermediate vehicle with urgency, with a human retribution body one sees the Buddha and hears the Dharma at the time of the shared teaching's Mahāyāna or various Mahāyāna sūtras conveying expedient means. Upholding the supreme vehicle with urgency, with a human retribution body one sees the Buddha and hears the Dharma in teachings such as the Avataṃsaka and Lotus Sūtra, and in the perfect aspect within the various teachings, participating among those listed as the audience who hear together. If one upholds the intermediate-grade precepts with urgency, the retribution is in the heavens of the desire realm; upholding the small vehicle with urgency, with a body in the desire realm heavens, one sees the Buddha and hears the Dharma during the Tripiṭaka teaching; the rest are as stated above. If one upholds the upper-grade precepts with urgency, adding the cultivation of dhyāna-concentration, the retribution is in the heavens of the form and formless realms; upholding the small vehicle with urgency, with a body in the form and formless realms, one sees the Buddha and hears the Dharma within the Tripiṭaka teaching; the rest are as stated above. The explanation of the first proposition is finished. As for "precepts lax and vehicle urgent": the three grades of precepts are all lax, so retribution falls into the three evil paths; upholding the small vehicle with urgency, with a body in the three paths, one sees the Buddha and hears the Dharma within the Tripiṭaka teaching; the rest are as stated above. The explanation of the second proposition is finished. As for "precepts urgent and vehicle lax": because the three precepts are urgent, one receives bodies among humans and devas of the desire realm or the form and formless realms; because the three vehicles are lax, although a buddha appears in the world to teach the Dharma of the three vehicles, one is attached to pleasurable retribution and indulges in the five desires, not seeing the Buddha and not hearing the Dharma—such as the three hundred million households of Śrāvastī and those who neither see nor hear, or the devas attached to pleasure in the three realms. The explanation of the third proposition is finished. As for "both precepts and vehicle lax": one receives retribution in the three evil paths and neither sees the Buddha nor hears the Dharma. The explanation of the fourth proposition is finished. Why this text does not list hell is because its precepts were lax, so its severe suffering and retribution create an obstruction; its supreme vehicle was also lax, so it cannot see the Buddha and hear the Dharma in the Lotus Sūtra; where other sūtras list them, it is merely that other vehicles were urgent. Furthermore, why it does not list the formless heavens is because their upper precepts were urgent, so they received heavenly bodies and became attached to the taste of absorption, while their supreme vehicle was lax, so they cannot see the Buddha and hear the Dharma in the Lotus Sūtra; where other sūtras list them, it is because other vehicles were urgent. If one grasps this meaning, examining the devas, dragons, and eight kinds of beings one by one, one will recognize the urgency or laxity of their primary conditions, and the meaning of their coming or not coming will all be understood; the extensive explanation is as in the Commentary on the Vimalakīrti-nirdeśa. Furthermore, recognizing that the expedient leads to the real, the meaning of origin and traces becomes all the more clear; applying this to examine one's own practice of contemplation, the causality of the three periods of time will be lucidly known.