妙法蓮華經文句 2.153

2.153

從「為諸菩薩說大乘經」下，訖「以佛舍利起七寶塔」，是現相序。瑤師明七瑞，此土開六，他土總一；光宅此彼各六瑞。此六者，動則說法度人，靜則入定觀理，動靜為一雙；上天雨四花，下地六種動，上下為一雙；大眾內懷歡喜，如來外放光明，內外為一雙。今謂尋文起盡如光宅，若取名義便易，表報之意並自未彰。今明智定、因果、感應為三雙：智則指一說多，定則諦緣義處；因則四位天花，果則六處地動；感則大乘機發，應則圓毫照之。此六皆稱瑞相者，文云：「今相如本瑞」，瑞秖是相耳，人情分別，以密報為瑞，奇異為相。相何所報？妙理玄賾說之至難，人情悠悠不能尊重，先以異相駭變常情，常情既變而生欽渴，故以異釋相，以報釋瑞。略明六瑞，表報十妙，感應妙中已說，今更道說法瑞，表報說法妙、智妙；入定瑞，表報行妙；雨花瑞，表報位妙；地動瑞，表報境妙、乘妙；眾喜瑞，表報眷屬妙、利益妙；放光瑞，表報感應妙、神通妙，是故六種俱名現相序。

From "preached for the bodhisattvas the Mahāyāna sūtra" down to "they built towers of the seven treasures with the Buddha's relics" constitutes the preface of manifesting signs. Master Yao clarified seven auspicious signs, dividing six for this land and taking one comprehensively for other lands; Guanzhai held that there are six auspicious signs for this land and six for the other. These six are: moving, which is preaching the Dharma to deliver beings, and resting, which is entering samādhi to contemplate the principle—movement and rest form one pair; above, heaven rains down four flowers, and below, the earth undergoes six kinds of quaking—above and below form one pair; within, the great assembly cherishes joy, and without, the Tathāgata emits light—inner and outer form one pair. Now, I say: in tracing the beginning and end of the text, [Master Yao's reading] is like Guanzhai's; although taking the names and meanings is convenient, the significance of expressing and portending has not yet been clarified. Now, I clarify wisdom and concentration, cause and effect, and stimulus and response as three pairs: wisdom points to the one and explains the many; concentration is the locus of meaning of the real conditions; cause is the heavenly flowers of the four stages; effect is the six quakings of the earth; stimulus is the activation of the Mahāyāna capacities; response is the perfect white tuft illuminating them. Why are all six called "auspicious signs"? The text states, "The present signs are like the past auspicious omens." An auspicious omen is simply a sign. In human sentiment, distinction is made: an esoteric portend is taken as an auspicious omen, and an extraordinary anomaly is taken as a sign. What does the sign portend? The wondrous principle is profound and subtle, and extremely difficult to explain; ordinary human sentiment is careless and unable to venerate it, so extraordinary signs are first used to startle and alter ordinary sentiment. Ordinary sentiment having been altered, longing and thirst are aroused. Hence, extraordinary explains "sign," and portend explains "auspicious omen." Briefly clarifying the six auspicious signs expresses and portends the ten wonders; this has already been explained under the wonder of stimulus and response. Now, we further say: the sign of preaching the Dharma expresses and portends the wonder of preaching the Dharma and the wonder of wisdom; the sign of entering samādhi expresses and portends the wonder of practice; the sign of raining flowers expresses and portends the wonder of stages; the sign of the earth quaking expresses and portends the wonder of the objective realm and the wonder of the vehicle; the sign of the assembly's joy expresses and portends the wonder of the retinue and the wonder of benefit; the sign of emitting light expresses and portends the wonder of stimulus and response and the wonder of spiritual penetrations. Therefore, all six kinds are named the preface of manifesting signs.