妙法蓮華經文句 3.19

3.19

「如過去」下，三引廣曾見答，更分明於略，此廣答此土、他土之問，彌勒因光橫見東方以為問，文殊引昔豎見而為答，橫豎顯諸佛道同也。文為三：初、引一佛同，次、引二萬佛同，後、引最後一佛同。就前一佛又為三：一、明時節；二、標名；三、說法時節，如文。「有佛號日月標名同」者，通號與今佛可同，別名云何同？此當以名別義同為釋。何者？日是慧，月是定，定慧是自行德，燈明是化他德，能仁能定，慧能自他。又日月燈是三智，今佛亦三智，隨緣稱別，義則不殊，故言名同。「演說法」下，第三說法同者，昔佛先頓後漸，與今佛初頓後漸同也。「演說正法初、中、後善」者，即是頓教也。夫七善之語乃通大小，尋文是大乘七善，初、中、後善者，即是頓教序、正、流通，名為時節善；「其義深遠」，即是頓教了義之理，二乘不測其邊底，故言深遠，是名義善。「其語巧妙」即是頓教八音所吐，會理直說悅菩薩心，即頓教之文，名為語善。「純一無雜」不與二乘共，即是頓教獨一善。「具足」者，具明界內、界外滿字之法，即是頓教圓滿善。「清白」，無二邊瑕穢，即是頓教調柔善，師云行善。「梵行之相」者，梵即頓教無緣慈善。又初、中、後善，解者不同，今且依一途，若小乘以戒、定、慧為三善，大乘以初、中、後心為三善。《金光明》云：「前心如來不可思議，中心如來種種莊嚴，後心如來不可破壞。」此亦三善之意也。文殊引古佛頓教七善，與今佛頓說七善同，亦與他土初頓說同。所以用此為答者，酬上彌勒據光橫問他土佛云聖主師子，演說經法微妙第一，文殊豎引昔舉此為答，即是初佛說頓法同也。「為求聲聞人，說應四諦法」者，即是古佛次頓之後，開漸教法同也。上問若人遭苦為說《涅槃》，今引古佛亦開此漸，以答斯問也。「為求辟支佛，說應十二因緣法」，答上若人有福志求勝法之問也。「為諸菩薩，說應六波羅蜜」，答上佛子修種種行之問也。皆引古佛開漸教同也，廣引曾見佛，答他土之問也。「令得三菩提成一切種智」者，此明古佛開頓漸後，即顯實之說始終究竟，此答彌勒見他土佛般涅槃，涅槃後起塔之問也。若引古佛說法至六波羅蜜者，明今佛已與昔同。從「令得三菩提」去，明今佛當與昔同（云云）。

From "As in the past" onward is the third part: answering by citing what was broadly seen in the past, which is clearer still than the brief [citation]. This broadly answers the questions regarding both this land and other lands. Maitreya, based on the light, horizontally saw the east and raised questions; Mañjuśrī cited the past and vertically saw to give an answer, horizontally and vertically showing that the Path of the buddhas is identical. The text has three parts: first, citing one buddha as identical; second, citing twenty thousand buddhas as identical; third, citing the last buddha as identical. Regarding the first buddha, there are again three parts: 1. clarifying the time; 2. marking the name; 3. the time of preaching the Dharma, as in the text. "There was a buddha named Sun-Moon[-Lamp]" marks identity of name: his general titles may be identical with the present Buddha, but how can the specific name be identical? This should be explained through the name being different while the meaning is identical. How so? Sun is wisdom, moon is samādhi; samādhi and wisdom are virtues of own practice; lamp-light is the virtue of converting others. Capable of benevolence and capable of stillness; wisdom enables both oneself and others. Furthermore, sun, moon, and lamp are the three wisdoms; the present Buddha also has the three wisdoms. While the designations vary according to conditions, the meaning is not different; therefore it is said that their names are identical. From "He expounded the Dharma" onward is the third part, identity of preaching the Dharma: the past buddha was first sudden and then gradual, identical with the present Buddha being first sudden and then gradual. "Expounding the correct Dharma, good in the beginning, middle, and end" is indeed the sudden teaching. The expression of the seven goodnesses applies to both Hīnayāna and Mahāyāna, but investigating the text, these are the seven goodnesses of the Mahāyāna. Good in the beginning, middle, and end refers to the introduction, main body, and transmission of the sudden teaching, called goodness of time. "Its meaning is deep and far-reaching" is the principle of definitive meaning of the sudden teaching, whose edges and bottom the two vehicles cannot fathom; hence it is called deep and far-reaching, which is called goodness of meaning. "Its words are clever and wonderful" means spoken by the eight voices of the sudden teaching, directly expressing the principle to delight the minds of bodhisattvas, which is the text of the sudden teaching, called goodness of words. "Pure and unmixed" means not shared with the two vehicles, which is the unique goodness of the sudden teaching. "Complete" means fully clarifying the full-word Dharma inside and outside the realms, which is the fulfilling goodness of the sudden teaching. "Pristine" means free from the flaws and defilements of the two extremes, which is the pliant goodness of the sudden teaching, called by the master the goodness of practice. "The mark of pure conduct (brahmacarya)": pure means the goodness of unconditioned compassion of the sudden teaching. Furthermore, regarding good in the beginning, middle, and end, commentators differ; for now, we follow one approach: if for the Hīnayāna the three goodnesses are morality, samādhi, and wisdom, for the Mahāyāna the three goodnesses are the initial, middle, and final minds. The Suvarṇaprabhāsa says: "The Tathāgata of the initial mind is inconceivable; the Tathāgata of the middle mind has various adornments; the Tathāgata of the final mind is indestructible." This is also the meaning of the three goodnesses. Mañjuśrī cites the ancient buddha's sudden teaching of the seven goodnesses as identical with the present Buddha's sudden preaching of the seven goodnesses, and also identical with the initial sudden preaching of other lands. The reason this is used as an answer is to respond to Maitreya's horizontal questioning based on the light about the buddhas of other lands, saying that the Holy Lord, the Lion, expounds the scriptural Dharma, subtle and supreme; Mañjuśrī vertically cites the past and raises this as an answer, which is the identity of the initial buddha preaching the sudden Dharma. "For those seeking to be śrāvakas, he preached the Dharma conforming to the Four Noble Truths" is the ancient buddha opening the gradual teaching following the sudden, which is identical. Above, it was asked that if a person encounters suffering, [the Buddha] preaches Nirvāṇa for them; now citing that the ancient buddha also opened this gradual teaching answers this question. "For those seeking to be pratyekabuddhas, he preached the Dharma conforming to the twelve links of dependent origination" answers the above question about a person with merit aspiring to seek the superior Dharma. "For bodhisattvas, he preached conforming to the six pāramitās" answers the above question about the Buddha's sons cultivating various practices. All cite the ancient buddha's opening of the gradual teaching as identical, broadly citing buddhas seen in the past to answer the question about other lands. "Causing them to attain sambodhi and accomplish the knowledge of all modes": this clarifies that after the ancient buddha opened the sudden and the gradual, his revelation of the real was comprehensive from beginning to end, which answers Maitreya's question about seeing other buddhas enter parinirvāṇa and having stupas erected after nirvāṇa. If citing the ancient buddha's preaching of the Dharma up to the six pāramitās clarifies that the present Buddha is already identical with the past, then from "causing them to attain sambodhi" onward clarifies that the present Buddha will be identical with the past, and so on.