妙法蓮華經文句 4.108

4.108

從「若我弟子自謂」下，是第四揀偽敦真。若佛弟子自能信解，若不信解非真弟子亦非羅漢，敦逼時眾令信受解。就文為二：初、揀真偽，二、開除釋疑。揀又為二：初、若不聞、不知，非真弟子；次、聞不信受，成增上慢。如世弟子隨順師法繼嗣傳燈，若不聞、不知，則無法可順，何謂弟子？如來昔說五濁開三，汝隨順得涅槃，得聞、得知，名為弟子。今五濁既除，為汝說一，何意不聞、不知？不聞者，即不聞教一；不知者，即不知行一。非真即非理一，非弟子即非人一也。次、又舍利下，第二明不信成增上慢者，此敦其使信。何者？汝自謂是後身，身尚無量，實非後身；汝自謂究竟，猶餘二百由旬，實非究竟。未得謂得，豈非增上慢耶？真羅漢者，濁除根利知非究竟，信真是法未是後身不起上慢，知非究竟信於究竟，即信理一，無增上慢即成行一。信則信教是為教一，是佛弟子則人一也。「除佛滅」下，第二開除釋疑者，先開除，除佛滅後不成增上慢。次、「所以者何？佛滅」下，明好人難得、深經難解，亦不成上慢。若佛在世正說此經，不信不受非真羅漢成增上慢；若佛滅後方得羅漢者，偏執權經不信圓法，聽許非增上慢。又佛雖入滅此經尚在，不信、不受，應是上慢耶？即得開除，佛滅度後雖有此經，解其文義者，此人難遇，致令羅漢不信、不解，亦聽許非增上慢。次、釋疑。若佛滅後解經人難遇，得羅漢者即永入涅槃耶？即釋云，是人雖生滅度之想，捨命已後便生界外有餘之國，值遇餘佛得聞此經，即便決了。《釋論》第九十三釋〈畢定品〉云：「羅漢受先世身，身必應滅，住在何處而具足佛道？答：『羅漢三界漏因緣盡，更不復生三界，出三界外有淨佛土，無煩惱名，於是國土佛所，聞《法華經》具足佛道。』」即引《法華》云：「有羅漢若不聞《法華》，自謂得滅度，我於餘國為說是事，汝皆作佛。」《論》既引經為證，今釋經還將《論》解。南岳師云：「餘佛者，四依也，羅漢遇之聞經決了。又羅漢修念佛定見十方佛，為說此經便得決了。又凡夫行人，苦到懺悔見十方佛為說，亦得決了。」瑤師云：「實羅漢必自知《法華》志求於大，利根則自知，中、下根須聞而知，故言聞知。何容於佛滅後不聞《法華》？或聞而不信，遇餘佛方解耶？末法凡夫猶尚能信，況聖人乎？除佛滅後者，指凡夫也。」有人言：「凡夫未證法相，所見不明、執心不固，所以易信；羅漢證法相，所見分明、執心牢固，忽聞異說未便信受，故云不信，其義必然。故身子云：『將非魔作佛惱亂我心耶？』」若從此義，指羅漢不指凡夫（云云）。此直異解，不用此義也。

From "If my disciples claim" downwards is the fourth [section], distinguishing the false and urging the true. If they are the Buddha's disciples, they should naturally be able to believe and understand; if they do not believe and understand, they are not true disciples, nor are they arhats. This presses upon the assembly of the time to make them believe, accept, and understand. Regarding the text, there are two parts: first, distinguishing the true from the false; second, setting aside exceptions and resolving doubts. Distinguishing also has two parts: first, if they do not hear and do not know, they are not true disciples; second, if they hear but do not believe and accept, they become persons of overweening pride. Just as worldly disciples accord with the master's teachings to inherit and pass on the lamp, if they do not hear and do not know, then there is no teaching to accord with—how can they be called disciples? When the Tathāgata in the past spoke of the five turbidities and opened the three [vehicles], you followed along and attained nirvāṇa, having heard and known, and were named disciples. Now that the five turbidities have been eliminated and he speaks the One for you, why do you neither hear nor know? Not hearing means not hearing the oneness of teaching; not knowing means not knowing the oneness of practice. Not true means not [conforming to] the oneness of principle; not a disciple means not [conforming to] the oneness of person. Next, from "Furthermore, Śāri[putra]" downwards, the second [part] explains that not believing results in overweening pride; this urges them to believe. Why? You claim to be in your final existence, yet your existences are still boundless—you are truly not in your final existence. You claim to have reached the ultimate, yet two hundred yojanas still remain—you have truly not reached the ultimate. To claim to have attained what one has not attained: is this not overweening pride? A true arhat, having eliminated turbidities and having sharp faculties, knows this is not the ultimate, believes that the true is this Dharma, that this is not yet the final existence, and does not give rise to overweening pride. Knowing it is not the ultimate and believing in the ultimate is believing in the oneness of principle; being without overweening pride accomplishes the oneness of practice. Believing is believing the teaching, which is the oneness of teaching; being a disciple of the Buddha is the oneness of person. From "Except after the Buddha's extinction" downwards, the second [part], setting aside exceptions and resolving doubts: first, setting aside exceptions, [showing that] those after the Buddha's extinction do not constitute overweening pride. Next, from "Why is this? After the Buddha's extinction" downwards, it explains that good people are hard to find and the profound sūtra is hard to understand, so they also do not constitute overweening pride. If the Buddha is present in the world directly preaching this sūtra, those who do not believe and accept are not true arhats and constitute overweening pride; but if one attains arhatship after the Buddha's extinction, partially clings to expedient sūtras, and does not believe the perfect Dharma, it is conceded that this is not overweening pride. Furthermore, though the Buddha has entered extinction, this sūtra still remains; if one does not believe and accept, should that be overweening pride? It is thus set aside as an exception: though this sūtra exists after the Buddha's extinction, one who understands its text and meaning is difficult to encounter, which causes an arhat not to believe and not to understand, and it is also conceded that this is not overweening pride. Next, resolving doubts: if after the Buddha's extinction those who understand the sūtra are difficult to encounter, does one who attains arhatship enter eternal nirvāṇa? It is then explained that although such a person gives rise to the thought of extinction, after relinquishing their life they are born in an extraordinary land with remainder outside the realms, meet another buddha, get to hear this sūtra, and immediately resolve [their doubt]. The Dazhidulun, scroll ninety-three, commenting on the 'Chapter on Certainty', states: 'The arhat receives the body of previous existences, which must inevitably perish; where do they dwell to fulfill the Buddha Path? Answer: For an arhat, the causes and conditions of outflows in the three realms are exhausted, and they are no longer reborn in the three realms. Beyond the three realms there are pure buddha-lands without the name of afflictions; in such lands, in the presence of buddhas, they hear the Lotus Sūtra and fulfill the Buddha Path.' It then cites the Lotus [Sūtra], saying: 'If there are arhats who do not hear the Lotus [Sūtra] and claim to have attained extinction, I preach this matter for them in other lands: "You shall all become buddhas."' Since the Treatise cites the sūtra as proof, now in explaining the sūtra we in turn use the Treatise to explain it. Master Nanyue said: '"Another buddha" means the four refuges; when an arhat meets them, hears the sūtra, and resolves [their doubt]. Furthermore, when an arhat cultivates the samādhi of mindfulness of the Buddha, they see the buddhas of the ten directions, who preach this sūtra for them, and they then attain resolution. Furthermore, when ordinary practitioners sincerely repent and see the buddhas of the ten directions who preach for them, they also attain resolution.' Master Yao said: 'A real arhat will definitely know the Lotus [Sūtra] on their own and aspire to seek the Great; those of sharp faculties know it naturally, while those of medium and lower faculties must hear it to know it, hence it says "hear and know". How could it be that after the Buddha's extinction they do not hear the Lotus [Sūtra], or hear it and do not believe, and only understand upon meeting another buddha? If ordinary persons in the Dharma-ending age can still believe, how much more so the noble ones! "Except after the Buddha's extinction" refers to ordinary persons.' Someone said: 'Ordinary persons have not realized the marks of dharmas, their vision is not clear, and their clinging mind is not firm, so they are easy to lead to faith; arhats have realized the marks of dharmas, their vision is distinct, and their clinging mind is solid, so hearing a different teaching suddenly, they do not readily believe and accept, hence it says "do not believe"—this meaning is inevitable. Therefore Śāriputra said: "Could this be Māra acting as the Buddha to disturb my mind?"' If one follows this meaning, it refers to arhats and not to ordinary persons, and so forth. This is merely a diverging interpretation; we do not adopt this meaning.