妙法蓮華經文句 5.13

5.13

「從久遠劫來」下，第二，一行，是釋疑。疑師，云：「佛初未能鑒機，尋念諸佛始知根性？」即釋云：「非我不知用於方便，特欲引同故念諸佛，非始念方知，從久遠劫來見其樂小，已為讚示令盡眾苦，所以聞小即得解脫也。」疑弟子，云：「云何眾生一世暫聞即證羅漢？」即釋云：「從久遠劫來為其讚示，稱於本習故速得道。」舊云：「此偈懸指壽量義，今明論祕密意，或當如此，明顯露意。」是則不然，何者？將明壽量，彌勒尚自不知，云何此中一偈懸指？今以釋疑消文。從「我見佛子等」下，第三，有六行，頌上顯實，文具四一：初「我見佛子」下，二行，頌人一，三乘行人皆是佛子，上文兼有其意也；「我即作是念」下，第二，一行，頌理一，為說佛慧，即是上一切種智佛知見也；「舍利弗當知」下，第三，二行，頌教一，「但說無上道」即教一也；「菩薩聞是法」下，第四，一行，頌行一，「悉亦當作佛」故，是行一也。更就此文為四意：初，二行，明大乘機發，亦云索果；次，兩行一句，明佛歡喜，眾生得大乘益故；次，三句，正明顯實；次，一行，受行悟入也。明由機發故索果，索果由於機發，此應有四句：自有障除、機未發，如諸羅漢在三藏時，以樂小故濁障雖除，大根鈍故妙機未發；自有大機發、障未除，如《法華》中諸凡夫人等雖未斷結，以大根利故機發；自有障即除、機即發，如說無量義時證二乘果，即於此座大機即發；自有障未除、大機未發，即五千等是也。「志求佛道者」，即是索大，非求小果也。索有三意：一、大機有感果之義，機中論索；二、情中密求，為得為不得，即此意；三、發言索，即是殷懃三請也。昔教之中已有二求，但未發言，至於今日具此三索。

From 'since distant kalpas past' onward, the second [section], comprising one line, resolves doubts. Doubting the master, one might say: 'Could it be that the Buddha was initially unable to discern receptive capacity, and only upon recalling all Buddhas did he come to know their faculties and natures?' To resolve this, it is explained: 'It is not that I did not know how to employ expedients, but specifically wishing to conform [with them], I recalled all Buddhas; it is not that only upon beginning to recall them did I come to know it; since distant kalpas past, seeing that they delight in the lesser, I already praised and showed it to them to cause them to exhaust all suffering; therefore upon hearing the lesser they immediately attained liberation.' Doubting the disciples, one might say: 'How could sentient beings, briefly hearing it in a single lifetime, immediately realize arhatship?' To resolve this, it is explained: 'Since distant kalpas past, he praised and showed it to them; according with their original habituation, they quickly attained the Way.' The old [commentary] says: 'This verse points ahead to the meaning of the Life Span Chapter; now we clarify that in terms of secret meaning, it might be like this, but in terms of explicit meaning, that is not so. Why? When about to clarify the life span, even Maitreya himself did not know it; how could a single verse here point ahead to it?' Here we resolve doubts to parse the text. From 'I see the Buddha's sons and others' onward, the third [section], comprising six lines, versifies the above revealing of the real; the text is complete with the four unities: first, from 'I see the Buddha's sons' onward, two lines versify the unity of persons—practitioners of the three vehicles are all Buddha's sons, the preceding text also containing this meaning; from 'I then had this thought' onward, the second [part], comprising one line, versifies the unity of principle—teaching the Buddha's wisdom for them, which is the aforementioned knowledge of all modes and buddha knowledge and vision; from 'Śāriputra, you should know' onward, the third [part], comprising two lines, versifies the unity of teaching—'only teaching the unsurpassed Way' is the unity of teaching; from 'when bodhisattvas hear this Dharma' onward, the fourth [part], comprising one line, versifies the unity of practice—because 'all shall also become Buddhas', it is the unity of practice. Furthermore, in this text there are four senses: first, two lines clarify the activation of the Mahāyāna receptive capacity, also called seeking the fruit; next, two lines and one phrase clarify the Buddha's joy, because sentient beings attain the benefit of the Mahāyāna; next, three phrases properly reveal the real; next, one line [clarifies] accepting practice and awakening to entry. Clarifying that seeking the fruit occurs because receptive capacity is activated, and receptive capacity being activated leads to seeking the fruit, this should involve four propositions: there are cases where obstacles are removed but receptive capacity is not yet activated, as with all the arhats at the time of the Tripiṭaka: because they delighted in the lesser, although turbid obstacles were removed, their great faculties were dull, so the wondrous receptive capacity was not yet activated; there are cases where the great receptive capacity is activated but obstacles are not yet removed, as with ordinary beings and others in the Lotus Sūtra who have not yet severed fetters, but because their great faculties are sharp, receptive capacity is activated; there are cases where obstacles are immediately removed and receptive capacity is immediately activated, as when expounding the Innumerable Meanings they realized the fruits of the two vehicles, and right in that assembly the great receptive capacity was immediately activated; there are cases where obstacles are not yet removed and the great receptive capacity is not yet activated, namely the five thousand and their like. 'Those who aspired to seek the Buddha Way' means seeking the great, not seeking the minor fruit. Seeking has three senses: first, the great receptive capacity inherently resonates with the fruit, which is seeking discussed within receptive capacity; second, seeking secretly within the mind, wondering whether one will attain it or not, which is this meaning; third, seeking by uttering words, which is the earnest three entreaties. Within the past teaching there were already the two [inner] seekings, but words had not yet been uttered; coming to this day, all three seekings are present.