[Pramāṇa](https://indike.org/pramana/) › [Indian literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in) › [Buddhist Literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha) › [Taishō Tripiṭaka (Chinese Buddhist canon)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho) › [妙法蓮華經文句](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1718) › 6.17 # 妙法蓮華經文句 6.17 妙法蓮華經文句 6.17 - **Language:** Classical Chinese ### [6.17](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1718.6.17) 「告舍利弗，汝諸人等」下，第四，有十五行半偈，頌上第四合不虛譬。上合有二，先舉二譬，後合不虛；今但頌合不虛，文為二：初三行半，正頌合不虛章門；次「若有菩薩」下，第二，十二偈，頌合釋不虛，身子作稱本心不虛譬。父本欲令子得出難故設三車，既得免難乃至不與小車，亦不違先心，是故不虛。佛頌其譬則明不虛，明佛本意即欲說一，但為五濁不肯信受，故說於三，濁障既除還說一大，即稱本心也。今初，章門為三：初一行，先定父子，明本欲與大，故文云皆是吾子，理應平等與大也。次「汝等」下，第二，一偈，明乃說三乘意為除障，故云汝等累劫眾苦所燒。次「我雖先」下，第三，一行半，既已障除，還遂本心與大乘法，故云「今所應作唯佛智慧」也。「若有菩薩」下，第二，十二行，頌合釋，還釋前三意。初二偈，釋同皆是子理應平等；次「若人小智」下，第二，七偈，釋不能受故乃說三乘；次「其實未」下，第三，有三偈，釋後若堪能還與其大。今初二行，「若有菩薩」者，方便三乘所化眾生，皆是昔日結緣佛子，亦皆同有真如佛性，故云皆是菩薩也。「若人小智」下，第二，七行，明小智障重不即信受，為是方便開三接引小智。「為說苦諦」者，聲聞於三乘中最小，復以苦諦為初門。「眾生心喜」者，稱其本習則喜，本厭生死自求涅槃，今聞出離即會宿習故歡喜。此中正明有作四諦。「但離虛妄」者，無明已是不實，通惑附無明起，故呼之為虛妄；有作四諦但除此惑，名為解脫，脫於分段未脫變易故非自在。「其實未得」下，第三，三偈，釋障既除情根又利，還遂本心與大乘法。佛本欲與一切解脫，今汝始斷分段，非大涅槃，以其未得一切故，終是未稱本心，故言「我意不欲令至滅度」。今則還令得無上道入大涅槃，乃是究竟稱佛本心。一切解脫即是無作滅諦，無上道即是無作道諦，用二諦破無作苦習，昔欲說此而此眾生不堪，障既已除還說此也。佛為法王，於權實法已得自在，開三顯一實，豈當有虛也。 > From "Telling Śāriputra: You and all the others..." onward, fourth, there are fifteen and a half lines of gāthās versifying the above fourth \[section\], matching the parable of not being false. Above, the matching had two parts: first presenting two parables, and later matching non-falsehood. Now it only versifies the matching of non-falsehood. The text has two parts: first, three and a half lines properly versify and match the heading of non-falsehood; next, the second, twelve gāthās beginning "If there are bodhisattvas..." versify, match, and explain non-falsehood. Śāriputra made the parable of non-falsehood matching the original intent: the father originally wished to make the sons escape distress and therefore devised the three carts; once they were able to escape distress, even not giving the small carts did not contravene the prior intention, and therefore it was not false. When the Buddha versifies the parable, he clarifies non-falsehood: clarifying that the Buddha's original intent was to teach the One, but because of the five turbidities they would not faithfully accept it, he therefore taught the three; once the hindrances of turbidity were eliminated, he returned to teaching the One Great, which accords with the original intent. Now, first, the heading has three parts: first, one line first establishes father and sons, clarifying that he originally wished to give the great, hence the text says "they are all my sons," so in principle they ought to be equally given the great. Next, the second, one gāthā beginning "You and the others..." clarifies that teaching the three vehicles was intended to remove obstacles, hence it says "You and the others for accumulative kalpas have been burned by manifold sufferings." Next, the third, one and a half lines beginning "Although I previously..." means that once obstacles are removed, he returns to fulfilling his original intent and gives the Mahāyāna Dharma, hence it says "What should now be done is solely the Buddha's wisdom." The second, twelve lines beginning "If there are bodhisattvas..." versify, match, and explain, which again explains the preceding three meanings. The first two gāthās explain that as they are all equally sons, in principle they ought to be equal. Next, the second, seven gāthās beginning "If a person has small wisdom..." explain that because they could not receive it, he therefore taught the three vehicles. Next, the third, three gāthās beginning "In reality they have not yet..." explain that later, if they are capable, he returns to giving them the great. Now, regarding the first two lines: "If there are bodhisattvas" refers to the sentient beings converted through the expedient three vehicles, who are all the Buddha's children who formed affinities in the past, and who all equally possess the true-suchness buddha-nature; therefore it says they are all bodhisattvas. The second, seven lines beginning "If a person has small wisdom..." clarify that those with small wisdom have heavy hindrances and do not immediately have faith and accept; for this reason, as an expedient, he opened the three to guide those of small wisdom. "Preaching the truth of suffering for their sake": the śrāvaka is the smallest among the three vehicles, and further takes the truth of suffering as the initial gate. "Sentient beings' minds rejoice": when it accords with their innate habits, they rejoice; having originally abhorred saṃsāra and personally sought nirvāṇa, now hearing of departure accords with their past inclinations, and so they rejoice. Here, it properly clarifies the Four Noble Truths with cultivation. "Merely leaving behind false delusion": ignorance is already unreal, and common afflictions arise depending on ignorance, hence they are called "false delusion"; the Four Noble Truths with cultivation merely eliminate these afflictions, which is termed liberation, liberating from fragmented \[death\] but not yet from transformative \[death\], and hence it is not effortless mastery. The third, three gāthās beginning "In reality they have not yet obtained..." explain that once obstacles are eliminated and the faculties of consciousness are sharp, he returns to fulfilling his original intent and gives the Mahāyāna Dharma. The Buddha originally wished to give all liberation; now you have only just severed fragmented \[death\], which is not great nirvāṇa. Because they have not yet obtained everything, it ultimately does not accord with his original intent, hence it says "My intention was not to cause them to reach extinction." Now, returning to cause them to attain the unsurpassed path and enter great nirvāṇa is what ultimately accords with the Buddha's original intent. All liberation is the uncultivated truth of cessation; the unsurpassed path is the uncultivated truth of the path. Using the two truths, he destroys uncultivated suffering and accumulation. Formerly he wished to speak this, but these sentient beings were incapable; once the obstacles were eliminated, he returned to speaking this. The Buddha is the Dharma King, having already attained effortless mastery in expedient and real dharmas; opening the three and revealing the one real, how could there be any falsehood? > — English (machine translation) (machine translation) - [Previous: 6.16](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1718.6.16) - [Next: 6.18](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1718.6.18) - [Up: 6](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1718.6) ## Translations (1) - [English (machine translation)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1718~en-mt.6.17) — English, machine translation --- Source: [https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1718.6.17](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1718.6.17) · Pramāṇa