妙法蓮華經文句 6.46

6.46

今初語諸作人者，即是說三藏示四念處，是除糞之器，斷結之境故。《遺教》云「常依念處行道能破四倒」，領火宅中適願勇銳，即是聞慧也。第二，「勿得懈息」者，即是令勤修四念處也，若起懈息不能滅二惡，不能生二善，以二勤故能發煖火，對火宅互相推排，入修慧煖位也。「以方便故得近其子」者，念處未得理火溫心，猶為疎外不可附近，以初得煖方便則可附近也。第三，「咄男子」者，咄是驚覺亦是責數，上正勤中紛動即是智法，如男子是陽性，如意足是定法，如女人是陰性，良以正勤策動不得與真相應，故咄驚責數，令捨散入靜，故咄男子也。「汝常此作勿復餘去」者，念處、正勤動不專一，不名為常，四如意中定不異緣，思惟則定、思惟則斷，定斷專一故常，不紛動故勿復餘去。此猶在互相推排中，即是頂法之位也。「當加汝價」者，煖法意觀中不能發真，如意觀中能發無漏故言加價。若有所須者，漏無漏善助道正道，皆從如意觀求，欲須即得。四禪體含支林如盆器，生空麁如米，法空細如麵，此即正道。四諦下十六諦觀，無常如鹽、苦如醋，此即助道。如米麪難食須鹽醋和之，正道難顯須助道助之。「莫自疑難」者，結上正助，審在如意觀中故令勿疑，決定可辦如己物想故言勿難。「亦有老弊使人」者，若欲直取通以代手足如使人驅役者，如意觀中亦有此通，但通劣弱事同老弊，雖不丁壯亦堪運役；又以正道求理，正道弱未能發真，欲須助道，九想、十想、八背捨等。助道使人者，如意觀中亦有此法，若得助助正，即成共解脫人也。第四，「好自安意」者，得五根安固難壞也。「我如汝父」者，忍解隣真似像未實，故言如父，亦是如子。「勿復憂慮」者，令其安意破壞見思也。第五，「我老汝少」者，佛居道終已具智斷，故言老大，汝居道始未有智斷，故名為少壯，此即忍法位也。無五過者，得五力離五惡法也。得信力故不欺，精進力故不怠，念力故不瞋，定力故不恨，慧力故不怨言。「餘作人」者，遠指外道，諸見求理名餘作人，近指煖等四位未免五過，亦名餘作人。此文無五過，即五力也。「自今已後如所生子」者，下忍十六剎那時節猶長，中忍雖復縮觀亦未是一剎那，若上忍世間最後一剎那心隣真逼聖，故名此位為如所生子，即世第一法位也。第六，「即時長者更與作字名之為兒」者，得八正入見道中競共馳走，故言名之為兒。世第一法與真不久故言即時，《阿含》說五種佛子，四果及辟支佛名佛真子，菩薩不斷結子義未成。「爾時窮子雖欣此遇」下，第七，常令傭作譬。譬雖為子，思惟未盡猶居學位未得無難，故二十年常令除糞，亦復自知不任紹大，正是依教修行盡苦耳，故云「猶故自謂客作賤人」。若得初果厭小樂大，大乘機發者，即應授以大乘，又不須進斷其餘殘結，正由不捨小志大機不發，以是且令依教盡漏，故言「由是之故二十年中常令除糞」。「二十年」者，見諦，一解脫一無礙；思惟，九無礙九解脫，故言二十年。又云見思二道中斷結，名二十年。又云五下分、五上分，為二十年也。又云猶於二乘法中斷思惑故，名二十年。又云依二使人，共斷餘結故，名二十年也。從有二乘之機而來感佛，故云自見子來已二十年，若住二乘位轉大乘教，名為於二十年中執作家事也。二十語同各有所以，指此一句，即是爭出三界火宅位也。

Now, first, addressing all the laborers means preaching the Tripiṭaka and pointing out the four applications of mindfulness, for these are the vessels for removing excrement and the sphere for cutting off fetters. The Bequeathed Teaching states: 'Always relying on the applications of mindfulness to practice the Way can destroy the four inversions.' Receiving the eager and fierce aspiration matching what was wished in the burning house is none other than wisdom born of hearing. Second, 'Do not become lax or indolent' means causing them to cultivate the four right efforts diligently. If laxity or indolence arises, one cannot eliminate the two evils nor bring about the two goods. Because of the two diligences, one can generate the heat fire, which, corresponding to the burning house, jostles back and forth to enter the stage of Heat of wisdom born of cultivation. 'By means of expedients, he was able to approach his son' means: before the applications of mindfulness have attained the fire of principle to warm the mind, [father and son] remain distant and alienated, unable to draw near; by initially attaining the expedient of Heat, they can draw near. Third, 'O fellow!'—'O' is an awakening and also an admonishment. In the above right effort, turmoil is the dharma of wisdom, which, like a male, is of yang nature; the bases of spiritual power are the dharma of concentration, which, like a female, is of yin nature. Truly, because the urging of right effort cannot yet accord with the real, he cries 'O' in awakening and admonishment to cause him to abandon distraction and enter tranquility; hence, 'O fellow!' 'Always work here, and do not go elsewhere' means: the applications of mindfulness and right effort involve motion and lack single-minded absorption, so they are not called 'always'. Within the four bases of spiritual power, concentration does not wander to other conditions; contemplation brings concentration, contemplation brings severance; concentration and severance are single-minded, and therefore 'always'; because there is no turmoil, 'do not go elsewhere'. This is still in the midst of jostling back and forth, which is the stage of the Peak dharma. 'I will increase your wages' means: in the mental contemplation of the Heat dharma one cannot manifest the real, but in the contemplation of the bases of spiritual power one can manifest the outflow-free; hence, it says 'increase your wages'. If there is anything needed—whether mundane or outflow-free wholesome auxiliary paths or main paths—all are sought from contemplation of the bases of spiritual power; whatever one wishes, one immediately obtains. The essence of the four dhyānas contains branches like a basin; emptiness of self is coarse like rice, and emptiness of dharmas is fine like flour: these are the main path. The sixteen contemplations of truth under the Four Truths—impermanence like salt, suffering like vinegar: these are the auxiliary paths. Just as rice and flour are difficult to eat and require salt and vinegar to season them, so the main path is difficult to reveal and requires auxiliary paths to assist it. 'Do not doubt or find it difficult' concludes the aforementioned main and auxiliary [paths]: being carefully situated in contemplation of the bases of spiritual power, he tells him not to doubt; it can definitely be accomplished as if thinking of one's own possessions, hence he says 'do not find it difficult'. 'There is also an old and decrepit servant': if one wishes to grasp spiritual penetrations directly to serve as hands and feet, driven like a servant, such penetrations also exist within contemplation of the bases of spiritual power; yet these penetrations are inferior and weak, functioning like the old and decrepit, though even if not vigorous, they are still capable of running errands. Furthermore, in seeking principle through the main path, the main path is weak and unable to manifest the real, requiring auxiliary paths: the nine contemplations, ten contemplations, eight liberations, and so forth. As for the servant of the auxiliary paths, such dharmas also exist within contemplation of the bases of spiritual power; if the auxiliary assists the main, one becomes a person of shared liberation. Fourth, 'Keep your mind at ease' means attaining the five faculties, which are firmly established and difficult to destroy. 'I am like your father': the understanding through forbearance approaches the real and resembles it yet is not yet the real; hence, it says 'like a father' and also 'like a son'. 'No longer worry' means causing his mind to be at ease and destroying [the defilements of] view and thought. Fifth, 'I am old and you are young': the Buddha dwells at the culmination of the Way and is already fully endowed with wisdom and severance, hence called 'old'; you dwell at the beginning of the Way and do not yet have wisdom and severance, hence called 'young and strong': this is the stage of the Forbearance dharma. Having no five faults means attaining the five powers and departing from the five evil dharmas. Attaining the power of faith, he does not deceive; the power of vigor, he is not lax; the power of mindfulness, he is not angry; the power of concentration, he bears no grudge; the power of wisdom, he speaks no grievances. 'Other laborers' refers remotely to non-Buddhists, where seeking principle through various views is called 'other laborers'; it refers nearby to the four stages such as Heat not yet being free from the five faults, also called 'other laborers'. Here, having no five faults refers to the five powers. 'From now on, you shall be as my own born son' means: in lower forbearance, the sixteen moments are still long; middle forbearance, though shrinking the contemplation, is still not a single moment; in upper forbearance, the final moment of the worldly mind approaches the real and presses close to the noble: thus this stage is called 'as my own born son', which is the stage of the Supreme Worldly Dharma. Sixth, 'Thereupon, the elder gave him a name, calling him his son' means: attaining the eightfold noble path, entering the path of vision, they vie with one another in hastening forward; hence, it says 'calling him his son'. The Supreme Worldly Dharma does not remain long before the real; hence, it says 'thereupon'. The Āgamas speak of five kinds of Buddha's sons: the four fruitions and pratyekabuddhas are called true sons of the Buddha; bodhisattvas do not cut off fetters, so the meaning of 'son' is not yet complete. 'At that time, although the poor son rejoiced at this encounter...' downward is, seventh, the parable of constantly employing him as a hired laborer. This parables that although he was a son, his [defilements of] thought were not yet exhausted and he still dwelled in the stage of learning, not yet having attained the absence of difficulties; therefore, for twenty years he was constantly made to remove excrement, and he also knew himself to be unfit to inherit the great [heritage], merely practicing according to the teaching to exhaust suffering; hence, it says 'he still considered himself a lowly hired laborer'. If, upon attaining the first fruition, he had grown weary of the small and delighted in the great, and his Mahāyāna capacity had been activated, he would have been conferred the Mahāyāna immediately without needing to go on to cut off the remaining fetters. But precisely because he did not abandon his small aspiration and his great capacity was not activated, for this reason he was temporarily made to exhaust outlows according to the teaching; hence, it says 'for this reason, for twenty years he was constantly made to remove excrement'. 'Twenty years': in seeing the truths, there is one liberation and one unhindered path; in contemplation [of cultivation], there are nine unhindered paths and nine liberations, hence 'twenty years'. It is also said that cutting off fetters across the two paths of view and thought is called 'twenty years'. It is also said that the five lower bonds and five upper bonds make 'twenty years'. It is also said that still cutting off the delusions of thought within the teachings of the two vehicles is called 'twenty years'. It is also said that relying on the two messengers to cut off the remaining fetters together is called 'twenty years'. From the presence of the two vehicles' capacity to come and evoke the Buddha, it is therefore said, 'twenty years have passed since I first saw my son'; if one dwells in the stage of the two vehicles and transmits the Mahāyāna teaching, this is called 'managing household affairs for twenty years'. The words 'twenty' are the same, but each has its reason; pointing to this single sentence, it is the stage of vying to escape the burning house of the triple world.