妙法蓮華經文句 7.14

7.14

從「其有眾生聞如來法不自覺知」者，即是明差別義。從此下明差別者，眾生是山川假實之差別，亦是種子之差別，如來即是雲，聞法即是雨，讀誦修行即是潤，功德即增長，如此等差別皆不能知也。就文為五：一、眾生不知，二、如來能知，三、舉譬帖合眾生不知，四、牒前結釋如來能知，五、釋疑。「其有眾生」者，舉不知之人。「法」謂聞一音之法，「持說」者，是正明不知。持說不同修行各異，人天作戒善之解，三乘作諦緣度解，解既不同即是差別。「所得功德不自覺知」者，明五人雖各稟教，不知佛是一味無差別教，亦不知七種方便，各各作解而各執己解為實，此則不知於權亦不識實，即是差別不自覺知也。第二、如來能知。略減數，舉十境，合為四意：一、約四法知，二、約三法知，三、約二法知，四、約一法能知。約四法者，謂種、相、體、性。種者，三道是三德種，《淨名》云「一切煩惱之儔為如來種」，此明由煩惱道即有般若也。又云「五無間皆生解脫相」，此由不善即有善法解脫也。一切眾生即涅槃相不可復滅，此即生死為法身也。此就相對論種，若就類論種，一切低頭舉手悉是解脫種，一切世智三乘解心即般若種，夫有心者皆當作佛即法身種，諸種差別如來能知；一切種秖是一種，即是無差別，如來亦能知；差別即無差別，無差別即差別，如來亦能知。相、體、性，約十法界十如中釋。若論差別即十法界相，若論無差別即一佛界相。差別無差別如來能知；差即無差、無差即差，如來亦能知。體、性例然可解。從「念何事」下，約三法明如來能知。三法者即是三慧，仍有三重：一、三慧境，二、三慧體，三、三慧因緣。念何事是明三慧用。念取於所念之事，即是三慧境。從「云何念」者，念是記錄所聞之法，正是念慧之體也。從「以何法念」下，即是三慧取境聞法是其因緣。又三慧境，境智因緣合故，得有三慧法，復名因緣也。如此三乘三慧，昔謂境體因緣有異，即是差別；若入圓妙三慧，即無差別。此有差別、無差別，如來能知；又差即無差、無差即差，如來亦能知。從「以何法」下，約二法明如來能知。「以何法」即是因，「得何法」即是果。五乘之因各得其果，即是差別，眾生如佛如，一如無二如，唯是一因一果，即無差別。差別無差別，如來亦能知；差即無差、無差即差，如來亦能知。從「眾生住於種種之地」，是約一法如來能知。七方便住於七位，故言種種之地，此即差別；如來用如實佛眼見之，如眾流入海失於本味，則無差別。隨他意語以智方便而演說之，則如來能知差別；其所說法皆悉到於一切智地，則如來能知無差別（云云）。

From "If there are living beings who hear the Tathāgata's Dharma yet do not perceive or know it," this clarifies the meaning of distinction. From here down, clarifying distinctions refers to living beings being the distinctions of the provisional and real among mountains and rivers, as well as distinctions among seeds. The Tathāgata is the cloud, hearing the Dharma is the rain, reciting and practicing it is the moistening, and the merit is the growth—none of these distinctions are they able to know. In the text, there are five parts: first, living beings do not know; second, the Tathāgata is able to know; third, bringing up the simile to apply and match the fact that living beings do not know; fourth, taking up what preceded to conclude and explain that the Tathāgata is able to know; fifth, resolving doubts. "If there are living beings" brings up the people who do not know. "Dharma" refers to hearing the Dharma of a single voice. "Upholding and expounding" directly clarifies their not knowing: their upholding and expounding are not the same, and their practices are distinct. Humans and devas form an understanding of precepts and goodness; the Three Vehicles form an understanding of truths, conditions, and pāramitās. Since their understandings differ, these are distinctions. "Do not perceive or know the merit they obtain" clarifies that although the five kinds of people each receive the teaching, they do not know that the Buddha's is a teaching of one flavour without distinction, nor do they know the seven kinds of expedient means; each forms their own understanding and clutches their own understanding as real. Thus, they do not know the expedient nor do they recognize the real—this is not perceiving or knowing the distinctions. Second, the Tathāgata is able to know. Briefly condensing the numbers, he brings up ten objects, combining them into four meanings: first, knowing in terms of four dharmas; second, knowing in terms of three dharmas; third, knowing in terms of two dharmas; fourth, being able to know in terms of one dharma. Knowing in terms of four dharmas refers to seed, characteristics, substance, and nature. As for 'seed', the three paths are the seeds of the three virtues. The Vimalakīrtinirdeśa says, "All the company of afflictions are the seeds of the Tathāgata," which clarifies that by means of the path of afflictions, there is prajñā. It also says, "The five uninterrupted [hells] all generate the characteristic of liberation," which means that by means of non-virtue, there is the liberation of wholesome dharmas. All living beings are identical to the characteristic of nirvāṇa and cannot be extinguished again; this is taking saṃsāra as the Dharma-body. This discusses seeds in terms of opposites. If one discusses seeds in terms of categories: every bowing of the head and lifting of the hand is entirely the seed of liberation; all worldly wisdom and the understanding minds of the Three Vehicles are the seed of prajñā; and whatever has a mind shall become a buddha, which is the seed of the Dharma-body. The Tathāgata is able to know the distinctions among all these seeds; all seeds are just one seed, which is non-distinction, and the Tathāgata is also able to know this; distinction is just non-distinction, and non-distinction is just distinction, which the Tathāgata is also able to know. Characteristics, substance, and nature are explained in terms of the ten dharma realms and the ten suchnesses. If discussed in terms of distinction, they are the characteristics of the ten dharma realms; if discussed in terms of non-distinction, they are the characteristic of the single Buddha realm. The Tathāgata is able to know distinction and non-distinction; distinction is just non-distinction, and non-distinction is just distinction, which the Tathāgata is also able to know. Substance and nature can be understood by analogy in the same way. From "what they contemplate" down clarifies that the Tathāgata is able to know in terms of three dharmas. The three dharmas are the three wisdoms, which still have three layers: first, the objects of the three wisdoms; second, the substance of the three wisdoms; third, the causes and conditions of the three wisdoms. "What they contemplate" clarifies the function of the three wisdoms. Contemplation grasping the affairs contemplated is the object of the three wisdoms. From "how they contemplate," contemplation is the recording of the Dharma heard, which is precisely the substance of the wisdom of contemplation. From "by what dharma they contemplate" down, the three wisdoms grasping objects and hearing the Dharma are its causes and conditions. Furthermore, as the objects of the three wisdoms, when the conditions of object and wisdom combine, the dharma of the three wisdoms comes to be, which is again called causes and conditions. Such three wisdoms of the Three Vehicles were formerly considered to differ in object, substance, and causes and conditions, which constitutes distinction; but when entering the perfect and wondrous three wisdoms, there is no distinction. The Tathāgata is able to know this existence of distinction and non-distinction; and that distinction is just non-distinction, and non-distinction is just distinction, the Tathāgata is also able to know. From "by what dharma" down clarifies that the Tathāgata is able to know in terms of two dharmas. "By what dharma" is the cause; "what dharma they obtain" is the effect. The causes of the Five Vehicles each obtaining their respective effects constitutes distinction; living beings' suchness and the Buddha's suchness are one suchness without a second suchness, being solely one cause and one effect, which constitutes non-distinction. The Tathāgata is also able to know distinction and non-distinction; and that distinction is just non-distinction, and non-distinction is just distinction, the Tathāgata is also able to know. "Living beings abide in various stages" clarifies that the Tathāgata is able to know in terms of one dharma. The seven expedient means abide in seven stages, hence it is said "various stages"; this constitutes distinction. When the Tathāgata sees this with the Buddha eye that conforms to reality, just as the many streams entering the ocean lose their original tastes, there is no distinction. When he expounds it with the expedient means of wisdom in accordance with the intent of others, the Tathāgata is able to know distinction; when all the Dharmas he expounds arrive at the stage of all-knowledge, the Tathāgata is able to know non-distinction (and so on).