妙法蓮華經文句 8.28

8.28

偈有十六行，為三：初二偈，不頌長行，別獎勸自行利他；次十三行，頌上師門別通；後一行歎經。頌別總中又二：初七行頌別，後六行頌總。上別門有現未，今初四行頌現，後三行頌未。上現未一師各有上下。今初，「若有能」下一行，頌下品，上半出法師，「當知佛所」下，半出功報也。「諸有能受持」，此下三行，頌現在上品師，初半行出上品師。「捨於清淨土」下，第二，二行半，頌功報也。「吾滅後」下，此三行頌未來，初二行超頌況出上品，為二：今初「吾滅後」下半行，頌法師，長行中本闕功報，今偈則有。「當合掌」下，第二，一行半，明功報也。「若能於後世」下，第二，一行，追頌下品師。初半頌出人，次「我遣在」下，第二，半頌，功報也。「若於一劫」下，第二，六行，總頌上總門。上總門亦二：初二行，頌逆者得罪；「有人求佛道」下，第二，四行，頌順之得福也。「藥王今告汝」下，第三，一行，歎經尊妙。

The verse has sixteen lines, divided into three: the first two gāthās do not versify the prose, but separately encourage one's own practice and benefiting others; the next thirteen lines versify the particular and general parts of the section on teachers above; the final line praises the sūtra. In versifying the particular and the general, there are again two parts: the first seven lines versify the particular, and the later six lines versify the general. The particular section above has the present and the future; now the first four lines versify the present, and the later three lines versify the future. In the present and future above, each teacher has lower and upper [ranks]. Now first, the one line from "If there is one who can" downward versifies the lower rank: the first half-line identifies the dharma teacher, and from "You should know that by the Buddha" downward, the half-line identifies the merit and retribution. "All those who can receive and uphold": the three lines below this versify the teacher of the upper rank in the present; the initial half-line identifies the teacher of the upper rank. From "Relinquishing a pure land" downward, the second part of two and a half lines versifies the merit and retribution. From "After my extinction" downward, these three lines versify the future, where the first two lines leap forward to versify by comparison the upper rank, divided into two: now first, the half-line below "After my extinction" versifies the dharma teacher—the merit and retribution was originally lacking in the prose, but is now present in the verse. From "Should join palms" downward, the second part of one and a half lines explains the merit and retribution. From "If in a later age one can" downward, the second part of one line retraces to versify the teacher of the lower rank. The first half versifies identifying the person; next, from "I dispatch them to abide" downward, the second half versifies merit and retribution. From "If for a kalpa" downward, the second part of six lines generally versifies the general section above. The general section above also had two parts: the first two lines versify that those who oppose incur sin; from "If a person seeking the Buddha path" downward, the second part of four lines versifies that those who accord obtain blessing. From "Bhaiṣajyarāja, I now tell you" downward, the third part of one line praises the sūtra's sublime supremacy.