妙法蓮華經文句 8.69

8.69

「於時下方」者，第二，明今日文殊通經利益，復二：初、明文殊通經；二、從「文殊言我於海中」下，明利益。第一復五：一、明智積請退。《分陀利經》云「下方佛所從菩薩，名般若拘羅，漢言智積」。二、「釋迦」下，明釋尊止之，令待通經利益之證。智積謂多寶為證經故出，勸物流通既訖，是故請還。釋迦止者，雖迹門事訖，本門未彰，故託在文殊以留多寶，佛之密意非菩薩所知。從「爾時文殊」下，第三，文殊尋來。四、「智積菩薩」下，智積問所化幾如。五、「文殊師利言」下，文殊答非口所宣也。就第五復七：一、答利益甚眾。「所言未」下，第二，蒙益者集證。「此諸菩薩」下，第三，皆是文殊所化。「本聲聞人」下，第四，本聲聞人，先稟權教住二乘道。《分陀利經》云「蓮華從池出者，本發菩薩心，其華在空中說摩訶衍事；本發聲聞心者，華在空中但說斷生死事。」從「今皆修行」下，第五，今聞實教，悉住大乘法。「文殊謂智積」下，第六，文殊結益。「爾時」下，七智，積偈歎也。

Regarding "At that time, from the lower region...": Second, this clarifies the benefits of Mañjuśrī's propagating the sūtra on this day, which again has two parts: first, clarifying Mañjuśrī's propagating the sūtra; second, from "Mañjuśrī said, 'In the midst of the ocean...'" onwards, clarifying the benefits. The first again has five parts: 1. Clarifying Prajñākūṭa's requesting to withdraw. The Puṇḍarīka-sūtra says: "The bodhisattva accompanying the Buddha of the lower region was named Prajñākūṭa, in Chinese called Zhiji." 2. From "Śākya[muni]..." onwards, clarifying the World-Honoured Śākya stopping him, bidding him wait for the testimony of the benefits of propagating the sūtra. Prajñākūṭa considered that Prabhūtaratna had emerged in order to testify to the sūtra, and since exhorting beings to transmit it was now completed, he therefore requested to return. Śākyamuni stopped him because, although the events of the traces approach were finished, the origin approach had not yet been revealed; thus he used Mañjuśrī as a reason to detain Prabhūtaratna—the Buddha's esoteric intention was not something bodhisattvas could know. 3. From "At that time, Mañjuśrī..." onwards, Mañjuśrī thereupon arrives. 4. From "Bodhisattva Prajñākūṭa..." onwards, Prajñākūṭa asks how many were converted. 5. From "Mañjuśrī said..." onwards, Mañjuśrī replies that it cannot be declared by mouth. Under the fifth there are again seven: (1) replying that those who benefited are exceedingly numerous; (2) from "Before he had finished speaking..." onwards, those receiving benefit assemble as testimony; (3) from "All these bodhisattvas..." onwards, all were converted by Mañjuśrī; (4) from "Those who were originally śrāvakas..." onwards, they were originally śrāvakas who previously received the expedient teaching and abided in the two vehicles' path. The Puṇḍarīka-sūtra says: "Those lotus flowers rising out of the pond—those who had originally given rise to the bodhisattva mind, their flowers in mid-air expounded Mahāyāna matters; those who had originally given rise to the śrāvaka mind, their flowers in mid-air only expounded matters of cutting off birth-and-death"; (5) from "Now they all practice..." onwards, now having heard the real teaching, they all abide in the Mahāyāna Dharma; (6) from "Mañjuśrī said to Prajñākūṭa..." onwards, Mañjuśrī concludes the benefits; (7) from "At that time..." onwards, Prajñākūṭa praises in verse.