妙法蓮華經文句 9.29

9.29

三，如來具答。安樂、易度兩事相成，易度則安樂，安樂則易度。易度為兩：一、根利德厚，世世已來常受大化，始見我身即稟《華嚴》入如來慧，果熟易零，是眾生易度；二、根鈍德薄，世世已來不受大化，為是人故須開鈍說漸，三藏、方等、《般若》而調伏之，亦令此人今聞《法華》入於佛慧。比前雖難，於佛甚易，佛識其宜方便得所，薄須塗熨慧悟是同。今略舉十意釋之：第一、始見今見，第二、開合不開合，第三、豎廣橫略，第四、本一迹多迹共本獨，第五、加說不加說，第六、變土不變土，第七、多處不多處，第八、斥奪不斥奪，第九、直顯實開權顯實，第十、利根初熟鈍根後熟。第一始見今見者，初成道時名始見，法華座席久後真實名今見也。日照高山即說於頓，不開不合；為不入者開頓說漸，五味調伏令漸歸頓。頓直豎入入於法界故言豎廣，不歷方便故言橫略，今歷五味即是橫廣，得入佛慧亦是豎廣。一臺故本一，千葉故迹多，迹與眾經同故言共，本與眾經異故言獨。加四菩薩說四十位，自說開示悟入不加於他。花王世界故言不變，二變土田故言變土。七處八會是為多處，耆闍崛山遠處虛空故不多處。滅化城改客作故言斥奪，無如此事故不斥奪。行大直道名直顯實，決了聲聞法，名開權顯實。根利緣熟始入佛慧，根鈍後熟今入佛慧。緣宜不同略為十異，種智法界等無差別，故文云「始見我身聞我所說，即皆信受入如來慧，除先修習學小乘者。」今於此經入於佛慧，明文在茲不須疑也。諸師見其緣異，逐緣異解迷不知反去道轉遠，若識理同千車共轍，佛慧則無殊也。舊云，《華嚴》了義滿字常住，《法華》不了義非滿非常，今以此文並之，若始入是了義，今入不了義者，始入是佛慧，今入非佛慧，若佛慧既齊了義亦等，滿字常住悉然（云云）。地人呼《華嚴》為圓宗，《法華》為不真宗，今亦用此文並之。

Third, the Tathāgata answers fully. Well-being and being easy to cross over are two things that complete each other: if they are easy to cross over, then there is well-being; if there is well-being, then they are easy to cross over. Being easy to cross over has two aspects: first, those with sharp faculties and profound virtue have constantly received the great conversion from life to life; as soon as they saw my body, they received the Avataṃsaka and entered the Tathāgata's wisdom; the fruit being ripe, it easily falls—these living beings are easy to cross over. Second, those with dull faculties and meager virtue have not received the great conversion from life to life; for the sake of these people, it was necessary to open the dull and explain the gradual, subduing them with the Tripiṭaka, Vaipulya, and Prajñā, and also causing these people now, upon hearing the Lotus Sūtra, to enter into the Buddha's wisdom. Although difficult compared to the former, to the Buddha it is extremely easy; the Buddha recognizes what is appropriate for them and his expedient means hit the mark; merely needing unguents and massage, their wisdom and awakening are identical. Now, ten meanings are briefly cited to explain it: first, seeing initially and seeing now; second, opening-combining and not opening-combining; third, vertical-vast and horizontal-brief; fourth, origin single and traces many, traces shared and origin exclusive; fifth, supplementary exposition and non-supplementary exposition; sixth, transforming the land and not transforming the land; seventh, many locations and not many locations; eighth, denouncing and not denouncing; ninth, directly revealing the real and opening the expedient to reveal the real; tenth, sharp faculties ripening early and dull faculties ripening late. Regarding the first, 'seeing initially and seeing now': at the time of first attaining the Way, it is called 'seeing initially'; after a long time, at the assembly of the Lotus Sūtra, the true reality is called 'seeing now.' The sun shining on the high mountains immediately expounds the sudden, with neither opening nor combining; for those who do not enter, opening the sudden to expound the gradual uses the five flavors to subdue them, causing the gradual to return to the sudden. The sudden penetrates straight and vertically, entering into the Dharma realm; therefore it is called vertical-vast. Not passing through expedient means, it is called horizontal-brief. Now, passing through the five flavors is horizontal-vast; attaining entry into the Buddha's wisdom is also vertical-vast. Because of the single dais, the origin is one; because of the thousand petals, the traces are many. Because the traces are the same as in the various sūtras, they are called shared; because the origin is different from the various sūtras, it is called exclusive. Empowering the four bodhisattvas to expound the forty stages, he himself speaks of opening, demonstrating, awakening to, and entering without empowering others. Because it is the Flower King World, it is called not transforming; transforming the lands twice, it is called transforming the land. Seven locations and eight assemblies constitute many locations; Gṛdhrakūṭa and the distant space of the sky constitute not many locations. Annihilating the phantom city and altering the menial work are called denouncing; having no such matter, it is called not denouncing. Traveling the great straight path is named directly revealing the real; decisively clarifying the śrāvaka dharma is named opening the expedient and revealing the real. Those with sharp faculties whose conditions were ripe entered the Buddha's wisdom initially; those with dull faculties who ripened later enter the Buddha's wisdom now. The conditions and fitness being different, they are briefly categorized into ten differences; the wisdom of all modes and the Dharma realm are equal and without differentiation. Therefore the text says: 'Those who initially saw my body and heard what I expounded all immediately had faith, accepted it, and entered the Tathāgata's wisdom, except for those who previously practiced and studied the Hīnayāna.' Now, in this sūtra, they enter into the Buddha's wisdom; the explicit text is right here, and there is no need to doubt it. Various masters, seeing that the conditions differ, follow the differing conditions with differing interpretations, wandering confused without returning, straying further and further from the Way. If they recognize that the principle is the same, just as a thousand carts share the same ruts, the Buddha's wisdom is without difference. The old tradition said: 'The Avataṃsaka is definitive meaning, the full-word teaching, and eternal; the Lotus Sūtra is non-definitive meaning, not the full word, and not eternal.' Now, comparing them with this text: if initial entry is definitive meaning and entry now is non-definitive meaning, then initial entry is the Buddha's wisdom and entry now is not the Buddha's wisdom; if the Buddha's wisdom is equal, then definitive meaning is also equal, and the full-word teaching and eternity are entirely so (and so on). The Dilun masters call the Avataṃsaka the 'perfect lineage' and the Lotus Sūtra the 'untrue lineage'; now this text is also used to compare them.