妙法蓮華經文句 9.64

9.64

復次，法身非量非無量，報身金剛前有量、金剛後無量，應身隨緣則有量、應用不斷則無量。通途詮量三句在聖、一句屬凡，有量無常都非佛義。舊來所說乃是增減兩謗加誣於佛，非魔是何？四句詮量其義已顯，為未解者，更常等四句料簡：先別作、次通作。別者，非常非無常，雙非理極即法身也；常者即報身也，報智境合亦非常非無常，但取正智圓滿不生不滅，過金剛心之前故，取常為報身耳；亦常亦無常應身也，應用無盡為亦常，數唱涅槃名亦無常，無常者，金剛心已前智用增進，乃至凡夫生滅出沒皆是無常。三佛各一句，凡夫共一句，此約別教別分別也。通途圓說者，一一如來悉備四句。法身四者：非常非無常，雙破凡聖八倒故；常者如虛空常故；無常者無凡夫生滅倒故；亦常亦無常者，寂而雙照故。報身四者：非常非無常者，智冥境故，常者出過二乘故：無常者無生滅倒故：亦常亦無常能雙照故。應身四者：非常非無常者，非報非生死故；常者常應同故；無常者同無常故；亦常亦無常者，兩存故。凡夫既得無常一句，通途亦作四句，但有性德之理，尚無四句名字，況行用耶？可以意得不俟說也。一身即是三身，不一不異，當知一佛身即具諸身壽命功德，隨緣感見長短不同。《大經》云「凡夫二乘見佛壽命猶如冬日，菩薩所見猶如春日，唯佛見佛壽命無量猶如夏日。所以然者，凡夫博地翳障朦朧，藏通二乘雖斷四住不見中道，若捨分段受法性身未破無明，彼土所奉猶是勝應，當知二乘秖見冬日。若諸菩薩未登地住，所見同前；若破無明乃至受分法身，與而為語得見報身壽命，奪而為語猶是勝應，未窮報身之源，未盡法性之極，所見佛壽猶是春日。唯佛與佛窮性盡源，見法身壽猶如夏日。」《大經》舉三譬譬之，於諸常中虛空第一，一切壽命如來第一，此譬法身壽命無始無終性相凝湛不同應報也；二譬如四河皆歸大海，此譬報身所修萬善皆感佛報壽命海中也；三阿耨達池出四大河，此譬應身壽命從法報出，同他長短也。此品詮量通明三身，若從別意正在報身。何以故？義便文會。義便者，報身智慧上冥下契，三身宛足，故言義便；文會者，我成佛已來甚大久遠，故能三世利益眾生，所成即法身，能成即報身，法報合故能益物，故言文會。以此推之，正意是論報身佛功德也。

Furthermore, the Dharma-body is neither measured nor measureless; the Reward-body has a measure before the vajra-[mind] and is measureless after the vajra-[mind]; the Response-body has a measure according to conditions, and is measureless in that its response and function are uninterrupted. In the general way of measuring and defining, three lines pertain to sages and one line belongs to ordinary beings; having a measure and being impermanent are not the meaning of a buddha at all. What was stated in the past was merely the two slanders of addition and subtraction falsely accusing the Buddha; if not Māra, what is it? The meaning having already been revealed through the four-line measurement and definition, for those who have not yet understood, it is further distinguished through the four lines of permanent and the like: first taking them distinctly, then taking them generally. As for distinctly: neither permanent nor impermanent—the dual negation reaching the culmination of principle—is the Dharma-body; permanent is the Reward-body, for reward-wisdom and the objective realm are united, also being neither permanent nor impermanent, but taking correct wisdom as perfected, unborn and unceasing, having transcended what is prior to the vajra-mind, permanence is taken as the Reward-body; both permanent and impermanent is the Response-body, for its responsive function being inexhaustible is "also permanent," and constantly proclaiming nirvāṇa is called "also impermanent"; "impermanent" means the wisdom and function prior to the vajra-mind increasing and advancing, up to ordinary beings' arising and ceasing, appearing and disappearing, all being impermanent. Each of the three buddhas has one line, and ordinary beings share one line; this is a distinct differentiation according to the distinctive teaching. As for the perfect exposition in the general way: each and every Tathāgata is completely equipped with all four lines. The Dharma-body's four are: neither permanent nor impermanent, because it doubly refutes the eight inversions of ordinary beings and sages; permanent, because it is permanent like empty space; impermanent, because it is devoid of ordinary beings' inversion of arising and ceasing; both permanent and impermanent, because it is quiescent yet doubly illuminating. The Reward-body's four are: neither permanent nor impermanent, because wisdom merges with the objective realm; permanent, because it transcends the two vehicles; impermanent, because it is devoid of the inversion of arising and ceasing; both permanent and impermanent, because it can doubly illuminate. The Response-body's four are: neither permanent nor impermanent, because it is neither reward nor samsāra; permanent, because it is ever-responding and identical; impermanent, because it conforms to impermanence; both permanent and impermanent, because both are preserved. Since ordinary beings obtain the single line of impermanence, in the general way they also form four lines; however, possessing only the principle of inherent virtue, they do not yet have the names of the four lines, much less the practice and function! This may be understood implicitly without waiting to be explained. A single body is precisely the three bodies, neither one nor different; one should know that a single buddha-body completely possesses the lifespans and merits of all the bodies, which are perceived differently as long or short according to conditions. The Mahāparinirvāṇa-sūtra says: "Ordinary beings and the two vehicles see the Buddha's lifespan as like a winter day; what the bodhisattvas see is like a spring day; only a buddha sees a buddha's lifespan as measureless, like a summer day." The reason for this is that ordinary beings on common ground are obscured by veils; the two vehicles of the Tripiṭaka and shared teachings, though having severed the four entrenchments, do not see the Middle Way; if they abandon the fragmented [samsāra] and receive a dharma-nature body without having broken ignorance, what they revere in that land is still a superior response; one should know that the two vehicles only see a winter day. If bodhisattvas have not yet ascended the stages and abodes, what they see is identical to the above; if they break ignorance and even receive a portion of the Dharma-body, speaking permissively they obtain sight of the Reward-body's lifespan, but speaking restrictively it is still a superior response—not having plumbed the source of the Reward-body and not having exhausted the culmination of the dharma-nature, the buddha-lifespan they see is still a spring day. Only a buddha with a buddha plumbs the nature and exhausts the source, seeing the Dharma-body's life as like a summer day." The Mahāparinirvāṇa-sūtra raises three similes to illustrate this: among all permanent things empty space is foremost, and among all lifespans the Tathāgata is foremost—this illustrates that the Dharma-body's lifespan has neither beginning nor end, its nature and characteristics being still and profound, unlike the response and reward [bodies]; second, as the four rivers all return to the great ocean, this illustrates that the ten thousand virtues cultivated by the Reward-body all flow into the ocean of the Buddha's reward-lifespan; third, Lake Anavatapta gives rise to the four great rivers, which illustrates that the Response-body's lifespan arises from the Dharma and Reward [bodies], conforming in length or shortness to others. This chapter's measurement and definition generally illuminates the three bodies, but according to its specific purport, it resides precisely in the Reward-body. Why so? Because of doctrinal fitness and textual convergence. "Doctrinal fitness" means that the Reward-body's wisdom merges above and accords below, the three bodies being thoroughly complete; therefore it is said to have doctrinal fitness. "Textual convergence" means that since I attained buddhahood it has been exceedingly long ago, and thus I can benefit sentient beings throughout the three periods of time; what is attained is the Dharma-body, and that which can attain it is the Reward-body; because the Dharma and Reward bodies unite, they are able to benefit beings; therefore it is said to have textual convergence. Inferring from this, the primary purport is to discuss the merits of the Reward-body Buddha.