妙法蓮華經文句 9.73

9.73

正答有長行、偈頌。長行為二：法說、譬說。法說為二：一、三世益物，二、總結不虛。近情唯見現在八十，不知過去無央、未來不滅，故約三世開近顯遠。如此利益非獨我然，諸佛亦爾，故總結不虛也。法說中未來語少，譬說偈中文多（云云）。過去益物文為二：一、從「如來祕密」下，出執近之情；二、從「然善男子」下，破近顯遠。初又三：一、出所迷法，二、出能迷眾，三、出迷遠之謂。「祕密」者，一身即三身名為「祕」，三身即一身名為「密」，又昔所不說名為「祕」，唯佛自知名為「密」。「神通之力」者，三身之用也，「神」是天然不動之理，即法性身也；「通」是無壅不思議慧，即報身也；「力」是幹用自在，即應身也。佛於三世等有三身，於諸教中祕之不傳，故一切世間天人脩羅，謂今佛始於道樹得此三身，故執近以疑遠。此本說中不復言及二乘，但對菩薩，菩薩攝在天人修羅三善道內，餘三惡趣罪重根鈍少智，不知作此謂也。故《大品》但云「摩訶衍勝出天人阿脩羅」，亦不言三途也。菩薩有三種：下方、他方、舊住。下方即本日所化，故無執近之謂。他方、舊住俱有二種：一、從法身應生者，往世先得無生，或已先聞發迹顯本，設未得聞報盡受法性身，於法身地自應得聞長遠之說，是故應生菩薩，多無執近之謂；二者今生始得無生忍及未得者，咸有此謂也。「然善男子我實成佛已來」下，第二，明破執遣迷以顯久遠之本，上文誠諦之誡即是此也。就此復二：一、顯遠，二、從「自從是來」下，明過去益物所宜。就初又二：一、法說顯遠，二、舉譬格量法說。成佛已來甚大久遠，伽耶近謂即破，破近顯遠略有十意，如《玄義》（云云）。此文正用破近顯遠，破近謂情廢近顯遠，廢於近教也。

The direct answer has prose and gāthās. The prose is twofold: the exposition in terms of Dharma, and the exposition by way of parable. The exposition in terms of Dharma is twofold: first, benefiting sentient beings across the three periods of time; second, concluding in summary that it is not false. Sentiments adhering to the near see only eighty years in the present and do not know the immeasurable past nor the imperishability of the future; hence, the near is opened and the distant revealed with reference to the three periods of time. That such benefits exist is not true of me alone, but of all buddhas as well; hence, it concludes in summary that it is not false. In the exposition in terms of Dharma there is little mention of the future; in the parable and gāthās the text is extensive (and so forth). The text on benefiting sentient beings in the past is twofold: first, from "The Tathāgata's secret" onward, brings forth the sentiment of clinging to the near; second, from "Yet, good sons" onward, refutes the near and reveals the distant. The first further has three: first, bringing forth the dharma about which one is deluded; second, bringing forth the assembly that is deluded; third, bringing forth the assumption that is deluded about the distant. Regarding "secret": one body being identical to three bodies is called "secret"; three bodies being identical to one body is called "mysterious." Moreover, what was not preached in the past is called "secret"; what is known only to the Buddha himself is called "mysterious." "Supernatural powers" are the functions of the three bodies: "supernatural" is the intrinsically unmoving principle, which is the dharma-nature body; "powers" (penetration) is unobstructed, inconceivable wisdom, which is the reward body; "power" (strength) is sovereignty in functioning and operation, which is the response body. The Buddha equally possesses the three bodies throughout the three periods of time, but kept them secret and untransmitted within the various teachings. Therefore all worldly devas, humans, and asuras thought that the present Buddha first attained these three bodies beneath the bodhi tree, clinging to the near and doubting the distant. In this root exposition there is no further mention of the two vehicles, but only addressing bodhisattvas; bodhisattvas are subsumed within the three wholesome destinies of devas, humans, and asuras, whereas the remaining three wretched destinies have heavy sins, dull faculties, and little wisdom, so they do not make such assumptions. Hence the Pañcaviṃśatisāhasrikā-prajñāpāramitā-sūtra only says, "The Mahāyāna excels beyond devas, humans, and asuras," and likewise does not mention the three wretched paths. There are three kinds of bodhisattvas: those from below, those from other regions, and long-standing residents. Those from below are those transformed by the root from the past, so they have no assumption of clinging to the near. Those from other regions and long-standing residents both have two kinds: first, those born as response manifestations from the dharmakāya, who in past lives had already attained non-arising, or had already previously heard the traces revealed and the origin disclosed; even if they had not yet heard it, when their retribution ended and they received the dharma-nature body, on the stage of the dharmakāya they naturally ought to hear the exposition of the long and distant, and therefore among response-born bodhisattvas, most do not have the assumption of clinging to the near; second, those who have only in this life attained the forbearance of non-arising and those who have not yet attained it all entertain this assumption. From "Yet, good sons, since I truly attained buddhahood" onward is the second: explaining the refutation of attachment and dismissal of delusion in order to reveal the origin of long ago; the preceding admonition of truthfulness was precisely this. Under this there are again two: first, revealing the distant; second, from "Ever since then" onward, explaining what was fitting in benefiting sentient beings in the past. Under the first there are again two: first, revealing the distant through exposition in terms of Dharma; second, adducing a parable to measure the Dharma exposition. The time since attaining buddhahood has been extremely long and distant, so the near assumption regarding Gayā is immediately refuted. There are in brief ten meanings to refuting the near and revealing the distant, as explained in the Fahua xuanyi (and so forth). This passage properly functions to refute the near and reveal the distant: refuting the sentiments of the near assumption abandons the near to reveal the distant, abandoning the near teaching.