妙法蓮華經文句 9.74

9.74

譬中為三：一、舉譬問，二、答，三、合，顯出長遠。餘經或明數不可說，塵沙等為喻；方此此則為多，直下塵被點之界已不可說，況不下塵寧當可說？下塵不下塵界尚不可說，下塵不下塵塵豈可說耶？況復過是寧可說耶？「彌勒等」下，第二，答中舉三人不知也。合譬如文。

Within the parable there are three parts: first, posing the question through a parable; second, the answer; third, the application, revealing the long and distant. Other sūtras sometimes explain numbers as inexpressible, taking dust particles, sand, and the like as metaphors; compared to this, this is far greater: the worlds directly dotted with dust are already inexpressible, how much less could those not dotted with dust be expressible? If the worlds with dust deposited and without dust deposited are already inexpressible, how could the dust of the dust deposited and without dust deposited be expressible? How much less, going beyond this, could it ever be expressible? From "Maitreya and the others" onward is the second: in the answer, adducing the fact that the three kinds of persons do not know it. The application of the parable is as in the text.