妙法蓮華經文句 9.75

9.75

從「自從是來」下，明益物所宜又三：一、益物處，二、拂迹上疑，三、從「若有眾生來至我所」下，正明益物所宜。須顯處者，上引譬甚久，久居何處？故云常在此土及於他國而作佛事，如文。「於是中間」下，拂執迹上之疑，疑因疑果，昔教所說處處行因，又處處得記即是果疑。今拂除此疑，指然燈佛者即拂因疑，又復言其入於涅槃即拂果疑，如此因果非復一條，皆我方便非實說也，故名拂疑。或有人云，方便說然燈佛是我之師，然實是釋迦現作，非生現生、非滅現滅，故言又復言其涅槃。今謂不爾，但取前釋。何者？然燈佛于時緣熟，以佛像化之；我緣未熟，但為菩薩從佛得記，得記即是果義，行行即是因，消文自足。言「其」者，即是中間施化之其耳，非謂然燈也。又中間益物，即有形聲兩益，若言值然燈佛者，此有形益，又復言其入於涅槃者，彼佛滅後助佛揚化，即有聲益，若爾形聲兩益，皆屬中間因耳。既有形聲之生，生必有死，死即入涅槃，名此為果耳。不得言中間已成佛果，何者？《法華》之前未說成佛，何得有佛果之疑？舊以然燈是我現作，此亦非解，《法華》前經未論昔已成佛，何教說然燈是我所現而拂此疑耶？「若有眾生來至我所」下，第三正明益物所宜，又為二：一、感應，二、施化。「至我所」者，即是過去眾生漸頓兩機冥扣法身也。「佛眼觀」者，即是久已成佛，用佛眼鑑照無有遺差，將欲起於劣勝兩應而利益之。善機凡有二力：一、感人天花報，二、感佛道果報。若以法眼觀知萬善，緣其重輕各得花報，不能究竟知其終得種智果報；若以佛眼，圓照萬善知其始末。此經一向明佛眼觀知眾生萬善究竟得佛，一大事出世之正意也。「信等諸根」者，信等五根也，慧根即了因，餘根即緣因。此二善根各有利鈍，通攝頓漸機緣：頓機利鈍即是圓、別根機，漸機利鈍即是藏、通機緣。又小乘根名鈍，大乘根名利。又小乘根名利，人天乘名鈍。十法界眾生所有善根利鈍為機，不用惡法，惡法非緣、了二因也。如來悉照十界善機，隨所應度而現形聲饒益也。從「處處自說」下，正明應化所宜，又二：先、形聲益，次、得益歡喜。先、形益又二：先明非生現生，次非滅現滅。「自說名字不同」者，形既其現則有名字，因名召體，機有優劣、形有勝負，形異故名則不同。「年紀大小」者，即形勝負，勝者即勝應，負者即劣應也。「名不同」者，即二佛現壽有量無量也。「處處」者，竪論則過去之處處行因國土也，橫論即十方國土也。名字不同約竪處所，亦有生法名字不同，如今之應身望過去然燈佛等；約橫國土亦有生法名字，如今之望分身，亦如《華嚴》十號中所列釋迦異名若干不同。又諸經所辯，佛有三身名字不同，所召法體皆異，或說毘那、或舍那、或釋迦，法身佛或名如如、實相、第一義、般若、楞嚴等比也。此約示現佛法界身名字不同，若現九法界身名字不同，則無量無邊，可以意得。「年紀大小」者，此明壽命長短，逐上所現應身，或說壽二萬，如迦葉佛時；或說壽八萬時，如彌勒佛時，傳互明大小縱橫可知。就法報應佛壽命大小，如《玄義》（云云）。或三身相望辯大小，或三身各別皆為小、合說名為大，例三點（云云）。此皆隨所應度，為其現身及命長短耳。「亦復現言當入涅槃」者，應以滅度而得度者，即現滅度也，令其戀仰而得解脫。此義現下譬說中也。「又以種種方便說微妙法」者，是現聲益也。小身短壽即是說於漸教，故言「種種方便」也。大身長壽即是說頓教，故言「說微妙法」。雖初以漸，終令入大，故言「皆令得歡喜」。仍此歡喜即是施化得益，佛依四悉檀，施形聲兩益，眾生獲於四利，稱機則喜、乖機則惱，下文云「皆實不虛」，即此義也。

From "Ever since then" onward, explaining what was fitting in benefiting sentient beings again has three parts: first, the places of benefiting sentient beings; second, dispelling doubts concerning the traces; third, from "If there are sentient beings who come to my place" onward, directly explaining what was fitting in benefiting sentient beings. Regarding the necessity of revealing the place: the parable cited above covers an extremely long time; where did he abide for so long? Hence it says that he was constantly in this land and in other countries performing buddha-work, as in the text. From "In the interim" onward, dispelling doubts clinging to the traces: doubts about cause and doubts about fruit. What was preached in past teachings—practicing causes in various places, and also receiving predictions in various places—pertains to doubts about the fruit. Now, dispelling these doubts: pointing to Dīpaṃkara Buddha dispels doubts about cause, and further stating that he entered nirvāṇa dispels doubts about fruit; such causes and fruits are not just one single thread, but were all my expedients and not real expositions; hence it is called dispelling doubts. Some say: expediently it was said that Dīpaṃkara Buddha was my teacher, yet in reality it was Śākyamuni manifesting him, manifesting birth where there is no birth, manifesting extinction where there is no extinction; hence it says "and furthermore stated that he entered nirvāṇa." Now I say this is not so; one should simply adopt the previous explanation. Why? At that time Dīpaṃkara Buddha's conditions were mature, so he converted them with the Buddha's form; my conditions were not yet mature, so I was only a bodhisattva receiving a prediction from the Buddha. Receiving a prediction is the meaning of the fruit; performing practices is the cause; this explains the text sufficiently in itself. The word "he" simply refers to the one who carried out transformation in the interim, not to Dīpaṃkara. Furthermore, benefiting sentient beings in the interim comprises both benefits of form and of sound: if one speaks of encountering Dīpaṃkara Buddha, this is the benefit of form; further stating that he entered nirvāṇa, assisting that buddha in propagating transformation after his extinction, is the benefit of sound. If so, both the benefits of form and of sound belong to causes in the interim. Since there is the birth of form and sound, birth must have death, and death is entering nirvāṇa; this is termed the fruit. One must not say that in the interim he had already realized the fruit of buddhahood. Why? Prior to the Lotus Sūtra, his attaining buddhahood had not been preached; how could there be doubts about the fruit of buddhahood? The old view that Dīpaṃkara was my manifestation is likewise no explanation: sūtras prior to the Lotus Sūtra had not discussed that he had already attained buddhahood in the past; what teaching would have said Dīpaṃkara was my manifestation, such that this doubt would need to be dispelled? From "If there are sentient beings who come to my place" onward is the third, directly explaining what was fitting in benefiting sentient beings, which is again twofold: first, sympathetic resonance; second, bestowal of transformation. "Come to my place" means that past sentient beings' gradual and sudden capacities secretly struck a chord with the dharmakāya. "Contemplating with the buddha-eye" means that having attained buddhahood long ago, he uses the buddha-eye to illuminate and reflect without any omission or error, being about to raise both inferior and superior responses to benefit them. Wholesome capacities generally possess two powers: first, moving the blossom retribution of humans and devas; second, moving the fruit retribution of the Buddha Path. If one uses the dharma-eye to contemplate and know the myriad wholesome deeds, according to whether their conditions are heavy or light each attains a blossom retribution, but one cannot thoroughly know that they will ultimately attain the fruit retribution of the knowledge of all modes; if one uses the buddha-eye, it completely illuminates the myriad wholesome deeds and knows their beginning and end. This sūtra exclusively clarifies that the buddha-eye contemplates and knows that sentient beings' myriad wholesome deeds will ultimately attain buddhahood, which is the primary intent of the one great matter of appearing in the world. "Faculties such as faith" refers to the five faculties of faith and so forth; the faculty of wisdom is the revealing cause, and the remaining faculties are conditioning causes. These two wholesome faculties each have sharp and dull, comprehensively including sudden and gradual capacities and conditions: the sharp and dull of sudden capacities are the capacities of the perfect and distinctive teachings; the sharp and dull of gradual capacities are the capacities and conditions of the Tripiṭaka and shared teachings. Furthermore, Hīnayāna faculties are called dull, and Mahāyāna faculties are called sharp. Alternatively, Hīnayāna faculties are called sharp, and human and deva vehicles are called dull. All the wholesome faculties, sharp or dull, of sentient beings in the ten dharma realms serve as capacities; unwholesome dharmas are not used, for unwholesome dharmas are not the two causes of conditioning and revealing. The Tathāgata completely illuminates the wholesome capacities of the ten realms, and in accordance with those who ought to be saved, manifests forms and sounds to benefit them. From "in various places, I spoke of myself under different names" onward directly explains what was fitting in response and transformation, again in two parts: first, the benefits of form and sound; second, gaining benefit and rejoicing. First, the benefit of form is again twofold: first, explaining manifesting birth where there is no birth; second, manifesting extinction where there is no extinction. "Spoke of myself under different names": since a form is manifested, it has a name; the name calls forth the entity; capacities have superior and inferior, and forms have better and lesser; because the forms differ, the names are not the same. "The size of age" refers to the better and lesser of the forms: the better is the superior response, and the lesser is the inferior response. "Different names" refers to the two buddhas manifesting life spans as measured or immeasurable. "In various places": considered vertically, it refers to the lands where causes were practiced in various places in the past; considered horizontally, it refers to the lands of the ten directions. Different names with respect to vertical places also include different names of birth and dharma, like the present response body compared to past Dīpaṃkara Buddha and so forth; with respect to horizontal lands, there are also names of birth and dharma, like the present body compared to emanation bodies, or like the various different names of Śākyamuni listed under the ten designations in the Avataṃsaka-sūtra. Furthermore, as explained in various sūtras, the Buddha has different names for the three bodies, and the dharma-entities called forth are all distinct, sometimes being called Vairocana, or Rocana, or Śākyamuni; the dharmakāya Buddha is sometimes named Suchness, True Characteristic, Paramārtha, Prajñā, Śūraṅgama, and the like. This is with reference to different names for bodies manifesting the buddha dharma realm; if manifesting bodies of the nine dharma realms, their different names are measureless and boundless, as can be understood in meaning. "The size of age" clarifies the length of life span, corresponding to the response bodies manifested above: sometimes speaking of a life span of twenty thousand years, as at the time of Kāśyapa Buddha; sometimes speaking of a life span of eighty thousand years, as at the time of Maitreya Buddha; mutual transmission clarifying greater and lesser, vertical and horizontal, can be understood. Regarding the greater and lesser life spans of the dharma, reward, and response buddhas, it is as explained in the Fahua xuanyi (and so forth). Or the greater and lesser are distinguished by comparing the three bodies; or the three bodies individually are all considered lesser, while spoken of together they are called greater, analogous to the three dots of the letter 'i' (and so forth). All these simply accord with those who ought to be saved, manifesting bodies and lengths of life span for them. "And also manifested saying that I was about to enter nirvāṇa": for those who ought to be saved through extinction, he manifests extinction, causing them to long for him and obtain liberation. This meaning appears below in the parable. "And further, by various expedient means, preached the subtle and wonderful Dharma": this is manifesting the benefit of sound. A small body and short life span correspond to preaching the gradual teaching; hence it says "various expedient means." A large body and long life span correspond to preaching the sudden teaching; hence it says "preached the subtle and wonderful Dharma." Although initially using the gradual, he ultimately causes them to enter the great; hence it says "all were caused to attain joy." Furthermore, this joy is the benefit gained from the bestowal of transformation: the Buddha relies on the four siddhāntas to bestow both benefits of form and sound, and sentient beings obtain the four benefits; when it accords with their capacities they rejoice, and when it goes against their capacities they are vexed; when the text below says "all are real and not false," this is its meaning.