妙法蓮華經文句 3.102

3.102

From 'Such great retributive fruit' onward, the second part consists of thirteen and a half lines, reiterating the cutting off of speech above. The text has five parts: the first half-line, 'such great retributive fruit', directly reiterates the inconceivable realm; citing only the beginning, the end and the middle can be known by ellipsis; the word 'meaning' also reiterates 'ultimately equal'. 'Great' and 'various' are as explained in the Fahua xuanyi. From 'I and the Buddhas of the ten directions' downward, the second part, consisting of half a line, retrospectively reiterates 'to state the essential, the Buddhas have fully accomplished'. From 'impossible to demonstrate' downward, the third part, consisting of half a line, retrospectively reiterates 'stop, it need not be spoken' above: because the real mark has no location, it cannot be demonstrated; because it is not a path of speech, the characteristics of verbal expression are tranquil and extinct. From 'other kinds of sentient beings' downward, the fourth part reiterates the citation of persons who do not know; hence the prose above clarified that there is no one who knows, which is why [the Buddha] stopped and did not speak. In the verse, the ten and a half lines bring out the persons who do not know, the text dividing into eight: the first half-gāthā generally screens out those who do not enter, namely, the seven expedient means; from 'except for' downward, the second part, two phrases, screens in those who can enter, namely, the ten faiths of the perfect teaching, hence saying 'those whose power of faith is firm'. The prose clarified the ultimate Buddha knowledge, whereas the verse clarifies initial faith knowledge, each mentioning one. From 'the Buddha's disciples' downward, the third part, consisting of one and a half lines, screens out the two vehicles who do not know. From 'even if full' downward, the fourth part, consisting of one line, cites Śāriputra as not knowing. From 'even if fully packed' downward, the fifth part, consisting of one and a half lines, cites the great disciples. From 'pratyekabuddhas' downward, the sixth part, consisting of two lines, cites pratyekabuddhas. From 'newly resolved' downward, the seventh part, consisting of two and a half lines, cites bodhisattvas who have resolved their minds as not entering. The phrase 'resolving the mind' is general: it may refer to bodhisattvas of the six pāramitās who have not yet severed afflictions during three asaṃkhyeya kalpas being called 'resolving the mind'; or it may refer to the six pāramitās being subsumed above under devas and humans, while the phrase 'resolving the mind' specifically designates resolving the mind in the shared and distinctive [teachings], and so forth. From 'irreversible bodhisattvas' downward, the eighth part, consisting of one line, screens out irreversible bodhisattvas as also not knowing: the irreversible of the shared teaching sever delusion within the triple realm and therefore do not know the distinctive principle; prior to the stages of the distinctive teaching there are also realization-stage irreversibility, practice irreversibility, and so forth, which likewise do not know.