妙法蓮華經文句 3.21

3.21

From "The last of them" onward is the third part: citing one buddha as identical. The text has three parts: 1. clarifying that things seen in the past are already identical with the present; 2. clarifying that things seen in the past are now identical with the present; 3. clarifying that things seen in the past will be identical with the present. "In the past" refers to what was experienced long ago; "already" refers to what has receded into the past. Both past and already have receded and both were experienced; here, what is distant is taken as "in the past", and what is slightly near is said to be "already"; the six portents and the like are taken as "now", and the Buddha's emerging from samādhi onward is taken as "will be". First, from "that last buddha had eight sons", this is the past being already identical with the present. The past buddha had eight sons, while the present Buddha has one son; although the numbers are not equal, both appeared in a land of shared dwelling; since the land has [afflictions of] views and thoughts, both manifested having sons; having sons is identical as a matter of fact. One and eight respond to conditions and signify different things: fathering one son generally signifies the purity of the One Path; fathering eight sons signifies the Eightfold Noble Path. The numbers differ, but the meaning is identical; here we take having sons as identical in meaning. Furthermore, the sons of the past buddha went forth from home and gave rise to the aspiration of the Mahāyāna, whereas the son of the present Buddha abides in the fruit of the Hīnayāna; how can these be identical? In the past, the path of conversion was already complete and the original matter was revealed and manifest, hence it says they gave rise to the aspiration of the Mahāyāna; at present, the traces have not yet been disclosed, so he is still called an arhat; when later in the text the origin is disclosed, he is indeed a bodhisattva, so the meaning is identical.