妙法蓮華經文句 4.60

4.60

The Commentary [to the Prajñāpāramitā] states: 'Conditioned realizers (pratyekabuddhas) and solitary realizers (khaḍgaviṣāṇas): solitary realizers appear in an era without a buddha, whereas conditioned realizers vow to be born in an era with a buddha.' The Avataṃsaka states: 'When the bodhisattva descends from Tuṣita, he emits light that shines upon them; those who awaken cast off their bodies, while those who do not awaken are moved elsewhere.' The Mahāparinirvāṇa-sūtra speaks of a comet. The Mūlamadhyamakakārikā states: 'When a pratyekabuddha appears in the world, the Buddha's dharma has already been extinguished; these are solitary realizers. Those who vow to be born in an era with a buddha have previously attained the first fruit [of stream-entry]; before their fourteen lifetimes are exhausted, if they meet a buddha they become arhats, and if they do not meet a buddha they become solitary realizers. When they meet a buddha, they neither abandon their lifespan nor are moved away, because they vowed to see a buddha. The second and third fruits are likewise.' Moreover, there are group-dwelling conditioned realizers, who in an era without a buddha instruct and transform teachers and disciples. These should be of two kinds: after the Buddha passes away, there are no written teachings and sentient beings' faculties are dull, so the pratyekabuddha does not preach the dharma—this is not the group-dwelling kind; the group-dwelling kind is able to preach the dharma. Furthermore, there are magically manifested conditioned realizers, who manifest the body of a conditioned realizer for those who ought to see one. That there are conditioned realizers in the assembly of the three cycles can be understood through these meanings.