妙法蓮華經文句 5.32

5.32

As for explaining the external deportment, "immediately rising and joining his palms" is called bodily receipt and understanding. Formerly, expedient and real were two, like palms unjoined; now he understands that the expedient is just the real, like two palms joined together. "Facing the Buddha": formerly, the expedient was not the Buddha's cause, and the real was not the Buddha's fruit; now he understands that the expedient is just the real, constituting the great, perfect cause. Because the cause must tend toward the fruit, it says, "joining his palms and facing the Buddha." "Gazing upward at the Honoured Face" signifies his understanding of the real: the real is the Buddha's realm, not an expedient dharma. Gazing upward at the Honoured Face without any other thought signifies the opening of the buddha knowledge and vision. Mental understanding of the real is also understanding of the expedient; bodily receipt of the expedient is also understanding of the real—each mentions one side. From "said to the Buddha" onward, it is verbal receipt and understanding; that is, Śāriputra's own presentation. The text has two parts: first, the prose; second, the gāthās. The first text has three parts: first, presenting the sections of the three joys; second, explaining them; third, concluding and confirming them. "Now from the World-Honoured One" marks joy of the body, because my body sees the Buddha's body. "Hearing this sound of the Dharma" marks joy of speech, because depending on the Buddha's mouth, hearing it he rejoices. "Attaining what was never before [attained]" marks joy of mind, because my mind understands the Buddha's intention. These present the sections. Next, from "Why is this?" downward, the second part explains them, raising former losses to reveal present gains. From "Why is this?" up to "immeasurable knowledge and vision," it clarifies that in the past, not seeing the Buddha was a loss: in the past, when the Buddha conferred prophecies on bodhisattvas, I had no part in this affair, and the meaning of seeing the Buddha was distant; since I did not see the Buddha, there was no joy of the body. As for "hearing such Dharma as this": when the sun shone on the high mountain, there was an esoteric sense of hearing, but exoterically it was like being deaf and mute, not having the path to hear such Dharma; it was merely in the Vaipulya teaching that hearing the real wisdom of the Mahāyāna did not differ from the present, hence it says "hearing such Dharma as this." "Receiving prophecy": this too was giving prophecies to bodhisattvas in the Vaipulya [teachings], where those of the two vehicles had no part in the affair. "Deeply grieved and distressed": in the *Viśeṣacintā* and the *Vimalakīrti*, hearing the praise of the great and the censure of the small, he internally doubted and externally felt humiliated, which is called being "grieved and distressed." "Lost all knowledge and vision": losing the vision of the Buddha eye and losing the knowledge of the Buddha wisdom. From "World-Honoured One" up to "not the World-Honoured One," it clarifies the loss of not hearing the Dharma in the past: truly because the body dwelt in mountain forests while the mind clung to the small path, he did not hear the Dharma, and therefore had no joy of speech. "I was once dwelling alone": the place where he pondered his fault. "Equally entering the Dharma-nature": precisely bringing forth his fault. He clung to the one principle entered, and doubted the accessible gates of the three teachings. Since the one principle is identical, why had I lost knowledge and vision? Since the three teachings differ, why did bodhisattvas receive prophecies? If they received prophecies, then the Tathāgata was partial—hence it became a fault. Now relating this loss, he speaks of repenting his fault. "It is the fault of us [alone]": it was due to my deluding myself about the expedient; what did it have to do with principle or teaching? It was due to my being confused about the real; what did it have to do with the Buddha being partial? Recalling his former wrong and looking up to thank the Tathāgata—this is taking the fault upon oneself. From "Why is this?" up to "constantly reproaching myself," it clarifies the loss of having no understanding in mind: truly because not waiting for the exposition of that from which it originated, he had no understanding of the real; and because not recognising expedient means, he had no understanding of the expedient. Because understanding was absent, there was no joy of mind. The former losses having been made manifest, present gains naturally appear. Not waiting for the exposition of that from which it originated is reproaching oneself for not understanding the real; not understanding expedient means is reproaching oneself for not understanding the expedient. "That from which it originated" has two meanings: first, not accepting and confronting it before; second, not remaining and waiting for it after. First, illuminating the high mountain clarifies the wisdom of the three truths, which is attaining the cause of buddhahood; using this to confront me, yet I did not accept it, losing it beforehand. All buddhas, after a long time in the Dharma, must inevitably preach the real; yet I did not remain and wait. Between these two pillars, hastily seizing the small, he understood neither real nor expedient, just as the text says. From "Yet now from the Buddha" downward, it concludes and confirms the three joys: first concluding, then confirming. "From the Buddha" concludes the joy of the body; "hearing the Dharma" concludes the joy of speech; "cutting off all doubts and regrets" concludes the joy of mind. "Only now do I know that I am truly a Buddha's son" confirms the meaning of drawing near to the Buddha. "Born from the Buddha's mouth" confirms [the joy of] speech. "Born from the transformation of Dharma" confirms [the joy of] mind. Interpreting the text in this way, the text is completely explained and the principle is clearly revealed. Further using the four siddhāntas to interpret the text: from "Now from the World-Honoured One" downward is the worldly joy; from "Why is this?", raising former loss to reveal present gain, is the individual adaptation joy; from "World-Honoured One, since the past," is the counteractive joy; from "Only today do I know" downward is the paramārtha joy. Further clarifying the four siddhāntas in terms of the joyful mind: the mind's joy stirs and delights, always something never before had; joy stirs vitarka and vicāra, and further stirs in bodily form, and so on.