妙法蓮華經文句 6.28

6.28

From "As his years advanced" down: Second, turning toward the land and returning. Youth has two senses: first, because of foolishness and immaturity; second, because he had not yet suffered adversity, so he did not know to return. This is an analogy for how, after establishing conditions [with the Buddha], before great understanding had deepened, like a fool he did not return; still possessing remnant merits, indulged in delusion, he did not return. Now, his habitual actions secretly perfuming him, he faintly knows to turn toward the Way; meeting with suffering and losing happiness, he reflects and seeks the essential path of escape. These two serve as the capacity to evoke the Buddha, which is called gradually heading toward the father's land. The text above states: "If people encounter suffering, for them he preaches nirvāṇa." If one considers the two kinds of goodness—human and heavenly—they are not the causal conditions for evoking the Buddha: not seeing the fatherly Buddha within the three realms is being "poor"; lacking the method for the essential path of escape is also being "poor"; being burned by the fire of the eight sufferings is being "destitute." Regarding "galloping in all four directions in search of food and clothing": The old interpretation says that the human and heavenly five precepts and ten virtues each have cause and effect, which are taken as the four directions to support oneself; and also that he pursued a livelihood among the four modes of birth to seek food and clothing. A lower passage states: "Only now, after one hundred and thirty kalpas, have I obtained a single sight." During those kalpas, it was not that there were no human and heavenly causes and effects, yet they could not evoke the Buddha; thus we know that this goodness is not the capacity to see the Buddha. Now, since the Buddha has not yet appeared, ordinary persons give rise to the four views regarding the body, feelings, mind, and dharmas; seeking the correct path therein is like seeking food, and seeking the auxiliary paths is like seeking clothing. Taking repulsion toward suffering and seeking the principle as the condition for being convertible, when the Buddha first appeared in the world, the various non-Buddhists were all delivered first—this is precisely the meaning. The Great Sūtra says: "Gazing carefully at the four directions is an analogy for the Four Truths." Following this, it can be understood. "Gradually wandering on, he happened to turn toward his native land": This explains that, repelled by suffering and hoping for liberation, he wrongly sought nirvāṇa; although not his original intent, he nevertheless chanced upon meeting the Buddha; hence it is said "happened to turn toward." "Native land" is as explained above. The text below explains how city and house are distinguished: all Buddhas' teachings constitute the land—this meaning is broad; "city" speaks of something smaller and dense, taking the nirvāṇa of the virtue of eradication that guards against wrong and wards off evil as the city; "house" speaks of something even more intimate, taking the great compassion of identical essence as the house. From "His father had previously searched for his son without success" down: Second, the father halts in a city while searching for his son. The analogy also has two parts: First, from the time [the son] regressed from the Great [Vehicle] onward, [the father] sought his capacity but there was no convergence; because there was no convergence, it is called "without success." Second, "halted in a city": He does not abandon the family business on account of one son, which is an analogy for how the Buddha does not abandon preaching and converting in other regions on account of the absence of capacity in one place. The old interpretation says: Between the two pillars—after the twenty thousand Buddhas and before Śākyamuni Buddha—is "halting halfway." Now I maintain that the meaning of "halfway" may be so, but halting, land, city, and family cannot be applied in that way. Now I take the land of expedients with remainder as the "land"; being between the land of common abode and the land of real reward is "halfway"; nirvāṇa with remainder is the "city"; dwelling in this nirvāṇa is called "halting." Abiding here is his house, where he manifests two response bodies, superior and inferior: the inferior response responds to śrāvakas, and the superior response responds to bodhisattvas. The five persons who have severed the shared delusions are reborn together in that land, all as bodhisattvas; the Buddha responds to them with the superior response body, instructing and training them solely in the family business of the Mahāyāna, halting here to wait and search for the capacity of the son in the land of common abode. Not only is the meaning of "halfway" matched, but land, city, and family business are all clearly distinguished. "Greatly rich": The realm of real mark is the "house"; being fully endowed with the myriad virtues is called "rich"; the merit of the five pāramitās is called "wealth"; the wisdom of prajñā is called "treasures"; leading all to Mahāyāna is called "immeasurable." Gold, silver, pearls, and so forth are the thirty-seven factors of awakening of the Mahāyāna. This recaps the meaning above of the elder being greatly rich. "Granaries and storehouses overflowing": Being full on the inside is "filled" (granaries), and spreading outside is "overflowing" (storehouses); holding grain is a "granary," and holding goods is a "storehouse." "Granary" is an analogy for dhyāna-concentration, because dhyāna gives birth to the one hundred and eight samādhis. "Storehouse" is an analogy for the real mark, because it can give rise to the wisdom of the eighteen kinds of emptiness. Sustaining oneself is "filled," and transforming others externally is "overflowing"; this recaps the meaning above of having many fields and houses. "Servants and retainers": Skillful means, knowledge and vision, and pāramitās are all fully equipped, adapting flexibly to capacities in accordance with phenomena and principle; this recaps the above having many servants and attendants. Speaking in terms of stages, the two vehicles, the bodhisattvas of the shared teaching, and the thirty minds of the distinctive teaching are all like "servants"; the ten stages of the distinctive and perfect teachings are like "ministers"; the ten dedications of merit are like "assistants"; the ten practices are like "clerks"; the ten abodes are like "commoners." First entering the Buddha's realm, all guests within the borders are nothing but the king's subjects; although becoming subjects, compared to clerks, assistants, and ministers, they are still distant. In the ten practices, one practices the various dharmas distinctly, scurrying about in various ways like clerks; in the ten dedications of merit, phenomena and principle are somewhat deeper, and their posts are close to the king like assistants; in the ten stages, they assist the Buddha in carrying out conversion, subduing Māra and conquering enemies, hence like ministers. The threefold contemplation in one mind is like the "elephant," transporting the Mahāyāna of the perfect teaching; the successive threefold contemplation is like the "horse," transporting the Mahāyāna of the distinctive teaching; the contemplations of identity-with-emptiness and analysis-into-emptiness are like the "ox," transporting the Mahāyāna of the shared teaching, and so on; the contemplation of analyzing dharmas for one's own practice is like deer and sheep, transporting the dharmas of the two vehicles. "Countless": The various expedient and real dharmas are all called "carriages"; the expedient and real wisdom-contemplations are called "elephants, horses, oxen, and sheep"; not only are the teaching dharmas exceedingly numerous, the contemplative wisdoms are also countless. "Going out and coming in": Being two yet non-dual is entering; being non-dual yet two is exiting. Furthermore, being non-dual yet two is entering; being two yet non-dual is exiting. The immeasurable returning to the one is entering; the immeasurable within the one is exiting. Applying it to converting others is exiting; applying it to one's own practice is entering. Exiting with dharmas to benefit sentient beings is "interest"; conversion's merit returning to oneself is "profit." "Extending throughout other lands": Extending throughout the three lands, practicing in non-ways to penetrate the Buddha Way—this is precisely its meaning; only dharma-nature is his own land. "Merchants and traders were also very numerous": The various bodhisattvas are merchants; furthermore, they pervade the three lands to seek the profit of the Dharma, hence it is said "very numerous." Bodhisattvas of this land go to other directions to listen to the Dharma, and great beings of other directions come here to hear the sūtras, coming and going to collect profit. Furthermore, the response and transformation bodies are like traders: carrying the real Dharma, they pervade the three lands, converting and benefiting sentient beings and returning to the dharma body; hence it is said "very numerous." It is like people in the world having others manage wealth to generate business, while also generating business themselves.