妙法蓮華經文句 7.14

7.14

From "If there are living beings who hear the Tathāgata's Dharma yet do not perceive or know it," this clarifies the meaning of distinction. From here down, clarifying distinctions refers to living beings being the distinctions of the provisional and real among mountains and rivers, as well as distinctions among seeds. The Tathāgata is the cloud, hearing the Dharma is the rain, reciting and practicing it is the moistening, and the merit is the growth—none of these distinctions are they able to know. In the text, there are five parts: first, living beings do not know; second, the Tathāgata is able to know; third, bringing up the simile to apply and match the fact that living beings do not know; fourth, taking up what preceded to conclude and explain that the Tathāgata is able to know; fifth, resolving doubts. "If there are living beings" brings up the people who do not know. "Dharma" refers to hearing the Dharma of a single voice. "Upholding and expounding" directly clarifies their not knowing: their upholding and expounding are not the same, and their practices are distinct. Humans and devas form an understanding of precepts and goodness; the Three Vehicles form an understanding of truths, conditions, and pāramitās. Since their understandings differ, these are distinctions. "Do not perceive or know the merit they obtain" clarifies that although the five kinds of people each receive the teaching, they do not know that the Buddha's is a teaching of one flavour without distinction, nor do they know the seven kinds of expedient means; each forms their own understanding and clutches their own understanding as real. Thus, they do not know the expedient nor do they recognize the real—this is not perceiving or knowing the distinctions. Second, the Tathāgata is able to know. Briefly condensing the numbers, he brings up ten objects, combining them into four meanings: first, knowing in terms of four dharmas; second, knowing in terms of three dharmas; third, knowing in terms of two dharmas; fourth, being able to know in terms of one dharma. Knowing in terms of four dharmas refers to seed, characteristics, substance, and nature. As for 'seed', the three paths are the seeds of the three virtues. The Vimalakīrtinirdeśa says, "All the company of afflictions are the seeds of the Tathāgata," which clarifies that by means of the path of afflictions, there is prajñā. It also says, "The five uninterrupted [hells] all generate the characteristic of liberation," which means that by means of non-virtue, there is the liberation of wholesome dharmas. All living beings are identical to the characteristic of nirvāṇa and cannot be extinguished again; this is taking saṃsāra as the Dharma-body. This discusses seeds in terms of opposites. If one discusses seeds in terms of categories: every bowing of the head and lifting of the hand is entirely the seed of liberation; all worldly wisdom and the understanding minds of the Three Vehicles are the seed of prajñā; and whatever has a mind shall become a buddha, which is the seed of the Dharma-body. The Tathāgata is able to know the distinctions among all these seeds; all seeds are just one seed, which is non-distinction, and the Tathāgata is also able to know this; distinction is just non-distinction, and non-distinction is just distinction, which the Tathāgata is also able to know. Characteristics, substance, and nature are explained in terms of the ten dharma realms and the ten suchnesses. If discussed in terms of distinction, they are the characteristics of the ten dharma realms; if discussed in terms of non-distinction, they are the characteristic of the single Buddha realm. The Tathāgata is able to know distinction and non-distinction; distinction is just non-distinction, and non-distinction is just distinction, which the Tathāgata is also able to know. Substance and nature can be understood by analogy in the same way. From "what they contemplate" down clarifies that the Tathāgata is able to know in terms of three dharmas. The three dharmas are the three wisdoms, which still have three layers: first, the objects of the three wisdoms; second, the substance of the three wisdoms; third, the causes and conditions of the three wisdoms. "What they contemplate" clarifies the function of the three wisdoms. Contemplation grasping the affairs contemplated is the object of the three wisdoms. From "how they contemplate," contemplation is the recording of the Dharma heard, which is precisely the substance of the wisdom of contemplation. From "by what dharma they contemplate" down, the three wisdoms grasping objects and hearing the Dharma are its causes and conditions. Furthermore, as the objects of the three wisdoms, when the conditions of object and wisdom combine, the dharma of the three wisdoms comes to be, which is again called causes and conditions. Such three wisdoms of the Three Vehicles were formerly considered to differ in object, substance, and causes and conditions, which constitutes distinction; but when entering the perfect and wondrous three wisdoms, there is no distinction. The Tathāgata is able to know this existence of distinction and non-distinction; and that distinction is just non-distinction, and non-distinction is just distinction, the Tathāgata is also able to know. From "by what dharma" down clarifies that the Tathāgata is able to know in terms of two dharmas. "By what dharma" is the cause; "what dharma they obtain" is the effect. The causes of the Five Vehicles each obtaining their respective effects constitutes distinction; living beings' suchness and the Buddha's suchness are one suchness without a second suchness, being solely one cause and one effect, which constitutes non-distinction. The Tathāgata is also able to know distinction and non-distinction; and that distinction is just non-distinction, and non-distinction is just distinction, the Tathāgata is also able to know. "Living beings abide in various stages" clarifies that the Tathāgata is able to know in terms of one dharma. The seven expedient means abide in seven stages, hence it is said "various stages"; this constitutes distinction. When the Tathāgata sees this with the Buddha eye that conforms to reality, just as the many streams entering the ocean lose their original tastes, there is no distinction. When he expounds it with the expedient means of wisdom in accordance with the intent of others, the Tathāgata is able to know distinction; when all the Dharmas he expounds arrive at the stage of all-knowledge, the Tathāgata is able to know non-distinction (and so on).