妙法蓮華經文句 7.6

7.6

From "Suppose, for example" onward is the second [section], the parabolic exposition. The text has two parts: first, the parabolic exposition; second, returning to the doctrinal principle to praise [it]. The parable has the unfolding and the matching. The unfolding has two parts: first, the differentiated parable, which illustrates the expedient teaching and expedient wisdom discussed above; second, the undifferentiated parable, which illustrates the real teaching and real wisdom discussed above. The three grasses and two trees vary in thinness and thickness, and are therefore called differentiated; the single ground and single rain universally support and universally moisten, and are therefore called undifferentiated. If one observes their terminal branches, they are said to be distinct from one another; if one investigates their roots and foliage, none are other than the ground and the rain. Inwardly this matches the expedient wisdom illuminating the distinctions among the seven [expedients] and five [vehicles], while the real wisdom reaches out to illuminate them as ultimately returning to the one real. The one real is the seven and the five; the seven and the five are the one real; differentiated yet undifferentiated, undifferentiated yet differentiated (and so forth).

The differentiated parable has six [elements]: 1. the earth; 2. the plants and trees; 3. the dense cloud; 4. the pouring rain; 5. receiving moisture; 6. growth.

First, as for the parable of the earth: earlier commentators generally took the trichiliocosm earth, and specifically distinguished the mountains, rivers, ravines, and valleys, as the practice-causes of the five vehicles—the valleys receiving much water illustrating bodhisattvas, ravines illustrating pratyekabuddhas, rivers illustrating śrāvakas, and lofty mountains receiving little moisture illustrating the vehicle of humans and devas. I now state: the practice-cause should illustrate the seed receiving moisture and growing, whereas the earth, mountains, and rivers, although receiving moisture, lack the two meanings of seed and growth; moreover, the subsequent matching of the parable states, "pervading the world, devas, humans, and asuras," and the verse says, "among the assemblies of all devas and humans," neither of which uses the earth and so forth to illustrate the practice-cause; hence I do not adopt this [earlier view]. Now, I take the "great chiliocosm" to illustrate the realm of sentient beings, and the "mountains, rivers, ravines, valleys, and earth" to illustrate the realm of the five aggregates. The world has no separate phenomenon; it is constituted by the mountains, rivers, ravines, valleys, and earth; sentient beings have no separate phenomenon; they are constituted by the five aggregates. As the earth generally illustrates the consciousness aggregate, the mountains, rivers, ravines, and valleys illustrate the [other] four aggregates. Although the plants and trees that rely on them depend on the earth and so forth, the earth and so forth are not identical with the plants and trees; the stems and trunks of plants and trees are merely called plants and trees, and the seeds of plants and trees have no other name—one merely takes their power to generate and calls them seeds, while the generated trunks are called plants and trees; all take root in the ground, and the ground is the basis. Inwardly this matches the practice-causes and practice-effects: although they rely on the five aggregates, the five aggregates are not identical with the causes and effects; one must rely on the aggregates to have the practice-causes, and their growth and completion is called the practice-effects. As effects and causes arise dependent on the aggregates, the parable of the mountains, rivers, and earth is accomplished; and as seeds of plants and trees receive moisture and grow, the parable is fully accomplished.

Furthermore, to clarify the specific illustrations: although mountains are lofty, they also have five aspects such as depressions and elevations, and likewise, although the ground is flat, it also has five aspects such as mounds and ponds; these illustrate the five aggregates of the five vehicles: the high mountains illustrate the five aggregates of bodhisattvas; the rivers illustrate pratyekabuddhas; the ravines illustrate śrāvakas; the earth illustrates devas; the low valleys illustrate humans. Each and every five aggregates has practice-causes and practice-effects that rely upon them, just as the mountains, rivers, ravines, valleys, and earth are that upon which seeds, trunks, and so forth rely. Furthermore, using the "three-thousand great chiliocosm" illustrates the principle of the primary cause, which universally serves as the basis for all; "mountains, rivers, ravines, valleys, and earth" illustrates the retribution forms and minds of the aggregates, realms, and entrances of sentient beings; "plants, trees, thickets, and forests" illustrates the practice-causes of sentient beings. These three dharmas are not separate: practice relies on the aggregates and entrances, and the aggregates and entrances do not depart from the Dharma-nature, just as plants and trees rely on mountains and rivers, and mountains and rivers rely on the world (and so forth). The six passages are clearly distinct; why construct interpretations [otherwise]? Moreover, the sequence being like this, why mix the sūtra text together, transposing what comes before and after?

From "the plants and trees produced" onward is the second [element], the parable of the plants and trees produced. *Hui* (plants) is the general name for grasses; *mu* (trees) is the collective designation for trees. A multitude of grasses forms a thicket; a multitude of trees forms a forest. Those whose medicinal potency is superior are called "medicinal herbs"; just as among wholesome dharmas all can cure evil, yet the uncontaminated wholesome is superior in curing affliction. Below, among the plants and trees, the branches and trunks of forests cast wide shade and have great utility; hence they illustrate the two [kinds of] bodhisattvas. "Many kinds" refers to the seeds of causes and effects of the five vehicles and seven wholesomenesses; hence it says "many kinds." That is to say, each variety has its own designation, which is "name"; and each has its own substance and characteristics, which is "form."

From "a dense cloud" onward is the third [element], the parable of the dense cloud. A cloud has visible form and provides shade; below it says, "the sound of thunder shakes far and wide"; shade illustrates the Buddha's loving-kindness and compassion, visible form illustrates the Buddha's appearance in the world, and the sound of thunder illustrates the Buddha's verbal teaching. The dense cloud is the three mysteries: loving-kindness and compassion is the mental mystery, visible form is the bodily mystery, and the sound of thunder is the verbal mystery. "Spreading widely" means pervading; being both dense and all-pervading, it is called spreading widely. Perfumed by loving-kindness and compassion, the response body expounds the Dharma pervading the ten dharma realms; hence it is called spreading widely. The *Jinglü yixiang* says: "Clouds have five colours: blue has much wind, red has much fire, yellow and white have much earth, black has much water. There are four lightning masters: in the east, Shenwei; in the south, Baizhu; in the west, Agela; in the north, Azhulan. The four lightnings contend, and therefore there is thunder; also, water, fire, wind, and earth contend, and therefore there is thunder. Five circumstances bring no rain: 1. the wind arises and blows it away; 2. fire arises and scorches it; 3. an asura's hands catch it and lead it into the sea; 4. the rain master is lustful and unruly; 5. the king does not govern properly, and the rain master is angry and so does not rain" (and so forth).

From "pouring down equally at one time" onward is the fourth [element], the parable of the pouring rain. It illustrates using the eight tones and four eloquences of the verbal mystery to shower down the Dharma rain, benefiting and moistening sentient beings.

From "its moisture reaches everywhere" onward is the fifth [element], the parable of receiving moisture. The Dharma jewel universally rains down upon the practice-cause seeds present in the mind-ground of the seven kinds of sentient beings, straightway generating the wisdom of hearing; this is called reaching everywhere. As for "branches, leaves, roots, and stems": faith is the root, precepts are the stem, concentration is the branch, and wisdom is the leaf; mutually supporting in sequence, they are therefore illustrated by these four. Small roots, stems, and so forth are the faith and precepts of humans and devas; medium roots, stems, and so forth are the faith and precepts of the two vehicles; large roots, stems, and so forth are the faith and precepts of bodhisattvas.

From "the trees, large and small" onward is the sixth [element], the parable of growth. It briefly reiterates and clarifies that the plants and trees receive moisture according to their capacity, and when the wholesome dharmas of both practice-causes and retribution-causes receive the Dharma rain, both the practice-effects and retribution-effects each attain growth. "According to their seed-nature" clarifies that the deployment of the expedient matches the faculties: the small do not exceed their capacity, and the large are not diminished; these are the practice-causes and retribution-causes of the seven kinds. "Flowers and fruits blooming and bearing fruit" refers to the practice-effects and retribution-effects. Furthermore, it is said that growth has three meanings: "according to their seed-nature" is the cause of growth, for it is due to establishing teachings that match the faculties that "each attains growth," which directly clarifies growth; "flowers and fruits blooming and bearing fruit" is the characteristic of growth.

From "although produced from the same ground" onward is the second major section, the undifferentiated parable of the single ground and single rain, revealing the one real. This has three [points]: 1. produced from the single ground: produced from the mind-ground before the path, ultimately depending on the wisdom-ground after the path; 2. rained upon by the single cloud: the dharma door of the One Vehicle proclaimed with a single voice, developing the five kinds of wholesome roots on the path, is ultimately the equal teaching of the single voice; 3. the three grasses and two trees receiving benefit without self-awareness: the five kinds of wholesome roots receive the Buddha's Dharma rain and grow according to their capacity without being aware of it themselves; the causes of the five kinds all rely on the one buddha-nature, yet they also do not know that the teachings of the five vehicles are all the Mahāyāna, nor do they know that they together return to the Buddha's wisdom; only the Tathāgata can know this.