法華文句記 2.94

2.94

「爾時」者，欲現六瑞時也。古人云眾集時者，不體言旨。凡云爾時，皆指前事之末、後事之始，此指現六瑞之前，欲說《無量義經》時眾初圍繞。若云眾集時者，不可云眾集時眾繞，如〈方便品〉初，即指文殊答問竟時，不可云佛從三昧起時；從三昧起，如云爾後爾乃等，皆是爾時之後。若集眾竟，可云爾乃說《無量義》，故知別論即是欲說《無量義》時，通論可指佛未定起之時。初則四眾圍繞乃至雨華地動，故云「是時天雨」等也。所以重云「是時天雨」者，別指入定後時也。此雖小事其例實多，事還不輕故令遍識。「翻覆」者，結前逆順也。從前向後名順，翻覆向前名逆。言「生起」者，從前向後則前生而後起，從後向前則後生而前起，即答生由於問起，亦可云答起由於問生，乃至集眾亦爾。雖許其逆順，意斥其無旨，故云「未顯」。其旨者何？謂表四一，一經所顯不出四故，此亦以光宅義而破光宅。若依今家應表十一。「直是」等者，斥其消文，逆順但得因緣中世界一意，餘三全無，故云「尚自不明」。「況二三四」，即約教等三。「今明」下於四悉中直對四一者，表四一當同，故知一家始末得旨，人一是世界，多人和合至今同故；理一是第一義，此名最順六瑞一一無不表中；行一是為人，修行之來為生物善，構疑興念令眾行成；教一是對治，由答問故疑除教興，問答即是除疑教也。此且一往論其大旨，然集眾等各具四一，有此表彰方可生起，逆順有由。若不爾者，何大乘經不集眾放光雨華動地，但無生於大疑，請答不必妙德，答問不引三同。今雖未正說，但因疑請問答而後知，則使華地之前既說定異常，說定之前眾不孤集，雖曾聞《無量義》，既定不散知向聞未卒，故知華地之後定起所說不輕，以前後準中應華地亦異，由是聞法表一乘人，人由現瑞表一乘理，為顯斯理生疑問答，教行斯在人理宛然。又由瑞中說開經表合教，入合定表中行，放中光表中理，雨中華表中位，中地動中惑除，總成人一，良有以也。故天表第一義天，地表實相之地，雖並有表兆而時眾莫測，故縱聞開經尚不知開本表於合，況復能知定理等耶？故待文殊引往，方知化道不殊，故知生疑本為立行，疑決行稱引古教同，乃知今佛方說教一，而令時會成一乘人，如是乃可為今經由漸，作顯實先萌。若不爾者，徒云釋序，表法華意終自未彰，如此猶是因緣釋耳。

"At that time" refers to the time when [the Buddha] was about to manifest the six omens. When earlier teachers said it was the time when the assembly gathered, they did not grasp the import of the words. Whenever [a text] says "at that time," it invariably points to the end of the preceding event and the beginning of the succeeding event; here it points to before the manifestation of the six omens, when the assembly first encircled [the Buddha] as he was about to preach the *Sūtra of Immeasurable Meanings*. If one were to say it was the time when the assembly gathered, one could not say that at the time when the assembly gathered, the assembly encircled [him]—just as the beginning of the "Skillful Means Chapter" directly points to the time when Mañjuśrī finished answering the question, and one cannot say it is the time when the Buddha arose from samādhi; arising from samādhi would be expressed by terms such as "thereafter" or "thereupon," all of which come after "at that time." If the assembly had finished gathering, one could say "thereupon he preached the *Immeasurable Meanings*"; thus we know that, treated specifically, it refers precisely to the time when he was about to preach the *Immeasurable Meanings*, while treated generally, it can point to the time before the Buddha arose from samādhi. First, the fourfold assembly encircled him, up to the raining of flowers and the shaking of the earth; hence it says "at this time heaven rained," and so on. The reason it repeats "at this time heaven rained" is that it specifically points to the time after he entered samādhi. Although this is a minor matter, instances of it are indeed numerous, and the matter is by no means trivial; hence [one must] be made to recognize it throughout. "Reversal and inversion" concludes the preceding forward and reverse sequences. Moving from earlier to later is called the forward sequence; reversing and inverting toward what precedes is called the reverse sequence. As for "arising and succession": moving from earlier to later, the earlier gives birth and the later arises; moving from later to earlier, the later gives birth and the earlier arises—that is, the answer arises due to the questioning having been brought forth, or one may say the answering arose due to the questioning being born, and so on up to the gathering of the assembly. Although granting their forward and reverse sequences, the underlying intention is to rebuke their lack of core meaning; hence it says "not yet revealed." What is this core meaning? It refers to manifesting the four onenesses: what is revealed in this single sūtra does not exceed these four. This also uses the doctrine of Guangzhai to refute Guangzhai. If based on our own school, it should manifest the eleven onenesses. "Simply being..." and so forth rebukes their interpretation of the text: their forward and reverse sequences capture only the single meaning of the worldly [siddhānta] within conditioned origination, while the other three are entirely absent; hence it says "still not yet clear in itself." "Much less the second, third, and fourth" refers to the three starting with "in terms of the teaching." Below, where it says "Now we clarify...," directly matching [the four onenesses] within the four siddhāntas expresses that the four onenesses must be identical; thus we know that our school grasps the core meaning from beginning to end. The oneness of persons is the worldly [siddhānta], because the harmonious union of many persons is identical up to the present; the oneness of principle is the supreme truth [siddhānta], as this designation is most accordant, and of the six omens there is not one that does not manifest the middle; the oneness of practice is the [siddhānta] for individual persons, because the cultivation of practice has come to generate goodness in living beings, raising doubts and prompting thoughts so that the assembly's practice is completed; the oneness of teaching is the antidotal [siddhānta], because due to the questions and answers doubt is removed and the teaching arises—the questions and answers being precisely the teaching that removes doubt. This is provisionally discussing the broad import; however, the gathering of the assembly and the like each fully possess the four onenesses. Only with such manifestation can arising and succession take place and the forward and reverse sequences have their basis. If it were not so, what Mahāyāna sūtra does not gather an assembly, emit light, rain flowers, and shake the earth? Yet none generates great doubt, the request and answer do not require Wondrous Virtue, and the answer to the question does not cite the three identities. Now, although it is not yet the main preaching, only because of the doubt, inquiry, questioning, and answering is it later understood; this causes the preaching and samādhi prior to the flowers and earth to already be recognized as extraordinary, and prior to the preaching and samādhi the assembly did not gather in vain. Although they had heard the *Immeasurable Meanings*, since the samādhi was not yet broken up, they knew that what was heard earlier was not the end; thus they knew that what would be preached after the flowers and earth when he arose from samādhi would not be trivial. Inferring the middle from what precedes and follows, the flowers and earth should also be extraordinary. Because of this, hearing the Dharma manifests the persons of the One Vehicle; persons, through the manifestation of the omens, manifest the principle of the One Vehicle; to reveal this principle, doubts arise and questions and answers occur—the teaching and practice reside therein, while persons and principle are clearly evident. Furthermore, through the omens: preaching the opening sūtra manifests the synthesis of teachings; entering the synthesis samādhi manifests the practice of the middle; emitting light from the middle manifests the principle of the middle; raining flowers from the middle manifests the stages of the middle; the middle earth shaking manifests the elimination of defilements of the middle—together completing the oneness of persons. This is truly with good reason! Hence, heaven manifests the heaven of supreme truth; earth manifests the earth of the true character. Although all have omens and signs, the assembly at that time could not fathom them; thus, even having heard the opening sūtra, they still did not know that the opening originally manifests the synthesis, much less could they know the samādhi of principle and so forth. Therefore, awaiting Mañjuśrī's citing of the past, only then did they know that the way of transformation is not different. Thus we know that the arising of doubt was originally to establish practice; when the doubt was resolved, practice was vindicated; citing the identity of ancient teachings, they only then knew that the present Buddha was about to preach the oneness of teaching, thereby causing the assembly of that time to become persons of the One Vehicle. Only in this way can it serve as the gradual origin for the present sūtra, acting as the advance sprout revealing the real. If not for this, merely claiming to explain the preface would ultimately fail to make clear the intention of the *Lotus Sūtra*; [an explanation] like that is still merely an interpretation in terms of conditioned origination.