法華文句記 3.88

3.88

正釋中先直述大意，次正釋，三「橫竪下」結意。正釋中，先釋，次結惟忖。初文又二，先對五瑞，次別釋。大聖忖量不徒涉慮，此初惟忖乃為略廣二答之基，故彌勒思瑞以設疑，文殊附疑以忖度，是故內惟昔佛正前之六瑞，忖量今佛瑞後之三周，故略廣時方顯內忖，此即一經之骨目也。初中三，先對五瑞；次「欲說」下，一一解釋悉令表正；三「如是」下結示有無。秖為釋中以瑞表當，故論八句皆云「欲」也。釋中初句答說法瑞者，明昔說《無量義經》表欲迹門入實，兩時無量義義既不殊，驗知今日出生之後，收入何疑？法之大者豈過於此。次句答雨華瑞者，惟昔雨華時已表當說圓因四位，故四而非果，忖今天華而四雨，了時會之一因，一因必四位為所階，四雨以義、天為能表。第三句答眾喜瑞者，忖今同昔眾見瑞喜，冥表必行行依理教，故喜心內動圓障冥壞，改昔權人成今妙眾，人必稟教行理咸然。第四句答地動瑞者，忖今同昔見地動時，已表當破六番無明，故普佛世界六種震動，動雖形聲二別，且以大鼓忖之，故知誡兵必破邊彊之大賊，地動則除中理之無明，故二乘昔來都無斯理，序中冥利時眾未知。第五句答放光瑞者，忖今同昔覩光已表開顯道同，故以一光俱照彼此，此表釋迦彼表四佛，故知迹門不得同本。

In the correct explanation, first, the general meaning is directly stated; next comes the correct explanation; third, from "horizontally and vertically" downward, the intention is concluded. Within the correct explanation, first is the explanation, and next is the conclusion of the deliberation. The first text also has two parts: first, matching with the five omens; next, the specific explanation. The great sage's deliberation was not a wandering thought in vain; this initial deliberation serves as the foundation for both the brief and the extensive answers. Therefore, Maitreya pondered the omens to raise doubts, and Mañjuśrī followed the doubts to deliberate. Thus, internally he reflected on the six omens directly preceding the past Buddha, and deliberated on the three cycles following the omens of the present Buddha; hence, only at the time of the brief and extensive is the internal deliberation revealed. This is the very skeletal framework of the entire sūtra. Within the first part, there are three: first, matching with the five omens; next, from "desiring to preach" downward, each is explained so that all represent what is correct; third, from "such as this" downward, the presence or absence is concluded and shown. It is precisely because the omens represent the future in the explanation that the eight clauses of the Treatise all say "desiring to". In the explanation, the first clause answers the omen of preaching the Dharma: it clarifies that the past preaching of the Sūtra of Innumerable Meanings represented the desire to enter the real within the gate of traces; since the meaning of the innumerable meanings of the two times is not different, by verifying this, what doubt can there be that after emerging today, it is gathered back in? Can anything of the great Dharma exceed this? The next clause answers the omen of raining flowers: reflecting that in the past, when the flowers rained down, it already represented that the four stages of the perfect cause would be preached; therefore, there are four rather than the fruit. Deliberating on the heavenly flowers of today that rain down in four types, he understood the single cause of the assembly of this time. The single cause must have the four stages as its gradations; the four rains, by their meaning and by the heavens, serve as that which represents. The third clause answers the omen of the assembly's joy: he deliberated that the present is the same as the past, in that the assembly, seeing the omens, rejoiced, secretly representing that practice would certainly be performed, and practice relies on principle and teaching; hence, the joyful mind was moved internally, the obstacles to perfection were secretly broken, and the provisional persons of the past were transformed into the wondrous assembly of today. Persons must receive the teaching, and both practice and principle are so. The fourth clause answers the omen of the shaking of the earth: he deliberated that the present is the same as the past, in that seeing the shaking of the earth already represented the future destruction of the six turns of ignorance; therefore, the universal Buddha-worlds shook in six ways. Although the shaking has the two distinctions of form and sound, deliberating it for now through the great drum, one knows that admonishing the soldiers will surely destroy the great bandits at the borders, while the shaking of the earth eliminates the ignorance of the middle principle. Therefore, the two vehicles hitherto never had this principle; this secret benefit in the preface was not yet known by the assembly of that time. The fifth clause answers the omen of emitting light: he deliberated that the present is the same as the past, in that beholding the light already represented that the path of opening and revealing is the same; thus, with a single light, both this and that are illuminated. This represents Śākyamuni and that represents the four Buddhas; hence one knows that the gate of traces cannot be identical to the origin.