法華文句記 3.94

3.94

次別解中復為總別。總者，以下四句皆是大法，故知下四為成初句。所言別者，即以雨等別彼大法，令入住等對四位故，故名為別。即以光宅三喻而從今法，故釋五句並託喻從法，先以華瑞舉於橫別以示竪總，以初句中義含四位故也。故次以雨等以離前總，出四句故。「準此」下四當位自具從始至末，文中且從對竪以說，故以雨華用表四位，如吹法䗍通表改於四位，而別在於十行，擊鼓亦通表四番破惑，而別在十向，演說既通云橫廣竪深，竪深即如位位竪入，遍通諸位而別在十地。故初雨雨乃至法義一一遍於迹門廣說，但於眾生得益不同，須從竪釋束橫從竪，故入住者且名法雨，乃至入地且名法義，是故迹門通名雨雨乃至法義，故下廣釋句句皆云「為令眾生」，所入又有超次不同，今且從次並言「今之與昔」等也。如初明雨雨但表入住，即不云今昔。從信入住何所論改？非不改信，非改真位不得改名，故始入住不須云改。故知二乘鈍根菩薩昔法華前未破無明，今初入住但得名開，是故略開。利根深益在第二句，故第二句容有昔時利鈍菩薩及二乘人，先密入住并於今經始入住者，並進入行俱名改號，若顯若密至今不同。三四兩句準第二句，故知改名亦通於後，誡兵亦然。證位雖爾，亦有今昔聞經薄益入品入信，略如向明當機結緣，具如《玄》文利益妙說，故知爾前亦可義通開等四名。橫闊竪深者，前之三句非不深廣，今至地位最得其名。次「惟昔」下總結。「橫竪釋竟」者，若總別相對，以總為橫、以別為竪。若於別釋，初句雙顯橫竪二釋，下之三句文正明竪，位位兼橫。涉法師云：「論釋此文略無奇功，難可具依。」是故今文亦不全用。

Next, within the specific explanation, it is again divided into general and specific. The "general" means that because the lower four clauses are all the great Dharma, one knows the lower four serve to fulfill the first clause. What is called "specific" means differentiating that great Dharma through the rain and so forth, making entering the abodes, etc., correspond to the four stages; hence it is called specific. That is, taking the three metaphors of Guāngzhái and adapting them to the present Dharma, the explanations of the five clauses all rely on metaphor to follow the Dharma; first, through the flower omen, he raised the horizontal distinction to show the vertical generality, because within the first clause the meaning contains the four stages. Therefore, next he used the rain and so forth to separate from the previous general, producing the four clauses. From "by this standard" downward, the four inherently possess from beginning to end in their respective stages; in the text, it is spoken for now in correspondence to the vertical. Thus, raining flowers is used to represent the four stages: blowing the Dharma-conch generally represents the transformation of the four stages, while specifically it resides in the ten practices; beating the drum also generally represents the four turns of destroying delusions, while specifically it resides in the ten dedications; expounding, since it generally speaks of being horizontally broad and vertically deep, "vertically deep" means vertically entering stage by stage, pervading all stages while specifically residing in the ten grounds. Therefore, from the initial raining of rain down to the Dharma-meaning, each pervades the extensive preaching in the gate of traces; however, because the benefits gained by sentient beings differ, one must follow the vertical explanation to bind the horizontal into the vertical. Thus, those entering the abodes are tentatively named Dharma-rain, and so on up to those entering the grounds being tentatively named Dharma-meaning; hence in the gate of traces, they are generally named raining rain down to Dharma-meaning. Therefore, in the extensive explanation below, every clause says "in order to cause sentient beings"; what is entered also has the differences of leaping and gradual, but now, following the gradual, it says "present and past", etc. For instance, the initial clarification of raining rain merely represents entering the abodes, so it does not say "present and past". Entering the abodes from faith—what talk of change is there? It is not that faith is not changed, but because it does not change real stages, it does not obtain a changed name; hence, initially entering the abodes does not need to speak of change. Thus one knows that the two vehicles and dull-rooted bodhisattvas had not broken ignorance prior to the Lotus Sūtra in the past; now, initially entering the abodes, it can only be named "opening", hence it is briefly opened. Sharp roots and profound benefits reside in the second clause; therefore, the second clause accommodates sharp and dull bodhisattvas and people of the two vehicles of the past who previously secretly entered the abodes and those who initially entered the abodes in the present sūtra—advancing into the practices, they are all called changing titles; whether explicit or secret, up to the present they are not the same. The third and fourth clauses follow the standard of the second clause; thus one knows that changing names also pervades what follows, and admonishing the soldiers is also like this. Although the realized stages are so, there are also those in the present and past who heard the sūtra with slight benefit and entered the grades or entered faith, briefly as clarified earlier regarding the responsive capacity forming an affinity, and fully as in the wondrous explanation of benefits in the Text of the Profound Meaning; thus one knows that prior to this, the four names such as opening could also be conventionally applied. As for "horizontally broad and vertically deep": the previous three clauses are not without being deep and broad, but arriving at the stages of the grounds, it best obtains this name. Next, from "reflecting on the past" downward, it summarizes. As for "the horizontal and vertical explanation is concluded": if general and specific are contrasted, the general is horizontal and the specific is vertical. If within the specific explanation, the first clause doubly reveals both horizontal and vertical explanations, the lower three clauses in their text properly clarify the vertical, while stage by stage they concurrently possess the horizontal. Dharma Master Shè said: "The Treatise's explanation of this text is brief and without extraordinary merit, and can hardly be fully relied upon." Therefore, the present text also does not use it in its entirety.