法華文句記 4.157

4.157

正廣釋中為二：先示廣以開略，次示廣列章相。初文又二：初對略開章，次「上句」下略示廣所以。次「六者」下正示廣相，於中又四：初列六章；次生起六章，亦名章意；三「於五章」下示五佛有無，四「又六」下明六章大體，生起宛然大體隨時。以此六義共成開顯之大旨。言「略而不闕」等者，五佛互略互存無闕。「詣」謂所至。共成一化何假繁列？如三世佛但各二章，豈非極略？故六章中開顯二章略而無闕，令權詣實而略却四章令文不繁。「前後無在云云」者，令說無在之意。六章之要莫若開顯，前後互無在餘四章，但義存六共成一意，應須具說大體以辯不次之理（云云）。「今但」下總佛章中所以但四無二者，四正二旁，當知五六成就三四，是故略指。又前四中三四為正、初二助成，故三世章各但三四，釋迦化主五濁施三，故復加之，但闕歎法一段文耳。總而言之必須具六，為避繁文故須互指。「四十餘年」者，菩提流支《法界性論》云：「佛成道後四十二年說《法華經》」。「久久稀疎」者，爾前非無指獨顯說，故曰稀疎。如華嚴佛慧隔小帶偏，經歷三昧今乃獨暢，此有二意：一者久乃說之，二者是時乃說之。雖列人已堪等三意在指時故也。

In the main, extensive explanation there are two parts: first, pointing to the extensive to unpack the brief; next, presenting the extensive by laying out the structure of the chapters. The first text also has two parts: first, opening the chapters in contrast to the brief; next, from 'the above phrase' down, briefly indicating the reason for the extensive. Next, from 'the sixth' down, the extensive characteristics are directly presented, within which there are also four: first, listing the six chapters; next, the arising of the six chapters, also called the meaning of the chapters; third, from 'in the five chapters' down, showing the presence and absence among the five buddhas; fourth, from 'moreover, the six' down, clarifying the general substance of the six chapters: the arising is clearly defined, and the general substance accords with the occasions. By means of these six meanings, they jointly accomplish the great import of opening and revealing. The statement 'abbreviated yet not deficient' and so forth means: among the five buddhas, some abbreviate and some preserve, without any deficiency. 'Arrive' (zhi) means where one reaches. When jointly accomplishing a single conversion, what need is there to proliferate listings? As the buddhas of the three periods of time have only two chapters each, is this not extremely brief? Therefore, among the six chapters, the two chapters of opening and revealing are abbreviated without being deficient, causing the provisional to arrive at the real while omitting four chapters so that the text does not proliferate. 'Earlier or later is of no consequence, etc.' means: causing the meaning of 'of no consequence' to be explained. The essential of the six chapters is none other than opening and revealing; whether earlier or later, their mutual absence lies in the remaining four chapters, yet in principle the six are preserved to jointly accomplish a single intention; one should fully state the general substance in order to distinguish the principle of non-sequentiality (etc.). From 'now only' down, the reason why in the summary section on the buddhas there are only four and not two is that four are primary and two are secondary; one should know that the fifth and sixth accomplish the third and fourth, and for that reason they are briefly indicated. Furthermore, among the former four, the third and fourth are primary, and the first and second assist in accomplishing them; hence the chapters on the [buddhas of the] three periods of time each contain only the third and fourth. Śākyamuni, as the lord of transformation, established the three [vehicles] in the five defilements, so he further added them, merely lacking a section of text praising the Dharma. Generally speaking, the six must be complete; to avoid prolixity, they must refer to each other. 'More than forty years': Bodhiruci's Treatise on the Nature of the Dharma Realm states: 'Forty-two years after the Buddha attained awakening, he preached the Lotus Sūtra.' 'Long and sparse': before this, it was not that there was no pointing to the exclusive revealing and preaching, hence it is called sparse. Like the buddha-wisdom of the Avataṃsaka, which was isolated from the small and accompanied by the one-sided; having passed through the samādhis, it is now exclusively proclaimed. This has two meanings: first, only after a long time is it preached; second, only at this time is it preached. Although listing the three meanings of persons already being capable and so forth, the intention lies in pointing to the time.