法華文句記 5.128

5.128

「問何故初為五人」等者，答中六文。問雖涉五，意正問人，故皆以人答。次「輪王」下舉三事問。答中善業輪王因，名譽業陳如因，稱讚業佛因，故云「尼吒」。「有頂」者非想也。為顯佛聲，彼無耳識非聲不及，色界唯無香味二識，餘悉行故。雖有四悉意，總而言之，秖是為顯宿報不同，致令聲及遠近不等。「若依」下約教。兩尼吒下並注「云云」者，應明尼吒、百億尼吒、十方尼吒及遍法界，以分四教初文藏也。百億即是衍初通教，十方法界即是別圓，一成一切成故。十方塵剎起四威儀，互為主伴。「初轉法輪等四處定」者，聲既分四，處亦應然。「大神變」者，非謂小小偏對一機，如化迦葉、帝獻方石之徒，其處必定。「又除轉法輪」等者，漸初則定，此初化邪其處必定，通論一代故可不定。「舊云思理教」等者，即以三七用對大乘理教行三，並無機不受。「又云勸誡」者，亦此師也。即如譬及信解大乘二門各有擬宜無機息化，用對此三亦應可爾。「瑤意」者亦云化物之儀，思而表深，何必事深令大聖思而後行？「表佛初三周說」等者，此與《因果經》意大同，《四分律》、《薩婆多》皆云六七，《興起行經》等七七日，五分八七，《大論》五十七，《地論》等並二七，機見不同不須和會，今是終窮極教故且依之。觀心釋中，且約四觀以示化儀，即四教觀以最後云析法故也。「諸梵雖請大」者，

Regarding "Question: Why was it initially for the five persons?" and so forth: in the response there are six passages. Although the question touches on five [matters], its main intent asks about persons; therefore all are answered in terms of persons. Next, below "wheel-turning king," three matters are raised as questions. In the response, wholesome karma is the cause for the wheel-turning king, karma of renown is the cause for Kaundinya, and karma of praising is the cause for the Buddha; therefore it says "[Aka]niṣṭha." "Peak of Existence" is [the heaven of] Neither Conception nor Non-conception. It serves to reveal the Buddha's voice: they lack auditory consciousness, but it is not that the voice fails to reach them; the form realm lacks only olfactory and gustatory consciousnesses, while the rest are entirely active. Although there is the intent of the four siddhāntas, speaking generally, it is simply to reveal that because past retributions are different, they cause his voice to reach to varying distances. Below "If based upon," it is explained according to the teachings. Where it is noted "and so forth" under both Akaniṣṭha [passages], one should explain the Akaniṣṭha [heaven of a single world], the Akaniṣṭha of a hundred kotis [of worlds], the Akaniṣṭhas of the ten directions, and the pervasive dharmadhātu, so as to distinguish the four teachings: the first passage is the Tripiṭaka teaching. The hundred kotis is the Mahāyāna's initial shared teaching; the ten directions and dharmadhātu are the separate and perfect teachings, because when one is accomplished, all are accomplished. Throughout the dust-mote lands of the ten directions, the four deportments are raised, reciprocally acting as hosts and companions. Regarding "The four locations such as the first turning of the wheel of the Dharma are fixed": since the voice is divided into four, the locations must also be likewise. Regarding "great miraculous transformations": this does not refer to minor, partial [manifestations] directed at a single capacity, such as converting Kāśyapa or the episode of the deity presenting the square stone; those locations are definitely fixed. Regarding "Furthermore, excluding the turning of the wheel of the Dharma" and so forth: at the beginning of the gradual [teaching] they are fixed, and where he initially converts the heterodox, those locations are definitely fixed; but discussing his entire lifetime generally, they may be unfixed. Regarding "The old [master] says: Contemplating the principle, the teaching..." and so forth: this uses the three sevens to correlate with the three of principle, teaching, and practice of the Mahāyāna, all of which lacked receptive capacities and were not accepted. Regarding "It is also said: Admonition and prohibition": this is also this master. That is, just as in the two gates of the parable and of faith and understanding, the Mahāyāna was respectively probed, but lacking receptive capacities, the teaching was suspended; correlating them with these three would also be acceptable. Regarding "Yáo's view": it also says that this was the etiquette of converting beings; he pondered to express depth. Why must the matter itself be deep to cause the Great Sage to ponder before acting? Regarding "Expressing the Buddha's initial three rounds of preaching" and so forth: this largely agrees with the meaning of the *Sūtra on Cause and Effect*. The *Four-Part Vinaya* and the *Sarvāstivāda* both state six sevens; the *Xingqixing Jing* and others state seven seven-day periods; the *Five-Part Vinaya* states eight sevens; the *Great Treatise* states fifty-seven [days]; the *Daśabhūmika Śāstra* and others both state two sevens. Since capacities and perspectives differ, there is no need to reconcile them; here it is the ultimate and supreme teaching, so we provisionally rely on it. In the interpretation through contemplation of mind, the manner of conversion is provisionally shown in terms of the four contemplations; that is, the contemplations of the four teachings, because at the end it mentions the analysis of dharmas. Regarding "Although the Brahmā kings requested the great":