法華文句記 5.69

5.69

「凡有三異」者，先列，次釋。初云「上有歎法希有」者，上諸佛章六段之中但無後二，故有歎法，文云：「如是妙法諸佛如來時乃說之」，而無五濁之文，頌中無歎法也。「先後」者，上先歎法如向所引。言「不虛」者，次文方云：「汝等當信佛之所說言不虛妄」，及以開顯上勸信與不虛合者，上云：「汝等當信佛之所說言不虛也」。「今隔不虛」者，今頌中勸信在前、不虛在後，中隔五濁文也。故前四今五，由離勸信為二故也。應云勸信不虛中為五濁所隔，章安更云：「上以釋迦方便用釋諸佛施權者，上釋諸佛開權文云『我以無數方便種種因緣譬喻言辭，演說諸法』，偈中如文。」「修道得於諸權法」者，自行因滿所感權法，正當自行體內權也。即此法體亦不可說，以方便故為眾生說成化他權，即照九界已下文是，故知立一開權之言，於今乃成二意：一者騰昔施權，二為顯實之所。不指所開無由說實，況指權是權知非究竟，既顯實已權全是實。「照九界機說七方便」者，九是所被、教不出七，說七被九漸令入實，人法七九故立總言。九界從自分立名，方便從進趣為稱。又九界從物機立名，方便從化主受稱。總舉不同，故云七九。言「不可定判」者，七九之中隨何等機？聞何等法？遇機便逗，故云不定。「現起」等者，念必對境故云現起，種種之言不出七九。「過去」下釋欲性也。欲秖是念，故知秖是先以希望釋念，次以欣樂釋欲。故知念則且語內心，欲論對境生想，今但約慕樂通從欲為名，不假對念辯別，故但以欲對性二世判之。

Regarding 'there are three differences in all': first they are listed, next explained. First, regarding 'above there was praise of the Dharma as rare': among the six sections of the chapter on all buddhas above, it only lacked the latter two, and therefore had praise of the Dharma, where the text says: 'Such a wondrous Dharma is spoken by all buddha-tathāgatas only at times,' but had no text on the five defilements, whereas in the verse there is no praise of the Dharma. Regarding 'before and after': above, it first praised the Dharma, as just cited. Regarding 'not in vain': only in the subsequent text did it say, 'You should believe that what the Buddha speaks is not false or in vain,' and in the opening and revealing above, the exhortation to believe and 'not in vain' were combined, where above it said: 'You should believe that what the Buddha speaks is not in vain.' Regarding 'now separated by "not in vain"': now in the verse, the exhortation to believe comes before and 'not in vain' comes after, separated in between by the text on the five defilements. Thus the former has four and the present has five, because the exhortation to believe is divided into two. It should be said that the exhortation to believe and 'not in vain' are separated in between by the five defilements. Zhāng’ān further says: 'Above, Śākyamuni's skillful means were used to explain all buddhas' deployment of the provisional; above, the text explaining all buddhas' opening of the provisional says, "I, with countless skillful means and various causes, conditions, similes, and expressions, expound all dharmas," and in the verse it is as in the text.' Regarding 'cultivating the path, they attain the provisional dharmas': the provisional dharmas stimulated by the fulfillment of causes in their own practice precisely correspond to the provisional within the substance of their own practice. This substance of dharma is itself also ineffable; being a skillful means, it is spoken for sentient beings, becoming the provisional for transforming others, which is the text below on illuminating the nine realms. Therefore, we know that establishing the single phrase 'opening the provisional' now comes to have two meanings: first, to reiterate the past deployment of the provisional; second, to serve as the ground for revealing the real. Without pointing out what is to be opened, there is no way to speak the real; moreover, pointing out that the provisional is provisional enables knowing that it is not ultimate; once the real has been revealed, the provisional is entirely the real. Regarding 'illuminating the capacities of the nine realms and expounding the seven skillful means': nine are those to be covered, and the teachings do not exceed seven; expounding the seven to cover the nine gradually brings them to enter the real. Persons and dharmas make seven and nine, hence a general term is established. The nine realms take their names from their own portions; the skillful means take their designations from advancing toward [the goal]. Again, the nine realms take their names from the capacities of beings; the skillful means receive their designation from the transforming master. Comprehensively citing their differences, it says seven and nine. Regarding 'cannot be determinately settled': among the seven and nine, following whatever kind of capacity, what kind of dharma do they hear? Encountering a capacity, it is immediately matched; hence it is called indeterminate. Regarding 'manifestly arising,' and so forth: mindfulness must face an object, hence it is said to 'manifestly arise'; the word 'various' does not go beyond the seven and nine. From 'past' below, it explains desire and nature. Desire is simply mindfulness; thus we know that it first explains mindfulness by yearning, and next explains desire by joyous aspiration. Thus we know that mindfulness speaks for now of the internal mind, while desire speaks of generating conceptual thought when facing an object; here, merely in terms of admiring and longing, all are named by desire, without needing to distinguish it against mindfulness, and so it only determines the two time periods by matching desire with nature.