法華文句記 9.126

9.126

「已如向辯」下結云「此約四悉」等者，須示此下悉檀四文及意，初是世界，次三「又」字是餘三悉。此約彌勒不識邊無四悉益，由問故識，識即四益。初文「爾時彌勒及八萬大士」者，恐文誤，準經文云「八千恒沙」，初中初約來者，次約去處，「若來」下結上二事。所以今見皆不識者，此有二義：一約權教，雖於十方橫豎遊履，教權時淺不測本人。二約實道，雖居補處，猶在迹中，豈可云知？若實位高，為眾發迹應須發起，約十方界去來異故識不識別，以不識故無世界益。「後不知前」是為人者，前進之人有所證善，彌勒不知彼之內善，自善不生故無為人，雖先進位深豈過補處，雖云末學，無垢位成，如何得以前後判之？亦用前二義通之可見。所化異故屬對治者，夫化物者本治物病，彌勒不知真應，無彼利物之道，即不識病無對治也。然智人知智蛇自識蛇，豈補處之人不識其真應？亦具二義，雖同補處久近不等，故知近者不測遠者。「密開壽量」是第一義者，即此一部最極之理，豈非第一？生云：「以其悟性非十住所見，故彌勒不識一人。」然彌勒位在補處，何以判為十住？又不知生以彌勒證何十住？有人云：彌勒何不直問長壽，如《涅槃》中問長壽耶？今答：此都不曉，今謂伽耶近成，不知過去長壽，由見地踊不識，因疑眷屬所由；佛答其由須論長壽，故眷屬現豈徒然哉！故知地踊為生疑故現，如來為顯長故召之，故遠近二由皆為說遠。迦葉童子已於此中聞長壽竟，於彼但問長壽之因，故彼經云「云何得長壽」，即問因也。已聞過去為顯未來，故問長因以生佛答，此難彼易理數如然。「云云」者，令點出四悉，釋之如向。「請答師主」下「云云」者，釋出請意。「抑待彌勒云云」者，答問之益不在於我，故不為答，抑待釋迦答彌勒問，故云「待彌勒」耳。何者？彌勒所問事迹不輕，釋尊一代未曾顯說，因茲答問廣顯長壽，此一代玄祕在佛自開，汝自當聞我不應答。

Regarding the concluding statement from "As already explained above..." that "This is based on the four siddhāntas": one must point out the four passages on the siddhāntas below and their intent. The first is the mundane [siddhānta]; the next three occurrences of the word "further" are the remaining three siddhāntas. This is stated from the perspective of Maitreya's lack of recognition, wherein there is no benefit of the four siddhāntas; because of questioning, he comes to recognize them, and recognition is itself the four benefits. In the first passage, "At that time Maitreya and eighty thousand great beings": this is feared to be a textual error; according to the sūtra text, it says "eight thousand Ganges sands." In the first [part], it first considers those who came, and next considers the place from which they went. From "If they come..." onwards, it concludes the two matters above. As to why, seeing them now, he fails to recognize any of them: there are two meanings. First, in terms of the provisional teaching: although traversing the ten directions horizontally and vertically, the teaching is provisional and the time is brief, so he cannot fathom the original persons. Second, in terms of the real path: although dwelling in the stage of succession, he is still within the traces—how could he be said to know? If his real stage is high, then to prompt the origin for the assembly, he ought to initiate [the question]; based on the differences of coming and going in the worlds of the ten directions, there is a distinction between recognizing and not recognizing, and because of not recognizing, there is no mundane benefit. "The latter not knowing the former" is the [siddhānta for] the individual: when people who advanced earlier have internal goodness that they realized, Maitreya does not know their internal goodness, and his own goodness is not produced; thus there is no [benefit for] the individual. Although those who advanced earlier have a deep stage, how could it surpass that of succession? Although they are called late learners, they have completed the stage of stainlessness—how can they be judged as former and latter? This can also be understood using the previous two meanings. Their converted beings being different belongs to the antidotal [siddhānta]: converting beings is fundamentally treating the illnesses of beings; Maitreya does not know the true and response [bodies], and lacks their path of benefiting beings; thus, not recognizing the illness, there is no antidote. Yet, a wise person knows a wise person and a snake naturally recognizes a snake—how could a person in the stage of succession not recognize their true and response [bodies]? This also possesses two meanings: although alike in the stage of succession, their longevity is not equal; hence we know that the recent cannot fathom the distant. "Secretly opening the Life Span" is the supreme-truth [siddhānta]: this is the most ultimate principle of this entire work—how could it not be the supreme truth? [Daosheng] said: "Because their awakened nature is not what is seen by the ten abodes, Maitreya did not recognize a single person." Yet Maitreya's stage is that of succession; why judge him to be in the ten abodes? Moreover, we do not know which of the ten abodes [Dao]sheng took Maitreya to have realized. Someone asks: "Why did Maitreya not directly ask about long life, as long life was asked about in the Nirvāṇa [Sūtra]?" Now it is answered: this shows no understanding at all. In the present case, [the Buddha] is thought to have recently achieved buddhahood at Gayā, unaware of his long life in the past; because of seeing the earth-welling [bodhisattvas] whom he did not recognize, he consequently doubted the origin of the retinue; for the Buddha to answer their origin, he had to discuss long life. Thus, how could the appearance of the retinue be in vain! Hence we know that the earth-welling occurred in order to produce doubt, and the Tathāgata summoned them in order to reveal his long [life]; therefore, the two reasons of distant and recent were both for the sake of explaining the distant. The youth Kāśyapa had already heard about long life here; there he only asked about the cause of long life. Thus that sūtra says: "How does one obtain long life?" which is asking about the cause. Having already heard of the past, in order to reveal the future he asked about the cause of long life to prompt the Buddha's answer. This is difficult while that was easy; the logic of the principle is naturally so. "Etc." means to point out the four siddhāntas and explain them as above. Regarding "etc." under "Requesting the master and leader to answer": this explains the intent of the request. Regarding "Holding back to await Maitreya, etc.": the benefit of answering the question does not lie with me, and therefore I will not answer it; holding back to await Śākyamuni answering Maitreya's question is why it says "awaiting Maitreya." Why? The trace of the matter asked by Maitreya is not trivial; the World-Honoured One had never explicitly preached it throughout his entire lifetime; through this question and answer, long life is extensively revealed. This profound secret of a lifetime depends on the Buddha opening it himself: you yourself ought to listen, and I should not answer.