法華文句記 9.201

9.201

言「直下塵被點之界」者，此中經文不云「下點」，但兼彼迹文成其語耳。《僧傳》云：「準羅什舊經，無『一塵一劫』四字，有齊高僧曇副，誦經感夢云少一句，後果得之。」若《金光明》云：「一切海水可知滴數，無有能知如來之壽」，此亦明未來之壽，非過去也。若引證此殊不相關。「益物處」者，此之娑婆即本應身所居之土，今日迹居不移於本，但今昔時異，見燒者謂近、照本者達遠，故《經》云：「我土不毀常在靈山」，豈離伽耶別求常寂？非寂光外別有娑婆。「於是中間」等者，先正釋，次「或有」下出古，三「今謂」下破古。正釋中初總立能拂，次「疑因」下示所拂事，先標，次「昔教」下釋出所疑，次「今拂」下正示拂相。正由經文先舉事竟，結云「皆是方便」，即名為「拂」。昔於諸教雖見不同而生於疑，乃不知是果後方便等，及如是示差別意，即說值然燈等及在然燈之世入涅槃也。次古釋者，又有人云：說然燈者，說他為我，為平等意趣。經文但云「我說他身」，何須改云「說我為我」？今釋意云，是釋迦菩薩入滅，不得云是然燈涅槃，亦非釋迦爾時於然燈世已曾成佛而般涅槃，不可二佛一時興故，是故但以得記弘法壽終為果。「佛眼」等者，既對佛眼舉於兩應，故他受用亦應攝也。人天及以法眼皆云華報者，非無近果讓佛報故，其土既爾身豈不然？「信等諸根」者，既為如來本地佛眼所觀，窮其久遠照其根源，故此五根須約本地中間緣了，復經漸頓大小及人天乘。名同體別，通得名為信等五根，以人天乘通名緣因故也。此乃望彼遍開通成緣了。於中先約漸頓判，次約大小人天以判。小即漸初，「漸中利鈍但云藏通」者，漸通具四，以別圓同入華嚴中頓教攝也，是故且以漸中界內巧拙，對於利鈍通在方等、般若二味。又以小對人天辯利鈍者，且以優劣相望故耳。但人天乘遍在一切大小教中。「十界」至「二因也」者，應云十法界中亦有惡法，而言「不用」者，以十法界是生善機處，故不取惡。但十界中展轉相望，有五乘七善及圓實等種，是故聖人更立方便傳傳引出，良由有機機宜不同，不可頓出。

Regarding the words “the realms directly beneath the dust particles touched”: the sūtra text here does not say “touched beneath,” but merely combines the text of those traces to complete the phrase. The *Biographies of Eminent Monks* states: “According to Kumārajīva’s old sūtra, the four characters ‘one dust particle, one kalpa’ were missing; the eminent monk Tánfù of Qí was inspired by a dream while reciting the sūtra, which said a line was missing, and later he indeed obtained it.” When the *Suvarṇaprabhāsa* states, “All the water of the ocean can have its drops counted, but no one can know the life span of the Tathāgata,” this also clarifies the life span of the future, not of the past. If one cites this as proof, it is completely irrelevant. Regarding “the place of benefiting beings”: this Sahā world is precisely the land inhabited by the original nirmāṇakāya; dwelling in the trace today does not depart from the origin. It is merely that present and past are different in time: those who see it burning reckon it to be near; those who illuminate the origin comprehend it to be distant. Hence the *Sūtra* says: “My land is not destroyed, constantly at Vulture Peak.” How could one seek the constantly quiescent [light] apart from Gayā? There is no Sahā world outside of the Quiescent Light. Regarding “in between then” and so forth: first is the correct explanation; next, from “or there are” downward, is the presentation of the ancient [view]; third, from “now we say” downward, is the refutation of the ancient [view]. In the correct explanation, first it generally establishes that which can dispel; next, from “doubting the cause” downward, it shows the matters that are dispelled, first presenting them, and next, from “past teachings” downward, explaining that which was doubted; next, from “now dispelling” downward, it directly shows the characteristics of dispelling. Precisely because the sūtra text first lists the matters completely and concludes, “All are skillful means,” it is termed “dispelling.” Formerly, although they saw differences in the various teachings and conceived doubts, they did not know these were skillful means following the fruit, and so forth, as well as the intent in showing such distinctions—that is, speaking of encountering Dīpaṃkara and so forth, and entering nirvāṇa in the era of Dīpaṃkara. Next, as for the ancient explanation, another person says: speaking of Dīpaṃkara is speaking of another as oneself, for the purpose of the intention of equality. The sūtra text merely says “I spoke of other bodies”; why must one change it to “speaking of oneself as oneself”? The present intended explanation is that Śākyamuni as a bodhisattva entered extinction; one cannot say it is Dīpaṃkara’s nirvāṇa, nor that Śākyamuni at that time in Dīpaṃkara’s era had already attained buddhahood and entered parinirvāṇa, for two buddhas cannot appear at the same time. Therefore, it is merely that attaining prediction, propagating the Dharma, and reaching the end of one’s life span is considered the fruit. Regarding “the buddha-eye” and so forth: since the two response [bodies] are presented in contrast to the buddha-eye, the other-enjoyment [body] should also be included. Both the human/heavenly and the dharma-eyes are called flower rewards, not because there is no proximate fruit, but because they yield to the buddha’s retribution; since their lands are such, how could the bodies not be so? Regarding “the faculties of faith and so forth”: since they are observed by the Tathāgata’s original buddha-eye, penetrating their ancient past and illuminating their root source, these five faculties must be understood in terms of the conditions and understanding in the ground of origin and the intermediate [periods], and furthermore traversing the gradual and sudden, the Mahāyāna and Hīnayāna, as well as the human and heavenly vehicles. With identical names but distinct essences, they all generally obtain the name of the five faculties of faith and so forth, because the human and heavenly vehicles are generally named conditional causes. This is looking toward them being completely opened up and universally becoming conditions and understanding. Within this, it first evaluates in terms of gradual and sudden, and next evaluates in terms of Mahāyāna/Hīnayāna and humans/devas. The small is the beginning of the gradual; regarding “sharp and dull within the gradual merely refer to Tripiṭaka and Shared,” the gradual fully contains the four [teachings], because the Distinct and Perfect are subsumed together under the sudden teaching of the *Avataṃsaka*; therefore, taking the skillful and clumsy within the realm in the gradual, they correspond to sharp and dull across the two flavors of Vaipulya and Prajñā. Furthermore, discerning sharp and dull by contrasting the small with humans and devas is merely done by comparing superior and inferior. However, the human and heavenly vehicles are pervasive throughout all Mahāyāna and Hīnayāna teachings. Regarding the passage from “ten realms” to “two causes”: one should say that within the ten dharmadhātus there are also evil dharmas, but stating “not used” is because the ten dharmadhātus are the locus where capacities for good arise, hence evil is not taken. It is merely that in mutually viewing the ten realms, there are seeds of the five vehicles, the seven goods, and the perfect and real; therefore, the sage further establishes skillful means to draw them forth successively, precisely because capacities and their suitability differ and cannot be brought forth all at once.