法華文句記 9.209

9.209

「如來見」下乃至「樂小法者」者，以久近相聖為小，佛以本地佛眼見之未宜遠說，以樂近說，為樂小耳。「華嚴」至「人耳」者，先引經，此是〈十地品〉初金剛藏止解脫月辭也。「案彼經」下今文判也。故知彼經以未至回向為不久行，此但次第行耳。若普賢行，初發心住已圓證竟，豈至地前云不久行而不為說？若言寄次而論不次，何故初住不亦且次第耶？故寄次之言須有典據。故彼以不久行為樂小者也，今文乃以樂近成為樂小。但引因類本非即本文，若云對小乘為樂小者，地前住前及藏通菩薩尚不被小，況彼經十地？況今經本門？「師云」者，引南嶽說同為證。「今當」下大師於下通約教道，始自弊欲終至別教，通名樂小。「德薄垢重」者，其人未有實教二因故也。言「下文云諸子幼稚」者，指下醫子譬文，尚未堪聞圓，況開遠耶？「見思未除」者，且消譬中幼稚之言，定未知遠。

From "The Tathāgata sees..." down to "...those who delight in lesser dharmas": because taking long and short as relative holiness is considered "lesser," the Buddha sees them with the buddha-eye of the ground of origin as not yet fit to be told of the distant; delighting in what is told of the near is considered delighting in the lesser. Regarding "The Avataṃsaka..." to "...[is spoken only for such] people": it first cites the sūtra; this is the statement at the beginning of the "Ten Grounds Chapter" where Vajragarbha dissuades Mukticandra. From "According to that sūtra..." below, the present text judges it. Thus we know that that sūtra considers not yet reaching dedication [of merit] as "not having practiced for long"; this is only sequential practice. If it were the practice of Samantabhadra, one has already perfectly realized it at the initial resolve of the abidance; how could it be that before reaching the grounds one is called "not having practiced for long" and is not spoken to? If one says that it is discussed as non-sequential by lodging it in sequence, why does the initial abidance not also [lodge in] sequence for the time being? Therefore, the assertion of lodging in sequence must have canonical proof. Thus that [sūtra] takes not having practiced for long as "delighting in the lesser"; whereas the present text takes delighting in recent attainment as "delighting in the lesser." It only cites a cause to categorize the origin; it is not the present text itself. If one says that taking it relative to the Hinayāna is delighting in the lesser, then bodhisattvas prior to the grounds, prior to the abidances, and of the Tripiṭaka and Shared teachings are not even encompassed by the lesser—how much less the ten grounds of that sūtra! How much less the origin section of the present sūtra! Regarding "The master says": it cites Nányuè's explanation as corroboration. From "Now, this..." below, the Great Master generally takes it relative to the pedagogical path below: beginning from evil desires and ending with the Distinct Teaching, all are generally named "delighting in the lesser." Regarding "virtue is thin and defilements heavy": this is because those people do not yet have the two causes of the real teaching. Regarding "The text below says: the children are childish and young": this points to the text of the physician's sons simile below; they are not yet capable of hearing the perfect, how much less the revealing of the distant? Regarding "views and thoughts are not yet eliminated": this provisionally interprets the words "childish and young" in the simile; they certainly do not know the distant.