法華文句記 9.95

9.95

先以四悉通釋，於世界中初明命赴之由，次「如來」下正明命赴。「師嚴」等者，二義互明，道在師故道尊，師有道故師嚴，師嚴故命不可違，道尊故有命必赴，由師具二故「鞠躬衹奉」。次正明命赴。所言「命」者，一由〈寶塔品〉末云「佛欲以此妙法華經付屬有在」，此命猶通。二由下文他方菩薩八恒沙眾請他土弘經，佛止之曰：我娑婆世界自有六萬恒河沙眾。即別命也。故經家敘之。諸菩薩聞釋迦牟尼佛所發音聲從下發來，「四方奔踊」者，「奔」疾也，恭之至也。自在升此故是世界，下三共成初感應也。「三世」下為人者，有法、喻、合。初法者，自本成來三世益物，故此三世皆屬過去，今佛自當現在益物，菩薩弘經且在於當，慧利既廣非心所測。舉月譬者，一月本也，萬影迹也。但使有水應之不倦，豈可以三世思之？若不撥影，安知天月？明諸菩薩實本難測，冥顯如來迹不可量。「召過」等者，若不開迹，降佛已還無能知者，今欲顯本先出本屬，具有二世善根增長，故召本人示現人，令現人生現善，使本人弘現經，令當人生當善。「虛空等為對治」者，約所表也。虛空理也，本迹事也。事有本迹理無早晚，惑者迷理而暗本迹，故執近迹以失遠本，本迹尚迷況不思議一，故本之弟子居下虛空，本地之師經久虛空，今之師弟在今虛空，久空今空下空上空雖則體一，然本弟子元知近迹，今之弟子猶迷遠本，破執近故召昔示今，今弟子因疑致請聞說方破，破執近惡故云對治。「寂場」去第一義者，寂場舍那示始成故父少，寂光菩薩行久著故兒老。譬「藥力」者，父何以少子何以老，準下父子譬意，父久先服種智還年之藥，父老而若少，子亦久稟常住不死之方，子少而若老，雖各有服餌之功，而父子久定。此之四悉雖通釋今文，並意兼後品，然初一悉文在今品，第二意兼後品，三四二悉探用後品，皆是助後以成顯遠，善生惡破見本故也。故知世界即是三悉之由，故〈踊出品〉專在世界。「文云」下引證，總證四悉，即四悉因緣故集。「流通叚」下「云云」者，應具述諸品，如下委論。又二十八品唯有十一品半本迹流通，十六品半以經力大舉法舉人，引今引往，東方西方，若顯若祕，總身別身，或逆或順，往佛今佛自微自著，現益當益畜益人益男益女益，親益疎益事益理益等，稱之不已故耳。又半品四信之文去取不定，況本迹二處流通意別？故注「云云」。故本門流通永異諸部。

First, an overall interpretation is given using the four siddhāntas: under the mundane [siddhānta], it first explains the reason for the command to come, and next, from "the Tathāgata" onward, directly explains the command and arrival. Regarding "the master is revered" and so forth, two meanings mutually illuminate each other: because the Way rests in the master, the Way is exalted; because the master possesses the Way, the master is revered. Because the master is revered, the command cannot be disobeyed; because the Way is exalted, when there is a command, it must be answered. Because the master embodies both, "they bowed and reverently obeyed." Next, it directly clarifies the command and arrival. As for what is called the "command": first, at the end of the "Treasure Tower Chapter," it states that "the Buddha wishes to entrust this Wondrous Lotus Sūtra so that it may abide," which is still a general command. Second, in the text below, eight Ganges-sands of assemblies of bodhisattvas from other regions request to propagate the sūtra in other lands, and the Buddha stops them, saying: "In my Sahā world there are of themselves sixty thousand Ganges-sands of assemblies." This is the specific command. Therefore the compiler of the sūtra narrates it. When the bodhisattvas heard the sound emitted by Śākyamuni Buddha, they set out and came forth from below. "Leaping up from the four directions": "leaping" means swiftness, the utmost of reverence. Freely ascending here is therefore the mundane [siddhānta]; the lower three together complete the initial stimulus and response. From "three periods of time" onward is [the siddhānta] for individuals, which has doctrine, metaphor, and application. First, in the doctrine: from their original attainment onward, they have benefited beings throughout the three periods of time; hence these three periods of time all belong to the past. Now the Buddha himself should benefit beings in the present; the bodhisattvas' propagation of the sūtra will take place in the future. Since their benefit of wisdom is vast, it cannot be fathomed by the mind. Citing the metaphor of the moon: the one moon is the origin, and the myriad reflections are the traces. Provided there is water, it responds untiringly; how could it be conceived in terms of the three periods of time? If one does not stir away the reflections, how can one know the moon in the sky? This shows that the true origin of the bodhisattvas is difficult to fathom, and the Tathāgata's traces, both hidden and manifest, cannot be measured. Regarding "summoning the past" and so forth: if the traces are not opened, no one below the Buddha could know it. Now, wishing to reveal the origin, he first brings forth those who originally belonged to it, possessing the growth of roots of goodness across two periods of time; therefore he summons the original persons to show them to the present persons, causing the present persons to generate present goodness, and causes the original persons to propagate the present sūtra, causing future persons to generate future goodness. Regarding "space and so forth being the counteractive [siddhānta]": this is in terms of what is expressed. Space is the principle; origin and traces are phenomena. In phenomena there are origin and traces, but in principle there is no earlier or later. The deluded are confused about principle and blind to origin and traces, so they cling to the recent traces and lose the distant origin. When they are still confused about origin and traces, how much more so about the inconceivable oneness! Thus the original disciples abide in the lower space, the master of the ground of origin has traversed long ages in space, and the present master and disciples are in the present space. Although the long-past space, the present space, the lower space, and the upper space are identical in essence, the original disciples fundamentally know the recent traces, while the present disciples are still deluded about the distant origin. To break their clinging to what is recent, he summons the past to show it to the present; the present disciples formulate an inquiry based on doubt, and only upon hearing the explanation is it broken. Because it breaks the evil of clinging to what is recent, it is called counteractive. From "the tranquil site" onward is the supreme-truth [siddhānta]: because Vairocana at the tranquil site displays his initial attainment, the father is young; because the bodhisattvas of the Tranquil Light have practiced for a long time and are prominent, the sons are old. As for the metaphor of the "power of medicine": why is the father young and the sons old? Following the meaning of the metaphor of father and sons below, the father has long beforehand taken the medicine of the wisdom of all modes that restores youth, so the father is old yet appears young; the sons have also long received the prescription for the constantly abiding and deathless, so the sons are young yet appear old. Although each has the efficacy of ingesting medicine, the father and sons are long established. Although these four siddhāntas universally explain the present text and their purport encompasses later chapters, the text of the first siddhānta is in the present chapter, the second's purport encompasses later chapters, and the third and fourth anticipate and employ later chapters; all of them assist what follows in order to accomplish the revelation of the distant [origin], because goodness is generated, evil is broken, and the origin is seen. Thus we know that the mundane is the source of the three siddhāntas; hence the "Leaping Forth Chapter" is devoted to the mundane. Below "The text states," citations are given for proof, which generally prove the four siddhāntas; that is, they gather because of the causes and conditions of the four siddhāntas. Regarding "and so forth" below "the transmission section": one should explain all the chapters in full, as discussed in detail below. Furthermore, among the twenty-eight chapters, only eleven and a half chapters belong to the transmission of origin and traces; sixteen and a half chapters, by the power of the sūtra, broadly cite the teaching and cite persons, adduce the present and adduce the past, east and west, whether manifest or hidden, collective bodies or individual bodies, either counter or accordant, past buddhas and present buddhas, from subtle to prominent, present benefit and future benefit, benefit to animals and benefit to humans, benefit to men and benefit to women, intimate benefit and distant benefit, phenomenal benefit and noumenal benefit, and so forth, praising it unceasingly. Moreover, the four stages of faith in half a chapter are unsettled in their inclusion or omission, not to mention that the intentions of transmission in the two sections of origin and traces are distinct. Therefore the note says "and so forth." Hence the transmission of the origin section is forever distinct from that of the other sections.