法華文句記 1.4

1.4

As for the meaning of the "six difficulties" in the note beneath the title: this adopts the passage below praising the rarity of the Dharma within the explanation of the Dharma: "The arising and appearance in the world of the buddhas / is remote and difficult to encounter; / even if they appear in the world, / it is further difficult for them to preach this Dharma. / Throughout immeasurable, countless kalpas, / to hear this Dharma is likewise difficult; / and persons who are able to listen to this Dharma— / such persons are moreover difficult [to find]." In the sūtra's two difficulties of hearing the Dharma and being able to listen, Zhāng’ān unpacked their meaning into four, namely transmission and translation and so forth, making six difficulties altogether. Now, within "hearing the Dharma," it directly pertains to those present in the assembly at that time, and via Ānanda its meaning extends to the Semblance and Final Dharma ages; thus, relying on transmission and translation, one is able to hear it. A buddha's appearance is already difficult, yet even when he appears one may still not encounter him; hence across many kalpas even those who hear it are rare indeed, how much more so practicing, realizing awakening, and preaching and recording it to transmit it! Among these, the first two pertain to the master and the flavor; the third and fourth praise the teaching and the practice; the fifth and sixth express self-fortune and self-examination. Thus the first two concern the Buddha, the third and fourth belong to the teacher, and the fifth and sixth reprove oneself. Therefore, within the three pairs, each in turn is first general and then specific. For the first two, appearing in the world is still general, because it runs through an entire lifetime, while the subsequent preaching is specific, being specific to the present sūtra. In the subsequent third and fourth, the initial master of transmission and translation is general to all teachings, while the subsequent teaching master is specific to what I received. In the subsequent fifth and sixth, hearing the lecture is still general because it is shared with others, while recording it once is specific as it pertains solely to oneself. Therefore, within the three pairs, they proceed from broad to narrow; hence each subsequent one is narrower than the preceding. Thus, from the Buddha's appearance down to hearing it preached by one who awakened on his own and recording it once, recording the Buddha Vehicle is most extremely difficult.