法華文句記 2.100

2.100

Next, in explaining those who form a connection (jiéyuán): "form" (jié) means constructing the beginning of establishing capacity; "connection" (yuán) means the conditions that can assist in accomplishing its end; this constitutes the initial sprout of cultivating and attaining the three virtues in the future. Because they lack the previous three benefits, they are said to "form a connection"; they are what remain in this assembly beyond the previous three. Thus this single "connection" combines two meanings: assisting the present and assisting the future. Therein, it first distinguishes their lack [of benefits] in contrast to the previous three: from "power lacking..." onward differentiates them from the initiators; from "virtue not..." onward differentiates them from the mirroring audience; from "yet exceeding..." onward clarifies that they are not the properly suited audience. All initiating assemblies possess two meanings: first, guiding [others] to the site of the assembly; second, provoking the Buddha to complete the capacity. Bodhisattvas of the dharmakāya possess these two functions, hence called "their ability." But those who form a connection lack these supreme benefits, hence it is said "their power is lacking." "Settling" refers to gravity, which is inner virtue; "adorning" refers to glorious ornamentation, which is external deportment. When inner virtue is lofty, external deportment is necessarily orderly, adorning the work of transformation and glorifying the master's function; since those who form a connection lack these, it says "their power is lacking," and so forth. Furthermore, settling serves to inspire awe, and adorning serves to subdue; once beings are awed and subdued, the path of transformation can proceed; hence it is called "their function." These who form a connection have flimsy personal benefit; how could they awe and subdue others? Hence it is said "their virtue is not..." Regarding "overturned, leaking," and so forth: "fù" (覆) has the entering tone (rùshēng); lacking the wisdom of hearing, they are like a vessel currently overturned; lacking the wisdom of reflection, they are like a vessel already leaking; lacking the wisdom of cultivation, they are like a vessel defiled and contaminated. Just as a vessel, though upright and whole, is discarded by users because it is contaminated, the summary concludes, "the three wisdoms do not arise." Regarding "in the present world..." and so forth: although in the present they obtain hearing, it cannot be called wisdom; when even the wisdom of hearing is absent, how could reflection and cultivation exist? This comprehensively includes the six sense organs and five classes, while specifically referring to the five thousand who stood up and departed. Thus, though those who departed lacked the three wisdoms, planting the seed in their nature enables it to become the jewel tied [in the garment]. Therefore we know that they also lack the benefit of the mundane [siddhānta] at the stage of contemplative practice; hence it is said "lacking the benefit of the four siddhāntas." According to this division of stages, all four siddhāntas may be called the properly suited audience: from the five classes upward is the mundane benefit; from the six sense organs upward is the benefit for persons and counteractive benefit; from the first abiding upward is the supreme truth benefit. Therefore, later in the text, at the end of the Chapter on Rejoicing, one still constitutes the properly suited audience, whereas [hearing only] a single verse or a single phrase belongs to the audience forming a connection. However, hearing the brief exposition exceeds a single verse or single phrase; thus, without discussing how much or how little was heard, all who have not entered the classes are called forming a connection; hence prior to the five classes there are no longer the three wisdoms or the benefits of the four siddhāntas. Without hearing there is no mundane [benefit]; without reflection there is no benefit for persons; without cultivation there is no counteractive [benefit]; without realization there is no supreme truth [benefit]. Therefore, the supreme truth has both comprehensive and specific aspects: comprehensively it extends to the five classes, specifically it resides in the first abiding; thus the term "attaining liberation" also has comprehensive and specific aspects, which are the comprehensive and specific aspects of the supreme truth. Thus, even though the meaning of the four siddhāntas is comprehensive, the stages of forming a connection are ultimately distinct. From "merely acting..." onward directly shows the characteristics of the audience forming a connection. From "monks..." onward, reckoning the number as sixteen: if based on Mañjuśrī and Maitreya, they are only within the assembly of monks; although the nuns lack a text of requesting the Dharma, later in the text they also show signs of requesting prophecies; as for the two lay assemblies, although there is no explicit text, according to the pattern they should be present, for once arriving at the site of the assembly they must be guided by provisional beings. If this is true for the two assemblies, it is likewise so for the eight classes. Now, following the general characteristics, we only speak of the four assemblies; thus we know that merely speaking of the four such as monks does not encompass them completely, and to say there is no text is a profound failure to comprehend. Next, from "this is..." onward, "in terms of the three teachings" refers to treating the past teachings alongside them; its transmission through the five flavors can be understood according to the above. Regarding "the origin and traces can be understood": if provisionally taken according to essence and function, the origin resides in the exalted ultimate, or in deep stages of the dharmakāya, while the traces act as the sixteen assemblies of the four teachings. When clarifying the stages through contemplating the mind, taking the five classes as forming a connection is spoken provisionally in terms of contemplative practice; thus name-and-word and contemplative practice are treated as forming a connection, because among the properly suited audience, the first stage of abiding directly enters into the mirroring audience. One should know that the first stage of abiding possesses two meanings: if they are those who entered previously, they are solely named the mirroring audience, and so on up to those who, upon hearing the sūtra, leap into subsequent stages, whose meaning is also like this; if they are newly entered, they can be the properly suited audience, as well as the mirroring and the initiating, just as with those who make vows to propagate the sūtra. As for "and so forth" (yúnyún), distinguishing these four is because the levels of cultivating contemplation are not the same; when reaching this stage, one is capable of serving as all four kinds of assemblies. Since the five thousand who departed still managed to form a connection, we know it is not restricted to name-and-word and the five classes; thus we explain "encircling" loosely in terms of contemplative practice. The initial passage possesses all four siddhāntas, though the text is not obvious; it is stated by analogy with the above: "below the Śuddhāvāsa Devas" is the mundane [siddhānta]; "transforming into human forms" is for persons; "humans take them as models" is the counteractive; "having paid homage, they listen to the Dharma" is the supreme truth. From "manifesting the four gates" onward is in terms of the teachings. If one discusses the assemblies directly in terms of the teachings themselves, each teaching naturally has its own buddhas; now, taking it from the aspect of encircling the perfect ultimate, it manifests the stirring of the capacities of the four gates of the three teachings; because they are stirred, they perceive the principle. At the time of the Innumerable Meanings, it was still one-sided and small, foreshadowing that they would hear the perfect four gates. Comparing the present and the past, the meaning of the four teachings is complete, hence it merely says "likewise." Thus we know that in the past teachings it was not that the capacities of the four gates appropriate to that teaching were not stirred, but because they were small, dull, and unintegrated, only when reaching this point are they called the stirring of the great capacity. If those originally of the perfect teaching advance at this point, it is also called stirring; yet it receives the name of the four gates without being differentiated, and yet being differentiated.