法華文句記 2.94

2.94

"At that time" refers to the time when [the Buddha] was about to manifest the six omens. When earlier teachers said it was the time when the assembly gathered, they did not grasp the import of the words. Whenever [a text] says "at that time," it invariably points to the end of the preceding event and the beginning of the succeeding event; here it points to before the manifestation of the six omens, when the assembly first encircled [the Buddha] as he was about to preach the *Sūtra of Immeasurable Meanings*. If one were to say it was the time when the assembly gathered, one could not say that at the time when the assembly gathered, the assembly encircled [him]—just as the beginning of the "Skillful Means Chapter" directly points to the time when Mañjuśrī finished answering the question, and one cannot say it is the time when the Buddha arose from samādhi; arising from samādhi would be expressed by terms such as "thereafter" or "thereupon," all of which come after "at that time." If the assembly had finished gathering, one could say "thereupon he preached the *Immeasurable Meanings*"; thus we know that, treated specifically, it refers precisely to the time when he was about to preach the *Immeasurable Meanings*, while treated generally, it can point to the time before the Buddha arose from samādhi. First, the fourfold assembly encircled him, up to the raining of flowers and the shaking of the earth; hence it says "at this time heaven rained," and so on. The reason it repeats "at this time heaven rained" is that it specifically points to the time after he entered samādhi. Although this is a minor matter, instances of it are indeed numerous, and the matter is by no means trivial; hence [one must] be made to recognize it throughout. "Reversal and inversion" concludes the preceding forward and reverse sequences. Moving from earlier to later is called the forward sequence; reversing and inverting toward what precedes is called the reverse sequence. As for "arising and succession": moving from earlier to later, the earlier gives birth and the later arises; moving from later to earlier, the later gives birth and the earlier arises—that is, the answer arises due to the questioning having been brought forth, or one may say the answering arose due to the questioning being born, and so on up to the gathering of the assembly. Although granting their forward and reverse sequences, the underlying intention is to rebuke their lack of core meaning; hence it says "not yet revealed." What is this core meaning? It refers to manifesting the four onenesses: what is revealed in this single sūtra does not exceed these four. This also uses the doctrine of Guangzhai to refute Guangzhai. If based on our own school, it should manifest the eleven onenesses. "Simply being..." and so forth rebukes their interpretation of the text: their forward and reverse sequences capture only the single meaning of the worldly [siddhānta] within conditioned origination, while the other three are entirely absent; hence it says "still not yet clear in itself." "Much less the second, third, and fourth" refers to the three starting with "in terms of the teaching." Below, where it says "Now we clarify...," directly matching [the four onenesses] within the four siddhāntas expresses that the four onenesses must be identical; thus we know that our school grasps the core meaning from beginning to end. The oneness of persons is the worldly [siddhānta], because the harmonious union of many persons is identical up to the present; the oneness of principle is the supreme truth [siddhānta], as this designation is most accordant, and of the six omens there is not one that does not manifest the middle; the oneness of practice is the [siddhānta] for individual persons, because the cultivation of practice has come to generate goodness in living beings, raising doubts and prompting thoughts so that the assembly's practice is completed; the oneness of teaching is the antidotal [siddhānta], because due to the questions and answers doubt is removed and the teaching arises—the questions and answers being precisely the teaching that removes doubt. This is provisionally discussing the broad import; however, the gathering of the assembly and the like each fully possess the four onenesses. Only with such manifestation can arising and succession take place and the forward and reverse sequences have their basis. If it were not so, what Mahāyāna sūtra does not gather an assembly, emit light, rain flowers, and shake the earth? Yet none generates great doubt, the request and answer do not require Wondrous Virtue, and the answer to the question does not cite the three identities. Now, although it is not yet the main preaching, only because of the doubt, inquiry, questioning, and answering is it later understood; this causes the preaching and samādhi prior to the flowers and earth to already be recognized as extraordinary, and prior to the preaching and samādhi the assembly did not gather in vain. Although they had heard the *Immeasurable Meanings*, since the samādhi was not yet broken up, they knew that what was heard earlier was not the end; thus they knew that what would be preached after the flowers and earth when he arose from samādhi would not be trivial. Inferring the middle from what precedes and follows, the flowers and earth should also be extraordinary. Because of this, hearing the Dharma manifests the persons of the One Vehicle; persons, through the manifestation of the omens, manifest the principle of the One Vehicle; to reveal this principle, doubts arise and questions and answers occur—the teaching and practice reside therein, while persons and principle are clearly evident. Furthermore, through the omens: preaching the opening sūtra manifests the synthesis of teachings; entering the synthesis samādhi manifests the practice of the middle; emitting light from the middle manifests the principle of the middle; raining flowers from the middle manifests the stages of the middle; the middle earth shaking manifests the elimination of defilements of the middle—together completing the oneness of persons. This is truly with good reason! Hence, heaven manifests the heaven of supreme truth; earth manifests the earth of the true character. Although all have omens and signs, the assembly at that time could not fathom them; thus, even having heard the opening sūtra, they still did not know that the opening originally manifests the synthesis, much less could they know the samādhi of principle and so forth. Therefore, awaiting Mañjuśrī's citing of the past, only then did they know that the way of transformation is not different. Thus we know that the arising of doubt was originally to establish practice; when the doubt was resolved, practice was vindicated; citing the identity of ancient teachings, they only then knew that the present Buddha was about to preach the oneness of teaching, thereby causing the assembly of that time to become persons of the One Vehicle. Only in this way can it serve as the gradual origin for the present sūtra, acting as the advance sprout revealing the real. If not for this, merely claiming to explain the preface would ultimately fail to make clear the intention of the *Lotus Sūtra*; [an explanation] like that is still merely an interpretation in terms of conditioned origination.