法華文句記 9.13

9.13

Next, from 'This chapter' downward, explaining the purpose of coming also has two parts: first, clarifying that those of profound practice do not need it; next, from 'If the initial reliance' downward, directly clarifying that initial practitioners do need it, hence it comes. The first passage clarifies the persons who do not need it. As for 'If twenty thousand and eighty billion' and so forth: at the beginning of the 'Upholding Chapter', twenty thousand bodhisattvas with their retinues all made vows before the Buddha to propagate the sūtra. Some sūtra editions read 'eight thousand billion'; it should be 'eighty billion'. That is, in the 'Upholding Chapter', the nuns sought prophecies, and after the Buddha gave them prophecies and the nuns recited verses praising the Buddha, at that time the World-Honoured One looked upon the eighty billion bodhisattvas and so forth. After the Buddha praised them, these bodhisattvas contemplated the Buddha's admonitions, [vowing to act] in accordance with the Buddha's teaching, and so forth. From 'Deeply knowing' downward, it directly clarifies the practices that are not needed, discussing their lack of need in full correspondence to the four practices. First, because they deeply know the provisional and the real, they do not need the first practice, because the first practice instructs one not to live together with the Two Vehicles and so forth, for fear of erroneously receiving provisional dharmas. 'Broadly knowing' clarifies that they do not need the second practice, because the second practice instructs one not to speak of the faults of the gradual teaching, and not to lean on the perfect while despising the one-sided, the one-sided being simply gradual. From 'Furthermore, penetrating' downward, it clarifies that they do not need the third practice, because the third practice instructs one to protect and look after the Two Vehicles, and not to use the perfect to scold the distinct. From 'Spiritual powers' downward, it clarifies that they do not need the fourth practice, because the fourth practice instructs that one later obtains spiritual powers and only then causes them to enter the real. From 'If the initial reliance' downward: because beginners lack these four, they use the four practices for protection and to be able to advance themselves, hence it says 'wishing to cultivate the perfect practice'; and because they wish to benefit others, it says 'entering defilement to propagate the sūtra'. From 'Because of defilement' downward, it clarifies that without these four, both self and other are lost. From 'For this reason' downward directly concludes the purpose of coming. As for 'if the initial reliance and initial mind': the five grades and six sense faculties both belong to the initial reliance; the initial mind is precisely the initial mind of the five grades. Therefore, in the first grade, although it is not the stage of preaching the Dharma, propagating the sūtra according to one's capacity requires these four practices; reaching the third grade, it directly corresponds to preaching the Dharma to assist one's own practice; preaching is itself propagating, and in principle requires this chapter as a method.