法華玄論 1.81

1.81

答：適化不同，非可一類。但華嚴之緣本信一乘，故於一乘中歷位增進，故問階級不同；法華之緣本未信一乘，破其三病始得信一乘，故未得次第歷位登昇也。又信一乘得發菩提心，修菩薩行、學菩薩道，入華嚴法門，故《法華》不須更問階位也。十一者明《華嚴》廣明一因一果，《法華》則略明一因一果。十二者《華嚴》淨土中說，《法華》穢土說。現塔中雖復變土令淨，而《華嚴》本是淨土，非變而成淨；《法華》穢土中說也。十三者《華嚴》七處八會說，《法華》一處一會說。十四者《華嚴》一佛說，《法華》分身等十方佛、多寶等三世佛共說。此舉七卷對彼五帙作此判了，非就《法華》大本論之也。《釋論》云「《法華》如大海水」，何所不明耶？

Answer: Adaptations to beings differ and cannot be uniform. Those conditioned for the Avataṃsaka originally had faith in the one vehicle; therefore, within the one vehicle they advance successively through stages, and so inquiry is made into the different ranks. Those conditioned for the Lotus Sūtra originally did not have faith in the one vehicle; only by breaking their three sicknesses could they come to have faith in the one vehicle; hence they have not yet been able to ascend through successive stages. Furthermore, through faith in the one vehicle they are able to give rise to the bodhicitta, cultivate bodhisattva practices, study the bodhisattva path, and enter the Dharma-gate of the Avataṃsaka; therefore, the Lotus Sūtra does not need to inquire further into ranks and stages. Eleventh, the Avataṃsaka clarifies the single cause and single fruit in detail; the Lotus Sūtra clarifies the single cause and single fruit in brief. Twelfth, the Avataṃsaka is spoken in a pure land; the Lotus Sūtra is spoken in an impure land. Although in the appearance of the stupa [the Buddha] transformed the land to make it pure, the Avataṃsaka is originally a pure land, not made pure through transformation; the Lotus Sūtra is spoken in an impure land. Thirteenth, the Avataṃsaka is spoken in seven places and eight assemblies; the Lotus Sūtra is spoken in one place and one assembly. Fourteenth, the Avataṃsaka is spoken by one buddha; the Lotus Sūtra is spoken together by the emanation buddhas of the ten directions and the buddhas of the three periods of time such as Prabhūtaratna. This distinction is drawn by comparing these seven scrolls to those five cases, not based on the great root text of the Lotus Sūtra. The Commentary states: 'The Lotus Sūtra is like the great ocean water'—what does it fail to illuminate?