法華玄論 1.98

1.98

答：《大經．菩薩品》云「如《法華經》中八千聲聞得受記莂成大果寶，如秋收冬藏更無所作。」故知至法華時即知佛性，已得了悟也。又過去二萬日月燈明佛說《法華》竟便入涅槃，故知聞《法華經》已究竟悟，不須說《涅槃》也。又迦葉佛時雖有《涅槃》而不說之，故知《法華》是了義教。又〈壽量品〉云「諸子有二，一不失心、二者失心。」不失心者，其法華時並皆得道，餘失心者待後唱滅方得領解也。晚見《法花論》明佛性義有七文，今略引二。初釋〈方便品〉「唯佛與佛究竟諸法實相」，諸法實相者，謂如來藏法身之體不變，故佛性亦名如來藏，故云隱名如來藏、顯名為法身。《大經》云「我者即是如來藏義」。次第二文釋〈法師品〉云「知佛性水不違，得成三菩提」。此序方便品意竟。

Answer: The "Bodhisattva Chapter" of the Mahāparinirvāṇa-sūtra states: "Just as in the Saddharmapuṇḍarīka-sūtra the eight thousand śrāvakas receive their prediction of achieving the treasure of the great fruit, which is like the autumn harvest and winter storage with nothing more left to do." Hence we know that by the time of the Lotus Sūtra they already knew the Buddha-nature and had already attained complete awakening. Furthermore, in the past, after the twenty thousand Candrasūryapradīpa Buddhas finished preaching the Lotus Sūtra, they immediately entered nirvāṇa; hence we know that having heard the Saddharmapuṇḍarīka-sūtra, one has already awakened definitively, and there is no need to preach the Mahāparinirvāṇa-sūtra. Again, although [the teaching of] nirvāṇa existed at the time of Kāśyapa Buddha, he did not preach it; hence we know that the Lotus Sūtra is the definitive teaching. Moreover, the "Lifespan Chapter" states: "The sons are of two kinds: first, those who have not lost their minds; second, those who have lost their minds." Those who had not lost their minds all attained the Way at the time of the Lotus Sūtra; the others who had lost their minds had to wait until he later proclaimed his extinction before they could comprehend it. Lately I have seen that the Saddharmapuṇḍarīkopadeśa clarifies the meaning of Buddha-nature across seven passages; now I briefly cite two. The first explains [the verse in] the "Skillful Means Chapter", "Only Buddha together with Buddha can fathom the true mark of all phenomena." The "true mark of all phenomena" means that the essence of the dharmakāya of the tathāgatagarbha does not change; hence the Buddha-nature is also named tathāgatagarbha, and so it is said that when concealed it is named tathāgatagarbha, and when manifest it is named dharmakāya. The Mahāparinirvāṇa-sūtra states: "The self is precisely the meaning of the tathāgatagarbha." Next, the second passage explains the "Dharma Master Chapter", saying: "Knowing that the water of Buddha-nature does not run contrary, one attains the realization of sambodhi." This completes the introductory explanation of the purport of the "Skillful Means Chapter".