[Pramāṇa](https://indike.org/pramana/) › [Indian literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in) › [Buddhist Literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha) › [Taishō Tripiṭaka (Chinese Buddhist canon)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho) › [法華玄論](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1720) › 9.71 # 法華玄論 9.71 法華玄論 9.71 - **Language:** Classical Chinese ### [9.71](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1720.9.71) 答：具二作也。一者化殺，如金剛神殺童子。二者實殺，如殺五百婆羅門。所以須實殺者，《攝大乘論》云「菩薩更無餘方便度之，唯應有殺可以度之，故行殺等事」也。又束此二方便歸非善非惡不可示也，而能善能惡即妙法華用也。又以三種方便：一者凡夫方便、二者二乘方便、三者大乘方便。調達為重惡，謂凡夫方便。富樓那等現聲聞，為二乘方便。釋迦，為佛方便。上來已開二方便門，今次開凡夫方便門，故說此品。又發三迹：初發多寶滅迹明不滅，次發釋迦生迹明不生，後發調達惡迹明非惡。又難曰：言釋迦昔無常今無常，亦應調達昔惡今猶惡也。若昔說調達惡、今發迹故明非惡者，釋迦亦然矣。又昔記調達當成辟支佛，今開調達久為大行，則昔方便示小而實是大者，當知釋迦實常示現無常耳。又說此品者，為欲成嘆經勸人弘宣故來。上品已明往古多寶佛自來俱共說《法華》，明福深功重勸人弘宣。今釋迦復引調達為證，明調達過去世為我說《法華經》，故今得成佛。是故《法華》功用難思議，應須受持。提婆達多，此言天熱，提婆言天、達多名熱。初生之時天人心熱，以其將造逆罪故。斛飯王之子，阿難之兄。從所說之人為名，故以目品也。 > Answer: They possess both kinds of action. First, magically transformed killing, as when the Vajra deity kills a youth. Second, actual killing, as in killing five hundred brāhmaṇas. As for why actual killing is required, the \*Mahāyānasaṃgraha\* states: "The bodhisattva had no other skillful means to deliver them, and only killing could deliver them; therefore, he carried out killing and so forth." Furthermore, binding these two skillful means together, they reduce to being neither good nor evil and cannot be demonstrated, yet being able to be good and able to be evil is precisely the function of the wonderful Lotus. Furthermore, there are three kinds of skillful means: first, the skillful means of ordinary beings; second, the skillful means of the two vehicles; third, the skillful means of the Great Vehicle. Devadatta's committing grave evil is called the skillful means of ordinary beings. Pūrṇa and others manifesting as śrāvakas is the skillful means of the two vehicles. Śākyamuni is the skillful means of buddhas. Above, two gates of skillful means have already been opened; now next, the gate of skillful means of ordinary beings is opened, and therefore this chapter is spoken. Furthermore, three traces are disclosed: first, disclosing Prabhūtaratna's trace of extinction to clarify non-extinction; next, disclosing Śākyamuni's trace of birth to clarify non-arising; finally, disclosing Devadatta's trace of evil to clarify non-evil. Furthermore, one may object: "If one says Śākyamuni was formerly impermanent and is now impermanent, then Devadatta should also have been evil in the past and still evil now. If Devadatta was formerly said to be evil, but now that his trace is disclosed he is clarified as not evil, then the same holds for Śākyamuni." Furthermore, formerly Devadatta was prophesied to become a pratyekabuddha; now it is disclosed that Devadatta has long engaged in the great practice. Thus, formerly he provisionally manifested the small while in reality being great; one should know that Śākyamuni is in reality permanent while manifesting impermanence. Furthermore, this chapter is spoken in order to complete praise of the sūtra and encourage people to propagate it; hence it comes here. The previous chapter already explained that in ancient times Prabhūtaratna Buddha personally came to expound the \*Lotus Sūtra\* together \[with Śākyamuni\], making clear that the merit is profound and the efficacy weighty to encourage people to propagate it. Now Śākyamuni further cites Devadatta as evidence, clarifying that Devadatta expounded the \*Lotus Sūtra\* for him in a past life, and therefore he has now attained buddhahood. For this reason, the efficacy and function of the \*Lotus Sūtra\* are inconceivable, and one must accept and uphold it. Devadatta here means "heavenly heat": \*deva\* means "heaven," and \*datta\* means "heat." When he was first born, the minds of gods and humans became heated because he was going to commit deadly offenses. He was the son of King Droṇodana and the elder brother of Ānanda. The chapter is titled after the person expounded; therefore, it takes this as its title. > — English (machine translation) (machine translation) - [Previous: 9.70](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1720.9.70) - [Next: 9.72](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1720.9.72) - [Up: 9](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1720.9) ## Translations (1) - [English (machine translation)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1720~en-mt.9.71) — English, machine translation --- Source: [https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1720.9.71](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1720.9.71) · Pramāṇa