法華玄論 1.98

1.98

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".