法華義疏 10.109

10.109

「爾時世尊」下，第二、次答兩問。前答初能化問，「是諸眾生」下，答所化問。就文為兩：初、明直往菩薩易可化度。「始見我身聞我所說」者，即華嚴之會諸菩薩等聞說《華嚴》即入佛慧。「除前修習學小乘者」，明迴小入大之人大機未熟，從華嚴之會竟靈山之前未得顯教大乘，故簡除之也。「如是之人」下，第二，明迴小入大菩薩大機已熟，今化得之故名易度，亦稱入於佛慧故知《法華》即是《華嚴》，不應謂《華嚴》理深《法華》義淺。然直往之人初見佛身即得領悟故佛無疲勞，迴小之流經四十餘年方得入道應有疲勞，但今取始終皆得悟入道，總名易化無勞疲也。又言始見我身則見釋迦過去久成佛之始，則涌出菩薩是也。此舉過去之始，明迴小入大之人亦入佛慧，辨今世之終，始終之緣並皆得悟，故眾生易度耳。「爾時諸大士」下，第三、明隨喜。以能化二權二實既顯所化直往、迴小二人皆悟，此則稱大士之懷，故隨而歡喜。「於時世尊」下，第四、稱歎。欲顯無嫉妬人為佛所歎。

From "At that time the World-Honoured One..." onward is the second part: sequentially answering the two questions. First he answers the question regarding the one who transforms; from "All these sentient beings..." onward, he answers the question regarding those who are transformed. In the text there are two parts: first, clarifying that bodhisattvas who proceed straight ahead are easy to transform and save. "Upon first seeing my body and hearing what I preached" refers to the bodhisattvas and others in the Avataṃsaka assembly who, upon hearing the Avataṃsaka preached, immediately entered the Buddha's wisdom. "Except for those who previously cultivated and studied the Hīnayāna" clarifies that for those who turn from the small toward the great, their Mahāyāna faculties were not yet ripe; from the Avataṃsaka assembly up until before Vulture Peak, the explicit Mahāyāna teaching could not be revealed, so they are excluded. From "Persons such as these..." onward is the second part: clarifying that for the bodhisattvas who turn from the small toward the great, their Mahāyāna faculties are now ripe; being transformed by him now, they are termed easy to save. Also, because they are described as entering the Buddha's wisdom, one knows that the Lotus Sūtra is itself the Avataṃsaka, and one should not say that the Avataṃsaka principle is deep while the Lotus Sūtra's meaning is shallow. However, because those who proceed straight ahead attained comprehension upon first seeing the Buddha's body, the Buddha had no fatigue; those who turn from the small took over forty years before they could enter the Way, so there should have been fatigue, but here, taking [the fact that] both from beginning to end attained awakening and entered the Way, it is collectively termed easy to transform without fatigue. Furthermore, saying "upon first seeing my body" refers to seeing the beginning of Śākyamuni's attainment of buddhahood long ago in the past, which is precisely the emerging bodhisattvas. This raises the beginning in the past to clarify that those who turn from the small toward the great also enter the Buddha's wisdom, distinguishing the end in the present lifetime; since the conditions of both beginning and end all attained awakening, sentient beings were easy to save. From "At that time, the great beings..." onward is the third part: explaining their rejoicing in accord. Because the two provisional and two real aspects of the one who transforms had already revealed that both kinds of persons transformed—those proceeding straight ahead and those turning from the small—had awakened, this accorded with the sentiments of the great beings, and they therefore rejoiced in accord. From "At that time the World-Honoured One..." onward is the fourth part: praising. It wishes to reveal that a person free of jealousy is praised by the Buddha.