[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) › [法華義疏](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1721) › 10.212 # 法華義疏 10.212 法華義疏 10.212 - **Language:** Classical Chinese ### [10.212](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1721.10.212) 次明八生當得菩提者，第二、辨損生益。有人言：從七地至金剛心成損生之義。無明住地煩惱分為九品，一品為一生緣，謂隨斷一品即損一生；今七地下忍聞經為緣登七地上忍，斷一品惑損於一生，故言八生當得菩提。七地上忍聞經為緣登八地下忍，斷一品惑損一生，餘七生。在八地下忍聞經為緣進登八地上忍，復斷一品惑損於一生，餘六生。在八地上忍聞經為緣登九地下忍，進斷一品復損一生，餘五生。在九地下忍聞經為緣登九地上忍，復斷一品損於一生，餘四生。在而文中，從八生乃至四生者，經文存略，故爾當知四生即是九地上忍也。從九地上忍聞經為緣登十地下忍，斷一品復損一生，餘三生在。從十地下忍聞經為緣登十地上忍，斷一品復損一生，餘二生在。從十地上忍聞經為緣登金剛心，斷一品復損一生，所餘一生佛果斷之乃盡也。今謂此釋於義難明，不能具敘其得失。今明經論之中有二種生：一者應生，二者實生。如《智度論》釋〈往生品〉，明一生菩薩及三生菩薩並是應生。何以知然者？住十地菩薩不應受人天生，而今受人天生者此是應生。今言八生乃至一生者，八過受人天生故得菩提，乃至受兜率天一生當得菩提，故是應生也。然應生有多少者，隨緣故爾，亦得由悟理深淺、斷惑輕重，是故應生有多少也。次言實生者，如《仁王經》嘆菩薩三十生功德，一地有三生，謂入分為初生，住分為中生，滿分為終生。《攝大乘論》、《地論》悉有三位，若依此義明八生者，本是七地終生之人，聞經力故登八地始生，故餘八生在。本是八地始生之人，聞經力故得入八地住分，餘七生在。本是八地住分人，聞經得滿分，猶六生在。本是八地滿分，聞經得入九地初分，餘五生在。本是九地初分，聞經得入住分，餘四生在。本是住分，聞經得入滿分，餘三生在。本是九地滿分，聞經得入十地初分，餘二生在。本是十地初分，聞經得入住分，餘一生在。本是住分，聞經力故得入十地滿分，便坐道場得成佛。蓋是一方次第悟，作此論之。若超悟者，其間無定，權實二生正就實生，以聞經得實益故。依《法華論》云「八生乃至一生得菩提者，此以初地離三界分段生死，隨分能見真如佛性名得菩提，非究竟無上菩提也」。此意明本是地前之人，聞經力故隨分淺深，經八過受分段生乃至一過受分段生，便證初地菩提也。 > Next, explaining that in eight births one will attain bodhi is the second \[part\], distinguishing the benefit of diminishing births. Someone said: "From the seventh bhūmi to the vajropama-citta, the meaning of diminishing births is realized. The afflictions of the ground of ignorance are divided into nine grades, with one grade acting as the condition for one birth; that is, as each grade is severed, one birth is diminished. Now, through hearing the sūtra as a condition, one at the lower endurance of the seventh bhūmi ascends to the upper endurance of the seventh bhūmi, severing one grade of delusion and diminishing one birth, hence it is said that in eight births one will attain bodhi. Through hearing the sūtra as a condition, one at the upper endurance of the seventh bhūmi ascends to the lower endurance of the eighth bhūmi, severing one grade of delusion and diminishing one birth, leaving seven births remaining. While at the lower endurance of the eighth bhūmi, through hearing the sūtra as a condition one advances and ascends to the upper endurance of the eighth bhūmi, again severing one grade of delusion and diminishing one birth, leaving six births remaining. While at the upper endurance of the eighth bhūmi, through hearing the sūtra as a condition one ascends to the lower endurance of the ninth bhūmi, further severing one grade and diminishing another birth, leaving five births remaining. While at the lower endurance of the ninth bhūmi, through hearing the sūtra as a condition one ascends to the upper endurance of the ninth bhūmi, again severing one grade and diminishing one birth, leaving four births remaining. As for the text going from eight births down to four births, the sūtra text is abbreviated; therefore, one should know that four births is precisely the upper endurance of the ninth bhūmi. From the upper endurance of the ninth bhūmi, through hearing the sūtra as a condition one ascends to the lower endurance of the tenth bhūmi, severing one grade and diminishing another birth, leaving three births remaining. From the lower endurance of the tenth bhūmi, through hearing the sūtra as a condition one ascends to the upper endurance of the tenth bhūmi, severing one grade and diminishing another birth, leaving two births remaining. From the upper endurance of the tenth bhūmi, through hearing the sūtra as a condition one ascends to the vajropama-citta, severing one grade and diminishing another birth; the one remaining birth is severed by the fruit of Buddhahood and thereby exhausted." We now consider this explanation difficult to clarify in its meaning, and cannot fully recount its merits and defects. We now explain that within the sūtras and treatises there are two kinds of birth: first, response birth; second, real birth. As the Zhidu lun explains in the "Chapter on Rebirth," it clarifies that bodhisattvas of one birth and bodhisattvas of three births are both response births. How is this known? A bodhisattva abiding in the tenth bhūmi ought not to receive human or heavenly birth, yet now receives human or heavenly birth; this is a response birth. Now, saying eight births down to one birth means that having received human or heavenly birth eight times one attains bodhi, down to receiving one birth in Tuṣita Heaven whereupon one will attain bodhi; hence these are response births. Moreover, as for response births being more or fewer, this is so according to conditions; it also depends on the depth or shallowness of awakening to principle and the lightness or heaviness of severed delusions, which is why response births are more or fewer. Next, regarding real birth: as the Renwang jing praises the merits of the thirty births of a bodhisattva, one bhūmi has three births, namely the entering phase as the initial birth, the abiding phase as the middle birth, and the fulfilling phase as the final birth. Both the Mahāyānasaṃgraha and the Daśabhūmika Śāstra have these three positions. If one explains the eight births according to this meaning: one who was originally in the final birth of the seventh bhūmi, through the power of hearing the sūtra ascends to the initial birth of the eighth bhūmi, hence eight births remain. One who was originally in the initial birth of the eighth bhūmi, through the power of hearing the sūtra enters the abiding phase of the eighth bhūmi, leaving seven births remaining. One who was in the abiding phase of the eighth bhūmi, through hearing the sūtra attains the fulfilling phase, still leaving six births remaining. One who was in the fulfilling phase of the eighth bhūmi, through hearing the sūtra enters the initial phase of the ninth bhūmi, leaving five births remaining. One who was in the initial phase of the ninth bhūmi, through hearing the sūtra enters the abiding phase, leaving four births remaining. One who was in the abiding phase, through hearing the sūtra enters the fulfilling phase, leaving three births remaining. One who was in the fulfilling phase of the ninth bhūmi, through hearing the sūtra enters the initial phase of the tenth bhūmi, leaving two births remaining. One who was in the initial phase of the tenth bhūmi, through hearing the sūtra enters the abiding phase, leaving one birth remaining. One who was in the abiding phase, through the power of hearing the sūtra enters the fulfilling phase of the tenth bhūmi, whereupon he sits at the site of enlightenment and attains Buddhahood. This is discussed in this way as an awakening of gradual progression from one perspective. If one is an immediate awakenist, there is no fixed sequence in between; between the two \[types of\] births, provisional and real, it directly refers to real births, because through hearing the sūtra one obtains real benefits. According to the Fahua lun: "Attaining bodhi in eight births down to one birth means that because on the first bhūmi one is separated from the fragmented samsāra of the three realms, and according to one's capacity can see the tathatā-buddha-nature, this is called attaining bodhi; it is not the ultimate, unexcelled bodhi." The meaning here is that one was originally a person prior to the bhūmis, who through the power of hearing the sūtra, in accordance with the depth or shallowness of their capacity, undergoes fragmented birth eight times down to undergoing fragmented birth once, whereupon they realize the bodhi of the first bhūmi. > — English (machine translation) (machine translation) - [Previous: 10.211](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1721.10.211) - [Next: 10.213](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1721.10.213) - [Up: 10](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1721.10) ## Translations (1) - [English (machine translation)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1721~en-mt.10.212) — English, machine translation ## Linked texts (1) - [法華論疏](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1818.3.403) — Classical Chinese --- Source: [https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1721.10.212](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1721.10.212) · Pramāṇa