法華義疏 10.92

10.92

就序分中又開三別：一、開發序；二、疑問序；三、誡許序。開發序者，因涌出菩薩數多，開發釋迦成佛已久也。疑問序者，未了菩薩涌出之意，是故問佛也。壽量既大事，恐物生疑，前須誡聽許說也。就初又二：第一、明遠緣由；二、明近緣由。遠緣由者，因他方菩薩發誓弘經得顯涌出菩薩，因涌出菩薩得開釋迦遠壽，故以他方菩薩為遠緣由，正明涌出為近緣由。初遠緣由中為二：一、他方菩薩請；二、佛止請。初明他方菩薩請欲通經者，從上〈見塔品〉命持經人，故諸菩薩應命欲持，而至此品方復發言者，欲明三聖共開壽量，一者因釋迦命持經人，二者諸菩薩待至今品方奉命請持，三者釋迦止請，故仍有涌出菩薩開顯壽量。故初分經有釋迦現瑞，彌勒生疑，文殊答問，三聖共開乘權乘實；今亦三聖共開發身權身實也。「爾時佛告」下，第二、止請。上命持經，今言不須持者，兩言似反而實以符會。以佛命持諸菩薩請持，故得止請，便得顯涌出菩薩開佛壽量，此乃是前後相成，非相乖也。是以前文命持故得弘經，後文止持故開遠壽，則是弘經也。就佛止中凡有二句：一者、止他方請。二、「所以者何」下，舉此土自有菩薩以釋止。以他方非釋迦所化，故不得顯釋迦壽量，是故止之；此土菩薩是釋迦所化，得顯釋迦壽量，故舉以釋止也。前文標於他方菩薩，意在於此也。而言「六萬」者，明所化菩薩自超六趣之中，得顯釋迦成道久也。「菩薩眷屬亦六萬」者，明所化眷屬亦超六趣之中、今皆成就，彌得顯如來成佛久也。

Within the introductory section, there are again three divisions: first, the preface that introduces [the revelation]; second, the preface of raising doubts and questioning; third, the preface of admonishing and granting [the teaching]. The preface that introduces [the revelation] is because, due to the great number of emerging bodhisattvas, it introduces [the revelation that] Śākyamuni attained buddhahood long ago. The preface of raising doubts and questioning is because, not yet understanding the meaning of the bodhisattvas' emerging, they therefore question the Buddha. Since the lifespan is a momentous matter and it is feared that beings might conceive doubt, he must first admonish them to listen and grant the exposition. Within the first, there are again two parts: first, explaining the distant cause and conditions; second, explaining the proximate cause and conditions. As for the distant cause and conditions, because the bodhisattvas of other directions vowed to propagate the sūtra, the emerging bodhisattvas could be revealed; and because of the emerging bodhisattvas, Śākyamuni's distant lifespan could be disclosed. Thus, the bodhisattvas of other directions are taken as the distant cause and conditions, while the emergence is directly explained as the proximate cause and conditions. In the first part, the distant cause and conditions, there are two: first, the request of the bodhisattvas from other directions; second, the Buddha's stopping the request. First, concerning the explanation that the bodhisattvas of other directions requested to propagate the sūtra: earlier, from the Apparition of the Jeweled Stūpa Chapter, [the Buddha] summoned persons to uphold the sūtra; thus the bodhisattvas responded to the summons, wishing to uphold it. Yet they only spoke up when arriving at this chapter because [the text] wishes to clarify that three sages jointly disclose the lifespan: first, Śākyamuni summoning persons to uphold the sūtra; second, the bodhisattvas waiting until this chapter to accept the command and request to uphold it; third, Śākyamuni stopping the request, so that there could still be the emerging bodhisattvas to disclose and reveal the lifespan. Thus, in the first division of the sūtra, there were Śākyamuni manifesting auspicious portents, Maitreya conceiving doubts, and Mañjuśrī answering the questions—three sages jointly disclosing the provisional and real vehicles; now, three sages also jointly introduce and disclose the provisional and real bodies. From "At that time the Buddha told..." onward is the second part: stopping the request. Above he summoned [them] to uphold the sūtra, but now he says it is not necessary to uphold it; these two statements seem contradictory, but in truth they accord with one another. Because the Buddha summoned [them] to uphold it and the bodhisattvas requested to uphold it, the request could be stopped, thereby enabling the emerging bodhisattvas to be revealed and the Buddha's lifespan disclosed. This is mutual fulfillment from beginning to end, not mutual contradiction. Therefore, because the earlier text summoned [them] to uphold it, the sūtra could be propagated; because the subsequent text stopped the upholding, the distant lifespan was disclosed, which is precisely the propagation of the sūtra. Within the Buddha's stopping [the request], there are altogether two clauses: first, stopping the request from other directions. Second, from "Why is this?" onward, he cites the fact that this land itself has bodhisattvas to explain the stopping. Because those from other directions were not transformed by Śākyamuni, they could not reveal Śākyamuni's lifespan, and for this reason he stopped them; the bodhisattvas of this land were transformed by Śākyamuni and can reveal Śākyamuni's lifespan, so he cited them to explain the stopping. The earlier text's singling out of the bodhisattvas of other directions had its purpose in this. The mention of "sixty thousand" clarifies that the bodhisattvas who were transformed personally transcended the six destinies, which can reveal that Śākyamuni's realization of the Way was long ago. That "the retinue of each bodhisattva was also sixty thousand" clarifies that the retinues who were transformed also transcended the six destinies and are now all perfected, which even more reveals that the Tathāgata attained buddhahood long ago.