法華義疏 11.37

11.37

佛答亦二：初長行，次偈。長行又二：初、正明隨喜功德，答彌勒問。第二、汎明餘四種人所得功德。明隨喜人中有三：第一、通明五十人隨喜功德；第二、取最後第五十人，舉財、法二施格量；第三、舉後況初，明初者彌勝。前又開三：一、明隨喜人；「聞是經隨喜已」下，第二、明聞法隨喜；「從法會出」下，第三、次明轉教。隨喜即是自行，轉教謂化他也。「是諸人等」下，明第二人自行化他，「餘人聞已」下，明第三人自行化他，如是展轉至第五十人。上略出三人，今從四人已上至第五十。「阿逸多」下，第二、格量第五十人。上則明隨喜，今此辨功德，則是品題二事：一、隨喜；二、功德。又開四別：第一、許說誡聽；「若四百萬億」下，第二、正舉財法二施以問彌勒。三、彌勒奉答。四、佛格量。初、舉財施；二、舉法施。舉財施中，前明福田，次辨施主。舉六趣明四生者，《雜心》云「六趣但攝正生、不攝中陰，攝生不盡」，今欲攝生盡故說四生。天與地獄一向化生，餓鬼有胎、化生，人、畜具四也。所言六趣者開合不同，或合為一，謂分段生死；或分為二，即善惡二趣；或分為三，所謂三界；又分為五，依《正法念經》修羅有二：或鬼或畜，故無別道。依《伽陀經》修羅有鬼、畜、天，三道所攝，故無別道。依此經則為六道。《智度論》云「三種地獄：謂寒、熱、黑；三種畜：地、水、空；三種鬼：餓鬼、食不淨鬼、神鬼」。依餘經，二地獄：一、正地獄，在大海下；二、邊地獄，在餘山間。正地獄有一百三十六所也。依《正法念經》畜生有三十四億種類，具有四生四食；餓鬼有二：一在人中，二在鬼界。閻浮提下五百由旬是餓鬼國，種別有三十六，始從鑊身餓鬼終至燃身餓鬼。有形無形者，六趣之與四生所攝，謂一門攝眾生，即是趣門及與生門。今以二門攝，謂有形、無形也。次三門攝，謂有想、無想、非有想非無想。次四門攝，無足、二足、四足、多足。皆是增數法門以攝生也。「有人求福」下，次明施主。「而作是念」下，次明法施。凡有三句，前明法施意也。「即集此眾生」下，第二、正明法施。「一時皆得」下，第三、次明得益。前二是法施，今明福田也。「彌勒白佛」下，第三、彌勒奉答。「佛告」下，第四、正明格量。二施時長行廣，所以不及隨喜者，財施是世間因，法施但得二乘，隨喜超凡越聖必當作佛，故隨喜勝也。如十方螢火不及一日，大千野干不及一師子。《智度論》云「三千草樹不及一如意樹」。又罪福從乖府理生世間，二乘善根去理遠故福少，隨喜去理近是故福多。善有三品，財施是世間因為下品，法施令得二乘是名中品，隨喜作佛名為上品。「阿逸多如是」下，第三，以後況初。有人言：初人最勝後人劣者，第一前聽佛說法，次五十人聞法隨喜即是五十位，謂十地四十心，第五十人是十信初心，最初人是十地終心，故後不及初也。今明不爾，聞經勝劣前後不定，今且就一方明之。初人親聞是故福勝，後則傳聞其福則劣也。「又阿逸多」下，第二、汎明餘四人。彌勒但略問隨喜、佛廣答者，《智度論》釋〈往生品〉云「身子略問而佛廣答者，如貧人乞少物富者多惠施也」。

The Buddha's answer also has two parts: first prose, then verses. The prose also has two parts: first, directly explaining the merit of rejoicing in accord, answering Maitreya's question; second, generally explaining the merits obtained by the other four kinds of persons. Within the explanation of the person who rejoices in accord, there are three parts: first, generally explaining the merit of fifty persons rejoicing in accord; second, taking the last, fiftieth person and evaluating them against the two gifts of material wealth and the Dharma; third, using the later to contrast with the first, showing that the first is far superior. The first part again opens into three: 1. explaining the person who rejoices in accord; from "hearing this sūtra and rejoicing in accord" onward, 2. explaining hearing the Dharma and rejoicing in accord; from "leaving the Dharma assembly" onward, 3. explaining passing on the teaching. Rejoicing in accord is one's own practice; passing on the teaching means converting others. From "all these persons" onward explains the second person's self-practice and converting others; from "other people having heard" onward explains the third person's self-practice and converting others; thus it is transmitted sequentially down to the fiftieth person. The above briefly brings out three persons; now from four persons onward it reaches up to the fiftieth. From "Ajita" onward is the second part, evaluating the fiftieth person. The above explained rejoicing in accord; here merit is distinguished, which corresponds to the two matters in the chapter title: first, rejoicing in accord; second, merit. It again opens into four subdivisions: first, promising to preach and admonishing to listen; from "if four hundred myriad kotis" onward, second, directly setting forth the two gifts of material wealth and Dharma to question Maitreya; third, Maitreya respectfully answering; fourth, the Buddha's evaluation. First, setting forth the gift of material wealth; second, setting forth the gift of the Dharma. In setting forth the gift of material wealth, it first clarifies the field of merit and next distinguishes the donor. Setting forth the four modes of birth to explain the six destinies: the Saṃyuktābhidharmahṛdaya Śāstra states, "The six destinies only subsume actual births, not the intermediate state (antarābhava); they do not completely subsume living beings." Here, wishing to subsume beings completely, the four modes of birth are spoken of. Devas and hell-dwellers are solely apparitionally born; hungry ghosts have womb and apparitional birth; humans and animals possess all four. As for what are called the six destinies, their division and synthesis vary: they may be combined into one, namely saṃsāra of delimited portions; or divided into two, namely the good and evil destinies; or divided into three, namely the three realms; or divided into five, according to the Saddharmasmṛtyupasthāna Sūtra where asuras are of two kinds, either ghosts or animals, and thus there is no separate destiny. According to the Gāthā Sūtra, asuras are subsumed under the three destinies of ghosts, animals, and devas, and thus there is no separate destiny. According to this sūtra, they constitute six destinies. The Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa states: "Three kinds of hells: cold, hot, and dark; three kinds of animals: land, water, and air; three kinds of ghosts: hungry ghosts, filth-eating ghosts, and spiritual ghosts." According to other sūtras, there are two hells: first, the primary hells beneath the great ocean; second, peripheral hells among other mountains. There are one hundred and thirty-six primary hells. According to the Saddharmasmṛtyupasthāna Sūtra, animals have thirty-four hundred million species, possessing all four modes of birth and four nutriments; hungry ghosts are of two kinds: one among humans, the second in the realm of ghosts. Five hundred yojanas beneath Jambudvīpa is the realm of hungry ghosts, with thirty-six distinct species, beginning with the cauldron-bodied hungry ghosts and ending with the burning-bodied hungry ghosts. As for "with form or formless," they are subsumed under the six destinies and four modes of birth; that is, subsuming sentient beings by a single category, which is the category of destinies and the category of births. Here they are subsumed by two categories, namely with form and formless. Next, subsumed by three categories, namely with perception, without perception, and neither with perception nor without perception. Next, subsumed by four categories: footless, two-footed, four-footed, and many-footed. All these are numerical Dharma-gates to subsume sentient beings. From "there is a person seeking merit" onward next clarifies the donor. From "and has this thought" onward next clarifies the gift of the Dharma. There are three sentences in total; the first clarifies the intention of the gift of the Dharma. From "he then gathers these sentient beings" onward, second, directly clarifies the gift of the Dharma. From "at one time all obtain" onward, third, next clarifies obtaining the benefit. The previous two are the gift of the Dharma; here the field of merit is clarified. From "Maitreya addressed the Buddha" onward, third, Maitreya respectfully answers. From "The Buddha told" onward, fourth, directly clarifies the evaluation. The two gifts involve a long duration and broad practice; why are they not equal to rejoicing in accord? The gift of material wealth is a worldly cause; the gift of the Dharma merely attains the two vehicles; rejoicing in accord transcends ordinary persons and surpasses the sages, and one will certainly become a Buddha; therefore, rejoicing in accord is superior. Just as fireflies in the ten directions do not equal a single sun, and a jackal in a trichiliocosm does not equal a single lion. The Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa states: "The grass and trees of three thousand [worlds] do not equal a single wish-fulfilling tree." Moreover, sins and merits arise from divergence from the storehouse of principle into the worldly realm; the good roots of the two vehicles are far removed from principle, hence their merit is small; rejoicing in accord is close to principle, hence its merit is great. Goodness has three grades: the gift of material wealth is a worldly cause, which is the lower grade; the gift of the Dharma causes the attainment of the two vehicles, which is called the middle grade; rejoicing in accord to become a Buddha is called the upper grade. From "Ajita, like this" onward is the third part, using the later to contrast with the first. Some say: the first person is the most superior and the later persons are inferior, because the first directly listens to the Buddha preaching the Dharma, and the subsequent fifty persons hearing the Dharma and rejoicing in accord represent fifty stages, namely the ten grounds and the forty minds; the fiftieth person is the initial mind of the ten faiths, while the initial person is the final mind of the ten grounds, which is why the later do not equal the first. We now clarify that this is not so: the superiority and inferiority of hearing the sūtra is not fixed by sequence; we now clarify it provisionally from one perspective. The first person hears it directly, and therefore their merit is superior; later persons hear it by transmission, and their merit is inferior. From "Again, Ajita" onward is the second part, generally explaining the remaining four persons. As for Maitreya asking only briefly about rejoicing in accord while the Buddha answered at length: the Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa, commenting on the "Rebirth Chapter," states: "The reason Śāriputra asked briefly while the Buddha answered at length is like a poor person begging for a small thing and a wealthy person giving generously."