法華義疏 11.46

11.46

品開為二：第一、總明五種法師得六千功德。第二、別釋對常精進者，一、隨緣所宜。二者、此人持經已得根淨果報故還對之。三者、欲得淨根必須精進，因名表義故對之也。「六千功德」者，菩薩行善不出三業，身三、口四、意三，合為十善，一善為首、餘九莊嚴，是則十善互相莊嚴成百善也。自行百善，教他行百善，人讚歎百善，法讚歎百善，合為四百善，約五種法師皆具四百成二千善也。此二千善又有上中下品，故成六千也。有人言：菩薩行十善，一善亦以九善莊嚴故成十善，十善便成百善，自行百善，教他行百善，歎法為百，歎人為百，合為四百。此之四百有上中下品，成千二百，三根持經用勝具得三品故有千二百，餘三根持經用劣但得中下二品故有八百。有人言：就百福為論，此經云「百福相莊嚴」，〈藥王品〉百福莊嚴臂，則知六根皆具百福，一一福各十善莊嚴成一千功德，一根一千則為六千，但三根於弘經事勝功德則多，餘三既劣故少也。明五種法師為因，故得六千功德也。《普賢觀經》明懺悔六根罪故得六根淨，但懺悔有二法：初、對十方生身佛就事中懺悔六根罪，故云「從無始來六根所作三障今悉懺悔」；次、對法身佛依實相懺悔，觀六根是因緣生本來寂滅。具此二懺悔故六根清淨。

The chapter opens into two parts: First, it generally explains that the five kinds of Dharma masters attain six thousand merits. Second, it separately explains them. As for addressing Constant Diligence: first, it accords with what is appropriate to conditions. Second, because this person upholds the sūtra and has already attained the retribution of purified faculties, [the Buddha] addresses him back. Third, if one wishes to attain purified faculties one must be diligent; because the name manifests the meaning, he addresses him. As for the 'six thousand merits': when bodhisattvas practice good, it does not go beyond the three karmas—three bodily, four vocal, and three mental—combining to make the ten goods. With one good as the head and the remaining nine adorning it, the ten goods mutually adorn one another to make a hundred goods. Practicing the hundred goods oneself, teaching others to practice the hundred goods, praising the hundred goods of persons, and praising the hundred goods of dharmas combine to make four hundred goods; applied to the five kinds of Dharma masters, all possessing four hundred, they make two thousand goods. These two thousand goods further have superior, middling, and inferior grades, therefore making six thousand. Some say: When bodhisattvas practice the ten goods, each one good is also adorned by nine goods, therefore becoming ten goods; the ten goods then become a hundred goods. Practicing the hundred goods oneself, teaching others to practice the hundred goods, praising the Dharma as a hundred, and praising persons as a hundred combine to make four hundred. These four hundred have superior, middling, and inferior grades, making one thousand two hundred. The three faculties' function in upholding the sūtra is superior and fully attains the three grades, therefore having one thousand two hundred; the other three faculties' function in upholding the sūtra is inferior and only attains the middling and inferior two grades, therefore having eight hundred. Some say: Discussing it in terms of the hundred blessings, this sūtra says, 'adorned with the marks of a hundred blessings', and the 'Medicine King Chapter' has 'arms adorned with a hundred blessings'; thus one knows that all six faculties possess a hundred blessings. Each individual blessing is adorned by ten goods, making one thousand merits; with one thousand for each faculty, this makes six thousand. However, because the three faculties are superior in the matter of propagating the sūtra their merits are numerous, while the other three, being inferior, are fewer. It clarifies that taking the five kinds of Dharma masters as the cause results in attaining the six thousand merits. The Samantabhadra Contemplation Sūtra explains that through repenting the sins of the six faculties one attains the purification of the six faculties. However, repentance has two methods: first, repenting the sins of the six faculties with respect to phenomenal matters before the physical-body Buddhas of the ten directions, therefore saying, 'I now repent all the three hindrances created by the six faculties since beginningless time'; second, repenting based on the true mark before the dharmakāya Buddha, contemplating that the six faculties arise from causes and conditions and are fundamentally quiescent. Fully possessing these two repentances, the six faculties are purified.