法華義疏 2.105

2.105

瑞雖有三，義門唯二，前之二瑞表於所化，故明所化覩於二瑞；今辨放光即能化之瑞，故前明光瑞後辨覩瑞。又前二是依果瑞，後是正果瑞；又前是意業現瑞，後是身業現瑞。今欲分二瑞不同、兩見亦異，故不一處同辨也。依《法華論》，生起者，初入定現瑞，大眾覩瑞渴仰欲聞法，故佛放光，故有此章來也。「爾時」者，放光時也。「佛」者，放光人也。「眉間」者，放光處也。下不以足、上不以頂，眉間放光者，表一乘是中道法也。「白毫」者，表理顯明稱白，教無纖隱為毫。《智度論》出小乘人解白毫相云「舒之即長五尺，卷之即如旋螺」。《觀佛三昧經》云「為太子時長五尺，樹下時長一丈四尺五寸，成道時一丈五尺，舒之表裏有清徹白淨光明，置之便失淨光，而卷縮在兩眉之間」。經或言右旋宛轉如日正中，或言如天白寶。「光明」者，正放光也。表平等大慧智炬將暉，故身光前曜。光有二義：一、能顯物，喻此經顯一乘之理。二、能滅闇，表此經能滅二乘之惑。「照于東方」下，光所照處也。唯照一方不照九方者，唯有一乘無有餘乘也。於十方中但照東方者，東方為諸方之本，表一乘為三乘之本，故昔從一說三，今收三歸一也。「萬八千世界」者，表說一乘之果已滿如萬，一乘之因未圓如八千。又表一乘真實故義即具足如萬，三乘是方便未具足故如八千。又釋世界有定數者，此明感應相同也。眾生之感既其不遍，諸佛之應亦不普也。「靡不周遍」者，乘有十義，十相表之：一、有最上義，以頭表之。二、有中道義，以眉間表之。三、有顯明義，以白表之。四、有無纖翳義，以毫表之。五、有破闇義，以光表之。六、有不二義，以一方表之。七、有根本義，以東方表之。八、有果乘具足義，以萬表之。九、有因乘未具足義，以八千表之。十、說因果理盡義，以周遍表之。「下至阿鼻地獄上至阿迦尼吒天」者，上辨橫照，顯諸佛事；今明竪照，顯眾生事。照地獄，明苦之可愍；照有頂，顯樂亦無常。既是苦無常，令厭眾生事悟入佛事也。

Although there are three omens, their doctrinal perspectives are only two: the first two omens signify those who are transformed, and hence it explains that those who are transformed beheld the two omens; now distinguishing the emitting of light, it is the omen of the one who transforms, and hence it first explains the omen of light and afterwards distinguishes beholding the omen. Furthermore, the first two are omens of the dependent retribution, while the latter is an omen of the primary retribution; again, the former are omens manifested through mental action, while the latter is an omen manifested through bodily action. Now, wishing to distinguish the difference between the two omens and the distinctiveness of the two viewings, they are not treated together in one place. Relying on the Fahua lun: as for the sequence of arising, first entering samādhi manifests the omens, and the great assembly, beholding the omens, thirsts and longs to hear the Dharma; therefore the Buddha emits light, which is why this section follows. "At that time" is the time of emitting light. "The Buddha" is the person emitting light. "Between the eyebrows" is the location from which the light is emitted. Not below from the feet, nor above from the crown of the head—emitting light from between the eyebrows signifies that the ekayāna is the Dharma of the Middle Way. "White curl" (ūrṇā): "white" signifies that the principle is clear and radiant; "curl" (fine hair) signifies that the teaching is without the slightest obscurity. The Da zhidu lun presents a Hīnayāna explanation of the mark of the white curl, saying: "When stretched out, it is five feet long; when coiled up, it is like a spiral shell." The Guanfo sanmei jing says: "When he was crown prince, it was five feet long; when under the tree, it was one zhang, four feet, and five inches; when attaining the Way, it was one zhang and five feet. When stretched out, both inside and out possess a pure, clear, white light; when released, it ceases its clear light and coils back between the two eyebrows." Sūtras sometimes state that it turns gracefully to the right like the midday sun, or that it is like a heavenly white jewel. "Light" is the actual emitting of light. It signifies that the torch of wisdom of equal, great prajñā is about to shine forth, and so the body's light radiates beforehand. The light has two meanings: first, it can illuminate objects, an analogy for this sūtra illuminating the principle of the ekayāna; second, it can extinguish darkness, signifying that this sūtra can extinguish the delusions of the two vehicles. From "illuminating the eastern direction" downward: the area illuminated by the light. That it illuminates only one direction and does not illuminate the other nine directions signifies that there is only the ekayāna and no other vehicle. That among the ten directions it illuminates only the eastern direction is because the east is the root of all directions, signifying that the ekayāna is the root of the three vehicles; hence in the past three were spoken from the one, and now the three are gathered back to return to the one. "Eighteen thousand worlds": this signifies that the fruit of preaching the ekayāna is already complete, like ten thousand; the causes of the ekayāna are not yet rounded out, like eight thousand. Furthermore, it signifies that the ekayāna is real and thus its principles are complete, like ten thousand; the three vehicles are expedient means and not yet complete, hence like eight thousand. Alternatively, in explaining the worlds having a definite number, this clarifies that stimulus and response correspond with one another: since the stimulus of sentient beings is not all-pervasive, the response of the Buddhas is likewise not universal. "Nowhere did it not reach": the vehicle has ten meanings, signified by ten marks. 1. It has the meaning of being supreme, signified by the head. 2. It has the meaning of the Middle Way, signified by between the eyebrows. 3. It has the meaning of being clearly manifest, signified by white. 4. It has the meaning of being without the slightest obstruction, signified by the fine hair. 5. It has the meaning of destroying darkness, signified by light. 6. It has the meaning of non-duality, signified by one direction. 7. It has the meaning of being the root, signified by the eastern direction. 8. It has the meaning of the fruit vehicle being complete, signified by ten thousand. 9. It has the meaning of the causal vehicle being incomplete, signified by eight thousand. 10. It has the meaning of completely expounding the principles of cause and effect, signified by reaching everywhere. "Reaching down to the Avīci Hell and up to the Akaniṣṭha Heaven": the above distinguished horizontal illumination, revealing the Buddhas' affairs; now it clarifies vertical illumination, revealing sentient beings' affairs. Illuminating the hells clarifies that suffering is pitiable; illuminating the peak of existence reveals that pleasure is also impermanent. Since they are suffering and impermanent, it causes [them] to weary of sentient beings' affairs and awaken and enter the Buddha's affairs.