法華義疏 2.420

2.420

以佛神力及說《法華》之力，能感諸天供養也。「又見諸佛土」下，此頌覩光瑞也。長行前明覩雨華動地瑞，後明覩光瑞。今偈文轉勢頌之，前逐近頌覩光瑞，次頌見雨華動地瑞。頌覩光瑞為六：一行偈頌見國土，一行頌見人物，一行半頌見化主，半行頌聞教門，二行頌見聲聞，三行頌見菩薩。此六即次第，要前有國土故初明見國土，有國土故有人物，有人物故有化主，有化主故說教門，前稟小教故有聲聞，後稟大教故成菩薩。頌化主中半行歎佛德，一行美佛形。「爾時四部眾」下一行，頌覩雨華動地瑞。「各各自相問」下半行，頌第五、疑問序。以昔答今，答更無有異人，故略無答問序也。「天人所奉尊」下四行，頌正說《法華》也。「讚妙光菩薩」者，以妙光善決眾疑，逆杜謗情、預開信解，即是世間眼也。「一切所歸信」者，前歎決疑之能即開發《法華》，今歎持法證法，預明佛滅後弘經之德也。持謂解語，證謂解義，具斯二德可以弘經也。以妙光既於佛滅後弘經，令物信受故歎斯兩事也。「佛說是法華」下，此第二、頌涅槃事。長行有六：一、唱滅；二、授記；三、正滅；四、弘宣；五、匠成八子；六、述彌勒本緣。今還頌此六也。長行略明唱滅，偈文廣釋之。即長行為章門，偈解釋也。此中有四：初二行唱滅，次一行誡勸，一行時眾悲哀，一行安慰。初二行為二：初一行半明唱滅意，次半行正唱滅。初有二意：令眾歡喜已謂利物畢，半行諸法實相義，明說教周，為此二事故宜應取滅。次半行正唱滅，如文。「是德藏菩薩」下一行半，頌授記。初三句明堪授記之德，次三句正明授記，亦是偈釋長行。「佛此夜滅度」下二行，頌第三正滅。二行為三：半行明正滅，半行明在家人起塔以生福，一行明出家人修道以生慧，即辨滅度之利益。前明唱滅生戀慕之善，今明正滅生福慧之益。「如薪盡火滅」者，依小乘義，以身為薪、智慧為火，故智慧依於身、身盡智便滅。又以煩惱為薪，以身為火，佛煩惱既盡身永不生，故異凡夫滅也。就大乘釋者，薪喻於感，火喻於應，眾生感盡、諸佛應息故。「是妙光法師」下一行，頌第四弘經。「是諸八王子」下三行，頌匠成八子。「是妙光法師」下六行，頌彌勒本緣，開之為三：兩行半頌彌勒之失，兩行半頌彌勒之得，一行頌結會古今。

It is by the Buddha's supernatural power and the power of expounding the Lotus [Sūtra] that he is able to stimulate the devas to make offerings. From "He also saw all the Buddha-lands" onward, this versifies the witnessing of the auspicious sign of light. The prose first clarified witnessing the signs of the raining of flowers and the earth quaking, and afterward clarified witnessing the sign of light. Now the verse text alters its approach in versifying them: first, it follows closely by versifying the witnessing of the sign of light, and next it versifies seeing the signs of the raining of flowers and the earth quaking. Versifying the witnessing of the sign of light consists of six [parts]: one full verse versifies seeing the lands, one verse versifies seeing the beings, one and a half verses versify seeing the master of transformation, half a verse versifies hearing the teaching, two verses versify seeing the śrāvakas, and three verses versify seeing the bodhisattvas. These six are sequential: necessarily there must first be lands, hence it first clarifies seeing the lands; because there are lands there are beings; because there are beings there is a master of transformation; because there is a master of transformation he expounds the teaching; because they previously received the lesser teaching there are śrāvakas; because they later received the great teaching they become bodhisattvas. Within versifying the master of transformation, half a verse praises the Buddha's virtues, and one full verse praises the Buddha's form. The one full verse from "At that time the fourfold assembly" onward versifies witnessing the signs of the raining of flowers and the earth quaking. The half verse from "Each and every one asked of one another" onward versifies the fifth, the doubt-and-inquiry introduction. Using the past to answer the present, there is no different person to answer, so it abridges and omits the answer-to-the-inquiry introduction. The four verses from "The Honoured One revered by devas and humans" onward versify the actual expounding of the Lotus [Sūtra]. "Praising Bodhisattva Varaprabha": because Varaprabha was skilled at resolving the assembly's doubts, warding off inclinations toward slander in advance, and initiating faith and understanding beforehand, he is indeed the eye of the world. "The one to whom all turn and trust": the previous [line] praised his ability to resolve doubts, which is disclosing the Lotus [Sūtra]; this now praises his upholding the Dharma and realizing the Dharma, clarifying beforehand his virtue in propagating the sūtra after the Buddha's extinction. Upholding means understanding the words; realizing means understanding the meaning. Endowed with these two virtues, one can propagate the sūtra. Since Varaprabha propagated the sūtra after the Buddha's extinction to lead beings to believe and accept it, he praises these two matters. From "The Buddha expounded this Lotus" onward, this is, secondly, versifying the events of the nirvāṇa. The prose has six [parts]: 1. announcing extinction; 2. conferring prophecy; 3. actual extinction; 4. propagation; 5. training the eight sons to fruition; 6. recounting Maitreya's past causes. Here it again versifies these six. The prose briefly clarifies announcing extinction, and the verse text extensively explains it; that is, the prose serves as the section headings, and the verses provide the explanation. Within this there are four [parts]: the first two verses announce extinction, the next full verse gives admonitions and encouragements, one full verse is the assembly's grief and sorrow, and one full verse provides consolation. The first two verses form two [parts]: the first verse and a half clarifies the intention in announcing extinction, and the next half verse actually announces extinction. The first contains two intentions: to have made the assembly rejoice, which means the benefiting of beings is complete; the half verse on the meaning of the true mark of all dharmas clarifies that the expounding of the teaching is complete. For these two reasons, it is appropriate to enter extinction. The next half verse actually announces extinction, as in the text. The verse and a half from "This Bodhisattva Guṇagabhīra" onward versifies conferring prophecy. The first three lines clarify the virtues worthy of receiving prophecy; the next three lines actually clarify conferring prophecy. This also constitutes the verses explaining the prose. The two verses from "The Buddha on this night passed into extinction" onward versify the third, the actual extinction. The two verses form three [parts]: half a verse clarifies actual extinction, half a verse clarifies laypeople erecting stūpas to generate merit, and one full verse clarifies monastics cultivating the path to generate wisdom, which is to say it distinguishes the benefits of passing into extinction. The earlier part clarified the good of generating longing through the announcement of extinction; this now clarifies the benefits of generating merit and wisdom through the actual extinction. "Like fire being extinguished when the fuel is exhausted": according to the Hīnayāna meaning, the body is the fuel and wisdom is the fire; hence wisdom relies on the body, and when the body is exhausted, wisdom is extinguished. Furthermore, afflictions are the fuel and the body is the fire; since the Buddha's afflictions are exhausted, the body will never again arise, which is why it differs from the extinction of ordinary beings. If explained in terms of the Mahāyāna: fuel is an analogy for stimulation, and fire is an analogy for response; when the stimulation of sentient beings is exhausted, the response of the Buddhas ceases. The one full verse from "This Dharma Master Varaprabha" onward versifies the fourth, propagating the sūtra. The three verses from "These eight princes" onward versify training the eight sons to fruition. The six verses from "This Dharma Master Varaprabha" onward versify Maitreya's past causes, dividing into three: two and a half verses versify Maitreya's shortcomings, two and a half verses versify Maitreya's attainments, and one verse versifies concluding and uniting past and present.