法華義疏 3.225

3.225

「今者四眾」下，第二、騰眾疑也。「唯願世尊」下，第二、請決。為二：初、正請。「世尊」下，騰所請事。正以甚深是故請耳；若是淺近我亦知之，不請說也。就偈文為二：初八行，頌生疑；次頌請決。初文又二：前三行半，牒所疑事；次四行半，正明生疑。「慧日大聖尊」者，請說之中皆有三歎三請，初文明慧日大聖尊者，歎佛有堪決疑之德。日有二義：一、能滅無明之闇；二、能顯一實之理也。此眾會中凡有三聖：一、五通諸仙，謂下聖也。二、諸羅漢等，謂中聖也。三、法身菩薩，謂大聖也。佛於三聖中最大，故言大聖尊。若非大聖，無以能決三聖之疑也。如象沒泥要須象拔之。「久乃說是法」者，上歎決疑人，今嘆法為希有也。「自說得如是」下，正牒所疑事也。初、牒自說、自歎二種章門；次、釋二章門。「自說得如是」等三句，牒自說章門也。「不可思議法」者，牒自歎章門也。「道場所得法」下，釋二章門也。初有五句，釋自說章門；次有三句，釋自歎章門。初半行偈，明佛自說實智；「我意難可測」下，明佛自說權智。「無問而自說」者，此句結成上義也。以初從定起時無人能問佛權實二智，故佛自說也。自歎三句中，初句明自歎因，下兩句明自歎果。佛初從定起自說所得權實二智，自歎所行因果。身子欲為大眾釋佛自說自歎之意，明佛初從定起時無人能問、無人能歎，是故如來自說自歎也。

From "Now the fourfold assembly" onward is the second: presenting the assembly's doubt. From "We only pray that the World-Honoured One" onward is the second: requesting a resolution. This has two parts: first, the formal request; from "World-Honoured One" onward, presenting the matter requested. It is precisely because it is extremely profound that he requests it; if it were shallow and near at hand, I too would know it, and would not request that it be expounded. Regarding the verse text, there are two parts: the first eight lines praise the arising of doubt; next, the verses request a resolution. The first text also has two parts: the first three and a half lines restate the matter doubted; the next four and a half lines formally explain the arising of doubt. As for "Sun of Wisdom, Great Holy Honoured One": within the requests to speak there are always three praises and three requests; the first text, explaining "Sun of Wisdom, Great Holy Honoured One," praises the Buddha as possessing the virtue capable of resolving doubts. The sun has two meanings: first, it can destroy the darkness of ignorance; second, it can reveal the principle of the one reality. In this assembly there are in all three kinds of sages: first, the immortals with the five supernatural powers, who are called the lesser sages; second, the arhats and others, who are called the intermediate sages; third, the dharmakāya bodhisattvas, who are called the great sages. The Buddha is the greatest among the three sages, hence he is called the "Great Holy Honoured One." If one were not a great sage, one would have no way to resolve the doubts of the three sages, just as an elephant sunk in mud must have an elephant to pull it out. As for "Only after a long time does he expound this Dharma": above, praising the person who resolves doubts; now, praising the Dharma as rare. From "He himself stated that he has attained such [Dharma]" onward, he formally restates the matter doubted. First, he restates the two thematic headings of self-exposition and self-praise; next, he explains the two thematic headings. The three lines "He himself stated that he has attained such [Dharma]" and so forth restate the thematic heading of self-exposition. "Inconceivable Dharma" restates the thematic heading of self-praise. From "The Dharma attained at the site of enlightenment" onward, he explains the two thematic headings. First there are five lines explaining the thematic heading of self-exposition; next there are three lines explaining the thematic heading of self-praise. The first half-line of verse explains the Buddha himself expounding real wisdom; from "My intention is difficult to fathom" onward, it explains the Buddha himself expounding upāyic wisdom. "Expounding of himself without being asked": this line concludes and establishes the meaning above. Because when first arising from samādhi there was no one capable of asking about the Buddha's two wisdoms—upāyic and real—the Buddha therefore expounded of himself. Among the three lines of self-praise, the first line explains the cause of self-praise, and the two lines below explain the fruit of self-praise. When the Buddha first arose from samādhi, he expounded of himself the upāyic and real wisdoms he had attained, and praised of himself the cause and fruit he had practiced. Śāriputra wished to explain to the great assembly the Buddha's intention in expounding of himself and praising of himself, clarifying that when the Buddha first arose from samādhi there was no one capable of asking and no one capable of praising, and for this reason the Tathāgata expounded of himself and praised of himself.