法華義疏 4.202

4.202

「思惟如是事」下，第三、明思惟事。有人言：初七日思惟佛智微妙，二七日思惟眾生鈍根，三七日思惟不可以妙慧授鈍根也。有人言：初七日欲法說一乘無機即止，二七日思惟欲譬說一乘無機即止，三七日欲宿世因緣說一乘無機即止，以覓下中上三機悟一乘不得，故三七日也。又云，初七日以勸門說大乘不得，二七日誡門說大乘不得，三七日誡勸合說不得也。今明如上辨，隨從世法故有三七之言。「我所得智慧」者，今文直出所思惟之三事：一、佛慧微妙，二、眾生鈍根，三、不可以妙慧授鈍根。佛慧微妙者，非愚非智、絕觀絕緣，故稱微妙也。「眾生諸根鈍」者，明慧根鈍也。「著樂癡所盲」者，非直鈍根，復有二失：一者、著樂，所謂愛也；二、愚癡，謂無明也。《毘婆沙》云「譬如人，縛其手足、以物覆眼，安蕀林中不能得出；眾生為愛所縛、無明所覆，故不能出生死稠林。」「如斯之等類」下，第三、不可以妙慧授鈍根也。

From "contemplating such matters" down is the third part: explaining the matter of contemplation. Some say: during the first seven days, he contemplated that the Buddha's wisdom is subtle and wondrous; during the second seven days, he contemplated that sentient beings have dull faculties; during the third seven days, he contemplated that wondrous wisdom cannot be conferred upon dull faculties. Some say: during the first seven days, he wished to teach the ekayāna directly through the Dharma, but finding no capacity, he stopped; during the second seven days, he contemplated teaching the ekayāna through parables, but finding no capacity, he stopped; during the third seven days, he wished to teach the ekayāna through past causes and conditions, but finding no capacity, he stopped; because he sought the three capacities—inferior, middling, and superior—to awaken to the ekayāna and could not find them, it was for three times seven days. Still others say: during the first seven days, he could not teach the Mahāyāna through the approach of encouragement; during the second seven days, he could not teach the Mahāyāna through the approach of admonition; during the third seven days, he could not teach it through the combined approach of admonition and encouragement. Now we explain, as clarified above, that the expression "three times seven" is due to conforming to worldly conventions. "The wisdom I have attained": the present text directly presents the three matters contemplated: first, the Buddha's wisdom is subtle and wondrous; second, sentient beings have dull faculties; third, wondrous wisdom cannot be conferred upon dull faculties. "The Buddha's wisdom is subtle and wondrous": it is neither foolish nor wise, beyond contemplation and beyond conditions; hence it is called subtle and wondrous. "Sentient beings' faculties are all dull" explains that their faculties of wisdom are dull. "Attached to pleasures and blinded by delusion": not only are their faculties dull, but they also have two faults: first, attachment to pleasures, which is craving; second, folly, which is ignorance. The Vibhāṣā states: "Just as a man whose hands and feet are bound and whose eyes are covered with an object, placed in a briar patch, cannot get out; sentient beings are bound by craving and covered by ignorance, and so cannot emerge from the thicket of birth and death." From "such sorts of beings" down is the third point: wondrous wisdom cannot be conferred upon dull faculties.