法華義疏 5.265

5.265

前明五百通辨五道眾生，明有人天乘根性未必具三乘根性；今別明三十子，雖是五道所攝但別有三乘根性，故別說之。昔曾稟教生善，善從佛生，詺善為子。以善目人，人受子名也。舊云：「十」譬聲聞，「二」十譬緣覺，「三十」譬菩薩，聲聞德少故數少，菩薩德多故數多。又云：十子易得如聲聞根性易得，乃至三十子難得譬菩薩根性難得。今並不同此二義，以「十」譬菩薩，「二十」譬緣覺，「三十」譬聲聞。求大乘者少如一十，求緣覺稍多如二十，求聲聞者轉多如三十。此釋出《華嚴經．賢首品》。又即如此經三根人，上根得解者少如身子一人，中根稍多如四大聲聞，下根轉多乃至五百也。

The earlier explanation of five hundred generally distinguished the sentient beings of the five destinies, explaining that those who have the faculties and natures of the human and deva vehicles do not necessarily possess the faculties and natures of the three vehicles; now specifically explaining the thirty sons, although they are subsumed under the five destinies, they specifically possess the faculties and natures of the three vehicles, so they are stated separately. Having formerly received the teaching and generated goodness, and goodness being born from the Buddha, goodness is designated as "sons." Denoting the persons by their goodness, the persons receive the name "sons." The ancient [masters] said: "ten" parables śrāvakas, "twenty" parables pratyekabuddhas, and "thirty" parables bodhisattvas; because śrāvakas have few virtues, their number is small, while because bodhisattvas have many virtues, their number is large. They also said: ten sons are easy to obtain, just as the faculty and nature of a śrāvaka is easy to obtain, whereas up to thirty sons are difficult to obtain, parabling that the faculty and nature of a bodhisattva is difficult to obtain. Now I agree with neither of these two interpretations: "ten" parables bodhisattvas, "twenty" parables pratyekabuddhas, and "thirty" parables śrāvakas. Those seeking the Mahāyāna are few, like ten; those seeking the pratyekabuddha [vehicle] are slightly more, like twenty; those seeking the śrāvaka [vehicle] are still more, like thirty. This interpretation comes from the "Xianshou Chapter" of the Avataṃsaka Sūtra. Furthermore, it is just like the persons of the three faculties in this sūtra: those of superior faculties who attain understanding are few, like Śāriputra alone; those of intermediate faculties are slightly more, like the four great śrāvakas; those of lower faculties are still more, up to five hundred.