法華義疏 5.287

5.287

「是長者作是思惟」下，第三、救子不得譬。譬上一乘化眾生不得也。初總譬歎佛有樂無苦，次見火譬序眾生有苦無樂，今第三欲拔眾生之苦同佛無苦、與眾生之樂同佛有樂，但聖人雖能授，物不能受，故有此譬來也。又為釋疑故來，一乘既是真實，佛初出世何不即說。是故釋云：佛初成道即欲為說，但聖雖能授、物不堪受，故咎在眾生、過非佛也。據身而言，上見火譬在法身地見眾生有苦無樂，今以本垂跡欲拔苦與樂也。據悲心悲事明者，上見火譬明大悲內充，今明旋還赴救即悲事也。凡夫二乘雖有悲心而無悲事故名少悲，今有悲心兼有悲事故名大悲也。以小悲故名假相悲，以大悲故名真實悲。上〈方便品〉有三：初、明佛慧甚深、眾生根鈍，故不說法；二、梵王勸請；三、明假使欲說則有損無益，故違請息化。今轉勢說法開為二章：第一、作大乘勸門化眾生不得譬，第二、作大乘誡門化眾生不得譬。勸門者，謂歎法身功德也；誡門者，謂說生死過患也。又勸門即是大慈與樂也；誡門謂大悲拔苦也。所以唯明二門者，佛則有樂無苦，眾生則無樂有苦，此既總攝聖凡故但明斯二也。就勸門內有二思惟開為兩別：第一思惟、明佛能授大乘；第二思惟、明物不能受。此與〈方便品〉二思惟異者，〈方便品〉初思惟不可以妙慧授與鈍根，第二思惟假使強授有損無益。以轉勢不同故法譬為異，經師不應謂後譬必同前法也。「是長者作是思惟」者，總標思惟也。「我身手有力」者，出所思惟事也。極智之體名為法身，即智之用稱之為手，能濟惑反本名為有力。

From 'This elder thought thus' downward is the third [section], the parable of being unable to rescue the children. This illustrates that earlier the conversion of sentient beings through the ekayāna could not be achieved. First, the general parable praised the Buddha as possessing bliss and lacking suffering; next, the parable of seeing the fire recounted that sentient beings have suffering and lack bliss; now, third, wishing to eradicate the suffering of sentient beings so they are like the Buddha without suffering, and to bestow bliss upon sentient beings so they are like the Buddha possessing bliss, yet although the sage is able to give, beings are unable to receive; hence this parable follows. Furthermore, it comes to resolve doubts: since the ekayāna is the real, why did the Buddha not preach it immediately upon first appearing in the world? Therefore it explains: when the Buddha first attained the Way, he immediately wished to preach it, but although the sage was able to give, beings were incapable of receiving; hence the fault lay with sentient beings, and the blame was not the Buddha's. In terms of bodies: the preceding parable of seeing the fire resided on the ground of the dharmakāya, seeing that sentient beings have suffering and lack bliss; now, from the fundamental he manifests the trace, wishing to eradicate suffering and bestow bliss. In terms of compassionate mind and compassionate deeds: the preceding parable of seeing the fire explained great compassion inwardly brimming; now, explaining his turning back and hastening to rescue is the compassionate deed. Although ordinary beings and the two vehicles possess a compassionate mind, they lack compassionate deeds, hence it is called 'lesser compassion'; now possessing a compassionate mind together with compassionate deeds, it is called 'great compassion.' Because it is lesser compassion, it is called 'provisional-characteristic compassion'; because it is great compassion, it is called 'real compassion.' The preceding Expedient Means Chapter had three parts: first, explaining that the Buddha's wisdom is extremely profound and the faculties of sentient beings are dull, hence he did not preach the Dharma; second, the invitation and exhortation by Brahmā-rāja; third, explaining that if he wished to speak, there would be harm without benefit, hence he went against the request and ceased converting. Now, altering the presentation to expound the Dharma, it is divided into two chapters: first, the parable of being unable to convert sentient beings by means of the Mahāyāna gateway of encouragement; second, the parable of being unable to convert sentient beings by means of the Mahāyāna gateway of admonition. The gateway of encouragement means praising the virtues of the dharmakāya; the gateway of admonition means speaking of the faults and perils of birth and death. Furthermore, the gateway of encouragement is great benevolence bestowing bliss; the gateway of admonition is great compassion eradicating suffering. The reason only two gateways are explained is that the Buddha has bliss and no suffering, while sentient beings have no bliss and only suffering; since these completely encompass the sage and the ordinary, he only explains these two. Within the gateway of encouragement, there are two thoughts opened into two distinctions: the first thought explains that the Buddha is able to confer the Mahāyāna; the second thought explains that beings are unable to receive it. As for how this differs from the two thoughts in the Expedient Means Chapter: in the Expedient Means Chapter, the first thought was that wonderful wisdom could not be conferred upon dull faculties; the second thought was that if he forcibly conferred it, there would be harm without benefit. Because the alterations in presentation differ, the doctrine and the parable differ; commentators on the sūtras should not claim that the later parable must be identical to the earlier doctrine. 'This elder thought thus' generally marks the thought. 'My body and hands have strength' reveals the content of his thought. The essence of ultimate wisdom is called the dharmakāya; the functioning of that wisdom is called the hands; being able to rescue from delusion and return to the primal source is called 'having strength.'