法華義疏 7.66

7.66

「譬如有人」者，第一初為父子譬也。此文明父子凡有四番：初番、就子明三譬；次、父就文明三譬；次、父就子明二義；次番、約父明二義。初文就子明三譬者，一、初為子時譬；二、中途失父譬；三、子漸還鄉譬。後就父亦明三義，「譬如有人」者，即此會三根聲聞也。有人即譬子義。昔佛為菩薩時如行而說，眾生如說而行，同共一行義如父子。「幼稚」者，此明小義，子通大小故別序幼稚，受化始爾為幼，觀解微弱稱稚也。「捨父逃逝」者，第二、中途相失譬。由受化始爾觀解微弱不能自固，遂為惑所牽所以失父。佛能說教表理以佛為父，迷教惑理不能感佛為失父也。但失父有二：一、根本失。如《涅槃經》云「隨其流處六味不同，失佛性故六道差別」。由此失故，諸佛菩薩說大乘正教令反失從得，但眾生惑強觀弱復惑教迷理，是為失中復更失也。前是任運失，後是學教失。

'Suppose there is a man' is the first, the parable of originally being father and son. This text explains father and son in four rounds: the first round explains three parables in terms of the son; next, it explains three parables in terms of the text on the father; next, the father explains two meanings in terms of the son; the next round explains two meanings in terms of the father. The first passage explaining three parables in terms of the son consists of: 1. the parable of the time of originally being a son; 2. the parable of losing the father midway; 3. the parable of the son gradually returning to his native land. Later, three meanings are also explained in terms of the father. 'Suppose there is a man': this refers to the śrāvakas of the three capacities in this assembly. 'A man' parallels the meaning of the son. In the past, when the Buddha was a bodhisattva, he spoke according to his practice, and sentient beings practiced according to his speech; sharing the same practice, their relationship was like that of father and son. 'Young and childish': this clarifies the meaning of being small. 'Son' applies to both great and small, so 'young and childish' is specifically added. Having just begun to receive transformation, he is 'young'; contemplation and understanding being weak, he is called 'childish'. 'Abandoning his father and running away' is the second, the parable of losing each other midway. Having just begun to receive transformation, his contemplation and understanding were weak and could not hold firm; consequently, dragged by delusion, he lost his father. The Buddha can expound the teaching to manifest the principle, taking the Buddha as father; being confused about the teaching and deluded about the principle, being unable to move the Buddha, is called losing the father. But losing the father is twofold: 1. the fundamental loss. As the Nirvāṇa Sūtra says: 'Depending on where it flows, the six tastes differ; because of losing the Buddha-nature, the six destinies are distinguished.' Because of this loss, the Buddhas and bodhisattvas expounded the correct Mahāyāna teaching, causing them to reverse the loss and attain gain; but sentient beings' delusion was strong and contemplation was weak, so they again became confused about the teaching and deluded about the principle—this is losing again within loss. The former is a spontaneous loss; the latter is a loss while studying the teaching.