法華義疏 8.325

8.325

「所將人眾中路懈退」，第二、中途說小譬。亦有三句：一、知小機發譬；二、說小教譬；三、稟教得益譬。小機發有二：初、明小機發；次、明佛智照。小機發有三句：一、標欲退；二、釋欲退；三、結欲退。今是初也。「中路」者，初發大心欲出離生死，遠求佛道欲離小行，而大解未成於此中間而退也。若譬上過去世事者，自昔化已後訖至今化之前，二楹之間廢忘大心退失大行，亦得是未成佛道中間，名為中路也。「白導師言」者，既其退大，則有小機以扣於佛，為佛慧所照，謂白師之義也。「我等疲極而復怖畏不能復進前路猶遠」者，上標懈退也，今釋懈退也。夫退有三事：一者、疲極故退，喻習大乘觀解微弱未有力勢，不能進至佛道。二、怖畏故退，譬生死中多諸患難。三、路遠故退，譬佛道三僧祇劫然後乃階，過小之外一行不堪修習，故言不能復進也。「今欲退還」者，此第三句，結退也。退有二事：一、退為凡夫；二、退為二乘。今欲退還生死，故名退也。亦得發始即不求佛，故止而不進，名為退還。

"The multitude being led became weary and wished to turn back midway along the road" is the second [section], the parable of teaching the Hīnayāna midway. It also has three clauses: 1. the parable of knowing that the capacity for the small has arisen; 2. the parable of teaching the Hīnayāna doctrine; 3. the parable of receiving the teaching and gaining benefit. The arising of the capacity for the small has two parts: first, clarifying that the capacity for the small has arisen; next, clarifying the Buddha's wisdom illuminating it. The arising of the capacity for the small has three clauses: 1. indicating the desire to turn back; 2. explaining the desire to turn back; 3. concluding the desire to turn back. This is the first. "Midway": having initially aroused the great aspiration, wishing to escape saṃsāra, seeking the Buddha path from afar and wishing to leave behind Hīnayāna practice, yet before the great understanding was completed, they retrogressed midway through this. If exemplifying past events in former lifetimes: from after the ancient transformation up until before the present transformation, between the two pillars they neglected and forgot the great mind and retrogressed from the great practice; it can also be the interval before having accomplished the Buddha path, which is called 'midway'. "Said to the guide": since they retrogressed from the great, there was then a capacity for the small to solicit the Buddha, which was illuminated by the Buddha's wisdom—this is what is meant by speaking to the teacher. "We are utterly exhausted and also fearful, unable to advance further; the road ahead is still long": the above indicated their weariness and retrogression; here it explains their weariness and retrogression. Now retrogression has three aspects: first, retrogressing due to utter exhaustion, which exemplifies their contemplation and understanding in training in the Mahāyāna being weak and lacking strength, unable to advance to the Buddha path; second, retrogressing due to fear, which exemplifies the manifold perils and difficulties within saṃsāra; third, retrogressing because the road is long, which exemplifies that the Buddha path takes three asaṃkhyeya kalpas before it can be ascended, and beyond the Hīnayāna they cannot bear to cultivate even a single practice, hence they say they are unable to advance further. "Now we wish to turn back": this is the third clause, concluding the retrogression. Retrogression has two aspects: 1. retrogressing to become an ordinary person; 2. retrogressing to become the two vehicles. Now they wish to turn back to saṃsāra, hence it is called turning back. It can also mean that from the outset they did not seek Buddhahood, and so they stopped and did not advance, which is called turning back.