法華義疏 9.139

9.139

第二、釋名門。言「法師」者，法謂妙法，平等正觀可為心軌故稱為法；以人能上弘大法、下為物師，故云法師。如世藥師以藥治人病名為藥師，不言為藥作師；法師亦爾，不言為法作師名為法師。然復有以法為師故云法師，是以經云「諸佛所師所謂法也」。下文亦有此意，故示弘經模軌，則是以法為師。然雖有二事，合成一旨，上既師於法，然後方能為人作師也。

Second, the section explaining the name. As for the term "Dharma master": "Dharma" refers to the wonderful Dharma; because the impartial, correct contemplation can serve as a guide for the mind, it is called "Dharma." Because a person can propagate the great Dharma above and serve as a teacher to beings below, they are called a "Dharma master." Just as in the world a physician uses medicine to cure people's illnesses and is called a physician, without saying that he is a master to the medicine, so too it is with a Dharma master: one is not called a Dharma master because one acts as a master to the Dharma. However, there is also the sense of taking the Dharma as one's master, hence "Dharma master"; therefore, the sūtra states: "That which all Buddhas take as master is the so-called Dharma." The text below also contains this meaning; hence, showing the models and standards for propagating the sūtra is precisely taking the Dharma as master. Although there are two points here, they combine into a single purport: having first taken the Dharma as master, only then can one act as a master to others.