法華義疏 9.223

9.223

「爾時多寶佛」下，第四、明二佛共坐。就文又四：一、多寶要釋迦就坐；二、釋迦坐其半座；三、大眾覩見念欲昇空；第四、釋迦接在虛空。此四文處易知。所以二佛同坐者，正欲以多寶顯釋迦也。多寶滅既不滅、不滅示滅，釋迦雙林唱滅義亦同然。又多寶滅既不滅、不滅示滅，即顯釋迦不生而生、生而不生，以多寶出現欲顯釋迦實無生滅、方便生滅，故要釋迦共坐也。所以多寶欲顯釋迦者，正為稟釋迦教人執釋迦實有生滅，故舉多寶以顯釋迦，破執釋迦生滅病也。分身佛亦爾，以稟釋迦教人正謂釋迦是實佛，故集分身以顯釋迦，明淨土佛尚是迹而非本，則知釋迦是應而非真。《法華論》云「二佛共坐者，為顯化佛、報佛、法佛皆為成大事故也」。此欲明諸佛同心共顯大事故共坐也。大事即是法身。

From "At that time Prabhūtaratna Buddha" onward is the fourth [section], explaining the two buddhas sitting together. In the text there are again four [parts]: first, Prabhūtaratna invites Śākyamuni to take a seat; second, Śākyamuni takes half of his seat; third, the great assembly beholds them and wishes to ascend into the air; fourth, Śākyamuni draws them up into empty space. These four textual points are easy to recognize. The reason why the two buddhas sit together is precisely to use Prabhūtaratna to reveal Śākyamuni. Since Prabhūtaratna's extinction is non-extinction, and being non-extinct he manifests extinction, Śākyamuni's proclaiming extinction in the Twin Trees holds the same meaning. Furthermore, since Prabhūtaratna's extinction is non-extinction, and being non-extinct he manifests extinction, this reveals that Śākyamuni is unborn yet born, born yet unborn; through Prabhūtaratna's appearance, it reveals that Śākyamuni is truly without birth or extinction, and his birth and extinction are expedient means. Therefore he invites Śākyamuni to sit together with him. The reason why Prabhūtaratna wishes to reveal Śākyamuni is precisely because those who receive Śākyamuni's teaching cling to the view that Śākyamuni truly undergoes birth and extinction; hence Prabhūtaratna is cited to reveal Śākyamuni, refuting the sickness of clinging to Śākyamuni's birth and extinction. The same is true of the emanated buddhas: because those who receive Śākyamuni's teaching consider Śākyamuni to be the real Buddha, the emanated bodies are gathered to reveal Śākyamuni, showing that even the buddhas of pure lands are traces and not the origin, from which it is known that Śākyamuni is a response body and not the true one. The Fahua lun states: "The two buddhas sitting together reveals that the transformation buddha, the reward buddha, and the dharma buddha all act to accomplish the Great Event." This indicates that all buddhas are of one mind in jointly revealing the Great Event, and so they sit together. The Great Event is none other than the dharmakāya.