法華義疏 2.70

2.70

Some say: since it is the introductory portion of the Lotus Sūtra and not yet the main sūtra, he does not enter it. Some say: if he entered the Lotus Samādhi, Maitreya and others would immediately be able to fathom it; now, wishing to make them unable to surmise it, he therefore does not enter the Lotus Samādhi. Now it is clarified that the overarching theme of this sūtra has in general two approaches: First, within the one Buddha-yāna discriminately preaching three, which means arising from the root to produce the branches. Second, converging the three to the one, which means gathering the branches back to the root. The Immeasurable Meanings Sūtra above clarified the meaning of arising and producing, which revealed the Lotus Sūtra's arising from the root to produce the branches; now returning to enter the concentration of the station of immeasurable meanings reveals that this sūtra clarifies gathering the branches back to the root. Since these two are the beginning and the end of the sūtra, they serve as the preface for opening and developing. Furthermore, preaching the Immeasurable Meanings Sūtra above meant that arising from the one to produce the many is preaching the single Dharma; now entering the concentration of the station of immeasurable meanings means returning to enter the single Dharma; thus emerging and entering are both the purity of the single path, revealing that the Lotus Sūtra is also like this; hence it serves as the preface to the Lotus Sūtra.