法華義疏 3.99

3.99

The brief explanation, the extensive explanation, and the subsequent corroborating explanation in the initial section all praise the Buddha's wisdom; hence they properly clarify the meaning of the result-vehicle. There are two points that explain why this is so: First, because the virtues of the result-vehicle are all entirely complete and its encumbrances are all completely eliminated, it is called wonderful and can be compared to a lotus flower. As for the lotus flower, because its receptacle and petals are fully complete, it is like virtues being all entirely complete; because it is pure and unstained, it is like encumbrances being all completely eliminated. Therefore it says, "This vehicle is subtle and wonderful, pure, and foremost"; thus the result-vehicle is taken as primary. The virtues of the cause-vehicle are not yet complete and its encumbrances are not yet eliminated, so it cannot be called wonderful; lacking these two aspects, it cannot be compared to a lotus flower. Second, the sūtra in the initial section properly clarifies that the results of the two vehicles are expedient means, and therefore clarifies that the one Buddha-vehicle is real; this causes [practitioners] to abandon the lesser result and seek the result of the Great Vehicle, which is why clarifying the result-vehicle is primary. Once the one Buddha-result-vehicle is clarified, the results of the two vehicles are subsumed under the cause-vehicle, causing them to cultivate the causes of a Buddha in order to seek the result of Buddhahood.