妙法蓮華經玄贊 1.21

1.21

顯時機中有二：一顯時，二顯機。初顯時者，諸佛設教略有二種：一頓，二漸。頓即被彼大機，頓從凡夫以求佛果，如《勝鬘經》所說一乘，一乘是權、四乘實故。漸即被彼從小至大機，如此經中所說一乘，一乘是實、二乘權故。此經多被從彼二乘以求佛果，多是漸教大乘所攝。古有釋言：教有五時。第一時者，佛初成道為提謂等五百賈人但說三歸五戒十善世間因果教，即《提謂》等五戒本行經是，未有出世善根器故。第二時者，佛成道竟三七日外，十二年中唯說三乘有行之教，未為說空，即《阿含》等小乘經是。第三時者，佛成道竟三十年中，說彼三乘同行空教，即《維摩》、《思益》、《大品》等是。第四時者，佛成道竟四十年中，說有一乘猶未分明演說佛性常住實相，尚說無常佛果以為真實，即《無量義》、《法華》等是，以前未明一乘義故，此中猶未分明演說常住佛性故。第五時者，謂雙林中說諸眾生悉有佛性常住佛教，即《涅槃經》、《大悲經》等是。乍觀可爾，理即不然。《提謂經》說五百賈人將受五戒先懺悔彼五逆十惡謗法等罪，得四大本淨、五陰本淨、六塵本淨、吾我本淨，時提謂等得不起法忍，三百賈人得柔順忍，二百賈人得須陀洹果，四天王等得柔順忍，三百龍王得信忍，自餘天等皆發無上道意，十億天人皆行菩薩十善。提謂長者滅三界苦得不起法忍，即是初地或第八地。又《普曜經》第二七日提謂等五百賈人獻佛[麩-夫+少]蜜，佛與授記：汝於來世當得作佛名曰齊成。云何但言第一唯是世間教也？但為此日猶未分明說三乘者同所觀諦，故未名轉法輪，至五比丘時方名轉法輪。次第二時十二年中唯說有教者，覺愛難云：成道五年說《大般若》正明實相；又第七年為八菩薩說《般舟三昧經》，正明眾生五陰本空；又第九年說《鴦掘摩羅三昧經》，第十年中說《如來藏經》，皆明涅槃佛性深理。又《提謂》、《普曜經》並明菩薩行，又與賈人授記成佛，明初成道已說大乘。又成道竟第二七日說《十地經》，又《大般若》云：「佛在鹿野轉四諦輪，無量眾生發聲聞心，無量眾生發獨覺心，無量眾生發阿耨多羅三藐三菩提心、行六波羅蜜，無量菩薩得無生法忍、住於初地二地三地乃至十地，無量一生補處菩薩一時成佛。」云何乃言第二時唯說三乘有教？是知一雨普潤稟解不同，不可說佛教必有先後。今依古義且破二時，後餘三時並如古人破，乍雖可爾理即不然，恐厭文繁且略應止。依今新經，頓教大乘但唯一時，與一大機不從小起，教被唯一，故漸次大教乃有三時。《解深密經》中「佛為勝義生菩薩依於三性說三無性皆是遍計所執性已。勝義生菩薩深生領解，廣說世間毘濕縛藥、雜綵書地、熟蘇虛空諸譬喻已，世尊讚歎善解所說。勝義生白言：佛初於一時在波羅痆斯仙人墮處施鹿林中，唯為發趣聲聞乘者，以四諦相轉正法輪，雖是甚奇甚為希有，一切世間無能轉者，而於彼時所轉法輪有上有容，是未了義，是諸諍論安足處所。世尊在昔第二時中，唯為發趣修大乘者，依一切法皆無自性、無生無滅、本來寂靜自性涅槃，以隱密相轉正法輪，雖更甚奇甚為希有。而於彼時所轉法輪，亦是有所容受，猶未了義，亦諸諍論安足處所。世尊于今第三時中，普為發趣一切乘者，依一切法皆無自性、無生無滅、本來寂靜、自性涅槃無自性性，以顯了相轉正法輪，第一甚奇最為希有。于今，世尊所轉法輪無上、無所容受，是真了義，非諸諍論安足處所。」依此經文，《阿含經》等為第一時，總密說有，不明有者有其何性。《大般若》等為第二時，總密說空，不明空者亦空何性。《華嚴經》等為第三時，顯了說有有依他、圓成，亦顯了說空空所執性。故《善戒經》等云：「有為無為名為有，我及我所名為空。」《金光明經》亦說三法輪，謂轉、照、持。轉四諦法，以空照有，非有非空可任持故。《涅槃》亦言：「初有醫師教人服乳，由純服乳國人多死。後有醫師說乳為毒教並令斷，國人並差。後王有疾，問藥所宜。醫更藥方以乳和藥。王瞋問彼：汝先所說乳為毒藥，何故今者令和藥服？醫答王言：前為純服國人多死，常純服之故說為毒，恐不能斷總令斷之。案實理者有病宜服，有病不宜；王今此病宜和藥服，正所應可。佛言：我法亦復如是。」《法華》亦言：「我等內滅自謂為足，唯了此事更無餘事」，初時教也。「我等若聞淨佛國土、教化眾生都無欣樂」，第二時教也。「佛亦如是，現希有事，知樂小者，以方便力調伏其心乃教大智，我等今日得未曾有，非先所望而今自得」，第三時教也。即同《金光明》、《解深密》等三時教也。若以偏圓機宜漸次，教但三時非一五等，不可難以一雨普潤三草不同教唯有一；其頓悟之機一果之證，即依此理無三時之教。若機成漸次，大從小生教定有三，應機說故，將理會教名為一雨；將教就機，說三乘法，或三或一，理不相違。此經三周說一乘處，多被聲聞，先說《般若》已教其空，破彼有病；彼不愚法既信解已，今說第三時令其歸趣，亦化頓悟因得發心，流通分中證獲無生也。如前所說亦通頓教，是知一雨滋益別故，為顯第三時真實之教故說此經。

In making clear the times and the capacities, there are two parts: first, making clear the times; second, making clear the capacities. As for the first, making clear the times, the teachings set forth by the buddhas are, in brief, of two kinds: first, sudden; second, gradual. The sudden caters to those of great capacity, suddenly proceeding from the stage of an ordinary person to seek the fruit of buddhahood, as with the Single Vehicle expounded in the Śrīmālā-sūtra, where the Single Vehicle is provisional while the four vehicles are real. The gradual caters to those of the capacity to proceed from the lesser to the greater, as with the Single Vehicle expounded in this sūtra, where the Single Vehicle is real while the two vehicles are provisional. This sūtra mostly caters to those proceeding from those two vehicles to seek the fruit of buddhahood, and is mostly subsumed under the Mahāyāna of gradual teaching. In antiquity, an interpretation stated that there are five periods of teaching. The first period was when the Buddha, upon first attaining the Path, taught for Trapuṣa and the other five hundred merchants only the worldly causal teaching of the three refuges, five precepts, and ten virtuous actions, which refers to the Trapuṣa and Bahalika Five Precepts Former Practices Sūtra and the like, because they did not yet possess the vessel of supramundane roots of good. The second period was that for twelve years after the three weeks following the Buddha's attainment of the Path, he taught only the practice of existence of the three vehicles without yet teaching emptiness, which refers to the Hīnayāna sūtras such as the Āgamas. The third period was that during the thirty years after the Buddha attained the Path, he taught that common practice of emptiness of the three vehicles, which refers to the Vimalakīrti, the Viśeṣacintā, the Pañcaviṃśatisāhasrikā, and so on. The fourth period was that during the forty years after the Buddha attained the Path, he taught that there is the Single Vehicle, yet had not clearly expounded that the buddha-nature is the eternal real mark, still speaking of an impermanent buddha-fruition as true reality, which refers to the Anantanirdeśa, the Lotus Sūtra, and so on, because previously the meaning of the Single Vehicle had not been clarified, and herein the eternally abiding buddha-nature had not yet been clearly expounded. The fifth period refers to the teaching among the Twin Trees that all sentient beings have the buddha-nature eternally abiding, which refers to the Nirvāṇa-sūtra, the Mahākaruṇā-sūtra, and so on. At first glance this seems admissible, but in principle it is not so. The Trapuṣa Sūtra says that the five hundred merchants, about to receive the five precepts, first repented of such offenses as the five heinous crimes, the ten unwholesome deeds, and slandering the Dharma, and attained the fundamental purity of the four great elements, the fundamental purity of the five aggregates, the fundamental purity of the six dust-objects, and the fundamental purity of the self; at that time, Trapuṣa and the others attained the endurance of the non-arising of dharmas, three hundred merchants attained the conforming endurance, two hundred merchants attained the fruit of srotāpanna, the Four Heavenly Kings and others attained the conforming endurance, three hundred dragon kings attained the endurance of faith, the rest of the devas and so on all gave rise to the mind of the unsurpassed Path, and a billion devas and humans all practiced the ten virtues of bodhisattvas. The elder Trapuṣa eliminated the suffering of the three realms and attained the endurance of the non-arising of dharmas, which is the first bhūmi or the eighth bhūmi. Furthermore, the Lalitavistara says that on the second week, Trapuṣa and the other five hundred merchants offered parched flour and honey to the Buddha, and the Buddha conferred a prophecy upon them: 'In a future age you shall become buddhas, named Complete Attainment.' How then can one say that the first [period] was only a worldly teaching? It was merely that on this day he had not yet clearly taught the truths jointly contemplated by the followers of the three vehicles, and so it was not yet named the turning of the wheel of the Dharma; only when he reached the five monks was it named the turning of the wheel of the Dharma. Next, regarding the claim that the second period of twelve years taught only the teaching of existence, Bodhiruci challenged this, saying: five years after attaining the Path, the Buddha expounded the Mahāprajñāpāramitā, properly clarifying the real mark; again, in the seventh year, for eight bodhisattvas he expounded the Pratyutpannasamādhi-sūtra, properly clarifying that the five aggregates of sentient beings are fundamentally empty; again, in the ninth year he expounded the Aṅgulimālīya-sūtra, and in the tenth year he expounded the Tathāgatagarbha-sūtra, both clarifying the profound principle of nirvāṇa and buddha-nature. Furthermore, the Trapuṣa and Lalitavistara both clarify bodhisattva practice, and moreover conferred prophecies of buddhahood upon the merchants, making it clear that upon first attaining the Path he had already taught the Mahāyāna. In addition, on the second week after attaining the Path, he expounded the Daśabhūmika-sūtra; and the Mahāprajñāpāramitā says: 'When the Buddha turned the wheel of the four truths in the Deer Park, immeasurable sentient beings gave rise to the śrāvaka aspiration, immeasurable sentient beings gave rise to the pratyekabuddha aspiration, immeasurable sentient beings gave rise to the aspiration for anuttarasamyaksaṃbodhi and practiced the six pāramitās, immeasurable bodhisattvas attained the endurance of the non-arising of dharmas and abode in the first bhūmi, second bhūmi, third bhūmi, up to the tenth bhūmi, and immeasurable bodhisattvas bound to one last birth simultaneously attained buddhahood.' How then can it be said that the second period taught only the existence-teaching of the three vehicles? From this it is known that the single rain uniformly moistens, but the receptions and understandings differ; one cannot claim that the Buddha's teachings must have had a strict sequence. Now, relying on the ancient interpretation, we provisionally refute these two periods; the remaining three periods are all refuted just as the ancients refuted them. Though at first glance it might seem admissible, in principle it is not so; fearing excessive length of text, we shall provisionally cease. Relying on the current new sūtras, the sudden teaching of the Mahāyāna has only a single period, given to those of one great capacity who do not arise from the lesser, and the teaching addressed [to them] is single; therefore, it is the gradual great teaching that has three periods. In the Sandhinirmocana-sūtra, 'the Buddha, for Paramārthasamudgata Bodhisattva, having relied on the three natures to teach that the three non-natures are all the imagined nature; Paramārthasamudgata Bodhisattva deeply understood and grasped [it], and having broadly spoken of the worldly parables of the viśva medicine, painting upon the ground with varied colors, and melted butter in empty space, the Bhagavat praised his skillful understanding of what had been spoken. Paramārthasamudgata addressed [the Buddha], saying: "Formerly, at one time, in the Deer Park at Ṛṣipatana in Vārāṇasī, solely for those setting forth in the śrāvaka vehicle, the Buddha turned the wheel of the true Dharma through the characteristics of the four truths. Although this was most marvelous and most rare, such that none in all the world could turn it, the wheel of the Dharma turned at that time was surpassable, accommodated [other teachings], was of implicit meaning, and was a foothold for disputes. In the past second period, the Bhagavat, solely for those setting forth to cultivate the Mahāyāna, relying on all dharmas having no own-nature, being unarisen and unceasing, fundamentally tranquil and of the nature of nirvāṇa, turned the wheel of the true Dharma with an esoteric characteristic. Although this was even more marvelous and even more rare, the wheel of the Dharma turned at that time was also still accommodative, not yet of explicit meaning, and also a foothold for disputes. In the present third period, the Bhagavat, universally for those setting forth in all vehicles, relying on the non-own-nature nature of all dharmas having no own-nature, being unarisen and unceasing, fundamentally tranquil, and of the nature of nirvāṇa, has turned the wheel of the true Dharma with an explicit characteristic, which is premier, most marvelous, and most rare. Now, the wheel of the Dharma turned by the Bhagavat is unsurpassed, unaccommodating, truly of explicit meaning, and not a foothold for disputes."' Relying on this sūtra text, the Āgamas and the like are the first period, generally and esoterically teaching existence, without clarifying what nature that existence has. The Mahāprajñāpāramitā and the like are the second period, generally and esoterically teaching emptiness, without clarifying what nature that emptiness also empties. The Avataṃsaka-sūtra and the like are the third period, explicitly teaching that existence has the dependent and the consummate, and also explicitly teaching that emptiness empties the imagined nature. Therefore the Upāsakaśīla-sūtra and others state: 'Conditioned and unconditioned are called existence; self and what belongs to self are called emptiness.' The Suvarṇaprabhāsa-sūtra also speaks of three wheels of the Dharma, namely: turning, illuminating, and maintaining—turning the dharma of the four truths, illuminating existence with emptiness, and because neither-existence-nor-emptiness can be sustained. The Nirvāṇa[-sūtra] also states: 'Originally there was a physician who taught people to drink milk. Because they drank solely milk, many people in the country died. Later there was a physician who said milk was poison and taught them all to stop drinking it, and the people of the country all recovered. Later, when the king fell ill, he asked what medicine was appropriate. The physician revised the prescription, mixing milk into the medicine. The king angrily questioned him: "You previously said milk was a poison, so why do you now have it mixed into medicine to be taken?" The physician replied to the king: "Previously, because they drank it solely, many people in the country died; because they constantly drank it solely, I called it poison, and fearing they could not stop it, I had them cease it entirely. In actual fact, for certain illnesses it is suitable to drink it, and for certain illnesses it is not suitable; for your Majesty's present illness, it is suitable to take it mixed into medicine, which is precisely what is appropriate." The Buddha said: "My Dharma is also just like this."' The Lotus [Sūtra] also states: 'We, having internal cessation, thought ourselves content, understanding only this matter and having no other matter'—this is the teaching of the first period. 'If we heard of purifying buddha-lands and teaching and transforming sentient beings, we felt no joy at all'—this is the teaching of the second period. 'The Buddha is also like this: manifesting rare matters, knowing those who delight in the lesser, through the power of expedient means he tames their minds and then teaches the great wisdom; we today have attained what we never had before, not what we formerly expected, but now attaining it of ourselves'—this is the teaching of the third period. This is identical to the teaching of the three periods in the Suvarṇaprabhāsa, the Sandhinirmocana, and so forth. If one considers the gradual order according to partial or complete capacities, the teachings have only three periods, not one or five and so on; one cannot raise the objection that because the single rain universally moistens the three kinds of plants differently, the teaching is only one. As for those capacities of sudden awakening and the realization of the single fruit, relying on this principle there is no teaching of three periods. If the capacities are formed gradually, the great arising from the small, the teachings are definitely three; because they are spoken in response to capacity, bringing the principle to accord with the teaching is called the single rain; adapting the teaching to the capacities, he expounded the dharmas of the three vehicles—either three or one, their principles do not conflict. Where this sūtra expounds the Single Vehicle in three rounds, it mostly caters to the śrāvakas: having previously spoken of prajñā, he had already taught them emptiness to break their disease of existence; since those who were not ignorant of dharmas had already believed and understood, he now speaks the third period to cause them to take refuge, and also converts those of sudden awakening so that they thereby give rise to the aspiration, realizing and attaining non-arising in the dissemination section. As previously stated, it also penetrates the sudden teaching; hence it is known that the single rain's nourishing benefits are distinct, and it is in order to reveal the true teaching of the third period that this sūtra was expounded.