妙法蓮華經玄贊 1.57

1.57

有二解。一者龍軍等言：「佛唯有三法，謂大定、智、悲。久離戲論曾不說法，由佛慈悲本願緣力，眾生識上文義相生，此文義相雖親依自善根力起，而就強緣名為佛說，由耳根力及自意變故名我聞，以為體性。故無性云：隨墮八時，聞者識上，直、非直說，聚集顯現，以為體性。彼自難云：若爾，云何菩薩能說？」彼論初言：「薄伽梵前，已能善入大乘菩薩，為顯大乘體大，故說〈攝大乘品〉，故為此難。」論復自答：「彼增上生故作是說，譬如天等增上力故，令於夢中得論呪等，故經亦言：始從成道終至涅槃，於其中間不說一字。如母齒指，子生喚解。」二者親光等言：「佛身具有蘊、處、界等，由離分別名無戲論，豈不說法名無戲論？謂宜聞者善根本願緣力，如來識上文義相生，此文義相是佛利他善根所起，名為佛說，聞者識上雖不親得，然似彼相分明顯現，故名我聞。」世親說言：「謂餘相續識差別故，令餘相續差別識生，彼此互為增上緣故。由此經說：我所說法如手中葉，未所說法如林中葉，如末尼、天鼓無思而作事故。」此中二解隨彼兩文，綺互解釋。應知說此「如是我聞」，意避增減異分過失，謂如是法，我從佛聞，非他展轉顯示。聞者有所堪能，諸有所聞皆離增減異分過失，非如愚夫無所堪能。諸有所聞或不能離增減異分，結集法時傳佛教者，依如來教初說此言，為令眾生恭敬信受，言如是法我從佛聞，文義決定無所增減，是故聞者應正聞已，如理思惟當懃修學。

There are two explanations. First, Nāgasena and others say: "The Buddha possesses only three dharmas, namely, great samādhi, wisdom, and compassion. Having long abandoned proliferation (prapañca), he has never preached the Dharma. Through the conditioning power of the Buddha's compassion and fundamental vows, images of text and meaning arise upon the consciousness of sentient beings. Although these images of text and meaning arise strictly relying on the power of one's own wholesome roots, with respect to the predominant condition they are called the Buddha's preaching. Through the power of the ear faculty and the transformation of one's own mind, it is therefore called 'I have heard,' which serves as their essential nature. Therefore Asvabhāva says: 'According to the eight occasions, upon the consciousness of the hearer, direct and indirect preachings gather and appear, serving as the essential nature.' He himself objects: 'If so, how can bodhisattvas speak?' At the beginning of that commentary it says: 'Before the Bhagavat, bodhisattvas who are already able to skillfully enter the Mahāyāna, to show the greatness of the essence of the Mahāyāna, preach the Chapter on the Compendium of the Mahāyāna; hence this objection is raised.' The commentary again replies to itself: 'They make such preachings due to an overriding production, just as by the overriding power of devas and the like, treatises and mantras are obtained in a dream. Therefore the sūtra also states: From the time of achieving awakening down to nirvāṇa, in the interim he did not preach a single word. It is like a mother biting her finger, and the child's understanding is elicited.'" Second, Prabhāmitra and others say: "The Buddha's body fully possesses the aggregates, bases, elements, and so forth. It is by being free from conceptual construction that it is called free from proliferation; how could not preaching the Dharma be called free from proliferation? This means that by the conditioning power of the wholesome roots and fundamental vows of those suited to hear, images of text and meaning arise upon the Tathāgata's consciousness. These images of text and meaning are produced by the Buddha's wholesome roots of benefiting others, and are called the Buddha's preaching. Although the hearer's consciousness does not directly obtain them, nevertheless, resembling those images, they clearly appear, and therefore it is called 'I have heard.'" Vasubandhu states: "Because of the distinct consciousness of another continuum, distinct consciousnesses in other continua are caused to arise, because they serve as predominant conditions for one another. Thus the sūtra says: 'The Dharma I have spoken is like the leaves in my hand; the Dharma I have not spoken is like the leaves in the forest,' just as a cintāmaṇi jewel or a heavenly drum performs its function without thought." The two explanations here are mutually complementary explanations according to those two texts. It should be known that the utterance of this "Thus have I heard" is intended to avoid the faults of addition, subtraction, or discrepancy; that is, such Dharma I heard from the Buddha, not indirectly through others. It shows that the listener had the competence: whatever he heard was entirely free from the faults of addition, subtraction, or discrepancy, unlike foolish persons who lack competence, whose hearing cannot avoid addition, subtraction, or discrepancy. When compiling the Dharma, those who transmitted the Buddha's teaching spoke these words at the beginning relying on the Tathāgata's instruction, in order to cause sentient beings to reverently believe and accept it, saying that such Dharma I heard from the Buddha, and its text and meaning are definite without addition or subtraction; therefore, having heard it correctly, listeners should reflect on it according to principle and diligently cultivate and study it.