妙法蓮華經玄贊 1.71

1.71

贊曰：第四所化處也。遊化、居止目之為住，住者居止遊化安處之義。居止在山、遊化在城中，佛依此中遊化安處。古人因此解聖、天、梵、佛等住，住名雖同、義意全別。語邃義幽之處曾不屬心，名同理別之文虛張援據，此為未可也。梵云矩奢揭羅補羅城，唐言上茅城，摩揭陀國之正中，古先君王所都之處，多出勝上吉祥茅草，因以為名。崇山四周以為外郭，西通狹徑、北闢山門，東西長、南北狹，周一百五十餘里，內宮子城周四十里，羯尼迦樹遍諸道路，華含殊馥色爛黃金，暮春之月林皆金色。宮城北門外有窣堵波，是提婆達多與未生怨王共為親友，放護財醉象欲害如來，如來指端出五師子，醉象𩢍伏之處；次此東北有窣堵波，是舍利子逢馬勝比丘得初果處；次此正北不遠有大深坑，是室利毱多此云勝密，火坑、毒飯欲害佛處。宮城東北行十四五里，至姞栗陀羅矩吒山，唐言鷲峯亦謂鷲臺，接北山之陽，孤標特起，既栖棲鷲鳥，又類高臺，空翠相映濃淡分色，佛成道後向五十年，多居此山廣說妙法。舊云耆闍崛山，乃云靈鷲山，鷲鳥於此食人屍，名靈鷲山訛而略也。頻婆娑羅王為聞法故興發人徒，自山麓至岑峯跨谷陵巖編石為階，廣十餘步，長五六里，路有二窣堵波，一謂下乘，即王至此徒行以進；二謂退凡，即簡凡人不令同往。其山頂東西長南北狹，臨崖西埵有甎精舍，高廣奇製東闢其戶，如來在世多居說法。今作說法之像，量等如來之身，精舍東有長石，佛經行所履也。傍有大石，高丈四五周三十餘步，是天授遙擲擊佛傷足出血者也。其南岸下有窣堵波，佛說《法華經》處。山城北門行一里餘至迦蘭陀竹薗，薗東有窣堵波，未生怨王分得舍利建之供養。竹林薗西南行五六里，南山之陰，大竹林中有大石室，是大迦葉波結集法藏之處。竹林薗北二百餘步至迦蘭陀池，池西北二三里餘，至曷羅闍結利呬城，唐言王舍，外郭已壞無復遺堵，內城雖毀基趾猶存，周二十餘里面有一門，初頻婆娑羅王都在上茅宮城，編戶之家頻遭火害，一家縱逸四隣罹災，不安其居眾庶嗟怨。王曰：我以不德人庶遭患，修何德業可以攘之？群臣白言：大王德化黎庶不謹，請制嚴科以懲後犯，若更有犯遷之寒林。寒林者棄尸之所，俗謂不祥之地。人絕遊往，便同棄尸。彼既恥居，當自攝謹。王遂其言以施嚴令，乃先宮內自失火害。王曰：我其遷矣。乃命太子監攝留事，自遷寒林。吠舍釐王聞住於野，集軍來伐，邊候奏聞，王遂建城而居，以王先舍於此，故稱王舍城焉。有云至未生怨嗣位已後方築此城，乃更為高厚，非新築也。至無憂王遷都波吒釐，以王舍城施婆羅門，故今城中無復凡庶，唯婆羅門咸千家矣。古人有說：山城為王舍城，有九億家；或云置千王於此。皆謬也。王都既在王舍，佛住鷲峯，城山兩處雙彰自他、二化俱說，利緇、素故。論云：「序分成就者，此法門示現二種義成就：一者一切法門中最勝故，如王舍城勝餘一切城舍故，城乃摩揭陀國之正中，人王之所都處，表一乘乃三乘之中道，法王之所住境城既勝餘城故，經勝餘經故也。二者示現自在功德成就故，如耆闍崛山勝餘諸山，顯此法勝故，俱蘇摩城既是山城，近於王舍乃有多山，此山獨勝高而顯故，表法高顯出過二乘，自在巍巍功德滿故。」或如城勝餘城，無麗物而不出；法勝餘法，無嘉德而不具；山勝餘山，為好鳥之所栖止；法勝餘法，為上人之所止遊故。復云妙喻通教、理，或教妙如城含妙理故，理高如山出二乘故，所以此經在王城居鷲嶺，有所表矣。般若通貫五門，舍衛豐其四德，故多居彼不依餘處。金生麗水東俗所傳，提河有金西土咸悉，生死如河流不竭故，涅槃如金可寶重故，既河中而有金，表生死中而有圓寂，故於阿利羅拔提河邊說涅槃也。各有所表由來遠矣。古說：此經合居四處，初在靈山，二塔涌空中，三佛集淨土，四〈囑累品〉中分身佛還後居穢土。今解處三、說唯在二。處有三者，無復還穢。〈囑累〉居後分身方還，迄至經終皆唯淨土，復還變穢說經便訖。淨、穢唯二：一初在靈山穢土，二分身佛將集佛便變淨；并塔涌空，處有三也。說唯在二，初在地上靈山創會，為二乘等宣暢一乘；後塔涌空分身佛集，釋迦與多寶同座勸信此經，迄至經末佛令各還，說經事訖佛方居地，以後更不說《法華》，故知說處但唯有二。今標創會故說山城，住標化處，佛說化身，欲令三乘欣樂同故，顯佛悲深，乘、身俱妙，能於穢處而施化故；若標報佛及顯淨土，恐二乘眾疑非已分不能修故，由此但顯穢處、化身。

The commentary states: The fourth is the place of conversion. Moving about to convert beings and dwelling at rest are designated as 'dwelling'; 'dwelling' carries the senses of residing, wandering to convert, and resting peacefully. Residing was on the mountain; wandering to convert was in the city; the Buddha relied on these places to wander, convert, and rest peacefully. Ancient masters, based on this, explained the dwellings of sages, gods, Brahmā, buddhas, and so forth; although the name 'dwelling' is the same, the intended meaning is entirely distinct. To pay no heed to passages where the language is profound and the meaning abstruse, while making baseless citations of texts where the names are identical but the principles differ—this is inadmissible. In Sanskrit it is called the city of Kuśāgrapura, rendered in Chinese as the City of Superior Kuśa Grass, located in the exact center of Magadha, the place where former kings had their capitals; because superior, auspicious kuśa grass grows there abundantly, it was named after it. Lofty mountains surround it on all four sides as an outer wall, with a narrow path opening to the west and a mountain gate opening to the north. It is long from east to west and narrow from north to south, over one hundred and fifty li in circumference; the inner palace city is forty li in circumference. Karṇikāra trees line all the roads, their blossoms containing an exquisite fragrance and dazzling like gold; in the late month of spring, the forests are all golden in color. Outside the north gate of the palace city is a stūpa, where Devadatta and King Ajātaśatru formed a friendship and unleashed the intoxicated elephant Dhanapāla wishing to harm the Tathāgata, and from the Tathāgata's fingertips five lions emerged, at which the intoxicated elephant knelt in submission. Next, to the northeast, is a stūpa, which is the place where Śāriputra met the monk Aśvajit and attained the first fruit. Next, not far to the north, is a great deep pit, which is where Śrīgupta—rendered here as 'Supreme Secret'—attempted to harm the Buddha with a fire pit and poisoned rice. Going fourteen or fifteen li to the northeast of the palace city, one reaches Mt. Gṛdhrakūṭa, rendered in Chinese as Vulture Peak or Vulture Terrace. Connected to the south of the northern mountain, it rises solitary and exceptional; it is both inhabited by vultures and resembles a lofty terrace, the empty space and verdant hues reflecting one another in shades of dark and light. In the nearly fifty years after the Buddha attained enlightenment, he mostly dwelt on this mountain to expound the wondrous Dharma extensively. In the past it was called Mt. Qishegue, then called Spiritual Vulture Mountain; because vultures ate human corpses here, calling it 'Spiritual Vulture Mountain' was an error and an abbreviation. King Bimbisāra, for the sake of hearing the Dharma, mobilized laborers to lay stones as steps from the foot of the mountain to the summit, spanning the ravines and ascending the crags, over ten paces wide and five to six li long. Along the road are two stūpas: the first is called 'Dismounting from the Carriage,' where the king proceeded on foot upon reaching this point; the second is called 'Turning Back Ordinary People,' where ordinary people were excluded and not allowed to proceed together. The summit of the mountain is long from east to west and narrow from north to south; perched on the western cliffside is a brick vihāra, lofty, wide, of rare design, with its door opening to the east; when the Tathāgata was in the world, he mostly dwelt there to preach the Dharma. Now an image of him preaching the Dharma has been made, equal in size to the Tathāgata's body. To the east of the vihāra is a long stone, which the Buddha trod when walking in meditation. Beside it is a large rock, fourteen or fifteen feet high and over thirty paces around; this is where Devadatta threw a stone from afar to strike the Buddha, wounding his foot so that it bled. Below its southern cliff is a stūpa, the place where the Buddha preached the Lotus Sūtra. Going a little over one li from the north gate of the mountain city, one reaches the Karaṇḍa Bamboo Grove; east of the grove is a stūpa erected by King Ajātaśatru for worship after receiving a share of the śarīra. Going five or six li to the southwest of the Bamboo Grove, on the north slope of the southern mountain, amidst a great bamboo forest, is a large stone chamber; this is where Mahākāśyapa compiled the Dharma treasury. Going a little over two hundred paces north of the Bamboo Grove, one reaches the Karaṇḍa Lake. Going two to three li to the northwest of the lake, one reaches the city of Rājagṛha, rendered in Chinese as the House of the King. The outer wall is already ruined with no remaining ramparts; although the inner city is destroyed, its foundations still survive, over twenty li in circumference, with one gate on each face. Formerly, King Bimbisāra had his capital in the palace city of Superior Kuśa Grass; the registered households frequently suffered fire disasters. If one family was negligent, the four neighbors suffered disaster; unsettled in their dwellings, the multitude lamented and complained. The king said: 'Because of my lack of virtue, the people suffer misfortune; what virtuous deeds may be cultivated to avert it?' The ministers addressed the king: 'The Great King's virtuous transformation is great, but the commoners are careless. We pray that strict penal codes be enacted to punish future offenders; if there are any who offend again, banish them to the Śītavana.' The Śītavana is a place for discarding corpses, colloquially called an ominous place. With human traffic cut off, it is just like being a cast-out corpse. Since they would be ashamed to reside there, they will naturally exercise restraint and caution. The king followed their advice and enacted the strict order, whereupon a fire disaster occurred in the palace itself due to negligence. The king said: 'I shall banish myself.' He then ordered the crown prince to supervise the affairs left behind, and banished himself to the Śītavana. When the king of Vaiśālī heard that he was dwelling in the wilderness, he mobilized an army to attack; the border scouts reported it, and the king thereupon constructed a city and resided there; because the king resided here first, it was therefore called Rājagṛha (House of the King). Some say that it was only after Ajātaśatru succeeded to the throne that this city was built, but it was merely made higher and thicker, not newly constructed. When King Aśoka moved the capital to Pāṭaliputra, he gave the city of Rājagṛha to the brahmins; therefore in the city today there are no longer commoners, but only about a thousand families of brahmins. Ancient masters said: 'The mountain city was Rājagṛha, having nine hundred million households'; or said: 'A thousand kings were established here.' These are all errors. Since the royal capital was in Rājagṛha and the Buddha dwelt on Vulture Peak, the two locations—city and mountain—jointly display oneself and others, and both kinds of teaching are expounded, benefiting both monastics and laity. The Treatise states: 'Regarding the perfection of the introductory portion, this teaching demonstrates the perfection of two kinds of significance: First, being the most supreme among all teachings, just as Rājagṛha surpasses all other cities and dwellings, for the city is in the exact center of Magadha, the capital of human kings, symbolizing that the Single Vehicle is the Middle Way of the three vehicles, the realm where the Dharma King abides; just as the city surpasses other cities, so the sūtra surpasses other sūtras. Second, demonstrating the perfection of sovereign merit, just as Mt. Gṛdhrakūṭa surpasses all other mountains, revealing the supremacy of this Dharma; although the city of Kusuma is a mountain city and there are many mountains near Rājagṛha, this mountain is uniquely supreme, lofty, and prominent, symbolizing that the Dharma is lofty, prominent, and surpasses the two vehicles, being sovereign, majestic, and complete in merit.' Or again: just as the city surpasses other cities and produces every magnificent thing, so the Dharma surpasses other teachings and is complete in every excellent virtue; just as the mountain surpasses other mountains and is the roost of fine birds, so the Dharma surpasses other teachings and is the resort of superior men. It also states: 'Wondrous analogies apply to both teaching and principle'; or the teaching is wondrous like the city because it encompasses wondrous principle, and the principle is lofty like the mountain because it surpasses the two vehicles; therefore, this sūtra's being in the royal city and dwelling on Vulture Peak has what it symbolizes. Prajñā permeates the five gates, and Śrāvastī is abundant in its four virtues, so he mostly dwelt there and did not rely on other places. 'Gold is produced in the Li River' is a common saying in the East; that the Airāvatī River contains gold is known to all in the Western lands; birth-and-death is like a river flowing without ceasing, while nirvāṇa is like gold worthy of being treasured and respected; since gold is found within the river, this symbolizes that complete tranquility is found within birth-and-death, which is why he preached the Nirvāṇa [Sūtra] on the banks of the Airāvatī River. Each has what it symbolizes, having a long-standing origin. Ancient explanations held that this sūtra ought to occupy four places: first, on the Spiritual Mountain; second, the stūpa welling up into the air; third, the buddhas assembling in the pure land; fourth, in the Entrustment Chapter, after the emanated buddhas return, dwelling in the defiled land. Now I explain that the places are three, but the expositions are only two. That there are three places means that there is no returning to the defiled land. The Entrustment Chapter is placed at the end, and only then do the emanated buddhas return; right up to the end of the sūtra it is entirely the pure land, and returning to transform into the defiled land occurs when the preaching of the sūtra is already finished. Defiled and pure are only two: first, at the beginning on the defiled land of the Spiritual Mountain; second, when the emanated buddhas are about to assemble, the Buddha then transforms it to pure; together with the stūpa welling up into the air, the places are three. Expositions are only two: first, initiating the assembly on the ground of the Spiritual Mountain, proclaiming the Single Vehicle for the sake of the two vehicles and others; later, the stūpa wells up into the air, the emanated buddhas assemble, and Śākyamuni and Prabhūtaratna sit together on the seat to urge faith in this sūtra, right up to the end of the sūtra when the Buddha commands them to return respectively, and the preaching of the sūtra being concluded, only then does the Buddha reside on the ground, no longer preaching the Lotus Sūtra thereafter; therefore we know that the places of exposition are merely two. Indicating now the initial assembly, he therefore speaks of the mountain city; 'dwelling' indicates the place of conversion, and the Buddha speaks as an emanation body, wishing to make the three vehicles rejoice alike, revealing that the Buddha's compassion is deep and both vehicle and body are wondrous, able to bestow conversion in a defiled place; if he had indicated the reward buddha and revealed the pure land, he feared the assembly of the two vehicles would suspect it was not their portion and be unable to practice; for this reason, he reveals only the defiled place and the emanation body.