妙法蓮華經玄贊 10.480

10.480

贊曰：此上品修。「千佛授手」等，有四：一千佛授手，二令無怖畏，三往生處，四見菩薩。前來所說三品修生，且舉一相非盡實理，實理十法行一一之中皆有三品，只如中品已有受持乃至解義，上品亦有隨自修習有上下故，如說而行各有下上，今但於中品說有、上品便無，據一相說。上十法行，《辨中邊》說前八是聞慧為下品，第九是思慧為中品，第十是修慧為上品。於聞慧中書寫供養施他為下，易故；聽聞披讀諷誦為中、受持開演為上，難故。又修一二三行為下，二四五六行為中，三七八九十行為上，類望異故。

Eulogy: This is upper-grade practice. 'A thousand buddhas extending their hands' and so forth has four parts: first, a thousand buddhas extending their hands; second, causing them to be free from dread; third, the place to which they are reborn; fourth, seeing the bodhisattva. The three grades of cultivation and rebirth explained earlier are merely presenting one aspect, not the exhaustive truth. In truth, each and every one of the ten Dharma practices contains three grades: just as the middle grade already includes receiving, upholding, and even understanding the meaning, the upper grade also has higher and lower degrees according to one's own cultivation. Practicing as taught each has lower and upper aspects; here mentioning it only in the middle grade and omitting it in the upper grade is said based on a single perspective. Regarding the ten Dharma practices above, the Madhyāntavibhāga states that the first eight belong to wisdom arisen from hearing, which is the lower grade; the ninth is wisdom arisen from reflection, which is the middle grade; and the tenth is wisdom arisen from cultivation, which is the upper grade. Within wisdom arisen from hearing, copying, making offerings, and giving to others are lower, because they are easy; listening, opening and reading, and chanting are middle; receiving, upholding, and explaining are upper, because they are difficult. Furthermore, cultivating one, two, or three practices is lower; two, four, five, or six practices is middle; three, seven, eight, nine, or ten practices is upper, because comparisons across categories differ.