妙法蓮華經玄贊 2.104

2.104

贊曰：下明器世間有二：一雨華，二動地。今此雨華。「曼陀羅」者，此云適意，見者心悅故。「曼殊沙」者，此云柔軟，華體柔軟亦令見者離諸剛照礦三業故。「摩訶」大也。新翻經云「適意華，大適意華、柔軟華、大柔軟華」，如次即是此之四華，欲明法悅諸人心、調三業也。亦有云天雨為「芋」音。華有五德：一掩蔽臭惡，表聞法已障垢雲銷。二嚴淨國土，表聞法已眾善飾身，故下經云「而此世界悉皆嚴淨」。三敷榮見臺，表佛將欲開闡一乘。四華後菓結，表聞經已後得菩提。五香氣遠騰聞者歡悅，表內德周備名滿十方，眾生聞者莫不崇仰。唯雨此華非餘華者，表聞此經發心歡悅，離執二乘硬強心故。又將開一乘教理行果為其真實，亦開二乘四法以為權迹故。雨四華亦為度四生、興四念住、修四正懃、獲四神足、行四法迹、證四諦理、截四流、斷四繫、去四軛、得四妙智、悟四涅槃、證於四德故。雨此四華不增不減，散佛以申供養，表佛四事已周，及眾以蔭羣生，顯眾當亦成四。

Eulogy: Below, clarifying the vessel-world has two parts: first, raining flowers; second, shaking the earth. Now, this is raining flowers. “Māndārava” is translated here as “agreeable,” because those who see it rejoice in mind. “Mañjūṣaka” is translated here as “soft,” because the substance of the flower is soft, and it also causes those who see it to be free from the three karmas of harshness, glaringness, and coarseness. “Mahā” means great. The newly translated sūtra says: “agreeable flowers, great agreeable flowers, soft flowers, and great soft flowers”; in order, these are these four flowers, intending to show that the Dharma gladdens the minds of all people and harmonizes the three karmas. Some also pronounce “the heavens rained down” (天雨) with the sound of yù (芋). Flowers have five virtues: First, covering the foul and evil, symbolizing that having heard the Dharma, the clouds of obstacles and defilements vanish. Second, adorning and purifying the realm, symbolizing that having heard the Dharma, manifold goods adorn the body; hence the sūtra below says: “And this world was entirely adorned and purified.” Third, blooming and displaying the dais, symbolizing that the Buddha is about to open and expound the Single Vehicle. Fourth, bearing fruit after flowering, symbolizing that having heard the sūtra, one later attains bodhi. Fifth, the fragrance wafting afar and gladdening those who smell it, symbolizing that internal virtue is complete and fame fills the ten directions, so that sentient beings who hear of it all revere and look up to it. Raining only these flowers and not others symbolizes that hearing this sūtra arouses a joyful mind, freeing one from grasping at the hardened mind of the two vehicles. Furthermore, he is about to open the teaching, principle, practice, and fruition of the Single Vehicle as its reality, and also to open the four dharmas of the two vehicles as expedient traces. Raining the four flowers is also to deliver the four modes of birth, arouse the four foundations of mindfulness, cultivate the four right exertions, obtain the four bases of supernormal power, practice the four traces of the Dharma, realize the truth of the four noble truths, sever the four floods, cut off the four ties, discard the four yokes, attain the four wondrous wisdoms, awaken to the four nirvāṇas, and realize the four virtues. Raining these four flowers without increase or decrease, scattering them over the Buddha to pay homage, symbolizes that the Buddha's four matters are complete; and [scattering them] over the assembly to shelter all beings demonstrates that the assembly will also accomplish the four.