妙法蓮華經玄贊 2.135

2.135

贊曰：文殊師利等推功上德，「我今當問」者謙己方陳。文殊師利道果久成，示居因末紹佛法王之位，獨得法王子名，已曾親近得遇良緣，供養諸佛深植德本，進財進行名供養故。文殊師利住第四依供養八恒，並前三依合值二十六恒河沙佛故，必應見此希有之相。謙己不知，我今當問。論云：「問於一人，多人欲聞生希有心，是故唯問文殊師利。」心多未了疑出多人，解在非多答唯在一。論云：「示現佛與弟子互相隨順，證、說等法皆不相違。」為現大相因故者，大相謂所說妙法，因謂神變，今現瑞相為說之因。又大相者即現瑞相，瑞相即因，與所說法為因故。又因者所以，問現神變等大相之所以也。何故唯問文殊不問餘人？有二法故推於文殊：一現見諸法，文殊證知諸法故。二離諸因緣，自心成就彼法故。謂文殊師利離諸搆畫，及離比知並從他聞之因緣故，所以推之。示現種種瑞相者，示現彼彼事，事非一故名為彼彼。如彼事現沒住滅，所見六趣眾生現在彼生死中沒，名為現沒；所見佛、法、四眾並諸菩薩，現在彼住名為現住；見佛入涅槃，並為起塔，現在入涅槃，故名現滅。所見七事無不攝盡。或住即現在，滅即沒無，見入涅槃并為起塔名滅沒，所餘五事皆名現住。論以文殊能記彼事，是故問之。文殊師利所作成就因果成就，所作者謂彼所修作法，此有二種：一福德、二智慧，內德滿也。因成就者謂一切智成就。緣即放光、雨華、動地，外德滿故。重復釋言因者相也，謂現大瑞相，此因之果者謂所說大法，文殊外因既滿、內德復圓，故能知佛亦說妙法果，故今推問。

The Eulogy says: 'Mañjuśrī' and so forth is deferring to the superior virtue [of another]; 'I should now ask him' is humbling oneself before stating [the question]. Mañjuśrī's fruition of the path has long been accomplished; he manifests abiding at the culmination of the cause, inheriting the position of the Buddha, the Dharma King, and uniquely obtains the name of Dharma Prince. He has already drawn near to and encountered excellent conditions, made offerings to all buddhas, and deeply planted roots of virtue, for advancing material resources and advancing practice are called 'making offerings'. Mañjuśrī abides in the fourth reliance and has made offerings to eight Ganges sands of buddhas, which combined with the previous three reliances totals meeting twenty-six Ganges sands of buddhas; therefore he must have seen such rare marks. Humbling himself as not knowing, [Maitreya thinks,] 'I should now ask him.' The treatise says: 'Asking one person, while many people desire to hear and give rise to a sense of rarity; therefore he asks only Mañjuśrī.' The minds of many have not yet understood, so the doubt emerges from many people; understanding resides in not many, so the answer lies in only one. The treatise says: 'Displaying that the Buddha and the disciples harmoniously accord with each other, and that dharmas such as realization and exposition do not contradict one another.' As for 'being the cause for manifesting great marks': 'great marks' refers to the wondrous Dharma to be spoken; 'cause' refers to the spiritual transformations. Now manifesting the auspicious marks serves as the cause for the exposition. Furthermore, 'great marks' refers directly to the manifested auspicious marks; the auspicious marks are themselves the cause, because they serve as the cause for the Dharma to be spoken. Furthermore, 'cause' means reason: asking the reason for manifesting great marks such as the spiritual transformations. Why ask only Mañjuśrī and not other people? Because of two dharmas, he defers to Mañjuśrī: first, presently seeing all dharmas, because Mañjuśrī realizes and knows all dharmas; second, being free from conditions, because his own mind accomplishes those dharmas. That is to say, Mañjuśrī is free from conceptual construction, and free from the conditions of inferential knowledge and hearing from others; therefore he defers to him. As for 'manifesting manifold auspicious marks', it means manifesting those various matters; because the matters are not one, they are called 'various'. Just as those matters manifest perishing, abiding, and cessation: the sentient beings of the six destinies who are seen presently perishing in those births and deaths are called 'present perishing'; the Buddha, Dharma, four assemblies, and all bodhisattvas who are seen presently abiding there are called 'present abiding'; seeing the Buddha entering nirvāṇa and stūpas being erected for him, presently entering nirvāṇa, is therefore called 'present cessation'. None of the seven matters seen fails to be fully subsumed. Alternatively, 'abiding' is the present, and 'cessation' is perishing into nonexistence; seeing the entering of nirvāṇa and erecting stūpas for him are called 'cessation and perishing', and the remaining five matters are all called 'present abiding'. According to the treatise, because Mañjuśrī is able to remember those matters, he therefore asks him. Mañjuśrī's accomplishments of what was to be done and accomplishments of cause and fruition: 'what was to be done' refers to the dharmas he cultivated and performed, which are of two kinds: first, merit; second, wisdom, fulfilling internal virtue. 'Accomplishment of cause' refers to the accomplishment of all-knowledge. 'Conditions' are the emitting of light, raining of flowers, and quaking of the earth, fulfilling external virtue. Explaining it again, 'cause' is the mark, meaning manifesting the great auspicious mark; the fruition of this cause refers to the great Dharma that is spoken. Since Mañjuśrī's external causes are already fulfilled and his internal virtues are also complete, he is able to know that the Buddha will also speak the fruit of the wondrous Dharma; hence [Maitreya] now defers and asks him.