妙法蓮華經玄贊 6.257

6.257

贊曰：下第二段申四人之領述。初長行，後偈頌。長行有三：初法領，次喻領，後合領。法領有二：初彰昔不悕，後顯今獲得，「我等今於佛前」下是。彰昔不悕者，佛昔說權，我得權故，法華會前未悕得證一乘實法而當作佛。今獲得者，今聞一乘當得作佛，領佛初權後實化故。初文有二：初略、後廣。此略有四：一居僧之首，望重位隆。二年並朽邁，齒過力屈。三自謂已得涅槃，苦盡心泰。四無所堪任，性拙情疎。由此四義不復志求，無勝進意故昔不悕。

The Commentary says: The second section below presents the four elders' reception and narration. First is prose, then verses. The prose has three parts: first, receiving by means of doctrine; second, receiving by means of a parable; third, synthesizing the reception. Receiving by means of doctrine has two parts: first, revealing that in the past they had no longing; second, manifesting that now they have obtained it—beginning from "We now in the presence of the Buddha..." below. Revealing that in the past they had no longing means that because the Buddha in the past taught expedient means and we attained expedient means, prior to the Lotus Assembly we did not long to realize the real Dharma of the Single Vehicle and become buddhas. Manifesting that now they have obtained it means that now, hearing the Single Vehicle, they will become buddhas, receiving the Buddha's teaching which is expedient at first and real later. The first text has two parts: first, brief; second, extensive. Here the brief has four points: 1. Being at the head of the Saṅgha, with weighty prestige and lofty position. 2. Being aged and decrepit in years, beyond their prime and declining in strength. 3. Believing themselves to have already attained nirvāṇa, their suffering ended and minds at ease. 4. Having no competence [for it], their natures being inept and their dispositions distant. Owing to these four meanings, they no longer resolved to seek it and had no wish for superior advancement; hence in the past they had no longing.