妙法蓮華經玄贊 7.130

7.130

贊曰：此竪長也。論唯說大木不離我身，是種子無上義。大草中分大小樹，不退位前名為小樹，不退位後名為大樹。此有二義：一云，七地以前名為小樹，八地已上名為大樹，具四不退故。准下頌文但於二木分上中下，故合二木以分三品，謂五地已前名下，創得三摩跋提樂意生身故；六七八地為中，得覺法自性意生身故；九十二地名上，得種類俱生無作行意生身故。有義不然，初地已前是何品攝，豈非小木？若依此義，初地已前名下，純有漏修故；初七地名中，有漏、無漏二雜修故；八地已後名上，純無漏修故。二云，初地已前名小樹，初地已上名大樹，證不退故。大小二樹各有下中上者，十住、十行、十迴向為小樹三，十信即是初發心住攝，四決擇分善根即第十迴向攝。由此《華嚴》但說三十位、不說十信，發心住中成八相故。亦不說四善根，法界無量迴向中住四觀故。但說舍利弗修道經六十劫退，即是至第六住滿、未入第七不退住中，故知十信更無別位，由此但說三十三阿僧祇。地前為三，不說四故。《對法》等說，初劫滿已修四善根，不說時長，別劫修故。故四善根十迴向攝。大樹三者，初二三地名下，相同世間故；四五六地名中，方同出世故；七八九十地名上，超過世間二乘道故。若說三草皆有下中上者，小草之中，說人為下、欲天為中、色天為上。中草三者，七方便為下、聖有學為中、無學名上。前是橫貫三乘，今乃竪通三位。

The Commentary says: This is the vertical growth. The Treatise only speaks of 'large trees not being separate from my body', which is the meaning of the unsurpassed nature of the seed. Within the large grass, large and small trees are differentiated: before the stage of non-retrogression they are called small trees, and after the stage of non-retrogression they are called large trees.
This has two explanations: First, it is said that before the seventh bhūmi they are called small trees, and from the eighth bhūmi onward they are called large trees, because they are endowed with the four kinds of non-retrogression. Following the verse text below, which merely divides the two trees into superior, middling, and inferior, the two trees are combined to divide into three grades: before the fifth bhūmi is called inferior, because they have newly attained the mind-made body endowed with the bliss of samāpatti; the sixth, seventh, and eighth bhūmis are middling, because they attain the mind-made body that realizes the self-nature of dharmas; the ninth and tenth bhūmis are superior, because they attain the mind-made body endowed with innate, effortless activity suited to their kind.
Some hold that this is not so: what grade would before the initial bhūmi belong to—would it not be a small tree? If we follow this meaning, before the initial bhūmi is called inferior, because cultivation is purely with outflows; the first through seventh bhūmis are middling, because cultivation mixes both with outflows and without outflows; from the eighth bhūmi onward is superior, because cultivation is purely without outflows.
Second, it is said that before the initial bhūmi they are called small trees, and from the initial bhūmi onward they are called large trees, because they have realized non-retrogression. That both small and large trees each have inferior, middling, and superior: the ten abodes, ten practices, and ten dedications constitute the three of the small tree; the ten faiths are subsumed under the initial abode of generating the aspiration, and the wholesome roots of the four stages of penetration are subsumed under the tenth dedication. Because of this, the *Avataṃsaka* speaks only of thirty stages and does not speak of ten faiths, because within the abode of generating the aspiration one accomplishes the eight phases. Nor does it speak of the four wholesome roots, because in the dedication to the immeasurable dharmadhātu one abides in the four contemplations. It only speaks of Śāriputra cultivating the path for sixty kalpas and then retrogressing, which means reaching the fulfillment of the sixth abode without having entered the seventh abode of non-retrogression; thus we know that the ten faiths have no separate stages. For this reason, it speaks only of thirty-three asaṃkhyeyas: three before the bhūmis, not speaking of four. The *Abhidharmasamuccaya* and other texts state that when the first kalpa is completed, one cultivates the four wholesome roots, not describing the duration as being cultivated in a separate kalpa. Therefore the four wholesome roots are subsumed under the ten dedications.
As for the three of the large tree: the first, second, and third bhūmis are called inferior, because their characteristics are similar to the mundane; the fourth, fifth, and sixth bhūmis are called middling, because they only begin to resemble the supramundane; the seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth bhūmis are called superior, because they surpass the path of the mundane and the two vehicles.
If it is said that the three grasses all have inferior, middling, and superior: within the small grass, humans are said to be inferior, desire-realm devas middling, and form-realm devas superior. The three of the medium grass: the seven expedient stages are inferior, noble trainees are middling, and those beyond training are superior. The former horizontally spans the three vehicles, whereas this vertically pervades the three stages.