妙法蓮華經玄贊 7.371

7.371

贊曰：下明法難得。有四：一不現前，二諸天敷坐，三散華，四作樂長時。此初也。報身成道理實為難，化身成道何妨化現，今他報身示相起也。論云欲顯菩提難得故。依《華嚴經》有十事故坐於道場，始從震動一切佛剎，乃至自善根力悉能受持一切眾生故坐道場。破諸魔軍亦有十義，始從五濁惡世眾生互相征伐欲顯菩薩功德力故，乃至順五濁世諸眾生故示現降魔。不爾，魔怨有何勝力與大菩薩、如來競力？又釋迦佛破魔軍，諸部不同，有說成道後方破魔軍，依《涅槃經》亦作此說；有說破魔後方成道。經文現有此二說，故此佛破魔後方成道。此事不定，隨示現故。又彌勒佛於出家日即得成道，釋迦苦行先經六年，今此成道十劫空坐，皆是示相不同，不可一其所以。

The Eulogy says: Below clarifies that the Dharma is difficult to attain. There are four parts: first, it does not appear before him; second, the devas arrange a seat; third, they scatter flowers; fourth, they play music for a long time. This is the first. For a reward-body (saṃbhogakāya) to attain the Way is in truth difficult; for an emanation-body (nirmāṇakāya) to attain the Way, what is there to prevent magical display? Here, it is his other-enjoyment body (para-saṃbhogakāya) manifesting the appearance of arising. The Treatise states that it is to manifest that bodhi is difficult to attain. According to the Avataṃsaka-sūtra, there are ten reasons for sitting at the bodhimaṇḍa, starting from shaking all buddha-fields up to being able to sustain all sentient beings through the power of his own roots of goodness, hence sitting at the bodhimaṇḍa. Quelling the māra armies also has ten meanings, starting from sentient beings in the evil age of the five turbidities warring against each other, so wanting to manifest the power of a bodhisattva's merit, up to manifesting the subjugation of māra in accordance with sentient beings of the five turbidities. If not so, what supreme power could the enemy Māra have to contend in strength with a great bodhisattva or a Tathāgata? Furthermore, regarding Śākyamuni Buddha quelling the māra army, the various schools differ: some say that only after attaining the Way did he quell the māra army, and according to the Mahāparinirvāṇa-sūtra this is also stated; others say that only after quelling māra did he attain the Way. The sūtra texts currently have both of these explanations; therefore, this buddha attained the Way only after quelling māra. This matter is not fixed, as it accords with provisional manifestation. Furthermore, Maitreya Buddha attains the Way on the very day he leaves the household, while Śākyamuni first underwent six years of ascetic practices; now here, attaining the Way involves sitting in vain for ten kalpas. These are all differing manifested appearances, and their reasons cannot be made uniform.