妙法蓮華經玄贊 9.161

9.161

贊曰：下開示。有二：初告所問因安樂四行；後於品末頌中有二十一頌半，因便總告果安樂之相，「讀是經者常無憂惱」下是。初告有三：一標答，二顯答，三結答。其後顯安樂果，頌次前一頌半「我滅度後」下是。此即初文。「四法者」下四段文，皆有長行及偈，各是一行。一正身行，二正語行，三意離諸惡自利行，四心修諸善利他行；由此四行攝諸行盡。由質直故無惡不離，自利行滿；由慈悲故無善不生，利他行滿。經從勝說第三質直、第四慈悲，實皆通也。准下經文，初身行中亦明心行者，教行之時其心安住空有之門，由住二門以為根本引餘行生，非是初行亦通於心。初行唯明離惡身行、修善身行，故於四行中皆應說有空、有二種。唯在初行中說空、有行者，例餘三行皆應具有，故住空、有二種，是修四行之通運身心。四名法者，法謂軌持。法是所依、三業能依，此二俱是所行之行。安謂安處，住者依止，能行行者安處三業，依四行中名安住四法。或法者因義，要諸菩薩先觀人法三事體空，遂能身離邪惡之儀、語合正善之則，滅諂誑之想、起慈悲等之心，息自瘡疣離他譏毀，大教弘而未已，多生益而無墜，此中之大意也。又前〈法師品〉「入如來室」，即此第四大慈悲心。「著如來和忍之衣，坐如來法空之座」，是此第一通行。滅妄想於空門、起真心於有府，故可以身語調而利濟、心意順而道圓，是此之所由也。

The commentary says: Below is the instruction. There are two parts: first, replying to what was asked regarding the four peaceful practices as the cause; later, at the end of the chapter among the verses, there are twenty-one and a half verses, which take the occasion to generally reveal the marks of the peaceful result, beginning from 'One who reads this sūtra will always be free from worry and distress' downward. The initial reply has three parts: first, stating the reply; second, elucidating the reply; third, concluding the reply. As for the subsequent manifestation of the peaceful result, it follows the preceding one and a half verses, beginning from 'After my nirvāṇa' downward. This is the first text. As for the 'four dharmas', the four passages below each consist of prose and verse, each forming one practice: 1. the correct practice of the body; 2. the correct practice of speech; 3. the mental practice of benefiting oneself by abandoning all evils; 4. the practice of the mind cultivating all goods to benefit others. Through these four practices, all practices are completely encompassed. Due to straightforwardness, there is no evil that is not abandoned, and the practice of benefiting oneself is fulfilled; due to compassion, there is no good that does not arise, and the practice of benefiting others is fulfilled. The sūtra speaks from the standpoint of prominence regarding the third as straightforwardness and the fourth as compassion, but in fact both pervade [all four]. According to the sūtra text below, the fact that the initial bodily practice also clarifies mental practice means that at the time of instructing in the practice, the mind securely abides in the gates of emptiness and existence; because abiding in these two gates serves as the root that brings forth the remaining practices, it is not that the initial practice also simply pertains to the mind. The initial practice only clarifies bodily practice of abandoning evil and cultivating good; therefore, within all four practices, both emptiness and existence should be spoken of. It is only because the practices of emptiness and existence are spoken of in the first practice that by analogy the other three practices should all possess them; thus abiding in the two kinds—emptiness and existence—is the general engagement of body and mind in cultivating the four practices. These four are called 'dharmas' because 'dharma' means that which holds to a standard. The Dharma is that upon which one relies, while the three karmas are that which relies upon it; both of these are the practices to be practiced. 'Peaceful' (ān) means securely placed; 'abiding' (zhù) means relying upon. When one capable of practicing places the three karmas securely and relies upon the four practices, it is called 'securely abiding in four dharmas'. Alternatively, 'dharma' has the sense of cause: it requires that all bodhisattvas first contemplate that the three items of persons and phenomena are empty in their essence, so that they can subsequently keep the body free from improper, evil deportment, bring speech into accord with the rules of correctness and goodness, extinguish thoughts of deceit and fraud, and give rise to minds of compassion and the like, thereby ending their own sores and blemishes and remaining free from others' ridicule and slander, so that the great teaching may be propagated without end and the benefits to many living beings may not fall away. This is the overarching idea here. Furthermore, in the earlier "Dharma Master Chapter", 'entering the Tathāgata's room' is precisely this fourth mind of great compassion. 'Wearing the Tathāgata's robe of gentle forbearance and sitting on the Tathāgata's seat of the emptiness of dharmas' is this first pervasive practice. Extinguishing false thoughts at the gate of emptiness and giving rise to the true mind in the storehouse of existence enables one to harmonize body and speech to bring benefit and relief, and to attune mind and thought to make the Path complete. This is the reason for it.