妙法蓮華經玄贊 9.177

9.177

贊曰：下釋。有二：初離外惡緣不可親近處，返顯不離外善緣可親近處，即是人境。後外觀真法可親近處，返顯外觀妄法不可親近處，即是法境。互影顯彰，即分為二。然觀真法應通餘行，通引四故，寄初行明不唯初行。初文有二：初釋、後結。「離諸惡緣」，初修戒行。「常好坐禪」，次修定行。後親近處觀空境等，方修慧行。初文分三：初四為一段，次一為一段，後五為一段。初中復二：初明離四，後明不離。此中三離：一損害緣，二惡見緣，三壞亂緣。菩薩雖復普化群生，始行之人應為簡擇，非久學者亦復如是。又此許令說法導利，但和其光，不得隨順同塵交好，所以離之。遮初不遮後、遮同不遮異、遮順不遮違、許化不許好，故不相違。「若近王等唯自增損」，如《律》中說，若入王宮有十種過。吳王同輦一代為榮，秦主讓妻千齡受恥，外道邪人恒伺法短，故律不聽自手與食，況應親近？「尼揵子」者，離繫外道也。「文筆經書」者，詩歌之類為文，碑誌之屬為筆，書者周禮六藝。五曰六書，謂象形等。「書」著也，著於竹帛等，如音中解。今舉彼類，西方與此不同。「路伽耶陀」者，先云惡答對人，正言路迦也底迦，云順世外道。逆路伽耶陀者，先云惡徵問人，正言縛摩路迦也底迦，云左順世外道。執與前乖者，名左順世也。下一者，言貫上二處。那羅等者，文畫其身。變現戲者，作世幻術等。「兇」音許容反，惡也。《玉篇》「肝鞏反、恐懼也」。今此從初。有作「凶」，危咎也，惡不過也。《阿含經》言「智者常懷憂，如似獄中囚；愚者常喜悅，猶如光音天。掉戲之人，如無鉤象、穴鼻駝牛，難可禁制。」又偈云「汝已剃髮著染衣，執持瓦鉢行乞食，云何樂著戲咲法，既無法利失功德。」由此不應相扠撲等。「扠」音丑佳反，以拳加人。又作「摑」字。「撲」音蒲角反，應作「𢷏」字。

The Commentary says: Below is the explanation. There are two parts: first, staying away from external unwholesome conditions that are not spheres of intimacy, which inversely shows not staying away from external wholesome conditions that are spheres of intimacy—this is the objective realm of persons; second, externally contemplating true dharmas that are spheres of intimacy, which inversely shows externally contemplating false dharmas that are not spheres of intimacy—this is the objective realm of dharmas. Reflecting and clarifying each other, it is divided into two. However, contemplating true dharmas should apply generally to the other practices as well, because it broadly introduces all four; it is provisionally explained in the first practice, not confined to the first practice alone. The first text has two parts: first, the explanation; second, the conclusion. "Staying away from unwholesome conditions" is the initial cultivation of the practice of precepts. "Constantly delighting in sitting in dhyāna" is the subsequent cultivation of the practice of concentration. Later, when the sphere of intimacy involves contemplating the realm of emptiness and so forth, one then cultivates the practice of wisdom. The first text is divided into three sections: first, four items form one section; next, one item forms one section; last, five items form one section. Within the first, there are again two parts: first, explaining the avoidance of the four; second, explaining non-avoidance. Here there are three avoidances: first, conditions of harm; second, conditions of evil views; third, conditions of disturbance and confusion. Although a bodhisattva broadly converts all living beings, beginners should exercise discernment, and those who have not trained for long must do likewise. Furthermore, here permission is granted to preach the Dharma to guide and benefit them, but one should merely soften one's glare, and must not conform to mingle with the dust and form intimate ties; this is why one stays away from them. Prohibiting the former does not prohibit the latter; prohibiting sameness does not prohibit difference; prohibiting compliance does not prohibit non-compliance; permitting conversion does not permit intimate affection—therefore there is no contradiction. "If one frequents kings and the like, it only increases one's own harm": as stated in the Vinaya, entering a royal palace entails ten kinds of faults. Sharing a carriage with the King of Wu was an honor for a single generation; the ruler of Qin yielding his wife brought shame for a thousand years. Heterodox non-Buddhists constantly watch for flaws in the Dharma; thus the Vinaya does not allow one to hand food to them with one's own hands, so how much less should one be intimate with them? "Nirgrantha" means non-Buddhists freed from bonds. "Literary compositions, secular classics, and books": poems and songs are "literary compositions" (wen), stone inscriptions and epitaphs are "secular writings" (bi), and "books" refers to the six arts of the Rites of Zhou, the fifth being the six scripts, namely pictographs and so forth. "Shu" means to write down, recording onto bamboo and silk, as explained in the phonological glosses. Here it cites their category; the Western Regions differ from this. "Lokāyata": previously called "those of evil responses," the correct term is lokāyatika, meaning the "world-affirming non-Buddhists." "Counter-Lokāyata": previously called "those of evil questioning," the correct term is vāma-lokāyatika, meaning the "left-hand world-affirming non-Buddhists." Those whose tenets oppose the former are called left-hand Lokāyatas. The following character "one" connects both places above. "Naṭas and so forth" decorate and paint their bodies. "Spectacles of magical transformation" refers to performing worldly illusions and tricks. "Xiong" (兇) is pronounced xu-rong fan [xiōng], meaning evil. The Yupian says "gan-gong fan [gǒng], meaning fright and fear." Here the former is followed. Some write it as "xiong" (凶), meaning danger and blame; nothing exceeds evil. The Āgamas say: "The wise always harbor sorrow, like prisoners in a jail; fools always rejoice, like the gods of Ābhāsvara Heaven. Flirtatious and frivolous people are like hookless elephants or camels and cattle with untamed pierced noses, exceedingly difficult to restrain." A verse also says: / "You have already shaved your head and put on dyed robes, / Holding an earthen almsbowl to beg for food; / Why delight in and attach to frivolous jokes? / Having no Dharma benefit, you lose your merit." / Because of this, one should not engage in fist-fighting and wrestling with them. "Cha" (扠) is pronounced chou-jia fan [chā], striking someone with a fist. It is also written as "guai" (摑). "Pu" (撲) is pronounced bu-jiao fan [pū], and should be written as "𢷏".