妙法蓮華經玄贊 9.435

9.435

贊曰：下如來正告。初長行，中分二：初勅聽標示，後正說壽量。此初也。「三請」者從初也。「祕密」者，法、報二身深妙體故。「神通」者化身應物現故。佛所藏護名祕，義深難解名密，妙用無方曰神，體無障擁名通。此之二體威勢難屈，故名為力。又《對法》等說有四祕密，於方廣中佛之祕密皆應決了：一令入祕密，謂為聲聞說色等有，為令無怖漸入聖教，非一切有。二相祕密，謂依三自性說一切法皆無自性、無生滅等，破所執有相說之為無，非一切無。三對除祕密，佛為對除諸過失故說種種教，且除八障說最上乘：一除輕佛；二除輕法，故說我曾名勝觀如來法身無別故；三除懈怠，如說願生極樂世界皆得往生等；四除小善生喜足，於一善根或讚或毀；五除貪行，稱讚佛土富樂莊嚴；六除慢行，稱讚諸佛或有增勝；七除惡作悔脩善障，說於佛等雖行輕毀然彼有情亦生天趣；八除不定性障，令捨聲聞下劣意樂，記大聲聞當得作佛，又說一乘更無第二。四轉變祕密，如說覺不堅為堅，善住於顛倒極煩惱所惱，得最上菩提。如是等隱密名言解之令異。此中祕密即是第三對除祕密，由輕佛德及貪慢行者說他佛身以為自體，稱讚佛故。如下經言「於此中間說燃燈佛」等，如是皆以方便分別。言神通者，所化多眾，神力化之令生發意。

The Commentary says: Below is the Tathāgata's formal pronouncement. First is the prose, which is divided into two parts: first, enjoining them to listen and indicating the topic; later, formally explaining the span of life. This is the first. "Three requests" follows the initial [sequence of events]. "Secret" refers to the profound and wondrous essence of the two bodies, the Dharma body and the reward body. "Supernatural penetration" refers to the transformation body manifesting in response to beings. What the Buddha conceals and protects is called "secret"; its meaning being deep and hard to understand is called "mysterious"; wondrous function without limit is called "supernatural"; the essence being unimpeded is called "penetration." The majestic power of these two essences is difficult to bend, and is therefore called "power." Furthermore, the Abhidharmasamuccaya and other texts state that there are four secrets, which in the Vaipulya sūtras should all be resolved regarding the Buddha's secrets: First, the secret of introducing [beings], which means explaining to śrāvakas that form and so forth exist, in order to make them unafraid and gradually enter the holy teaching, but not that everything exists. Second, the secret of characteristics, which means relying on the three own-natures to say that all dharmas are devoid of own-nature, without arising or ceasing, and so forth, refuting the clung-to characteristics of existence and speaking of them as non-existent, but not that everything is non-existent. Third, the secret of countering [faults]: in order to counter various faults, the Buddha taught various doctrines; for example, to remove eight obstacles he taught the supreme vehicle: 1. removing slighting the Buddha; 2. removing slighting the Dharma, and so he said, 'I was once named Vipaśyin Tathāgata,' because there is no distinction in the Dharmakāya; 3. removing indolence, such as saying that those who vow to be born in the Sukhāvatī realm will all attain rebirth; 4. removing becoming contented with minor virtues, by either praising or disparaging a single wholesome root; 5. removing greedy conduct, by praising the opulence and adornments of the buddha-fields; 6. removing arrogant conduct, by praising certain buddhas as being superior; 7. removing the remorse that obstructs cultivating good, by stating that although beings slighted and reviled the buddhas, those sentient beings were still born into heavenly destinies; 8. removing the obstacle of indeterminate nature, causing them to relinquish the inferior inclinations of the śrāvaka, prophesying that the great śrāvakas will attain buddhahood, and also stating that there is only the Single Vehicle and no second. Fourth, the secret of transformation, as in saying that understanding the impermanent as permanent, being well-established in inversions, and being tormented by extreme afflictions, one attains supreme bodhi. Such hidden expressions are explained to reveal their different [intended] meaning. The secret here is precisely the third, the secret of countering [faults], because for those who slight the Buddha's virtues or have greedy and arrogant conduct, he spoke of another buddha's body as his own essence, in order to praise the Buddha. As the sūtra states below: 'During this interval I spoke of Dīpaṃkara Buddha' and so forth; all such are distinguished through expedient means. As for 'supernatural penetration,' there were many assemblies to be transformed, and he transformed them through supernatural power to cause them to give rise to the aspiration [for bodhi].