妙法蓮華經玄贊 9.437

9.437

贊曰：下正說壽量。准論為二段：初明菩提無上，後諸善男子。「我本行菩薩道所成壽命」下，重顯報化二身差別之相、涅槃無上。初文之中論分三段，示現三佛菩提故。一應化菩提，隨所應見而為示現故。如經皆謂如來出釋氏宮去伽耶城不遠，坐於道場得阿耨多羅三藐三菩提。故即此文是。二者報佛菩提，十地行滿足得常涅槃。如經善男子我實成佛已來，無量無邊百千萬億那由他劫故。次下文是。三者法佛菩提，謂如來藏性淨涅槃，常恒清淨不變故。如經如來如實知見三界之相，乃至不如三界見於三界故。「所以者何」下文是。此依初無上，具有三身以為三義。佛身增減諸教不同，或總名一佛寶，或分別為二。《佛地論》說：一生身，二法身。法身、實報皆名法身，實功德故；他報、化身俱名生身。又《般若論》說二：一真佛，二非真佛。初是法身，後餘二身或分為三，即此所說三佛菩提。或說四種，《楞伽經》說：一應化佛，二功德佛，三智慧佛，四如如佛。初是化身，中二是報身，後一是法身。《金光明經》又說四種：一化非應，佛為物所現龍鬼等形，不為佛身，名化非應。二應身非化，謂地前菩薩所見佛身依定而現，非五趣攝，名應非化，即四善根所見一大千一應身也。三亦應亦化，謂諸聲聞所見佛身，現見脩成，故名為應；見人同類，故名為化。四非應非化，謂佛真身，前三是化、後是法報。《佛地論》亦說四：一受用非變化，謂自受用身；二變化非受用，謂變化身化地前類；三亦受用亦變化，謂他受用身化十地菩薩；四非受用非變化，謂法身。《華嚴經》說有十佛：一無著佛，安住世間成正覺故。《佛地論》名現等覺佛。二願佛，願出生故。彼名弘誓願佛、三業報佛，信成就故，諸行皆因且說一信；彼名業異熟佛。四持佛，隨順世間不斷絕故；彼名住持佛。五涅槃佛，示滅度故；彼名變化佛。六法界佛，於一切處無不現故。七心佛，善安住故。此上二名同彼。八三昧佛，成就無量功德無所著故；彼名定佛。九性佛，善決定故；彼名本性佛。十如意佛，以普覆故；彼名隨樂佛。前五世俗佛，後五勝義佛。隨其所應三身所攝，前五是化身攝，以名世俗故。法界一種是法身攝，本性一種通法及受用，餘三一向是受用故。論云此五是勝義故，雖法及受用不同形前變化，皆勝義也。勘《無垢稱．觀如來品》經及疏。《楞伽經》言：「大慧！法佛說法離攀緣、離能觀所觀、離所作相量故等。大慧！報佛說一切法自相同相故，因自心現熏習相故，亦說譬如幻師幻作種種形像。諸愚癡人取以為實，而彼諸像實不可得，是名分別虛妄法體。大慧！化佛說施、戒、忍、精進、禪定、智慧，蔭、界、入等法。」《般若論》云：「應化非真佛，亦非說法者」等，推功歸本唯法身故，彼經宗說真法身故。乘文便故略明佛義，三身成佛如《彌勒疏》，別義如《佛地》及《唯識》並《法苑》說。雖說佛身增減不同，今以類論莫過二種：一真、二化。地前菩薩及二乘見，名為化身；報、法二身名為真身。由此理故，明三佛菩提中分二：初明三乘所見其所疑身，後明三乘所不知真身。此初也。

Eulogy: Below is the actual discourse on the span of life. Following the treatise (*Saddharmapuṇḍarīkopadeśa*), it is divided into two sections: first, clarifying that awakening (bodhi) is unsurpassed; second, from "Good sons! The lifespan attained by my original practice of the bodhisattva path..." downward, reiterating the distinct marks of the reward and transformation bodies, and that nirvāṇa is unsurpassed. Within the first section, the treatise divides it into three parts, as it demonstrates the bodhi of the three buddha [bodies]. First is the bodhi of the transformation buddha (nirmāṇa-kāya), manifested according to what beings ought to see. As the sūtra states: "all think that the Tathāgata left the palace of the Śākyas, and not far from the city of Gayā sat at the place of awakening and attained anuttarā samyaksambodhi"—it refers to this text. Second is the bodhi of the reward buddha (saṃbhoga-kāya), where upon the fulfillment of the practices of the ten stages, eternal nirvāṇa is attained. As the sūtra states: "Good sons, it has been immeasurable, boundless, hundreds of thousands of ten thousands of millions of nayutas of kalpas since I actually attained buddhahood"—it refers to the subsequent passage. Third is the bodhi of the Dharma buddha (dharma-kāya), which is the tathāgatagarbha naturally pure nirvāṇa, constantly, eternally pure and unchanging. As the sūtra states: "The Tathāgata truly sees and knows the characteristics of the triple world... and not as the triple world sees the triple world"—the passage below "For what reason?" refers to this. These represent the three aspects based on the initial unsurpassedness, possessed of the three bodies. Across various teachings, the additions and subtractions regarding the buddha bodies differ: sometimes they are collectively termed the single Buddha-jewel, or distinguished as two. The *Buddhabhūmi-śāstra* states: first, the physical body (rūpakāya / janmakāya); second, the dharma body (dharmakāya). Both the dharma body and the actual reward body are termed the dharma body because they are real virtues; the other-enjoyment body and the transformation body are both termed the physical body. Furthermore, the *Prajñā-śāstra* speaks of two: first, the true buddha; second, the non-true buddha. The first is the dharma body, and the second comprises the remaining two bodies. Or they are divided into three, which are precisely the bodhi of the three buddhas explained here. Or four kinds are taught: the *Laṅkāvatāra-sūtra* speaks of: 1) the transformation buddha (nirmāṇa-buddha); 2) the merit buddha; 3) the wisdom buddha; 4) the suchness buddha. The first is the transformation body, the middle two are the reward body, and the last one is the dharma body. The *Suvarṇaprabhāsa-sūtra* also teaches four kinds: 1) transformed but not responsive—when the Buddha manifests forms of dragons, spirits, etc., for beings, rather than a buddha body, it is called transformed but not responsive; 2) responsive but not transformed—the buddha body seen by bodhisattvas prior to the stages (bhūmis), manifested through samādhi and not comprised within the five destinies, is called responsive but not transformed, which is the single responsive body in a great trichiliocosm seen by [practitioners of] the four roots of goodness; 3) both responsive and transformed—the buddha body seen by the śrāvakas, visibly seen as having been cultivated to completion, is therefore called responsive, and seen as of the same kind as humans, is therefore called transformed; 4) neither responsive nor transformed—the true body of the Buddha; the former three are transformation, and the latter is dharma-and-reward. The *Buddhabhūmi-śāstra* also teaches four: 1) enjoyment and not transformation, namely the self-enjoyment body; 2) transformation and not enjoyment, namely the transformation body that converts those prior to the stages; 3) both enjoyment and transformation, namely the other-enjoyment body that converts bodhisattvas of the ten stages; 4) neither enjoyment nor transformation, namely the dharma body. The *Avataṃsaka-sūtra* speaks of ten buddhas: 1) the unattached buddha, who abides in the world and realizes perfect awakening (in the *Buddhabhūmi-śāstra* called the buddha of manifest equal awakening); 2) the vow buddha, born from vows (in that text called the buddha of great vows); 3) the karma-retribution buddha, because faith is perfected; all practices being causal, faith alone is temporarily spoken of (in that text called the karma-vipāka buddha); 4) the upholding buddha, continuously according with the world (in that text called the sustaining buddha); 5) the nirvāṇa buddha, demonstrating extinction (in that text called the transformation buddha); 6) the dharmadhātu buddha, never unmanifest in any place; 7) the mind buddha, well-abiding (the above two names are the same as in that text); 8) the samādhi buddha, having accomplished immeasurable virtues without attachment (in that text called the concentration buddha); 9) the nature buddha, well-determined (in that text called the original nature buddha); 10) the wish-fulfilling buddha, through universal pervading (in that text called the according-to-inclination buddha). The former five are conventional buddhas, and the latter five are ultimate buddhas. According to what is appropriate, they are subsumed under the three bodies: the former five are subsumed under the transformation body because they are named conventional; the dharmadhātu [buddha] is subsumed under the dharma body; the original nature [buddha] applies to both dharma and enjoyment bodies; and the remaining three are exclusively enjoyment bodies. The treatise says that these five are ultimate; though the dharma and enjoyment bodies differ from the previous transformations, all are ultimate. Check the *Vimalakīrtinirdeśa*, "Chapter on Viewing the Tathāgata", both the sūtra and commentary. The *Laṅkāvatāra-sūtra* states: "Mahāmati, when the dharma buddha preaches the Dharma, it is free from cognitive conditioning, free from the grasper and the grasped, free from conditioned marks and measures, etc. Mahāmati, the reward buddha preaches that all dharmas have specific marks and common marks, and that due to the perfuming impressions manifesting from one's own mind, he also explains that just as a magician conjures various forms—foolish people grasp them as real, yet those forms are actually unobtainable—this is called conceptualizing the nature of illusory dharmas. Mahāmati, the transformation buddha preaches giving, morality, patience, vigor, meditation, wisdom, the aggregates, elements, sense-bases, and so forth." The *Prajñā-śāstra* states: "Responsive and transformed are not the true buddha, nor are they the preachers of the Dharma", etc., attributing the merit back to the source, exclusively the dharma body, because the fundamental teaching of that sūtra speaks of the true dharma body. Availing myself of the text, I have briefly clarified the meaning of the buddhas; the attainment of buddhahood through the three bodies is as explained in the *Maitreya Commentary*, and distinct meanings are as explained in the *Buddhabhūmi-śāstra*, the *Vijñaptimātratāsiddhi*, and the *Fayuan zhulin*. Although the additions and subtractions regarding the buddha bodies vary, if categorized at present, they do not exceed two kinds: first, the true; second, the transformed. What is seen by bodhisattvas prior to the stages and by the two vehicles is called the transformation body; the reward and dharma bodies are called the true body. By this principle, clarifying the bodhi of the three buddhas is divided into two: first, clarifying the body seen and doubted by the three vehicles; second, clarifying the true body unknown to the three vehicles. This is the first.