妙法蓮華經玄贊 1.74

1.74

There are five reasons for their coming: First, to attest and inspire faith. Listing the audience assists in establishing that what Ānanda heard and preached is credible. Doubts among the multitude are of three kinds: first, suspecting that Ānanda was speaking on his own; second, suspecting that he had heard it passed down from others; third, suspecting that it was spoken by someone else. Now, by revealing that they heard it together, it certifies that the sūtra is credible. The *Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa* says: "By stating the time, place, and persons, faith is caused to arise." Second, to reveal virtue. Just as Śakra, Lord of the Devas, is surrounded by the devas, and the Great Brahmā King is surrounded by the Brahmā retinue, now it is shown that the Dharma King is surrounded by the noble ones. Third, to make requests. The method of benefiting beings must respond to their wishes; proclaiming in due sequence, causes are explained first and effects later: the body is the substance of the effect, practice is the nature of the cause, and the vehicle is that which is studied. Below in the "Expedient Means Chapter", Śāriputra's threefold request was for the sake of the provisional and real vehicles, revealing the objective sphere that leads to abandoning the provisional and resorting to the real. In the "Chapter on Comfortable Conduct", Mañjuśrī's firm request directly clarifies the practice of abandoning the provisional and resorting to the real. In the "Span of Life Chapter", Maitreya's threefold request was for the sake of the provisional and real bodies, revealing the effect of abandoning the provisional and resorting to the real; the sūtra of causes and conditions causes arrogance regarding the Dharma to be eliminated. If it were not through requests, the aspiration would be difficult to generate; thus the śrāvakas request the objective sphere—the Single Vehicle directly matching and awakening their faculties—while the bodhisattvas request the practice and praise the fruit, benefiting realization and causes as well. Fourth, to match the faculties. Those who had regressed from the bodhi-mind, being of three types of faculties, attained awakening, and through the three rounds of preaching the Single Vehicle, and the bodhisattvas' awakening through the preaching of the lifespan, etc., each obtained benefit according to their kind. The śrāvaka ordinary beings separated from dust and left behind defilement, giving rise to the bodhi-mind; those of the noble class turned toward the Great Vehicle; ordinary bodhisattvas had their nets of doubt entirely dispelled, realizing the real and reaching nobility; and noble bodhisattvas attained the forbearance of the non-arising of dharmas, etc., bound to attain bodhi. Therefore, this wondrous Dharma was preached for these three kinds of faculties. Fifth, to guide and gather. The gathering of the assembly at that time was to guide those of that time; the detailed presentation in the sūtra of the arousal of aspiration across other lifetimes is to guide sentient beings of the present time to arouse the aspiration. If there were no superior companions, pure faith would not arise. The *Buddhabhūmi-sūtra-śāstra* says: "Listing the bodhisattvas fulfills the auxiliary retinue; listing the devas, nāgas, and so forth fulfills the assembly retinue." If this is so even for a pure land, how much more so for a defiled realm! The above five meanings all constitute the reasons for their coming.