妙法蓮華經玄贊 2.87

2.87

Sixteenth, "the White Lotus of the Sublime Dharma": the commentary provides two explanations: (1) The meaning of emerging from water, where the flower designates the expressed meaning; (2) The meaning of the blooming of the flower, where the flower designates the expressing teaching—that is, the profundity of realized wisdom and the profundity of the scriptures. Emerging from water has two senses: (1) The sense of emerging from water: because it cannot be exhausted in transcending the muddy water of the Hinayāna; this discusses the substance of the flower. Bodhisattvas of sudden awakening are by nature free from muddy water, and because the substance of the Dharma is eternal in nature, it cannot be exhausted; this discusses the rational nature of the Single Vehicle, which is named "emerging from water" because it surpasses the two vehicles. (2) There is another sense: the lotus emerging from muddy water is a metaphor for the śrāvakas entering the Tathāgata's great assembly and sitting there, just like the bodhisattvas who sit upon lotus flowers hearing the preaching of unexcelled wisdom and the pure realm, realizing the Tathāgata's esoteric treasury. The idea here is that bodhisattvas sit upon lotus flowers hearing the preaching of unexcelled wisdom and its realm, and are able to realize the Tathāgata's profound esoteric treasury; when the śrāvakas turn their minds, they can enter the great assembly and sit there, also like bodhisattvas sitting upon lotus flowers hearing the preaching of wisdom and its realm, likewise realizing the esoteric treasury. The former explanation pertains to the emergence of the substance of bodhisattvas of sudden awakening; this explanation pertains to the later emergence in function of those of gradual awakening. It is properly said that he transforms the bodhisattvas by teaching and principle, and incidentally transforms [the followers of] the two vehicles. Regarding the meaning of the blooming of the flower: sentient beings conceive the notion of a precipice regarding the Great Vehicle, and because their minds are timid and weak, they cannot generate faith; [the Buddha] discloses the pure, sublime dharmakāya of the Tathāgata to cause them to generate pure faith.