妙法蓮華經玄贊 5.4

5.4

The reason for this occurrence is twofold: First, Śāriputra, of superior capacity, awakened simply upon hearing the exposition of the Dharma, while the four persons of medium capacity necessarily require analogies before they can understand. Above, those of superior capacity have already been transformed; below, those of medium capacity will be enlightened, and this is why this chapter occurs.
Second, the Treatise states: 'From this point on, for sentient beings endowed with seven kinds of defiled nature, seven parables are spoken to counteract seven kinds of overweening pride; and for three kinds of persons who are tainted by pride but devoid of afflictions—who have pride tainted by samādhi, liberation, views, and so on—the three equalities are spoken precisely to counteract these.' It also states: 'The remaining sūtra texts clarify the ten unsurpassed meanings.' This intention generally reveals that the subsequent twenty-six chapters clarify these three meanings.
The seven parables are in seven chapters: 1. the parable of the burning house in this 'Parable Chapter'; 2. the parable of the destitute son in the 'Belief and Understanding Chapter'; 3. the parable of the clouds and rain in the 'Medicinal Herbs Chapter'; 4. the parable of the conjured city in the 'Conjured City Chapter'; 5. the parable of the tied jewel in the 'Prophecy for the Five Hundred Disciples Chapter'; 6. the parable of the bright jewel untied from the topknot in the 'Comfortable Practices Chapter'; 7. the parable of the physician in the 'Span of Life Chapter'. In their order, each is in one chapter.
The three equalities are in nine chapters: 1. 'Parable'; 2. 'Prophecy'; 3. 'Prophecy for the Five Hundred Disciples'; 4. 'Prophecy for Trainees and Non-Trainees'; 5. 'Dharma Master Chapter'; 6. 'Upholding Chapter'; 7. 'Devadatta Chapter'; 8. 'Sadāparibhūta'; 9. 'Beholding the Precious Stūpa'. The first eight chapters all have prophecies and speak of the initial equality of the vehicle; later, in 'Beholding the Precious Stūpa', the two equalities of the phenomena and the bodies of saṃsāra and nirvāṇa are jointly explained.
The ten unsurpassed meanings are across twenty-one chapters. The first nine unsurpassed meanings are in seven chapters: 1. 'Medicinal Herbs Parable'; 2. 'Conjured City'—these contain the second and third unsurpassed meanings; 3. 'Prophecy for the Five Hundred Disciples'; 4. 'Beholding the Precious Stūpa'; 5. 'Comfortable Practices'; 6. 'Emerging from the Earth'; 7. 'Span of Life'—these contain the eighth and ninth unsurpassed meanings. In the above seven chapters, apart from the second and seventh, the other five chapters each have one unsurpassed meaning. The remaining sūtra texts constitute the tenth unsurpassed meaning, which means the other fourteen chapters are all the tenth unsurpassed meaning. In it there are two powers: 1. the power of the Dharma; 2. the power of practice. The power of the Dharma has three chapters: 1. 'Discrimination of Merits'; 2. 'Rejoicing in Merits'; 3. 'Merits of the Dharma Master'. In the power of practice there are further seven powers, totaling eleven chapters: 1. the power of upholding has three chapters: 'Dharma Master', 'Comfortable Practices', and 'Exhortation to Uphold'. 2. The power of preaching has one chapter, namely 'Supernatural Powers'. 3. The power of practicing austerities also has one chapter, namely 'Bhaiṣajyarāja Chapter'. 4. The power of practicing austerities to transform sentient beings also has one chapter, namely 'Gadgadasvara'. 5. The power of protecting sentient beings from various difficulties has two chapters: 'Avalokiteśvara's Universal Gate' and 'Dhāraṇī'. 6. The supreme power of merit has one chapter, namely 'Former Deeds of King Śubhavyūha'. 7. The power of protecting the Dharma has two chapters: 'Samantabhadra' and 'Entrustment'.
The last ten unsurpassed meanings are the remainder after the initial seven parables and three equalities, called the 'upper remainder'; hence the root treatise, after explaining the seven parables and three equalities, says: 'The remaining sūtra texts clarify the unsurpassed meanings.' The tenth unsurpassed meaning is the remainder after the previous nine kinds of unsurpassed meanings, called the 'lower remainder'; hence the root treatise, in explaining the tenth unsurpassed meaning, says: 'The tenth, the supreme and wondrous power, is the unsurpassed that is spoken in the remaining sūtra texts.'