妙法蓮華經玄贊 5.5

5.5

"Remaining" has two meanings: first, remaining in text, because it was not previously spoken; second, remaining in meaning, because although it was previously spoken, the meaning was not yet exhausted, and because of looking from a different perspective it is now spoken again, which is termed "remaining in meaning." Fearing that the text would become overly voluminous and long, it is omitted and not spoken [here in full], but will be commented upon and explained one by one in the chapters below. As for the seven chapters—"Medicinal Herbs," "Conjured City," "Five Hundred Disciples," "Precious Stūpa," "Upholding," "Comfortable Conduct," and "Lifespan"—they are stated again either with respect to text or meaning. As for the seven parables: ordinary beings and those in training are called "having defilements," and possess seven kinds of excessive defiling conceit. To remedy this, the seven parables are spoken. Just as grasping the conjured city as a real city is taking the worldly samāpatti that one seeks as true cessation, one grasps the state beyond training as complete and therefore seeks nothing further. Those beyond training of the two vehicles are called "persons without defilements," and possess three kinds of defiling conceit regarding grasping at dharmas. Although their grasping at dharmas such as samādhi, liberation, and views is not called "defiling" in relation to the two vehicles, once they have turned their minds, they are called bodhisattvas; grasping at dharmas defiles such bodhisattvas, and this is called "defiling conceit without defilement." The Commentary translates this as "inverted"—such is the meaning. As for the "unsurpassed meanings," they can be said to exist in the Mahāyāna, but do not exist in the other vehicles. Thus the three vehicles are said to be differentiated, because their teachings, principles, practices, and fruits are distinct. The Commentary cites the Buddha saying that "not leaving my body" is the unsurpassed meaning; thus this meaning is not spoken in the two vehicles, because they are unable to understand it. Hence this unsurpassedness is the teaching, principle, practice, and fruit of the Single Vehicle, which should be correlated with the various chapters as appropriate. As for the "seven kinds of sentient beings fully endowed with defilements": the first is the person seeking power and authority who gives rise to the first inversion, the excessive conceit of seeking merit; while burning with the defilements of the world, they seek the sublime realms and retributions of devas and humans, and for their sake the parable of the burning house is spoken. Wealth, rank, and sovereignty are called "power and authority," meaning that ordinary beings seek these external fruits and internal retributions of the sublime realms of devas and humans, not knowing that they are blazing and being scorched by defilements. For their sake the parable of the burning house is spoken, because the power and authority of devas and humans are scorched by defilements just like a burning house. The Bhagavat now speaks of having two carts, which are the worldly roots of goodness and samādhi, a provisional conceptualization of bodhi, causing them to leave the house, and afterwards gradually causing them to enter the great nirvāṇa of the Buddha. Therefore the Commentary states: "The first person is, by means of various worldly roots of goodness, samādhi, and virtues, provisionally caused to play, and afterwards caused to enter nirvāṇa." Here, the true wisdom of directly realizing the analytical cessation of the emptiness of persons during the path of liberation is not called worldly samādhi and provisional conceptualization. These are the goat and deer, not the cart itself. After that contemplation, one enters worldly concentration to contemplate what was previously realized; because the mind is coarse, it does not see the correct wisdom and the tathatā of personal emptiness, but only sees that afflictions, karma, and subsequent suffering do not arise, and the mind immediately transforms this into the thought and concept of nirvāṇa. The analytical cessation attained in the fundamental contemplation realized by correct wisdom is below called the "conjured city"; it does not say that what is transformed by provisional contemplation is the city, because it does not put an end to suffering. Now it is said that later, at the stage of subsequent wisdom, one is able to transform thoughts and concepts; these are termed worldly roots of goodness, samādhi, pliancy, joy, and various merits, provisionally named the goat and deer, provisionally named the knowledge of all aspects, with which they are given to play, and afterwards, transformed by the Single Vehicle, they are made to enter the Buddha's great nirvāṇa. When arriving at the stage of the Buddha, the bullock cart that can be entered is precisely the two kinds of wisdom, precisely bodhi; the nirvāṇa entered is precisely the place of jewels. In the subsequent parable of the conjured city, the two vehicles grasp the non-arising of those defilements and suffering as nirvāṇa, but in actual truth, nirvāṇa in the path of liberation is realized by correct wisdom; therefore it is said that entering the conjured city, the merchants all rest from their exhaustion. Because all earlier and later wisdoms cannot comprehend all dharmas, it is not truly the knowledge of all aspects; it is said that the goat and deer carts exist only in name and are not seen to be mounted, because these worldly samādhis and roots of goodness are spoken of to give them to play with. The two vehicles grasp these as the two carts, but in reality they are not the substance of the carts; just as the four inversions aroused by those of the two vehicles are not so during correct contemplation, but are conceptualized only afterwards—clinging arises based on this, and the conjured city is also like this. Now, to remedy the inverted excessive conceit of seeking merit by a person who seeks power and authority, this parable of the carts is spoken, and thus this chapter comes next. The remaining meanings will each be explained in their respective chapters.