法華宗要 1.16

1.16

答：會三之言亦攝此二。所以然者，法花教中說三乘有二：一者三車所譬，出〈喻品〉；二者三草所呪，出〈藥草品〉。此義云何？人天二乘合為小乘，如小藥草。聲聞、緣覺名為中乘，如中藥草。依彼別教發心菩薩，說名為大乘，如大藥草。會此三乘即攝五乘，然彼人天會因而不會果，果是無記，不作一因故。彼因善法有二功能，報因功能亦不會之，有受盡故；等流因用是今所會，無受盡故。會此因義入第一句。

Answer: The phrase 'converging the three' also subsumes these two. Why is this so? In the teaching of the Lotus [Sūtra], two kinds of Triyāna are spoken of: first, that exemplified by the three carts, which appears in the 'Aupamya-parivarta'; second, that described through the three herbs, which appears in the 'Oṣadhī-parivarta'. What does this mean? The two vehicles of humans and gods are combined into the small vehicle, like the small medicinal herbs. The śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas are called the medium vehicle, like the medium medicinal herbs. Bodhisattvas who give rise to the aspiration [for awakening] based on that distinct teaching are called the Great Vehicle, like the large medicinal herbs. Converging these three vehicles thereby subsumes the five vehicles. However, regarding those [vehicles of] humans and gods, their causes are converged, but not their fruits, for their fruits are indeterminate and do not act as the cause of the One [Vehicle]. The wholesome dharmas of their causes have two functions: the function of acting as the cause of retribution is also not converged, because it is exhausted when received; but the function of acting as an outflow cause (niṣyanda-hetu) is what is converged now, because it has no exhaustion upon being received. Converging this causal meaning falls into the first proposition.