法華論疏 3.370

3.370

釋中云示現化佛報佛法佛等皆為成大事故者，明三佛同為一大事。一大事者，《大品》云「救一切眾生名為大事」。今明釋迦共多寶同一塔座，同命覓弘經人之，令周旋往返十方世界弘一乘道、竝皆成佛，謂之為大事也。問：唯多寶與釋迦同一塔坐，分身不同塔坐。云何言三佛同一大事？答：即釋迦自具三佛：示現伽耶成佛，謂化身也；久已成佛，行因所得，謂報身佛也；有真故即有法身。故釋迦具三身。即是三佛同坐共成一大事也。問：乃知釋迦具三身。文中但云「釋迦與多寶同坐」，此是二佛，云何言三佛共作大事？答：分身乃不同坐，而諸佛意同成大事。問：多寶、釋迦、分身佛，此三是何佛耶？答：依文判者，論主云「多寶是法身、釋迦為報身佛、分身為化身佛」也。問：前明隱時為法身，多寶豈是隱時耶？答：論解二種法身。一者隱時名法身，此非多寶也；二者顯時名法身，即多寶也。問：若爾，與報佛何異？答：體一義殊。酬因義邊目之為報、眾法所依正法為身，故名法身也。有人言：分身佛是應身佛。何以知之？《攝論》及《同性經》竝言應身住淨土中說法化菩薩。今分身竝在淨土中說法，當知即是應身，應身即報身也。釋迦在穢土，故是化佛。今明作斯釋者，亦得然也。各取一義。

In the explanation, it says "because it manifests that the transformation Buddha, the reward Buddha, the dharma Buddha, and so on, all act to accomplish the great matter": this clarifies that the three Buddhas together act for the one great matter. As for the 'great matter', the *Pañcaviṃśatisāhasrikā* states, 'Saving all sentient beings is called the great matter.' Now it is clarified that Śākyamuni and Prabhūtaratna sit together on the same stupa seat, jointly ordering the search for people to propagate the sūtra, causing them to cycle back and forth through the worlds of the ten directions to propagate the path of the One Vehicle and all together attain Buddhahood; this is called the 'great matter'. Question: Only Prabhūtaratna and Śākyamuni sit together in the same stupa; the emanation bodies do not share the same stupa seat. Why is it said that the three Buddhas share the same great matter? Answer: Śākyamuni himself possesses the three Buddhas: manifesting the attainment of Buddhahood at Gayā is the transformation body; having attained Buddhahood long ago, which was obtained through practicing causes, is the reward Buddha; and having the real, he thereby possesses the dharmakāya. Therefore, Śākyamuni possesses the three bodies. That is to say, the three Buddhas sitting together jointly accomplish the one great matter. Question: We now know that Śākyamuni possesses the three bodies. But the text only says 'Śākyamuni sits together with Prabhūtaratna'—these are two Buddhas. Why does it say that three Buddhas jointly perform the great matter? Answer: Although the emanation bodies do not share the seat, the intention of the Buddhas jointly accomplishes the great matter. Question: Prabhūtaratna, Śākyamuni, and the emanation-body Buddhas—which Buddhas are these three? Answer: Determining according to the text, the author of the treatise says: 'Prabhūtaratna is the dharmakāya, Śākyamuni is the reward Buddha, and the emanation bodies are the transformation-body Buddhas.' Question: Previously it was explained that the concealed state is the dharmakāya; could Prabhūtaratna be the concealed state? Answer: The treatise explains two kinds of dharmakāya: first, the concealed state is named the dharmakāya, which is not Prabhūtaratna; second, the manifested state is named the dharmakāya, which is Prabhūtaratna. Question: If so, how does it differ from the reward Buddha? Answer: Their substance is one, but their aspects differ. In terms of rewarding the causes, it is termed 'reward'; as the standard Dharma upon which all dharmas rely and which forms the body, it is named 'dharmakāya'. Some say: The emanation-body Buddhas are the response-body Buddhas. How is this known? The *Mahāyānasaṃgraha* and the *Buddhasāṅgīti-sūtra* both say that the response body dwells in the pure land to expound the Dharma and transform bodhisattvas. Here, the emanation bodies all expound the Dharma in pure lands; hence one should know that they are response bodies, and the response body is the reward body. Śākyamuni is in the defiled land, and is therefore the transformation Buddha. Now we clarify that making this interpretation is also acceptable. Each takes one perspective.