四明尊者教行錄 3.153

3.153

答：《法華》為開權顯實之教，廼一代之所歸、五時之極唱。若不以二妙甄之，則一乘顯實妙義難彰矣。且初相待論判麁妙者，彼此互形曰相，以他望己為待。蓋待前四時七教之麁，方顯《法華》一乘之妙。良以昔日諸經機緣未熟，部味教觀兼但對帶，不若《法華》淳圓絕妙，是故為麁。故經曰：正直捨方便，但說無上道。已今當說此《法華經》最為第一，以故此經淳一無雜，獨得妙名，良由以也。次絕待論開麁顯妙者，絕前諸麁，無可形待也。蓋以《法華》之妙有絕麁之功，故使昔日四時七教之麁，一經《法華》開顯，以一妙乘貫而絕之，麁即是妙、妙外無麁，權即是實、實外無權。譬如神仙九轉丹砂點鐵成金，一成真金不復為鐵。故經曰：決了聲聞法，是諸經之王。指汝所行是菩薩道。開方便門，示真實相。一開之後，無所間然，無小無大，咸歸佛界。一切諸法，皆是佛法，更無餘乘，直顯一實。是名絕待論妙也。然此二妙若非相待以判，則不顯《法華》超過諸說；若非絕待以開，則不知《法華》妙一切法。解釋一題，陳茲二妙，茲所謂抗折百家、超過諸說者，其為吾祖乎。

Answer: The Saddharmapuṇḍarīka Sūtra is the teaching that opens the provisional and reveals the real; it is the culmination to which the whole lifetime converges, the supreme song of the five periods. If one did not distinguish it using the two wonders, the wondrous meaning of the one vehicle revealing the real would be difficult to display. First, discussing the judgment between coarse and wondrous in relative terms: mutual comparison with each other is called 'mutual' (xiang); looking at oneself in contrast to others is called 'relative' (dai). It is relative to the coarseness of the previous four periods and seven teachings that the wonder of the one vehicle of the Saddharmapuṇḍarīka Sūtra is revealed. Because in the past sūtras the faculties and conditions were not yet ripe, the categories, flavors, doctrines, and contemplations were combined, exclusive, opposing, or帯帶帶 carried along, not being purely perfect and supremely wondrous like the Saddharmapuṇḍarīka Sūtra; therefore they are coarse. Hence the sūtra says: 'Directly and straightforwardly abandoning provisional methods, I preach only the unsurpassed path.' And: 'Of those already preached, currently being preached, and to be preached, this Saddharmapuṇḍarīka Sūtra is the foremost.' Therefore, this sūtra is pure, unified, and unmixed, uniquely obtaining the name 'wondrous' precisely for this reason. Next, discussing the opening of the coarse to reveal the wondrous in absolute terms: it eliminates the former coarsenesses so that nothing remains to be compared or related to. Because the wonder of the Saddharmapuṇḍarīka Sūtra has the efficacy of eliminating coarseness, once the coarseness of the previous four periods and seven teachings is opened and revealed by the Saddharmapuṇḍarīka Sūtra, it is threaded and transcended by the one wondrous vehicle. Coarse is itself wondrous, and outside the wondrous there is no coarse; the provisional is itself the real, and outside the real there is no provisional. It is like the divine transcendent's cinnabar refined nine times touching iron and turning it into gold: once it becomes true gold, it never becomes iron again. Hence the sūtra says: 'Thoroughly understanding the śrāvaka Dharma, this is the king of all sūtras.' And: 'Point out that what you practice is the bodhisattva path.' And: 'Opening the door of expedient means, showing the mark of true reality.' Once opened, there is no separation, neither lesser nor greater; all return to the realm of Buddhas. All dharmas are the Buddha Dharma; there is no other vehicle, directly revealing the one reality. This is called the wondrous discussed in absolute terms. However, if these two wonders were not judged through the relative, it would not show that the Saddharmapuṇḍarīka Sūtra surpasses all expositions; if they were not opened through the absolute, one would not know that the Saddharmapuṇḍarīka Sūtra makes all dharmas wondrous. Explaining a single title and setting forth these two wonders—surpassing and refuting a hundred schools and transcending all expositions—who could do this but our ancestral master?