佛祖統紀 2.4

2.4

序曰。四明法師之言云。如來昔於大通之時。覆講法華。與無邊眾生作一乘之因矣。以由中間退大樂五塵。如來大悲恐其墮苦。於是更以小乘。而為救拔。或用衍三而為導引。如此大小種種成熟。堪於今世悟入佛乘。是故如來為此一事出現於世。然其機發復少差殊。故於一代而分五時。有機堪能直入於實者（有機但能迂入於實者。雖此二類。熟在一時）嚴於華頓談別圓被二種機者。此機從始即見勝相。若其中間習小深者。雖於今世入一佛乘。而於小先熟。故為此機示現劣身。初說三藏諸味調熟。來至法華方開佛慧。此機於始唯見劣身。故天台師曰。小機則示三藏佛身說法。大機應以舍那佛身說法。是故降神母胎。即示兩相故。然華嚴頓後。方施小化。譬如窮子急追不至徐語方來。前頓後漸其義已成。今那忽云降神母胎即示兩相。須知諸文所論。初頓後漸。蓋是化緣施設之語。今此所說大小雙應。終歸一乘。方盡鑑機始末之事。如方便品。思無大機。念欲息化。諸佛勸諭。方施小乘。次文却云無量劫來。讚涅槃法。生死永盡。我常是說。是故思機。然後施小。此等之說。皆是儀式。不可據此以難今文預鑑群機。原始要終。度物之意也（並別行記）今觀二聖師所論。則知如來出興。秖一八相。自大機而觀之。則始終無改。無非華嚴。自小機而觀之。則遊化鹿苑。諸教次第。謂之舍那謂之釋迦。一體而兩名。由機有不同耳。然則大小二始。頓漸兩說。五時施化。一乘會歸。是皆如來。隨順機宜。善巧方便。令入佛慧之道。今故得以述之。

The Preface states: The Dharma Master of Siming said: In the past, at the time of Mahābhijñājñānābhibhū, the Tathāgata repeatedly preached the Lotus Sūtra, establishing the cause of the One Vehicle for boundless sentient beings. Because they subsequently regressed from the Great and took pleasure in the five dusts, the Tathāgata, out of great compassion and fearing their falling into suffering, thereupon used the Hīnayāna further to rescue and extricate them, or used the three vehicles of the Mahāyāna to guide them. In this way, with various maturities in both Great and Small, they are able in this lifetime to awaken and enter the Buddha Vehicle. Therefore, for this one matter, the Tathāgata appeared in the world. However, their capacities were activated with slight variations; hence, throughout his lifetime, he divided his teaching into five periods. For those whose capacities were able to enter directly into the real (and for those whose capacities could only enter into the real circuitously; although these two classes differed, they matured at the same time), he displayed the majestic Huayan and suddenly expounded the Distinct and Perfect teachings to address both kinds of capacity. These capacities saw the superior forms from the very start. If there were those among them who had previously practiced the Small deeply, although in this lifetime they would enter the One Buddha Vehicle, they were first matured in the Small; therefore, for these capacities he manifested an inferior body, initially preaching the three baskets, conditioning and maturing them through various flavors, until arriving at the Lotus Sūtra to finally open the Buddha's wisdom. These capacities saw only the inferior body from the start. Therefore, the Tiantai master said: 'To small capacities he manifests the Three-Basket Buddha body to preach the Dharma; to great capacities he should preach the Dharma with the Rocana Buddha body.' Thus, upon descending his spirit into the mother's womb, he immediately displayed both aspects. Yet, after the sudden Huayan, only then did he dispense the gradual conversion; just as with the impoverished son, who could not be reached by rushing after him, but would come only when addressed gently. The principle of 'first sudden, then gradual' is already established. Why, then, does it now say that upon descending his spirit into the mother's womb he immediately displayed both aspects? One must understand that when various texts discuss 'first sudden, then gradual', these are words concerning the expedient arrangements of the teaching situation. Now, what is spoken here—that both Great and Small are simultaneously responded to, ultimately converging in the One Vehicle—only this completely exhausts the matter of discerning the capacities from beginning to end. As in the 'Expedient Means' chapter, when he considered that there were no great capacities and thought of ceasing the teaching, only when all Buddhas exhorted him did he dispense the Hīnayāna. The next passage, however, says: 'For immeasurable kalpas I have praised the nirvāṇa Dharma: "Birth and death are forever ended." I have always preached this.' Therefore, only after considering the capacities did he dispense the Small. Such statements are all pedagogical frameworks; one must not rely on them to object to the present text's anticipation of the manifold capacities, examining the origins to attain the conclusions, and its intent to deliver beings. (Both from the Biexing ji.) Observing now what the two holy masters have discussed, we know that the Tathāgata's advent consists of only one set of eight aspects. Viewed from great capacities, it is unvarying from beginning to end, nothing other than the Huayan. Viewed from small capacities, he wandered and converted at the Deer Park, with the successive sequence of various teachings. Whether he is called Rocana or called Śākya, they are one body with two names, owing merely to differences in capacity. Thus, the two beginnings of Great and Small, the two expositions of sudden and gradual, the dispensation of teachings across the five periods, and the convergence into the One Vehicle—all of these are the Tathāgata's skillful expedients following along with the suitability of capacities, the path that causes them to enter the Buddha's wisdom. Therefore, we can now set it forth.