佛祖統紀 2.4

2.4

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.