出三藏記集 8.32

8.32

法華經者。諸佛之祕藏。眾經之實體也。以華為名者。照其本也。稱分陀利者。美其盛也。所興既玄。其旨甚婉。自非達識傳之。罕有得其門者。夫百卉藥木之英。物實之本也。八萬四千法藏者。道果之原也。故以喻焉。諸華之中蓮華最勝。華而未敷名屈摩羅。敷而將落名迦摩羅。處中盛時名分陀利。未敷喻二道。將落譬泥洹。榮曜獨足以喻斯典。至如般若諸經。深無不極。故道者以之而歸。大無不該。故乘者以之而濟。然其大略皆以適化為本。應務之門不得不以善權為用。權之為化悟物雖弘於實體不足皆屬法華。固其宜矣。尋其幽旨恢廓宏邃所該甚遠。豈徒說實歸本畢定殊塗而已耶。乃實大明覺理囊括古今。云佛壽無量。永劫未足以明其久也。分身無數。萬形不足以異其體也。然則壽量定其非數。分身明其無實。普賢顯其無成。多寶照其不滅。夫邁玄古以期今。則萬世同一日。即百化以悟玄。則千塗無異轍。夫如是者則生生未足以期存。永寂亦未可言其滅矣。尋幽宗以絕往。則喪功於本無。控心轡於三昧。則忘期於二地。經流茲土雖復垂及百年。譯者昧其虛津。靈關莫之或啟。談者乖其准格。幽蹤罕得而履。徒復搜研皓首。並未有窺其門者。秦司隷挍尉左將軍安城侯姚嵩。擬韻玄門宅心世表。注誠斯典信詣彌至。每思尋其文。深識譯者之失。既遇究摩羅法師。為之傳寫。指其大歸。真若披重霄而高蹈。登崐崙而俯眄矣。于時聽受領悟之僧八百餘人。皆是諸方英秀。一時之傑也。是歲弘始八年歲次鶉火。

The Lotus Sūtra is the secret treasury of all Buddhas, the true essence of all scriptures. It takes 'flower' as its name to illuminate its root; it is called 'puṇḍarīka' to praise its flourishing splendor. That from which it arises being profound, its purport is exceedingly graceful; unless transmitted by those of penetrating insight, few can ever find its gate. Now, the blossom of myriad herbs and medicinal trees is the root of worldly fruit; the eighty-four thousand treasuries of the Dharma are the source of the fruit of the Way—hence the metaphor. Among all flowers, the lotus flower is supreme. When the flower has not yet opened, it is called kuḍmala; when opened and about to fall, it is called kamala; when in its middle flourishing stage, it is called puṇḍarīka. Not yet opened symbolizes the two paths; about to fall compares to nirvāṇa; its radiant glory alone suffices to symbolize this scripture. As for the Prajñā sūtras and others, they are so deep that none fails to reach the limit—hence practitioners turn to them; they are so vast that none fails to be embraced—hence travelers cross over by them. Yet their broad outline takes adaptation to beings as primary; the portal of responding to needs cannot but employ skillful means. Although the conversion through expedients broadly awakens beings, it is insufficient in ultimate substance; they all belong under the Lotus—as is truly fitting! Examining its hidden purport, it is vast, expansive, grand, and deep, encompassing what is exceedingly far. How could it merely be preaching the real, returning to the source, and definitively settling the divergent paths? It is in fact a great clarification of the principle of awakening, comprehending both antiquity and the present. It says that the Buddha's lifespan is immeasurable—eternal kalpas do not suffice to make clear its duration; his emanated bodies are countless—myriad forms do not suffice to differentiate his substance. Thus, the lifespan establishes that he is beyond number; the emanated bodies show that he is without substantiality; Samantabhadra reveals that there is no completion; Prabhūtaratna illuminates that there is no extinction. When one strides beyond remote antiquity to anticipate the present, ten thousand generations are a single day; when one grasps the profound through hundreds of transformations, a thousand paths share the same track. Such being the case, continuing births do not suffice to expect existence, nor can eternal quiescence be called extinction. If one pursues the profound purport by severing past existence, one loses merit in original non-being; if one reins the mind in samādhi, one forgets aspiration in the two stages. Although this scripture has circulated in this land for nearly a hundred years, translators were blind to its open crossing, and the spiritual gate was never opened; disputants deviated from its standard, and its profound tracks were rarely trodden. In vain they researched until their heads turned white, none ever peeking into its portal. The Sili Xiaowei (Colonel of the Metropolitan Censorate), General of the Left, and Marquis of Ancheng of the Qin, Yao Song, attuned his spirit to the profound portal and lodged his mind beyond the world. Devoting his sincerity to this scripture, his faith became ever more profound. Whenever he reflected on its text, he deeply recognized the errors of previous translators. Having met Dharma Master Kumārajīva, who translated and copied it for him and indicated its grand culmination, it was truly like parting the heavy clouds to stride high, or climbing Mount Kunlun to look down! At that time, more than eight hundred monks received and comprehended it, all being the elite of various regions and the heroes of the age. This was in the eighth year of the Hongshi era [406 CE], the cyclical year Chunhuo.