妙法蓮華經文句 信解品 · 追誘譬
父親知道那是自己的兒子。可是，他第一次派人急追，窮子不但沒有回家，反而驚愕、大喚，最後悶絕倒地。
如果只看父親有沒有力量，下一步似乎應該追得更快、牽得更緊。父親卻叫使者停手，以冷水灑面，讓窮子醒來，再放他隨意離去。
這不是父親改變了對兒子的認識。正因祂仍知道那是兒子，才不把『我給的是大法』當成繼續強迫的理由。眼前大志弱、小善強；再追，只會傷害善根。
於是，疾走變成徐語，尊貴的使者變成形色憔悴的工人。父親沒有取消回家的方向，只把第一步改成窮子能理解的工作：這裡有作處，也有工價，你願不願意來？
後來，父親甚至脫下瓔珞與上服，穿上粗弊垢衣，手執除糞器，走進兒子所在的地方。祂不是失去原有的尊貴，而是不讓尊貴成為兒子不敢靠近的原因。
兒子開始工作，父親便一步一步教他：先看清要除的是什麼，再勤作、不懈怠；從散動轉入安定，使根安固，使力能用，直到被重新命名為兒。
可是，被父親叫作兒子，不等於他立刻相信自己是兒子。他欣喜這份待遇，仍自認只是客作賤人。父親的認領已經在前，兒子的自我認識還在後面慢慢跟上。
二十年的除糞也不是一張人人都要照走的時間表。本論明說：若初得果時便厭小樂大，大乘根機發起，就應立即授以大乘，不必再斷其餘殘結。繼續除糞，只因眼前仍不捨小志。
有時，我們把堅持最高的說法誤認成慈悲；追誘譬卻問得更細：對方現在聽見的是召喚，還是拘捕？我們守住的是使他回家的方向，還是自己非用這種方式不可？
父親放手，因為祂沒有放棄；祂換衣走近，因為兒子還不敢抬頭；祂先叫他兒子，然後等待他不再只把自己看成傭工。
真正沒有改變的，不是方法，而是那一聲尚未被兒子聽懂的認領。
The father knows that this is his own son. Yet when he first sends someone in urgent pursuit, the poor son does not return home. Instead he is startled, cries out, and finally faints and falls to the ground.
If we looked only at whether the father has the power, it would seem that the next step should be to pursue faster and pull harder. The father instead tells the messenger to stop, has cold water sprinkled on the son's face to revive him, and then releases him to go where he wishes.
This does not mean the father has changed his recognition of his son. Precisely because He still knows this is His son, He does not use “what I offer is the great Dharma” as a reason to continue coercing him. At present the aspiration for the Great is weak and goodness directed toward the Lesser is strong. Further pursuit would only harm his wholesome roots.
So running swiftly becomes speaking gently, and the noble messenger becomes a worker haggard in appearance. The father does not cancel the direction home. He only changes the first step into work the poor son can understand: there is work here, and wages too—are you willing to come?
Later the father even removes his necklaces and fine upper garments, puts on coarse, soiled clothes, takes up a vessel for clearing dung, and enters the place where his son works. He has not lost his original dignity; He simply does not allow that dignity to become the reason His son dares not approach.
The son begins working, and the father teaches him step by step: first see clearly what must be removed, then work diligently without slacking; move from distraction into stability, secure the faculties, bring the powers into use, until at last he is given the name “son” anew.
Yet being called son by the father does not mean that he immediately believes himself to be the son. He rejoices in this treatment but still regards himself only as a lowly hired laborer. The father's recognition comes first; the son's understanding of himself follows slowly behind.
Nor are the twenty years of clearing dung a timetable everyone must follow. The root treatise expressly says that if, upon first attaining the fruit, one rejects the Lesser and delights in the Great, and the Mahāyāna capacity arises, the Great Vehicle should be taught immediately; there is no need first to sever all remaining fetters. Clearing dung continues only because the present aspiration for the Lesser has not yet been relinquished.
Sometimes we mistake insistence on the highest teaching for compassion. The parable of pursuit and inducement asks more precisely: does the other person now hear an invitation or an arrest? Are we preserving the direction that leads home, or merely our insistence that this one method must be used?
The father lets go because He has not given up. He changes clothes and draws near because His son still dares not raise his head. He first calls him son, then waits until the son no longer sees himself only as a hired laborer.
What truly never changes is not the method, but the recognition the son has not yet learned to hear.
隋天台智者大師說《妙法蓮華經文句》〔灌頂法師私記・唐天寶戊子朗和尚條倫治定本・卷端序＝鏡中沙門神逈述〕· 大正藏 T34n1718〔起 T34 0083b17〕。段/行首〔T34 …〕＝大正藏頁·欄·行錨（換頁一枚）。
〔T34 0083b17〕「即遣傍人急追將還」下，第三明追誘譬，近領火宅捨几用車，遠領法說寢大施小。此文為二：初、遣傍人追，次、遣二人誘。前追領上身手有力，而不用之，但〈方便品〉總誡勸為一，釋文為三；〈火宅〉開勸出誡，釋各為三，而放捨文略，長行合勸不合誡，而息化文廣，偈中但頌誡不頌勸，又不頌息化，皆有出沒。火宅長行，誡、勸、釋各有三，今則併領。「即遣傍人疾走往捉」，領上勸門之擬宜；「窮子驚愕」，領上勸門之無機；「強牽將還」，領上誡門之擬宜；「窮子自念無罪」至「悶絕躃地」，領上誡門之無機；從「父遙見」下，併領勸誡之息化，此探取佛意，佛雖勸門擬宜無機，意猶未息，更作誡門擬宜，事不獲已，然後息化也。「遣傍人」者，初勸門擬宜也，智是能遣、教是所遣，理義為正、教義為傍，從佛出大乘十二部擬宜眾生，無機不受，於其如乳，故言遣傍人也。又傍人者，傍臣佐等也，即是遣法身菩薩為說大乘，如《華嚴》中令四菩薩說四十地，即是遣傍人也。「疾走往捉」者，大乘明義顯露正直，用此赴機疾趣菩提，故大車中云其疾如風；若以菩薩為傍人者，菩薩自有神力，又被佛加亦能令彼疾入菩提。「窮子驚愕」，即勸門無機。既現無機，縱昔曾發，廢久不憶，卒聞大教，乖心故驚、不識故愕。「稱怨大喚」者，小乘以煩惱為怨、生死為苦，若勸煩惱即菩提，即大喚稱怨枉，若聞生死即涅槃，即大喚稱苦痛。無機不受，勸門也。「我不相犯」者，我不干求，何意用大化我？此領勸門二意未領息化。次，再喚不來，「執之逾急」者，領擬宜誡門也。前明勸善猶是容與，我當為說怖畏之事，即是急切。雖「強牽將還」者，誡以苦言令其遠惡。內既無機、外逼大化，即是強牽將還也。「自念無罪」者，領不受誡門也。罪者慈悲也，眾生罪故入生死獄，菩薩亦同罪入獄，二乘人無大悲，名為無罪。令入生死，即是而被囚執也，無大方便而入生死，必當永失三乘慧命，故言必死。思此等事，故言「轉更惶怖」也。強以大教，小智不解，故言「悶絕」。即起誹謗，必墮三途，故言「躃地」，亦是迷悶溺無明地。從「父遙見之」，即是第三，放捨勸誡息大乘化。就此為四：一、思惟息化，二、釋息化，三、正息化，四、息化得宜。初有兩意：一、知大志弱，二、知小志強。「父遙見」者，小去大遠故名為遙，是結緣子故言為見。「而語使言」者，約教為使者，智本說教，智知無機，智息故教息；約人為使者，語諸菩薩不須現汝尊妙之身令二乘見，《淨名》中「攝汝身香，無令彼諸眾生而起惑著」，普賢入此娑婆，促身令小，皆是其義也。「勿強將來」者，既無大機，恐傷其善根，故言勿強也。私謂「不須此人」者，思惟息勸門擬宜；「勿強將來」者，思惟息誡門擬宜也。「冷水灑面」者，第二，知有小志，宜以灰斷理水除見思之熱。「面」者，厭生死名背，向涅槃如面也。「醒悟」者，開小逗機得離煩悶悟四真諦也。「莫復與語」者，決定應息大乘教也。「所以者何」下，第二，釋息化之意，正厭苦欣空，親狎下劣無慈悲心，即畏難大法，且任其小志，抑佛本懷，所以息化也。審知二萬億佛所曾發道心非都無大機也，且息大化，佛意未已，更俟後期。「不語他人」者，於昔小乘教中，隨他意語方便覆護稱是聲聞，不說隨自意語云是菩薩也。「使者語之」下，第三，正明息化。「我今放汝」，即是知大機弱，隨意所趣，即是知小善強，以此二緣故息大化也。「窮子歡喜」下，第四，即是息化稱機。不為大教所逼，是故「歡喜」；無謗大罪得免三途，故言「從地」；有小善生，故言「而起」。又前擬宜大法，迷悶不解臥無明地，今逗以小可得醒悟，故言「從地而起」。於四諦中欲求道法，故言「往至貧里以求衣食」；或於四見之中求道，故言「貧里」。「將欲誘引」下，是密遣二人誘引，此為二：一、齊教，近領三車救子，遠領波羅柰施權；次、從「又以他日」下，取意，領法身地久照方便，非道樹始知用小，早鑒眾生，致難尊特親狎垢衣，故追領往前以成今解。 〔T34 0084b08〕問： 四大弟子，何因能知法身久照？ 答： 推近知遠，若始道樹知無大機，不應兜率降神正慧託胎，乃至現有煩惱納妃生子，三十四心後身斷結，驗知脫大小相海微妙瓔珞，更著麁弊丈六垢衣，其已久矣。今初且釋齊教。領者，〈譬喻品〉文有四：一、用方便擬宜，二、知先心，三、歎三車，四、適其所願，〈方便品〉亦四。今領亦四：從「將欲誘引」下，是領上擬宜。「時二使人即求窮子，既已得之」，領上知子先心有機也。「具陳上事」，領上歎三車希有。「窮子先取其價」下，領上適願爭出火宅也。初、「將欲誘引」者，既息大化不容孤棄，欲設方便，故言將欲。「密遣二人」者，四弟子齊己分領，不涉菩薩，故言二人。約法是因緣四諦，約理是有作真俗，約人是聲聞緣覺。初擬大乘云密遣傍人，表一實諦、一大乘教、一菩薩人，今明方便，隱實為密，指偏真為遣。約教，隱滿字為密，指半字言遣。約人，內祕菩薩行故言密，外現是聲聞故言遣。「形」者，二乘教中不修相好，但說苦、無常、不淨，即是「形色憔悴」也。約人，則諸菩薩隱其本色示以迹形。非了義說，無有十力無畏，名「無威德」也。「汝可詣彼」者，即以小教擬小機也。大教明理直實，故言「疾走往捉」；小教明理迂隱，故云「徐語」。「此有作處」者，見修兩道是斷惑作處也。「倍與汝直」者，五戒十善止出三途，今四諦十二因緣能出生死，是為一倍；又外道六行但能伏惑，今修四諦則能斷惑得至涅槃，是為二倍也。「窮子若許」者，有機是許，即設教；無機是不許，不設教。「欲何所作」者，二乘唯欲除惑取證，不論淨佛國土成就眾生。所以言「雇汝除糞，我等二人亦共作」者，二乘鈍根憑教行行方能修業，約理者即是智諦相資也，約人即權人共實人修行也。「時二使人即求窮子」者，第二，審知有機，故言「已得」，領上知先心也。「具陳上事」下，第三，陳說雇作，領上歎三車也。除苦集之糞，取道滅之價。「窮子先取其價尋與除糞」下，第四，尋即為作，領上適願爭出火宅也。二乘慕果行因，所以先取也。「其父見子愍而怪之」者，怪不求佛道，愍其取阿羅漢，所失者大、所得者寡，故言怪也。齊此領法譬中意，其文竟。從「又以他日」下，第二，是取意領，靈智先照久設權謀崎嶇隨逐，非止樹下始見因緣，已如上說。此文為四：一、「又以他日」取意領先以權智久欲擬宜；二、見子憔悴，是久知方便是其玩好；三、脫妙著麁，領久知須歎三車；四、親教子作，久知適願受行今初。「又」者，鄭重辭也。將欲取意領法身之地久知大小之機〔一三〕施化，重述佛意故標章稱「又」也。「他日」者，二乘自謂方便為己，非二乘法為他，即擬法身也。「日」者時也，亦智也，依法身之時，用智照機，故言「他日」。若從此義，實智照實為自，權智照方便為他。齊教領，領化身用事為己日，非化身用事為他日。若就如來，自行權實之智皆名為己，如來化他權實之照，皆名為他。如來自他權實之照，照實為己，照權為他。此之探領法身之時，用化他之權智，照於權機若有若無，照用權事若可若否，皆是權智所照，故言他日。若從此義，齊教領，領化他之權事，故二乘稱己事，探領領自他之權，此權非二乘事，故稱為他。雖有兩意，他日俱成，今依二乘所領，又逐他日之文，以探領領法身中照機也。「牖窓」者，偏見則小，表權智照彼偏機也。「遙」者，小去大懸，故名為遙。「見子」者，昔曾種大稱之為子，以大擬之故言為見。窓牖偏狹未宜大化，故息大而施小也。「羸瘦」下，第二，是領先知有小玩好也。修因智力少為「羸」，修因福力少為「瘦」，內怖無常為「憔」，外遭八苦為「悴」。四住為「糞土」，無知為「塵坌」也。「即脫瓔珞」下，第三，是領先知須歎三車希有也。脫妙服，譬隱報身無量功德。四十二地戒定慧陀羅尼等「瓔珞」，寂滅忍「細軟上服」，大小相海「嚴飾之具」。容服若盛子則驚畏，二乘不宜見此相好，是故脫之。「更著麁弊」者，現丈六形是麁，生忍、法忍是弊也。「塵土坌身」者，現有煩惱有為有漏也。「執除糞」下，但治見思有漏之法，不論諸地清淨智慧也。左手喻實，右手喻權，權用便易，自以此法斷結成佛，又用此化人。「狀有所畏」者，示同怖生死，又有寒風馬麥之報也。「語諸作人」下，第四，親教子作譬也，即是道品中七科法門，以顯除糞之相，領上諸子心各勇銳互相推排競共馳走爭出火宅也。一者語作人譬，譬四念處是外凡位；二、令勤作勿得懈息譬，譬四正勤；三、「咄男子」，勿復餘去譬，譬四如意足；四、「好自安意」下，名安慰譬，譬五根；五、「所以者何」下，名無五過譬，譬五力。此前四句是第二內凡位。六、即時長者字以為子譬，譬八正。七、「雖欣此遇」下，名教常令除糞譬，譬七覺。此二句是第三聖位也。 〔T34 0085b13〕今初語諸作人者，即是說三藏示四念處，是除糞之器，斷結之境故。《遺教》云「常依念處行道能破四倒」，領火宅中適願勇銳，即是聞慧也。第二，「勿得懈息」者，即是令勤修四念處也，若起懈息不能滅二惡，不能生二善，以二勤故能發煖火，對火宅互相推排，入修慧煖位也。「以方便故得近其子」者，念處未得理火溫心，猶為疎外不可附近，以初得煖方便則可附近也。第三，「咄男子」者，咄是驚覺亦是責數，上正勤中紛動即是智法，如男子是陽性，如意足是定法，如女人是陰性，良以正勤策動不得與真相應，故咄驚責數，令捨散入靜，故咄男子也。「汝常此作勿復餘去」者，念處、正勤動不專一，不名為常，四如意中定不異緣，思惟則定、思惟則斷，定斷專一故常，不紛動故勿復餘去。此猶在互相推排中，即是頂法之位也。「當加汝價」者，煖法意觀中不能發真，如意觀中能發無漏故言加價。若有所須者，漏無漏善助道正道，皆從如意觀求，欲須即得。四禪體含支林如盆器，生空麁如米，法空細如麵，此即正道。四諦下十六諦觀，無常如鹽、苦如醋，此即助道。如米麪難食須鹽醋和之，正道難顯須助道助之。「莫自疑難」者，結上正助，審在如意觀中故令勿疑，決定可辦如己物想故言勿難。「亦有老弊使人」者，若欲直取通以代手足如使人驅役者，如意觀中亦有此通，但通劣弱事同老弊，雖不丁壯亦堪運役；又以正道求理，正道弱未能發真，欲須助道，九想、十想、八背捨等。助道使人者，如意觀中亦有此法，若得助助正，即成共解脫人也。第四，「好自安意」者，得五根安固難壞也。「我如汝父」者，忍解隣真似像未實，故言如父，亦是如子。「勿復憂慮」者，令其安意破壞見思也。第五，「我老汝少」者，佛居道終已具智斷，故言老大，汝居道始未有智斷，故名為少壯，此即忍法位也。無五過者，得五力離五惡法也。得信力故不欺，精進力故不怠，念力故不瞋，定力故不恨，慧力故不怨言。「餘作人」者，遠指外道，諸見求理名餘作人，近指煖等四位未免五過，亦名餘作人。此文無五過，即五力也。「自今已後如所生子」者，下忍十六剎那時節猶長，中忍雖復縮觀亦未是一剎那，若上忍世間最後一剎那心隣真逼聖，故名此位為如所生子，即世第一法位也。第六，「即時長者更與作字名之為兒」者，得八正入見道中競共馳走，故言名之為兒。世第一法與真不久故言即時，《阿含》說五種佛子，四果及辟支佛名佛真子，菩薩不斷結子義未成。「爾時窮子雖欣此遇」下，第七，常令傭作譬。譬雖為子，思惟未盡猶居學位未得無難，故二十年常令除糞，亦復自知不任紹大，正是依教修行盡苦耳，故云「猶故自謂客作賤人」。若得初果厭小樂大，大乘機發者，即應授以大乘，又不須進斷其餘殘結，正由不捨小志大機不發，以是且令依教盡漏，故言「由是之故二十年中常令除糞」。「二十年」者，見諦，一解脫一無礙；思惟，九無礙九解脫，故言二十年。又云見思二道中斷結，名二十年。又云五下分、五上分，為二十年也。又云猶於二乘法中斷思惑故，名二十年。又云依二使人，共斷餘結故，名二十年也。從有二乘之機而來感佛，故云自見子來已二十年，若住二乘位轉大乘教，名為於二十年中執作家事也。二十語同各有所以，指此一句，即是爭出三界火宅位也。
The canonical text stands in Chinese only. This edition renders the essence, the plain reading, the exposition and the apparatus into English — never the sūtra itself. Switch to 漢讀本 or 並行雙語 above to read it.
一、先追後誘
從「即遣傍人急追將還」〔T34n1718 0083b17〕以下，是第三段追誘譬。往近處說，它領受火宅譬中長者捨棄用几案救子、改用三車誘子的意思；往遠處說，它領受〈方便品〉中佛暫止大乘、轉施小乘的意思。
這一段分成兩部分：先說父親派旁人去追，接著說父親派兩個人去誘導。前面的追捕，領受火宅譬中長者雖有強健身手、卻不使用的經意。只是前面幾處經疏的開合並不完全相同：〈方便品〉把總的誡告與勸導合為一項，解釋文字分為三層；火宅譬則把勸門與誡門分開，解釋時各有三層，放捨一段寫得較略。火宅長行的合譬合了勸門，沒有合誡門，息化的文字反而較詳；偈頌只頌誡門，不頌勸門，也不頌息化。各處文字互有出入與省略。火宅長行的誡、勸與解釋各有三層，這裡則把它們合在一起領受。
經文說派旁人疾走前去捉人，領受上文勸門中先試擬適宜之法；窮子驚愕，領受勸門中眾生沒有相應根機；強行牽他回來，領受誡門中再試擬適宜之法；窮子心想自己無罪，直到悶絕倒地，領受誡門中仍然沒有相應根機。從父親遠遠看見他以下，則把勸門、誡門停止大乘教化的意思合在一起領受。
這是四大弟子探取佛的用意。佛在勸門中試施大法而眾生沒有根機，心意仍未停止，於是再用誡門試施大法；直到事情實在不能成辦，才停止這一階段的大乘教化。
二、派旁人急追
經文的遣旁人，最初譬喻勸門中試擬適宜之法。從教法說，智慧是能派遣者，教法是被派遣者；理所表的義是正，教所表的義是旁。從佛流出的大乘十二部教，本來要用來試投眾生的根機；眾生沒有相應根機，不能接受，如同嬰兒不能消化乳味，所以說派旁人。
旁人也有旁臣、輔佐的意思。這便是佛派遣法身菩薩為眾生說大乘，如《華嚴》中由四位菩薩宣說四十地，也是遣旁人。
疾走前去捉人，是說大乘所明的義顯露而正直，用它來應機，可以迅速趨向菩提。所以大車的經文說行走迅疾如風。若把菩薩解作旁人，菩薩自己有神通力，又蒙佛力加被，也能使眾生迅速進入菩提。
窮子驚愕，表示勸門中沒有大乘根機。眼前既不顯大機，即使過去曾經發心，也因荒廢已久而不記得；突然聽聞大教，所聞違逆自己當下的心，所以驚；自己又不能識知，所以愕。
窮子稱怨大喚，本論把小乘人所厭的煩惱稱為怨，把生死稱為苦。若勸他煩惱就是菩提，他便大聲呼喊自己受到冤屈；若告訴他生死就是涅槃，他便大聲呼喊自己受了苦痛。這都表示沒有根機、不能領受，仍屬勸門。
窮子說自己並沒有侵犯對方，是說自己並沒有求取大法，為什麼偏要用大乘教化自己？這只領受勸門的擬宜、無機兩意，還沒有領到息化。
接著，再呼喚他仍不肯來。使者把他抓得更加急迫，領受誡門中試擬適宜之法。前面勸他向善，語勢還較舒緩；現在要為他說可怕的事，語勢就變得急切。雖然經文說強行牽他回來，所表示的是以苦切的話誡告，使他遠離惡法。內在沒有大機，外面又被大乘教法逼迫，便如同被強牽回去。
窮子心想自己無罪，領受不接受誡門。這裡的罪特指慈悲：眾生因罪業進入生死牢獄，菩薩因慈悲也隨眾生同入此獄，所以名為同罪；二乘人沒有大悲，便名無罪。現在若要他進入生死救度眾生，就如無罪而被囚禁。沒有大方便而進入生死，必定永遠失去三乘的慧命，所以說必死。想到這些，便轉而更加惶恐怖畏。
以大教強加於小智，小智不能理解，所以說悶絕；若因此生起誹謗，必墮三惡道，所以說倒地，也表示迷悶而沉溺在無明之地。
三、父親放捨，暫息大化
從父親遠遠看見窮子起，是第三部分：放捨勸、誡二門，停止當時的大乘教化。這裡又有四層：第一，思量應當息化；第二，解釋為何息化；第三，正式息化；第四，息化恰合根機。
第一層的思量有兩意：一是知道窮子志求大法的力量弱，二是知道他志求小法的力量強。父親遠遠看見他，是因小乘離大乘很遠，所以稱遙；窮子過去已經結過大乘因緣，所以仍稱為子、仍可被父所見。
父親告訴使者，可以從教、從人兩方面解釋。從教說，教法是使者；智慧本來宣說教法，智慧知道眾生沒有根機，智慧的運用停止，教法也隨之停止。從人說，佛告訴諸菩薩，不要顯現自己尊貴微妙的身相給二乘人看。《淨名》所說收攝身香，不使眾生起惑著，以及普賢來到此世間時促使身形變小，都是同一意思。
父命使者不要強把窮子帶來，是因他既沒有大乘根機，若勉強施教，恐怕反而損傷善根。智者又自作分判：父說不需要這個人，是思量停止勸門的擬宜；父說不要強把他帶來，是思量停止誡門的擬宜。兩句各有所屬，不能合成一項。
用冷水灑他的臉，是第二意：知道窮子有志於小法，適合用灰斷之理水，消除見惑、思惑的熱惱。所謂臉，是以厭離生死名為背，以朝向涅槃名為面。醒悟，是說開出小乘法以投合根機，使他離開煩悶，悟入四真諦。不要再和他說話，是決定暫停大乘教。
從所以者何以下，是第二層，解釋息化的用意。窮子正厭苦、欣慕空寂，親近低下劣弱之法，沒有慈悲心，因此畏懼難行的大法。佛暫且任隨他的小志，壓下自己本來的心懷，所以停止大乘教化。
然而，佛審知他過去曾在二萬億佛所發菩提心，並非全無大乘根機。這時只是暫停大化，佛的用意並沒有完結，仍等待後來的時機。不告訴別人這是自己的兒子，是說昔日在小乘教中，佛隨順他人的意樂，以方便覆護，只稱他是聲聞；沒有依佛自己的意語，明說他本是菩薩。
從使者對窮子說話以下，是第三層，正式息化。使者說現在放他走，表示知道他的大機弱；讓他隨意前往自己想去的地方，表示知道他的小善強。正因這兩個緣由，佛停止當時的大乘教化。
從窮子歡喜以下，是第四層，說明息化正合根機。他不再受大教逼迫，所以歡喜；也沒有因誹謗大法而得重罪，得以免離三惡道，所以說從地上起來；小善由此生起，所以說起身。也可以說，先前以大法試投，他迷悶不解，倒臥無明地；現在改用小法投機，可以醒悟，所以從地而起。他想在四諦中求得道法，所以前往貧里尋求衣食；也可說他在四種見中求道，所以那個地方稱為貧里。
四、密遣二人漸誘
從長者將要誘引窮子以下，是密遣二人誘導。這一段分二：第一是齊教，往近處領受三車救子，往遠處領受前往波羅柰施設權教；第二從「又以他日」〔0084c22〕以下，是取意領，領受佛在法身之地早已長久照知方便，不是到道樹下才知道應用小法。佛早已鑒照眾生，因此知道尊特身難以親近，必須示現垢衣；四大弟子便追領更早以前的佛意，以成就今日的理解。
四大弟子為什麼能知道法身久遠以來便已照知根機？本論回答：從近事推知遠事。假使佛到道樹下才知道眾生沒有大機，便不應先從兜率天下降、以正慧入胎，乃至示現仍有煩惱、娶妃生子，又示現以三十四心在最後身斷除煩惱。由這些近事驗知，佛早已脫去大小相海與微妙瓔珞，改著粗弊的丈六垢衣，時間已經很久，不是成道樹下才開始。
先依齊教解釋。〈譬喻品〉有四項：一，用方便試擬適宜；二，知道諸子先前心中所好；三，讚歎三車；四，適合諸子的願望。〈方便品〉也有四項，這裡領受時同樣分四。
從長者將欲誘引以下，領受用方便擬宜。二使人求到窮子，領受知道窮子先前心中已有相應根機；二使完整陳述雇作之事，領受讚歎三車希有；窮子先取工價以下，領受適合所願而爭相出離火宅。
所謂將欲誘引，是說大乘教化雖已停止，佛不可能把窮子孤單棄置，仍想另設方便，所以說將要。密遣二人，是四大弟子只就自己所得的分際領解，沒有涉及菩薩，所以說二人。從法說，二人是十二因緣與四諦；從理說，是有作真諦與有作俗諦；從人說，是聲聞與緣覺。
起初試擬大乘時，說密遣旁人，表示一實諦、一大乘教與一菩薩人；現在明說方便，隱藏實理名密，指示偏真名遣。從教說，隱藏滿字教名密，指示半字教名遣。從人說，內心祕密修菩薩行，所以名密；外表示現聲聞身，所以名遣。
二人的形，是說二乘教中不修相好，只說苦、無常與不淨，所以形色憔悴。從人說，則是諸菩薩隱藏本來身色，示現聲聞形迹。所說不是了義之教，也不顯十力、無畏，所以稱為沒有威德。
叫二人前往窮子所在，是以小教試投小機。大教所明之理直截而真實，所以前面說疾走前去捉人；小教所明之理迂迴隱密，所以這裡說慢慢告訴他。這裡有工作處，是說見道、修道兩道都是斷惑的作處。
給他加倍的工錢有兩層比較。五戒、十善只能使人出離三惡道，現在四諦、十二因緣能使人出離生死，這是一倍；外道六行只能伏惑，現在修四諦能斷惑、到達涅槃，這又是一倍。
窮子若答應，表示他有根機，便施設教法；若不答應，表示沒有根機，便不施設。問要做什麼，是因二乘人只想除惑取證，不論淨佛國土、成就眾生。因此告訴他雇他除糞、兩個使人也與他一起做。二乘根鈍，要依憑教法實行所行，才能修成其業。從理說，是智慧與諦理互相資助；從人說，是權現之人與實行之人共同修行。
二使人立刻尋找窮子，是第二項，審知他已有根機，所以說已經找到，領受先知窮子心中所好。完整陳說上面的雇作之事，是第三項，領受讚歎三車；除去苦、集之糞，取得道、滅之價。
窮子先說定工價，隨即前去除糞，是第四項；隨即就是開始做工，領受適合所願、爭出火宅。二乘人仰慕所得之果而修行其因，所以稱為先取工價，不是說工錢已先交到手上。
父親看見兒子，既憐愍又覺得奇怪，是怪他不求佛道，憐愍他只取阿羅漢果。他失去的很大，所得的很少，所以稱怪。到這裡，齊教領受法、譬中明說的意思便結束。
五、又以他日：取意追領
從又以他日以下，是第二段取意領。佛的靈明智慧早已照見，長久施設權巧，曲折地跟隨眾生，不是到菩提樹下才開始看見因緣，前文已經說過。
本段有四項：第一，又以他日，取意領受佛先以權智長久想要試投根機；第二，看見兒子憔悴，表示佛長久知道方便法是他所喜好的事；第三，脫去妙服、穿著粗衣，領受佛長久知道必須讚歎三車；第四，親自教兒子工作，表示佛長久知道他會適其所願而接受修行。
又是鄭重重述的語氣。四大弟子將要取意領受佛在法身之地早已知道大、小根機而施設教化，因為重述佛意，所以開章標一個又字。
他日的他，有多層文義。二乘人把方便法自認為自己的法，把不是二乘之法稱作他，這便以法身為所擬。日既可指時間，也可指智慧；依法身之時，用智慧照察根機，所以稱他日。依這一義，實智照實是自，權智照方便是他。
在齊教領中，四大弟子把化身所行之事領作自己的日，把不是化身所行之事稱作他日。若從如來一邊說，如來自行的權智、實智都名為己；如來化他的權智、實智之照都名為他。再就如來自他權實之照說，照實為己，照權為他。
這裡所探領的，是佛在法身之時，用化他的權智，照見權機有或沒有，也照見權教之事可以用或不可用；這些都是權智所照，所以稱他日。依這一義，齊教領所領的是化他的權教之事，所以二乘人稱為自己的事；探領所領的是自他之權，這種權並不是二乘人的事，所以稱他。
雖然本論說了兩意，他日二字在兩意中都能成立。現在依二乘人所領，又順著他日的文字，以探領領受法身中照察根機。
牖窓偏狹，從小處望見，表示權智照見偏小的根機。遙，是因小乘離大乘懸遠。仍稱看見兒子，是因他過去曾種大乘因，故名為子；佛曾用大法試投，所以名為見。窓牖偏狹，表示當時還不適合大乘教化，因此息大施小。
從羸瘦以下，是第二項，領受佛早已知道窮子喜好小法。修因的智慧力少，名羸；修因的福德力少，名瘦；內心怖畏無常，名憔；外面遭受八苦，名悴。四住惑譬如糞土，無知惑譬如飛塵覆身。
從脫下瓔珞以下，是第三項，領受佛早已知道必須讚歎三車希有。脫去妙服，譬喻隱藏報身無量功德；四十二地的戒、定、慧、陀羅尼等，譬如瓔珞；寂滅忍譬如細軟上服；大小相海譬如莊嚴飾具。若容貌衣服太盛，兒子便會驚畏，二乘人不適合看見這些相好，所以脫下。
改穿粗弊之衣，是示現丈六身形為粗，示現生忍、法忍為弊。塵土沾身，是示現仍有煩惱、有為、有漏。手執除糞器，只表示對治見惑、思惑等有漏法，不論諸地清淨智慧。左手譬實，右手譬權；權的運用方便容易。佛自己以此法斷結成佛，也用此法教化他人。
形狀像有所畏，是示現同樣怖畏生死，也示現曾受寒風、馬麥等果報。
六、親自教兒子工作：道品七科
從父親對眾作人說話以下，是第四項，親自教兒子工作的譬喻。它用道品七科顯示除糞之相，領受火宅中諸子心各勇銳、互相推排、競相奔走而出宅。
第一，對眾作人說話，譬四念處，是外凡位。第二，令他們勤作、不得懈怠，譬四正勤。第三，呵喚男子、叫他不要再往別處，譬四如意足。第四，叫他安心，是安慰譬，譬五根。第五，從所以者何以下，是無五過譬，譬五力。前面這四句屬第二層內凡位。第六，長者立即替他取名為兒，譬八正。第七，從窮子雖歡喜得到這種待遇以下，是教他常常除糞，譬七覺。末後兩句屬第三層聖位。七科的原列次序是四念處、四正勤、四如意足、五根、五力、八正、七覺，不倒換最後兩項。
最初，父親對作人說話，表示宣說三藏教、開示四念處。四念處是除糞的器具，也是斷結所觀的境；本論引《遺教》說常依念處修道能破四倒。它領受火宅中適合心願而勇銳，是聞慧。
第二，不得懈怠，是命人勤修四念處。若生懈怠，就不能滅除已生與未生的兩惡，也不能生起未生與增長已生的兩善；依兩類正勤，便能發起煖火。對應火宅互相推排，是進入修慧煖位。
因方便而能靠近兒子，是說尚在念處時，還沒有理火溫暖其心，仍然疏遠，不能親近；最初得到煖位方便，便可以接近。
第三，呵喚男子，咄既是驚覺，也是責備數說。上面四正勤中的策動紛動屬智慧法，男子譬如陽性；如意足屬定法，女人譬如陰性。正勤只有策動，仍不能與真理相應，所以呵責驚醒，使他捨散亂而入寂靜，故呵喚男子。
叫他常在此處工作，不要再往別處，是說念處、正勤仍有動作，不能專一，所以不名為常；在四如意足中，定心不再攀緣別境，思惟便得定，思惟便能斷。定、斷專一，所以名常；不再紛動，所以不往餘處。這仍在互相推排的譬意中，是頂法位。
要增加工價，是說煖法的意觀還不能發真無漏，如意觀中能發無漏，所以說加價。若有所需要，無漏與有漏的善法、助道與正道，都可從如意觀中求取，想要便能得到。
四禪的體含有各支，如盆器；生空較粗，如米；法空較細，如麵，這些屬正道。四諦下有十六諦觀，無常如鹽，苦如醋，這些屬助道。米麵難以單獨食用，要用鹽醋調和；正道不易顯發，也須助道幫助。
不要自己疑惑、畏難，是總結前面的正道與助道。審知這些都在如意觀中，所以不必疑；確定可以成辦，當作自己的物品，所以不必畏難。
也有年老衰弱的使人，有兩種解釋。若想直接取神通，代替手足而驅使運用，如意觀中也有這種神通；只是神通力弱，如同年老衰弊，雖不強壯，仍能搬運工作。又可說，以正道求理時，正道力弱，尚不能發真，便需要九想、十想、八背捨等助道。這些助道如使人，如意觀中也有；若以助道幫助正道，便成為共解脫人。
第四，叫他好好安心，譬五根安固而難以破壞。長者說自己如同他的父親，是因忍位之解鄰近真實、相似而未真實，所以只說如父，也只說如子。叫他不要憂慮，是使他安心破除見惑、思惑。
第五，長者說自己年老、窮子年少，是佛居於道的終處，智、斷都已具足，所以稱年老；窮子居於道的起始，還沒有智、斷，所以稱少壯，這是忍法位。
沒有五種過失，是已得五力、離五種惡法：因有信力，所以不欺；因有精進力，所以不怠；因有念力，所以不瞋；因有定力，所以不恨；因有慧力，所以不出怨言。其餘作人，遠指以諸見求理的外道，近指煖等四位尚未免除五過的人。本段明說沒有五過，就是五力。
長者說從今以後把他當作親生兒子：下忍的十六剎那，時節還長；中忍雖縮短所觀，也還不是一剎那；到了上忍，是世間最後一剎那心，鄰近真實、逼近聖位，所以這一位名為如親生兒子，也就是世第一法位。
第六，長者立即另替他取名，稱他為兒，是得八正而入見道，在火宅譬中競相奔走，所以稱為兒。世第一法與真實相隔不久，所以說立即。本論引《阿含》說五種佛子，即四果與辟支佛名佛真子；菩薩尚不以斷結成立子義。
七、仍令除糞與二十年七釋
從窮子雖歡喜得到這種待遇以下，是第七，常令傭作譬。雖然已被稱為兒子，思惑尚未盡，仍居有學位，還沒有得到無難，所以二十年中常令除糞。他也知道自己不能繼承大業，只依教修行、盡除苦因，所以仍自認為客作賤人。
如果得到初果時便厭離小乘、欣樂大乘，大乘根機發起，就應立刻授以大乘，不必再向前斷除其餘殘結。實際上，正因他仍不捨小志，大乘根機沒有發起，所以暫且令他依教盡漏；這就是由此之故，二十年中常令除糞。
本論對二十年列出七種解釋：
第一，見諦有一解脫、一無礙；思惟道有九無礙、九解脫，合為二十，所以稱二十年。
第二，見道、思道兩道之中斷結，稱二十年。
第三，五下分結與五上分結，稱二十年。
第四，仍在二乘法中斷除思惑，所以稱二十年。
第五，依兩個使人共同斷除其餘煩惱，所以稱二十年。
第六，從有二乘根機以來，眾生感佛應化，所以說父親自從看見兒子以來已二十年。
第七，若住在二乘位而轉入大乘教，便名為二十年中執作家事。
七種解釋同用二十這個說法，各有成立的理由。本論最後指出，二十年常令除糞這一句，所領的正是諸子競相奔走、出離三界火宅的位次。
I. Pursuit First, Inducement Later
From “immediately dispatched an attendant in urgent pursuit to bring him back”〔T34n1718 0083b17〕, begins the third passage, the parable of pursuit and inducement. Proximately, it understands the meaning in the burning-house parable where the elder sets aside rescuing the children with a stool and table and instead induces them with the three carts. Remotely, it understands the meaning in the “Skillful Means” chapter where the Buddha temporarily stops the Mahāyāna and turns to bestowing the Lesser Vehicle.
This passage has two parts: first, the father sends an attendant in pursuit; next, he sends two men to induce the son. The preceding pursuit understands the scriptural meaning in the burning-house parable where the elder, though physically strong, does not use that strength. Yet the opening and combining of the scripture and commentary in the preceding passages do not agree completely. “Skillful Means” combines the overall admonition and exhortation into one item and gives three layers of explanation. The burning-house parable separates the gates of exhortation and admonition and gives each three layers, while its passage on release is brief. The prose application of the burning house applies the exhortation gate but not the admonition gate, while its wording on cessation of transformation is more detailed. The verse chants only the admonition gate, not the exhortation gate or cessation of transformation. The passages differ and omit different things. The prose burning house gives three layers each for admonition, exhortation, and explanation, while the present passage understands them together.
The scripture's sending an attendant to run swiftly and seize the man understands the preceding exhortation gate's initial attempt to assess a suitable Dharma. The poor son's alarm understands the absence of a corresponding capacity in that gate. Forcibly pulling him back understands the admonition gate's renewed attempt to assess a suitable Dharma. The poor son's thinking himself innocent, through his fainting and falling to the ground, understands the continued absence of a corresponding capacity in the admonition gate. From the father's seeing him at a distance onward, the cessation of Mahāyāna transformation in the exhortation and admonition gates is understood together.
This is the four great disciples’ exploratory understanding of the Buddha's intent. When the Buddha tried the great Dharma in the exhortation gate and living beings had no capacity for it, His intent did not yet cease, so He tried the great Dharma again through the admonition gate. Only when the matter truly could not succeed did He stop this stage of Mahāyāna transformation.
II. Sending an Attendant in Urgent Pursuit
The scripture's sending an attendant first illustrates assessing suitability in the exhortation gate. In terms of teaching, wisdom is what sends and the teaching is what is sent; the meaning represented by principle is direct, while that represented by teaching stands to the side. The Mahāyāna teaching in twelve divisions flowing from the Buddha was originally intended to test whether it met living beings’ capacities. Living beings lacked a corresponding capacity and could not receive it, just as an infant cannot digest the taste of milk. Therefore the scripture says that an attendant is sent.
“Attendant” also means a subordinate minister or assistant. The Buddha sends dharma-body bodhisattvas to teach the Mahāyāna to living beings, as in the Avataṃsaka, where four bodhisattvas teach the forty stages. This too is sending an attendant.
Running swiftly to seize the man means that the Mahāyāna makes meaning manifest and direct and, when used in response to capacity, can proceed rapidly toward bodhi. The great-cart passage therefore says that its speed is like the wind. If the bodhisattva is understood as the attendant, the bodhisattva possesses supernormal power and is further empowered by the Buddha, and so can also cause living beings to enter bodhi rapidly.
The poor son's alarm represents the absence of Mahāyāna capacity in the exhortation gate. No great capacity is now manifest. Even if he once aroused the resolve, he has neglected it for so long that he no longer remembers. Suddenly hearing the great teaching conflicts with his present mind and startles him; because he cannot recognize it, he is confounded.
The poor son cries out in grievance. The root treatise calls the afflictions rejected by Lesser-Vehicle practitioners grievance and calls birth and death suffering. If he is exhorted that afflictions are bodhi, he loudly protests that he has been wronged. If told that birth and death are nirvāṇa, he loudly protests that he has been made to suffer. Both indicate an absence of capacity and inability to receive and still belong to the exhortation gate.
When the poor son says he has done nothing against the other person, it means that he did not seek the great Dharma, so why insist on transforming him through the Mahāyāna? This understands only the exhortation gate's assessment of suitability and absence of capacity; it has not yet reached cessation of transformation.
Next, though he is called again, he still refuses to come. The messenger seizes him with increasing urgency, understanding the admonition gate's assessment of suitability. The preceding exhortation toward good was still gentle in tone. Now fearsome matters must be explained to him, so the tone becomes urgent. Although the scripture says that he is forcibly pulled back, this represents admonishing him with painful and urgent words so that he will leave evil Dharmas. With no great capacity within and pressure from the Mahāyāna teaching without, he is like someone forcibly dragged back.
The poor son's thinking himself innocent understands his rejection of the admonition gate. “Guilt” here refers specifically to compassion. Living beings enter the prison of birth and death through karmic guilt, while bodhisattvas enter the same prison with them through compassion and are therefore called partners in guilt. Practitioners of the two vehicles lack great compassion and are therefore called innocent. Requiring them to enter birth and death to liberate living beings is like imprisoning someone guiltless. Entering birth and death without great skillful means would permanently destroy the wisdom-life of the three vehicles, and therefore he thinks he will certainly die. Thinking this, he becomes still more terrified.
When the great teaching is forced upon small wisdom, that small wisdom cannot understand it, and therefore the scripture says that he faints. If this produces slander, he will certainly fall into the three evil paths, and therefore it says that he falls to the ground; it also represents becoming stupefied and submerged in the ground of ignorance.
III. The Father Releases Him and Temporarily Ceases Great Transformation
Beginning with the father's seeing the poor son from afar is the third part: releasing the exhortation and admonition gates and ceasing the Mahāyāna transformation of that time. It again has four layers: first, considering that transformation should cease; second, explaining why it ceases; third, formally ceasing; and fourth, the cessation's precise accord with capacity.
The first layer of consideration has two meanings: knowing that the poor son's strength of aspiration for the great Dharma is weak and knowing that his strength of aspiration for the lesser Dharma is strong. The father sees him from afar because the Lesser Vehicle lies far from the Great Vehicle, and so it is called distant. The poor son had already formed Mahāyāna causes and conditions in the past, and therefore he is still called son and can still be seen by the father.
The father's address to the messenger may be explained in terms of teaching and person. In terms of teaching, the teaching is the messenger. Wisdom originally expounds the teaching; when wisdom knows that living beings lack capacity, the function of wisdom stops and the teaching stops with it. In terms of person, the Buddha tells the bodhisattvas not to reveal their noble and wondrous bodily marks to practitioners of the two vehicles. The Vimalakīrti's gathering in the body's fragrance so that living beings do not become confused and attached, and Samantabhadra's contracting his body when he enters this world, have the same meaning.
The father tells the messenger not to force the poor son to come because, since the son lacks Mahāyāna capacity, forcing the teaching upon him might instead damage his wholesome roots. Master Zhiyi further makes his own division: the father's saying that there is no need for this man is the consideration that stops the exhortation gate's assessment of suitability; his saying not to force the man to come is the consideration that stops the admonition gate's assessment of suitability. The two sentences belong separately and cannot be collapsed into one item.
Sprinkling cold water upon his face is the second meaning: knowing that the poor son aspires to the lesser Dharma and is suited to the water of the principle of extinction, which removes the fever of delusions of view and thought. “Face” means that rejecting birth and death is called the back, while facing nirvāṇa is called the face. Awakening means opening the Lesser-Vehicle Dharma to meet his capacity, allowing him to leave stupefaction and awaken to the four real truths. Telling the messenger not to speak with him again means deciding temporarily to stop the Mahāyāna teaching.
From “why is this?” onward comes the second layer, explaining the intent of cessation. The poor son now rejects suffering, aspires to empty quiescence, draws near to low and inferior Dharmas, and lacks a compassionate mind, and therefore fears the difficult great Dharma. The Buddha temporarily allows his lesser aspiration and suppresses His own original intent, and therefore stops Mahāyāna transformation.
Nevertheless, the Buddha knows exactly that the son formerly aroused the resolve for bodhi in the presence of two hundred thousand million buddhas and is not wholly without Mahāyāna capacity. Only great transformation is temporarily halted now; the Buddha's intent has not ended and still awaits a later opportunity. Not telling others that this is His son means that in former Lesser-Vehicle teachings the Buddha followed others’ inclinations and protected them through skillful means, calling them only śrāvakas. He did not speak according to His own intent and expressly say that they had originally been bodhisattvas.
From the messenger's speech to the poor son onward comes the third layer, formally ceasing transformation. The messenger says that he now releases the son, showing knowledge that his great capacity is weak. Letting him go freely wherever he wishes shows knowledge that his lesser goodness is strong. For these two reasons, the Buddha ceases the Mahāyāna transformation of that time.
From the poor son's joy onward comes the fourth layer, showing that cessation accords precisely with capacity. He is no longer pressed by the great teaching and therefore rejoices. He also avoids grave guilt from slandering the great Dharma and escapes the three evil paths, and therefore is said to rise from the ground; lesser goodness arises from this, and therefore he gets up. Alternatively, when the great Dharma was previously used to test his capacity, he was stupefied, failed to understand, and lay on the ground of ignorance; now that the lesser Dharma is used instead, he can awaken and therefore rises from the ground. He wishes to find the Dharma of the path within the four truths and therefore goes to a poor quarter seeking clothing and food. It may also mean that he seeks the path within the four kinds of view and that the place is therefore called a poor quarter.
IV. Secretly Sending Two Men for Gradual Inducement
From the elder's intention to induce the poor son onward begins secretly sending two men to induce him. This passage has two parts. First is correspondence with the teaching: proximately it understands rescuing the children with the three carts, and remotely it understands going to Vārāṇasī to establish the provisional teaching. Second, from “again, on another day”〔0084c22〕 onward, is understanding through exploring the intent: it understands that on the ground of the dharma body the Buddha had long illuminated and known skillful means and did not first know beneath the tree of awakening that He should employ the lesser Dharma. The Buddha had long discerned living beings and therefore knew that the specially honored body would be difficult to approach and that He had to display soiled clothing. The four great disciples thus reach back to understand the Buddha's still earlier intent and thereby complete their present understanding.
Why can the four great disciples know that the dharma body had illuminated capacities from the distant past? The root treatise answers by inferring distant events from near ones. If the Buddha had first learned beneath the tree of awakening that living beings lacked great capacity, He should not previously have descended from Tuṣita, entered the womb with right wisdom, displayed remaining afflictions, married, and fathered a son, and then displayed severing afflictions in His final body through thirty-four mind-moments. These proximate events show that the Buddha had long ago removed the oceans of great and small marks and subtle necklaces and put on the coarse and soiled clothing of a sixteen-foot body. This did not begin only beneath the tree of awakening.
Correspondence with the teaching is explained first. “The Parable” has four items: first, using skillful means to assess suitability; second, knowing what the children previously delighted in; third, praising the three carts; fourth, fitting the children's wishes. “Skillful Means” likewise has four, and the present understanding is divided in the same way.
From the elder's intention to induce the son onward understands using skillful means to assess suitability. The two messengers’ finding the poor son understands knowing that the son already had a corresponding capacity in his earlier mind. The two messengers’ complete statement of the work understands praising the rarity of the three carts. From the poor son's first taking his wages onward understands fitting what was wished and racing out of the burning house.
“Intending to induce” means that although Mahāyāna transformation has ceased, the Buddha cannot abandon the poor son alone and still wishes to establish other skillful means; hence the words “intending to.” Secretly sending two men means that the four great disciples understand only within the portion they themselves attained and do not extend to bodhisattvas, and therefore the scripture says two men. In terms of Dharma, the two are the twelve links of dependent arising and the four truths; in terms of principle, the conditioned real and conditioned conventional truths; in terms of persons, śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas.
When the Mahāyāna was first tested for suitability, the text spoke of secretly sending an attendant, representing one real truth, one Mahāyāna teaching, and one bodhisattva person. Now it expressly explains skillful means: concealing real principle is called secretly, and indicating the partial truth is called sending. In terms of teaching, concealing the full-word teaching is called secretly and indicating the half-word teaching is called sending. In terms of persons, inwardly practicing bodhisattva conduct in secret is called secretly; outwardly displaying the body of a śrāvaka is called sending.
The appearance of the two men means that in the teaching of the two vehicles one does not cultivate excellent marks but explains only suffering, impermanence, and impurity, and therefore their appearance is haggard. In terms of persons, bodhisattvas conceal their original bodily appearance and display the traces of śrāvakas. What they teach is not the definitive teaching and does not reveal the ten powers and fearlessnesses, and therefore they are said to lack majestic virtue.
Sending the two men to where the poor son is means using the lesser teaching to test the lesser capacity. The principle elucidated by the great teaching is direct and true, and therefore the earlier messenger ran swiftly to seize him. The principle elucidated by the lesser teaching is indirect and hidden, and therefore they now tell him gently. “There is work here” means that the paths of seeing and cultivation are both places where delusions can be severed.
Giving him double wages has two levels of comparison. The five precepts and ten wholesome deeds can only take one beyond the three evil paths, while the four truths and twelve links of dependent arising can take one beyond birth and death; this is one doubling. The six practices of non-Buddhist paths can only suppress delusions, while cultivating the four truths can sever delusions and reach nirvāṇa; this is another doubling.
If the poor son agrees, it means that he has a capacity and the teaching is established; if he does not agree, he lacks the capacity and the teaching is not established. He asks what work he will do because practitioners of the two vehicles wish only to remove delusion and realize the fruit and do not concern themselves with purifying buddha lands or bringing living beings to fulfillment. The men therefore tell him that he is hired to clear dung and that they too will work with him. Those of the two vehicles have dull faculties and must rely upon the teaching and carry out its practices before they can complete their work. In terms of principle, cognition and truth support one another. In terms of persons, provisional persons and those who actually practice cultivate together.
The two messengers immediately seek the poor son; this is the second item, knowing exactly that he already has a capacity, and therefore the scripture says that they have found him, understanding prior knowledge of what delighted his mind. Completely stating the preceding terms of employment is the third item, understanding praise of the three carts: removing the dung of suffering and accumulation and obtaining the wages of path and cessation.
The poor son's first agreeing upon his wages and immediately going to clear dung is the fourth item. “Immediately” means beginning the work and understands fitting what was wished and racing out of the burning house. Practitioners of the two vehicles aspire to the fruit they will attain and cultivate its cause, and therefore this is called first taking the wages; it does not mean that the pay has already been placed in their hands.
When the father sees his son, he both pities him and wonders at him: he wonders that the son does not seek the Buddha Way and pities him for taking only the fruit of arhatship. What the son loses is great and what he gains is little, and therefore the father wonders. Here ends correspondence with the teaching, understanding the meanings expressly stated in the Dharma teaching and parable.
V. “Again, on Another Day”: Reaching Back to Understand the Intent
From “again, on another day” onward begins the second passage, understanding through exploring the intent. The Buddha's numinously luminous wisdom had long illuminated capacities and long established provisional means, following living beings through winding courses. It did not first begin to see causes and conditions beneath the bodhi tree, as the preceding text has already explained.
This passage has four items. First, “again, on another day,” reaches back to understand that the Buddha had long wished through provisional wisdom to test capacities. Second, seeing the son haggard shows the Buddha's long-standing knowledge that the Dharma of skillful means was what he delighted in. Third, removing fine clothing and putting on coarse garments understands the Buddha's long-standing knowledge that the three carts had to be praised. Fourth, personally teaching the son to work shows the Buddha's long-standing knowledge that he would accept the practice as fitting his wish.
“Again” carries the tone of solemn repetition. The four great disciples are about to reach back and understand that on the ground of the dharma body the Buddha had already known great and small capacities and established transformation. Because they repeat the Buddha's intent, the section opens with the graph “again.”
“Other” in “another day” has several levels of meaning. Practitioners of the two vehicles regard the Dharma of skillful means as their own and call what does not belong to the two vehicles “other”; this takes the dharma body as what is being approached. “Day” can mean both time and wisdom. At the time of the dharma body, wisdom illuminates and examines capacities, and therefore this is called another day. According to this meaning, real wisdom illuminating the real is self, while provisional wisdom illuminating skillful means is other.
Within correspondence with the teaching, the four great disciples understand the transformation body's activities as their own day and call what the transformation body does not perform another day. From the Tathāgata's side, both provisional and real wisdom in His self-practice are called His own, while the illumination of provisional and real wisdom used to transform others is called other. Again, in terms of the Tathāgata's illumination of self and other, provisional and real, illuminating the real is own and illuminating the provisional is other.
What is exploratorily understood here is that at the time of the dharma body the Buddha used provisional wisdom for transforming others to illuminate whether provisional capacities were present or absent, and to illuminate whether acts of provisional teaching could or could not be used. All these are illuminated by provisional wisdom and are therefore called another day. According to this meaning, correspondence with the teaching understands acts of provisional teaching for transforming others, which practitioners of the two vehicles call their own affairs. Exploratory understanding understands the provisional in self and other, which is not the affair of practitioners of the two vehicles and is therefore called other.
Although the root treatise gives two meanings, the words “another day” can be established in both. The present explanation follows what practitioners of the two vehicles understand and the wording “another day,” using exploratory understanding to understand the examination of capacities within the dharma body.
The narrow window and side window through which the father looks from a small space represent provisional wisdom illuminating a partial and lesser capacity. It is distant because the Lesser Vehicle lies far from the Great Vehicle. The man is still called the son because he formerly planted a Mahāyāna cause, and therefore is named son; the Buddha once tested his capacity with the great Dharma, and therefore this is called seeing. The narrowness of the window and side window shows that Mahāyāna transformation was not yet suitable then, so the Great was ceased and the Lesser bestowed.
From “weak and thin” onward comes the second item, understanding that the Buddha had long known the poor son's delight in lesser Dharmas. Little power of wisdom in cultivating the cause is called weak; little power of merit in cultivating the cause is called thin; inward fear of impermanence is called haggard; outward encounter with the eight sufferings is called worn. The four abiding delusions are illustrated by dung and soil, while ignorance is illustrated by flying dust covering the body.
From removing the necklaces onward comes the third item, understanding the Buddha's long-standing knowledge that He had to praise the rarity of the three carts. Removing fine garments illustrates concealing the immeasurable qualities of the reward body. Ethical discipline, concentration, wisdom, dhāraṇī, and the rest across the forty-two stages are like necklaces; patience in quiescent extinction is like the soft upper garment; the oceans of great and small marks are like ornamental implements. If his appearance and garments were too splendid, the son would be frightened. Practitioners of the two vehicles are not suited to see these marks, and therefore they are removed.
Putting on coarse and worn clothing instead means displaying the sixteen-foot body as coarse and displaying patience with beings and patience with dharmas as worn. Dust and soil adhering to the body means displaying remaining afflictions and being conditioned and contaminated. Holding the implement for clearing dung represents only conditioned Dharmas counteracting delusions of view and thought and does not discuss the pure wisdom of the grounds. The left hand illustrates the real and the right the provisional; the provisional can be employed skillfully and easily. The Buddha Himself severs fetters and becomes a buddha through this Dharma and also uses it to transform others.
Appearing as though afraid means displaying the same fear of birth and death and also displaying the experience of recompenses such as cold winds and eating horse fodder.
VI. Personally Teaching the Son to Work: Seven Categories of the Factors of the Way
From the father's speaking to the workers onward comes the fourth item, the parable of personally teaching the son to work. It uses the seven categories of the factors of the Way to show the form of clearing dung and understands the children in the burning house becoming courageous, pushing past one another, racing together, and leaving the house.
First, speaking to the workers illustrates the four foundations of mindfulness and belongs to the outer ordinary stages. Second, ordering them to work diligently and not slacken illustrates the four right efforts. Third, calling to the man and telling him not to go elsewhere illustrates the four bases of spiritual power. Fourth, telling him to put his mind at ease is the parable of reassurance and illustrates the five faculties. Fifth, from “why is this?” onward is the parable of lacking five faults and illustrates the five powers. These four sentences belong to the second level, the inner ordinary stages. Sixth, the elder immediately gives him the name “son,” illustrating the eightfold right path. Seventh, from the poor son's rejoicing in this treatment onward, the father continually has him clear dung, illustrating the seven factors of awakening. The final two sentences belong to the third level, the noble stages. The original order of the seven categories is the four foundations of mindfulness, four right efforts, four bases of spiritual power, five faculties, five powers, eightfold right path, and seven factors of awakening; the final two are not reversed.
First, the father speaks to the workers, representing the exposition of the Tripiṭaka Teaching and revelation of the four foundations of mindfulness. The four foundations are the implements for clearing dung and the contemplated objects against which fetters are severed. The root treatise cites the Bequeathed Teaching, saying that constantly practicing the path in reliance upon the foundations of mindfulness can destroy the four inverted views. This understands becoming courageous in the burning house as wisdom from hearing.
Second, “do not slacken” orders them diligently to cultivate the four foundations of mindfulness. If slackness arises, they cannot extinguish the two evils, those already arisen and those not yet arisen, or generate and increase the two goods, those not yet arisen and those already arisen. By relying upon the two kinds of right effort, the fire of warmth can arise. Corresponding to pushing past one another in the burning house, this is entry into the warmth stage of wisdom from cultivation.
Being able to approach the son through skillful means means that at the stage of the foundations of mindfulness the fire of principle has not yet warmed the mind; father and son remain distant and cannot draw near. Upon first attaining the skillful means of the warmth stage, he can approach.
Third, calling to the man: “ho!” both startles him awake and rebukes him by enumerating his faults. The activating and moving quality of the preceding four right efforts belongs to the Dharma of wisdom, and the man illustrates yang. The bases of spiritual power belong to concentration, and a woman illustrates yin. Right effort only activates and still cannot correspond to real principle, so the father rebukes and wakes him, causing him to leave distraction and enter quiescence; hence he calls to the man.
Telling him to work here constantly and not go elsewhere means that the foundations of mindfulness and right efforts still involve activity and cannot be single-minded, and therefore are not called constant. Within the four bases of spiritual power, the concentrated mind no longer grasps at other objects: when it reflects, it becomes concentrated, and when it reflects, it can sever. Concentration and severance are single-minded and therefore called constant. It no longer moves distractedly and therefore does not go elsewhere. This remains within the illustrative meaning of pushing past one another and is the summit stage.
Increasing the wages means that contemplation through the Dharma of warmth cannot yet generate the real and uncontaminated, while contemplation through the bases of spiritual power can generate the uncontaminated, and therefore the wages are increased. Whatever is needed—uncontaminated and contaminated wholesome Dharmas, auxiliary and right paths—may all be sought within contemplation through the bases of spiritual power and obtained as wished.
The essence of each of the four meditations contains its branches, like basins and vessels. Emptiness of persons is coarse, like rice, while emptiness of dharmas is fine, like flour; these belong to the right path. Beneath the four truths are sixteen contemplations of the truths: impermanence is like salt and suffering like vinegar; these belong to the auxiliary path. Rice and flour are difficult to eat alone and must be seasoned with salt and vinegar. The right path is likewise difficult to manifest and requires the aid of auxiliary paths.
Telling him not to doubt or find the work difficult concludes the preceding right and auxiliary paths. Knowing exactly that all are present within contemplation through the bases of spiritual power, he need not doubt. Knowing that the work can certainly be accomplished and treating the implements as his own possessions, he need not find it difficult.
There are also old and worn servants, which has two explanations. If supernormal powers are taken directly as substitutes for hands and feet that carry and employ things, such powers are also present within contemplation through the bases of spiritual power. Their force is weak, like servants old and worn; though not strong, they can still carry out the work. Alternatively, when the right path seeks principle, its power remains weak and cannot yet generate the real, and therefore it needs auxiliary practices such as the nine perceptions, ten perceptions, and eight liberations. These auxiliary paths are like servants and are also present within contemplation through the bases of spiritual power. If auxiliary paths support the right path, the practitioner becomes a person liberated in both ways.
Fourth, telling him to put his mind well at ease illustrates the five faculties made stable and difficult to destroy. The elder says that he is like the poor son's father because the understanding at the patience stage is near the real and resembles it but is not yet real; he therefore says only “like a father” and only “like a son.” Telling him not to worry causes him to settle his mind and destroy delusions of view and thought.
Fifth, the elder says that he is old and the poor son young. The Buddha dwells at the end of the path with cognition and severance complete and is therefore called old; the poor son dwells at the beginning of the path and does not yet possess cognition and severance and is therefore called young and strong. This is the patience stage.
Having none of the five faults means having attained the five powers and left five evil Dharmas: because of the power of faith he does not deceive; because of the power of vigor he is not idle; because of the power of mindfulness he is not angry; because of the power of concentration he does not harbor resentment; because of the power of wisdom he utters no words of grievance. “Other workers” remotely indicates non-Buddhist practitioners who seek principle through various views and proximately indicates those in the four stages beginning with warmth who have not yet escaped the five faults. This passage expressly states that the absence of five faults is the five powers.
The elder says that from now on he will treat the man as his natural son. The sixteen mind-moments of inferior patience still take a long time; middling patience narrows the objects contemplated but is still not a single mind-moment. At superior patience comes the final worldly mind-moment, neighboring the real and pressing close to the noble state. This stage is therefore called “like a natural son” and is the foremost worldly Dharma.
Sixth, the elder immediately gives him another name and calls him “son.” This means attaining the eightfold right path and entering the path of seeing, racing out in the burning-house parable, and therefore he is called son. The foremost worldly Dharma is separated from the real by only a short time, and therefore the scripture says “immediately.” The root treatise cites the Āgama as teaching five kinds of buddha-son: the four fruits and pratyekabuddhas are called the Buddha's true sons. Bodhisattvas are not yet established as sons through the severing of fetters.
VII. Still Having Him Clear Dung and the Seven Explanations of Twenty Years
From the poor son's rejoicing in this treatment onward comes the seventh item, the parable of continually hiring him for work. Although he has already been called son, he has not yet exhausted the delusions of thought, remains at the trainee stage, and has not attained freedom from difficulty, and therefore he is continually made to clear dung for twenty years. He also knows that he cannot inherit the great undertaking and only practices according to the teaching to exhaust the causes of suffering, and therefore still regards himself as a lowly hired laborer.
If, upon attaining the first fruit, he rejects the Lesser and delights in the Great and the Mahāyāna capacity arises, the Great Vehicle should be taught immediately; there is no need to proceed further and sever the remaining fetters. In actuality, precisely because he still does not relinquish his lesser aspiration and the Mahāyāna capacity has not arisen, he is temporarily instructed to exhaust the contaminants according to the teaching. For this reason he is continually made to clear dung for twenty years.
The root treatise gives seven explanations of twenty years:
First, seeing the truth has one path of liberation and one unobstructed path, while the path of cultivation has nine unobstructed paths and nine paths of liberation, making twenty; therefore it is called twenty years.
Second, severing fetters within the two paths of seeing and cultivation is called twenty years.
Third, the five lower fetters and five higher fetters are called twenty years.
Fourth, continuing to sever delusions of thought within the Dharma of the two vehicles is called twenty years.
Fifth, severing the remaining afflictions together by relying upon the two messengers is called twenty years.
Sixth, from the time the capacity for the two vehicles arose, living beings evoked the Buddha's responsive transformation; hence the father is said to have seen his son for twenty years.
Seventh, dwelling in the position of the two vehicles while turning toward the Mahāyāna teaching is called managing the family affairs for twenty years.
The seven explanations use the same expression “twenty,” each with its own basis. The root treatise finally points out that the sentence about continually having him clear dung for twenty years understands precisely the stage in which the children race from the burning house of the three realms.
追誘譬寫的不是兩套互不相干的方法，而是同一位父親面對同一個兒子，在根機不能承受時改變接近的方法。急追失敗，父親沒有把窮子判作永遠不可教；放他離去，也不是父親不再認他。追、放、誘、近、教作，一步接一步，都由父親早已知道這是自己的兒子而成立。
本論先把這一段放回前文：往近處，它領受火宅中捨去几案、改用三車的經意；往遠處，它領受先思大法、後施小法的經意。這兩重領受使故事中的追逐不是偶發插曲。大法本來要直接使人迅速趨向菩提，然而窮子一聽便驚愕，一被牽便惶怖；問題不在父親沒有力量，也不在兒子與父親沒有關係，而在眼前的志意不能承受。
一、為什麼越是急追，窮子越是驚惶？
本論把急追依次帖在勸、誡兩門。先派人疾走前捉，是勸門試以大法投機；窮子驚愕，是勸門顯出沒有相應根機。再把他強牽回來，是誡門再試投機；他自念無罪，直至悶絕倒地，是誡門仍然無機。父親到這裡才使兩門一同停止。
遣旁人有教與人兩種說法。從教說，智慧是能遣，教法是所遣；理是正，教是旁。從佛智慧流出大乘教，本要投合眾生，使人直趣菩提。從人說，旁人是輔佐，表示由菩薩為眾生說大乘。兩種說法都保留一點：被派出去的並非父親本身以最親近的形態出現，而是先以能傳達大法者前往。
疾走顯出大乘明義正直，能迅速趨向菩提。可是，快不等於眼前的人一定受得了。窮子過去雖曾發心，荒廢已久，已不記得；大教突然與當下的心相違，因此驚而不識。父親要給他的，本是使他直入菩提之法；在他的感受中，卻成了陌生人要把自己拘捕。
稱怨大喚又把這層錯位說得更深。煩惱與生死本是應當轉離之事，本論卻設想二乘人聽到煩惱即菩提、生死即涅槃時，會以為自己受到冤屈與苦迫。他不是故意拒絕父親，而是根本不能把所聞辨認成救度。
強牽也因此不能只理解為力量加重。前面的勸語較為舒緩，後面的誡語以怖畏之事使人遠惡，語勢才顯急切。但內無大機，外受大教逼迫，再正確的誡告也成了強牽。當教法的高下與受教者能不能解相互脫離，愈急切反而愈使人退失。
本論說無罪時，另有特定所指。菩薩因大悲而同眾生進入生死，名為同罪；二乘人沒有這種大悲，便自認無罪。若沒有大方便卻被要求進入生死，他所見的不是救人，而是自己將失去慧命。於是惶怖、悶絕、倒地接連出現：不解大教而迷悶，甚至可能因毀謗而受苦。這不是把窮子的恐懼合理化成究竟，而是如實指出此時強施大法會造成什麼結果。
二、父親為什麼放手？放手是不是放棄？
父親遠遠看見窮子以後，本論分成思量息化、解釋息化、正式息化、息化得宜四層。這四層共同回答一件事：停止眼前的強追，不是停止教化本身。
思量息化先看兩面：志求大法的力量弱，志求小法的力量強。父子之間仍有過去大因，所以父親仍看見他、仍稱他為子；只是小乘離大乘懸遠，所以只能遙見。父親知道的是完整關係，窮子能承受的卻只是遠處的一點接觸。
父親叫使者不要顯現尊妙之身，也不要強把人帶來，是因眼前沒有大機，勉強反會傷害善根。本論自己的分判很細：不需要這個人，對應停止勸門的擬宜；不要強行帶來，對應停止誡門的擬宜。勸、誡都停下，才真正解除窮子所受的逼迫。
冷水灑面轉向他已經具備的志向。厭離生死是背，朝向涅槃是面；理水除去見思熱惱，使他能從煩悶中醒悟四諦。父親不是說先前的大法錯了，而是知道必須先讓窮子醒來。暫不再說大法，正因大法此時只會使他悶絕。
解釋息化時，本論明說窮子正厭苦、欣空，親近下劣之法，沒有大悲，所以畏難大法。佛暫任其小志，壓下本懷。但緊接著又說，他過去曾經發道心，並非全無大機；佛只暫息大化，心意未完，仍等待後期。這一前一後使放手的界線十分清楚：不在此刻強行施教，不等於把後來可能成熟的根機抹去。
正式放行時，父親同時知道大機弱、小善強。窮子不再受大教逼迫，所以歡喜；不因誹謗大法而墮落，所以從地而起；能生小善，所以開始前往四諦中求道。息化得宜，不以窮子立刻理解父子關係為標準，只看他是否能離開迷悶、重新起行。
三、為什麼第二次不再疾走，而要密遣二人徐徐相告？
追不能成辦，父親便轉入誘。本論先說齊教，再說取意。齊教依經文眼前所說，分用方便擬宜、知先心、歎三車、適其所願四項；取意則追領更早的佛意，說明施小不是道樹下才忽然作出的決定。
密遣二人首先表示佛沒有因息大而孤棄窮子。從法說，二人指因緣、四諦；從理說，指有作真、俗；從人說，指聲聞、緣覺。密與遣也各有作用：隱實而指偏真，隱滿字而指半字；內祕菩薩行，外現聲聞形。這些配釋都在說，同一救度此時必須以窮子能辨認、能靠近的樣貌出現。
二人的形色憔悴、沒有威德，表示所說只明苦、無常、不淨，不顯相好、十力與無畏。大教明理直實，所以先前疾走；小教明理迂隱，所以現在徐語。慢慢說不是對真實含糊，而是讓教法先成為窮子聽得見的工作邀請。
工作處是見、修兩道斷惑之處。倍價有兩重比較：四諦、因緣能出離生死，勝過五戒、十善只能出離三惡道；修四諦能斷惑至涅槃，勝過外道六行只能伏惑。
窮子答應，表示已有根機，教法才施設；若不答應，就不施設。他問要做什麼，顯示二乘只求除惑取證，不論淨佛國土、成就眾生。除糞是除苦、集，取價是取道、滅。兩個使人與他共作，從理說是智與諦相資，從人說是權人與實人共修。
先取其價最容易被看成工錢已經到手，本論卻明解為慕果行因：先以果為所求，隨即修行其因。父親見子而愍怪，也分成兩面：怪他不求佛道，愍他只取阿羅漢果；所失大，所得少。這不是責怪窮子肯工作，而是父親明知他所得尚未等於家業。
四、父親為什麼還要親自換衣、走近兒子？
齊教說完，取意從另一個角度重述。四大弟子由佛早有降神、託胎乃至示現斷結等事，推知佛不是到成道時才發現眾生沒有大機；脫去尊妙相、示現丈六垢衣，早已是久遠照機的結果。
他日既可從二乘自認之法與非己之法說，也可從法身之時、智慧之照說。本論把自行與化他、實智與權智、自與他逐層分別，最後仍回到所領不同：齊教領的是化他權事，二乘稱作自己的事；取意探領的是法身時照權機、用權事的智慧，不是二乘自己的事，故稱為他。兩種解釋都能使他日成立，正文最後依二乘所領而說。
偏狹的牖窓表示權智照見偏小根機；遙見表示小離大遠；仍看作兒子，表示過去曾種大因。父親所見的從來不只是一名傭工，只是兒子還不能從寬廣處看見父親。
羸、瘦、憔、悴被逐字分配：智慧力少、福德力少、內怖無常、外遭八苦。糞土與塵坌又分配四住與無知。這些配釋沒有把經中的窮困抹掉，而是使父親所見的困境不只停在外貌。
父親於是脫下瓔珞、細軟上服與莊嚴之具，隱藏報身功德，改現丈六形與生忍、法忍。若容貌服飾太盛，兒子便更驚畏；換衣不是父親失去原有功德，而是暫不讓那些功德成為兒子不能接近的障礙。
他塵土坌身，手執除糞器，只說對治見、思有漏之法，不在此處談諸地清淨智慧。左手譬實，右手譬權；右手便於運用，表示權能方便使用。父親不只派別人說明工作，自己也以相同形貌出現在作人中，親自示範如何斷結、如何教人。
五、除糞的工作，如何一步一步成為可走的路？
親教子作展開道品七科。本論的次序是四念處、四正勤、四如意足、五根、五力、八正、七覺；前一項屬外凡，中間四項屬內凡，末兩項屬聖位。這個次序由譬文逐句配出。
父親先對作人說話，表示四念處是除糞器與斷結境，也是聞慧。接著命人勤作、不許懈怠，表示四正勤滅二惡、生二善，由策勤發起煖火，進入煖位。念處尚未使理火溫心，仍然疏遠；初得煖方便，才可以靠近兒子。
呵喚男子、叫他不要到別處去，表示從正勤的策動轉入如意足之定。念處、正勤仍動而不專一；如意足不異緣，思惟則定、思惟則斷，所以稱常，不再紛動，所以不往餘處。這是頂位。
增加工價，表示煖法意觀尚不能發真，如意觀能發無漏。所需的正道、助道都可由此求得：四禪支如盆器，生空如米，法空如麵；無常如鹽，苦如醋。米麵難單食，須鹽醋調和；正道難顯，也須助道相助。老弊使人既可表示如意觀中較弱的神通，也可表示九想、十想、八背捨等助道，兩路都由本論明列。
叫他安心，表示五根安固難壞。說自己如父，是忍解鄰真而尚未真，所以只稱相似。再說父老子少，表示佛居道終、智斷已具，窮子居道始、智斷未具，這是忍位。
五力由沒有五過顯出：信故不欺，精進故不怠，念故不瞋，定故不恨，慧故不出怨言。其他作人，遠指外道，近指煖等四位尚未免五過者。正文逐一配列五項。
如親生兒子表示上忍最後一剎那心鄰真逼聖，是世第一法。立即改名為兒，表示由八正入見道；與真實相隔不久，所以說立即。被叫作兒子不是父親此刻才認出他，而是窮子的修行已到能受此名的位置。
六、既然已經名為兒子，為什麼仍自認傭工？
窮子雖欣喜這份待遇，思惑尚未斷盡，仍在有學位；他又知道自己不能紹繼大業，所以仍把自己看成客作賤人，依教修行、盡除苦因。父親已改他的名字，窮子的自我認識卻沒有立刻跟上。
本論特別說明另一種可能：若證初果時便厭小樂大，大乘根機發起，佛就應立即授以大乘，不必再令他斷餘殘結。實際之所以繼續除糞，是因他不捨小志，大機未發；父親才暫令他依教盡漏。這裡沒有一條不問根機、必須先把小乘階位走完的定程。
二十年因此被列出七種解釋。第一以見諦的一解脫、一無礙，加思惟道九無礙、九解脫成二十；第二以見、思二道斷結說二十；第三以五下分、五上分說二十；第四以仍在二乘法中斷思惑說二十；第五依二使人共同斷餘結說二十；第六從有二乘機感佛以來說父見子已二十年；第七以住二乘位而轉大乘教說二十年中執作家事。
七種說法共用二十這個語詞，各有成立的緣由。前五從斷惑、二道、二使等處說，第六、第七則從感佛與轉教說；正文把它們依次列出，沒有把後兩支併回前五。本段最後仍回到火宅：常令除糞所指，是諸子競相奔走、出離火宅的位次。父子相認尚未完成，出離已真實發生；出離雖已發生，承受家業仍在後文。
文句記之眼
湛然先替追段校出文與義的數目：「義則有六，文但有五」〔T34n1719 0281a06〕。五個經文節點承勸、誡各自的擬宜、無機，最後一個文節又合領兩門息化，所以文五而義六。這個判讀能澄清本論長句；這是《記》的顯題。
在稱怨大喚處，《記》特別指出，經文只說「怨」〔0281b06〕，沒有說「苦」〔0281b06〕。根經明寫稱怨，本論才以煩惱為怨、生死為苦，進一步分出怨枉與苦痛。
對密遣二人，《記》補充同類身的讀法，又反對只用二諦把二人一概解完〔0282a12–0282a25〕。祂把法、理、人三路保持為三路，使因緣四諦、有作真俗、聲聞緣覺各自成立；若只取其中一路，便會把本論原有的並列縮窄。
倍價之處，湛然分成兩釋〔0282b02–0282b06〕：一是出三途與出生死之比，一是伏惑與斷惑之比。這使兩個倍不是同一比較的重說。
他日一段，《記》以齊教、探領分辨二乘稱己事與探領法身時之權照，又說兩種他所望不同〔0282c03–0283a15〕。鏡文在此不是另造一套自他之說，而是把本論反覆轉換的說話位置標清：有時從二乘所領說，有時從如來自行、化他之照說。
牖窓之處，鏡引《說文》：「在屋曰窓，在牆曰牖。」〔0283a16〕，再以非中故偏、不遍故狹說明權智所照的偏機〔0283a16–0283a19〕。字書之引與後續判釋都屬鏡層；本論自身只由牖窓偏見則小，表權智照彼偏機。
道品七科的先後，湛然提醒讀者：通常列名可先七覺、後八正，本論此處為配合譬文，先以長者名兒配八正，再以常令除糞配七覺〔0283b13–0283b21〕。因此，這不是傳抄顛倒。
到二十年，《記》直說「文存七釋」〔0283c01〕。首釋以一無礙、一解脫、九無礙、九解脫成數，後面六支各有不同所指；祂又辨第五釋所說二使人共同斷結及末兩釋的文勢〔0283c01–0283c16〕。鏡的計數印證本論表面只有四個又云，實際仍列七支；但七釋的正文根據仍是《文句》自己，鏡只負責照明其列法。
父親既然憐愍又怪窮子只取小果，為何仍密遣使人教他除糞？鏡文也正面提出這一問〔0282b14–0282b15〕。回答是旁追既不能成辦，事情便必須轉用密遣；雖教他除糞，這不是父親永遠的心願，後面仍要明白宣告委付家業〔0282b15–0282b17〕。這使方便與父親未竟之意同時保留。
從文五義六到文存七釋，湛然最有用的地方都在防止讀者因文字壓縮而漏數：經與疏的字面不混，法、理、人不併，兩個倍不併，八正、七覺不倒，二十年末兩釋不漏。鏡照使長句的轉折可見，同時也讓智者原文與後來的顯題各守其位。
The parable of pursuit and inducement does not describe two unrelated methods. It describes one father approaching the same son differently when the son's capacity cannot receive what is offered. Urgent pursuit fails, but the father does not judge the poor son forever unteachable. Releasing him does not mean that the father no longer recognizes him. Pursuit, release, inducement, approach, and instruction in work follow one another, all grounded in the father's prior knowledge that this is his own son.
The root treatise first places this passage back within what precedes. Proximately, it understands the scriptural meaning of setting aside the stool and table in the burning house and using the three carts instead. Remotely, it understands first considering the great Dharma and later bestowing the Lesser. These two understandings show that the pursuit in the story is not an incidental episode. The great Dharma was originally intended to direct one swiftly toward bodhi, yet the poor son is startled as soon as he hears it and terrified as soon as he is pulled. The problem is not that the father lacks power or that the son has no relation to him. The present aspiration cannot yet receive what is offered.
I. Why Does the Poor Son Grow More Terrified as the Pursuit Becomes More Urgent?
The root treatise attaches the urgent pursuit in sequence to the gates of exhortation and admonition. First, sending someone to run swiftly and seize him is the exhortation gate's attempt to meet his capacity with the great Dharma; the poor son's alarm reveals the absence of a corresponding capacity in that gate. Next, forcibly pulling him back is the admonition gate's renewed attempt to meet his capacity; his thinking himself innocent, through his fainting and falling to the ground, shows that this gate too finds no capacity. Only then does the father bring both gates to a halt together.
Sending an attendant has two explanations, in terms of teaching and person. In terms of teaching, wisdom is what sends and the teaching is what is sent; principle is direct, while teaching stands to the side. The Mahāyāna teaching flows from the Buddha's wisdom and was intended to meet living beings’ capacities so that they might proceed directly toward bodhi. In terms of person, the attendant is an assistant and represents bodhisattvas teaching the Mahāyāna to living beings. Both explanations preserve one point: what is sent is not yet the father himself appearing in the most intimate form, but someone capable of conveying the great Dharma.
Running swiftly shows that the Mahāyāna elucidates meaning directly and correctly and can proceed rapidly toward bodhi. Yet speed does not mean that the person before it can necessarily receive it. Though the poor son had once aroused the resolve, he had neglected it for so long that he no longer remembered. The great teaching suddenly conflicts with his present mind, and so he is startled and fails to recognize it. What the father offers is a Dharma that would take him straight into bodhi; in the son's experience, it becomes a stranger attempting to arrest him.
His crying out in grievance deepens this misalignment. Afflictions and birth and death are things one should turn away from, yet the root treatise imagines practitioners of the two vehicles hearing that afflictions are bodhi and birth and death are nirvāṇa and believing themselves wronged and subjected to suffering. The son does not deliberately refuse his father; he cannot recognize what he hears as liberation at all.
Forcible pulling therefore cannot be understood merely as applying more strength. The earlier words of exhortation are more relaxed, while the later admonition uses fearful matters to turn one away from evil and thus becomes urgent in tone. But when there is no inner great capacity and the great teaching presses from without, even a correct warning becomes forcible pulling. When the height of a teaching is separated from the recipient's ability to understand it, greater urgency instead produces greater retreat and loss.
The root treatise gives “innocent” a particular meaning here. Through great compassion, bodhisattvas enter birth and death together with living beings and are therefore called partners in guilt; practitioners of the two vehicles lack this great compassion and regard themselves as innocent. If they are required to enter birth and death without great skillful means, what they see is not the rescue of others but the loss of their own wisdom-life. Terror, fainting, and falling to the ground then follow: they become stupefied through failure to understand the great teaching and may even suffer through slandering it. This does not justify the poor son's fear as ultimate truth; it states truthfully what forcing the great Dharma at this moment would cause.
II. Why Does the Father Let Go? Is Letting Go Abandonment?
After the father sees the poor son from afar, the root treatise distinguishes four layers: considering the cessation of transformation, explaining that cessation, formally ceasing, and the appropriateness of ceasing. Together they answer one question: stopping the present forcible pursuit is not stopping teaching itself.
In considering cessation, the father first sees two sides: the strength of aspiration for the great Dharma is weak, while the strength of aspiration for the Lesser is strong. Father and son still share a great cause from the past, so the father continues to see him and call him son; but the Lesser Vehicle lies far from the Great Vehicle, so he can only be seen from afar. The father knows the complete relationship, while the poor son can receive only a slight contact from a distance.
The father tells the messenger not to display his exalted and wondrous body and not to force the man to come, because there is no present great capacity and coercion would instead harm his wholesome roots. The root treatise's own division is exact: “there is no need for this man” corresponds to stopping the exhortation gate's assessment of suitability, while “do not force him to come” corresponds to stopping the admonition gate's assessment of suitability. Only when exhortation and admonition both stop is the pressure upon the poor son actually released.
Sprinkling cold water upon his face turns toward the aspiration he already possesses. Rejecting birth and death is the back, while facing nirvāṇa is the face. The water of principle removes the fever of delusions of view and thought, enabling him to awaken from stupefaction to the four truths. The father does not say that the earlier great Dharma was wrong; he knows that the poor son must first awaken. The great Dharma is temporarily left unspoken precisely because at this point it would only cause him to faint.
In explaining cessation, the root treatise expressly says that the poor son now rejects suffering, delights in emptiness, draws near to an inferior Dharma, and lacks great compassion, and therefore fears the difficult great Dharma. The Buddha temporarily allows his lesser aspiration and suppresses His original intent. Yet the text immediately says that he had formerly aroused the resolve for the Way and is not wholly without great capacity. The Buddha only temporarily ceases great transformation; His intent is unfinished and still awaits a later time. This sequence makes the boundary of letting go clear: not forcing the teaching now does not erase a capacity that may later mature.
When the father formally releases him, he knows both that the great capacity is weak and that lesser goodness is strong. The poor son is no longer pressed by the great teaching and therefore rejoices; he does not fall through slandering the great Dharma and therefore rises from the ground; he can generate lesser goodness and therefore begins to seek the path within the four truths. The appropriateness of ceasing is not measured by whether the poor son immediately understands their father-son relation, but by whether he can emerge from stupefaction and begin moving again.
III. Why Does the Second Approach No Longer Run Swiftly, but Secretly Send Two Men to Speak Gently?
When pursuit cannot succeed, the father turns to inducement. The root treatise first explains correspondence with the teaching and then explores the intent. Correspondence with the teaching follows what the scripture says before us and has four items: using skillful means to assess suitability, knowing the earlier state of mind, praising the three carts, and fitting what they wished. Exploring the intent reaches back to the Buddha's earlier purpose and shows that bestowing the Lesser was not a decision suddenly made beneath the tree of awakening.
Secretly sending two men first shows that the Buddha does not forsake the poor son when great transformation ceases. In terms of Dharma, the two are causes and conditions and the four truths; in terms of principle, the conditioned real and conventional truths; in terms of persons, śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas. “Secretly” and “send” also have distinct functions: concealing the real while indicating the partial truth, concealing the full word while indicating the half word; inwardly keeping bodhisattva practice secret while outwardly displaying the form of a śrāvaka. All these correlations say that the same liberation must now appear in a form the poor son can recognize and approach.
The two men's haggard appearance and lack of majestic virtue show that what is taught explains only suffering, impermanence, and impurity, without displaying the marks, ten powers, and fearlessnesses. The great teaching elucidates principle directly and truly, and so the earlier messenger ran swiftly; the lesser teaching elucidates principle indirectly and obscurely, and so they now speak gently. Speaking slowly does not make truth vague. It first makes the teaching into an offer of work the poor son can hear.
The place of work is where delusions are severed through the paths of seeing and cultivation. Double wages has two comparisons: the four truths and causes and conditions transcend birth and death, surpassing the five precepts and ten wholesome deeds, which only transcend the three evil paths; cultivating the four truths severs delusions and reaches nirvāṇa, surpassing the six practices of non-Buddhist paths, which only suppress delusions.
The poor son's agreement means that a capacity is present, and only then is the teaching established; if he does not agree, it is not established. His asking what work he will do shows that those of the two vehicles seek only to remove delusion and realize the fruit, not to purify buddha lands and bring living beings to fulfillment. Clearing dung means removing suffering and accumulation; receiving wages means obtaining path and cessation. The two messengers work with him: in terms of principle, cognition and truth support one another; in terms of persons, provisional and real persons cultivate together.
“First taking his wages” can most easily be read as though the pay had already been received, but the root treatise explicitly explains it as aspiring to the fruit and practicing its cause: first taking the fruit as what is sought, then immediately cultivating its cause. The father's pity and wonder when he sees his son also have two sides: he wonders that the son does not seek the Buddha Way and pities him for taking only the fruit of arhatship. What is lost is great; what is gained is little. The father does not fault the poor son for being willing to work. He knows that what the son gains is not yet the family estate.
IV. Why Must the Father Change Clothes and Approach His Son Himself?
After correspondence with the teaching, exploring the intent retells the matter from another angle. From the Buddha's descent from Tuṣita, entry into the womb, and later manifestations through severing fetters, the four great disciples infer that the Buddha did not first discover beneath the tree of awakening that living beings lacked great capacity. Removing His exalted and wondrous marks and displaying a sixteen-foot body in soiled clothing had long been the result of illuminating capacities.
“Another day” may be explained through what practitioners of the two vehicles regard as their own Dharma and what they regard as not their own; it may also be explained through the time of the dharma body and wisdom's illumination. The root treatise distinguishes self-practice and transforming others, real and provisional wisdom, and self and other layer by layer, yet returns finally to different objects of understanding. Correspondence with the teaching understands provisional acts for transforming others, which practitioners of the two vehicles call their own affairs. Exploring the intent reaches toward the wisdom that, at the time of the dharma body, illuminates provisional capacities and employs provisional acts; this is not their own affair and is therefore called other. Both explanations establish “another day,” while the text finally speaks according to what the two vehicles understand.
The narrow side window represents provisional wisdom illuminating a partial and lesser capacity; seeing from afar means that the Lesser lies far from the Great; still seeing him as a son means that a great cause was planted in the past. The father has never seen merely a hired worker, though the son cannot yet see his father from a broad vantage.
“Weak,” “thin,” “haggard,” and “worn” are assigned graph by graph: little power of wisdom, little power of merit, inward fear of impermanence, and outward encounter with the eight sufferings. Dung and dirt are further correlated with the four abiding delusions and ignorance. These explanations do not erase the poverty in the scripture; they show that the distress seen by the father does not stop at outward appearance.
The father therefore removes his necklaces, soft upper garments, and ornaments, concealing the qualities of the reward body and instead displaying the sixteen-foot form together with patience with beings and patience with dharmas. If his features and clothing were too splendid, the son would become still more frightened. Changing clothes does not mean that the father loses his original qualities; he temporarily prevents those qualities from becoming an obstacle the son cannot approach.
He covers his body in dust and takes up a vessel for clearing dung, teaching only Dharmas that counteract the conditioned delusions of view and thought; at this point he does not discuss the pure wisdom of the grounds. The left hand illustrates the real and the right the provisional. Because the right hand is easy to employ, it shows that provisional means can be used skillfully. The father does not merely send others to describe the work. He appears among the workers in the same form and personally demonstrates how fetters are severed and people instructed.
V. How Does Clearing Dung Become a Path One Can Walk Step by Step?
Personally instructing the son in work unfolds the seven categories of the factors of the Way. The root treatise orders them as the four foundations of mindfulness, four right efforts, four bases of spiritual power, five faculties, five powers, eightfold right path, and seven factors of awakening. The first belongs to the outer ordinary stages, the middle four to the inner ordinary stages, and the final two to the noble stages. This order is correlated phrase by phrase with the parable.
The father first speaks to the workers, showing that the four foundations of mindfulness are the implement for clearing dung and the object against which fetters are severed, and also wisdom from hearing. He next orders them to work diligently and not slacken, showing the four right efforts that extinguish two evils and generate two goods. Through exertion they kindle the fire of warmth and enter the stage of warmth. The foundations of mindfulness have not yet warmed the mind with the fire of principle and remain distant; only when the initial skillful means of warmth is attained can the father draw near his son.
Calling out to the man and telling him not to go elsewhere shows a movement from the activation of the right efforts into the concentration of the bases of spiritual power. The foundations of mindfulness and right efforts remain active and not single-minded; the bases of spiritual power do not turn toward other objects—when one reflects, one is concentrated, and when one reflects, one severs. They are therefore called constant; because they no longer move distractedly, the son does not go elsewhere. This is the summit stage.
Increasing the wages means that contemplation in the Dharma of warmth cannot yet generate the real, whereas contemplation through the bases of spiritual power can generate the uncontaminated. The right path and auxiliary path that are needed may all be sought here: the branches of the four meditations are like basins and vessels, emptiness of persons is like rice, emptiness of dharmas like flour, impermanence like salt, and suffering like vinegar. Rice and flour are difficult to eat alone and require salt and vinegar; the right path is difficult to manifest and likewise needs the aid of auxiliary paths. The old and worn servants may represent either weaker supernormal powers within contemplation through the bases of spiritual power or auxiliary practices such as the nine perceptions, ten perceptions, and eight liberations; the root treatise expressly lists both approaches.
Telling him to put his mind at ease represents the five faculties made stable and difficult to damage. Saying “I am like your father” means that the understanding of the patience stage neighbors the real but has not yet become the real and is therefore called only similar. Saying further that the father is old and the son young means that the Buddha stands at the end of the path with cognition and severance complete, while the poor son stands at the beginning with cognition and severance incomplete. This is the patience stage.
The five powers are shown through the absence of five faults: because of faith he does not deceive, because of vigor he is not idle, because of mindfulness he is not angry, because of concentration he does not harbor resentment, and because of wisdom he utters no words of grievance. The other workers refer remotely to non-Buddhist practitioners and proximately to those at the four stages beginning with warmth who have not yet escaped the five faults. The text correlates all five one by one.
Treating him as a natural son represents the final mind-moment of superior patience, neighboring the real and pressing close to the noble state: the foremost worldly Dharma. Immediately giving him the name “son” represents entering the path of seeing through the eightfold right path; because separation from the real is not long, the scripture says “immediately.” Being called son does not mean that the father only now recognizes him. It means that the poor son's practice has reached a position able to receive this name.
VI. If He Has Already Been Named Son, Why Does He Still Regard Himself as a Hired Worker?
Although the poor son rejoices in this treatment, he has not yet completely severed the delusions of thought and remains a trainee. He also knows that he cannot inherit the great undertaking, and therefore still regards himself as a lowly hired laborer, practicing according to the teaching and fully removing the causes of suffering. The father has changed his name, but the son's self-understanding does not immediately catch up.
The root treatise expressly explains another possibility: if, upon realizing the first fruit, he rejects the Lesser and delights in the Great and the Mahāyāna capacity arises, the Buddha should immediately teach him the Great Vehicle without requiring him first to sever the remaining residual fetters. Clearing dung actually continues because he does not relinquish his lesser aspiration and the great capacity has not arisen; only then does the father temporarily have him exhaust the contaminants according to the teaching. There is no fixed course requiring everyone to complete the Lesser-Vehicle stages regardless of capacity.
“Twenty years” therefore receives seven explanations. First, one liberation and one unobstructed path in seeing the truth, together with nine unobstructed paths and nine paths of liberation in the path of cultivation, make twenty. Second, twenty is explained through severing fetters on the two paths of seeing and cultivation. Third, it is explained through the five lower and five higher fetters as twenty. Fourth, it means that one still severs delusions of thought within the Dharma of the two vehicles. Fifth, it means severing the remaining fetters together through the two messengers. Sixth, from the arising of a two-vehicle capacity that evokes the Buddha, the father is said to have seen his son for twenty years. Seventh, dwelling in the position of the two vehicles while turning toward the Mahāyāna teaching means managing the family affairs for twenty years.
The seven explanations share the expression “twenty” but each has its own basis. The first five explain it through severing delusion, two paths, two messengers, and related points; the sixth and seventh explain it through evoking the Buddha and turning the teaching. The text lists them in sequence and does not fold the last two back into the first five. The passage finally returns to the burning house: continually having him clear dung refers to the stage at which the children race out and escape the burning house. Recognition between father and son is not yet complete, but escape has genuinely occurred; though escape has occurred, reception of the family estate still lies ahead.
Through the Eye of the Wenjuji
Zhanran first calibrates the number of textual passages and meanings in the pursuit section: “There are six meanings, but only five textual passages”〔T34n1719 0281a06〕. Five scriptural nodes carry the respective assessments of suitability and absences of capacity in exhortation and admonition, while the final textual node jointly understands the cessation of transformation in both gates. Thus there are five textual passages but six meanings. This reading clarifies the root treatise's long sentence and is an explicit heading supplied by the Wenjuji.
At the crying out in grievance, the Wenjuji expressly notes that the scripture says only “‘grievance’”〔0281b06〕 and does not say “‘suffering’”〔0281b06〕. The root scripture explicitly writes of grievance; the root treatise then takes afflictions as grievance and birth and death as suffering, further distinguishing wrongful grievance from painful suffering.
For secretly sending two men, the Wenjuji supplements the reading of bodies of the same kind and also rejects explaining both men solely through the two truths〔0282a12–0282a25〕. It preserves the three approaches of Dharma, principle, and person, allowing causes and conditions and the four truths, the conditioned real and conventional truths, and śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas each to stand. Selecting only one approach would narrow the root treatise's original parallelism.
At double wages, Zhanran distinguishes two explanations〔0282b02–0282b06〕: one compares escaping the three evil paths with escaping birth and death, while the other compares suppressing delusion with severing delusion. The two instances of “double” are thus not repetitions of one comparison.
In the passage on “another day,” the Wenjuji uses correspondence with the teaching and exploratory understanding to distinguish what practitioners of the two vehicles call their own affairs from the provisional illumination at the time of the dharma body, and says that the two meanings of “other” have different points of reference〔0282c03–0283a15〕. The mirror does not invent another system of self and other. It marks the shifting positions of speech in the root treatise: sometimes it speaks from what the two vehicles understand, and sometimes from the Tathāgata's illumination in self-practice and transforming others.
At “window and side window,” the mirror cites the Shuowen: “In a roof it is called a window; in a wall it is called a side window”〔0283a16〕, then explains the partial capacity illuminated by provisional wisdom as partial because it is not the middle and narrow because it is not pervasive〔0283a16–0283a19〕. The lexicographic citation and subsequent judgment both belong to the mirror layer. The root treatise itself says only that seeing partially through window and side window is small and represents provisional wisdom illuminating that partial capacity.
Concerning the order of the seven categories of the factors of the Way, Zhanran reminds readers that ordinary enumerations may place the seven factors of awakening before the eightfold right path, but the root treatise here follows the parable, first correlating the elder's naming the son with the eightfold right path and then continual clearing of dung with the seven factors of awakening〔0283b13–0283b21〕. This is therefore not a scribal reversal.
At “twenty years,” the Wenjuji directly says “the text preserves seven explanations”〔0283c01〕. The first makes up the number through one unobstructed path, one path of liberation, nine unobstructed paths, and nine paths of liberation; each of the next six has a different referent. Zhanran also distinguishes the fifth explanation, in which the two messengers sever fetters together, and the syntax of the final two explanations〔0283c01–0283c16〕. The mirror's count confirms that although only four occurrences of “another says” appear on the surface, the root treatise still lists seven branches. Yet the textual basis for the seven explanations remains the Wenju itself; the mirror only illuminates how they are enumerated.
Why does the father, who both pities his son and wonders that he takes only the lesser fruit, still secretly send messengers to teach him to clear dung? The mirror directly poses this question〔0282b14–0282b15〕. It answers that since pursuit by the attendant could not succeed, the matter had to turn to secret sending. Although the son is taught to clear dung, this is not the father's final wish; later he will still openly entrust the family estate〔0282b15–0282b17〕. Skillful means and the father's unfinished intent are thereby preserved together.
From five textual passages and six meanings through the seven preserved explanations, Zhanran is most useful in preventing compressed wording from causing the reader to lose count: the wording of scripture and treatise is not conflated; Dharma, principle, and person are not merged; the two comparisons of double wages are not merged; the eightfold right path and seven factors of awakening are not reversed; and the final two explanations of twenty years are not lost. The mirror makes the turns of the long sentences visible while keeping Master Zhiyi's original wording and the later explicit headings in their proper layers.
考據Apparatus
本單元釋窮子譬中父遣使急追而復放捨、繼而密遣二人漸誘親近的一段。智者以「追／誘」總攝，前段近領火宅捨几用車、遠領法說寢大施小，後段又分齊教與取意，逐句帖合〈信解品〉譬文。本考據依本論自科為綱，根經、古疏所引、鏡釋、異解與傳本校異分層並錄，不以今本回改古疏，不以鏡釋冒作本論自說。
一、科判定位
嚴格域為 T34n1718〔0083b17–0086a23〕，自同一行後半《文句》所帖「即遣傍人急追將還」〔0083b17〕起，至「指此一句，即是爭出三界火宅位也」〔0086a22–0086a23〕止，共四千七百一十字，其中漢字三千八百一十五。〔0083b17〕前半仍屬父子相見譬；〔0086a23〕後半自「過是已後」轉入領付家業譬，均不納入本域。
本論先明第三追誘譬，分遣傍人追與遣二人誘兩大段。追段以五個經文節點承勸、誡兩門的擬宜、無機與合一息化；息化又分思惟、釋、正、得宜四支。誘段先分齊教與取意：齊教四領近帖三車救子、遠領波羅柰施權；取意四領則追領法身之地久照方便。末以親教子作展開道品七科，再列「二十年」七釋。
| 次第 | 行域 | 本論內容 |
|---|---|---|
| 一 | 0083b17–0083b19 | 追誘譬總標；近領捨几用車、遠領寢大施小；分追、誘二段 |
| 二 | 0083b20–0083c01 | 追段總配：勸門擬宜、勸門無機、誡門擬宜、誡門無機、勸誡合一息化 |
| 三 | 0083c02–0083c11 | 遣傍人與疾走：教、人兩釋及大乘赴機 |
| 四 | 0083c12–0083c28 | 驚愕稱怨、執急強牽、無罪、悶絕躃地 |
| 五 | 0083c29–0084b02 | 放捨息化四支；知大志弱、小志強；往至貧里 |
| 六 | 0084b03–0084b07 | 密遣二人誘引總標；齊教、取意二分 |
| 七 | 0084b08–0084b13 | 問答法身久照，明非道樹始知用小 |
| 八 | 0084b13–0084c21 | 齊教四領及密遣二人、徐語、倍價、雇作、先取價 |
| 九 | 0084c22–0085a14 | 取意四領及「他日」的兩意 |
| 十 | 0085a15–0085b03 | 牖窓見子、羸瘦憔悴、脫妙著麁 |
| 十一 | 0085b04–0086a05 | 親教子作；道品七科由外凡、內凡至聖位 |
| 十二 | 0086a06–0086a23 | 常令傭作；初果轉大條件；「二十年」七釋與收束 |
追段的五個文節依次是「即遣傍人疾走往捉」〔0083b25〕、「窮子驚愕」〔0083b26〕、「強牽將還」〔0083b27〕、「窮子自念無罪」〔0083b27〕至「悶絕躃地」〔0083b28〕、以及「父遙見」以下〔0083b28–0083c01〕。五個文節承載勸、誡各二義及兩門合一息化；『五文承六義』是《法華文句記》的後出明判，不倒寫成本論在此另立的法數。
二、成立與傳本
本帙卷端神逈序記現行《文句》為灌頂私記、唐天寶戊子朗和尚條倫治定；本卷題署仍歸「天台智者大師說」。04c 域內沒有新卷題或新署名，L1 所見題署是本卷前文的沿用，不可把鏡本卷界題署移作本論署名。
《法華文句記》嚴格鏡域為 T34n1719〔0280c02–0283c16 前半〕。其間〔0281a09〕有前卷卷尾，〔0281a12〕有後卷卷題，〔0281a14〕另署「唐天台沙門湛然述」；這三處是鏡本傳本層，不是本論科文。〔0283c16〕後半已釋第四領付譬，不納入本相鏡域。
本論嚴格域有十八組成對校異，另有一枚行內夾註；鏡、本論、根經三個嚴格域均無缺字造字。現行正文以大正本為底，甲本異讀逐項並錄；這些校異能顯示傳本文字差別，卻不等於完整譜系，故不據此判先後優劣。
三、所帖經文與所引
（一）根經本版回錨：三段全錄
本單元根經已回錨本倉《妙法蓮華經》封印本 04_xinjie_source.md，其大正藏嚴格域為 T09n0262〔0016c25–0017a27〕，依根經自身三個段落分作三段。起於急追，止於常令除糞；同一〔0017a27〕後接「過是已後」，已屬下一相。
第一段：
「即遣傍人，急追將還。爾時使者，疾走往捉。窮子驚愕，稱怨大喚：『我不相犯，何為見捉？』使者執之愈急，強牽將還。于時窮子，自念無罪，而被囚執，此必定死；轉更惶怖，悶絕躄地。父遙見之，而語使言：『不須此人，勿強將來。以冷水灑面，令得醒悟，莫復與語。』所以者何？父知其子志意下劣，自知豪貴為子所難，審知是子而以方便，不語他人云是我子。使者語之：『我今放汝，隨意所趣。』窮子歡喜，得未曾有，從地而起，往至貧里、以求衣食。」〔T09n0262 0016c25–0017a07〕
第二段：
「爾時長者將欲誘引其子而設方便，密遣二人，形色憔悴無威德者：『汝可詣彼，徐語窮子：「此有作處，倍與汝直。」窮子若許，將來使作。若言：「欲何所作？」便可語之：「雇汝除糞。我等二人亦共汝作。」』時二使人即求窮子，既已得之，具陳上事。」〔T09n0262 0017a07–0017a12〕
第三段：
「爾時窮子先取其價，尋與除糞。其父見子，愍而怪之。又以他日，於窓牖中遙見子身，羸瘦憔悴，糞土塵坌，污穢不淨。即脫瓔珞、細軟上服、嚴飾之具，更著麁弊垢膩之衣，塵土坌身，右手執持除糞之器，狀有所畏。語諸作人：『汝等勤作，勿得懈息。』以方便故，得近其子。後復告言：『咄，男子！汝常此作，勿復餘去，當加汝價。諸有所須瓫器米麵鹽醋之屬，莫自疑難，亦有老弊使人須者相給，好自安意。我如汝父，勿復憂慮。所以者何？我年老大，而汝少壯，汝常作時，無有欺怠瞋恨怨言，都不見汝有此諸惡，如餘作人。自今已後，如所生子。』即時長者、更與作字，名之為兒。爾時窮子雖欣此遇，猶故自謂客作賤人。由是之故，於二十年中常令除糞。」〔T09n0262 0017a12–0017a27〕
（二）第一段逐項對讀
| 《文句》所帖或所釋 | 《法華經》今本逐字 | 字面關係 |
|---|---|---|
| 帖「即遣傍人急追將還」下〔T34n1718 0083b17〕 | 「即遣傍人，急追將還」〔T09n0262 0016c25–0016c26〕 | 本論去句中逗號而提挈 |
| 「即遣傍人疾走往捉」〔0083b25〕 | 「即遣傍人，急追將還。爾時使者，疾走往捉」〔0016c25–0016c26〕 | 本論合取前後兩句，不是一條連續同文 |
| 「窮子驚愕」〔0083b26〕 | 「窮子驚愕」〔0016c26〕 | 逐字同 |
| 「強牽將還」〔0083b27〕 | 「強牽將還」〔0016c28〕 | 逐字同 |
| 「窮子自念無罪」〔0083b27〕 | 「于時窮子，自念無罪」〔0016c28〕 | 本論省「于時」 |
| 「悶絕躃地」〔0083b28〕 | 「悶絕躄地」〔0016c29〕 | 躃、躄異字 |
| 「執之逾急」〔0083c18〕 | 「使者執之愈急」〔0016c27–0016c28〕 | 逾、愈異字 |
| 「我不相犯」〔0083c16〕 | 「我不相犯，何為見捉」〔0016c27〕 | 本論分釋首句 |
| 「父遙見之」〔0083c29〕 | 「父遙見之」〔0016c29–0017a01〕 | 經文跨頁，首字仍在 0016c29 |
| 「不須此人」〔0084a11〕 | 「不須此人，勿強將來」〔0017a01〕 | 本論分作勸門息化 |
| 「勿強將來」〔0084a10〕 | 「勿強將來」〔0017a01〕 | 逐字同 |
| 「冷水灑面」〔0084a12〕 | 「以冷水灑面，令得醒悟」〔0017a01–0017a02〕 | 本論省「以」 |
| 「莫復與語」〔0084a16〕 | 「莫復與語」〔0017a02〕 | 逐字同 |
| 「不語他人」〔0084a21〕 | 「不語他人云是我子」〔0017a04–0017a05〕 | 經文後接「云是我子」 |
| 「我今放汝」〔0084a24〕 | 「我今放汝，隨意所趣」〔0017a05〕 | 本論分釋前句 |
| 「窮子歡喜」〔0084a26〕 | 「窮子歡喜，得未曾有」〔0017a05–0017a06〕 | 本論由歡喜續解從地而起 |
| 「往至貧里以求衣食」〔0084b02〕 | 「往至貧里、以求衣食」〔0017a06–0017a07〕 | 字同，句讀各守本版 |
（三）第二段逐項對讀
| 《文句》所帖或所釋 | 《法華經》今本逐字 | 字面關係 |
|---|---|---|
| 帖「將欲誘引」下〔T34n1718 0084b03〕 | 「爾時長者將欲誘引其子而設方便」〔T09n0262 0017a07〕 | 本論提挈四字 |
| 「密遣二人」〔0084b20〕 | 「密遣二人」〔0017a08〕 | 逐字同 |
| 「形色憔悴」〔0084b28〕 | 「形色憔悴無威德者」〔0017a08〕 | 經文續有無威德者 |
| 「汝可詣彼」〔0084c01〕 | 「汝可詣彼」〔0017a08〕 | 逐字同 |
| 「徐語」〔0084c03〕 | 「徐語窮子」〔0017a09〕 | 本論分釋徐字 |
| 「此有作處」〔0084c03〕 | 「此有作處，倍與汝直」〔0017a09〕 | 逐字同 |
| 「倍與汝直」〔0084c04〕 | 「倍與汝直」〔0017a09〕 | 逐字同 |
| 「窮子若許」〔0084c08〕 | 「窮子若許，將來使作」〔0017a09–0017a10〕 | 逐字同 |
| 「欲何所作」〔0084c09〕 | 「欲何所作」〔0017a10〕 | 逐字同 |
| 「雇汝除糞，我等二人亦共作」〔0084c11〕 | 「雇汝除糞。我等二人亦共汝作」〔0017a10–0017a11〕 | 經文有句號及第二個汝 |
| 「時二使人即求窮子」〔0084c13〕 | 「時二使人即求窮子」〔0017a11–0017a12〕 | 逐字同 |
| 「既已得之」〔0084b17〕 | 「既已得之，具陳上事」〔0017a12〕 | 本論分釋前句 |
| 「具陳上事」〔0084c15〕 | 「具陳上事」〔0017a12〕 | 逐字同 |
（四）第三段逐項對讀
| 《文句》所帖或所釋 | 《法華經》今本逐字 | 字面關係 |
|---|---|---|
| 「窮子先取其價尋與除糞」〔0084c17〕 | 「爾時窮子先取其價，尋與除糞」〔0017a12–0017a13〕 | 本論省「爾時」 |
| 「其父見子愍而怪之」〔0084c19〕 | 「其父見子，愍而怪之」〔0017a13〕 | 字同，句讀各守本版 |
| 「又以他日」〔0084c22〕 | 「又以他日」〔0017a14〕 | 逐字同 |
| 「牖窓」〔0085a15〕 | 「於窓牖中遙見子身」〔0017a14〕 | 大正本倒作牖窓；甲本與根經作窓牖 |
| 本論帖「羸瘦」下〔0085a19〕 | 「羸瘦憔悴」〔0017a14〕 | 本論逐字分配羸、瘦、憔、悴四字 |
| 本論分釋「糞土」與「塵坌」〔0085a21–0085a22〕 | 「糞土塵坌，污穢不淨」〔0017a15〕 | 本論把兩組物象分釋 |
| 「即脫瓔珞」〔0085a22〕 | 「即脫瓔珞、細軟上服、嚴飾之具」〔0017a15–0017a16〕 | 首句相合 |
| 「更著麁弊」〔0085a26〕 | 「更著麁弊垢膩之衣」〔0017a16〕 | 首句相合 |
| 「塵土坌身」〔0085a28〕 | 「塵土坌身」〔0017a16〕 | 逐字同 |
| 「狀有所畏」〔0085b02〕 | 「狀有所畏」〔0017a17〕 | 逐字同 |
| 「語諸作人」〔0085b04〕 | 「語諸作人」〔0017a17〕 | 逐字同 |
| 「勿得懈息」〔0085b17〕 | 「汝等勤作，勿得懈息」〔0017a17–0017a18〕 | 本論分釋後句 |
| 「以方便故得近其子」〔0085b20〕 | 「以方便故，得近其子」〔0017a18〕 | 字同，句讀各守本版 |
| 「咄男子」〔0085b22〕 | 「咄，男子！汝常此作」〔0017a19〕 | 經文在男子後有歎號並續下句 |
| 「汝常此作勿復餘去」〔0085b26〕 | 「汝常此作，勿復餘去」〔0017a19〕 | 字同，句讀各守本版 |
| 「當加汝價」〔0085c01〕 | 「當加汝價」〔0017a19–0017a20〕 | 逐字同 |
| 「盆器」〔0085c05〕 | 「瓫器米麵鹽醋之屬」〔0017a20〕 | 根經字形作瓫；本論作盆 |
| 「米麪」〔0085c07〕 | 「米麵鹽醋之屬」〔0017a20〕 | 本論大正本作麪，甲本與根經作麵 |
| 「莫自疑難」〔0085c08〕 | 「莫自疑難」〔0017a20–0017a21〕 | 逐字同 |
| 「亦有老弊使人」〔0085c10〕 | 「亦有老弊使人須者相給」〔0017a21〕 | 經文續有須者相給 |
| 「好自安意」〔0085c16〕 | 「好自安意」〔0017a21〕 | 逐字同 |
| 「我如汝父」〔0085c17〕 | 「我如汝父」〔0017a22〕 | 逐字同 |
| 「勿復憂慮」〔0085c18〕 | 「勿復憂慮」〔0017a22〕 | 逐字同 |
| 本論撮作「我老汝少」〔0085c19〕 | 「我年老大，而汝少壯」〔0017a22–0017a23〕 | 非連續同文 |
| 本論逐一配釋無五過〔0085c23–0085c24〕 | 「無有欺怠瞋恨怨言」〔0017a23〕 | 本論取五個惡名分配五力 |
| 本論帖「餘作人」〔0085c24〕 | 「如餘作人」〔0017a24〕 | 本論分釋餘作人 |
| 「自今已後如所生子」〔0085c27〕 | 「自今已後，如所生子」〔0017a24–0017a25〕 | 字同，句讀各守本版 |
| 「即時長者更與作字名之為兒」〔0086a02〕 | 「即時長者、更與作字，名之為兒」〔0017a25〕 | 字同，句讀各守本版 |
| 「爾時窮子雖欣此遇」〔0086a06〕 | 「爾時窮子雖欣此遇」〔0017a26〕 | 逐字同 |
| 「猶故自謂客作賤人」〔0086a09〕 | 「猶故自謂客作賤人」〔0017a26〕 | 逐字同 |
| 「由是之故二十年中常令除糞」〔0086a13〕 | 「由是之故，於二十年中常令除糞」〔0017a27〕 | 本論省「於」 |
（五）〈方便品〉與火宅譬回錨
本論明說追段遠領法說寢大施小。其經文脈絡依次可核為「於三七日中，思惟如是事」〔T09n0262 0009c05〕、「眾生諸根鈍，著樂癡所盲」〔0009c07〕、「如斯之等類，云何而可度」〔0009c08〕及「思惟是事已，即趣波羅柰」〔0010a03〕。四句分別支承思惟、知根鈍、知無機與趣波羅柰施小，不合成一條經文連引。
火宅長行的勸、誡、息化與施小如下；譬段與合譬段各守其層，合譬所配之法不倒入譬段作經自說。
| 功能 | 根經今本逐字 | loc |
|---|---|---|
| 勸門擬宜 | 「是長者作是思惟：『我身手有力，當以衣裓、若以机案，從舍出之。』」 | T09n0262 0012b23–0012b25 |
| 勸門無機 | 「復更思惟：『是舍唯有一門，而復狹小。諸子幼稚，未有所識，戀著戲處，或當墮落，為火所燒」 | 0012b25–0012b27 |
| 誡門擬宜 | 「我當為說怖畏之事，此舍已燒，宜時疾出」 | 0012b27–0012b28 |
| 誡門無機 | 「父雖憐愍、善言誘喻，而諸子等樂著嬉戲，不肯信受」 | 0012c01–0012c02 |
| 息化轉施三車 | 「爾時長者即作是念：『此舍已為大火所燒，我及諸子若不時出，必為所焚」 | 0012c04–0012c05 |
| 適願爭出 | 「適其願故，心各勇銳，互相推排，競共馳走，爭出火宅」 | 0012c12–0012c13 |
合譬另有四層：
| 功能 | 根經今本逐字 | loc |
|---|---|---|
| 擬宜 | 「如來復作是念：『若我但以神力及智慧力，捨於方便」 | T09n0262 0013a29–0013b01 |
| 無機 | 「是諸眾生，未免生老病死、憂悲苦惱，而為三界火宅所燒」 | 0013b03–0013b04 |
| 息化 | 「如彼長者，雖復身手有力而不用之，但以慇懃方便勉濟諸子火宅之難」 | 0013b05–0013b06 |
| 施小 | 「但以智慧方便，於三界火宅拔濟眾生，為說三乘」 | 0013b08–0013b09 |
本論又明引火宅大車「其疾如風」〔T34n1718 0083c09〕；今本全句是「駕以白牛，膚色充潔，形體姝好，有大筋力，行步平正，其疾如風」〔T09n0262 0012c22–0012c23〕。另以「審知二萬億佛所曾發道心」〔T34n1718 0084a19〕連到佛告舍利弗「我昔曾於二萬億佛所，為無上道故，常教化汝」〔T09n0262 0011b10–0011b11〕及「我昔教汝志願佛道」〔0011b12〕。兩處只並錄經疏字面，不把本論撮語改成根經原句。
（六）本論四種具名外引
甲、《華嚴》四菩薩說四十地
本論作「如《華嚴》中令四菩薩說四十地」〔T34n1718 0083c07〕。《記》辨名為法慧十住、功德林十行、金剛幢十向、金剛藏十地〔T34n1719 0281a22–0281b01〕。今本 T09n0278 可逐項對讀：
| 位 | 今本逐字 | loc |
|---|---|---|
| 十住 | 「菩薩十住品第十一」；「爾時，法慧菩薩承佛神力」 | T09n0278 0444c06–0444c07 |
| 十行 | 「功德華聚菩薩十行品第十七」；「爾時，功德林菩薩摩訶薩承佛神力」 | 0466b05–0466b06 |
| 十迴向 | 「金剛幢菩薩十迴向品第二十一」；「爾時，金剛幢菩薩承佛神力」 | 0488a17–0488a19 |
| 十地 | 「十地品第二十二之一」；「爾時，金剛藏菩薩摩訶薩承佛威神」 | 0542a05、0542b13 |
經後又明言「金剛藏菩薩說諸菩薩十地名已」〔0543a05–0543a06〕。今本可驗四人、四位；「四十地」仍保留作本論總稱，不改寫成今本品題。
乙、《淨名》身香
本論所傳為「攝汝身香，無令彼諸眾生而起惑著」〔T34n1718 0084a08–0084a09〕。今本《維摩詰所說經》作「可往。攝汝身香，無令彼諸眾生起惑著心；又當捨汝本形，勿使彼國求菩薩者，而自鄙恥」〔T14n0475 0552b22–0552b24〕。古疏作而起惑著，今本作起惑著心；共同核心為攝身香。
丙、普賢促身令小
本論作「普賢入此娑婆，促身令小」〔T34n1718 0084a09〕。今本《佛說觀普賢菩薩行法經》作「普賢菩薩身量無邊、音聲無邊、色像無邊，欲來此國，入自在神通促身令小，閻浮提人三障重故。」〔T09n0277 0389c27–0389c29〕。本論撮取欲來此國、促身令小之義；入此娑婆不是今本此處的連續同文。
丁、《遺教》念處
本論所傳為「常依念處行道能破四倒」〔T34n1718 0085b15–0085b16〕。現存《佛垂般涅槃略說教誡經》未見這條連續同文，可並錄的念門正文是「汝等比丘，求善知識、求善護助而不忘念；若不忘念者，諸煩惱賊則不能入。是故汝等常當攝念在心，若失念者則失諸功德。」〔T12n0389 1111c21–1111c23〕，其後續以念力堅強譬著鎧入陣〔1111c24–1111c25〕，未見能破四倒四字。此處只誌古疏引文與現存今本未成連續同文，不作誤引裁判。
戊、《阿含》五種佛子
本論所傳為「《阿含》說五種佛子，四果及辟支佛名佛真子」〔T34n1718 0086a04–0086a05〕。現存阿含類 XML 未得完整連續句；可並錄的五類次序見《須達經》：「百須陀洹，不如施與一斯陀含」〔T01n0073 0879b23〕、「百斯陀含，不如施與一阿那含」〔0879b25–0879b26〕、「百阿那含，不如施與一阿羅漢」〔0879b27–0879b28〕、「百阿羅漢，不如施一辟支佛」〔0879c02〕。此今本有四果加辟支佛的五類次序，卻沒有五種佛子、佛真子的命名；兩層並錄，不以施福次第替換本論判名。
（七）鏡釋新增的直接引文
《法華文句記》另直接引五組文獻；它們屬鏡層考據，不灌入本論正文。
《入大乘論》方面，鏡文作「不但羅云獨是菩薩，如諸童子阿難、難陀及調達等，皆是不退菩薩。」〔T34n1719 0282a26–0282a28〕；今本作「問曰：羅睺羅是菩薩耶？答曰：不但羅睺羅獨是菩薩，住迦毘羅衛城諸釋種童子，阿難、難陀、提婆達多、阿㝹樓馱等，皆是大力不退轉菩薩。」〔T32n1634 0044c05–0044c08〕。羅云、羅睺羅及調達、提婆達多字面有別，今本又多住處、阿㝹樓馱與大力不退轉。
《說文》方面，鏡文作「在屋曰窓，在牆曰牖。」〔T34n1719 0283a16〕。《說文》非大正藏佛典，故只保存鏡中字面及行錨，不另造大正藏號。
《大論》第九方面，鏡文列「六年苦行、孫陀利謗、金鏘、馬麥、瑠璃殺釋、乞食空鉢、旃遮女謗、調達推山、寒風索衣」並加雙樹背痛為十〔T34n1719 0283a25–0283a28〕。今本《大智度論》先問「何以故受九罪報？」〔T25n1509 0121c08〕，隨後依次列孫陀利謗、旃遮女謗、提婆達推山、迸木刺腳、毘樓璃殺釋、食馬麥、冷風脊痛、六年苦行、乞食空鉢九項〔0121c08–0121c15〕，又續有「復有冬至前後八夜，寒風破竹，索三衣禦寒。」〔0121c15–0121c16〕。《佛說興起行經》現有十個分經品題，自孫陀利宿緣〔T04n0197 0164b20〕至苦行宿緣〔0172c05〕；鏡文所說但有七緣仍是其比較判語，不以今本品題數直接推翻。
《阿含》老死問方面，鏡文撮作「即《阿含》中是老死誰老死」〔T34n1719 0283b08〕；《雜阿含經》今本作「緣生老死者，若有問言：『彼誰老死？老死屬誰？』」〔T02n0099 0084c16–0084c17〕。這是撮取問句，不是連續同字引文。
《俱舍》方面，鏡文作「由二不超欲，由三復還下」〔T34n1719 0283c11–0283c12〕；今本偈作「又五順下分，由二不超欲，由三復還下，攝門根故三。」〔T29n1558 0108c25–0108c26〕，鏡引兩分句與今本逐字相合。
（八）具名來源分母
本論嚴格域內書名號有《華嚴》、《淨名》、《遺教》、《阿含》四種，各一見。品名號有〈方便品〉二見、〈火宅〉一見、〈譬喻品〉一見；〈火宅〉是火宅譬的稱法，不是現行《法華經》品題。上述各項均已列明回錨或未得連續同文的限界。
鏡域另有《入大乘論》、《說文》、《大論》、《興起行經》、《俱舍》等直接引證，均已逐條並錄。《淨名．佛國品》、《華嚴》迴向、《涅槃》、《大集》、《智論》、《婆沙》、《止觀》、《玄》、《釋籤》、《成論》、《大經》等在鏡中只作延伸書目或轉引名目；沒有唯一直接引句者，不虛配今本行錨。
四、文句記釋要〔鏡〕
《記》先判追段「義則有六，文但有五」〔T34n1719 0281a06〕：本論所帖五個經文節點，承勸、誡各自的擬宜、無機及兩門合領息化六義。這是鏡為長句顯出的文義關係，不宜回寫成本論另列的固定格目。
| 本論節點 | 《記》對位釋要 |
|---|---|
| 遣傍人〔0083c02〕 | 鏡分教、人兩釋，並以《華嚴》四菩薩所說四十地照明傍人之義〔0281a15–0281b01〕 |
| 稱怨大喚〔0083c13〕 | 鏡特別指出根經只說怨而沒有苦，本論分別以怨枉、苦痛配煩惱與生死〔0281b05–0281b08〕 |
| 無罪〔0083c22〕 | 鏡承本論特殊用義，以有慈悲、同入生死者名同罪，無大悲者名無罪〔0281b14–0281b17〕 |
| 勝身、勿強〔0084a06–0084a12〕 | 鏡以攝身香、促身令小照明不現尊特；又由善根難發易壞說勿強〔0281c01–0281c13〕 |
| 不語、放捨〔0084a21–0084a25〕 | 鏡以覆實護權說不語，以放汝與隨意所趣分知大小二機〔0281c28–0282a05〕 |
| 密遣二人〔0084b20〕 | 鏡補明同類身之說，又辨二人不宜只作二諦一解〔0282a12–0282a25〕 |
| 倍與汝直〔0084c04〕 | 鏡說倍有二義，分別對三途與生死、伏惑與斷惑〔0282b07–0282b12〕 |
| 先取價〔0084c17〕 | 鏡以慕果行因照明先取，並非譬事上已先受價〔0282b26–0282b28〕 |
| 他日〔0085a01〕 | 鏡明齊教與探領的分際，並提示探領所照的是法身時權機、權事〔0282c03–0283a04〕 |
| 牖窓〔0085a15〕 | 鏡以屋、牆分窓牖，又說偏狹表權智照偏機〔0283a15–0283a18〕 |
| 道品七科〔0085b04〕 | 鏡提醒常見次序多先七覺後八正，本論為配譬故先八正、後七覺〔0283b13–0283b21〕 |
| 二十年〔0086a14〕 | 鏡明記文存七釋，首釋作一組數法，後六支各成一義〔0283c06–0283c16〕 |
鏡域又以「面」表向涅槃、「背」表厭離生死；以大小相海照脫妙著麁；以窓牖偏狹照權智偏機；以探領說法身久照。
五、諸家異釋
本相並非沒有異解。本論自錄一條私釋、一組明標問答，以及「二十年」七釋；逐項如下。
本論私釋如下〔T34n1718 0084a11–0084a12〕：
私謂「不須此人」者，思惟息勸門擬宜；「勿強將來」者，思惟息誡門擬宜也。
它把不須此人、勿強將來分別繫於息勸、息誡，不合併成一句泛說。
本論問「四大弟子，何因能知法身久照？」〔0084b08–0084b09〕，答以推近知遠：若到道樹下才知沒有大機，便不應先有降神、託胎乃至示現後身斷結等事；由此驗知脫妙著麁已久〔0084b09–0084b13〕。此為本論自設問答，不用鏡文後釋改署。
「二十年」七釋如下，七項均屬本論明列：
| 次 | 本論逐字 | 首字 loc |
|---|---|---|
| 一 | 「二十年」者，見諦，一解脫一無礙；思惟，九無礙九解脫，故言二十年。 | T34n1718 0086a14 |
| 二 | 又云見思二道中斷結，名二十年。 | 0086a15 |
| 三 | 又云五下分、五上分，為二十年也。 | 0086a16 |
| 四 | 又云猶於二乘法中斷思惑故，名二十年。 | 0086a17 |
| 五 | 又云依二使人，共斷餘結故，名二十年也。 | 0086a18 |
| 六 | 從有二乘之機而來感佛，故云自見子來已二十年。 | 0086a19 |
| 七 | 若住二乘位轉大乘教，名為於二十年中執作家事也。 | 0086a20 |
本論以「二十語同各有所以」〔0086a21–0086a22〕收束。第六、第七雖沒有又云標誌，仍連列在同一解群；《記》所說文存七釋只作鏡層旁證。
除上述外，嚴格域中『有人云、或言、舊云、解者不同、一云』等標誌均未見；唯一「一解脫」〔0086a14〕中的一解字面不是另一異解標誌。
六、術語
「追誘」有追、誘二段；「息化」有思惟、釋、正、得宜四支；思惟息化又有知大志弱、知小志強二意。放捨只是暫息大化，本論緊接說佛意未已、更待後期，不是棄置窮子。
「遣傍人」有兩路：以智為能遣、教為所遣，理義為正、教義為傍；又以法身菩薩作傍臣佐。這兩路並存，不互相取代。
「罪者慈悲」是本段特殊配義：菩薩因慈悲同眾生入生死獄，稱為同罪；二乘沒有大悲，名為無罪。此處不按普通道德罪責改寫。「面／背」亦有明定方向：厭離生死稱背，朝向涅槃如面，不可反繫。
「密遣二人」依本論可約法、理、人三路：因緣與四諦；有作真、俗；聲聞與緣覺。「密／遣」又分三向：隱實而指偏真，隱滿字而指半字，內祕菩薩行而外現聲聞。這些是本論自己列出的配義。
「倍與汝直」有兩個比較：四諦、十二因緣能出生死，勝五戒十善只出三途；四諦能斷惑至涅槃，勝外道六行只能伏惑。「先取其價」則明釋為慕果而行因，不是已先領取工錢。
「他日」本論明說兩意俱成：二乘自謂方便法為己，非二乘法為他；又依法身之時與權實之照，分自行、化他及照實、照權。這些分判由本論長句依次展開。
道品七科的列序固定如下：
| 次 | 譬句 | 法門 | 位次 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 一 | 語諸作人 | 四念處 | 外凡 |
| 二 | 勤作、勿得懈息 | 四正勤 | 內凡 |
| 三 | 咄男子、勿復餘去 | 四如意足 | 內凡 |
| 四 | 好自安意 | 五根 | 內凡 |
| 五 | 所以者何、無五過 | 五力 | 內凡 |
| 六 | 長者字以為子 | 八正 | 聖位 |
| 七 | 雖欣此遇、常令除糞 | 七覺 | 聖位 |
本論原列先八正、後七覺。盆器、米麪、鹽、醋依次譬四禪支林、生空、法空、無常、苦，分正道、助道；老弊使人又有劣弱神通與九想、十想、八背捨等助道兩路。無五過則依次是信不欺、精進不怠、念不瞋、定不恨、慧不怨言。
本論四千七百一十字嚴格域中，『五時八教』『化儀』『化法』『藏通別圓』『迹門十妙』『本門十妙』『一念三千』七個後世約詞完整字串皆未見。
七、譬喻・互讀・承衍
根經自急追、強牽、悶絕、冷水醒悟、放行，轉入密遣二人徐語、雇作除糞，再寫長者脫瓔珞、著麁弊垢衣、執除糞器而親自教作，最後名之為兒，卻仍常令除糞〔T09n0262 0016c25–0017a27〕。同一父子譬的意象由追捕轉為放捨，由遠遣轉為換衣親近；本論再以勸、誡、息化、齊教與取意分別照明其轉折。
與本倉《妙法蓮華經》〈信解品〉同品互讀，先守父、使者、窮子、二人、作人與除糞等譬事的次第，再看智者如何將追、放、誘、作逐句帖回〈方便品〉與火宅譬。與《法華玄義》互讀，本帙序品釋開首說「委釋經題已如上說」〔T34n1718 0001b23〕，把經題之玄談讓於《玄義》；追誘相則顯示教相如何落在逐句消文。
《摩訶止觀》另引《法華》「密遣二人」〔T46n1911 0137c12〕，約法說方便之二教、約人說權同二乘；又引「二十年中常令除糞。」〔T46n1911 0102b21〕，以煩惱糞與智慧價申明觀門。這兩處承用同一譬句，而把逐句消文帶入行門。
並鏡《法華玄贊》在「密遣二人」處說「實無二體，設有二乘之教，故言密遣」〔T34n1723 0774c26〕，又以「佛自示同斷煩惱行，說權教故」〔0775b17〕釋著弊垢衣、執除糞器。慈恩、天台兩鏡各由同一根經句展開，並列而不互相回填。
本相向後承衍：長者雖已名窮子為兒，窮子仍自謂客作賤人；「過是已後」〔T34n1718 0086a23〕才開下一相委知家業。追誘所成的是可親近、可受教、可起行的次第，家業之委知與付與仍在後文。
八、校本定位
本單元共有十八組成對校異：十三組大正本與甲本字面對舉，五組甲本缺字。以下 loc 均取校異 lemma 首字前最近實體行標，不取前句或引經標名行。
| loc | 【大】 | 【甲】 | 短境 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0083c19 | 與 | 豫 | 勸善猶是容與 |
| 0083c20 | 雖 | 甲本缺 | 雖強牽將還 |
| 0084a05 | 者 | 甲本缺 | 約教為使者 |
| 0084a14 | 除 | 除其 | 除見思之熱 |
| 0084a19 | 本 | 大 | 抑佛本懷 |
| 0084a23 | 語 | 放 | 使者語之 |
| 0084a28 | 途 | 塗 | 得免三途 |
| 0084a29 | 宜 | 甲本缺 | 又前擬宜大法 |
| 0084c14 | 言 | 云 | 故言已得 |
| 0084c19 | 怪 | 怖怪 | 愍而怪之 |
| 0084c23 | 隨 | 墮 | 崎嶇隨逐 |
| 0085a12 | 事 | 事也 | 二乘稱己事 |
| 0085a12 | 領 | 甲本缺 | 探領領自他之權 |
| 0085a15 | 牖窓 | 窓牖 | 牖窓者 |
| 0085b03 | 示 | 亦 | 示同怖生死 |
| 0085b20 | 故 | 甲本缺 | 以方便故得近其子 |
| 0085c05 | 支 | 枝 | 四禪體含支林 |
| 0085c07 | 麪 | 麵 | 如米麪難食 |
本域沒有縮寫式長段省略；五組甲本缺字均為單字 lemma 對零量 reading。本域也沒有單邊傳本校記。〔0084c29〕有正文行內夾註「〔一三〕」，位在「法身之地久知大小之機〔一三〕施化」；它不是成對校異，不併入十八組。
嚴格 04c 字界內沒有星號子錨。〔0085c07〕母校記雖帶星號標識，其對應子錨位於〔0089b13〕「即上米麪也」，已屬 04e；本單元只錄母校記，不把域外子錨重算一組。〔0083b17〕同一行前半另有『也【大】／甲本缺』校記，但 lemma 在 04c 起句之前，屬 04b，亦不納入。
本論 T34n1718〔0083b17 後半–0086a23 前半〕、鏡 T34n1719〔0280c02 後半–0283c16 前半〕、根經 T09n0262〔0016c25 後半–0017a27 前半〕三個嚴格域的缺字造字數均為零。牖窓／窓牖、麪／麵、躃／躄是字形或傳本異讀，不因字形少見改列缺字造字。
本檔所有〔頁欄行〕錨均取所引首字前最近的實體行標；跨行或跨頁引文仍以首字所在行為起錨，範圍終錨則取末字所在行。古疏所傳與現存今本不連續同文時，兩邊分列並說明差異，不以疏句冒作今本原文。
This unit explains the passage in the parable of the poor son where the father sends a messenger in urgent pursuit, releases the son, and then secretly sends two men gradually to induce and approach him. Master Zhiyi gathers it under 「追／誘」 tr. “‘pursuit / inducement.’” The first passage proximately understands setting aside the stool and using the carts in the burning house and remotely understands ceasing the Great and bestowing the Lesser in the Dharma teaching. The latter passage is further divided into correspondence with the teaching and exploring the intent, attaching the “Faith and Understanding” parable phrase by phrase. Following the root treatise's own division, this apparatus records the root scripture, citations in the old commentary, mirror explanations, alternative explanations, and transmitted variants in separate layers. It does not alter the old commentary according to the present text or present mirror explanations as the root treatise's own statements.
I. Doctrinal-Outline Placement
The strict domain is T34n1718〔0083b17–0086a23〕, beginning in the latter half of the same line with the Wenju's attached phrase 「即遣傍人急追將還」 tr. “‘immediately dispatched an attendant in urgent pursuit to bring him back’”〔0083b17〕 and ending with 「指此一句，即是爭出三界火宅位也」 tr. “‘this sentence indicates precisely the stage of racing out of the burning house of the three realms’”〔0086a22–0086a23〕. It contains 4,710 characters in all, of which 3,815 are Han characters. The first half of〔0083b17〕 still belongs to the parable of father and son seeing one another; after〔0086a23〕, 「過是已後」 tr. “‘after this’” begins the parable of understanding and entrusting the family estate. Neither is included in this domain.
The root treatise first introduces the third parable, pursuit and inducement, divided into the two major passages of sending an attendant in pursuit and sending two men to induce. In the pursuit passage, five scriptural nodes carry assessment of suitability and absence of capacity in the exhortation and admonition gates, followed by their joint cessation of transformation; cessation is further divided into consideration, explanation, formal cessation, and appropriateness. The inducement passage first divides into correspondence with the teaching and exploring the intent: the four understandings corresponding with the teaching proximately attach to rescuing the children with the three carts and remotely understand bestowing the provisional at Vārāṇasī; the four understandings exploring the intent reach back to the dharma body's long-standing illumination of skillful means. Finally, personally instructing the son in work unfolds the seven categories of the factors of the Way, followed by seven explanations of 「二十年」 tr. “‘twenty years.’”
| Sequence | Line Domain | Root-Treatise Content |
|---|---|---|
| I | 0083b17–0083b19 | General heading of the parable of pursuit and inducement; proximately understanding setting aside the stool and using the carts, remotely understanding ceasing the Great and bestowing the Lesser; division into pursuit and inducement |
| II | 0083b20–0083c01 | Overall correlation of the pursuit passage: exhortation-gate suitability, exhortation-gate absence of capacity, admonition-gate suitability, admonition-gate absence of capacity, and the joint cessation of transformation in exhortation and admonition |
| III | 0083c02–0083c11 | Sending an attendant and running swiftly: explanations through teaching and person, and the Mahāyāna going to meet capacity |
| IV | 0083c12–0083c28 | Alarm and crying out in grievance, urgent seizure and forcible pulling, innocence, fainting, and falling to the ground |
| V | 0083c29–0084b02 | Four branches of release and cessation of transformation; knowing the great aspiration is weak and the lesser aspiration strong; going to the poor quarter |
| VI | 0084b03–0084b07 | General heading of secretly sending two men for inducement; division into correspondence with the teaching and exploring the intent |
| VII | 0084b08–0084b13 | Question and answer concerning the dharma body's long-standing illumination, showing that the use of the Lesser was not first known beneath the tree of awakening |
| VIII | 0084b13–0084c21 | Four understandings corresponding with the teaching, secretly sending two men, gentle speech, double wages, employment, and first taking the wages |
| IX | 0084c22–0085a14 | Four understandings exploring the intent and the two meanings of 「他日」 tr. “‘another day’” |
| X | 0085a15–0085b03 | Seeing the son through window and side window; weak, thin, haggard, and worn; removing fine clothing and putting on coarse |
| XI | 0085b04–0086a05 | Personally instructing the son in work; seven categories of the factors of the Way from outer ordinary through inner ordinary to noble stages |
| XII | 0086a06–0086a23 | Continually hiring him for work; the condition for turning to the Great at the first fruit; seven explanations of 「二十年」 tr. “‘twenty years’” and conclusion |
The five textual sections of the pursuit passage are, in sequence, 「即遣傍人疾走往捉」 tr. “‘immediately sent an attendant to run swiftly and seize him’”〔0083b25〕, 「窮子驚愕」 tr. “‘the poor son was startled and confounded’”〔0083b26〕, 「強牽將還」 tr. “‘forcibly pulled him back’”〔0083b27〕, from 「窮子自念無罪」 tr. “‘the poor son thought himself innocent’”〔0083b27〕 through 「悶絕躃地」 tr. “‘fainted and fell to the ground’”〔0083b28〕, and from 「父遙見」 tr. “‘the father saw from afar’” onward〔0083b28–0083c01〕. The five textual sections carry two meanings each in exhortation and admonition together with the two gates’ joint cessation of transformation. “Five textual sections carry six meanings” is the later explicit judgment of the Fahua Wenjuji and is not written backward as a numerical category separately established here by the root treatise.
II. Formation and Transmission
Shenjiong's preface at the head of this work records the present Wenju as Guanding's private record, ordered and redacted by Master Lang in the wuxu year of the Tang Tianbao era. The fascicle attribution remains 「天台智者大師說」 tr. “‘spoken by the Great Master Zhiyi of Tiantai.’” The 04c domain has no new fascicle title or attribution, and the L1 attribution continues from earlier in the fascicle. A fascicle-boundary attribution from the mirror witness may not be moved into the root treatise as its attribution.
The strict mirror domain of the Fahua Wenjuji is T34n1719〔0280c02–0283c16, first half〕. Within it,〔0281a09〕 contains the preceding fascicle's closing title,〔0281a12〕 the following fascicle's title, and〔0281a14〕 the separate attribution 「唐天台沙門湛然述」 tr. “‘composed by the Tang Tiantai śramaṇa Zhanran.’” These three belong to the mirror's transmission layer, not the root treatise's doctrinal outline. The latter half of〔0283c16〕 already explains the fourth parable, entrusting the family estate, and is excluded from this mirror domain.
The strict root-treatise domain contains eighteen paired variants and one inline note. The strict mirror, root-treatise, and root-scripture domains have no marked characters outside the common library. The present body follows the Taishō witness and records each reading from witness A beside it. These variants show differences among transmitted texts but do not constitute a complete stemma, and no judgment of chronological or textual superiority is made from them.
III. Sutra Passages Explained and Works Cited
1. Root-Scripture Alignment in This Edition: Three Passages in Full
The root scripture for this unit has been aligned to the sealed 04_xinjie_source.md of the Lotus Sutra in this repository. Its strict Taishō domain is T09n0262〔0016c25–0017a27〕 and is divided into three passages following the root scripture's own paragraphs. It begins with the urgent pursuit and ends with continually having him clear dung. The words 「過是已後」 tr. “‘after this’” later on the same〔0017a27〕 already belong to the next parable.
The first passage:
「即遣傍人，急追將還。爾時使者，疾走往捉。窮子驚愕，稱怨大喚：『我不相犯，何為見捉？』使者執之愈急，強牽將還。于時窮子，自念無罪，而被囚執，此必定死；轉更惶怖，悶絕躄地。父遙見之，而語使言：『不須此人，勿強將來。以冷水灑面，令得醒悟，莫復與語。』所以者何？父知其子志意下劣，自知豪貴為子所難，審知是子而以方便，不語他人云是我子。使者語之：『我今放汝，隨意所趣。』窮子歡喜，得未曾有，從地而起，往至貧里、以求衣食。」 tr. “He immediately dispatched an attendant in urgent pursuit to bring him back. The messenger ran swiftly to seize him. The poor son was startled and cried loudly in grievance: ‘I have done nothing against you. Why am I being seized?’ The messenger held him ever more urgently and forcibly pulled him back. At that time the poor son thought himself innocent, yet he was imprisoned and seized. He thought he would certainly die, became still more terrified, fainted, and fell to the ground. The father saw this from afar and told the messenger: ‘There is no need for this man. Do not force him to come. Sprinkle cold water upon his face so that he may awaken, and do not speak with him again.’ Why was this? The father knew that his son's aspirations were low and inferior and that his own wealth and nobility would be difficult for the son. He knew exactly that this was his son, yet through skillful means did not tell others that he was his son. The messenger said to him: ‘I now release you. Go wherever you wish.’ The poor son rejoiced at this unprecedented thing, rose from the ground, and went to a poor quarter seeking clothing and food”〔T09n0262 0016c25–0017a07〕.
The second passage:
「爾時長者將欲誘引其子而設方便，密遣二人，形色憔悴無威德者：『汝可詣彼，徐語窮子：「此有作處，倍與汝直。」窮子若許，將來使作。若言：「欲何所作？」便可語之：「雇汝除糞。我等二人亦共汝作。」』時二使人即求窮子，既已得之，具陳上事。」 tr. “At that time the elder, wishing to induce his son, established a skillful means. He secretly sent two men, haggard in appearance and lacking majestic virtue: ‘You may go to that place and gently tell the poor son: “There is work here, and we will give you double wages.” If the poor son agrees, bring him here and have him work. If he says, “What work will I do?” you may tell him: “We are hiring you to clear dung. The two of us will work with you.”’ The two messengers then immediately sought the poor son. Having found him, they fully stated the preceding matter”〔T09n0262 0017a07–0017a12〕.
The third passage:
「爾時窮子先取其價，尋與除糞。其父見子，愍而怪之。又以他日，於窓牖中遙見子身，羸瘦憔悴，糞土塵坌，污穢不淨。即脫瓔珞、細軟上服、嚴飾之具，更著麁弊垢膩之衣，塵土坌身，右手執持除糞之器，狀有所畏。語諸作人：『汝等勤作，勿得懈息。』以方便故，得近其子。後復告言：『咄，男子！汝常此作，勿復餘去，當加汝價。諸有所須瓫器米麵鹽醋之屬，莫自疑難，亦有老弊使人須者相給，好自安意。我如汝父，勿復憂慮。所以者何？我年老大，而汝少壯，汝常作時，無有欺怠瞋恨怨言，都不見汝有此諸惡，如餘作人。自今已後，如所生子。』即時長者、更與作字，名之為兒。爾時窮子雖欣此遇，猶故自謂客作賤人。由是之故，於二十年中常令除糞。」 tr. “At that time the poor son first agreed upon his wages and immediately went to clear dung. His father saw his son, pitied him, and wondered at him. Again, on another day, he saw his son's body from afar through a window and side window, weak, thin, haggard, and worn, covered in dung, soil, and dust, filthy and unclean. He immediately removed his necklaces, soft upper garments, and ornamental implements, and instead put on coarse, worn, soiled clothing. He covered his body with dust, held an implement for clearing dung in his right hand, and appeared afraid. He told the workers: ‘Work diligently; do not slacken.’ Through this skillful means he was able to approach his son. Later he again said: ‘Ho, man! Work here constantly and do not go elsewhere. I will increase your wages. Whatever you need—basins, vessels, rice, flour, salt, vinegar, and the like—do not doubt or find it difficult. There are also old and worn servants, who will be provided as needed. Put your mind well at ease. I am like your father; do not worry. Why is this? I am old and you are young and strong. Whenever you work, you do not deceive, slacken, become angry, harbor resentment, or utter words of grievance. I have never seen you possess these evils, as other workers do. From now onward, I will treat you as my natural son.’ The elder immediately gave him another name and called him ‘son.’ Although the poor son rejoiced in this treatment, he still regarded himself as a lowly hired laborer. For this reason, he was continually made to clear dung for twenty years”〔T09n0262 0017a12–0017a27〕.
2. Phrase-by-Phrase Comparison of the First Passage
| Wording Attached or Explained by the Wenju | Verbatim Present Lotus Sutra | Literal Relationship |
|---|---|---|
| Attached from 「即遣傍人急追將還」 tr. “‘immediately dispatched an attendant in urgent pursuit to bring him back’” onward〔T34n1718 0083b17〕 | 「即遣傍人，急追將還」 tr. “‘immediately dispatched an attendant in urgent pursuit to bring him back’”〔T09n0262 0016c25–0016c26〕 | The root treatise raises the phrase without its internal comma |
| 「即遣傍人疾走往捉」 tr. “‘immediately sent an attendant to run swiftly and seize him’”〔0083b25〕 | 「即遣傍人，急追將還。爾時使者，疾走往捉」 tr. “‘immediately dispatched an attendant in urgent pursuit to bring him back. At that time the messenger ran swiftly to seize him’”〔0016c25–0016c26〕 | The root treatise combines parts of two successive sentences; they are not one continuous verbatim phrase |
| 「窮子驚愕」 tr. “‘the poor son was startled and confounded’”〔0083b26〕 | 「窮子驚愕」 tr. “‘the poor son was startled and confounded’”〔0016c26〕 | Verbatim agreement |
| 「強牽將還」 tr. “‘forcibly pulled him back’”〔0083b27〕 | 「強牽將還」 tr. “‘forcibly pulled him back’”〔0016c28〕 | Verbatim agreement |
| 「窮子自念無罪」 tr. “‘the poor son thought himself innocent’”〔0083b27〕 | 「于時窮子，自念無罪」 tr. “‘at that time the poor son thought himself innocent’”〔0016c28〕 | The root treatise omits 「于時」 tr. “‘at that time’” |
| 「悶絕躃地」 tr. “‘fainted and fell to the ground’”〔0083b28〕 | 「悶絕躄地」 tr. “‘fainted and fell to the ground’”〔0016c29〕 | The graphs 躃 and 躄 differ |
| 「執之逾急」 tr. “‘held him ever more urgently’”〔0083c18〕 | 「使者執之愈急」 tr. “‘the messenger held him ever more urgently’”〔0016c27–0016c28〕 | The graphs 逾 and 愈 differ |
| 「我不相犯」 tr. “‘I have done nothing against you’”〔0083c16〕 | 「我不相犯，何為見捉」 tr. “‘I have done nothing against you; why am I being seized?’”〔0016c27〕 | The root treatise separately explains the first clause |
| 「父遙見之」 tr. “‘the father saw this from afar’”〔0083c29〕 | 「父遙見之」 tr. “‘the father saw this from afar’”〔0016c29–0017a01〕 | The scriptural wording crosses a page; its first graph remains at 0016c29 |
| 「不須此人」 tr. “‘there is no need for this man’”〔0084a11〕 | 「不須此人，勿強將來」 tr. “‘there is no need for this man; do not force him to come’”〔0017a01〕 | The root treatise divides this as cessation of the exhortation gate |
| 「勿強將來」 tr. “‘do not force him to come’”〔0084a10〕 | 「勿強將來」 tr. “‘do not force him to come’”〔0017a01〕 | Verbatim agreement |
| 「冷水灑面」 tr. “‘sprinkle cold water upon his face’”〔0084a12〕 | 「以冷水灑面，令得醒悟」 tr. “‘sprinkle cold water upon his face so that he may awaken’”〔0017a01–0017a02〕 | The root treatise omits 「以」 tr. “‘with’” |
| 「莫復與語」 tr. “‘do not speak with him again’”〔0084a16〕 | 「莫復與語」 tr. “‘do not speak with him again’”〔0017a02〕 | Verbatim agreement |
| 「不語他人」 tr. “‘did not tell others’”〔0084a21〕 | 「不語他人云是我子」 tr. “‘did not tell others that this was his son’”〔0017a04–0017a05〕 | The scripture continues with 「云是我子」 tr. “‘that this was his son’” |
| 「我今放汝」 tr. “‘I now release you’”〔0084a24〕 | 「我今放汝，隨意所趣」 tr. “‘I now release you; go wherever you wish’”〔0017a05〕 | The root treatise separately explains the first clause |
| 「窮子歡喜」 tr. “‘the poor son rejoiced’”〔0084a26〕 | 「窮子歡喜，得未曾有」 tr. “‘the poor son rejoiced at this unprecedented thing’”〔0017a05–0017a06〕 | From joy, the root treatise continues to explain rising from the ground |
| 「往至貧里以求衣食」 tr. “‘went to a poor quarter seeking clothing and food’”〔0084b02〕 | 「往至貧里、以求衣食」 tr. “‘went to a poor quarter seeking clothing and food’”〔0017a06–0017a07〕 | The graphs agree; each edition retains its own punctuation |
3. Phrase-by-Phrase Comparison of the Second Passage
| Wording Attached or Explained by the Wenju | Verbatim Present Lotus Sutra | Literal Relationship |
|---|---|---|
| Attached from 「將欲誘引」 tr. “‘intending to induce’” onward〔T34n1718 0084b03〕 | 「爾時長者將欲誘引其子而設方便」 tr. “‘at that time the elder, wishing to induce his son, established a skillful means’”〔T09n0262 0017a07〕 | The root treatise raises four graphs |
| 「密遣二人」 tr. “‘secretly sent two men’”〔0084b20〕 | 「密遣二人」 tr. “‘secretly sent two men’”〔0017a08〕 | Verbatim agreement |
| 「形色憔悴」 tr. “‘haggard in appearance’”〔0084b28〕 | 「形色憔悴無威德者」 tr. “‘haggard in appearance and lacking majestic virtue’”〔0017a08〕 | The scripture continues with “lacking majestic virtue” |
| 「汝可詣彼」 tr. “‘you may go there’”〔0084c01〕 | 「汝可詣彼」 tr. “‘you may go there’”〔0017a08〕 | Verbatim agreement |
| 「徐語」 tr. “‘speak gently’”〔0084c03〕 | 「徐語窮子」 tr. “‘gently tell the poor son’”〔0017a09〕 | The root treatise separately explains the graph 徐, “gently” |
| 「此有作處」 tr. “‘there is work here’”〔0084c03〕 | 「此有作處，倍與汝直」 tr. “‘there is work here, and we will give you double wages’”〔0017a09〕 | Verbatim agreement |
| 「倍與汝直」 tr. “‘we will give you double wages’”〔0084c04〕 | 「倍與汝直」 tr. “‘we will give you double wages’”〔0017a09〕 | Verbatim agreement |
| 「窮子若許」 tr. “‘if the poor son agrees’”〔0084c08〕 | 「窮子若許，將來使作」 tr. “‘if the poor son agrees, bring him here and have him work’”〔0017a09–0017a10〕 | Verbatim agreement |
| 「欲何所作」 tr. “‘what work will I do?’”〔0084c09〕 | 「欲何所作」 tr. “‘what work will I do?’”〔0017a10〕 | Verbatim agreement |
| 「雇汝除糞，我等二人亦共作」 tr. “‘we are hiring you to clear dung; the two of us will also work together’”〔0084c11〕 | 「雇汝除糞。我等二人亦共汝作」 tr. “‘we are hiring you to clear dung; the two of us will work with you’”〔0017a10–0017a11〕 | The scripture has a full stop and a second 汝, “you” |
| 「時二使人即求窮子」 tr. “‘the two messengers then immediately sought the poor son’”〔0084c13〕 | 「時二使人即求窮子」 tr. “‘the two messengers then immediately sought the poor son’”〔0017a11–0017a12〕 | Verbatim agreement |
| 「既已得之」 tr. “‘having found him’”〔0084b17〕 | 「既已得之，具陳上事」 tr. “‘having found him, they fully stated the preceding matter’”〔0017a12〕 | The root treatise separately explains the first clause |
| 「具陳上事」 tr. “‘fully stated the preceding matter’”〔0084c15〕 | 「具陳上事」 tr. “‘fully stated the preceding matter’”〔0017a12〕 | Verbatim agreement |
4. Phrase-by-Phrase Comparison of the Third Passage
| Wording Attached or Explained by the Wenju | Verbatim Present Lotus Sutra | Literal Relationship |
|---|---|---|
| 「窮子先取其價尋與除糞」 tr. “‘the poor son first agreed upon his wages and immediately went to clear dung’”〔0084c17〕 | 「爾時窮子先取其價，尋與除糞」 tr. “‘at that time the poor son first agreed upon his wages and immediately went to clear dung’”〔0017a12–0017a13〕 | The root treatise omits 「爾時」 tr. “‘at that time’” |
| 「其父見子愍而怪之」 tr. “‘his father saw his son, pitied him, and wondered at him’”〔0084c19〕 | 「其父見子，愍而怪之」 tr. “‘his father saw his son, pitied him, and wondered at him’”〔0017a13〕 | The graphs agree; each edition retains its own punctuation |
| 「又以他日」 tr. “‘again, on another day’”〔0084c22〕 | 「又以他日」 tr. “‘again, on another day’”〔0017a14〕 | Verbatim agreement |
| 「牖窓」 tr. “‘side window and window’”〔0085a15〕 | 「於窓牖中遙見子身」 tr. “‘saw his son's body from afar through a window and side window’”〔0017a14〕 | The Taishō root treatise reverses the order as 牖窓; witness A and the root scripture read 窓牖 |
| The root treatise attaches from 「羸瘦」 tr. “‘weak and thin’” onward〔0085a19〕 | 「羸瘦憔悴」 tr. “‘weak, thin, haggard, and worn’”〔0017a14〕 | The root treatise assigns the four graphs 羸, 瘦, 憔, and 悴 individually |
| The root treatise separately explains 「糞土」 tr. “‘dung and soil’” and 「塵坌」 tr. “‘covered in dust’”〔0085a21–0085a22〕 | 「糞土塵坌，污穢不淨」 tr. “‘covered in dung, soil, and dust, filthy and unclean’”〔0017a15〕 | The root treatise separately explains the two groups of images |
| 「即脫瓔珞」 tr. “‘immediately removed his necklaces’”〔0085a22〕 | 「即脫瓔珞、細軟上服、嚴飾之具」 tr. “‘immediately removed his necklaces, soft upper garments, and ornamental implements’”〔0017a15–0017a16〕 | The opening phrase agrees |
| 「更著麁弊」 tr. “‘instead put on coarse and worn clothing’”〔0085a26〕 | 「更著麁弊垢膩之衣」 tr. “‘instead put on coarse, worn, soiled clothing’”〔0017a16〕 | The opening phrase agrees |
| 「塵土坌身」 tr. “‘covered his body in dust and soil’”〔0085a28〕 | 「塵土坌身」 tr. “‘covered his body in dust and soil’”〔0017a16〕 | Verbatim agreement |
| 「狀有所畏」 tr. “‘appeared afraid’”〔0085b02〕 | 「狀有所畏」 tr. “‘appeared afraid’”〔0017a17〕 | Verbatim agreement |
| 「語諸作人」 tr. “‘told the workers’”〔0085b04〕 | 「語諸作人」 tr. “‘told the workers’”〔0017a17〕 | Verbatim agreement |
| 「勿得懈息」 tr. “‘do not slacken’”〔0085b17〕 | 「汝等勤作，勿得懈息」 tr. “‘work diligently; do not slacken’”〔0017a17–0017a18〕 | The root treatise separately explains the latter clause |
| 「以方便故得近其子」 tr. “‘through skillful means he was able to approach his son’”〔0085b20〕 | 「以方便故，得近其子」 tr. “‘through skillful means he was able to approach his son’”〔0017a18〕 | The graphs agree; each edition retains its own punctuation |
| 「咄男子」 tr. “‘ho, man!’”〔0085b22〕 | 「咄，男子！汝常此作」 tr. “‘ho, man! Work here constantly’”〔0017a19〕 | The scripture has an exclamation mark after “man” and continues into the following phrase |
| 「汝常此作勿復餘去」 tr. “‘work here constantly and do not go elsewhere’”〔0085b26〕 | 「汝常此作，勿復餘去」 tr. “‘work here constantly and do not go elsewhere’”〔0017a19〕 | The graphs agree; each edition retains its own punctuation |
| 「當加汝價」 tr. “‘I will increase your wages’”〔0085c01〕 | 「當加汝價」 tr. “‘I will increase your wages’”〔0017a19–0017a20〕 | Verbatim agreement |
| 「盆器」 tr. “‘basins and vessels’”〔0085c05〕 | 「瓫器米麵鹽醋之屬」 tr. “‘basins, vessels, rice, flour, salt, vinegar, and the like’”〔0017a20〕 | The root scripture writes 瓫; the root treatise writes 盆 |
| 「米麪」 tr. “‘rice and flour’”〔0085c07〕 | 「米麵鹽醋之屬」 tr. “‘rice, flour, salt, vinegar, and the like’”〔0017a20〕 | The Taishō root treatise writes 麪; witness A and the root scripture write 麵 |
| 「莫自疑難」 tr. “‘do not doubt or find it difficult’”〔0085c08〕 | 「莫自疑難」 tr. “‘do not doubt or find it difficult’”〔0017a20–0017a21〕 | Verbatim agreement |
| 「亦有老弊使人」 tr. “‘there are also old and worn servants’”〔0085c10〕 | 「亦有老弊使人須者相給」 tr. “‘there are also old and worn servants, who will be provided as needed’”〔0017a21〕 | The scripture continues with “who will be provided as needed” |
| 「好自安意」 tr. “‘put your mind well at ease’”〔0085c16〕 | 「好自安意」 tr. “‘put your mind well at ease’”〔0017a21〕 | Verbatim agreement |
| 「我如汝父」 tr. “‘I am like your father’”〔0085c17〕 | 「我如汝父」 tr. “‘I am like your father’”〔0017a22〕 | Verbatim agreement |
| 「勿復憂慮」 tr. “‘do not worry’”〔0085c18〕 | 「勿復憂慮」 tr. “‘do not worry’”〔0017a22〕 | Verbatim agreement |
| The root treatise condenses the wording as 「我老汝少」 tr. “‘I am old and you are young’”〔0085c19〕 | 「我年老大，而汝少壯」 tr. “‘I am old, while you are young and strong’”〔0017a22–0017a23〕 | Not one continuous verbatim phrase |
| The root treatise correlates the absence of five faults one by one〔0085c23–0085c24〕 | 「無有欺怠瞋恨怨言」 tr. “‘there is no deceit, idleness, anger, resentment, or words of grievance’”〔0017a23〕 | The root treatise assigns the five names of evils to the five powers |
| The root treatise attaches 「餘作人」 tr. “‘other workers’”〔0085c24〕 | 「如餘作人」 tr. “‘as other workers’”〔0017a24〕 | The root treatise separately explains “other workers” |
| 「自今已後如所生子」 tr. “‘from now onward, like a natural son’”〔0085c27〕 | 「自今已後，如所生子」 tr. “‘from now onward, like a natural son’”〔0017a24–0017a25〕 | The graphs agree; each edition retains its own punctuation |
| 「即時長者更與作字名之為兒」 tr. “‘the elder immediately gave him another name and called him son’”〔0086a02〕 | 「即時長者、更與作字，名之為兒」 tr. “‘the elder immediately gave him another name and called him son’”〔0017a25〕 | The graphs agree; each edition retains its own punctuation |
| 「爾時窮子雖欣此遇」 tr. “‘at that time the poor son rejoiced in this treatment’”〔0086a06〕 | 「爾時窮子雖欣此遇」 tr. “‘at that time the poor son rejoiced in this treatment’”〔0017a26〕 | Verbatim agreement |
| 「猶故自謂客作賤人」 tr. “‘still regarded himself as a lowly hired laborer’”〔0086a09〕 | 「猶故自謂客作賤人」 tr. “‘still regarded himself as a lowly hired laborer’”〔0017a26〕 | Verbatim agreement |
| 「由是之故二十年中常令除糞」 tr. “‘for this reason, he was continually made to clear dung for twenty years’”〔0086a13〕 | 「由是之故，於二十年中常令除糞」 tr. “‘for this reason, he was continually made to clear dung for twenty years’”〔0017a27〕 | The root treatise omits 「於」 tr. “‘during’” |
5. Realignment to “Skillful Means” and the Burning-House Parable
The root treatise expressly says that the pursuit passage remotely understands ceasing the Great and bestowing the Lesser in the Dharma teaching. Its scriptural sequence can be verified as 「於三七日中，思惟如是事」 tr. “‘during three periods of seven days, He considered this matter’”〔T09n0262 0009c05〕, 「眾生諸根鈍，著樂癡所盲」 tr. “‘living beings have dull faculties, are attached to pleasures, and are blinded by delusion’”〔0009c07〕, 「如斯之等類，云何而可度」 tr. “‘how can beings of this kind be liberated?’”〔0009c08〕, and 「思惟是事已，即趣波羅柰」 tr. “‘having considered this matter, He immediately went to Vārāṇasī’”〔0010a03〕. The four sentences respectively support consideration, knowledge of dull faculties, knowledge of the absence of capacity, and going to Vārāṇasī to bestow the Lesser. They are not combined into one continuous scriptural quotation.
The exhortation, admonition, cessation of transformation, and bestowal of the Lesser in the burning-house prose are as follows. The parable and its application each remain in their own layer; the Dharma correlated in the application is not poured backward into the parable as the scripture's own statement.
| Function | Verbatim Present Root Scripture and Translation | loc |
|---|---|---|
| Exhortation-gate assessment of suitability | 「是長者作是思惟：『我身手有力，當以衣裓、若以机案，從舍出之。』」 tr. “‘The elder formed this thought: “My body and hands are strong. I should take them out of the house in the fold of my robe or upon a stool or table”’” | T09n0262 0012b23–0012b25 |
| Exhortation-gate absence of capacity | 「復更思惟：『是舍唯有一門，而復狹小。諸子幼稚，未有所識，戀著戲處，或當墮落，為火所燒」 tr. “‘He further thought: “This house has only one gate, and it is narrow. The children are young and know nothing; attached to the place of play, they may fall and be burned by the fire”’” | 0012b25–0012b27 |
| Admonition-gate assessment of suitability | 「我當為說怖畏之事，此舍已燒，宜時疾出」 tr. “‘I should tell them of the fearful matter: this house is already burning, and they should quickly leave at once’” | 0012b27–0012b28 |
| Admonition-gate absence of capacity | 「父雖憐愍、善言誘喻，而諸子等樂著嬉戲，不肯信受」 tr. “‘Although the father pitied them and skillfully used words and analogies to induce them, the children delighted in play and would not believe or accept’” | 0012c01–0012c02 |
| Cessation of transformation and turn to the three carts | 「爾時長者即作是念：『此舍已為大火所燒，我及諸子若不時出，必為所焚」 tr. “‘At that time the elder formed this thought: “This house is already burning in a great fire. If my children and I do not leave at once, we will certainly be burned”’” | 0012c04–0012c05 |
| Fitting their wishes and racing out | 「適其願故，心各勇銳，互相推排，競共馳走，爭出火宅」 tr. “‘Because this fitted their wishes, their minds each became courageous; pushing past one another, they raced together and competed to leave the burning house’” | 0012c12–0012c13 |
The application of the parable has another four layers:
| Function | Verbatim Present Root Scripture and Translation | loc |
|---|---|---|
| Assessment of suitability | 「如來復作是念：『若我但以神力及智慧力，捨於方便」 tr. “‘The Tathāgata further formed this thought: “If I relied only upon the powers of supernormal ability and wisdom and set aside skillful means”’” | T09n0262 0013a29–0013b01 |
| Absence of capacity | 「是諸眾生，未免生老病死、憂悲苦惱，而為三界火宅所燒」 tr. “‘These living beings have not escaped birth, aging, illness, death, sorrow, grief, suffering, and distress, and are burned by the burning house of the three realms’” | 0013b03–0013b04 |
| Cessation of transformation | 「如彼長者，雖復身手有力而不用之，但以慇懃方便勉濟諸子火宅之難」 tr. “‘Like that elder, who, though strong in body and hands, did not use that strength but earnestly employed skillful means to rescue his children from the danger of the burning house’” | 0013b05–0013b06 |
| Bestowing the Lesser | 「但以智慧方便，於三界火宅拔濟眾生，為說三乘」 tr. “‘Only through wisdom and skillful means, He rescues living beings from the burning house of the three realms and teaches them the three vehicles’” | 0013b08–0013b09 |
The root treatise further expressly cites the great cart in the burning house as 「其疾如風」 tr. “‘its speed is like the wind’”〔T34n1718 0083c09〕. The complete sentence in the present text is 「駕以白牛，膚色充潔，形體姝好，有大筋力，行步平正，其疾如風」 tr. “‘yoked to a white ox, pure and clean in complexion, beautiful in form, possessing great sinews and strength, walking evenly and correctly, its speed like the wind’”〔T09n0262 0012c22–0012c23〕. It also links 「審知二萬億佛所曾發道心」 tr. “‘knowing exactly that he had once aroused the resolve for the Way in the presence of two hundred thousand million buddhas’”〔T34n1718 0084a19〕 to the Buddha's telling Śāriputra 「我昔曾於二萬億佛所，為無上道故，常教化汝」 tr. “‘in the past, in the presence of two hundred thousand million buddhas, I constantly taught and transformed you for the sake of the unsurpassed Way’”〔T09n0262 0011b10–0011b11〕 and 「我昔教汝志願佛道」 tr. “‘in the past I taught you to aspire to the Buddha Way’”〔0011b12〕. The wording of scripture and commentary is recorded side by side in both places; the root treatise's condensed phrasing is not altered into the root scripture's original sentence.
6. Four Named External Citations in the Root Treatise
A. Four Bodhisattvas Teach the Forty Stages in the Avataṃsaka
The root treatise reads 「如《華嚴》中令四菩薩說四十地」 tr. “‘as in the Avataṃsaka, where four bodhisattvas teach the forty stages’”〔T34n1718 0083c07〕. The Wenjuji identifies them as Dharmamati for the ten abodes, Guṇavana for the ten practices, Vajradhvaja for the ten dedications, and Vajragarbha for the ten grounds〔T34n1719 0281a22–0281b01〕. They may be compared individually in the present T09n0278:
| Position | Verbatim Present Text and Translation | loc |
|---|---|---|
| Ten abodes | 「菩薩十住品第十一」 tr. “‘Chapter Eleven: The Ten Abodes of Bodhisattvas’”; 「爾時，法慧菩薩承佛神力」 tr. “‘at that time the bodhisattva Dharmamati received the Buddha's supernormal power’” | T09n0278 0444c06–0444c07 |
| Ten practices | 「功德華聚菩薩十行品第十七」 tr. “‘Chapter Seventeen: The Ten Practices of the Bodhisattva Cluster of Flowers of Qualities’”; 「爾時，功德林菩薩摩訶薩承佛神力」 tr. “‘at that time the bodhisattva-mahāsattva Guṇavana received the Buddha's supernormal power’” | 0466b05–0466b06 |
| Ten dedications | 「金剛幢菩薩十迴向品第二十一」 tr. “‘Chapter Twenty-One: The Ten Dedications of the Bodhisattva Vajradhvaja’”; 「爾時，金剛幢菩薩承佛神力」 tr. “‘at that time the bodhisattva Vajradhvaja received the Buddha's supernormal power’” | 0488a17–0488a19 |
| Ten grounds | 「十地品第二十二之一」 tr. “‘Chapter Twenty-Two, Part One: The Ten Grounds’”; 「爾時，金剛藏菩薩摩訶薩承佛威神」 tr. “‘at that time the bodhisattva-mahāsattva Vajragarbha received the Buddha's majestic spiritual power’” | 0542a05、0542b13 |
The scripture later expressly says 「金剛藏菩薩說諸菩薩十地名已」 tr. “‘after the bodhisattva Vajragarbha had stated the names of the bodhisattvas’ ten grounds’”〔0543a05–0543a06〕. The four persons and four positions can be verified in the present text. 「四十地」 tr. “‘forty stages’” remains the root treatise's collective designation and is not rewritten as the present chapter titles.
B. Bodily Fragrance in the Vimalakīrti
The wording transmitted by the root treatise is 「攝汝身香，無令彼諸眾生而起惑著」 tr. “‘gather in your bodily fragrance and do not allow those living beings to become confused and attached’”〔T34n1718 0084a08–0084a09〕. The present Vimalakīrti-nirdeśa reads 「可往。攝汝身香，無令彼諸眾生起惑著心；又當捨汝本形，勿使彼國求菩薩者，而自鄙恥」 tr. “‘you may go. Gather in your bodily fragrance and do not allow those living beings to give rise to minds of confusion and attachment. You should also set aside your original form, lest those seeking the bodhisattva path in that land feel ashamed of themselves’”〔T14n0475 0552b22–0552b24〕. The old commentary has 而起惑著, while the present text has 起惑著心; their common core is gathering in the bodily fragrance.
C. Samantabhadra Contracts His Body
The root treatise reads 「普賢入此娑婆，促身令小」 tr. “‘when Samantabhadra entered this Sahā world, he contracted his body and made it small’”〔T34n1718 0084a09〕. The present Sutra on the Practice of Contemplation of the Bodhisattva Samantabhadra reads 「普賢菩薩身量無邊、音聲無邊、色像無邊，欲來此國，入自在神通促身令小，閻浮提人三障重故。」 tr. “‘the bodhisattva Samantabhadra is boundless in bodily measure, voice, and visible form. Wishing to come to this land, he entered sovereign supernormal power, contracted his body, and made it small because the people of Jambudvīpa are heavy with the three obstructions’”〔T09n0277 0389c27–0389c29〕. The root treatise condenses the meaning of wishing to come to this land and contracting the body. “Entered this Sahā world” is not a continuous verbatim phrase at this point in the present text.
D. Foundations of Mindfulness in the Bequeathed Teaching
The root treatise transmits 「常依念處行道能破四倒」 tr. “‘constantly practicing the path in reliance upon the foundations of mindfulness can destroy the four inverted views’”〔T34n1718 0085b15–0085b16〕. This continuous wording has not been found in the extant Sutra of the Brief Teaching and Admonition Spoken by the Buddha at His Parinirvāṇa. The present passage on mindfulness that can be recorded beside it is 「汝等比丘，求善知識、求善護助而不忘念；若不忘念者，諸煩惱賊則不能入。是故汝等常當攝念在心，若失念者則失諸功德。」 tr. “‘Bhikṣus, seek good spiritual friends and good protection and aid without forgetting mindfulness. If you do not forget mindfulness, the thieves of the afflictions cannot enter. Therefore you should always gather mindfulness in the mind; if mindfulness is lost, all qualities are lost’”〔T12n0389 1111c21–1111c23〕. It is followed by comparing strong mindfulness to entering battle in armor〔1111c24–1111c25〕, but the four graphs “destroy the four inverted views” are not found. Only the old commentary's citation and the absence of a continuous phrase in the extant present text are recorded; no judgment of mistaken citation is made.
E. Five Kinds of Buddha-Son in the Āgama
The root treatise transmits 「《阿含》說五種佛子，四果及辟支佛名佛真子」 tr. “‘the Āgama teaches five kinds of buddha-son: the four fruits and pratyekabuddhas are called the Buddha's true sons’”〔T34n1718 0086a04–0086a05〕. No complete continuous sentence has been found in the extant Āgama XML. The sequence of five classes can be recorded from the Sudatta Sutra: 「百須陀洹，不如施與一斯陀含」 tr. “‘giving to one hundred stream-enterers does not equal giving to one once-returner’”〔T01n0073 0879b23〕, 「百斯陀含，不如施與一阿那含」 tr. “‘giving to one hundred once-returners does not equal giving to one non-returner’”〔0879b25–0879b26〕, 「百阿那含，不如施與一阿羅漢」 tr. “‘giving to one hundred non-returners does not equal giving to one arhat’”〔0879b27–0879b28〕, and 「百阿羅漢，不如施一辟支佛」 tr. “‘giving to one hundred arhats does not equal giving to one pratyekabuddha’”〔0879c02〕. This present text has the sequence of the four fruits plus a pratyekabuddha as five classes, but it does not name them five kinds of buddha-son or the Buddha's true sons. The two layers are recorded side by side, and the sequence of merit from giving does not replace the root treatise's designation.
7. Direct Citations Added by the Mirror Explanation
The Fahua Wenjuji directly cites another five groups of works. They belong to the apparatus of the mirror layer and are not poured into the root treatise's body.
For the Treatise on Entering the Mahāyāna, the mirror reads 「不但羅云獨是菩薩，如諸童子阿難、難陀及調達等，皆是不退菩薩。」 tr. “‘not only Rāhula alone is a bodhisattva; youths such as Ānanda, Nanda, and Devadatta are all nonretrogressing bodhisattvas’”〔T34n1719 0282a26–0282a28〕. The present text reads 「問曰：羅睺羅是菩薩耶？答曰：不但羅睺羅獨是菩薩，住迦毘羅衛城諸釋種童子，阿難、難陀、提婆達多、阿㝹樓馱等，皆是大力不退轉菩薩。」 tr. “‘Question: Is Rāhula a bodhisattva? Answer: Not only Rāhula alone is a bodhisattva. The youths of the Śākya clan dwelling in Kapilavastu—Ānanda, Nanda, Devadatta, Anuruddha, and others—are all powerful nonretrogressing bodhisattvas’”〔T32n1634 0044c05–0044c08〕. The graphs in Luoyun and Rāhula, and in Diaoda and Devadatta, differ; the present text also adds the dwelling place, Anuruddha, and “powerful nonretrogressing.”
For the Shuowen, the mirror reads 「在屋曰窓，在牆曰牖。」 tr. “‘in a roof it is called a window; in a wall it is called a side window’”〔T34n1719 0283a16〕. The Shuowen is not a Buddhist text in the Taishō canon, so only the wording and line anchor in the mirror are preserved; no Taishō number is invented.
For fascicle nine of the Great Treatise, the mirror lists 「六年苦行、孫陀利謗、金鏘、馬麥、瑠璃殺釋、乞食空鉢、旃遮女謗、調達推山、寒風索衣」 tr. “‘six years of austerities, Sundarī's slander, the acacia thorn, horse fodder, Virūḍhaka's slaughter of the Śākyas, the empty bowl while seeking alms, Cañcā's slander, Devadatta's pushing the mountain, and asking for clothing in the cold wind,’” and adds back pain between the twin trees to make ten〔T34n1719 0283a25–0283a28〕. The present Mahāprajñāpāramitā Treatise first asks 「何以故受九罪報？」 tr. “‘why did He undergo nine karmic recompenses?’”〔T25n1509 0121c08〕, then lists Sundarī's slander, Cañcā's slander, Devadatta's pushing the mountain, the splinter piercing His foot, Virūḍhaka's slaughter of the Śākyas, eating horse fodder, cold wind and back pain, six years of austerities, and the empty bowl while seeking alms〔0121c08–0121c15〕. It continues with 「復有冬至前後八夜，寒風破竹，索三衣禦寒。」 tr. “‘there were also eight nights around the winter solstice when the cold wind split bamboo, and He asked for three robes to ward off the cold’”〔0121c15–0121c16〕. The extant Sutra Spoken by the Buddha on the Causes of His Former Deeds has ten individual chapter titles, from the former connection with Sundarī〔T04n0197 0164b20〕 through the former connection of the austerities〔0172c05〕. The mirror's statement that it has only seven connections remains its comparative judgment and is not directly overturned by the number of chapter titles in the present text.
For the question about aging and death in the Āgama, the mirror condenses the wording as 「即《阿含》中是老死誰老死」 tr. “‘as in the Āgama: this is aging and death—who ages and dies?’”〔T34n1719 0283b08〕. The present Saṃyukta Āgama reads 「緣生老死者，若有問言：『彼誰老死？老死屬誰？』」 tr. “‘concerning aging and death conditioned by birth, if someone asks, “Who ages and dies? To whom do aging and death belong?”’”〔T02n0099 0084c16–0084c17〕. This is a condensation of the question, not a continuous verbatim citation.
For the Abhidharmakośa, the mirror reads 「由二不超欲，由三復還下」 tr. “‘because of two they do not transcend the desire realm; because of three they return below’”〔T34n1719 0283c11–0283c12〕. The verse in the present text reads 「又五順下分，由二不超欲，由三復還下，攝門根故三。」 tr. “‘further, the five accord with the lower part: because of two they do not transcend the desire realm; because of three they return below; because they gather gate and faculty, there are three’”〔T29n1558 0108c25–0108c26〕. The two clauses quoted by the mirror agree verbatim with the present text.
8. Denominator of Named Sources
Within the strict root-treatise domain, four titles appear once each in book-title marks: the Avataṃsaka, Vimalakīrti, Bequeathed Teaching, and Āgama. Chapter-title marks occur twice for “Skillful Means,” once for “Burning House,” and once for “The Parable”; “Burning House” names the burning-house parable and is not the current chapter title of the Lotus Sutra. The boundaries of successful realignment or absence of continuous present wording have been stated above for every item.
The mirror domain separately has direct citations from the Treatise on Entering the Mahāyāna, Shuowen, Great Treatise, Sutra on the Causes of Former Deeds, Abhidharmakośa, and other works, all recorded individually above. The “Buddha-Land” chapter of the Vimalakīrti, the Avataṃsaka dedications, the Nirvāṇa, Great Collection, Treatise on Wisdom, Vibhāṣā, Zhiguan, Xuanyi, Shiqian, Satyasiddhi, and Great Scripture appear in the mirror only as extended bibliography or names in secondary citations. Where there is no single direct quoted sentence, no present-text line anchor is falsely assigned.
IV. Essential Explanations from the Wenjuji [the Mirror]
The Wenjuji first judges the pursuit passage as 「義則有六，文但有五」 tr. “‘there are six meanings, but only five textual passages’”〔T34n1719 0281a06〕. The five scriptural nodes attached by the root treatise carry the respective assessments of suitability and absences of capacity in exhortation and admonition, together with the two gates’ joint understanding of cessation, making six meanings. This is the mirror's disclosure of the relation between wording and meaning within a long sentence and should not be written backward as a fixed category separately listed by the root treatise.
| Root-Treatise Node | Corresponding Essential Mirror Explanation |
|---|---|
| Sending an attendant〔0083c02〕 | The mirror divides explanations through teaching and person and illuminates the attendant through the forty stages taught by four bodhisattvas in the Avataṃsaka〔0281a15–0281b01〕 |
| Crying out in grievance〔0083c13〕 | The mirror expressly notes that the root scripture says only grievance and not suffering; the root treatise separately correlates wrongful grievance and painful suffering with afflictions and birth and death〔0281b05–0281b08〕 |
| Innocence〔0083c22〕 | Following the root treatise's special use, the mirror calls those who possess compassion and enter birth and death together partners in guilt, and calls those without great compassion innocent〔0281b14–0281b17〕 |
| Exalted body; do not force〔0084a06–0084a12〕 | The mirror uses gathering in bodily fragrance and contracting the body to illuminate not displaying the specially honored form; it further explains “do not force” through the difficulty of generating wholesome roots and the ease of damaging them〔0281c01–0281c13〕 |
| Not telling; release〔0084a21–0084a25〕 | The mirror explains not telling as covering the real to protect the provisional, and divides knowledge of the great and small capacities between “I release you” and “go wherever you wish”〔0281c28–0282a05〕 |
| Secretly sending two men〔0084b20〕 | The mirror supplements the explanation through bodies of the same kind and distinguishes why the two men should not be explained solely through one reading of the two truths〔0282a12–0282a25〕 |
| Double wages〔0084c04〕 | The mirror gives double two meanings, respectively comparing the three evil paths with birth and death, and suppressing delusions with severing them〔0282b07–0282b12〕 |
| First taking the wages〔0084c17〕 | The mirror illuminates “first taking” as aspiring to the fruit and cultivating the cause, not as already receiving wages within the events of the parable〔0282b26–0282b28〕 |
| Another day〔0085a01〕 | The mirror clarifies the boundary between correspondence with the teaching and exploratory understanding and notes that the latter illuminates provisional capacities and acts at the time of the dharma body〔0282c03–0283a04〕 |
| Window and side window〔0085a15〕 | The mirror distinguishes window and side window through roof and wall and explains partial and narrow as provisional wisdom illuminating a partial capacity〔0283a15–0283a18〕 |
| Seven categories of the factors of the Way〔0085b04〕 | The mirror notes that ordinary orders often place the seven factors of awakening before the eightfold right path, while the root treatise here places the eightfold right path first and the seven factors afterward to fit the parable〔0283b13–0283b21〕 |
| Twenty years〔0086a14〕 | The mirror states that the text preserves seven explanations, treating the first as one numerical construction and each of the later six as a distinct meaning〔0283c06–0283c16〕 |
The mirror domain further uses 「面」 tr. “‘face’” for facing nirvāṇa and 「背」 tr. “‘back’” for rejecting birth and death; it uses the oceans of great and small marks to illuminate removing fine and putting on coarse, the narrow window and side window to illuminate provisional wisdom and partial capacity, and exploratory understanding to explain the dharma body's long-standing illumination.
V. Explanations of Various Masters
This episode is not without alternative explanations. The root treatise itself records one private explanation, one expressly marked question and answer, and seven explanations of 「二十年」 tr. “‘twenty years,’” as follows.
The root treatise's private explanation is〔T34n1718 0084a11–0084a12〕:
Privately I say: 「不須此人」 tr. “‘there is no need for this man’” means considering the cessation of the exhortation gate's assessment of suitability; 「勿強將來」 tr. “‘do not force him to come’” means considering the cessation of the admonition gate's assessment of suitability.
It attaches “there is no need for this man” and “do not force him to come” respectively to ceasing exhortation and ceasing admonition and does not merge them into one generic statement.
The root treatise asks 「四大弟子，何因能知法身久照？」 tr. “‘through what cause could the four great disciples know that the dharma body had illuminated for a long time?’”〔0084b08–0084b09〕 and answers by inferring the distant from the near: if the absence of great capacity had first been known beneath the tree of awakening, the preceding descent from heaven, entry into the womb, and manifestations through severing fetters in the final body should not have occurred. This verifies that the fine had long been removed and the coarse put on〔0084b09–0084b13〕. This question and answer is established by the root treatise itself and is not reassigned according to the mirror's later explanation.
The seven explanations of 「二十年」 tr. “‘twenty years’” are as follows; all seven are expressly listed by the root treatise:
| Sequence | Verbatim Root-Treatise Wording and Translation | First-Graph loc |
|---|---|---|
| I | 「二十年」 tr. “‘twenty years’” means: in seeing the truth, one path of liberation and one unobstructed path; in the path of cultivation, nine unobstructed paths and nine paths of liberation. Therefore it says twenty years. | T34n1718 0086a14 |
| II | Another explanation says that severing fetters within the two paths of seeing and cultivation is called twenty years. | 0086a15 |
| III | Another explanation says that the five lower fetters and five higher fetters make twenty years. | 0086a16 |
| IV | Another explanation says that because one still severs delusions of thought within the Dharma of the two vehicles, it is called twenty years. | 0086a17 |
| V | Another explanation says that because the remaining fetters are severed together by relying upon the two messengers, it is called twenty years. | 0086a18 |
| VI | From the time a capacity for the two vehicles arose and came to evoke the Buddha, the father is therefore said to have seen his son for twenty years. | 0086a19 |
| VII | If one dwells in the position of the two vehicles and turns toward the Mahāyāna teaching, this is called managing the family affairs for twenty years. | 0086a20 |
The root treatise concludes with 「二十語同各有所以」 tr. “‘the expression twenty is the same, but each has its own basis’”〔0086a21–0086a22〕. Although the sixth and seventh have no marker “another explanation says,” they remain continuously listed within the same group of explanations. The Wenjuji's statement that the text preserves seven explanations serves only as corroboration from the mirror layer.
Apart from these, the markers 『有人云、或言、舊云、解者不同、一云』 tr. “‘someone says,’ ‘alternatively it is said,’ ‘the old explanation says,’ ‘interpreters differ,’ and ‘one account says’” do not occur in the strict domain. The literal wording 「一解脫」 tr. “‘one path of liberation’”〔0086a14〕 is not a marker introducing another alternative explanation.
VI. Terminology
「追誘」 tr. “‘pursuit and inducement’” has the two passages of pursuit and inducement. 「息化」 tr. “‘cessation of transformation’” has the four branches of consideration, explanation, formal cessation, and appropriateness; considering cessation again has the two meanings of knowing the great aspiration is weak and the lesser aspiration strong. Release is only a temporary cessation of great transformation. The root treatise immediately says that the Buddha's intent is unfinished and awaits a later time; it is not abandonment of the poor son.
「遣傍人」 tr. “‘sending an attendant’” has two approaches: wisdom is what sends, teaching what is sent, the meaning of principle direct, and the meaning of teaching to the side; or dharma-body bodhisattvas are subordinate ministers and assistants. The two approaches coexist and do not replace one another.
「罪者慈悲」 tr. “‘guilt means compassion’” is a special correlation in this passage: through compassion bodhisattvas enter the prison of birth and death together with living beings and are called partners in guilt; because the two vehicles lack great compassion, they are called innocent. It is not rewritten according to ordinary moral culpability. 「面／背」 tr. “‘face / back’” likewise has fixed directions: rejecting birth and death is called the back and facing nirvāṇa the face; these may not be reversed.
「密遣二人」 tr. “‘secretly sending two men’” can be approached through Dharma, principle, and person in the root treatise: causes and conditions and the four truths; the conditioned real and conventional truths; śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas. 「密／遣」 tr. “‘secretly / sending’” further divides in three directions: concealing the real while indicating the partial truth, concealing the full word while indicating the half word, and inwardly keeping bodhisattva practice secret while outwardly displaying the form of a śrāvaka. These are correlations listed by the root treatise itself.
「倍與汝直」 tr. “‘we will give you double wages’” has two comparisons: the four truths and twelve links of dependent arising transcend birth and death, surpassing the five precepts and ten wholesome deeds, which only transcend the three evil paths; and the four truths sever delusion and reach nirvāṇa, surpassing the six non-Buddhist practices, which only suppress delusion. 「先取其價」 tr. “‘first taking his wages’” is expressly explained as aspiring to the fruit and practicing the cause, not as already receiving the wages.
The root treatise expressly says that both meanings of 「他日」 tr. “‘another day’” can be established: practitioners of the two vehicles regard the Dharma of skillful means as their own and non-two-vehicle Dharma as other; through the time of the dharma body and the illumination of provisional and real, it further distinguishes self-practice, transforming others, illuminating the real, and illuminating the provisional. These distinctions unfold in sequence through the root treatise's long sentence.
The order of the seven categories of the factors of the Way is fixed as follows:
| Sequence | Phrase in the Parable | Dharma-Gateway | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | Speaking to the workers | Four foundations of mindfulness | Outer ordinary |
| II | Work diligently; do not slacken | Four right efforts | Inner ordinary |
| III | Ho, man; do not go elsewhere | Four bases of spiritual power | Inner ordinary |
| IV | Put your mind well at ease | Five faculties | Inner ordinary |
| V | Why is this? Absence of five faults | Five powers | Inner ordinary |
| VI | The elder names him son | Eightfold right path | Noble |
| VII | Rejoicing in this treatment; continually clearing dung | Seven factors of awakening | Noble |
The root treatise's original order places the eightfold right path before the seven factors of awakening. Basins and vessels, rice and flour, salt, and vinegar respectively illustrate the forest of branches within the four meditations, emptiness of persons, emptiness of dharmas, impermanence, and suffering, divided between the right and auxiliary paths. The old and worn servants again have two approaches: weaker supernormal powers, or auxiliary practices such as the nine perceptions, ten perceptions, and eight liberations. The absence of five faults is, in sequence, faith that does not deceive, vigor that does not slacken, mindfulness that is not angry, concentration that does not resent, and wisdom that utters no words of grievance.
Within the root treatise's strict domain of 4,710 characters, the seven complete later summary expressions 『五時八教』『化儀』『化法』『藏通別圓』『迹門十妙』『本門十妙』『一念三千』 tr. “‘Five Periods and Eight Teachings,’ ‘modes of conversion,’ ‘methods of teaching,’ ‘Tripiṭaka, Shared, Distinct, and Perfect,’ ‘ten subtleties of the Trace Gate,’ ‘ten subtleties of the Origin Gate,’ and ‘three thousand in one thought-moment’” do not occur.
VII. Similes · Cross-Reading · Carrying Forward
The root scripture moves from urgent pursuit, forcible pulling, fainting, awakening through cold water, and release to the two secretly sent men speaking gently, hiring the son to clear dung, and then to the elder removing his necklaces, putting on coarse and soiled clothing, taking up the implement for clearing dung, and personally teaching the work. Finally he names the man son, yet continues to have him clear dung〔T09n0262 0016c25–0017a27〕. Within the same father-son parable, pursuit turns to release and distant sending to changing clothes and drawing near. The root treatise illuminates these turns through exhortation, admonition, cessation of transformation, correspondence with the teaching, and exploring the intent.
When cross-reading the “Faith and Understanding” chapter of the Lotus Sutra in this repository, first preserve the narrative order of father, messenger, poor son, two men, workers, and clearing dung, then observe how Master Zhiyi attaches pursuit, release, inducement, and work phrase by phrase to “Skillful Means” and the burning-house parable. When cross-reading the Fahua Xuanyi, the opening of the explanation of the “Introduction” chapter in this work says 「委釋經題已如上說」 tr. “‘the detailed explanation of the scripture's title has already been given above’”〔T34n1718 0001b23〕, leaving the profound discussion of the title to the Xuanyi. The present pursuit and inducement show how classification of the teaching descends into phrase-by-phrase explanation.
The Mohe Zhiguan separately cites the Lotus phrase 「密遣二人」 tr. “‘secretly sent two men’”〔T46n1911 0137c12〕, explaining it in terms of Dharma as the two teachings of skillful means and in terms of persons as provisional figures identical in appearance to the two vehicles. It also cites 「二十年中常令除糞。」 tr. “‘continually made him clear dung for twenty years’”〔T46n1911 0102b21〕, using the dung of afflictions and wages of wisdom to clarify the gateway of contemplation. Both passages carry the same parable phrases from phrase-by-phrase explanation into practice.
As a parallel mirror, the Fahua Xuanzan says at 「密遣二人」 tr. “‘secretly sent two men’” that 「實無二體，設有二乘之教，故言密遣」 tr. “‘in reality there are not two essences; because the teaching of the two vehicles is provisionally established, the text says secretly sent’”〔T34n1723 0774c26〕. It further explains putting on coarse, soiled clothes and taking up the implement for clearing dung as 「佛自示同斷煩惱行，說權教故」 tr. “‘because the Buddha Himself displayed conformity with the practice of severing afflictions and taught the provisional teaching’”〔0775b17〕. The Ci'en and Tiantai mirrors each unfold from the same root-scripture sentences and are recorded side by side without filling one into the other.
This episode carries forward as follows: although the elder has named the poor son “son,” the poor son still calls himself a lowly hired laborer. Only at 「過是已後」 tr. “‘after this’”〔T34n1718 0086a23〕 does the next parable, understanding the family estate, begin. Pursuit and inducement establish the sequence in which he can be approached, receive teaching, and enter practice; understanding and entrustment of the family estate remain in the following text.
VIII. Placement of the Editions
This unit contains eighteen paired variants: thirteen juxtapose the wording of the Taishō witness and witness A, while five record a graph absent in witness A. Every loc below is the nearest physical line marker preceding the first graph of the variant lemma, not a line marking the preceding sentence or the title of a cited scripture.
| loc | Taishō | Witness A | Short Context |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0083c19 | 與 | 豫 | Exhorting goodness remains relaxed |
| 0083c20 | 雖 | Absent in witness A | Although forcibly pulled back |
| 0084a05 | 者 | Absent in witness A | In terms of teaching, it is the messenger |
| 0084a14 | 除 | 除其 | Removing the fever of delusions of view and thought |
| 0084a19 | 本 | 大 | Suppressing the Buddha's original intent |
| 0084a23 | 語 | 放 | The messenger speaks to him |
| 0084a28 | 途 | 塗 | Escaping the three evil paths |
| 0084a29 | 宜 | Absent in witness A | The preceding assessment of suitability for the great Dharma |
| 0084c14 | 言 | 云 | Therefore it says “already found” |
| 0084c19 | 怪 | 怖怪 | Pitying him and wondering at him |
| 0084c23 | 隨 | 墮 | Following along a rugged course |
| 0085a12 | 事 | 事也 | Practitioners of the two vehicles call it their own affair |
| 0085a12 | 領 | Absent in witness A | Exploratory understanding understands the provisional in self and other |
| 0085a15 | 牖窓 | 窓牖 | As for side window and window |
| 0085b03 | 示 | 亦 | Displaying the same fear of birth and death |
| 0085b20 | 故 | Absent in witness A | Through skillful means he was able to approach his son |
| 0085c05 | 支 | 枝 | The essence of the four meditations contains a forest of branches |
| 0085c07 | 麪 | 麵 | As rice and flour are difficult to eat |
This domain has no abbreviated long-passage collation. The five graphs absent in witness A are each a single-graph lemma against an empty reading. The domain likewise has no unilateral transmission note. At〔0084c29〕 there is the inline note 「〔一三〕」 tr. “‘one-three,’” positioned within 「法身之地久知大小之機〔一三〕施化」 tr. “‘on the ground of the dharma body, long knowing the great and small capacities [one-three], He established transformation.’” It is not a paired variant and is not included among the eighteen.
The strict 04c graph domain has no asterisk subanchor. Although the parent collation at〔0085c07〕 bears an asterisk marker, its corresponding subanchor occurs at〔0089b13〕 in 「即上米麪也」 tr. “‘namely the preceding rice and flour,’” which already belongs to 04e. This unit records only the parent collation and does not recount the out-of-domain subanchor as another variant. In the first half of the same〔0083b17〕 there is also the collation 『也【大】／甲本缺』 tr. “‘final particle [Taishō] / absent in witness A,’” but its lemma precedes the opening phrase of 04c and belongs to 04b; it is likewise excluded.
The numbers of marked characters outside the common library are all zero in the three strict domains: the latter half of T34n1718〔0083b17〕 through the first half of〔0086a23〕 for the root treatise, the latter half of T34n1719〔0280c02〕 through the first half of〔0283c16〕 for the mirror, and the latter half of T09n0262〔0016c25〕 through the first half of〔0017a27〕 for the root scripture. 牖窓 / 窓牖, 麪 / 麵, and 躃 / 躄 are graphic forms or transmitted variants and are not reclassified as characters outside the common library because they are uncommon.
Every〔page-column-line〕 anchor in this file uses the nearest physical line marker preceding the first graph cited. Quotations crossing a line or page remain anchored at the line containing the first graph, while the end of a range is the line containing the final graph. When the wording transmitted in an old commentary is not a continuous match to the extant present text, the two are listed separately and their difference explained; a commentarial sentence is not presented as the original wording of the present text.