妙法蓮華經文句 釋法師品
佛說完了。三周法講畢，該懂的人都懂了，該授記的都授了記。
接下來的問題只剩一個：這部經，往後怎麼辦？
於是佛開始講「法師」——不是講一種頭銜，是講一個人要做的五件事：受持、讀、誦、解說、書寫。
五件事看起來很多。可是本論把它們一路往下數。
五件可以收成四件。四件可以收成三件。三件可以收成兩件——自行與化他。兩件還可以收成一件。
收到最後那一件，叫如來行。
而在收到『三件』的那一層，本論停下來講得最久。那三件是：
室、衣、座。
室是慈悲。覆護別人，而恩惠回到自己身上。
衣是柔和忍辱。遮住別人的惡，同時遮住自己的醜。
座是空。心安在空上，才安得住別人；安別人，也安自己。
你會發現這三個定義有同一個形狀：每一個都同時朝著別人，也朝著自己。
沒有一件是純粹的付出，也沒有一件是純粹的自修。
本論接著說了一句很實在的話：要利益人，先要有慈悲；要走進這個有相的世間去做事，忍辱是地基；要真的濟度別人，忘我是根本。
三句話按次序排下來。動機、耐力、無我。
然後它補上一句：這樣一來，以這三法自我軌範，也叫作法師。
——不必等你開始教別人。你自己這樣做，就已經是了。
經文裡佛說的是：入如來室、著如來衣、坐如來座，然後才為眾人說法。
順序是固定的。
先進去，再穿上，再坐下，最後才開口。
我們大部分人是反過來的。先開口，然後才發現自己沒穿衣服——沒有耐得住的柔和，於是一被反駁就火了；也沒有坐得住的空，於是講的是道理，護的是自己。
那顆想幫人的心是真的。可是只有心，撐不住一場對話。
鏡層在這一品裡有一句話說得很重：不觀照那個能弘經的心，怎麼會懂得所弘的理？
它接著說：所以佛才要你入我室、著我衣、坐我座——沒有這三樣，說什麼弘經。
這句話是有刺的。
它的意思是：講得對不對，不完全取決於你懂多少。
還取決於你是站著講，還是坐下來講。
The Buddha has finished speaking. The three rounds of teaching are complete: those meant to understand have understood, and those meant to receive predictions have received them.
Only one question remains: what is to become of this scripture afterward?
The Buddha therefore begins to speak of “the Dharma teacher”—not as a title, but as five things a person must do: receive and uphold, read, recite, explain, and copy.
Five things may seem like many. Yet the root treatise keeps counting them downward.
Five can be gathered into four. Four can be gathered into three. Three can be gathered into two—practice for oneself and transformation of others. The two can still be gathered into one.
That final one is called the Tathāgata’s practice.
At the level where the count reaches “three,” however, the root treatise pauses and speaks at greatest length. The three are:
room, robe, and seat.
The room is compassion. It covers and protects others, while its benefit returns to oneself.
The robe is gentleness and patient endurance. It covers the evil of others while also covering one’s own ugliness.
The seat is emptiness. Only when the mind rests in emptiness can one settle others; settling others also settles oneself.
Notice the shared shape of these three definitions: each simultaneously faces others and oneself.
None is pure self-sacrifice, and none is cultivation solely for oneself.
The root treatise then says something very practical: to benefit others, compassion must come first; to enter the conditioned world and act, patient endurance must be the foundation; truly to rescue others, forgetting the self must be the root.
The three statements fall in order: motivation, endurance, selflessness.
It then adds: when one uses these three dharmas to guide oneself, one too is called a Dharma teacher.
—There is no need to wait until you begin teaching others. If you practice in this way yourself, you already are one.
In the scripture, the Buddha says: enter the Tathāgata’s room, put on the Tathāgata’s robe, sit on the Tathāgata’s seat—and only then teach the Dharma to the assembly.
The order is fixed.
First enter. Then put on the robe. Then sit down. Only at the end do you speak.
Most of us reverse the order. We speak first, then discover that we have put on no robe—we lack a gentleness able to endure, so the moment someone objects we flare up. Nor are we seated in emptiness: what we state is principle, but what we defend is ourselves.
The wish to help is genuine. Yet that wish alone cannot sustain a conversation.
The Mirror says something severe in this chapter: if one does not contemplate the mind that can propagate the scripture, how could one understand the principle being propagated?
It continues: this is why the Buddha tells you to enter My room, put on My robe, and sit on My seat. Without these three dharmas, what could it mean to propagate the scripture?
The sentence has a barb.
It means that whether what you say is right does not depend entirely on how much you understand.
It also depends on whether you speak while standing—or after you have sat down.
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 0107c25〕。段/行首〔T34 …〕＝大正藏頁·欄·行錨（換頁一枚）。
〔T34 0107c25〕釋法師品 此品五種法師：一受持，二讀，三誦，四解說，五書寫。《大論》明六種法師：信力故受，念力故持，看文為讀，不忘為誦，宣傳為說，聖人經書難解須解釋。六種法師，今經合受、持為一，合解、說為一，開讀誦為二，足書寫為五。別論四人是自行，一人是化他。《大經》分九品，前四人無解是弟子位，後五人有解是師位。通論若自軌五法，則自行之法師；若教他五法，則化他之法師。自軌故通稱弟子，化他故通稱法師。今從通義故名「法師品」。若作減數說者，束五為四，即四安樂行，如後說；若束四為三者，受持是意業，讀誦說是口業，書寫是身業，別論口業是化他，身意是自行，通論三業自軌，即是自行之法師，三業教詔，即化他之法師，故言「法師品」。又是三門行此五法以自熏修即福德門，弘宣五法廣利益者即化他門，自修益彼皆順佛教即報恩門。別論者，自修報恩名自行，益彼即化他；通論自軌軌他皆稱法師，故言「法師品」也。又讀誦書寫是外行，即如來衣；受持是內行，即如來座；解說益他是如來室。如來室別論是匠他，衣、座別論是自匠；通論不爾，慈悲覆物惠利歸己名之如室，遮彼惡、障己醜名之為衣，安心於空方能安他，安他安己名之為座，此則自軌三法亦名法師。利物必以慈悲入室為首，涉有以忍辱為基，濟他以亡我為本，能行三法大教宣通，即世間依止，故名法師。又束為二，謂自行、化他，此易解，不復記。又束為一，謂如來行具一切行，悲拔一切苦，謂四趣三界二乘菩薩等苦，慈與一切樂，謂人天涅槃常住等樂；柔和衣障一切醜，謂四住無知無明等醜；空座亡一切相，謂有相無相非有相非無相，此則通意。別意者，慈悲生一切善，柔和遮一切惡，空座蕩一切相。又慈忍立一切福德，空座成一切智慧，智慧是目所謂五眼，福德是足所謂六度。又慈悲勝一切聲聞緣覺，柔和勝一切凡夫外道，空座勝析體偏等菩薩。故淨名云「譬如勝怨乃可為勇」。又慈悲破天魔，柔和破陰魔，空破煩惱魔、死魔，大品云「化一切眾生，觀一切空，魔不得便」〔云云〕。又慈忍故能問，空座故能答，具二莊嚴。又觀空故能問，慈忍故能答，慈忍故能種能立能資，空慧故能耘能破能導。又慈悲故何所隔？柔和故何所礙？空座故何所諍？出三諦故名為勝幢，包含普攝名摩訶衍，是如來行故稱三昧王。經言，一切善法慈為根本，忍辱第一道無相最上，若論圓行說不可盡〔云云〕。 〔T34 0108b16〕問： 何故約三法明法師？ 答： 事一往論，必須登堂整服坐座，乃可敷弘，故約三耳。又事理合論，夫迷惑不出三種：一、約苦果起惑，二、約結業起惑，三、約諦理起惑，故用三門而示導之。又約理，迷真故墮苦，故用慈悲門；迷俗故沈空受樂，故用和忍門；迷中故成智障，故用空門〔云云〕。 法者軌則也，師者訓匠也，法雖可軌，體不自弘，通之在人，五種通經皆得稱師，舉法成其自行，皆以妙法為師，師於妙法自行成就，故言法師。又五種人能以妙法訓匠於他，故舉法目師，故稱「法師品」也。若自軌法、若法匠他，俱名法師者，則因緣釋品也。凡多種解，皆約圓教法門而釋品也。前三周是迹門，正說領解受記竟，此下五品是迹門流通，非止蔭益當時，復欲津洽來世，故有五品流通。〈法師〉、〈寶塔〉兩品，明弘經功深福重，流通未聞利益巨大；〈達多〉一品，引往弘經彼我兼益，以證功德深重；〈持品〉八萬大士忍力成者，此土弘經，新得記者他土弘經；〈安樂行〉一品，舊云，接退流通，或當如此未必全然。外凡初心欣斯勝福，見聲聞畏憚，聞菩薩擯辱，顧己力弱，無益自他，便生退沒，佛為此人說安樂行，依之法弘不慮危苦。又〈法師品〉，釋尊自說弘經功福命覓流通；〈寶塔品〉多寶分身，且證且助勸覓流通，〈法師品〉初長行偈頌，歎美五種法師能持法人，後長行偈頌，歎美所持之法。又示通經方軌，初復二：一、就稟道弟子門功深福重，二、授道師門功深福重。弟子門又二：一、佛世弟子，二、滅後弟子。初「因藥王告八萬」者，因者憑寄也，欲以妙法憑寄藥王，使其領受告語八萬，皆流通也。指人問其見不者，的示持經得福之人也。佛世又二：一、從「告藥王」下，揀出人類；二、從「咸於佛前」下，揀出得記之緣。苦於佛前當機妙悟者，是多聞深解二千五百者是也，皆已現前與總別記竟，今所揀類或是八部之類，或是四眾三乘之類，絓法華座席。「咸於佛前」者，明其時節，值佛在座也。「一句一偈」者，聞法極少也。「乃至一念」者，時節最促也。「皆與記當得菩提」者，明其聞極少、時極促，隨喜之功遂得佛果，何況具足得聞、盡形受持，五種流通三業供養〔云云〕。「聞一句一偈」者，聞少解淺之類今皆與記，少者尚記況復多深？以少況多普廣若此。下周既爾，中上亦然，可以意知不俟更說。《見實三昧經》別與四天王記同名火持，三十三天同名因陀羅幢王，拘翼同名無著，焰天同名淨智，兜率同名釋法王，上兩天亦通與記不顯別名，梵天名大智力，此是聞多解深之類，今與聞少解淺之類耳。舊云，支佛菩薩無受記，此文三乘皆記，不須疑也。「一偈一句」者，《增一集》云「隨取經中要偈，如四諦之流者是也」，《十住毘婆沙》云「惡賤名厭，不求名無欲，心無垢名解脫，捨檐名涅槃；惡賤於集，不求於苦，無垢是道，捨檐是滅」。又云「佛語滿宿，我有四句，所謂四諦四念處」等是也。觀心者，以一一句、以一一偈，無句無偈而不一者〔云云〕。若取迹門中要句開示悟入，乘是寶乘遊於四方，四安樂行勸發四意等是也。「一念隨喜」者，自未有行但隨喜法及人，功報尚多，況行到耶？隨喜喜心有二：若聞開權顯實，即於一念心中，深解非權非實之理信佛知見，又能雙解權實事理圓融，雖具煩惱性，能知如來祕密之藏，此即豎論隨喜；又若聞開權顯實之意，即於一心廣解一切心，及一切法皆是佛法無有障礙，若欲分別辯說無窮，月四月至歲旋轉不盡，雖未得真隨喜心能如此解，法既如此人亦如是，此約橫論隨喜。即橫而豎、即豎而橫，故《大經》云「寧願少聞多解義味」即此意也，後當更說。 〔T34 0109b01〕從「告藥王又如來滅後」下，明佛滅後弟子，亦二：先出弟子類略舉於人，例上可知；次言「我亦與記」，功報如前解也。 「若復有人」下，第二，師門，有長行、偈頌。長行有二：先別、後總。別者，人譚下，上時譚現未；總者，無論下，上及以現未，通明逆之得罪、順之得福也。就別復二：一、明現世，二、明來世。就現世復二：先明下品師，後明上品師。下品師為二：初、明師相，次、明師功報。師相者，即是五種法師，十種供養也。次「藥王當知是諸人等已曾供養」下，明下品功報也。「曾供養」者，先因深也。「愍眾生故生此人間」，明現功大也。「若有人問」下，明未來報重也。從「何況盡能受持」者，明上品師，亦二：先況出上品師相；次「藥王當知，是人自捨清淨業報」，此明上品功報也。「若是善男子於我滅後能竊為一人」下，明滅後師亦有下上。下品亦二：先出下品人者，即是但豎得其意，有慧無聞止堪竊說未可處眾，故是下品之師；「竊為一人說一句」者，雖得一句之解，既不廣聞多學異義，不可眾中而說，一切問難有所不通，便令正理不得宣弘，如《釋論》明有慧無聞，譬如小雨無雷，若欲申此一句正言，且當竊說耳。「當知是人則如來使」者，明其功報。經是如智所說、說於如理，今日行人秉此如教宣於如理，即是如來所使也。「行如來事」者，如智照如理為事，今日行人依如教行如理，即是行如來事也。一如智、一如理，化眾生為事，今日行人能有大悲，以此經中真如之理，為眾生說令得利益，亦名行如來事也。觀心解，如來使者，智心觀境境即真如，境來發智，智為如所使也。「如來所遣」者，觀智從如中來也。「行如來事」者，歷一切法無不真如，真如即佛事也。「何況於大眾中」下，明上品人，略不格量功報，此意可知也。「若有惡人」下，第二，總明五種法師，逆者得罪順者得福也。此中罪福不論福田濃瘠，但約初後心明其輕重。初心學人既具煩惱，若加障礙則所學事廢，故獲罪多；佛則平等，惡不干偪豈能障礙？故言罪輕。供養亦爾，此人有待，若得供養，所修事成，故施其福勝；佛則無待，眾事滿足，雖復獻供於佛無益，故言報劣。譬如王子在難，供奉所須其功甚大，若辱王種獲罪不輕，故罪福俱重；若獻大王衣食為要事微，汝欲侵陵不能致損，故罪福俱薄。「藥王」下，明讀誦、如佛莊嚴，即是順之得福。佛以定慧莊嚴，此人能修定慧故也。「為如來肩荷」者，在背為荷、在肩為檐，修非權非實法身之體，即是為如來荷，能種能實二智之用，即是為如來檐。「隨所向方應向禮」者，上明以法為師，今明堪為物師。此人有趣向，悉與實相相應，皆可敬順，順即是向、敬即是禮，敬而順之及興供養等〔云云〕。 偈有十六行，為三：初二偈，不頌長行，別獎勸自行利他；次十三行，頌上師門別通；後一行歎經。頌別總中又二：初七行頌別，後六行頌總。上別門有現未，今初四行頌現，後三行頌未。上現未一師各有上下。今初，「若有能」下一行，頌下品，上半出法師，「當知佛所」下，半出功報也。「諸有能受持」，此下三行，頌現在上品師，初半行出上品師。「捨於清淨土」下，第二，二行半，頌功報也。「吾滅後」下，此三行頌未來，初二行超頌況出上品，為二：今初「吾滅後」下半行，頌法師，長行中本闕功報，今偈則有。「當合掌」下，第二，一行半，明功報也。「若能於後世」下，第二，一行，追頌下品師。初半頌出人，次「我遣在」下，第二，半頌，功報也。「若於一劫」下，第二，六行，總頌上總門。上總門亦二：初二行，頌逆者得罪；「有人求佛道」下，第二，四行，頌順之得福也。「藥王今告汝」下，第三，一行，歎經尊妙。 〔T34 0110a14〕從「爾時佛復告」下，第二，歎所持法及弘經方法。所持法是自軌法，弘經法是軌他法。有長行、偈頌。長行，初、歎經法，次、方軌。歎為五：一、約法歎亦格量歎，二、約人歎，三、約處歎，四、約因歎，五、約果歎。法妙故人貴，人貴故處尊，處尊因圓，因圓果極也。初歎法者，已、今、當說，此經為最。有師解，已是《般若》，當是《涅槃》，《法華》之前小大相隔，《法華》已後已得會同，此經正是會三之始、歸一之初，故言第一。經歎《法華》在已、今、當外。此師闕一節〔云云〕。今初，言「已」者，《大品》已上漸頓諸說也。「今」者，同一座席，謂無量義經也。「當」者，謂《涅槃》也。《大品》等漸頓皆帶方便取信為易；今無量義一生無量，無量未還一，是亦易信；今《法華》論法，一切差別融通歸一法，論人則師弟本迹俱皆久遠，二門悉與昔反，難信難解，當鋒難事《法華》已說，《涅槃》在後則易可信也。「祕要之藏」者，隱而不說為祕，總一切為要，真如實相包蘊為藏。「不可分布」者，法妙難信，深智可授、無智益罪，故不可妄說也。「從昔已來未曾顯說」者，於三藏中不說二乘作佛，亦不明師弟本迹，方等《般若》雖說實相之藏，亦未說五乘作佛，亦未發迹顯本，頓漸諸經皆未融會故名為祕。此經具說昔所祕法，即是開祕密藏，亦即是祕密藏。如此祕藏未曾顯說。「如來在世猶多怨嫉」者，四十餘年不得即說，今雖欲說而五千尋即退座，佛世尚爾，何況未來！理在難化也。 「如來滅後其能書持」下，第二，約人歎也。此法在人則人尊貴。「如來衣覆」者，即是修學大忍為衣也，上文云「如來莊嚴」也。「佛護念」者，實相為佛、實智為子，尊崇實相發生實智，即為諸佛所護念也。四信為「信力」，四弘為「願力」，大智為「善根力」也。信則信理，理即法身；志願是立行，行即解脫；善根根固難動，此即般若。當知三力，即是三德祕密之藏，初心棲此與佛不殊，故名「與如來共宿」也。又信力修畢竟空如來智，如來棲畢竟空為舍，此人信力亦學畢竟空，故與如來共宿。「手摩頭」者，此人以願力善力自行權實以為機感，機感名頭；如來以化他權實二智名手，開發前人自行權實之頭，感應道交故言摩頭，摩頭即授記也。 「在在處處」下，第三，約處歎。此法在處即處貴。夫佛生處、得道、轉法輪、入涅槃等處，法王所遊皆應起塔。此經是法身生處、得道之場、法輪正體、大涅槃窟，此經所在須塔供養。「不復安舍利」者，《釋論》云「碎骨是生身舍利，經卷是法身舍利」，此經是法身舍利，不須更安生身舍利。生法二身各有全碎，皆可解〔云云〕。 「若出家」下，第四，舉因歎。「若未善行菩薩道」者，稟前三教即是碎散法身舍利未能巧度，若入圓教即是全身舍利則巧度，巧度為善行也。「其有眾生」下，第五，舉果歎。文為五：一、明近果，二、開譬，三、合譬，四、釋近，五、揀非。今初，明近果。「當知必得近三菩提果」者，〈安樂行〉中名為「近處」。此菩提果，佛眼佛智知見處為體，則有二種：一者初心菩提，二者後心菩提。今言近者，正近初住菩提。又望圓果而修圓因得似解者，名之為近。前約因歎，修通別因即是未善，去圓果遠也；若修圓因即是善行，去圓果近也。今以圓如實智為因，還以為果，道前真如即是正因，道中真如即為緣因亦名了因，道後真如即是圓果。故《普賢觀》云「大乘因者即是實相，大乘果者亦是實相。」《釋論》云「初觀實相名因，觀竟名果。」就理而論，真如實相無當因果亦非前後，若約眾生修行，則有前後及以因果也。 「譬如有人」下，第二，開譬。為二釋：一、約觀門，二、約教門。觀門者，眾生之心具諸煩惱名「高原」，修習觀智名「穿掘」，方證理味如得清水。依通觀，乾慧地如「乾土」，性地為「濕土泥」，見諦為得清水。別觀從假入空，但見空不見不空，斷四住如鑿乾土，去水尚遠；從空出假，先知非假今知非空，因是二觀得入中道，能伏無明轉見濕土，去水則近也。圓觀中道非空非假而照空假，如漸至濕泥，四住已盡無明已伏，已得中道相似圓解故言如泥，若入初住發真中解，即破無明如泥澄清，得見中道如見清水。《法華論》云「佛性水」當知次第。次，約教門者，土譬經教，水喻中道，教詮中道如土含水。三藏教門未詮中道猶如乾土；方等、般若帶於方便說中道義，如見濕土；法華教正直顯露說無上道，如見泥。因法華教生聞思修，即悟中道真見佛性，所發真慧不復依文，如獲清水無復土相。故《華嚴》云「十住菩薩所有慧身，不由他悟也。」有人言，初教如高原乾土，《大品》如濕土，《法華》如泥佛果如水。有人言，《維摩》、《思益》如乾土，《無量義》如濕土，《法華》如泥，佛果如水。有人言，《大品》如乾土，《無量義》如濕土，《法華》如泥，佛果如水。三家皆五時之說。生師云「受持法華求佛道，欲得如渴；三乘於一乘難信，於法華求解如高原；受持讀誦為穿。未能如聞而解，為未聞如乾土，能解為至泥。」注家同。有人云，此一解去佛遠，一解去佛近，初三師明諸教去佛遠、法華去佛近，後二解但於法華中論遠近。尋經應二義：一、舉餘經對《法華》明遠近，二、就《法華》論遠近。諸師失經旨。 〔T34 0111a26〕問： 餘經何故去佛遠？ 答： 未開權，求佛人未決，《法華》唯一無三，永出退心，故去佛近，文云「決了聲聞法」。 問： 般若云何去佛遠？ 答：未開權，邊則遠，始行菩薩不覺《般若》密化付財，則於其是遠。夫般若實慧方便，是三世佛法身父母，求佛者如老病人，兩健扶之遍能遠去，當知般若最勝。《法華》開權不異《般若》顯實，非般若外別有法華，法華、般若異名耳。既是諸師異釋，故錄之耳。 次「菩薩亦如是」下，第三，合譬。於《法華》中獲聞思修，即是圓觀三慧方能近果，非乾濕等教中聞思修也。 「所以者何」下，第四，釋得近意也。「一切菩薩」者，明諸權因也。「三菩提」者，明一切權果也。權因權果皆攝屬此經，如乾濕等土悉依於水，故言攝屬也。「開方便門示真實相」者，光宅云：「昔鹿苑機雜，盛說三藏未明一理，爾時以權隱實，一理為權教所閉；今王城赴大機顯於真實，真實既顯則廢除昔教，昔教被廢故方便門開，一理既彰真實相顯也。」私謂此解乃是破方便，非開方便也。河西道朗云：「直詺三為方便，即是開方便門。昔不言三是方便，故方便門閉，今詺三為方便，即示一為真實也。」私謂此釋符文。有人解，開教身兩方便，示教身兩真實，三世佛唯有形聲權實，約此開示則十二八萬煥然了矣。私謂前二師約教開示，後人加之以身，此竊龍印之義而為己釋，還是破方便意非開義也。 問：方便當體是門？為通實相故為門？私答：具二義，為實相門，可解。當體是門，如《華嚴》尋善知識得種種法門，算砂觀海等。此二門各有開閉，昔不言三是方便，故其門掩；今說三是方便，故其門開。昔不說一是真實，實門掩；今說一是真實，故實門開。二者，此方便復通實相，故三乘方便為一乘門。實相亦二義：一、當體虛通故名之為門，如《淨名》不二門、《華嚴》法界門等；二、能通方便作門，劉虬云「通物之功乃由乎一，故一為方便之門，汲引之效頗賴於三，故三為真實之相。言非三則方便之門得開，語唯一則真實之相可示。」有人云，具論有三義：一、以三為方便一為真實；二、三一皆方便，非三非一為真實；三、三一為二，非三非一為不二，二不二皆權，非二非不二為實。此三章得為門。如以三為一門，此以權通實，若以一為三門，以實起權，乃至二不二亦爾互得為門，亦互得為相，但不得互為權實耳。私謂以三為一門者，三乘通實相不？若不通則非門，須開三始得是門。若開三者非復三也，云何以三為實相門？又三非佛因，那得是實相門？破此一義，餘二例去〔云云〕。 問：方便真實互得為門，亦得方便為方便門，實相為實相門不？此有四句，二如前，三、實相為實相門，四、方便為方便門。如名為義門、義為名門，由方便名顯方便義，故名為義門；由方便義應方便名，故義為名門，實相亦爾，《中論．序》云「實非名不悟，故寄中以宣之」即其事也。 問：得以三顯三、以一顯一不？此亦四句，二如前，以三顯三者，言昔三異今一，此三在一外，今一異昔三，此一在三外，故一非三一，三非一三，悉是執見。破此病故，於一佛乘分別說三，故三是一三，汝等所行是菩薩道，故一是三一。三一既不相異，因緣之義，以因緣三一，顯自性三一，亦以自性三一，顯因緣三一，故云以三顯一、以一顯三。有人引十五處明門，〈方便品〉有二，〈譬喻品〉有六，〈信解品〉有三，〈化城品〉有二，〈法師品〉有一，〈觀音品〉有一。〈方便〉二者，智慧門，權智為實智門，生師云：「言教為門，言教說實智，故言教是實智門。」《法華論》同也。次云以種種法門宣示佛道，此用大乘教為門，譬喻六者：一、其家廣大唯有一門，還以大乘教為門；二、云所燒之門，此約三界限域為門，如詺家為門；三、唯有一門而復狹小，還是大乘教為門；四、三車在門外，還以三界為門；五、以佛教門出三界苦，此用小教為門；六、在門外立，依大乘用二死限域為門，小乘亦出一切煩惱外正習已盡，名在門外立也。〈信解品〉住立門側，大乘理教為門；二云猶在門外亦如前；三云長者門內如前。〈化城〉請開甘露門，亦大小教門，重門高樓閣，亦用小乘三空門。〈方便〉門如前釋。〈觀音〉亦以大教為門。今釋「開方便門」者，昔所不說今皆說之。昔說一切世間治生產業，何曾是於方便？今皆開之，即是實相不相違背。昔說小乘方便若小乘果，小乘果尚非實相門，況小方便而當是門？今皆開之即是實相，汝等所行是菩薩道，決了聲聞法，是諸經之王。昔說二為方便門者，今皆開之即是實相，寧復是門？咸令眾生開示悟入佛之知見，一色一香無非佛法，若門若非門，悉皆開之示真實相顯佛性水。若不開者則深固幽遠無人能到，而今開之即得見水無乾土也。又作三慧釋，一切皆屬此經，即圓聞慧也；此經開方便，即圓思慧也；示真實相者，即圓修慧也。此三幽遠，佛今開示即得覩真。 〔T34 0112b06〕「藥王若有菩薩聞」下，第五揀非。若菩薩聞此說而驚疑、聲聞上慢，悉是乾土，尚非濕土況見水耶？ 從「若有善男子善女人如來滅後」下，第二，略示弘經方法。又為二：一、示方法，二、明利益。方法為三：一、標章門，二、解釋，三、勸修。修如來室是大慈悲，若就同體即法身也；若被眾生即是解脫；能令眾生會於同體即是般若。修如來衣者，若就所覆，即法身也；若就能覆嚴身，即寂滅忍也；若就和光利物即解脫也。若就能坐即般若也；若就所坐即法身也；身座冥稱即解脫也。又大慈安樂即資成，柔和伏嗔斷惑即觀照，坐座即法身。〈安樂行〉中還廣此三法，上文「如來莊嚴」即衣也，上云「如來肩所荷」者即此座也，檐者即檐運是入室也。「我於餘國」下，第二，舉五利益勸獎流通：一、遣化人，二、遣化四眾，三、遣八部，四、見佛身，五、與總持也。若初心未淳，止可遣化人，未可遣化四眾八部，若見天龍倚此自高妨損其道，故不可令見也；若心無倚著則堪見佛，況復天龍，況得總持自證利益耶？ 偈有十八行半，為三：初一行，總勸不頌長行；次十六行半，頌上長行；後一行，結勸。上約果歎文有五，今初一行半頌開譬；次「藥王汝當知」，第二，二行半，頌合譬，略不頌餘三，近果、釋、揀非等也。上通經方軌中有二：方軌、利益；今十二行半頌，初三行半，頌方軌，中有三，今亦頌三意也。「我千萬億」下，次九行，頌利益。初一行總明如來以五事利益之意，正由應身遍滿十方，能為五事守護行人。「若我滅後」下一行半，頌第二遣四眾。「引導」下一行半，頌第一遣化人。「若說法之人」下二行，頌第五令得總持。「若人具是德」下一行，頌第四令得見佛。「若人在空閑」下二行，頌第三遣八部〔云云〕。 妙法蓮華經文句卷第八上
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、五種法師與經論所立之離合
這一品說五種法師：一是受持，二是讀，三是誦，四是解說，五是書寫。
《大論》說明六種法師：因信力的緣故而受，因念力的緣故而持，看著文字叫作讀，不忘失叫作誦，宣揚傳布叫作說，聖人的經書難解而必須解釋。這六種法師，今經把受、持合為一，把解、說合為一，把讀、誦開為二，再加上書寫，成為五種。
分別來論，前四人是自行，一人是化他。《大經》分為九品，前四人沒有解義，是弟子的位次；後五人有解義，是師的位次。
通貫來論，若是以五法自我軌範，就是自行的法師；若是以五法教導他人，就是化他的法師。以五法自軌，所以通稱弟子；以五法化他，所以通稱法師。今從通貫之義，所以名為〈法師品〉。
二、減數釋：束五為四
若作減少數目的說法：把五束為四，就是四安樂行，如後面所說。
三、束四為三：三業
若把四束為三：受持是意業，讀誦與說是口業，書寫是身業。分別來論，口業是化他，身與意是自行；通貫來論，三業自我軌範，就是自行的法師，三業教導告誡，就是化他的法師——所以說〈法師品〉。
四、束四為三：三門
又是三門：行這五法以自我熏修，就是福德門；弘揚宣說五法而廣為利益，就是化他門；自己修習、利益他人，都隨順佛的教誨，就是報恩門。
分別來論，自修與報恩叫作自行，利益他人就是化他；通貫來論，自軌與軌他都稱為法師——所以說〈法師品〉。
五、束四為三：三法（室衣座）
又，讀誦與書寫是外在的行，就是如來的衣；受持是內在的行，就是如來的座；解說利益他人是如來的室。
如來的室，分別來論是匠成他人，衣與座分別來論是匠成自己；通貫來論就不是這樣：慈悲覆護萬物、恩惠利益歸於自己，這樣叫作如室；遮蔽他人的惡、障除自己的醜，這樣叫作為衣；安心於空才能安頓他人，安頓他人也安頓自己，這樣叫作為座——這樣一來，以三法自軌也叫作法師。
利益萬物必定以慈悲入室為首，涉入有相以忍辱為基礎，濟度他人以忘我為根本。能行這三法而使大教宣揚流通，就是世間的依止，所以名為法師。
六、束為二
又束為二，就是自行與化他。這容易理解，不再記述。
七、束為一：如來行
又束為一，就是如來行——具足一切行。
慈悲拔除一切苦，就是四趣、三界、二乘、菩薩等等的苦；慈給與一切樂，就是人天、涅槃、常住等等的樂。柔和之衣遮障一切醜，就是四住、無知、無明等等的醜。空之座忘卻一切相，就是有相、無相、非有相、非無相——這是通貫之意。
分別之意是：慈悲生起一切善，柔和遮止一切惡，空座蕩除一切相。
又，慈與忍成立一切福德，空座成就一切智慧。智慧是眼目，就是所謂五眼；福德是雙足，就是所謂六度。
又，慈悲勝過一切聲聞緣覺，柔和勝過一切凡夫外道，空座勝過析空、體空、偏教等等的菩薩。所以淨名說：『譬如勝過怨敵才可以稱為勇。』
又，慈悲破天魔，柔和破陰魔，空破煩惱魔與死魔。大品說：『化度一切眾生，觀照一切皆空，魔就不能得便。』〔云云〕
又，慈忍所以能問，空座所以能答，具足二種莊嚴。
又，觀空所以能問，慈忍所以能答；慈忍所以能種、能立、能資助，空慧所以能耘、能破、能引導。
又，慈悲的緣故有什麼隔閡？柔和的緣故有什麼障礙？空座的緣故有什麼諍論？
超出三諦所以名為勝幢，包含普攝所以名為摩訶衍，是如來行所以稱為三昧王。經上說，一切善法以慈為根本，忍辱第一、道以無相為最上。若要論圓滿之行，說也說不盡〔云云〕。
八、問答：何故約三法明法師
問： 為什麼就這三法來說明法師？
答： 就事來一往而論，必定要登上講堂、整理衣服、坐上座位，才可以敷演弘揚，所以就這三者而說。
又，事理合起來論：迷惑不出三種——一是就苦果而起惑，二是就結業而起惑，三是就諦理而起惑，所以用三門來開示引導。
又就理而論：迷於真諦所以墮入苦，因此用慈悲門；迷於俗諦所以沉滯於空而受樂，因此用和忍門；迷於中道所以成為智障，因此用空門〔云云〕。
九、釋名結品
法，是軌則；師，是訓導匠成。法雖然可以作為軌則，本體卻不能自己弘揚，通達它要靠人。五種通經的人都可以稱為師：舉出法而成就他的自行，都是以妙法為師；以妙法為師而自行成就，所以說法師。
又，五種人能以妙法訓導匠成他人，所以舉出法來標目師，因此稱為〈法師品〉。
若自軌於法、若以法匠成他人，都名為法師——這就是因緣釋品。
以上多種解釋，都是就圓教法門而解釋品名。
十、迹門流通五品之判
前三周是迹門，正說、領解、受記都已完畢；以下五品是迹門的流通——不只是蔭庇利益當時的人，還想要潤澤來世，所以有五品流通。
〈法師〉〈寶塔〉兩品，說明弘經功深福重，流通給未曾聽聞的人，利益巨大；〈達多〉一品，引往昔弘經而彼此兼獲利益，以證明功德深重；〈持品〉八萬大士是忍力成就的人，在此土弘經，新得記的人在他土弘經；〈安樂行〉一品，舊說是接引退失的人而流通——或許是這樣，但未必全然如此。
外凡初心的人欣慕這樣殊勝的福，見到聲聞畏懼憚忌，聽聞菩薩遭受擯斥侮辱，回顧自己力量薄弱，對自他都無益，便生退沒之心；佛為這種人說安樂行，依著它弘法就不必憂慮危險困苦。
又，〈法師品〉是釋尊自己說弘經的功福，招募流通；〈寶塔品〉是多寶與分身佛，且作證且相助，勸募流通。
〈法師品〉起初的長行與偈頌，讚歎五種法師這些能持法的人；後面的長行與偈頌，讚歎所持的法。又開示通經的方軌。
十一、弟子門·佛世
起初又分二：一是就稟受道法的弟子這一門，說明功深福重；二是授與道法的師這一門，功深福重。
弟子門又分二：一是佛世的弟子，二是滅後的弟子。
起初「因藥王告八萬」——「因」是憑寄的意思，想要把妙法憑寄給藥王，使他領受並告知八萬大士，都來流通。指出人而問他們見到沒有，是明確指示持經得福的人。
佛世這一段又分二：一是從「告藥王」以下，揀別出人的類別；二是從「咸於佛前」以下，揀別出得記的因緣。
那些在佛前當機而妙悟的人，是多聞深解的二千五百人，都已經當前給與總記別記完畢了；如今所揀別的類別，或許是八部之類，或許是四眾三乘之類，凡在法華座席上的都是。
「咸於佛前」，說明時節，是值遇佛在座的時候。「一句一偈」，是聽聞的法極少。「乃至一念」，是時節最為短促。「皆與記當得菩提」，說明他聽聞極少、時間極促，隨喜的功德竟然得到佛果；何況具足聽聞、盡形壽受持、以五種流通、以三業供養呢〔云云〕。
「聞一句一偈」，是聽聞少、理解淺的一類，如今都給與授記——少的尚且給記，何況多而深的？以少來比況多，普遍廣大到這個地步。下周既然如此，中周上周也是一樣，可以由此意會，不必再說。
《見實三昧經》另外給與四天王授記，同名火持；三十三天同名因陀羅幢王；拘翼同名無著；焰天同名淨智；兜率同名釋法王；上面兩天也通通給記而不顯出別名；梵天名叫大智力。這些是多聞深解的一類，如今給的是聽聞少、理解淺的一類。
舊說支佛與菩薩沒有受記，這段經文三乘都得記，不必疑惑。
「一偈一句」，《增一集》說『隨意取經中的要偈，如四諦這一類就是』；《十住毘婆沙》說『厭惡輕賤叫作厭，不希求叫作無欲，心無垢染叫作解脫，捨下重擔叫作涅槃；厭惡輕賤於集，不希求於苦，無垢染是道，捨下重擔是滅』。又說『佛告訴滿宿：我有四句，就是所謂四諦、四念處』等等就是。
作觀心解釋的話：以每一句、每一偈，沒有一句一偈不歸於一〔云云〕。
若取迹門中的要句，就是開、示、悟、入，乘這寶乘遊於四方，四安樂行、勸發四意等等就是。
十二、一念隨喜：豎論與橫論
「一念隨喜」，是自己還沒有修行，只是隨喜於法與人，功德果報尚且很多，何況修行到位呢？
隨喜的喜心有兩種：
若聽聞開權顯實，就在一念心中深深理解非權非實之理而信佛的知見，又能雙雙理解權實、事理圓融，雖然具足煩惱之性，卻能知道如來的祕密之藏——這是就豎的方面論隨喜。
又若聽聞開權顯實的意旨，就在一心之中廣解一切心以及一切法都是佛法、沒有障礙；若想要分別辯說，說之不盡，一月、四月乃至一年輾轉也說不完；雖然還沒有得到真實的隨喜心，卻能這樣理解——法既然如此，人也是如此，這是就橫的方面論隨喜。
即橫而豎、即豎而橫，所以《大經》說『寧願少聽聞而多理解義味』，就是這個意思，後面應當再說。
十三、弟子門·滅後
從「告藥王又如來滅後」以下，說明佛滅後的弟子，也分二：先舉出弟子的類別，略舉其人，比照上面就可以知道；其次說「我亦與記」，功德果報如前面所解釋。
十四、師門·現世
「若復有人」以下是第二，師門，有長行與偈頌。
長行分二：先別、後總。別的是就人來談，上面的時間談現在與未來；總的是「無論」以下，兼及現在未來，通通說明違逆它得罪、隨順它得福。
就別這一段又分二：一是說明現世，二是說明來世。
就現世又分二：先說明下品師，後說明上品師。
下品師分二：起初說明師相，其次說明師的功德果報。師相，就是五種法師與十種供養。
其次「藥王當知是諸人等已曾供養」以下，說明下品的功德果報。「曾供養」，是往昔的因深厚。「愍眾生故生此人間」，說明現在的功德大。「若有人問」以下，說明未來的果報深重。
從「何況盡能受持」，是說明上品師，也分二：先比況出上品師的師相；其次「藥王當知，是人自捨清淨業報」，這是說明上品的功德果報。
十五、師門·滅後
「若是善男子於我滅後能竊為一人」以下，說明滅後的師也有下品與上品。
下品也分二：先舉出下品的人，就是只在豎的方面得到經意，有慧而無聞，只堪私下解說，還不可以在大眾中說，所以是下品之師。
「竊為一人說一句」，是說雖然得到一句的理解，既然沒有廣聞多學各種異義，就不可以在大眾中而說；一切問難有所不通，便會使正理不能宣揚弘傳——如同《釋論》說明有慧而無聞，譬如小雨而沒有雷。若想要申明這一句正確的言說，姑且應當私下說罷了。
「當知是人則如來使」，說明他的功德果報。經是如智所說、所說的是如理；今日的行人秉持這如教而宣說如理，就是如來所差遣的。
「行如來事」——如智照見如理作為事，今日的行人依如教而行如理，就是行如來事。一邊是如智、一邊是如理，化度眾生作為事；今日的行人能有大悲，以此經中真如之理為眾生解說使他們得利益，也叫作行如來事。
作觀心解釋：如來使，是智心觀照境，境就是真如；境來發起智，智為如所差遣。「如來所遣」，是觀智從如中而來。「行如來事」，是經歷一切法無不是真如，真如就是佛事。
「何況於大眾中」以下，說明上品的人，略去不比量功德果報，這個意思可以理解。
十六、總明逆罪順福
「若有惡人」以下是第二，總說五種法師，違逆的得罪、隨順的得福。
這裡的罪與福不論福田的濃厚貧瘠，只就初心與後心來說明輕重。初學的人既然具足煩惱，若加以障礙，那麼所學的事就荒廢了，所以獲罪多；佛則平等，惡不能干擾逼迫，哪裡能障礙？所以說罪輕。
供養也是如此：這個人有所依待，若得到供養，所修的事就成就，所以布施給他的福殊勝；佛則無所依待，眾事滿足，雖然再獻供養對佛也沒有增益，所以說果報低劣。
譬如王子在患難中，供奉他所需要的，其功德甚大；若侮辱王的種姓，獲罪不輕——所以罪與福都重。若獻給大王衣食，那是次要的小事；你想要侵陵他也不能造成損害——所以罪與福都薄。
「藥王」以下，說明讀誦如佛莊嚴，就是隨順而得福。佛以定慧莊嚴，這個人能修定慧的緣故。
「為如來肩荷」——在背上叫作荷、在肩上叫作檐。修習非權非實法身之體，就是為如來所荷；能種、能實二智之用，就是為如來所檐。
「隨所向方應向禮」——上面說明以法為師，如今說明堪能作為眾人之師。這個人有所趣向，都與實相相應，都可以敬順；順就是向、敬就是禮，敬而順從並且興起供養等等〔云云〕。
十七、偈十六行
偈頌有十六行，分為三：起初二偈，不頌長行，另外獎勵勸勉自行利他；其次十三行，頌上面師門的別與總；後一行讚歎經。
頌別與總之中又分二：起初七行頌別，後六行頌總。
上面別門有現在與未來，如今起初四行頌現在，後三行頌未來。上面現在未來，每一師各有上品下品。
如今起初「若有能」以下一行，頌下品：上半出法師，「當知佛所」以下半行出功德果報。「諸有能受持」以下三行，頌現在的上品師：起初半行出上品師相；「捨於清淨土」以下是第二，二行半，頌功德果報。
「吾滅後」以下這三行頌未來：起初二行越次頌比況出的上品，分為二——如今起初「吾滅後」以下半行頌法師（長行中本來缺功德果報，如今偈頌則有）；「當合掌」以下是第二，一行半，說明功德果報。「若能於後世」以下是第二，一行，追頌下品師：起初半頌出人，其次「我遣在」以下是第二，半頌，說功德果報。
「若於一劫」以下是第二，六行，總頌上面的總門。上面的總門也分二：起初二行，頌違逆的得罪；「有人求佛道」以下是第二，四行，頌隨順的得福。
「藥王今告汝」以下是第三，一行，讚歎經的尊貴微妙。
十八、歎所持法：五歎總標
從「爾時佛復告」以下是第二，讚歎所持的法以及弘經的方法。所持的法是自軌之法，弘經之法是軌他之法。有長行與偈頌。
長行起初讚歎經法，其次說方軌。
讚歎分為五：一是就法讚歎，也是比量而歎；二是就人讚歎；三是就處讚歎；四是就因讚歎；五是就果讚歎。法妙所以人貴，人貴所以處尊，處尊所以因圓，因圓所以果極。
十九、約法歎：已今當
起初讚歎法：已說、今說、當說，這部經最為第一。
有位法師解釋：已說是《般若》，當說是《涅槃》；《法華》之前大小相隔，《法華》之後已經得以會同，這部經正是會三之始、歸一之初，所以說第一——經上讚歎《法華》在已、今、當之外。這位法師缺了一節〔云云〕。
如今起初，說「已」，是《大品》以上漸教頓教諸多說法。「今」，是同一座席，指《無量義經》。「當」，是指《涅槃》。
《大品》等等漸頓諸經都帶著方便，取信於人比較容易；如今《無量義經》從一生出無量，而無量還未歸還於一，這也容易相信；如今《法華》論法，把一切差別融通歸於一法，論人則師與弟子的本迹都久遠——兩門都與往昔相反，難信難解。當著鋒鏑的難事《法華》已經說了，《涅槃》在後面就容易相信了。
「祕要之藏」——隱藏而不說叫作祕，總攝一切叫作要，真如實相包容蘊藏叫作藏。
「不可分布」——法微妙而難信，有深智的人可以授與，沒有智慧的人反而增益其罪，所以不可以隨便說。
「從昔已來未曾顯說」——在三藏中不說二乘作佛，也不說明師弟的本迹；方等、般若雖然說實相之藏，也還沒有說五乘作佛，也還沒有發迹顯本；頓教漸教諸經都未曾融會，所以名為祕。這部經完整說出往昔所祕之法，就是開祕密藏，也就是祕密藏——這樣的祕藏未曾顯說。
「如來在世猶多怨嫉」——四十多年不得立即宣說，如今雖然想說而五千人隨即退席；佛在世尚且如此，何況未來！道理上難於化度是必然的。
二十、約人歎
「如來滅後其能書持」以下是第二，就人讚歎。此法在人身上，那麼人就尊貴。
「如來衣覆」，就是修學大忍為衣，上文說「如來莊嚴」。
「佛護念」——實相為佛、實智為子，尊崇實相而發生實智，就為諸佛所護念。
四信為「信力」，四弘為「願力」，大智為「善根力」。信就是信理，理就是法身；志願是建立行，行就是解脫；善根根基堅固而難以動搖，這就是般若。
應當知道這三力就是三德祕密之藏，初心棲止於此與佛沒有差別，所以名為「與如來共宿」。
又，信力修習畢竟空的如來智慧，如來以畢竟空為舍；這個人以信力也學畢竟空，所以與如來共宿。
「手摩頭」——這個人以願力、善力自行權實作為機感，機感名為頭；如來以化他的權實二智名為手，開發前人自行權實之頭。感應道交所以說摩頭，摩頭就是授記。
廿一、約處歎
「在在處處」以下是第三，就處讚歎。此法所在的地方，那個地方就尊貴。
佛的出生處、得道處、轉法輪處、入涅槃處等等，法王所遊之處都應當起塔。這部經是法身的出生處、得道的道場、法輪的正體、大涅槃的窟宅，這部經所在的地方必須起塔供養。
「不復安舍利」——《釋論》說『碎骨是生身舍利，經卷是法身舍利』。這部經是法身舍利，不必再安放生身舍利。生身法身二身各有全身與碎身，都可以理解〔云云〕。
廿二、約因歎
「若出家」以下是第四，舉因讚歎。
「若未善行菩薩道」——稟受前三教就是碎散的法身舍利，還不能巧妙度化；若入圓教就是全身舍利，那就是巧度——巧度就是善行。
廿三、約果歎：近果
「其有眾生」以下是第五，舉果讚歎。文分為五：一說明近果，二開譬，三合譬，四釋近，五揀非。
如今起初，說明近果。「當知必得近三菩提果」——〈安樂行〉中名為「近處」。這菩提果以佛眼佛智的知見處為體，那麼有兩種：一是初心菩提，二是後心菩提。如今說近，正是近於初住菩提。
又，望向圓果而修圓因、得到相似解的人，名之為近。前面就因讚歎時說：修通教別教之因就是未善，離圓果遠；若修圓因就是善行，離圓果近。
如今以圓如實智為因，還以它為果：道前的真如就是正因，道中的真如就是緣因也叫了因，道後的真如就是圓果。
所以《普賢觀》說『大乘之因就是實相，大乘之果也是實相』。《釋論》說『初觀實相名為因，觀照完畢名為果』。
就理而論，真如實相並不當作因果，也沒有前後；若就眾生修行來說，就有前後以及因果。
廿四、開譬：鑿井
「譬如有人」以下是第二，開譬。分為兩種解釋：一是就觀門，二是就教門。
觀門：眾生的心具足諸多煩惱名為「高原」，修習觀智名為「穿掘」，才證得理味如同得到清水。
依通教之觀：乾慧地如同「乾土」，性地為「濕土泥」，見諦為得到清水。
別教之觀：從假入空，只見到空而不見不空，斷四住煩惱如同鑿乾土，離水尚遠；從空出假，先知道不是假、如今知道不是空，因為這二觀而得以進入中道，能夠伏住無明，轉而見到濕土，離水就近了。
圓教之觀：中道非空非假而照見空假，如同漸漸到達濕泥；四住已盡、無明已伏，已經得到中道相似的圓解，所以說如泥。若入初住而發起真實的中道之解，就破無明如同泥澄清，得見中道如同見到清水。《法華論》說『佛性水』，應當知道其中的次第。
教門：土譬喻經教，水譬喻中道；教詮釋中道，如同土含著水。三藏教門未詮釋中道，猶如乾土；方等、般若帶著方便而說中道之義，如同見到濕土；法華之教正直顯露地說無上道，如同見到泥。因為法華之教而生起聞思修，就悟中道、真實見到佛性；所發的真慧不再依靠文字，如同獲得清水而不再有土相。所以《華嚴》說『十住菩薩所有的慧身，不由他人而悟』。
廿五、五家異釋與本論之判
有人說：初教如高原乾土，《大品》如濕土，《法華》如泥，佛果如水。
有人說：《維摩》《思益》如乾土，《無量義》如濕土，《法華》如泥，佛果如水。
有人說：《大品》如乾土，《無量義》如濕土，《法華》如泥，佛果如水。
這三家都是五時之說。
生法師說：『受持法華而求佛道，想要得到如同口渴；三乘對於一乘難信，對於法華求解如同高原；受持讀誦為穿掘；不能如所聞而解，是未聞如乾土；能解就是到了泥。』注家與他相同。
有人說：這一解離佛遠，那一解離佛近——起初三位法師說明諸教離佛遠、法華離佛近；後二解只在法華之中論遠近。
尋究經意應當有二義：一是舉其餘的經對照《法華》而明遠近，二是就《法華》本身論遠近。諸位法師失去了經的旨意。
廿六、問答二則
問： 其餘的經為什麼離佛遠？
答： 沒有開權，求佛的人未能決定；《法華》唯一無三，永遠出離退心，所以離佛近——經文說「決了聲聞法」。
問： 般若怎麼會離佛遠？
答： 沒有開權那一邊就是遠。初行的菩薩不覺察《般若》祕密化度而付與家業，那麼對他就是遠。
般若的實慧與方便，是三世諸佛法身的父母；求佛的人如同年老患病的人，兩個健壯的人扶著他，就都能走得遠——應當知道般若最為殊勝。《法華》開權不異於《般若》顯實，並不是般若之外別有法華——法華、般若只是異名罷了。
既然是諸位法師的不同解釋，所以錄下來罷了。
廿七、合譬
其次「菩薩亦如是」以下是第三，合譬。在《法華》之中獲得聞思修，就是圓觀的三慧，才能夠近於果——不是乾土濕土等教中的聞思修。
廿八、釋得近意與開方便門三家
「所以者何」以下是第四，解釋得近的意思。「一切菩薩」，是說明諸多權因；「三菩提」，是說明一切權果。權因權果都攝屬於這部經，如同乾濕等土都依於水，所以說攝屬。
「開方便門示真實相」——
光宅說：『往昔鹿苑機緣夾雜，盛說三藏而未明一理，那時以權隱藏實，一理被權教所關閉；如今在王城赴大機而顯出真實，真實既然顯出，就廢除往昔之教；往昔之教被廢，所以方便之門開了，一理既然彰顯，真實之相就顯出了。』我私下認為，這個解釋乃是破方便，不是開方便。
河西道朗說：『直接稱三為方便，就是開方便門。往昔不說三是方便，所以方便門關閉；如今稱三為方便，就是示一為真實。』我私下認為這個解釋合乎經文。
有人解釋：開教與身兩種方便，示教與身兩種真實；三世諸佛只有形與聲的權實，就此開示，那麼十二部、八萬藏就煥然明白了。我私下認為，前二位法師是就教而說開示，後面這個人加上了身——這是竊取龍樹、僧印之義而作為自己的解釋，還是破方便之意而不是開之義。
廿九、問答三則
問：方便是當體就是門？還是為了通向實相所以稱為門？
私下回答：具足二義。『為實相之門』可以理解。『當體就是門』，如同《華嚴》中尋訪善知識而得種種法門，算沙、觀海等等。
這兩門各有開與閉。往昔不說三是方便，所以那門掩閉；如今說三是方便，所以那門開了。往昔不說一是真實，實之門掩閉；如今說一是真實，所以實門開了。
第二，這方便又通向實相，所以三乘方便為一乘之門。
實相也有二義：一是當體虛通所以名之為門，如《淨名》的不二門、《華嚴》的法界門等等；二是能通向方便而作門。劉虬說：『通達萬物的功用乃是由於一，所以一為方便之門；汲引的成效頗有賴於三，所以三為真實之相。說不是三，那麼方便之門得以開；說唯有一，那麼真實之相可以示。』
有人說，完整地論有三義：一是以三為方便、一為真實；二是三與一都是方便，非三非一為真實；三是三與一為二，非三非一為不二，二與不二都是權，非二非不二為實。這三章都可以作為門——如同以三為一之門，這是以權通向實；若以一為三之門，是以實生起權；乃至二與不二也是如此，互相都可以作為門，也互相都可以作為相，只是不可以互相作為權實罷了。
我私下認為：以三為一之門的說法，三乘通向實相嗎？若不通就不是門，必須開三才得以是門。若已經開了三，就不再是三了，怎麼能以三為實相之門？又，三不是佛因，哪裡能是實相之門？破了這一義，其餘二義照例推去〔云云〕。
問：方便與真實互相可以作為門，那麼也可以方便為方便之門、實相為實相之門嗎？
這有四句，其中二句如前；第三，實相為實相之門；第四，方便為方便之門。如同名為義之門、義為名之門：由於方便之名而顯出方便之義，所以名為義之門；由於方便之義而相應於方便之名，所以義為名之門。實相也是如此。《中論·序》說『實不是名就不能悟，所以寄託「中」字來宣說它』，就是這件事。
問：可以用三來顯三、用一來顯一嗎？
這也有四句，其中二句如前。用三顯三，是說：往昔的三不同於今日的一，這三在一之外；今日的一不同於往昔的三，這一在三之外——所以一不是三家之一，三不是一家之三，都是執著之見。
為了破這個病，於一佛乘分別說三，所以三是一家之三；「汝等所行是菩薩道」，所以一是三家之一。三與一既然不相異，這是因緣之義。以因緣的三一，顯自性的三一；也以自性的三一，顯因緣的三一——所以說以三顯一、以一顯三。
三十、十五處明門
有人引十五處說明門：〈方便品〉有二，〈譬喻品〉有六，〈信解品〉有三，〈化城品〉有二，〈法師品〉有一，〈觀音品〉有一。
〈方便〉二處：一是智慧門，權智為實智之門——生法師說：『言教為門，言教解說實智，所以言教是實智之門。』《法華論》也相同。其次說以種種法門宣示佛道，這是用大乘之教為門。
譬喻六處：一是「其家廣大唯有一門」，還是以大乘之教為門；二是「所燒之門」，這是就三界的限域為門，如同稱家為門；三是「唯有一門而復狹小」，還是以大乘之教為門；四是「三車在門外」，還是以三界為門；五是「以佛教門出三界苦」，這是用小乘之教為門；六是「在門外立」，依大乘而用二死的限域為門——小乘也出離一切煩惱之外、正使習氣已盡，名為在門外立。
〈信解品〉三處：「住立門側」，是大乘理教為門；二說「猶在門外」也如前；三說「長者門內」如前。
〈化城〉二處：「請開甘露門」，也是大小之教門；「重門高樓閣」，也是用小乘的三空門。
〈方便〉門如前面所釋。〈觀音〉也是以大教為門。
卅一、今釋「開方便門」
如今解釋「開方便門」：往昔所不說的，如今都說了。
往昔說一切世間治生產業，何曾是方便？如今都開了它，就是實相而不相違背。
往昔說小乘方便、小乘之果——小乘之果尚且不是實相之門，何況小乘方便怎麼會是門？如今都開了它就是實相：「汝等所行是菩薩道」，「決了聲聞法」，「是諸經之王」。
往昔說二為方便門，如今都開了它就是實相，哪裡還是門？「咸令眾生開示悟入佛之知見」——一色一香無非佛法，若是門、若不是門，統統開了它而示真實之相、顯出佛性之水。若不開，那就深固幽遠而無人能到；而如今開了它，就得以見水而沒有乾土了。
又作三慧的解釋：一切都攝屬於這部經，就是圓教的聞慧；這部經開方便，就是圓教的思慧；示真實相，就是圓教的修慧。這三者幽遠，佛如今開示，就得以看見真實。
卅二、揀非
「藥王若有菩薩聞」以下是第五，揀別非。若菩薩聽聞這樣的說法而驚疑、聲聞起增上慢，統統是乾土——尚且不是濕土，何況見水？
卅三、弘經方法：三軌具三德
從「若有善男子善女人如來滅後」以下是第二，略示弘經的方法。又分為二：一示方法，二明利益。
方法分為三：一標章門，二解釋，三勸修。
修如來室，是大慈悲：若就同體來說就是法身；若就被覆眾生就是解脫；能使眾生會歸同體就是般若。
修如來衣：若就所覆，就是法身；若就能覆而莊嚴其身，就是寂滅忍；若就和光利物就是解脫。
若就能坐就是般若；若就所坐就是法身；身與座冥合相稱就是解脫。
又，大慈安樂就是資成，柔和降伏瞋恚、斷除惑就是觀照，坐座就是法身。
〈安樂行〉中還會廣說這三法。上文「如來莊嚴」就是衣，上面說「如來肩所荷」就是這座，檐就是荷檐運載，是入室。
卅四、五利益
「我於餘國」以下是第二，舉五種利益而勸獎流通：一是差遣化人，二是差遣化四眾，三是差遣八部，四是見佛身，五是給與總持。
若初心還不淳厚，只可以差遣化人，還不可以差遣化四眾與八部；若見到天龍而倚仗這個自高，就妨礙損害他的道業，所以不可以使他見到。若心中沒有倚仗執著，就堪能見佛，何況天龍？何況得到總持而自證利益呢？
卅五、偈十八行半
偈頌有十八行半，分為三：起初一行總勸，不頌長行；其次十六行半頌上面的長行；後一行結勸。
上面就果讚歎的文有五節，如今起初一行半頌開譬；其次「藥王汝當知」是第二，二行半，頌合譬——略去不頌其餘三節，就是近果、釋近、揀非等等。
上面通經方軌之中有二：方軌、利益；如今十二行半來頌。起初三行半頌方軌，其中有三，如今也頌這三意。
「我千萬億」以下，其次九行頌利益。起初一行總說明如來以五事利益的用意，正由於應身遍滿十方，能作五事守護行人。「若我滅後」以下一行半，頌第二遣四眾。「引導」以下一行半，頌第一遣化人。「若說法之人」以下二行，頌第五令得總持。「若人具是德」以下一行，頌第四令得見佛。「若人在空閑」以下二行，頌第三遣八部〔云云〕。
〔妙法蓮華經文句卷第八上〕
I. The Five Kinds of Dharma Teacher and Their Combination and Division in Sutra and Treatise
This chapter speaks of five kinds of Dharma teacher: first, one who receives and upholds; second, one who reads; third, one who recites; fourth, one who explains; and fifth, one who copies.
The Great Treatise explains six kinds of Dharma teacher: through the power of faith one receives; through the power of mindfulness one upholds; looking at the written text is called reading; not forgetting it is called reciting; proclaiming and transmitting it is called speaking; and because the scriptures of the sages are difficult to understand, they must be explained. Of these six, the present sutra combines receiving and upholding as one, combines explaining and speaking as one, divides reading and reciting into two, and adds copying, thereby making five.
When considered separately, the first four persons practice for themselves, while one transforms others. The Great Nirvana Sutra divides them into nine grades: the first four, who do not explain the meaning, occupy the position of disciples; the latter five, who do explain the meaning, occupy the position of teachers.
When considered comprehensively, one who uses the five dharmas to regulate oneself is a Dharma teacher in personal practice; one who uses the five dharmas to teach others is a Dharma teacher who transforms others. Because one regulates oneself through the five dharmas, all are broadly called disciples; because one transforms others through the five dharmas, all are broadly called Dharma teachers. The present title follows this comprehensive meaning and therefore is called “The Dharma Teacher.”
II. Explanation by Diminishing Number: Gathering Five into Four
If explained by diminishing the number, gathering the five into four yields the four peaceful practices, as explained later.
III. Gathering Four into Three: The Three Karmas
If the four are gathered into three, receiving and upholding are mental karma; reading, reciting, and speaking are verbal karma; and copying is bodily karma. Considered separately, verbal karma transforms others, while body and mind constitute personal practice. Considered comprehensively, using the three karmas to regulate oneself makes one a Dharma teacher in personal practice, while using the three karmas to teach and admonish makes one a Dharma teacher who transforms others—hence the chapter “The Dharma Teacher.”
IV. Gathering Four into Three: The Three Gateways
There are also three gateways. Practicing these five dharmas to cultivate oneself is the gateway of merit; propagating and explaining the five dharmas for widespread benefit is the gateway of transforming others; and both cultivating oneself and benefiting others in accordance with the Buddha’s instruction constitute the gateway of repaying kindness.
Considered separately, self-cultivation and repaying kindness are called personal practice, while benefiting others is transformation of others. Considered comprehensively, both regulating oneself and regulating others are called the work of a Dharma teacher—hence the chapter “The Dharma Teacher.”
V. Gathering Four into Three: The Three Dharmas (Room, Robe, and Seat)
Further, reading, reciting, and copying are external practice and constitute the Tathāgata’s robe; receiving and upholding are internal practice and constitute the Tathāgata’s seat; explaining for the benefit of others constitutes the Tathāgata’s room.
Considered separately, the Tathāgata’s room fashions others, while the robe and seat fashion oneself. Considered comprehensively, this is not so: compassion shelters the myriad beings, and the benefit bestowed returns to oneself—this is called being like the room; covering the evils of others and obstructing one’s own ugliness—this is called the robe; settling one’s mind in emptiness enables one to settle others, while settling others also settles oneself—this is called the seat. In this way, regulating oneself through the three dharmas also makes one a Dharma teacher.
Benefiting the myriad beings must begin with entering the room of compassion; entering the realm of marks must be grounded in patient endurance; and rescuing others must be rooted in self-forgetfulness. One who can practice these three dharmas and thereby cause the great teaching to be proclaimed and circulated becomes a reliance for the world and is therefore called a Dharma teacher.
VI. Gathering into Two
They are further gathered into two: personal practice and transformation of others. This is easy to understand and is not recorded again.
VII. Gathering into One: The Tathāgata’s Practice
They are further gathered into one: the Tathāgata’s practice, which contains every practice.
Compassion removes every suffering—the sufferings of the four destinies, the three realms, the two vehicles, bodhisattvas, and so forth. Loving-kindness gives every joy—the joys of humans and gods, nirvāṇa, permanence, and so forth. The robe of gentleness screens off every ugliness—the ugliness of the four abiding delusions, nescience, ignorance, and so forth. The seat of emptiness forgets every mark—being marked, unmarked, neither marked, nor unmarked. This is the comprehensive meaning.
The separate meaning is that compassion gives rise to every good, gentleness stops every evil, and the seat of emptiness sweeps away every mark.
Further, loving-kindness and patience establish every merit, while the seat of emptiness accomplishes every wisdom. Wisdom is the eyes, namely the five eyes; merit is the two feet, namely the six perfections.
Further, compassion surpasses all śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas, gentleness surpasses all ordinary beings and non-Buddhist practitioners, and the seat of emptiness surpasses bodhisattvas of analytic emptiness, embodied emptiness, partial teachings, and so forth. Thus Vimalakīrti says: “Only one who vanquishes an enemy can be called courageous.”
Further, compassion destroys the heavenly māra, gentleness destroys the māra of the aggregates, and emptiness destroys the māras of afflictions and death. The Larger Prajñāpāramitā says: “Transform all sentient beings and contemplate that all is empty; then Māra cannot gain an opening.” 〔And so forth.〕
Further, loving-kindness and patience make questioning possible, while the seat of emptiness makes answering possible; together they perfect the two adornments.
Further, contemplating emptiness makes questioning possible, while loving-kindness and patience make answering possible. Loving-kindness and patience plant, establish, and support; the wisdom of emptiness weeds, breaks through, and guides.
Further, because of compassion, what separation could there be? Because of gentleness, what obstruction could there be? Because of the seat of emptiness, what dispute could there be?
Because it transcends the three truths, it is called the banner of victory; because it contains and universally gathers, it is called the Mahāyāna; because it is the Tathāgata’s practice, it is called the king of samādhis. The sutra says that loving-kindness is the root of every wholesome dharma, patient endurance is foremost, and the path takes the absence of marks as supreme. Were one to discuss the perfect practice, speech could never exhaust it. 〔And so forth.〕
VIII. Question and Answer: Why Explain the Dharma Teacher through Three Dharmas?
Question: Why is the Dharma teacher explained through precisely these three dharmas?
Answer: On a first pass at the level of affairs, one must ascend the lecture hall, arrange one’s robe, and take one’s seat before one can expound and propagate the teaching. Therefore the explanation uses these three.
Further, when affairs and principle are explained together, delusion does not exceed three kinds: first, delusion arising in relation to the fruit of suffering; second, delusion arising in relation to binding karma; third, delusion arising in relation to the principle of the truths. Therefore three gateways are used to reveal and guide.
Further, at the level of principle, confusion about the truth leads one to fall into suffering, so the gateway of compassion is used; confusion about the conventional truth makes one stagnate in emptiness and experience pleasure, so the gateway of gentleness and patience is used; confusion about the middle way becomes a cognitive obstruction, so the gateway of emptiness is used. 〔And so forth.〕
IX. Explaining the Name and Concluding the Chapter
Dharma means a rule or standard; teacher means one who instructs and fashions. Although Dharma can serve as a standard, its substance cannot propagate itself; bringing it into circulation depends upon people. All five kinds of people who transmit the sutra can be called teachers: by raising the Dharma and accomplishing their personal practice, they all take the Wondrous Dharma as teacher. Because their personal practice is accomplished by taking the Wondrous Dharma as teacher, they are called Dharma teachers.
Further, the five kinds of person can use the Wondrous Dharma to instruct and fashion others. Thus the Dharma is raised to qualify the teacher, and the chapter is called “The Dharma Teacher.”
Whether one regulates oneself through the Dharma or uses the Dharma to fashion others, one is called a Dharma teacher. This is the interpretation through causes and conditions of the chapter.
All the many explanations above interpret the chapter title through the Dharma gateway of the Perfect Teaching.
X. Classification of the Five Chapters That Circulate the Trace Gate
The first three rounds constitute the Trace Gate: the direct teaching, reception and understanding, and predictions are all complete. The following five chapters circulate the Trace Gate. They not only shelter and benefit people of that time, but also seek to moisten generations to come; therefore five chapters perform the work of circulation.
“The Dharma Teacher” and “The Jeweled Stūpa” explain the profound work and weighty merit of propagating the sutra, circulating it among those who have not heard it for immense benefit. “Devadatta” invokes past propagation of the sutra, through which both parties gained benefit, to demonstrate the depth and weight of its merit. In “Encouragement to Uphold,” the eighty thousand great beings whose power of patience is mature propagate the sutra in this land, while those newly given predictions propagate it in other lands. According to an older explanation, “Peaceful Practices” draws in those who have fallen away so that they may circulate the sutra—perhaps this is so, but it may not be the whole account.
Ordinary beginners outside the stages aspire to such extraordinary merit, but they see śrāvakas fearful and apprehensive and hear of bodhisattvas being rejected and humiliated. Looking back upon their own weak strength, they see no benefit for themselves or others and give rise to a mind of retreat. The Buddha teaches peaceful practices for such people; by propagating the Dharma in accordance with them, they need not fear danger or hardship.
Further, in “The Dharma Teacher” Śākyamuni himself speaks of the merit and blessing of propagating the sutra, recruiting people to circulate it. In “The Jeweled Stūpa,” Many Jewels and the emanation buddhas both bear witness and lend their aid, encouraging people to circulate it.
The opening prose and verses of “The Dharma Teacher” praise the five kinds of Dharma teacher—the people capable of upholding the Dharma. The later prose and verses praise the Dharma that they uphold. They also reveal the rules for transmitting the sutra.
XI. The Disciples’ Gateway · During the Buddha’s Lifetime
The opening is again divided into two: first, through the gateway of disciples who receive the path and Dharma, it explains profound work and weighty merit; second, through the gateway of teachers who confer the path and Dharma, it explains profound work and weighty merit.
The disciples’ gateway is further divided into two: disciples during the Buddha’s lifetime and disciples after his extinction.
At the beginning, “through Medicine King he addressed the eighty thousand”—“through” means entrusting. The Buddha wishes to entrust the Wondrous Dharma to Medicine King, so that he will receive it and inform the eighty thousand great beings, and all will come to circulate it. Pointing to these people and asking whether they see them explicitly identifies those who gain merit by upholding the sutra.
The passage concerning the Buddha’s lifetime is further divided into two: first, from “he addressed Medicine King” onward, it distinguishes the classes of people; second, from “all before the Buddha” onward, it distinguishes the causes and conditions for receiving predictions.
Those who were directly addressed before the Buddha and wondrously awakened were the twenty-five hundred people of broad learning and deep understanding; they had already received both collective and individual predictions. The classes now distinguished may include the eight kinds of beings, or the four assemblies and three vehicles—all who were seated at the Lotus assembly.
“all before the Buddha” explains the time: it was when they encountered the Buddha seated before them. “a single sentence or verse” means that the Dharma heard was exceedingly little. “even for a single thought” means that the time was extremely brief. “all are given predictions that they will attain bodhi” explains that although they heard exceedingly little and for an extremely brief time, the merit of their rejoicing nevertheless brought them the fruit of buddhahood. How much more so if they hear it fully, uphold it throughout their lives, circulate it in five ways, and make offerings through the three karmas? 〔And so forth.〕
“hearing a single sentence or verse” refers to those who hear little and understand shallowly, yet all are now given predictions. If even those with little receive predictions, how much more those with much and profound understanding? Using the lesser to indicate the greater, its universality and breadth are this extensive. Since the final round is so, the middle and first rounds are likewise; the meaning can be understood from this without further explanation.
The Sutra of the Samādhi of Directly Seeing Reality separately gives predictions to the four heavenly kings, all named Fire Upholder; to the gods of the Heaven of the Thirty-three, all named King Indra’s Banner; to Kauśika, named Unattached; to the Yāma gods, all named Pure Wisdom; and to the Tuṣita gods, all named King of the Dharma of Śakra. The two heavens above them are also all given predictions, though separate names are not disclosed; the Brahmā gods are named Great Wisdom-Power. These belong to the class of broad learning and deep understanding; those now given predictions belong to the class of little hearing and shallow understanding.
An older explanation says that pratyekabuddhas and bodhisattvas were not given predictions. This passage gives predictions to all three vehicles, so there is no need for doubt.
Concerning “one verse or sentence,” the Ekottara Collection says: “Take at will an essential verse from the sutra, such as one concerning the Four Truths.” The Treatise on the Ten Stages of the Bodhisattva says: “Aversion and contempt are called disenchantment; not seeking is called absence of desire; a mind without defilement is called liberation; laying down the heavy burden is called nirvāṇa. Aversion and contempt concern origination; not seeking concerns suffering; freedom from defilement is the path; laying down the heavy burden is cessation.” It further says: “The Buddha told Pūrṇa: I have four statements, namely the Four Truths and the four establishments of mindfulness,” and so forth.
Interpreted through contemplation of mind, every sentence and every verse returns to the one; there is no sentence or verse that does not. 〔And so forth.〕
If one takes the essential statements of the Trace Gate, they are opening, revealing, awakening, and entering; riding this jeweled vehicle to travel in the four directions; the four peaceful practices; the four intentions of encouragement; and so forth.
XII. Rejoicing for a Single Thought: Vertical and Horizontal Explanations
“Rejoicing for a single thought” means that although one has not yet practiced and merely rejoices in the Dharma and its people, the meritorious result is already abundant. How much more so when one’s practice reaches its proper place?
The joyful mind of rejoicing has two forms:
If, upon hearing the opening of the provisional to reveal the real, one deeply understands within a single thought the principle that is neither provisional nor real and trusts the Buddha’s knowledge and vision, while also comprehending both provisional and real together and the perfect interfusion of affairs and principle—though still fully endowed with the nature of afflictions, one knows the Tathāgata’s secret treasury. This is rejoicing discussed vertically.
Again, if upon hearing the purport of opening the provisional to reveal the real, one broadly understands within a single mind that every mind and every dharma is Buddha-Dharma without obstruction, then if one wished to distinguish and explain them, speech could not exhaust them: one month, four months, or even a year of successive explanation would not finish. Although one has not yet attained a genuine mind of rejoicing, one can understand in this way. As the Dharma is so, people are also so. This is rejoicing discussed horizontally.
The horizontal is itself vertical, and the vertical is itself horizontal. Therefore the Great Nirvana Sutra says, “Prefer to hear little and understand much of its meaning and flavor.” This is the meaning; it should be explained again below.
XIII. The Disciples’ Gateway · After the Buddha’s Extinction
From “he addressed Medicine King: again, after the Tathāgata’s extinction” onward, the text explains disciples after the Buddha’s extinction. This too has two parts: first, it identifies the class of disciples, briefly indicating the persons, who may be understood by comparison with those above; next, it says “I too give them predictions,” whose meritorious result is as explained before.
XIV. The Teachers’ Gateway · The Present Age
From “if, further, there is a person” onward begins the second division, the teachers’ gateway, which has prose and verse.
The prose has two parts: first the specific, then the general. The specific discusses people, while the time above concerns present and future. The general, from “regardless” onward, includes both present and future and comprehensively explains the offense gained by opposing it and the merit gained by following it.
The specific passage is further divided into two: first the present age, then the age to come.
The present age is further divided into two: first the lower-grade teacher, then the higher-grade teacher.
The lower-grade teacher has two parts: first the teacher’s characteristics, then the teacher’s meritorious result. The characteristics are the five kinds of Dharma teacher and the ten kinds of offering.
Next, from “Medicine King, know that these people have previously made offerings” onward, the text explains the lower grade’s meritorious result. “Previously made offerings” means that their causes in past lives are deep. “Out of pity for sentient beings they are born in this human world” explains the greatness of their present merit. From “if someone asks” onward, it explains the profundity of their future result.
From “how much more one who can fully receive and uphold it” onward, the text explains the higher-grade teacher, also in two parts: first it brings out the higher-grade teacher by comparison; next, “Medicine King, know that this person voluntarily relinquishes the recompense of pure karma,” explains the higher grade’s meritorious result.
XV. The Teachers’ Gateway · After the Buddha’s Extinction
From “if this good man, after my extinction, can privately speak for even one person” onward, the text explains that teachers after the Buddha’s extinction likewise have lower and higher grades.
The lower grade also has two parts. First it identifies the lower-grade person: one who has attained the sutra’s meaning only vertically, possesses wisdom but lacks learning, and is fit only to explain it privately, not yet before an assembly. This is therefore a lower-grade teacher.
“Privately speak a single sentence for one person” means that although one has gained an understanding of one sentence, without broad learning in the various divergent meanings one must not speak before an assembly. If one cannot penetrate every question and challenge, correct principle will fail to be proclaimed and transmitted. It is as the Explanatory Treatise says of wisdom without learning: like a small rain without thunder. If one wishes to articulate a correct explanation of this sentence, one should for the time being speak only in private.
“Know that this person is an envoy of the Tathāgata” explains the person’s meritorious result. The sutra is spoken by suchness-wisdom, and what it speaks is suchness-principle. A practitioner today who receives this teaching of suchness and proclaims the principle of suchness has been dispatched by the Tathāgata.
“Performing the Tathāgata’s work”—suchness-wisdom illuminates suchness-principle as its work. A practitioner today who practices suchness-principle in accordance with the teaching of suchness performs the Tathāgata’s work. On one side is suchness-wisdom, on the other suchness-principle, and transforming sentient beings is the work. A practitioner today who can exercise great compassion, explaining the principle of true suchness within this sutra so that sentient beings benefit, is also said to perform the Tathāgata’s work.
Interpreted through contemplation of mind, an envoy of the Tathāgata is the wisdom-mind contemplating its object, while that object is true suchness. The object comes forth and elicits wisdom, so wisdom is dispatched by suchness. “Sent by the Tathāgata” means that contemplative wisdom comes from suchness. “Performing the Tathāgata’s work” means passing through every dharma and finding none that is not true suchness; true suchness itself is the Buddha’s work.
From “how much more before a great assembly” onward, the text explains the higher-grade person. It omits comparison of the meritorious result; the meaning can be understood.
XVI. General Explanation of the Offense of Opposition and the Merit of Accord
From “if there is an evil person” onward begins the second division, which discusses all five kinds of Dharma teacher generally: those who oppose them gain offense, while those who accord with them gain merit.
Here offense and merit are not weighed according to the richness or barrenness of the field of merit, but only according to the beginner and the one at the final stage. A beginner is still fully endowed with afflictions. If obstructed, the matter being studied is abandoned, and therefore the offense is great. A buddha is impartial; evil cannot harass or coerce a buddha, so how could it obstruct one? Therefore the offense is said to be light.
The same is true of making offerings. This practitioner still depends upon support; if offerings are received, the work of cultivation succeeds, so the merit of giving to this person is excellent. A buddha depends upon nothing and has fulfilled every task; although one again presents offerings, they add nothing to the Buddha. Therefore the result is called inferior.
It is like a crown prince in adversity: providing what he needs brings immense merit, while insulting the royal line incurs no light offense. Thus both offense and merit are weighty. Giving clothing and food to a great king, by contrast, is a secondary and minor matter; even should one wish to violate him, one cannot cause harm. Thus both offense and merit are slight.
From “Medicine King” onward, the text explains that reading and reciting adorn one like the Buddha; this is the merit gained by accord, because the Buddha is adorned with concentration and wisdom, and this person can cultivate concentration and wisdom.
“Borne upon the Tathāgata’s shoulder”—to bear upon the back is he, and to carry upon the shoulder is dan. Cultivating the substance of the dharma-body, which is neither provisional nor real, is to be borne by the Tathāgata; exercising the functions of the two wisdoms that can plant and actualize is to be carried by the Tathāgata.
“In whatever direction that person goes, one should face that way and bow”—above, the Dharma was explained as teacher; now the person is shown capable of serving as teacher to the many. Wherever this person proceeds accords with the true mark and may be honored and followed. Following is “facing,” honoring is “bowing”; one honors and follows while also making offerings and so forth. 〔And so forth.〕
XVII. Sixteen Lines of Verse
The verse has sixteen lines, divided into three parts: the first two stanzas do not restate the prose but separately encourage and exhort personal practice and benefit to others; the next thirteen lines restate the specific and general divisions of the teachers’ gateway; the final line praises the sutra.
Within the restatement of the specific and general divisions are two further parts: the first seven lines restate the specific, and the latter six restate the general.
The specific gateway above covered present and future. Here the first four lines restate the present and the latter three restate the future. Both present and future above had higher- and lower-grade teachers.
Here, first, the one line from “if there is one who can” onward restates the lower grade: the first half presents the Dharma teacher, and the half-line from “know that from the Buddha” onward presents the meritorious result. The three lines from “all who can receive and uphold” onward restate the present higher-grade teacher: the first half-line presents the higher-grade teacher’s characteristics; from “relinquishing a pure land” onward begins the second part, two and a half lines restating the meritorious result.
The three lines from “after my extinction” onward restate the future. The first two lines reverse the sequence to restate the higher grade introduced by comparison, in two parts: the first half-line from “after my extinction” onward restates the Dharma teacher—the prose lacked the meritorious result, but the verse now includes it; second, the one and a half lines from “one should join one’s palms” onward explain the meritorious result. The one line from “if one can, in a later age” onward is the second division and returns to restate the lower-grade teacher: its first half presents the person, and its second half, from “I dispatch [someone] there” onward, states the meritorious result.
The six lines from “if for the course of a kalpa” onward form the second division and generally restate the general gateway above. That gateway also had two parts: the first two lines restate the offense gained by opposition; the four lines from “there is someone who seeks the Buddha path” onward restate the merit gained by accord.
The one line from “Medicine King, I now tell you” onward forms the third division and praises the sutra’s nobility and subtlety.
XVIII. Praising the Dharma Upheld: General Statement of Five Praises
From “at that time the Buddha again addressed” onward begins the second division, which praises the Dharma upheld and the method of propagating the sutra. The Dharma upheld is that which regulates oneself; the method of propagation is that which regulates others. It has prose and verse.
The prose first praises the sutra-Dharma and then states the guiding rules.
The praise has five parts: first, praising it in relation to the Dharma, also by comparison; second, praising it in relation to people; third, in relation to place; fourth, in relation to cause; fifth, in relation to result. Because the Dharma is wondrous, the person is noble; because the person is noble, the place is honored; because the place is honored, the cause is perfect; because the cause is perfect, the result is ultimate.
XIX. Praise in Relation to the Dharma: Already, Now, and Yet to Be Taught
First comes praise of the Dharma: among what has already been taught, is now taught, and will be taught, this sutra is foremost.
One Dharma teacher explains that “already taught” is the Prajñāpāramitā and “yet to be taught” is the Great Nirvana Sutra. Before the Lotus, great and small were separated; after the Lotus, they have been brought together. This sutra is precisely the beginning of gathering the three and the first return to the one, and therefore it is called foremost. The sutra praises the Lotus as standing beyond already, now, and yet to be taught. This Dharma teacher has omitted one interval. 〔And so forth.〕
In the present explanation, “already” refers to the gradual and sudden teachings through the Larger Prajñāpāramitā and before; “now” refers to the same assembly, namely the Sutra of Immeasurable Meanings; “yet to be” refers to the Great Nirvana Sutra.
The gradual and sudden sutras through the Larger Prajñāpāramitā all carried skillful means and were comparatively easy for people to trust. The Sutra of Immeasurable Meanings now generates the immeasurable from the one, but the immeasurable has not yet returned to the one; this too is easy to trust. The Lotus now discusses Dharma by interfusing all distinctions and returning them to one Dharma, and discusses people by showing that the traces and origins of teachers and disciples are both long-remote. Both gateways run contrary to the past and are difficult to trust and understand. The Lotus has already spoken the difficult matter directly beneath the arrowheads; the Great Nirvana Sutra that follows is therefore easy to trust.
“Treasury of the secret essence”—what is concealed and unspoken is called secret; what gathers everything is called essential; what contains and stores true suchness and the true mark is called a treasury.
“It must not be distributed”—the Dharma is subtle and difficult to trust. It may be conferred upon those of profound wisdom, but it will only increase the offenses of the unwise, and therefore must not be spoken casually.
“From the past until now, it has never been openly taught”—the Tripiṭaka teaching does not say that the two vehicles become buddhas, nor does it clarify the origins and traces of teachers and disciples. Although the Vaipulya and Prajñāpāramitā teachings speak of the treasury of the true mark, they do not yet say that the five vehicles become buddhas, nor have they revealed the origin by opening the traces. The sudden and gradual teachings have not been integrated, and therefore it is called secret. This sutra fully articulates the Dharma secreted in the past; it opens the secret treasury and is itself the secret treasury. Such a secret treasury has never before been openly taught.
“Even while the Tathāgata is in the world, there is much resentment and jealousy”—for more than forty years it could not be declared at once. Even now, when the Buddha wishes to teach it, five thousand immediately leave the assembly. If this occurs even while the Buddha is in the world, how much more in the future! That it is difficult to transform people follows necessarily in principle.
XX. Praise in Relation to People
From “after the Tathāgata’s extinction, those who can copy and uphold it” onward begins the second division, praise in relation to people. When this Dharma abides in a person, that person is noble.
“Covered by the Tathāgata’s robe” means cultivating and learning the great patience as one’s robe; above it was called “the Tathāgata’s adornment.”
“Kept in mind and protected by the buddhas”—the true mark is Buddha, and real wisdom is the child. Honoring the true mark gives rise to real wisdom, and therefore one is kept in mind and protected by all buddhas.
The four faiths are “the power of faith,” the four universal vows are “the power of vows,” and great wisdom is “the power of wholesome roots.” Faith means trusting principle, and principle is the dharma-body; vows establish practice, and practice is liberation; wholesome roots have a foundation so firm that it is difficult to move, and this is prajñā.
Know that these three powers are the secret treasury of the three virtues. A beginner who abides here is no different from the Buddha, and therefore it is called “lodging together with the Tathāgata.”
Further, through the power of faith one cultivates the Tathāgata’s wisdom of ultimate emptiness. The Tathāgata takes ultimate emptiness as his dwelling; because this person also learns ultimate emptiness through the power of faith, one lodges together with the Tathāgata.
“The hand strokes the head”—through the powers of vows and wholesome roots, this person’s own provisional and real wisdom functions as the responsive capacity, which is called the head. The Tathāgata’s provisional and real wisdom for transforming others is called the hand; it opens and develops the preceding person’s head of provisional and real wisdom in personal practice. Because stimulus and response intersect, the text speaks of stroking the head; stroking the head is the bestowal of a prediction.
XXI. Praise in Relation to Place
From “wherever, in every place” onward begins the third division, praise in relation to place. Wherever this Dharma is found, that place is honored.
Stūpas should be raised at the Buddha’s birthplace, place of awakening, place of turning the Dharma wheel, place of entry into nirvāṇa, and every other place visited by the Dharma King. This sutra is the birthplace of the dharma-body, the site of the path where awakening occurs, the true substance of the Dharma wheel, and the cavern-dwelling of great nirvāṇa. Wherever this sutra is found, a stūpa must be raised and offerings made.
“No relics need be placed there”—the Explanatory Treatise says, “Fragments of bone are relics of the physical body; sutra scrolls are relics of the dharma-body.” This sutra is a relic of the dharma-body, so relics of the physical body need not also be deposited. Both the physical body and the dharma-body have whole-body and fragmented forms; these can be understood. 〔And so forth.〕
XXII. Praise in Relation to Cause
From “if one leaves home” onward begins the fourth division, praise by raising the cause.
“If one has not skillfully practiced the bodhisattva path”—receiving the first three teachings is a dispersed relic of the dharma-body and does not yet constitute skillful deliverance. Entering the Perfect Teaching is the whole-body relic, and that is skillful deliverance; skillful deliverance is skillful practice.
XXIII. Praise in Relation to Result: Proximity to the Result
From “those sentient beings” onward begins the fifth division, praise by raising the result. The text has five parts: first, explaining proximity to the result; second, opening the parable; third, correlating the parable; fourth, explaining proximity—not introducing a separate fourfold interpretation; fifth, distinguishing what is not so.
The opening now explains proximity to the result. “Know that they will certainly draw near the fruit of complete awakening”—in “Peaceful Practices” this is called “the place of proximity.” The substance of this fruit of bodhi is the locus of the Buddha’s eye and the Buddha’s wisdom and knowledge. It therefore has two forms: the bodhi of the beginner’s mind and the bodhi of the final mind. Here “near” means specifically near to the bodhi of the first abode.
Further, one who cultivates the perfect cause while looking toward the perfect fruit and gains a semblance of understanding is called near. In the earlier praise in relation to cause, cultivating the causes of the Shared and Separate Teachings was called unskillful and far from the perfect fruit; cultivating the perfect cause is skillful practice and near to the perfect fruit.
Now perfect wisdom in accord with reality serves as both cause and result: true suchness before the path is the direct cause; true suchness within the path is the conditioning cause and is also called the revealing cause; true suchness after the path is the perfect fruit.
Therefore the Contemplation of Samantabhadra says: “The cause of the Great Vehicle is precisely the true mark, and the fruit of the Great Vehicle is also the true mark.” The Explanatory Treatise says: “The initial contemplation of the true mark is called the cause; the completion of contemplation is called the result.”
At the level of principle, true suchness and the true mark cannot be assigned cause or result and have no before or after. In relation to the practice of sentient beings, however, there are before and after, as well as cause and result.
XXIV. Opening the Parable: Digging a Well
From “it is like a person” onward begins the second division, opening the parable. It has two explanations: one through the gateway of contemplation and one through the gateway of teaching.
Gateway of contemplation: A sentient being’s mind, fully endowed with many afflictions, is called the “high plain”; cultivating contemplative wisdom is called “digging”; and first realizing the flavor of principle is like obtaining clear water.
In the contemplation of the Shared Teaching, the ground of dry wisdom is like “dry soil,” the ground of the nature is “moist soil and mud,” and seeing the truths is obtaining clear water.
In the contemplation of the Separate Teaching, entering emptiness from the provisional sees only emptiness and not nonemptiness. Cutting off the afflictions of the four abidings is like digging dry soil and remaining far from water. Emerging from emptiness into the provisional, one first knew that things were not provisional and now knows that they are not empty. Through these two contemplations one can enter the middle way, subdue ignorance, and in turn see moist soil, thereby drawing near the water.
In the contemplation of the Perfect Teaching, the middle way is neither empty nor provisional, yet illuminates emptiness and the provisional; this is like gradually reaching moist mud. The four abiding delusions have been exhausted and ignorance subdued. One has already gained a semblance of perfect understanding of the middle way, so the text speaks of mud. If one enters the first abode and gives rise to a genuine understanding of the middle way, one breaks through ignorance as mud settles clear and sees the middle way as one sees clear water. The Treatise on the Lotus Sutra says, “the water of buddha-nature”; know the sequence within it.
Gateway of teaching: Soil represents scriptural teaching, while water represents the middle way; a teaching explains the middle way as soil contains water. The Tripiṭaka Teaching does not explain the middle way and is like dry soil. The Vaipulya and Prajñāpāramitā teachings explain the meaning of the middle way while carrying skillful means and are like moist soil. The teaching of the Lotus directly and openly reveals the unsurpassed path and is like seeing mud. Through hearing, reflecting, and cultivating in response to the Lotus teaching, one awakens to the middle way and truly sees buddha-nature. The genuine wisdom that arises no longer depends upon written words, like obtaining clear water in which the appearance of soil is no more. Therefore the Avataṃsaka Sutra says: “The wisdom-body possessed by bodhisattvas of the ten abodes is not awakened through another.”
XXV. Five Schools’ Divergent Explanations and the Root Treatise’s Judgment
Someone says: the initial teaching is like the dry soil of a high plain; the Larger Prajñāpāramitā is like moist soil; the Lotus is like mud; buddhahood is like water.
Someone says: the Vimalakīrti Sutra and Sutra of the Questions of Brahmā are like dry soil; the Sutra of Immeasurable Meanings is like moist soil; the Lotus is like mud; buddhahood is like water.
Someone says: the Larger Prajñāpāramitā is like dry soil; the Sutra of Immeasurable Meanings is like moist soil; the Lotus is like mud; buddhahood is like water.
These three schools all follow the theory of the Five Periods.
Master Sheng says: “Receiving and upholding the Lotus while seeking the Buddha path is desire like thirst. The three vehicles find the One Vehicle difficult to trust, and seeking understanding of the Lotus is like being upon a high plain. Receiving, upholding, reading, and reciting are digging. Failing to understand in accordance with what one has heard is not yet hearing and is like dry soil; being able to understand is reaching mud.” The annotator agrees with him.
Someone says that one explanation places one far from the Buddha, while the other places one near the Buddha. The first three Dharma teachers explain the various teachings as far from the Buddha and the Lotus as near the Buddha; the latter two explanations discuss distance and proximity only within the Lotus.
Examining the sutra’s meaning, there should be two senses: first, comparing the other sutras with the Lotus to clarify distance and proximity; second, discussing distance and proximity within the Lotus itself. These Dharma teachers have missed the sutra’s purport.
XXVI. Two Questions and Answers
Question: Why are the other sutras far from the Buddha?
Answer: Because they have not opened the provisional, those seeking buddhahood remain uncertain. The Lotus declares only one and no three and forever leaves behind the mind of retreat; therefore it is near the Buddha. The sutra says: “It definitively resolves the śrāvaka teaching.”
Question: How can the Prajñāpāramitā be far from the Buddha?
Answer: The aspect in which it has not opened the provisional is far. A beginning bodhisattva does not recognize how the Prajñāpāramitā secretly transforms and entrusts the family estate; for that person, therefore, it is far.
The real and skillful wisdoms of the Prajñāpāramitā are the parents of the dharma-bodies of the buddhas of the three times. A person seeking buddhahood is like an old and sick person supported by two strong people, who can thereby travel far. Know that the Prajñāpāramitā is supremely excellent. The Lotus opening the provisional is no different from the Prajñāpāramitā revealing the real; there is no separate Lotus outside the Prajñāpāramitā. Lotus and Prajñāpāramitā are merely different names.
Because these are the divergent explanations of various Dharma teachers, they have simply been recorded.
XXVII. Correlating the Parable
Next, from “bodhisattvas are also like this” onward begins the third division, correlating the parable. Gaining the three wisdoms of hearing, reflection, and cultivation within the Lotus constitutes the three wisdoms of perfect contemplation and alone enables one to draw near the result—not hearing, reflection, and cultivation within such teachings as dry or moist soil.
XXVIII. Explaining the Meaning of Proximity and Three Schools on Opening the Gateway of Skillful Means
From “why is this?” onward begins the fourth division, explaining the meaning of proximity. “all bodhisattvas” clarifies the many provisional causes; “complete awakening” clarifies every provisional result. Provisional causes and results all belong to this sutra, just as dry and moist soils depend upon water, and therefore are said to belong to it.
“Opening the gateway of skillful means and revealing the true mark”—
Guangzhai says: “In the past, the capacities at the Deer Park were mixed. The Tripiṭaka was taught extensively, but the one principle was not clarified. At that time the provisional concealed the real, and the one principle was closed off by the provisional teaching. Now, in the royal city, the Buddha responds to great capacities and reveals the real. Once the real is revealed, the former teaching is abolished; because the former teaching is abolished, the gateway of skillful means is opened. Once the one principle is manifest, the true mark is revealed.” My private judgment is that this explanation breaks skillful means rather than opening skillful means.
Daolang of Hexi says: “Directly naming the three as skillful means is opening the gateway of skillful means. In the past it was not said that the three were skillful means, so the gateway of skillful means was closed. Now naming the three as skillful means is revealing the one as real.” My private judgment is that this explanation accords with the sutra text.
Someone explains that the two skillful means of teaching and body are opened, while the two realities of teaching and body are revealed. The buddhas of the three times possess only the provisional and real of form and voice; when these are opened and revealed, the twelve divisions and the eighty thousand treasuries shine clearly. My private judgment is that the first two Dharma teachers speak of opening and revealing in relation to teaching, while this latter person adds the body. Is this stealing the meaning of Nāgārjuna and Sengyin and making it one’s own explanation? It remains the sense of breaking skillful means rather than opening them.
XXIX. Three Questions and Answers
Question: Is skillful means itself immediately a gateway, or is it called a gateway because it leads to the true mark?
My private answer: it has both meanings. “Serving as a gateway to the true mark” can be understood. “Its own substance is itself a gateway” is like seeking spiritual friends in the Avataṃsaka Sutra and attaining various Dharma gateways—counting sands, contemplating the ocean, and so forth.
Each of these two gateways has opening and closing. In the past the three were not said to be skillful means, and thus that gateway was covered and closed; now the three are said to be skillful means, and thus that gateway is opened. In the past the one was not said to be real, and the gateway of the real was covered and closed; now the one is said to be real, and thus the gateway of the real is opened.
Second, this skillful means also leads to the true mark; therefore the skillful means of the three vehicles are the gateway to the One Vehicle.
The true mark also has two meanings. First, because its own substance is empty and open, it is called a gateway, as in the Dharma gateway of nonduality in the Vimalakīrti Sutra and the Dharma-realm gateway in the Avataṃsaka Sutra. Second, it can lead to skillful means and thereby serve as a gateway. Liu Qiu says: “The function of penetrating the myriad things proceeds from the one, so the one is the gateway of skillful means. The efficacy of drawing beings forth depends greatly upon the three, so the three are the mark of reality. Saying that there are not three opens the gateway of skillful means; saying that there is only one reveals the true mark.”
Someone says that the complete discussion has three meanings: first, the three are skillful means and the one is real; second, both three and one are skillful means, while neither three nor one is real; third, three and one are dual, neither three nor one is nondual, both duality and nonduality are provisional, while neither dual nor nondual is real. All three formulations can serve as gateways. Thus the three serve as gateway to the one, with the provisional leading to the real; the one can serve as gateway to the three, with the real giving rise to the provisional; and so on with duality and nonduality. Each can mutually serve as a gateway and mutually serve as a mark, but they cannot mutually serve as provisional and real.
My private judgment is this: according to the claim that the three are the gateway to the one, do the three vehicles lead to the true mark? If they do not, they are not a gateway; the three must be opened before they can become a gateway. Once the three have been opened, they are no longer three, so how can the three be a gateway to the true mark? Further, the three are not the Buddha-cause, so how could they be the gateway to the true mark? Once this meaning is refuted, the other two may be inferred by analogy. 〔And so forth.〕
Question: If skillful means and the true mark can mutually serve as gateways, can skillful means also serve as the gateway to skillful means and the true mark as the gateway to the true mark?
This yields four cases, two of which are as above. Third, the true mark serves as the gateway to the true mark; fourth, skillful means serves as the gateway to skillful means. It is like a name serving as the gateway to a meaning and a meaning serving as the gateway to a name: because the name “skillful means” discloses the meaning of skillful means, the name is the gateway to the meaning; because the meaning of skillful means corresponds to the name “skillful means,” the meaning is the gateway to the name. The same applies to the true mark. The “Preface to the Middle Treatise” says: “Reality cannot be awakened to without a name, and so the word ‘middle’ is provisionally entrusted to proclaim it.” This is precisely the matter.
Question: Can one use the three to reveal the three and the one to reveal the one?
This too yields four cases, two of which are as above. Using the three to reveal the three means this: the three of the past are different from the one of today, and those three stand outside the one; the one of today is different from the three of the past, and that one stands outside the three. Thus the one is not the one belonging to the school of three, and the three are not the three belonging to the school of one; both are attached views.
To break this illness, three are separately taught within the One Buddha Vehicle, and therefore the three are the three belonging to the school of one. “What you practice is the bodhisattva path,” and therefore the one is the one belonging to the school of three. Since three and one are not different, this is the meaning of causes and conditions. The circumstantially arisen three and one reveal the three and one posited as self-existent; the self-existent three and one also reveal the circumstantially arisen three and one. Therefore it is said that the three reveal the one and the one reveals the three.
XXX. Fifteen Passages Explaining “Gateway”
Someone cites fifteen passages to explain “gateway”: two in “Skillful Means,” six in “Parables,” three in “Faith and Understanding,” two in “The Conjured City,” one in “The Dharma Teacher,” and one in “Avalokiteśvara.”
The two passages in “Skillful Means” are these. First is the gateway of wisdom: provisional wisdom is the gateway to real wisdom. Master Sheng says: “Verbal teaching is the gateway. Verbal teaching explains real wisdom, and therefore verbal teaching is the gateway to real wisdom.” The Treatise on the Lotus Sutra says the same. Next, the sutra speaks of proclaiming the Buddha path through various Dharma gateways; this takes the Great Vehicle teaching as gateway.
The six passages in “Parables” are these. First, “the house was vast and had only one gateway” again takes the Great Vehicle teaching as gateway. Second, “the gateway that burned” takes the bounded domain of the three realms as gateway, just as the house itself is called the gateway. Third, “there was only one gateway, and it was narrow and small” again takes the Great Vehicle teaching as gateway. Fourth, “the three carts were outside the gateway” again takes the three realms as gateway. Fifth, “through the gateway of the Buddha’s teaching they leave the sufferings of the three realms” takes the Lesser Vehicle teaching as gateway. Sixth, “standing outside the gateway” relies upon the Great Vehicle and takes the bounded domain of the two deaths as gateway. Lesser Vehicle practitioners too have left every affliction, have exhausted both active afflictions and their habituations, and are therefore said to stand outside the gateway.
The three passages in “Faith and Understanding” are these: “standing beside the gateway” takes the Great Vehicle principle and teaching as gateway; second, “still outside the gateway” is as above; third, “within the elder’s gateway” is likewise as above.
The two passages in “The Conjured City” are these: “please open the gateway of ambrosia” again concerns the gateways of the great and small teachings; “layered gateways and lofty towers” takes the Lesser Vehicle’s three gateways of emptiness.
The gateway in “Skillful Means” is as explained above. The passage in “Avalokiteśvara” likewise takes the great teaching as gateway.
XXXI. The Present Explanation of “Opening the Gateway of Skillful Means”
The present explanation of “opening the gateway of skillful means” is this: everything not taught in the past is now taught.
In the past it was taught that every worldly livelihood and productive enterprise—how could these ever have been skillful means? Now all are opened, precisely as the true mark and without contradiction.
In the past, Lesser Vehicle skillful means and the Lesser Vehicle result were taught. Even the Lesser Vehicle result was not a gateway to the true mark, so how could the Lesser Vehicle’s skillful means be a gateway? Now all are opened as the true mark: “What you practice is the bodhisattva path”; “it definitively resolves the śrāvaka teaching”; and “it is king among the sutras.”
In the past the two were taught as the gateway of skillful means. Now they are all opened as the true mark—how could they still be a gateway? “Causing all sentient beings to open, reveal, awaken to, and enter the Buddha’s knowledge and vision”—not one color or fragrance is anything other than Buddha-Dharma. Whether gateway or not gateway, all are opened to reveal the true mark and disclose the water of buddha-nature. If not opened, it remains deep, firm, obscure, and remote, reached by no one. Now that it is opened, the water can be seen and dry soil is no more.
There is also an explanation through the three wisdoms. Everything belonging to this sutra is the Perfect Teaching’s wisdom of hearing; this sutra opening skillful means is the Perfect Teaching’s wisdom of reflection; revealing the true mark is the Perfect Teaching’s wisdom of cultivation. These three were obscure and remote; the Buddha now opens and reveals them, and the real can therefore be seen.
XXXII. Distinguishing What Is Not So
From “Medicine King, if a bodhisattva hears” onward begins the fifth division, distinguishing what is not so. If a bodhisattva hears this teaching and becomes startled or doubtful, or if a śrāvaka gives rise to overweening pride, all are dry soil—not even moist soil, much less seeing water.
XXXIII. The Method of Propagating the Sutra: The Three Guides Contain the Three Virtues
From “if a good man or good woman, after the Tathāgata’s extinction” onward begins the second division, a concise revelation of the method for propagating the sutra. It is further divided into two: first, revealing the method; second, explaining the benefits.
The method has three parts: first, marking the chapter gateways; second, explaining them; third, exhorting cultivation.
Cultivating the Tathāgata’s room is great loving-kindness and compassion. In relation to identity of substance, it is the dharma-body; in relation to the sentient beings it covers, it is liberation; in causing sentient beings to return to identity of substance, it is prajñā.
Cultivating the Tathāgata’s robe: in relation to what is covered, it is the dharma-body; in relation to what can cover and adorn the body, it is the patience of quiescent cessation; in relation to harmonizing one’s light and benefiting beings, it is liberation.
In relation to what can sit, it is prajñā; in relation to what is sat upon, it is the dharma-body; in the dark union and correspondence of body and seat, it is liberation.
Further, the peace and joy of great loving-kindness are supportive accomplishment; gentleness subduing anger and cutting through delusion is contemplation and illumination; sitting upon the seat is the dharma-body.
“Peaceful Practices” will again explain these three dharmas at length. Above, “the Tathāgata’s adornment” is the robe; the earlier “borne upon the Tathāgata’s shoulder” is this seat; “carrying” is bearing and transporting and constitutes entering the room.
XXXIV. Five Benefits
From “I, in other lands” onward begins the second division, raising five benefits to encourage circulation: first, dispatching conjured people; second, dispatching conjured members of the four assemblies; third, dispatching the eight kinds of beings; fourth, enabling one to see the Buddha’s body; fifth, conferring retention.
If a beginner’s mind is not yet mature, only conjured people may be dispatched; conjured members of the four assemblies and the eight kinds of beings may not yet be dispatched. If one saw gods and nāgas and relied upon that to become arrogant, it would obstruct and damage one’s practice of the path, and therefore one may not be allowed to see them. If there is no reliance or attachment within the mind, one is fit to see the Buddha—how much more gods and nāgas? How much more to gain retention and personally realize benefit?
XXXV. Eighteen and a Half Lines of Verse
The verse has eighteen and a half lines, divided into three parts: the first line is a general exhortation and does not restate the prose; the next sixteen and a half lines restate the prose above; the final line concludes with an exhortation.
The text praising the result above had five sections. Here the first one and a half lines restate the opening of the parable. Next, “Medicine King, you should know” begins the second part: two and a half lines restating the correlation of the parable. The other three sections—proximity to the result, explanation of proximity, and distinguishing what is not so—are omitted and not restated.
The guiding rules for transmitting the sutra above had two parts: the rules and the benefits. Here twelve and a half lines restate them. The first three and a half lines restate the rules, which had three parts above and are restated here with the same three meanings.
From “my countless millions” onward, the next nine lines restate the benefits. The first line generally explains why the Tathāgata confers benefit through five matters: precisely because his responsive bodies fill the ten directions, he can perform the five matters and guard practitioners. The one and a half lines from “if, after my extinction” onward restate the second benefit, dispatching the four assemblies. The one and a half lines from “guide” onward restate the first, dispatching conjured people. The two lines from “if a person who teaches the Dharma” onward restate the fifth, enabling one to gain retention. The one line from “if a person possesses this virtue” onward restates the fourth, enabling one to see the Buddha. The two lines from “if a person is in a solitary place” onward restate the third, dispatching the eight kinds of beings. 〔And so forth.〕
[Fahua Wenju, Fascicle Eight, First Part]
三周說法講完了。上根、中根、下根都領解，都受了記。迹門該做的事，到這裡結束。
可是經還沒有完。本論在這一品開頭下了一個判語：「前三周是迹門，正說領解受記竟，此下五品是迹門流通」。正說完了，接下來五品是流通。
流通做什麼？本論給了六個字：「非止蔭益當時，復欲津洽來世，故有五品流通」。不只庇蔭當場的人，還要潤澤到後世。
於是這一品要處理的問題變了。前面九品在問『這法是什麼』，從這一品起問的是『這法要怎麼傳下去』。
而傳法的人叫作法師。全品就從這個名目開始拆。
一、把五個名目數到只剩一個
本論釋「法師」二字的方式很特別：它不是給定義，而是數數目。
先立五種：「此品五種法師：一受持，二讀，三誦，四解說，五書寫」。
然後開始減。
五束為四——就是四安樂行，本論說留到〈安樂行品〉再講。
四束為三，而且一連給了三種束法。第一種按三業：受持是意業，讀誦與說是口業，書寫是身業。第二種按三門：自己熏修是福德門，弘揚利他是化他門，自修利他都順佛教是報恩門。第三種按三法：讀誦書寫是外行、是衣，受持是內行、是座，解說益他是室。
三束為二——自行與化他。本論在這裡只寫一句：這容易理解，不再記述。
二束為一——「又束為一，謂如來行具一切行」。
數到這裡就沒法再減了。而本論在這個「一」上花的篇幅，超過前面所有的減法加起來。
每減一次，本論都補一句同樣結構的話：分別來論如何、通貫來論如何，所以叫〈法師品〉。五次減數，五次結品名。
這個做法本身就是義理。它在示範：法師不是一種身分，而是一組可以從不同粗細去看的行為。你可以說有五件事要做，也可以說只有一件事要做；說五件不算多，說一件不算少。而不論數到幾，結論永遠是同一句——所以叫法師。
二、室、衣、座——為什麼偏偏是這三樣？
三法之中，本論用力最深的是室、衣、座。
先看它怎麼定義：
「慈悲覆物惠利歸己名之如室」——慈悲覆護萬物，而恩惠利益歸回自己，這叫室。
「遮彼惡、障己醜名之為衣」——遮住他人的惡，也遮住自己的醜，這叫衣。
「安心於空方能安他，安他安己名之為座」——把心安在空上，才安得住別人；安別人也安自己，這叫座。
三個定義有一個共同的形狀：每一個都同時朝向自己和朝向別人。室是覆物而利歸己，衣是遮彼惡而障己醜，座是安他而安己。本論隨即點破：這樣一來，以三法自軌也叫作法師——不必等到教別人，你自己這樣做，就已經是法師了。
接著是一句很實在的話：「利物必以慈悲入室為首，涉有以忍辱為基，濟他以亡我為本」。
要利益人，先要有慈悲；要走進有相的世間去做事，忍辱是地基；要真的濟度別人，忘我是根本。三句話按次序排下來，說的其實是一件事在時間裡的三個階段——動機、耐力、無我。
然後本論把這三法拿去對照九組法數。慈悲對善、柔和對惡、空座對相；慈忍立福德、空座成智慧；慈悲勝聲聞緣覺、柔和勝凡夫外道、空座勝偏教菩薩；慈悲破天魔、柔和破陰魔、空破煩惱魔死魔；慈忍能問空座能答；慈忍能種能立能資、空慧能耘能破能導；慈悲故何所隔、柔和故何所礙、空座故何所諍。
九番對完，本論收一句：「出三諦故名為勝幢，包含普攝名摩訶衍，是如來行故稱三昧王」。
這一整段之所以震撼，不在於它說了多少新東西，而在於同一組三法被反覆拿去量九種不同的法數，每一次都對得上。本論用這個方式證明：這不是三個湊出來的名目，是一個真正的骨架。
至於為什麼偏偏是三，本論自己設問自答。就事說，講經總得登堂、整衣、坐下——就這三件。就理說：「迷真故墮苦，故用慈悲門；迷俗故沈空受樂，故用和忍門；迷中故成智障，故用空門」。迷三諦各有各的病，三門各治一病。
三、迹門為什麼需要五品來流通？
本論在釋名之後，做了一件很有用的事：它把後面五品排成一條線，各給一個位置。
〈法師〉〈寶塔〉兩品，說弘經功深福重；〈達多〉一品，舉往昔弘經的實例作證；〈持品〉八萬大士在此土弘經、新得記者在他土弘經；〈安樂行〉一品，舊說是接引退失的人。
前四品本論照錄無異議，唯獨第五品加了一句保留：或許是這樣，但未必全然如此。
然後它自己說出理由：「外凡初心欣斯勝福，見聲聞畏憚，聞菩薩擯辱，顧己力弱，無益自他，便生退沒」。
這句話值得停一下。它描述的不是抽象的「退心」，而是一個很具體的心理過程：一個初發心的人，本來是被弘經的殊勝福報吸引的；可是他看見聲聞畏懼退縮，又聽見菩薩弘經要遭受擯斥侮辱，回頭一算自己的力量——對別人沒好處，對自己也沒好處。於是退了。
佛說〈安樂行〉，是給這個人的。依著它去弘法，就不必憂慮危險困苦。
舊說講的是「接退」，本論不是否定，而是把「退」的成因說清楚。差別在於：舊說把〈安樂行〉當作補救，本論把它當作預先給的方法。
四、一句、一偈、一念
弘經的功德要從哪裡算起？經文給的門檻低得驚人：聽到一句一偈、乃至一念隨喜，就給授記。
本論的注解只有兩句話。「聞法極少也」；「時節最促也」。
然後它把這個算式的用意點出來：「聞少解淺之類今皆與記，少者尚記況復多深」——聽得少、理解淺的都給記了，那聽得多、理解深的呢？
這是一種以少況多的論證。經文不是在說『隨便聽一句就成佛』，而是在說『連最低的那一檔都算數』。下限一旦被劃在這裡，中間所有的等第就都被涵蓋了。
至於「隨喜」，本論說得很誠實：「自未有行但隨喜法及人，功報尚多，況行到耶」。自己還沒有真的去修，只是為那個法和那個人高興——這樣尚且功報很多，何況真修到了？
它並不假裝隨喜等於修行。它說的是：隨喜是那條線的起點，而起點也在線上。
然後本論把隨喜拆成豎與橫兩種。豎的是往深裡去：一念之中深解非權非實之理，信佛知見，進而雙解權實、事理圓融——雖然還滿身煩惱，卻能知道如來的祕密之藏。橫的是往廣裡去：一心之中廣解一切心、一切法都是佛法，要分別辯說可以說一個月、四個月乃至一年也說不完。
而本論最後說：即橫而豎、即豎而橫。深與廣不是兩件事。
五、罪與福，為什麼在初心身上更重？
經文說：毀謗持經的人，罪比毀佛還重；供養持經的人，福比供佛還多。
這句話讀起來很難接受。本論的解釋乾淨俐落：「此中罪福不論福田濃瘠，但約初後心明其輕重」。
——這裡算的不是田的肥瘠，是心的初後。
理由很實際：初學的人一身煩惱，你去障礙他，他所學的事就荒廢了，所以罪重；佛則平等，惡干擾不到祂，你障礙不了，所以罪輕。供養也一樣：初學的人有所依待，供養他，他要做的事就成得了，所以福大；佛無所依待，眾事本來滿足，你獻再多對佛也沒有增益，所以報劣。
然後本論舉了一個譬喻：「譬如王子在難，供奉所須其功甚大」——王子落難的時候，你供給他所需要的，功勞極大；若你侮辱王的種姓，獲罪也不輕。相反，你獻給在位的大王一份衣食，那不過是小事；你想欺侮他也損不了他分毫。
這個譬喻把整段話從『比較誰更尊貴』翻轉成『比較誰更需要』。罪福之所以重，不是因為被供養的人地位高，而是因為那一刻的給予或障礙，真的改變了什麼。
同一段裡還有一個小注解值得記。經文說持經的人是「為如來肩荷」，本論分了兩個字：「在背為荷、在肩為檐」。背上扛的叫荷，肩上擔的叫檐。然後配義：修非權非實的法身之體是荷，能種能實的二智之用是檐。
一個字的分別，配出了體與用。
六、鑿一口井
本品後半歎所持之法，五歎之中最見功夫的是舉果歎之下的那個譬喻——鑿井。
在高原上挖井求水。先見到乾土，知道離水還遠；挖到濕土泥，知道近了；泥澄清了，就見到水。
本論給了兩重解釋，而且明說兩重都不可少。
第一重就觀行說：眾生的心具足煩惱是高原，修習觀智是穿掘，證得理味如同得到清水。通教之觀，乾慧地如乾土、性地如濕泥、見諦得清水。別教之觀，從假入空只見空不見不空，斷四住如鑿乾土，離水還遠；從空出假，因這二觀而入中道，能伏無明、轉見濕土。圓教之觀，中道非空非假而照空假，如漸至濕泥；入初住發真中解，破無明如泥澄清，見中道如見清水。
第二重就教門說：土譬經教，水譬中道，教詮中道如同土裡含著水。「三藏教門未詮中道猶如乾土」；方等般若帶方便說中道，如見濕土；「法華教正直顯露說無上道，如見泥」。由法華之教生起聞思修，所發的真慧不再依靠文字，如同獲得清水而再無土相。
兩重讀完，這口井就不只是一個比喻了。它是一張把修行的位次與教法的次第疊在一起的圖——同一堆土，你可以問『我挖到哪一層了』，也可以問『這一層是哪一部經』。
而本論在這裡錄了五家異釋，是全品錄異最密之處。三家把乾土濕土配到不同的經上，生法師與注家則整個放在《法華》裡面論遠近。本論的判語很短：「三家皆五時之說」；末了總斷一句「諸師失經旨」。
然後它自己出二義：一是舉別的經對照《法華》論遠近，二是就《法華》內部論遠近。
兩家都不算錯，錯在只取一邊。前三家只看教與教之間，後二家只看一部經之內；而本論說，經文本來就有這兩層。
隨後的兩重問答更見分寸。問般若為什麼也算遠？本論先答：沒有開權那一邊就是遠。可是接著它自己補了一段——般若的實慧與方便是三世諸佛法身的父母，求佛的人像老病之人，兩個健壯的攙著就走得遠，所以般若最勝；「法華、般若異名耳」。
先說遠，再說不遠。本論不肯用一個判語把一部大經打發掉。
七、「開」不是「破」
全品最要緊的一句經文是「開方便門示真實相」。本論在這裡錄了三家，並且對每一家都下了「私謂」。
光宅說：往昔以權隱實，一理被權教關閉；如今顯出真實，於是廢除昔教；昔教被廢，所以方便之門開了。
本論的評語：「私謂此解乃是破方便，非開方便也」。
河西道朗說：「直詺三為方便，即是開方便門」——直接稱三為方便，這就是開方便門；往昔不說三是方便，所以門閉；如今說三是方便，就是示一為真實。
本論的評語：「私謂此釋符文」。
第三家在教之外又加了身，說三世佛只有形聲的權實。本論的評語：「此竊龍印之義而為己釋」，還是破方便之意，不是開之義。
三家之中，本論只許河西道朗一家。
分歧的關鍵只有一個字：昔教是被「廢」還是被「稱」。光宅的說法裡，門之所以開是因為舊教被廢掉了——舊的沒了，新的才顯。道朗的說法裡，門之所以開是因為舊教被重新指認了——舊的還在，只是現在知道它是方便。
前者是替換，後者是重讀。而本論全部的立場都在後者：往昔說治生產業，「何曾是於方便」——那時連方便都算不上；如今都開了它，就是實相。到最後一句：「一色一香無非佛法，若門若非門，悉皆開之示真實相顯佛性水」。
是門的、不是門的，一概開了。
反過來說：「若不開者則深固幽遠無人能到」。不開，這法就深固幽遠而沒有人到得了。
八、承衍：說完了怎麼弘，接著要有人來作證
本品之末，本論講弘經的方法與五種利益。方法就是室衣座三軌，而且各具三德；利益是佛遣化人、遣化四眾、遣八部、現佛身、與總持。
其中一句特別體貼：「若初心未淳，止可遣化人」。初心還不淳厚的時候，只能派化人來；還不能讓他見到天龍八部——因為若見了天龍而倚仗這個自高，反而妨損他的道業。
佛給的幫助，是按照承受得起的程度給的。
本單元止於卷末題。其下卷第八下起〈見寶塔品〉——本品說完弘經的功德與方法，接著就有一座塔從地下升起來，佛親自出面作證。
本論在判五品流通時已經說明了這個接續：〈法師品〉是釋尊自說弘經功福而招募流通，〈寶塔品〉是多寶與分身且證且助而勸募流通。
讀路由『誰能弘、如何弘』，轉入『佛親自出塔為證』。
文句記之眼
鏡層讀這一品讀得極細，而它最鮮明的性格是：該補的補足，該指的指出，該罵的也罵。
先說補足。本論引《大論》六種法師，鏡層另外搬出《天王般若》的十種法，一條一條與五種對配——第一是今文第五，第四第六是今文第一，第五是第二，第八是第三，第七是第四；流傳攝在廣說裡，其餘三種攝在憶持裡。同一件事在三部書裡有三種數法，鏡層把它們接了起來。
本論借《大經》九品證五種法師，鏡層則點明那是借用：那本來是別的義理，「元是別義，且借以證五種法師」，並且把九品的實際分數（三恒并熙連、五恒八分、六恒十二分、七恒十四分、八恒具足）一一列出。本論說「如來行具一切行」，鏡層指出「此依《大經．聖行品》文」。本論只標「勸發四意」的名目，鏡層列出四條；本論只說十種供養，鏡層列出十樣。
再說指出。本品鏡層有一處直接指本論記錯。
本論引《見實三昧經》列六個別號，其中一個是「拘翼同名無著」。鏡層逐品覆核了那部經之後，寫下四個字：「彼經無，恐誤」。
值得注意的是它的處理方式——指出而不改。它沒有替本論改寫，也沒有為本論圓場，只是把覆核的結果放在那裡。此帙於本品之讀法亦守此例：讀者層仍守本論之文，異同誌於考據。〔以今本回校，該六別號中三個逐字命中、一個一字之異、一個今本二品皆不合，唯獨「拘翼」一項確實零命中——與鏡層所斷相符。〕
最後說罵。鏡層在這一品的評語是全記中最不客氣的幾處之一。
對光宅，它替本論的破說明了理由：「由除之一字便為臧否」——問題就出在那個「除」字。光宅說「廢除昔教」，一個除字，開就變成了破。
對嘉祥，鏡層另外補了一家並且判之：嘉祥說開二種方便、示二種真實；鏡層說「今開義善，成二乃違教」——開的意思說對了，但把方便限成兩種就違經了；經上說佛以方便力示以三乘教，何嘗只有二種？
對河西道朗，鏡層只寫三個字：「章安許之」。
對劉虬，鏡層說得婉轉而準確：「非不與私釋稱會，但語略意沈經旨難顯」——不是與本論不合，只是話說得太簡、意思沉在底下，經旨顯不出來。
對那位立三章門的「有人」，鏡層直說：「其詞甚繁其理混亂，雖然多言少實不如守一」。
而最重的一段留給了「十五處明門」。有人把全經十五處說到「門」的地方列成一張表，鏡層的反應是：「雖列頭數亦復不知何者須開」——數目列得整齊，可是哪一個需要開？哪一個已經開了？門的樣子是什麼？既然不判，「如其不判，徒列何益」。
然後是那句可以刻下來的話：「本為開門不為數門，本為解門不為知數」。
本來是要開門，不是要數門；本來是要理解門，不是要知道有幾個門。
這一句放在此帙裡格外有分量，因為它針對的正是做學問最容易滑進去的那個坑：把清點當成了理解。
鏡層在勸修一段還有一句，可以與之並讀：「不觀能弘之心，焉曉所弘之理」——不觀照那個能弘經的心，怎麼會懂得所弘的理？隨即補上：「故佛令入我室、著我衣、坐我座，若無三法何謂弘經」。
於是室、衣、座在鏡層這裡就不是弘經前的儀式，而是弘經本身的條件。少了這三樣，講得再多也不叫弘經。
The three rounds of teaching are finished. Those of upper, middle, and lower faculties have all understood and all received predictions. The work proper to the Trace Gate ends here.
Yet the scripture is not finished. At the beginning of this chapter, the root treatise makes a judgment: “The preceding three rounds belong to the Trace Gate. The principal teaching, understanding, and predictions are complete; the following five chapters are the circulation of the Trace Gate.” The principal teaching is over; the next five chapters concern circulation.
What does circulation do? The root treatise answers in six graphs: “It does not merely shelter and benefit those present at the time, but also seeks to moisten future generations; therefore there are five chapters of circulation”.
The question addressed by the chapter therefore changes. The first nine chapters ask “What is this Dharma?” From this chapter onward, the question is “How is this Dharma to be transmitted?”
The person who transmits the Dharma is called a Dharma teacher. The entire chapter begins by taking apart this designation.
I. Counting Five Terms Down to One
The root treatise’s way of explaining “Dharma teacher” is unusual: instead of giving a definition, it counts.
It first establishes five kinds: “This chapter has five kinds of Dharma teacher: first, receiving and upholding; second, reading; third, reciting; fourth, explaining; fifth, copying.”
Then it begins to subtract.
Five are gathered into four—the four peaceful practices, which the root treatise says will be explained in the “Peaceful Practices” chapter.
Four are gathered into three, and three different ways of gathering are given in succession. The first follows the three karmas: receiving and upholding is mental karma; reading, reciting, and explaining are verbal karma; copying is bodily karma. The second follows three gateways: personal cultivation is the gateway of merit; propagation for the benefit of others is the gateway of transforming others; personal cultivation and benefit to others both accord with the Buddha’s teaching and form the gateway of repaying kindness. The third follows three dharmas: reading, reciting, and copying are external practice and the robe; receiving and upholding is internal practice and the seat; explaining for the benefit of others is the room.
Three are gathered into two—practice for oneself and transformation of others. Here the root treatise writes only that this is easy to understand and does not record it further.
Two are gathered into one—“They are further gathered into one: the Tathāgata’s practice, which contains all practices.”
At this point the count can be reduced no further. Yet the root treatise devotes more space to this “one” than to all the preceding reductions combined.
After each reduction, it adds a sentence with the same structure: how the items are understood when distinguished, how they are understood when comprehensively connected, and therefore why this is called the “Dharma Teacher” chapter. Five reductions yield five conclusions of the chapter title.
This procedure is itself doctrinal meaning. It demonstrates that a Dharma teacher is not an identity but a set of actions that can be viewed at different resolutions. One may say there are five things to do or that there is only one. Five is not too many, and one is not too few. No matter where the count stops, the conclusion is always the same: therefore one is called a Dharma teacher.
II. Room, Robe, and Seat—Why These Three?
Among the three dharmas, the root treatise gives greatest force to room, robe, and seat.
First consider how it defines them:
“Compassion covers living beings, while benefit returns to oneself; it is therefore named as a room.”
“Covering the evil of others and concealing one’s own ugliness is named a robe.”
“Only by settling the mind in emptiness can one settle others; settling others and oneself is named a seat.”
The three definitions share one shape: each simultaneously faces oneself and others. The room covers beings while benefit returns to oneself; the robe covers others’ evil while concealing one’s own ugliness; the seat settles others while settling oneself. The root treatise immediately makes the point explicit: using these three dharmas to guide oneself is also to be called a Dharma teacher. One need not wait until teaching others; when one practices in this way oneself, one already is a Dharma teacher.
Next comes a notably practical sentence: “To benefit beings, entering the room of compassion must come first; to engage conditioned existence, patient endurance must be the foundation; to rescue others, forgetting the self must be the root.”
To benefit others, compassion comes first. To enter the conditioned world and act, patient endurance is the foundation. Truly to rescue others, forgetting the self is the root. Set in order, the three statements describe three temporal phases of one undertaking—motivation, endurance, and selflessness.
The root treatise then correlates these three dharmas with nine sets of Dharma enumerations. Compassion corresponds to good, gentleness to evil, and the seat of emptiness to marks. Compassion and patience establish merit, while the seat of emptiness accomplishes wisdom. Compassion surpasses śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas; gentleness surpasses ordinary beings and followers of other paths; the seat of emptiness surpasses bodhisattvas of partial teachings. Compassion breaks the heavenly Māra; gentleness breaks the Māra of the aggregates; emptiness breaks the Māras of afflictions and death. Compassion and patience can ask, while the seat of emptiness can answer. Compassion and patience can plant, establish, and sustain; the wisdom of emptiness can cultivate, break through, and guide. Because of compassion, what can divide one? Because of gentleness, what can obstruct one? Because of the seat of emptiness, what can one dispute?
After all nine correlations, the root treatise gathers them in one sentence: “Because they emerge from the three truths they are named the Banner of Victory; because they contain and universally gather they are named the Great Vehicle; because this is the Tathāgata’s practice it is called the King of Samādhis.”
What gives this entire passage its force is not the number of new things it says. The same three dharmas are repeatedly used to measure nine different enumerations, and each time the correspondence holds. In this way the root treatise demonstrates that the three are not assembled ad hoc but constitute a genuine framework.
Why precisely three? The root treatise poses and answers this question itself. On the level of events, one who lectures on a scripture must enter a hall, arrange the robe, and sit down—simply these three acts. On the level of principle, “Because confusion about the true causes descent into suffering, the gateway of compassion is used; because confusion about the conventional causes sinking into emptiness and enjoyment, the gateway of gentle patience is used; because confusion about the middle produces cognitive obstruction, the gateway of emptiness is used.” Confusion about each of the three truths has its own illness, and each gateway treats one illness.
III. Why Does the Trace Gate Need Five Chapters of Circulation?
After explaining the title, the root treatise does something useful: it arranges the following five chapters into a single line, assigning each a place.
The “Dharma Teacher” and “Jeweled Stūpa” chapters explain the profound efficacy and weighty merit of propagating the scripture. The “Devadatta” chapter offers an actual former-life example as proof. In “Exhortation to Uphold,” eighty thousand great beings propagate the scripture in this land, while those newly predicted propagate it in other lands. An older explanation says the “Peaceful Practices” chapter draws in those who have retreated.
The root treatise records the first four without objection. Only for the fifth does it add a qualification: perhaps this is so, but it may not be the whole account.
It then gives its own reason: “An ordinary beginner outside the stages delights in this excellent merit, but sees the śrāvakas afraid and hears of bodhisattvas being rejected and humiliated. Considering one’s own strength weak and of no benefit to oneself or others, one then gives rise to retreat and sinks away.”
The sentence deserves a pause. It describes not an abstract “retreating mind” but a concrete psychological process. A beginner is first attracted by the extraordinary merit of propagating the scripture. Then the beginner sees śrāvakas recoil in fear and hears that bodhisattvas who propagate the scripture will be rejected and humiliated. Looking back at one’s own strength, one calculates: this will benefit neither others nor me. And so one retreats.
The Buddha teaches “Peaceful Practices” for this person. By propagating the Dharma according to that chapter, one need not fear danger and hardship.
The older explanation speaks of “drawing in those who retreat.” The root treatise does not reject it, but clarifies what causes “retreat.” The difference is that the older explanation treats “Peaceful Practices” as a remedy after the fact, whereas the root treatise treats it as a method supplied in advance.
IV. One Sentence, One Verse, One Thought
Where does the merit of propagating the scripture begin? The scripture sets an astonishingly low threshold: hear a single sentence or verse, or even rejoice in a single thought, and receive a prediction.
The root treatise’s annotations consist of only two sentences: “What is heard of the Dharma is exceedingly little”; “the span of time is exceedingly brief.”
It then states the purpose of the calculation: “Those who hear little and understand shallowly now all receive predictions; if even the lesser receive predictions, how much more those who hear much and understand deeply?”
This is an argument from the lesser to the greater. The scripture is not saying, “Casually hear one sentence and you become a buddha.” It is saying, “Even the lowest degree counts.” Once the lower bound is drawn here, every grade between it and the highest is included.
As for “rejoicing,” the root treatise is candid: “One has not yet practiced oneself but merely rejoices in the Dharma and the person; even then the meritorious reward is abundant—how much more when one’s practice reaches it?”
It does not pretend that rejoicing is identical with practice. Its point is: rejoicing is the beginning of that line, and the beginning is still on the line.
The root treatise then divides rejoicing vertically and horizontally. Vertically, it moves into depth: within a single thought one deeply understands the principle that is neither provisional nor real, trusts the Buddha’s knowledge and vision, and proceeds to understand provisional and real together and the perfect interfusion of events and principle. Although still covered in afflictions, one can know the Tathāgata’s secret treasury. Horizontally, it moves into breadth: within one mind one broadly understands that every mind and every dharma is Buddha Dharma; if one discriminated and explained it, one could speak for one month, four months, or even a year without finishing.
The root treatise finally says that the horizontal is itself vertical and the vertical itself horizontal. Depth and breadth are not two things.
V. Why Are Wrongdoing and Merit Weightier in Relation to a Beginner?
The scripture says that slandering one who upholds the scripture is a graver offense than slandering the Buddha, while making offerings to one who upholds it brings greater merit than making offerings to the Buddha.
The statement is difficult to accept. The root treatise explains it cleanly: “Here the gravity of offense and merit is not discussed in terms of the richness or barrenness of the field of merit, but only in terms of earlier and later minds.”
—What is being measured is not the fertility of the field, but whether the mind is at the beginning or the end.
The reason is practical. A beginner is covered in afflictions. If you obstruct such a person, the work being learned is abandoned, so the offense is heavy. The Buddha is impartial; evil cannot disturb Him, and you cannot obstruct Him, so the offense is light. Offerings work the same way. A beginner depends on support: make an offering, and the work can be accomplished, so the merit is great. The Buddha depends on nothing and all His undertakings are already fulfilled; however much you present, it adds nothing to Him, so the recompense is inferior.
The root treatise then gives a simile: “It is like a prince in distress: supplying what he requires brings exceedingly great merit.” If you insult the royal lineage, the offense is likewise not slight. By contrast, presenting a portion of clothing and food to a reigning king is a small affair, and any attempt to insult him cannot injure him in the least.
The simile turns the whole passage from “Who is more venerable?” to “Who is more in need?” The offense or merit is weighty not because the recipient holds higher status, but because at that moment the gift or obstruction genuinely changes something.
The same passage includes a small annotation worth retaining. The scripture says that one who upholds it is “carried on the Tathāgata’s shoulder.” The root treatise distinguishes two graphs: “What is carried on the back is he; what is borne on the shoulder is dan”. It then correlates their meanings: cultivating the substance of Dharma body that is neither provisional nor real is carrying on the back; the function of the two wisdoms, which can plant and actualize, is bearing on the shoulder.
A distinction between two graphs maps substance and function.
VI. Digging a Well
The latter half of the chapter praises the Dharma upheld. Among its five praises, the most finely worked is the simile beneath the praise through the fruit—the digging of a well.
One digs a well on a high plateau in search of water. First, dry earth appears, showing that the water remains far away. When damp earth and mud appear, one knows it is near. When the mud settles and clears, water becomes visible.
The root treatise gives two levels of explanation and expressly says that neither can be omitted.
The first level concerns contemplative practice. The mind of a living being complete with afflictions is the high plateau; cultivating contemplative wisdom is digging; realizing the savor of principle is obtaining clear water. In the Shared teaching’s contemplation, the stage of dry wisdom is dry earth, the stage of nature is damp mud, and seeing the truth is obtaining clear water. In the Distinct teaching’s contemplation, entering emptiness from the conventional sees only emptiness and not nonemptiness; cutting off the four abiding delusions is like digging dry earth, still far from water. Emerging from emptiness into the conventional, one enters the middle way through these two contemplations, can subdue ignorance, and begins to see damp earth. In the Perfect teaching’s contemplation, the middle way is neither emptiness nor conventionality yet illuminates both; this is like gradually reaching damp mud. Entering the first abode and arousing genuine understanding of the middle breaks ignorance as when mud settles and clears; seeing the middle way is seeing clear water.
The second level concerns gateways of teaching. Earth represents scriptural teaching, water the middle way; teaching expresses the middle way as earth contains water. “The gateways of the Tripiṭaka teaching do not yet express the middle way and are like dry earth.” The Vaipulya and Prajñā teachings speak of the middle way while carrying expedients, like seeing damp earth. “The Lotus teaching directly and openly proclaims the unsurpassed Way, like seeing mud.” From the Lotus teaching arise hearing, reflection, and cultivation; the genuine wisdom thereby aroused no longer depends on written words, like obtaining clear water when no appearance of earth remains.
After both levels have been read, the well is no longer merely a simile. It is a diagram overlaying stages of practice with the sequence of teachings. Confronting the same earth, one may ask, “How far have I dug?” or “Which scripture is this layer?”
At this point the root treatise records five divergent explanations, the densest concentration of recorded difference in the chapter. Three masters correlate dry and damp earth with different scriptures, while Dharma Master Sheng and the annotator locate the whole discussion within the Lotus and explain distance and nearness there. The root treatise’s judgment is brief: “All three masters explain in terms of the Five Periods.” At the end it decides generally: “The masters have missed the scripture’s purport.”
It then sets out two meanings of its own: first, comparing other scriptures with the Lotus to discuss distance and nearness; second, discussing distance and nearness within the Lotus itself.
Neither group is simply wrong; the mistake lies in taking only one side. The first three masters see only relations among teachings, while the latter two see only what lies within a single scripture. The root treatise says that the scripture itself has both levels.
The following two rounds of question and answer show still greater precision. Asked why Prajñā is also counted as distant, the root treatise first answers that the aspect without opening the provisional is distant. Yet it then adds that Prajñā’s real wisdom and skillful means are the father and mother of the Dharma bodies of buddhas of the three times. One who seeks buddhahood is like an old and sick person who can travel far when supported by two strong people. Prajñā is therefore supreme; “Lotus and Prajñā are merely different names.”
First it says distant, then not distant. The root treatise refuses to dispose of a great scripture with a single judgment.
VII. “Opening” Is Not “Breaking”
The most important scriptural sentence in the chapter is “opening the gateway of skillful means and revealing the true mark.” Here the root treatise records three masters and appends “I privately say” to each.
Guangzhai says that in the past the real was hidden by the provisional, and one principle was closed off by provisional teachings. Now the real is manifested and the former teachings are abolished. Because the former teachings are abolished, the gateway of skillful means is opened.
The root treatise comments: “I privately say that this explanation is breaking skillful means, not opening skillful means.”
Daolang of Hexi says: “Directly naming the three as skillful means is itself opening the gateway of skillful means.” In the past the three were not called skillful means, so the gateway was closed. Now saying that the three are skillful means is revealing the One as real.
The root treatise comments: “I privately say that this explanation accords with the text.”
A third master adds body to teaching and says that buddhas of the three times have provisional and real forms and voices. The root treatise comments: “This steals Longyin’s meaning and makes it one’s own explanation.” It remains a meaning of breaking skillful means, not opening it.
Of the three, the root treatise accepts only Daolang of Hexi.
The hinge of the disagreement is one graph: are the former teachings fei (“abolished”) or “named”? In Guangzhai’s account, the gateway opens because the old teaching is eliminated—the old disappears so the new can appear. In Daolang’s account, it opens because the old teaching is newly identified—the old remains, but now it is known to be skillful means.
The former is replacement, the latter rereading. The entire position of the root treatise lies with the latter. When livelihood and productive labor were taught in the past, “how could they ever have counted even as skillful means?” Now that all are opened, they are the true mark. The final sentence says: “Not one color or fragrance is outside the Buddha Dharma. Whether gateway or nongateway, all are opened to reveal the true mark and disclose the water of buddha-nature.”
Gateway and nongateway alike are opened.
Conversely, “If they are not opened, the Dharma remains deep, fast, obscure, and distant, and no one can reach it.”
VIII. Carrying Forward: Once How to Propagate Has Been Explained, Someone Must Bear Witness
At the end of the chapter, the root treatise explains the method of propagating the scripture and five benefits. The method is the three tracks of room, robe, and seat, each containing the three virtues. The benefits are that the Buddha sends transformation-people, sends transformed members of the fourfold assembly, sends the eight classes, manifests the Buddha body, and grants dhāraṇī.
One sentence is especially considerate: “If a beginner’s mind is not yet mature, only transformation-people may be sent.” Such a person cannot yet be allowed to see devas, nāgas, and the eight classes, because seeing them might foster pride in that reliance and thereby obstruct and harm the person’s practice of the Way.
The Buddha gives help according to what a person is able to bear.
This unit ends with the fascicle-end title. Below it, Fascicle Eight, Lower begins the “Beholding the Jeweled Stūpa” chapter. Once this chapter has explained the merit and method of propagating the scripture, a stūpa rises from beneath the earth and the Buddha personally appears to bear witness.
The root treatise has already explained this sequence when judging the five chapters of circulation. In “The Dharma Teacher,” Śākyamuni Himself states the merit of propagation and recruits people to circulate the scripture. In “The Jeweled Stūpa,” Many Treasures and the emanation bodies both bear witness and assist, exhorting and recruiting people to circulate it.
The reading path turns from “Who can propagate, and how?” to “The Buddha Himself emerges in a stūpa to bear witness.”
Through the Eye of the Wenjuji
The Mirror reads this chapter with extraordinary care. Its most distinctive character is this: what must be completed, it completes; what must be pointed out, it points out; what deserves rebuke, it rebukes.
First, completion. The root treatise cites the six kinds of Dharma teacher in the Great Treatise. The Mirror also draws out the ten dharmas in the Prajñā of the Heavenly Kings and correlates them one by one with the five kinds: the first is the fifth in the present text; the fourth and sixth are its first; the fifth is its second; the eighth is its third; and the seventh is its fourth. Transmission is included in extensive explanation, while the remaining three are included in recollective retention. One matter is counted in three different ways across three works, and the Mirror joins the counts.
The root treatise borrows the nine grades in the Great Nirvāṇa Sutra to demonstrate the five kinds of Dharma teacher. The Mirror explicitly notes that this is a borrowing: the passage originally concerns another meaning, “it originally has a distinct meaning and is provisionally borrowed to prove the five kinds of Dharma teacher.” It then lists the actual fractions for the nine grades: three Ganges units together with Xilian; five Ganges units divided into eight; six Ganges units into twelve; seven Ganges units into fourteen; and eight Ganges units complete. When the root treatise says “the Tathāgata’s practice contains all practices,” the Mirror points out, “this follows the wording of the ‘Noble Practice’ chapter of the Great Nirvāṇa Sutra.” Where the root treatise only names “four intentions in the exhortation,” the Mirror lists all four; where it says only ten kinds of offering, the Mirror lists all ten.
Next, pointing out. At one place in this chapter, the Mirror directly says that the root treatise recorded something incorrectly.
The root treatise cites the Sutra of the Samādhi of Seeing the Real and lists six individual epithets, one of which is “Kouyi likewise bears the name Nonattachment.” After checking the relevant chapters of that scripture one by one, the Mirror writes four graphs: “that scripture does not have it; it may be an error”.
Its manner of handling the matter deserves notice: it points out the problem without rewriting the text. It neither alters the root treatise nor invents a justification, but simply records the result of verification. This edition follows the same example here: the reader layer preserves the root treatise’s text, while the difference is recorded in the apparatus. 〔A check against the received canon finds exact matches for three of the six epithets, a one-graph difference for one, two present-text chapters agreeing with neither form for one, and zero matches only for “Kouyi”—in agreement with the Mirror’s judgment.〕
Finally, rebuke. The Mirror’s comments in this chapter include some of the sharpest in the entire Notes.
Of Guangzhai, it explains the root treatise’s refutation: “approval or rejection turns on the single graph ‘remove.’” The problem lies in “remove.” Guangzhai says “abolish and remove the former teachings”; with that one graph, opening becomes breaking.
For Jizang, the Mirror adds another master and judges him: Jizang speaks of opening two kinds of skillful means and revealing two kinds of reality. The Mirror says, “the present meaning of opening is good, but establishing two contradicts the teaching.” The scripture says that the Buddha reveals the teaching of three vehicles through the power of skillful means; how could there be only two?
For Daolang of Hexi, the Mirror writes only three graphs: “Zhang’an accepts it.”
Of Liu Qiu, the Mirror speaks gently but precisely: “It is not that this fails to agree with the private explanation; its words are merely abbreviated and its meaning submerged, making the scripture’s purport difficult to reveal.”
Of the “someone” who establishes three chapter gateways, the Mirror states directly: “The wording is exceedingly elaborate and the principle confused. Although there are many words, there is little substance; it would be better to keep to one.”
Its severest passage is reserved for “the fifteen places explaining gateways.” Someone made a table of fifteen places throughout the scripture that speak of a “gateway.” The Mirror responds: “Although the headings and numbers are listed, there is still no knowledge of which need to be opened.” Which need opening, and which have already been opened? What is the character of a gateway? Since none of this is judged, “if no judgment is made, what use is an empty list”?
Then comes a sentence worth engraving: “The point is to open the gateway, not to count gateways; the point is to understand the gateway, not to know the number.”
The purpose is to open a gateway, not count it; to understand the gateway, not know how many there are.
The sentence carries particular weight in this edition because it addresses the trap into which scholarship most easily slips: mistaking inventory for understanding.
In the section exhorting practice, the Mirror offers another sentence that can be read alongside it: “If one does not contemplate the mind that can propagate, how could one understand the principle being propagated?” It immediately adds: “Therefore the Buddha tells one to enter My room, put on My robe, and sit on My seat. Without these three dharmas, what could it mean to propagate the scripture?”
In the Mirror, room, robe, and seat are thus not rituals performed before propagation; they are conditions of propagation itself. Without these three, however much one says cannot be called propagating the scripture.
考據Apparatus
本品是迹門流通之首，也是全帙釋名最繁、所錄異釋最多之一品。本論先以減數法釋品名——五種法師逐次束為四、三、二、一，束為一時以室衣座三法對釋九番；次判迹門流通五品之次第；次釋弟子門與師門之功報；後半歎所持之法，以鑿井之譬釋「近三菩提」，並於「開方便門示真實相」一句錄三家異釋、設問答三重、破十五處明門之列。所引凡十二家：《大論》《大經》《淨名》《大品》《見實三昧經》《增一集》《十住毘婆沙》《釋論》《普賢觀》《法華論》《華嚴》《中論·序》；所錄異釋七家：有師（已今當）・有人三家（鑿井）・生師・注家・光宅・河西道朗・劉虬。
一、科判定位
本品屬迹門（01–14），為迹門流通之首——本論明言「前三周是迹門，正說領解受記竟，此下五品是迹門流通」〔0108c01–0108c02〕。嚴格域為 T34n1718〔0107c25–0112c13〕：起於品題「釋法師品」〔0107c25〕，止於卷末題「妙法蓮華經文句卷第八上」〔0112c13〕。全域實有六千八百一十四個漢字，為本帙單品直建之最大單元（2026-07-19 常設裁：本品免二級 carve）。
本單元止於卷界：卷第八上訖於〔0112c13〕，其下卷第八下即次一單元 11_jianbaota 之所起。卷末題依 Rule 11(b) 照錄。
| 次第 | 本論自科 | 行域與內容 |
|---|---|---|
| 一 | 五種法師 | 受持・讀・誦・解說・書寫；《大論》六種之離合；《大經》九品〔0107c26–0108a06〕 |
| 二 | 減數·束五為四 | 即四安樂行，指〈安樂行品〉後說〔0108a06–0108a09〕 |
| 三 | 減數·束四為三（三業） | 受持意業・讀誦說口業・書寫身業〔0108a09–0108a12〕 |
| 四 | 減數·束四為三（三門） | 福德門・化他門・報恩門〔0108a12–0108a16〕 |
| 五 | 減數·束四為三（三法） | 讀誦書寫＝衣・受持＝座・解說益他＝室；室衣座各釋〔0108a16–0108a24〕 |
| 六 | 減數·束為二 | 自行・化他，「此易解，不復記」〔0108a24–0108a26〕 |
| 七 | 減數·束為一 | 如來行具一切行；室衣座對釋九番（善惡・福慧・偏邪・四魔・二嚴・問答・體用・三諦名・引經）〔0108a26–0108b16〕 |
| 八 | 問答·何故約三法 | 事釋（登堂整服坐座）・事理合釋（苦果・結業・諦理三惑）・約理（迷真俗中）〔0108b16–0108b23〕 |
| 九 | 釋名結品 | 法者軌則・師者訓匠；因緣釋；「凡多種解，皆約圓教法門而釋品也」〔0108b23–0108b29〕 |
| 十 | 迹門流通五品之判 | 〈法師〉〈寶塔〉功深福重・〈達多〉引往・〈持品〉此土他土・〈安樂行〉接退（駁舊云）〔0108c01–0108c13〕 |
| 十一 | 弟子門·佛世 | 揀出人類・揀出得記之緣；一句一偈・一念隨喜（豎論橫論）〔0108c13–0109b01〕 |
| 十二 | 弟子門·滅後 | 出弟子類・我亦與記〔0109b01–0109b04〕 |
| 十三 | 師門·現世 | 下品（師相＝五種法師十種供養・功報）・上品〔0109b04–0109b16〕 |
| 十四 | 師門·滅後 | 下品（竊為一人說一句；如來使・行如來事・觀心解）・上品〔0109b16–0109c07〕 |
| 十五 | 總明逆罪順福 | 不論福田濃瘠但約初後心；王子在難譬；如佛莊嚴・為如來肩荷・隨所向方應向禮〔0109c07–0109c22〕 |
| 十六 | 偈十六行 | 二偈別獎・十三行頌師門・一行歎經〔0109c22–0110a14〕 |
| 十七 | 歎所持法·五歎總標 | 約法・約人・約處・約因・約果；法妙故人貴，人貴故處尊〔0110a14–0110a20〕 |
| 十八 | 約法歎 | 已今當說此經為最；駁「有師解」；祕要之藏；未曾顯說；猶多怨嫉〔0110a20–0110b12〕 |
| 十九 | 約人歎 | 如來衣覆・佛護念・三力（信力願力善根力）＝三德祕藏・共宿・手摩頭〔0110b12–0110b26〕 |
| 二十 | 約處歎 | 四處起塔；引《釋論》生身法身舍利〔0110b26–0110c05〕 |
| 廿一 | 約因歎 | 未善行菩薩道＝前三教；圓教＝全身舍利、巧度〔0110c05–0110c09〕 |
| 廿二 | 約果歎·近果 | 二種菩提；引《普賢觀》《釋論》；道前中後真如〔0110c09–0110c24〕 |
| 廿三 | 開譬·鑿井 | 觀門釋（乾慧・性地・見諦；別觀・圓觀）・教門釋（三藏乾土・方等般若濕土・法華泥・清水）〔0110c24–0111a15〕 |
| 廿四 | 五家異釋 | 有人三家・生師・注家；本論判「三家皆五時之說」「諸師失經旨」〔0111a15–0111a26〕 |
| 廿五 | 問答二則 | 餘經何故去佛遠・般若云何去佛遠〔0111a26–0111b07〕 |
| 廿六 | 合譬 | 於《法華》中獲聞思修，即圓觀三慧〔0111b07–0111b09〕 |
| 廿七 | 釋近意·開方便門 | 三家異釋：光宅・河西道朗・有人；本論各加「私謂」〔0111b09–0111b26〕 |
| 廿八 | 問答三則 | 方便當體是門・方便真實互得為門・得以三顯三以一顯一不〔0111b26–0112a07〕 |
| 廿九 | 十五處明門 | 有人引方便二・譬喻六・信解三・化城二・法師一・觀音一〔0112a07–0112a21〕 |
| 三十 | 今釋開方便門 | 昔說治生產業何曾是方便，今皆開之即是實相；三慧釋〔0112a21–0112b06〕 |
| 卅一 | 揀非 | 菩薩驚疑・聲聞上慢悉是乾土〔0112b06–0112b10〕 |
| 卅二 | 弘經方法 | 標章・解釋・勸修；室衣座各具三德；與〈安樂行〉互指〔0112b10–0112b21〕 |
| 卅三 | 五利益 | 遣化人・遣化四眾・遣八部・見佛身・與總持〔0112b21–0112b26〕 |
| 卅四 | 偈十八行半 | 一行總勸・十六行半頌長行・一行結勸〔0112b26–0112c13〕 |
《文句記》對位：T34n1719〔0304b05–0309c21〕，起於品題「釋法師品」〔0304b05〕，訖於「如前利益中列第一遣化人等五是也」〔0309c20–0309c21〕，其下即卷末題「法華文句記卷第八之三」〔0309c22〕。此為本帙鏡釋最長之一段，詳第四目。
二、成立與傳本
卷端序記灌頂法師私記、合二十卷〔0001a23–0001a24〕，又記唐天寶戊子朗和尚條倫。義說歸智者，記錄歸灌頂，現行文字又經條倫治定；神逈序、朗和尚治定語與湛然《文句記》皆屬傳本或鏡釋層，不改作智者正文。
本單元卷末題「妙法蓮華經文句卷第八上」〔0112c13〕，其下卷第八下另起，見 11_jianbaota 第一目。
三、所帖經文與所引
（一）所帖根經：〈法師品〉
本論於本品所標多為科目首數字，非皆逐字連文。所帖之要句如下：
| 本論所標 | 根經行錨 |
|---|---|
| 「一句一偈」・「乃至一念」・「皆與記當得菩提」 | T09n0262〔0030c01–0030c03〕一段之內 |
| 「決了聲聞法」 | 〔0032a15〕 |
| 「開方便門示真實相」 | 〔0031c19〕前後 |
本論所引根經之語，以「決了聲聞法」一句為逐字命中〔T09n0262 0032a15〕，餘多為撮標。本品之所帖以科段為主，逐句對錨之密度低於前諸品；本目故以所引他經為重心。
（二）本論所引：《大智度論》六種法師——撮述
「《大論》明六種法師：信力故受，念力故持，看文為讀，不忘為誦，宣傳為說，聖人經書難解須解釋」〔0107c27–0107c29〕。今本《大智度論》T25n1509 以標記容錯法檢此六語皆零命中；《文句記》亦不指其卷次，而別引《天王般若》十法與之對配（見第四目）。本論自云「《大論》明」而不云「云」，屬舉其義非徵其文，據實誌之。
（三）本論所引：《大般涅槃經》二處
其一，「《大經》分九品，前四人無解是弟子位，後五人有解是師位」〔0108a02–0108a04〕。今本 T12n0374 未見此連文；《文句記》指其實為《大經》熙連并八恒河之九品文，「元是別義，且借以證五種法師」〔T34n1719 0304b22–0304b23〕，並逐一列其解義分數〔0304b23–0304b27〕。是本論借彼文以證此義，非徵其句。
其二，「《大經》云「寧願少聞多解義味」」〔0109a29〕。今本作「寧當少聞，多解義味，不願多聞，於義不了」〔T12n0374 0534a03–0534a04〕——本論作「寧願」，一字之異，且省下二句。並錄不判。
（四）本論所引：《維摩詰所說經》——逐字命中
「故淨名云「譬如勝怨乃可為勇」」〔0108b06〕。今本逐字命中：「譬如勝怨乃可為勇」〔T14n0475 0545a24〕。
（五）本論所引：《大品般若經》——今本零命中
「大品云「化一切眾生，觀一切空，魔不得便」」〔0108b07–0108b09〕。今本《摩訶般若波羅蜜經》T08n0223 檢「化一切眾生」「觀一切空」「魔不得便」「魔不得其便」諸語，皆零命中（該經另有「觀一切法空」三見〔0361a08〕等，文義不相當）。據實誌之，不代擬出處。
（六）本論所引：《見實三昧經》——即《大寶積經》第十六會〈菩薩見實會〉，六別號中五可對錨
「《見實三昧經》別與四天王記同名火持，三十三天同名因陀羅幢王，拘翼同名無著，焰天同名淨智，兜率同名釋法王，上兩天亦通與記不顯別名，梵天名大智力」〔0109a02–0109a07〕。
所繫為《大寶積經》T11n0310 第十六會，經內自題「菩薩見實三昧經」〔0323c13〕。該會自〈阿修羅王授記品〉以下逐類授記，本論所舉六者逐一回錨如下：
| 本論所記 | 今本逐字 | 行錨 |
|---|---|---|
| 三十三天同名因陀羅幢王 | 「彼勝福者皆同號，名因陀羅幢王佛」 | T11n0310〔0378b03〕 |
| 焰天同名淨智 | 「其佛同號淨智尊」（〈夜摩天授記品第十五〉） | 〔0379c03〕 |
| 梵天名大智力 | 「彼佛同號大智力」（〈諸梵天等授記品第十九〉） | 〔0385a01〕 |
| 兜率同名釋法王 | 「彼天一切皆成佛，同號名曰擇法王」 | 〔0381a14〕 |
| 四天王同名火持 | 〈四天王授記品第十三〉作「號名曰大持」；〈虛空行天授記品第十二〉作「其佛號曰花幢尊」 | 〔0377a06〕〔0375c19〕 |
| 拘翼同名無著 | 今本零命中（該會「拘翼」一名亦零見） | — |
前三者命中，兜率一者一字之異（擇／釋），四天王一者今本二品皆與「火持」不合，並錄不判。「拘翼」一項《文句記》已自指其誤——「言「拘翼」者，彼經無，恐誤」〔T34n1719 0305c07〕，與今本回校所得相符。
本論所云「上兩天亦通與記不顯別名」，今本於兜率與諸梵天之間正有〈化樂天授記品第十七〉〔0381a17〕與〈他化自在天授記品第十八〉〔0382a12〕二品，位次相合。
（七）本論所引：《增一集》——今本零命中
「「一偈一句」者，《增一集》云「隨取經中要偈，如四諦之流者是也」」〔0109a10–0109a11〕。今本《增壹阿含經》T02n0125 檢「隨取經中要偈」「要偈」「四諦之流」諸語，皆零命中。本論所標之《增一集》或別有所指，據實誌之，不代擬出處。《文句記》引此語時亦但作「下引《增一》集云」〔T34n1719 0305b20〕而不指卷品。
（八）本論所引：《十住毘婆沙論》——今本零命中
「《十住毘婆沙》云「惡賤名厭，不求名無欲，心無垢名解脫，捨檐名涅槃；惡賤於集，不求於苦，無垢是道，捨檐是滅」。又云「佛語滿宿，我有四句，所謂四諦四念處」」〔0109a11–0109a16〕。今本 T26n1521 檢「惡賤名厭」「不求名無欲」「心無垢名解脫」「捨檐名涅槃」「佛語滿宿」「我有四句」諸語，皆零命中（該論另有「惡賤憒鬧語」〔0101a13〕等，文義不相當）。據實誌之，不代擬出處。
（九）本論所引：《大智度論》二處（釋論）
其一，「如《釋論》明有慧無聞，譬如小雨無雷」〔0109b22–0109b23〕。今本 T25n1509 相應偈作「博學多聞有智慧，訥口拙言無巧便，不能顯發法寶藏，譬如無雷而小雨」〔0098c18–0098c19〕——喻在而本論撮偈為散，且倒其序（今本「無雷而小雨」，本論「小雨無雷」）。並錄不判。
其二，「《釋論》云「碎骨是生身舍利，經卷是法身舍利」」〔0110c01–0110c02〕。今本 T25n1509 檢「碎骨」「生身舍利」「法身舍利」諸語，皆零命中，據實誌之，不代擬出處。惟《文句記》承此而云「故引論證生法二身各有全碎」〔T34n1719 0306c28–0306c29〕，是鏡亦以之為《論》文。
其三，「《釋論》云「初觀實相名因，觀竟名果」」〔0110c21〕。今本檢「初觀實相名因」「觀竟名果」皆零命中，據實誌之。
（十）本論所引：《觀普賢菩薩行法經》——上句可回錨，下句今本無
「故《普賢觀》云「大乘因者即是實相，大乘果者亦是實相。」」〔0110c19–0110c20〕。今本 T09n0277 作「汝今應當觀大乘因。大乘因者，諸法實相是」〔0392b01–0392b02〕——「大乘因者」四字命中而今本作「諸法實相是」，本論作「即是實相」；下句「大乘果者亦是實相」今本零命中。是本論撮上句而自足下句，並錄不判。
（十一）本論所引：《妙法蓮華經論優波提舍》——「佛性水」
「《法華論》云「佛性水」當知次第」〔0111a02–0111a03〕。今本二譯皆命中：T26n1519〔0010a26〕、T26n1520〔0019b22〕。二本並存，本論不指其一。
（十二）本論所引：《華嚴經》——「慧身，不由他悟」命中
「故《華嚴》云「十住菩薩所有慧身，不由他悟也。」」〔0111a12–0111a14〕。今本六十卷《華嚴》T09n0278〈梵行品〉作「初發心時，便成正覺，知一切法真實之性，具足慧身，不由他悟。」〔0449c14–0449c15〕——「慧身，不由他悟」六字逐字命中（跨行，素樸法假 0）；本論作「十住菩薩所有慧身」，今本作「具足慧身」，「所有」與「具足」一義而字異，「十住菩薩」四字為本論所加之標繫。八十卷《華嚴》T10n0279 作「成就慧身，不由他悟」〔0089a03〕；本論所用當為六十卷本，並誌之。
（十三）本論所引：《中論·序》——逐字命中
「《中論．序》云「實非名不悟，故寄中以宣之」」〔0111c23–0111c24〕。今本僧叡〈中論序〉逐字命中：「實非名不悟，故寄中以宣之」〔T30n1564 0001a08〕。
四、文句記釋要〔鏡〕
本品之鏡釋為本帙最長之一段〔T34n1719 0304b05–0309c21〕。其要有十。
其一·以《天王般若》十法對配五法師。本論但引《大論》六種，鏡別引「《天王般若》云：「受持此經有十種法：一書寫，二供養，三流傳，四諦聽，五自讀，六憶持，七廣說，八誦，九思惟，十修行。」」〔0304b14–0304b16〕，並逐一與本論五種相配〔0304b16–0304b20〕，末云彼經之憶秖是受，而《大論》分受持為二〔0304b19–0304b20〕。
其二·《大經》九品之考。鏡指本論所借之《大經》九品「元是別義，且借以證五種法師」〔0304b22–0304b23〕，並列其實：九品秖是熙連并八恒，第四恒廣說於十六分中解一分義；前四無解者為三恒并熙連，五恒八分、六恒十二分、七恒十四分、八恒具足盡解〔0304b23–0304b27〕。
其三·「如來行」之所出。鏡指本論「如來行具一切行」一語「此依《大經．聖行品》文」〔0304c13〕，並謂如來行即大乘大般涅槃，涅槃秖是三德祕藏，故本論却以室衣座三釋三德〔0304c13–0304c16〕；復將本論束為一之段判為九文（善惡・福慧・偏邪・四魔・二嚴・破立・體用・三諦名・引經）〔0304c19–0305a02〕。
其四·三法之料簡。設問：準初釋品應云五種，準後減數應云一法，何故但以衣座室三對諸法？答以事顯理須具三法〔0305a06–0305a11〕。復判本論三門之屬：「初二屬事，後一屬理」〔0305a12〕。
其五·《見實三昧經》之逐品考並指本論一誤。鏡逐品述其授記：第四先記八部，次第五卷〈空天品〉空行諸天同名火持〔0305b28–0305c02〕；次〈三十三天授記品〉八億忉利同時得記名因陀羅幢〔0305c02–0305c04〕；次〈夜摩天品〉四億夜摩同名淨智〔0305c04–0305c07〕。隨即斷曰：「言「拘翼」者，彼經無，恐誤」〔0305c07〕。此為鏡於本品指本論之誤，記作「恐誤」而不改本論之文；今本回校所得與之相符（見第三目第六項）。
其六·「勸發四意」之列目。本論但標其名，鏡列之：「一諸佛護念，二植眾德本，三入正定聚，四發救一切眾生之心」〔0305c10–0305c12〕。又列十種供養：「一華，二香，三瓔珞，四末香，五塗香，六燒香，七旛蓋，八衣服，九妓樂，十合掌」〔0306a10–0306a12〕。又釋「絓」字：「乎卦切，挫也、預也」〔0305b12〕。
其七·「怨」「嫉」之訓。「思宿惡為「怨」，忌現善曰「嫉」」〔0306c07–0306c08〕；又分迹本：迹門以二乘鈍根菩薩為怨嫉，本門以菩薩中樂近成者為怨嫉〔0306c09–0306c11〕。
其八·五家四解之歸納。本論錄五家而判「三家皆五時之說」「諸師失經旨」，鏡則為之歸類：前三師同用五時為一解，生公與注者同於法華中判為一解〔0307b11–0307b13〕；又申本論二義（約教約味）之必要——約教對前漸教三教為麁，約味對前四味未轉者為麁，故「二釋闕一不可」〔0307b22–0307b26〕。又於注家別加破斥〔0307a04–0307a09〕。
其九·開方便門三家之補與判。於光宅，鏡申本論之破曰「由除之一字便為臧否」〔0307c22–0307c23〕；復補嘉祥一家——「嘉祥亦云：「開二種之方便、示二種之真實」」〔0307c23–0307c25〕，並判「今開義善，成二乃違教」〔0307c25–0307c26〕，以經云佛以方便力示以三乘教，何嘗但二〔0307c26–0307c27〕。於河西道朗，鏡云「章安許之」〔0308a03〕。於劉虬，鏡云「非不與私釋稱會，但語略意沈經旨難顯」〔0308b10–0308b11〕。於有人三章門，鏡評「其詞甚繁其理混亂，雖然多言少實不如守一」〔0308b13–0308b14〕。此四家評語皆鏡自出，不倒寫為本論所錄。
其十·十五處明門之破。鏡於「有人引十五處明門」一段責之最切：「雖列頭數亦復不知何者須開？何者已開，門相如何？如其不判，徒列何益？」〔0309b13–0309b14〕，並逐條指其配釋之失〔0309b16–0309b28〕；末乃申本論之意：「本為開門不為數門，本為解門不為知數」〔0309b28–0309b29〕。
又一語可為全品之眼：鏡於勸修一段云「不觀能弘之心，焉曉所弘之理？」〔0309c16〕，並謂「故佛令入我室、著我衣、坐我座，若無三法何謂弘經？」〔0309c17–0309c18〕。
五、諸家異釋
本單元所錄異釋為迹門諸品之最，凡七家，皆本論自錄：
其一·舊云（〈安樂行〉接退）：「〈安樂行〉一品，舊云，接退流通」——本論判「或當如此未必全然」〔0108c07–0108c08〕，隨即自出所以（外凡初心見聲聞畏憚、聞菩薩擯辱而生退沒）〔0108c08–0108c11〕。
其二·舊云（支佛菩薩無受記）：「舊云，支佛菩薩無受記」——本論判「此文三乘皆記，不須疑也」〔0109a08–0109a09〕。
其三·有師（已今當之判）：「有師解，已是《般若》，當是《涅槃》」以下〔0110a20–0110a23〕。本論判「此師闕一節」〔0110a23〕——所校之三時中獨闕「今」。
其四至其六·鑿井譬之三家「有人」與生師、注家〔0111a15–0111a26〕：
- 有人言：初教如高原乾土、《大品》如濕土、《法華》如泥、佛果如水。
- 有人言：《維摩》《思益》如乾土、《無量義》如濕土、《法華》如泥、佛果如水。
- 有人言：《大品》如乾土、《無量義》如濕土、《法華》如泥、佛果如水。
- 生師云：受持法華求佛道欲得如渴；三乘於一乘難信、於法華求解如高原；受持讀誦為穿；未能如聞而解為未聞如乾土，能解為至泥。注家同。
本論判曰：「三家皆五時之說」〔0111a18〕；又錄「有人云，此一解去佛遠，一解去佛近」，末總斷「諸師失經旨」〔0111a26〕，並自出二義（舉餘經對《法華》明遠近・就《法華》論遠近）。
其七·開方便門三家〔0111b09–0111b26〕：
- 光宅：「昔鹿苑機雜，盛說三藏未明一理，爾時以權隱實，一理為權教所閉；今王城赴大機顯於真實，真實既顯則廢除昔教，昔教被廢故方便門開，一理既彰真實相顯也。」本論私謂：「此解乃是破方便，非開方便也」〔0111b17〕。
- 河西道朗：「直詺三為方便，即是開方便門。昔不言三是方便，故方便門閉，今詺三為方便，即示一為真實也。」本論私謂：「此釋符文」〔0111b20〕。
- 有人（開教身兩方便）：本論私謂「此竊龍印之義而為己釋，還是破方便意非開義也」〔0111b24–0111b25〕。
三家之中本論獨許河西道朗。另本論於問答中引劉虬「通物之功乃由乎一，故一為方便之門，汲引之效頗賴於三，故三為真實之相」〔0111c05–0111c07〕，及有人三章門之說〔0111c10 前後〕與有人十五處明門之列〔0112a07 起〕，皆錄而各加私謂或私破。
〔誌：本目「河西道朗」為本論實引之人，與 05b 所裁之誤形「道朗」（本應作「朗和尚」）同形異指；兩處各依本論所指，不相混同。〕
六、術語
| 語 | 釋 |
|---|---|
| 五種法師 | 受持・讀・誦・解說・書寫〔0107c26〕；《大論》六種合受持為一、合解說為一、開讀誦為二、足書寫為五〔0107c29–0108a02〕。 |
| 自軌·軌他 | 若自軌五法則自行之法師，若教他五法則化他之法師；自軌故通稱弟子，化他故通稱法師〔0108a04–0108a06〕。 |
| 三軌（室衣座） | 慈悲覆物惠利歸己名之如室〔0108a19〕・遮彼惡障己醜名之為衣〔0108a20〕・安心於空方能安他，安他安己名之為座〔0108a20–0108a22〕。 |
| 如來行 | 束五為一：如來行具一切行〔0108a26〕；本論以慈悲・柔和・空座對釋九番，末云「出三諦故名為勝幢，包含普攝名摩訶衍，是如來行故稱三昧王」〔0108b13–0108b14〕。 |
| 迹門流通 | 前三周正說領解受記竟，此下五品是迹門流通〔0108c01–0108c02〕；「非止蔭益當時，復欲津洽來世」〔0108c02〕。 |
| 一句一偈·一念隨喜 | 「一句一偈」者聞法極少〔0108c26〕；「乃至一念」者時節最促〔0108c27〕；隨喜有豎論、橫論二釋〔0109a19–0109a29〕。 |
| 如來使·行如來事 | 經是如智所說、說於如理，今日行人秉此如教宣於如理，即是如來所使〔0109b25–0109b27〕；如智照如理為事〔0109b27〕。 |
| 荷·檐 | 在背為荷、在肩為檐；修非權非實法身之體即為如來荷，能種能實二智之用即為如來檐〔0109c19–0109c21〕。 |
| 祕要之藏 | 隱而不說為祕，總一切為要，真如實相包蘊為藏〔0110b01–0110b02〕。 |
| 三力 | 四信為信力・四弘為願力・大智為善根力；「當知三力，即是三德祕密之藏，初心棲此與佛不殊」〔0110b17–0110b21〕。 |
| 生身舍利·法身舍利 | 引《釋論》：碎骨是生身舍利，經卷是法身舍利〔0110c01–0110c02〕；此經是法身舍利，不須更安生身舍利〔0110c02–0110c03〕。 |
| 鑿井四位 | 高原＝眾生心具諸煩惱・穿掘＝修習觀智・乾土濕泥＝教之未詮已詮中道・清水＝證中道〔0110c25–0111a12〕。 |
| 開方便門·示真實相 | 昔說治生產業何曾是方便，今皆開之即是實相〔0112a22–0112a24〕；「一色一香無非佛法，若門若非門，悉皆開之」〔0112a29–0112b01〕。 |
| 五利益 | 遣化人・遣化四眾・遣八部・見佛身・與總持〔0112b21–0112b23〕；「若初心未淳，止可遣化人」〔0112b23〕。 |
七、譬喻・互讀・承衍
本單元之意象為鑿井：於高原穿掘求水，見乾土知去水尚遠，見濕土知漸近，見泥知將得，泥澄則見清水。本論以此譬配二重——觀門（乾慧地如乾土・性地為濕土泥・見諦為得清水；別觀從假入空如鑿乾土，圓觀中道如漸至濕泥，入初住發真中解如泥澄清）與教門（三藏未詮中道如乾土・方等般若帶方便說中道如濕土・法華正直顯露如泥・所發真慧不復依文如獲清水）〔0110c24–0111a15〕。二重必須並用，此為本論釋此譬之骨。
本單元另一意象為三軌（室衣座），而本論之用法與他處不同：它不只把三軌當作弘經之儀，而是把五種法師逐次束為四、三、二、一，於「一」之下以三軌對釋九番——善惡、福慧、偏邪、四魔、二嚴、破立、體用、三諦名、引經。同一組三法被反覆對照九種法數，這是本帙釋名最繁之處。
與〈安樂行品〉互讀：本論釋束五為四時明言「即四安樂行，如後說」〔0108a07〕；又於弘經方法一段云「〈安樂行〉中還廣此三法」〔0112b19〕。14 系三子所釋之四安樂行，其總綱即在此品。
與〈見寶塔品〉互讀：本論判迹門流通五品時云「〈法師〉、〈寶塔〉兩品，明弘經功深福重」〔0108c03〕，又別其分工——「〈法師品〉，釋尊自說弘經功福命覓流通；〈寶塔品〉多寶分身，且證且助勸覓流通」〔0108c11–0108c13〕。11 之所以有塔，正因本品先立弘經之功。
與〈提婆達多品〉〈勸持品〉互讀：五品流通之判中，〈達多〉「引往弘經彼我兼益，以證功德深重」、〈持品〉「八萬大士忍力成者，此土弘經，新得記者他土弘經」〔0108c04–0108c07〕。12 與 13 於本品已被安置於同一條流通之鏈上。
承衍：本單元止於卷末題〔0112c13〕。其下卷第八下起〈見寶塔品〉；讀路由『誰能弘、如何弘』，轉入『佛親自出塔為證』。
八、校本定位
本單元嚴格域內有四十個校勘正文位置（本帙單一單元之最多）：三十二枚以單邊校記繫之，八枚以星號回指繫之；皆為【大】【甲】對舉之內容，無省略字數式校記，亦無 CBETA 校改。
| 次 | 位置 | 【大】 | 【甲】 | 次 | 位置 | 【大】 | 【甲】 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 一 | 0108a23 | 以 | 甲本缺 | 廿一 | 0110a10 | 半 | 半行 |
| 二 | 0108a23 | 亡 | 忌 | 廿二 | 0110b20 | 棲 | 栖 |
| 三 | 0108b02 | 空 | 坐 | 廿三 | 0110b22★ | 棲 | 栖 |
| 四 | 0108b08 | 空 | 空座 | 廿四 | 0110c10★ | 揀 | 簡 |
| 五 | 0108b09 | 忍 | 悲 | 廿五 | 0111a09 | 般 | 波 |
| 六 | 0108b13 | 所 | 門 | 廿六 | 0111a29★ | 般 | 波 |
| 七 | 0108b17 | 一 | 而 | 廿七 | 0111b18 | 詺 | 名 |
| 八 | 0108c13 | 覓 | 觀 | 廿八 | 0111b21 | 世 | 世諸 |
| 九 | 0108c13 | 美 | 善美 | 廿九 | 0111b27 | 算 | 弄 |
| 十 | 0108c19 | 語 | 諸 | 三十 | 0111c01 | 實 | 實真 |
| 十一 | 0108c21 | 揀 | 簡 | 卅一 | 0111c05 | 物 | 總 |
| 十二 | 0108c22★ | 揀 | 簡 | 卅二 | 0111c12 | 章 | 章互 |
| 十三 | 0108c24★ | 揀 | 簡 | 卅三 | 0111c25 | 問 | 問門 |
| 十四 | 0109a20 | 喜 | 之 | 卅四 | 0112b07★ | 揀 | 簡 |
| 十五 | 0109b05 | 譚 | 談 | 卅五 | 0112b15 | 就 | 甲本缺 |
| 十六 | 0109b05★ | 譚 | 談 | 卅六 | 0112b20 | 荷 | 荷檐 |
| 十七 | 0109b13 | 況 | 況有人 | 卅七 | 0112b25 | 見 | 見況見佛 |
| 十八 | 0109b16 | 於 | 甲本缺 | 卅八 | 0112c01 | 知 | 知下 |
| 十九 | 0109c21 | 種 | 權 | 卅九 | 0112c02★ | 揀 | 簡 |
| 二十 | 0110a03 | 下 | 甲本缺 | 四十 | 0112c04 | 軌 | 軌方軌 |
（★＝星號回指式，餘為單邊校記式。）
其中五枚值得誌明。第廿七枚〔0111b18〕最堪注意：它正落在河西道朗語「直詺三為方便」之「詺」字，甲本作「名」——而本論下文復云「今詺三為方便」，同段二見；「詺」為名之異體，並錄不判。第十一至十三枚與第廿四、卅四、卅九枚共六處皆「揀／簡」對舉，散在全域，是本單元最頻之異形；第廿二、廿三枚「棲／栖」與第廿五、廿六枚「般／波」各二見，亦同族之異體。第十五、十六枚〔0109b05〕「譚／談」二見，落在師門「人譚下」「上時譚現未」之處。第卅一枚〔0111c05〕落在劉虬語「通物之功乃由乎一」之「物」字，甲本作「總」——二形義異，並錄不判。
本單元嚴格域內無通用字庫外字。品題兩形之例（「序品」無釋冠、餘二十七品作「釋Ｘ品」）於本品見「釋法師品」〔0107c25〕。卷末題見第一目、第二目。
This chapter opens the circulation section of the Trace Gate and is one of the chapters in the entire work with the most elaborate explanation of its title and the greatest number of recorded divergent interpretations. The root treatise first explains the title through a decreasing-number method—successively gathering the five kinds of Dharma teacher into four, three, two, and one; when gathering them into one, it correlates the three dharmas of room, robe, and seat across nine rounds. It next classifies the sequence of the five chapters that circulate the Trace Gate, then explains the meritorious results of the disciples’ gateway and the teachers’ gateway. The latter half praises the Dharma upheld, using the well-digging parable to explain 「近三菩提」 tr. “proximity to complete awakening.” For the sentence 「開方便門示真實相」 tr. “opening the gateway of skillful means and revealing the true mark,” it records three divergent interpretations, establishes three layers of question and answer, and refutes a list of fifteen passages explaining “gateway.” Twelve works are cited: the Great Treatise, Great Nirvana Sutra, Vimalakīrti Sutra, Larger Prajñāpāramitā, Sutra of the Samādhi of Directly Seeing Reality, Ekottara Collection, Treatise on the Ten Stages of the Bodhisattva, Explanatory Treatise, Contemplation of Samantabhadra, Treatise on the Lotus Sutra, Avataṃsaka Sutra, and “Preface to the Middle Treatise.” Seven sources of divergent interpretation are recorded: an unnamed teacher on already, now, and yet to be taught; three unnamed explanations of well-digging; Master Sheng; an annotator; Guangzhai; Daolang of Hexi; and Liu Qiu.
I. Doctrinal-Outline Placement
This chapter belongs to the Trace Gate (01–14) and is the first chapter of its circulation section. The root treatise states explicitly: 「前三周是迹門，正說領解受記竟，此下五品是迹門流通」 tr. “The first three rounds are the Trace Gate; the direct teaching, reception and understanding, and predictions are complete; the following five chapters circulate the Trace Gate” 〔0108c01–0108c02〕. The strict domain is T34n1718 〔0107c25–0112c13〕: it begins with the chapter title 「釋法師品」 tr. “Explanation of ‘The Dharma Teacher’” 〔0107c25〕 and ends with the fascicle colophon 「妙法蓮華經文句卷第八上」 tr. “Fahua Wenju, Fascicle Eight, First Part” 〔0112c13〕. The full domain contains 6,814 Han characters and is the largest directly constructed single-chapter unit in this work (standing ruling of 2026-07-19: this chapter is exempt from a second-level carve).
This unit ends at the fascicle boundary: Fascicle Eight, First Part ends at 〔0112c13〕; Fascicle Eight, Second Part below it begins the next unit, 11_jianbaota. Under Rule 11(b), the fascicle colophon is transcribed.
| Sequence | Root-treatise division | Locus and content |
|---|---|---|
| I | Five kinds of Dharma teacher | Receiving and upholding, reading, reciting, explaining, and copying; combination and division of the six kinds in the Great Treatise; nine grades in the Great Nirvana Sutra 〔0107c26–0108a06〕 |
| II | Decreasing number · gathering five into four | The four peaceful practices, pointing forward to “Peaceful Practices” 〔0108a06–0108a09〕 |
| III | Decreasing number · gathering four into three (three karmas) | Receiving and upholding as mental karma; reading, reciting, and speaking as verbal karma; copying as bodily karma 〔0108a09–0108a12〕 |
| IV | Decreasing number · gathering four into three (three gateways) | Gateway of merit, gateway of transforming others, gateway of repaying kindness 〔0108a12–0108a16〕 |
| V | Decreasing number · gathering four into three (three dharmas) | Reading, reciting, and copying = robe; receiving and upholding = seat; explaining to benefit others = room; separate explanations of room, robe, and seat 〔0108a16–0108a24〕 |
| VI | Decreasing number · gathering into two | Personal practice and transformation of others; 「此易解，不復記」 tr. “This is easy to understand and is not recorded again” 〔0108a24–0108a26〕 |
| VII | Decreasing number · gathering into one | The Tathāgata’s practice contains every practice; nine rounds correlating room, robe, and seat (good and evil; merit and wisdom; partial and heterodox; four māras; two adornments; questioning and answering; substance and function; names of the three truths; scriptural citation) 〔0108a26–0108b16〕 |
| VIII | Question and answer · why use three dharmas? | Explanation through affairs (ascending the hall, arranging the robe, taking the seat); combined explanation through affairs and principle (three delusions concerning painful results, binding karma, and the principle of the truths); explanation through principle (confusion about true, conventional, and middle) 〔0108b16–0108b23〕 |
| IX | Explaining the name and concluding the chapter | Dharma as regulating standard and teacher as instruction and fashioning; interpretation through causes and conditions; 「凡多種解，皆約圓教法門而釋品也」 tr. “All these many explanations interpret the chapter through the Dharma gateway of the Perfect Teaching” 〔0108b23–0108b29〕 |
| X | Classification of the five chapters that circulate the Trace Gate | “The Dharma Teacher” and “The Jeweled Stūpa”: profound work and weighty merit; “Devadatta”: invoking the past; “Encouragement to Uphold”: this land and other lands; “Peaceful Practices”: drawing in those who retreat, with the old account rejected 〔0108c01–0108c13〕 |
| XI | Disciples’ gateway · during the Buddha’s lifetime | Distinguishing classes of people and causes for predictions; one sentence or verse; rejoicing for one thought, explained vertically and horizontally 〔0108c13–0109b01〕 |
| XII | Disciples’ gateway · after extinction | Identifying the class of disciples; “I too give them predictions” 〔0109b01–0109b04〕 |
| XIII | Teachers’ gateway · the present age | Lower grade (teacher’s characteristics = five kinds of Dharma teacher and ten kinds of offering; meritorious result); higher grade 〔0109b04–0109b16〕 |
| XIV | Teachers’ gateway · after extinction | Lower grade (privately speaking one sentence for one person; envoy of the Tathāgata; performing the Tathāgata’s work; contemplation of mind); higher grade 〔0109b16–0109c07〕 |
| XV | General explanation of offense and merit | Not the richness or barrenness of the field of merit, but beginner and final mind; parable of the crown prince in adversity; adorned like the Buddha; borne upon the Tathāgata’s shoulder; bowing toward whichever direction one goes 〔0109c07–0109c22〕 |
| XVI | Sixteen lines of verse | Two stanzas of separate encouragement; thirteen lines restating the teachers’ gateway; one line praising the sutra 〔0109c22–0110a14〕 |
| XVII | Praising the Dharma upheld · general statement of five praises | In relation to Dharma, people, place, cause, and result; because the Dharma is wondrous the person is noble, and because the person is noble the place is honored 〔0110a14–0110a20〕 |
| XVIII | Praise in relation to Dharma | This sutra is foremost among what has already been taught, is now taught, and is yet to be taught; refutation of an 「有師解」 tr. “explanation by a certain teacher”; treasury of the secret essence; never openly taught; much resentment and jealousy 〔0110a20–0110b12〕 |
| XIX | Praise in relation to people | Covered by the Tathāgata’s robe; protected and kept in mind by the buddhas; the three powers (faith, vows, wholesome roots) = secret treasury of the three virtues; lodging together; hand stroking the head 〔0110b12–0110b26〕 |
| XX | Praise in relation to place | Raising stūpas at the four places; citation from the Explanatory Treatise on physical-body and dharma-body relics 〔0110b26–0110c05〕 |
| XXI | Praise in relation to cause | Not yet skillfully practicing the bodhisattva path = first three teachings; Perfect Teaching = whole-body relic and skillful deliverance 〔0110c05–0110c09〕 |
| XXII | Praise in relation to result · proximity | Two kinds of bodhi; citations from the Contemplation of Samantabhadra and the Explanatory Treatise; true suchness before, within, and after the path 〔0110c09–0110c24〕 |
| XXIII | Opening the parable · digging a well | Explanation through contemplation (dry-wisdom ground, nature ground, seeing the truths; separate contemplation; perfect contemplation) and explanation through teaching (Tripiṭaka as dry soil, Vaipulya and Prajñāpāramitā as moist soil, Lotus as mud, clear water) 〔0110c24–0111a15〕 |
| XXIV | Five schools’ divergent explanations | Three unnamed masters, Master Sheng, and the annotator; the root treatise judges 「三家皆五時之說」 tr. “the three schools all follow the theory of the Five Periods” and 「諸師失經旨」 tr. “the masters have missed the sutra’s purport” 〔0111a15–0111a26〕 |
| XXV | Two questions and answers | Why the other sutras are far from the Buddha; how Prajñāpāramitā can be far from the Buddha 〔0111a26–0111b07〕 |
| XXVI | Correlating the parable | Gaining hearing, reflection, and cultivation within the Lotus constitutes the three wisdoms of perfect contemplation 〔0111b07–0111b09〕 |
| XXVII | Explaining proximity · opening the gateway of skillful means | Three divergent interpretations: Guangzhai, Daolang of Hexi, and an unnamed master; the root treatise appends 「私謂」 tr. “my private judgment” to each 〔0111b09–0111b26〕 |
| XXVIII | Three questions and answers | Is skillful means itself a gateway? Can skillful means and reality mutually serve as gateways? Can the three reveal the three and the one reveal the one? 〔0111b26–0112a07〕 |
| XXIX | Fifteen passages explaining “gateway” | Two in “Skillful Means,” six in “Parables,” three in “Faith and Understanding,” two in “The Conjured City,” one in “The Dharma Teacher,” and one in “Avalokiteśvara” 〔0112a07–0112a21〕 |
| XXX | Present explanation of opening the gateway of skillful means | How could worldly livelihood and productive enterprise taught in the past ever have been skillful means? Now all are opened as the true mark; explanation through the three wisdoms 〔0112a21–0112b06〕 |
| XXXI | Distinguishing what is not so | Startled and doubtful bodhisattvas and overweeningly proud śrāvakas are all dry soil 〔0112b06–0112b10〕 |
| XXXII | Method for propagating the sutra | Marking the gateways, explaining them, exhorting cultivation; room, robe, and seat each contain the three virtues; cross-reference to “Peaceful Practices” 〔0112b10–0112b21〕 |
| XXXIII | Five benefits | Dispatching conjured people, the four assemblies, and the eight kinds of beings; seeing the Buddha’s body; receiving retention 〔0112b21–0112b26〕 |
| XXXIV | Eighteen and a half lines of verse | One line of general exhortation; sixteen and a half lines restating the prose; one line of concluding exhortation 〔0112b26–0112c13〕 |
Mirror correspondence in the Wenjuji: T34n1719 〔0304b05–0309c21〕, beginning with the chapter title 「釋法師品」 tr. “Explanation of ‘The Dharma Teacher’” 〔0304b05〕 and ending with 「如前利益中列第一遣化人等五是也」 tr. “These are the five listed above among the benefits, beginning with the first, dispatching conjured people” 〔0309c20–0309c21〕. The following line is the fascicle colophon 「法華文句記卷第八之三」 tr. “Record of the Fahua Wenju, Fascicle Eight of Three” 〔0309c22〕. This is one of the longest mirror-commentary passages in the work; see Section IV.
II. Formation and Transmission
The prefatory record at the head of the fascicle says that Dharma Master Guanding privately recorded the teaching and combined it into twenty fascicles 〔0001a23–0001a24〕; it further records that Monk Lang arranged and ordered it in the wuxu year of the Tianbao era of the Tang. The doctrinal exposition belongs to Zhiyi, the record to Guanding, and the received text was further redacted by Lang. Shenjiong’s preface, Lang’s editorial statement, and Zhanran’s Wenjuji all belong to the layers of transmission or mirror commentary; they are not rewritten as Zhiyi’s main text.
The fascicle colophon for this unit is 「妙法蓮華經文句卷第八上」 tr. “Fahua Wenju, Fascicle Eight, First Part” 〔0112c13〕. Fascicle Eight, Second Part begins separately below; see Section I of 11_jianbaota.
III. Sutra Passages Explained and Works Cited
A. Root-Sutra Passages: “The Dharma Teacher”
Many markers supplied by the root treatise in this chapter are opening words of divisions rather than continuous verbatim quotations. Its principal marked phrases are:
| Phrase marked by the root treatise | Root-sutra locus |
|---|---|
| 「一句一偈」 tr. “one sentence or verse” · 「乃至一念」 tr. “even for a single thought” · 「皆與記當得菩提」 tr. “all are given predictions that they will attain bodhi” | Within one passage at T09n0262 〔0030c01–0030c03〕 |
| 「決了聲聞法」 tr. “definitively resolves the śrāvaka teaching” | 〔0032a15〕 |
| 「開方便門示真實相」 tr. “opening the gateway of skillful means and revealing the true mark” | Around 〔0031c19〕 |
Among the root-sutra language cited by the root treatise, 「決了聲聞法」 tr. “definitively resolves the śrāvaka teaching” is a verbatim match at 〔T09n0262 0032a15〕; the others are mostly condensed markers. This chapter primarily attaches outline segments, and its density of line-by-line anchors is lower than in preceding chapters. This section therefore centers on the other works cited.
B. The Great Treatise on Six Kinds of Dharma Teacher—Summary
「《大論》明六種法師：信力故受，念力故持，看文為讀，不忘為誦，宣傳為說，聖人經書難解須解釋」 tr. “The Great Treatise explains six kinds of Dharma teacher: receiving through the power of faith, upholding through the power of mindfulness, looking at the written text as reading, not forgetting as reciting, transmitting and proclaiming as speaking, and explaining because the scriptures of sages are difficult to understand” 〔0107c27–0107c29〕. Tolerant-marker searches of the received Mahāprajñāpāramitā-śāstra, T25n1509, return zero matches for all six phrases. The Wenjuji likewise gives no fascicle number but separately cites the ten practices of the Prajñāpāramitā of the Heavenly Kings and correlates them with these practices; see Section IV. The root treatise says 「《大論》明」 tr. “the Great Treatise explains,” not 「云」 tr. “it says”; it raises the meaning rather than adducing the wording, and is recorded accordingly.
C. Two Citations from the Great Nirvana Sutra
First, 「《大經》分九品，前四人無解是弟子位，後五人有解是師位」 tr. “The Great Nirvana Sutra divides them into nine grades: the first four, without explanation, occupy the disciples’ position; the latter five, with explanation, occupy the teachers’ position” 〔0108a02–0108a04〕. This continuous wording does not appear in received T12n0374. The Wenjuji explains that these are in fact the nine grades formed by Xilian together with the eight Ganges categories in the Great Nirvana Sutra: 「元是別義，且借以證五種法師」 tr. “Originally a separate meaning, provisionally borrowed to establish the five kinds of Dharma teacher” 〔T34n1719 0304b22–0304b23〕. It then lists the fraction of meaning explained at each grade 〔0304b23–0304b27〕. The root treatise borrows that passage to establish the present meaning; it does not quote its sentence.
Second, 「《大經》云「寧願少聞多解義味」」 tr. “The Great Nirvana Sutra says, ‘Prefer little hearing and much understanding of the flavor of meaning’” 〔0109a29〕. The received text reads 「寧當少聞，多解義味，不願多聞，於義不了」 tr. “One should rather hear little and understand much of the flavor of meaning, not desire much hearing while failing to comprehend the meaning” 〔T12n0374 0534a03–0534a04〕. The root treatise has 「寧願」 tr. “prefer” in place of “one should rather,” a one-graph difference, and omits the following two clauses. Both are recorded side by side without adjudication.
D. The Vimalakīrti Sutra—Verbatim Match
「故淨名云「譬如勝怨乃可為勇」」 tr. “Thus Vimalakīrti says, ‘Only one who vanquishes an enemy can be called courageous’” 〔0108b06〕. The received text matches verbatim: 「譬如勝怨乃可為勇」 tr. “Only one who vanquishes an enemy can be called courageous” 〔T14n0475 0545a24〕.
E. The Larger Prajñāpāramitā—Zero Match in the Received Text
「大品云「化一切眾生，觀一切空，魔不得便」」 tr. “The Larger Prajñāpāramitā says, ‘Transform all sentient beings, contemplate that all is empty, and Māra cannot gain an opening’” 〔0108b07–0108b09〕. Searches of the received Mahāprajñāpāramitā Sutra, T08n0223, for 「化一切眾生」 tr. “transform all sentient beings,” 「觀一切空」 tr. “contemplate that all is empty,” 「魔不得便」 tr. “Māra cannot gain an opening,” and 「魔不得其便」 tr. “Māra cannot gain that opening” return zero matches for all phrases. The sutra separately has three instances of 「觀一切法空」 tr. “contemplate the emptiness of all dharmas,” including 〔0361a08〕, but their meaning does not correspond. The result is recorded as found without supplying a conjectural source.
F. The Sutra of the Samādhi of Directly Seeing Reality—The Six Separate Names, Five of Which Can Be Re-anchored in the Mahāratnakūṭa Sutra
「《見實三昧經》別與四天王記同名火持，三十三天同名因陀羅幢王，拘翼同名無著，焰天同名淨智，兜率同名釋法王，上兩天亦通與記不顯別名，梵天名大智力」 tr. “The Sutra of the Samādhi of Directly Seeing Reality separately predicts that the four heavenly kings will all be named Fire Upholder; the Thirty-three, King Indra’s Banner; Kauśika, Unattached; the Yāma gods, Pure Wisdom; the Tuṣita gods, King of the Dharma of Śakra; the two heavens above are all given predictions without separate names; and the Brahmā gods are named Great Wisdom-Power” 〔0109a02–0109a07〕.
The work in question is Assembly Sixteen of the Mahāratnakūṭa Sutra, T11n0310, internally titled 「菩薩見實三昧經」 tr. “Sutra of the Bodhisattva Samādhi of Directly Seeing Reality” 〔0323c13〕. From “Predictions for the Asura Kings” onward, that assembly gives predictions class by class. The six cited here re-anchor as follows:
| Root-treatise record | Verbatim wording in the received text | Locus |
|---|---|---|
| Gods of the Thirty-three all named King Indra’s Banner | 「彼勝福者皆同號，名因陀羅幢王佛」 tr. “Those of excellent merit will all bear the same name: Buddha King Indra’s Banner” | T11n0310 〔0378b03〕 |
| Yāma gods all named Pure Wisdom | 「其佛同號淨智尊」 tr. “Those buddhas will all bear the name Venerable Pure Wisdom” (“Predictions for the Yāma Gods,” Chapter Fifteen) | 〔0379c03〕 |
| Brahmā gods named Great Wisdom-Power | 「彼佛同號大智力」 tr. “Those buddhas will all bear the name Great Wisdom-Power” (“Predictions for the Brahmā Gods,” Chapter Nineteen) | 〔0385a01〕 |
| Tuṣita gods all named King of the Dharma of Śakra | 「彼天一切皆成佛，同號名曰擇法王」 tr. “All those gods will become buddhas, all bearing the name King Who Selects the Dharma” | 〔0381a14〕 |
| Four heavenly kings all named Fire Upholder | “Predictions for the Four Heavenly Kings,” Chapter Thirteen, has 「號名曰大持」 tr. “bearing the name Great Upholder”; “Predictions for the Gods Who Travel through Space,” Chapter Twelve, has 「其佛號曰花幢尊」 tr. “those buddhas will be named Venerable Flower Banner” | 〔0377a06〕 〔0375c19〕 |
| Kauśika named Unattached | Zero matches in the received text; the name 「拘翼」 tr. “Kauśika” likewise does not occur in this assembly | — |
The first three match, the Tuṣita name differs by one graph (select/Śakra), and both received names in the four-heavenly-kings material differ from 「火持」 tr. “Fire Upholder”; all are recorded without adjudication. The Wenjuji itself identifies the 「拘翼」 tr. “Kauśika” item as an error: 「言「拘翼」者，彼經無，恐誤」 tr. “As for ‘Kauśika,’ that sutra does not have it; it is probably an error” 〔T34n1719 0305c07〕. This agrees with a check against the received canon.
The root treatise’s phrase 「上兩天亦通與記不顯別名」 tr. “the two heavens above are all given predictions without separate names” corresponds in order to “Predictions for the Gods Who Delight in Conjuration,” Chapter Seventeen 〔0381a17〕 and “Predictions for the Gods Who Master Others’ Conjurations,” Chapter Eighteen 〔0382a12〕, which stand between Tuṣita and the Brahmā gods in the received text.
G. The Ekottara Collection—Zero Match in the Received Text
「「一偈一句」者，《增一集》云「隨取經中要偈，如四諦之流者是也」」 tr. “Regarding ‘one verse or sentence,’ the Ekottara Collection says: ‘Take an essential verse from the sutra at will, such as those concerning the Four Truths’” 〔0109a10–0109a11〕. Searches of the received Ekottarikāgama, T02n0125, for 「隨取經中要偈」 tr. “take an essential verse from the sutra at will,” 「要偈」 tr. “essential verse,” and 「四諦之流」 tr. “the class of the Four Truths” all return zero matches. The title Ekottara Collection in the root treatise may refer to something else; the finding is recorded without supplying a conjectural source. When citing the phrase, the Wenjuji likewise says only 「下引《增一》集云」 tr. “below, citing the Ekottara collection, it says” 〔T34n1719 0305b20〕, without identifying a fascicle or chapter.
H. The Treatise on the Ten Stages of the Bodhisattva—Zero Match in the Received Text
「《十住毘婆沙》云「惡賤名厭，不求名無欲，心無垢名解脫，捨檐名涅槃；惡賤於集，不求於苦，無垢是道，捨檐是滅」。又云「佛語滿宿，我有四句，所謂四諦四念處」」 tr. “The Treatise on the Ten Stages of the Bodhisattva says, ‘Aversion and contempt are called disenchantment; not seeking is called absence of desire; a mind without defilement is called liberation; laying down the burden is called nirvāṇa. Aversion and contempt concern origination; not seeking concerns suffering; freedom from defilement is the path; laying down the burden is cessation.’ It further says, ‘The Buddha told Pūrṇa: I have four statements, namely the Four Truths and the four establishments of mindfulness’” 〔0109a11–0109a16〕. Searches of received T26n1521 for 「惡賤名厭」 tr. “aversion and contempt are called disenchantment,” 「不求名無欲」 tr. “not seeking is called absence of desire,” 「心無垢名解脫」 tr. “a mind without defilement is called liberation,” 「捨檐名涅槃」 tr. “laying down the burden is called nirvāṇa,” 「佛語滿宿」 tr. “the Buddha told Pūrṇa,” and 「我有四句」 tr. “I have four statements” all return zero matches. The treatise separately has 「惡賤憒鬧語」 tr. “words of aversion and contempt for clamor” at 〔0101a13〕, but the meaning does not correspond. The result is recorded as found without supplying a conjectural source.
I. Three Citations from the Mahāprajñāpāramitā-śāstra (the “Explanatory Treatise”)
First, 「如《釋論》明有慧無聞，譬如小雨無雷」 tr. “As the Explanatory Treatise explains, having wisdom without learning is like a small rain without thunder” 〔0109b22–0109b23〕. The corresponding verse in received T25n1509 reads: 「博學多聞有智慧，訥口拙言無巧便，不能顯發法寶藏，譬如無雷而小雨」 tr. “One may study broadly, hear much, and possess wisdom, yet be inarticulate and lack verbal skill, unable to disclose the treasury of Dharma—like a small rain without thunder” 〔0098c18–0098c19〕. The simile is present, but the root treatise turns the verse into prose and reverses its sequence: the received text has 「無雷而小雨」 tr. “without thunder and with little rain,” while the root treatise has 「小雨無雷」 tr. “little rain without thunder.” Both are recorded without adjudication.
Second, 「《釋論》云「碎骨是生身舍利，經卷是法身舍利」」 tr. “The Explanatory Treatise says, ‘Fragments of bone are relics of the physical body; sutra scrolls are relics of the dharma-body’” 〔0110c01–0110c02〕. Searches of received T25n1509 for 「碎骨」 tr. “fragments of bone,” 「生身舍利」 tr. “physical-body relics,” and 「法身舍利」 tr. “dharma-body relics” all return zero matches, and the result is recorded without supplying a conjectural source. The Wenjuji, however, carries forward the citation, saying 「故引論證生法二身各有全碎」 tr. “therefore it cites the treatise to establish that the physical and Dharma bodies each have whole and fragmented forms” 〔T34n1719 0306c28–0306c29〕; the Mirror thus also treats it as wording from the Treatise.
Third, 「《釋論》云「初觀實相名因，觀竟名果」」 tr. “The Explanatory Treatise says, ‘The initial contemplation of the true mark is called cause; the completion of contemplation is called result’” 〔0110c21〕. Searches of the received text for 「初觀實相名因」 tr. “the initial contemplation of the true mark is called cause” and 「觀竟名果」 tr. “the completion of contemplation is called result” both return zero matches; the result is recorded accordingly.
J. The Sutra on the Practice of Contemplating Samantabhadra Bodhisattva—The First Clause Can Be Re-anchored; the Second Is Absent from the Received Text
「故《普賢觀》云「大乘因者即是實相，大乘果者亦是實相。」」 tr. “Therefore the Contemplation of Samantabhadra says, ‘The cause of the Great Vehicle is precisely the true mark, and the fruit of the Great Vehicle is also the true mark’” 〔0110c19–0110c20〕. Received T09n0277 reads: 「汝今應當觀大乘因。大乘因者，諸法實相是」 tr. “You should now contemplate the cause of the Great Vehicle. The cause of the Great Vehicle is the true mark of all dharmas” 〔0392b01–0392b02〕. Thus 「大乘因者」 tr. “the cause of the Great Vehicle” matches, but the received text has 「諸法實相是」 tr. “is the true mark of all dharmas” where the root treatise has 「即是實相」 tr. “is precisely the true mark.” The latter clause 「大乘果者亦是實相」 tr. “the fruit of the Great Vehicle is also the true mark” returns zero matches in the received text. The root treatise condenses the first clause and supplies the second; both are recorded without adjudication.
K. The Treatise on the Lotus Sutra—「佛性水」 tr. “Water of Buddha-Nature”
「《法華論》云「佛性水」當知次第」 tr. “The Treatise on the Lotus Sutra says, ‘the water of buddha-nature’; know the sequence” 〔0111a02–0111a03〕. Both received translations match: T26n1519 〔0010a26〕 and T26n1520 〔0019b22〕. Both versions survive, and the root treatise does not identify one.
L. The Avataṃsaka Sutra—「慧身，不由他悟」 tr. “Wisdom-Body, Not Awakened through Another” Matches
「故《華嚴》云「十住菩薩所有慧身，不由他悟也。」」 tr. “Therefore the Avataṃsaka Sutra says, ‘The wisdom-body possessed by bodhisattvas of the ten abodes is not awakened through another’” 〔0111a12–0111a14〕. The received sixty-fascicle Avataṃsaka, T09n0278, “Pure Conduct,” reads: 「初發心時，便成正覺，知一切法真實之性，具足慧身，不由他悟。」 tr. “At the first arousal of the mind, one immediately attains right awakening, knows the real nature of every dharma, perfects the wisdom-body, and is not awakened through another” 〔0449c14–0449c15〕. The six graphs 「慧身，不由他悟」 tr. “wisdom-body, not awakened through another” match verbatim across a line boundary (normalized-Dharma variance: 0). Where the root treatise has 「十住菩薩所有慧身」 tr. “the wisdom-body possessed by bodhisattvas of the ten abodes,” the received text has 「具足慧身」 tr. “perfects the wisdom-body”; 「所有」 tr. “possessed” and 「具足」 tr. “perfects” are similar in meaning but differ in wording, while 「十住菩薩」 tr. “bodhisattvas of the ten abodes” is a qualification added by the root treatise. The eighty-fascicle Avataṃsaka, T10n0279, reads 「成就慧身，不由他悟」 tr. “accomplishes the wisdom-body and is not awakened through another” 〔0089a03〕. The root treatise therefore appears to use the sixty-fascicle version; this is recorded without adjudication.
M. The “Preface to the Middle Treatise”—Verbatim Match
「《中論．序》云「實非名不悟，故寄中以宣之」」 tr. “The ‘Preface to the Middle Treatise’ says, ‘Reality cannot be awakened to without a name, and so “middle” is provisionally entrusted to proclaim it’” 〔0111c23–0111c24〕. Sengrui’s “Preface to the Middle Treatise” matches verbatim: 「實非名不悟，故寄中以宣之」 tr. “Reality cannot be awakened to without a name, and so ‘middle’ is provisionally entrusted to proclaim it” 〔T30n1564 0001a08〕.
IV. Essential Explanations from the Wenjuji [the Mirror]
〔鏡〕 tr. [The Mirror.] The mirror explanation for this chapter is one of the longest in the work 〔T34n1719 0304b05–0309c21〕. Ten points are essential.
First · Correlating the ten practices in the Prajñāpāramitā of the Heavenly Kings with the five kinds of Dharma teacher. The root treatise cites only the six kinds in the Great Treatise. The Mirror separately cites: 「《天王般若》云：「受持此經有十種法：一書寫，二供養，三流傳，四諦聽，五自讀，六憶持，七廣說，八誦，九思惟，十修行。」」 tr. “The Prajñāpāramitā of the Heavenly Kings says: ‘Receiving and upholding this sutra has ten practices: first, copying; second, making offerings; third, transmitting; fourth, listening attentively; fifth, reading for oneself; sixth, recollecting and retaining; seventh, explaining broadly; eighth, reciting; ninth, reflecting; tenth, cultivating’” 〔0304b14–0304b16〕. It correlates each with the root treatise’s five kinds 〔0304b16–0304b20〕, concluding that “recollecting” in that sutra is simply receiving, whereas the Great Treatise divides receiving and upholding into two 〔0304b19–0304b20〕.
Second · Examination of the nine grades in the Great Nirvana Sutra. The Mirror explains that the nine grades borrowed by the root treatise are 「元是別義，且借以證五種法師」 tr. “originally a separate meaning, provisionally borrowed to establish the five kinds of Dharma teacher” 〔0304b22–0304b23〕. It then lists their actual arrangement: the nine grades are Xilian together with the eight Ganges categories; the fourth Ganges category broadly explains one of sixteen parts; the first four without explanation are Xilian and the three Ganges categories; the fifth Ganges understands eight parts, the sixth twelve, the seventh fourteen, and the eighth completely understands all 〔0304b23–0304b27〕.
Third · The source of the 「如來行」 tr. “Tathāgata’s practice.” The Mirror identifies the root treatise’s statement 「如來行具一切行」 tr. “the Tathāgata’s practice contains every practice” as 「此依《大經．聖行品》文」 tr. “based on the text of the ‘Noble Practice’ chapter of the Great Nirvana Sutra” 〔0304c13〕. It says that the Tathāgata’s practice is precisely the Great Vehicle’s great parinirvāṇa, and nirvāṇa is precisely the secret treasury of the three virtues; the root treatise therefore interprets the three virtues through room, robe, and seat 〔0304c13–0304c16〕. It further divides the root treatise’s passage gathering them into one into nine textual units: good and evil, merit and wisdom, partial and heterodox, four māras, two adornments, breaking and establishing, substance and function, names of the three truths, and scriptural citation 〔0304c19–0305a02〕.
Fourth · Critical distinctions concerning the three dharmas. A question is posed: according to the opening explanation of the chapter there should be five kinds; according to the later decreasing number there should be one dharma; why, then, are only the three of robe, seat, and room correlated with the various dharmas? The answer is that using affairs to reveal principle requires all three dharmas 〔0305a06–0305a11〕. It further classifies the root treatise’s three gateways: 「初二屬事，後一屬理」 tr. “the first two belong to affairs; the last belongs to principle” 〔0305a12〕.
Fifth · Passage-by-passage examination of the Sutra of the Samādhi of Directly Seeing Reality and identification of one error in the root treatise. The Mirror describes its predictions chapter by chapter: Fascicle Four first predicts the eight kinds of beings; next, in Fascicle Five, the chapter on Gods of Space predicts that the sky-traveling gods will all be named Fire Upholder 〔0305b28–0305c02〕; next, in “Predictions for the Gods of the Thirty-three,” eight hundred million Trāyastriṃśa gods simultaneously receive predictions under the name Banner of Indra 〔0305c02–0305c04〕; next, in the chapter on the Yāma gods, four hundred million Yāma gods all receive the name Pure Wisdom 〔0305c04–0305c07〕. It then judges: 「言「拘翼」者，彼經無，恐誤」 tr. “As for ‘Kauśika,’ that sutra does not have it; it is probably an error” 〔0305c07〕. Here the Mirror identifies an error in the root treatise, records it as 「恐誤」 tr. “probably an error,” and does not alter the root text. A check against the received canon agrees; see Section III.F.
Sixth · Listing the 「勸發四意」 tr. “four intentions of encouragement.” The root treatise only supplies the name; the Mirror lists them: 「一諸佛護念，二植眾德本，三入正定聚，四發救一切眾生之心」 tr. “first, being protected and kept in mind by the buddhas; second, planting the roots of many virtues; third, entering the group fixed in rightness; fourth, arousing the mind to rescue all sentient beings” 〔0305c10–0305c12〕. It also lists ten kinds of offering: 「一華，二香，三瓔珞，四末香，五塗香，六燒香，七旛蓋，八衣服，九妓樂，十合掌」 tr. “first, flowers; second, incense; third, necklaces; fourth, powdered incense; fifth, perfumed paste; sixth, burning incense; seventh, banners and canopies; eighth, clothing; ninth, music; tenth, joining the palms” 〔0306a10–0306a12〕. It further glosses the graph 「絓」 tr. “entangle”: 「乎卦切，挫也、預也」 tr. “pronounced with the hu-gua fanqie; to obstruct; to take part in” 〔0305b12〕.
Seventh · Glosses of 「怨」 tr. “resentment” and 「嫉」 tr. “jealousy.” 「思宿惡為「怨」，忌現善曰「嫉」」 tr. “Brooding over past evil is ‘resentment’; begrudging present good is called ‘jealousy’” 〔0306c07–0306c08〕. It also distinguishes Trace and Origin: in the Trace Gate, practitioners of the two vehicles and dull-rooted bodhisattvas are resentment and jealousy; in the Origin Gate, bodhisattvas who delight in recent accomplishment are resentment and jealousy 〔0306c09–0306c11〕.
Eighth · Classification of five schools and four explanations. The root treatise records five schools and judges 「三家皆五時之說」 tr. “the three schools all follow the theory of the Five Periods” and 「諸師失經旨」 tr. “the masters have missed the sutra’s purport.” The Mirror classifies them: the first three masters all employ the Five Periods and together constitute one explanation; Master Sheng and the annotator both classify distance and proximity within the Lotus and together constitute one explanation 〔0307b11–0307b13〕. It also elaborates why the root treatise’s two meanings—by teaching and by flavor—are necessary: in relation to teaching, the first three gradual teachings are coarse; in relation to flavor, those in the preceding four flavors who have not yet turned are coarse. Therefore 「二釋闕一不可」 tr. “neither of the two explanations may be omitted” 〔0307b22–0307b26〕. It further gives a separate refutation of the annotator 〔0307a04–0307a09〕.
Ninth · Supplement and judgment concerning the three schools on opening the gateway of skillful means. Regarding Guangzhai, the Mirror develops the root treatise’s refutation: 「由除之一字便為臧否」 tr. “Approval or disapproval turns upon the single graph ‘remove’” 〔0307c22–0307c23〕. It further adds one interpretation by Jiaxiang: 「嘉祥亦云：「開二種之方便、示二種之真實」」 tr. “Jiaxiang also says: ‘Open two kinds of skillful means and reveal two kinds of reality’” 〔0307c23–0307c25〕, then judges 「今開義善，成二乃違教」 tr. “The meaning of opening is good, but establishing only two contradicts the teaching” 〔0307c25–0307c26〕, because the sutra says the Buddha, through the power of skillful means, reveals the teaching of the three vehicles; when did it say only two? 〔0307c26–0307c27〕. Regarding Daolang of Hexi, the Mirror says 「章安許之」 tr. “Zhang’an approved it” 〔0308a03〕. Regarding Liu Qiu, it says 「非不與私釋稱會，但語略意沈經旨難顯」 tr. “It is not that it fails to accord with the private explanation, but its words are abbreviated and its meaning submerged, making the sutra’s purport difficult to reveal” 〔0308b10–0308b11〕. Regarding the unnamed master’s three chapter-gateways, it comments: 「其詞甚繁其理混亂，雖然多言少實不如守一」 tr. “Its language is extremely elaborate and its principle confused; although it says much, it contains little reality and is inferior to holding to one” 〔0308b13–0308b14〕. These four judgments all originate in the Mirror and are not written backward as though recorded in the root treatise.
Tenth · Refutation of the fifteen passages explaining “gateway.” At the passage 「有人引十五處明門」 tr. “someone cites fifteen passages to explain ‘gateway,’” the Mirror is especially severe: 「雖列頭數亦復不知何者須開？何者已開，門相如何？如其不判，徒列何益？」 tr. “Although the headings are listed, it is still not known which must be opened, which have already been opened, or what the characteristics of a gateway are. If these are not distinguished, what benefit is there in listing them in vain?” 〔0309b13–0309b14〕. It identifies the failure of the assigned explanation item by item 〔0309b16–0309b28〕, and concludes by unfolding the root treatise’s intent: 「本為開門不為數門，本為解門不為知數」 tr. “The original purpose is to open the gateway, not count gateways; to understand the gateway, not know their number” 〔0309b28–0309b29〕.
One further sentence may serve as the eye of the whole chapter. In the exhortation to cultivate, the Mirror says: 「不觀能弘之心，焉曉所弘之理？」 tr. “Without contemplating the mind that can propagate, how could one understand the principle propagated?” 〔0309c16〕. It further says: 「故佛令入我室、著我衣、坐我座，若無三法何謂弘經？」 tr. “Therefore the Buddha commands one to enter my room, put on my robe, and sit on my seat. Without these three dharmas, what could it mean to propagate the sutra?” 〔0309c17–0309c18〕.
V. Explanations of Various Masters
This unit records more divergent interpretations than any other chapter of the Trace Gate: seven sources in all, each recorded by the root treatise itself.
First · An older account (drawing in those who retreat through “Peaceful Practices”): 「〈安樂行〉一品，舊云，接退流通」 tr. “Regarding the chapter ‘Peaceful Practices,’ an older account says it draws in those who retreat so that they may circulate the sutra.” The root treatise judges, 「或當如此未必全然」 tr. “Perhaps this is so, but it may not be the whole account” 〔0108c07–0108c08〕, then gives its own reason: ordinary beginners outside the stages see śrāvakas fearful and hear of bodhisattvas being rejected and humiliated, and therefore sink into retreat 〔0108c08–0108c11〕.
Second · An older account (no predictions for pratyekabuddhas or bodhisattvas): 「舊云，支佛菩薩無受記」 tr. “An older account says that pratyekabuddhas and bodhisattvas receive no predictions.” The root treatise judges, 「此文三乘皆記，不須疑也」 tr. “This passage gives predictions to all three vehicles; there is no need for doubt” 〔0109a08–0109a09〕.
Third · A certain teacher (classification of already, now, and yet to be taught): 「有師解，已是《般若》，當是《涅槃》」 tr. “A certain teacher explains that ‘already’ is the Prajñāpāramitā and ‘yet to be’ is the Great Nirvana Sutra,” and so forth 〔0110a20–0110a23〕. The root treatise judges, 「此師闕一節」 tr. “This teacher omits one interval” 〔0110a23〕—of the three times being compared, 「今」 tr. “now” alone is omitted.
Fourth through sixth · Three 「有人」 tr. “someone” explanations of the well-digging parable, together with Master Sheng and the annotator 〔0111a15–0111a26〕:
- Someone says: the initial teaching is like the dry soil of a high plain, the Larger Prajñāpāramitā is like moist soil, the Lotus is like mud, and buddhahood is like water.
- Someone says: the Vimalakīrti Sutra and Sutra of the Questions of Brahmā are like dry soil, the Sutra of Immeasurable Meanings is like moist soil, the Lotus is like mud, and buddhahood is like water.
- Someone says: the Larger Prajñāpāramitā is like dry soil, the Sutra of Immeasurable Meanings is like moist soil, the Lotus is like mud, and buddhahood is like water.
- Master Sheng says: receiving and upholding the Lotus while seeking the Buddha path is desire like thirst; the three vehicles find the One Vehicle difficult to trust, and seeking understanding of the Lotus is like being upon a high plain; receiving, upholding, reading, and reciting are digging; failing to understand in accordance with what one has heard is not yet hearing and is like dry soil; being able to understand is reaching mud. The annotator agrees.
The root treatise judges: 「三家皆五時之說」 tr. “The three schools all follow the theory of the Five Periods” 〔0111a18〕. It further records 「有人云，此一解去佛遠，一解去佛近」 tr. “Someone says: this explanation places one far from the Buddha, while that explanation places one near the Buddha,” and concludes generally, 「諸師失經旨」 tr. “The masters have missed the sutra’s purport” 〔0111a26〕. It then supplies its own two meanings: compare the other sutras with the Lotus to clarify distance and proximity, and discuss distance and proximity within the Lotus itself.
Seventh · Three schools on opening the gateway of skillful means 〔0111b09–0111b26〕:
- Guangzhai: 「昔鹿苑機雜，盛說三藏未明一理，爾時以權隱實，一理為權教所閉；今王城赴大機顯於真實，真實既顯則廢除昔教，昔教被廢故方便門開，一理既彰真實相顯也。」 tr. “In the past, the capacities at the Deer Park were mixed. The Tripiṭaka was taught extensively, but the one principle was not clarified. The provisional concealed the real and the one principle was closed by provisional teachings. Now, in the royal city, the Buddha responds to great capacities and reveals the real. Once the real is revealed, the former teachings are abolished; because they are abolished, the gateway of skillful means opens. Once the one principle is manifest, the true mark is revealed.” The root treatise privately judges: 「此解乃是破方便，非開方便也」 tr. “This explanation breaks skillful means rather than opening skillful means” 〔0111b17〕.
- Daolang of Hexi: 「直詺三為方便，即是開方便門。昔不言三是方便，故方便門閉，今詺三為方便，即示一為真實也。」 tr. “Directly naming the three as skillful means is itself opening the gateway of skillful means. In the past it was not said that the three were skillful means, so the gateway was closed. Now naming the three as skillful means reveals the one as real.” The root treatise privately judges: 「此釋符文」 tr. “This explanation accords with the text” 〔0111b20〕.
- An unnamed master (opening the two skillful means of teaching and body): the root treatise privately judges, 「此竊龍印之義而為己釋，還是破方便意非開義也」 tr. “This steals Longyin’s meaning and makes it one’s own explanation; it remains the sense of breaking skillful means rather than opening them” 〔0111b24–0111b25〕.
Among the three, the root treatise accepts only Daolang of Hexi. In its questions and answers it separately cites Liu Qiu: 「通物之功乃由乎一，故一為方便之門，汲引之效頗賴於三，故三為真實之相」 tr. “The function of penetrating things proceeds from the one, so the one is the gateway of skillful means. The efficacy of drawing beings forth depends greatly upon the three, so the three are the mark of reality” 〔0111c05–0111c07〕. It also records an unnamed master’s three chapter-gateways 〔0111c10 前後〕 and an unnamed master’s list of fifteen passages explaining gateways 〔0112a07 起〕, appending a private judgment or private refutation to each.
〔Note: 「河西道朗」 tr. “Daolang of Hexi” in this section is a person genuinely cited by the root treatise. The same written form as the erroneous 「道朗」 tr. “Daolang” ruled on in 05b, which should read 「朗和尚」 tr. “Monk Lang,” refers to a different person. Each passage follows the referent intended by the root treatise; the two are not conflated.〕
VI. Terminology
| Term | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Five kinds of Dharma teacher | Receiving and upholding, reading, reciting, explaining, and copying 〔0107c26〕. The six kinds in the Great Treatise combine receiving and upholding as one, combine explaining and speaking as one, divide reading and reciting into two, and add copying to make five 〔0107c29–0108a02〕. |
| Regulating oneself · regulating others | Using the five dharmas to regulate oneself makes one a Dharma teacher in personal practice; teaching the five dharmas to others makes one a Dharma teacher who transforms others. Because one regulates oneself, all are called disciples; because one transforms others, all are called Dharma teachers 〔0108a04–0108a06〕. |
| Three guides (room, robe, and seat) | Compassion shelters beings and the benefit bestowed returns to oneself: the room 〔0108a19〕. Covering others’ evil and obstructing one’s own ugliness: the robe 〔0108a20〕. Settling the mind in emptiness enables one to settle others; settling others also settles oneself: the seat 〔0108a20–0108a22〕. |
| Tathāgata’s practice | Gathering five into one: the Tathāgata’s practice contains every practice 〔0108a26〕. The root treatise correlates compassion, gentleness, and the seat of emptiness across nine rounds, ending: 「出三諦故名為勝幢，包含普攝名摩訶衍，是如來行故稱三昧王」 tr. “Because it transcends the three truths, it is called the banner of victory; because it contains and universally gathers, it is called the Mahāyāna; because it is the Tathāgata’s practice, it is called the king of samādhis” 〔0108b13–0108b14〕. |
| Circulation of the Trace Gate | The first three rounds of direct teaching, reception and understanding, and predictions are complete; the following five chapters circulate the Trace Gate 〔0108c01–0108c02〕. 「非止蔭益當時，復欲津洽來世」 tr. “They not only shelter and benefit people of that time, but also seek to moisten generations to come” 〔0108c02〕. |
| One sentence or verse · rejoicing for one thought | 「一句一偈」 tr. “One sentence or verse” means that the Dharma heard is exceedingly little 〔0108c26〕. 「乃至一念」 tr. “Even for a single thought” means the time is extremely brief 〔0108c27〕. Rejoicing has vertical and horizontal explanations 〔0109a19–0109a29〕. |
| Envoy of the Tathāgata · performing the Tathāgata’s work | The sutra is spoken by suchness-wisdom and speaks suchness-principle. A practitioner today who receives this teaching of suchness and proclaims suchness-principle is the Tathāgata’s envoy 〔0109b25–0109b27〕. Suchness-wisdom illuminating suchness-principle is the work 〔0109b27〕. |
| Bearing · carrying | Bearing on the back is he; carrying on the shoulder is dan. Cultivating the substance of the dharma-body, neither provisional nor real, is being borne by the Tathāgata; exercising the two wisdoms that can plant and actualize is being carried by the Tathāgata 〔0109c19–0109c21〕. |
| Treasury of the secret essence | Concealed and unspoken is secret; gathering everything is essential; containing and storing true suchness and the true mark is treasury 〔0110b01–0110b02〕. |
| Three powers | The four faiths are the power of faith; the four universal vows are the power of vows; great wisdom is the power of wholesome roots. 「當知三力，即是三德祕密之藏，初心棲此與佛不殊」 tr. “Know that the three powers are precisely the secret treasury of the three virtues; a beginner who abides here is no different from the Buddha” 〔0110b17–0110b21〕. |
| Physical-body relics · dharma-body relics | Citing the Explanatory Treatise: fragments of bone are physical-body relics, sutra scrolls are dharma-body relics 〔0110c01–0110c02〕. This sutra is a dharma-body relic, so a physical-body relic need not also be deposited 〔0110c02–0110c03〕. |
| Four stages of well-digging | High plain = a sentient being’s mind fully endowed with afflictions; digging = cultivating contemplative wisdom; dry soil and moist mud = teachings that do not yet explain or already explain the middle way; clear water = realization of the middle way 〔0110c25–0111a12〕. |
| Opening the gateway of skillful means · revealing the true mark | How could worldly livelihood and productive enterprise taught in the past ever have been skillful means? Now all are opened as the true mark 〔0112a22–0112a24〕. 「一色一香無非佛法，若門若非門，悉皆開之」 tr. “Not one color or fragrance is anything other than Buddha-Dharma; whether gateway or nongateway, all are opened” 〔0112a29–0112b01〕. |
| Five benefits | Dispatching conjured people, the four assemblies, and the eight kinds of beings; seeing the Buddha’s body; receiving retention 〔0112b21–0112b23〕. 「若初心未淳，止可遣化人」 tr. “If a beginner’s mind is not yet mature, only conjured people may be dispatched” 〔0112b23〕. |
VII. Similes · Cross-Reading · Carrying Forward
The governing image of this unit is digging a well: digging for water on a high plain; seeing dry soil and knowing that water is still far away; seeing moist soil and knowing that it is drawing nearer; seeing mud and knowing that water is about to be reached; and seeing clear water once the mud settles. The root treatise correlates this parable in two layers. The gateway of contemplation maps the dry-wisdom ground to dry soil, the nature ground to moist soil and mud, and seeing the truths to obtaining clear water; the Separate Teaching’s emergence from the provisional into emptiness is like digging dry soil, the Perfect Teaching’s middle-way contemplation like gradually reaching moist mud, and entering the first abode and giving rise to genuine middle understanding like the mud settling clear. The gateway of teaching maps the Tripiṭaka’s failure to explain the middle way to dry soil, the Vaipulya and Prajñāpāramitā teachings carrying skillful means while explaining the middle way to moist soil, the Lotus directly revealing it to mud, and the genuine wisdom that no longer depends upon words to obtaining clear water 〔0110c24–0111a15〕. Both layers must be used; together they form the spine of the root treatise’s explanation of the parable.
The unit’s other image is the three guides of room, robe, and seat, but the root treatise uses them differently here than elsewhere. It does not treat the three guides only as the ritual for propagating the sutra. Rather, it successively gathers the five kinds of Dharma teacher into four, three, two, and one, and beneath 「一」 tr. “one” correlates the three guides across nine rounds: good and evil, merit and wisdom, partial and heterodox, four māras, two adornments, breaking and establishing, substance and function, names of the three truths, and scriptural citation. The same three dharmas are repeatedly correlated with nine sets of Dharma-numbers; this is the most elaborate title explanation in the work.
Cross-read with “Peaceful Practices”: when explaining the gathering of five into four, the root treatise explicitly says 「即四安樂行，如後說」 tr. “These are the four peaceful practices, as explained later” 〔0108a07〕. In the method for propagating the sutra, it again says 「〈安樂行〉中還廣此三法」 tr. “In ‘Peaceful Practices’ these three dharmas are again explained at length” 〔0112b19〕. The general framework for the four peaceful practices explained across the three children of unit 14 is already established in this chapter.
Cross-read with “The Jeweled Stūpa”: when classifying the five chapters that circulate the Trace Gate, the root treatise says 「〈法師〉、〈寶塔〉兩品，明弘經功深福重」 tr. “The two chapters ‘The Dharma Teacher’ and ‘The Jeweled Stūpa’ explain the profound work and weighty merit of propagating the sutra” 〔0108c03〕. It further distinguishes their functions: 「〈法師品〉，釋尊自說弘經功福命覓流通；〈寶塔品〉多寶分身，且證且助勸覓流通」 tr. “In ‘The Dharma Teacher,’ Śākyamuni himself speaks of the merit and blessing of propagating the sutra and recruits people to circulate it. In ‘The Jeweled Stūpa,’ Many Jewels and the emanation buddhas both bear witness and lend aid, encouraging people to circulate it” 〔0108c11–0108c13〕. Unit 11 has a stūpa precisely because the present chapter first establishes the merit of propagating the sutra.
Cross-read with “Devadatta” and “Encouragement to Uphold”: within the five chapters of circulation, “Devadatta” 「引往弘經彼我兼益，以證功德深重」 tr. “invokes past propagation of the sutra, through which both parties gained benefit, to demonstrate the depth and weight of its merit”; in “Encouragement to Uphold,” 「八萬大士忍力成者，此土弘經，新得記者他土弘經」 tr. “the eighty thousand great beings whose power of patience is mature propagate the sutra in this land, while those newly given predictions propagate it in other lands” 〔0108c04–0108c07〕. Units 12 and 13 have already been placed within the same chain of circulation by this chapter.
Carrying forward: this unit ends at the fascicle colophon 〔0112c13〕. Fascicle Eight, Second Part below begins “The Jeweled Stūpa.” The reading path turns from 『誰能弘、如何弘』 tr. “who can propagate and how to propagate” to 『佛親自出塔為證』 tr. “the Buddha personally emerges from the stūpa to bear witness.”
VIII. Placement of the Editions
The strict domain of this unit contains forty textual-variant loci (the most of any single unit in this work): thirty-two are connected by one-sided critical notes and eight by asterisk callbacks. Every locus sets readings from the Taishō and recension A against each other; none is a note stating the number of omitted graphs, and none is a CBETA editorial alteration.
| No. | Locus | Taishō | Recension A | No. | Locus | Taishō | Recension A |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0108a23 | 以 | absent | 21 | 0110a10 | 半 | 半行 |
| 2 | 0108a23 | 亡 | 忌 | 22 | 0110b20 | 棲 | 栖 |
| 3 | 0108b02 | 空 | 坐 | 23 | 0110b22★ | 棲 | 栖 |
| 4 | 0108b08 | 空 | 空座 | 24 | 0110c10★ | 揀 | 簡 |
| 5 | 0108b09 | 忍 | 悲 | 25 | 0111a09 | 般 | 波 |
| 6 | 0108b13 | 所 | 門 | 26 | 0111a29★ | 般 | 波 |
| 7 | 0108b17 | 一 | 而 | 27 | 0111b18 | 詺 | 名 |
| 8 | 0108c13 | 覓 | 觀 | 28 | 0111b21 | 世 | 世諸 |
| 9 | 0108c13 | 美 | 善美 | 29 | 0111b27 | 算 | 弄 |
| 10 | 0108c19 | 語 | 諸 | 30 | 0111c01 | 實 | 實真 |
| 11 | 0108c21 | 揀 | 簡 | 31 | 0111c05 | 物 | 總 |
| 12 | 0108c22★ | 揀 | 簡 | 32 | 0111c12 | 章 | 章互 |
| 13 | 0108c24★ | 揀 | 簡 | 33 | 0111c25 | 問 | 問門 |
| 14 | 0109a20 | 喜 | 之 | 34 | 0112b07★ | 揀 | 簡 |
| 15 | 0109b05 | 譚 | 談 | 35 | 0112b15 | 就 | absent |
| 16 | 0109b05★ | 譚 | 談 | 36 | 0112b20 | 荷 | 荷檐 |
| 17 | 0109b13 | 況 | 況有人 | 37 | 0112b25 | 見 | 見況見佛 |
| 18 | 0109b16 | 於 | absent | 38 | 0112c01 | 知 | 知下 |
| 19 | 0109c21 | 種 | 權 | 39 | 0112c02★ | 揀 | 簡 |
| 20 | 0110a03 | 下 | absent | 40 | 0112c04 | 軌 | 軌方軌 |
(★ = asterisk-callback form; all others are one-sided-note forms.)
Five groups deserve specific notice. Locus 27 〔0111b18〕 is the most noteworthy: it falls on the graph in Daolang of Hexi’s phrase 「直詺三為方便」 tr. “directly naming the three as skillful means.” For 「詺」 tr. “name,” recension A reads 「名」 tr. “name”; the root treatise again has 「今詺三為方便」 tr. “now naming the three as skillful means” later in the same passage. 「詺」 tr. “name” is a graphic variant of ming and is recorded without adjudication. Loci 11–13 together with 24, 34, and 39 yield six instances of 「揀／簡」 tr. “distinguish / simplify” across the full domain, the most frequent variant family in this unit. Loci 22–23, 「棲／栖」 tr. “abide / perch,” and loci 25–26, 「般／波」 tr. “ban / bo,” each appear twice and likewise form same-family graphic variants. Loci 15–16 〔0109b05〕 contain two instances of 「譚／談」 tr. “discuss,” falling in the teachers’ gateway phrases 「人譚下」 tr. “the discussion of persons below” and 「上時譚現未」 tr. “above, the discussion of time concerned present and future.” Locus 31 〔0111c05〕 falls in Liu Qiu’s phrase 「通物之功乃由乎一」 tr. “the function of penetrating things proceeds from the one,” specifically on 「物」 tr. “things,” for which recension A reads 「總」 tr. “all.” The two readings differ in both form and meaning and are recorded without adjudication.
No character outside the shared character library occurs in the strict domain. The two forms of chapter title—「序品」 tr. “Introduction” without the “explanation” prefix, and the remaining twenty-seven chapters as 「釋Ｘ品」 tr. “Explanation of Chapter X”—are represented here by 「釋法師品」 tr. “Explanation of ‘The Dharma Teacher’” 〔0107c25〕. For the fascicle colophon, see Sections I and II.