英語訳
【Page 26, Upper Section】
commentaries—sometimes having people examine them, sometimes contemplating and choosing by himself, completely abandoning the partisan bias of his own and other schools, exclusively exploring the profound depths of provisional wisdom and real wisdom, and thus obtaining the principle of the One Vehicle's true reality and the explanation of the Five Vehicles as expedient means. Having already opened the ignorance of this present life, why would he leave behind the regret of dying?
○The same work says: "All activities are constantly for one purpose." Therefore, from the beginning of birth in the royal palace to the end of nirvana at the twin sal trees, all his three karmas were for the One Vehicle. Not only the spiritual auspices of the four flowers and six earthquakes, not only the venerable teachings of the four eloquences and eight tones—even the golden spear and horse fodder were all manifestations of the One Vehicle. Kind words and rebukes were all causes and conditions for omniscient wisdom. Even walking, standing, sitting, lying down, speaking, silence, and activity were all for showing and awakening sentient beings through Buddha wisdom and vision. If this were not so, there would be the fault of contradiction between text and principle.
○The same work says: The words of wooden oxen and wooden horses, the teachings of half-letters and complete letters—though initially showing the differences among various vehicles, ultimately all reach omniscient wisdom. If not, there would be the fault of abandoning conditions in teaching the Dharma.
○The same middle volume states: The single province of Japan has pure and unified faculties for the perfect [teaching]; from court to countryside, near and far, all equally take refuge in the One Vehicle. Monks and laypeople, noble and base, all aspire to Buddhahood... Evil people of future ages, hearing the Buddha preach the One Vehicle, will be confused and not believe or accept it, destroy the Dharma and fall into evil paths.
△The Treasure Tower chapter of the Lotus says: "At that time, from within the treasure tower came forth a great voice, praising and saying: 'Excellent! Excellent! Śākyamuni World-Honored One! You are able to preach to the great assembly with this Lotus Sutra of the Wonderful Dharma, which teaches bodhisattvas with equal great wisdom and is cherished and protected by the Buddha. Thus it is! Thus it is! Śākyamuni World-Honored One! What you have preached
【Page 26, Lower Section】
is all true reality."
△Sentence Commentary 8 says: The tower's appearance serves two purposes: first, it emits sounds to certify what came before; second, it opens the tower to initiate what comes after. Certifying what came before means certifying that the Dharma preaching of the three cycles is all true reality... It also certifies that the profound merit of upholding the teachings and the great power of propagation in the trace gate's circulation are all true reality... Initiating what comes after means: if one wishes to open the tower, one must gather the emanation bodies. Clarifying the mysterious entrustment, the voice penetrates to the lower regions, summoning the original disciples to discuss the lifespan.
△The Amitabha Sutra says: "Śāriputra, just as I today praise the inconceivable merits of Amitabha Buddha, in the eastern direction there are also Akṣobhya Buddha, Sumeru-appearance Buddha... such Buddhas numerous as the sands of the Ganges. Each in their own land extends the broad and long tongue mark, universally covering the great trichiliocosm, speaking truthful words: 'You sentient beings should believe this sutra of inconceivable merit praised and protected by all Buddhas.'" The text continues to explain the south, west, north, above, and below—altogether the praises of Buddhas in six directions. Their words are like those of the eastern direction. This is provisional teaching according to circumstances, as can be seen in the text. However, works like Cien's Commentary on the Amitabha Sutra, volume 6 of Senchaku, volume 5 of Denshū, the Gungi-ron, and Eikan's Ten Causes for Birth, etc., confuse the provisional with the real.
△The Treatise on Protecting the Nation states: "Regarding the Amitabha Sutra, there is completely no certification like that of the Lotus Sutra. Though Śākyamuni Buddha told Śāriputra that he alone did not preach the Amitabha Sutra, and the Buddhas of the six directions extended their tongues to cover the trichiliocosm and preached the Amitabha Sutra, these are all the preaching of the one Buddha Śākyamuni. The [other] Buddhas did not dare to come. These are provisional texts. During the forty-plus years, the teaching lord was a provisional Buddha, a Buddha of initial enlightenment. Because the Buddha was provisional, all teachings were also provisional. Therefore, the preaching of the provisional Buddha of forty-plus years should not be believed. Now the Lotus and Nirvana are the real preaching of the eternally accomplished perfect Buddha. Moreover, Prabhūtaratna and Buddhas of the ten directions came to certify this. Therefore it should be believed."
△The Kaimoku-shō states: "In the Golden Light Sutra, four Buddhas appear from the four directions. In the Amitabha Sutra, Buddhas of the six directions extend their broad long tongues. In the Mahāsaṃnipāta Sutra, Buddhas of the ten directions gather at the Great Jewel Hall. When these are compared with the Lotus Sutra and examined, it is like [comparing] yellow stone with gold, white clouds with white mountains, white ice with silver mirrors, blue color with black color—who would not distinguish them? Only those with clouded eyes, those with impaired vision, those with one eye, and those with wrong views cannot make such distinctions."
○The Essential Decisions on the One Vehicle, Lower volume, states: "Which sutras first preach other sutras, proclaim that previous teachings were not yet real, then have other Buddhas certify that all teachings are true reality? Only the Lotus Sutra alone has this characteristic. If the Five Vehicles were true reality, why do the previous sutras like the Saṃdhinirmocana, which teach the Three Vehicles and Five Natures, say that for forty-plus years the true reality had not yet been revealed? If the One Vehicle were expedient, why does the present Lotus Sutra, which teaches only the One Vehicle, say that the Buddhas' Dharma will eventually preach the true reality, and though many sutras have been preached extensively, this sutra is foremost? If explicit teachings are called 'not yet revealing true reality' and implicit teachings are called 'true reality,' this makes the Buddha's words contradictory. Moreover, that the real surpasses the provisional is understood by humans and gods alike. If the Five Vehicles are real and the One Vehicle provisional, then other sutras should be foremost and the Lotus should not be foremost. This would also make all Buddhas speak falsely and Prabhūtaratna certify mistakenly. Without excising the text of the Lotus, how could
【Page 27, Lower Section】
'five real, one provisional' be established?"
△Sentence Commentary 8 says: "The Mahāsaṃnipāta clarifies the approval of various Buddhas, the Avataṃsaka also speaks of various Buddhas of the ten directions jointly preaching the Avataṃsaka, and the Mahāprajñāpāramitā also says that a thousand Buddhas jointly preach the Prajñāpāramitā. None of these say they are emanations of Śākyamuni. According to the present sutra, they should be emanations. Because they carry expedient means, they simply do not explicitly state it at that time. The present sutra not only [speaks of] large numbers, but also directly states that they are emanations who all come to give approval."
△The Dhāraṇī chapter of the Jeweled Banner section of the Mahāsaṃnipāta Sutra says: "At that time, Amitāyus Buddha of the Western Land of Peace and Bliss, also together with innumerable spiritually powerful bodhisattvas, departed from that world and in one thought-moment came to the place where Śākyamuni Tathāgata of the Sahā world was situated, etc."
△The Middle Part of the Protective Chapter says: "To regard the Lotus as provisional is to slander the Lotus. Both these types of doctrines are not correct principles. All students should not believe and accept them. Why? Where the teacher falls, disciples also fall, and donors also fall. This is clearly stated by the golden mouth [of the Buddha]. Alas! How can one not be careful!"
○The Kāśyapa chapter of the Nirvana Sutra states: "Those who distance themselves from good friends, do not hear the correct Dharma, and dwell in evil dharmas sink into Avīci Hell."
△The Brahmacaryā chapter of the Nirvana says: "Good son, though the Tathāgata has no false words, if he knows that sentient beings will gain Dharma benefit through false explanations, he will speak accordingly as expedient means."
△The Expedient Means chapter of the Lotus says: "If one merely praises the Buddha Vehicle... distinguishing and explaining the various fruits."
○The Sutra of Immeasurable Life says: "In the coming age, when the scriptural path is completely extinguished, I, with compassionate mercy, will especially