四信五品抄四 On the Four Stages of Faith and Five Stages of Practice ４

　問う何が故ぞ題目に万法を含むや、

Question: Why do you say that all teachings are contained within the daimoku?

　答う章安(しょうあん)の云く「蓋(けだ)し序(じょ)王(おう)とは経の玄(げん)意(に)を叙(じょ)す、玄意は文の心を述(じゅつ)す、文の心は迹本(しゃくほん)に過(す)ぎたるは莫(な)し」

　Answer: Chang-an writes: “Hence [T’ien-t’ai’s explanation of the title in] the preface conveys the profound meaning of the sutra. The profound meaning indicates the heart of the text, and the heart of the text encompasses the whole of the theoretical and essential teachings.”

　妙楽の云く「法華の文心を出(いだ)して諸教の所以(ゆえん)を弁ず」云云、

　And Miao-lo writes, “On the basis of the heart of the text of the Lotus Sutra, one can evaluate all the other various teachings of the Buddha.”

濁水(じょくすい)心無けれども月を得て自ら清(す)めり

　Though muddy water has no mind, it can catch the moon’s reflection and so naturally becomes clear.

　草木雨を得豈(あに)覚(さとり)有つて花さくならんや

　When plants and trees receive the rainfall, they can hardly be aware of what they are doing, and yet do they not proceed to put forth blossoms?

　妙法蓮華経の五字は経文に非ず其の義に非ず、唯(ただ)一部の意(こころ)なるのみ、

　The five characters of Myoho-renge-kyo do not represent the sutra text, nor are they its meaning. They are nothing other than the intent of the entire sutra.
　The five characters of Myoho-Renge-Kyo are not merely the text of the sutra, nor its meaning. They are nothing other than the intent of the Lotus Sutra.

　初心の行者其(そ)の心を知らざれども而(しか)も之(これ)を行ずるに自然(じねん)に意に当るなり。

　So, even though the beginners in Buddhist practice may not understand their significance, by practicing these five characters, they will naturally conform to the sutra’s intent.

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