Gosho 小乗大乗分別抄 The Differences between Hinayana and Mahayana

　小乗大乗分別抄(しょうじょうだいじょうふんべつしょう)

　The Differences between Hinayana and Mahayana

　Distinguishing between Hinayana and Mahayana Buddhism

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　文永十年　五十二歳 御作

　　　　　　　　　　　　　1273 （Age:52)

法華経の寿量品(じゅりょうぼん)に「楽(ぎょう)於(お)小法(しょうぼう)・徳(とく)薄(はく)垢(く)重者(じゅうしゃ)」と申す文あり。

Then there is the passage in the “Life Span” chapter of the Lotus Sutra in which the Buddha speaks of “those who delight in lesser teachings, meager in virtue and heavy with defilement.”

In the Life Span chapter of the Lotus Sutra, there is the phrase,“those who adhere to inferior Laws have little virtue, and harbor deep earthly desires.”

天台大師は此(この)経文に小法と云うは小乗経にもあらず、又諸大乗経にもあらず、

The Great Teacher T’ien-t’ai interprets the term “lesser teachings” to mean neither the Hinayana sutras nor the Mahayana sutras.

The Great Teacher Tiantai taught that the term “inferior Laws” indicates neither the Hinayana sutras nor the various Mahayana sutras.

久(く)遠実(おんじつ)成(じょう)を説かざる華厳(けごん)経の円乃至(ないし)方等般若(はんにゃ)法華経の迹門(しゃくもん)十四品の円(えん)頓(とん)の大法まで、小乗の法なり。

He takes “lesser teachings” to refer to the perfect teaching of the Flower Garland Sutra and the perfect teaching of the Correct and Equal and the Wisdom sutras and the great teaching of perfect and immediate enlightenment in the first fourteen chapters, or the theoretical teaching, of the Lotus Sutra, all of which say nothing about the Buddha who attained enlightenment in the inconceivably remote past; all of these teachings are regarded as the lesser vehicle.

It signifies all of the teachings that do not expound Shakyamuni’s attainment of Buddhahood in the inconceivably remote past, which are all designated as Hinayana: from the perfect teaching in the Flower Garland Sutra to the Expansion Period Sutras, the Perfection of Wisdom Sutras, and the great Laws of the perfect and sudden teachings expounded in the fourteen chapters of the theoretical teaching of the Lotus Sutra.


　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　つづく To be continued

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