The Doctrine of Enchin’s 円珍 Hokkeron-ki 法華論記: On the Ten Peerlessnesses

Abstract

The Fahua lun 法華論 (*Saddharmapuṇḍarīkopadeśa) expounds the “ten peerlessnesses 十無上” pertaining to the Lotus Sūtra. In the eighth statement, which speaks of the peerlessness of the supreme enlightenment of the Buddha, the Fahua lun explicates the Trikāya doctrine, the three bodies of the Buddha and the forerunner of the eighth statement. Enchin’s 円珍 Hokkeron-ki 法華論記 provides a detailed commentary on this. Prior research on the Hokkeron-ki has also focused on this portion. Nevertheless, the interpretation of the ten peerlessnesses in the Hokkeron-ki has not been researched in its entirety. Therefore, this paper investigated Enchin’s commentary, taking up the categories of his interpretation of the ten peerlessnesses of the Hokkeron-ki.

Results of the investigation reveal how Enchin understood the Fahua lun. That is, Enchin defined the seven parables and three equalities as “possible appearances” (nōken 能顕, things manifest), while the ten peerlessnesses were defined as “appearances in situ” (shoken 所顕, explicit principles). As for the classifications in the interpretation of the ten peerlessness, a new discovery in this study is Enchin’s own explanations of the examples of “Ji-Ji 吉基” (that is, illustrative examples originally provided by the Chinese scholars Jizang 吉蔵 and Ji 基). Here, the context is important with regard to Jizang and Ji, clarifying that this commentary was in fact Enchin’s own unique expression.