Quotes from the Lotus Sutra, Vol. 1
“In all the Buddha-lands in the ten directions,
There is only the Dharma of the single vehicle,
Not a second or a third,
Except what Buddhas teach by skillful means.
Buddhas use provisional expressions
To lead and guide sentient beings.
They all appear in this world
To teach the Buddha’s wisdom.
Only this is real.
The other two are not.
Buddhas do not ultimately liberate sentient beings
Through a lesser vehicle….
Buddhas themselves abide in the Great Vehicle
In accordance with the Dharma they have attained.
Adorned with concentration, wisdom, and powers,
They liberate sentient beings with the Great Vehicle.
Buddhas have self-realized the unsurpassed path,
The impartial Dharma of the Great Vehicle.
If I used a lesser vehicle to liberate
Even one person,
Thus would I begrudge—
And this could never happen.”
Reference: Reeves, G. (2008). The Lotus Sutra: A Contemporary Translation of a Buddhist Classics, pp. 88-89
《妙法蓮華經》卷一
方便品 第二
「十方佛土中，唯有一乘法，無二亦無三，除佛方便說。
但以假名字，引導於眾生；說佛智慧故，諸佛出於世。
唯此一事實，餘二則非真；終不以小乘，濟度於眾生。
佛自住大乘，如其所得法，定慧力莊嚴，以此度眾生。
自證無上道，大乘平等法；若以小乘化，乃至於一人，
我則墮慳貪，此事為不可。」