Chih-i’s illustration of the inconceivable reality of the Origin and the Traces in the context of six polar concepts reveals the significance of both entities: the Origin is what the Traces are based upon, and the Traces are what manifest the Origin. (Vol. 2, Page 320)

Explaining the Origin and the Traces (Shih Pen-chi)
In order to address the concept Origin, Chih-i finds it necessary to explain the relationship between the Origin and the Traces by means of defining these two in the context of the six polar notions in terms of the principle and facts, principle and teaching, teaching and practice, substance and function, relative and ultimate, and present and past. These six notions designate the Origin and the Traces six different definitions.

1. In terms of the principle and facts (Li-shih), the Origin is defined as the principle, and embodies the nature of emptiness; and the Traces are defined as the facts and refer to all entities of worldly phenomena.
2. In terms of the principle and teaching (Li-chiao), the Origin is defined as the principle, and refers to both the principle as the Absolute Truth and the facts as the Worldly Truth; and the Traces are defined as the teaching and refer to the teaching of the principle and facts.
3. In terms of the teaching and practice (Chiao-hsing), the Origin is defined as the teaching, and refers to the teaching of the principle and facts, and the Traces are defined as the practice, and refer to the practice that is derived from this teaching.
4. In terms of the substance and function (T’i-yung), the Origin is defined as the substance, and refers to the Dharma-body (dharmakāya); and the Traces are defined as the function, and refer to the Transformation body (nirmāvakāya) that is derived from this substance.
5. In terms of the relative and ultimate (Ch’üan-shih), the Origin is defined as the Ultimate Truth, and refers to the ultimate attainment of the substance and function by the eternal Buddha; and the Traces are defined as the Relative Truth and refers to the relative implementation of the substance and the function by the historical Buddha.
6. In terms of the present and past (Chin-i), the Origin is defined as the present, and refers to what is revealed for the first time in the present Lotus Sūtra concerning the eternal Buddha; and the Traces are defined as the past and refers to what has been already known in the previous sūtras, concerning historical Buddha Śākyamuni.

Through these six definitions, Chih-i reveals not only the content of the Origin and the Traces, but also the relationship between the two: The Origin is fundamental, and the Traces arise from the Origin. Nevertheless, the content of the Origin and the Traces is not fixed but takes turns to define each other in the subsequent context of different polar concepts. This reflects a complementary and interactive relation between the Origin and the Traces and is Chih-i’s endeavor to demonstrate that the Origin contains the Traces, and the Traces contain the Origin. Chih-i argues that the Origin and the Traces are different and not different. They are different because they bear different definitions in each of the six polar concepts, and they are not different because they are defined by their counterpart in each of the subsequent polar concepts. Hence, the Origin and the Traces are inconceivable, and this inconceivable reality that underlies the Origin and the Traces is further illustrated by Chih-i, who claims that although the Origin and the Traces are different with six meanings, they share the same inconceivable reality. (Vol. 2, Page 318-319)

According to Chih-i’s interpretation of the Lotus Sūtra, the identities of the Ten Subtleties in the Traces can be traced back to the Ten Subtleties in the Origin. In view of the Origin that indicates the Buddha’s initial practice as the cause of Buddhahood and the Buddha’s initial enlightenment as the effect of Buddhahood in an incalculable past, what Chih-i stresses is that the Origin is the fundamental source for all the activities of the Buddha in the Traces. Therefore, the Ten Subtleties in the Traces are related to the Ten Subtleties in the Origin, given that both groups of the Ten Subtleties express the cause and effect of Buddhahood. (Vol. 2, Page 318)

In terms of the difference between Śrāvakayāna and Mahāyāna Buddhism over the issue of self-enlightenment and enlightening others, Chih-i’s category of the Ten Subtleties as a whole proves that there are actually no differences, for both issues are interactive. The first five categories of Subtlety center on the issue of enlightenment for oneself, and the last five categories of Subtlety address the Buddha’s activity of enlightening others. In actuality, even in the first five categories, Chih-i reveals that the bodhisattva practice of striving for enlightenment is in the context of helping others. Liberation for oneself is inseparable from liberating others. In terms of the relation between the first and last five categories of the Ten Subtleties, what Chih-i intends to demonstrate is that as a result of attaining Buddhahood, the Buddha’s soteriological activity of saving living beings spontaneously arises. If we say that the bodhisattva practice of attaining self-enlightenment lies in his action of helping others as it is addressed in the first five categories of the Ten Subtleties; likewise, the Buddha’s manifestation of Buddhahood also lies in his action of saving beings. The only difference between these two types of saving others is that the former is the bodhisattva practice with a deliberate action, and the latter is the Buddha’s spontaneous manifestation of his Buddhahood with no-action (i.e., action with complete spontaneity and naturalness), because the Buddha is in a state of quiescence and constant illumination. (Vol. 2, Page 317-318)

From Chih-i’s scheme of the Ten Subtleties, we can clearly see that these Ten Subtleties are elaborated in an interrelated system. With this system, Chih-i offers us an extremely comprehensive scheme of Buddhism as a whole, with the ultimate goal of attaining Buddhahood. None of these categories of Subtlety can be looked at in isolation to others. Chih-i’s comprehensive system provides reconciliation to the two different tendencies in the South and in the North engaged in doctrinal discourse and practical approach respectively. With Chih-i’s system, the exclusive view of either emphasizing the doctrinal or the practical aspect of Buddhism is inadequate and irrelevant, because neither of these two aspects can exist without another; or rather, each aspect is elaborated in relation to the other. (Vol. 2, Page 317)

Chih-i’s category, Subtlety of Retinues, is meant to reveal the result of the teaching of the Buddha. Only if living beings are retinues of the Buddha, can they receive benefits as the result of the Buddha’s teaching. Chih-i’s enumeration of various types of retinues intends to confirm that all beings are destined to attain Buddhahood, since universal salvation is the ultimate goal of the Buddha’s teaching. What should be pointed out is, in Chih-i ‘s enumeration of retinues that are related to mind contemplation, two types of retinues that are formed by the mind that contains defilement of wrong attitudes and defilement of false views indicate devious and heretical paths practitioners may encounter. By stating these two types of retinues, Chih-i not only warns us of errors that may occur in terms of contemplating mind due to one’s own false views and wrong attitudes, but also confirms that even these two types of retinues are included as retinues of the Buddha, since the ultimate goal of the Buddha’s teaching is universal salvation. (Vol. 2, Page 300)

The practice of the Perfect Teaching concerns embracing all practices in a single mind. This is to say that one practice can embrace all practices, and all practices can be represented by one practice. This is because the Middle Way of the Perfect Teaching is taken by Chih-i as the Ultimate Truth that can view the fundamental identity of all things, whereby the whole reality can be instantaneously grasped through one practice. Realizing that the part is identical to the whole, one does not need to go through immeasurable practices. One’s mind that contains the whole universe enables one to embrace all practices.* (Vol. 2, Page 297)

*See Nichiren’s warning.

[W]hen various groups of retinues are examined in terms of the Four Teachings, they are classified by Chih-i into coarse or subtle. Retinues that belong to the Tripiṭaka, the Common and the Separate Teachings are coarse, except for the ones of the Perfect Teaching that are subtle. As the Perfect Teaching concerning universal salvation that is represented by the Lotus Sūtra, Chih-i maintains that in the Lotus Sūtra, all retinues of the Buddha are considered to be subtle. For Chih-i, the Four Teachings are the four ways of reaching truth, and thus, are the four Dharma-doors. (vOL. 2, Page 293)

In terms of “explaining retinues that are formed by the responses of the Buddha (Ming Ying-sheng Chüan-shu), Chih-i states that this group of retinues is related to the Buddha’s transformation-body (Skt., nirmāṇakāya), and the nirmāṇakāya is the manifestation of the Buddha’s Dharma-body (dharmakāya). The former is the body that is present in responding to sentient beings. Chih-i argues that the Buddha’s Dharmabody manifests itself as the nirmāṇakāya is (i) for the sake of maturing others (Wei Shu-t ‘a), (ii) for the sake of self-maturing (Wei Tzu-shu), and (iii) for the sake of original karmic affinity (Wei Pen-yüan).

Chih-i explains that the reason the nirmāṇakāya is necessary for the sake of maturing others is because the wholesome factors of the second group of retinues (that are formed by karmic connection) are weak, and they are unable to bring forth a resolve to the bodhi-mind by themselves. Although having attained salvation for himself, with his great compassion, the Buddha appears to be the bodhisattva who responds to the beings by means of entering the twenty-five kinds of existence, in order to be a teacher and to guide beings to aspire to attain Buddhahood. Because of the response of the bodhisattva, living beings may attain the real Path, and become internal retinues (i.e., also become a bodhisattva); they may attain the similar Path (i.e., resembling bodhisattva wisdom); and they may neither attain the real Path nor the similar Path, but their wholesome karma can still increase. In short, the bodhisattva ‘s response can benefit all living beings regardless of their differences. In order to emphasize the function of the dharmakāya that is all-embracing, Chih-i goes so far as to include destructive elements of the mundane world, declaring:

“As for the hatred, resistance, slander of heretics, one should know that all these are actions of the dharmakāya.”

This statement of Chih-i is quite daring and reflects Chih-i’s comprehensive view of worldly phenomenon. Considering that Chih-i vehemently adheres to the Ultimate Truth that underlies all things, the logical conclusion drawn from this theory includes, of course, constructive as well as destructive elements, and destructive elements are, thus, declared by Chih-i as the act of the dharmakāya, and as belonging to expedient means. Chih-i asserts that in the Lotus Sūtra, all of the Buddha’s actions are revealed for the sake of saving living beings; though expedient, they contain his real intention of leading beings to attain Buddhahood.

Chih-i explains that the nirmāṇakāya that is for the sake of self-maturing refers to the bodhisattva who attains the Path either by receiving the teaching of the historical Buddha Śākyamuni, or by receiving the teaching of the eternal Buddha in an incalculable past in the Origin.

In terms of the nirmāṇakāya for the sake of original karmic affinity, Chih-i explains that “Origin” (Pen) refers to one’s initial resolve to enlightenment, and because of this original resolve, one has developed karmic affinity with the Buddha, which insures one’s attainment of Buddhahood. (Vol. 2, Page 292-293)

In terms of “explaining retinues that are formed by individual supramundane powers” (Ming Shen-t ‘ung-sheng Chüan-shu), this category of retinues is referred by Chih-i to the practitioners, who, in their previous lives, brought forth real non-defilement, and perceived truth by being present in hearing the teaching of the Buddha. Nevertheless, since they have not removed themselves from the rebirth of the realm of desire in the lower-realm, they are reborn in the realms of form and formlessness in the upper-realm. When the Buddha is present in the mundane world, they acquire the power of vows to be reborn in the lower-realm, carrying out various practices in assisting the Buddha’s teaching career, so that they can eliminate the last bit of delusions, and gain freedom from the three realms of transmigration. Even if they haven’t yet completely overcome their delusions, they can still complete their task by themselves upon the extinction of the Buddha or accomplish it when the future Buddha comes. (Vol. 2, Page 291-292)