妙法蓮華經玄義 4.203

4.203

今判位名數，依《纓珞》、《仁王》者，華嚴頓教，多明圓斷四十一地，不出十信之名；諸大乘經，多明諸法門，不正辨位；前四時般若，多明菩薩觀行法門意，亦不正辨位。今謂《纓珞》五十二位，名義整足，恐是結諸大乘方等別、圓之位。《仁王般若》明五十一位，恐是結成前四時般若別、圓之位也。《法華》但開權顯實，顯一圓位。《涅槃》大意亦明別、圓兩位，而不摘出名目（云云）。

Now, the reason why the classification of the names and enumerations of stages relies on the *Yingluo* and *Benevolent Kings* is that the sudden teaching of the *Avataṃsaka* mostly clarifies the perfect severance of the forty-one stages and does not present the names of the ten faiths; the various Mahāyāna sūtras mostly clarify the various dharma-gates and do not properly discern the stages; and the Prajñā teachings of the preceding four periods mostly clarify the intent of the bodhisattvas' contemplation practices and dharma-gates, and likewise do not properly discern the stages. Here we consider that the fifty-two stages of the *Yingluo* are complete and orderly in name and meaning, and are likely a summary of the distinctive and perfect stages of the various Mahāyāna Vaipulya scriptures. The fifty-one stages clarified in the *Benevolent Kings Prajñā* are likely a summary of the distinctive and perfect stages of the Prajñā teachings of the preceding four periods. The *Lotus Sūtra* merely opens the provisional to reveal the real, revealing a single, perfect stage. The general meaning of the *Mahāparinirvāṇa-sūtra* also clarifies both the distinctive and perfect stages, yet does not single out their designations (and so forth).