妙法蓮華經玄義 5.43

5.43

復次別教，判三地或四地，斷見盡；六地或七地，斷思盡。此不應爾。何者？無明見、思，同體之惑，何得前後斷耶？當是別教附傍小乘方便說耳。若見先盡，則實理無復有障，云何十地見不了了？《地持》云：「第九、離一切見清淨淨禪。」第九是等覺地，入離見禪，乃成大菩提果。若見先斷，等覺復何所離？若思前盡，後地應無果報及諸禪定。何者？《華嚴》明阿僧祇香雲、華雲，不可思議充塞法界者，此是菩薩勝妙果報所感五塵，呼此為欲界思惑。一切菩薩皆入出無量百千三昧禪定心塵之法，呼此為色、無色界思惑。若七地思盡，上地應絕六塵，何故復言：「三賢、十聖住果報」？若住果報，思不前盡？今明如此見、思，通至上地，至佛方盡。故云：「唯佛一人居淨土，唯佛一人能盡源。」是故伏斷，如前分別（云云）。

Furthermore, the distinctive teaching determines that on the third or fourth ground, views are completely severed, and on the sixth or seventh ground, thoughts are completely severed. This should not be so. Why? Ignorance, views, and thoughts are afflictions of identical substance; how could they be severed successively? This must merely be an expedient explanation of the distinctive teaching conforming to the Small Vehicle. If views were exhausted first, then the true principle would no longer have any obstruction; how could the ten grounds see it unclearly? The Bodhisattvabhūmi says: “The ninth is the pure, immaculate dhyāna free from all views.” The ninth is the ground of equal enlightenment; entering the dhyāna free from views, one then realizes the fruit of great bodhi. If views were severed first, what would equal enlightenment still have to leave behind? If thoughts were exhausted beforehand, the subsequent grounds would have no karmic retributions or dhyāna concentrations. Why? The Avataṃsaka-sūtra explains that the asakhya clouds of incense and clouds of flowers that inconceivably fill the dharma realm are the five dusts stimulated by the bodhisattva’s superior, marvelous retributions, and these are termed the thought afflictions of the desire realm. All bodhisattvas enter and emerge from the mental dust dharmas of immeasurable hundreds of thousands of samādhis and concentrations, and these are termed the thought afflictions of the form and formless realms. If thought [afflictions] were exhausted on the seventh ground, the upper grounds should be completely severed from the six dusts; why then is it said: “The three ranks of worthies and ten ranks of sages abide in karmic retribution”? If they abide in karmic retribution, how could thoughts have been exhausted beforehand? Now we clarify that such views and thoughts extend through to the upper grounds and are only exhausted upon reaching Buddhahood. Therefore it is said: “Only the Buddha alone abides in the pure land; only the Buddha alone can exhaust the source.” Therefore, subduing and severing are analyzed as above (and so forth).