妙法蓮華經玄義 8.61

8.61

二、論體意者，何意須用此體？《釋論》云：諸小乘經，若有無常、無我、涅槃三印印之，即是佛說，修之得道。無三法印，即是魔說。大乘經，但有一法印，謂諸法實相，名了義經，能得大道。若無實相印，是魔所說。故身子云：「世尊說實道，波旬無此事。」何故小三大一？小乘明生死與涅槃異，生死以無常為初印，無我為後印，二印印說生死，涅槃但用一寂滅印，是故須三。大乘，生死即涅槃，涅槃即生死，不二不異。《淨名》曰：「一切眾生常寂滅相」，即大涅槃。又云：「本自不生，今則無滅。」本不生者，則非無常無我相，今則無滅者，則非小寂滅相，唯是一實相。實相故言常寂滅相即大涅槃，但用一印也。此大、小印，印半滿經，外道不能雜，天魔不能破。如世文符，得印可信。當知諸經畢定須得實相之印，乃得名為了義大乘也。

Second, discussing the intention behind the substance: why must this substance be used? The *Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa* says: if the various Hīnayāna sūtras are sealed by the three seals of impermanence, non-self, and nirvāṇa, they are spoken by the Buddha, and practicing them one attains the Path. If they lack the three dharma-seals, they are spoken by Māra. The Mahāyāna sūtras have only one dharma-seal, called the true aspect of all dharmas; they are called definitive sūtras (nītārtha), able to attain the Great Path. If they lack the seal of the true aspect, they are spoken by Māra. Therefore Śāriputra said: 'The World-Honoured One spoke the real path; Pāpīmān has no such thing.' Why are there three for the Hīnayāna and one for the Mahāyāna? The Hīnayāna clarifies that birth and death are different from nirvāṇa: birth and death take impermanence as the initial seal and non-self as the final seal—these two seals seal and explain birth and death—while nirvāṇa uses only the single seal of quiescence; therefore three are needed. In the Mahāyāna, birth and death are identical to nirvāṇa, and nirvāṇa is identical to birth and death, non-dual and not different. The *Vimalakīrti-nirdeśa* says: 'All sentient beings are eternally of the aspect of quiescence,' which is the Mahānirvāṇa. It also says: 'Originally not arising, now there is no extinction.' That which is originally unarisen is not the aspect of impermanence and non-self; that which now has no extinction is not the small aspect of quiescence; it is only the single true aspect. Because of the true aspect, it is said that the eternally quiescent aspect is precisely the Mahānirvāṇa, using only a single seal. These seals, Great and Small, seal the half-letter and full-letter sūtras: outer paths cannot corrupt them, and heavenly Māras cannot destroy them. Like tallies and warrants in the world, having the seal they can be trusted. One should know that the various sūtras must definitively obtain the seal of the true aspect before they can be called definitive Mahāyāna.