妙法蓮華經玄義 8.70

8.70

三、就小簡者，聲聞法中亦云：「離有離無名聖中道。」《大集》云：「拘隣如沙門，最初獲得真實之知見。」然小乘不運大悲，不濟眾生，功德力薄，不求作佛，不深窮實相，則智慧劣弱，雖云離有離無名聖中道，乃以斷常二見為二邊，真諦為中道。真無漏慧名為見，證涅槃法名為知，雖斷見思，除滅分段，而住草庵，非究竟理。對前生死有邊，即是涅槃無邊，二俱可破可壞，非真實道，故不名實相也。

Third, distinguishing by reference to the small: in the śrāvaka Dharma it is also said, 'Departing from existence and departing from non-existence is called the noble middle path.' The Mahāsaṃnipāta says: 'The śramaṇa Kauṇḍinya was the first to obtain real knowledge and vision.' However, the small vehicle does not arouse great compassion, does not deliver sentient beings, has weak power of merit, does not seek to become a buddha, and does not deeply fathom the real mark; hence its wisdom is inferior and weak. Although it says that departing from existence and departing from non-existence is called the noble middle path, it merely takes the two views of annihilation and permanence as the two extremes, and the true truth as the middle path. Pure undefiled wisdom is called vision, and realising the dharma of nirvāṇa is called knowledge. Although it cuts off [the afflictions of] views and thoughts and eradicates delimited birth and death, it dwells in the thatched hut, which is not the ultimate principle. Countering the preceding extreme of the existence of saṃsāra, it is simply the extreme of the non-existence of nirvāṇa; both are refutable and destructible, not the real path, and therefore it is not named the real mark.