妙法蓮華經玄義 8.88

8.88

今明此經實相之體，如大象得底，堅不可壞，以譬體妙；圓珠普雨，譬其用妙；巧智成仙，譬其宗妙。如此三譬即是三德，不縱不橫名為大乘。於大乘中，別指真性，以為經體。

Now, clarifying the substance of the real mark in this sūtra: like the great elephant reaching the riverbed, solid and indestructible, this illustrates the subtlety of the substance. The round jewel universally raining [treasures] illustrates the subtlety of its function. Skillful wisdom becoming an immortal illustrates the subtlety of its central purport. These three analogies are the three virtues, neither sequential nor horizontal, which is termed the Mahāyāna. Within the Mahāyāna, we specifically designate the true nature as the substance of the sūtra.