妙法蓮華經玄義 3.33

3.33

Heat has three kinds: lower-lower, lower-middle, and lower-upper. Summit has three: middle-lower, middle-middle, and middle-upper. Acceptance has two kinds: upper-lower and upper-middle. Foremost worldly phenomena has one kind: upper-upper. If these four wholesome roots are spoken of in threefold terms: Heat is lower, Summit is middle, and Acceptance and Foremost worldly phenomena are upper. Another says: Heat has two: lower-lower and lower-middle. Summit has three: lower-upper, middle-lower, and middle-middle. Acceptance has three: middle-upper, upper-lower, and upper-middle. Foremost worldly phenomena has one: upper-upper. Also, if spoken of in threefold terms: Heat is lower-lower, Summit is lower-middle, Acceptance is middle-upper, and Foremost worldly phenomena is upper-upper. Ghoṣa says: "Heat has the lower three. Summit has six: from lower-lower up to middle-upper. Acceptance has eight: from lower-lower up to upper-middle. Foremost worldly phenomena has only upper-upper. Spoken of in threefold terms: the phenomenon of Heat is of one kind, namely lower; the phenomenon of Summit is of two kinds, namely lower and middle; Acceptance is of three kinds, namely lower, middle, and upper; Foremost worldly phenomena is of one kind, namely upper." Heat has two relinquishments: first, leaving the realm or level; second, at the time of retrogression. Relinquishing at the time of retrogression, one may fall into the hells and commit the five inexpiable offenses, yet without severing the wholesome roots. Summit is also like this. Acceptance has only a single relinquishment, and one does not fall into the hells (and so on).