妙法蓮華經玄義 6.211

6.211

Third turn, the benefit for śrāvakas: If a person is weary and afflicted by saṃsāra, receiving life through death and returning to death through life, wearying their spirit and transmigrating boundlessly; blinded by greed and desire, like a yak cherishing its tail, unable to attain liberation. Therefore it is said: If a person encounters suffering and is weary of aging, sickness, and death, nirvāṇa is preached to them to exhaust the limits of all suffering. Since their weary mind is inwardly resolute and they earnestly seek transcendence, for this reason they cultivate the śrāvaka path. When upholding the precepts, the rākṣasas of craving and views damage their floating bladder, rendering their precepts impure. Because the precepts are impure, samādhi does not manifest before them. Since they have neither precepts nor concentration, the uncontaminated does not arise; therefore, by single-mindedly cultivating precepts, concentration, and wisdom, they have a capacity capable of opening fitting suitability, stimulating the power of the four samādhis, such as the undefiled, to assist them, causing the karma of the four evil destinies not to arise and making their precepts pure. If they cultivate concentration and wisdom equally—if wisdom has concentration, wisdom is not reckless; if concentration has wisdom, concentration is not foolish—they are called "worthy," and "worthy" means bordering on the noble. Cultivating this concentration and wisdom, they are single-mindedly diligent as if putting out a fire on their head. Desiring and delighting in dhyāna and wisdom as a thirsty person longs for drink, yet disturbed by the contaminated karma of the twenty-one states of existence, if they obtain the assistance of the power of the samādhis, concentration will produce the illumination of contemplation, the four wholesome roots will be accomplished, their path of suppression will ripen, and in a single instant of transition they immediately realize the truth and become a srotaāpanna, breaking the eighty-eight entangling afflictions of seeing the truth within the twenty-five states of existence. This is the universal assistance of the twenty-five samādhis, causing them to sever the delusions of seeing the truth and concurrently eliminating the four [delusions] of contemplation. Therefore it is said: The sixteenth thought-moment is the entry into the path of cultivation; such is its meaning. Next, upon entering the path of cultivation, if one is of exceptional capacity, the power of ten samādhis is applied all at once to assist them, breaking the five lower-binding afflictions of contemplation. If one is of dull capacity, in accordance with their step-by-step severing of the afflictions of contemplation, samādhis are applied step-by-step to assist them, exhausting the afflictions of the three realms; this is the benefit of the samādhi of ultimate real truth. This is the benefit of the medium herb. Spoken of collectively, it is due to the power of the wholesome roots of compassion of ordinary beings and noble ones; spoken of specifically, it is because of original compassion, initially contemplating the good of analyzing emptiness and eradicating form within the ten dharma realms, whereupon great vows were aroused, perfusing the king of samādhis, not abandoning sentient beings, leading to the benefit of the medium herb. When the Great Sūtra explains that the twenty-five samādhis break the twenty-five states of existence, the meaning of the third of the ten turns is roughly like this.