法華玄論 7.41

7.41

問：不應有五乘，但應為二：人天為世間乘，餘三為出世間乘。又應為二乘，佛為實乘，餘四是權乘。佛為第一義乘，餘四乘皆世俗乘，如《勝鬘》說。又佛為果乘，餘四為因乘也。又應為三乘：人天乘為下乘，二乘為中乘，佛乘為上乘。又人天乘是出三途乘，二乘是出三界乘，佛乘出五百由旬乘。又人天名為不斷煩惱乘，二乘名斷煩惱乘，佛乘非斷非不斷乘。不同凡夫故非不斷，不同二乘故非斷，如《淨名》云「不斷煩惱亦不與俱煩惱」，本不有故無可與之俱，今不無故無所斷也。此《法華》前大乘教及《法華》亦有此義，三藏中無此說也。又凡夫名不斷乘，佛名為斷乘。二乘亦斷亦不斷，望凡夫故斷少分，比佛故未斷也。通今昔也。又人天名凡夫乘，二乘名聖乘，佛名非凡非聖乘。又凡夫為有乘，二乘為空乘，佛乘為中道乘，大乘教意也。又凡夫為著生死乘，二乘為著涅槃乘，佛名無所著乘，亦大乘教意也。又應為四乘，如《勝鬘》四種重檐、四百億類洲、四大寶藏。故皆大乘教意，以大乘教別有大地能持四藏也。今何因緣故不二不三不四而立五乘耶？

Question: There should not be five vehicles, but only two: humans and devas as the mundane vehicle, and the remaining three as the supramundane vehicles. Alternatively, there should be two vehicles: the Buddha as the real vehicle, and the other four as provisional vehicles; the Buddha is the vehicle of ultimate truth, and the other four vehicles are all vehicles of conventional truth, as explained in the Śrīmālādevī-sūtra. Furthermore, the Buddha is the fruit vehicle, and the other four are causal vehicles. Alternatively, there should be three vehicles: the vehicle of humans and devas as the lower vehicle, the two vehicles as the middle vehicle, and the Buddha vehicle as the upper vehicle. Furthermore, the vehicle of humans and devas is the vehicle that escapes the three evil destinies, the two vehicles are the vehicle that escapes the three realms, and the Buddha vehicle is the vehicle that escapes the five hundred yojanas. Furthermore, humans and devas are called the vehicle of not cutting off afflictions, the two vehicles are called the vehicle of cutting off afflictions, and the Buddha vehicle is the vehicle of neither cutting off nor not cutting off. It is not like ordinary beings, hence not 'not cutting off'; it is not like the two vehicles, hence not 'cutting off'. As the Vimalakīrti says: 'Neither cutting off afflictions nor dwelling together with afflictions'—originally non-existent, there is nothing to dwell together with; currently not non-existent, there is nothing to be cut off. Both the Mahāyāna teachings prior to the Lotus Sūtra and the Lotus Sūtra have this meaning, whereas the Tripiṭaka does not have this teaching. Furthermore, ordinary beings are called the vehicle of not cutting off, and the Buddha is called the vehicle of cutting off; the two vehicles both cut off and do not cut off: relative to ordinary beings, they have cut off a small portion; compared to the Buddha, they have not yet cut off. This applies to both past and present. Furthermore, humans and devas are called the vehicle of ordinary beings, the two vehicles are called the vehicle of sages, and the Buddha is called the vehicle of neither ordinary nor sage. Furthermore, ordinary beings are the vehicle of existence, the two vehicles are the vehicle of emptiness, and the Buddha vehicle is the vehicle of the middle way; this is the purport of the Mahāyāna teaching. Furthermore, ordinary beings are the vehicle of clinging to saṃsāra, the two vehicles are the vehicle of clinging to nirvāṇa, and the Buddha is called the vehicle of non-clinging; this is also the purport of the Mahāyāna teaching. Furthermore, there should be four vehicles, such as the four kinds of heavy burdens, the four hundred billion classes of continents, and the four great treasuries in the Śrīmālādevī-sūtra. These are all the purport of the Mahāyāna teaching, because in the Mahāyāna teaching there is separately the great earth that can support the four treasuries. Now, for what reason are five vehicles established instead of two, three, or four?