法華玄論 2.13

2.13

Answer: This sūtra clarifies the One Vehicle as definitive meaning, but explains impermanence as non-definitive; therefore it is both definitive and non-definitive. Evaluation: This sūtra opens the door of skillful means and reveals the true mark, opening two kinds of skillful means and revealing two kinds of reality. The two skillful means are the skillful means of the vehicle and the skillful means of the body. The two realities are the reality of the vehicle and the reality of the body. If so, previously opening the three vehicles as skillful means and the One Vehicle as real—since it is a real exposition, it is called definitive meaning; why, when later opening the skillful means of the body and the reality of the body, would it not yet be a real exposition and thus be of non-definitive meaning? If both are equally skillful means and reality, and the latter is deemed non-definitive, then the former should also be so. Furthermore, both being equally skillful means and reality, if the former is definitive and the latter non-definitive, then the latter should also be definitive and the former non-definitive. Furthermore, if both are equally skillful means and reality, and the former is definitive while the latter is non-definitive, then the former section would be the complete teaching and the latter section the half teaching, the former section would be deep and the latter section shallow, which would entail the fault of inversion. What is now clarified, relying on the spoken words of the Buddha, is that the first section clarifies the provisional and real of the vehicle, and the second section clarifies the provisional and real of the body: the provisional and real of the vehicle is called the ultimate vehicle, and the provisional and real of the body is called the ultimate body. If one says that the provisional and real of the vehicle is ultimate but the provisional and real of the body is not ultimate, such a person only believes in the first section of the sūtra and does not believe in the latter section of the sūtra, and thus their faith is incomplete. The Great Sūtra says: 'Among the twelve divisions of scripture, they believe in only six divisions and do not believe in six divisions.' This statement is verified here.