法華玄論 5.11

5.11

Answer: It has both meanings. First, when a dharma-gate is called a gate, then skillful means is a gate in and of itself, just as in the *Avataṃsaka*, the various good friends have various dharma-gates, whether playing with sand or playing together, all of which are dharma-gates. It is also so now: the Tathāgata has two kinds of gates: first, the gate of skillful means; second, the gate of the real. However, each of these two gates has its opening and closing. Formerly, he did not say that the three are skillful means, so the doors of skillful means were shut; now, he says that the three are skillful means, so the gate of skillful means is opened. Formerly, he did not say that the one is the real, so the gate of the real was closed; now, he says that the one is the real, so the gate of the real is opened. Second, this dharma-gate of skillful means furthermore leads through to the true mark; hence the skillful means of the three vehicles serves as the gate to the one vehicle. The true mark is also called a gate according to two meanings: first, because it is open and unobstructed in its very essence, it is called a gate, like the non-dual dharma-gate of the *Vimalakīrti* (*Jìngmíng*), the dharmadhātu dharma-gate of the *Avataṃsaka*, and so forth; second, because it can lead through to skillful means, it serves as a gate for skillful means.