妙法蓮華經玄贊 3.163

3.163

第三解云，其前三種即依佛果大般涅槃三事解之。《涅槃經》第二卷云：「我今當令一切眾生，及以我子四部之眾，悉皆安住祕密藏中，我亦復當安住是中入於涅槃。何等名為祕密之藏？猶如伊字三點，若並則不成伊，縱亦不成，如摩醯首羅面上三目乃得成伊，三點若別亦不得成。我亦如是，解脫之法亦非涅槃，如來之身亦非涅槃，摩訶般若亦非涅槃，三法各異亦非涅槃，我今安住如是三法為眾生故名入涅槃，如世伊字。」此中意說，梵本伊字上有二點下有一點，似倒品字。並者橫也，謂前後證。縱者竪也，謂有三品。世說縱橫，即此竪、並皆非伊字，三點別安亦非伊字，要三和合不縱不橫亦不離別，和合三點不一不異，如大自在天面上三目，額上有一眉下各一。佛入涅槃亦復如是，摩訶般若者能證之智，如來身者所證法身，解脫者由能證智證所證理法身之時，二障滅盡二死，當來後有不續，更無繫縛，假名擇滅，即是解脫。故《雜集》云「滅諦有三：若能滅、若所滅、若滅性」，即是此三大般涅槃，般若在上為能證道，如額上目，法身、解脫並在其下是所證故，猶如眉下所有兩眼，以智證理令後惑苦皆斷不生名入涅槃，是佛安住祕密之藏，不同二乘智了生空，不是大慧理，但生空無我之理不名法身，雖得惑種及分段死少分不生之假擇滅，不得習氣及智障滅分段、變易二死俱盡之勝解脫，如縱如橫非大涅槃，身灰智滅彼名為入，無現身智何得稱大？佛今不爾故名為大，稱為祕藏。古人有解，但依真如以為三事名大涅槃，便無入義，常住不壞為利有情以智證真，惑苦解脫方名為入，是佛意故，不同二乘無有身智乃名為入。故佛自言「假使烏、角，鵄乃至永入於涅槃」等。今作此解善順彼經，審讀經文當自悉知。摩訶般若即開佛知見，故論說言「除一切智智更無餘事，一切智者證二空智，重言智者證諸有智，此最勝妙故名無上，更無過故」。法身即是示佛知見，故論說言「三乘平等佛性法身無差別故」。解脫即是悟佛知見，二障俱亡二死皆盡是真解脫，二乘唯得一障一死盡滅無餘，不知於此，故論說言「二乘不知真實處故令其悟也」。上來三事即是證入大般涅槃，此必有因更說入義，故論說入示現不退轉地與無量智業也。佛出於世欲令三乘有情皆修不退地業，安住祕密藏、入大涅槃，不為餘也。此與涅槃名字雖殊、體性無別，一切皆欲行因證入佛果位故。若作此解，既契化城之趣寶所，亦合火宅之御牛車，一乘體德既曰大般涅槃，法報二身正覺之與圓寂，一一總攝周備，亦何理而不彈？今此三解，唯取所詮智慧名曰一乘，能詮之教門即次前說也。隨宜所說意趣難解故，又以蓮華喻於妙法，必兼開敷之與秀出，果秀因敷亦無乖爽。然《勝鬘》等經及此下文多說真理以為一乘，乘之本故，實通二種，於義苞盡。開示悟三明佛果乘，入之一種明佛因乘，因乘雖通三無數劫，今此唯取第二劫後，論說令證不退位故，《楞伽經》中十地分為三種意生身故，如別章說。又後品言聲聞、緣覺、不退菩薩乘此寶乘直至道場。《勝鬘經》言：「無明為緣、無漏業因，有阿羅漢、辟支佛、大力菩薩三種意生身生。」初地已前實居三界分段死中、未出火宅，猶在門中當為燒故，不與一乘之名；或八地後名不退地。《瑜伽論》說八地後為意生身故，得決定故。

The third explanation states: The preceding three aspects are explained according to the three things of the great parinirvāṇa of the fruit of buddhahood. Fascicle 2 of the Nirvāṇa-sūtra says: 'I will now cause all sentient beings, as well as my sons, the assemblies of the four classes, to abide entirely within the secret treasury, and I too shall abide within it and enter nirvāṇa. What is called the secret treasury? It is like the three dots of the letter "i" (∴): if placed side by side, they do not form an "i"; if placed vertically, they also do not form it. Only when arranged like the three eyes on the face of Maheśvara do they form an "i"; if the three dots are separated, they likewise do not form it. I am also like this: the dharma of liberation is not nirvāṇa, the body of the Tathāgata is not nirvāṇa, and mahāprajñā is not nirvāṇa; the three dharmas being distinct is also not nirvāṇa. I now abide in such three dharmas, which, for the sake of sentient beings, is called entering nirvāṇa, just like the mundane letter "i".' The meaning here is that in the Sanskrit script, the letter "i" has two dots above and one dot below, resembling an inverted "品" character. 'Placed side by side' means horizontally, referring to realization successively. 'Vertically' means stacked upright, referring to the three grades. In mundane speech, vertical and horizontal mean that being upright or parallel both fail to constitute the letter "i"; placing the three dots separately also fails to constitute the letter "i". They must be combined in threefold unity—neither vertical nor horizontal, nor yet separated; the three dots combined are neither one nor different, like the three eyes on the face of Maheśvara, with one on the forehead and one below each eyebrow. The Buddha's entering nirvāṇa is also like this: mahāprajñā is the wisdom capable of realizing; the Tathāgata's body is the dharmakāya that is realized; liberation is when, by means of the wisdom capable of realizing, one realizes the dharmakāya of the principle that is realized, the two obscurations are completely extinguished, the two deaths do not continue into future rebirths, and there are no further fetters—provisionally named analytical cessation, which is liberation. Therefore the Abhidharmasamuccayavyākhyā states: 'The truth of cessation has three aspects: that which can cease, that which is ceased, and the nature of cessation.' These are precisely the three aspects of great parinirvāṇa: prajñā is above as the path capable of realizing, like the eye on the forehead; the dharmakāya and liberation are both below as what is realized, like the two eyes below the eyebrows. Using wisdom to realize the principle so that subsequent afflictions and suffering are completely severed and do not arise is called entering nirvāṇa; this is the Buddha abiding in the secret treasury. It is unlike the two vehicles, whose wisdom understands only the emptiness of persons and is not great wisdom; their principle is merely the principle of personal emptiness and selflessness, not called the dharmakāya; and although they attain the provisional analytical cessation in which seeds of affliction and a small portion of fragmented death do not arise, they do not attain the supreme liberation in which latent impressions and the obscuration to knowables are extinguished and both fragmented and inconceivable transformation deaths are exhausted. Being as if vertical or horizontal, it is not great nirvāṇa; their 'entry' is called the reduction of the body to ashes and the extinction of wisdom. Lacking manifest body and wisdom, how could it be called 'great'? The Buddha is not like this now, and hence it is called 'great', termed the 'secret treasury'. An ancient scholar explained that relying merely on tathatā as the three things is called great nirvāṇa; then there would be no meaning of 'entering'. Abiding eternally and without destruction, realizing reality through wisdom for the benefit of sentient beings, and becoming liberated from afflictions and suffering—only this is called entering; this is the Buddha's intent, unlike the two vehicles for whom having no body or wisdom is called entering. Therefore the Buddha himself said: 'Even if crows have horns, and kites... [only then would I] enter forever into nirvāṇa,' and so forth. Interpreting it in this way now accords well with that sūtra; if one carefully reads the text of the sūtra, one will naturally know it completely. Mahāprajñā is 'opening the Buddha's knowledge and vision'; hence the treatise states: 'Setting aside the wisdom of all modes, there is no other matter. "All-knowing" is the wisdom that realizes the two emptinesses; repeating the word "wisdom" refers to the wisdom that realizes all existents. Because this is the most supreme and wondrous, it is called unsurpassable, for there is nothing exceeding it.' The dharmakāya is 'revealing the Buddha's knowledge and vision'; hence the treatise states: 'Because the Buddha-nature and dharmakāya of the three vehicles are equal and non-different.' Liberation is 'awakening to the Buddha's knowledge and vision'; when the two obscurations both perish and the two deaths are both exhausted, this is true liberation. The two vehicles only attain the exhaustion and extinction without remainder of one obscuration and one death, and they do not know this; hence the treatise states: 'Because the two vehicles do not know the true state, [the Buddha] causes them to awaken.' The above three matters are precisely the realization and entry into great parinirvāṇa. This must have a cause, which is why the meaning of 'entering' is further stated; hence the treatise says that 'entering' refers to demonstrating the stage of non-retrogression and granting the activities of immeasurable wisdom. The Buddha appears in the world desiring to cause sentient beings of the three vehicles to cultivate the activities of the stage of non-retrogression, to abide in the secret treasury, and to enter great nirvāṇa, and for nothing else. Although this differs in name from nirvāṇa, their essence is not distinct, because all desire to practice the cause and realize entry into the stage of buddhahood's fruit. If one makes this interpretation, it accords both with proceeding from the conjured city to the jewel site, and matches driving the ox cart from the burning house. Since the essence and virtues of the Single Vehicle are called great parinirvāṇa, and the dharmakāya and saṃbhogakāya are completely comprehensive of perfect enlightenment and absolute quiescence, what principle would it fail to accord with? In these three explanations now, we only take the wisdom that is expressed and call it the Single Vehicle; the teaching that expresses it was just explained previously. Because what is spoken according to suitability is difficult to comprehend in its intent, the wondrous Dharma is also compared to a lotus flower, which must combine blossoming and blooming forth: the fruit blooming forth and the cause blossoming also do not conflict. However, sūtras such as the Śrīmālā and this text below mostly speak of the true principle as the Single Vehicle, because it is the root of the vehicle; in fact it encompasses both, covering the meaning completely. The three of opening, revealing, and awakening illuminate the Buddha's fruit-vehicle; the single aspect of entering illuminates the Buddha's causal vehicle. Although the causal vehicle extends through three incalculable kalpas, here we only take that after the second kalpa, because the treatise speaks of causing them to realize the stage of non-retrogression, and because the Laṅkāvatāra-sūtra divides the ten stages into three kinds of mind-made bodies, as explained in a separate chapter. Furthermore, a later chapter states that śrāvakas, pratyekabuddhas, and non-retrogressing bodhisattvas ride this jewel vehicle straight to the place of awakening. The Śrīmālā-sūtra says: 'With ignorance as condition and undefiled karma as cause, there are the three kinds of mind-made bodies of arhats, pratyekabuddhas, and powerful bodhisattvas.' Prior to the first stage, one actually abides within the fragmented death of the three realms and has not exited the burning house; being still within the gates and subject to burning, they are not given the name of the Single Vehicle. Alternatively, after the eighth stage is named the non-retrogressing stage, because the Yogācārabhūmi-śāstra states that after the eighth stage is the mind-made body, due to having attained certainty.