妙法蓮華經玄贊 4.11

4.11

Third, regarding the real essence: the fundamental Mahāyāna teaching, principle, practice, and fruition, as well as the four expedient dharmas capable of entering the Mahāyāna, are all named the Single Vehicle, because they all possess the function of conveying. As for the fundamental teaching, the beginning of this chapter says: "Its gate of wisdom is difficult to understand and difficult to enter." The root treatise explains: "The Āgama is profound." The meaning of the flower blossoming serves as an analogy for the sublime Dharma. The text below also says: "The storehouse of the Lotus Sūtra is deep, solid, and unfathomably remote," and so forth; the Mahāyānasaṃgraha speaks of the "Abhidharma Mahāyāna Sūtra," and so forth. As for the expedient teaching, the text below in this chapter says: "Or I teach sūtras, gāthās, and itivṛttakas, jātakas, and adbhutadharmas; I also teach nidānas, avadānas, and geyas and upadeśa sūtras. These nine divisions of my Dharma take entering the Great Vehicle as their basis; spoken in accord with sentient beings, for this reason I preach this sūtra." The Śrīmālādevī-sūtra also says: "The abide of the True Dharma and so forth were spoken of these six topics for the sake of the Great Vehicle." Therefore the lesser Tripiṭaka are all great expedients. As for the fundamental principle, it refers to the dharma-nature, tathatā. Practices such as the six pāramitās ride this real principle to be able to reach somewhere, hence it is called the Great Vehicle. Earlier in this sūtra it says: "The wisdom of the buddhas is profound and immeasurable." The text below also says: "This dharma abides in its dharma-status; the aspects of the world abide constantly; having known this at the place of awakening, the Guide taught it by expedient means." The root treatise also says: "Mindful observation means that persons of the Great Vehicle observe that because of the dharma-selflessness, the tathatā, the dharmadhātu, and so on, there is no self-nature; it is also said that because they ride upon the great nature, it is called the Great Vehicle." The Madhyāntavibhāga says that the tathatā dharmadhātu is called the unsurpassed focal object. As for the expedient principle, it refers to the principle of the four truths; what the two vehicles contemplate are all expedient principles. Therefore the Śrīmālādevī-sūtra says: "Śrāvakas know the four noble truths of constructed action; buddhas know the four noble truths of unconstructed action." The Nirvāṇa Sūtra also says: "Śrāvakas have suffering and have truth, yet lack reality; bodhisattvas possess them completely." The root treatise also says: "Mindful observation: śrāvakas observe person-selflessness and so on; on this account, both principles are the Single Vehicle of principle." As for the fundamental practice, it refers to the myriad bodhisattva practices such as the six pāramitās. The Bodhisattvabhūmi speaks of the four bodhisattva practices cultivated on the seven stages; the "Chapter on Practices of Ease" is entirely bodhisattva practice. It also says that riding this jewel carriage straight to the place of awakening is precisely the practice of the Great Vehicle. The Mahāyānasaṃgraha says: "It is both a vehicle and great, hence it is called the Great Vehicle." The Madhyāntavibhāga speaks of the ten pāramitās as the unsurpassed right practice. As for expedient practice, the Śrīmālādevī-sūtra also says: "The abiding of the True Dharma and so forth are spoken for the Great Vehicle." Advancing in good and extinguishing evil by relying on the teaching of the Tripiṭaka to cultivate uncontaminated practices are all the practice of the Great Vehicle. The Saddharmapuṇḍarīkôpadeśa says: "As for the expedient: śrāvakas contemplate the aggregates, realms, and sense fields, disliking suffering and departing from suffering. Bodhisattvas cultivate the six pāramitās, the four means of attraction, and the practices of the two benefits; on account of these two practices, both are the Single Vehicle." As for the fundamental fruition, it is the bodhi and nirvāṇa possessed by the buddha body, which are precisely the previously explained two bodies of dharma and reward, and the two visions of principle and wisdom. The text below says: "Because of explaining the wisdom of the buddhas, the buddhas appear in the world; only this one matter is real, the other two are not true." It also says: "This dharma abides in its dharma-status; the aspects of the world abide constantly; having known this at the place of awakening, the Guide taught it by expedient means." Furthermore, the dharma, reward, and transformation bodies taught in the "Span of Life Chapter" are all the Single Vehicle of fruition. The Madhyāntavibhāga speaks among the ten cultivations and realizations of the seventh as the pure land, the ninth as the buddha stage, and the tenth as manifesting awakening. As for the expedient fruition, it is the bodhi and nirvāṇa possessed by the two vehicles. Below in this sūtra it says: "What you are practicing is the bodhisattva path." The goat cart and deer cart are expedient provisions to seek the ox cart and escape the burning house; the conjured city midway is an expedient rest stop spoken of to reach the treasure trove, so two are spoken of, but there is only one, not another. The Śrīmālādevī-sūtra also says: "The four knowledges of śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas are not ultimate; they are called turning toward the realm of nirvāṇa." The statement that they obtain a resting place, and that with the four knowledges ultimate they obtain nirvāṇa, is the Buddha's expedient means; hence the fruition of the two vehicles is also the Single Vehicle. Because those of sudden awakening primarily study the fundamental teaching, principle, practice, and fruition, and concurrently study the expedient teaching, principle, practice, and fruition to subdue and transform those of the two vehicles; whereas those of gradual awakening initially study the expedient, and only after turning their minds do they study the fundamental, the dharmas they study are the same, yet the initial and the subsequent are completely distinct. Therefore we know that whenever there are the two kinds of buddha-nature, the two causes of principle and wisdom, uncontaminated actualities and seeds, the conditioned and the unconditioned, and all fundamental and expedient teachings, principles, practices, and fruitions that can accomplish buddhahood, all are the essence of the Single Vehicle. Concurrently taking the defiled merits prior to the stages and those of the ten stages to aid the Single Vehicle does not contradict the correct principle. When the Saddharmapuṇḍarīkôpadeśa and other teachings establish the essence in accordance with one gate among these three kinds of essences, they do not necessarily encompass them completely; if one relies on this explanation, all texts are comprehensively embraced without exception.